Aphonion Tales (New posts 6/13, 6/15, 6/19)
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
And we're back!
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[Session 22]
The following morning, Dame Brionna and Kit each received a new, fairly odd document from the “Deep Brain” and the Chief Archivist. [See attached once I get the document small enough to post.] They each read through the document, Kit with the assistance of her secretary, and independently reached the judgment that Alistair needed to see it.
“It’s a discussion of the greatest long-term threats to the Archduchy,” explained Kit as they handed a copy across. “That means that it basically doesn’t touch on most of the threats we’re currently dealing with. There’s some discussion of the Noldar and drow, and even of the elves in case they turned hostile, but it says that none of those are a serious threat for the foreseeable future. It focuses on the Old Ones as the main credible threat, but we know nearly nothing about them.”
“What do we know about the Deep Brain and the Chief Archivist? Can we trust their analysis?”
“I don’t know. I get the sense that the Deep Brain isn’t human and may have been doing this job for a very long time.”
“The document mentions that they are waiting in the Royal Chapel, your grace. The document makes it clear that they think you may decide to have them killed.”
“What? Why would they possibly think that? It’s bad enough that so many officials killed themselves without our making it worse.”
“Apparently, some of your predecessors-- not the late Archduchess, of course, your grace-- had some of their predecessors put to death to replace them with people to whom they were closer.”
“Madness,” said Alistair, while Kit and Dame Brionna nodded agreement.
“But since we know where they are, maybe I should go find out who they are?” suggested Kit. The rest of the Council agreed, and she quickly slipped off to make her way to the Royal Chapel. She slipped into one of the balconies quietly.
-----
[Session 22]
The following morning, Dame Brionna and Kit each received a new, fairly odd document from the “Deep Brain” and the Chief Archivist. [See attached once I get the document small enough to post.] They each read through the document, Kit with the assistance of her secretary, and independently reached the judgment that Alistair needed to see it.
“It’s a discussion of the greatest long-term threats to the Archduchy,” explained Kit as they handed a copy across. “That means that it basically doesn’t touch on most of the threats we’re currently dealing with. There’s some discussion of the Noldar and drow, and even of the elves in case they turned hostile, but it says that none of those are a serious threat for the foreseeable future. It focuses on the Old Ones as the main credible threat, but we know nearly nothing about them.”
“What do we know about the Deep Brain and the Chief Archivist? Can we trust their analysis?”
“I don’t know. I get the sense that the Deep Brain isn’t human and may have been doing this job for a very long time.”
“The document mentions that they are waiting in the Royal Chapel, your grace. The document makes it clear that they think you may decide to have them killed.”
“What? Why would they possibly think that? It’s bad enough that so many officials killed themselves without our making it worse.”
“Apparently, some of your predecessors-- not the late Archduchess, of course, your grace-- had some of their predecessors put to death to replace them with people to whom they were closer.”
“Madness,” said Alistair, while Kit and Dame Brionna nodded agreement.
“But since we know where they are, maybe I should go find out who they are?” suggested Kit. The rest of the Council agreed, and she quickly slipped off to make her way to the Royal Chapel. She slipped into one of the balconies quietly.
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Cerebral Paladin
First Post
Bishop Hogsworthy was conducting a small private service-- Kit was relieved to see that he appeared to have just finished the service. The only congregants were two older men, each dressed in fine but not fancy clothing. Kit recognized the Chief Archivist, one of the innumerable functionaries that she had met in the past few weeks. Simply seeing his title on the report had not given her a clear sense of who he was, but now she could match the title to a face. The other man was completely unfamiliar and not even quite human. He appeared to be quite old but his weirdly enormous head was by far his most distinctive feature. Kit thought about it for a moment and realized that those features were familiar from one of the lessons in psionics she had received. He was probably half-Gyth, although she had no idea which of the three Gyth races. All three are very thin with large heads and mainly experts in psionics. Kit had considered trying to read their thoughts to see if there was any evidence of treachery but thought better of it. The risk that the Deep Brain would turn out to be a much more powerful psion was simply too great. She slipped away silently and returned to the Council.
