Aphonion Tales (New posts 6/13, 6/15, 6/19)
- Thread starter Cerebral Paladin
- Start date
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
While they arranged for Lord Davion to come for an audience, Abigail knocked and entered. “The Chief Archivist is waiting in the antechamber, your grace, Dame Katherine.”
They had her bring in the Chief Archivist, who promptly genuflected to the floor.
“Get up, get up,” said Alistair, a trifle testily. “Don’t genuflect to me except in the most formal circumstances. Bowing is more than sufficient for ordinary meetings.”
“Yes, your grace,” said the Chief Archivist as he rose. “I must admit that kneeling is not as easy as it once was, and I am grateful to not have to, but I did not wish to risk offending your grace through any perceived disrespect.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Now then, we would like to discuss some of the information you have from my grandmother’s reign that we don’t fully understand.”
“Yes, your grace.” The Chief Archivist’s voice quivered a little as if he assumed that that after he had transferred any information he had, he would be eliminated.
“Lord of Light!” cursed Alistair, drawing a slightly reproving look from Dame Brionna. “We’re not going to kill you. We don’t do things like that, and even if we did, we’ve lost too many people to the damn suicides to add to the list. But we need to understand certain things that weren’t explained beyond my grandmother’s council.”
“Ah. I see, your grace.” The Chief Archivist visibly relaxed.
They had her bring in the Chief Archivist, who promptly genuflected to the floor.
“Get up, get up,” said Alistair, a trifle testily. “Don’t genuflect to me except in the most formal circumstances. Bowing is more than sufficient for ordinary meetings.”
“Yes, your grace,” said the Chief Archivist as he rose. “I must admit that kneeling is not as easy as it once was, and I am grateful to not have to, but I did not wish to risk offending your grace through any perceived disrespect.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Now then, we would like to discuss some of the information you have from my grandmother’s reign that we don’t fully understand.”
“Yes, your grace.” The Chief Archivist’s voice quivered a little as if he assumed that that after he had transferred any information he had, he would be eliminated.
“Lord of Light!” cursed Alistair, drawing a slightly reproving look from Dame Brionna. “We’re not going to kill you. We don’t do things like that, and even if we did, we’ve lost too many people to the damn suicides to add to the list. But we need to understand certain things that weren’t explained beyond my grandmother’s council.”
“Ah. I see, your grace.” The Chief Archivist visibly relaxed.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
“We understand that my grandmother had a plan prepared for great emergencies. Could you explain it to us?”
“I would be most glad; do you have a copy of it?”
“No. We thought that since you keep the Archives…”
“Ah. Her grace forbade the existence of more than one copy of the plan, as a security measure. There are false copies throughout the archive, but they are incorrect in many ways.”
“Why would she have done that?” asked Dame Brionna.
“She believed there was a possibility of a traitor in the court.”
“I wonder why she would have thought that,” said Kit sarcastically.
“I must admit-- though that wasn’t our job-- I don’t know of anyone that was sure they were there, except your grandmother,” added the Chief Archivist, completely missing Kit’s tone.
“Let me guess-- the Privy Secretary had the only accurate copy of the finished plan.”
“Most likely, Dame Katherine.”
“What role did you play with regard to the emergency plan?” asked Alistair.
“I was part of the team that developed it, along with the Rt. Rev. Clarence Williams; Lady Deborah Brightspan, the Privy Secretary; Sir Dudley Coddinggourd, the Interior Secretary; the Foreign Secretary; and the Minister of Defense.”
Dame Brionna looked at the Chief Archivist intently. “Was there anything Lady Deborah was particularly responsible for adding?”
“She suggested a series of keyed teleport platforms that would allow people to teleport out through the wards to certain preset locations. We agreed that that would be prudent.”
Alistair closed his eyes and reached out his perception through the system of wards. He was not certain he would be able to sense anything, but he found that he could feel the entire system, along with certain weaknesses, including one six feet to his right. He moved his hand gently as he exerted his will over the wards to close the weak points. “I found the teleport passages and closed them. I can open them again if we need them, but until we have had a chance to make sure that Lady Deborah didn’t build in any nasty surprises, I don’t want them open.”
The Chief Archivist nodded nervously. “She was also responsible for the preparation of the twelve rings-- each would let its wearer move easily through the wards.”
Dame Brionna’s eyes widened as she thought about the threat. “Who were the rings given to?”
