[Session 127, cont'd]
<<Councillors. I know what this thing is, and I fear my companions do not. It is concerning. It is perfectly safe—they killed it, which is to their credit.>>
<<If you have information we should know, please come to the Council immediately.>>
Grandmaster Farsensor arrives quickly, having apparently run the whole distance. “That is a servitor, a Chengoth the Insatiable, of the Eighth Order of the One Beside, who is also known as the One who is Never Pleased. It is a slightly higher ranking demon in their hierarchy. They never stop consuming what they can reach, and they are more powerful and harder to summon than seen-unseen. They are expensive to summon, with spears of gold and mithril carved with special runes, and with substantial sacrifices. They may be what are being summoned with the sacrifices of human peasantry. The altars would be what would be used to bind them. The Chengoth must be bound, because they will otherwise consume everything they can reach because they cannot be satiated. They are perhaps the intelligence of a smart boar. Their only scroll of bringing forth the Unthinkable listed this creature as one that should not be invoked except in desperate circumstances.”
“The other question is why they wanted to send them into the arctic sea.”
“Their original plan was to bring in one of the Three, or at least their greater servants. They have been stymied thus far. But these are tied to the One Beside, who is established here as Arthranax. But the cultists of the Goddess of the Pale Bone and One Other might want to summon something tied to him to pursue their goals—it might be easier. The right hand of the One Beside was brought through as the Blue Star. The general of his forces was called Narkanoah. He was the equivalent, perhaps, of the lord of a demonic plane on the Abyss. He controlled at the time of the first war a robust army of insect-demons, though some of those have surely been consumed by the Three. But to summon him would be very difficult. There should be an expedition into the arctic; probably a voller, probably an elven or Noldar voller. It is strange that they did not send them by vollers, though perhaps they cannot. And if the expedition sees black-shelled creatures in any number, it should flee immediately if it is not a Noldar or Eldar voller.”
“Can we learn more from the body?”
“A greater archmagus, of either of the great elven people, could learn more than I can. I am not particularly strong in magic.” He reaches out to the Queen of Singing Leaves and says her envoy will arrive in about two days.
Dame Brionna walks over to talk to the “archon of Glordiadel,” which is a strange title because “archons” are usually only created by Eiru, whereas Glordiadel and other good gods create angels.
“I am one of the forty who were given over to Glordiadel after he emerged and the Founding Powers decided that he was not going to go away; at first, they thought Glordiadel was a dream who would fade. Firstly, we are very fortunate for the Compact among the Gods. I think someone underestimated us; it carries plague, and the sacrifice of those who died of plague would let in its masters. But the Compact of the Gods prevents plague, and that would even hold power against the Abominator himself. This is good. What is not good…” It shifts the body with a stick. “You see that design on its belt? That is the eight interlocking squares. I have not seen that since the first war. It weakens the walls between this place and theirs. One of the reasons Glordiadel sent me was that he also recognized it. I can constrain it, but I cannot destroy it because I am not mortal. You could break that symbol, though you should ask me any questions before you do so, because I will depart when it is destroyed. After it is destroyed, none should touch the dust from the sigil on the belt; it would consume any who touched it. It will destroy the weapon when it shatters. It must be either magical, of the third circle of power, or laen. When it shatters, it will lose the ability to weaken the walls. And he--” points at the Chengoth “—will be irrevocably and utterly destroyed, not just on this plane but on all planes.”
Dame Brionna asks about the stolen hosts of angels, and the archon says that he will try to convert them. "He" meaning “the former Noldar lord, who is no longer truly a Noldar. He has done something I did not know was still possible, but he will need powerful servants if his ploy fails. I do not know why he thinks his ploy can succeed.”
The Archon blesses the two imperial babies. They stop fidgeting and look at him. Then as Kit walks near, he blesses her as well, with golden sparkles of light descending on each of them.
“Do you know what that former Noldar’s ploy is?”
“I know what his original ploy was, 103 years ago. Do you know why he turned originally?”
“That his defeat by the Cities of Crystal changed him, though not how.”
“The one who was soul woven with him, as only elves can, died in the assault. He had been wrongly led to believe that the Cities were weak enough that he could seize their wealth. The Hand, an elven assassin who had turned long ago, then turned him after he went mad because of his beloved’s death. He then started offering sacrifices, in an effort to gain enough power to gain revenge on the Cities of Crystal and to recover his beloved’s body and to restore him to life. Impossible, but he was misled again. Three years ago, his sacrifices were noticed by an auditor in Krashmere and he was removed. What they did not know was that one of the Three was here—even we did not know, and if Lord Eiru or Morgroth knew, they did not tell anyone. And I think they did not, because he has now captured the Lord of the Cities of Pain. Their intent appears to have been to get enough sacrifices in Hanal to allow them through. His intent is different—to reach enough power, knowing that bringing them all through is beyond them, to bring through major forces, focusing on the One Beside’s creatures, which he can then transfer to his own plane once he finishes capturing it from Sytry. It is probably not possible to expel the One Beside. Fortunately, he is alone here, and he does not have the power alone that the three of them do. He wants to bring through enough of his servitors to control most of this plane. The other two want what they always wanted—they want that the one known as Quinliart would be able to bring them through and weaken the gates. Their greatest hope failed when they were defeated in the Spice Lands. There are 36 orders of creatures that serve them. They have preserved enough for an invasion, though that failed when the Seachen did not turn on the legions of the Spice Lands.”
