# Aphonion Tales:  The Archducal Council -- Unedited notes (posts MWF, update 12/21/22)



## CPaladin

About a decade ago, I wrote a storyhour of a long-running D&D campaign.  I wrote up storyhours for roughly the first 31 sessions of the campaign.  I then ran out of time, largely for professional reasons, to keep writing up the storyhours.  But the campaign continued, and I kept notes on the campaign.  We've played roughly 100 more sessions beyond the end of the storyhour.  I'm never going to write those up as actual Storyhour posts, but I can still share them for people who are interested in following the storyline, which I find very interesting.  I'm going to use this thread to post those notes.  Some of these notes include content more appropriate for adults (but not explicit), including references to (off-screen) sexual violence by enemies.

For people who are interested, the Storyhour part of this campaign is at:  Aphonion Tales (New posts 6/13, 6/15, 6/19).
Other discontinued written-out storyhour on Aphonion (on Zestqua, a different continent from this one) (contains adult content): Journals of a Licensed Diabolist
A collection of notes, similar to this thread, for a teen and tween game set on Drucien, the same continent as this game: Aphonion Tales: Adventures in the Spice Lands (updates Tuesdays)
A collection of notes, similar to this thread, for a pre-teen game set on Zestqua:  Aphonion Tales:  Ravenskrag and the Shadowlines (updates Thursdays)
Between the three active note threads, there should be a new post every weekday for the foreseeable future--it will take more than a year to catch up to the present, and each campaign meets every other week, so by the time we're caught up to the current date, there will be a lot more material.

Session 32 (January 29, 2008)

Military briefing:
Different orkish horde about to attack Caldra itself.  Caldra is unwalled.  This is the Horde of the Clawed Foot.  They vanished at the beginning of the invasion, after defeating a regiment of militia.  They appear to have hidden in the swamps.  They are attacking salt mines, some swamp thorps, and at least one fortified manor.  If the saltworks at Caldra were destroyed, we would lose our main capability for processing salt for 4-5 years.

Brightspan has at least two legions of barbarian cavalry; could have raised a full field army if he had more time and logistics.

Scout vollers have returned from the new islands.  They lost three airmen.  We set up an appointment with their captains today.

We also received a map of Zorplona-Argoni in Enclaves from an agent within the Council of Opposition.

Kit with domestic report.
More info on attacks in Caldra-- clearly attacking salt mines.  Also, wyvern riders have been spotted.

House of Furrows largely disgraced-- will take generations to regain support.

currently crime low; probably from cleaning up the underworld leading up to the coronation.  Dame Brionna suggests recruiting people for the army to try to keep the numbers down.

we also discuss the small number of recent murders.  Many of the people on the lists have died; the others are in pain, crippled, or mentally ill.  (We arrange for the temple to investigate and treat the survivors.)

People are getting very worried about the shortage of salt.

Alistair suggests using automata or golemim to clear out the salt mines.  (We implement.)

The hostage prince appears to be prospectively the best khan ever.  Responded very forgivingly.

We discuss Furrows.  The current Duke is senile.  Lady Susan is not the heir; the Duke’s grandsons would be.  Benjamin is 11 and promising.  His older brother (Mark) is rogueish and about 18.  We worry about the reactions of the other nobles if we took action.

All of the other great nobles (the dukes) view themselves as roughly equal under the overlordship of the Archduke.  The current Duke was captain of the Royal Guard from 24-34, and fought at the Battle of the Twin Passes, when Lady Amelia directed the battle against an invading force coming through the Twin Passes.  He is remembered for that with great respect.  The House is respected because of a history of service.  Lady Susan, and the niece, Lady Viola, were never trained to be ruling lords, and since they functionally assumed control, most of the bad things have happened.  Certainly a sense of understanding among his peers that he lived longer than he should have, so there is sympathy for the last 10 years.  Lady Viola is earnest, youngish (about 30), can be taught, is a bard.

We discuss marrying him off to Alistair’s half-sister, Margaret, who is competent, a little dodgy, and was recognized, so received an upbringing mostly appropriate to high nobility.  She’s about 20.

We ask Mark and Alistair’s sister to meet with us.  We set up the meeting with Margaret for this afternoon, Mark in six days.

We also leak to Brightspan that we plan to urge Furrows to make Sir Derrick either Caldra or Caligshire.

Scouting report from the captains of the vollers:
Almost immediately upon being summoned, Capt. Brennan reports.

Approached from the north, circled island, one to east, one to west, then did a search pattern at 2000 feet above the highest outcropping, using the gnome spyglasses.  Most of primary island is heavily jungled, with reddish-brown trees that seem to move apart from the wind.  The outcroppings are covered with buildings, not quite a city.  6 types of beings.  Some that look like illithids, but are not-- different coloration, number of tentacles, no indication that they eat brains (as best we can tell, they eat emotions); large numbers of slaves, some no longer quite human, though some are; large doglike things, also tentacled, absolutely vicious, we saw them take down a rhinoceros sort of things (like dogs crossed with displacer beasts), seemed to move without blinking or shifting-- tentacles exude paralytic poison;  rhinoceros-like beasts fed on the trees, which is somewhat disturbing (the trees defend vigorously) (don’t think they are intelligent); the trees exude a dart-like thing to defend, about 90’; in addition to those groups, a floating creature (in the air above the island), it also carried weapons, some pole-arms, a couple of clubs, and seemed to be guarding the pass that leads up to the pinnacle (only saw one, floating largely in place); then saw a protean mass that we initially thought was a giant slime or ooze until it surprised us.  It suddenly elevated at substantial speed nearly two-thousand feet and attacked us.  It could change portions of its shape and propelled itself by absorbing and expelling air.  It damaged the deck with some sort of viscous ooze, and plucked three men off before we got the boarding pikes out.  We punctured it and it retreated to the ground.  The structures are clearly of non-human design.  No right angles, few corners.  The illithid-type creatures are using them; we presume they built them, but did not see any building in progress.  Only things that didn’t use weapons were the rhinoceroses and the trees.

Ships in the bay.  Two structures that we took to be temples.  No identifiable holy symbols, but there was a design.   (He shows a sketch on parchment, a ball with squiggly arrows coming out in all directions.)  I recognize it from an obscure book in the Library of Glittertowers, its an ancient and lost holy symbol from some lost god, but I don’t know more.

Who crewed the ships?  Humans, no illithid people on them.

Ships made of wood?  Yes, well vast majority.  Two large metal barges, long contraption near the top with a long tube sticking out the top.  Not completely sure they’re ships, but they were in the water.  Black metal, but not adamantium.  Almost seemed to absorb the light.  Saw skaven, but not many, only in port.  Did not appear to be slaves.  Believe that they were of Clan Moldar, and trading, but we don’t know for what.

Island honeycombed with tunnels.  Slaves brought carts of material, probably fungus, out of the tunnels.  Also, many trees bear fruit.  Overseers do not seem to do a great deal of directing, but would walk among them and select a group to go to the building complexes.  None who entered the buildings besides the overseers emerged.  Selected slaves showing the most emotion, of any sort.

Something strange about the sea, if you get away from the channel leading directly to the isle.  The very water seemed to be red and thick, like a red tide but thicker.  And there’s a fish kill along the edges.  Could be undersea trees-- couldn’t tell from the air.  Could still be more structures or people under the water, but nothing to go on.

Area not currently expanding.  They have a thing about bones.  One of the few things they have the slaves do is collect bones from creatures that had died, carry them back to structures.  Those didn’t come back out either.

Kit passes a mental image of Sir Denro over from Dame Brionna.  Did you see this man?

Not to recognize him, but 60 or 70 thousand slaves on that island.  We saw three groups, each of three or four, brought into the structures.

Significant magical activity in both temples, one other structure.  No resources to check psionic activity.  Magic on one of the wooden ships, but they probably brought that with them.  The metal ships were “dead”-- either absorb magic or don’t show up at all.

On our way back, three more ships heading there.  Appear to be coming from around the coast to the east.  Our guess is the Trade Cities.  Some of the Trade Cities are slave states, most aren’t.

We hire privateers to interdict them.

Dismiss the Captain.

[Cont'd]


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## Quartz

Thank you for updating this story hour. I remember it fondly.


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## Baron Opal II

I miss the game and DM. It was fun when I played oh so long ago at the Studio.

I'm thrilled that you are updating! It brings back fond memories.


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## CPaladin

I'm glad you're enjoying it, Baron Opal!
-------
Session 32 (cont'd)

We set up a meeting with the illithid ambassador.

The hostage train arrives. We move them into the palace. We set up a reception for the afternoon.

We talk about what to do with the prisoner (from context, who attacked the prince?). If the prince asks for mercy, we’ll banish him.

Word reaches Kit that the train is making its way slowly across the city, because the Prince has never seen a major city before.

We receive the prince in the great hall. Kit is onstage, in a dress. Alistair is in full regalia. Dame Brionna is in armor.

The heralds announce Prince Altyn oba Kurda Ulda Dangizach-Ronalonin.

The particular formation of the name, with hyphenated last names implies that the Great Khan married (as his "first" wife) the craft mistress of one of the great crafts. It would take time to figure out which one, since each craft mistress is referred to only as "mistress of XXX craft" from the time she attains that rank until she dies - but this boy is the child of that craft mistress.

20 young women, in saffron and diaphanous robes and jeweled veils. They position themselves between all of the women in the room, except the ones on the dais, and the prince. The prince is very young, about 12, wearing very appropriate clothing. Sir Jennings walks along a couple of steps behind. There is also one older woman.

“Greetings and honor to the House of Ashberry of the Archduchy of Canberry. I bring gifts and tribute from my father the Great Khan to the glory of the empire and of our … united people.”

He seeks permission to do something, but is rejected by his about twenty year old sister. Kit is pretty sure he was going to plead the case of the farmer.

We offer him a position as a page, which he accepts.

I ask that you accept my cousin Parni if it pleases you, as … a lady-in-waiting in training, perhaps? You can do with my other women as you please, my lord. (He’s clearly trying to get free of their protection.)

We accept Parni as lady-in-waiting.

Parni is beautiful, about 20. Other women-- picked as children for exceptional ugliness. Old woman probably quite beautiful in their youth.

Kit approaches the old woman. “After this, His Grace would like to meet with you to discuss the accommodations for the other women in the Prince’s company.”

Sarasi, matron of the children of the Great Khan. She agrees to meet with Alistair privately.

Kit notes that Sarasi is completely unarmed, but has many long worn indicators of where she carried weapons.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

Session 32 (Cont'd)

Sir Jennings and Dame Brionna move off to a drawing room. “He is a remarkable specimen. He was ready to defend his mother to the death. I underestimated Sir Derrick-- he is a strong commander, but he was able to negotiate better than I expected. He was gracious in victory. The boy was a surprise as well. From the moment that he understood that his mother’s honor was not in danger, he has been pleasant, friendly, etc.

Very scared of becoming a spirit-walker-- his father’s spirit-walkers summoned a goristro that nearly killed Lord Brightspan. I think all of them are demon summoners. Beginning to learn to read. Also learned to write his name-- that took longer than I expected before I learned what it was. Do not like their custom with women-- honor keeps a man honest, but it is their way. Women run all aspects of life except military and economic. Saw his generous heart a number of times. He says, “If bloodfeud is allowed to fester, it is an open wound that festers for a hundred years.”

Khan’s word is known to be good. Having given his surrender, he will keep that as long as the Archduke is alive.

May ultimately be a bard; excellent at repeating songs back, memorizing tales, and the like.

Dame Brionna sounds Sir Jennings about a guard captain/tutor posting.

Alistair talks to the Prince and to Parni. After a few minutes, Altan brings up the issue of the farmer. He stabbed me with a hand-spade.

Agree to commute to banishment.

Also talks with Parni. [I believe the conversation with Parni was primarily Alistair hitting on her, with some success.]

Then private discussion with Sarasi.

Spirit-callers have always been a powerful force among the hordes. He has no respect for the spirit-callers or spirit-walkers. He has a revulsion from them. But he is beloved of the Khan.

Parni cared for him during his mother’s sickness, when he was an infant, and she was still a young child.

Sarasi agrees to dismiss the guardian women

She will remain at least until the daughter arrives.
---
Kit agrees to have rumors spread about her and Alistair


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## CPaladin

I've updated the first post in this thread with links to all of the Aphonion storyhours.  Two are discontinued, fully written out storyhours; three are currently active, notes only storyhours like this one.


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## CPaladin

Session 33 (February 12, 2008)

Missing.  This is the first of a group of notes from 2008 that appear to have been permanently lost when I switched computers.  I was able to recover most of the notes from this period, but not these.  There are a total of about 5 missing sessions.

Session 34 (February 18, 2008)

Missing.

Session 35 (March 20, 2008)

24 of O-Kas

We review the holy org chart (Attached)

We agree that Kaitlyn should be staying at the palace now.


Mtg with the Master of the Royal Warehouses wants to meet with us; Garfield Tuffle

a young man, no gray in his full head of hair, carrying his cap in his hand

introduces himself as Acting Master of the Royal Warehouses

Here for a couple of reasons. One of his men was approached with a bribe to let someone into the warehouses where the salt is kept. Don’t have all that many guards. I’m worried. They’re well built, but…

Man was approximately 5’10”, white blond hair, wrinkles, not young, and a potbelly.

Salt supply only in one warehouse. Checked the bags, all in good order, but… Someone tried to start a fire, but it didn’t work. Set near the intakes, may have been trying to smoke us out. Nothing like that has ever happened, ever.

Announcement of guarantee in the lower city has calmed the common folk. The criers have been saying that the Archduke guaranteed that there wouldn’t be any shortages of salt in the fall.

How much of the needs of the Archduchy could be met out of the warehouses? Perhaps 25%.

Brought in the alchemists to test for poison-- no problems.

Prior head followed the Archduchess.

Blonde hair tends to be from the far north-- blondes from around here tend to have dirty blonde hair, and they are unusual. Blonde hair also quite common in the Eastern Trade Federation-- second and later generation northerners who settled there.

We realize that reports have been backing up in the Privy Secretary’s office. We talk about hiring Lady Violet of Furrows to fill the position.

Kit sends agents to gather info about the town criers.

Kit also goes to meet with Gary (the guy who was bribed), with Detect Thoughts up.

Gives a description of the man who tried to bribe him. None of the rest of him was fat-- just the potbelly. Very similar to Vivian Parley’s boyfriend, but older in appearance-- wrinkles, sagging around the bones. Potbelly looks fake-- could be carrying something, could be wearing a fake potbelly. Kit believes that it is exactly the same person, but with some sort of unknown effect aging him 30 years-- only thing that looks fake is the potbelly.

He said, you’re on duty nights, right? And I said, yes, sir. And he said, I need to look at something in the warehouse. Do you think I could see it when you’re on duty? And I said, no sir. And he said but there’s the side door on the alley, but I said that’s kept locked, and he showed me a hand of coins.

With some prompting, Kit gets an image of 5 gold pieces-- at least one has the head of Alistair’s grandmother on it.

But I had to turn him away. Glor’diadel doesn’t preserve those who lie and cheat on their rulers.

Did he have an accent? Sounded like he had marbles in his mouth. Talks like I imagine a fish does.

Didn’t seem like it hurt him to talk, but sounded like it hurt him to breathe. Some people get that problem when they get old. It’s sad.

He wasn’t that old, not more than 55, and that’s old, but he wasn’t ancient, not like the priest. But he had trouble breathing, rasping in and out (Kit hears the sound in his voice)
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 35, cont'd]
Meanwhile, Dame Brionna gathers up a stack of reports from the Privy Secretary’s office.

The Master: I didn’t want to ask around, because that could make someone go looking. So I’ve been keeping a watch, and I reassigned some of the least reliable to other warehouses.

Dame Brionna hands Kit a stack of love poems to the Privy Secretary. They are sappy and swarmy; they are signed, “Davron Crickhollow”; Davron is the younger brother of the squire of Crickhollow (a vassal of the Earl of Quickford, himself a direct vassal of the Archduke); Davron is a moderately successful merchant, not hugely wealthy, mostly an exporter, but of course he carries loads back. Winters and lives in Canberry City. Maintains a permanent suite in one of the residential inns. Recently departed. Alistair suggests having someone burglarize his suite.

We’ll have Father Waters function as Privy Secretary until we get a permanent one.

We send a regiment of guards to the warehouse.

We implement the options plan in the Exchange-- writing lots of call options on salt.

Kit puts some people to watch the other senior warehouse people.

That afternoon:

Several young people who saw the crier have been brought in and Dame Kit is informed.

She goes in with detect thoughts up. There are a whole gaggle of twelve-year olds. The criers were crying this at about 9 at night, which is fairly normal-- people are home, but not asleep yet.

Criers didn’t give their names, which is normal; they give the best descriptions they can, but the descriptions are lousy. She is seeing dark shapes, clearly correct tabards, top hats, but nobody saw a face. They had the handbells. No suspicious potbellies, but one did have a goose on a leash. He cries all the time. So definitely his regular crier. All of the voices sounded right.

The Archduke was calling for calm. Gave his personal guarantee that there would be enough salt to preserve the food of all in the fall. Part of the usual list of announcements. Right after the announcement of someone being elevated in the military, right before the local deaths.

We call up the functionary in charge of the announcements. Dame Brionna goes down to his office, in the bowels of the palace. There is a small mousy man with gnomish spectacles, writing away on the evening crying. Any special announcements from the Archduke come with his seal from his office. These days, it gets delivered by a runner from the Archduke. Usually, by two at the latest. Salt announcement was delivered late, by a different runner from normal, but things have been irregular lately. Only other particularly odd one was the one announced 5 or 6 days ago, the announcement of incipient military movements. Sheet of papyrus with the Archducal seal at the bottom, announcing the intent of the Archduchy to transfer several legions in or near the city to the eastern frontier. I gave the boy a message to take back. There was some panic about this-- it would leave us unprotected to the west. Been doing this job for 25 years. What’s the best way to counter this? Would an announcement that the troops are staying help? Yes, it would calm people greatly.

Dame Brionna makes a plan to grab the messenger when he next delivers a message from the Archduke.

Also, we are seeking new recruits for the army and new guards, and welcome those of common birth. Pay will go up by 2 coppers a day.

Also gives her the names of the people from the middle and upper. Dame Brionna sends guards to check them out. No false announcements made there.

Scribe notes that the handwriting was also matched to the archduke’s normal messages (Marcus’s handwriting). Whoever does this is good. Not perfect, but easily good enough to fool any non-professionals.

Scribe looks at the message to Lord Alonzo, which is in Alistair’s personal handwriting. The errors match the same mistakes, reflecting the underlying concealed handwriting. The scribe relaxes when it becomes clear that the topic is not risqué. No similarity to the handwriting in the love notes (or the old Privy Secretary’s handwriting.)

Dame Brionna goes through several of the logistical and support requests, which go through several iterations, getting increasingly desperate. The top level stuff has all reached us, but all of the functional stuff has been falling down. Dame Brionna asks her secretary and squire to start answering these, along with Father Waters-- both are competent to answer most of these questions.

Next day! Alistair does his marital duties, then spends the night in Kit’s room-- he knocks and does not assume, but does spend the night.  [If I recall correctly, in one of the missing sessions we all concluded that the sooner there was an heir on the way, the better.  So there was a public ceremony announcing the betrothal and having Kaitlyn baptized into the faith of Glordiadel, followed immediately by a private, basically secret but legally and religiously binding wedding, with the public wedding scheduled for substantially later with an appropriate lag time for a public event of that magnitude.  Also, if it hadn't already happened, I think Alistair had Dame Constance dissolve the fertility block his grandmother had placed on him.]

[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

Session 35 [cont'd]
Overnight, the Thieves’ Guild burglarizes the inn. The two people who were sent got caught and arrested. Kit leaves them to stew over night, then has someone untraceable bail them out.

Report from the Spicelands: their forward scouts have met the gray elves and the Forest Lords. Significant casualties were inflicted, and they were stymied for the day.

The Archbishop there reports that there is a seal in place blocking access to the greater powers of the Light. He asks his clerics to be judicious about using their more powerful spells. A small dragon delivers the message.

My lord is an ally of the Archbishop, the gray elf. He can do a series of short pops and get their much more quickly than a normal messenger. He made the trip in a few hours.

Dame Brionna: Did you see anything as you traveled? Did anything catch your eye?

Pretty things, dangerous things, other things?

Dangerous things.

Yes, one. There is a considerable force of drow to your south.

Insignia?

They fly banners-- I could project.

(Moriquendarim-- several battlebarges there as well)

4 hops south. Blasted landscape.

How many?

20 paws (100)

Seem to be waiting for something-- they have tents. Also not afraid of the light-- that is odd.

Dame Brionna is fairly certain that that’s completely south of Canberry, even of Brightspan.

Alistair reaches out through his connection to the land, and senses it. The land was horribly injured-- there was a bombardment of fire and negative energy. Also, there are many corpses there-- some of the dead have been laid to rest normally, others have been crammed into a single grave. There is poison leaking into the earth from the mass grave (none from the others). They are attempting to walk lightly on the earth, but even attempting they are not successful. There is a completely dark hole near them that leads into the earth. It feels like what a gate to the underdark feels like.

Mahler approaches the meeting, in the persona of a middle-aged, bent-over woman (Lady Sepulva). He reports that the salt contracts are being snapped up very rapidly. He’s done an analysis, and while what is driving up the prices are that many merchants are bidding, but about 90% of the purchases are from three merchants. Two are local; the third has a seat on both the Canberry Exchange and the Eastern Trade Federation Exchange. They are pricing out almost all of the local merchants who are trying to cover real needs; the other 10% are from when they actually let contracts go because the bidding got so high. Peter Pluckard; Edrick Overunder; and Zachary Doorwood, who has seats on both exchanges-- Middle Circle here, top circle there. The other two are both middle circle here and only here.

We have them watched.

Doorwood is an originally Canberran name; Overunder is probably also; Pluckard is probably not, but doesn’t sound Eastern Trade Federation-- probably Utolian (from the North). Many Utolian, but not all by any means, are blonde.

We ask for Zachary’s dossier-- he’s important enough that there will be stuff on him. The other two are successful merchants, but nothing like him. So we ask to have something worked up on the other two. Zachary has been running merchanting operations in both cities for over twenty years. Left Canberry as a young teen and moved to the Eastern Trade Federation; his family was not terribly functional. He determined that he was going to make his life making money and moved there. He started a very small trading house with money he saved from doing semi-licit work-- did ad hoc work, never stopped growing. Worked his way up. A sense that it is probable that he actually used strong-arm tactics to help himself grow--kept a great many friends in the group that he might have operated with in his youth. A number of direct competitors failed spectacularly. He reached the second level, began trading extensively in products from the Confederacy of the South Kingdoms-- had a large supply of some of their rarer items when the Confederacy collapsed. Hoarded and sold carefully, bought in at the top level. Only then did he return to Canberry, bought out a local merchant house. Also has a seat in the Exchange in Enclaves, although represented there by a factor. Very little known there. No price-fixing-- he’s been watched for it. Keeps his family in the Eastern Trade Federation-- little known about them beyond their existence. Goes back and forth, but at the moment here.

That evening, 10 church-knights, two mages, and two clerics get sent to arrest the here’ku. A dimensional lock is cast right before they rush in. The church-knights include all of the remaining knights that are starving themselves to death. They rush in. There is a considerable struggle as it shifts form into a snake. In fairly short order, they manage to capture the creature, stick him into a fairly solid cage, know having trashed that corner of the restaurant. (One of the knights apologies and pays for the damage.)

Next time: interrogation!

That night, a better squad of burglars successfully robs Davron Crickhollow’s suite, upsetting the owners of the inn greatly.
[End Session 35]


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## CPaladin

Session 36 (May 21, 2008)
Notes are missing.  However, there were some documents from this session that we do have (attached), and also some pre-game activity involving Dame Brionna that I'm including here.

DM wrote:
A messenger awaits you as you approach morning chapel service.  He is young, you recognize him as one of the squires.  He bows deeply.  "Dame Brionna -- a visitor of breathtaking power  appeared just outside the wards about a hour ago.  At his request he has been taken to the chapel garden.  He has asked for a representative of the Archduke and also mentioned the possibility of attending chapel if that would facilitate it..  He is... I cannot describe him..."  The squire shakes his head, as if to clear it.  "An elf honored Dame -- its an elf -- I'm so sorry, I've hardly been myself since  he spoke to me.  I have difficulty  thinking clearly."  He bows again, obviously flustered. 

(here I am taking license based on the Dame's observed behavior)  With a quarter bell to spare before service, you forgo your normal private devotion and go to the chapel garden.  There you see a beautiful, and  you think quite young, male elf.  He is dressed in finest shirt and pants of what appears to you as purest elven weave.  The shirt has an elven coat of arms embroidered on the left breast.  A combination of the Great Tree, the Seven Stars and some sparkling elven runes.  That same design is captured on a small seal on a torc of mithril and rose laen which he wears around his neck -- as his only jewelry.  From classes long ago, refreshed when you knew you had to deal with a number of elven powers, or might -- you recognize the crest of the house of S'Giliath -- the most fabled Elldar house -- the house of the OverQueen - a house rumored to have less than 300 surviving members, and less than 20 young.  The elf is singing in Queyna ( eldar) , and a soft glowing light spills out of him, as if he were a lamp.  Two female servants and a young male stand entranced nearby -- their faces transfixed with joy.  Another figure, a middle aged female servant that you have seen occasionally, an under secretary you think -- lies prostate at the young elf's feet -- weeping, a dagger fallen from her outstretched hand. 

The elven boy, who is completely unarmed, upon seeing you, smiles, stops singing and bows slightly to you -- an unusual honor from an elf.  The two servant girls and the boy shake their heads, prostate themselves, then rise, and with a visible inner calm you have rarely seen on anyone their age, wander into the chapel -- where you often see them at morning prayer, bowing to you as they pass.  The boy even reaches out to touch just the helm of the elf's garment, the young elf reaches out in return instead, and touches the boys hand  whispering a word in Queyna.  The boy smiles, bows and goes on into the chapel.

"His mother has been ill -- I do not completely understand what sickness is -- but I could see her condition in his mind -- it is her heart, it weakens for some reason.  I have sent strengthening energy to her.  It should restore her for some time to come -- I do not think forever though -- father says that humans ... die for no reason other than age.

'Oh!" he flushes.  "I bring greetings and honor from my father, Lord  Elros S'Giliath, emissary of the Overqueen unto the Queen of Singing Leaves." He extends a rose Laen tube, within which creamy parchment is rolled..  "Battle Commander, I bring these words from my father unto the court of the Arch-duchy of Canberry together with our respect."

The elven youth falls smoothly into a court style genuflection, extending the tube.  At the same time, the weeping secretary rises from the ground, her face contorted to the point of being almost unrecognizable.  In a single motion she scoops up the dagger and she lunges forward toward the kneeling lad's back.

----
Dame Brionna's player responded:
Given her bodyguard training (and I did guess it in the 2nd paragraph), Dame Brionna had been watching the middle-aged servant carefully, and activated her standard auras giving a +2 AC and DR 2-  to all allies in the area. As it is early morning and she was preparing for services, she's not armed herself except for a small dagger and is dressed only in her uniform and surcoat. Nevertheless, she attempts to throw herself between the servant and the elf, grappling the servant if possible. For the record, on a Disarm check, she gets a total of 28. Perhaps more importantly, she's also using her special Marshal power which allows her to grant an immediate move action to an ally within 30 feet - yelling, "Run!" to the elf.
----
DM responded:
You easily move in between, startled into action by your power he tumbles forward and lands on his feet, running toward the chapel door.  You successfully grapple the servant, who cries out "no, no - they are past, they must die, they must all die!!!" Weeping and howling she attempts to struggle free of you.  "They come and they charm your children -- and the children are never the same.  Let me go, we are the earth now, they are old and arrogant and lost, they must die. Abomination, Abomination!" 

The boy, from the chapel door looks horrified.  "But we wish you no harm, I would never harm your children, I would heal them - I am a child too. I just want to be friends with everyone."

"Abomination" she screams, "you can never understand," and clumsily tries to hurl the dagger at him. She fails because you are mostly pinning her, and in the process she cuts herself.  Her back arches, she screams, froths, and as Father Waters rushes from the chapel, past the boy, she expires.

"No, no, no!" cries the young messenger, and then begins to weep.  "I wished no harm -- this is why, this is why Great Grandmother thinks we must pass to the West, this is why!  I love humans, I've always wanted to know some, that's why father let me be the messenger, and now I do know some and one of them is dead because of me. I tried to stop her from dying -- but she rejected me -- she wouldn't let the power help her. What have we done that she hates us so -- what have I done?!"  He bows his head, choking on his tears, the Laen scroll tube laying nearly forgotten at his side.

Father Waters kneels by the woman.  Hyperaware, you see him check her pulse, shake his head, then check the dagger, blocking the boy's view with his bod.  With a twist, he opens the handle -- revealing a vial of clear liquid, half empty, inside the hilt.  "Poison dagger," he murmurs, as softly as he possibly can.  "She planned for this, for being this close to one of them sooner or later -- I would bet my life that this is some form of poisoned Kirian.  It wasn't that she wouldn't let the power help her -- the Kirian prevented it completely if it is indeed tainted."

He slips the hilt closed and drops the dagger into a leather pouch.
----
Dame Brionna's next response:
First, I offer a quick prayer of thanksgiving to Glordiadel. Then I summon a paladin to take careful custody of the dagger and bring it someplace (Far from elves) where it can be studied (by the mages?), and ask Father Waters to summon a priest to take care of the woman's body, preserve it for Speak-with-Dead, and find out as much information as possible about her. I also send a page to wake up Alistair and Kit and get him ready for a formal reception of such an august dignitary. That done, I pick up the Laen scroll tube, extend a hand to the Eldar, and suggest that we pray for her forgiveness by the Light and our own understanding of her suffering in the chapel. Once he's calmed down and we've gone through the services (his deities as well), I offer to escort him to the meeting room - keeping him well within sight and protection, and making sure there are reliable guards lining the corridors en route.


The paladin removes the dagger to one of several safe locations designated for emergencies within the palace.  Father Waters summons a priest to remove and preserve the body.  He also sends a runner under your seal (which has respect in the Capital second only to the Archduke and the Archbishop) to the Archdiocesan records archives, requesting an immediate report and any information available on the woman, whose name, he says is Susan Eve LeClair.  "she often attends chapel here in the morning" he explains softly, "she's never given evidence of insanity before -- and certainly not of this."  You send a page to the Archducal quarters (please compose a brief note you would actually use and forward it to both players via email addressed to the characters -- just for the sake of the rp - please send me a blind copy as well) to wake them and inform them of the visitor.

There are several dozen people in the chapel, as there usually are -- a few household guard, you, another paladin (plus the one sent off with the dagger) and quite a few servants and pages.  The boy who was listening to the young elf earlier, and who clearly knows something went horribly wrong after they parted rises, together with one of the girls, and comes over to sit with you and the visibly upset elven boy.  He and the girl glance at each other with worried expressions, as they get near you -- but square their shoulders and come on over anyway.  They carefully sit on the opposite side of the boy from you, the servant boy closest to him.

Father Waters, in a few, carefully worded sentences explains that an incident, unexpected and unprecedented has occurred, and that Susan Eve LeClair is dead as a result of it.  He explains that rather than routine morning prayer, instead this will be a specialized form of the prayers for the dead, for she had no chance to confess prior to her untimely passing.  He asks all present to forgive the woman any wrong she had done them, and   leads the congregation then in the prayers for the dead, asking for forgiveness of the souls of the dead and peace in the paradise of Glor'diadel and finally flawlessly guides the ceremony to a point where he can ask the young S'Giliath lord to pray to the elven Creator for the peace of the woman's soul and her repose since "he too was present at the time of her death, and was wronged by her."

The boy, rises, a bit shakily, the human servant boy reaches out sympathetically and touches his hand, gently.  "Creator, in the mercy that you show your brother, that you show the Kinslayers, that you show all of us among the trees, I ask that you see the soul of this Susan Eve LeClair and redeem her to the Light of Creation." Then he slips out of common and begins to sing an Eldar dirge in Queyna.  He sings for only a couple of minutes, a hauntingly beautiful song -- and at its end he bows his head.  You are moved by the song, but several of the other participants are openly weeping.  Slowly, haltingly a young woman, an assistant cook you think, says "I forgive Susan for yelling at me when I was too slow to prepare the plate she had to take to Lady Brenda.  I have nursed this anger for 5 years, it is wrong, and I forgive her and ask Glor'diadel to forgive me for this anger."  A moment later a man, one of the grooms says "I forgive Susan for publicly humiliating me after I gave her a rose to show that I was sweet on her.  For a year I did not dare tread where she might walk, for ten years I have lowered my head in shame and anger when I recalled what she did and steadfastly avoided her gaze.  I forgive her, and I hope that she will forgive me too and that Glor'diadel and all the Saints will do the same."  Several other members of the congregation forgive Susan as well, enough so that you become aware that she apparently had made some enemies in the household -- and that she was a brittle and demanding woman for some time.  Finally, when all the humans have finished, a silence falls, and just before Father Waters begins to speak again, the Eldar boy raises his voice anew.  "Creator, First Daughter, Stars and Principalities and Powers, I, Elhieardacil, son of Elros, of the house of S'Giliath forgive Susan Eve LeClair for attempting to kill me.  I forgive her for hating me.  I forgive her for desiring my death.  I forgive her for refusing my help as a redactor, even as she died. (He is trembling as if he had the auge, but he continues).  I ask that she also forgives me.  Forgives me because sometimes my people are arrogant.  Forgives me because I did not realize that she wanted to kill me, I thought she was only as the Grugarch and some of the Sindarin, approaching with weapons only to show their strength, and thus I proved that I too am arrogant even though I do not wish to be.  I ask her to forgive me because her hatred of me has left her children without a mother and her grandchildren without a grandmother, and I cannot give that back to them.  I ask her to forgive me and to accept my forgiveness, that her spirit may be restored to the Light of Creation and have endless days in the West."

As the silence falls again, Father Water's does speak.  "Hear our prayers and grant our requests I humbly beseech.  Keep us ever mindful of the nearness of death and ever ready to enter into your eternal presence.  Have mercy on us, and grant us peace."

Turning he bows deeply to the sun disk, and then turning again to the congregation he announces the benediction.  As he finishes people genuflect, nod toward him, and many toward you and Elhieardacil and begin to depart to their daily routine.

As you depart to take the boy to the audience chamber, the servant boy and girl each hug him tightly, and walk a little way with him, before hurrying off to their duties, the messenger that Father Waters sent for Susan Eve LeClair's records approaches from your right while the boy is thus distracted and bends forward, murmuring softly "The  report you requested will be ready for you before lunch time honored Dame -- where shall I have it delivered?  Your office or the pages at the privy council chamber?"  Seconds after you answer that, another figure, a mage's apprentice that you have seen from time to time around the palace you are quite sure, slips a note into your off hand and walks away.
-----
Dame Brionna's player wrote to Kit and Alistair's players:
As the first grey rays of dawn are beginning to come through your windows, the page Tad Sedge knocks very politely on both Kit's bedroom door and the Archducal bedroom door, bearing small scrolls sealed with Dame Brionna's personal signet ring. He'll betray no surprise at finding both of them in one location or the other.

"Your grace, m'lady, please, my mistress said she's sorry but it's very important you read these right now and that I should then go get your squires and lady-in-waiting." He bows nervously; he's clearly had some serious shock, as he is stammering and quite pale, but also has an incongruous look of joy in his eyes.

You take the scroll and close the door on him. Opening it, you see a neat but quickly penned message in Brionna's handwriting:

"Major Eldar noble - _child_ of S'giliath House appeared, nearly assassinated by palace servant. Safe for now, bringing him to meeting room after chapel services. No prior exp w/humans. See you in hour. - DB."
[The documents from that session are attached.  As I mentioned, we don't have the notes for the session itself.]

[I'm pretty sure based on looking at the context of this that this was the beginning of what in many ways is the defining plot thread of the last decade of the campaign.  I won't clarify further now to avoid spoilers, but the message to the Spymaster ends up being very important.]

After the session, I sent the following email:
I've attached a letter from Alistair to the Patriarch of the Light. 

To flesh out what I said in the last session, Alistair calls the Archbishop to the palace and asks the Archbishop to personally deliver the message into the hands of the Patriarch.  He tells the Archbishop that the message has to do with the idea they had previously discussed of Alistair speaking to the College of Cardinals about organizing a more active intelligence gathering capability within the Church.  Something has come up that increases the urgency of that, but Alistair won't say more in explanation.  Alistair offers the Archduchy's capabilities to teleport the Archbishop to the Holy See.
[Letter to the Patriarch also attached]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 37 (6/3/08)
Notes missing.  I believe this is the last set of missing notes in the campaign.

I have the handouts from the session, attached.  I remember the context of these.  At this point in the campaign, we had realized that there was an imposter of Alistair active in northern Drucien.  The imposter was basically trying to cause trouble by ruining Alistair's reputation and also possibly creating succession questions in the next generation.  I believe that the imposter had raped the granddaughter of a noble in the Principality of Korflok.  I think her sister showed up at Canberry during one of these sessions with an infant nephew, the child of her sister and the Alistair imposter.  I believe we agreed to take in the child and raise it in the palace as a noble child, but we also succeeded in convincing her that the imposter was not in fact Alistair.  I think she may have been persuaded by Dame Brionna swearing that she was with Alistair at the time of the incident, and they were no where near Korflok?  We may have had other evidence as well, because I believe that was during the time the group was traveling from Enclaves to Canberry.  Kit clearly played a role in clearing Alistair's reputation as well, but I don't remember how.  (Possibly psionics?  I dunno, it was a long time ago.). In any event, this at least mostly resolved this diplomatic crisis.

The gifts referred to in these attachments (some valuable personal gifts to Kit, and a small parcel of land with an attached noble title in Debonai to Alistair) were, we understood, meant to endow the infant (the great-grandson of the Earl deWais-Inderal of the Principality of Korflok) with a suitable estate.  Alistair duly conferred the title on the infant, while being clear that he was a fosterling of the Archduke, not a relation of the Archduke.

I think this was actually only a small part of this session, but alas, the rest of the events in this session are like tears in the rain.


----------



## CPaladin

Session 38 (July 1, 2008)
27 O-Kas
To-do list:
Scheduled meeting with Lord Mark of Furrows
Figure out where the gate is from
Talk to the kids, find out where they’re from, etc. [I think a bunch of refugee children gated in?]
Contact their families (delegated to Mommy Cupcakes)
At some unspecified time in the future, Alistair needs to meet with the Patriarch
Check out throne


Acting Field Commander Dame Christine of the Wooden Thicket

Sir Derek has reported that the relief of Caldra is completed

Two prominent heroes of the campaign: 1. Sir Devin who led the irregulars; he was deeply injured with a serious neurotoxin in the final assault.

A nobleman who fortified his village and resisted heavily; either Elmswood or Tallgrass; vassal of Caldra

We talk about honors. Maybe Elmswood to Caldra (which would mean Sir Derek to a county in the South Kingdoms instead); Sir Devin to Caligshire; the Admiral a baronetcy.

Kit shows the message from the Principality of Korflok. Not known for either magic or psionics; some security concerns, but not hugely so.

Alistair instructs his father’s tailor to recommend two seamstresses, one elven, one very modern.

Kit responds that she will meet them at a nice merchants’ quarter restaurant tomorrow; stakes it out with some of her people.

Brionna suggests adding the guards who distinguished themselves with the new Order of the Sardonyx Throne.

Kit goes to visit Mommy Cupcakes to see the child. She brings Lord Brightspan with her.

There are two babies in the nursery.

The second one just showed up a few nights ago, several months later.

Kit instructs Mommy Cupcakes to let us know if any additional babies show up mysteriously.

Lord Brightspan has drifted over to the little tiny baby.

“M’lord? What do you think?”

“Her mind is very active.”

“More active than you would expect in a baby that age?”

“Stronger. Very… very quizzical.”

“Can you tell if she’s all human?”

“I think she’s fey. But she’s friendly.”

Kit detects primitive, not well-formed psionics.

“She’s generating an illusion that she’s human. I think it’s a defensive reaction.”

“It’s okay. You can show us your real form.”

For just a moment, she looks much smaller and more feylike than she does normally.

“See? That’s okay. You can show us. No worries.”

“Ach! It’s a changeling! I should have known. We get those every couple of generations. I think it’s the Tor’s way of showing that they’re our friends. I took care of one the last time—in the Archduke’s father’s day. They took him back eventually.”

Lord Brightspan wanders over to the other baby.

“Mommy Cupcake? Have you given either a name?”

“Mostly I coo to them. I assume that my betters will name them.”

After a while, Cupcake settles on Freya for the fey baby.

The little boy still doesn’t have a name.

Brightspan: “Very healthy. Seems fine to me. His mind isn’t active like the other one.”

“Is he going to turn out to be a good person?”

“As much chance as any baby.”

“All human?”

“Definitely all human.”

Kit warns Mommy Cupcakes that refugee children are coming.

We have some dolls, some teddy bears, and one bedraggled teddy ogre, about 3 times the size of the other teddy bears. An ambassador from the humanoids in the Barrier Mountains visited; that belonged to his boy.

Kit reports back.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 38 [cont'd]

Dame Brionna asks the Master of Pages about any results from questioning the kids.
2 6
1 3
11 4
12 1
20 16
10 2
11 8
9 1
18 9
10 35
Both of the two really useful kids are male. [I think the numbers were d20 rolls to determine how useful the refugee kids' information was.  Not sure what the 35 at the end could mean-typo?]

Two knights each bring Dame Brionna a boy, right at, before, or just past puberty.

They both bow deeply to Dame Brionna.

“Anything you can tell us about where you were and how you got there, so we can stop what happened to you from happening to anyone else. I know you ”

“We’re both from the Eastern Trade Federation. We were both transferred by ship. I don’t think we were supposed to wake up, but we woke up in the hold of the ship. It was an old ship, and it leaked. It shouldn’t have leaked. For the first five days they spoke the same language we had been speaking, then the men we had heard left the ship by longboat. There were different men after that—they wore robes, and sailors don’t wear robes. Didn’t talk a normal language either. They woke us, fed us, and unloaded us. They fed us, cleaned us up, and something held us inside, so we couldn’t run. Something broke when you appeared. You couldn’t stop, you just shuffled towards that altar. We knew, but we couldn’t control ourselves. We were like that for days.”

“How did you get there? Do you know?”

“He doesn’t remember, but I know. The merchant Belvidere is how I got taken. I went to his shop after lessons—I’m having lessons to be a mage. I went into his shop to buy ink and paper, and then I woke up on a boat."

“any elven relatives?

“My grandmother looks the same age as she did for years."

Who was your teacher?

He names a magister.

Alistair quizzes him on magic theory, figures out he’s probably a first-level mage.

Both kids know their parents, who they’re factors for.

Some of the kids are silent now.

Don’t know how long he was unconscious; 11 days after he woke up. (It would probably take 30 days to sail from the Eastern Trade Federation to the black island)

There was someone on board that the men didn’t like. They were afraid of him.

Apparently, he ate someone named Francis. They probably meant it literally. And then they were hoping they would get paid, and they were happy when the journey was mostly over, although it wasn’t, it was midway. I think they were pirates. No adult prisoners. Six of us all told. They kept all of us alive.

(The smarter kid has an Int of 17 (Alistair detects thoughts). Alistair decides that they will recruit him as an apprentice to a mage in Canberry)

Alistair rags on the ETF.

Saw docks, the lower guard chambers, and those bizarre mobile walls, at the bottom as you come up from the docks. No gates, the walls just move and I think rearrange themselves.

Can you describe the docks?
Basalt. Black volcanic rock, almost crystalline. Low, low to the water, and partially in caves. We could only see some of the docks from above. The rest are in the caves, that you can reach when the tide is out—that’s where they unloaded us. They brought us to the deck just before they entered the cave mouth. They brought us to the deck. I thought I saw in the distance a voller.

Either an island or a peninsula. Almost as soon as they got us unloaded and off the dock, we lost all self-control.

Do you know how long you were on the island? Several days, but never let out of the line.

What day was it when you went to Master Belvidere’s? (a day about a month ago.)

He was cheap. Only about ¾ of the price of any other merchants. I don’t know how he made a profit… oh, maybe I do know…

One squid type person at the docks. He was counting, not in our language, but making a mark on a slate.

Three ships worth of us—18 in that shipment.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

In just under the wire to be the regularly scheduled Wednesday update. 

Session 38 [cont'd]
Alistair calls for the Minister of War.  "We need plans for a full-scale invasion of Eastern Trade Federation"

I am fairly certain that we can bring enough force to bear, now that our internal difficulties are taken care of, to, since they do not genuinely keep any standing armies that are of any significant value, we should be able to take the actions that may become necessary with fair ease.
The standing armies of the Eastern Trade Federation are not very good.

Kit: What about transport and supply?

The logistics. That’s what I’ll be working on.

I sincerely hope that we will have no need of these plans, but we should be ready.

Mtg with Mark:
We meet with him for lunch

He arrives promptly, dressed in close to his best, possibly his best. He’s not wearing a cornet or anything similar; his clothes aren’t pretentious, and while by no stretch inappropriate, perhaps more appropriate to a different type of status. More like a very successful merchant than like a ruling noble.

“I am ready to serve the Archduchy in any way that it needs me to.”

“What have you been occupying yourself with lately?”

“Well… taking care of a bit of my family’s business here with the difficulties…” He is vague, but accurate about what he is doing and should be doing.

“Lord Mark. What would you say that the state of things is in Furrows?”

“Not that good, your grace. Things have been difficult lately. The patriarch of my line is aging. There have been some difficulties and disloyalties here or there. Well, here and there. But I assure you, I am no traitor.”

“I don’t think you are. But I’m not certain that you can be a successful duke.
He agrees to abdicate

Mtg. with Lady Susan
Totally painless

We also agree to meet with Lady Violet to evaluate her for a position in the court; possibly privy secretary?

Also Kit contacts the ambassador from the Fey to raise the issue of the changeling

Your grace—we’ve been given some land in Debonai. [This is the wrap-up of the minor storyline described in Session 37's post.]
[End Session 38]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 39 (August 19, 2008) [Document received this session, a report on the intelligence body, attached]
28 O-Kas

To-do list:
Whenever the Patriarch is ready, Alistair needs to meet with the Patriarch, the Cardinals, etc.
Check out throne (this is in a physical/magical, examine the throne to see if it has any powers, secrets, etc., sense)
Meet with the ambassador from the fey to discuss the changeling in the nursery
Meet with Lady Violet of Furrows about a possible job in the Archducal government
We also have a set of honors/lands we need to hand out. The timing on that is a little vague.


Things are remarkably quiet.

We meet with Lady Violet of Furrows. She dresses well, but is frumpy, without the flair of many women of her stature. She is not ugly, but she seems almost bookish. She is not evil. Quite intelligent, very intelligent for a mage.

I am of course willing to serve the Archduchy in any capacity that I may help.

Strong organizer; reasonable administrator; no expertise in any area. This was the preference of my lord (the old Duke). I have no training in the Arts.

He did not see me as the best possible heir to the house. As you know, he never had a great deal of use for those with an aptitude for the Arts. (He clearly hated magic when young, despite being loyal to the Archduchess.)

Skilled scribe, long list of languages known including Sindarin (elven); none of the dark languages.

Knew three specific elven figures when growing up, friends of her uncle and cousin, may he rest in the light.

I have always kept whatever secrets I was given.
My service is to the throne—I would be loyal to the throne, the Archducal House, and thus to you.

We hire her as privy secretary.
* * *
A young page sticks his head in. A young priest is outside, with a message.

We send him in. Invitation for us to attend the Patriarch of Eternal Light on the 30 and 31st of Tar-Skard (two months out).

We accept (in the imperial style)

We discuss whether we need to move before this against the ETF. We agree that we do need to.

Alistair asks Kit to have her people make a plan to grab Rev. Canon Thaddeus Trefori (the here’ku who is a top assistant to the Archbishop of the ETF). Alistair met a young Trefori who was also carousing when I was in Enclaves; the Trefori are a major merchant-noble family. He is the sixth son of Doge Houstoi Trefori and Lady Clarissa. He was put into the priesthood because Lady Clarissa thought it was the only way to get him past his wild oats phase—he had an exceptionally vigorous wild oats phase. His father is the nominal ruler of the city Calvinari, but Lady Clarissa is really in charge. Calvinari is the largest seaport, but not the wealthiest. Primarily deals with heavy trade vessels, and has a very good defensive fleet.

That makes things more awkward. Kit suggests replacing him, as a totally insane idea. Second thought: arrange for a sea trip, kidnap him, wreck the ship.

Assassin options:
Royal assassins—probably not very good, out of practice; the guild in Canberry, competent, might not be good enough; major assassins guilds elsewhere (Enclaves, Hanal); the drow Sixth Daughter

We discuss how to take him prisoner; Dame Brionna advocates just killing him.
[cont'd]


----------



## Quartz

CPaladin said:


> Dame Brionna advocates just killing him.




Wow. Was this her fall from grace? Or was she taking the position of Devil's Advocate?


----------



## CPaladin

Quartz said:


> Wow. Was this her fall from grace? Or was she taking the position of Devil's Advocate?



Key thing here is that he isn't actually a person.  The here'ku are more like demons (although demons are actually ever-so-slightly more capable of redemption than the here'ku, actually).  So Glordiadel seemed totally fine with her approach. 

Session 39 [cont'd]

The son of Doge Alexis Brandoris of Simbolisi wants to meet with Dame Brionna. Simbolisi is the smallest of the ETF ports; probably the most elite armed forces, but small; a number of alchemists and two small psionic circles; we sent a message to them when discussing magic and psionic academies

Kit and Alistair eavesdrop while Dame Brionna meets with Alexander Bradoris

He is a young man, not long in his manhood. He leaps to his feet and bows very correctly to Dame Brionna. He is not evil. “As soon as news reached my mother after the unfortunate death of the Archduchess, and word also reached us of enlightened practices and the possibility of an academy…”

“Ah. Is that what you are here to discuss?”

“My mother sent me to offer a form of co-sponsorship in the Academy. Simbolisi is wealthy, and interested in such things, but it would be dangerous to sponsor a Collegium on our own, as the Eastern Trade Federation is essentially a plutocracy. But we could offer support to an academy of the mental arts in a friendly, more powerful country, such as Canberry…”

You realize that the academy would be here in Canberry, and if students from your duchy chose to settle here after graduation, they would not be discouraged from doing so.

“Of course. Such an academy would still have value, especially in light of the internal strife within the Trade Federation. And if some of them chose to not return, others would do so.

There has been a remarkable amount of stress among the cities lately. No one is quite sure why. A number of the true folk have disappeared from the cities. And a number of their children, and there have been accusations within the Council of Doges, and the Archbishop has not handled it… (he gets flustered, but Brionna reassures him) He has not reassured anyone very well. He has sent his assistant to and fro—a Trefori, who have the least to gain, but his assistance has not been very effective. We think it must be incompetence. He has asked for a pledge that the circles be used at the word of the church to suppress unrest. My mother is troubled by this, and has asked that the Archbishop ask personally if she wants this. The Bishop has been supportive of her position, but we have not heard back from the Archbishop. In any event, she has sent these gifts as a token of her support for the collegium. (There is a heap of both warm yellow gold coins, and tiny gems and pearls. At an estimate, about 20,000 silver)

(He is much more concerned about the Archdeacon than he lets on, and he is frightened by him.)

It is said by some that my mother has the second sight; perhaps this is much ado about nothing. My mother and my baby sister have it.

How old is she?
Nearly twelve.

Would perhaps an endowed chair of divination be appropriate?

It might interest you that my mother has an old companion from her youth who is of the elven blood and might be interested in offering his insights. He helped train our circles. (We get a name—Alistair recognizes that he is a sea elf).  [Note that sea elves are not aquatic elves in this world, but rather a high-born form of elves that live on the sea coasts (and I think build the ships that can sail to the West in the mythic sense of that).  They are somewhat senior to gray elves, and have greater psionic power than gray elves, though less than the Eldar themselves.  They are related to aquatic elves in a similar way to which gray elves are related to high elves, or perhaps to wood elves--the aquatic elves are their much less powerful descendants.]

I have been instructed to remain for several days and have taken rooms at our embassy.

No, no, you would be an honored guest of the Archduke.

Has the Archdeacon shown any particular interest in your baby sister?

Yes, he has. My sister remanded her to the Order of the Silvery Veil for additional theological training for the last visit. (thinks but doesn’t say that the Archdeacon was also interested in him, tried to get him alone to discuss things in the last visit, but he felt uncomfortable.)

The orderhouse is very large (600 or so) and well connected to the paladins of the City of Tauri. He intends to return in two months. He expects… he hopes to get our pledge at that time. To represent the Archbishop and quell the strain. (Or making it worse)

Coercers in either circle? Yes, one has three. Particularly useful in producing certain products for market. We create some of the more common military products, such as clingfire, as well as the lowest form of high glass.

(He is set up with quarters and guards)

We request a report from the lobes; along with a meeting with Lord Silverleaves to discuss the sea elf

[End Session 39]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 40 (September 8, 2008)
29 O-Kas

Remaining items on the to-do list:
Check out throne (this is in a physical/magical, examine the throne to see if it has any powers, secrets, etc., sense)
Meet with the ambassador from the fey to discuss the changeling in the nursery
Meet with Lord Silverleaves re the sea elf
Get a report from the lobes on Simbolisi

We send word to the fey ambassador that we want to meet with him.

We find him in one of the outer waiting rooms, painting a mural on the wall

“It emanates an aura of peace”

We have discovered a fey changeling in the nursery.

“That’s a good place for it.”

They go off to take a look at her.

The fey ambassador makes some of the stuffed animals animate.

“She is not from our Tor, although she is from our side. Troubling, troubling, troubling… Was there a baby exchanged?”

No

“then there is only one explanation. Her parents are on the run.”

“She is not a sidhe. She will probably grow up to be a brownie. But her parents are probably either being chased by either an unseelie sidhe, or some earthly power that could threaten them.

“If she is without sept or tor, then there is nothing that can protect her except her parents’ magic.”

(Kit alludes to the here’ku, without using the name.)

What about the parents? We’re happy to protect the child.

“I could perform a great divination if you would like. That will take three chickens.

Becky rolls crap, a 10, 3, and 5 (27, 20, 22).

“There is something trying to oppose my will. But I can tell you right now, I don’t think the wee bairn’s parents will be coming back. There is no stench of the unseelie. They came from the east of here, with no sept or tor—that is rare. This was athwart their path.

Dame Brionna rants about how they penetrated.

“Do you suppose the house brownies might have let them in?”

A: will there be a head brownie?

Oh no, just a collection of families.

A patriarch or matriarch?

“There might be a family head. If you wish to speak with them, you will need to go to the kitchen and cry three times, “Nobs, nobs, nobs.” But don’t go spreading that about.”

A: asks the ambassador to warn the rest of the fey.

“there is quite a bit of our blood among your people, although not as much as further east.

A: In the Eastern Trade Federation?

“Aye. There were two weak septs that basically dissolved into the human population there.

(We ask the ambassador to not accompany us, for fear that he would intimidate the brownies.)
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 40 cont'd]
Alistair chases Kit into the kitchen, rapidly scattering all of the people there.  [If it's not clear, we were using our reputation for licentiousness to arrange to be in the kitchen without making anyone nervous.]

“Nobs, nobs, nobs.

“Practice, you need more practice, lad.

Kit “At what? … Oh! I thought he did just fine.”

We couldn’t let them in—it was too close, and had the scent of their blood. It might have broken the runes. They ran for Tabewatha, but I do not think they could have made it.

K: What was chasing them?

It had the shape of a hound, but it was no hound I ever saw. (transfers an image to Kit of a hound against the starlight, but also another form, what they believed it to be, a black manta ray shaped yet amorphous creature, with an overlay of terror.) We know not what it was—we are not as educated as some of our kin—but it came through the city like a bolt shot.

We will contact you through Old Bernie, the only one who is compromised—who do you think puts the notes under your pillow.

Are there brownies who are dissatisfied with their masters?

“yes, especially in Hanal
(We discuss setting up the Pointy Ears)

There is a demon lurking in the Privy Secretary’s office. Dame Brionna summons an exorcism team, which then binds the demon into a gem, where it will then be subject to interrogation.

“What papers, objects, seals, did you disturb immediately prior to this?”

Lady Violet points to a three-year old ledger. “I noticed that the back binding was thicker than the front, so I suspected hidden pages. I unlaced this, then opened that, and found these papers.”

The papers are magical and evil, although they do not detect as evil or magic when within the binding. They do not appear to have writing on them, but there are scratches on them.

“The papers are not harmful now, they can be taken out of this chamber.”

Backlighting it reveals a word or two. Alistair prestidigitations on temporary charcoal. Each sheet is a complete report on troop movements (ours) for a given period, in great detail. They were very accurate and up to date at the time. The positioning of Alistair’s father’s last campaign is described on this.

On the back of the sheet, Brionna notices scratching as well, apparently a chart. Looking closely, Brionna can make out a list of all of the people we know of in Alistair’s generation, plus a few other names we don’t recognize. There are a few notations next to names including, “kill him—he must not become Archduke” next to Alistair. Some of the other notes say things like “dull” or “pliable;” two of the names that we have never seen before have “compromised” next to them. One of the female cousins has “disgustingly loyal” scribbled next to her name. The list predates Alistair’s father’s death by about three weeks. Alistair is near the top; the list appears to be rank ordered. The unknown names are towards the bottom of the list, and their names come out more lightly, as if the original color were different or there was less pressure on the pen.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Minor campaign world update:  the DM and I have been working on digitizing a map of Drucien, which involves scanning dozens of 8.5 by 11 hex maps from the late 1970s or so and then using them to generate a map in Worldographer, a wonderful free hex mapping program.  In the course of doing so, we found some inconsistencies between the hex map, a 30,000' political map, and the game as it has actually been played.  We're fixing those to make things more consistent.  Relevant to current stuff:  It turns out the Eastern Trade Federation can't be on the east coast of Southern Drucien--it just doesn't fit or make sense with the other stuff there.  But it does fit on the west coast of Southern Drucien, which also makes more sense in terms of how it would connect, culturally, historically, and commercially, with a similar federation of city states on Zest'qua.  So:  We've retconned it to be on the west coast, and it is now the Western Trade Federation.  I'll try to edit references to reflect that, but in any event, anywhere that refers to the Eastern Trade Federation on Drucien should be interpreted as referring to the Western Trade Federation instead.  ]

[Session 40 cont'd]
We discuss possible things to do; we could talk to Aunt Cecilia, see if she knows any of their names; we could ask the Grandmaster Farsensor to try to read an image of him; we could try to do a divination on everyone within a certain degree of consanguinity.

We go to see Aunt Cecilia.

“Oh, yes… Oh, my goodness dear… I guess you’re related to him. That’s Lady Heron’s son. Masque, you know. Rather raucus young thing… She came on an ambassadorial mission with her husband at the time. She didn’t like her husband. He would be 21 by now, I should think.

“Older than Alistair, then” observes Brionna

“Yes, but not only unacknowledged and a bastard, but from Masque…”

“Would he have been told?”

“I don’t know if she would even remember. Have you met Lady Heron? She has had five husbands.

Kit: Let me guess, they all died mysteriously.

“No, one died in war. The rest died mysteriously. She has something like nine children. You’ve never even seen Esteban. He was gone before you were born, and her husband never knew. I believe he joined the Order of the Wolf.

“As for this one… I don’t know him at all. I wonder if he even managed to slip one past me. I thought I knew every tavern wench and serving girl he slept with in this country. I suppose… your father served as Ambassador to the Confederacy before its fall. It’s the one place I never heard anything about. It could be the Spice Lands, or the Confederacy. If it’s the Confederacy, the child would presumably be dead. That would make the child even younger than you—about 10, or rather 9, once you take into account the pregnancy itself.

We decide to go through the Privy Secretary’s office again, looking for more papers. Alistair says that the Mouth should send one of the Mouth’s best people to search the room.

Kit also gets a report from one of the Lobes. Simbolisi is probably the second wealthiest city in the Western Trade Federation, significantly because of its psionic circles’ production of exotic goods, small but efficient fleet, strictly Glor’diadelian with no known variations or cults, craftsmanship is solid, and the city has the highest rate of partial fey blood and even some sidhe blood, which is believed to be why they are capable of maintaining multiple circles. Note that their army is small, and a land invasion would be the best way to take the city.

[End Session 40]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 41 (Sept. 30, 2008)
30 O-Kas

To-do list:
Check out throne
Get report from further examination of Privy Secretary’s office—also, search her outside rooms and her apartment again
Meet with Lord Silverleaves re the Sea Elf in Simbolisi

Dame Brionna reports 11 airships headed towards the capital from the eastern border

They do not appear to be flying any flags, and they are odd looking for airships—broad across the beam, which is uncommon for military ships, plus that large glass fronting would not be useful in a military action. (Could be crystal, but definitely not Eldar or Noldar.)

“Gnomes,” says Alistair. I’ve never heard of 11 Gnomish airships in one location, but they look gnomish.

We have no ranking gnomes on staff.

That could be like 5000 gnomes.

We call for Lord Silverleaves

He identifies them as cargo vessels for livestock

Kit suggests they may be fleeing.

We send some airships to buzz them. (Dame Brionna orders them to be ready to defend themselves if the gnomes attack.)

We then discuss other matters

I am told there is a Sea Elf who is high in the council of the Doge of Simbolisi

He is an outstanding Sea Elf; he has dealt with humans for many years, as I have. Why do you ask?

We believe a here’ku has infiltrated the Holy Church and seeks to gain control over the psionic resources there.

That would be very bad. Simbolisi alone could create a strong tower.

I could arrange a conference tomorrow evening if you wish, and I can conceal your identity.

We agree. He says that he will begin the forms to set up the conference, and inform the Queen of Singing Leaves.

We discuss the Principality of Korflok intelligence [received as a separate document by Kit, but I'm putting it in the text here]:
Special report unto the Mouth
From the Lobes of the Brain

Re: Principality of Korflok

Honored Mouth – we have been attempting to sort out the situation in the Principality of Korflok. 

Firstly, there are 27 houses major and 46 houses minor – the heads of each of the houses is named in order of power together with his or her mated house if married.  So for example Lady Torringvale-Bufolk is the ruler of house Bufolk  – because Torringvale is a higher ranked house – the Torringvale name comes first, though she is ruler of Bufolk.  On the other hand, Lord Tattenburgh-Torringvale is Lord of Tattenburgh. 

The Principality is stronger that it appears – which explains the very slow rate at which Hanal has been able to expand into its territory.  That strength is two fold – firstly, the houses have larger standing militaries than most houses would be expected to – and while there is little if any "civilian" use of magic (beyond hedge-witchery) several of the nobles however are powerful magi with significant surrounding "circles" of powerful companions.  Most significant in that regard is Lady Elandra Duffingdor-Gladtor – a very powerful half-sidhe magi who is a particularly zealous follower of Glor'diadel and one of the most potent elementalists in our record – other than some of the first born.

It is the belief of the Lobes that using extremely delicate methods, it is probably possible to approach Lady Duffingdor-Gladtor on shared goals.  A religious angle would be suggested.  The House of Gladtor's personal chaplain is Father Patrick Everett Hendrick, OMD.  The honored Lady is a daily communicant and the chaplain is very busy on a continuing basis.  There are two children of the Lady's body – Terrance and Cynthia, but she has also accepted the nedestro son of her consort – Brendon Duffingdor-Gladtor – Lawrence Whitesmith (Gladtor), who is older than either of the children of her body and nears manhood rituals.  It is noteworthy however, that while the Lady caused Madam Clarissa Whitesmith to be well placed in the Torringvale-Invald household- she is forbidden to enter Gladtor lands on pain of death – and Lawrence, who has been fully fostered into the household (and is showing signs of the silent arts) is forbidden to see his birth-mother - though he does not seem inclined to see her in any event.  Her reputation is one of excess under possible circumstances, and the possibility of past abuse exists, though no one has approached the young man for any confirmation.

This report will be followed by a break down list of the houses and their rulers within a few days or a week or so.

Respectfully submitted.

The lobes of the brain, with the assistance of certain fingers.
[end report to Kit]
[Cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 41 cont'd]
We ask Father Waters to make contact with Lady Duffingdor-Gladtor’s chaplain, who is also OMD, to warn them about threats to sidhe descended children (and thus to open a line of communication).

He repeats back the response: Thank you. An attempt was made 3 weeks ago, Terrance. Larry stymied at cost, is in infirmary recovering. Prisoners not talking. Light be with you.

A couple hours later, to simulate Father Waters running that info up to us, we send back:
“Message from Archduke: we have experience with these kidnappers. Do you need aid? Psionic coercion available, worked before. Anything we should know to help you?”

Response: Honored Lord - 4 men, longtime servants, bizarre - like new, speak - rising in north - won't eat. No coercers here. Lady thanks - teleport point? Send to you!

We send back the location of our secure teleport platform, and tell them to wait so we can move more guards into position.

Lady Brionna goes to supervise. At precisely the point requested, four bound men with two men in incredibly heavy armor and a single tall slender, almost certainly full-blooded sidhe male in heavily brocaded robes appear.

“On behalf of my niece, I thank you for this offer, my Tor is without the abilities that you offer.”

Dame Brionna makes pleasantries, as does the sidhe. “His Grace would be glad to meet you in the fey garden.”

Young Lord Brightspan checks all of them. “Yes. They’re deeply muddled. Well, those two men aren’t… they’re just tired.”

Kit. “Muddled in what way?”

“Their thoughts… they can’t come together. Muddled.”

We analogize to the Debonai stuff.

We meet with the Sidhe. On a bardic knowledge check, Alistair concludes that the curlicue on his robes is a Sidhe script depicting the whole history of the Tor.

Pleasantries. My niece also sends her greetings, and this small gift.

Alistair pretends to be a Glor’diadelian zealot; the sidhe (who is not Glor’diadelian), buys it completely. [I don't remember why Alistair feigned zealotry.  Maybe to make Lady Duffington-Gladtor more friendly?]

These were long-time—by human standards—servants of my niece’s household. The attack was unexpected, but apparently their principal did not expect Lawrence to intervene on his brother’s behalf. He has some experience with the sword. While he struck down one, his brother ran to get help. Then sadly my niece asked me, and I have applied the healing arts and the magical arts to no avail. They do not take nourishment or water; it is almost as if they have forgotten how.

Feared it was a Hanalian plot—the Tors in Korflok oppose Hanal, but I do not think it can be Hanal. They talk of a rising in the North, but the only thing in the North to rise is Hanal. “Beware the North shall rise and all will be consumed.”

We have found no unusual movements of money, nor do their consorts. Their consorts seem normal, as do their offspring. But none can do that—there are no circles besides the Tors, and the Tors could not do that, even if they had turned to the unseelie.

Kit: More likely someone newly arrived.

We have a fair amount of trade for a nation this far north, but with Ecsilias and Enclaves… we could not check all of the ones who have come.

Alistair: Last time we saw something like this, we believe it was an alliance of the unseelie and something darker.

What could be darker than the Unseelie… Unless you mean the ancients?

A: <raises eyebrow until he gets it> A rising in the north could mean an uprising. Or it could be the physical rising of one of the fallen places of old. Are there any legends of such there?

Old legends of something to the north of Dragonbone Pass. The long way when white dragons used to strike at the earliest settlements, before Hanal, before the human nations were formed. There were legends of a place of gibbering madness, of tentacles, and of torment and death to all brought to the citadel, and the worship of a god who is not a god.

Kit: What sort of god who is not a god?

I would have to ask the sage of my tor. I am principally a warrior and a … a medicine man. (was going to say priest, but decided against it because of Alistair’s “zealotry”).
[End Session 41]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 42 (October 21, 2008)
31 O-Kas

To-do list:
Check out throne
Respond to report from skyship in the south about the traitor army
Get report from the further searches re: the Privy Secretary
Salt stuff
Conference with the Sea Elf at Simbolisi
Decide what to do with the prisoners from Korflok
Ping Kit’s agent in Debonai
Added: meeting with Dame Constance

The council receives three messages (attached).

We start looking at the salt issue. We sent people to buy salt at whatever exchange we could buy at. We found that at Hanal, they were bought out, and the futures were exorbitant. Since the letter doesn’t name the merchant, it’s impossible to tell if the merchant is someone specifically working for us.

We discuss sending a response back, probably in drowan.

There are about a half-dozen total binary poisons—almost all are used exclusively by the dark elves. (In theory, the illithid have one, but effects on surface dwellers are unknown.)

We call for the Sixth Daughter.

She estimates this would have cost about 1000 gold on the surface.

Based on the months of activity, it must be purehh—an extract from certain mushrooms, harmless unless added to a cave eel’s blood.

Would kill about 9 out of 10 humans, but 19 out of 20 drow.

I have seen it used twice; the deaths were among the least pleasant I have seen.

The cave eel’s ichor would also be very expensive. It would have to be purchased, dried, and applied to a different food supply. They would have to enter it into another type of food commonly consumed. Dried mushrooms or the like.

(We clarify that would be wheat or flour, which would result in spoiling in reactions in bread)

The ichor would run about 2000 gold. Once dried and powered, it is stable, and could be stored for a couple of years.

Kit—how is it destroyed?

If put in water or alcohol, its potency is reduced, and it could be disposed of safely.

Can we track them through the money?

How many merchants sell this poison? One or two per city among the rebel drow; less among those who follow the Noldar, because it is forbidden

There is a slight taste to the primary agent; the activating agent is all but impossible to detect. An alchemist specifically looking for it has a chance, but once it is distributed, unlikely.

We ask Mahler to figure out who bought a lot of salt in Enclaves two days ago.

We also ask the Sixth Daughter to look into this. Dame Brionna also asks her to look into how the fae can breach our defenses. She says she’ll look into it. Alistair says to not harm any of the resident fae. Which investigation takes precedence? The poison.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 42 cont'd]
We move on to discussing the two armies in the south.

Brionna: Mindless humans aren’t subject to morale, or hopeless situations. Is it a magical effect, or some drug being added to the food?

Kit agrees to look into it.

We have several Rakshasa allies in that area.

We call for the Minister of War, the Minister of the Mind, and (just to make him feel included) the Minister of Magic. Varance Tuttle, Grandmaster Petrov, and Dame Viola Tusslefield meet us in the Map Room.

Dame Brionna asks about the source of the effect on the humans.

Grandmaster Petrov—though it has the sound of coercion, a sufficient body of coercion would require a psionic center that we could detect from here, and certainly the Eldar would have noticed it.

K--What about affecting the officers and spreading out?

Petrov—would be easier, but still likely to be affected.

Tuttle—I suggest we call for Dame Constance, your grace—it sounds demonic to me.

We send for her.

Tusslefield—do we know the total number of troops in these armies?

Yes. We tell her.

Tusslefield—even discounting the trolls, it is a force of about 4 field armies. They may have speeded up because the Order of the Falcon is en route.

Do the minor castles—the rakshasas and the grey elves—slow them significantly? Or should they fall back to join our marshals and armies?

Tusslefield—in my opinion, they should fall back. They might slow them by an hour. But together, they add a legion and a half of men, plus very powerful officers. The Rakshasa may feel that honor requires them to fight. They will certainly send their children to safety.

We talk about this. Then Lady Constance and her apprentice (half drowan) arrive.

We fill her in.

“Yes. That fits with what I’ve uncovered. This alliance we are facing may be playing a very, very deep game. It seems that a very long time ago, there was a different type of demons in the abyss than those we are used to know. They were connected, indirectly, to the forbidden gods, the old, dead gods. As those gods’ hold on this reality was lost, they were weakened. Their most powerful were cast down, and in some cases destroyed. But the wisest of them, including their queen, appeared to accept their new places gracefully. Over centuries, the new hierarchy accepted their groveling servitude, and stopped watching their actions. I believe that they are behind this, for their desires do not match either the rest of the demonic hierarchy’s goals or Borsh’tro’s, although in a sense they match Borsh’tro—destroy the world, gaining power in the process. We think they may actually not wish to let the Old Ones all the way back in, but just enough to restore the power of the firstcomer demons. So there are schemes within schemes. But the one behind this effort to elevate the Abomination—an ossyrith queen whose name, or at least use name, I hope to have tomorrow—includes the power of somnambulance. Those around her servant will have their will sapped, as her demonic attributes enter them, and they are bound to her will. The easiest way to stop it is to kill her servant. But they gain power from her demonic attributes—toughness, resistance to fire, etc. There would be at least 3 dozen in a group this side. They have no great power or defenses with regard to the mind.

Could we detect their location from the malign aura?

I think I could, with the help of a Farsensor.

That would be highly useful.

Good. This same being is greatly strengthened by the sacrifice of sentient beings. It is possible that the Abomination is of her making and shares her hatreds, for it is said that she truly hates elvenkind in all of its forms. Should I keep looking for her use name?

Is that useful?

Only if I can find her true name.

Then finding her servants is the priority.

Would there be particular value to Rakshasa sacrifices?

Rakshasa are spiritually powerful, have much magic, and many have powerful psionic abilities. Plus, many abandoned her puppet and turned to serving the Lord of Light.

Lady Constance leaves.

Alistair:  How would we attack the three dozen if we find them?

Kit: some long-range psionic attack?

Brionna: We could teleport people in.

Kit: but if they are distributed throughout the army, and if they are in the middle of the army…

Alistair: so Grandmaster Petrov, what sorts of offensive psionic resources do we have?

Very few near my power.

What would we need for an attack?

Most likely, someone with a psionic focusing device within range.

Alistair: How close is that?

Petrov: Arrowshot? Perhaps an Eldar or Noldar Paragon level coercer, but I do not think we have any.

What about in Forest of Singing Leaves?

Very few Eldar, but circles of grey elves might work. But someone would need to bring a psionic focusing device in.

(We plan to recruit the Rakshasa for that.)

Tuttle: We should be prepared for blowback. The demons are well aware of their weaknesses—it has often led to defeats for them in the past. The elder demons appear to have less of this weakness. If we do this, we should be prepared for blowback. They may manifest, or send other monsters, or something, there, here, wherever the circles are?

Are demons permitted to manifest on the Prime without being summoned? Aren’t there agreements among the gods?

Demons are not permitted. But those other things are not demons, exactly, are they? If they precede the Compact, and are not signatories, they are not bound by it.

We send messages to the Rakshasa and gray elves, asking them to fall back to where our armies are; telling them that the army is coming, that people like them are particular targets for sacrifices, and that it would be a very bad thing for the enemy to be strengthened by killing them; that (for the Rakshasa) we have a special, very dangerous, crucial to defeating the enemy task that we want them to take on, but that we can’t describe until they are with our army; and that Canberry will guarantee their lands to them or their heirs after the war if they fall back now, so they will not be giving up their territory. DM asks for 7 d20 rolls in response. 19, 12, 9, 3, 1, 9, 16
[End Session 42]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 43 (January 5, 2009)
1 Skard

To-do list:
Check out throne
Respond to report from skyship in the south about the traitor army
Get report from the further searches re: the Privy Secretary
Salt stuff
Conference with the Sea Elf at Simbolisi
Decide what to do with the prisoners from Korflok
Ping Kit’s agent in Debonai 
Meet with Lady Constance again

* * * *
Kit received an early morning report from the Sixth Daughter.
As Kit depart chambers early in the morning, to check with your secretary/clerk before the actual council meeting -- a young boy who you think serves in the kitchen, who is oddly lounging around as near to the royal chambers as he can get, jumps up from a love seat and passes you a short note. The note is blank, but the words appear within your mind as you hold it, the voice is that of the Sixth Daughter: "I have not been able to identify either part of the binary poison within the city, BUT, I have identified another poison -- which has been sprinkled on the wood that has been seasoned for the smoke houses. I can nuetralize it, and I have the ability to make the nuetralizing agent, BUT, it will be very labor intensive both to make and distribute the nuetralizing agent, and I have no method of preventing a repeat distribution. I would not even have known to look if you had not set me upon this path -- even my people do not war upon the slave class -- why would anyone? There is no honor. Nontheless, I continue the search, but wished to advise you of this development -- so I set this report upon a path that I believe will cause it to be brought to you. Please advise me as you can."

Dame Brionna reports that the Black Witch is sending her daughter as well. [See attached]

The Kingdom of the Inner Isles, which is the Black Witch’s preserve, was traditionally a pirate kingdom—Paranswarmian, but nonetheless, a pirate kingdom. The current ruler became a witch, achieved the Black color pool, and then became less piratical and more of a great power. They are just off the south shore of Khamista, with a small conquered enclave on the coast of Khamista. They are in a state of permanent war with Tarsh.

She has sent her daughter, as an ally, under our power to do with as we wish—to slay or let live. The daughter is also a diabolist, like her mother. Her mother has sent her to us, because she has the sight from her patron, the Chancellor-General of the Order of Swarms, that we will face danger, and she hopes that she will help.

We call for the Chancellor. We will have court tomorrow. We’ll also announce gifts to follow at a high court a week later. We confirm that he has the sight. He is 68. He is married, with two healthy sons and a daughter, and grandchildren as well.

Lord Silverleaves takes us into a small room where he has hung silken ribbons in an odd pattern. Three can be concealed without difficulty.

He concentrates, and an image appears of a crashing sea, a fortified city, a tower, and then an odd mist forms over our vision, but across from us we can see another elf seated on a divan, holding a blue crystal who bows in the general direction of Lord Silverleaves. Lord Silverleaves is the only unshielded person and radiates power.

The other figure greets Lord Silverleaves, and he said that three of us.

We warn him about the here’ku, both generally and specifically. We ask him to arrange to grab the reverend canon.

I will speak to the Doge. I will have an answer in a day’s space.

We discuss warning the Noldar as well.

We also discuss Singing Leaves using circles of psions to attack the demon infused. He warns that the foci would face grave danger.

We have the Sixth Daughter whip up a couple of drafts warning the Noldar, phrased as further jests about foolish nobles who don’t watch carefully enough to realize that their children are being kidnapped and sold, not merely as slaves, but as sacrifices to the Old Ones.

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 43 cont'd]

When Kit slips off to the bathroom, she gets met by a random serving girl, who signed to Kit in Thieves’ Cant, come here and then went into the bathroom. “The Hand needs you at the Townhouse of the Inner Isles. Quick, before the Guard gets there and mucks everything up.”

Kit contacts one of her merchants with the fan. “Do you know where the townhouse of the Inner Islands is?”

“Certainly.”

“Get over there. We have a situation. I’ll send people to back you up. Be careful.”

Next, she sends a message to call some people in, and heads in to meet Alistair and Brionna. A royal guard rushes in and drops to one knee at a respectful distance.

“Your grace, the townhouse of the Inner Isles in the Second Circle—there appears to have been an incident there a while ago, but word has just reached me. The ambassador and his staff appear to be dead and decayed. They were discovered by the daughter of the Black Isles.”

We talk about what to do—Kit sends a message to him to tell the daughter to come to the Palace, while we send guards to cordon off the area until the right people can investigate.

A composed but extremely pale young woman comes out when Kit’s merchant arrives and shouts in for her to come out. A knight also comes out with her, along with a young maiden who looks disgusted.

Dame Brionna rides out to meet them, along with healers and guards.

Kit sends her people to check it out carefully.

Dame Brionna meets up with the group. The knight is the same knight who gave Dame Brionna the letter. He is also clearly guiding the noblewoman. She has a taint of evil around her, but it doesn’t appear to be her evil, and it clings to the rings she is wearing, which are evil. He does not detect evil at all. She is attractive in a youthful fashion-- appears to be 13 or 15. The girl is clearly her handmaiden. She is probably not permitted to be in the presence of a man without the knight or her handmaiden or both.

“Greetings, your grace. His Grace’s deepest apologies for what has happened, which we are investigating. May I escort you to more hospitable quarters?”

“Thank you, honored dame. I admit this has been a shock. I am sorry for my demeanor.”

Dame Brionna takes her to warded rooms, warns her against summoning or the like, and assures her that she will be safe there.

The knight checks the chamber, then signals for the serving girl to remain with the lady and meets with Dame Brionna quietly. “He had been dead for weeks. Her cousin had been feasted upon. I had seen wounds like that before, but only on battlefields against dragons or demons or the like. Had he discharged his duties at the coronation?”

“He was not present.”

“Then he had already been slain. The casket was missing—he brought an elven laen ring. It was of little use for our Kingdom, but we thought it might be of use to your realm.”

“That would have been most useful, but it was not received.”

The evidence from the house: the ambassador and all of his staff, including the captain of the voller he came on were killed. The voller may have been stolen. Nine dead in all, the staff were killed with swords and axes, the ambassador was killed by the creature that ate his heart and brains. Injuries both before and after death. Nothing stolen except the casket with the laen ring, and the voller probably. Lots of money and jewelry left behind.

We call the Chancellor back in to find out who represented the Kingdom of the Inner Isles. “Witch Katharine Woolsey. Odd, that. Nearly all of the Inner Isles’s witches are diabolists, but she wore no rings.”

Where does she live?

At the townhouse of course. And with a princely gift, of 4 tapestries, none younger than 1000 years. They are in the vault, waiting a decision on whether to hang them.

Dame Brionna sends a team to the vault to check out the tapestries—one cleric of Glor’diadel, one psion from the Ministry of the Mind, one mage from the Ministry of Magic, and a paladin. They roll badly. The priest decides that there is an odd absence around the tapestries. The mage, however, comes back thoughtful. In some ways, those tapestries are connected to the Void.

What could that be used for?

Usually, my estimate, mind effects. Slow, insidious changes in personality and mind.

What specific effects?

Two cases I’m aware of where Void-laced objects were exposed to people for a prolonged time. One case, in a monastery, depression spread among the monks until they all died by their own hand. The other case, more famously, was a Void-linked book. It was read by a mage who subsequently went mad in a crowded market place. Resulted in over 50 deaths before he was put down by another mage.

Very insidious, and normal detection would fail, because it is not magical. I just happened to have an interest in Void.

Could be destroyed easily. Could also be ritually de-linked.

The creators of such things fall into two categories: madmen and those who serve nameless ancient things.

Dame Brionna says, “We need to do blood tests for everyone in the Court. What rationale?”

“What about our old cock and bull story about the parasites?”

The next morning, we’ll have to deal with the poison in the woods for the smokehouses.
[End Session 43]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 44 (January 26, 2009)
2 Skard
To-do list:
Court
Check out throne
Respond to report from skyship in the south about the traitor army
Get report from the further searches re: the Privy Secretary
Salt stuff
Poison in the smokehouses
Report back from Sea Elf at Simbolisi (expected today)
Decide what to do with the prisoners from Korflok
Ping Kit’s agent in Debonai (about interrogating people involved in the plots)
Follow-up on the Inner Isles stuff?
Meet with Lady Constance again

We talk about Kit’s reports. Alistair suggests hiring the merchants involved as spies, in addition to buying the rapier.

Informing both the Empress of Masque and the Inquisition in Masque about the Here’ku; trying to get the Empress of Masque’s child a present when it is born (maybe some sort of protective items)

WRT Dame Hilda, who was the commander at Grokken, we can just announce that she’ll get an honor at the high court, and the financial or land grant that will come with that will take care of the issue. She has no children, but a minor sister (14 or so; we think Dame Brionna arranged a placement for her?) and a widowed mother, both of whom are substantially without resources.

Dame Brionna has two reports—one from Sir Derek Brightspan about Caldra; Caldra is largely secured, with the exception of two of the lesser salt mines, which he is besieging but have some orc shamans holed up in them. The bad news is that normally orcs take prisoners, but they haven’t been in this case, impaling and crucifying some of the villagers. The only survivors he has found are a number of women who have been badly mistreated and some few survivors who made it through the crucifixions. The second message is from the leader of the Rakshasa, enthusiastically accepting the suggestion of the tactics. But they have seventy kittens, along with their chattels, that they would like to send to a safe place. They have 10,000 gold for their maintenance. They would also expect us to become the kittens’ guardians. Alistair says that he thought that was the plan all along. This seems to be the official version of that. We send a letter back agreeing.

Coronation scheduled for 8 Skard (Silver moon full, Red moon new) and the announcement of the betrothal/her public baptism for 9 Skard (same conditions)

We have a court. Kit is on-screen, scandalously dressed.

“Dame Brionna Stanway, Captain of the Archducal Guard and principal Military Advisor to the Archduke, and Dame Katherine of Lyneham, personal advisor to the Archduke.”

Dame Brionna notices a certain number of inclinations of the heads of some of the people attending the court incline as they recognize that the council will remain in place.

They notice a gloomy fellow in the corner from the City of the Twin Gates of the Dead, a Morgothian city. Young Lord Brightspan identifies him as “not really alive and not really dead.” Dame Brionna wants to reject him, but Alistair doesn’t want to make any more enemies. The Northern City is ruled by the Father of Wolves, and has both Noldar and undead. The Southern City is ruled by the Mother of Spiders (Lolth’s mother), which has almost no Noldar and about which little is known. They have 60,000 troops under arms.

The herald begins announcing and rattles through the dozens of people who are here, most of whom we recognize. Right after the Eldar, he announces Hierarch Theron, representing the Father of Wolves. A ways down the list, he announces the poor kid who is now the representative from Inner Isles, and someone from Tarsh, and then a bit further a representative from the Larmenon Hills, a gnome with a banner six times his height, and eventually the representative in exile from the Magocracy of Perdun. The last one that we don’t recognize is a magus representing the Translucent Mage, who also has diplomatic credentials. There is also a representative from Alistair’s Khamistan great aunt.

Alistair calls forward Hierarch Theron. He proffers a document, and says that it was Princess Curini’rim’s suggestion that the Father of Wolves send him.

Inner Isles goes smoothly.

The ambassador of Tarsh presents a gift from the King-Emperor, in a large crate. Six cases of our finest mountain wines for your cellar.

Alistair makes a hash of the gnome ambassador’s title and calls him forward. “On behalf of my people I am delighted to see you on the throne, your grace. I am pleased to say that your gift should be arriving soon.”

“Is that coming in a set of skyships?”

“Yes! Has it arrived?”

“In a manner of speaking… it’s within Canberry at least.”

Kit’s fan starts glowing. She “answers” it. She got a message via the fan which is really bad and mindlinks it through.

Suddenly a young, clear voice appears in your mind -- fear courses through you. You see the flank and stomach of a running woman, a hand gripped firmly together "Auntie" the voice cries. "Auntie -- it arises, you told me to tell you anything like this -- it arises" the point of vision suddenly turns over a child's shoulder, and you see neat village streets, a temple of Glor'diadel nearby, above the village, flying, you see an enormous demon, several other figures gathered about it -- all flying. In the distance the ivory walls of a city you recognize -- Brightspan. Fire flies from its hands, striking the tile roof of the church and driving the tiles into shards, balls of black flame fly down, striking several other buildings, which outriht explode -- as the demonic group proceeds west/south-west. The point of view suddenly shifts as the woman scoops up the viewer and runs, holding her skirt wtih the other hand, and dives into the lower entrance to the church -- probably an entrance into the village catacombs. The view determidly switches back to the doorway, across which you can see the procession of demonic force make its way, a minute later the viewer and the mother peers out of the door and you see several horsemen, led by a paladin, rising in their stirrups and firing bows as they go, a bolt of black fire from above and ahead strikes one of the horsemen, which goes limb over pizzle and lies still, the chase proceeds out of sight.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 44 cont'd]
Kit tries to see if he’s alright, and he is but frightened.  He’s fine but they are heading southwest.

The demons came out of the storm sewers—this village is where the storm sewers of Brightspan City come out. They are normally scavengers searching through the dregs of the city.

Alistair has Father Waters contact the Archbishop and the Duchess of Brightspan

The main demon is an abyssal knight, with heraldry involving a black maw over a tortured and constrained flame.

The knights are returning—a lot are dead. They kept firing arrows and the demons fled.

A page speaks to a herald, who speaks to Dame Brionna.

The Archbishop sends word that the demon horde and the accursed knight have departed Brightspan, they are headed toward the Spice Lands.  They were harried by church knights -- but to little effect

Alistair calls a recess in the court.

Kit has ice on her; Alistair orders her to drop the mindlink.

We are sending off a group to engage the molydeus, and asking Lord Davion if he wants to go; he says he will prepare immediately. We also call in Lord Silverleaves to attempt to arrange for elven support, since chaotic forces will be less vulnerable to the Molydeus, and we send strike-steams to break the networks of power supporting the Molydeus and to the catacombs to clear out any support that the Molydeus has. Lord Silverleaves says that he will have a noble of Singing Leaves divert his pleasure schooner to engage the demonic hordes.
[End session 44]


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## Quartz

CPaladin said:


> We have several Rakshasa allies in that area.




Umm....


----------



## CPaladin

In this campaign world, neither rakshasa nor their rakasta followers are inherently evil.  Some of them are very evil, some are aggressively good.  I'm not sure off-hand whether there are substantial numbers of neutral ones, though.


----------



## CPaladin

Session 45 (March 16, 2009)

2 Skard (continued)
We send for a redactor, and get an old woman. A very elderly (several hundred years old) half-elf is the first to respond. We swear her to secrecy. “On my honor and on my father’s honor, who was a Sindarim of the Forest of Singing Leaves, I so swear.”

Kit begins explaining how she coordinates her spy network and shows the redactor the fan.

“This is a powerful artifact. They built it to be usable by humans, but perhaps without the fullest understanding of humans. Things they would find easy to do mentally I find most difficult. Humans are a step weaker. The artificer made it so that it could be used by a human, but it was probably beyond her ability to limit its draw so that someone much weaker than me could use it easily.”

“Ah. That sounds like what happened. I was using it for a long period, with great need, and when I came out of it, I was ravenously hungry and covered in ice.”

“You should eat heartily after each time you use it. And other members of the Court who are aware of this should keep an eye on you. If you wait too long before you leave the trance, it can lower your body temperature, which can grievously harm or even kill. With practice, we can probably double the length of time you can safely use this within a few months. Have you had meat, cheese? High protein foods are best.”

“There are important people I need to contact, that I can only reach through the fan.”

“Then I will provide you with the energy. We will do a small version of a metaconcert. It must not extend beyond 5 minutes.”

Redactor: Variana of the House of Laranthiana

* * *

Kit contacts the little boy in Brightspan.

He is intently listening to the priest haranguing the crowd, but he’s watching the men of the village fighting the fires. He is clearly alright, but a number of people have been brought out of the buildings that were hit by the fireballs and are being triaged. The crowd is very scared, not particularly angry, there is murmuring but more of the fearful type than anything else. After a moment, the priest finishes and joins the acolytes and the 20 people or so who are laid out on the ground.

Kit looks at the child’s mother, who looks to be human—the child’s father is probably not human.

<<Are you alright?>>

<<I’m alright. Mommy’s alright. But some other people were hurt.  I don’t think he’s coming back. I knew he was there ever since you told me so months and months ago before the great lady passed over, but he never budged. I knew because you told me so, and you always tell me the truth.>>

<<I’m going to tell you the truth again. I’m someone different. I’m still your friend, and I’ll still tell you the truth.>>

Pause and thought. <<Did she go with the Great Lady? Mommy told me some people did…>>

<<I’m sorry.>>

<<Are we still special?>>

<<You are still very special.>>

<<Okay. Do you look different?>>

<<Yes, I look different.>>

<<Okay. And do I still serve the Archduke?>>

<<You do. There are many people who will be saved because of you.>>

<<Okay. Should I send the weasels down the tunnels to make sure nothing is left?>>

<<Yes! I didn’t know you have weasels.>>

<<Animals like me.>>

<<Do you have other animals?>>

<<Chipmunks and squirrels, but they aren’t as smart as the weasels.>>

<<She came to the village when I was only six. And she spoke to me in my mind. And she said I could serve the Great Lady and her family, and that they would always take care of my mommy and me.>>

<<We will.>>

He gasps and looks up, and you see a beautiful ship with butterfly wings and a hull of crystal flying past, faster than the demons were going.

<<See that ship?>>

<<Elves!>>

<<Because you told us there was trouble, we sent elves to help.>>

<<Wow… I won’t know what the weasels say until tomorrow morning.>>
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 45 cont'd]
We return to the court.

We call the ambassador from the Magocracy of Perdun in exile, and a mage comes forward with a jeweled chest. “The Magocracy of Perdun in exile, and someday to be restored through the aid of our allies, is happy to present this gift to our friends in Glor’diadel here on this continent.” Dame Brionna opens the casket, which contains a gold egg on a bed of spun gold. “It is the right egg of a fey drake queen. It will hatch within weeks.”

Fey drakes are close relatives of faerie dragons, but they tend to be powerful spellcasters and psions. There are very few fertile fey drakes born, but they are the queens. They grow to about 3’ in length over 20 years, and are then very intelligent and live to about 200.

The most religious members of the court are applauding politely but enthusiastically. Servants of Morgroth exploded the Blue Mage on the Day of the Dead; the Magocracy collapsed. They’re still fighting against the Servants of Morgroth on the island; but they had harvested 2 million slaves from the commonfolk. The island is still being fought over, and the remaining surviving magi have formulated a council, the government in exile. At the same time, shadow creatures have become involved in the battle, so religious Glor’diadelians are virtually Crusaders for the cause of redeeming the island. There’s a fortified port established where expeditions are striking out. Remaining mages have lots of arcane power, little manpower.

Sadly, our forces of the Light currently committed elsewhere.

The representative of the Translucent Mage is next. He is a mage completely surrounded by whirling water. He genuflects. “Translucent offers the service of his network to your efforts. Where water flows, your voice can be heard.”

“We thank Translucent for his kind offer.”

“I have brought an adeptus. He is without. His control over his shroud is less firm.”

Next: The Crescent City alliance is delighted to send its representative and its eternal support to the nephew of our liege, and commends to his care six vollers to strengthen his navy.

“We thank the Crescent City Alliance for the great gift.”

That concludes the ambassadors.

There is no other business.

Alistair announces that there will be a high court to announce honors and to confer rewards on servants including military heroes like Sir Derek Brightspan.

One of the courtiers murmurs “It’s done, then. He has a firm grasp on the reins of power.”

The Sea Elf from Simbolisi sends back, “We will take him captive. Where do you want him delivered?”

We say that we will pick him up after they capture him.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 45 cont'd]
That evening, a page rushes in. “Lord Davion has appeared. He is injured, and he has another elf with him, and the Lieutenant of the Guard thinks that one is dying. He has asked for a member of the Court.”

We hurry to the teleport point. Lord Davion is with a tall, probably grey elf, who appears horribly burned. “The molydeus is vanquished, your grace, though I could not have done it alone. This is Lord Leansilas Talawar (“Crystal bough” Talawar, one of the 50 or so grey elves of Singing Leaves and Master of the Eagles of Singing Leaves), a grey elf of Singing Leaves. His ship is lost to him, his men are lost to him, and his place here is lost to him. He wanted to see those for whom he did this thing before he goes to the West.”

Alistair kneels beside him. “You can see only those who asked you to do these things, but those for whom he did these things are all the hundreds of thousands or millions of people throughout this continent who will be saved by him.”

He smiles painfully. “I can see by that response that it was well done. We pass to the West, one by one, and your people will stand when we have passed away. I can see that you will stand well.”

The priest reports to Dame Brionna that his healing cannot touch him at all.

Dame Brionna brings in some of the older half-elven and elven children who we rescued. He speaks to them in elven, and then says to Dame Brionna, “You understand.” And then his body dissolves into rainbows.

“It is banished. Its greatest servants are banished. Its lesser servants escaped to the countryside.”

“It was an ancient demon of Abyssal Knight rank. It had manifested physically on this plane.”

“Ah! Then it is not banished. It is destroyed entirely. That explains why it fought so vigorously to the end.”

I hope that we will not have to fight anything similar for at least a fortnight.

What I don’t understand is why it moved now…

Kit: Perhaps something about the moons or the stars?

Perhaps… there is a Greater Festival of Mists, and a combination of a full Silver Moon and a new Ruby Moon. But why would it move out into the open.

We post bounties on its lesser servants.

Reyn: Remember weeks ago, when you sent some people to deal with the shes and the young from the hordes that have been left behind. A group of people went north under an adventuring paladin. A rider brings her a report from an adventuring paladin. The encampment has been sacked, the elderly warriors defeated, and the women and young are fleeing from the Archduke’s justice. Brionna thanks them, but emphasizes that hostages would be highly useful.

Next morning!

3 Skard
Report from the boy: All the live things are gone. All the scary things are gone. All that’s left are trash and remnants and things like that. Oh, and some shiny things.

<<What kind of shiny things?>>

<<Not money. He brought one back.>>

<<Show it to me.>>

<<See? Not money. Not made of gold or silver or something like that.>>

It’s made of brass, with writing on it.

Kit mindlinks Alistair in. It’s Abyssal. Alistair copies it out, careful to not actually write out any of the characters fully, and sends it up to the coven for translation.

Lady Constance returns.

“Your grace. That is a soul coin. That piece of metal is worth one soul from the 203rd layer of the Abyss.”

Kit: What can we do with it?

“Well… I would suggest having as many of them as possible gathered and then have a priest of the Lord of Light obliterate them. That will free the souls from the Abyss.”

Kit: <<Gather up as many of them as possible.>>

Are they safe?

“Often, there are poison coins among them. They would cause effects like rage, or greed, or other things to those who take them. Only the purest of heart are safe.”

<<Do you have a place not in the house where you can keep them?>>

<<The pig sty.>>

Don’t tell the local priest. We can’t let Duchess Brightspan intercept this.

We arrange for someone from the Archbishop to go and deal with it discreetly.

The weasels find and bring up 220 soul coins. They also find a coin of lust and a coin of murder, which have utterly no effect on the pig.

That day passes in peace.

Skard 4
Two priests from the archdiocese are teleported out to the hoard of soul coins. The priests hitch up their robes, gathered the coins (including the coin of lust and murder, which they are disciplined enough to resist), bless the house at the boy’s request (which his mom won’t believe), and then are teleported back.

Lady Constance asks a boon of the throne. I ask to be present for the destruction of these things. There is nothing more vile in the world. I know the temple will not welcome me, but I will stand in a corner while they are destroyed.

We ask the Archbishop to permit her to attend and she watches as every coin is destroyed.

Skard 5
The day commences normally, and then a report comes in to Brionna. A tired warrior reports. We have pursued the orks as far as we can. They have taken shelter with allied tribes. We captured a handful of their women and young.

Did any of the ones you captured have markings of rank?
One of the young ones. None of the others.

Have that one brought here. Deal with the others as appropriate. Don’t pursue further.

What of those we captured that are not of rank?
Deal with the others as appropriate.
[End session]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 46 (May 18, 2009):
Skard 6

Kit gets a message, which she then brings to the Council. It’s a very disturbing message from a spy in the Debonai armies that are marching south. Some of the ranking officers have now been replaced with here’ku.

We discuss the Order of the Ram issues. We investigated the Order of the Ram, and contacted the Archbishop of Debonai. We talked about trying to get the officers who were just after glory (which includes the junior personnel) to serve our purposes in the South.

Kit’s Secretary reports knowing where the army is—they’ve moved way too fast for an army.

Dame Brionna gets a message about a strange prisoner, named Llars. She immediately goes there with a group of psion, mage, cleric forensics, and some OKV knights.

How did you apprehend this Llars?

I was on night watch, on duty in one of the districts where fine ladies like you don’t go. At first I thought, he was just one of the customers, who’d been drinking a bit, but he was making off with some of the merchandise, so I took him. He let me, said his name was Llars, we don’t have any records of him. There’s something about him that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

Does he have any abilities? Latent? (she says to the psion)

Marginal. Not enough for me to do anything with, but it is there. He could be trained—well, probably not now. He’s too old.

Any children, Leftenant?

8—age seventeen down.

Any of them particularly bright?

Two, but we know our place.

Still, the Archduchy always has use for people with talent.

Yes, Dame. That’s always been what we like about the Archduchy.

Make a note (she says to the psion)
(He’s already writing) Yes, ma’am. We’ll have someone visit your family—in a nice way.

The leftenant shows the team in to meet the prisoner.  "Ah. This is Llars."

<<His name is not Llars>> sends the psion. <<That is a convenient alias.>>

"Standard detection routine, please."

The mage relays, <<There are layers of enchantment on the creature>>

Brionna moves the regular guards back, and the paladin knights forward. Brionna gets a 19 on an Intimidate. Llars looks a bit less smug, and backs up a few steps. (He detects as some of the most significant evil Brionna has ever detected in the city.)

Brionna ducks back and contacts Alistair and Kit.

Back at the palace
Lady Constance comes to meet with Kit and Alistair.

“What are these creatures?”

“Because of what we’re doing, I’m reading more than I ever expected of the Forbidden Texts. It seems that they are continuing the sacrifices to bring through more of her creatures.”

“They are probably not the Seen and Not Seen, but it’s so hard to tell what the creatures are. If I were forced to guess, I would say that these are probably – probably—demons of the Inimitable Feast. The number of sacrifices gives it away. Too many for two simple here’ku. But they are other servants of the Old Ones. Battle demons. Their ability in combat is much greater, although their ability to conceal themselves much smaller. In the ancient days, they were thought of as strategists. They cannot conceal their hunger. Remember her ultimate goal.”

“What kind of hunger?”

“Literal. They will feed on whole battlefields of the dead. And when they lose control of themselves, they are quickly revealed for what they are. But by then it is often too late.”

“They must have a short-term goal.”

“No more than a few weeks. Either the plans are coming to fruition or she fears their failure. If she fears they will fail, then it becomes a worthwhile gamble to deploy her bigger weapons.”

“Is there a way we could trigger their hunger?”

“Yes. It is unpleasant, but according to the ancient writings, yes."  She adds, "they cannot expand without limit, but those troops would not have weapons that could harm them. Lawful weapons would be necessary.”

We talk a little about what we could do.

“I wonder. Can I postulate a little? What if I am wrong? I have set up a duality—they summoned them because they’re near the end or because they’re near defeat. What if the purpose is to set up a possible way to victory in defeat? Some of them would be sure to have Elven blood. If they feasted enough on those with Elven blood, then they could summon her Herald, the Beast with the Unendurable Face, the Hrith’eru. Most warriors are driven mad upon looking on it, although some mages could withstand it. It concerns me.”

“So then we need to defeat them in advance.”

“They are weaker, individually, than the one defeated by our allies. They do not compare to Abyssal Knights.  It fascinates me to wonder what she promised the demon lords to get their participation."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 46 cont'd]
* * *
Dame Brionna prepares to interrogate Llars.

It's an Outsider, spells on it are someone else's making.

Brionna calls for an exorcist.  He looks appropriately creepy.  He's happy to help.

While Exorcist is setting up, Brionna tries to ask prisoner his _real_ name. "I have many names. Some I'm willing to give up. one I'm not."

"I was sent by the council that I serve to eyeball the situation. Our Great Lord wishes to know more about the ruler here"
The psion reports <his lord = Lord of the Rams, who is 'interested' in this place>

Brionna..taunts him. Says that Lord of Rams isn't so great, actually. gets Lars to brag! Says there isn't a Cult of the Ram in Canberry, but there are in a few places over the continent

He's here as an observer, trying to scope out Alistair

They philosophize about power.

He'll be recalled when the council is ready to hear his report

Brionna still tries to taunt him, compares him to Kit's doggy.

Exorcist reveals! Real form: slightly larger than human, looks like a really mean satyr - hairy, sharp teeth and horns. A baliazu. Usually infantry - either it's unusually smart or this is just the best the council can do.

There's still a concealing spell around Lars's mind - Exorcist tries to remove it, and psion starts digging.

Aha! The one who summoned only knows part of the reason. His master instructed him to be taken prisoner so that he could see one of the council directly. But he doesn't know why. Says he was supposed to observe Brionna, test her loyalty by observing her reactions, see how others (esp. men) react to her. Has reported back Brionna's image

Where a mechanism is known, a lever can be found.

Dame Brionna relays to us. He is a demon, infantry soldier, servant of the Lord of the Rams, with a wide variety of enchantments on him—serves at least two masters. Allowed himself to be captured so he could see a member of the Council and relay the image back to his masters (presumably so a here’ku could be formed). Also looking for weaknesses in your authority and to test her loyalty.

Alistair and Kit discusses this, the possibility that Kit will be a big target. We agree that Kit and Dame Brionna will have to continuously carry pieces of orichalcum jewelry that they present at all times, to show that they have not been replaced.

How many on your Council?

Three

<<He thinks of them vaguely… if you could get him to focus on them more…>>

I was brought before them. Well, before two of them.

The third one couldn’t be bothered to be there?

The third one can never be present. It is bound in the Wells of Darkness. A mighty princess, and when we bring her back she will be mighty.

<<I have them now. The Lord of the Ram, the Abomination of Shur, and the Princess Asima, originally ruler of the 143rd layer, imprisoned within the Wells of Darkness when she helped the One who Must not Be Named the last time.

Is the Lord of the Ram under the paw of a kitty-cat then?

“Shurr will one day be a mighty demon lord. We have an eye on one which needs replacing.”

“Which one? I can’t think of any that would be weaker than the alliance of a sheep and a kitty-cat.”

Ugu-denk, the Squirming King. His plane shall be given to the Abomination when he rises to become a demon-lord. Not every demon-lord is foolishly concerned with this little plane. Let it be consumed by her.

“You say you saw the Abomination personally? Where would that be?”

“Its spirit can move from place to place. They held council near the well where Asima is kept, so she could participate. I was given my mission by the Ram himself, but with the approval of all of them.”

What if they disagree?

Nothing is done; only with unity can the forces be deployed.

<<Most of the deployed forces belong to Asima; that’s why she must be included.”

She who must not be named is really in charge, isn’t she?

He grovels a little. She will restore us to our proper place, by consuming you.

And you. She will consume everything.

The Master does not think so.

The Ram is not known for long-term thinking.

The Master is mighty.

<<I think we are reaching the end of what it knows.>>

We decide to have it destroyed, assuming there are no traps that would make that dangerous. The exorcist seems doubtful. It will react as soon as I attempt it. The moment it feels threatened, that cell will not hold it. My wards will hold it briefly, but it can use those barbs as spears.

Could we teleport it into a sanctified area?

My first ward prevents it from teleporting, or from our teleporting it. If we erase those wards, it will probably teleport out.

I’d rather destroy it.

They discuss this, and plan on running in a large quantity of holy water, with the knights standing by. They consecrate a cistern on the roof and prepare to flood the room.

They flood it with holy water and attack.

The demon is killed before it can take an action. And shrinks down into a larva as its corpse burns in a pool of holy water.

Dame Brionna returns. “Your grace… I must say, the education system in this city leaves much to be desired. The guard leftenant has minor psionic abilities.”

Alistair and Kit separately discuss the idea of leaking the information to Uru-Denk—Kit is strongly opposed. There are some old songs about Princess Asima; she was highly regarded in previous Ages as particularly propitious as a demon lord for the most powermad.

We talk about this with Lady Constance. She says that the Scheming King and Malacat, Queen of the Succubi, and Shictari, Queen of the Marilith, were the principal actors of the coalition that imprisoned Princess Asima, although they acted on behalf of a larger coalition.

The titular ruler of the Abyss is Borsh’tro, but they only really control the first few planes. Malacat has little interest in the Prime except as a place to find beautiful people. Deeper in, there is either no interest or no knowledge in the Prime. There are councils, plots, wars that last thousands of years, and a judiciary. So a judiciary headed by Krab-urg-u condemned Asima, and a Council of Three carried out the sentence.

Asima, it should be noted is an orylith. They are the older types of demons, rarely with human shapes, able to cause insanity. There are fewer of them, overall, but they still have great power. The Squirming King is the only orylith in the group that condemned her, and it was he that held her in shape long enough to bind her.

Uru-Denk does not even have a shape that could be recognized. It is named the Squirming King for a reason. Most of its servants are manitrou—I cannot imagine them following the Abomination if it were elevated.

The only one of that group that I would dare even send a message to is Malacat. To speak to Uru-Denk, even under the most carefully shielded circumstances, risks madness. The Queen of the Mariliths is not known for her rationality. Malacat could be contacted, however. I would not do it—but it could be done. You must remember that there is no law in these creatures.

If you make a decision that you want to make contact with her, notify me and I’ll describe how to package it. I do not recommend it, but you are the Archduke, and you will decide.

At the current rate of progress, the Debonai army will meet up with the other armies in about 15 days.

We bring in the Minister of Magic.

We fill him in.

Ah. So they are moving slightly out of phase.

What does that mean, how do they do it, and how do we stop them?

They do it through the favor of a supernatural creature. Someone has made an agreement—only a few of the great powers have the ability to do that—a couple of devils, a couple of demons, and a couple of angelic powers. They are compressing space—or rather moving people through a state such that time passes more quickly, and they cover distance more quickly. The people will be worn out. They will age rapidly. Men of twenty who have done six journeys will be men of twenty-five or twenty-six. Older men will suddenly start dropping dead.

Their perceptions are weakened—they are in a trance. They could run into a large scale trap without seeing it, but normally they would place scouts ahead. But they could move through an army before the army had time to stop them. It will also make their minds more pliant. More susceptible to magical or psionic influence.

The lord of the Ram… a demon lord allied with Alvasox—a lord of the legions of cavalry of the 33rd layer. He is one of the ones with the ability to move people. It ties into his ability to increase speed, productivity, fertility, always at cost. His focus is fertility. To move that many… the blood sacrifice would have to be immense. It would have to drain even him. You are talking about 20,000 men.

The leaders must be realizing what’s happening to them.
We speculate they may all be replaced.

Are they caught up in a demonic war?
We think so. We all are now.

If they are connected to the Lord of the Ram… he must be part of an agreement.

Should I make talismans to reveal the followers of the Lord of the Ram?
Yes.

It will take two days to prepare them.
[End Session 46]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 47 (July 8, 2009)
Skard 7:
We ask the Minister of Magic back to talk with us some more about the out-of-phase thing. Kit asks if we could trap them out of phase, or otherwise immobilize them. Alternately, could we set some sort of trap for them as they’re coming back in phase.

Minister: Might be possible for an Eldar or Noldar of sufficient power—emphasis on might. Clearly beyond my capabilities, probably beyond human capabilities; possibly one of the Color mages?

We think about Color mages: Translucent: water and communication—not really very appropriate
White: Ice, transportation, and something else.
We think this might be covered by transportation.

Alistair suggests that if we’re going to reach out to her, we should make it a three-way conversation with the White Witch and Grand Duchess Sharra Fenris of Ergmoth, the Defender of the Faith, or her representative, which would probably be Contessa Castillia of the nation next to the Inner Isles.

We discuss whether there is something to be done with the vulnerability to enchantment—unleashing the fey or something.

Kit suggests an illusion keyed to particular weaknesses or interests of theirs, based on her information from back in Debonai, so she plans to contact her agent.

The Rakshasa are heading towards the army cutting through the Spice Lands, so they’re dealing with a separate army.

We reach out to the “Honorable Defender of the Faith, Sharra Ruthis, Grand Duchess of Ergmoth, etc.” and she agrees to apport to us with an honor guard the next day, along with the White Witch and her honor guard.

We discuss this, and some of the particular complexities, with the Chamberlain. This is further complicated by the fact that Princess Kaitlyn’s coronation is scheduled.

Kit goes to talk to her scribe, Stewart, about the Grand Duchess, then thinks better and goes to her halfling mistress of protocol.

“So, we’re going to be having some visiting dignitaries… the White Mage, and the Defender of the Faith of Paranswarm. The chamberlain knows, my question is more personal. How quiet should I keep my relationship around them?”

“Well, remember how she first got her title. She married the old Grand Duke, copulated with him in wolf form (as required by Ergmoth law, witnessed by at least six adult nobles), and then poisoned him, with poison on her body, inheriting instantly. Given Ergmothian norms, she would probably assume that of course His Grace would have several mistresses.

“As for the White Witch, she has a large harem of young men. She will certainly not be shocked.

"As for the coronation…"

“I’ll remain out of view. I’ll have to talk with her eventually, but…”

“That is probably best. You will reach an accommodation with her after she is with child. That is the way of things."  She pauses. “I loved a man once…”

Kit reports on that, and then contacts her agent in Debonai.

The city is fine, but the countryside is in flames. All of the nobles are taking advantage of the opportunity to settle old scores. Several banners have fallen, most not to bandits. Also, a strange caravan, headed by a Minotaur and a kobold, recently arrived, and sold some siege engines they had taken from some orc raiders.

They are also raising two new field armies, each of cavalry, to replace the ones that have gone.

What news of the armies that have departed?

We have lost all contact, even with those wealthy young officers who carry scrying stones to contact their families. The Archmagus knows nothing of their whereabouts, although he is not much of an archmagues.

Kit explains some of what is going on: their high command is in the service of the Lord of the Ram. They are moving in and out of phase. Some of the leaders may die of old age. Many are corrupted and we may not be able to bring them back. We’re hoping to save some of the rank and file.

Many people have already gone to the cathedral to mourn, and this morning, the Lord Mayor had twenty men hanged for association with the Order of the Ram. A dozen women, through no fault of their own, have ended up pregnant with cambions. They are being cloistered with the Order of the Silver Veils—the cambions will be raised as best as they can, and we will hope. If the women survive the birth—there is more than a 25% death rate in cambion births—they will be ritually cleansed, and then either allowed to remain cloistered or returned to the populace as they prefer.

Trade has fallen to almost nothing. The caravan was the first to reach us in weeks, but they brought six ankylosaurs.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 47 cont'd]
Dame Brionna receives a magnificently garbed man from one of the merchant vessels from Khamista. He comes from Tarsh. He is a young man, dressed in an elaborate cape of leather woven with feathers, over armor. He is Paranswarmian but not evil. He has arms: the imperial seal of Tarsh, above a diagonal line and then a contrived coat of arms, made out of someone’s favorite animals. That says that he is a direct vassal of the King-Emperor, although probably without a drop of noble blood.

“My lord.”

“Dame Brionna of Stanway. I have not had the pleasure of meeting you, although I have dealt some with your compatriot, Dame Katherine of Lyneham.”

“You may speak freely here.”

“The principal behind the theft was the former King Willispur. This must reach no one. He survived the palace coup. He bathed the Empire in blood. He has possession of both artifacts, and is connected to the conspirators in the South.

"I am Sir Gustav Alderheimer, Captain of the Raven."

Dame Brionna notes to herself that Captain of the Raven is not a traditional Tarsh title.  "What further information can we offer you?"

"We ask that you send an embassy with some of your best people to recover these things. Jazeel has asked me to personally see to things as best as I can."  Sir Gustav is clearly not well-trained in etiquette.  "It is difficult at best to placate them. It would be best to keep as low a profile as possible. The corruption that Willispur spread before he was deposed by the people who put Jazeel in power indicate that he should never be allowed in power again anywhere, and he also has made deals with forces that are not at all approved by the Temple."

"We will send you a team of our best and brightest to assist you in this quest."

"I am commissioned by his majesty to thank you and to offer our assistance in recovering these artifacts."

"Should we inform his majesty’s heir?"

"The heir will be safe here; it is better that he not know until it can be dealt with."

"Do you plan to stay long in Canberry?"

"I had to travel by commercial vessel to conceal my trip here. But I feel like I have failed my lord by allowing my theft. He made me captain of his guard."

"How old is the King-Emperor?"

"He is 18."

 (Dame Brionna splutters a little, but talks about the Archduke having shown great leadership at a young age)
[End session 47]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 48 (October 5, 2009)
Skard 8
Scheduled events: Coronation of Kaitlyn
Anti-Lord of the Ram talismans prepared
Grand Duchess of Ergmoth and White Witch expected to arrive

Kit receives a request for a meeting and sets it up in her office. Father Waters and another priest, Father Smith, who is sweating profusely.

Father Smith says, "Father Waters assures me that you are the person I needed to talk to. I am of course Bishop Hoggsworthy’s secretary. He intends to… um… work over some of the younger dignitaries who will be visiting here. In service of the faith, of course. I’m not saying it will be inappropriate, but Father Waters thought I should talk to you."

Kit says that that would clearly be a bad idea, and that she’ll work on it.

"What should I do, Dame?"

"I’ll bring it up with the Council, and we’ll find some people of rank to help persuade the Bishop that an alternate approach would be better."

Kit brings it up at the meeting.

“Bishop Hoggsworthy is going to try to persuade our distinguished guests, in a converting sort of way…”

We agree that it’s time to send Hoggsworthy off to deal with the stolen items in Tarsh; we also figure that we can have Father Waters take over his duties, although he’s not yet ready for the official process.

Alistair, Dame Brionna, young Lord Brightspan, Lord Silverleaves from Singing Leaves, Dame Constance, the Minister of Magic, and the Archbishop of the Sun, along with some muscle (mostly paladins) teleport to the Coronation

Kaitlyn’s party is Many-Hands and all of her top retainers, plus a bunch of guards. Dame Brionna arranges for a whole bunch of the old nobility of the Southern Kingdom to show up to swear fealty.

The agreement is that it will be a secular coronation, since the conversion will be announced afterwards.

Dame Constance cleans up surprisingly nice. Still scary, what with all the rings and bands and such, but nice.

We teleport through. The gathering of nobles is considerable. They’ll show up to pretty much anything that might get them their lands back.

Two d20 rolls: 19, and 9.

The Grandmaster Farsensor says to Dame Brionna. “I cannot exactly tell you what is watching us, but we are being watched. It does not seem malevolent.”

“Could you sever the connection?”

“Almost certainly. Do you wish me to?”

Dame Brionna looks to Alistair who signals no.

“Can you identify them?”

"Yes, I should be able to."
He rolls a 19 + 32 = 51.

"It appears to be psionically active older male. I can give you his image—he is unaware that I captured it."

Dame Brionna gets a distinct image of a man she recognizes from her youth. He was a minor noble but a major merchant in the days of her youth. Now he is several years older, of course.  They decide to take no action.

The process continues, going through the rituals of the coronation.

* * *

Dame Kit receives a missive: The Grand Duchess of Ergmoth and the Queen of the White Mountains have appeared, with an entourage, without the Palace.

Dame Kit sends a sending to Dame Brionna, who tells her to hold down the fort, in effect.

They are shown in, and announcements are made for three personages: Grand Duchess of Ergmoth, Defender of the Faith of Paranswarm, former betrothed of the current First Mouth; Bianca, Queen of the White Mountains, Mistress of the White Dragons, and White Witch; and Baroness Castillia of Mandrath, Companion of the Grand Duchess of Ergmoth, Companion of the Armies of Darkness, and commander of the Legions of the Deft.

The Protector and Defender of the Faith is dressed entirely in black, with a black chain from her hair to her belt, various black diamonds, and her flail of office. The White Witch is pretty much unassuming. The Baroness of Mandrath is in full armor of the Legions of the Deft, despite being a sorceress. All of the guards are in various stages of lycanthropy—unsurprising, since the Grand Duchess is rumored to be a werewolf.

Kit welcomes them to the palace.

“My late husband, Fenris Ruthis of Ergmoth, would have said that the power behind the throne is nearly always a beautiful woman. I would say to you that sometimes the power on the throne is a woman.”

Kit thanks her for the compliment and returns one to her.

"The gift for the Archduke should wait for his return. But the gift I have for you will not need to wait."

"I’m honored that you thought of me."

"I thought of both the women that command his attention, as well as the woman he will some day marry… in law."

Kit thanks her and likes her.

She gets a magical box, containing six small square boxes, each covered with runes. This will allow you to pass messages or small items to anyone to whom you give the small boxes, anywhere. Memorize the runes, and they will control where the items placed in the large box go.

"Maintaining your stability is crucial, as important to the Council of Darkness as to the Councils of Light."

The Grand Duchess and Baroness make cheery small talk. The White Witch doesn't talk - every so often she whips her head around in a way that makes Kit nervous.

Aunt Cecilia, who is present and linked to Kit with a mindlink: The Grand Duchess is powerfully linked off of this plane. that's the source of her power
Kit: Which plane?
Aunt Cecilia: The planes of Utter Darkness that we should never visit.
Kit: Something sacred to Paranswarm?
Aunt Cecilia: Yes. They're very intent on all this darkness, aren't they? Well, I suppose it's only right, since we're all wrapped up in the Light

The White Witch mostly watches, and occasionally adds a pithy comment like “You would be better off killing them all!” when political enemies are discussed. The other two nod to her, and then continue talking. They are not embarrassed by her, but also don’t really agree with her. The guard with the Grand Duchess occasionally hands her a message, which would appear teleported in, except that the Archducal Council think that that’s impossible in theory.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 48, continued]
Kit realizes that the page in the Grand Duchess’s entourage has a box like the one she was just given.

“You can put anything in them as long as it isn't anything dangerous - if you try, then the box explodes.” The Grand Duchess explains.

<<Lady Castilia has been altered - her body has been internally strengthened. I think her life has been lengthened>> Aunt Cecilia communicates to Kit via a mind link.
Kit: Is it to make up for some injury
Aunt Cecilia: I think someone doesn't want her to die
Kit: Can you tell who did it?
Aunt Cecilia: Nobody here
Kit: What kind of power would it take to do that?
Aunt Cecilia: Wish.
Kit: Useful
Aunt C: Yes, but odd
Kit: Maybe she's not secure about her heir, and wants to make sure she'll live for a long time?

At the coronation, it proceeds apace with appropriate pomp and circumstance.

Following the applause, the announcement of the engagement takes place, and the announcement of the conversion as well.

The Archbishop, who is very good at this, gives a talk and converts a few but not many people (natural 3, total of 18). Alistair then gets up and speaks as protector of the Light, getting a 45 on his Diplomacy. He presumably does a little better. 

* * *

Suddenly, the White Witch's head whips around, with bangles and feathers in her hair clattering, and she asks Kit: And when will _you_ become pregnant?
Kit [totally stunned]: Um. In time?
White Witch: You _will_ have a child. I have seen it. A boy.
Kit: Well, I'll have a child eventually. Not soon...
WW: You will. I have seen it. He's destined for holiness. I see paladinhood in his future.
Kit: HAHAHAHA. Um. sorry.
WW: Oh, don't worry. If I could laugh, I would join you.
Kit [momentarily worried]: You can't laugh?
WW: The Color Pool gives many gifts, but it takes away as well. I can build a kingdom on a glacier, but I must give up certain things.
Kit: Oh. I'm sorry.
WW: My people are permitted to laugh, but not in my presence. If I could laugh, though, I would do it if I were you, hearing this news. Yes, your son will be a paladin. I see him with his father's features, but your eyes. And your heart. He will be brave, and that will serve him well, with his destiny.
Kit: He has a destiny?
WW: This enemy that we all fight. It will not be defeated permanently, not now. The one who will finally defeat it, far beneath the earth, is your son.
Kit [quiet and stunned]: Will I be around to see it?
WW: You will no longer be young, but you will see it. Your son will never rule, you know.
Kit: I know. He never would anyway. Not _my_ son. But to have a destiny like that, to defeat an enemy like that? [glowing grin] That's better than any kingdom.
WW: And he will love his mother and father, and know that they love him, and that is all that any child can hope. And he will defeat this enemy. I have learned a great deal about the enemy just being in your presence.
Kit: What do you mean?
WW: White allows certain things - transport. But not only the transport of persons or goods - the transport of essences, of hopes. Being around people who have been in the presence of the enemy has given me more insight into what it is. It is just as frightful as the Grand Duchess said. It _must_ be defeated.

And then she stops, and jingles her head back, and the other two go on with drinking tea and chatting as if nothing ever happened.

“Wait… you said being around people who have been in the presence of the enemy. Who did you mean by that?” Kit asks the White Witch.

“Why, you, of course.”

“I didn’t think I had been.”

“Really?”

“If I had, I didn’t know it.”

“I can assure you, my dear, the residue is like a dripping ichor.”

“I’ve had mental contact with a place and with some people who have had contact with the enemy.”

“Physical contact? Do you travel by spirit often?”

“No.”

“Can you tell when this happened?”

<<Aunt Cecilia says, not with any surety, she can’t, but she’s loathe to admit that.>>

Perhaps about 4 months ago, north of here. I see a small town. And a place of pain to its people. You were present. As was its essence. It tried to invade you, but you rejected it.

Did it attack anyone else?

Your rejection was wholesale. It could not affect anyone else. If its vessel has moved on…

This essence… how do I get it off me?

It is like a spiritual slime...

How do I get it off me?

A redactor would be best, I think.

I’ve had redaction since then and they didn’t notice it.

Why would they? Unless they knew to look for it. I wonder. I would think you might be able to use that contact. It might allow you to predict the enemy. Not in depth, but yes.

If I used it that way, would it taint me?

If you did, yes. But someone highly disciplined…

Like the grandmaster farsensor?

A member of either of the great elven races should be safe.

Could it be transferred from me to him?

For that, you would need a grandmaster level redactor.

She wanders off and begins examining the walls carefully.

The Grand Duchess says, please forgive our companion’s fascination with the walls.

Is it an interest of hers?

There is very little usable stone in her domain. Any tricks she could learn…

We could set up a meeting with an architect?

If you would please her greatly, try to find an architect or engineer who would be willing to live in that hell for a while.

* * *

Most of the people of the former South Kingdoms have nominally converted—it’s all political lip-service, but good enough for Alistair.

The general opinion is that this is a superb marriage—a brilliant coup, given the fact that the Southern Kingdoms have little to offer. Dame Brionna feeds back positive stories about Alistair.

Dame Brionna gives Kaitlyn a pair of intelligent, good, loyal guard/hunting dogs.

The Canberry delegation teleports back to the palace and joins Kit and the Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duchess offers some official niceties to “her counterpart in the Light.”

I do not know what the protocol is in courts other than my own, but in my own the procedure would be to deliver the gifts to those of lower rank and only then to the most exalted.

To Dame Brionna, a gift suggested by my former betrothed, now the First Mouth of Paranswarm.

It is a Periapt of Faithfulness

For your future lady wife, I have prepared a set of horses of the highest breeding for herself and her immediate court. 

And after considerable thought, I have determined that the most acceptable gift I could offer the Archduke was an item that many years ago fell into the hands of my late husband’s great-great-grand-sire. A Banner of the Sun Resplendent. [Can be used once every 3 rounds to turn undead as a 15th level cleric; Can cast Daylight 4/day; Morale bonus of +2 to hit to any follower of the light who can see it while unfurled.]
[End session 48]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 49 (November 16, 2009)
Skard 8 (cont’d)
Scheduled events: Continued meeting with the Duchess of Ergmoth and the White Witch

We talk with the Duchess of Ergmoth, the White Witch, and the Baroness of Mandrath about dealing with the out-of-phase army as well as the possibility of contacting Malacat.

The White Witch says, “For my part, if you will provide me with a laboratory, I will be happy to interfere them.

Baroness Castilia: I have unfortunate news for you, my lord. Debonai will not become destabilized. Debonai is destabilized. The king controls very little—the nobles war among themselves openly, and orcs are invading. We have already suggested that the nearest Paranswarmian kingdom should harass the humanoids on their borders.

Kit concludes from extensive hand-gestures (obviously communication) that Baroness Castilia is the Duchess of Ergmoth’s spymistress.

The Duchess of Ergmoth focuses on the threat of the Old Ones. Stopping the army of Debonai will do much. They will need to press onwards with less force than sufficient. They will not be able to defeat the army of Seachen. They will pursue other plans, deep in Seachen. It will be a major play for the Abomination of Shur, the Lord of the Ram, and the Princess—but the principal point is to make permanent the energy spirals from the prison of the One Apart. They should have been destroyed 1000 years ago, but remain in the ruined temples within Seachen. They will not be able to seduce the women of Seachen, especially with the Lord of the Ram involved.

I have nothing to offer about where the artifact is. But should it be unleashed, the lands that have reemerged into this place will be made permanent, adding another front to the war, that we neither need nor desire.

What can we do to help you?

Discusses a gift of 20 vollers.

Alistair asks the Duchess to pass the message on to Malacat.

She says after some time that this seems like a well-conceived plan. They will trade off the lives of some captured demonists—offer the choice of delivering messages to Malacat or receiving a visit from her personal torturer. They will likely agree.

We offer the assistance of Dame Constance

After the meeting, Kit contacts her agent in Debonai, Lady Brina.

The noblemen of Debonai are slaughtering each other. Much is warfare.

Also, rapid poisonings—several members of the Grand Council are dead. The Archbishop survived his poisoning. The Secretary of the Treasury is fine, but the person who is actually in charge of financial things and the Privy Guardian of the Bedchamber both died. He’s the top military advisor, because the Secretary of the Army is traditionally a sinecure. The Stablemaster, who is in fact in charge of trade, also died. The Minister of Trade is the King’s fifth cousin, and totally worthless. The Mistress of the Pillow, who may be the spymistress, is alive and in hiding. All of these people were close to the King, so there will be a mass royal funeral. All of the high dignitaries and the major houses will attend. (The Kennel Master, who is in charge of royal security, is still alive, so the King is probably safe. The Kennel Master is unique for actually being in charge of the Kennel.)

The Lords Council is still meeting—there haven’t been assassinations within it.

Nearly all of the nobles, except the most powerful ones, have left the capital.

At least the burnings have slowed down. People were burning each other at the stake, and crops. Magaral, a merchant, has put down much of the problem, along with his partner, Growl the Mighty.

No efforts against women, or participation of the women in the madness.

We send a message to our ambassador asking to set up a telepathic meeting with the King of Debonai (basically to discuss (A) making him a protectorate and (B) sending the Order of the Vulture). He agrees a day later to meet me telepathically two days after that.
[End Session 49]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 50 (September 7, 2011):
9 Skard

We need a Grandmaster Redactor to remove Kit’s psychic slime; there are none in the Forest of Singing Leaves. The Grandmaster Farsensor wants to reach out to the Eldar from some other woods, probably on Khamista.

We all take a break for the day.

10 Skard

An orkish prisoner (Harash—does not have his adult name, has not killed a great animal or an enemy) arrives. He is more or less a guarantee of good behavior on the part of his father, who is the chieftain of one of the orkish tribes that were harassing the Northwest of the Archduchy. Brionna suggests making him a page; Alistair is basically appalled by the idea, but agrees that they may need to.

He bears the “gift of knowledge.” He takes prompting, but says, “Of the hordes that have been bought by the cat, there are as yet three that have not been seen because they march north and east towards Debonai. The infantry is slow to respond. They hope to make many raids. This is to delay Debonai’s response to those who have gone south. All the other hordes you have either smashed, driven away, or subbed.” He defines subbed as “made a tribe of your tribe.” We explain that we would say vassals.

He explains about the shamans and the Keepers of the Flame (who are “touched” from birth by animal spirits). I do not wish to be a shaman. They can never be chief; they can only advise.

“Blood sickness”—when a family has ruled long enough, all of them become like my brother. There is no spirit within the body, only flesh. (They marry their sisters. Alistair does not conceal his revulsion.)

There is only one more message that I was asked to bring from the Shaman. The Shaman wished you to know that there is yet one of the unseen seen within your lands, for the cat left him with us but he left our tribe and traveled into your land. When he left, he bore the seeming of a merchant who traveled into your land with a great quantity of oak.

Kit sends word out through her merchant agents.

