gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Session 251, Part One
Prologue
There was no time to mourn for Harkover. The threat he had posed to Flint was averted; they had reclaimed the city, snapped the citizens free of the hivemind, and shut off the gas lamps. The first part of Operation Ettin was complete. To begin the second, they needed to get back to Cauldron Hill.
At that moment, they noticed that the clouds over the hill were roiling and parting to form a gap through which the night sky could be seen. It took the form of a raven, perched atop Cauldron Hill, and through it they could see the sparkling glow of the Gyre. It was an incredible sight. (“Just so you know,” said Gale, via messenger wind, “that’s not me.”) Korrigan vaguely remembered something similar to this contained in the prophecies of Nevard Sechim.
The gap did not last long – just a few minutes. Its source was not apparent, not even to Leon. However, Leon was able to say that its appearance coincided with the disappearance of all of the hivemind filaments. But there was no time to ponder the mystery of all this in any depth.
One or two matters could be dealt with hastily before they made for the hill. The dragon had done significant damage to the Coaltongue, but there was no time to waste on repairs. To get to Axis Island in time, the ship would have to set sail now and that was the order they gave.
Nor did they have any time to spare on Linia’s message from the Gyre. All of that would have to wait until they had dealt with the distant capitals.
So they left Delft, Gale and Grimsley to rally the city and made their way back to Isaac’s hideout. There they found Wondermaker, in his dapper gentleman form.
Wondermaker had set up his duplicant tech a short way up the hill. Seven tall, metal chairs in a circle, with all manner of cables and doodads protruding from them. Fitted to the top of each one was what appeared to be a black top hat with a dial at the front, depicting a variety of draconic icons. His assistants – four wererats – were just putting the finishing touches to these mechanisms.
Wondermaker explained that this device would capture a fragment of the occupant’s soul in witchoil, and cause their entire being to be transferred into the corresponding duplicant – identified by the combination of draconic sigils chosen by pointing the three hands on each dial.
“I have also solved the problem of sending someone to help Pemberton,” he said. “But it will require someone with a mastery of spirits and a knowledge of how to command them. A residue of Pemberton’s soul remains in this duplicant, just enough to trace it to any other he has occupied. My guess is there will be others on Pemberton’s island that he has used, and we might be able to glean their draconic sigils, although we won’t be to occupy them.”
Uru was the obvious choice; he did as he was told by Wondermaker and was able to ‘look’ out of the eyes of another duplicant. This duplicant appeared to be underwater. That wouldn’t do. Could Uru access another? The answer seemed to be no. So they tried Pardo’s duplicant instead, and this one scored a palpable hit: Around him, Uru could see many other duplicants; in the distance he heard gnolls talking in their harsh, gnashing tongue. He looked down at the duplicant’s chassis and found the sigils etched there. Using Korrigan’s telepathic network, he was able to relay them to Wondermaker.
This had caused a delay, but there was another problem still to solve: they needed to send seven powerful individuals to seven different places. How could they send Conquo anywhere? He had no soul. “It depends on where he needs to go,” said Cyneburg. “I might be able to take him there.”
Uru would head for Pemberton’s Island; Leon called dibs on Cherage – his old home; Rumdoom wanted to go to Trekhom, for obvious reasons, although Wondermaker said it would be useful to send someone able to use a sniper rifle, to make best use of the towers. Rumdoom shrugged. He’d had some basic firearms training in the military, he wasn’t worried about that. So that left Seobriga, Slate, Alais Primos and Sentosa. Gupta chose Sentosa; Korrigan would go to Slate. Of the remaining two, Cyneburg had only been to Seobriga since the Great Eclipse; Conquo happily said that it was also the only place that he had been, so at least he would know his way around. That left Alais Primos to Quratulain. Poetic justice, perhaps?
At the mention of Sentosa, Wondermaker raised another problem – he had no duplicants there; Leon hadn’t been to Elfaivar since the Great Eclipse; nor had Cyneburg. Gupta asked Gale if she could get her there fast enough. Gale replied no. Then Gupta idly wondered if her connection to Hewanharimau would be strong enough to transport her to the temple. It felt like a vain hope, but it sparked recognition in Linia. “You need no connection to another god,” she said, “for you yourself are divine.” Gale thanked her for the compliment, and said she wasn’t too shabby herself, before Linia insisted: “I know something of what transpired in the Gyre. You became a god there, claiming all aspects of Srasma. Your sundered spirits may not yet have unified, but divinity knows no bounds; you carry its spark within you even now.”
This was something of a shock, and begged questions Gupta did not have time to ask. But she recognised the truth of it at once. Elfaivar was hers, much as the mountains belonged to Uru. But if she tried to go there and succeeded, how would she get back? “Take the sending stone,” said Leon. “I’ll follow the voice and bring you back.”
And so it was decided.
They sat in their respective chairs and final preparations were made.
“Remember,” said Cyneburg. “To free the people, you need to take out the focus of the hivemind. To save them, you have to destroy the lanterns.”
“My telepathic network will keep us all in touch,” said Korrigan. “But don’t use it within a hivemind until your presence is already exposed; even then, use wisely, as you may expose another whose mission is not complete.”
They nodded in agreement. Wondermaker waited for Gupta before he began the procedure. She closed her eyes and meditated for a moment. Then she vanished! Cyneburg whisked Conquo away too. At that, one of the wererats threw a lever and the top hats descended.
“Wait!” cried Quratulain, who realised that, morally, she had come to rely very heavily on Korrigan and now did not want to let him down – released without qualm like a fox in a chicken coop. “Any tips for dealing with the clergy?”
Korrigan gave her a pithy answer, then all were subsumed and awoke… elsewhere.
