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Aphonion Tales: The Archducal Council -- Unedited notes; later posts are edited transcripts (posts MWF, update 3/1/23)
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<blockquote data-quote="CPaladin" data-source="post: 8903754" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[Session 145, cont'd]</p><p>Kit fires up the matrix to speak to the elves of the Crystal Cities, to try to reach the Eldron.</p><p></p><p>The communication matrix is excited to reach out to the elves of the Crystal Cities. Immediately, an image of a beautiful elven woman pounding a glass shard on an anvil surrounded by blocks of ice appears, in sepia tones.</p><p></p><p>"Greetings, my lady. This is the matrix from the capital city in Canberry."</p><p></p><p>"Oh, yes, yes, welcome to the forge."</p><p></p><p>"Thank you. I'm not clear as to why the matrix connected us with you. Perhaps you were the only one who was available to speak."</p><p></p><p>"Probably. I've been doing this for quite a while, after all."</p><p></p><p>"I'm Countess Katherine of Lyneham, of the Canberry Imperial Council. Are you in a position to engage in political discussions on behalf of the Crystal Cities?"</p><p></p><p>"I'm the forge mistress. I rank with the Lords and Ladies of the Cities."</p><p></p><p>"If I may then present his imperial majesty." Kit promptly reels off a whole slew of titles.</p><p></p><p>"Welcome to the forge."</p><p></p><p>"Thank you, and thank you for taking the time to speak with us." Alistair proceeds to explain about the kidnapping of the heir to the Grand Duchy of Ergmoth. "We have reached out to both the great lords of the Noldor and the great lords of the Eldar, and they are both seeking to find where this heir has been carried off so that he may be rescued before the enemy can corrupt him."</p><p></p><p>"Both of them think this is important indeed."</p><p></p><p>"And both have decided in the spirit of the Ecumenical Council, to act in support of the Temple of Paranswarm on this."</p><p></p><p>"You can't locate him, can you?"</p><p></p><p>"No, we cannot. He has departed past the sea. They could trace him that far, but they could not trace him beyond."</p><p></p><p>"That means they gated."</p><p></p><p>"We had thought teleported."</p><p></p><p>"No. To have passed the sea, they must have used a gate, at least to an established gate point."</p><p></p><p>"That's very useful information to have, thank you. That also suggests that it might be either one of their eldritch isles or one of their establishments in the southern continent. Perhaps most likely one of the establishments in the south continents, because most humans are incapable of recalling that it even exists."</p><p></p><p>Kit begins spluttering in the background, shocked to hear of a southern continent.</p><p></p><p>"Humans find it difficult to remember its existence?" asks the forge mistress, mildly surprised.</p><p></p><p>"Yes. The Empress comes from a special bloodline that permits it to be remembered, and clearly by virtue of our marriage has extended that protection to me as well. But most humans cannot hold it in their minds for long at all."</p><p></p><p>"Oh, that could be very disturbing. So what you need is someone who is a Paragon level Farsensor and is not bound by the human... I don't know what to call it... impairment?"</p><p></p><p>"Precisely. And we thought that whereas both the Noldor paragons and the Eldar paragons are of great power, but each have in their own ways weaknesses from the lack of the complementary pattern and, of course, cannot work together, there might be some paragons who do not suffer such weaknesses at all."</p><p></p><p>"The Uncommitted. Yes, very logical to reach out to us. I will go now and speak to the head of our council. We have a Paragon Farsensor among us. Do you have an image of this child?"</p><p></p><p>"Our duty psion is getting one presently from the Paranswarmian Farsensors."</p><p></p><p>"Those poor folk. They must be going mad. You realize, if it's an enchantment strong enough to block almost all humans except you and the Empress, from knowing the South exists, it will deflect their Farsensing. They may be powerful enough to see the child, but they're not powerful enough to get through the enchantment."</p><p></p><p>"Even Eldar Grandmasters have found it more challenging than it ought to observe that area, although, of course, they are not barred from it in the way that a human would be."</p><p></p><p>"The work of a human god, then?"</p><p></p><p>"Berta. Or it was, and now one of the vile gods has taken over that that warding."</p><p></p><p>"I must say that while your goddesses are not all that, they are powerful enough to put up a strong spell indeed. Let me go and speak to my council. Just come with me." She gestures, and the image goes along.</p><p></p><p>She explains the situation, and limits created by the rivalry among the other elves, and one of the women says, "Give me the image and I'll go look for him." She takes the image. "Oh, yes, the southern continent. Strange--I do not remember that not as well as I should, but I will in a minute." [She rolled a check for her psionics, applying a +52 modifier to get a 68.] "Hmm. Yes, there's a gate. The gate is just shy of an army camp. Surely from that young sun god that some of your people follow."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, but not exactly. They are followers of the Blue Sun, and the Blue Sun has actually been consumed by one of the foul elder deities, which is now masquerading as the Blue Sun which has resulted in a certain faction of Sytry's forces falling into the most horrible corruption."</p><p></p><p>"Of course. These things happen. The boy is within. I'll give you the image... Ah, can you hold on to the image, Your Majesty? I fear that the Countess, who is better at managing mentally images in general, likely cannot."</p><p></p><p>"I am not skilled at such things, no."</p><p></p><p>"Are you carrying a gemstone ring, something that isn't already magical, either of you?"</p><p></p><p>Kit proffers a non-magical, gemstone earring.