Back in the Council chamber, a guard entered, saluted, and delivered another report to Dame Brionna. She skimmed through it. “Oh… oh dear.” She looked up at Alistair. “Your grace, we need to discuss the situation at Grokken. Another orcish horde has joined the attack. They mounted an attack before dawn, pierced the wall, and…”
“What about Lord Derek?”
“The young lord was evacuated by voller. His chief guardian, Sir Vincent Morim, was mortally wounded, and Grokken will probably fall. The young lord acquitted himself well. The attackers have a non-orcish mage advising them, along with a group of stone giants. Grokken would need a much more substantial defensive force to withstand the attack.”
“I wonder if we could at least evacuate more of the populace. If we send our vollers back…”
“They still would not be able to carry many people, your grace. The vollers are not designed to move large numbers of troops or evacuees.”
“Do we have any better options?”
“No, your grace, and the vollers will be able to save some.”
“We can also send Lady Meredith’s battle disks. Those will be even less useful at saving the population, but they will let us bombard the enemy with a great deal of arcane magic. If we can clear out part of the enemy army, it will allow us to evacuate as many of the children as possible.”
Dame Brionna nodded. “I’ll pass on the necessary orders, your grace. We still need a plan to deal with the underlying threat, however. We need to get an army into position to actually defeat the orcs.”
Back in the Council chamber, a guard entered, saluted, and delivered another report to Dame Brionna. She skimmed through it. “Oh… oh dear.” She looked up at Alistair. “Your grace, we need to discuss the situation at Grokken. Another orcish horde has joined the attack. They mounted an attack before dawn, pierced the wall, and…”
“What about Lord Derek?”
“The young lord was evacuated by voller. His chief guardian, Sir Vincent Morim, was mortally wounded, and Grokken will probably fall. The young lord acquitted himself well. The attackers have a non-orcish mage advising them, along with a group of stone giants. Grokken would need a much more substantial defensive force to withstand the attack.”
“I wonder if we could at least evacuate more of the populace. If we send our vollers back…”
“They still would not be able to carry many people, your grace. The vollers are not designed to move large numbers of troops or evacuees.”
“Do we have any better options?”
“No, your grace, and the vollers will be able to save some.”
“We can also send Lady Meredith’s battle disks. Those will be even less useful at saving the population, but they will let us bombard the enemy with a great deal of arcane magic. If we can clear out part of the enemy army, it will allow us to evacuate as many of the children as possible.”
Dame Brionna nodded. “I’ll pass on the necessary orders, your grace. We still need a plan to deal with the underlying threat, however. We need to get an army into position to actually defeat the orcs.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
“I agree, but where are we supposed to find that army? Between our commitments in the south and the war with the barbarians to the east, we don’t have any forces to spare.”
“What about the Order of the Falcon, your grace?”
“We’ve committed them to dealing with the Abomination of Shur’s army as well.”
“Could we hire more?”
“I think we hired the entire Order already. I suppose we could try to hire some of the other available Masque mercenary orders, but even if we could, I don’t see how we could get them into position quickly enough to deal with the threat.” Alistair thought for a moment. “I suppose we could call up the armies of all of our vassals…”
“If we have to, we could deploy some of the reserve forces we have kept near the capital, your grace. With the coronation past, the threat of an attack on the capital has diminished substantially. I must admit that I don’t feel comfortable leaving the capital unprotected. If this is primarily intended as a diversion…”
“I agree. We might be able to reduce the protective force here, but we need to keep our defenses substantially intact.”
“We could send the knights who are planning on committing suicide,” suggested Kit. “They’re mostly elderly, and it’s kind of gross to take advantage of their planned suicides, but . . .”
“We might as well. Most of them would rather go out fighting gloriously, anyway.”
“What about the young lord, your grace? I’m worried that he will attempt to return to Grokken.”
Kit nodded in agreement. “He’s hurt, right? We can try to keep him in recovery for long enough to make sure that he doesn’t run back to the fight before its over.”
“And while we’re at it, we can make sure he has a very cute nurse taking care of him. See if we can distract him a little.”
