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Lylandra's War of the Burning Sky continued
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<blockquote data-quote="Lylandra" data-source="post: 7494168" data-attributes="member: 6816692"><p><strong>The issue of succession and the second War Council</strong></p><p></p><p>The group takes Coaltongue, and travels to Magdus' encampment near Korstull via teleport. They introduce themselves as agents of both Seaquen and the Taranesti and, after stating their names, are welcomed by second general Octavia. As they asked the late Emperor to keep the disguise of an old orc until they finally arrive in Magdus' tent, no one actually recognizes Coaltongue. They ask him then to stay outside as they'd love to give the “new emperor” a pleasant surprise.</p><p> </p><p> Magdus is both wary and interested when he sees the trio and asks them for their reason to return to his site. Tinuviel and Cuin first thank the general for his hospitality as they both know they didn't part on too good terms after that Shalosha incident. Then they hand him the official invitation to the very first war council in Seaquen. They explain that he's free to bring his army along, as long as he agrees to keep the peace in the territory of Seaquen. </p><p> </p><p> Cuin then goes on to tell Magdus about Simeonne's and Xavious' plan to maybe form an alliance against Leska as they are pretty sure that no one will win against this Surpreme Inquisitor all on his or her own. They're pretty sure that Ostalin, Sindaire and Dassen will send their emissaries, so the talks will be both international and serious. In addition, the reclusive Taranesti also agreed to send one of their best warriors, namely Cuin'halar, who also has a very special gift for the future emperor of Ragesia. He then asks Torrent to bring in the mysterious stranger.</p><p> </p><p>Then Coaltongue enters the command tent and removes his hood, showing an almost mischievous smile. </p><p> </p><p>“May I introduce you to our guest of honor: Drakus Coaltongue”</p><p> </p><p> Magdus' face turns pale in surprise, then he falls down on one knee to honor his superior.</p><p> </p><p>“My liege... you're alive. How's that even...After hearing the tale of your assassination, after seeing the vision of the Dark Pyre with my own eyes, I had lost all hope of ever seeing you again. Please accept-”</p><p> </p><p> Coaltongue looks at his general in a mix of bemusement and feigned annoyance, before he interrupts him gruffly.</p><p> </p><p> “Stand up, you loyal fool! And don't you dare to burden me with the weight of ruling Ragesia again. I haven't returned to reclaim my empire. I have returned to officially name you my successor. I've heard that you waited patiently in front of Korstull, searching for ways to brace a raging firestorm for months. So I believe my judgment was right after all: No one's as loyal to me and to Ragesia as you are. So I believe you'll make a fine ruler, Magdus. Now, on your feet. An emperor doesn't kneel!”</p><p> </p><p> Magdus is still speechless for a moment, then stands up slowly while realizing what just happened. He first thanks Coaltongue for placing his trust in him and then thanks the trio for returning his emp- no, old friend to him. Coaltongue on the other hand promises to act as adviser for Magdus as long as he needs his advice. </p><p> </p><p>When he's sure that he isn't ruining anyone's moment there, Cuin says he hopes that the effort of the Taranesti is to emperor Magdus' liking. He then quickly adds that while he's sure that an educated man like Emperor Magdus is aware of the fate of the Taranesti at the hands of Lord Shaaladel, their tale is far from over. They, his people, are trying to survive in the haunted forest they call their ancient home. And despite all tragedy, they are still willing to contribute to the war effort against Leska. But he, being the representative of his people, needs to make sure that they will be left alone and may keep their sovereign territory this time. Meaning that he asks Magdus to officially recognize Ycengeld Phuurst as land of the Taranesti.</p><p> </p><p> Magdus sees this as the clever political maneuver that it is, but he cannot find any reason why anyone would wish to lay claim on the haunted forest and Cuin'halar has proven to be a trustworthy negotiator who helped to return his late emperor. So he agrees to support the Taranesti sovereignty on the basis that the Taranesti support his claim on the throne of Ragesia. </p><p> </p><p><em>Note: So yeah, Magdus knows that “the Taranesti” are little more than Cuin and his family or so. But he does know about the deeds of the Seaquenian trio and also knows that having them on his side might be vital to get more supporters (international ones as well as the refugees from Ragesia) for his claim on the throne. </em></p><p><em></em></p><p>They then take some time to