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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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<blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7430099" data-attributes="member: 79141"><p><strong>Session 54, Part Three - Obscurati Coup Attempt</strong></p><p></p><p>The bride arrived and the ceremony began. All was going well, until the king was about to make the final proclamation, whereupon the palace lights flickered and died. The light from outside faded too and what remained took on a sickly purple hue. Leon recognised the aura of the Bleak Gate, and realised at once that a Wayfarer Lantern had been used. Harkover Lee tried to illuminate the throne room, but magical light had been suppressed.</p><p></p><p>Out in the commons, people started screaming. From the north lawn, the incongruous sound of a tinny Drakran opera could be heard, played on a scratchy, primitive phonograph, but magically augmented to reach all ears. Then a contingent of the ghost council entered the throne form, causing the wedding guests to recoil in horror. The ghost councillors clutched hostages from the commons. One held Ethelyn of Shale. They paused for effect, giving everyone present the opportunity to stand down in response to implicit threat, then Catherine Romana sauntered into the throne room, stroking a long-haired white cat. She politely invited Aodhan to negotiate for his people’s lives. Aodhan remained stoney-faced and let her do the talking:</p><p></p><p>“First, let me remind you all that there’s no point in attacking me. After all, loyal followers of Nicodemus shall endure as ghosts for as long as he’s safe, and as far as even the ghost council knows, there’s no way to truly destroy him. So let’s discuss this like civilized people.</p><p></p><p>“Civilization. Now, Risur’s rites of rulership trace back to the first defeat of the fey titans. The titans each command one terrain – mountain, swamp, et cetera. And the monarch of Risur is like a titan too, but his – or her – terrain is civilization. The more faith the people have in society and the state, the stronger the king is. And the stronger the king is, the stronger his people are.</p><p></p><p>“Normally, that’s wonderful. But you know our plans, or at least suspect them. Everywhere else, perhaps the rulers will resist, but the people – the weak-willed, stupid children who we have to take care of – they’ll follow us.</p><p></p><p>“Oh, but not in Risur. It won’t do to have a king resisting our new age of reason. We will be the lords of civilization, and you’ll be the rebels, the savages in the wilderness clinging to your old ways.</p><p></p><p>“King Aodhan, I contest your throne. On this plane, I am a quorum of the nobility, so until you convene a council of the House of Nobles, your powers are hereby revoked, as decreed in the rites of rulership. Surrender, and pass on your crown to me, and not only will Risur’s people avoid becoming enemies to the entire world, but they will prosper.”</p><p></p><p>Aodhan gave a disappointed sigh. “Romana,” he said, “you’re right about being the only noble on this plane. So with unanimous approval of your fellow nobles, I hereby revoke your title. Constables, I hereby make you all Dukes. We’ll work out the details after you kill this traitor for me. Oh, and Harkover: you have my permission.”</p><p></p><p>At that, Romana made a barely perceptible gesture. Outside, cannons fired.</p><p></p><p>Uru had picked out his target and fired before the shells could land. Disaster! His shuriken crossbow jammed!</p><p></p><p>Korrigan issued orders and Quratulain responded: "You want them dead? Or even more dead?" She had learned from Matunaaga the art of creating specialised bullets to suit every occasion, but time had been short, so while they languished in the Dreaming, she asked the units’ advice about what she should craft in the time available. Their unanimous response had been: ghost-touch bullets. Quratulain had been able to make six hollow-tipped shells filled with holy water. Now she drew out Master Faradio’s revolver and unloaded it into the ghost council, carefully avoiding their hostages. The holy bullets tore the swarm apart, leaving only a couple of lonely councillors behind. “You’re interrupting a wedding!” Quratulain chided.</p><p></p><p>Not to be left out, Ascodel quipped, “Romana, that is not how you challenge the king. Observe!” and he attacked her with his lightning blade. “A more direct approach is required. Like so! And thus!” Romana let go of her cat and fended him off with her rod. This, though, was an illusion: Leon saw that she had teleported away to the western archway, leaving a moving image of herself behind. She was now invisible (but Leon could still see her). Romana’s cat transformed into a fey panther and lunged at the king. Andrei intercepted it and beat it down; Gupta finished it off with the Third Blade of Srasma. Thanks to the ability of the blade, she now knew where Romana was too: running away down the long passage to the entrance foyer!</p><p></p><p>At last, the shells struck home: two huge holes were blown into the stained glass bay that overlooked the North Lawn. Distant reports of other blasts indicated there must be at least six cannon. Though the noise and the shower of shattered glass were terrible and frightening, no one was hurt: Harkover had ushered everyone away from the windows, and Dame Jillian shielded the king. Beyond they could see a wave of dark forms approaching the palace, black against the deep purple gloom of the Bleak Gate.