We also talk about asking the elves about removing taint from wood/detecting tainted wood.

We contact the Grandmaster Farsensor; he mentions that wood speakers are common among his people. They could both eliminate the poison and detect it.

He talks to a counselor to the Queen to get some wood speakers (40 wood elves) to gate through.

Kit gets an image of the merchant that the unseen seen took, along with how he changed when the unseen seen replaced him. He was Alec; well, the merchant who bought our kine-hide was Alec.

Kit’s agent through the fan knows Alec the wood merchant. He was Hanalian, but exiled—apparently from drinking too much (although Kit suggests it may have been for being too nice).
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 50, cont'd]
40 wood elves teleport through, more males than females. Many of them have never been out of the forest before. “We are here to serve.”

The Council explains the problem.

“A binary poison that partakes of some of the ancient poisons of the servants of the elder gods? Even our cousins among the Noldar disparage this. And the other part of the poison is in the wood?”

(One of the other elves whispers “But humans don’t eat wood!”)

“Once I have found my station, I have enough reagents to make a few vials of antivenom for any doses that we miss. But I only have a few doses worth.”

The Farsensor says: I am torn. I do not know if I should attempt a High Sweep or not. If he knows, he is capable of wounding me. Even if he is not aware, he may have hidden himself by reflex, and I would exhaust myself to no avail.

Dame Brionna says, We have used psionics to track them before. If they have communicated, he will know that.

F: That settles the question then. He will certainly be hidden, and it would be a waste.

11 Skard
We have a psionic meeting with the King of Debonai, an extremely frail young man we met at the Coronation. (We remember his brother much better.) He is seated in something throne-like but clearly meant to support him. His brother is with him as well. There is also a grizzled older man wearing full armor. Lastly, there is a fairly short woman, hair piled on top of her head, likely the psionic at the other end.

“Your majesty.”

“Your grace. It is a pleasure to see you, despite the problems.”

If I could prevail upon you general to brief the Archduke.

As your grace knows, all but one of the field armies of horse departed under the leadership of what I will charitably describe as possessed. Committed to a forward position in the Northwest, because a large horde of orks has attacked, the largest we’ve ever seen. In the absence of rapid response, our 12 field armies of infantry are pinned down in our major cities. The minor houses have devolved into violence against each other, although none has offered violence against the royal house. There was one assassination attempt, but that was apparently from beyond the country. The assassin has not been found. We never had the best intelligence service; we relied on the Inquisition. The Inquisition holds the Cathedral. It’s extraordinary; it’s as if they were struck at by those they knew, but except for the gate guards, none have a wound on their bodies. We feared plague, but there were no additional cases. The death rictuses were terrible to behold, and with them went the primary intelligence apparatus of the country. On the very day the nobles rose. Obviously coordinated, and coordinated for much time.

We believe that the land is basically held, partially due to the efforts of a travelling merchant in the south of the country. We gave them some lands and a minor title.

Without a more mobile force, one of several things will happen. The cities will start to starve; the Guard Cities will decide they need to stabilize the situation and will seize territory; or the armies will fall back and the orc hordes will devastate the northwestern section of the country.

Alistair mentions the additional three hordes that are marching on their southwest.

He proposes a more formal relationship. The king offers him marriage of his brother, whose children would inherit.

The Farsensor also says that the king was almost certainly poisoned by some source introduced starting when he was a child, and proceeding over much time.

These two are all that lived out of 5; same wasting sickness as the King, but it took them much earlier.

(The only countries with decent successions in our region: City of Life; the Guard Cities, but that’s just a military oligarchy; Masque’s empress has nobody to replace her (it would probably fall to the head of one of the largest Orders); elves and dwarves; Tang’s succession is completely safe, but it’s the only one) The clerk researched when this started happening, and found that it started 96 years ago. 102 years ago the Order of the Ram was driven out. 6 years later, everything went bad.)

Of course, Alistair’s grandmother wasn’t supposed to have inherited; older sister died tragically in an extraordinarily fishy carriage accident that decapitated her.

The Farsensor asks Dame Brionna, do you think it’s important that the younger brother has some minor, probably unaware, redaction ability.

We’re planning on shifting military support to aid Debonai, hiring mercenaries to aid them (committing the Order of the Vulture), and buying off the orks (which fails—too terrified of the people who hired them). We also send our orks north to pincer them.

[End Session 50]


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## CPaladin

Session 51 (September 29, 2011)

12 Skard
We talk about Lady Leansilas’s visit, scheduled for the 14th. The very high elves have really convoluted and interwoven honor system, with a super-stylized approach. She is apparently bringing us something, although we have no idea what. Some scholars think that the crazy honor system of the high elves is what is killing off both sides.

We talk about setting up the King of Debonai’s brother with one of the Brightspan daughters; Kit and Dame Brionna are not as fond of this idea as Alistair.

Alistair also raises the question of whether gender skews are part of the attacks on the royal families; Kit sets her scribe on it.

Day passes uneventfully

13 Skard
Day passes uneventfully

That evening, Dame Brionna is met by a highly disheveled Grandmaster Farsensor. He explains that Grand Lady Alviana Malquen'we, Princess of the Court of the OverQueen. Consort to Prince Silvanus Malquen'we of the Wood of Hope, and Mother of his heir; Paragon Redactor of the Court of Eternal Stars, Star Salutory of the Great Goddess and the Illuvatar, has responded to the request from my liege. She has translocated from the Elder Wood to a half-day away with a metaconsort, and travels here on unicorn back. She has never met a mortal before. She has never been away from the Court of Stars before, not even to her husband’s holdings in the Wood of Hope.

Dame Brionna wakes Kit, who gets the protocol people going.

Brionna asks the Farsensor whether she would want to stay in the palace; since the Court of Stars has no enclosed buildings, that might be a bad idea. We settle on putting her in the garden that the fae renovated.

Alistair is aware of her from bardic songs; there are elven songs dating back to the Second Age that refer to her. She is revered for her extraordinary ability to heal, even to heal the dead back to life without resurrecting them. But there’s no lore that she ever fought the Noldar. The songs do imply that she’s a First Comer.

In addition to informing the protocol people, who basically start running around like chickens with their heads chopped off, we inform the local Tor of fae (since we don’t want to offend them) and Lord Davion.

We send a voller out; it returns at about the tenth bell of the morning. The captain reports directly, looking dazed. “Commander—they would not board. They’re making their way on their beasts, and they’re healing on the way. People, beasts, even birds.”

Alistair sends runners to inform every butcher in a day’s travel of the city that they’re closed for a week.

We also start gathering children, informing people that she is to be greeted by the children of Canberry with flowers; we also basically buy out the flower markets of Canberry.

It is a full metaconsort of 14 other redactors; they are projecting a healing field some dozens of yards in radius.

We send a message asking the King of Debonai and his brother to teleport in, along with our senile duke and other people who should

We send some paladins to scare off any evil people to avoid any unfortunate incidents; the Grandmaster Farsensor says the paladins should only address themselves to her chamberlain, not to her, and not to her metaconsort. The chamberlain is himself a cousin of the Prince of MalquenWe, and a lord of the court, but he is not involved in the healing field, and he fought in the defense of the Wood of Hope.

The hours pass; reports flood in, especially to Kit. Virtually everyone who has approached has been healed, although two men just fell apart. They have been joined by a small coterie of hangers-on; brownies and sprites and slyths (air spirits).

As they approach, Dame Brionna goes out to greet leading an honor guard.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 51 cont'd]
Alistair dresses, as much as possible, entirely in gifts from the elves. Lord Davion says that it would be appropriate for him to stay next to Alistair.

Dame Brionna really, really hopes that Alistair is as good at avoiding gibbering as he said he would be, because even as a basically asexual heterosexual, her beauty strikes her. The crowd parts for them, in awe surely, but Dame Brionna can, without psychic sensitivity, see where the field ends. Everyone is crowding into that field. A hunchbacked lady has her back heal and straightens up. A hearty man with an old worn out donkey suddenly has a healthy and able donkey. The group around her, like her, has only silk and crystal on them, except for the elves at the rear, who are grey elves mostly in crystal but very heavily armed, and also with metal weapons. Some of the children forget to throw their flowers; the flowers that do get thrown grow.

They make their way through the city, on the broad avenue through the gate that leads up through the city. The voller flies above them. Most of the way through the lower city when Dame Brionna sees a man in the vestments of a priest of Glor’diadel get a terrified look on his face, and then physically dissolves. Dame Brionna sends a paladin to investigate and find his name.

Alistair gets a 35 or so on his Will save, having been bedecked with every Will bonus he can get; that’s enough to prevent him from falling prone, although he is stunned for a while by the most perfect female form he has ever seen.

Greetings; Alistair stumbles through his response.

She steps to the King of Debonai, touches his forehead and pulls an almost visible black-green liquid from him. “Poisoned from birth? The spirit of the Noldar lives among you as well.”

“So many sick?”

“Together with our cousin in the light, we will stay a half-week to heal

She sends for Queen Caitlyn’s cook. “The child will be healthy, and male, and now will be intelligent”

She’s being poisoned, you know. A very slow acting poison, it would sap the will and intelligence of the unborn child.

The unicorns are pastured with Dame Brionna’s warhorse; by the end of the visit, with an Int of 10, it gains Knowledge (Divine) 5; Knowledge (Philosophy) 5.

Queen Caitlyn’s cook is brought by a paladin. “A woman of your encampment?” “Yes.”

Dame Brionna hears: “What does a human mean by a woman?” “A female; one who gives birth.” “Of her own species?” “Yes—is she not?” “Should I unweave the shapechanging?” “Yes, but not here.”

Her guards hand Dame Brionna a pair of crystal cuffs.

We proceed to the Garden. They fly over the palace to get there, at our suggestion; Alistair flies with them.

Dame Brionna chats with the lord chamberlain/general about security matters, including the numerous assassination attempts and the security wards on the palace.

My brother saw humans in the Second Age; they did not build like this, they lived in tents made of skin, and they roistered with orks. I had not known that you had come so far.

Do you have a psionically transparent vessel? The farsensor prepared one.

I must remove it from her, break those strands that run from the Southeast, and transfer it to the vessel without it reporting back. It does not feel like the work of our cousins…

We explain that it is from the Abomination of Shur. She, with our permission, reads our minds about them. Ah, a cat demon. That explains the cook—a humanoid cat with a significant psionic armamentum.

Anatar’s influence.

It should hold the pablum in place for… no more than 60 years. If it approaches that, it should be transferred to a new vessel. The transference can be done by any master level redactor.

Would you like the fan to be fully attuned to you? Your powers are very young, and the fan… well, I will fully attune it for you. It will be better for you.

This is an unusual formation and should be recorded in the Archives. It is insidious.

Alistair sits with Kit’s head in his lap, and holds her hands.
Fort save DC 17; Kit fails, excruciating pain.
Fort save DC 19; Kit fails again, then fails a Will save and faints entirely.
Fort save DC 21; Kit fails a third time, returns to consciousness and sees an ectoplasmic extrusion; -1 to all Con based checks for the next month.

She then finishes the attunement for the fan.

When she wakes, Fort save DC 22; Kit permanently loses a point of Con.

We will deal with this cook now, and then return for we have given our word to the people.

You disgrace your people; you disgrace those who have found honor; you disgrace the spirit world from which you came; I name you filth, and show your true form. I turn you to the humans, to those who you have betrayed, to those whose servant you slew to take her place. I wash my hands of you, the Eldar wash our hands of you.

Out of the very sewers of the city, where there were still undead and demons present, one group after another leaves and tries to flee the city. The paladins and priests have a field day cutting them to pieces.

Sometime in the evening, a young squire slips up to Alistair. “Your grace—I was told to inform you that space has been given to the Lady… ummm” “Leansislas?” “Yes. She says she understands; she will wait.”

Alistair assigns his sister the task of making sure that the King of Debonai does not inadvertently produce any bastards. We consider trying to set him up with one of the Brightspan daughters?

Alistair welcomes Lady Leansislas, using the royalty and high nobility who have gathered to honor her. “My husband felt a great tie to your grandmother; they traveled together, shared research notes, and she had been to our holding. Our holding lies to the south in the Spice Lands. You know that my husband died fighting a battle against your mutual enemies aboard one of our ships. What you do not know is why he fought this battle. This psionically active pendant includes all of the knowledge he gained, about the disposition of the troops of the Abomination and the plans of the Abomination’s allies, as my husband gained by interviewing a member of the court of the Abomination as a coercer. We hope that it is useful.” She hands Alistair a pendant that looks like a crystal ball filled with a strange liquid that glows slightly.

I am a creator of Grandmaster class; I have specialized in enhancing the magic fabric of Spiga silk; before that I specialized in the crafting of stringed instruments. She agrees to think about spending 10 or 20 years crafting instruments and teaching, before going to the Havens, because that is such an insubstantial time.

Alistair asks the Grand Lady about his mother and the other erased people; she says that the methods we’re working on (with the two artifacts, one of Eldar make and one of Noldar make) is the best method, possibly the only one that would work.

[End session 51]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 52 (November 3, 2011)

Skard 15

We send little Lord Brightspan on messenger duty all around the palace to scan over people. We ask him to report on anything funny to the Sixth Daughter and to Dame Brionna. (About midday.)

Interrogating the cook:
Dame Brionna: We encourage you to tell us precisely what your mission here was.

The rakshasa is not intimidated, and fails his arrogance check, so he doesn’t pontificate. He silently stares at Dame Brionna.

“We have ways of making your death extremely painful. We have ways of making it go quickly. We could also just rip it from your mind, but I would prefer for you to remain sane and coherent.”

“But how could you let me die with honor?”

“What would it mean for you to die with honor?”

“A person of rank would have to strike me down, with my face to them.”

“I could guarantee that, in exchange for cooperation.”

“Your word as a paladin that my death will be honorable by the lights of my people?”

“By the Light of Glor’diadel, my god, I swear it.”

“You were clever to find me. There will be others soon, if there are not already. One of the lord’s servants, a quiet one, a small one, remained in the underways. The first sweep and the second sweep did not find him. He brings through others. Your wards are difficult, but your people do not remain within them. One of the ones he brought through is a coercer, he brings them down, draws out their memories. A powder of phoenix down and dragon’s blood I brought with me; it is now in the kitchen proper. To be placed beneath the Prince’s chair. And a focus I brought within the walls, but I do not know where that is now, for I put it down on a tray that I knew would be cleaned. It allows a preset series of commands placed there by a coercer to affect whoever first gazes into it. I do not know what the commands were, or who may have found it. It was put in the area where you keep your young ones.

Your lord has endured so many efforts on the part of my master. My lord is deeply concerned that he is a charmed one, whose set is to defeat my lord’s purpose. If he is a charmed one, he cannot be struck at directly, but those around him can be. The princess is the principle target, preferably before she is pregnant, but if necessary after. The mixture of phoenix down would summon an elemental even through the wards. Much is flammable in the dining hall, and the princess is flammable said the master. The down fire are concealed at the back of the vinegar cupboard.

By giving me honor, you protect my wife and kits. He cannot then in honor act against them for my failure. He will obey those; all who partake of the blood of the rakshasa, lawful or chaos, good or evil, will obey those.

Three primary, and three secondary: 1. If one dies with honor, their liege must provide for and protect their kits and kin. 2. Any agreement that is made and sealed in blood must be obeyed. 3. Those things which you have declared by your blood to be your truth and your way cannot be willingly abandoned unless you are willing to suffer the penalties for it.

Secondary. 1. Every rakshasa must choose a single path. Having chosen a path you can refine that, but you cannot change that. 2. There can be no mercy to the racial enemy. The vermin that serve the cthon must be fought until none of the rat cthon remain or until none of the rakshasa remain. 3. No rakshasa of the rank of baron or above may deliberately harm the powerless or the innocent, unless of course they be a servant of the cthon of rats.

Why would the prospective children of the princess not count as powerless or innocent? Once they are born, they would.

What has the Abomination of Shur declared to be his truth and his way? That he will divide all of the felines between himself and the Lord of Cats, and that he will strip away some portion of the power of the Lord of Cats and of those who serve him. There was a time, and I would swear to you, when he had a cleaner route than he has taken in recent decades.

What changed that?

You know that he was mortal once. When he became immortal, when he started step by step on the path, those greater than he took notice of him. The Lord of Cats did not deign to even give a flick of his paw to him, which showed how little he thought of him as a threat; and at least two greater demon lords, and other demons that were great but may not have been lords, spoke to him of friendship, and alliance, and the future, giving him power to strip away from the Lord of Cats until he was no more. It seemed to some as if they corrupted him to their way of thinking.

It seems you don’t agree.

Can you truly corrupt what is not already there? Those of us whose families have served him for generations… if there is no jealousy in your heart, do you become jealous?

Alistair says, I thought that the Abomination of Shur was indirectly aligned with the Horned Rat.

Dame Brionna asks, doesn’t that violate the second principle?Certainly the Lord of Cats would say so. But the Abomination would say, there is no reason to not be clever. And since the ultimate result would be to triumph against the cthon of rats, and against the Horned Rat who appears to be one of his avatars. That is why the lesser ones might be willing to come over. There is much conversation in the quiet of the evening.

I would argue… I would think that an argument could be made that my lord intends tremendous harm. But there is a trick in this. All of the prohibitions will cease to bind when he becomes fully a demon. It may be that they are already weakening. I do not like to think of this. It causes my soul to shudder.

Do not offer the coercer the deal that you have offered me. He is not of our blood, though he may appear to be. I cannot explain what he is. I do not understand it.

Can I take the picture from your mind? Certainly.

He appears to be a regal seeming rakshasa. He smells wrong. He looks like a noble of baronial rank, but all you need do is bend your nose to him and you can tell that he is not.

Your people do not smell as easily do they? Take a dog—it will cringe as far from him as it can get.

Where can we find the coercer? They are in the third ward of your city. There is a structure near one of the temples of light—it looks like a third story tenement that is covered over with boards. Go into the basement, there is an entrance to the sewer there. When last I saw them, there was the coercer, two bodyguards, and four others waiting to infiltrate.

There is a rumor within the palace, that you run more than your own life. That your great master is very fond of your counsel, to an amount that would seem unseemly among my branch of the rakshasa. The servants believe that her travels in the night are very clever. They admire her for it. Their betters do not believe it.

The guards do not seem to think about it. They gossip about other things—when Princess Caitlyn will deliver a child. They have a pool on it.

Dame Brionna mentions that she is in fact engaged to an honorable man who is a slave of the Abomination.

Is he a slave in the place of keeping? A great spire that rises out of the sea, the steps are grey and green stones. The worst of the master’s allies practice their great sorceries there.

The last I know of him, he was on a stone ship.

All that are being gathered to the great hold, the place of keeping, are taken there for a great sacrifice by the allies. They intend to let through a great mind on the turning of the next season. (Fall equinox, 75 days from now more or less).

All those who are there will have some special power.

I ask in return that there is a woodcut with my wife and kits. If you take the hold, treat them as well as you can.

Coercing device: it is the size of a cup for café or chocolate, a closed side, with many facets, it is glass, but it looks to be crystal. When you pick it up, you feel its power, but it does nothing until you look into it at your eye. It is most likely that it will contain… in the old days, it would contain knowledge and a command to study the knowledge. He is not one of us… it could contain anything. There would not be a compulsion to look at it, but it is a pretty thing, and young ones tend to pick them up.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 52 cont'd]
We send paladins to look for it, we do some locate objects, we recall Lord Brightspan and warn him, we have people scry for it. We easily locate it; it’s on a shelf full of knick-knacks in the pages’ quarters. It appears to be empty.

We summon all of the pages, starting with Abigail. We ask the Farsensor if he can detect who got it. "Oh… that’s a crude mind, isn’t it? The youngest one. So odd to say for your people. It’s the youngest one—the ork.

"It’s an interesting set of commands. He’s been given… oh, how incredibly clever. The series of commands the child has been given, he’s not even aware of. He’s been given just enough ability to map the wards, without realizing he’s doing it. He got it last evening. It’s strictly a method of reading out information and sending it on—burst mode when he goes outside the walls."

It extinguishes itself once it activates.

We need a decent coercer to transfer it.

Kit asks one of her rumor mongers. She’s excited, she’s energetic, she’s enthusiastic, she has no idea what psionics are except for the fact that they’re an important part of the kingdom.

We then have a fake version of the wards built out, designed to steer them into the strongest parts and make their attacks fail as much as possible. It then burst transmits off, and the Farsensor confirms that there is not a trace of it left in her head afterwards.

Dame Brionna chews out the Master of Pages for not maintaining a higher security approach.

The rakshasa does not know the Abomination’s true name. There are things that could be done to him if you had his true name, more and more as he becomes more and more demon. There are some who might know his true name; the lord demons may have exchanged such information to seal the pack. His first sorcerer might. All others who would know were slain a millennium ago.

Awkward meeting with Caitlyn:

Kit prepares for this, wearing a dress, one of her relatively non-low-cut gowns. She is looking as respectable council member as she can get.

She goes to meet Caitlyn in a very private, official meeting room.

“Good afternoon, your majesty.”

“Good afternoon, Dame Katherine.”

“Thank you for meeting with me.”

“You know far more of this place than I do. I’m honored you would wish to meet with me.”

“Well, you are an important person. And it’s about time that we met. What have you heard of my position at court?”

“That you are one of the Archduke’s advisors. That you were elevated from the commons for great service and loyalty.”

“That’s all you’ve heard?”

“Well… there are one or two that believe that you may be the Hand, but there are one or two that believe that every woman in the palace is the Hand. And there are one or two that believe that you may be the eye. And the body imagery used for this palace’s secret service is very disturbing.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“I am one of the people responsible for keeping you safe, and Alistair safe.”

“You seem to be doing a good job.”

“And I will continue doing that. My first job is keeping you and Alistair safe, and I will continue doing that. There is something else you need to know. It doesn’t change anything, and I will keep keeping you safe. I just came from seeing to the death of someone who was striking at you.”

“Oh…it’s not from one of your own people? Alistair seems an enlightened ruler.”

“No. We have outside enemies. It wasn’t the first and it won’t be the last. But that’s why the Council is here, and why all the body parts are there. To keep Alistair safe, and you safe, and Canberry. But the reason I said all of that first is that there’s something else you need to know. And I’m telling you so that you can hear it from me. Alistair and I… I’m not just his advisor. We’re closer than that, and we have been for some time.”

“Oh, that was not the rumor at all.”

“Really? I thought that it was one of the ones in circulation.”

“No, it was not one of the two rumors about his lover. The dominant one is that it’s the Captain of the Guard. The other is that the Mistress of the Bedchamber is actually the mistress of the bedchamber. Some people thought that the fact that would be so obvious is why it is so clever.”

“I have to be glad that I’m not obvious. It’s my job to not be obvious. But…”

“Now, you do realize that I have no wish to displace your personal affections. I do wish to bear his heir.”

“That’s what you’re supposed to do. I’m here to protect Canberry, and part of that means a stable succession, which means you getting an heir legitimately.”

“I am somewhat relieved it is you. I was inclined toward the Mistress of the Bedchamber, but she knows a great deal about fertility. I feared a bastard.”

“My first job is to see that you stay safe to give Alistair an heir. After that… I’m not making any promises.”

“After that, it won’t be important.”

“There’s no way I could ever be in your place, either. I’m a foreigner, and common born, and …”

“I think that I learned in the camps that the strength of your character is more important than the blood in your veins. I will rule my people because they wish me to be. Alistair will be a ruler because of his relationship to me, but his son will be a ruler in truth of both peoples. And I believe that Alistair will help my people become a nation again in truth.”

After a moment: Caitlyn says brightly: “Tea?” She chats calmly for a while, trying to make sure Kit is at her ease.

About an hour later, when Kit is getting ready to take her leave, alarms start going off all over the palace, and the palace wards flare up.

The alarms are slowly being shut off. But it appears that they were all simultaneously set off.

Dame Brionna asks the Sixth Daughter. "That had to be a very powerful magic or psionic wave. It may have had nothing to do with us, but it washed over here." Kit tries to contact the Farsensor, but finds it blocked by incredibly powerful shields. She then reaches out with her fan. One of her contacts responds. We all heard it. There was a great declaration from the fairgrounds; it wasn’t in a language I understood, and then there was a great flare of light.

Abruptly, the shields blocking psionics from going in and out drop. Kit then reaches out to the Farsensor—Kit senses a tremendous amount of energy, part of which he is generating.

<<We are well. Her most celestial presence detected one of the first-comers, one of the seen unseen, among the merchants.>>

Dame Brionna heads off. She sees the globe of energy before she gets there. Many of the festival goers are far closer to it than they should be. The globe is surrounding a figure that is going through a series of shapes more and more rapidly.

“May I ask what occurred here?”

“We were but walking through, and this creature was posing as a merchant. A merchant of highly spiced foods, and I sensed a sickness coming on the people who were eating the food. At first I thought it was an error, for humans do not always preserve foods well, meaning no offense. I reached out to correct the imbalance in the food, and he knew me, and I knew him. It was one of the seen-unseen, a hieshi. We contained it. If it remains in a full globe, it will die, but it must die. I do not know if you have any means to rip answers from its soul.”

“Can we coerce it?”

“Yes." 

"Could you move it?”

“Yes. I can move it wherever you would wish, but I will not allow it to regain contact with its source.”

“I believe that my sense is that you have about an hour and a half left before he implodes.”

A coercer arrives. “What do you want forced out of it, m’lady?”

“For starters, who it is working for and what it was trying to do?”

“Distribute the final ingredient.”

“The spice—it’s the spice, they mixed it into the spice and were moving from fair to fair.”

“What other fairs? I’ll give you a map.”

“How long did it take to get to all of these places?”

“Doesn’t have a good sense. Doesn’t have time in its place.”

“If they don’t come into contact with the other parts, will wear off. In months. If it meets the other parts, will sicken and die.”

“Other images—fire and people with pitchforks and hoes fighting soldiers. Clear image of rioting. That’s what he hopes for with this.”

“Are there others?”

Beads of sweat roll down the coercers face.  “His mind says that with his capture we’ve captured all but one.”

“He only knows his last guise—it’s last guise was as a wise woman travelling with herbs in the southeast, heading this way though. He knows that she was supposed to get here sometime shortly after him; he’s been here a day.”

Kit asks him to run through the others. He goes through them, listing the ones who were distributing poison.

Is there a ritual significance to the poison and the deaths?

I don’t see any. The significance seems to be that they hope it will cause rioting.

Who is his immediate superior?

Concept doesn’t make sense to him.

Who told him to do this?

He has a better understanding—I have a picture, it seems to be a human woman. An elegantly dressed, emaciated human woman, with gold at every point where she could have gold.

Alistair recognizes that image; that is the older sister of the fairly nice daughter of the Empress of Hanal. Somehow, she was responsible for bringing him here—like she summoned him? My expertise is only in psionics, not magic, but its image is that she brought him here.

Which of the Pariah Deities does it serve? The Goddess of the Pale Bone, and then the coercer collapses, although he does not actually lose consciousness.

The thing in the globe explodes, but as it explodes the elves contract the sphere and turn the explosion inside out.

[Dame Brionna gets a point of serendipity—In some random ways, upset the plans of the enemy or allow our own plans to come to fruition, one time. Five more calendar days and people would have started dying.]

We discuss what to do about this. Three possibilities come to mind: try to have her whacked directly; tell the Empress of Hanal; tell the Inquisition (and suggest that we haven’t been able to confirm that the Empress of Hanal is uninvolved in this)

[End Session 52]


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## CPaladin

Session 53 (December 15, 2011)

[Exposure to the elves bonus: +1 morale bonus to the City for the next 10 years; health benefit, 1d5 years of life added to the lives of everyone currently alive in the city; individual lives saved, Con scores fixed, etc.]

Skard 16
We talk to Lord Davion about grabbing/destroying the coercer.

Examining the crystal object; “these things have caused more wars than all of the jealousies of humans put together. People use these toys to manipulate human kingdoms, but even more the lesser people. He has no finesse—not paragon level, but he has great power reserves. And they are right—there is something wrong with it, although not demonic.” “Old One related?” “Perhaps… I never had much dealing with them.”

Lord Davion asks if he could contact an old friend, who he hasn’t seen in 7000 years, a member of the High Court of the Cities of Pain. He is a member of House Curini’rim. We agree but with some preparations to avoid “awkwardness” with the Princess from the other branch of the elves.

Lord Davion sends an invitation to his friend for 3 PM that afternoon.

Dame Brionna approaches the Eldar embassy. She can see both the very large group of very disciplined guards, and the huge crowds of people patiently waiting to be filtered through.

“Good commander, I hope that you are not being unduly disturbed by our people.”

“Not at all; the Lady is deeply moved and pleased to offer the succor of … of the Light to them.”

They step into private (he has something he wants to mention as well).

“This afternoon, an ally who is a friend of our Champion, will be visiting. He is a member of House Curini’rim, a member of the High Court of the Cities of Pain.”

“A yes, I remember him. He is a first-comer, as is the Lady, as am I. He was not a bad sort, although misled. There won’t be any problems.”

“Two things the Lady wishes you to be aware of. Some of the people who are coming to her have one or two parts of a tripolar poison. She thought you should know. She is cleansing them of the parts that they have in them.”

We know and are trying to deal; do you know what the poison would do?

“Oh, yes; a very serious thing. A tripolar poison—you know how those work?”

“Yes; salt, smoke, and spices.”

“That would work. It would begin with vomiting, and then proceed—degenerative, cannot be cured without deep redaction and skin. Over 10 days, dehydration and organ failure. Extremely painful. And the bodily fluids of a victim—sweat, blood, and vomit—would trigger any other victims exposed to even one part. It is unnecessarily cruel—the sort of thing that depraved minds would come up with.”

(Alistair points out that the poisoning would look like plague then… and since plague is not possible because the Gods won’t allow it, an apparent plague would create the inference of severe divine displeasure.)

“Could the Lady purify the salt itself? Or create a purifying agent?”

“Let me consult the metaconcert.”

“The Lady says yes, but that she will need access to a high-level alchemical laboratory and several trained assistants. We are not trained to assist her in that.”

“I will consult with the Minister of Magic.”

The representative of the metaconcert folds her hands and waits.

<<Kit—make me look good.>>

Kit arranges things with the Minister of Magic. The Minister and nine other volunteers will be available.

Her Grace will be ready when we close the healing pavilion for the night.

Second: Are you aware that a certain number of the young people have the potential to become psionically aware, and not only are not being awakened, but are being drained and shut away.

Wait—deliberately?

Oh yes… we can see the cysts. I can see the cysts. It’s dreadful.

We would be most interested.

There is a similarity between the cases. I’ve collected the names. They all seem to be, oddly, if we understand your system correctly, in the upper levels of the gentry and the lower levels of the nobility. Some came who were only sick in that they carried a cyst. But it has happened so long and for so much time, that all she could do was lance the cysts to restore health, not remove the cyst.

All done while they were children, very young, well before menarche. After the weaning from milk, but before food becomes fully solid, that things must be done. Then only the seed is planted, but it is then self-perpetuating.

How does the seed get planted? Usually a mental image, the Lady’s guess is projected in, that scares the child of its own powers. Could be done through an object, more likely through a person.

(Alistair says this sounds like the effect we found on the Duke of Brightspan.)

Kit has a conversation with the Minister of Mind.

“That’s ridiculous… we test for psionic abilities at age 14.”

“That’s the thing… it happens at age 1 or 2.”

We have a list of names; we need to check their younger siblings. Wealthy families, too late for wet nurses, probably a nurse or governess, could be a toy shop.

Kit pairs up her people with the Minister’s.

We send out a bunch of people to search for the last seen-unseen; paladins, Kit’s people, city guards. We have them watched by location so we can find disappearances. They are strictly instructed that this is an intelligence gathering operation. We also have some strike teams put together—this is strictly seek and destroy.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 53 cont'd]
3 PM
Alistair, Kit, and Lord Davion (in his extremely fine finest) greet him.

A slender elf, with the features of a first-comer, and a construct of silver filigree carrying a collection of books, step through. “Ah, how good to see you again.” Lord Davion hurries over and they do an air hug in the way of the elves.

“The Liege I now serve… his title does seem contrariwise—His Imperial Majesty the Archduke Alistair of Canberry.”

“Your Majesty, Lord Gregoniy, House of Curini’rim, Sacred Librarian to the Lord of Pain.”

“Thank you, Lord Gregoniy; you honor us with your presence.”

“Well, Davion said that you had a problem that I might help with, and I haven’t been out among humans since the Third Age, and I hadn’t seen Davion since he ran off with the circus.”

“So… in your own words, Your Majesty,” he leans on a silvery staff, heavily enough to suggest some frailties.

Has the rising begun?

Third Book of Dooms.

So they brought in a tetrapod. There has to be a seventh. They come in ones, sevens, and forty-nines. If there were forty-nine, there would already be a helaka. It is what they wish to summon. The Old Ones are shut out of creation; they have been from the beginning. The Creator and our Lord agree on that, and so it has been done. In the Second Age of mankind, they made a breakthrough. Our Master was weak, we were busy, so were our cousins, and we were not paying attention to what was going on that we should have. Five things rose out of the ocean, and they populated them with cultists, mostly humans—humans will worship anything at the drop of the hat. This place, that has risen again, is where a helaka was summoned. Had the Noldar and Eldar continued to ignore it, humanity would have been overthrown on this planet. We lost sixty of our number, mostly first-comers. We would not do that again.

“Are you capable of doing that again?”

“There are enough of us that we could stop one more helaka. Now then… if there’s a flat surface? He thinks at the robot, or golem, or whatever it is, and it lays down its stack of books and opens up one large one, with sparkling illustrations on each page. Ah yes. He passes a hand over it and a 3D image appears. The halasa, which you have been dealing with successfully. They have no form in their native form—pure protoplasm, but they can take any form, and more successfully than dopplegangers. (Doppelgangers were, we believe, created in a laboratory of their cultists, but are inferior.)

Hacka—the mindflayer like priest-warriors. The great hacka are drawn through from another place, but they are few—most are converted willing humans. They fight effectively, but their purpose is not to fight. They are to bring through the Heleka. And when it has killed and destroyed enough, it would bring through the Goddess of the Pale Bone.

The Heleka. It is like the Hacka, but much greater. There has only been one on this plane historically. But when it was brought through in the war of the Goddess of the Pale Bone, the Lord Goldor’im himself volunteered to go through the gate, investigate, and return only as the gate closed. He reported that in the world beyond, there were at least six more—a tetrapod like the hiesa do. We believe that when it came through, it was cut off from the font of power, and when destroyed was destroyed forever. We do not know what the Goddess of the Pale Bone is like.

The Hatta—like a pterodactyl. These also come through whenever there is a major summoning; they were frequently ridden by the cultists. When we assault the island—and someone will need to—we will face them.

Finally, large octopoid creatures underwater. We only faced two, and never gave them a name. Their skin is very resilient, and resists cutting and fire to an extreme degree. They sank some of our men-of-wars.

Also their cultists and warriors.

If you have encountered six of the hiesa in less than a year, they think you the greatest threat possible.

We show him the object—this might be from the seventh.

The leader is always the most powerful. Powerful, but crude. That fits. Distinctly not connected… I suspect that you are correct.

In the sewers—it can transform. Netting, thin string netting everywhere it might go. It must not be allowed to escape.

Sacred Librarian—are you then a high-ranking priest of Morgroth as well?

I am.

Then, as Defender of the Light, on behalf of the Church of Glor’diadel as a signatory to a Compact between our faiths, I inform you of the threat from the Old Ones and officially request your assistance and the assistance of the Temple of Morgroth.

Thank you—that will make explaining this to the Mistress of Skulls easier.

We set up the sewer nets. They head out. They fail to take it by surprise, but barely, barely win initiative. Strange gasses burble out of the sewers, and there is an explosion heard through muffled walls.

Five minutes later, <<We have him. It was arrogant, and did not try to flee.>>

As I said, I’ve fought these things before. That’s how my spine got twisted.

If you could obtain the Heart…

This is an artifact, a mechanical artifact called the Heart. You see that it’s made principally of this glowing red crystal—that’s psionically active, and surrounds an orb of psionically active liquid. It is the key to closing the gate permanently. It was made by seven Eldron smiths, who resisted the division at the Kinslaying. They wrought the Heart, with the intention of sealing away the Other forever. But unfortunately, one of the cults that served She of the Pale Bone became aware of it before it could be deployed. Through seduction, they coopted certain members of the human community that served the Eldron and they stole the Heart and gave it to the cultists. The cultists determined that destroying the Heart was impossible. We of the Noldar are powerful; the Eldar are powerful; the Eldron were more powerful, for their power was undivided. So they hid it, or placed it in some distant place, and then slew themselves. The Heart has never been seen since. We know that it is somewhere on the planet; we suspect it was somewhere on this continent. But we can’t trace it further. I don’t know. For all I know, there are clues, but I don’t know where to begin looking.

Would it affect the area around it passively?

Given its power, probably, even if it were encased in lead to prevent detection. But I do not know what effects. The seven Eldron went to the West as a unit, so distraught were they about the betrayal. There are perhaps another dozen Eldron, caught up in their research, but I do not know who they are, or where they might be. They might be able to provide information about its effects. Probably domain effects, but very subtle; likely not effects of chaos, but could be either of law or of powerful neutrality, if that is even possible.

Twenty questions:
1. How can we find the seventh? He’s gone to ground; but the spices continue to move forward. We split them up among a half-dozen unsuspecting merchants. She is hidden in the first village inside the border of the Duchy proper coming from the Southeast.

2. Time table? We are to distract and destroy you, to prevent both actions that must take place.

3. What are both actions that must take place? The summoning of the Heleka and the destruction of the seal in Seachen.

4. Who set this plan directly in motion? The ranking Hacka in service of She Who Will Come, created this plan 70 years ago and has guided it in all its permutations 70 years ago.

5. Other plans he was involved in besides infiltration of the palace and the poisoning? If it were possible, I was to replace a member of the Archduke’s Council, but one had abilities I could not replicate, the other had emotions I could not fraudulently imitate.

6. What is a list of all the people he’s sent to infiltrate positions of power in Canberry? All of those in the palace have been found and destroyed, unless there are some from our demonic allies I have not known about, but we still have the Grandmaster of Swords in the school in the Duchy of Furrows. We also still have… still have… still have… (real struggle) the Chancellor of the Cathedral. That has not been easy, but we maintained it. And the chief dispatcher for the primary service for nursing staff for the capital.

7. Why us? Why are we the target? There are four powers on this continent besides the Forest of Singing Leaves that could impede the great work; Canberry, Hanal, Masque, and the Confederacy of the South Kingdoms. We destroyed the South Kingdoms before hand. Hanal is neutralized by our agent within it. Masque struggles to survive. Canberry is the last that could impede it. Prophecy says that the great work may fail if Canberry remains strong; therefore, Canberry must not remain strong.

8. Who are their allies or minions among the royal and high noble houses of Drucien, specifically including the Imperial House of Hanal? The Crown Princess of Hanal, one of the Tangian Patriarchs (one of the Ones of Tang), the name of one of the remaining ranking nobles mentioned by Queen Caitlyn (who is here in Canberry). Also every single one of the defecting field army commanders of the defecting armies of Debonai.

9. What’s the nature of their alliance with the Abomination? He has considerable resources, and he is near unto the Seal. We will give him anything he desires. What he wants is godhood, and we hardly care because such things will be irrelevant when the lady arrives.

10. Are there other active tetrapods? Not yet. There are two other singles, that seek clues to find their way to the Heart that it may be further removed from prying hands.

11. Where are the other four places of power, and are they rising as well? The Islands of Terror, to the East of the continent, are rising. The other locations are not on this continent, and there is no power for them now.

12. Who are the half-dozen unsuspecting merchants? Names spew out and images form in the air next to Lord Greganiy

13. What can we do to stop the Heleka from being summoned? Either prevent enough of the pre-sacrifices, or storm the ceremony.

14. Is that what they intend to summon on the equinox? Of course; without its touch upon the world, she cannot enter. Since the one you call the Creator and Eiru created this place and the Arch of Time and all that is within it, we were. Before thought and beginning, we were. Before plants, and elves, and humans, we were. And then those two who split the power of this place between them decided to cast us out. But this world can be ours as it was before.

15. Tell us more about this seal in the Seachen lands. The Seachen—benighted race of women. When last we rose, they were. And though of their men we corrupted many, their women we could not touch. And their wives rose against them and created what you know as the Matriarchy of Seachen. The Matriarch of Seachen, beneath her throne, keeps that great seal of stability. Until that seal is broken, She cannot return. Their whole structure is designed to protect it. Have you seen their intaking rituals? They continuously cut that we cannot infiltrate. It is a weak nothing, compared to the Heart, but it is enough as long as it is intact. A clay disk three feet across, inscribed in Elven, etched and filled with liquid silver and with crystals of power. But we will have it, and it will fall.

16. What is the source of power that is enabling the Islands of Terror to rise? Worship and sacrifices, lad. Only the elven sacrifices will enable the summoning of the heleka, but any sacrifice will give strength to the island. That is why we kill anything we can in service of the goddess.

17. Where are the two singles that seek the Heart active, and how can they be found? They answer only to the High Hacka; they are not of my Tetrapod, and I do not know their movements. They first went to the lands of Tang, but whether to search there or to get help from our agent there, I do not know.

18. Are there any other poisons besides the tri-polar poison that you are distributing or causing to be distributed? Yes; we’ve been distributing a liquid poison for some years, with the intention of clouding the minds of psionics in your service, with the intention of making it more difficult for them to develop their psionic powers. We distribute it through the water system.

19. How does that poison get in the water? We add it to the filtration system through cultists who are members of our cells. It was not difficult. Most of the city uses wells, and the filtration system is only guarded against destruction. Perhaps we should have followed our first impulse and put deadly poison in it.

20. Is there any way to identify the human cultists? Somewhere in their possessions, they will always have a small, polished bone. Nothing else is universal.

About that time the creature in the vat bubbles massively, and the entirety of the material suddenly becomes milky white.

Lord Curini’rim says, “It is dead. And I must ask for a glass of wine.”

That was the vilest mind I have touched since last I fought these creatures. They do not change, they do not improve.

I must inform the Princess on my way back. She must be informed. The Princess of my House is in her summer tower in Enclaves; she has a number of battle barges and troops, and she will offer them should you decide that invasion is necessary. Mind you, her commander is an idiot, but her troops are excellent.

Why does she employ him?

His blood demands as much. If you can convince the man to listen to his sergeants, the battle will go better. He is from the chief cadet house of the drow.

Davion found the Twin Cities of Death and the City of Pain boring; he never liked torture much, and found the rest of it rather boring, building large buildings that would never be used and then tearing them down. A circus was passing north of the Twin Cities of Death, from the Iron Cities to a port city, Bleurian, that has long since been buried. He was particularly taken with the fire eater. So he put on ear rounders and rouge—we are slightly pale, you may have noticed—so he went and joined the circus. Ten years later, when his parents noticed he was missing, they … asked us to go after him. Who could turn down a distraught mother, especially when she’s throwing around 5000 pound boulders with her telekinesis. I followed his trail… the trail of enormously well built up inns paid for with his hoard coins. I found him in the Magocracy of Perdun, now also sadly no more. I travelled with him for a few years to prove that I was a good sport. We ran into some troubles with those damn pirates; who knew that human mages could be so powerful just because they dipped into a color pool once upon a time? He went home, explained that he wasn’t coming home, and then ran his own circus for a couple of centuries.

Don’t confuse me with my brother.

Brionna: What did your brother do, run off to join a zoo?

He became a beast shaper, putting creatures from beneath the conflict of the Kinslaying in enormous pain. The two of them sought each other for several hundred years, and avoided each other successfully at the same time.

Davion, I must go, to inform the Princess, and then to the Council. I will inform your mother you are well; she still asks after you every 50 or 60 years.

I am of the second-comers; my mother was one of the first-comers; my father was dead before I was born in the Kinslaying. I do not understand my twin; I do not hate him anymore. I do not think he is happy.

My uncle has worked for thousands of years, he has maintained every book in the Sacred Library at one time or another. Should he fail, he would fall from favor as fast as I drop a gold coin.

He left the picture book, to be copied; for me to return in a decade or so when it is finished.

He also brought this, one of the five copies of the Book of Grand Strategy, by the Bleeding Lady. In translation, grants 5 points to leadership and 1 level in the combat class.

I have a suspicion that there is at least one Eldron in the Lormenon Hills watching over the gnomes and hobbits near the south coast of Khamista. Something struck down the invading troops en masse; something more powerful than me, more powerful than my uncle Greganiy, we know where the Bleeding Lady was and it was not her, and it wasn’t a dragon.

The different Eldron had different interests; some were cold-forgers, yes, but some were hot-forgers, and others. There might be one near the Crystal City. It always struck me as elven work, but there are no elves there. Most beautiful city on the continent. Perhaps an Eldron? Given that there are only a half-dozen at best, the only place on Drucien I can think there might be.

 It was an Eldron that wrote the equation, that showed that the elven race was doomed. It moved both elven races into their present models.
[End Session 53]


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## CPaladin

[I'm back from vacation and resuming regular posting]
Session 54 (October 3, 2012)
We confirm that Hanal is attacking the Crystal City; they’re also committing genocide against the hobbits and gnomes there. This is consistent with a strategy of trying to flush out Eldron.

Skard 17
We discuss handing off the Crown Princess of Hanal issue to the Inquisition. Also, since Hanal may be taking actions in the interest of the Goddess of the Pale Bone.

Kit presents a report--Hanal is in bad shape. And they appear to have succeeded in flushing out the Eldron of the Crystal City.

Concerns of Brionna: Can we identify the cultists by searching for the polished bone talismans that they carry? Alistair suggests having parish priests locate objects, and then tip off the guard. We send a message to the Archbishop.

Also, we still need to figure out what’s happening to the children that is impairing their psionic capabilities.
Possible routes to access children between 1 and 2: teething rings, toys, shoes;

Alistair arranges a sending to the chaplain of the Grand Duchess of Ergmoth:

“Defender of Light and Sacred Librarian of Cities of Pain must speak with Protector of Faith about urgent Ecumenical Council business. About principal enemies.”

A schooner from the Crystal City is arriving at extreme speed (faster than Eldar are capable of); we inform the Sacred Librarian (via the heir-apparent of Tarsh) and the Grand Lady of the Eldar (via young Lord Brightspan).

We also ask Field Marshal Brightspan to work with Lord Davion on planning an assault on the islands, assuming the support of Zorplona-Argoni and Forest of Singing Leaves.

About a half-hour later, Dame Brionna is informed that the Baroness Castillia is in the teleport chamber, along with a handful of her personal guard, and the Grand Duchess’s chamberlain. Dame Brionna and the Baroness exchange pleasantries.

“There is no doubt, Baroness. She is in their service, fully and willingly.”

“Your Majesty—the Empress of Hanal has been suffering a slow developing madness for several years, that neither the Church nor the Order of the Power of the Mind can cure. Her thought is no longer within the bounds of what might be called normal sanity.”

If Hanal were to fly apart, the northern coast would be like the Southern Kingdoms.

Our records show that there were at least two unaccounted for Eldron on this continent; and 4 on Khamista. It is said that one of them settled near the Lormennon hills, possibly more than one of them. It is also said that one of them may have been captured. (“Vile lies!” interjects the Curinirim.) The only place that I do not think they would be is Enclaves, as it includes both of the other lines of elves.

We discuss the idea that the Heart might be Enclaves.

The traditional story is that various groups started building villages on the coast of a river, thousands of years ago.

It could be Balansar, the God of Balance, mentions Lord Curinirim.

We discuss reaching out to the Lolthian drow to search the Underdark of Enclaves, which is where the Heart must be hidden if it is hidden there.

The Baroness says that she will contact the Protector, who can send the Inquisitor-General for Northern Drucien—he’s currently in Masque, but he can travel there rapidly by voller.

Are we confident he is not corrupted? He has recently been in the presence of the Protector, and she is granted certain powers by the God. After the prior Inquisitor-General was corrupted, additional precautions were taken.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 54 cont'd]
"Since you have given me so much insight," Lord Curinirim says, "let me give you some insight into my people. We follow Lord Morgroth, most of us, because we made a decision to follow him many years ago. He is a god, a great god, one of the greatest gods, but that is only a matter of degree. With the lesser races, we know that they have more need to follow religion. And the lesser races tend to be more united in attitude. We figured out years ago that they had to worship, and had to fear. For if they did not, we would be constantly having problems. The whip—if you want the orc, the ogre, the troll, to do what they want, you must use the whip. Only the drow were considered to have enough honor to make their own decisions, and many of them made it wrong.

"Why don’t they leave?

Inertia. I am sane. That is less true than for many of my relatives, on both sides. It has only been ten or fifteen thousand years. Why change a choice once made?
Family loyalty. Consider the Princess. She cares about her people more than herself. Given the love she bears for every injured cat, starving child, she might be well served if not by the returning, then by serving a human god, such as your god—he is a decent god, not very powerful, earthly, but decent, caring. I spoke with her about it, and she said, “would you come with me, uncle?” I am an old man—I have served the library since before the last moon rose. In the Kinslaying, we took blood. Some remember only the atrocities done to us, but I remember the atrocities we did, which were worse, and which burned our souls.
There is no path for the Returning, and many could not imagine serving a being who, were they to live for 100,000 or 200,000 years, they might be as great as."
*  *  *

There is an elf of some sort, perhaps grey, in some form of a military uniform.

Enthalien of the House of Stone Eaves (a grey elf house, almost as rarely seen as the Eldar). There are significantly less than 50,000 grey elves, at most. They are the only elven group that deliberately live in stone that are not in the Kingdom of Morgroth. They are known as military officers, although that has declined in the last thousand years.

"I bring word from the Voice and the hope for peace."

"We hope for peace as well, but I am afraid that I do not follow your meaning."

"The Voice speaks, for the first time in a thousand years, in his Crystal City to the north, offering an exchange of services." He holds out a scroll.

The scroll speaks. “Your grace, I am sorry to disturb you. However, there are few in the continent for whom we can ask for an exchange of services in tual. We have taken prisoners in the number of 3,000 men. We have detected 75,000 troops approaching. I have been aroused from a short period of meditation for the defense of my city. I unleashed the Falling Leaf against the last group, who numbered 25,000. I am willing to make payments into your treasury in osmium tual. I cannot retain them in my city—we do not have the capacity to house them. I remain.”

Osmium is an ancient crystal, used in the most ancient hoard coins, typically in eight-sided coins called tuals.

We can take the prisoners of war and house them humanely and properly. But while we would accept payment in tuals, we would prefer to ask for a boon--your assistance in warding out the Goddess of the Pale Bone.

You must do two things. You must recover the Heart. And you must find two more of the Eldron. We created the Heart out of an overabundance of caution. For none of us believed they would ever come here again, but they have. When last I knew, of the six of us who did not follow either the Path of the Light or the Path of Darkness, 1 ascended, 1 was destroyed by those who did not understand his path, and four remain. You have found me. I am no longer mobile. You must find two of the remaining three and bring them to me—were I to move, I would die, like a mortal.

That is the Shadow on her mind. There is a tremendous bloodletting among her people. And just before the attack a party passed to the south, bearing one of the royal bloodline—the least sane of them, but most pliable.

There will be terrible casualties when I reflect the attack upon them. They are too many for my armies without the use of my direct capabilities—we have only 300 of my guard and 2000 others. The ship alone will not be sufficient, and it is the only great voller I have.

I will tell you where the Heart was left. I will leave Lord Enthalien to assist you—he will only be able to speak for me on occasion.

The Heart has unfortunately gathered a collection of every sort of people around it.  There was a compound underneath the river—we left a small group of grey elves and a small group of drow to guard it, there were a small number of both grey elves and drow that remained

It is a box, three cubits by two cubits by two cubits, as measured by the arm of an elf. It is made entirely of eog (the highest of the high glasses, above viridian, high glass, and laen). There are traceries and decorations in white gold and mithril, with diamond and ruby a few emeralds and some sapphires. They are spelled out in elven across the surface of the box—do not try to read them, they might imprison you forever. The gems are all psionically active crystals. The plane they are presently in has been consumed. There is nothing left there but themselves and their creatures. Their creatures are odd, and I have never been capable of discerning whether they are actually separate entities. Once the Heart is activated by three Eldron—and they must be true Eldron, who have chosen a path of neutrality and left both of the great gods—once the Heart is activated, it will physically vanish forever, but it will create a permanent barrier against the Goddess of the Pale Bone and all her servants. Not the One Other or the One Besides, but they are weaker, less organized, with fewer servants, and could be defeated by some of your gods.

Once we have it, how can we move it? It can be plane shifted, but must be moved physically within one plane.

If we brought it to the Crystal City, could you keep it safe? Yes. I have layered defenses—they will not guess how powerful the defenses are, even after this debacle.

We brainstorm about how to find additional Eldron. Groups of gray elves and drow in proximity or working together? Some Eldron seem to be patrons of humans (the Voice) or hobbits/gnomes; perhaps there are patrons of other races? A dwarven Eldron? Some other type?

Large aquatic elf population southeast of Khamista. We talk to the Sacred Librarian.

There have been several anomalous things noted. The gnomes and hobbits of the Larnelam hills. Three other things. Just off your northeast coast, a small tribe of aquatic elves living with a larger tribe of merman. On Khamista, north of the Kingdom of Bianca, north of the White Witch, in the permafrost, there is a dwarven dig. Not a normal dwarven dig—they have been digging and shaping a mountain for a very, very long time into a huge statue, perfect in every detail except that it has no face. I consider that odd—but we didn’t get any of the dwarves on our side, so I could be barking up the wrong horse. Lastly, apparently the aquatic elves off the Pirate Coast have built a domed city. Given that they don’t usually build cities at all—living in grottoes—this group built a domed city, within 25 miles of the Black Witch. And though they are not numerous, she has not destroyed them.
[End session 54]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 55 (November 11, 2012)

Skard 18
We meet with Baroness Castilia.

It is true that a large daemonic army marched on the Larnelam Hills some years ago; they took some of the hinterlands, and were then annihilated. We assumed it was some of the Eldar from the Steading of the Elven Lords.

A: The Noldar do not believe so.

Then it is almost surely an Eldron. A full tor of the faerie would be the only other group that could likely do that, and that is even less likely. [We discuss sending a united group—she suggests some Tarkenians to balance the Paranswarmians—perhaps 3 and 3.]

There is also a dwarven dig.

Ah yes. Batarak Dur. The dwarves there act very oddly—not like dwarves. They are very artistic. Dwarves are almost never artistic. And for generations on end? Unheard of. And the statue is not of a dwarf—the proportions are wrong, and there is no beard on the featureless face.

There are crazy people in those hills. Some of the dwarves go mad. Some are harmless, simply wandering off to eat roots and animals in the woods. But some are given a wide berth.

It is said that some of those who work on the face are those that go mad. But not all of them.

I believe that I have been told that those who are nulls show no such effect. [We discuss this—it could be an unintended side effect (maybe there’s a psionic artifact in the head?), that Eldron might not care, there might be something else going on.]

We should perhaps send either nulls or psions.

Kit says nulls—we can’t risk sending psions if they might be rendered insane. Baroness Castillia agrees, but says that they will have difficulty—the Grand Duchess does not favor nulls. But they will try to find 3.

The third site: the domed city of the elves: I can inquire of Tarsh, but I would caution you to not be as trusting of Tarsh as the rest of the Darkness.

We confirm that we understand this. It is still deeply unsettled.

I can provide you a base—my lands of Mandrath have ports, and I can find skilled sailors and a discreet warship. We will need to take a circuitous route to avoid the pirates. But we can also increase our patrols—we seek to avoid conflict, but we also maintain a clear line.

Two dioceses that I would suggest for recruiting people on Drucien. There is a diocese in Enclaves that is utterly loyal—devoted to the Weeping Woman mostly, but loyal. The other is the archdiocese of Masque. They are also loyal, but wilder.

We agree that the people from Enclaves would be best. (Unlike the Baroness, we are not concerned about the idea that the Weeping Woman might be heterodox.)

Kit contacts her agent on the fan in the Black Forest (the White Witch’s domain).

They have been working on Batarak Dur for 1000 years or more—1200 years or so. At first they would work to the point of death, without even eating. They have gotten better about personal maintenance over time-eating, bathing to deal with the lice. The Gray Covens keep an eye on them, there are only a few thousand. They appear no threat to the border. Two years ago, several small groups of four dwarves, better equipped than most, have headed out—at least six groups and possibly more, although if they went directly north, they would presumably have died, and if they went east, they would have gone straight into the Steading. They all headed out at the same time. We don’t know what they were looking for. They simultaneously left, precisely from the place of the statute on the twelfth bell of the fall equinox, two years ago. According to the official record, for the first several days (at least), they traveled precisely the same number of miles each day.

Have any psions traveled near to the statue? The Queen has ruled for many years—it is almost like she is not human. She commanded long ago—about two hundred years ago-- that none of the Gifted and none of the Covens are to approach the statue. We spy on them with flyers, but we do not approach them. They undoubtedly spy on us.

Kit: Was that when they started working on the face? Yes, and when the madmen started leaving the statue. They are immune to many spells, and extremely violent—at least some of them.

The first one took a great toll on the White Legions, and the White Legions are very well trained. They just kept coming until they were hacked into gobbets, as if they were propelled somehow. But they were not demonically active. They do not seem to have the same immunity to priestly magic.

It was the archbishop that brought the second one to a stop. He issued a rebuke against it, the way you might with undead?

She explains that she could investigate. It might be dangerous, but we kept our part of the bargain. We took her daughter, who was touched by the light—the daughter of a seraphim and her. And so she drove her lover forth, but begged for some way to save the child. And then within days a page of the court contacted her, and her predecessor’s predecessor offered to take in the child, raise it within a decent family within the light.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 55 cont'd]
While Dame Brionna is on patrol in the lower quarter, with 3 guards: One of the guards disappears suddenly.

Dame Brionna and one of the other guards see the edge of the building that they are next to quiver. Dame Brionna pokes the side of the building with her polearm and the building attacks her. The polearm sticks into a sort of gelatinous substance; she pulls the pole back, and there’s a smoking mass at the end of the pole.

One of the other guards also attacks the building. The whole side of the building begins slurping off and heading rapidly for the sewer.

Brionna and the guards attack it with torches—it catches on fire, and then explodes. The bones of the dead guard (with a little flesh) are left behind.

Brionna sends the rest of the guard out searching for more of these things. One is found, but escapes into the sewer.

“Oh, are we getting another infestation of jellies? I thought we wiped them out seven years ago.”

We dispatch people to deal with it—mostly Kit’s people, and skewing towards the people who dealt with it last time. They locate the small pockets that have grown back, and the ministry of magic can deal with them. Which is pretty much regular sewer maintenance.

Kit meets with Baroness Castillia’s older advisor—the psion with the psionically active umbrella.

They meet in a private passageway. She has the umbrella open—crystals hang down all around it, like tassles. She spins the umbrella, and a shimmery surface forms between the two of them and the outside world.

“You are the Archduke’s security master?”

“Yes. And you are my counterpart?”

“A counterpart of sorts—I work for the Grand Duchess of Ergmoth, although the Baroness does not know. She is a dear friend of the Grand Duchess, but there needs to be a level head around, with a source of information.”

“The Grand Duchess cares about dealing with the cultists above all else. The Grand Duchess knows that your forces are strained, and that you are planning on making a purchase of mercenaries. I am authorized to offer you the service of five elite regiments of her mother’s kinfolk. It would only be 500, but they would be useful—they are powerful individually.”

“What is being asked in return?”

“A permanent commitment to thwarting the Goddess of the Pale Bone. You are young. You can only guide him partially. If she is not completely sealed off, she has other aspects.” She gives Kit a serious look. “The regiments can be available immediately, but they are only available for six months time.”

Drowan Wizard cavalry. Many advantages. Only a few energy lances among the officers.

Do you know of the other powers of the fan? It was made by the same artificer as the fan. The umbrella can create a zone of protection, as it is currently. It can apport myself and one other for several miles. The fan likely has similar abilities.

Lady Elsbeth Pecom—Kit gives her one of the boxes of gating.
[End session 55]


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## CPaladin

Session 56 (January 23, 2013)

Skard 19
Kit reports new problems and old problems all at the same time. She got a message this morning that is at least 7 months old. An agent in Hanal cut herself off from the Fan and her predecessor. There is weird stuff going on in Magdag; she thinks the cov is in on it. The cov of Magdag is not a friend to the nobles who support the sane daughter. The inquisitor of Magdag has been replaced. Also, the necropolis and precinct is being carved up and having sigils being carved and so forth. Hundreds of slaves are reported dead, death taxes paid by the cov, but actually being shipped south by ship (with weapons, in small groups on small boats). The heir to the throne (eldest sister) wants to kill Anastasia; intends to give her over to demons. (Middle sister is just insane.) The worst aspect is that this intelligence is more than seven months old. (There was a shortage of bonded couriers.) Kit has her secretary start trying to secure more bonded couriers.

Magdag is one of the coastal cities.

We agree that we need to pass on the information to our allies in Darkness. We haven’t had any contact with Anastasia in some time. Last we knew, the Strom was with her.

We discuss the people searching for the wings of Ancalagon the Black; an amalgam of evil creatures from the deep south were searching for them. They made forays toward the area north of Enclaves, but they were driven forth.

We ask if Lord Davion is available, since he would likely know if the wings of Ancalagon are limited to transporting undead. 

"The legend, which I can verify is truthful, states that the wings of Ancalagon, the Archon of black dragons, can move a great army by night to anywhere on the same continent, and of buttressing that army. The army must be an army of the dead. The buttressing would both make them resistant to turning, but also strengthen the bone to the strength of dragonbone. They would remain unintelligent, but be much more capable."  Lord Davion thinks about Magdag for a while, and then recalls the acid springs. "Magdag is highly regarded among my paternal people as being an example of how utterly base human can be. If you take the normal Hanalian focus on the dead, the way that all of their cities build great necropolises over the huts in which many of the living live, Magdag takes that to new heights, with great farms of goats, pigs, and great fisheries, to support an army of workers that work on the necropolis of Magdag. Morgrathians and Noldar have been there; it is more debased than any orcish culture, but doesn’t know it. However, they have never given the ruling royalty of Hanal reason to doubt their loyalty. They have a large sea fleet, although very few followers.

"The battle of the red and green has persisted in Magdag; it has faded elsewhere in Hanal. All of the Hanalian nobles claim one shade or another in green. The slaves claim red; some in Magdag remember the red sun and the red moon, and remember that at one time they had cities and nobles in red. The early myths of humans stated that there was a sun for each moon. This was before the coming of the worship of Paranswarm, and the family—Thyastis’s family—ritualized the wearing of green and pushed red out of the culture. Those who followed the color red were common people; they waited for the red sun to redeem their labor, perhaps also with their blood. Green was originally war bands, which gradually became nobility. The other colors of the mystery schools were of course silver and blue. They ignored the purple moon altogether."

Alistair points out that the red moon is the moon of evil, the silver moon is the moon of good, with the lesser moons not as important. 

"The struggle between red and green was the dominant struggle in Hanal; the silver school was much smaller, though powerful."

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 56 cont'd]
We summon the Minister of Magic. The green moon is the moon of growth. There were other smaller factions once. The faction of silver was never large, but it had great power. At one time the silver faction included almost all of the mages. We never had any touch with them in our recorded history. There are few real mages in Hanal now; a handful, but mostly clockwork mages and engineers in the valarworks, the flame cannon manufactories. The flame cannons focus the sun’s energy through a series of prisms, producing as great heat as any fireball any wizard could make. They’re worthless at night. But deployed properly by day, they earn their name. There are a handful of court magicians; any of the level of strom or above is permitted a single house mage. They are generally trained in Paranswarmian academies elsewhere in the world. Many of the gifted are put to death by witchfinders as children, typically in the necropolises.

A: Would that create magical energy that could be used?

Yes, if they had any people who were capable.

Couldn’t be Paranswarm—totally opposed to the creation of mindless undead.

They called themselves the Silver Order.

The Minister of Magic and the Minister of Mind could scry on Hanal safely; but it would be an act of espionage and indeed an act of war. The Queen-Empress would almost certainly regard it as one.

Kit goes to speak to the Master Farsensor. Could the fan be compromised? It can’t be tapped—impossible. But it is not impossible to discover activity, not on the fan, but by the person.

She shows him the letter. She was the scion of a forging and merchant house, the Clan of Leutteur, they sold fine weapons, but were not well trusted because they purchased their iron from dwarves. Sometime about 4 months ago, a group of people came for them. Her father had great hope for her; he sent his daughter away. He was seized and is no more on this plane. He gave her to friends—merchant shipmen, they have hidden her. They are on the Lee Islands, but they have been attacked several times. They will never make it to the mainland—the things that hunt them are not mortal. Three minds: a great fish surrounded by mucus, an aboleth I think, but twisted even by their standards; one a demonic squire, child’s play for me, but for the crew of this ship, it would slaughter them like chaff; the last is a cat. They seek to prevent her from returning to you. She carries a package, and has carried it for months. I cannot touch this package, it has no signature.

I am seeking for the nearest elven ship. Oh. Would you request my counterpart, the Champion of the Court, to join us? It would be inappropriate for me to ask him, and he would have to contact the only ship close enough to reach them before the fish creature. There is a Noldar war schooner, a Moriquendarim pleasure vessel for a young Noldar, less than a millennium, in the area. If Lord Davion informed them, they could easily save her and the sailors. Actually, if Lord Davion and the Farsensor work together, they could teleport her directly here. They agree to move somewhere where there aren’t wards that will prevent her teleporting in.

They teleport her in. They then wander off.

"I have brought a package. This has greatly upset somebody. It is alive, but I’m not sure what it is. It has several of its brethren in Magdag and they have a lot of power. And they like to drink."

"You got it drunk and put it in your bag of holding? Good work."

She is Isabella; she had never forgotten her mother, who was from Canberry, the daughter of one of the merchant houses.

Kit takes her to Lady Constance, who brings it to a specially sealed prison cell. Oh, translucent. You don’t see that very often. It looks almost like a horned human, four feet tall, with translucent flesh and pearlescent bones. Not from this plane; not from the Hells or the Abyss; and very angry. Lady Constance summons a devil up. "That thing in the cage—"

"You should kill it."

"Yes probably, but what is it?"

"It’s a second stage bone abomination of the One Beside."

Kit says, "I thought we were dealing with the Goddess of the Pale Bone."

"You might be, but you are also dealing with the One Beside.  He’s not good for much. He can raise a fair-sized undead army, but that’s all."

"Exactly how large a 'fair-sized army?'"

"Acting alone, maybe 5,000."

"There were 4 of these in Magdag," Isabella clarifies. "They stay close to the covs residence."

"What else can you tell me about him?" 

"He has some fighting prowess."

"What would it take to summon one of these onto this plane?"

"You almost can’t. It’s said that there are a couple of artifacts that would let you do it. They’re not like the Goddess of the Pale Bone. There’s no real connection to this plane, and the One Beside has the least connection.

"The Horn of Moriquendarim could do that, but we know that that’s in the Twin Cities of the Gates of Death; you’d have to kill all of the Noldar to get that; there are the wings of Ancalagon the Black—they’re pretty connected to the undead you know. It can only be done on some moon or another when it’s full, or when you have that special festival. The one where the Red Moon and another moon is full. Then you can summon a bunch of them, but it would tap the wings for sixty days, leaving them without power until they recharged. They could have a wing—the first wing was up north near the steading of Lady Jane. The second wing was buried with another artifact under the City of Enclaves. I think it was part of a collection—not originally intended that way, but now it’s a collection. Many missions have gone searching for Ancalagon the Black. Many of his bones have power. Remember, he is the only Archon that has fallen. One of those expeditions found the wing and brought it back, and the guardians under the city talked among themselves and decided that it shouldn’t be in mortal hands. So they took it. It’s had some strange effects—some of the guardians have been changed. Into undead—intelligent sorts, but undead.

"Nobody sane among your race ever thought the wings of Ancalagon were a good idea."
[cont'd]


----------



## Quartz

Ah, someone had read the adventure from Dungeon with the house hunters.


----------



## CPaladin

Quartz said:


> Ah, someone had read the adventure from Dungeon with the house hunters.



Not surprising--the DM used to, at least, read pretty much everything released for D&D.  I missed the sourcing on those ideas, because I never read Dungeon.

------
[Session 56 cont'd]
"The wings are intelligent. Put them in the hand of any person with basic magical powers, and it can figure out what needs doing. Summoning those things is a pyramiding move."

"Are there other stage abominations?"
"There are other stages, but they cannot be summoned with the wing. These are the least cut off of its servants. Also the least in power."

"Can a group of these summon more powerful ones? I don’t know, it’s never happened."

* * *
The Council brainstorms questions to be asked of the captured bone abomination, after being told that it can be compelled to answer five questions.  When satisfied with their list of questions, the pit fiend proceeds with the interrogation.

"Who is it working for?"
"I work for the Consortium, we must bring this imprisonment to an end."

"What’s the big plan in Magdag?" 
"The final move in the war will not be in Magdag, it will be deep in the South against the accursed women. Calculations suggest that there is not enough strength—too much had to be expended to restrain Canberry to keep it from the field for long enough. Calculations say that we need to add additional troops; only way to sufficient additional troops is undead, only way to add undead is the wing and us."

"What’s the Consortium?" 
"The Three. All has been consumed except each other and the servants of the three. All others were bound in place and have been consumed. But the Three, though they tried to consume each other for ages, yet they exist. They must return to this universe that it might be consumed, that a thousand other universes must be consumed. The barrier must be destroyed."

"When are things going down?" 
"As soon as the main army is in place, a transference will occur, and the undead will be transported through the agency of the wing. 15,000 improve our chance of victory, and 20,000 nearly guarantee it. It is days now."

"How is the Wing protected?" 
"Sits in the great treasure chamber of the Necropolis of Magdag, guarded and surrounded by the servants of the Cov, both mortal and immortal that have been granted for his service of the cult. He is in so deep that he offered them his wife."

The pit fiend destroys the creature, and is released from its service in exchange for the interrogation.

Kit passes on the information about the Inquisitor in Magdag to her counterpart with Baroness Cecillia.
[End Session 56]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 57 (February 19, 2013)

Skard 19 (continued)
A psion patches Alistair through, with some difficulty, to a council chamber in black and blood red with gold sigils. There are three figures in the chamber—the Archduchess, who the Council has met before, on a kneeler; a man dressed entirely in black, seated on a small throne; and another man in a blackened steel mask.

Alistair discusses the matters.

"You are correct; it is unacceptable. If they can break the Seachen, in addition to controlling the treasures there, and likely elevating their temporary ally the Abomination of Shurr, they would be able to control the Spice Lands." The Archduchess continues, "We have identified all of the breakthrough points—one south of your continent, a smaller one in the mountains, one in Khamista, and one beneath the sea to the south of the Confederacy of the Isles. We would be able to share this with you."  After a moment's thought, the Archduchess says, "I must handle this personally. I will take my guard. I will take our friend among the dark elves. I will take a brace of pit fiends. I will also gather such werewolves as there are."

The Council offers Lord Davion, if that is acceptable to their elven friend.

The Council send word to Lord Davion, who departs to the given coordinates for a safehouse in the capital of Hanal, from which they intend to strike. He disappears.

* * *
Early the next morning, Kit comes in with a report. There’s a very elven messenger, who can’t enter the palace because the wards would destroy him, but wanted to mention Yel and Oknay.

Dame Brionna finds a briefing message: the God-Emperor of Masque used his troops to wipe out groups of trolls. Three areas resisted: Yar, Yel, and Oknay. Yar is inhabited by one of the ancients, but Yel and Oknay appear to be twisted, in ways similar to things in the lands of Borsh’tro.

There are layers and layers of wards; each of the elven groups that has come through has strengthened them (both Eldar and Noldar), and Alistair's grandmother (one of the greatest human mages in generations) strengthened them. At their base, the wards were probably dwarven—most of the construction of the palace was dwarven.

Alistair reaches down into the land, sensing with his connection. He senses the city, and finds a tremendous locus of health emanating out from the garden where the Princess stayed, which has radiated out over most of the city. Over in the direction of the inns of the inner city, there is a knot of Other. It doesn’t fit. It doesn’t feel like a sickness, like the servants of the pariah gods, but it feels different. It feels furtive, but it still has emanated out to a block or so of the city.

Dame Brionna and Kit head out to the inn, after insisting that Alistair can’t come with them. It’s late, but the common room shouldn’t be empty, even at this time of night, and the next day’s bread should be baking. But there is silence—not even the bartender is present. Also, Dame Brionna has started glowing. There is alteration magic washing over Dame Brionna—her armor is reacting to this, with the wards on it waking up and reacting and responding to the alteration magic.

“Prithee enter, dames.  I would offer you refreshments, but I left an osmium tual downstairs with the innkeeper. I fear that none of his goods should be served anymore.  I wish to meet with you speedily, because I know that I cannot long conceal my presence from the Princess." He is clearly an elf, looking mostly like a gray elf, but the glowing orange eyes and the hair that is a curtain of living flame is outside the normal gray elf repertoire (although it could be a fashion statement).  "Once she is aware of me, I must flee quickly, or I will be eradicated. The West is no longer mine. My master has stayed in Yar. He has kept it clean."

“Clean of the miasma that claimed Yel and Orknay?” 

“Yes.  But someone needed to find out. There are creatures that have arisen, the worst in many years, that have come in the past year. The forces of Masque can barely contain them. I cannot bring the taint back with me to my master’s hall. You must get a message back to my master, free of the taint that is within me."

Dame Brionna uses her paladin sense:  he is not evil, but there is something evil within him.

[cont'd]

[I think we received a players' handout in this session, but as far as I can tell it is lost to time.]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 57 cont'd]
Dame Brionna says: "I am worried that the taint might corrupt the words you say."

"Not for the next half hour. In half an hour, do not trust anything I say. Within an hour, you must strike off my head. We have unfortunately found the sixth spot. There are always six breakthrough points. The sixth breakthrough is beneath Yel and Oknay, in the volcanic pit. Coming at it from without, my master can contain it; coming at it from without, my master can bind it.

"It must be removed from this world; this world must belong to its people, and to the gods that they created and that created them."

"Would he help eliminate them, working with others of his kind? "
"I think so. He hates the taint. All of the 49 of us that will remain in his service know. The children know. (“The Children?”) Each of the First that remain have found a focus. They were a race of the simplest humans. It would have corrupted them, and he would not have it. So he remained."

"I was Allorin of the Grey Wall, but I am become, and am becoming… I will not speak the name that I am becoming.

"Somewhere, they have found a great artifact. They could not have done it without the power of a great artifact. In Yel and Oknay they have the Globe. The God-Emperor of Masque was neither a god nor much of an emperor. But the Throne Globe’s powers were preservation, protection, and Order, in the sense of Law. It was an object intended to keep the God-Emperor alive forever. All of Masque searched for it, for something that had stolen it. But I think it remained in Masque. I could not get close enough, but I saw something feeding the vortex, providing it power. The God-Emperor knew that they were here, he hated them—they threatened his power. So he instituted ritual bloodletting.

"Before the coming of the Grand Duchess, the Temple of Paranswarm was more dangerous than it is now. Her Inquisition seeks out and destroys the threat. Before, the temple tended to lash out. It would have been viewed as more superstition. So instead, he made them a quasi-religious ceremony. The Temple—both of the great human temples—have always been pliable when people find something that keeps them faithful.

"The Cult of the Blood is a cult of all the high ranking nobles, requiring bloodletting for the monarch. The Ritual of the Blood is a public ritual, involving the clergy and the common people. The use of the three have kept the ranking nobility and most of the common people safe, once you get away from Yel and Oknay. Flana has continued those rituals; she knows what their real purpose is. I cannot guarantee that the Throne Globe is where I think it is. If the God-Emperor still lives, he is corrupted and changed.

"The Mantis and the Serpant have remained immune to any blandishments. Some of the mentally weakest orders may be infiltrated. Some of the mercenaries, of course. The Vultures of course. The Wasps are clean. Most of the orders are clean. The Vultures are somewhat… they are huge, and can be infiltrated. They number more than a million.

"The Serpents are trustworthy. I am not aware of any corruption among the Vipers, but there may be. The Serpents are not."

Kit: "What are the chances of this spreading out of Yel and Oknay?"

"We don’t know if they have a plan, or if they are simply keeping Masque busy and preoccupied from other matters."

"How to contact your master?"
"You must use a human psion—he will never answer an elf. Use a narrow band personal mode, unless you are close, in which case declamatory mode would work. He is in the midst of Yar. They never enter Yar—he would not permit it. They do not even know what he is. Narrow beam, from a human psion. He will hear that."

"Is there a way to close the vortex?" 
"It can be contained. It would take considerable power, more than the master has to close it. The feeder—we think the globe, although it could be any artifact of at least that power—must be removed."

Dame Brionna decapitates him, and part of the corpse looks like an elf and part of the corpse doesn’t even look humanoid. They then clean the room.

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 57 cont'd]
The Council realizes that there’s a missing breakthrough point.

Dame Brionna says that there’s a bigger problem in Masque. She points out the various orders that might be corrupted and suggests that we need to talk to the Order of the Serpent about how to destroy the Throne Globe.

Kit tries to contact the master of Yar, using the fan to boost her sending if she can. “I have urgent news of your servant Allorin. How may I address you?"

"It has been so long since one who was not mine has addressed me. I was Bertram the Builder; it was I who directed the building of the Four Walls. I am called Bertram. I do not need honorifics after so many millennia."

Kit asks to bring Alistair and Dame Brionna into the conversation. Bertram bolsters her.

"You have hope of many things, and prolipses is in your favor.  By my estimate, you can build an infrastructure to the South as almost a client kingdom. It is how many empires are built."

He would come to the Crystal City to use the Heart.

"If the Heart were used, her creatures would be barred from entering through the vortex, but others still could. The other two are much weaker—a manageable threat for the long-term. Still, much better to close the vortex altogether.

"Greater servitors cannot come through the vortex. Lesser creatures of the Goddess, however, make the corrupted humans much more dangerous.

"Even I could not resist corruption if I approached the vortex closely. My cousins… with their “gods”… might be able to. We will speak no more of it."

"Is it the case that Balansar was once an Eldron?"
"A pox on both their houses."

(The Council apologizes for asking.)

"Speak to the five most powerful enclaves and the one hidden. Tell them that there may be a source of instability—blame it on anything. They may be a new source of stability.

"I suppose it is possible that the one … you… speak to Baron Kalan of Vitall as well. I think he might be able to create an item that might temporarily lend them some stability. His capabilities are weak compared to what one might find elsewhere, but strong compared to human sorcerers."

"That must mean you are unaware of the Breakpoint in the Underdark under Zest’Qua. Something to do with symmetry. If you could disrupt any one of the portals completely, it would drive all of them into shut-down. It is beneath the local evil of Zest’Qua, the Shadowlands. It is near the border of the Shadowlands, under the major warpstone mine."

"Is that the source of the warpstone?"
"Yes. I do not think the forces of Chaos realize the source of the warpstone that they use, or of the ratmen that flee from this."

Speaks of becoming one with their focus as the ultimate goal.

We discuss the prophecy about Dame Brionna becoming the great lady of a great holdfast.
[End session 57]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 58 (March 19, 2013)

Skard 21

We talk to the Sixth Daughter about acting in the Underdark under where the Abomination of Shur’s army is encamped and perhaps preparing for ritual or domain magic. She says that a great house could not act quickly enough—it would involve too much politics, too much time. There are however 300 renegades (male, major warriors, significant sorcery) in the area; they raid the surface, as well as the great houses. They stay bought.

Leader is Denari, once of the House of Godeep. We send her as an ambassador, with the message that if she is harmed, it will mean war and their destruction. She has gems to offer as payment, and the offer of status—if they serve well, and if they are willing to abide by our laws and swear fealty, we could make them vassals and recognize their land claims.

We then talk to the Seachen ambassador—first, Kit furthers her efforts to find the leak in Kaitlyn’s court (including setting up tea between Many Hands, Dame Constance, and an observing psion); then Kit, Brionna, and the Seachen Ambassador have tea. (Alistair, meanwhile, spends his time chatting up his most recent object of interest (while his wife and girlfriend are in a diplomatic meeting…))

The Seachen Ambassador points out that there are seven stone buildings in the upper city that are thousands of years older than the rest of the city; elven techniques, with the stone almost melted together, but no reports of elves in the area. They are very well preserved, but modest building—none of the palaces or noble manors.

They then get into discussion of the military situation in the south. She is concerned, but confident—after all, they have battle hardened field armies and siege weapons. But the army is large, and of a dismaying persuasion. Dame Brionna informs her that the enemy army is tied to the Order of the Ram.

They discuss the refugees and the rakasta servants. She says that she thinks the Sultan of the Rakshasas may have been correct to refuse all offers of quarter.

They have not yet met one force—the gray elf and his force, withdrawn to the city and erecting a magical barrier with the Glordiadelian bishop. He seemed to think it was unwise to engage with them directly.

"Oh… not to put too delicate a point on this. But have you heard from the Noldar admiral? It was he that committed the schooner. We believe he has two more ships in reserve, including a man-of-war."

(Alistair notes through a mindlink <<if we could silence the energy weapon, then they would be in a position to launch a heavy aerial assault.>>)

She implants a mental signature in Dame Brionna’s mind.

Dame Brionna mentions that we know why the Abomination of Shurr seeks to attack Seachen.

The Ambassador doesn’t know what Seachen defends. The Queen of Singing Leaves told the Seachen that they must hold their lands with strong defenses, control the passions of their males, and settle there in particular.

We urge her to contact the Queen of Singing Leaves.
[Cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 58 cont'd]

The Council gets a psion, and contact the Noldar Admiral. In the imaging of the psion, a rather willowy Noldar in very ornate garb eating what appears to be a muffin?

"That is a warp projector. Even the creatures in the Shadowlands cannot build them. These creatures can. It projects primal warp energy in an energy blast. Crude, but effective. It destroyed one of the war schooners. We have been ordered to commit ourselves fully, even to the extent of the destruction of our ships and our own deaths.

"Without the projector, they have nothing that could threaten our ships.

"The large flat area has runes at its corners; there is a considerable power with them, we expect that it is the Abomination of Shurr; it is capable of domain magic."

He sends the Council a copy of the runes (which neither he nor his sorcerer recognizes).

* * * 
The Council ask Lady Constance about the runes.

She provides us with the ciphers, which she enjoyed creating. After our report of the odd take-over of Dame Brittany Tirteroth and some of her ranking officers. (Dame Brittany was one of the commanders of the Debonai Heavy Lancer.) There is a means of objecting a possessing spirit. I have prepared these six. The person would have to be held captive, and a possessing spirit could be ejected.

Lady Constance’s guess is that she’s not in charge of herself, but not actually dead.

We discuss the potential domain magic. The Greater Festival of the Mists is a reason to be very concerned, especially about summonings. This is very, very old—it is domain magic. It is a weakening spell—anything worked by women, it will weaken for 24 hours.

There must be a ton of stored life energy. A crystal matrix is possible. Or lead medallions—they would need to have several hundred, and they would need to be assembled for some time. The Noldar death rays would be attracted to that large concentration of life—they would be like magnets. This is the language originated by the followers of the Queen of Chaos in the Abyss before her downfall. I’m not surprised that this sort of domain spell would be in her tongue—her hatred of mortal women is legendary.

She still has some followers, but she lies in one of the Abyssal prison cells, guarded by a horde of demons that fear her release more than any of the Lords of Light. I do not think she has any followers among… she clearly has some who are at least knowledgeable of her.

This is written only to target women—it could be rewritten to target men. It could not target both.

This would reduce fortifications of 20 foot thick walls to the consistency of thick wooden walls for the 24 hours involved.
* * *
The Council reaches out psionically to pass on the information they have gained.

The Sixth Daughter is very glad that the Council called. They discuss what sort of title the renegades might earn. They tell her that the warp projector is the key target, and failing that, the life energy repository. She says that the Council probably has the army it needs.

The Council also informs the admiral, and he consults with his necromancers about targeting.

[End session 58]


----------



## CPaladin

[Just a note--the next couple posts have some body horror stuff involving impregnation.  I've put it behind spoiler tags.  Be aware if that's likely to be triggery.]

Session 59 (August 13, 2013)
Skard 22

The Council gets a preliminary report from the Rakshasa. [Attached] Things seem to be going well, but with heavy casualties.

The Ministry of Magic says, in response to our inquiries: If the warp projector is destroyed, roughly 1000 yards radius will be completely destroyed. The next 1500 yards will be heavily mutated—intelligent creatures could resist that, but animals and plants would not. It could be contained, but that would require controlling the projector and having a team of mages there in skin.

Kit also gets an ambiguous message about groups doing strange things near the western territories. [Attached]

The Ministry says that we could attempt to establish a bleed conduit—to attempt to bleed off some of the energy. To where, the Council asks? The Abyss would be best. The Council asks if Dame Constance would be helpful. He says yes, and drains of all color. So the Council asks her to work on this as well.

Sir Clarence Strawberry has headed to the west, based on rumors of human bands moving around in the area.

Kit gets a telepathic link to Sir Darryl Strawberry, who is very loyal but not very bright. They’re heading to various farms, and staking out cattle. My father thought that was bad, and took some men to deal with them. But some of the men are stronger than we expected—probably with magic. Sir Clarence tried to cut free some of the cattle, but then he collapsed. Someone else tried to help him, but then he collapsed too. They’re sleeping?

Sir Darryl shows Kit a map at our request (while we start talking about the idea of polymorphing the cattle or teleporting them away). There are 8 locations. It’s clearly a rune, and it’s disturbing to look at, but it’s not any rune I recognize—not elven. The rune of the Queen of Chaos as the Mother of Hordes.

Dame Constance: Anyone who touches them becomes part of the sacrifice—it’s a standard defensive technique of demonologists.

Dame Constance: The family in charge in the west is massively incompetent, which is why all of the problems are developing there. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was deliberate… but I do know better.

Polymorphing them, would unbalance the ritual, weakening it; if they were small enough to escape, it could disrupt it entirely. May be planning on transforming themselves—bulls are traditional symbols of virility and strength. Might be trying to become prime material equivalents of warrior demons.

"I suggest… I do not think we have time to get a force of any size there except by teleportation. I will apport as many as the Master of Magic will give me. I am needed here, but I can apport them, or perhaps set up a gate for a dozen or so minutes. We can move through about 200 people—a group of mages, guarded by crack troops and some healers/abjurers."

We also arrange to recover the prisoner, and Sir Clarence’s family. The group of 200 go through.

The prisoner is highly, highly disreputable. He’ll come to eventually. He has a terrible odor. He has a cloven tongue. There is also something very odd about his boots. His feet are horribly misshapen—goat like in appearance.

Dame Constance: He’s been touched by the Ram. You haven’t touched him, have you?

Dame Brionna touched his boots—"She’ll be with child. We must withdraw it immediately. And he must be moved to a place where he will only be in contact with men. It will develop much faster than natural."

Dame Brionna and Kit want to find celibate men (or eunuchs) to deal with him.
[cont'd]


----------



## Quartz

CPaladin said:


> [Just a note--the next couple posts have some body horror stuff involving impregnation. Be aware if that's likely to be triggery.]




Might be best to put that stuff in spoilers.


----------



## CPaladin

Quartz said:


> Might be best to put that stuff in spoilers.



Great suggestion.  I'll edit the previous post to include spoiler tags for that sort of material, as well as doing that for the next post and any more that have similar content.  Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 59 cont'd; body horror stuff in spoiler tags]
Dame Brionna gets a priest to deal with this. "There was definitely an attempt, but your holy aura killed it. You’ll be sick in a day or two, but then it will pass." 

"Can you delay it? For maybe 6 months?"

"I’m not that powerful… for maybe 3 days?"

"That will do."

He was birthed that way. His mother willingly accepted the touch—otherwise, he would have just been a man.

The Council plans an interrogation of the prisoner.  He is ranting and bragging and answers freely.

"Great Lord, Great Queen make alliance for many children. Free, she rule, he rise. Night comes, I will know.  I will change, and your puny cell will not matter anymore."

"How did your people hide?"
"Behind the orc lines. It is in the lost places that the Ram continued to live, after the purge, beyond the cities, beyond the lords, beyond the paladins. But not here—we could not creep back here, the old bitch was too strong. The Master knew that he could not face her yet—but the young one? Pffft."

"The Master?" 
"You know that there’s a great adept—how else we do this? He and the others wait—then we play the last part of the Ram’s promise. To distract all of those who could stop the plan. To distract all of those who could keep the Queen captive. That is why he will rise when she returns to the throne."

"Is your Master an ally of the Abomination?"
"We’re all allies of the Abomination. The plan, his force cripples the catmen. United, they more powerful than you think. Not united, eh. Wish we infected you. Old bitch too strong."

"Where is the leader?"
"The others who will change—but we will all change, wherever we are. We set it up—Master set it up. We did as we were told. Has been preparing the binding wards for years—we just used them. Powerful enough to make anyone short of a Noldar join in the sacrifice. Their blood is not for us to take. Their blood is for the Abomination. For us it burns."

"Where is the Master? "
"He is with the others, waiting to change. But he will ascend beyond us."

"What will he ascend into?"
"The Herald of the Ram."

Kit contacts her Toe within the army of Debonai. 

<<There’s a huge battle going on near the chaos generator. And the commander I’m under has started withdrawing his people, starting an hour ago. We’re under bombardment by two elven ships. The projector fired once, doing substantial damage to the larger of the two ships. But it hasn’t been able to fire again—I think the drow are winning. The elven ships are still bombarding. The women are taking it on the chin—they’re not yielding an inch, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they died to a man. Woman! Woman! There are Rakshasa on both sides.>>

Then Kit feels an almost earthquake of her mind. There’s a thunderous kaboom. She can feel the toe falling to the ground. 

<<It just exploded, my lady. I’m quite a distance away, but there’s a hole in the ground I can’t see the bottom of. And there’s plants grabbing people.>>

<<Run! Run as fast and as far away as you can! That’s an order.>>—she loses the connection.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[And we're back, after a very eventful vacation with limited net.]
[Session 59 cont'd]
Dame Brionna sends a quick sending briefing the Seachen.

Perhaps two minutes later, alarms sound in the palace, and a servant delivers a message to the door guard, to the page, to Dame Brionna. There’s a young rakshasa in the holding cage. A young, bloodied rakshasa male comes in and prostrates himself before the throne. "My grandfather, the Plar of Splice, has asked me to come here and report that the Seachen have fallen back to their fortifications, fully two of five of their warriors are dead. The false Rakshasa who serve the accursed have pursued strongly. My grandfather has decided to commit his forces and those of his allies against them—19 Rakshasa and several hundred Rakastas. My grandfather is concerned about the substantial mutations among the humans, but he thought that the false Rakshasa represented more of a threat. The drow made the most heroic sacrifice—only 2 survived, but they threw themselves upon their swords when they found out they were mutating, but they succeeded. The Noldar have not disengaged, though they took serious damage to their main ship."

The Council promises to raise a cenotaph to the noble drow, and to search for any of their surviving kin (who would inherit their titles and lands). They also offer to take in any of the Rakshasa dependents—the messenger (who is being healed of life-threatening wounds), says that his grandmother and his kits will likely do so. He then heads back to the battle, with a briefing on the expected ritual.

When the Red Moon rises, one point of the ritual has been disrupted—all the cows there are gone, although there were casualties (wards upon wards). All of the other cows are incinerated. And where the servants of the Ram are gathered, instead of turning into goat demons, they begin yelling and screaming. One leader, dressed much more elegantly than the others, and accented at wrists, cuffs, belt, and cloaks in a specific color of green. He’s obviously a Hanalian noble. Alistair identifies him as one of the houses allied with Thyastis’s most insane daughter (the middle one, much crazier even than the oldest one). He makes a series of extremely complex gestures, and suddenly, all of the other servants of the Ram burst into lampent green flame. A second later, the toe, who has never rung in directly, comes online weakly—“Holy naughty word. Hundreds of the army, including almost all of the officers, have burst into green flame. They’re dying.” 

Dame Constance comments, "The spell he cast was as complicated as anything I could do on my best day. And demonology is less predictable. His expertise is remarkable. He cannot be human." (He teleported away and we can’t trace him.) He cannot be one of the Seen Unseen—they cannot control that level of power.

Could the greater servants of the enemy do that? They could, but we don’t think there are any.

What about a cambion? Perhaps—a greater one, the son of a demon prince. You don’t think that he could be the son of the Ram himself? He had children before, in his last effort. He would have had to have had a child with a willing woman of Hanal, some century ago (to have reached that level of power). What do we know of Thyastis’s aunts? It could not be Thyastis’s mother—we know all of her children. She did not have her sisters killed—sent them to country estates or seclusion, mostly.

Dame Brionna sends everyone else out of the room. "Why was it so important to erase the memory of your mother? She must have been somebody important. If people have been intervening in the great houses for so long. Who did it? And why?"

The Council need to follow-up on the memory erasing thing.

The Council also asks the Sixth Daughter to locate any plausible heirs of the dead drow.

Three days later, the Noldar ships limp in (well, the flagship limps in); it then lands (which they never do) and a strained cadet drow officer, without weapons, asks the court to come to the ship. They do. The drow officers of the ship are, with great ceremony, bringing a tremendously ornate box of beaten platinum and mithril, and the chief drowan officer salutes us. We see no Noldar. “The taint is departed. The land is free. We asked, since it was an alliance with you, and in alliance with you that the Admiral died, that he be interred in your lands, and that you remember him.”

"We promise to do so, with all the honors we can bestow. Did he have any knowledge that he was dedicated to? We would wish to bestow a center to further that knowledge in his memory."

"He was a lover of music." They offer to bring some of his instruments, and some of the cadet houses that can teach how his music be played.

"Did he leave any heirs?"
"A nephew, his sister-son."
"We ask that his nephew come to Canberry within my lifetime that we may honor him appropriately."

Their priest is dead, so he’ll be buried according to Glordiadel's rites.

They send him to the cathedral to lie in state.
[End session 59; this also basically wrapped up the Abomination of Shur plotline, though related plotlines have continued for a long time since.]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 60 (February 27, 2014):

Skard 26
We still haven’t heard back from Lord Davion and the Duchess of Ergmoth—who went to Hanal 7 days ago.

Page of the door politely comes in in the morning. There’s a very bedraggled guard out here—he can’t speak very well, but he seems to want to come in. Dame Brionna recognizes him as one of the people who guard the teleport cages.

“I’m sorry it took me so long—I couldn’t muster the strength to leave the holding area. You have two guests in the holding area. An elven woman and a very young elf. I don’t think they’re like the healer who left recently. They came in and politely asked to see you and then none of us could stand up. I don’t think they intended that…”

Alistair wants to go, but Brionna objects, and Brionna travels to meet them on her own. There is a Noldar woman, sitting in front of a large chest, and an adolescent Noldar boy.

Brionna greets them, and apologizes for the delay (making a mental note to get guards for this area with more psionic defense). She’s not sure that they actually have to be in the cage—they may be being polite.

“I heard of my husband’s demise, and wanted to visit you. This is my husband’s nephew. I understand how much shorter your lifetimes can be, so I wanted to come promptly.

"I have brought several things we were informed you would be interested in.

“I fear for you all, in the coming ages. But… be that as it may.

"There are two items that I have brought that I think are appropriate. The first is a gift for you. You should not maintain in it in your grasp for a prolonged period of time, but for certain state occasions, it might be useful, especially if you believe you might be threatened. The second is for your school of music, a creation of my husband that he spent some 300 or 400 years on.

"I take it that the battle was not a complete success—that one of the leaders of the enemy escaped. This plan was long in the making, and our people are departing this world, as are our cousins. That process is too far along to be reversed. Be wary."

She will be sitting in mourning with the body (in our Cathedral, where it’s lying in state), and then will likely demonstrate that the process is continuing. Alistair wishes her well in her journey (and then the Council speculates over the mind link about where the Noldar go.)

"The scepter strengthens your line. I have looked at the stars. The strength of your line is important to the success of your kind on this continent."

"We have taken steps to strengthen my line."

"Yes. That is well.

"The one who escaped—I do not know if he will return, or if he will go about his business.

"Now, Ethean, this is a human ruler. This country is his. You have been very polite, and you should remain so. These are not one of our servitor people."

"I am Ethean Moriquendarim," he says, and prostrates himself.

Alistair greets him. "It is customary among our people to confer a title and land to people who have won a great military victory. We would offer that to you."

They discuss what that means.

She says, "He is old enough to decide. Your uncle would have said that you could offer much to the younger people, and that they might, in their way, offer much to you as well."

"I will accept."

“He could have been his son, had I been able to conceive. I will tell his uncle of his choice. I will release him, and he will choose whether to go West, or to the Kingdom in Waiting.”

Alistair says to Ethean, "We will not expect you to convert to the worship of Glordiadel, unless you wish, but you will be expected to support the established church in your lands."

"I understand.  Would 100 tual be an appropriate tithe?"

They assure Ethean that would be more than sufficient and begin the long process of educating him on the difference in scale between wealth among his people and among humans.

The entire group goes to the Cathedral. She approaches the casket, curtsies to the priest, and then rends her garments from neck to crotch. (She is fortunately wearing body armor underneath.) She calls out 3 times in Noldar. There’s a shimmer around the casket, and then it’s gone, and she falls to her face in front of the casket and begins to weap. This continues for some time. She then rises, shudders, takes off the rest of her gown. “He is no more in the East. He should be allowed to remain here for 3 days.”

They discuss whether she will go West in the near future and try to persuade her not to.

* * *

The Council asks Caitlyn to take the lead on reorganizing territory to the south and planning out the various titles and lands they need to confer.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 60, cont'd; again, body horror stuff is behind spoiler tags]
Kit calls up Lady Brina in Debonai

“Ah! Things seem a bit better. I wouldn’t call them stable yet… Well, there was some bizarrety at Court a few days ago. Various courtiers burst into green flame.”

“That’s to be expected,” says Alistair.

“That’s to be expected?!” says Kit.

“That’s to be expected?!?!” Lady Brina exclaims.

The Council explains the Order of the Ram event.

The capital is quiet. It has been since people burst into green fire. Plus, dozens of men—hundreds even—who are missing, unexplained.

The Council explains that their children will need to be checked for taint.

If things continue, people should even be able to travel within the next couple of weeks.

*  *  *
That evening, 20 uniformed drow and two walking chests teleport in.

*  *  *
Midnight-ish, a guard approaches Dame Brionna.

“Dame Brionna, be an odd group approaching the West Gate.”

“Odd how?”

“They be men… more or less. The man who spoke to me who was looking for you said their eyes glow green, and they be bearing some great bone thing between them.”

“How was it shaped?”

“Rather like an eagle wing, but much larger.”

“Right, let’s get there.”

“They be cursing, dame.”

Dame Brionna can detect its evil from within the ramparts.

“Thank the Lord of Darkness we’ve reached it. It be trying to make us assume our other forms. We be Grand Duchess Fenris Rufus’s bodyguards.

“Her Grace be returned to Ergmoth. Her Grace be… not well. We belong with her and her husband before he passed.”

They start transforming into werewolves. A group of paladin’s rush up from the cathedral at our request.

*  *  *

We talk about where the paladins should move the wing. We consider several bad options, and then Kit decides to wake up Lady Constance.

“Only one thing to do to contain that evil. I’ll put it in Hell.”

“I’ll have to talk with the Archduke about that.”

“I won’t put it near Tiamat. That would be bad.”

We link up via a mindlink.

“If you haven’t researched how to destroy it—you haven’t yet, have you?”

“No.”

“Then we need to constrain it until you can destroy it. Two options, one possible for me. You could put it in the heavens, but I can’t—very difficult, impossible for me. The other is to put it in Hell—not the Ninth level, which Tiamat rules, but I have some pacts with Dispater, in the Second Level. He’d probably accept it if he could use it to taunt Tiamat with.”

“Which would be more secure?” Kit asks.

“Well, the Heavens of course, but you’d need someone who can open a gate to there.”

Alistair wakes up the Archbishop. The Archbishop can’t cast Gate, but the Patriarch might be able to. We agree to send a sending to the Patriarch, telling him he has until nightfall of the day. He also suggests we ask the chief midwife.

We ask her, and she can’t create a gate either, but she can ask for a holy deliverer—a celestial midwife—which could then bring it back. So we ask, and Gunnora sends a giant celestial stork with a sling. Alistdeair leads it to the Wing. It gets it in its sling, caws 20 times to Alistair, and then takes off before disappearing.

*  *  *
Dame Brionna speaks with one of the werewolves, where he has been gorging on a side of beef. She asks him what happened to Lord Davion. “He was stricken down in the field. The other elven folk—the light elves—have taken him to their woods—their city?”

"The Forest of Singing Leaves?"

"Yes, that’s what their captain said. To take him to a redactor. He was grievously wounded."

"Two-thirds of our number fell. It was better defended by the fanatics than we expected. I thought I knew every type of were in the world—but I was fooled."

"Strange weres?"

"Yes—they changed into a mixture of ram and human, and their touch burned like fire. Their claws were not claws but hooves, and when they struck they struck like silver."

"Did they touch any women among you?"

"We realized that they could not touch the Grand Duchess, because when they touched women, the women burst asunder, with horrible infants. We committed the unspeakable, because there was no choice."

*  *  *
We ask the Archbishop to research how to destroy the thing.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 60, cont'd]
In the morning, we ask Master Farsensor to contact Singing Leaves to find out how Lord Davion is doing. “I have contact with the Master Redactor. Shall I project his image?”

The elven redactor gives the Council a report.  "It is no question as to whether he will survive. It is a question as to whether all of his injuries can be completely healed, or whether he will lose some of his mobility permanently. I do not know what attacked him, but it attempted to rip him in twain. It did not succeed, but it splintered his spine. We have him in Skin."

"What of the Grand Duchess?"

"She would have lived under our care. Her bodyguard insisted on returning her to her home. They committed her to the care of the Mouth." The Council presumes this refers to the First Mouth of Paranswarm. "I would not expect her to live without redaction.  As for Lord Davion... he will remain in skin for 18 days."

"Do you think we could send a redactor to the Grand Duchess, if they would not allow her to come to Singing Leaves?"

"It would have to be a human—there are human redactors who are Masters, even one or two Grandmasters. I think they would reject an elf."

The Council speak to the Minister of the Mind. "Do you have a Master or higher level redactor?"

"Two, well, two Masters.  Grandmasters are very rare, at least among humans."

The Council arranges for one to go.

"Do you want the younger one or the older one?"

"Whichever is better."

"The older then."

[I think there's a slight continuity error here.  I think Minister of the Mind is himself a redactor, but I don't think it matters whether it was the Minister of the Mind or another Master redactor.  Also, it's possible that he was obliquely asking if he should go or the other, and I'm not certain he's actually our strongest/best human psion.]
* * *
Kit contacts Lady Elspeth, the spy mistress of the Grand Duchess of Ergmoth. Kit writes a note, then gets her scribe for help:
         Wing has arrived, we have some of the story, Lord Davion in the Forest of Singing Leaves in skin, Wing is currently secured in the heavens, we’re sending back the bodyguards along with a redactor to help heal the Grand Duchess, thank you.

Response: Have informed First Mouth’s secretary. Will await redactor; none here. Grand Duchess stable but unconscious.

The Council sends off some of the bodyguard and the redactor.

The Council also deploys additional security and add sweeps to the graveyards, to make sure nothing new wakes up and to make sure there isn’t too much of an increase in crime from the Wing encouraging evil.

The vollers arrive; they have a brief meeting with the leader of Lord Ethean’s honor guard.
[End session 60]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 61 (March 13, 2014)

Skard 29

Kit wakes Alistair in the middle of the night:  "We have two urgent messages: first, the Duchess of Ergmoth is dead; second, one of my agents from Hanal reports that there’s been a coup in Hanal, Thyastis and her eldest daughter are dead, as are many of the high nobles.  The Archbishop of Hanal is under house arrest."

Kit’s agent is with Anastasia; they’re on their way to Enclaves in a voller, along with a strom. The Cov of Snatterkaz has an army in Magdad, and they’re preparing for a siege, but they don’t expect to be able to hold for very long.

When she arrives, Dame Brionna asks whether they have blocked teleportation into or out of Hanal; Kit doesn’t know.

Alistair hypothesizes that the death of the Duchess of Ergmoth triggered the coup and the assassinations; but the timing doesn’t work, because the assassinations started before she died (when the emissaries of the First Mouth were recalled).

Reports on the death of the Duchess of Ergmoth: the redactor arrived, but was unable to save her. She cannot be raised.

Brionna raises the question of whether the Council can get access to the secrets of the Duchess of Ergmoth.

Brionna also asks about the current status of the hobbits. The Council speculates about whether that may have been the Order of the Ram targeting Gunnorans.

Brionna also notes that prior interactions indicated only two daughters, with a civil war necessarily ensuing if the elder died and Anastasia did not return.

Alistair concentrates on trying to remember the geneology and family history of Thyastis; he has conflicting, fuzzy memories, alternating between 2 or 3, despite his detailed knowledge of the Hanalian royal family. Also, as he thinks about this, the Noldar and Eldar anti-mind control wards in the palace walls trigger.  

The Council sends for the Grandmaster Farsensor, who tells us that the middle daughter of Thyastis was horribly deformed and died almost immediately after birth.

They ask him about what could have caused changed memories throughout the world.  "It could not be done psionically—if it were, the runes would fully protect. Two kinds of mind magic would be possible: domain magic, cast a long time ago, and allowed to spread; high level divine magic, which can affect human minds heavily. The domain magic could take several years to implement."

"Who would be capable of casting domain magic like that?"

The Grandmaster Farsensor answers one of the great elves; powerful fae lords; major demons, especially cambions.

"So, a century old archmage cambion of imperial blood born of a demon lord, with a major sacrifice?"

"Easily, and with a major sacrifice, it might be faster, or even project backwards in time."

The Grandmaster Farsensor offers to consult with the Archmage advisor to the Queen of Singing Leaves; it may not be possible to break the enchantment, though he can (and does) protect the Council themselves.

"What about with the Eldar and Noldar artifacts of memory stabilization?  Could those break the enchantment?"

"Likely yes, but you might have to choose--restoring the lost memories of your mother might not be compatible with using them to affect this."

The Council orders the Archivist and Kit’s scribe to find when the first written records of the middle daughter of Thyastis start showing up; also, they’re supposed to report (and not correct) any obvious errors.

Dame Brionna stays focused on her core duties of protection.  "Can Alistair be erased or forgotten?" 

"No.  He is linked to the Land; the Land knows him."

"What about Caitlyn?"

"The Land knows her as well. The Land does not, however, know the two of you."

"How can they be protected?"

"Kit would be known to the Land when she becomes gravid." (There’s some sputtering about this.) "As for Brionna—drinking some Earth Blood from the Tor."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 61, cont'd]
They recall the redactor so they can find out what happened.

The Council then goes to find out about the various successions of Ergmoth, and the Ecumenical representative of Paranswarm comes in, with various elaborately bound scrolls. [Attached]

"The Grand Duchess does have pups, but they are very young, though of the blood of her late husband. The oldest is 8 years from reaching the age of 14, when he would be permitted to take the throne himself."

* * *

Turning back to Hanal... Tang might be able to break the blockade—we discuss reaching out to the Aquatic elves to break the blockade.

Grandmaster Farsensor says that the Council have individually had the spell psionically suppressed. When they mention the false daughter, the spell attempts to reassert itself. No name is ever applied to her, weirdly.  The Council warns Grandmaster Farsensor that they will try to assassinate him; he decides to start carrying his blades.

The scribes report that this was immediately before the armies started moving towards Seachen.

Among the powerful demons, their names are guarded jealously—both names and use names.

The Council contacts the leader of Northern Aurelian to arrange to have Anastasia’s memory fixed.

Kit contacts her agent in Princess Anastasia’s company.

“The whole thing is bizarre. You know she always struck the nobility as insane. Name? Name? But then suddenly a large group of the nobility rose in her support to overthrow her mother. Not that Thyastis didn’t deserve killing, but … Horrible, horrible.”

“Any patterns among them? Faith, region?”

“Many of the nobles are less faithful than the people. These were among the less faithful. Not heretical or apostate, but… But that’s not the worst of it. I believe the Inquisitor General of Northern Drucien has been put to death. A mob took the Archbishop’s palace. The Archbishop is under house arrest, but I believe the Inquisitor General was killed. The people were riotous, almost feral. Only some of them seemed to have directions, however. But the people were never starving, there was no reason for riots. But the nobles have direction—they seek to elevate the second daughter.”

“What symptoms did the middle daughter have?”

“Rages, she would fly into such rages. She killed dozens of her ladies-in-waiting in the last several months. That’s strange… the rages must have started in the last several months. Before that she was something of a non-entity.”

<<Do we tell her?>>

<<Not yet>> replies Alistair.

“She was said to bathe in blood, in human blood. She was rumored to have had liaisons with strange men, not of the royalty or nobility, not of the Green, certainly not of the Red—she hated the Red. We thought that she might be very religious, because the Red have their strange devotion to the Sun, tolerated by the Church. The Vad of the Northern Isles was the only Vad to back her—mostly stroms, some palans, a few covs.

"Snatterkaz has drawn their army away, but Magdag will fall, and he has no time to repair the walls or gather food for the people. There seems to be a struggle among the voller commanders, although the navy sided with the middle daughter as soon as the Empress died."

Alistair suggests (through Kit) that they see if the Zorplona-Argoni are willing to accept mercenary work.

"I cannot remember her name—but I remember the name of her, it must have been her twin, but she only lived a few years. The daughter who died was Theodora. It was the last humane thing that Thyastis ever did—she named her Theodora and tried to keep her alive. After she died, and she had Anastasia, she became the crazed evil tyrant we all know."

Kit tells her, and she screams. The Council worry that they’ve broken her mind.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 61, cont'd]
Kit contacts Snatterkaz.

Magdag had been stripped except of its population by its prior lord. I have no idea what he did with the wealth that should have been there.

We need food, but we will be blockaded within days. There was no resistance in the navy.

Have you got clergy with you? Yes. I couldn’t get the Archbishop out, but I have some clergy. Kit starts planning an airdrop of scrolls of create food and water, Murlynd’s spoons, etc.

When is a good time to contact you? Until they begin assaulting the walls, night time is best.

The Red in the city have all been taken to her, and are being tortured to death. The people will rise up against her because of that.

Are there any hobbits still left in Hanal? There are—there are not many. And her forces are targeting a specific group, mostly hobbit, not all—the midwives.

Lady Constance joins us.

We describe the very basics of the Hanal situation. She twists a ring, and a winged creature appears. “I compel you, who rules in Hanal in Thyastis’s place?” “It is the Seducer.” “Does the Seducer have a name?” “Not known to the Courts of Hell.” “The Handmaiden to the Queen of Chaos?” “Never captured, never slain.” She was once called Philodona; wife of Beliar, an Archduke of Hell, but she turned traitor to him, joined the Queen of Chaos in the Abyss. When she was overthrown, I presumed her slain. But her name is too old, too separated to have power. She will be accompanied by between 2 and 6 incubi; and a group of radiant children. She will use them—she is a mighty spellcaster, on the level of one of the great elves.

Does she need to bathe in blood or is it just an affectation? She doesn’t need to, but it strengthens her spells greatly. Historically, she used the blood of males who…

Does the title “the Seducer” have power over her? Titles have no power over demons.

Use names do, but they take years of use to develop.

The name of the figure that she’s posing as would have no power over her, but might allow scrying.

The Seducer is more powerful than Malacat, in any event. But the succubi left her service willingly. Some of her spells, especially her bardic ones—she has a mass seduction spell that will affect an entire city. Also rumored to be able to take a male form. Could possibly have been the cambion figure. No grimoire records it certainly, but it would appear likely that she could only obtain the form of someone with whom she has coupled.

You know the reasons for the binding of the Queen of Chaos? There are several, but there is a belief among some of the greatest diabolists, not necessarily practitioners but scholars, but the other demons discovered that she was negotiating with the Old Ones, but that triggered the rebellion, for it frightened them so greatly, but she was bound and not destroyed because they could not destroy her, because she had gained an extra-demonic power.

The good thing is that their grand plan must be fully screwed. The first plan was of course Seachen. The second would surely be to replace Princess Anastasia. This would be the third plan.

The sacrifice for a domain spell that would affect us as a side effect—well, perhaps if they pulled the energy of all of the adepts of the Ram.

She can be destroyed, but has always escaped. They both always made plans that were far too complex, her and her consort. The Ram was her consort. In her day, her female servitors were as fertile as his male ones. When her plans were defeated, she would flee.

Gunnora opposes her—never able to destroy her, but directly opposed to her corruption of fertility.

The Seducer is known for her mental influence beyond seduction; powerful as a caster, powerful as a bard at the highest levels of human, powerful in both rune and blood magic, and powerful in mind magic—but not psionics. She hates psions—they tend to not be corruptible by her.
[End Session 61]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 62 (April 10, 2014)

Skard 30

Alistair gets a message from the Noldar widow [Attached]

To do list:

Research Reds of Hanal—delegated to the Ministry of Magic, Foreign Ministry, and household bishop’s staff to prepare a report (marked urgent and highly confidential)
Talk to the Gunnorans about Hanal and all of this stuff; also about private matters involving Kit (which will be used as the cover story)
Talk to the Ecumenical Council, let them know what we know about Hanal
Arrange for resupply Snatterkaz via sea, presumably by aquatic elves; also air drops? Maybe not on the air drops because Hanal is the principal voller manufacturer on this continent
Reach out to Seachen to make sure that they don’t get infiltrated by people from Hanal (presumably through an intermediary—Lady Meredith the Dazzling of Northern Aurelian)
Talk to Lady Constance about the heresy of Osmosis. Also, ask her if she knows what demons and devils might be nervous about around Enclaves
Talk to Grandmaster Farsensor about the half-dozen other threats that have been detected and deterred by the elder races.
Fulfill our roles in prophecy.
Figure out what the good artifact under Enclaves might be; delegated to the Ministry of Magic (marked as highly confidential)
The Council also gets a message from a Plar with a casualty report; among the Seachen, 1 in 5 is uninjured; among our people and allies, 1 in 9 is uninjured; 15 families of the Rakshasa were wiped out, including 8 of the Glordiadelian. [If there was a written version of this with more details, it's lost.]

The Council gives orders to fill the holds of the new sky navy with healers, clerics, redactors, and conventional healing supplies, and send them south.

We reach out to Lady Meredith; after speaking with the Scintillating, we are put through to Lady Meredith. "If she could unify Hanal under her rule, do you know how many men they would have under arm? The only power on the continent could challenge them numerically is Masque. But I do not see what she could do with that army. If they came that way, Lady Deborah, myself, and the Lady of Curinirim would stop them." They have hundreds of submersibles—Kit identifies that as a possible way to reach the issues at sea.

Lady Meredith says that between herself, Lady Deborah, and the Princess of the Curinirim they should be able to restore Anastasia.

Lady Deborah is the public face of the Hidden Enclave, but it is an elven Enclave. Very odd.

The servants of the Old Ones are not very mobile. It is possible that they simply want the mobility resources of Hanal. But Lady Meredith will reach out to the Seachen with the warning.

"It is the Hoard of Ashaleon you are seeking. If he is truly a being, I do not believe he could have left his Hoard, or that he could be reasoned with. He was at one time an Archangel, but he was given duty, and he did his duty, and the items he guarded drove him mad. Supposedly, there are creatures of both dark and light, chaos and law, that guard the complex, but it is Ashaleon’s illusions, first and foremost that guard the way. He was a servant of Glordiadel in the early years."

The Council then sends for Grandmaster Farsensor. He is in a surprisingly good mood. "I have been walking in the garden, and the shoot that was left by the Princess has opened. You have a Lothlorian tree growing in your garden. In a couple hundred years, it will be a tree."

The Council talks about the other threats. 

"Yes, they were deterred, and yes, they might return when the elders depart. The Lord of Tentacles is a sea lord, he came through a gate hole around the end of the Second Age, give or take, and he thought that if he ate everything and extended his tentacles, he could consume all this nice life. And then the Overqueen took notice, and a group of us wielded the power of Eiru the Creator and spanked him. He might return, but while a power, he was handleable."

"What would humans need to defeat something like that?"

"Very powerful domain magic, prepared over the course of some time. Aboleths and illithids were his leftovers—he did not create the illithids, but they did serve him, and he did create the Aboleths. If they devour younger races, and eat their thoughts, they’re probably connected to him, although none of them remember it any more." 

"We would be grateful for your notes."

"There are some others—a Devourer, a female who could open her mouth bigger than her body, more of an Archdemon than a Godling—the Noldar took her out, I’m not sure she survived. She started eating their servants.

"There’s another one who left some pieces behind—they’re still looking for him. The Lord of Beholders. He set up a whole structure, but we finally put our foot down, and forced him out of this dimension, but by then there were too many colonies of them, so we basically drove them into the Underdark and ignored them.

"Some of them are turning to good as well. It takes a while, but once they realize their god is gone, they can start turning to the light. That would weaken them once they return.

"Then there was the Shadow Lord. I’m not sure he was ever fully driven out, but he never achieved the place he sought. He tried to ally with Lolth, but it didn’t work out, and the Noldar didn’t tolerate it.

"The other two—I don’t recall at all. It was in the early days of the world, when the world teemed with life."

"Who would remember it?"

"An Eldron. Do you know about the Kinslaying? It tore the world apart, ripped asunder our very identity, our knowledge, our memories. I do not believe that there are many of the early comers, the First or Second, who truly believe that their side is justified, but they cannot go back. Memory was one of the things that was lost, and that may be a good thing. The Lady of Pain is an example of someone who did not forget what she should have.

"Arthranax is foreign to our plane, and our planar neighborhood (as is Sytry). They could not drive him forth once he returned. It cost the Eldar race more than you will ever appreciate to keep him reduced to what he is. We blocked him from fully coming in, but he could never be driven forth."

The Princess has cleansed the city of all cancers, of cholera, and other things. The average lifespan of the city has probably been extended by 30 years. Also, she left behind a decanter of endless water.

He then opens a connection to the aquatic elves. He refers to Kit as “future Regent of the heir” while making introductions. The Council warns the elves about the submersibles, and ask them to supply Magdad. They promise to do so, in exchange for weapons. There are 12 hands of hands of hands of hands of hands of hands in the city. There are many schools of fish. We can supply them for several months. The sharkboats have not moved yet, and there are 60 hands of them. We cannot effectively attack them, but they cannot stop us.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 62, cont'd]
Aunt Cecilia arrives with two midwifes, the hobbit the Council knows and a human they don’t. Dame Brionna excuses herself.

Alistair and Kit discuss Kit’s family planning with the midwives of Gunnora.

The Council then discuss Hanal with them. The first of Thyastis’s line ended the great war, some thousand years ago after two-hundred years of conflict between the great noble houses (the Green) and the peasantry (the Reds). She brought in the support of many devils, who strengthened the Iron Legions, and they decimated the human and the hobbit populations. Many theologians would argue that Hanal has never been properly Paranswarmian, though it holds onto it because it holds onto anything they can get their claws into. The nobles of Hanal swore unto Paranswarm as lord of the devils, like the SHH writ large. Every 16 years, they engage in a bloodletting—sacrificing a male child from each noble family, usually a second son. The bloodletting is a reaffirmation of the alliance between Hanal and the devil lords. It is not something that the temple of Paranswarm as a whole is willing to countenance, but it is also not something that they are willing to forbid, because it would cost them the country. There are tens of millions in the countryside and the cities that do not follow the Green. The Red is still very much alive, and it is a mix of bastardized Glordiadelianism and bastardized Gunnora worship. They fear that without the ability to call on legions of bearded devils to reinforce the Iron Legions, the Red could rise and overthrow the Green. Thyastis believed in her youth that through kindness and benevolence she could win over the common people, without preserving the pact with the devils. She resolved to not offer up her child. When her child was born as she was, and she could not save her, she concluded that the devils were more powerful than the gods.

Snatterkaz and Anastasia are different—they are of the Reds, though it is a great secret.

The primary pacts are recorded in the Great Library of Hanal. They were with Dispater, lord of the second hell. The secondary pacts are not recorded, and are between the noble families with other devils.

The military families form a secondary caste, below the nobility but privileged and well taken care of. Well paid, and with their dependents provided for if they are killed. They are by and large loyal true Paranswarmians.

If you wish, I could see if the old midwife to Thyastis, an old hobbit now, driven forth to Enclaves but not slain, could come here. The Council asks her to.

Would the devils tolerate the dealing with the demons? That is beyond my knowledge of diabolism.

We speculate that a formal interdict and endorsement of Anastasia by the Church of Paranswarm might split the military caste from their masters—at least if they knew about it.

Do the sacrifices skew the gender ratios in Hanal? Yes, as females are only sacrificed if there are no males available, and more females are born in Hanal than males already. That contributes to the strange marital practices in Hanal—more than one of the great houses has multiple ladies with a single husband.

Thyastis was a warrior queen, no theologian and no mage, though powerful in the field. She personally commanded her legions in several battles, fighting in the front. But I do not know that she would have known the difference between a demon and a devil—likely not. There may have been a motive beyond her madness, her blaming the Gunnorans and persecuting all hobbits as Gunnorans.
[End Session 62]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 63 (April 24, 2014)

31 Skard

Dame Brionna receives a report.  [Attached]. There’s an elven warschooner protecting 3 injured and unarmed air vessels coming out of Hanal, pursued by a full squadron of Hanalian warships. The elven warschooner expects to be destroyed to enable the fleeing vessels to reach our border.

The council send pages to summon military leaders. Field Marshal Brightspan responds.

"One question is whether the elves meant an elven squadron of 6 or a Hanalian squadron of 20."

"Could they be stopped effectively?"

"Historically, every one of their ships has a mage on board, with a special helm that can increase their maneuverability and maintain a magical shield against energy. Psionics would be more effective—Hanal has long purged psions. They have a few nulls, but no other psionic defenses."

The council sends out for Grandmaster Farsensor, who is having breakfast and feeding the trees. They ask him if Singing Leaves has a coercer who could dissuade the pursuing squadron; he says that the gray elves have several grandmaster coercers, though no paragons. That should be sufficient.

During the battle in the Southlands, one of the people who was contacted began frothing and collapsed when the Farsensor contacted him. He shows the council a picture of an officer, a colonel or so. There is a disease—epilepsy—that could be triggered.

The Hanalian squadron, 20 warships, diverts based on an incorrect understanding of where the fleeing forces are going—the coercer makes them think that the fleeing ships are heading towards some of Canberry's strongest fortifications.

There is a wounded priest of some significance on the fleeing ships—the council presumes that that’s the Archbishop.

They send for the Paranswarmian representative to Canberry's court. They tell him that they need to contact the Baroness Mandrath. He shatters an object and opens a connection. The council tells the Baroness of their belief about the Archbishop. She tells them that she has a report that the Inquisitor General’s entourage in Hanal has also been slain. The council tells her that the Pretender is a demonic imposter and that the actual middle sister is dead. The Council and First Mouth are also considering deploying the five field armies that usually defend the Holy See. There is also concern that it may be necessary to place the entire country under permanent interdict and struck from the list of theocracies. Alistair suggests that the knightly and military classes might still be loyal to the Temple of Paranswarm, and might follow the call of the Temple to oppose the high nobility and royalty. She says that they might receive a call to a crusade. 

Alistair also makes a pitch for authorizations by the Temple to cooperate with the Glordiadelians among the common people, stressing that the Glordiadelians are not trying to move in on their territory but would be able to support if that were acceptable. She suggests that moving Hanal into a territory jointly administered by Law would be superior in her view to the chaos that might otherwise ensue, but that the First Mouth and Council will have to make a decision.

Dame Brionna sends a message to the commander of the fort, telling them to expect the arrival of wounded people.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 63 cont'd; an extra long post to make up for the missed post on Wednesday, when I got confused about what day of the week it was...]

The Council asks Dame Constance about the Heresy of Osmosis.

"It’s a heresy among the daemons, mostly the lesser ones but some arcanaloths; Morgroth tolerates it, or at least seems amused by it."

"Are the daemons Morgrothian, then?" 

"Perhaps 1 out of 20 explicitly acknowledges it, but they are connected to him—his Noldar wizards can summon and bind them with extraordinary ease. There are experimenters among them, and they have discovered natural processes, including Osmosis and Phagocytosis. Some of the less enlightened daemons decided that these principles, Osmosis and Phagocytosis, were actually gods and deserved worship. It is bizarre and primitive cult behavior, and the two factions tear each other apart. And no one sane deliberately summons a member of either group for binding, except for the powerful Noldar. But they are much more ferocious than normal daemons of their kind. No human has ever succeeded in binding one, but a few have been gifted a few."

"Including, apparently, us. We can call on a special force of Heretics of Osmosis (20 Yugodaemons, commanded by the Arcanadaemon Chronazon), as a gift from Lady Leansilas."

"He’s rather famous," says Dame Constance. "I believe that he was the commander of the daemons in service to Morgroth on the Fields of Blood northeast of Krashmere."

The Council then asks about how the devils would respond to finding out that the pretender to the throne of Hanal is a demon and in league with demons. She says they wouldn’t like it, but how they would react would depend on the bindings, on the exact terms of the infernal contracts. 

"Could it invalidate the pacts?"

"For lesser devils, no, depending on how tightly the pacts were drawn. For a Duke, perhaps. Dispater, though, would be highly displeased, unless he could find a way to use it to his advantage. He is the cleverest of the archdevils except for the lord of the Nine. He is loyal enough to the principles of law that if there were no advantage, he would oppose chaos, but he could work with chaos for his own advantage."

---
The day passes. The night passes uneventfully as well!

1 Tar-Skard:
The Grandmaster Farsensor joins the Council at breakfast at a civilized time. The flight commander informs the Council that his medical officer has been able to help several people, including the Archbishop of Hanal, and the Kov of Stilwart, a small mountainous territory internal to Hanal where they grow a great many wine grapes. His primary export was wine; there’s still some on the ships. The Kov’s lands have presumably been seized; he may also lose some of his limbs, but at least he’s stable now. They should arrive around evening.

Talk to Lady Constance about why demons and devils are nervous around Enclaves. "There is a powerful emanation from somewhere within or near the City. It discomfits them. Some do still operate there, but some also go missing—some demons. I believe they are destroyed. Most practitioners believe that the emanation is from Northern Aurelian, but that is not true."

"Could an Archangel produce an emanation with those effects?"

"It could. And that would explain why the demons go missing and not the devils—angels are more inimical to demons than devils.

An Archangel would not be bindable. It could likely not be banished either. The best approach would likely be to distract him, so their agents can recover what they want.  The agents cannot fight him—even the Champion would likely not be able to best him.

He is almost certainly placebound—unable to move more than 2 to 5 miles, unless more than half his hoard were removed.

Kit asks, is it possible that the counterbalancing force of good is the Archangel itself? He is a force of good for sure, if it is simply a balance of forces, but if it is a balance between artifacts, likely not.

That evening, a balding, rotund man rushes up. “Message, your grace.”

An image of a rough looking middle-aged man, in a kettle shaped helmet appears. “Your Grace. We’ve got twenty ships directly across the border from us. They’ve set down a thousand marines, and demanded that we turn over the refugees we don’t have.”

The Council tells them to inform the Hanalians that the refugees have been granted asylum and will not be discharged; not to initiate conflict, but if they attack, to defeat them.

Dame Brionna sends a sending to warn them to be wary of demonic or diabolic magic.

2 Tar-Skard:
Among the documents to be signed is a sealed letter from the Hanalian ambassador requesting an audience. The Council grants the audience, but have an image of Alistair projected, and Aunt Cecilia present.

A man in very elegant greens, with incongruous and partially hidden bandages appears, prostrates himself and crawls towards the throne.

“Your Grace, I requested this on an emergency basis. We received orders to depart the Court of Canberry and to return to Hanal. I request permission for my wife and son to remain in Canberry.”

“It is the position of the Archduchy of Canberry that Princess Anastasia is the rightful Empress, that when her elder two sisters and mother died, she became the Empress. You are thus welcome to remain as ambassador.”

"That may explain why there was a different messenger, with an ecclesiastical message. He was pursued by a demon, who ripped him apart as he passed the wards that protect the embassy. My guards were also ripped apart, but I defeated the demon personally." 

The Council arranges for the messenger’s body to be spoken with via Speak with Dead. We also arrange for the priest to report.

“The messenger was intended to inform the ambassador that the Temple was going to recognize Anastasia and that they believe that the present Empress is a traitor to the Temple. Apparently, the young man was quite devout. The chapel in the embassy was immaculate. He has a house priest—sort of. A very young military chaplain.”

The same balding gentleman reappears. “The officer wishes to report again.”

“Your grace, they haven’t crossed the border. But they have set up an encampment on the other side of it. The ships are the bigger threat, but they’re just sitting there. Their officers seem unsure about what to do.”

They don’t seem to have a fleet admiral with them—the highest rank we’ve seen is a commodore. They seem—disorganized.

Later that day, the Grandmaster Farsensor joins the Council again. "The Flight Captain’s men have looked at the ship, now that they’re landed in your territory. There’s little they can do to repair them. The fortress where they’ve landed will never withstand an attack. It’s ill maintained, ill supplied, and with a small garrison (although a disciplined garrison)." He asked if Canberry could open a gate to move the refugees.

The Council asks Dame Constance—she says that she should be able to maintain the gate for 40 minutes, which should be enough to move both the wounded and the regular troops.

Grandmaster Farsensor suggests asking the Queen of Singing Leaves to send a man-of-war to reinforce the castle. It should be there by tomorrow evening.

Dame Constance gates them through-the Kov, the Archbishop, the Kov’s family, and his closest retainers. The Archbishop is badly injured; the Kov is likely to lose a leg. The Council sends the Minister of the Mind, who is a redactor; he takes a novice and a cask of skin and sinks the Kov into it. The Archbishop requests a discussion with the Glordiadelian Archbishop, and thanks Canberry for sanctuary.
* * *
The Council also speaks to the redactor who they sent to treat the Grand Duchess. 

"There might have been someone of sufficient power to still help her, but if there was, it wasn’t me. There was blood penetrating the brain tissue. I believe an elf—a paragon or grandmaster—could have saved her, but I am neither. She had been mauled, and touched by an abomination that could not achieve its normal result. She was mauled in the form of a wolf, and someone struck her a blow that damaged her skull and blood ran into her brain. The elves knew this, and said that they needed to take her. But her entourage refused. I could probably have kept her body alive, but I could not save her mind. So I said that it was too late to save her."
[End session 63]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 64 (May 29, 2014)

Tar-Skard 3
Dame Brionna gets a semi-urgent message after breakfast. [Attached.] Alistair and Kit continue “working to fulfill the prophecy” before joining her.

Commander Strawberry tells us that we’re getting refugees on our northern border from refugees to the west of Enclaves. They appear to be fleeing from Hanalian cavalry pushing towards Enclaves.

Canberry's northern border appears to be under attack from poorly led and even more poorly equipped orcs and goblins.

