Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Aphonion Tales: The Archducal Council -- Unedited notes; later posts are edited transcripts (posts MWF, update 3/1/23)
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="CPaladin" data-source="post: 8423063" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[Session 67, cont'd]</p><p>Dame Brionna sets out into the farmlands with a midwife-priestess of Gunnora, an exorcist priest of Glordiadel, and a bunch of Glordiadelian guards. All of the increased pregnancy rates are associated with an area around a river, with a waterfall. There’s magic around the water, and chaos, but no evil.</p><p></p><p>“Good fairies of the river, if ye be here, greetings and we would speak with you.”</p><p></p><p>A group of 5 river spirits, mostly women, but some men, come out of the water.</p><p></p><p>“We were left behind by our patron—he was rather in a hurry.”</p><p></p><p>“Who was your patron?”</p><p></p><p>“The Mad God, the consort of Whimsey. He told us to make the humans happier, and so we decided that humans are happiest when copulating, so we encouraged them to do so. Are you a holy knight?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes."</p><p></p><p>"Then you should know about the pair of sluagh. Instead of killing each other, they are working towards a common goal. One of them went to the City, and the other went off somewhere and hasn’t been back to its camp. They weren’t very far, just outside the range of our magic. I don’t think they wanted to copulate."</p><p></p><p>They lead Brionna to the camp, and then she gets touched on the eyes and everything she normally sees becomes wavy, but she can see many additional things, including little fae dancing around the feet of the big fae, and an almost-abyssal encampment that could hold 4 creatures. They only said there were 2, but there are 4 tents.</p><p></p><p>We tell the Tor about this. We also ask specifically what the issue is with the other two tents.</p><p></p><p>That night, there are flashes of light and flame that can be seen from the city walls. About 2 in the morning, a ragged young sidhe runner appears, and asks to see us.</p><p></p><p>He meets with Dame Brionna. “My lord bids me inform you… oh, just take them.” He hands her two bags. “The threat has been dealt with. He suggests you not display them on spikes as some humans are wont to do.”</p><p></p><p>“There were four tents. You have two bags.”</p><p></p><p>“That is true. It appears they expected two additional cohorts who did not arrive, but they prepared for them.” Their banners have sigils. “Oh—the lord suggests that if you are going to keep these, you keep them in the bags in which they are currently, which is lined with silver thread and threaded with moonlight, or in lead caskets that are properly sealed with magic. They shouldn’t be able to regenerate, but he isn’t taking any chances. We are forgoing the victory feast to bury our dead.”</p><p></p><p>“My liege bade me say that the idea of four sluagh operating in one unit is unthinkable. They are the most hateful and individualistic of all the unseelie, and but for the sidhe the most powerful. They are few in number, fewer than the sidhe. But they are also so, so difficult to breed, even many in the unseelie court would be happy to see them cease.”</p><p></p><p>“Would they be united in the service of one greater?”</p><p></p><p>“It would have to be great indeed, and the reward promised would have to be tremendous.”</p><p></p><p>“We would ask 3 days before any visitors come that we may honor our dead.”</p><p></p><p>7 Tar-Skard</p><p>Very familiar tapping on the door during breakfast.</p><p></p><p>Dame Constance reports that the sluagh heads have been separated into multiple different rooms and the spells have been reinforced. Several of the things are only mostly dead. According to the old tomes, it is nearly impossible to keep a sluagh entirely dead. And then they reincarnate, so it may be better to keep them imprisoned.</p><p></p><p>Dame Constance asks for more rooms, and more lead lined boxes.</p><p></p><p>The Council asks her to check the sluagh for demonic or pariah deity influence. The sluagh are very bad at reproduction, especially because they are all male, so they have to breed with other creatures. There were once only a dozen or so on the whole world, although they are now up to 3 or 4 dozen. The Council speculates that this may be the influence of the Ram.