“I don’t rightly know. Her grace handled the distribution personally. I suspect that the accurate copy of the plan included that information, but I cannot be certain.”
“Was there anything else that Lady Deborah suggested?” asked Kit.
“Not that made it into the plan. She also wanted to create a means to override the golems--to make the golems imperceptible to the wearers of the rings. She worried that the golems could make a mistake. We overruled that, of course. The golems are essential to the palace’s defenses, and there have never been any indications that they would not defend the monarch loyally.”
“At least that’s something,” said Alistair.
“I would be most glad; do you have a copy of it?”
“No. We thought that since you keep the Archives…”
“Ah. Her grace forbade the existence of more than one copy of the plan, as a security measure. There are false copies throughout the archive, but they are incorrect in many ways.”
“Why would she have done that?” asked Dame Brionna.
“She believed there was a possibility of a traitor in the court.”
“I wonder why she would have thought that,” said Kit sarcastically.
“I must admit-- though that wasn’t our job-- I don’t know of anyone that was sure they were there, except your grandmother,” added the Chief Archivist, completely missing Kit’s tone.
“Let me guess-- the Privy Secretary had the only accurate copy of the finished plan.”
“Most likely, Dame Katherine.”
“What role did you play with regard to the emergency plan?” asked Alistair.
“I was part of the team that developed it, along with the Rt. Rev. Clarence Williams; Lady Deborah Brightspan, the Privy Secretary; Sir Dudley Coddinggourd, the Interior Secretary; the Foreign Secretary; and the Minister of Defense.”
Dame Brionna looked at the Chief Archivist intently. “Was there anything Lady Deborah was particularly responsible for adding?”
“She suggested a series of keyed teleport platforms that would allow people to teleport out through the wards to certain preset locations. We agreed that that would be prudent.”
Alistair closed his eyes and reached out his perception through the system of wards. He was not certain he would be able to sense anything, but he found that he could feel the entire system, along with certain weaknesses, including one six feet to his right. He moved his hand gently as he exerted his will over the wards to close the weak points. “I found the teleport passages and closed them. I can open them again if we need them, but until we have had a chance to make sure that Lady Deborah didn’t build in any nasty surprises, I don’t want them open.”
The Chief Archivist nodded nervously. “She was also responsible for the preparation of the twelve rings-- each would let its wearer move easily through the wards.”
Dame Brionna’s eyes widened as she thought about the threat. “Who were the rings given to?”
“I don’t rightly know. Her grace handled the distribution personally. I suspect that the accurate copy of the plan included that information, but I cannot be certain.”
“Was there anything else that Lady Deborah suggested?” asked Kit.
“Not that made it into the plan. She also wanted to create a means to override the golems--to make the golems imperceptible to the wearers of the rings. She worried that the golems could make a mistake. We overruled that, of course. The golems are essential to the palace’s defenses, and there have never been any indications that they would not defend the monarch loyally.”
“At least that’s something,” said Alistair.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
“Let me ask you a different question. Did my grandmother have preparations for a full-scale invasion? She must have had some plan for an attack.”
“She wasn’t really herself for the last year, but before that, she called up whatever army was available, called up the mage order she was part of if necessary, and off she marched. You could see it in the Battle of the Hag’s Teeth. But no actual plans for a massive invasion.” The old man thought for a moment and then continued more slowly. “Well… that’s not completely true. When you were a bit younger, when the Southlands fell, there was a danger the southern duchies would be invaded. She started the process of making a number of additional field armies. But then the skaven fell back, and the Noldar slavers started raiding the refugees. So we never created any additional units, except the one that was almost wiped out under your, ahem, sainted father.”
“How far into the preparations did she get?”
“She stockpiled all of the weapons, armor, and equipment for four additional infantry field armies-- one heavy, two medium, and one light. She also had us ready all of the supplies except for the horses for another cavalry field army.”
“Are the supplies still available?”
“Of course. They have been in storage ever since, waiting for a decision to actually constitute the armies.”
“We may have need of them…” said Alistair. “On an unrelated subject, does the archive have records that are magically protected against alteration?”
“Of course, your grace. Our warded records are among the best protected records of any realm.”
“Please search the warded records for any mention of my mother.”
“Your mother, your grace?” The Chief Archivist paused. “I’m afraid I can’t remember her name or background. You have my deepest regret for my faulty memory. Could you give me some information with which to search?”
“That’s the problem. People’s memories of her have been erased. Even I don’t remember her name or anything about her.”
