Sepulchrave II
Legend
Nice, clean thread...
**
First, Eniin ‘Restored’ Nwm.
Once the group was back in the Druid’s glade, the Planetar invoked a ‘Righteous Might’ and grew to a height of twenty feet. He beat his wings powerfully, causing a downdraft as he took off.
Mostin almost passed out.
Nwm attuned himself to his torc, and perceived that both the remaining ground-borne Templars and the Inevitables were still approaching the glade. He wondered why – surely the innate location ability of the Inevitables would have revealed Eadric’s presence as ten miles to the west, or just registered ‘absent’ during the time spent in Mostin’s extradimensional space.
The Druid caught a whiff of smoke on the air. Sh*t, he thought. He quickly changed his perception and located his bear, Tostig, who seldom strayed far from the glade. He was two miles away. Nwm immediately whistled, and summoned a small sparrow, which alighted on his arm. He twittered a few times, and the bird flew off. He hoped that Tostig had not forgotten the routine.
Mostin looked the other way. Too many birds today, he thought. Too many.
Nwm invoked a storm through his orb, apologized to the Alienist, changed into the form of a giant eagle, and took to the sky. As he flew upwards, the voice of Eadric – somehow superimposed upon that of Eniin – echoed in his mind.
PLEASE EXERCISE RESTRAINT
The Druid looked westwards. Less than a mile distant, in a semicircle half a mile wide, fire was eating through the forest and advancing towards the glade.
Restraint was going to be difficult, he fumed.
"Can you cause me to fly?" Eadric asked Mostin.
"No," the Alienist replied. "I’m all out of those."
"I can do this." Tahl said.
Two Celestial Pegasi appeared.
"Very appropriate. That will do nicely," Eadric said. He and Tahl mounted the shimmering winged horses.
Yet more feathers.
"They travel very fast," Mostin warned him. "If you engage the Kolyaruts, beware of their ‘Enervations.’"
"What else do they have?" Eadric asked.
"‘Fear,’" said the Alienist. "‘Hold Monster.’"
Tahl invoked a ‘Negative Energy Protection’ upon himself, and Eadric a ‘Spell Immunity’ to Enervations and Holding, and both took to the air.
"I want one," said Iua, pointing to the Pegasi.
Mostin looked apologetic, and flew off, followed by Ortwin and Nehael. Iua grumbled and drew on her elemental heritage, invoking an ‘Air Walk.’ It would have been painfully slow progress, but she bent her mind to the airs around her, and the wind began to blow powerfully at her back.
Within ten seconds, she overtook Mostin and Ortwin, smiling condescendingly as she flew, and leaving a gale in her wake. Having a Djinn as a father had certain perquisites.
"So, er, we’ll just stay here then," Tatterbrand explained to the Templars.
**
Eadric outpaced even Eniin, driving the Pegasus to its limit. As he flew, he drew Lukarn and invoked a ‘Holy Sword.’
As they approached the enemy, the Paladin observed the Zelekhuts moving out of a rolling cloud of smoke to his left. The Planetar moved to intercept them. On the ground below, the Kolyaruts were targeting him with ‘Enervations’ and ‘Hold’ spells before they took to the air. They had dispensed with the ‘Fear’ effects, given his paladinhood. Eadric glanced behind him, to see that Tahl had drawn his flaming greatsword. Further back, flew Iua, and yet further, the Demoness, Ortwin and Mostin.
Nwm had banked off towards the Templars and Eadric hoped that he didn’t do anything too drastic.
Mostin’s voice, carried on a ‘Whispering Wind’ reached his ears.
"Oh, and ‘Suggestion,’" the Alienist said. "And ‘Vampiric Touch,’ too."
Eadric sighed, urged his mount downwards, invoked the power of the Strength domain, and immediately cut the first Kolyarut from the sky.* The speed and momentum of his assault carried him onwards – safely, he thought – until his mount was simultaneously struck by three ‘Enervations’ and evaporated.
Tahl wheeled down after the plummeting Eadric, and Nwm invoked a mine of ‘Poison Vines’ on the five Templars, paralyzing one of them and entangling two others. He was exercising restraint, but expected some kind of retaliation. The Templars, however, made no resistance. All were watching the celestial spectacle in the sky above them.
