Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Tales of the Legacy - Concluded
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Delemental" data-source="post: 2456888" data-attributes="member: 5203"><p>The party followed Aran into the home. Most of the interior was decorated in the same spartan white and gold motif that described Aran’s style of dress. The architecture was tall and thin, very airy and open. He led them to a parlor and offered them seats. Once the party was seated, Aran turned and looked intently at a door at one end of the room. Through the door came a creature none of them had ever seen before. It stood as tall as Osborn, but had faceted insect-like eyes and tiny antennae. It’s skin seemed covered with a light carapace. Aran looked at the creature for a moment, which then nodded and rapidly departed.</p><p></p><p> Aran turned and noticed the stares. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was my friend, Tek. He helps me out around the house.”</p><p></p><p> “What form of creature is it?” Tolly asked.</p><p></p><p> “His race has not been seen on the surface in quite some time. He is a dromite. Well, not precisely ‘he’. Tek has no true gender, like most insects. I refer to him as male for convenience. Please, sit down. My story will take some time to tell. Tek will bring us refreshments.”</p><p></p><p> “We have had several plots directed our way recently,” Tolly said. “Would you mind if I created a <em>zone of truth</em> here?”</p><p></p><p> “Feel free.”</p><p></p><p> Seconds after Tolly had cast his spell, a plate of finger sandwiches suddenly appeared on the table in the center of the room. Kyle walked over and grabbed a couple, stuffing one in his mouth while he went back to his seat. The others watched him nervously as he chewed.</p><p></p><p> “Good,” said Kyle to Aran, “but I’d need about a hundred of them to fill up.” He glanced around at his friends, still watching him. “What? If he wanted to kill us, he could’ve probably done it without bringing us to his home and poisoning us.”</p><p></p><p> “You have been encountering beings with powers that have not been seen on the surface in quite some time,” Aran began as a few of the other party members rose to pick up a sandwich.</p><p></p><p> “Abominations,” Tolly said.</p><p></p><p> “The powers of psionics,” Aran continued, “which are displeasing in the eyes of the gods.”</p><p></p><p> “To say the least,” Lanara quipped.</p><p></p><p> “The people from the groups you’ve been encountering… well, there are multiple factions among the psionic community, and you have been encountering the more hostile and genocidal members of the faction. As a person opposed to that faction, I wished to explain to you a bit more fully about our history, and how things came to be; to enlighten you so that you will be able judge based on both sides of the story.”</p><p></p><p> “Or at least two sides,” Lanara said.</p><p></p><p> “Two sides,” Aran consented, “instead of only that which the gods choose to release. It’s not that we hate the gods; far from it. I fully respect them, but just that they seem to fear us.” Aran paused for a moment. “Perhaps with good reason.”</p><p></p><p> “Wait,” Autumn said, “are you saying that you are one of these psionic beings as well?”</p><p></p><p> “I am, which is how I brought you here. And the generally accepted term among our kind is ‘psionicist’.”</p><p></p><p> Tolly visibly stiffened, and his fingers curled around the haft of a warhammer that wasn’t there. Autumn prepared to step in front of the Ardaran should he decide to act.</p><p></p><p> “Where should I begin?” Aran said to himself, seeming oblivious to the tension in part of the room.</p><p></p><p> “How about the beginning?” Lanara suggested.</p><p></p><p> “The beginning… yes… that would be a good place.” Aran looked out past the party into the hallway beyond. “Erito created the Four out of the Void; together the Four created Aelfenn, and the Many. However, there was some… problem when the world was created. I do not know if it was by Erito’s design, by the design of one of the Four, a flaw in the Void, or something else. But when the world sprang up, there were races on the surfaces besides the humans – races that theoretically had not been included in the original design. Races such as the giants, the dromites, the xeph. There was also the force called psionics. It is a force similar to magic, but it doesn’t spring from the gods. As such, it is also not bound by their limitations; things that are resistant to magic are defenseless against psionics.”</p><p></p><p> “Which is why the gods would be rightfully afraid of it,” Lanara said.</p><p></p><p> “Very true,” Aran asserted. “Because there used to be more of the Many. Well, at least one more. The Cataclysm was the result of the destruction of one of the Many by psions.”</p><p></p><p> Stunned silence permeated the chamber. It was nearly a minute before Aran spoke again; when he did, the party was surprised to see that tea and wine had been brought out on a silver cart. Nearly everyone reached for wine.</p><p></p><p> “I have no solid facts of that time,” he said. “And I will not speculate on such a matter. I will leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. But from that time, the gods have… rightfully, I suppose… declared a moratorium on psionics. We are hunted, we are slain off-hand. But, for some reason, people with psionic powers continue to be born. I don’t know why that would be, but it suggests two strong possibilities among many. Either Erito and the other gods do not have the capability to eradicate psionics from Aelfenn, or for some reason they wish it to remain. It is not a question I can answer. What I can say is that, much like any people that have been persecuted for millennia, we would like to live in peace with our neighbors.”</p><p></p><p> Aran paused for a moment to sip tea, then continued. “There are different ideas on how to accomplish this. I am part of a faction that advocates slow change; education and a slow re-entry. Perhaps starting with institutions such as the school in Trageon, informing the surface people about us, and then expanding from there to slow, tightly-controlled contacts. We would ensure that such a rampant abuse of power that led to the Cataclysm would not be possible.</p><p></p><p> “Unfortunately, my faction is rather small. The vast majority of the psions and psionic races favor a more forceful return.”</p><p></p><p> “Forceful in what way?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “Like Xerxes,” whispered Lanara.</p><p></p><p> “Oh, you’ve met Kristyan’s creature, I see,” Aran said sadly. “He is one of the beings known as a xeph. He is quick of mind and body.”