explain why and how they think Coaltongue might have been assassinated. They also have good reason to believe that Leska is behind this all. And speaking of Leska, there is another poor soul who's forced to fight a war he doesn't believe in because he's bound by a geas to “the rightful ruler of Ragesia”. So maybe it would be a good idea to pay dear General Danava a visit and release him of his bounds. </p><p> </p><p> Magdus and Coaltongue both agree that stopping the war in Gate Pass as quickly as possible might be a good idea as that would allow the Second Army to join the First should the Alliance be forged in the near future. Also, this would give the poor people of Gate Pass some rest and bring relief to the besieged Resistance. </p><p> </p><p>As there is no one vetoing this plan, Cuin and Tinuviel use their teleportation spells to bring Magdus, Coaltongue and some guards to a place near Danava's encampment. Magdus' presence alone is reason enough to be granted free passage through the camp towards the command tent of the General. This time, Magdus does most of the talk, even if the elves first claim to have finally found a way to prevent the two Danavas from waging war against each other.</p><p> </p><p>Magdus greets his old colleague with a warm dignity before he explains that he's glad to relieve Danava of Leska's orders as she's no longer the rightful ruler of Ragesia. He then shocks Danava with the revelaion of Drakus Coaltongue in the same way he had been shocked by the trio before.</p><p> </p><p>“By his right as Emperor, Drakus Coaltongue has named me his successor to the throne of Ragesia. Leska has no claim on it. Which means you're free to make peace with Gate Pass as I don't support this needless war. Do you swear to serve me loyally as General of my second army? Do you swear to uphold the vow you gave to Emperor Coaltongue and stay by my side in life and death, Ashok Danava?”</p><p> </p><p>This time it is General Danava who kneels in reverence before his new Emperor, presenting him his sword in a ceremonial gesture.</p><p> </p><p> “Always, my Emperor. I shall serve you in life and death. I shall be your loyal sword until the very end.”</p><p> </p><p> Magdus then signals Danava to rise again and embraces him in a brotherly way. He then informs his general about the upcoming War council and his plan to join an alliance against Leska the usurper should the conditions be acceptable for Ragesia. He also orders Danava to stop all hostilities with Gate Pass at once and stay in his camp until further notice. He explains that the city might need the additional defense should Leska realize what happened and order Revulus to withdraw from Dassen and attack Gate Pass. Also, explaining the new rulership to the representatives of Gate Pass might be a good idea. Tinuviel and Cuin'halar agree and add that their father, Tharaleth Shelenbîl will be glad to start negotiations soon. </p><p> <em></em></p><p><em>Note: And that's how they forced me to change a good portion of adventure 9 <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /> I didn't see any reason why their plan wouldn't work and I like to reward clever players. Even if that means a good amount of extra work for me. Well, at least Magdus' order kept Danava's army around Gate Pass so I wouldn't have to improvise too much. Also, I'm a fan of both Danavas and Magdus, so giving me the opportunity to portray their interaction was a reward in itself. </em></p><p></p><p> They then return Emperor Magdus and Coaltongue to the ragesian camp in Sindaire and return back to Seaquen to report to Simeonne. They are all pretty sure that all invited parties will send their respective representatives, leaving open only the matter of the Shahalesti. Tinuviel is pretty keen on getting Shalosha to the negotiation table as he know she'd be the most reasonable and diplomatic of them all. So he and Cuin propose a little trick to Simeonne: She should invite both Shaaladel and Shalosha personally to the war council conference. They are both pretty sure that Shaaladel won't come in person, but he's both too vain and too courteous to ignore a personal invitation, so he might just send Shalosha who's already well-known in Seaquen. </p><p></p><p> The headmastress doesn't see any flaw in this plan and she's already seen Shalosha showing good intentions despite different orders from her father, so she'd be glad to see her join the war council. So they all proceed to send the invitation to both Lord and princess.