The Four Lands - The Great North Part 2

[J. Alexander]

For Jaroth - other players read only on pain of instant blue bolts from heaven and being dipped in nair by a mangy troll

[sblock]Yes ineed you do know of one...it is called the Fortress of Blance...rumored to be in the far north....a place guarded by agents of good and evil of terrible power...a place that was built by ancients several thousand years before the formation of the light...a place of great natural power........both arcane and divine....[/sblock]

 

[Scotley]

Bertrand nods, obviously wary, but he makes his way to the tent.

 

[Canaan]

Jaroth -- The Discussion

OOC: I think I saw somewhere that Finnian has not yet returned. I'll begin, assuming he agreed to attend this meeting.

Jaroth motions for the others to sit at the table. When they are seated, he invokes a private sanctum, followed by a repulsion field (against evil creatures) that encompasses the tent.

He sits and begins.

I have struggled mightily with what to do with this book. And I have come to a decision after much analysis and sould searching. This decision therefore comes from my mind, my heart and my soul. And whether you agree with it or not, I hope you treat my decision with the respect that such a decision deserves. On the subject of respect, I wish to address what some of you may be thinking at this moment: that I disrespect you and our friendship by not involving you in this decisionmaking process and by merely assuming that the decision is mine to make. I assure you that no disrespect is intended. The Book has fallen to me as its guardian, whether willingly or not. It was I who first held it. It is I who has been assailed by it. It is therefore I who hav the most to gain or lose by any decision as to its fate. In fact, my very soul is held in the balance while we await decision. For the consequences of any action taken will fall to me. Any affect this book may eventually have on you (which we have begun to feel) is merely as a result of your proximity to me and your continued friendship with me. That is why I give all of you this choice.

Before I begin, understand that I require all of you to come to this table with open minds, open hearts and open souls. We find ourselves at a crossroads, a place where our decisions transcend the dogma and values of our faiths and our religions, a place where only our own morality can guide us. I ask that you shed your sense of duty, of honor, of loyalty to clan, country or god and answer a higher calling, that of Truth. Please hold your comments until I have finished, as all will become clear by the end.

First and foremost I wish to convey to all of you that my decision was in no way tainted by my Order or its political motivations or lack thereof. Before she left, Lady Very informed me that my Order has officially left the decision to me, for which I am grateful.

Second, as we all know, the spirit within the Book cannot be redeemed. It is a wild presence, one without morals, without a concept of good or evil, light or dark. It merely IS. In many ways, it is a child without self control, prone to lash out without thought. In this way, it can be manipulated by events, and its existence has been previously manipulated toward evil, which has formed the basis of this spirit's personality.

Third, we know that if it falls into the hands of the Drakar, it will give them more power than we can imagine.

Based on these facts, I needed to obtain additional information about the Book and the effect it would have should it fall into the hands of various nations or factions. The following is what I have been able to discern:

1. If the Book falls into the hands of the enemy, Darkness will consume The Four Lands. the Light will fall and all will be lost.

2. If the Book remains hidden a war between the light and the dark will ensue for a hundred years. Thousands if not millions will die on both sides.

3. If the Book is taken by the Light, a new holy war will be called for and Thousands if not millions will die in the zealous attempt to purge the land of all that the Light (rightly or wrongly) perceives evil.

4. If the Book is given to Silverwood and falls into the hands of the fey, racial wars will begin and thousands or millions will die as the forces of the light and the dark try to take it back.

5. If the Book becomes lost, all will be left to chance.

6. If the Book is destroyed, I fear a cataclysm that will wipe out all of The Four Lands.


In your hearts, you all know that the Dark cannot be allowed to possess the Book, as slavery, death and destruction will result. That's an easy one.

But through the filter of Truth, you must also know that should the Church possess the Book, another evil will result. A righteous, unyielding evil, laying low all of those people of The Four Lands who do not wish to see the Light, yet are not in the Dark. Those that do not profess the doctrines of the Church, yet live a life of goodness and charity, nonetheless. The Church, left unabated will crush the life out of any detractors, even if those detractors merely protest out of their own sense of what is good and right. And who is to say that those people would be wrong? The Church is not for everyone. But a Holy War, bent on making The Four Lands in its image, weathering no protesters, as Templars march and Inquisitors torture alleged blasphemers with impunity will work a terrible evil on the Lands. While the Church's servants think they are doing good, intolerance without accountability, a tyrannical majority obliterating the rights of those that are, or are merely perceived, different will result. Under Church leadership, countless lives will be snuffed out all in the name of the Light. That will be the fate of the lands should the Book be given over to the Church. You have all seen it in the past and you all know it is within the power of the Church to make it happen.