</p><p></p><p> “We noticed,” Lanara said.</p><p></p><p> “His master is Kristyan, a powerful telepath. Xerxes follows the discipline of the mindblade; they manifest their power into a blade of energy. If you’ve met Xerxes, no doubt you’ve seen it.”</p><p></p><p> The group nodded in memory of their battle with Xerxes, and his escape.</p><p></p><p> “My reason for bringing you here is to give you insight. To let you know that, just as with any people, all psions are not inherently evil, we are not inherently bad, and we are not inherently cursed by the gods. The source of our power differs from that of a sorcerer, or a cleric, or a druid, but in much the same way is not inherently good or bad, it is what we do with it. I wanted to give you some insight into what we can do, what we are capable of, of how our power differs from what you are familiar with. I want to see these genocidal people stopped. Their philosophy is abhorrent to me. I want you to have the tools you need to stop them.”</p><p></p><p> “How come Kyle can detect psionic energies, when others cannot?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> Aran turned to Kyle, looking genuinely surprised. “Can you?”</p><p></p><p> “Not on my own,” the wizard admitted. “I have the ability to see magical auras at will. I recently got a staff that I found out will let me see psionic energies by adapting that ability.”</p><p></p><p> “Without seeing this staff, I couldn’t say for certain,” Aran said. “Unfortunately, I could not bring you all here with your belongings, other than what was necessary for modesty. What I brought here was a physical manifestation of your dreaming selves. You have a body here, as well as back on Aelfenn.”</p><p></p><p> “Like traveling through the Astral Plane,” Kyle said, suddenly understanding. “A physical construct created out of the native material, in this case ‘dream-stuff’. Effects on one body mostly don’t translate to the other.”</p><p></p><p> “Exactly.”</p><p></p><p> “Why can you only speak to us in dreams?” Kavan asked.</p><p></p><p> “The effort required to reconstruct all your belongings would be too great,” Aran said. “And this is also less of a risk for me.” He turned and smiled at Arrie. “Your handling of my balcony railing demonstrates why I might feel safer this way. It’s also safer for you, as I couldn’t, say, pick up a knife and stab you and have any lasting effects.”</p><p></p><p> Kavan shook his head. “No, I mean why not meet us in person?”</p><p></p><p> “Because I am being watched,” Aran admitted. “I can meet you here because they don’t know you are here. One of Tek’s clutch-mates is projecting an image that I am going about my normal routine. That is why we only have an hour before they begin to suspect something.”</p><p></p><p> “Are you always watched?” Autumn asked.</p><p></p><p> “We all make a point of monitoring each other,” Aran said. “Most of then consider me a doddering old fool; a powerful one, but one that won’t get in their way.”</p><p></p><p> “So, where are you really?” Kavan asked.</p><p></p><p> “I’m here.”</p><p></p><p> “Where is that?”</p><p></p><p> Aran smiled. “Let’s just leave it as ‘here’ for now. In the future, if you find yourself dreaming of a rocky coast under a gray sky, we may be able to talk again.”</p><p></p><p> “So, you said you wanted to explain psionics to us,” said Kyle. “From what little I’ve been able to tell so far, psionics have the same capability to improve and enhance physical objects as magic.”</p><p></p><p> “That is correct,” Aran said. “Psionics have certain advantages over magic, and vice versa. Psionics excel in the manipulation of the mind; rewriting memories, taking control, and so on. Our abilities are more advanced in temporal manipulation as well. Psionics also excel in manipulation of the self, such as making one stronger, or faster, or hardening the skin, or…”</p><p></p><p> “Or growing to great size,” Tolly interjected.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, such as what you witnessed with Sun-Harrow. I was not sorry to hear of his demise.”</p><p></p><p> “But back to psionics and magic,” Kyle pressed.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, my apologies. Magic is superior in the area of illusion; with a single spell you can create a phantom wall that all can perceive; for us it would require contacting each observer’s mind separately and making them see a wall. Magic is superior in the base alteration of reality. It is also unparalleled in the reanimation of the dead. Most areas, however, are equal between the two disciplines, though they may approach the same task in different ways. This would include the manipulation of space and matter, divinations, conjurations and summonings, and healing of physical or mental injury.”</p><p></p><p> Aran went on for several minutes. He explained some of the various disciplines within psionics, such as the psychic warriors; those like Sun-Harrow who channel their power into martial improvement. There were also the psions, who developed their innate powers much like a sorcerer, but like a wizard could learn more through study and practice.</p><p></p><p> “Of course, much as wizards have those who practice the discipline of conjuration, or necromancy, or divination, we psions have those who concentrate on one aspect of psionic power as well. I specialize in the manipulation of space and time; Kristyan is a telepath, focused on direct control of the mind. There are also wilders, who know fewer powers but can use them more frequently than psions, and can also channel their emotions into their powers to give them greater impact. And of course, there are the mindblades, a discipline you are already familiar with.”</p><p></p><p> Xu suddenly looked up. “Would your enemies include someone who had the power to change their appearance so that others perceived them as one of their own race and gender?”</p><p></p><p> Aran frowned. “I’m aware of no such being, though I am not gifted as a seer. However, such would be a difficult power for a psion to develop. Do you know of such a person?”</p><p></p><p> “We’ve met someone known as the Faceless One,” Arrie said, “who has such an ability. He himself has explained it as an aberrant Talent.”</p><p></p><p> “Ah, yes, Talents. It might be good for you to know that one way of detecting those children who will develop psionic powers is that they either do not manifest a Talent at adolescence, or their Talent will be underdeveloped; something subtle and common, such as minor manipulation of objects.”