(IR) The 1st IC-thread of the 1st Turn of the 5th IR

[Rikandur Azebol]

It's not really a question of forcing. The sick Drow are in a very sensitive state. They can sense the evil in the hearts of your clerics, they can sense Iuz' evil there. And Evil is the drug they need more than anything else. They bask in the darkness of even the weakest of your clerics and eagerly draw it into themselves. Your clerics help (or harm) simply by being there. That's the same thing that was happening to the Drow under the care of the Tempest or Rary (before he had them killed).
If you had done more (and, more importantly, if the Good and Neutral factions would have done less) you could have won over the majority of the Drow fairly easily. For the Drow under your care take the path of least resistance while their Drow take a long and difficult journey fighting their own nature all the way.

OOC:
Nope ... simply, for Iuz it was abhorrent, this ... mass brainwashing performed by "good" forces. So as protest, when words fell on deaf ears, he ordered his clerics to not force Drow to anything and let them choose for themselves. And it is why I didn't make him make more effort.

Good ex-drow were allowed to leave in peace, explained clearly what Good is. Iuz's priesstesses learned it from Iuz, who know book definition of absolute good. Wich are rather extremal, and not many people on Oerth fit this definition. Maybe some holy hermits, but they dont play powergames ... wich are absolute folly.

For Iuz, absolute good is absolutely insane ... but probably harmless if You don't get infected with it.

Yes, you could make a visit. How many PLs do you bring?

OOC:
All forces, and it will be fast "visit". Iuz, Drelzna and All Elite Armies will fell on feasting celebrities like ton of bricks. Iuz will be rebuking, rest of folks slaughtering. And if it went fast enough to not raise alarm, then ... pillage little and return with captured VIP's to Gallador. And later ... Well I will have to speak a little with Melkor about punishments, and examples of terror.

In case that Initial attack will meet with resistance, or alarm will be raised Iuz forces will only set things afire and depart. Deluding enemies that they can pursue them ... Iuz will ambush several times pursuers, cackling. And destroy/rebuke as many as possible, with pleasure.

After a Miracle or two the new hand works decently, but the ugly red scar around his wrist doesn't fade. Iuz is still weak after the injuries he suffered in the recent battles, but he'll recover in time.

OOC:
Tsk, Tsk. It is impressive scar, not ugly.

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

Serpenteye, My Elite and Epic forces do the following:

1. Fortyfying Valion Gool with magical defences, including anti-teleportation and scrying wards, while the mundane troops create non-magical fortifications. I am looking for any surprises Salitisa might have left.

2. Continuing the conversion of Salitisa`s mindless undeath legions, how much time do I need to get the remaining 240 Pl( I have more Necromancers than she had, so should be enough to control that much)? A month?

3. Bringing food suplies and creating conditions for my living armies to survive in Galion Vool. There were human slaves kept there( and still are, will be useful as blood suply for my Vampires and labor) , so I assume the environment isn`t that hostile towards non-Undeath.

4. My diviners are looking for Salitisa and Vecna.


Finally, I create the cult of Gallador alongside this of Iuz( though as you remember I invited the NE clerics of Iuz only) in all the realms of Gallador`s Concord. Vampire and Vampire Spawn already revere Gallador who is ancestor for most of them and promised his children kingdoms to rule, unfortunately they are not numerous, but I assume dedicated and powerful followers are worth much more than standard ones. Humanoid servitor races are told that their false Gods have forsaken them, now their only choice is to worship Gallador and Iuz or face a terrible death. Duergar, Sahuagin and Kua-Toa are encouraged in more subtle ways.

Dogma of Gallador( strongly evil and lawful):

- Power is gained through Discipline, Focus and Ruthlessness. You should forsake emotions in pursuit of Power and Knowledge, especially Fear and Mercy, Ambition and to some extent Anger can be used as fuel to prevail over your enemies, but emotions should be second to reason( Gallador is Vampire, so he is not in favor of abandoming emotions totally like liches do). But Fear is the greatest tool for the Strong, only Fear can trully invoke Respect and Obedience.

- Vast majority of sentient beings are weaklings, living in ignorance and fear, driven by emotions, blinded by the soft religions that waste their potential. This is why they should follow great individuals who can direct their abilities towards higher purpose, lacking sufficient Wisdom and Strenght they should not seek their own goals. Only when the sheep, the masses are directed by greater Will, like Will of Gallador and his Princes, greatness can be achieved through altering reality on great scale.

-Sentient Undeath are the higher Order of beings, they lack the animal weaknesses like the need to sleep, eat or have sex. Therefore they can fully devote their energies to Pursuit of Enlightment and Power[ Power= Will( which is the mix of dedication/authority and Charisma) + Knowledge, it is the ability to affect world around you and other beings]

Religious Rites include bloody sacrifices to Gallador and his children, also promoting wothy followers to intelligent Undeath status. Would it be possible to create a pool of negative energy through sacrifices?

 

[Rikandur Azebol]

OOC:
Create Demiplane, Strongly Aligned to Negative energy. Genesis.

 

[Airwhale]

(Quick OOC: hopefully to be followed by a longer post tonight.

It seems to me that the elves of the Grayspace imperial navy would be highly impressed by Al'akabor, his attention to keeping order and goodness, and theirvery similar belief structure. Despite Al'akabor not being as elf centric as the Navy, I would imagine his religion is spreading like wildfire through their ranks.

What'cha think, SerpantEye?
)

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

OOC Note: I am just after a Political Doctrines exam, which influenced my last post. This Dogma is mostly influenced by Machiavelli, and Facism to lesser extent.

