Aphonion Tales: The Archducal Council -- Unedited notes; later posts are edited transcripts (posts MWF, update 3/1/23)

[CPaladin]

Session 37 (6/3/08)
Notes missing. I believe this is the last set of missing notes in the campaign.

I have the handouts from the session, attached. I remember the context of these. At this point in the campaign, we had realized that there was an imposter of Alistair active in northern Drucien. The imposter was basically trying to cause trouble by ruining Alistair's reputation and also possibly creating succession questions in the next generation. I believe that the imposter had raped the granddaughter of a noble in the Principality of Korflok. I think her sister showed up at Canberry during one of these sessions with an infant nephew, the child of her sister and the Alistair imposter. I believe we agreed to take in the child and raise it in the palace as a noble child, but we also succeeded in convincing her that the imposter was not in fact Alistair. I think she may have been persuaded by Dame Brionna swearing that she was with Alistair at the time of the incident, and they were no where near Korflok? We may have had other evidence as well, because I believe that was during the time the group was traveling from Enclaves to Canberry. Kit clearly played a role in clearing Alistair's reputation as well, but I don't remember how. (Possibly psionics? I dunno, it was a long time ago.). In any event, this at least mostly resolved this diplomatic crisis.

The gifts referred to in these attachments (some valuable personal gifts to Kit, and a small parcel of land with an attached noble title in Debonai to Alistair) were, we understood, meant to endow the infant (the great-grandson of the Earl deWais-Inderal of the Principality of Korflok) with a suitable estate. Alistair duly conferred the title on the infant, while being clear that he was a fosterling of the Archduke, not a relation of the Archduke.

I think this was actually only a small part of this session, but alas, the rest of the events in this session are like tears in the rain.

 

[CPaladin]

Session 38 (July 1, 2008)
27 O-Kas
To-do list:
Scheduled meeting with Lord Mark of Furrows
Figure out where the gate is from
Talk to the kids, find out where they’re from, etc. [I think a bunch of refugee children gated in?]
Contact their families (delegated to Mommy Cupcakes)
At some unspecified time in the future, Alistair needs to meet with the Patriarch
Check out throne


Acting Field Commander Dame Christine of the Wooden Thicket

Sir Derek has reported that the relief of Caldra is completed

Two prominent heroes of the campaign: 1. Sir Devin who led the irregulars; he was deeply injured with a serious neurotoxin in the final assault.

A nobleman who fortified his village and resisted heavily; either Elmswood or Tallgrass; vassal of Caldra

We talk about honors. Maybe Elmswood to Caldra (which would mean Sir Derek to a county in the South Kingdoms instead); Sir Devin to Caligshire; the Admiral a baronetcy.

Kit shows the message from the Principality of Korflok. Not known for either magic or psionics; some security concerns, but not hugely so.

Alistair instructs his father’s tailor to recommend two seamstresses, one elven, one very modern.

Kit responds that she will meet them at a nice merchants’ quarter restaurant tomorrow; stakes it out with some of her people.

Brionna suggests adding the guards who distinguished themselves with the new Order of the Sardonyx Throne.

Kit goes to visit Mommy Cupcakes to see the child. She brings Lord Brightspan with her.

There are two babies in the nursery.

The second one just showed up a few nights ago, several months later.

Kit instructs Mommy Cupcakes to let us know if any additional babies show up mysteriously.

Lord Brightspan has drifted over to the little tiny baby.

“M’lord? What do you think?”

“Her mind is very active.”

“More active than you would expect in a baby that age?”

“Stronger. Very… very quizzical.”

“Can you tell if she’s all human?”

“I think she’s fey. But she’s friendly.”

Kit detects primitive, not well-formed psionics.

“She’s generating an illusion that she’s human. I think it’s a defensive reaction.”

“It’s okay. You can show us your real form.”

For just a moment, she looks much smaller and more feylike than she does normally.

“See? That’s okay. You can show us. No worries.”

“Ach! It’s a changeling! I should have known. We get those every couple of generations. I think it’s the Tor’s way of showing that they’re our friends. I took care of one the last time—in the Archduke’s father’s day. They took him back eventually.”

Lord Brightspan wanders over to the other baby.

