Session #28 – “Drie-Hoek Jaunt” (part 3 of 3)
Anulem, the 21st of Keent - 566 H.E. (637 M.Y.)
Early the next morning, the young nobles were on the road. The prisoners were trussed up and thrown over the backs of horses, which they walked down to the walled city on the southern part of Drie-Hoek Bay. On horseback the trip usually took four to six hours, but it was early-afternoon before they saw the towers of the city, and the smattered clusters of outer buildings where they left their horses at a livery.
At the gate into the city, Ferris Twelf and other townguards met them, and they remanded the prisoners into their custody before heading on towards the citadel.
“Do you know any of their names?” The lieutenant asked. “For the record?”
“I think that one is called ‘Furious George’,” Bleys said, pointing to the tattooed man. “Or maybe it’s Garry…”
1
“Wow! That’s a nice shield!” One of the guards commented to Timotheus.
“Bulette hide! Real Bulette teeth!” He pointed to where the triangular teeth were wedged into the wide to decorate the stylized mouth on the shield.
“Boo-lay?”
“It’s halfling for ‘landshark’,” Timotheus clarified.
At the New Harbinger Citadel they were met by the castle steward,
Tabitha Mark, and she showed them to the same cells they had stayed in the last time they passed through town.
2 Markos practiced his etiquette with gross exaggeration that might have appeared as mocking to some when he addressed the steward.
3
As they cleaned up and prepared for their audience with Lord Swann, Timotheus walked over to Markos’ room with a vial of a viscous red-black liquid.
“You need this?” It was the blood of the strange adhering mummy-men they had fought at the obelisk that pointed that way to the tomb of Dalvan Meir.
4
“Yes!” Markos snatched it. “This is important magical stuff!”
“Really?” Timotheus asked.
“Well… Maybe…” Markos replied. He put it among his things.
The Signers were brought before Lord Swann in his audience chamber soon after.
Young Lord Swann was wrapped in a fur robe, and sitting up on the dais on an ornate chair decorated with gold and onyx swans. He has long light brown hair and the beginnings of a trimmed narrow beard on his chin, though the rest of his face was clean-shaven. He welcomed the young nobles sullenly, absently rubbing a small red book that lay in his lap.
“Our apologies for the late arrival, Lord Swann,” Victoria spoke first. “But we were delayed, first by Bleys’ duty in Sluetelot and then by bandits in the vicinity of Bog End.”
“Yes, I have been informed of the prisoners you brought with you and I thank you for dealing with those who would seek to take advantage of the crisis in the bog and the escalating hostilities of the lizardfolk there,” Lord Septimias Giaus Swann replied. “Trust me when I say those men shall never see the light of Ra’s Glory so long as they live…” The young lord cleared his throat and continued. “Now… What can you tell me about the Pillars?”
5
“The Pillars, my lord? I thought we were summoned to discuss
Oroleniel the Salmon…” Bleys said.
“I shall explain it all… Humor me…”
“Very well…” Bleys went on to say what they knew, which wasn’t very much. He explained that the party had still be traveling back from the
Disputed Territories when the Day of Pillars had occurred, and the word on the street in Sluetelot was that at least there, children had supposedly been hired to do most of the drawings; though no one knew by who.
6
“There is reason to believe that this movement of the Pillars is related to the rogue watch-mage, Oroleniel and perhaps the attacks by the lizardfolk is part of the plot somehow… It is clear that he betrayed his duty and aided the lizardfolk in their plot… It is unfortunate that your group was fooled by these beasts in this way, but thankfully you all were not led astray as Oroleniel has been…”
“I am sorry, my lord, but this does not make sense to me,” Victoria said. “Why would Oroleniel betray his people to the lizardfolk?”
“He is of elven blood and grew up in
Tempestas,” Lord Swann gave by way of explanation, a faint hint of distaste in his voice. “Though he was assigned here, we are not his people…”
“Would you be willing to start from the beginning?” Victoria asked as politely as possible. “What is the evidence against him?”
In that moment, the lord’s vizier, Tiperol Dust walked into the chamber from the rear door. He was a swarthy man in his early thirties with short tight curls shaped at sharp angles on his head, and a black goatee. He wore gray and black robes cut in a style similar to those of a watch-mage. He carried a large scroll tube in his left hand.
“Master Dust, please read the charges against Oroleniel to our guests…” Lord Swann said.