</p><p></p><p>"Thank you," says the Farsensor, somehow taking the earring through the mental connection. "Now, in a moment, Your Majesty, that earring is going to be extremely magical. I'm doing two things. In that area--the military camp and the fortress--there are about 15,000 of them. I'd be careful. Even I would be careful. I could probably kill them all if I had to, but I'd rather not, and you would find that more challenging. So I'm implanting that information in the earring. I'm also going to give you a gate on the earring that will allow you to send a small party directly there so you don't have to worry about them knowing where they are going or forgetting how to get there."</p><p></p><p>"If they arrive there, can they remember their home?"</p><p></p><p>"They can. They can remember it freely, although I believe that it may cause them to lose interest in returning home over time. That would be very clever and goddess-like. This will allow you to apport a a small party to a hidden area that is, as far as I can tell, out of the normal patrol pattern from the military camps and shy of the fortress. The fortress is warded. If I broke the wards, they would know I was there. You are correct--there's corruption everywhere there."</p><p></p><p>"I assume that this is not particularly near to the colonial city."</p><p></p><p>"No, I see that this is about a thousand miles west."</p><p></p><p>"Its quite a large continent."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, but it wraps around the pole so it's cold. Mind you, there are pine forests, but I wouldn't try growing all that much food there other than very basic root vegetables." The earring suddenly glows and floats back to Kit's hand. "There you go. You can discharge that gate twice. That should allow you to get a group there and get them back. You could probably send about 6 to 8."</p><p></p><p>"We will also need to make a plan to actually hammer that army at some point, but I think that will have to wait until after the rescue operation."</p><p></p><p>"Even I cannot make a gate big enough to move something through that can hammer that army."</p><p></p><p>"Understood, but the people going through can provide us very useful intelligence on the ground that we couldn't see remotely like this."</p><p></p><p>"Unfortunately, it appears to me that somebody did manage to gate them in probably a few thousand at a time. But that type of gate takes longer to make."</p><p></p><p>"There can't be that many people who have the capability to make that kind of gate."</p><p></p><p>"Very few. I don't recognize the signature, but I sense something about it... something corrupt beyond the Eldritch or just a general outrage. It did feel Eldritch, but maybe a little demonic as well."</p><p></p><p>"We know of a prior gate that was prepared in advance by, we believe, one of the corrupted mage-priests of Sytry. That mage-priest was slain but we have since learned that many of the great servants of the Eldritch prepare clones to replace themselves if they are slain, so we cannot be certain that is not him acting again."</p><p></p><p>"They've become clever since the first war. They were so arrogant. They never would have considered that the first time through, at least the ones we dealt with."</p><p></p><p>"When you say that it has a whiff of something demonic about it, do you mean that person who made it was part demon, or in the service to demons, or something else?"</p><p></p><p>"I think they compelled demons to help. That does not necessarily mean they were in service to them. You could bind the demons days before you cast the actual spells yourself, and if you bound them correctly, they would be forced to lend their energy to it. Unpleasant to think about. As minor as demons are, one should not be bargaining with them. If you are going to bargain with something, at least make it an angelic being or a daemon or something like that. I hope this has been helpful."</p><p></p><p>"Extraordinarily."</p><p></p><p>"Thank you for contacting us and thank you for coming through the forge mistress. We were all in council and were difficult to reach. She doesn't often attend council. She prefers making things."</p><p></p><p>"Given her enormous skills with that, it's very understandable."</p><p></p><p>She smiles at that. "Oh, well, thank you. Shall I make you something someday?"</p><p></p><p>"We would be most grateful."</p><p></p><p>"Someday must be soon, so that he won't die before I make it."</p><p></p><p>"Thank you. We're very grateful for your assistance."</p><p></p><p>The connection suddenly just closes, leaving them with the awareness of the matrix room again.</p><p></p><p>"Oh, it is stimulating to talk to her, wasn't it?" says the matrix.</p><p></p><p>Alistair says to the matrix, "We've been told that if the defense matrix were to be reawakened, we need to have a keeper."</p><p></p><p>"Oh, yes, you don't want a defense matrix without a keeper."</p><p></p><p>"Understood, and we were told that the conventional way of preparing a keeper is to raise a psion to have no personal connections."</p><p></p><p>"That's correct."</p><p></p><p>"I was wondering, would it be feasible to create a psionic sort of construct that was itself a psion that could serve as the keeper without having to raise a person to such a different type of existence."</p><p></p><p>"Sparing a person from that barren form of life? No. The very reason the position can be filled by the keeper is, in part, because of the keeper's natural emotions, feelings, and desires which the keeper pours out in service to the room."</p><p></p><p>"I was afraid that would be the answer."</p><p></p><p>"You don't need that with a communication matrix. I like talking to people. I don't mind if they talk to other people. I just like sharing information. Maybe if you found a young psionic child who had nothing to live for, you could raise them to be a keeper, because really-- it does love its keeper. It's just that it doesn't want them to love anyone else. Could you do that?"</p><p></p><p>"That is precisely the problem that we have. Its unclear that there's any way that would be acceptable to us for us to get a keeper if we did reactivate the defense matrix."</p><p></p><p>"There was a keeper about 3,000 years ago, who, after they became a keeper, was able to negotiate with her matrix well enough so that she was able to take I think you call them romantic partners. But it was very difficult. But that's the only case of that I've ever heard of."</p><p></p><p>"I know that, generally, keepers are trained from childhood."</p><p></p><p>"Almost from birth."