Kit quickly endorsed this plan, and Dame Brionna said that she would take care of it. She decided that there was no need to let the rest of the Council know that she interpreted “very cute nurse” as “virtuous young noblewoman.” After all, if they were going to be setting young Lord Cogswood up with someone, they might as well facilitate a proper match.
“What about the Order of the Falcon, your grace?”
“We’ve committed them to dealing with the Abomination of Shur’s army as well.”
“Could we hire more?”
“I think we hired the entire Order already. I suppose we could try to hire some of the other available Masque mercenary orders, but even if we could, I don’t see how we could get them into position quickly enough to deal with the threat.” Alistair thought for a moment. “I suppose we could call up the armies of all of our vassals…”
“If we have to, we could deploy some of the reserve forces we have kept near the capital, your grace. With the coronation past, the threat of an attack on the capital has diminished substantially. I must admit that I don’t feel comfortable leaving the capital unprotected. If this is primarily intended as a diversion…”
“I agree. We might be able to reduce the protective force here, but we need to keep our defenses substantially intact.”
“We could send the knights who are planning on committing suicide,” suggested Kit. “They’re mostly elderly, and it’s kind of gross to take advantage of their planned suicides, but . . .”
“We might as well. Most of them would rather go out fighting gloriously, anyway.”
“What about the young lord, your grace? I’m worried that he will attempt to return to Grokken.”
Kit nodded in agreement. “He’s hurt, right? We can try to keep him in recovery for long enough to make sure that he doesn’t run back to the fight before its over.”
“And while we’re at it, we can make sure he has a very cute nurse taking care of him. See if we can distract him a little.”
Kit quickly endorsed this plan, and Dame Brionna said that she would take care of it. She decided that there was no need to let the rest of the Council know that she interpreted “very cute nurse” as “virtuous young noblewoman.” After all, if they were going to be setting young Lord Cogswood up with someone, they might as well facilitate a proper match.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
Alistair cursed under his breath. “It sounds like Canberry is now surrounded by orcish armies. How did we end up in a full-scale war without even realizing it?”
“Your grandmother was very ill for a long time, your grace.”
“Still. Things shouldn’t have gotten nearly this bad without our being aware of it. And I’m a little concerned that none of our regular reports are discussions of what’s going on in the rest of the world. We get the intelligence reports, but we need more. Things are happening without our even knowing it, let alone why.”
“I’ll speak to the Chancellor and arrange for more regular briefings, your grace.”
Abigail rapped politely and entered. “Your grace, Dame Katherine, there’s a visitor waiting for an audience. It’s a drow woman, waiting and meditating in the hall, with a note on platinum. The guards say she disarmed completely before they even asked her to.” Abigail held out the platinum sheet with the note on it.
Alistair took the note and read it aloud. “From the Matron Mother of House Dispania to Archduke Alistair of Canberry: I present one additional gift. The bearer of this note is my sixth daughter. She is a trained assassin and a mistress of assassins. She will remain with you and serve loyally as a retainer until such time as you pass.”
“A skilled drowan assassin?” repeated Dame Brionna. “That could be very useful. I wonder if she could reach the Abomination of Shur in Lord Brightspan’s body…”
“We have to figure out if we’re willing to accept her service first,” said Alistair. “If the Matron Mother thinks of her as a slave, we cannot accept her into our service.”
“Yeah,” said Kit. “The note called her a ‘gift.’ You don’t give people as gifts.”
“I really don’t want to offend House Dispania if we can avoid it, but we wouldn’t be able to ignore the insult of being given a slave.”
“So how do we figure out if this was just a poor choice of words?” asked Kit.
“I think we start by asking her. Let’s have Abigail send her in.”
“Your grandmother was very ill for a long time, your grace.”
“Still. Things shouldn’t have gotten nearly this bad without our being aware of it. And I’m a little concerned that none of our regular reports are discussions of what’s going on in the rest of the world. We get the intelligence reports, but we need more. Things are happening without our even knowing it, let alone why.”
“I’ll speak to the Chancellor and arrange for more regular briefings, your grace.”