Commander Strawberry is heading to the northern border via gate with the intention of questioning the refugees as they arrive. His second in command, Dame Esmerelda of the Screaming Oak, is a convert to the worship of Glordiadel from the witches of Borsh’tro. She has gone to Enclaves to investigate there.

His third in command, Sir Neville Moor, is fanatically loyal but not necessarily perfectly objective.

The Council all agree that the fact that this was not delivered to Dame Brionna adequately is a bad sign.

Kit thinks this represents a change in Commander Strawberry’s behavior, and thus thinks that he’s been compromised. Roughly a fortnight ago, he was incapacitated by the giant rune to the Mother of Hordes that they tried to set up.

Dame Brionna reaches out to Bishop Waters (he’s gotten his episcopal ordination) to find out more about Dame Esmerelda’s conversion, reliability, etc.

Kit reaches out to her Finger on Commander Strawberry’s staff.

The Council sends for Sir Neville. He’s very young, and a political appointee—he’s a cousin of Alistair's, although not one who shows up on official family trees.

Commander Strawberry has not seemed himself since his injury. Seemed muddled, unable to think clearly, distracted. He was a mentor to Sir Neville, and previously very competent, both smart and skilled with a blade, although they have quarreled since the injury because of some of Commander Strawberry’s decisions.  The letter, though apparently in his hand, is in fact written by a scribe mimicking his hand.

"We have evidence that Commander Strawberry has been replaced with one of the Seen Unseen."

Dame Esmerelda was sent to check for bandits in the Fallen Enclave in the North by Zorplona Aragoni and Northern Aurelian, with a very small team, as well as to assume command of all operations in Enclaves (military intelligence has a variety of teams in place). When Kit, Alistair, and Dame Brionna were in Enclaves, that Fallen Enclave was considered the second most dangerous place in Enclaves to go for those who weren’t from there.

The Council has Bishop Waters send a Sending to her, countermanding Strawberry’s orders; she replies “too late” and something attacks.

The Council contacts Princess Curinirim. She says that Gothmir fell because of a Balrog, who dwells beneath it. The Balrog is battling an Archon. Balrogs are younger cousins of Morgroth; Archons are the inadvertent offspring of Eiru. The Council asks her to rescue their people. She sends a group of her drow, with an arcanadaemon, and another servant (probably a yugoloth or devil). They make contact, and fight an adeptus of tentacles. Her drow get the best of it, but the arcanadaemon falls. (She plans for sacrifices to summon a new arcanadaemon.) "We have them. I will meet them in the outer hall—the vision will follow."

The Council sees a vision.  There is a dejected bundle of tentacles with a small innermost body, being held by three drow. Commander Strawberry is there—and clearly actually a Seen-Unseen. Dame Esmerelda is alive, but has been tortured—they put her in skin. They can transport her back to Canberry's arrival chamber.

The two corporals are alive; they were relieved without explanation and sent away with pay. [This refers to the second document of this session, also attached; I'm not sure how the Council got this, whether Sir Neville had it or they found it by searching Strawberry's office or what.]

The Council find the documents in the safe, an actual forgery of Alistair's hand ordering him back to duty. It was done by an expert forger—sufficiently good that Alistair thinks he wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

Alistair tells Kit that a master forger has committed high treason, and the Guild needs to clean house.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 64, cont'd]
Kit goes to talk to the Guild. The Guildmaster says that he suspects Jerrit the Ferret is the most likely suspect—good enough to do that work, and then desperate for money. He has a drinking problem, so he can’t hold a job with the merchant houses. Also, he might be hooked on a certain brown powder.   "We don’t like the krff coming in, but we think it’s coming in from the West, with the farm trains—it’s a new source, not the old network. Coming in on market days. Not the quality of the other stuff either, and some of the bricks are glowing. They probably have something else. Huey, the guild mage, said he thinks it’s meant to magically influence folks. Not the folk that use it, but the folk that are near them, come across the bits of it. Funny thing, though, you can’t grow it in the area that it’s coming from. Someone’s transshipping it through the west."

Kit has people stake out Jerrit the Ferret so he can’t run, but not to bring him in until she talks to Huey.

Dame Brionna talks to the corporals (after checking that their blood is right). 
"Krff reappeared 13 days ago, and it was being given away, to anyone who would take it. We were picking up 50 people in a week, and then 50 people in the next week, so we wanted to show it to Dame Esmerelda." They saw the krff, with the weirding, because they have the sight.

"Did you pick up anyone associated with the nobility, or the priests, the guards, or anyone with magic?"

"We don’t patrol in the upper city, but no."

* * *
The Guildmaster returns with Huey, who is bonkers but good at magic. Kit meets him with Lady Constance.

"The new krff is an absolute abomination, just terrible. For the people who use it, normal effects. For the people who come into contact with it, connected to the dromora. Dromora are an elder demon of a particular type. That’s the signature that comes off it, and I followed one of the sparkly bits into the ether, and there it was, sitting there in the Astral, leering down. It whispers constantly, continuously. Most of the people who hear it will eventually go mad. A few of them will come under its influence." 

"Who commands these things?"

Huey (who thinks he’s Alonzo) has some of the old grimoires, but doesn’t summon such things. "Don’t summon anything but cats. The summoners, though… the blood sacrifice to one of the old ones, one of the unmentionable ones, one of the ones you don’t name… HER!"

(Lady Constance confirms that that’s a reference to the Goddess of the Pale Bone.)

Lady Constance: "I know that we’re moving away from the Locus, but had they been a little more patient… once the situation resolved itself in the Spicelands, the Locus, the possibility of an empire destroying event, is receding. But the leftovers are still very dangerous. Had they been more patient, and built up for another two years, I think they could have succeeded. They must have underestimated you, your grace, since Canberry is the only empire that could have opposed them, except for Masque, and what can be said about Masque?"

 "And we believe Masque is compromised," adds Kit

"They no longer stand a chance to bring her through, in my opinion. This may be an attempt to do as much damage as possible before the gates recede."

"On another matter... Could an Archangel be mistaken for an Archon by the Noldar?"

"The Eldar and Noldar see through their own lens. They are incredibly powerful, although the ones you have met are all young by their standards, except the Princess, and she is so sheltered. Neither of those groups tend to look beneath the surface with beings such as that. So if an Archangel believed itself to be an Archon, only a priestess of Eiru would be able to see through."

"Could an Archangel match itself against a balrog?"

"An Archangel could not stand up to Gothmog, or the Prince of the Cities of Pain. But a normal Balrog? Yes; I could see it.  If you remove the artifact, the Archangel (if it is drawing power from it) would not survive long against a Balrog. A Balrog could not threaten Enclaves. It would go to ground—that’s what 19 of the other 20 released in recent years have done, and the 20th was killed."

Kit's people bring in Jerrit the Ferret.
[End Session 64]


----------



## Quartz

Was 'Goddess of the Pale Bone' a lift from Empire of the Petal Throne?


----------



## CPaladin

Yup, absolutely.  A bunch of what I'll describe as the demonology of Aphonion is derived from Tekumel materials.  The DM occasionally runs EPT one shots and has some stories about playing with MAR Barker back in the day (at cons and things, not in his regular games).

I'm not sure whether in Aphonion's story the Goddess of the Pale Bone came from Tekumel's neighborhood of planes before reaching Aphonion's, or whether she was just taken as an element to incorporate into Aphonion's world design.


----------



## CPaladin

Session 65 (June 12, 2014)

4 Tar-Skard
Kit meets with the Guildmaster in the same room in the palace with the screen and voice altering magic to interrogate Jerrit the Ferret. They bring in Jerrit, by a group of bruisers.

“So, Ferret. I hear you’ve taken some interesting jobs lately.”

“Yes… I always have interesting jobs.”

“Do you know the one I’m thinking of?”

“They came in the middle of the night. They didn’t ask me—they told me. Group of three of them. Biggest one was a wererat, I think. One faceless man—he creeped me out. I’ve dealt with wererats before. Just smooth skin on his face where there should have been features. The third one was just muscle—he used to sell his service, before the Archduke came. I said it was stupid—no one would believe it without the seal—but they said to just write it, and that everyone would believe it when they were done. Master told me to learn the hand—he used to work in the palace. He was Gavin—to us he was Gavin the Fox, don’t know what his name was here. He was a scribe here—no one knew he did other business. Or maybe she did.

"They said they could make it work, but they knew how, but that I knew the hand.”

“Who else knew you could do this hand?”

“No one alive. Just Gavin, but he’s been dead for a while.”

“Afterwards, what did you do?”

“Nothing—but they let my sister go. She lived in the flat above me…. They had the real paper, the right paper even. I couldn’t remember the name after I finished—like they had erased it from my mind.  You don’t think somehow… Gavin’s alive? I went to his funeral.”

“When did he die?”

“Not long before the Archduchess. But dead’s dead!”

“So they tell me,” Kit says wryly.

“The muscle, if he’s local, we’ll find him.”

“I can tell you his haunts.”

“You’ll do that. And then we’ll keep your sister safe. The muscle, you tell us where to find him, and we’ll find him.”

“I thought they’d wiped out all of the wererats, but he were one, sure as I’m telling you. They have a certain stink to them. But he was a big one, bigger than most of them, 6’3” or 6’4”, carried a big hand and a half sword over his shoulder, a big sword, and I think he had chain on, though he had leather over it. But they both yielded all the time to that faceless one. And you could feel when he was looking at you, even though he had no eyes to look. It was like he could look into your mind, but no one can do that.”

“Did the wererat seem local?”

“No, he had a southerly accent. Most of my work has been for people coming from the south. But this? This could be thought of as treason. At the time, I had more focus than I’ve ever had in my life. I could only think of one letter at a time. It was only afterwards that I thought about it.”

Kit sends him out of the room, and sends the guards to secure the sister.

“There have been some rumors among the gutterrunners, the lowest thieves, of someone moving through the passages and not being there. A few weeks—I marked it up to getting a new crop and them being shaky.”

"What about the other that Jerrit mentioned?"

"I’m pretty sure I know who the muscle is. We’ll bring him in.”

“Thank you, Guildmaster. I know you want to keep a clean city as much as I do.”

“I know this Gavin. Best damn forger I’d ever seen. He worked for the Mouth. I can’t imagine him grooming the Ferret. Although if he weren’t a drunk…”
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 65, cont'd]
The Council discusses the matter; they presumably have a traitor among the royal scribes—the paper, the seal—too many things that indicate access to the royal scriptorium. The Privy Secretary was corrupt, with unseelie ancestry.

The faceless one could be a sluaghe—they’re rare, but they can make themselves look like anything, but if they’re not fascinated by something, then they look like nothing. They are the ultimate devotees of eradication and oblivion among the unseelie—not as well known as the unseelie sidhe or redcaps. Each sluaghe pursues its goals in its own way—groups are almost never seen. The sluaghe’s greatest failing is that they never make simple plans—they love byzantine and complex plans.

The Council checks whether the Privy Secretary had any siblings or other relatives. Does have a distant cousin, serving in the city of Enclaves, but no other recorded family. Her cousin served as a Secretary to the Glordiadelian Bishop.

The Council plans to have Aunt Cecilia check the scribes; the Tor to hunt the sluaghe; and the skaven to deal with the wererat/skaven; Kit is also to talk to her scribe about how useful the Ferret would be.

"There is a messenger for the Archduke, from the most beautiful airship I've ever seen," reports a scribe. A dark elf officer, in a truly elaborate dress uniform, who has handed off his glass blade to a page, performs a ridiculously bow, and presents a platinum tube.

"I represent Sir Galeth Palantil of the Cadet House of Clenorim, and the party that has been sent by the lord of Aufalgautharim."

[letter attached]

The war sloop is completely made of black laen—anyone riding on it is completely immune to magic.

"The Aufalgautharim will not bestir himself from the City of Pain—especially not now. The King of Pain has not returned, and we believe that he has been destroyed. Perhaps by Morgroth in a fit of rage—they disagree from time to time. He may be a balrog of godlike power, but to Morgroth…"

Alistair invites Caitlyn to a private lunch in his private chambers.

She joins him. They have a very awkward conversation. 

After the conversation, they have Dame Brionna send for the Drow. Dame Brionna dresses up in a ridiculous Guard Captain outfit. Caitlyn receives them in her receiving room, with us there as her fiancé and company.

“I greet you in the name of Aufalgautharim. These are my bona fides.” They appear to be on etched glass.

“It’s speaking to me and describing him, and every exploit he’s done in the last 400 years.” Caitlyn is taken aback, but then accepts his service.

After they leave, “Many Hands? He reacted to you.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Do you know why?”

“Probably, Princess. My ancestors were fiddled with by the Goldorim. I think they were being cute. But I find my hands useful, and here I am.  We were discarded. We were intended to be more capable at rune magic—one of the few forms of magic the Noldar do not get that the Eldar do. But we were no more capable than they were. I believe that I am the last of my kind.”

Lord Goldorim is mad, as are many of his close family. Lady Goldorim has been dead for centuries, but three of the four he keeps close are insane, and the last may be, but is more benevolent. He directed that we all be killed because we were defective, but we were released instead. Even the other Noldar fear him—except perhaps Lord Aufalgautharim. Even the Bleeding Lady does not get near him. But he rarely takes interest in affairs outside of Krashmere any more.

When did he?

In the old days, after the Kinslaying. That’s when he went mad originally. I was taught, originally, entirely a matter of the Eldar doing in the Noldar, although I learned later much the other way around. He went mad, and began taking innocents and changing them. He used so many drow for experiments, that his own cadet houses fled in fear, and some others followed them. His treatment of slaves is unimaginable. It is said he may have killed his own wife, though they were life bonded. If that happened, it deepened his madness further.
[End session 65]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 66 (June 26, 2014)

5 Tar-Skard
Kit gets a morning report about a drow mercenary offering information for pay; currently in a safe house. [Attached]

Kit asks her scribe, Alonzo, who Lord Dillion was. He was evacuated from the near Underdark by Enclaves to this palace. He was the leader of a trade expedition to a Drowan city, and he discovered a flesheating cult of death worshippers. He became a little paranoiac, so he was evacuated. His entire band was killed, he was from Mandrath, I’m quite sure.

Also asks her scribe whether he could use a good forger; he says, yes, definitely, he has several, but could always use more.

Alistair asks Bishop Waters to curse Jerrit the Ferret with a curse that makes him become violently ill after drinking alcohol. He’s then sent over to Alonzo.

The Council has the Minister of Magic summon Ak’dravon, the drow mercenary captain. They verify his identity via young Lord Brightspan. He’s one of the grungier and more flea bitten dark elves Lord Brightspan has ever seen.

He’s flea bitten, but actually muscular, wearing a mix of drowan and dwarven armor, with a high glass shield off to one side.

"I’m captain of a small band of drowan mercenaries. I’ve been through hell, and you were the only people who I thought I could sell the information to. I was traveling through the Underdark with a medium sized caravan when we met a mixed group of humans, who were doing surprisingly well for the Underdark, and a group of demons. Not the demons from my home city, but demons nonetheless. They weren’t after us, we were just in the way, but they killed us anyway. They turned aside into the old south tunnel. We went into one of the way houses after escorting the merchants out, and creatures came after us. Not demons, not humans, not were, I’ve spent 80 years in the Underdark, but I don’t know what type of creatures they were. Two of my men and I escaped. Moriquendarim destroyed the creatures.

"Legend says that there was a shrine up the Southern tunnel. The energies that come out of that place, those alone can slay you. I went up that tunnel a little way, far enough to see the energies—the light, the darkness, the colors—you could smell it. And they went straight up that tunnel like a burst.

"I did bring this with me. He pulls out a small pouch that seemed very heavy and lays it on the table. The Moriquendarim captain didn’t mind that I took it."

The Southern tunnel runs to underneath the Fallen Enclave in the north of Enclaves.

"The demons were goat demons, bull demons, but mostly goat demons. And one great thing—I think it’s called a thrall-carrier, a great big thing. Each carries a casket, with either its summoner or a more intelligent demon on its back. But the enormous strength or power they can bring to bear if you need to break something down, enormous. But if your concentration lapses for a second, just a second, my brother used to say, they’ll have killed five innocents or collapsed a building. That’s why they’re banned.

"You start to change if you get too close to the magical energy. They have no Noldar among them, and without that they would be changed.

"Didn’t perceive a creature there, but it was shaking—almost an earthquake, but not quite. A terrible thing in the Underdark.

"I will offer my maps, and my guiding skills to the group that you be sending. If we survive, then I dinnae ever want to return to the Underdark." (The Council promises that if they succeed he’ll be granted knightly rank and an appropriate position.)

He pulls out a head, clearly dead, with a silvery sheen over the flesh. Very gradually as we watch, it continually changes shape, just a little.

“You notice how it could almost be our cousin, but not quite? It almost looks like an elf, but not quite. Unseelie fae do you think?”

"Did you keep any treasure or trophies when you fought your way through?"

"Only a few things." He drops one in front of the Council (that he says he doesn’t want to sell), "and this that I probably will sell". The other thing is a huge plate, cut out of mother of pearl, with runic markings. The first one is a strange, shapechanging metal map, hanging from a chain of adamantium.

Alistair studies the “map” and gets a vision of small colored nodes, almost like a map, and then he basically gets a mind filled with a blast of colors. The small colored nodes rearrange themselves, and Alistair believes that that is the actual physical configuration of the area around the target changing.

Dame Brionna’s page reports that the front gate is under assault.

We tell Ak’dravon to put the map back in an extraplanar space, tell the guards to move him to a different secure location, and then Alistair and Caitlyn get sent to separate secure areas.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 66, cont'd]
Two figures, both with silver sheens over their shifting monstrous features, are attacking the front gate. One of them is advancing on the gate, holding a long high glass sword that seems to be shifting in and out of reality. The other is just concentrating, but probably holding the gates open psionically. Dame Brionna orders the guards to dump the holy water cauldrons over the wall. It misses the warrior, but hits the psion squarely, who gives out a psionic shriek.

Kit calls to Grandmaster Farsensor, asking him to go to the gate, and then calls for the Minister of the Mind to reinforce him.

Dame Brionna orders the gate closed while the psion is distracted. The knight dives through the closing gate. “The Seal! Deliver the Seal of Ways to me!”

Dame Brionna draws her sword and actually manages to beat him on initiative.

“I have no wish to kill you, but I must have the Seal!”

Dame Brionna attacks, missing with the first attack but hitting with the second (a smite evil), hitting him for 26 points of damage. His armor attempts to grab the sword and steal it from her, and the sight of the appendages is nauseating and profoundly wrong.

The knight goes next, followed by the guards.

“May the Insanity of the Maelstrom take you, woman!” A flurry of blows come in, and Dame Brionna gets hit three times. He rolls absolute minimum damage and does 36 hp of damage. The light and power of Glordiadel blocks something from her soul.

The guards don’t accomplish much, but foul the knight’s sword a little.

Dame Brionna flings an orb of dispel magic. The humanoid component of the appearance fades considerably; it’s now much more of a gibbering monstrosity. The silvery sheen remains, but is now dull and less natural. And it’s armor class is lowered by 3 to 28. And there was a brief flare around him, as it came to the final thing. Dame Brionna then hits him twice with her sword, for 30 damage and 22 damage. The edges of the first wound are acting like troll wounds—regenerating back together.

He shrieks wildly. “It’s gone again! It’s gone again! It’s been concealed!” He shrieks, as if he’s lost his mind, and goes into a spinning dervish attack.

Guards 1 (11), 2 (21), 4 (13), 7 (will not be having children, 46 points of damage, falls in shock for 6 hours, bleeding profusely) hit once

Guards 3 (59 total) and 5 (28) get hit twice

Guard 6 missed.

Dame Brionna gets hit for 32 in two attacks.

Guards attack, hitting 3 times for 30 points of damage, plus a 54 sword crit (inapplicable, changed to 10), doing an additional 21 points of damage and cutting out a piece of his shoulder.

Round 3:A page runs up and hands Dame Brionna her spear. Dame Brionna attacks 3 times, hitting all three times. For 25 damage, 20 damage, and 26 damage.

His blood is very odd—it’s silver.

He drops out of the odd attacks he’s been doing, and his eyes lock on Dame Brionna.

The knight spits on Dame Brionna. Silver spit sprays on her. It burns her as it makes contact. She saves and takes half damage (19 hp). He then attacks guard 3, and fumbles, getting a 46 on the fumble roll, missing completely.

The guards attack, hitting 5 times including one crit. 50 hit points from the noncrits, 24 hit points from the crit, which is a 71 on the sword crits, and removes the knight’s eye.

Dame Brionna’s warhorse arrives, kicks him for 14 hp damage.

Outside the gate, it is now quiet.

Dame Brionna leaps onto her warhorse and heals herself.

One of the guards gives a shriek and collapses. Another guard bellows “The blood! The blood is moving!”

Dame Brionna crits him with her spear, rolls a 99 on the crit check, and decapitates him. The body is writhing. Dame Brionna orders the guards to back away. It is beginning to glow. After a moment, it explodes, because it cannot regenerate the spear’s damage. Dame Brionna gets splattered for an additional 24 hit points of damage, and goes unconscious.

<<Grandmaster Farsensor, is Dame Brionna alright?>>

<<I am without—I’ve defeated the sidhe. I think it was a sidhe, one time>>

<<Dame Constance, is Dame Brionna alive?>>

<<I’m moving towards her—there’s crawling blood about, but she’s alive.  That thing might be a sidhe, or might have been once.  Have a paladin heal Dame Brionna.  They are absolutely inundated in madness—it’s not even Chaos, I’ve never seen anything like it.>>

<<How can we safely contain the bodies?>>

<<Lead—there are lead lined corpse boxes in my laboratory.>>
They send for the boxes.

Grandmaster Farsensor was able to defeat the psion, but was seriously challenged.

Alistair asks Grandmaster Farsensor to contact the local Tor and ask a leader from the Tor if they would be willing to meet him at the elven tree in the garden.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 66, cont'd]
Dame Brionna detects evil, and gets inconsistent results—sometimes detecting evil, sometimes not.

Dame Constance says, "If you need to summon the Librarian, let me know. He owes me a favor." Asked which Librarian, she says, "I was thinking of the Librarian of Dis."

Alistair meets with a sidhe from the Tor.

The sidhe wants to see the bodies himself. Alistair warns him that it’s in a less congenial location and then leads him to the laboratory.

The sidhe examines the body. “Your Grace. This is not an unseelie fae, originally. Unimaginably long ago, this was a seelie knight.  Oh my—look at the energy infusions.”

He speculates that this may have been sent by the Archangel, not by the Order of the Ram. When the artifact was sealed away, legend said that both dark and light elves, and dark and light fae were part of the guard. His guess is that that was one of the light fae.

"It’s very difficult to predict, but my guess would be that they are all mad, but not all turned to this. By our nature, we are not easy to regiment, and to all be mad like this creature would be regimentation. All will be mad, but some will be responsive. This one you could never have reasoned with. Assume his master is ten times worse, because no fae ever willingly became this. And no Archangel would ever deliberately do something like this to a creature that did not wish it.

"Perhaps you should not open that casket… It is back to a semblance of life.

"The head is of a lesser creature—at one time a wood elf. There were 50 light and 50 dark that entered those chambers. All of the creatures that you have seen so far were once of light.

"If you are willing, my nephew will accompany your expedition."

They also talk about the sluagh. If it were an unseelie, they may have pointed out that they and they alone might be able to end everything.

The seelie promise to track down the sluagh.

The psion was a sidhe lady, the wife of the knight. There is nothing intelligent left there, but she cannot pass to the west until destroyed. They were battered by waves of evil and good, from balrog and archangel, until nothing but madness remained.

"The dark ones are probably even worse than these."

Alistair asks, "Might they be more influenced by the balrog’s goals, perhaps to take and wield the treasures instead of to guard them?"

"They might—that seems reasonable.  Be extraordinarily careful in selecting only the most stable possible people."

The Council then plans for Alistair to make the rounds of the city to reassure the people (with Caitlyn, and watched over by a raft of Kit’s people and Dame Brionna’s people to keep him safe).

[End session 66]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 67 (August 14, 2014)

6 Tar-Skard
Alistair and Caitlyn make a grand tour through the city, screened by a whole bunch of both Kit and Dame Brionna’s people, with true sight and detect evil and psions keeping an eye out for trouble. Alistair’s aunt Cecilia leads the way.

Aunt Cecilia abruptly stops, and forges into the crowd, immediately followed by her assigned guards. She kneels down in front of a small child, and begins having a conversation with the six year old.

Alistair: “Lord Brightspan, can you tell me anything about that child?”

“Yes, your grace. He has the sight, but is blind.”

An old lady, clearly in massive deference to Aunt Cecilia (so she even recognizes extended members of the royal family).

Kit asks after her.

“I remembered her from her youth and mine. She used to serve in the palace. She was put out, through no fault of her own.”

“Someone wanted to break up a relationship?”

“If you want to be so crass. The other sister, who is now on Khamista, was more straight-laced than our Archduchess. She is not related to anyone, but the boy’s great-grandfather may be the Archduke’s grandfather.”

“His third-eye is strongly open, more than I’ve seen in anyone that young who was not psionic.”

The aunt on Khamista may have had her done away with if Aunt Cecilia hadn’t intervened. Gwendolyn’s son drank himself to death, but there may be other grandchildren.

The Council arranges for them all to be brought to the palace afterwards.

Nothing even vaguely negative happens.

The guards pick up several bullies that try to take the coins that have been given to young children.

At the edge of the middle city, Lady Cecilia rushes over to a Halfling woman (Mother Beatrice) and begins remonstrating about how she can’t tell a soul about what she knows, not even her acolytes.  [I'm not sure what this is about.  This may be a priestess of Gunnora realizing that Caitlyn is already pregnant, despite the fact that the formal public wedding has not yet taken place.] 

"Who’s the second best?"

"Goody Margaret’s out in the farmlands—there’s been a rash of recent pregnancies, all due around the same time. These things happen. And things are much easier now that they’re not killing us. They? The goat. I mean, not him personally, I don’t think I’d be here. But his people."

In the lower city, everyone thinks that Dame Kit is the brains of the Council, and Dame Brionna is the brawn, with Alistair as just a figurehead.

They reach the palace. As soon as they walk in, Dame Kit notices that one of her people in the house staff is signaling for her.

“There’s a visitor that you may not want to bring to the Archduke. Not one that I know, but knows all the signs and cross-signs and says that she is the Northerly Innards.”

Dame Kit meets with the Northerly Innards. There is a young drow lady, who seems completely fine about meeting behind a screen. “Gisella Alleval, 5th daughter of the first house in Veldrinashar, reporting. Hail Glordiadel.

"The deep berthing beneath Zorplona Argoni should not be used to pass agents into the Underdark. While House Curinirim and Moriquendarim will never lose it completely, it cannot be used safely without sending through too many people to not be noticed throughout the Underdark. There are at least 30 agents placed—most drow hirelings, some of those creatures, 2 or 3 cambions, and a small group of men who bear about them talismans of the Ram. They all entered after the man passed through to reach you, and they all seek the thing he carried. There is an alternative—City of the Gates. There is a way into the deeps from the City of the Gates, where there is some business. It would require them to travel underground for most of the way. I am willing to offer myself as a guide to them.

"Dame Griselda Tharsveld will have to be spoken to—she is a hereditary knight approved by all four gatelords as gate guard, both the two of Darkness and the two of Light. She is Paranswarmian, with considerable devotion. If she gives you access there, you will be able to bypass the agents inserted into the underberth in Enclaves.

"I would present her with the reasons that it is necessary, and that there is no way that we will conduct trade in the underdark without their permission."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 67, cont'd]
Dame Brionna sets out into the farmlands with a midwife-priestess of Gunnora, an exorcist priest of Glordiadel, and a bunch of Glordiadelian guards. All of the increased pregnancy rates are associated with an area around a river, with a waterfall. There’s magic around the water, and chaos, but no evil.

“Good fairies of the river, if ye be here, greetings and we would speak with you.”

A group of 5 river spirits, mostly women, but some men, come out of the water.

“We were left behind by our patron—he was rather in a hurry.”

“Who was your patron?”

“The Mad God, the consort of Whimsey. He told us to make the humans happier, and so we decided that humans are happiest when copulating, so we encouraged them to do so.  Are you a holy knight?"

"Yes."

"Then you should know about the pair of sluagh. Instead of killing each other, they are working towards a common goal. One of them went to the City, and the other went off somewhere and hasn’t been back to its camp. They weren’t very far, just outside the range of our magic. I don’t think they wanted to copulate."

They lead Brionna to the camp, and then she gets touched on the eyes and everything she normally sees becomes wavy, but she can see many additional things, including little fae dancing around the feet of the big fae, and an almost-abyssal encampment that could hold 4 creatures. They only said there were 2, but there are 4 tents.

We tell the Tor about this. We also ask specifically what the issue is with the other two tents.

That night, there are flashes of light and flame that can be seen from the city walls. About 2 in the morning, a ragged young sidhe runner appears, and asks to see us.

He meets with Dame Brionna. “My lord bids me inform you… oh, just take them.” He hands her two bags. “The threat has been dealt with. He suggests you not display them on spikes as some humans are wont to do.”

“There were four tents. You have two bags.”

“That is true. It appears they expected two additional cohorts who did not arrive, but they prepared for them.” Their banners have sigils. “Oh—the lord suggests that if you are going to keep these, you keep them in the bags in which they are currently, which is lined with silver thread and threaded with moonlight, or in lead caskets that are properly sealed with magic. They shouldn’t be able to regenerate, but he isn’t taking any chances. We are forgoing the victory feast to bury our dead.”

“My liege bade me say that the idea of four sluagh operating in one unit is unthinkable. They are the most hateful and individualistic of all the unseelie, and but for the sidhe the most powerful. They are few in number, fewer than the sidhe. But they are also so, so difficult to breed, even many in the unseelie court would be happy to see them cease.”

“Would they be united in the service of one greater?”

“It would have to be great indeed, and the reward promised would have to be tremendous.”

“We would ask 3 days before any visitors come that we may honor our dead.”

7 Tar-Skard
Very familiar tapping on the door during breakfast.

Dame Constance reports that the sluagh heads have been separated into multiple different rooms and the spells have been reinforced. Several of the things are only mostly dead. According to the old tomes, it is nearly impossible to keep a sluagh entirely dead. And then they reincarnate, so it may be better to keep them imprisoned.

Dame Constance asks for more rooms, and more lead lined boxes.

The Council asks her to check the sluagh for demonic or pariah deity influence. The sluagh are very bad at reproduction, especially because they are all male, so they have to breed with other creatures. There were once only a dozen or so on the whole world, although they are now up to 3 or 4 dozen. The Council speculates that this may be the influence of the Ram.

The Council consults with the Mistress of Etiquette about the proper gift to the fae in condolence of loss of battle. “Oh, dear. The traditional gift would be a human child for a changeling. Failing that, a remembrance of their deeds, first read at the three day mark, and then at the rising of the Silver Moon each time for a year. One could attend the deed ritual, not the first one, which is highly ritual, and then commemorating their deeds.”

Do you know whether they were male or female? We don’t know. Statues for men are easier, because those should be in silver or white gold, whereas statues for women should be in yellow gold or high glass. What about poetry? Yes but it would have to be published widely abroad. The fae view humans as transient, even more so than elves do—the elves pass to the west, but the fae are linked to the land, much as the Archduke is, so when they die, they don’t really die, except in battle with their own kind, or with great powers of others. To lose a seelie fae now, in summer, when they are stronger—their enemies must have been of great power.

Dame Brionna meets with the elders of the four thorps, who are very elderly indeed.

The conversation goes poorly.

Eventually she explains that there are some fae by that waterfall making people randy.

They’ve basically resolved this issue. Also, the fae might clean up people’s memories a little.

Dame Constance reports: All right. I’ve looked at them. They’ve got interworkings with the Ram up to their eyeballs. Probably the rest is infected as well. Intersected for decades, probably a deal to increase their numbers. Question is what they agreed to in exchange.

Grandmaster Farsensor arrives; the Council asks him to scry on the pennants. He requests some pure salt, so that he can ward himself. He does not use his crystal, lest it bond to his skin, but does have it out and available in case it can advise him. “Yes, they are both alive. This one—he indicates one banner—is somewhere on an Abyssal plane, and he’s traveling, and there are human soldiers, a few hundred of them, with him. A handful of cambions with them as well. They are in a tight formation, and making good speed, they will eventually emerge again on the prime, but I don’t know where. This one—the grove that surrounds him smells of mango and cinnamon. He is sunk in water, his form altered so he almost appears to be a creature of the water. An oasis I think. He is waiting, watching the setting sun. Should I determine what he is waiting for? There’s a nontrivial chance that he would sense us. He’s very heavily shielded by magic, but I sense no psionics.

"He’s an hour west of us or so, based on the setting sun. An oasis an hour west—likely in the Spice Lands perhaps near the Seachen lands."

"If he’s trying to break the seal, we need to know."

"He awaits the presence of a woman, of considerable power. I see her face, but he does not know her name. He waits for her because she bears a key. He intends to take the key. He does not intend to kill her, but he would if he has to. The key leads to an ancient passage that only she is aware of, and he is aware of somehow. He intends to use the key to enter the passage because he believes it will take him to his goal. He aims for a way in so that he can emerge… is that possible? He intends to emerge beneath the seal. He bears a dimensional device with him linked to the Ram’s plane."

A loyal merchant identifies her as the Spice Mistress of Seachen. "Incredibly honest. Only woman who deals with any male merchants. I knew a man who tried to bribe her once…"

Many of the spices are as if they were freshly picked, even if they are years old. She is aging extremely well.

The Council summons the Seachen ambassador. She arrives to meet with Dame Brionna and Dame Kit.

Dame Brionna: "We have learned of a grave threat to one of your leaders. The Spice Mistress—we have information of an immediate threat to her."

"I have no means of contacting her quickly—I will need to send a messenger."

The Council has a device to enable a sending.

"She needs to turn away from her current plans and get to safety. There is an ambush at the oasis."

"The oasis of turquoise fountains? But that is the only source of…"

They describe it... a small oasis with a grove of mangos and cinnamon.

"That is it."

"There is an ambush there." 

"She will need to go to safety and we will send troops…"

"No. Your troops would die. We intend to call on the great elves to deal with it—it is beyond humans."

Grandmaster Farsensor contacts Singing Leaves, and the Queen agrees to send a strike force. Grey elves, for there are so few Eldar, but the Council will hope they will be enough. The Council warns them to dimensionally lock the area.
[End Session 67]


----------



## Quartz

CPaladin said:


> Several of the things are only mostly dead.




Paging Miracle Max! Or not, in this case.


----------



## CPaladin

Session 68 (August 21, 2014)

8 Tar-Skard
Dame Brionna reports that a letter has arrived from Meredith the Dazzling. She reports an invading force of humans and demons, roughly equivalent to 8 field armies, attacked Zorplona Argoni. If Princess Curinirim herself had not been present, they might not have held the Enclave. However, they did. Moreover, this appears to have been a feint intended to keep Moriquendarim busy and out of the Underdark.

She also reports that her divinations report that for religious harmony and general peace, we must achieve our goals in the Underdark.

She reports that there were three breeds of demons present: marim, sharim, and tolrim, all wearing green. The only thing the Council can make of the green is that that is the color of Hanal—this might be connected to Hanal.

The Council asks Dame Constance about those varieties of demons.

“Those are the three breeds of goatmen in the Abyss. Only the tolrim are of great power, but they are not very numerous. The marim are not very powerful, but very numerous. The sharim could pass themselves off for satyrs if they could clean themselves up and become more amorous. The marim could be defeated by an ordinary human force, perhaps with a ratio of 3 or 4 humans to one. The sharim would take somewhat more. The tolrim would require heroes—they are immune to normal weapons, resistant to fire, and potent.

“It might be a voluntary association through a gate. I would request a report from the Mouth on Hanal. Masque’s loyalty is largely unquestioned, although there is an Order of the Goat. But it would have to be a large enough, organized enough country to support large scale summoning or gate work. There were three, but the southern kingdoms are essentially gone as organized forces. That leaves Masque and Hanal.

"What proof do we have that everything that landed in the far north, beyond the final mountains has departed? We were told that they had departed—after the demonologists failed to find the Wing of Ancalagon the Black and clashed with Lady Peryton’s forces. But that doesn’t make much sense, because we have reasons to know that neither of the wings were available there. (The Temple of Paranswarm has some scales; one claw was reputed to have been made into a powerful wand; of the rest of the body, we know not.)"

Dame Constance plans on making an astral and divinatory survey.

Also reports that there is a man with a clock on his head waiting.

Kit reaches out to her agents in Hanal and in Masque.

“Ah. I was hoping you would contact me. There’s been a purge. The Order of Man struck in the middle of the night against the Order of the Goat, on behalf of the Holy Inquisition. We are fortunate that there were Mantis with them—I’m not certain that the Man and the Wolf would have been enough when they assaulted the Palace of the Goat in the capital. The local Inquisitor General ordered the purge, because the pregnancy rates of that speed and that number were not possible and that they had to be stopped. Many of the women… require more help than the Order of Man can offer. They… some of them… the older ones… are barely human anymore. Goat is one of the orders that historically kept their women away from the battlefield, cloistered. They took part of the Queen’s Guard, the Order of the Mantis, with their flame lances. When they cut their way into the harems, the older women… they were mindless, they had been turned into just living wombs. The Inquisitor General ordered that those that could no longer communicate be put down. Hundreds of prisoners have been taken to the temples by the Order of Man. They are systematically executing those with demon taint. The Inquisitor General has been granted a dispensation by the Adjunct, in the absence of the Protector, to see which of the prisoners were unwillingly coerced. The Society of the Hands of Hell have three valars en route, with those who can clean the unwillingly coerced. But several thousands of the Goat have escaped. The Queen has asked all her ambassadors to ask that no quarter be given to any refugees from Masque. Some might say that Queen Flana is less grounded than some, but I have never seen her as determined as this. 

"Especially with the reports we are getting from Hanal… The reports that she is getting are that there is open rebellion now, that they have turned on the clergy in many places, and that the nobility are warring with the clergy and some of the common folk. We also hear that the common folk are fleeing their own farms, but with the nobles taking slaves to work their farms. It looks like the country may split in half. The Kov of Snatterkaz is still besieged, by a force of approximately 4 times his force. One of the nobles who are rallying to the Kov has reached him, a wealthy Strom. The rest are fleeing to the ice line, to the north. They need more flying ships. Without more vollers, it is very hard for an army to survive in the field in Hanal. The Queen has also offered 100 ornithopters. They are not very valuable in a pitched battle with vollers, but they can snipe and run.

"The malaise in the countryside seems to be lifting since the fall of the Palace of the Goat. Many people were reporting stillbirths, many more than expected. We’ve heard rumors that it was both in the capital and moving west towards the Brownlands, but we can’t verify those. It’s so difficult to get reports out of Yael. Will gather info and report back again in two days."

Alistair asks Bishop Waters to reach out to ecumenically minded members of the Inquisition, to get their report.

Dame Brionna and Alistair argue a bit about how much Canberry can intervene in this.
[cont'd]


----------



## Quartz

I don't know if anyone else is reading this Story Hour but I for one continue to appreciate it.


----------



## Baron Opal II

I am. I was a player in this world quite a while ago. It is quite a trip to see how things exist in "the present". Especially in the Enclaves- that's where my character was left. Although he might have moved elsewhere being a gray elf.

I'm a little disappointed in that I haven't seen any mention of the Courts of Chaos, but they're either located on a different continent or burned themselves out.


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## CPaladin

The thread views suggest that it's being read by ~150 people.  If that's wrong, I don't want to know, because it makes me happy to believe it and doesn't really matter!  

I will say that I appreciate the occasional comments and the likes.  It helps to stay motivated to stay on schedule, although obviously this week got a little away from me.


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## CPaladin

[Session 68, cont'd]
A man wearing silk and steel, with a clock three feet high on his head and covering his face, approaches and inclines.

"I bring greetings from the Court of Queen Flana.  I am Baron Tarangorm, and her majesty felt this important enough to send me from the Palace of Time."

He asks us to not tolerate refugees from Masque, especially those who wear the Masque of the Goat or appear to have recently removed their masks. 

"30,000 have escaped the environs of the capital—we thought there were only a few thousand of them in total, but they were corrupted throughout and breeding in warrens beneath their holdings.

"They scattered, but at least 15,000 were fleeing southwards, toward the High Pass. We pursued them with ornithopters, but the ornithopters have a range of only 100 miles. They have at least 14,000 that made it into the pass, including 1000 females, all pregnant. If they do not head to the wilderness, your lands are the most likely.

"Never before have we opened our Palaces to public examination, but no Order Master has questioned the order to examine the other orders for similar taint. All of the positions, that were left absent after the King-Emperor’s disappearance have been filled—all except the Ant on a permanent basis. The Order of the Ant is primarily male, but it’s leader and marshal must be female. But no female of sufficient skill and strategic acumen has come forward to lead it, so a 'head drone' leads it on a temporary basis."

Dame Brionna asks that they consider protecting the Order of the Mink. They may be under threat under the circumstances—they are the order of camp followers.

"Your advice is most welcome.

"That which crawls out of Yael and it’s capital, that which disfigures the Brownlands and has made it worse there since the time of my great-grandfather, has gradually worsened, especially over the last two lifetimes. Two of our largest military orders are entirely devoted to containing it. Those who are born in the Brownlands are horribly mutated, terribly disfigured. Some have strange powers, some have dreadful cancers and sores. There blood does not breed true. I have seen with my own eyes a woman of Yael give birth to only blood and goop. Queen Flana has considered asking the Gunnorans to send train midwives. Yael contains nothing human, and yet threats come out and we need two military orders to restrain it—and considering sending a third. The King-Emperor decided that it needed to be dealt with permanently. So he had twelve great warlords, led by the Wolf, and he was born by slave bearers to lead the assault, protected by his throne-globe. We bandied about the idea that the throne-globe disappeared from the Palace, but that was a fiction. His throne-globe disappeared from a well-guarded forward camp, and a thousand Mantis warriors died defending it before it disappeared. None of us think that he might still be alive, though many of the commoners do.

"We do not know what is in Yael. Once the throne-globe disappeared, the idea of an assault collapsed."

What about Yar?—asks Dame Brionna.

"The capital of Yael, at one time. It was before my time, but it was said that it was a beautiful city before the explosion, that started the process of mutation and change."

"I had heard reports that Yar was still occupied by one of the Ancients."

"There are rumors, but we could not know. The aura of the place has grown so strong that we cannot even approach it."

They send a sending to Alistair’s sister, asking her to come to court (unless things are so messy she can’t, and then to send a report)

Her reply: “Mess here getting better. Lots of halves. Need more artisans and farmers. Will be there in 20 days.”

The high priestess of Gunnora meets with us.

They tell her the situation, and ask if she can detect where they are. She says that she can sense that. I will send all my acolytes and the bounders for the temple (their militant defenders).

The Council decides that they need to assemble a light army—ideally roughly three field armies of light cavalry, plus voller support.

Canberry starts assembling what armies they can—3 field armies of light infantry, one field army of light cavalry, one of medium cavalry, under the overall command of Field Marshal Brightspan. We encourage him to put Dame MaryAnne Rollinghills second in command, and to trust her advice on issues such as quarter.

He says that they will be ready the next day. Alistair plans on briefing all of the senior officers personally, prior to a special mass.

9 Tar-Skard
Alistair briefs the officers—it’s pretty somber and serious. Then he leads them off to a special mass. They head off.

10 Tar-Skard
Alistair gives Kit the Lens of Literacy that he had made for her.  [I'm not sure if this was discussed in the previous notes.  In a nutshell, Kit is only marginally literate--she can read simple things, but reading isn't easy for her.  This is basically a result of growing up lower class.  She's been handling this by having her scribe also double as her reader.  So Alistair decided to surprise her with a magic item gift--a hand-lens on a necklace that allows the user to read any document, regardless of language or the users ability to read--and arranged for the Ministry of Magic to have it made for her.  It was finished on this date, and Alistair gave it to her as a gift.] 
[End Session 68]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 69 (October 16, 2014)

Tar-Skard 10
Reports from the capital are improving considerably.

Kit contacts her agents in Masque about the stillbirths.

"The Order of Man has done all it can, but cannot figure out why. The Order of the Serpent has been called in; Baron Klahn has commanded that the top sorcerer-scientists examine it. This is towards the Gray Lands (the area around the Brown Lands), but this has never happened beyond the Gray Lands. Now this is affecting towns on this side of the barriers. The Queen-Empress has been considering relocating people, but the difficulty is that if the people who farm the lands, maintain the buildings, and raise the cattle and horses move away, there will be no one to support the Orders. The Queen-Empress has demanded answers, but the Grand Marshals fear that if the army must withdraw, the Gray Lands will fall to the Brown Lands and the clear lands will fall to the Gray Lands. Baron Klahn says that this must be unnatural—not simply natural spread of taint. The borders have been there for 1500 years. He fears that the thing that strengthens the Lost, those that dwell in the Brown Lands and seek to come forth, causes this as well. 1000 years ago, though powerful, the Lost were mindless, or at least without purpose. They come forth now in organized bands, seeking to break regiments. They have failed so far, but…"

There is a rapid knock at the door.

The Farsensor enters. “There is something powerful but subtle trying to bypass the wards. It was startled by their strength. It has not tried to break them—it could not. But as soon as I detected it, I came to tell you.”

--
The Council doesn’t know who such a creature could be, but it was not always there, obviously.

The indications from the wards are that someone was trying to trace Kit. She warns the agent and break the connection, and immediately the connection breaks.

"It must have been a device--something dealing with psionic slime, perhaps. Illithids are usually lawful. Could law be buried beneath planning and actions that are themselves chaotic? As far as I know, no illithid has ever demonstrated a tendency towards chaos—and the energy that was trying to trace you was chaotic."

The Council calls for Bishop Waters to address the theological question of law and chaos.

"More likely a traded device, than illithid directly. Likely a human or human seeming psionicist, but perhaps very old—maybe a lich?"

The Council discusses the fate of the God-Emperor’s throne-globe.

Alistair suggests that the Hastur might be the experts on the spread of chaos and energy and psionic. The Farsensor agrees, and agrees to seek an audience with the ruler of the House.

We roll a 2 (out of 12) on sanity, and a visibly elderly elf lady with a cat on her head is giggling in the teleportation cage.

The Council arranges for tea, a comfortable chair, and a place to put the cat when she realizes that it isn’t her hair. There’s a lot of art in the room—there wasn’t before.

Comments on Kit: "What dogs your steps… someone from your past, now seeking, creeping like a dog, like a rat. I think it proper that the one who hunts you be hunted and brought here. This creature from your past—it creeps in a place where there are many streets, water but it is not clear." Kit works on clearing out the area.

She reels off a string of ancient elven, which causes the room to lighten. "He has said that a device of the illithid, plus an ergolith, have fallen into the hands of chaos. Such a loss, so few were made. Ergoliths were artifacts, three were made, they can preserve a mortal almost indefinitely. Made by the Eldron, to preserve servants that they did not want to lose from the younger races."

"And all the blights have been cleaned out, except that one in the Old City. But he’s harmless—he’s one of the lookers, one of the beholders. It’s cataloguing all of the different rodents in the sewers, and inscribing them on copper plates. He’s meeting rats as they’re born, and accidentally made some of them intelligent. He’ll be up to the surface in several months. A couple of them are becoming very tiny wizards."

They steer her to discuss the Brown Lands. 

"Humans are not very strong. We use them to contain the Shadowlands. They have been containing this threat as well. But this is not an open dimensional rift in the same sense—there is an open dimensional rift within it, but it is not the same thing. It does not go to the Abyss, although there is an enormous amount of energy coming out of it. It is an energy of change, but not in the same way as the Abyss. It is an energy of life, but not as we know it. It will change and alter life. I believe it is attached to your greater enemy, but it is not her. It must be attached to one of the other two? How do the other Pariah Deities survive? Why are they not consumed by her? Could they produce life, but simply life that cannot survive in this plane? I know too little of the ancient ones, but I believe that it may be the One Beside. If we seal the gates to the Goddess of the Pale Bone, it may deal with the problems."

(The Council arranges for an archivist to study the records of the Hastur about the history of the palace.)
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 69, cont'd]
"If it was from the early days of the Sundering, there may have still been Noldar and Eldar who could work together…" They discuss that that is becoming more common, and the Hastur Lady mentions a couple that love each other and have had children.

"Where are they?" asks Kit.

"I am forbidden to tell you, but I am happy to tell you…"

Alistair interrupts because Lord Silverleaves is present. "No! This is not appropriate company."

She then brings out cuffs, which need a drop of human blood to bind them to this place. Kit agrees to provide it, and then the cat arrives (lion sized) with a wounded and roughed up human prisoner. Kit cuffs him.

"Seal the gate first. Make sure that any of the children are not tainted—if they are, kill them, or give them a very rigorously moral upbringing. There is a very powerful lich, more of a vessel than a lich—I wouldn’t take it on, if I were you—I might, but the Farsensor would not; your Champion might succeed, but I wouldn’t risk him if I were you, certainly not until the gate is closed."

Kit recognizes the prisoner from Enclaves. "I remember you." 

"You ignored me. You ignored me even after I left a steak near your hiding hole."

"What is your name and what are you doing in this city?" 

"Darvan, and I followed you because I loved you and you ignored me, and then you fell in love with that King or Emperor or God or whatever, and I needed to kill you. I was going to throw myself off a cliff, and then a man in a robe explained what I needed to do, and provided me with a way to kill you. He put a spell in my bones, but now it won’t go off for some reason. I’ve been trying to set it off since I woke up."

Dame Brionna sends for the Minister of Magic, and sends Kit and Alistair out of the room.

Kit asks the Farsensor to see if he can lift an image from the mind. It’s shifting too much—concealing itself. Could be a sluagh, could be something else. Perhaps four weeks after you left the city.

Dame Brionna sends Kit and Alistair out of the room, then hits him across the face with a glove for the insult offered to Kit.

The Minister of Magic reports being unable to dispel it. Perhaps an elven archmage could, but he cannot.

The Farsensor says that it’s woven into the genetics—it cannot be undone.

Dame Brionna asks if his soul could be moved into a golem. "Perhaps—that would free his soul from the influence. We have a day, perhaps two, before the bracers decay. And the bones will detonate when the soul is removed (or when the bracers are removed)."

About 3 hours later, they return with an animated puppet. "We removed the soul successfully—the body detonated and could have killed everything in a 30’ radius. The energy was not of this plane, but it was fey energy. Dark fey energy, but fey energy nonetheless. The guess of a sluagh might be right. And sluagh have some precognitive abilities. It may have sensed that you would become significant. And the Forest of the Singing Leaves might last 1500 years more. If there is not a sufficiently powerful and stable human kingdom at that point, the continent cannot be stable."

They speculate about Kit’s ancestry. Bishop Waters will send someone to investigate genealogy. Also, it’s probably time to move Kit’s family to Enclaves. Alistair makes sure that Kit doesn’t have a poor opinion of her older sister.

[End session 69]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 70 (February 3, 2015)

Tar-Skard 11
Uneventful morning council; it’s midafternoon when something actually happens.

An officer approaches Dame Brionna. “Dame… we have an odd bird in custody.  It flew over the walls and demanded to see someone of authority.”

Brionna heads over with a standard squad of detection people. A limb of a tree is bowing as if it had a considerable weight on it. A moving statue of a bird is perched on the tree.

The bird is a servant of Baron Klahn of the Order of the Serpent. The Baron’s daughter, the Lady Felicia of the 5th Order of Lunacy, is one and a half days behind me. The bird gives a jeweled scrollcase with a message from the Baron to her.

The scroll says that she’s bringing some objects that are associated with the mutations and stillbirths to consult with our “sorcerer-scientists”; also a runestone found with one of the warbands.

The Council arrange for a site at a lawful good celibate religious order—that should avoid creating issues with the objects.

They consult with the Mistress of Protocol. If other members of the Order are present, others shouldn’t address her directly—the air over her left shoulder is traditional. Alistair, of course, could also address her by name. There is also the other matter—she’s a were-copper dragon, about 25 years in age, and so a juvenile dragon, perhaps 20 feet in length. She’s known to prefer the hybrid form, but if she gets very upset she’s been known to lose control. She’s said to be a most staid and proper young woman. Except of course, the incident insistent suitor from the Order of the Wolf who was too forward… the Baron ran some experiments on him. Rumor has it that her mother was of that bloodline. Baron Klahn’s most vicious enemy within the court attempted to assassinate him, and she intervened, and he instead assassinated her. The Baron has been quite mad since then. She is an only child, but could not possibly inherit the Order.

They consult with the Minister of Magic; he suggests that they use Lord Rothgar’s old estate, some 10 miles outside of the city. The zone of mutations and stillbirths ranges 8 miles out.

The Council decides to meet her ornithopter with a set of vollars; Dame Brionna and some other paladins will meet her, because their holy order will protect them. Paladins of Paranswarm have been protected from the mutations, although Lyans have not.

* * *
Alonzo has the report on the family trees of the royal and noble families of Drucien, and any unusual gender distributions. The guess was correct, although it happened so gradually that the Mouth did not notice it and the Brain did not comprehend it. Over the past 4 generations, almost 5, the number of male births in most noble houses and royal families, especially patrilineal houses, has dropped to nearly one in four. Hanal has actually had an increase. The Kingdom of the Isles was the only house of the Southern Confederacy that was affected; that’s the house that Princess Caitlyn was from. The other houses continued to produce equal numbers of lords and ladies, until they were wiped out.

Enclave nobility, within the City of Enclaves, have the most severe ratio of anywhere—it’s six to one. There’s been quite a flurry of discussion within the temple about it; it’s been of particular concern because some of the families of lawful good enclaves have taken husbands in for their daughters from Hanal, and even in three cases from the Screaming Wood. Also, it can’t be associated with the water, because there’s no pattern among the commoners.

There was a great deal more formal feasting at weddings than in the old days.

The Council identifies refined sugar as the principal difference—most of which originates in the Seachen lands, and the Spice Lands.

The phenomenon has only been observed among humans, and only among people who incline towards law.

There is a considerably higher level, generation to generation, of oddities among the female children. Sometimes insanity, sometimes stupidity, and sometimes outbursts of extreme violence.

They arrange for some sugar to be bought, prohibit sugar within the palace, and summon the chief midwife of Gunnora.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 70, cont'd]

"If it were a curse, we would have known about it," says the midwife of Gunnora. "A fine poison, you think?  I wonder.  Do you know anything about the Kingdom of Life?  They are the only Glordiadelian kingdom where historically being a midwife of Gunnora was punishable by death."

The Body can’t keep Fingers and Toes alive in there, so the Council doesn't have adequate information. They are entirely insular, and have become substantially worse in the last century or so. They still trade, selling their drops of heavenly essence, sometimes as many as two dozen a year. There was a rumor that someone stole a drop of heavenly essence 60 years ago, and they closed their borders to travel. They are part of the Archdiocese of Enclaves.

"Did they sell any powerful fertility magics?"

"Almost any powerful life magic used to be available from the Kingdom of Life. Now, they only sell the drops of heavenly essence."

Kit hypothesizes that the Kingdom of Life was likely the source of all of this.

The Kingdom of Life is an island, and a sliver of land on either side of the inlet, with the springs of life on the island, along with the only city to speak of, and the golems.

The drops of heavenly essence were used to restore the life of a major monarch on Khamista, whose head had been removed.  [Decapitation is one of several methods of preventing ordinary resurrection in Aphonion.  The drops of heavenly essence can resurrect people who would otherwise not be able to be brought back.]

The Council has an alchemist examine the sugar: "There’s a very subtle taint of a type I’ve never seen before, but the sugar is tainted. I can’t tell precisely what it does. It would likely change in the blood, but I can only be suspicious. It might also cause hereditary changes."

The midwife points out the role of food in all of this; salt, spice, sugar. All things that the nobility use, all foodstuffs. There must be someone behind all of this.

The Council hypothesize that it might be one of the Six—the one who has gluttony and food as part of their portfolio. The Council decides that they need to sort out demonic loyalties and the ties between the mid-level demon lords that they know of, and possibly a higher level one behind all of this.

The Crown Prince of the Empire of Tarsh was the person whose head had been removed. The Sytryites destroyed the old samples of the drops of heavenly essence. They used to put them out in small golden vessels. And now they put them out in heavy, heavy bronze, with crystal to preserve the fluid, and lead around the crystal. They’ve been using these for 100 years. Not no way to compare it—the White Witch still has one in her treasury. She keeps three vials of the new fluid—for she has three daughters. Well, had; one has wandered from the faith of Paranswarm.

The Sytryites arrived about 1000 years ago. They started out by declaring that they were in charge of the Light, and then fought the temple of Glordiadel. They lost. They then sulked for 900 years, took a few minor things, and then Glordiadel blocked them from expanding. They had a resurgence about 100 years ago, because of a very fiery hierophant of Sytry—a determined evangelist, a militant, and an expansionist. He was from Drucien, but there was a concerted effort to get the Sytryites off the continent, and it mostly worked. They’re a major force on Khamista, though.
[End session 70]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 71 (February 24, 2015)

Tar-Skard 12
The Council asks the alchemists to look at the wine and chocolate; they ask the Ministry of Trade to identify other similar things that are traded in a wide network, especially if they come from the Spice Lands.

The day passes uneventfully; that evening, Kit hears a tapping in her mind. “There is something different about the ancient drops of heavenly essence. The drops are pearlescent, with specs of gold, swirling through them, moving, even after hundreds of years. The new ones are a dull gold, with no inherent moving. However, one was used to restore someone in our illustrious leader’s inner circle; she has returned to service as the chancellor of the exchequer. But the assistants say that she is more reliant on her assistants, as if her mind was less sharp. If anything, she has become more devout to Paranswarm—her faith has become more simple. She is still a close confidant of the White Witch, of course; the White Witch deigns not to notice. She has taken a new lover; members of the Inner Coven are permitted to take lovers, as long as they would have no claim on her line through their progeny (she is too old to have progeny of course, but his progeny would have no claim anyway—he is but a young lieutenant in the guard). She had shown no interest in lovers in many years. It is an odd alchemical compound. There are alchemical methods that would raise the dead, but none without hearts and brains except with the drops of heavenly essence."

The White Witch respects the Archduke, and hopes he may be the one to stabilize Drucien, which has long been on her mind since the fall of the South Kingdoms destabilized things.

Kit’s agent suggests reaching out through the Ecumenical Council—Archduke to First Mouth, to the White Witch. Kit asks her to check whether there’s anyone else who has used the new formula.

Tar-Skard 13
Kit relays this in the morning.

Alistair suggests cutting out the middle-man; instead of going through the Ecumenical Council, they could approach the White Witch about buying a vial through her. The Protocol Officer for the White Witch’s embassy is a representative of her intelligence apparatus.

Kit invites the Protocol Officer (Lady Gretchen) for tea.

They exchange pleasantries. Lady Gretchen reaches out to make an agreement among ladies. And also provides two pounds of red tea from Khamista; "it is a favorite of many nobles on Khamista, said to enhance long life, and the supplies from the southern part of this continent are said to be strained. And the pirate isles would love another customer, and its quality is guaranteed."

"Do you take honey in your tea, Lady Gretchen?"

Kit then raises the possibility of acquiring drops of heavenly essence through the White Witch. Lady Gretchen mentions that the White Witch has cast the bones on his behalf, and believes that if he follows both his heart and his head, instead of either one on its own, he should do well.

She also reports some oddity within the Temple of Sytry that cannot be penetrated by Her Grace the White Witch. "We expect that they will set their sights upon the Archduke soon."

Lady Gretchen says that she will acquire a purchase of a drop on our behalf.

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 71, cont'd]
Dame Brionna heads out by voller to meet the oncoming Lady Felicia’s ornithopters.

She alights from the most ornate of the ornithopters, with a masked Raven pilot.

The second most ornately masked Serpent compliments Dame Brionna.

"I have brought two wards for the area where the research will take place, as well as volunteers for the wards."

Dame Brionna: "Volunteers?"

"The Queen-Empress suggested that you would not appreciate the use of prisoners, so we brought volunteers—their families will be well compensated."

Dame Brionna explains that that will not be necessary.

They all travel to the old Rothgar estate. They bring out two strange devices, with strange magical tendrils, and chairs in the center of the devices. Those are the wards. There are a group of 15 desultory young people, mostly men but a few women, unmasked and with clearly less food.

"We are delighted to emplace things, but then, except for certain researchers who will be remaining, we will be departing."

Dame Brionna conveys a personal invitation to Lady Felicia to visit at the palace, which she accepts. As the last of the ornithopters takes off, she claps delightedly. "You do realize those were slaves."

"They may once have been slaves—there are no slaves in Canberry."

"I am delighted to see that. Even the Queen-Empress who is beginning to be called the Goddess-Empress, is unable to end slavery, although she would wish to. She has within her house, the house of the Mantis.  The wards are also appalling. They suck out life energy to power the wards that are highly effective, but when the victim dies, they are reduced to dust and the wards failed."

She is very excited to come to the palace—wants to meet the people who are the example for the free people of Drucien.

"Our enemies have been plotting for about 100 years. Human divination is unable to pierce their defenses; it would take assistance from your allies."  She also brings along her young assistants to visit; after screening, they all come to the palace. Lord Brightspan says that none of them show any sign of taint. One of them has real scales—small serpent scales on his leg.

One of the youngest has vertically slit eyes, and seems very nervous about being unmasked. He bears some resemblance to Lady Felicia.

"After they leave, a gift for each of you from my father. As a final holdout, Dame Brionna, a ring of flame lancing. Good for a total of 30 seconds. Once it is exhausted it will take at least six months to recover. Dame Katherine, for you, the Grandmaster my Father divines sons. And therefore he sends you these toys to protect them—three animals, made of metal and crystal. They are small, but they are vicious golems. When the children reach majority, they will simply become toys. And for you, your grace, you have a reasonable concern about the seen and unseen. This device will test any bodily fluid, not just blood. It is more delicate than most creations, as it is crystal, but it should last indefinitely."

The Council warns her about sugar obliquely; she warns us about tea, matching the White Witch’s warning.

"He also asks whether we have any midranked nobility, who might marry a woman with an interest in alchemy. Baron Klahn is concerned about my youngest sister, the daughter of his late official wife. There could be a purge within 15 or 20 years. With the threat that Hanal has become—some of the warlords that believe that the leadership of a woman weakens a country."

Sorcery-science is basically a form of necromancy—the use of life energy to power magic—but without any raising of the dead.

"We sent a team to investigate Yael and Yarr, with a group of boars. One boar returned—we believe it was let go. 30 years ago, they would have encountered only disorganized tribes. Today, they were crushed.  Somewhere within the brown lands, there is a great force of power driving it. It could be the throne-globe, the greatest achievement of sorcerous-science. It could be used as a powerful scrying device. To pervert its purpose, would take power far beyond that that any of the sorcerer-scientists. But most necromancers would understand it well enough to understand its use.  You don’t suppose that he still lives, and has simply been corrupted?"

The Council says probably not (although with more confidence than they actually have).

The Council also speculates about whether Berta might have been manipulated into shifting which gods she was aligned with.
[end session 71]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 72 (March 10, 2015)

Tar Skard 14
Kit wakes up feeling better (Con damage from having slime removed.)

Lord Davion emerges from skin; he’s unhappy about not having done better, but that’s to be expected. With his enormous saving throw bonus, he is in fact not permanently weakened on a roll of 11 (and there was much rejoicing); he goes into a rigorous routine of swordplay exercises to get back into shape, and completely wears out all of his sparring partners. His foe could not follow him because of Alistair’s binding to the lands.

Kit goes to meet the Bishop as he returns by voller, accompanied by Dame Brionna, 12 guards including a detection squad, and with a group of Kit’s people scattered about surreptitiously. One of Kit’s people observes via mindlink, “Doesn’t it seem weird that there are an awful lot of dockhands around?” Kit immediately sends to Brionna, “Something is wrong, form your people up,” and tries to move in front of the Bishop. Brionna tells her to get the Bishop up on her winged horse.

At that point there is a sudden bloom of chaos and evil centered on the largest knot of dockworkers. “Lord of Cleansing Flame (Carthaluma) burn them” is heard as if on the wind. A massive flamestrike engulfs Kit and the Bishop—the Bishop takes maximum flame damage, but no damage from the holy damage. Kit dodges all of the flame, but takes 40 points of soulburn from the raw chaos running over her body, leaving her barely up. Dame Brionna shouts, “Kit, go! Paladins, with me, charge!”

Dame Brionna contacts Alistair and says reinforcements are needed and a badly wounded Kit is incoming, and that she needs true seeing.

Dame Brionna rushes forward and strikes the crazy eyed, bare-chested man, with an open holy symbol of Borsh’tro. She does 66 points of damage on a holy smite with a charge with a lance. His last gasp before collapsing is “The cleric, you fools, not her!”

Dame Brionna’s priest casts Holy Smite, which nicely separates the sheep from the goats, as half of the dockworkers in the knot of dockworkers around the priest are blasted and turn into creatures of flickering flame—most of whom are blinded. Two other dockworkers, still in more or less human form, cast off their clothing as well and start grunting. One of them is blinded, and another one leaps from the platform—probably able to fly.

The Pegasus is flying faster than the creature of flame, heading back to the palace as fast as possible.

Dame Brionna charges back at one of the gray “humans” behind her, and hits it for 13 damage.

“Orlodu, great wyrm, lend me your strength!” His mouth disarticulates and he begins mouthing her armor, but doesn’t manage to hit.

Thousands of worms and vermin spew forth from the Orlodu follower.

Dame Brionna flame lances him. He dissolves into a mass of dirt.

Dame Brionna looks around, and sees a man-shaped pile of dirt on the ground below the dock—apparently the creature that jumped did not fly.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 72, cont'd]
Kit sends for Aunt Cecilia and the redactor as she arrives. Aunt Cecilia confirms that Kit looks like she bathed in chaos, and the redactor rips it off her.

Bishop Waters reports that the bishop will likely not survive, even with a redactor and skin and healing. He says that the Council needs to take his report, and final unction, which of course Bishop Waters can provide. Kit offers to take the report, so he doesn’t need to speak.

Dame Brionna gets a report—they came in on a merchant voller, with a shipment of cloth from Zest’qua. Dame Brionna dispatches a detection squad to search that ship, and then she worries about securing the artifacts. She has no difficulty finding the artifacts very carefully packed and stored. And written in the bishop’s elegant hand, there is a copy of a ritual that is supposed to go with them along with a sealed note addressed to “His Most Excellent and Puissant Archduke”. She places the artifacts and the scroll in a plain knapsack, and then tucks it in her cloak, and waits for her pegasus to bear her to the palace.

Alistair joins Kit with the Bishop.

Kit contacts him mentally. “Are the artifacts safe?”

“Yes.  There was an attempt to stop me before I left—a Borsh’troan anti-paladin. He regretted my mace hand.”

“It was some sort of a plot—it undergirds all of the ones you have faced. You have queered all of them, as far as I can tell. But it originates with the Great Wyrm of Borsh’tro—one of the Council. When I started gathering the artifacts, I found that the artifacts were not enough. I need to find the ritual. But the books had been tampered with. I am one of the Scholara of the Temple, I recognized the change in hand. I searched out the originals and found a group of cultists who had taken them. I turned the cultists over to the local authorities, which may have been a mistake. The leader of the group bragged about the plan, and cursed the Archduke’s name for his role in causing it to fail. But they were clearly servants of the Wyrm—they attained the Skin of the Wyrm in combat. My library has more information, but when his Grace meets with the Glorious Light he should ask. I should have known from the layers—almost none of the demon lords layer their plans that deeply. Orlodu was known for his connections to some of the demon lords, but the Ram was not known to be connected—he was viewed as a wild card.”

He asks if his nephew could perform his requiem.

He confirms that the artifacts are real, and can undo the curse.

The local investigation was headed by the Inquisitor General of Tarsh, assisted by one of the Blood Counselors.

"It is without question that the Queen of Chaos was involved—she has never bent her knee to anyone. It would be playing with fire for Orlodu to be involved with her, even to release her from her prison. The other absolutely certain to be involved is an old rival to the Queen of the Succubi. She had followers among the cult, but the current Queen had no followers—highly unusual. My books are in my study—they are as complete as holy writ permits. I believe you should know your rivals."

The Council sends Bishop Waters to him. Bishop Waters performs final rites.

The other ship took on a bunch of workers at its last port, apparently innocently, and brought them right over.
[End session 72; the DM clarified that the attacker who jumped expected to transform into a giant worm when he hit the ground, but could not because the land is bound to Alistair, so died messily instead]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 73 (March 24, 2015)
The Minister of Magic, the Grandmaster Farsensor, and several underlings of the Minister of Magic assist with preparing the ritual. A gallery has been set up to observe the ritually prepared space. The Council makes sure that the people in the galleries have all been vetted, and we have Aunt Cecilia join them as well.

The memory of Alistair’s mother should return sharply, with memories of others drifting back in slowly—perhaps indistinguishably from dreams, but they should return.

They begin the ritual: and on 3d20, get a 6, a 15, and an 11. There are all sorts of energies active in the space, and the Farsensor is watching very narrowly from his space. About 15 minutes in, the youngest of the Minister’s assistants explodes. The others continue, completely focused. Faces begin to drift out of the mist. Dame Brionna believes that they are a combination of angelic and demonic faces, forming out of the mist that is coming from nowhere, and then disappearing. An hour into this ritual, the Archmage leading this ritual, who we haven’t seen before but who is festooned in Glor’diadelian holy symbols, gives a shriek. One of the items simply comes apart, with black smoke coming out of it, and memories start bursting into Alistair’s mind.

He sees many scenes of his mother, virtually falling over each other, with his father, with her ladies, but also many disturbing images—very fuzzy, but images with her in corners in dark rooms, with other people, very fuzzy, whispering to her and speaking to her. There are also memories of scenes of comfort, memories of time with his mother. And then there’s a flash of utter darkness. And now the memories seem normal, and he's comfortable with them.

Lord Davion looks across at the Farsensor and shrugs.

"I can only barely remember my mother’s family—I remember her mother a tall, thin elderly woman, very unlike her husband the Duke of Tusslefields. She came with a large dowry from the Kingdom of Life. Which is very strange, because of course the Kingdom of Life doesn’t marry out… She was never Duchess, only “Lady.” And other members of her family are still whispy, as if they were never really there."
[End session 73--this was an exceedingly short session, with serious scheduling problems]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 74 (August 27, 2015)

Tar Skard 15
The Council discusses the report from Victor Clutterbuck [attached]. They talk about resettling people over there.

Dame Brionna raises the question of whether there was slave taking.

Kit plans on reaching out to some of her people embedded over there; none of them are on the fan, but… She plans on reaching out through her farsensor, checking the demographics of the people who died, whether there were particularly targeted groups (elves, halflings), whether there was any sign of slave taking, whether there was any evidence of ritualism (e.g. targets selected for ritual reasons, etc.).

There were three embedded agents. The farsensor checks whether each survived. One of them did, but two of them did not.

"Was anyone taken prisoner?"

"A very few, and our village withstood them—we had strong walls and a knight with us. They seemed to take the fey touched. They also took a couple of young men, particularly those who fought particularly well. Not many. Everyone else they killed, even the little children. No one does that, you know. And burned every bit of food they could reach that they couldn’t carry."

"Can you tell me which settlements got hit?"

"In this area. I don’t travel far from my ma and da.  Our lord out here, he didn’t do so good. Otherwise, they couldn’t have taken this all or killed so many."

"Did you see anything of what your lord was doing? Did you see his men?"

"No, Sir Darben was here, and his friend who throws fire out of his fingers and lightning out of his ears.  We were near to the woods. My ma said that, that she always warned us, that the goblins would come... but not like this, not all organized like this..."

The Council discusses how to find and recover the feytouched. Their main thought is that they should talk to the fey. They invite their fey visitor to meet Alistair at the tree.

"From the time of the division of our cousins the elves, all of us knew that you would come. It was inevitable—the Creator foresaw it. You do not do well dwelling in mountains and hills and up in trees. You need structures. You do not know what it is to remember everything that has been. So it was thought that a place would be built, a beginning, and some of our cousins would stay there until you came there. But then the Kinslaying came, and that was not foreseen, because it was the work of the Corrupter. And this place was divided against itself, and only the caretakers remained. But then your people arose, and it was quaint. There had to be a strong house, a strong place, a strong base for one of the young gods, such as they are. And the Queen of Singing Leaves and the Tor that is here think that you still bear that blessing."

Alistair replies, "And so when you call me structure builder, you mean in that sense—continuing to build that house, that strong place."

"That’s exactly right. Your people do many things that are anathema to us. But your house must be strong, or when the prophesied darkness comes, all will be lost."

They then ask him about finding the feytouched, and he says he will, but needs to not be in touch with the earth or anything from it.

The Council takes him aloft in a voller. He just stands there for about two hours.

"They have taken seven prisoners, 4 male, 3 female, all at or just below the age of menarche. They have handed the children to a flying column (not literally) of Chulic mercenaries, about 200. They are desperate people, who come through in small numbers to this plane; bribe them instead of fighting them.

"They come through in small numbers in the valley of the dispossessed, and then they spread out. Their males are only trained in war. They have few females or children, but desperately seek homes for those females and children. They come with weapons and armor almost worn to the point of being useless.  Hanal has hired several bands; one has even risen to Chuktar.

"If you fight them, and they are losing, honor will demand that they kill the prisoners."

The fey then awakens the voller, restores it to life. Its hit points double, and there will later be added armor.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 74, cont'd]
Shortly after noon, Kit gets an incredibly urgent feeling. Kit thought the node was dead, but it is pulsing enormously insistently. <<Emergency report to the Mouth. Oh, thank the Light. All hell has broken loose in the City of Life. Suddenly, a few hours ago at most, the Royal Guard was in the street, rounding up the House of Sidea, one after another. There are calls for trial—I can’t get too close, I am only a merchant. The charge is treason, but they are calling for a trial of an entire great house, and anyone asking too many questions is being shot. They say it is too disgusting to discuss outside the noble class. I have been asleep here for 13 years. I have never seen anything like it.>>

Kit asks her scribe to pull together everything we know about that family. “Yes, yes, yes. Very important great house in the City of Life. One of the few we know about because of their history. They were tasked with making sure that the great houses never became so inbred…. In the early days, they kidnapped noble maids from other houses that served the Light, and forced into forced marriages. Nobody did anything because of the Drops of Heavenly Essence. In the last century or so, they turned into a house of marriage brokers, tracking and maintaining the diversity that they need. There are also reports that they execute particularly intelligent children from the common stock. Of all the Glor’diadelian kingdoms, they are most likely to use execution. I’ve privately said that they are more Sytryan than Glor’diadelian.

“I had a sudden realization, for the first time in many years, of who his most benevolent and honored majesty’s mother was. My guess would be that house arranged that marriage, without the permission of the Council. Perhaps someone there discovered it. It is against every one of their rules.”

"What could have made them do it?"

“Some of their Great Houses must be dying out—they must think that purity is the most important thing, for they believe that they are the only true humans. Do we know if Alistair’s mother’s house survives? She may have been married out and the house died out.”

Dame Brionna has been researching Tusslefields: large mine lands; controls the only Canberran entrance to the Underdark (through Gateways). Over half the legions of Canberry consist of soldiers native to Tusslefields.

The Council sends Lord Davion and Dame Brionna to meet with the Chulik. (Lord Davion advises that Dame Brionna negotiate, because the Chulik have too much of a sense of race.)

"The three who came to us were a great humanoid cat, and with him two others, a tentacle monstrosity of mind, and the other untouchable, unthinkable, with the semblance of a man but no man. I am not sure this is honorable, but we needed to find employment."

Dame Brionna negotiates with them, easily.

Lord Davion teleports them back with him and Dame Brionna (and their Chulik escorts). The rest of the Chulik head towards Canberry City overland. Mommy Cupcakes is sent to help out with the children, along with the Master of Pages.

Kit contacts Brian, the young boy in the Western areas, who agrees to check on whether the children have surviving parents or other family members.
[End session 74]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 75 (September 24, 2015)

Tar Skard 15
Kit touches base with her agent in the City of Life. The agent spoke with a captain of the guard; while most are simply being held at this time, two of the eldest have been taken away from ordinary captivity and have not been seen again. And papers have been brought to allow the throne to claim all of the house’s property. The eldest were likely the only ones old enough to have been part of the conspiracy. But this upsets hundreds of years tradition, and tradition is what the city has run on for centuries.

<<It was not the traditionalists who pushed for this—it was the radicals, who wielded this power through the person of the youngest brother of the ruler. He does not take part in the life of the court, but he pursues a clerical path. There are rumors that he may have taken a step that is frowned on by the Church—having maimed his masculinity. He is not of the Pale Flame, but he did have seminary teachers who did. He is devious, it is said, and has advanced himself in the clerical orders through subterfuge. He is a canon, and may aim to be the next bishop here. I do not know his religious name, because his order does not reveal such things, but he is Bernard. His order treats the religious names taken upon joining the order as sacred. He is primarily, we thought, a scholar.>>

<<How did he change course?>>

<<He openly espoused their policy when this memory returned. He has studied the factions within the City of Life and the other religions of Law.  The bishop here is so staunch a traditionalist that he is ineffective.  The radicalists are fewer than the traditionalists, but not hide bound, which gives them flexibility. They favor action, a stronger military, and that their interpretation of doctrine is correct, to the exclusion of other interpretations. They hold various offices in government, for generations, intended to placate them.>>

Kit encourages her agent to reach out to her agent's brother, in the bishop’s household, and to both put the bishop on guard and try to fend off meetings with Bernard.

The Order of the Pale Flame is not a large order, but they are fanatics. The Church is made nervous by them. Many practice self-mutilation. They have also been involved in as near to an Inquisition as there is among the Glor’diadelians. Joining formally would bar him from advancing to bishop.

The Council has some one search to find the order affiliation, if any, of the prior corrupted priest they dealt with.

Kit reports [based on an attached message]: In the West lands, there has been some very unusual and unsettling grave robbings. Four break-ins at separate graves, clearly targeting some specific items and leaving behind gold that was present. They stole a small statue, and maybe some other things, from a barrow. The most significant person buried in the barrow was a lich. There were also some humans buried in there, also some demons or demonic things in two different styles of clothing -- like uniforms. The people securing the barrow currently are more scouts; the nearest military force is about 50 miles away. There were also recent corpses.

Kit sends back as instructions:
"Can you put me in touch with the brain lobe? What I want to know:


Describe uniforms?
What kind of demons?
Who are the recent corpses and how long ago were they killed?

Don't call on the military; we'll send backup.
Don't move the other treasure until/unless our people say it's OK
Don't go into lower level w/o our backup"

Dame Brionna reports: There are some catmen around in the West, who should be particularly feared.

She has two reports: One a military report from Clarence Strawberry [attached]. In the south, of the enemy force of 35,000, the total survivors is about 2500. In terms of enemy numbers, the relevant thing is that at least 25 trolls survived, as well as some hundreds of orkish fighters, some priests and wizards, and some Hanalian cavalry.

In the bad news, 80 percent of the spice plantations have been destroyed or badly damaged. It will take the Seachen about 3 generations to resume their full production; if they go isolationist, about 90 percent of the spice supply will be lost. The Rakshasa are largely broken as an effective force, and the whole region is devastated.

In the West, there are about 1500 surviving enemy forces. Strawberry suggests two legions of military support for at least two years. He suggests that the forces not be under the control of the Western house, because of their incompetency.

The most disturbing news is about the great mountain of corruption that arose from the sea. The inhabitants, of unknown and disturbing races, have begun fortifying the island; they began fortifying within an hour of the defeat of the Abomination of Shurr.  Hanal and Tang are trying to maintain an interdiction, and have also set up an inquisitorial camp on the island. Canberry can’t easily add to the blockade directly because Canberry has no sea navy. Strawberry suggests Canberry build up one of the ports in the old Southern Kingdoms and begin building a new sea navy, but that’s probably not fast.

The Council discusses the spice shortage and in particular the salt shortage.  They discuss trading with the Quasi-elemental Plane of Salt; Dame Constance suggests that they could trade with some of the more reasonable princes. One of the things they like is to dessicate things. "You must remember the rule of 9 days. Any embassy you send is protected for nine days, any bargain you make lasts only nine days."

The Council then discuss the two messages Alistair received [both attached]. WRT Hanal: the rebel nobles are now in heresy, because they seized an inquisitor who went in. The Inquisitor General, speaking for the Baroness of Mandrath, has asked the Archbishop to declare interdict against the territory, and they’ve also sent in a legion of church knights. But even a field army, unless they can turn the people against the nobles, would be a drop in the bucket. So realistically, though Canberry has no sure sources of information, a legion of church knights is really more of a harrying force. Canberry has not heard anything since then.

Kit has agents in the Princess’s entourage, but not connected to the fan.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 75, cont'd]
The Council sends for Duchess Emma, to discuss her prophecy. She leaves her guard behind and then approaches. She is a striking young woman, in the way that a deadly viper is striking. Armored, elegant, but somehow not appealing.

"I have always had the sight. It takes me at rare times at great space. At this time, it took me during a salutation of my patron in the Eighth Circle. I do not know if he sent it, or if it just happened to come here. The darkness recedes, except in three places: in the south, off the coast; in the far north; and in the inland sea. In the north and south, I saw clarity. In the middle, I saw deception, corruption where there should be purity. I could see that the plans and the schemes were not new. You were what was not expected. The plans were not aimed at you—they were intended for he who was dead. And that’s why the schemes do not catch upon you. The land is bound to you. It protects you from the direct methods they would prefer. It protects you from the easy ability to kill you. But it does not protect you from corruption, it does not protect you against those you believe you can trust. Cling as well to your allies. You have built a group of allies that are loyal. Shining counselors will come. You must be cautious. Do not be fooled by devotion to the light. It is from light the worm will rise to strike.

"Words came to me: No where better can falsehood lie than within the heart of truth. It seems nonsensical, does it not? And yet, that’s what came to me."

* * *

The Council summons back Alistair's sister, teleporting her in instead of relying on her extremely slow progress.

"It’s not just the family that’s crazy. The guards, the nurses, one of the cooks—the other is sane enough, she just doesn’t have an imaginative bone in her body. Betty, the sane cook, swears that the problem started when they dug the new crypt in her mother’s day—before that they were right as rain."

What specific ways did they change? Lethargy is a major problem.

The Council calls for Aunt Cecilia to check Alistair's sister, since we’re concerned about her being lethargic. Aunt Cecilia sees something like an oozing oil. She suggests calling a coercer, not a redactor—something has been meddling with her mind. But of course, Canberry doesn’t have a coercer.

The Council summons Lord Davion to look at her. He blocks it easily; she will recover, and it will not be able to re-affect her, unless it was holding back and trying to be subtle. A grandmaster coercer could break his protection.

"It could be illithid, aboleth, or psionic drow. An illithid would never be that subtle. An aboleth might, especially if it had made a bargain. They’re very lawful, so even if tricked into a bargain, it would feel bound. If it were an aboleth, I cannot shield her depths. We would need to hire a grandmaster coercer." He suggests requesting it as a favor from Princess Curinirim. Of course, if it were a drow, especially a rebel drow, then it would go poorly.

Bishop Waters casts a divination and confirms that the taint is from an aboleth.
[End session 75]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 76 (October 27, 2015)

17 Tar-Skard
The Council asks about whether to ask for Curinirim’s help with a grandmaster coercer, whether to hire an illithid, whether to hire a Zaplona-Argoni coercer.

The Council talks with Lady Constance. She asks whether it was a single aboleth.  "To affect this area broadly, it would need to be either a noble aboleth or perhaps a group. There are only a handful of noble aboleths, and several disappeared. Jilithroop was a famous one; he was a dedicated follower of the Lord of Orderly Darkness, disappeared completely. Some of his followers believe he was called back to Paranswarm’s own plane—balderdash, Lord Paranswarm would have waited and watched for much longer. There was also one who drifted into a drowan city on Khamista—Aquavarzin (the “dominating cavern of ruin”)-Uab, the Aboleth Lord. Had a tremendous influence on the city. They continue to follow the Queen of Spiders, but became highly lawful. That’s the city that the late Grand Duchess was from—House Aleval. Most of the aboleth nobles on this plane are barons—dukes and above are not generally captured on this plane. There are no princes on this plane. Gherlith is the duke, a saltwater aboleth, with a fascination with the merfolk. He is performing research on them.

"The noble aboleths are highly lawful. You would only have to be clever enough to trick them. They would never break their word, nor even exploit loopholes like a devil would. If they were betrayed by the other party, the contract would be null and void.

"There was a very young duke who even served Glor’diadel.

"If you need a strong coercer for a short period of time, I am owed a favor by an ultradaemon—probably unwilling to serve for longer than 48 hours, but that might be enough to negotiate."

"Do you know anything of the history of the duchy that might be relevant?"

"The Western duchy was a very heavily religiously divided duchy before it joined the Archduchy. The followers of Paranswarm in the ruling house faded away quickly, and the followers among the common people faded away after that. The heir-apparent was a lyan, but his younger brother stabbed him at table, killing him instantly. His wife then disappeared; it was said that she was locked in the tower, but she was never heard from again. She was a powerful conjuration specialist. She might have just committed suicide. Vivian was her name, and it was rumored she was pregnant at the time of the death, but they had no living child at the time of her death. Several assassins were found burned beyond recognition in her bedchamber."

Dame Brionna suggests she might have taken refuge with the Sisterhood of the Weeping Woman. Alistair suggests she might have gone to the SHH instead, if she was a conjurer.

The Council asks Grandmaster Farsensor to do a legend lore equivalent on Vivian, and in particular on her descendants or lack thereof. She was injured by an assassin, then fled the castle. She fled initially to an order of nuns, until she was delivered of her two children. She sent one of them into the lands beyond the sea, probably to the old holy see of Paranswarm in Khamista. She took the remaining child and traveled to a stronghold she had built for her research north of the ducal capital. She bore great hatred towards her brother-in-law. She built up a force of mind-devils, but the duchy had become part of the Archduchy and she knew she couldn't retake it. She became a lich, but eventually did perish. The son lived, married, had children, and died, living his life as a minor carpet noble. She dealt with many creatures over the years.

There were certain items that had considerable powers. There was a crystal statue, with enormous power, that may have at one time been a portion of a device to bind the greatest of demons. The evidence is strong that she never used it, but she did keep it. It was a “blood statue,” that would consume blood and then summon the creature it was supposed to bind. It would bring the creature forth, and bind the form of the creature inside itself, but it would be up to the mage to bind the creature. It could be used to release a bound demon from an extraplanar oubliette.

The second item was an ancient elven necklace, probably from the Elder Wood. Its power is psychic, and it is cast from laen. It would allow a non-psion to make contact with a psion, and appear to be psionic to one who does not know of such a device. It would drain their life energy to do so, however. In the hands of a psion, it simply augments their power.

The final object is a casket of diabolic summoning. It allows a single conjurer to bind something on the order of a lower devil on a time table of every few months, and keep them all bound.

He became Baron Werner.  The Council looks up the lineage. Various barons are noted as having extra children. There is a current Baron Werner, who none of the Council know.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 76, cont'd]
The Council calls in Dame Brionna’s sister, who has some expertise and responsibility in these matters.

"Do you know a Baron Werner?"

"Yes, a young man. He has fallen head-over-heals to a young woman attached to the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Life; she’s head-over-heals in love with him as well. Apparently, she’s not of breeding, so it’s acceptable for her to marry out.

"He’s a brilliant linguist, one of our chief translators of documents from foreign powers. Also very devout, of Glor’diadel, a daily communicant, and a remarkably hard worker.  His mother used to be a lower-level lady-in-waiting to the former Archduchess."

(The Council asks Lord Brightspan to research the history of the tradition of the life offering.)

We summon Baron Werner on the pretense of some assistance translating a brief speech into Noldar. We then have a security team examining him. He’s squeaky clean.

He has dinner scheduled with his special friend.

His younger brother isn’t very devout. He engaged in some … well, he might have a baby or two around. He’s functioning as a messenger for the military, but he’ll end up a warrior. He wanted to head north to Gates, where there are a lot of very attractive young women. The Council has gotten a couple of notes from him. He might have been sent by someone named Strawberry.

The Council sends a team to check out his special friend, who they strongly believe is a honey pot.

Kit gets a message from her contact in the Kingdom of Life. The two children of the family have surfaced—they’ve been exposed. We want to do something, but we don’t know what. They’re guarded, being left out for the judgment of the sun. That hasn’t been done in generations. Even if we could get them out, we’d have to go down, into the water tunnels. But then we’d go past the Isles of the Feet, and then drift out into the ocean unless we had a boat to meet us. Nobody goes into the water tunnels, where there are some punts. Nobody goes into the water tunnels—they’re viewed as cursed.

The Council arranges for a voller to fly over and drop off a boat—ostensibly while en route to Enclaves to evac Kit’s family.

Meanwhile, the young woman (Blanche) shows up at the restaurant, where a squad with a widget of true seeing looks at her. She is, in fact, a beautiful young human woman who is what she appears to be. Her thoughts are not extremely deep; it’s very easy to read them. She develops a combination of annoyance and concern when he fails to show up, and then gets fidgety. Muriel, a waitress working for Kit, heads in. "There is some fear—a shadowy shape to the fear. She is in fact in love with him, admiring him. My brother wanted me to go look at art in the archive, and I do like art. He dared to suggest to me that I try to get money out of poor, sweet Robert. I wouldn’t do it of course. Then he suggested… oh I can’t talk about it, it’s too horrible. He then suggested that if I wouldn’t ask Robert for money, that I ask him to share the Archduke’s secrets with him. Things haven’t been good at home since my brother came back to the palace. I swear he changed. He was only 15 summers when he went into the palace of life, but when he came out after the two years’ service, he became cold and calculating and mechanical after having been kind and gentle, but he lost all interest in women as well and became quite nasty. I actually think he hit mother once. Mother is not happy with the current regime. He goes to services all the way down in the lower city—it’s not a large parish, I didn’t much like the mass there."

Kit arranges to have some thugs pick up the brother—the Council could expel him for soliciting espionage, but they’d rather pick him up. Of course the Archduke can’t take action against him, but if some random thugs picked him up…

The priest is a member of the Order of the Eternal Light, but he’s been there for years and is happy there and it’s small and unimportant so they just leave him there. The Order of the Eternal Light is an enormous order, with priests everywhere.

Dame Brionna sends some paladins to investigate the church. The priest seems fine, elderly but fine. There is however evil straight down—presumably in the uncleanable sewers. There’s a steady low-grade influence, not affecting the priest, but steadily entering some of the people in the services, including the brother. A total of three had been influenced.

Kit sends a group of thugs to pick up the brother, backed up by arcane support. He says, “You don’t want to do this.” The thugs try to pick him up, and a burst of light and energy erupts from the street. One of the paladins runs towards him, another runs to a guardhouse to get more support. He repeats, “You don’t want to do this,” and starts floating in the air, although without casting a levitate or fly spell.

The ground where the flash of light came from is still glowing. One of the thugs (under protection from evil) moves over the flash of light, and zip, it moves along the sewer track.

Kit sends her people to check the sewer underneath; Dame Brionna sends her paladin sewer squad.

He escapes. The sewer squad, runs out of the sewer a glowing ball of blue light, radiating intense evil. Alistair says it seems like an evil lantern archon, and orders it bound in a circle of protection against evil.

They also post people to watch over the house of Blanche’s mother, and to try to apprehend Frederick (the brother).

Bishop Waters confirms that it is indeed an archon turned to evil. "It was brought here, by its summoner. Its summoner’s masters are very powerful, it says. It says they’re mighty priests of the Light. It refers to “the Light” and “the Darkness” as if they are the only things that exist. It says that ultimately the masters serve the Blue Star, although it’s very cagey about whether they know it. “The Blue Star” is another name for Sytry. It is influencing others because they are susceptible. The summoner, it truly acts as if it were diabolic, it is corrupting. It is probably only a few millennia from being truly diabolic. Is the summoner a true human? It says it was when I began."

Bishop Waters says that it’s becoming more arrogant even over the course of this conversation. "But how is an archon of light in service to Sytry? Unless Sytry is starting to make his own archons…"

Alistair asks, could it be a devil forced into the form of an archon and offered into Sytry’s service? It could be. The Council has it bound into a vessel, and moved it into the palace, so they can study its nature.
[End session 78]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 77 (February 25, 2016)

Tar-Skard 18 (during the night before dawn on the 18th)
Dame Brionna is awoken in the night by a gray elf messenger, who asks her to accompany him to observe a battle near the City of Chimes. The Council agrees of course, and she takes a standard investigatory team, her unipeg, and young Lord Brightspan. They aport to a crystal platform, the deck of a very large flying ship.

There is an Eldar standing at the edge of the ship, shielded by a guard with a large crystal shield. She is the only Eldar on the ship, clearly the Queen of Singing Leaves.

“Dame Brionna, this is a very prompt response, I thank you.”

“My lord Alistair wanted to honor both the terms of the treaty and our friendship.”

“I do not understand this battle, and I wanted your expertise. Not because this was once an elven city—they could hardly damage the high glass after all this time. But because of the nature of the army.”

Elven dreadnought, two men-of-war, and two elven schooners—probably her entire sky navy.

"There are humans and hundreds of elves defending it, but they are surrounded by tens of thousands of attackers. Goblinoids, Hanalian regulars, people in animal masks (presumably from Masque), and those—are those not paladins? It is a group of Knights of Truth, wearing the full silver plate regalia they always use and flying the white banner they fly in battle." Knights of Truth are Sytryan paladins. (The Masque force is wearing Ram heads.)

Dame Brionna asks Lord Brightspan to look through the telescope and see what he can perceive—he sees an indistinct large figure, out of phase, just out of ability to be seen fully. It’s almost like a huge starfish.

"Is there any devil or demon like that?" Dame Brionna asks.

One of the elves says no.

"What about… of the Unspeakable?"

A different elf says yes.

"Is there a way to drive it out or destroy it? The paladins may not be acting voluntarily."

"I could descend on my battle platform.  They are fools! You cannot bind the Unspeakable.  They are concentrated at the North and West gates. They are not closed—the humans have forgotten how to close them, or never knew."

"By the East gate, are there any ancient towers or structures?"

"There is an ancient structure—the repository where the essence of the old Eldron were imprinted."

"That’s where the real attack is."

Lord Brightspan looks through the spyglass and reports that there is a hidden army there, creeping forward. The elves begin to focus there, and that’s when vollers drop out of the sky above them.

The Queen orders them destroyed; the Hanalians begin trying to board. Each blast of the energy projectors destroys a Hanalian ship, but there are 60 Hanalian ships. The bulk of the elves on the ground sprint towards the east gate, but there are only about 2000 human defenders.

Dame Brionna starts incinerating would-be boarders on kites. A few minutes later, Lord Brightspan starts saying, “Uh-oh. That thing is coming.”

At Alistair’s suggestion, Dame Brionna asks the Queen to protect Lord Brightspan. She sends him below decks, to “protect” the noncombatants there.

Dame Brionna detects an enormous evil presence coming—radiating more evil than any of the demons she has met or fought, at an almost visceral level. Dame Brionna mounts up and prepares to charge it. Words form around her mind. “Interfering bitches, we will not tolerate this any longer. A thousand years in the making, and you and your friends disturb it.”

“I think it’s angry, Dame.”

“It will have to get used to disappointment—especially for its lack of courtesy to one of your rank.”

“I see why Alistair likes you—you are a boon companion. I will accompany you.”

She reveals herself fully (“continue to face towards the battle”), and Dame Brionna becomes bolstered, while it is revealed fully.

Dame Brionna smites it, doing 44 points of damage and literally driving it back with the force of her charge towards the ground. The Queen is flying with her on a crystal disk, slashing at it with her laen longsword.

(The elven ships are concentrating on the other flying ships; the battle has been joined at the east gate and is fierce; demons are fighting there, but the elves are preventing them from breaking through.)

Dame Brionna keeps pushing the creature to the ground, praying to Glordiadel.

Finally, it crashes into the ground, howling in pain because of the power of the elven Queen’s aura, which is particularly inimical to it.

It dissolves most of Dame Brionna’s armor with its spit.

It unleashes a wave of taint, which turns the grass into snapping horrible things, and mutates insects, but it cannot affect either Dame Brionna or the Queen.

Dame Brionna misses her next attack.

Six elves from the ground join the attack. One is dissolved by the wave of taint, but the others hack at it. Dame Brionna strikes again, and it is destroyed.

The Knights of Truth are in chaos, with some fighting each other.

At Dame Brionna’s suggestion, the Queen fences off the area with a dome of ectoplasm. “That was one of the Unspeakable’s servants. They seem to be breaking—was it compelling them forward, do you think?  I fear we have lost a schooner. Well, let us return to the ship.”

At the East gate, the elves are forcing them back—most of the lesser demons are dead, and some of the attackers broke when the creature died.

Battle trumpets sound, and the Hanalian legions start falling away in orderly fashion, at which point the Masque group goes absolutely berserk. The Skald plays soothing music, and some of the battle is calmed. The army at the East gate breaks, and the elves cut them down.

Some of the vollers start fleeing, while others hoist white flags. The Strom of Thornbear offers himself as hostage for the safety of his men. The Strom apologizes for this unseemly event, "and would also like to enquire where we are."

“Who do I have the honor of surrendering to? And why are we in this battle?”

“I am Dame Brionna, the captain of the Archducal Guard of Canberry.”

“Good god, did we attack Canberry?”

“Perhaps worse. That is the ship of the Queen of Singing Leaves—you may have heard of her.”

They send the very confused young Strom below to be assisted by redactors, so that he can eventually be told what the deal is with the Queen of Hanal without causing his mind to collapse.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 77, cont'd]
"We should check the repository. We never gave it much mind. We must mourn our dead—we lost dozens. And with roughly 15,000 Hanalians leaving the field…"

"Your majesty, is there a way to warn the Ecumenical Council of this?"

"The Overqueen maintains a Star Priestess of the full blood at the Ecumenical Council’s meeting hall. She could inform them of this plan—the fact that it has moved so efficiently over the last millennium is worrisome."

The Captain of the Queen’s Guard accompanies Dame Brionna to the repository.

"Have you been in a repository before? Fascinating places. The Eldron would leave parts of their essence lying about, in laen repositories. Those hold some of their personality as well. I think you may be the first human ever welcomed into an Eldron repository."

(This isn’t the only one; there’s one in the Steading of Elven Lords as well. (They send a warning.))

The Captain and Dame Brionna put their hands on a panel for a few seconds, and then enter. The guardian, which looks like a wraith of light, approaches. “Hail, and welcome to the Master’s repository. What wisdom do you seek from the Eldron?”

“I represent Archduke Alistair of Canberry, but I also represent the Light. We sought to defend this place from the Unspeakable.”

“I sensed their coming.  The blood of the First Comers has always been used for summoning purposes. But there is no blood here; only thoughts and memories and wisdom. Would you meet some of the personality fragments that remain?”  Among those the guardian mentions, is an expert in eldritch lore. He “touches” a small crystal plaque on the front of this pillar. “Great thinker, there are those who of come, both of the blood and not of the blood, to speak with you.”

“Oh? I sense their presence. Ah! Humans! In… mostly… armor. And one of the young ones. What do you want to speak of? What wisdom can this shard impart?”

“We think that servants of the Unspeakable are in search of three artifacts of the Eldron, or perhaps Eldron themselves, that could be used to prevent them from coming into this world or allow them in. What do you know of these?”

“The Unspeakable have always sought to devour this world. Three devices were raised, one against the most foul, She Who Must Not Be Named; one against her bed companion, and one against the pale companion who was always the weakest of her. The one to bind She Who Must Not Be Named is the most important. It is a great man.”

“There are seven remaining Eldron total in the world. Four in the Larmena Hills. One no longer moves. One deep beneath the seas, south of Khamista—he has come to love the fish and the sea elves more than the land. The last was long-ago taken captive by the Gift-giver, the one who split the race. He refused to choose. Most of us passed rather than choose; some were slain rather than choose. He was the one here. He was taken prisoner by traitors, and taken through the Gates beneath the spider. He is not dead—I would know—nor has he committed himself still. We are a stubborn folk.”

“What of this man? Where is it?”

“It is a great statue of a man. It would require three Eldron. We always worked in threes, or sixes. On occasion nines—more than that was too much. Even this room seems crowded, does it not?”

"What of the other two?"

"One was a crystal ball; it still lies with the Overqueen. It would bind the bed companion. The last was never completed, but lies in the labyrinth beneath here."

"What of the box?"

"That would be a product of the Larmena Hills. It is likely aimed against Her. It was after my time."

(The Larmenon Hills were invaded by Sytryites recently, and then dispersed rapidly by an unknown force. We presume that was the Eldron.)

"What of the item in the labyrinth beneath us?"

"At the time it was being worked on, there were a handful of our younger cousins who assisted us, and it was safe. There might have been beasts—some of my brethren liked to experiment with life energy, to create new beasts that have never been before. It is quite exhilarating—you should try it some time."

"Could the bones of the Eldron be used in foul rituals?"

"Not to bring Her through, but for other foul rituals."

Dame Brionna asks about whether we should go into the labyrinth—Alistair thinks not right now.

The Council discusses relocating the bodies.

The Larmena hills are just east of the kingdom of the Black Isles in Khamista—almost shore, but not quite. Considerable gnomish communities—skilled crafters, some gearworkers, some clockwork mages.

"Is there any connection between gnomes and the Eldron?"

"Gnomes and the Four, indeed. They love them. They nurtured them from their earliest days, nurtured them at their bosoms. The Four in Larmena think about them a great deal. They always have. From when there were gnomes… and a little before."

The Council discusses the fact that the Hanalians were persecuting the gnomes—that might be a lever to persuade the Four.

"Only Eldron could finish the device in the labyrinth. The younger elven races," by which he means the Eldar and Noldar, "have lost some of their energy. They could not finish it."

He suggests that they seal the repository—only the one who sealed it (or their line) could unseal it. A sufficiently powerful assault could break psionically reinforced laen-beamed high glass, but by the time that assault could be mounted, the war would already be lost.

The team goes down into the labyrinth to try to recover the artifact. There are various ornately carved walls, with runnels filled with mithril in elaborate runes. Various pillars hold skulls, or bones—one bone per pillar. In workshops, there is a harp, the most marvelous harp ever, along with a library of books made of metal, then rooms that look lived in. A small figure, like a cross between a bird and a small dog, begins following. Dame Brionna offers it food—it slowly and carefully eats the food. It then stares at them, with its very wide eyes. It thinks a question at them. They think back the device. It thinks of warmth, then of cold, and then of apprehension. It leads them for a while, before stopping at a wall. It then projects an image of them staring at the wall, with hands on their heads.

The psion wills energy into the wall—an image of an angelic servitor of Eiru appears, speaks in Elder Elven, and then the door opens. Dozens upon dozens of tools surround the described item.

Mechanical figures block the way out, saying a single word over and over again. “Declare!” they say in Eldron. “Friends” the expedition says in Eldar. The mechanical figures let him pass.

"Ah, I see you found Fidget. He was made as a companion. He is smart, for a dog. No real magic, but he can change shapes—a common thing, that."

"Are there any special things about the harp?"

"It was a work of love for the harpist. It took him a thousand years to make it. It is psionically active. It would argue with him if it didn’t want to play a song. The library—that was mine. I don’t want to be separated from them. But they aren’t doing any good down there. Do you have any scholars?"

"We have some students. And we are establishing a school."

"Then it is simple. I must go with them.

"The books are all on either mithril or adamantium. Some of them bite. The non-mobile ones, you simply take. The 50 or so that are mobile—you chain first, otherwise they might leave. And the ones that bite? There is a mithril and laen handle in my pedestal."

Kit comes to the city; and helps gather up the books, plus the researcher, and seals up the repository.

The mayor, David Cobbler, surrenders to Kit. (He had previously tried to surrender to the Queen, but she said that he had to surrender to the people of the new Emperor.) Kit asks whether they are all human, but there are some who have fey blood. "There was a small Tor north of here, we thought they would come to our aid, but they didn’t. We last heard of them a week ago."

(The Council make arrangements to have the Glordiadelian temple properly consecrated.)

Kit sends some people to investigate the tor; it was besieged by Hanalian troops, probably another field army. They would have taken the worst casualties, except that the Masque troops were killed almost to a man. The goblins broke so early that most survived to run away. The fey are shaken—they’re not usually even discovered. But they’re not badly hurt, because their magic was powerful. They survived pretty much intact, because they could hide the hidden doors into the hills, but they’re very thankful that the enemy retreated.
[End Session 77]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 78 (March 17, 2016)

Tar-Skard 18
Dame Brionna meets with Father Waters after morning services.

“I… I… I fear, Father Waters, that I am guilty of the sin of pride. There have been a number of occasions recently where I have been faced with a combat that I knew was beyond my fighting ability and prowess, but that I charged into anyway because I believed that Glor’diadel would protect me and guide my lance, and Glor’diadel has each time, and that has led me into overconfidence and pride and a feeling that I am more special than I know myself to be, and I come to you to confess this and ask for penance, as I am but the lowliest of His servants.”

“We are all servants of the divine, but we must all struggle with our pride, and with our lust, and not always the pride or the lust we fear. A penance—this is not the time for a simple devotion to saints or a sweeping of chapels. You have known great loss. You have known the loss of your childhood’s faith. You must balance your success against those losses, and you must remember that you can only succeed through humbleness before Glor’diadel. Therefore, as penance, I assign you, to spend one day in each of the coming four weeks, in the poorest sections of this city, and that you shall there oversee services for the poorest, who have lost all pride.”

Dame Brionna goes off and prays quietly.
* * *

Kit reaches out to her agent, late of the City of Life.
“Are you alright?”

“In body, yes. I have taken sanctuary in a hidden hideout a day and a half from the main city. I am not certain I can reach the border.”

“An embassy arrived from the Ecumenical Council—not all were of the Light, but some were. They hung them all as heretics, and purged them. I believe they have sealed the Dome. The Dome has not been sealed since the dragonfire 300 years ago.

“A fair number of knights were ejected before the Dome was, as my sources say, sealed. A fair number of nobles were purged. The city itself, if it has sealed the Dome, is nearly impregnable. One of the rumors that I have heard, which I cannot prove but tend to believe, is that the clergy have taken some members of the royal family captive as hostages, and that they have killed the companion of the primarch’s brother. The primarch’s brother is weak, and will not last long. If they have seized the primarch’s brother, then they must have seized the primarch as well. Unless the primarch’s younger sister is able to take some power, that probably means that the chief clerics are in power. She was in Khamista, studying in a seminary for women; I think that her return may have triggered this. She always had her brother’s ear. She may have been in the city, or may have been among the last to leave. She had many who were loyal to her.

"We have always been paranoid—since we found the spring, and since the elves departed. There are many refuges, but many are lost, as they were built by individual nobles. They don’t seem to be coming out of the Dome—the commons are in an uproar."

"What can you do inside the Dome?"

"The Dome contains the spring, the palace, the cathedral—the inner city. It is close to impenetrable—it might be broken by the most powerful of the elves, or by a large cohort of human wizards working together.  Rumors say that there are catacombs beneath the city, but I never found them. Unless they connect to the Underdark…"
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 78, cont'd]
(Kit pauses to consult with the rest of the Council.

Alistair checks Canberry's map of the Underdark, and finds that there are reaches of the upper Underdark that at least go close.

Kit plans on reaching out to her agent to try to find the younger sister, and also to find out more about her.

They also plan an extraction.
)

Kit contacts her agent; tells her that there is likely a connection to the Underdark; second, that the agent should reach out to people, especially people who might be loyal to the younger sister, who seems likes someone we could work with; and they’ll be arranging an extraction. "You have loyally served Canberry, and we will provide you with protection."

Alistair speaks with the Archbishop; he is very shaken by the death of Monsignor Manuel, who is the Nuncio from the Light and was part of that delegation.

"The City of Life has always been odd. The humans—after the elves departed, or passed, or we think they did—modeled their culture on the elven culture for a very long time, which made them incredibly insular. But the faith of Eiru faded over time—when the elves dwelt among them, they followed Eiru, but it faded with time, or perhaps they were rejected by Eiru. After that, they turned to Glor’diadel. They have always been a stiff-necked lot, and they forbade the marriage of nobles to those outside, which caused unfortunate things, for they did not have a large number of nobles. Their priests were cut slack, because of the Heavenly Drops. There was talk that we would select a bishop when the present bishop passed, without consulting the primarch, but the primarch has traditionally selected the bishops. The priests that emerged from Life rarely leave—though we have one in the city." (They send people to investigate.)

Kit asks her scribe to (1) research the current royal family of the City of Life, with a focus on the youngest daughter; (2) compare it to records kept outside the palace; (3) compare the records of Alistair’s maternal family kept within the palace to records kept without the palace?

Her scribe has a file on the royal family of Life, kept based on orders from the Archduke’s grandmother; the primarch is a good enough man, not very bright; the primarch’s brother is a brilliant man, but very weak, due to the inbreeding—has a companion who keeps him healthy; three younger sisters, two of whom died (probably of the same inbred condition as the younger brother); the youngest sister is still quite young, and left to Khamista to enter a women’s seminary—really, a convent. She said that she would not follow her sisters, which suggests that their deaths may not have been natural.

The Archbishop then starts preparing for a 13 question commune:

Does the Bishop of the City of Life worship Sytry? Yes
If yes, does he know? No
Has the Bishop of the City of Life attempted to seize power? Yes
Is the youngest sister of the Primarch of the City of Life devoted to Glor’diadel? Yes.
Is the Bishop of the City of Life good? No.
Is the Patriarch of Sytry good? No.
Has the Patriarch of Sytry deliberately violated the Ecumenical Compact? No.
Is it still possible to get true Heavenly Drops from the spring? Yes.
Are the leaders of the temple of Sytry in Canberry evil? No.
Is the temple of Sytry acting against the Crown? No.
Is getting an agent of Canberry inside the Dome within the next week important to the interests of Canberry? Yes.
Is the connection between the City of Life and my mother’s family part of the plots of the City of Life? No, she escaped.
Is the frailty and ill-health of the Primarch’s family due to natural causes such as inbreeding? No.
The Council discusses.

The Council calls the Sixth Daughter. 
"Ha! The City of Life attempted to seal off the connections to the Underdark years ago and forget their old alliances. Certain noble families had alliances throughout the Underdark, and would trade with us. But that was before the strange ones came."

"Who were these strange ones?"

"New priests came among them, who were not… they were not… they were not as they appeared. They were as they appeared, but not as they appeared inside. If it were my people, I would say that they were possessed, but there were no demons inside. It was something else. We could see them. They convinced the royal family that we were dangerous and should not be traded with. They attempted to seal up the passages to the underdark, and they corrupted everything. My mother has agents among them. We knew they would raise the Dome when they had gathered enough of the Water of Life. It is an elven spring from the Eldar. I know what those priests seek—they seek to become as we are, deathless. They have been collecting this water and speaking to their false god for decades. They have been told to by the one that dwells in there. And the one that leads them does not have one dwelling in them. They do not serve a god, not the god they think they do, nor any other. They serve a great lord of chaos who is seeking to ascend, that wants them to build an immortal form.

"It will only be one of them that they can make immortal, it would convert them into primal material, they would be like a Firstcomer but not elven.

"They would have had enough 20 years ago, but they were distracted by another scheme.   The Drops of Heavenly Essence are the product of massive distillations of the Water of Life. They can produce ten such drops a year. They will now distill the drops, to produce a tiny vial of viscous fluid, which one will consume. A normal human, would be destroyed. A drow, blasted asunder. But they intend to have a pure enough vessel, which they will then transform into primal material with the vial; that is the moment when the creature, the demon will possess them."

That’s when the page informs the Council that a flotilla of airships is arriving and approaching the mooring towers, while distributing magic trinkets throughout the streets as largesse.
[End session 78]


----------



## CPaladin

Some notes on the Western Trade Federation (I don't have the context of these, but they're from the same date as the previous session--I think they may be a recirculated version of an older document?):

The Western Trade Federation is a conglomeration of city-states, including 9 sea ports, 5 fortress cities, and 22 inland cities, including 2 mining cities - one for tin and copper, the other for iron.

The population of the Trade Federation is overwhelmingly human, although not exclusively so. Some hobbits, coexist throughout the rural holdings of the city-states and a smattering of gnomes constitute a respected part of the citizenry of the cities themselves. There is also some non-human blood carried by some of the human residents of the cities. Consensus is that about 5% carry either fey or orc blood in some small quantity.

The government of the Trade Federation as a whole is... weak. Regional loyalties divide the Federated Council, and the Grand Doge (occasionally referred to as the king by those who don't know better) is rarely able to take strong positions on anything. His job seems to be to placate those on all sides of all issues. The government is centered in the city of Morodrius. The only thing that it seems to be particularly effective at is collecting the small head tax from the various city states, and redistributing it to the five fortress cities that are the primary guard against the Forest of Shadows and the uncontrolled land to its south.

Morodrius in a sea port and has the third largest population of the city states. It is the see for the Archbishop of the Western Trade Federation, (aka the Archbishop of Morodrius, which is technically the correct title) - His Eminent Grace, the Very Reverend Claude Flarvori, who has held the see for nearly a decade, and given his age and health may hold it for two decades more, or perhaps three, if the Lord of Light favors him. While some in the Church may well assume that the reason for the government being entered in Morodrius is because of the holy sir and his predecessors – we differ.  Morodrius is a protected sea port – a series of thin, steep, barrier islands of rock guarantee that the port will not be wiped out by storm, or by tidal wave. Additionally, Morodrius has a large merchant navy, AND a large armed naval force that has proved itself repeatedly by driving off pirates and protecting both shipping and fishing fleets.  This increases the wealth of the city-state. Finally, the Eastern Trade Federation Exchange – the 2nd largest trade exchange in Southern Drucien, and arguably the 2nd largest such exchange on the continent proper, although it may be outshone by Hanal and/or Enclaves in the North – but no comparison has been technically made – has been located in Morodrius for over a thousand years, 400 years longer than Morodrius has been capital. It seems to us that the exchange is the major motivating factor, followed by the safety of the city, followed with only titular consideration of the ecclesiastical importance of the city. It has become routine, over the last 200 years, for the Doge of Morodrius to become Grand Doge. It is important to stress however that this is not automatic. There continues to be considerable politics surrounding the process – and the fact that a series of Doges from Morodrius have had the good fortune to be good at politics, does not change the fact that they could have lost the title. It may be easier to keep now than it is to lose – but the Federation is still some ways away from forming anything that most people would recognize as a national government. The wealth of Morodrius is undeniable however. The city-state collects a tiny 1/4th percent tax on all trades on the Exchange. That tax has lined the coffers of the city and the family of the Doge (the Calvarius family) for nearly 500 years. The present Grand Doge – Lucius Calvarius – like all of his predecessors continues to amass wealth from the tax, while continuing to tariff local businesses and merchants, as well as land holders for the money to maintain the day to day expenses of the city-state. Unlike his predecessors however, Lucius has actually expended some of the money – just recently he has commissioned two full field armies of ultra-heavy infantry. Recruitment is ongoing, but he has spared no expense, even sending a massive treasure train North to the dwarves in order that all of these ultra-heavy infantry be outfitted in Dwarven full-plate and armed with dwarf made weapons. So lucrative did the dwarves find his trade that they have sent a small core of specialists to Morodrius, to provide on the spot maintenance, repair, and adjustment. The payment he is offering to recruits is also high– but, his requirements are exceptional and he is recruiting in a broad swath that stretches all the way to Hanal. He does not care about the soldier's past – only his willingness to accept discipline, receive training, and serve loyally - and his strength and constitution.

Do not make the mistake of presuming that the wealth his family has been accruing has been exhausted now however. This expenditure, as grandiose as it seems for a city-state, does not even dent the wealth that our accountants estimate have entered the Calvarius vaults, and never exited.

So then. The 9 sea ports are (ranked from largest to smallest):
Calvinari – By a significant margin the largest seaport in the WTF – Calvinari is not particularly wealthy – but it holds its own. Heavy trade vessels that cross the ocean to both Zest'qua and Drucien tend to dock here, and the tariffs on the trade that moves through the port helps the city-state. The fishing fleet here is small. The war fleet is composed of ultra heavy ships, not good at pursuit and interdiction, but very good at static defense. The city is walled, heavily. The original city (nearly 2000 years old) has walls exceeding 30 feet in height and 20 feet in thickness, with baileys that are actually small castles scattered along haphazardly. The new city, which grew outside those walls as the WTF formed and became a stabilizing and civilizing influence throughout the region – is walled with a lighter, but still impressive wall – some 20 feet high, studded regularly with towers. The ruling family, the Trefori - is presently headed by a Doge named Houstoi, though he is somewhat simple minded, and most believe that his wife Clarissa is the actual power.

Valrius – The second largest of the seaports, and the original capital (for some 40 years after formation), The Doge of Valrius, Maddeus Thustos, ran against Lucius when his father died, but could not muster the votes needed to displace the Calvarius family from its position. Valrius has a huge fishing fleet, and is the primary exporter of salted and dried fish in the WTF. Other major exports include rock and coarse ground salt, clams, oysters, and salt water pearls. The naval fleets of Valrius are weak – lacking discipline, and strong line ships. Occasionally a concerted effort can clear out some of the pirates that prey on the fishing fleet – but because of the shallow draft approaching the port – major naval vessels do not utilize the city, instead congregating in Calvinarius, so tariff income is almost non-existent, and while there are significant markets for the various products that Valrius peddles, inland – the taxes on her merchants simply are not sufficient to support heavier ships – furthermore, a deep water quay would be needed, just to berth them.

Morodrius – the capital, already discussed.

Duci – The 4 th largest port city. The city is self-supporting, but not affluent, this large city concentrates on fishing, oyster farming and cultivation of pearls. The city has little arable land however, so much of the meager income received goes to import grain, root vegetables, and other staples. Little money is spent on defense, which is reflected in the decaying walls, untidy suburbs and aging naval force. The Doge, Zatreus Aeruli, is simply not an ambitious man – and is not likely to ever be one. His elder son, Ustus, seems to remedy that problem, but whether or not there is anything that any amount of energy and ambition can do to change the economic position of this venerable city, remains to be seen.

Pabrosi – The 5th largest port city. The Doge is Marius Nahous – whose niece, Anita, is the wife of the Grand Doge. This is an unremarkable, but quite successful city with a solid fleet, good landward defenses, and a steady amount of trade passing through – bolstered by its position as the furthest south of the sea ports in the WTF. Pabrosi also has three institutions of learning: The Sea college – which certainly helps it be well defended by sea, for many young men in the college marry local girls – there are always more wanting to settle in Pabrosi than there are places for them to work – and one solution is the naval defense force; the college of arts and sciences – calligraphers and scribes, apothecaries and lawyers, engineers and chirugeons – not only from the Federation, but from throughout southern Drucien and occasionally beyond, young people come to this college for professional training in those half dozen valued fields and others. A large part of the steady, quietly affluent economy of the city-state is the result of an ongoing devotion to educating people; the Pabrosi Conservatory of Music and Mime - which does not focus on standard bardic arts – but rather on composition and performance of music, and on theatrical writing, stage preparation and acting also brings in a certain amount of wealth - and adds culture and esteem to the local community. Doge Nahous and his family rule quietly – guaranteeing the safety and prosperity of the people, patronizing the arts, and hosting an annual fete of spring that draws wealthy participants from throughout the Western Trade Federation.

Natus – The 6th largest port.  Doge Belaxurus Dodi – Natus, of all the ports, seems somehow discomforting to many visitors.  There are always many rough men in the port, and rumor has been heard that many of the ships in the busy harbor are unflagged pirate ships.  Certainly the port of Natus has money flowing freely from unknown sources, and the naval defenses of the city are robust - with many well armed “civilian” ships joining any defense against any aggressor.  Additionally, by sea, the low barrier islands have been fortified and heavy chains have been dropped beneath the waves, easily raised with winches in the fortifications.  The city is also well walled, even though landward approach leads through narrow fortified passages in craggy cliffs, where a known invading army would be devastated with boiling oil and burning naphtha.  

Niduris – the 7th largest port.  Doge Ariel Blaxuri – Nicuris is a modest port - and a center of craft.  There are just over a 40 thousand citizens involved in crafting.  While the port takes up the rest of the available citizen workforce, and many from the local suburbs.  

The economy is solid - with much of the product of master craftsmen being exported by ship and pack train.  The people hard working and charitable and modestly devout are also quite withdrawn from the activities of the Federation of which they are part – and therefore, the Doge of Niduris, responsive to his people, does not contend for higher position within the Federation, although the city is technically a member of the Northern Council.

Tauri – the 8th largest port.  Doge Marcus Jusicanus.  This city maintains a strong and nimble navy, and a strong land force – one of the largest except for the capital – with 2 full legions of heavy infantry (veteran) and 5 regiments of bull riders.  
(The city is named for a generally ignored saint of the Light, Tauri: the sacred cowherd, who is as near as the Church has to a saint of agriculture.  Tauri was a minotaur who converted from worship of the shadow to worship of the Lord of Light as a very young calf and spent his life preaching to the unconverted.  After preaching for several years, as a young adult, he was captured by a tribe of unrepetent minotaurs led by a powerful sorcerer, near the spot where Tauri was later built.  The tribe mocked the Lord of Light and tortured Tauri for nearly a week, while a band of his followers, also captured, were forced to watch.  He remained strong, and refused to renounce his faith or to  turn to the shadow.  Finally, the sorcerer and priests of the tribe called upon their patron from the Abyss to receive the sacrifice of this stubborn minotaur – and lo, an arch-angel of the Light appeared instead and struck down the tribal leaders.  Even the arch-angel's great healing power was not enough to restore Tauri's shattered body however.  Having freed all of the captives, the arch-angel told them that they were to lead and teach the now leaderless tribe without Tauri, who was to return to the heavenly kingdoms to receive his reward from Glor'diadel.  The arch-angel departed, taking Tauri's body with him, except for a horn, broken off in the torture, which he left behind to remind the minotaurs of what had happened.  The minotaur tribe that had formerly followed the great sorcerer became a very holy tribe, and the three Glor'diadelian tribes of minotaurs in the present age sprang from that single line, to whit, the Bright Hooves, the Silver Horns and the original, the Golden Pelt.  

The minotaur tribe settled, and for centuries dwelt in the same spot – herding goats, and twice seeing small bands break off – to establish tribes elsewhere.  Then, humans began to settle in the area.  By this time the minotaurs had built a rather mazey shrine to Tauri, and to the Lord of Light.  When the humans encountered these minotaurs, and gradually distrust turned to unease, to comfort, to alliance, and to absorption, they were shocked to find that the minotaurs already worshiped the Light.  Once this came to the attention of the first bishop of the area, it was reported to the holy see for doctrinal reasons – was Tauri a saint?  An imposter?  Were the minotaurs acceptable unto the Lord of Light?  The answer, given to the patriarch when he communed regarding the issue – was yes, Tauri was a saint and the minotaurs, along with all creatures great and small were beloved by the Lord of Light.

So it is.  The seat of the bishop of Tauri is in the Basilica of the Horn in Tauri city, where the sacred relic of the horn of Tauri, the sacred cowherd is kept in a reliliquary suspended in the high altar and guarded day and night by a guard of 30 minotaur paladins.  The tribe, some 400 strong, continues to live in the area, some of them even in the city - and others herding in the land outside it.  The chief order house of the Order of Tauri (OT) is just outside the city's landward gates, and has twice given possible invaders pause.  The order is over 80% minotaur, with the rest of its members being primarily composed of humans.)
The city handles a fair amount of trade – and also presses and purifies goat cheeses, sells both carded wool and finished woolen clothe from the goats herded nearby, and is a very small pilgrimage center.

Simbolisi – the 9th largest port.  Alexis Bradoris is Doge, the only female doge in the WTF.  Simbolisi has a modest fishing fleet, a good solid, though small, navy, a small, elite, calvary, and a significant number of alchemists and two small psionic circles.  Exports therefore tend to alchemical and psionic products – not necessarily of the highest quality in the world, but of adequate quality – particularly for purely human workmanship.  The city is affluent, and probably, per capita, the second wealthiest city in the Federation.  Doge Brandoris minds her business, as others of her family have in the past – and oversees the defense of her city and its suburbs and rural holdings – voting regularly in the council of doges, but never rocking the boat if it can be avoided.

The 5 Fortress Cities:
These cities are not under Doges, but rather under Procurators.  Each city-state does have farm lands from which it draws some support – but the cities would not survive without the support given centrally by the federated government.  Each city has approximately 2 legions of elite heavy infantry, and a couple of regiments of elite medium calvary stationed within the walls – but above that, the citizenry, which averages about 80,000 in each city, is universally a militia.  Each of the fortress cities is heavily walled, in five concentric circles.  Nothing in any of the fortress cities is flammable.  All external construction and most internal construction is stone or metal.  All open surfaces are either covered in metal nets, or shielded in some other way.  No roof has a convenient perch, and all roofs are of well secured sheeted metal.  The only exceptions to this are firing platforms prepared in advance for militia and military defense.  Each of the fortress cities has a mage circle and at least a small number of psionics assigned to its defense, to support the military defenders, and to provide communication in the event of an emergency.

From north to south, the fortress cities, and their procurators are:
Sintari – Procurator Gubacci Telero
Bodori – Procurator Tulfori Crabanachi
Titorisi – Procurator Abansia Telcuffri
Mantili  – Procurator Cudili Mokanori
Ilsati – Procurator Lucien Agadito

Sintari actually falls under the Archsbishop of Life, and has a bishop assigned by him – Adolfo Petreu.  The other four fortress cities fall under the Archbishop of Morodrius, and have a single bishop between them, the bishop of the Frontier, Claudius Calagaro.


----------



## CPaladin

Session 79 (March 31, 2016)

Tar-Skard 19
Dame Brionna and Kit head out to try to manage the possible problems created by the Moriquendarim distributing toys en masse.

Dame Brionna gets a message from Strawberry that two of the schooners pealed off from this group, and are definitely flying a search party to the south. Dame Brionna heads off to intercept them, and sees that they are crewed by drow, with some shadow elf officers.

“As we approached your city, we sensed a force of considerable chaos fleeing to the south; just above the ground, but fleeing fast, not fast enough to escape our ships but fast enough to elude our flyers.”

“It definitely had malicious intent, though not towards us. It suddenly vanished right there,” he gestures at a spot two hills over.

Dame Brionna heads over to investigate, and they assign a squad of 6 drow to assist her.

Alistair checks maps of the area and identifies it as an ancient graveyard, long unused. They organize an undead response team and send it over.

As Dame Brionna approaches, the whole area darkens. A voice speaks very clearly in Noldar, the corporal leading the group laughs, and the drow close in near her. “It says that its grief is not with us, but that one who its grief is stands within us.”

Alistair summons his Noldar vassal, the admiral’s nephew. He reports that it is a fallen Maia, one of the thirty that escaped in the desert, but one that is forsworn from Morgroth.

We decide to sic the temple of Morgroth on it, contacting the priests on the prince’s ship.

Meanwhile, Kit receives sheets of crystal from a messenger.

Unto Lady Katherine of Lyneham:
    Included with this message is my servant. Madame Dumay. She is a half-caste and blind, and while she should have been exposed, I would not permit it, and my husband permitted it. She is loyal to me.

    I have foreseen that together your offspring and the legitimate offspring of the Emperor will stand together. Two of them you may stymie.

    Protect her well.

    A gift for the Archduke. A bolt of cloth, of 30 yards, of adamantine woven with mithril, with threads of eog, that holds psionic energy.

(They don’t realize that you have no one who is capable of tailoring it. Although Madame Dumay is.)

Kit shows her into an informal meeting room.

She is a slender woman, with clear Noldar and other blood, dressed in common clothing for a Noldar, with the seal of House Aufaulgautharim at her collar.  She gives Kit a more complete message, largely restating the previous message in more detail. [Attached]

The second page is a seal, with a blank space. "Four times in your reign, information will appear in that space when you most need it. Twice in the reign of your son. And once beyond that. The knowledge was written in the crystal. They will reveal themselves when the time is right. As you know, her nephew will remain here. She wished your people to succeed. He will fade in time, but it is still her nephew."

The Council asks about the fallen Maia. 

"You must understand that the 30 were broken out of prisons into which they had been permanently been placed for breaking with his service and serving the foulest creatures, including the Unspeakable Three. Some, we know, had taken service with Borsh’tro and his minions. At least one had taken service with the Queen of Chaos, who had long been bound. And at least two took service with She of the Pale Bone. One of them (sworn to the Pale Bone) sought to seize power of the holy city of Glordiadel—they have great power—but he underestimated the strength of the priests, and he was thrust forth from the plane, but we were not able to discern whether he was destroyed. He is either banished for 100 years or is no more. Or more accurately, for 94 years now.

"A human band of adventurers came upon them in an empire called Tarkenia. Rather than consulting with the nearby Hastur, they investigated the ancient wards that maintained the globes of force. They were then set upon by the guardians, who were of elven blood, who knew their duty but were young. The humans slew them atop the seals, shedding elven blood, and broke the seals.

"More than one had a grudge against Glordiadel.  He would need a base of operations nearby, where he could draw energy to sustain himself."

"Was there a center of Noldar power here?"

"Not for thousands of years, but there was a Moriquendarim outpost here. A Noldar and his wife set up a tower and a few buildings. The tower is part of the castle still. They remained here for quite some time, and then underwent the Rite of Returning. Moriquendarim erased them from their history, for that is the most unforgivable thing, but Aufaulgautharim forgets nothing."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 79, cont'd]

Dame Brionna reaches the palace ahead of the ship, as a contingent of Morgrothian priests who look almost nothing like priests meet her. “We were hoping that it would pursue you, but that has obviously not happened. We will have to go to it. We will either be enough, or we will not. Come, boy.” The whole contingent floats up into the air. “Come if you wish.” Most of the priests are Drow and half-drow, some of whom may have Noldar blood.

An enormous ball of blue energy flies out of the graveyard at them. They shriek and whoop and fly down towards it. Daemons begin appearing and look incredulously as they are hurled into combat. The battle lasts 30 seconds or 36 seconds, and Dame Brionna and the soldiers accompanying her are the only things left on her side. “I go. You will see me again when there are not so many Noldar so near by you.”

That’s the point when Alistair informs Lord Davion. Who says he will release his menagerie whatever that means.

"I am the Maia Moriandar who once served the Vanar, and then departed them to serve Morgroth, and then left his service to serve Her Who Consumes, who will arise from the East when she comes to this world. I will find a way to permit it. I wish the reward that I have been promised. I shall feast on the power of my former master when he lies prostrate before the ravenous hoard. Only two of us had the wisdom to serve Her when we departed our master. Several of them became lords of the Abyss. One of them swore itself to the Queen of Chaos. One swore himself to the Lord of Disease—a particularly foolish decision, as he will not be able to enter beyond the Compact. Two of them have passed beyond the Arch, looking for places where they too can be gods. Several are independent. Perhaps I am feeling enough stronger to consider remaining for a time."

