PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal History
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* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#oldfriends| Old "Friends"...]]
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[[#oldfriends]][+'''Old "Friends"...'''+][[<<]]
Several of our old Jhelomian "friends" have taken up residence in Paws. Count Simon was there, apparently, along with the Stormbreaker and Veronika's representative Lady Samara. Some sort of watchtower may be constructed in the future...
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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Several of our old Jhelomian "friends" have taken up residence in Paws. Count Simon was there, apparently, along with the Stormbreaker and Veronika's representative Lady Samara. Some sort of watchtower may be constructed in the future...
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
----
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The other forgeborn were understandably shaken by the death of their leader. They had not thought that they -could- in fact die. Much like adventurers, I suppose. At any rate, Valicus was able to counsel them, and they seemed less pained by it... though admittedly, I am no expert on forgeborn moods.
Because of the poor morale, and the bleakness of the situation, we promised to find an alternate trail and return with reinforcements.
Because of the poor morale, and the bleakness of the situation, we promised to find an alternate trail and return with reinforcements.
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It seems that several of our old Jhelomian "friends" have taken up residence in Paws. Count Simon was there, apparently, along with the Stormbreaker and Veronika's representative Lady Samara. Some sort of watchtower may be constructed in the future...
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
----
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It seems that several of our old Jhelomian "friends" have taken up residence in Paws. Count Simon was there, apparently, along with the Stormbreaker and Veronika's representative Lady Samara. Some sort of watchtower may be constructed in the future...
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We spoke with Thomas Lyndon, and were told to wear a red flower. Though we let Marcel be the only one to wear one, the deal still went through. Lyndon arrived a few days later.
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* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#oldfriends| Old "Friends"...]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#reinforcements| Reinforcements]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#reinforcements| Reinforcements]]
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We arrived at Matthew's camp to find that things had not gone well for the excavators. The gray goblins, or high goblins as I had come to call them, seemed to have been disturbed by the presence of the army in the foothills. Perhaps fearing attack, they renewed their aggressions on the camp, killing the captain of the forgeborn.
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[[#oldfriends]][+'''Old "Friends"...'''+][[<<]]
In works
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
----
[[#reinforcements]][+'''Reinforcements'''+][[<<]]
In works
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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(Now in sequence)
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[++'''Paws'''++][[<<]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#highgoblins|The Other Cave]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#highgoblins|The Other Cave]]
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The next morning, before the party, we spoke with the smith Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information. We also met once again with Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been rude of us to say no.
to:
The next morning, before the party, we spoke with the smith Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information. We also met once again with Prince Celestyn. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been rude of us to say no.
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A certain "Julia" was at the party as well. I remembered her voice from the inn, and I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order. As it turned out, so did she. She wanted more information about Celestyn in order to protect her employer's or patron's investment, and as I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
to:
A certain "Julia" was at the party as well. I remembered her voice from the Green Jug, an inn I had "scouted", and I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order. As it turned out, so did she. She wanted more information about Celestyn in order to protect her employer's or patron's investment, and as I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
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The next morning, we were visited by the druid Crispin and recieved some foreboding news. After the brief meeting, we returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions. As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stop the battle, and we collected our wounded.
Valicus was able to somewhat restore Robert. But though he was no longer in danger of dying, it was clear we needed to return to Celestyn's residence. As we approached, servants ran out to meet us. The doorway was glowing, they said. We rushed as quickly as we could to the room housing the magical portal. As it turned out, we did not have to wait very long to find out what was happening.
Within moments, Celestyn, Stanislaw, and Dominic appeared.
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well. However, it was clear they had been changed by their ordeal. The coronet Celestyn wore seemed different somehow. Dominic carried a broken sword and had a bandage over one eye. Healers were called to tend to Dominic, and it was revealed that the bandaged eye had been changed to... something ephemeral. Stanislaw too seemed different in a way I could not explain. After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest. Any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
Valicus was able to somewhat restore Robert. But though he was no longer in danger of dying, it was clear we needed to return to Celestyn's residence
Within moments, Celestyn, Stanislaw, and Dominic appeared.
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well. However, it was clear they had been changed by their ordeal. The coronet Celestyn wore seemed different somehow. Dominic carried a broken sword and had a bandage over one eye. Healers were called to tend to Dominic, and it was revealed that the bandaged eye had been changed to... something ephemeral. Stanislaw too seemed different in a way I could not explain. After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest. Any
to:
The next morning, after visiting Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for information on the sword, we encountered Alojzy, called the Stormbreaker. He challenged us, claiming that we had insulted his lord, Count Simon. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself, but Robert was heavily wounded. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stop the battle, and we collected our wounded.
Valicus was able to somewhat restore Robert, but it was clear we needed to return to Celestyn's residence. As we approached, servants ran out to meet us. The doorway was glowing, they said. We did not have to wait very long to find out what was happening. Within moments, Celestyn, Stanislaw, and Dominic appeared.
The returnees appeared mostly well, but changed by their ordeal. Though the changes the others carried were less observable, Dominic's eye was... unusual. However, any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
Valicus was able to somewhat restore Robert, but it was clear we needed to return to Celestyn's residence. As we approached, servants ran out to meet us. The doorway was glowing, they said. We did not have to wait very long to find out what was happening. Within moments, Celestyn, Stanislaw, and Dominic appeared.
The returnees appeared mostly well, but changed by their ordeal. Though the changes the others carried were less observable, Dominic's eye was... unusual. However, any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
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As
My companions and I, however, did not follow. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn.
We escaped the inn thanks to Valicus' magic, and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s -- but without our horses, unfortunately.
to:
After a few days recovery, Celestyn collected all of his allies for another gathering. This one, however, was of the militant kind. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city. And as the sun set, Celestyn's army advanced through the city.
My companions and I, however, did not follow. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn. We escaped the inn thanks to Valicus' magic, and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s -- but without our horses, unfortunately.
My companions and I, however, did not follow. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn. We escaped the inn thanks to Valicus' magic, and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s -- but without our horses, unfortunately.
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We headed toward the dock gate, but not before discovering Kazimierz' troops. We told Dominic, and rode with his troops toward the dock gate. We managed to make it past the gate to the ship Marcel had arranged our passage on. From there, we [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#scoutspy|continued to Avalon]].
to:
We headed toward the dock gate, but not before discovering Kazimierz' troops. We told Dominic, and rode with his troops toward the dock gate. We managed to make it past the gate to the ship Marcel had arranged our passage on. From there, we sailed to Paws before [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#scoutspy|continuing to Avalon]].
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[[#highgoblins]][+'''The Other Cave'''+][[<<]]
Before we returned to Avalon, we decided to stop by Matthew's camp once more. This time, we accepted Matthew's offer of employment and were able to enter the cave. They had been having trouble with a strange race of goblins, these ones taller and gray-skinned.
Their armor was more advanced than anything I had seen their green-skinned cousins use, and they bore a strange emblem, a violet closed fist on black... Valicus' family symbol.
We were able to get the assistance of several Forgeborn, and we began to explore the cavern. We got deeper into the mountain until we came to a strange room with a pillar. There we were discovered by 4 of the gray skinned "high goblins". I was able to speak with them, though their dialect was unusual. They seemed to think the Forgeborn were the "servants of the children of their enemies", yet did not consider humans to be the servants of the children of their enemies. It was unclear what they were referring to.
It -is- apparent that they were familiar with Yeverex.
We were able to report back to Matthew with the new information, but it is not known yet whether any diplomacy is possible with them at this time.
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
----
Before we returned to Avalon, we decided to stop by Matthew's camp once more. This time, we accepted Matthew's offer of employment and were able to enter the cave. They had been having trouble with a strange race of goblins, these ones taller and gray-skinned.
Their armor was more advanced than anything I had seen their green-skinned cousins use, and they bore a strange emblem, a violet closed fist on black... Valicus' family symbol.
We were able to get the assistance of several Forgeborn, and we began to explore the cavern. We got deeper into the mountain until we came to a strange room with a pillar. There we were discovered by 4 of the gray skinned "high goblins". I was able to speak with them, though their dialect was unusual. They seemed to think the Forgeborn were the "servants of the children of their enemies", yet did not consider humans to be the servants of the children of their enemies. It was unclear what they were referring to.
It -is- apparent that they were familiar with Yeverex.
We were able to report back to Matthew with the new information, but it is not known yet whether any diplomacy is possible with them at this time.
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
----
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Marcel himself did not want to believe it, and in spite of our attempts to convince him to wait before running off to Ismene... he ran off to Ismene.
At the present, it is unclear what sort of control she has over him, or whether Marcel is genuinely devoted to her. However, it is clear that it is an issue that will affect future dealings with her.
At
to:
Marcel himself did not want to believe it, and in spite of our attempts to convince him to wait before running off to Ismene... he ran off to Ismene. We had to stop him through force, an action which undoubtedly affects the unity of our group.
The rest of us decided it best to leave Avalon as soon as possible, to return to Matthew to finish our contract, and to perhaps lessen the influence Ismene has on Marcel. At the present, it is unclear what sort of control she has over him, or whether Marcel is genuinely devoted to her. However, it is clear that it is an issue that will affect future dealings with her.
The rest of us decided it best to leave Avalon as soon as possible, to return to Matthew to finish our contract, and to perhaps lessen the influence Ismene has on Marcel. At the present, it is unclear what sort of control she has over him, or whether Marcel is genuinely devoted to her. However, it is clear that it is an issue that will affect future dealings with her.
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We entered the city in the late afternoon. Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. After following a tout and spending few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the first inn we'd found, and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night.
Luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn.
As it turned out, Celestyn was having a gathering of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. We would be able to spend the night at the prince's residence. The night passed comfortably, and the group assembled in a guest dining hall the next morning. The servants were preparing for the party, so they told us there wouldn't be as great a choice of breakfast fare, but the "limited" selection was more than adequate for my needs.
We had several hours before the party, so after informing Dominic of our departure and eventual return, we left to speak with Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. He was intrigued, and offered to spend some time analyzing it. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information.
Also before the party, Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been rude of us to say no.
Luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel
As it turned out, Celestyn was having a gathering of some sort, and Marcel's skills
We had several hours before the party, so after informing Dominic of our departure and eventual return, we left to speak with Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. He was intrigued, and offered to spend some time analyzing it. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information.
Also before the party,
to:
We entered the city in the late afternoon. Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. After following a tout and spending few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety) in a dilapidated inn, we returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night.
Luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn. As it turned out, Celestyn was having a gathering of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. We would be able to spend the night at the prince's residence. As can be expected, the night passed comfortably.
The next morning, before the party, we spoke with the smith Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information. We also met once again with Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been rude of us to say no.
Luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn. As it turned out, Celestyn was having a gathering of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. We would be able to spend the night at the prince's residence. As can be expected, the night passed comfortably.
The next morning, before the party, we spoke with the smith Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information. We also met once again with Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been rude of us to say no.
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We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study, and were investigating his desk when we encountered others who had been in the room before we
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before
Valicus questioned the dead thief
to:
A certain "Julia" was at the party as well. I remembered her voice from the inn, and I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order. As it turned out, so did she. She wanted more information about Celestyn in order to protect her employer's or patron's investment, and as I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl, still carrying whatever he may have taken. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city.
