Kingdom of Ashes IC discussion (What if we held a war and *everybody* came?)

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

The Bishop closes his eyes, as if concentrating. After a moment, he recites, "And in the darkness he struck down Arten Zas, one of the vassals of the Black Dragon Lord, who was Zanic, his brother."

"Though the meanings of this passage have been debated for centuries, the prevailing thought is that the Last Bishop of Aon, and the Sun's Shadow had two sons, and that this Zanic, also known as Arten Zas, was the Apecto's brother. Although we have few details of his birth, even in the holy texts, it is far from impossible that the Bishop and his wife could have had 2 sons."

"As for more about this Arten Zas/Zanic Apecto, he is mentioned again in several of the histories that would have been contemporaneous with the Apecto's life. Apparently a high ranking member of the Kinawis, a secret society that was co-opted early on by Mordred the Black to heal the sundered throne, and set himself as Emperor, once more. He worked closely with the High Alder Greyclaws of Oceanus to bring that very thing to pass...it was only the actions of his brother that stopped him."

"In some of the more mythic tales (probably co-opted from earlier myths), just as the Apecto was the Chosen of the Light, Zanic was the chosen of Darkness. In these tales, it is often whispered that he was seduced into evil by Tiamat, herself..."

From the floor, Justice proccesses the Bishop's words, compairing them to what she knows... "I've only heard of Kinawis in passing... mentioned briefly in history classes at the academy... were a secret society that supported Mordred... eventually came out into the open to attempt to put him on the throne. After that they broke up, correct? What can you tell me about their group? Are there any that still support their philosophy? What is their connection to Tiamat?"

 

[The_Universe]

From the floor, Justice proccesses the Bishop's words, compairing them to what she knows... "I've only heard of Kinawis in passing... mentioned briefly in history classes at the academy... were a secret society that supported Mordred... eventually came out into the open to attempt to put him on the throne. After that they broke up, correct? What can you tell me about their group? Are there any that still support their philosophy? What is their connection to Tiamat?"

"The Kinawis did not break up, exactly. They were eliminated. Hunted by the vengeful subjects of the Falcon King. If there are any left, they did not come out into the open when the rest did, at Mordred's request. I find it hard to believe that any would have survived as practicing members."

"As for the organization, itself, it was very nearly a cult--serpent worship, with serpents alternately representing Tiamat, Dragons in general, and eventually Mordred. It was founded out of the ranks of the Emperor's personal guard, before the original dragon empire was sundered--before there was an eastern and western throne. They were dedicated to reuniting the sundered empire, working quietly from a thousand different places to undermine the two seperate empires, ocaisonally supporting rebels whom they thought get bring the empire back to its former glory. At some point, Mordred co-opted them for his own purposes, setting himself as their head."

"Tiamat herself is thought to have infiltrated their ranks at the behest of Mordred, though it is possible that the organization was merely a creation of hers, in the first place. She used her considerable powers to keep the more important members in check through seduction, and lust for power..."

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

"The Kinawis did not break up, exactly. They were eliminated. Hunted by the vengeful subjects of the Falcon King. If there are any left, they did not come out into the open when the rest did, at Mordred's request. I find it hard to believe that any would have survived as practicing members."

"As for the organization, itself, it was very nearly a cult--serpent worship, with serpents alternately representing Tiamat, Dragons in general, and eventually Mordred. It was founded out of the ranks of the Emperor's personal guard, before the original dragon empire was sundered--before there was an eastern and western throne. They were dedicated to reuniting the sundered empire, working quietly from a thousand different places to undermine the two seperate empires, ocaisonally supporting rebels whom they thought get bring the empire back to its former glory. At some point, Mordred co-opted them for his own purposes, setting himself as their head."

"Tiamat herself is thought to have infiltrated their ranks at the behest of Mordred, though it is possible that the organization was merely a creation of hers, in the first place. She used her considerable powers to keep the more important members in check through seduction, and lust for power..."

Shaking her head, Justice says, "It may be somewhat hard to believe... but, as of late, I have become quite comfortable accepting things that do not seem logical or practical as reality.

With the rise of the dragon army and the attacks in cities throughout our kingdom, it seems that The Kinawis may not exist as a formal organization currently but, their cult-like theology and serpant worship lives on."

Folding her legs underneath her, Justice rests her elbows on the table, hands cupping her chin. She stares questioningly at the jumpy, intelligent Bishop. "Bishop Carr, you say my power is a gift... yet, you claim that it is not that that worries you... What exactly does worry you about it?"