Alistair tells the Archon about the consumption of Berta and asks if the Archon can understand that in the way that Glordiadel and his gods to understand.
“The gods find that hard to understand. Their principal servants, however understand. The consumption of Berta gives him a great advantage—three entire hierarchies, the corrupted temple of Sytry, the entire cult of Arthranax, and the remnants of the followers of Berta, who he has been careful to not reveal the truth to. The gods will understand eventually.”
The Archon believes that Sytry will flee before he is consumed, and then Arthranax would have to settle for being a greater god, not consuming all the gods. If Arthranax can be driven out of Sytry’s realm, then Sytry could remain, and he would descend to being merely a demon lord—which would be a great improvement. If he holds Sytry’s plane—he will take control of Sytry’s entire portfolio, and even when Sytry escaped, he would become like a greater god.
“They will run out of sacrifices in the capital soon. They have 300 blood-driven within the walls. Will they then open the energy walls and let them out? I suppose they will. The blood-driven are not vampires, though they are undead blood drinkers. They are far more violent, but they drink blood. As they age, they grow in both intelligence and power. A one-year old blood drinker is too stupid to move out of the fire without being told to, and would have the skill of a master human warrior [about level 15]. They continue growing in power and intelligence until the tenth year. Then they are sucked back into their principal with all they have gathered. But a tenth year is fearsome—many spells, strength at least as great as a stone giant, ability to cancel magic, immunity to lightning and cold, resistant to fire, only able to be damaged by laen weapons, able to drain hundreds in a day. The oldest currently are three years old. They are generally too stupid at that age to continue breaking into a place that has barred them out, but they do not need to be invited in. They can be killed by a clean decapitation, but staking them does not kill them. They took out the Moriquendarim embassy, although the ambassador and his immediate retinue escaped just before the walls fell.”
[End Session 127]
<<Councillors. I know what this thing is, and I fear my companions do not. It is concerning. It is perfectly safe—they killed it, which is to their credit.>>
<<If you have information we should know, please come to the Council immediately.>>
Grandmaster Farsensor arrives quickly, having apparently run the whole distance. “That is a servitor, a Chengoth the Insatiable, of the Eighth Order of the One Beside, who is also known as the One who is Never Pleased. It is a slightly higher ranking demon in their hierarchy. They never stop consuming what they can reach, and they are more powerful and harder to summon than seen-unseen. They are expensive to summon, with spears of gold and mithril carved with special runes, and with substantial sacrifices. They may be what are being summoned with the sacrifices of human peasantry. The altars would be what would be used to bind them. The Chengoth must be bound, because they will otherwise consume everything they can reach because they cannot be satiated. They are perhaps the intelligence of a smart boar. Their only scroll of bringing forth the Unthinkable listed this creature as one that should not be invoked except in desperate circumstances.”
“The other question is why they wanted to send them into the arctic sea.”
“Their original plan was to bring in one of the Three, or at least their greater servants. They have been stymied thus far. But these are tied to the One Beside, who is established here as Arthranax. But the cultists of the Goddess of the Pale Bone and One Other might want to summon something tied to him to pursue their goals—it might be easier. The right hand of the One Beside was brought through as the Blue Star. The general of his forces was called Narkanoah. He was the equivalent, perhaps, of the lord of a demonic plane on the Abyss. He controlled at the time of the first war a robust army of insect-demons, though some of those have surely been consumed by the Three. But to summon him would be very difficult. There should be an expedition into the arctic; probably a voller, probably an elven or Noldar voller. It is strange that they did not send them by vollers, though perhaps they cannot. And if the expedition sees black-shelled creatures in any number, it should flee immediately if it is not a Noldar or Eldar voller.”
“Can we learn more from the body?”
“A greater archmagus, of either of the great elven people, could learn more than I can. I am not particularly strong in magic.” He reaches out to the Queen of Singing Leaves and says her envoy will arrive in about two days.
Dame Brionna walks over to talk to the “archon of Glordiadel,” which is a strange title because “archons” are usually only created by Eiru, whereas Glordiadel and other good gods create angels.
