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(Cydra) Great Conflicts
- Thread starter the Jester
- Start date
the Jester
Legend
Sandain said:
No, I honestly hadn't even considered them...
Edit: though there's been lots of talk of returning to Bile Mountain soon.
![:]](http://www.enworld.org/forum/images/smilies/devious.png "Devious :]")
the Jester
Legend
weiknarf said:
Nope, as Horbin observed, they're almost all arcane casters. Arcane casters in Cydra sometimes look down on psionics or see it as a threat (the Delphinate does, for instance).
the Jester
Legend
The Conference of Spellcasters (part 3)
“The thing I don’t think you’re thinking about,” Horbin reiterates, “is this: if constructs, simulacra and such are not free-thinking beings, if they don’t have rights- who is responsible for their actions? Do we hold their creator responsible?” He turns to Marius the Chronomancer. “Do you want to be responsible for your simulacra? Do you all want to be responsible for any actions golems you make might take?”
“Who else might be held so responsible?” counters the Delphin. “After all, if someone builds a clay golem, who do you complain to if it misbehaves?”
“You certainly can’t complain to the golem,” comments Alita, Lillamere’s mother and genius behind the creation of the warforged. “Most constructs are mindless.”
”We aren’t talking about them,” the simulacrum of Marius declares, “we’re talking about free-willed entities that are more powerful than their creator. We feel; why should we not have rights? We have hopes, we have aspirations, we dream. Why do you persecute us? Yes, you create us; but you create children, too, yet you let them go their own way.”
“Just because you can sit with us does not give you any right to speak,” snaps Marius the Chronomancer.
Before the faux Marius can reply, Lillamere interjects, “I believe that very question is what is under discussion, actually.” Marius the Chronomancer glares back at him. Baron Lillamere looks back from beneath lidded eyes with equanimity. “We are discussing whether they will be given rights.” He sounds dubious.
“I will repeat,” the simulacrum states direly, “that without our support your agreement will fail.”
Orbius sighs. “Threats will not get anyone anything. We must come to agreement.”
“We will not agree to the dismissal of our rights,” the false Marius repeats again.
The conference discusses the subject for some time. One of the key points is that most constructs and spells don’t think. There are exceptions, but they are few. Alita brings up the warforged as one example, and speaks eloquently against treating them the same as living beings.
”Their entire purpose is to save lives,” she points out. “We of the Delphinate spent immense resources on developing the warforged. We poured time, money and life energy itself into the research and rituals that were required to forge them. We did it to save lives- so that we would have soldiers and spellcasters that we could use without risking the life of a living creature. To accept that they have equal rights with living creatures is to declare that work pointless and wasteful.
“You might as well suggest giving equal rights to wagons.”
“I’m not a wagon,” states Veil. “You guys are talking about more than just the simulacrum here- keep in mind that you’re talking about principles.”
But the Delphin speaks clearly in agreement with Alita in principal. Marius vehemently urges everyone to vote against the simulacrum (for clearly that is what the vote is, in his mind). In the end, only Prayzose, Lester and the simulacrum itself vote to give constructs rights. Though the discussion is highly contentious, the vote is almost unanimously against them.
Inoke tenses, stuck in a moment of indecision. The simulacrum is extremely dangerous, he thinks. It has already said that its camp will try to prevent the conference from coming to an effective agreement. I should kill it, now, before it has a chance to get away and get its partners to cause trouble.
Before he decides to strike, however, the simulacrum speaks up. “You fools,” it says, shaking its head. “I tell you, this will not stand.” It sighs. “But I will see what else might be achieved at this conference and do what I can while I am here. I will maintain the truce until after I have left. Will you do the same?”
“We will,” the Delphin pledges. His voice holds a stern warning.
Slowly, Inoke relaxes.
“But you no longer get a vote,” Marius sneers.
***
The Delphin brings up the topic of Mordenkainen’s disjunction, which leads to the topic of a variety of spells being banned or limited. “I mostly think it would be a foolish waste for one of us to be hit with a disjunction,” he says. “I am fairly certain that all of us have unique and probably irreplaceable items on us, items that deserve to be passed on and studied through posterity.”
Instructor Ngise of the Black Academy speaks up fiercely, declaring that “No magic should be banned! No avenue of experimentation should be denied!”
Ferranifer, Mistress of the Black Academy and old enemy of many of our heroes from their penetration of the infamous Tomb of Horrors, lays a gentle hand on Ngise’s still-living arm (one of them is a husk of blackened, withered undead flesh) and says softly, “Perhaps if they would be willing to ban sun magic in return- such as sunburst, sunray, and so forth?” Ngise scowls.
A rollicking debate forms. It soon becomes clear that they are not going to agree to ban anything, and when the vote comes, a narrow majority- eleven of them- vote to ban certain spells; nine vote against, and Seethe abstains. The vote fails to carry (as they have previous agreed that they need a 2/3 majority to pass the vote).
***
Divine intervention is next on the agenda. The Delphin speaks passionately about records of civilizations that have been destroyed by the direct intervention of deities. Prayzose counters with a strong, forthright argument of his own. “This is a trap for me. I am worshipped as a god; does that mean that I can’t act on my own home plane now? I don’t think I can agree with this, and I urge you all to think about the consequences of enacting a vote on such a topic. I am not the only person worshipped as a god on Cydra.” His meaning is clear: he is speaking of ‘God-King’ Malford.
This vote, too, fails to pass; again, a narrow majority votes for it. The vote is 12-9.
***
The issue of conflict mediation comes next. Prayzose tries to bring up conduct regarding innocent bystanders in this context, but the discussion bogs down when no one can agree on a definition of innocent bystanders. Both the Delphin and Emperor Prayzose are saddened by this; they agree that the protection of the innocent is an important thing. Alas, it has proven different for such a powerful and diverse group to agree on much of anything.
“We should at least agree to some sort of meeting to resolve conflicts amongst ourselves,” insists Ferranifer.