Valicus questioned the dead thief, Richard, and discovered that he had been working for a Count Simon, a partisan of Prince Kazimierz. Sir Ector, Celestyn's acting seneschal, requested help in investigating the matter. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, Count Simon was waiting for us. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl, still carrying whatever he may have taken. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city.
Valicus questioned the dead thief, Richard, and discovered that he had been working for a Count Simon, a partisan of Prince Kazimierz. Sir Ector, Celestyn's acting seneschal, requested help in investigating the matter. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, Count Simon was waiting for us. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
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We entered the city in the late afternoon. Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. Since none of us knew the city very well, we selected a particularly loud and brightly-attired tout and followed him to the inn he advertised. However, it turned out that he had... somewhat exaggerated the quality of his establishment. After a few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the inn and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night. However, our lack of knowledge about the city's layout made things difficult; the rain made it more so.
But luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn.
But luck
to:
We entered the city in the late afternoon. Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. After following a tout and spending few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the first inn we'd found, and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night.
Luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn.
Luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn.
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The captain struck me as a straight-forward individual. Understandably, he would not immediately answer our questions as to his group's purpose here. He wanted us to answer some of his questions. He apparently suspected we were working for someone. Once we answered that we were not affiliated with anyone, he made it known that his group was exploring ruins. He did not appear to be the type that would lie or misdirect us.
to:
The captain struck me as a straight-forward individual. Before he would answer any of our questions, he wanted to know whether we were working for anyone. Once we explained we were not anyone's employ, he explained that his group was exploring ruins.
He offered us work with his group. I suspect that if we had agreed, we might have had access to more information. However, Marcel seemed interested in exploring on our own. While not the optimal course of action, I believe it was the better course. Even if I had a good impression of Matthew, if we allied with him, we would have been at the command of the mysterious people who had hired him.
He offered us work with his group. I suspect that if we had agreed, we might have had access to more information. However, Marcel seemed interested in exploring on our own. While not the optimal course of action, I believe it was the better course. Even if I had a good impression of Matthew, if we allied with him, we would have been at the command of the mysterious people who had hired him.
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As it turned out, Celestyn was going to throw a party of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. We would be able to spend the night at his residence. The night passed comfortably, and the group assembled in a guest dining hall the next morning. The servants were preparing for the party, so they told us there wouldn't be as great a choice of breakfast fare, but the "limited" selection was more than adequate for my needs.
to:
As it turned out, Celestyn was having a gathering of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. We would be able to spend the night at the prince's residence. The night passed comfortably, and the group assembled in a guest dining hall the next morning. The servants were preparing for the party, so they told us there wouldn't be as great a choice of breakfast fare, but the "limited" selection was more than adequate for my needs.
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Also before the party, Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been wrong of us to say no.
to:
Also before the party, Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been rude of us to say no.
Changed lines 134-137 from:
The next morning,
to:
Valicus questioned the dead thief, Richard, and discovered that he had been working for a Count Simon, a partisan of Prince Kazimierz. Sir Ector, the acting seneschal, requested help in investigating the matter. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, Count Simon was waiting for us. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
The next morning, we were visited by the druid Crispin and recieved some foreboding news. After the brief meeting, we returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions. As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stop the battle, and we collected our wounded.
The next morning, we were visited by the druid Crispin and recieved some foreboding news. After the brief meeting, we returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions. As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stop the battle, and we collected our wounded.
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A servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding a gathering. The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
If Celestyn and his forces could keep control of the gates, his troops would enter the city and prevent the other princes and princesses from receiving reinforcements. My Jhelom history might have been limited, but I knew that no one had ever overcome the city from outsidethe walls through force. And if something did go awry?... It was unlikely that my friends and I would be able to stop it.
As the sun set, and clouds began to form inthe darkening sky, the line of torches - the line of Celestyn's army - advanced through the city.
My companions and I, however, did not follow the army. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn.
We escaped the inn and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s, but without our horses, unfortunately.
Borrowing horses from the stables (without telling the stablemaster we were unlikely to return them), we made our way to the north gate to inform Celestyn of our departure, and inform him of Veronica’s position by the southern gate. He seemed dismayed by the news of the sword-robed man, though he could tell us little about the cult the man belonged to. Whoever they are, they opposed Karol as well.
If Celestyn and his forces could keep control of the gates, his troops would enter the city and prevent the other princes and princesses from receiving reinforcements. My Jhelom history might have been limited, but I knew that no one had ever overcome the city from outside
As the sun set, and clouds began to form in
My companions and I, however
We escaped the inn and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s, but without our horses, unfortunately.
Borrowing horses from the stables (without telling the stablemaster we were unlikely to return them), we made our way to the north gate to inform Celestyn of our departure, and inform him of Veronica’s position by the southern gate. He seemed dismayed by the news of the sword-robed man, though he could tell us little about the cult the man belonged to. Whoever they are, they
to:
A servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding another gathering. This one, however, was of the militant kind. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
As the sun set, Celestyn's army advanced through the city.
My companions and I, however, did not follow. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn.
We escaped the inn thanks to Valicus' magic, and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s -- but without our horses, unfortunately.
Borrowing horses from Celestyn's stables (without telling the stablemaster we were unlikely to return them), we made our way to the north gate to inform Celestyn of our departure, and inform him of Veronica’s position by the southern gate. He seemed dismayed by the news of the sword-robed man though he could tell us little about the cult the man belonged to. Whoever they were, they apparently opposed Karol as well.
As the sun set, Celestyn's army advanced through the city.
My companions and I, however, did not follow. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn.
We escaped the inn thanks to Valicus' magic, and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s -- but without our horses, unfortunately.
Borrowing horses from Celestyn's stables (without telling the stablemaster we were unlikely to return them), we made our way to the north gate to inform Celestyn of our departure, and inform him of Veronica’s position by the southern gate. He seemed dismayed by the news of the sword-robed man though he could tell us little about the cult the man belonged to. Whoever they were, they apparently opposed Karol as well.
Changed lines 158-159 from:
We returned to the prince’s residence in an attempt to summon Karol and see if the ancient king had any information on the sword cult, but the summoning was unsuccessful. Something opposed Valicus’ efforts. We explored the town hall, however, remembering that it appeared to be a temple of some sort.
to:
We returned to the prince’s residence in an attempt to summon Karol and see if the ancient king had any information on the sword cult, but the summoning was unsuccessful. Something supernatural opposed Valicus’ efforts. We explored the town hall, however, remembering that it appeared to be a temple of some sort.
Changed lines 178-179 from:
We (or rather Marcel) spoke to Hugo, Captain of the Guard, who did not seem to have a very positive opinion of Joseph Cadarino. He did, however, seem very interested in the information we had to offer him. Later that evening, he did accost Cadarino. I'm certain the results will be forthcoming.
to:
We (or rather Marcel) spoke to Hugo, Captain of the Guard, who did not seem to have a very positive opinion of Joseph Cadarino. He did, however, seem very interested in the information we had to offer him. Later that evening, he did accost Cadarino.
Changed lines 182-185 from:
Meanwhile, something else of note occurred... Apparently, there is a group of southerners headed north. An army. Bearing very familiar banners. This tells me two things: Celestyn did manage to unite the princes/princesses... and that his ambitions have expanded.
They were last spotted between Broadford and Paws.I hope we will have time enough to meet with Matthew before then, and fulfill our contract.
They were last spotted between Broadford and Paws.
to:
Meanwhile, something else of note occurred... A group of southerners, bearing familiar banners headed north. They were last spotted between Broadford and Paws.
I hope we will have time enough to meet with Matthew before then, and fulfill our contract.
I hope we will have time enough to meet with Matthew before then, and fulfill our contract.
Changed lines 190-191 from:
to:
An innocent comment about Marcel's gregariousness led to us going to Pascal. A magical examination uncovered that something was amiss. Pascal seemed... upset about it, and we were unable to gain more information from him. However, his examination did leave us with a question: Was Marcel being controlled by Ismene?
Marcel himself did not want to believe it, and in spite of our attempts to convince him to wait before running off to Ismene... he ran off to Ismene.
At the present, it is unclear what sort of control she has over him, or whether Marcel is genuinely devoted to her. However, it is clear that it is an issue that will affect future dealings with her.
Marcel himself did not want to believe it, and in spite of our attempts to convince him to wait before running off to Ismene... he ran off to Ismene.
At the present, it is unclear what sort of control she has over him, or whether Marcel is genuinely devoted to her. However, it is clear that it is an issue that will affect future dealings with her.
Changed lines 45-46 from:
After Yorick’s hospitality, we headed to Avalon to research the sword we had discovered. Robert and Valicus went to the academy in the city and spoke with a scholar named Susanna, a member of the Green Apples, and known for her research on various things. Through the use of spells, she was able to again find the writing on the box: “Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end.” She was also able to decipher the runes on the sword: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe." and "The force and the hope of we, the people of this kinship."
to:
After Yorick’s hospitality (and reward), we headed to Avalon to research the sword we had discovered. Robert and Valicus went to the academy in the city and spoke with a scholar named Susanna, a member of the Green Apples, and known for her research on various things. Through the use of spells, she was able to again find the writing on the box: “Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end.” She was also able to decipher the runes on the sword: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe." and "The force and the hope of we, the people of this kinship."
Changed line 52 from:
After finishing our obligations to the magi, the party returned to Susanna. She told us what she could, and updated us on the fact that she was making arrangements, but in the meantime, she recommended a Jhelhomian smith named Vikram in order to identify the metal the blade was crafted of. We made plans to travel there.
to:
After finishing our obligations to the magi, the party returned to Susanna. She told us what she could, and recommended a Jhelhomian smith named Vikram, who might be able to identify the metal the blade was crafted of. We made plans to travel there.
Changed lines 66-69 from:
, I approached a man named Pascal, who was apparently a mage. He wanted us to enter a particular tower belonging to his master, another magicial by the name of Kell. An emotional sort, he was initially suspicious of Valicus, and seemed paranoid that we were under the control of his rival.
The other mage, this one by the name of Ismene, also wanted us to enter the tower, but for the sake of protecting Kell. As can be expected, Ismene was Pascal's rival. She also had a rather remarkable way of viewing the world... namely that everyone was only out for their own selfish ends, so her own selfish purposes were justified. Manipulating people using her looks (and supposedly her magic) was perfectly fine in her world.
to:
, I approached a man named Pascal, who was apparently a mage. He wanted us to enter a particular tower belonging to his master, another magician by the name of Kell. An emotional sort, Pascal was initially suspicious of Valicus, and seemed paranoid that we were under the control of his rival.
His rival, Ismene, also wanted us to enter the tower, but she claimed it was for the sake of protecting Kell. She also had a rather remarkable way of viewing the world... namely that everyone was only out for their own selfish ends, so her own selfish purposes were justified.
His rival, Ismene, also wanted us to enter the tower, but she claimed it was for the sake of protecting Kell. She also had a rather remarkable way of viewing the world... namely that everyone was only out for their own selfish ends, so her own selfish purposes were justified.
Changed lines 76-79 from:
Eventually, the mages were calmed, and it was decided that since Ismene only wanted loot, and Pascal wanted the tower, they would each get a share. Marcel was able to distract Pascal from revenge by coming up with some plot involving the Society of Sacrifice or Artificers or something.