</p><p> </p><p>A few days later, Tinuviel uses a sending power to speak to his cousin about the war council and he asks her whether she'd be among the representatives of Seaquen. Shalosha replies that she's already heard about the council, but she probably won't be able to come and she doesn't know who'd be sent either. She can only guess that this is because her father wasn't so happy to hear about her “engagement plan” to Magdus from Rihalles or whoever told him without being consulted first, so he keeps her out of international affairs for now. </p><p> </p><p><em>Note: I needed a reason why Shalosha would be a surprise guest in the Temple after I had decided to make them all attend the War Council before going back to Ycengled. They'd have asked her to come along otherwise which meant that I'd needed to add more people to the ranks of their “opposing team” as well. So knowing that Shaaladel wouldn't be too happy about his daughter trying to marry someone without his approval (Magdus, even if this was clearly exaggerated by Tinuviel), he'd try to keep her out of negotiations with the ragesian rebels for a while. </em></p><p> <em></em></p><p> Both elves are a bit disappointed that their plan didn't work at all. As the emissaries of Sindaire, Ostalin (including two Monks) and Dassen (they are positively surprised to see Lady Timor and Lord Gallo as representatives of Dassen's magical and military “departments”), as well as Magdus and Octavia appear one by one, they slowly start wondering whether Shahalesti will be sending anyone at all. They are a bit relieved, but also annoyed, to see their old acquaintance Admiral Telshanth arrive with a small fleet last minute. He is accompanied by Tinuviel's aunt, Mariel Shalandil, who's glad to see her nephew again after all these months of war.</p><p> </p><p> The council starts as planned with Simeonne greeting and introducing everyone (including guildmistress Sheena Larkis of the Wayfarers and Xavious Foebane, leader of the refugee army) and getting them all on equal terms regarding the newest events and information:</p><p> </p><p>First, the advances of the Ragesians have been halted at almost every front except in Shahalesti, which are good news. However, there might be trouble ahead as it appears as if Leska has been developing a secret superweapon called “The Scourge” in a far off fortress in northern Ragesia. Looking at Telshanth, she instantly adds that the help of the Shahalesti, most importantly of Magister Clathan and his subordinates, has been key to receiving that information, so thanks for that. From what they know, this is also the place where all the captured mages might have been brought to and there are hints that their magic is used to fuel a device called “Koren Obelisk” which might be able to project and amplify any spell that's being cast through it. So they'd need to get rid of this superweapon before they an even start thinking about bringing the war to Leska herself lest they'd risk their capitals being bombarded with deadly spells.</p><p> </p><p> Magdus raises his voice to give some insight into that matter. First, he thanks Simeonne and Seaquen that he and his “true Ragesians” have been invited to the council as they, too, wish to liberate their home from Leska's oppression. He also knows a bit about the northern region of Ragesia and the old military fortresses that were built by Coaltongue. Plus, he knows the name “Koren” too well, as this woman is nothing short of Inquisitor Kreven's wife. Oh and as far as he knows, she's a Wayfarer, so she maybe knows quite a deal about teleportation and the Burning Sky effect (He earns deadly side-eyes from Sheena when he speaks that name). </p><p> </p><p> One of the monks then stands up as there's someone who could add to this information. He brings forth a mask which turns into an image of Pilus' face. Pilus explains that he spied upon this fortress from above and can provide more detailed information about its really strong defenses. </p><p> </p><p>Simeonne thanks Magdus and Pilus for this insight and then concludes that they are all in imminent danger, which is why she proposes to form an Alliance of the Free People as they share a common goal in defeating Leska and bringing peace to the continent. She then points to Cuin, Tinu and Torrent and explains that these heroes and saviors of Seaquen have been a great help in gathering the necessary information and also helped to uncover an intrigue that threatened to destroy Dassen from the inside. </p><p> </p><p> Seeing this as a sign that it is his turn to speak, Cuin'halar stands up to express his support for forming an alliance against Leska. He adds that he's not only a citizen of Gate Pass (which wasn't able to send representatives on their own as they are still busy making peace negotiations with General Danava), but also ambassador for the Taranesti of Ycengled. He says that his people, despite being peaceful, small numbered and not directly involved so far, would help to bring peace to the world and send their greatest warrior (himself) to aid the Alliance. However, to be able to do so, he'd need to be sure that every member of the Alliance agrees to honor their autonomy and let them live in peace in their home forest of Ycengeld Phuurst. </p><p> </p><p>As a sign of his people's