“Oroleniel the Salmon has been charged with colluding with an enemy of the Thrician people, assaulting agents of the Lord of House Swann and New Harbinger, and conspiracy to overthrow the Magocracy…”
“Those are serious charges…” Bleys said. “What is the evidence?”
“As sworn in an affidavit by Sir Septimias Benedict Swann, the 28th of Keent in the 637th year of the Margrave,” the Grand Vizier read from an opened scroll. “After several journeys into the Crossroads Bog in order to parley with the Goldstraw Lizardfolk, in which loyal men-at-arms of House Swann were drawn into bogs or killed by reptilian creatures under the command of lizardfolk between the 2nd and 16th of
Keent, during which time Sir Septimias was forced to seek further aid from nearby Gullmoor, Oroleniel the Salmon did attempt to secretly meet with said lizardfolk after there was evidence of their capturing (and perhaps devouring)
Sir Quintus Gosprey and his squire,
Valerius Esmus Tarchon. When the foul lizardmen were attacked, the watch-mage of New Harbinger attacked Sir Septimias and the soldiers from Gullmoor there to aid him, allowing the lizardfolk to escape.”
Dust paused and cleared his throat, looking at each of the Signers, before continuing, “And then, rather than submit to arrest, Oroleniel fled and was not seen again by Sir Septimias…”
There was a long pause.
“I authorized his home be searched for a clue as to where he might hide, or a reason for his betrayal and that was when
this was found…” Lord Septimias Giaus Swann held up the small book on his lap with a look of satisfaction. It had a cover of the finest red leather and one its front were embossed three golden pillars.
Markos coughed and hastily excused himself.
“What is it?” Laarus asked.
“A seditious volume that purports to overthrow the magocracy and steal the wealth of the nobility,” Lord Swann said, his face growing flush with anger with the thought of it. “It can undo all that is good and lawful in Thricia, if not all of Aquerra, And the notes in Oroleniel’s own hand that are in the front of the book, which we had translated from elven attest to his adherence to it traitorous philosophy…”
“What do the notes say?” Bleys asked.
Lord Swann looked to Tiperol Dust, who opened another scroll and read. “There were four lines written at different times they seem. In order they read, ‘One.
There is something here similar to the spirit of the elven will, of the will of Aranris. Two.
This will be the hasty undoing of generations of work. Three.
How will the Academy stand on this? Would they be able to make a smooth transition? And finally, this last line was crossed out: Note: Methal the Mauve, expert on Han-Jost.”
“Methul the Mauve?” Timotheus spoke up. “Didn’t he used to be watch-mage of
Marrock? Didn’t he die not that long ago?”
“You are correct,” Bleys the Aubergine confirmed.
Tiperol Dust continued to read, now from a third document, “Oroleniel the Salmon was taken into custody on the eighth of
Ese when he attempted to sneak back into New Harbinger…”
“Did he put up a fight?” Telémahkos asked.
“No, he was taken by Captain Aurelius Oberto, he didn’t dare…” Lord Swann said.
“What has he said about the book and about what happened in the bog?” Bleys asked.
The young lord’s face grew dark with anger and the words in answer were filled of frustration and rancor. “He refuses to speak, to say anything on the matter… He said he would only speak to you…” Lord Swann pointed at Bleys. “In fact, one of your elder alumnus,
Malcolm the Bronze passed through town and we explained the situation to him and asked him to intervene… And what was his response?” Swann looked to his vizier.
“I believe he said, ‘If he wants to talk to Bleys, let him talk to Bleys…’”
“Sounds like Malcolm,” Bleys replied. “Who found the book?”
“Captain Oberto…” Tiperol Dust said.
“And his word would be honorable?”
“Of course.”
Bleys requested to search Oroleniel’s house himself, and the Lord agreed, saying that Captain Aurielius Oberto would be summoned as he had the key. “In the meantime, take the book, examine it, see its danger for yourself,” he handed the book to Bleys. “It shall be arranged for you to have an audience with the prisoner after dinner tonight.”
“And Markos Ackers…” He turned to look at the sun-baked mage. “I am sure my cousin
6 would be happy to get a visit from you while you are here… Though you will see her at the dinner tonight…”
“Oh, uh… thanks? I mean, yes, thank you my lord…” Markos was flustered.
“He often speaks of her fondly,” Bleys added, getting a glare from his companion.
The Signers of the Charter of Schiereiland retired to their cells, as Bleys flipped through the book with furrowed brow.