 

[The_Universe]

Shaking her head, Justice says, "It may be somewhat hard to believe... but, as of late, I have become quite comfortable accepting things that do not seem logical or practical as reality.

With the rise of the dragon army and the attacks in cities throughout our kingdom, it seems that The Kinawis may not exist as a formal organization currently but, their cult-like theology and serpant worship lives on."

Folding her legs underneath her, Justice rests her elbows on the table, hands cupping her chin. She stares questioningly at the jumpy, intelligent Bishop. "Bishop Carr, you say my power is a gift... yet, you claim that it is not that that worries you... What exactly does worry you about it?"

"What do you mean their serpent worship lives on? Surely none of the Traveller's children have fallen into such degenerate behavior! As for my worries...well...shall we say that gifts and curses are often difficult to distinguish? Though the Light has blessed you with much, there may be a darker side, as well."

"Furthermore, the gift itself, though powerful, can hardly be considered good or evil. It is what you do with it that shall mark you, and thus the gift. Though this may grant you a certain mastery over the unliving, it is nothing compared to the destruction you could reap upon the foundations of our time if you managed to convince others that your heritage was true. I worry that your desire for validation may overpower your desire to what is best."

"Yet, most of all, I worry that your claims *are* true. I worry that this gift has been given to you because the Apecto sired a son or daughter, and that his line has continued. I fear that, if this is true...if any of this is true, you are not the only scion of a bygone age. And if THAT is true, there are far more sinister fathers....fathers whose children I would FEAR."

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

"What do you mean their serpent worship lives on? Surely none of the Traveller's children have fallen into such degenerate behavior! As for my worries...well...shall we say that gifts and curses are often difficult to distinguish? Though the Light has blessed you with much, there may be a darker side, as well."

"Furthermore, the gift itself, though powerful, can hardly be considered good or evil. It is what you do with it that shall mark you, and thus the gift. Though this may grant you a certain mastery over the unliving, it is nothing compared to the destruction you could reap upon the foundations of our time if you managed to convince others that your heritage was true. I worry that your desire for validation may overpower your desire to what is best."

"Yet, most of all, I worry that your claims *are* true. I worry that this gift has been given to you because the Apecto sired a son or daughter, and that his line has continued. I fear that, if this is true...if any of this is true, you are not the only scion of a bygone age. And if THAT is true, there are far more sinister fathers....fathers whose children I would FEAR."

Throwing her head back, Justice laughs. "The blood of nearly every hero of the past age lives on... from The Apecto to the Bluestar, Bishop. And, in some ways, I suppose this is why I seek information from you.

I truly desire to learn more of what the future holds for us--for me--and what the past has to say to explain our current situation.

Though Preston is my grandfather, I have only known him a short time... learning more about his impact on the church could help to to better understand the church's reaction to our bloodline."

Justice scrunches up her nose and squints her eyes, deep in thought. She bites her lip and hums as she thinks... a crooked smile creases her red lips, those that know her can guess, she's thinking about Preston.

Then, she being speaking clumsily, obviously unsure of what information she is trying to force out of this funny little man.

"As Preston quested for the tomb of The Apecto, did he find anything that you know of? You claim that he and Dorn met after this altercation at a gathering of the churches of Atur... I don't understand how this is possible afterall, they are brothers... and, what is this altercation? When did it happen? Why did it happen?"

 

[The_Universe]

Throwing her head back, Justice laughs. "The blood of nearly every hero of the past age lives on... from The Apecto to the Bluestar, Bishop. And, in some ways, I suppose this is why I seek information from you.

I truly desire to learn more of what the future holds for us--for me--and what the past has to say to explain our current situation.

Though Preston is my grandfather, I have only known him a short time... learning more about his impact on the church could help to to better understand the church's reaction to our bloodline."

Justice scrunches up her nose and squints her eyes, deep in thought. She bites her lip and hums as she thinks... a crooked smile creases her red lips, those that know her can guess, she's thinking about Preston.

Then, she being speaking clumsily, obviously unsure of what information she is trying to force out of this funny little man.

"As Preston quested for the tomb of The Apecto, did he find anything that you know of? You claim that he and Dorn met after this altercation at a gathering of the churches at Atur... I don't understand how this is possible afterall, they are brothers... and, what is this altercation? When did it happen? Why did it happen?"

"Other scions...this is...disturbing. I would know more, eventually."

At the revelation that Preston and Dorn share a parent, his wide eyes widen further. "Brothers? Surely you jest! They hated each other from the moment they saw each other...I would have trouble believing that they sprung from the same race, let alone the same parents....yet that may explain why they became friends, as well. The altercation was nothing more than a squabble, a debate between the 2 largest orders of the church, that degenerated into a fist fight for two of the younger priests..."