Abigail rapped politely and entered. “Your grace, Dame Katherine, there’s a visitor waiting for an audience. It’s a drow woman, waiting and meditating in the hall, with a note on platinum. The guards say she disarmed completely before they even asked her to.” Abigail held out the platinum sheet with the note on it.
Alistair took the note and read it aloud. “From the Matron Mother of House Dispania to Archduke Alistair of Canberry: I present one additional gift. The bearer of this note is my sixth daughter. She is a trained assassin and a mistress of assassins. She will remain with you and serve loyally as a retainer until such time as you pass.”
“A skilled drowan assassin?” repeated Dame Brionna. “That could be very useful. I wonder if she could reach the Abomination of Shur in Lord Brightspan’s body…”
“We have to figure out if we’re willing to accept her service first,” said Alistair. “If the Matron Mother thinks of her as a slave, we cannot accept her into our service.”
“Yeah,” said Kit. “The note called her a ‘gift.’ You don’t give people as gifts.”
“I really don’t want to offend House Dispania if we can avoid it, but we wouldn’t be able to ignore the insult of being given a slave.”
“So how do we figure out if this was just a poor choice of words?” asked Kit.
“I think we start by asking her. Let’s have Abigail send her in.”
I was shocked - shocked I say, to read this:
“A skilled drowan assassin?” repeated Dame Brionna. “That could be very useful
I realize her paladin-ness has lost a bit of the luster what with her focus on her government role and her sidelining into that prestige class, but really! It may be expedient to have an skilled assassin in the back pocket, but once used it seems like it could be a small step from "kill the evil people" to "kill the neighborhood baker because he burned my bread" to who knows what?!?
But of course, this was really more an excuse to chime in to say that I truly enjoy this story, more than having any real beef on the issue.
“A skilled drowan assassin?” repeated Dame Brionna. “That could be very useful
I realize her paladin-ness has lost a bit of the luster what with her focus on her government role and her sidelining into that prestige class, but really! It may be expedient to have an skilled assassin in the back pocket, but once used it seems like it could be a small step from "kill the evil people" to "kill the neighborhood baker because he burned my bread" to who knows what?!?
But of course, this was really more an excuse to chime in to say that I truly enjoy this story, more than having any real beef on the issue.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
Yeah, I've been pretty surprised by some of Dame Brionna's expediency, as well, although I think that the use of assassins in war-time to eliminate enemy leaders would not actually violate a paladin's code of conduct. But thanks for the praise.
----
The drow woman, clearly fairly young, entered and genuflected, waiting to be addressed. The drow assassin would probably be attractive, except that her entire upper body was covered with nasty scarring, clearly from innumerable whip blows. She moved smoothly, but Kit noticed that her eyes roamed the entire room, stopping three times: once on the secret door to the security passages; once on the credenza, which Kit knew contained a secret compartment; and once on a spot on the floor about six feet to Alistair’s right. Kit resolved to check out that patch of floor thoroughly. While the drow remained kneeling, Dame Brionna held out her holy symbol and scanned her for evil. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that the drow was not evil.
“Rise,” said Alistair. “We would like you to describe your position in your mother’s house and your understanding of what your mother intends for you in our service.”
“I am the Sixth Daughter of the Ruling House of House Dispani,” she replied, speaking that phrase both like a rote formula and with a clear sense of pride. “As the Sixth Daughter, I am my mother’s emissary, but not her ears. I am your … servant.”
The Archducal Council thought about that for a moment. It still did not answer their basic concern. Alistair tried again. “What can you tell us about the structure and the ranks within your house?”
“Within the House, first there are the daughters, and then there are the sons. Below them, there are all those who have sworn allegiance to the House, the craftsmen and merchants; then there are those who owe unto us wares; and lastly there are the merchant clans. Below that, there are only the prisoners and those who break their word. But that is only my family and its direct followers that I have spoken of.
“Within the Great House, my family comes first, followed by the 22 families in other cities. Below them are the merchant clans, then the freemen who owe us service, then the lesser races-- especially the troglodytes, may I never see another one. After even the lesser races are the oathbreakers, the prisoners, and captives from battle who have not been ransomed, and finally the driders.”