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily, and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death. And working for the magi gave us a way to finance a possible future excavation, and discover more about [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|the sword]].
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily,
to:
Eventually, the mages were calmed, and it was decided that since Ismene only wanted loot, and Pascal wanted the tower, they would each get a share. Marcel was able to distract Pascal from revenge by coming up with some plot involving the Society of Sacrifice.
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death. And working for the magi gave us a way to finance a possible future excavation, and discover more about [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|the sword]].
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death. And working for the magi gave us a way to finance a possible future excavation, and discover more about [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|the sword]].
Changed lines 31-32 from:
We tracked the ogres to a cave nearby. Judging from the appearance, the cave had previously been used for a mine. A few of the creatures were outside the cave, but we quickly dispatched them. Exploration of the cavern revealed captives were chained to a forge, harassed by the ogres.
to:
We tracked the ogres to an abandoned mine nearby. A few of the creatures were outside the cave, but we quickly dispatched them. Exploration of the cavern revealed captives were chained to a forge, harassed by more ogres. We also encountered Umber Hulks.
Changed lines 35-36 from:
We freed the hostages, who were grateful for the release, then Valicus, Marcel, and myself proceeded to accompany the hostages to the entrance while Suraliha and Robert checked for any further threats. Apparently there were none, but the Hulk's digging had unearthed some sort of tomb.
to:
We freed the hostages, then Valicus, Marcel, and myself proceeded to accompany the hostages to the entrance while Suraliha and Robert checked for any further threats. Apparently there were none, but the Hulk's digging had unearthed some sort of tomb.
Changed lines 45-46 from:
After Yorick’s hospitality, we headed to Avalon to research the sword. Robert and Valicus went to the academy in the city and spoke with a scholar named Susanna, a member of the Green Apples, and known for her research on various things. Through the use of spells, she was able to again find the writing on the box: “Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end.” She was also able to decipher the runes on the sword: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe." and "The force and the hope of we, the people of this kinship."
to:
After Yorick’s hospitality, we headed to Avalon to research the sword we had discovered. Robert and Valicus went to the academy in the city and spoke with a scholar named Susanna, a member of the Green Apples, and known for her research on various things. Through the use of spells, she was able to again find the writing on the box: “Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end.” She was also able to decipher the runes on the sword: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe." and "The force and the hope of we, the people of this kinship."
Changed lines 49-50 from:
However, Susanna could not tell us who Yeverex was. Nor could she identify what sort of foe the blade was enchanted against. She did not know if it was a monster, a sort of person, or a group of people. She also did not know what sort of metal the blade was made of. She expressed interest in an excavation. However, in order to arrange anything, we would need some money.
to:
However, Susanna could not tell us who Yeverex was. Nor could she identify what sort of foe the blade was enchanted against. She did not know if it was a monster, a specific person, or a group of people. She also did not know what sort of metal the blade was made of. She expressed interest in an excavation. However, in order to arrange anything, we would need some money.
Changed lines 54-57 from:
Along the way, we heard rumors of goblins in the hills. Something was apparently chasing them out of the higher country, resulting in more confrontations with townsfolk. Though usually such things were caused by goblin bands quarreling with each other, this was different.
We encountered a group of goblins while camping. Through the use of some rough goblin, I managed to decipher that they were running from something gray-skinned and tall. The group we talked with contained several wounded members, a strange thing for a goblin band. In my experience, goblins tend to only take the strongest of their numbers on raids. Though weakened, they outnumbered us. While I would have estimated our chances of victory to be decent, I thought it best to prevent an altercation and simply gave them food so they would leave.
We encountered a group of goblins while camping. Through the use of some rough goblin,
to:
Along the way, we heard rumors of goblins in the hills. Something was chasing them out of the higher country, resulting in more confrontations with townsfolk.
While camping, we encountered some of the goblins, and I questioned them. I managed to decipher that they were running from something gray-skinned and tall. The group we talked with contained several wounded members, a strange thing for a goblin band. In my experience, goblins tend to only take the strongest of their numbers on raids. Though weakened, they outnumbered us. While I would have estimated our chances of victory to be decent, I thought it best to prevent an altercation and simply gave them food so they would leave.
While camping, we encountered some of the goblins, and I questioned them. I managed to decipher that they were running from something gray-skinned and tall. The group we talked with contained several wounded members, a strange thing for a goblin band. In my experience, goblins tend to only take the strongest of their numbers on raids. Though weakened, they outnumbered us. While I would have estimated our chances of victory to be decent, I thought it best to prevent an altercation and simply gave them food so they would leave.
Changed line 119 from:
We had several hours before the party, so after informing Dominic of our departure and eventual return, we left to speak with [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#vikram|Vikram]] about the sword we had found in the mine. He was intrigued, and offered to spend some time analyzing it. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information.
to:
We had several hours before the party, so after informing Dominic of our departure and eventual return, we left to speak with Vikram about the sword we had found in the mine. He was intrigued, and offered to spend some time analyzing it. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information.
Changed line 200 from:
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
Changed lines 7-8 from:
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#Ogres|Ogres in a Mine]]
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* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#ogres|Ogres in a Mine]]
Added lines 188-199:
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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[[#marcelboink]][+'''The Trouble with Ismene'''+][[<<]]
In progress
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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[[#mattcamp2]][+'''Return to Matthew’s Excavation'''+][[<<]]
In progress
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[[#marcelboink]][+'''The Trouble with Ismene'''+][[<<]]
In progress
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
----
[[#mattcamp2]][+'''Return to Matthew’s Excavation'''+][[<<]]
In progress
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* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#scoutspy|Council Espionage]]
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* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#scoutspy|The Fate of the Sword & Council Espionage]]
Changed lines 22-23 from:
to:
Added lines 168-169:
We headed toward the dock gate, but not before discovering Kazimierz' troops. We told Dominic, and rode with his troops toward the dock gate. We managed to make it past the gate to the ship Marcel had arranged our passage on. From there, we [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#scoutspy|continued to Avalon]].
Added lines 171-188:
----
[[#scoutspy]][+'''The Fate of the Sword & Council Espionage'''+][[<<]]
Our return to Avalon yielded few answers. In order to receive answers about the sword, we would have to deliver it to Society of Sacrifice. There would be little guarantee we would get it back, if ever. It was as Susanna had suggested. We decided to keep the sword.
The scholar was not terribly pleased by our associating with the Society, as it turned out. However, she had still managed to find a possible patron. As it turned out, it was Robert's long-lost brother Arthur. They did not appear to be on friendly terms with each other. Arthur did not appear to be on friendly terms with us either, especially after Marcel leaked the information of our somewhat-secret meeting to Robert. However, we still seem to have an arrangement, and after our month of service to Matthew, we may be ready to excavate. Arthur seems willing to finance such an operation in exchange for a portion of whatever is found.
In the meanwhile, Marcel found us some work with the help of his... friend Ismene. She was involved in guild elections, and wanted our assistance. After she promised us payment, and the possibility of future assistance, we agreed (sort of) to work with her. After some "research", we managed to find some information that may be of some use. However, it has yet to be seen what will be done with said information.
We (or rather Marcel) spoke to Hugo, Captain of the Guard, who did not seem to have a very positive opinion of Joseph Cadarino. He did, however, seem very interested in the information we had to offer him. Later that evening, he did accost Cadarino. I'm certain the results will be forthcoming.
We attempted to speak to Celia Blake, but not even Marcel's powers of self-promotion were able to get us an audience with her. Another method will obviously have to be tried.
Meanwhile, something else of note occurred... Apparently, there is a group of southerners headed north. An army. Bearing very familiar banners. This tells me two things: Celestyn did manage to unite the princes/princesses... and that his ambitions have expanded.
They were last spotted between Broadford and Paws. I hope we will have time enough to meet with Matthew before then, and fulfill our contract.
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
Added lines 48-49:
%center%http://www.tirislom.com/pseudobritannia/boxrubbing.jpg
Changed lines 151-152 from:
As the sun set, and clouds began to form in the darkening sky, the line of torches - the line of Celestyn's army - advanced through the city.
to:
As the sun set, and clouds began to form in the darkening sky, the line of torches - the line of Celestyn's army - advanced through the city.
My companions and I, however, did not follow the army. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn.
We escaped the inn and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s, but without our horses, unfortunately.
Borrowing horses from the stables (without telling the stablemaster we were unlikely to return them), we made our way to the north gate to inform Celestyn of our departure, and inform him of Veronica’s position by the southern gate. He seemed dismayed by the news of the sword-robed man, though he could tell us little about the cult the man belonged to. Whoever they are, they opposed Karol as well.
After we spoke briefly (and asked whether we could have the horses), Celestyn moved his troops forward, and we again stayed behind.
We returned to the prince’s residence in an attempt to summon Karol and see if the ancient king had any information on the sword cult, but the summoning was unsuccessful. Something opposed Valicus’ efforts. We explored the town hall, however, remembering that it appeared to be a temple of some sort.
We discovered a secret passage within the building, found robes, and concealed ourselves among the sword cultists. They were aware of Valicus’ attempts, and started a ritual to punish those responsible. Marcel was able to disrupt their chanting, however, and we made our escape.
As we fled, the walls of Jhelom began to glow, and magical forces lit up the sky. Valicus suggested once again that we ride north, so we rode through the gate, in spite of my hesitance to leave.
Przemsyl and his men waited outside the gate. He must have been waiting for something like this to happen. We retreated back inside the city. About 5 of his men were able to follow us into the gate before it was again closed. They were stopped, and one captured.
My companions and I, however, did not follow the army. We set out on explorations after the army had left. We left Celestyn’s residence to explore the city, but ended up encountering Veronica’s troops. We tried to take refuge in an inn, but we were captured and brought before Princess Veronica. Not much of consequence was said, but an odd person with a robe of swords was present. We were then imprisoned in the basement of an inn.
We escaped the inn and managed to make our way back to Celestyn’s, but without our horses, unfortunately.
Borrowing horses from the stables (without telling the stablemaster we were unlikely to return them), we made our way to the north gate to inform Celestyn of our departure, and inform him of Veronica’s position by the southern gate. He seemed dismayed by the news of the sword-robed man, though he could tell us little about the cult the man belonged to. Whoever they are, they opposed Karol as well.
After we spoke briefly (and asked whether we could have the horses), Celestyn moved his troops forward, and we again stayed behind.
We returned to the prince’s residence in an attempt to summon Karol and see if the ancient king had any information on the sword cult, but the summoning was unsuccessful. Something opposed Valicus’ efforts. We explored the town hall, however, remembering that it appeared to be a temple of some sort.
We discovered a secret passage within the building, found robes, and concealed ourselves among the sword cultists. They were aware of Valicus’ attempts, and started a ritual to punish those responsible. Marcel was able to disrupt their chanting, however, and we made our escape.
As we fled, the walls of Jhelom began to glow, and magical forces lit up the sky. Valicus suggested once again that we ride north, so we rode through the gate, in spite of my hesitance to leave.
Przemsyl and his men waited outside the gate. He must have been waiting for something like this to happen. We retreated back inside the city. About 5 of his men were able to follow us into the gate before it was again closed. They were stopped, and one captured.
