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Discussion for a Kingdom of ashes

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notable historic references.

i'm posting cause i'm hungry. hungry for slaughter.
mik aka "Mr. Rage Issues"
 

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The Big Shebang

This one's a doozie. I sent it out over email as well.
So, I've been doing some thinking and asking some questions. And I have two things to talk about. The first is the prophecy.

Being as how we're trying to find all of the remaining spirit blades before the Bluestar and the evil West people, I think we need more information on the prophecy, our enemies, the spirit blades, etc. So, actually, I should split this up more, share the information I've gleaned already, and then make my proposals.

Ok, On the Note and Prophesy:

1. The Prophesy was written by Raith Truthbearer, a shadowdancer General of the army under the command of (the dwarf who was the friend of the Bluestar, and is now under his control but I forget his name)
2. The journal begins with Raith fleeing from a palace, which from all the clues seems to be in Caer Maelyn. At this point, Thane Apecto was across the sea, the location of Pendra Amastacia was unknown, and Link Woodshadow was leading the King's forces north to guard Caer Albion.
3. When Raith encountered Oberon, the green man was dying. He became this way during his legendary battle with Tiamat, lady of shadow. He gave up his power to IMPRISON her, not to kill her as commonly thought. (Read my other notes on Tiamat)
4. All of this was happening when the Traitor (I assume this is the Bluestar) attacked Caer Albion. I believe this is in Freedom Year 2, the begining of the War of the Damned.
5. Raith Truthbearer was not supposed to be the one to get the message.
6. "Thirteen there were, and thirteen there are, near three hundred thousand tomorrows shall come together to herald this age's end." It has been approximately 326310 days since Oberon said that.
7. Raith wrote this in FY 9, soon before his death in the Citadel farthest away from Caer Maelyn. (This would be Citadel Refuge) He waited to write it until the last possible moment, hoping that Thane, Pendra, or Link would come to hear his message. But they never came. So he wrote it.

Yet somehow, the journal came to be in the possession of Link Woodshadow. There had to be some time between these events, and many people could have seen this journal. We also need to confirm our assumptions on the locations of the spirit blades, and figure out the location of the others. So here's my plan. I'd like to take 1-3 weeks of our 5 week down time and teleport to Citadel Refuge to do research. And here's why:
1. We need to find this information before our enemies do.
2. With the plan we have made, there is no time to go to the Citadel, confirm our assumptions, or find the locations of the other blades. This is something I think we need to do.
3. I've checked into ways of contacting Citadel Refuge without actually going there, and believe me, I've done alot of checking. The closest thing would be to communicate through a Ring Gate (40,000gp) but that only goes up to 100 miles, and CR is further away than that. We'd also have to get the other Ring there, and I doubt we have a 17th level wizard.

That is point one. Now on to bits of information and stuff 2. (of I think 3)

We need to contact Mr. Miagee. Jeremiah, what's your status on that? Reason 1 being that Justice has some questions. Reason 2 being that Xath would really really really like some more information that may prove, disprove, or complicate her theories on Tiamat being involved with the armies of the West.

Point 3. Jaine Rhynn and the Game of Politics aka. Happy Happy fun Land

Ok. We are trying to overthrow the current king and place Jaine Rhynn on the throne of the Falcon Kingdom. This is pretty much going to have to come completely from insurrection/rebellion, because as far as the succession goes, it was pretty legitimate (if a bit underhanded, but most successions are) Not only that, but even if the King is overthrown or mysteriously dies, we have to put Jaine Rhynn in the appropriate political light so that she is the obvious choice for the next monarch. So, we need some dirt on the King.

Here's what we've got.
1. King Tain Hawkson I is supposedly the bastard son of King Maelwys Embries III and a servent girl. However this claim is somewhat suspicious, since the second child of the servent girl is half True Alder, and the King is human.
2. The King never legitimized Tain's claim to the throne until after he had suffered from a "stroke" at which time the majority of the ruling of the kingdom was done by the noble's council. The King was only seen in public once after his stroke. While there is no doubt it was Maelwys, there is much doubt as to whether he actually said anything, or someone spoke for him.
3. The servant girl is now married to a True Alder former member of the King's personal guard.
4. When the time for succession came, the heads of the two other competing families (Rhynn and Filmore) mysteriously died of "accidents" leaving a 14 year old girl(Jaine Rhynn) and 20 year old man (Alric Filmore aka. Mr. Phipps) in charge of their respective houses and up for the succession.
5. There are rumors that Tain threatened the families of the Noble's Council to win their support.

