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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: 8401159" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[session 63 cont'd; an extra long post to make up for the missed post on Wednesday, when I got confused about what day of the week it was...]</p><p></p><p>The Council asks Dame Constance about the Heresy of Osmosis.</p><p></p><p>"It’s a heresy among the daemons, mostly the lesser ones but some arcanaloths; Morgroth tolerates it, or at least seems amused by it."</p><p></p><p>"Are the daemons Morgrothian, then?" </p><p></p><p>"Perhaps 1 out of 20 explicitly acknowledges it, but they are connected to him—his Noldar wizards can summon and bind them with extraordinary ease. There are experimenters among them, and they have discovered natural processes, including Osmosis and Phagocytosis. Some of the less enlightened daemons decided that these principles, Osmosis and Phagocytosis, were actually gods and deserved worship. It is bizarre and primitive cult behavior, and the two factions tear each other apart. And no one sane deliberately summons a member of either group for binding, except for the powerful Noldar. But they are much more ferocious than normal daemons of their kind. No human has ever succeeded in binding one, but a few have been gifted a few."</p><p></p><p>"Including, apparently, us. We can call on a special force of Heretics of Osmosis (20 Yugodaemons, commanded by the Arcanadaemon Chronazon), as a gift from Lady Leansilas."</p><p></p><p>"He’s rather famous," says Dame Constance. "I believe that he was the commander of the daemons in service to Morgroth on the Fields of Blood northeast of Krashmere."</p><p></p><p>The Council then asks about how the devils would respond to finding out that the pretender to the throne of Hanal is a demon and in league with demons. She says they wouldn’t like it, but how they would react would depend on the bindings, on the exact terms of the infernal contracts. </p><p></p><p>"Could it invalidate the pacts?"</p><p></p><p>"For lesser devils, no, depending on how tightly the pacts were drawn. For a Duke, perhaps. Dispater, though, would be highly displeased, unless he could find a way to use it to his advantage. He is the cleverest of the archdevils except for the lord of the Nine. He is loyal enough to the principles of law that if there were no advantage, he would oppose chaos, but he could work with chaos for his own advantage."</p><p></p><p>---</p><p>The day passes. The night passes uneventfully as well!</p><p></p><p>1 Tar-Skard:</p><p>The Grandmaster Farsensor joins the Council at breakfast at a civilized time. The flight commander informs the Council that his medical officer has been able to help several people, including the Archbishop of Hanal, and the Kov of Stilwart, a small mountainous territory internal to Hanal where they grow a great many wine grapes. His primary export was wine; there’s still some on the ships. The Kov’s lands have presumably been seized; he may also lose some of his limbs, but at least he’s stable now. They should arrive around evening.</p><p></p><p>Talk to Lady Constance about why demons and devils are nervous around Enclaves. "There is a powerful emanation from somewhere within or near the City. It discomfits them. Some do still operate there, but some also go missing—some demons. I believe they are destroyed. Most practitioners believe that the emanation is from Northern Aurelian, but that is not true."</p><p></p><p>"Could an Archangel produce an emanation with those effects?"</p><p></p><p>"It could. And that would explain why the demons go missing and not the devils—angels are more inimical to demons than devils.</p><p></p><p>An Archangel would not be bindable. It could likely not be banished either. The best approach would likely be to distract him, so their agents can recover what they want. The agents cannot fight him—even the Champion would likely not be able to best him.</p><p></p><p>He is almost certainly placebound—unable to move more than 2 to 5 miles, unless more than half his hoard were removed.</p><p></p><p>Kit asks, is it possible that the counterbalancing force of good is the Archangel itself? He is a force of good for sure, if it is simply a balance of forces, but if it is a balance between artifacts, likely not.</p><p></p><p>That evening, a balding, rotund man rushes up. “Message, your grace.”</p><p></p><p>An image of a rough looking middle-aged man, in a kettle shaped helmet appears. “Your Grace. We’ve got twenty ships directly across the border from us. They’ve set down a thousand marines, and demanded that we turn over the refugees we don’t have.”</p><p></p><p>The Council tells them to inform the Hanalians that the refugees have been granted asylum and will not be discharged; not to initiate conflict, but if they attack, to defeat them.</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna sends a sending to warn them to be wary of demonic or diabolic magic.</p><p></p><p>2 Tar-Skard:</p><p>Among the documents to be signed is a sealed letter from the Hanalian ambassador requesting an audience. The Council grants the audience, but have an image of Alistair projected, and Aunt Cecilia present.</p><p></p><p>A man in very elegant greens, with incongruous and partially hidden bandages appears, prostrates himself and crawls towards the throne.</p><p></p><p>“Your Grace, I requested this on an emergency basis. We received orders to depart the Court of Canberry and to return to Hanal. I request permission for my wife and son to remain in Canberry.”</p><p></p><p>“It is the position of the Archduchy of Canberry that Princess Anastasia is the rightful Empress, that when her elder two sisters and mother died, she became the Empress. You are thus welcome to remain as ambassador.”