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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: 8811160" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[Session 133, cont'd]</p><p>In early evening, a guard approaches Dame Brionna. “There is a visitor at the outer gates asking to speak to the Imperial Council. I think she’s alive… There is a human woman, dressed all in black, with a belt of skulls and a staff of bone with a skull atop it. I think she is the High Priestess of Death, but I didn’t dare ask. She has a mumia with her, I think, carrying her bag and conversing with her. And perhaps I should mention her horses. They seem to be skeletal and are breathing fire.”</p><p></p><p>The Council discusses this and immediately agrees that Kit must not enter her presence in her current condition (about a month from her due date). They also don’t want to invite her into the Palace. Alistair suggests that they meet in the Archbishop’s chancery—a building of the Church, but not a church or holy ground itself. The Archbishop is extremely willing to permit this, and asks if he can attend as well. Alistair immediately agrees, and suggests that they also invite the senior midwife of Gunnora and the Princess Anastasia’s bishop, since this is Ecumenical Council business.</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna meets her at the gate. The priestess is extremely pale—so pale that she wonders if her unwillingness to enter without permission might indicate that she is not in fact alive.</p><p></p><p>“Honored Dame Brionna, I presume.”</p><p></p><p>“Honored Mistress of Death. Welcome to Canberry.”</p><p></p><p>“Thank you. And thank you for the information about Torbert. It was much appreciated.”</p><p></p><p>They continue on to the chancery, with the horses following at a short distance without bridles. The mumia carries several bags of scrolls.</p><p></p><p>“We are grateful that you responded so quickly.”</p><p></p><p>“I am responsible for the Temple of Death here, and my predecessor—whether through incompetence or corruption—did not do a good job of maintaining the temple. There was a temple in Cese Mai where no priest was assigned. The graveyards were being maintained by acolytes and deacons. We are a separate order from the Temple of Morgroth. We are dedicated to death itself, not to the Lord of Death. We care for the dead. Some of the dead choose to remain as undead, as did my husband.”</p><p></p><p>“Have you seen any evidence of tainting or disruption of supplies of embalming fluids?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes. Have you had these problems in the Temple of Glordiadel as well?”</p><p></p><p>“I haven’t asked specifically about embalming fluids, but other forms of preservatives and food.”</p><p></p><p>“We should share information about this. There were also tainted food in our Enclave that we discovered when we arrived with the Lord Proconsul. It allowed several older blooddriven to gain access to the dead in the area in the farmlands north of the City.”</p><p></p><p>They arrive at the chancery.</p><p></p><p>“I came as soon as I heard and I spoke to Torbert on my way here. He has sworn on his once phylactery to stop killing the refugees; he will not permit them to pass through, but he will not slay them. He will not swear to avoid attempting to retake his house—he views those who hold it now to be usurpers.”</p><p></p><p>She then begins discussing the problems with the Cult of the Ram and the actions that the Lord Proconsul has taken. Over 300 women had demonspawn with them.</p><p></p><p>They take special precautions against spying.</p><p></p><p>“No word must reach the outside about this. The City of the Dead in Enclaves has been overtaken by the Eldritch. We regained the first two layers of six by force. I personally led an assault on the third level, where we found a mid level servitor of the Eldritch called the One of Gates and Doors. We were repulsed. We have them contained, but we have not been able to displace them, and they have proved capable of breaking sacred ground. They also have taken over and corrupted at least one Glordiadelian cemetery. We believe that they have raised some 10,000 Eldritch undead.”</p><p></p><p>Alistair explains about why summonings in Enclaves are now more possible than they had been, because the Council had a great artifact removed.</p><p></p><p>She says that explains why a greater demon of the Ram had been summoned. The Lord Proconsul and the captain of his guard defeated the greater demon, but there were deaths involved. She asks for permission to speak to the Lord Proconsul about this, which we grant.</p><p></p><p>She recommends that the Temple of Glordiadel check their cemeteries in this area. She checked the cemeteries maintained by the Temple of Death, and they remain secured with the dead incapable of rising.</p><p></p><p>She also mentions that they freed Cabbageheights, driving the Eldritch out from the entire Enclave they had taken. In taking it back, their man-of-war was damaged by the Eldritch energy rods. They now only have a merchant voller able to be flown, but they are repairing their man-of-war.