“How terrible… and the records of her?”
“Also gone. That’s why I’m hoping the warded records might have survived.”
“Yes. I’ll check immediately.”
“Send me a message if you find anything. Don’t copy out the information, and whatever you do don’t bring the records outside the wards, but send for me and I will come to you.”
“Yes… that would be the best way. I will send a message to your grace as soon as I can.”
“While you are at it, also look into any references to Thorians. We were told that this was done by a Thorian artifact, but we don’t know what that means.”
“‘Thorian’ … that sounds familiar, somehow, but I cannot remember the precise context. Perhaps the research will remind me as well. I will send you a report as soon as possible on any mentions of ‘Thorians’ or their artifacts in the archive.”
“She wasn’t really herself for the last year, but before that, she called up whatever army was available, called up the mage order she was part of if necessary, and off she marched. You could see it in the Battle of the Hag’s Teeth. But no actual plans for a massive invasion.” The old man thought for a moment and then continued more slowly. “Well… that’s not completely true. When you were a bit younger, when the Southlands fell, there was a danger the southern duchies would be invaded. She started the process of making a number of additional field armies. But then the skaven fell back, and the Noldar slavers started raiding the refugees. So we never created any additional units, except the one that was almost wiped out under your, ahem, sainted father.”
“How far into the preparations did she get?”
“She stockpiled all of the weapons, armor, and equipment for four additional infantry field armies-- one heavy, two medium, and one light. She also had us ready all of the supplies except for the horses for another cavalry field army.”
“Are the supplies still available?”
“Of course. They have been in storage ever since, waiting for a decision to actually constitute the armies.”
“We may have need of them…” said Alistair. “On an unrelated subject, does the archive have records that are magically protected against alteration?”
“Of course, your grace. Our warded records are among the best protected records of any realm.”
“Please search the warded records for any mention of my mother.”
“Your mother, your grace?” The Chief Archivist paused. “I’m afraid I can’t remember her name or background. You have my deepest regret for my faulty memory. Could you give me some information with which to search?”
“That’s the problem. People’s memories of her have been erased. Even I don’t remember her name or anything about her.”
“How terrible… and the records of her?”
“Also gone. That’s why I’m hoping the warded records might have survived.”
“Yes. I’ll check immediately.”
“Send me a message if you find anything. Don’t copy out the information, and whatever you do don’t bring the records outside the wards, but send for me and I will come to you.”
“Yes… that would be the best way. I will send a message to your grace as soon as I can.”
“While you are at it, also look into any references to Thorians. We were told that this was done by a Thorian artifact, but we don’t know what that means.”
“‘Thorian’ … that sounds familiar, somehow, but I cannot remember the precise context. Perhaps the research will remind me as well. I will send you a report as soon as possible on any mentions of ‘Thorians’ or their artifacts in the archive.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
Sorry about the missed update. Back on schedule:
----
After the Chief Archivist left, Dame Brionna looked at Alistair. “Your grace, we need to get those field armies operational as quickly as possible.”
“Agreed. Recruiting the troops will not be too difficult, but we will have to be careful about the officers. With green troops, it will be all the more important to have able leaders who can train them into an effective army. Perhaps we could get the various knightly orders to assign some of their knights with command experience to serve as officers?”
“I’m certain that they would be happy to provide the field army with officers, your grace. We could also ask the Church for additional officers; between the church knights and the more militant priests, we should be able to fill in much of the command.”
“We’ll need a fourth field marshal as well. I’m not sure how to fill that one-- there aren’t any obvious candidates among our current generals. I suppose we could choose from among the nominees from the knightly orders,” mused Alistair. “They would all want the honor of having their member placed in command.”
“We could, although that might also cause resentment among the other orders, and I’m not certain that we could rely on finding an officer of superlative ability that way. Perhaps a servitor of Lord Glor’diadel, your grace? We could ask the Archbishop to summon a solar. We would have to convince it that the cause was just, but I’m sure we could manage it.”
“Huh. That’s a possibility I hadn’t thought of. Or what about Lord Davion? I know he’s commanded troops, including Gateways’s field army. If he has the strategic ability, he might be an easier choice. That would also let us call on Glor’diadel more easily to deal with a specific crisis.”
“Since we’re already going to be meeting him about the drow assassin, we can ask him about his command experience then,” noted Kit.
“Good. Let’s ask the knightly orders to nominate their suggestions as officers, and then we can figure out who to make our field marshal after we speak with Lord Davion.”