Now, murder, threats, and bribery in a succession are not unheard of, but in todays "enlightened" society, they are certainly frowned upon by the general populace. Now Tain has had over 7 years to cover his tracks, so we won't be able to prove treachery through conventional means that easily. That being said, I have an idea. I'd like to ask one of the clerics to Commune as per the spell. Since it's a 5th level spell, we'd be able to ask 9 yes/no questions to the light/saints/whatnot above. The question becomes what 9 questions. Also. We have to be careful with the wording of the questions as as the deities we recieve our answers from (aka. The Universe) can screw around with the question to suit themselves, though I think this is difficult to do with yes/no, but I've learned not to put anything past Kennon. So. Here are a few of the questions I thought to ask. Feel free to bring up some of your own, or change the wording.

1. Is Tain Hawkson I the biological son of Maelwys Embries III?
2. Did Maelwys Embries III, of his own free will, legitimize Tain Hawkson I as his son and heir?
3. During the succession after the death of Maelwys Embries III, did Tain Hawkson arrange for the deaths of the leader of each the Rhynn and Filmore families?
4. During the succession after the death of Maelwys Embries III, did Tain Hawkson blackmail, bribe, or threaten the Noble's Council to gain their support?
5. Has King Tain Hawkson I allied himself with the Draconic and Undead forces of the West?
6. Is King Tain Hawkson I operating under his own free will?
7. Is Tiamat free from the prison in which Oberon placed her by giving up his immortality?
8. Are the Draconic and Undead forces of the West allied with the Bluestar?
9. Do any members allied with the Bluestar and the Undead and Draconic forces of the West know the locations of the 13 Spirit Blades?

I think this is all three of my points. Please respond. Recap.
1. Teleportation to Citadel Refuge.
2. Mr. Miagee
3. Commune

-Gertie

Please forgive my spelling. And grammer. And punctuation.

Actually, screw punctuation. Nobody should care about that.
 

Answers

Raith Truthbearer was under the command of a Dwarf named Gyan Thunderheart, of the clan Thunderheart. Gyan was a hero of great renown during the Freedom War, and was a highly effective general in the opening stages of the War of the Damned.

Statement #5 re: the prophecy is not necessarily true. How do we know who was supposed to hear it, if anyone? I would posit that Oberon was not expecting to die right then...

Which would imply that he was NOT dying over the course of two years, but was actually doing quite well until some force under the command of the Bluestar was able to harm him further. The prophecy seems to be a last act of desperation, and not a wholly conscious one on the part of Oberon...since Oberon is often referred to as a Messenger, perhaps this was simply the last message he had to deliver?

You are nonetheless nearly 100% certain that he is dead, now.

That's all the confirmation I'll give you. Some of your other assumptions are just that--assumptions.

As for the trip to citadel refuge...

1.) It's not clear that you need to find the information before the enemy does. You need to think less like a hero, and more like an evil dictator on this one. They clearly need ALL of the spiritblades for something. Therefore, you only need ONE spiritblade to mess up their plans. They're spending the resources to find all of these things, which means that you'd be foolish to distract them from finding them. Let them do the work, and then either take a single blade from them, or spend the resources to find just one, and make sure-as-hell you can keep it, this time. If they can take 1 from you, they can take 10. Don't save them the trouble of hunting them themselves.

2.) You're right--in the plan you have made, there is no time to go to Citadel Refuge. The plan that you have made requires the full resources of the characters for the entire 5 weeks, plus. Do you NEED to go there? See above. (On another note, if you convince the other characters, I won't prevent you from going there).

3.) Since none of the Wizards or Sorcerers, nor yourselves have ever been to citadel refuge, teleportation of any sort is risky, but vaguely possible if you use one of the portal stones. The easiest, safest way would be to sail there. Note: just because it the safest does not mean it is safe. It is, in fact, VERY dangerous.

Jeremiah will have to answer some of the stuff about Lord Miagee, such as he knows it. However, if Jeremiah says that Kaereth will run after him before he disappears completely, I can answer some of those questions as Lord Miagee. In fact, shoot those questions to me at home and work, and I will get to them as I can.



As for the Jaine Rhynn thing--if you're going for popular uprising, stick with that. As Fidel Castro would tell you, there's really no way to make your succession ACTUALLY legitimate. You just have to convince everybody that they like you better than the guy in power, now. That being said, go ahead and ask your questions. It's really not going to convince anyone but yourselves, since the cleric just hears the answer in his or her head. The answers are below: (as you read the answers, bear in mind that the phrasing of the question may alter an answer from a yes to a no. As a God of Truth, the Light has answered each truthfully, but remember that ambiguous phrasing may prevent Him providing really useful information with a yes or no. In addition, if the premise behind a question is false, the answer may simply be reflecting that. Hence, while I can assure you that all of my answers are technically true, that does not mean that they are obejectively true.)

