Aphonion Tales (New posts 6/13, 6/15, 6/19)

[Cerebral Paladin]

In the chambers of the One of Diplomacy, sent to Canberry to represent Tang, a private gathering had begun. Ostensibly, the One of Diplomacy had invited the Archduke, Count Gerring Holt of Masque, and Lord Silverleaves of the Forest of Singing Leaves to join him to discuss ways of increasing trade. In reality, Lord Alistair had called the gathering, using the representative of Tang to avoid offending the Empire of Hanal by excluding it. And if he could avoid the attention of Hanal's spies, so much the better.

Lord Alistair greeted the ambassadors formally. "Thank you for coming. While increasing trade among our realms would be welcome, there are more important matters we should discuss. We live in troubled times. The Empire of Hanal continues to expand as quickly as they can. Canberry has no illusions that they intend to stop at the borders of Masque, or that if your Empire cannot stop them that they would stop at our borders. Hanal has also made it clear that they have no love for any besides humans; while Queen Thyastis abandoned one plan to attack the Forest of Singing Leaves, that can only be based on fear. Should victory be possible, she would surely make war upon the elves, hoping to slay them all. In the south, the skaven continue to expand. Not satisfied with the former Confederacy of the South Kingdoms, they will continue their expansion until they are met with force sufficient to repel them. And even then, they plot and infiltrate. And the Noldar plot against the Forest of Singing Leaves, and against all countries that could stand with the Forest. Already they have tried to foment civil war in Canberry, because they know that we will support the Forest.

"We would be foolish to face these threats alone. Hanal has the strongest human army on the continent; if war with Hanal must come to us, better that we face it together. And the skaven and their Borsh'troan allies seek to destroy all civilization. Our Churches have joined in the Ecumenical Alliance against Borsh'tro. Our realms owe our churches a similar unity in purpose. In short, I propose that our four realms enter into an alliance. Should Hanal, the skaven and their demonic allies, or the Noldar make war upon any one of our realms, we would treat it as an attack upon all. With our combined force of arms, we could turn aside any threat."

As the nominal host of the gathering, the One of Diplomacy responded first, although all of the ambassadors had nodded in agreement as the threats were enumerated. "Tang would accept an alliance. The threat of the skaven presses us already: we recently fought a large force of ratmen. We defeated them, but we lost an entire legion of threes in the process. Our threes can fight well, but the death of any one means that another two will die as well. Even though they fight with an unmatched ferocity when their sibling three falls, it still means their casualties are high. We would welcome allies to join us in the fight against the ratmen."

"The Forest of Singing Leaves has long been allied with Canberry," replied Lord Silverleaves, "and we would wish to broaden that. I do not believe that Hanal could truly threaten us, but we would be glad to join an alliance that would make the possibility absurd. As for the forces of Borsh'tro, their efforts to cast down the entire world are insanity. Anyone sane would work to stop them."

Count Holt laid his fingers along the side of his Ocelot mask. The better part of a minute passed in silence while they waited for his reply, and Alistair feared that Masque would decline. Losing Masque's enormous army for the alliance would leave Canberry only slightly more secure than it had been when its alliance was only with the Forest of Singing Leaves; indeed, this entire plan had been primarily a ploy to bring Masque into that alliance. Finally, the Goddess-Empress's representative spoke. "I am very surprised by this whole proposal. I had not thought that Canberry would wish to face Hanal any sooner than necessary. I thought you would view war between Hanal and Masque, when it comes as it surely will, as a situation from which Canberry can only benefit. Nonetheless, we would agree to an alliance. The threat of Hanal is imminent from our perspective; we will not turn down allies against that Empire. I must add the proviso, however, that rulers do not live forever. We learned this to our great shock recently, when the God-Emperor disappeared, and Archduchess Amelia's passing provides a sad reminder. I can only commit to an alliance on behalf of the Goddess-Empress; upon her passing, the new lord of Masque would need to be free to re-examine the alliance."

"That is acceptable," replied Lord Alistair. "Beyond military cooperation, we should also work together in our efforts to fight the forces of Borsh'tro by other means, as well. Count Holt, we know that the two chaos regions in your Empire have been more troublesome of late. You should know that we stand ready to aid you if necessary. There are rumors that Borsh'tro would seek to create a new Shadowland, without the protection of the Hastur Shadowline. I fear that those chaos regions might be the focus of this effort. If this should be true, then we will provide all the aid we can to stop it, and to contain it if we cannot."