”I agree,” nods the Delphin. “I am sure that none of us relish the thought of direct conflict with one another.” There is a general murmur of agreement.
”But... we aren’t going to be a permanent body, are we?” Orbius asks. “I don’t have time for such things. I’m very busy, and I know Lester is too...”
“No, I don’t think there’s a need for a permanent body or anything- maybe just a panel that can be called on in case of need, which we’ll periodically swap out.”
They discuss it for a while, and eventually decide to make a 5 member panel, chosen randomly by lot, in case of need. This time the vote carries, 14-7. When the lots are drawn, the mediation panel (should its use be required) consists of Lester, Ferranifer, Ngise, the Delphin and Alita. Lester gripes about being on it, but Orbius assures him it is the price of responsibility.
***
Next Marius urges the conference to ban tampering with the timeline. “There is nothing more dangerous,” he warns sternly. His simulacrum stares stonily at him. “Nothing,” Marius the Chronomancer repeats. “You could easily destroy yourself, or change your life into something terribly unlike you are used to.”
Nobody else seems to know anything to speak of about the topic other than Marius (although Lester, Orbius and Horbin were once caught in a time trap by him), but they agree almost unanimously with Marius. Again, Ngise holds out for banning nothing, raving extensively about slippery slopes, and “what’s next, banning fireball and charm person?”
Interestingly, Churr, Alathria and Vendura all vote against banning tampering with the timeline. The Delphin, face concealed by the mask of the Delphin, silently takes note.
***
One final item is discussed.
“Are we going to reconvene?” asks Horbin.
There is silence.
“A lot of things have been raised here that we might, in all fairness, want to think over and talk about again. And there are bound to be other concerns we have that come up.”
“And from time to time, the conflict resolution committee must realign,” adds Lester.
The group grows more thoughtful over this than over any other single piece of discussion so far. The implications of this are... fascinating, thinks Dzaram the Lich. Especially given the moral stature of Emperor Prayzose, organizing this conference was a masterful stroke on the part of the Delphin. Now he has an effective way to avoid a direct conflict with Prayzose- something I had foreseen more and more as a real possibility. And I now have my hands tied as well, for even I would not want to face this group, even with Nydroth, Delilah and the Orichalcum Devourer beside me.
In the end, they vote to reconvene in six months. That’s practically tomorrow, thinks Lillamere.
***
“Well, that’s it, then,” says Orbius cheerfully.
“It doesn’t seem like we accomplished much,” says Horbin mournfully.
”I disagree,” Emperor and High Priest Prayzose replies. “We started talking. And we agreed to continue talking, and to meet again. I think that, in itself, is quite an accomplishment.”
“’S true,” Arion mumbles drunkenly. He wipes a sleeve across his chin. “Jus’ talkin’ is a great deal more than we had before.”
The conferees are outside, watching a brilliant orange sunset stripe and ripple against purple across the clouds. The evening air smells like rain.
“Not bad for a day’s work,” remarks Horbin the MFKG Holy.
Next Time: A long time ago, Lester and some of his pals went to an island 60,000 miles away called the Isle of Vuivui and ate a Chaos fruit. Since hearing about this, Veil has wanted to go there. Next time- she finally gets her wish, but it isn’t quite what she expects!
“The thing I don’t think you’re thinking about,” Horbin reiterates, “is this: if constructs, simulacra and such are not free-thinking beings, if they don’t have rights- who is responsible for their actions? Do we hold their creator responsible?” He turns to Marius the Chronomancer. “Do you want to be responsible for your simulacra? Do you all want to be responsible for any actions golems you make might take?”
“Who else might be held so responsible?” counters the Delphin. “After all, if someone builds a clay golem, who do you complain to if it misbehaves?”
“You certainly can’t complain to the golem,” comments Alita, Lillamere’s mother and genius behind the creation of the warforged. “Most constructs are mindless.”
”We aren’t talking about them,” the simulacrum of Marius declares, “we’re talking about free-willed entities that are more powerful than their creator. We feel; why should we not have rights? We have hopes, we have aspirations, we dream. Why do you persecute us? Yes, you create us; but you create children, too, yet you let them go their own way.”
“Just because you can sit with us does not give you any right to speak,” snaps Marius the Chronomancer.
Before the faux Marius can reply, Lillamere interjects, “I believe that very question is what is under discussion, actually.” Marius the Chronomancer glares back at him. Baron Lillamere looks back from beneath lidded eyes with equanimity. “We are discussing whether they will be given rights.” He sounds dubious.
“I will repeat,” the simulacrum states direly, “that without our support your agreement will fail.”
Orbius sighs. “Threats will not get anyone anything. We must come to agreement.”
“We will not agree to the dismissal of our rights,” the false Marius repeats again.
The conference discusses the subject for some time. One of the key points is that most constructs and spells don’t think. There are exceptions, but they are few. Alita brings up the warforged as one example, and speaks eloquently against treating them the same as living beings.
”Their entire purpose is to save lives,” she points out. “We of the Delphinate spent immense resources on developing the warforged. We poured time, money and life energy itself into the research and rituals that were required to forge them. We did it to save lives- so that we would have soldiers and spellcasters that we could use without risking the life of a living creature. To accept that they have equal rights with living creatures is to declare that work pointless and wasteful.
“You might as well suggest giving equal rights to wagons.”
“I’m not a wagon,” states Veil. “You guys are talking about more than just the simulacrum here- keep in mind that you’re talking about principles.”
But the Delphin speaks clearly in agreement with Alita in principal. Marius vehemently urges everyone to vote against the simulacrum (for clearly that is what the vote is, in his mind). In the end, only Prayzose, Lester and the simulacrum itself vote to give constructs rights. Though the discussion is highly contentious, the vote is almost unanimously against them.