----
After the Chief Archivist left, Dame Brionna looked at Alistair. “Your grace, we need to get those field armies operational as quickly as possible.”
“Agreed. Recruiting the troops will not be too difficult, but we will have to be careful about the officers. With green troops, it will be all the more important to have able leaders who can train them into an effective army. Perhaps we could get the various knightly orders to assign some of their knights with command experience to serve as officers?”
“I’m certain that they would be happy to provide the field army with officers, your grace. We could also ask the Church for additional officers; between the church knights and the more militant priests, we should be able to fill in much of the command.”
“We’ll need a fourth field marshal as well. I’m not sure how to fill that one-- there aren’t any obvious candidates among our current generals. I suppose we could choose from among the nominees from the knightly orders,” mused Alistair. “They would all want the honor of having their member placed in command.”
“We could, although that might also cause resentment among the other orders, and I’m not certain that we could rely on finding an officer of superlative ability that way. Perhaps a servitor of Lord Glor’diadel, your grace? We could ask the Archbishop to summon a solar. We would have to convince it that the cause was just, but I’m sure we could manage it.”
“Huh. That’s a possibility I hadn’t thought of. Or what about Lord Davion? I know he’s commanded troops, including Gateways’s field army. If he has the strategic ability, he might be an easier choice. That would also let us call on Glor’diadel more easily to deal with a specific crisis.”
“Since we’re already going to be meeting him about the drow assassin, we can ask him about his command experience then,” noted Kit.
“Good. Let’s ask the knightly orders to nominate their suggestions as officers, and then we can figure out who to make our field marshal after we speak with Lord Davion.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
A quiet knock at the door alerted them before a slender half-elf man slipped in. “You requested a security expert, Dame Katherine?”
“Yes. Please examine that area of the floor.” Kit pointed to the spot where the drow assassin’s gaze had lingered.
The half-elf had a skeptical look but moved over to that area and began running his hands over the floor, lightly tapping. He seemed only marginally interested for a while but then stopped and whistled quietly. “Very nice work… I might not have found it if I hadn’t known where to look.” A few seconds later, he popped a hidden catch with his belt knife and slid a five foot square tile away. Underneath, a large array of crystals were organized in concentric circles. A gray mist hung over the entire collection. He examined the crystals for a few moments, then looked up. “I’m fairly certain that the crystals are a teleportation device, Dame Katherine, but I don’t specialize in arcane or psionic devices. I can’t be sure where it leads to, or whether it can be used in more than one direction. Also, the gray mist seems to block its function, but I have no idea what is causing the mists.”
“That’s fine,” said Alistair. “The mist is part of the palace wards.” That much was obvious to him as soon as he saw the mist--he could feel his dominion over it.
“Ah. That would explain why I could not even begin to figure out how to bypass it.” The security expert smiled wryly. “I was beginning to wonder whether I was losing my touch. As I said, I’m not the right sort of expert to study the underlying teleporter. I would suggest consulting a skilled psion.”
“Way ahead of you,” said Kit, who had already sent a mental message to Lord Silverleaves.
The security expert nodded to Kit, with a sardonic smile that somehow conveyed a sense of respect, and departed.
“Yes. Please examine that area of the floor.” Kit pointed to the spot where the drow assassin’s gaze had lingered.
The half-elf had a skeptical look but moved over to that area and began running his hands over the floor, lightly tapping. He seemed only marginally interested for a while but then stopped and whistled quietly. “Very nice work… I might not have found it if I hadn’t known where to look.” A few seconds later, he popped a hidden catch with his belt knife and slid a five foot square tile away. Underneath, a large array of crystals were organized in concentric circles. A gray mist hung over the entire collection. He examined the crystals for a few moments, then looked up. “I’m fairly certain that the crystals are a teleportation device, Dame Katherine, but I don’t specialize in arcane or psionic devices. I can’t be sure where it leads to, or whether it can be used in more than one direction. Also, the gray mist seems to block its function, but I have no idea what is causing the mists.”
“That’s fine,” said Alistair. “The mist is part of the palace wards.” That much was obvious to him as soon as he saw the mist--he could feel his dominion over it.
“Ah. That would explain why I could not even begin to figure out how to bypass it.” The security expert smiled wryly. “I was beginning to wonder whether I was losing my touch. As I said, I’m not the right sort of expert to study the underlying teleporter. I would suggest consulting a skilled psion.”
