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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: 8643219" data-attributes="member: 7030144"><p>Session 113 (July 1, 2020)</p><p></p><p>Tar-Chund 14</p><p>They receive a report of 4 field armies departing through the mountain pass to the Southeast of Holy Cortose. [Attached] They marched directly into a large white mist, with bits of flames. They did not emerge. The mists showed up about an hour before the army arrived—vollers of the Duchy of Ergmoth observed them disappear.</p><p></p><p>They call for Dame Constance and Grandmaster Farsensor. He begins scrying for remnants of the gate. He finds an area where, over 5 or 6 acres, everything is dessicated and dead. “Here. I can find the remnants of the gate. It sucked the life out of the earth as it worked.”</p><p></p><p>"Where did they go?"</p><p></p><p>“Dame Constance?”</p><p></p><p>She grumbles, and then her vision shifts far, far to the south to a huge island.</p><p></p><p>"I knew there was a third place. There are demons and eldritch spawn there. This is obviously the third place that they were trying to break through. It’s an abandoned land, no humans since the Day of the Dead when they were enslaved by the Argoni and it was cleared out. They are a pair of islands to the west of the islands of the Archbarony of Mandrath."</p><p></p><p>They discuss sending a devil to spy. The risk of discovery is too high, they conclude. So instead they send a psionic spy eye, because they have very weak psionic defenses, except perhaps for the githyanki. Dame Constance is confident that she eliminated the githyanki.</p><p></p><p>Kit contacts the spy mistress of Mandrath and tells her what they’ve found. They also ask her to keep track of any signs of food to supply the army.</p><p></p><p>Dame Constance notes that they placed seals to allow for the teleportation. "This was beyond domain magic. There was ritual magic stretching back months or years, likely with sacrifice. That sort of magic hasn’t been used at least since the Second Age. Humans are incapable of it, and it can kill elves. The Unseelie could do it, but likely wouldn’t. A sufficient sacrifice of elven and fey blood might allow an adept to do it. But it was likely done by Arthranax, most likely by indwelling in a human vessel. If we could find out where he had traveled, we might be able to find likely spots."</p><p></p><p>They ask the Sytryites for records of Hierarch Garret’s travels, to see if they can identify other possible sites he might have prepared.</p><p></p><p>They also renew our requests to the archives for studies of noble geneology and anything that seems out of place or planned, or arranged.</p><p></p><p>The Council calls for Bishop Waters, and they ask him about the Day of the Dead. </p><p></p><p>"It was a mistake. Each age ends with a day of the dead; the longer the Age has run, the more delicate the balance is. The Fourth Age was long, but no one thought that the balance was close to tipping. And then a certain elven prince of the highest blood got ahold of the color Blue, and forgot his theology and used the color Blue to attack Lord Morgoth, and instead of prevailing, he precipitated the Day of the Dead. He did all the proper things, did all the proper quests, became the Blue Mage, and then he wished that Krashmere were Blue, thinking that that would overthrow Morgoth. Within the ancient wood he ruled—the High Wood, daemons and loths erupted from the earth and the sky, and the dead arose, and there was carnage. Two thousand elves died. The Argoni moved fast to enslave and pillage in response.</p><p></p><p>[If you think this sounds like the action of a PC having catastrophic effects on the game world, you're not wrong. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> This was well before I started playing in Aphonion, however.]</p><p></p><p>"No one foresaw it. There were other odd movements. Neither the Eldar nor the Noldar nor the great oracles foresaw it.</p><p></p><p>"The Wood has been retaken—the Wood of Hope and Salvation is what the younger brother of the prince named it after he retook it. But it is still tenuous."</p><p></p><p>"Do you know anything of the Hierarch of Sytry named Garret?"</p><p></p><p>"Yes. He hoped he might ascend, but the other hierarchs voted against him and installed the present hierarch less than 3 years ago. Ultimately only two of the hierarchs voted for him, though he was thought to be a shoe-in."</p><p></p><p>They tell him that he turned to Arthranax.</p><p></p><p>"Extraordinary. He of all of them should have known better. He was highly trained in the arts of magic as well as priestly matters. I can’t imagine he was corrupted as a hierarch—that someone could be corrupted and then rise to be a hierarch seems more likely."</p><p></p><p>They decide they need to warn the Sytryites to be very careful vetting any replacement hierarchs and the new Knight Commander of the Knights of Truth.</p><p></p><p>The Council summons the Ambassador of Sytry. They ask after the Patriarch.</p><p></p><p>“He is well, and he is safe. He speaks with the God, and the conversation is long. We believe he also seeks dispensation to stop suppressing psionics. Sytry is a rigid faith, but psionics can perhaps prevent corruption in the future.”</p><p></p><p>They encourage the patriarch to be cautious in selecting Hierarchs or senior Knights of Truth—there may still be hiding heretics.