[v.3.5] Realmsian Dragonstar: The Battle of Toril PbP Game [IC] (Game Cancelled)

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Shayuri
She gave the Duke a graceful bow.

"An honor to meet you, your grace. Forgive my lack of manners earlier. There was a lot happening at once. I am Siel, and this is Thrak. Sadly, our visit to your fine city seems to have been cut somewhat short by these events. I realize I have no standing here, but whatever aid or counsel I can give I freely offer."

"This threat would seem to hang over far more than just Baldur's Gate, after all."

"Indeed," Eltan replies. "And do not worry about being overtly formal me. Lord Eltan will suffice. I am not a king."

Originally Posted by Shayuri
Silhouette indicated the hobgoblin with a wave of her hand.

"It was Haspur that told me this one could be important. He implied he may even join our cause, despite being a servant of this Empire."

"And so it seems he is important in that he has knowledge that he is willing to share," the Grand Duke says. "Whether or not that knowledge is vital enough to save Toril remains to be seen."

Originally Posted by Shayuri
"With due respect," Silhouette said, coming closer to Tocrhor and peering down at him, "With an invasion of our world looming, you might forgive us seeing a lone outlaw as a secondary problem? If that?"

"Ah, you are correct, dear miss. Forgive my own hubris. As I said, it is hard not to put the empire's business first before that of others. I am sorry."

Originally Posted by KainG
Kethrendil lowered his eyes. "His name is... was G'axir the Seer. He... passed away recently. Like Haspur, he also received portents of the future. He warned me of the coming danger today, but I fear the strain of this particular vision was too much for him. Time permitting, I plan on returning to the Blade and Stars Inn where he currently lies, and take care of his earthly remains."

"G'axir the Seer is dead," the news shocks Eltan. "But I just saw him yesterday! If he is still in Blade and Stars, I will have his body recovered and taken to his home. He was a solitary man, but a good soul. As his friend, I don't think he'd mind if you were to handle his affairs and watch over his holdings. They aren't much, but I know he has a sanctified crypt underneath it where he wanted to be laid to rest."

Originally Posted by tekknowkub
In response to Eltan, "He will meet us in front of Gond's temple.. he is not as mad as you all perceive him to be. He was 'Chosen' by the late goddess of magic, Mystra..."

There is a slight pause, "Is 'Chosen' perhaps a position or title... it sounded as though there was an emphasis on that word during his conversation with... himself."

"Chosen? Haspur! I can't imagine that to be true. And where is he?"

"I am here, Lord Eltan," Haspur steps into the temple. His voice carries unnaturally through the temple even though he only spoke in a whisper. The man's bearing has changed since the last time he was seen near the inner gate. He appears much older and his hair has gone stark white.

"Tempus, it is true," Eltan gasps.

"Aye, Eltan," Haspur replies. "Mystra came to me years ago and graced me with her power but my madness kept me from accepting her gift. Now, with her death, more of her essence has come to me, as it has to all her Chosen." Haspur walks through the center of the temple and many of those that once belittled him now look upon him with wonder. "Moments before her death, she funneled a part of her immortal soul into the Chosen of Mystra to help safeguard the power of the Weave. Elminster of Shadowdale received the bulk of this blessing, as she was closest to him when the Divine Sphere of the Dragon Empire entered the sphere boundary of our great star, Amaunator.

"That Divine Sphere of an Imperial starship ripped her and the Weave asunder, which has severed Toril's arcanists from the world's most powerful arcane traditions. The Weave was destroyed, in part, but not completely. Parts of it exist where magic is strongest and where the Chosen walk."

"Mystra told you this?"

"No, she died for me, in silence," Haspur bows his head solemnly. "I was told by another god who favors me."

"Who?"

"Lord Kelemvor."

"He wasn't destroyed," Eltan says. "What of Tempus?"

"Your god still lives, Eltan. As does Gond and many of the other gods but not all."

"What of Tymora?" "Where is Umberlee?" "Is Waukeen gone again too?" The citizens gathered in the temple bombard Haspur with dozens of questions. What would have overwhelmed him before is now rebuked with a flash of power.

"Silence!"

The temple itself seems to tremble in fear.

"I cannot see everything that has happened. I only know what Lord Kelemvor told me. I know that Tymora and Umberlee still live but neither of them are godly anymore. There powers were stripped from them by the Betrayer."

"What?" "Who?" The crowd mumurs.

"Ao."

The temple is stunned into silence.

"Why would he do this to the world!" Eltan shouts in anger.

