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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: 8749004" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>[Session 123, cont'd]</p><p>A group of vollers come in very fast and disgorge uruks from scows. Their drowan officers are literally whipping them into shape, forming them up and disciplining them.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p>Alistair and the Patriarch quickly set up a new system of acting Archbishops and of an emergency council if the council is destroyed and needed. The bishop of the senior diocese of each province is to be the acting archbishop of the province, but cannot succeed to the archbishopric directly. The emergency council would be any surviving members of the council, any surviving archbishops, the acting archbishops for any province whose archbishop does not survive, and the Protector of the Light.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p>Dame Brionna works on adjusting and revising the plans on the fly so that we’re not doing specifically what the plans suggest.</p><p></p><p>They deploy the archers concentrated on the seaward approaches. Dame Brionna leads a rapid response force—18 Knights of Valor, and 8 Knights of Hegatha (who are famed for ferocity). She also has them prepare boiling holy water for the wall defenses.</p><p></p><p>They also contact the Council of White Mages, and they get three dithering mages who can help, and can be directed. The mages are archmagi, so they do have plenty of spells.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p>Alistair and Dame Brionna can see the waterspouts from where they are, as a flotilla of Eldar ships arrive, and on the other side of the city the uruks and the Lady of the Fifth Region of the Aragoni.</p><p></p><p>Two hundred human vollers blackens the sky. They are arriving at the same time as the ships, at about the same time the landed troops engage the uruks.</p><p></p><p>Alistair inspires the whole defense efforts. Some ships do make it into port, landing 130 additional ships worth of troops while the rest are destroyed.</p><p></p><p>As the vollers come in, the elven vollers start cutting them down from above. There are a couple of ragged volleys. A few captains do withdraw; a few have munities on deck; but most continue on.</p><p></p><p>At the same time, in the South Kingdoms, a large horde of clan rats arrive and await the attack. And yes, the Noldar lord ignored the command from his prince. The skaven greatly outnumber the uruks, although the uruks are more individually powerful and much more disciplined. The humans backing up the skaven start engaging them. And then Lord Davion reveals himself fully, and his armor lights up, as does the Moriquendarim medallion, and declaims in Noldar. His aura causes many of the uruks nearest him (and some of the skaven nearest him) collapse in worship. Some of the officers seem startled, and one exchanges words with him in Noldar. Those officers, both Twilight Elves, slowly kneel and lay down their weapons in front of him.</p><p></p><p>The oblates and the sharks are now swarming and eating anyone coming off the ships that are sinking. The combat is fierce.</p><p></p><p>A monk approaches Dame Brionna. “A small group just cut their way through over one of the towers and the sidewall. We don’t know where they came from, but they seem different from the others in front of them.”</p><p></p><p>Dame Brionna rallies her team, and flies over on her horse. A volley of darts flies at her, with some dozen missing and three striking her. She indicates where the attack came from, and a mage purges invisibility. There are about two dozen figures, most human, some translucent, and one wielding one of the tentacle rods. She charges the rod bearer. She kills him outright with an enormous blow.</p><p></p><p>Lord Davion hews his way through the uruks, still talking, and the two Twilight Elf officers now strike their own former troops. The drow try to avoid him while still moving their charges to the place where Empress Caitlyn stays while down there. Nobody here gives ground. Everyone fights to the death, so it’s a savage fight.</p><p></p><p>Back at the Holy See, Dame Brionna keeps doing dives. The enemy vollers are now over the city. The elves ask Alistair what they should do, and he says better to have their wreckage fall on the city than their weapons. Finally, they identify the enemy flagship and a group of glowing and shining elves descend on the flagship, levitating down. A couple minutes later, a beautiful elven maiden in crystal armor holds up the head of an admiral, and using declamatory mode, declares psionically. “Your admiral is dead. On behalf of the Overqueen, I command you to surrender your vessels or withdraw from this place, or you will all be destroyed.”</p><p></p><p>In the South Kingdoms, the uruks are fighting to the death, even though the tide has clearly turned against them. Lord Davion has stopped killing them, while others continue killing them. The uruks are now being driven back, especially when two rakshasa knights join the battle. The skaven were absolutely slaughtered, but provided a cushion. Finally, in despair, the drow attempt to attack Lord Davion. This does not go well. And suddenly another voller shoots northwest.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, Dame Brionna and her group of knights bring down the band from the Underdark, with minimal casualties, despite their power. There’s some spell throwing on both sides. Lord Devondell is correct about the Knights of Hagaratha, who are like killing machines when they get started. The secret force, which was part of the whole attack, fails.