</p><p></p><p> Kyle’s brow furrowed at this, but he said nothing. His father didn’t have a Talent; no one on his father’s side of the family did. He and his siblings had been the first in generations, and their Talents were nothing remarkable. Kyle hoped that Tolly wouldn’t just start slaying unTalented children out of hand based on Aran’s words. But glancing at the hard line of Tolly’s jaw as Aran spoke, Kyle guesses that Tolly was barely hearing anything the man said. The thought of this brought up another wave of anger and frustration like when he’d argued over the psionic items they carried. Why did Tolly insist on being so blind?</p><p></p><p> Aran continued to explain some of the various disciplines of psionic powers, as well as describing some of the psionic races that lived below the surface in the region he termed the ‘Underdark’; the half-giants, the dromites, the xeph, and the maenads. Kyle listened attentively, asking several questions. Arrie quickly grew distracted and attempted to communicate with Tek, who was standing near Aran. Once she succeeded at making her intentions known, she ended up having a mental conversation with the dromite. At one point Tek looked at Aran, who then looked at Arrie and frowned. Arrie looked slightly startled.</p><p></p><p> “What are the plans of this militant faction?” Kavan asked.</p><p></p><p> “I’m not certain what their ultimate goal is,” Aran said. “Right now it appears that they simply wish to rise out of the depths of the earth and re-conquer the surface world.”</p><p></p><p> “Do you know from where?”</p><p></p><p> “There are many cities in the Underdark, just as there are many cities on the surface. And not all psionicists are based in the Underdark. There are psions born of every race; human, elf, orc, aasimar… every race. Only those races that can’t easily mingle with the surface races are forced to hide in the depths.”</p><p></p><p> “What of the shadar-kai?” Tolly asked.</p><p></p><p> “No, they are not among the psionic races. I believe they are fey of some kind.”</p><p></p><p> “What is the origin of the half-giant race?” asked Kyle.</p><p></p><p> “The true giants were a psionic race before the Cataclysm. The adults were all killed by that tragedy, and the humans took in their young. Over time, the two races began to interbreed, until the half-giants, or giant-touched, emerged as a true-breeding race. The creatures that you know as ‘giants’ on the surface world are primitive cousins of the true giants.”</p><p></p><p> “What do you know of a priest named Marrek?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> “An elf-touched, associated with Xerxes,” Kyle added.</p><p></p><p> “Marrek? I think… oh, yes. Xerxes uses Marrek as a pawn, to run errands he himself cannot easily accomplish on the surface.”</p><p></p><p> Kavan shook his head when he thought of his son involved with these beings.</p><p></p><p> “How does one defeat such powers?” Tolly inquired.</p><p></p><p> “The defenses are varied, and are much the same as they are against magic,” Aran explained. “If someone tries to control your mind, whether through magic or psionics, your best defense is a strong will. If your enemy unleashes fire or energy bolts at you, your best defense is to get out of the way. The only advantage psionics has is the fact that even those who are protected against or resistant to magic are vulnerable to psionics. Even the gods have no resistance against it.”</p><p></p><p> “You said earlier that psionicists killed one of the Many,” Arrie said, looking up from her silent conversation with Tek. “Did that god have a name?”</p><p></p><p> “I don’t know.” Aran replied. “There are very few surviving records, and what I’ve told you is what I’ve managed to glean from those sources I’ve found.”</p><p></p><p> “By what you’re saying,” Kyle interjected, “the Cataclysm was not truly the fault of the humans, at least not entirely.” *</p><p></p><p> “Perhaps not. It’s difficult to say for certain.”</p><p></p><p> “Is there any way, or anywhere we could find that information?”</p><p></p><p> “We could always ask those who erased it, Kyle,” Tolly said flatly.</p><p></p><p> “If they’re willing,” Kyle replied. “I mean, the gods have kept this secret for a long time.”</p><p></p><p> “They don’t wish to be slaughtered,” Autumn stated.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, but if they don’t want it to happen again, it might be nice to know what really happened the first time, so we could recognize if this faction is trying to build up to something similar.”</p><p></p><p> “If it truly happened that way,” Tolly said. “Records can be falsified… or misquoted.”</p><p></p><p> “And you have every reason to distrust me,” Aran said, “and not believe a word I’m saying. Were I in your position, I wouldn’t either. I can appreciate your position.”</p><p></p><p> “What you are saying is true, at least as far as I am aware,” Tolly said, gesturing into the air to indicate the spell he’d used earlier. In truth, its power had faded long ago, but Tolly hoped that this Abomination’s unfamiliarity with divine magic would cause him to believe the field was still active.</p><p></p><p> “For the time being, it’s the only version of the truth we have,” Kyle said. “It’s another reason I’d like to find a source of these records.”</p><p></p><p> “What would you do, in our place?” Kavan asked.</p><p></p><p> “For now, merely keep your eyes open,” Aran said. “I have agents in this world as well. I will attempt to have them contact you. I will try to determine the plans of our enemy and relay them to you, though my own skills in far-seeing are limited. However, one of Tek’s clutch-mates is skilled in this way. In fact, it is what he is currently doing – or to be more specific, he is interfering in the far-seeing powers of others. How long it takes to get information to you depends on where you are.”</p><p></p><p> “Is there any way to know if a dream we’re experiencing is a true dream, or something sent to us by a psionicist?” Lanara asked.</p><p></p><p> “It could be difficult, depending on the intent of the person sending the dream.”</p><p></p><p> “Is there any way to ward against it?”</p><p></p><p> “There are magics that can also manipulate the dream state,” Aram said. “The defenses would be similar. Some psionic powers do interact with magic, and one can interfere with the other. A magic spell that reveals invisible creatures will work regardless of whether the invisibility is magical or psionic in nature, for example.”</p><p></p><p> “Most of those defenses are beyond my current skills,” Kyle admitted.</p><p></p><p> “But a spell that strengthened the will would work, right?” said Arrie. “The spell would be affecting the person, not the psionic power.”