Inoke tenses, stuck in a moment of indecision. The simulacrum is extremely dangerous, he thinks. It has already said that its camp will try to prevent the conference from coming to an effective agreement. I should kill it, now, before it has a chance to get away and get its partners to cause trouble.
Before he decides to strike, however, the simulacrum speaks up. “You fools,” it says, shaking its head. “I tell you, this will not stand.” It sighs. “But I will see what else might be achieved at this conference and do what I can while I am here. I will maintain the truce until after I have left. Will you do the same?”
“We will,” the Delphin pledges. His voice holds a stern warning.
Slowly, Inoke relaxes.
“But you no longer get a vote,” Marius sneers.
***
The Delphin brings up the topic of Mordenkainen’s disjunction, which leads to the topic of a variety of spells being banned or limited. “I mostly think it would be a foolish waste for one of us to be hit with a disjunction,” he says. “I am fairly certain that all of us have unique and probably irreplaceable items on us, items that deserve to be passed on and studied through posterity.”
Instructor Ngise of the Black Academy speaks up fiercely, declaring that “No magic should be banned! No avenue of experimentation should be denied!”
Ferranifer, Mistress of the Black Academy and old enemy of many of our heroes from their penetration of the infamous Tomb of Horrors, lays a gentle hand on Ngise’s still-living arm (one of them is a husk of blackened, withered undead flesh) and says softly, “Perhaps if they would be willing to ban sun magic in return- such as sunburst, sunray, and so forth?” Ngise scowls.
A rollicking debate forms. It soon becomes clear that they are not going to agree to ban anything, and when the vote comes, a narrow majority- eleven of them- vote to ban certain spells; nine vote against, and Seethe abstains. The vote fails to carry (as they have previous agreed that they need a 2/3 majority to pass the vote).
***
Divine intervention is next on the agenda. The Delphin speaks passionately about records of civilizations that have been destroyed by the direct intervention of deities. Prayzose counters with a strong, forthright argument of his own. “This is a trap for me. I am worshipped as a god; does that mean that I can’t act on my own home plane now? I don’t think I can agree with this, and I urge you all to think about the consequences of enacting a vote on such a topic. I am not the only person worshipped as a god on Cydra.” His meaning is clear: he is speaking of ‘God-King’ Malford.
This vote, too, fails to pass; again, a narrow majority votes for it. The vote is 12-9.
***
The issue of conflict mediation comes next. Prayzose tries to bring up conduct regarding innocent bystanders in this context, but the discussion bogs down when no one can agree on a definition of innocent bystanders. Both the Delphin and Emperor Prayzose are saddened by this; they agree that the protection of the innocent is an important thing. Alas, it has proven different for such a powerful and diverse group to agree on much of anything.
“We should at least agree to some sort of meeting to resolve conflicts amongst ourselves,” insists Ferranifer.
”I agree,” nods the Delphin. “I am sure that none of us relish the thought of direct conflict with one another.” There is a general murmur of agreement.
”But... we aren’t going to be a permanent body, are we?” Orbius asks. “I don’t have time for such things. I’m very busy, and I know Lester is too...”
“No, I don’t think there’s a need for a permanent body or anything- maybe just a panel that can be called on in case of need, which we’ll periodically swap out.”
They discuss it for a while, and eventually decide to make a 5 member panel, chosen randomly by lot, in case of need. This time the vote carries, 14-7. When the lots are drawn, the mediation panel (should its use be required) consists of Lester, Ferranifer, Ngise, the Delphin and Alita. Lester gripes about being on it, but Orbius assures him it is the price of responsibility.
***
Next Marius urges the conference to ban tampering with the timeline. “There is nothing more dangerous,” he warns sternly. His simulacrum stares stonily at him. “Nothing,” Marius the Chronomancer repeats. “You could easily destroy yourself, or change your life into something terribly unlike you are used to.”
Nobody else seems to know anything to speak of about the topic other than Marius (although Lester, Orbius and Horbin were once caught in a time trap by him), but they agree almost unanimously with Marius. Again, Ngise holds out for banning nothing, raving extensively about slippery slopes, and “what’s next, banning fireball and charm person?”
Interestingly, Churr, Alathria and Vendura all vote against banning tampering with the timeline. The Delphin, face concealed by the mask of the Delphin, silently takes note.
***
One final item is discussed.
“Are we going to reconvene?” asks Horbin.
There is silence.
“A lot of things have been raised here that we might, in all fairness, want to think over and talk about again. And there are bound to be other concerns we have that come up.”
“And from time to time, the conflict resolution committee must realign,” adds Lester.
The group grows more thoughtful over this than over any other single piece of discussion so far. The implications of this are... fascinating, thinks Dzaram the Lich. Especially given the moral stature of Emperor Prayzose, organizing this conference was a masterful stroke on the part of the Delphin. Now he has an effective way to avoid a direct conflict with Prayzose- something I had foreseen more and more as a real possibility. And I now have my hands tied as well, for even I would not want to face this group, even with Nydroth, Delilah and the Orichalcum Devourer beside me.
In the end, they vote to reconvene in six months. That’s practically tomorrow, thinks Lillamere.
***
“Well, that’s it, then,” says Orbius cheerfully.
“It doesn’t seem like we accomplished much,” says Horbin mournfully.
”I disagree,” Emperor and High Priest Prayzose replies. “We started talking. And we agreed to continue talking, and to meet again. I think that, in itself, is quite an accomplishment.”
“’S true,” Arion mumbles drunkenly. He wipes a sleeve across his chin. “Jus’ talkin’ is a great deal more than we had before.”
The conferees are outside, watching a brilliant orange sunset stripe and ripple against purple across the clouds. The evening air smells like rain.
“Not bad for a day’s work,” remarks Horbin the MFKG Holy.
Next Time: A long time ago, Lester and some of his pals went to an island 60,000 miles away called the Isle of Vuivui and ate a Chaos fruit. Since hearing about this, Veil has wanted to go there. Next time- she finally gets her wish, but it isn’t quite what she expects!
the Jester
Legend
Brain said:
Oh, you caught me.