</p><p></p><p>"Is it possible for it to be done as something in old age if someone renounces things? There are people among our people who choose, after they have lived a full life, to retire to a monastic or similar ascetic state, and that seems not dissimilar to what the life of the keeper is like. Would it be possible for someone who is ready to take a step like that, to renounce their former connections and be retrained to be a keeper?"</p><p></p><p>"It would, but they would have to be in good enough health to withstand the training. The merging is hard even for the young. However, yes, it could be done."</p><p></p><p>"That seems like something that someone could choose voluntarily and at an age that we would be able to accept their choice."</p><p></p><p>"The strength of their psionics is less important than the deftness of their touch."</p><p></p><p>"That's what I was going to ask next. What kind of psionic ability would they need and what other qualities besides the strength of will to make that choice?"</p><p></p><p>"That's a good question. Keepers can be of either sex, but they need a deft touch, the type of touch that I have observed your ladies have in needlework, the ability to manipulate the tiny strings of energy just enough. The keeper is not a creature of strength--the mechanics in a circle, they must have strength, otherwise the circle will kill them. But with the keeper and the watcher, the skill is much more important. With the watcher, connections do not matter. They can be--forgive my bluntness, I do not know what is considered impolite with your people quite yet, they can be coupling while they're doing their work as long as they are watching."</p><p></p><p>"It's usually considered inappropriate for a coupling to take place while at work, or while watching or being watched, but it's been known to happen with us occasionally," comments Alistair.</p><p></p><p>"Occasionally, but, I mean, when are we not at work?" adds Kit. "But good to know about the traits required. Would religiosity be a problem for a keeper?"</p><p></p><p>"No, the matrix does not care one way or another. Some matrices do. The matrices that are devoted to the Shadowline, for example, are quite religious. That is part of why, when one actually fell, it fell so hard."</p><p></p><p>"Having all but concluded that we would not be able to reactivate the defense matrix, even if we could deal with bypassing its defenses, and so forth, I now think that we might be able to make this work out."</p><p></p><p>The matrix glows a little brighter.</p><p></p><p>"When the matrix mourns the loss of the keeper, what happens then?"</p><p></p><p>"It is sad. It is difficult. It is depressed."</p><p></p><p>"But it doesn't lash out?"</p><p></p><p>"If the keeper is killed, it might. But if the keeper just reaches the end of their natural life and passes on, then it will recover."</p><p></p><p>"I imagine it sees a lot of keepers."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, and the connection becomes closer over time. So possibly with your scheme, it would not be as sad as it has been with a keeper that was with it from the beginning of their life to form the depth of that bond. It would be an effective addition to the palace defenses."</p><p></p><p>Alistair is abruptly interrupted. The duty psion reels back, and a large scene forms. Princess Curinirim and a young Noldor they have never seen before appear in a large chamber. "Your Majesty, I've been able to prevail upon my distant cousin to utilize his power on your behalf. Go ahead. Show proper respect."</p><p></p><p>They realize that this is a young Noldor, which is rare in and of itself, to say nothing about one of the 3 top houses. He performs the incredibly complex elven obeisance that they all seem to do when they meet Alistair.</p><p></p><p>"Your Dreadful Majesty, I have been able to discover the child. There's no way to apport to him but he is on found the fifth level of the great tower of this fortress, and he is strapped into a machine of torment. He is young, Your Dreadful Majesty. I estimate that were he of my race, he would be no more than 80. As a human, I think that makes him about 8.</p><p></p><p>"I attempted to grab him out of there with an apportation. I apparently have yet to learn that we may not be as near to omniscient as we would prefer to think we are."</p><p></p><p>"Do you know whether you triggered wards or were felt?"</p><p></p><p>"I was not felt. I did not trigger wards. However, I also failed. I was so horrified I did not even wish to speak to you."</p><p></p><p>"No, you did well to try."</p><p></p><p>"They are not psionic. I do not know how they blocked me."</p><p></p><p>"There is the direct action of a god."</p><p></p><p>His shoulders draw back just a little at that. "At least I can tell you where he is, and that at this point he's still healthy, and his mind is clear. He is deeply fearful and in great rage."</p><p></p><p>"That may hold him in good stead and give him the strength to hold out."</p><p></p><p>"I do not understand your people as well as I should like."</p><p></p><p>"This is of enormous help. Do you know you know anything of those that guard him, or torment him, or are in position there? We have heard that there are some 15,000 troops about the fortress in general, but we know very little about the tower in particular."</p><p></p><p>"Those who torment him present themselves as humans, but they are not. I cannot explain that better. It is unfortunate, but none of the senior Paragons saw fit to assist my great-aunt's request."</p><p></p><p>"When you say that they are not human, you do not mean that they are of the other strange varieties of humans that are sometimes found on that continent?"</p><p></p><p>"They are false things with a seeming of humans. I would have said they were doppelgangers, but they are not that either. There is something about their substance that I cannot exactly determine."</p><p></p><p>"They're likely the seen-unseen or some some such eldritch beasts."</p><p></p><p>"The actual humans follow their orders without question."</p><p></p><p>"There are humans in the tower?"</p><p></p><p>"There are. I would almost call them knights? Human quasi-knights in the tower. There are also some unusual creatures with the seemings of humanoid rams and a half-dozen assorted demons."</p><p></p><p>"Are you sure those are all the creatures? And that the human knights are not false humans?"</p><p></p><p>"I am sure. From the time that my great-aunt asked me, until I made my failed attempt, I observed them. The human quasi-knights are all in silver and white armor, and they stride about with great pride. But even I could destroy them in combat. I cannot know why they take so much pride in their martial abilities. I'm barely more than a child."