</p><p></p><p> “That’s correct,” Aran said. “You also have one other advantage. We psionicists cannot change what we know. A wizard or a cleric can change their spells and invocations daily; we cannot. Thus once you get to know a particular psion, their capabilities will be somewhat predictable.”</p><p></p><p> Tolly suddenly stood. “If no one else has further questions, I think we’re done with him,” he snapped.</p><p></p><p> Kyle made no move to leave; neither did Arrie or Kavan. Autumn, who looked as though she was about to stand, settled back for a moment. “Why did you seek us out?” she asked.</p><p></p><p> “I have watched you interfere in the plans of my enemies time and time again. It seems that if you are going to continue doing so, I should offer my help.”</p><p></p><p> “When the champions are crushing their foes, it’s better to stand behind them than get in their way,” Tolly said.</p><p></p><p> “Have you used outsiders before?” Kavan asked.</p><p></p><p> “Yes, but never like this. But then, I’ve never needed to before this.”</p><p></p><p> “You did not wish to squander the opportunity,” Xu observed.</p><p></p><p> “There’s that, and that my opponents are now moving less openly and less rapidly than before. This gives me cause for concern, as it suggests their plans are moving into an end-stage.”</p><p></p><p> “And what actions will you take?” Kavan asked.</p><p></p><p> “I will not take any direct action,” Aran said. “Primarily because the gods do watch over you directly. If I were to interfere more directly than I have, I would risk opening myself to their wrath. That is unpleasant.”</p><p></p><p> “Besides,” added Kyle, “you said your enemies see you as a ‘doddering old fool’. Anything you do to prove them wrong might cause them to take action against you.”</p><p></p><p> “Exactly. There are far more of them than there are of us, perhaps three to one. They can also be very persistent.”</p><p></p><p> “Do the loyalties of each group tend to fall along racial lines?” Arrie asked.</p><p></p><p> “The Underdark races tend to follow my opponent’s faction, and the surface races tend to adhere to my faction,” Aran said. “This is not always true, of course; Tek and his clutch-mates are an example of that.”</p><p></p><p> The party looked at each other, and started to rise from their seats. But Kyle remained firmly planted in his chair.</p><p></p><p> “I have some questions in regard to the comparisons of psionic power structures to the traditional arcane structures of nodes and valences,” ** he said.</p><p></p><p> “He wants to do what with his which now?” Lanara muttered to Osborn.</p><p></p><p> The remainder of their time was almost entirely dominated by Kyle, who asked a series of questions that most of them didn’t even understand. Even Tolly, who was educated in traditional arcane theory, had trouble following the way Kyle processed and interpreted the information. Aran, on the other hand, seemed to have no such difficulty, and information flowed back and forth freely. Kyle pointedly ignored the growing irritation of Tolly at having to endure the presence of an ‘Abomination’. What he was learning was too important.</p><p></p><p> After about forty-five minutes, Aran held up his hand to interrupt Kyle. “They are beginning to probe my home,” he said. “I’m afraid I must send you back to where you came.”</p><p></p><p> “Finally,” Tolly grumbled.</p><p></p><p> “You’ll have to excuse Tolly,” Kyle said. “He doesn’t like to have his faith clouded with knowledge.”</p><p></p><p> Tolly glared at Kyle as Arrie bent down to try to say goodbye to Tek. The dromite rubbed his antennae against her forehead briefly before stepping back.</p><p></p><p> A moment later, they were all blinking in the late afternoon sun of the Haran Desert.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center">* * *</p><p></p><p> It took the party eight days to be led to the diamond mines where the majority of Keth’s tribe thought they were headed. A sandstorm on the sixth day had forced them to stop, and Lanara noted they weren’t exactly making a beeline for the mines either (when she made this observation to Arrie, the warrior guessed that they were taking a route that would keep the party from spotting any of Keth’s oases).</p><p></p><p> The journey had been a fairly quiet one. Most of the group was still mulling over their meeting with Aran. Kyle and Tolly made a point of avoiding each other; the other party members either stayed out of both their paths, or approached them individually. Kyle, in particular, seemed to be struggling to keep his emotions under control.</p><p></p><p> Upon arriving at the mines, the party said their farewells to their escort, and made preparations as if to set up camp as the lancers turned and rode back north to their Warchief. As soon as they were out of sight, the party packed up their belongings and began to ride southeast toward the forbidden tomb.</p><p></p><p> It was supposed to be a three-day ride, but the party pressed their horses and made it in two, hoping to get to the tomb as soon as possible and be on their way. So it wasn’t until late in the evening that the party came up the crest of a large hill and were able to overlook the Tomb of the <em>Karrak</em>. Though they were still some distance away, four of Aelfenn’s five moons were in the sky that night, casting enough light upon the desert to allow them to make out a fair amount of the tomb itself. Kavan, in particular, was able to pick out details in the dim moonlight.</p><p></p><p> The tomb lay in the middle of the desert, nestled amidst the dunes. The ground here was hard-packed dirt rather than sand, with scraggly grasses poking out of cracked earth. A simple gateway jutted out of the earth, marking where stone steps led downward. The gateway la in the middle of a large circle of stones, slightly off-center. The stones ringed the entrance at a distance of 50 yards or so; each stone was ten feet high and twice that in length, and pointed. The points were directed either toward the tomb or away from it, alternating as they went around. The effect was like a crown of thorns surrounding the tomb, or perhaps some sort of barricade; one meant to keep something in as much as it was meant to keep something out.</p><p></p><p> Lanara glanced up at the night sky. She noted the position of Silko’s Eye, and the constellation of the Paragon Yerodin, as well as the locations of the moons Nula and Dathel, and made a quick mental calculation.</p><p></p><p> “Happy new year, guys,” she said quietly, as they stared down into the valley below.