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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: 8862046" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[Session 142, cont'd]</p><p>Alistair points out that, when they were in Lyneham, there was a young man with fertility problems at the same time as the cult of the Ram was becoming active, and that might have led to a bigger problem. Kit reaches out to the owner of the bawdy house in Lyneham (who was assigned by the Naughty Bits, of course) to find out about the person with the complicated parental history.</p><p></p><p><<I wanted to check in about a child who should have been born recently.>> Kit gives her agent a description of the family and the danger signs.</p><p></p><p><<The child is hale and healthy, with none of the danger signs. So not with the child at least.>></p><p></p><p><<What about the father?>></p><p></p><p><<The father's dead! He was really ripped apart by something north of the town wall when he was out cutting wood. Probably mauled by a bear. There have been other deaths of that sort, but not in years. The locals, though, are sure it was a bear.>></p><p></p><p><<How's the widow taking it?>></p><p></p><p><<She wasn't happy. I mean, she loved him. That was obvious. I don't really understand that part-- you know, you use ‘em for what you want and then you move on, I’ve always said. But I guess that was not her way, and she did love him, and she was very sad, but she was also afraid because he was the breadwinner.>></p><p></p><p><<Is she all right now?>></p><p></p><p><<Aye, your steward took her in as a seamstress. So now you have a seamstress.>></p><p></p><p><<Good, and that is exactly why I put him there as the steward, because he is the sort of person who would take care of things like that.>></p><p></p><p><<The priest did their thing and buried him. Very sad, really. There aren't often wild animal attacks. Apparently they've seen bear attacks before, but not for twenty years. I'm not wandering out of town, I'll tell you that right now, my lady.>></p><p></p><p><<Was it a full moon when he was killed?>></p><p></p><p><<Yes, it was. Why? Oh, you think it might have been a werebear?>></p><p></p><p><<So, the werefolk in town are good citizens. I want to maintain good relations with them. But if this was a lovers quarrel gone wrong with a werefolk...>></p><p></p><p><<Oh dear, that if that's all it was, then the matter is probably over. But I really hope that woman is all right.>></p><p></p><p><<It’s notable that werebears to an even greater degree then the other lycanthropes in that area are known for being both lawful and good.>></p><p></p><p><<Oh, so maybe the late husband was up to no good, and the wearbear was doing some kind of justice… I'll see what I can do to look into it. My lady, you know there's more trade through here now, also. So it might have been someone passing through. And unfortunately, the town is too small to really support more than the two knights.>></p><p></p><p><<Well, we're hoping to make the town grow a little bit more but I trust your discretion on making those inquiries. My main concern is for the woman's welfare.>></p><p></p><p><<I'll make certain.>></p><p></p><p><<I think the threat from the Order of the Ram is probably over, but we want to make absolutely sure.>></p><p></p><p><<I've seen no signs, but we will certainly keep an eye out.>></p><p></p><p><<I trust your discretion, and you know how to contact me if you need to. We’re also going to be setting up an Order of the Stag—their head will be a good person for you to know.>></p><p></p><p><<Very good. Thank you for keeping an eye on us, milady.>></p><p></p><p><<You're welcome. We'll be able to travel back to Lyneham soon, I hope.>></p><p></p><p><<Oh, the people would love to see you, milady, you're a legend here.>></p><p></p><p><<A legend!>></p><p></p><p><<Oh, yes! Well, you got to realize about the town, I've been told more times than I want to discuss, it was failing completely, and falling, I think, into a hole in the ground. Well, and then you came along, and it does seem to be growing over time. And the next thing they knew the town was on sound footing. The manor had been repaired. The inn had more custom. Now there's tourism--there really isn't my lady, it's merchants--but they see it as tourism.>></p><p></p><p><<I'm glad that I could help, and Lyneham is a good place. It just needed someone to pay attention to it.>></p><p></p><p><<And they're very happy to have you as their liege-lady, and they think they might be part of the Empire of Canberry but nobody can decide if they are.>></p><p></p><p><<They absolutely are, and the Empire will take good care of them as well. In a few months, when the heir to Lyneham is a little more able to travel and a little more interactive, we'll be bringing him for an official visit.>></p><p></p><p><<Oh, the steward will be delighted, I'm sure, everyone will be. Just please, my lady, let me know in advance.>></p><p></p><p><<And your establishment does well?>></p><p></p><p><<Oh, absolutely. Definitely the liveliest bawdy house I've ever seen, in part because the people don't have anything to do. Everyone comes to the bawdy house for the burlesque. They can learn how to include low humor in our burlesque-- high humor isn’t worth trying.