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<blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 1705437" data-attributes="member: 1210"><p><strong>The Appointment of the Arrows</strong></p><p></p><p><em>11:30 a.m., 9/29/368 O.L.G., the Halls of Healing, Var</em></p><p> </p><p>“First things first,” says Horbin, and he invokes Dexter’s <em>blessing</em> on the group. “Hopefully that will fix the spawning issue,” he comments. Orbius frowns to himself, momentarily concerned that Horbin’s <em>commune</em> didn’t seem to completely match his own <em>contact other plane.</em> Then he dismisses his concern; after all, the entities contacted via his own arcane spell are known for less than total veracity.</p><p></p><p>Then Horbin turns to Sybele. “I don’t want Marius here. Let’s go somewhere else for this.” </p><p></p><p>The party tromps outside and walks down the cobbled streets of Var until they reach an area that has not yet been reclaimed from Fuligin’s ravages. Much of the ruined sections of the town are still uninhabited, with many of the buildings merely shells that seem eager to fall in a stiff wind. Traces of fire, occasional bones, graffiti in Abyssal and Infernal- the mark of evil still lays grim and heavy on Var.</p><p></p><p>It doesn’t take long for Marius the Chronomancer to arrive, resplendent in robes of silver and green. His hair is freshly cut, a light amber color from much time outdoors. His beard is trimmed neatly. An ostentatious show of wealth glitters on his fingers and around his neck. </p><p></p><p>“Marius!” cries Jezebel with joy, and rushes forward to embrace him. He smiles as he holds her close to him for a long moment- making Orbius rather uncomfortable- and then releases her. </p><p></p><p>“Jezebel,” he says with evident pleasure. “It’s good to see you.”</p><p></p><p>“I missed you!”</p><p></p><p>“And I, you.”</p><p></p><p>“All right, that’s enough,” Horbin snaps. “Let’s get this over with.”</p><p></p><p>Marius turns to look Horbin the MFKG Holy in the eye. He smiles slowly. “Your presence is neither requested nor required,” he says. “The only one I need is Sybele.”</p><p></p><p>“Can I come too?” Jezebel pleads.</p><p></p><p>“Very well,” he acquiesces easily. “Are you ready?” This is directed to Sybele. </p><p></p><p>She glances at Thrush, then nods.</p><p></p><p>“I want to go too!” Thrush blurts out. “If you’re going, honey, I’m coming with you!”</p><p></p><p>“I think not,” the chronomancer retorts. Thrush’s face goes red and he opens his mouth to argue, but Marius cuts him off. “Sybele will be in no real danger. If she was, I would not allow Jezebel to accompany us.”</p><p></p><p>“Then why not me too?”</p><p></p><p>Marius smiles slyly. “Sybele is enough to make my point.” And with that, he opens a <em>gate.</em></p><p></p><p><em> Noon, 9/29/368 O.L.G., the Fields of Appointment, Elysium</em></p><p></p><p>Sybele, Marius and Jezebel step through the <em>gate</em>. Marius is well-prepared for the sight that greets them, but even so he cannot help it; his breath catches in his throat for a moment. </p><p></p><p>Completely taken aback, Sybele and her half-dragon daughter can only gape.</p><p></p><p>Before them are armies arrayed in precise ranks, extending as far as they can see. Thousands- maybe <em>millions</em>- of men, dwarves and many other things. Glowing like the sun, wheeling through the sky, several dozen angels keep watch above. And over there... devils?! And row after row after row of formians, and there are some giants, and...</p><p></p><p>Sybele shakes her head, dizzy at the sight of so much assembled might. <em>What is this?</em> she wonders, but she’s already answering her own question. <em>Law. This is the force of Law! But- why did Marius bring me here?</em></p><p></p><p>“Stay behind me, as a bodyguard,” the wizard tells her, striding forward, and she and Jezebel follow him. Before the great host is a smaller assembly, centering on a half dozen individuals, all with small cadres of bodyguards. Sybele gasps as she recognizes one of them- Cluma, the guardian of order that the group killed long ago on Pesh, only to have his allies raise him from the dead and file a lawsuit against them. Cluma, with a seven part rod assembled in his hand- thanks to Marius’ trickery so many months before, when he had them trapped in a time loop.