Baron Opal
First Post
Hmm, I wonder what Alistair's life (or death, I guess) is worth...
Aphonion Tales (New posts 6/13, 6/15, 6/19)
- Thread starter Cerebral Paladin
- Start date
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
It's a good question, Baron; I think we didn't ask. I'm curious, too. 
As an aside, I've started another storyhour, about a different party on Aphonion. So far, there has been no significant overlap in plot or similar matters; the second party is on Zest'qua, a different continent from where Canberry is. But I thought people might be interested to know about it. That storyhour will update every Saturday. The Journals of Konrad Jagger, Licensed Diabolist
And now, back to our story.
-----
Dame Brionna continued, “How would you like to die?”
“By garrote.”
<<We’re not going to kill this one for the time being. We have his parole-- I’m not sure we need to kill him.>>
<<All right,>> responded Kit. <<I’ll pass that on to Dame Brionna on the other mindlink.>>
“After I have been slain, my body should be consumed by the cats. I studied them, and my fighting style is called the ‘Tiger.’”
Dame Brionna made a note of this request and then scrutinized the Harlequin carefully. “Do you know anything about the Abomination of Shur?”
“It was one of the reasons I volunteered for this mission. I expected to be able to work side by side with the rakasta, although that hope was not fulfilled.”
<<Well, he just made his death more probable,>> thought Alistair.
“What can you tell us about the Abomination?”
“The Abomination was once a Rakshasa. He slew many of his fellow Rakshasa, and absorbed their power. He could have become a Cthon, the Cthon of cats, but he declined. If he entered that state, he could never shift, never advance further-- he would be a Cthon forever. So he deliberately aborted his progression and undertook a war instead. He lost, and was disembodied, his followers scattered, and his city and nation of Shur were forgotten.” The Harlequin paused. “From the perspective of your people, that would all be in ancient times. Some time ago, the Abomination rose again, at first only a shadow in the South, but then he gained the help of one of the rakasta races that waited for him for hundreds of years. His big break was forging alliances with the demons, and he thought that he could become a demonlord. He only has followers of a few rakasta races.”
“Which rakasta races follow him?”
“Lynx men are most common-- straightforward warriors, with shamans, and a few witchdoctors. The lynx men depend on the charge in combat the most of any rakasta. He is also served by some smattering of cave rakasta, which you might think of as rather slow ogres. The jakar are the others that often found service to him. They were and are weakest of the bloodlines, but they have great muscles, and beautifully spotted coats, like leopards. They were artifact builders. It was the jakar that built the city, most of which still stands, and they provided most of his clerics when he began the path to godhood. You have not seen the people who serve this ally of Quinliart?”
“Would the jakar have designed the ritual that he seeks to enact?” asked Kit, passing on a question from Alistair.
“Oh, no… the rituals predate all of them. They are trapped within the rituals. They can only determine the arcane feeds, and even those within narrow parameters. How can you withstand him when you do not know such simple things?”
“But you knew of the alliance to the Abomination when you accepted the contract?”
“The alliance to him was advertised. The alliance to the other was hinted at. The alliance to the third was never mentioned.”
As an aside, I've started another storyhour, about a different party on Aphonion. So far, there has been no significant overlap in plot or similar matters; the second party is on Zest'qua, a different continent from where Canberry is. But I thought people might be interested to know about it. That storyhour will update every Saturday. The Journals of Konrad Jagger, Licensed Diabolist
And now, back to our story.
-----
Dame Brionna continued, “How would you like to die?”
“By garrote.”
<<We’re not going to kill this one for the time being. We have his parole-- I’m not sure we need to kill him.>>
<<All right,>> responded Kit. <<I’ll pass that on to Dame Brionna on the other mindlink.>>
“After I have been slain, my body should be consumed by the cats. I studied them, and my fighting style is called the ‘Tiger.’”
Dame Brionna made a note of this request and then scrutinized the Harlequin carefully. “Do you know anything about the Abomination of Shur?”
“It was one of the reasons I volunteered for this mission. I expected to be able to work side by side with the rakasta, although that hope was not fulfilled.”
<<Well, he just made his death more probable,>> thought Alistair.
“What can you tell us about the Abomination?”
“The Abomination was once a Rakshasa. He slew many of his fellow Rakshasa, and absorbed their power. He could have become a Cthon, the Cthon of cats, but he declined. If he entered that state, he could never shift, never advance further-- he would be a Cthon forever. So he deliberately aborted his progression and undertook a war instead. He lost, and was disembodied, his followers scattered, and his city and nation of Shur were forgotten.” The Harlequin paused. “From the perspective of your people, that would all be in ancient times. Some time ago, the Abomination rose again, at first only a shadow in the South, but then he gained the help of one of the rakasta races that waited for him for hundreds of years. His big break was forging alliances with the demons, and he thought that he could become a demonlord. He only has followers of a few rakasta races.”
“Which rakasta races follow him?”