</p><p></p><p>About a half-dozen of the Hanalian pilots are setting their vollers as close to the ground as they can and abandoning them. They’re porting their weapons and striking their colors.</p><p></p><p>The ground troops are the biggest problem, and the battle lasts for hours. The cathedral is full of wounded. There are vast numbers of dead as well. Dame Brionna deploys some calm emotion effects on the enemy, which seems to shake a fair number of the ground troops almost out of a trance. At that point, many of them look around and wonder what they are doing.</p><p></p><p>Some sea ships withdrew. Some vollers fled as well, and the elves let them go, although the Moriquendarim may not.</p><p></p><p>It is effectively over, though the cost in human lives was severe.</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>In the South, Lord Davion and the general who nominally was in charge for the whole time repulse the enemy. Lord Davion lays laen links around the necks of the two Twilight Elves. Once the situation is secure, he apports them to Dame Kit, and commands the two Twilight Elves to their knees before Empress Caitlyn and Dame Kit, “the special companion of the Emperor.”</p><p></p><p>“These two surrendered. I wish them to be granted leniency.”</p><p></p><p>“We accept your surrender," says Kit. "While we await official decision on your fate, we ask if you have any information on what else comes in the South.”</p><p></p><p>“We heard a rumor that the Prince had communicated his dissatisfaction with our lord. We did not believe that. But he was preparing his own fast voller before we left—we believe he may have gone to join his brother. For if he truly defied an order of the house lord, he is finished in the House, and while there may be a place for a renegade Aufaugautharim, there is no place for a renegade Moriquendarim. His brother was with us for a time after he fled Enclaves. He then departed with his forces and a group of strange creatures—the tall, humanoid figures translucent with blue fire in their bellies. Once they arrived, Lord Quinliart departed, but his brother sheltered him for weeks, and they were always close. Those strange beings felt of something unclean, but one does not question a Noldar lord. He emptied the region house for this attack. And I do not know why he picked the day he picked and I do not know why he commanded it. He abandoned—scuttled actually—the slave transports.”</p><p></p><p>“Were there any slaves on board?” asks Kit.</p><p></p><p>“No. We have not taken any slaves since the fall. There was no need. But he must have known that he was not returning. We thought it was a senseless act, but he could have bought new. There was even some talk that he might be following the lead of the northern kin, but we knew that was not. We have seen the vigor with which he gathered slaves in the old days.”</p><p></p><p>Her questions answered, Kit turns to the Empress. “Empress Caitlyn. These are your prisoners.”</p><p></p><p>“If Lord Davion wishes to grant them mercy, I see no reason not to. I would wish that they not be armed, and not be permitted to rejoin their master. For their other crimes, I will defer to my husband. Did you take slaves of my people?”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, many times after your kingdoms fell.”</p><p></p><p>The Empress's face darkens. “Yes, it is best that the Emperor decide your final fate.”</p><p></p><p>* * *</p><p></p><p>Back to the Holy See, where a rapidly marching legion of secular troops from a nearby city arrives. The battle continues for 18 hours. By that time, more legions of foot have arrived, and a couple of legions of horse, and the elves from the Blessed Wood have hacked their way through the enemy, and suddenly the ragged remains—only a couple thousand left—surrender as if someone dropped their reins.</p><p></p><p>The highest ranking enemy officer is a lieutenant.</p><p></p><p>Even the uruks are down to about 2500. The Knights of Hagaratha went from 8 to 3. Most of the holy orders holding the walls did okay. The elves did fairly well.</p><p></p><p>The Eldarborn lord extended himself. “There was a malign presence that was indwelling all of them, and it suddenly let go, in an instance. I have never seen the like. It was not psionic, exactly, nor magic, exactly. It was almost un-divine.”</p><p></p><p>“It was surely eldritch, as your people use that term.”</p><p></p><p>“Yes, but it had something else to it as well. Perhaps we should remain for longer than we had intended. We will encamp beyond the walls.”</p><p></p><p>The image of the highborn Eldar appears. “That was vigorous.”</p><p></p><p>“We thank you for your indispensable defense.”</p><p></p><p>“You were right to call on us. Without our aid, the city would have fallen. I apologize for beheading the admiral. What must you think of me. I would have rather spoken to the trees, but we spoke to the trees for too long last time.” She sends a redactor to assist in the healing in the cathedral.</p><p></p><p>Eventually, someone brings the lieutenant to Alistair.</p><p></p><p>He accepts their surrender.</p><p></p><p>“We were put on the ship. We weren’t told where we were going. As the voyage progressed, we became like animals. We felt compelled, that we had to get in to that building, within those walls, and kill everyone. The city is in such disarray. They’ve released the blood-driven into the streets, and they’re killing everyone. The city is emptied, with the only survivors those hiding in destroyed homes. And we did nothing… why did we do nothing?”