</p><p></p><p>The Council consults with the Mistress of Etiquette about the proper gift to the fae in condolence of loss of battle. “Oh, dear. The traditional gift would be a human child for a changeling. Failing that, a remembrance of their deeds, first read at the three day mark, and then at the rising of the Silver Moon each time for a year. One could attend the deed ritual, not the first one, which is highly ritual, and then commemorating their deeds.”</p><p></p><p>Do you know whether they were male or female? We don’t know. Statues for men are easier, because those should be in silver or white gold, whereas statues for women should be in yellow gold or high glass. What about poetry? Yes but it would have to be published widely abroad. The fae view humans as transient, even more so than elves do—the elves pass to the west, but the fae are linked to the land, much as the Archduke is, so when they die, they don’t really die, except in battle with their own kind, or with great powers of others. To lose a seelie fae now, in summer, when they are stronger—their enemies must have been of great power.</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna meets with the elders of the four thorps, who are very elderly indeed.</p><p></p><p>The conversation goes poorly.</p><p></p><p>Eventually she explains that there are some fae by that waterfall making people randy.</p><p></p><p>They’ve basically resolved this issue. Also, the fae might clean up people’s memories a little.</p><p></p><p>Dame Constance reports: All right. I’ve looked at them. They’ve got interworkings with the Ram up to their eyeballs. Probably the rest is infected as well. Intersected for decades, probably a deal to increase their numbers. Question is what they agreed to in exchange.</p><p></p><p>Grandmaster Farsensor arrives; the Council asks him to scry on the pennants. He requests some pure salt, so that he can ward himself. He does not use his crystal, lest it bond to his skin, but does have it out and available in case it can advise him. “Yes, they are both alive. This one—he indicates one banner—is somewhere on an Abyssal plane, and he’s traveling, and there are human soldiers, a few hundred of them, with him. A handful of cambions with them as well. They are in a tight formation, and making good speed, they will eventually emerge again on the prime, but I don’t know where. This one—the grove that surrounds him smells of mango and cinnamon. He is sunk in water, his form altered so he almost appears to be a creature of the water. An oasis I think. He is waiting, watching the setting sun. Should I determine what he is waiting for? There’s a nontrivial chance that he would sense us. He’s very heavily shielded by magic, but I sense no psionics.</p><p></p><p>"He’s an hour west of us or so, based on the setting sun. An oasis an hour west—likely in the Spice Lands perhaps near the Seachen lands."</p><p></p><p>"If he’s trying to break the seal, we need to know."</p><p></p><p>"He awaits the presence of a woman, of considerable power. I see her face, but he does not know her name. He waits for her because she bears a key. He intends to take the key. He does not intend to kill her, but he would if he has to. The key leads to an ancient passage that only she is aware of, and he is aware of somehow. He intends to use the key to enter the passage because he believes it will take him to his goal. He aims for a way in so that he can emerge… is that possible? He intends to emerge beneath the seal. He bears a dimensional device with him linked to the Ram’s plane."</p><p></p><p>A loyal merchant identifies her as the Spice Mistress of Seachen. "Incredibly honest. Only woman who deals with any male merchants. I knew a man who tried to bribe her once…"</p><p></p><p>Many of the spices are as if they were freshly picked, even if they are years old. She is aging extremely well.</p><p></p><p>The Council summons the Seachen ambassador. She arrives to meet with Dame Brionna and Dame Kit.</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna: "We have learned of a grave threat to one of your leaders. The Spice Mistress—we have information of an immediate threat to her."</p><p></p><p>"I have no means of contacting her quickly—I will need to send a messenger."</p><p></p><p>The Council has a device to enable a sending.</p><p></p><p>"She needs to turn away from her current plans and get to safety. There is an ambush at the oasis."</p><p></p><p>"The oasis of turquoise fountains? But that is the only source of…"</p><p></p><p>They describe it... a small oasis with a grove of mangos and cinnamon.</p><p></p><p>"That is it."</p><p></p><p>"There is an ambush there." </p><p></p><p>"She will need to go to safety and we will send troops…"</p><p></p><p>"No. Your troops would die. We intend to call on the great elves to deal with it—it is beyond humans."