</p><p></p><p>She mentions that she is unsure whether the Lord Proconsul was sent at such a young age to keep him safely away from the hazards of politics in Krashmere or in the hopes that he will fail. Alistair assures her that Canberry and the Empire of Southern Drucien wish nothing but success for him, and hope that trade with them will be helpful, even though their trade is petty from the perspective of the Noldar.</p><p></p><p>She makes a gift of scrolls that have been tailored to detect the Eldritch. They may not find those who worship them but have not received their touch, but it will find those who have.</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna asks about the deaths in the City of Hanal.</p><p></p><p>The Mistress of Death reports that there are three powers within the City of Hanal: “The Queen-Empress who is not the Queen-Empress, the Lord Quinliart’s sister and his Hand, and a great priest of the Ram. The Lord Quinliart has burrowed beneath the city and bound himself to the land. He can no longer move. His remaining followers are now three in number—they were four, but my Lord Proconsul, his Seneschal, and a very brave voller captain were able to slay one. When we cleaned out the Enclave of Cabbageheights, no aid came from the City of the Dead. When we cleaned out the blooddriven north of the city, no aid came. We think he has relinquished his direct control when he bound himself to the land. They aim to bring through one of the Princes. That was always the goal. That is why the presence of the One of Gates and Doors was particularly troubling. In the First Incursion, they brought a Prince through then. They must not bring a Prince through again.</p><p></p><p>“To our advantage, there is stress between She of the Bones, the One Beside, and the One Other. The One Other is willing to abandon the other two and establish himself as the God of Evil here. In order to bring through a prince, the effort in Hanal City is intended to kill everyone within the City outside the Palace to summon a great demon who is bound somewhere, and then to sacrifice the demon to raise the energy to break the barrier long enough to allow their prince to arrive. This is what we have been able to figure out. Even that will not let in She of the bones, or the One Beside. There is some hindrance that prevents them from entering in, even as they grow stronger. But if they can get a prince in here, it will be very difficult to displace them unless we can rouse the Eldar from their slumber and get them to be combined with their cousins, which seems about as likely as my taking up fine needle. Is that helpful?”</p><p></p><p>“Certainly, albeit disturbing.”</p><p></p><p>“I do genuinely wish to be helpful to the Ecumenical Council. I feel that emotions are not my best suit.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you know of the moves of the One Other and how he now presents himself?”</p><p></p><p>“We think he is presenting as the god Sytry based on what we've heard in the Ecumenical Council.”</p><p></p><p>“That is not quite correct. The One Other is synonymous with Arthranax, who you may be aware of.”</p><p></p><p>“Of course.”</p><p></p><p>“He also either is or has subsumed the Blue Star. He seeks to also take Sytry himself, but, as best as we can tell, Sytry remains separate, struggling to defend himself against the threat. There is extensive corruption within the Temple of Sytry, of course, although the very highest elements of it remain loyal to Sytry and not to Arthranax”</p><p></p><p>“That is good to know. I was unaware of the combination, but I should not have been. Arthranax always seemed to have more power than a god should as a new one with a small role and cult. Are there other things that we should do or know?”</p><p></p><p>“There are two other matters that I would have you and the Lord Proconsul aware of. One is that we know that the Prince of the Cities of Pain is a prisoner of Arthranax, and that he is in the process of seeking to consume the Prince. We have informed the leadership of House Moriquendarim, and they have endeavored to mount a rescue effort. That will either succeed or result in their destruction, as they said before they departed.”</p><p></p><p>“We were not aware.”</p><p></p><p>“Clearly, none of you should take direct action to assist in this, for if the Lord Moriquendarim and his companions cannot perform this rescue, then neither can the Lord Proconsul have any chance, let alone those of you of lesser backgrounds. But you should be aware, and you should be aware that if they fail, there will be enormous chaos within the leadership of the House, both because the absence of the Prince of the Cities of Pain would become permanent and because the greatest leaders of the House are the ones mounting the rescue.</p><p></p><p>“The other thing that you should know is that the Queen-Empress who is not the Queen-Empress is the Seductress, who was herself once a great Noldar, who then became a great devil, who then became a great demon princess, who is now the usurper of Hanal and trying to elevate herself to godhood, along with the forces of Arthranax and possibly the Ram.”