“Mommy Cupcake? Have you given either a name?”

“Mostly I coo to them. I assume that my betters will name them.”

After a while, Cupcake settles on Freya for the fey baby.

The little boy still doesn’t have a name.

Brightspan: “Very healthy. Seems fine to me. His mind isn’t active like the other one.”

“Is he going to turn out to be a good person?”

“As much chance as any baby.”

“All human?”

“Definitely all human.”

Kit warns Mommy Cupcakes that refugee children are coming.

We have some dolls, some teddy bears, and one bedraggled teddy ogre, about 3 times the size of the other teddy bears. An ambassador from the humanoids in the Barrier Mountains visited; that belonged to his boy.

Kit reports back.
[cont'd]

 

[CPaladin]

Session 38 [cont'd]

Dame Brionna asks the Master of Pages about any results from questioning the kids.
2 6
1 3
11 4
12 1
20 16
10 2
11 8
9 1
18 9
10 35
Both of the two really useful kids are male. [I think the numbers were d20 rolls to determine how useful the refugee kids' information was. Not sure what the 35 at the end could mean-typo?]

Two knights each bring Dame Brionna a boy, right at, before, or just past puberty.

They both bow deeply to Dame Brionna.

“Anything you can tell us about where you were and how you got there, so we can stop what happened to you from happening to anyone else. I know you ”

“We’re both from the Eastern Trade Federation. We were both transferred by ship. I don’t think we were supposed to wake up, but we woke up in the hold of the ship. It was an old ship, and it leaked. It shouldn’t have leaked. For the first five days they spoke the same language we had been speaking, then the men we had heard left the ship by longboat. There were different men after that—they wore robes, and sailors don’t wear robes. Didn’t talk a normal language either. They woke us, fed us, and unloaded us. They fed us, cleaned us up, and something held us inside, so we couldn’t run. Something broke when you appeared. You couldn’t stop, you just shuffled towards that altar. We knew, but we couldn’t control ourselves. We were like that for days.”

“How did you get there? Do you know?”

“He doesn’t remember, but I know. The merchant Belvidere is how I got taken. I went to his shop after lessons—I’m having lessons to be a mage. I went into his shop to buy ink and paper, and then I woke up on a boat."

“any elven relatives?

“My grandmother looks the same age as she did for years."

Who was your teacher?

He names a magister.

Alistair quizzes him on magic theory, figures out he’s probably a first-level mage.

Both kids know their parents, who they’re factors for.

Some of the kids are silent now.

Don’t know how long he was unconscious; 11 days after he woke up. (It would probably take 30 days to sail from the Eastern Trade Federation to the black island)

There was someone on board that the men didn’t like. They were afraid of him.

Apparently, he ate someone named Francis. They probably meant it literally. And then they were hoping they would get paid, and they were happy when the journey was mostly over, although it wasn’t, it was midway. I think they were pirates. No adult prisoners. Six of us all told. They kept all of us alive.

(The smarter kid has an Int of 17 (Alistair detects thoughts). Alistair decides that they will recruit him as an apprentice to a mage in Canberry)

Alistair rags on the ETF.

Saw docks, the lower guard chambers, and those bizarre mobile walls, at the bottom as you come up from the docks. No gates, the walls just move and I think rearrange themselves.

Can you describe the docks?
Basalt. Black volcanic rock, almost crystalline. Low, low to the water, and partially in caves. We could only see some of the docks from above. The rest are in the caves, that you can reach when the tide is out—that’s where they unloaded us. They brought us to the deck just before they entered the cave mouth. They brought us to the deck. I thought I saw in the distance a voller.

Either an island or a peninsula. Almost as soon as they got us unloaded and off the dock, we lost all self-control.

Do you know how long you were on the island? Several days, but never let out of the line.

What day was it when you went to Master Belvidere’s? (a day about a month ago.)

He was cheap. Only about ¾ of the price of any other merchants. I don’t know how he made a profit… oh, maybe I do know…

One squid type person at the docks. He was counting, not in our language, but making a mark on a slate.

Three ships worth of us—18 in that shipment.
[cont'd]

 

[CPaladin]

In just under the wire to be the regularly scheduled Wednesday update.