Changed lines 116-119 from:
As it turned out, Celestyn was going to throw a party of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. The odd looks the prince gave us (...or was it simply me?) as he looked us over was curious, but I supposed that was to be expected, bedraggled as we were. I attributed the prince's strange look to some breach of etiquette on my part.
The prince's residence was beyond anything I had ever seen before, and the rooms we were escorted to contained every comfort a guest could expect. There was no question about safety, as every servant seemed to have a knife, a sword, or a blade of some sort. Even breaking into the kitchen to sneak muffins might have been a dangerous task, if we weren't told that we could ask if we wanted anything. The night passed comfortably, and the group assembled in a guest dining hall the next morning. The servants were preparing for the party, so they told us there wouldn't be as great a choice of breakfast fare, but the "limited" selection was more than adequate for my needs.
The prince's residence was beyond anything I had ever seen before, and the rooms we were escorted to contained every comfort a guest could expect. There was no question about safety, as every servant seemed to have a knife, a sword, or a blade of some sort. Even breaking into the kitchen to sneak muffins might have been a dangerous task, if we weren't told that we could ask if we wanted anything
to:
As it turned out, Celestyn was going to throw a party of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. We would be able to spend the night at his residence. The night passed comfortably, and the group assembled in a guest dining hall the next morning. The servants were preparing for the party, so they told us there wouldn't be as great a choice of breakfast fare, but the "limited" selection was more than adequate for my needs.
Changed lines 121-126 from:
Preparations for the party took up most of the rest of the day, though [[PseudoBritannia.Celestyn|personal meetings]] took place and continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups headed by princes and princesses, and another guest [[PseudoBritannia.Guestlist|helped me identify who they were]], and who was allied with whom. It seemed that whatever was happening, Celestyn's plans were not terribly popular among his fellows.
Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing did not please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
As
Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing did not please
to:
Preparations for the party took up most of the rest of the day, though [[PseudoBritannia.Celestyn|personal meetings]] took place and continued nearly until the first [[PseudoBritannia.Guestlist|guests]] began to arrive.
Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing did not please princess Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing did not please princess Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
Changed lines 131-134 from:
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl, still carrying whatever he may have taken. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city. We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected.
Sir Ector, the acting seneschal requested help in investigating the matter. We would have to retrieve whatever was taken. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
Sir Ector, the acting seneschal
to:
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl, still carrying whatever he may have taken. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city.
Sir Ector, the acting seneschal, requested help in investigating the matter. We would have to retrieve whatever was taken. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
Sir Ector, the acting seneschal, requested help in investigating the matter. We would have to retrieve whatever was taken. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
Changed lines 143-174 from:
He told me a fragmented Jhelom competed with only itself. A Jhelom united, however, became an army. Though unification (and an army) was not a bad thing in and of itself, armies really only had two purposes: defense and conquest. He told me to consider my loyalties, though it seemed such advice had come too late to be of much help.
The next day, the party went to the library to research mythic realms and metallic-boned creatures. Though the others seemed interested in the words of librarians and musty old books, I found my mind distracted. It was late by the time we left the library, and a storm was coming. It reminded me of what Stanislaw had said of Alojzy. The Stormbreaker was able to draw energy from the weather and it was said he was often seen on the cliffs when storms rose.
I made my way to the cliffs near the shore. Securing my horse a distance away, I crept closer to where several figures were sheltered by a lighthouse. One of the figures was the magus Alojzy. The others were his companions, whom we had fought at Twelve Trees Square. He had a captive with him. I was not able to follow them, so I returned to Celestyn's residence.
The next morning, the group assembled in the common room to discuss our next destination. Trinsic was one suggestion. Avalon was another obvious choice. Whatever was happening here in Jhelom was apparently coming to a head. The only thing left here seemed to be witnessing the consequences of our aiding Celestyn.
I was still uneasy about my thoughts of pirates, and decided to question Marcel. Even if I disagreed with his choices, he was still better at deciphering politics. However, he doubted my ideas, claiming that it could not be the sole reason for the conflict within Jhelom. I agreed, but I did not know where else to go from there. I suspected the airships were important somehow, and suspected Radha was a pirate, or working for them, but I could not quite see how such things played into a bigger plot. Maybe I was imagining plots where there weren't any.
After some fruitless discussion, I turned my mind back to other mundane things, such as getting my cloak repaired. Marcel suggested asking a servant about such things and did so (over my protests). Though I was loathe to pester people about such trivial matters, we were eventually directed to Dominic, as it seemed only higher-ranking (so to speak...) people had any use for magical attire.
Dominic was in the prince's study, unsurprisingly, discussing matters with the prince. Being the master of subtlety he is, Marcel questioned the one-eyed seneschal about the location of a magical tailor.
While we were there, he also mentioned my theories (which I had been loathe to discuss, especially after the initial response to my sharing them). Although I felt a bit pressured, I conceded to discussing my ideas and we were shown into the study. At least it provided a better reason for the intrusion, rather than simply asking the location of the nearest magical tailor.
Celestyn seemed to take my theories more seriously than Marcel did, which was moderately encouraging. However, I found myself a bit uncomfortable about his responses. He was less cautious than I would have expected, and did not seem to mind questionable morality. However, I could not be too dismayed by it. If a similar situation was happening in Spiritwood, and misfortune befell the lords we fought against, I would probably not be as concerned either. Celestyn did say he would deal with the pirates afterward if they became a problem, so I did not question him further. And as for accepting allies, well... if he had not been the sort he was, my companions and I would not be in his residence. We'd probably be spending the night in the dilapidated inn. Still, the thought that we might be pirates or bandits or assassins or something should have occurred to him. Even if the thought of Marcel being an assassin was, frankly, ridiculous.
At any rate, Celestyn did seem to agree that perhaps a little more caution was in order, and that he might need to know more information about the people Radha worked for, and that if we discovered anything he would appreciate the information. However, that brought up the question of what I would say to Radha.
After we had finished our discussion with the prince, I decided to speak with Radha. I had little intention of actually sharing the information about her group with Celestyn, so trying to wheedle information out of her was not a concern. (Even if I had been concerned with that, I knew I would not get very far, seeing as how she was much more skilled at such things than I.) However, I had told her I would not share her identity with everyone. Yet I also felt it was necessary to warn Celestyn to consider what sort of people he was making his allies. Radha had lurked around in his office for similar reasons, so telling him to be careful seemed fair, at least. However, I doubted Radha was terribly concerned with what was fair.
I decided to simply tell her the truth. I expected that being honest with her would ruin my chances of her accepting me for training. However, my intentions were not to mislead her. Fortunately, though she was not pleased to hear of my disclosure, she did not seem too dismayed, as it would have been necessary eventually. Still, there must have been some hesitation, as she directed me to the Den. If I was seen as worthy, I would be contacted.
Later in the evening, a servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding a gathering, and that we were to dress in finery and armor. It seemed the prince had a different sort of soirée in mind. The prince and his ally Princess Basia once more gathered with their retinues.
The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
The prince and his troops began to ride out.
to:
The next few days were spent in research, either in the library, or exploration. We learned of an author named Celso, who may have detailed some metal-boned creatures. I also discovered Alozjy had a captive, though I could not follow the magus without being detected. The biggest issue, however, was to come a few days later.
A servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding a gathering. The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
A servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding a gathering. The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
Changed lines 18-21 from:
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#vikram|More About the Sword]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|Julia/Radha]]
to:
Changed lines 112-113 from:
Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. Since none of us knew the city very well, we selected a particularly loud and brightly-attired tout and followed him to the inn he advertised. However, it turned out that he had... somewhat exaggerated the quality of his establishment. After a few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the inn and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night. However, our lack of knowledge about the city's layout made things difficult; the rain made it more so.
to:
We entered the city in the late afternoon. Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. Since none of us knew the city very well, we selected a particularly loud and brightly-attired tout and followed him to the inn he advertised. However, it turned out that he had... somewhat exaggerated the quality of his establishment. After a few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the inn and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night. However, our lack of knowledge about the city's layout made things difficult; the rain made it more so.
Changed lines 123-138 from:
Preparations for the party took up most of the rest of the day, though [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#meeting|personal meetings]] took place and continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups headed by princes and princesses. The larger of the group contained an older man, a woman, and a younger man.
The older man was a prince named Przemsyl. He questioned us as to our reason for being there, and wondered if we were playing in politics of our own accord (though not quite in those words). He also tried to find out some secret Celestyn seemed to be hiding. And he seemed to play at being aware of Celestyn's scheming, whether or not he was actually informed.
Veronika was the next of the Jhelomian nobility we had the dubious pleasure of meeting. From the moment she arrived, it was apparent she had some dislike for Robert. Judging by her demeanor (and the fact that all of her retinue was dressed for action, rather than dancing), it was clear that she was not a friend of Celestyn and that she would likely oppose whatever plans he may have had in mind.
The younger man was a prince named Kazimierz. He and Przemsyl seemed in close company, though I know little else about him.
The smaller of the groups contained Celestyn's retinue, and that of the princess Basia's. Our acquaintance informed us that she and Celestyn were close. However, it appeared she was his only ally. Whatever was happening, it was apparent that Celestyn's plans were not terribly popular among his fellows.
Another person of note was "Julia". Though she appeared much different than I recalled, I recognized her voice as Radha from the Green Jug tavern in Avalon.
After some time, Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups headed by princes and princesses
The older man
Veronika was the next of the Jhelomian nobility we had the dubious pleasure of meeting. From the moment she arrived, it was apparent she had some dislike for Robert. Judging by her demeanor (and the fact that all of her retinue was dressed for action, rather than dancing), it was clear that she was not a friend of Celestyn and that she would likely oppose whatever plans he may have had in mind.
The younger man was a prince named Kazimierz. He and Przemsyl seemed in close company, though I know little else about him.
The smaller of the groups contained Celestyn's retinue, and that of the princess Basia's. Our acquaintance informed us that she and Celestyn were close. However, it appeared she was his only ally. Whatever was happening, it was apparent that Celestyn's plans were not terribly popular among his fellows.
Another person of note was "Julia". Though she appeared much different than I recalled, I recognized her voice as Radha from the Green Jug tavern in Avalon.
After some time, Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to
to:
Preparations for the party took up most of the rest of the day, though [[PseudoBritannia.Celestyn|personal meetings]] took place and continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups headed by princes and princesses, and another guest [[PseudoBritannia.Guestlist|helped me identify who they were]], and who was allied with whom. It seemed that whatever was happening, Celestyn's plans were not terribly popular among his fellows.
Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing did not please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups headed by princes and princesses, and another guest [[PseudoBritannia.Guestlist|helped me identify who they were]], and who was allied with whom. It seemed that whatever was happening, Celestyn's plans were not terribly popular among his fellows.
Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing did not please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
Changed lines 131-154 from:
After the party, my attentions returned to "Julia". I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order.