goodwill, he managed to uncover the lost Torch of the Burning Sky of emperor Coaltongue. He then brings forth the artifact and adds that this will hopefully end the futile search of the Shahalesti in Ycengled. Also, the Torch is pretty much nonfunctional as it is now, as the dragon soul shard that fueled it has been removed, and every party is free to examine the artifact with their magical scholars. He also has proof that it was almost certainly Leska or one of her highest Inquisitors who was behind the assassination of Coaltongue, so the Shahalesti are the wrong ones to blame. </p><p> </p><p>He then asks the members of the council whether they'd support the Taranesti autonomy and every party except Shahalesti agrees one by one. Mariel shares a few whispers with Telshanth and then says that she doesn't believe that Lord Shaaladel will object as soon as the Alliance liberates the lands of Shahalesti. But to this point, she cannot make any promises without her Lord's approval. Telshanth then raises his voice himself and adds that he wants to make it clear that, should Shahalesti lend their valuable troops, his King would expect nothing less than being the supreme commander of their unified army. Also, Shaaladel sees himself as the natural successor to the late Emperor Coaltongue, so he'd expect to be ruler of Ragesia after the war.</p><p> </p><p>Needless to say that this proposal faces a heavy objection from Magdus who says he knows at least a dozen people who'd had been named his successor by Coaltongue before he'd even think about calling for Shaaladel. Besides that fact, there is no doubt that Coaltongue saw him as the one true successor to the throne. To stress this out, he and the team give the Lyceans the sign to ask for their “special guest” who, to everyone's surprise, turns out to be no one else but said Drakus Coaltongue. </p><p> </p><p>Coaltongue confirms Magdus' claim, saying that he personally made him emperor and adding that he doesn't wish to return to rule Ragesia. However, if they accept Magdus and Ragesia as part of their alliance, he'd offer to act as military adviser and commanding officer on the battlefield. This causes Telshanth (but less so Mariel) to be infuriated that he wasn't informed about Coaltongue being alive earlier. Sheena takes this as an opportunity to throw in that she didn't know about Koren being with Leska's Rags as well and she demands her to be arrested and given to the Wayfarers for proper punishment. </p><p></p><p> Just when tensions are about to get really high, the windows of the council hall shatter at once and an icy blast fills the whole room. Before anyone can fully grasp what just happened, two huge ice elementals appear out of nowhere , threatening to put a quick and premature end to the Alliance.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lylandra, post: 7494168, member: 6816692"] [b]The issue of succession and the second War Council[/b] The group takes Coaltongue, and travels to Magdus' encampment near Korstull via teleport. They introduce themselves as agents of both Seaquen and the Taranesti and, after stating their names, are welcomed by second general Octavia. As they asked the late Emperor to keep the disguise of an old orc until they finally arrive in Magdus' tent, no one actually recognizes Coaltongue. They ask him then to stay outside as they'd love to give the “new emperor” a pleasant surprise. Magdus is both wary and interested when he sees the trio and asks them for their reason to return to his site. Tinuviel and Cuin first thank the general for his hospitality as they both know they didn't part on too good terms after that Shalosha incident. Then they hand him the official invitation to the very first war council in Seaquen. They explain that he's free to bring his army along, as long as he agrees to keep the peace in the territory of Seaquen. Cuin then goes on to tell Magdus about Simeonne's and Xavious' plan to maybe form an alliance against Leska as they are pretty sure that no one will win against this Surpreme Inquisitor all on his or her own. They're pretty sure that Ostalin, Sindaire and Dassen will send their emissaries, so the talks will be both international and serious. In addition, the reclusive Taranesti also agreed to send one of their best warriors, namely Cuin'halar, who also has a very special gift for the future emperor of Ragesia. He then asks Torrent to bring in the mysterious stranger. Then Coaltongue enters the command tent and removes his hood, showing an almost mischievous smile. “May I introduce you to our guest of honor: Drakus Coaltongue” Magdus' face turns pale in surprise, then he falls down on one knee to honor his superior. “My liege... you're alive. How's that even...After hearing the tale of your assassination, after seeing the vision of the Dark Pyre with my own eyes, I had lost all hope of ever seeing you again. Please accept-” Coaltongue