"Indeed," says the Noldar boy. "You must remain, you must tell her of your plans that we surely cannot prevent."

"While all of her other servants ran away making spectacles of themselves, I have been clever. I can appear as a being of light, you know. And yet you always figured it out. And so now, we wait on the conversion."

"Oh? Of the vessel?"

"We must keep you from completing the plan for only another week, and then it will be too late. A way will then be made that she can enter even without her body. The final throw before you activate the Man. And then we shall see who speaks of such things as stupidity and foolishness."

That’s the point when Lord Davion dives out of the sky screaming “Die, foul beast!” and attacking, accompanied by an elderly gold dragon, an efreet, several larger-than-usual djinn.

Dame Brionna casts prayer and follows it with holy smite.

Dame Brionna feels a great warmth. The boy behind her querulously says “my lady, you seem to be on fire.” She concentrates on the maia, and enormous gouts of sunfire hammer it as an archangel is superimposed on her.

"As soon as they have finished the conversion in the north and she fully enters the vessel that is being prepared, we will sweep all before us. Only disrupting the distillation process could stop us now, and we have sealed the dome and the underground passage has been sealed for years."

All of a sudden, it seems very very surprised, and tries to flee. An enormous wave of energy surges through Dame Brionna and Lord Davion unleashes all of the energy he has, and it explodes. Dame Brionna faints.

A messenger arrives. “I have been asked to inform you that your Champion, along with the Guard Captain and some drow soldiers have destroyed the Fallen. Your guard captain and champion are both unconscious. She has burns on the outside of our body; we have no redactors. If you do, I suggest you summon them.”

Dame Brionna is unconscious and burned, but breathing.

Lord Davion is unconscious from having completely drained his psionic energy.

They pour a tincture from the leaves of the tree that the Princess of Singing Leaves left behind on Dame Brionna, and she’s then encased in skin. Probably will only take a few days.

The dragons say that they’ve been here for as long as Lord Davion, and have spoken to you.

"And of course some of the time we’ve been miniaturized, and that’s how we can live in the bag—the bag of live holding, very rare, we have a whole little town in there.  When I am in human form, I go by Bernard, but my real name is <he rumbles out something in silver dragon>.

"The Fallen Maia are the most powerful, and the stupidest, of the extraplanar beings."
[End session 79]


----------



## Quartz

Did Dame Brionna activate one of the Aspect spells from the Glory domain?


----------



## CPaladin

Nope!  That was entirely on the DM's decision making.


----------



## CPaladin

Session 80 (April 14, 2016)

Tar Skard 20
The Council receives a report about marriages and bloodlines throughout the continent. [Attached]
Quan is a fey term for the body.

We have five cellars, including a collection of high glass golems who scry in a special seeing pool in the fourth cellar (the First Repository), which is beyond a veil that can only be entered by members of the blood or by those with special rings. Also the fifth cellar, which has an empty crypt.

The 100 year plan involves three families of the City of Life, that have been marrying into noble families and cadet branches of the royal families, that then inherit. Alistair's mother’s family is not part of those three; she seems to be the only one of that family. They have also traced three relatives of his mother who survive—there are two children who escaped the dome, and are safe. There is also a noblewoman inside the dome who is being tortured. The Council's fear is that they can use her relationship to him for arcane purposes.

The Grandmaster Farsensor confirms that they could use the blood connection to scry on Alistair and to read his mind. Were he near them, he could be harmed, but within the palace, he is safe, except that his mind could be read. It is unlikely that they were able to get him to cooperate. The person trying to read his mind is a low level grandmaster—unusual among humans. They abruptly cut off contact about 300 years ago, and expelled the elven bard who was present.

In Debonai, for example, where a similar pattern repeats, the royal family seemed likely to die off, and then the family into which the City of Life had married would succeed.

We speak to Lord Davion, and he gives us permission to use his bag of life holding, which can hold up to 500 people. We put the Sixth Daughter in command; Lord Davion recommends that we ask our guest to assign two of his people; Dame Brionna and Kit each assign 20 people, along with various members of the Ministry of Magic and of the Mind.

The Council talks to a sidhe lady, who talks about the tree’s squirrel, who is immortal and full of life.

The sidhe offers to send the gigglers as a diversion—they are not fey themselves, but they are their pets. They cause uncontrollable laughter, and chaos is well within our power.

Also, she announces that there should be a ball within the next few months, and Alistair and Kit should both be present and be radiant. "You will both be magnificent." She gives Kit armloads of clothes. "It is important—it appears in the prolipsis. You must impress."

The Council agree that the priorities are: 1. Disrupt the ritual; 2. Capture some of the distillate of Heavenly Essence; 3. Rescue the prisoners (esp. Alistair’s relative).

The fey says that they are likely to succeed in our first goal, are doomed to fail at the third, and that the second is on the knife’s edge.

There are four gallons of distillate, each in a diffuser on a short plinth, arrayed around a bizarre design placed within the cathedral.

In addition to 40 iron golems, there will be about 4 legions of troops: 3 of foot, and 1 of cavalry, plus some dozens of church knights, perhaps 100. An Archmaga, and a group of psionicists—a farsensor of significant power and a half-dozen coercers. Those are probably not local—she did not recognize the farsensor.
[End Session 80]

[There's also a second message, directly to Kit.  I don't have any notes about our talking about it, or interacting with its info in any way.]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 81 (July 14, 2016)

21 Tar-Skard
The Council gathers in the morning. They discuss the report from the Southlands. [Attached.]

The Council speaks to a theologian.

"Berta has formed alliances of convenience over the centuries, allowing her to gain various advantages. This time, as the Day of the Dead approached, she formed an alliance with Borsh’tro, likely to protect her people on Khamista, but Borsh’tro was more powerful than usual, and he used this as an opportunity to conquer her people. She has been greatly reduced—to the status of a lesser god. But she may also have been driven mad. She appears to have been silenced, but that would be beyond Borsh’tro’s powers. One of the two Prime Gods could, but they wouldn’t. An alliance of lesser gods might, but Borsh’tro has no allies—Antharax might be a possibility. Surely, even Borsh’tro wouldn’t deal with the Pariah Deities…"

The Council fears that Borsh’tro would, and that that could have silenced (or even killed) Berta. They also discuss the idea of trying to draw the Berta cults off—shifting them to Whimsey? Drawing them to Glor’diadel?

They discuss the issues with the Mountains of the Mages—no one knows what motivates them. They call the Minister of Magic, and he explains that this is all about the pipes. "There was an Eldar lord there, and his great work was an organ, with many pipes, each with a different magical effect when sounded. When the West called his wife, he lost the will to continue, and he had many human servants he had trained in magic and many fortresses filled with his golems. He released the mages to continue his work. They could not do so, but for a generation tried to. After that, they began fighting among themselves. Now, there is one mage who has five pipes—it might be over in a few centuries. Of course, they can never finish making the organ—there were pipes unmade, and no human mage could make them."

They arrange to have the survivor of the attack by the Pariah followers teleported back to Canberry, so they can investigate the attack near the southern coast. A confused tween with a side-bag is brought before the Council.

"We were building boats—we were almost to the coast, we had been a fishing city before it fell. They arrived on flying manta rays. The riders looked kinda like that other one we trade with, with the tentacles, but their mouths were fanged. The fellow we trade with, he’s sorta pink, and he wears a lot of gold on his tentacles. He tells stories about people living underground, and scary monsters. He trades for the pearls we find."

Kit has the boy visualize what happened. The riders slaughtered most of the residents without any preamble. But some, two women and a group of children, were brought over for sacrifice. A purple pillar arises, two translucent figures emerged, the others bowed to them. Then they mounted the manta rays (leaving two tentacle creatures behind, which then went into the woods.) The boy sees a figure hunt down the two tentacle creatures that went into the woods—a red-robed, piebald skaven. It identifies itself as Skree.

"All of the ones sacrificed had selkie blood—there was a selkie city that traded with and intermarried with our old city, before the war. They tried to contact the Selkie city when the war happened, but we couldn’t reach them."

* * *

Dame Brionna shares a report about the young Mori'quendarim lord. [Attached]  The Council calls Prince Mori’quendarim. “I had to resist having the Captain of my Guard kill that one who is not a priest but claims to be. He is bilking the local populace, claiming to have magical healing power granted by a power of the Light that is not your power of the Light.”

They have a conversation with him, explaining that they need to maintain an honor guard for him, so he should tell us if he’s going about the city.

The prince calls for his tutor, to ask about why there is a higher incidence of psionics among the humans in the lower quarter. “Very old, very faint, dilute fey blood in the lower quarter.”

"Why in the lower quarter?"

"The fey settlement is beneath it. Well, there are no people there. But there was a delve beneath the lower quarter—that was where their 'tor' was."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 81, cont'd]
As they leave, there’s a shimmer at the door. A projection—like a shiny metallic elf—bows. “I report from the repository.”

"You asked that we research the coming of the Ancient Evils. The coming of the Ancient Evils are mixed into the foundation of evil in this plane set. The first evil to enter, look ago, before the coming of the stars, was the One Other. It was he who by whispering began the corruption of the brother of Eiru, but he was expelled outwards, when Morgrath heard the whispering but did not follow his whispers. After his expulsion, he shared with the one he always desires but never possesses, and he spoke with The Goddess of the Pale Bone. By this point, the shards of the essence of Eiru and Morgrath formed what would become the greater gods—Glor’diadel, Paranswarm, Namadon, Berta, Balanzar, Borsh’tro. Then the lesser gods arose from them, except for Dain, who advanced later to greater godhood. Then breach, and three others entered, Sytry, the Ruler of Golden Purity, Gunnora the Goddess of the Harvest, and his ancient foe on his homeworld, and Arthranax, the Greater Lord of Evil that has long deceived the priesthood of evil that though powerful he is but a shadow of a powerful evil. His title is true. He is an incarnation of an avatar of the One Beside. That is why the One Beside cannot be easily expelled fully from this plane in the way that the One of the Pale Bone and the One Other can. They have greatly corrupted the demons, though never conquered, and through them and the puppet of the One Beside, much corruption comes into the world. His class of priests called Corruptors are not an affectation.

"The force that is Balanzar is mindless. The creature that gives mind to it, and that deals with his servants, is not the mindless force. The vessel that now wields that power arose from an Eldron, but there is no guarantee that that vessel will be the last vessel. There is no guarantee that it will not."

"Are there any alliances between Arthranax and Borsh’tro?"

"Yes, although it is a new alliance. When he was preparing for the push into new lands on Zest’qua, Borsh’tro formed an alliance with Arthranax."

"Do you know who has silenced Berta?"

"Yes. She has not been silenced and yet she has. Berta is dead. Her essence was destroyed by the alliance of Arthranax and Borsh’tro, with an infusion of power from the Goddess of the Pale Bone. When next she allied with Glor’diadel or Eiru or Whimsey, she might have revealed the taint that she sensed but thought nothing of. They were afraid to leave her alone. Arthranax was afraid to leave her alone. And so they destroyed her and consumed her essence. It is doubtful that Eiru noticed. It is certain that none of the other gods did—it would be beyond their credence."

"Could the gods be informed?"

"The two original gods could, under the correct circumstances and with care, be informed. Lord Dain could be informed. The priesthoods of the others could be convinced, but the gods themselves, almost certainly not. You would need embassies with their high priests, the highest star priestess in the Steading of the Elven Lords, and the chief priest of Morgrath in the Twin Cities. Together, they could crush Arthranax out of this plane.

"In the meanwhile, the folk struggle. The planes of Berta, and the great arch-chaos creatures struggle together to be the new head of their pantheon. Borsh’tro now has no hold on any of her followers, who are crippled by their loss.

"There is one other you could convince—Gunnora will listen to you. By the First, she will listen—if you speak to the lowliest midwife, she will listen."

"Do you know where the globe of the former God-Emperor of Masque that sustains one of their portals is?"

"At the base of an island in the Southern Seas. In a grotto guarded by a number of the creatures that serve her by nature.

"The inland portal near Masque is irregular. They had hoped to establish it as they did once before to a strength where they can bring through a greater one. It waxes and wanes with the purple moon. Whimsey linked her moon to their gate to disrupt it. We could consider approaching her to approach Eiru—he is her brother/father."

"What creatures of theirs do you know are active?"

"We know of the Seen-Unseen, and the Uluu—(the tentacle ones).   The two that came through in the ritual were likely Greater Seen-Unseen. The lesser Seen-Unseen are mostly just assassins. The Greater Seen-Unseen have ritual powers and powers of corruption, and stand better in combat. They can also be discovered by the test of blood.

"They have brought through at least one hakura—a great flying bird, similar to a buzzard but the size of a boat. Its breath is an energy whip, particularly dangerous to ships and valars although Eldar and Noldar men-of-war made short work of a number of them the last time around. They can transport many troops and supplies, and drop the troops behind enemy lines.

"There is no sign that the incursion will become large enough to allow the greater horrors to come through. They would have to start winning some battles.

"Should we attempt to close the gates before activating the artifact?"

"If you activate the artifact first, you will close off her entry, but she is nowhere near able to enter anyway. You would alert the other two, and they would be able to take her servants and act as her proxy. I would suggest closing a portal first, because that will then disrupt all of them."
[End session 81]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 82 (August 11, 2016)

22 Tar-Skard

In the middle of the night, 4 Hanalian vollers arrive; the vollers are flagged as belonging to a kov of some type, with many dead crew and many sorely injured.

"The hands at the tiller were… the priests said they were imps. They all vanished when the ship tied up, except one who is sitting with the wounded officer; I don’t think he’ll live, that one."

They inform Dame Brionna of this and a message from the captain. He hands her a document, with the seal of Snatterkaz.  [Attached]

Dame Brionna sends a message to Grandmaster Farsensor. The Moriquendarim redactor is also called for, because he is the only one who has the capability of saving the wounded officer.

Three of the voller are men-of-war; the last is an enormous barrel, for the transportation of water.

The selkie were under attack—there was something vile clinging to the outside of the ship, which the elves deal with.

There is a gasp from the drow. "There is a lord of the house of Curinirim, here, dead. This one was young, no more than a third comer perhaps fourth. His liege must be informed. The house of Curinirim is not numerous. He should be shrouded."

"Can he be raised?"

"He will not rise against his will, and his body has been abominated. He would not return if he were offered. He has severed all connections and gone… departed. Were his body restored to life, it would change."

Dame Brionna raises an issue about the three humans who will inevitably die, and whether they will rise again as corrupted. The Drow offers to call for his master’s house troops, who can deal with it, and Dame Brionna agrees.

The water tanker has lost most of its water, because of damage. Dame Brionna orders that it be patched, so the selkie can be kept safe.

"They were trying to drag the young away. When we got involved and they realized they were losing, they began to kill. We drove them off; many of them died, but they were driven off. The Noldar inflicted hellacious damage, but unfortunately he fell. The strom pursued and bombarded them with alchemical fire; I haven’t had contact in several hours. As my strength faded, I lost my mental grip on him."

Dame Brionna and the Grandmaster Farsensor follow the link to the Strom.

The Council discusses the fact that the Noldar are dying at a faster rate than they are being born. Perhaps 3 or 4 are born per year, although more than that are destroyed in conflict with the enemy each year.

The Council calls for the child with Selkie blood to try to figure out where to put the Selkie refugee children.

"They have got to be kept wet. If they’re going to be in it a long time, it needs to be salt—they can last a couple of days. They are vegetarians if they’re old enough—if they’re young enough to still need milk…"

"Would a human wet nurse be sufficient?"

"I don’t see why not."

The Council sends him to keep them company.

* * *

There were some raids on the salt warehouses.

Appear to be people panicking.

The Council comes up with a plan to manipulate the market and spread rumors to reassure the people.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 82, cont'd]
A page approaches Kit. There’s a scullery maid outside, tapping at the door so gently Kit can’t hear her. “The cook sent me. Something’s happening with the boy—it’s wrong—he’s surrounded in a covering of lights.”

“One of our kitchen boys has become covered in lights?”

“No, the boy you left.”

“We sent him to the kitchen to get him food—he looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.”

We discuss the possibility that this may be the wards that Dame Brionna.

Prince Moriquendarim comes to talk with the Council. He’s very excited about what’s happening: "He’s reached the apex! He’s transforming. His father was a transformed fey-drake."

They move the fey-drake into a shiny room (an unused, very tacky dining room), with plenty of food.

They move the Curinirim lord’s body to the Cathedral to lie in state.

The Council also asks Prince Moriquendarim about the Curinirim lord. “Yes… that is the youngest of the direct line of the Curinirim lord. He’s a Fourth Comer, but a pureblood. He chose to command a Curinirim research schooner.  His father was a First Comer, but his father’s first wife died in childbirth, bearing his older brother.

"The prophecy says that if the Unspeakable comes a third time, our doom is assured. The prophecy comes from the mouth of the Bearer of Gifts, whose prophecies are always accurate—they are threats, not gifts, to make people accept his gifts, which destroy."

They discuss the respective treatment of the dead, and the Prince asks to meet with the Bishop of Glordiadel.

--
The Council speaks to Princess Curinirim to inform her of her nephew’s death.
[End Session 82]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 83 (September 8, 2016)

23 Tar-Skard
Kit meets with Mommy Cupcakes:

"There was a contaminated well in the lower city near the East Gate. The problem has been dealt with, but the source of the contamination extended into the farms east of the city—there were lambs being born with multiple heads, calves with strange features, and some dead chickens."

Mommy Cupcakes also warns Kit that there might be women throwing themselves at the Archduke in the near future. Dame Brionna has successfully mostly squashed the rumors about her being his mistress, but now lots of young women are thinking that with the Princess needing to be far away, the Archduke might be in need of company.

"The other thing is the youngling, the prince with the touch. One of those, the Selkie young ones in that tank of water, was going to die. The redactor couldn’t cure him, I couldn’t with … my herbs, but the boy. He cured him, but not the way I expected. He wept with the boy. Where his tears fell, the wounds began to heal. He’s touched. He doesn’t know that he’s touched. His people are so noggly that they think he’s a redactor, but I don’t think he’s a redactor at all. I think he’s just touched, that he has the old powers, of the fey blood. He’s got the sight for sure, but different, too. He doesn’t see the truth, but he sees the possibilities, but he sees them clear. I think it’s coming on now for the first time."

Dame Brionna conveys a report from the military intelligence in the Southlands, with a map. [Attached]
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 83 cont'd]
There are a pair of loud booms, and turquoise runes appear in the room, while a silvery barrier appears over the door.  A disembodied voice speaks.  “Attempt to breach outer palace defenses has failed. Damage to palace superstructure in third quadrant has been noted. Golem response has been initiated. All inhabitants are secure.”

"What is the nature of the attack?" asks Dame Brionna

“Double blast using a combination of portable holes and bags of holding.  Perpetrator using a bow, special arrow heads, vanished immediately after the attack. No detection of teleportation.”

"Where is the safest place for the Archduke?"

“The catacombs.”

Dame Brionna and Kit prevail upon Alistair to go to the catacombs.

“The taint of the Unspeakable was detected upon the perpetrator; it cannot currently be located.  Crystal golems are sweeping the area in advance of dropping the force walls.”

Grandmaster Farsensor is contacted.  "I think we know where the greater one is now. It failed to gain entry, because it cannot enter directly against the wards. It will have gone to ground. There is no way to detect it psionically. True sight would only do it if you had a viewer who can see the nature of the paths a person can take. It will never stay where it was when it fired the arrows. It will retreat to an area with a great many people—the market in the lower city. You will need someone who can face it."

"Lord Davion?"

"Lord Davion, with my assistance should be able to. He is the only one who could."

Alistair speaks to Prince Moriquendarim, asks him to find the creature, but stresses that he must not engage it—that he must just find it and pass the information on to others. They plan an expedition with Dame Brionna, on her flying horse, with greater invisibility over all of them.

The Council dresses Prince Moriquendarim in heavy armor to make him look more human; he leaves the pendant that declaims his status to all present.

Dame Brionna flies a “patrol,” not directly to the market, but that leads her over the eastern market. When she arrives there, Prince Moriquendarim lights up a target—“that one.”

The battle is joined. There are a couple of dragons that were not asleep yet; there are also several things that we do not even recognize. In about a minute, the battle is over. The first 40 seconds has a lot of back and forth; then it begins fleeing, changing forms more than a dozen times in the last twenty seconds, while the Prince keeps on identifying. Finally, it dies, and turns back to burning protoplasm. (Dame Brionna sends for holy water to douse it with.)

Lord Davion leans on his sword. "You know, I’m going to have to recollect some of those—they were rare. I hope they haven’t been able to bring many of those through."

“We’re pretty sure only one.”

“Good. The last time they brought many more through. It took a great deal to stop them—they were too advanced. That was in the Second Age. But their entry was denied, and the footholds disappeared.”

Casualties were incidental—some injuries, but the only deaths were two shopkeepers who had shops fall on them.

The Council discusses its route in—we conclude that it likely came in through the City of Gates, traveling from there into the Underdark, then through a major aquifer in the Underdark, into the water feeding the eastern farms around Canberry City.

One of the places where he was is one of the shops in the high city—a shop that sells extremely rare magic items and antiquities. 

"The young noble from the northlands, purchased four of my most expensive items. Two ancient bags of holding, and two portable holes. He paid in platinum coins—from Gates."
[End session 83]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 84 (November 22, 2016)

24 Tar-Skard
The Princess Curinirim arrived yesterday, and is currently grieving formally with the body in the chapel.

The Council has a whole sheaf of reports--2 for Kit, 1 for Dame Brionna, and 1 that was indirectly routed to Alistair. [Attached]

The Council sends for the Royal Alchemist. They arrange for him to test the preserving agent that the salt guild is preparing—pointing out that he should have it bought on the open market.

They discuss briefly the need to reestablish centers of alchemical learning—likely in the Southlands or the Spicelands, where there were traditionally the major centers for this continent.

The Council discusses the status of the various military operations. They’re sending the vollers to the west, to harry and to coordinate ground troops operating against the small humanoid bands there—it should be a good opportunity for their green crews to gain combat experience.

They also ask the Lord Chancellor to contact Debonai and warn them of the returning (broken) army of the Ram.

The Council also discuss continuing to reinforce the Spice lands and Southern Confederacy by encouraging noble families to set their cadet branches up as new nobles, supplying us with troops to reinforce without needing to actually supply the troops directly.

They also discuss the coming famine in Hanal and how to get aid there, including direct shipments of food, shipments to the City of Glass (to try to get them to take in gnomes and halflings), and reaching out to our contacts in the Underdark to see if they can supply more food as well.

Gates has been destabilizing—Canberry doesn’t know why.

They ask the Archbishop to have someone investigate the reputed ghost of Sanela Longyard.

Prince Moriquendarim is also reputed to be healing people. Mommy Cupcakes thought that he might have fey blood showing true.

Alistair travels down to the Archive. There are now several humanoid forms moving around. Alistair asks the Archives about the strange events. "Prince Moriquendarim had both Eldar and Noldar blood. He is reverting. House Curinirim and Aufalgautharim are the two houses most likely to take offence, but they are both aware of it and will tolerate it. He will be an Eldar of the full blood. The process will take 5 or 10 years. He will be a great guardian of our house; your great-great-great-grandchildren will be grateful for your generosity to him. He will follow a human god, which will help prevent them from taking any offense.

"He will take about a century to reach emotional maturity, and several centuries more to reach intellectual maturity. It is to be hoped that he will not mature as an Eldar, lest he be overtaken by melancholy."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 84, cont'd]
A bishop they've never seen before appears outside the council chamber with a missive from the Patriarch.  [Attached]

Kit’s agents return from investigating the salt merchant. “He’s bleeding crazy… He’s doing a bang-up job of selling salt, but I consulted with a colleague who has the touch, and there’s something in his head that doesn’t make any more sense than the words he says. One odd thing he said—there were a lot of words in his head about death and murder and things like that, but they didn't seem to have anything to do with real life.” Brought back a bag of salt so we can test it.

He has an old woman with him—probably his mother.

They check whether she’s charmed, and find a psionic link. Probably to Old Gregor—an old grafter who used his psionic power to run petty scams.

Kit's people know where the salt is coming from—not really a problem (the village had a small salt mine of its own), except Old Gregor’s involvement is troubling.

The salt tests as clean, so we turn it over to the guard to grab Old Gregor. They get two tons of salt, but Old Gregor slips away.

The Council didn’t know about the salt mine at all. They ask the Lord Chamberlain to draw up plans for a census.

Princess Curinirim is announced in the evening. She performs a graceful curtsy. Her clothes were beautiful at one time, but she now looks unkempt. "I have prepared a stasis chamber on my voller. We will transport the body to lie in state in the City of Pain, and then pass on to my estates in Zorplona-Argoni. I will have a tomb prepared—it is fitting that he be buried here. It would have been his preference to be buried in your lands—if you would permit land to be used here." (Alistair immediately agrees.) "There is one other thing I should speak of while I am here. You are a brave man. You have sought with some success to negotiate the path between the two old races. You have made friends upon the one hand and the other, and I count myself among them. Be aware, the prince of the Moriquendarim who resides among you reverts. His mother knew this might happen, and provided for him to come here in affection and love. She could not acknowledge it—her house will not speak of him—but she knew. He is a gifted boy. His gifts come from his father’s lineage as a bastard—which is not to despise the gifts. He has chosen a path that avoids conflict, and that is good. As it is, I wish you to know that there is no conflict between me and him. I take certain pleasure that our ancient enemy will not have the surcease of reclaiming his spirit. He is a great asset to you—treat him well. I refer to you in the corporate sense. Be careful if you have a visitor of Aufalgautharim."

She gives us the ring to which the failed guardian daemon was bound.

Bishop Waters comes in with a concerned look on his face. "I thought I should mention that we need 15 gallons of holy water, to clean up the mess left of the guardian daemon, by Princess Curinirim."

A day passes!

25 Tar Skard:
The gate to the Plane of Salt opens; it brings through a substantial supply of salt, although not sufficient to completely resolve the problem.

The Royal Alchemist also reports that the spice mix is effective, for 6-7 months, and will be tastier.

While Dame Brionna is on patrol, she is joined by a small group. "I wished to inquire about the path that you follow." Prince Moriquendarim is the person asking her. They chat about religion and being a paladin and the like.

By evening, a messenger from the Archbishop appears. “Your grace, the Archbishop bids us ask if you know of an investment house that would handle 50 of these.” He holds out a small casket. “We are not certain what coin this is.” It has a small stack of osmium tuals. They are each worth 525 platinum. The Council discusses the two places that these could probably be exchanged on this continent: Zorplona-Argoni and the Forest of Singing Leaves. But Alistair also suggests issuing letters of credit backed by the coins rather than spending the coins themselves.
[End Session 84]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 85 (December 6, 2016)

26 Tar-Skard
Kit brings a message to the Council about Gates. [Attached.]  The Council begins by discussing the ongoing purges in Gates. Kit wants to know more about the mundane situation: who’s being purged, who is coming to power, and what’s going on with the Princess who Alistair had a dalliance with. They note that the Greater Seen-Unseen may have come through the water supply from Gates—that could have been a source of corruption. There’s a major fresh-water sea under West Gate.

They plan on reaching out to some of the people that we trust in Gates. Also, they need to be guarding against active Seen-Unseen—they might be responsible (or opportunistically trying to take advantage).

The Council asks the Bishop who is visiting to look into the spirit that may be a blessed ghost.

They then ask Lord Davion to handle the expedition to address the Aboleth noble, along with the scion of the line that the Aboleth thinks is the rightful line. It should only take a few days, unless it is in the Deep Underdark and using a conduit—but the Aboleths do not prefer that, they prefer to lurk in the Near Underdark. He does ask for 3 quartets of guards, and on our suggestion accepts the support of a few of Dame Constance’s people.

(He also notes that the youngest of the dragons will be the first to awake, in 8 or 9 months. They’ll mostly be hungry—the red dragon will want a whole cow or so, the gem dragons quartz and crystal.)

Lord Davion muses about bringing the lad; he has a ring that should be able to protect him from anything down in the Underdark and transport him home. He probably intends to destroy it when he’s powerful enough.

They discuss the Moriquendarim Prince, and his returning. Lord Davion plans to bring him with him on the expedition to the Aboleth.

Lord Davion says that there are only a few of the great Noldar that they need to worry about—a half dozen or so; Lord Goldorim, the Bleeding Lady, the Seductress (who left Morgroth’s service, but entered Borsh’tro’s service). Lord Davion tells us about the Seductress, a very powerful Noldar. There are only about a dozen Noldar and a dozen Noldar that pay attention to the younger races.  [This last sentence doesn't make sense, but I don't know what it was supposed to say beyond "there are only about a dozen Noldar that pay attention to the younger races."]
[cont'd]


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## Quartz

CPaladin said:


> It has a small stack of osmium tuals.




FYI osmium can be very poisonous.


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## CPaladin

Quartz said:


> FYI osmium can be very poisonous.



Huh.  I had no idea.  Honestly, I only barely engaged with the fact that osmium is a real metal. . Uhhh... maybe when the elves make it into tuals they coat it with a protective layer that makes it safe?  I dunno.


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## CPaladin

[Session 85, cont'd]
27 Tar-Skard
Midway through the afternoon, a messenger approaches Dame Brionna. “A voller has landed, with the daughter of Aleval. They have returned. They have prisoners, and considerable holdings.”

Dame Brionna informs the rest of us and goes to meet the Daughter.

“The mission is accomplished, commander.” She is wearing a necklace that she wasn’t before that contains teeth. Dame Brionna brings Lord Brightspan.

“All of the prisoners are ridden, m’lady. By demons—well, not exactly demons. They’re like demons, but much more lawful. But the strange looking chains around their wrists, it’s like knocking them unconscious.”

"Captain. The chains you have on the prisoners’ wrists; where did they come from?"

"They came from my mother. We used them at home for prisoners who have been overwhelmed by the things sorcerers use. I am no sorceress, but those things within them are responsible for what has happened."

"You should clean yourself up and report to the Archduke. He will want your personal report."

"And I must present this necklace, with the eye teeth of three of the four primarchs—and bare my throat to him, as the fourth escaped."

Dame Constance is summoned.-- "At first, I thought they were devils. They have the same mix of law and evil. But they are not devils. I would crave the boon of questioning one."

Dame Brionna asks Dame Constance to prepare the prison cells to hold them properly.

"There are three containers that are glowing—the fonts with the distilled drops of Heavenly Essence. These are the East, North, and South containers; the last primarch escaped with the fourth of these."

Dame Brionna calls for Bishop Waters, who consecrates the voller to protect it (50 xp for Dame Brionna) and assigns new guards. The drow look fine, albeit exhausted, but one of them is pregnant. Dame Brionna calls for Lady Cecilia, who verifies that the child is healthy albeit half-human. The whole thing seems to embarrass the drow warrior a great deal.

The Sixth Daughter presents the necklace.

"The other three primarchs are dead, the ritual is disrupted, and I have retrieved three vessels. Even I can sense that they are contaminated—they added something else in the distillation process, an abomination even by the standards of the Queen of Spiders. My seer tells me that there are possessing spirits in the prisoners.

"The last primarch was both a mage and a priest, though robed as a priest of the light. He cast a storm of lightning against those who came to seize him.

"They were all ridden in that chamber—all except the slaves, the prisoners for sacrifice. The greater casters and the guards were all killed, but the lesser casters we could take prisoner. It appeared to the Seer that the great working had an elven feel to it, although there were no elves in the chamber except the prisoners. The level of the magic was similar to elven domain magic."

The Council discusses it—very few humans pursue domain magic, because it requires great mastery and there are other forms of magic that are easier and more powerful like color magic. But this could be the result of the spirits guiding the magic to advance their master.

Dame Constance offers to separate the spirits from their hosts, with Bishop Waters assisting (since she needs a powerful priest). She will be able to compel them to answer 16 questions.

"What are you?" We are spirits of true light, purified of all the impurities of morality, and hope, and emotion.
"Who are you working for?" Blue Star. (The Bishop gasps. "My lady, that is the constant companion of Sytry from before the time he came here from the same world as Gunnora. He’s not a marital companion; he’s described as like a blue sun.")
"What are your goals?" To return all of the faith of the light to the true light; to allow this system to reach its logical end.
"What was added to the Drops of Heavenly Essence?"—"that is difficult for them your grace, we must apply a reminder"—I will answer, I will answer. We were, one in each, distilled even as they are.
"Where would the fourth primarch have gone?" Cortose—the Holy See of Sytry.
"Is there a way to remove the addition?" None that we know of; it was not intended to be removed until the drop was used and we entered with the infusion.
"Is there a plan with the heir of Tarsh, who was resurrected with Drops of Heavenly Essence?" To overthrow Jazael, who has taken the throne there; but we calculate it will fail; too many are loyal to the lad. Infuriating. You humans breed like flies on this planet.
"What other operations do you have still in progress?" That we are directly involved in… We have infiltrated five dioceses around the world from the weak and impure Church of Glordiadel. The other plans that the great one may have, we do not know. Always scheming, always planning, always hiding.
"Do you have influence in Gates?" Fading.
"Who outside the City of Life within the Church of Glordiadel is part of your network?" Here a priest, there a priest, but five bishops.
"Which are the five bishops?" (This leads to a twenty minute struggle) This finally leads to five names, including the Bishop of Tarkenia, which is particularly worrisome because it’s one of the borderlands on Zest’qua; none are on this continent.
"Is Sytry Himself part of this?" No… Sytry… No, Sytry Himself is not involved, knowingly. "Are you sure of this?" Yes, we’re sure, we’re sure, He’s just a patsy.
"Do you have any current plots against Canberry or the Archduke of Canberry?" We cannot plot against the Archduke, he’s bound to the land, the land rejects us. Only by his willing joining with the true light can we affect him. We tried everything, and stupid, stupid allies are still trying.
"Do you have any dealings with the forces of Arthranax or the other ancient evils?" Define “dealings.” "Mutual assistance, joint plans, trade, attempted manipulation." Yes
"Describe those dealings so we can cause them to fail?" All our bound together, in the way that the one who sent Arthranax binds together. When things are remade, nothing will be gone forever. When they return—as they always do—the world will be remade. And our master will gain power quietly until the useful idiots can be discarded. Arthranax is a cat’s paw. Even the other three are cat’s paws. It is only a matter of time before the master can be revealed, and can discard the one that it uses.
"What’s the nature of the City of Life’s dynastic and bloodline plans?" Our plans. They have been our servants for generations, but mostly for the last 100 or 200 years. We can be carried in blood, just as we can be carried in drops. As we spread, our master’s influence spreads. Its simple, really. You are the first to ever suspect. You are the first to question. Had the ritual succeeded, you would have been the first to see death. We couldn’t have touched you, but we could have touched many around you. We could have transferred much energy to our master’s friends. It doesn’t matter if she comes or not. Even if she and her consort fail utterly, he will come. And our master will feed on the energy that slides away from her consumption, or his consumption, or their consumption. He slipped away from them so long ago, they don’t even know who he is. Did you know that we were once true servants of your lord of light, before we discovered the true lord of light. Do you know what it is to hide on a dozen worlds for a thousand millennia? The master knows what it is. Where he goes he gathers servants quietly and those who can aid him in their conquest, taking what he can. But one day they will be the ones consumed, and he will rule supreme. Your temples will not stop him here. You threaten to block her and her consort, but that will only leave the other one. That will take much longer. He is trapped here as long as this place endures. We will not permit this. (But how are we to stop this? We are fuming impotently.) We will not fume impotently forever. What’s another ten thousand years. They are too stupid to use our words against our master
Have you implemented any of those plans in Canberry? (Insufficient questions)
They ask Dame Constance and Bishop Waters to develop both a test and a cure.

They didn’t find out why the enemy attempted to erase Alistair's family history. They speculate that Alistair’s mother may have carried out crucial information—perhaps recorded in her journals or his father’s journals.

Alistair's father’s journal is an enormous book; a mix of remarkably pedestrian things, his personal conquests, and some other writing that might be fiction.

His mother’s journals are four slim leather bound journals, with a shimmer that suggests elven make, and there is writing in them. Alistair takes a first pass through.

“To be free and safe is an amazing thing. I have attempted to speak to a priest here, but it is as if they do not hear on this topic. I have turned to a wise woman in the Old City, as I dare not bring it up with the Archbishop, and I have managed to find an exorcist to free me of my unwelcome guest.”

A while later:
“I am free of it. To hear it curse, one would imagine it a devil of hell, and not an angel of life. But it was a being of light—it makes me question the faith as a whole. But that is all right. I go often to the hill; they comfort me, when my beloved is away, as he often is.”

And pieces that are still fading in as they read.

It becomes obvious that, after the exorcism was performed, she gave up on finding a priest.

This also implies that the Duke of Tusslefield (Alistair’s uncle) is also presumptively contaminated, unless he has also been exorcised.
[End session 85]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 86 (April 5, 2017)

28 Tar Skard
In the morning, Alistair and Kit sleep in to a reasonable-ish time, at which point Dame Brionna wakes them.

Dame Brionna had a briefing from one of her sister’s functionaries, the Underminister of Protocol. She did a great deal of research into previous visits.

Traditionally, the entourage is mostly composed of layfolk but includes clergy; at least one bishop, but not the Archbishop; Canberry wants to convey respect but not be ostentatious; guards should be Dame Brionna plus 4 to 8 knights. (4 would imply unconcerned and confident; 8 would imply active protection.) The lay members should include precisely one of an allied faith. At least one of the lay members should be extremely devout, especially if others are not sufficiently devout. At the first religious service, Alistair should offer the Intention—which should be general and spontaneous, but pointed and political, but not focused. There will be a number of meals; Kit and Dame Brionna will attend. Alistair's portions will be served from the Patriarch’s platter; the Patriarch’s taster will taste those, so Alistair's won’t but will still taste his drinks. At meals, the Council can’t discuss serious issues, but can use double entendres. Private audiences with the Blessed can be completely candid and honest.

Alistair raises the question of whether the Queen should attend--they resolve to ask the Underminister of Protocol.

They also discuss that they should make sure that Kit’s membership in the Church is perfectly regular; Bishop Waters will take care of it.

They speak to the Tree and the fey about the connection to the Land. The Tor is speaking to other Tors; the other Tors agree. The Tors are tied to the land, and the connection to the land can only be spread with the agreement of the Tors.

"Could we bring the protection with us when traveling abroad?"

"Depends on where you are going."

"The Isle of Light, on Zest'qua."

"The land is dead. There was an ancient Tor there, but they have been long forth driven away and slain and the Tor destroyed. With no Tor to appeal to, there is no way to extend the protection."

The Tree and the fey produce a talisman that will, for 2-6 weeks, provide a +10 stamina bonus to protect Alistair.  Bringing food from Canberry will help, but it will only help, and the protection will fade with time.

Kit briefs the Council on a message she received [attached]: "We have some agents in Parton; we share information from those agents to the Holy See. The representatives of Sytry and Whimsy are both jockeying for power; it seems like there is greater animosity between them than previously. There have also been two attacks on the offices of the Temple of Gunnora; we don’t know who launched the attacks, although the Gunnorans trapped some of the attackers in the basement. There have been reports of poisoned salt; also, poisoned vinegar. The city authorities found the culprits; they hanged three merchants. A lot were passing tainted goods without knowing what they were doing. There was also a spy in the embassy of Light. One of my people has a lens of true seeing, and saw an invisible intruder. They tried to capture the creature, couldn’t take it alive, body disintegrated into a mass of acidic goo (consistent with killing a Seen-Unseen). They found its hideout, with a psionic recording crystal. Nobody on staff there is powerful enough to retrieve the information."

The Council talks with the Archbishop, and conclude that Bishop Simmons needs to be reassigned from his position as ambassador to the Ecumenical Council; they plan to recruit the Proctor General of the Order of the Misty Dawn to make the case that Bishop Simmons is needed as the chief of supply for the martial orders, because Bishop Simmons is talented at logistics but not at politics.

Bishop Simmons is the third son of the former ruler of Tarkenia. So as he advanced, he became a bishop and received a highly honorable and public position. The high ranks of the Church of Glor’diadel are filled with nobles, and largely advanced from positions within the curia. The Council remains two-thirds members of the curia; most of the archbishops are not on the Council, and diocesan bishops are considered undesirable for nobles, because they do not advance, even to archbishop. The Patriarch was selected because he was pious, and expected to be ineffective. He has been more effective than expected, but most of his best privy councilors die on travel. The Archbishop offers to make an introduction between Kit and the Minister of Security, who he assures us is reliable.

The Archbishop also tells us that anyone that the Patriarch introduces their his first name can be trusted; any who are introduced by their full title should be treated with extreme caution.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 86, cont'd]
The Archbishop says that Alistair should intend the good of the refugees who have been driven from their lands by the evil that stalks them. It will be assumed to be a reference to the refugees he assists, but it will also be seen as a criticism of the lack of action in Khamista.

The main bastion on the east coast of Khamista until the Day of the Dead was an elven wood just south of Krashmere. That elven wood fell on the Day of the Dead. The forces that took the wood swept south, crushed the dozen of human kingdoms (some Glor’diadelian, some Paranswarmian, and some devotees of Balanzar). An elven prince retook the woods, reestablished it as the Woods of Hope. But nothing was done for the humans; so the Patriarch sent the Order of Misty Dawn to stabilize the situation. But the OMD is an order of paladins, and has insufficient numbers to truly resolve the situation. A more military Patriarch would have declared a crusade, and then many of the young men of many of the nations would join the crusade seeking to gain land through it, and they would be rewarded for it.

They conclude that they should get the Patriarch to appoint the Duke Mortorose as the King of the eastern refugees.

The Council asks the Underminister of Protocol to speak with us to ask some questions about the visit.

She confirms that the Queen should not attend, as she is not yet formally a consort, her lands are not formally part of Canberry, and it would be another sovereign attending.

"The Patriarch is fond of well-prepared simple foods; he is the first Patriarch in hundreds of years who is not from a noble family, at least not officially. He was heavily favored by the Mages of Northern Aurelian, as well as by several of the spice families in Southern Drucien, but his strongest support came from the Kingdom of Ravenclaw in Zest’Qua. Lady Meredith the Dazzling was a strong supporter of his because she admired his concern for the poor. He does not prefer extremely ostentatious displays; he serves fine wines, but drinks only freshly pressed juice and tea. The rumors say that when he was young he drank tesh, so I would expect that flower teas are acceptable."

"What should I say that my position is?" asks Kit.

"You are a member of the Privy Council—that will be sufficient in the Ecclesiastical Court."

Grandmaster Farsensor visits us. He tells us that that means there must be Nyluthia, because they would need a psionically active creature to bond it to the Seen Unseen. "There are never many—they take too much energy. It won’t be near holy items—they are more susceptible. I will also speak to the Council of the Overqueen—they should send someone down. There may even be a hunt—perhaps a hunt of 13 or 16. Killing a Nyluthia will not be unobtrusive."

Grandmaster Farsensor plans on bringing the crystal here, and then seeing about what its guardian is and how to deal with it. It should not be brought to the Holy See.

"When the crystal is apported in, a creature will appear. You should attack it. I’ll deal with the wards, and then when the wards are contained, we’ll finish it together." The crystal appears in his hand, and then an explosion begins and is crushed back in. Then a creature that looks like a combination demon-illithid appears. The knight fights it for a bit, then the Grandmaster joins in and dispatches it. The Grandmaster then starts reading the crystal, which almost immediately dissolves in purple light. “It isn’t her nyluthia. It is the One Other. I can tell you the knowledge that it gained, but also that that knowledge was not passed on. It was gathering all the information it could on present negotiations between all the faiths. It was paying particular attention to what the ambassador of Glor’diadel thinks of the ambassador of Sytry. He finds him to be arrogant, supercilious, and a false servant of the light, although of course he would never say that.”

The Council warns the Grandmaster Farsensor that the Overqueen must make sure that the hunt has an awareness of the political situation; were the Nyluthia to be in the Embassy of Sytry, for example, an open strike could be very politically awkward. "She must then not send her champion, who is a First Comer with a poor understanding of human expectations."

She sends her nephew instead as the head of the hunt, leading 13 chivalry, with an understanding that they must not transgress the human temples or treat humans as simple collateral damage. Also, she says that the cult of Arthranax must be rooted out root and branch.
[End session 86]


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## CPaladin

Session 87 (April 20, 2017)

29 Tar-Skard
Kit shares a report from the City of Silver Pools (near the Crystal City and City of Chimes, near Hanal). [Attached] Two days ago, a flood of refuges came out of Hanal, being pursued by more apparently Order of the Ram troops—extremely muscular, some growing horns. Only a few hundred of the beasts, but they took down several thousand troops from the City of Silver Pools. There were some sidhe from the local tor around, and they knew what to do—burning the bodies of the beastmen, and only men touching the bodies.

Kit sends a note to her scribe, asking him to identify who the Ankle was that went missing.

Dame Brionna has an update on the military situation in Hanal. [Attached] The bad news is that the official Hanalian Air Guard has gained control of the skies, defeating the rebel vollers. They also have control of the seas, but mostly with large ships—they have destroyed most of the warships opposing them, but they can’t stop small ships very well. Snatterkaz’s forces—and the forces of the 5 kovs (out of 36) who have sided with the rightful princess—have roughly equal numbers of knights and high quality infantry, but they are badly outnumbered. The Inquisition army has taken a fair amount of territory in the Southeast, but is now stymied—basically outnumbered and waiting for reinforcements.

There is an Eldar man-of-war that has taken station over Snatterkaz—they’re not communicating, but they shot down Hanalian Air Guard vollers that attempted to attack.

There is a Curinirim armada with supporting vessels; they have destroyed some previously uninvolved villages in Hanal, for no apparent reason. We speculate this may be part of a pattern of revenge.

Grandmaster Farsensor scries on them at our request. The Noldar Admiral is a coercer—powerful, Grandmaster level, but he will not notice Grandmaster Farsensor. (Naval officers in the Noldar service are generally coercers.) The destroyed villages have altars made of desecrated elven and fey bones.

A page raps on the door. Sir Alacare of the Order of the Endless Black very much desires to see a member of the council. The Order of the Endless Black is an order of primarily paladins in the service of Paranswarm.

“I fear that I come with news that is less than desirable, and also with a request for aid that I assure you we will pay for in good coin. First the news: The Inquisitor General has discovered a grave violation, that requires informing the Ecumenical Council.”

The Council asks if it’s desecrated fey bones; it was.  They ask that he inform the Inquisitor General that he must evacuate the village where it was found immediately.

The second aspect is that they have captured some of the people responsible including the priest of the village. There was a holy revelation that he was not the true priest, although he appeared to be and knew things that only the priest would have known. Three were interrogated by the Inquisition’s methods; none revealed anything.

The Council calls for Lady Constance. She’s about to head out to examine the prisoners when she hears about the altars of fey and elven bones. Lady Constance says that she would think they are all linked together. "These are ritual altars, I would assume not used by the servants of the Blue Sun. These altars were used to maintain small waypoints for the Unmentionable. Their attempts to influence certain of the Archdevils of Hell in their last efforts. Those altars are attempts to bring small bits of souls—shells, really—into this realm. As long as they are not disrupted, the shell will gather more power, until it becomes real.

"There will be either 6 or 12; if it is 6, it will be here and here and here. If it is 12, here and here and here as well; that one can’t be in a village, so it will be in the countryside.

"There are different ways for one of the Elder Evils to pass through to this place. The way that they prefer has already failed. If it is only 6, they are bringing through minor servants. If it is all twelve… they are trying to bring through one of the great ones."

The Council asks Lord Silverleaves if he can determine how many of the altars there are.  After a brief meditation, the Farsensor awakes. "Without undue difficulty, I was able to discern 10 more of those altars."

Sir Alacare looks at the map. "We could get to these two with an easy push; that one could be reached by a flying column. The other six are out of reach."

The Council plans to contact the fey; if they can’t reach the other six, then we’ll inform House Curinirim of them.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 87, cont'd]
Kit travels out with Lady Constance to examine the prisoners. Lady Constance begins with the priest. “Ah, yes… what a fascinating thing. It is certainly devil-like, and yes, he is ridden. I suspect that if we force the creature out, he will return.”

She carefully sets out a bloodstone, and sprinkles some powder on it, and in a circle around him and around herself. She calls on Levistus, a major devil, who appears as a wispy beautiful woman with black wings and a long wavy sword.

“What devil inhabits him?”

“No devil of the Nine Hells. Twelve questions I can compel from him, Lady Constance, no more. I am a great noble of Hell, but not the greatest, and it is no devil of mine.”

Q: Who do you work for? 
"Most ancient one who has taken many forms in your world."

Q: By what name do we know the one you serve?
"You know him as Arthranax, and you know him as Blue Star."

Q: What’s the specific plan with these altars?
"It will permit the full empowering of one of the greater servants of She of the Bones, and in bringing through one of them, it will require the lives of several greater elves, and that will strengthen the new gods."

Q: By what names do we call these beings that you want to make the new gods?
"You know them as the Archmagus Brutus Incarnus, you know them as the Princess and ruler of Hanal, and you know them as the most ancient Queen of Chaos who shall rise again from the pit to join with Arthranax who is the Blue Star in the new pantheon, for the elven gods will surely fade when their followers are destroyed."

Q: Are these the only set of these altars that have been prepared like this? 
"No."

Q: Tell us the location of the other altars outside this set of twelve?
"Twelve lie in the Cortosian Mountains on Khamista; six lie in the midst of the Trade Lands of Zest’Qua; three sets to mirror the three portals."

Q: Which religious leaders besides Glor’diadelians and Sytryites have you corrupted? 
"A Miderite or two; many Borsh’troians, demons willingly offer themselves to such thing as do their servants. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to pierce the Temple of Paranswarm except by possession. We did have an Archpriest of Morgrath briefly convinced before he was assassinated at an Ecumenical Council meeting by poison. We cannot touch the elven faiths; they are the only ones who can stop the great ones, but also the only ones who cannot be convinced."

Q: Where did they get the bones from to build the altars?
"Unlike the elves and the sidhe, the lesser fey do not fade away to the west when they die. Half-elven and half-fey bones can be recovered from the cairns. Had to be done quietly though, and was a problem on Zest’qua where there are fewer of them."

Q: What other plans do you have in motion to weaken the elves? 
"We would destroy them all if we could, but they are too powerful. We pick away at their least members. It encourages their greater ones to leave. One wood on Zest’qua is vulnerable. The Elven gods will leave when their children have left. We do what we can, but we are not stupid. The time will come—we pick away at their lesser ones, and kill them when we can, and the greater ones will leave, and then the elven gods, and then we will remake the whole order, even without She. We use Her, knowing that her greater ones will be destroyed."

Q: Where are the shells?
"One is deep in the north, north of Hanal, gathering strength from the altars, fewer now. When the altars are gone, it cannot gain more strength, it is what it is. One is in the volcano in Cortose, hiding and gathering strength; none of the Truth boys know what they are serving. On Zest’qua, we could not create the full spread; it is simply lesser creatures. We released one round, and we are empowering another."

Q: How long before the creature in the volcano would be complete? 
"Months—too little to feed it, not like Hanal."

Q: Why have your people been attacking halflings and gnomes? 
"Happy little nits; their pain and fear is useful to the ones we’re feeding; less rage and anger than humans, more pain and fear."

Lady Constance then summons two more, more horrible looking devil figures that then rip apart a black shadow into tiny pieces.

Levistus looks at Lady Constance; “Soon enough, Lady Constance, and for doing things like that I may have to keep you for a few extra millennia.”

Lady Constance says, “The creature is gone; I’m still not sure what to call it. It was not truly a devil, and yet it took that form. You must find out what memories the priest has when he regains consciousness. It may give us a clue as to how they’re forcing possession on clergy.”

“None of them are possessed; what they did they did of their own free will.”

The Council talks to the fey; they can reach one more of the villages.

Alistair then tells Princess Curinirim about the other five; he also tells her about the shell’s location, because once the altars are destroyed, it will be worth destroying.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 87, cont'd]
The Council meets with the senior midwife of Gunnora. They tell her about Berta, Arthranax, the Blue Star, and the One Other.

"The records say that we fought them for thousands of years, for the gods stood with us. When we needed warriors, she increased the birthing rates and the maturing rates. When we needed food, the fields overflowed. But we could not stop them when all three came. And she came through bringing her people, and only her people, for she said that some of her divine servitors had been corrupted. Sytry brought his servitors; he said that they could not be corrupted, for he is Truth. Gunnora has always wondered; that is why there has always been some tension between the temples here. This is grave news, but if he is bound here to a vessel, he is less powerful, for he cannot change the rules without the other two. This is what the Protector of Paranswarm warned us about, although her words were not discerned. She always said that the greatest danger is a traitor on the Council. We thought her merely paranoid.

"The One Beside deliberately tried to consume the Horned Rat; that was what ultimately caused the ratpeople to flee. There were a handful of lizardfolk that fled into the underdark as well. They were extremely good agents and spies. Their god did not make it.

The Council tells her about the idea that the Creator and Morgrath could, together, defeat Arthranax.

"Have you considered reaching out to the Overqueen?"

"We have, but the process is slow."

"In the case of Morgrath—have someone of strong stomach reach out to Thumanatose, the Animator of Dread. He is a great balrog in the service of Morgrath, a semi-deity himself. He is very rational. If you can explain the stakes, he will understand. Whether he can reach his master… I do not know."

She promises to inform Grandmother (the matriarch of the faith). She also offers to have them assigned an “Aunt”—"they keep our records."

The Council meets with the Fey Lord from Hanal.

"Many servants of the Order of the Ram, but they’d been changed. Something has been stealing away some of the energy from them, so they have no energy to conceal the things within them. It’s likely the horrible thing up north—it’s warping the ice up north. I was good friends with the Doge—the despot that they elect, strange system. I and my few knights went to protect the city. They were attacking the commoners very fierce.

"I can’t tell if there will be more of those things or not.

"He couldn’t take another wave like that. The Doge thinks he could take two, but they would break. They lost a whole field army, and another two legions from a neighboring city. The second wave… they’d break before the last beast went down.

"See, Pools and Chimes—Chimes are pretty cool people, but I’m friends with Pools. The City of Crystal has a three-quarters wall of crystal. Chimes and Pools have a complete wall. Crystal has a weak point. Its master is there, but he did not take the field. I’m not sure how mobile he is now.

"Here, have a flask of the burning mind. Very tasty—there’s about 8 doses in there. Doubles your mental power for about 8 minutes."

(The Council resolves to find some human child who’s interested in weaving and talented enough to learn magic; if they learn the weaving magic, the fey will teach them to weave spider silk.)
[End Session 87]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 88 (June 29, 2017)

30 Tar-Skard
Dame Brionna provides a report on the military situation in Hanal. [Attached.] They need to get Bormark and Ruatha to actively throw in with the resistance; they talk about reaching out through the Church of Paranswarm, while also offering the carrot of food shipments to Ruatha (since that’s probably Ruatha’s great concern), but only if they actually throw in with the resistance. They also discuss moving against Havershaw, because that’s the last mainland port controlled by the Usurper.

Kit has a very strange letter. Its ostensibly from the representative of the House of Athanase, which was a noble house in Southern Aereleon, to Kit as a baroness of Naet, which was a minor noble house in Southern Aereleon.  [Attached.]  The Council is well familiar with Northern Aereleon, one of the most important Enclaves in the City of Enclaves, but there is no Southern Aereleon, and hasn't been for many centuries.

They call for a linguist, who explains various things. The House of Athanase was the ruling family of Southern Aereleon. The myths say that the affair between the Baroness of Naet and the Southern Aereleon caused the destruction of Southern Aereleon. He gave her a short-necked catobeplas, a cross between a dragon and ox. It had a terrible death breath, and too many magical powers.

He writes out the misspelled or erroneous words in the ancient language of Aereleon. The Council asks a page to send for the Minister of Magic, who examines this. 

"Someone coded a release within this. It will release something that has been placed in stasis. The signature is clear, but very powerful. Young, remarkably young, human, male, spent his whole life studying to achieve that power at that age. Could be a young person under the influence of an older spirit."

Dame Brionna speculates that this may be a blackmail effort. Alistair speculates that it might be someone who believes Kit is a reincarnation.

Grandmaster Farsensor scries on Ferdinanda, Kit’s old friend (but not a close one); she is better dressed than Kit remembers, happily working in a craftsman’s home, but their house is surrounded by ruins. There is a craftsman in a leather apron working on a rug. As he moves his vision away, the area that he focuses on stops looking like ruins, but the area that isn’t the focus becomes ruins. Ferdinanda looks happy and pregnant.

A customer steps in, in archaic clothings, haggling with the rugmaker. They are haggling in an archaic dialect. The coins are inscribed “In the Council We Trust.” The face is not recognizable; likely archaic Council of Opposition coins. We hypothesize it might be some sort of temporal strangeness.

We call for a priest of Eternal Father, the Glordiadelian minor deity of time.   The priest communes with the god.

Is Kit’s friend Ferdinanda in the present day?
"She’s not—she dwells in peace long ago."

How did she get there? 
"She was drawn there by the Comte de Athanase as a reward for the help in finding Kit, so that she could find someone who would treasure her above all others."

What other names would we know the Comte de Athanase by?
"You would not; he is lost in time. He was the greatest of human mages, at a time far too young for his mastery. Time was one of the things he mastered."

What is bound by these words? 
"A loyal pet who he bound to the one who he believes you to be, based on the very blood you carry. He believes you carry her spirit; you do not, but he is blinded by his love for her."

What happened to the Baroness de Naet?
"She bore his child, having born one before he knew her. A noble of his court slew her and the child. So furious was he, that he sought the life of the one who took it, and took that; and then tried to bring her back by drawing her still living through time itself, which destroyed Southern Aerelion."

[Draft questions that were omitted: What is the author’s intent towards Kit and towards Canberry?
Is the author of the letter allied with our enemies?
Is Ferdinanda in Southern Aereleon?
Who wrote this letter?
The group also inferred that Kit is a distant descendant of the Baroness de Naet.
]

How do we stop the Comte de Athanase? 
"His ability to pass through time is limited. Projecting his servant and his gift permanently into this time has weakened him for quite a while, as did rewarding her friend by drawing her back. We could find a way to convince him that she does not bear her spirit. Or we could simply ignore his attentions. Or, of course, you could build a special shrine to the God of Time at the Cathedral. It is ironic; he does not realize that his servant cannot return to him.

"The Comte was a good man until he lost his mind upon her death. The remnant of Southern Aereleon is in a rift in time. Ferdinanda will never know, and the God will find a way for their children to find their way back into time. Also, the God would like stained-glass windows in the chapel."

Is the Comte de Athanase likely to find common cause with the Pariah Deities or with their allies and proxies such as the Blue Sun?
"He would rather run a dagger through his own throat; he was a devoted servant of Glordiadel before his insanity."

Can we find a way to allow him to die?
"My lord can kill him; he cannot let him die. He cannot leave the rift—he is trapped."

Is there a way to get messages to the Comte de Athanase? 
"My lord says that it can be done."

How can we get a message to the Comte de Athanase? 
"A guardian of time will happily carry it for you, and I will not mention the beautiful lamps that should be hung in the top of the chapel."

Are you aware from your perspective on time that Arthranax who is also the One Other who is also the Blue Sun destroyed Berta? 
"That is utterly ridiculous; the gods cannot die."

The Council sends for the servant. 

"I have been serving him; he has been kind to my parents and my grandparents. He was well preserved. I’ve been studying alchemy; he says that I have the knack."

They offer to find him a place in the guild here.

Lord Davion traveled into the rift once a few years ago, and took three eggs of the ourobouros.

[I don't have any notes confirming this, but my memory is that the Council did in fact send a message into the temporal rift to the Comte de Athanase, explaining the mistaken identity and wishing him well.  I think to the best of our knowledge this resolved the matter.]

It is time for the Council to travel to the gating chamber to travel to the See of Light.
[cont'd]


----------



## Baron Opal II

CPaladin said:


> A customer steps in, in archaic clothings, haggling with the rugmaker. They are haggling in an archaic dialect. The coins are inscribed “In the Council We Trust.” The face is not recognizable; likely archaic Council of Opposition coins. We hypothesize it might be some sort of temporal strangeness.




That rings a distant bell. Did they arise primarily against the Courts of Chaos? I wonder where my adventures were temporally in relation to yours.


----------



## CPaladin

The Council of Opposition is the (weak) federated government of the City of Enclaves.  Each Enclave has its own internal rulership and laws, but is represented in the Council of Opposition.  The Council is responsible for maintaining peace among the Enclaves (although it is greatly helped in this by unusual magical effects), for patrolling and operating the canal network that both separates and connects the Enclaves, and I think for conducting Enclaves's very limited foreign policy.  It's still active, but those coins were from a long time ago.

I'm pretty sure that your adventures were a few years earlier in game time.  Whereabouts were your adventures geographically?


----------



## Baron Opal II

That's tough... I remember events more.

I remember hearing about the Shadowline and adventuring there. I spent too much time with Sabrae (character of a devious player). I saw someone trying to take over the Blue color pool and exploding. I think they already had Teal and were trying to expand. I remember fleeing the Helltide and going to the City of Enclaves where my character _de facto_ retired.

I remember being a distant ally with the Courts of Chaos, but distanced myself a bit when they obliterated the Courts of Neutrality (for copyright infringement, heh.) The DM usually called me "Kevin", although that isn't my name. He said I looked like one.


----------



## CPaladin

So, the Shadowline is on the continent of Zest'qua, far from where Canberry is (but right near where the Theocracy of Light is that we're going to be at for the next couple posts).  The incident I'm aware of with the Blue Mage was about 4 years ago in game time--when the Blue Mage used a Wish to try to take over Krashmere, and instead lost the Blue pool to Krashmere and caused a major expansion of the Noldor empire.  I'm not sure what the Helltide was--was that part of the same event with the Blue pool?  Or maybe when the Southern Kingdoms fell to a bunch of demons? 

Always cool to hear stories about the old days.

Anyway, without further ado:

[Session 88, cont'd]
They travel to the gating chamber, with Grandmaster Farsensor, young Lord Brightspan, and the rest of the entourage. Everyone else goes through before Alistair.

On the other side, there’s a very bright receiving chamber, with a small ecclesiastical party waiting to receive them, including an emaciated but very healthy man in a simple ecclesiastical robe who introduces himself as the Minister of Protocol and a member of the Familia. They exchange some pleasantries, and then he sprinkles the delegation with holy water.

They go to a chapel where they will give thanks to Glordiadel and meet the members of the Congregation of the Faithful who wanted to be the first to meet them. There are a group of archbishops, mostly elderly, waiting in the chapel. They have a short service, then walk down a passageway until the point where the archbishops all stop as if there was a wall, though there is no wall.

The Minister of Protocol gives them an agenda:  This evening: evening prayers, then dinner, then a concert. In the morning, a service; then an extended private meeting with the patriarch; high mass; on the third day, they will be joined by other members of the Ecumenical Council.

"I recommend you visit the Basilica of Fate; it’s quite astounding."

Alistair asks for some time to freshen up, but also mention that one of us has been asked to deliver a personal message from the Archbishop to one of his friends in the curia—Alistair purports to not remember his precise role, to make it less obvious that they’re setting up a meeting between Kit and the Minister of Security.

Dame Katherine of Lyneham is introduced to the Minister of Security, a bishop.

“Unless you have a reason to believe a member of the Curia is a traitor, do nothing with them. If you have a reason to believe a member of the Familia is a traitor, inform me.”

Kit asks about security for the food. They check for poison, but expect the God to protect against spells. Perhaps they should check for taint; they have relied on the holiness of the Patriarch himself. One of the creatures intruded in the embassy of Gunnora last week; it did some substantial damage before it was destroyed. Eight Halfling-sized forms were loaded onto a fast voller which then went left; it had a crew entirely of halflings, and sailed west.

"Our agents observed servants of the Death Lord that represents Morgroth to the Council watching the embassy while our agents were watching it as well. When the cart pulled away with the eight packages, the Death Lord was seen to shake his head. For the actual meeting, they will actually send a Noldar of House Aufalgautharim, a priest of Gifts."
[End Session 88]


----------



## Baron Opal II

CPaladin said:


> So, the Shadowline is on the continent of Zest'qua, far from where Canberry is (but right near where the Theocracy of Light is that we're going to be at for the next couple posts).  The incident I'm aware of with the Blue Mage was about 4 years ago in game time--when the Blue Mage used a Wish to try to take over Krashmere, and instead lost the Blue pool to Krashmere and caused a major expansion of the Noldor empire.  I'm not sure what the Helltide was--was that part of the same event with the Blue pool?  Or maybe when the Southern Kingdoms fell to a bunch of demons?



The Helltide was basically a massive swarm of giant army ants. We helped the town evacuate- building wagons and gathering food sufficient to flee to the nearest walled port. Quite a substantial journey. We thought it might have been Shadow generated to disrupt support for the Shadowline defenses. A few of the characters built a subterrainean redoubt to wait them out. Yeah... A couple of us went back there after the consuming carpet of insects passed, and they hadn't fared so well.

The Church of Paranswarm was _everywhere_. Drove my CG elf up the wall.


----------



## CPaladin

Session 89 (October 5, 2017)

Evening of 30 Tar-Skard

Dame Brionna speaks to Bishop Waters. “Your excellence, I do have a request. Is there any divine blessing that you could give me that would enable me to go without sleep for 3 days?”

“Yes, but you will sleep an equal amount of time afterwards and be very hard to arouse.”

They agree that that makes sense. He performs a ritual, and then Dame Brionna is literally very bright-eyed.

The Council goes to evening prayers. The proctor, a representative of the Order of the Archangel Zadkiel, says that he’s honored to meet us. Zadkiel is an Archangel of Mercy; when the other archangels were battling the forces of Darkness, Zadkiel shed Mercy on both sides, and by changing hearts, swayed the battle.

All the chapels here are magnificent. This one is one of the first they’ve been in with a clockwork animation. There is an enormous animation of the Sun declining behind the horizon. Young Lord Brightspan is the only person in the entourage besides Dame Brionna and Bishop Waters who knows the whole litany. While the liturgy is continuing, someone slips Dame Kit a piece of paper. She puts on her glasses “Indolorian must serve out.” Followed by a symbol of her secret service.

Alistair offers the Intention: “May those who flee in darkness and chaos find the Light of Glordiadel and may Lord Glordiadel illuminate His Order for them, that they may live in peace and prosperity in the Light.”

A completely different proctor takes them in hand. His robes are edged in silk the color of the sea and he walks very quietly, almost like he’s floating. His hands are folded in front of him. “It is an honor, your grace, honored ladies. His holiness is looking forward to this dinner. The Familia is very hopeful. Have you visited with any of the Societies?"

"Not as yet."

"The Patriarch of the Hands of the Blessed Zech-archthea would be honored to receive you."

Everyone is standing in the dining chamber. Most people are dressed in ecclesiastical robes; there are very few complete laity, mostly members of the Familia. There is also one in wizard robes.

Kit raises detect thoughts—she hears the name of Indelorean, and a young priest is worrying about where the Archbishop is and about the fact that his closeness to the Patriarch prevents him from retiring. The young priest returns with a very elderly Archbishop, in extremely elegant robes. The Archbishop appears quite senile.

The Council meets the Patriarch and exchange some pleasantries.

Kit notices something strange through her detect thoughts--the Archbishop all in chased gold is literally of two minds.

"I should introduce you to a few of those present. Those of the Ecclesiae who are joining us—my dear friend Davron Indelorean. Davron was my teacher when I was in seminary. He is the Archbishop of the Lower Basin."

He goes through a list, and for most of them, he introduces by first name and then almost as an afterthought, their titles and sees.

There are three exceptions:
"This gentle (in the gold) is the Archbishop of Cese Mai, Archibald called the Purified.
"This the Archbishop of Calimshire, Raymond Soaringspire
"Robin Sumner, Archbishop of White Cliff, Lord Stera"

(The Council all note that “the Purified” is an awfully Sytryite epithet.)

Conversation then starts. There are two types of conversation; there are people who are friends and having a wonderful time together, and there are people for whom it is all a show. There are people who are chatting with each other, and on the other side of Lord Brightspan, there is a very chatty Archbishop—Raymond Penrod.

“You and Dame Brionna have gained quite a reputation. It is commonly said that he closets himself with you after he rises from his bed and that you help him sort through the business of the day."

"Thank you," replies Kit.  "Are there any that we should be wary of?"

“There are different ones you cannot trust for different reasons. Davron is a dear soul, but his mind has faded—he might repeat things he ought not to repeat, and there are things he might forget.

“Be extraordinarily careful of Archbishop Archibald. He used to be … well, he was never reasonable, but he used to be more reasonable. If any were to start a Paranswarmian style Inquisition, it would be him.

"Their interpretation of scripture is not exactly heretical, but they have a ritual of purification that is theoretically voluntary upon advancement to the Ecclesiae. They strap people to a rock facing the sun for three days. Those who survive—some die—are eligible to call themselves the Purified.  Some of the Archbishops of Cese Mai have been Purified for 300 years, and exclusively for 100 years. Has a small entourage, including one wizard."

"That one?"

"No, no. That’s the Grandmaster of Holy and Sacred Mages. He’s from Zest’qua and most of his Members are lay members, but we wouldn’t want to mention that. He’s a dear fellow.

"The Archbishop of Cese Mai is a Cardinal, and as a canon of the Church he is qualified to become Patriarch, although the other Cardinals would never permit that. He also controls a large army back home, but …

"That’s a little better than White Cliff, where not only are the Archbishops still lords, but they actually use the title. Very portentous.

"Anyone can convince Calimshire of anything if they talk to him long enough. I have talked him into some terribly unwise bets on the horses."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 89, cont'd]
Dame Brionna gets herself engaged by one of the few other female attendees, who gives her a military style salute.  “Viviana, Mistress of the Order of the Swords of Flame.”

Viviana discusses the problems they’ve had with pride leading to corruption—it’s one of the tools of the demons of Zest’qua.

Viviana praises Dame Brionna’s work in Canberry.  “I’m absolutely sure that the struggle is not over.  One of our seers has said that a greater danger exists near the continent of Drucien than the one that we have struggled with for a thousand years on Zest’qua.

"Someone needs to spend their time here easing the flow of supplies where they must go.  Things have gotten better with the current patriarch, but there are struggles with the bureaucracy."

"Have you had any problems with supplies for the preservation of goods?"

“You mean salt.  Yes.  Tarkenia had problems with that, but they dealt with it in the way that Tarkenia does.  Delwan may have, but who knows, or even if they preserve goods.  They struggle for the Light, and that is good enough.”

Dame Brionna asks her about the Sisters of Purity.  “A branch of them are a bit fanatical for my taste.  It’s a fairly small branch of them and recent.  But a branch of them on Zest’qua… we are not Paranswarm.  The commons can be deceived.  If you find a corrupt group, you put them to death.  It is simple, it is direct, it is merciful.  Some of the Sisters of Purity have taken to forcing extreme confessions.  I am not convinced that everyone who confesses is guilty of what they confess.  Other members of the Sisters, and the tradition, is to purify the willing.  They have historically worked to purify the faithful, as a means of penance.  They would guide those who have sinned to offer restitution, and to forgive themselves and purify themselves.  That is their tradition.  This group that uses torture… that is not our way.  It has tended to be commons, usually in rural areas.  To be fair, that is where it is most likely to be corruption.  And I cannot say for certain that they are not finding corruption.  And I cannot say for certain that they are following Paranswarmian Inquisition approaches.  There is of course a Supreme Proctor of all the Sisterhoods, but I am not even in a position to effectively approach her and to accuse a fellow sisterhood of borderline heresy.”

Without warning, Davron Indolorean leaps to his feet.  “A deva, a mighty deva is among us.  Behold, the light shines forth from her.”

Lord Brightspan reports that there is a blob of light surrounding Dame Brionna that is very protective of her and Alistair.  It only appeared when they walked in the room.  Or really, when we approached the table.

Alistair offers the honey and fruits they brought for dessert.  Archbishop of Cese Mai is not upset, but the other thing with him is wroth.

They ask Kit’s agent, who is one of the cooks, to secure a sample of the original dessert.

"Archibald Tallstaff Thiphu of the Thousand Baronies would speak with you."

"We would be honored to meet any that Glordiadel has exalted."

"The title is big, I am not.  But I am glad that you would meet with me.  I have heard rumors and I wish to share with you my experience.  I have heard rumors that small sects have emerged in the Temple that none dare called heretics, but that are heretics.  We have led no fewer than six baronies to repentance.  There is no ill in the hearts of the priests.  But their actions disturb me.

"The Thousand Baronies and their ships are at your disposal."

The Council returns to our chambers before the concert.  A young boy delivers a plate of puff pastry filled with pudding.  

Grandmaster Farsensor extracts two spheres of material from the pastry.  "This one should go in lead, that’s taint; this is mercury, and should go in the crystal."

Davron arrives.  The Council asks him to provide a blood sample, and they confirm that it has mercury in it.  Dame Brionna purges the mercury from him.

The Minister of Security arrives.  The Council discusses what has been revealed with him, and raises the question of motivations for targeting Davron Indolorian.

The Archbishop of the Lower Basin is conducting negotiations with the Kingdom of the Haunted Forest, which is a Paranswarmian body.  They were going very well before Davron Indolorian … began being poisoned.  There is a coadjutor selected by a committee of hierarchs—two of the three Archbishops assigned to that committee sent priests, because they were too busy with diocesan matters.  Tucker Whitesmith, Archbishop of the Trade Cities, sent a priest, Brian Clapper.  Caedwe Willian, Matriarch of the Faith from the Steppes, sent a barbarian priestess to represent her.  And of course the chair of the Committee was Archbishop Archibald of Cese Mai.  One of them was a canon.  The vote was not unanimous (but not recorded), and for a minor parish priest.  The Council concludes that the priest almost certainly deferred to the Archbishop, with the priestess opposing but not being sophisticated enough to delay matters for her principal to intervene.   The coadjutor is not of obvious noble background, so was presumably selected because of having a Blue Star rider with him.

The Council discusses the sexism of the hierarchy of Glordiadel with the Minister of Security—"Only men can be canons (and thus eligible for high office) but that’s only tradition, not revealed truth.  That also has the consequence that the leaders of the women’s orders are disproportionately able and competent, because ambitious families don’t try to advance their daughters through those orders.  Dorcas Bracas is about as competent an abbot general as I’ve seen and I’ve seen three."

Dame Brionna knows that the prior servants of the Blue Star have had a tattoo on their foot.  We come up with the plan for Alistair to offer to wash the feet of Archibald—he won’t be able to refuse without revealing himself, and if he has the tattoo that reveals him as well.
[End Session 89]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 90 (November 21, 2017)

31 Tar-Skard
Morning in the See of Light.

Lady Marybell Trotten OML has invited Dame Katharine to tea. Probably from the Order of the Magical Light, a mostly lay order.

Dame Brionna also gives the Council a rundown of the religious orders represented at the See of Light.  [Attached] The Council identifies the Order of Saint Theobald the Incorruptible as worth investigating. Knights of Truth also bears investigation.

Dame Katharine accepts Lady Marybell's invitation. Her coat of arms is from one of the Mages of the Mounts of the Mages (the ones who fight over pieces of an Eldron pipe organ). Some of them are (or at least were) Glor'diadelian.

A little while later, a representative of another one of the minor holy orders arrives to escort them to morning prayers. "I am pleased to welcome you on behalf of the Order of St. Thornwald the Incorruptible."

The Council asks about St. Thornwald. 

"He's a regional saint of Northeastern Khamista. He was a warrior who struggled against the forces of Morgrath. He protected his people in a small town north of what is now the City of Light, of Sytry. Several of his companions were repeatedly resurrected in battle against orkish hordes. Numerous of his followers have been raised from the battle and continued the battle. That has not been an easy thing for his home temples and monasteries."

"Are there those who seek rapprochement with the Sytryites?"

"Nothing could be less desired. They... they are not above taking lands that are vital to the survival of Glor'diadelian villages. They have also killed commoners simply for being followers of Glor'diadel.

"Devotions to the Blue Sun is very common among the most militant of their knights. We have also seen creatures that would assert they are angelic taking the field against those who are blameless in the Light of the Sun.

"The Sytryites continue to persecute the little people--halflings, gnomes, and the like.

"None of the counts or barons alone are matches for the Sytryites."

Morning prayers will be offered by Abbot General David Smith of the Brothers of Light. There are also several bishops, and a nun with striking panache (Dorcas, the Mother Superior General).

Field Marshall Marcus Tottenheim is also introduced to the Council.

The Council discusses with Tottenheim, the Abbot General, and the Mother Superior General the need for a head of logistics for the militant orders with more talent for logistics and status and clout to make it work. They agree that it is in fact essential, and with prodding agree that Bishop Simmons would be most suitable.

Sister Abigail from the Society of the Order of the Helpers of the Poor escorts them to breakfast with the Patriarch.

There are only a small number of people present at the breakfast, but they are of exceeding importance, including multiple cardinals.

Cardinal Augustus, overseer of the combined orders of the light, is introduced to the Council by the Patriarch.  They're unsure of whether the Patriarch was signaling trustworthiness, but some detection of thoughts confirms that he is trustworthy though not truly friends with the Patriarch.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 90, cont'd]
The Patriarch makes a formal statement:  "I declare you Blessed of Light, and Supreme Commander of the Forces of Glor'diadel on Drucien south of the barrier mountains."  The latter is almost entirely ceremonial, but it may carry weight and shows the support of the Patriarch for the Archduke.

Afterwards, as they talk in private, the Patriarch says, "We face 4 challenges: One is on Drucien, where we have been greatly weakened by the Order of the Ram; one in the Eastern Reaches of Khamista; one in Zest'Qua, where the Shadow always waits; and one in the walls of this Court.

"The bureaucracy has become very set in its way. And, though this cannot extend beyond these walls, I believe three assassinations have taken place within these walls since I took power--all of people who were trying to move the bureaucracy forward to a usable state. The Chancellor of the Basilica of Light is also the Minister of Security and is investigating. One of the ones we believe was assassinated was a cardinal; there haven't been assassinations of Cardinals in almost 700 years, since the split of the Council."

They inform the Patriarch of the corruption of the Blue Sun and of its spread through the followers of Sytry.

Alistair suggests that it might be better to include women more fully in the hierarchy.

The Patriarch replies, "In the early days of the Church, there were women cardinals. They were not bishops--but they were canons and cardinal-electors.  It could be done."

They bring up Bishop Simmons.

"Their patron is a major noble from the Trade Federation; one of the nobles of the Spice Lands. Tulani? Ulani? Some city like that. He might be .... well, it rhymes with dastard."

The Council also suggest the Duke of Mortrose for King of the Eastern Reaches. The Patriarch agrees to appoint him and deflect as much blame as possible to the Council. 

The Deathlord Umaroth Moriquendarim is the official representative of the First Lord of Death. He cannot attend himself, because he would cause people to start dying. He will be represented instead by Duagloth, a drow of a cadet branch.

They then travel to the Ecumenical Council with the Patriarch and the Cardinal, while the rest of the group breaks off.

Alistair informs the Council of Arthranax and the One Other, and of the destruction of Berta. (He leave out the Blue Sun.)

The Legate of Paranswarm confirms that the usurper of Hanal is an imposter.

"Umaroth confirms that Morgroth and his enemy threw back the Pariah deities after they consumed six worlds, and that the Council should heed us. Still, we must act." The drow then collapses.

The rainbow clad women shakes her head sadly. "It's true, true, true. They have broken through, they are reduced. I can see him, and much as my mistress might wish, I cannot change him into a bunny rabbit."

The Elven priestess nods thoughtfully, and a cooler, gentler mental voice speaks to Kit. <<Tell your beloved that the Creator shall hear his words, for we have been much troubled by a sense of wrongness in the fabric of reality. We shall speak of Arthranax to him, and the Knights of the Elven Steading will do all that they can.>>

Alistair also tells them about the corruption of the City of Life; of corruption within the the Temple of Sytry; and of the need to recover the Throne-Globe in order to close the gates of the Pariah deities.

Alistair proposes organizing a military push, along with a small team to actually recover the Throne-Globe.

The Star Priestess says that they will send a psion and a man of war to bombard the enemy's position.

The drow becomes a puppet again, and promises a necromancer and a man of war captained by one of House Aufaulgautharim to bombard.

Whimsey offers to send an illusionist (and to turn some of the enemy into bunny rabbits, and maybe mice or octopi)

Gunnora offers some midwives, or maybe a cook? And then decides to send supplies and sit out the special mission.

Paranswarm offers a warrior.

Glor'diadel offers a priest.

Dain agrees to send a representative as well, as well as some ground troops. [People who count carefully may notice that this is exactly a 6 person group.  People who played in RPGA tournament adventures back in the day may understand why specially formed groups of non-PCs for side quests on Aphonion seem to so often be exactly six people...  This adventure has not yet been played, but will presumably show up at a convention or three at some point.]

They tell the drow privately about the Blue Sun. Lord Morgrath and his saints and demigods are very concerned about anything that might disturb the balance. It is because of the Pariah deities that the temple of Morgrath participates in the Ecumenical Council in the first place.

They also talk to the priestess of Gunnora.

They then talk to the Star Priestess, and tell her about the Blue Star as well.

The Archducal Council then travels to the Basilica of Fate. It's a modest size for a basilica. A very tall, thin priest greets us at the door. "Are you here to adore the Hair?"

They discuss whether people try to steal the Hair of Fate (Hairs of Fate have major magical uses), but they're told that it is fated to remain here until the end of time or until the basilica collapses upon it.

They watch at the service, while the hair is processed, and then a sunbeam reflected upon it.

Dame Brionna has a vision of a beautiful woman in a glade. "Protect your sister's womb." The rest is caught up in magical static.

She then leaps in front of Kit.

The Council asks the priestess of Gunnora to attend on us. She examines Kit, and confirms that Kit is pregnant, with a healthy boy. The priestess of Gunnora also agrees to provide several scrolls of a spell to detect any harmful herbs or other matters that could harm the baby.

The Council plans on asking the Patriarch to bless Kit and Kit's child.
[End session 90]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 91 (December 7, 2017)

Tar-Skard 31

Kit goes to meet with the Chancellor of the Basilica, her counterpart in the Curia. They share a cup of tea. Kit begins a conversation about professional courtesy, and the need to set up people who will keep an eye on the church—the Chancellor responds that she must be concerned about the heterodox, which Kit confirms. Kit suggests a network of church caretakers, beggars, little old ladies—people who have reasons to be around the church, but would not be noticed.

Chancellor: "It is said that the Patriarch has his network of people in the Holy City. But they are limited within the City. For us to establish a full network would require the approval of the Curia, but that’s only if it has a full approval and a budget. If it’s unofficial and doesn’t cost any money—say, caretakers who are already on the budget and little old ladies who do not need any funding… that could be done."

Kit recommends looking to recruit people with psionic power.

The Chancellor asks if they know that Alistair is likely to be declared Protector. "These titles are largely honorary, but they are important. They dangle candy in front of the faithful, and they also provide influence among the bishops."

"Do you have analysts?"

"Oh yes. You see my secretary? You see me? We are the analysts.  I propose that if we are to do these things, we set up a direct conduit for teleportation of information that can be sent to you on no more than a daily basis, for you to teleport analyses back.

"It will take some time to find people to watch even the cathedrals, let alone the parish churches. But there are several hundred on Khamista that should be watched, as well as on Zest’qua.

"You are aware of the Delwan heresy? A group of not very well organized troops near the Shadowline, who had lost their officers, wiped out a village, believing it to be tainted, and accidentally offered them as a sacrifice to a chaos power. I’m not sure it’s not connected to the other heresy we’re dealing with, and when it was suppressed, it was fought to the last man.

"One of the catpeople on Zest’qua is a powerful paladin of Glor’diadel. He has been keeping an eye on things. It disturbs me that there has been no push near Delwan, but perhaps they are distracted by the newly retaken Kingdom belonging to Paranswarm."

Kit agrees to put a bunch of her people on watching the churches and Delwan as well.

(The Chancellor leaves clear notes (in code) in his office recording the plan.)

The Chancellor responds about other possibly corrupt hierarchs. "We have the Archbishop of the Guard Cities and Life, and I cannot accuse him in open council of possibly being a traitor, though we are aware of what is going on in Life. He is not too bright, and he has been here for years, so he may simply not know what is going on."

Kit suggests the idea of a loyalty test. "What sort of man is he?"

"He is very fond of his own opinions. He’s not arrogant; he knows his limitations. But he is fond of his own opinions, and he is close to the underground people. Hasn’t been home in fourteen years.  If your liege permits, I will tell him that your liege wishes to question him."

Kit comes back and tells everyone. Alistair agrees to talk to the Archbishop.

We mock up a document for a loyalty test—it’s the Archduke approving a grab of a high-ranking person of interest at the Guard Cities, that he won’t be able to resist reporting back if he’s corrupt.

The Archbishop arrives.  He shows no interest in the loyalty document, making no effort to see the rest of it, even when left alone with the document briefly.

"Are you aware of any difficulties in the Kingdom of Life?"

"Rumors reach me, but not many people at home speak to me. My branch of the family does not rule in Life itself, but the Guard Cities."

"Do you find the work challenging?"

"Oh no.  I have a very nice, very efficient assistant; I was very worried about when he might be recruited away.  I might have to devote more time to administration and less to my painting.  I make devotional artwork, you know.  I always found that more interesting than canon law, but my family insisted that I could be an archbishop, so here I am."

They tell him about the corruption in Life. He seems genuinely appalled, but also thinks that it might be an opportunity for his brother to be advanced.

He’s clearly innocent. Alistair suggests to him that he might want to retire to a monastery, where he could pursue his art. It’s very sad.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 91, cont'd]
Alistair suggests Dame Brionna seek out elucidation of her revelation. Bishop Waters steers her to the Sisters of Fate, a small order in the lower city.

Dame Brionna goes to talk to them.

Other tasks: 1. Kit’s tea with Lady Marybelle.
2. Washing the feet of the Purified.
3. Getting Kit blessed.
4. Searching for poison

The Sisters of Fate know that the Lady of Fate is continuously sought out be people who would gain her assistance—as well as those who would steal her hair, although that is only fated to occur three times, and has twice.

The nuns lead her to a sacred pool. They are weird nuns. They dunk Dame Brionna’s head into the fountain, saying that the weaving is still upon her. "Four dangers still lie ahead. Behold! The first is poison, but that you have already begun to avert. The second is serpents. That you must face on your way from here. The third is the heart. Look upon it. Finally, in desperation, after your return to the place of belonging, the final is those who will lurk and wait for their chance of assassination."

The water seems almost like a weaving of cloth. When she says each of the four threats, an image appears. The serpents look like literal serpents, though winged. When she mentions the heart, an image of a heart does not appear, but rather the bosom of a woman.

The nuns also say, "All people deserve the touch of fate, though few will accept it.  The child… children… child… children she carries has great value."

Kit goes to meet Lady Marybelle, who leads her out of the Holy City and to an inn in the upper city. She asks for the rose tea and the finger cakes for both of them.

"How was your travel here?"

"We travelled by gate, so no trouble at all."

"Traveling by voller here could have been deadly. For some reason, they’re after you. Not the Archduke, Grand Duke whatever. A cadre of men, generally right… there. I overheard the plotting, and I have a loyal retainer of Brightspan who is also from my order, so I took it upon myself to notify you. But there was no easy way to notify you. They meet here nearly every afternoon. They use the dice games as a cover, and the noise. But I have this small device… it looks like a mouse’s ear. It cuts through the noise. The other people who are here are absolutely lovely."

(The tea and the cakes are perfectly safe. Very sugary, but nothing else.)

"I thought you should see them." She makes a gesture, and Kit changes her appearance.

A little while later, four men come back. The waitstaff don’t like them.

Kit calls psionically for more people. Dame Brionna sends a standard strike team.

Kit listens in with the device.

“Do you think the poison will take her?”

“She is well protected, Awfulness. I do not think it will reach her.”

“Must we rely on the Snakes of Abomination?”

“We may need to, your Awfulness.”

(“Your awfulness” is an Arthranaxian title, Alistair confirms.)

“If the Snakes fail, we must see her dead one way or another. The entrails reveal that if her child lives, our faith will die.”

They get up from the table. The leader tosses a pack of silver down on the table, and leaves out the back door. Kit’s person follows him. Dame Brionna’s team tries to grab the other three. They are trying to leave at the same time as the team tries to grab them.

Lady Marybelle’s guards throw themselves on her and Kit to protect them. That’s when one of the people trying to escape drops a fireball. Two of the three are captured, although one is incinerated.

There are a bunch of dead little old ladies, some waiters who are the worse for wear, and two who are unhurt—one who looks confused, and one who is in a force bubble, saying “That was surprising—I thought I gave that up years ago.”

Meanwhile, the leader goes into the lower city and enters a small but sturdy stone house. We recruit Lady Marybelle to put a dimensional lock on the building, while Dame Brionna goes with a group of champion paladins recruited via the Chancellor. Lady Marybelle senses an extraplanar being in the house—too lawful to be demonic, but very evil. Kit puts up a mindlink with Lady Marybelle and then retreats since she needs to stay safe.

There is a larger ball of light here that fights viciously, but has no chance to defeat high level paladins. There is a person here as well, dressed in fancy clothes, with a large purse. He’s just there, though, slackfaced. He’s breathing, but does not come back to himself. In the house there are caches of 4000 pieces of silver, some clothing, a ring of mindshielding on the body. There is taint in the building, including liquefied taint. Also various records clearly indicating that they are Arthranax cultists.

Grandmaster Farsensor examines the coins. It came from off the south coast of Drucien; probably money from the old South Kingdoms that got recycled.

Dame Brionna interrogates the prisoner—there’s no evidence they are aware of the Blue Star duplicity. They sought out Arthranax because they felt unappreciated by the Church of Glor’diadel. They met a powerful Arthranaxian mage—the guy in the cell, who gave them money and helped them gain status.

They have seen the Snakes of Abomination before. The Snakes are manifest on the material plane; there are at least 5 of them, they’re not dragons, but they’re very large and fly and can alter material so much by their venom or touch that the substance will alter into another shape, which makes them particularly powerful against flying ships.

Do they know of other active cells? Nowhere near the Holy See.

Any other active plans? Nope.

They get the Patriarch to bless Kit, which he is happy to do. After dinner, Alistair is declared Protector, at the recommendation of the Curia—the last of the three major titles they can grant a secular ruler.

The Patriarch declares a foot-washing, and Alistair washes the feet of everyone, in descending order of precedence, starting with the Patriarch. He then assists in washing everyone else’s. Alistair makes sure to publicly reveal the mark on the foot of the Archbishop of Cese Mai, Archibald the Purified. He’s the only one with the mark. The Patriarch and the crowd see it, and Alistair passes on to the others. One particularly elderly archbishop has a prosthetic foot.

And with that, their visit to the See of Light wraps up.
[End session 91]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 92 (February 6, 2018)

1 Zar
Kit and Alistair have a quiet conversation about the weirdness of needing to let other people protect you.

Dame Brionna reports a new situation involving the Mountains of the Thirty Mages. [Report to Dame Brionna attached]

A caravan of refugees who were less literate and being chased by a band of skaven slavers fled over the border and into the Mountains, without heeding the warnings we posted. The skaven pursued them, at which point a group of locals (strange amalgam people and constructs) appeared and rapidly slaughtered all of the skaven, then leaving with various bits and pieces. Few of the refugees were killed, but they were taken captive. A corporal in the army of Canberry advanced to the edge of the border, and requested that the refugees be released. The hybrid people don’t seem to have understood him; they summoned a flying part-human, part-mechanical creature, which has talked with them a little. It’s unclear that the hybrid understands anything our people are saying. It sounds like what the hybrid says should be trade speech, but it isn’t, and it’s incoherent gibberish. The people from Canberry have no idea what they want.

Kit decides her message can wait until the Council returns home—she doesn’t want to talk about it in the Holy See.  [Attached]

The Patriarch sees them off; he bestows a ribbon of honor on Dame Brionna. He blesses them all.

* * *

The Council gates back to the palace. There is a great deal of bustling. The Midsummer Eve Feast was postponed to today, and all of the nobles of Canberry are attending. No one dared decline, nor to attend with any extra unexpected guests.

The Undersecretary of Protocol discusses matters with the Council, as well as how we want to respond to internal invitations—Alistair instructs that she organize them, then send them to the Privy Council for review.

The Council discusses Kit’s info and decides that they don’t want to order the Nails into action yet. Also, they need to replace the spinal column that has been incapacitated.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 92, cont'd]
Minster of Mind comes in. They dispatched a psion. The psion has achieved some communication, but is almost being driven mad by the combination of their different view of reality and the pipe-organ music in his mind.

The message he's received is:  "Gear wheel-circle-sun, Cloud, cloud, gear wheel, tree, explosion"

Some of the hybrid creatures have come forth and are grooming the humans.

Kit takes this to her cryptographers for analysis. “So, you’re right against the territory that Aberlomme holds?” 

"Been there for generations. Didn’t want to become a lich, though. So when things failed, he replaced them—for himself and all the others. He is the only one who holds more than one piece—he holds two, and is constantly looking for a third. He swears he and his people can smell them. He used to be one of the most friendly of the Mages, but then his people became less and less like people, the longer and more they change."

They seem to be looking for reassurance, that the Canberry representatives mean the people no harm. The Council works on images to send back—cup, comb, bread.

"There doesn’t seem to be any way to break the rapport—it will eventually drive him mad."

They tell the psion to send back sun, tent, water, food.

After the mostly mechanical figures have received that, send an image of the psion sleeping?

He receives an overwhelming sense of pleasure. Then he sends the sleeping imagery, and the flying mostly mechanical figure looks startled, and then the image goes dark as he puts it to sleep.

The refugees cross back. The leader flies over, and says in clear language: “Thank you. My lord holds two. Trade. Care.”

* * *

The Council also arranges for grain shipments to Hanal.
[End Session 92]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 93 (July 19, 2018)

Afternoon of 1 Zar (leading up to the Midsummer Festival dinner)

Dame Brionna reports on the war in Hanal [see attached]; mostly paused until spring while they wait for starvation to shake things up; she expects most of the unaligned nobles to become involved in the spring. The war is also clearly taking place in the Underdark as well; an entire Drowan city was destroyed (Canberry doesn't know which one, or how). Powerful magic is at work. The Council plans to reach out to our Drowan contacts about that.

Singing Leaves has set up a refugee camp near the southern border of Hanal, protecting it with 200 elven rangers and two schooners. There’s also a Noldar man-of-war from House Curinirim; it fired on Hanalian troops attempting to enter the refugee camp, but the elves and the Noldar are ignoring each other. There are thousands and thousands of refugees; they don’t have enough access to food.

The Star Priestess also identified two people as “corrupt embers”—the healers and redactors are trying to deal with this, but they don’t know if they’ll be able to. The Council doesn’t know what that means.

The Council asks the Ministers of War, Trade, and Agriculture to come up with a plan on how to get food to the refugee camp, and then report to them.

The Council asks Lord Silverleaves to join them. They ask about the “corrupt embers” and he becomes… almost agitated.

“It could explain the few remaining loose ends that haven’t made a great deal of sense. As I’m sure you all know, at the beginning of time, when the split occurred between the Creator and his brother, there were those among the Maiar and the Valar who followed the Creator, those who followed his brother, and those who followed a third path and tried to make themselves into gods. There were 30 who did that, and over time they turned on each other. The one who ultimately came out atop the struggle and absorbed the power of the others sought an alliance. That is what led to the first intrusion by the Pariahs. When they were ejected, he was of this place and could not be ejected. Instead, in a final act of unity, he was bound and imprisoned and the location of that imprisonment forcefully forgotten by all involved in the binding. 'Ember' was the extrusion of energy from him in his consumption of his former colleagues. It was given in small quantities to those who acted as his emissaries, spies, and messengers to those who went between him and the Pariahs. It was theorized that it would crystallize around the place where he was imprisoned over time, but that is not known. Ember corrupts those who consume it, and addicts most of them—although some are able to free themselves.”

“This couldn’t be ember that existed from the beginning of time?”

“It could be. There could be a deposit—we sought to destroy all of them, but fell to fighting amongst ourselves.”

“This required reaching across the Kinslaying?”

“Yes—the last of the Eldron facilitated it.”

The Council speculates that this might be about finding and freeing the bound god.

"We were also wondering about another matter. The Eldron seem to have a particular interest in pipe organs, and to use enormous magic through it.  Are they connected to the Mountains of Thirty Mages?"

"Yes, the Eldron there passed to the West unexpectedly, to make certain that they remained. His apprentices were not prepared for his departure and each view themselves as his successor. The great organ had pipes that each contained the resonance of a particular type of magic—any type of magic could have been exalted through that organ.  Of course, he never would have finished the project, and now his apprentices cannot.

"I should take you to the City of Bells sometime. He passed over even earlier, because of the conflict I was telling you about."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 93, cont'd]

A very familiar looking young woman (the Undersecretary of Protocols) comes in. She has a long list of tasks to discuss.

The Council puts her off for a moment, so they can talk to Princess Curinirim and begin reaching out to the Drow through the Sixth Daughter.

They quickly feel as if they are on the deck of a flying ship. She is seated on a throne, with Feldur, an elderly Noldar, next to her. He is Lord Feldur Aufaulgautharim, Lord of House Aufaulguatharim--likely one of the handful of most powerful Firstcomers on Aphonion.

After some discussion, Lord Feldur agrees that Canberry's House should be the one to inherit the world when they depart. He also blesses Alistair’s lineage, with magical consequences.

Lord Feldur leaps to his feet and is wroth to hear about the presence of corrupted embers.

A Drow officer reports that the City of the Nine Houses underneath Hanal has been overwhelmed by humans.

"I must go there after this fete."  [Lord Feldur also mentions that Glor’diadel is a “nice young lad.”]

After the meeting, they discuss matters with the Undersecretary of Protocols. In addition to the Noldar, the One of the Threes will be there. Also a beholder. Also apparently a bishop or archbishop of Glordiadel from Enclaves, although he is poverty stricken.

The Matron Mother is sending her Eldest Daughter. She asks that we keep her daughters from killing each other.

The Council asks the priestess of Gunnora to attend on them.

They ask her to look on the food that they’re supplying to the people. The also ask about how Lord Aufaulgautharim’s blessing has affected anything. It has, but nothing bad—particularly strong life and utterly clean in the baby, a strong system on Alistair.

Dame Brionna goes to meet the Noldar.

"If they have to announce me, I am her Supreme and Awful Highness Anistasia Princess of House Curinirim, ..." (she goes on, ending with Mistress of the Thousand Silks).

Dame Brionna chats with them about Lord Davion and the Moriquendarim lord who has resettled in Canberry.

Lord Aufaulgautharim bestows 30 speed on Honor, Dame Brionna’s paladin steed.

"Ah, the streets. People in the streets—it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything but empty streets in the city of my home."

Meanwhile, the Grandmaster Farsensor is entering in the most casual clothes he’s ever been seen in, with an unusual ribbon on his shoulder. He bustles over to Kit. “It’s aware! Maybe that just happens in humans, but it wasn’t when last I saw you.”
[End Session 93]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 94 (July 31, 2018)

Later Afternoon of 1 Zar
They discuss the issues with Lord Aufaulgautharim’s gifts.

Dame Brionna asks whether the Duchess of Brightspan is attending—no, but she sent a young man, presumably a noble but of an unknown house, as her emissary with a large casket. Dame Brionna and Kit go with Aunt Cecilia and Lady Constance to check out the emissary.

Alistair meets with the First Daughter of the drowan house, and informs her that he expects her to respect his hospitality and to not pursue any family disputes. She sighs, but agrees and promises to not do anything that would dishonor her house by disobeying.

Lady Constance asks Dame Brionna what she is supposed to do if the being is inappropriate. Warn Dame Brionna and Kit.

Dame Brionna also asks what she would look out for in connection with a gift from the High Priest of the Giver of Gifts. Lady Constance says to listen to what he doesn’t say, as he will not lie.

Alistair arrives at the gathering of vassals. He gives a little speech, emphasizing Glor’diadel. He then receives pieces of paper representing people’s tithes. Two of the nobles—the Duke of Brightspan and a lesser noble from the west—hand a small piece of origami. Those are requests for private audiences, which Alistair acknowledges and nods in response to.

Aunt Cecilia points out to Kit a few people who are not exactly as human as they appear. One of them in particular is a human man, with an emissary ribbon; he’s shielded, has no ill intent, but is not really human—he doesn’t think of himself as human, so he can’t be. Lady Constance says that he’s a Tiefling of Paranswarm and his father is a prince of Hell. Kit wants to know what needs to be done with that. He is determined to do his duty. His aura is that of Lord Dispater; it’s almost certainly one of his endless offspring by a human female. Lady Constance believes that the Duchess of Brightspan had him deliberately bred with one of her ladies-in-waiting. Dame Kit is concerned about what the gift he’s accompanying is; Lady Constance believes that there is no great matter of concern.

Alistair receives the tithe of the Duchess of Brightspan, which is very reasonably sized. He then delivers a message through the emissary, cautioning the Duchess that there are things that a noble of Canberry cannot command their followers to do, and ought not to ask lest it be taken as a command.

The Noldar enter, and the Tor Lord arrives with Grandmaster Farsensor.

There are the two Noldar, the Drow, an unexpected orc, some humans, and the Tor Lord and Grandmaster Farsensor.

Grandmaster Farsensor offers a gift for the little one, when he is born. It will help him sleep, and once he is old enough will teach him to play the instrument. Alistair asks him to arrange an audience for Alistair and his household with the Overqueen, as the paramount ruler of the good kingdoms of the world.

The Tor brings them "boots for the wee lad, that look like they have been knit of starlight. They will grow with him as he grows, and when he puts them on his feet will not tire."

The Noldar approach. “We are delighted to have been invited. We have never been invited to these celebrations before. I thought to bring a simple thing. At last, I thought of rain dust.” Princess Curinirim holds up a small casket. “A handful of rain dust will bring rain even in the greatest drought. There are three handfuls in the casket.”

Lord Aufaulgautharim. “I too thought long and hard, and I consulted the oracles of my house. And I concluded that while your house is destined for great things, it is never harmful to take an extra bit of surety.”

He hands a painting of a black stone gate against a storm wracked sky, with grass beneath. It will summon as many princes of Gehenna as there are volunteers, who must be loved by the person who activates the gate and will be lost to Gehenna forever; they will serve for three tasks. The lord of the Second Plume is powerful in magic; the other two not so much. It can only be activated by Alistair or his lineal descendants, though legitimacy does not matter for these purposes--any blood descent will do.

The Council agrees to wall it up and put it behind layered wards that can only be lowered by the High Priestess of Gunnora of Canberry, and the Archbishop of Canberry.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 94, cont'd]
After their mental discussions, the whole room is watching them somewhat concernedly. Kit and Alistair dance a dance and eat some food, to signal that the party can start. Grandmaster Farsensor brings in a blushing middle-aged servant, who dances a jig with him, and then scurries out of the room.

Kit follows, and invites her to return, and offers to dress her appropriately. She agrees and comes back later.

Alistair receives the Lord of the East of the City of Gates; the orc lord; the First Daughter of the House of Aleval; and a One of the Threes.

The Council meets with the Lord of the East. He gives a gift of platinum. We have a quick conversation about alliance.

The orc lord bows profusely. “Great Lord of Canberry. We thank you for inviting us to settle on your border. I bring you the teeth of those who would cross the border and raid your vassals.” They discuss fostering his children, and begin discussing the idea of formal vassalage.

The First Daughter: "My mother sends her Midsummer’s greetings, and this token of her affection (a shield, worked in mithril and adamantine)." She also passes a request for a private audience.

The One of the Threes tells us that the One of Ones has sent a full field army of threes.

Kit hears among the lesser nobility that there is concern about the Archduke just pausing after receiving the painting.

The private audiences:
Duke of Brightspan: "I come to you on a personal matter. As you know, it has been some time since my wife and I… shared a personal chamber. I am not yet too old to care about such things. And I have never been one to do things that would be looked askance by his liege. I would ask therefore for your permission to either put aside my wife, which I would not wish to do out of thoughtfulness, and marry another, or to take that other as a mistress with your permission." (Mistress is a minor noble, widowed, they would not have children.)

The lesser noble: I’m sorry to bother you with this. There is a red cap in my lands. It suddenly appeared.

The Council calls the Lord of the Tor. 

"I’m not missing any of my people. That means it has to have come from the next Tor over."

They caution him to be careful. He offers a fey stone that will allow them to step to the Tor, and tells the Council that they should move in a fortnight if they do not hear from him.

First Daughter of Aleval: "I bring you greetings and a great deal of information in confidence. The North is gone. Both cadet and true drowan cities have fallen. A mindflayer enclave has been destroyed. And at least one beholder nest. An island came down from the north 20 sleep cycles ago. A Council of drow houses dealt them a crushing defeat. Cadet drow have traveled to other cities of their ilk. We have been considering tunneling around the force walls that block the tunnels entirely. The forces that fought against us had many demons among them that were not of our mistress. They were mostly servants of the Ram, but there was one among them that was an ancient demon. We believe that was an attempt to cut a tunnel to the south. Torture is worthless.

"We believe, based solely on the path they were trying to follow, that they were seeking to access the island that has surfaced."

The Council warns her that it might involve ember. They also mention that if the cadet houses asked Lord Aufaulgautharim, he might be willing to assist with coercion on the demons, as he has taken an interest in this matter.

She works with Dame Katharine to set up a channel to communicate. Grandmaster Farsensor sets up a channel. Kit forms a link to the Matron Mother of House Aleval. She is very cold. “I hear you and I sense my daughter’s seething rage. Very good.”

“Yes, your daughter is here, and she endured some hardship to help you in this matter.”

“Ah, I shall reward her then. We have repelled a searching probe—not in force. But they may have inserted invisible forces. I think we may be being overly cautious, though. These things seem about as brutish as I’ve ever seen—I doubt they’re doing anything with finesse.

“We lost 6 cities, between us, the cadets, and other races, in the blinking of an eye. The bulk of the cities are in the South, and our coordinated defense should hold. I am not the only Matron Mother who has gained caution in old age.

“The overcouncil sets strategy, the Matron Mothers command troops on house lines, the illithidae are providing psionic support—but the beholders have fled to the far south. They lost a third of their numbers, and were targeted more directly. One of the greater oddities are that they seem to have taken the handful of Shadow elves captive rather than killing them.

“I did not hear much about children, but the rout was complete. The majority of the refugees were not high ranking. The Matron Mothers, the First and Second Daughters, they assumed they would prevail.

"There were a handful of obliques that the illithidae fought—they are completely immune to psionics. They broke the defenses of the illithidae.  They had to be preparing for the initial attack for months or even years."

The Council talks with the Noldar.

"The first time through, they planned well, executed well, but underestimated us. This time, they have planned well again, but they overestimated our weakness and underestimated the humans. If there is a third time, it will be after we are gone."
[End Session 94]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 95 (October 23, 2018)

5 Zar
Nothing significant happens until the night of the 5th of Zar. Dame Brionna is out patrolling at night when a guard lieutenant salutes her and says that they’re holding an odd fellow and think someone from the Order should see him. "He says he’s a messenger, but I’ve never seen someone so decrepit. He seems sure that he needs to talk to someone from the Court, and that he is a messenger from someone notable, but I can’t imagine he’s a messenger from someone notable."

Dame Brionna calls for a standard investigation team, and heads over. Even before entering the square, she senses uncleanness. Dame Brionna casts protection from evil.

The man is diseased, horribly so, despite the rareness of that.

"I bring word, word to the Court, from my lord, Mydim Claris. Mydim Claris wishes to warn you that there is a plot, deep in the Southlands. The One of the Island seeks allies in the planes of the endless Abyss. They have sought my lord Mydim Claris and they have been rebuffed. They know that they do not have enough allies in the Abyss. My lord is a mighty lord, and he knows better than to make alliance with the Unspeakable. He has incarnated me upon this plane to bring warning, and this plane is consuming me.

"He has sent representatives throughout the Abyss. My lord, may he reign forever on the 458th plane, believes that Darou ib Shamiq of the 601st, a lord of vile plotting and thievery and murder, has been suborned, and Harashiq af Fulqesh, of the 609th plane, of whom little is known, has not turned out the servant of the Unspeakable. We have no truck with your kind, no desire for you. We are bound by the proclamations of the Gods of the Upper Planes, that our diseases may not infect you as they should, but even for all that we are not so foolish as to make alliance with the Unspeakable. It is in the lower most planes that some might be swayed."

"Are they subordinate to some greater lord?"

"In theory, they all bear allegiance to one of the 6 of the Council, but within the 500 and 600 planes—their reach only extends as far as their power. They have no such structure as your laws."

The demon asks to be sent away from this plane, and the priest dismisses him with an unresisted turning.

Dame Brionna begins purification processes for the square, the guards who had contact, and so forth.

Dame Brionna reports about the message to the Council, with Dame Constance invited.

Kit mentions that she’ll reach out to the Guilds, to make sure there isn’t an effort to move in, take over some of their territory, etc.

Dame Constance knows of Darou ib Shamiq as a master of assassins. "Harashiq hasn’t done anything significant since his attempt against the Six some 2000 years ago. He almost was bound—that’s why he has been so cautious. He is one of only 2 or 3 that have risen without being either obliterated, imprisoned, or prevailed. It’s generally presumed that he has either some hold over one of the Council or something one of them wanted.

"Even the Unspeakable would be a fool to trust Shamiq. He has guilds on thousands of worlds, but has less of a presence on this prime. On many of the primes, he has substantial cults that could act. A sufficient ally in the Abyss… they could be seeking to move onwards without taking us. As if a military tactic. They can’t normally do this, but our planes of the Abyss border other worlds as well, and those three lords are the only ones who have direct access to other primes.

"Only one member of the Court is both trustworthy and capable of serving as an emissary to Mydim Claris: Dame Brionna. Obviously, His Grace could not go. Dame Kit could not go. I could not go—my association with devils would result in me being torn asunder.

"Mydim Claris was once an Oinodaemon in the service of Morgroth—a fallen Maia who defeated the former lord of disease and assumed his place when he fell. I believe he would treat our emissary with respect."

Alistair muses, "We could reach out to the Skaven—to go through them to the Horned Rat. We can’t reach out to the Council of Six directly, but the Skaven and through them the Horned Rat could."

Dame Constance sends a page to get the book bound in green flayed mind-flayer.

He does have individual assassins here who sell their services for considerable sums, though none in this country. There are no organized cults here—just a few followers here and there. It seems like there are two primes bordering the Abyss where there is more activity on their part. It seems there is a world where science is stronger, and magic much weaker. And then there is one other, which appears to be a complete mess—no centralized government, strife throughout, small warlords that hold small territory and fight each other.

Dame Constance copies the record of each of those primes.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 95, cont'd]
They call for the Skaven ambassador, a piebald mage. He discusses his improved grains.

They invite the Skaven to the Council of Southern Drucien. Clan Skree promises that they will send a representative.

"Clan Pestilence has contact with Mydim Claris. Clan Eshen does not deal with the Lord of Assassins. They treat him as untrustworthy, which coming from the assassins of Clan Eshen says a great deal. But the warlocks of Clan Skree can inform the Horned Rat."

The Council dismisses the ambassador.

The Glor’diadelian church mage arrives. They ask him about the planes involved; he’ll have to research them. They send a request to the Archbishop to expedite assistance for him.

After some time, he returns. There is an extremely militant relative of the faith of Glor’diadel—on one of the two worlds. The fractious plane is torn apart because they all follow different versions of the Glor’diadelian like faith, but the minutia separates them—they fight over the differences, and religion and politics is one. They all worship light, they are all human, they are all essentially one culture, but the largest band is in the small thousands.

The other world shares a different deity with us. The Weaver is a minor deity here, but a major deity there. Here, the daughter of Glor’diadel fills most of the roll. But there, the Weaver is a major deity. We think the Weaver would be willing to carry a message across. But we think the other world is at more risk anyway.

The fractious world may show the signs of interference by enemies of order—likely by the demon lords that we know have presence there.

They discuss asking Lord Glor’diadel to send a demigod or similar emissary to unite the religion of Light there.

They meet with the Archbishop to discuss the matter. He agrees to bring it to the Holy See, and that it will likely be presented to Lord Glor’diadel, although we don’t know how Glor’diadel will respond.

The Tor Lord returns several days later, carrying two heads. "The Red Cap tortured a human into turning into an Unseelie servitor. Every redcap was once a brownie. It’s a sad thing. The horror after the day of the dead might have changed a Southlands brownie. Or Hanal might have caused a Northern brownie to change. We shall mourn him on the third day of the month next at the Tor, and we would invite you to join us."

The Council plans on asking Princess Caitlyn to reach out to the Southlands Tors, both to see if they are under assault and to see if they can identify a name.

The Duchess of Brightspan arrives. The Council invites her to tea.

"I am very proud of my sons. I have tried hard to make our marriage succeed, but I have failed. My husband believes that the Court at Brightspan is unaware, but I believe that they are fully aware. I have no bitterness towards him. I would take no action to damage the Duchy or the Archduchy—they are the only hope for stability for the next centuries."

They reach an agreement that she will request a divorce “for reasons known to the Duke of Brightspan” (so that her reputation will not be harmed and he will accept any social blame for the divorce), that he will not oppose, and Alistair will grant it. She will then take up residence in Canberry City and join the guild. She plans on styling herself by Lady So-and-so; Alistair assures her that she will retain the style of Her Grace, although she seems less concerned about her personal status than he would have expected.

They discuss the school to be, and she suggests one of the great mages of Northern Aurelian for school head.

She reports a poisoning attempt on her some months ago. They also discuss her youngest son, who has the Sight. They discuss arranging a marriage (and a suitable court title).
[End session 95]


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## CPaladin

Session 96 (November 20, 2018)

2 O-Zar
They get a message from the paramour of General Vondrov. [Attached] He served for three years with the Inquisition, before being discharged back to the local army.

They redact the message to anonymize its source, and then pass it on to the Inquisition. They also reach out to Northern Aurelian.

They contact Susan the Scintillating, who does put us through to Meredith the Dazzling. She agrees to mobilize her folk—primarily magi, although also a group of golemim; she might bring her minotaur honor guard.

"Gabrielle the Glittering might be interested in the position of headmaster of the school of wizardry. She’s very competent, although only a few centuries old, but very serious."  Meredith mentions that the Paranswarmians are much more interested in divinatory and oracular magic than Glor’diadel. "There are three oracular spots of great notice; the first is the Pool of the Overqueen in the Steading of the Elvish Lords. Do not look in it unless you are desperate for knowledge—it is perfectly reliable, but mortals who look in have some tendency to drop dead. In the dividing mountains, there is a gateway in a small city that draws people to the city. In that city there is also a seven-eyed lizardman who has tremendous oracular powers, and is still alive after three centuries. Finally, if it could be recovered, there was an oracular device as potent as elven divination. It was in the Kingdom of the Isles before the South Kingdoms fell. If it were recovered—it would be of great oracular value. It warned of the fall, but was not believed."

The Starpriestess in trance said after looking in the pool, “Drucien rises or falls on the nature of the rising or falling of Canberry after the Eldar depart.”

The Noldar are also aware of these prophecies. Their oracles I know very little about except that they are in the depths of their Necropoli. Both Curinirim and Goldorim have oracles of power.

She asks if they’ve been to the Hidden Enclave—the enclave of elves. They have not—she plans on setting up a meeting.

They ask whether the Enclaves have been more fractious since the Eldron Cube was removed. There have been some destabilizations, though thus far nothing that cannot be handled.

Also, extraplanar beasts are appearing, which never used to happen. Summoning used to be nearly impossible, but now is normally easy.

They discuss after the call the fact that the Noldar are probably trying to groom Canberry to make it more like them, based on the details of the prophecy.

3 O-Zar
None of the Southern Tors that responded know who the brownie was. Two did not respond, however.

The Council travels to the mourning with the head of the Redcap. Many of the fae have put on grotesque shapes. They wail, they cut themselves with sharpened flint. The lord of the Tor greets us immediately.

“Thank you for coming. Be it known that this is the first time any of the humans have cared enough for us to join us in mourning.”

He leads us to a dais with Sidhe lords, most of whom we don’t know. He recounts the whole story of destroying the Redcap. When he gets to the death, Alistair draws his silver dagger and rends his clothes. This impresses the more reclusive, less used to human members of the Tor. Fae from the floor then tell the tails of what he did before his death. Finally, the Sidhe announces in his loudest tone, “we weep for our cousin who has fallen.” The Tor gives loose in its grief, and in anger—not at the Council or even the Redcap, but at something beyond the Redcap. They take a group of possessions and bundle them together. The earth in the Tor—the Tor itself—is moving, and opening a pit. The Tor itself is clearly intelligent and sensible. The Tor eats and destroys the corrupted belongings. They then ritually say, “Remember the brownie who was.”

Alistair is given the last toast: “We remember the love that the brownie had for our people, and the love that our people have for the brownies.”

The Tor lord expresses that he is vexed that they do not know from whence the Redcap came. They tell him of the two tors that did not reply. He says that those tors had very few sidhe—mostly the least of the fae. He will visit them in some force.

The Council are instructed to take their cups with us—"they will grow in time, though never to the size of your glasses."
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 96, cont'd]
O-Zar 8
A runner contacts Dame Brionna. "The Sixth Daughter wishes that you join her." The runner leads Dame Brionna to a candy shop in the commercial district where the Daughter has a man cowering on the floor at dagger point.

“He is a candy seller, but he is not a candy seller. The young Grumash lord came here with his friends—I could not help but notice that this candy seller tried to sell him this.” (Grumash is rebel Drowan slur for Noldar.)

The candy radiates extremely strong evil—among the strongest Dame Brionna has ever detected. Dame Brionna begins securing the shop, checking for records, etc. 

A young guard comes out—“Dame, he’s dead in the back.”

“Who?”

“Him!” he says pointing at the prisoner.

It surges up, and its right hand alters into a blade. It guts the guard.

The Second Daughter levitates the candy away and immobilizes the creature. The creature doesn’t detect as evil (likely Seen-unseen).

They summon Dame Constance, who twists one of her rings to summon a tall, commanding presence with a spade beard. “That thing. What is it?”

“Corruption, Lady. Utter corruption.”

“Hmm. For you to say that?”

“It is the corruption of hunger—not hunger for things, a hunger for power. It’s mind altering over time, changes the personality, the mind. It’s not from this place.”

“Is it singular?”

“It is with great difficulty that I believe that even one of us could bring that here—it is intended to subvert a very powerful being.”

Dame Brionna thanks the Sixth Daughter.  The Sixth Daughter is grateful for the recognition, but stresses that she does not honor the Grumash lord, even though he was too young to warrant such a thing.

Dame Brionna arranges for the Noldar lord to be brought back to the palace and taken to the pastry chef of the palace in place of candy sellers.

They set up on investigating other people who might be targeted—the kids of the court, Lord Brightspan, Lord Davion’s children, etc.

The Noldar lord comes to speak to Alistair.

They talk about the difficult aspects of enemies striking at those around them and harming others to get at them.

Alistair also calls in the Sixth Daughter and offers her a boon to be claimed in the future in thanks for her actions.

She believes this is a mix of the Seen-Unseen and a doppelganger.  The Council did not know that they could breed.

The Council wonders whether they can scry on these foes.
[End session 96]


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## CPaladin

Session 97 (February 28, 2019)

9 O-Zar
Dame Brionna has a scouting report from military intelligence.  [Attached.] They scouted both the Guard Cities and the unsettled areas near Hanal. The Guard Cities are on guard against the City of Life. The Bishop of the Guard Cities has determined that he is no longer under the authority of the Archbishop of the City of Life, based on a Commune, but other religious leaders are unsure. There are also bandits raiding around here, but local lords are dealing with it.

There are many refugees in the areas south of Hanal. There are large bands of Hounds, Pigs, and Mantis from Masque. They’re helping with things—Hounds are providing relief support; the Pigs are hunting down bandits; and the Mantis are hunting demon tainted people and protecting elves and hobbits.

The lands of the Crystal Cities and City of Bells; they all have huge numbers of refugees, but are dealing well.

Dame Brionna reports from another letter, with tears in her eyes.  [Also attached.] Her father’s closest friend, Sir Eodan, was badly wounded in the wars. He has sent his son to Dame Brionna to seek training, but he is without financial support. We agree to take him on as a page, and to check on the reliability of Dame Brionna’s parents’ friends so they can support them and use them to help rebuild the South. Assuming Darag checks out, since they’re worried that he might be a plant or an impostor, he will succeed young Lord Brightspan as personal page to the Archduke.

Kit also has two messages [attached]—neither is terribly urgent, but one is more political. Reports from the West lands—things are getting more stable, people are moving back in, and there’s more food there than they thought, so they may not need to send food at all, or significant food support.

Also, Alistair’s sister found a secret door in the wine cellar and is exploring it on her own. They send some people to support her.

Kit also has a letter from Lyneham. Alistair discusses how to handle it.

Alistair accepts a position as arbiter for the Eldar and Noldar patrolling over Hanal. [See attached.]

The psions of Canberry arrange to send simultaneous messages to the Eldar and the Noldar. The Noldar show the Moriquen’darim banner, quartered with Curinirim, Aufaulgautharim, and the Prince of the City of Death’s Great Wolf—some follow the Father of Wolves, some the Mother of Spiders. There is a gray elf general standing on the deck of an Eldar ship, in crystal armor.

Kit also bonds to the mapping crystal. It’s not particularly powerful by Eldar standards, but it can show the movement of armies, of voller, and of powerful individuals. It has its own pocket dimension that it can be kept in.

Discussing with Grandmaster Farsensor: he has been observing the South, and fears that some of the Spicelands will not recover. In some places, it is consuming the land, rendering it infertile.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 97, cont'd]
O-Zar 12
They get a brief report that both of the southern Tors were destroyed; their inhabitants were tortured, so there might be other redcaps.

O-Zar 13
The Cathedral for the wedding is overflowing. The Holder of Two from the Mountains of Mages attends, as do many of the Ones of the Three. There is a Heron from Masque to represent the Queen-Empress. Meredith appears, along with Gabrielle the Glittering. No one from Hanal, to nobody’s shock. Lady Jane Peryton will appear—a magnificently attired woman of imposing height, carrying a bone staff carved with runes, and dressed in a dress made entirely of feathers. She drops off a gold-leaf box on a table and then floats serenely. She went into exile hundreds of years ago, and moved north, established a manor, and somehow along the way became immortal. She’s believed to still have connections to the dragonkin, and her forces managed to stop the enemy at her borders.

As Alistair and Kaitlyn process through the city, the poorer people throw eggs in front of them, as a fertility ritual. They throwing coins back as largess.

No one attending detects as evil.

The Paranswarmian representatives are mostly ecclesiastical, heavy on followers of the Weeping Woman, and a representative of the Archbaroness of Mandrath, along with the Heron of Masque.

Once they reach the Cathedral, the Archbishop of the Sun performs an elaborate wedding ceremony. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Alistair is crowned as King of the South Kingdoms with joint authority with his wife, and Kaitlyn is crowned as Archduchess-consort.

Lady Peryton offers the blessing of the dragons and dragonkin to Alistair and to his line, because "the bones foretell long-life and success."

"The Dragon Claw that I have gifted you was freely given by an ancient gold dragon for this purpose."
[End session 97]


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## CPaladin

Session 98 (March 28, 2019)

14 O-Zar
Kit presents a grim report. [Attached]  They sent three assassins against targets in Hanal; at least two failed. Their spymaster has a diviner, who is his brother. The general of the palace guard was wounded and may die; he was possessed. Another had a body double. The third was captured.

The wrist who sent the message committed suicide and took steps to avoid posthumous interrogation.

They call for Grandmaster Farsensor, the Minister of Magic, Dame Constance, and Princess Anastasia.

They ask Princess Anastasia about Magister Adapon ti Delphor Caterion, the brother of the spymaster. He was a leading mage in the Society of the Hands of Hell. The SHH ordered him cast out for his mistreatment of subjects, and the old Queen-Empress ordered him put to death for the same call. Princess Anastasia thought that the sentence had been carried out. His brother is a major wine merchant and a close confidant of the usurper. He is a powerful mage, but conventional as a mage; if he is divining, it is through bound devils. (Or perhaps consorting with demons.)

Dame Constance says, "that kind of divination would require enormous blood sacrifices—sacrificing innocents. Demons always want the blood of innocents. Devils you can sometimes deal with in other goods that they want, but likely not.  Of the hordes that we know of, there are none of the demon lords that we know of with portfolios of divination. Likewise, none of the devils he was known to have bound were divinatory."

Dame Constance steps out into the hall, and summons a major pit fiend. “Who is the Magister Adapon ti Delphor Caterion using for divination?”

"He is dead—body was consumed and entered the fires of the Abyss.  His brother made a simulacrum. His brother is a magus as well, although no one ever noticed because his brother was so flamboyant. He has created a vessel and filled it with a spirit of divination."

"Oh, in that case, we could have it banished.  These divinatory spirits are neither of the Abyss nor of the Hell. They float. They will not automatically detect something aimed at him, unless we telegraph the attack.  A proper device or spell should be able to conceal the bearer from the simulacrum."

They ask Princess Anastasia. She has partisans who could approach him, but not with magical ability. But a priest could do it—so they think that working through the Temple of Paranswarm could work.

The Council sends a message to the Temple of Paranswarm, apprising them of the situation and asking them to send an exorcist.

Kit then goes to speak with her scribe. He doesn’t have the names or identities of the fingers or toes—there were a wrist and two ankles. One wrist and one ankle are confirmed dead, as is the spine. They have one ankle and one knee left in Hanal, maybe. The knee is still sending reports. They’re just very routine, because he’s a military officer who has been deployed. Kit asks her scribe to contact the knee, and recommend potential wrists and ankles.

[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 98 cont'd]
Dame Brionna got a message more or less from the Skaven in the Southern Kingdoms. [See attached.] They’re using a lot of intermediaries to deny responsibility. They want Canberry to know that Clan Skrutan which is a medium size warlord clan is planning on sending several thousand troops to attack the festivities of the Queen and the Archduke.

This is probably intended to attack around the birth of the children.

They have a device that conceals their nests. The Council discusses that with Grandmaster Farsensor.

“There are clearly areas in which my vision is turned away. I can see where they are, but I can’t see into them.  There is a shallow nest of caves—I don’t think they’re connected to the Underdark."

The Council talks directly to Clan Skree of the skaven. They assume that humans have roughly similar gestation periods as in their homeland—about 30-40 days. Their days were about 10% longer. Skaven gestation period is about 20 days, with litters of 6-10. The only long gestation period were of the elves, who were terrible and hated and feared—more like Noldar than elves.

The Council comes up with a plan to collapse the tunnel; wait for food to get scarce; then offer them food if they revolt, with troops to maintain order and back them up. We deploy two field armies of cavalry, and one of light infantry to execute the plan.-

They are told that offering food to revolt and switch sides is common among warlord clans, and should work. Among the great clans, it would not work--they have more internal loyalty. There are 4 great clans—Skree, Eshen, Postulus, and one other; Mordh will join those 4 soon, and then the Council of 4 will be the Council of 5.

The Skree also say that if Canberry defeats the warlord clan and the great clans make reprisals against the warlord clan for drawing Canberry's ire, Canberry would be entitled to the warlord clan's “breeders”; the Council agrees that those need to be freed of course.

A few days later:
They get a recommendation back from the ankle to promote the knee to the spine, and to start reconstructing the networks in Hanal.

They get a messenger back from the Church of Paranswarm. Word has been spent discretely to priests who are know to be loyal in the city (the hierarchs in the city are corrupt), and the priests who are loyal will deal.
[End session 98]


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## CPaladin

Session 99 (April 18, 2019)

12 Ghast [roughly a month of game time after the last game, to allow the army to move into position and food to get a little scarce among the Skaven.]
The fated day arrives. The army collapses the tunnel easily. They probably don’t even realize that the tunnel collapse was deliberate. There are clear, organized, much more disciplined maneuvers south of the Skaven borderlands. It’s probably Clan Skree, because they are led by a fair number of piebald skaven, who are mostly sorcerers.

The Council is monitoring via human Farsensors. Some skirmishes break out with the early scouts from each side. The Canberry army makes the offer to the Skaven to defect in exchange for food.

A group of very large (roughly 6 foot skaven), more than a handful but less than a dozen, with a group of magically concealed skaven, travel off very rapidly.

Then fighting breaks out within the skaven. After a while, a group of ugly skaven heads are hoisted aloft on poles.  Then a group of skaven very cautiously and timidly approach. They lay down a particularly vile skaven head. They seem poorly fed.

The army then starts offering them food, organizing them into a refugee camp, check on the welfare of children and the like, and then send in clerics to both care for them, help with organization, and proselytize for the unusual coalition of Glor’diadel, Manumist, and Gunnora.

An elderly skaven with writing comes and offers his surrender. He explains that he was a clerk. "The warlord is dead. The great assassins fled—their weapons are here, but we are not of their blood. We touch their weapons, we die."

The Council asks the officer to ask whether the assassins were of this clan.

The clerk shakes his head violently. "No. Renegades. They reject the pact. The warlord heard them. Some other warlords hear them. When the Council finds them, they die. The Council says no dissent. Only if all the clans rose against the Council, no more Council. But Council says peace. Council keeps Skaven safe. Skaven follow Council."

The army informs them that they are now of the Southern Kingdom, and follow Queen Caitlyn, and her consort. They are surprised that they won’t be killed.

All of Skree backs the Council. Most of Eshen. Half of Moldar. Almost none of Pestulon—they fear the Council brings extinction for their kind.

The lead Skree were in robes. They had Eshen weapons, but they did not have Eshen symbols, and did not worship the Horned Rat in Eshen ways. The stormvermin (their guards) were clanless; they had no brands.

It was a tremendously bloody battle; they tore apart the stormvermin, but they suffered six to one losses in the process. There’s a side cave that’s better maintained, where there’s a pulsing green warpstone. It can be contained in gold or lead, but it’s completely foreign to this plane. The Council doesn’t have any way to deal with it permanently except orichalcum. They carried four warp pistols, and 200 pellets for them. They intended to sneak into the festivities, relying on the fact that there is a masquerade. The pellets were for the great lord and lady, and then they planned on attacking the festival.

200 pellets is worth a huge amount in the Skaven society. That means that they raided an Eshen armory, which means they had inside help. (Eshen use them for high priority targets, but rarely.) Skree use it for magical purposes. Pestulon uses it to generate plague.

They discuss trading this back to Clan Skree, but there’s a lot of concern about how it could be misused. There’s far too much for them to dispose of by orichalcum.

(The Council discusses that they should distribute orichalcum jewelry to the nobles of Canberry and the Southern Kingdoms, and to Caitlyn’s court (e.g. Many Hands).)

Queen Caitlyn has a handy lead coffer, so the army uses mage hand to put all the pellets in the lead coffer. The mage hands move all the pellets in—although not without some corruption to the mage hands—and then seal them up. In a days time, it will be safe to go in and get the guns.

they’ll need to wait a day to get the guns. All of their things must be burned, and the clerk knows the correct precautions to take.