“Lynx men are most common-- straightforward warriors, with shamans, and a few witchdoctors. The lynx men depend on the charge in combat the most of any rakasta. He is also served by some smattering of cave rakasta, which you might think of as rather slow ogres. The jakar are the others that often found service to him. They were and are weakest of the bloodlines, but they have great muscles, and beautifully spotted coats, like leopards. They were artifact builders. It was the jakar that built the city, most of which still stands, and they provided most of his clerics when he began the path to godhood. You have not seen the people who serve this ally of Quinliart?”
“Would the jakar have designed the ritual that he seeks to enact?” asked Kit, passing on a question from Alistair.
“Oh, no… the rituals predate all of them. They are trapped within the rituals. They can only determine the arcane feeds, and even those within narrow parameters. How can you withstand him when you do not know such simple things?”
“But you knew of the alliance to the Abomination when you accepted the contract?”
“The alliance to him was advertised. The alliance to the other was hinted at. The alliance to the third was never mentioned.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
“The third?”
“The molydeus. That was not mentioned to us.”
“Did that violate your contract?” asked Dame Brionna.
“No. Our contract was not exclusive. I was surprised that a Noldar lord would associate with such things.”
“If their goal matched…” murmured Kit.
“Perhaps. Most of the Noldar lords would not consort with demons such as that even then. But then, we have seen much that suggests that Lord Quinliart is not like his fellow lords.”
“Do you know of the molydeus’s plans?”
“No. What have you seen of its actions?”
“It does not appear to be doing much,” replied Dame Brionna.
“That would worry me even more than its activity.”
<<Ask if the Abomination is still vulnerable to blessed crossbow bolts-- and you might confirm that the stories about those against Rakshasa are accurate,>> suggested Alistair.
“Do blessed weapons still work against the Abomination?” asked Kit.
“About half the time. Weapons that are ghost-touched are the most effective. Are you considering a heroic hand-to-hand struggle against the Abomination?”
“Not personally,” replied Kit with a grim chuckle. Dame Brionna looked wistful about the idea… the glory involved would be tremendous. “But we may need to send a group to attack it.”
“Ah, you are wiser than I was starting to suspect. It would be foolishness for any such as you to attack the Abomination directly.”
“I should think that we would have convinced you that we were not fools with how well we have fended off your attacks,” replied Dame Brionna.
“Indeed. As I said, you have my respect for all you have accomplished, and despite the fact that we are much more personally powerful than any of you. But it is entirely possible for people to be clever, and effective, and yet still be fools.”
“And you should know about fools,” said Kit, gesturing at the Harlequin’s make-up.
He nodded, smiling wryly. “We are as clowns, but who better than a clown to know the difference between wisdom and foolishness?” After a little more banter about fools and clowns, the Harlequin turned more serious. “But if I may, I would ask a question of my fate. Will it be done before or after?”
“Before or after what?”
“Your triumph or your failure, of course.”
“We’ll see.”
He nodded politely.
“The molydeus. That was not mentioned to us.”
“Did that violate your contract?” asked Dame Brionna.
“No. Our contract was not exclusive. I was surprised that a Noldar lord would associate with such things.”
“If their goal matched…” murmured Kit.
“Perhaps. Most of the Noldar lords would not consort with demons such as that even then. But then, we have seen much that suggests that Lord Quinliart is not like his fellow lords.”
“Do you know of the molydeus’s plans?”
“No. What have you seen of its actions?”
“It does not appear to be doing much,” replied Dame Brionna.
“That would worry me even more than its activity.”
<<Ask if the Abomination is still vulnerable to blessed crossbow bolts-- and you might confirm that the stories about those against Rakshasa are accurate,>> suggested Alistair.
“Do blessed weapons still work against the Abomination?” asked Kit.
“About half the time. Weapons that are ghost-touched are the most effective. Are you considering a heroic hand-to-hand struggle against the Abomination?”
“Not personally,” replied Kit with a grim chuckle. Dame Brionna looked wistful about the idea… the glory involved would be tremendous. “But we may need to send a group to attack it.”
“Ah, you are wiser than I was starting to suspect. It would be foolishness for any such as you to attack the Abomination directly.”
“I should think that we would have convinced you that we were not fools with how well we have fended off your attacks,” replied Dame Brionna.
“Indeed. As I said, you have my respect for all you have accomplished, and despite the fact that we are much more personally powerful than any of you. But it is entirely possible for people to be clever, and effective, and yet still be fools.”
“And you should know about fools,” said Kit, gesturing at the Harlequin’s make-up.
He nodded, smiling wryly. “We are as clowns, but who better than a clown to know the difference between wisdom and foolishness?” After a little more banter about fools and clowns, the Harlequin turned more serious. “But if I may, I would ask a question of my fate. Will it be done before or after?”
“Before or after what?”
“Your triumph or your failure, of course.”
“We’ll see.”
He nodded politely.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
Kit gestured at his arms. “The burns from the rope are still spreading, even though we removed it.”
“Yes, it will spread until it has consumed me utterly.”
“Is there anything that can be done to stop it?”
“A psion might be able to stop the pain and the progression. Your priest tried his methods; they could not prevail against elven magic. I am surprised you are concerned. It will be excruciating when it covers the whole arm. I do not think the young elf realized the power of the item he used. It was made of living Eldar hair; I will die of it, if it is given enough time. It is ironic; they are fading. We are fading too, but their knowledge is fading faster.”