>></p><p></p><p><<Right. Well, maybe you can branch out into other kinds of, you know, performance.>></p><p></p><p><<We have regular singing and dancing to give them entertainment. We have even added a poetry night. You don't want to know what they come up with as poetry, my lady, I want you to know I've had a little education, I know that a poem ought to rhyme.>></p><p></p><p><<Generally, yes.>></p><p></p><p><<Well, they don't.>></p><p></p><p><<I'm glad that they are enjoying themselves, and giving you some kind of artistic satisfaction.>></p><p></p><p><<And that school miss you sent is doing a bang-up job with the kids. Maybe she can give some lessons to the grown-ups about literature and poetry. I've been trying to figure out how to suggest that. I’ll see what I can do.>></p><p></p><p><<It’s winter, they need some indoor pursuits.>></p><p></p><p><<Yep. If that will be all, it's an honor to talk to you.>></p><p></p><p><<Thank you. I appreciate your service, and please let me know if you find out anything else. Otherwise we will be in touch at the time of regular reports.>></p><p></p><p>“If it’s the main entertainment in town, that also means that we will almost certainly need to attend the burlesque when we visit,” comments Alistair with a bit of a smile.</p><p></p><p>“And then we're going right home,” responds Kit.</p><p></p><p>“Of course. I'm just saying that one needs to be seen at major functions of the town.”</p><p></p><p>“Also, it's her county,” adds Dame Brionna, a little severely.</p><p></p><p>“Of course it's her county.”</p><p></p><p>“And we’ll go to the burlesque, but then we're going right home after,” says Kit firmly.</p><p></p><p>-----</p><p>A Farsensor creates a connection to Ecsilias.</p><p></p><p>“Your Majesty."</p><p></p><p>“Your most excellency. We had a few matters that we wanted to discuss with you, and also it felt that it would be wise in general for our lands to maintain closer ties especially in light of the current needs with regard to Hanal and with providing security guarantees for Ecsilias while Ecsilias takes actions in Hanal that we could not ourselves do. We wanted to know whether you were aware of some difficulties in the City of the Dead in Enclaves.”</p><p></p><p>“No?”</p><p></p><p>“We found out about this through some papers that we captured from the enemy, that the Forbidden, the Eldritch, have stirred up an uprising within the City of the Dead against the Priests of Death and against Zorplona-Moriquendarim, who would otherwise be in control there. They are taking actions to reclaim the area, but they have as yet not fully done so. Once we had learned of the initial problem, we received confirmation from some of the leaders of your faith who, of course, maintain closer ties to the Priests of Death than we do. But it's quite a difficult problem, and there have been further issues, both there and elsewhere, with graveyards being defiled, and the undead being raised, and attacks against both the Priests of Death and against others who would try to maintain the peaceful repose of the corpses.”</p><p></p><p>“Very concerning.”</p><p></p><p>“It is, and especially because Enclaves is, as it were, in your backyard, we thought that it was particularly appropriate that we provide information about that to you, shall we say in a spirit of comity and in the spirit of recognition that matters that happen closer to you, even if they are beyond your formal boundaries, are of more significant interests to you than they are to us, and we should respect that in the same way that of course, we're sure that you would similarly respect issues that arise in areas near Canberry that might come to your attention.”</p><p></p><p>“We’re deeply appreciative of this, your Majesty. As a point of fact, there are millions of corpses in the City of the Dead. If they managed a mass raising of corpses and desecration, it could cause more than a little problem throughout the region.”</p><p></p><p>“That’s why we felt that it's important that we all support our allies in regaining control over that area and in purging the ongoing problems.”</p><p></p><p>“Thank you. I will speak to my spy mistress, and see if she can move some people around to gain more information. And I thank you for the lead very much.”</p><p></p><p>“No matter. It was the least we could do.”</p><p></p><p>“Things go well for you otherwise?”</p><p></p><p>“They do, they do," replies Alistair. "We continue to have some difficulties with these great enemies. Some of them attempted to entrap one of my vassals, to lead him into a situation where they could assassinate him or capture him for foul purposes. That was most dismaying, but we were able to to deal with that without that much difficulty.”</p><p></p><p>“We hear that they seem obsessed with you.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, they are. We gather there are some prophecies.”</p><p></p><p>“Of course, you also have become a powerful figure in your church.”</p><p></p><p>“Indeed, that may drive them as well. Some of the powerful figures in your church have been major targets of theirs to unfortunate effect.”</p><p></p><p>“That is exactly right, your Majesty.”</p><p></p><p>They discuss the campaign in Hanal. Ecsilias has been able to capture the voller yards outside the capital, though not to make them operational against the usurpers’ sky navy.