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
The
VOIDRUNNER'S CODEX
is coming! Explore new worlds, fight oppressive empires, fend off fearsome aliens, and wield deadly psionics with this comprehensive boxed set expansion for 5E and A5E!
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Talismans of Aerdrim
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="havenstone" data-source="post: 4439076" data-attributes="member: 61094"><p><strong>Master of the Orrery</strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>KYLA REPRESSES A </strong>shiver as the armed strangers shut the heavy oak door of the Merle Tower behind her. She has no idea who the men are or why they’ve brought her here, but when they knocked on her door, they made it very clear that she would not be allowed to refuse their invitation. The insignia-less guards march her up a shadowy stairwell with many recessed doors to a third-story hall with a grand orrery in it -- a mechanical model of the nine moons in their orbits, revolving and pulling on each other through an intricate system of gears and weights. One large window looks out over the dark city of Lynar.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Three strangers are waiting there: an old man with long gray hair and a comforting aura of calm; a shorter, grim-looking man whose fine robes do not quite conceal a hunchback; and a tall figure, seated, whose features are completely concealed by a great hooded cloak.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">The old man waves the guards out of the room, closes the door, and asks Kyla to sit. When she remains standing and silent, he smiles kindly. “I understand your wariness, my dear. I apologize for the abruptness with which we summoned you here. But we are engaged in an errand that could see us all slain if any find out about it.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“Who are you?” Kyla asks, barely audible above the creaking and whirring of the orrery.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“I am Aleander, sage and historian of the Five Families -- particularly the ones who, unlike the d’Syrnons, are not interested in writing their own histories. It is my calling to travel the earth and bring back wisdom in the defense of Senallin.” The old man gestures to his shorter companion. “This is Malchus the Cofferer, keeper of the treasury of the Patriarchs. And our third friend... well, he will remain nameless, but rest assured that he means no harm to you or your people.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“What do you want with me?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“You are Arawai,” Aleander says simply. “Yet you travel with an army whose sworn aim is to conquer the plains and enslave your people. Where do your true loyalties lie?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Kyla’s fear and distrust are momentarily overwhelmed by a pang of confusion. “I was raised in Senallin, and my loyalty is to my friends.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Aleander stares penetratingly at her for a long moment. Kyla feels a sudden vertigo, as though she has been caught up in the revolutions of the orrery, and has to look away. She hears the old sage speak as if from a great distance: “I can not expect you to trust us if we do not trust you, so I will be open with you. I have long been a friend to the plains people, and do not think this war will profit either Senallin or Arawai. It is madness to think that Senallin can digest Arawai without weakening itself gravely against Aradur, Kedris, and Velnar. At Guardwatch, according to the plan of the generals, some two thousand Northern soldiers will be sent to flank the Arawai forces, to trap and destroy them. We need someone to warn the plainsfolk of where the army will really be. We need the Army of the North to fail.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Kyla feels a purse pressed into her hand by the hunched, dour-looking Malchus. She opens it to see the unmistakable gleam of Patriarch’s Gold. “I can not accept this,” she says quietly.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“Girl, you have no choice -- and nor do we,” says Aleander, a stern note entering his voice. “You may need that gold and the authority it represents if anyone questions your intentions in Guardwatch. Our hooded friend will find you there before the battle and tell you of the exact time and place where this surprise attack will be. The Arawai will listen to you -- will trust you. Thanks to you, the Army of the North will be turned back, Senallin will not become a fat and weak target for its neighbors, and the plains will be safe from invasion for a generation or more to come.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“Meanwhile,” Malchus grates, “if any word of this reaches the generals, our plan will collapse, the Arawai will be wiped out -- and you yourself will surely be executed for your part in it. We can see to that.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Kyla remains frozen, completely unsure of what to do. After a long moment, the hooded man raises one hand and makes a small, cryptic gesture. Aleander sighs sympathetically. “Dear girl, I know we are asking a great deal of you. You will not see any of us again before Guardwatch. I ask only that you say nothing of this to anyone, and use that time to think through your loyalties.” He calls to the guards, who escort Kyla out of the Merle Tower.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong>BACK IN HER</strong> rooms, Kyla stares mutely at the dress Kay made for her until a knock on the door makes her jump. She opens it a crack. “Ash? What... what are you doing here?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“I saw those men take you to the tower,” Ash says simply. “I managed to hide in the stairwell. I couldn’t hear everything, but I heard some of it. Did you see the face of <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4363981-post19.html" target="_blank">the hooded man</a>? Did he speak at all?”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Kyla yanks Ash into the room. “No! No, he didn’t say anything. And we can’t say anything either.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Ash looks uneasy. “Kyla... I would never want to do anything to get you in trouble, but if they are seriously trying to betray the Army of the North, we need to stop them. Those men could be behind the attempt on General Marcor’s life -- it was a hooded man who hired the assassin.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“The hooded man is behind all of this,” states Kyla unequivocally. “If we don’t have any more idea about who he is, it won’t help even to give up Aleander. The hooded man will escape, and the Army will still be in peril. We need him, not his mouthpiece.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“And if you don’t see him again until Guardwatch?” asks Ash doubtfully.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">“Then we’ll stop them then,” Kyla insists. “We’ll catch him. Ash, we can’t say anything now. We can’t trust what we just heard there -- they’re trying to use me somehow. We don’t know enough to say anything.”</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">A troubled Ash returns to the d’Syrnon library and leaves a note in the <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4391869-post24.html" target="_blank">battered history book</a>: <em>The sage Aleander and Malchus the Cofferer are likely to be part of this plot. Be careful, my Lord</em>. </span></p><p> </p><p><span style="font-size: 10px">Kyla spends the night staring sleeplessly at the ceiling. <em>You travel with an army whose sworn aim is to conquer the plains and enslave your people</em>. Aleander’s gentle accusation echoes over and over through her head until dawn.