</p><p></p><p>“Interesting. It seems to me that the One Other is already leaving the One of the Bones and the One Beside. I wonder if the Seductress and the One Other are considering merging to get past the barriers. I'm deeply appreciative of that information. It's an unfortunate truth that because the Temple of Death, and the Temple of Morgroth are separate, I cannot consult the Great Library of Morgroth. But we have gathered considerable scholarship of our own. Once I have had time to consult it and make a return visit, I may be able to find more information of interest about this.”</p><p></p><p>“As for ourselves, you would always be welcome to visit. Your Eminence, does the Church concur?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, the Church concurs. The Ecumenical Council is all about collaboration and sharing of information, and we are delighted to see that the Mistress of Death is so willing to engage in such exchange and so open.”</p><p></p><p>“Let me ask one other question,” says Alistair. “When you first spoke of Torbert, you said his once phylactery. Does that mean that he has transcended the need for phylacteries?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, but not for so long that he has ceased to be fond of it.”</p><p></p><p>“So he is, then, a Death Lord.”</p><p></p><p>“He honors and respects the Temple of Morgroth. He will keep this word and if he did not, his oath would destroy his phylactery, which would still cause him harm, even though it would no longer destroy him. So I do trust his word. He will not slay the refugees, and he will turn them away. He will not offer them succor, but he will not kill them.”</p><p></p><p>“That's better than before. We can attend to providing them succor.”</p><p></p><p>“I wish that I could have convinced him to cease his quest to regain his house. On the other hand, he seems to be caught in an endless planning. And apparently, when he approached people in his old house about supporting him, they rebuffed him. That, of course, means that he has agents in Debonai.”</p><p></p><p>Prompted by Kit over the mindlink, Alistair asks, “Do you know anything specific about his agents?”</p><p></p><p>“His connection is some merchant clan or other-- I don't know which one. Merchant’s commerce is not something that the Temple deals with, but I do know that he spoke of merchants and says his friends want to see him back to his rightful place. I told him merchants are interested in only one thing in my experience, and it clinks and is made of precious metal.”</p><p></p><p>“Do you know what they dealt in, if not the specific merchants?”</p><p></p><p>“Oh yes, thank you, in silk and spices, and after the troubles in the Spice Lands and the south... we've seen trade cut off in Enclaves, too, but apparently if you're a merchant, it's particularly upsetting. He mentioned that, and said he had offered them a pretty penny for their health. Had I known it would be an item of interest, I would have pursued it further.”</p><p></p><p>Her husband suddenly interjects, “You had better believe she would have.”</p><p></p><p>“I do know that he would he have paid with the ancient coins that he has that he tends to use. That hoard is enormous.”</p><p></p><p>Kit thinks, <<Oh, goodness, money changers will know which which house has acquired ancient hoard coins. We can probably find that out, and through that which house he has influence over.>></p><p></p><p><<Nice. Yes, let’s follow up on that.>></p><p></p><p>“Any help that the Temple cannot supply, my Lord the Proconsul will, I am sure, be happy to offer.”</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna speaks up. “I have one question. Obviously it will be extraordinarily difficult, but if one were able to kill the former Moriquendarim lord who is now bound to the land beneath Hanal, what would that do to what’s left?”</p><p></p><p>“While you would probably be able to get a more accurate answer from the Lord Proconsul, he has decreed that the land will slump when that happens, most likely because the tunnels will go with him. Just as you have taken over a compound that already existed there from very, very long ago, so, too, did the Empire of Hanal. But if I were a human, other than myself… no, no, even myself, I would not wish to live in the city. After that, we expect the Empire of Hanal may be forced to abandon it as a ruin.”</p><p></p><p>“Afterwards, they should.”</p><p></p><p>“A million lives,” she reflects. “I am the Mistress of Death for the continent of Drucien for the Temple of Death, but I will tell you something. I have never deliberately taken life unless it was attacking. My Lord the Proconsul did sacrifice 26 people who were bound to the Eldritch in a special ritual to bind a daemon who was capable of transporting people to and fro. That is how I got so close so quickly. I did not do that part myself. They were captured in the very act of worshipping the unclean.” Dame Brionna shifts back a little, while trying to hide her distaste and discomfort. “But innocents… to sacrifice a million people… unthinkable.”</p><p></p><p>Alistair cuts in. “While we understand that the religious practices of your faith and of Paranswarm are different from those of our own, in the interest of good relations within the Ecumenical Council, it is perhaps best if in the future, you simply refer to followers of the Eldritch as having been executed without discussing any benefits your faith may have derived from those executions.”