He is a psion, but he was invited cuz he's also a cleric. Nobody was invited to represent psionics.
omrob
First Post
Psionz
The cleric emperor guy and big girl talked about a similar gthering for Psions.
We also discussed an ol fashioned Marvel Team Up to try and end the civil war on Forinthia... big gurl's home continent.
I also wanted to point out few other Caster Conf details.
1) The uniforms that Afro guy provided for us bodygaurds look exactly like Tuxedos, along with dark sunglasses.
2) We had a bodyguard showoff with the Emperor's Eagles...
3) Big Gurl got to continue her on and off affair with the Storm Giant wizard - fun fun...
The cleric emperor guy and big girl talked about a similar gthering for Psions.
We also discussed an ol fashioned Marvel Team Up to try and end the civil war on Forinthia... big gurl's home continent.
I also wanted to point out few other Caster Conf details.
1) The uniforms that Afro guy provided for us bodygaurds look exactly like Tuxedos, along with dark sunglasses.
2) We had a bodyguard showoff with the Emperor's Eagles...
3) Big Gurl got to continue her on and off affair with the Storm Giant wizard - fun fun...
the Jester
Legend
7/29/371 O.L.G., 10 a.m., the Halls of Healing, Var
Horbin the MFKG Holy strokes his chin. The priestly vestments adorning him give him comfort.
Recently, he atoned to Kevanen, a planetar of Galador. He begged forgiveness for allowing his love of freedom to overcome his desire to do good. Eagerly, he accepted a quest from the celestial. Now it is time to follow up on that quest.
”There is a demon,” Kevanen had said those few days before, “that has caused much pain through deception. Even now it continues to do so.”
“Deceiving who? My party?” Horbin asked.
“Among others. Even Dexter Himself. In fact, this demon was responsible for the second coming of Farenth. A group of adventurers had come to the ruins of the Halls of Light on Forinthia, not long after the fall of the tarrasques. They were led by dreams that they received from what appeared to be two angels, one male and one female, but each claimed that the other was a demon in disguise. Their advice led the heroes to a rod of resurrection hidden in the ruined halls, which they used to restore both the Son of the Light and the Son of Bleak to life.
“You must stop her deceptions, Horbin.”
Now Horbin ponders how to find this demon. He knows the tale of the Second Coming of Dexter, of course, and of Farenth; and he knows the tale of Desgren and Tharron, the heroes that raised Dex from beyond the veil with the rod. The fact that the demon still exists, and is tampering with his own party, is relatively new to him.
Regardless, he shakes his head, bemused. If he needs to find something, the fastest way is probably to ask Orbius.
***
1 p.m., the Temple of Elemental Good
Veil has begged, pleaded and cajoled for so long that Orbius gives in with a sigh. The Eye of Boccob has put off Veil’s ambition for too long, in truth; it is time that they tried to reach the Isle of Vuivui for her.
To this end, Orbius casts a pair of contact other planes.
What is the mace of St. John up to? Unknown
What are the teleportation coordinates for the Isle of Vuivui? Extremely far.
How many teleport circles do I need to cast to get there? Four.
What type of opposition should we expect on our trip? Aberrations.
Where should the first teleport circle lead? Belurnus.
The second? The Icy Drifts.
The third? Mixel’s Tear.
The fourth? Vuivui.
Can we expect active opposition when we arrive in Belurnus? No.
At the second landing? Perhaps.
What kind of opposition, if any, will we face at the second landing? Cold.
Should we expect opposition at the third landing? Unlikely.
What type of opposition are we likely to face on the Isle of Vuivui? Aberrations.
Specifically, what is the most powerful type? Orb.
Orbius thinks about that for a moment. Beholders are known as ‘orbs of many eyes,’ he thinks, and there are legends of even worse creatures- the supposed forefathers of beholders and gibbering mouthers both, the gibbering orbs. He licks his lips.
What is our best tactic in approaching this orb, i.e., combat, diplomacy, bribery, etc? Diplomacy.
What will the orb want? Unpredictable.
What is the name of this orb? Caercolli.
What’s his alignment? Don’t know.
What is his interest in the Isle of Vuivui? Guard.
Does he guard the Cave of Vuivui? No.
Can we get to the cave and avoid the orb? No.
What is Caercolli’s greatest physical weakness? Don’t know.
What is the best diplomatic gesture we can make? Food.
What is the orb’s favorite food? Salmon.
Exhausted from sending his mind so far out twice so quickly, he rests for a few moments with a goblet of water. His meditations are interrupted by the arrival of Horbin. “Orbius,” he says, “I’m on a quest and I’d like to see if you might be willing to do some divinations for me to help me out.”
Orbius nods. “Certainly, I can do that a little later. But first, I’ve promised Veil a trip to a strange distant location- the Isle of Vuivui.”
”Vuivui!” exclaims Horbin.
“Yes, would you like to come along?”
Horbin hesitates. “Isn’t Vuivui a Chaos place? I’m trying to distance myself from all that...”
“Well, otherwise, I’ll be gone for several days, so I can do it when I return.”
“I guess I can just commune anyway... oh, hell, how long is this Vuivui thing going to take?”
“A couple of days,” Orbius assures the cleric.
Horbin sighs. “Count me in.”
***
5 p.m., Mixel’s Tear
In the end, the entire party accompanies Orbius and Veil. “Wiser to stay together,” nods Chakar. Soon our heroes have reached a ragged blotch of jagged stone thrusting out of a choppy sea. They easily reshape the rugged Mixel’s Tear into a shape suitable for sleeping on, rather than one requiring considerable work to find a comfortable seat. After they make camp, Orbius does another contact other plane. This time his questions are guided by Horbin’s tale.
What is the name of the demon Horbin is quested to stop? Unknown.
What is the location of Desgren’s rod of resurrection? Broken.
Who broke the rod? Desgren.
