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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: 8733572" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[Session 121, cont'd]</p><p>In the Holy See of Light: Dame Brionna wants to find out who was responsible for summoning all the archbishops, appointing the acting archbishops, and so forth. The person responsible should be the Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain.</p><p></p><p>Alistair and the Princess Cecilia decide to pay a visit to the Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain. They just brush past an ecclesiastical guard.</p><p></p><p>The Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain is extremely elderly. Aunt Cecilia announces, “He’s half-senile you know.”</p><p></p><p>"We wanted to discuss how the decision to call the Archbishops was made, who to appoint as acting archbishops, and so forth."</p><p></p><p>“The Apostolic Prefect made the decision, of course, upon the advice of the Patriarch’s chief healer. He appoints the acting archbishops. The assumption is that you want someone who will do an adequate job but not give any ideas.”</p><p></p><p>The Apostolic Prefect is generally chosen based on competence. The lower echelons of that office are usually those who have not been deeply called by the Lord of Light. The current holder was appointed by the prior patriarch. But he has considered retiring to his family estate, now that his brother has passed into the Light.</p><p></p><p>“What estate?”</p><p></p><p>“It’s one of the upland estates in Tarhanna. Definitely Tarhanna, but I can’t recall which.”</p><p></p><p>“And the chief healer?”</p><p></p><p>“Father Rafael—parish priest of the church in the lower chapel, probably ministering to the poor in the streets now. He’s only a parish priest, but the finest healer. He will help anyone, and is a skilled and wise healer, a very good man, and very faithful and holy. His one regret is that by taking the orders he has he cannot have children. He accepted it when poor. His parents were pirates. He was found on their ship when it was taken, and ended up in an orphanage in Tarhanna. When he got old enough, he wanted to enter the novitiate in Tarhanna, but they would not take him without money. He came here instead, and entered orders immediately.”</p><p></p><p>They send a runner to ask Father Rafael to attend on them. They then ask for a guide through the servants’ passageways to the Apostolic Prefect’s offices. They wait for some patriarchal guards to take position at the front of the office.</p><p></p><p>They then burst in the back.</p><p></p><p>“A blank?” says Aunt Cecilia.</p><p></p><p>“Which one?”</p><p></p><p>“The whole room and everything in it.”</p><p></p><p>“Back, back!” shouts Alistair. “Get out now!” He calls to the guards on the far side: “Allow no one in or out!”</p><p></p><p>He then rushes out. Alistair and Aunt Cecilia retreat, contacting Grandmaster Farsensor as they go.</p><p></p><p><<That room is warded. Not your temple’s wards, either.>></p><p></p><p>“What would orichalcum do to the wards?”</p><p></p><p><<It might work.>></p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna throws a thumbnail of orichalcum at the door, which explodes, leaving a hole into the room. Some clerks are dead, some clerks appear to have attacked others, and a middle-aged man is leading a group of people in burning documents in the center. The middle-aged man starts slitting the throat of one of the youngest clerks. Dame Brionna hurls her spear, hitting him square in the forehead and apparently killing him as he teleports out.</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna reaches out to Grandmaster Farsensor. “Can you locate my spear?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, its signature is very clear. It’s intelligent, you know. In Hanal City, in a hall, all in green and white. It’s very regal, but there’s no one there. I don’t think he expected to die as he teleported there.”</p><p></p><p>“Can you recover my spear?”</p><p></p><p>“Normally, child-play. But the psychic field that surrounds the city now is horrific. And I can sense many, many, many blood-driven in the city. They’re preying on the citizens.”</p><p></p><p>They identify the location as the Hall of Justice, right near the Imperial Palace of Hanal.</p><p></p><p>The man was the assistant prefect. He would have been next in line for Apostolic Prefect—and the Apostolic Prefect himself is dead, with an adamantine dagger driven into his heart. He’s still warm.</p><p></p><p>Alistair sends a large body of military to secure Father Rafael as quickly as possible. The messenger Alistair sent first is defending Father Rafael from assassins as they arrive. The Patriarchal Guard take two prisoners, kill three assailants, and bring the messenger and Father Rafael back.</p><p></p><p>“Did Harald have any particular friends among the ecclesiarchs? Any that he corresponded with and may have tried to keep secret?”