Prologue
There was no time to mourn for Harkover. The threat he had posed to Flint was averted; they had reclaimed the city, snapped the citizens free of the hivemind, and shut off the gas lamps. The first part of Operation Ettin was complete. To begin the second, they needed to get back to Cauldron Hill.
At that moment, they noticed that the clouds over the hill were roiling and parting to form a gap through which the night sky could be seen. It took the form of a raven, perched atop Cauldron Hill, and through it they could see the sparkling glow of the Gyre. It was an incredible sight. (“Just so you know,” said Gale, via messenger wind, “that’s not me.”) Korrigan vaguely remembered something similar to this contained in the prophecies of Nevard Sechim.
The gap did not last long – just a few minutes. Its source was not apparent, not even to Leon. However, Leon was able to say that its appearance coincided with the disappearance of all of the hivemind filaments. But there was no time to ponder the mystery of all this in any depth.
One or two matters could be dealt with hastily before they made for the hill. The dragon had done significant damage to the Coaltongue, but there was no time to waste on repairs. To get to Axis Island in time, the ship would have to set sail now and that was the order they gave.
Nor did they have any time to spare on Linia’s message from the Gyre. All of that would have to wait until they had dealt with the distant capitals.
So they left Delft, Gale and Grimsley to rally the city and made their way back to Isaac’s hideout. There they found Wondermaker, in his dapper gentleman form.
Wondermaker had set up his duplicant tech a short way up the hill. Seven tall, metal chairs in a circle, with all manner of cables and doodads protruding from them. Fitted to the top of each one was what appeared to be a black top hat with a dial at the front, depicting a variety of draconic icons. His assistants – four wererats – were just putting the finishing touches to these mechanisms.
Wondermaker explained that this device would capture a fragment of the occupant’s soul in witchoil, and cause their entire being to be transferred into the corresponding duplicant – identified by the combination of draconic sigils chosen by pointing the three hands on each dial.
“I have also solved the problem of sending someone to help Pemberton,” he said. “But it will require someone with a mastery of spirits and a knowledge of how to command them. A residue of Pemberton’s soul remains in this duplicant, just enough to trace it to any other he has occupied. My guess is there will be others on Pemberton’s island that he has used, and we might be able to glean their draconic sigils, although we won’t be to occupy them.”
Uru was the obvious choice; he did as he was told by Wondermaker and was able to ‘look’ out of the eyes of another duplicant. This duplicant appeared to be underwater. That wouldn’t do. Could Uru access another? The answer seemed to be no. So they tried Pardo’s duplicant instead, and this one scored a palpable hit: Around him, Uru could see many other duplicants; in the distance he heard gnolls talking in their harsh, gnashing tongue. He looked down at the duplicant’s chassis and found the sigils etched there. Using Korrigan’s telepathic network, he was able to relay them to Wondermaker.
This had caused a delay, but there was another problem still to solve: they needed to send seven powerful individuals to seven different places. How could they send Conquo anywhere? He had no soul. “It depends on where he needs to go,” said Cyneburg. “I might be able to take him there.”
Uru would head for Pemberton’s Island; Leon called dibs on Cherage – his old home; Rumdoom wanted to go to Trekhom, for obvious reasons, although Wondermaker said it would be useful to send someone able to use a sniper rifle, to make best use of the towers. Rumdoom shrugged. He’d had some basic firearms training in the military, he wasn’t worried about that. So that left Seobriga, Slate, Alais Primos and Sentosa. Gupta chose Sentosa; Korrigan would go to Slate. Of the remaining two, Cyneburg had only been to Seobriga since the Great Eclipse; Conquo happily said that it was also the only place that he had been, so at least he would know his way around. That left Alais Primos to Quratulain. Poetic justice, perhaps?
At the mention of Sentosa, Wondermaker raised another problem – he had no duplicants there; Leon hadn’t been to Elfaivar since the Great Eclipse; nor had Cyneburg. Gupta asked Gale if she could get her there fast enough. Gale replied no. Then Gupta idly wondered if her connection to Hewanharimau would be strong enough to transport her to the temple. It felt like a vain hope, but it sparked recognition in Linia. “You need no connection to another god,” she said, “for you yourself are divine.” Gale thanked her for the compliment, and said she wasn’t too shabby herself, before Linia insisted: “I know something of what transpired in the Gyre. You became a god there, claiming all aspects of Srasma. Your sundered spirits may not yet have unified, but divinity knows no bounds; you carry its spark within you even now.”
This was something of a shock, and begged questions Gupta did not have time to ask. But she recognised the truth of it at once. Elfaivar was hers, much as the mountains belonged to Uru. But if she tried to go there and succeeded, how would she get back? “Take the sending stone,” said Leon. “I’ll follow the voice and bring you back.”
And so it was decided.
They sat in their respective chairs and final preparations were made.
“Remember,” said Cyneburg. “To free the people, you need to take out the focus of the hivemind. To save them, you have to destroy the lanterns.”
“My telepathic network will keep us all in touch,” said Korrigan. “But don’t use it within a hivemind until your presence is already exposed; even then, use wisely, as you may expose another whose mission is not complete.”
They nodded in agreement. Wondermaker waited for Gupta before he began the procedure. She closed her eyes and meditated for a moment. Then she vanished! Cyneburg whisked Conquo away too. At that, one of the wererats threw a lever and the top hats descended.
“Wait!” cried Quratulain, who realised that, morally, she had come to rely very heavily on Korrigan and now did not want to let him down – released without qualm like a fox in a chicken coop. “Any tips for dealing with the clergy?”
Korrigan gave her a pithy answer, then all were subsumed and awoke… elsewhere.