Session 38 [cont'd]
Alistair calls for the Minister of War. "We need plans for a full-scale invasion of Eastern Trade Federation"

I am fairly certain that we can bring enough force to bear, now that our internal difficulties are taken care of, to, since they do not genuinely keep any standing armies that are of any significant value, we should be able to take the actions that may become necessary with fair ease.
The standing armies of the Eastern Trade Federation are not very good.

Kit: What about transport and supply?

The logistics. That’s what I’ll be working on.

I sincerely hope that we will have no need of these plans, but we should be ready.

Mtg with Mark:
We meet with him for lunch

He arrives promptly, dressed in close to his best, possibly his best. He’s not wearing a cornet or anything similar; his clothes aren’t pretentious, and while by no stretch inappropriate, perhaps more appropriate to a different type of status. More like a very successful merchant than like a ruling noble.

“I am ready to serve the Archduchy in any way that it needs me to.”

“What have you been occupying yourself with lately?”

“Well… taking care of a bit of my family’s business here with the difficulties…” He is vague, but accurate about what he is doing and should be doing.

“Lord Mark. What would you say that the state of things is in Furrows?”

“Not that good, your grace. Things have been difficult lately. The patriarch of my line is aging. There have been some difficulties and disloyalties here or there. Well, here and there. But I assure you, I am no traitor.”

“I don’t think you are. But I’m not certain that you can be a successful duke.
He agrees to abdicate

Mtg. with Lady Susan
Totally painless

We also agree to meet with Lady Violet to evaluate her for a position in the court; possibly privy secretary?

Also Kit contacts the ambassador from the Fey to raise the issue of the changeling

Your grace—we’ve been given some land in Debonai. [This is the wrap-up of the minor storyline described in Session 37's post.]
[End Session 38]

 

[CPaladin]

Session 39 (August 19, 2008) [Document received this session, a report on the intelligence body, attached]
28 O-Kas

To-do list:
Whenever the Patriarch is ready, Alistair needs to meet with the Patriarch, the Cardinals, etc.
Check out throne (this is in a physical/magical, examine the throne to see if it has any powers, secrets, etc., sense)
Meet with the ambassador from the fey to discuss the changeling in the nursery
Meet with Lady Violet of Furrows about a possible job in the Archducal government
We also have a set of honors/lands we need to hand out. The timing on that is a little vague.


Things are remarkably quiet.

We meet with Lady Violet of Furrows. She dresses well, but is frumpy, without the flair of many women of her stature. She is not ugly, but she seems almost bookish. She is not evil. Quite intelligent, very intelligent for a mage.

I am of course willing to serve the Archduchy in any capacity that I may help.

Strong organizer; reasonable administrator; no expertise in any area. This was the preference of my lord (the old Duke). I have no training in the Arts.

He did not see me as the best possible heir to the house. As you know, he never had a great deal of use for those with an aptitude for the Arts. (He clearly hated magic when young, despite being loyal to the Archduchess.)

Skilled scribe, long list of languages known including Sindarin (elven); none of the dark languages.

Knew three specific elven figures when growing up, friends of her uncle and cousin, may he rest in the light.

I have always kept whatever secrets I was given.
My service is to the throne—I would be loyal to the throne, the Archducal House, and thus to you.

We hire her as privy secretary.
* * *
A young page sticks his head in. A young priest is outside, with a message.

We send him in. Invitation for us to attend the Patriarch of Eternal Light on the 30 and 31st of Tar-Skard (two months out).

We accept (in the imperial style)

We discuss whether we need to move before this against the ETF. We agree that we do need to.

Alistair asks Kit to have her people make a plan to grab Rev. Canon Thaddeus Trefori (the here’ku who is a top assistant to the Archbishop of the ETF). Alistair met a young Trefori who was also carousing when I was in Enclaves; the Trefori are a major merchant-noble family. He is the sixth son of Doge Houstoi Trefori and Lady Clarissa. He was put into the priesthood because Lady Clarissa thought it was the only way to get him past his wild oats phase—he had an exceptionally vigorous wild oats phase. His father is the nominal ruler of the city Calvinari, but Lady Clarissa is really in charge. Calvinari is the largest seaport, but not the wealthiest. Primarily deals with heavy trade vessels, and has a very good defensive fleet.