“Is it really full of evil magic?” Timotheus asked as they were led, a bit of eager awe in his voice.
“No,” Bleys responded without looking up.
“Then how is it supposed to overthrow all good in Thricia?” Timotheus was confused.
“It is not magical. It is philosophical…”
“Huh?!”
As they gathered in the cold bare common room at the end of the hall where they were staying, Telémahkos leaned into the purple-robed watch-mage and said quietly, “We should copy portions of it so we can read it in depth and at our leisure in the future…”
“That could be risky, see what happened to Oroleniel?” Bleys replied.
“It will be fine as long as no one finds out,” Telémahkos said. “Anyway, they were looking to nail Oroleniel. I am sure Oberto would have found
something incriminating if he had to put it there himself… Remember, he is the one who sent me after
Harliss Javell.”
7
Some simple fare was brought to the young nobles, and they talked quietly among themselves as Bleys perused sections of the book with Markos looking over his shoulder. The smaller mage would sigh and roll his eyes when he reached the end of a page before Bleys did, muttering “finally” when the watch-mage turned to another one.
”You know, those notes in the front sound more like musings than adoption of a philosophy,” Markos said. “We should use
comprehend languages to check them out for ourselves and see how else they might be interpreted…”
“I agree…” Bleys said. “As it stands, from what I can see of this book… It is a proclamation of anarchy…”
“Yes, this does seem dangerous… There is no way to implement these ideas without violence…” Markos nodded.
“What does it say?” Telémahkos asked, clearly frustrated with not being able to read it.
“Here, read this part…” Bleys hand the book over, pointed to particular section. Telémahkos read as quickly as he could, pausing only to glare at Markos when he sighed impatiently, and to flip some pages.
“So?” Timotheus looked to his cousin.
“It is a model for a new form of government… Democracy,” Telémahkos said.
“What’s that?”
“Imagine that everyone is a king…” Telémahkos began.
“That doesn’t make any sense! Everyone would be giving everyone else orders! It’d be chaos!” Timotheus was bewildered.
“Everyone would get to vote for their representatives and leaders…A million votes for a million people,” Bleys clarified.
“We can hardly vote with only six people! All of Thricia voting on things? That would never work!” Timotheus was adamant. “How can something so stupid be dangerous?”
“You do a pretty good job with your saber…” Telémahkos winked and threw his cousin and elbow, and got a punch in the arm in reply.
“It is not exactly stupid, Tim,” Markos said. “There have been other nations that used a similar system, and there is a section in the book that makes reference to place that still uses it now… The idea is that the people’s will should determine their leaders, not the arbitrariness of birth rank.”
“Here! Listen to this…” Telémahkos read from another section of the book, which he had started flipping through randomly. “While Ra may be undisputed King of the Gods, the idea that it is He who chooses and anoints the rulers of Aquerra is a myth perpetrated to keep power in the hands of the few. Ra’s Kingly virtues are present in all of creation and absorbed by the masses in order to be enacted as the impulse to vote, and to serve faithfully the mandate of that impulse if elected…”
8
“That sounds like blasphemy! All copies of this book should be destroyed!” Laarus intoned. He had been silent most of the time, as if deep in thought.
9
“Yes, Ra is the god of rulers, it is by his will that leaders are chosen and have power,” Victoria said.
“Ridiculous!” Telémahkos scoffed. “How can you believe that Ra really chooses all rulers? Does he choose the priest-king of the
Kingdom of the Red God of the West? What about the baron of the
Black Islands?”
“He chooses all
legitimate leaders…” Victoria replied.
“My father is ostensibly a ruler, and a legitimate one, but he’s practically a beast in human clothing…” Telémahkos said, getting surly. He continued to read off some sections, though not everyone was listening.
“And if there is a disagreement between followers of Ra about who is a legitimate ruler?” Markos asked his cousin.
“That is irrelevant… Such things are discussed at length when there is disagreement…”
“So there
is disagreement,” Markos smiled.
“Eventually, one or both sides are enlightened by Ra,” Laarus explained. “Disagreements are an opportunity to learn how the law can be made more binding and specific…”
“It sounds to me like some of you are agreeing with blasphemy,” Victoria frowned at Markos and Telémahkos.
“This is Thricia, and I can be a blasphemer without fear,” Telémahkos replied.
10
“Yes, no one is going to run you through for saying so…” Victoria said. “But they may for the actions you take in the name of that blasphemy…”
“So you think it is acceptable to undermine the very fabric of our society?” Laarus turned to Telémahkos.