</p><p></p><p>Aodhan ordered Korrigan to take charge of an evacuation. “Take your men and lead anyone who is not combat ready to the western bunker. The staff will show you the way.” Aodhan refused to budge himself, and cut off Harkover before he could suggest withdrawing entirely. “I will stand my ground in the palace,” he said. “If the Ob are after me, we will draw their fire here. You and Dame Jillian and Professor Marcione’s detachment will remain to help me, and as you know, I myself am no slouch!” With that, he began to rebuild the broken walls with a wave, rough earth rising where the stained glass windows had been.</p><p></p><p>Even as he did so, a wave of strange undead – the lingering spirits of corpses, mere vestiges, but many hundreds of them, began clambering up and in through the holes. Harkover blasted at them with fireballs and slowed their ingress, but those behind simply pressed upwards, heedless of the threat. “Go!” Aodhan insisted. “We’ll hold them off!”</p><p></p><p>Korrigan corralled the bystanders and ushered them westwards. On his command, Leon teleported ahead, accompanied by the fast-moving Andrei, who could not help them fight ghosts. Quratulain and Ascodel finished off the remaining councillors, while unit B gathered in a defensive circle around the king.</p><p></p><p>Seeing pursuers behind her, Romana yelled upwards, to a black hole in the roof of the corridor, “Amielle, a little help here?” A reluctant bullet whizzed past Leon’s head. He looked him to see the phosphorescent form of Amielle Latimer as she lowered her rifle. He had seen her marksmanship before. That was a very bad shot. Now that she had his attention, Amielle jerked her head as if to say, ‘follow me’, then disappeared back onto the roof. Leon could now sense the emanations of a wayfarer lantern coming from up above. He let Korrigan know, and began to consider how best to get up there. “I can help!” cried Ascodel, and with a wave of his hand flew Leon, Andrei and himself up onto the roof.</p><p></p><p>The others proceeded to herd the bystanders. Uru ranged ahead, down off the ceiling so his tremorsense could warn him of threats; Mista Nyves flying on Little Jack, clinging on for dear life and howling in fear as they weaved around the marble pillars that lined the hall.</p><p></p><p>As she left the throne room Gupta stopped and looked back. She took in the whole scene – the King, standing bravely, feet planted, looking like a doughty warrior for all of his seventy years – and sought the answer to a single question: will we see the king alive again? The answer was ‘yes’, and so she turned and joined the others.</p><p></p><p><strong>Soundtrack for Quratulain vs the Ghost Council (and probably the Clergy hierarchs 500 years ago):</strong></p><p></p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwXbPty7NwI&t=23s" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwXbPty7NwI&t=23s</a></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="gideonpepys, post: 7430099, member: 79141"] [b]Session 54, Part Three - Obscurati Coup Attempt[/b] The bride arrived and the ceremony began. All was going well, until the king was about to make the final proclamation, whereupon the palace lights flickered and died. The light from outside faded too and what remained took on a sickly purple hue. Leon recognised the aura of the Bleak Gate, and realised at once that a Wayfarer Lantern had been used. Harkover Lee tried to illuminate the throne room, but magical light had been suppressed. Out in the commons, people started screaming. From the north lawn, the incongruous sound of a tinny Drakran opera could be heard, played on a scratchy, primitive phonograph, but magically augmented to reach all ears. Then a contingent of the ghost council entered the throne form, causing the wedding guests to recoil in horror. The ghost councillors clutched hostages from the commons. One held Ethelyn of Shale. They paused for effect, giving everyone present the opportunity to stand down in response to implicit threat, then Catherine Romana sauntered into the throne room, stroking a long-haired white cat. She politely invited Aodhan to negotiate for his people’s lives. Aodhan remained stoney-faced and let her do the talking: “First, let me remind you all that there’s no point in attacking me. After all, loyal followers of Nicodemus shall endure as ghosts for as long as he’s safe, and as far as even the ghost council knows, there’s no way to truly destroy him. So let’s discuss this like civilized people. “Civilization. Now, Risur’s rites of rulership trace back to the first defeat of the fey titans. The titans each command one terrain – mountain, swamp, et cetera. And the monarch of Risur is like a titan too, but his – or her – terrain is civilization. The more faith the people have in society and the state, the stronger the king is. And the stronger the king is, the stronger his people are. “Normally, that’s wonderful. But you know our plans, or at least suspect them. Everywhere else, perhaps the rulers will resist, but the people – the weak-willed, stupid children who we have to take care of – they’ll follow us. “Oh, but not in Risur. It won’t do to have a king resisting our new age of reason. We will be the lords of civilization, and you’ll be the rebels, the savages in the wilderness clinging to your old ways. “King Aodhan, I contest your throne. On this plane, I am a quorum of the nobility, so until you convene a council of the House of Nobles, your powers are hereby revoked, as decreed in the rites of rulership. Surrender, and pass on