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

[Cerebral Paladin]

Dame Brionna and Kit brought the documents to Alistair. He listened carefully to their description, and then looked over the documents himself. “Huh… there’s a patch of discolored parchment on Lord Brendan’s report. When I was a child, as a game, my grandmother would sometimes send me secret messages concealed on parchment. I wonder…” He quickly ran through the steps that would reveal a message if his grandmother had used the same approach and then smiled as he saw words appearing.

He read off the message: “There are traitors in our court and our neighbors’ courts. The traitors are centered on Khamista, I think. There are also rats trying to set up a holy land in the South.”

“A private message from Her Grace Archduchess Amelia to your grace, I would assume.”

Alistair nodded. “Still, there’s little there that we didn’t already know. The connection to Khamista is new, I suppose, but that’s not much of a lead.” Applying a similar approach to one of the other documents, a report on the trip to Tarsh, turned up a second message. Amelia described the distraction of the guard and that she believed that the demon responsible made off with the talisman and other objects of great power. She made the decision to keep things quiet, partly to avoid any tensions with Tarsh that would have undermined the purpose of her trip.

While they were discussing the reports, Lady Constance entered the Council chamber. “Your grace, I have a preliminary report on the Devourer of Light. We are still finishing our research, but we have some information for you already. The Devourer of Light was one of the first demons to turn to the service of Borsh’tro when he began conquering his region. It is a very old entity, as it would have to be to predate the rise of Borsh’tro. The Devourer of Light was formerly very weak, but has advanced to the rank of an Earl. Do you understand the demonic ranks?”

“We know something about the ranks, but why don’t you explain what that means to be on the safe side?” responded Alistair.

“Earls are powerful demons. It is very difficult for mortals to defeat an earl, but it is still possible, unlike the more powerful demons. Demon earls are also the most powerful demons that can come through to the prime for longer than a brief visit. Turning back to the Devourer, it was intended to devour light itself, but they do not fully understand the light. The Devourer of Light is the demonic patron of glamours and lies. It is also said to be the patron of assassination in dark places, but that portfolio is contested. It has been involved in several major plots involving the Prime over the past 3000 years, but none have been successful. Each of its plots have been overly involved and complicated, leading to their failure.”

“Can it be summoned? Or is it necessarily here voluntarily?” asked Dame Brionna.

“It is theoretically possible to summon it, but there are no known methods.” Lady Constance waited for further questions and then said, “When we have finished our research, I will provide you with a written report, of course.”

The Council thanked her, and she departed.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Kit and Dame Brionna took care of some preparations before their meeting. Kit instructed some her people to infiltrate the restaurant disguised as other patrons, so that they would be able to support her if it turned out to be a trap as Dame Brionna feared. Finding the right agents was more difficult than she had expected at first; the Wyvern’s Wing served an “elite” clientele and most of Kit’s agents, as talented as they might be, would have stuck out badly. But with some care, she was able to find enough people who could pass. They might seem a tad poorer than the typical wealthy merchants and nobles at the Wyvern’s Wing, but people did splurge there sometimes.

Kit and Dame Brionna also made their own preparations to meet Lord Terence incognito. Kit, with the assistance of her new protocol officer, dressed as a wealthy merchant or courtier, or perhaps someone who was a little of both. She felt a little uncomfortable about the amount of color in her outfit-- if she was trying to avoid notice, wouldn’t her usual blacks and grays be better? But Dame Pressa assured her that in a setting like the Wyvern’s Wing, less flashy clothes would perversely be more noticeable. She was a little reassured when Dame Pressa agreed that she could still wear a rapier, although the halfling then insisted on getting a fancy rapier with a jeweled hilt from the royal collection. Still, the balance was excellent and the blade was fine, so she couldn’t complain too much, even if it did look more like a decorative ornament than any blade Kit had ever carried before. Dame Brionna, for her part, dressed as her bodyguard-- a simple task, with expensive clothes but no heraldry over well-polished armor. After both of their protocol officers approved their looks, they headed to the Wyvern’s Wing.