As it turned out, so did she.I encountered her in a sitting room, and we struck up a conversation. From what I gathered, she wanted more information about Celestyn in order to protect her employer's or patron's investment. I knew little of Celestyn's plans myself, so Radha was going to investigate elsewhere. As I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study, and were investigating his desk when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. They were obviously quite skilled, and the manner in which they revealed themselves made us suspect they wanted to be seen. Perhaps they believed they could stop us, or blame us for a theft? At any rate, their assumptions were incorrect.
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city. We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected. It was not long, however, before all of the party was summoned by Sir Ector, the acting seneschal. He requested Robert's help in investigating the matter.
I revealed what had happened earlier to the rest of the group. Though they questioned why Radha and I were in the office to begin with, they eventually focussed on discovering who the dead man worked for. Using his ability to speak with the dead, Valicus was able to gain information from Richard, the recently deceased.
The person he worked for was a lord named Simon, who lived in town and was affiliated with Prince Kazimierz. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. The next morning, we investigated the location, and made the necessary plans for the infiltration. In spite of a visit by the local druid, Crispin, who warned us to think of our actions and our loyalties, we continued with our plans.
We waited until dark. Using the roofof a neighboring building, we were able to scout the roof of Lord Simon's residence. After disabling the guards and their relief watch, we entered the building through a trapdoor in the tower roof, and were able to reach the first main floor of the building with little trouble. Fortunately for us, the office was on that top floor, and infiltrating it posed little trouble. However, when we got there, Lord Simon was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him.
He was not willing to negotiate, and summoned his guards. We had to overcome him by force (and, recalling, I left my arrow in his hand, which will likely cause me trouble in the future). However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned to Celestyn's residence.
Few issues in Jhelom actually resulted in trial. If a noble could not defend himself, the noble's followers would question whether he or she was worthy of status. It was clear that by infiltrating Simon's residence and injuring him, we had insulted him. It was not an issue that would be resolved by simply an apology. On the bright side (sort-of...), the matter with Simon was unlikely to result in a vendetta, unlike the issue with Princess Veronika.
Vendetta involved blood or assassination. Fortunately, vendettas were a last resort. They were more like a miniature war, rather than simply a matter of prestige. And they were always resolved one way or the other. Unfortunately, Veronika's action was obviously the result of a long-term dispute. It was hard to say what would need to be done before the issue was settled.
We returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions.
As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stopping the battle, and we collected our wounded.
As it turned out, so did she.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study, and were investigating his desk when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. They were obviously quite skilled, and the manner in which they revealed themselves made us suspect they wanted to be seen. Perhaps they believed they could stop us, or blame us for a theft? At any rate, their assumptions were incorrect.
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on
I revealed what had happened earlier to the rest
The person he worked for was a lord named Simon
We waited until dark. Using the roof
He was not willing to negotiate, and summoned his guards. We had to overcome him by force (and, recalling, I left my arrow in his hand, which will likely cause me trouble in the future). However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned to Celestyn's residence.
Few issues in Jhelom actually resulted in trial. If a noble could not defend himself, the noble's followers would question whether he or she was worthy of status. It was clear that by infiltrating Simon's residence and injuring him, we had insulted him. It was not an issue that would be resolved by simply an apology. On the bright side (sort-of...), the matter with Simon was unlikely to result in a vendetta, unlike the issue with Princess Veronika.
Vendetta involved blood or assassination. Fortunately, vendettas were a last resort. They were more like a miniature war, rather than simply a matter of prestige. And they were always resolved one way or the other. Unfortunately, Veronika's action was obviously the result of a long-term dispute. It was hard to say what would need to be done before the issue was settled.
We returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions.
As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stopping
to:
After the party, my attentions returned to "Julia". I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order. As it turned out, so did she. She wanted more information about Celestyn in order to protect her employer's or patron's investment, and as I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study, and were investigating his desk when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. They were obviously quite skilled, and the manner in which they revealed themselves made us suspect they wanted to be seen.
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl, still carrying whatever he may have taken. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city. We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected.
Sir Ector, the acting seneschal requested help in investigating the matter. We would have to retrieve whatever was taken. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
The next morning, we returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions. As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stop the battle, and we collected our wounded.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study, and were investigating his desk when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. They were obviously quite skilled, and the manner in which they revealed themselves made us suspect they wanted to be seen.
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl, still carrying whatever he may have taken. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city. We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected.
Sir Ector, the acting seneschal requested help in investigating the matter. We would have to retrieve whatever was taken. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. However, was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him. He was not willing to negotiate, and we had to overcome him by force. However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned the documents to Ector.
The next morning, we returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions. As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stop the battle, and we collected our wounded.
Changed lines 143-159 from:
Within moments, Celestyn appeared.
The appearance of the returnees caused quite a stir, to put it lightly. It seemed everyone who could be present without thoroughly depleting the defense of the estate itself had found a reason to be in the ballroom. It was not long before we found ourselves on the outskirts of a cheering crowd.
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well. However, it was clear they had been changed by their ordeal. The coronet Celestyn wore seemed different somehow. Dominic carried a broken sword and had a bandage over one eye. Healers were called to tend to Dominic, and it was revealed that the bandaged eye had been changed to... something ephemeral. Stanislaw too seemed different in a way I could not explain.
After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest. Any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
After the ballroom had cleared, I caught the eye of [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|“Julia”]]. After my initial suspicions about her had faded (slightly), I was curious about the magic she had used, and her skill when we were fighting the two thieves. I was also curious about how she knew what she did. And, of course, who she was working for.
After a conversation with her (and because it was still late afternoon), I sneaked out to visit the druid Crispin. He had said that if we had any more questions, that he’d be willing to answer them. He admitted to being concerned about the situation as well, though he did not mention pirates.
A fragmented Jhelom competed with only itself. The princes and princesses were a threat to only each other. A Jhelom united, however, became an army. Though unification (and an army) was not a bad thing in and of itself, armies really only had two purposes: defense and conquest. He told me to consider my loyalties, though it seemed such advice had come too late to be of much help.
Crispin advised me to keep sight of the horizon, to not lose sight of the forest because of the trees. The group I was a part of was a fulcrum. It was unclear whether there was still change in the future, or whether we had already enacted change... but I suspected we would have more influence in the future.
The idea was frightening. That our actions could have such far-reaching consequences did little to set me at ease. It further disturbed me to know that I was missing something... but what?
The appearance of the
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well
After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest
After the ballroom
After a conversation with her (and because it was still late afternoon), I sneaked out to visit the druid Crispin. He had said that if we had any more questions, that he’d be willing to answer them. He admitted to being concerned about the situation as well, though he did not mention pirates.
A fragmented Jhelom competed with only itself. The princes and princesses were a threat to only each other. A Jhelom united, however, became an army. Though unification (and an army) was not a bad thing in and of itself, armies really only had two purposes: defense and conquest. He told me to consider my loyalties, though it seemed such advice had come too late to be of much help.
Crispin advised me to keep sight of the horizon, to not lose sight of the forest because of the trees. The group I was a part of was a fulcrum. It was unclear whether there was still change in the future, or whether we had already enacted change... but I suspected we would have more influence in the future.
The idea was frightening. That our actions could have such far-reaching consequences did little to set me at ease. It further disturbed me to know that I was missing something... but what?
to:
Within moments, Celestyn, Stanislaw, and Dominic appeared.
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well. However, it was clear they had been changed by their ordeal. The coronet Celestyn wore seemed different somehow. Dominic carried a broken sword and had a bandage over one eye. Healers were called to tend to Dominic, and it was revealed that the bandaged eye had been changed to... something ephemeral. Stanislaw too seemed different in a way I could not explain. After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest. Any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
After a conversation with [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|“Julia”]](and because it was still late afternoon), I went to Crispin.
He told me a fragmented Jhelom competed with only itself. A Jhelom united, however, became an army. Though unification (and an army) was not a bad thing in and of itself, armies really only had two purposes: defense and conquest. He told me to consider my loyalties, though it seemed such advice had come too late to be of much help.
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well. However, it was clear they had been changed by their ordeal. The coronet Celestyn wore seemed different somehow. Dominic carried a broken sword and had a bandage over one eye. Healers were called to tend to Dominic, and it was revealed that the bandaged eye had been changed to... something ephemeral. Stanislaw too seemed different in a way I could not explain. After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest. Any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
After a conversation with [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|“Julia”]](and because it was still late afternoon), I went to Crispin.
He told me a fragmented Jhelom competed with only itself. A Jhelom united, however, became an army. Though unification (and an army) was not a bad thing in and of itself, armies really only had two purposes: defense and conquest. He told me to consider my loyalties, though it seemed such advice had come too late to be of much help.
Changed lines 153-166 from:
I made my way to the cliffs near the shore. Securing my horse a distance away, I crept closer to where several figures were sheltered by a lighthouse. One of the figures was the magus Alojzy. The others were his companions, whom we had fought at Twelve Trees Square.
Hewas involved in some ritual, that much was apparent. He marked a circle, reached for the sky, and the wind picked up as he shouted something I could not quite discern. Lightning arced downward toward his hand, and the storm began to clear... but something seemed to not be to his liking, for he barked some orders to his minions and a chained captive was brought down.
From a distance, it was hard to tell anything about the captive. It was slender, but I could not even be sure if it was male or female, young or old. What was clear, however, was that Alojzy was displeased with the captive, and that the prisoner was not obeying whatever it was Alojzy was making him or her do.
After what I can only assume were threats, the prisoner ceded, and the storm returned. This time, the mage was able to catch the lightning somehow, and do something to it, though what he did is quite beyond me. The storm became... weaker, and the mage and his party prepared to leave. They slipped a hood over the head of their captive and rode off.
The rain was beginning to pick up, but I wanted to find where they had gone. Leaving my horse tied, I decided to follow them on foot. It was here I discovered that sneaking through the streets of Jhelom was more difficult than trying to conceal myself in the woods of Spiritwood. Anyone on the street was trying to duck out of the rain, leaving the narrow paved roads clear to anyone who was keeping watch.
I tried to follow them, but I ended up being spotted. Ducking into an alleyway, I barely avoided being shot by one of the magus' followers. It was not long until I heard the clatter of hooves on the stone pavers. I knew they were coming my direction. Jumping up quickly and flattening myself on the roof, I waited until they passed. However, it was clear it would be difficult to follow them to their destination.
As I hopped off the roof (to the surprise of one of the citizens shielding themselves from the rain), I noticed part of my cloak had been torn, breaking whatever concealing magic contained within the cloak, and ending whatever plans I might have had of following the horsemen.
He
From a distance, it was hard to tell anything about the captive. It was slender, but I could not even be sure if it was male or female, young or old. What was clear, however, was that Alojzy was displeased with the captive, and that the prisoner was not obeying whatever it was Alojzy was making him or her do.
After what I can only assume were threats, the prisoner ceded, and the storm returned. This time, the mage was able to catch the lightning somehow, and do something to it, though what he did is quite beyond me. The storm became... weaker, and the mage and his party prepared to leave. They slipped a hood over the head of their captive and rode off.
The rain was beginning to pick up, but I wanted to find where they had gone. Leaving my horse tied, I decided to follow them on foot. It was here I discovered that sneaking through the streets of Jhelom was more difficult than trying to conceal myself in the woods of Spiritwood. Anyone on the street was trying to duck out of the rain, leaving the narrow paved roads clear to anyone who was keeping watch.