</p><p></p><p>"Humans take pride in many things. Is there a way of sending him healing or strength without it being detected?" asks Kit, who has joined in through her mindlink with Alistair.</p><p></p><p>"I suppose I could. I had not thought of that."</p><p></p><p>"Will they be able to tell you're doing it?"</p><p></p><p>"Only if they knew to look. They would have to think they had been pierced."</p><p></p><p>"I would think it's worth the risk, Your Grace, but this is a decision for you."</p><p></p><p>"In part. This is something that I think we can not ask they do. If her August Highness and the Paragon view that as being worthwhile, we would view it as a great aid. But I do not feel that we can request that it be done."</p><p></p><p>"What you wish me to do, I will do. He is younger than any of my kin that I've ever met. I was the youngest for a very long time in our House. I do not wish to see him suffer without knowing there is someone with him."</p><p></p><p>"Your Highness. I suggest that a very capable Coercer be with him, so that if it is necessary, they can provide additional protection. Some of the enemy have been able to harm powerful, though not as powerful as the Paragon, Farsensors who have come into contact with them and have needed the protection of those who have skills more in that line."</p><p></p><p>"I will see that he is not left alone." She turns to someone who they can't see. "See that all the proper equipments are brought, including psionic batteries."</p><p></p><p>"We salute you for this and honor you. We have begun making plans for a less direct extraction. Unless you wish, we would prefer to keep the details as closely held as possible, because there are interesta in preventing any concerns about information spreading. But, of course, if you wish, we will provide you with any details."</p><p></p><p>"Anything that we can do to assist the rescue attempt. Given our situation here, and the continued attempted overthrow of the proconsul, I would prefer not to be given information that must be protected."</p><p></p><p>"It seems that these humans still make the pretense of following Sytry and the Blue Sun. Would you agree? I presume he is describing Knights of Truth."</p><p></p><p>"He has given me the image, but he is young. These are symbols of what they would be wearing-- they wear those, right?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes, and then it may make sense for us to see if we can send some knights of truth who follow the true Sytry, but who are unusually flexible, and would be able to act covertly. We'll have to reach out to the patriarch about that."</p><p></p><p>"I will give you regular updates on his condition here, Dreadful Majesty." He inclines again, and they see a Twilight Elf lead him quietly away.</p><p></p><p>The Princess Curinirim comments, "I'm please that he is willing, but I wish someone more senior had been willing to undertake this."</p><p></p><p>"I agree. We had not intended to ask that a child step up, but in the same way that the heir of Ergmoth has needed to take on roles that should have waited another decade or so, and indeed, in the way that it would be better still if I were still two decades from my ascension, we do not get to make that choice."</p><p></p><p>"That they would wish the destabilization that they've attempted proves that they know that the humans are ascendant here. However, he not only volunteered, he was quite taken with attempting to help the young human."</p><p></p><p>"If he were to see fit to serve as a patron for the young Grand Duke of Ergmoth, once we get him back, it could do much to stabilize Khamista."</p><p></p><p>"I will mention that to him. It might please my great nephew. He is the youngest of my House. He is a bit older than the boy."</p><p></p><p>"He is a great deal older than the boy, but yes, in equivalent years. But he is I would wager a young adult of your people in the way that I am of mine, not a child being asked to take on the role from adults."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, not a child, but a few years younger than you in equivalency. Indeed, just at that age where they are idealistic."</p><p></p><p>"I fear that I was rather more dissolute than idealistic when I was at that age."</p><p></p><p>"But oh, that is the nature of humans. No offense, Your Majesty."</p><p></p><p>"A full year ago, a rough year."</p><p></p><p>"I do not think that I have ever known a dissolute Noldor who was not Goldorim. But their dissolution is much more violent and inappropriate than yours."</p><p></p><p>"I thought some of the Moriquendarim went for that kind of thing."</p><p></p><p>"None of the ones with any status. They're Moriquendarim who are not worth thinking of as Noldor."</p><p></p><p>"Yes, of course."</p><p></p><p>"I will make certain that he's kept safe. How could I not?"</p><p></p><p>"Indeed, I didn't want to be as direct with him as I feel I can be with you. But Lord Silverleaves the Grandmaster was severely injured and only saved by the intervention of Lord Davion Aufaulgautharim, who, of course, is himself a Paragon coercer."</p><p></p><p>"That's why you wanted a Paragon of coercion with him."</p><p></p><p>"I do not know that they have a prince there, but they had a prince elsewhere, and that was what was necessary."</p><p></p><p>"I sensed the prince that they had brought through. In fact, I believe I assisted in destroying his ship."</p><p></p><p>"Indeed, exactly. Hopefully, they've not managed to summon another of those, but I would not want the young lord to face such a threat unsupported."</p><p></p><p>"No, he would not fare well. I will mind that he is kept well guarded. It was a pleasure to talk to you. all again, and I'm glad that we were able to afford you some assistance."</p><p></p><p>"We are most grateful for your assistance. I believe that we will primarily allow the Temple of Paranswarm to take the lead in the rescue effort, but we will seek to assist as best we may."</p><p></p><p>"I might be able to find some shadow elf who has interest. I cannot guarantee."</p><p></p><p>"They would be most welcome. They should be skilled in arts of stealth and disguise."</p><p></p><p>"Rogues. Yes, there are houses that might have such people. I believe the boy will communicate directly with you. He has your metal signature now, and he will want to report to you how the boy is doing."