“We’ll have a redactor tend to you.”
“You have my thanks. Should I be permitted to live so long, I will be curious to see if you thwart the grandmasters as you have thwarted the rest of us.”
Kit suddenly stopped talking and paused for a moment. <<I’m getting a psionic message,>> she sent to both Dame Brionna and Alistair. <<I’m going to step out of the cell to concentrate on it.>>
The sycophantic voice she had heard before entered her mind again. She almost thought she could hear it bending and scraping before her. <<Lady… I’ve found a place where platinum has been spent, to purchase silence, and silence has been bought. But the new owner cannot resist the urge to spend himself. In Potter’s Flats, there is a small inn, far back from the Temple of Glor’diadel Help of the Poor. Its owner has taken in platinum, bought new tables, and paid his debt. It was platinum he took to the moneychangers.>>
<<Any other places?>>
<<That was the only rumor on the streets.>>
<<Alright. Keep looking.>>
<<I will find him. I am your good dog, lady…>>
“Yes, it will spread until it has consumed me utterly.”
“Is there anything that can be done to stop it?”
“A psion might be able to stop the pain and the progression. Your priest tried his methods; they could not prevail against elven magic. I am surprised you are concerned. It will be excruciating when it covers the whole arm. I do not think the young elf realized the power of the item he used. It was made of living Eldar hair; I will die of it, if it is given enough time. It is ironic; they are fading. We are fading too, but their knowledge is fading faster.”
“We’ll have a redactor tend to you.”
“You have my thanks. Should I be permitted to live so long, I will be curious to see if you thwart the grandmasters as you have thwarted the rest of us.”
Kit suddenly stopped talking and paused for a moment. <<I’m getting a psionic message,>> she sent to both Dame Brionna and Alistair. <<I’m going to step out of the cell to concentrate on it.>>
The sycophantic voice she had heard before entered her mind again. She almost thought she could hear it bending and scraping before her. <<Lady… I’ve found a place where platinum has been spent, to purchase silence, and silence has been bought. But the new owner cannot resist the urge to spend himself. In Potter’s Flats, there is a small inn, far back from the Temple of Glor’diadel Help of the Poor. Its owner has taken in platinum, bought new tables, and paid his debt. It was platinum he took to the moneychangers.>>
<<Any other places?>>
<<That was the only rumor on the streets.>>
<<Alright. Keep looking.>>
<<I will find him. I am your good dog, lady…>>
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
As the voice left her mind, she sent a message to her companions. <<Someone is spending platinum in the poor quarter to buy silence.>>
<<That has to be one of the masters,>> said Alistair. <<Do we have a location?>>
<<In general terms. We know a specific inn, near Glor’diadel Help of the Poor.>>
<<I bet we can confirm that by having the priests from that temple detect evil, looking for a very strong evil.>>
<<Yup. One of the masters has to be there, and they’ll surely radiate strong evil.>>
<<We’ll wait for dawn, though. No point in giving them the advantage.>>
<<Right.>>
Kit re-entered the cell. “Am I right in assuming that the masters would carry most of their money as platinum?”
“Much of it, certainly. They would not bother with any smaller coins than platinum.” The Harlequin looked at her, and his eyes narrowed. “You have a lead on their spending, don’t you?”
Kit was resolutely silent.
“Most interesting. We shall see whether you can defeat one of the masters, then.”
“Would the masters have warpstone?” asked Dame Brionna. <<If they do, searching for chaos may be more reliable.>>
“I cannot say for sure. Both masters had warpstone before the taking of the safehouse, but I do not know if they escaped with it.”
After a quick mental check on whether there were any further questions, Kit and Dame Brionna left the cell and rejoined Alistair. As they left the dungeon, the Warden and the priest of Glor’diadel performed some obeisances. Alistair gave several messages to the priest for delivery; one to the Minister of the Mind, asking him to examine the prisoner and stop the spread of the effect on its arms, and another to priests with instructions to search the area around the inn the following morning. Alistair also mentally called Stythus to him and asked him to speak to his people about blocking the Fist of the North’s ability to summon air creatures. With those matters addressed, Alistair returned to bed, and Kit and Dame Brionna returned to their chambers to continue working.
A bright and shining morning dawned, two days before the coronation. Kit awoke to a delivery of flowers, along with a poem that Alistair had hand-written and then had enchanted with a magic mouth so that she would not have to struggle through reading it. Alistair plagiarized the poem, stealing from all the most classic sources with full awareness that Kit was unlikely to spot the theft. But while she smiled a little at the display of attention, her anger about the Mirabelle/Anna incident remained-- a few flowers and a little poetry would not make everything better. Besides, there were new reports to deal with as the Council gathered.
<<That has to be one of the masters,>> said Alistair. <<Do we have a location?>>
<<In general terms. We know a specific inn, near Glor’diadel Help of the Poor.>>
<<I bet we can confirm that by having the priests from that temple detect evil, looking for a very strong evil.>>
<<Yup. One of the masters has to be there, and they’ll surely radiate strong evil.>>
<<We’ll wait for dawn, though. No point in giving them the advantage.>>
<<Right.>>
Kit re-entered the cell. “Am I right in assuming that the masters would carry most of their money as platinum?”