</p><p></p><p>END OF PART ONE</p><p></p><p></p><p>-----------------------------------</p><p></p><p>* The common version of the Cataclysm myth states that it was caused by human wizards who experimented with powerful magics and created a weapon that destroyed an entire continent. In this version, the Cataclysm was a magical plague sent by the gods to wipe out most of the humans on the surface; after that, Erito and The Four each went off to create a new humanoid race after their own ideals; the elves, dwarves, gnomes, hin, and orcs.</p><p></p><p>** Terms I borrowed from Sepulchrave's Story Hour and campaign, because I like the concept. In reality, we've never gotten that detailed about magical theory.</p><p></p><p></p><p>The conversation with Aran marked a transitional point in the campaign; the fact that it fell on the campaign world's new year was pure coincidence. Ironically, it nearly corresponded with the real-world New Year; this session was played in mid-December, 2004.</p><p></p><p>Oh, and the line about Kyle having 'trouble controlling his emotions'? It's because a couple of days after meeting Aran, Arrie tells him about Autumn and Tolly. <img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/paranoid.png" class="smilie" loading="lazy" alt=":uhoh:" title="Paranoid :uhoh:" data-shortname=":uhoh:" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Delemental, post: 2456888, member: 5203"] The party followed Aran into the home. Most of the interior was decorated in the same spartan white and gold motif that described Aran’s style of dress. The architecture was tall and thin, very airy and open. He led them to a parlor and offered them seats. Once the party was seated, Aran turned and looked intently at a door at one end of the room. Through the door came a creature none of them had ever seen before. It stood as tall as Osborn, but had faceted insect-like eyes and tiny antennae. It’s skin seemed covered with a light carapace. Aran looked at the creature for a moment, which then nodded and rapidly departed. Aran turned and noticed the stares. “I’m sorry,” he said. “That was my friend, Tek. He helps me out around the house.” “What form of creature is it?” Tolly asked. “His race has not been seen on the surface in quite some time. He is a dromite. Well, not precisely ‘he’. Tek has no true gender, like most insects. I refer to him as male for convenience. Please, sit down. My story will take some time to tell. Tek will bring us refreshments.” “We have had several plots directed our way recently,” Tolly said. “Would you mind if I created a [I]zone of truth[/I] here?” “Feel free.” Seconds after Tolly had cast his spell, a plate of finger sandwiches suddenly appeared on the table in the center of the room. Kyle walked over and grabbed a couple, stuffing one in his mouth while he went back to his seat. The others watched him nervously as he chewed. “Good,” said Kyle to Aran, “but I’d need about a hundred of them to fill up.” He glanced around at his friends, still watching him. “What? If he wanted to kill us, he could’ve probably done it without bringing us to his home and poisoning us.” “You have been encountering beings with powers that have not been seen on the surface in quite some time,” Aran began as a few of the other party members rose to pick up a sandwich. “Abominations,” Tolly said. “The powers of psionics,” Aran continued, “which are displeasing in the eyes of the gods.” “To say the least,” Lanara quipped. “The people from the groups you’ve been encountering… well, there are multiple factions among the psionic community, and you have been encountering the more hostile and genocidal members of the faction. As a person opposed to that faction, I wished to explain to you a bit more fully about our history, and how things came to be; to enlighten you so that you will be able judge based on both sides of the story.” “Or at least two sides,” Lanara said. “Two sides,” Aran consented, “instead of only that which the gods choose to release. It’s not that we hate the gods; far from it. I fully respect them, but just that they seem to fear us.” Aran paused for a moment. “Perhaps with good reason.” “Wait,” Autumn said, “are you saying that you are one of these psionic beings as well?” “I am, which is how I brought you here. And the generally accepted term among our kind is ‘psionicist’.” Tolly visibly stiffened, and his fingers curled around the haft of a warhammer that wasn’t there. Autumn prepared to step in front of the Ardaran should he decide to act. “Where should I begin?” Aran said to himself, seeming oblivious to the tension in part of the room. “How about the beginning?” Lanara suggested. “The beginning… yes… that would be a good place.” Aran looked out past the party into the hallway beyond. “Erito created the Four out of the Void; together the Four created Aelfenn, and the Many. However, there was some… problem when the world was created. I do not know if it was by Erito’s design, by the design of one of the Four, a flaw in the Void, or something else. But when the world sprang up, there were races on the surfaces besides the humans – races that theoretically had not been included in the original design. Races such as the giants, the dromites, the xeph. There was also the force called psionics. It is a force similar to magic, but it doesn’t spring from the gods. As such, it is also not bound by their limitations; things that are resistant to magic are defenseless against psionics.” “Which is why the gods would be rightfully afraid of it,” Lanara said. “Very true,” Aran asserted. “Because there used to be more of the Many. Well, at least one more. The Cataclysm was the result of the destruction of one of the Many by psions.” Stunned silence permeated the chamber. It was nearly a minute before Aran spoke again; when he did, the party was surprised to see that tea and wine had been brought out on a silver cart. Nearly everyone reached for wine. “I have no solid facts of that time,” he said. “And I will not speculate on such a matter. I will leave it to you to draw your own conclusions. But from that time, the gods have… rightfully, I suppose… declared a moratorium on psionics. We are hunted, we are slain off-hand. But, for some reason, people with psionic powers continue to be born. I don’t know why that would be, but it suggests two strong possibilities among many. Either Erito and the other gods do not have the capability to eradicate psionics from Aelfenn, or for some reason they wish it to remain. It is not a question I can answer. What I can say is that, much like any people that have been persecuted for millennia, we would like to live in peace with our neighbors.” Aran paused for a moment to sip tea, then continued. “There are different ideas on how to accomplish this. I am part of a faction that advocates slow change; education