</p><p></p><p>He has a nervous breakdown, but the elven redactor prevents disaster. “But… the thing that was driving them? We need to shield them against it.”</p><p></p><p>Grandmaster Farsensor says he can shield against it.</p><p>[End Session 123]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8749004, member: 7030144"] [Session 123, cont'd] A group of vollers come in very fast and disgorge uruks from scows. Their drowan officers are literally whipping them into shape, forming them up and disciplining them. * * * Alistair and the Patriarch quickly set up a new system of acting Archbishops and of an emergency council if the council is destroyed and needed. The bishop of the senior diocese of each province is to be the acting archbishop of the province, but cannot succeed to the archbishopric directly. The emergency council would be any surviving members of the council, any surviving archbishops, the acting archbishops for any province whose archbishop does not survive, and the Protector of the Light. * * * Dame Brionna works on adjusting and revising the plans on the fly so that we’re not doing specifically what the plans suggest. They deploy the archers concentrated on the seaward approaches. Dame Brionna leads a rapid response force—18 Knights of Valor, and 8 Knights of Hegatha (who are famed for ferocity). She also has them prepare boiling holy water for the wall defenses. They also contact the Council of White Mages, and they get three dithering mages who can help, and can be directed. The mages are archmagi, so they do have plenty of spells. * * * Alistair and Dame Brionna can see the waterspouts from where they are, as a flotilla of Eldar ships arrive, and on the other side of the city the uruks and the Lady of the Fifth Region of the Aragoni. Two hundred human vollers blackens the sky. They are arriving at the same time as the ships, at about the same time the landed troops engage the uruks. Alistair inspires the whole defense efforts. Some ships do make it into port, landing 130 additional ships worth of troops while the rest are destroyed. As the vollers come in, the elven vollers start cutting them down from above. There are a couple of ragged volleys. A few captains do withdraw; a few have munities on deck; but most continue on. At the same time, in the South Kingdoms, a large horde of clan rats arrive and await the attack. And yes, the Noldar lord ignored the command from his prince. The skaven greatly outnumber the uruks, although the uruks are more individually powerful and much more disciplined. The humans backing up the skaven start engaging them. And then Lord Davion reveals himself fully, and his armor lights up, as does the Moriquendarim medallion, and declaims in Noldar. His aura causes many of the uruks nearest him (and some of the skaven nearest him) collapse in worship. Some of the officers seem startled, and one exchanges words with him in Noldar. Those officers, both Twilight Elves, slowly kneel and lay down their weapons in front of him. The oblates and the sharks are now swarming and eating anyone coming off the ships that are sinking. The combat is fierce. A monk approaches Dame Brionna. “A small group just cut their way through over one of the towers and the sidewall. We don’t know where they came from, but they seem different from the others in front of them.” Dame Brionna rallies her team, and flies over on her horse. A volley of darts flies at her, with some dozen missing and three striking her. She indicates where the attack came from, and a mage purges invisibility. There are about two dozen figures, most human, some translucent, and one wielding one of the tentacle rods. She charges the rod bearer. She kills him outright with an enormous blow. Lord Davion hews his way through the uruks, still talking, and the two Twilight Elf officers now strike their own former troops. The drow try to avoid him while still moving their charges to the place where Empress Caitlyn stays while down there. Nobody here gives ground. Everyone fights to the death, so it’s a savage fight. Back at the Holy See, Dame Brionna keeps doing dives. The enemy vollers are now over the city. The elves ask Alistair what they should do, and he says better to have their wreckage fall on the city than their weapons. Finally, they identify the enemy flagship and a group of glowing and shining elves descend on the flagship, levitating down. A couple minutes later, a beautiful elven maiden in crystal armor holds up the head of an admiral, and using declamatory mode, declares psionically. “Your admiral is dead. On behalf of the Overqueen, I command you to surrender your vessels or withdraw from this place, or you will all be destroyed.” In the South Kingdoms, the uruks are fighting to the death, even though the tide has clearly turned against them. Lord Davion has stopped killing them, while others continue killing them. The uruks are now being driven back, especially when two rakshasa knights join the battle. The skaven were absolutely slaughtered, but provided a cushion. Finally, in despair, the drow attempt to attack Lord Davion. This does not go well. And suddenly another voller shoots northwest. Meanwhile, Dame Brionna and her group of knights bring down the band from the Underdark, with minimal casualties, despite their power. There’s some spell throwing on both sides. Lord Devondell is correct about the Knights of Hagaratha, who are like