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

[Cerebral Paladin]

And so, a few days later Ilsbet was meeting Dame Brionna and brandishing her kitchen knife at the knight.

“Ilsbet!” said the prioress sharply. “Dame Brionna is a Knight of Valor and the Captain-Presumptive of the Archducal Guard. She would never try to enslave you.”

Dame Brionna noted that Ilsbet held the knife somewhat awkwardly. She had to restrain herself from drawing her sword and knocking it out of the child’s hand, because she was sure that the grip would not hold against an actual attack. But she also noticed that the girl’s left-hand was carefully raised with its fingers curled in a peculiar way. Dame Brionna was almost certain that in an actual fight, the child would rely on spells, not her knife. “I would never enslave anyone. Slavery violates the law of Glor’diadel and of the Archduchy, and I have spent much time fighting against the slavers that menace the refugees from my homeland in the South Kingdoms.”

Ilsbet paused. “You are from the South Kingdoms?”

“Yes, although it has been many years since my family fled.”

Ilsbet nodded. “We fled Seareach when the rats came. That was a long time ago.”

The prioress smiled at the détente, although she would have been happier if Ilsbet sheathed her knife instead of simply lowering it. They had tried so hard to convince the refugee that she did not need the knife with her here, but Ilsbet would not hear of it. “As I believe you can surmise, we think that Ilsbet’s skills may be better used in the service of the Archduchy than here. She puts a great strain on our discipline, and yet she has such potential…”

Dame Brionna held up her holy symbol and concentrated. She disliked the slight sneer on Ilsbet’s face at the sun disc but nodded nonetheless. “We can work with her, if she’s willing.”

Ilsbet nodded. She then turned to Jacques and pointed the tip of her blade at his chest. “If you try to rape me, I will kill you.”

“Deal,” responded Jacques.

Ilsbet nodded again and sheathed her knife. The two nuns visibly relaxed. Sister Charity, relieved of the burden of her ward, said, “I assume this is to do with the Reverend Mother?”

“The Reverend Mother?” asked Dame Brionna. “What about her?”

Sister Charity’s eyes widened behind her veil. “You didn’t know? She was slaughtered in the Chapel this morning. I thought that was what you wanted to investigate…”

 

[HalfOrc HalfBiscuit]

Just thought I'd drop in to say I'm still enjoying this immensely. Keep up the good work ...

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Thanks, HOHB!

BTW, I thought I would make clear that in the session I'm currently posted, I play Ilsbet, Orichalcum plays Dame Brionna (as usual), and Jacques (pronounced in the British fashion: dzhak-wees (I'd use IPA, but I don't think I can)) is played by a player who is not in the regular group and rarely posts here, but I think uses Sweet Cream as his handle. The extended segment with Ilsbet alone was played in a slot where I was the only player, before the slot with Dame Brionna and Jacques began; I reversed the order of presentation to make it easier to follow the characters the readers know.

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled storyhour:
----

Dame Brionna made the sign of the sun. “It was not, but I think we’ll look into it first, now. Who was the last to see her?”

The Prioress answered. “She was meeting last night with penitents. I do not think that anyone saw her before she arrived in chapel this morning.”

“Can we see the chapel?” asked Jacques. “We may be able to learn something about who killed her.”

“Of course.” The Prioress led them into the convent’s chapel. The body had been removed, but the blood stains made it clear where the Abbess had died.

“What were the wounds like?”

“She was clawed apart, Dame Brionna,” replied the Prioress. “As far as we can tell, the attacker had tremendously strong limbs and vicious claws, dismembering her with the force of her blows.”

“Aye, that would make sense…” said Jacques. “If you look carefully, you can see the marks where its claws struck that beam across the vault. Perhaps ten feet off the ground, probably as one of its swings carried through her and above its head.”

“So the creature was probably about eight feet tall,” Ilsbet added. “It could be a little shorter, especially if it has arms longer than a human, or somewhat taller if it stooped to attack but still swung through.”

“And these are its tracks… rat-tracks, from the looks of it, but they’re huge, and the gait seems wrong for four legs…” Jacques followed the trail to stairs to the basement.

“Rat-lords and rat-ogres walk on two legs,” said Dame Brionna. “Probably too small for a rat-ogre, though, and I would be surprised if there were another in the City. But a rat-lord could be the right size and can sneak about the town more readily.”

As the group approached the stairs to the basement, Ilsbet paused. “How powerful would the Abbess have been in combat?”

The Prioress blinked. “Mother Superior was very elderly, of course, and never physically strong. But she received great blessings from Glor’diadel and had powerful magic.”