I tried to follow them, but I ended up being spotted. Ducking into an alleyway, I barely avoided being shot by one of the magus' followers. It was not long until I heard the clatter of hooves on the stone pavers. I knew they were coming my direction. Jumping up quickly and flattening myself on the roof, I waited until they passed. However, it was clear it would be difficult to follow them to their destination.
As I hopped off the roof (to the surprise of one of the citizens shielding themselves from the rain), I noticed part of my cloak had been torn, breaking whatever concealing magic contained within the cloak, and ending whatever plans I might have had of following the horsemen.
to:
I made my way to the cliffs near the shore. Securing my horse a distance away, I crept closer to where several figures were sheltered by a lighthouse. One of the figures was the magus Alojzy. The others were his companions, whom we had fought at Twelve Trees Square. He had a captive with him. I was not able to follow them, so I returned to Celestyn's residence.
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[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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Our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. Since none of us knew the city very well, we selected a particularly loud and brightly-attired tout and followed him to the inn he advertised. However, it turned out that he had... somewhat exaggerated the quality of his establishment. After a few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the inn and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night. However, our lack of knowledge about the city's layout made things difficult; the rain made it more so.
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The odd looks the prince gave us (...or was it simply me?) as he looked us over was curious, but I supposed that was to be expected, bedraggled as we were. However, that coupled with the fact that we were now wholly dependent on an extremely well-armed, highly-equipped, and very well accompanied complete stranger made me a bit uncomfortable. But the alternatives were spending the night on the street or returning to the dumpy inn instead of being escorted to what would presumably be sumptuous quarters, so caution gave way to practicality
to:
As it turned out, Celestyn was going to throw a party of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome. The odd looks the prince gave us (...or was it simply me?) as he looked us over was curious, but I supposed that was to be expected, bedraggled as we were. I attributed the prince's strange look to some breach of etiquette on my part.
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[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#meeting|My meeting]] came next. After my meeting, Robert was asked for next, and presumably Marcel. What was spoken of, I do not know. But the meetings continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups
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Preparations for the party took up most of the rest of the day, though [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#meeting|personal meetings]] took place and continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups headed by princes and princesses. The larger of the group contained an older man, a woman, and a younger man.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups headed by princes and princesses. The larger of the group contained an older man, a woman, and a younger man.
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Another person of note was "Julia". Though she appeared much different than I recalled, I recognized her voice as Radha from the Green Jug tavern in Avalon. I tried to keep an eye on her, but I suspect she knew I was doing so. And such was the atmosphere of the party we found ourselves cast into.
After some time, Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he had a horse brought for him... a "horse from across the sea", as I recall. He said he would go on a quest to search for... something, I do not know what. I do not recall if he said it was dangerous, but I -do- remember that he said if he did not return, his followers were to choose someone else to lead them.
Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
After some time
Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
to:
Another person of note was "Julia". Though she appeared much different than I recalled, I recognized her voice as Radha from the Green Jug tavern in Avalon.
After some time, Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
After some time, Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he said he would go on a quest. Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
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As it turned out, so did she. I encountered her in a sitting room, and we struck up a conversation. From what I gathered, she was working for someone who was interested in supporting the progression of the skyport and the airships. Celestyn, I knew, was involved with that, so her presence here and her bringing the horse was explained in part. Our goals were not at odds, and it seemed we were allies... at least for now. However, it seemed she wanted more information about the prince, in order to ensure her employer's or patron's investment.
I knew little of Celestyn's plans myself, so Radha was going to investigate elsewhere. As I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
I knew little of Celestyn's plans myself, so Radha was going to investigate elsewhere. As I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
to:
As it turned out, so did she. I encountered her in a sitting room, and we struck up a conversation. From what I gathered, she wanted more information about Celestyn in order to protect her employer's or patron's investment. I knew little of Celestyn's plans myself, so Radha was going to investigate elsewhere. As I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
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We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city.
We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected. It was not long, however, before all of the party was summoned by Sir Ector, the acting seneschal. He requested Robert's help in investigating the matter.
We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected. It was not long, however, before all of the party was summoned by Sir Ector, the acting seneschal. He requested Robert's help in investigating the matter.
to:
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city. We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected. It was not long, however, before all of the party was summoned by Sir Ector, the acting seneschal. He requested Robert's help in investigating the matter.
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After the ballroom had cleared, I caught the eye of [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|“Julia”]]After my initial suspicions about her had faded (slightly), I was curious about the magic she had used, and her skill when we were fighting the two thieves. I was also curious about how she knew what she did. And, of course, who she was working for.
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After the ballroom had cleared, I caught the eye of [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|“Julia”]]. After my initial suspicions about her had faded (slightly), I was curious about the magic she had used, and her skill when we were fighting the two thieves. I was also curious about how she knew what she did. And, of course, who she was working for.
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The next day, the party went to the library to research mythic realms and metallic-boned creatures. Though the others seemed interested in the words
It was late by the time we left the library, and a storm was coming. It reminded me of what Stanislaw had said of Alojzy. The Stormbreaker was able to draw energy from the weather, it seemed. It was said he was often seen on the cliffs when storms rose.
to:
The next day, the party went to the library to research mythic realms and metallic-boned creatures. Though the others seemed interested in the words of librarians and musty old books, I found my mind distracted. It was late by the time we left the library, and a storm was coming. It reminded me of what Stanislaw had said of Alojzy. The Stormbreaker was able to draw energy from the weather and it was said he was often seen on the cliffs when storms rose.
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But were scouting and spying really all that different?
At any rate, sometime during the musings and attempting to convince my companions to go
The prince and his ally Princess Basia once more gathered with their retinues. The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech
to:
Later in the evening, a servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding a gathering, and that we were to dress in finery and armor. It seemed the prince had a different sort of soirée in mind. The prince and his ally Princess Basia once more gathered with their retinues.
The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
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If all went well, there would be little need for help.
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If Celestyn and his forces could keep control of the gates, his troops would enter the city and prevent the other princes and princesses from receiving reinforcements. My Jhelom history might have been limited, but I knew that no one had ever overcome the city from outside the walls through force. And if something did go awry?... It was unlikely that my friends and I would be able to stop it.
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[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#princes|Princes and Parties]]
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* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#princes|Jhelom Coup]]
-->[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#meeting|Private Meeting]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#vikram|More About the Sword]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|Julia/Radha]]
-->[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#meeting|Private Meeting]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#vikram|More About the Sword]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|Julia/Radha]]
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[[#princes]] [+'''Jhelom Coup'''+][[<<]]
Upon entering Jhelom, we were assaulted not by warriors, but a wall of color every bit as defining as the stone walls of Jhelom themselves. Since it was late in the afternoon, our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. Since none of us knew the city very well, we selected a particularly loud and brightly-attired tout and followed him to the inn he advertised. However, it turned out that he had... somewhat exaggerated the quality of his establishment. After a few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the inn and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night. However, our lack of knowledge about the city's layout made things difficult; the rain made it more so.
But luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn.
For a noble, the prince seemed remarkably polite. Even after hearing Marcel's self-promotion, the prince invited us to stay at his residence. As it turned out, he was going to throw a party of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome.
The odd looks the prince gave us (...or was it simply me?) as he looked us over was curious, but I supposed that was to be expected, bedraggled as we were. However, that coupled with the fact that we were now wholly dependent on an extremely well-armed, highly-equipped, and very well accompanied complete stranger made me a bit uncomfortable. But the alternatives were spending the night on the street or returning to the dumpy inn instead of being escorted to what would presumably be sumptuous quarters, so caution gave way to practicality. I attributed the prince's strange look to some breach of etiquette on my part.
The prince's residence was beyond anything I had ever seen before, and the rooms we were escorted to contained every comfort a guest could expect. There was no question about safety, as every servant seemed to have a knife, a sword, or a blade of some sort. Even breaking into the kitchen to sneak muffins might have been a dangerous task, if we weren't told that we could ask if we wanted anything. The night passed comfortably, and the group assembled in a guest dining hall the next morning. The servants were preparing for the party, so they told us there wouldn't be as great a choice of breakfast fare, but the "limited" selection was more than adequate for my needs.
We had several hours before the party, so after informing Dominic of our departure and eventual return, we left to speak with [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#vikram|Vikram]] about the sword we had found in the mine. He was intrigued, and offered to spend some time analyzing it. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information.
Also before the party, Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been wrong of us to say no.
After leaving the prince's study, we had planned to return to our rooms to prepare for the gathering. As we were planning this, however, a servant was sent for Valicus. A personal meeting apparently, and he returned later with a more-contemplative-than-usual expression on his face. I do not know what was said during his meeting, but I imagined Valicus would tell us later, especially if it concerned our group.
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#meeting|My meeting]] came next. After my meeting, Robert was asked for next, and presumably Marcel. What was spoken of, I do not know. But the meetings continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups. The larger of the group contained an older man, a woman, and a younger man.
The older man was a prince named Przemsyl. He questioned us as to our reason for being there, and wondered if we were playing in politics of our own accord (though not quite in those words). He also tried to find out some secret Celestyn seemed to be hiding. And he seemed to play at being aware of Celestyn's scheming, whether or not he was actually informed.
Veronika was the next of the Jhelomian nobility we had the dubious pleasure of meeting. From the moment she arrived, it was apparent she had some dislike for Robert. Judging by her demeanor (and the fact that all of her retinue was dressed for action, rather than dancing), it was clear that she was not a friend of Celestyn and that she would likely oppose whatever plans he may have had in mind.
The younger man was a prince named Kazimierz. He and Przemsyl seemed in close company, though I know little else about him.
The smaller of the groups contained Celestyn's retinue, and that of the princess Basia's. Our acquaintance informed us that she and Celestyn were close. However, it appeared she was his only ally. Whatever was happening, it was apparent that Celestyn's plans were not terribly popular among his fellows.
Another person of note was "Julia". Though she appeared much different than I recalled, I recognized her voice as Radha from the Green Jug tavern in Avalon. I tried to keep an eye on her, but I suspect she knew I was doing so. And such was the atmosphere of the party we found ourselves cast into.
After some time, Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he had a horse brought for him... a "horse from across the sea", as I recall. He said he would go on a quest to search for... something, I do not know what. I do not recall if he said it was dangerous, but I -do- remember that he said if he did not return, his followers were to choose someone else to lead them.
Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
Needless to say, the party was effectively over.
After the party, my attentions returned to "Julia". I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order.
As it turned out, so did she. I encountered her in a sitting room, and we struck up a conversation. From what I gathered, she was working for someone who was interested in supporting the progression of the skyport and the airships. Celestyn, I knew, was involved with that, so her presence here and her bringing the horse was explained in part. Our goals were not at odds, and it seemed we were allies... at least for now. However, it seemed she wanted more information about the prince, in order to ensure her employer's or patron's investment.
I knew little of Celestyn's plans myself, so Radha was going to investigate elsewhere. As I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study, and were investigating his desk when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. They were obviously quite skilled, and the manner in which they revealed themselves made us suspect they wanted to be seen. Perhaps they believed they could stop us, or blame us for a theft? At any rate, their assumptions were incorrect.
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city.