Even with his mask, Count Holt's widening eyes were obvious. "A terrible thought, indeed. I will redouble our efforts to aid the Order that defends against the chaos, and we will look closely for any signs of further plots afoot."

"I hope that you will share anything you may discover, and likewise that you will ask the Inquisition in each of your lands to share what it may discover. We will likewise share our intelligence, although of course we will need to keep secret matters that might endanger our information sources. And I remind you that the fall of Caldefor showed that only the light of Glor'diadel can stand permanently against the Shadow. Should a new Shadowland form, we would be ready to immediately aid in establishing a new shadowline to contain it."

"Lord Paranswarm protect us from that. But you are wise to make plans."

"We should take time to carefully consider whether to be public about our alliance. Deterring war would have a great value. And yet, we might do so by quietly letting Hanal know of our intention, without tipping our hand to the skaven who are likely to make war regardless. And I fear that some of the lesser realms, such as the Twin Cities of the Gates, would be concerned by news of our alliance." Alistair did not add that he had deliberately excluded the Twin Cities of the Gates and the remnants of the South Kingdoms from this meeting because he intended to bring both regions under the control of Canberry and did not want any complications from the alliance. The ambassadors simply nodded, preferring to think a while before expressing an opinion. "Canberry also has high hopes that this will, in fact, facilitate further trade among our realms. Trade and wealth are our greatest strengths; developing them further should make all of the military threats less pressing. And, Count Holt, if your Empress would not object, we hope that you will let Count Sheringar of the Order of the Falcon know that we would be interested in negotiating for his services."

"Indeed? The Goddess-Empress would have no objection to an ally hiring his Order, and I will pass the message on to him. I'm sure he'll be very interested in Canberry as a prospective employer. You should know that they say that he lowers his prices, on a per year basis, the more years you hire for at once."

"Excellent. Unless anyone has further matters to discuss, we'll prepare an initial draft of a formal treaty and circulate it to each of you as quickly as we can."

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

The Eldar voller and the Noldar dreadnought turned out to not be the only flying vessels to arrive before the coronation. Lady Meredith the Dazzling, chief of the Mages of Northern Aurelian, arrived in inimitable style, aboard a great silver disc that simply floated through the air. After the formal honors upon her arrival, Kit met with her immediately.

After the introductions, Lady Meredith wasted no time getting to more pressing matters. "As we flew down, we saw a great army massed to the northwest of Canberry. It was perhaps 10,000 strong, although we did not stop to investigate in great detail. A huge mass of Uruks had gathered with them. They were preparing to march, although not on Canberry. They appear to be aimed at the coast."

"We know, Lady Meredith. We fear they may intend to attack the Forest of Singing Leaves, with the aid of the Noldar."

"Suicide. They would be slaughtered if they were foolish enough to try. And the Noldar would never agree to the risk."

"Even if Hanal also marched on the Forest?"

"Even then. Hanal is too far away to mount an effective campaign against the Forest of Singing Leaves. They would be unable to move their armies into position quickly, and unable to keep them in supply after battle was joined. No, their target must be elsewhere."

Kit nodded in understanding and shifted topics. "Lady Meredith, you should know, I believe the Duchess of Brightspan is in league with demons."

The Archmaga frowned. "The Duchess of Brightspan was always a loyal member of our Order, although she has not been heard from in some years. It would be most unfortunate if she had turned. I find it hard to imagine; perhaps she has remained loyal and entered deep cover."

"I fear not, your ladyship. She seems to be truly working against us."

"Perhaps," said Lady Meredith, not entirely convinced. She closed her eyes for a moment. "Nonetheless, we must take precautions. I have ordered the youngest Brightspan son moved. She placed him in fosterage almost immediately after the fall of the southlands, and we have raised him since. He's now ten, but attaining his second circle power." A note of pride came into her voice in the last phrase.

"I think that's wise. I'm not certain whether the Duke of Brightspan is connected to her corruption, or whether he just plots on his own."