</p><p></p><p>"That may explain why there was a different messenger, with an ecclesiastical message. He was pursued by a demon, who ripped him apart as he passed the wards that protect the embassy. My guards were also ripped apart, but I defeated the demon personally." </p><p></p><p>The Council arranges for the messenger’s body to be spoken with via Speak with Dead. We also arrange for the priest to report.</p><p></p><p>“The messenger was intended to inform the ambassador that the Temple was going to recognize Anastasia and that they believe that the present Empress is a traitor to the Temple. Apparently, the young man was quite devout. The chapel in the embassy was immaculate. He has a house priest—sort of. A very young military chaplain.”</p><p></p><p>The same balding gentleman reappears. “The officer wishes to report again.”</p><p></p><p>“Your grace, they haven’t crossed the border. But they have set up an encampment on the other side of it. The ships are the bigger threat, but they’re just sitting there. Their officers seem unsure about what to do.”</p><p></p><p>They don’t seem to have a fleet admiral with them—the highest rank we’ve seen is a commodore. They seem—disorganized.</p><p></p><p>Later that day, the Grandmaster Farsensor joins the Council again. "The Flight Captain’s men have looked at the ship, now that they’re landed in your territory. There’s little they can do to repair them. The fortress where they’ve landed will never withstand an attack. It’s ill maintained, ill supplied, and with a small garrison (although a disciplined garrison)." He asked if Canberry could open a gate to move the refugees.</p><p></p><p>The Council asks Dame Constance—she says that she should be able to maintain the gate for 40 minutes, which should be enough to move both the wounded and the regular troops.</p><p></p><p>Grandmaster Farsensor suggests asking the Queen of Singing Leaves to send a man-of-war to reinforce the castle. It should be there by tomorrow evening.</p><p></p><p>Dame Constance gates them through-the Kov, the Archbishop, the Kov’s family, and his closest retainers. The Archbishop is badly injured; the Kov is likely to lose a leg. The Council sends the Minister of the Mind, who is a redactor; he takes a novice and a cask of skin and sinks the Kov into it. The Archbishop requests a discussion with the Glordiadelian Archbishop, and thanks Canberry for sanctuary.</p><p>* * *</p><p>The Council also speaks to the redactor who they sent to treat the Grand Duchess. </p><p></p><p>"There might have been someone of sufficient power to still help her, but if there was, it wasn’t me. There was blood penetrating the brain tissue. I believe an elf—a paragon or grandmaster—could have saved her, but I am neither. She had been mauled, and touched by an abomination that could not achieve its normal result. She was mauled in the form of a wolf, and someone struck her a blow that damaged her skull and blood ran into her brain. The elves knew this, and said that they needed to take her. But her entourage refused. I could probably have kept her body alive, but I could not save her mind. So I said that it was too late to save her."</p><p>[End session 63]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8401159, member: 7030144"] [session 63 cont'd; an extra long post to make up for the missed post on Wednesday, when I got confused about what day of the week it was...] The Council asks Dame Constance about the Heresy of Osmosis. "It’s a heresy among the daemons, mostly the lesser ones but some arcanaloths; Morgroth tolerates it, or at least seems amused by it." "Are the daemons Morgrothian, then?" "Perhaps 1 out of 20 explicitly acknowledges it, but they are connected to him—his Noldar wizards can summon and bind them with extraordinary ease. There are experimenters among them, and they have discovered natural processes, including Osmosis and Phagocytosis. Some of the less enlightened daemons decided that these principles, Osmosis and Phagocytosis, were actually gods and deserved worship. It is bizarre and primitive cult behavior, and the two factions tear each other apart. And no one sane deliberately summons a member of either group for binding, except for the powerful Noldar. But they are much more ferocious than normal daemons of their kind. No human has ever succeeded in binding one, but a few have been gifted a few." "Including, apparently, us. We can call on a special force of Heretics of Osmosis (20 Yugodaemons, commanded by the Arcanadaemon Chronazon), as a gift from Lady Leansilas." "He’s rather famous," says Dame Constance. "I believe that he was the commander of the daemons in service to Morgroth on the Fields of Blood northeast of Krashmere." The Council then asks about how the devils would respond to finding out that the pretender to the throne of Hanal is a demon and in league with demons. She says they wouldn’t like it, but how they would react would depend on the bindings, on the exact terms of the infernal contracts. "Could it invalidate the pacts?" "For lesser devils, no, depending on how tightly the pacts were drawn. For a Duke, perhaps. Dispater, though, would be highly displeased, unless he could find a way to use it to his advantage. He is the cleverest of the archdevils except for the lord of the Nine. He is loyal enough to the principles of law that if there were no advantage, he would oppose chaos, but he could work with chaos for his own advantage." --- The day passes. The night passes uneventfully as well! 1 Tar-Skard: The Grandmaster Farsensor joins the Council at breakfast at a civilized time. The flight commander informs the Council that his medical officer has been able to help several people, including the Archbishop of Hanal, and the Kov of Stilwart, a small mountainous territory internal to Hanal where they grow a great many wine