“Much of it, certainly. They would not bother with any smaller coins than platinum.” The Harlequin looked at her, and his eyes narrowed. “You have a lead on their spending, don’t you?”
Kit was resolutely silent.
“Most interesting. We shall see whether you can defeat one of the masters, then.”
“Would the masters have warpstone?” asked Dame Brionna. <<If they do, searching for chaos may be more reliable.>>
“I cannot say for sure. Both masters had warpstone before the taking of the safehouse, but I do not know if they escaped with it.”
After a quick mental check on whether there were any further questions, Kit and Dame Brionna left the cell and rejoined Alistair. As they left the dungeon, the Warden and the priest of Glor’diadel performed some obeisances. Alistair gave several messages to the priest for delivery; one to the Minister of the Mind, asking him to examine the prisoner and stop the spread of the effect on its arms, and another to priests with instructions to search the area around the inn the following morning. Alistair also mentally called Stythus to him and asked him to speak to his people about blocking the Fist of the North’s ability to summon air creatures. With those matters addressed, Alistair returned to bed, and Kit and Dame Brionna returned to their chambers to continue working.
A bright and shining morning dawned, two days before the coronation. Kit awoke to a delivery of flowers, along with a poem that Alistair had hand-written and then had enchanted with a magic mouth so that she would not have to struggle through reading it. Alistair plagiarized the poem, stealing from all the most classic sources with full awareness that Kit was unlikely to spot the theft. But while she smiled a little at the display of attention, her anger about the Mirabelle/Anna incident remained-- a few flowers and a little poetry would not make everything better. Besides, there were new reports to deal with as the Council gathered.
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Cerebral Paladin
First Post
“I have a message about the Abomination of Shur’s army’s progress,” she began. “It’s involved enough that you should probably read it yourselves.”
[See attached Report from the Right Foot.]
“Are there good Rakshasa, then?” asked Dame Brionna. “I thought they were evil.”
“Most of them are,” replied Alistair, “but a small number are good. The Rakshasa split centuries ago.”
“Are we going to take in its wife and children, if they come here?” asked Kit.
“I don’t see how we could not. Besides, Rakshasa are powerful magically, even if they don’t have any color magic. It could turn out to be significantly advantageous in the long-run, besides being the right thing to do.” Alistair chewed on a pastry as he thought. “Hmmm. I wonder if we could recruit the Harlequin to serve as their bodyguard, assuming the Minister of Mind can save his life? With his devotion to cats, he might view that as an honor, and he’s given his parole already. It would be a better use than just killing him.”
“That might work, your grace. We would need to protect them in any event, in case the Abomination chose to strike at them. But we would have to keep him out of your presence, your grace--I wouldn’t want to trust him at his word if he suddenly had a chance to finish his mission.”
Alistair nodded. “Prudent. We don’t need to worry about it now. We can deal with that if they arrive. By the way, Dame Brionna, have we received any messages from Sir Derrick Brightspan recently?”
“Yes, we continue to receive regular updates. Based on the signatures, I think he’s actually signing them himself, now, but the signature is shaky and there are no personal messages from the Field Marshal. He must still be grievously wounded. There also is not a lot to report on the campaign--without him driving it, things seem to be moving slowly.”
“I guess there isn’t much for us to do. We’ve told Broadfields to be ready to teleport in if Sir Derrick doesn’t make it, and otherwise, we need to just wait for him to heal.” Alistair held up another piece of parchment. “I’ve received another letter, as well. Baroness Francesca de Borde-Wais of the Principality of Korflok has asked for a private audience, and sends greetings from her sister and a gift.”
“A private audience? I don’t like the sound of that,” said Kit.
“Personally, I’m hoping that means that she’s the assassin motivated by revenge. I was thinking about the rumors about me… Think about the way that magic could be used to start rumors effectively. Why simply tell people something has happened when you could make it happen?”
“You mean mind-control?”
“No. That would certainly be a possibility, of course, but there’s been no sign that my mind has been tampered with. I was thinking illusion or shape change. Make someone look like me, then have them do whatever horrible things you want, and the rumors take care of themselves.”
“Ugh,” said Kit. “That’s a dreadful thought. I hope you’re wrong.”
“So do I, of course. But I think we need to be ready for the possibility.”
[See attached Report from the Right Foot.]
“Are there good Rakshasa, then?” asked Dame Brionna. “I thought they were evil.”
“Most of them are,” replied Alistair, “but a small number are good. The Rakshasa split centuries ago.”
“Are we going to take in its wife and children, if they come here?” asked Kit.
“I don’t see how we could not. Besides, Rakshasa are powerful magically, even if they don’t have any color magic. It could turn out to be significantly advantageous in the long-run, besides being the right thing to do.” Alistair chewed on a pastry as he thought. “Hmmm. I wonder if we could recruit the Harlequin to serve as their bodyguard, assuming the Minister of Mind can save his life? With his devotion to cats, he might view that as an honor, and he’s given his parole already. It would be a better use than just killing him.”