</p><p></p><p>“Not much correspondence with any of them. But there was a priest from his home parish who corresponded with him, who he always responded to. But he was just a priest. He came from the Kingdom of Many Paths. They’re a strange group to begin with. So it was one of their priests with the title of Mountain Paths or something like that. They’re a strange place, and they also keep slaves. He came from their capital, so I guess that priest was in the capital.” (He’s an acting archbishop right now.)</p><p></p><p>Aunt Cecilia identifies one of the two living prisoners as not what he seems. "They’re hired assassins—one is a doppelganger, apparently hired to replace Father Rafael and carrying some dreadful poisonous stuff that will enter you if touched."</p><p></p><p>They also have some scribes and accountants, including some with expertise in reconstructing documents, teleported in. Kit’s personal scribe leads the group—which Kit doesn’t entirely realize was the plan until they teleported.</p><p></p><p>They speak with the surviving clerks who they knocked out. The clerks tell them that Harald—the chief assistant to the Apostolic Prefect—changed all the plans in preparation for his succession. He also planned on taking them into the deepest basement for an initiation—seemed concerning. Also, some documents disappeared—the defense plans for the cathedral and the apostolic palace. Also, a copy of the order of the armory. And the oddest, an inventory of the Sacred Closet. That was replaced with an incorrect inventory of the Sacred Closet—there are things that are there and aren’t on the list, like the Sacred Prism of the Sun, and elemental globes that are used for the Angelic Host—but those are gone but not signed out. (The Sacred Prism of the Sun has also been stolen.)</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna raises the alarm throughout the palace, and meets with the Bishop of Security. They switch to a backup plan. And the Sacred Prism can project powerful blasts of light—it’s an essential part of the protection of the Holy See, along with the globes of the Angelic Host, which can be used to summon a significant number of angels to defend the Holy See.</p><p></p><p>(They ask Grandmaster Farsensor if he can ask the Highborn to send a voller fleet to defend the Holy See. He says it will be more of a squadron, but yes. The Highborn also turns her own voller—it will be here somewhat sooner. The squadron is about 9 hours away.)</p><p></p><p>A commune verifies that a voller fleet is closing, but it’s about 4 hours away. There are about two hundred ships in the fleet. The Highborn’s ship will make it in time, but the elven fleet will not.</p><p>[End session 121]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8733572, member: 7030144"] [Session 121, cont'd] In the Holy See of Light: Dame Brionna wants to find out who was responsible for summoning all the archbishops, appointing the acting archbishops, and so forth. The person responsible should be the Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain. Alistair and the Princess Cecilia decide to pay a visit to the Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain. They just brush past an ecclesiastical guard. The Supernumerary Privy Chamberlain is extremely elderly. Aunt Cecilia announces, “He’s half-senile you know.” "We wanted to discuss how the decision to call the Archbishops was made, who to appoint as acting archbishops, and so forth." “The Apostolic Prefect made the decision, of course, upon the advice of the Patriarch’s chief healer. He appoints the acting archbishops. The assumption is that you want someone who will do an adequate job but not give any ideas.” The Apostolic Prefect is generally chosen based on competence. The lower echelons of that office are usually those who have not been deeply called by the Lord of Light. The current holder was appointed by the prior patriarch. But he has considered retiring to his family estate, now that his brother has passed into the Light. “What estate?” “It’s one of the upland estates in Tarhanna. Definitely Tarhanna, but I can’t recall which.” “And the chief healer?” “Father Rafael—parish priest of the church in the lower chapel, probably ministering to the poor in the streets now. He’s only a parish priest, but the finest healer. He will help anyone, and is a skilled and wise healer, a very good man, and very faithful and holy. His one regret is that by taking the orders he has he cannot have children. He accepted it when poor. His parents were pirates. He was found on their ship when it was taken, and ended up in an orphanage in Tarhanna. When he got old enough, he wanted to enter the novitiate in Tarhanna, but they would not take him without money. He came here instead, and entered orders immediately.” They send a runner to ask Father Rafael to attend on them. They then ask for a guide through the servants’ passageways to the Apostolic Prefect’s offices. They wait for some patriarchal guards to take position at the front of the office. They then burst in the back. “A blank?” says Aunt Cecilia. “Which one?” “The whole room and everything in it.” “Back, back!” shouts Alistair. “Get out now!” He calls to the guards on the far side: “Allow no one in or out!” He then rushes out. Alistair and Aunt Cecilia retreat, contacting Grandmaster Farsensor as they go. <<That room is warded. Not your temple’s wards, either.