Session 56
To Flint!
Carlyle uses the time until our departure to consult with King Aodhan. Having little experience in governing, Aodhan gives him advice regarding the current political situation and certain noble houses of influence (primarily the "Big Six" from Slate). Carlyle also asks him about other dragons that are still unknown to him, whereupon Aodhan refers him to the locked royal archives, hinting that there may well be more than we know so far. But he also adds that these would they keep themselves even more hidden.
(Dragons are a major topic for Carlyle, and he is really keen on knowing the whereabouts of all the remaining dragons who accepted the Pact of Boyle)
Carlyle then confidentially reveals to Aodhan that the Obs have also been manipulating Risur for some time, as it was ultimately only on Nicodemus' orders that he was able to get his hands on Danoran technology in the third Yerasol war and thus truly kick off the industrialization of Risur. He also adds that this is in no way meant to undermine Aodhan's many accomplishments as a war hero, and that he holds him in high regard as both a soldier and a monarch. Aodhan is troubled by this, but takes the news with his usual calm. He says that neither he nor Gabriel may change history, and that he hopes that the industrial progress has still changed Risur for the better.
When asked about the Titans, Aodhan also explains that he has never faced off against a Titan himself, even though this would also the job of the King of Risur.
“In the end, keeping the Titans at bay, and protecting our citizens from them is our essential duty, and only the Monarch is able to protect their people from the Titans. One may only hope that this day will not come during their reign.”, Aodhan says thoughtfully.
“The day may come sooner than we both wish for, Aodhan. I sense that there will be a conflict with the Voice of Rot soon. The Serpent had agents within the Obs and also instigated the conflict in the Unseen Court, to keep the fey busy. He is up to something.”, Carlyle replies, his voice heavy with worries. Aodhan then calls the Serpent to be the most active and also the most dangerous of the Titans, and that Gabriel was be wise to not underestimate his cunning.
Next, the two talk about how Aodhan was appointed king. Here Carlyle learning that it was Queen Melissa who had brought the war hero Aodhan into her council and had gradually given him more and more duties before she surprised him with her appointment as much as he had now surprised Gabriel. So he is confident that Gabriel will grow into his role as well.
(Basically “as long as you believe that I am a good King, you can also believe that you will become a good one in time. Just trust the system”)
Carlyle then turns the matter to Stanfield and his obvious, but at the moment hardly provable treason. He adds that both he and Auryn suspected there might be something going on regarding Stanfield and the Obscurati, but that they were never able to get more than second-hand hints until now. Aodhan advises him to only dismiss him from his position of Governor if he has something tangible against Stanfield in his hands, and otherwise to rather command him to a higher position, where he can be kept out of the way and under better surveillance.
When asked about Fordren's whereabouts, Aodhan smiles mischievously and reveals that the man was presumably called up to the Danoran war council. A seat he he already held during the last Yerasol war.
“Both an advantage and a disadvantage as I assume that he has to play his part. We managed quite well during the last Yearsol war, even though he officially helped Danor. At least according to Queen Melissa. I'd call him an ace up our sleeve, should we desperately need info.”, Aodhan states.
Meanwhile, Auryn uses the spare time to rest. After she has finished, she briefly checks in on the situation with King Aodhan and Gabriel and finds them engrossed in conversation. Not wanting to disturb them, she instead seeks out Harkover Lee again to discuss her future plans. She asks him to provide her with whatever materiel his own troops can spare to arm the population in Flint, since they will fight for their city no matter what. At the same time, she advises him to stop executing Obscurati, as they will eventually return as Ghost Councilors. Instead, the royal mage-techs should focus on developing "ghost cells" or something similar to be able to lock up the members of the Ghost Council. This is where Carlyle, with his affinity for ghosts of all kinds, could certainly provide assistance, she assures Lee.
“Oh, and there is something more”, she adds, reaches into her pocket and brings forth the engraved Ring of Nicodemus.
“You are among the only people I can entrust with this object. It is a Ring of the original founders of the Obscurati: Kasvarina, Nicodemus and the first Jierre. They formed a pact of trust and sealed it with three rings that allowed their users to watch each other. The code phrase is 'In Methia, in the Lance of Triegenes, we were forged in secrecy'. You can use it to spy upon Han Jierre and I guess it will be priceless in the coming war.”
She looks him deeply in the eyes and then hands him Nicodemus' ring, asking him to keep it safe and secret. Likewise, she suggests that he'd use all available mages and divination spells to gather more information about the situation in Flint. She also asks him to keep an eye on the changes in flight magic, as longer flight may be possible should the Obscurati manage to complete their ritual before we're able to reach them. This knowledge could be essential to saving the survivors on Elba, she explains with a heavy voice.
Auryn also talks to Lee about her role as the newly appointed Baroness of Bole. Harkover Lee points out to her that she will be primarily responsible for the protection and official tax revenues of the city, but reassures her that the city has managed itself well so far through its mayor, so there is no need to worry about being overwhelmed by paperwork and administrative acts.
“Oh, I am not afraid of Bureaucracy. I simply wish to fulfill my role properly.”, she replies
Lastly, Auryn asks Harkover Lee if he would also serve a "King Carlyle" in the future, to which he replies that he's more than willing should the new “King Gabriel” wish to do so. Auryn is at first a bit irritated by that name, but then understands that she might have to share the name “Gabriel” with the rest of the world in a not too far future.
She also asks him to take the Eye of Yeref with her to Flint, and together the two agree that “Shealis” would probably be the most likely to be able to handle the artifact. Which is why she'd better accompany us as well.