</p><p></p><p>“I do believe there's a way forward to victory, unless there's something going on that we don't see,” says the Archbaron.</p><p></p><p>“There are some plans in motion that that the Queen-Empress Anastasia has underway that I hope in the next few months will give us some additional hope of victory.”</p><p></p><p>“Spring will be the time for the next campaign to begin fully. I fear that it will be more than a generation before Hanal is what we have always thought of.”</p><p></p><p>“But perhaps the new Hanal will be a better Hanal, however much of it remains.”</p><p></p><p>“Indeed, I hope you're correct, your majesty. I also hope that they recover fairly quickly, because they are the balance to Masque. Both are expansionistic powers, though with Anastasia in charge Hanal may become more restive as Masque has with Flana in charge, and we might see a new balance. But if Flana were overthrown, without Hanal to balance Masque, much of the North would fall.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you hear murmurings of motion against her?”</p><p></p><p>“Not all of the orders are happy, and of course, there are continuing problems with the Brown Lands and Yar. She's been moving additional troops to hold the borders there. Now three full orders have been fully committed to suppressing anything from exiting—the Boar, the Spider, and one other. My agents within report to me that that there is evidence that the soldiers that are overly exposed to to the border sometimes can no longer bear children or bear mutants. When mutants are born, the law of Masque states that they must be put to death, which does not make for a non tense internal situation.”</p><p></p><p>“No. I thought that much of the social order of Masque was based on the fact that that mutants were so prevalent. All the stuff with the masks.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes; but to reach the age of majority, a child must not have an obvious mutation. If a masked couple have a child that’s known to the authorities to be a mutant, the child is put to death. This leads to some tension and concealment from the government, which you do not want. At any rate, historically, I'm told that the Order of the Spider alone sustained the border. They do not have children. They are an all-female order, and to join the order they have forsworn having offspring. The two orders that have been moved in to back them are male orders, many of them with families, with wives, with children. It’s a necessity—the creatures coming out of the Brown Lands and Yar can be quite a threat to the commons--but it is not encouraging the people to loyalty to Flana.</p><p></p><p>“And, of course, now the rumor has begun spreading, as I'm sure your own agents have told you, that the reason that this was not a problem before is because the King-Emperor somehow restrained the powers of the Brown Land and Yar, and that Flana murdered the King-Emperor to take the throne. Well, you see where that leads, your Majesty.”</p><p></p><p>“Indeed.”</p><p></p><p>“So I would not say there is a danger now. The Order of the Mantis is a bulwark, and they know she had nothing to do with murdering the King-Emperor. As it spreads, who can say? I do not see a problem soon. But twenty years from now, ten years from now, I cannot say for sure.”</p><p></p><p>“I appreciate your information. It is something that we all need to keep an eye on. There was one other matters that I wanted to to inquire about. We have had, as I mentioned, a small problem recently, with a trap that was laid for one of my vassals. They kidnapped a friend of his and sought to use that to lead him into a trap. When we were able to rescue his friend and end the danger, we found that there was evidence that suggested that someone had sent an assassin to try to eliminate the risk of the trap in a, shall we say, more aggressive way. We think that that the people who did that had the best of intentions. But it still offends us that someone would, not to put too fine a point on it, but to take out a contract on the life of one of our people and seek to deal with that directly rather than consulting us. Now, we don't know who it might have been, who was responsible for this. But we do believe that they hired an assassin in Enclaves, and since this took place in your sphere of influence, we thought that you might be in a better position to infer who might have been responsible.”</p><p></p><p>“Hiring an assassin in Enclaves… that's a very odd way to go about things.”</p><p></p><p>“We have fewer assassins than many empires, but it's a long way to travel.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, it is, and I can ask my own agents to look into the matter, but it seems you believe they had good intention. I do not blame you for being angry. I will see if I can find anything. There are not that many nations that hire assassins and would have good intentions but there are some. Give me a week. I will talk to my spy mistress and have us poll our agents. This smacks of Lady Talon—it’s the type of thing she would do. I don't know why she would, although she is now seeking allies abroad. The Assassins Guild is notoriously tight lipped about its clients, but we may be able to ferret something out. It does seem like her style, though, and she has the gift of premonition. So I can imagine her taking a preemptive move if she saw something, particularly if she thought it might harm you. She views you with hope for the South.”