“That might work, your grace. We would need to protect them in any event, in case the Abomination chose to strike at them. But we would have to keep him out of your presence, your grace--I wouldn’t want to trust him at his word if he suddenly had a chance to finish his mission.”
Alistair nodded. “Prudent. We don’t need to worry about it now. We can deal with that if they arrive. By the way, Dame Brionna, have we received any messages from Sir Derrick Brightspan recently?”
“Yes, we continue to receive regular updates. Based on the signatures, I think he’s actually signing them himself, now, but the signature is shaky and there are no personal messages from the Field Marshal. He must still be grievously wounded. There also is not a lot to report on the campaign--without him driving it, things seem to be moving slowly.”
“I guess there isn’t much for us to do. We’ve told Broadfields to be ready to teleport in if Sir Derrick doesn’t make it, and otherwise, we need to just wait for him to heal.” Alistair held up another piece of parchment. “I’ve received another letter, as well. Baroness Francesca de Borde-Wais of the Principality of Korflok has asked for a private audience, and sends greetings from her sister and a gift.”
“A private audience? I don’t like the sound of that,” said Kit.
“Personally, I’m hoping that means that she’s the assassin motivated by revenge. I was thinking about the rumors about me… Think about the way that magic could be used to start rumors effectively. Why simply tell people something has happened when you could make it happen?”
“You mean mind-control?”
“No. That would certainly be a possibility, of course, but there’s been no sign that my mind has been tampered with. I was thinking illusion or shape change. Make someone look like me, then have them do whatever horrible things you want, and the rumors take care of themselves.”
“Ugh,” said Kit. “That’s a dreadful thought. I hope you’re wrong.”
“So do I, of course. But I think we need to be ready for the possibility.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
“If you think that she might be the assassin, how do you want to handle it, your grace?”
“We should agree to meet her-- that way we can control the situation. And then… I wonder if the Treasury has any devices that would allow me to mimic a projected image spell. That would let me interact with her, and even cast spells like charm or suggestion if necessary, but still prevent her from being able to attack.”
Dame Brionna considered the idea. She didn’t like bringing a potential assassin even close to Alistair, but it was an opportunity to eliminate a threat. “I think we could make that work, your grace.”
“What’s the Principality of Korflok like, anyway?” asked Kit.
“It’s a minor country. Korflok has many more minor nobles than any other country I can think of, even when you compare it to other Paranswarmian realms. Their ruler is a Despot, who is a like a king but not hereditary. When the Despot dies, the nobles elect a new Despot from among their number. As you might be able to guess, they typically elect a fairly weak Despot so that he won’t threaten their power, but that leaves them weak relative to their neighbors. The Principality is gradually being partitioned by its neighbors-- Tang, Masque, and the Confederacy of Korflok.”
[When the DM gave this description, several of us commented that Korflok is Poland. He was surprised, and asked what we meant, and we explained about the Polish elected kings and the Diet and how this gradually led to its partition, and he agreed that that was the same as what he was talking about, but that he hadn’t known about that when he wrote Korflok. He just inadvertently re-invented Poland.]
Kit laughed. “Can you imagine what it would be like to be taken over by Tang? Having to deal with all of those threes. That would be worse than just being annexed by another normal human realm.”
“And Masque isn’t much better,” added Dame Brionna. “Although maybe being annexed by Tang wouldn’t be as bad as it appears at first. I suppose they would all be ones…”
“Do we know anything about this Baroness?”
“Not much,” said Alistair. “I’ve never heard of her, or her family. Presumably, they must be reasonably well placed for the next Despot election to have been able to arrange for a place in the Despot’s party at the coronation, but I don’t know anything beyond that. Still, are we agreed that we should agree to meet with her?” After noting no objections, Alistair said, “Dame Brionna, can you arrange that with the Chamberlain?”
“Of course, your grace. I also have news from him-- the delegation from Path has arrived, thanks to the Seachen Chief Engineer’s dire elephants. Oh, and with your grace’s permission, I’d like to set up an elite group of mages and priests to check all of the coronation presents for evil, chaos, and traps, along with a group of guards to keep them safe.”
“And a few of my people should help out with that,” added Kit. “They may be better at finding certain types of traps.”
“Certainly, that makes sense. Take care of that as well.”
“We should agree to meet her-- that way we can control the situation. And then… I wonder if the Treasury has any devices that would allow me to mimic a projected image spell. That would let me interact with her, and even cast spells like charm or suggestion if necessary, but still prevent her from being able to attack.”
Dame Brionna considered the idea. She didn’t like bringing a potential assassin even close to Alistair, but it was an opportunity to eliminate a threat. “I think we could make that work, your grace.”
“What’s the Principality of Korflok like, anyway?” asked Kit.
“It’s a minor country. Korflok has many more minor nobles than any other country I can think of, even when you compare it to other Paranswarmian realms. Their ruler is a Despot, who is a like a king but not hereditary. When the Despot dies, the nobles elect a new Despot from among their number. As you might be able to guess, they typically elect a fairly weak Despot so that he won’t threaten their power, but that leaves them weak relative to their neighbors. The Principality is gradually being partitioned by its neighbors-- Tang, Masque, and the Confederacy of Korflok.”