As the Inevitables consulted their programming – unsure if the huge form of Eniin presented a threat or not – the Planetar spoke a ‘Holy Word,’ instantly banishing three of the five Zelekhuts from the Mortal Plane. The two remaining gyred and targeted the celestial with spells, which failed to overcome his resistance. Eniin struck rapidly with his greatsword – grown to a full three-fathom length – and reduced one of the flying Inevitables to its component parts.
Ortwin winced as he saw Eadric fall eighty feet, bounce off a conifer, and crash through the branches of an oak tree before he struck the ground with a ‘thud.’ Tahl followed rapidly and dismounted next to him. The Bard quickly unstoppered a bottle and consumed a potion of ‘Haste’
Mostin cackled madly and detonated a sonic and a quickened ‘Magic Missile’, as he approached, and Iua realigned the winds around her into a spherical configuration. She began to tread downwards towards the ground. All of the remaining Kolyaruts were now descending upon Eadric and Tahl –two of their three designated primary targets, conveniently located next to each other. Abruptly, they winked out, invisible to all save Mostin and the Planetar. Tahl concentrated upon the Eye of Palamabron, which hung around his neck, and a ‘Zone of Revelation’ instantly brought the Inevitables back into sharp focus.
The six Kolyaruts crashed into Eadric and Tahl, and a brutal melee followed. Tahl evaded, and cast a ‘Greater Magic Weapon’ upon his flaming sword, even as they were pummeling him with vampiric attacks. Eadric hewed at them as they tried to overwhelm him, each successive attack draining more of his strength.
Iua leapt in from the rear and rapidly struck a Kolyarut five times with her rapier. Wholly ineffectively. Sh*t, she thought, and backed off. They paid her no heed, and continued their assault upon the Paladin and Inquisitor. Eadric dropped one.
Mostin arrived and ‘Disintegrated’ another, and let yet another quickened ‘Magic Missile’ off. Ortwin flew down and made quick work of a third. Still, undeterred, the three remaining Kolyaruts focussed their attention on Eadric and Tahl. Mostin threw another ‘Magic Missile’ – this time, not quickened. He was almost out of offensive spells, and his last sonic would have hit too many allies.
Iua summoned a burst of ‘Chain Lightning,’ and Eadric, Ortwin and Tahl hacked and slashed. By the time that Nwm arrived, it was over. Strange components lay strewn around, and Mostin eyed them with interest.
"Where is Eniin?" Eadric asked.
"I believe he is remonstrating with the Templars," the Druid replied.
**
At the celestial’s command, the Templars presented themselves to Eadric.
"What is on the other side of the ‘Prismatic Sphere?’" The Paladin asked.
"Urqual, a warrior-priest, was performing another calling," one replied. "He was opening a ‘Gate’ to Oronthon’s Heaven. He planned to bring Enitharmon through, to punish you, although Lord Rede expressly forbade the calling of celestials."
"Did he now?" Eadric said, half-amused. "Why do you suppose that was?"
He was answered with silence.
It began to rain – hard – as Nwm’s ‘Control Weather’ finally manifested itself. The fire in the wood was gradually quenched as the group – except Nwm, Mostin and Eniin- proceeded on foot to Kyrtill’s Burgh.
Nwm returned to his glade, and spoke with Tatterbrand, Jorde and Hyne. As he stood there, Tostig – rather late – lumbered out of the trees, pushed him to the ground and licked his face. Tatterbrand was used to the scene, but Tahl’s cohorts found it somewhat disturbing. Tostig was as large as an elephant.
The Planetar went immediately to the keep, and persuaded the remaining Templars to submit themselves to Eadric’s justice before he departed.
Mostin remained in the vicinity of the battle, looking over the remains of the Inevitables. He picked up a severed arm, and inspected its complex mechanisms.
Fascinating, he thought.
**
The hour which followed was grim and depressing. The charred remains of Eadric’s servants, and the members of the garrison who had been captured, were pulled down from their pyres, and the smoldering logs were dowsed. Beneath the Steeple, those six who were incarcerated were released – apparently the Temple had stopped short of condemning the minors to death. All of the eleven remaining Templars were stripped of their possessions, and shown into the cells in their place. None lifted their voices in protestation.
Three hours later, the ‘Prismatic Sphere’ finally collapsed, the power of its magic exhausted. Eadric, Ortwin and Tahl ascended the Steeple, and stood on top of the Tower.
Three Templars – one of them Urqual, whom Eadric knew from his days in the Inquisition – sat motionless upon the roof. All were breathing, but none registered the presence of the Paladin or his friends. Stricken by some form of catatonia they rocked, and drooled, and babbled.