Orbius ponders that for a while. To the best of his knowledge, the rod of resurrection in question was the first example of someone returning from the dead in all of Cydran history. It was an historic artifact. Yet- Desgren, whoever he was, broke it himself. Why?*
Are the angels that Desgren encountered in his dreams embroiled in Horbin’s quest? Yes.
What is the name of the real angel? Fillestrea.
What is the name of the angel who is really a demon? Unknown.
Which of the two are we likely to encounter first if we follow Horbin’s quest? Unknown.
What is the nature of the deception that Dexter was under? Evil.
Does this demon keep close to Dexter? Unknown.
Is Dexter aware of the demon? Yes.
Show me the most common guise of this demon? Unknown.
Will a pierce mind blank help me locate her? Unknown.
“She’s inscrutable,” he says afterwards, full of admiration. He relates what he has learned- which is to say, very little, really. Still, the religious training of Horbin is enough to fill in some of the blanks.
“Desgren and Tharron were the two adventurers who brought Dexter- and Farenth- back from the grave,” he states gravely. “They journeyed with him and Malford for several years, from Forinthia to Dorhaus. That was a century and a half ago, of course, so they are both gone back to the dust from whence they came now. Tharron is buried in the cemetery in Var; Desgren died elsewhere.” Horbin creases his forehead.
Alcar interjects, “My brother, Cyrax, traveled with them.”
“What!” exclaims Horbin.
“I was an elf,” explains the Angel of Food.
“Do you think he’d know anything about this demon?”
“He might.”
“Where’s he at?”
We had to hang him, Lester projects over the telepathic bond. He went bad. He betrayed us to Farenth.
“Just ‘cause he had the face of a pit fiend,” gripes Alcar.
No, just because he backstabbed us, Lester retorts. He sighs. Cyrax was not all sweetness and light, he adds.
The party enjoys another good sunset as they make camp. “Tomorrow,” Orbius observes, “we will reach the Isle of Vuivui. We should be prepared.”
“For what?” asks Sybele.
“For orbs,” Orbius replies, his voice a harsh rasp.
Next Time: Aberrant orbs on the Isle of Vuivui!
*There’s a great story there, as Desgren was a pc, and it involves Dzaram the Lich, whom we just saw at the spellcasters’ conference.
Horbin the MFKG Holy strokes his chin. The priestly vestments adorning him give him comfort.
Recently, he atoned to Kevanen, a planetar of Galador. He begged forgiveness for allowing his love of freedom to overcome his desire to do good. Eagerly, he accepted a quest from the celestial. Now it is time to follow up on that quest.
”There is a demon,” Kevanen had said those few days before, “that has caused much pain through deception. Even now it continues to do so.”
“Deceiving who? My party?” Horbin asked.
“Among others. Even Dexter Himself. In fact, this demon was responsible for the second coming of Farenth. A group of adventurers had come to the ruins of the Halls of Light on Forinthia, not long after the fall of the tarrasques. They were led by dreams that they received from what appeared to be two angels, one male and one female, but each claimed that the other was a demon in disguise. Their advice led the heroes to a rod of resurrection hidden in the ruined halls, which they used to restore both the Son of the Light and the Son of Bleak to life.
“You must stop her deceptions, Horbin.”
Now Horbin ponders how to find this demon. He knows the tale of the Second Coming of Dexter, of course, and of Farenth; and he knows the tale of Desgren and Tharron, the heroes that raised Dex from beyond the veil with the rod. The fact that the demon still exists, and is tampering with his own party, is relatively new to him.
Regardless, he shakes his head, bemused. If he needs to find something, the fastest way is probably to ask Orbius.
***
1 p.m., the Temple of Elemental Good
Veil has begged, pleaded and cajoled for so long that Orbius gives in with a sigh. The Eye of Boccob has put off Veil’s ambition for too long, in truth; it is time that they tried to reach the Isle of Vuivui for her.
To this end, Orbius casts a pair of contact other planes.
What is the mace of St. John up to? Unknown
What are the teleportation coordinates for the Isle of Vuivui? Extremely far.
How many teleport circles do I need to cast to get there? Four.
What type of opposition should we expect on our trip? Aberrations.
Where should the first teleport circle lead? Belurnus.
The second? The Icy Drifts.
The third? Mixel’s Tear.
The fourth? Vuivui.
Can we expect active opposition when we arrive in Belurnus? No.
At the second landing? Perhaps.
What kind of opposition, if any, will we face at the second landing? Cold.
Should we expect opposition at the third landing? Unlikely.
What type of opposition are we likely to face on the Isle of Vuivui? Aberrations.
Specifically, what is the most powerful type? Orb.
Orbius thinks about that for a moment. Beholders are known as ‘orbs of many eyes,’ he thinks, and there are legends of even worse creatures- the supposed forefathers of beholders and gibbering mouthers both, the gibbering orbs. He licks his lips.
What is our best tactic in approaching this orb, i.e., combat, diplomacy, bribery, etc? Diplomacy.
What will the orb want? Unpredictable.
What is the name of this orb? Caercolli.
What’s his alignment? Don’t know.
What is his interest in the Isle of Vuivui? Guard.
Does he guard the Cave of Vuivui? No.
Can we get to the cave and avoid the orb? No.
What is Caercolli’s greatest physical weakness? Don’t know.
What is the best diplomatic gesture we can make? Food.
What is the orb’s favorite food? Salmon.
Exhausted from sending his mind so far out twice so quickly, he rests for a few moments with a goblet of water. His meditations are interrupted by the arrival of Horbin. “Orbius,” he says, “I’m on a quest and I’d like to see if you might be willing to do some divinations for me to help me out.”
Orbius nods. “Certainly, I can do that a little later. But first, I’ve promised Veil a trip to a strange distant location- the Isle of Vuivui.”
”Vuivui!” exclaims Horbin.
“Yes, would you like to come along?”