</p><p></p><p>“Very well, thank you.”</p><p></p><p>“Within the Empire, we tolerate the established Paranswarmian countries performing sacrifices of condemned prisoners who have committed purely secular crimes, but we do not truly approve.”</p><p></p><p>“That is the sort of learning that we must receive to align with the Ecumenical Council.”</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna asks, “If the City of Hanal will collapse, how wide an area will be affected?”</p><p></p><p>“Oh, from the city center, I would say, a five mile radius, not small but not huge. Basically coextensive with the energy dome or so.”</p><p></p><p>“You might also gently let the Lord Proconsul know that in addition to continuing to attend to my efforts in my capacity as arbiter to keep the Noldar and the Eldar vollers overhead from encountering each other, there are other elven vollers that will be an action that should not encounter either of the two.”</p><p></p><p>“Eldron vollers?” she asks in surprise.</p><p></p><p>“These are not true Eldron, but perhaps the equivalent of Twilight or Gray Elf crewed vollers, you understand.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes. Yes, I will. We appreciate what you're doing, although of course my Lord the Proconsul has no authority over the Aufaulgautharim that is presently operating in the skies over Hanal.”</p><p></p><p>“I know, but it is useful to be aware, and there might be circumstances where it might make sense for him to discreetly mention to the Aufaulgautharim that they might choose to be particularly attentive to my efforts to divide areas, because no good whatsoever could come from them having an encounter with either of the other groups of elves.”</p><p></p><p>“The Princess Curinirim can impress this upon them most effectively, and she is routinely in counsel with my Lord the Proconsul. I will let him know.”</p><p></p><p>“She is a wise and powerful leader.”</p><p></p><p>“She is. I hope that it will be long before she walks to the West.”</p><p></p><p>“Do the Noldor go to the West?”</p><p></p><p>“Some do. She will. Some unfortunately have lost themselves in insanity. The Lord of Goldorim, for example. He will not go to the West.”</p><p></p><p>“Where do they go?”</p><p></p><p>“Even I do not know.”</p><p></p><p>“I sometimes wonder if they go to the East, but I don't even know what that would be.”</p><p></p><p>“I have wondered the same thing.”</p><p></p><p>After a little more small talk, the Mother of Death gives them an appropriate salutation and prepares to leave. Her husband gives one as well, along with a wink.They have never seen a Mumia before, and never heard of one that winks, but this one can. “We will return to the gate and from there we will have our friend take us home.”</p><p></p><p>[For people who are interested, the Mother of Death is a PC in a different group playing in this world. However, her player wasn’t present, so the DM role-played her in the style of her player.]</p><p></p><p>Once they return to the Palace, Dame Brionna raises the question of whether there might be more tunnels beneath the Palace of Canberry beyond what they have already found.</p><p>[End Session 133]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8811160, member: 7030144"] [Session 133, cont'd] In early evening, a guard approaches Dame Brionna. “There is a visitor at the outer gates asking to speak to the Imperial Council. I think she’s alive… There is a human woman, dressed all in black, with a belt of skulls and a staff of bone with a skull atop it. I think she is the High Priestess of Death, but I didn’t dare ask. She has a mumia with her, I think, carrying her bag and conversing with her. And perhaps I should mention her horses. They seem to be skeletal and are breathing fire.” The Council discusses this and immediately agrees that Kit must not enter her presence in her current condition (about a month from her due date). They also don’t want to invite her into the Palace. Alistair suggests that they meet in the Archbishop’s chancery—a building of the Church, but not a church or holy ground itself. The Archbishop is extremely willing to permit this, and asks if he can attend as well. Alistair immediately agrees, and suggests that they also invite the senior midwife of Gunnora and the Princess Anastasia’s bishop, since this is Ecumenical Council business. Dame Brionna meets her at the gate. The priestess is extremely pale—so pale that she wonders if her unwillingness to enter without permission might indicate that she is not in fact alive. “Honored Dame Brionna, I presume.” “Honored Mistress of Death. Welcome to Canberry.” “Thank you. And thank you for the information about Torbert. It was much appreciated.” They continue on to the chancery, with the horses following at a short distance without bridles. The mumia carries several bags of scrolls. “We are grateful that you responded so quickly.” “I am responsible for the Temple of Death here, and my predecessor—whether through incompetence or corruption—did not do a good job of maintaining the temple. There was a temple in Cese Mai where no priest