Their eyes were blackened pits, as if some terrible light had burned them from their heads.
**
**
The most powerful known wizards in Wyre and its dependencies at the end of the Seventh Century were, in no particular order of precedence, Jovol the Grey, Hlioth the Green Witch, Waide of Hethio, Mostin the Metagnostic, Shomei the Infernal and Tozinak.
They were, compared to those great names of history such as Tersimion and Fillein, a group of only moderate power. Nonetheless, they commanded considerable resources and, had they so chosen, could have exercised great influence in the temporal affairs of Wyre.
Jovol was never seen. An Ogre-Mage of enormous talent and power, he lived in a tower built upon an inaccessible aerie high in the Thrumohar mountains where he, presumably, performed some kind of research. No-one knew what kind. No-one had spoken to him for twenty years, and his only means of communication with his peers – who at other times doubted his existence – was through the medium of dreams.
Hlioth the Green Witch, who enjoyed appearing in the form of a wood-nymph, was the oldest of the group, and may have been immortal. She had abandoned the pursuit of arcanism years before and taken up the practice of druidry – something which most of the wizards in Wyre regarded as an insane departure from the pursuit of truth. She maintained no permanent home, but would occasionally be encountered by unsuspecting travellers in the deep forests of western Wyre, where her perverse sense of humour would manifest itself on those unfortunate enough to arouse her interest. Once every year, at midsummer, Hlioth would hold a revel which, occasionally, other wizards were invited to. The location and nature of the gathering was always a closely-kept secret until the day before, and her choice of guests apparently random.
In comparison, Waide, Shomei, Tozinek and, to a lesser extent, Mostin the Metagnostic, were more conventional in their outlook.
Waide was a Transmuter of high credentials, although criticized for his conservatism and lack of inventiveness. Through diligence, organization and the systematic pursuit of his art, he achieved notable results. Inspiration was a faculty he did not possess in great measure, but his sheer perseverance and bull-headedness ensured his inexorable rise to the ranks of the mighty. Every day, without fail, Waide would rise at dawn and enter his study. His laborious and time consuming methods of investigation slowly, little by little, gave results. Waide would retire, sleep for two hours, and repeat the same process day after day, year after year.
Shomei the Infernal, unsurprisingly, liked devils. She admired their organized nature, their ability to get things done, and had romantic notions about how badly they had been treated in the great revolt. Shomei, although not evil – at least in the conventional understanding of the word – had taken various diabolic lovers, produced a number of half-fiend offspring, and subsequently abandoned them. They were miserable creatures from whom Shomei constantly expected some kind of vengeful attack. Despite the protestations of the Church of Oronthon – who found her understandably suspicious – Shomei lived in a manse near the city of Morne. The Temple was in no way assuaged by the fact that that the architectural style of the building was in many ways influenced by the palace of the Adversary in Nessus. Shomei possessed a second dwelling – an abandoned fortress on the Astral Plane – in which she spent an increasing amount of time. Devils could visit her there without going through the tedious procedure of compacting and calling. These included her latest infernal suitor, Titivilus, a Duke of Hell in service to the Arch-Fiend Dispater.
Tozinak never appeared the same way twice, whether through his own fancy or perhaps because of some magical experiment that had gone terribly wrong, the effects of which he had never bothered to correct. He dwelt in a modest house on an island in the still waters of Lake Thahan, and despite his constantly changing aspect was, in fact, a very affable and personable man. Illusion was his specialty but he did, at times, work magic for the local fishermen who regarded him as something of a demigod. His estranged sister, Qiseze, had been slain on the Elemental Plane of Fire by the Cambion Feezuu – Qiseze having retired from the Prime some ten years before. Saddened by the loss of a sister from whom he had grown apart, Tozinak was first gratified by the death of Feezuu at the hands of Mostin the Metagnostic, and then depressed again when he learned of her new incarnation. He brooded but did nothing because, despite his genuine good-nature, Tozinak was something of a coward at heart.
*
Mostin the Metagnostic was regarded with mixed feelings by the other great wizards of Wyre. Jovol paid him little or no heed – although in this regard Mostin differed little from the other powerful mages – and the Alienist had long since given up trying to contact the Ogre-Mage for the exchange of useful news, spells or items. Mostin had only once been invited to one of Hlioth’s gatherings, and had found the Green Witch to be rather difficult company. Although her magical resources were extensive, her interest in arcana was not, and Hlioth’s pursuit of druidry involved a definite evangelical side. Cavorting with nymphs and dryads was all very well, Mostin had thought, and made for an amusing distraction, but it hardly constituted a worthwhile investment of time and energy.