"I know not if Preston ever found what he sought, but it may be that he found his heritage's...revelation...on his quest. The results of most of his exploits have been largely hushed up by the church, especially after his excommunication. Shall we say that I would not be surprised if, at some time, he DID find it....and because of the excommunication, I would have little doubt that he would be similarly unwilling to share that greatest of secrets with the church....I could hardly blame him."

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

"Other scions...this is...disturbing. I would know more, eventually."

At the revelation that Preston and Dorn share a parent, his wide eyes widen further. "Brothers? Surely you jest! They hated each other from the moment they saw each other...I would have trouble believing that they sprung from the same race, let alone the same parents....yet that may explain why they became friends, as well. The altercation was nothing more than a squabble, a debate between the 2 largest orders of the church, that degenerated into a fist fight for two of the younger priests..."

"I know not if Preston ever found what he sought, but it may be that he found his heritage's...revelation...on his quest. The results of most of his exploits have been largely hushed up by the church, especially after his excommunication. Shall we say that I would not be surprised if, at some time, he DID find it....and because of the excommunication, I would have little doubt that he would be similarly unwilling to share that greatest of secrets with the church....I could hardly blame him."

"If, indeed, Preston found the tomb of The Apecto, he has yet to tell me. Bishop Carr, do you know what things were hushed? Preston does not speak openly about his excommunication... and, I do not blame him... he did nothing wrong for, if he had, he would no longer possess the powers granted to him by the Light as a Cleric.

Do you believe the things they pushed aside held any validity? And, if they did, where do I find that information? Who do I ask?

Does the Bishop of Caer Albion cherish his position so greatly that he would sacrifice the power of knowledge and the truth of history to maintain it?"

 

[Queen_Dopplepopolis]

Justice slips two notes into the Ring Gate...

Dearest Cawys,

Thank you so much for your help in the battle. You are a very strong man... very strong and very intelligent... and, you must know how much women love a man with a large brain.

I would love for some advice from such a smart man. There are in excess of 25 Red Mages here, many of them Talon. I believe they hold very interesting information... some that you would probably find useful, as well.

Tell me, how would you, with that large, large brain of yours, keep Red Mages prisoner?

Always,
Justice


Randall,
There are over two dozen Red Mages here, many of them Talon... Tell me, how would you keep so many spell casters prisoner?

--Justice

 

[The_Universe]

Justice slips two notes into the Ring Gate...

Dearest Cawys,

Thank you so much for your help in the battle. You are a very strong man... very strong and very intelligent... and, you must know how much women love a man with a large brain.

I would love for some advice from such a smart man. There are in excess of 25 Red Mages here, many of them Talon. I believe they hold very interesting information... some that you would probably find useful, as well.

Tell me, how would you, with that large, large brain of yours, keep Red Mages prisoner?

Always,
Justice

Shortly thereafter, a dirty (apparently recently used) napkin is thrust through the ring gate. Across the back, punctuated by grease stains, you find the following scrawled in a barely readable script:

Babe,

Just so we're clear, my brain is a hung like a horse.

I'll get back to you on the rest. I got cleanin' up to do.

--Arthur Cawys
PS: I think we should talk about this privately, so that I can show you my...brain.

 

[The_Universe]

Randall,
There are over two dozen Red Mages here, many of them Talon... Tell me, how would you keep so many spell casters prisoner?

--Justice

Shortly after Cawys's note returns to Caer Melyn, another piece of paper slides through the shimmering hole in the fabric of reality that the ring-gate contains. In sharp contrast to Cawys's note, this is written on fine parchment, expertly etched with an obvious care.

Mistress Fairweather,

I pray this finds you well. Though I would share more with you, I will begin by addressing the problem you present.

Assuming that such a large number of mages can be captured, containing them will be difficult to say the least. I assume, since you mentioned capturing such a large number, that the mages in question are of relatively low power? I shall consult what books I managed to salvage from Oceanus to see what I can find. Additionally, I will converse with Master Cawys on the subject. He is often a font of creativity, even though most of his ample intelligence is often turned toward lewd behaviors.

As soon as I know more, I shall endeavor to contact you, again.

Lastly, I must ask--has something happened between Lady Rhynn and your companion, Master Arendorr? Her health has taken a turn for the worst since last I saw her. I can only imagine that your companion's short visit may have had something to do with it. Please, if there is something you know, tell us! Her health is of the highest concern, not least because the success of our amnesty, and of our rebellion depend on her survival.

Under the Light,
--Meric Randall