</p><p></p><p>Grandmaster Farsensor contacts Singing Leaves, and the Queen agrees to send a strike force. Grey elves, for there are so few Eldar, but the Council will hope they will be enough. The Council warns them to dimensionally lock the area.</p><p>[End Session 67]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8423063, member: 7030144"] [Session 67, cont'd] Dame Brionna sets out into the farmlands with a midwife-priestess of Gunnora, an exorcist priest of Glordiadel, and a bunch of Glordiadelian guards. All of the increased pregnancy rates are associated with an area around a river, with a waterfall. There’s magic around the water, and chaos, but no evil. “Good fairies of the river, if ye be here, greetings and we would speak with you.” A group of 5 river spirits, mostly women, but some men, come out of the water. “We were left behind by our patron—he was rather in a hurry.” “Who was your patron?” “The Mad God, the consort of Whimsey. He told us to make the humans happier, and so we decided that humans are happiest when copulating, so we encouraged them to do so. Are you a holy knight?" "Yes." "Then you should know about the pair of sluagh. Instead of killing each other, they are working towards a common goal. One of them went to the City, and the other went off somewhere and hasn’t been back to its camp. They weren’t very far, just outside the range of our magic. I don’t think they wanted to copulate." They lead Brionna to the camp, and then she gets touched on the eyes and everything she normally sees becomes wavy, but she can see many additional things, including little fae dancing around the feet of the big fae, and an almost-abyssal encampment that could hold 4 creatures. They only said there were 2, but there are 4 tents. We tell the Tor about this. We also ask specifically what the issue is with the other two tents. That night, there are flashes of light and flame that can be seen from the city walls. About 2 in the morning, a ragged young sidhe runner appears, and asks to see us. He meets with Dame Brionna. “My lord bids me inform you… oh, just take them.” He hands her two bags. “The threat has been dealt with. He suggests you not display them on spikes as some humans are wont to do.” “There were four tents. You have two bags.” “That is true. It appears they expected two additional cohorts who did not arrive, but they prepared for them.” Their banners have sigils. “Oh—the lord suggests that if you are going to keep these, you keep them in the bags in which they are currently, which is lined with silver thread and threaded with moonlight, or in lead caskets that are properly sealed with magic. They shouldn’t be able to regenerate, but he isn’t taking any chances. We are forgoing the victory feast to bury our dead.” “My liege bade me say that the idea of four sluagh operating in one unit is unthinkable. They are the most hateful and individualistic of all the unseelie, and but for the sidhe the most powerful. They are few in number, fewer than the sidhe. But they are also so, so difficult to breed, even many in the unseelie court would be happy to see them cease.” “Would they be united in the service of one greater?” “It would have to be great indeed, and the reward promised would have to be tremendous.” “We would ask 3 days before any visitors come that we may honor our dead.” 7 Tar-Skard Very familiar tapping on the door during breakfast. Dame Constance reports that the sluagh heads have been separated into multiple different rooms and the spells have been reinforced. Several of the things are only mostly dead. According to the old tomes, it is nearly impossible to keep a sluagh entirely dead. And then they reincarnate, so it may be better to keep them imprisoned. Dame Constance asks for more rooms, and more lead lined boxes. The Council asks her to check the sluagh for demonic or pariah deity influence. The sluagh are very bad at reproduction, especially because they are all male, so they have to breed with other creatures. There were once only a dozen or so on the whole world, although they are now up to 3 or 4 dozen. The Council speculates that this may be the influence of the Ram. The Council consults with the Mistress of Etiquette about the proper gift to the fae in condolence of loss of battle. “Oh, dear. The traditional gift would be a human child for a changeling. Failing that, a remembrance of their deeds, first read at the three day mark, and then at the rising of the Silver Moon each time for a year. One