“I am one of the forty who were given over to Glordiadel after he emerged and the Founding Powers decided that he was not going to go away; at first, they thought Glordiadel was a dream who would fade. Firstly, we are very fortunate for the Compact among the Gods. I think someone underestimated us; it carries plague, and the sacrifice of those who died of plague would let in its masters. But the Compact of the Gods prevents plague, and that would even hold power against the Abominator himself. This is good. What is not good…” It shifts the body with a stick. “You see that design on its belt? That is the eight interlocking squares. I have not seen that since the first war. It weakens the walls between this place and theirs. One of the reasons Glordiadel sent me was that he also recognized it. I can constrain it, but I cannot destroy it because I am not mortal. You could break that symbol, though you should ask me any questions before you do so, because I will depart when it is destroyed. After it is destroyed, none should touch the dust from the sigil on the belt; it would consume any who touched it. It will destroy the weapon when it shatters. It must be either magical, of the third circle of power, or laen. When it shatters, it will lose the ability to weaken the walls. And he--” points at the Chengoth “—will be irrevocably and utterly destroyed, not just on this plane but on all planes.”
Dame Brionna asks about the stolen hosts of angels, and the archon says that he will try to convert them. "He" meaning “the former Noldar lord, who is no longer truly a Noldar. He has done something I did not know was still possible, but he will need powerful servants if his ploy fails. I do not know why he thinks his ploy can succeed.”
The Archon blesses the two imperial babies. They stop fidgeting and look at him. Then as Kit walks near, he blesses her as well, with golden sparkles of light descending on each of them.
“Do you know what that former Noldar’s ploy is?”
“I know what his original ploy was, 103 years ago. Do you know why he turned originally?”
“That his defeat by the Cities of Crystal changed him, though not how.”
“The one who was soul woven with him, as only elves can, died in the assault. He had been wrongly led to believe that the Cities were weak enough that he could seize their wealth. The Hand, an elven assassin who had turned long ago, then turned him after he went mad because of his beloved’s death. He then started offering sacrifices, in an effort to gain enough power to gain revenge on the Cities of Crystal and to recover his beloved’s body and to restore him to life. Impossible, but he was misled again. Three years ago, his sacrifices were noticed by an auditor in Krashmere and he was removed. What they did not know was that one of the Three was here—even we did not know, and if Lord Eiru or Morgroth knew, they did not tell anyone. And I think they did not, because he has now captured the Lord of the Cities of Pain. Their intent appears to have been to get enough sacrifices in Hanal to allow them through. His intent is different—to reach enough power, knowing that bringing them all through is beyond them, to bring through major forces, focusing on the One Beside’s creatures, which he can then transfer to his own plane once he finishes capturing it from Sytry. It is probably not possible to expel the One Beside. Fortunately, he is alone here, and he does not have the power alone that the three of them do. He wants to bring through enough of his servitors to control most of this plane. The other two want what they always wanted—they want that the one known as Quinliart would be able to bring them through and weaken the gates. Their greatest hope failed when they were defeated in the Spice Lands. There are 36 orders of creatures that serve them. They have preserved enough for an invasion, though that failed when the Seachen did not turn on the legions of the Spice Lands.”
Alistair tells the Archon about the consumption of Berta and asks if the Archon can understand that in the way that Glordiadel and his gods to understand.
“The gods find that hard to understand. Their principal servants, however understand. The consumption of Berta gives him a great advantage—three entire hierarchies, the corrupted temple of Sytry, the entire cult of Arthranax, and the remnants of the followers of Berta, who he has been careful to not reveal the truth to. The gods will understand eventually.”
The Archon believes that Sytry will flee before he is consumed, and then Arthranax would have to settle for being a greater god, not consuming all the gods. If Arthranax can be driven out of Sytry’s realm, then Sytry could remain, and he would descend to being merely a demon lord—which would be a great improvement. If he holds Sytry’s plane—he will take control of Sytry’s entire portfolio, and even when Sytry escaped, he would become like a greater god.
“They will run out of sacrifices in the capital soon. They have 300 blood-driven within the walls. Will they then open the energy walls and let them out? I suppose they will. The blood-driven are not vampires, though they are undead blood drinkers. They are far more violent, but they drink blood. As they age, they grow in both intelligence and power. A one-year old blood drinker is too stupid to move out of the fire without being told to, and would have the skill of a master human warrior [about level 15]. They continue growing in power and intelligence until the tenth year. Then they are sucked back into their principal with all they have gathered. But a tenth year is fearsome—many spells, strength at least as great as a stone giant, ability to cancel magic, immunity to lightning and cold, resistant to fire, only able to be damaged by laen weapons, able to drain hundreds in a day. The oldest currently are three years old. They are generally too stupid at that age to continue breaking into a place that has barred them out, but they do not need to be invited in. They can be killed by a clean decapitation, but staking them does not kill them. They took out the Moriquendarim embassy, although the ambassador and his immediate retinue escaped just before the walls fell.”
[End Session 127]
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