“Way ahead of you,” said Kit, who had already sent a mental message to Lord Silverleaves.
The security expert nodded to Kit, with a sardonic smile that somehow conveyed a sense of respect, and departed.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
A few minutes later, the Eldar Farsensor walked into the room and bowed politely. “You said you had something you wished me to examine? Ah… I see. Yes, that would be worth bringing to me.” He crouched near the circle of crystals. “You will have figured out that it is a teleport circle, I expect.”
“Yes,” answered Kit. “We’ve recently found out that there are several throughout the palace.”
“Indeed? Interesting. The worksmanship on this is quite impressive. Gray elf work, I should say, or perhaps twilight elf.”
“Twilight elf, your lordship?” asked Alistair.
“The Noldar equivalent of the gray elves. They rank above the shadow elves and below only the Noldar and the half-Noldar in the hierarchy of the Fallen. But as I was saying, the teleport circle is nice work, although the wards block it completely at present. It teleports any who use it to one
of several preset locations. The crystals also recharge themselves over time, but they will only permit twelve people to use it within any given twenty-four hour period.”
“What happens if an additional person tries to use it?” asked Dame Brionna.
“Oh, that would not be wise at all. It shunts the thirteenth person off plane, although it is not clear to where without further study. Moreover, it drains the life energy of the additional people to power the plane shift, leaving them in a weakened state when they arrive. I would say that it was a deliberately designed feature, to render pursuit difficult for all but the most powerful.
“The most interesting thing about the design, however, is the rune work. If you observe, there are two distinct sets of runes. These are standard runes, in the eldar style, although as I said, the work is of high but not eldar quality. But then there is this second set of runes, which do not appear elven at all. I should say they were human runes-- from a very old human language, but human nonetheless.”
“Could those runes be in the ancient language of Shur?” asked Alistair.
The eldar stared at the runes a moment longer. “They could be… It could be that this is actually… Wise of you to block that. There may be a small psionic ability tied in to the teleport ability, bleeding away so little energy as to have no effect on the principal psionic construct. Nonetheless, that small amount of energy could allow eavesdropping. The wards will have blocked that, of course.”
“Can you tell where the eavesdropper is?” asked Kit.
“Not based on a cursory examination.” The Eldar turned to Alistair. “If you remove the wards over it, I will disassemble the additional effect and determine the other point to which it is connected.”
“Thank you.” Alistair gestured and the gray mist blew away from the ring.
The Eldar knelt into a meditative posture. A small dome appeared around him. A sign then appeared, saying “I will be back in 1-3 hours.”
“Yes,” answered Kit. “We’ve recently found out that there are several throughout the palace.”
“Indeed? Interesting. The worksmanship on this is quite impressive. Gray elf work, I should say, or perhaps twilight elf.”
“Twilight elf, your lordship?” asked Alistair.
“The Noldar equivalent of the gray elves. They rank above the shadow elves and below only the Noldar and the half-Noldar in the hierarchy of the Fallen. But as I was saying, the teleport circle is nice work, although the wards block it completely at present. It teleports any who use it to one
of several preset locations. The crystals also recharge themselves over time, but they will only permit twelve people to use it within any given twenty-four hour period.”
“What happens if an additional person tries to use it?” asked Dame Brionna.
“Oh, that would not be wise at all. It shunts the thirteenth person off plane, although it is not clear to where without further study. Moreover, it drains the life energy of the additional people to power the plane shift, leaving them in a weakened state when they arrive. I would say that it was a deliberately designed feature, to render pursuit difficult for all but the most powerful.
“The most interesting thing about the design, however, is the rune work. If you observe, there are two distinct sets of runes. These are standard runes, in the eldar style, although as I said, the work is of high but not eldar quality. But then there is this second set of runes, which do not appear elven at all. I should say they were human runes-- from a very old human language, but human nonetheless.”
“Could those runes be in the ancient language of Shur?” asked Alistair.
The eldar stared at the runes a moment longer. “They could be… It could be that this is actually… Wise of you to block that. There may be a small psionic ability tied in to the teleport ability, bleeding away so little energy as to have no effect on the principal psionic construct. Nonetheless, that small amount of energy could allow eavesdropping. The wards will have blocked that, of course.”
“Can you tell where the eavesdropper is?” asked Kit.
“Not based on a cursory examination.” The Eldar turned to Alistair. “If you remove the wards over it, I will disassemble the additional effect and determine the other point to which it is connected.”