looks at his general in a mix of bemusement and feigned annoyance, before he interrupts him gruffly. “Stand up, you loyal fool! And don't you dare to burden me with the weight of ruling Ragesia again. I haven't returned to reclaim my empire. I have returned to officially name you my successor. I've heard that you waited patiently in front of Korstull, searching for ways to brace a raging firestorm for months. So I believe my judgment was right after all: No one's as loyal to me and to Ragesia as you are. So I believe you'll make a fine ruler, Magdus. Now, on your feet. An emperor doesn't kneel!” Magdus is still speechless for a moment, then stands up slowly while realizing what just happened. He first thanks Coaltongue for placing his trust in him and then thanks the trio for returning his emp- no, old friend to him. Coaltongue on the other hand promises to act as adviser for Magdus as long as he needs his advice. When he's sure that he isn't ruining anyone's moment there, Cuin says he hopes that the effort of the Taranesti is to emperor Magdus' liking. He then quickly adds that while he's sure that an educated man like Emperor Magdus is aware of the fate of the Taranesti at the hands of Lord Shaaladel, their tale is far from over. They, his people, are trying to survive in the haunted forest they call their ancient home. And despite all tragedy, they are still willing to contribute to the war effort against Leska. But he, being the representative of his people, needs to make sure that they will be left alone and may keep their sovereign territory this time. Meaning that he asks Magdus to officially recognize Ycengeld Phuurst as land of the Taranesti. Magdus sees this as the clever political maneuver that it is, but he cannot find any reason why anyone would wish to lay claim on the haunted forest and Cuin'halar has proven to be a trustworthy negotiator who helped to return his late emperor. So he agrees to support the Taranesti sovereignty on the basis that the Taranesti support his claim on the throne of Ragesia. [I]Note: So yeah, Magdus knows that “the Taranesti” are little more than Cuin and his family or so. But he does know about the deeds of the Seaquenian trio and also knows that having them on his side might be vital to get more supporters (international ones as well as the refugees from Ragesia) for his claim on the throne. [/I] They then take some time to explain why and how they think Coaltongue might have been assassinated. They also have good reason to believe that Leska is behind this all. And speaking of Leska, there is another poor soul who's forced to fight a war he doesn't believe in because he's bound by a geas to “the rightful ruler of Ragesia”. So maybe it would be a good idea to pay dear General Danava a visit and release him of his bounds. Magdus and Coaltongue both agree that stopping the war in Gate Pass as quickly as possible might be a good idea as that would allow the Second Army to join the First should the Alliance be forged in the near future. Also, this would give the poor people of Gate Pass some rest and bring relief to the besieged Resistance. As there is no one vetoing this plan, Cuin and Tinuviel use their teleportation spells to bring Magdus, Coaltongue and some guards to a place near Danava's encampment. Magdus' presence alone is reason enough to be granted free passage through the camp towards the command tent of the General. This time, Magdus does most of the talk, even if the elves first claim to have finally found a way to prevent the two Danavas from waging war against each other. Magdus greets his old colleague with a warm dignity before he explains that he's glad to relieve Danava of Leska's orders as she's no longer the rightful ruler of Ragesia. He then shocks Danava with the revelaion of Drakus Coaltongue in the same way he had been shocked by the trio before. “By his right as Emperor, Drakus Coaltongue has named me his successor to the throne of Ragesia. Leska has no claim on it. Which means you're free to make peace with Gate Pass as I don't support this needless war. Do you swear to serve me loyally as General of my second army? Do you swear to uphold the vow you gave to Emperor Coaltongue and stay by my side in life and death, Ashok Danava?” This time it is General Danava who kneels in reverence before his new Emperor, presenting him his sword in a ceremonial gesture. “Always, my Emperor. I shall serve you in life and death. I shall be your loyal sword until the very end.” Magdus then signals Danava to rise again and embraces him in a brotherly way. He then informs his general about the upcoming War council and his plan to join an alliance against Leska the usurper should the conditions be acceptable for Ragesia. He also orders Danava to stop all hostilities with Gate Pass at once and stay in his camp until further notice. He explains that the city might need the additional defense should