Hiding the Book with my Order or giving it over to the elves will have likewise dire consequences. The Light and the Dark will struggle to obtain it, obliterating my order or the elves and many of the forces for Light and Dark in the process.

Destroying the Book will destroy everything. That is no option at all.

The only choice, then, is the one I have made. The Book must be taken out of play. It must be lost to antiquity. There is a place, a place of terrible ancient power, power of both Good and Evil, dediated to neither and guarded by both. It is a place of natural power, ancient even at the birth of the Light. It is the Fortress of Balance. Only here will the Book be safe, as both the Light and the Dark will have the Book and it will be used by neither. It will serve only Balance. Balance is the only force that keep both the Light and the Dark from coveting the Book. It is the third of the three great powers (Light, Dark and Balance) and the only of them that does not pursue an active role in The Four Lands. I have divined that taking the Book to this place where it will be lost to antiquity is the only course that will not result in millions of deaths being laid upon my conscience.

It is therefore to this place, deep in the North, where I will travel. I would have you come with me, help me make this journey and save the world the strive that would otherwise come to it. But I leave that decision to you.

 

[Rhun]

Vadric stands, frowning. A hint of anger plays over his features, but with a deep breath he seems to calm himself. "Jaroth, you seem to forget who your companions are," says the cleric quietly. "I am Vadric Elareon, Knight and Priest of the Light, Military Attache to the Patriarch of Eastland. And here I stand, listening to you blashpheme the Church, and the Light itself, with your words. The Church that I have dedicated my life to, and the Light that I have given my very soul to. You cannot ask me to turn my back on my faith, on my beliefs." The cleric moves to the sideboard, and picks up a bottle of amber colored whiskey. He holds it up to the light, examining the color, before turning his gaze back to the druid.

"I do not seek war. Wars should only be fought as a last resort, when other avenues have failed." The knight pours a few fingers of the liqour into a glass, and takes a sip of it as he considers. "But in the matter of Light and Dark, war is often the only choice. You speak of balance, but in my experience those that stand for such things do so because they lack the commitment and devotion to align themselves with a cause. I stand for the Light, and fight for the Light, because otherwise the Darkness would envelop all. I am the shield that defends the innocent in the night. I am the sword that keeps the shadows at bay." The cleric takes another sip of the liqour. "I do not believe that the Church would start a holy war that would kill millions if the Tome was to fall into their hands. While I can certainly agree with you that some in the Church are corrupt, the vast majority of us are men of honor, men of wisdom, men of Light."

Vadric turns to look at Anniston before continuing, reassured by the fact that he has at least one companion of unshakeable faith within the group. "I make the assumption that you have divined this information about the Tome through the powers that you have at your disposal. How are we to know that the Darkness has not tainted what you have learned? Perhaps the forces of evil are steering you in the wrong direction, in a direction that serves their purpose. Or perhaps the power of the Tome itself has corrupted what you have learned." The cleric finishes his drink, allowing the others to dwell on this thought for a few moments. He sets the glass down on the bar with a clank.

"You are not the only one here who has the power to divine answers from beyond, to see the future, or possible futures, as it may be. Before I make any decisions on how I am to proceed, I request a recess. I shall pray to the Light, and my faith shall lead me down the path to enlightenment. If the answers I find there are the same as what you have learned, then we can be sure that your conclusions are correct, and that the Darkness, or the Book, isn't trying to misdirect us. I think this is only fair, and perhaps the only way to make a wise decision here..."

 

[Rath Lorien]

Anniston listens to Jaroth with his head bowed, as if praying silently to himself. After Jaroth is finished he will discuss the matter with the group, saying the following.

OOC: I assume that much of this conversation will happen back and forth, but I will put it all together here in one long post.

“Jaroth, I cannot contest that the book is primarily your burden to bear and so I concede that you are chosen for this task.

That being said, you are wrong to take this burden entirely upon yourself. If you attempt to bear it alone, and without our counsel, your mind will be consumed by it and your soul will be destroyed by it. You carry the book, but you are not alone. I believe you will fail if you try to carry the book alone.

You have asked us to accept your decision and accompany you as a friend and a trusted companion and I respond to you in like manner. But take care to mark these words: I have sworn an oath to the Church and to my order and so I will not foreswear myself to you. I will not be commanded by you nor will I be treated as a henchman. The book is carried by you, but the book is not yours. I do not accept that decisions about the book will be decided by you alone. I believe that you are called to carry the book. I believe that the rest of us in this company are called to protect and support the bearer of the book. I believe that none of us can complete our task without the others and toward this end I am eager to hear what each person has to say.