"She married for love originally. If she has been led into evil, I think he would have to be involved."

"What about the tieflings in the Duchy of Brightspan? Could that be a sign of her involvement with demons?"

"The tieflings could be her relatives, from the third Deeping of Hell. Her forefather was most prolific, especially with humans, so many tieflings were produced."

"We also know that there are tieflings active among the slavers in the south and thought she might be involved."

"The tiefling slavers seek to fill the void left by Region 9's withdrawal from the slave trade, and the reduction of Region 6's take as they have stopped heavily raiding the refugees. But while some tieflings profit from that trade, it is unlikely that the Duchess would engage in slaving. Although if she has forsaken her vows..."

Kit swallowed hard. "Lady Meredith, several of her daughters..."

"Yes, I know. I do not know who took the grandchildren or what happened to them, but I know of the tragedy."

Kit thought for a moment. "If the army isn't planning on attacking Canberry or the Forest, what could its target be?"

"I do not know for certain. There are no other open settlements nearby. If they are heading to the coast, there is some sort of garrison there that hates humans. I do not know what they are; clearly intelligent, but what kind I cannot say. Some form of psionic power."

"Could it be the illithids?"

"I shouldn't think so; the psionics seem too powerful for them. But I can't be certain. As for other possible targets... They could plan on marching south through the Sunken Lands to the Spice Lands, where the ruined city of Shur is. The Abomination of Shur is seeking to elevate itself to the status of a demon-god; it tried with a ritual that failed two years ago. It sought to sacrifice a large number of children with elven blood to release enough power for the elevation. But, if they have prepared the means, this army has enough military power to seize the city of Shur and conduct a new ritual. If they could elevate the Abomination, their success would then put it in their debt. There is no proof as to their intentions, and we did not have time to investigate further. But it seems the most likely possibility."

Kit quickly thanked Lady Meredith and returned to share this new information with her friends.

 

[recentcoin]

Fun...fun...

All manner of evil abounds...

Can't wait for the next post...

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Recent Coin: It's certainly true that evil abounds. I was talking with the DM about that relatively recently, mentioning the amusing thing that evil seems much more active and powerful in his world than good, such that if the PCs aren't continuously dealing with threats the whole thing will go to pieces. His response was something like, "of course... that's so that the PCs will have stuff to do, and a need to be heroes."

-----
Stythus returned to the Plane of Air and met with the Sultan again. "Your highness, the Archduchy of Canberry wishes to offer mutual support. Lord Alistair is also interested in hiring a unit of air elementals or djinn to help with security during the coronation; his enemies are seeking to instigate a riot. In return, we will help fight the demonic princes, although we are not certain how. He will pay each djinn with valuable perfumes."

"Hmm..." A great wind blew through the chamber as the Sultan considered this. "You trust this Lord Alistair?"

"I do. He is a loyal friend, and a good man."

"And you trust his judgment?"

"Yes, Sultan. He is wise, and determined to do the right thing. He is a good ally and always reliable to his friends and those that depend on him."

"Very well. I will send Emir Howling Breeze as an emissary to the coronation. I will also send a detachment of one hundred dust devil police to help with crowd control."

"Thank you, mighty Sultan."

After an extended costuming expedition, in which Stythus carefully helped Emir Howling Breeze avoid humiliating himself by wearing the wrong clothes, Stythus and the Emir plane shifted back to the Prime. They arrived some 85 miles away from the palace, but that was a small matter given their ability to simply fly with the winds, and they quickly reached the capital.

End of session 6

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 7 marks a shift in the campaign. Up to this point, the game had basically been played at cons and occasional get-to-gethers at the home of one of the players. These were infrequent, because the group was spread over CT, two different areas of upstate NY, NYC, and (recently) Chicagoland. While we still play in person when we can get together, Session 7 was the first game we played by voice over IP, using Skype. It's a different experience, but still fun. The regular online group is now Dame Brionna, Kit, Mahler, and Alistair, although Mahler missed Session 7.

Session 7:

Kit, Alistair, and Dame Brionna spent a quiet evening attending to some small matters that had been neglected. All three reviewed the Order of Battle of the Archduchy. As none of them had a great understanding of the armies of Canberry prior to the last few weeks, they all felt the need to review who was in command, what assets the various field armies had, and of course who was funding each field army. With civil war still a distinct possibility, although perhaps less likely than it had been, staying aware of which armies might be more loyal to Brightspan than to Canberry seemed wise.