That makes things more awkward. Kit suggests replacing him, as a totally insane idea. Second thought: arrange for a sea trip, kidnap him, wreck the ship.

Assassin options:
Royal assassins—probably not very good, out of practice; the guild in Canberry, competent, might not be good enough; major assassins guilds elsewhere (Enclaves, Hanal); the drow Sixth Daughter

We discuss how to take him prisoner; Dame Brionna advocates just killing him.
[cont'd]

 

[Quartz]

Dame Brionna advocates just killing him.

Wow. Was this her fall from grace? Or was she taking the position of Devil's Advocate?

 

[CPaladin]

Wow. Was this her fall from grace? Or was she taking the position of Devil's Advocate?

Key thing here is that he isn't actually a person. The here'ku are more like demons (although demons are actually ever-so-slightly more capable of redemption than the here'ku, actually). So Glordiadel seemed totally fine with her approach.

Session 39 [cont'd]

The son of Doge Alexis Brandoris of Simbolisi wants to meet with Dame Brionna. Simbolisi is the smallest of the ETF ports; probably the most elite armed forces, but small; a number of alchemists and two small psionic circles; we sent a message to them when discussing magic and psionic academies

Kit and Alistair eavesdrop while Dame Brionna meets with Alexander Bradoris

He is a young man, not long in his manhood. He leaps to his feet and bows very correctly to Dame Brionna. He is not evil. “As soon as news reached my mother after the unfortunate death of the Archduchess, and word also reached us of enlightened practices and the possibility of an academy…”

“Ah. Is that what you are here to discuss?”

“My mother sent me to offer a form of co-sponsorship in the Academy. Simbolisi is wealthy, and interested in such things, but it would be dangerous to sponsor a Collegium on our own, as the Eastern Trade Federation is essentially a plutocracy. But we could offer support to an academy of the mental arts in a friendly, more powerful country, such as Canberry…”

You realize that the academy would be here in Canberry, and if students from your duchy chose to settle here after graduation, they would not be discouraged from doing so.

“Of course. Such an academy would still have value, especially in light of the internal strife within the Trade Federation. And if some of them chose to not return, others would do so.

There has been a remarkable amount of stress among the cities lately. No one is quite sure why. A number of the true folk have disappeared from the cities. And a number of their children, and there have been accusations within the Council of Doges, and the Archbishop has not handled it… (he gets flustered, but Brionna reassures him) He has not reassured anyone very well. He has sent his assistant to and fro—a Trefori, who have the least to gain, but his assistance has not been very effective. We think it must be incompetence. He has asked for a pledge that the circles be used at the word of the church to suppress unrest. My mother is troubled by this, and has asked that the Archbishop ask personally if she wants this. The Bishop has been supportive of her position, but we have not heard back from the Archbishop. In any event, she has sent these gifts as a token of her support for the collegium. (There is a heap of both warm yellow gold coins, and tiny gems and pearls. At an estimate, about 20,000 silver)

(He is much more concerned about the Archdeacon than he lets on, and he is frightened by him.)

It is said by some that my mother has the second sight; perhaps this is much ado about nothing. My mother and my baby sister have it.

How old is she?
Nearly twelve.

Would perhaps an endowed chair of divination be appropriate?

It might interest you that my mother has an old companion from her youth who is of the elven blood and might be interested in offering his insights. He helped train our circles. (We get a name—Alistair recognizes that he is a sea elf). [Note that sea elves are not aquatic elves in this world, but rather a high-born form of elves that live on the sea coasts (and I think build the ships that can sail to the West in the mythic sense of that). They are somewhat senior to gray elves, and have greater psionic power than gray elves, though less than the Eldar themselves. They are related to aquatic elves in a similar way to which gray elves are related to high elves, or perhaps to wood elves--the aquatic elves are their much less powerful descendants.]

I have been instructed to remain for several days and have taken rooms at our embassy.

No, no, you would be an honored guest of the Archduke.

Has the Archdeacon shown any particular interest in your baby sister?

Yes, he has. My sister remanded her to the Order of the Silvery Veil for additional theological training for the last visit. (thinks but doesn’t say that the Archdeacon was also interested in him, tried to get him alone to discuss things in the last visit, but he felt uncomfortable.)