“Look at all the bad nobles…” Telémahkos began.
“So you would burn down the tree for giving some rotten fruit?” Victoria asked.
“Why are we even arguing about this?” Timotheus suddenly asked.
“Yes, this is a distraction from the real issue,” Victoria agreed, dropping the subject.
Soon after Bleys cast
comprehend languages to read the notes in elven for himself, Captain Aurelius Oberto arrived to show them to Oroleniel’s house.
“Where in the house did you find the book?” Bleys asked as they made their way through New Harbinger’s narrow winding streets accompanied by two of the townguard. Oberto flicked his long brown shiny hair, and the silver of his hoop ear-ring sparkled in the lantern light. He wore a permanent grin, and Telémahkos felt that the man’s eyes kept darting towards him, though he could never quite catch him at it.
“It was just on a bookshelf, out in the open,” the captain of the guard replied. “Most people can’t read, so it was hidden in plain sight. It took my training as an investigator to look for clues for his behavior among his reading.”
“And his spellbook?” Bleys asked.
“He had one on him when captured, but if he had others, we have not found them…”
When they reached the cottage, Captain Oberto unlocked the door and handed the key to one of the guards. “Please leave things as you found them,” he said to the Signers. “When you are done the guards will lock up and bring you back to the citadel… Good night.”
He nodded to each of them, but Telémahkos noticed a tiny cock of the head when he was looked to, and he squinted back, but then looked away. As Telémahkos and the other began to look around the cottage, Bleys walked over to the small kitchen area and found some stake bread in a basket. Crumbling it in his hand, he walked over and opened the shutters, scattering the crumbs on the sill as he made clucking noise, which made both the guard standing outside and nearby Victoria turn to look at him.
A few moments later a gray and white gull hopped down onto the sill from outside and pecked at the bread and then looked up at Bleys. The watch-mage stroked the bird’s head.
“Hey! Is that the watch-mage’s familiar?” The guard asked from outside. The window was at about his chest level.
“No idea,” Bleys the Aubergine shrugged.
“If it is I should tell the captain… Can’t familiars be used to spy and communicate?” the guard asked.
“Not that I have ever heard of…” Bleys replied with a straight face. The gull hopped into his hand and then flew up into a rafter of the house. The guard frowned, but then shrugged and turned back around.
Meanwhile, Markos found a letter folded into one of Oroleniel’s books. It was appeared to be a love letter of a sort, written in a crude hand from someone named ‘Jeffery’.
“I thought that only happened on ships!” Markos quipped.
“Don’t be stupid,” Timotheus gave the smaller man a hard slap on the shoulder.
Telémahkos searched behind the books and noted small lever in the grooves in the back of the shelf. He signaled Bleys over and whispered his discovery. Realizing something had been found, Markos walked over to Laarus and Victoria and got them to walk out and distract the guards. Bleys passed the
warding ring to Telémahkos to wear as he searched the area of the lever for traps and then pulled it to one side at Bleys’ word.
There was a click and a seamless panel in the back of the shelf slid open and out fell a large book with a dark green leather cover.
“Is it something we should open?” Telémahkos asked Bleys.
“No.”
“It is something we should put back?” He asked.
“No,” Bleys replied. “It is probably his spellbook and if the house is searched again, it might be found.”
“Then as a watch-mage, you want to take it into your custody?” Telémahkos asked, handing it over.
“Yes…” Bleys took the book.
End of Session #28
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Notes:
(1) Much to my annoyance, the players took to calling ‘Furious Garry’, ‘Furious George’ instead (as in the monkey) and then mocking me for my failure to see that coming.
(2) See Session #4
(3) Markos has been practicing his etiquette since returning from the Disputed Territories after a lesson or three from Euleria Finch.
(4) Adherers. See Session #17
(5) The party learned about
the Day of the Pillars (after seeing evidence of it) upon returned from the Disputed Territories.
(6) Telémahkos was able to gather this information from some of the urchins of Sluetelot with the help of Mirth while separated from the rest of the party during the plague of insomnia (Sessions #24 & 24).
(7) See InterSession #4.3
(8) You can read the entire handout that was given to the party to represent the “Pillars Book”
here. It is officially titled, “The Pillars of Thricia”.
(9) Actually, Laarus’ player, Jesse, was not present for this session.
(10) Freedom of religion is the rule of law in
Thricia.