killing machines when they get started. The secret force, which was part of the whole attack, fails. About a half-dozen of the Hanalian pilots are setting their vollers as close to the ground as they can and abandoning them. They’re porting their weapons and striking their colors. The ground troops are the biggest problem, and the battle lasts for hours. The cathedral is full of wounded. There are vast numbers of dead as well. Dame Brionna deploys some calm emotion effects on the enemy, which seems to shake a fair number of the ground troops almost out of a trance. At that point, many of them look around and wonder what they are doing. Some sea ships withdrew. Some vollers fled as well, and the elves let them go, although the Moriquendarim may not. It is effectively over, though the cost in human lives was severe. * * * In the South, Lord Davion and the general who nominally was in charge for the whole time repulse the enemy. Lord Davion lays laen links around the necks of the two Twilight Elves. Once the situation is secure, he apports them to Dame Kit, and commands the two Twilight Elves to their knees before Empress Caitlyn and Dame Kit, “the special companion of the Emperor.” “These two surrendered. I wish them to be granted leniency.” “We accept your surrender," says Kit. "While we await official decision on your fate, we ask if you have any information on what else comes in the South.” “We heard a rumor that the Prince had communicated his dissatisfaction with our lord. We did not believe that. But he was preparing his own fast voller before we left—we believe he may have gone to join his brother. For if he truly defied an order of the house lord, he is finished in the House, and while there may be a place for a renegade Aufaugautharim, there is no place for a renegade Moriquendarim. His brother was with us for a time after he fled Enclaves. He then departed with his forces and a group of strange creatures—the tall, humanoid figures translucent with blue fire in their bellies. Once they arrived, Lord Quinliart departed, but his brother sheltered him for weeks, and they were always close. Those strange beings felt of something unclean, but one does not question a Noldar lord. He emptied the region house for this attack. And I do not know why he picked the day he picked and I do not know why he commanded it. He abandoned—scuttled actually—the slave transports.” “Were there any slaves on board?” asks Kit. “No. We have not taken any slaves since the fall. There was no need. But he must have known that he was not returning. We thought it was a senseless act, but he could have bought new. There was even some talk that he might be following the lead of the northern kin, but we knew that was not. We have seen the vigor with which he gathered slaves in the old days.” Her questions answered, Kit turns to the Empress. “Empress Caitlyn. These are your prisoners.” “If Lord Davion wishes to grant them mercy, I see no reason not to. I would wish that they not be armed, and not be permitted to rejoin their master. For their other crimes, I will defer to my husband. Did you take slaves of my people?” “Yes, many times after your kingdoms fell.” The Empress's face darkens. “Yes, it is best that the Emperor decide your final fate.” * * * Back to the Holy See, where a rapidly marching legion of secular troops from a nearby city arrives. The battle continues for 18 hours. By that time, more legions of foot have arrived, and a couple of legions of horse, and the elves from the Blessed Wood have hacked their way through the enemy, and suddenly the ragged remains—only a couple thousand left—surrender as if someone dropped their reins. The highest ranking enemy officer is a lieutenant. Even the uruks are down to about 2500. The Knights of Hagaratha went from 8 to 3. Most of the holy orders holding the walls did okay. The elves did fairly well. The Eldarborn lord extended himself. “There was a malign presence that was indwelling all of them, and it suddenly let go, in an instance. I have never seen the like. It was not psionic, exactly, nor magic, exactly. It was almost un-divine.” “It was surely eldritch, as your people use that term.” “Yes, but it had something else to it as well. Perhaps we should remain for longer than we had intended. We will encamp beyond the walls.” The image of the highborn Eldar appears. “That was vigorous.” “We thank you for your indispensable defense.” “You were right to call on us. Without our aid, the city would have fallen. I apologize for beheading the admiral. What must you think of me. I would have rather spoken to the trees, but we spoke to the trees for too long last time.” She sends a redactor to assist in the healing in the cathedral. Eventually, someone brings the lieutenant to Alistair. He accepts their surrender. “We were put on the ship. We weren’t told where we were going. As the voyage progressed, we became like animals. We felt compelled, that we had to get in to that building, within those walls, and kill everyone. The city is in such disarray. They’ve released the blood-driven into the streets, and they’re killing everyone. The city is emptied, with the only survivors those hiding in destroyed homes. And we did nothing… why did we do nothing?” He has a nervous breakdown, but the elven redactor prevents disaster. “But… the thing that was driving them? We need to shield them against it.” Grandmaster Farsensor says he can shield against it. [End Session 123] [/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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