</p><p></p><p>"And he will presumably see the results of any rescue attempt that is made."</p><p></p><p>"He will." She is then gone.</p><p></p><p>They then loop the Paranswarmians back in, and provide them with the information they need. As with Kit, they can only remember that the earring will gate them near a fortress in some far off place that is is very powerfully protected, but all they really need to know is that the gate will get them there, even if they can't remember where it is.</p><p></p><p>Suddenly Kit has a breakthrough: "Wait, is this where the koalas are from? Lord Davion keeps on showing me the koalas. But... I still can't remember where he said they're from, just that it's some far off place."</p><p></p><p>"Have you seen the platypuses? They're also from there."</p><p></p><p>"Those aren't the result of some mage's weird experiments?"</p><p></p><p>"I know, you would totally think it. But they're apparently totally natural. Kind of makes me wonder if the story about owlbears being made by a mage are also false."</p><p>[End Session 145]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8903754, member: 7030144"] [Session 145, cont'd] Kit fires up the matrix to speak to the elves of the Crystal Cities, to try to reach the Eldron. The communication matrix is excited to reach out to the elves of the Crystal Cities. Immediately, an image of a beautiful elven woman pounding a glass shard on an anvil surrounded by blocks of ice appears, in sepia tones. "Greetings, my lady. This is the matrix from the capital city in Canberry." "Oh, yes, yes, welcome to the forge." "Thank you. I'm not clear as to why the matrix connected us with you. Perhaps you were the only one who was available to speak." "Probably. I've been doing this for quite a while, after all." "I'm Countess Katherine of Lyneham, of the Canberry Imperial Council. Are you in a position to engage in political discussions on behalf of the Crystal Cities?" "I'm the forge mistress. I rank with the Lords and Ladies of the Cities." "If I may then present his imperial majesty." Kit promptly reels off a whole slew of titles. "Welcome to the forge." "Thank you, and thank you for taking the time to speak with us." Alistair proceeds to explain about the kidnapping of the heir to the Grand Duchy of Ergmoth. "We have reached out to both the great lords of the Noldor and the great lords of the Eldar, and they are both seeking to find where this heir has been carried off so that he may be rescued before the enemy can corrupt him." "Both of them think this is important indeed." "And both have decided in the spirit of the Ecumenical Council, to act in support of the Temple of Paranswarm on this." "You can't locate him, can you?" "No, we cannot. He has departed past the sea. They could trace him that far, but they could not trace him beyond." "That means they gated." "We had thought teleported." "No. To have passed the sea, they must have used a gate, at least to an established gate point." "That's very useful information to have, thank you. That also suggests that it might be either one of their eldritch isles or one of their establishments in the southern continent. Perhaps most likely one of the establishments in the south continents, because most humans are incapable of recalling that it even exists." Kit begins spluttering in the background, shocked to hear of a southern continent. "Humans find it difficult to remember its existence?" asks the forge mistress, mildly surprised. "Yes. The Empress comes from a special bloodline that permits it to be remembered, and clearly by virtue of our marriage has extended that protection to me as well. But most humans cannot hold it in their minds for long at all." "Oh, that could be very disturbing. So what you need is someone who is a Paragon level Farsensor and is not bound by the human... I don't know what to call it... impairment?" "Precisely. And we thought that whereas both the Noldor paragons and the Eldar paragons are of great power, but each have in their own ways weaknesses from the lack of the complementary pattern and, of course, cannot work together, there might be some paragons who do not suffer such weaknesses at all." "The Uncommitted. Yes, very logical to reach out to us. I will go now and speak to the head of our council. We have a Paragon Farsensor among us. Do you have an image of this child?" "Our duty psion is getting one presently from the Paranswarmian Farsensors." "Those poor folk. They must be going mad. You realize, if it's an enchantment strong enough to block almost all humans except you and the Empress, from knowing the South exists, it will deflect their Farsensing. They may be powerful enough to see the child, but they're not powerful enough to get through the enchantment." "Even Eldar Grandmasters have found it more challenging than it ought to observe that area, although, of course, they are not barred from it in the way that a human would be." "The work of a human god, then?" "Berta. Or it was, and now one of the vile gods has taken over that that warding." "I must say that while your goddesses are not all that, they are powerful enough to put up a strong spell indeed. Let me go and speak to my council. Just come with me." She gestures, and the image goes along. She explains the situation, and limits created by the rivalry among the other elves, and one of the women says, "Give me the image and I'll go look for him." She takes the image. "Oh, yes, the southern continent. Strange--I do not remember that not as well as I should, but I will in a minute." [She rolled a check for her psionics, applying a +52 modifier to get a 68.] "Hmm. Yes, there's a gate. The gate is just shy of an army camp. Surely from that young sun god that some of your people follow." "Yes, but not exactly. They are followers of the Blue Sun, and the Blue Sun has actually been consumed by one of the foul elder deities, which is now masquerading as the Blue Sun which has resulted in a certain faction of Sytry's forces falling into the most horrible corruption." "Of course. These things happen. The boy is within. I'll give you the image... Ah, can you hold on to the image, Your Majesty? I fear that the Countess, who is better at managing mentally images in general, likely cannot." "I am not skilled at such things, no." "Are you carrying a gemstone ring, something that isn't already magical, either of