“Then maybe the three of us should hesitate before seeking out an eight-foot tall rat-monster that could rip her apart.”

Dame Brionna nodded, although with a sad look on her face. “And so we’ll have to ask more guards to die… But you’re right, it would be too dangerous. Prioress, could you have one of the sisters carry a message to the palace as quickly as possible? I’ll send for a detachment of guards and a mage.”

 

[Quartz]

Colour me well impressed.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

“While we wait for them,” said Jacques, “could we see the Abbess’s chambers? There may be indications about why she was targeted.”

The Prioress led them to a single large room. While much larger and nicer than the cells of the other nuns, the room was still simple and no more than ten feet by fifteen feet. While the room contained a simple bed folded against the wall, two plain wood chairs, and a book shelf with a collection of a dozen or so books, an enormous metal desk dominated the attention of anyone entering.

Jacques headed directly to the desk and looked it over. “There are scratch marks at the locks and some scratching at the drawers, as if something tried to force them open. Based on these prints on the floor, I would say the rat-lord came here first, tried to open the desk, and then went to the chapel.” He knelt and looked more carefully. “The locks are very good; I don’t think it succeeded in opening them.”

The Prioress nodded. “The desk was a gift from Dain’s master crafters. They gave it in thanks after the Abbess saved a dwarven diplomat many years ago.”

“Can you open it?” asked Dame Brionna.

“Do you know if it has traps upon it?” Jacques asked the Prioress.

“I shouldn’t think so. The dwarves sought to give her a secure desk, not to endanger her. And I’ve never seen her disarm traps before opening it.”

“Then I should be able to manage. It may take some time.”

Alone among the group, Ilsbet ignored the desk and headed directly to the book case. She quickly rifled through the books. About half were books of scriptures, meditations, and theology, which she glanced at quickly and then tossed aside. The other half were more interesting. “She was a mage. Based on her spellbooks and the complexity of some of these books on magical theory, I would guess that she was a powerful one as well.” She looked at the Prioress. “May I have these books to read?”

“I suppose so…”

Ilsbet immediately began loading the books into her pack, along with the several books already there. Dame Brionna frowned. “Ilsbet, I think you can leave the books here. They will let you come back to read them, and there will be plenty of time to read them later. Bringing them now will just weigh down your pack.” Ilsbet’s eyes narrowed as she looked back at Dame Brionna, as if she suspected some sort of trick. But she grudgingly put the books back.

“Ah. There we go,” said Jacques after several minutes of work, sliding the desk’s drawers open. “Very nice locks, indeed.”

The main drawer held a stack of books and papers. The group worked through each one. The first was the convent’s ledger. Dame Brionna shook her head as she read through it. “They rely on continuous donations to make ends meet. Every month there is a shortfall based on their resources and holdings, and every month they manage to get just enough gifts to cover their costs.”

The second book was a black leather-bound tome, with a golden seal of Glor’diadel embossed on the cover. As they opened it, it became clear that it was more a codex of individual pieces of parchment than a single text. Jacques could make nothing of the writing, but both Ilsbet and Dame Brionna could follow it. “Scrolls, all healing, I think. And some are very powerful…” Dame Brionna shifted it aside, along with a battered scripture book that the Abbess had probably used since her novitiate.

A collection of letters sat below the books. Dame Brionna sucked in her breath as she saw that the top one was written by Archduchess Amelia, in her own hand. The letter addressed the Abbess as a personal friend and asked her to investigate some matters on the Archduchess’s behalf. It informed the Abbess that it was “clear that the City has been pierced,” and asked her to observe and report on an extensive list of clergy and nuns of the Order of Blessed Hope.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

“We have already confirmed that one of these priests had been corrupted, as well as the Mother Superior of the Order of Blessed Hope. They have been dealt with. But the rest…”

“Let’s see if there is a reply from the Abbess.” Ilsbet pushed through the letters and drew forth a letter back, with a clear notation that it had been delivered to the palace.

The letter detailed the Abbess’s findings. She confirmed that all six of the clergy that the Archduchess suspected were indeed corrupted, as well as the Mother Superior of the Order of Blessed Hope and five of the seven nuns on the list. The Abbess was confident that the other two nuns were in fact clean but noted that there were thus probably two unknown members of the coven devoted to Borsh’tro. The coven almost certainly had thirteen members to mock the organization of the elven druids devoted to Eiru. The letter also stated that the coven had not performed summoning rituals, but appeared to be assisting skaven in infiltrating the City.

“We’ll need to arrest all of the rest of these,” said Dame Brionna. “I just hope that not too many people die in the process.”