your crown to me, and not only will Risur’s people avoid becoming enemies to the entire world, but they will prosper.” Aodhan gave a disappointed sigh. “Romana,” he said, “you’re right about being the only noble on this plane. So with unanimous approval of your fellow nobles, I hereby revoke your title. Constables, I hereby make you all Dukes. We’ll work out the details after you kill this traitor for me. Oh, and Harkover: you have my permission.” At that, Romana made a barely perceptible gesture. Outside, cannons fired. Uru had picked out his target and fired before the shells could land. Disaster! His shuriken crossbow jammed! Korrigan issued orders and Quratulain responded: "You want them dead? Or even more dead?" She had learned from Matunaaga the art of creating specialised bullets to suit every occasion, but time had been short, so while they languished in the Dreaming, she asked the units’ advice about what she should craft in the time available. Their unanimous response had been: ghost-touch bullets. Quratulain had been able to make six hollow-tipped shells filled with holy water. Now she drew out Master Faradio’s revolver and unloaded it into the ghost council, carefully avoiding their hostages. The holy bullets tore the swarm apart, leaving only a couple of lonely councillors behind. “You’re interrupting a wedding!” Quratulain chided. Not to be left out, Ascodel quipped, “Romana, that is not how you challenge the king. Observe!” and he attacked her with his lightning blade. “A more direct approach is required. Like so! And thus!” Romana let go of her cat and fended him off with her rod. This, though, was an illusion: Leon saw that she had teleported away to the western archway, leaving a moving image of herself behind. She was now invisible (but Leon could still see her). Romana’s cat transformed into a fey panther and lunged at the king. Andrei intercepted it and beat it down; Gupta finished it off with the Third Blade of Srasma. Thanks to the ability of the blade, she now knew where Romana was too: running away down the long passage to the entrance foyer! At last, the shells struck home: two huge holes were blown into the stained glass bay that overlooked the North Lawn. Distant reports of other blasts indicated there must be at least six cannon. Though the noise and the shower of shattered glass were terrible and frightening, no one was hurt: Harkover had ushered everyone away from the windows, and Dame Jillian shielded the king. Beyond they could see a wave of dark forms approaching the palace, black against the deep purple gloom of the Bleak Gate. Aodhan ordered Korrigan to take charge of an evacuation. “Take your men and lead anyone who is not combat ready to the western bunker. The staff will show you the way.” Aodhan refused to budge himself, and cut off Harkover before he could suggest withdrawing entirely. “I will stand my ground in the palace,” he said. “If the Ob are after me, we will draw their fire here. You and Dame Jillian and Professor Marcione’s detachment will remain to help me, and as you know, I myself am no slouch!” With that, he began to rebuild the broken walls with a wave, rough earth rising where the stained glass windows had been. Even as he did so, a wave of strange undead – the lingering spirits of corpses, mere vestiges, but many hundreds of them, began clambering up and in through the holes. Harkover blasted at them with fireballs and slowed their ingress, but those behind simply pressed upwards, heedless of the threat. “Go!” Aodhan insisted. “We’ll hold them off!” Korrigan corralled the bystanders and ushered them westwards. On his command, Leon teleported ahead, accompanied by the fast-moving Andrei, who could not help them fight ghosts. Quratulain and Ascodel finished off the remaining councillors, while unit B gathered in a defensive circle around the king. Seeing pursuers behind her, Romana yelled upwards, to a black hole in the roof of the corridor, “Amielle, a little help here?” A reluctant bullet whizzed past Leon’s head. He looked him to see the phosphorescent form of Amielle Latimer as she lowered her rifle. He had seen her marksmanship before. That was a very bad shot. Now that she had his attention, Amielle jerked her head as if to say, ‘follow me’, then disappeared back onto the roof. Leon could now sense the emanations of a wayfarer lantern coming from up above. He let Korrigan know, and began to consider how best to get up there. “I can help!” cried Ascodel, and with a wave of his hand flew Leon, Andrei and himself up onto the roof. The others proceeded to herd the bystanders. Uru ranged ahead, down off the ceiling so his tremorsense could warn him of threats; Mista Nyves flying on Little Jack, clinging on for dear life and howling in fear as they weaved around the marble pillars that lined the hall. As she left the throne room Gupta stopped and looked back. She took in the whole scene – the King, standing bravely, feet planted, looking like a doughty warrior for all of his seventy years – and sought the answer to a single question: will we see the king alive again? The answer was ‘yes’, and so she turned and joined the others. [B]Soundtrack for Quratulain vs the Ghost Council (and probably the Clergy hierarchs 500 years ago):[/B] [URL="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwXbPty7NwI&t=23s"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwXbPty7NwI&t=23s[/URL] [/QUOTE]
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[ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
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