“Thank you.” Alistair gestured and the gray mist blew away from the ring.
The Eldar knelt into a meditative posture. A small dome appeared around him. A sign then appeared, saying “I will be back in 1-3 hours.”
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
(Technically, the sign said 1d3 hours, but I found that just too silly to include.)
* * *
While they waited for the Eldar to complete his work and for Lord Davion to come for his audience, Kit went to discuss the security plan with her scribe. Perhaps Lady Esmerelda had kept a copy of the final report.
“You wished to see me, m’lady?” Kit’s scribe was, as always, polite, attentive, and slightly stuffy.
“I was wondering if you could tell me about the emergency plan that the late Archduchess developed.”
“Ah. I should have figured you would be interested in that, m’lady. It was heavily revised after the Intaking, because of the fears that that could lead to an invasion of the Archduchy.”
“Do you have a copy of the plan?”
“I’m afraid not. I was told of a series of preparations, but if Lady Esmerelda had a copy, she did not see fit to share it with me.”
“Well, maybe you can answer some questions then. Do you know where the teleportation circles connect to?”
“Certainly, m’lady. The teleport spots lead to several different areas where one can go. Three of those spots were deliberately created in the extreme south: one in the Spicelands, one to a hamlet just over the border into the Southern Kingdoms, and one to a great mountain that had recently risen. None can be used by more than 12 people in 24 hours.”
“Yes, we know that. What other preparations were there?”
“Her Grace made various preparations by increasing the material available in case of crisis. She acquired two courier vollers. They were purchased, but never put into the air. The Archduchy also increased its number of golems, especially stained-glass and stone. Her grace also prepared to invest an additional five field armies.
“Beyond the strategic supplies, there were a group of plans for the City. They prepared flood points in the sewers, secured the cisterns against poison, warded the wells, and placed purification grates at all of the major entrances into the sewers in the high City, as well as the principal ones in the lower City. Her grace also distributed communication crystals among twelve members of her Court, along with twelve rings.”
“Do you know who the twelve were?”
“I’m afraid not, m’lady. Dame Esmerelda made an attempt to find out, but her grace kept those decisions too close to her chest. Oh yes… there was the other piece. I only knew bits. My former mistress confided in me on many levels. There was a special option-- I’m not sure how she did it or where she placed them, but clones of members of the royal family were created and kept in stasis. Her grace did not tell Dame Esmerelda where.”
“Who would know?”
“She presumably told the Privy Secretary,” answered Kit’s scribe. He blinked and decided to simply ignore the most unladylike words that provoked from Kit. “I believe the clones were of all the closest members of the royal family, but not of the Archduchess herself. She found the idea unpleasant.”
“Could the clones be activated without the deaths of the originals?”
“I shouldn’t think it likely, m’lady. The only possible way they could be activated without the death of the real person is if a demonist or diabolist implanted a demon to act as a soul, and the Archduchess would have been unlikely to permit that. In any event, they were never activated.”
<<Shows what you know,>> thought Kit. “Who made the clones?”
“A companion of the Archduchess’s from the Mages of Northern Aurelian, who is a specialist in two things, and two things only: Cloning and magical tattoos.”
“You said that we have the courier vollers but without crews. Where are they?”
“They are at the planned royal airfield to the northeast of the City, along with the other vollers in the Archducal service. There are some twenty-four or twenty-five vollers total.”
Kit nodded. “Definitely useful to know about. Let’s turn back to the teleport circles. Where did the others go?”
“Well, there’s one in the… umm… the …. private quarters of an older gentleman you may have met. Sir Alonzo Cumbersnatch.”
Kit smiled. “Yes, we know about him.”
Her scribe cleared his throat and continued, glad to not have to directly say that Sir Alonzo was the Archduchess’s lover. “There was also one in the library, one in the royal solar, one in the laboratory, two in the lower chambers, and one in the kitchen.”
“Yes, but where did they go to? They can’t have only reached those southern points.”
“Oh, no. There were the three southerly destinations, but also one in Northern Aurelian, one in the Archbarony of Ecsilias, and one to somewhere in the Principality of Debonai. I must admit that I am not sure who our ally was there. Debonai’s politics fluctuate so rapidly that I can’t keep track of who’s friends with whom there, at least at a given moment. I do know that a friend of His Grace’s father was a ruler there.”
“Which circle linked to which destination?”
“Any circle can go to any destination, but no more than twelve people can pass to any one destination in a twelve hour period. That was another one of the safety precautions.”