was assigned. The graveyards were being maintained by acolytes and deacons. We are a separate order from the Temple of Morgroth. We are dedicated to death itself, not to the Lord of Death. We care for the dead. Some of the dead choose to remain as undead, as did my husband.” “Have you seen any evidence of tainting or disruption of supplies of embalming fluids?” “Yes. Have you had these problems in the Temple of Glordiadel as well?” “I haven’t asked specifically about embalming fluids, but other forms of preservatives and food.” “We should share information about this. There were also tainted food in our Enclave that we discovered when we arrived with the Lord Proconsul. It allowed several older blooddriven to gain access to the dead in the area in the farmlands north of the City.” They arrive at the chancery. “I came as soon as I heard and I spoke to Torbert on my way here. He has sworn on his once phylactery to stop killing the refugees; he will not permit them to pass through, but he will not slay them. He will not swear to avoid attempting to retake his house—he views those who hold it now to be usurpers.” She then begins discussing the problems with the Cult of the Ram and the actions that the Lord Proconsul has taken. Over 300 women had demonspawn with them. They take special precautions against spying. “No word must reach the outside about this. The City of the Dead in Enclaves has been overtaken by the Eldritch. We regained the first two layers of six by force. I personally led an assault on the third level, where we found a mid level servitor of the Eldritch called the One of Gates and Doors. We were repulsed. We have them contained, but we have not been able to displace them, and they have proved capable of breaking sacred ground. They also have taken over and corrupted at least one Glordiadelian cemetery. We believe that they have raised some 10,000 Eldritch undead.” Alistair explains about why summonings in Enclaves are now more possible than they had been, because the Council had a great artifact removed. She says that explains why a greater demon of the Ram had been summoned. The Lord Proconsul and the captain of his guard defeated the greater demon, but there were deaths involved. She asks for permission to speak to the Lord Proconsul about this, which we grant. She recommends that the Temple of Glordiadel check their cemeteries in this area. She checked the cemeteries maintained by the Temple of Death, and they remain secured with the dead incapable of rising. She also mentions that they freed Cabbageheights, driving the Eldritch out from the entire Enclave they had taken. In taking it back, their man-of-war was damaged by the Eldritch energy rods. They now only have a merchant voller able to be flown, but they are repairing their man-of-war. She mentions that she is unsure whether the Lord Proconsul was sent at such a young age to keep him safely away from the hazards of politics in Krashmere or in the hopes that he will fail. Alistair assures her that Canberry and the Empire of Southern Drucien wish nothing but success for him, and hope that trade with them will be helpful, even though their trade is petty from the perspective of the Noldar. She makes a gift of scrolls that have been tailored to detect the Eldritch. They may not find those who worship them but have not received their touch, but it will find those who have. Dame Brionna asks about the deaths in the City of Hanal. The Mistress of Death reports that there are three powers within the City of Hanal: “The Queen-Empress who is not the Queen-Empress, the Lord Quinliart’s sister and his Hand, and a great priest of the Ram. The Lord Quinliart has burrowed beneath the city and bound himself to the land. He can no longer move. His remaining followers are now three in number—they were four, but my Lord Proconsul, his Seneschal, and a very brave voller captain were able to slay one. When we cleaned out the Enclave of Cabbageheights, no aid came from the City of the Dead. When we cleaned out the blooddriven north of the city, no aid came. We think he has relinquished his direct control when he bound himself to the land. They aim to bring through one of the Princes. That was always the goal. That is why the presence of the One of Gates and Doors was particularly troubling. In the First Incursion, they brought a Prince through then. They must not bring a Prince through again. “To our advantage, there is stress between She of the Bones, the One Beside, and the One Other. The One Other is willing to abandon the other two and establish himself as the God of Evil here. In order to bring through a prince, the effort in Hanal City is intended to kill everyone within the City outside the Palace to summon a great demon who is bound somewhere, and then to sacrifice the demon to raise the energy to break the barrier long enough to allow their prince to arrive. This is what we have been able to figure out. Even that will not let in She of the bones, or the One Beside. There is some hindrance that prevents them from entering in, even as they grow stronger. But if they can get a prince in here, it will be very difficult to displace them unless we can rouse the Eldar from their slumber and get them to be