“Huh.” Kit said, looking up from the document. “The Tenth Federated Field Army has a master-level redactor attached to it? I wonder where he came from… according to the elves, few humans ever reach master in any of the psionic arts. And why is he in one of the armies Brightspan funds?”

“I think my grandmother was a little bit less zealous about recruiting psions than would have been wise,” replied Alistair. “Besides, there had to have been some psionic talents in the South Kingdoms. Simple geography would make it easier for Brightspan to recruit the most powerful of the refugees, especially when we weren’t making it a priority.”

“We can’t let them gain a significant advantage,” said Dame Brionna. “With your grace’s permission, I’d like to start spreading the word through my family’s contacts that we would be most interested in employing any magi or psions in the refugee communities.”

“Absolutely. Thank you, Dame Brionna.”

“And I think I’ll have my people look into this redactor directly,” added Kit. “The more we know about Brightspan’s allies and servants, the better. And we still don’t know what exactly the Duchess of Brightspan is up to, except that it can’t be any good.”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

While Kit took care of those arrangements, a guard entered the chambers, saluted smartly, and presented Dame Brionna with a sealed message. Dame Brionna broke the plain seal, while Alistair and Kit looked on with curiosity. She read the message inside quickly and grimaced.

“There was an attack two nights ago in Pottersflat-- one of the neighborhoods within Canberry City. I received a report yesterday, but with everything else going on, I hadn’t had time to deal with it yet. A large number of people were killed; it looked to be the work of a beast with claws or a very large man with a cestus, apparently striking randomly.” Dame Brionna paused, upset by the fact that she hadn’t investigated sooner. “But one of the victims makes it look like it was not in fact random. His Eminent Grace, the Very Reverend Clarence Williams, Bishop without portfolio, was brutally murdered.”

Alistair swore quietly. Seeing the puzzled look on Kit’s face, he explained, “His Eminent Grace was my Grandmother’s personal chaplain.”

“It looks like it was a set-up,” continued Dame Brionna. “We thought it was a fracas in a tavern, but the tavern owner, Darren Sutter, was a childhood friend of Bishop Williams. Master Sutter’s son was having a coming-of-age ceremony. The Bishop, Master Sutter, and Sutter’s son were all among the dead. They mutilated the Bishop’s body, and he was just wearing simple clerical robes, so the first investigators did not realize who he was.”

“Why would they want to kill one of the Archduchess’s personal circle?” asked Kit. “Wouldn’t he have been planning on following her shortly anyway?”

“Probably not,” replied Dame Brionna. “The Church has always condemned that tradition. It’s unlikely that he would have committed suicide. In all likelihood, he would have retired from public service but remained a quiet leader within the Church.”

“Were there any witnesses? Survivors?” asked Alistair.

“Not that we know of, your grace. Master Sutter’s wife, Virginia, and his daughter, Sparkle, are both missing.”

“Sparkle? That’s an unusual name,” said Kit. “I wonder if Master Sutter’s wife had elven or fey blood… that might explain why they were taken.”

“Were there any other disappearances? Were any other women present killed?” asked Alistair.

“The report doesn’t say. We’ll have to ask Lieutenant Sister Constance Simmons of the Order of the Silvery Veil. She was the officer from the Evidentiary Division who investigated. She counted twenty-five dead total, many of them eviscerated. Their innards were scattered about the room. She was the one who concluded that it had to be a beast with six to eight inch claws, or an ogre-sized man with a cestus.”

“Or a demon…” said Kit.

“Indeed. I suggest we send for her to get her full report directly.”

“By all means.”

[As a bonus, I've attached the Order of Battle mentioned at the beginning of the session.]

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

A guard was quickly sent to bring the investigator. Dame Brionna thought for a second. “They may have killed the bishop because of what he knew… As the Archduchess’s personal chaplain, he would have heard her confessions, as well as those of some other members of her household. That could include information about some of the conspiracies we’ve been facing. He couldn’t break the confessional seal, of course, but he might still have been able to use what she had said under other circumstances or that wasn’t strictly confessional to aid us.”