[When the DM gave this description, several of us commented that Korflok is Poland. He was surprised, and asked what we meant, and we explained about the Polish elected kings and the Diet and how this gradually led to its partition, and he agreed that that was the same as what he was talking about, but that he hadn’t known about that when he wrote Korflok. He just inadvertently re-invented Poland.]
Kit laughed. “Can you imagine what it would be like to be taken over by Tang? Having to deal with all of those threes. That would be worse than just being annexed by another normal human realm.”
“And Masque isn’t much better,” added Dame Brionna. “Although maybe being annexed by Tang wouldn’t be as bad as it appears at first. I suppose they would all be ones…”
“Do we know anything about this Baroness?”
“Not much,” said Alistair. “I’ve never heard of her, or her family. Presumably, they must be reasonably well placed for the next Despot election to have been able to arrange for a place in the Despot’s party at the coronation, but I don’t know anything beyond that. Still, are we agreed that we should agree to meet with her?” After noting no objections, Alistair said, “Dame Brionna, can you arrange that with the Chamberlain?”
“Of course, your grace. I also have news from him-- the delegation from Path has arrived, thanks to the Seachen Chief Engineer’s dire elephants. Oh, and with your grace’s permission, I’d like to set up an elite group of mages and priests to check all of the coronation presents for evil, chaos, and traps, along with a group of guards to keep them safe.”
“And a few of my people should help out with that,” added Kit. “They may be better at finding certain types of traps.”
“Certainly, that makes sense. Take care of that as well.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
After Dame Brionna left, Alistair spoke quietly to Kit. “I’m sorry about yesterday. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the block against pregnancy before.”
“Why didn’t you?” Kit was still hurt and angry, but she was fairly sure that Alistair really was sorry.
“I didn’t know how you would react. A lot of women would be upset about it.”
“What? I don’t want there to be another succession crisis, remember? I’m happy to learn you can’t have children right now.”
“I know, and I should have trusted you. It’s just… I grew up around people who defined being a man in certain ways. Using magic to eliminate virility wasn’t really one of them.” Alistair looked away. “Anyway… I just wanted to say I’m sorry, about not having told you earlier, as well as the rest of it.”
“Thanks. And I’m still mostly angry for Anna. She’s going to get hurt so badly, and she’s had a rough enough time already…”
“I’ll do my best to make it as easy as possible. I’m going to do what I can to fix this.”
“Good.” Kit remained far away, carefully sending unambiguous signals that all was not forgiven with her body language.
“I also wanted to let you know about something, mostly in case the assassins succeed.”
“They’re not going to,” said Kit firmly, looking back at Alistair.
“But if they do… I asked Reverend Canon Toddle to look into a couple of things for us and got an interesting message back. One of them was Snatterkaz’s effort to rescue Princess Anastasia, which we can talk about more fully once Dame Brionna is back. But the other is about Dame Brionna’s fiance, Sir Denro. He’s alive.”
“He is? Where is he?”
“I’m not sure. Reverend Canon Toddle’s vision was not very clear, although he described a black stone island in the south. I think we’ll be able to figure out where he is with some work. But it’s pretty clear that he’s been enslaved by the ratmen.”
“Oh, no…”
“The Reverend Canon’s vision was of a slave galley, although he also mentioned that the people near a stone engine on the galley must not be allowed to have children, so I think there was some magical effect as well. When we rescue him, we’ll need to make sure that whatever has affected them is undone.”
“I don’t think that Dame Brionna really planned to have children anyway…”
“Really? I had never discussed it with her. I guess I assumed that she would feel that it was her duty. And she seems to do everything based on duty.”
“I don’t think that’s entirely true…”
“But the point is, I owe a duty to her as a vassal as well, and part of that duty is making sure that we rescue Sir Denro. But I can’t tell her about it until after the coronation.”
Kit nodded in understanding.
“It’s not that I’m worried that she would run off to try to rescue him-- if she wants to do that after the coronation, she’ll have my blessing and any support I can give, but she won’t before it. But it might distract her…”
“And we can’t risk having her distracted right now. You’re right. We can’t tell her.”
“So that’s why I needed to tell you. I have a letter from the Reverend Canon with the information. If I don’t survive, I need you to make sure that she gets that information.”
“You’re not going to get killed!” Kit protested. Alistair looked at her determinedly. “But I understand, m’lord. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
“And after the coronation, with us all still alive, I’ll get my people to work on finding him so we can bring him back.”
Alistair smiled. “Indeed.”
“Why didn’t you?” Kit was still hurt and angry, but she was fairly sure that Alistair really was sorry.
“I didn’t know how you would react. A lot of women would be upset about it.”
“What? I don’t want there to be another succession crisis, remember? I’m happy to learn you can’t have children right now.”
“I know, and I should have trusted you. It’s just… I grew up around people who defined being a man in certain ways. Using magic to eliminate virility wasn’t really one of them.” Alistair looked away. “Anyway… I just wanted to say I’m sorry, about not having told you earlier, as well as the rest of it.”
“Thanks. And I’m still mostly angry for Anna. She’s going to get hurt so badly, and she’s had a rough enough time already…”
“I’ll do my best to make it as easy as possible. I’m going to do what I can to fix this.”