"He is one of them," Haspur says plainly. "He is an Aspect of the Twelve. An ancient god of the Dragon Empire. He promised the Aspect of the starship Centurian that he would strip the gods of Faerûn of their highest powers in exchange for being allowed to return to the Imperial divine realm through the Divine Sphere. In doing so, nearly a dozen gods and goddesses were made mortal. Another twenty or so managed to remain divine in one form or another. All the other deities of Faerûn have perished. T-turned t-to d-dust."

Haspur begins to tremble and the light surrounding him burns brightly. He is encased in spellfire and another voice, a darker voice speaks in the temple of Gond.

"I am Lord Kelemvor. Like you, I was once mortal. Do not give into despair, citizens of Baldur's Gate! The gods of Faerûn are still with you even diminshed by Ao the Betrayer! Yes, there have been deaths amongst the gods, but the strongest of us remain and will help protect this world from the invaders! Listen to the offworlders who have come to warn you of the dangers of the Dragon Empire."​

The voice grows silent and Haspur falls to the floor unconscious.

 

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Knightfall
"G'axir the Seer is dead," the news shocks Eltan. "But I just saw him yesterday. If he is still in Blade and Stars, I will have his body recovered and taken to his home. He was a solitary man, but a good soul. As his friend, I don't think he'd mind if you were to handle his affairs and watch over his holdings. They aren't much, but I know he has a sanctified crypt underneath it where he wanted to be laid to rest."

"Thank you , my lord. That will be a great relief." The elf bowed towards the grand duke before resuming to help the injured to the temple of Gond. Along the way, he wondered about their hobgoblin prisoner. For an agent of a brutal and aggressive empire, he was surprisingly civilized and reasonable. If only the ones at the top of the food chain were just as well, these coming troubles might not even exist.

Originally Posted by Knightfall
"He is one of them," Haspur says plainly. "He is an Aspect of the Twelve. An ancient god of the Dragon Empire. He promised the Aspect of the starship Centurian that he would strip the gods of Faerûn of their highest powers in exchange for being allowed to return to the Imperial divine realm through the Divine Sphere. In doing so, nearly a dozen gods and goddesses were made mortal. Another twenty or so managed to remain divine in one form or another. All the other deities of Faerûn have perished. T-turned t-to d-dust."

Haspur begins to tremble and the light surrounding him burns brightly. He is encased in spellfire and another voice, a darker voice speaks in the temple of Gond.

"I am Lord Kelemvor. Like you, I was once mortal. Do not give into despair, citizens of Baldur's Gate! The gods of Faerûn are still with you even diminshed by Ao the Betrayer! Yes, there have been deaths amongst the gods, but the strongest of us remain and will help protect this world from the invaders! Listen to the offworlders who have come to warn you of the dangers of the Dragon Empire."​

The voice grows silent and Haspur falls to the floor unconscious.

Kethrendil felt another chill pass through him. What of the Seldarine?! Blessed Corellon, are you still with us? the elf wondered. Although he lapsed in his theological knowledge, Kethrendil still prayed and honored the elven pantheon. From what little he knew, even they were affected by the Overgod during the Time of Troubles. He hoped they survived this latest crisis.

But first, it looks like G'axir was right. Haspur is vital to the coming battle. Kethrendil bent down to Haspur to check on his condition. He also looked up to the other. "We need to find a way to repair the Weave. We've seen how powerful the archmages of Faerûn can be; it may be the only way we can put up an effective resistance."

 

[Knightfall]

"Repair the Weave?" 'Siel' says with an arched eyebrow. "I shouldn't have to remind you what happened the last time a mortal tried to control that. It didn't end well...for him or anyone else. Magic doesn't seem to be completely gone though. I was able to use a spell or two during the fight after all."

"Even so...perhaps it's possible to restore more magic, even without the Mistress of the Weave?" She looked at the hobgoblin. "Will the destruction of the Weave impede the Empire as well? Or did they bring their own magic along with their gods?"

 

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Budda the DM
"I will observe, record, and remember what happens during these events," Soumral says in a level tone of voice that carries with conviction. "I will protect my home with everything that I have."

Soumral can't help but be affected by the voice of Faerûn's Lord of the Dead. No one could hear that voice and be affected. After the deity speaks, the silence in the room is deafening. Neither citizen nor clergy nor knight nor knave seems to know what to say next. The one who beaks the silence is the elf named Kethrendil.