</p><p></p><p>Then her eyes go <em>really</em> wide as she spots a man she’s never seen, but recognizes as the face on most of her coins. <em>Emperor Prayzose,</em> she thinks in shock. <em>What the hell is going on here?? He’s been missing for more than five years!</em> And, she must remind herself, she is indirectly a part of the reason for it. She gulps, hoping he can’t read her thoughts at the moment.</p><p></p><p>What are they here for? The answer is only moments away. As Marius takes his place as the seventh individual in the inner circle, it becomes clear that they’ve been awaiting him. Sybele feels almost naked amongst so much incredible power of Law- and she can’t miss the fact that many glances are thrown her way. She can almost hear the whispers: <em>Marius has a warrior of Chaos under his power! She’s bodyguarding him here, in the midst of the forces of Law!</em> She has a feeling that the chronomancer’s prestige has just jumped up considerably. </p><p></p><p>The ceremony begins.</p><p></p><p>It is an investiture of sorts, Sybele quickly realizes; and soon enough the titles are announced. Some kind of inevitable bearing pins or badges in the shape of arrows goes from one to the next of the seven, asking each a question and receiving the same answer from each, and pinning the arrow to his breast.</p><p></p><p>“Emperor Prayzose of Forinthia, High Priest of the Light, do you accept your appointment as the First Arrow of Law?”</p><p></p><p>“I do.”</p><p></p><p>The metal creature solemnly fastens the Emperor’s badge to him.</p><p></p><p>“Cluma, Guardian of Order, wielder of the sacred Rod of Seven Parts, do you accept your appointment as the Second Arrow of Law?”</p><p></p><p>“I do.”</p><p></p><p>The investor moves around the circle, and none of them refuse their appointment.</p><p></p><p>“The Judge of Worlds, bringer of Law and ender of Chaos, do you accept your appointment as the Third Arrow of Law?</p><p></p><p>“Umoadess, by whatever name you choose, Lord of Many Worlds, do you accept your appointment as the Fourth Arrow of Law?</p><p></p><p>“Dekrasode, who brings the thunder and lightning, do you accept your appointment as the Fifth Arrow of Law?”</p><p></p><p><em>Dekrasode,</em> thinks Sybele. <em>That’s King Malford’s old enemy- the dragon that impersonated the Emperor of Wotan! Why does he keep looking at me like that? I hope he’s not still mad about the whole hatching of the dragon eggs... and I hope he doesn’t try to have me held here, the Court of Law is still looking for us!</em></p><p></p><p>“Marius the Chronomancer, do you accept your appointment as the Sixth Arrow of Law?</p><p></p><p>“Lord Alyth of Fendobarz, conqueror of many planes, do you accept your appointment as the Seventh Arrow of Law?”</p><p></p><p>The last response- a quiet “I do”- and then the ceremony is over. </p><p></p><p>“I don’t expect you to keep this a secret from your friends,” Marius tells Sybele moments later. “All of this will become well-known soon enough.” He smiles. “And now we’re done- for the moment. But don’t forget- your final task will come.”</p><p></p><p>“Oh, Marius,” sighs Jezebel, “that’s wonderful! You’ve really reached some lofty heights!”</p><p></p><p>“Indeed,” he answers, smiling tenderly at her.</p><p></p><p><em>6 p.m., 9/29/368 O.L.G., the Three Rubies tavern, Var</em></p><p></p><p>Over dinner and drinks our heroes are discussing the ceremony that Sybele was just witness to. “It looked like a multiplanar force,” Sybele responds to a question.</p><p></p><p>“Marius! Man, we need to do something about that guy!” Horbin swears to himself. “I can’t wait to explain a few things to him.”</p><p></p><p>Jezebel glowers at him. “What do you mean? Marius is a great man. He’s no danger to us.”</p><p></p><p>“No, we’re a danger to him,” mutters Horbin.</p><p></p><p>“Obviously there’s some sort of a misunderstanding between you and him,” Jezebel replies easily. “You just need to work out your differences.”</p><p></p><p>“Work out...? He held Till for years in a lower-planar prison! He kidnapped a bunch of our friends...”</p><p></p><p>“There must be some mistake, Marius wouldn’t do that.”</p><p></p><p>“He kidnapped <em>you!