Leska realize what happened and order Revulus to withdraw from Dassen and attack Gate Pass. Also, explaining the new rulership to the representatives of Gate Pass might be a good idea. Tinuviel and Cuin'halar agree and add that their father, Tharaleth Shelenbîl will be glad to start negotiations soon. [I] Note: And that's how they forced me to change a good portion of adventure 9 :) I didn't see any reason why their plan wouldn't work and I like to reward clever players. Even if that means a good amount of extra work for me. Well, at least Magdus' order kept Danava's army around Gate Pass so I wouldn't have to improvise too much. Also, I'm a fan of both Danavas and Magdus, so giving me the opportunity to portray their interaction was a reward in itself. [/I] They then return Emperor Magdus and Coaltongue to the ragesian camp in Sindaire and return back to Seaquen to report to Simeonne. They are all pretty sure that all invited parties will send their respective representatives, leaving open only the matter of the Shahalesti. Tinuviel is pretty keen on getting Shalosha to the negotiation table as he know she'd be the most reasonable and diplomatic of them all. So he and Cuin propose a little trick to Simeonne: She should invite both Shaaladel and Shalosha personally to the war council conference. They are both pretty sure that Shaaladel won't come in person, but he's both too vain and too courteous to ignore a personal invitation, so he might just send Shalosha who's already well-known in Seaquen. The headmastress doesn't see any flaw in this plan and she's already seen Shalosha showing good intentions despite different orders from her father, so she'd be glad to see her join the war council. So they all proceed to send the invitation to both Lord and princess. A few days later, Tinuviel uses a sending power to speak to his cousin about the war council and he asks her whether she'd be among the representatives of Seaquen. Shalosha replies that she's already heard about the council, but she probably won't be able to come and she doesn't know who'd be sent either. She can only guess that this is because her father wasn't so happy to hear about her “engagement plan” to Magdus from Rihalles or whoever told him without being consulted first, so he keeps her out of international affairs for now. [I]Note: I needed a reason why Shalosha would be a surprise guest in the Temple after I had decided to make them all attend the War Council before going back to Ycengled. They'd have asked her to come along otherwise which meant that I'd needed to add more people to the ranks of their “opposing team” as well. So knowing that Shaaladel wouldn't be too happy about his daughter trying to marry someone without his approval (Magdus, even if this was clearly exaggerated by Tinuviel), he'd try to keep her out of negotiations with the ragesian rebels for a while. [/I] Both elves are a bit disappointed that their plan didn't work at all. As the emissaries of Sindaire, Ostalin (including two Monks) and Dassen (they are positively surprised to see Lady Timor and Lord Gallo as representatives of Dassen's magical and military “departments”), as well as Magdus and Octavia appear one by one, they slowly start wondering whether Shahalesti will be sending anyone at all. They are a bit relieved, but also annoyed, to see their old acquaintance Admiral Telshanth arrive with a small fleet last minute. He is accompanied by Tinuviel's aunt, Mariel Shalandil, who's glad to see her nephew again after all these months of war. The council starts as planned with Simeonne greeting and introducing everyone (including guildmistress Sheena Larkis of the Wayfarers and Xavious Foebane, leader of the refugee army) and getting them all on equal terms regarding the newest events and information: First, the advances of the Ragesians have been halted at almost every front except in Shahalesti, which are good news. However, there might be trouble ahead as it appears as if Leska has been developing a secret superweapon called “The Scourge” in a far off fortress in northern Ragesia. Looking at Telshanth, she instantly adds that the help of the Shahalesti, most importantly of Magister Clathan and his subordinates, has been key to receiving that information, so thanks for that. From what they know, this is also the place where all the captured mages might have been brought to and there are hints that their magic is used to fuel a device called “Koren Obelisk” which might be able to project and amplify any spell that's being cast through it. So they'd need to get rid of this superweapon before they an even start thinking about bringing the war to Leska herself lest they'd risk their capitals being bombarded with deadly spells. Magdus raises his voice to give some insight into that matter. First, he thanks Simeonne and Seaquen that he and his “true Ragesians” have been invited to the council as