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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: 8445360" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[session 71, cont'd]</p><p>Dame Brionna heads out by voller to meet the oncoming Lady Felicia’s ornithopters.</p><p></p><p>She alights from the most ornate of the ornithopters, with a masked Raven pilot.</p><p></p><p>The second most ornately masked Serpent compliments Dame Brionna.</p><p></p><p>"I have brought two wards for the area where the research will take place, as well as volunteers for the wards."</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna: "Volunteers?"</p><p></p><p>"The Queen-Empress suggested that you would not appreciate the use of prisoners, so we brought volunteers—their families will be well compensated."</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna explains that that will not be necessary.</p><p></p><p>They all travel to the old Rothgar estate. They bring out two strange devices, with strange magical tendrils, and chairs in the center of the devices. Those are the wards. There are a group of 15 desultory young people, mostly men but a few women, unmasked and with clearly less food.</p><p></p><p>"We are delighted to emplace things, but then, except for certain researchers who will be remaining, we will be departing."</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna conveys a personal invitation to Lady Felicia to visit at the palace, which she accepts. As the last of the ornithopters takes off, she claps delightedly. "You do realize those were slaves."</p><p></p><p>"They may once have been slaves—there are no slaves in Canberry."</p><p></p><p>"I am delighted to see that. Even the Queen-Empress who is beginning to be called the Goddess-Empress, is unable to end slavery, although she would wish to. She has within her house, the house of the Mantis. The wards are also appalling. They suck out life energy to power the wards that are highly effective, but when the victim dies, they are reduced to dust and the wards failed."</p><p></p><p>She is very excited to come to the palace—wants to meet the people who are the example for the free people of Drucien.</p><p></p><p>"Our enemies have been plotting for about 100 years. Human divination is unable to pierce their defenses; it would take assistance from your allies." She also brings along her young assistants to visit; after screening, they all come to the palace. Lord Brightspan says that none of them show any sign of taint. One of them has real scales—small serpent scales on his leg.</p><p></p><p>One of the youngest has vertically slit eyes, and seems very nervous about being unmasked. He bears some resemblance to Lady Felicia.</p><p></p><p>"After they leave, a gift for each of you from my father. As a final holdout, Dame Brionna, a ring of flame lancing. Good for a total of 30 seconds. Once it is exhausted it will take at least six months to recover. Dame Katherine, for you, the Grandmaster my Father divines sons. And therefore he sends you these toys to protect them—three animals, made of metal and crystal. They are small, but they are vicious golems. When the children reach majority, they will simply become toys. And for you, your grace, you have a reasonable concern about the seen and unseen. This device will test any bodily fluid, not just blood. It is more delicate than most creations, as it is crystal, but it should last indefinitely."</p><p></p><p>The Council warns her about sugar obliquely; she warns us about tea, matching the White Witch’s warning.</p><p></p><p>"He also asks whether we have any midranked nobility, who might marry a woman with an interest in alchemy. Baron Klahn is concerned about my youngest sister, the daughter of his late official wife. There could be a purge within 15 or 20 years. With the threat that Hanal has become—some of the warlords that believe that the leadership of a woman weakens a country."</p><p></p><p>Sorcery-science is basically a form of necromancy—the use of life energy to power magic—but without any raising of the dead.</p><p></p><p>"We sent a team to investigate Yael and Yarr, with a group of boars. One boar returned—we believe it was let go. 30 years ago, they would have encountered only disorganized tribes. Today, they were crushed. Somewhere within the brown lands, there is a great force of power driving it. It could be the throne-globe, the greatest achievement of sorcerous-science. It could be used as a powerful scrying device. To pervert its purpose, would take power far beyond that that any of the sorcerer-scientists. But most necromancers would understand it well enough to understand its use. You don’t suppose that he still lives, and has simply been corrupted?"</p><p></p><p>The Council says probably not (although with more confidence than they actually have).</p><p></p><p>The Council also speculates about whether Berta might have been manipulated into shifting which gods she was aligned with.</p><p>[end session 71]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8445360, member: 7030144"] [session 71, cont'd] Dame Brionna heads out by voller to meet the oncoming Lady Felicia’s ornithopters. She alights from the most ornate of the ornithopters, with a masked Raven pilot. The second most ornately masked Serpent compliments Dame Brionna. "I have brought two wards for the area where the research will take place, as well as volunteers for the wards." Dame Brionna: "Volunteers?" "The Queen-Empress suggested that you would not appreciate the use of prisoners, so we brought volunteers—their families will be well compensated." Dame Brionna explains that that will not be necessary. They all travel to the old Rothgar estate. They bring out two strange devices, with strange magical tendrils, and chairs in the center of the devices. Those are the wards. There are a group of 15 desultory young people, mostly men but a few women, unmasked and with clearly less food. "We are delighted to emplace things, but then, except for certain researchers who will be remaining, we will be departing." Dame Brionna conveys a personal invitation to Lady Felicia to visit at the palace, which she accepts. As the last of the ornithopters takes off, she claps delightedly. "You do realize those were slaves." "They may once have been slaves—there are no slaves in Canberry." "I am delighted to see that. Even the Queen-Empress who is beginning to be called the Goddess-Empress, is unable to end slavery, although she would wish to. She has within her house, the house of the Mantis. The wards are also appalling. They suck out life energy to power the wards that are highly effective, but when the victim dies, they are reduced to dust and the wards failed." She is very excited to come to the palace—wants to meet the people who are the example for the free people of Drucien. "Our enemies have been plotting for about 100 years. Human divination is unable to pierce their defenses; it would take assistance from your allies." She also brings along her young assistants to visit; after screening, they all come to the palace. Lord Brightspan says that none of them show any sign of taint. One of them has real scales—small serpent scales on his leg. One of the youngest has vertically slit eyes, and seems very nervous about being unmasked. He bears some resemblance to Lady Felicia. "After they leave, a gift for each of you from my father. As a final holdout, Dame Brionna, a ring of flame lancing. Good for a total of 30 seconds. Once it is exhausted it will take at least six months to recover. Dame Katherine, for you, the Grandmaster my Father divines sons. And therefore he sends you these toys to protect them—three animals, made of metal and crystal. They are small, but they are vicious golems. When the children reach majority, they will simply become toys. And for you, your grace, you have a reasonable concern about the seen and unseen. This device will test any bodily fluid, not just blood. It is more delicate than most creations, as it is crystal, but it should last indefinitely." The Council warns her about sugar obliquely; she warns us about tea, matching the White Witch’s warning. "He also asks whether we have any midranked nobility, who might marry a woman with an interest in alchemy. Baron Klahn is concerned about my youngest sister, the daughter of his late official wife. There could be a purge within 15 or 20 years. With the threat that Hanal has become—some of the warlords that believe that the leadership of a woman weakens a country." Sorcery-science is basically a form of necromancy—the use of life energy to power magic—but without any raising of the dead. "We sent a team to investigate Yael and Yarr, with a group of boars. One boar returned—we believe it was let go. 30 years ago, they would have encountered only disorganized tribes. Today, they were crushed. Somewhere within the brown lands, there is a great force of power driving it. It could be the throne-globe, the greatest achievement of sorcerous-science. It could be used as a powerful scrying device. To pervert its purpose, would take power far beyond that that any of the sorcerer-scientists. But most necromancers would understand it well enough to understand its use. You don’t suppose that he still lives, and has simply been corrupted?" The Council says probably not (although with more confidence than they actually have). The Council also speculates about whether Berta might have been manipulated into shifting which gods she was aligned with. [end session 71] [/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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