Kit frowned. “But then they may have already cut off our ability to find out vital information about the plot.”

“And we should think about protecting the confessors of other key people. Did Bishop Williams hear your father’s confessions, your grace?”

“No, at least not generally. Father Waters was my father’s personal chaplain and his usual confessor.”

“Guard!”

“Yes, Captain?”

“Send a detachment of guards to find Father Waters and secure him. Take him into protective custody-- we think he may be a target of an assassin. Keep him safe, and bring him to the palace.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Dame Brionna nodded with satisfaction. “What about your grace’s confessor?”

Alistair looked slightly embarrassed. “I can’t say that my confessions have been terribly frequent of late. As a child, of course, both Bishop Williams and Father Waters heard my confessions on occasion, mostly Father Waters. But it’s been several years since my last confession, and the last few were rather… perfunctory.”

Dame Brionna’s lips twitched downwards towards a frown. “We’ll have to rectify that before your coronation, your grace. But at least that means there isn’t another confessor to worry about.”

Alistair didn’t even bother trying to appear contrite about the infrequency of his confessions. At least, he mused, the confession before the coronation would surely shock the poor priest assigned to handle it-- the last half decade had been more than a little exciting.

“We also need to figure out what happened to Sparkle and her mother,” said Kit. “We might still be able to rescue them.”

“I’d also like to confirm whether they had elven blood. If this is part of the same kidnapping scheme we faced in Enclaves, I want to know. Dame Brionna, could you send for the local parish priest and his parish book? That should give us some information about Virginia Sutter’s ancestry.”

“Of course, your grace. Father Bertram Brockenhausen Drumm, the rector, is also relevant to the investigation in another way. He identified Bishop Williams while performing the rite of extreme unction over the dead.”

“All the more reason to speak with him.” Another group of guards marched out of the palace to bring him.

A few moments later, a lieutenant in the Archducal Guards burst into the chambers with a detachment of guards. “Is everything right here? You are well, your grace?” The lieutenant quickly looked around the room, satisfying himself that there was no crisis.

“Everything is fine, Lieutenant,” replied Dame Brionna. She had already noticed this lieutenant; he had struck her as particularly intelligent and competent, but unlikely to advance further because of his completely common birth. “What’s the matter?”

“Captain, the Knight Guardian of the Pillow was just found dead.”

“Suicide?”

“No, Dame Katherine. He was disemboweled. It was clearly an assassination. And the assassin is still at large, which was why I wanted to check on his grace.”

“Good work, Lieutenant,” said Dame Brionna. “Please take your guards to Princess Cecilia’s chambers and ask her to come here, along with the guards we have regularly posted to defend her. We’ll need her sight to make sure that the assassin cannot sneak into the Archduke’s presence.”

The lieutenant braced to attention and hurried out to carry out the command.

“Another disembowelment?” asked Kit. “I think we need to assume that this assassin is the same one who killed Bishop Williams. Probably a demon that frenzies when it attacks, or some sort of ritual killing…”

“Or an effort to prevent resurrection,” replied Alistair. “If either the heart or the brain is destroyed, resurrection is completely impossible. Spreading around the victims’ intestines could conceal the destruction of the heart fairly effectively.”

Kit nodded. “That makes sense. But now that we have another victim, we have a lead on their motive. If they were trying to conceal information, it was about something that Bishop Williams and the Knight Guardian would have both known about. Would Bishop Williams have been on the trip to Tarsh when the Eldar amulet was stolen?”

“Without a doubt,” replied Dame Brionna.

“Then we need to find out who else was on that trip with her. Everyone on that expedition has to be treated as a potential next target.”

“And as a possible assassin. One of them may have betrayed the rest.”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

A few minutes later, Abigail returned with the Master of Protocol.

“Do you know all of the people who were on the trip to Tarsh?”

“Of course, your grace. Her grace your grandmother, may she reside in light forever, brought only the smallest group of attendants on that embassy. In addition to her grace, the embassy consisted of Bishop Williams, three ladies-in-waiting, the Knight Guardian of the Pillow, Lieutenant Zachary of the Archducal Guard, and three guards. Her grace and I selected all of her companions for the trip, except for the three guards. Lieutenant Zachary chose which guards would accompany her grace.”