We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected. It was not long, however, before all of the party was summoned by Sir Ector, the acting seneschal. He requested Robert's help in investigating the matter.
I revealed what had happened earlier to the rest of the group. Though they questioned why Radha and I were in the office to begin with, they eventually focussed on discovering who the dead man worked for. Using his ability to speak with the dead, Valicus was able to gain information from Richard, the recently deceased.
The person he worked for was a lord named Simon, who lived in town and was affiliated with Prince Kazimierz. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. The next morning, we investigated the location, and made the necessary plans for the infiltration. In spite of a visit by the local druid, Crispin, who warned us to think of our actions and our loyalties, we continued with our plans.
We waited until dark. Using the roof of a neighboring building, we were able to scout the roof of Lord Simon's residence. After disabling the guards and their relief watch, we entered the building through a trapdoor in the tower roof, and were able to reach the first main floor of the building with little trouble. Fortunately for us, the office was on that top floor, and infiltrating it posed little trouble. However, when we got there, Lord Simon was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him.
He was not willing to negotiate, and summoned his guards. We had to overcome him by force (and, recalling, I left my arrow in his hand, which will likely cause me trouble in the future). However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned to Celestyn's residence.
Few issues in Jhelom actually resulted in trial. If a noble could not defend himself, the noble's followers would question whether he or she was worthy of status. It was clear that by infiltrating Simon's residence and injuring him, we had insulted him. It was not an issue that would be resolved by simply an apology. On the bright side (sort-of...), the matter with Simon was unlikely to result in a vendetta, unlike the issue with Princess Veronika.
Vendetta involved blood or assassination. Fortunately, vendettas were a last resort. They were more like a miniature war, rather than simply a matter of prestige. And they were always resolved one way or the other. Unfortunately, Veronika's action was obviously the result of a long-term dispute. It was hard to say what would need to be done before the issue was settled.
We returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions.
As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stopping the battle, and we collected our wounded.
Valicus was able to somewhat restore Robert. But though he was no longer in danger of dying, it was clear we needed to return to Celestyn's residence. As we approached, servants ran out to meet us. The doorway was glowing, they said. We rushed as quickly as we could to the room housing the magical portal. As it turned out, we did not have to wait very long to find out what was happening.
Within moments, Celestyn appeared.
The appearance of the returnees caused quite a stir, to put it lightly. It seemed everyone who could be present without thoroughly depleting the defense of the estate itself had found a reason to be in the ballroom. It was not long before we found ourselves on the outskirts of a cheering crowd.
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well. However, it was clear they had been changed by their ordeal. The coronet Celestyn wore seemed different somehow. Dominic carried a broken sword and had a bandage over one eye. Healers were called to tend to Dominic, and it was revealed that the bandaged eye had been changed to... something ephemeral. Stanislaw too seemed different in a way I could not explain.
After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest. Any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
After the ballroom had cleared, I caught the eye of [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|“Julia”]]After my initial suspicions about her had faded (slightly), I was curious about the magic she had used, and her skill when we were fighting the two thieves. I was also curious about how she knew what she did. And, of course, who she was working for.
After a conversation with her (and because it was still late afternoon), I sneaked out to visit the druid Crispin. He had said that if we had any more questions, that he’d be willing to answer them. He admitted to being concerned about the situation as well, though he did not mention pirates.
A fragmented Jhelom competed with only itself. The princes and princesses were a threat to only each other. A Jhelom united, however, became an army. Though unification (and an army) was not a bad thing in and of itself, armies really only had two purposes: defense and conquest. He told me to consider my loyalties, though it seemed such advice had come too late to be of much help.
Crispin advised me to keep sight of the horizon, to not lose sight of the forest because of the trees. The group I was a part of was a fulcrum. It was unclear whether there was still change in the future, or whether we had already enacted change... but I suspected we would have more influence in the future.
The idea was frightening. That our actions could have such far-reaching consequences did little to set me at ease. It further disturbed me to know that I was missing something... but what?
I returned to Celestyn’s estate in a troubled mood. I had come to Jhelom for adventure, yes, but I was not prepared for the adventure that had managed to find us.
The next day, the party went to the library to research mythic realms and metallic-boned creatures. Though the others seemed interested in the words of librarians and musty old books, I found my mind distracted. I briefly browsed books on magical horses, but it wasn't much more than passing time. Jhelom had become less of a collection of entertaining stories, and a much more real place where plots folded in on plots, much like the metal of the swords they all seemed to carry around.
It was late by the time we left the library, and a storm was coming. It reminded me of what Stanislaw had said of Alojzy. The Stormbreaker was able to draw energy from the weather, it seemed. It was said he was often seen on the cliffs when storms rose.
I made my way to the cliffs near the shore. Securing my horse a distance away, I crept closer to where several figures were sheltered by a lighthouse. One of the figures was the magus Alojzy. The others were his companions, whom we had fought at Twelve Trees Square.
He was involved in some ritual, that much was apparent. He marked a circle, reached for the sky, and the wind picked up as he shouted something I could not quite discern. Lightning arced downward toward his hand, and the storm began to clear... but something seemed to not be to his liking, for he barked some orders to his minions and a chained captive was brought down.
From a distance, it was hard to tell anything about the captive. It was slender, but I could not even be sure if it was male or female, young or old. What was clear, however, was that Alojzy was displeased with the captive, and that the prisoner was not obeying whatever it was Alojzy was making him or her do.
After what I can only assume were threats, the prisoner ceded, and the storm returned. This time, the mage was able to catch the lightning somehow, and do something to it, though what he did is quite beyond me. The storm became... weaker, and the mage and his party prepared to leave. They slipped a hood over the head of their captive and rode off.
The rain was beginning to pick up, but I wanted to find where they had gone. Leaving my horse tied, I decided to follow them on foot. It was here I discovered that sneaking through the streets of Jhelom was more difficult than trying to conceal myself in the woods of Spiritwood. Anyone on the street was trying to duck out of the rain, leaving the narrow paved roads clear to anyone who was keeping watch.
I tried to follow them, but I ended up being spotted. Ducking into an alleyway, I barely avoided being shot by one of the magus' followers. It was not long until I heard the clatter of hooves on the stone pavers. I knew they were coming my direction. Jumping up quickly and flattening myself on the roof, I waited until they passed. However, it was clear it would be difficult to follow them to their destination.
As I hopped off the roof (to the surprise of one of the citizens shielding themselves from the rain), I noticed part of my cloak had been torn, breaking whatever concealing magic contained within the cloak, and ending whatever plans I might have had of following the horsemen.
Retrieving my horse, I returned to Celestyn's residence, significantly more soaked than I had been, and in a worse mood.
The next morning, the group assembled in the common room to discuss our next destination. Trinsic was one suggestion. Avalon was another obvious choice. Whatever was happening here in Jhelom was apparently coming to a head. The only thing left here seemed to be witnessing the consequences of our aiding Celestyn.
I was still uneasy about my thoughts of pirates, and decided to question Marcel. Even if I disagreed with his choices, he was still better at deciphering politics. However, he doubted my ideas, claiming that it could not be the sole reason for the conflict within Jhelom. I agreed, but I did not know where else to go from there. I suspected the airships were important somehow, and suspected Radha was a pirate, or working for them, but I could not quite see how such things played into a bigger plot. Maybe I was imagining plots where there weren't any.
After some fruitless discussion, I turned my mind back to other mundane things, such as getting my cloak repaired. Marcel suggested asking a servant about such things and did so (over my protests). Though I was loathe to pester people about such trivial matters, we were eventually directed to Dominic, as it seemed only higher-ranking (so to speak...) people had any use for magical attire.
Dominic was in the prince's study, unsurprisingly, discussing matters with the prince. Being the master of subtlety he is, Marcel questioned the one-eyed seneschal about the location of a magical tailor.
While we were there, he also mentioned my theories (which I had been loathe to discuss, especially after the initial response to my sharing them). Although I felt a bit pressured, I conceded to discussing my ideas and we were shown into the study. At least it provided a better reason for the intrusion, rather than simply asking the location of the nearest magical tailor.
Celestyn seemed to take my theories more seriously than Marcel did, which was moderately encouraging. However, I found myself a bit uncomfortable about his responses. He was less cautious than I would have expected, and did not seem to mind questionable morality. However, I could not be too dismayed by it. If a similar situation was happening in Spiritwood, and misfortune befell the lords we fought against, I would probably not be as concerned either. Celestyn did say he would deal with the pirates afterward if they became a problem, so I did not question him further. And as for accepting allies, well... if he had not been the sort he was, my companions and I would not be in his residence. We'd probably be spending the night in the dilapidated inn. Still, the thought that we might be pirates or bandits or assassins or something should have occurred to him. Even if the thought of Marcel being an assassin was, frankly, ridiculous.
At any rate, Celestyn did seem to agree that perhaps a little more caution was in order, and that he might need to know more information about the people Radha worked for, and that if we discovered anything he would appreciate the information. However, that brought up the question of what I would say to Radha.
After we had finished our discussion with the prince, I decided to speak with Radha. I had little intention of actually sharing the information about her group with Celestyn, so trying to wheedle information out of her was not a concern. (Even if I had been concerned with that, I knew I would not get very far, seeing as how she was much more skilled at such things than I.) However, I had told her I would not share her identity with everyone. Yet I also felt it was necessary to warn Celestyn to consider what sort of people he was making his allies. Radha had lurked around in his office for similar reasons, so telling him to be careful seemed fair, at least. However, I doubted Radha was terribly concerned with what was fair.
I decided to simply tell her the truth. I expected that being honest with her would ruin my chances of her accepting me for training. However, my intentions were not to mislead her. Fortunately, though she was not pleased to hear of my disclosure, she did not seem too dismayed, as it would have been necessary eventually. Still, there must have been some hesitation, as she directed me to the Den. If I was seen as worthy, I would be contacted.
After speaking with Radha, I returned to the common room. I was uncertain whether my comrades would be interested in taking such a journey -- or even whether I should make such a trip. Though on the surface it seemed that many of the skills coincided with what I was already doing, I was unsure whether I wanted to be a spy.
But were scouting and spying really all that different?
At any rate, sometime during the musings and attempting to convince my companions to go to the Den, a servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding a gathering, and that we were to dress in finery and armor. It seemed the prince had a different sort of soirée in mind.
The prince and his ally Princess Basia once more gathered with their retinues. The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
The prince and his troops began to ride out.
Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. This was Jhelom, not Spiritwood, Trinsic, Avalon, or Skara Brae. Celestyn had been planning this for a long time. His allies knew where they were going. My friends and I merely assisted his plans.
If all went well, there would be little need for help. If Celestyn and his forces could keep control of the gates, his troops would enter the city and prevent the other princes and princesses from receiving reinforcements. My Jhelom history might have been limited, but I knew that no one had ever overcome the city from outside the walls through force. And if something did go awry?... It was unlikely that my friends and I would be able to stop it.
As the sun set, and clouds began to form in the darkening sky, the line of torches - the line of Celestyn's army - advanced through the city.