Kit thanked her scribe and returned to share his information with the rest of the Council.
* * *
While they waited for the Eldar to complete his work and for Lord Davion to come for his audience, Kit went to discuss the security plan with her scribe. Perhaps Lady Esmerelda had kept a copy of the final report.
“You wished to see me, m’lady?” Kit’s scribe was, as always, polite, attentive, and slightly stuffy.
“I was wondering if you could tell me about the emergency plan that the late Archduchess developed.”
“Ah. I should have figured you would be interested in that, m’lady. It was heavily revised after the Intaking, because of the fears that that could lead to an invasion of the Archduchy.”
“Do you have a copy of the plan?”
“I’m afraid not. I was told of a series of preparations, but if Lady Esmerelda had a copy, she did not see fit to share it with me.”
“Well, maybe you can answer some questions then. Do you know where the teleportation circles connect to?”
“Certainly, m’lady. The teleport spots lead to several different areas where one can go. Three of those spots were deliberately created in the extreme south: one in the Spicelands, one to a hamlet just over the border into the Southern Kingdoms, and one to a great mountain that had recently risen. None can be used by more than 12 people in 24 hours.”
“Yes, we know that. What other preparations were there?”
“Her Grace made various preparations by increasing the material available in case of crisis. She acquired two courier vollers. They were purchased, but never put into the air. The Archduchy also increased its number of golems, especially stained-glass and stone. Her grace also prepared to invest an additional five field armies.
“Beyond the strategic supplies, there were a group of plans for the City. They prepared flood points in the sewers, secured the cisterns against poison, warded the wells, and placed purification grates at all of the major entrances into the sewers in the high City, as well as the principal ones in the lower City. Her grace also distributed communication crystals among twelve members of her Court, along with twelve rings.”
“Do you know who the twelve were?”
“I’m afraid not, m’lady. Dame Esmerelda made an attempt to find out, but her grace kept those decisions too close to her chest. Oh yes… there was the other piece. I only knew bits. My former mistress confided in me on many levels. There was a special option-- I’m not sure how she did it or where she placed them, but clones of members of the royal family were created and kept in stasis. Her grace did not tell Dame Esmerelda where.”
“Who would know?”
“She presumably told the Privy Secretary,” answered Kit’s scribe. He blinked and decided to simply ignore the most unladylike words that provoked from Kit. “I believe the clones were of all the closest members of the royal family, but not of the Archduchess herself. She found the idea unpleasant.”
“Could the clones be activated without the deaths of the originals?”
“I shouldn’t think it likely, m’lady. The only possible way they could be activated without the death of the real person is if a demonist or diabolist implanted a demon to act as a soul, and the Archduchess would have been unlikely to permit that. In any event, they were never activated.”
<<Shows what you know,>> thought Kit. “Who made the clones?”
“A companion of the Archduchess’s from the Mages of Northern Aurelian, who is a specialist in two things, and two things only: Cloning and magical tattoos.”
“You said that we have the courier vollers but without crews. Where are they?”
“They are at the planned royal airfield to the northeast of the City, along with the other vollers in the Archducal service. There are some twenty-four or twenty-five vollers total.”
Kit nodded. “Definitely useful to know about. Let’s turn back to the teleport circles. Where did the others go?”
“Well, there’s one in the… umm… the …. private quarters of an older gentleman you may have met. Sir Alonzo Cumbersnatch.”
Kit smiled. “Yes, we know about him.”
Her scribe cleared his throat and continued, glad to not have to directly say that Sir Alonzo was the Archduchess’s lover. “There was also one in the library, one in the royal solar, one in the laboratory, two in the lower chambers, and one in the kitchen.”
“Yes, but where did they go to? They can’t have only reached those southern points.”
“Oh, no. There were the three southerly destinations, but also one in Northern Aurelian, one in the Archbarony of Ecsilias, and one to somewhere in the Principality of Debonai. I must admit that I am not sure who our ally was there. Debonai’s politics fluctuate so rapidly that I can’t keep track of who’s friends with whom there, at least at a given moment. I do know that a friend of His Grace’s father was a ruler there.”
“Which circle linked to which destination?”
“Any circle can go to any destination, but no more than twelve people can pass to any one destination in a twelve hour period. That was another one of the safety precautions.”
Kit thanked her scribe and returned to share his information with the rest of the Council.