they, too, wish to liberate their home from Leska's oppression. He also knows a bit about the northern region of Ragesia and the old military fortresses that were built by Coaltongue. Plus, he knows the name “Koren” too well, as this woman is nothing short of Inquisitor Kreven's wife. Oh and as far as he knows, she's a Wayfarer, so she maybe knows quite a deal about teleportation and the Burning Sky effect (He earns deadly side-eyes from Sheena when he speaks that name). One of the monks then stands up as there's someone who could add to this information. He brings forth a mask which turns into an image of Pilus' face. Pilus explains that he spied upon this fortress from above and can provide more detailed information about its really strong defenses. Simeonne thanks Magdus and Pilus for this insight and then concludes that they are all in imminent danger, which is why she proposes to form an Alliance of the Free People as they share a common goal in defeating Leska and bringing peace to the continent. She then points to Cuin, Tinu and Torrent and explains that these heroes and saviors of Seaquen have been a great help in gathering the necessary information and also helped to uncover an intrigue that threatened to destroy Dassen from the inside. Seeing this as a sign that it is his turn to speak, Cuin'halar stands up to express his support for forming an alliance against Leska. He adds that he's not only a citizen of Gate Pass (which wasn't able to send representatives on their own as they are still busy making peace negotiations with General Danava), but also ambassador for the Taranesti of Ycengled. He says that his people, despite being peaceful, small numbered and not directly involved so far, would help to bring peace to the world and send their greatest warrior (himself) to aid the Alliance. However, to be able to do so, he'd need to be sure that every member of the Alliance agrees to honor their autonomy and let them live in peace in their home forest of Ycengeld Phuurst. As a sign of his people's goodwill, he managed to uncover the lost Torch of the Burning Sky of emperor Coaltongue. He then brings forth the artifact and adds that this will hopefully end the futile search of the Shahalesti in Ycengled. Also, the Torch is pretty much nonfunctional as it is now, as the dragon soul shard that fueled it has been removed, and every party is free to examine the artifact with their magical scholars. He also has proof that it was almost certainly Leska or one of her highest Inquisitors who was behind the assassination of Coaltongue, so the Shahalesti are the wrong ones to blame. He then asks the members of the council whether they'd support the Taranesti autonomy and every party except Shahalesti agrees one by one. Mariel shares a few whispers with Telshanth and then says that she doesn't believe that Lord Shaaladel will object as soon as the Alliance liberates the lands of Shahalesti. But to this point, she cannot make any promises without her Lord's approval. Telshanth then raises his voice himself and adds that he wants to make it clear that, should Shahalesti lend their valuable troops, his King would expect nothing less than being the supreme commander of their unified army. Also, Shaaladel sees himself as the natural successor to the late Emperor Coaltongue, so he'd expect to be ruler of Ragesia after the war. Needless to say that this proposal faces a heavy objection from Magdus who says he knows at least a dozen people who'd had been named his successor by Coaltongue before he'd even think about calling for Shaaladel. Besides that fact, there is no doubt that Coaltongue saw him as the one true successor to the throne. To stress this out, he and the team give the Lyceans the sign to ask for their “special guest” who, to everyone's surprise, turns out to be no one else but said Drakus Coaltongue. Coaltongue confirms Magdus' claim, saying that he personally made him emperor and adding that he doesn't wish to return to rule Ragesia. However, if they accept Magdus and Ragesia as part of their alliance, he'd offer to act as military adviser and commanding officer on the battlefield. This causes Telshanth (but less so Mariel) to be infuriated that he wasn't informed about Coaltongue being alive earlier. Sheena takes this as an opportunity to throw in that she didn't know about Koren being with Leska's Rags as well and she demands her to be arrested and given to the Wayfarers for proper punishment. Just when tensions are about to get really high, the windows of the council hall shatter at once and an icy blast fills the whole room. Before anyone can fully grasp what just happened, two huge ice elementals appear out of nowhere , threatening to put a quick and premature end to the Alliance. [/QUOTE]
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Lylandra's War of the Burning Sky continued
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