</p><p></p><p>“Had the trap succeeded, it would have harmed us badly. However, had the assassin succeeded, it would have harmed us significantly, even as it would have prevented the worst problems.”</p><p></p><p>“Premonitions. I would never run my kingdom using it. Now, Lady Talon, she's a high secret order witch. It's what they do.”</p><p></p><p>“You know that they have faced demonic attacks that are aligned with the Eldritch.”</p><p></p><p>“Lovely. Yes, and she does have a tendency to handle things... I'll see if I can find out if you're correct. I have probably more agents there than you do. We have to. After all, we're right there.”</p><p></p><p>“Exactly. And though it is true that we have become closer to Lady Talon and her people then Canberry was, say, twenty years ago, we're still not truly allies.”</p><p></p><p>“I wonder if anyone is ever truly allied with the high secret order. That's the thing they always have their own agenda and their own mystical needs that they have to pursue that are separate from what might seems sensible to more grounded-in-the-mundane people. If she viewed you in a vision as being important to her future, she'd be all too likely to act on it.”</p><p></p><p>“At the same time, there are actions that you can take that would be appreciated, and there are other actions. I can't confront her about this without more information.”</p><p></p><p>“I'll see what I can do. It’s extraordinarily difficult to get information out of the Assassins’ Guild, but we might be able to gain information about a money transfer. Such a transfer would almost have to go through the Bank of Opposition, if they are for significant sums, and the fee for hiring an assassin to attempt to interfere in business that far south would be a significant sum. Bank records are, shall we say, not as secure.”</p><p></p><p>“We will be most grateful for anything you can turn up. One other minor matter. You know of the value of orichalcum in protecting against certain powers? As a result, I at all times, and both my closest advisors and my closest vassals, wear small amounts of orichalcum.”</p><p></p><p>“Isn't that explosive?”</p><p></p><p>“Well, yes, that's why I wear it in a pinky ring. I could stand to lose the digit if that were necessary to save my life. I mention this in part, because we have word that Zorplona-Moriquendarim has techniques that can produce very fine amounts of orichalcum that are still effective as protections and as weapons against the Eldritch, but without some of the hazards associated with a larger amount. I suspect that if you were to approach them they would be interested in selling to you? Now, of course you know as well as I do that any business with the elves who are not of the youngest varieties of elves carries a high cost.”</p><p></p><p>“Oh yes.”</p><p></p><p>“But it might be worth your while to approach them for some trade, and I know that they are eager to find new markets.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, it's still so suspicious to my people that they appear to have abandoned slavery so abruptly.”</p><p></p><p>“It has to do with their internal factions.”</p><p></p><p>“Ah. Yes, I will send an ambassador to them.”</p><p></p><p>They wrap up with some pleasantries, and then attend to the needs of the psion who made the link and is now kneeling on the floor, surrounded by a pool of ice water.</p><p></p><p>“I should have thought of following the money, I really should have,” said Kit. “And the Broken Lands was another possibility we thought about—they might think they were our friends without really being our friends. Lady Talon’s spy mistress needs to learn they cannot do that in Canberry.”</p><p></p><p>“Let's wait.”</p><p></p><p>“I know, we need that confirmation. But then, that message should come via you or Empress’s Kaitlyn, if we can confirm this so that we are absolutely sure of it.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, what I would ideally like to do is have the Body on the Mouth's behalf send a signal of strength at the same time as I or Kaitlyn diplomatically express our displeasure. To signal our power, and that while we appreciate their desire for friendship, we want to get across that there are certain lines with us.”</p><p></p><p>“And if you have a premonition that we are in danger, you tell us. You don't run an operation in our land.”</p><p></p><p>“Exactly. And in the same way that we were concerned that Ecsilias was being overly eager to show that it was a power, even though it is not truly a great power, it may be necessary to remind the Confederacy that, despite their personal power, they are not a great power.”</p><p></p><p>“I do like the ‘sending flowers to someone's secret girlfriend’ approach,” Kit says. “And if they ever want to actually be our allies, they need to never do that again. I’ll have my people set something up for when we have confirmation.”