Originally Posted by KainG
Kethrendil felt another chill pass through him. What of the Seldarine?! Blessed Corellon, are you still with us? the elf wondered. Although he lapsed in his theological knowledge, Kethrendil still prayed and honored the elven pantheon. From what little he knew, even they were affected by the Overgod during the Time of Troubles. He hoped they survived this latest crisis.

But first, it looks like G'axir was right. Haspur is vital to the coming battle. Kethrendil bent down to Haspur to check on his condition. He also looked up to the other. "We need to find a way to repair the Weave. We've seen how powerful the archmages of Faerûn can be; it may be the only way we can put up an effective resistance."

Originally Posted by Shayuri
"Repair the Weave?" 'Siel' says with an arched eyebrow. "I shouldn't have to remind you what happened the last time a mortal tried to control that. It didn't end well...for him or anyone else. Magic doesn't seem to be completely gone though. I was able to use a spell or two during the fight after all."

"Even so...perhaps it's possible to restore more magic, even without the Mistress of the Weave?"

"If there is even a chance that the Weave can be fixed, we have to try." The High Artificer of Gond stumbles into the temple's main hall from a small antechamber he'd retreated to after learning of Mystra's death. He is unsteady but not as pale as he was when Shazer'a and Soumral saw him stumble out of the front of the temple to address the crowd earlier in the day.

"Thalamond, I see you're feeling better," Eltan says. "Have you learned anything else?"

"Not nearly as much as he knows, it seems," the Gondite replies, his eyes on Haspur.

"You heard," Eltan says.

"Yes, I heard him speak, and, and the Lord of the Dead. I can't believe it. Lord Kelemvor spoke in a temple of Gond. He could not have done that without the Wonderbringer's blessing. Unless, things are changing so rapidly..."

"it will be all right, Thalamond."

"NO! You don't understand! It will not be all right! The world is going to change in ways that are both brutal and... and... wonderful." The cleric looks at Shazer'a and then he sees Rodan. "Oh, you worship one of them. One of these Twelve stellar gods. How I envy you!"

"High Artificer, don't say that!" One of the older priests of Gond exclaims in shock.

"You don't understand, Idriane. Their technology. It is beautiful beyond all compare. Yes, it is dangerous too, but the poetry of it all. The things they can do with is is astounding. I have seen these things in my dreams. Gond dreams of it himself. I am sure of it. It troubles him, and it calls to him. It is painful. Oh, the pain!" The High Artificer falls to the floor clutching his head. "The pain! Beautiful pain!" He begins laughing hysterically.

"Somebody help him," Eltan orders. "Take him back to his antechamber. By Tempus, are we all going to go crazy!" It takes four Gondites to gather up the High Artificer and take him out of the hall. He laughs and sobs the whole way.

 

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Shayuri
She looked at the hobgoblin.

"Will the destruction of the Weave impede the Empire as well? Or did they bring their own magic along with their gods?"

"If your Magus goddess had lived, she might have been able to use this Weave as you call it to block the magics of the Empire's wizards, maybe. However, with her death and its destruction there is little that can be done to block the magical power used by the clerics of the Unification Church or the wizardry of the Imperial Society of Arcane Magic. However, wizards are not what you should worry about. It is my kind you should worry about. Sorcerers. We have a place of honor in the empire, although very few choose to act honorably. Sorcery is favored by the Ten Houses. I don't know if you have sorcerers here on Toril, but in empire, sorcerers are the blood and heart of arcane magic. and that blood is draconic.

"There is something else I must tell you," Tocrhor forces himself into a sitting position despite Nel's protests. "The invasion that is coming to your world is a mistake. It should not be happening. Lachlan, one of the pirates, picked Toril because he thought it was an Imperial colony that was inciting revolt against the Dragon Empire. I've seen the the report myself, but I now know the information is an error or a falsehood of some kind. I knew that the minute that we entered Baldur's Gate and I saw the, limited advancement of your technology. My mission was to infiltrate Zugorim's crew and gather enough evidence to bring him to justice in Empire. My superiors have always believed that Zugorim was responsible for attacks on Imperial colonies in the past but nothing could ever be proven. This time we thought we had him.

"When I discovered the mistake and informed my superiors, they called off the strike team that was to move in and arrest him even though I suggested we go ahead. There would be Imperial involvement, regardless, due to presence of the battleship and two dropships. I was ordered to say nothing, do nothing, and to remove myself from the situation. They terminated my mission! But I could not stand by a watch him and his black-hearted villain terrorize another Outlands world! I came with them for the first time on a raid and watched and recorded everything. It is on my datapad, in there." Tocrhor motions to his pack on the floor next to him. "I wanted to do more sooner, but I am ashamed to say that I was afraid. I am an explorer and sorcerer not a great warrior."