combined with their cousins, which seems about as likely as my taking up fine needle. Is that helpful?” “Certainly, albeit disturbing.” “I do genuinely wish to be helpful to the Ecumenical Council. I feel that emotions are not my best suit.” “Do you know of the moves of the One Other and how he now presents himself?” “We think he is presenting as the god Sytry based on what we've heard in the Ecumenical Council.” “That is not quite correct. The One Other is synonymous with Arthranax, who you may be aware of.” “Of course.” “He also either is or has subsumed the Blue Star. He seeks to also take Sytry himself, but, as best as we can tell, Sytry remains separate, struggling to defend himself against the threat. There is extensive corruption within the Temple of Sytry, of course, although the very highest elements of it remain loyal to Sytry and not to Arthranax” “That is good to know. I was unaware of the combination, but I should not have been. Arthranax always seemed to have more power than a god should as a new one with a small role and cult. Are there other things that we should do or know?” “There are two other matters that I would have you and the Lord Proconsul aware of. One is that we know that the Prince of the Cities of Pain is a prisoner of Arthranax, and that he is in the process of seeking to consume the Prince. We have informed the leadership of House Moriquendarim, and they have endeavored to mount a rescue effort. That will either succeed or result in their destruction, as they said before they departed.” “We were not aware.” “Clearly, none of you should take direct action to assist in this, for if the Lord Moriquendarim and his companions cannot perform this rescue, then neither can the Lord Proconsul have any chance, let alone those of you of lesser backgrounds. But you should be aware, and you should be aware that if they fail, there will be enormous chaos within the leadership of the House, both because the absence of the Prince of the Cities of Pain would become permanent and because the greatest leaders of the House are the ones mounting the rescue. “The other thing that you should know is that the Queen-Empress who is not the Queen-Empress is the Seductress, who was herself once a great Noldar, who then became a great devil, who then became a great demon princess, who is now the usurper of Hanal and trying to elevate herself to godhood, along with the forces of Arthranax and possibly the Ram.” “Interesting. It seems to me that the One Other is already leaving the One of the Bones and the One Beside. I wonder if the Seductress and the One Other are considering merging to get past the barriers. I'm deeply appreciative of that information. It's an unfortunate truth that because the Temple of Death, and the Temple of Morgroth are separate, I cannot consult the Great Library of Morgroth. But we have gathered considerable scholarship of our own. Once I have had time to consult it and make a return visit, I may be able to find more information of interest about this.” “As for ourselves, you would always be welcome to visit. Your Eminence, does the Church concur?” “Yes, the Church concurs. The Ecumenical Council is all about collaboration and sharing of information, and we are delighted to see that the Mistress of Death is so willing to engage in such exchange and so open.” “Let me ask one other question,” says Alistair. “When you first spoke of Torbert, you said his once phylactery. Does that mean that he has transcended the need for phylacteries?” “Yes, but not for so long that he has ceased to be fond of it.” “So he is, then, a Death Lord.” “He honors and respects the Temple of Morgroth. He will keep this word and if he did not, his oath would destroy his phylactery, which would still cause him harm, even though it would no longer destroy him. So I do trust his word. He will not slay the refugees, and he will turn them away. He will not offer them succor, but he will not kill them.” “That's better than before. We can attend to providing them succor.” “I wish that I could have convinced him to cease his quest to regain his house. On the other hand, he seems to be caught in an endless planning. And apparently, when he approached people in his old house about supporting him, they rebuffed him. That, of course, means that he has agents in Debonai.” Prompted by Kit over the mindlink, Alistair asks, “Do you know anything specific about his agents?” “His connection is some merchant clan or other-- I don't know which one. Merchant’s commerce is not something that the Temple deals with, but I do know that he spoke of merchants and says his friends want to see him back to his rightful place. I told him merchants are interested in only one thing in my experience, and it clinks and is made of precious metal.” “Do you know what they dealt in, if not the specific merchants?” “Oh yes, thank you, in silk and spices, and after the troubles in the Spice Lands and the south... we've seen trade cut off in Enclaves, too, but apparently if you're a merchant, it's particularly upsetting. He mentioned that, and said he had offered them a pretty penny for their health. Had I known it would be an item of interest, I would have pursued it further.” Her husband suddenly interjects, “You had better believe she would have.” “I do know that he would he have paid with the ancient coins that he has that he tends to use. That hoard is enormous.” Kit thinks, <<Oh, goodness, money changers will know which which house has acquired ancient hoard coins. We can probably find that out, and through that which house he has influence over.