Cerebral Paladin
First Post
They listened, and then held out another scroll that had arrived.
“Lord Derek Brightspan has reported from the battle with the barbarians,” explained Alistair. “I don’t think he wrote this report, or that he’s leading from the front again, but the signature on the bottom is definitely his, although shaky. I think we can assume he’s recovering from his wounds. But almost as important is the information in his report. He has the barbarians bottled up in a canyon. There are a lot of them, and if he launches an assault, the casualties will be severe. Nonetheless, he’s basically beaten them. He wants to know if he should negotiate with them or press the battle.”
“Negotiate,” said Kit. “We need him and his troops back here. They could eliminate the threat from the orcs and provide us with a reserve to use against Shur.”
“I agree, your grace. What we need is a quick end to that campaign, as long as we can make sure that the barbarians will not resume raiding as soon as his troops depart.”
Alistair nodded. “So we’re all in agreement. We’ll draw up orders for Lord Derek to reach peace with the barbarians on any reasonable terms. I think his first offer should be vassalization of the Khan and his people. This Khan is clearly a strong and effective leader. I’d rather have him as a duke within Canberry than as a chronic threat on our borders. Plus, over time that will gradually settle the barbarians and end the raiding permanently. But the Khan may not agree to that offer, and we’ll give Lord Derek the authority to agree to any deal that stops the raiding and gives us some hostages to enforce the deal. The Khan’s heir-apparent as a page should do nicely.”
“That makes sense,” replied Dame Brionna, “but I think we may need more than one hostage. I’m not convinced that he would have as clear an heir-apparent as a Canberran noble would--or at least should. Also, because the barbarians practice polygamy, he will have many-- perhaps dozens-- of children.”
“Hmm. Good point. Perhaps all of his children with his favorite wife? And maybe the wife, as well?”
“I think all of the children of his favorite wife will give us enough leverage,” said Kit. “I’d be worried that insisting on one of his wives as a hostage would offend his honor and make him look for opportunities for revenge.”
Alistair nodded. “Very well then. We’ll set as a minimum condition for peace a cessation of raiding and all of the children of the Khan’s favored wife as hostages. Anything more that Lord Derek can negotiate is gravy.”
“I’ll have your grace’s secretary prepare appropriate orders,” said Dame Brionna.
“Lord Derek Brightspan has reported from the battle with the barbarians,” explained Alistair. “I don’t think he wrote this report, or that he’s leading from the front again, but the signature on the bottom is definitely his, although shaky. I think we can assume he’s recovering from his wounds. But almost as important is the information in his report. He has the barbarians bottled up in a canyon. There are a lot of them, and if he launches an assault, the casualties will be severe. Nonetheless, he’s basically beaten them. He wants to know if he should negotiate with them or press the battle.”
“Negotiate,” said Kit. “We need him and his troops back here. They could eliminate the threat from the orcs and provide us with a reserve to use against Shur.”
“I agree, your grace. What we need is a quick end to that campaign, as long as we can make sure that the barbarians will not resume raiding as soon as his troops depart.”
Alistair nodded. “So we’re all in agreement. We’ll draw up orders for Lord Derek to reach peace with the barbarians on any reasonable terms. I think his first offer should be vassalization of the Khan and his people. This Khan is clearly a strong and effective leader. I’d rather have him as a duke within Canberry than as a chronic threat on our borders. Plus, over time that will gradually settle the barbarians and end the raiding permanently. But the Khan may not agree to that offer, and we’ll give Lord Derek the authority to agree to any deal that stops the raiding and gives us some hostages to enforce the deal. The Khan’s heir-apparent as a page should do nicely.”
“That makes sense,” replied Dame Brionna, “but I think we may need more than one hostage. I’m not convinced that he would have as clear an heir-apparent as a Canberran noble would--or at least should. Also, because the barbarians practice polygamy, he will have many-- perhaps dozens-- of children.”
“Hmm. Good point. Perhaps all of his children with his favorite wife? And maybe the wife, as well?”
“I think all of the children of his favorite wife will give us enough leverage,” said Kit. “I’d be worried that insisting on one of his wives as a hostage would offend his honor and make him look for opportunities for revenge.”
Alistair nodded. “Very well then. We’ll set as a minimum condition for peace a cessation of raiding and all of the children of the Khan’s favored wife as hostages. Anything more that Lord Derek can negotiate is gravy.”
“I’ll have your grace’s secretary prepare appropriate orders,” said Dame Brionna.