The army takes the scribe's notes. They then set him up as the leader of the Skaven society.

A couple of hours later, one of the priests approaches the psions monitoring.

“Your grace. Honored members of the council. We need simple things in great quantities that we have in small numbers. We need powders for the parasites of the skin, we need worming pills, we need soap. And Princess Caitlyn’s people have barely enough for themselves.”

The Council plans on sending down three of our vollers with supplies.

The Council also tells the dog that is their representative from the Skree that they need to present claims to the Council. This pleases him greatly. “The Council will be delighted to hear you. I will send word.”

Next day
They get the supplies list from the field army’s principal scribe. He also tells us that the Skaven’s notes were a meticulously kept record of that entire warlord clans entire interactions since they came to this plane, including births, deaths, maneuvering of warlord, records of his consorts—the most detailed record they have seen of any Skaven. They gave him a blank book so he can keep records still. "He’s a funny one though—doesn’t grovel like most of them do."

They send a standard team (mage, psion, priest of Glordiadel, and a paladin) to verify him. The Skaven scribe has an ivory furcolor, which prevented him from being a mage.  They ask the mage to try to teach the scribe basic cantrips.

On the third day, he reports in that he can draw the symbols perfectly, he can make them in the correct ways, he can mix the ingredients flawlessly, nothing happens. He was sad when it did not work.

The Council speaks to the Minister of Magic and Dame Constance. The Minister finds this exceedingly strange—wizardry is not supposed to be a matter of gift. Dame Constance studies him and finds that he is blocked, and it is a powerful block. She might be able to remove it, but it is powerful enough that he might die.

He is tremendously excited. He is more than willing to take a chance, because he is old (22 winters). He has memories of when his fur turned, and then the ivory or piebald skaven “tried to cure him” and actually placed the block on him. He has no family, because he’s viewed as impure. The Council expects him to be able to have a family now, and they tell him this—he’s excited about this, but still wants the block removed. They discuss this, and they swear him to fealty.

Dame Constance goes outside of the wards with Dame Brionna. She summons two devils that will be freed of her if they perform a work together. She asks them to remove the block without killing him.

An energy globe forms around him, and there’s a miasma of shooting lightning around him.

In the throne room, through the psionic connection, they see two pit fiends appear, and he goes rigid. A blackish green ephemeral rat figure emerges from him. There’s magical combat which continues for about 4 minutes. There’s a moaning shriek, and the figure of greenish-black smoke bursts apart, and the globe dissipates/one of the pit fiends picks up the other which is unconscious, and disappears in a flash of light.

The skaven folds to the ground, but he appears to be breathing. The ring on Dame Constance’s finger bursts apart. “I’m all right. As one gets closer to the end, one might as well expend one’s resources.”

Dame Brionna asks what would happen if Dame Constance were to die unexpectedly. They would remain bound in their devices.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 99, cont'd]
The Archducal Council also examine the vollers that we were given by Hanal. The dreadnought is a snazzy thing, but the others are shoddier—they’ll fly and they’re combat worthy, but they’re dangerous. But that’s also Hanal’s reputation in general; they make up for lower quality with more numbers. They also ask Princess Anastasia to examine it. She reports that the others are standard, but the dreadnought is not Hanalian; it was likely from the Inquisitorial forces; possibly decommissioned. They have a reputation for not going down easily. Their specialty is bombards. The mages have to work hard to make the powder of compressed magic that powers the bombards. Kit and Dame Brionna also examine the powder room. It’s full of chests—they may never have discovered this. It has 48 charges. It still has Inquisition seals on the chests. The Inquisitor General of Northern Drucien was found to be a traitor and was put to death. This was his ship. He must not have been able to fly it because of the scope of the holy presence. There’s another room that we ought to check—the bilge. It was an Inquisitorial vessel. Kit withdraws, and Dame Constance sends a junior diabolist. We also start measuring every room to make sure that we have every space found. There were nine of these originally, but they had slightly different designs each.

They open the bilge, prepared for undead. There is a stair down, but a horrific howling echoes up. “Yep, that’s undead,” says Anastasia’s voller advisor. A group of shadows surge up from under the deck—actually wraiths. The priest turns and the wraiths dissipate. Those were probably the remains of prisoners who were here when he turned. And in fact there were chained skeletons along one wall.

The priest is examining the chamber. This is tightly sealed; every possible entrance is sealed. It will restrain undead almost indefinitely, and its proof against teleportation except by the most mighty. It’s warded against scrying except by the most powerful; ordinary psions or mages scrying will not realize that it isn’t solid.

Grandmaster Farsensor guides Dame Brionna to a hidden area in the captain’s quarter, where there is an enormous sense of chaos. There’s something in there. It’s a small knot of pure chaos. It doesn’t have a physical form; it’s contained by the magical wards of the chamber. It has evil as well, although the chaos was more obvious. Grandmaster Farsensor comes to join Dame Brionna. "It will be safe for me. I have something that I think can destroy it safely." He draws out a phial of pure glowing light. It’s the essence of when the Creator made the universe. "I believe it will destroy and cancel the chaos. I believe that the chaos is a talisman of the One of the Pale Bone. It would corrupt any human exposed to it for a while. I think it was what corrupted the Inquisitor General."

He extends the phial in, and is flung across the room. The whole room becomes completely silent, as if all the sound was sucked out of the room. “Well. It winded me, and the phial protected us from the worst of it. I did not know that a human could construct a containment chamber that good. It will contain almost anything. This couldn’t have been created by a pure blood human. This chamber is lined in a thin layer of aeog.” Humans can work high glass, a few vidridur, and a very few with small quantities of laen. Only the Eldar, Noldar, and Eldron can work aeog.

The next hidden spot has a number of books and a small casket. “Oh, look at that. An original copy of the Scriptures of Darkness. And a listing of everyone he put to death before he became a heretic. And the more valuable jewelry of the people who he put to death.”

(They also ask the Mistress of the Bedchamber and the Gunnoran chief midwife to see if they can nudge Grandmaster Farsensor’s special friend into conceiving, despite her age and his Eldar status.)

They nudge again about an audience with the Overqueen; she is made to understand the urgency of wanting it to happen before the children come to term.

The women and children of the Skaven clan are delivered by the Council. (The adult males in the clan still in the Council lands were put to death.) The Archducal Council also makes sure the Skaven Council knows of the Eshen theft. The Eshen, Skree, and Moldar leadership all are thankful and wish to support the Empire in routing out the problem.

The Archducal Council notifies Princess Curinirim about the Aeog chamber, and she reports that one of the two high glass master smiths produced 13 Aeog chambers for the Paranswarmian. They were ordered by the Archduchess when she became Protector and Defender of the Faith. They were intended to contain artifacts of the greatest level of danger until they could be destroyed. But a talisman of one of the Pariah was not something it was intended for, and would leak; there are runes that could stop that, but they weren’t used.
[End session 99]


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## CPaladin

Session 100 (April 25, 2019)

25 Ghast
The Duke of Brightspan sends an oral message that he is sending a tithe of cattle in addition to the ordinary grain shipment, and that it is substantial—some 10,000 head. He has insufficient herders for them to survive the winter, so the alternative was to slaughter.

The Council makes plans to redistribute them to refugee camps, and after they calve, to move some of the calves down to the south by vollers.

They also plan on scanning the cattle to make sure they’re not contaminated by demons or something like that; mostly this is concern about the Order of the Ram.

This has to indicate massive depopulation in the Duchy of Brightspan, which was close enough to the flow of the army.

After that’s planned for, everything goes smoothly until the Council of Southern Drucien.

30 Ghast
They invited all of the rulers of realms of humans or other younger people, including the rakasta lords of the Spice Lands, located south of the Barrier Mountains to attend the Council. They also invited the Drow to send an observer, and they did, from House Aleval. The Elves send a Star Priestess, who arrives.

The Holder of Two attends himself, having left the Mountains of the Mages to attend. He is a decrepit looking old human, but with parts of him replaced with metal parts. He has a strange staff worked in laen and high glass, clearly not of human make.

They begin with private meetings with all the various guests, before the formal council.

A man in a strange, all black metal costumes, clearly Paranswarmian, approaches Dame Brionna. “I wish to bring word personally on behalf of the Inquisitor General of Northern Drucien. The freeing of Hanal has stalled completely. The size of the military forces held by the usurper is too large; we will not be able to make any advances until spring. We can protect the coastal cities that are loyal to the Church, and we can protect the areas we have taken, but we cannot take the rebellious areas without waiting until spring and bringing in more temple troops from Khamista.”

“What is the overall prognosis?”

“Two to three years. To go faster, we would need to bring in troops from Masque. They are loyal, but they are so hated in Hanal that they would turn the common folk against us.”

They need assistance delivering significant supplies to a Kov who is cut off and who they need to supply by air;  the Council offers to provide assistance (planning on using our map to avoid the Hanalian air navy), which the Church offers to pay for.

“Why do the people of Hanal hate Masque?”

“During the reign of the late God-Emperor, a large mercenary force from Masque worked for a Kov, and they engaged in an enormous rampage. That’s still in living memory, and they are mostly remembered as masked raiders raping women and murdering children throughout the country—though in reality it was confined to one Kovate.”

“Have you looked for support from Enclaves?”

“Yes, but there’s something odd going on in Enclaves. There’s a developing miasma. Our clergy have felt it, and an ally of ours is aware of it as well. It’s a sense of tension, as if from a chaotic spirit, but we can’t find any such spirit. Things are destabilizing that have remained stable for a thousand years, at least for as long as our diocese has been part of Enclaves. Some of the Enclaves are arming themselves; we’re considering deploying regiments of troops to defend the Cathedral.”

Dame Brionna advises against actions that may escalate tensions.

Alistair speculates that convincing Balansar to take up residence might be capable of restabilizing. The Council reaches out to their clergy through the Archbishop.

The other private meetings are uneventful.

The One of Ones, who is an extremely elderly One of the Threes, is almost translucent in true sight. He is likely just about to pass.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 100, cont'd]
Alistair gives a welcoming speech, highlighting the threats faced by Southern Drucien.

Almost as soon as Alistair stops, a Rakshasa lord from the Spice Lands rises. He gives a speech about how Canberry was the only nation that stood to protect the Spice Lands. He suggests that the Council of Southern Drucien need to invest our lawful authority in an overlord or lady who will guide and lead, an emperor in name, but not a despot.

As if they had practiced this, the One of Ones of Tang calls out “Hear, Hear. And as my feline friend said, the only nation that could do this is Canberry. I offer the support of all of the Threes to this plan of my honored colleagues of the Spice Lands.”

The Seachen leader is leaning over to Caitlyn in a whisper. Slowly, the matriarch stands. “I am informed by Queen Caitlyn of the new South Kingdoms that she and her husband rule in name both the South Kingdoms and Canberry. We are reluctant to accept the leadership of a male, but I will respect her word that he is not a normal male. And I pledge 4 legions, and a 5% tax, provided that we will not disturb the internal workings of any kingdom.”

The Council has some back and forth; confirming that we will recognize internal workings, but need to have the power to deal with threats to the Empire—worship of faiths proscribed by the Ecumenical Council, treachery or plotting against the Empire, etc.

The Matriarch of Seachen insists that the Council establish that an Empress would have equal power as an Emperor. Alistair confirms that that would be true, and is consistent with the ancient house law of Canberry.

The Holder of Two pledges fealty (as far as the Council can tell, at least) through largely incomprehensible metaphor.

The representative of Gates offers a halved toll, to any who carry the seal of the Emperor. (Gates is also having lots of internal problems; it’s unclear the Lord of Gates will prevail against the corrupt rising against him.) Alistair recognizes Gates as beyond the Empire but friendly.

Kit finds with a quick detect thoughts that there are (a) a fair amount of relief; (b) some concern about what taxes the empire will lay; (c) a few who are trying to figure out how much they can cut back on their own military expenditures; (d) the Rakshasa want to have a representative in the grand imperial council.

The gnomes are very excited; new gnomish markets, new experiments, and SAFE ROADS.

They discuss the coronation and the acclamation.

The One of the Threes says, "I wish in my arrogance to be the One of the Threes who offers homage and allegiance, and I fear that I may be unavailable if we wait."

They all process to the Cathedral. They also quickly reach out to all the Dukes and all of Alistair’s siblings to attend. All the Dukes attend; most of Alistair’s siblings arrive. And one unexpected guest: the Queen of Singing Leaves. The various fey and elves are in one balcony. The Drow are in the other balcony, far away.

Midway through, Princess Curinirim occupies yet a third balcony.

The ceremony ends. And then there’s a flutter of minds touching the Imperial Council's minds, starting with Princess Curinirim, congratulating them. Singing Leaves approves--"there could be no greater protector to guide Drucien through these times of trials and the times of our departure."

They dance with the fey; the fey say they will find the best faerie godmother.

After the ceremonies, the fey tell the Council that two of the southern tors were completely wiped out. But there was evidence that some of the fey were taken. The fey fear that they are being tortured. They have no means to locate the males, but they should be able to locate the females. Through their birthlines; there are members of their lineages who have gone to other tors, including the one near Canberry. The fey do not have the force to retrieve them. They fear the kidnapped fey are on the island.  The Council promises to endeavor to put together a retrieval team.

[End session 100.  This was a highly momentous session, when we went from playing the leaders of an Archduchy to the leaders of a vast empire (albeit with limited authority over the non-Archducal vassals); it coincidentally was the hundredth session of the campaign, though I'm pretty sure we didn't realize it at the time.]


----------



## Quartz

I see mention of laen. I may have already asked this but do you use any of Iron Crown's other invented materials like kregora, shaalk, arinyark, etc?


----------



## CPaladin

Quartz said:


> I see mention of laen. I may have already asked this but do you use any of Iron Crown's other invented materials like kregora, shaalk, arinyark, etc?



None of those sound familiar, so if they are, they're not a big deal.  Laen is part of a progression of glasses--I think it goes highglass, vitritur, laen, aeog, in terms of power/effectiveness.  They sorta fill the exotic materials for psionics progression that something like steel, mithril, adamantium would for magic enchantability.  But it does not surprise me that laen is cribbed from Iron Crown--the DM definitely has a borrow widely and liberally approach to world building.


----------



## Quartz

CPaladin said:


> I think it goes highglass, vitritur, laen, aeog,




Eog is another one from Iron Crown.



CPaladin said:


> the DM definitely has a borrow widely and liberally approach to world building.




Excellent!


----------



## CPaladin

Session 101 (May 16, 2019)

1 Chund
Tap on the door. There’s a messenger here, entirely in shades of red, for His Imperial Majesty.

He performs a profoundly complex salutation in the manner of Hanal.

“Your Majesty, the Strom that has been left by the Kov of Snatterkaz to watch the island, has left me as the captain of one of the scout vollers; a significant group has broken away from the main body of the island and headed north. They are not terribly worthy, but there are many small boats, and we do not believe that the material of the boat is from this plane, and we do not know what it does. It is his desire to open fire on the boats, but we thought we should inform you and ask your pleasure as it is closer to your lands. If we leave them alone, they will land somewhere on the east coast, and the boats cause corruption around them, but it cannot spread through the ocean. There are perhaps 50 small boats.”

The Kov of Snatterkaz has allowed the red to resume their ancestral colors; they must have known for generations, but the Kovs have tolerated that. The red are more loyal to life itself than to status and hierarchy; they are also devotees of the Light not of the Darkness. They were suppressed because of their opposition to slavery.

The Council concludes they should discuss the boats with Princess Curinirim since she’ll likely know about the material issues.

A human psion reaches out to her.

“50 small boats, so likely 500 then.”

“The waters here, prevent the taint from sinking through the water, but if we sink the boats, anything that consumes the fragments will become tainted. Disintegration is your best bet. Wood or metal?”

“A very light metal, we believe.”

“For the good of the world and our hopes of its survival, I will open the Third Chamber to you. I will send suitable materials; they should be handled with care. A human voller will suffice to mount it. It will disintegrate the boats it strikes.  What sorts of creatures are on the boats?"

“There are a significant number of creatures that look like illithidae, but are clearly not, and a large number of war beasts that look like crosses between owlbears and dogs; and a number of bald demons, with skin the color of slate.”

“That’s encouraging. They haven’t sent even a middling member of their hierarchy. They either haven’t manifested them, or this is a feint.

"The war beasts are only dangerous up close, but they do hellacious damage if they close—they tear through armor like paper. Some of the others have a dangerous toxic attack, out to perhaps 120’.

“I am transferring 2 disintegration cannons, and enough material for 80 shots.”

They are vulnerable to salt.

We plan on preparing a landing site, where there’s a sandbar followed by an area of salt water or salty water/sand mix, lots of archers.

A shadowelf brigadier arrives, with two groups of six drow artillerists.  The Council has them placed on the two best vollers, and have the rest of the vollers ferry archers, engineers, and other ground troops to reinforce the landing site. The plan is to engage them at the right time to drive them to the prepared landing sites.

Several days pass while this is put in position and planned. The ground troops get in position, and are reinforced by some locals. The plan mostly succeeds.

The moment they come under fire, and realize that the ships are disintegrating when hit, they scatter and head into shore. The trap we set slows them, and kills some of them. Those that reach the shore, however, despite a great deal of archery, a handful of beasts get through and wreak a hellacious toll. About 200 of them make it through the trap, and we lose about 350 people with another several hundred injured.

On the 7th, a report from the psion onboard reports to Dame Brionna—"yes, we could handle those cannons, but our best psions couldn’t handle more than 5 or 6 shots." They have 28 charges left. The Shadowelf brigadier offers to leave the humans the weapons. "I was concerned when I first saw those vollers, but her highness said they would fly, and they did."

(Clarence Strawberry rolls 4 checks with a +11 each; his results are a 30, a 31, a 19, and a 30, extraordinary rolls. En route to Lyneham, we’re briefed.

"A very small submersible vessel made its way north while the Hanalians were distracted. They made land fall at the north edge of the Southern Confederations and disgorged four humanoids, like the bald humans who were with the flotilla. We were not able to track them.”

The Council sends some psions to capture the submersible, and see if they can use psychometry to track them. This sounds like technology of the old South Kingdom, scavenged by them.  The Council also presumes that they might be Seen-unseen, masquerading as more minor servitors.)
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 101, cont'd]
Kit has a planned visit to Lyneham to attend to her duties as the baroness, so they prepare for the trip.  Kit invites the Grandmaster Farsensor (and his special friend), her “personal engineer” (The Princess Anastasia), “Sir Alistair,” Dame Brionna, and Mommy Cupcakes (in her capacity as Kit’s midwife) along to Lyneham.

In planning, they discuss also whether there’s a tor nearby; there is a local satyr colony. (Kit as the Lady of Lyneham declares the Satyrwoods off-limits to Alistair, lest he get any ideas from them.) They also are known for making musical instruments, and they make wood bark that can be used as armor.

Kit and her entourage take a voller to the outskirts, and then ride in by horse.

The people have decorated the village—there are thin streamers of cloth, and some brightly colored things hung on them, and Lynehamean flags, and her personal standard flying at the small castle. The entire village has turned out, as well as the farmers and woodsmen from the area. There is a new mill, a new inn. Kit waves and smiles and tries not to look terrified. The town priest blesses her.

“People of Lyneham—I return to you gratefully as your lady. I will try hard to serve you well. I declare this to be a festival for as long as I and my entourage are here.”

Her steward rushes out. “Everything has been made ready, my lady. Fresh rushes have been laid in all the bedrooms, and all has been prepared.”

He expresses gratitude.

Kit tries to figure out what she needs to do. She’s told that she needs to have a formal court, and also make herself available to resolve disputes, not necessarily at the same time.

She invites the village priest to dinner the night before the court. He reports that she has become famous, and business follows fame. Several knights have moved into the area and sworn allegiance to her. One of them was in the village—he’s older. The other one was on a quest off to the northwest, apparently seeking an organ pipe(??). His wife is a bit of a mystic, reads strange books, but she’s faithful to the church. The priest teaches some of the children of the village, but he’s not much of a scholar.

About the open court: the priest says that Goody Patrice might be down. She thinks her daughter-in-law is a cozen, and doesn’t think her grandchild is her grandchild. Her son seems happy enough, and accepts that the child is his.  Other issues that Kit is warned might come up at open court are that she might be asked to perform a wedding; there has been substantial increase in trade, which most people are happy about, but the innkeeper has been upset about increased competition, though food at the inn is greatly improved with less food poisoning and less geese.  There is also a pending dispute among the farmers--one of them had a bull that came up lame, and blames the other because of a rivalry in the dairy business.

Mommy Cupcakes introduces her to an elderly lady, Willenda, the local wise woman/priestess of Gunnora. Willenda tells Kit that Goody Patrice is probably factually correct, because her son is mostly unable to father a child—he had come to her for help. But the boy is happy, the girl is happy, he accepts the child, there’s no ongoing relationship—but Goody Patrice will ruin everyone if she is allowed to.

With regards to the bull—it was lamed deliberately, by a knife blade. It was likely intended to start a feud, but possibly a frame-up. The cheesemaker goes out to collect milk once every third day, and noticed the injury when he went to that farmer's barn to get the cows' milk.  The cheesemaker said that the injury was from a stab wound with an approximately 6-inch, triangular blade.

Kit decides to speak with the blacksmith about the blade.

[End session 101]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 102 (May 30, 2019)

11 Chund
Kit summons the village blacksmith to ask him about triangular knives.

He is a wizened, middle-aged but hard aged by life man.

Kit asks him about the blade.

“That’s a killing weapon, you’re talking about. I don’t make that. I haven’t seen a blade like that, except on one of the knightsman, since the war… There was a war that swept through north of us, a whole bunch of goblins, a whole bunch of militia, a good five years ago. And some of the young men who went north had a blade like that. I could tell you who went and came back.”  He lists 4 men, none the names of either of the men in the dispute. "We don’t have a weaponsmith, but there might be one soon with all the increase in custom."

Kit asks, "Do any of the ones who went north stand out?  Perhaps an outsider, or someone who has had a bad attitude since returning from the war?"

"One of them moved to town 9 years ago; he keeps to himself. No friends, no spouse, just stays in his farm with his sheep and goats.  He has many fine rams. He does most of his business in the town to the east of here—Dalam Vail, a good four times the size of the village. He’s had several gals over from Dalam Vail."

Alistair wonders whether the rams might be a signifier.

Kit thanks the smith, calls back the midwife. 

He’s originally from Hanal—she thinks he’s some sort of deserter.  "He goes off with his goats to the east, and he comes back with—" whispered as if a scandal-- “prostitutes.

"At least one got pregnant—he hustled her out quickly when she did, 4 years ago."

He might take them further east past the town to where there are some settlements of diphs—centipede people from that strange town.

Dalam Vail has its own baron; not historically part of Lyneham.

Kit sends some of her people from the Naughty Bits, to find out what’s going on with this guy.

The morning court is fairly predictable. The two knights (technically one knight, and the wife of the other one) do homage and provide some tribute. Brionna talks shop with them. They each have a handful of men-at-arms that they can bring to a fight. They can field about a dozen men-at-arms, another two dozen militia, and then maybe a score from the village. There are maybe two or three dozen hunters and trappers that could be irregular archers. Most of them take their furs east, but more of them these days are selling them here.

They report that the baron to the east is competent enough, but he may not be happy that the trade route is reorienting itself. He has several knights in his service. He has a family, but my husband swears that there were some people from the east skulking around the edges of our farm a week ago or so. I think they were watching.

The innkeeper comes to pay his respects, with some dutifully prepared pastries.

Some of the farmers are worried; there are reports of chickens not laying as well as they should, and cows not calving properly—breech births and the like.

Kit asks if there’s a specific location for the farms.

Some of those farmers are devoted Glordiadelians and don’t associate with the Gunnoran midwives. Kit makes sure to make a show of friendship with the senior midwife, and to arrange for the priest of Glordiadel and the midwife to make a public friendship.

Both of the farms with the worst problems are quite far to the east, and very near each other.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 102, cont'd]
Dame Brionna heads out to sweep that area with one of her squads, along with young Lord Brightspan. The psion says, “I think I sense something…” hesitantly, and at about the same moment, two shafts thud into Lord Brightspan, knocking him from the horse and unconscious. The attacks came from ahead 120’, separated by about 30’. Dame Brionna charges the closer one.

The cleric neutralizes poison, because Lord Brightspan will live long enough to treat the wounds.

The psion detects thoughts—he is smote by waves of revulsion and anger and denial.

The assailant Dame Brionna is facing runs straight down her lance and spewing green powder out of his mouth at her. She rolls a 1 on her saving throw. She takes 47 points of damage.

Dame Brionna flicks him off the lance and stabs him. Her steed also kicks him. Between the two of them, they down him.

The psion gasps. “He’s just gone.”

“What about the other one?” 

“That’s what I’m saying, he’s just gone. The thoughts blinked out.”

The poison has also been placed in a diluted form in the cattle trough.

Kit gets a message back through the mindlink: <<Do not drink anything that we didn’t bring with us. Check for problems of reversals of position.>>

Dame Brionna talks to the farmers about foul magic afflicting the cattle. She arranges for the midwife to come out and cure the cattle.

Grandmaster Farsensor can’t trace them, which suggests that it might be a Word of Recall. That could operate over effectively infinite range.

Grandmaster Farsensor suggests that this may be someone who knows who Kit actually is.

Dame Brionna recommends that they return to Canberry. Alistair recommends that Lady Katherine not leave her domain while it’s under attack, and refuses to leave Kit.

They have the local priest cast speak with dead for the slain assassin.

"Who are you working for?"

"We serve the Great Light."

"What was your assignment here?"

"To silence prying eyes that otherwise might see."

"The one who got away—where did he go?"

"He was summoned to the Holy Place."

"What were you afraid that the prying eyes might see?"

"That he might see the colony."

"Where is the colony?"

"Beyond the Ark."

"What is in the colony?"

"Hundreds, soon to be thousands, who unwittingly serve the Great Light."

"What are the creatures in the colony?"

"The unwitting offspring of the Ram."

"What is the Ark?"

"The dwellings of the Eight-Armed People."

"Are the Eight-Armed People minions of the Great Light?"

"No, they care nothing for such things."

"Are there other minions of the Great Light in my domain?"

"No, one strike team was thought sufficient for a petty noble, even a prying one."

"Does the Baron of Daman Vail serve the Great Light?"

"No, his 13 children should tell you that. He does not like Lyneham, but he does not bestir himself from his offspring and wife to act against Lyneham."

After discussion, Kit asks the Emperor for support against the colony, since it’s beyond her lands and implicates the cultists. With Grandmaster Farsensor’s recommendation, since they have been building this force for a long time and defending it well, they decide to send a full field army backed by an elven man-of-war.

They suggest looking for hard to scan areas with farsensing. That means large lead deposits, but also other areas. The areas that are hardest to scan are the cities of the Eldron near Hanal—especially those that fell.

That evening, an elegantly garbed drow is brought in. He hands them a document. [Attached]

(Also, in the category of things the group didn't need to waste game time on: while Kit is busy attending to her noble duties, Alistair spends some time renewing his acquaintance with some of his “special friends” from the last time he was in Lyneham.)
[End session 102]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 103 (June 27, 2019)

12 Chund
The servitor of the Ram has disappeared untraceably. He has a whole cluster of teen children who appear to have grown up in the area—apparently wild in the forests nearby.

They send a team to search his house. A runner returns from them a few hours a later. "The building has a number of oddities in it and we found a group of moving stones in the basement. They’re pretty cleverly done, but we were able to find them anyway. They conceal a secret door." 

Kit authorizes them to proceed with caution.

At this point, the Grandmaster Farsensor returns. I have been in mindmeld with several colleagues. We found the colony, but also more troublingly a smaller group, underground, not far from here—remarkably close to the village, and at least one demon. There is far too much lead to teleport there safely.

They reach out to the team psionically and have them pull back.

(Kit also plans on having mines set up – the high quantity of lead is valuable in its own right, and may mean silver or even mithril as well.)

The team brought back an idol, that looks like a humanoid ram. "When we threw holy water on it, it smoked." There was also a book. It radiates obvious chaos. A priest said, "the farmer was writing his own book—his own scriptures. I didn’t want to burn it out there for fear that it would set something off. Someone who can read it safely should do so." Also, the priest steps forward with a carefully wrapped bundle in a high-quality silk shroud. "I think it is or was a fey. It was still attached to the wall in the basement."

The door was solid stone, but on rollers. The basement had obviously been filled with food stuffs, that have since been removed.

We agree to reach out through the Sixth Daughter to contact the Drowan cities.

She is adamant that they should not be permitted to escape—the Ram is insane, and does not have sufficient respect for the Goddess or her servitors. She promises that her mother’s house troops will deal with that and will not permit such an abomination to proceed through the realms. Alistair also mentions that the Lady of Lyneham might be interested in opening trade through the Underdark tunnels if her mother is interested.

The older children are not of the Ram. He must have come to the Ram about nine years ago. Those young ones are tieflings—the offspring of succubi. They are more animalian than anything else.

Lady Katherine reaches out to the wereboar grandmother about helping the teens.

“We are somewhat aware of them. We weren’t aware they were tieflings.”

They assure her that it doesn’t mean they’re inherently evil, but in need of guidance.

Everyone ignored them because they seem unable to communicate. They sneak around the village, but they never steal anything.

Around 4 pm, the Council receives a sending: “Have identified foe. Will intercept. Want prisoners?” 

They send back “Yes.”

Around dinner time, the wereboar grandmother and her daughter bustle in with 4 kids, two boys, two girls, all teens, all terrified.

Kit asks if they can understand her. The oldest nods. She tells them that she is the local Lady, that they are safe, that they will be protected, and that their father will not be able to hurt them. He communicates a little with the others, and then they all made obvious animalian submission gestures.

The teens get sent off to take a bath, get new clothes (hand-me-downs, but still), and food.

They put the book in a lead coffer, contain the idol in a circle of protection against chaos, and post a continuous watch.

A pitched battle takes place at the main colony. The servants of the Ram are wiped out except for one commander, who was captured by the man-o-war. But when the voller lands to report, they drag this one figure off, in nets woven of mithril. The rest of them are dead. "There were casualties among your forces, but we were able to bombard the worst of them and one of our gray elves destroyed the worst of the demons. The net turns his magics back on him—that would otherwise impregnate any women near by. It will likely cause him a painful death over the next months." The elves leave a battlestar—a gray elf knight commander and four high elf knights to guard him.

The Canberryan commander reports that the bombardment was essential. "There were over two thousand, and some strange demon. They destroyed most by bombardment and then engaged the rest with us. The demon looks like a male marilith, which is all but unheard of—he had a circlet on his head, which indicated that he was a knight baronet of the 312th level of the Abyss. To the best of my knowledge, that level has no overlord. He was probably a mercenary, hired by the Lord of the Ram to support this."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 103, cont'd--bonus post to make up for the lack of new Spice Lands and the War in Hanal content in the other thread]

They can compel the prisoner to answer ten questions. That will drain the psionic battery the gray elf offers us for our use.

"Who did the Ram have above you?"

"Valthalian Dor commands me, from his position hidden near the City of Enclaves."


"What was your plan?"

"Before the woman came, with her troops, we were meant to overtake this village when we were numerous enough. Most of the villagers are werecreatures. We were told that if we could forcefully breed with them we would create new, more powerful children."


"Any more accomplices still in Lyneham or Dalam Vail?"

"Why would anyone keep anyone anywhere except Lyneham? But no, we kept only the one in Lyneham. The lord of Dalam Vail turned down the offer of power and spat upon them. He tried to tell others—he sent a messenger, we killed him."


"Locations of any other colonies they know of?"

"There is a great colony to the east in the Lead Hills. There’s another great colony to the south of the holdings of the Lady Jane Peryton, near the great lead deposits. There’s another great colony deep in the southlands. The one who guards it does not know what he guards, but when we promised him a piece, he could not resist."


"What do they know of the Ram’s alliance with other demons and the like?"

"The old Queen is his ally. One or two other displaced demon lords. But his primary allies are not demons, for he seeks to become a god, as does the old Queen, in the new order to be brought in by Arthranax. He has released the scriptures to his loyalist followers, and hopes soon to reach godhood and those who will come."


"What else does he still need to do to become a god?"

"Find enough of the old blood and sacrifice them in the way that the Old Comers want, to break the bonds of demonhood and become a god and equal to them. That’s the purpose of the colonies, to sacrifice those of the old blood, especially those of the glades and the streams, the lesser ones. It will strengthen the older ones, but it will strengthen him more and make him their equal."


"Where is the Great Light’s holy site?"

"The Firstcomer who is here? Our dealings with him are minimal. We are not told those things. We know our place in the plan."


"Where would the farmer who served the Ram have fled?" 

"Probably to Master Dor—that is where the stone would have taken him."


"Are there other breeding colonies in operation?"

"There were other small groups sent out, but we do not know where. Only a few of us born of the power of the Ram retain the power of the Ram. We become either officers or part of a group like this. Just as the old blood is useful, so is the blood of the were. We would have taken this village already if it hadn’t been for their lords and that damnable werebear knight."


"Do Arthranax and the Ram have any other gods as allies?"

"Not here. They wait for the ones who will come."

At the end of the interview, his head explodes.

They plan on redirecting the field army to the other colony; Grandmaster Farsensor agrees to find its exact location, and redirect the man-of-war to engage.

The next morning, they get a report. [Attached]

They all agree that they need to seriously our airship production—work with the elves, work with Hanalian refugees, send resources at the problem.

They decide that they need to support the refugees directly.

They decide they need to send adventuring groups and the like against the Ram—and maybe other targets, but only if they’re not too high risk.

They plan to talk to Princess Anastasia about her declaring herself openly, but that would require returning to Snannerkaz.

They talk about how we could break the usurper’s spell; Queen Malacath, the Queen of the Succubi, might be able to provide us information, because she’s one of the ancient Queen’s jailers. The Ram was also one of her jailers—it’s how he ended up getting corrupted. The other two jailers are forgotten. It was commanded by the Six. Princess Curinirim might also know.

They contact Princess Curinirim. "Even we would find it difficult to break the spell. It can be warded. But to remove it? The amount of energy she poured into it, and the number of blood sacrifices it took—it’s bound into the fabric of our reality. We are not as cruel and evil as we’re often portrayed. We’re willing to do what is necessary, but not cruel and evil about it. Over a period of years, thousands of blood sacrifices were offered to establish that identity. It was part of the reason for the blood festivals of Hanal. A sufficient number of deliberately offered innocents might weaken it or break it.

"The old Queen of Demons was the most potent illusionist to ever exist. This is a form of illusion, but it is so powerful that I do not know of a historical case where it was broken generally.

"Were the usurper to die, it would collapse, and everyone would realize they had been deceived. But while she lives, it is bound into her."

[Not quite clear to me what the flow of the next couple bits of the conversation were.]

The demons couldn’t manifest without being summoned, and that would be a risk of a new Shadowlands.

"What about Daemons?" 

"She is powerful; but I cannot tell who she is. I would give myself an even chance against her. But daemons care not for this land, except if Lord Morgroth rules it. I believe she is an archdemon—I suspect a daughter of the Queen of Demons, but I cannot prove either.

"An oddity of demons—as greedy as they are, any apparent chance of seizing the Prime, seems to drive them almost all to pursuing the Prime above all else."
[End session 103]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 104 (July 16, 2019)

14 Chund
Dame Kit begins the next day by saying that she has gotten a letter from one of her agents in Masque and of information about doings in Yar and the Brownlands; there are rumors of a new Shadowland coming. [Attached] There is something coming out that is like a demon, but not acting like any demons they know of. There are more of them, they’re more powerful, and they’re more organized. In Masque, they’re debating what to do with them. The Queen-Empress has rejected using “overwhelming force” to destroy everything in Yar and the Brownlands; it’s worth looking into, because it apparently is in their capability. The Queen-Empress of Masque is sending a lot of troops to the border, but not going into the area. There are rumors that the throne-globe and King-Emperor are connected to the increasing area of corruption. The King-Emperor and the throne-globe are gone; nobody knows where he is. The leading theories are that he was taken away by some magical force, or that he made a lot of deals and they finally came due. It’s also possible he took himself away, but that’s unlikely.

They send a message asking a consultation with one of the Hastur Keepers.

A servant comes in. “M’lady… Baroness Stacy is riding in right now.”

“Very well. I’ll receive her in the hall where I hold court.”

Kit has no idea who she is.

Very shortly, a middle-aged woman who looks like she fought hard to get where he is, followed by a large man in heavy armor unstrapping enough weapons to fight a small war as he enters.

She curtsies to Kit. “Nobly born, I heard that you would be visiting your estates and I wanted to pay my respects on behalf of myself and my husband. We hope that someday you’ll be able to visit our estates.

“I had hoped that we might be able to negotiate a contract for some of the hops some of your men grow. My brewers would be relieved—otherwise, we have to bring it all the way from Enclaves, and with the refugees, that route is challenging.”

(Her lands are a day’s ride to the north; not much larger than Lyneham, grain, not much dairy, land’s too poor. Sounds like her husband is a werebear. Her heir is a niece, studying in Northern Aurelian.)

The deal is reasonable, but doesn’t actually involve much money. It’s trade in kind—hops in exchange for beer.

Kit calls in the tavern keeper to consult on the potential deal. Their beers are good; their whiskey is better, but they don’t make much of it—don’t know why. But both are better than the local supply.

“Sir Alistair” chats with the Baroness’s husband. Getting hit from the south-east by someone going after some of the few dairy farms—goblins.

There are six dozen of these petty baronies—used to be seven dozen, and it was attrition not combination.

Dame Brionna reports that she has received a report from the expeditionary force. [Attached]. Together with the elven voller, they were able to defeat the forces of the Ram. Significant casualties, but still battle-worthy. They’re north of the barrier mountains, and await further instructions.

The Imperial Council has a private discussion about what title Kit will end up with.

Kit meets again with Baroness Stacy, and suggests increasing the trade in whiskey.

“I love the idea of more trade in whiskey, but we’ve avoided making more whiskey, because beyond a few barrels for home and a few for here, they need to be shipped either north to Enclaves, or south through Gates, or northwest to Hanal—and I wouldn’t want to ship anything to Hanal currently.”

Kit suggests that now trade with Canberry is more of an opportunity, which surprises Baroness Stacy. The Baroness is surprised, but very interested.

They send the main body of troops to deal with the other Ram colony in the Lead Hills, while the auxiliaries stay in Lyneham and begin constructing mines, improving roads, etc.
[session 104, cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 105 (November 26, 2019)

Chund 16ish
Dame Brionna has received a message [attached] from Humbert, Archbishop of Enclaves, who is well-meaning but very formal. The initial scout report says that they were heading directly east in the main tunnel that travels underneath the ocean to Khamista. The abominations, about 20 in number, are being chased by a task force trying to deal with them.

The morning that they’re going to leave, the group is split up into a couple different tasks.

Dame Brionna is overseeing preparations to depart.

Kit is having a last meeting with the person who has been running things in her absence, who she is now making the seneschal. Probably in the great hall. Alistair is there with her.

There are 3 strike teams, and 25 total guards with us. One group is with Dame Brionna, one in the servant’s halls near the great hall, and one in the tower.

One of the guards, Fred, asks Dame Brionna: “Dame, what’s that?” And coming out of the woods and approaching the castle at top speed is a teen-age man, bleeding from his chest, but running as fast as he can.

“Gotta warn the lady. They came up out of nowhere—I think they got my pa, but I had to warn the lady.”

Dame Brionna warns Kit.

Fred staggers back, with two barbed crossbow bolts in his chest. He collapses, as the flesh around the second wound begins to change and dissolve.

About 20 figures are charging at Dame Brionna and her group, running hell bent for leather. The local archers fire regular arrows, to no apparent effect. Eight of the charging group appear to be human, but their flesh is translucent, and they are stripped to the waste and have visible organs—their hearts are wreathed in blue flame. Three are small illithid-like creatures, with crossbows, but they have dull gray skin. The final figure looks similar, but is like 6 and a half feet tall but with four foot tentacles, robes, and floating. The rest are apparently normal humans, behind the rest.

Dame Brionna hears in the coldest tone of voice, “Reach the Dame, corrupt the spawn, we can still win.”

Kit and Alistair flee towards the basement.

The Grandmaster Farsensor apports to join Dame Brionna. “I will engage the leader.” He draws a laen sword.

The same cold voice rings out, oozing through the consciousness—not psionic, but not physical. “Ignore the abominable. Attack the keep. Reach the dame.”

The lead creature draws a staff that Dame Brionna can’t focus her attention on and begins to fight the Eldar.

Dame Brionna launches an attack on the lesser ones. She impales one with her lance. Its flesh almost recoils from the elven blade of the lance, but it also focuses its attention on her.

The psion does his best to engage them. From the battlements, two fireballs crash in as the mages in the other teams attack. They do some damage, but less than expected.

The leader reaches out with the weird staff, which sometimes looks like a curl of smoke, and an ooze of weird black energy wraps around the Farsensor. He takes damage, but avoids the worst of it. The Farsensor attacks four times, hitting twice, and pours psionic energy into the laen sword which glows and turns it into damage.

Two more fireballs crash in; they take less damage then you would expect, but still some, and one of the humans collapses.

Dame Brionna crits, and dismembers the creature which hisses and crumbles. As soon as it strikes the ground, the grass whithers. But it’s clearly dead.

The remaining illithid-like creatures shove through to the door and push directly against it. The doors boom and groan, but they stand.

The great one darts his four tentacles towards the chest of the Farsensor. He manages to dodge aside from two, but the other two tentacles penetrate.

Grandmaster Farsensor cleaves off most of its left arm, and the staff falls to the ground. There is a searing shriek and a 30’ circle of grass dies. He also stabs it twice more.

To Dame Brionna’s right, there are a group of regular humans milling about. To her left, there are the two remaining tentacled creatures, and the rest of the translucent humans.

The door begins to whither and break apart.

The greater one strikes the Grandmaster with a third tentacle. The Grandmaster pumps all of his remaining 340 power points into the creature as he stabs it three times. It glows, and collapses in on itself, leaving only the tentacles left, which slowly collapse as well.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 105, cont'd]

Dame Brionna fells another of the lesser ones as well. The remaining small one hisses, “keep her from me,” and touches the door again. The door whithers and collapses from its hinges, falling to the ground. It starts to pass through. The translucent humans split up. Two engage Dame Brionna, two throw blasts of blue fire at the parapets where the mages are, and the other four form a tight formation around the creature.

Alistair has a conversation with the spirit of the land—reached through the stream bed of a stream that cuts through the cellar to allow a secure source of water. She agrees to strengthen the barricade and to arrange for it to contact Alistair’s orichalcum ring as they try to pass through the wall.

Dame Brionna charges after the tentacled creature and would have hit it, except that one of the translucent humans interposed itself, got impaled, and the blue flame ran up the lance towards her. She feels a tingling, oozing sensation, and her devanic blessing activates and rejects the attempt to possess her. It explodes, and she takes 25 points of damage on a failed save.

The wizard guard blasts one of the remaining one with a scorching ray, blowing up its head.

At a dead run, the tentacled creature (now empowered with two additional spirits) having unerringly run to the stairs, runs down the stair, runs to the wall, and the spirit of the land intercepts its touch with the orichalcum ring. There is a massive explosion. The barricade dissolves into a powder, as does the tentacled one. The two remaining humanoids get struck by spraying salt, which causes them to dissolve into blue flame.

Grandmaster Farsensor and Dame Brionna finish off the two fighting her. The last two were brought down by archers.

They gather up and imprison the normal humans.

They thank the spirit of the land for her assistance. She asks Lady Katharine to establish a bawdy house in the town, which Lady Katharine agrees to.

The normal humans are confused, and starving. They’re from Hanal—they were called to the keep by the vad—they name him—and they don’t remember anything else from after that. The vad was “feeling badly”—likely corrupted or replaced. Lady Katharine asks Princess Anastasia about the vad. The vad was a loyalist. That means that Snatterkaz has a potential traitor in the midst of his followers. He’s either replaced with an exact double, or being controlled—if they indicated he was dead, they wouldn’t allow anyone from his lands to be misused. The fake vad will know what happened here immediately.

These were commons—farmers. It would not be safe for them to return, so Kit decides to resettle them here.

Kit’s people are delighted to see her when she reassures them that they’re fine.

Lord Silverleaves comments, "Depending on how you view their hierarchy, that was either the greatest of the lesser beings or the least of the greater—probably the greatest of the lesser. They’re called herders. They have powers of transportation, transmutation, and mental control. Those translucent people were cultists of the Blue Flame itself, and through his power, they have joined openly with the creatures coming through.

"The reason for the lesser humans, however, was that the Blue Stars will wear out their hosts. By making them ready, the cultist’s consciousness will move through, along with the fragment of the Blue Star itself. They can potentially gain skills from their new hosts."

Lady Katharine finds a job for the surviving son.

They take the voller back uneventfully.
[End Session 105]


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## CPaladin

Session 106 (December 19, 2019)

[Around this time, Alistair sent a missive out to all of his imperial vassals.  The Council worked on several drafts.  I've attached the version sent out to this post.]
22 Chund
A particularly baroque Noldar ship—apparently made out of black crystal, likely laen—is floating across the land, dispersing gold dust as it goes.

It docks at the palace voller tower. Usually, the Noldar don’t actually dock, but hover above and take flitters down. A very small party descends.

Alistair and Dame Brionna meet them at the base of the tower.

Leading the way, a shadowelf officer comes first—likely her general. A couple of drow in black laen armor follow, and then Lady Amerie Aufaulgautharim, and two handmaidens carrying parasols for her. “On behalf of the Host of Gasping Dust and our princess, we greet you.”

Alistair welcomes them.

“We are pleased and honored to be with you. We were hopeful that we would be able to be with you through the festival and salute the moons with you.

“Were you aware that there were a small group of some sort of demons on your east border? If you were, we hope that you will not take great offense that we bombarded them as we passed.”

The demons were something of the four parts of a goat.

They are possessed.  The Council confirm that the "demons" are of the Blue Flame.   They tell Lady Amerie that these aren’t truly demons—the Noldar used the term more broadly than humans would.

“I knew that I did not trust that upstart, but I did not recognize its taint. My husband would be most wroth with me if he were still alive. I should inform him—all the planes should be aware of this. Have you prepared the Moon Chambers? Tonight is the most auspicious night to speak to the other planes of this.”

The Council begins scurrying about to prepare the Moon Chamber. The princess sends down a scholar shadowelf lady who informs us that she is happy to help in any preparations.

(They have Kit’s scribe check on her background. She bore live twins. They have since died, it's believe—it is wise not to mention the House Goldorim near her.)

They all make their way back to the palace. She engages in ordinary largesse—silver, given by her handmaidens, so nothing we need to worry about.

She notes the runes on the palace as we enter. She recommends that Canberry charge the palace runes—they have been tested no less than three times.

"We are leaving behind a terrible legacy. We should never have bred the number of uruk-hai and orog kind as we did. You will contend with them for 10,000 years after we have gone.

"There are other types of demons. Each scheming and wanting. And your race is a bright source of energy for them. We are older and tasteless—and we fight more than you do."

“We were recently discussing the strange obsession of demons with the prime. Do you know why?”

“Yes. The demon planes, though they are infinite, have only one type of energy. They are limited. Here, all the energies of this universe are mixed together. And thus to possess the Prime would possess all of the powers. They would not turn it into one of their planes—but to torture it and drink its power and create infinite monsters. Even in the Shadowlands, they preserve the nature of the Prime to a limited degree. But the Six Lords of the Abyss—they may have some other scheme. They are mad, and more powerful than most demons—though not truly gods, no more so than I am, less even—their books talk of transforming the Prime into their own Prime, making themselves into the only gods.

"Lolth is brilliant, but the Queen of Chaos is not. She is powerful, and cunning, but her plans do not have enough depth to succeed."

A messenger slips up to Dame Brionna—"at your convenience, Lady Constance would like you to join her at the cathedral."

Lady Constance and Bishop Waters meet Dame Brionna in the undercroft of the cathedral. There are two pit fiends present as well. “Two of them are more powerful—they could have killed most of the guard. They came here willingly. They did not expect me.

“These three carry minor pieces of the Blue Star. These two, however…

“They still think that they may escape. Look at this scarification, how the body begins to become translucent. That makes them able to become more powerful. These also contain substantial magical energy of the Blue Star.

"They are mobile—that’s why I’m allowing only the pit fiends to touch them. There’s nothing there to possess. I don’t believe that anyone other than these two carry them deliberately—the others can be exorcised. These two offered themselves willingly—their mortal spirits are bound to the creature. With these two—I have sworn an oath to uphold the ethos of this kingdom. But if I were not, I’d have them put to death."

They thought that he was a minion of Sytry.  The Council concludes that they can’t have them executed, because they became corrupted voluntarily but without intending to serve a proscribed god.

Lady Constance suggests that a Master Coercer might be able to separate them. Grandmaster Farsensor tells the Council that he doesn’t think any elven grandmasters would be willing to come, but a few young masters—around 1000 years old or so, mere teen-agers.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 106, cont'd]
The Noldar's general talks with Dame Brionna about vollers and strategy. He offers to have some drow craftsmen come to Canberry to make new black boxes. Black boxes should never fail, but Hanalian ones do. Some slaves escaped from the Aufaulgautharim about a millennium ago—they had worked on the voller construction, so we had a little more concern about their escape. The black boxes in the Hanalian vollers are in a sealed chamber directly behind the foremast. They get a few drowan craftsmen to make new black boxes.

"As you know, I bear a message from my uncle. I feel that I should deliver that message before."

They discuss the young Noldar. They talk about him growing up; they’re resigned to the fact that he will leave them. And they know that their house will be the next to go.

"Given that you have accepted a member of our house into your fosterage, and given that he has taken seriously to his oaths to your house, and given that we know that he is happy and will leave the faith but not go to the Enemy, he wishes to bestow an honorific upon you—protector of the heritage." This cube of eog symbolizes the blessing and honorific, never conferred on a human. It is also a psionic battery (300 pt.). It has the seal of the House of Aufaulgautharim on one side of it.

"Lady Aufaulgautharim, in order to achieve a victory against the greatest enemy, we must locate additional Eldron.  Do you know where any might be found?"

"Forgehome—deep beneath the barrens, just near the city of Bianca in the domain of the White Witch—there’s an Eldron below Forgehome. He is somewhat mobile, but he would have to stop working on his project. There are enough gears and interlocking gears in Forgehome to drag the planet itself. And they all run off the great volcano. They never finish what they start. And they leave it lying about the place. Is there a reason they never finish? You may find this foolish coming from me. But they have no sense of time. If they lose themselves completely in the project, they become part of the earth.

"One of them became a force of wind. North of dragon’s home, north of the amusingly named Estates of Lady Jane Peryton. There is a place where the wind always blows, and there are voices in the wind. He forgot, and passed away into wind while still working on his project. His servants still work on it, and I’d be cautious about going there—*I’d be cautious*—he believed he could combine the bloodlines of all of the dragons, he could create the most perfect of all beings. I’ve heard that there are still caches of fertilized eggs in his caves."

Things start getting out of hand. She’s talking to Kit, and getting upset about children again. They distract her. "If you remember that your people are not pawns, then you will get more value out of them."

They discuss the mess in Hanal and Canberry's lack of direct action. 

"The Temple of Paranswarm must commit the five Holy Field Armies. And yet… given where their Holy See is, they cannot, because of the proximity of the Sytryite armies.

"The Patriarch of Sytry is not corrupted. But some of his Council may be. If we could eliminate their threat, the Temple of Paranswarm might deploy its army to win in Hanal. They will otherwise take too long to win—long enough to allow the usurper to do terrible things."

They have a ceremony in the Moon Chambers. The young Noldar lord is formally the preceptor, though she’s mostly doing all the energy. Waves of energy from the light of the moon flow over us, even out of the dome of energy. At last they walk the opposite ways around the circle and the dome vanishes.

They thank the young Noldar for his assistance.

“We could not have done that without the moons. But the word has been sent, your majesty.

"A quick lesson on politics: Aufaulgautharim, Curinirim, and Goldorim are the oldest of the seven houses. Aufaulgautharim will pass first, then Curinirim, and last like a cancer Goldorim will pass. Moriquendarim are the most numerous, though weakest by far on a personal basis. They are sticklers for protocol. Princess Curinirim is probably fourth ranked among all the Noldar, but is least interested in the Noldar’s regular goals. So she maintains her palace here, so she does not have to be the City of Pain. Have you wondered why we named our cities such terrible things and why they are all necropolis? I have. But though she does not formally rule the Moriquendarim here, none of them would dare betray her. She betrothed to a Moriquendarim."

They discuss trying to get Sytry to launch a Shadowlands crusade.
[End session 106]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 107 (March 19, 2020)

23 Chund
Lady Aufaulgautharim departed on the following morning.

Dame Brionna rushes in in the morning, asking for a private meeting with Alistair and Kit in the inner council chamber.

Dame Brionna reports that she had a conversation with the Princess Aufaulgautharim’s military advisor. He summoned three drow master crafters who can make black boxes and teach others. He also gave Dame Brionna a personal gift, a white lean ring that can store divine magic and improves wisdom. She offers it to Alistair, who is dismissive about the idea of wearing it personally and encourages Dame Brionna to keep it. They plan on putting the Drow master crafters in a basement of the palace assuming that’s acceptable to the crafters.

They ask Kit’s scribe to research House Ashberry’s ancient genealogy—wondering if there is a connection to the ancient Moriquendarim who established the palace. Will get an answer in 6 weeks.

They make a plan to try to convince the Temple of Sytry to join the Church of Glordiadel in a crusade against the Shadowlands. We have 3 parts to their argument:

The Shadowlands are an abomination and should be brought back into the light and purified.
They need to eliminate the Shadowlands before the Hastur pass, because the barriers will fall when they do, so there is some urgency.
Paranswarm is making inroads into the Shadowlands, with Caldefor being restored, and while that’s better than the Shadowlands, they would much rather see those lands restored to the Light.
They reach out diplomatically, starting through the Church Militant of the Church of Glordiadel. (They don’t mention that their primary reason for this is to shift Sytryite military away from Khamista,)

Kit gets a message from the Eyes in the Western Duchies [attached]; the glittering black ship, turned northwest at Canberry's border, and went very fast—maidens in silver armor, tossed gold dust and silver over the edge of the ship—it then fired rays of light into the ground. It disappeared into a purple cloud. The baron has taken his knights over the border to find out what they shot at, and none of them have returned yet. The banner was like this that it flew.

They call for an expert on elven heraldry.  "That was the symbol of one of the group of Eldron that split apart. It was retained as the personal banner of a Princess of the Aufaulgautharim. She never flew them, but she retained them. There’s some legend about it…"  They send the expert on elven heraldry to research it—he says he’ll get in a few hours.

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 107, cont'd]
Young Lord Brightspan reports that there are a group of gray skinned elves purchasing property in the mid-city. They are attracting attention.

Dame Brionna summons the shadow elves, Lady Filovana, and the drow master crafters. The drow are enthusiastic. Just a bit of the touch is enough [to work on black boxes?]—you only need substantial power if there [... no idea how this sentence was supposed to end.]

"She has gone for Silunad-ceru (“the Salute to Death”). We knew she would after the incident ten years ago. She, from that time to this has been ready, and now she has found a purpose. She did not wish me to accompany her. My brother insisted that he go, but he has been her general for longer than I served her as scholar. I will do my duty here. The House of Arumgil will be upheld as a loyal cadet house of Aufaulgautharim.

"Were she to fall on Goldorim, despite her power, she would have fallen, and hastened the fall of her House. The one place she might tip the scales, she chose to attack. She will fall. But she will kill thousands of human troops before she falls herself."

They arrange for her to begin surveiling for people with the gift, and to begin training apprentices. She is a grandmaster redactor and a master coercer.

She tried to buy a house by offering half a tual. They explain that that was excessive, and that such coins should be deposited at the palace. They assign her a steward to assist her.

She deposits 499.5 osmium tuals.

Alistair offers her a title as a countess.

The Shadowelves are more inclined to worship their Lords and Ladies, than to worship the gods that created them and set them to war with each other, notwithstanding the fact that the Noldar forbid such things.

They get a report from the Inquisition army [I think--conceivably from Snannerkaz's forces, but that makes less sense]--A black laen voller attacked the usurper’s forces about 5 miles south of the capital. They’ve been trying to cross the line into Bormark for several weeks, and have been unable to because of the garrison. There are a lot of dead troops, and two dead drow—they descended for the fight. They’re crossing into Bormark now that the garrison is broken.

They contact the Archbaroness of Mandrath and suggest that they should commit a field army now.

Next day:
With the assistance of some minor human coercers, Lady Filovana extracts one of the Blue Flame entities.

The following day, she removes the other. Dame Constance destroys the essences. She tells Kit—"Killing them would have been wrong, because they hadn’t deliberately gone to serve the other side, but they are idiots."

"But being an idiot isn’t a capital crime."

"Not here…"

Three days later: They destroyed several garrisons along the line, until they reached the main fortress of the line. They killed much of the garrison, but all fell, at which point the ship exploded, destroying the fortress entirely. All told, they destroyed 2-3 field armies. The Kov of Bormark marched to seize the positions that were clear, and has asserted his loyalty to the Church of Paranswarm and his determination to abide by its determination of the disposition of the throne.

The Imperial Council travels to Lady Filovana’s house.  They inform her, and the household enters mourning.

They send a message to the Patriarch of Sytry, asking for a meeting. He agrees to one on the 8th of Tar-Chund.
[End session 107]


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## CPaladin

Session 108 (April 2, 2020)

28 Chund
The Council receives a report from the Duke of Mortorose [Attached].  They discuss the large army gathering in Holy Cortose, and the dragons gathering nearby.

Kit summons a mage-sage specialist with expertise in dragons. He is, at best, eccentric and accompanied by a faerie dragon familiar, Gilbert.

"Red dragons are ordinarily in the mountains of Krashmere, and rarely drift that far west. At one time there was a fair population of crystal dragons there, some two thousand years ago. Crystal dragons are the least intelligent, least powerful, but most numerous of gem dragons. In the old days, they were quite mercenary—going for whoever paid them enough. They are also the laziest of the gem dragons. Most gem dragons are close to gnomes, some to hobbits, but the crystal dragons have been known to eat both.

"They’re not so good on the ground, although they could provide air support. They would be effective against human vollers—their breath is a storm of crystals that would tear them apart—but they couldn’t fight an elven voller.

"They honor their contracts—they learned that long ago. There can’t be more than a few dozen of them in the whole world. Crystals are purely neutral, neither good nor evil, law or chaos.

"There are rumors that the Eldron in the far north may have had a hand in breeding the crystal dragons. I do know that the gem dragons came later than the others, and that seemed odd.

"The only thing the crystal dragons ever learned to respect was other dragons. They learned to fear the Nolder, but never to respect them."

He offers to send Gilbert as an emissary to them.

The Council decides they need to scry to confirm that they are crystal dragons before they send Gilbert.  They ask Grandmaster Farsensor to scry for us. He scries an image, and it flutters around, before focusing on a pair of dragons, indeed crystal. "There are a dozen of them, adult or older, by their size and battlescars. Some of them are older—there is a great wyrm, and I doubt any more could have hidden from me when I was looking for them.

"It’s odd—I’ve never heard of that many dragons in one region naturally, of any type. It must be fairly soon—how are they feeding them?

"The Pariah deities and their allies hate the small folk, because they can’t corrupt them, and because they can’t use them for eldritch powers. Also, they bear hatred, because they ignored them in the first invasion and the small folk served as unwatched spies for the Eldar and the Nolder. Their feeling that they were betrayed by the small folk is a weakness—it makes them overly focused on revenge even if it’s not useful."

He mentions that there is speculation among the elves about the Lady Gunnora, but refuses to say what the speculation is.

They call in the chief midwife of Gunnora for the City of Canberry.

They ask about the history, and about the implication about Gunnora. 

"You know we came into existence shortly before all of that mess. And we were kind of looking for a deity at that time. The big people’s deities, they were all right, but they didn’t much care. So, some new deities came in, about the same time. One of them was Sytry and his lot, and one of them was Gunnora and her lot. She took to us, and we to her, she was about fertility and birthing, and we were too, and she was about agriculture. We’d never fought them in the old world. She did, but we did not. She’s more powerful here, then she was at home, but she’s still not powerful enough. Your great gods are powerful enough, together, but they hate each other more than is sane, even if their followers are starting to be sane. Even the old race of our world—the long-lived humans—some of them were corrupted. One of the reasons the Unspeakable lost here was because they spent too long looking for someone they could corrupt among the elves.  They had sacrificed too many of the forces they had brought through to buy time.

"However, there is an option if you feel that the elves would not suffice to stop them. Two others came through—Naiv and Arvan. But they sought no followers and have been forgotten. But they came through as well. Arvan’s adepts were powerful—they inflicted harm on the enemy and destroyed many of their lower creatures. But the training they gave, we know nothing of. Naiv was a goddess of Light—not the Sun, but Light itself. Her people in Hallek, they fought in the wastes until all of them died. Only when the last of them died, and their cities fell, did Naiv come through. Then Naiv and Arvan warned the council of gods, and then retreated to a small place in the outer planes. I would think that she might be willing to become a part of the religion of Glordiadel, if she were offered to be allowed to rebreed her people. Arvan was a god of balance, and he has never forgiven himself, at the same time as he cannot change his nature to exclude the evil."

She promises us an ancient book on this, taken from the Homeworld.

The Council discusses setting up an ostensibly pro forma civic religion in Enclaves, with Arvan at its secret center.

Arvan, Lesser God, Deity of Balance, dealt with adepts (psions), and was worshipped primarily by the elite classes (knights and above) from Hallek

Naiv, Lesser Goddess, Goddess of Light, Lawful Good, dwelt in High Hallek (the highlands and the mountains), and expected her folk to be good and lawful.

Gunnora filled a similar role in Hallek as she does in Aphonion. (Hallek was part of the world of the Dales—it was never united, and small, and had no greater gods.)

"We have been very concerned about this invasion, and we have kept track as well as we could, and even eliminated some minor servitors. But they are more aware of us than they were, and it is difficult for us to tread through the lands their cults were using and be ignored. We don’t make good sacrifices, but we do make good servants. Now, it’s difficult for us to get close. I can tell you that they are not near the strength they wish to be to strike. That is why they are still trying to use human servants. You have cleared out the city—we (clerics of Gunnora) can tell when they are nearby, although not pinpoint it. About 100 feet is easy, but identifying a specific person is very hard."

The Council discusses placing midwives at each of the gates, and throughout the refugee camps. She offers that she can gather perhaps 500 in the near future.

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 108, cont'd]
Kit gets contacted from the Kovanate via the fan: "The Kov of Bormark has sent a full field army, he has committed himself. He went to one of the memorial sites set up by the great lady on the ship, and his eyes have been opened. He has sent a field army to the east, to try to meet up with the Inquisition armies. Where the fortress near us was destroyed, there were four drowan bodies left behind with their hands crossed across their chests, and surrounded by the bodies of their enemies. They are surrounded by a clear energy of some sort, all their heads pointed to a central point, their feet pointed to the cardinal directions, surrounded by a circle of dead Hanalians. There is no decay, each drow with their hands clasped on their chests and swords, with the dead officers surrounding them in positions of defeat and prostration. And there is a clear voice speaking in elven, 'Altir alcamaral Aufaulgautharim.' And there is the banner with the Eldron leaf arranged under the dome. When I stand here, I know, I know that that is not the Queen-Empress. When I leave, that knowledge fades. At each fort except the last one, there is one of these. At the last one, where the ship exploded, they took the bodies of the drow, and they are being mutilated in the capital."

They talk with the midwife about Arthranax/the One Beside/The Blue Star. She says that if he has consumed the Blue Star and Berta, Sytry will not be long after. He would next go after a god with fewer followers, the great human gods have too many to be taken without a great deal more power—Dain, surely. Borsh’tro will be a later target. She asserts that they can stop his plans, but not destroy him, and thus the Gunnorans and hobbits want no credit in any of this, but will do whatever necessary.

Alistair arrogantly says that the House of Ashberry will see Arthranax destroyed, and that part of the difference between the small people and his people is their ambition and willingness to commit to greater things.

The Council talks to Lord Davion about the memorials.

"She is one of perhaps only two dozen Noldar in the world that could pull that off. Her loyalist troops were with her, and they took down these entire fortresses. She channeled the energy of those they killed. Morgrath is First Lord of Death, she channeled the soul energy of those killed, bound them to the bodies of her own fallen, and used the energy of those deaths to breaking an enchantment on a global scale, and changing the flow of time so that the effect will last indefinitely.

"I would have a remembrance dinner for her, even though I am not sure we were related, but we were of the same house, and she went to the West ultimately, as I intend to."
[End session 108]


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## CPaladin

Session 109 (April 16, 2020)

Chund 29 and 30 pass uneventfully.

On the morning of the 31, a polite guard intercepts Dame Brionna at the very beginning of the day. There is a messenger waiting for her, an elf, dressed beautifully, and with a mithril chased scroll. He is a noncom on an elven voller.

"My captain thought you should receive this immediately because we had close intelligence, and to remain with you for a few hours before I apport back."

This is a report from an elven scout voller, observing the battlefields of Hanal, dropping supplies, but not getting directly involved.

The Kov of Bormark sent a whole field army in a direct line east to make contact with the Inquisition line. The captain of the voller believes that he has over extended and could be cut off.

The Council pulls up the scrying map. They can see the destroyed fortifications, and tiny little pulsing gold circles.

They can identify areas of farmland that are not in the Kov’s control, but they seem distractions. The Kov’s men are definitely in a position where forces loyal to the usurper could be moved to cut them off.

They discuss what to do about this—they could send a large force as a feint, but that could get out of control. Out of Enclaves is not reasonable.

The Council identifies the idea of hiring Zorplona-Argoni, and then conclude that it would be better for Princess Anastasia to hire them, with Canberry as the intermediary. Princess Curinirim is amicable, offering 2500 uruk-hai, 50 battle barges, and some handful of drowan officers. Also a half-dozen orog. She views this as a useful way to eliminate some of their excess forces that aren’t needed now that they are no longer taking slaves.

Alistair negotiates an agreement. The battle barges will be rigged to explode—they must not be captured, because Hanal does not have the ability to make them. Princess Curinirim decides to send an arcanadaemon as the general. They agree on 1 tual for each lost battle barge, expecting most or all of them to be lost, and 4 gold per uruk-hai. She expects to be able to destroy all but about 2500 or 3000 of the troops from the four field armies near the south of the position—that might cause them to break and actually win the battle, or might just leave them depleted, but it should buy a week’s time or so for the Kov of Bormark.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 109, cont'd]
Kit gets a message that a small band of dwarves is heading in towards us, and a large group of bandits has gathered to waylay them.

They ask Grandmaster Farsensor if he can scry them. There are 5 dwarves, dressed magnificently, carrying a gold casket (lined in lead).

There are about 200 normal looking humans, lurking in their path, in a way that looks ominous. They’re not professionally armed, but they’re armed. No insignia.

They decide to send a voller to pick up the dwarves, and then send Lord Brightspan with some troops who are well trained but not combat experienced to get a little experience and to smash up the bandits and take some prisoners to interrogate.

The dwarves insist that they give this directly to a member of the royal council. “It’s been a long trip. We had to fight bandits off twice—I almost wondered if someone told them what we were carrying.

“The bandits seemed to know what route we were taking. They hit us twice! There used to be seven of us.

“Well, we got the order, from your chief craftsman probably, a couple of months ago. We can’t deliver 130 ounces of orichalcum—we don’t have that much in reserve! So we brought the 10 ounces we had, and sought to negotiate a price for the rest. The offer wasn’t nearly sufficient—it costs too much to mine and refine to make an agreement at that price. We had sold 6 ounces over the course of the sainted late Archduchess’s reign. These 10 ounces we give as a gift to the Ecumenical Council. To produce another 130 ounces… in less than 10 years… it would require stopping all our other projects.

"If we focused the entire kingdom on orichalcum, we could probably produce 130 ounces in 2 years time, with no more than the loss of 20 lives."

"Are there other sources of orichalcum ore?"

"There’s a small vein in the Iron Hills on Khamista. No other sources on Drucien have ever been found.

"Do you understand the mining of orichalcum? The ore itself is rare, but then it must be specially smelted. When you smelt the ore, to remove the orichalcum, there’s always the risk of explosion. That’s because the orichalcum in its pure state interacts badly with other things in its ore, until it’s fully refined and purified—then it’s safe except in encounter with pure chaos. It takes about 100 tons of ore to smelt pure orichalcum. And then to forge it into anything specific, that requires a grandmaster gemsmith. We’ve always produced a small amount of orichalcum for its use against the enemy. But our primary industry is mithril. We have customers that we’ve developed over millennia for our mithril. And the price he quoted—suggesting 10,000 silver per ounce—I can’t do it.

"We’ve crunched the numbers. If we did it as the captain suggests—safely, in 5 years, perhaps 4, still delivering mithril—at that rate we could reasonably take 40,000 silver per ounce. We would be delivering mithril only in the raw form, because our master smelters and forgers and above would only be working on orichalcum."

Kit notes the need to guard against the enemy striking against them. Scrying or the like.

“I was wondering if we had rot in the kitchen.” He meant it metaphorically. The Council suspects seen-unseen or the like.

"There were a surprising number of explosions and accidents when they smelted the last two. We buried 4 of our young ones.

“Years ago, we fought a war in the tunnels against those who could take on our seemings but not our memories. We haven’t done that test in years. 290 years or so ago, but we stopped doing the test of blood after about 100 years. They cost us hundreds of dwarves the last time. If they’re back in numbers, we have a great problem. I’ll take your team back with us, and I’ll tell the priests.” He seems tired all of a sudden.

The Council talks about making protective jewelry. He suggests mostly mithril jewelry, with a small inset of orichalcum. For weapons, flanges on arrowheads or the like are best—melee weapons would be too dangerous.

He also reports a fairly noxious embassy from the temple of Sytry for the last 2 or 3 years. Apparently trying to engage in proselytization, but perhaps otherwise. They worry about whether the Sytryites may be infiltrators.

(The Council allocates some of the orichalcum to the team they’re sending into Masque to close the gate.)
* * *
The Council goes to the memorial dinner for the Princess Aufaulgautharim. Lord Davion hosts, and any of even vaguely Noldar blood attend, plus a smattering of their human friends, plus us. Lord Davion toasts her, and salutes her returning (which he can do with this group), and shares his memories. The young Noldar Lord shares his memories of the moon ritual. They pass out small glasses of a very potent wine. All those of any Noldar heritage drink down the glasses, perhaps an ounce. Alistair drinks his down, but Kit and Dame Brionna each basically take a ceremonial sip. Alistair experiences, in an incredibly short period of time, her life. Alistair gets a 16 on a Con/Wis check to see how he handles this. He gets a new skill: Common Noldar, 2 ranks.   He also has a great realization about her life:  She did some terrible things, but also some incredibly generous things. The Eldar are simply above things—they don’t do harm unless by error, they try to do some good, but mostly just stay above things. The Noldar are more like humans—they do terrible harm, but also quite good things.

The humans with the young Noldar lord are now psionically entwined with him, and were before this. So they were protected from this.
[End session 109]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 110 (May 13, 2020)

1 Tar-Chund
Alistair plans a reading group for The Grand Book of Strategy by the Lady of Pain and to translate the book.

They speak to a theologian. 

"There is a link between the gods and their followers to a certain degree. That’s part of why it’s odd that Arthranax has very few followers but is a greater god.

"An attack on a god’s followers or hierarchy wouldn’t directly affect the god, but it would disrupt the temple. That would have an effect over the scale of a decade or more, as the temple suffers decay and worship lessens. It would not necessarily weaken the god, but it could separate their connection to this plane. That would take many years. That is very much how the Lady Gunnora came here.

"Most of the followers of Sytry now are the results of proselytization. Most of the descendants of those who came over have loosened their ties. The devotees today, and all of the Knights of Truth, are of native stock. The ones he brought over are the Dale Folk—long lived, call themselves the Elder Race, have some intrinsic magical power. They must resent the casualties they took before coming over. They are now in Zest’qua, and have if anything aligned themselves with the Hastur and provide significant aid to the war. Some of them pay lip service to Sytry, and a few to the Creator, but most follow no deity."

* * *

They discuss what to do with the Sytryan patriarch, and whether there’s a risk of a coup against him. Alistair discusses the possibility of getting them to move while he’s there with Lord Davion, so Lord Davion could intervene to defend the Patriarch. Everyone else pushes back on this idea and insists that instead this means Alistair can't go there. They discuss meeting with the Patriarch without meeting in person.

The Council has a meeting with the ambassador from Holy Cortose. He says that there is a power struggle within Holy Cortose. "There is a large faction that believes we have not been sufficiently forward, and presses the Patriarch to attack the forces of Paranswarm. They argue persuasively that corruption cannot be tolerated and Darkness must be destroyed. But I think that it would be foolish—it would break the Ecumenical Compact and pin down the forces of Paranswarm when they are needed to act against actual corruption."

He says that a representative would not be appropriate, because Alistair is not a theological head. But a psionic contact would be acceptable, especially if it were necessary because of internal matters that needed to be attended to.

"The Knights of Truth would back him if he declared a crusade.

"He could not win an election today. It will only take a few to shift the balance in the Council, but it would only take a few corrupt ones to lead the rest. Given time, he will make the Council over as the elders die.

"The Patriarch must be informed, but the Council must not. The elders and conservatives would not believe any reports about the Blue Star, and it might actually trigger a coup."

He promises to arrange for the psionic meeting.

Grandmaster Farsensor comes to tell the Council that “there is a mighty lady who can only reach you by contacting me. I will connect you now, and bathe later.”

An image forms of Princess Curinirim. “I am sorry to discomfit the Eldar so, but he is more flexible than some, and there is information you should have. A new member of House Moriquendarim has arrived to take charge of the Enclave. While I far outrank him, I was never Enclave mistress. I have no intention of leaving. He has no intention of disrespecting me.

"The Lord Sovereign is Hinusintu Moriquendarim, a psychokineticist, and very, very young. His personal consort is Tinia Tivia Moriquendarim, a twilight elf. He has a seneschal, a bard and I think spy mistress, and a madame, perhaps the head of his harem, and all Twilight Elves. They are young, ambitious, and outmatched—I think they are intended to fail."

Kit asks, “Who benefits if they fail?”

“Hard to say. The King of the Cities of Pain has disappeared.

Dame Brionna asks, “who was his heir?”

“He was a minor god—he would have no heir. Perhaps more accurately a greater saint, but we view him as a minor god. This has created a great deal of disruption among the Moriquendarim, who were particularly loyal to him. 

"This lordling—I think his sire is ashamed of him, and perhaps his choice of consort—if she is indeed his consort--he has already announced that he does not intend to return to slaving. He hopes to merchant luxury goods. They are all painfully young, the oldest barely into puberty. It’s possible that his sire meant to protect him.

"His sire is the offspring of the former Director of Region 9 of the Argoni. The former Director renounced his prior activities some 2300 years ago, and wandered away—reputedly he has buried himself in his magical work, almost like an Eldron—like he renounced his choice in the Kinslaying.

"He has 5 years to make the Enclave self-supporting, and pay a tithe of 10% per year, rising one percent per year to 20%, and then a head tax in a century or so. There is an elite legion of uruk-hai, the expenses of the palace, and the spells to bind the daemons—which must be maintained. It would take some 500 or 1000 gold per month."

"We want him to succeed, but have limited resources to aid him—our trade needs would only raise a fraction of that, but …"

Kit resolves to try to infiltrate the madame’s apparatus with elements of the Naughty Bits.
---

Grandmaster Farsensor suggests that it might be part of a matrix room where the psionic meeting will take place. That would be interesting—he’s unaware of anyone besides one of the blood who could power a matrix. He’s happy to facilitate the meeting and to observe the room.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 110, cont'd]
Dame Brionna heads off to the dwarves to investigate. She brings Aunt Cecilia, notionally the ambassador, 5 squads of Dame Brionna’s people, and some of Kit’s people.

Aunt Cecilia expresses that she likes the dwarves, because they say what they think.

They have some people from the Ministry of Magic teleport them. This rather startles the dwarven guards.

Princess Cecilia admires the stonework the entire way down, quite pleasing the dwarves. She comments that her brother was an engineer, briefly. "He was many things—all of them briefly."

Princess Cecilia continues to have a delightful conversation with the King.

The King agrees to personally show Princess Cecilia and her entourage the mines. Dame Brionna sidles up to a paladin of Dain, likely the King’s chief guard. She mentions quietly that she expects there may be trouble. He nods, and starts making hand signals. The other guards suddenly start being more alert.They’ve been through about a mile of corridors and mine shafts, when they see a handful of human men approaching. In the very midst of discussing stone carving, Aunt Cecilia says, “Great Light, what is that?” She points directly at the foremost of the humans, or apparent humans. He instantly transforms. The Dwarf king pulls out a ceremonial mace and jumps in front of her.

The “human” is changing into something completely non-human and considerably larger than a human. This is not a seen-unseen. Brionna sends an image to Kit, who relays it to Lord Davion.

The Dwarf King and Dame Brionna take up the front of the creature, and her people can surround it. It’s important to decide who gets in the group around it. She leaves one slot for the Dwarf paladin. All of the other slots are taken by human paladins.

It has an AC of 27 in its natural form. It is large, with cat-like features, but they shift. It keeps shimmering. It has some features like a displacer beast, but they cannot look like people. The paladins hit it pretty hard, but it is not badly hurt. The mages cast spells at it, and it resists all their attacks—SR 30. The dwarf king swings his ceremonial scepter, which glitters, but he misses horribly.

The creature turns to the paladin of Dain, and almost contemptuously makes an odd motion with his claw. The paladin of Dain amazingly fails his fortitude save, and the creature is holding a heart in his hand, which he without hesitation shoves in his mouth and starts to chew, as the wounds start closing.

Lord Davion replies immediately to Kit. "That is a greater demon of the one we now know emulates the Blue Star." Lord Davion predicts that they will win, but that they will likely take casualties. Highly magically resistant, completely resistant to cold and lightning; can be affected by fire. Very low intelligence. Unknown psionic resistance, but probably low. There aren’t many of them—surprising that there are any on the Prime. But Arthranax did use them for deep infiltration. He bred them—probably related to the seen-unseen, that’s why they’re so good at shapechanging and infiltration. Lord Davion also heads out as back up.

One of the dwarves jumps into the breach and smacks it, but does no damage without a magic weapon.

The magi enchant the dwarf’s weapon, haste him, and bull’s strength Brionna.

The King beats his magic scepter to a bent twisted wreck against the creature.

The creature breathes a horrible miasma of acid for twenty feet in front of him, engulfing Dame Brionna and the King of the Dwarves. The King saves and would take half damage; Dame Brionna voluntarily fails her save to leap in front of the King; he takes no damage and she takes 68 points of damage. One mage and one cleric dodge the cloud entirely, and one mage and one cleric are engulfed and killed.

Dame Brionna throws a bag of orichalcum dust into its mouth. There is a deafening explosion, and she is hurled back 9 feet, taking 10 points of concussion damage. It was looking a little wounded, but not ragged, but now it is looking very damaged. It has gaping holes oozing some sort of hideous liquid. It is now in a rage.

Two other dwarves rush in, one thinking to pick up the paladin of Dain’s hammer.

Lord Davion teleports in, wearing a crystal breastplate and an evening robe, gesticulating with a laen sword—unusual, since he usually uses metal.

The human paladins are picking themselves up. The clerics run over and heal Dame Brionna, giving her a total of 52 hp back.

The King jumps on its leg, bites it with magical dentures and does 9 points of damage.

The psions manifest inflict pain.

The creature thrusts his hand forward, and it turns into a bony spur and elongates as it thrusts forward at Dame Brionna. It hits three times, with an impale, claw, and a bite. It does 26 hp, 14 hp, and 7 hp.

Dame Brionna does 71 points of damage, beheading it. She then keeps slamming his halberd into its dead body.

“A greater demon of Arthranax. Well, well, well. We’ll need to salt the wounds and burn the body to kill it permanently.”

Princess Cecilia teleported home. She’s very concerned about the “kingy.”

The king expels the Sytryites, but agrees to allow Dame Brionna to interrogate them first.

Lord Davion comments, "Demons like this are minions to the Demons Supreme of Arthranax, but there are even fewer of those. It will have a handler. There will be a handler nearby. There must be something to contain it—they’re not smart enough to engage in espionage on their own. It looks like the creature was purporting to have a vow of silence, based on how it was dressed."

The Sytryites report that Brother Aloysius was just traveling with them. They thought it was odd when he took a vow of silence, but some do. He also stopped writing—that seemed a little strange, but he continued to attend devotions. He had a hankering for dwarven food, so he did spend some time in the kitchens. That was just after the enormous lightning storm on the open road.

"They were sent as an expedition to meet with the dwarves by command of one of the patriarch’s advisors to discuss the purchase of orichalcum and to advise on certain things. Brother Aloysius was the leader of the group. He would have been the one to speak for us. He was supposed to convince the king to raise the level of orichalcum production. The honored council member thought it would be appropriate. He had gifts, but did not have the full confidence of the Council. A representative of the Most Reverend Algernon Brockton."

(Alistair gets 100 extra xp for noting that it has to be one of them, or one of their animals, because the handler had to be introduced on the open road.)

Lord Davion finds nothing in the kitchen. They report that he loved dwarven bread—they’ve never seen a human that liked that before.

Dame Brionna finishes checking the blood of the Sytryites, and goes to the stables. There is a missing horse. Both of the stable dwarf boys have had their throats neatly slit, and they have been bled.

One of the clerics casts speak with dead. “What did the creature that killed you look like?” 

“It was a horse, and then became me, and slit my throat and drained my blood and drank my blood.”

Lord Davion notes, “Drank his blood? It will then be days before it can be detected by the test of blood.”

They call for a great assembly.
[End session 110]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 111 (May 27, 2020)

2 Tar-Chund
A scroll case is discreetly handed in to Alistair and Kit, with the characteristic burning at the edges that indicates teleportation.

It is a message from an Ear within the Enclave of Zorplona-Argoni. [Attached]

“Lord Raf” is how they refer to Quinliart Moriquendarim, who killed Alistair’s father and is the renegade in league with the Abomination of Shurr.

They believe that three years ago, Quinliart traveled south with one man-o-war and 2 scout vollers, and one of the scout vollers was shot down after gratuitously attacking a legion of Drucien.

Princess Curinirim attacked his facility in the mountains, and then he disappeared.

Action items from the letter from the Ear:

Suggest that they search for a handler or the equivalent for the greater demon of Arthranax.
Suggest to the Temple of Morgrath that Region 2 of the Aragoni ought not to be dealing with demon cults, especially not demon cults aligned with the Shadowlands.
Continue trying to figure out what happened to Quinliart/Lord Raf. Perhaps offer to pay them for information on Lord Raf, or more for dealing with him.
Lord Davion and Dame Brionna begin planning to find the handler. Lord Davion suggests it is likely powerful in magic, but almost surely not psionic. He brings two faerie dragons out of his bag, briefs them, and they become invisible.

Lord Davion says that the only beings from their plethora that can attain both intelligent forms and unintelligent forms is a greater seen-unseen. But they were not known to have brought any through from their home plane. That suggests that Arthranax might be creating his own in our plan. Or it could be incapable of emulating a person well, but simply emulating a horse, and then taking on a very simple seeming of a person. In that case, it could be a seen-unseen, or something that had started as a creature such as a seen-unseen and then taken on greater power—“name” status as its used in demonology and so forth. We know that they have not breached the planar barrier sufficiently to bring through a greater seen-unseen—so if there is one here, Arthranax made it here.

The gates have been sealed, and large groups are gathering everyone in, in groups. Finally, after some time, at the same time as Aunt Cecilia points and says, “there, right there,” a young dwarf erupts into a different shape, and Lord Davion flies forward. Aunt Cecilia vanishes, and Dame Brionna begins trying to clear people out of harms way.

The dwarf great hall suppresses some of the creature’s magic, as the faerie dragons pop in and out of reality and cast spells at it, and Lord Davion battles it with his laen swords.

“It achieved a name—surely by killing so many people, it’s hard to understand. But it was not a greater seen-unseen. I also think it was the last of its kind on this world. It cursed me roundly, because it thought that it was the last hope of its master to stop the mining of orichalcum. It could not speak any tongue but its own.”

Dame Brionna asks, “how should it be disposed of?”

“Orichalcum dust would destroy it, but it would cause an explosion. Or perhaps a wizard could bind it…”

Dame Brionna suggests that, since this is a place where orichalcum is mined, that might be easiest, if the area could withstand it. The Dwarf King assures them that it can. So they scrape some orichalcum powder over the pool of goo, which then explodes and is clean.

They’re invited to the ceremony to honor the dead dwarves, every 5 years.

Dame Brionna sends her teams to search for traps around the orichalcum.

They find and dispose of some traps.

(They have considerable good will with the dwarves. The dwarves consider them friends.)

Kit takes out her fan, and focuses in on when of the six dots that had not appeared before, now with a slight red dot.

<<Honored Mouth>>

<<Thank you for reporting on that demon. That’s very important. They always have a handler—they’re not intelligent to act on their own. Investigate the staff. Possibilities for handler: the less dangerous possibility is a cultist of Arthranax, they will have a tattoo like this. The other possibility is a seen-unseen. The test is that they do not bleed as a person bleeds. They have ichor.>>

A picture forms in response of a tall, elegantly garbed Noldar male. He has a ring that looks like the tattoo she showed.

<<Is that Lord Raf?>>

The image nods.

<<So then since he’s not there, he must have an agent. Or perhaps controlled from afar.>>

The image shakes its head, no others with the tattoo. It indicates the Seneschal did careful far sensing investigation.

She also shows images of the casualties they took fighting the greater demon.

They suggest that it be burned and salted—they currently have it in a lead casket.

She suggests a drow officer, and a priestess of death with some form of undead standing behind and with it. The undead creature starts multiplying with skeletons.

<<Is this a current situation?>>

She nods. There’s then a huge floorplan of a palace, with a heroic image of the captain of the guard (her husband) and a handful of people.

She shows the map of the whole Enclave. One spot grows, and it’s filled with legions of uruks, and the seneschal shakes his head and purses his lips and explains something.

Kit asks for more information about Lord Raf. She projects an image of much time, and then a female Noldar they don’t recognize hands a scroll written on platinum to Lord Raf, and she flips her hands dismissively. Time passes, and they see a chamber, heavily ornamented, and a Twilight Elf sitting at a huge desk with an enormous ledger. The same Noldar enters, argues with the Twilight elf, and then stabs a dagger into the Twilight Elf’s heart. Then loads gems, and coins, and hoard coins into a bag of holding. Then the woman, in the chamber with the body, shakes her head, and then gestures and drow construct a crystal sarcophagus in the chamber, and she casts a binding over the sarcophagus. Then, after much time, another Twilight Elf comes in, and then the woman receives a scroll, gathers a whole group of drow, and departs. Then much time, then the younglings arrive.

Kit asks for any information about the children that were kidnapped and enslaved, if there are any records of where they were taken. If any are still alive, she wants to find them and return them to their families.

An image of the ledgers appears again.

<<Any way you could get a copy of those?>>

A nod, cautiously.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 111, cont'd]

Evening of 7 Tar-Chund

Lord Brightspan approaches. There is an unusual voller tying off; made entirely of white laen. It flies a personal noble’s flag, likely of an Eldar. Alistair dimly recognizes it as being one he saw in Enclaves. An officer steps in shortly, “Majesty, a personal representative of Dame Brenda of Enclaves.” Alistair remembers that there is a secretive, very wealthy Enclave, covered in trees.

A paladin of Eru enters, probably a gray elf, not Eldar. “My mistress has sent me to see you, your majesty, and your council.”

“We have been in Enclaves since it began, and before, and before that. We have adapted to conditions, we have kept to ourselves, we have provided balance to certain forces of our ancient foes. They are aware of us, but most of the rest of the City knows us only as standoffish, and wealthy, and as they learned millennia ago, uninvadable. Even if a way were found for us to work in concert with the foe, to sustain stability for a time, you should not count on Enclaves and its surround to be a stable force in the area for more than a brief span of years.”

The Council offers to be an intermediary with the Zorplona Moriquendarim, in particular Princess Curinirim—who she says is the only one with sufficient psionic power to matter.

They also discuss the idea of bringing in Balanzar to stabilize Enclaves. She is amenable to the idea, and offers to—through a blind—offer funding.

"Many years ago, before Enclaves, the area where we were, and the area to the West were used by many Eldron as workshops. The Kinslaying struck hard there. The Eldron had other elves as followers. We left our lord, but did not depart from Eru. Dame Brionna and two others remain from those days. We built our woods, and when the humans began to build their canals, and then their divisions among Enclaves, we did likewise, and we sent a representative when they call. We do not have contact, because we fear recreating a divide among the humans."

She gives us a lozenge of crystal that will allow Grandmaster Farsensor to make direct contact with the Dame.

(They are aligned with the Eldar, but not part of their political structure. They don’t even directly acknowledge the Overqueen. They do directly acknowledge the Hastur, and send some of their young there.)

* * * 
[The Council discusses a document about the structure of the Aragoni.  I'm not sure where this came from in game, but it's attached.]

Alistair and Kit discuss recruiting a Naughty Bit to infiltrate Lord Relenor’s floating brothel, in Region Eight.

It could be a very useful source of information, although highly dangerous.

* * *

Alistair begins to read the Book of Grand Strategy. He reads 15 minutes the first day, 45 minutes the second day, and starts to see a pattern. He appears to be in the course of summoning a daemonic field marshal. He appears to be bound into the book as a professor.

If he were released, he cannot be rebound by any in Canberry—he’s very powerful. He also would be bound to instruct, but would then be free. And instruct in what is a question. He would really like to manifest. The book is also very interested in blood, probably because the Lady of Pain created it and made the bindings.

Kit becomes the translating intermediary, because her translation can’t trigger the binding and evoke the field marshal bound into the Book, and dictating the translation to a scribe with no magical ability whatsoever.

Her scribe does not gain a feat in Grand Strategy, but does become a chess master.

* * *

Dame Brionna inquires of the artillery commander who brought down the scout voller.

“That was extraordinary. I suppose it was blind anger that made us return fire. It was sailing low—we were scouting beyond the borders, an entire legion. We were support troops. We saw a shadow passing over us—a great Nolder warship and two smaller vollers. It swept down and raked us with death rays, killing a half dozen men and some of the mules. I think it was sport to them? They were bored? In a fit of rage, I ordered us to return fire and we did. It was not large. We hit it, and it came down. And then realizing what we had done, we took hiding, because we could not bring down a man-o-war. We then came out of hiding and breaching military procedure, we raided the wreckage. It was all my fault. There was a single body—not a Noldar, nor a drow, but perhaps a Shadowelf or Twilight elf—and 4 drow. We stripped them of their belongings, and a single death ray mount. I let the men keep the coinage. The armor disintegrated over time—from the drow. The other elf was dressed in glass. That’s also in the armory along with the single death ray mount. We performed the rite of the Sun for the dead. There was an odd cage on board; pretty sure it was dead. It looked like a cross between an owlbear, and some sort of squid. It was dead, and the vegetation near it was dead, too. We buried it and blessed it.”

(Sounds like a seen-unseen.)

“Did anyone act strangely after that? Leave your unit?”

“Some were shaken up—we were a small unit, and we lost six. But not other than that.”

The Council sends out a group to look for the black boxes and to check on the body.
[End Session 111]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 112 (June 17, 2020)

8 Tar-Chund
The Patriarch of Sytry is on Khamista, and much further ahead in the day. As a result, they have to wake up bright and early, before dawn, to have their meeting while it’s still day.

Kit has a message from her source in Enclaves when she wakes up. She thinks it’s from the same person. The Moriquendarim is trying to fix matters from before, by turning the murdered treasurer into a mummy. Our agent is at risk of discovery, but we conclude there’s nothing we can do about it except to passively monitor the fan to see if anything changes. [Attached.]

The ambassador from Sytry arrives. Grandmaster Farsensor joins us to mediate the psionic connection. He arrives in all his floaty glory and offers us lembas.

He makes the largest, most grandiose psionic globe we’ve ever seen. A very stark, severe room—almost empty, pure white room, with a single gold armed chair—appears. There is a sun on a pure white arrow pointing up. A thin, not very old man, in plain white cotton robes with a very odd waist tie, like a monk’s belt, but made out of some very coarse brown thread. Other than two men in gilded armor that looks completely gold standing in the background, he is alone.

The Patriarch stands and nods, “I am glad to have this chance to speak with you. We have concerns as well, mostly in the last two days.”

They bring forward a lead crystal globe. The Farsensor focuses on it. It’s like there’s some sort of slime in the vessel, but occasionally rippling. “This began to fall two days ago, throughout the lands of Holy Cortose. It is not rain; it is in some way a curse. It is consuming the crops… and the serfs. The light has never fallen before and it began abruptly the night before last. Particularly as the Hierarchs have called so many troops here, and as we do not have many friends who could sell us grain… it is troubling. I assume it is a natural phenomenon, but…”

Alistair says that the Council thinks it is likely an attack.

(Dame Brionna concludes rapidly that the Patriarch is profoundly faithful, kind, and totally out of his depth—perhaps deliberately so.)

His advisors argue for an attack against the See of Darkness to the West. Hierarch Garret presses most fervently, but he is backed by the Grandmaster of the Knights of Truth. Hierarch Rafael argues in accord with the Imperial Council that the Paranswarmians would not break the Ecumenical Alliance—if they intended to attack, they would lawfully withdraw first.

Alistair begins describing the issues in Hanal, and the connection is attacked by three extraplanar sources—not psionic. Two are on the Abyss on different planes, one on the Ethereal.  The Council calls for the Archbishop of the Light to reinforce them, and contacts Dame Constance and Lord Davion for back-up.

“I felt a great power; I have felt that before; something was trying to attack me.”

Alistair proposes a holy crusade against the Shadowlands.

He can connect that to the bannerets in Delwan. They hold part of the border with the Shadowlands.

"I will declare this crusade ex cathedra after I speak to the Knight Commander of the Knights of Truth."

Dame Constance arrives. “I can see the link to the Farsensor’s connection. I need to draw a bead on it, and I need to watch the connection.”

Alistair begins telling the Patriarch about the true nature of the Blue Star. Members of the outer guard begin rushing to assault the Patriarch; his personal guard are fighting to defend him.

They arrange for the ambassador to be teleported back with Lord Davion and the strongest coercers and farsensors (other than the grandmaster) they can rally, to defend the Patriarch.

Dame Constance finally identifies them and sends some black balls of energy after them. “They were a nest of githyanki, turned to chaos—I did not even know that it was possible. They were attacking from the etheric plane. They were attacking with magic.”

Kit asks, “What about the attacks from the Abyss?”

“Similar forces of evil, tied to this ancient evil in short-sighted stupidity. If you believe that the Queen of Chaos is stupid enough to believe, as was Berta, that she could make an alliance with this thing… that could explain many things.”

Our recent reinforcements rush in, and begin fighting the traitors. Eventually, Lord Davion returns, covered in blood, while the bishop continues to rally loyalists. “We have secured these halls. I recommend that you move soon to a more defensible place. Also, you are down a hierarch—Garret thought that he could take on me. He was not familiar with one of my race, and I had to demonstrate this by decapitating him repeatedly.”

Alistair confirms with the Patriarch that the fact that Garret’s head kept reattaching itself is indication of heresy.

They ask him to contact Sytry and warn Him of the threat from Arthranax. He agrees to contact Sytry. Also, Lord Davion continues to accompany the Patriarch to defend him.

Finally, they ask him to bless Alistair and his family. The Patriarch’s happy to do so, including blessing Kit's pregnancy--many Sytryite realms are not monogamous. He then goes off to commune with Sytry, and they release the connection.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 112, cont'd]
They send the faerie dragon to open contact with the crystal dragons, and find out if they’re now available to be hired. He brings a gift of gems.

They discuss how the attack happened. It could have been a spell left in the Patriarch’s chamber to monitor them. That’s the most likely since they were corrupted.

Dame Constance guesses that the ooze is chaos ooze, a material that infests some of the planes of the Abyss. Given time and enough of it, and it will ingest any biological form. It’s like gray ooze or the like. Given time, it can even etch stone. A rain of chaos ooze would require a very powerful spell. A domain level spell, or perhaps a boon granted to a magus or cleric not quite of that status.

A disheveled and bloody pit fiend appears with a pop. “Mistress… they are defeated.”

“You’re the only one left, aren’t you?”

It raises a clawed thumb.

“Well, that was expensive. Still, you did well. I release you from the rest of your service, and dismiss you to any plane other than this one.”

Discussing the ooze, she says, “Get me a sample, and I will confirm that it is chaos ooze, and perhaps determine a plane of origin. I don’t think it’s Zuggtmoy—she has a brain. Some of the others—Xanadar? Perhaps.”

* * *

Dame Brionna has a military report. [Attached] The battlelines in Hanal have stabilized and should be able to hold through the winter, and the Cov of Boromark has made contact with the Inquisition army. It probably doesn’t make a long-term difference in the war, since the usurper still has more power, but it stabilizes things.

The South Kingdoms have rallied around the crown, especially with the Empress’s new status. But there are lots of problems with rogue slavers—not officially Argoni, but selling to the Argoni. We need to counter them to retain support, but we don’t have enough troops there at present.

The Council plans to dispatch the entire 18th Field Army of irregulars and 3 legions of the cavalry and 2 legions of light crossbowmen of the 22nd. They also pass the word among the old nobility of the South Kingdoms that they need to act now to stabilize the area, suppress slaving, and build support for the Empress Caitlyn and Alistair, or that they will not continue to have meaningful titles.

(The 23rd and 24th field armies will now be up to the point of being green.)

9 Tar-Chund
Lord Davion returns the following morning.

"Once the Patriarch emerged secure, the Knights of Truth were unwilling to fight on either side. We were able to suppress the other side with some 4000 casualties, mostly on the other side. The Sytryites were brutal in suppressing them once they were confident that they were heretics.

"The oddest thing were the trio of demons I had to kill. They were disguised as angels of Sytry—I don’t expect demons to be that clever. All you have to do is look at their psychic signature, and the difference is clear. But they were physically disguised as perfect copies.

"Oh, and this might be useful to you. He holds out a small stone. It’s a hearing stone. Attune it by physical proximity, and set a trigger word, and you will be able to hear it. It was in the patriarch’s audience chamber.

"The matrix is a powerful, full matrix, Eldron or Eldar in make, possibly from before the division. It was a communication matrix, but has been repurposed. Even though someone has repurposed it, it doesn’t believe in intervening in human affairs. It is intelligent and immobile, but very powerful—more powerful than me," says Lord Davion. "It tolerated me, because it approved of what I was doing."

They plan on sending over Grandmaster Farsensor, when they can, to both examine the matrix and communicate with it, and to search out any lingering heretics or traitors among the Sytrites.

Dame Constance confirms that it is chaos ooze. She begins divinations on which plane it’s linked to, and therefore which demon lord—that will take 4 days.

13 Tar-Chund
Dame Constance reports on her results with the ooze.

“The chaos slime hails from the layer of the Abyss known as Shevacla, the layer of the Slime Pits, and Lord Jubilex. I would not have guessed that Jubilex would involve himself, but he either has, or lesser creatures following him have. The slime sample is largely composed of the get of Afithix, the shards of Lord Jubilex’s being that are continuously shed and thus have the hint of sentience. The entire rain of slime was barely sentient. The crops will not recover. It’s very close to the end of the harvest anyway—those that weren’t brought in, too late to plant anything new. Anything that wasn’t brought in, will almost all have rotted. By the spring, it will be cleansed. People who were burned by it can be healed. It will be as if they were burned by acid. Had they pooled, they might have been a larger danger.”

They send a message that the Sytryites need to check for anywhere it might have pooled and agglomerated, because it will grow in intelligence and gain spell abilities as it agglomerates.

They reach out to Glordiadelian realms on Khamista to encourage them to sell grain to Sytry.

They reach out to the Holy See of Paranswarm, informing them of the Sytry crusade, and encouraging them to redeploy some of their armies to Hanal now that the armies of Sytry are redeploying.

* * *

The faerie dragon also reports that the crystal dragons were hired to attack the Paranswarmians if the Paranswarmians attack Holy Cortose anytime in the next 5 years. The contract isn’t voided by the death of the person who created it—remains in place for the next 5 years no matter what.

The Council thinks about whether they can technically get the crystal dragons to fight the Hanalians, but the contract is probably too specific, and the crystal dragons are pretty smart.
[End Session 112.  As a side note, at the end of this session, the PCs leveled up to 18th level, not that it matters much.]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 113 (July 1, 2020)

Tar-Chund 14
They receive a report of 4 field armies departing through the mountain pass to the Southeast of Holy Cortose. [Attached]  They marched directly into a large white mist, with bits of flames. They did not emerge. The mists showed up about an hour before the army arrived—vollers of the Duchy of Ergmoth observed them disappear.

They call for Dame Constance and Grandmaster Farsensor. He begins scrying for remnants of the gate. He finds an area where, over 5 or 6 acres, everything is dessicated and dead. “Here. I can find the remnants of the gate. It sucked the life out of the earth as it worked.”

"Where did they go?"

“Dame Constance?”

She grumbles, and then her vision shifts far, far to the south to a huge island.

"I knew there was a third place. There are demons and eldritch spawn there. This is obviously the third place that they were trying to break through. It’s an abandoned land, no humans since the Day of the Dead when they were enslaved by the Argoni and it was cleared out. They are a pair of islands to the west of the islands of the Archbarony of Mandrath."

They discuss sending a devil to spy. The risk of discovery is too high, they conclude. So instead they send a psionic spy eye, because they have very weak psionic defenses, except perhaps for the githyanki. Dame Constance is confident that she eliminated the githyanki.

Kit contacts the spy mistress of Mandrath and tells her what they’ve found. They also ask her to keep track of any signs of food to supply the army.

Dame Constance notes that they placed seals to allow for the teleportation. "This was beyond domain magic. There was ritual magic stretching back months or years, likely with sacrifice. That sort of magic hasn’t been used at least since the Second Age. Humans are incapable of it, and it can kill elves. The Unseelie could do it, but likely wouldn’t. A sufficient sacrifice of elven and fey blood might allow an adept to do it. But it was likely done by Arthranax, most likely by indwelling in a human vessel. If we could find out where he had traveled, we might be able to find likely spots."

They ask the Sytryites for records of Hierarch Garret’s travels, to see if they can identify other possible sites he might have prepared.

They also renew our requests to the archives for studies of noble geneology and anything that seems out of place or planned, or arranged.

The Council calls for Bishop Waters, and they ask him about the Day of the Dead. 

"It was a mistake. Each age ends with a day of the dead; the longer the Age has run, the more delicate the balance is. The Fourth Age was long, but no one thought that the balance was close to tipping. And then a certain elven prince of the highest blood got ahold of the color Blue, and forgot his theology and used the color Blue to attack Lord Morgoth, and instead of prevailing, he precipitated the Day of the Dead. He did all the proper things, did all the proper quests, became the Blue Mage, and then he wished that Krashmere were Blue, thinking that that would overthrow Morgoth. Within the ancient wood he ruled—the High Wood, daemons and loths erupted from the earth and the sky, and the dead arose, and there was carnage. Two thousand elves died. The Argoni moved fast to enslave and pillage in response.

[If you think this sounds like the action of a PC having catastrophic effects on the game world, you're not wrong.   This was well before I started playing in Aphonion, however.]

"No one foresaw it. There were other odd movements. Neither the Eldar nor the Noldar nor the great oracles foresaw it.

"The Wood has been retaken—the Wood of Hope and Salvation is what the younger brother of the prince named it after he retook it. But it is still tenuous."

"Do you know anything of the Hierarch of Sytry named Garret?"

"Yes. He hoped he might ascend, but the other hierarchs voted against him and installed the present hierarch less than 3 years ago. Ultimately only two of the hierarchs voted for him, though he was thought to be a shoe-in."

They tell him that he turned to Arthranax.

"Extraordinary. He of all of them should have known better. He was highly trained in the arts of magic as well as priestly matters. I can’t imagine he was corrupted as a hierarch—that someone could be corrupted and then rise to be a hierarch seems more likely."

They decide they need to warn the Sytryites to be very careful vetting any replacement hierarchs and the new Knight Commander of the Knights of Truth.

The Council summons the Ambassador of Sytry. They ask after the Patriarch.

“He is well, and he is safe. He speaks with the God, and the conversation is long. We believe he also seeks dispensation to stop suppressing psionics. Sytry is a rigid faith, but psionics can perhaps prevent corruption in the future.”

They encourage the patriarch to be cautious in selecting Hierarchs or senior Knights of Truth—there may still be hiding heretics.

“His confessor advises likewise. We may request that Grandmaster Farsensor visit and assist.”

The Council explains what happened to the four field armies.

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 113, cont'd]
19 Tar-Chund
They have a big party before Lammes; it’s pretty debauched and gets a little out of hand.

20 Tar-Chund
Lammes is a religious festival of fasting and penance. Alistair makes a big show of public participation, and does his best to observe perfectly what he’s supposed to do. He’s probably only mediocre at it, though.

Days pass.

As Skulltane approaches, there’s an obvious tightening of security. Report frequencies increase. But the countryside has been pacified, and the day passes peacefully.

12 Ras
They go to Dame Constance’s laboratory. There’s a strange Rube Goldberg device occupying most of the laboratory, with imps feeding balls into one end.

“So. I have done research, the nature of which I will not reveal to those of weak stomach, but: Jubilex has given allegiance to Arthranax. He has always been a laughing stock in the Abyss, and he believes he can get a better deal from Arthranax. He has renounced his allegiance to the Council of Six and through them to Borsh’tro. He has given his allegiance to Arthranax willingly. However, firstly, he has gained the enmity of Zuggtmoy, the Mother of Fungus, who rules the neighboring plane of Fungi. Other than Malacat, the present Queen of the Succubi, Zuggtmoy is one of the more reasonable of the rulers of levels of the Abyss. But, allegiance to Arthranax gives him an in in the Abyss. I was able to learn that through an intermediary he has been holding negotiations with the imprisoned Queen of Chaos. Even at my age and with my experience, my stomach wasn’t strong enough to do some of the things I would have needed to find out how long. The Queen of Chaos has an advantage; she is not as foolish as Jubilex, and she knows more of Arthranax’s history. Also, the Hells and the Abyss alike are riven with rumors of divisions within the celestial realm of Sytry.”

“Are their topics or speculations about this division?”

“Yes, especially among the devils. The devils were once angels. They remember, though they have bred over time. They believe a similar split is happening to Sytry. The great lords are not happy about this. The Nine Archdevils have ruled their realms under the despotic but largely benign neglect of Lord Paranswarm for thousands of years. They do not want rivals to their power. The minions are more concerned about being forced into warfare by their masters. Dispater’s are particularly vocal, because they would take the brunt of it. But I do not think that if there is a fall, they will go to the Hells. They could continue fighting an eternal war in the heavens. Or they could claw out a different realm. Lord Glordiadel could throw out rebels. But Sytry, though similar in aspect, is much weaker. The plane would support Sytry, but the Blue Star is in open rebellion, and is a god of greater power than Sytry.

“I captured a specimen, that once served Sytry and now serves the Blue Star. It came too close to the edge of its plane while I and several devils were observing.”

Sytry would have to permit Glordiadel to act in his realm in order to allow Glordiadel to force them out.

Dame Constance suggests that Gunnora might be able to help, and Sytry might be more amenable to accept aid from her.

They also discuss the Seductress—Dame Constance knows of her as a Duchess of Hell turned major demon, but Lord Davion referred to her as a Noldar. She might well be both, and Dame Constance would be inclined to rely on the knowledge of the great elves, rather than her books. A major Noldar could become a Duchess of Hell by sheer power.

"It is unfortunate that you likely cannot convince the Bleeding Lady to take action. I would be very cautious about approaching her, even through intermediaries. She has never forgiven the death of her beloved husband at the beginning of time. She is very powerful, but also insane."

They also inquire about the disappearance of the Prince of the Twin Cities of Pain. 

"He is a demigod, perhaps greater, power Noldar. His absence, at a time when Arthranax is both consuming gods and godlings, and recruiting powerful allies including from among the great Noldar, seems concerning."

Dame Constance suggests summoning the Archivist, who can be compelled to answer 19 questions. They can be compound, but they must be very carefully formulated.
[End Session 113]


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## CPaladin

Session 114 (July 15, 2020)

13 Ras
A major blizzard roars outside.

The Council calls for Lord Davion. He has brought a nut roll.

Alistair asks, "Are there southern continents?  All the ones we know of are in the northern hemisphere."

"There are. They are not civilized. Some tribes—human, ork, some trolls, the Old Men. They were the first humans—they weren’t quite perfect. A handful of elves, but not many, and wild elves, but who counts them, anyway?

"What do you mean the Old Men weren't perfect?"

"The Old Men were the first attempts of the human gods to make humans, and they didn’t get everything right. They are sometimes very violent; some of their organs aren’t right.

"There are some somewhat civilized coastal civilizations of people who came from the North—but they want nothing to do with the North.  I have been there a few times to collect animals for my menagerie."

They adopt some koalas and things from Lord Davion’s expedition to the Southern continents.

"Wait... you said the human gods made the humans.  I thought the human gods arose when humans came into existence, embodying our virtues and flaws."

"The human gods do embody human virtues, but they also created humanity—it's a little complicated, I'm afraid, and I'm not a theologian."

The Council asks about the Seductress. "She was a Noldar, and then she married a Duke of Hell—married may not be right—and stayed with him until he was displaced. She killed his replacement, and then left the Hells in a huff, and became a major demon. She still retains all her powers from that as well as her blood, and is thus one of the vanishingly few demons who are psionically powerful."

He shows them an image of her. It would allow them to trace to where she is, in her palace.  "If there’s a cold forge and you can provide helpers, I can forge something that would be a strong but temporary protection. It might withstand attacks for ten or twenty attacks."

They send someone to investigate whether they have a cold forge among the Noldar relics in the palace. He would need at least two mildly psionic assistants. One being a psychokinetic would be helpful, plus a handful of strong workers.

"You say that she is powerful psionically.  How powerful?"

"The Seductress is a Paragon coercer, but that understates her power.  I am myself a psychokinetic Paragon, but I could not possibly stand against her.  The Bleeding Lady could be protected by her insanity; Goldorim would be protected by his evil; the master of the Aufaulgautharim could, but he would not—he is withdrawn.  Princess Curinirim and the Prince of the Aufaulgautharim might be able to defeat her, but at peril of their lives, especially Princess Curinirim.  The Overqueen could defeat her and live, but she does not leave the Steading of the Elvish Lords."

"Would the Eldar facing her restart the ancient war?"

"No.  She is a renegade, in the truest sense—if she approached one of her cousins, it would cause them to destroy her, even at the cost of their own House. If the Eldar were to move against her, it would not be moving against one of her blood. The Queen of Singing Leaves might be convinced to move, but she would not be a match for her.  Also, her magic grows stronger as you approach her; even a great elf might forget who she truly is as they approached her.

"I would note, that according to things I have heard from daemons, there is great resentment among the hordes of the Abyss, but her power is too great to overcome."

"What about within the Hells?"

"Her Duke of Hell has probably arisen again, but would he be an enemy or an ally?  I do not know.  I am not an expert in the Hells."

Lord Davion also mentions that there are some demon lords that have even turned to benevolence.

By the end of the conversation about the Seductress, Kit and Dame Brionna have completely forgotten about the southern continents.  Alistair has not, but he is of course unaware that Kit and Dame Brionna would not remember the conversation.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 114, cont'd]
Several hours later, the people from the Ministry of the Mind report that they did find a cold forge, way back behind the nethermost wine and root cellars. We ask that they search the whole palace, with wizards and clerics. There is also a matrix screen, with a full array, clearly of ancient elven make and complete. It was a communication array, but is currently completely unpowered. The runes on it are Eldron runes.

They travel down to look at it. There are doors even beyond it, but pretty far in the back, there’s a room with stuff that we assume is the cold forge, and off to one side a screen made out of sandstone with crystals in it.

“That we never be severed from the lords of crystal.”

They speculate that this may be an actual Eldron matrix, possibly linked to the Crystal City Eldron.

It’s distinctly connected to west and north, and asleep.

Lord Davion and Grandmaster Farsensor both confirm it as an Eldron communication matrix.

They shouldn’t be able to manifest here, because “this is the most heavily warded place I’ve seen outside Krashmere.”

Kit salutes the matrix, and a very severely dressed elf in robes woven entirely of psionic crystal appears in a three-dimensional image. “I greet you in the name of the Royal House of Canberry.”

“Canberry? I don’t think I recall a Canberry, but … ah you are from the old communication chamber. I heard that she passed to the North.”

“Can you tell us about her?”

“Her commitment was to the elements of the water and of the air. She built a simple dwelling, near the mountains but to the south. A few dozen rooms, and a small keep above, that was her only building, but she warded them well. She never departed her Eldron capacity in any way. We are saddened that she has departed. She was called Windwhisper. She was well allied with the fey, but she would not commit in the war. It was not for her and not for us, the kinslaying. She put wards of every sort. There was one who would have disturbed her work, who sought her attention in every way. She warded against him, psionically, magically, binding herself to the land through the fey alliance. And are the gifts still there?”

“What gifts?”

“There are crystal golems set to protect her. We are pleased. Her gifts to us still stand as well.

“We are the lords of Crystal. We would not divide ourselves in the great war, but we would also not follow our fathers in the path of our projects. We still tend to our people, and we can when we choose still leave our cities. Our cities still stand proud and beautiful and complete. The Eldron could not complete their projects, but we have completed our cities. With time, most of us grew tired of this realm and passed to the West. Those of us who remain attempt to protect our people from the evil to the North; many of our people are among the small folk.”

They talk about what’s going on in Hanal.

“You may stage any troops you need through our cities. We also have large food supplies that could help. Our reserves are enormous. Also, we must unlimber the vollers. They have not flown since the Second Age.”

They explain the situation with the alliance with Paranswarm. They agree that “the Ruby City will be opened to them and to you, and we will prepare our voller loads. Our vollers are well armed and we do not fear humans.”

He imparts the knowledge of how to activate the matrix and awaken it.

(She also had a defensive matrix; we resolve to find it.)

They ask after the one who was pursuing her. 

"He was a primal incubus, connected to some demon lord."

"The Ram, perhaps?"

"The Ram was the incubus. He sought her, he pursued her, he found some fool to instantiate himself on this realm, but he could not have her."

They ask if he would be willing to provide a blessing for them. He agrees, but says his wife should do this.

A few hours later, a voller arrives at the fastest speed we have ever seen. It’s made of crystal, but ridiculously baroquely ornate. She is attended mostly by halflings, but a few gnomes. She is dressed entirely in woven crystal that glitters like rubies.

They discuss the shrinking population of the Crystal Cities.  "I have argued that the crystals themselves are not conducive to fertility."

They discuss the idea of bringing priests of Gunnora.

Alistair also discusses bringing them in when the Eldron finish their project, and they agree.

She assumes that Caitlyn will not survive because of the twins, but we assure her that she will. She approaches the Empress Caitlyn, and lays hands on her belly, and the air crackles with energy. “I have endowed them as best as I can.” She also blesses Kit’s child, and senses that it is aware, and then opens additional psionic paths.

"Upon the rising of the Silver Moon, join us at the City of Ruby to meet with the Council. You will be safe there. All twelve of us will be there. We were over 200 at the time of the Kinslaying, but now we are twelve. We shall have special lembas prepared and the finest of dishes."

She offers us the blessing of the brothers, that the one who Creates grants long lives and the one who Destroys offers a quick passage through death into the next cycle beyond.

The voller departs with a great deal of light and color and showers of candies, and then when it’s over the walls, it flies away at flank speed. Each of the 200 candies grants a +1 Intelligence modifier to any child who eats it.

Kit executes the pattern to wake up the matrix. 

An enormously cheery voice cries out, “It’s good to be alive! Oh, look at this, it’s a human."

They ask the matrix whether it knows where the defense matrix is.

“The defense matrix is in the defense chamber of course. You don’t know where that is? Oh… but the traps. It has many defenses. First I’m going to show you where it is, but we won’t open the door until the traps have been dealt with. It shows a map, with a secret corridor on it. You must go through the secret corridor, but don’t open the door. If you open the door, it incinerates everything in 120 feet. There also is or was a great energy gout inside the room that you must disarm, or it will irradiate everything in the room every 22 seconds. Once you have those disarmed, you can activate the defense matrix… maybe.

"It will reenergize all the runes in the palace, as well as setting up a defensive screen. It will take more energy to recharge, though. It will take a shielded grandmaster—should be a human. Once they survive the backlash, you’ll be able to talk to it. Farsensing would be best, they have the best chance of surviving."

They ask the matrix to scan Southern Drucien for things that it knows that are important that have been abandoned or forgotten.

They also ask it to contact the Hastur. It does so, just to open communication and let them know that Canberry has a communications matrix.

It explains that we’ll need a Keeper for the defense matrix. A Keeper needs to be very carefully trained and psionically active, but not necessarily strong.

There are war matrices in the Crystal Cities; one in the Lands of Lady Jane Peryton; several in the defensive line of the Hastur; a handful in the Noldar necropolises; and at least two among the Eldar, though none in their areas nearby. None of the ones on Drucien are currently operated. Each would need a full Circle to operate.
[End session 114]


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## CPaladin

Session 115 (July 29, 2020)

Ras 14
Lord Davion brings us a record of the Southern continent from the Archives.  [Attached]  Dame Brionna and Kit don’t know what this is about, because they can't remember the previous conversation. Alistair tests this on the grandson of the Emperor of Tarsh, who immediately forgets it. The wards don’t trigger at all.

Divine magic would be affected by the wards, but the direct action of a deity might not, Bishop Waters says. We call together Bishop Waters, Lord Davion, Grandmaster Farsensor, the Minister of the Mind, the Minister of Magic, and the Empress Caitlyn.

There are two Southern continents. Both are known to the elder elves. The further one is mostly uninhabitable, too far south, but the other has substantial woods and jungles. There are many early creations there—old humans, some of Morgroth’s early failed creations, and other such things. It might have been done to protect the creatures. Many of them are not successful, including several early takes on humanity. The map is from 2340 in the 3rd Age, some 4000 years ago. If the colony survives, it might be very difficult. The great elven gods could cause this effect, as presumably could Glordiadel and Paranswarm, and Berta likely could have before her destruction.

Grandmaster Farsensor expresses that he finds it difficult to focus his vision there.

Lord Davion expresses concern that the great enemy could get a foothold there and no one would know that he were there.

Empress Caitlyn is well aware of Beldron. There are valuable plants and animals there, alchemical matters, and so forth. The royal families of all the Southern Kingdoms knew of Beldron and traded with it regularly. There was a shipment of herbs three days before the intaking.

There was a viceroy in Beldron, more of a punishment than a reward, but still, it remained ruled by the Kingdom of the Isles. No one looked forward to an assignment to Beldron. We are unsure whether Beldron would be able to maintain its security without the Kingdom of the Isles.

The other settlers from the north were mostly pirates who settled there. Over a few generations, they would go native and become part of the continent, with no affection or contact with the north. Unlike Beldron, they would not have been followers of Berta.

Grandmaster Farsensor uses Dame Brionna’s blood to scry, and recognizes the city, which remains intact, patrolled by guards in the armor and livery of the Kingdom of the Isles.

There is a temple near the palace. It looks to be a temple of Berta, and remains fully operational. It looks just like we would expect a functioning temple of Berta to look—no signs of demon worship, although there are surely hidden cults, because Bertan lands always had demons among them.

In the palace, Dame Brionna recognizes Lord Uastros from her childhood—presumably the viceroy. He was a good warrior, a competent administrator, and loyal. He must have offended the old king somehow.

Grandmaster Farsensor guides a bird in to examine the documents that Lord Uastros is looking at.

(Grandmaster Farsensor also says that the fact that he can scry at all suggests a weak deity’s intervention—consistent with Berta and then Arthranax taking over after he consumed her.)

Lord Uastros is preparing a long account of taxes with a message to the king. He also reports that the barbarians to the west are becoming more aggressive and threatening the city—the implication is that he needs some reinforcements. He’s quite concerned about the lack of contact for three years, and that none of his messengers return. They’re clearly being intercepted, but if they headed to the old capital, they’d get wiped out anyway—the old capital is occupied by demons and demonspawn and is terribly dangerous.

The barbarians to the west start about 35 miles away. They are bizarre humans, not shaped normally but with heads in their bellies, one giant foot coming from their heads, and so forth. They have leather tents, longhouses, and a variety of other things. They have a group of other people who look like them tied up in the middle, and there is a person haranguing them. We can’t make out what he’s saying—it’s cacophonous noise—but he has carvings in his flesh that make us uncomfortable to look at, and he continues yelling at them, while they do not respond at all. And he suddenly leaps forward and strikes through one of them with a bronze sword and kills her. The others don’t respond or say anything.

“Does anyone recognize the carvings in his flesh?”

Lord Davion says, “That is of the Abomination.”

Kit identifies it as a curse. It looks like he willingly accepted a curse onto himself in exchange for something.

The bird also approaches what looks to have been an old temple of Berta, but it has been struck down, trashed, and there is also a dead dog-headed person, wearing skin robes and a holy symbol of Berta.

There is no obvious military area, no clear leader other than Arthranax leader.

Finally, one of the strange humans eats the bird whole.

There were several weak psionic presences in the city.

By the end of the investigation, they’re quite confident that this was an effect of Berta, taken over by Arthranax, and used to both take the Southern Kingdoms and advancing that plot while also.

The Minister of the Mind is able to remember this and then remembers that he has seen books about the southern continents—we ask for copies of them. The Minister of Magic totally fails to understand this all.

They also discuss Keepers—it requires taking on a completely monastic lifestyle, with no personal connections.

They plan with Empress Caitlyn, and she arranges to send a ship to reach out to Beldron. They arrange to send a party of about six PC types—an ambitious archdeacon interested in taking a flier on becoming Bishop of Beldron, a wizard, a psion, some other supporters.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 115, cont'd]
We meet with Lady Constance to inquire of the Archivist of Hell, a Duke of Hell, though he rarely remembers that. She smashes a fantastically valuable ruby, and burns it in a vessel.

About the Seductress (renegade of House Goldorim)
"Is the Usurper and pretender to the Throne of Hanal the Seductress?"

"It certainly is. It’s been terribly disturbing to watch."

"Who was or were her infernal paramours, and what is their current status?"

"Her paramour in Hell was Amenendiel. He is utterly destroyed. He does not even rise as larva. It’s very disturbing. She tricked him into accompanying her into the Abyss, where the Abyssal lord that she took as her paramour destroyed him. But that was before her son was born."

"Who is the son of the Seductress, any other children of hers, and what is their status?"

"Archduke Valek, commander of 30 legions in Dispater’s cult. She thought that betraying her husband to her lover and raising their son as a demon would be sufficient to turn him against the hells, but he fled back to the hells as soon as his wings were strong enough. He hates his mother, but what is he to do?"

"Does the Seductress have any major enemies who would be motivated to seek to defeat her?"

"Well, Valek would seek to defeat her, but he cannot enter the Prime with his legions, and alone he would be no match for even one of the elder elves with us. Malacat hates her, but she is not a warrior queen. You might be able to manipulate Dispater into action, but I’m not certain Dispater could even defeat her. He does appreciate Valek’s loyal servitude, which might motivate him to take some action if he could be convinced."

"Does the Seductress know that she’s allied with Arthranax, the One Other, and if so, why is she willing to work with him?"

"Oh, she most definitely knows who he is. She is willing to work with him, because she believes that she can handle him as she has Amenendiel and her paramour in the Abyss, and that together, if they play their cards right, they can wind up ruling these planes. He is not as greedy for life force as the other eldritch. But that would require her to destroy both Eiru and Morgroth, Glordiadel and Paranswarm, and all the hordes of hell; I find this tremendously unlikely, but she could create a lot of problems for you folk. She is correct that he is less greedy for life force."

"What is her plan, and what portions of it has she accomplished?"

"Her plan is his plan. They have formed a web of alliances, most of whom they are using, both on the mortal planes and the supernal planes, and they are acting now. They are greatly discomfited by not having won the battle in the Spicelands. They have been misleading She of the Bone and the One Beside into thinking they are loyal to the triads plan. They are not. They want you to seal them out, so they are not forced to move on from this plane—without those two, there is enough life force to sustain them indefinitely."

"Who are her major subordinates?"

"Remaining ones? The Lord of Rams. It took sleeping with him a few times, but the One Other is not jealous. Oh, and they’ve produced a small group of demonspawn that you may want to hunt out at some point. He cannot help himself. The Abomination of Shurr was her subordinate more than his, but has been eliminated. There are still a handful of his major nobles that answer to her. She has an alliance, both consider an alliance of convenience, with the Queen of Chaos. And the last of her major supernal subordinates is her former demon lover, Remriel, and they’ve drawn Jubilex in as well—but to call Jubilex a subordinate? I cannot do it."

"What is Remriel’s status in the Abyss and portfolio?"

"He is lord of the 540th plane; his power on the prime is over water and believable lies. There are all sorts of powers in the Abyss that lie routinely, but he is all about believable lies."

"What are her weaknesses?"

"Arrogance. It seems to go with the territory of anything that’s touched by the eldritch. But arrogance can be exploited, ask any lord of Hell."

"What personal defenses does she have?"

"She is incredibly diverse for one of the eldritch. An incredibly powerful psionicist. She also has powers from her role as a paramour of the eldritch. From her time in the Hells, her skin cannot be pierced by anything that is not holy; from her time in the Abyss, her skin cannot be pierced by any weapon that is not lawful. Oh, and her spell resistance—the great elves could get through it, but most humans could not. Oh, and she is a fairly powerful spellcaster. That’s about it. Oh, and her armor. The armor she took with her from Krashmere is Laen, still, which makes it dashedly harder to use orichalcum against her. It would affect her—she is tied in enough to Arthranax that some of the Eldritch weaknesses have rubbed off on her, but the laen makes it almost impossible to reach her."

Strategic questions about Hanal
"If the Church of Paranswarm deploys additional field armies, and the Crystal Cities provide support and a staging area, will the forces opposed to the Usurper of Hanal be able to prevail?"

"Firstly, define prevail."

"The range from deposing the Usurper on the one side to holding a meaningful portion of Hanal from her military control."

"The Field Armies of Paranswarm cannot depose her. They can hold enough territory within Hanal to keep her from achieving her goals within Hanal. If the Council of the Crystal Cities could be convinced to engage directly—not merely providing support and staging, but taking the field—that could be sufficient to depose her and eliminate her, but I find that extremely unlikely."

"What if any major strategic assets or plans does the Usurper have that have not yet been revealed?"

"Another entire army. Deep in the Underdark, in the southwest. She’s holding those in reserve. That is a major intelligence get."

"What is her plan in Hanal and what does she hope to accomplish there?"

"If she can hold it long enough, she is drawing the life from the soil itself. She is attempting to power, through the blood of her own people, additional forces for herself and Arthranax. She will let loyal covates and people in those lands to starve to death, with their life energy being drawn off to power her spiritual entities. Hanal was primed for this because of the blood fete; Hanal and Tarsh are the only lands with the blood fete, and Tarsh was too organized. She hopes to power herself and Arthranax to or above the power of Glordiadel and Paranswarm. Had Arthranax gotten all of the energy of Berta, he would not need this. But he did not get all of Berta’s energies. But they plan for redundancies. Remember that he does not use the same creatures as his 'friends,' and even I do not know them all."

Questions about other big mysteries?
"Where and in what status is the Prince of the Cities of Pain and is his disappearance connected to the machinations of Arthranax?"

"Yes. He has been taken captive and moved off the Prime Plane where he always resided. It’s a problem for the living gods of Morgroth. They are often embodied and thus vulnerable for things like this. But on a positive note, Arthranax is finding it harder to absorb the power of a demigod of Morgroth."

"Besides Berta, the Blue Star, and the attack in progress on Sytry and the Prince of the Cities of Pain, what are the other demigod or greater beings, if any, in the Aphonion sheaf of planes that Arthranax has consumed or is currently attacking?"

"He has consumed a few demon lords, but nothing major. If he can complete his consumption of the Prince of the Cities of Pain, the Lord of the Fields of the Dead, and especially if she can accomplish her goals as well, that would take him up to greater god status, more powerful even than your god Glordiadel or my god Paranswarm. That would still leave the elven gods as greater powers, and to fight a war with them when you are not on their level—iffy, I would think."

"Who are the currently unknown-to-us powerful mortal families or temporal or religious powers that have been corrupted or replaced by the minions of Arthranax?"

"I don’t know that I would consider them major on the surface, but they have coopted the Cult of Guanadar in the Underdark, because Guanadar is just an aspect of Jubilex. In the Underdark that is sufficient to threaten some of the non-matriarchal and non-cadet drow cities. One of the lords under the Baron of Augart, but only one." [Augart is reclusive, near the South Kingdoms; excellent ports, strong ships, adequate troops; part of Southern Drucien but not incorporated into the Empire; Paranswarmian]

"Where is Quinliart Moriquendarim, also called Lord Raf, and what’s he up to?"

"He has other names as well, you know. He has been a very busy boy for a long time. Up until 103 years ago, he was a loyal slaver and minion of the House of Moriquendarim and the Prince of the Cities of Pain and all of that, ran Zorplona-Moriquendarim like a clock, and then he overreached. You ever wonder why I’m an Archivist? Because nobody kills the Archivists. But then he overreached, decided they weren’t wealthy enough, but if they could take the Crystal Cities he would dominate the Noldar. So he attacked the Ruby City. It was not a success. His army was destroyed, one of his companions was slaughtered, and he retreated as a broken elf back to Enclaves. He thought his gods had failed him, and sought another. And he became a mole. And when he left, he took all the wealth that they had gathered for a hundred years, and now he and his forces, except his aide, Lord Alvinus, they are now in the Kingdom of the Isles, with his cousin, the Lord of the Seventh House. His cousin is not corrupted, but will not betray him, or his wealth. But he is truly despicable, even beyond the standards of Hell. He captured the elite of his own blood, and used them as sacrifices to the Abomination. He is beneath contempt of the Hells."

"As you know, we have a plan in motion with the old Globe of the Emperor of Masque. How can we ensure that our team arrives when the Globe is not phased out?"

"That concerns us all. The easiest way is to scry the area regularly, but you should keep the method of scrying concealed. Once it appears, you will have either 3, 7, or 9 days. If you see it appear, you will know the minimum amount of time. You could also get a bound devil of information to inform when it arrives."

"What is the Lord of the Ram up to and plotting?"

"Causing impregnations as rapidly as he can in small villages in northern Hanal which are being blasted almost as fast as they’re impregnated by Eldar and Noldar vollers."

"What do the Sytrian apostates who have turned to Arthranax as the Blue Sun intend next?"