The Wyvern’s Wing was every bit as fancy as they had been led to believe. Dame Brionna ducked in first, carefully scanning the room with her alert eyes before signaling for Kit to follow her. The maitre’d stepped forward to greet them, but Kit cut him off. “We’re here to meet a friend in the private room. He’s expecting us.” If the arrogance in her voice seemed a little affected and uncertain, well, she wasn’t the only guest of the restaurant with affectations of status. The maitre’d simply bowed and gestured for them to follow him.

At the back of the restaurant, he gestured at an unmarked mahogany door. Dame Brionna reached forward and opened the door.

A tall, frail man rose to greet them from behind the table in the room. At the same time as he stood, a muscular man in plain white clothing, with a layer of fat over his muscles, gracefully unfolded from a kneeling position near the door. As they stepped in, Dame Brionna scanned the room for evil, detecting none. The man in white-- clearly a well-trained specialist in unarmed combat-- signed to the young man in a private battle language.

 

[Quartz]

Jeez, no company of troops next door / upstairs? No research as to the reliability of the place? No 'quiet words' with reliable members of staff / the owner? No substituted waiters?

Ah well, the story's the thing, and it is a rather good one.

And clothes over armour? What sort of armour is she wearing?

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Well, that was the point of infiltrating Kit's people into the restaurant. Perhaps more should have been done, but... As for the clothes over armor, by clothes I meant things like tabard and cloak and so forth, that would normally be worn over plate.

----

The young man said with a smile, “This does need to be private, even from you old friend. Wait outside.” The guard genuflected and stepped out in perfect silence, closing the door behind him. Alone in the room with Dame Brionna and Kit, Lord Terence reached out a hand of welcome and gestured for them to sit. “Good dames, I am honored to meet the two most powerful women in Canberry.”

Kit stammered for a moment at that description, but Dame Brionna spoke over her. “And we are honored to meet with you, Lord Terence, but you have the advantage of us, in that you know why we are having this meeting.”

“I did not want to approach the Archduke directly, although I do remember him; he cut a dashing figure as he passed through our lands on a visit some time ago. But it would be politically awkward for me to approach him directly on this matter… I have tried to convince my brother to intercede in the Spice Lands. I fear that the creature that moves there with its army poses a great threat to us all. But I have been unable to persuade my brother to respond to that threat. Before I came here, I dispatched my personal legion, a gift from my maternal grandmother; they are light infantry, but well trained. I also have some intelligence that I think you may find useful.” Pulls out a leather case with a complex seal, makes a gesture. “This is the disposition of four legions from my sister-in-law’s former kingdom, moving to meet the creature.”

“To join it or to fight it?” asked Dame Brionna.

“They killed both of my emissaries. Based on that response, I can only presume that they are allied with the enemy. However, our agents believe that most of the troops, even the officers, have been duped by the over-commander, who is from the highest noble house besides the royal house. We believe he has been corrupted.” Lord Terence paused for breath. “I fear there is little more that I can do to stop them. We have almost no air navy, even less than you do. We have some ships, and a powerful sea navy, but the sea navy is powerless in this case. I have considered having the admiral of the fleet that my father gave me to dismount his men, and then march them across, but I think that would be futile.”

“If they have been mislead…” began Kit.

“If the four legions reach the army, duped or not, they will add 4,000 chivalry. I have sent some efreet to harass them. But they will not last long.”

“What if we killed the over-commander?” asked Dame Brionna. “Could we prevent them from joining the enemy army then?”

“If we could assassinate him, then the four legion commanders would probably listen to me, because I am a brother-in-law of the youngest member of the royal house. But he is very powerful-- more powerful than he should be.”

 

[Orichalcum]

Actually, Dame Brionna had alerted the nearby guard station, but Kit's people seemed more discreet, and the rings of teleportation were also a good first line of defense.

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Dame Brionna thought that over. “Your brother doesn’t recognize the threat?”