The orderhouse is very large (600 or so) and well connected to the paladins of the City of Tauri. He intends to return in two months. He expects… he hopes to get our pledge at that time. To represent the Archbishop and quell the strain. (Or making it worse)

Coercers in either circle? Yes, one has three. Particularly useful in producing certain products for market. We create some of the more common military products, such as clingfire, as well as the lowest form of high glass.

(He is set up with quarters and guards)

We request a report from the lobes; along with a meeting with Lord Silverleaves to discuss the sea elf

[End Session 39]

 

[CPaladin]

Session 40 (September 8, 2008)
29 O-Kas

Remaining items on the to-do list:
Check out throne (this is in a physical/magical, examine the throne to see if it has any powers, secrets, etc., sense)
Meet with the ambassador from the fey to discuss the changeling in the nursery
Meet with Lord Silverleaves re the sea elf
Get a report from the lobes on Simbolisi

We send word to the fey ambassador that we want to meet with him.

We find him in one of the outer waiting rooms, painting a mural on the wall

“It emanates an aura of peace”

We have discovered a fey changeling in the nursery.

“That’s a good place for it.”

They go off to take a look at her.

The fey ambassador makes some of the stuffed animals animate.

“She is not from our Tor, although she is from our side. Troubling, troubling, troubling… Was there a baby exchanged?”

No

“then there is only one explanation. Her parents are on the run.”

“She is not a sidhe. She will probably grow up to be a brownie. But her parents are probably either being chased by either an unseelie sidhe, or some earthly power that could threaten them.

“If she is without sept or tor, then there is nothing that can protect her except her parents’ magic.”

(Kit alludes to the here’ku, without using the name.)

What about the parents? We’re happy to protect the child.

“I could perform a great divination if you would like. That will take three chickens.

Becky rolls crap, a 10, 3, and 5 (27, 20, 22).

“There is something trying to oppose my will. But I can tell you right now, I don’t think the wee bairn’s parents will be coming back. There is no stench of the unseelie. They came from the east of here, with no sept or tor—that is rare. This was athwart their path.

Dame Brionna rants about how they penetrated.

“Do you suppose the house brownies might have let them in?”

A: will there be a head brownie?

Oh no, just a collection of families.

A patriarch or matriarch?

“There might be a family head. If you wish to speak with them, you will need to go to the kitchen and cry three times, “Nobs, nobs, nobs.” But don’t go spreading that about.”

A: asks the ambassador to warn the rest of the fey.

“there is quite a bit of our blood among your people, although not as much as further east.

A: In the Eastern Trade Federation?

“Aye. There were two weak septs that basically dissolved into the human population there.

(We ask the ambassador to not accompany us, for fear that he would intimidate the brownies.)
[cont'd]

 

[CPaladin]

[Session 40 cont'd]
Alistair chases Kit into the kitchen, rapidly scattering all of the people there. [If it's not clear, we were using our reputation for licentiousness to arrange to be in the kitchen without making anyone nervous.]

“Nobs, nobs, nobs.

“Practice, you need more practice, lad.

Kit “At what? … Oh! I thought he did just fine.”

We couldn’t let them in—it was too close, and had the scent of their blood. It might have broken the runes. They ran for Tabewatha, but I do not think they could have made it.

K: What was chasing them?

It had the shape of a hound, but it was no hound I ever saw. (transfers an image to Kit of a hound against the starlight, but also another form, what they believed it to be, a black manta ray shaped yet amorphous creature, with an overlay of terror.) We know not what it was—we are not as educated as some of our kin—but it came through the city like a bolt shot.

We will contact you through Old Bernie, the only one who is compromised—who do you think puts the notes under your pillow.

Are there brownies who are dissatisfied with their masters?

“yes, especially in Hanal
(We discuss setting up the Pointy Ears)

There is a demon lurking in the Privy Secretary’s office. Dame Brionna summons an exorcism team, which then binds the demon into a gem, where it will then be subject to interrogation.

“What papers, objects, seals, did you disturb immediately prior to this?”

Lady Violet points to a three-year old ledger. “I noticed that the back binding was thicker than the front, so I suspected hidden pages. I unlaced this, then opened that, and found these papers.”