Waide was a stuffy pedant, and hence closest to Mostin in disposition, although the Alienist cared little for him. He was moved by transmutation only – nothing else was of the remotest interest to him, and Mostin found this narrow-mindedness intolerable. After all, there was room for a good deal of eclecticism in magic, and a sound knowledge of other schools often informed theories in the field of specialization.
Shomei, on the other hand, was one with whom Mostin at once possessed a natural rapport. She shared his Goetic inclinations – although in her case, she had gone somewhat further than the Alienist deemed advisable – and was attractive to boot. Mostin was disturbed by her misalliances with a number of Infernal dukes, however, and had not paid her a visit in several years. His own mentor, the Alienist Vhorzhe, had been a frequent visitor to Shomei’s manse until his unfortunate death**. It was from Vhorzhe that Mostin also developed a passing interest in diablerie.
Tozinak and Mostin were on polite, if not amicable terms. They shared little in the way of mutual interest, and the Alienist found the Illusionist’s constant shape-shifting rather baffling. Nonetheless, it was difficult not to like Tozinak – he was agreeable and threw fine parties, at which wizards of varying ability and persuasion would hob-nob, boast of their accomplishments, and attempt to humiliate their rivals. Mostin would occasionally visit these congregations, although his eeriness and precise logic often left those with weaker wills feeling disturbed.
Aside from those six already mentioned, a number of other mages of noteworthy, if lesser, power existed. The Enchanter Idro, who dwelt deep within the forest of Nizkur, was an erstwhile acquaintance of Mostin, although the Alienist had not visited him since his attempted manipulation of Ortwin of Jiuhu to slay his rival, Troap. Idro was mean-spirited and grabbing, and exercised dominion over a number of creatures – mainly feys – in his locale. To be so old, yet to have grown so little in terms of aspirations and accomplishment, spoke of both a limited ability to master magic and a lack of diligence.
Troap, on the other hand, enjoyed a reputation for benign – if erratic – intervention in the affairs of the great forest. The Feys considered him kindly and, despite his goblin blood, even the Elves paid him little heed. Troap’s existence was unknown to Mostin for many years, and the Alienist often wondered how many other wizards pursued their art in utmost secrecy, preferring a wholly solitary lifestyle to even the most infrequent of contact with their brethren.
Idro and Troap, and others of their ilk – including Griel (an evoker), Dauntun of Gibilrazen (a diviner), Rimilin of the Skin and the Hag Jalael – represented the ‘second tier’ of mages in Wyre. There were, perhaps, a dozen in all and in a few cases (notably Rimilin and Jalael), they approached the great mages in terms of their power and resources. They possessed a range of specialities, and their characters – as viewed by the general populace - ran the gamut from benign and well-liked (like Dauntun) to ruthless and despised (like Rimilin). As a group, they demonstrated little cohesion, but most were known to each other and, barring vendettas traceable to real or imagined wrongs between them, they co-existed in relative peace.
Mostin brooded, and wondered if they would find out that he had broken the Great Injunction. He had been disguised – albeit in a minor way – and the captured Templars had, along with Tahl, Hyne, Jorde and Tatterbrand, been sworn to secrecy. Would any of them – maliciously or inadvertantly – let the news slip? Would divinations cast by other Temple clerics reveal him as the culprit? Would news of ‘sonics and devils,’ get out? Did any of the mages possess some kind of magic which alerted them to a violation of the Injunction? Did any of them care anyway? His paranoia, never far absent, reasserted itself as he considered an even more frightful possibility:
Would Ortwin get drunk, and spill the beans?
*This was one of those depressingly ‘Heroic’ moments. Spirited Charge + Holy Sword + Temporary Strength of 40 + Critical Hit = 104 points of damage.
**The circumstances of Vhorzhe’s death are still uncertain, but are known to have involved a pseudonatural Yuguloth. All corporeal creatures have pseudonatural analogues, even outsiders. I have house-ruled that Alienists may summon either the ‘standard’ or pseudonatural version of creatures at their discretion, and Mostin’s summonings tend to be split around 50/50. There is generally no reason not to summon the pseudonatural version, except for purposes of flavour - they are always at least as potent as their standard counterparts.