you?" Kit proffers a non-magical, gemstone earring. "Thank you," says the Farsensor, somehow taking the earring through the mental connection. "Now, in a moment, Your Majesty, that earring is going to be extremely magical. I'm doing two things. In that area--the military camp and the fortress--there are about 15,000 of them. I'd be careful. Even I would be careful. I could probably kill them all if I had to, but I'd rather not, and you would find that more challenging. So I'm implanting that information in the earring. I'm also going to give you a gate on the earring that will allow you to send a small party directly there so you don't have to worry about them knowing where they are going or forgetting how to get there." "If they arrive there, can they remember their home?" "They can. They can remember it freely, although I believe that it may cause them to lose interest in returning home over time. That would be very clever and goddess-like. This will allow you to apport a a small party to a hidden area that is, as far as I can tell, out of the normal patrol pattern from the military camps and shy of the fortress. The fortress is warded. If I broke the wards, they would know I was there. You are correct--there's corruption everywhere there." "I assume that this is not particularly near to the colonial city." "No, I see that this is about a thousand miles west." "Its quite a large continent." "Yes, but it wraps around the pole so it's cold. Mind you, there are pine forests, but I wouldn't try growing all that much food there other than very basic root vegetables." The earring suddenly glows and floats back to Kit's hand. "There you go. You can discharge that gate twice. That should allow you to get a group there and get them back. You could probably send about 6 to 8." "We will also need to make a plan to actually hammer that army at some point, but I think that will have to wait until after the rescue operation." "Even I cannot make a gate big enough to move something through that can hammer that army." "Understood, but the people going through can provide us very useful intelligence on the ground that we couldn't see remotely like this." "Unfortunately, it appears to me that somebody did manage to gate them in probably a few thousand at a time. But that type of gate takes longer to make." "There can't be that many people who have the capability to make that kind of gate." "Very few. I don't recognize the signature, but I sense something about it... something corrupt beyond the Eldritch or just a general outrage. It did feel Eldritch, but maybe a little demonic as well." "We know of a prior gate that was prepared in advance by, we believe, one of the corrupted mage-priests of Sytry. That mage-priest was slain but we have since learned that many of the great servants of the Eldritch prepare clones to replace themselves if they are slain, so we cannot be certain that is not him acting again." "They've become clever since the first war. They were so arrogant. They never would have considered that the first time through, at least the ones we dealt with." "When you say that it has a whiff of something demonic about it, do you mean that person who made it was part demon, or in the service to demons, or something else?" "I think they compelled demons to help. That does not necessarily mean they were in service to them. You could bind the demons days before you cast the actual spells yourself, and if you bound them correctly, they would be forced to lend their energy to it. Unpleasant to think about. As minor as demons are, one should not be bargaining with them. If you are going to bargain with something, at least make it an angelic being or a daemon or something like that. I hope this has been helpful." "Extraordinarily." "Thank you for contacting us and thank you for coming through the forge mistress. We were all in council and were difficult to reach. She doesn't often attend council. She prefers making things." "Given her enormous skills with that, it's very understandable." She smiles at that. "Oh, well, thank you. Shall I make you something someday?" "We would be most grateful." "Someday must be soon, so that he won't die before I make it." "Thank you. We're very grateful for your assistance." The connection suddenly just closes, leaving them with the awareness of the matrix room again. "Oh, it is stimulating to talk to her, wasn't it?" says the matrix. Alistair says to the matrix, "We've been told that if the defense matrix were to be reawakened, we need to have a keeper." "Oh, yes, you don't want a defense matrix without a keeper." "Understood, and we were told that the conventional way of preparing a keeper is to raise a psion to have no personal connections." "That's correct." "I was wondering, would it be feasible to create a psionic sort of construct that was itself a psion that could serve as the keeper without having to raise a person to such a different type of existence." "Sparing a person from that barren form of life? No. The very reason the position can be filled by the keeper is, in part, because of the keeper's natural emotions, feelings, and desires which the keeper pours out in service to the room." "I was afraid that would be the answer." "You don't need that with a communication matrix. I like talking to people. I don't mind if they talk to other people. I just like sharing information. Maybe if you found a young psionic child who had nothing to live for, you could raise them to be a keeper, because really-- it does love its keeper. It's just that it doesn't want them to love anyone else. Could you do that?" "That is precisely the problem that we have. Its unclear that there's any way that would be acceptable to us for us to get a keeper if we did reactivate the defense matrix." "There was a keeper about 3,000 years ago, who, after they became a keeper, was able to negotiate with her matrix well enough so that she was able to take I think you call them romantic partners. But it was very difficult. But that's the only case of that I've ever heard of." "I know that, generally, keepers are trained from childhood." "Almost from birth." "Is it possible for it to be done as something in old age if someone renounces things? There are people among our people who choose, after they have lived a full life, to retire to a monastic or similar ascetic state, and that seems not dissimilar to what the life of the keeper is like. Would it be possible for someone who is