(Auryn does have a certain fondness for Harkover Lee. Maybe it is his steadfast loyalty that he has in common with Asrabey. But realizing that Lee is a dragon who actively made the choice to support the Monarchs of Risur despite the fact that he owed them nothing but keeping a low profile, staying in human form and not harming Risur put him on another level. Worthy of being an esteemed husband for the Monarch indeed 
)
Next, Auryn wishes to be led to the current whereabouts of Cula Ravjahani, as she promised the former Obs Agent to provide her with news regarding Kasvarina. Cula is quartered in the "guest wing" of Lord Menash, so getting to her is no big deal. A servant with squeaky colored clothes leads her to Cula, and locks the door behind the two women.
(I laughed about that sweet cameo!)
Cula Ravjahani seems quite bored as she had nothing to do for the last couple of weeks and she appears quite interested when she sees Auryn return. Auryn tells her about her journey with Kasvarina and also that she was unable to reach her ancestor after the vision of the fall of Srasama due to her being trapped in the Dreaming. So she and hopes that Kasvarina is well.
Cula thanks her for the update, but insists that she has to hear that story from Kasvarina firsthand to believe it.
Auryn sighs in disappointment, as this is really not the time to travel a weeks-long trip just to search for Kasvarina. She understands that Cula wants to hear Kasvarina's renunciation of Nicodemus and the Obs from her own mouth, but also points out to her that Nicodemus is ultimately responsible for all the suffering that befell Kas after the fall of Srasama, including the death of her last daughter.
“And there is one last thing that even Kasvarina doesn't know as she left us before we were able to confront Nicodemus. The one who had abducted my dear friend Andrei, who used his body, and who only let him go on the brink of death. This very same Nicodemus mocked me as I vowed to protect Kasvarina, our people, and her family, before adding that he ultimately thought that the Eladrin would be better off going extinct. So... are you still not sure whether you should choose our side?” Auryn adds, watching Cula's reaction closely.
But unfortunately, Cula seems still unimpressed, and Auryn leaves her in her “guest quarter”.
(Yeah, that was a bummer. Still not sure why Cula would insist on getting the info directly from Kasvarina as she surely does have some judge of character and was almost on our side during Schism. Auryn can understand Cula, but probably would not trust her more deeply from that point on. In her eyes, someone who doesn't want to think for herself and is so doggedly dependent on someone else's word is not someone you should trust too much with making their own moral decisions.)
Both Auryn and Carlyle meet again in the palace shortly before departure and they exchange information about the state of preparation. Harkover Lee also informs us about the results of the divination and scouting spells: It appears that the whole harbor area of Flint is currently under Danoran control, as several large warships are cruising in front of and inside the harbor. These ships have their respective cannons aimed directly at positions at the harbor and the Coaltongue, which is currently lying at the dock. Likewise, they appear to have taken up positions on the mainland.
King Aodhan states that he intends to travel by train with a contingent of soldiers from Slate, even if parts of the railway are impassable. Lee and Dame Jillian do not want to leave their King's side for obvious reasons, while Lauryn Cyneburg wants to take care of mobilizing the troops. She'd sprinkle in some last-minute magical tinkering, which limits the "volunteers" in our team to Asrabey, "Shealis" and Andrei.
Auryn urges all parties to make haste, as she interprets the sign of the deceased royal Skyseer that there could literally be "no future" as the Reida, Plane of Destiny could disappear through the Obs' ritual. Therefore, it would be worth considering storming Axis Island in order to perhaps still be able to prevent the ritual from completion. In the end, however, we decide to secure our land first, since we are currently at war and do not want to open up yet another front.
(Yeah, of all possible people it would be her to bring up Reida, the plane she'd considered to prevent true free will.)
So we and the Wild Hunt head for Flint, with Asrabey and Riffian hitting it off right away, just as we had assumed. At least a small positive among all the chaos.
After a few miles we make a short stop. Auryn uses the time to try to send a message to Kasvarina, asking if she's okay (after all, last time we saw her, she'd jumped through the portal atop the Lance of Triegenes), where she'd be located, and what she's up to. This time, fortunately, she gets an honest answer. Kasvarina sounds relieved to finally receive a message from us after three months of silence and worrying. She reports that she is currently in Elfaivar to unseat the Obs that she had once put in place. In return, she asks if we are okay and what took us so long. Auryn answers her that we were stuck in the Dreaming for no more than a few days because the portal brought us there. She also mentions her promotion to a Feylady and that we are about to join Asrabey and the Wild Hunt in saving Flint from the Danorans. Oh, and Stanfield is a traitor, so she'd better watch out. Both wish each other well and hope the other stays safe.
Auryn then heads to Asrabey and informs him that Kasvarina is both safe and fighting the Obs in parallel to us. The Dreadnaught thanks her for this information, but he seems rather focused on his current task.
Carlyle simultaneously contacts Delft, starting with an uncompromising greeting and the wish that he is alright, but he only gets word that “everything is fine and reinforcements are on the way”. This, of course, is not really truthful, so we assume another sending-redirecting mechanism.
After the rest, we continue on our way to Flint. We soon encounter a Danoran blockade on the railroad track, which fires cannons at us from a distance. We quickly leave the road and briefly discuss how to proceed. We decide to give them a chance before going straight at them. But after they do not to respond in any kind to our "surrender or else", Auryn and Carlyle sneak towards the blockade and take care of the bombardment while the Wild Hunt trample over the rest of them with their animals. We leave the survivors tied to the railroad track with a handwritten greeting to King Aodhan and his forces.
(Just a friendly flex. Because we can. Asrabey and Riffian were amused)