1. Is Tain Hawkson I the biological son of Maelwys Embries III?

YES

2. Did Maelwys Embries III, of his own free will, legitimize Tain Hawkson I as his son and heir?

YES

3. During the succession after the death of Maelwys Embries III, did Tain Hawkson arrange for the deaths of the leader of each the Rhynn and Filmore families?

YES

4. During the succession after the death of Maelwys Embries III, did Tain Hawkson blackmail, bribe, or threaten the Noble's Council to gain their support?

NO

5. Has King Tain Hawkson I allied himself with the Draconic and Undead forces of the West?

NO

6. Is King Tain Hawkson I operating under his own free will?

YES

7. Is Tiamat free from the prison in which Oberon placed her by giving up his immortality?

NO

8. Are the Draconic and Undead forces of the West allied with the Bluestar?

NO

9. Do any members allied with the Bluestar and the Undead and Draconic forces of the West know the locations of the 13 Spirit Blades?

NO

 

Finding the Spirit Blades...

What if these blades are in other cities? I'd rather at least know where they are. That way, we have a good idea as to where the west is going to move, and we'd have a chance to at least warn the people of that area, even if we couldn't go there. I personally don't want to see another Oceanus inflicted on these people.
 

Xath said:
What if these blades are in other cities? I'd rather at least know where they are. That way, we have a good idea as to where the west is going to move, and we'd have a chance to at least warn the people of that area, even if we couldn't go there. I personally don't want to see another Oceanus inflicted on these people.
During week three you'll get precisely what you desire--an idea of where the Draconids will move...and where they already have.

More as I have time.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
 

Until we have an army to fight for us-- there is no way that we can prevent "another Oceanus." The 7 of us do not have the ability to stop their foces..

We know that they have HUGE numbers. Kaereth has told us that the numbers that attacked Oceanus are but a small portion of the power they have...

So-- once again, furthers my belief that we need to spend time in Hyrwl attempting to recruit, train, and organize The Army of the Phoneix.
 

A note, and then an update.

Note: You can cast commune multiple times. So, if you have another set of questions, shoot.

Update:

It's been about three weeks since the "trial" and the "heroic" death of Baron Edriss Kiva.

You've all been very busy with your various tasks, working hard to prepare the people of your fledgling city of refugees for whatever horror will next be inflicted upon them.

On the 25th day, two things of import happen.

1) Shortly after dawn, a messenger rides into Hyrwl, looking specifically for Baroness Woodshadow, the Lady Hyrwl. He will speak to no one else, and is actively hostile to anyone who tries to see the contents of a leather satchel at his side. However, save for a light crossbow and a shortsword, he appears to be unarmed. He is also very young--maybe 15 or 16. Peach-fuzz covers his ruddy cheeks. He appears to be human. When asked from whom his message has come, he replies firmly, "from a friend of the baroness. I am under oath to say no more."

He will wait for as long as he has to, but every day he is made to wait, he will demand to see the Baroness, as it is a matter of great import for her barony, further insisting that he bears the message from a friend.

2) At nightfall, a pair of dwarves stumble into the camp, followed by Archonus, and Greylocke, the direwolf. They appear to be battered, exhausted, and at best only partially conscious. Archon has the details for how they were found.

Both dwarves are armed and armored, both appear to have sustained injuries relatively recently in battle. They also appear to have some older injuries which were not properly attended to--no matter what happens, these two dwarves will carry numerous scars for the rest of their lives. Because of their fatigue, they aren't really volunteering information at the moment, but they may be able to answer questions *HINT HINT*.

The dwarven population in Oceanus is thin--almost non-existent. So, they probably didn't come from there. Archonus brought them in from the east, not the south or west, so they probably aren't from Khaz Modan or Ribbul. The rest is up to you to find out. :)
 

YEAH! I got one of the system admin's to let me into this site... technically it should still be blocked, so if I go bye-bye one day I will just have to see about working my magic again :)

As for what Gerti wrote about asking questions and the blades: Going to Oceanis may give us some more knowledge on the prophesy and the person behind it.

As for the messanger, unless there is some reason why not- I would see him right away, but take someone with me --can we just roll a percent dice and see who sees him come into town?--

For breakfast club week one... um I will just post it as I have it... since we are getting way beyond it and I am getting way behind :)
 


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