and a slow re-entry. Perhaps starting with institutions such as the school in Trageon, informing the surface people about us, and then expanding from there to slow, tightly-controlled contacts. We would ensure that such a rampant abuse of power that led to the Cataclysm would not be possible. “Unfortunately, my faction is rather small. The vast majority of the psions and psionic races favor a more forceful return.” “Forceful in what way?” Autumn asked. “Like Xerxes,” whispered Lanara. “Oh, you’ve met Kristyan’s creature, I see,” Aran said sadly. “He is one of the beings known as a xeph. He is quick of mind and body.” “We noticed,” Lanara said. “His master is Kristyan, a powerful telepath. Xerxes follows the discipline of the mindblade; they manifest their power into a blade of energy. If you’ve met Xerxes, no doubt you’ve seen it.” The group nodded in memory of their battle with Xerxes, and his escape. “My reason for bringing you here is to give you insight. To let you know that, just as with any people, all psions are not inherently evil, we are not inherently bad, and we are not inherently cursed by the gods. The source of our power differs from that of a sorcerer, or a cleric, or a druid, but in much the same way is not inherently good or bad, it is what we do with it. I wanted to give you some insight into what we can do, what we are capable of, of how our power differs from what you are familiar with. I want to see these genocidal people stopped. Their philosophy is abhorrent to me. I want you to have the tools you need to stop them.” “How come Kyle can detect psionic energies, when others cannot?” Autumn asked. Aran turned to Kyle, looking genuinely surprised. “Can you?” “Not on my own,” the wizard admitted. “I have the ability to see magical auras at will. I recently got a staff that I found out will let me see psionic energies by adapting that ability.” “Without seeing this staff, I couldn’t say for certain,” Aran said. “Unfortunately, I could not bring you all here with your belongings, other than what was necessary for modesty. What I brought here was a physical manifestation of your dreaming selves. You have a body here, as well as back on Aelfenn.” “Like traveling through the Astral Plane,” Kyle said, suddenly understanding. “A physical construct created out of the native material, in this case ‘dream-stuff’. Effects on one body mostly don’t translate to the other.” “Exactly.” “Why can you only speak to us in dreams?” Kavan asked. “The effort required to reconstruct all your belongings would be too great,” Aran said. “And this is also less of a risk for me.” He turned and smiled at Arrie. “Your handling of my balcony railing demonstrates why I might feel safer this way. It’s also safer for you, as I couldn’t, say, pick up a knife and stab you and have any lasting effects.” Kavan shook his head. “No, I mean why not meet us in person?” “Because I am being watched,” Aran admitted. “I can meet you here because they don’t know you are here. One of Tek’s clutch-mates is projecting an image that I am going about my normal routine. That is why we only have an hour before they begin to suspect something.” “Are you always watched?” Autumn asked. “We all make a point of monitoring each other,” Aran said. “Most of then consider me a doddering old fool; a powerful one, but one that won’t get in their way.” “So, where are you really?” Kavan asked. “I’m here.” “Where is that?” Aran smiled. “Let’s just leave it as ‘here’ for now. In the future, if you find yourself dreaming of a rocky coast under a gray sky, we may be able to talk again.” “So, you said you wanted to explain psionics to us,” said Kyle. “From what little I’ve been able to tell so far, psionics have the same capability to improve and enhance physical objects as magic.” “That is correct,” Aran said. “Psionics have certain advantages over magic, and vice versa. Psionics excel in the manipulation of the mind; rewriting memories, taking control, and so on. Our abilities are more advanced in temporal manipulation as well. Psionics also excel in manipulation of the self, such as making one stronger, or faster, or hardening the skin, or…” “Or growing to great size,” Tolly interjected. “Yes, such as what you witnessed with Sun-Harrow. I was not sorry to hear of his demise.” “But back to psionics and magic,” Kyle pressed. “Yes, my apologies. Magic is superior in the area of illusion; with a single spell you can create a phantom wall that all can perceive; for us it would require contacting each observer’s mind separately and making them see a wall. Magic is superior in the base alteration of reality. It is also unparalleled in the reanimation of the dead. Most areas, however, are equal between the two disciplines, though they may approach the same task in different ways. This would include the manipulation of space and matter, divinations, conjurations and summonings, and healing of physical or mental injury.” Aran went on for several minutes. He explained some of the various disciplines within psionics, such as the psychic warriors; those like Sun-Harrow who channel their power into martial improvement. There were also the psions, who developed their innate powers much like a sorcerer, but like a wizard could learn more through study and practice. “Of course, much as wizards have those who practice the discipline of conjuration, or necromancy, or divination, we psions have those who concentrate on one aspect of psionic power as well. I specialize in the manipulation of space and time; Kristyan is a telepath, focused on direct control of the mind. There are also wilders, who know fewer powers but can use them more frequently than psions, and can also channel their emotions into their powers to give them greater impact. And of course, there are the mindblades, a discipline you are already familiar with.” Xu suddenly looked up. “Would your enemies include someone who had the power to change their appearance so that others perceived them as one of their own race and gender?” Aran frowned. “I’m aware of no such being, though I am not gifted as a seer. However, such would be a difficult power for a psion to develop. Do you know of such a person?” “We’ve met someone known as the Faceless One,” Arrie said, “who has such an ability. He himself has explained it as an aberrant Talent.” “Ah, yes, Talents. It might be good for you to know that one way of detecting those children who will develop psionic powers is that they either do not manifest a Talent at adolescence, or their Talent will be underdeveloped; something subtle and common, such as minor manipulation of objects.” Kyle’s brow furrowed at this, but he said nothing. His father