I accept your proposal to take the book to the Fortress of Balance. But I accept it for different reasons than the ones you proffer.

At the end of time the Light will prevail in its battle with the Darkness and the world will be remade in glory. Nothing in the heavens or on the earth can change that future, not even the book. There is no Force of Balance acting as the third leg of a cosmic stool. The universe is not stable. There will be a winner and there will be a loser. In the end there will be no balance. Those who attempt to achieve balance can only serve one side or the other in a futile attempt to delay the final conclusion. Those who seek to balance the Light against the Dark do not wield a third force. They can only exert influence by using the currency of the universe and that currency can only be aligned to Light or Dark. At the end of time, when the victory of the Light is complete, the advocates of balance will find themselves serving the Darkness in a misguided attempt to retain what never was and can never be.

But confidence in victory does not absolve us of our responsibilities. The battle is being fought and so also we must fight. Since the book is consumed by the Darkness and cannot be destroyed then I agree with you that neutralizing it in the Fortress of Balance appears to be the best plan.

I will respond to the six paths you offer us:

1. If the Book falls into the hands of the enemy, Darkness will consume The Four Lands. the Light will fall and all will be lost.

I do not agree that the Light will fall. But it is certain that the Dark will increase and we agree that this must be avoided at all costs.

2. If the Book remains hidden a war between the light and the dark will endure for a hundred years. Thousands if not millions will die on both sides.

This is what we are doing right now. The battle is being fought and so also we must fight. I want to neutralize the book. It seems that the best way to do this is to take the book to the Fortress of Balance.

3. If the Book is taken by the Light, a new holy war will be called for and Thousands if not millions will die in the zealous attempt to purge the land of all that the Light (rightly or wrongly) perceives evil.

The Light cannot and will not lead the Church astray in matters of faith and morals. However, I believe the book will serve the forces of evil wherever it is, even if it is in the hands of the Church. I do not wish that curse upon the Church or upon the people of the southern lands. I would rather loose the lives of millions in an honest fight than to risk loosing one soul due to the influence of this evil book.

4. If the Book is given to Silverwood and falls into the hands of the fey, racial wars will begin and thousands or millions will die as the forces of the light and the dark try to take it back.

Agreed. Nothing good can come of this.

5. If the Book becomes lost, all will be left to chance.

In other words, the book cannot be lost forever. Eventually it will be found and this cycle will repeat itself until one of the other paths is taken.

6. If the Book is destroyed, I fear a cataclysm that will wipe out all of The Four Lands.

In other words, it is not possible to destroy the book. If the Light should choose this book to be the catalyst of the end and remaking of the world then nothing we do will stop it from happening. But I must assume this is not the case, ergo it cannot be destroyed.

Friends, I believe our course is clear.”

 

[Neurotic]

Vorian Tolgar

Before I begin, understand that I require all of you to come to this table with open minds, open hearts and open souls. We find ourselves at a crossroads, a place where our decisions transcend the dogma and values of our faiths and our religions, a place where only our own morality can guide us. I ask that you shed your sense of duty, of honor, of loyalty to clan, country or god and answer a higher calling, that of Truth. Please hold your comments until I have finished, as all will become clear by the end.

You ask for much Jaroth. I am open minded, but I'm still priest of the Light, Knight protector of the Lands and man of honor. That is not somethin you just shed like snake sheds her skin.

However, I'm willing to talk this out and I'll try and address your requests in order.

Second, as we all know, the spirit within the Book cannot be redeemed.

This ties to the story that the book itself cannot be destroyed. But what if it is possible that we take spirit out of the book, destroy the item and then release the spirit? Or have it imprisoned instead of the book?

1. If the Book falls into the hands of the enemy, Darkness will consume The Four Lands. the Light will fall and all will be lost.

2. If the Book remains hidden a war between the light and the dark will ensue for a hundred years. Thousands if not millions will die on both sides.

3. If the Book is taken by the Light, a new holy war will be called for and Thousands if not millions will die in the zealous attempt to purge the land of all that the Light (rightly or wrongly) perceives evil.

4. If the Book is given to Silverwood and falls into the hands of the fey, racial wars will begin and thousands or millions will die as the forces of the light and the dark try to take it back.