**
First, Eniin ‘Restored’ Nwm.
Once the group was back in the Druid’s glade, the Planetar invoked a ‘Righteous Might’ and grew to a height of twenty feet. He beat his wings powerfully, causing a downdraft as he took off.
Mostin almost passed out.
Nwm attuned himself to his torc, and perceived that both the remaining ground-borne Templars and the Inevitables were still approaching the glade. He wondered why – surely the innate location ability of the Inevitables would have revealed Eadric’s presence as ten miles to the west, or just registered ‘absent’ during the time spent in Mostin’s extradimensional space.
The Druid caught a whiff of smoke on the air. Sh*t, he thought. He quickly changed his perception and located his bear, Tostig, who seldom strayed far from the glade. He was two miles away. Nwm immediately whistled, and summoned a small sparrow, which alighted on his arm. He twittered a few times, and the bird flew off. He hoped that Tostig had not forgotten the routine.
Mostin looked the other way. Too many birds today, he thought. Too many.
Nwm invoked a storm through his orb, apologized to the Alienist, changed into the form of a giant eagle, and took to the sky. As he flew upwards, the voice of Eadric – somehow superimposed upon that of Eniin – echoed in his mind.
PLEASE EXERCISE RESTRAINT
The Druid looked westwards. Less than a mile distant, in a semicircle half a mile wide, fire was eating through the forest and advancing towards the glade.
Restraint was going to be difficult, he fumed.
"Can you cause me to fly?" Eadric asked Mostin.
"No," the Alienist replied. "I’m all out of those."
"I can do this." Tahl said.
Two Celestial Pegasi appeared.
"Very appropriate. That will do nicely," Eadric said. He and Tahl mounted the shimmering winged horses.
Yet more feathers.
"They travel very fast," Mostin warned him. "If you engage the Kolyaruts, beware of their ‘Enervations.’"
"What else do they have?" Eadric asked.
"‘Fear,’" said the Alienist. "‘Hold Monster.’"
Tahl invoked a ‘Negative Energy Protection’ upon himself, and Eadric a ‘Spell Immunity’ to Enervations and Holding, and both took to the air.
"I want one," said Iua, pointing to the Pegasi.
Mostin looked apologetic, and flew off, followed by Ortwin and Nehael. Iua grumbled and drew on her elemental heritage, invoking an ‘Air Walk.’ It would have been painfully slow progress, but she bent her mind to the airs around her, and the wind began to blow powerfully at her back.
Within ten seconds, she overtook Mostin and Ortwin, smiling condescendingly as she flew, and leaving a gale in her wake. Having a Djinn as a father had certain perquisites.
"So, er, we’ll just stay here then," Tatterbrand explained to the Templars.
**
Eadric outpaced even Eniin, driving the Pegasus to its limit. As he flew, he drew Lukarn and invoked a ‘Holy Sword.’
As they approached the enemy, the Paladin observed the Zelekhuts moving out of a rolling cloud of smoke to his left. The Planetar moved to intercept them. On the ground below, the Kolyaruts were targeting him with ‘Enervations’ and ‘Hold’ spells before they took to the air. They had dispensed with the ‘Fear’ effects, given his paladinhood. Eadric glanced behind him, to see that Tahl had drawn his flaming greatsword. Further back, flew Iua, and yet further, the Demoness, Ortwin and Mostin.
Nwm had banked off towards the Templars and Eadric hoped that he didn’t do anything too drastic.
Mostin’s voice, carried on a ‘Whispering Wind’ reached his ears.
"Oh, and ‘Suggestion,’" the Alienist said. "And ‘Vampiric Touch,’ too."
Eadric sighed, urged his mount downwards, invoked the power of the Strength domain, and immediately cut the first Kolyarut from the sky.* The speed and momentum of his assault carried him onwards – safely, he thought – until his mount was simultaneously struck by three ‘Enervations’ and evaporated.
Tahl wheeled down after the plummeting Eadric, and Nwm invoked a mine of ‘Poison Vines’ on the five Templars, paralyzing one of them and entangling two others. He was exercising restraint, but expected some kind of retaliation. The Templars, however, made no resistance. All were watching the celestial spectacle in the sky above them.