“Good.” Kit remained far away, carefully sending unambiguous signals that all was not forgiven with her body language.
“I also wanted to let you know about something, mostly in case the assassins succeed.”
“They’re not going to,” said Kit firmly, looking back at Alistair.
“But if they do… I asked Reverend Canon Toddle to look into a couple of things for us and got an interesting message back. One of them was Snatterkaz’s effort to rescue Princess Anastasia, which we can talk about more fully once Dame Brionna is back. But the other is about Dame Brionna’s fiance, Sir Denro. He’s alive.”
“He is? Where is he?”
“I’m not sure. Reverend Canon Toddle’s vision was not very clear, although he described a black stone island in the south. I think we’ll be able to figure out where he is with some work. But it’s pretty clear that he’s been enslaved by the ratmen.”
“Oh, no…”
“The Reverend Canon’s vision was of a slave galley, although he also mentioned that the people near a stone engine on the galley must not be allowed to have children, so I think there was some magical effect as well. When we rescue him, we’ll need to make sure that whatever has affected them is undone.”
“I don’t think that Dame Brionna really planned to have children anyway…”
“Really? I had never discussed it with her. I guess I assumed that she would feel that it was her duty. And she seems to do everything based on duty.”
“I don’t think that’s entirely true…”
“But the point is, I owe a duty to her as a vassal as well, and part of that duty is making sure that we rescue Sir Denro. But I can’t tell her about it until after the coronation.”
Kit nodded in understanding.
“It’s not that I’m worried that she would run off to try to rescue him-- if she wants to do that after the coronation, she’ll have my blessing and any support I can give, but she won’t before it. But it might distract her…”
“And we can’t risk having her distracted right now. You’re right. We can’t tell her.”
“So that’s why I needed to tell you. I have a letter from the Reverend Canon with the information. If I don’t survive, I need you to make sure that she gets that information.”
“You’re not going to get killed!” Kit protested. Alistair looked at her determinedly. “But I understand, m’lord. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
“And after the coronation, with us all still alive, I’ll get my people to work on finding him so we can bring him back.”
Alistair smiled. “Indeed.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
After Dame Brionna returned, Alistair brought up the other half of the scrying. “I had Reverend Canon Toddle scry on Princess Anastasia, to confirm whether the Cov of Snatterkaz had succeeded in rescuing her. Here’s his report.” Alistair passed around copies of the portion of the Reverend Canon’s letter dealing with Princess Anastasia. “As you can see, there’s a reasonable chance he will succeed, but it could still go either way.”
“But he has to save her,” said Kit. “If he doesn’t, the results will be disastrous.”
“We can all agree on that. But as it currently stands, it could go either way. We need to figure out some way to help him.”
“How, your grace? I don’t disagree that it’s desirable, but the fortress they are assaulting is far away, and we do not have a lot of military assets to spare.”
“What about the Scree?” asked Kit. “We can contact them through Jet’s dog, and they have provided some assistance to the Cov before.”
“We should definitely ask them to help. And maybe we can do something directly. We could have mages teleport down there.”
Dame Brionna nodded. “We could indeed. We’ll have to be careful, your grace; this won’t be a safe operation, and we can ill afford to lose many powerful mages.”
“Right. That’s why I wasn’t thinking of having them actively engaging. I was thinking more of a diversion. Teleport in high, cast some illusions to make the ratmen think there is a major assault at the walls, probably with a few actual spells thrown in to make the effect more convincing. They would draw off defenders from Snatterkaz and then teleport out again.”
“I understand, your grace. Perhaps we should use some of the Coven? They could make the attack seem more real by sending a few devils, while we would not need to worry about any losses among the devils.” Or even among the diabolists, Dame Brionna added silently.
“Perfect. And since the skaven are aligned with demonic forces and are holding a Paranswarmian princess, attacking devils will seem both natural and terrifying. Also, by adding some real devils to the diversion, we make sure that it will succeed. If they treat it as a full assault, they won’t be able to stop Snatterkaz. But if they ignore it, the devils will actually be able to inflict real losses on the ratmen and help him directly. All without significantly risking any of our resources. And if the Scree can help, so much the better.”
“We should also give him more information about where she is,” added Kit. “I wouldn’t trust that a sending would reach him without detection normally, but while the diabolists are distracting the ratmen, we should be able to slip it past them.”
They sent the orders to the Coven and the message to the Scree, and then there was nothing further they could do to help. Fortunately, they had too many pressing concerns to waste any time on worrying.
“But he has to save her,” said Kit. “If he doesn’t, the results will be disastrous.”
“We can all agree on that. But as it currently stands, it could go either way. We need to figure out some way to help him.”
“How, your grace? I don’t disagree that it’s desirable, but the fortress they are assaulting is far away, and we do not have a lot of military assets to spare.”
“What about the Scree?” asked Kit. “We can contact them through Jet’s dog, and they have provided some assistance to the Cov before.”
“We should definitely ask them to help. And maybe we can do something directly. We could have mages teleport down there.”
Dame Brionna nodded. “We could indeed. We’ll have to be careful, your grace; this won’t be a safe operation, and we can ill afford to lose many powerful mages.”