ready to take a step like that, to renounce their former connections and be retrained to be a keeper?" "It would, but they would have to be in good enough health to withstand the training. The merging is hard even for the young. However, yes, it could be done." "That seems like something that someone could choose voluntarily and at an age that we would be able to accept their choice." "The strength of their psionics is less important than the deftness of their touch." "That's what I was going to ask next. What kind of psionic ability would they need and what other qualities besides the strength of will to make that choice?" "That's a good question. Keepers can be of either sex, but they need a deft touch, the type of touch that I have observed your ladies have in needlework, the ability to manipulate the tiny strings of energy just enough. The keeper is not a creature of strength--the mechanics in a circle, they must have strength, otherwise the circle will kill them. But with the keeper and the watcher, the skill is much more important. With the watcher, connections do not matter. They can be--forgive my bluntness, I do not know what is considered impolite with your people quite yet, they can be coupling while they're doing their work as long as they are watching." "It's usually considered inappropriate for a coupling to take place while at work, or while watching or being watched, but it's been known to happen with us occasionally," comments Alistair. "Occasionally, but, I mean, when are we not at work?" adds Kit. "But good to know about the traits required. Would religiosity be a problem for a keeper?" "No, the matrix does not care one way or another. Some matrices do. The matrices that are devoted to the Shadowline, for example, are quite religious. That is part of why, when one actually fell, it fell so hard." "Having all but concluded that we would not be able to reactivate the defense matrix, even if we could deal with bypassing its defenses, and so forth, I now think that we might be able to make this work out." The matrix glows a little brighter. "When the matrix mourns the loss of the keeper, what happens then?" "It is sad. It is difficult. It is depressed." "But it doesn't lash out?" "If the keeper is killed, it might. But if the keeper just reaches the end of their natural life and passes on, then it will recover." "I imagine it sees a lot of keepers." "Yes, and the connection becomes closer over time. So possibly with your scheme, it would not be as sad as it has been with a keeper that was with it from the beginning of their life to form the depth of that bond. It would be an effective addition to the palace defenses." Alistair is abruptly interrupted. The duty psion reels back, and a large scene forms. Princess Curinirim and a young Noldor they have never seen before appear in a large chamber. "Your Majesty, I've been able to prevail upon my distant cousin to utilize his power on your behalf. Go ahead. Show proper respect." They realize that this is a young Noldor, which is rare in and of itself, to say nothing about one of the 3 top houses. He performs the incredibly complex elven obeisance that they all seem to do when they meet Alistair. "Your Dreadful Majesty, I have been able to discover the child. There's no way to apport to him but he is on found the fifth level of the great tower of this fortress, and he is strapped into a machine of torment. He is young, Your Dreadful Majesty. I estimate that were he of my race, he would be no more than 80. As a human, I think that makes him about 8. "I attempted to grab him out of there with an apportation. I apparently have yet to learn that we may not be as near to omniscient as we would prefer to think we are." "Do you know whether you triggered wards or were felt?" "I was not felt. I did not trigger wards. However, I also failed. I was so horrified I did not even wish to speak to you." "No, you did well to try." "They are not psionic. I do not know how they blocked me." "There is the direct action of a god." His shoulders draw back just a little at that. "At least I can tell you where he is, and that at this point he's still healthy, and his mind is clear. He is deeply fearful and in great rage." "That may hold him in good stead and give him the strength to hold out." "I do not understand your people as well as I should like." "This is of enormous help. Do you know you know anything of those that guard him, or torment him, or are in position there? We have heard that there are some 15,000 troops about the fortress in general, but we know very little about the tower in particular." "Those who torment him present themselves as humans, but they are not. I cannot explain that better. It is unfortunate, but none of the senior Paragons saw fit to assist my great-aunt's request." "When you say that they are not human, you do not mean that they are of the other strange varieties of humans that are sometimes found on that continent?" "They are false things with a seeming of humans. I would have said they were doppelgangers, but they are not that either. There is something about their substance that I cannot exactly determine." "They're likely the seen-unseen or some some such eldritch beasts." "The actual humans follow their orders without question." "There are humans in the tower?" "There are. I would almost call them knights? Human quasi-knights in the tower. There are also some unusual creatures with the seemings of humanoid rams and a half-dozen assorted demons." "Are you sure those are all the creatures? And that the human knights are not false humans?" "I am sure. From the time that my great-aunt asked me, until I made my failed attempt, I observed them. The human quasi-knights are all in silver and white armor, and they stride about with great pride. But even I could destroy them in combat. I cannot know why they take so much pride in their martial abilities. I'm barely more than a child." "Humans take pride in many things. Is there a way of sending him healing or strength without it being detected?" asks Kit, who has joined in through her mindlink with Alistair. "I suppose I could. I had not thought of that." "Will they be able to tell you're doing it?" "Only if they knew to look. They would have to think they had been pierced." "I would think it's worth the risk, Your Grace, but this is a decision for you." "In part. This is something that I think we can not ask they do. If her August Highness and the Paragon