"They’re waiting for transport. They will be moved far to the South. To an area I find disturbing to consider, to be hidden until they’re needed for their next strike.

"I believe that that is your nineteen questions. A pleasure. A free piece of advice: if he is forced to target another for consumption, it would be Borsh’tro. Borsh’tro is weakened, but he commands hordes of the Abyss. He is weakened, having been reduced to a greater demon lord from a god. My lord has sent a missive to warn him, but he may be too arrogant to listen.

"He’s been concealing it from everyone, but that happened on the Day of the Dead without anyone realizing it when the Age shifted."

* * *
They ask the Sixth Daughter about the Southern Continents. There are tunnels that go all the way to the poles, but she knows of no exits on any continent other than the ice covered one at the pole. She can remember the continents, but thinks they are of no interest if there are no connections to the Underdark—it seems to have a different effect on her.
[End Session 115]


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## CPaladin

Session 116 (August 12, 2020)
Ras 15

Dame Brionna shares a report about an elven scout voller. [Attached] There was a surge of energy when they passed over the capital of Hanal, and they were fired upon by a more substantial ground attack than they have experienced before.

There is now an energy dome in place over the capital, and refugees fleeing with descriptions of dreadful events taking place in the capital. Refugees are coming here by voller.

Kit passes this on to Princess Anastasia.

Kit reports that she has a full list of the body parts—where everyone is. [Attached] That points to where we need replacements, including toes that are missing their legs; there are a lot of eyes that need redistribution.

Kit plans on: filling in ankles and toes that are missing; promoting some naughty bits to bosoms, increasing numbers of naughty bits; setting the eyes in the Barony of Augurt on finding the traitor in their nobility; building a network out in Enclaves and surrounding realms (e.g. Escilias); building up the halo (adding “rays”, moving some existing agents over to this; recruiting elderly devout women laity); getting more eyes in general.

In Masque: infiltrating the various orders would be really useful, but is challenging; almost all of the network is maskless, which makes them very hard to infiltrate the orders. Vulture, Spider, Pig should be easy to infiltrate. Wolf, Bear, and Horse are almost impossible to get into; Mantis is completely impossible.

They look over the price list. [Attached] The primary action items are promoting the use of maple syrup and promoting sugar and spice plantations in the Southlands, and seeing whether sugar and spices can be produced in the Southern Continent.

---
The Council sends a message to their ambassador to Augurt to warn the Baron’s younger brother that they have a traitor (quietly) and to encourage Augurt to join the Empire (overtly)

Alistair calls for the Ambassador from Mandrath.

They discuss the apostate Sytry armies on the island off the coast.

The fleet of Mandrath has been recalled; they should be able to contain the army against naval crossing, unless they bring in a separate warfleet to challenge the navy.

The imperial council receives permission to deploy “special assets” to help contain them. (They’re hiring submersibles from Masque.)
-----

We ask Mistress Burleytoes (the Gunnoran midwife/high priest) and the Mistress of the Bedchamber to attend upon us.

The cover story is that they’re consulting with them about the imperial pregnancies. Mistress Burleytoes insists on fully examining everyone.

Mistress Burleytoes agrees to speak to Gunnora about assisting Sytry in expelling Arthranax, in his guise as the Blue Star, from Sytry’s heaven.

They also discuss the slaughter in Hanal’s capital; she says that that means that they’ve begun the transposition. On their homeworld, when this happened, it would take months or even years. "Transposition elevates a single figure. It has never happened here, and the sacrifices here are weaker and they are less tied to this world, even with Arthranax. If they are only using humans, it will take years, and they cannot use drow blood. Half-elves, fey, light elves, Noldar would do—but that would be beyond them to capture. It will transpose her into the equivalent of She of the Bones, but now bound to Arthranax. The one thing that could accelerate it—to the category of months not years—would be a powerful elven ally. The transposition will make her a lesser goddess, but it will bind her to him in the way that the One Beside is bound to the Goddess of the Pale Bone. They tried to create a mate fro him in our world, but it failed. For what it’s worth—I think they’ll have more problems than they think.

"Also, if they’re trying this now rather than waiting, he believes his time is limited. He will probably remain a power, but if he is cast out of Sytry’s heaven, he will become one more gibbering demon—a little more powerful perhaps because he’s a god, but it will limit him."

They move on to discussing the problem of nobles who want to father children and especially sons. She suggests that some of the fey lords, who are almost gods, might be good choice. The Horned Lord is a god associated with deer, and fecundity. There is also a grain lord—less direct, but could make plants that encourage.

She suggests that they get an introduction to the Horned Lord through the Tor; he’s not hesitant to speak to mortals.

“Just do be careful, my lord. You must be clear to him that you’re not personally looking for increased virility.”

Kit emphasizes the importance of making sure that this doesn’t cause confusion with the Ram, or people continuing to venerate the Ram but pretending that it’s the Horned Lord.

They also ask about the parentage of the children of Glordiadel, or of the Weeping Woman. They arrived after the birth of Glordiadel’s children. But she does know that the Weeping Woman is not in fact the child of Paranswarm, but is the daughter of the Creator. Paranswarm has never been willing to refute her claim to be his daughter, but that is known by the hierarchs of several major temples. She came into being almost immediately after Paranswarm, but as a deliberate act of creation, not as a by-blow. Like all of the Creator’s children, she had no mother but was directly created from his essence. She is the weakest and youngest of the elven pantheon. Glordiadel’s children are his own—presumably there must be a mother, but perhaps not.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 116, cont'd]
They call for Bishop Waters.

They discuss the problem with nobles having problems fathering sons. They ask about the idea of promoting a society of the Horned Lord. A little veneration, but without actually worshipping him, and while remaining publicly Glordiadelian, would be tolerated.

He mentions that there are a smattering of other secret orders, so it wouldn’t be much worse than that.

"There are various secret orders of alchemists; there are secret societies that are from the Archduchy, plus new ones come up from the Southlands (without their religion, but they are keeping their societies); some craft orders, and the Lumbermen, who would be a problem if they actually did anything, but they’re infiltrated and harmless now. The alchemical orders are amazing—they can’t do anything, have no real alchemists among them, but they learn their little scripts and do their things. But the groups in Paranswarm end up doing dreadful things. A century or two ago, there was a fear that the alchemical orders would turn to demonism. But it never did, and over time it became accepted."

"Are there any saints that could be used to promote childbirth?"

"There are a couple of saints that relate to the home, or children, or fertility—but none of virility. Some of motherhood, but even there, it’s mostly after the children are born."

"We were also wondering who the mother of Glordiadel's children is.  We assume they must have one?"

"The canon of the church says that the children of Glordiadel emerged from the essence of the god. A mother would imply a coequal or such, and there is none such in the doctrine. But it does seem strange, does it not? There is an old tradition in the faith that the children were born from the universe itself. But there is no theology behind it—it’s simply a tradition."

Bishop Waters asks to call for a true Doctor of Theology with deeper understanding to speak to them.

Alistair and Kit go to talk to the Tor, figuring this isn't really Dame Brionna's sort of conversation.

The Tor holds an instant feast in their honor.

Alistair and Kit ask after the Horned Lord. 

“He’s a fine fellow, well-met, a pretty good hunter, and excellent in bed.”

He immediately starts speaking in fey. There is a flash of greenlight, and a completely naked figure, very attractive, with a stag’s head, appears.

He agrees to establish lodges, which will offer him the fruits of the hunt in honor of him, and he will give them blessings.

They set up Lucas, Alistair’s old "sporting" buddy, as the grand huntmaster of the lodge, and set up a set of oaths to keep them loyal to the Empire, that nobles in the lodges can’t father bastards until they’ve sired an heir, etc., and to hate the Ram and his followers (with some probably taking on the role of hunting followers of the Ram).

A magical tree with a lodge inside it forms outside the walls of the city.
[End Session 116]


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## CPaladin

Session 117 (Aug. 26, 2020)

Three uneventful days pass.

21 Ras
They review the family tree and discuss it with the court archivist. The Duchy of Canberry was founded 990 years ago by Duke Andor.  They presume Duchess Lesse, his wife, was fey. That was 20 generations ago, so the generations are roughly twice as long as human average.

The women of the Ashberry family remain fertile much longer than normal; the onset of fertility is also early.

Lesse was found under a mushroom tree. She was a powerful mage, and Duke Andor fell in love with her immediately. She was said to be very pale. That’s consistent with Sidhe.

The special relationship with the fey dates to the founding of the duchy, according to the archivist.

We ask about the succession of Archduke Staven. He had three older siblings who were poisoned. Shortly after Staven’s marriage, his older siblings and their spouses all unfortunately died. That was about 500 years ago.

"There was a major famine through a lot of this section of Drucien because of the bombardments by Region 6 of the Argoni. They softened us up for a few hundred years before taking a significant number of slaves. And of course there was also the struggle within the Church. That was the time of the Three Patriarchs."

This was also at roughly the same time as the arrival of the church of Sytry and the church of Gunnora.

They ask whether Life sided with one of the anti-patriarchs; the archivist doesn’t know, but agrees to find out.

Alistair's grandmother’s heirs were born of her third husband, of the Forsythe family; she did have children with both of the first two husbands, but they were never viewed as suitable. His uncles were not very bright. She excluded them from the succession by fiat. Evan’s son, who is no longer in good health, had a reputation for the second sight. They ask that all of the descendants of Evan’s son be tracked down and brought back into the fold. The archivist agrees to follow after it.

Matilda Ashberry was Alistair's grandmother’s first cousin; she married into a Khamista royal family and then assumed power.

Archduchess Visaiss was psionically powerful; unusually so for a human. Around the end of her reign, Region 6 began to raid for slaves significantly. She reached past grandmaster—possibly paragon—in Creation, and grandmaster in redaction.

There are rumors that Visaiss did not have any of her father’s features. The Archivist believes that she was a throwback, not illegitimate. There are three reasons for his belief. First, the Tor recognizes her, and the Tor only recognizes based on their bloodline. That’s the strongest evidence. Second, they have Aimee’s papers—there’s nothing that suggests anything untoward. Third, Aimee was profoundly devout, and would likely have viewed an affair as impossible to imagine.

"I also know that she found it very difficult to conceive. We speculate that she prayed for intervention, or perhaps that she also had fey or elven blood."

The Balliers were a powerful shipping family from the now-lost Eastern Trade Cities on Khamista. Alistair's great-grandfather likely viewed that as a means to gain access to ports and power on the seas. But Gertrude passed in childbirth, and her husband never remarried. (They note this as weird; but it could be reflective of less-than-fully human heritage, since the great elves die in childbirth frequently.)

There is an extremely peculiar pattern: as best as can be told, every succession in the entire history of the house is parent to child, with the royal line never failing and passing to a cousin. There has also never been a civil war in Canberry. The nearest was with Brightspan, it could have developed much worse than it did. In almost 1000 years, only close to one civil war.

The only other example that’s even comparable is the Grand Duchy of Ergmoth, which has had 1500 years of unbroken succession—although even that was a little irregular in the last generation, when the old Grand Duke died under strange circumstances just after his children were born, with the Grand Duchess ruling in his stead.

Tudras, Staven’s younger brother, was sent off as an adventurer, and then disappeared. His sister-in-law even gifted him a drop of life.

They call for a master alchemist to check Alistair’s blood to make sure.

Bishop Waters does some divinations. Tudras was a powerful warrior, a successful merchant on Khamista. He had many children with many women—three wives, at least six other paramours who had children, including some elven descendants. It’s consistent with the Forsythe family actually being a cadet branch of Ashberry—Tudras changed his name repeatedly. He ultimately died at sea fighting pirates—they couldn’t defeat him, so they sank his ship (and his treasure, but that was just a regular merchant treasure).
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 117, cont'd]
The Archivist asks if they have interest in the relics from the fallen voller.

"During the time of the Three Patriarchs, the Archduchy remained neutral—there was a disagreement between the Archduke and his wife, and he said the Lord of Light would sort it out. She supported Mides, who did not ultimately prevail. You must understand that an unrepentant heretic, who is claiming to be patriarch without divine imprimatur, must be dealt with severely. When his partisans fell and he refused to renounce his claim, he was beheaded by the Order of the Misty Dawn. The other pretender, the Bishop Soriato, ultimately withdrew his claim and served out his life in a monastery."

They speculate about whether this ties in to the plots of Sytry and indirectly Arthranax.

They ask for the Tor lord to visit them.

Very shortly, the Tor lord, a lady fey that we don’t think we’ve met before, and a group of smaller fey arrive. They arrived on strange horses with antlers and wings.

The Council asks about Duchess Lesse.

“Ah. The foundling. Sometimes our affections are spread broadly. It is our nature, the nature of life. And a sad, sad person came to us, to one of my sisters, and she thought she would bring him joy, a taste of heaven, and his race was so … non-reproductive, that she did not expect to become pregnant. But she did, through the grace of Whimsey, and her daughter was born, and she was named Rubyleaf, and we raised her among us, but she was never truly happy among us. She wanted order and organization, and you know how it is. And your forefather, Andor, was trying to drive out the monsters, and protect the farmers, and reinhabit the city that long predated him. And he was also sad, and so we let her see him. And she loved what she saw, and she stood under a mushroom, and he saw her, and they fell in love. They married and had three children, but it was cut short. We are glad that you remember her name.”

“Do you remember her father’s name?”

“He was a renegade, the last of the renegades that built the undercroft here. He was not a slaver, though he was of that house.

"Rubyleaf remained to see her children and her grandchildren grow, and then by her choice she returned to the land.

"If it were not for a later infusion of blood, your lives might become as short as all other humans. There was an archduke who loved deeply and took to wife a part-elf from far Khamista. Gertrude was properly Ardhelarwenhelene. But she wanted to be a human, and she was only quarter elven, so she brought some of the longevity with her.

"The Archduchess Aimee was of great faith, but she was also one who knows how to bargain. She bargained for a greater blessing, that the blood derived from our beloved daughter be strengthened. Between us and her god, it was enough. It blessed her daughter with great psionic and magic ability, and both the sight and the walk."

They ask what the walk is. "In your garden there are trees. If I select a tree in your garden, I can walk into a tree and emerge in a forest 5000 miles away. It is called the feywalk."

The feywalk is almost unheard of among humans… but Alistair’s children might be able to, based on all of the gifts they have received.

They discuss Kit’s child; that he has awakened so soon is all but unheard of except among the greatest elves. It will give him unparalleled control; if combined with strength, he may be a truly great psion.

Kit asks how long Alistair will likely live. It is reasonable to assume that Alistair will reach between 100 and 150 years in good health before he perishes. He will remain hale and hearty until shortly before he passes, when he will quickly fade. When it begins, he must put all his affairs in order quickly. Alistair mentions that he does not plan to rule to old age, but will likely step down at 60 or 70 when his children are well and truly of age and prepared.

There is a slight smell of flowers in the conference room, and the tapestry seems much more three-dimensional. Alistair tries to enter, and succeeds in going into a forest path. It’s a little pocket dimension, as far as they can tell. It’s a fair sized entirely self-contained woods. There’s a brook that comes from nowhere and goes to nowhere. There are a couple hundred trees, lots of flowers, berry bushes, a rabbit. Alistair and Kit go inside and frolic.

Dame Brionna returns, is startled that Alistair and Kit have gone, and asks the page where they are. She’s told and sticks her head into the tapestry and scolds us.

Dame Brionna gripes about their lack of modesty, and Alistair makes a gift of it for Kit’s bedchamber.

They call for an alchemist. He’s fully familiar with the blood contaminated by the Kingdom of Life. He examines Alistair’s blood. He is fully free of that taint, but does have a slight amount of the old blood. That’s important to tell to any psions doing healing, especially with skin—it can result in overhealing. Amazingly, it’s a mix, with a tiny bit, perhaps 1/64 or less of Noldar, a little more of fey, and a larger amount—but of lower birth-of light elven blood.

Kit is checked as well. She is even more close to fully human than Alistair, but she has some other blood. About 1 in 128 is tiefling blood. It’s only a concern because it can draw one of them to you or make them obsessed with you. At that level of dilution, it should have very little effect—perhaps some resistance to poison (+1 to saves versus poison), and could explain the psionics. It’s nowhere near enough to allow her to be dispelled or bound. But it’s also clearly tiefling blood, and diabolic in extraction.
[End Session 117.]

[I'll be taking a week off from posting, but will resume 6/20.]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 118 (10/26/20)

22 Ras
Alistair gets woken in the middle of the night.

Kit shakes him awake. “The middle gem on the fan has someone behind it—there’s another fan out there and a new person just took possession of it.”

It felt inert—not vacant, just inert, before it activated. She overheard a little bit as someone else heard it.

Kit decides to wait until morning and then talk to Grandmaster Farsensor.

In the morning:

The Council meets and plans a to-do list.

1.  There was a ritual planned for the first night of the full red moon in Ras--this night. Was it disrupted fully? Are they still going to try to do something? They plan on some divinations.

Talk to Grandmaster Farsensor and Kit’s scribe re the Other Fan—who might have it, does this compromise the network, who might have it.
Respond to the letter from Eugene, Earl of Caldra. They plan on talking to Violet Furrows, Alistair's privy secretary.  [Missing?  I'll try to find this and post it later.]
Respond to the message about building vollers [Attached.]
Talk to Lady Constance about Kit’s tiefling ancestry
They have Violet Furrows join us for breakfast.

“We presume there are new earls of Caligshire and Caldra. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Eugene inherited Caldra and Benedict inherited Caligshire.”

“What do you think of him?” asks Dame Brionna.

“Benedict was not his father’s choice—he was grooming his younger daughter, Cassandra. I frankly believe that Benedict is a better choice for the archduchy.”

“Why do you say that?” asks Kit.

“Cassandra has been long-influenced by her father’s advisor Drucilla. Mind you, she is an excellent ranger, and skilled in some very important administrative skills. But Drucilla’s influence was significant and she never gained Benedict’s favor. Cassandra did not inherit, because she was viewed as tainted by her father’s treason and heresy. But Benedict left the Earldom for many years, to escape his father’s wrath and Drucilla’s influence. He went to the Holy See for some time. He is a paladin, though perhaps less trained in administrative matters than ideal. Cassandra has gone into the wilderness; she has no support among the common people, but she has drowan troops from somewhere, and is striking at loyal troops. Some civilians are disappearing.

“Benedict is unusual. He started as a mage, then took holy orders as a paladin. He’s brilliant, determined. He knows he needs to marry, but his order the Templars of the Tower is celibate, and he’s troubled by that.”

The Council plans on setting up a set of prospective spouses—highly religious Glordiadelians, skilled in administration, loyal to the Archduchy, and down with a political marriage, and making it clear that he’s expected to make a choice quickly. We also reach out through the Archbishop to get either his superior or the superior general of the male orders to give Benedict a special dispensation to marry “because of the manifest need for him to marry and father heirs.”

Cassandra had a paramour, but after they fled together she killed him by slitting his throat and draining the blood—suggests ritualism.

Lady Violet knows that the Duke of Furrows has been sending regular reports by courier, but they haven’t arrived. The Council arranges to provide a magical secure connection, brought and delivered by a mage.

Eugene is a perfectly nice man, though simple and tractable. His wife Elizabeth Toringsvale was well en route to becoming a Nun of the Silvery Veil when her family called her back because of problems. Her father was a special advisor to the Sheriff of Cogswood. Her father is an extremely expert ranger.

They had a startling whirlwind relationship. The Council thinks it’s unlikely that she’s the real Elizabeth. But she’s taken a firm grip on the finances.

The Baroness of Grokken’s young wife is not pleased by Caldra’s new focus on money.  [I think this is an error--that it is the Baron of Grokken's young wife--

Elizabeth has never even visited the convent of the Silvery Veil in Furrows to withdraw.

Drucilla was missing for some time, but she has been seen recently. The Duke of Furrows has been very concerned. She is a very powerful psion—flattened two knights just by glaring at them. She always said that she was a competent ranger, some minor psionic abilities, and something of a craftswoman, but when she was angry and felt insulted—she dropped those two knights to the ground before she could control herself. She has been seen emerging from the woods at several thorps, particularly in the last month.

Alistair reaches out through the land and feels queasy in those woods—there is a stomach ache in the land—primarily in Caldra, actually, but at the edges of Caligshire, he gets a sense of a sickness in the land, and it is moving. It is like looking at a group of cells and seeing the bacteria. He can see areas where they are gathered in the deep woods. There are three concentrations, one large one and two smaller ones. One of the smaller ones has a deeper sickness. It is not far from the village of Storr.

They ask Lady Violet to coordinate with Dame Brionna’s sister on finding prospective candidates for the Lady of Caligshire.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 118, cont'd]
They then send for Grandmaster Farsensor. Kit asks about the fan. 

“Oh, its twin must be awake.”

“We didn’t even know that there was a twin. Do you know who has it?”

“No, I don’t even know who made it. It could only be made by a First-comer, or perhaps a strong Second-comer. We didn’t realize that it had twinned, and I didn’t want to worry you. But it must have been made by our cousins at the same time. Was the connection strong, or did it waver?”

“It wavered.”

“They are untrained then. Would you like me to seal it off, so the communication can only be one way—that you can observe and hear, but they cannot?”

Kit says yes. The Grandmaster tells us that objects like this can get offended by being handled by someone besides the person that it bonds to. Kit works to keep its offense to a minimum.

“It is sealed. You will be able to sense any thoughts of the one who holds it, but they will not even know you exist—it will not light their gem.”

“They were primarily gifted to the l-younger races by both my people and the others. It was probably not a Noldar who handled it, because they would recognize it immediately. It might be in the possession of a lesser elf, or of a human. Likely a gift from its creator to one of its vassals. There are only a handful of human areas that are old enough. If it is not in the hands of an elven group—and it cannot be in the Underdark, because you would not be able to hear them—City of Life is old enough, Ecsilias is old enough, certainly not Masque unless it was taken as booty, nor Hanal.”

It could also have been made by the not-quite-Eldron First ones in the Crystal Cities.

It didn’t sound like the local accent, nor like the accent around Enclaves.

It almost can’t be a triplet—that would require active collusion, although it might be possible if one of the remnants of the Crystal City colluded with both.

They ask him to scry on the area where they think Drucilla is. There is forest, and then a hole in the ground, into which the viewpoint flies. There are several drained bodies. There are also a number of drow moving resolutely around the area. And indeed, there is what appears to be an Albino drowess here, dressed appropriately for House Aleval, but the drow warriors are dressed in high glass armor—all but unheard of among Llolthian drow. They are preparing a ritual space. There are cages of prisoners visible in the back. There is a powerful set of wards with a seeming. The drow warriors are heavily armed, but they have no heraldry whatsoever.

The Council calls for Lord Davion.

“They never give up, do they. Why are they feeding power to the northwest? It looks like they’re sending the power stream all the way to Hanal. That’s disturbing. Did you know about this?”

“No, they didn’t have me look until now.”

“Good catch. That ritual has to be stopped. They’re feeding an enormous amount of power to Hanal. And they’re preparing a horrific ritual—look at those implements. They will individually kill them in the most painful way possible. On the night of the full red moon, it will be empowered greatly.”

“That is not Lord Raf’s sister. It is his niece. Among my people, Lord Quinliart’s parents were remarkably fecund. Two renegades. My people are ashamed. Lord Quinliart had a sister and a brother as well. Princess Curinirim killed his sister, but his brother is now head of the Seventh Region.”

Lord Davion says that he needs to attack, but they have four charged death lances. He could block one, but he would need either someone who can shield him or cannon fodder. They will send a paladin guard with a war banner of light—the War Banner of the Unconquerable Sun-- to try to blind the enemy. They propose making him a lead shield. They also propose sending a devil with a tower shield as a shield bearer.

They call for Dame Constance, and she agrees to send three pit fiends carrying tower shields made of lead.

They travel to the gating room. Dame Brionna suggests sending Dame Christine of the Woody Thicket. Before they leave, Grandmaster Farsensor scries on Elizabeth of Caldra. There is a young, very serious looking man sitting on a chair hearing a case between a pair of farmers. And next to him is a breathtakingly beautiful woman. She whispers a reasonable sounding ruling to him, and he repeats it word-for-word. The next case is of a merchant who was swindled by magical fool’s silver. She makes another fair ruling.

She’s barely showing, but she’s also pregnant.

Alistair projects in, courtesy of the Grandmaster Farsensor, and they verify that the letter sent bears no resemblance to the one received.

“My cousin came home from the convent, she did not want to, but her father called for her. I told her I would take care of her family. We fell in love.”

“We will need to verify this with your cousin. If she does, on behalf of the Archduchy, we will close our eyes to this matter.”

They discuss helping their economy by opening trade to the lizardfolk and kobolds for salt. They also suggest allowing them  issue letters of credit for 50,000 to 100,000 silver, redeemable for metal in 5 years, backed by the credit of the treasury of the Archduchy. They also suggest resettling refugees on the farms that were depopulated.

The trolls are becoming restless, and they are traditional enemies of the lizardfolk.

Grandmaster Farsensor does object reading on the falsified letter. A young woman, who bears a superficial resemblance to Eugene, at a camp table, wrote the letter. A young man is bound hand and foot behind her. They send someone to grab the person who delivered that letter. Kit’s people track him to one of the hidden, lower-class brothels, and they have him grabbed for questioning.

They also ask Dame Constance to inquire about Kit’s ancestry. "It’s very faint, but it stretches all the way back to Geryon, Archdevil of the Second Plane of Hell. He’s known for abusing beautiful women. He’s one of the only ones with any power of psionics. He is very lawful, very lawful—the only Archdevil who never plotted against the others because it would be against the law. She might have resistance to cold, she might have some talent with cold magic. But the magic is very weak, because the bloodline is so weak—so thin at this point."

---
They set about building a new, secure system of communication with all of the nobles—secure boxes that teleport missives back and forth, and mark who actually used them.
[End Session 118]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 119 (November 11, 2020)

22 Ras (cont’d)

A fierce pitched battle ensues when Lord Davion and company attack. The War Banner of the Unconquerable Sun has particularly strong effects on the drow, although not Drucilla, who fights with full vigor. The serious battle is between Lord Davion and Drucilla. The battle is epic—at first she fights intently to win, then over time becomes determined to take him with her. The epithets that she spits at him are bone-chilling. Finally, when Grandmaster Farsensor realizes that she might succeed in taking Lord Davion with her, he intervenes. Though not a significant warrior, he is enough to tip the balance. When she dies, something strange happens—her soul does not go to the West as would be expected, even for a Noldar. A cloud of energy forms above her, the wrongness of which we can feel through the psionic projection. There is an unearthly howl that flattens some of the guards, and then she dissipates, both her soul and the body, leaving behind a strange ichor. Lord Davion has one of the pit fiends gather up the ichor on one of the lead shields, being certain to leave none behind. Lord Davion is gravely wounded as they return.

“She fought all the more bitterly when she recognized me.”

“Her death was strange.”

“She was devoted to the ultimate enemy, and utterly corrupted by it. It consumed her. The ichor must be destroyed in a holy place.”

Everyone in the encampment fought to the death—they would not accept quarter. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Dame Christine of the Woody Thicket, one of the paladins.

The Council dispatches strike teams at the other two locations, plus a group to take charge of the freed prisoners from Drucilla’s encampment. The prisoners are brought back in about an hour.

The rescue group brings back a group of prisoners, who are then carefully examined. Two have small implants at the base of their spines. “They appear to be separately alive, Dame. They have separate consciousness. It’s fairly primitive, but definitely conscious.”

They ask the people with the implants. “Don’t know what they are, but it’s talking to me. It’s encouraging me to accept the meld. I don’t think I can resist forever… I’ve seen it happen to other people. They stopped knowing what they knew before, and knew other things, like magic when they were a farmer. That Drow lady picked us. She tasted a drop of our blood, and said that some of us were fodder, and put those in others. The ones who succumbed were taken out and released. I don’t know where they went. Five that I know of. All from my thorp—I can give you images of all of them.”

Dame Constance joins them for the extraction.

She asks who the people who were melded were. Ronnie, one of them, is a member of the Duke of Furrows’s guard, home on leave. The implants will bring with them whatever they were from their master’s outer plane—magi, maybe priests of the vile god. They won’t be able to shapechange, but they also won’t be detectable except mentally. Because of the delicacy of removing the creatures, they bring in the Minister of the Mind, who is a redactor. It takes a significant amount of time for the surgery, and then the survivors need to be put in skin.

The Minister of the Mind reports that the first surgery was fine, the second was barely fine, and the third in the midst of the operation shrieks wildly and then the middle of his body blows apart. "The creature had gained enough control that when I tried to extract it, it committed suicide by destroying its host."

The extracted implants are some form of Arthranax’s demons.  They can tell that much easily, though the demons can’t survive long outside their hosts.

Dame Brionna heads out with the strikeforce to the smaller camp—the camp where the squire is, and thus presumably also Cassandra. Before she goes, she speaks to Lord Davion about means to deal with Cassandra’s pets. He takes an ice drake out of his bag of creature holding. The ice drake talks with Dame Brionna about the plan, and about dealing with Cassandra’s creatures. They talk to Lady Violet about Cassandra’s creatures. She had a pride of tigers, and an enormous bat as a familiar. She brings along the War Banner of the Sun’s Wrath, along with 15 medium and 5 heavy powerbows.

The voller flies in, precisely descends on the encampment, and successfully stops to disgorge troops. The powerbows rake the camp. A wall of wind then suppresses the next volley of the powerbows, but after they have done huge damage and wrecked many of the regular troops. The encampment is in total disarray, with many people running around, some fleeing, and the Lady Cassandra seeking to rally them. Dame Brionna flies in to charge her with her lance of awesomeness. She smites Lady Cassandra and does 102 points of damage on a smite. It punctures her mithril chain shirt and impales her entirely. Lady Cassandra fails a system shock, and dies immediately.

At that point, the troops in the encampment break entirely, scattering into the woods in every direction. The ice drake and the other troops pursue.

Five of the prisoners are dead, killed by stray powerbow shots. However, the squire of the Earl of Caldra survived unscathed in his cage.

These soldiers were much less fanatical—most were just supporting her claim—and while the handful of fanatics fought to the death, the rest surrender as rounded up and throw themselves on the mercy of Dame Brionna.

The squire reports that they put something into him. He’s fighting it—it’s telling him to worship some awful thing. There were also two who were already taken, one of whom looked like a royal messenger.

They teleport him back. It’s a struggle, but the Minister of the Mind is able to remove it over a 5 hour process. “He’s been fighting it for two days, quite remarkable. They were determined to take him delicately. It was a more intelligent creature than the others.”

Kit pulls out the image of the royal messenger and of the other; a merchant. She also gets the other images. The images of the people are very clear, but their surroundings are partly obscured. Kit notes in the background of one of the images, just outlined, no color, what looks like an illithid or something like that. It’s incredibly pale, one of the not-quite-illithids that we have seen before. This one has jewelry on, probably status jewelry.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 119, cont'd]
We decide to talk to the actual illithids about that—see if they know anything about Arthranax’s illithid like followers. Kit reaches out to her illithid friend on the fan.

“Souldrinkers!”

“That’s what they’re called?”

“They’re cousins. There aren’t many of them left. They’re from one of the home planes that was almost entirely consumed by the enemy. Those that are left come in two varieties. Some of their septs serve them, and they serve loyally. One of their larger septs defied them—they’re still in their home plane, being starved slowly.”

“Can we bring them here?”

“I don’t know how. You know how my people are divided and some only consume the brains of lesser creatures? They are divided the same way. The ones that serve the ancient enemies will consume the soul force of any creature. The sept that defied them will only consume the soul force of lesser creatures—rats, or pigs. Now they sell their services, because there is not enough life energy left on their homeworld. They cannot simply leave and go elsewhere—there is so little life left on their homeworld that they are drawn back to it. But newborns, born on this plane, would be bound to the plane where they are born, so if their master were to bring them long enough… Twenty years is about how long the process would take to begin, though they then live two-hundred to two-hundred-fifty years.

“I have a question for you. Do you have any idea how much liquid is in a raspberry?”

Kit mostly ignores the inexplicable question.  “About the souldrinkers: how many of them would there be on our plane, and how long can they remain?”

“There are probably less than six-hundred of them total. They can only stay on this plane for a few days, but they can then be summoned again. Their sept leaders—with the jewelry—are very dangerous. They can drain the motive energy of a person, sometimes almost instantly. They can be hedged out. They’re psionic, of course, like us. But they have no redaction. Some of them are magi—often powerful. They’re very difficult to physically damage on this plane, because they’re never fully on this plane. Ghost-touch items should be able to damage them, or psionic combat. Guarding life energy is very important—melee range is very dangerous. But they do not have to touch you—they can touch your etheric body without touching you.”

“Is there a way to communicate with the defiant sept?”

“Oh. You would have to first make contact with them. You would have to send someone to the home plane, unless someone happened to come into your presence.”

* * *

They send out warnings about the melded impostors.

Alistair orders Lady Cassandra’s body decapitated, heart burned, and then processed throughout the Duchy of Furrows, with announcements that she was engaged in both high and low treason, heresiarchy, murder, kidnapping, and sundry other crimes, before finally having her body and head brought to Caligshire and displayed publicly.

Dame Brionna reports on a letter from Alphonse, originally of the South Kingdoms—an old playmate of hers. [See attached] All of his people made it to the mainland; only his older siblings and parents and soldiers died. They took a territory near the southeastern lands of the new lands. They trade with some ratfolk, and fight with other ratfolk. He’s a loyal servant of the Princess, now Empress. He saw a battle between a flying galleon which was flying an unrelieved red banner and was attacked by blighted gryphons which cursed the ground where they fell. He requests clerical support. (They arrange for priests of Glor’diadel to be sent to support them.)

The Council consults with Grandmaster Farsensor. "They were originally gryphons, changed by an infusion of vile energy. The energy will dissipate over time, though it will take about two years. It won’t corrupt the scavengers, but it may kill some of them. Burning them might be a good idea, though the smoke might be poisonous at short range. That particular breed was seen before, in the First Age, when they first made the attempt. They had to be wiped out, because they breed true. We hunted them down, but there were more of us then. Their second attempt failed quickly. Rarely spoken of. Haven’t been seen until now." He agrees to inform his Queen and ask her to place some schooners to patrol against them. 

They also tell him about the souldrinkers. He is surprised that the enemy did not consume that plane entirely. "They are dangerous in a different way from the enemy—while they can drink life energy quite quickly, that’s a terror tactic more than anything else. They can pass through walls that aren’t warded, they can listen unseen from the etheric. They are powerful spies.

"The defiant sept was at one time quite large, and they also spied on our behalf. I very much doubt that any of the ones I knew in the First Age are still alive."

They plan on sending an illithid or two, plus some human adventurers, to make contact with the sept.

There has been movement in the Crystal Cities, towards Hanal. They’re gathering at the Ruby City, and preparing en masse. [See attached]

* * *

Alistair has an awkward conversation with Kit about needing to find out if the Empress might have any special friends—or interest in special friends. Kit agrees that they need to figure that out, because of the potential security issues, and suggests that the first step should be discussing it with the Empress directly—something that she makes clear Alistair will need to deal with.
[End Session 119]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 120 (November 23, 2020)

24 Ras
With morning breakfast, they receive a document—a letter from the acting Archbishop of Canberry.  [Attached]

They are startled that there is an acting archbishop in place and immediately call for Bishop Waters.

They ask about the archbishopric. The Archbishop was called to the Holy See; there may be a succession soon. The Patriarch has declined quickly since the Council saw him. He is believed to have been poisoned, but has continued to decline even after the poison was neutralized. All of the Archbishops have gathered, even though most will not be eligible to vote. Frederick was appointed temporarily. He is not a bishop—too young and junior-- but he is a doctor of canon law.

All of the acting archbishops were appointed by the council of the church—that’s the tradition when there may be a succession. The Archbishop of Canberry is a plausible successor if it comes up.

They decide that they should attend upon the Patriarch personally, and that they should bring a senior cleric of an allied faith—a great elf who is also a redactor of power.  Grandmaster Farsensor consults with his family, starting with his queen.

They note that Frederick is not using the appropriate seal; he doesn’t know where the archepiscopal seal is. They decide to send paladins to every archbishop with a province to make sure they have attended to the core security concerns.

At the sixth light of the evening, they are to apport to the deck of a voller. It will take them in. They confirm that it will be no problem to arrive under the colors of the Protector of the Light.

They agree that they will bring Bishop Waters, Grandmaster Farsensor, Dame Brionna, The Princess Cecilia, and Alistair. They also agree that Kit can’t come with them and make some plans for Kit to work with Empress Kaitlyn.

They make some plans to send out teams to assist the paladins in securing the archdioceses.

Bishop Waters travels out to secure the seal of the Archbishop and to ask the Acting Archbishop to join us.

They discuss his duties with him. He needs a replacement treasurer, he says. When he went to ask the treasurer about some questions about the tithe books, he was gone. There were discrepancies in the tithe books—there were wealthy parishes that should have been paying more. Dame Brionna sends some paladins to secure the episcopal treasury. Kit lifts, with his permission, an image of the archdiocesan treasurer from his mind. The treasurer is named Daedalus Styphon, from somewhere in Westmarch. The parishes that have been underpaying are concentrated in Westmarch.

The Council helps him put together an archdiocesan council. He’s very smart and detail focused, but misses the broad brushstrokes and is far too junior and inexperienced.

Grandmaster Farsensor searches for the treasurer. "He was cut down on the road about a day’s ride out from the city. He has a dagger, not drawn. He was killed from the front and never drew his weapon. Probably met up with his contact who killed him. They killed the horse as well. Its throat was cut. He was not mounted at the time of the horse’s death—almost suggests that he killed the horse, sheathed his dagger, and then died. There are tracks on the ground that walked out of the brush, but no tracks at all leading away. In the brush, there’s another dead horse.

"There’s a very weak teleport signature. It was apparently obscured by the agony of the horses, which bled out slowly. It’s a known means to mask teleport signatures."

The Grandmaster Farsensor, at Dame Brionna’s suggestion, searches for a concentration of blessed coins (offerings being blessed of course). There’s nothing unusual in Westmarch—some concentrations in churches, but nothing else. The Council speculates that he might have gone to a moneychanger in the city, so they search Canberry City and find a concentration of these coins in a specific moneychanger.

The moneychanger reports that he’s been turning coins into gold for a while, and increasing amounts over time—obviously a very successful business. Made a recent exchange, the largest one yet, seemed very focused. Needed to take money right away, needed to be light. Paid him in standard gold sovereigns, almost 30. No obvious jewelry. Over 6 years, about a total of 30,000 silver pieces. Changed to gold sovereigns, and sometimes ruby chips. Could be used for psionic purposes, or could be used for some summonings.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 120, cont'd]
The Council calls for Dame Constance. She reports that ruby chips can be used for demon summoning, specifically goat demons. They send some people to search his dwelling—Dame Constance wants to go with that group.  They also loop in the Fraternal Order of the Stag—if there’s to be a goat-hunt, they should be involved.

A woman, hair in a kerchief, opens the door. Lady Constance informs her that she’s here to check the dwelling for magical signatures, then walks right by her. “Yes, very healthy children you have. Excuse me while I divinate them.” After a pause. “My god… they’re all human. Well, at least, they’re not half-goat. Now, where is your late husband’s room?”

“My late husband?  What do you mean?”

“I mean your husband’s rooms.”

“You mean his workshop?”

A pitfiend tears down the door to the workshop. “So, they completely missed the fact that he was a warlock… for years. Amulet of concealing alignment. What an interesting poison this one is. Arsenic, deadly nightshade. I wonder when he was planning on offing his lady. Two homunculi bottles—no homunculi though. So they’re somewhere. I think they’ll want these documents. And this ledger.”

Dame Constance compels the homunculi to return to their bottles.

The homunculi will return in two days. The documents will be analyzed in a similar amount of time.

* * *

Alistair talks with Empress Kaitlyn about his absence. After some discussion about Dame Katherine, he inquires whether Kaitlyn has a special friend and she says that she has a boon companion who is now one of her ladies in waiting. They have a pleasant conversation about that, and Alistair makes it clear that he approves and believes she should be given an appropriate title and status in court.

They then call in Dame Katherine, and they have a conversation about running things in his absence.

* * *

Alistair and an entourage of about 50 people apport to the upper deck of a perfect ship of laen, an even more impressive than usual elven man-of-war. “Strike the colors,” orders an elven officer. “Hoist the Emperor’s banner.”

“Your majesty, welcome aboard the Evensprite.  The Starpriestess Vilithri awaits on the poop deck."

An elf so slender she almost seems like a vision turns towards them, “On behalf of the Overqueen and her daughter the Princess Royal, who you have met, I greet you.

“My sister has given me some understanding of what has occurred. We know that the ultimate enemy is among us.”

There are three eldar on this ship—her (who the captain calls Highborn), the captain, and what is clearly an elven paladin.

The ship stops unreasonably quickly at the voller tower of the Holy See. The captain announces us.

“We come to pay our respects to the Patriarch and the Council, in that order. Bring us into his presence.”

A member of the familia approaches as they sweep down the street towards the patriarchal palace and genuflects. He talks quietly. “He is not doing well. It was clearly not a poison we have seen before. It does not react to anything—to anything! Both our best healers and alchemists can do nothing.”

They reach the Patriarch, who is weak and bed-ridden, with rheumy eyes.

<<You were right to call for me. There is a seed of the ancient corruption within him. It was swallowed and had to be placed in his food.>>

She speaks for the first time in Common. “Sleep now.”

In a low voice in Elven. “I have to extract it. Once it is dead, I can start to heal.  The creature would have made him theirs if he were not so strong willed. As it is, it is killing him. If they struck like this, they mean to replace him.”

“Then we must assume they have also suborned one of the likely successors as well. That will be our task in the days to come.”

“Yes. I must return to the Overqueen quickly in a matter of days. I will leave a grandmaster redactor for the weeks he will remain in skin.”

She extracts a wiggling thing that almost looks like a centipede that she deposits in the lead receptacle. It’s a larger and more powerful version of the same sort of Arthranax demon we saw inserted around Caligshire.

“We have saved his life. He will regain… much of his strength. He was sapped of nearly all of his life. And not all of it may return.” (He has lost 8 Constitution; he will regain 4 over the course of his two months in skin.)

Alistair talks with her about seeking an audience with the Overqueen. She says that she will talk with the Princess Royal, and that her sister will likely grant the audience. She warns them that some who enter the Steading are never willing to leave.
[End Session 120]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 121 (December 16, 2020)

24 Ras (cont'd)
Dame Brionna consults with Lady Constance about the Queen-Empress. “If we knew the true name of the Usurper, we could use that for various powerful effects. She uses no name, because for a demon of great power, it would need to be a variation of her true name. And a sufficiently powerful and skilled demonist or daemonist could unscramble her use name.”

“How would you find her true name?”

“Attempt to capture some of the nobles from planes with which she is associated and torture them for information. I thought she might be the Princess of Pain, but my friends in the Holy See who have tortured some of her allies do not find any resonance there. We know that it is not Lolth, we know it is not the Queen of the Succubi, we know it is not the Queen of Chaos as she is still bound, but that leaves some 200 ranking female nobles of the Abyss.”

“We know that she was the Noldar called the Seductress, and then a duchess of Hell, and then a demon lady. Would her name as a Noldar or Duchess of Hell help?”

“Her name as a Duchess of Hell might; her name as a Noldar has been severed and has no connection.”

Dame Brionna says, “What about her son, Valek? He’s a devil, and he hates her. Or Malaket, who certainly does not know.”

“He might know, or know something. Would you wish me to try to summon him? I would like to summon him, but not bind him, I think, as he must help us of his own free will.”

We make sure that he is unlikely to escape, and upon reassurance, agree.

25 Ras
Kit’s to do list:
Continue investigation of the corrupted Glordiadelian treasurer
Find out what’s going on with the Crystal Cities mobilizing towards Hanal

Alistair’s to do list:
Find out who tried to kill the Patriarch and what potential successor may have been suborned

The Cathedral reports to Princess Kaitlyn and Kit that large quantities of sacramental blessed food and drink is missing.

“While that is not of great monetary value, your majesty, we understand that it can be used for summoning—if it has been debased.”

Kit asks, “How can we trace those or find where they went?”

“We know which storehouse it should have been in, we know what the records say went out, and we know that they did not arrive at the parishes in those numbers—apparently the Treasurer falsified the records. We first checked the storehouse, but they are not there either. There may be as many as, in the last year, 3000 of holy food missing—the Feast of the Sun. They have already had the initial blessing, and so they could be debased for foul purposes. We left the pallets where they should have been undisturbed.”

“Was anything else missing?”

“Not that we were able to trace through the books.”

“Who was in charge of those requisitions?”

“The Treasurer.”

“Of course.”

“The money was a steady trickle of money for years, but never a large amount at one time. About five years total.”

They perform an obeisance as they leave. Kaitlyn comments that she finds that hard to get used to—the bowing and scraping—since they never did that sort of thing in her home realms. She chats about that with Kit.

* * *

Kit has a meeting with Anastasia.

“Crystal Cities? They’ve been withdrawn from contact with everyone since before I was born. They are very powerful, but they have mostly wanted to be left alone. Especially after the terrible attack a century ago, when an Argoni lord attacked with four field armies of uruks. The field armies were wiped out, and his aide was killed. The Argoni lord—Quinliart—retreated to Enclaves, and it’s said that he went mad. But the Crystal Cities became withdrawn. After my mother tested their borders, they wiped out the legions involved entirely and returned the commander’s head in a true-silver box.

“If they are mobilizing, they think that we will attack them.”

“Or they want to strike against the faction related to Quinliart.”

“Perhaps. I cannot imagine them wanting to get involved in our internal matters. If they thought it might hurt Quinliart, however…”

Kit decides that she needs to try to move up our meeting with the Council of the Crystal Cities, scheduled for a month’s time out.

She goes to the communications matrix and gets patched through. The Lady of Ruby appears. “Ah. Dame Katherine, I recall.”

“Yes, thank you for meeting with me. I know we are scheduled to have a meeting in a month’s time, but I wished to ask some questions and perhaps move up the meeting.”

“You can ask questions. I cannot say about moving up the meeting, and my husband is attending to readying the vollers.”

“That’s what we wanted to ask about. That’s a remarkable step for your cities.”

“It has come to our attention that he intends to make another try. We have opened contacts with new outside sources. And we have learned where he has gone to ground, and we have learned that he hopes to send half-human legions against us. We will not permit a further slaughter of our children. So we are considering a pre-emptive assault. We have never done that since the beginning of time, but we do have the capability. And we were inspired by the assault of the Lady of Aufaulgautharim. We may follow her example and strike them before they can strike us.”

“You say you know where your target is. Where is it?”

“He is deeply buried beneath their capital city. He has erected an eldritch matrix, and combined his powers with the forces he has stupidly allied with to raise the barrier, along with his psionic power.”

Kit works to try to get Anastasia and the Lady of Ruby to coordinate together and share their common goals—or at least common targets. Kit succeeds in getting them to talk together, despite the fact that she is Thyastis’s daughter and Thyastis commanded the probes against the Crystal Cities.

“There’s so much energy inducted into his fraudulent queen through ritual that she is far more powerful than she should be. And she can lend that to him. We are trying to calculate how dangerous that makes him. But there are only six of us after all. It has been a very long time since we have had actual allies. We were among the uncommitted. Alliances with us generally ended—that’s why we treasure our children so much.”

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 121, cont'd]
In the Holy See of Light: Dame Brionna wants to find out who was responsible for summoning all the archbishops, appointing the acting archbishops, and so forth. The person responsible should be the Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain.

Alistair and the Princess Cecilia decide to pay a visit to the Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain. They just brush past an ecclesiastical guard.

The Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain is extremely elderly. Aunt Cecilia announces, “He’s half-senile you know.”

"We wanted to discuss how the decision to call the Archbishops was made, who to appoint as acting archbishops, and so forth."

“The Apostolic Prefect made the decision, of course, upon the advice of the Patriarch’s chief healer. He appoints the acting archbishops. The assumption is that you want someone who will do an adequate job but not give any ideas.”

The Apostolic Prefect is generally chosen based on competence. The lower echelons of that office are usually those who have not been deeply called by the Lord of Light. The current holder was appointed by the prior patriarch. But he has considered retiring to his family estate, now that his brother has passed into the Light.

“What estate?”

“It’s one of the upland estates in Tarhanna. Definitely Tarhanna, but I can’t recall which.”

“And the chief healer?”

“Father Rafael—parish priest of the church in the lower chapel, probably ministering to the poor in the streets now. He’s only a parish priest, but the finest healer. He will help anyone, and is a skilled and wise healer, a very good man, and very faithful and holy. His one regret is that by taking the orders he has he cannot have children. He accepted it when poor. His parents were pirates. He was found on their ship when it was taken, and ended up in an orphanage in Tarhanna. When he got old enough, he wanted to enter the novitiate in Tarhanna, but they would not take him without money. He came here instead, and entered orders immediately.”

They send a runner to ask Father Rafael to attend on them. They then ask for a guide through the servants’ passageways to the Apostolic Prefect’s offices. They wait for some patriarchal guards to take position at the front of the office.

They then burst in the back.

“A blank?” says Aunt Cecilia.

“Which one?”

“The whole room and everything in it.”

“Back, back!” shouts Alistair. “Get out now!” He calls to the guards on the far side: “Allow no one in or out!”

He then rushes out. Alistair and Aunt Cecilia retreat, contacting Grandmaster Farsensor as they go.

<<That room is warded. Not your temple’s wards, either.>>

“What would orichalcum do to the wards?”

<<It might work.>>

Dame Brionna throws a thumbnail of orichalcum at the door, which explodes, leaving a hole into the room. Some clerks are dead, some clerks appear to have attacked others, and a middle-aged man is leading a group of people in burning documents in the center. The middle-aged man starts slitting the throat of one of the youngest clerks. Dame Brionna hurls her spear, hitting him square in the forehead and apparently killing him as he teleports out.

Dame Brionna reaches out to Grandmaster Farsensor. “Can you locate my spear?”

“Yes, its signature is very clear. It’s intelligent, you know. In Hanal City, in a hall, all in green and white. It’s very regal, but there’s no one there. I don’t think he expected to die as he teleported there.”

“Can you recover my spear?”

“Normally, child-play. But the psychic field that surrounds the city now is horrific. And I can sense many, many, many blood-driven in the city. They’re preying on the citizens.”

They identify the location as the Hall of Justice, right near the Imperial Palace of Hanal.

The man was the assistant prefect. He would have been next in line for Apostolic Prefect—and the Apostolic Prefect himself is dead, with an adamantine dagger driven into his heart. He’s still warm.

Alistair sends a large body of military to secure Father Rafael as quickly as possible. The messenger Alistair sent first is defending Father Rafael from assassins as they arrive. The Patriarchal Guard take two prisoners, kill three assailants, and bring the messenger and Father Rafael back.

“Did Harald have any particular friends among the ecclesiarchs? Any that he corresponded with and may have tried to keep secret?”

“Not much correspondence with any of them. But there was a priest from his home parish who corresponded with him, who he always responded to. But he was just a priest. He came from the Kingdom of Many Paths. They’re a strange group to begin with. So it was one of their priests with the title of Mountain Paths or something like that. They’re a strange place, and they also keep slaves. He came from their capital, so I guess that priest was in the capital.” (He’s an acting archbishop right now.)

Aunt Cecilia identifies one of the two living prisoners as not what he seems. "They’re hired assassins—one is a doppelganger, apparently hired to replace Father Rafael and carrying some dreadful poisonous stuff that will enter you if touched."

They also have some scribes and accountants, including some with expertise in reconstructing documents, teleported in. Kit’s personal scribe leads the group—which Kit doesn’t entirely realize was the plan until they teleported.

They speak with the surviving clerks who they knocked out. The clerks tell them that Harald—the chief assistant to the Apostolic Prefect—changed all the plans in preparation for his succession. He also planned on taking them into the deepest basement for an initiation—seemed concerning. Also, some documents disappeared—the defense plans for the cathedral and the apostolic palace. Also, a copy of the order of the armory. And the oddest, an inventory of the Sacred Closet. That was replaced with an incorrect inventory of the Sacred Closet—there are things that are there and aren’t on the list, like the Sacred Prism of the Sun, and elemental globes that are used for the Angelic Host—but those are gone but not signed out. (The Sacred Prism of the Sun has also been stolen.)

Dame Brionna raises the alarm throughout the palace, and meets with the Bishop of Security. They switch to a backup plan. And the Sacred Prism can project powerful blasts of light—it’s an essential part of the protection of the Holy See, along with the globes of the Angelic Host, which can be used to summon a significant number of angels to defend the Holy See.

(They ask Grandmaster Farsensor if he can ask the Highborn to send a voller fleet to defend the Holy See. He says it will be more of a squadron, but yes. The Highborn also turns her own voller—it will be here somewhat sooner. The squadron is about 9 hours away.)

A commune verifies that a voller fleet is closing, but it’s about 4 hours away. There are about two hundred ships in the fleet. The Highborn’s ship will make it in time, but the elven fleet will not.
[End session 121]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 122 (January 20, 2021)

25 Ras (cont’d)

Dame Brionna has a report [attached] from a Drowan undercity (Veldrinishar) that they had destroyed a small group traveling through the Underdark, entering the deep channels heading south, presumably towards the Holy See based on their location. Some of them were translucent, and one had a powerful rod which could control minds.

The clerical structures and the hierarchy’s palaces are sanctified, but the rest of the city is not.

Kit has a report from a toe among refugees in Hanal [attached]. The elven vollers are taking out various opponents on the usurper’s side. The Crystal Cities are providing support and giving food to the refugees, but also telling them to stay away lest they be attacked. Starvation is a serious concern. Kit plans on talking to Gunnorans about providing more food.

The voller fleet is coming from the northwest—possibly Tarhanna?

They spend some time coming up with and assigning a task list to defend the See of Light.

     1.  Check the basements and reinforce against attacks from below (Dame Brionna)

Sanctify everything that we can. (delegated to NPCs)
See if we can do anything to slow or harry the Voller fleet



Talk to the God of Time to see if he can change the flow of time for the Voller fleet (Alistair?)
Armada strategy? I.e., lots of small harrying attacks? Eagles?
Reach out to Blessed Wood to see if they can intercept (Kit)
The Fifth Region of Argoni is all of Zest’qua, and willing to do anything for money (poorest region); Lady Zel’est’ra Moriquendarim (Alistair)
Dragons?? Council of Ancient Wyrms? (Alistair)
Talk to the God of the Ocean to deal with the surface ships approaching (Alistair)

Divination? Find out if an attack is planned on Canberry (delegated to NPCs)
Revise defense plans and respond to the fact that they have the main plan but not the back-up plans (Dame Brionna)
Bring up magic resources we do have to hand (Alistair?)
Bring in allies--Magocracy of Perdun; Council of White Mages; Grand County of Vethrock; Northern Aurelian
Allied air elementals (Alistair)
Send Kit an Archbishop or 2 who can do Resurrect.
Move civilians into sanctified areas. (delegated to NPCs)
At some point cast a Forbiddance spell. (delegated to NPCs)
Planar Allies.
Replacing the acting Archbishops and establishing an emergency plan of succession (Alistair with the patriarch)
Suggestions from Lord Davion (Kit)
Alistair goes to the modest chapel to the God of Time. The priest invokes the Lord of Time with grand gestures and theatrics. There is a shimmer around them, and they appear in the midst of a garden where Alistair hears nothing but clocks.

Alistair asks if he can slow our enemies or speed our allies, so the elven squadron arrives before the enemy air fleet. The God of Time says that slowing the enemy can create problems, but that speeding allies is within his power. Alistair suggests that it would be appropriate to build the God of Time a cathedral of his own in the Holy See, similar in dignity and size to the Basilica of Fate to his sister; the God is extremely pleased, and extra pleased by the fact that it will upset her. Alistair also promises a tall clocktower, lit so that the time can be seen day and night. The God is very happy, and promises that their allies will arrive half an hour before the enemy, instead of four or five hours later.

Meanwhile, Dame Brionna travels with three investigative squads, ten paladins, and a hundred church troops into the basement. The farsensor in one of the squads indicates an area where he can’t sense anything, which concerns him. Dame Brionna readies her forces, then throws a small handful of orichalcum. There is a thunderous boom and the back wall of the chamber explodes in. Behind it, she sees a roughly dug tunnel. There are a significant number of dead figures in the chamber, as well as two figures that seem shocked but completely undamaged by the blast and the flying stone. One is translucent, the other is a human female dressed in elaborate robes with all sorts of symbology on them, carrying a rod with three tentacles, much like the rod sent by the drow.

Brionna warns everyone about mind control and advises protection against it Brionna charges directly at the woman with the rod. Misses! The squad targets translucent person at range. (Brionna plans to use orichalcum once she’s dealt with Rod Woman.)

She says something in a language Dame Brionna doesn’t understand and attacks with three tendrils from her rod. (A cleric behind her gasps, apparently understanding or at least recognizing the language.) One of the tendrils slips through and touches Dame Brionna’s face, and begins burrowing into her face, doing 14 points of damage, but Dame Brionna saves. A whispering voice talks about consumption and absorbtion things of that matter. Dame Brionna attacks back, striking her with fairly good blows.

The translucent figure somersaults past the battle. He must have originally been a rogue because of how he moves, but he rushes at the people behind her. He attacks the priest in Dame Brionna’s squad, and dismembers the priest hideously.

The tendril keeps burrowing into Dame Brionna, while a second tendril attaches itself and does 5 points of additional damage. Dame Brionna feels the first tendril spit something solid into her.

Dame Brionna chops at the rod. She does 16 points of damage—not enough to break it—and then flung orichalcum dust at the translucent figure behind him, detonating him, leaving only a blue flame fallen to the ground.

The second tendril also deposits something into Dame Brionna.

Dame Brionna strikes the rod again and it blows apart in a burst of blue light.

The now-disarmed rod lady throws a lightning bolt at Dame Brionna, and then Dame Brionna finishes her off. Her wounds are seeping but starting to crawl back together. “Burn her! And then get as much holy water here as we can, and then give me some to drink.” The holy water causes the tentacles to shrivel up.

We arrange for a group of dwarves to sap and collapse the tunnel safely to make sure that no further attackers come in. Dame Brionna hurries to a redactor. “Oh! It tried to implant some of those star things. I don’t know if that would work with a paladin, but we should probably get them out.” Dame Brionna passes out during the surgery, for about an hour.

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 122, cont'd]
Kit talks to Grandmaster Farsensor about talking to the Blessed Wood. 

“They only have the Eldarborn Lord, his consort, his son, and one other Eldar. Since you wish them to commit their ships—you will have to speak to the Lord of the Wood. You will be talking to the Eldarborn Lord Tha’indri’al.”

He creates a psionic connection.  The elves speak in Eldar for a while, and then he says, “He tells me that you have need of the Blessed Wood.”

Kit tells him that our holiest city is under threat from a great enemy and that we humbly asks their aid in stopping this attack that is coming by air.

“What is this enemy?”

Kit gets a strange word in her mind, probably from the Grandmaster Farsensor. She struggles and forms the syllables by force of will, and the Eldar and the wood elf attendants gasp.

“Lady Katharine, we rarely interfere with the younger races, but that the ancient abominator has come again requires extraordinary action on our part. I will commit our vollers—all five of our fleet—and 100 archers.”

As he fades out, his attendants strap on crystal armor.

* * *
Alistair has several priests perform divinations—"should we expect a significant attack on Canberry (excluding the people within the Holy See) within the next day?"
Yes.

Divination:
"How best can we defend against the attack on Canberry, without Alistair or his entourage returning to Canberry?"
Look far to the South, they attack where weak, open your mouth, armies there seek.

Commune:
Is Canberry City itself in imminent danger? No.

Is the expected attack on Canberry in the former South Kingdoms? Yes.

Is it targeted at their effective capital? Yes.

Is the South Kingdom colony in the southern continent going to be imminently attacked? Yes.

Can Dame Katharine, the Mouth, raise armies to defend? No.

Can the Empress Kaitlyn raise armies to defend by her speech? No.

Is the primary way to defend by providing warning of the attack? Yes.

Will the attack be by air? Yes.

Is it an attack by Zorplona-Aragoni? Yes.

(Unasked because ran out of questions: Is it an attack directly by forces of the Unspeakable?
Is it an attack by Skaven?
Is it an attack by humans?)

* * *
Alistair reaches out to Lady Zel’est’ra Moriquendarim through a human Farsensor.

They negotiate. She agrees to engage the enemy and to provide 8000 uruks (eight elite legions, with permission for the Glordiadelians to proselytize to them) to defend against the surface troops. She identifies the airfleet as Hanalian; Alistair promises a reasonable fee for their services, as well as any prize ships that they take (and he says that they’ll turn a blind eye to what happens to any prisoners taken beyond the borders of the Holy See.)

She points out that there are also 57 surface ship troop carriers.

They also talk about whether anyone can bring the Seventh Region to heel. Alistair gave her the information about the Prince of the Cities of Pain. She said that the head of house Moriquendarim could stop Quinliart’s brother, and would if Alistair talked to him and explained the problem. She also, without any prompting, promised that they could have any ten slaves from the Zorplona-Argoni that they request.
[End Session 122]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 123 (February 17, 2021)

25 Ras (cont’d)

They get a report from the Militant Order of the Knights of the Misty Dawn; troop transports have landed 50 miles away.  [Attached]. They also review a map of the area surrounding the Holy See.

They send a sending to Tottenheim:
Holy See expects attack in 4 hours by 200 Vollers, 250 naval ships, footsoldiers. Defense plans/ key relics stolen. Elven/Noldor vollers intercepting enemy vollers.

He responds:
In brutal negotiations with warlords Khamista. Consult adjunct - General Lord Thaddeus Devondale in See. All orders militant active. Thaddeus command. You command secular. Light Endures!

They find Lord Thaddeus Devondale. “We must immediately convert the cathedral for its secondary purpose—hospital. That should be put under the authority of the Brotherhood of the Archangel Parantholial the Healer and the other healing orders. Some of the orders need to be protected. The Ever-Virgin Order of Tophiel can fight—Tophiel expects no less.” He mobilizes the orders. “Do not get into arguments with the Knights Resplendent. They don’t follow orders anyway. I will personally activate the Templars of the Tower. They will guard His Holiness’s chambers.”

“Do we have any means that my voice could be heard throughout the defense?”

“Some of the clerics can. I will send the Father-Superior of the Order of Gavriel. He can. I will send the Oblates of the Utter Mother into the sea to try to stop the ships.”

They estimate that there will be 20,000 to 50,000 enemy troops. We have about 2500 troops, plus the 8000 uruks. They ring the bells, ordering the civilians to flee west. They don’t dare bring them into the Holy See for fear of bombardment. They plan to try to break any mind control.

They expect any non-fanatic human captains to break when engaged by elven vollers, but the fanatics will continue. They arrange for people to be brought within the Holy See itself, and to have their blood checked as they come in.

* * *
Kit has a psionic contact in the Southern Kingdoms, a lady who is usually part of the Empress’s entourage when the Empress is in the South.

“Oh, my lady.”

“We have urgent news. There is an attack coming from Zorplona-Argoni.”

“I thought they had stopped.”

“So had we. Do you want to speak to the commander?”

“Yes, probably best.”

“Cat among the pigeons again, eh? We’ll have to see if we can show them what for. We have built some new artillery.”

Empress Caitlyn says, “I’m not sure our artillery will be able to deal with a Noldar voller—or more than one.”

Kit talks about other resources they have—some mages, some of the cat lords who have been helping them rebuild the capital. They also talk about reaching out to the friendly mage in the Mountains of Mages.

Kit has farsensors trying to get a count of the enemy numbers. They have to be extraordinarily cautious. “They’re closing with an armada, a man-of-war, and eight scows; the scows are carrying troops, probably about a thousand. They have a single vessel behind—likely a fast courier, either to report or for a favored prisoner.”

They could be aiming to capture one of the Empress’s body doubles if they don’t realize they’re doubles. “They could also be going after our military leaders, such as we have. There’s a member of the great council of Skree that has been willing to trade with us. They might be willing to assist. They might be willing to throw some of their lesser clan rats at the enemy to stop them, viewing any losses as advantageous to eliminating excess population.”

Farsensors link to him—the white Skaven that we’ve met before. “Grain farm idea working.”

“That’s wonderful, wonderful. But we have a favor we would ask of you.”

“I listen! I do not understand your idioms, but I listen.”

Empress Caitlyn explains the situation.

“Two warlord clans near border can reach you before they do. I send them now-now. They skitter-skitter up to you and they fight for our trade alliance. I go now.”

“Well, that will help. I have no idea how many are in those clans, but they will help. They may swamp the uruks, or may be a small aid.”
* * *

Kit talks to Princess Anastasia. “The troops will not make a dent, but the vollers… I will talk to Cov Snatterkaz immediately.”

* * *
Lord Davion is penning calligraphy in an elegant hand using silver ink on paper of beaten adamantium.

“We have another emergency. I’d love to speak to you someday when we’re not having an emergency, but…” Kit brings Lord Davion up to speed.

“This tells us a great deal. Firstly, it tells us that the One Other is convinced that his two colleagues will never be able to enter this plane. He is now acting on his own.”

“How does this tell you that?”

“He is doing one thrust with most of his forces. That is not something you do if you fear that you may have to use them for something else. What he hopes to do, if he is alone here, he cannot consume everything. However, if he can consume enough, he could elevate himself to ruling god status. He needs gods. Glordiadel would be a lovely start—that is his goal. If he can conquer the Holy See and destroy the center of the Church, he hopes to use that to seize what power he can. He will completely shatter the Temple of Sytry within the next few years. The devotees of the Blue Star will follow him into oblivion. He will draw into a pantheon those who ally with him. He has betrayed his fellows. Otherwise, he would try to get them in while that is still possible. He will be unlikely to consume Sytry, but he will break his church. He might try to consume Borsh’tro. He knows he could not consume the Creator alone. So he tries to merely control everything. That is what the First Age tells me. So we must defeat him in detail now. It will not destroy him, but it will put him in a place he does not want to be. It will take him millennia to rebuild his temple. Should I apport to the South Kingdoms to… advise?”

“If you think that’s where you can assist the most.”

“The Empress’s commander in the South Kingdoms is a competent captain, but no general. Perhaps I can advise him to be competent.”

* * *

Alistair has a human psion link him to the Prince of the House of Moriquendarim. As soon as the link is made, it’s as if we’re standing in the room together. He is seated on a half throne, but the filigree adamantium doors that are being closed are to an enormous chamber of Noldar of House Moriquendarim, Twilight Elves, and others are all having animated conversations.

“If there are no slave carriers, this is not a raid. That suggests that Quinliart’s brother may have fallen from the House.

“House Moriquendarim is the weakest but most numerous of the Noldar houses. The Aragoni are a faction within the house, but only a faction—one of six. They capture slaves and sell them, sometimes in ways that the House does not approve. Sometimes they are put in their place. They pay 20% of their profits to the House for our let and approval. The majority of House Moriquendarim are not slavers—the largest position is the ridiculous idea that it is our place to help prepare the elevation of the lesser races that will replace us, ridiculous as that idea is. The few holdings we have outside of Krashmere are not devoted to specific sects. So for example, the Enclave formerly Zorplona-Argoni is now in the hold of a Sustainer, one of the other factions. That Enclave will never again take slaves unless the Argoni take power there someday in the future. Quinliart’s brother made enormous wealth during the Day of the Dead, and has said himself that the ‘cattle’ should be given some centuries to recover. If there are no slave carriers—I think he will not obey my orders but will turn renegade instead. Some of his twilight elf officers may turn against him.”

They provide a metal medallion of Adamantium inlaid with laen. Alistair sends that to Lord Davion, sending it with some of the people who can resurrect that they sent to Kit.

* * *
Alistair goes to speak to the Utter Mother, Goddess of the Ocean, going to her shrine. There’s only one oblate left there.

She makes odd burbling sounds, and smooth, cold water shows up. Alistair finds himself floating, flippers holding him in place, and large eyes float in the ocean.

He asks for assistance.

“I will send water spouts. Some it will wreck. Some will reach the shore. I will pay particular attention to the eight in the rear. They do not carry troops. They carry death. A little dollop of death in the sea washes out in the water.”

Alistair asks if she wants anything, and she says that she is not like her brother and sister. Her oblates have taken other forms, and she will strengthen them.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 123, cont'd]
A group of vollers come in very fast and disgorge uruks from scows. Their drowan officers are literally whipping them into shape, forming them up and disciplining them.

* * *
Alistair and the Patriarch quickly set up a new system of acting Archbishops and of an emergency council if the council is destroyed and needed. The bishop of the senior diocese of each province is to be the acting archbishop of the province, but cannot succeed to the archbishopric directly. The emergency council would be any surviving members of the council, any surviving archbishops, the acting archbishops for any province whose archbishop does not survive, and the Protector of the Light.

* * *
Dame Brionna works on adjusting and revising the plans on the fly so that we’re not doing specifically what the plans suggest.

They deploy the archers concentrated on the seaward approaches. Dame Brionna leads a rapid response force—18 Knights of Valor, and 8 Knights of Hegatha (who are famed for ferocity). She also has them prepare boiling holy water for the wall defenses.

They also contact the Council of White Mages, and they get three dithering mages who can help, and can be directed. The mages are archmagi, so they do have plenty of spells.

* * *
Alistair and Dame Brionna can see the waterspouts from where they are, as a flotilla of Eldar ships arrive, and on the other side of the city the uruks and the Lady of the Fifth Region of the Aragoni.

Two hundred human vollers blackens the sky. They are arriving at the same time as the ships, at about the same time the landed troops engage the uruks.

Alistair inspires the whole defense efforts. Some ships do make it into port, landing 130 additional ships worth of troops while the rest are destroyed.

As the vollers come in, the elven vollers start cutting them down from above. There are a couple of ragged volleys. A few captains do withdraw; a few have munities on deck; but most continue on.

At the same time, in the South Kingdoms, a large horde of clan rats arrive and await the attack. And yes, the Noldar lord ignored the command from his prince. The skaven greatly outnumber the uruks, although the uruks are more individually powerful and much more disciplined. The humans backing up the skaven start engaging them. And then Lord Davion reveals himself fully, and his armor lights up, as does the Moriquendarim medallion, and declaims in Noldar. His aura causes many of the uruks nearest him (and some of the skaven nearest him) collapse in worship. Some of the officers seem startled, and one exchanges words with him in Noldar. Those officers, both Twilight Elves, slowly kneel and lay down their weapons in front of him.

The oblates and the sharks are now swarming and eating anyone coming off the ships that are sinking. The combat is fierce.

A monk approaches Dame Brionna. “A small group just cut their way through over one of the towers and the sidewall. We don’t know where they came from, but they seem different from the others in front of them.”

Dame Brionna rallies her team, and flies over on her horse. A volley of darts flies at her, with some dozen missing and three striking her. She indicates where the attack came from, and a mage purges invisibility. There are about two dozen figures, most human, some translucent, and one wielding one of the tentacle rods. She charges the rod bearer. She kills him outright with an enormous blow.

Lord Davion hews his way through the uruks, still talking, and the two Twilight Elf officers now strike their own former troops. The drow try to avoid him while still moving their charges to the place where Empress Caitlyn stays while down there. Nobody here gives ground. Everyone fights to the death, so it’s a savage fight.

Back at the Holy See, Dame Brionna keeps doing dives. The enemy vollers are now over the city. The elves ask Alistair what they should do, and he says better to have their wreckage fall on the city than their weapons. Finally, they identify the enemy flagship and a group of glowing and shining elves descend on the flagship, levitating down. A couple minutes later, a beautiful elven maiden in crystal armor holds up the head of an admiral, and using declamatory mode, declares psionically. “Your admiral is dead. On behalf of the Overqueen, I command you to surrender your vessels or withdraw from this place, or you will all be destroyed.”

In the South Kingdoms, the uruks are fighting to the death, even though the tide has clearly turned against them. Lord Davion has stopped killing them, while others continue killing them. The uruks are now being driven back, especially when two rakshasa knights join the battle. The skaven were absolutely slaughtered, but provided a cushion. Finally, in despair, the drow attempt to attack Lord Davion. This does not go well. And suddenly another voller shoots northwest.

Meanwhile, Dame Brionna and her group of knights bring down the band from the Underdark, with minimal casualties, despite their power. There’s some spell throwing on both sides. Lord Devondell is correct about the Knights of Hagaratha, who are like killing machines when they get started. The secret force, which was part of the whole attack, fails.

About a half-dozen of the Hanalian pilots are setting their vollers as close to the ground as they can and abandoning them. They’re porting their weapons and striking their colors.

The ground troops are the biggest problem, and the battle lasts for hours. The cathedral is full of wounded. There are vast numbers of dead as well. Dame Brionna deploys some calm emotion effects on the enemy, which seems to shake a fair number of the ground troops almost out of a trance. At that point, many of them look around and wonder what they are doing.

Some sea ships withdrew. Some vollers fled as well, and the elves let them go, although the Moriquendarim may not.

It is effectively over, though the cost in human lives was severe.

* * *

In the South, Lord Davion and the general who nominally was in charge for the whole time repulse the enemy. Lord Davion lays laen links around the necks of the two Twilight Elves. Once the situation is secure, he apports them to Dame Kit, and commands the two Twilight Elves to their knees before Empress Caitlyn and Dame Kit, “the special companion of the Emperor.”

“These two surrendered. I wish them to be granted leniency.”

“We accept your surrender," says Kit. "While we await official decision on your fate, we ask if you have any information on what else comes in the South.”

“We heard a rumor that the Prince had communicated his dissatisfaction with our lord. We did not believe that. But he was preparing his own fast voller before we left—we believe he may have gone to join his brother. For if he truly defied an order of the house lord, he is finished in the House, and while there may be a place for a renegade Aufaugautharim, there is no place for a renegade Moriquendarim. His brother was with us for a time after he fled Enclaves. He then departed with his forces and a group of strange creatures—the tall, humanoid figures translucent with blue fire in their bellies. Once they arrived, Lord Quinliart departed, but his brother sheltered him for weeks, and they were always close. Those strange beings felt of something unclean, but one does not question a Noldar lord. He emptied the region house for this attack. And I do not know why he picked the day he picked and I do not know why he commanded it. He abandoned—scuttled actually—the slave transports.”

“Were there any slaves on board?” asks Kit.

“No. We have not taken any slaves since the fall. There was no need. But he must have known that he was not returning. We thought it was a senseless act, but he could have bought new. There was even some talk that he might be following the lead of the northern kin, but we knew that was not. We have seen the vigor with which he gathered slaves in the old days.”

Her questions answered, Kit turns to the Empress.  “Empress Caitlyn. These are your prisoners.”

“If Lord Davion wishes to grant them mercy, I see no reason not to. I would wish that they not be armed, and not be permitted to rejoin their master. For their other crimes, I will defer to my husband. Did you take slaves of my people?”

“Yes, many times after your kingdoms fell.”

The Empress's face darkens.  “Yes, it is best that the Emperor decide your final fate.”

* * *

Back to the Holy See, where a rapidly marching legion of secular troops from a nearby city arrives. The battle continues for 18 hours. By that time, more legions of foot have arrived, and a couple of legions of horse, and the elves from the Blessed Wood have hacked their way through the enemy, and suddenly the ragged remains—only a couple thousand left—surrender as if someone dropped their reins.

The highest ranking enemy officer is a lieutenant.

Even the uruks are down to about 2500. The Knights of Hagaratha went from 8 to 3. Most of the holy orders holding the walls did okay. The elves did fairly well.

The Eldarborn lord extended himself. “There was a malign presence that was indwelling all of them, and it suddenly let go, in an instance. I have never seen the like. It was not psionic, exactly, nor magic, exactly. It was almost un-divine.”

“It was surely eldritch, as your people use that term.”

“Yes, but it had something else to it as well. Perhaps we should remain for longer than we had intended. We will encamp beyond the walls.”

The image of the highborn Eldar appears. “That was vigorous.”

“We thank you for your indispensable defense.”

“You were right to call on us. Without our aid, the city would have fallen. I apologize for beheading the admiral. What must you think of me. I would have rather spoken to the trees, but we spoke to the trees for too long last time.” She sends a redactor to assist in the healing in the cathedral.

Eventually, someone brings the lieutenant to Alistair.

He accepts their surrender.

“We were put on the ship. We weren’t told where we were going. As the voyage progressed, we became like animals. We felt compelled, that we had to get in to that building, within those walls, and kill everyone. The city is in such disarray. They’ve released the blood-driven into the streets, and they’re killing everyone. The city is emptied, with the only survivors those hiding in destroyed homes. And we did nothing… why did we do nothing?”

He has a nervous breakdown, but the elven redactor prevents disaster. “But… the thing that was driving them? We need to shield them against it.”

Grandmaster Farsensor says he can shield against it.
[End Session 123]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 124 (March 3, 2021)

26 Ras
Alistair and Dame Brionna meet with the general of the Holy See and ask if he wants to claim the half-dozen captured vollers. He says no, that they would be better in Canberry's navy than here.

Alistair makes a pitch to the surviving uruks to convert and remain. About 1000 agree to line up and convert, once he says that he can arrange for them to have uruk women as well.

Alistair speaks to the Lady of the Aragoni region, who expresses that she is more than happy to dispose of female uruks, because she only needs enough to match her number of males and has just lost many.

The light elves do a full probe, looking for additional threats.

There appears to be a long, shallow tunnel under the sea, heading away to the northwest. They don’t sense anything unusual within it, but that may have been how the assassins got here. The main tunnel exits in the center of the island.

* * *
A runner hurries in to Kit. “She said to tell ‘er, there here, she’s got them, and if you want to question them, it ought to be soonish.”

Kit thanks him, and tells him that she will go to Dame Constance as soon as possible.

She heads over to Dame Constance’s chambers. She has two homunculi, one kind of cute, sitting on a table. “It’s in your best interests and everyone’s best interests if you just answer her questions.” She whispers to Kit. “They’re not full grown homunculi. It’s the equivalent of using children. I’ve never seen them used this early. They haven’t developed full loyalty to their maker.”

“That’s good. That means we can get them to inform on him, and give them homes where they will be better treated.”  Kit turns to the homunculi.  “Good morning.”

“Good morning, ma’am.”

“We need to ask you questions about where you used to live and who you used to work for.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“What were you doing when you were called back?”

“He was having us scavenge, like he usually did.” It dumps out its pouch, which contains the deadliest ingredients for the deadliest assassins’ poisons.

“This would have been the last time for a while, but in the summer, he had us going out every week.”

“What did he do with them?”

“Made a liquid in the basement. Don’t know why—he never drank it. There were a couple of alchemists with gardens about three days west of the city as we travel—we don’t need to sleep.”

Kit points them to a map. They indicate a place that Kit would view as six days away on the map.

“Did he ever ask you to do anything else?”

“Spy on people—mostly church officials. Movements of couriers, changes of priests in different parishes, and anything that involved any of the Archbishop’s secretaries.”

“How long have you been doing this?”

“About three years, since we were made. We don’t think it’s morally right—we’ve listened to the priests—but we had to do what he told us. Not because he whipped us, though he did, but just because we had to…”

Kit asks them to provide a list of all the people they’ve spied on.

“What about your boss? Who were his associates, and who was he working for?”

“We only saw the big boss once, and he hid us when he came. But he didn’t tell us to not watch secretly, so we did.”

Kit asks them for permission to put up a mind-link, and gets the image of the thinnest knight she’s ever seen. His armor says he has to be a knight, but he has no color, no anything.

“He was meaner than my boss.”

“What did he talk about? What did he ask your boss?”

“He demanded a lot. Said that the gems weren’t enough, couldn’t summon fast enough. That the new ruler was bound to the land, and that shouldn’t have been permitted. And that they wanted to arrange for the Bishop and Archbishop to go away. He was mean—he made us feel weak, and he made the master feel weak too.”

“Did he say why he wanted them away?”

“He said that the great servant would soon have to leave his home, and that the Archbishop was too watchful. He said the plan would have to be set into motion soon. But he didn’t say where he was.”

“When did he say this?”

“Seven or eight months ago? But then this last time, he sent us away because he knew there wasn’t much left. I think he sent us away because someone else came to give him orders.”

“Did he ever take you where he went to give the liquid and such?”

“He would ride west, to the capital of Westmarch.” They give Kit an image of the building in the capital of Westmarch. She gets an image of a group of people unlike any she’s seen in Canberry. They’re clearly assassins, with guild stuff on them, though she can’t recognize a specific subsection of the guild. The men hand him more of the gem chips that were used for summoning.

“Did they say anything about what their next plans were?”

“No, they didn’t talk at all. They looked at the stuff, and then they pulled the gems out of the wall, gathered up the stuff, and left.”

“Did the boss ever take you to a place that would give you a bad feeling, like when the thin man was around?”

“Oh, that’s easy. The sub-sub-sub-basement of the cathedral. No one ever goes there, but he did. He worked for the cathedral so he could.”

“Did you meet with any priests that gave you that feeling?”

“No. He hated being in the cathedral. He used to mutter about it all the time. But he didn’t hate it when he went down, down, down.”

Kit asks if they need a new boss, and they say they do. Kit agrees to become their boss, giving them a drop of her blood and promising to teach them things.

Dame Constance does the appropriate invocations.

* * *
The ships come back with 4500 uruk women, some pregnant, none with any children. Alistair and Dame Brionna organize some social interventions and getting some people in place to regularize them as Glordiadelian while also being flexible.

The Church agrees to bring in a canon from the Animal Barbarians, since they have similarly lop-sided gender dynamics and will understand how to be flexible.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 124, cont'd]
Alistair and Dame Brionna teleport home and join Kit and Empress Kaitlyn.

Alistair orders Dame Brionna to not leave the palace to prevent her from haring off to investigate the cathedral.

The Grandmaster Farsensor searches beneath the cathedral. The stairs beneath the cathedral are warded against psionics. Some time ago, there was an altar that was demonic or something similar beneath the sub-sub-basements. There are no people there, nothing living there, but it appears that the altar is set up to speak to the abyssal planes. There is no exit, except up to the cathedral, and it’s dozens or a hundred years old, though not part of the original cathedral design. Getting it in has to have been a herculean task. The sub-basement above it has books. Large ledgers, and that sort of thing.

They send some of Kit’s people plus two of Brionna’s regular squads, with the Grandmaster Farsensor accompanying them. The basic report back is that the ledgers are ledgers, and they have been studied recently. Two of them are modern ledgers with different figures from the official documents. The altar is clearly a demonic altar to open a communication to something on the other side. It appears to be set up, based on Grandmaster Farsensor’s conversation with Lady Constance, to communicate with two different demon lords—the Lord of Goats and the Abomination of Shurr. This altar is older than the treasurer. His predecessor must have put it in. He may be the second archdiocesan treasurer to be corrupt.

The Council starts vetting all of the assistants, treasurers, and privy secretaries throughout the entire Empire, starting with people with ties to the old treasurer.  They also decide they need to carefully vet the school where they are trained.

They send Lord Davion and a strike force, along with people to dimensionally lock the area. They set up a cordon in advance, and then appear dramatically, to see who flees.

Alistair, Kit, Empress Kaitlyn, and Kaitlyn’s companion, Ingra Rafyelle, begin having regular private dinners. Alistair also elevates Ingra to baronial rank, so she has appropriate status (she was a commoner, a seamstress, before her involvement with Kaitlyn). He also offers to help them have a private family if they wish to.

Grandmaster Farsensor sees the mental image of the higher boss. “He is a Twilight Elf, though he has disguised himself as a human and clipped the top of his ears. It may have looked focused on demons, but a Twilight Elf would not conspire just about demons. The former Noldar lord of Zorplona-Argoni became corrupted by the ancient abominations. We do not know if he corrupted some of his staff, but this indicates that he did.” He says that he could find out if he saw their records, but that he cannot search for him with farsensing—it could cause issues with the Noldar.

He’ll prepare and can do it the next morning. He asked Dame Brionna to have some people watching over him while he searches, for the offchance that the Twilight Elf is a farsensor.

* * *

When Lord Davion and 300 troops head over to the grounds of the scribal school, there is no reaction until he enters the grounds of the school. One figure turns into a bird and flies straight up. A few archers and Lord Davion shoot it with bows, and it turns back to a person and tumbles back to the ground. Three others, all instructors, get rounded up. The Headmaster, a very elderly priest of St. Dillygaff of the Fields, comes out in great confusion.

“Are there any other faculty that aren’t here?”

“My assistant headmaster. He’s in his office.”

“I’ll go to him. Where is his office?”

Lord Davion kicks in the door. “Well, that’s thorough. It appears he put the tip of a fireball wand in his mouth and then fired it. The whole room has some burns and blood smears. None of the students, interestingly.”

One of the students does suggest that he should come back with them as well.

On Dame Brionna’s prompting, he searches the basement. “I am no vintner, but no one should drink this wine. Look through my eyes. Do you see the slight glow over these barrels? The wine has been tainted. It’s very slow, but over time it will twist their minds.” It’s imported wine, from just this side of the border with Hanal—an area the church wanted to support in preparation for the inevitable invasion by Hanal. There are no non-corrupt barrels. They are in nobody’s territory, historically neutral, and the very body of the wine is corrupt.

The Council decides to deploy some church knights and treat this as a matter of unholy corruption. They ask Archbishop Humbert the Holy of Enclaves to dispatch church knights to deal with this.

Lord Davion brings the prisoners and the boy back. They send over some of Brionna’s people, Aunt Cecilia, and Dame Brionna herself. “Well, what do you know. Three entirely corrupt old farts, and a completely innocent boy who doesn’t think he’s innocent because people talked to him. All three of them, fully corrupt, but nothing implanted in them. Just greed, and something odd in the blood, like something they drank. I think they drank a lot.”

“Boy, what did people say?”

“The assistant headmaster was talking to me, both when he was there and when he was not there, always saying the same thing. That there were better ways to serve, that I could serve the Light more fully than I was being taught, and that the Light would bless me and I could go anywhere, but that I couldn’t tell anyone. I was never sure, but the voice was so insistent, and it told me that my brothers and parents had walked away from the Light and that if I went back to serve there after I finished my training, perhaps I could guide them to the light.”

“Who were your family? Nobles, perhaps?”

“Minor nobles, my lady. Youngest son of the Baron of Bonesthrow. I have five older brothers and three older sisters.”

He turns out to have a touch of the gift, but to be clean. His uncle used to be able to figure out what people were thinking—he died suddenly. They send a squad of people to investigate the death, which they presume was a murder.

Aunt Cecilia finds a powdered packet in the shoe of one of the teachers. It was a deadly, fast-acting poison. They also have them interrogated.

Another student, another young noble, reports the assistant headmaster showing him a special light—a beautiful blue flame that he had in a special compartment under the floor.

Lord Davion returns to retrieve it—he didn’t sense it because it was in a lead box. As soon as it’s removed from its box, Grandmaster Farsensor says, “that’s linked. It’s directly linked to the divine planes.”

Alistair reaches out to House Moriquendarim to offer it to them, so they can track it back to where Arthranax is, so they can try to rescue the Prince of the Cities of Pain. They send a voller to pick it up, and they feel they owe Canberry a debt of honor.

The young noble is terrified of servants of the royal house. Apparently, the assistant headmaster convinced him that the royal household was to be feared. He also told him that “the royal household displaced our duke hundreds of years ago, and that when anyone resisted, they just killed him. And they said that the lady’s life was so long because she used dark magic and was probably now undead somewhere. And he said that the Archduke is trying to do what was done to us to the whole continent and become the Emperor of the whole world. And that our house, guided right, could get our duke to get his courage back. But I don’t understand how that could be, because we don’t have a duke anymore.” (This is the third son of Baron of Penhome.) He’s a vassal of Grimcliff, but at one time Mountainmarch was a duchy. They became vassals to Canberry a thousand years ago.
[End Session 124]


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## CPaladin

Session 125 (March 17, 2021)

27 Ras
Dame Brionna is approached by a guard. “There’s an odd little woman wandering through the lower city.”

“Odd how?”

“She’s wandering through the market squares, looking at women, and saying ‘You’re not pregnant. You’re not pregnant. You’re not pregnant.’ as she looks at them.”

Dame Brionna orders the guards to pick her up and take her to the nearest shrine of Gunnora, and to send a message to the high priestess/chief midwife of Gunnora to assist.

The midwife-priestess of the shrine says, “Gertrude! I thought you were up north of the mountains.”

“I’m looking for tainted pregnancies. The Ecumenical Council sent me south to look here, after we had matters under control in the city of Enclaves and the surrounding farmlands. Haven’t found any tainted—a few pregnant women, but no signs of taint. Damned demon cultists, and I mean that in every sense of the word.”

They begin reaching out through the midwives of Gunnora, among the nobility (there are a couple of pregnancies among the high nobility and many pregnancies among the petty nobles, especially in the mountain marches), and through the Order of the Stag. For example, the lady of Mount Smalldownbig, a gnomish baron, is pregnant. They also reach out through the old busybodies of the parishes, looking for reports about women who are pregnant, especially ones that rarely or never attend church.  They also reach out to any reported sexual assault victims, and among the refugee population. (They realize that Gertrude is a very senior Gunnoran priestess—likely roughly equivalent to a bishop of Enclaves, though of course the Gunnorans would never think of it that way, and slightly junior to the high midwife in Canberry.)



There were three Ram cults in Enclaves. But there were also various women who had become pregnant with demonic congress, who the High Inquisitor was dealing with.

“I meant to speak to your archbishop when he got here, but he seems to be absent somewhere.”

“He’ll be happy to speak with you when he returns.”

“I’m glad that we have a good relationship with the Archduchy, and with the Church of Glordiadel. It’s something good that has come out of the Ecumenical Council.”

“Do you think there are bad things?”

“Well, we were more leery of the involvement of the Paranswarmians and the Morgrothians than most. But it is important that we work together against the problems…”
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[session 125, cont'd]
Dame Brionna begins organizing screening of any baby presents for security purposes—with Empress Kaitlyn’s delivery likely imminent, the presents are already beginning to arrive. Aunt Cecilia and Dame Brionna’s sister take charge of this—one for reasons of security, the other to avoid any issues of courtesy. Aunt Cecilia also reports that she thinks this is at most two or three days out.

Empress Kaitlyn’s family has a history of easy births, although there were tremendously difficult births among the old ruling house—the Overkings of the Southern Kingdom, when Empress Kaitlyn’s family were the monarchs specifically of Stormwatch.

They begin having some conversations about naming and about wet nurses, and Alistair resolves to go speak with Empress Kaitlyn.

The most striking of the gifts is a gift from the Tor—some form of small child, intended to be a fluffy companion. It is an enormously fluffy, three headed puppy. The puppy’s middle head, which is smarter than the others, is thinking loudly about this being the palace where they were sent. <<We are here to protect the babies, love the babies, and if necessary to raise the babies.>>

<<Do you have a name?>>

<<Not yet. The babies will name us.>>

<<That may take a while. Can someone else name you in the meantime?>>

<<For a use name? Sure. The babies will give us our true name, though.>>

Princess Kaitlyn describes another one as tremendously powerful, but dangerous. It was a gift from the Noldar. It’s a talisman of a scout voller—when the command is given, it will grow to full size, like the most awesome feather token ever. It seems to have been selected by Princess Curinirim.

Lord Davion gave a large pile of woven silk diapers.

Nothing has arrived from the Queen of Singing Leaves yet—she probably doesn’t have a grasp on the time scale humans operate on, and unlike Princess Curinirim, she does not maintain a human servant to track times of things happening among humans.

And every noble in Canberry has sent a gift.

Alistair goes to talk with Empress Kaitlyn. Alistair suggests for the son, who is expected to be the elder child, “Emil Elric Duncan Alistair,” with the Alistair simply in case he wishes to use Alistair II as a regnal name. The names are a masculine form of Alistair’s grandmother’s name (Amelia), Kaitlyn’s father’s name, and Alistair’s father’s name. They agree that “Elric” will be his use name, and that they’ll use an imperial and royal princely style, with the traditional title of “Marquis Belconnen,” the title of the Archducal heir-apparent. When he reaches his majority, they will make him Duke of the Duchy of Canberry.

For the daughter, both agree that they should honor Alistair’s mother, a daughter of the Duke of Tusslefield, and her mother. Her mother was named Madison, which is more typically a girl’s name in the South Kingdoms but more frequently a boy’s name here. Still, they decide to use Madison (her mother’s name) Margarite (Alistair’s mother’s name) Amelia, with Princess Amelia as her use name for the political value of linking her to Alistair's grandmother.

They also discuss the fact that the birth will need to be semi-public, with high nobles present.

She plans on primarily nursing the babies herself, but we decide to have two ladies in waiting as wet nurses, one from her court and one from a ducal family of Canberry, after appropriate vetting.

They talk about the situation in the South Kingdoms. She mentions that there were no elves in the South Kingdoms before it fell. There were abandoned fairy tors, and one that was perhaps not abandoned but that everyone avoids without knowing why.

She then waddles out to the baby shower.

Grandmaster Farsensor gives a divine repeating scroll of sleep, powered by the First Daughter.

The dwarven kingdom sent something that Aunt Cecilia laughed at. It’s a pair of perfectly matched, baby-sized war axes.

While all of this is happening, Alistair sneaks off to pursue a secret plan.

Alistair and Kit discuss their child, and name and such. They agree on Lord James (her father’s name) Derrick (his grandfather) FitzAlistair-Lyneham; they discuss a plan for avoiding any succession problems with oaths of loyalty and disclaiming any claim on Canberry or the Empire of Southern Drucien for the House taken repeatedly, first by Kit. Alistair also talks about how he plans on giving their child the status of the eldest son of a duke, ranking with but after the eldest sons of dukes, in the same way that Kit will be a countess with the style of Her Grace and ranking with but after duchesses.

Alistair also discusses how Kit should begin hosting her own social events, especially among people with slightly unofficial connections and awkward status among the nobility—mistresses of nobles, illegitimate daughters of nobles, and the like. She’s concerned that this will be too public, but Alistair discusses using it as a form of hiding in plain sight—the more people think of her only as Alistair’s mistress, and her proximity being because of Alistair’s appetite, the less they think of her as an actual member of the Council and wonder what she does.

Unlike Kaitlyn, Kit is enthusiastic about the idea of a wet-nurse, although somewhat amazed at the idea that she would employ a wet-nurse, when some of her friends used to work as wet-nurses. Alistair says that someone with a bare title as a lady, with no actual noble title but as a lady-in-waiting would be appropriate. They then discuss that she would need to either be dumb as a post, or someone Kit would want to recruit. Kit decides that this will be a step in establishing the Jeweled Necklace, internal security within the palace.

They then check on Kit’s family and find that they have not made it to Canberry. The voller they sent is docked in Glitterdomes, but no crew on board. The farsensor then finds the captain, who is recovering in a hospital. The crew was attacked by cultists of the Ram and badly hurt, but apparently because they were from Canberry without knowing about Kit’s family. The farsensor finds Kit’s family who were fine. They reach out to Humbert the Holy to send their parish priest to tell them that they’ll be picked up by people from Northern Aurelian, who will keep them safe. They also send a message to Northern Aurelian asking them to keep them safe until the Council can arrange to bring them back to Canberry.
[End Session 125]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 126 (March 31, 2021)

28 Ras
Starting just after midnight, Empress Kaitlyn goes into labor. Her labor is straight forward and without any risk, but lasts for 14 hours.

Starting at 2 AM, a gathering of every single fae from the Tor start singing to the new babies from outside. Dame Brionna goes to check.

“The Tor Lord’s Lady says that the baby is coming! We wanted to sing the baby’s birth as we would one of our one.”

Dame Brionna contacts Alistair, who is rather preoccupied with the ongoing labor. She wants to keep them out, but Alistair is worried about offending the fae, so tells her to send them in to the room adjoining the birthing chamber.

The fairy godmothers, a handful of other fae, and a strange multilimbed musical instrument animal comes in. They continue singing, and start supporting Alistair’s singing, alternately inspiring courage and inspiring greatness.

The male child was born first. The fae grandmothers bestow a series of increasing fae blessings on them.

“You are very fortunate. Your line will reign for a long time, and these two are already bound to the land.” The fairy godmothers kiss each child. They then give Kaitlyn a full days sleep, and hurry the rest of the fae out.

Alistair orders that a new flag with the arms of the Empire of Southern Drucien with a label on it be run up, and that fireworks be set off, and the people cheer and begin celebrating.

After an appropriate amount of time with the children, Alistair sneaks off to continue work on his secret project.

Two days pass peacefully.

30 Ras
The Moriquendarim voller arrives to pick up the Blue Star link. A very harried looking drow woman arrives from the Moriquendarim embassy—none of us realized that we had a Moriquendarim embassy, as they didn’t dare present themselves.

Lord Davion points out that it is a merchant voller, though staffed with military. The captain, who is a Noldar but of Moriquendarim, pales as he sees Lord Davion’s crest. Lord Davion announces Alistair and his companions.

“I have been asked to receive from you the Blue Star. Your valor and bravery will be sung in the halls of the Noldar as I am sure they are sung in the hearts of the people.” He then switches to common. “We appreciate your efforts against our common enemy. Only their destruction can preserve our world.” He instructs the Twilight Elf to put the casket in the special vault that was prepared.

“House Ashberry has sworn to see the Blue Star destroyed, for we agree entirely.”

“Do not hesitate to call on the resources of House Moriquendarim in pursuing this goal.” They then depart as fast as possible.

The Council speaks with the ambassador, who represents the Enclave of Moriquendarim-Zorplona. They ask about the Twilight Elves that served Quinliart; she says that Lord Alvinas is the most dangerous, and has taken on characteristics of the eldritch that make him more powerful than he should be. He has taken onto himself a resistance to nearly all forms of magical assault, though partly vulnerable to fire, with complete immunity to lightning, cold, or poison. "And he has increased his psionic potential by consuming the potential of any child that they can capture. This is not unheard of, but it is anathema to my people and worthy of execution, even without the involvement of the eldritch. He also can wield the power of the eldritch to cause mutations, at will, to a victim within sight. Powerful Noldar can sometimes resist, but it is very potent against the younger races. Other than Lord Alvinas, the Hand certainly fell. We do not know if he still lives, but if still alive, he will also have developed more capabilities. A very potent Coercer, and used for assassination." (Lord Alvinas is a Redactor, though Redaction can be twisted. His armor was left behind—possibly deliberately, for it fought him for control.)

Kit suggests that maybe his armor could be used for bait, if it was not deliberately abandoned. The ambassador says that it likely would, but only if it was not deliberate. We suggest asking the armor, and she says they will do so, which should work.

The ambassador shares an image of Lord Alvinas (after realizing that Kit is “mildly” psionic); it is indeed the one leading the problem. She also gives the address of their embassy, in the merchant quarter.

They decide to provide that information to Grandmaster Farsensor, although without details of its provenance.

“So, we know that we are pursuing the right person. If we could only figure out how to isolate him…”

Kit mentions the possibility of luring him in with the armor, if it was left behind accidentally.

“That might work. Or if it believes the armor is susceptible and his enemy. He might wish to destroy it, which is notoriously difficult. He might try to steal it if he does not want to take it—even to sell it would be very valuable, especially if it is laen.”

Kit says they will use many paladins against him.

“All available forces should be deployed against him if you locate him. I take it he is more powerful than a typical Twilight Elf?”

“Yes. He has enhanced his psionics, and is a Redactor, plus his eldritch powers.”

“It should not be done here. He could level a significant portion of the city in extremis.”

“We will choose a spot isolated from people.”

“If the armor is available, I could be ready to lay the trap quite quickly. I am surprised, as that would mean no one of rank took the armor. I think he is the most dangerous figure at large. I believe Quinliart is no longer mobile. I can perceive his signature, though not him directly. It is not moving at all. Even if he were to walk around it would move. Do you know what happened to some of the Eldron?”

“Yes. Is he doing the same?”

“I suspect he is binding himself to the world in some eldritch way. He will likely plan to use it as a gate, and corrupt it. But at some point in the process, as the Eldron do, he will lose the ability to move. You have certainly months. He will need a huge sacrifice, that is certain.”

“So we need to prevent the sacrifice as well.”

“Yes. What I cannot tell you is if the sacrifice is denied him, if the ritual will consume him. They had passed this point the last time before it was noted. This time, the actions are known, but how they play out is not known. I have also noted that the corrupt spots elsewhere have not declined. I have located them all, and they are static.”

“We’ll deal with Lord Alvinas, first, and then Quinliart.”

“That seems wise. Of Lord Alvinas’s four servants, one has been destroyed. There is a powerful lycanthrope—a werewolf turned dire; a summoner of surpassing power for a human, a demonologist; and an assassin, who is in the north but better at concealing themselves. They are also all humans. The one who died was the only elf, and that cost House Moriquendarim to eliminate him. They are also interwoven with the Cult of the Ram to an enormous degree. It may explain the growth of the Cult of the Ram. The Ram has only one interest, but his allies have other interests, and will grant power to the cultists if it helps draw in those who only want power.”

“We know that the other points of corruption are linked, so if one were disrupted all would be. Would Quinliart be affected?”

“No, but if they were still active, when Quinliart finishes his process, he would gain control of all of them.”

“Disrupting Quinliart is the most important, then.”

“Ultimately, yes. None of us want an additional Shadowland situation. Once Quinliart is taken care of, we need to address the fact that at some point, the Hastur will be no more. If you eliminate Lord Alvinas, it will slow or stop what Quinliart is doing. He needs Lord Alvinas.”

Alistair tells Lord Davion that if we can locate Lord Alvinas, he will need to lead the assault. In the meantime, they need him to rest and heal and get ready. He agrees, and asks if they expect it to be soon.

“We do expect it to be soon, but in the way that House Moriquendarim reckons soon, not in the way humans do.”

He trots off to put himself in skin to heal.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 126, cont'd]
They plan a public day of celebration for the twins’ baptism on the eighth day. The baptism will be at noon, with the morning as a time of rest, and the afternoon a celebration and public festival. (Dame Brionna believes that the morning should be a time of prayer, and sets up all of the bells in all the churches to ring starting at dawn, and morning services in all the churches.)

1 Ke-Ras
A halfling messenger from Rolling Hills arrives, having ridden hard. He says he will only deliver his message to the Emperor. Dame Brionna goes to scrutinize him with young Lord Brightspan, who tells her that he is nervous but fine. “His Highness the Duke of Rolling Hills, Lord of the Broad Fields, has gone into the Light. His heart failed. The Lady Duchess is beside herself with grief.”

The Minister of War, Lord Broad Fields, and Canberry's chief field marshal, is his son and heir.  The Council sends for him, puts on mourning, and calls him to a throne room.

“Dearest cousin, Your Grace the Duke of Rolling Hills, I bear terrible tidings.”

“He has passed, then. I knew his health was failing.”

They discuss the mourning, and his need to go home. Alistair suggests that if he is willing, he would suggest that the Duke might continue as Minister of War, leaving the Dowager Duchess to administer in his place, but the crown would of course release him if he wishes. He would prefer to continue serving, but it depends on how his mother is doing. He muses about renouncing the title, but Alistair commands him to not do that, because there is a clear succession and they will not destabilize matters for imperial service.

They also discuss Hanal; he expresses that there will be mass starvation among the peasantry in the areas controlled by the usurper. He mentions that it would be enormously valuable if the voller works could be captured, now that their voller fleet is depleted, but that would require Canberry to commit forces directly. The Council asks whether the Archbarony of Ecsilias has substantial forces; they have six elite field armies.  They suggest asking the Inquisitor General to ask the Archbarony of Ecsilias to attack the voller works, with Canberry offering to guarantee Ecsilias's protection. He thinks that might work.

The new Duke of Rolling Hills has three daughters, 10, 6, and 1. The Council offers young Lady Broadfields a position as an archducal page after the mourning, which he supports. He also apparently has a poor relationship with his wife, who wanted him to stop serving and come home. But he is far too devout to take on a companion, and there are no rumors about their children’s parentage. We are concerned about how his wife will respond to her daughter coming to court.

They contact the Inquisitor General psionically. He approves of the plan thoroughly. They also discuss using vollers to drop food to the villages behind the usurper’s lines, where otherwise there will be mass starvation. They also decide to reach out to the elves.

They contact the Queen of Singing Leaves, explain the situation, and she immediately declares that they will send their vollers to deliver lembas and similar light food that can sustain greatly.  The Council also agree to prevent any contact with the Aufaulgautharim man of war.

4 Ke-Ras
The day of the baptism arrives. The whole empire is awakened at dawn by all of the ringing bells.

The Archbishop is dressed in his most elegant finery as he officiates at the cathedral. Dame Brionna is there with a host of paladins, expecting trouble. Kit remains safely within the wards of the palace. The Prince is baptized and dipped four times, and then the Princess, and then mass cheering breaks out outside the cathedral. As the ceremony ends, palace staff begin laying out the enormous banquet tables of free food.

After the ceremony, Alistair announces that he has a gift to the Prince and in honor of the Empress, and the choruses and orchestras begin to play the piece that he has been secretly working on for the last week and a half. (Hey, sometimes it’s good to be a high level bard.)

The piece is in several movements. It begins in the musical style of the South Kingdoms, with the themes of patriotic songs of the old monarchies used as the basis. It's also in an old mode, so it sounds slightly odd and old-fashioned to modern ears.

The next movement is discordant and represents the fall of the South Kingdoms.

The third movement represents Princess Kaitlyn's actions and defense of the South Kingdoms after the fall.

The fourth and final movement has a combination of Glordiadelian church music themes, complete with choir and organ music, and then becomes a counterpoint between patriotic music of the South Kingdoms and an Archducal theme, representing the merger of the families and the bright and Glordiadelian future--so it does things like repeating themes from the first movement but shifting them from other modes to a major key.

Alistair then commands that it be played throughout the South Kingdoms.

They then ride through the whole city, in an open carriage (but within a spherical wall of force), while footmen throw handfuls of silver into the crowd.

Everything looks as they expect (although there’s strange graffiti of a giant mouse chasing after a humanoid cheese). Except for occasional slow downs because of the press of the crowd, the tour is uneventful. They eventually make it back to the palace hours later.

The Emperor and Empress also declare various promotions, honors, and noble titles, including Lord Brightspan receiving an earldom in the old South Kingdoms.
[End Session 126]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 127 (April 14, 2021)

5 Ke-Ras
Kit suggests, when told about the upcoming Greater Festivals of Mists, that they do divinations to find out what their enemies are planning.

They’re waiting to hear back from the Moriquendarim about Lord Alvinas’s armor.

They also discuss the resettling of Kit’s family when they arrive.

They also receive a letter from the Emperor of the Isles in the North [attached]. It refers to Alistair as “Lord of the Fifth Gate.” This is an archaic title, referring to a time when the Pachek and Chullik gate was located in Canberry in Furthings. The Fifth Gate closed centuries ago, when the Sixth Gate opened in the Valley of the Unknown in the Perimeter Mountains.

The First Gate was in the Southern Confederacy; the Second Gate was in the Spice Lands (that’s where the rakshasa and rakastas came from). The Third was in what used to be the tribal lands; those weren’t peaceful, unlike the rest. There’s a remnant of them; they were immediately attacked. They resemble humanoid crustaceans and were attacked immediately, and settled in the Ul-Rennki Domains. Fourth Gate's location was unknown. The Fifth Gate mostly released humans, who were very fecund. There are significant populations of them, mostly in Furthings and around the mines.

The Gates have each lasted for a longer time. The current Sixth Gate has been open for more than a century; from the pattern, it may be closing (and presumably moving farther north on Drucien) soon. They ask the Ministry of Magic to try to figure out whether there is a mathematical or arcane pattern in the times and places.

Dame Brionna speaks to the Mistress of Protocol about the family of Julius Thrace, the Emperor of the North. He is a “nice young man,” the oldest of nine brothers and sisters. His parents were tragically killed when their flagship was sunk by Hanalian voller when he was 13. He has just come to power at 16, after a regency by his aunt. Principal exports are whale oil, blubber, furs, and exceedingly fine wool. He would surely be interested in fostering some of his younger siblings and cousins; his aunt and uncle-in-law have five as well. It is said that a certain number of them have tremendous martial abilities. His father did, though no rumors of such about Julius. Good people; many Glordiadelian paladins come from the Empire of the North. Some priests, many warriors—they have been fighting Hanal for centuries, and are largely the reason that the cities on the north coast remain at least somewhat free, because the Empire raids Hanal by sea regularly, and thus it is advantageous for Hanal to maintain them as client states instead of incorporating them directly.

Dame Brionna also talks about the Duke of Rolling Hills’s death; the Mistress of Protocol asks who will lead the delegation (Dame Brionna says Princess Cecilia and Sir Derrick Brightspan), and whether they had sent the traditional 13 black roses. They had not, so Dame Brionna asks her to attend to it. Also, Princess Cecilia should have an appropriate escort, presumably an older general.

“There is some tension between the new duke and his wife?”

“There certainly is, and they are both justified, which makes matters worse.”

“Will it make matters worse if he remains Minister of War?”

“No; she will expect it, though she may be disappointed.”

Julius Thrace is not yet betrothed; the Mistress of Protocol mentions that the last four generations of the family has married out of the same house of the Cities of Light, their royal house. At this point, they are basically the same royal house, though the crowns have never merged. They seem to be immune to the problems most of the other royal houses have.

They then ask Dame Constance, Grandmaster Farsensor, and one of Dame Brionna’s teams to examine the demon corpse the Empire of the North sent us, which they hypothesize is eldritch. Almost immediately after the chest is opened, Grandmaster Farsensor sends a message directly to Kit.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 127, cont'd]
<<Councillors. I know what this thing is, and I fear my companions do not. It is concerning. It is perfectly safe—they killed it, which is to their credit.>>

<<If you have information we should know, please come to the Council immediately.>>

Grandmaster Farsensor arrives quickly, having apparently run the whole distance. “That is a servitor, a Chengoth the Insatiable, of the Eighth Order of the One Beside, who is also known as the One who is Never Pleased. It is a slightly higher ranking demon in their hierarchy. They never stop consuming what they can reach, and they are more powerful and harder to summon than seen-unseen. They are expensive to summon, with spears of gold and mithril carved with special runes, and with substantial sacrifices. They may be what are being summoned with the sacrifices of human peasantry. The altars would be what would be used to bind them. The Chengoth must be bound, because they will otherwise consume everything they can reach because they cannot be satiated. They are perhaps the intelligence of a smart boar. Their only scroll of bringing forth the Unthinkable listed this creature as one that should not be invoked except in desperate circumstances.”

“The other question is why they wanted to send them into the arctic sea.”

“Their original plan was to bring in one of the Three, or at least their greater servants. They have been stymied thus far. But these are tied to the One Beside, who is established here as Arthranax. But the cultists of the Goddess of the Pale Bone and One Other might want to summon something tied to him to pursue their goals—it might be easier. The right hand of the One Beside was brought through as the Blue Star. The general of his forces was called Narkanoah. He was the equivalent, perhaps, of the lord of a demonic plane on the Abyss. He controlled at the time of the first war a robust army of insect-demons, though some of those have surely been consumed by the Three. But to summon him would be very difficult. There should be an expedition into the arctic; probably a voller, probably an elven or Noldar voller. It is strange that they did not send them by vollers, though perhaps they cannot. And if the expedition sees black-shelled creatures in any number, it should flee immediately if it is not a Noldar or Eldar voller.”

“Can we learn more from the body?”

“A greater archmagus, of either of the great elven people, could learn more than I can. I am not particularly strong in magic.” He reaches out to the Queen of Singing Leaves and says her envoy will arrive in about two days.

Dame Brionna walks over to talk to the “archon of Glordiadel,” which is a strange title because “archons” are usually only created by Eiru, whereas Glordiadel and other good gods create angels.

“I am one of the forty who were given over to Glordiadel after he emerged and the Founding Powers decided that he was not going to go away; at first, they thought Glordiadel was a dream who would fade. Firstly, we are very fortunate for the Compact among the Gods. I think someone underestimated us; it carries plague, and the sacrifice of those who died of plague would let in its masters. But the Compact of the Gods prevents plague, and that would even hold power against the Abominator himself. This is good. What is not good…” It shifts the body with a stick. “You see that design on its belt? That is the eight interlocking squares. I have not seen that since the first war. It weakens the walls between this place and theirs. One of the reasons Glordiadel sent me was that he also recognized it. I can constrain it, but I cannot destroy it because I am not mortal. You could break that symbol, though you should ask me any questions before you do so, because I will depart when it is destroyed. After it is destroyed, none should touch the dust from the sigil on the belt; it would consume any who touched it. It will destroy the weapon when it shatters. It must be either magical, of the third circle of power, or laen. When it shatters, it will lose the ability to weaken the walls. And he--” points at the Chengoth “—will be irrevocably and utterly destroyed, not just on this plane but on all planes.”

Dame Brionna asks about the stolen hosts of angels, and the archon says that he will try to convert them. "He" meaning “the former Noldar lord, who is no longer truly a Noldar. He has done something I did not know was still possible, but he will need powerful servants if his ploy fails. I do not know why he thinks his ploy can succeed.”

The Archon blesses the two imperial babies. They stop fidgeting and look at him. Then as Kit walks near, he blesses her as well, with golden sparkles of light descending on each of them.

“Do you know what that former Noldar’s ploy is?”

“I know what his original ploy was, 103 years ago. Do you know why he turned originally?”

“That his defeat by the Cities of Crystal changed him, though not how.”

“The one who was soul woven with him, as only elves can, died in the assault. He had been wrongly led to believe that the Cities were weak enough that he could seize their wealth. The Hand, an elven assassin who had turned long ago, then turned him after he went mad because of his beloved’s death. He then started offering sacrifices, in an effort to gain enough power to gain revenge on the Cities of Crystal and to recover his beloved’s body and to restore him to life. Impossible, but he was misled again. Three years ago, his sacrifices were noticed by an auditor in Krashmere and he was removed. What they did not know was that one of the Three was here—even we did not know, and if Lord Eiru or Morgroth knew, they did not tell anyone. And I think they did not, because he has now captured the Lord of the Cities of Pain. Their intent appears to have been to get enough sacrifices in Hanal to allow them through. His intent is different—to reach enough power, knowing that bringing them all through is beyond them, to bring through major forces, focusing on the One Beside’s creatures, which he can then transfer to his own plane once he finishes capturing it from Sytry. It is probably not possible to expel the One Beside. Fortunately, he is alone here, and he does not have the power alone that the three of them do. He wants to bring through enough of his servitors to control most of this plane. The other two want what they always wanted—they want that the one known as Quinliart would be able to bring them through and weaken the gates. Their greatest hope failed when they were defeated in the Spice Lands. There are 36 orders of creatures that serve them. They have preserved enough for an invasion, though that failed when the Seachen did not turn on the legions of the Spice Lands.”

Alistair tells the Archon about the consumption of Berta and asks if the Archon can understand that in the way that Glordiadel and his gods to understand.

“The gods find that hard to understand. Their principal servants, however understand. The consumption of Berta gives him a great advantage—three entire hierarchies, the corrupted temple of Sytry, the entire cult of Arthranax, and the remnants of the followers of Berta, who he has been careful to not reveal the truth to. The gods will understand eventually.”

The Archon believes that Sytry will flee before he is consumed, and then Arthranax would have to settle for being a greater god, not consuming all the gods. If Arthranax can be driven out of Sytry’s realm, then Sytry could remain, and he would descend to being merely a demon lord—which would be a great improvement. If he holds Sytry’s plane—he will take control of Sytry’s entire portfolio, and even when Sytry escaped, he would become like a greater god.

“They will run out of sacrifices in the capital soon. They have 300 blood-driven within the walls. Will they then open the energy walls and let them out? I suppose they will. The blood-driven are not vampires, though they are undead blood drinkers. They are far more violent, but they drink blood. As they age, they grow in both intelligence and power. A one-year old blood drinker is too stupid to move out of the fire without being told to, and would have the skill of a master human warrior [about level 15]. They continue growing in power and intelligence until the tenth year. Then they are sucked back into their principal with all they have gathered. But a tenth year is fearsome—many spells, strength at least as great as a stone giant, ability to cancel magic, immunity to lightning and cold, resistant to fire, only able to be damaged by laen weapons, able to drain hundreds in a day. The oldest currently are three years old. They are generally too stupid at that age to continue breaking into a place that has barred them out, but they do not need to be invited in. They can be killed by a clean decapitation, but staking them does not kill them. They took out the Moriquendarim embassy, although the ambassador and his immediate retinue escaped just before the walls fell.”

[End Session 127]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 128 (April 28, 2021)

6 Ke-Ras
Alistair passes judgment on the Twilight Elf prisoners. The Twilight Elves are led into an audience chamber and positioned before a table. On the table, their swords lie, without scabbards, tips facing towards them and hilts towards the throne, dead flowers surrounding them.

A herald announces, “His Majesty Alistair I, by the Grace of Glordiadel, King of the South Kingdoms, Emperor of Southern Drucien, Archduke of Canberry, Protector of the Light, and so forth.”

Alistair enters, accompanied by Lord Davion, both dressed severely, and sits on the throne. The Twilight Elves immediately kneel on both knees with their eyes cast downward. Through the audience, they never even glance at either Alistair or Lord Davion.

“You stand convicted by your own admission of enslaving subjects of the South Kingdoms. Her Majesty Empress Caitlyn, Queen of the South Kingdoms and my honored wife, has asked that I pass judgment on you in her place, lest her wrath lead to an unfortunate outcome.

“Ordinarily, the only possible sentence for your crimes would be death, with the only question being the manner. However, four things weigh for clemency. First and foremost, our Champion, Lord Davion Aufaulgautharim, has asked for mercy on your behalf. Second, you were obeying the orders of your lawful lord, and while that cannot excuse your crimes, it does mitigate them slightly. Third, when commanded to by the Lord of your House, you stopped fighting, and we are well aware of House Moriquendarim’s contributions to our mutual goals. And finally, Her Majesty has recently been delivered of our first-born children, and that is a traditional occasion of celebration and mercy. Before I pass sentence, I must ask you how many people you personally and through the troops under your command enslaved. You may need to estimate.”

The Twilight Elves quietly and morosely give an estimate.

“Very well. In light of all these factors, we are willing to commute your death sentence and accept your parole provided that you swear by Morgroth, by his Brother, by the Prince of the Cities of Pain, and by the honor of House Moriquendarim to abide by these terms.

“First, you shall forfeit all that you have in your possession except a plain, nonmagical weapon for your defense, the clothes you wear, and such petty money as Lord Davion may give you with which to buy food.

“Second, you shall walk on foot from here to the City of Enclaves, harming none except that you may use the minimum of force necessary to defend yourself from unprovoked attacks.

“Third, that once you have left the Empire of Southern Drucien, you will never reenter its lands without the express permission of the Emperor or Empress nor bear weapons, spell, or ill will against it or its people.“Fourth, that neither you nor any of your descendants shall ever engage in slavery in any form or purport to own any other humans, elves, or other people.

“Fifth, that you will forswear the Argoni and align yourselves and your descendants with the parts of your House that seek to shepherd the younger peoples of the world to a better future.

“Sixth, that you shall offer your services, for appropriate pay, to the Lord of the Enclave of Zorplona-Moriquendarim, as a gesture of respect and good will from the Empire.

“Seventh, that you shall pay a weregild recompense for each and every person whose enslavement you were responsible for, in the amount of twice the average sale price of enslaved persons per person, to be paid to the representatives of the Empress in Enclaves to be distributed to the families of those you harmed if they can be identified and used for the rebuilding of the South Kingdoms if they cannot. This debt shall increase according to standard interest until it is fully repaid. We further provide that you may decrease the amount of the debt for each enslaved person you directly free by sword, magic, or guile, provided that you shall not purchase any enslaved persons nor otherwise encourage and support the vile slave trade.

“If you accept all of these terms, then as an act of grace and through Lord Davion’s intervention, we will commute your sentence and accept your parole. If you do not, you will be put to death cleanly as a mercy as Lord Davion requested.”

Alistair waits to hear their answer and receive their oaths, which they give without hesitation, and then he departs.

* * *
The Ministry of the Mind generates a psionic connection with the Emperor of the North.

They perceive a marble floor with a strange animal skin rug. He is seated directly on the rug. There’s a Glordiadelian probably bishop, but in very plain robes for a bishop, waiting on him, as well as a woman in an elaborate ermine headdress.

Pleasantries.

They discuss the possibility that they can turn some of the cities of the North from client states of Hanal to them during this crisis.

Hanal has powerful ships that look like walnut shells and have energy rods that project a line of disruption or corruption. The Empire of the North has sunk a few, but at great cost. One returned from the ice, heavily laden, but they don’t know with what. Also, they have sent hunters out onto the ice, but none have returned with news. They tell him this is of Arthranax, and that his bishop can give him more information.

A flame heart has landed in their lands, and they have been unable to destroy it though they killed the body. The heart is off-limits now. The creature with the heart survived its ship being sunk, and then walked along the sea floor to shore, and headed directly towards the cathedral of Glordiadel.

They discuss the problems with the Order of the Ram. The Empire of the North has a special order of church knights to hunt them; Canberry asks for an exchange of knowledge. Canberry also suggest establishing an Order of the Stag, which the Emperor of the North is enthusiastic about.

They advise him to secure some orichalcum jewelry and to wear it at all times.

He asks about fostering his second oldest brother (10 years old, bardicly inclined) and a sister (8 years old, with “inappropriate sense of adventure” and a sword), and Alistair agrees that they would be happy to.

They also talk about trade and opening better trade.

Alistair gives him some advice about ruling, and asks if Alistair can consult him about any further issues that arise, then offhandedly extending the same courtesy to him.

The psion is all but collapsing, and Alistair suddenly realizes that he hasn’t made the primary point of the call. He very quickly explains about the interlocking squares symbol, how to destroy it, and what steps to take afterwards. Then the psion falls unconscious and the connection breaks.

* * *
(The infants are doing wonderfully.)

Alistair hunts a stag, then goes to a celebratory, surely raucous and slightly scandalous Order of the Stag party to celebrate his children’s birth.

He then tells the grandmaster to work with the Empire of the North to establish the Order of the Stag there, and to coordinate with the Mouth to make sure they use that order to gain some intelligence (“the Antlers”).
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 128, cont'd]
7 Ke-Ras
The Eldar Archmage arrives via voller, and then descends by levitation.

They exchange pleasantries.

He is Lord Alinar Wranbalar of the House of Telepse olwa (“Silverbranch”). Noting their surprise at his casting levitation magic without any verbal or somatic expressions, he explains that he only uses signs, rituals, and such folderol for magic when he does domain magic; the other magics he just does, as he has done them since the beginning of time. He also points out the domain magic in effect here—a blessing giving the Duchy of Canberry crop fertility, cast when humans first settled here and were kind to the local fey, pleasing the Eldar.

He goes to examine the demon, and Kit and Alistair take their leave of him while Dame Brionna travels with him to the laboratory where the demon corpse is warded. (He also makes a comment when we mention the archon about how surprising it was when Glordiadel appeared, but also how pleased they were with Glordiadel’s staying power.)

He then begins examining the demon. He has a vial from the Forest of Singing Leaves that he thinks should suffice to break the artifact, which is still pulling energy in, even through the wards. He recommends encasing it in lead, introducing the vial, and doing that in a place that can handle an explosion of up to 9000 cubic yards. We appropriately reinforce a large ballroom.

They send that warning to the Empire of the North via a sending by Bishop Waters.

As he examines it, Lord Alinar writes with a crystal pen on a sheet of beaten platinum.

It is a list of names, that correspond to classes of creatures. Any of these could be bound by the belt if they had the strength to bring it through. The blockade prevents them from bringing through anything more powerful than a Tomua.

The Unseen Seen - in Eldar noted “of the substance of all”
The Chengeth - also titled in Eldar “the insatiable” “the consumer” and “Never pleased.”
The Tomua - titled in Eldar “The consumer of flesh” and again “the drinker of all water.” <- This is the one that this was binding, if they had the strength to bring it through it would have been worse - this could bind and embody ANY OF THESE (in common)
The Dwellers in Nukuom - noted in Eldar “a swarming horde”
Zanatul - noted with the Eldron words “the whisperers”
Piyai - in Eldar “the Seductresses” a later note in a different hand, also in Eldar “drinkers of all of man’s essence and soul.”
Mi’ryel - titled in Eldar “the eater of its mother:
The Spawn - note in Eldron “of the one other” note in Eldar “gatherers for the final gate.”

"This belt was bound to a Tomua—since it was worn by a Chengeth, the Tomua is still free."

The Council asks about the arctic exploration, and he says that there was an arctic gate at one time. He assumed it was permanently depowered. But if they can recharge it—or if Arthranax has been able to create new entities in his plane in this planar neighborhood, he could bring them through with much less energy. The energy could be supplied by sacrificing perhaps 10,000 elves, or perhaps 500,000 humans.

He reports that they have bombarded a half-dozen isolated altars of vile cults in Hanal in the last month, and that he thinks the Aufaulgautharim have done likewise. We ask for a map, to see if there is an obvious arcane pattern.

Hanal City has over a million people (the only other city besides Enclaves and Canberry City of that size). Many are fleeing, but it’s unclear how many are from the city versus the countryside. The energy dome has repelled a bombardment by both the Eldar and separately the Noldar. We don’t really know what’s going on inside the dome.

Dame Brionna asks if they could use her spear to anchor a scrying, and he says that he could, using his farsensing to guide her eyes. It would only be dangerous if they were psionically observing the spear.

They may also be trying to consume the magical artifacts in Hanal City to provide additional power.

"Once Quinliart is defeated, and he will be, the amount of clean-up that will be needed in Hanal City, not to mention the rest of the country… it will be difficult for that city to ever be productive again. And if I were advising Princess Anastasia, I would recommend she move the capital, rather than rebuild directly."

Kit speaks with Princess Anastasia. She describes what we know about Hanal City and what is going on there. She then asks how much magical power they had in Hanal City, and especially if there are any artifacts of elven origin, since those would have the most power.

Very few elven artifacts, but the armory was significant, and when her mother gathered items, they went into the armory, not to the army. There were hundreds, including dozens of powerful items. The only major elven item was a staff that no one dared touch, because it could control minds, and it did not like being there. (There are about 1000 levels of magic items, plus the staff, and a strange crystal artifact about which she knows nothing else.) She is sure that the staff would fight—it would never just give in.

They report back, and ask Lord Alinar if there is any way to talk to that staff. "Perhaps, but there is no connection. It would be dangerous to have Princess Anastasia engage in psionic matters. If they did detect her…"

They clear the halls and march with the belt buckle (which Lord Alinar suspends in a magic field) to a ballroom prepared for destruction with walls of force from the Archducal Coven. We start setting off fireworks and ringing bells to cover up the expected sound. Lord Alinar takes out a phial that glows brighter than the sun, says a prayer in Eldron, and touches the phial to the belt buckle. The pillars are demolished, the phial is gone, the buckle is gone, but "the Tomua will know what we did. We can hope that it will do something stupid in response, but they rarely do."

Dame Brionna and Lord Alinar then go to a scrying room to try to scry on the spear. He asks Dame Brionna to focus on the spear, picturing each detail, and suddenly her vision zooms in and she’s looking at her spear, hung on a wall of trophies, along with a number of banners of lesser Hanalian houses, a couple other weapons, the mitre of a Paranswarmian bishop… likely foes that the Queen-Empress views as defeated. They are in the throne room, though the Queen-Empress is not. There are a few people gathered around a battle map on the table, with all the lines laid out, their people, the Inquisition, Snatterkazian troops, and Bormark. They also see clear markings of certain troop movements, mostly of their troop movements. Kit and Dame Brionna work together to take a clear map. Even now, having lost tens of thousands of troops, the field armies still loyal to the usurper outnumber Canberry’s army at least 2 to 1. The vollers are also much thinner in the air, but their vollerworks are marked on the map, as are some warship movements. (The Council passes on the information about the vollerworks to Ecsilias.)

“Bormark must fall first. Not only are they the greatest traitors, but their forces are closest to our most valuable assets.” Some of the strategic assets are marked, notably some mines that are imperial mines near Bormark. One of the vollerworks is close to Bormark. There are three total vollerworks, plus the one in the capital that is now unusable. They hope to cut off the link between Bormark’s lines and the Inquisition’s lines.

Dame Brionna is able to reach out to detect evil through the spear. Of the five generals, only one senses as clearly, profoundly evil (the one talking about the horrible things that should be done to the Cov of Bormark). He does not appear to be the high general. A page brings in a note to the general. Dame Brionna tries to read it and sees it is a dispatch reporting civilian casualties in the last twenty-four hours inside the city. He seems dejected by the toll. The generals wrap up and depart, and servants clean the room.

Dame Brionna tries to follow one of the servants with the scrying. This palace is not well staffed compared to what she would expect. She notes seeing several young men in various shades of green who look very young, but wearing house colors and serving as junior officers. They do not seem enthusiastic. Dame Brionna and Kit mark down their coats of arms.

Dame Brionna abruptly sees several of the young men fall into a crouching bow. An incredibly elegant, elven of some type or another, woman sweeps into the scene. Dame Brionna immediately withdraws.

“That was a Noldar,” comments Lord Alinar. “I believe that is Lord Quinliart’s sister. She is a powerful coercer. The feeling that was wrong there… I have not experienced it since the war.”

They share all this intelligence with Princess Anastasia and with the Inquisition, including pointing out the mitre, which they might be able to anchor a scrying.

The specific mines are silver mines. They speculate that they may be trying to mine mithril, which sometimes appears in small quantities near silver veins, and is key to summoning the Chengoth and similar creatures.

Lord Alinar says that he intends to remain until the Tomua has also been located. "The Tomua are more intelligent than most of them—not as powerful as some, but more intelligent, and can be given charge over some of them, as here."

* * *
The Council asks the Body for a report on Quinliart’s sister.
[End Session 128]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 129 (May 13, 2021)

Some travel calculations:
Canberry: 079, 210
Enclaves: 125, 56
154 N-S, 46 E-W--- 4020 miles as the voller flies; human vollers at normal speed go about 250 miles/day (flying over night) = 17 days

8 Ke-Ras
They discuss the anticipated arrival of Kit’s family on about the 25th. Alistair also gives Kit a townhouse of her own in the fashionable noble district; she can’t go there currently for security reasons, but it might make her parents more comfortable to stay in her establishment.

Time passes uneventfully.

11 Ke-Ras
Background on Lord Quinliart and his sister arrives to Kit [attached]. It starts 103 years ago, when Quinliart launched an invasion at the Crystal Cities, which failed disastrously. His seneschal, also believed to be his soulbound lover, died in the invasion, and he went into an epic depression. His sister joined him at that time to console him. The Hand (a Shadow elf) spent time with him only when his sister was not present. The Hand corrupted Quinliart to serve the Eldritch, and also reached out to Quinliart’s sister. She was the mother of Drucilla, who died in Caligshire recently. Lord Davion thought that Princess Curinirim killed Quinliart’s sister, but the Council know that she is not dead.