“And we need to find the other two coven-members,” added Jacques.

“And their spares,” said Ilsbet.

“Why do you think they have spares?”

“People die when they get involved in demon-worship. Any sensible coven would keep some apprentices to replace members who died.”

“I don’t know,” said Dame Brionna. “I would think they would be too worried that the spares would be a threat. They might try to kill their way into the coven.”

“So? I doubt Borsh’tro would discourage that. And as long as the people training the new apprentices figure that they’re not the weakest members of the coven, they still end up ahead, with a stronger group afterwards. I suppose there’s some danger that an apprentice would kill a member and die in the process, but wouldn’t they view that risk as acceptable?”

Dame Brionna and Jacques exchanged a perturbed look. After a moment, Jacques responded, “I still think they may prefer a safe coven rather than take the risk of war within They could always recruit replacements after a death, and each time they recruit a member they risk discovery. But we should at least start by finding the remaining members we know exist, before we worry about any possible replacements.”

Ilsbet nodded, and began searching the desk more carefully. “There appears to be a concealed drawer back here… the space isn’t accounted for by the drawers we can see.”

Jacques looked in again, felt around carefully, and finally pulled a hidden catch and opened a metal panel set flush into the back of the main drawer. He drew out to gold rings, each glowing dimly with an internal light.

“Definitely magic,” said Ilsbet after a moment, “although it’s not clear what they do.” She looked them over more carefully. “The writing on this one is in Engarthan-- the Eldar runic script. It says the ring is to bring health. No indications of what the other does.”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

They finished their search, but without any additional discoveries. As they were about to leave the room, a nun entered, looking quite miserable. “Prioress, we have a new arrival. She says that she needs to speak to the Knight Captain.”

Without waiting for permission, a woman of about thirty entered. She had a manner of command about her and held out an ornate scroll with the Archducal seal at the bottom as she entered. “I am Dame Agatha. My mistress, Lady Constance Deepingwell, sent me to assist the detachment of guards you requested.”

Dame Brionna carefully studied the scroll; as soon as she knew that Dame Agatha was one of Lady Constance’s apprentices, she knew what it was: a license granting Dame Agatha permission to practice diabolism within the bounds of the Archduchy in service of the Archduke, with a set of explicit prohibitions against unauthorized animal sacrifices, any human sacrifices whatsoever, training unlicensed diabolists, and so forth. After she satisfied herself that it was in order, Dame Brionna nodded curtly. “Very well. We believe there is a ratlord in the basement. We will need your assistance, along with the guards, to destroy it. If we could take it prisoner, that would be desirable, but it is likely too dangerous.”

They organized the guards in the chapel, and then charged down the stairs. As they expected, an eight-foot tall rat-lord lurked below, still gnawing on some viscera torn from the Abbess. The battle was short and intense. Dame Agatha summoned several devils and then supported them with direct spells; her magics almost dealt with the battle single-handedly, while the guards served mostly to prevent the rat-lord from charging Dame Agatha, while Dame Brionna and Jacques added a few extra blows to the monster and Ilsbet struck in with magical rays. When the rat-lord fell, they had not even lost any of the guards, although several had grievous wounds that would require treatment by the nuns above.

As Dame Agatha dismissed her devils, Ilsbet looked at the diabolist with respect. “Your spells and summonings are most powerful.”

“Yes.”

“Can you teach others how to wield as much power as you do?”

Dame Brionna practically spluttered in response. “You can’t want to become a diabolist, Ilsbet…”

“But she is a very powerful mage...”

“You must understand,” replied Dame Agatha, “becoming a diabolist is not the same as simply studying other forms of magic. It involves reaching a deal with a powerful devil. Becoming a diabolist is not a decision to enter into lightly.”

Ilsbet looked unimpressed by this admonition.

Dame Brionna urged the diabolist, “Tell her what your deal is,” confident that Dame Agatha’s deal would not seem very desirable.

“In exchange for granting me power during my lifetime and allowing me to summon her minions, I have promised Lilith ten thousand years of servitude in Hell after I die.”

Jacques looked at her in horror. “That doesn’t seem like a very good deal…” The diabolist looked back at him impassively; if she regretted her decision, she would not say so.

“So, you see, being a diabolist is agreeing to become a slave,” said Dame Brionna.

Ilsbet made a face. “I will not become anyone’s slave, no matter what they may offer.” She turned away from the diabolist, admiration having quickly turned into something akin to contempt. Dame Agatha smiled. Recruiting a protégé of a Knight of Valor as her apprentice would have created far more trouble than it could possibly have been worth.