5. If the Book becomes lost, all will be left to chance.

6. If the Book is destroyed, I fear a cataclysm that will wipe out all of The Four Lands.

I agree that the book may not fall to hands of the Dark or Fey. For even if not all Fey are soulless abominations...sorry Vadric, Anniston, it's just hard to generalize on so grand scale...they WOULD use power of books magic and that would lead to more strife with Four Lands which ultimately would lead to conflict which would strenghten The Dark.

The Book was hidden until now and we were at war. Nothing changes except maybe that it would become more public.

I disagreed earlier with going to the Church with it, not because I believe us superior in strength or wisdom, but because I don't want to see it's curse spread through center of Four Lands. And I stand by that decision.

Destroying the Book will destroy everything. That is no option at all.

This is one I disagree with. You don't know what will happen. Even if some major catastrophe occurs people will survive. If we can make destruction of the Book occur at some remote region or even completely outside boundaries of our existence we could alleviate some of the backlash.

You profess that The Book didn't influence you thinking, but you shy away from any mention of anything that might bind it or limit it's influence such as redeeming or capturing it's spirit or destruction.

The only choice, then, is the one I have made. The Book must be taken out of play. It must be lost to antiquity. There is a place, a place of terrible ancient power, power of both Good and Evil, dediated to neither and guarded by both. It is a place of natural power, ancient even at the birth of the Light. It is the Fortress of Balance. Only here will the Book be safe, as both the Light and the Dark will have the Book and it will be used by neither. It will serve only Balance. Balance is the only force that keep both the Light and the Dark from coveting the Book. It is the third of the three great powers (Light, Dark and Balance) and the only of them that does not pursue an active role in The Four Lands. I have divined that taking the Book to this place where it will be lost to antiquity is the only course that will not result in millions of deaths being laid upon my conscience.

It is therefore to this place, deep in the North, where I will travel. I would have you come with me, help me make this journey and save the world the strive that would otherwise come to it. But I leave that decision to you.

You said yourself that hiding the Book leaves everything to chance. What if by some foul chance right at our heels come party of powerful Drakkar maybe heeding the call of the Book and they take it from this fortress? What if some purely random event takes it out of the fortress into unsuspecting hands of some wondering soul?

What you are saying is that this will delay inevitable and any deaths that happen later will be laid at some other mans conscience.


Now, that said, I'll travel with you, not as hired muscle, but as protector and hopefuly, a friend. BUT! I'll wait to see result of Vadric's divination and I'll confer with Arrwuh and in my simple ways with Lady Chess before I commit totaly. I'm ready to protect you and keep the book safely out of reach, but I won't go against my faith or morals and will oppose you if you start behaving as if the end justifies the means. I don't want to say that you will do such thing, just that such burden might create tension within and without and temptation to go easier route might be stronger then otherwise it would be.

You may be lone carrier of The Book, but you are NOT lone bearer of it's burden. Allow us to help and be strong.

OOC: being only 3rd level cleric, Vorian has acces to few divinations and augury is not likely to yield more answers than Vadric's more powerful ones. BUT, augury has one advantage: it's clear yes/no/i don't know answer

 

[Rhun]

OOC: being only 3rd level cleric, Vorian has acces to few divinations and augury is not likely to yield more answers than Vadric's more powerful ones. BUT, augury has one advantage: it's clear yes/no/i don't know answer

Actually, it is commune that provides the yes/no/unclear answer (and allows Vadric to ask 12 questions). Augury provides weal, woe, weal AND woe, or nothing, works for only one question, and can only "see" up to a half hour in advance.

 

[Canaan]

Jaroth -- The Discussion

OOC: Just waiting on Bertrand and maybe Finnian before I respond. Also, it sounds as though some of you thought Jaroth believes you to be just hired muscle or henchman. that's incorrect. You would glean from his demeanor that he truly views you as friends and companions and wants you to come with him and help him with this burden, but he fears consigning your souls to his fate. And for that fear is what gives him this determination that his path is clear. I'll try to roleplay this more with my next response.

 

[Rath Lorien]

OOC: I trust that neither you (Canaan) nor Jaroth meant to imply that Jaroth was the leader and the rest of us are just henchmen. Anniston responded strongly because Jaroth made what seems (to me) to be bold declarations of the "take it or leave it" variety. In any case I am enjoying the discussion and look forward to your next post. If I have misunderstood you then Anniston will happily recant in my next post.

 

[Neurotic]

Vorian Tolgar

I took it that 'comanding' way because of the part leave you faith, honor, whatnot and follow.

I don't think that was the intent, it's sometimes hard to put those feeling purely into words, that's one of drawbacks of PbP...

No problem, we'll remedy it in next posts