Tocrhor looks at the Grand Duke. "In a way, I am guilty. I should have tried to stop them sooner. I am sorry."

He looks back to 'Siel'. "The destruction of your world's magical Weave will only help the invasion. They will come with not just sorcerers but powerful technomancers who combine arcane energy with high technology. The clerics of the Unification Church draw their power from the stars themselves. The Divine Sphere on the battleship above will act as a lens for that magic but even if you managed to destroy the ship, a Divine Sphere is nearly indestructible. It is a relic of ancient times. It is connected directly to the Eternal Dragonstar. The birthplace of the Dragon Empire. Once it has entered your world's sphere of influence, almost nothing can remove it from the system. And if it falls to Toril, it will bind itself to the planet's core."

 

[Knightfall]

"I notice you used the term...nearly indestructible," replies the half elf with a little smile. "Has one ever been destroyed?"

 

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Shayuri
"I notice you used the term...nearly indestructible," replies the half elf with a little smile. "Has one ever been destroyed?"

"I've never heard of one being destroyed in my family's lifetime and that is ten generations," Tocrhor replies. "There are legends of Divine Spheres being sundered by exploding stars or vengeful Outlander gods, but I have no way of knowing if such tales are based on real events or fantastical fabrications. At the very least, it would likely take a very powerful being to destroy one. A god. Or a archfiend or paragon of good, maybe. No mortal could harm it with mortal weapons. Of that, I'm sure.

"And the idea of destroying a Divine Sphere is considered blasphemy to those in the Unification Church," he adds. "If you managed to do so, somehow, the Church would see it as an affront to The Twelve. It would start a holy war that could lead to a stellar crusade against Toril and other Outland worlds that would dare try to repeat the act." Tocrhor purposely stares at Rodan as he speaks.

 

[Knightfall]

Rodan shrugs, "I'm not the Holy War type. I worship the Wanderer because we are of like mind and philosophy, but the Wanderer understands best those that seek to go their own way instead of banding together with armies and nations in order to do violence as some sort of group activity."

 

[Knightfall]

Originally Posted by Deuce Traveler
Rodan shrugs, "I'm not the Holy War type. I worship the Wanderer because we are of like mind and philosophy, but the Wanderer understands best those that seek to go their own way instead of banding together with armies and nations in order to do violence as some sort of group activity."

"So, like me, you're not a fighter," Tocrhor replies. "I have a feeling you and I will be hard pressed in the conflict to come. At least martially, but there will be other ways for us to make a difference."

The hobgoblin looks at Nelalwe and points to his back, which the air gnome has taken possession of. "In there you will find details about my mission and what is to come. There are also two dermapatches in there. If you would be willing to give me the lesser one, I will gladly donate the other to one of Lord Eltan's men. It will have the same effect as a healing potion brewed by a hedge wizard." Tocrhor tries to stand up but his strength fails him. "The d-datapad has e-encryption on it. The unlocking code is a RES cypher k-key known as Copper Moon. I'm sure your master, Shazer'a, has heard of it before, if he truly was a m-member of the Imperial legions.

"The datapad has d-details on my RES mission to infiltrate the Fire Wyvern's crew, as well as details on their activities in the Outlands for the last 5 Imperial c-cycles. More importantly for this world, there are some details about the starships that entered Toril's star system, although they aren't official reports. The RES isn't the I-ISPD-D. We don't have access to classified data."

OOC: Shazer'a can open the datapad with a sucessful Knowledge (Geography) check [DC 15], since the RES is an exploration organization. There is a +2 circumstance bonus since Tocrhor named the type of encryption on the datapad.

 

[Shayuri]

"Tocrhor...you mentioned you were a sorceror," said Silhouette. "I wonder...do you have any power left at the moment? It would be useful to see if your people's magic was entirely unaffected by the destruction of the Weave. Even if you're accustomed to casting spells without it...it's loss almost certainly is playing havoc with magical energy all over Toril. Clearly your people do not need magic to wreak havoc, but if their spells are impeded it could have some impact. Especially if they're not expecting it. Sorcerors have power, but in my experience they often lack the intense understanding of the nuance of magic theory. It could be an area we have an advantage."

Thrak looked at her, but held silent. The irony of Silhouette quoting the man who once had thought to call himself her master was not lost on him, even if the others gathered wouldn't have the context to know it.