</em>”</p><p></p><p>“Well, that’s not how I heard the story,” she says huffily. “And I think I’ve heard enough! Stop talking about him like he’s an enemy, he’s not!” There’s a tear in the half-dragon’s eye.</p><p></p><p>Our heroes go to Reina’s house- Lester’s girlfriend- and spend the night in what they have come to fondly refer to as ‘adventurer groupie land.’ </p><p></p><p></p><p><em><strong>Next Time:</strong></em> What do you do when you face thousands of breath weapons at once?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="the Jester, post: 1705437, member: 1210"] [b]The Appointment of the Arrows[/b] [i]11:30 a.m., 9/29/368 O.L.G., the Halls of Healing, Var[/i] “First things first,” says Horbin, and he invokes Dexter’s [i]blessing[/i] on the group. “Hopefully that will fix the spawning issue,” he comments. Orbius frowns to himself, momentarily concerned that Horbin’s [i]commune[/i] didn’t seem to completely match his own [i]contact other plane.[/i] Then he dismisses his concern; after all, the entities contacted via his own arcane spell are known for less than total veracity. Then Horbin turns to Sybele. “I don’t want Marius here. Let’s go somewhere else for this.” The party tromps outside and walks down the cobbled streets of Var until they reach an area that has not yet been reclaimed from Fuligin’s ravages. Much of the ruined sections of the town are still uninhabited, with many of the buildings merely shells that seem eager to fall in a stiff wind. Traces of fire, occasional bones, graffiti in Abyssal and Infernal- the mark of evil still lays grim and heavy on Var. It doesn’t take long for Marius the Chronomancer to arrive, resplendent in robes of silver and green. His hair is freshly cut, a light amber color from much time outdoors. His beard is trimmed neatly. An ostentatious show of wealth glitters on his fingers and around his neck. “Marius!” cries Jezebel with joy, and rushes forward to embrace him. He smiles as he holds her close to him for a long moment- making Orbius rather uncomfortable- and then releases her. “Jezebel,” he says with evident pleasure. “It’s good to see you.” “I missed you!” “And I, you.” “All right, that’s enough,” Horbin snaps. “Let’s get this over with.” Marius turns to look Horbin the MFKG Holy in the eye. He smiles slowly. “Your presence is neither requested nor required,” he says. “The only one I need is Sybele.” “Can I come too?” Jezebel pleads. “Very well,” he acquiesces easily. “Are you ready?” This is directed to Sybele. She glances at Thrush, then nods. “I want to go too!” Thrush blurts out. “If you’re going, honey, I’m coming with you!” “I think not,” the chronomancer retorts. Thrush’s face goes red and he opens his mouth to argue, but Marius cuts him off. “Sybele will be in no real danger. If she was, I would not allow Jezebel to accompany us.” “Then why not me too?” Marius smiles slyly. “Sybele is enough to make my point.” And with that, he opens a [i]gate.[/i] [i] Noon, 9/29/368 O.L.G., the Fields of Appointment, Elysium[/i] Sybele, Marius and Jezebel step through the [i]gate[/i]. Marius is well-prepared for the sight that greets them, but even so he cannot help it; his breath catches in his throat for a moment. Completely taken aback, Sybele and her half-dragon daughter can only gape. Before them are armies arrayed in precise ranks, extending as far as they can see. Thousands- maybe [i]millions[/i]- of men, dwarves and many other things. Glowing like the sun, wheeling through the sky, several dozen angels keep watch above. And over there... devils?! And row after row after row of formians, and there are some giants, and... Sybele shakes her head, dizzy at the sight of so much assembled might. [i]What is this?[/i] she wonders, but she’s already answering her own question. [i]Law. This is the force of Law! But- why did Marius bring me here?