“Who were the ladies-in-waiting?”

“Lady Cecilia, Lady Zenia, and Lady Brenda. Such an unpleasant trip… Poor Lady Brenda died of a burst blood vessel in her brain while in chambers in Tarsh.”

“Lady Cecilia… not Alistair’s aunt Cecilia?”

“No, Dame Katherine. Cecilia is a common name among our noblewomen.”

“Did Lady Brenda have a particular role in the embassy?”

“Yes, Dame Katherine. She was the Archduchess’s wardrober.”

“What of the other two ladies-in-waiting?” asked Dame Brionna. “Did they also have specific duties?”

“Yes, of course. With such a small group, every person had to have a role. Lady Zenia had charge of the accommodations and the private purse.”

“And Lady Cecilia?” asked Alistair. Seeing the Master of Protocol’s reluctance, he added, “Tell us her role in the expedition.”

“Very well, your grace. Lady Cecilia was the representative of the Mouth on this trip.” The Master of Protocol was slightly surprised when everyone relaxed slightly at that news.

Dame Brionna asked, “What families are Lady Cecilia and Lady Zenia from?”

“Lady Cecilia is from a minor noble family in the Duchy of Canberry proper. I would have to consult my books to remember which one… a family of manor lords from one of the outlying counties. Lady Zenia is a Brightspan, from a collateral line. I believe that she is a niece of the current Duke.”

The group exchanged meaningful glances. “Thank you, Master. Please wait in one of the adjoining chambers in case we have further questions.”

“As your grace wishes.”

“I’m thinking Lady Cecilia first,” said Kit. “As the Mouth’s representative, she’s more likely to know useful things. And the more we know before we talk to Lady Zenia, the better. We have to assume that she’s a traitor.”

Alistair nodded, and Dame Brionna stepped out of the chambers. A large number of guards watched several of the adjoining suites. As Dame Brionna stepped out, the talented lieutenant who was organizing things saluted. “Ma’am. As the people you’ve sent for arrive, I’m putting them in separate secure rooms, and placing guards with them and outside the room. To protect them from outside threats, and to make sure none of them can threaten or influence the others.”

“Very good, Lieutenant. Has Lady Cecilia arrived yet?”

“Yes, Captain. Shall I send her in?”

“Please.”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Before the next update, I think it's worth noting that the campaign has started becoming darker and involving more mature content, in a moving from PG to PG-13 kinda way. There isn't a lot of onscreen unpleasantness, but there is some very unpleasant offscreen but important stuff. So if you have a low tolerance for ick, you should be forewarned. This update doesn't include any of the unpleasant stuff, but others coming up soon do.

----
A few moments later, a thin noblewoman with surprisingly ordinary features entered. She curtsied deeply. Her expression was respectful, but her eyes were active, darting around the room and studying each of Alistair’s companions closely. “Your grace?”

“I understand that you were the representative of the Mouth on the mission to Tarsh.”

Lady Cecilia nodded, know understanding why she had been summoned. “Yes, your grace. Such a trying expedition…”

“Why did the Archduchess even make the expedition?” asked Kit. “Tarsh has valuable trade, but it’s so far away, on Khamista. Surely the trade between Canberry and Tarsh is minimal.”

“All correct, Dame Katherine. Trade negotiations were the ostensible reason for the state visit, but actually a very minor concern of Amelia’s. Her concern was about the stability of Tarsh. The Blood War, when the various noble families fought amongst themselves to determine who would rule the Empire, was terribly destructive and left Tarsh weakened. The current Emperor, while reasonably secure in his throne, does not have a stable empire to support him and his eventual heir.”

“But how can the stability of a realm on another continent affect Canberry?”

“Directly, very little, Dame Brionna. But just as the fall of the South Kingdoms gave the forces of evil a much stronger advantage on Drucien, even though the South Kingdoms were never an active force for good, so Tarsh helps to stabilize the situation on Khamista and deny the skaven, Shadow, and other forces the opportunity to expand. The goal of the embassy was to shore up the Empire of Tarsh as a bulwark against those forces. Our trade will help some. But our support and recognition for the current emperor will help more. And Amelia always was one to think about things beyond just the Archduchy.”