As the Inevitables consulted their programming – unsure if the huge form of Eniin presented a threat or not – the Planetar spoke a ‘Holy Word,’ instantly banishing three of the five Zelekhuts from the Mortal Plane. The two remaining gyred and targeted the celestial with spells, which failed to overcome his resistance. Eniin struck rapidly with his greatsword – grown to a full three-fathom length – and reduced one of the flying Inevitables to its component parts.
Ortwin winced as he saw Eadric fall eighty feet, bounce off a conifer, and crash through the branches of an oak tree before he struck the ground with a ‘thud.’ Tahl followed rapidly and dismounted next to him. The Bard quickly unstoppered a bottle and consumed a potion of ‘Haste’
Mostin cackled madly and detonated a sonic and a quickened ‘Magic Missile’, as he approached, and Iua realigned the winds around her into a spherical configuration. She began to tread downwards towards the ground. All of the remaining Kolyaruts were now descending upon Eadric and Tahl –two of their three designated primary targets, conveniently located next to each other. Abruptly, they winked out, invisible to all save Mostin and the Planetar. Tahl concentrated upon the Eye of Palamabron, which hung around his neck, and a ‘Zone of Revelation’ instantly brought the Inevitables back into sharp focus.
The six Kolyaruts crashed into Eadric and Tahl, and a brutal melee followed. Tahl evaded, and cast a ‘Greater Magic Weapon’ upon his flaming sword, even as they were pummeling him with vampiric attacks. Eadric hewed at them as they tried to overwhelm him, each successive attack draining more of his strength.
Iua leapt in from the rear and rapidly struck a Kolyarut five times with her rapier. Wholly ineffectively. Sh*t, she thought, and backed off. They paid her no heed, and continued their assault upon the Paladin and Inquisitor. Eadric dropped one.
Mostin arrived and ‘Disintegrated’ another, and let yet another quickened ‘Magic Missile’ off. Ortwin flew down and made quick work of a third. Still, undeterred, the three remaining Kolyaruts focussed their attention on Eadric and Tahl. Mostin threw another ‘Magic Missile’ – this time, not quickened. He was almost out of offensive spells, and his last sonic would have hit too many allies.
Iua summoned a burst of ‘Chain Lightning,’ and Eadric, Ortwin and Tahl hacked and slashed. By the time that Nwm arrived, it was over. Strange components lay strewn around, and Mostin eyed them with interest.
"Where is Eniin?" Eadric asked.
"I believe he is remonstrating with the Templars," the Druid replied.
**
At the celestial’s command, the Templars presented themselves to Eadric.
"What is on the other side of the ‘Prismatic Sphere?’" The Paladin asked.
"Urqual, a warrior-priest, was performing another calling," one replied. "He was opening a ‘Gate’ to Oronthon’s Heaven. He planned to bring Enitharmon through, to punish you, although Lord Rede expressly forbade the calling of celestials."
"Did he now?" Eadric said, half-amused. "Why do you suppose that was?"
He was answered with silence.
It began to rain – hard – as Nwm’s ‘Control Weather’ finally manifested itself. The fire in the wood was gradually quenched as the group – except Nwm, Mostin and Eniin- proceeded on foot to Kyrtill’s Burgh.
Nwm returned to his glade, and spoke with Tatterbrand, Jorde and Hyne. As he stood there, Tostig – rather late – lumbered out of the trees, pushed him to the ground and licked his face. Tatterbrand was used to the scene, but Tahl’s cohorts found it somewhat disturbing. Tostig was as large as an elephant.
The Planetar went immediately to the keep, and persuaded the remaining Templars to submit themselves to Eadric’s justice before he departed.
Mostin remained in the vicinity of the battle, looking over the remains of the Inevitables. He picked up a severed arm, and inspected its complex mechanisms.
Fascinating, he thought.
**
The hour which followed was grim and depressing. The charred remains of Eadric’s servants, and the members of the garrison who had been captured, were pulled down from their pyres, and the smoldering logs were dowsed. Beneath the Steeple, those six who were incarcerated were released – apparently the Temple had stopped short of condemning the minors to death. All of the eleven remaining Templars were stripped of their possessions, and shown into the cells in their place. None lifted their voices in protestation.
Three hours later, the ‘Prismatic Sphere’ finally collapsed, the power of its magic exhausted. Eadric, Ortwin and Tahl ascended the Steeple, and stood on top of the Tower.
Three Templars – one of them Urqual, whom Eadric knew from his days in the Inquisition – sat motionless upon the roof. All were breathing, but none registered the presence of the Paladin or his friends. Stricken by some form of catatonia they rocked, and drooled, and babbled.