The late Queen-Empress Thyastis had three sons. The eldest led the chivalry in its attack on Seachen. He was presumably killed; otherwise, his fate would have been horrible. Her youngest son, Dragoslav of the Green, is in fosterage in Avery. He is presumably thirteen or fourteen now. “Something bizarre” happened with the middle son. He seemed to lose his mind overnight, a few months before Thyastis’s death. He was courting the Cov of Bormark’s daughter—they were very close, almost scandalously so. But then he just went mad; he started eating grass and rolling on the ground, and was put into a special facility by his mother. He had just returned to the capital, planning on preparing for a wedding with the Cov’s daughter. Thyastis refused to offer any of her sons up in sacrifice in the way that tradition demanded. Some people attributed the insanity (and the middle sister’s death, when they could remember that) to her refusal.

The Duchy of Avery has about 4 field armies, and a few knights, though those are mostly to maintain order through subinfeudation. They have been on the brink of another war with Kalinshire, to either seize territory or to kill off some of their excess soldiery. They conclude that if Princess Anastasia declared one of the kovs who has been loyal to the usurper attainted and gave his kovate to her brother, Avery would be likely to supply him an army to try to “retake” his kovate, and a bunch of would-be stroms and the like as well. The Duke of Avery is a friend of Anastasia’s brother and would support him; his regent, the younger sibling of the ruler of Ulfay, would likely support it as well, partly because he doesn’t actually want a war with Kalinshire.

They invite Princess Anastasia to the palace. She gets quite concerned when Kit brings up Dragoslav, because she knows the usurper's people have been hunting him. The Duke is a good friend to Dragoslav, in Princess Anastasia’s opinion, and the regent is a decent and honorable man.

Dame Brionna suggests granting him the land of the particularly fanatical general, who Princess Anastasia reports became more and more disturbing even before Thyastis’s death. Hanal has always pursued the same approach—slowly conquering neighboring lands and bringing a rough but real peace, displacing banditry and such, and establishing a better life. But Princess Anastasia suggests that when she retakes her country, she may allow some of the conquered free cities to establish their own principalities, shifting away from the militaristic approach. She also thinks that it is likely that the power in Hanal City wishes to sacrifice everyone remaining in the city. She thinks she will have to move the capital. She intends to make her brother the Kov of Zunethal. He was particularly vigorous in gathering up people with any of the old blood to turn over to the capital. The Kov has only two field armies, and may have difficulty calling up more militia.

She plans on flying, but they suggest setting up a psionic connection, using someone from the SHH.

Dame Constance tells them that there’s no one from the SHH in Canberry.  The Council suggests that it might be appropriate for the SHH to send a master farsensor to join the ecclesiastical.

* * *

Alistair has a very awkward conversation with Kit about the need to find out more about what’s going on in Gates, and that inviting Princess Mirabelle to visit would be an effective way to do that. Kit eventually regretfully agrees, especially when it’s suggested that they can probably insert a permanent agent into her retinue through this. Kit insists that Alistair talk to Kaitlyn first, which he does—she’s totally cool with it, and especially with the plan of portraying his marriage entirely accurately as a fine political match, with Kaitlyn having entirely different romantic interests. Alistair sends a “Dearest Mirabelle, I’ve missed you so much and wish you to visit” letter to be delivered directly to her hand.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 129, cont'd]
14 Ke-Ras
Dame Constance visits the Council at breakfast. She was speaking with a prince of Hell who said that many arcane and extraplanar forces are gathering for the upcoming rapid succession of two Ruby Greater Festivals of Mists. They are not his ordinary enemies (meaning demons), but they are amassing at the borders and intend one last chance to emasculate Alistair. She could not get him to clarify what this means, but thought the Council should know.

The Council speculates that this may be an attack on the Lord of Stags and Gunnora’s control over fertility. They plan on reaching out to the Lord of Stags and to Gunnora’s chief midwife.

They also speculate that this may involve the Slaadi. They decide to reach out to the Manumistian temple to suggest that they make a play for the support of the Slaadi. They reach out through the Ecumenical Council. The response “Slaadi! Delightful. The world will ring with the chaos of laughter.”

The Council has a meeting with the chief midwife. She’s concerned, and thinks it could happen if the Ram built more support among the common people. Especially if there are non-demonic children being born, so that men are being seduced by the offer of fertility. She plans on talking to the others of the council, and then having a conversation with Gunnora.

Alistair asks whether Gunnora might be interested in a divine match. Her chief midwife says she might; she is no virgin, and indeed has some of her children with her (while she can never forgive the Eldritch for those of her children who did not escape). She views most of the gods of Aphonion as too stuffy and cerebral for her (the midwife is dismissive of Father Time or even Glordiadel); but she might be interested in an archfey with masculine fertility, ties to the land, and patronage of hunting…

(Gunnora’s surviving children, both basically demigods:
Farnalla -- godlingess of natural plant growth beyond the fields
Dolorro the Protector -- a young virile and apparently strapping centaur, who refuses to wear more than he has to and who forges simple farm implements and protects farmers from dangers such as wolves, tigers, and bandits.)

Alistair goes to talk to the Lord of Stags. He brings another stag as an offering, and the Lord of Stags takes him just off-plane to the eternal revel.

Alistair warns him about our fears of the Lord of the Ram launching an attack. We also talk about the Order of the Stag spreading into the Empire of the North. He says that their problems come from freesia, and that they seem to not be even aware of it… Alistair suggests that he might grant the ability to sense freesia to the members of the Order of the Stag, in addition to virility. He thinks this is a great idea. Alistair also leads him to plan on making a pass at Gunnora.

Alistair is found passed out on the steps of the palace from too much cranberry wine after enjoying the revel thoroughly.

* * *
Princess Mirabelle reacted positively to the letter.
[End Session 129]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 130 (May 26, 2021)

15 Ke-ras
Dame Brionna contacts the Council and tells us that the Archimagus Adalwardus of Avery has teleported to the City, asking for a private and discrete meeting. Alistair knows that he is a long-time retainer of the royal family of Avery; known for being more military oriented than most archmages.

Kit checks with both her people and the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry only knows that he is reputed very powerful. Kit’s people are convinced that he is a metallic dragon, not human, though he appears human. He has gone through 7 or so guises over the last 500 years. His priority has already been to protect Avery. There is a suspicion that the Avery royal family has some draconic blood, so the Council thinks he is probably looking after his descendants. He “dies” and reappears with a marginally different name every 200 years—almost precisely. People who suggest that he might not be human in the court of Avery are immediately banished or killed, to protect the secret, though many people seem to have figured it out.  He collects ceramic figurines—he has thousands upon thousands.

Dame Brionna arranges to have her sister purchase a ceramic chess set, by a South Kingdoms refugee artisan, who made it in honor of the imperial marriage. Dame Brionna arranges for a townhouse in the city for a meeting with him. She then gets smuggled to the townhouse through under-city tunnels, shepherded by Kit’s people.

The Archmage meets her, in a terrible disguise. He is very pleased by the ceramic chess set, and says that it’s very good that the Emperor has taken the refugees “under his wing… I mean in hand! In hand.”

He tells her that the Duke was very taken by the Princess Anastasia’s suggestion, and that the army will be joined by a small family of silver dragons that are fond of Avery, which should ensure success—especially because human vollers cannot stand up to dragons.

He also tells Dame Brionna about poisons in their giant neighbor to the north. It has also begun to sink into the ground, especially where there is clay. He theorizes that it’s leaching into the water. The land should not be farmed for three human generations, unless it can be purified. He offers his research notes, “which my secretary carelessly wrote in Draconic—I hope you have someone who can translate that?”

They discuss the attack—he is confident it will succeed, and when the new Kov’s forces have retaken his lands, they will continue to keep him safe in Avery until it is safe to return to his lands (particularly once the Princess Anastasia, the rightful Queen-Empress, is restored.)

Dame Brionna also asks whether his predecessors have left any records about problems related to royal houses failing or having only daughters. He says that Avery has had no problems, but “I—rather my predecessors—noticed this problem, particularly when the former royal family of the Utolian City States, which were once a united kingdom, though separate from the Kingdom of the Uto in the isles. When the royal line died out, they fragmented into separate city states. There was also a human kingdom to the west of the Great Steading that collapsed entirely when its royal family died out. With the royal family’s collapse, its alliances with the surrounding creatures and people failed. Now, all that is left of its once great country are the outlines of the buildings of its city when seen in flight.”

“On a voller, of course.”

“Wizards fly on their own sometimes!”

“I fly on the back of a gift from Lord Glordiadel, sometimes.”

“There is nothing quite like flight, is there? But back to the subject at hand. Houses that married into people from the Cities of Life had problems that spread through their descendants.”

“How could your predecessors tell that?”

“Some of the mages of my order can see how humans breed and how their bloodlines work the way a human skilled in animal husbandry might with goats.” Alistair clarifies over the mindlink that silver dragons are notorious for their interests in genetics, especially among humans, generally for beneficent purposes.

The Archmage also asks if the Empire can guarantee Avery’s security.

She suggests talking to the Emperor directly.

They travel to the palace.

The Archmage tells them that he thinks there may be some involvement of the ancient Dissemblers.  The Council confirms that this is a plot of the Eldritch and brief him on what we know and how the conspiracy fits together.

He tells us that he has fought some elements of the Order of the Ram in Avery, but had not realized the connection to the Eldritch until the problems in Hanal emerged.

They promise to protect Avery during the current crisis, although beyond that would require a more formal arrangement.

They ask if there are any signs of problems within the imperial children or Alistair.

The children are fine, and very heavily blessed. He places an additional blessing, of a draconic saint of Glordiadel, on the imperial children, and on Kit’s child to be and future children to be. He also tells Alistair that he does carry the taint of the City of Life, but that it is held in abeyance by divine power. It was intended to cause infertility and/or madness, but has caused neither. It could be eliminated altogether, but he would recommend waiting until the war is over. It would take some weeks, and be very painful.

The Council also ask how the energy shield around the Hanalian capital might be brought down. He says it might be done by many energy lances, but that it would be difficult. "The death of the Usurper and Quinliart’s immediate superior would bring it down—it is what is feeding on the deaths of the people of the capital. It is some sort of crowned, supernal being, with the appearance of humanity but no humanity. It is tormented, and gathering energy. Whether it is feeding that power to its master, Arthranax, I do not know. It was not a creature of law or light, but it might be a greater servant of Berta controlled by Arthranax. It is not winning the fight in the outer planes, however." He says that he thinks that Arthranax will only seek now to consume gods of evil. He has all but consumed Anatar (the Noldar godling) who fades by the day.

“Would you like me to send reports through your intelligence services?”

“Yes, please.”

They confirm that he knows that the usurper is an imposter, though the royal family of Avery cannot remember that and is confused by references to it.

Alistair also asks, out of curiosity, how many continents he knows of. He says that he knows of 3, but believes that there are two more that he can’t ever remember details about. Alistair confirms that there is a fourth, but that nobody can remember it except people who have connections to the South Kingdoms royal families. The fifth is news to him. Kit and Dame Brionna find this conversation obscure and baffling. (After a short period of time, Alistair forgets entirely about the fifth continent.)

The Archmage then teleports home, from the teleportation room.
[cont'd]


----------



## Baron Opal II

CPaladin said:


> Alistair also asks, out of curiosity, how many continents he knows of. He says that he knows of 3, but believes that there are two more that he can’t ever remember details about. Alistair confirms that there is a fourth, but that nobody can remember it except people who have connections to the South Kingdoms royal families. The fifth is news to him. Kit and Dame Brionna find this conversation obscure and baffling. (After a short period of time, Alistair forgets entirely about the fifth continent.)



I've only known of four._ Interesting._


----------



## CPaladin

Baron Opal II said:


> I've only known of four._ Interesting._



Yeah, we know approximately nothing about the fifth.  I only learned of the 4th recently, after decades of playing in the world--only the three northern hemisphere continents (Drucien, Zest'qua, and Khamista) are common knowledge.

----
[Session 130, cont'd]
They experiment with the sample of the clay. It can be purified by clerical magic, or by holy water (either Glordiadelian or Gunnoran), but it would take a vast quantity to purify land on a provincial or greater scale. Without purification, plants can grow, but they have a sickness and would cause bad effects on any who ate of them. Ultimately, it would kill them, which makes us very concerned for the Hanalian refugees.

They make a plan for Glordiadelians or Gunnorans to work on purification, through the springs and brook heads, once the land is reconquered and made safe. Some of the Paranswarmians might be able to help, but few of their orders have the right blessings—mostly the Order of the Weeping Woman. A Gunnoran senior midwife suggests trying to bring in ents from Singing Leaves, because they can purify the land by putting down roots in it.

Alistair contacts Princess Curinirim, and salutes her on the great defeat she inflicted on Quinliart’s sister, and that Canberry wishes her well in finishing her destruction in the future.

Princess Curinirim is shocked to learn that she escaped. Alistair confirms that Quinliart’s sister is now in Hanal City. Talking to her chief lady in waiting in the Noldar language, who was the wife of her late husband’s late seneschal (both killed by Quinliart at the same time), she says she must have had some contingency prepared. They discuss her presence in Hanal City. They believe they must deal with her permanently, but that they dare not abandon their current project until after the Greater Festivals of the Moons—the lesser races need their protection.

“Do we still have the casket?” She asks Lady Wilhemina.

“We do.”

“It may be worth using it, despite the risks.”  [I believe that this is entirely cryptic to the PCs.]

Time passes to the morning of Ke-Ras 19

Alistair and Kit plan for planting a lady-in-waiting spy in Princess Mirabelle’s retinue. We plan on picking her in advance and setting her up as Princess Mirabelle’s local lady-in-waiting during her visit. She’ll then befriend the Princess and talk about how she has no prospects in Canberry, so when she asks if she can join the Princess’s retinue, it will seem like a personal kindness, rather than us planting her. And then they’ll have a highly placed spy in the court of the Cities of the Gates.
----
Alistair also begins another Secret Project.
----
(12 days from now, a werebear comes into town, wearing a sun disk. He is Lord Davion’s recommendation for the imperial children’s bodyguard)
[End Session 130]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 131 (June 9, 2021)

Early morning on Ke-Ras 19

Kit is awoken in the wee hours of the morning with an urgent message. [Attached] She nudges Alistair awake and then they walk into the council chamber and send for Dame Brionna.

An elven sloop, of darkest crystal, slipped into Canberry airspace and dropped two elven glidewings which dropped into the countryside about a day’s march southwest of the capital. They call for Lord Silverleaves.

Brionna also receives a message, delivered by a skaven messenger.  [Attached].  Benjamin, a second cousin of Dame Brionna, has been kidnapped from where he was with the skaven by a pale skinned and more powerful illithid and a very pale Shadow Elf. The council expects that they intend to embed another demon thing in him, and then send him back to Brionna.

Lord Silverleaves says the ship must be Moriquendarim—only they use dark crystal. He offers to seek the voller. He also says that the glidewings could carry up to 150 pounds each. Historically, they were used to deploy elite troops behind enemy lines. He reaches out and finds the voller, which is crewed primarily by humans, which is unthinkable.

(Realizing that that’s the direction of the Tor, Alistair goes to talk to the fairy godmother of the children to warn the Tor. She notifies them immediately.)

Dame Brionna asks, “Are they voluntary?”

“I can check.” He is shocked. “The humans are completely controlled, no volition of their own, from a far distance. They are like a hive mind. Surely coercion of an extreme variety, but not even our cousins would do such things. The handful of drow are not under control, but have shielded minds. Also, the sloop has stealth protections that make it very hard to notice. It would be almost invisible.”

He then begins searching for the cargos.

The council discusses, and then concludes that they can’t possibly ask Singing Leaves [because of the hazards of elves fighting cadet house drow--it could restart the Kinslaying] but they could ask House Curinirim.

Alistair calls Princess Curinirim’s duty psion through a human farsensor. Alistair flatters them a lot and asks them to help, telling them what Canberry knows. He asks if they can deal with this, and perhaps free the humans. Princess Curinirim’s mechanic assures Alistair that the Princess’s general will launch a man-of-war to intercept. A sloop is faster than a man-of-war, but the angle—and the fact that they don’t appear to expect trouble—may allow them to intercept. He also tells Alistair that Quinliart did not have a sloop.

The council plans for Benjamin to be diverted to a townhouse owned by Dame Brionna so he thinks he’s getting taken in, but can then be treated by a redactor. Dame Brionna doesn’t have a townhouse, so Alistair gives her one.

Then Alistair and Kit go back to sleep.

That morning, Lord Silverleaves reports that he has found the glidewings. Both are of Noldar make, and both have sigils of concealment—they were found more by their absence. They are concealed in the outhouses. The local farmers were knocked unconscious and tied up, and then the elves(?) left some hours ago. One of the glidewings carried goods, at least in part.

Kit sends her people to rescue them and find out what they know.

Dame Brionna talks to the skaven messenger, “Runrunrun,” who traveled for 9 sundowns to deliver the message. They are very angry that Benjamin was taken—he was a fine smith.

Lord Silverleaves then finds Benjamin. “He approaches the city. He is not himself. He is resisting it, in fact, but it compels him onward. It was not embedded well—it is as if they were hurried. He must have come on one of the glidewings, but I think that there must have been another person as well.”

The council checks that knocking him out and then having a redactor remove the demon should work. Lord Silverleaves agrees that it should. He also suggests having a coercer present, so that we may be able to learn from it.

Lord Silverleaves reports that Benjamin has been laced with a thin layer of eldritch material; if it came into contact with orichalcum, there would be a substantial explosion, large enough to kill and destroy several blocks of common housing.

They send the Minister of the Mind, as he is a grandmaster redactor, the best coercer they have, and the Sixth Daughter to take Benjamin by surprise and knock him out.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 131, cont'd]
Kit reaches out to her people. They freed the farmers and express surprise that they left them alive. The farmers reported that they were sleeping until the cows got startled, and then found two figures—a human and something he described as one of the Tor folk. (Kit assumes that that was what he would have thought an elf was.) He drew a sword, and they knocked him out.

The cows are where they appear to have landed, and are all dead. They appear to have been poisoned—their fur is falling out, tongues swollen, and eyes bulging.

There were human tracks heading towards the city, and smaller tracks heading further southwest. The tracks disappear as he enters a field, but they can still follow it because there’s a trail of dead grain.

The council tells Lord Silverleaves. He is concerned that it may be a redcap, because of the trail of death. A redcap would not become a servant of the Eldritch deliberately, but it could think it was using the Eldritch while in fact being manipulated. It is more destructive than you would expect a normal redcap to be—it must be enhanced somehow.

The council tells the Tor about the redcap that they think is coming towards the Tor.

Lord Silverleaves decides to apport down there, and Kit warns her people first.

He examines the humans—they’re fine. He then examines the straps of the glidewing. They carried perhaps as much as 50 pounds of a death poison.

The council also asks the Tor if there are any water spirits or the like that can protect the water supply. They then position priests at all of the water intakes into the city to detect poison.

Lord Silverleaves pursues the redcap—he’s not worried about taking on a redcap.

An hour and a half later, he reports that the redcap dumped the poison into the headwaters of the water supply for the city, intended to slowly seep into the city water supply. Lord Silverleaves telekinetically moved it out. He also reports that the whole operation seems hurried. He wonders "if the connection to the Eldritch might be affecting the enemies’ minds. Alternately, Arthranax may have manifested enough of the Eldritch power here that it is making plans directly, without having the level of knowledge to make the plans better. The Eldritch were always arrogant, always." He also asks for a hundred troops to help him flush the redcap out of hiding, which the council sends.

This is the western aqueduct that supplies the lower city that has been poisoned; the poison will reach the city in about three days. They plan to close all the wells and pumps in two days’ time, announced in one days’ time so people have time to fill barrels, jugs, etc.

Benjamin arrives that afternoon, asks to be taken to Dame Brionna, and gets directed to Dame Brionna’s shiny new townhouse. When he arrives, the Sixth Daughter immediately knocks him unconscious, with no difficulty.

The Minister of the Mind ejects the creature from him easily, and the coercer captures it.

<<What was your mission?>>

<<First, to transfer himself to the Dame in her moment of weakness, and then to kill the body of the host that brought him, and then to use the Dame’s ability to enter into the Emperor’s presence and find a way to contact orichalcum and detonate it.>>

<<I can do 5 more.>>

The council discusses.

<<Who sent you?>>

<<The brother of the Avatar sent me. He has been driven from his position. Others come to claim it from far away. He has thrown his lot with his brother, and seeks to curry favor by destroying you.>>

<<What is the urgency that causes you to hurry?>>

<<The weakness in the Dame will pass. The Red Moons which weaken the powers of order will pass. Only now might it be possible to bring low the defense of the land.>>

<<Were there other plans besides this being’s plot and poisoning the water supply?>>

<<Weakening the Tor so they cannot provide support like they have in the past. When this window is past, both they and he will be secure.>>

<<Do they plan to strike at or through Dame Katherine of Lyneham’s family?>>

<<They are common. He is an emperor. Surely, they could not affect him.>>

<<Who are the brother of the Avatar’s close allies and minions?>>

<<He has few close allies now. Most left him when he left the House. Many of his drow deserted him as well. He slew the Priest of Death assigned to him, and his Seneschal tried to strike him down. He has 4 dozen drow, and a half-dozen Shadowelves. His wife fled in a yacht across the sea. Even the humans resist us! Better they should have sent her loved one, her male, and yet he resists our entry. Two of our brethren were obliterated trying to make an entry to him. And even this one resists. And the elves! I do not know how we brought any of them along…>>

Then they need to destroy the demon before it escapes.

The Council discusses the matter of Sir Denro, Dame Brionna's fiance.  They know Dame Brionna’s fiancé is on the eldritch island. They start planning an assault on the island, likely timed for the Greater Festival of Moons in two months. They sent a group of 10th and 11th level characters before.

Kit’s people salvage the flying wings.

Alistair talks with Kit about staging three additional field armies to Lyneham, to prepare to defend either Ecsilias or Avery. This requires moving a huge amount of food. Also, Kit suggests having her new force of were-soldiers train with the troops. The hope is to march two through the Cities of the Gates, and use the other to practice a combat airlift by voller. They expect this to take several weeks to really get going.

Princess Mirabelle sends a message saying that she would be delighted to come to visit and has sent an advance team to set up appropriate quarters, but that she can’t travel until after the coming Greater Festivals of Mists. They immediately insert Kit’s agent as a local lady-in-waiting to make herself indispensable. She reports quickly that the ladies-in-waiting in the advance team are simpering airheads, so making herself indispensable will be quite easy.

The skaven messenger also buys a brooch in the marketplace. Dame Brionna gives him a sending stone to give to his leader. He mentions that the brooch is for his sister, who is piebald (and thus a mage). Dame Brionna also gives a bag of common spell components as a gift for his sister, and invites her to come to study at the great school of magic that they are establishing.

The next two days pass uneventfully.
[End Session 131]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 132 (September 30, 2021)

30 Ke-Ras
Sir Clarence Strawberry comes to speak with Dame Brionna. “We have reason to believe that the Valley of the Dead has been prepared as a death trap and is succeeding at being a death trap for a large number of refugees. 100,000 were diverted away to the City of Enclaves to take up positions in their farmland. But the bulk of them are heading southward, and some are entering the Valley of the Dead, being killed and turned into undead, and then being sent back to gather more. As best as we can tell, this is unrelated to any of the problems in Hanal—we think this is an opportunistic master lich seeking to take advantage of this to gain more power. We do not see any way to stop this without endangering our other strategic interests.”

“What do we know of this master lich?”

“When he was alive, he was a noble in Debonai. He fled to the Valley of the Dead when they found out that he was a necromancer and then began to take over, having done so successfully.”

“When you say the bulk of the refugees, how many are you talking about?”

“About 250,000, Dame. They are mostly farmers. I mean, how much good can they be to him?”

“How much evil could they do, rather, beyond the evil of their deaths. Thank you for bringing this to me. Please bring me any further updates or reports that you have.”

* * *
Dame Brionna brings this to the rest of the Council.

They examine a map carefully, noting that the geography funnels any group that wanted to continue south towards the Valley of the Living Dead. Most actual trade goes through Gates, the westernmost of the three valleys that provide crossings through the Perimeter Mountains, but the refugees may not be aware of that, since it is far from their homeland. And even if they are, Gates charges significant tariffs for any passage—refugees may not be able to pay.

After some discussion, Alistair suggests that the field army in Lyneham head northeast to cut the refugees off from the Valley of the Living Dead and instead to resettle them in the area around Lyneham. Kit is a little agog at the idea of attempting to incorporate 250,000 people into her domain, but doesn’t object. Most of them are farmers, and there is plenty of land that could be farmed. If some of them can mine in the silver mines she’s establishing, so much the better.

They also decide to bring in the Ecumenical Council to deal with the undead—and possibly to send a group of perhaps six adventurers to take on the lich, assuming that doesn’t create too many political issues. Dame Brionna suggests that they find out who the lich was related to in life and more information about him. Alistair also notes that they’ll need to reach out to the Temple of Paranswarm to make it clear that they’re not trying to poach followers, as well as Princess Anastasia because those are nominally her people. Alistair also notes that they will need to speak to Princess Mirabelle of Gates, because increasing the Empire’s power just north of the Perimeter Mountains could be viewed as threatening.

[King of Debonai is Athelstan the Younger; his brother is Leoric]

* * *

Kit goes to speak to her Archivist about the lich’s background. “He was at one time, some time ago, Torbert of the House of Tertullian.”

“No wonder he turned to evil, with a name like that.”

The Archivist chuckles. “But that was many years ago. He turned 204 years ago.”

“Did he have any descendants?”

“Yes, he had a whole life before he turned. It was only in his old age that he took up necromancy. His House still stands, with his descendants, though they might not acknowledge their progenitor now. He also turned from his faith and became Morgrothian in his efforts to achieve status as a lich.”

House Tertullian is fairly heavily infiltrated at this point—the house’s reputation still has not recovered.

Kit plans on reaching out to her old agent in Debonai. Among other things, she wants to identify whether Torbert has any heirlooms or the like that could be used to scry on him.

* * *

Alistair goes to speak with the Princess Mirabelle. After some continuation of the trade negotiations in a large group with staffers, courtiers, and servants present, Alistair announces that he has some security matters to discuss with Princess Mirabelle that are only for her ears. Even as he begins saying that, all of the Canberran staff quickly begin filing out of the room, well aware of Alistair’s intentions. Mirabelle’s aides and attendants file out more slowly, and one in particular hesitates before leaving—likely assigned by her father as a chaperone of sorts. Now that Alistair has identified her, he uses the mindlink to put some of his staff on the duty of keeping her busy and away from Princess Mirabelle.

They flirt briefly—Princess Mirabelle has recovered from the trauma of the attack—and then proceed onwards with the assignation.

Afterwards, Alistair says, “There is an actual security thing that I needed to discuss with you.”

“Oh? I thought that was just to get people out of the room.”

“Well, it was mostly to get people out. But, much as much as I wish that our visits could be all about us, some of it does still need to touch on the affairs of state. There is, as you may know, a large group of refugees streaming south from Hanal.”

“Yes, dear, some of them have passed through Gates—mostly the more successful types. Some crafters have even been resettled within Gates.”

“Indeed, I suspect that many of them have been shy of heading to Gates because of the tariffs involved in passing through.”

“We have turned a significant number of them away for inability to pay.”

“I'm not certain where they're trying to go, but nonetheless.”

“Oh, they're terrified. They think that the wash from Hanal that they experienced the edge of is going to spread everywhere north of the mountains. And so, while they may not know where they want to go, they want to travel south of the Perimeter Mountains to where they think they’ll be safe.”

“We were thinking that it might make sense for us to gather them in an area north of the mountains where we have some troops already in place. One of my courtiers has a small holding north of the mountains and, for unrelated reasons, we moved some troops there to deal with some threats to the courier's domain. We think using that army to organize and resettle the refugees would allow us to manage that situation, which we think would be advantageous because currently many of them are heading into the Valley of the Living Dead, where they are promptly being murdered and turned into undead.”

“Yes, that is what he does.”

“You're familiar with Torbert, then, and his works.”

“Everyone nearby is familiar with Torbert and what he does.”

“The reason I mentioned this, though, is that that would involve attempting to resettle a very large population into an area that is loyal to the Empire, just north of the Perimeter Mountains, north and to the west of the Northern Gates. And there could be some who would view that as being provocative.”

“Yes, we might be worried that that would have the effect of encircling us.”

“Of course, that has nothing to do with the matter -- I just want to save the refugees’ lives and give them a new future. The only part of Gates that I'm interested in encircling is you.” Alistair gives Princess Mirabelle a squeeze as he says this. “But I did want to speak with you about that and both see how you thought Gates would react and see if we could perhaps include an agreement that this was understood as being acceptable as part of the trade negotiations.”

“I can assure you that as long as you don't encroach on his territory, certainly my father will have no concerns. There have been random tiny baronies and things up there for century, I think, and they've never bothered Gates. Gates has never bothered them. And our fortifications would be enough to protect us if they did move. North and South certainly would have no problem--you've been declared Protector of Light. East and West, though--you should send an ambassador.”

“We intend to speak with representatives of the Temple of Paranswarm. And I suspect that if we can assuage their concerns, they will be able to assist us with East and West.”

“I think you're correct there, and let us be honest, the High Queen is very powerful but she doesn't do anything above ground. So, if you can convince the Temple of Paranswarm, you'll have done everything you will need to do.”

“It will actually redound to Gates’s benefit to have a stable dominion up there. It will result in an increased amount of trade between Canberry and that area, and between that area and points further south And all of that trade, or at least the lion's share of it, will travel through Gates itself.”

“That will please the Council. Do you have any idea how many people Torbert may have converted?”

“No, we know that there were approximately 250,000 refugees traveling south. My understanding is the bulk of them have not yet reached that area, but I would assume that we would have to think in terms of tens of thousands.”

“With tens of thousands of undead… Torbert wants his old lands back. I’m not sure what a lich would do with them, but…”

“Debonai is in quite some disarray currently. If he made a push, that could be quite dangerous.”

“You might want to warn Debonai, my dear.”

“I think I shall. Thank you, darling, for bringing that to my attention.”

“And thank you for trusting me with actually important things -- my father rarely does.”

“But you are so intelligent and capable!” Alistair responds truthfully. “Is that simply because he can't see past the fact that you are a woman?”

“No, it's simply that he can't see past the fact that I'm his child.”

“Does he treat your brothers similarly then?”

“Yes, it's going to be a disaster when the inevitable happens, I'm afraid.”

“Are you likely to inherit or one of your brothers?”

“I'm most likely to inherit, but all the training I have for it, I've had to learn on my own. It's easy to get him to give me any tutor I want. But its as if in his mind I haven't grown any older than I was when I was in my early teens. Others have remarked on it with all of us. But what can you do? I do love him dearly. He's a good father. Not everyone can say that about their parents.”

“What if you were to establish a holding of your own? It would give you a chance to exercise actual rulership, while not having to deal with the matters directly of the city's governance?”

“But other than the farming villages the city doesn't own anything outside of its walls.”

“Yes, but there is an area that is beyond the formal holdings of the Archduchy that is near Gates. If you perhaps were to create a settlement in the gap between the small mountain chain south of the Perimeter Mountains and south of the Cities of the Gates. Trade travels over to the river and then down into the Archduchy of Canberry. If you were to set up a port on that river-the river is navigable, and there's an advantage to being able to switch into barges to travel down the river. The river doesn't go to Canberry City, but it still travels deep into the heartland of Canberry. And then south on indeed all the way to Haven. So that would be an advantageous place for you to build a city anyway, and it would then give you some functional experience of of rulership before you needed to claim your city.”

“Fascinating idea…”

“And of course, I can't help but think that you having your own domain on the very borders of the Archduchy would mean that a certain amount of continuing visits back and forth would be almost necessary.”

She smiles broadly at that.

“I would propose that we include that in the agreement on trade and on the agreement of addressing the security concerns, towards the north. In my capacity as Archduke, I will agree that that area is beyond the Archduchy of Canberry and that we would have no objection to a Princess of Gates establishing her own holding there. And then, in my capacity as the Emperor, that area is clearly unambiguously within the Empire of Southern Drucien. But of course, we will be happy to have a personal vassal relationship with a royal from a good Glordiadelian kingdom, without any claims, of course, on authority over Gates in our Imperial capacity. Then at that point, it almost ties your father's hands to agreeing while at the same time being substantially a major concession as part of the negotiations.”

“The Council of Gates would certainly go for it.”

“Now, they must understand that this would be your domain and the domain of your line, not in formal union with the House of the City of the South or of Gates as a whole. But once you inherit, you'll have the personal union. That will both give you some flexibility while also meaning that were you not to inherit, they would lose that and thus they have every reason to support your claim.”

“I know there were people who, when you came to the throne, said that you had not been properly prepared. I disagree. I think, my dear, that you were extremely well prepared in many ways.”

“And I am confident that you will make a grand and glorious queen when the time comes. Because, regardless of your father's limitations with regards to his children, I can see you for what you are.”

“Thank you.”

“I hope that you've been finding that lady-in-waiting that we provided for you helpful. It's quite awkward she's talented and able but her family is of such minor connection, and in the old Southern Kingdoms’ nobility, that there's no real place for her in our court.”

“I do find her helpful. She has a lot of knowledge.”

“I suspect that she would be a most helpful aide in your new dominion or perhaps in managing your household’s needs back in Gates. If, of course, you were willing to do her the great service of allowing her to continue to help you. As I said, it is unfortunate that although she is has clear talent prospects here are minimal. There's a limit to how much that we can do to promote people who don't have the right connections. You understand the balance with the nobles.”

“Particularly if I'm going to take on a new duty elsewhere, indeed, having an aide with her knowledge and her abilities is very useful. I will certainly keep her with your permission.”

“As I said, it would be it would be a kindness to her, and it would resolve a awkwardness in our court where we of course want to find her a good opportunity, and yet it would not make sense for us to spend too much of our own resources on that.”

“Yes. Yes, thank you. I believe we get along well and I appreciate her talents.”

[They also arranged for her to send a warning to her father that someone in his court may be a spy who tipped off the Noldar voller that she was coming.]

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 132, cont'd]
Alistair invites the Princess Anastasia to an audience and to bring her bishop. They enter a small meeting room with Alistair and Kit and make appropriate greetings.

“Your majesty.”

“Your highness… speaking of which, it might at some point make sense for you to properly assume your title as Queen-Empress. I of course leave that to your judgment.”

“Perhaps…”

“We wanted to speak with you about a matter of refugees from your lands.”

“There are many.”

“Indeed, and they are streaming south towards the Perimeter Mountains. Unfortunately, many of them are then attempting to pass through the valley of the Living Dead and are instead becoming Living Dead themselves.”

“Oh dear.”

“We're very, very sorry,” continues Kit. “We don't know exactly how many, but we think tens of thousands and we want to do everything we can to prevent any more. We're trying to find alternate ways for them to get south and alternate safe places for your people to go.”

“I appreciate that, my lady. I have emissaries through my dear Kov of Snatterkaz, who have been trying to turn them for the shores but with little success.”

“Why haven't they been succeeding? Is it just too many or is something else that's preventing them?

“Many of them fear Masque almost as much as they do my sister.”

“I can understand that.”

“And if they go along the shore, they cannot avoid Masque. I have sent emissaries to the court in Masque and I've had assurances that they will not be molested. In fact, the-- well, if she’d’ve taken the prior title, she’d be the Goddess-Empress-- but the Empress there has sent legionnaires from some of her orders to try to convince people to turn aside for temporary refuge in the border of North Province and have even set up refugee camps that are, from priests that have been there, adequately staffed with food, water, priests. But most people will not turn aside, and I can't put enough force there to turn them aside.”

“We had a proposal. You remember Lady Katharine's Barony of Lyneham and our visit there. As a result of the need to deal with the foes in that area we moved a field army up to Lyneham and its surroundings. And so we thought that we might be able to send that army to divert the refugees from the Valley of the Living Dead and to then help them resettle in the areas near Lyneham, presumptively under Lady Katherine's dominion.”

“Most of the people are farmers.”

“Yes, that's what my land needs. If any of them are miners, that would be even better but the point is not to recruit people with certain occupations. The point is to give as many of your people as possible a safe place to resettle.”

“Now, of course we don't want to presume and we don't want to overstep our bounds with your ties to your people. And we understand entirely how there are ties both to one's land and to the people of that land. But it seems like that might be a path forward. If any of them wish to return to Hanal once you are restored to power, we'd be more than happy to see that happen.”

“I would support that resettlement. It is certainly better than throwing them into the mouth of the dead. But if they will not turn from my emissaries, it may be the only way to turn the mass is with a larger body of troops.”

“Our understanding is that many of them have a belief that that they are not safe in northern Drucien and would hope that an army of the Empire of Southern Drucien could convince them that even if they are north of the Mountains, they have reached the safety of the Empire of Southern Drucien by the time they've reached those lands.”

“I don't think it would convince all of them, but I think that might reassure some of them.”

“Then that is the tack we shall take.”

She glances at the bishop next to her who nods a miniscule.

“And venerable Bishop, as you well know, many of the people of the Barony of Lyneham are faithful to Paranswarm. And so of course, as we have remained entirely happy to have priests of Orderly Darkness ministering to the people who continue to follow the Lord of Darkness, that would remain true with these refugees. At the same time, of course, any of them that wished to --without aggressive prosyletization but of their own desire-- turn to the faith of the established church in those lands, we would not turn them away.”

“Of course,” replies the bishop, perhaps a little stiffly.

“Know that I am hopeful that a time can come in my empire when the red and the green can stand together,” adds Princess Anastasia.

“And nothing would make us happier. But of course, we view that entirely as a matter for your court and your house to control and we would not presume to make any statements about that beyond our happiness if you chose to go that way.”

“Then if they will be safe, and welcome, then yes, let us do what we can to divert them from the death lord there. Is he actually advanced to that state, do you know, Your Majesty?”

“We have heard him referred to as a master lich. I do not know beyond that. I must admit that I'm not well versed in the rankings of the undead.”

“If he has advanced to being a death lord, he's become broadly dangerous. They are no longer bound to a phylactery at that point.”

“Do they lose the protection of the phylactery or do they retain it somehow?”

“They can select a phylactery when they are already disembodied. My grandfather spent a great deal of time eradicating a death lord in our lands. In the end, it cost him his life and the life of many of his servants, but he eliminated him. If he remains only a master lich, he can more easily be dealt with.”

“If that's the case, we need to ensure that he is dealt with before he ascends any higher. That may also be part of his motivation here in addition to his political claims. There is magical power in human lives, and those who have reached a certain degree of depravity as, unfortunately, we know is going on back in the princess’s homeland, can take that power through murder.”

“Yes.”

The bishop nods more openly this time. He raises two fingers and a scribe that came with them and has been standing quietly in the back advances. “His Majesty the Emperor of the South and the Queen-Empress Anastasia would like to complete an agreement with your assistance.”

The scribe stands there as they negotiate a three-way treaty among the Empire of Southern Drucien, the Empire of Hanal, and the Barony of Lyneham, despite the lopsidedness of those respective titles. They also discuss perhaps having some of the refugees work in the new vollerworks that Princess Anastasia is helping Kit set up in Lyneham.

Kit speaks privately to Princess Anastasia while Alistair keeps the bishop busy working out the terms of the religious portions of the agreement.

“There are a lot of werefolk in my barony, and the people who settle there need to be okay with that.”

“I understand, and they will be—I will do whatever I can to make certain of that. It is wise that you did not mention that in front of the bishop, though.” Princess Anastasia smiles a little grimly at that.

“I just do not want it to become a point of conflict between the immigrants and the people already in Lyneham.”

* * *

Alistair and Dame Brionna talk to the Archbishop, with the Inquisition bishop in tow.

“You're familiar, of course, with Torbert of the Valley of the Living Dead?”

“Familiar, in the sense that I know he is a blight on the planet?”

“Exactly.”

“Yes, I am familiar with him in that particular way. I am uncertain of most of the specifics of his abilities, although I understand he raised a number of powerful underling frequently.”

They describe the basic problem with the refugees and the Valley.

Dame Brionna mutters, “Beyond me how they thought it was a good idea to go to someplace actually named ‘the Valley of the Living Dead.’”

“Many of the refugees are not sophisticated and they are after all thousands of miles from their homeland so they would not necessarily know that. They would simply know that they are searching for a pass, and they may have heard that there is one in that direction. And, indeed, my understanding is that there are some to travel through that valley without harm, though I don't know how they arrange that.

“But also, some of them have been being turned aside by Gates because of inability to pay the tariffs. Gates has admitted those who can pay of course and those who have talents that would make them useful, but the one thing that is uniformly truth Gates is that they are a lawful people who believe in enforcing their rules.”

“Yes. Universally. That is true.”

“We have a plan for how to resettle the refugees, that the Temple of Paranswarm and the Empire of Hanal are amenable to.”

The Archbishop nods. “This is then a meeting about what is to be done about this archlich.”

“Indeed. We are somewhat uncertain of what his exact status is—we’ve heard him described as a master lich, and speculation about whether he might be a death lord, but I don’t understand how those titles actually work.”

“Ah. I see. The lowest level of lich is simply a lich. Above that are archliches, who frequently command other liches. Above them are master liches. There are only two steps above that. Death master, which can only be attained by a follower of Morgroth.”

The inquisitor interjects, “Or possibly this new power. But as far as we know, only Morgroth.”

“And then of course there are the very few who attain the status of demilich—able to possess whatever mortal shell they wish if it isn’t adequately trained to resist it. At that point, they no longer have a body. They're incredibly rare, as far as I know there are none active now and the only choice for those who would hunt them if they were would be to try to find where the original bones were buried. I'm no expert in this, but according to my teachers, it is said that it is possible to summon the spirit of a demilich back to its bones. Most of them in the past had their bones scattered so that it was more difficult.”

“None of the death lords serve the Shadow?”

The inquisitor answers, “None that we have seen. The Borsh’troans have not mastered that aspect of undeath. They use major demons to control their undead armies."

“Yes, we’ve never encountered any that were not Morgrothian. To be fair, we have never encountered any in the history of the Church. But what the elven texts on the subject say is that when they become demiliches, it releases all connections to any god. They claim themselves to be gods, though they’re obviously not.”

“It would seem to be the next step in the progression, though,” says Alistair, much to the inquisitor’s startlement. “I presume that all of them would be from human or other non-elven mortals?”

“Yes. The first one to advance to being a demilich was a half-orc priest of Morgroth, much to everyone’s surprise. He was particularly capable, and it took some time to hunt him down.”

The inquisitor says, “My understanding is there has been at least one in the recent past. There was one eradicated in Hanal perhaps a century ago. Very odd. It's unclear where he came from or who he was. But suddenly he was there, and he caused considerable consternation in the royal court.”

“Interesting.”

“You know, all of our problems in Hanal started about 100 years ago.”

“Yes, we believe that’s when the Lord of the Ram and the like were corrupted by the eldritch and began to serve their even more corrupt scheme.”

“So perhaps we have answered whether those old ones can allow their followers to advance to death master, and even assist them in advancing further to demilich status.”

The Archbishop adds, “It would take a tremendous amount of death to power it. But then, there have always been tremendous numbers of deaths in Hanal.”

The Inquisitor grimly comments, “Well, they will all burn the same when we put them in the heretics’ fire.”

Alistair discusses their plan, and the need for clerical support to resist Torbert’s plan.

The Archbishop tells them that the new major undead have included multiple liches and at least three greater mummies—no vampires, though, perhaps because vampires tend to follow their own agendas instead of serving loyally in an army. The greater mummies can create more lesser mummies and mumia, at least as long as they have enough wealth, and there is plenty of wealth in the necropolis of the Valley. It was once a small human kingdom, dedicated to Morgroth, that revered its dead and built great necropolises and mausoleums in which many of the dead from all over the continent were entombed. One day, the dead arose and killed the priests. They were mostly disorganized for a long time, with some occasionally wandering out and being slain, until Torbert took over. That was viewed as a good thing at the time—stopped the outflow of random attacks.

They discuss how they can contain him, and conclude that asking the Temple of Morgroth to tell him to not strike against Debonai might be best. They discuss asking Princess Curinirim, who could almost certainly force him to obey—she is after all one of the ten or so most powerful Noldar. But the bishops suggest that they instead reach out to the Mother of Death, the human high priestess of Morgroth in Drucien. She would have more direct authority over Torbert, and be less likely to cause offense. Also, if she asks him to remain in the Valley and he refuses, that will be a clearer sign that he has been corrupted from Morgroth’s service.

The bishops agree to reach out to the Mother of Death as a request from the Ecumenical Council.

* * *
Kit reaches out to Lady Breena, her agent from Debonai, through the fan. Lady Breena reports that she is still outside Debonai, having not returned to her familial lands, in a city. Kit asks if Lady Breena has kept an eye on Debonai, and Lady Breena sends a report.  [Attached]

There have been three assassination attempts on the royal compound; two were slain, the third got away and fled to a safehouse.

Kit thanks Lady Breena, and says they will take action to capture the last assassin. She also warns Lady Breena about Torbert and suggests that the assassins were likely sent by Torbert as part of a plan to retake Debonai.

Lady Breena concludes that she must head back in to Debonai, to reduce the delay in news reaching her. Most of the noble houses remain in their country estates, working on stabilizing things there. She doubts that any of them are involved in the assassination attempts. She also doesn’t think the commons do. So then the likely candidates are either merchant houses, which resent the taxes they’re being charged to try to pay for the military to restabilize Debonai. Next in likelihood would be the Sheepshearer’s Guild, because of a copper per shearing tax that has been imposed. Lady Breena asks to be supplied with potions of invisibility.

Two days pass uneventfully, so the game picks up again with Kit contacting Lady Breena on the 1st of Endyear, the 4-day intercalary period at the end of each year.
[End Session 132]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 133 (October 21, 2021)

1 End Year
Things are peaceful and straight-forward with the celebrations. There is some minor gift giving, feasting, etc.

Kit contacts Lady Breena in Debonai, after she has had a chance to travel into the capital.

“Are you alright? What is the situation there?”

“It is amazing. The commons will ignore what is going on around them for a good day. The city is back to itself, and there is widespread knowledge of the assassination attempts, but with a belief that the royal family was protected by divine power. There is a sense that a power wants the royal family dead—I think rumors started by the assassin who escaped. But this has not had the effect that he likely wanted, being taken as a sign of divine favor instead. The rumors are that it is the Unseen Guild, but it is not the Unseen Guild. The King is weak, he has been weak, he is known to be weak. I think another of the noble houses is making a play for the throne.”

“Who would be most likely to take power?”

“The Duke of Ruly would be the most likely, but he is old and it is not the sort of play I would expect from him. I know him somewhat. Perhaps one of his children or grandchildren? Also, the assassins were at least somewhat incompetent. I would expect better. If it was meant deliberately to be incompetent… it might be intended to roil the waters.”

“What about making someone look good for spoiling it?”

“The Captain of the Royal Guard. His appointment was viewed as a great honor for his family, House Tertullian, for they have been out of favor since they birthed a lich.”

“Ah. The family that the lich Torbert came from. And that lich has been much more active of late. So perhaps there is someone in that house who is not ashamed of their lichly ancestry.” Alistair reminds Kit that the King was cured by the elven princess. “How has the King’s health been lately?”

“He has seemed more robust of late. Sometimes people rally.” Lady Breena clearly is unaware of the cure. “And he has been pursuing a marriage with a scion of the ruling family of the Enclave of Glitterdomes, which is a very wealthy enclave of course. There is hope among the commons that this might produce a new heir, though…” Lady Breena clearly views this as implausible, but Kit is decidedly aware that this could change the line of succession and the like.

Lady Breena plans to reach out to contacts within the guard to find out more information, and to contact back in two days.

* * *
The Council reaches out to Humbert the Holy, the Bishop of Enclaves, and he agrees to encourage the ruling house of Glitterdomes to go forward with the marriage rapidly to help stabilize Debonai.

* * *
The next couple days pass uneventfully.

3 End Year
On the morning of the 3rd, news reaches the Council that Lady Deluria Brightspan has had her child, on what is considered an auspicious day. She is a sorceress, with some training on Khamista, and a tiny bit of wizard knowledge. She married a commoner in a love match: Sir Lawrence of Bianca, who subsequently converted from Paranswarm to the Light. The child was a son. (Sir Lawrence was formerly a lyon, but is now just a fighter, and struggling a little with the transition.)

Alistair decides to grant them a petty holding in the restored South Kingdoms, far from the Duchy of Brightspan but near her brother Sir Derrick’s more substantial holdings.

* * *
Lady Breena says that this appears to being used as an excuse to strengthen the guard on the palace. The captain is tightening security, bringing in priests, increasing the strength of the guard. His people have nothing but positive things to say about it.

Kit speculates that this might be based on secret information about the lich.

There have also been an increase in paladins within the guard, from a militant order. Also, he’s removed several mid-ranked officers with ties to various merchant houses—the merchant houses are benefitting from the turmoil by raising prices.

Also, the royal house has announced the engagement. The commons are overjoyed about this; most of the nobility thinks that this is a last gasp attempt to do his duty, but unlikely to succeed.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 133, cont'd]
In early evening, a guard approaches Dame Brionna. “There is a visitor at the outer gates asking to speak to the Imperial Council. I think she’s alive… There is a human woman, dressed all in black, with a belt of skulls and a staff of bone with a skull atop it. I think she is the High Priestess of Death, but I didn’t dare ask. She has a mumia with her, I think, carrying her bag and conversing with her. And perhaps I should mention her horses. They seem to be skeletal and are breathing fire.”

The Council discusses this and immediately agrees that Kit must not enter her presence in her current condition (about a month from her due date). They also don’t want to invite her into the Palace. Alistair suggests that they meet in the Archbishop’s chancery—a building of the Church, but not a church or holy ground itself. The Archbishop is extremely willing to permit this, and asks if he can attend as well. Alistair immediately agrees, and suggests that they also invite the senior midwife of Gunnora and the Princess Anastasia’s bishop, since this is Ecumenical Council business.

Dame Brionna meets her at the gate. The priestess is extremely pale—so pale that she wonders if her unwillingness to enter without permission might indicate that she is not in fact alive.

“Honored Dame Brionna, I presume.”

“Honored Mistress of Death. Welcome to Canberry.”

“Thank you. And thank you for the information about Torbert. It was much appreciated.”

They continue on to the chancery, with the horses following at a short distance without bridles. The mumia carries several bags of scrolls.

“We are grateful that you responded so quickly.”

“I am responsible for the Temple of Death here, and my predecessor—whether through incompetence or corruption—did not do a good job of maintaining the temple. There was a temple in Cese Mai where no priest was assigned. The graveyards were being maintained by acolytes and deacons. We are a separate order from the Temple of Morgroth. We are dedicated to death itself, not to the Lord of Death. We care for the dead. Some of the dead choose to remain as undead, as did my husband.”

“Have you seen any evidence of tainting or disruption of supplies of embalming fluids?”

“Yes. Have you had these problems in the Temple of Glordiadel as well?”

“I haven’t asked specifically about embalming fluids, but other forms of preservatives and food.”

“We should share information about this. There were also tainted food in our Enclave that we discovered when we arrived with the Lord Proconsul. It allowed several older blooddriven to gain access to the dead in the area in the farmlands north of the City.”

They arrive at the chancery.

“I came as soon as I heard and I spoke to Torbert on my way here. He has sworn on his once phylactery to stop killing the refugees; he will not permit them to pass through, but he will not slay them. He will not swear to avoid attempting to retake his house—he views those who hold it now to be usurpers.”

She then begins discussing the problems with the Cult of the Ram and the actions that the Lord Proconsul has taken. Over 300 women had demonspawn with them.

They take special precautions against spying.

“No word must reach the outside about this. The City of the Dead in Enclaves has been overtaken by the Eldritch. We regained the first two layers of six by force. I personally led an assault on the third level, where we found a mid level servitor of the Eldritch called the One of Gates and Doors. We were repulsed. We have them contained, but we have not been able to displace them, and they have proved capable of breaking sacred ground. They also have taken over and corrupted at least one Glordiadelian cemetery. We believe that they have raised some 10,000 Eldritch undead.”

Alistair explains about why summonings in Enclaves are now more possible than they had been, because the Council had a great artifact removed.

She says that explains why a greater demon of the Ram had been summoned. The Lord Proconsul and the captain of his guard defeated the greater demon, but there were deaths involved. She asks for permission to speak to the Lord Proconsul about this, which we grant.

She recommends that the Temple of Glordiadel check their cemeteries in this area. She checked the cemeteries maintained by the Temple of Death, and they remain secured with the dead incapable of rising.

She also mentions that they freed Cabbageheights, driving the Eldritch out from the entire Enclave they had taken. In taking it back, their man-of-war was damaged by the Eldritch energy rods. They now only have a merchant voller able to be flown, but they are repairing their man-of-war.

She mentions that she is unsure whether the Lord Proconsul was sent at such a young age to keep him safely away from the hazards of politics in Krashmere or in the hopes that he will fail. Alistair assures her that Canberry and the Empire of Southern Drucien wish nothing but success for him, and hope that trade with them will be helpful, even though their trade is petty from the perspective of the Noldar.

She makes a gift of scrolls that have been tailored to detect the Eldritch. They may not find those who worship them but have not received their touch, but it will find those who have.

Dame Brionna asks about the deaths in the City of Hanal.

The Mistress of Death reports that there are three powers within the City of Hanal: “The Queen-Empress who is not the Queen-Empress, the Lord Quinliart’s sister and his Hand, and a great priest of the Ram. The Lord Quinliart has burrowed beneath the city and bound himself to the land. He can no longer move. His remaining followers are now three in number—they were four, but my Lord Proconsul, his Seneschal, and a very brave voller captain were able to slay one. When we cleaned out the Enclave of Cabbageheights, no aid came from the City of the Dead. When we cleaned out the blooddriven north of the city, no aid came. We think he has relinquished his direct control when he bound himself to the land. They aim to bring through one of the Princes. That was always the goal. That is why the presence of the One of Gates and Doors was particularly troubling. In the First Incursion, they brought a Prince through then. They must not bring a Prince through again.

“To our advantage, there is stress between She of the Bones, the One Beside, and the One Other. The One Other is willing to abandon the other two and establish himself as the God of Evil here. In order to bring through a prince, the effort in Hanal City is intended to kill everyone within the City outside the Palace to summon a great demon who is bound somewhere, and then to sacrifice the demon to raise the energy to break the barrier long enough to allow their prince to arrive. This is what we have been able to figure out. Even that will not let in She of the bones, or the One Beside. There is some hindrance that prevents them from entering in, even as they grow stronger. But if they can get a prince in here, it will be very difficult to displace them unless we can rouse the Eldar from their slumber and get them to be combined with their cousins, which seems about as likely as my taking up fine needle. Is that helpful?”

“Certainly, albeit disturbing.”

“I do genuinely wish to be helpful to the Ecumenical Council. I feel that emotions are not my best suit.”

“Do you know of the moves of the One Other and how he now presents himself?”

“We think he is presenting as the god Sytry based on what we've heard in the Ecumenical Council.”

“That is not quite correct. The One Other is synonymous with Arthranax, who you may be aware of.”

“Of course.”

“He also either is or has subsumed the Blue Star. He seeks to also take Sytry himself, but, as best as we can tell, Sytry remains separate, struggling to defend himself against the threat. There is extensive corruption within the Temple of Sytry, of course, although the very highest elements of it remain loyal to Sytry and not to Arthranax”

“That is good to know. I was unaware of the combination, but I should not have been. Arthranax always seemed to have more power than a god should as a new one with a small role and cult. Are there other things that we should do or know?”

“There are two other matters that I would have you and the Lord Proconsul aware of. One is that we know that the Prince of the Cities of Pain is a prisoner of Arthranax, and that he is in the process of seeking to consume the Prince. We have informed the leadership of House Moriquendarim, and they have endeavored to mount a rescue effort. That will either succeed or result in their destruction, as they said before they departed.”

“We were not aware.”

“Clearly, none of you should take direct action to assist in this, for if the Lord Moriquendarim and his companions cannot perform this rescue, then neither can the Lord Proconsul have any chance, let alone those of you of lesser backgrounds. But you should be aware, and you should be aware that if they fail, there will be enormous chaos within the leadership of the House, both because the absence of the Prince of the Cities of Pain would become permanent and because the greatest leaders of the House are the ones mounting the rescue.

“The other thing that you should know is that the Queen-Empress who is not the Queen-Empress is the Seductress, who was herself once a great Noldar, who then became a great devil, who then became a great demon princess, who is now the usurper of Hanal and trying to elevate herself to godhood, along with the forces of Arthranax and possibly the Ram.”

“Interesting. It seems to me that the One Other is already leaving the One of the Bones and the One Beside. I wonder if the Seductress and the One Other are considering merging to get past the barriers. I'm deeply appreciative of that information. It's an unfortunate truth that because the Temple of Death, and the Temple of Morgroth are separate, I cannot consult the Great Library of Morgroth. But we have gathered considerable scholarship of our own. Once I have had time to consult it and make a return visit, I may be able to find more information of interest about this.”

“As for ourselves, you would always be welcome to visit. Your Eminence, does the Church concur?”

“Yes, the Church concurs. The Ecumenical Council is all about collaboration and sharing of information, and we are delighted to see that the Mistress of Death is so willing to engage in such exchange and so open.”

“Let me ask one other question,” says Alistair. “When you first spoke of Torbert, you said his once phylactery. Does that mean that he has transcended the need for phylacteries?”

“Yes, but not for so long that he has ceased to be fond of it.”

“So he is, then, a Death Lord.”

“He honors and respects the Temple of Morgroth. He will keep this word and if he did not, his oath would destroy his phylactery, which would still cause him harm, even though it would no longer destroy him. So I do trust his word. He will not slay the refugees, and he will turn them away. He will not offer them succor, but he will not kill them.”

“That's better than before. We can attend to providing them succor.”

“I wish that I could have convinced him to cease his quest to regain his house. On the other hand, he seems to be caught in an endless planning. And apparently, when he approached people in his old house about supporting him, they rebuffed him. That, of course, means that he has agents in Debonai.”

Prompted by Kit over the mindlink, Alistair asks, “Do you know anything specific about his agents?”

“His connection is some merchant clan or other-- I don't know which one. Merchant’s commerce is not something that the Temple deals with, but I do know that he spoke of merchants and says his friends want to see him back to his rightful place. I told him merchants are interested in only one thing in my experience, and it clinks and is made of precious metal.”

“Do you know what they dealt in, if not the specific merchants?”

“Oh yes, thank you, in silk and spices, and after the troubles in the Spice Lands and the south... we've seen trade cut off in Enclaves, too, but apparently if you're a merchant, it's particularly upsetting. He mentioned that, and said he had offered them a pretty penny for their health. Had I known it would be an item of interest, I would have pursued it further.”

Her husband suddenly interjects, “You had better believe she would have.”

“I do know that he would he have paid with the ancient coins that he has that he tends to use. That hoard is enormous.”

Kit thinks, <<Oh, goodness, money changers will know which which house has acquired ancient hoard coins. We can probably find that out, and through that which house he has influence over.>>

<<Nice. Yes, let’s follow up on that.>>

“Any help that the Temple cannot supply, my Lord the Proconsul will, I am sure, be happy to offer.”

Dame Brionna speaks up. “I have one question. Obviously it will be extraordinarily difficult, but if one were able to kill the former Moriquendarim lord who is now bound to the land beneath Hanal, what would that do to what’s left?”

“While you would probably be able to get a more accurate answer from the Lord Proconsul, he has decreed that the land will slump when that happens, most likely because the tunnels will go with him. Just as you have taken over a compound that already existed there from very, very long ago, so, too, did the Empire of Hanal. But if I were a human, other than myself… no, no, even myself, I would not wish to live in the city. After that, we expect the Empire of Hanal may be forced to abandon it as a ruin.”

“Afterwards, they should.”

“A million lives,” she reflects. “I am the Mistress of Death for the continent of Drucien for the Temple of Death, but I will tell you something. I have never deliberately taken life unless it was attacking. My Lord the Proconsul did sacrifice 26 people who were bound to the Eldritch in a special ritual to bind a daemon who was capable of transporting people to and fro. That is how I got so close so quickly. I did not do that part myself. They were captured in the very act of worshipping the unclean.” Dame Brionna shifts back a little, while trying to hide her distaste and discomfort. “But innocents… to sacrifice a million people… unthinkable.”

Alistair cuts in. “While we understand that the religious practices of your faith and of Paranswarm are different from those of our own, in the interest of good relations within the Ecumenical Council, it is perhaps best if in the future, you simply refer to followers of the Eldritch as having been executed without discussing any benefits your faith may have derived from those executions.”

“Very well, thank you.”

“Within the Empire, we tolerate the established Paranswarmian countries performing sacrifices of condemned prisoners who have committed purely secular crimes, but we do not truly approve.”

“That is the sort of learning that we must receive to align with the Ecumenical Council.”

Dame Brionna asks, “If the City of Hanal will collapse, how wide an area will be affected?”

“Oh, from the city center, I would say, a five mile radius, not small but not huge. Basically coextensive with the energy dome or so.”

“You might also gently let the Lord Proconsul know that in addition to continuing to attend to my efforts in my capacity as arbiter to keep the Noldar and the Eldar vollers overhead from encountering each other, there are other elven vollers that will be an action that should not encounter either of the two.”

“Eldron vollers?” she asks in surprise.

“These are not true Eldron, but perhaps the equivalent of Twilight or Gray Elf crewed vollers, you understand.”

“Yes. Yes, I will. We appreciate what you're doing, although of course my Lord the Proconsul has no authority over the Aufaulgautharim that is presently operating in the skies over Hanal.”

“I know, but it is useful to be aware, and there might be circumstances where it might make sense for him to discreetly mention to the Aufaulgautharim that they might choose to be particularly attentive to my efforts to divide areas, because no good whatsoever could come from them having an encounter with either of the other groups of elves.”

“The Princess Curinirim can impress this upon them most effectively, and she is routinely in counsel with my Lord the Proconsul. I will let him know.”

“She is a wise and powerful leader.”

“She is. I hope that it will be long before she walks to the West.”

“Do the Noldor go to the West?”

“Some do. She will. Some unfortunately have lost themselves in insanity. The Lord of Goldorim, for example. He will not go to the West.”

“Where do they go?”

“Even I do not know.”

“I sometimes wonder if they go to the East, but I don't even know what that would be.”

“I have wondered the same thing.”

After a little more small talk, the Mother of Death gives them an appropriate salutation and prepares to leave. Her husband gives one as well, along with a wink.They have never seen a Mumia before, and never heard of one that winks, but this one can. “We will return to the gate and from there we will have our friend take us home.”

[For people who are interested, the Mother of Death is a PC in a different group playing in this world. However, her player wasn’t present, so the DM role-played her in the style of her player.]

Once they return to the Palace, Dame Brionna raises the question of whether there might be more tunnels beneath the Palace of Canberry beyond what they have already found.
[End Session 133]


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## CPaladin

Session 134 (October 28, 2021)

4 End Year
Kit has had a report from one of her people in Hanal.  [Attached.]  Her agent had been relatively close to the capital until recently, but was sent back to her lord and lady’s home territory. There is some sort of corruption in the imperial soldiers. A group of imperial soldiers attacked the castle. They were nearly slavering, and there was desperation in their eyes. She killed one, and he thanked her.

Her lord and lady were the Vad and Vadess of Vitrian, who were loyal to the usurper, so that suggests that they’re now turning on their own, not just prosecuting the civil war. The imperial soldiers have also slaughtered caravans and the like. On the other hand, the crystal vollers have been providing effective relief by dropping food.

Kit’s agent is now with the refugees, just south of the borders of Hanal. Kit asks her to stay with the refugees, planning on making her an agent within the resettled refugees near Lyneham once she gets there.

Alistair also receives a large gift from the Duke of Brightspan to raise a new field army of medium infantry, under imperial control and command but funded by Brightspan.  [Message attached] The Council accepts gratefully and sets this in process.

Dame Brionna reports that there is a small stream of humanoids—orks and uruks, they believe—who are traveling north from lands where they have been displaced. They want to return to their ancestral homeland.

The Council sends a delegation, including the orkish page, to meet up with them. It will take them about 12 days to meet up with them. The Council will here back around the 14th of Tar.

The Council also decides to send the new field army, along with some of the existing field armies, to defend against attacks by Skaven warlord clans. They also plan some retributive attacks to show the strength of the Empire and deter further Skaven attacks. This will also season some of the greener units.

The rest of the final celebrations of End Year pass uneventfully.

------
14 Tar
Fourteen days later, the Council receives a sending from the delegation they sent to the humanoids on the western border of Canberry.

“Uruks, half uruks and orcs. Not Morgrath...Mider? Animism? Many years near Spice Lands - sold service to patriarch. Land decimated. Came from snowed peak region 250+.”

Each member of the Council interprets the last bit differently—number of people? Number of years away? Distance to the snowed peak region?

They send back a response.
“Clarify 250+—people? Are these families? What service to patriarch—mercenaries? Possibility of hiring them? Evaluate leader. Not evil? Willing to resettle?”

A terse reply comes through:
“Years ago. Yes, many. Hunters for meat and protectors for farmers from great spiders from below. Yes. Old, one eye. Crude savage no evil. Yes.”

The Council sends back instructions:
“Settle families in unpopulated area with hunting and farming. Hire warriors as auxiliaries for new field army, leaving some protectors.”

The Council also sends a priest of Glordiadel and a midwife of Gunnora to do some light touch proselytization, and makes plans to make sure some of the soldiers are inducted into the Order of the Stag to hedge against Order of the Ram infiltration.

They get a somewhat worrisome final message:
“Chief Zaragh War'da thanks. He sends messengers to other chiefs behind. Maybe 5000+ total left. Some ahead, go old chambers - Dark maybe gone. Probably not.”
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 134, cont'd]
17 Tar

The voller with the dignitaries from the Empire of the North arrives. The Emperor of the North is here himself—a young man who is very impressed by Canberry City. He has brought gifts—a whale skin cloak, a gift for Kaitlyn, and three gifts for any other women of Alistair.

They make small talk until they’re in a secure area.

“We have located the place that the accursed have set up as a base on the ice. I have the location, and we have sent a group near them. We do not have much magic, however—some priests, but no powers of the mind at all.”

The Council calls in Lord Silverleaves, Grandmaster Farsensor.

The Emperor of the North puts on a brave front about having his mind read so that the image can be projected to all of them.

Lord Silverleaves is surprised they were able to find it, as the Singing Leaves voller could not find it from the air, but by scouting on foot with dogs, they were able to. He transmits this information to the Queen of Singing Leaves, and to the Archmage of Singing Leaves.

“You see that crack in the ice? That is where the device will be. It is being powered by sacrifices from back in Hanal. Almost everything they do is powered this way. It is no wonder that we were able to unite our forces with our cousins in the first war. We need to get through these ground troops and to this device, preferably before they know we are there. We will need people who can strike quickly on the heals of our warriors and the Empire of the North’s warriors.”

Kit asks, “What sort of numbers will you need?”

“There were scrapes on the ice where six vollers landed. That suggests that the total of them were about 600, but they dragged something very large, with runners—like our ice sleds. But we never saw more than 20 while we observed them.”

“So the rest of them are down under the ice.”

“Lord Silverleaves, do you think your forces and the Empire of the North’s forces will be sufficient, or will you need additional reserves?”

“We will send bladedancers, I think, perhaps 25 of them. They are extremely effective. With the Archmage, and redactors of course, and an energy lance. I think the device is not defensive, but rather designed to bring things through.”

Alistair mentions the One of Gates and Doors in Enclaves, and that they may be trying to summon one of the Princes.

“That’s likely the Devourer, who they sought to summon the last time. Very powerful, hard to destroy. The other possibilities would be Jenesha, the Torrent of Flames, but they would not try to summon her in the Arctic. The Eater of Skins is a horrible entity, but mindless. There is Ulesh, and we have already seen a minor avatar of his. I cannot imagine they would summon the whole being, because even those who we will not name have difficulty controlling him. Ulesh has a collection of items from previous planes. Powerful, yes, but not nearly as resilient as the Devourer. And the last of the Princes—the One without a Tail, which we know only from the documents brought from a fallen world by the halflings. He is called the Master of the Squeeking Horrors—we think he controls vermin. He is probably the least of them.”

* * *
They exchange ambassadors—the Emperor of the North leaves Arvid Orcutt, an old former warrior who should not fight anymore.

Alistair sends him back with a wizard as an ambassador (Barnabas) who could teleport them back, with instructions to look for potential wizard apprentices who can then study magic and return to provide magical support for the Empire of the North, because they currently have so little.
[End session 134]


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## CPaladin

Session 135 (November 29, 2021)

18 Tar: Emperor of the North departs; with his eager consent, the Council sets him up to bait the Noldar voller (relying on the ability to teleport him and his close associates to safety if an attack ensues), but with no apparent success

24 Tar: An ambassadorial party has arrived from the Broken Lands; the ambassador is a witch, of course, and Paranswarmian. She calls herself a countess, so she’s likely the head of one of the covens.

Dame Brionna arranges for a meeting outside the palace proper, at a room arranged by the Lady Mayor. She brings young Lord Brightspan.

The ambassador is middle-aged, drawn, and doesn’t look like she’s been on her feet properly lately. She is dressed all in black with a blindingly white piece of silk tied to her upper left arm.

“We have been facing increasing struggle in homeland. The covens… there have always been demon worshippers in the outer reaches, though we are primarily witches and diabolists. Apparently there are more of them than we thought, and they have gained a substantial new source of power. They fell on the substantial communities of Rottingtree and Treestump some two weeks ago. We displaced them, at considerable loss of life—including my husband, who was an officer. They have now departed and begun traveling towards your northern provinces and we have been unable to scry upon them. Lady Talen, our mistress, thinks there is something worse behind them than the usual Demogorgon followers and so forth. She thought it best to warn you.”

“What can you tell us about your attackers? Were they primarily of one gender?”

“Primarily men. Most of the demon worshippers are men, since they rarely join the covens and some resent the rule of our covens. But these were as well.”

“Did they attempt sexual assaults?”

“On the common women, yes. Most of the nobles are sufficiently powerful witches to protect ourselves.”

“And, I know this will seem strange, but were any of them transparent?”

“The leader was—we drove him off but did not kill him, though not for lack of trying.”

“We understand well. I would like to take you for a meeting with His Imperial Majesty. Her Imperial Majesty is unavailable, having been recently delivered of twins.”
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 135, cont'd]
After appropriate formalities, Alistair asks, “Did they take any prisoners with them, or seek to attack anyone of fae or other elder blood?”

“The two cities that they focused on--and I use cities in a way that you might not--are the two places within the Broken Lands with the most of the old blood. I do not know that it was a direct attack on them. But they did try to take captives--common women primarily. Whether the captives had old blood, and whether and where they were taken successfully, I can not say. We did not expect the attack, and there was considerable breaches of our defense initially, and there were simply too many people missing and or dead to sort out everything. Eventually, over time, Lady Talen may be able to determine but not quickly, and I was sent immediately when the council of covens realized the way they look to be headed.”

“Did you see any specific types of demons?”

“Several but primarily some odd creature that we do not have in our… I beg your pardon, my lord, I know you're the Protector of the Light…”

“I think I should call Dame Constance, our court diabolist, to be part of this conversation.”

After Dame Constance arrives, the ambassador continues.

“There were some form of I think they were called [Bq Yolanda—I think this is a transcription error, but I don’t know what it was supposed to be], but they're not in our list, not in our grimoires. They were goat-like…”

“Ram-like?”

“Perhaps. There were quite a number of them. They were not extraordinarily potent, as demons go, and our devils were able to rip them apart while chuckling, which I must admit, even for me was a bit unsettling. I almost think we were meant for a distraction. My husband had a great deal of strategic training and military background. I do not. But it seemed to me like an awful waste of summonings--they had no chance against the bound pit themes that guard the inner sanctum of each of the cities. And to throw them against those defenses, they had to have known that. If they could summon them, they can't be so stupid they didn't know they were insufficient. There were also a handful of others but only a handful of them. Nicodemons[?] were the most dangerous, of course, and a few lesser things, rutterkin and such, running about. It was the humans that did most of the damage. However, the focus of the demons was so limited to a target they could not possibly take, but it certainly distracted our warriors which allowed them to get to the commons at all.”

“And that doesn't discharge the defenses for future purposes, does it?”

“No, the pit fiends are permanently bound, and the one they did manage to disincarnate has already been replaced by Lady Talon, the high witch. She is concerned about the possibility of-- well, to be honest here, imperial majesty, of our being blamed for sending demons down on you. We do not deal with demons. Having order is an important thing.”

“We understand that. And while we do not entirely approve of the practices of our cousins in Darkness, we understand our mutual alliance against demons.”

Relief passes across her face as she hears this.

“You said that you cannot scry on them now?”

“Yes, they have become invisible, even to the pool.”

“I take it that that your scrying capabilities are substantial.”

“Yes, we've never lost track before of anything.”

“Would you be willing to share your mental images of their leader?”

“Yes, of course. I've been instructed to cooperate with you in any way that I can.”

“And do your scrying techniques include psionics?”

“Ours are only magical. We count strictly on the power of the Earth, Wind and the forces of Hell.”

Dame Constance almost chuckles when she hears that combination.

“I’m curious, what is the distinction between witches and wizards or the like?”

“We utilize an entirely different set of spells, the items that we produce with our craft are different, and we depend on pacts with devils, not compulsions.”

“So you've not promised your soul, then?”

“No, although a fair number of animals have died for every single one of the bound devils. But our souls go to Lord Paranswarm, for we are His worshipers.”

“Have you found ancient ruins or the like in the areas that were attacked? How long has that been settled by your people or by people before you?”

“Oh, we settled the areas. No one else wanted them to be honest. Being coven of witches is not necessarily the most accepted thing in some nations. So we fled to those lands. They are swampy, they are poor in resources, but they support our population well enough. You'd be amazed what you can find in the swamp if you know what to look for. We have been there about 1500 years. There were the remains of fae tors, where we built our main cities. Some are still there, but their great lords had diminished or had left and gone away. We've never been able to exactly figured that out. They were glad enough to have new neighbors that were strong enough to shield them from the exigencies of fate. They are bound to the land and were unable to leave to go to other places where there were nobles of their kind still.”

“Were any fae-blooded who were slain sacrificed?”

“I cannot say for sure, though I thought some corpses oddly slain. Do you know what branding is with animals?”

“Yes.”

“They had been branded before their throats were cut. I do not recognize the symbol, despite my expertise in magic.”

Dame Constance shakes a little in response to this. “Imperial Majesty. When the Grand Master gets here could he also get an image of these sigils, please.”

“Indeed, indeed.”

About that time the Grandmaster enters.

“Lord Silverleaves, the Countess... I'm sorry, what is your title?”

“Ravencall.”

“The Countess Ravencall, ambassador from the Broken Lands.”

“A pleasure to meet you, your Eminence, I'm not sure what the appropriate title is, my lady. It's a pleasure to meet you.” In the way that he often does, Lord Silverleaves attempts to be overly respectful of human titles that he does not in fact respect much at all.

“There has been a demonic assault on some of their cities, along with various demonic followers. They have repulsed it. But the leader, who was transparent in flesh, escaped despite their efforts to slay him, and they can no longer scry him despite their quite considerable scrying capabilities.

“Further, at least some of the dead were branded with a strange sigil or mark, and we fear that this may have been sacrificial in some sense, and then this may have been the purpose of the attack to gather such victims.”

“Do I have your leave to draw the vision out from you, my lady?”

“Yes, you have my leave”

“Grand Master, can you project the image out here so we can study them?”

“Of course, Dame. These people never give up. And apparently, many of the demons there were feillu, which the witches were not familiar with. They don’t really summon demons, do they? They are one of the cheaper demons to summon.”

The image stretches to form a transparent figure with blue fire in its chest, exactly like the ones they have seen before, except much bigger.

“I suspect that used to be, with a relatively high probability, originally a stone giant. I don’t know how they got one of those to worship them.”

“Some of the possessions have been involuntary, though.”

“That's true, that's true. They always were good at that. Oh, these marks you mean?” The image focuses in on a sigil.

Dame Constance says, “We need that sigil precisely copied. It's essential for a conduit and that may be useful. I've been working with sigils for a while.”

Kit’s secretary carefully makes a copy, then the Grand Master superimposes the image to make sure it has every single stroke.

"Excellent. This psionic thing does have its advantages. Thank you, Your Majesty. I will study this further but this is a conduit to the north, and somewhere to the west, some hundreds of miles."

"Somewhere north of them could be that effort on the ice."

"It could."

"What would happen if it was cut or broken?"

"If anything were being fed through it at the time, it would eliminate it. I hope that no one else is being sacrificed using it at the moment. But I am sure that's what they were after. I don't think they're coming here. Do you, Grand Master?"

"We know that he's been covered in a scrying shield. Let me see what I can find... coming from south and west of the Broken Lands and heading north and west."

"That's clearly not towards us. That is more or less directly towards Singing Leaves or Debonai. Singing Leaves could manage these without difficulty, I wager. So that leaves Debonai."

"The question is whether they have come in the direction they've come because they've set up a gate or a pad there. I do not believe they're coming to attack us. They have been utterly failures at doing that. I think they will go to another target for more fae. Singing Leaves would be a tougher nut to crack then you could possibly believe. I've lived there for several human lives. So I must think that they're going for another fae-blood group or group of half-elves, and I do not know where those would be."

"We need to talk to the tor lord and find maps of the tors."
[End Session 135]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 136 (January 5, 2022)

25 Tar
Following up on a long ago report (letter from Malacat to Kit): Alistair sends agents to try to hire Filegust and Thalmount, and to find out the status of the Demonist Shill the Unspeakable (in his estate, almost directly southeast of the Broken Lands), who they want to have killed. Alistair also provides that information to the Ambassador from the Broken Lands.

Kit reaches out through her fan to her agent in Debonai.

<<Ah. My lady.>>

<<Are you alright?>>

<<I am, I am. There’s about to be a hanging—the head of one of the merchant families. I’m not certain he wasn’t set up, though, by one of the rival families. It’s the sort of thing that happens when these things start.>>

<<I can’t stay long.>>

<<Yes, your image is glowing, my lady.>>

<<It’s never done that before...>> (Kit realizes with exasperation that this is her soon-to-be-born child trying to join the link.)

<<No, m’lady, at least not with me. But they’re building the gallows now. I don’t think the evidence was convincing, but they act out of fear. There are three houses—merchant houses, not noble—that want the trade that he has. The one house would never do this sort of thing, so I suspect it’s one of the other two. And if he hasn’t been framed, then he’s stupid.>>

<<Which of those merchant houses has more to gain by weakening the monarchy?>>

<<Bembick, in my opinion. Certain merchant houses have enough money to wish to become noble families, and that only happens when there are sufficient reasons for the monarch to sell the noble titles. Bembick has wanted to be part of the noble class for at least a century.>>

<<When you say a century, do you mean just for a long time, or almost exactly a century?>>

<<It was right around a hundred years ago that they started.>>

<<It’s them.>>

<<If you say so, my lady...>>

<<I do. Who in House Bembick is taking credit for bringing down this threat?>>

<<They didn’t directly—the evidence was brought by the Third Foot. But then, Tewk Bembick is an officer in the Third Foot...>>

<<It’s him, then.>>

<<Other than that, things continue to stabilize. There has been sporadic violence by the northeast border—raids of some sort. The King has sent five legions of foot, but it will take them some time to arrive, now that we are all but devoid of our chivalry.>>

<<Good. We’ll try to investigate with our vollers and provide some intelligence. Can you try to delay the execution? Hire a barrister or something, enter a plea?>>

<<Yes, I can do that. It will seem surprising that my house would be interested, but that will simply set people wondering.>>

She breaks the connection.

Alistair and Kit discuss this, and Alistair suggests that they ask the King of Debonai to render the merchant to Canberry for further interrogation, along with providing some scouting via voller.

The Council wonders whether Debonai is being targeted for some strategic reason—a relic, an important tor, something of the like. Debonai has a basilica, so that has a relic, although Dame Brionna doesn’t know what relic. She goes to talk to the Archivist to find out what that might be. The Archivist says that the basilica has a phial of sun, with trapped sunlight in it. In addition to its religious value, it can strike enormous numbers of undead to dust. Rumor has it that it is also efficacious against demons, but that has never been tested. The relic itself generates pure sunlight, but would be more powerful in the hands of a powerful priest. The Archbishop of Debonai is Ulbrecht Garin, who was appointed within the last year or so. He is an orderly priest, of the Order of the Archangel Zadkiel the Merciful (a healing order, rarely raised to the hierarchy).

Alistair asks Lord Silverleaves if they could have a voller scout around the borders of Debonai. Lord Silverleaves says that for scouting, it would be no problem at all. He also asks if there is a tor in Debonai, and there is a large tor, predominantly with lesser fae (few sidhe). And near the great tor, there would be a large number of part-fae. It is very close to the capital, and is heavily integrated into their capital. The King’s line has a considerable amount of fae blood, though they would not admit it. Lord Silverleaves steps aside to contact the Queen of Singing Leaves. That may also be part of the reason that the King and his brother are all that is left of the direct line.

After a few minutes, Lord Silverleaves reports that she has dispatched a war schooner, with a complement of flitters to address any demons encountered without the borders of Debonai. He also suggests that Alistair reach out to warn the Tor lord.

Alistair asks the fairy godmothers to connect him to the Tor lord, which they are very happy to do. Alistair warns him, and he says he’ll warn his cousin, and direct his hunt in that direction in case they need a handful of sidhe knights. Alistair also tells him to pass on to his cousin that if he were to call on Singing Leaves for aid, they would answer.

They then reach out to the King of Debonai, via a psion with the Ministry of the Mind.

<<I hope that you are well, your majesty,>> sends Alistair.

<<Indeed, better than I have been in years, your majesty.>>

<<And I understand that congratulations are in order for your impending nuptials?>>

<<Yes, thank you. I shouldn’t say this, but a major, major thing is that I’m fully looking forward to getting married, if you know what I mean, which I never would have expected.>>

<<I do know what you mean, and that is one of the great pleasures of being married.>>

<<What can I do for you?>>

<<A few small matters came up that we thought we should inform you of. First, there was a small demonic horde on the outskirts of the Broken Lands. We think they may be heading in your direction, so we wanted to give you some warning.>>

<<Thank you for that.>>

<<We’re arranging for some voller flyovers along your borders, and we should know more soon. We’ll pass that on as soon as we do.>>

<<Thank you.>>

<<The second is that we think the great tor near your capital may come under a major attack soon. We’ve passed on a warning to the fey, but we thought you should know as well.>>

<<Those people again, then?>>

<<I am afraid so. I think they may wish to target the tor and those of part fey blood in the area.>>

<<I’ll make a general proclamation that all of fey blood must come within the city walls—we’ll be able to protect them better that way. There are so many of them, though—the tor has always been almost a part of our capital.>>

<<Indeed, I fear that that is what the enemy would wish to engage in mass slaughter of if they have the opportunity.>>

<<I’ll make the proclamation immediately. They won’t all come within the city, but most of them will obey.>>

<<The last minor matter is that I understand that you have managed to capture one of the people who has been plotting against your safety.>>

<<Yes. Very odd, that—a merchant with no obvious reasons to wish me ill. Still, the evidence was convincing to my brother and the captain of the guard, and they want him put to death immediately. But Lady Delilah Trombley intervened with her barrister—she claims the merchant was involved with some theft from her house, and wants him kept alive for the investigation. My brother didn’t like it, but she does have the right.>>

<<We think these assassination attempts might be part of the enemy’s broader plot, and we’d like to investigate further. We know that you don’t have the same resources of magic and psionics as we do. We would of course return him for your justice when the investigation is done, but we wondered if you could render him to us in the meantime.>>

<<Of course. Anything to aid in the fight against our mutual enemy. Perhaps it can explain what was going on as well. Shall we teleport him to you?>>

<<Yes, if you send him to our receiving platforms in the palace, we can take him from there. Oh, and if you could send a copy of the reports of the investigation, it would help us know where to start with our interrogations.>>

<<Certainly, certainly. I must admit, the fact that the royal compound has been breached three times in the last few weeks has gotten my brother in an absolute tear. None of them got close to me—well, one of them got a little close, but not really—but he’s still very concerned.>>

<<I gather your captain of the guard has responded with vigor?>>

<<Yes, he’s a fine young man, capable and energetic. But by the God, if he puts any more guards around me, I won’t be able to go to the bathroom without one accompanying me.>>

<<If it’s any consolation, my experience is that no sooner is your royal bride with child than everyone starts being a little less anxious around you.>>

<<I certainly hope you’re right. I’ll have the prisoner brought up presently. I think my brother has him chained up to a wall—we don’t usually do that sort of thing, but attempted regicide demands a strong response.>>

<<I understand. We had to have a noble who was conspiring with our enemies and nefariously waging war in breach of our peace dismembered and the parts paraded. It’s not what I’d like to spend my time doing, but you know, you have to send a certain message and leave no doubt.>>

<<I don’t think I have to worry about the nobles, at least. If I died and my brother died, they’d tear each other to pieces to try to take our place, but none of them really want that.>>

<<And with the loss of so many of your chivalry, there must be new opportunities.>>

<<Yes, every younger child will be a landed knight in twenty years.>>

<<And that also means every younger child will have a reason to be particularly loyal to you and your line. Anyway, this has been a delightful conversation, cousin, even if I could wish that it were under better circumstances. I will make every effort to attend your wedding personally, but I can make no promises.>>

<<Of course, I completely understand how busy you are. You are, after all, an Imperial majesty.>>

After a few more pleasantries, they break the connection and send the psion to recover from the strain.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 136, cont'd]
Kit then loops back to her agent, and suggests that she throw a tantrum about the fact that the merchant was sent abroad instead of turned over to her for her investigation.

The prisoner is teleported in, and Dame Brionna assigns him a cell and begins an “investigation.” The investigation team quickly concludes that he’s terrified but harmless. He keeps on saying that “he wouldn’t try to kill the King.”

Dame Brionna then visits him and asks him about the process of the accusation.

“Were you planning any contact with the King?”

“No, I’m a wheat merchant. They came to my counting room and arrested me, and they had papers, and they wanted me to sign a confession saying I was going to kill the King. I kept saying that I had no plans to harm the King. The only one who would listen was the captain of the guard, but the King’s brother overruled him, and I was to be executed. Then suddenly a noble lady I barely know accused me of theft, and I was to be turned over to her, and then I was told that I was conspiring with demons and to be sent to the Emperor of the South!”

“Do you know why the King’s brother overruled the captain of the guard?”

“I’ve never seen the documents accusing me! It’s not required by law when you’re accused of regicide.”

Dame Brionna reports back to the Council, and then opens the packet of documents. There is a note atop them:

I don’t know why, but thank you. I set up the first two attacks to fail. I used criminals, who were already going to die for other reasons, to convince everyone that security had to be tightened. The third attack, however, was from a different source. But these have to be falsified—I know where the first two attacks were coming from!

[sealed with a signet ring with many quarterings]​
The documents are clear testimony from various soldiers within the Third Foot—none of them signed by Tewk Bembick directly, but all from officers within his unit. They claim to have seen and heard the assassins speaking directly with the arrested merchant.

There’s also an attestation from a priest that he cast zone of truth on the officers who signed the affidavits—that’s troubling, because they either believed it or it suggests the priest is corrupt as well.

They send for the Archbishop.

“What can you tell us about the new archbishop in Debonai?”

“He is a brilliant healer, and a brilliant scholar, and, much like myself, there are things he would rather be doing. He will do his duties absolutely, but I guarantee that he will focus on his own studies, and he will rely on his administrators and aides for a great deal of the business of the archdiocese. I’ve learned better, now, but I don’t think he has yet. Very good man, though.”

“That means that his chancery will need to be vetted most carefully.”

“Indeed, as I wish I had done earlier with mine. I don’t know for certain why the patriarch chose him—I suspect that he thought Debonai needed healing, so he appointed a healer.”

“The Patriarch has a pastoral approach.”

“Indeed.”

“I cannot criticize that, and yet it also means that for all his personal virtue, the Church also needs to be well served by those who can carry out his will through the politics of the Church.”

“Yes, but again, he chooses more for spiritual features than for political capabilities, myself included.”

“Does the Order of Zadkiel have any who, while still devoted to its principles, might be more able at administration? They might be able to assist him.”

“There are various militant orders associated with it that could handle some administrative tasks. But for the most part… it runs several seminaries, most of the major hospitals, often in conjunction with hospitalers, but its members are not called for their devotion to administration. If you want orderly priests, as opposed to diocesan, who are skilled at administration, you might want the Order of Saint Gavorial or possibly the Society of the Most Precious Light of Life.”

“Do you have any, say, capable and ambitious young archdeacon who might be well suited to assist him?”

“I can manage a few who I think would be helpful, your majesty.”

“We wondered whether you might know anything about the priest who verified these affidavits.”

“I can tell you that he is nobly born, and a hospitaler—from a regional order, the Order of Archangel Paithothiel the Healer, also a healing order. It’s a small regional order, from Khamista, but he was assigned here. The crest does not indicate that he’s high nobility, but he is far from home. It looks to me like he was assigned as a regimental chaplain. He would report directly to the Archbishop, because he has no orderly supervisor here.”

They tell him about the concerns they have—that the zone of truth might have been false.

The Archbishop says that the spell was almost certainly cast from a scroll—a hospitaler assigned as a regimental chaplain would almost surely not be able to cast it natively. If the scroll were deliberately imperfect, a typical priest—especially a hospitaler—would likely not be able to tell the difference, but would trust that the spell had worked properly.

Scrolls are typically drafted in scriptoria-- Canberry gets mainly from Debonai and Cese Mai. They arrange to send people who can investigate this, with a young and upstanding Archdeacon (The Reverend Canon Raphael Samal Coppack) to assist the Archbishop of Debonai, an expert divine caster to learn about running a scriptorium (and to then check out the scriptorium of Debonai), and various new members of the “Halo”--the part of the Body devoted to intelligence about the Church.

The two orders with large order houses in Debonai are the Order of the Archangel Zadkiel the Merciful and the Order of the Hope of Noon. The reliquary of the basilica is maintained by the Order of the Hope of Noon. And the phial that was wielded by St. Thornwald the Incorruptible to strike down a host of undead, though their human commander, a necromancer, captured him, tortured him, and killed him. The phial was a gift from his elven companion, who was, the Archbishop adds, “certainly not his lover as some people heretically claim!” The name of the elf is lost to time.

The Council follows up with Lord Silverleaves, who tells them that Ailwi Tinu`galad and St. Thornwald’s son has chosen a path of elfdom and resides in the glades of the Steading. She has never forgiven herself. She could not reach him, and the necromancers should be glad that the knights reached them first. She was on a voller attempting to reach the necromancers, but the knights beat her by hours. Once she raised their son, she passed to the West.

The phial contained their shared and mixed essences as a couple. It can draw down the power of the sun, and it could call to their son.

“What could happen if it were sacrificed to the Eldritch?”

“I have no idea. I’ll consult the Master Scholar and the Chief Star Priestess in the Steading. And, you know of course, that the House of Tinu’galad is the royal house of the Overqueen. The young elf is her grandson, and Ailwi was her daughter, born in her youth in the First Age.”
[End Session 136]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 137 (January 20, 2022)

26 Tar
Alistair and Kit sleep in until after breakfast, when Dame Brionna calls them in for a meeting.

“We have news from the south border, from the commander of the border guard. There is a small group of prisoners, wagon of goods, and troops. They have a writ directly from Randall the Purified. During the war, they found that certain targets were focused upon—graveyards, priests of the dead, and monasteries of Paranswarm. They found some who had given themselves over to the Queen-Empress of Hanal, and received special powers, the like of which neither Randall nor any of his magi had ever seen, and they wanted to convey them to the Emperor of Southern Drucien.” [Report and credentials from Randall the Purified attached.]

The Council quickly agrees that they have to accept them and investigate, and that this is likely either Seen-Unseen matters or translucent-blue-flames things. They send a voller, with lead to contain the possessions and a team of people who are well capable of carrying this.

Kit also has a report of apparitions being seen near the northwest border, and several people report feeling like they’re being watched.

All of the rest of her briefing has been good news; salt shortages are under control, no imminent risk of famine.  [See attached.]

Kit follows up on the reports of apparitions and gets a list of specific villages—they’re all clustered in a group, right near the northwest corner.

The Council asks to meet with Lord Silverleaves, who gives Kit a flower that eases the difficulties of very late pregnancy. They ask him if he can get a closer look on those villages.

He settles down and begins to focus. “Interesting. Someone’s been destroying mausoleums up here. Some of them are Glordiadelian cemeteries, some are Death cemeteries, and the Priest-house in the cemetery of Death has also been blasted. Hmm. And the sense of something watching… yes, I feel that. Ah, yes, that missing voller you have been looking for is right there.” Suddenly a blast of psionic energy knocks him backwards. For just a moment, hovering above the village, there is a twisted elven visage visible.

Alistair ducks out of the room immediately, and grabs a human psion to link him to Princess Curinirim’s duty psion.

“The Princess is not available, your majesty. How may I help you?”

“The renegade Noldar voller we have been hunting has been located. This elf is with them and attacked a Farsensor psionically. We cannot reach them before they go to ground, but hoped you might be able to.” Alistair gives them the location, and his psion projects the image from his mind of the elf.

“Let me call her general.”

The General joins the mindlink. “That elf is there? That is Alvinus, the only of Lord Raf’s followers who remain mobile. We still have our voller in the area—we’ll try to engage them, though they must be shielded extraordinarily well. And he should not have been able to harm a Farsensor at that range—perhaps his psionics is being boosted by necromancy. Was it that Grandmaster you have visiting who was scrying?”

“Yes, he is a Grandmaster and of great elven blood.”

“Good. A human would have been killed. We may not catch them, but we’ll try.”

“Good hunting.”

The Council then quickly reaches out to the nearest major center of Glordiadelians—a convent of the Order of the Silvery Veil. They immediately head out to evacuate the local communities and to protect them against undead that we expect are attacking. They will move them back to a local castle. They also send messages to conventional troops to move in as reinforcements, but the nearest substantial numbers are days, maybe weeks, away. A voller could get them there sooner, but the Council doesn’t dare send a human voller into possible conflict with a Noldar voller.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 137, cont'd]
Lord Silverleaves says that it was far beyond Alvinus’s normal psionic abilities—perhaps boosted by demonic energy. It should not have been within the capabilities of a Twilight Elf. It will burn him out—when you routinely use energy beyond the capability of a given mind, it damages them. But it might take decades for that to happen. A Noldar could handle that power, but a Twilight Elf could not.

“I know that elves who are not born as Eldar can become Eldar—is the same true for Twilight Elves and the Noldar?”

“It’s extremely rare, even among us, and even rarer among our cousins. They will almost never have the support of the existing structure, as it offends them. But it is possible—it would take a great Redactor, but then, Lord Raf is a Redactor.”

The Council speculates that Lord Raf may be willing to do this because he’s now fully renegade, and not mobile either, and thus may want more Noldar followers.

“He could not be a full Noldar—I would not have survived then.”

“But a half-Noldar, perhaps?”

“Perhaps. And that is the stage he would pass through. It’s possible.”

The group also speculates that the fact that Glordiadelian dead can be turned into undead might suggest that the funerary rites were performed incorrectly—perhaps due to corruptions among the seminaries.

They call for the Archbishop, planning on tracing where those parish priests were trained, who else was trained there at a similar time, and so forth, so they can check whether the training was adequate. They also pass on information about this and the attack on the house of the priest of Death to the Mother of Death.

The Archbishop attends upon them quickly, with a variety of people with many scrolls.

Alistair describes the situation to him and their concern.

“That’s interesting. I have heard from the Ecumenical Council that this new Mother of Death has a great deal of clean-up to do. Her predecessor did not seem to be corrupt, just completely and utterly incompetent. Our priests have mostly been seminarians. But in areas where there are circuit priests, or elderly priests, funerals are often carried out by deacons. In theory, the graves are later properly sanctified by a priest. Out in those areas… so many funerals have been handled by deacons. And I have no method of verifying that those graves have been properly blessed.”

“Perhaps they could be sent an episcopal letter emphasizing the importance of that duty and that a higher emphasis is currently being placed on that?”

“Yes, I think that might be wise.”

“Would I be correct that the circuit priests would also be consecrating Holy Feast and leaving it in the tabernacle for distribution by the deacons?”

“Of course, standard practice.”

“Since we know that they have been stealing some Holy Feast, they may be stealing more in these villages.”

The Archbishop calls in an abbot, and asks him about his research about what heretics could do with the Hosts.

“If it were stolen, and then abominated, it could be used in principle to undo any consecration.”

“What about bolstering undead against turning?”

“Yes, it could be made almost impossible to turn undead.”

“And what if it were used to deconsecrate a Church?”

“Than any rituals performed on the consecrated ground would have been ineffective—the Enlightening of children, the funerals of the dead, the like.”

They agree to have a set of priests work with the Grandmaster Farsensor to verify the holiness of all the churches in the archdiocese. Also, the archdeacons are called upon to verify the ordinations of the deacons—the priests are ordained by bishops in cathedrals, and the bishops would almost certainly notice if there was a flaw.

They warn the Mother Superior of the Order of the Silvery Veil through a sending that the undead may be highly resistant to turning because of abominated Hosts and that they should be careful to secure the Hosts as they withdraw.

A group of priests works with the Grandmaster Farsensor in building a map of all the churches and checking them all. As they cast, blotches start appearing on the map. After they are all done, they file out. “Two areas of concern. The major one is the northwest. Also, this thing off the southeast trade road—two villages. They didn’t exactly sense it as unholy, but I didn’t know how else to mark it. They sensed it as blank.”

“Shielded?”

“Not by psionics, or magic—I would recognize it. But you might be right, as the other blank area is the area around the tor. But that’s your undead army, north of the border about two days’ march, and most of the churches in the area have been desecrated. Not that one, though.”

“Can you tell why that one isn’t?”

He reaches out. “Ah. It has a dedicated priest assigned there. He is not able bodied, so he stays in the church at all times.”

Alistair contacts Princess Curinirim’s duty psion and tells her about the undead army, in the hope that they will attack the army after attempting to deal with the renegade Noldar voller.

Kit asks her people about whether there have been any efforts to steal Host that they were aware of. She is told not recently, but a while ago in Tusslefields and some of the other major cities (Kesselford) (though not Canberry City proper) there were people soliciting it. None of her people in the Guild took the job, but in a large city, hard to know. The person asking had credentials from the Guild of Slayers, from Enclaves. There’s no local Guild of Slayers, but they recognize their credentials locally. The warning scared anyone off—they were told that if anyone tried to cheat them, they would be hunted down and bled to death over a pit of vipers. This was about two and a half months ago. People didn’t take the job though—they found him off, even for a Slayer, and the job was strange. He was offering gold coins.

Kit asks to have a (via a blind) meeting with someone who spoke with the Slayer.

Kit also reaches out to people in Enclaves. She has a real fast fan conversation with her person in Enclaves.

“Oh, that would be Devon, Lord of the Pit. Didn’t always have a lot of money, but someone gave him a big contract recently. Everyone knows who he is, since he’s done some high profile jobs—not what he looks like, but who he is. He’s good at changing his face—remarkably good at it.”

“Not quite human talent?”

“Don’t know. Never seen him—or if I did, don’t know it!”

Separately, they send a warning to Archbishop Humbold of Enclaves about the risks that people may try to steal consecrated Hosts.

Alistair contacts the Tor Lord. He sheepishly confirms that there are some changelings there—some of the Tor Lord’s children, and the wards are there to protect them.

27 Tar
Kit goes into labor and has an easy labor over the course of a couple hours.

After the baby is born, Alistair gives Kit several gifts. He first confers upon her the title of Countess of Lyneham, with the personal style of Your Grace, ranking with but after the Duchesses of the Archduchy of Canberry, and with their children ranking with but after the children of the Dukes and Duchesses of the Archduchy of Canberry of equivalent birth order. The son is named Lord James Duncan Fitzalistair-Lyneham (called Jamie, at least in his childhood).

Alistair also gives a more significant gift: he brings out a lap harp and plays a love song that he wrote for her, that describes his love and admiration for her in all sorts of different ways, including her beauty, her courage, her ingenuity, her sexiness; as he plays, illusions form through his bardic magic and also there are bursts of empathic psionic emotion that can only be perceived by those with psionics, expressing the love, lust, and admiration as psionic feelings. The psionic bardic music is not sufficient to alter emotions, but uses them as another part of the experience, solely for people like Kit who can perceive them. By the end of the song, Kit is crying. Alistair kisses her tenderly and holds her and the baby as they snuggle and slide into an exhausted sleep.
[End Session 137]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 138 (January 27, 2022)

28 Tar
Kit’s mother has been with her the full time since she went into labor. Jamie is now mostly in the care of a wet nurse—carefully selected for the combination of appropriate very petty noble rank, fanatical loyalty, and high intelligence, to eventually become a core part of the “Jeweled Necklace,” the new Body part devoted to palace intelligence and counter-intelligence. Kit is slowly getting to fully understand the way in which she can use her wet nurse and the rest of the staff to only do the fun parts of parenting a young child, while foisting off the annoying parts to other people.

Bishop Waters plans a formal albeit private Enlightening ceremony for Jamie in seven days. Dame Brionna and Lord Silverleaves are the godparents—well, the non-fairy godparents, because the Tor already assigned a fairy godmother.

They arrange to send a letter announcing the birth to Lyneham and announcing a feast day in celebration of the heir-apparent’s birth. Alistair also asks to endow a second day of feasting from “Jamie’s father, Alistair,” in Lyneham.

Dame Brionna reports a military intelligence report that a force from Alberyth, between two to three months ago, intercepted and defeated a force of the enemy—20 human cultists, six ram demons, some drow followers of Quinliart, and the sister of Alvinus, who was captured and delivered to Zorplona-Moriquendarim for interrogation. The human cultists were led by a powerful corrupted cleric of Glordiadel.

"For Your information

I have just obtained information from an asset we possess in the near Underdark that between two and three months ago, the forces of the City of Abburth (a mixed city of cadet and renegade drow) together with a top unit from the Enclave of Zaploni-Moriquendi’rim ambushed and destroyed a unit containing 6 Ram Demons, over 20 human cultists, over 20 drowan guard, the Lady Sister of Alvinus, the former seneschal to Lord Quinliart of the Aragoni - prior Proconsul of the Enclave and servant of the Eldritch.

It is suggested that the lady has been captured and is being returned to Enclaves for interrogation (by now is there).

It is also suggested that the drow with her were part of Quinliart’s personal guard and surrendered after her capture.

Lastly, it is suggested that the human contingent was commanded by a former priest of Glor’diadel, fallen into service to the abominable - and that he is of considerable power.

I wished to let you know directly."

Kit receives a report, also from about two months ago. The court of Dame Brenda the Dispossessed had a purge of people who were found out to be traitors, followers of the Abominations. Two grey elves fled and escaped. They speculate that Zorplona-Moriquendarim may have passed on actionable intelligence to Dame Brenda from interrogating the sister of Alvinus.

They call for Lord Silverleaves, who is very disturbed. He says that Dame Brenda could provide more information.

“She has been in a tizzy since we learned that three of our people were fallen to the enemy, and two escaped.”

Dame Brenda is in laen battlearmor, tinted in the color of Redaction. She tells them that they received a report from an unexpected source, and that she trusted it enough to perform the test. One of them was revealed by the test—the traitor from her cousins had somehow managed to create a secret way into Tidbiddle and tempted some gray elves into collusion and then corruption. The other two then fled, taking a war schooner with them. They had already stolen another schooner, that of the Crown Prince of the House of Glyr. He came in a small war schooner, with only his seneschal and a body guard. They entrapped and killed him, and then moved his schooner away. Both she and the House of Glyr assumed he was attacked on the way back to his home, and they searched the land in between, but found nothing. In fact, he was slain and his body hidden in a secret chamber. She explains, "We only found out because our cousins overlooked the bloodfeud and informed us. It was tempting to blame them, as Quinliart came from their stock, but that would be playing into the hands of the Eldritch, who have after all sought to corrupt all, and from our cousins' perspective, he is a renegade beyond all renegades."

She is considering turning her prisoner over to Zorplona-Moriquendarim, though she is hesitant. Alistair also suggests that she might consider hiring a unit of Kathroven illithid, who have Coercers stronger than most others besides the Noldar.

"Two more schooners together with their man of war is a formidable force facing anyone but the elves. I'm certain that Alvinus can use them effectively. I have indirectly warned trade partners that they should take extreme care with their flying assets, and let me do the same to you."

"Indeed. We wanted to make sure that you know that we fear that Alvinus may be boosted by either necromancy or demonic power. We also have speculated-- although it is pure speculation-- that Quinliart may be using redaction to transform him towards being a Noldor."

"That would strengthen their hand. The Noldor generally don't permit that because of their beliefs about hierarchy and status, but Quinliart has likely left those behind. He seems to have left every reasonable emotion behind."

"Would you be willing to send us impressions of the traitors?"

"Oh, by all means."

"We worry that they may seek to infiltrate other elven groups."

"You are more experienced in the world as young as you are. I assumed automatically that they would flee to their principal."

"They might. That would be a bad thing in that it strengthens their capabilities but less bad than them, for example, finding themselves in the Court of Singing Leaves."

"It is possible that they may make other attempts. Gray elves are well regarded and well received by nearly all the human kingdoms on the rare occasions that they appear."

"It's true. To be perfectly honest we would welcome a gray who had some reason to take up residence here in Canberry City. And that is despite the fact that we have much more power than many human kingdoms."

She sends them images of their lives in her court for the past 2000 years. There are plenty of them to send, and they see a cascade of images of the course of their lives. One is female, the other male. The male appears to be a military officer. When the cascade finishes, they're quite sure you would know them instantly even in any disguise.

"I will speak to my cousin the Queen of Singing Leaves, and see if I can break the news to her gently."

"Might they try to corrupt members of her court as well?"

"It is probable that they were able to entice three of mine because my court is larger than theirs. They had secret access, and the abominable offer great rewards. Even so, elves falling to them escapes me. I understand the humans."

"We've been told that the last time, essentially no elves did."

"I know of one that did." She tells them that one of the Noldor did fall to corruption in the First Age, and almost undid the alliance against the Eldritch. An Aufaulgautharim general realized, and then struck the traitor down with a wrath terrible to behold. The Noldor have either forgotten this or, more likely, refuse to tell this under any circumstances due to the shame.

"We greatly appreciate this, and we will do our best to locate and capture the remainder of your traitors." After some mental prodding by Kit, Alistair asks, "I wonder if you could be more specific about how you found out there were traitors."

"Lord Moriquendarim sent the Prince of Gwyr back to us after they uncovered a hidden stepping pad in the sub-basement of the Palace of Gargoyles. Once we knew that there had been a way for them to enter the Palace of Flowers here, I began to suspect. I accepted the Mother of Death's suggestion that we perform a test--you may not know that she has developed a spell that can uncover Eldritch taint."

"Yes, we've received copies of it."

"Fortunately, almost immediately we uncovered one of the traitors. I cannot speak their name to you now. But then we noted that two others had fled the court. At first, I did not realize they fled the court. I thought for a moment that they were so disgusted by the fact that a member of our race fell to this that they had left to be sick in private. But when they did not return within a few minutes, I reached out to one of my guard, and they had already departed in the war schooner. We pursued, and then were temporarily forced to stop and do battle with a great flying cloud of bones and skulls that attacked the vessel, and by the time that we had eradicated it, they had disappeared. We initiated a search pattern with our man-of-war, but we were unable to locate them."

"We will see what we can can do in that regard."

"I could not bring myself to ask Lord Moriquendarim to commit his man of war as well. I simply could not. I fear the crews would have killed each other anyway. He appears strangely immune to the blood fury. I knew that the great elves could control it, but he appears truly immune. He is effective, but he's very young, very young. I can't imagine putting a mere 157 year old in charge of a major enterprise for an empire for even a moment, but it is what it is."

The humans all try to keep their faces steady at this statement.

"In any event, he does not need to control himself. He does not need his ambassadors to take an incredibly expensive potion to be able to exist in our presence for a few minutes without deciding to kill us. He simply acts like we were anyone else."

[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 138, cont'd]
"Do you know anything of how the Moriquendarim found out about this?"

"Yes, they found an ancient tome that referenced a hidden storeroom. They didn't know of any hidden storeroom so they scoured their cellars until they finally uncovered the trigger, and it opened the door. Within the storage room was a stepping pad, that leads to a hidden part of my palace, three corpses in caskets, and the personal effects of the three of them separately. And in the greatest imaginable disgrace, he had written in the Sacred Book, 'So ends the House of Gwyr. I, Quinliart have done this.' I will kill him for this, if I can reach him."

"Would that be within your power?"

"Not to reach him currently. Even the High Clanslady of Aufaugautharim only killed a few field armies, and I am not her equal."

"I asked out of curiosity, because others have said things that suggested that they do not think they would be capable of besting him in combat. Do you think then that you could best Quinliart, if you have access to him?

"If I do not attempt to attack him mentally, for he will crush me psionically--but if I only defend and can physically reach him, yes. I must not engage him in psionic combat--deflection and defense is all I could possibly do, even bolstered by armor and allies. He is powerful beyond nearly any mental contact I've ever seen."

"And reaching him would be difficult in the extreme, with the great barrier around the capital city of Hanal and the blood driven turned loose. Perhaps if we colud get both the Noldar and the Eldar to assault the barrier at once..."

"I do not believe it would required a combined effort. We have breached the outer barrier, and now there is hope if someone could crush several of the supporting towers inside the city. But first, they would have to get inside the city and overcome the defenses."

"We'll have to think on that."

"Yes. Please keep me in mind while you're thinking on it."

"Indeed. Is there ought else we should hear of?"

"Just that you must be wary of confronting the stolen voller in the air, because this is effectively an Eldar war schooner. You know the different classes of warships for us? I understand that there are some different ones for humans."

"At least vaguely. There are armadas and men of war?"

"Armadas are the largest, next men of war, and then there are the war schooners and the flitters. And then you go to the barges and the scouts and other things that we haven't used in thousands of years. The schooners are the third largest of the ships and the most common because they're quicker to grow, they're easier to impress, which is what you must do with a voller to have good control of it. If you are going to fly with a minimal crew, which even for a schooner any less than three is a minimal crew, then you also should impress the weapons so they can fire on their own. Most war schooners mount one energy lance. Occasional war schooners mount one rear and one forward energy lance."

"Did this one mount two?"

"Of course. It was from the House of Gwyr. I'm sure if they allowed their young heir to travel all the way to Drucien, probably because he was young and adventuresome and wanted to, House Gwyr would send him well protected. House Gwyr is of course one of the six great houses--one of our six great houses, I should say--and the house that primarily grew our vollers historically. It is the house that focused the most heavily on psychokinetic abilities within the six houses, and on magic of elements."

"I take it there's some mystic significance to six?"

"Divine significance. No mystic significance that I know of."

"What is the divine significance?"

"When the Brothers were young, and the divide began, before the Kinslaying and the bloodletting, each of the Brothers chose six champions. After the bloodletting, from those champions came the six houses on either side. And never have we shot to increase the number either upon our hand or upon theirs."

"But of course that would be sacrilegious."

"Yes."

"And Quinliart just ended one of those lines."

"That is why the death of the heir of the House of Gwyr is such a blow."

"I cannot help but wonder if their next effort will be to end one of the Noldar lines."

"There was the death of the young Curinirim lord. He was the heir to that house, but I am not certain if he was the only one. I do not discount the possibility that he had already reduced the Noldar houses to five, and seeing the opportunity to also take the heir of one of the Eldar houses, could not help himself. And of course the inscription. Yes, it was boastful, but it was bound to be uncovered sooner or later."

"And under other circumstances, could have renewed the Kinslaying at the time when it might lead to the fall of the world."

"Indeed, that might almost be the purpose in and of itself had it happened before his perfidy was discovered."

<<That would be my thought,>> Kit sends to the others as Dame Brionna departs. <<What do you think would have happened if unsuspected conspirators in the court of Dame Brenda had convinced her to insist before the Council of Opposition that Zorplona-Argoni search for any signs of the boy? And then if they had been the ones to "accidentally" stumble upon the secret pad that led to the heir's body in Zorplona-Argoni? What do you think would have happened?>>

<<They might well have attacked Zorplona-Moriquendarim directly. And then the Argoni would respond in kind and then off to the races... That raises another concern about the traitors. If gray elves known to be associated with Dame Brenda were to, say, find and murder a Noldar youngling...>>

<<You mean like the Noldar lord you're fostering, your grace?>>

<<I got there a moment after I thought that, but yes.>>

Alistair heads over to explain to the Noldor lord personally why he's confined to the palace for the near future. They have a quick conversation about why he must stay in the palace, because of the risk of assassins (like the candy seller) and have his friends visit him. He understands immediately, in his child-like way, and agrees that he is the only high-born young Noldor outside the homelands. The next youngest in age beyond the homelands, though somewhat lower in status, is the Lord Proconsul Moriquendarim, and he is at least in full adulthood.

They also contact the Cities of Crystal to warn them about the gray elf traitors.

Finally, they think about something else Dame Brenda said:

“The temple of Glordiadel purged out a man well on the way to becoming a bishop, perhaps six months ago. Bishop Humbert would be the person to speak to about that. He uttered the word of entropy and escaped. There was recently a battle in the Underdark. My cousins have cadet houses down there—pretentious--and engaged in a battle to protect them.”

They decide to contact Archbishop Humbert about the fallen priest through the Archbishop. The Archbishop recognizes him as likely Peregrine Godric. "He became a priest from a humble beginning and rose rapidly. He fell into error and was removed shortly before he would have been elevated to one of the new dioceses. He'd been a priest in Enclaves, I believe. It was a considerable scandal. He was an excellent scholar, and had formidable powers. His word was said to be almost hypnotic."

"How long ago did he fall?"

"Less than a year, but certainly more than a few months. I'm aware of this primarily in conversations you may recall where we put Humbert and other people back in contact recently during the incident with your parents." The archbishop nods to Kit. "And he did send out a warning letter telling everyone that the priest was corrupt and had fallen into ultimate error, although he didn't exactly define that given the Ecumenical Council, and that if he appeared in any of our dioceses he was to be seized immediately by paladins of any of the most devout orders and held for questioning. That is an unusual instruction from Humbert."

"Unusual in that he would usually not be that aggressive?"

"Yes, Humbert gained his nickname 'the holy' for his extreme piety and humbleness before the light, not for sounding like a bishop militant and choosing someone for the question is about as out of character for him as I can imagine. It sounds almost Paranswarmian."

"We believe that as of a few months ago, the apostate may have been active in the underdark with various forces aligned with the enemy."

"Do you have any idea where he has gone?"

"No. We think he was not captured, but we're not certain."

"He's been described as being almost hypnotic. I cannot imagine that he's lost that gift of rhetoric."

"Almost hypnotic as in charismatic speaker or as in he had some other gifts that made it actually hypnotic?"

"People found it difficult to disagree with him..."

"So, we're thinking coercer," says Kit.

"How would he talk about the Light?"

"He talked about the Light like any other young enthusiastic priest, but something came up. I'm not privy to the exact details-- I'll send a missive to Humbert and see if he's willing to share the details, but something came up. The church did some form of an investigation and concluded he needed to be defrocked. And he got away. I cannot speak to whether or not it would be coercion. I don't know enough about those things."

"It really does sound coercive," says Alistair. "Does Enclaves check its people for psionics?"

"No," says Kit. "They don't because usually there aren't enough to make it worth testing and nobody knows what to look for anyway. That's how I got away."

"The Ministry of the Mind does here, although their record of identifying everyone who has in fact psionic is spotty. Lots of people go undetected especially if it was a more subtle gift like coercion. Most people would just think he was a charismatic preacher, unless they knew what to look for. And of course that could also be either that he had an untrained gift that manifested in that way, or that he was already working with, for example, the corrupted elves."

"Or that they saw his gift and recruited him because of it. Actually, for a young ambitious priest, being offered the way to a way to make your oratory more persuasive and convincing..." Kit trails off.

"That in and of itself could have been a key step in the tempting," continues Dame Brionna. "Especially for a low born priest. That can be a path to power and influence."

"Right, but that's why I'm wondering about the content of his sermons," says Alistair. "It doesn't sound like they were explicitly leading people theologically astray, in and of themselves."

"Oh, there's no excessive talk about purity, if that's what you mean," adds the Archbishop. "He talked a great deal about righteousness and the Light, and about self-sacrifice."

"That is not that unusual a topic."

"No. Wouldn't be consistent with falling into a Sytrian heresy, shall we say, but I'm not certain. I will contact Humbert and see what he's willing to share."

They discuss the need to systematically check the clergy and the nobility, as well as anyone with magical power, for corruption. They also make sure that they're contacting other major courts about the gray elves, but quietly--so that an inner circle will know to respond if they show up, but not tipping off the enemy that they know of them.
[End Session 138]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 139 (February 23, 2022)

29 Tar
In the morning, Alistair raises an idea for the Council. "We spoke yesterday about our fears that the enemy are targeting the young scions of both the Eldar and the Noldor. I had a thought about that. Perhaps we could use the young Noldor lord who is our vassal to entrap the gray elf traitors, or perhaps some other servitors of the enemy, if we created an image of him out and about in the city to lure them into attacking him when he is 'vulnerable,' while he actually stays safe in the palace."

Kit thinks for a moment. "Wouldn't gray elves be able to see through that sort of illusion?"

"If they interacted with it closely, certainly. But we might be able to lure them in close enough to check, and then mouse trap them. I thought this might be a task for the Sixth Daughter to supervise."

"Oh, she'd be most interested in that."

"Ideally, we would have the image surrounded by his actual companions."

"Yes, that way if they have intelligence about who he associates with, it would seem to confirm their intelligence that he's out and about in the city."

"We would need both his permission and that of his friends to endanger them in that sort of way," notes Dame Brionna.

"Of course."

"Wouldn't they be able to sense that the Noldor lord's mind wasn't present?" asks Kit. "Powerful psions, especially ones who are not yet fully trained, have unmistakeable psionic signatures."

"We could let it be leaked that he has a ring of mind shielding--which we do in fact have access to. That might work. If we are all agreed, I will go speak to him to ask his permission and advice on picking the right friends to ask."

Dame Brionna accompanies Alistair to meet with the Noldor lord. As Alistair approaches, the lord gives him the elaborate, almost gymnastic, Noldor greeting of obeisance. Alistair returns it with a respectful, but much more subdued, nod. "That whole greeting isn't really necessary, you know. We don't do that sort of thing here."

"No, my lord, but it is proper. You are the Emperor, and I should show my respect."

"Yes, but it's also proper for you to use the same sorts of signs of respect that any of my other vassals would use. I'm not criticizing, mind, I'm just saying that it would suffice to follow local custom."

"I will do as you request. You are the Emperor."

"I wanted to speak with you further about why we have asked you to remain within the palace for the time being, and also about possible action we might take connected to those reasons. As you know, the Eldritch have become much more active, and they have corrupted various highly placed people. They have sought to achieve greater problems. We believe that they were responsible for murdering the young prince of House Curinnirim, who, you may remember, was killed on his research schooner some time ago, as well as the Crown Prince of the House of Gwyr--one of your cousins' noble houses-- and thus we fear that they would view you as being an attractive target without the full protection of either a Noldor necropolis or an Eldar forest."

"I see," replies the Noldor lord.

"We believe that the wards of the palace--recently re-empowered and strengthened as they are-- to be sufficient to keep you safe within these walls. We can't be as confident that you would be safe elsewhere in our lands. And so, until this threat has passed, we think it wise to keep you within the palace."

"Thank you, my lord."

"There is an opportunity, however, that presents for us in taking the fight to the enemy, which is, that if we can mislead them into thinking that you are elsewhere and unprotected, they may commit substantial forces to try to capture or kill you, allowing us to then ambush those forces."

"I don't have much formal military training yet, but that seems reasonable."

"Now, we can't use you personally, because the risks to the overall cause would be too high were you to be injured or even killed. But we could use the appearance of your seeming to try to lure them in nonetheless. The most effective way to make that convincing would be for some of your actual friends, who are known to be your friends, to be involved with the ruse. This would put them at risk. There's no way of avoiding that. So we would, of course, not do that without both your permission and theirs. But we wondered if you thought that there might be some of your known friends and companions who might have the right mix of bravery, but not foolhardiness, and capabilities to take care of themselves, that might make them suitable to use in such an effort."

"I think they're all very brave, my lord, but I can't choose for them."

"No, of course not. I'm not asking you to do so. We would not ask for you to do so. What we were asking is if you might make suggestions of ones among them who it might make sense for us to ask, and do note that I mean ask, and not command." Alistair is privately unsure that one raised among the Noldor would understand that distinction, but he makes it nonetheless.

He gives a few names of friends he would suggest--Gregory, his closest friend, or perhaps Todd.

Dame Brionna says, "Thank you, and again, we do need to ask you to stay safe in the palace and take no part in this. It is not that we do not wish your assistance in this regard, but at this point, you do the cause of Light and of good far more help by remaining safe yourself."

"Thank you, Dame. I think I'll go pray in the chapel."

"A wise plan. We all have great deal of experience with needing to keep ourselves safeer than we would wish, and not being able to do as much actively as we would wish," adds Alistair. "I know it's hard that you can't go out and play with your friends or have adventures with this as they may. There will be a time when you will be one of the last of your people on Aphonion, and it will be your place to carry the banner for all that is good and right in the world against forces that are beyond humanity's capabilities. That time will come, but that's still some thousand or several thousand years in the future."

"Thank you, Lord." He bows to Alistair, although much more clumsily than with the complex Noldor salutation.

They then head back to the Council chamber and call in the Sixth Daughter, who is enthusiastic about the plan--almost disturbingly so.

Dame Brionna sends one of her guards to summon Gregory--one of the Noldor's friends that he recommended--to the palace. A short while later, the guard rushes back in and throws himself prostrate before the Council.

"My lord! The youth has been kidnapped, along with one of his friends. Those who were around him cannot seem to speak, and he's gone! His younger brother indicated that the ones who took him went into the air, upward into the air, and disappeared. He cannot speak well, and they can barely move. I'm having others carry them here, as we speak, my lord; I hope I did not exceed my rights."

"No, that's good and let's call for some healers and some redactors."

"And young Lord Brightspan," adds Dame Brionna.

"They're trying to bait him out," says Kit.

"But we may still be able to turn this to our advantage..." [The GM noted with amusement that our plan tied right into, and somewhat short-circuited, his plan for the evening's events.]

"With your permission, your grace, if you will deal with the people here, I could go to investigate the scene of the crime with some of my squads," says Dame Brionna.

"My concern is that that we know this is a trap. I suppose you can investigate the scene, but be careful."

Kit is meanwhile comforting the boys who were brought in, because they are young and traumatized by the event, crying about their friends who are missing. The most functional of the boys is Todd--an eleven year old who is crying about the fact that they took Gregory and Thaddeus.

"Yes, we need to rescue Gregory and Thaddeus. Do you understand that this was a trap to try to kill your friend?"

"Yes. They thought I was sleeping. Would they know when he's not in this building, like I know when he's not in this building?"

"You know when he's not in here?"

"I can't hear him when he's in here. When he's not here, I can hear him in my mind if I listen for him. I can hear what people are thinking if I concentrate, but not in here."

"Yes, there are powerful wards. By the way, did you have those abilities before you met the Prince?"

"Never!"

"Really? Are there people in your family who had strange hunches, or..."

"Oh, sure! But I never did, and he said I ought to be able to talk to him when we work together. And ever since I have."

"He activated your latent talent," says Kit. "Have you started receiving formal training yet?"

"Training?" he asks, obviously confused.

"Well, we're going to change that now because you you can be taught to do a lot of really really useful things, and serve your country."

"Can I be taught to rescue Gregory and Thaddeus?" asks Todd.

"That's exactly what we were going to begin discussing," replies Alistair. "They want your friend the Noldor Lord to go racing off with you and some of your companions trying to come to the rescue, so they can then try to capture him. We want to send out a group that will be perceived as including him. But it will not, so that when they try to grab that group, our hunting party can grab them, and hopefully also, by grabbing them, get access to actually rescue Gregory."

"That sounds good. I've got a knife."

"A knife, huh?" says Kit. She's shocked that the Noldor lord would have suggested an 11 year old, but from his perspective, they're all children, so he didn't distinguish between the teens in his coterie and the younger children. "I believe you that you are trained and I believe you that you are brave and want to do whatever you can to rescue your friend, and we're going to find a way for you to help. But you have to understand the people that took your friend are really powerful and so we need to give you some more help, so that you don't have to go face them by yourself."

The child nods.

Alistair continues, "I need you to understand this could go badly. There's no guarantee that this will be successful, and there's no guarantee that even if it is successful that everyone who participates will make it home. So you need to understand that you're taking a chance that you'd get killed or that you would return with your mind broken, so that you couldn't think properly or your body broken, so that you can never walk again. There is a place in the Heavens for those who fall in the cause of Good. But even I, as the Emperor, can't order you to do something like this, because the risks are too high. I can only ask you."

"I can't leave my friends with them."

"I just wanted to be clear about that."

"Thank you, your majesty..." he says, while remaining determined.

Kit uses the mindlink. << We are going to keep this kid far away from anything who can hurt him. He's just a child! We are not going to throw him out there for the for the gray elves to attack.>>

<<No, but but he may need to be part of something so that they can see him.>>

<<That's fine as long as he is far away from any danger.>>

Alistair says, "There's someone we'd like you to meet who will be leading the effort to make sure that that your friend and you make it back safely, and that the people who are trying to hurt your other friend are brought to justice. She can be a little intimidating, but she means well, or at least she is loyal to the Empire." He sends for the Sixth Daughter again.

Meanwhile, Dame Brionna travels to the scene of the kidnapping. She is no longer in the upper city, because the Noldor’s friends are drawn from all ranks of society. She’s in a reasonable working class area. The house is open, and there are guards present.

“Can you tell me what was reported to you?”

“At some time around the fourth hour of the morning, a malaise fell over the house. The goodwife awoke, but could not move. She is the only one who can speak. The children have now been carried off to the palace. They were in the common room of the house. They had drunk grog and played dice late into the night. A malaise fell, and they were stricken to the ground, though she was not. A group of figures entered, though she had difficulty describing them except that one of them was an elf. She touched the children on the forehead, and then took her son and one other.”

Dame Brionna heads in to speak to a woman who is weeping in the kitchen, and sometimes whacking a man who is standing with her, as if she blames him as well.

Dame Brionna greets her and says that she is here to investigate on behalf of the Archduke. She tells her that they believe that her son has been taken as a hostage because of his friend.

Dame Brionna asks if one of the investigators could take a mental impression.

“She is Coercively obdurate, which is why she could resist the Coercer. It must have been Coercion. But she must have been held unmoving by some other mechanism. I have the image of the elf, but it was in truth no elf as we would say it. He was a twilight elf. The malaise is not permanent, but is still having some residual effect until it passes because of how powerful the effect was.”

The investigators also find an elven rune freshly carved in the side of the table—it represents the eye. The mage in Dame Brionna’s group reports that it’s magical, and still active. Her psion does psychometry and tells her that it was slashed in by one of the boys, as if he had no control over his own limbs, but then enchanted by one of those who have gone over completely. He must be concentrating very hard—he’s having trouble holding that many of them with his Coercion.

The mother reports that in addition to the elf, there were 5 strange figures who were largely transparent.

When that’s reported, Alistair calls for Lord Silverleaves. “I bear word from the Queen. There are a total of at least 4 elven ships within the barrier. Only one of them is a powerful ship, but with them is a sloop, a schooner, and a war flitter. They appear to be from both races. There are not enough elves to man them, so they are likely stolen, and they will not fly well with human control. But while they are at anchor, they are a light squadron by elven standards. That would be capable of destroying a whole human battlegroup.

The Noldor lord’s friend Todd says that the other missing person is Thaddeus. Gregory is the Noldar lord’s best friend.

Suddenly, the cook drags in a sullen looking boy, who said that he was given three pence to deliver this message to that nice young man who likes my cookies.

“Esteemed young lord, you have forty-eight hours to come to a location that will be provided to you mentally. If you do not come within forty-eight hours, Gregory will be sacrificed to my lord and his soul lost to this plane.” It is signed with a Noldar ideograph.

Dame Brionna has the rune “discovered” and then destroyed. She has some scent hounds sniff around, and they follow the trail for about a block before sudden confusion. Asking around, they get reports of some men walking down the street and then flying directly up into the air, perhaps two-hundred or three-hundred feet. And then they vanished, though they could still be heard talking.

A psion checks their memory. “I think they fled in a voller—under an invisibility cloak.”

They make a plan: they’ll send the Noldor lord out wearing a ring of mind shielding. He’ll then remove the ring, some distance out from the palace, but still reasonably close, with the Sixth Daughter, Lord Davion, and Lord Silverleaves protecting him. Once he has the location, he’ll put his ring of mind shielding back on, and return to the palace. And then Lord Davion, the Sixth Daughter, and Lord Silverleaves will plot to ambush the people who want to ambush him.

They implement the plan: he takes the ring off, some discussion ensues mentally, he falls to his knees and begins crying, and then clumsily puts the ring back on and is brought back into the palace.

“They’re cutting Thaddeus! They showed me. They said that if I came to them, they’d let them go. They said that I’m the one they want.”
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 139, cont'd]
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Kit tries to reassure him. "We are going to get them back. We're going to heal any hurts that have been done, and this is not your fault."

"He said, if I came to them, he'd let them go. He said I was the one they wanted."

"They're lying," says Alistair. "If you come to them, then they will certainly kill your friends. That's why we're not letting you go there."

Kit adds, "We're going to keep you safe, and we are going to take care of this. What you just did was very, very brave. Good job."

"The brave thing was coming back when they told me to come and save them?"

"It's very, very hard to do your duty when your duty involves letting other people remain in danger," says Alistair. "Protecting yourself at the risk of others is much harder than doing your duty when that requires being brave about your own peril."

"I would cut the elf who sent me the message if I could. He's evil. He's a traitor."

"That is true, but that is also another reason for you to not be the one who performs the rescue. Sometimes we need to harm people for the evil they do. To make them suffer because of your anger at them is a path to evil. It leads away from what we try to do as as lords and as warriors. We sometimes need to harm people because it's necessary to protect our society, our people, the greater good. But there's a difference between ordering someone executed because of their crimes and of a need to send a signal and ordering someone tortured and killed because of the desire to exact vengeance upon them. One of those is the path to Glordiadel in the Heavens, albeit not an easy path, and one that may require us to seek forgiveness for the evils that we must do. And one of those is a path to Paranswarm in the Hells."

"If you say so..."

"The same can be said, of course, about the great gods that most of your people follow. That is not an area where I am as comfortable speaking of it."

"What I can tell you, young lord," says Dame Brionna, "is that in my desk drawer I keep a piece of parchment with two numbers on it. Currently those numbers are 31 and 15. The first number is the number of times I have helped prevent His Majesty from being assassinated. The second to the number of people I have personally killed. And I pray for guidance, and mercy, to the Lord of Light for both of those numbers. I play that I may continue to protect His Majesty, but also that the second number may not grow larger unless there is need--mostly in service to the first number."