didn’t have a Talent; no one on his father’s side of the family did. He and his siblings had been the first in generations, and their Talents were nothing remarkable. Kyle hoped that Tolly wouldn’t just start slaying unTalented children out of hand based on Aran’s words. But glancing at the hard line of Tolly’s jaw as Aran spoke, Kyle guesses that Tolly was barely hearing anything the man said. The thought of this brought up another wave of anger and frustration like when he’d argued over the psionic items they carried. Why did Tolly insist on being so blind? Aran continued to explain some of the various disciplines of psionic powers, as well as describing some of the psionic races that lived below the surface in the region he termed the ‘Underdark’; the half-giants, the dromites, the xeph, and the maenads. Kyle listened attentively, asking several questions. Arrie quickly grew distracted and attempted to communicate with Tek, who was standing near Aran. Once she succeeded at making her intentions known, she ended up having a mental conversation with the dromite. At one point Tek looked at Aran, who then looked at Arrie and frowned. Arrie looked slightly startled. “What are the plans of this militant faction?” Kavan asked. “I’m not certain what their ultimate goal is,” Aran said. “Right now it appears that they simply wish to rise out of the depths of the earth and re-conquer the surface world.” “Do you know from where?” “There are many cities in the Underdark, just as there are many cities on the surface. And not all psionicists are based in the Underdark. There are psions born of every race; human, elf, orc, aasimar… every race. Only those races that can’t easily mingle with the surface races are forced to hide in the depths.” “What of the shadar-kai?” Tolly asked. “No, they are not among the psionic races. I believe they are fey of some kind.” “What is the origin of the half-giant race?” asked Kyle. “The true giants were a psionic race before the Cataclysm. The adults were all killed by that tragedy, and the humans took in their young. Over time, the two races began to interbreed, until the half-giants, or giant-touched, emerged as a true-breeding race. The creatures that you know as ‘giants’ on the surface world are primitive cousins of the true giants.” “What do you know of a priest named Marrek?” Lanara asked. “An elf-touched, associated with Xerxes,” Kyle added. “Marrek? I think… oh, yes. Xerxes uses Marrek as a pawn, to run errands he himself cannot easily accomplish on the surface.” Kavan shook his head when he thought of his son involved with these beings. “How does one defeat such powers?” Tolly inquired. “The defenses are varied, and are much the same as they are against magic,” Aran explained. “If someone tries to control your mind, whether through magic or psionics, your best defense is a strong will. If your enemy unleashes fire or energy bolts at you, your best defense is to get out of the way. The only advantage psionics has is the fact that even those who are protected against or resistant to magic are vulnerable to psionics. Even the gods have no resistance against it.” “You said earlier that psionicists killed one of the Many,” Arrie said, looking up from her silent conversation with Tek. “Did that god have a name?” “I don’t know.” Aran replied. “There are very few surviving records, and what I’ve told you is what I’ve managed to glean from those sources I’ve found.” “By what you’re saying,” Kyle interjected, “the Cataclysm was not truly the fault of the humans, at least not entirely.” * “Perhaps not. It’s difficult to say for certain.” “Is there any way, or anywhere we could find that information?” “We could always ask those who erased it, Kyle,” Tolly said flatly. “If they’re willing,” Kyle replied. “I mean, the gods have kept this secret for a long time.” “They don’t wish to be slaughtered,” Autumn stated. “Yes, but if they don’t want it to happen again, it might be nice to know what really happened the first time, so we could recognize if this faction is trying to build up to something similar.” “If it truly happened that way,” Tolly said. “Records can be falsified… or misquoted.” “And you have every reason to distrust me,” Aran said, “and not believe a word I’m saying. Were I in your position, I wouldn’t either. I can appreciate your position.” “What you are saying is true, at least as far as I am aware,” Tolly said, gesturing into the air to indicate the spell he’d used earlier. In truth, its power had faded long ago, but Tolly hoped that this Abomination’s unfamiliarity with divine magic would cause him to believe the field was still active. “For the time being, it’s the only version of the truth we have,” Kyle said. “It’s another reason I’d like to find a source of these records.” “What would you do, in our place?” Kavan asked. “For now, merely keep your eyes open,” Aran said. “I have agents in this world as well. I will attempt to have them contact you. I will try to determine the plans of our enemy and relay them to you, though my own skills in far-seeing are limited. However, one of Tek’s clutch-mates is skilled in this way. In fact, it is what he is currently doing – or to be more specific, he is interfering in the far-seeing powers of others. How long it takes to get information to you depends on where you are.” “Is there any way to know if a dream we’re experiencing is a true dream, or something sent to us by a psionicist?” Lanara asked. “It could be difficult, depending on the intent of the person sending the dream.” “Is there any way to ward against it?” “There are magics that can also manipulate the dream state,” Aram said. “The defenses would be similar. Some psionic powers do interact with magic, and one can interfere with the other. A magic spell that reveals invisible creatures will work regardless of whether the invisibility is magical or psionic in nature, for example.” “Most of those defenses are beyond my current skills,” Kyle admitted. “But a spell that strengthened the will would work, right?” said Arrie. “The spell would be affecting the person, not the psionic power.” “That’s correct,” Aran said. “You also have one other advantage. We psionicists cannot change what we know. A wizard or a cleric can change their spells and invocations daily; we cannot. Thus once you get to know a particular psion, their capabilities will be somewhat predictable.” Tolly suddenly stood. “If no one else has further questions, I think we’re done with him,” he snapped. Kyle made no move to leave; neither did Arrie or Kavan. Autumn, who looked as though she was about to stand, settled back for a moment. “Why did you seek us out?” she asked. “I have watched you