</p><p></p><p>3 O-Tar</p><p>They gather in a private chapel in the palace for Jamie’s Enlightening. Bishop Waters is performing the ceremony. Dame Brionna and Lord Silverleaves (whose bed has been brought in) will be the godparents. The ceremony is basically small, although there are still quite a few guests. Alistair is dressed in finery, but with no regalia, as he appears as “Sir Alistair of Lyneham.” Kit is in her regalia as Countess of Lyneham. Jamie’s siblings are there as well, of course, and Kaitlyn and her special friend were invited, but with a clear understanding that whether she feels comfortable attending is entirely up to her. They in fact feel entirely comfortable with the whole matter, and attend in Southern Kingdom court style.</p><p></p><p>The service goes smoothly and without any difficulties, and the socializing afterwards is straightforward.</p><p>[End Session 142]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8862046, member: 7030144"] [Session 142, cont'd] Alistair points out that, when they were in Lyneham, there was a young man with fertility problems at the same time as the cult of the Ram was becoming active, and that might have led to a bigger problem. Kit reaches out to the owner of the bawdy house in Lyneham (who was assigned by the Naughty Bits, of course) to find out about the person with the complicated parental history. <<I wanted to check in about a child who should have been born recently.>> Kit gives her agent a description of the family and the danger signs. <<The child is hale and healthy, with none of the danger signs. So not with the child at least.>> <<What about the father?>> <<The father's dead! He was really ripped apart by something north of the town wall when he was out cutting wood. Probably mauled by a bear. There have been other deaths of that sort, but not in years. The locals, though, are sure it was a bear.>> <<How's the widow taking it?>> <<She wasn't happy. I mean, she loved him. That was obvious. I don't really understand that part-- you know, you use ‘em for what you want and then you move on, I’ve always said. But I guess that was not her way, and she did love him, and she was very sad, but she was also afraid because he was the breadwinner.>> <<Is she all right now?>> <<Aye, your steward took her in as a seamstress. So now you have a seamstress.>> <<Good, and that is exactly why I put him there as the steward, because he is the sort of person who would take care of things like that.>> <<The priest did their thing and buried him. Very sad, really. There aren't often wild animal attacks. Apparently they've seen bear attacks before, but not for twenty years. I'm not wandering out of town, I'll tell you that right now, my lady.>> <<Was it a full moon when he was killed?>> <<Yes, it was. Why? Oh, you think it might have been a werebear?>> <<So, the werefolk in town are good citizens. I want to maintain good relations with them. But if this was a lovers quarrel gone wrong with a werefolk...>> <<Oh dear, that if that's all it was, then the matter is probably over. But I really hope that woman is all right.>> <<It’s notable that werebears to an even greater degree then the other lycanthropes in that area are known for being both lawful and good.>> <<Oh, so maybe the late husband was up to no good, and the wearbear was doing some kind of justice… I'll see what I can do to look into it. My lady, you know there's more trade through here now, also. So it might have been someone passing through. And unfortunately, the town is too small to really support more than the two knights.>> <<Well, we're hoping to make the town grow a little bit more but I trust your discretion on making those inquiries. My main concern is for the woman's welfare.>> <<I'll make certain.>> <<I think the threat from the Order of the Ram is probably over, but we want to make absolutely sure.>> <<I've seen no signs, but we will certainly keep an eye out.>> <<I trust your discretion, and you know how to contact me if you need to. We’re also going to be setting up an Order of the Stag—their head will be a good person for you to know.>> <<Very good. Thank you for keeping an eye on us, milady.>> <<You're welcome. We'll be able to travel back to Lyneham soon, I hope.>> <<Oh, the people would love to see you, milady, you're a legend here.>> <<A legend!>> <<Oh, yes! Well, you got to realize about the town, I've been told more times than I want to discuss, it was failing completely, and falling, I think, into a hole in the ground. Well, and then you came along, and it does seem to be growing over time. And the next thing they knew the town was on sound footing. The manor had been repaired. The inn had more custom. Now there's tourism--there really isn't my lady, it's merchants--but they see it as tourism.>> <<I'm glad that I could help, and Lyneham is a good place. It just needed someone to pay attention to it.>> <<And they're very happy to have you as their liege-lady, and they think they might be part of the Empire of Canberry but nobody can decide if they are.>> <<They absolutely are, and the Empire will take good care of them as well. In a few months, when the heir to Lyneham is a little more able to travel and a little more interactive, we'll be bringing him for an official visit.>> <<Oh, the steward will be delighted, I'm sure, everyone will be. Just please, my lady, let me know in advance.