>> <<Nice. Yes, let’s follow up on that.>> “Any help that the Temple cannot supply, my Lord the Proconsul will, I am sure, be happy to offer.” Dame Brionna speaks up. “I have one question. Obviously it will be extraordinarily difficult, but if one were able to kill the former Moriquendarim lord who is now bound to the land beneath Hanal, what would that do to what’s left?” “While you would probably be able to get a more accurate answer from the Lord Proconsul, he has decreed that the land will slump when that happens, most likely because the tunnels will go with him. Just as you have taken over a compound that already existed there from very, very long ago, so, too, did the Empire of Hanal. But if I were a human, other than myself… no, no, even myself, I would not wish to live in the city. After that, we expect the Empire of Hanal may be forced to abandon it as a ruin.” “Afterwards, they should.” “A million lives,” she reflects. “I am the Mistress of Death for the continent of Drucien for the Temple of Death, but I will tell you something. I have never deliberately taken life unless it was attacking. My Lord the Proconsul did sacrifice 26 people who were bound to the Eldritch in a special ritual to bind a daemon who was capable of transporting people to and fro. That is how I got so close so quickly. I did not do that part myself. They were captured in the very act of worshipping the unclean.” Dame Brionna shifts back a little, while trying to hide her distaste and discomfort. “But innocents… to sacrifice a million people… unthinkable.” Alistair cuts in. “While we understand that the religious practices of your faith and of Paranswarm are different from those of our own, in the interest of good relations within the Ecumenical Council, it is perhaps best if in the future, you simply refer to followers of the Eldritch as having been executed without discussing any benefits your faith may have derived from those executions.” “Very well, thank you.” “Within the Empire, we tolerate the established Paranswarmian countries performing sacrifices of condemned prisoners who have committed purely secular crimes, but we do not truly approve.” “That is the sort of learning that we must receive to align with the Ecumenical Council.” Dame Brionna asks, “If the City of Hanal will collapse, how wide an area will be affected?” “Oh, from the city center, I would say, a five mile radius, not small but not huge. Basically coextensive with the energy dome or so.” “You might also gently let the Lord Proconsul know that in addition to continuing to attend to my efforts in my capacity as arbiter to keep the Noldar and the Eldar vollers overhead from encountering each other, there are other elven vollers that will be an action that should not encounter either of the two.” “Eldron vollers?” she asks in surprise. “These are not true Eldron, but perhaps the equivalent of Twilight or Gray Elf crewed vollers, you understand.” “Yes. Yes, I will. We appreciate what you're doing, although of course my Lord the Proconsul has no authority over the Aufaulgautharim that is presently operating in the skies over Hanal.” “I know, but it is useful to be aware, and there might be circumstances where it might make sense for him to discreetly mention to the Aufaulgautharim that they might choose to be particularly attentive to my efforts to divide areas, because no good whatsoever could come from them having an encounter with either of the other groups of elves.” “The Princess Curinirim can impress this upon them most effectively, and she is routinely in counsel with my Lord the Proconsul. I will let him know.” “She is a wise and powerful leader.” “She is. I hope that it will be long before she walks to the West.” “Do the Noldor go to the West?” “Some do. She will. Some unfortunately have lost themselves in insanity. The Lord of Goldorim, for example. He will not go to the West.” “Where do they go?” “Even I do not know.” “I sometimes wonder if they go to the East, but I don't even know what that would be.” “I have wondered the same thing.” After a little more small talk, the Mother of Death gives them an appropriate salutation and prepares to leave. Her husband gives one as well, along with a wink.They have never seen a Mumia before, and never heard of one that winks, but this one can. “We will return to the gate and from there we will have our friend take us home.” [For people who are interested, the Mother of Death is a PC in a different group playing in this world. However, her player wasn’t present, so the DM role-played her in the style of her player.] Once they return to the Palace, Dame Brionna raises the question of whether there might be more tunnels beneath the Palace of Canberry beyond what they have already found. [End Session 133] [/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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