Horbin hesitates. “Isn’t Vuivui a Chaos place? I’m trying to distance myself from all that...”
“Well, otherwise, I’ll be gone for several days, so I can do it when I return.”
“I guess I can just commune anyway... oh, hell, how long is this Vuivui thing going to take?”
“A couple of days,” Orbius assures the cleric.
Horbin sighs. “Count me in.”
***
5 p.m., Mixel’s Tear
In the end, the entire party accompanies Orbius and Veil. “Wiser to stay together,” nods Chakar. Soon our heroes have reached a ragged blotch of jagged stone thrusting out of a choppy sea. They easily reshape the rugged Mixel’s Tear into a shape suitable for sleeping on, rather than one requiring considerable work to find a comfortable seat. After they make camp, Orbius does another contact other plane. This time his questions are guided by Horbin’s tale.
What is the name of the demon Horbin is quested to stop? Unknown.
What is the location of Desgren’s rod of resurrection? Broken.
Who broke the rod? Desgren.
Orbius ponders that for a while. To the best of his knowledge, the rod of resurrection in question was the first example of someone returning from the dead in all of Cydran history. It was an historic artifact. Yet- Desgren, whoever he was, broke it himself. Why?*
Are the angels that Desgren encountered in his dreams embroiled in Horbin’s quest? Yes.
What is the name of the real angel? Fillestrea.
What is the name of the angel who is really a demon? Unknown.
Which of the two are we likely to encounter first if we follow Horbin’s quest? Unknown.
What is the nature of the deception that Dexter was under? Evil.
Does this demon keep close to Dexter? Unknown.
Is Dexter aware of the demon? Yes.
Show me the most common guise of this demon? Unknown.
Will a pierce mind blank help me locate her? Unknown.
“She’s inscrutable,” he says afterwards, full of admiration. He relates what he has learned- which is to say, very little, really. Still, the religious training of Horbin is enough to fill in some of the blanks.
“Desgren and Tharron were the two adventurers who brought Dexter- and Farenth- back from the grave,” he states gravely. “They journeyed with him and Malford for several years, from Forinthia to Dorhaus. That was a century and a half ago, of course, so they are both gone back to the dust from whence they came now. Tharron is buried in the cemetery in Var; Desgren died elsewhere.” Horbin creases his forehead.
Alcar interjects, “My brother, Cyrax, traveled with them.”
“What!” exclaims Horbin.
“I was an elf,” explains the Angel of Food.
“Do you think he’d know anything about this demon?”
“He might.”
“Where’s he at?”
We had to hang him, Lester projects over the telepathic bond. He went bad. He betrayed us to Farenth.
“Just ‘cause he had the face of a pit fiend,” gripes Alcar.
No, just because he backstabbed us, Lester retorts. He sighs. Cyrax was not all sweetness and light, he adds.
The party enjoys another good sunset as they make camp. “Tomorrow,” Orbius observes, “we will reach the Isle of Vuivui. We should be prepared.”
“For what?” asks Sybele.
“For orbs,” Orbius replies, his voice a harsh rasp.
Next Time: Aberrant orbs on the Isle of Vuivui!
*There’s a great story there, as Desgren was a pc, and it involves Dzaram the Lich, whom we just saw at the spellcasters’ conference.
hippiejedi2
First Post
At the Spellcaster's Conference Veil acted super dramatic and stabbed herself when the constuct/similacra rights came up, since she is a construct, a constuct via chaos that is. I believe Veil's self-inflicted wound was to show that constucts sometimes exude a viscous substance when struck.The only reasonable response from the spellcasters was to disjunction her weapon.(probably the Delphin hehe)
Ger played bodyguard most of the time, but was approached by Delilah the Damned, she presented a quest to the halfling, but did not divulge any details. Gerontius told her there was no one else she could depend on and to contact him in the future.
Ger also was in favor of banning disjunctions and promised all the spellcasters that if he were the targeted recipient by that spell he would kill the caster. He also pointed out via the telepathic bond that the conference was for spellcasters and similacra are spellcasters, hence similacra should be included in the conference. It matters less how one gets their spellcasting abilities and more on whether they can sink a continent or not.
Before we left for VuiVui, Orbeus Permanently Enlarged Dorn Wankerman, Ger's cohort. In return Ger & Wankerman will each spend a minimum of one month as special guest instuctors at Lester's School of Adventure.
Also before we left for VuiVui many from our group got Wyrd's. The only one I remember offhand is Ger gave up Elevensies and can no longer walk barefoot on earth.
Ger played bodyguard most of the time, but was approached by Delilah the Damned, she presented a quest to the halfling, but did not divulge any details. Gerontius told her there was no one else she could depend on and to contact him in the future.
Ger also was in favor of banning disjunctions and promised all the spellcasters that if he were the targeted recipient by that spell he would kill the caster. He also pointed out via the telepathic bond that the conference was for spellcasters and similacra are spellcasters, hence similacra should be included in the conference. It matters less how one gets their spellcasting abilities and more on whether they can sink a continent or not.
Before we left for VuiVui, Orbeus Permanently Enlarged Dorn Wankerman, Ger's cohort. In return Ger & Wankerman will each spend a minimum of one month as special guest instuctors at Lester's School of Adventure.
Also before we left for VuiVui many from our group got Wyrd's. The only one I remember offhand is Ger gave up Elevensies and can no longer walk barefoot on earth.
Last edited:
the Jester
Legend
To the Isle of Vuivui
7/30/371 O.L.G., 9 a.m., the Isle of Vuivui
As our heroes appear on the Isle of Vuivui, the first thing they notice is how far off the sun’s path they have come. It appears not in the ecliptic they are used to, but off to the south, arcing low through the sky. It takes only moments before the orbs start to rise from behind the large flat hills towards the isle's center.
A strange thing, a massive orb with eyes floating independently in the air all around it, is accompanied by things that can only be described as three-headed beholders. Our heroes gulp and eye them warily as Lillamere steps up and attempts to use his considerable skill with diplomacy to talk to the weird gibbering orb. When asked, it admits that it is Caercolli.