“What can you tell us about the visit?” asked Alistair. “Anything unusual?”

“Indeed, your grace. Even before Brenda’s death, there were signs of trouble. I think there was some sort of evil magical effect. It had something of the appearance of a disease spreading among the dignitaries, but I believe that it was more than that. The King of Stream’s End had been sickened, but also began acting strangely. He may have briefly lost his mind. On the same night as the King’s worse sickness, the Knight Guardian took ill-- some sort of stomach flux.”

“Why did you suspect magic instead of simple illness?”

“A comment by the Ambassador from the Eldar Wood. He mentioned that one of his wood elf companions was made ill by the ‘aura,’ although he himself was immune to its effects. And then poor Brenda simply died in her chambers.”

“Did you notice any other effects of this ‘aura,’ Lady Cecilia?”

“I’m not certain, your grace. There were other things amiss, but that may have been from more mundane causes. Our Ambassador to Tarsh has not been faring well. He had definitely drifted from the light, and he was a weak-willed man.”

Kit frowned. “It doesn’t seem like the Archduchess to appoint an ambassador with a weak will.”

“No, Dame Katherine. In his youth, when he was appointed, no one would have described him thus. He is a Tusslefield-- Aaron Tusslefield. He angered his family greatly many years ago; he refused to participate in the political marriage they had arranged and eloped instead.”

“So the Ambassadorship provided a convenient way to use his skills, honor his family, and keep him far away and out of sight.”

“Exactly, your grace. An honorable exile of sorts. But he’s a changed man, whether from the aura or from other causes. Clarence-- Bishop Williams-- ordered that a new chaplain be sent from Canberry, hoping that more vigorous religious guidance would help.”

Alistair glanced at his friends. “Bishop Williams is the reason we asked you here, Lady Cecilia. He was murdered two nights ago.”

Lady Cecilia sucked in a deep breath. Pain showed around her eyes, but her face retained a certain sense of focus and her voice did not waver. “I see. Do you know who killed him?”

“We’re not certain yet. But we think that it had to do with the embassy. The Knight Guardian has also been killed.”

Lady Cecilia nodded. “I can see why you would draw that conclusion. The few of us on that embassy grow fewer by the day. Unfortunately, I can think of little more to hint at the details of the killings than what I have already mentioned.”

“Do you know… how powerful would an assassin have had to be to kill Bishop Williams?”

“It would depend on the circumstances, Dame Brionna. Bishop Williams rarely wore his armor or prepared for battle, but he could command extraordinarily great powers through his faith. If he had the opportunity to use his spells, it would take a mighty attacker indeed.”

“How powerful were his spells?”

“I have seen him invoke Miracles when extreme circumstances demanded it. If I were planning an attack on a comparably powerful priest, my goal would be to prevent him from ever having the opportunity to cast. It would be the only reliable way to succeed.”

“Thank you, Lady Cecilia,” said Alistair. “If you would wait in one of the adjoining chambers… we want to keep you safe and may have further questions.”

“Of course, your grace.”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

The guards quickly returned Lady Cecilia to her room and brought Lady Zenia in. Before Lady Zenia entered, however, Kit focused her mind and reached out to sense thoughts.

Lady Zenia appeared much more nervous as she entered. Kit smiled; she could read the lady-in-waiting’s surface thoughts cleanly. Lady Zenia dropped a perfect curtsy. <<If he means to dismiss me from the palace, I’ll know soon enough… I shouldn’t have thought he would need so many guards for that, though.>>

“Lady Zenia,” Alistair began, a trifle cold. “We wish to discuss some recent events with you. Do you know anything about the death of Bishop Williams?”

The sudden direct question flustered the lady-in-waiting. After a moment, she stuttered out, “His death, your grace? I didn’t even know he was dead…” Even without psionics, Alistair and Dame Brionna could tell that the news had frightened her.

Kit sent a message to her friends. <<She seemed honestly surprised and scared. Her thought when she heard the question was “They killed him?” But she also knows more… she pictured one of her Brightspan relatives when she thought that. Not Sir Derrick, or I think the Duke, but there’s a definite resemblance.>>

Kit focused her gaze on Lady Zenia. “You may not have known she was dead, but I think you know who killed him. How does his death connect to the Duke and Duchess of Brightspan?”