Their eyes were blackened pits, as if some terrible light had burned them from their heads.
**
**
The most powerful known wizards in Wyre and its dependencies at the end of the Seventh Century were, in no particular order of precedence, Jovol the Grey, Hlioth the Green Witch, Waide of Hethio, Mostin the Metagnostic, Shomei the Infernal and Tozinak.
They were, compared to those great names of history such as Tersimion and Fillein, a group of only moderate power. Nonetheless, they commanded considerable resources and, had they so chosen, could have exercised great influence in the temporal affairs of Wyre.
Jovol was never seen. An Ogre-Mage of enormous talent and power, he lived in a tower built upon an inaccessible aerie high in the Thrumohar mountains where he, presumably, performed some kind of research. No-one knew what kind. No-one had spoken to him for twenty years, and his only means of communication with his peers – who at other times doubted his existence – was through the medium of dreams.
Hlioth the Green Witch, who enjoyed appearing in the form of a wood-nymph, was the oldest of the group, and may have been immortal. She had abandoned the pursuit of arcanism years before and taken up the practice of druidry – something which most of the wizards in Wyre regarded as an insane departure from the pursuit of truth. She maintained no permanent home, but would occasionally be encountered by unsuspecting travellers in the deep forests of western Wyre, where her perverse sense of humour would manifest itself on those unfortunate enough to arouse her interest. Once every year, at midsummer, Hlioth would hold a revel which, occasionally, other wizards were invited to. The location and nature of the gathering was always a closely-kept secret until the day before, and her choice of guests apparently random.
In comparison, Waide, Shomei, Tozinek and, to a lesser extent, Mostin the Metagnostic, were more conventional in their outlook.
Waide was a Transmuter of high credentials, although criticized for his conservatism and lack of inventiveness. Through diligence, organization and the systematic pursuit of his art, he achieved notable results. Inspiration was a faculty he did not possess in great measure, but his sheer perseverance and bull-headedness ensured his inexorable rise to the ranks of the mighty. Every day, without fail, Waide would rise at dawn and enter his study. His laborious and time consuming methods of investigation slowly, little by little, gave results. Waide would retire, sleep for two hours, and repeat the same process day after day, year after year.
Shomei the Infernal, unsurprisingly, liked devils. She admired their organized nature, their ability to get things done, and had romantic notions about how badly they had been treated in the great revolt. Shomei, although not evil – at least in the conventional understanding of the word – had taken various diabolic lovers, produced a number of half-fiend offspring, and subsequently abandoned them. They were miserable creatures from whom Shomei constantly expected some kind of vengeful attack. Despite the protestations of the Church of Oronthon – who found her understandably suspicious – Shomei lived in a manse near the city of Morne. The Temple was in no way assuaged by the fact that that the architectural style of the building was in many ways influenced by the palace of the Adversary in Nessus. Shomei possessed a second dwelling – an abandoned fortress on the Astral Plane – in which she spent an increasing amount of time. Devils could visit her there without going through the tedious procedure of compacting and calling. These included her latest infernal suitor, Titivilus, a Duke of Hell in service to the Arch-Fiend Dispater.
Tozinak never appeared the same way twice, whether through his own fancy or perhaps because of some magical experiment that had gone terribly wrong, the effects of which he had never bothered to correct. He dwelt in a modest house on an island in the still waters of Lake Thahan, and despite his constantly changing aspect was, in fact, a very affable and personable man. Illusion was his specialty but he did, at times, work magic for the local fishermen who regarded him as something of a demigod. His estranged sister, Qiseze, had been slain on the Elemental Plane of Fire by the Cambion Feezuu – Qiseze having retired from the Prime some ten years before. Saddened by the loss of a sister from whom he had grown apart, Tozinak was first gratified by the death of Feezuu at the hands of Mostin the Metagnostic, and then depressed again when he learned of her new incarnation. He brooded but did nothing because, despite his genuine good-nature, Tozinak was something of a coward at heart.
*
Mostin the Metagnostic was regarded with mixed feelings by the other great wizards of Wyre. Jovol paid him little or no heed – although in this regard Mostin differed little from the other powerful mages – and the Alienist had long since given up trying to contact the Ogre-Mage for the exchange of useful news, spells or items. Mostin had only once been invited to one of Hlioth’s gatherings, and had found the Green Witch to be rather difficult company. Although her magical resources were extensive, her interest in arcana was not, and Hlioth’s pursuit of druidry involved a definite evangelical side. Cavorting with nymphs and dryads was all very well, Mostin had thought, and made for an amusing distraction, but it hardly constituted a worthwhile investment of time and energy.