“Why have you come here?” it asks in many voices at once.
“We come in peace, seeking only access to the fruit of Vuivui,” Baron Lillamere declares.
The gibbering orb mutters and then says, “You wish the blessings of Chaos?” Its eyes linger on the shield of Graz’zt that Veil bears. Veil bows. “You serve the cause?”
“I serve Chaos, and Lord Graz’zt,” Veil replies.
“You will undertake a great task,” rumbles the gibbering orb. A multitude of other voices rises up from it, sighing and laughing softly.
“Very well. Follow me into the center of the isle.”
The group mass flies up and over a shielding range of hills, dotted with trees, and then down into the center of the isle. There are short tufts of greenish-yellow grass here and there, and a few shrubs and bushes. Lester notes that when he was here before, it looked considerably different, and there weren’t any three-headed beholder guardians. Indeed, in the island’s center itself- there is no tree. Veil feels a profound disappointment.
Instead of the Tree of Vuivui, our heroes find a small pool of glimmering, scintillating color. As she examines it, Veil can feel a tension around it, a potentiality. The liquid in the pool, Veil suddenly knows, is some sort of Chaos oil.
“If you will undertake to storm the Bastion of Law,” the gibbering orb’s many voices say as one, “you may each bathe an item in the pool of power.”
Lester steps up next to Veil and starts stripping off his armor. She reads his mind- he means to wash his armor in the Chaos.
Inoke shakes his head. “I don’t think this is such a good idea,” he states firmly. “Can we get this over with quickly, please? I’ll stand guard, but this whole thing makes me uncomfortable.” He moves a short distance away.
Veil watches as Lester reverently places his armor in the pool, then pulls it out, rubbing it down. The armor seems to have achieved a new sheen, shining glossily. Veil grins and pulls her sword. She plunges it deep within the oil of Chaos, holding it in with her hand up to the elbow. When she pulls it out, it seems to waver in her vision for an instant. Within it, she can feel a new, powerful energy seething and waiting to escape.
Most of the others hesitate. Who knows what effect this will have on their items? It is Chaos, after all. Not to mention the commitment they are being asked to make!
Alcar takes a deep breath. He is no servant of Chaos, but the forces of Law have used and rejected him. The damn bureaucrats! He owes them one anyhow! He pulls his holy symbol of Galador from around his neck and plunges it deep into the pool. He can feel the tingling of the Chaos oil as he prays with all his devotion.* Oh Galador, take this moment to show me whether you approve of my path.
For a moment, there is a flare of light from deep within the pool. Alcar snatches his symbol from the pool and kisses it.
“Can we go now?” complains Inoke.
***
8/1/371 O.L.G., 3 p.m., Var
Our heroes have returned to Dorhaus. The three of them that bathed an item have retired to try to ascertain the effects, while Horbin has determined that a commune of his own is in order. Thus he lights some incense and casts his mind into a state of deep prayer.
Is ‘Unknown’ the name of a demon? Unknown.
Am I speaking to Dexter? Yes.
Has the demon I have been asking about deceived Dexter before? Unknown.
Did Desgren break the rod of resurrection to keep if from an enemy? Yes.
Was it a lich? Yes.
Lester told me that Dzaram the Lich was involved in the battle that led to Desgren’s vanishing in a prismatic spray, thinks Horbin. So he’s probably the lich in question. But what if he was involved in the dreams too?
Was the lich either angel in the dreams of Desgren? Unlikely.
Does Fillestrea know the name of the demon? No.
Do any of the companions of Dexter know of it? No.
Have we, the party, encountered an agent of this demon in the past month? Unknown.
Does it have fairly sophisticated protections against divination? Unknown.
Should I keep an eye on Sybele? I guess so.
Horbin sits thinking hard about this. Who can we ask about this? he wonders. He starts to get a few ideas.
***
Outside the Temple of Elemental Good
Lester tries to miracle a Tree of Vuivui for Veil, but unfortunately, it withers and dies in only moments. The fruit looks unhealthy, to put it mildly, so Veil again gives up in disappointment. Really, though, she is more than satisfied with the trip; her sword fairly hums with chaotic power.
Then Horbin sends over the link, Hey- anyone want to go to Gorel? Lester and Alcar, especially?
Lester relays the question to Alcar, who is not a member of the permanent telepathic bond. Soon the party is assembling.
***
5 p.m., above Gorel
“What’s the plan, man?” Lester asks.
“I want to talk to dome dead people,” Horbin replies. “I figure, maybe they can tell us something about this demon I’m seeking.”
“Dead people!” exclaims Alcar. “My brother!”
“Possibly,” admits Horbin. “And possibly Farenth, too. We’re going to the location of the death of Farenth, which should be near Cyrax’s death site too.”
“We should bring my brother back,” Alcar urges.
“He betrayed us all; it led to his fall,” Lester reminds him.
But their trip to the old pirate lair on Yafall (an isle just off the coast of Gorel) is unsuccessful. Though they find his body, Cyrax’s spirit seems trapped. Alcar is frustrated but helpless to do anything else about it.
The party decides to walk through the jungle for a while in the hopes of drawing out something to take their frustration and aggression out on. So through the jungle they tromp. As the evening deepens and the sun sinks towards the western sea, Chakar catches a glimpse of something large and reddish-white, moving amongst the trees. The dwarf nudges Gerontius and points.
Then some of the most savage beasts our heroes have ever fought burst out of the jungle!
Next Time: Our heroes fight big jungle nasties!
*He also burned a Wyrd, which is sort of like a fate point.
7/30/371 O.L.G., 9 a.m., the Isle of Vuivui
As our heroes appear on the Isle of Vuivui, the first thing they notice is how far off the sun’s path they have come. It appears not in the ecliptic they are used to, but off to the south, arcing low through the sky. It takes only moments before the orbs start to rise from behind the large flat hills towards the isle's center.