Dame Brionna thanked Dame Agatha and the Archducal Guards and sent them back to the palace, with instructions to coordinate with the Archbishop and send new detachments of troops to arrest all of the corrupted priests and nuns. The Prioress and the other nuns of the Order of the Silvery Veil went back to their daily tasks, while Dame Brionna, Jacques, and Ilsbet conferred as to what to do next.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Dame Brionna sighed with relief. “At least we didn’t lose more guards here. I hope the arrests are not too dangerous. So many dead…”

“With all of the problems Canberry has been having, it’s all the worse that neither the Archduke nor his father had any sisters who could rule properly,” said Ilsbet. “I wonder if that’s part of the reason for the troubles.”

Dame Brionna looked at her in confusion. “But the Archduke’s father did have sisters. And so does Archduke Alistair, or at least a half-sister who is part of the Archducal family.”

Ilsbet became aghast. “But if the last Archduchess had proper female heirs, why would you let breedstock inherit?”

“Here in Canberry, the eldest child traditionally inherits, regardless of sex,” explained Dame Brionna.

“But… but… that’s lunacy! You cannot expect breedstock to even manage their own affairs, let alone to rule. And how can you ask the great ladies of the realm to be loyal to the commands of a male?”

“You must stop referring to His Grace as breedstock,” Dame Brionna said, annoyance creeping into her voice.

“But he is a male, and males are either breedstock or eunuchs.”

Jacques cleared his throat. “Here, we would not use the word ‘breedstock’ to refer to any person, only to animals. And both women and men can fill all manner of roles in society, from commoners up to the Archducal throne itself.”

“But why then did his father need to womanize himself? I thought that was so that he could inherit.”

“Womanize himself?”

“Yes… I was told that he was a womanizer, and I realized that he must have been womanized to make him eligible to inherit.”

Dame Brionna frowned. “The Archduke is a womanizer, but that’s not what that means. He is still a man, both legally and factually.”

“Not the Archduke, his father,” said Ilsbet sharply.

Dame Brionna sighed. “Him as well. But a womanizer is a man who… who has many women… friends.”

Ilsbet thought about this, and her eyes narrowed as she thought about what Dame Brionna must mean by women friends. “I can’t believe you would serve a mass rapist!”

“No!” cried Dame Brionna. “The Archduke doesn’t need to rape… I mean, the Archduke is not a rapist. His women friends are all quite willing.”

Ilsbet remained unconvinced, dropping her hand unconsciously to the hilt of her knife.

Dame Brionna saw the gesture and placed her own hand deliberately on her sword. “And I must warn you, if you do meet the Archduke, you must not draw a knife in His Grace’s presence.”

“Then he had best not try to rape or enslave me. I’ll kill anyone who tries, whether Archduke or churl.”

Jacques held up a hand. “Perhaps it would be best if she did not ever meet the Archduke.”

Ilsbet nodded. “Perhaps. If you must be so insane as to allow a male to rule this land and carry on lasciviously with many innocent women, I have no wish to meet him.”

“That’s all settled, then,” said Jacques. “Now, can we focus on the matters at hand?"

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

“I don’t understand why the Archduchess did not have the corrupted clergy dealt with,” said Dame Brionna.

“Perhaps the message arrived after her death?”

“But then it would have been delivered to us.”

“Then perhaps it was intercepted.”

They quickly went to the Prioress’s chambers.

“Reverend Mother, how would the Abbess have sent a message to the Archduchess?” asked Dame Brionna.

“She would have sent one of the sisters with it. Because the Abbess was close to Her Grace, her missives would be sent directly to the Privy Secretary,” said the Prioress with a touch of pride.

“The Privy Secretary…” echoed Dame Brionna, looking up as she tried to remember who filled that office.

“Yes, Lady Deborah Brightspan,” added the Prioress helpfully.

“Brightspan!” gasped Dame Brionna, beginning to draw her sword in horror. “Quick! They will need your best horses.” She gestured at Jacques and Ilsbet. “We must ride for the Palace at once!”

The trio rushed across the City. Dame Brionna barely reined her horse in as she charged up the great marble steps to the front gate, gesturing at the guards to let her companions pass as well. As she rushed in, she ordered the alarm sounded and gathered a detachment of guards to accompany her.

They rushed to the Privy Secretary’s office, Dame Brionna resolutely riding her warhorse through the palace halls. Jacques knelt before the door and looked carefully at the frame and the lock. “No signs of traps.”