Her answer assuaged some of their concerns, but Kit pressed a little further. “Who of those would your mother consider her slaves?”
“The prisoners. When you commit a crime, you have forfeited your rights.” The Drow paused for a moment, then added, “And sometimes some of the lesser races, particularly the troglodytes. Do you have troglodytes?”
“No. Or at least, no appreciable numbers,” Alistair reassured her.
“Good. They are disgusting creatures, and I saw enough of them on my journey here to last for millennia.”
----
The drow woman, clearly fairly young, entered and genuflected, waiting to be addressed. The drow assassin would probably be attractive, except that her entire upper body was covered with nasty scarring, clearly from innumerable whip blows. She moved smoothly, but Kit noticed that her eyes roamed the entire room, stopping three times: once on the secret door to the security passages; once on the credenza, which Kit knew contained a secret compartment; and once on a spot on the floor about six feet to Alistair’s right. Kit resolved to check out that patch of floor thoroughly. While the drow remained kneeling, Dame Brionna held out her holy symbol and scanned her for evil. She was pleasantly surprised to learn that the drow was not evil.
“Rise,” said Alistair. “We would like you to describe your position in your mother’s house and your understanding of what your mother intends for you in our service.”
“I am the Sixth Daughter of the Ruling House of House Dispani,” she replied, speaking that phrase both like a rote formula and with a clear sense of pride. “As the Sixth Daughter, I am my mother’s emissary, but not her ears. I am your … servant.”
The Archducal Council thought about that for a moment. It still did not answer their basic concern. Alistair tried again. “What can you tell us about the structure and the ranks within your house?”
“Within the House, first there are the daughters, and then there are the sons. Below them, there are all those who have sworn allegiance to the House, the craftsmen and merchants; then there are those who owe unto us wares; and lastly there are the merchant clans. Below that, there are only the prisoners and those who break their word. But that is only my family and its direct followers that I have spoken of.
“Within the Great House, my family comes first, followed by the 22 families in other cities. Below them are the merchant clans, then the freemen who owe us service, then the lesser races-- especially the troglodytes, may I never see another one. After even the lesser races are the oathbreakers, the prisoners, and captives from battle who have not been ransomed, and finally the driders.”
Her answer assuaged some of their concerns, but Kit pressed a little further. “Who of those would your mother consider her slaves?”
“The prisoners. When you commit a crime, you have forfeited your rights.” The Drow paused for a moment, then added, “And sometimes some of the lesser races, particularly the troglodytes. Do you have troglodytes?”
“No. Or at least, no appreciable numbers,” Alistair reassured her.
“Good. They are disgusting creatures, and I saw enough of them on my journey here to last for millennia.”
Orichalcum
First Post
TDRandall said:I was shocked - shocked I say, to read this:
“A skilled drowan assassin?” repeated Dame Brionna. “That could be very useful
I realize her paladin-ness has lost a bit of the luster what with her focus on her government role and her sidelining into that prestige class, but really! It may be expedient to have an skilled assassin in the back pocket, but once used it seems like it could be a small step from "kill the evil people" to "kill the neighborhood baker because he burned my bread" to who knows what?!?
But of course, this was really more an excuse to chime in to say that I truly enjoy this story, more than having any real beef on the issue.
Brionna believes she can draw bright lines between the accepted practice of killing enemy military leaders by any means necessary and the murder of civilians for political reasons. It's certainly treading awfully close to the line, but she's a very ends-justifying-some-means kind of paladin. Part of her character development has been the recognition for flexibility, ever since she had to start lying about the identity of Alistair (and putting his innocent decoy, Mahler, constantly in danger as a result).
Remember also that for Brionna, preserving the stability of a good kingdom like Canberry trumps just about everything. Having come from a land that fell to horrors because its chaotic goddess abandoned it, she's determined to prevent that from happening again. If that meant killing 10,000 definitely evil people, she'd do it without blinking.