The papers are magical and evil, although they do not detect as evil or magic when within the binding. They do not appear to have writing on them, but there are scratches on them.

“The papers are not harmful now, they can be taken out of this chamber.”

Backlighting it reveals a word or two. Alistair prestidigitations on temporary charcoal. Each sheet is a complete report on troop movements (ours) for a given period, in great detail. They were very accurate and up to date at the time. The positioning of Alistair’s father’s last campaign is described on this.

On the back of the sheet, Brionna notices scratching as well, apparently a chart. Looking closely, Brionna can make out a list of all of the people we know of in Alistair’s generation, plus a few other names we don’t recognize. There are a few notations next to names including, “kill him—he must not become Archduke” next to Alistair. Some of the other notes say things like “dull” or “pliable;” two of the names that we have never seen before have “compromised” next to them. One of the female cousins has “disgustingly loyal” scribbled next to her name. The list predates Alistair’s father’s death by about three weeks. Alistair is near the top; the list appears to be rank ordered. The unknown names are towards the bottom of the list, and their names come out more lightly, as if the original color were different or there was less pressure on the pen.
[cont'd]

 

[CPaladin]

[Minor campaign world update: the DM and I have been working on digitizing a map of Drucien, which involves scanning dozens of 8.5 by 11 hex maps from the late 1970s or so and then using them to generate a map in Worldographer, a wonderful free hex mapping program. In the course of doing so, we found some inconsistencies between the hex map, a 30,000' political map, and the game as it has actually been played. We're fixing those to make things more consistent. Relevant to current stuff: It turns out the Eastern Trade Federation can't be on the east coast of Southern Drucien--it just doesn't fit or make sense with the other stuff there. But it does fit on the west coast of Southern Drucien, which also makes more sense in terms of how it would connect, culturally, historically, and commercially, with a similar federation of city states on Zest'qua. So: We've retconned it to be on the west coast, and it is now the Western Trade Federation. I'll try to edit references to reflect that, but in any event, anywhere that refers to the Eastern Trade Federation on Drucien should be interpreted as referring to the Western Trade Federation instead. ]

[Session 40 cont'd]
We discuss possible things to do; we could talk to Aunt Cecilia, see if she knows any of their names; we could ask the Grandmaster Farsensor to try to read an image of him; we could try to do a divination on everyone within a certain degree of consanguinity.

We go to see Aunt Cecilia.

“Oh, yes… Oh, my goodness dear… I guess you’re related to him. That’s Lady Heron’s son. Masque, you know. Rather raucus young thing… She came on an ambassadorial mission with her husband at the time. She didn’t like her husband. He would be 21 by now, I should think.

“Older than Alistair, then” observes Brionna

“Yes, but not only unacknowledged and a bastard, but from Masque…”

“Would he have been told?”

“I don’t know if she would even remember. Have you met Lady Heron? She has had five husbands.

Kit: Let me guess, they all died mysteriously.

“No, one died in war. The rest died mysteriously. She has something like nine children. You’ve never even seen Esteban. He was gone before you were born, and her husband never knew. I believe he joined the Order of the Wolf.

“As for this one… I don’t know him at all. I wonder if he even managed to slip one past me. I thought I knew every tavern wench and serving girl he slept with in this country. I suppose… your father served as Ambassador to the Confederacy before its fall. It’s the one place I never heard anything about. It could be the Spice Lands, or the Confederacy. If it’s the Confederacy, the child would presumably be dead. That would make the child even younger than you—about 10, or rather 9, once you take into account the pregnancy itself.

We decide to go through the Privy Secretary’s office again, looking for more papers. Alistair says that the Mouth should send one of the Mouth’s best people to search the room.

Kit also gets a report from one of the Lobes. Simbolisi is probably the second wealthiest city in the Western Trade Federation, significantly because of its psionic circles’ production of exotic goods, small but efficient fleet, strictly Glor’diadelian with no known variations or cults, craftsmanship is solid, and the city has the highest rate of partial fey blood and even some sidhe blood, which is believed to be why they are capable of maintaining multiple circles. Note that their army is small, and a land invasion would be the best way to take the city.

[End Session 40]