 

[Knight Otu]

TO ALL IN THE IR

Leathnor of Aliador makes the following proposal:

Let every power send forces to Gnibble immediately to aid Lord Gallador, establish control over that world, and afterwards establish joint control over it.
Let us do this now, before the forces of undead there wake up Vecna.

Aliador is willing to commit 50,000 elves to this venture.

We call on Baklunim, Orcreich, Miranda, Gigantea, Hyperboria, Aestia, Polaria, Highfolk and Delrune, the League of Athyr, and Greater Nyrond to help us.
We call on the Wolf, Greater Aerdi, the Empire of Iuz, the mighty city of Greyhawk, the Scarlet Brotherhood, and the Solistarim to help us.
We cannot call on the Illithid for the good reason no emissaries to them have survived. Yet we believe the Illithid would think this in their best interest as well.

Who will join us? Who will help cleanse Gnibble of the Minions of Vecna?

((OOC: The proposal is that each of us send 50 Regular PL, aided by 1 Epic PL to transport there, to Gnibble. And then we destroy the Lady Lich and her forces, and we hunt the followers of Vecna to extinction.))

Overking Jahren answers
"We certainly are willing to lend the support you request. There are however obstacles that we need to clear first.
Which is your plan? Scour the planet for any trace of a worshipper of the Whispered One? Or a more sophisticated plan? The followers of the Arch-Lich are not necessary confined to that world.
Also, we cannot spare any resources to transport our troops. Someone else had to be willing to perform that task."

(OOC - 50 rPL ok, but I'm using any of my epic PL in this endeavor)

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

To all powers that would like to take part in the expedition to Gibenei!:

-Gallador offers to repay fully any casualties.

-He is going to free all non-undeath slaves in nations other than Galion Vool and give them to Powers that gave help, which should satisfy good-aligned powers.

-Evil-aligned Powers will get number of Undeath Pl equal to forces they send( but no more than up to half total regular Pl of Undeath conquered, I assume entire Gibenei has around 1500 regular Pl of Undeath, since only Galion Vool had 300, assuming average nation is half the strenght of Galion Vool).

-The anti-Vecna forces can claim magical artifacts and tomes taken from Warlords, some Elite Pl.

-But he won`t allow his status as Overlord of Gibenei to be questioned!

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Ok, answers to a number of people, and actions ...

SERPENTEYE

The entire population of Aliador mobilized. That's 2.5 million elves, minus the children.
250 Regular Armies, 50 Elite Armies, and 2 Epic Armies, in addition to the Militia.

This happened almost immediately after the elves recovered from the shock of the Crystal Sphere closing, and is the case now.

Aliador is, literally, a sea of swords, bows, and readied spells.

TO SERPENTEYE

As previously stated, the 50 Elite Armies went to the Celestial Imperium to evacuate as many people from that mess as possible. Aliador has a lot of room, and is willing to make more room. If millions of refugees want to come, the elves will find a way, somehow, to make the space. The 50 Elites should be able to transport large numbers of refugees each day, using temporary Teleportation Circles.

TO EVERYONE AND MELKOR IN PARTICULAR

Absolutely frustrated by all the talk, Aliador is sending 50 Regular Armies and 1 Epic Army (helping it with transportation, among other things) to Gnibble.
This force IMMEDIATELY offers a truce and then a pact of alliance with Galador ... for the express purpose of clearing Gnibble of every last rat servitor of Vecna.
If Galladors' forces are cooperative, then the force from Aliador moves to attack the enemy.
If Galladors' forces attack the Aliadorian forces, then the Aliadorian forces go home.
If an impossible state of affairs exists (there is no atmosphere, elves can't survive because of negative energy, or something of this sort, or if overwhelming odds face them) the elves immediately CALL FOR HELP from Oerth.)
If no help arrives quickly, the Aliadorian forces go home.

Otherwise, the Aliadorian forces are there to fight, and win, against these undead rats who worship the Whispered One, and the Lady Lich who leads them.

TO RIKANDUR

The Dark Drow are ALL going over to the service of Iuz. Every last one of them.
These are the DARK Drow. They are as evil and depraved as Iuz. As in: the death of every last elf is not good enough for them. Even the Endless Death for every last elf is not good enough for them. Something so bad it cannot be put into the words of the English language, is needed for every last elf, half-elf, elf-friend, elf-collaborator, and anything even looking at elves in a way that could theoretically be conscrued as friendly.
The ILLITHID are nice guys, compared to the Dark Drow.
So ...
Iuz has a force of scores of thousands (to quote Serpenteye) of EXTREMELY evil, extremely violent, and (by all real world standards, at least) utterly insane, and absolutely loyal servants, willing to fight and die, then rise from the dead as undead and fight on, for the greater glory of Iuz.

And in no way do I control these drow. You, Rikandur, control them, and gain all the IC for them.

 

[Knight Otu]

With the transportation of the elven force, Jahren's suspicions are comfirmed.

"The rash and thoughtless actions of the forces of Aliador prove that there was no planning, no preparation what-so-ever. The war against the Whispered One continues to be bagatellized, the Arch-Lich himself is still underestimated by those who would oppose him. Under these circumstances, participating in the war would be suicide, and Aerdi will not commit suicide. We withdraw our offer of an attack force until such a time that better planning is evident. Other forms of aid may still be rendered."

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

Edena, I assume you accept the terms in my last post?

Gallador himself greets the leaders of your force and invites them to a splendid feast, where only normal food is served:

"I am honoured that you came, despite the great diffrences between our beliefs and the fact your realms are surrounded by dangerous neighbours! I will not forget your willingess to stand against Vecna! I invite you to stay in Galion Vool until enough forces are gathered to launch an invasion, I assume it will take around month."