>> <<And your establishment does well?>> <<Oh, absolutely. Definitely the liveliest bawdy house I've ever seen, in part because the people don't have anything to do. Everyone comes to the bawdy house for the burlesque. They can learn how to include low humor in our burlesque-- high humor isn’t worth trying.>> <<Right. Well, maybe you can branch out into other kinds of, you know, performance.>> <<We have regular singing and dancing to give them entertainment. We have even added a poetry night. You don't want to know what they come up with as poetry, my lady, I want you to know I've had a little education, I know that a poem ought to rhyme.>> <<Generally, yes.>> <<Well, they don't.>> <<I'm glad that they are enjoying themselves, and giving you some kind of artistic satisfaction.>> <<And that school miss you sent is doing a bang-up job with the kids. Maybe she can give some lessons to the grown-ups about literature and poetry. I've been trying to figure out how to suggest that. I’ll see what I can do.>> <<It’s winter, they need some indoor pursuits.>> <<Yep. If that will be all, it's an honor to talk to you.>> <<Thank you. I appreciate your service, and please let me know if you find out anything else. Otherwise we will be in touch at the time of regular reports.>> “If it’s the main entertainment in town, that also means that we will almost certainly need to attend the burlesque when we visit,” comments Alistair with a bit of a smile. “And then we're going right home,” responds Kit. “Of course. I'm just saying that one needs to be seen at major functions of the town.” “Also, it's her county,” adds Dame Brionna, a little severely. “Of course it's her county.” “And we’ll go to the burlesque, but then we're going right home after,” says Kit firmly. ----- A Farsensor creates a connection to Ecsilias. “Your Majesty." “Your most excellency. We had a few matters that we wanted to discuss with you, and also it felt that it would be wise in general for our lands to maintain closer ties especially in light of the current needs with regard to Hanal and with providing security guarantees for Ecsilias while Ecsilias takes actions in Hanal that we could not ourselves do. We wanted to know whether you were aware of some difficulties in the City of the Dead in Enclaves.” “No?” “We found out about this through some papers that we captured from the enemy, that the Forbidden, the Eldritch, have stirred up an uprising within the City of the Dead against the Priests of Death and against Zorplona-Moriquendarim, who would otherwise be in control there. They are taking actions to reclaim the area, but they have as yet not fully done so. Once we had learned of the initial problem, we received confirmation from some of the leaders of your faith who, of course, maintain closer ties to the Priests of Death than we do. But it's quite a difficult problem, and there have been further issues, both there and elsewhere, with graveyards being defiled, and the undead being raised, and attacks against both the Priests of Death and against others who would try to maintain the peaceful repose of the corpses.” “Very concerning.” “It is, and especially because Enclaves is, as it were, in your backyard, we thought that it was particularly appropriate that we provide information about that to you, shall we say in a spirit of comity and in the spirit of recognition that matters that happen closer to you, even if they are beyond your formal boundaries, are of more significant interests to you than they are to us, and we should respect that in the same way that of course, we're sure that you would similarly respect issues that arise in areas near Canberry that might come to your attention.” “We’re deeply appreciative of this, your Majesty. As a point of fact, there are millions of corpses in the City of the Dead. If they managed a mass raising of corpses and desecration, it could cause more than a little problem throughout the region.” “That’s why we felt that it's important that we all support our allies in regaining control over that area and in purging the ongoing problems.” “Thank you. I will speak to my spy mistress, and see if she can move some people around to gain more information. And I thank you for the lead very much.” “No matter. It was the least we could do.” “Things go well for you otherwise?” “They do, they do," replies Alistair. "We continue to have some difficulties with these great enemies. Some of them attempted to entrap one of my vassals, to lead him into a situation where they could assassinate him or capture him for foul purposes. That was most dismaying, but we were able to to deal with that without that much difficulty.” “We hear that they seem obsessed with you.” “Yes, they are. We gather there are some prophecies.” “Of course, you also have become a powerful figure in your church.” “Indeed, that may drive them as well. Some of the powerful figures in your church have been major targets of theirs to unfortunate effect.” “That is exactly right, your Majesty.” They discuss the campaign in Hanal. Ecsilias has been able to capture the voller yards outside the capital, though not to make them operational against the usurpers’ sky navy. “I do believe there's a way forward to victory, unless there's something going on that we don't