</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="havenstone, post: 4439076, member: 61094"] [b]Master of the Orrery[/b] [SIZE=2][B]KYLA REPRESSES A [/B]shiver as the armed strangers shut the heavy oak door of the Merle Tower behind her. She has no idea who the men are or why they’ve brought her here, but when they knocked on her door, they made it very clear that she would not be allowed to refuse their invitation. The insignia-less guards march her up a shadowy stairwell with many recessed doors to a third-story hall with a grand orrery in it -- a mechanical model of the nine moons in their orbits, revolving and pulling on each other through an intricate system of gears and weights. One large window looks out over the dark city of Lynar.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Three strangers are waiting there: an old man with long gray hair and a comforting aura of calm; a shorter, grim-looking man whose fine robes do not quite conceal a hunchback; and a tall figure, seated, whose features are completely concealed by a great hooded cloak.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]The old man waves the guards out of the room, closes the door, and asks Kyla to sit. When she remains standing and silent, he smiles kindly. “I understand your wariness, my dear. I apologize for the abruptness with which we summoned you here. But we are engaged in an errand that could see us all slain if any find out about it.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“Who are you?” Kyla asks, barely audible above the creaking and whirring of the orrery.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“I am Aleander, sage and historian of the Five Families -- particularly the ones who, unlike the d’Syrnons, are not interested in writing their own histories. It is my calling to travel the earth and bring back wisdom in the defense of Senallin.” The old man gestures to his shorter companion. “This is Malchus the Cofferer, keeper of the treasury of the Patriarchs. And our third friend... well, he will remain nameless, but rest assured that he means no harm to you or your people.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“What do you want with me?”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“You are Arawai,” Aleander says simply. “Yet you travel with an army whose sworn aim is to conquer the plains and enslave your people. Where do your true loyalties lie?”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Kyla’s fear and distrust are momentarily overwhelmed by a pang of confusion. “I was raised in Senallin, and my loyalty is to my friends.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Aleander stares penetratingly at her for a long moment. Kyla feels a sudden vertigo, as though she has been caught up in the revolutions of the orrery, and has to look away. She hears the old sage speak as if from a great distance: “I can not expect you to trust us if we do not trust you, so I will be open with you. I have long been a friend to the plains people, and do not think this war will profit either Senallin or Arawai. It is madness to think that Senallin can digest Arawai without weakening itself gravely against Aradur, Kedris, and Velnar. At Guardwatch, according to the plan of the generals, some two thousand Northern soldiers will be sent to flank the Arawai forces, to trap and destroy them. We need someone to warn the plainsfolk of where the army will really be. We need the Army of the North to fail.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Kyla feels a purse pressed into her hand by the hunched, dour-looking Malchus. She opens it to see the unmistakable gleam of Patriarch’s Gold. “I can not accept this,” she says quietly.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“Girl, you have no choice -- and nor do we,” says Aleander, a stern note entering his voice. “You may need that gold and the authority it represents if anyone questions your intentions in Guardwatch. Our hooded friend will find you there before the battle and tell you of the exact time and place where this surprise attack will be. The Arawai will listen to you -- will trust you. Thanks to you, the Army of the North will be turned back, Senallin will not become a fat and weak target for its neighbors, and the plains will be safe from invasion for a generation or more to come.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“Meanwhile,” Malchus grates, “if any word of this reaches the generals, our plan will collapse, the Arawai will be wiped out -- and you yourself will surely be executed for your part in it. We can see to that.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Kyla remains frozen, completely unsure of what to do. After a long moment, the hooded man raises one hand and makes a small, cryptic gesture. Aleander sighs sympathetically. “Dear girl, I know we are asking a great deal of you. You will not see any of us again before Guardwatch. I ask only that you say nothing of this to anyone, and use that time to think through your loyalties.” He calls to the guards, who escort Kyla out of the Merle Tower.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2][B]BACK IN HER[/B] rooms, Kyla stares mutely at the dress Kay made for her until a knock on the door makes her jump. She opens it a crack. “Ash? What... what are you doing here?”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“I saw those men take you to the tower,” Ash says simply. “I managed to hide in the stairwell. I couldn’t hear everything, but I heard some of it. Did you see the face of [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4363981-post19.html"]the hooded man[/URL]? Did he speak at all?”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Kyla yanks Ash into the room. “No! No, he didn’t say anything. And we can’t say anything either.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Ash looks uneasy. “Kyla... I would never want to do anything to get you in trouble, but if they are seriously trying to betray the Army of the North, we need to stop them. Those men could be behind the attempt on General Marcor’s life -- it was a hooded man who hired the assassin.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“The hooded man is behind all of this,” states Kyla unequivocally. “If we don’t have any more idea about who he is, it won’t help even to give up Aleander. The hooded man will escape, and the Army will still be in peril. We need him, not his mouthpiece.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“And if you don’t see him again until Guardwatch?” asks Ash doubtfully.[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]“Then we’ll stop them then,” Kyla insists. “We’ll catch him. Ash, we can’t say anything now. We can’t trust what we just heard there -- they’re trying to use me somehow. We don’t know enough to say anything.”[/SIZE] [SIZE=2]A troubled Ash returns to the d’Syrnon library and leaves a note in the [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/4391869-post24.html"]battered history book[/URL]: [I]The sage Aleander and Malchus the Cofferer are likely to be part of this plot. Be careful, my Lord[/I]. [/SIZE] [SIZE=2]Kyla spends the night staring sleeplessly at the ceiling. [I]You travel with an army whose sworn aim is to conquer the plains and enslave your people[/I]. Aleander’s gentle accusation echoes over and over through her head until dawn.[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
The Talismans of Aerdrim
Top