grapes. His primary export was wine; there’s still some on the ships. The Kov’s lands have presumably been seized; he may also lose some of his limbs, but at least he’s stable now. They should arrive around evening. Talk to Lady Constance about why demons and devils are nervous around Enclaves. "There is a powerful emanation from somewhere within or near the City. It discomfits them. Some do still operate there, but some also go missing—some demons. I believe they are destroyed. Most practitioners believe that the emanation is from Northern Aurelian, but that is not true." "Could an Archangel produce an emanation with those effects?" "It could. And that would explain why the demons go missing and not the devils—angels are more inimical to demons than devils. An Archangel would not be bindable. It could likely not be banished either. The best approach would likely be to distract him, so their agents can recover what they want. The agents cannot fight him—even the Champion would likely not be able to best him. He is almost certainly placebound—unable to move more than 2 to 5 miles, unless more than half his hoard were removed. Kit asks, is it possible that the counterbalancing force of good is the Archangel itself? He is a force of good for sure, if it is simply a balance of forces, but if it is a balance between artifacts, likely not. That evening, a balding, rotund man rushes up. “Message, your grace.” An image of a rough looking middle-aged man, in a kettle shaped helmet appears. “Your Grace. We’ve got twenty ships directly across the border from us. They’ve set down a thousand marines, and demanded that we turn over the refugees we don’t have.” The Council tells them to inform the Hanalians that the refugees have been granted asylum and will not be discharged; not to initiate conflict, but if they attack, to defeat them. Dame Brionna sends a sending to warn them to be wary of demonic or diabolic magic. 2 Tar-Skard: Among the documents to be signed is a sealed letter from the Hanalian ambassador requesting an audience. The Council grants the audience, but have an image of Alistair projected, and Aunt Cecilia present. A man in very elegant greens, with incongruous and partially hidden bandages appears, prostrates himself and crawls towards the throne. “Your Grace, I requested this on an emergency basis. We received orders to depart the Court of Canberry and to return to Hanal. I request permission for my wife and son to remain in Canberry.” “It is the position of the Archduchy of Canberry that Princess Anastasia is the rightful Empress, that when her elder two sisters and mother died, she became the Empress. You are thus welcome to remain as ambassador.” "That may explain why there was a different messenger, with an ecclesiastical message. He was pursued by a demon, who ripped him apart as he passed the wards that protect the embassy. My guards were also ripped apart, but I defeated the demon personally." The Council arranges for the messenger’s body to be spoken with via Speak with Dead. We also arrange for the priest to report. “The messenger was intended to inform the ambassador that the Temple was going to recognize Anastasia and that they believe that the present Empress is a traitor to the Temple. Apparently, the young man was quite devout. The chapel in the embassy was immaculate. He has a house priest—sort of. A very young military chaplain.” The same balding gentleman reappears. “The officer wishes to report again.” “Your grace, they haven’t crossed the border. But they have set up an encampment on the other side of it. The ships are the bigger threat, but they’re just sitting there. Their officers seem unsure about what to do.” They don’t seem to have a fleet admiral with them—the highest rank we’ve seen is a commodore. They seem—disorganized. Later that day, the Grandmaster Farsensor joins the Council again. "The Flight Captain’s men have looked at the ship, now that they’re landed in your territory. There’s little they can do to repair them. The fortress where they’ve landed will never withstand an attack. It’s ill maintained, ill supplied, and with a small garrison (although a disciplined garrison)." He asked if Canberry could open a gate to move the refugees. The Council asks Dame Constance—she says that she should be able to maintain the gate for 40 minutes, which should be enough to move both the wounded and the regular troops. Grandmaster Farsensor suggests asking the Queen of Singing Leaves to send a man-of-war to reinforce the castle. It should be there by tomorrow evening. Dame Constance gates them through-the Kov, the Archbishop, the Kov’s family, and his closest retainers. The Archbishop is badly injured; the Kov is likely to lose a leg. The Council sends the Minister of the Mind, who is a redactor; he takes a novice and a cask of skin and sinks the Kov into it. The Archbishop requests a discussion with the Glordiadelian Archbishop, and thanks Canberry for sanctuary. * * * The Council also speaks to the redactor who they sent to treat the Grand Duchess. "There might have been someone of sufficient power to still help her, but if there was, it wasn’t me. There was blood penetrating the brain tissue. I believe an elf—a paragon or grandmaster—could have saved her, but I am neither. She had been mauled, and touched by an abomination that could not achieve its normal result. She was mauled in the form of a wolf, and someone struck her a blow that damaged her skull and blood ran into her brain. The elves knew this, and said that they needed to take her. But her entourage refused. I could probably have kept her body alive, but I could not save her mind. So I said that it was too late to save her." [End session 63] [/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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