Lady Zenia went from scared to terrified. “It has come to me, even in my chambers, but the great danger is going south, and it's in the form of my cousin.” At the end of that statement, her head snapped backwards with a sickening crunch and she collapsed to the ground.

Kit switched her focus from reading Lady Zenia’s mind to sensing auras. “There was something here… I can sense a fleeing psionic aura…”

“Send for Lord Silverleaves’s Farsensor,” responded Alistair. “We’ll need him to assist in this.” No sooner had Kit reached out her mind towards the elven voller than the Farsensor appeared with a clap of displaced air.

Dame Brionna, meanwhile, dove towards Lady Zenia’s body and began pouring Glor’diadel’s healing into the luckless lady-in-waiting. “She’s still alive, but I’m not sure I can save her. She’s still under attack-- something’s draining her life even as I try to restore her.”

Kit’s eyes narrowed. “Yes… There’s something lurking over her. I can barely see its mind…”

Alistair reached quickly into a pouch and then threw his small orichalcum token near Lady Zenia and Dame Brionna. It clattered harmlessly onto the floor. His best guess at a target was not nearly good enough. Kit, however, reacted almost instantly, scooping the orichalcum up on a bounce and flinging it again in a single smooth motion. Even with the vagueness of her sense of the mind, her aim was true and a great flash and boom revealed when the orichalcum hit its target.

A great eight-foot tall rat-beast appeared, its claws still touching Lady Zenia’s neck. The blast from the orichalcum had torn a large hole in the back of its torso, and it collapsed to the ground, dead. Alistair reached down and picked up what was left of the orichalcum, less the half-ounce that had been consumed.

“The life drain has stopped, your grace, but her neck’s still broken. I’m not sure my skills can save her.”

Alistair threw open the door to the hallway. “We need a priest! Now!”

Moments later, Father Waters entered the room. Father Waters was a middle-aged priest, with the hearty physique of a priest called on as often to deliver Glor’diadel’s judgment on the battlefield as his wisdom in a pulpit. His vestments displayed the signs of the Order of the Misty Dawn, a militant order of priests in the Church. He had a somewhat confused look on his face, no doubt from having been taken into custody by a group of palace guards and then being told to rush into the Archduke’s chambers in an emergency.

Alistair gestured. “She needs healing desperately, or else she’ll die.”

Father Waters knelt by Lady Zenia’s form and muttered a short but powerful prayer. “I have cast Heal upon her. She will live… But there is nothing I can do about the spinal injury. She’ll need several months in skin under the care of a skilled redactor to cure that.” His voice drifted off at the end of his statement as he stared at the rat-beast. Kit sent Abigail to fetch Lady Constance Deepingwell; though demons were strictly speaking out of the diabolist’s area of expertise, she still would be the most useful person to examine the body.

“Thank you, Father,” said Dame Brionna. “Now, the only question is how that thing penetrated the palace wards.”

“Simple,” replied the Farsensor. “Your wards against magical teleportation are quite secure. But there are no comparable defenses against psychoportation. That creature was able to psychoport in the same way that I was.”

“We need to fix that. Are there ways to ensure that no future enemies can enter psionically?”

The Farsensor’s eyes rolled back in his head for a moment. “There. I have erected a temporary barrier. A full warding will be necessary for the future, and it will need to be regularly renewed, but none will enter against my will for the time being.”

“Would you be able to teach me how to create the psionic wards?” Kit asked.

“With some time, yes. But there is another matter that we should discuss. The attack was not coincidental. That creature’s master was monitoring the young lady and had a means to target her.”

“Do you know how?”

“I believe so. May I probe her mind to be certain? Ordinarily I would not intrude to this degree, but it seems wise.”

“Will it hurt her?”

“No, your grace. Especially while she is unconscious, I will be able to probe her mind without any permanent damage to her.”

“Then do what you must.”

The Farsensor placed his hand on Lady Zenia’s forehead. After a moment, he looked at her abdomen, before shifting his focus back to her face. “I am now certain. She is pregnant, although not willingly. The child allows its father entrance.”