A strange thing, a massive orb with eyes floating independently in the air all around it, is accompanied by things that can only be described as three-headed beholders. Our heroes gulp and eye them warily as Lillamere steps up and attempts to use his considerable skill with diplomacy to talk to the weird gibbering orb. When asked, it admits that it is Caercolli.
“Why have you come here?” it asks in many voices at once.
“We come in peace, seeking only access to the fruit of Vuivui,” Baron Lillamere declares.
The gibbering orb mutters and then says, “You wish the blessings of Chaos?” Its eyes linger on the shield of Graz’zt that Veil bears. Veil bows. “You serve the cause?”
“I serve Chaos, and Lord Graz’zt,” Veil replies.
“You will undertake a great task,” rumbles the gibbering orb. A multitude of other voices rises up from it, sighing and laughing softly.
“Very well. Follow me into the center of the isle.”
The group mass flies up and over a shielding range of hills, dotted with trees, and then down into the center of the isle. There are short tufts of greenish-yellow grass here and there, and a few shrubs and bushes. Lester notes that when he was here before, it looked considerably different, and there weren’t any three-headed beholder guardians. Indeed, in the island’s center itself- there is no tree. Veil feels a profound disappointment.
Instead of the Tree of Vuivui, our heroes find a small pool of glimmering, scintillating color. As she examines it, Veil can feel a tension around it, a potentiality. The liquid in the pool, Veil suddenly knows, is some sort of Chaos oil.
“If you will undertake to storm the Bastion of Law,” the gibbering orb’s many voices say as one, “you may each bathe an item in the pool of power.”
Lester steps up next to Veil and starts stripping off his armor. She reads his mind- he means to wash his armor in the Chaos.
Inoke shakes his head. “I don’t think this is such a good idea,” he states firmly. “Can we get this over with quickly, please? I’ll stand guard, but this whole thing makes me uncomfortable.” He moves a short distance away.
Veil watches as Lester reverently places his armor in the pool, then pulls it out, rubbing it down. The armor seems to have achieved a new sheen, shining glossily. Veil grins and pulls her sword. She plunges it deep within the oil of Chaos, holding it in with her hand up to the elbow. When she pulls it out, it seems to waver in her vision for an instant. Within it, she can feel a new, powerful energy seething and waiting to escape.
Most of the others hesitate. Who knows what effect this will have on their items? It is Chaos, after all. Not to mention the commitment they are being asked to make!
Alcar takes a deep breath. He is no servant of Chaos, but the forces of Law have used and rejected him. The damn bureaucrats! He owes them one anyhow! He pulls his holy symbol of Galador from around his neck and plunges it deep into the pool. He can feel the tingling of the Chaos oil as he prays with all his devotion.* Oh Galador, take this moment to show me whether you approve of my path.
For a moment, there is a flare of light from deep within the pool. Alcar snatches his symbol from the pool and kisses it.
“Can we go now?” complains Inoke.
***
8/1/371 O.L.G., 3 p.m., Var
Our heroes have returned to Dorhaus. The three of them that bathed an item have retired to try to ascertain the effects, while Horbin has determined that a commune of his own is in order. Thus he lights some incense and casts his mind into a state of deep prayer.
Is ‘Unknown’ the name of a demon? Unknown.
Am I speaking to Dexter? Yes.
Has the demon I have been asking about deceived Dexter before? Unknown.
Did Desgren break the rod of resurrection to keep if from an enemy? Yes.
Was it a lich? Yes.
Lester told me that Dzaram the Lich was involved in the battle that led to Desgren’s vanishing in a prismatic spray, thinks Horbin. So he’s probably the lich in question. But what if he was involved in the dreams too?
Was the lich either angel in the dreams of Desgren? Unlikely.
Does Fillestrea know the name of the demon? No.
Do any of the companions of Dexter know of it? No.
Have we, the party, encountered an agent of this demon in the past month? Unknown.
Does it have fairly sophisticated protections against divination? Unknown.
Should I keep an eye on Sybele? I guess so.
Horbin sits thinking hard about this. Who can we ask about this? he wonders. He starts to get a few ideas.
***
Outside the Temple of Elemental Good
Lester tries to miracle a Tree of Vuivui for Veil, but unfortunately, it withers and dies in only moments. The fruit looks unhealthy, to put it mildly, so Veil again gives up in disappointment. Really, though, she is more than satisfied with the trip; her sword fairly hums with chaotic power.
Then Horbin sends over the link, Hey- anyone want to go to Gorel? Lester and Alcar, especially?
Lester relays the question to Alcar, who is not a member of the permanent telepathic bond. Soon the party is assembling.
***
5 p.m., above Gorel
“What’s the plan, man?” Lester asks.
“I want to talk to dome dead people,” Horbin replies. “I figure, maybe they can tell us something about this demon I’m seeking.”
“Dead people!” exclaims Alcar. “My brother!”
“Possibly,” admits Horbin. “And possibly Farenth, too. We’re going to the location of the death of Farenth, which should be near Cyrax’s death site too.”
“We should bring my brother back,” Alcar urges.
“He betrayed us all; it led to his fall,” Lester reminds him.
But their trip to the old pirate lair on Yafall (an isle just off the coast of Gorel) is unsuccessful. Though they find his body, Cyrax’s spirit seems trapped. Alcar is frustrated but helpless to do anything else about it.
The party decides to walk through the jungle for a while in the hopes of drawing out something to take their frustration and aggression out on. So through the jungle they tromp. As the evening deepens and the sun sinks towards the western sea, Chakar catches a glimpse of something large and reddish-white, moving amongst the trees. The dwarf nudges Gerontius and points.
Then some of the most savage beasts our heroes have ever fought burst out of the jungle!
Next Time: Our heroes fight big jungle nasties!
*He also burned a Wyrd, which is sort of like a fate point.