"Thank you, Dame. I'm going to go back to the chapel."

"If I may, before you leave..." Alistair pauses to make sure that the Noldor youth will accept it, and then gives him a tight hug.

He bursts into a fresh set of tears, losing his composure altogether.

Kit takes over hugging him, and providing handkerchiefs.

"If you could see him to the chapel, he'll probably be able to pull himself together there."

Kit nods, and leads him away, ready to talk if he wants, and just to be quiet with him if he doesn't. He remains silent. He knows that he can't save them, and believes that the Council can. When they reach the chapel, she asks, "My lord, would you prefer to be alone? Would you like me to send Bishop Waters?"

"Yes, maybe a priest would be good?"

She nods, and quickly briefs Bishop Waters, who happily goes to minister to him.

Meanwhile, Alistair, Dame Brionna, and the Sixth Daughter are planning the response. Lord Silverleaves got the location from the young Noldor lord. It's odd--it's outside the city in a direction that they would have thought the Fae would have been aware of, but they haven't said anything so they appear not to be aware of it. It is in the same direction as the Tor, but not all the way to it.

Alistair decides to reach out to the Tor to see if they can cut off flight in that direction. "The Sixth Daughter should scout it and figure out a plan for a line of attack. And then we'll bring down the hammer with all of our heaviest hitters."

"Yes, lord. If I get to stick a dagger in one of them, I will be content," says the Sixth Daughter, with a gleam in her eye.

"I am sure you'll get the opportunity to get some. Can I ask, you won't have problems in a military operation with a Noldor lord and an Eldar lord, will you?"

"I know who the enemy is. My mother knows who the enemy is. Lolth will ride with me."

"Some drow would know that but still find themselves unable to avoid attacking their allies."

"Yes, I know." She makes a flippant motion with her hand. "They're not well trained. My men are."

"Understood," says Alistair. He also suspects that the Lolthian drow may have lost some of the blood fever, but he isn't about to point that out.

The Minister of the Mind reports that the children will be recovered after maybe 8 to 12 hours in skin. It is simply the aftereffect of Coercion, although the most powerful aftereffect he has ever seen. He also confirms that there must have been a mass hold effect if the Coercively obdurate person was unable to move, as Coercion would not have affected her at all. They assume that it was simply a second layer, as a precaution against the first failing, because there is no evidence that they perceived her trying to move. That suggests that they are operating effectively and taking precautions against possible failure points.

They also notify the childrens' parents that their children are safe but in the palace and that the young Noldor lord will be rescuing the lost ones shortly.

They consult with Lord Silverleaves on the best way to scout the enemy. "There might be a way with the Fae that they could send an animal and see through its eyes. That's not psionic as mine would be, and not magical; for if they have a mage of sufficient power to cast a mass hold, he will also be capable of detecting magic. But just sending a bird flying over..."

They reach out to the Tor lord.

"Your Majesty, when shall we see you for another... you're very serious at the moment."

"Yes, I am very serious. There will be time to frolic together soon enough, but for now we must talk of more serious things."

"Very well. Are you in danger now?"

"There is a trap that has been laid for the young Noldor lord, who is with us."

"Who would lay a trap for such a one?"

"A Twilight Elf, who is among those who have fallen to the greatest corruption."

"I see."

"Perhaps a Twilight Elf who is being advanced in some way, or having his powers augmented in some way, as he's demonstrated more Coercive capability than most Twilight Elves would be capable of. We believe that they are located in the area. We are planning a rescue operation, but we wondered if it might be possible for you to gather some intelligence through the eyes of an animal without using psionics, without using arcane magic or divine magic in the conventional sense, but using the natural magics of the world that you are more in tune with."

"Of course, Your Majesty. After all, we are bound to the land. You could do it as well, but you haven't the training."

"If I were interested, could you teach me?"

"Oh, aye, we could teach such things. They are simple, not the great spells of the land. You probably do not have the life span to learn those but the small spells, of course. In the meanwhile, I will link your vision to the animal that I send. Now you will be seeing through a bird's eyes, so therefore it is different than seeing with your own eyes."

"Perhaps a raptor would have the right visual perspective for what we need."

"Very well." The Tor lord speaks to the air for a couple of minutes, and then, all of a sudden, Alistair is soaring high about the earth in long lazy spirals looking down, and then the raptor starts to head in the direction he nudged.

Alistair remembers when this village was closed down back in his grandmother's reign. The spring ran dry, and it hasn't been used since. But in the midst of the old buildings, he sees that under a shed roof a stone altar has been built. He also sees an oddly shaped cloud that stays drifting directly above it, which the raptor seems to have no interest in entering, which he presumes is a concealed voller.

He also sees several figures moving around down there. No elf, but five of the translucent beings and a group of things that look like humanoid birds that walk on their rear legs and carry light weapons. A couple of them have leather, but otherwise the are unarmored.

One of them is presently bent over the altar on which you see young Thaddeus strapped down, and he is very slowly drawing a thin knife down in a long cut next to several others. Alistair notes that the iconography on the altar is that of the Blue Sun.

A priest approaches Dame Brionna and quietly murmurs that the Noldor lad calmed down in the chapel. His friends yelled at him not to come when they showed them to him, which was the only thing that let the Council persuade him to leave the matter to them. The Bishop plans to let him sleep in the chapel, which Dame Brionna approves, but asks that he be kept under supervision.

Alistair can see no signs of Gregory on the ground, however. The beating wings of the raptor momentarily part the cloud it is floating above, just enough, so that he can see the deck of a ship. It looks to be made of wood, implying that it is not an Eldar voller. However, there is another altar built on the foredeck, which has a couple of drow guards standing about looking somewhat uncomfortable, and a boy which he surmises is Gregory bound to the altar. He hasn't been cut, but there is an odd blue stone set right at his sternum. Then, of course, the mists of the cloud reclose over him.

"They're going to make him into one of the blue creatures presumably. Or rather, they're not but just because we're going to stop them."

Dame Brionna says, "Your Majesty. I am fully healed. Do I have your permission to go out there?"

"No, you do not."

"They're sacrificing children!"

"And that is why we're sending Lord Davion. You're not capable in the way that the leaders of this operation are, and you're too valuable to send as another simply super elite soldier."

"We do need to send a bunch of outstanding soldiers."

"Oh, we absolutely do. But, for example, those will be the Sixth Daughter's people, and those will be variety of paladins of Glordiadel that Lord Davion will select from among those he knows and trusts, and those will not be highly important imperial officials. And those will not be people whose primary duty is as a commander, not as a soldier."

The Sixth Daughter gently strokes one of Dame Brionna's armored arms. "Do not worry. I will get in a couple of blows for you."

"Please do."

"Heart blows or lung blows? Do you want them to suffer, or just stop?"

"I have no desire for them to suffer, but I do not wish them to be ever able to inflict any more evil upon the world."

"Then I will kill them cleanly with my sword."

Alistair says, "Let's get some information on those bird people and who they are, and what they can do before we send anybody against them. And also I want to clarify that the primary objectives are taking out the leadership of this and freeing the children. But if those can both be accomplished, then prisoners are also useful, for interrogation."

Lord Davion enters. "Your Majesty!"

"Yes, Lord Davion?"

"The honored Farsensor, Lord Silverleaves, said that this was the symbol the Twilight Elf who is working for the abominations sent?"

"Yes, it was the symbol with which the letter was signed."

"He should be dead. I thought he was dead. I thought... He's been dead for thousands of years. I remember my House killed him for betraying them. I do not know what else to tell you, but I thought you should know. I'll be more thorough killing him than my Father was."

"This is one of several occasions on which great Noldor lords specifically have thought definitively that they had killed servants of the Eldritch who then turned up alive. Princess Curinirim also thought she killed Quinliart's sister, then found that she had lived. I suspect there is something else we need to be looking for."

"Forgive my blindness, please your Majesty, what do you mean by something else?"

"We need to be looking for how they survived, and whether there was a deception."

"I attended this man's execution. I know we put him in the ground, and I know where we put it in the ground, in which niche in the Necropolis of the Screaming Skulls he was placed in dishonor! Upon my honor, I swear this!"

"Could it be something like a phylactery sort of process? Something like a lich?"

"It could be. I do not think my Lord Aufaugautharim considered the possibility that such a being could have a phylactery. I do not know much about such things, but one of the great alchemists might be able to reveal something more about it. Still, I think it unlikely."

"What about clones? Would it be possible for him to have been cloned after he died or would he have had to have been cloned while he was still alive? And then the clone would have had to have been restrained."

"Your Majesty. If they did that, then yes, of course. His death would have prevented a clone made after it, but not one while he still lived. But they would have had to have expected him to die."

"Or simply been willing to maintain creches of clones of many of their great servants."

"That is a possibility I do not wish to entertain. No matter how thorough I am, it means he could come back again."

"What of the Noldor traitor?"

"He is the traitor from among the Noldor."

"I had thought that that that one was was buried in a defined niche."

"I am forbidden to speak of this with any other race. But, Your Majesty, I've long not been in favor in the courts, so I will. I am hopeful to always to be in favor in this court. He was buried in the niches of the dishonored, beneath the Great Temple of the Spider in the City of the Screaming Skulls. Thousands of years ago I attended his funeral. I watched the crypt sealed.

"The two possibilities you raise are the only two, and, to be honest, I think a phylactery is extremely unlikely. I think it is more likely that you are correct, and there are clones. There's no other possible explanation. Resurrection would be impossible after those circumstances."

"Among humans, such a thing might be falsified. It might be an impostor. There are claimants to any number of thrones who claim that they are the child, actually deceased, of the former lord or what have you? Could not a Twilight Elf use another elf's sigil?"

"Use another's sigil, perhaps, but there are certain psionic signatures you might say that cannot be forged and that appear with the sigil. I know the signature of that Twilight Elf on that sigil, and this bore those same marks. It is him, of that I have no doubt."

"To our perspective, our enemies often seem deranged. Might that be a result of the clones, and likewise allow them to have clones more easily?"

"Yes. It wouldn't cause the mental disorder that any of us would experience with clones, but they would still need to restrain the clones, because otherwise otherwise they would seek him out, and one of them would die. Yes, yes, as long as they're restrained they can be kept well."

"My people are mortal, so among humans, the standard plan is that you would have the material for a clone collected and then not have the clone actually grown unless and until the original had already perished."

"That is the plan among your people, but your clones grow much faster than ours. It would not work for them, unless they were willing to lose the use of a minion for decades. But now consider Quinliart's sister-- her return was almost immediate. The clone was already grown."

"Possibly more than one. My lord, I hate to ask this, but what other notable deaths have there been who might have clones, and therefore come back?"

"Normally, when one of my people dies, their motive force--their spirit if you would-- passes to either the East or the West. Death is rare except by choice or by execution. Obviously, it is said that in his departure Lord Quinliart killed many of Moriquendarim's loyal servents. They were evidently not cloned. They stood against him when he was seen to be leaving the service of his house. However, there have not been more than a half dozen deaths within noble houses or their Twilight Elf servants in the past 1,000 years. Of course, the one I'm looking at is much older than that, and I cannot speak for those times, for I was young when I attended that funeral."

"It was the First Age, right?"

"Yes. I do not know if there were others. I know of only that one, that one."

"I don't mean to raise other problems or concerns, but we know that there was an impostor of me, that while not exactly a clone was more like me than a simple simulacrum or doppleganger, and we know that there have been other efforts to create other impostors, and some successful. I wonder with cases like the Prince of the House of Gwyr, who was ambushed and captured and then killed, whether they could have begun a clone before killing them, and then sought to corrupt it in a way that that breaking and turning the true one would not be feasible."

The look of horror that passes across his face is impressive, given his blood and his age. "If any would do such a thing, it would be them. That was recently enough for the clone to not yet be grown. But if they were doing such a thing-- he was so young, he was like the boy in the chapel now...",

"If they were to make a clone of one of the great elves, but who is say some couple of centuries old, one of the children. How long would a clone like that take to be ready?"

"Perhaps 20% of the span that they had enjoyed, so that at least we would still have decades."

"Yes, unless there were ones that had been kidnapped or killed a century ago."

Dame Brionna adds, "Such as when they began this plot. Any notable disappearances a century ago?"

"But now we're talking about great elves who disappeared century ago, anywhere in the world, or who were killed a century ago anywhere in the world."

"Disappearances, or sudden changes in personality or activity like reclusives."

"I must consult colleagues in Krashmere. I was not there, since many years ago. It is not impossible."

"We will need to inform Princess Curinirim about this, and we'll also need to inform the lords and ladies of the great Eldar holdings."

"You shall do that. I shall go kill him again." He taps the paper again.

"Please do. And then we'll find whatever clone creches they may have, and wipe out the remainder in one fell blow."

"If I were them, I would not have them anywhere near their islands, because that would make them too susceptible to be caught in a regular attack. They are certainly not in Krashmere."

"Would collections of great elf clones generate magical or psionic effects on the areas once they began to near completion?"

"Yes, and we must presume they have at least one clone of each of them. Almost surely a clone of Quinliart as well as the others."

"That means that we can then look for an effect that they might be having and try to find them that way."

They pause and think for a bit. "Lord Davion, do you know what these bird people might be? They are not aarakocra, I would recognize those."

"Yes, those would be Rappa. Small groups have them occasionally come through the Valley of the Unknown."

"Oh, yes, I've heard of them."

"They are some of the most vicious mercenaries that come through, but they're nowhere near as good fighters as the Chulik. They're not usually evil as such, unless they converted to follow a foul god. Are they simply warriors or are their priests among them?"

"There are priests among them."

"But that's one of the reasons they might convert. Their priests suddenly found themselves embarrassed when they reached here."

"Is that because their gods are not in this planar neighborhood?"

"Yeah, unlike the Chuliks who basically don't care whether there's a god or not, and have no priests, the Rappa actually care."

"No exceptional arcane or psionic power?"

"None that I know of."

"Then they are almost certainly intended as as part of the bait, not as soldiers. The thought is that the young Noldor lord would come in to try to rescue his friend, would see them, would attack, and would wipe them out without much difficulty, because even for a young great elf perhaps accompanied by some soldiers, they would be no match. And then, while he's doing that, the drow and the Twilight Elf attack from above."

"That would make sense. He is as powerful as any of his age but he is untrained and inexperienced in the ways of warcraft."

Alistair suddenly says, "I think I know in very broad brush strokes where the clone creche might be. If I were they, I would have set it up on the Southern Continents, completely undetectable to most humans, and an area where we know that they have a foothold."

The rest of the Council immediately reacts in surprise at the idea of the Southern Continents existing at all, and Alistair quickly explains once again, not that it will help.

"But yes, I was thinking that if they hid the clones there, that would be a way of concealing it very effectively, because even people who are aware of it seem to be unnaturally uninterested in it, which also means we need to send a sending to the ship that we sent down there with an investigation team to help deal with them to specify that they should be looking for this in particular or for weird psionic effects that might indicate the location of the creche."

[End Session 139]


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## CPaladin

Session 140 (March 9, 2022)

30 Tar
Passes uneventfully. Lord Davion, Lord Silverleaves, and the Sixth Daughter are completely silent, because of the capabilities of the Twilight Elf.

31 Tar
The Council receives a report about a child, the nibling of the Empress Caitlin, who is in captivity in the hands of Clan Moulder.  [Attached.] They bring in Empress Caitlin, and begin discussing a rescue operation.

Kit has a contact on her fan on the Isle. It was initially dormant, but then woke up shakily. It has become much steadier. She reaches out to that contact, which she hasn’t had mental contact with before. This is, unlike most of the agents on the fan, male.

<<Ah, my lady. It is good to have the contact of your mind again.>>

<<Greetings. I think you were expecting my predecessor.>>

<<Yes, I should have realized that. You are my third. My first one was the one who immolated himself when the old lord died.>>

<<A tradition that we are trying to wipe out.>>

<<You should eradicate it entirely. Yours is not the only human kingdom with that affliction.>>

<<Brightstar, we have need of your services. Where are you located physically?>>

<<I am in the new capital city of Prince Annarrgeal Airui`taur.>>

<<I had hoped you might be. There is a human child nearby—a child of the royal house of the Southern Kingdoms—in the possession of the Moulder.>>

<<A survivor? That is fortunate indeed.>>

<<The child is close kin of the Queen of the South Kingdoms. The Queen of the South Kingdom is also Empress Caitlin of Canberry.>>

<<I did not even know that enough of the Southern Kingdoms had survived outside the Kingdom of the Isles to have an Empress.>>

<<She is married to the Emperor.>>

<<It's wonderful news. I am sorry to hear that her father must have passed. He was a good man.>>

<<That's what i've heard.>>

<<Her grandfather was also a good man, and her grandmother was insane, but that's perfectly acceptable. A lot of us are.>>

<<Well, she is so far a very good Empress, and a very good person.>>

<<Wonderful to hear, please convey my regards... well, no, don't convey my regards I suppose. But we are all pleased to know of this.>>

<<I'm sure she will be happy to know that the revived Kingdom of the Isles will hold her in high regard. But returning to the matter at hand. You understand why we need to act quickly. You understand why I'm calling on people who are already in place down there.>>

<<Absolutely. We need to mount a rescue, to get them out before any kind of harm could come to them. They have a number of compounds north of the holding of the Aragoni.>>

<<Can you find out which compound?>>

<<I can. My prince does not know of our connection. Historically, we have always been a small elven wood, and we looked to the royal house of the Kingdom of the Isles to watch over the humans and others of this land. We stayed in our woods, and they took care of human matters, and all was well. However, the Prince saw what happened when the royal house fell. The Aragoni started taking slaves from the survivors, and he said that we could not do nothing, so we saved as much territory as we had the troops to hold, took in as many refugees as we could find, and have sustained the Kingdom of the Isles as best we could. I will personally, however, reconnoiter the Moulder encampments. It will not take long if I do not have to come near the Aragoni. They would be able to end my work.>>

<<Alright. Keep yourself safe. I trust you. You have been at this job much longer than I have.>>

She hears a ringing laugh in her mind at that. <<I will travel by steed to our northern border, and from there, reconnoiter each site individually. It should be two to three days total.>>

They put together a rescue team to be ready when they know where: Many Hands, some tough operatives from Kit’s people, a priest militant recommended by Bishop Waters who can get down in the mud as necessary.

Around dinner time, a strident psionic message comes through to Dame Brionna from Lord Davion. <<Dame. We have the child.>>

<<Safe?>>

<<Yes. We have captives. We have other prisoners who are now safe. I regret to say that the principal escaped—a Contingency I believe. In my youth, I would have offered my throat to admit his escape from our effort, but we did achieve the main objective.>>

<<The thanks and commendation of the Empire. How did the principal escape?>>

<<He had chained Contingencies set up. Even though we had him psionically, and had sufficient force to defeat him, once we wounded him near death, Contingencies went off and he was moved—not by a teleport, perhaps gate, to the northwest. There was a barrier that dropped immediately that we could not pursue. We have the ship, we have the papers. The ship was a human vessel, but it has been modified with some disturbing modifications—the black box replaced with a Noldar one, and a vegetative intelligence formed in the ship. If it were complete, it could have made things more dangerous, and we do not know how many ships they may have done.>>

<<Do you have both of the children?>>

<<Yes, I intend to return with them. It will comfort the young one, and they are terrified as well. They miss their friends and their family, and they were nearly sacrificed as well. A number of other captives were there, that seem to have been taken opportunistically and held in a cell below deck. I'm going to return, however, with the boys that are close to the young lord, and my men will return the ship and the other rescued prisoners.

<<We have several captives. Rappa. They are not corrupt in the way that the Enemy is corrupt, or that the elven leader is. But they are not a good people. They came through the gate and then were immediately snapped up as mercenaries. Perhaps they are running short of loyal followers.>>
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 140, cont'd]
He then aports to the receiving chamber.

When Lord Davion enters, though he will be fine, it was clearly a harder fight than he indicated.

“It is him. It cannot be him, but it is him.”

“Did he recognize you?” asks Kit.

“He cursed me by name. He must have recognized me. This stinks of corruption having reached levels in homeland that it should never have reached.”

“Do you think that there is corruption there today, not millenia ago?”

“Not among the nobles. But I reluctantly conclude that there likely is among the Mordhel, the meat-eaters. I will not go there. But if someone were to go to the Necropolis in the City of the Screaming Souls, I guarantee that you will find the bones are still there. And that person might also find a cult among the gravekeepers. If anyone is to go, it must be someone who could pass as a servant or slave.”

“What kinds of servants or slaves?”

“They have humans or uruks. The human servants have skills usually; someone with useful skills, weaving or embalming. There are certain words that they must know. I will write out a lexicon, and provide a letter of introduction to the High Clanlord—once he accepts them, none will gainsay them.”

Kit works with her father to identify a crew of 6 stoneworkers—discrete, observant, brave, and with few connections. They send them off to investigate.

The Blue Sun transparent people are all slain, and they eliminated their hearts with laen—one of the methods of destroying them. Only the leader escaped.

They delegate reviewing the captured papers to Kit’s secretary. The papers are in cyphers, and he begins working on breaking the codes.

Lord Silverleaves then joins them. “That was a blind gate. It was not psionically linked, it was distinctly triggered but not actively. You see, psionically he would have been cut off from aportation, and I did cut him off from communication, so I know that it was not indirectly run by his master. They were prepared for the possibility that we would outthink them. I think they also must have been aware that they might have lost the ship.” He offers to place a germ of light in the Canberry battle vollers, to strengthen them.

“Also, did you know that the translucent beings are in some sort of hive mind? I wasn’t either, but they clearly were. It was not psionic—I could not cut it off psionically. But there were conduits leading out, mostly to Hanal and likely to Rafe, but some to other places. I think that some of the Underdark races have similar hive minds, where the group’s mental capacity works together, and then the conduits lead to either overlords, or simply more powerful similar beings. There were also connections running north to Enclaves, south to Cese Mai or beyond—those were the most tenuous—and directly west. I don’t know what that might have led to.”

“If you can, finding out where the conduit that led west goes might be useful.”

“I memorized the mindmap while I was in it. I can follow it to its physical terminus.”

They ask about the Prince Annarrgeal Airui`taur. He is the prince of the Airy Glade, one of the six great houses of the Eldar, though he has followed his own path. He ruled a glade within the Kingdom of the Isle—they were nominally vassals of the Kingdom of the Isle. He mostly defers to his grey elf general. He is very powerful personally, such that Lord Silverleaves is not very concerned about an attack on him by the enemy as likely. He expects that Prince Annargeal would still acknowledge Empress Caitlyn as nominal liege.

He heads forth to investigate where the western conduit terminates.

They then head to talk to Gregory and Thaddeus. They don’t really have any information beyond what they have, though the runes were written by the elf and they have copied the runes out. The Minister of the Mind, after treating Lord Davion, comes to soothe and treat the mental wounds.

Kit also, with Gregory’s permission, tries to lift the memories from his mind to learn more. She finds that there was a figure in shadow on the poop deck, that nobody else noticed. It took no action, and disappeared at the beginning of the combat. Also, she sees that there were two gates that appeared when the twilight elf disappeared, right on top of each other. Either something else gated out at the same time, or something gated in, likely invisible.

They show the memory to Lord Davion. “I am surprised that any would have seen that. That was a sidhe.”

“Unseelie or Seelie?”

“A Seelie sidhe would have struck to save a child, even at cost of their life. It must have been an Unseelie sidhe. They do sometimes do work for the Paranswarmians. And then… the second gate is the work of the Guild of Assassins. They must have had an assassin there, likely intended to kill the boy to prevent his sacrifice—it’s unlikely that the Paranswarmians would have sent that. I did not see any sign of the assassin in the memory, but the gate has their mark. It could be forged, I suppose, though I don’t know why anyone would. So someone else must have hired an assassin to prevent the sacrifice. You will need to speak to the Paranswarmians and the Ecumenical Council about the Unseelie sidhe—someone connected to their more secretive investigations—and then try to investigate through the Guild of Assassins in Enclaves. I suppose I could try, but I think this job is more suitable for your skills than mine.”

Kit agrees and says that she will take the lead on that.

“Also, the boy you took these memories from—he should be tested for latent farsensing ability. It is most remarkable that he perceived these things at all.”

She nods. “We thought he might be, and that might be part of why the young lord became friends with him.”

“Indeed, without realizing it, he was likely drawn to a latent psion, and then his association would help his friend pass the threshold.”

They have Thaddeus and all of the other humans in the coterie tested for psionic ability. [I don’t have the records of the results of this.]

On a related note, they ask Lord Silverleaves to test Alistair’s children for psionic ability. Alistair’s family has some history of psionics, and even though it skipped Alistair himself, it might return, especially with the blessing of House Aufaulgautharim.

Sure enough, he reports that Prince Elric has evidence of “mild psionics.” Of course, that’s mild by Eldar standards, so he may well be quite capable in human terms.
[End session 140]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 141 (March 23, 2022)

30 Tar
(They ask Many Hands and his contingent to look for the powerful prophetic device on the Isle when they are down there--they learned about it some time ago, but never had a good opportunity to seek it. Of course, the Empress's nibling is much more important.)

The top priority in Canberry is figuring out (a) who sent an assassin from Enclaves and (b) who the Unseelie sidhe who was watching the situation was sent by. Kit takes point on both investigations.

Kit sends a message to her counterpart in the Archbaroness of Mandrath’s service via the magic box. Three hours later, they are able to speak directly.

“We have had an incident that we think you know something of, involving a common enemy.”

“The Forbidden.”

“Yes. Two children who have close ties to someone under our protection were kidnapped by the enemy. They were going to be sacrificed, but they were rescued. One of them saw a figure—an Unseelie sidhe.”

“Ah. They’re gifted.”

“Yes, we’re having that handled as well. Who would have sent that?”

“The Council. The First Mouth is very concerned about the Forbidden, and believes that Drucien is the apex of their incursion. The First Mouth has been sending various agents out, and so the Council hired the Unseelie sidhe lord you saw. His price is high, but the Council can afford it. He was awaiting instructions. We are aware of your intervention, and thankful for it. We could not get forces there to aid the sidhe that quickly, and as you may know, they're a little more brittle than the highborn elves, but we were going to ask him to try something."

"I'm glad he didn't have to, and it sounds like you directed him well to get the information and get away."

"On a related matter: a number of human vollers have been detached from the Navy of Hanal. We can't keep track of all of them all at the same time, but we have been following 3 of them. One of them is presently heading back to Hanal from the cursed isle that has arisen south of the continent. One heads to Zest’qua, for reasons that we do not know—we have informed the Hastur. And one hovers in the air, southeast of Enclaves in the Wastes.” The Wastes were destroyed by dragons, and are now largely abandoned land. “We have not engaged the ship headed back to Hanal. We have it under observation by our fae allies—they are expensive, but worth every penny. That one has a Concentrator aboard it—it’s designed to pull every scrap of energy from a soul and concentrate it, so it can be sent on for whatever purpose it is then used for.”

“That’s horrible.”

“We agree. Are you aware that Zorplona-Moriquendarim has now lost control over the City of the Dead on Enclaves? They only hold the top level, and this is being kept very secret. Nearly all of the dead of the City of Enclaves for a thousand years have been interred there.”

“What could do this and how can it be stopped?”

“They still hold the top level, and the Priests of Death are trying to hold it and have been recalled from throughout Drucien because they cannot call on their home for additional aid. They have also appealed to the Inquisition for alliance, though it almost broke the Mother of Death to do so, and 1000 Inquisition troops, 20 lyans of Paranswarm, and a handful of paladins of the Weeping Woman have been supplied. Many of the dead have been raised as undead, and we think it is likely that there is one of the moderately powerful servants of the Ruinous Lords there. They plan to clear them room by room. We expect them to be successful, but it will take some months, and it will take all of the resources of the Priests of Death. We are also attempting to convince them that they should invite the servants of Glordiadel to send paladins, but we are reluctant to reach out to the Glordiadelians directly without the Mother of Death's approval. We're all loyal to the Ecumenical Council, and yet...”

“If you need someone to pass that along to the Glordiadelians without you doing it directly…”

“I think that would be lovely, don't you?”

“We’ll take care of it.”

“The First Mouth believes that the battle will be accomplished on your continent.”

“It will. In about 20 years time. With a young paladin,” Kit says, slightly brittlely.

“Ah! You have heard prophecies as well. There are many prophecies about this, so we merely need to hold on against the Ruinous Powers for the next generation. And we are preparing here for the grand celebration of the advancement of the na-Duke of Ergmoth, when the Archbaroness will become regent as he becomes formally Grand Duke. …”

After this is reported, Alistair sends a message to the Archbishop of Canberry, informing him that among the documents they captured on the voller were notes indicating that the Forbidden have engineered an uprising of undead in the City of the Dead in Enclaves, and suggesting that Archbishop Humboldt offer the support of Glor’diadelian paladins and priests to the Priests of Dead, in the interest of Ecumenical Council solidarity. They hope that the misdirection will allow the Mother of Death to accept the offer of assistance—especially because paladins and priests of Glordiadel are, along with the Priests of Death themselves, the most capable force against the undead.

Kit reaches out to the assassins’ guild in Enclaves, using multiple levels of magical indirection to keep her identity obscured. (She also sends her squire, Abigail, to distract Dame Brionna (Abigail’s aunt), to make sure that Dame Brionna doesn’t have any awareness of this conversation.)

“Walker in Shadow, my friend, how may we help you?”

“Thank you for coming,” replies Kit. “I have a question about a recent commission that you took, I believe.” She gives the location. “The commission was not carried out, and it was for the best that it wasn’t. I know you don’t give out information on who hired you, but you understand this was an extraordinary circumstance.”

“Yes… It was felt that it was better to let the boy be dead than to leave him as he was. The one who hired us did not have the resources to effect a rescue themselves, but was able to hire an assassin to make sure he would not remain bound. The assassin accepted that he would not survive the operation, but viewed it as acceptable under the circumstances.”

“That was about how we assessed the situation. It is better that the boy lived.”

“No fault accrues to the agent we sent. His failure is a time for joy for us all.” There is not a scrap of joy in the voice of the speaker. Kit believes that he doesn’t really do joy. “As I said, it's much better for everyone that he did not have to actually perform the task that he was hired to do.”

“And, as I said, I understand your professional discretion, that you don't give away wholesale gives you your commissions. But this is higher than that.”

“I will say this much. I was hired by the spy mistress of one of your allies. She saw no method to rescue the boy, but was aware of his kidnapping. Well. Her agent, I think, was aware of his kidnapping. She came to us and said that he could not be permitted to be used. She felt that the fall of Lordship Davion’s nephew was not acceptable. They felt you will need Lord Davion in time.”

“Oh, we are all in agreement there.”

“Had the boy remained, we foresaw that the young Noldar would have gone for revenge, no matter what was done to contain him. If Lord Davion had been defeated, you would have lost a great ally, and the young one would have found a way to escape your protections. He's already growing in his power, and he would have sought vengeance and all that you have accomplished with him would have been undone. I do not know why what you've accomplished with him is considered essential, but I do not get to ask those questions when a commission is given. Unfortunately, our person was late. It was difficult to obtain entry to that ship.”

“Fortunately in this case, since we were coming."

“You and I are not the only ones who understood the importance of what happened in that place.  Your allies have a clear understanding, but I cannot say which one. You can probably guess.”

They work through their allies, trying to figure out who the “ally’s spymistress” could be. Their working theory is Ecsilias. Queen-Empress Anastasia has a male head of intelligence. The Empire of the North would be unlikely to act in this way and would be more likely to contact the Imperial Council directly. It surely can’t be Singing Leaves, and while Princess Curinirim is vaguely plausible, she would be highly unlikely to have sent a non-elven assassin (and would have been more likely to try to rescue the child rather than to kill the child). Ecsilias, though, has a female spymistress, a minimal assassins’ guild of their own (so would be likely to hire from Enclaves), and is precisely the sort of mid-major power that could want to take actions because of pride while having limited capabilities.

Alistair is tempted to chew out their ambassador without explaining what he’s angry about, but they decide that would be too disruptive—especially if they’re wrong. Instead, they plan on contacting the Archbaron of Ecsilias directly, ostensibly to discuss the matters of the City of the Dead in Enclaves, and to give them the opportunity to volunteer their involvement and to discuss the principles of respecting Canberry’s primacy within its area.

They then call for Lord Silverleaves, who comes promptly. They first tell him of the enemy voller heading northwards, and ask him if he can gather intelligence on it, before they send vollers to capture (or failing that destroy) it. He brings up an image, apparently through the eyes of a bird. As it approaches, there is a flash of color, and the vision drops. “Automated defense. I should have anticipated that. Let’s see if we can just observe it directly and magnify it.” He brings up an image. “Clearly human, though gussied up a bit. It has runes carved into the gunwales.” Kit examines the runes through her lens, and sees that they are crude versions of Noldar or Eldar runes to deflect attacks from the ship and to prevent teleportation—indicative of someone with great skill, but not adequate time to make fully effective versions.

Dame Brionna identifies its weaponry as Masquen flame projectors—much more capable than ordinary ballistae. The crew is mostly human, though there is one illithid-like creature at the stern, though much paler and with longer tentacles. There are also turtle like creatures walking around the deck.

They also see the psionic concentrator—it’s like a large open metal circle, with a sacrificial altar (clearly used) in the middle of it. The concentrator appears to be damaged. Lord Silverleaves also senses a darkness from beneath the deck, and asks if he should observe it as well. They ask if he is concerned about his safety doing so, and the Eldar denies that, but in a way that fails to reassure them. They call for Lord Davion (“to observe in case there is anything of tactical information he might see,” but actually of course if psionic defense is necessary), and the Minister of the Mind (“in case there’s a minor need for redaction afterwards”), neither of which Lord Silverleaves objects to. Below deck, the ship has been modified from what it once was. He mutters, “they converted a merchantman.” There are two chambers, a larger chamber in the back, packed cheek to jowl with creatures. Some of the translucent ones, but mostly humanoid but not human creatures, none with weapons but some with bizarre claws and things.

The front chamber has two things—something that looks a little like a gibbering mouther, eyes and mouths, on tentacles, and a shadow elf, who looks directly at Lord Silverleaves. He pauses for a moment, then says “my lord, we are spied upon! Support me!” The creature reaches out a pseudopod and touches him, and eldritch energy of corruption pours through him, and he lashes out at Lord Silverleaves with impossible power for a shadow elf. Lord Davion immediately raises a mental defense and deflects the psionic attack entirely, but does not deflect the corruption damage. Lord Silverleaves takes 35 points of damage, and oozing sores appear all over his body.

Lord Davion explains, “That was Voragab. A minor prince, nowhere near the top of their powers, but he is the Lord of Consumption in their pantheon. It is only an avatar—he came fully through last time. If he were fully here this time, we might not have survived. I must apologize. I could deflect the psionic attack—that was meant to hold him there—but I had no ability to deal with the Eldritch corruption.” He turns to the Minister of the Mind. “Lord Silverleaves should be put in skin immediately—do you have the cask of skin with you?--otherwise he will continue to be harmed by the sores.” Lord Davion then glances at Alistair. “I apologize, your majesty—I’m used to giving commands in a battle situation, but I should have deferred to you.”

“No, by all means, get him in the skin as quickly as you can.”

“He should not move himself while he’s in the skin. He can be carried in a palanquin or the like.”

“I suppose that prince of theirs means our vollers cannot possibly engage that ship.”

“No, human vollers would be no match at all. You can warn your allies at the destination, but it would take a voller of my kinfolk to address the enemy.”

“Do your kinfolk have a voller that might be able to intercept this?”

“They are too far away, I think. Although… there is the Aufaulgautharim man-of-war patrolling in Hanal. We could draw him down. I could address him, because of my bloodline, and he is eager to do more than blast heretical altars from the air. I suppose you could ask our cousins to take over the patrol duties in Hanal while he attends to this?”

“Indeed. I can ask them to do so in my capacity as arbiter of the patrols over Hanal. I will also warn them that the Aufaulgautharim have diverted to engage a high priority target, but that if the target makes it past the Aufaulgautharim, they should prioritize attacking it, but only in massive force. I suppose that since there are no prisoners on board, simply destroying the voller altogether would be acceptable.”

“Yes, total destruction would be best, I think. I would not want any of our people to face Voragab’s avatar directly.”

Lord Silverleaves is put in skin, and will need 7 days to heal from his injuries.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 141, cont'd]
They receive an invitation from the ambassador from Zorplona-Moriquendarim to a reception on the 6th of O-Tar for Lady Alinor Quellar. [See attached.]

Dame Brionna immediately opines, "I do not believe you should accept this invitation, my lord."

Alistair recognizes the name of Lady Alinor; he believes that she is the new Enclave proconsuls ambassador for exterior kingdoms, overseeing all of their embassies--functionally a foreign minister.

Dame Brionna continues, "It's fine if she wants to come into the palace and meet you in the grounds, but the Imperial Council and the Imperial couple both going to an embassy? I don't think we even knew they had an embassy."

"We did find out about that recently. The hosts are 'Drizlaunim Deafin Quellar-Magthere and Lady Marissa'--that's an odd styling."

They show the message to Lord Davion, who immediately says, "Oh, that'll be a human consort, a human counselor of the ambassador. He cannot style her higher than that. It would be his head."

"Understood."

"We must think of this as a trap," reiterates Dame Brionna.

"Of course we will attend. I believe, Lord Davion, that their honor would not permit them to under any circumstance treat this as a trap."

"Oh, absolutely not. Additionally, they're advised by the Princess Curinirim, and that's probably why you're receiving this invitation."

Dame Brionna tries a different tack, "What if the trap is simply the Lady Alinor Quellar happens to be extremely beautiful?"

"Then with with me and Kaitlyn there, I think we can manage," Kit interjects.

"And I will demonstrate admirable restraint."

"Wonderful," sniffs Dame Brionna.

"But no, we simply have to accept. There's no alternative."

"You could invite her to a banquet in the palace instead..."

"Of course, the Archducal Champion will be attending, and you can bring whatever honor guard you feel necessary, although if you go too far overboard, I will disparage your decisions."

"Is 1,000 soldiers overboard? And what about doubles for both of you."

"If you want. He will be able to tell through our disguises, and it may seem slightly foolish, but again, I have no difficulty making statements that I feel obliged to follow the advice of my security detail."

"The advice of your security detail, let us be absolutely clear here, is not to attend this because it is enormously risky."

"Understood, but I feel obligated to honor the advice of my security detail that is not reflective of abject cowardice."

"Are you accusing me of abject cowardice, my lord?"

"No, not at all. I am accusing you of advising to me that I behave in a cowardly manner."

"Your heirs are approximately one month old..."

"This decision has been made. Lord Davion, I believe that we would prefer to bring Kit as well if that would be acceptable, together with the Imperial Privy Council."

"Yes, of course."

"And I don't know how Moriquendarim social norms work exactly, but I know that they are somewhat different from, let us say, human standards. In light of Kit accompanying me, should the Empress also bring her companion?"

"Yes, that would be considered appropriate."

"May I ask you then a question," proceeds Dame Brionna. "If there is an assassination and you, Kaitlyn, Kit, me, Lord Davion, and Kaitlyn's companion all perish, who do you intend to be regent? Because we should set that out clearly before we all leave for this party."

"This is an excellent point. If one of the moons falls from the sky and hits the Embassy, then we'll all perish, so will they. Even they can't deflect a moon. I think that is the only way that we would be endangered. I would think that Field Marshal Brightspan would be a good regent."

"I thought you were being rhetorical," says Kit.

"No, entirely in earnest. I was going to recommend Field Marshal Brightspan myself."

"Of course, I think that as a formal matter the answer would be the Princess Cecilia, as a legitimate adult of age of close blood, however, with an understanding that that she will delegate all affairs of governance to Field Marshal Brightspan, who will act as a representative of her Regency Council, and thus she will not need to concern herself with matters that are beneath her dignity or tact."

Kit adds, "And then she will be able to be tactless to him about things that she needs to convey to him."

"Precisely."

"I suspect, then, that young Lord Brightspan should not attend as your page, for several reasons."

"Yes, it's unfortunate, but again I have full confidence that nothing will happen there, and that if it does that all of the people of Moriquendarim who are present will view their absolute top priority as making sure that they don't disgrace themselves by allowing harm to come to us."

"Honored Council members, if I may comment, please?" interjects Lord Davion. "The entire entourage of Lord Hinositu is very young. I cannot conceive of an older family of the standing of Lord Hinositu's father sending these children to run part of the family holding. However, it has been done. They will not plot against us, I feel confident, Dame Brionna. My only concern is that they are very weak. The Lord and his counselors have proven themselves adept at making alliances in Enclaves, which is new for that Enclave, and they are not members of the Argoni. There are five factions among the Moriquendarim. The faction they belong to is the faction of the caretakers. Forgive me, I fear that name sounds terribly arrogant, but I do know members of the faction. They believe that their duty is to care for the younger races and guide them in the ways they should go until they have all passed to the West, and the younger races will sadly be left on their own. I fear it will seem patronizing, but they are benign."

"I would much rather be patronized than assaulted."

"They would not assault you. But it is noteworthy, and I'm glad that you are taking me with your Majesty along with the counselors. And it is also noteworthy that their embassy was broken into two years ago, going on three. I've been reading the documents we recovered. It was broken into by the former seneschal of Lord Quinliart. The seneschal took some papers, stole the petty cash, and killed the ambassador. At that time, Lady Allinor replaced the ambassador, and had the seals reenacted. but the fact that he broke through them once... I'm glad that I will be with you."

"Could he have left anything behind that could be still active?"

"No, the embassy's been swept. In fact, I'm going to not recommend a terribly large security force, but only a very high quality one, because I think that if anything we want to do this probably showing the appropriate respect but as discreetly as possible."

"Lord Davion, you mentioned that it was unusual that people of such youth would be sent," asks Kit. "Why do you think they did that?"

"The Giver of Gifts is missing, my lady. I'm not a foolish Noldor--the Giver of Gifts is dead. There is no other possible explanation, and therefore they are fighting. The House of Moriquendarim worshiped him exclusively among the demigods and great saints of Morgrath. Their priests are no longer receiving spells."

"The Giver of Gifts is the same as the Prince of the Cities of Pain?"

"Yes. They were exclusive worshippers of his--their priests are not receiving spells, and their great council is in shambles, over which of the other avatars to defect to, with some priests saying he will return. He will not return."

"We did know that as of some weeks ago, he was still alive, but in the captivity of Arthranax, that Arthranax is attempting to absorb him, but not successfully yet. We informed the Prince of the House of Moriquendarim of this, and they departed with substantial forces of their house to mount a rescue effort."

"That will have put the council into even greater disarray."

"Do you think there is no chance that they will succeed?"

"They may. They may indeed. But in the meanwhile, Lord Hinusitu's father, who is the director of the western defense of Krashmere, a powerful man, manipulated the council. The lady who had been assigned after Lord Quinliart's treason was recalled because she was important to the debate. She was an Argoni, and then his father convinced the councillor to assign the boy and his friends as the new proconsul. Let me explain it to you in this way. You have 10 or 12 year old pages."

"Yes, indeed."

"Hinusitu is, roughly, the developmental equivalent of 12 year old."

"And so it would be a similar circumstance of severe threat to the Duke of Brightspan assigning young Lord Brightspan to take control of a holding on Zestqua."

"Exactly right. The only one of his council that I consider to be an adult by he standards of the Noldor is Lady Mortitor. [Not sure that name is right.] She changed his diapers when he was younger, and is now Chamberlain. Lady Marissa is a human-she might possibly be a drow, but more likely a human. He cannot elevate her, but might wish he could.

"The ambassador himself was previously assigned to [unclear] at one time, therefore, he has some experience. She reshuffled the assignments because Lady Mortitor had been in charge of the ambassadorial assignment. She has shuffled the ambassadors and apparently decidedly Canberry to be an extremely important place for a good ambassador."

"He is then also of the same cadet house as Lady Allinor Quellar?"

"He is one step down. He is a drow of Quellar-Magthere. Quellar is the name of the Shadow Elf House that he answers to."

"But that is indicative of of a loyalty line within their structure."

"Oh, yes, we are of all things the most organized structurally, and the Moriquendarim have more of them than we do of us, so, therefore they can be more organized. That's our fault, you know. Lady Allinor is comparable to an 18 year old--she is not of course human, but that would be the best equivalent."

"We can hardly criticize important positions of state being held by people of that age."

"No, that would be difficult, but it sounds like Lady Mortitor is the one who is actually organizing things and actually getting things done."

"Yes, and she keeps a very close eye on the chief of staff, who, after all, is younger than even the young proconsul. His father removed all of his friends with him, so that they would be as safe as possible, without realizing that the lady who had been assigned after Quinliart had not fully succeeded in cleaning the situation up. They are showing early signs of success. Thus far they're moving slowly; they respect the Mother of Death, but do not allow her to dominate their counsels, even though you know she should have more wisdom than they do. But I would not worry about any deliberate treachery on their part. They've eliminated slavery in the Enclave, and are about to offer a compact to other like-minded Enclaves to sign, freeing any slave that enters their territory. They are under much pressure to develop other economic streams, because all Homeland really care about is how much money each region brings in. But attacks by Quinliart's seneschal or one of his apprentices, I do see as possible. They're still mobile and still on this coast."

"We then do need to plan escape routes for myself and the Empress and of course Kit and the Empress's companion."

"I assume that Lord Davion would feel the need to cover our retreat under such a circumstance?" asks Kit.

"Of course."

"Also I find it unlikely that such people would be able to pose a serious threat to Lord Davion, but they could pose a threat to us while we retreat."

"That is exactly my take on this. Their Lord Quinliart himself, were he still mobile, might actually be a threat to me, given how many Eldritch powers he has gained."
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 141, cont'd]
"May I ask you a question that is not connected to this, but is connected to Lord Silverleaves's unfortunate injuries? Are there paragon-level Farsensors that might be willing to assist in efforts against the enemy, because we had been planning on asking Lord Silverleaves if he could try to trace where there might be a creche of clones of various of the enemy that will surely have stronger defenses than what we just encountered. That means that it would need to be not merely a grandmaster, and of course far beyond any human, or even illithid or the like, psion."

"There would need to be someone of paramount ability. Aufaulgautharim has such a person, but the House mourns now, of course, because of the High Clans Lady."

"Of course."

"Guldurim have such a thing, but I don't recommend speaking to them. You could ask the Princess if there is one within Curinirim. They keep their potency tight to their chest. I am sure that Lord Silverleaves is the most powerful within Singing Leaves."

"Farsensing is, as I understand it, a more typical school among the Eldar, where the Noldor have more Coercers for example."

"Yes, there almost certainly is a paragon within the Steading of the Elven Lords or the Elder Wood, but reaching them would be challenging. I could not assist you with that in any way. I would be incinerated by the defenses, of course."

"We've already had had challenges having effective communication with them, even with Lord Silverleaves as an intermediary."

"They're simply not terribly in touch with this reality anymore. To be fair, neither are some of my people. Traveling around, making friends, being a royal champion helps to keep me young and engaged. Indeed, I suppose some of the Eldron might well be paragon Farsensors. I suppose you could approach the uncommitted. It's easy to forget that the few that remain keep their power undivided. Likewise, the House of Hastur is essentially all uncommitted, and they, of course, would have paragons. The difficulty with them, of course, is you deal with some level of insanity with any of the older members. You can't fight pure chaos that long, and not lose something. So you depend on luck. I mean, you can't exactly say please give me your most sane paragon level Farsensor--that just doesn't sound good. But you know, perhaps you could say, could you lend us 2 or 3 paragon level Farsensors?"

"And then we pick the most sane of the ones they send."

"Or more, then we assemble a meta-concert and have the most sane perform the actual communications and investigations, while the others simply provide a ridiculous amount of power and capability. Another thing you could do, of course, is to wait for Lord Silverleaves to recover, and then back him with as many psions as you can find."

"Again, if we assume that they would have substantially more significant defenses there than were on that voller..."

"I think the most difficult thing will be locating it. I think your best method of locating it may be to send people to investigate who have a reason to be there, keep close track of their movements, and when they vanish, investigate the area where they have vanished because that will be where the creche is."

"It is very reasonable, albeit it's a tad more ruthless than I ever like to be."

"But you are dealing with a very unique situation, my lord. You are attempting to save the world for your children and grandchildren their extremely great-grandchildren, utterly great-grandchildren. You need to do whatever it takes. You must send people into the homeland to investigate. Your enemies will not be simply those of the Eldritch. Your enemy will include members of most of the great Houses if they realize that you're there."

"So you think the creche is in your homeland?"

"I have reviewed what we know. Every evidence I could find suggests that they must be buried in one of the three great necropoli, because who would look there. Are you aware of the size of those things? Remarkable. Layer upon layer of chambers and roofs, and perfectly cut out things with either nothing in them, or a crypt on rare occasions in them, or more commonly a collection of items that no one decided to keep in a more particular place. Hiding a cloning creche there would be simplicity. We already found out that there's at least one traitor there still. Yes, yes. Why would the enemy not put it in the safest location? Even better, from their perspective, their enemy will protect it. Can you imagine the House of Guldurim discovering intruders for whatever reason tolerating the intrusion? As long as the traitor is someone that the people in the necropolis know, they will never think to question him. Stoneworkers from a human nation would be best. They import them all the time. I can instruct them on what to look for if you wish."

"Yes, we were already arranging for a group of those to be recruited."

"I can also contact them regularly. My Farsensing is nothing to write home about, but if I know them before they leave, I can touch their minds once a day to pick up any information, and frankly, I may be a renegade by the standards of House Aufaulgautharim, but I am a member of House Aufaulgautharim-- no one will question why I'm touching the mind of a few bricklayers and masons."

"We can arrange that. I think we will also reach out to Princess Curinirim to find out if they have a paragon Farsensor, who would be willing to to scan for it. It may not work, but best to try both approaches."

"Absolutely, and her House, much as it rankles Lord Guldurim, ranks all the other Houses, except for Aufaulgautharim. The strict rule among my people is to never disturb anyone higher than you in the hierarchy. As I said, this is my advice, and I heartily concur that you need to speak to the Princess." Lord Davion pauses. "I feel like I have offered far more advice today than I should."

"We thank you. This is all far more in your bailiwick than in ours."

"And once it has been found deep in one of the necropoli, I suspect it will be us who determine how to eliminate it."

"Presumably then we could get the great Houses to take action."

"I think so, although some of the Houses are irrational when it comes to the necropoli-- you should be aware of this. That is a part of why the Eldritch may have chosen to hide their efforts there."

"We may also still poke around elsewhere, just to be on the safe side."

"It cannot hurt, it cannot hurt. But there are several things you may find in the mausoleum of the Noldor that may be helpful to fight the Eldritch."

"We may be able to find the bodies of some of the traitors."

"Indeed, and also I suspect that there are powers and dreadful corruptions that could be done with any of the bones that remain in the necropoli."

"I know that that's not typical for the Noldor."

"There might be exceptional cases. There have been on occasion, particularly during the blood war, the kinslaying. Some of those bones are still kept, and so then those might also be targeted for other reasons."

"To raise great undead or to channel power."

"Yes. Oh, yes, some of those in the kinslaying were beings of high honor, and if they fell on the Field of Blood, they were transferred as they should be to the next realm. But some of the other creatures that fell the Creator and his Brother both cast aside and their bones remained. Interestingly, though they are kept in the necropolis, they're already considered cursed."

"They've never been sanctified?" asks Dame Brionna.

"I had not considered that till the very moment you spoke of it, my lady. You are a paladin, a holy warrior of the Light. Are there limits to your ability to deal with the undead?"

"Oh, yes, there are both the innate limits of how much divine energy I can channel, which is limited by the extent of my training and my limitations in my physical form and so forth. And also, sometimes it is easier to channel the power of Glordiadel than others, for reasons that remain mysterious to me, as are the main ways of gods."

"Of course. Do you sense them? Can you tell where they are?"

"Yes, I can indeed sense them, but I have to concentrate on it, and I might be a little distracted."

"But also I'm sure we have some other effects that can enable others to to do so, as well," adds Alistair.

"I just mention it now that I am considering these possibilities, and the uncomfortable feeling of the possibility of a fifth column underneath our feet."

"How difficult would it be if they did manage to gain some of those skeletons?"

"We've already said that for the traitor, it is much easier to move dead than living because there's no psychic signature to seek for."

"An unpleasant and disquieting thought."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. It is rare that at this age I have unpleasant and disquieting thoughts."

"We have them all the time. I'm glad to know that if we live for a few more centuries, we'll have fewer of them."

Dame Brionna says, "I think the treasury of the archdiocese of Glordiadel might have what we're looking for--a banner that would drive the undead away from it. It's a little ostentatious but is there, any way, perhaps, to process that over the various sewer tunnels?"

"I'm sure we could. That would really be something of a parade--we could arrange for a parade and a procession of the banner as part of the next holy day celebration. Perhaps like various holy mystery plays where there are stations all across the city, and then the banner processes among them."

"And we could have the children of the city gathered in for those events, especially in the poorer parts of the city. The banner can create a heroes' feast effect as well, which would benefit the children greatly."

"Hmm. There is an order of nuns, the Society of the Helpers of the Poor, who are very interested in taking care of kids. Also the Order of Saint Dillygaff of the Fields--also an order of nuns. I guess we'll have to have a procession with nuns, one way or the other."

"That's fine," comments Kit. "Nuns will probably be less threatening to some kids."

"And we can have a bunch of paladins in the procession in shiny armor--that's just a thing you do in religious parades," adds Alistair.

"Frankly, I thought I'd ride my flying horse above the procession to keep an eye from the air."
[End session 141]


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## CPaladin

Session 142 (April 13, 2022)

31 Tar
They address a long delayed letter from Zorplona-Moriquendarim. [Included below--it was long delayed in part because the PCs who sent it are in a much earlier time than this group, separated by about six months of game time.]

---------------------------------------------------------------

Unto the His Imperial Majesty, Alastair, Emperor of the Restored South Kingdoms, Archduke of Canberry, Chosen of the Light, Sovereign of the Heights and Depths, and Lord of his other domains,

Greetings from friends in the enclave of Zaplona-Moriquendi'rim.

It has come to Our attention that You and Your Empire are involved in the great battle against the forces of the Eldritch.  As We too are engaged in battling this most ancient of evils We have attached documentation detailing the strengths and vulnerabilities of the Eldritch creatures We have encountered and studied to date.

Further, We have received reports that You have acquired a quantity of orichalcum for this effort.  We have at Our disposal a methodology for the powdering and storage of this material allowing more measured quantities to be affixed to weapons, such as arrowheads, and used in spells to cleanse the taint. This will allow a single ounce to be reduced to over 50,000 motes.  This both minimizes, though does not eliminate, the plane rending effects of utilizing orichalcum against Eldritch energies as well as stretching the available supply.  If it isYour wish, the enclave of Zaplona-Moriquendi'rim would gladly host a representative, most effectively a mage or psychokinetian, while We assist You in this matter.

We hope this information is of assistance to You and can form the basis of a fruitful relationship between Our enclave and Your empire.

Should You choose to send a representative, future updates and intelligence can be provided and received through them.  We thank You for Your stalwart bravery and Your efforts against the Eldritch.

May Your reign be long and prosperous,

Sent this the 23rd day of the month of Tar-Ghast, Year of the Wyvern, first cycle of the fifth age,
Lord Proconsul Hinuusinta Moriquendi'rim of Zaplona-Moriquendi'rim
..................................................................................................​
They agree to share intelligence and gratefully wish to learn to use orichalcum better.

They summon Dame Constance, who comes with Dame Agatha, her chief assistant.

“According to the Libram Apothecarious, orichalcum can, when reacting with a material that causes explosions, rend a hole in reality, usually leaving a gaping hole to the Abyss, for no more than a few dozens of years.”

“Could the other outsiders use this to bring through more of their forces? The eldritch, perhaps?”

“No, only creatures from the Abyss.”

“Why the Abyss?” asks Kit.

“The upper layers of the Abyss—the ones ruled by the Council of Six—have been pushing hard to conquer our plane for many years. It has resulted in some contact between the planes, and of course the Shadowlands represents an area where they have succeeded. The punch through from an orichalcum explosion is nowhere near sufficient to create breach into planes that are presently controlled by the Unspeakable. They are strong enough to temporarily disrupt the fabric of reality in such a way that demons can pass through, as I said, for no more than a few dozen years.”

“That’s a few dozen years too many,” mutters Kit.

“I entirely agree. They're despicable creatures. They should be eradicated. All of my devils agree with this.”

“We’ve generated a variety of orichalcum explosions. Have demons passed through as a result of any of those?”

“No, I would have been able to detect it. The only such disturbance I detected on Drucien was far in the north. I surmise that the people who informed you about this must have used too much.”

“The Enclave of Zorplona-Moriquendarim has been fighting actively against the eldritch in their region.”

“So they got rid of the Unmentionable, and gained a few demonic foes. They're warning you against the same, I gather.”

“Indeed, which was particularly dismaying to us, because, as I said, we've been unaware of the risk.”

“Compared to the risk of the Unmentionable, it's very minor, really.”

“We cannot discontinue the use of orichalcum, but we may be able to be more careful with it.”

Dame Constance replies gravely, “I don't know of a method we could reduce the orichalcum to small enough particles to prevent any risk.”

“They said that psychokineticists could separate it into approximately 50,000th of an ounce, and that those would be small enough.”

“Oh, trust the elves to have figured out such things. Any of the elves, really,” she says as she looks towards Dame Agatha. Throughout the conversation, Dame Agatha has been taking all of the notes—unusual, because Dame Constance always took her own notes. The Council assumes that this is part of Dame Constance’s aging and succession planning, but does not ask-- “are you about to be dragged off to Hell for years and years?” seems a little blunt, even for Dame Constance. “Are they offering to assist you in this?”

“Yes, largely in offering training or assistance to our people. We will certainly take them up on that.”

“Very wise. I guess I hadn't really thought of the potentiality of the demons as being a major concern. I can see that it could be... yes, yes, you're correct, of course. I imagine this is why you're an emperor, and I'm just a diabolist. I assumed that since we could wipe out demons and we couldn't necessarily wipe out the other… Huh!”

“Again, nobody's arguing that that we should not use the orichalcum to defeat them. Just that we may want to be a little bit more it's circumspect about it.”

They send a representative to Zorplona-Moriquendarim to get assistance on orichalcum. The Minister of the Mind reports that they only have an adept psychokineticist to send, so they make do with that, but they also send a senior mage. They have a basic rundown on what Zorplona-Moriquendarim has discovered. The blooddriven are the most dangerous of the local servitors; they age over the course of 10 years, increasing in danger in time, before merging into the enemy after 10 years. They also have hive minds, but the hive minds are separate—they all have a connection to Lord Quinliart and through him to the Enemy, but they don’t talk directly to each other, which has slowed their ability to get reinforcements. They also confirm that two gray elves (from the Hidden Enclave) have been corrupted.

Kit also reports that there is a very artful new employee in Zorplona-Moriquendarim’s pleasure dome in Glittertowers, called the Marchioness, with a very select clientele. Kit sends the fanciest of Naughty Bits to investigate further and hear what can be heard. They send them by voller, and they will arrive on roughly the 30th of O-Tar. (27 hexes west, 154 hexes north; each step west is 21.65 miles, each step north is 25 miles, so 585 miles west and 3850 miles north, for a Pythagorean total of about 3900 miles. Human military vollers travel about 200 miles/day at ordinary speed, so it’s roughly a 20 day flight for military vollers. Trade vollers?)

Dame Brionna has a report from Clarence Strawberry.  [Attached.] They are still getting refugees in the south, though not as frequently as previously. A group of “bandits” were pursuing a group of 200 refugees, and the Earl of Mountainmarch sent forces to defend them. He was able to defeat them, but at the cost of 40 ultra heavy foot, which suggests that the “bandits” were a much more capable force than normal bandits. The Earl of Mountainmarch is a direct vassal to the Duke of Grimcliff in Canberry, and he controls most of our aluminum and copper mines. He has a large number of dwarves and mines in his domain. They all speculate that there must be specific targets among the refugees—important refugees or people of mixed heritage.

They contact the Earl through a human farsensor.

“Oh, my lord Archduke,” the Earl says while getting down on one knee and bowing deeply. He's not young.

“Honored cousin, we wish to thank you for attending to the defense of the refugees recently. We had a few questions about the matter and we hoped you could enlighten us.”

“Of course, your Grace, in whatever way I can.”

“For bandits they inflicted far too heavy casualties.”

“These were no bandits. Your Grace, I've seen my share of bandits. You can't have mining communities and not have. They were disguised as bandits, but when you cut through raggedy clothing you come across high-quality armor. When you examine the bows, which have had attachments given them to make them look like peasant bows, they’re war bows from one end to the other. This is a troop of military personnel from somewhere. I have two alive. I refuse to resort to torture-- the Light of Glordiadel does not shine on such endeavor-- and they refuse to answer any question we put to them.”

“We of course approve of your refusal to engage in atrocities, and we would never suggest that you do otherwise. But we may have means that are more effective than simply questioning, without violating the principles of our Lord of Light.”

“Do you wish me to transfer them to your care? A unit of cavalry that came to the aid of my men but are actually service to the Duke himself are still here. We were fortunate. They saw the trail and decided to follow it from their patrol position.”

“Indeed, if you could send them via that means, do so.”

“I certainly will.”

“Once you cut away the disguises, did they have any rank, insignia or unit markings, or anything like that that might reveal where they were from?”

“Everything had been scuffed out or removed, your Grace. They're definitely not from any part of the Archduchy, and I do not know who is in the South anymore, so it is difficult for me to guess who it might be. I am sure they are not Cese Maian.”

“Are they of Southern stock?”

“Yes, clearly.”

“Were they all human?”

“All of the ones that we were able to defeat were human. My commander tells me that one of the ones that escaped... what did he call it?”

They hear a younger voice reply, “A tiefling, your grace.”

“One of the commanders was a tiefling, whatever that is.”

“We’re familiar with them.”

“Also distinctive enough that we can start asking around,” adds Dame Brionna.

“Yes, we need to get a mental image of that person,” comments Kit.

“You don't happen to have any of that one's blood, do you?”

“Bring me the commander. I know he's resting from his wounds, but I need to speak with him,” says the Earl.

“Tieflings, my lord earl, are part demons or part devilkind, descendants of demons or devils, without being truly fiendish themselves, nor even half demons or devils, but grandchildren and great grandchildren and the like.”

Dame Kit knows through her agents throughout the Duchy that the Earl of Mountainmarch is older, craggy, and known to be extremely orthodox in his faith. His reaction to this information reflects that.

After a moment, the Earl speaks to someone the Council can’t see. “His Grace the Archduke wishes to know if anyone drew the blood of the tiefling you said was in command.”

“Your grace, please tell his ultimate grace that he was cut, as it were, by one of my men, with their secondary weapon. Unfortunately, that soldier rests in light, and his wound, by some abominable magic, healed itself. He retreated, but only when his force was reduced below a level where any competent commander could have expected victory. And if it pleases you, ultimate grace, I am fairly certain that they were after a very specific group of twelve among the refugees. Before I went to the healers to see to my own wounds, I took the liberty to separate those twelve out quietly. I was going to write a report to your grace, and to the honored dame that advises the Archduke, with the approval of my lord Earl. But apparently I do not have to.”

“If the secondary weapon of the soldier who wounded him and then died can be recovered, ideally with the blood that was on it...”

“The weapon was buried with his body, as a standard battle honor.”

“Then, please have the blood gathered off that weapon by an alchemist or skilled mage with an interest in alchemy, who will understand what it means to try to keep that blood usable for arcane purposes. I think we will go hunting.”

The Earl faithfully repeats everything Alistair says, even if the mention of “arcane purposes” causes a slight twist to his lip.

“Now, tell us about these refugees—the twelve.”

“Your grace, I've lived in these mountains all of my life. Those refugees are clearly fae blooded, though not of the fae that we are used to here. Perhaps brownies.”

The Council quickly agrees to contact the Tor to protect them. “Some of our fae friends will be coming to provide them individual protection.”

The Earl is much happier passing that along than he was saving blood for spell.

The Earl’s commander says, “I’ll personally see to their protection until then.”

You're not personally going anywhere until you're healed up,” commands the Earl. “I'll send your adjunct, and I'll send some squads from the other regiment in case just in case.”

“I’m capable of duty, my lord.”

“I'm sure you are, and I'd like you to remain capable of duty, and you have gaping wounds all over, and a lot of them take time to heal because they don't take to the clerics for some reason.”

Alistair interjects, “Wait! What do you mean by that?”

“Our priests have always been able to take care of all of our healing needs. Your grace, I mean no disrespect to the church.”

“No, of course not.”

“For some reason, their touch is not healing the wounds of my men. Their care has always triumphed over the wounds of the enemy before.”

“All the wounds, or only some?”

“Only some, but particularly, for example, the ones that my commander suffered, and they were unable to save the brave soldier who fought the tiefling.”

<<Those might need to be isolated until we can get a team to them with a redactor,>> Kit comments over the mindlink within the Council.

After checking with the psion that the commander can’t hear him without the Earl repeating it, Alistair says, “You’ll need to watch the commander for any sign of unusual behavior. My captain of the Guard has a variety of groups of paladins of Glordiadel and priests and some adjuncts to them that we use to investigate certain matters that that are reflective of the touch of demons, or the like. We’ll send some out to look into this.”

“Your eminent grace, I am humbled by your willingness to send your own people to help me.”

“In the same way that you, as the Lord of Mountainmarch, had an obligation to defend those refugees that you so well rose to the occasion of, I have an obligation to my vassals and my people.”

“I am very pleased to hear that, my lord, and very thankful that you are our liege.”

“Does that surprise you? That ought to be what you would expect of your overliege?”

“I am an old man, your Grace. Things might have slipped a bit.”

“There was a difference between when you are in your youth, and my grandmother was in her prime, and when you were older and she was as well.”

“Forgive me, my lord, but yes.”

“She knew that as well as I did. And we can only be glad that she remained as hail and capable for as long as she did before her decline.”

“The blessings of the light upon her.”

“Indeed. Were there any among this group of soldiers who had strangely translucent flesh or a blue flame within them?

“No… but there were some that had... Commander, a tattoo?”

“I'm not sure it was a tattoo, my lord. It was a marking upon their flash, generally in the small of their back. A small blue sun marking.”

“That is a marking we have seen before, though usually on the sole of the foot.”

“These were distinctly on the small of the back.”

“I don't know what the significance of of the difference is, but that that helps us greatly in identifying who they were. Those are the followers of one of Lord Glordiadel’s cousins in the light, if you understand what I mean, in a heretical side cult.”

He nods grimly. “Of course, I should have suspected heresy.”

“I don't want to encourage you to be... let's just say we must always remember that we are Glordiadelian and not Paranswarmian.”

“Of course, my lord.”

“But if you hear of any reports of people following a blue star or a blue flame or a blue sun, those need to be passed up the line.”

“As you say, your grace, I certainly will do. So they are most typically found among the Sytryites?”

“Yes, but there are some who would get led into heresy from the Holy Church itself.”

“I will do my best to make certain that does not happen while I am alive, Your Grace, and I'm sure that my son will follow.”

“I'm certain that you will do admirably, and that he will as well.”

They ask for some more details about the refugees. They are all children, though mostly not young children, and none of their parents have been identified, though the rest of the refugees were attempting to protect them.

“The rest of the refugees were from a spice plantation at the very western edge of the Spice Lands-- they had been driven out. They were fleeing, and word apparently reached them that there was refuge up here. I fear that Cese Mai lacks the strength sustain its most outlying villages and plantations.”

“We are working to rebuild it; but, as you may know, this is the same heresy that their former archbishop fell into. You may be aware that he was removed by the Patriarch.”

“I was aware that he was removed. I had no idea why, though.”

“You see, this is why we need to walk an appropriate line in recognizing that the Church is a merciful, good faith and a faith that protects all of its people, and that does not view the harming of the innocent as an acceptable cost, while at the same time we need to find these these heretics, so they may be corrected if they have simply fallen into error and dealt with appropriately if they have knowingly engaged in evil.”

“Thank you, your Grace. I will meditate upon your words and pray with my confessor.”

“Thank you, cousin, for your worthy service in this regard. As I said, we will be sending some of the captain’s investigators, and some who have additional healing gifts beyond the norms of a typical priest, to assist in healing as well as to recover the blood and to defend the refugees.”

“Thank you, your Grace. I will see that chambers are prepared for them.”

“We know that there are these enemies active in your area. Make certain that you know of any among your people who have fae blood or elven blood, and that they are kept safe. You should be aware that this enemy may strike at them as well, and they must be kept safe.”

“You think they have more troops, then?”

“We know that their most capable escaped, and I would expect them to deploy more.”

They wrap up the conversation as the Earl asks his son to call up the informal militia and prepare the dwarves for possibly needing to fight.

The Imperial Council sends a message to Dame Constance and Dame Agatha that they expect to soon have a sample of blood of a tiefling who appears to be part of the enemy's operations.
[cont'd]


----------



## CPaladin

[Session 142, cont'd]
Alistair points out that, when they were in Lyneham, there was a young man with fertility problems at the same time as the cult of the Ram was becoming active, and that might have led to a bigger problem. Kit reaches out to the owner of the bawdy house in Lyneham (who was assigned by the Naughty Bits, of course) to find out about the person with the complicated parental history.

<<I wanted to check in about a child who should have been born recently.>> Kit gives her agent a description of the family and the danger signs.

<<The child is hale and healthy, with none of the danger signs. So not with the child at least.>>

<<What about the father?>>

<<The father's dead! He was really ripped apart by something north of the town wall when he was out cutting wood. Probably mauled by a bear. There have been other deaths of that sort, but not in years. The locals, though, are sure it was a bear.>>

<<How's the widow taking it?>>

<<She wasn't happy. I mean, she loved him. That was obvious. I don't really understand that part-- you know, you use ‘em for what you want and then you move on, I’ve always said. But I guess that was not her way, and she did love him, and she was very sad, but she was also afraid because he was the breadwinner.>>

<<Is she all right now?>>

<<Aye, your steward took her in as a seamstress. So now you have a seamstress.>>

<<Good, and that is exactly why I put him there as the steward, because he is the sort of person who would take care of things like that.>>

<<The priest did their thing and buried him. Very sad, really. There aren't often wild animal attacks. Apparently they've seen bear attacks before, but not for twenty years. I'm not wandering out of town, I'll tell you that right now, my lady.>>

<<Was it a full moon when he was killed?>>

<<Yes, it was. Why? Oh, you think it might have been a werebear?>>

<<So, the werefolk in town are good citizens. I want to maintain good relations with them. But if this was a lovers quarrel gone wrong with a werefolk...>>

<<Oh dear, that if that's all it was, then the matter is probably over. But I really hope that woman is all right.>>

<<It’s notable that werebears to an even greater degree then the other lycanthropes in that area are known for being both lawful and good.>>

<<Oh, so maybe the late husband was up to no good, and the wearbear was doing some kind of justice… I'll see what I can do to look into it. My lady, you know there's more trade through here now, also. So it might have been someone passing through. And unfortunately, the town is too small to really support more than the two knights.>>

<<Well, we're hoping to make the town grow a little bit more but I trust your discretion on making those inquiries. My main concern is for the woman's welfare.>>

<<I'll make certain.>>

<<I think the threat from the Order of the Ram is probably over, but we want to make absolutely sure.>>

<<I've seen no signs, but we will certainly keep an eye out.>>

<<I trust your discretion, and you know how to contact me if you need to. We’re also going to be setting up an Order of the Stag—their head will be a good person for you to know.>>

<<Very good. Thank you for keeping an eye on us, milady.>>

<<You're welcome. We'll be able to travel back to Lyneham soon, I hope.>>

<<Oh, the people would love to see you, milady, you're a legend here.>>

<<A legend!>>

<<Oh, yes! Well, you got to realize about the town, I've been told more times than I want to discuss, it was failing completely, and falling, I think, into a hole in the ground. Well, and then you came along, and it does seem to be growing over time. And the next thing they knew the town was on sound footing. The manor had been repaired. The inn had more custom. Now there's tourism--there really isn't my lady, it's merchants--but they see it as tourism.>>

<<I'm glad that I could help, and Lyneham is a good place. It just needed someone to pay attention to it.>>

<<And they're very happy to have you as their liege-lady, and they think they might be part of the Empire of Canberry but nobody can decide if they are.>>

<<They absolutely are, and the Empire will take good care of them as well. In a few months, when the heir to Lyneham is a little more able to travel and a little more interactive, we'll be bringing him for an official visit.>>

<<Oh, the steward will be delighted, I'm sure, everyone will be. Just please, my lady, let me know in advance.>>

<<And your establishment does well?>>

<<Oh, absolutely. Definitely the liveliest bawdy house I've ever seen, in part because the people don't have anything to do. Everyone comes to the bawdy house for the burlesque. They can learn how to include low humor in our burlesque-- high humor isn’t worth trying.>>

<<Right. Well, maybe you can branch out into other kinds of, you know, performance.>>

<<We have regular singing and dancing to give them entertainment. We have even added a poetry night. You don't want to know what they come up with as poetry, my lady, I want you to know I've had a little education, I know that a poem ought to rhyme.>>

<<Generally, yes.>>

<<Well, they don't.>>

<<I'm glad that they are enjoying themselves, and giving you some kind of artistic satisfaction.>>

<<And that school miss you sent is doing a bang-up job with the kids. Maybe she can give some lessons to the grown-ups about literature and poetry. I've been trying to figure out how to suggest that. I’ll see what I can do.>>

<<It’s winter, they need some indoor pursuits.>>

<<Yep. If that will be all, it's an honor to talk to you.>>

<<Thank you. I appreciate your service, and please let me know if you find out anything else. Otherwise we will be in touch at the time of regular reports.>>

“If it’s the main entertainment in town, that also means that we will almost certainly need to attend the burlesque when we visit,” comments Alistair with a bit of a smile.

“And then we're going right home,” responds Kit.

“Of course. I'm just saying that one needs to be seen at major functions of the town.”

“Also, it's her county,” adds Dame Brionna, a little severely.

“Of course it's her county.”

“And we’ll go to the burlesque, but then we're going right home after,” says Kit firmly.

-----
A Farsensor creates a connection to Ecsilias.

“Your Majesty."

“Your most excellency. We had a few matters that we wanted to discuss with you, and also it felt that it would be wise in general for our lands to maintain closer ties especially in light of the current needs with regard to Hanal and with providing security guarantees for Ecsilias while Ecsilias takes actions in Hanal that we could not ourselves do. We wanted to know whether you were aware of some difficulties in the City of the Dead in Enclaves.”

“No?”

“We found out about this through some papers that we captured from the enemy, that the Forbidden, the Eldritch, have stirred up an uprising within the City of the Dead against the Priests of Death and against Zorplona-Moriquendarim, who would otherwise be in control there. They are taking actions to reclaim the area, but they have as yet not fully done so. Once we had learned of the initial problem, we received confirmation from some of the leaders of your faith who, of course, maintain closer ties to the Priests of Death than we do. But it's quite a difficult problem, and there have been further issues, both there and elsewhere, with graveyards being defiled, and the undead being raised, and attacks against both the Priests of Death and against others who would try to maintain the peaceful repose of the corpses.”

“Very concerning.”

“It is, and especially because Enclaves is, as it were, in your backyard, we thought that it was particularly appropriate that we provide information about that to you, shall we say in a spirit of comity and in the spirit of recognition that matters that happen closer to you, even if they are beyond your formal boundaries, are of more significant interests to you than they are to us, and we should respect that in the same way that of course, we're sure that you would similarly respect issues that arise in areas near Canberry that might come to your attention.”

“We’re deeply appreciative of this, your Majesty. As a point of fact, there are millions of corpses in the City of the Dead. If they managed a mass raising of corpses and desecration, it could cause more than a little problem throughout the region.”

“That’s why we felt that it's important that we all support our allies in regaining control over that area and in purging the ongoing problems.”

“Thank you. I will speak to my spy mistress, and see if she can move some people around to gain more information. And I thank you for the lead very much.”

“No matter. It was the least we could do.”

“Things go well for you otherwise?”

“They do, they do," replies Alistair. "We continue to have some difficulties with these great enemies. Some of them attempted to entrap one of my vassals, to lead him into a situation where they could assassinate him or capture him for foul purposes. That was most dismaying, but we were able to to deal with that without that much difficulty.”

“We hear that they seem obsessed with you.”

“Yes, they are. We gather there are some prophecies.”

“Of course, you also have become a powerful figure in your church.”

“Indeed, that may drive them as well. Some of the powerful figures in your church have been major targets of theirs to unfortunate effect.”

“That is exactly right, your Majesty.”

They discuss the campaign in Hanal. Ecsilias has been able to capture the voller yards outside the capital, though not to make them operational against the usurpers’ sky navy.

“I do believe there's a way forward to victory, unless there's something going on that we don't see,” says the Archbaron.

“There are some plans in motion that that the Queen-Empress Anastasia has underway that I hope in the next few months will give us some additional hope of victory.”

“Spring will be the time for the next campaign to begin fully. I fear that it will be more than a generation before Hanal is what we have always thought of.”

“But perhaps the new Hanal will be a better Hanal, however much of it remains.”

“Indeed, I hope you're correct, your majesty. I also hope that they recover fairly quickly, because they are the balance to Masque. Both are expansionistic powers, though with Anastasia in charge Hanal may become more restive as Masque has with Flana in charge, and we might see a new balance. But if Flana were overthrown, without Hanal to balance Masque, much of the North would fall.”

“Do you hear murmurings of motion against her?”

“Not all of the orders are happy, and of course, there are continuing problems with the Brown Lands and Yar. She's been moving additional troops to hold the borders there. Now three full orders have been fully committed to suppressing anything from exiting—the Boar, the Spider, and one other. My agents within report to me that that there is evidence that the soldiers that are overly exposed to to the border sometimes can no longer bear children or bear mutants. When mutants are born, the law of Masque states that they must be put to death, which does not make for a non tense internal situation.”

“No. I thought that much of the social order of Masque was based on the fact that that mutants were so prevalent. All the stuff with the masks.”

“Yes; but to reach the age of majority, a child must not have an obvious mutation. If a masked couple have a child that’s known to the authorities to be a mutant, the child is put to death. This leads to some tension and concealment from the government, which you do not want. At any rate, historically, I'm told that the Order of the Spider alone sustained the border. They do not have children. They are an all-female order, and to join the order they have forsworn having offspring. The two orders that have been moved in to back them are male orders, many of them with families, with wives, with children.  It’s a necessity—the creatures coming out of the Brown Lands and Yar can be quite a threat to the commons--but it is not encouraging the people to loyalty to Flana.

“And, of course, now the rumor has begun spreading, as I'm sure your own agents have told you, that the reason that this was not a problem before is because the King-Emperor somehow restrained the powers of the Brown Land and Yar, and that Flana murdered the King-Emperor to take the throne. Well, you see where that leads, your Majesty.”

“Indeed.”

“So I would not say there is a danger now. The Order of the Mantis is a bulwark, and they know she had nothing to do with murdering the King-Emperor. As it spreads, who can say? I do not see a problem soon. But twenty years from now, ten years from now, I cannot say for sure.”

“I appreciate your information. It is something that we all need to keep an eye on. There was one other matters that I wanted to to inquire about. We have had, as I mentioned, a small problem recently, with a trap that was laid for one of my vassals. They kidnapped a friend of his and sought to use that to lead him into a trap. When we were able to rescue his friend and end the danger, we found that there was evidence that suggested that someone had sent an assassin to try to eliminate the risk of the trap in a, shall we say, more aggressive way. We think that that the people who did that had the best of intentions. But it still offends us that someone would, not to put too fine a point on it, but to take out a contract on the life of one of our people and seek to deal with that directly rather than consulting us. Now, we don't know who it might have been, who was responsible for this. But we do believe that they hired an assassin in Enclaves, and since this took place in your sphere of influence, we thought that you might be in a better position to infer who might have been responsible.”

“Hiring an assassin in Enclaves… that's a very odd way to go about things.”

“We have fewer assassins than many empires, but it's a long way to travel.”

“Yes, it is, and I can ask my own agents to look into the matter, but it seems you believe they had good intention. I do not blame you for being angry. I will see if I can find anything. There are not that many nations that hire assassins and would have good intentions but there are some. Give me a week. I will talk to my spy mistress and have us poll our agents. This smacks of Lady Talon—it’s the type of thing she would do. I don't know why she would, although she is now seeking allies abroad. The Assassins Guild is notoriously tight lipped about its clients, but we may be able to ferret something out. It does seem like her style, though, and she has the gift of premonition. So I can imagine her taking a preemptive move if she saw something, particularly if she thought it might harm you. She views you with hope for the South.”

“Had the trap succeeded, it would have harmed us badly. However, had the assassin succeeded, it would have harmed us significantly, even as it would have prevented the worst problems.”

“Premonitions. I would never run my kingdom using it. Now, Lady Talon, she's a high secret order witch. It's what they do.”

“You know that they have faced demonic attacks that are aligned with the Eldritch.”

“Lovely. Yes, and she does have a tendency to handle things... I'll see if I can find out if you're correct. I have probably more agents there than you do. We have to. After all, we're right there.”

“Exactly. And though it is true that we have become closer to Lady Talon and her people then Canberry was, say, twenty years ago, we're still not truly allies.”

“I wonder if anyone is ever truly allied with the high secret order. That's the thing they always have their own agenda and their own mystical needs that they have to pursue that are separate from what might seems sensible to more grounded-in-the-mundane people. If she viewed you in a vision as being important to her future, she'd be all too likely to act on it.”

“At the same time, there are actions that you can take that would be appreciated, and there are other actions. I can't confront her about this without more information.”

“I'll see what I can do. It’s extraordinarily difficult to get information out of the Assassins’ Guild, but we might be able to gain information about a money transfer. Such a transfer would almost have to go through the Bank of Opposition, if they are for significant sums, and the fee for hiring an assassin to attempt to interfere in business that far south would be a significant sum. Bank records are, shall we say, not as secure.”

“We will be most grateful for anything you can turn up. One other minor matter. You know of the value of orichalcum in protecting against certain powers? As a result, I at all times, and both my closest advisors and my closest vassals, wear small amounts of orichalcum.”

“Isn't that explosive?”

“Well, yes, that's why I wear it in a pinky ring. I could stand to lose the digit if that were necessary to save my life. I mention this in part, because we have word that Zorplona-Moriquendarim has techniques that can produce very fine amounts of orichalcum that are still effective as protections and as weapons against the Eldritch, but without some of the hazards associated with a larger amount. I suspect that if you were to approach them they would be interested in selling to you? Now, of course you know as well as I do that any business with the elves who are not of the youngest varieties of elves carries a high cost.”

“Oh yes.”

“But it might be worth your while to approach them for some trade, and I know that they are eager to find new markets.”

“Yes, it's still so suspicious to my people that they appear to have abandoned slavery so abruptly.”

“It has to do with their internal factions.”

“Ah. Yes, I will send an ambassador to them.”

They wrap up with some pleasantries, and then attend to the needs of the psion who made the link and is now kneeling on the floor, surrounded by a pool of ice water.

“I should have thought of following the money, I really should have,” said Kit. “And the Broken Lands was another possibility we thought about—they might think they were our friends without really being our friends. Lady Talon’s spy mistress needs to learn they cannot do that in Canberry.”

“Let's wait.”

“I know, we need that confirmation. But then, that message should come via you or Empress’s Kaitlyn, if we can confirm this so that we are absolutely sure of it.”

“Yes, what I would ideally like to do is have the Body on the Mouth's behalf send a signal of strength at the same time as I or Kaitlyn diplomatically express our displeasure. To signal our power, and that while we appreciate their desire for friendship, we want to get across that there are certain lines with us.”

“And if you have a premonition that we are in danger, you tell us. You don't run an operation in our land.”

“Exactly. And in the same way that we were concerned that Ecsilias was being overly eager to show that it was a power, even though it is not truly a great power, it may be necessary to remind the Confederacy that, despite their personal power, they are not a great power.”

“I do like the ‘sending flowers to someone's secret girlfriend’ approach,” Kit says. “And if they ever want to actually be our allies, they need to never do that again. I’ll have my people set something up for when we have confirmation.”

3 O-Tar
They gather in a private chapel in the palace for Jamie’s Enlightening. Bishop Waters is performing the ceremony. Dame Brionna and Lord Silverleaves (whose bed has been brought in) will be the godparents. The ceremony is basically small, although there are still quite a few guests. Alistair is dressed in finery, but with no regalia, as he appears as “Sir Alistair of Lyneham.” Kit is in her regalia as Countess of Lyneham. Jamie’s siblings are there as well, of course, and Kaitlyn and her special friend were invited, but with a clear understanding that whether she feels comfortable attending is entirely up to her. They in fact feel entirely comfortable with the whole matter, and attend in Southern Kingdom court style.

The service goes smoothly and without any difficulties, and the socializing afterwards is straightforward.
[End Session 142]


----------



## CPaladin

Session 143 (April 28, 2022)

Time passes uneventfully.

6 O-Tar
Fairly early in the morning, one of Dame Brionna’s officers intercepts her, gives her a letter [attached], and says, “And what do we do now?”

She quickly reads the letter. “Where is the boy now?”

“Outside the palace. We didn’t want to bring him in without telling you about it first.”

“Send an investigation squad, and have Lord Brightspan meet with him and welcome him to the palace. If he reports anything amiss about the boy or his escort, tell me immediately.”

She hurries to meet Alistair and Kit.

“We have an unexpected visitor. The Kov of Snannurkaz has sent his nephew and heir-apparent to be fostered with us. Notably, there have already been two assassination attempts upon this child. I have sent a squad to investigate, simply because we need to make sure that this child has not, as part of these assassination attempts, been tainted in any way, and also young Lord Brightspan to view him, but also to befriend him.”

“Have you told him that he would be accepted as a fosterling? Or informed Anastasia?” asks Kit

“I have not. I thought I would tell Alistair first.”

“I appreciate it.”

“I also don't know whether or not this is his nephew, or whether that is a euphemism for a closer relationship. The phrasing is that he is the heir until His Grace has a child, which would suggest that he is, in fact, a nephew.”

Alistair comments, “A nephew would certainly make sense, although I don't know anything about whether the Kov has siblings, and whether they're still alive…”

“Presumably not if the child would be the heir,” Kit observes.

“And then, of course, there's also the question of what Princess Anastasia’s relationship with this child might be. We should find out some of that before we talk with her about this.”

“It should be noted that the salutation on the letter was both mistitling me as a grand dame, but also it was from ‘Pir Alredgoth, Grand Bashar of the Kov of Snannurkaz and in service to the Empress Anastasia.’”

“Makes sense. She has been styling yourself that way more recently. Bashar is their title for general, so a grand bashar is presumably something like a field marshal, but it might be a senior general below that rank. I suspect that our secretary in charge of genealogies we've consulted before will be able to tell us more about the relationships.”

They send for the secretary, and continue discussing the matter.

“I didn't want to formally bring him to you for fostering until we had sorted this all out.”

“Is he inside the palace?”

“Yes, I wanted to to run the diagnostic checks, but then, assuming he passes, get him inside as quickly as we can.”

“Should that be with the young princes, in our heavily guarded wing?”

“Not yet, not until we know he’s completely safe. I’ll send another page to question what the results of the scans were.”

That page quickly returns with young Lord Brightspan.

Lord Brightspan comments, “He's very pure.”

“In what way?”

“I'm not sure he would have survived in my grandfather's court. I'm sorry, Your Majesty, if I misspeak.”

“Is he naive, then?”

“Very. I believe he's been sheltered his entire life.”

“How old is he?”

“Nine, so he should at least have some sense of how things are. His father died, apparently in the defense of Snannurkaz early in the war.”

“Apparently, his uncle decided he was safer here. Is he the Kov’s brother’s son?”

“Yes, and the only member of the family left alive, apparently other than the Kov..”

“And I presume you sensed no corruption the assassination attempts may have left.”

“No, he's pure. I am not a hard man, Your Majesty, my ladies,” young Lord Brightspan says, somewhat incongruously as he is still a child. “Not yet. Perhaps one day, like my uncle. But he is innocent of the world. I think it must be a terrible world where I am telling you that I think that must be cured if he is to survive. I will go do penance later. I think his parents sheltered him more than was safe for a young man in his position. I'm calling him a young man, but he's a boy, a good boy. I'm sure he’s very loyal to Anastasia. He misses his mother a great deal.”

“Of course he would.”

Dame Brionna says, “In that case, I will send orders to have a brought in--still under heavier guard than is normal.”

“And keeping him well away from the rooms where the heirs are,” adds Kit.

With those orders given, the secretary of genealogies enters.

“Your Majesty, honored ladies, to stand in your presence again is definitely a great pleasure.”

“We wanted to know what you could tell us about the family of the Kov of Snannurkaz.”

“Small and shrinking. It's the bloodline, I think. And he has a great and chivalrous devotion to the Princess Anastasia, and therefore has refused eligible matches to this point. His brother, however, has a boy. I believe his brother is dead, although, Dame, your military people may know for sure whether his brother is dead. But I believe so, and that would make the boy the only heir of the line at this point.”

Kit says, “Has the line been failing for about 100 years? Just guessing…”

“Yes, about that. Frankly, may I speak freely? The great-grandfather married for love, always dangerous for a member of a ruling family. I could show you a hundred times in my genealogy. You take your loved one in other ways besides marriage, but he did not, and he married a sidhe noblesse.”

“Oh, and that's why the shrinking of the line.”

“Of course, I'm only a genealogist, but we've seen this sort of thing for other lines. I think his brother took after the fey line.”

“We should introduce him to the tree.”

“The Kov himself does not display very many of the traits, and he seems to be aging at the rate that a pure human does. His brother did not age at that rate and was still quite young in appearance when he was last seen. He is certainly in his thirties or close to it, and yet he could not display the characteristics that most human males do--you know, beard and such things, particularly in the North.”

“If he was that young physically, would he have been able to father a child?”

“Oh, yes, yes, the fae from some lineages are very, very fond of congress with the ladies. Fully capable of all that.”

“Are there relatives on the fae side?”

“Little is known of them. She came to him out of love. It is said, though I have no proof, that she perished in the moonlight after his death, that she simply shriveled away in sadness.”

“Do we at least know the Tor she came from?”

“Yes, I do have that much. I'm afraid I don't keep that at the tip of my tongue, but yes, it’s in the papers.”

“Get that to us?”

“Yes, Dame, gladly.”

“I assume Seelie?”

“Yes, certainly. The sidhe noblesse fell in love with him when he was young and handsome.”

“Given your expertise in geneology, what would your expectations be were the Empress Anastasia and the Kov of Snannurkaz to marry and have children? What would the nature of those children be?”

“Given her lineage… Hmm. For one thing there's a very high probability of some form of psionics which, is regarded as a grave threat in Hanal—they put psionic children to death. There would be a high probability of infant death or inability to conceive. And of course, if the baby, or through some miracle babies, were to grow to adulthood, they would have a high tendency towards magic. There is a chance of long life.”

“The fact that Snannurkaz does not have these features would not mean that the traits have fallen out?”

“Difficult to say. I haven't seen his nephew. Marriages of this type, particularly when the line is remarrying into other similar lines, are difficult to predict. Seeing his nephew would give me some guidance. But of course his nephew is trapped in Snannurkaz. I would assume if the boy favors his father, that means the lineage is strong. If the lineage is strong, and then it's combined with the royal lineage, it is likely that the children would show some characteristics of the fae.”

“Does she also have fae ancestry?”

“Oh, yes, that's well known. But this, your Majesty, is what makes their his romantic devotion to her so strange. Her lineage is not as recent as his. It is several more generations back. But it was Unseeliee.  I'm so pleased that you're interested in these details, majesty, thank you for making me useful. There were some signs that their lineage might have been a fairly powerful one at some point, but the details were lost in the early wars of unification. They had certain powers that they utilized rather freely, unifying the early tribes into what we now call Hanal, and it was a member of the lineage that brought up the idea of the blood fete, which is now practiced in multiple Paranswarmian lands.”

“It does serve certain useful purposes, as well as being horrifying.” Alistair thinks about its use in ferreting out the Seen-Unseen.

“Yes, it gets rid of the worst of their criminals without them having to execute them. Well, I mean directly. King-Emperor Japhael of Tarsh, may he reign long enough to have healthy children, is known to have barred the blood fete in Tarsh after he took the throne. Now he's had to come up with an entire legal system for capital crimes, murdering torture, worship of demons, and other things that shouldn't be said in polite company, because prior to that, those people were simply offered at the fete. He had to invent a new court system, not bad for a 22 year old. Meaning no disrespect, your Majesty.”

“No matter. That said, this is something we should talk about with the Empress Anastasia. Just a few more questions.”

“Of course, your Majesty.”

“So if it is unlikely that Anastasia and Snannurkaz would have more than a very few children, then they might well not have any heirs for Snannurkaz. If, for example, they only had girls, they would have heirs for the Empire but not for the Kovate.”

“That's correct.”

“And if they had a boy, but not girls, the boy would not be eligible for the imperial throne.”

“Correct. They are very strict about that.”

“Are there any other potential heirs to the imperial line at this point? I gather most of the collateral lines get executed to prevent possible civil wars.”

“Yes, viciously, your majesty, viciously. With prejudice, I believe, is the words they use, and no, there are no collateral lines left. Thyastis was legendarily thorough in eliminating collateral lines. If there are any anywhere, they are so far from the Empire that they probably don't even remember that they were ever attached.”

“Is there any law or house law about what would happen in that circumstance?”

“Oh, no. I suppose in that circumstance every eligible female in the Empire who could raise an army, a couple of the Kovs, with senior female members of their family, would fight a new war to determine who the new empress would be."

“Lovely.”

“Somebody like Anastasia has probably thought that far ahead,” comments Kit.

“Yes, but it's it's complicated because Anastasia is about twenty, but the Kov is not a young man. Not old by any stretch, but he must be closer to forty. That means that if she does not bear an appropriate heir in an appropriate amount of time, she would need to consider taking actions.”

“Right.”

“What would that look like in Hanal?”

“Well, if it pleases your Majesty, I happen to know something about that. In the imperial line, the Empress herself is welcome to take as many consorts as she wishes, but only one husband. She can bear heirs with whatever consort she chooses. Historically, however, if they were female and a regular heir by the husband came along, they were executed. That makes it very difficult for most empresses to engage in having a husband and consorts. In fact, it may be why so many of the Hanalians have accepted this war as simply a normal thing.”

“Because it looks like a regular succession war.”

“Yes, because, after all, otherwise Anastasia would go to the headsman's block once her older sister had consolidated power.”

“I'm surprised that there aren't then known cadet houses who fled. For example, if there weren't the reasons why this war had to be fought, then presumably Anastasia would have considered choosing to settle here and I'm surprised that there have not been other instances of that in the past.”

“There have been a number who attempted it. None have survived. The Kingdom of the Haunted Mountains, Tarsh, and Tang have all temporarily hosted younger siblings and their immediate entourages. But without exception, Hanal has killed them. It is the only thing that has ever caused Hanal to commit a large body of troops in an unsupported attack, and frankly they only needed to invoke that threat with Tang, which is on this continent. They handed the heir back rather than face an invasion of the Iron Legions supported by vollers. Tarsh did not. It has always had a stubborn streak, you know, even though they're obviously influenced by Hanal in many ways, with the blood fete being the most obvious. But the assassin reached her anyway.

“Oh, and of course, in the case of Thyastis even the partners she occasionally took to her bed were put to death afterwards, and they were in no position to father heirs. But they could have potentially, she believed, or so it is said by her biographer that she believed, that they could make a claim for some girl who was not her daughter when the time came, so she simply had them killed.”

“Obviously everyone would know when she had offspring so it isn't like they could have even plausibly brought claims. I gather that's not strictly impossible, though, when dealing with devils.”

“There are ways of doing it, for example, according to that lovely but terrifying woman, who is the guest of the palace. For example, you could become pregnant through an infernal ritual, and then you could implant your baby in an erinyes, where it would grow naturally. You'd have to make a bargain, certainly, with a devil, and that child could then be brought to the Prime. And yes, such a thing could happen. I think it's rather extreme to have all your lovers killed, though. I will say, in her latter years, according to her biographer, there were few she could find who would agree to her bed, but…”

“That sounds like there was something else going on besides just being cautious. Anybody who got that close to her would have found out certain secrets that she couldn't let them live after learning.”

“That is possible, but that goes beyond genealogy, and I would only be guessing, Lady Katherine. I do not wish to speculate on something like this. I've already run my mouth on unmitigatedly in ways that, could be a very bad thing for me if I were in a different country.”

“We greatly appreciate it, though. The perspective is very useful.”

After the secretary leaves, Dame Brionna says, “Given this information, it is my advice that we may need to actively discourage the marriage between the Kov and Anastasia.”

“I think that that would be a mistake, but I think we need to have a frank conversation with Anastasia,” replies Alistair. “Anastasia is the most powerful person politically, and he is the most powerful person militarily. I think they need to get married. Oh, and also they're in love, but you know…”

“Yes, but both her and your children need to have a stable succession,” Kit says, “and I am sure Anastasia has thought of this. I don’t know if she knew that Snannurkaz has high Seelie blood.”

“I would be very surprised if she did not.”

“Yes, he's probably told her.”

“I think we should have a frank conversation with her, then find out what plans, if any, they have for the succession, if producing heirs in the default way doesn't work for them.”

“Even if it does work for them, they are likely to be psionically and magically powerful. Which in Hanal means having to overcome a lot. The question is whether adding tolerance for psionics is just going to be accepted as part of the change in Hanal.”

“There are things that would be problems for lesser families, that in an Imperial family could be turned to an advantage. Powers are not a threat to the Empire when they are wielded by the Empress.”

“As long as it can't be used as ammunition against the new royal family by their enemies. If there are enough people in Hanal who still have the old prejudice against psionics, then that could be turned into opposition.”

“We need, of course, to determine whether the lad is himself psionic. Not necessarily active, but latent, in which case we are indeed a good place for him to be raised.”

They discuss their training programs for pages, with Dame Brionna advocating defense and combat training starting at 3 with learning to throw toy blocks, but Alistair assisting that it not start until children formally become pages, at 7.

“Do we want to accept him into fosterage, and then speak to the Queen-Empress? Or do you think it's a little rude since he is her vassal.”

“Let's talk to her first. We probably technically could, but it's rude and she should know what's going on.”

“With any other member of the Hanalian royalty, I would want to take the action, so that he was already under our protection, before speaking to her. Even though I would trust Princess Anastasia to not take any actions, not everyone in her court might have similar ideas. Because, of course, he is absolutely potentially a threat to her and her children's successions, especially if he were to marry a highly ranked Paranswarmian.”

“If he marries out into any of the various countries that have desperately sent potential people to meet the grandson of the old Emperor of Tarsh, then that will mostly remove him from the scene.”

“Let's invite the Queen-Empress to to join us for a luncheon, and of course we should inform the Empress Kaitlyn that we will be inviting the Queen-Empress to a luncheon, and that she is more than welcome to join us.”

They arrange for the luncheon, and soon Queen-Empress Anastasia, a bashar who is one of her closest advisors, and Empress Kaitlyn join them for a pleasant luncheon. They note that the Queen-Empress does not bring her bishop with her.

“In addition to, of course, wanting to take advantage of the fact that your court remains in our fair city for the social benefits that offers, we wish to speak with you about a couple of matters that have arisen. The first is that the Kov of Snannurkaz has asked us to foster his nephew.”

“I’m surprised that Viviana would approve.”

“Viviana... his mother?”

“Viviana is a close friend, and my sister-in-law.”

“I’m so sorry,” says Dame Brionna. “I fear, your grace, that she died protecting her son, and as violently as any mother could wish.”

“Oh, my Gods, they're striking at children now. You are going to accept his foster, are you not?”

“We certainly intend to, but we we thought that it was appropriate to ask your consent before we did so.”

“Oh, yes, yes, no one better. I did not realize that they had started…” She glances to her bashar, who virtually abases himself, in the middle of lunch. “You knew.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I did not think the time appropriate. I received word of this yesterday evening, by fast flyer.”

“You were concerned that it would shake my resolve. It will not. I will have the ritual of the opening of the night for Viviana, my friend as well as my sister-in-law. We appreciate your kindness in allowing us to practice our own faith within your lands at times like this, Your Majesty.”

“Of course. Is there anything that you would need from us to help you in this ritual?”

“I do not think I and the boy should be in the same location at the same time, even though he might wish to. I understand he's been very sheltered. This is not the best time for this to have happened.”

“Do you know the lad, then?”

“He's a good boy. Both his mother and father, I think, would have been happier if they lived in another country, but they took their duty seriously. They also shielded him. They thought of sending him away. But then the war started before they could find an appropriate placement.”

“We trust your judgment if you don't want to be in the same place with him. But it you know him better than anyone else here, what can we do that would give him comfort?”

“Talk to him honestly. None of us ever have.”

“We can do that.”

“My Kov is a dear man, and I love him greatly, but he always acceded to his brother's wishes with his nephew. Therefore his nephew has had no training. I believe they were more concerned that he was going to show up with the forbidden gift. That is why they wanted to send him abroad. They were looking in Tarsh primarily.”

“Would he then have been expected to join the SHH in Hanal had he had the forbidden gift?”

“He would have been put to death if it became public. He will be safe here. You've any training that he needs.”

“I have a delicate question that I need to ask about that. We probably could, though we would greatly appreciate not needing to, take steps to snip off the gift if it is present. Ideally, we would want to see it properly awakened and trained.”

“If he possesses it, that makes much more sense. I have long thought, you know… I was a bookish child, Your Majesty. I have long thought that Hanal was manipulated. Every other Paranswarmian nation preserves the gift, and has there own members of the Society. But all the members of the SHH in Hanal are from abroad.”

“It makes sense, because Hanal is uniquely dependent on devils. Diabolists are controlled by the SHH. So it is in the interest of both the devils who are making deals, and all the other Paranswarmian powers, for the diabolists to be not entirely loyal to the interests of Hanal.”

“I think I understand that, although that was a little confusing.”

“I think his majesty is suggesting that diabolists from Hanal would be able to be more loyal, while under the supervision of the psionic order of the Church, if the members of the SHH were from Hanal.”

“The SHH has some peculiar beliefs, if you will excuse me, even relative to the rest of your faith.”

“That is undoubtedly true. I have observed it in the court.”

“They essentially venerate Paranswarm as chief of the archdevils, as Prince of Hell, as opposed to as Lord of Darkness.”

“There are many divergent groups, and that is one of the more different. Most of the Church would view Him as being Lord of Darkness, etc., etc., and Prince of Hell, as opposed to the SHH. They invert the primacy of those titles."

"They are important to the Church through their arts.”

“And every faith has its mildly heterodox but not quite heretical sects.”

“The flame orders within your temple. Yes, they appear in every temple. Well, I cannot speak for the chaotic faiths. How would you?” The Queen-Empress thinks a little longer. “Oh, perhaps it is safe for me to visit him within the inner sanctum of your palace, Your Majesty. I simply cannot imagine that they could strike at both of us there.”

“That would be acceptable. I think, for the time being, that he will not be permitted to leave the palace.”

“I think that's probably wise. Your security people are remarkable, but the assassins from Hanal are as well.”

Alistair makes a gesture of thanks to Dame Brionna. They then engage in some light chit-chat, although making sure to find out more about the child’s interests and what might make him comfortable. After a little while, Alistair broaches the next subject.

“There's another matter that we felt that we needed to begin to discuss with you. As you know, the Empress and I have been blessed by so rapidly having two fine young children. We are entirely confident that we will have many more by the time that our family is complete. It is, of course, essential to the stability of Hanal that you have a capable adult daughter by the time, may it be decades hence, that you enter into the Darkness.”

“Yes, we can't see this again.”

“Precisely.”

“You are asking if I can bear.”

“No, that is not our primary concern. We know that your family has had some some issues, but I expect that as you have been healthier in other ways than some of your relatives, you would likely be healthier in that way as well. It is more that we do not know how fecund the Kov might be, and there are reasons to have doubts. That leads to the question.”

“I am young now. I can bear 25 more years, minimally, possibly more, with good health.”

“There are also magics and elven herbs that can help.”

“Yes, it is my intention, and if it becomes evident that we cannot bear together, there are ways under the law to have children by consorts and recognize them. He understands this. We have discussed it. Not since this all began, but we have discussed it. That raises the question. I consider the policy long followed by the Empire to be barbaric. I do not wish to have daughters and have to know that when I pass into the Darkness, that all but one of them will be put to death--not my daughters by the Kov, and not by any consort I might pick. Nor do I wish to follow my mother's example of slaughtering her consorts. I know this makes me opposed to tradition. Some traditions are worth changing.”

“There are traditions in our court after the death of an Archduke of Canberry that we have taken steps to break and to stamp out in the future. We'll see how successful that is. Well, I will not see how successful that is. But Canberry will see how successful that is, but we are doing the best that we can.”

“So you do not think it is unreasonable to change this by edict.”

“Certainly not. I think there are steps that you will be able to take when they are all approaching adulthood that that would increase the odds of success.”

“Starting by not telling them they have to kill all of the others.”

“But also then taking steps to position the ones who will not likely inherit in places where they are both protected, but also not empowered--in the church, or married off continent, for example.”

“Your Empire seems to be perfectly stable marrying excess members of the high families to those who are slightly less powerful than they are.”

“Indeed, though you need an adequately stable empire for that to work. We can be confident that my sister will not use her husband's duchy as a power base to rise against me. He would not stand for it, the other dukes would not rally to their banner. It would be foolishness even if she wanted to, and she doesn't, and of course she is loyal. But that might not be the case for a kov in Hanal, with an eligible daughter.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

“Margaret will be loyal. But, to be perfectly blunt, if matters had transpired as they might have been expected to, Snannurkaz might still have rallied to your banner, and generated the civil war anyway.”

“No question he would have. He’s devoted. He carries my kerchief at all times.”

“I'm glad that you have that you have thought through these matters, and we certainly hope that you will be as blessed as we have been.”

“I hope so as well. But yes, we do have other paths to ensure Hanal’s stability. Its people are suffering.”

“And that also means that although I understand why, with the military situation, it needs to be a little bit more stable, but the sooner that you can be wed, and pursuing such matters, the better for everyone.”

“Yes, we hold off marriage now only because of the war, and the fact that we believe one of the other kovs is wavering in his loyalty to the Crown, and the possibility of still being open to offering my hand may be the thing that pushes him over to our side. That would take her western flank. Otherwise, we would have already wed.”

“Understood. Is the other kov someone who, under other circumstances, if necessary, you would not be averse to as a lesser consort? Or would that be insulting to his dignity to suggest?"

“Not exactly. If it is necessary, I will take him. If he accepts a position as a lesser consort, it will not be out of loyalty to the truth, throne, or to the true Church. If he switches sides, it will be entirely according to what he believes serves his interest.”

“And then you would without doubt have a serpent within your household and conflict among potential children. He would demand--not unreasonably under the circumstances-- to have the opportunity to attempt to father children with you, and he would then surely seek to see them placed ahead of your husband's daughters.”

“We are aware of these difficulties.”

“Only if the war hinges on it would I recommend such a thing. It is extremely desirable that if you need, for whatever reasons, to have consorts besides your formal husband, that those consort be intensely loyal to the idea of the legitimate succession, and that they understand that that is in the interests of their own children as well.”

“I believe that the only one I could find with those qualifications within Hanal is the Kov of Bormark, if he survives. But I am not confident that he would say yes. He is happy in his marriage and his children, so that might reduced me to the vadates.”

“That might actually be easier in some ways. They couldn't raise a sufficient force to be a threat.”

She turns to the bashar. “This is ‘conversation over a light lunch’ in the Imperial Palace.”

Alistair continues, carefully not looking at Kit, “The other option that might be considered there is seeking among those who are not in the high nobility at all, and simply conferring upon them appropriate rank to give them appropriate status to hold in relationship to the family. Without a power base of their own, they would not pose a threat.”

The Bashar looks up with great interest. Kit notices his fingers flash and immediately recognizes it as a house code. She is startled when her lens, which automatically translates written material, also translates the signs.

<<There are certain bashars in the Imperial service might be susceptible to that offer and would be no threat.>>

The Queen-Empress makes a very slight gesture, which is just <<Later.>>

They continue discussing lighter matters, including the Queen-Empress’s belief that it might be ideal for the Kov’s nephew to ultimately settle in a non-Paranswarmian realm if he has the gift, because the members of the SHH are expected to sever all connection to their birth families.

After they depart, the Council discusses some of this, including the bashar’s clear interest in using this to peel away legions from the usurper. If their bashar defected, the legion would almost certainly follow because of the fierce obedience in the chain of command.

Kit sets some of her people to try to find out who Anastasia’s spymistress is, and will receive a report in two days. There are a handful of noble women with Anastasia that it could be. They know it's a woman, and that may actually be tradition in Hanal, though they aren’t sure. There are only a handful of women with her, because most of the people who came were with the military. Among the women, there are a couple of vadesses and a couple of stromesses. A vaddess is more more likely because Hanal is very rank conscious and a vaddess is more likely to be treated with the amount of respect necessary to be a successful spymistress.

Kit decides to have their communications watched, in part to determine what information they are filtering out before it reaches Anastasia (and before it reaches the Council) and to try to identify who to place some of her people close to. She has a substantial number of people in the servants in the embassy, but not many who are closely placed.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin

[Session 143, cont'd]
Alistair meets with Lord Darben, the Kov’s nephew, personally. They know he loves horses, so they meet in the internal palace riding grounds, where he can ride a placid horse and Alistair can walk alongside.

As Alistair walks up to him, Lord Darben recognizes him and genuflects.

“First for the formal matter. We are pleased to accept you into fosterage to the House of Ashbury, and to the Imperial Court of the Empire of Southern Drucien, and are pleased to appoint you as one of the pages of the Emperor and Empress of Southern Drucien.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I bring you greeting from Pyr Aldritchgoth on behalf of my uncle.” He holds out a small leather bag, which Dame Brionna steps forward to take. It contains a fair sized ruby that's been incised with the seal of Snannurkaz. “Thank you for accepting this and me.”

“It is our great pleasure, and our great desire that your uncle will continue to do valiant work to bring peace and order to your homeland. I wanted to have a small chance to talk with you personally. You'll find that that pages to the Emperor do not actually spend that much time with the Emperor. You spend most of your time learning from the master of pages, and attending to your various lessons, and some being a runner around the palace. But I feel like I should know all my pages and of course, if there's anything ever anything of great importance, you can always come to me.”

“Thank you.”

“Also you should know that that young Lord Brightspan who you've already met is currently the personal page. And therefore, if there's anything that you think that I should know rapidly, and that you don't want to run through the master of pages, you can always tell him, and I see him daily.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“The master of pages will tell you a variety of rules and things that you'll need to to do. Of course, we expect you to listen to him and to follow your instructions. But at the same time we of course expect you to be a high spirited lad of high birth. Some rules it's worth taking your lumps for not following.

“I have a few additional rules for you personally, and those are not that kind of rule. They are serious matters, and other pages may say, ‘Oh, why don't we do this?’ And it will seem entirely reasonable. On those matters, you must not go along with them in their exploits. The most important of those is that until I countermand this, you may not leave the palace grounds under any circumstance. Do you know why I'm instructing you on that?”

“Because, Your Majesty, you think that the assassins may follow me here.”

“Indeed. There are powerful wards that protect the palace. There are Dame Brionna’s extremely capable guards, and there are various other means we have of keeping people safe within the palace. The City of Camberry is in general a very safe city. Much more so I think than Hanal City or Snannurkaz before the present troubles. But that's a safe city in general, that's not a safe city for you.

The sorts of assassins that the usurper might send would be well more than we could expect the city guard and the lady mayor's people to take care of.”

“They got by my uncle's men. My mother poisoned them.”

“Did she poison a weapon?”

“Yes. He stabbed her first. I saw it.”

“I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to see that, but you also saw how brave your mother was.”

“Yes, I miss my mother.” He looks very sad sitting there on the horse. “But my uncle says that I am the hope of the future now.”

“You are, but you're not alone here.”

“My uncle trusts you. He said, if you are allies, he believes that we will win.”

“And we believe that as well. I will also say that, were misfortune to befall the war in Hanal, you would always have a safe place here. I expect that by the time you are a young man, you will be called to take up duties within your homeland, but in the meanwhile, we can guaranteed your safety here. A number of the other pages come from similar tragic family situations to the one that you have faced. You may find connections and shared friendship with them.”

“My uncle says that we must win the war because it is against vile powers that seek to overthrow the whole world.”

“We will give you an education about those foes, but not until you are older. Speaking of which, the pages are expected to attend chapel on a regular basis. Those who are not from Glordiadelian lands may remain silent and not participate in the rituals as they feel fit. Of course, those of them from Glordiadelian nations are expected to participate and learn those things. Ordinarily, we would make available the opportunity for Paranswarmian pages to travel outside the palace to where there are a small number of Paranswarmian churches within the capital city. In your case that will not be possible. but if you wish we will arrange for a priest to come to you to administer the basic rites of your faith. The high holy day celebrations of Paranswarm are not celebrated in Canberry and cannot be celebrated in Canberry."

“Do you have high holy days here?”

“We have many, and we celebrate all of the high holy days of Glordiadel. And indeed the other permitted religions--the other religions of the Economical Council, for example--most of them will celebrate their high holy days as well, although of course, the Empire takes little formal recognition of that. There are certain ceremonies that are required in Paranswarmian churches, on Paranswarm’s most holy days that involve acts that are forbidden within Canberry City. Even those are still practiced within the Paranswarmian domains of the Empire. For example, in Tang, they would perform those ceremonies. Hopefully in time, it might be possible for you to travel abroad to those within the Empire. That is impossible now.

“We do, however, have a sacred tree here within the palace grounds itself if you wish to connect with that other part of your inherited traditions. How much you visit it is up to you, but it can be very nice to talk to. I think you might feel better if you visited it. It is a young child.”

“You should know my cousin used to take me to visit their tree.”

“Is that a cousin from your great-grandmother's family?”

Dame Brionna helpfully says, “If you could give us their name, we might be able to contact them…”

Alistair cuts in, “She means, if you could give us a way in which we may refer to them.”

“Oh, yes, of course. That kind of cousin," realizes Dame Brionna.  "Yes, sorry. If you give us a means of contacting them, then we might be able to reassure them of your safety, and find out about theirs. I'm sure they would wish to know.”

He pulls a chain up from under his shirt with a sigil on it that they immediately recognize as either fae or elven. “If you have anyone who has the accursed gift, if you just grip this tightly…”

“First, a bit of advice about living in Canberry-- We don’t call it the accursed gift. It's just a gift.”

“I've never heard it referred to as anything but ‘the accursed gift.’”

“Its proper name is psionics, or just the gift,” says Kit. “May I see that medallion? I have the gift as well.”

“Oh, do you? I don’t know if I have the acc… the gift, but I can use that, so I fear that I do.”

“We will also introduce you to some elves who can determine your gift more fully. Depending on what direction your talent lies, we will likely ask one of them to help you.”

“I won't be able to go home after that, will I? See, I know I have the gift, but nobody else knows. Well, my cousin knows, because he came to me. He left me that so I could talk to him and we could do things together, and I think some people thought I had magic or something, because they kept losing track of me,” and he sort of smiles a little bit for the first time since they've met him.

“But also, given your rank in Hanal, they might have thought that you had a personal devil that attended to you.”

“Yes. I don't like those.”

“Yes, but many of the kovs maintain such things.”

“Oh, yes, they do. My uncle doesn’t really have personal devils of his own, but he has people with him who can call them. He won't sell his soul, but he'll let other people sell theirs, and he'll use their devils.”

“There will be no need for soul selling here. There are a few people who do that sort of thing, but not very many. You won't have to deal with that if you don't want to.”

While the conversation continues, Kit is holding the talisman, which emanates energy to her. She opens up psionically, exactly the way she does when she uses her other communication tools, and instantly she is in contact with a somewhat immature, very startled mind.

<<I'm sorry, Darben is right here, and he's safe, and he gave me permission to use this.>>

Another more mature mind replaces the first one that she contacted.

<<Darben is right here. He's all right. I'm a human friend who is protecting him.>>

<<His uncle is human.>>

<<His uncle sent him to Canberry.>>

<<Ah, that's where he is.>>

<<You can talk to him if you want.>>

<<His great-grandfather was my brother-in-law. We do like to talk to him.>>

<<He gave me permission to use this. I didn't realize that it would put me in direct contact with you so quickly.>>

<<It put you in contact with my son, who is his friend. My son is young and panicked.>>

<<I don't blame him, and please apologize to him for me. I would be frightened, too, if an unfamiliar grown-up suddenly appeared to me in my mind.>>

<<I recognize your mind. You are an aide to the King, or the Emperor of Canberry.>>

<<Yes, that's right. Darben is safe with us at the Court of Canberry.>>

<<Good, good, no good could come of keeping him here. Give my regards for me to your Tor. They will know my Tor, on the Isle of Snannurkaz.>>

<<I will.>>

<<Now I must go and quiet my son.>>

<<Yes, please apologize. Before you go, have you heard why Darben was sent to us?>>

<<Presumably the human assassins became more effective.>>

<<They did. I'm sorry to say they killed his mother.>>

<<Is it proper to say I'm sure she died well?>>

<<She did, very bravely protecting her son. Which is why he has been sent here. Do you know of the threats and violence against people of your blood? Even in as isolated a place as it is, your Tor may end up being a target.>>

<<We have knights, and the Lord of Snannurkaz is not far from here. I think all will fall before we do, but I appreciate your warning. If these creatures come to our Tor, I can assure you that we will not go quietly. I will comfort my son. If I may have an image of the boy to take to him, it will calm him.>>

Kit immediately projects an image of the boy, safe healthy, and as happy as possible.

<<I will tell him he should not come to visit him. His visits were often to the great consternation of the tutors.>>

<<If you wish to visit, you can travel to the Tor, and then they have ways that he can come over land to the palace and visit. But it would have to be an open visit, not the way they are used to.>>

<<Yes, you must protect the child, and that is not possible if they are wandering around.>>

Kit hands the medallion back. “I'm afraid I startled your friend pretty badly, but his father's going to go take care of him. You can, of course, talk with him whenever you like.”

“But of course, you also must not discuss anything that you see in the palace.”

“No, I understand. Matters of state.”

“Yes. We'll help you learn which things you need to keep secret, and which things you can talk freely to your friends about.”

“Good. Thank you. Lord Alden is very kind. Did he seem to you that way?”

“Yes, he cares about you very much.”

“It would not surprise me if the local Tor wanted to send someone to watch and protect you, and if they did, we would certainly allow them to. I just want to let you know. I can't guarantee that they will. We are close allies.”

“That is good. Alden Tor is friends with my uncle. I think they're more than that to me. Well, they are kind of family to us both.”

“But he is a more distant relation and you're not.”

“You understand. And he is more religious than I am.”

“Believe it or not, my children are closer relations to our Tor than I am.”

“How old are your children?”

“Infants, really.” Alistair can see his momentary interest fade as soon as he hears that they are infants. “There are plenty of pages at or about your age, as well as some who are a few years older. They range roughly from your age until about fourteen, when they tend to leave service as pages and take on other responsibilities.”

“Squires.”

“Usually. Even that is dependent somewhat on their path. For example, a prospective wizard would at that point enter into a proper apprenticeship or tutorial, instead of becoming a squire to a knight like most. In some cases, they might become a squire in the most formal of senses, without actually learning the true trade of a knight.”

“I see that. You know what happened to the Hanalian chivalry?”

“Yes.”

“They were sent before it was clear what was happening. My uncle is loyal. And if he says Anastasia is Empress, she is.”

“Indeed, and she sends her good wishes. She is sorry that she couldn't be here to greet you herself, and she will be able to visit you within the palace sometimes, but, unfortunately, you will not be able to attend your monarch in her court in exile until matters are safer again. You will not be able to leave the palace, and together you are too risky of a target.”

“They won't stop just because I came here.”

“But you'll be safe in the palace, and again, some of the other pages here have also been the targets of attempts before they came here, and they've all been safe since coming here.”

“My uncle says you're very powerful. He said that now that you've all of the proxies that you could, your empire is more powerful than her now.”

“I think that that is indeed the case.”

“Well, thank you, and thank you for letting me ride the pretty horse.” He gives the horse a pat.

“When unified, Hanal will likely be once more the most powerful human empire north of the Barrier Mountains. Note that I use that qualifier, because it is wise for all great human leaders to understand that the great elven kingdoms and monarchies and suchlike operate in a different level of power than any human lands. Now, they they show little interest in human lands for the most part, and the major elven forest of the north is a close ally of Canberry. But occasionally humans will think that the great wealth of the elves and their lack of obvious martial prowess might mean opportunities, and then things go really poorly for them.”

“Singing Leaves berthed a man of war and two schooners near Snannurkaz. I've seen them fire those energy things. I wouldn't want to be on the other end.”

“Those schooners are probably each more than a match for the greatest human vollers. The man-of-war is simply beyond us. We cannot build ships of the line from the perspective of the elven peoples.”

“The Queen-Empress’s vollers stopped bombarding us after they were stationed there.”

They bring Darben along to visit Lord Silverleaves.

“We would like to introduce you to one of our new pages, Darben of Snannurkaz.”

“Hello.” Darben seems almost in awe of Lord Silverleaves, despite having almost never seen an elf before.

“The Kov’s heir-presumptive?”

“Yes, Lord Darben is going to be staying with us. And Lord Darben, this is Lord Silverleaves. He is one of the Eldar, which is like the high nobility of the elves.”

Darben genuflects, for he knows that when you meet high nobility, you genuflect.

“And we also often refer to Lord Silverleaves as Grandmaster Farsensor in recognition of his great skill in the psionic arts.”

“He's my teacher,” adds Kit.

“There are very few humans who can ever reach the level of mastery that Lord Silverleaves has achieved.”

<<You know the boy will be a farsensor,>> sends Lord Silverleaves privately to Kit.

<<I hoped so.>>

<<There’s also a level of power that is not often seen among humans. Does he have fae blood?>>

<<Yes, that's why they sent him, because his family's enemies are also aligned with people who are attacking the fae and the elves.>>

<<So they sent him here for safety.>>

<<You should also know that he has some awareness of his psionics. but in Hanal, they call it the accursed gift. So we're going to have to work on that. We're getting past it. He is in touch with his fae cousins, and they helped him understand it a little, but he's going to need a lot of help. I'm glad that its farsensing so that you can be the one to teach them.>>

<<It will be 2 or 3 years before—such short periods of time--before he reaches threshold. We should make certain that we have well distilled kerif at that time.>>

<<Sorry, what is kerif?>>

<<I’ll order some from my homeland. It's a flower that is useful for many things. One of them is to help children through threshold. Given his background and the combined bloodlines, threshold could kill him. It probably kills 2 out of 3 humans who have mixed ones, so we will make sure that we're very, very well prepared.>>

<<I had no idea…>> thinks Alistair.

<<Oh, yes, threshold sickness is a terrible thing.>>

<<I remember mine was pretty awful, but not like that.>>

<<Your people would have more psions, I believe, if they understood the use of kerif. Many humans die of threshold sickness. I believe that may be deliberate among his people. They've not been unfriendly to our admiral, who the Queen has stationed there to protect them. But their fear of psionics is unreasonable. If you've gotten the boy to say he may have the ‘accursed gift,’ he's well on his way to accepting it.>>

<<I think it's a really, really good thing that he's here.>>

<<Yes, we must get kerif.>>

<<We should have kerif here anyways, now that we know that it is a possibility.>>

<<Do you have adequate—forgive me how that sounds—alchemical facilities?>>

<<Yes. I mean, I don't know how to judge the quality of alchemical labs. But when you're up to it, I'm sure our palace alchemists would be happy to let you take a look to see if it has what you need.”

<<I could train them to do the distillation if the lab has adequate equipment. The flower is easy to grow, and we have the tree here now. Growing kerif flowers would be possible near the tree. I’m not much of an alchemist, but I'm competent on the creation of a few compounds.>>

<<You can teach them what they need to know.>>

While the mental conversation is going on, Alistair continues a light oral conversation for Darben’s benefit. “It is likely that in a few years we will ask Lord Silverleaves if he would be willing to take you on as a student.”

“A great elf might take me on for learning?”

“Yes, your arts will be of an appropriate school for him to work with you. You will meet a variety of elves while you are here. Eldar and high elves and wood elves, and some other varieties.”
[End Session 143]


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## CPaladin

Session 144 (May 10, 2022)

6 O-Tar (Evening)
They prepare to head to the party at the Zorplona-Moriquendarim embassy. Dame Brionna decides to set up in the sewers outside, to cover an escape route if necessary.

Alistair and the Empress are both dressed formally, in deliberately somewhat ostentatious clothes and wearing any appropriate Noldar items. Kit and the Baroness, for their parts, are dressed scandalously and fabulously. Lord Davion is in formal dress armor, with his guild colors, and the sigils of House Aufaulgautharim.

They are met by a short, slight Twilight Elf lady, with no guild signs, who is hosting the party: Lady Moritur. She is, functionally, the foreign minister for Zorplona-Moriquendarim.

There is a fabulous chocolate centerpiece, with chocolate fountains. One of the servants (all of whom are Drow in cadet house colors) explains that it was made by Lord Moriquendarim’s personal chocolatier, a master chocolatier hobbit. Kit expresses her unreserved admiration, while telling Dame Brionna and Alistair over the mindlink that they simply must find a master chocolatier of their own.

The Twilight Elf engages in smalltalk with the Emperor and Empress for precisely fifteen minutes, and then immediately launches into serious discussions. During the preliminaries, Lord Davion observes mentally that she appears to be entirely non-psionic--almost unheard of among Twilight Elves--and possibly obdurate, unable to be affected by psionics.

"My lord wished to reassure you that the House of Moriquendarim in Region 6 have eschewed the practice of slavery and have moved entirely to a non-slave-based economic model."

"We are most grateful to have learned that. We have been aware of that, and watched with a great deal of pleasure your progress. We are glad that this can facilitate a positive relationship between our peoples and our kingdoms."

"We have the greatest of hope for both a political and trade relationship with the Empire. But we also feel it obligatory to inform you that four of the five apprentices formerly serving Alvinus, who fell into shadow following, or perhaps preceding, his master Quinliart, have slipped the noose. We are not entirely certain where they are."

"We would appreciate if you would be willing to share a dossier on each of them."

"I've had those prepared. To whom should I have them delivered, Your Majesty?"

"To my chief of security, Dame Brionna, the captain of the Imperial Guard."

"Very well, Your Majesty, I will have them delivered to her at the palace on the morrow."

"That would be perfect unless you feel that they must be delivered into the hands of someone who is present currently. I suppose you could deliver them to the Imperial Champion."

She pauses slightly at that prospect, clearly not wishing to have any interaction with Lord Davion that she can avoid. "We do not think they are dangers here yet, but we are moderately certain that three of them have departed the City of Enclaves. The fourth is still there. He has made repeated strikes, and he is very good at evading the responses. But we believe three of the four have escaped. One of them we managed to kill, but they recovered the body and were able to resurrect it. The fifth we did kill, and it remains dead."

"Are you certain? We have discovered that the enemy is capable of bringing back members of its forces that are known to have been slain. We believe that they maintain clones of various of them in a state of readiness."

She stops in consternation. "Clones?"

Alistair holds up a hand. "We don't know for certain. But what we do know is that, for example, the sister of... shall we say the former head of your Enclave?--was without doubt slain by the Princess Curinirim, and yet she without doubt lives on in Hanal City."

"That is disturbing."

"Likewise, there is an ancient Twilight Elf who betrayed your people to the greatest enemies ages ago, for which he was put to death by the Aufaulgautharim, and his remains interred. And he, too, has been seen, and Lord Davion was able to vouch that it was precisely the same person with precisely the same signature, having fought him more than once."

She glances at Lord Davion, who gives a curt nod without deigning to meet her eye.

"I would respect his judgment. The one we think we slew is the one we have been calling the hand, my lord. We believe it is possible that there is a small cult among the Shadow Elves. We've not determined exactly how to investigate that since they are in the City of the Screaming Dead, and we are here. My Lord Proconsul's father is occupied with the great council that meets even now due to the disappearance of Anatar. Your words and your information are welcome, and with that, we cannot be sure that either of them are truly dead. More precisely, we are sure that the fourth came back. We have seen no sign of the fifth, but that may not mean anything."

"If they are clones, then we believe that it would take them something on the order of a century to grow a new clone to maturity. But of course, that presumes that they only have one clone at a time which we cannot verify."

"I will certainly pass this on to the Lord Seneschal to be given to the Lord Proconsul when I return, if I may."

"I have brought a letter with various forms of intelligence against these enemies that we have been able to gather. It does not speak to our intentions, for reasons of operational security, but it shares things of which we are aware. If you would see that it reaches the Lord Proconsul, and deliver with it this message:" Alistair shifts into Noldor language, and says an appropriate greeting of respect as between quasi-equals, but from far off places.

She bows deeply.

The rest of the evening is spent with excellent music and snacks, though nothing made with any form of meat, and the chocolate fountain. They only do one of the formal Noldor dances, which is just as well because the Noldor are the only ones who can dance those--Lord Davion stands alone on the floor. But it's kind of a required opening to any dancing, and once they've completed that the dancing will get much more modern and appropriate to humans.

At some appropriate point, Alistair asks his host if it would be appropriate for him to play and sing a brief piece.

That actually stuns some of the drow, though they hide it very well.

After they supply him with an appropriate lap harp, Alistair plays his song for Kit, because in a psionically aware society the musical effects will be impressive.

Many of the elves present are clearly impressed, though of course not Lady Moritur herself. Kit, however, notes finger signals in the battle speech of the House of Moriquendarim flash over with them, informing her of the psionics. Kit realizes that she has aides who fill the role of translating psionic information for her when necessary.

Eventually, the night winds down after an actually very pleasant evening--though notably less pleasant for Dame Brionna, who spends the whole time waiting in the sewers just in case. At least she feels like she's doing her duty, and her staff agree but think a shower upon returning would also be part of her duty. They're used to this sort of thing by now.

Lady Moritur closes the evening. "It is a great honor that you have done us by attending the fete, and I am pleased to have been able to make your acquaintances, Your Majesties. I hope you have enjoyed our poor attempt at hospitality. Thank you for the beautiful music that you played, and the light heartedness that you have brought to this gathering."

"Thank you for hosting us. It was quite diverting to be able to turn aside from matters of state, and to engage in an evening of enjoyment."

"It was indeed. I wish I had been able to stop worrying about the ancient enemy and actually enjoy an evening far from my station."

Lady Moritur also quietly conveys that the ambassador, who they met briefly during the evening and engaged in smalltalk with, replaced the one who was killed here because his wife was killed at the same time by a similar assassin. She moved him here because he didn't want to be where he had been anymore.

Kit makes a point of getting the name of the halfling chocolatier from a servant, so she can hire one of their friends for the court.

At the end of the evening, they return to the palace.
[cont'd]


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