Lord Terence shrugged. “He remembers the war that led to the death of our parents in the explosion of a voller. He remembers the lines of chivalry fighting against Debeney. The rift was only closed by his marriage, and only six years ago. My brother does not want another war. So… he trusts in Lord Paranswarm to protect the realm, and is strengthening the defenses.”

“Paranswarm is powerful, but not in fighting the Shadow.”

“I know,” replied Lord Terence, his expression carefully bland.

“And we can appreciate not wanting to fight his wife’s people…” added Kit.

Lord Terence chuckled grimly. “That’s not it. They hate each other. The marriage was part of the terms of the peace treaty, and so they both agreed to it, but there was never any love in their marriage, and they can only barely tolerate each others’ presence now. It is not concern for his wife that makes my brother so wary of restarting the war with Debeney.

“I think it is only the memory of our parents’ death. He does not fear death for himself; he is a mighty warrior, and a ranger of the land. But he fears the death of his children, and our sister, and myself. I thought about reaching out to the Archbishop… but that is difficult for me.”

“We might be able to reach out to the Temple of Paranswarm,” said Dame Brionna. “We do not share your land’s faith, but we have worked effectively with the Temple against mutual enemies before…”

“You might approach the Inquisitor General for Southern Drucien, then. It might influence him. My brother is very devout. He has built a dozen shrines to Paranswarm in thanks for my survival.”

“And to whom did you build your shrines, your highness?”

“To the Weeping Woman, of course,” replied Lord Terence, staring directly at the wall. He then held up a hand for quiet as the waitstaff swept in and laid out a fancy meal for the three of them. After the waiters departed, Lord Terence drew forth two small objects from a pouch and waved them each over the food. “No poison, and no scrying sensors. I did not expect that there would be, but…” He shrugged. “To return to business, there’s one more suggestion I can give. It may be worthwhile to again approach the Duke of Brightspan’s wife.”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

“Why do you suggest that?” asked Kit, always skeptical of the Duchess of Brightspan.

“I believe she remains loyal to the Order that originally trained her. She may be able to bring in some small force on the proper side.”

“Do you think bringing her in would create any problems? We’d be asking her to attack her son.”

“There would probably be a demand that he not be killed out of hand if he surrendered. But for a force of 20 devils… And she might be able to bind them.”

“We already have plenty of diabolists,” said Dame Brionna, not even trying to conceal the distaste from her voice.

“Every diabolist counts. And better that they be used against demons than against good folks.”

Dame Brionna nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps. Your highness, does Augurt maintain any supplies of orichalcum?”

“Just over a pound. My brother has been accumulating it since taking the throne. He believes the only threat is from the south, but he’s still aware of the danger of corruption that the ratmen pose. Orichalcum can guard against that as well as against demons.”

“We know. But I was thinking of something specific. If the over-commander of the Debeney forces is possessed or otherwise infused with demonic energy, we might be able to reduce his power or even restore his senses and break his loyalty to the Abomination. The Duke of Brightspan’s son is probably too far gone to be helped, but the over-commander from Debeney may not be.”

Lord Terence rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It might work. I cannot say whether he is a willing participant, but either way, it would offer advantages. If he is willing, he would be weakened, allowing agents to finish the job of assassination. And if he is not, it might well free his will, as you say. The difficulty will be getting it there. They have a teleportation shunt protecting the army-- there was a raid, or so we are told.”

“Then we need other means of fast travel to catch them,” said Kit. “Flight, maybe?”

Dame Brionna nodded. “Or perhaps ethereal travel.”

Lord Terence smiled. “The Archduke has a good head on his shoulders. He has chosen well-- those who will be loyal to him and strike down enemies…”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Even by the end of the relatively short dinner, Lord Terence visibly tired. While he remained polite, friendly, and somewhat charming, he grew quieter as the meal proceeded, once the business was dealt with. The effort of maintaining prolonged conversation was simply too much for his stamina.

Dame Brionna did bring up one additional piece of business. “Your highness, has your sister been fostered abroad yet? She is of an age to be. It might be advantageous if she were fostered here.”