[/i] “Stay behind me, as a bodyguard,” the wizard tells her, striding forward, and she and Jezebel follow him. Before the great host is a smaller assembly, centering on a half dozen individuals, all with small cadres of bodyguards. Sybele gasps as she recognizes one of them- Cluma, the guardian of order that the group killed long ago on Pesh, only to have his allies raise him from the dead and file a lawsuit against them. Cluma, with a seven part rod assembled in his hand- thanks to Marius’ trickery so many months before, when he had them trapped in a time loop. Then her eyes go [i]really[/i] wide as she spots a man she’s never seen, but recognizes as the face on most of her coins. [i]Emperor Prayzose,[/i] she thinks in shock. [i]What the hell is going on here?? He’s been missing for more than five years![/i] And, she must remind herself, she is indirectly a part of the reason for it. She gulps, hoping he can’t read her thoughts at the moment. What are they here for? The answer is only moments away. As Marius takes his place as the seventh individual in the inner circle, it becomes clear that they’ve been awaiting him. Sybele feels almost naked amongst so much incredible power of Law- and she can’t miss the fact that many glances are thrown her way. She can almost hear the whispers: [i]Marius has a warrior of Chaos under his power! She’s bodyguarding him here, in the midst of the forces of Law![/i] She has a feeling that the chronomancer’s prestige has just jumped up considerably. The ceremony begins. It is an investiture of sorts, Sybele quickly realizes; and soon enough the titles are announced. Some kind of inevitable bearing pins or badges in the shape of arrows goes from one to the next of the seven, asking each a question and receiving the same answer from each, and pinning the arrow to his breast. “Emperor Prayzose of Forinthia, High Priest of the Light, do you accept your appointment as the First Arrow of Law?” “I do.” The metal creature solemnly fastens the Emperor’s badge to him. “Cluma, Guardian of Order, wielder of the sacred Rod of Seven Parts, do you accept your appointment as the Second Arrow of Law?” “I do.” The investor moves around the circle, and none of them refuse their appointment. “The Judge of Worlds, bringer of Law and ender of Chaos, do you accept your appointment as the Third Arrow of Law? “Umoadess, by whatever name you choose, Lord of Many Worlds, do you accept your appointment as the Fourth Arrow of Law? “Dekrasode, who brings the thunder and lightning, do you accept your appointment as the Fifth Arrow of Law?” [i]Dekrasode,[/i] thinks Sybele. [i]That’s King Malford’s old enemy- the dragon that impersonated the Emperor of Wotan! Why does he keep looking at me like that? I hope he’s not still mad about the whole hatching of the dragon eggs... and I hope he doesn’t try to have me held here, the Court of Law is still looking for us![/i] “Marius the Chronomancer, do you accept your appointment as the Sixth Arrow of Law? “Lord Alyth of Fendobarz, conqueror of many planes, do you accept your appointment as the Seventh Arrow of Law?” The last response- a quiet “I do”- and then the ceremony is over. “I don’t expect you to keep this a secret from your friends,” Marius tells Sybele moments later. “All of this will become well-known soon enough.” He smiles. “And now we’re done- for the moment. But don’t forget- your final task will come.” “Oh, Marius,” sighs Jezebel, “that’s wonderful! You’ve really reached some lofty heights!” “Indeed,” he answers, smiling tenderly at her. [i]6 p.m., 9/29/368 O.L.G., the Three Rubies tavern, Var[/i] Over dinner and drinks our heroes are discussing the ceremony that Sybele was just witness to. “It looked like a multiplanar force,” Sybele responds to a question. “Marius! Man, we need to do something about that guy!” Horbin swears to himself. “I can’t wait to explain a few things to him.” Jezebel glowers at him. “What do you mean? Marius is a great man. He’s no danger to us.” “No, we’re a danger to him,” mutters Horbin. “Obviously there’s some sort of a misunderstanding between you and him,” Jezebel replies easily. “You just need to work out your differences.” “Work out...? He held Till for years in a lower-planar prison! He kidnapped a bunch of our friends...” “There must be some mistake, Marius wouldn’t do that.” “He kidnapped [i]you![/i]” “Well, that’s not how I heard the story,” she says huffily. “And I think I’ve heard enough! Stop talking about him like he’s an enemy, he’s not!” There’s a tear in the half-dragon’s eye. Our heroes go to Reina’s house- Lester’s girlfriend- and spend the night in what they have come to fondly refer to as ‘adventurer groupie land.’ [i][b]Next Time:[/b][/i][b][/b] What do you do when you face thousands of breath weapons at once? [/QUOTE]
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