see,” says the Archbaron. “There are some plans in motion that that the Queen-Empress Anastasia has underway that I hope in the next few months will give us some additional hope of victory.” “Spring will be the time for the next campaign to begin fully. I fear that it will be more than a generation before Hanal is what we have always thought of.” “But perhaps the new Hanal will be a better Hanal, however much of it remains.” “Indeed, I hope you're correct, your majesty. I also hope that they recover fairly quickly, because they are the balance to Masque. Both are expansionistic powers, though with Anastasia in charge Hanal may become more restive as Masque has with Flana in charge, and we might see a new balance. But if Flana were overthrown, without Hanal to balance Masque, much of the North would fall.” “Do you hear murmurings of motion against her?” “Not all of the orders are happy, and of course, there are continuing problems with the Brown Lands and Yar. She's been moving additional troops to hold the borders there. Now three full orders have been fully committed to suppressing anything from exiting—the Boar, the Spider, and one other. My agents within report to me that that there is evidence that the soldiers that are overly exposed to to the border sometimes can no longer bear children or bear mutants. When mutants are born, the law of Masque states that they must be put to death, which does not make for a non tense internal situation.” “No. I thought that much of the social order of Masque was based on the fact that that mutants were so prevalent. All the stuff with the masks.” “Yes; but to reach the age of majority, a child must not have an obvious mutation. If a masked couple have a child that’s known to the authorities to be a mutant, the child is put to death. This leads to some tension and concealment from the government, which you do not want. At any rate, historically, I'm told that the Order of the Spider alone sustained the border. They do not have children. They are an all-female order, and to join the order they have forsworn having offspring. The two orders that have been moved in to back them are male orders, many of them with families, with wives, with children. It’s a necessity—the creatures coming out of the Brown Lands and Yar can be quite a threat to the commons--but it is not encouraging the people to loyalty to Flana. “And, of course, now the rumor has begun spreading, as I'm sure your own agents have told you, that the reason that this was not a problem before is because the King-Emperor somehow restrained the powers of the Brown Land and Yar, and that Flana murdered the King-Emperor to take the throne. Well, you see where that leads, your Majesty.” “Indeed.” “So I would not say there is a danger now. The Order of the Mantis is a bulwark, and they know she had nothing to do with murdering the King-Emperor. As it spreads, who can say? I do not see a problem soon. But twenty years from now, ten years from now, I cannot say for sure.” “I appreciate your information. It is something that we all need to keep an eye on. There was one other matters that I wanted to to inquire about. We have had, as I mentioned, a small problem recently, with a trap that was laid for one of my vassals. They kidnapped a friend of his and sought to use that to lead him into a trap. When we were able to rescue his friend and end the danger, we found that there was evidence that suggested that someone had sent an assassin to try to eliminate the risk of the trap in a, shall we say, more aggressive way. We think that that the people who did that had the best of intentions. But it still offends us that someone would, not to put too fine a point on it, but to take out a contract on the life of one of our people and seek to deal with that directly rather than consulting us. Now, we don't know who it might have been, who was responsible for this. But we do believe that they hired an assassin in Enclaves, and since this took place in your sphere of influence, we thought that you might be in a better position to infer who might have been responsible.” “Hiring an assassin in Enclaves… that's a very odd way to go about things.” “We have fewer assassins than many empires, but it's a long way to travel.” “Yes, it is, and I can ask my own agents to look into the matter, but it seems you believe they had good intention. I do not blame you for being angry. I will see if I can find anything. There are not that many nations that hire assassins and would have good intentions but there are some. Give me a week. I will talk to my spy mistress and have us poll our agents. This smacks of Lady Talon—it’s the type of thing she would do. I don't know why she would, although she is now seeking allies abroad. The Assassins Guild is notoriously tight lipped about its clients, but we may be able to ferret something out. It does seem like her style, though, and she has the gift of premonition. So I can imagine her taking a preemptive move if she saw something, particularly if she thought it might harm you. She views you with hope for the South.” “Had the trap succeeded, it would have harmed us badly. However, had the assassin succeeded, it would have harmed us significantly, even as it would have prevented the worst problems.” “Premonitions. I