interfere in the plans of my enemies time and time again. It seems that if you are going to continue doing so, I should offer my help.” “When the champions are crushing their foes, it’s better to stand behind them than get in their way,” Tolly said. “Have you used outsiders before?” Kavan asked. “Yes, but never like this. But then, I’ve never needed to before this.” “You did not wish to squander the opportunity,” Xu observed. “There’s that, and that my opponents are now moving less openly and less rapidly than before. This gives me cause for concern, as it suggests their plans are moving into an end-stage.” “And what actions will you take?” Kavan asked. “I will not take any direct action,” Aran said. “Primarily because the gods do watch over you directly. If I were to interfere more directly than I have, I would risk opening myself to their wrath. That is unpleasant.” “Besides,” added Kyle, “you said your enemies see you as a ‘doddering old fool’. Anything you do to prove them wrong might cause them to take action against you.” “Exactly. There are far more of them than there are of us, perhaps three to one. They can also be very persistent.” “Do the loyalties of each group tend to fall along racial lines?” Arrie asked. “The Underdark races tend to follow my opponent’s faction, and the surface races tend to adhere to my faction,” Aran said. “This is not always true, of course; Tek and his clutch-mates are an example of that.” The party looked at each other, and started to rise from their seats. But Kyle remained firmly planted in his chair. “I have some questions in regard to the comparisons of psionic power structures to the traditional arcane structures of nodes and valences,” ** he said. “He wants to do what with his which now?” Lanara muttered to Osborn. The remainder of their time was almost entirely dominated by Kyle, who asked a series of questions that most of them didn’t even understand. Even Tolly, who was educated in traditional arcane theory, had trouble following the way Kyle processed and interpreted the information. Aran, on the other hand, seemed to have no such difficulty, and information flowed back and forth freely. Kyle pointedly ignored the growing irritation of Tolly at having to endure the presence of an ‘Abomination’. What he was learning was too important. After about forty-five minutes, Aran held up his hand to interrupt Kyle. “They are beginning to probe my home,” he said. “I’m afraid I must send you back to where you came.” “Finally,” Tolly grumbled. “You’ll have to excuse Tolly,” Kyle said. “He doesn’t like to have his faith clouded with knowledge.” Tolly glared at Kyle as Arrie bent down to try to say goodbye to Tek. The dromite rubbed his antennae against her forehead briefly before stepping back. A moment later, they were all blinking in the late afternoon sun of the Haran Desert. [CENTER]* * *[/CENTER] It took the party eight days to be led to the diamond mines where the majority of Keth’s tribe thought they were headed. A sandstorm on the sixth day had forced them to stop, and Lanara noted they weren’t exactly making a beeline for the mines either (when she made this observation to Arrie, the warrior guessed that they were taking a route that would keep the party from spotting any of Keth’s oases). The journey had been a fairly quiet one. Most of the group was still mulling over their meeting with Aran. Kyle and Tolly made a point of avoiding each other; the other party members either stayed out of both their paths, or approached them individually. Kyle, in particular, seemed to be struggling to keep his emotions under control. Upon arriving at the mines, the party said their farewells to their escort, and made preparations as if to set up camp as the lancers turned and rode back north to their Warchief. As soon as they were out of sight, the party packed up their belongings and began to ride southeast toward the forbidden tomb. It was supposed to be a three-day ride, but the party pressed their horses and made it in two, hoping to get to the tomb as soon as possible and be on their way. So it wasn’t until late in the evening that the party came up the crest of a large hill and were able to overlook the Tomb of the [I]Karrak[/I]. Though they were still some distance away, four of Aelfenn’s five moons were in the sky that night, casting enough light upon the desert to allow them to make out a fair amount of the tomb itself. Kavan, in particular, was able to pick out details in the dim moonlight. The tomb lay in the middle of the desert, nestled amidst the dunes. The ground here was hard-packed dirt rather than sand, with scraggly grasses poking out of cracked earth. A simple gateway jutted out of the earth, marking where stone steps led downward. The gateway la in the middle of a large circle of stones, slightly off-center. The stones ringed the entrance at a distance of 50 yards or so; each stone was ten feet high and twice that in length, and pointed. The points were directed either toward the tomb or away from it, alternating as they went around. The effect was like a crown of thorns surrounding the tomb, or perhaps some sort of barricade; one meant to keep something in as much as it was meant to keep something out. Lanara glanced up at the night sky. She noted the position of Silko’s Eye, and the constellation of the Paragon Yerodin, as well as the locations of the moons Nula and Dathel, and made a quick mental calculation. “Happy new year, guys,” she said quietly, as they stared down into the valley below. END OF PART ONE ----------------------------------- * The common version of the Cataclysm myth states that it was caused by human wizards who experimented with powerful magics and created a weapon that destroyed an entire continent. In this version, the Cataclysm was a magical plague sent by the gods to wipe out most of the humans on the surface; after that, Erito and The Four each went off to create a new humanoid race after their own ideals; the elves, dwarves, gnomes, hin, and orcs. ** Terms I borrowed from Sepulchrave's Story Hour and campaign, because I like the concept. In reality, we've never gotten that detailed about magical theory. The conversation with Aran marked a transitional point in the campaign; the fact that it fell on the campaign world's new year was pure coincidence. Ironically, it nearly corresponded with the real-world New Year; this session was played in mid-December, 2004. Oh, and the line about Kyle having 'trouble controlling his emotions'? It's because a couple of days after meeting Aran, Arrie tells him about Autumn and Tolly. :uhoh: [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Tales of the Legacy - Concluded
Top