“Right. That’s why I wasn’t thinking of having them actively engaging. I was thinking more of a diversion. Teleport in high, cast some illusions to make the ratmen think there is a major assault at the walls, probably with a few actual spells thrown in to make the effect more convincing. They would draw off defenders from Snatterkaz and then teleport out again.”
“I understand, your grace. Perhaps we should use some of the Coven? They could make the attack seem more real by sending a few devils, while we would not need to worry about any losses among the devils.” Or even among the diabolists, Dame Brionna added silently.
“Perfect. And since the skaven are aligned with demonic forces and are holding a Paranswarmian princess, attacking devils will seem both natural and terrifying. Also, by adding some real devils to the diversion, we make sure that it will succeed. If they treat it as a full assault, they won’t be able to stop Snatterkaz. But if they ignore it, the devils will actually be able to inflict real losses on the ratmen and help him directly. All without significantly risking any of our resources. And if the Scree can help, so much the better.”
“We should also give him more information about where she is,” added Kit. “I wouldn’t trust that a sending would reach him without detection normally, but while the diabolists are distracting the ratmen, we should be able to slip it past them.”
They sent the orders to the Coven and the message to the Scree, and then there was nothing further they could do to help. Fortunately, they had too many pressing concerns to waste any time on worrying.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
Abigail entered with a report from the priests at Glor’diadel Help of the Poor. They had checked thoroughly around the neighboring inn, but had detected no powerful evil or chaos, only a few random miscreants.
“But that has to be one of the masters,” said Kit. “How could he not detect as strong evil? And if he had warpstone their checks for chaos could not miss it.”
“He could be shielded,” suggested Dame Brionna. “If he were in a lead lined room, or had certain magical protections, the detection spells would not reach him.”
“Or he could have paid the innkeep to set up a safehouse elsewhere, either in other property he owns or as a go-between,” added Alistair. “Still, the platinum had to come from one of the masters, and the innkeep will know where he is. I think it’s time for a little mindreading.”
“The Eldar?” asked Kit.
“Who else? We need to ask him to assemble a strike-team to deal with the master once we have located him, anyway.”
Kit sent a message to the Farsensor, who quickly joined them. “We would be happy to send a team to deal with the drowan assassin once we know his location. And now you wish me to read the innkeep’s mind?”
“Yes, but be discreet about it,” said Alistair. “We do not wish to alert our quarry and make him flee.”
The Farsensor seemed puzzled for a moment and then said, “Ah! You wish me to use stealth.” He thought for a moment longer. “They are the Fallen. It is reasonable. I will touch his mind gently, so none can perceive it unless they are Farsensors of surpassing power.” The Eldar’s eyes closed for a long pause, as he prepared his mind to act with the lightest touch, and then his expression returned to puzzlement. “I have his thoughts, but I do not understand. He took the platinum, and was told not to spend it, for absolutely nothing. He has no greater understanding of why he was paid than we do. But he would not turn down the money of a crazy man, or a crazy elf, even though it confused him.”
“But why would he pay for nothing?” asked Kit, a moment before understanding dawned. “It’s a red herring. He knew that the innkeep would break his promise and spend the money, and he wanted him caught…”
“So we’ve been looking in the wrong part of the City,” reasoned Alistair. “For all we know, he may be in the Inner City now-- where platinum would be much less obvious, as well.”
“But that has to be one of the masters,” said Kit. “How could he not detect as strong evil? And if he had warpstone their checks for chaos could not miss it.”
“He could be shielded,” suggested Dame Brionna. “If he were in a lead lined room, or had certain magical protections, the detection spells would not reach him.”
“Or he could have paid the innkeep to set up a safehouse elsewhere, either in other property he owns or as a go-between,” added Alistair. “Still, the platinum had to come from one of the masters, and the innkeep will know where he is. I think it’s time for a little mindreading.”
“The Eldar?” asked Kit.
“Who else? We need to ask him to assemble a strike-team to deal with the master once we have located him, anyway.”
Kit sent a message to the Farsensor, who quickly joined them. “We would be happy to send a team to deal with the drowan assassin once we know his location. And now you wish me to read the innkeep’s mind?”
“Yes, but be discreet about it,” said Alistair. “We do not wish to alert our quarry and make him flee.”
The Farsensor seemed puzzled for a moment and then said, “Ah! You wish me to use stealth.” He thought for a moment longer. “They are the Fallen. It is reasonable. I will touch his mind gently, so none can perceive it unless they are Farsensors of surpassing power.” The Eldar’s eyes closed for a long pause, as he prepared his mind to act with the lightest touch, and then his expression returned to puzzlement. “I have his thoughts, but I do not understand. He took the platinum, and was told not to spend it, for absolutely nothing. He has no greater understanding of why he was paid than we do. But he would not turn down the money of a crazy man, or a crazy elf, even though it confused him.”
“But why would he pay for nothing?” asked Kit, a moment before understanding dawned. “It’s a red herring. He knew that the innkeep would break his promise and spend the money, and he wanted him caught…”
“So we’ve been looking in the wrong part of the City,” reasoned Alistair. “For all we know, he may be in the Inner City now-- where platinum would be much less obvious, as well.”