would never run my kingdom using it. Now, Lady Talon, she's a high secret order witch. It's what they do.” “You know that they have faced demonic attacks that are aligned with the Eldritch.” “Lovely. Yes, and she does have a tendency to handle things... I'll see if I can find out if you're correct. I have probably more agents there than you do. We have to. After all, we're right there.” “Exactly. And though it is true that we have become closer to Lady Talon and her people then Canberry was, say, twenty years ago, we're still not truly allies.” “I wonder if anyone is ever truly allied with the high secret order. That's the thing they always have their own agenda and their own mystical needs that they have to pursue that are separate from what might seems sensible to more grounded-in-the-mundane people. If she viewed you in a vision as being important to her future, she'd be all too likely to act on it.” “At the same time, there are actions that you can take that would be appreciated, and there are other actions. I can't confront her about this without more information.” “I'll see what I can do. It’s extraordinarily difficult to get information out of the Assassins’ Guild, but we might be able to gain information about a money transfer. Such a transfer would almost have to go through the Bank of Opposition, if they are for significant sums, and the fee for hiring an assassin to attempt to interfere in business that far south would be a significant sum. Bank records are, shall we say, not as secure.” “We will be most grateful for anything you can turn up. One other minor matter. You know of the value of orichalcum in protecting against certain powers? As a result, I at all times, and both my closest advisors and my closest vassals, wear small amounts of orichalcum.” “Isn't that explosive?” “Well, yes, that's why I wear it in a pinky ring. I could stand to lose the digit if that were necessary to save my life. I mention this in part, because we have word that Zorplona-Moriquendarim has techniques that can produce very fine amounts of orichalcum that are still effective as protections and as weapons against the Eldritch, but without some of the hazards associated with a larger amount. I suspect that if you were to approach them they would be interested in selling to you? Now, of course you know as well as I do that any business with the elves who are not of the youngest varieties of elves carries a high cost.” “Oh yes.” “But it might be worth your while to approach them for some trade, and I know that they are eager to find new markets.” “Yes, it's still so suspicious to my people that they appear to have abandoned slavery so abruptly.” “It has to do with their internal factions.” “Ah. Yes, I will send an ambassador to them.” They wrap up with some pleasantries, and then attend to the needs of the psion who made the link and is now kneeling on the floor, surrounded by a pool of ice water. “I should have thought of following the money, I really should have,” said Kit. “And the Broken Lands was another possibility we thought about—they might think they were our friends without really being our friends. Lady Talon’s spy mistress needs to learn they cannot do that in Canberry.” “Let's wait.” “I know, we need that confirmation. But then, that message should come via you or Empress’s Kaitlyn, if we can confirm this so that we are absolutely sure of it.” “Yes, what I would ideally like to do is have the Body on the Mouth's behalf send a signal of strength at the same time as I or Kaitlyn diplomatically express our displeasure. To signal our power, and that while we appreciate their desire for friendship, we want to get across that there are certain lines with us.” “And if you have a premonition that we are in danger, you tell us. You don't run an operation in our land.” “Exactly. And in the same way that we were concerned that Ecsilias was being overly eager to show that it was a power, even though it is not truly a great power, it may be necessary to remind the Confederacy that, despite their personal power, they are not a great power.” “I do like the ‘sending flowers to someone's secret girlfriend’ approach,” Kit says. “And if they ever want to actually be our allies, they need to never do that again. I’ll have my people set something up for when we have confirmation.” 3 O-Tar They gather in a private chapel in the palace for Jamie’s Enlightening. Bishop Waters is performing the ceremony. Dame Brionna and Lord Silverleaves (whose bed has been brought in) will be the godparents. The ceremony is basically small, although there are still quite a few guests. Alistair is dressed in finery, but with no regalia, as he appears as “Sir Alistair of Lyneham.” Kit is in her regalia as Countess of Lyneham. Jamie’s siblings are there as well, of course, and Kaitlyn and her special friend were invited, but with a clear understanding that whether she feels comfortable attending is entirely up to her. They in fact feel entirely comfortable with the whole matter, and attend in Southern Kingdom court style. The service goes smoothly and without any difficulties, and the socializing afterwards is straightforward. [End Session 142] [/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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