>> “What would orichalcum do to the wards?” <<It might work.>> Dame Brionna throws a thumbnail of orichalcum at the door, which explodes, leaving a hole into the room. Some clerks are dead, some clerks appear to have attacked others, and a middle-aged man is leading a group of people in burning documents in the center. The middle-aged man starts slitting the throat of one of the youngest clerks. Dame Brionna hurls her spear, hitting him square in the forehead and apparently killing him as he teleports out. Dame Brionna reaches out to Grandmaster Farsensor. “Can you locate my spear?” “Yes, its signature is very clear. It’s intelligent, you know. In Hanal City, in a hall, all in green and white. It’s very regal, but there’s no one there. I don’t think he expected to die as he teleported there.” “Can you recover my spear?” “Normally, child-play. But the psychic field that surrounds the city now is horrific. And I can sense many, many, many blood-driven in the city. They’re preying on the citizens.” They identify the location as the Hall of Justice, right near the Imperial Palace of Hanal. The man was the assistant prefect. He would have been next in line for Apostolic Prefect—and the Apostolic Prefect himself is dead, with an adamantine dagger driven into his heart. He’s still warm. Alistair sends a large body of military to secure Father Rafael as quickly as possible. The messenger Alistair sent first is defending Father Rafael from assassins as they arrive. The Patriarchal Guard take two prisoners, kill three assailants, and bring the messenger and Father Rafael back. “Did Harald have any particular friends among the ecclesiarchs? Any that he corresponded with and may have tried to keep secret?” “Not much correspondence with any of them. But there was a priest from his home parish who corresponded with him, who he always responded to. But he was just a priest. He came from the Kingdom of Many Paths. They’re a strange group to begin with. So it was one of their priests with the title of Mountain Paths or something like that. They’re a strange place, and they also keep slaves. He came from their capital, so I guess that priest was in the capital.” (He’s an acting archbishop right now.) Aunt Cecilia identifies one of the two living prisoners as not what he seems. "They’re hired assassins—one is a doppelganger, apparently hired to replace Father Rafael and carrying some dreadful poisonous stuff that will enter you if touched." They also have some scribes and accountants, including some with expertise in reconstructing documents, teleported in. Kit’s personal scribe leads the group—which Kit doesn’t entirely realize was the plan until they teleported. They speak with the surviving clerks who they knocked out. The clerks tell them that Harald—the chief assistant to the Apostolic Prefect—changed all the plans in preparation for his succession. He also planned on taking them into the deepest basement for an initiation—seemed concerning. Also, some documents disappeared—the defense plans for the cathedral and the apostolic palace. Also, a copy of the order of the armory. And the oddest, an inventory of the Sacred Closet. That was replaced with an incorrect inventory of the Sacred Closet—there are things that are there and aren’t on the list, like the Sacred Prism of the Sun, and elemental globes that are used for the Angelic Host—but those are gone but not signed out. (The Sacred Prism of the Sun has also been stolen.) Dame Brionna raises the alarm throughout the palace, and meets with the Bishop of Security. They switch to a backup plan. And the Sacred Prism can project powerful blasts of light—it’s an essential part of the protection of the Holy See, along with the globes of the Angelic Host, which can be used to summon a significant number of angels to defend the Holy See. (They ask Grandmaster Farsensor if he can ask the Highborn to send a voller fleet to defend the Holy See. He says it will be more of a squadron, but yes. The Highborn also turns her own voller—it will be here somewhat sooner. The squadron is about 9 hours away.) A commune verifies that a voller fleet is closing, but it’s about 4 hours away. There are about two hundred ships in the fleet. The Highborn’s ship will make it in time, but the elven fleet will not. [End session 121] [/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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