</p><p></p><p>“His confessor advises likewise. We may request that Grandmaster Farsensor visit and assist.”</p><p></p><p>The Council explains what happened to the four field armies.</p><p></p><p>[cont'd]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CPaladin, post: 8643219, member: 7030144"] Session 113 (July 1, 2020) Tar-Chund 14 They receive a report of 4 field armies departing through the mountain pass to the Southeast of Holy Cortose. [Attached] They marched directly into a large white mist, with bits of flames. They did not emerge. The mists showed up about an hour before the army arrived—vollers of the Duchy of Ergmoth observed them disappear. They call for Dame Constance and Grandmaster Farsensor. He begins scrying for remnants of the gate. He finds an area where, over 5 or 6 acres, everything is dessicated and dead. “Here. I can find the remnants of the gate. It sucked the life out of the earth as it worked.” "Where did they go?" “Dame Constance?” She grumbles, and then her vision shifts far, far to the south to a huge island. "I knew there was a third place. There are demons and eldritch spawn there. This is obviously the third place that they were trying to break through. It’s an abandoned land, no humans since the Day of the Dead when they were enslaved by the Argoni and it was cleared out. They are a pair of islands to the west of the islands of the Archbarony of Mandrath." They discuss sending a devil to spy. The risk of discovery is too high, they conclude. So instead they send a psionic spy eye, because they have very weak psionic defenses, except perhaps for the githyanki. Dame Constance is confident that she eliminated the githyanki. Kit contacts the spy mistress of Mandrath and tells her what they’ve found. They also ask her to keep track of any signs of food to supply the army. Dame Constance notes that they placed seals to allow for the teleportation. "This was beyond domain magic. There was ritual magic stretching back months or years, likely with sacrifice. That sort of magic hasn’t been used at least since the Second Age. Humans are incapable of it, and it can kill elves. The Unseelie could do it, but likely wouldn’t. A sufficient sacrifice of elven and fey blood might allow an adept to do it. But it was likely done by Arthranax, most likely by indwelling in a human vessel. If we could find out where he had traveled, we might be able to find likely spots." They ask the Sytryites for records of Hierarch Garret’s travels, to see if they can identify other possible sites he might have prepared. They also renew our requests to the archives for studies of noble geneology and anything that seems out of place or planned, or arranged. The Council calls for Bishop Waters, and they ask him about the Day of the Dead. "It was a mistake. Each age ends with a day of the dead; the longer the Age has run, the more delicate the balance is. The Fourth Age was long, but no one thought that the balance was close to tipping. And then a certain elven prince of the highest blood got ahold of the color Blue, and forgot his theology and used the color Blue to attack Lord Morgoth, and instead of prevailing, he precipitated the Day of the Dead. He did all the proper things, did all the proper quests, became the Blue Mage, and then he wished that Krashmere were Blue, thinking that that would overthrow Morgoth. Within the ancient wood he ruled—the High Wood, daemons and loths erupted from the earth and the sky, and the dead arose, and there was carnage. Two thousand elves died. The Argoni moved fast to enslave and pillage in response. [If you think this sounds like the action of a PC having catastrophic effects on the game world, you're not wrong. :) This was well before I started playing in Aphonion, however.] "No one foresaw it. There were other odd movements. Neither the Eldar nor the Noldar nor the great oracles foresaw it. "The Wood has been retaken—the Wood of Hope and Salvation is what the younger brother of the prince named it after he retook it. But it is still tenuous." "Do you know anything of the Hierarch of Sytry named Garret?" "Yes. He hoped he might ascend, but the other hierarchs voted against him and installed the present hierarch less than 3 years ago. Ultimately only two of the hierarchs voted for him, though he was thought to be a shoe-in." They tell him that he turned to Arthranax. "Extraordinary. He of all of them should have known better. He was highly trained in the arts of magic as well as priestly matters. I can’t imagine he was corrupted as a hierarch—that someone could be corrupted and then rise to be a hierarch seems more likely." They decide they need to warn the Sytryites to be very careful vetting any replacement hierarchs and the new Knight Commander of the Knights of Truth. The Council summons the Ambassador of Sytry. They ask after the Patriarch. “He is well, and he is safe. He speaks with the God, and the conversation is long. We believe he also seeks dispensation to stop suppressing psionics. Sytry is a rigid faith, but psionics can perhaps prevent corruption in the future.” They encourage the patriarch to be cautious in selecting Hierarchs or senior Knights of Truth—there may still be hiding heretics. “His confessor advises likewise. We may request that Grandmaster Farsensor visit and assist.” The Council explains what happened to the four field armies. [cont'd] [/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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