could attend the deed ritual, not the first one, which is highly ritual, and then commemorating their deeds.” Do you know whether they were male or female? We don’t know. Statues for men are easier, because those should be in silver or white gold, whereas statues for women should be in yellow gold or high glass. What about poetry? Yes but it would have to be published widely abroad. The fae view humans as transient, even more so than elves do—the elves pass to the west, but the fae are linked to the land, much as the Archduke is, so when they die, they don’t really die, except in battle with their own kind, or with great powers of others. To lose a seelie fae now, in summer, when they are stronger—their enemies must have been of great power. Dame Brionna meets with the elders of the four thorps, who are very elderly indeed. The conversation goes poorly. Eventually she explains that there are some fae by that waterfall making people randy. They’ve basically resolved this issue. Also, the fae might clean up people’s memories a little. Dame Constance reports: All right. I’ve looked at them. They’ve got interworkings with the Ram up to their eyeballs. Probably the rest is infected as well. Intersected for decades, probably a deal to increase their numbers. Question is what they agreed to in exchange. Grandmaster Farsensor arrives; the Council asks him to scry on the pennants. He requests some pure salt, so that he can ward himself. He does not use his crystal, lest it bond to his skin, but does have it out and available in case it can advise him. “Yes, they are both alive. This one—he indicates one banner—is somewhere on an Abyssal plane, and he’s traveling, and there are human soldiers, a few hundred of them, with him. A handful of cambions with them as well. They are in a tight formation, and making good speed, they will eventually emerge again on the prime, but I don’t know where. This one—the grove that surrounds him smells of mango and cinnamon. He is sunk in water, his form altered so he almost appears to be a creature of the water. An oasis I think. He is waiting, watching the setting sun. Should I determine what he is waiting for? There’s a nontrivial chance that he would sense us. He’s very heavily shielded by magic, but I sense no psionics. "He’s an hour west of us or so, based on the setting sun. An oasis an hour west—likely in the Spice Lands perhaps near the Seachen lands." "If he’s trying to break the seal, we need to know." "He awaits the presence of a woman, of considerable power. I see her face, but he does not know her name. He waits for her because she bears a key. He intends to take the key. He does not intend to kill her, but he would if he has to. The key leads to an ancient passage that only she is aware of, and he is aware of somehow. He intends to use the key to enter the passage because he believes it will take him to his goal. He aims for a way in so that he can emerge… is that possible? He intends to emerge beneath the seal. He bears a dimensional device with him linked to the Ram’s plane." A loyal merchant identifies her as the Spice Mistress of Seachen. "Incredibly honest. Only woman who deals with any male merchants. I knew a man who tried to bribe her once…" Many of the spices are as if they were freshly picked, even if they are years old. She is aging extremely well. The Council summons the Seachen ambassador. She arrives to meet with Dame Brionna and Dame Kit. Dame Brionna: "We have learned of a grave threat to one of your leaders. The Spice Mistress—we have information of an immediate threat to her." "I have no means of contacting her quickly—I will need to send a messenger." The Council has a device to enable a sending. "She needs to turn away from her current plans and get to safety. There is an ambush at the oasis." "The oasis of turquoise fountains? But that is the only source of…" They describe it... a small oasis with a grove of mangos and cinnamon. "That is it." "There is an ambush there." "She will need to go to safety and we will send troops…" "No. Your troops would die. We intend to call on the great elves to deal with it—it is beyond humans." Grandmaster Farsensor contacts Singing Leaves, and the Queen agrees to send a strike force. Grey elves, for there are so few Eldar, but the Council will hope they will be enough. The Council warns them to dimensionally lock the area. [End Session 67] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
Playing the Game
Story Hour
Aphonion Tales: The Archducal Council -- Unedited notes; later posts are edited transcripts (posts MWF, update 3/1/23)
Top