view that as being worthwhile, we would view it as a great aid. But I do not feel that we can request that it be done." "What you wish me to do, I will do. He is younger than any of my kin that I've ever met. I was the youngest for a very long time in our House. I do not wish to see him suffer without knowing there is someone with him." "Your Highness. I suggest that a very capable Coercer be with him, so that if it is necessary, they can provide additional protection. Some of the enemy have been able to harm powerful, though not as powerful as the Paragon, Farsensors who have come into contact with them and have needed the protection of those who have skills more in that line." "I will see that he is not left alone." She turns to someone who they can't see. "See that all the proper equipments are brought, including psionic batteries." "We salute you for this and honor you. We have begun making plans for a less direct extraction. Unless you wish, we would prefer to keep the details as closely held as possible, because there are interesta in preventing any concerns about information spreading. But, of course, if you wish, we will provide you with any details." "Anything that we can do to assist the rescue attempt. Given our situation here, and the continued attempted overthrow of the proconsul, I would prefer not to be given information that must be protected." "It seems that these humans still make the pretense of following Sytry and the Blue Sun. Would you agree? I presume he is describing Knights of Truth." "He has given me the image, but he is young. These are symbols of what they would be wearing-- they wear those, right?" "Yes, and then it may make sense for us to see if we can send some knights of truth who follow the true Sytry, but who are unusually flexible, and would be able to act covertly. We'll have to reach out to the patriarch about that." "I will give you regular updates on his condition here, Dreadful Majesty." He inclines again, and they see a Twilight Elf lead him quietly away. The Princess Curinirim comments, "I'm please that he is willing, but I wish someone more senior had been willing to undertake this." "I agree. We had not intended to ask that a child step up, but in the same way that the heir of Ergmoth has needed to take on roles that should have waited another decade or so, and indeed, in the way that it would be better still if I were still two decades from my ascension, we do not get to make that choice." "That they would wish the destabilization that they've attempted proves that they know that the humans are ascendant here. However, he not only volunteered, he was quite taken with attempting to help the young human." "If he were to see fit to serve as a patron for the young Grand Duke of Ergmoth, once we get him back, it could do much to stabilize Khamista." "I will mention that to him. It might please my great nephew. He is the youngest of my House. He is a bit older than the boy." "He is a great deal older than the boy, but yes, in equivalent years. But he is I would wager a young adult of your people in the way that I am of mine, not a child being asked to take on the role from adults." "Yes, not a child, but a few years younger than you in equivalency. Indeed, just at that age where they are idealistic." "I fear that I was rather more dissolute than idealistic when I was at that age." "But oh, that is the nature of humans. No offense, Your Majesty." "A full year ago, a rough year." "I do not think that I have ever known a dissolute Noldor who was not Goldorim. But their dissolution is much more violent and inappropriate than yours." "I thought some of the Moriquendarim went for that kind of thing." "None of the ones with any status. They're Moriquendarim who are not worth thinking of as Noldor." "Yes, of course." "I will make certain that he's kept safe. How could I not?" "Indeed, I didn't want to be as direct with him as I feel I can be with you. But Lord Silverleaves the Grandmaster was severely injured and only saved by the intervention of Lord Davion Aufaulgautharim, who, of course, is himself a Paragon coercer." "That's why you wanted a Paragon of coercion with him." "I do not know that they have a prince there, but they had a prince elsewhere, and that was what was necessary." "I sensed the prince that they had brought through. In fact, I believe I assisted in destroying his ship." "Indeed, exactly. Hopefully, they've not managed to summon another of those, but I would not want the young lord to face such a threat unsupported." "No, he would not fare well. I will mind that he is kept well guarded. It was a pleasure to talk to you. all again, and I'm glad that we were able to afford you some assistance." "We are most grateful for your assistance. I believe that we will primarily allow the Temple of Paranswarm to take the lead in the rescue effort, but we will seek to assist as best we may." "I might be able to find some shadow elf who has interest. I cannot guarantee." "They would be most welcome. They should be skilled in arts of stealth and disguise." "Rogues. Yes, there are houses that might have such people. I believe the boy will communicate directly with you. He has your metal signature now, and he will want to report to you how the boy is doing." "And he will presumably see the results of any rescue attempt that is made." "He will." She is then gone. They then loop the Paranswarmians back in, and provide them with the information they need. As with Kit, they can only remember that the earring will gate them near a fortress in some far off place that is is very powerfully protected, but all they really need to know is that the gate will get them there, even if they can't remember where it is. Suddenly Kit has a breakthrough: "Wait, is this where the koalas are from? Lord Davion keeps on showing me the koalas. But... I still can't remember where he said they're from, just that it's some far off place." "Have you seen the platypuses? They're also from there." "Those aren't the result of some mage's weird experiments?" "I know, you would totally think it. But they're apparently totally natural. Kind of makes me wonder if the story about owlbears being made by a mage are also false." [End Session 145] [/QUOTE]
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Aphonion Tales: The Archducal Council -- Unedited notes; later posts are edited transcripts (posts MWF, update 3/1/23)
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