To put it another way, she's good, not nice. Sir Malachite, of Piratecat's SH, was one of the initial inspirations and has very similar views in many ways.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
“But what is the relation of your sisters to the house?” asked Alistair.
“The First Daughter is in waiting-- the heir? And the Second Sister directs the military--Yrlith.” She made her sister’s name sound like a curse.
“No, that is not what I meant. Or rather, we will want to discuss this at length later, but it is not the matter we are interested in right now.” Alistair thought about how to phrase the question. “What duties does your mother owe to you and your sisters?”
“The liege protects her children, even her daughters; it is the Law. Our matron mother is strong. None would dare to hurt my sisters for fear of the matron mother’s wrath, just as none would strike at Canberry for fear of ...” She paused in confusion. “The matron father?”
“You may refer to his grace as the Archduke,” said Dame Brionna with a smile, before continuing in a more concerned tone. “You said your matron mother protects you, but someone injured you badly.”
“My sister, Second Daughter Yrlith. The matron mother was most wroth with my sister for what happened to me.”
“What happened?”
“My sister has a great temper. I ruined the finery of her consort when they were about to enter a grand ball in one of the pleasure houses.” A small smile twitched on her face as she remembered. “She figured out it was me. He was a great fop. She used her priestess’s whip upon me many times and refused to permit healing magic that would have prevented the scarring.”
The Council thought about that for a while. Finally, Dame Brionna could not resist asking about some of the strategic issues. “We understand that you are a skilled assassin. How quickly can you travel?”
“By night or by day?”
“Either,” answered Alistair. “Give us both.”
“At night, I could travel as fast as one of your horses. By day, I am not yet used to the Burning Eye. I can travel no faster than one of your commons.”
“If we had protection from the Burning Eye, could you travel at high speed during the day?”
“Yes.”
Alistair nodded thoughtfully. “We will think about what you have told us. We will speak again soon.”
After she left, Dame Brionna commented, “She doesn’t seem to think of herself as a slave.”
“Agreed. But we still need to be cautious-- the beating worries me, and I’m still not comfortable with her being referred to as a gift. I think we need to speak with Lord Davion. He’ll be able to give us more insight into their society.”
“The First Daughter is in waiting-- the heir? And the Second Sister directs the military--Yrlith.” She made her sister’s name sound like a curse.
“No, that is not what I meant. Or rather, we will want to discuss this at length later, but it is not the matter we are interested in right now.” Alistair thought about how to phrase the question. “What duties does your mother owe to you and your sisters?”
“The liege protects her children, even her daughters; it is the Law. Our matron mother is strong. None would dare to hurt my sisters for fear of the matron mother’s wrath, just as none would strike at Canberry for fear of ...” She paused in confusion. “The matron father?”
“You may refer to his grace as the Archduke,” said Dame Brionna with a smile, before continuing in a more concerned tone. “You said your matron mother protects you, but someone injured you badly.”
“My sister, Second Daughter Yrlith. The matron mother was most wroth with my sister for what happened to me.”
“What happened?”
“My sister has a great temper. I ruined the finery of her consort when they were about to enter a grand ball in one of the pleasure houses.” A small smile twitched on her face as she remembered. “She figured out it was me. He was a great fop. She used her priestess’s whip upon me many times and refused to permit healing magic that would have prevented the scarring.”
The Council thought about that for a while. Finally, Dame Brionna could not resist asking about some of the strategic issues. “We understand that you are a skilled assassin. How quickly can you travel?”
“By night or by day?”
“Either,” answered Alistair. “Give us both.”
“At night, I could travel as fast as one of your horses. By day, I am not yet used to the Burning Eye. I can travel no faster than one of your commons.”
“If we had protection from the Burning Eye, could you travel at high speed during the day?”
“Yes.”
Alistair nodded thoughtfully. “We will think about what you have told us. We will speak again soon.”
After she left, Dame Brionna commented, “She doesn’t seem to think of herself as a slave.”
“Agreed. But we still need to be cautious-- the beating worries me, and I’m still not comfortable with her being referred to as a gift. I think we need to speak with Lord Davion. He’ll be able to give us more insight into their society.”