Waide was a stuffy pedant, and hence closest to Mostin in disposition, although the Alienist cared little for him. He was moved by transmutation only – nothing else was of the remotest interest to him, and Mostin found this narrow-mindedness intolerable. After all, there was room for a good deal of eclecticism in magic, and a sound knowledge of other schools often informed theories in the field of specialization.
Shomei, on the other hand, was one with whom Mostin at once possessed a natural rapport. She shared his Goetic inclinations – although in her case, she had gone somewhat further than the Alienist deemed advisable – and was attractive to boot. Mostin was disturbed by her misalliances with a number of Infernal dukes, however, and had not paid her a visit in several years. His own mentor, the Alienist Vhorzhe, had been a frequent visitor to Shomei’s manse until his unfortunate death**. It was from Vhorzhe that Mostin also developed a passing interest in diablerie.
Tozinak and Mostin were on polite, if not amicable terms. They shared little in the way of mutual interest, and the Alienist found the Illusionist’s constant shape-shifting rather baffling. Nonetheless, it was difficult not to like Tozinak – he was agreeable and threw fine parties, at which wizards of varying ability and persuasion would hob-nob, boast of their accomplishments, and attempt to humiliate their rivals. Mostin would occasionally visit these congregations, although his eeriness and precise logic often left those with weaker wills feeling disturbed.
Aside from those six already mentioned, a number of other mages of noteworthy, if lesser, power existed. The Enchanter Idro, who dwelt deep within the forest of Nizkur, was an erstwhile acquaintance of Mostin, although the Alienist had not visited him since his attempted manipulation of Ortwin of Jiuhu to slay his rival, Troap. Idro was mean-spirited and grabbing, and exercised dominion over a number of creatures – mainly feys – in his locale. To be so old, yet to have grown so little in terms of aspirations and accomplishment, spoke of both a limited ability to master magic and a lack of diligence.
Troap, on the other hand, enjoyed a reputation for benign – if erratic – intervention in the affairs of the great forest. The Feys considered him kindly and, despite his goblin blood, even the Elves paid him little heed. Troap’s existence was unknown to Mostin for many years, and the Alienist often wondered how many other wizards pursued their art in utmost secrecy, preferring a wholly solitary lifestyle to even the most infrequent of contact with their brethren.
Idro and Troap, and others of their ilk – including Griel (an evoker), Dauntun of Gibilrazen (a diviner), Rimilin of the Skin and the Hag Jalael – represented the ‘second tier’ of mages in Wyre. There were, perhaps, a dozen in all and in a few cases (notably Rimilin and Jalael), they approached the great mages in terms of their power and resources. They possessed a range of specialities, and their characters – as viewed by the general populace - ran the gamut from benign and well-liked (like Dauntun) to ruthless and despised (like Rimilin). As a group, they demonstrated little cohesion, but most were known to each other and, barring vendettas traceable to real or imagined wrongs between them, they co-existed in relative peace.
Mostin brooded, and wondered if they would find out that he had broken the Great Injunction. He had been disguised – albeit in a minor way – and the captured Templars had, along with Tahl, Hyne, Jorde and Tatterbrand, been sworn to secrecy. Would any of them – maliciously or inadvertantly – let the news slip? Would divinations cast by other Temple clerics reveal him as the culprit? Would news of ‘sonics and devils,’ get out? Did any of the mages possess some kind of magic which alerted them to a violation of the Injunction? Did any of them care anyway? His paranoia, never far absent, reasserted itself as he considered an even more frightful possibility:
Would Ortwin get drunk, and spill the beans?
*This was one of those depressingly ‘Heroic’ moments. Spirited Charge + Holy Sword + Temporary Strength of 40 + Critical Hit = 104 points of damage.
**The circumstances of Vhorzhe’s death are still uncertain, but are known to have involved a pseudonatural Yuguloth. All corporeal creatures have pseudonatural analogues, even outsiders. I have house-ruled that Alienists may summon either the ‘standard’ or pseudonatural version of creatures at their discretion, and Mostin’s summonings tend to be split around 50/50. There is generally no reason not to summon the pseudonatural version, except for purposes of flavour - they are always at least as potent as their standard counterparts.
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