“She has not. I can see how that would have potential advantages, but there would have to be a compelling reason. Otherwise, Debeney would be too likely to take the decision as an insult, and my brother will not take that chance.”

“Has she shown any great aptitudes? We will be establishing a great school of magic soon, and a psionic academy. Could either of those attract her?”

He shook his head. “She has neither the Gift nor the Power. My sister has a great head for figures and is highly competent with the lute and the clavichord, but other than that no special abilities. But still young.”

“Lute and clavichord… perhaps we could offer training as a bard?” suggested Kit.

“I don’t think that bards were among the Archdukes educational plans,” said Dame Brionna thoughtfully. “But he could certainly add a small program. And if Lord Silverleaves stayed in Canberry City for a little while…”

“And I’m sure we could persuade him to visit occasionally-- he’s enjoying the excitement so much. Of course, occasional visits might not happen while she was still fostered, given elven sense of time.”

“That would be no matter. It would still provide a good explanation for Debeney. My brother needs a good excuse, not to be convinced-- he’ll have no real desire to send our sister to his wife’s homeland.”

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Lord Terence paused to catch his breath and took a gulp of his wine. “But I must ask straight out… this is not an attempt to gain a child bride for the Archduke?”

“Certainly not,” replied Dame Brionna. “His grace seeks to have children faster than that could allow, to ensure the succession. Were he to die without issue, the Archduchy might degenerate into civil war.”

“Excellent. Not to disparage such things, but my family follows their own minds on such thing, although monarchs often cannot.”

Kit glumly nodded along with Lord Terence’s last statement.

Dame Brionna continued to reassure him. “But no-- this is not about dynastic marriage, just trying to strengthen ties and contacts with other monarchs.”

“Then I will speak with my brother of it. I suspect he will embrace the idea.”

Over the pudding, Lord Terence raised his glass of port in a toast, although he remained seated. “To our future alliances, to the health of our children-- well, the children of our houses-- and to a bright future for all of Drucien.” Kit and Dame Brionna both raised their glasses high to that toast, and they enjoyed a dessert that matched the entrée in quality.

After dinner, Lord Terence’s desire to rest was obvious, and the knights quickly took their leave. As they departed, Dame Brionna placed her hands on Lord Terence and, as subtly as possible, poured healing energy into him. He visibly strengthened, but she could tell from the feel that this would be only a temporary respite-- Lord Terence’s injury was far too deep for her to heal. He smiled his thanks to her, murmuring, “On such slender threads do dynasties hang.”

End Session 14

 

[Cerebral Paladin]

Session 15:

On the fifth day before the coronation, as the Council met to discuss the plans for the day, Alistair heard an unfamiliar voice in his head.

<<Highness… your agent to the brothels is in trouble. Shall I act?>>

Alistair thought for a moment-- this had to be Kit’s person, watching Lucas. And if Lucas was in trouble… It was bad enough to have asked a friend to risk his life. <<Yes,>> Alistair thought back.

After a few minutes, the voice sounded again. <<I have him, but he is injured. I will bring him to the east servants’ gate to the palace. The guard would not wish me to enter, but I suggest that you send a healer to receive him.>>

Alistair relayed this to the Council.

While Dame Brionna went to summon Father Waters, Kit excused herself. “I should probably meet my operative and find out what happened. It’s our best shot at still getting useful intelligence out of this.”

Kit reached the gate before her agent, but within a few minutes a tall, robed form approached, carrying Lucas’s unconscious body slung over one shoulder. Kit looked the figure over appraisingly-- she hadn’t assigned the tail personally, relying on one of her operatives to send the right sort of agent. What she hadn’t expected was an agent who wore a full body length purple robe, with the hood of the robe covering not only his face but two feet below as well. Even stranger than the hood, however, were the long, white three-fingered gloves that it wore. What kind of agent is this? wondered Kit, followed a moment later by the thought, And which of my midlevel agents thought that it would be the right person to shadow Lucas?