“Wait!” called Ilsbet. She cast a spell. “There is a rune on the door, with power. An abjuration… probably a magic trap.”

“If I may perform one more service,” the old sergeant commanding the guard detachment said. The black cloth tied around his arm announced his intention to follow the Archduchess into the light soon enough anyway. Dame Brionna closed her eyes for a long moment, and then nodded heavily. “Stand back, lads. Best if only I face the danger.” The guard flung open the door, grimacing in pain as energy crackled around him.

“Surrender in the name of the Archduke and the Lord of Light!” shouted Dame Brionna as the sergeant led his squad into the office.

The Privy Secretary looked up in surprise. She was bent over an open area of the stone floor, carefully drawing a large symbol in chalk. Several candles already burned at strategic points around the unfinished pattern.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Ilsbet immediately gestured, casting a trivial magic to snuff the candles and disrupt whatever ritual was in progress.

Moments later the guards surrounded the Privy Secretary and pummeled her unconscious, carefully keeping her alive for questioning per Dame Brionna’s orders. Jacques and Dame Brionna both worked with the guards binding and searching Lady Deborah; she might be unconscious, but best not to take any chances once she awoke.

Ilsbet looked up from the sigil, which she had been staring at intently. “Are there teleportation wards in place here?”

Dame Brionna nodded. “Throughout the Palace grounds. Why?”

“It explains what she was doing. She was in the process of creating a gate, primarily I think as an escape route, although if she had succeeded, she might well have left a nasty surprise behind.”

Jacques smiled and nodded to Dame Brionna. “I think it’s just as well that we hurried here as quickly as we did. She probably expected a longer delay between the first arrests and tracking it back to her.”

“And a longer delay dealing with the rune,” said Dame Brionna with satisfaction. “If we had waited to dispel it, she probably would have escaped. Good work, sergeant. After you take her to the dungeon, please ask the Lord Chamberlain to prepare a list for me of everyone within the palace related to the Duke of Brightspan. I don’t want any more surprises like this one.”

While the guards carried Lady Deborah away to the dungeon for interrogation, the trio began searching her office. The desk contained copies of all of the correspondence to and from the monarch, including some letters, such as the one from the Abbess, that had never been delivered to their intended recipient. They also found some less legitimate records; among other things, there were two lists, one with the names of the coven member (including the missing two members) and the other with a list of close personal allies of Amelia, including her personal chaplain, the Abbess, and several other recently murdered people. The murder victims each had a mark next to their names.

There were also unsigned letters, some with instructions for Lady Deborah. Dame Brionna looked at one of these in puzzlement. It stated simply, “Kill your uncle.” Flipping through the correspondence, Dame Brionna found no indications that Lady Deborah had ever communicated much with her uncle, the Duke of Brightspan. But there were many letters from and to her mother, Lady Yvonne Caldra.

While Dame Brionna finished going through the papers, Jacques and Ilsbet searched the rest of the desk. Jacques lifted the desk slightly and removed the cap from the bottom of one of the legs. Dozens of old coins of many different types and nationalities poured out onto the floor, although a few made it directly into Jacques’s pockets. The trio looked at the coins for a pattern, and noticed that while they came from many different realms, they had all been minted in the same year, some two centuries ago.

“Why would they care about that year?” asked Jacques.

“Because that was the date of the unification of the Confederacy of the South Kingdoms,” replied Dame Brionna, who had had that date drilled into her in history lessons in her old homeland. “They probably remember that date because the Confederacy’s unification frustrated the last effort of the Abomination of Shurr to ascend. The City of Shurr in the Sunken Lands was ruined in the course of that struggle, and the Abomination was thought destroyed, although we now know better.”

Ilsbet frowned. “I wonder if that has something to do with ‘the project.’ In the Seachen lands, many slaves are used to excavate an ancient city. It has something with the dead gods that they worship.”

“They worship dead gods and are excavating a ruin in the Sunken Lands?”

Ilsbet nodded. “But if you ask me, worshipping dead gods is even more foolish than worshipping living gods.”

Dame Brionna was too concerned about the possibility that the Seachen were somehow assisting the Abomination of Shurr to worry about Ilsbet’s petty sacrilege. She thought about the excavation and decided that it was simply one more matter to look into, and went back to flipping through Lady Deborah’s papers. “Here’s another one of the unsigned letters. It says that twenty were hired from the Dark Guild of Enclaves and have been sent to Canberry City.”

Jacques whistled in a low voice. “The Dark Guild is the guild of assassins.”

“I know what the Dark Guild is,” replied Dame Brionna testily.

“But twenty assassins… that’s a huge number for one task.”