Upon entering Jhelom, we were assaulted not by warriors, but a wall of color every bit as defining as the stone walls of Jhelom themselves. Since it was late in the afternoon, our first concern was locating an inn where we could stay for the night. Since none of us knew the city very well, we selected a particularly loud and brightly-attired tout and followed him to the inn he advertised. However, it turned out that he had... somewhat exaggerated the quality of his establishment. After a few hours of dubious cleanliness (and even more dubious safety), we left the inn and returned to the street to search for another place to spend the night. However, our lack of knowledge about the city's layout made things difficult; the rain made it more so.
But luck was on our side. A passing cavalcade of warriors paraded by, impressive in spite of the rain. Marcel, in his manner, played out a welcoming tune, the skill of which caught the notice of the leader of the aforementioned procession, Prince Celestyn.
For a noble, the prince seemed remarkably polite. Even after hearing Marcel's self-promotion, the prince invited us to stay at his residence. As it turned out, he was going to throw a party of some sort, and Marcel's skills would be welcome.
The odd looks the prince gave us (...or was it simply me?) as he looked us over was curious, but I supposed that was to be expected, bedraggled as we were. However, that coupled with the fact that we were now wholly dependent on an extremely well-armed, highly-equipped, and very well accompanied complete stranger made me a bit uncomfortable. But the alternatives were spending the night on the street or returning to the dumpy inn instead of being escorted to what would presumably be sumptuous quarters, so caution gave way to practicality. I attributed the prince's strange look to some breach of etiquette on my part.
The prince's residence was beyond anything I had ever seen before, and the rooms we were escorted to contained every comfort a guest could expect. There was no question about safety, as every servant seemed to have a knife, a sword, or a blade of some sort. Even breaking into the kitchen to sneak muffins might have been a dangerous task, if we weren't told that we could ask if we wanted anything. The night passed comfortably, and the group assembled in a guest dining hall the next morning. The servants were preparing for the party, so they told us there wouldn't be as great a choice of breakfast fare, but the "limited" selection was more than adequate for my needs.
We had several hours before the party, so after informing Dominic of our departure and eventual return, we left to speak with [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#vikram|Vikram]] about the sword we had found in the mine. He was intrigued, and offered to spend some time analyzing it. We left the sword with him temporarily, and he said he would contact us when he had information.
Also before the party, Prince Celestyn decided to meet with us as a group. We were taken to his study, another remarkably impressive room containing a detailed tiled floor map of Britannia. He and the others bantered lightly, and the prince asked us all whether we were friends. It was an odd phrasing, but after his generosity, it would have been wrong of us to say no.
After leaving the prince's study, we had planned to return to our rooms to prepare for the gathering. As we were planning this, however, a servant was sent for Valicus. A personal meeting apparently, and he returned later with a more-contemplative-than-usual expression on his face. I do not know what was said during his meeting, but I imagined Valicus would tell us later, especially if it concerned our group.
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#meeting|My meeting]] came next. After my meeting, Robert was asked for next, and presumably Marcel. What was spoken of, I do not know. But the meetings continued nearly until the first guests began to arrive.
As the guests entered, they immediately gathered in groups. The larger of the group contained an older man, a woman, and a younger man.
The older man was a prince named Przemsyl. He questioned us as to our reason for being there, and wondered if we were playing in politics of our own accord (though not quite in those words). He also tried to find out some secret Celestyn seemed to be hiding. And he seemed to play at being aware of Celestyn's scheming, whether or not he was actually informed.
Veronika was the next of the Jhelomian nobility we had the dubious pleasure of meeting. From the moment she arrived, it was apparent she had some dislike for Robert. Judging by her demeanor (and the fact that all of her retinue was dressed for action, rather than dancing), it was clear that she was not a friend of Celestyn and that she would likely oppose whatever plans he may have had in mind.
The younger man was a prince named Kazimierz. He and Przemsyl seemed in close company, though I know little else about him.
The smaller of the groups contained Celestyn's retinue, and that of the princess Basia's. Our acquaintance informed us that she and Celestyn were close. However, it appeared she was his only ally. Whatever was happening, it was apparent that Celestyn's plans were not terribly popular among his fellows.
Another person of note was "Julia". Though she appeared much different than I recalled, I recognized her voice as Radha from the Green Jug tavern in Avalon. I tried to keep an eye on her, but I suspect she knew I was doing so. And such was the atmosphere of the party we found ourselves cast into.
After some time, Prince Celestyn drew the attention of his guests, and directed their attention toward a particular doorway. After making a speech about the glory of Jhelom and what it was missing, he had a horse brought for him... a "horse from across the sea", as I recall. He said he would go on a quest to search for... something, I do not know what. I do not recall if he said it was dangerous, but I -do- remember that he said if he did not return, his followers were to choose someone else to lead them.
Whatever he was doing, however, did not appear to please Veronika. She declared some sort of vendetta against Celestyn and his allies. However, Celestyn continued with his plans, and disappeared through the doorway, along with his retainers Dominic and Stanislaw.
Needless to say, the party was effectively over.
After the party, my attentions returned to "Julia". I knew she had brought the horse for Celestyn, but I did not know how involved she was in what had happened. After Celestyn's... disappearance, I felt some investigation was in order.
As it turned out, so did she. I encountered her in a sitting room, and we struck up a conversation. From what I gathered, she was working for someone who was interested in supporting the progression of the skyport and the airships. Celestyn, I knew, was involved with that, so her presence here and her bringing the horse was explained in part. Our goals were not at odds, and it seemed we were allies... at least for now. However, it seemed she wanted more information about the prince, in order to ensure her employer's or patron's investment.
I knew little of Celestyn's plans myself, so Radha was going to investigate elsewhere. As I doubted I could prevent her from investigating, I agreed to accompany her in order to keep an eye on what she was doing.
We... discreetly gained access to the prince's study, and were investigating his desk when we encountered others who had been in the room before we entered. They were obviously quite skilled, and the manner in which they revealed themselves made us suspect they wanted to be seen. Perhaps they believed they could stop us, or blame us for a theft? At any rate, their assumptions were incorrect.
We killed the first one, and pursued the second on the roof before the guards were alerted. I shot him in the lower back, which would have been a paralyzing shot, but he leaped off the roof and turned into an owl. Radha and I lost sight of it/him soon after it flew toward the main city.
We returned to the sitting room quickly, before our absence was detected. It was not long, however, before all of the party was summoned by Sir Ector, the acting seneschal. He requested Robert's help in investigating the matter.
I revealed what had happened earlier to the rest of the group. Though they questioned why Radha and I were in the office to begin with, they eventually focussed on discovering who the dead man worked for. Using his ability to speak with the dead, Valicus was able to gain information from Richard, the recently deceased.
The person he worked for was a lord named Simon, who lived in town and was affiliated with Prince Kazimierz. Since Ector could not risk a siege, it was decided that we would "investigate" further under the cover of darkness the next night. The next morning, we investigated the location, and made the necessary plans for the infiltration. In spite of a visit by the local druid, Crispin, who warned us to think of our actions and our loyalties, we continued with our plans.
We waited until dark. Using the roof of a neighboring building, we were able to scout the roof of Lord Simon's residence. After disabling the guards and their relief watch, we entered the building through a trapdoor in the tower roof, and were able to reach the first main floor of the building with little trouble. Fortunately for us, the office was on that top floor, and infiltrating it posed little trouble. However, when we got there, Lord Simon was waiting for us, the documents visible on his desk in front of him.
He was not willing to negotiate, and summoned his guards. We had to overcome him by force (and, recalling, I left my arrow in his hand, which will likely cause me trouble in the future). However, we managed to retrieve the documents (a historical account of King Karol, the first king of Jhelom), and returned to Celestyn's residence.
Few issues in Jhelom actually resulted in trial. If a noble could not defend himself, the noble's followers would question whether he or she was worthy of status. It was clear that by infiltrating Simon's residence and injuring him, we had insulted him. It was not an issue that would be resolved by simply an apology. On the bright side (sort-of...), the matter with Simon was unlikely to result in a vendetta, unlike the issue with Princess Veronika.
Vendetta involved blood or assassination. Fortunately, vendettas were a last resort. They were more like a miniature war, rather than simply a matter of prestige. And they were always resolved one way or the other. Unfortunately, Veronika's action was obviously the result of a long-term dispute. It was hard to say what would need to be done before the issue was settled.
We returned to Vikram's shop at Twelve Trees Square for less gloomy news. As it turned out, the smith had finished his examinations of the sword, and come to some peculiar conclusions.
As we were leaving, however, Alojzy, Simon's magus, called out a challenge to us, claiming that we had insulted his lord. We engaged him and his comrades, and managed to disable all but the magus himself. However, Alojzy was able to grievously wound Robert, and Valicus took a heavy blow to his leg. After downing Robert, Alojzy called out for a truce, claiming that those who caused insult had been punished. Though I was loathe to simply let him be, it was clear the mage was capable of killing Robert if we continued the fight. We agreed to stopping the battle, and we collected our wounded.
Valicus was able to somewhat restore Robert. But though he was no longer in danger of dying, it was clear we needed to return to Celestyn's residence. As we approached, servants ran out to meet us. The doorway was glowing, they said. We rushed as quickly as we could to the room housing the magical portal. As it turned out, we did not have to wait very long to find out what was happening.
Within moments, Celestyn appeared.
The appearance of the returnees caused quite a stir, to put it lightly. It seemed everyone who could be present without thoroughly depleting the defense of the estate itself had found a reason to be in the ballroom. It was not long before we found ourselves on the outskirts of a cheering crowd.
The returnees appeared tired, but mostly well. However, it was clear they had been changed by their ordeal. The coronet Celestyn wore seemed different somehow. Dominic carried a broken sword and had a bandage over one eye. Healers were called to tend to Dominic, and it was revealed that the bandaged eye had been changed to... something ephemeral. Stanislaw too seemed different in a way I could not explain.
After addressing the crowd briefly, the returnees retired either to their duties or to rest. Any questions remaining to be asked would have to wait until another day.
After the ballroom had cleared, I caught the eye of [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#julia|“Julia”]]After my initial suspicions about her had faded (slightly), I was curious about the magic she had used, and her skill when we were fighting the two thieves. I was also curious about how she knew what she did. And, of course, who she was working for.
After a conversation with her (and because it was still late afternoon), I sneaked out to visit the druid Crispin. He had said that if we had any more questions, that he’d be willing to answer them. He admitted to being concerned about the situation as well, though he did not mention pirates.
A fragmented Jhelom competed with only itself. The princes and princesses were a threat to only each other. A Jhelom united, however, became an army. Though unification (and an army) was not a bad thing in and of itself, armies really only had two purposes: defense and conquest. He told me to consider my loyalties, though it seemed such advice had come too late to be of much help.
Crispin advised me to keep sight of the horizon, to not lose sight of the forest because of the trees. The group I was a part of was a fulcrum. It was unclear whether there was still change in the future, or whether we had already enacted change... but I suspected we would have more influence in the future.
The idea was frightening. That our actions could have such far-reaching consequences did little to set me at ease. It further disturbed me to know that I was missing something... but what?
I returned to Celestyn’s estate in a troubled mood. I had come to Jhelom for adventure, yes, but I was not prepared for the adventure that had managed to find us.
The next day, the party went to the library to research mythic realms and metallic-boned creatures. Though the others seemed interested in the words of librarians and musty old books, I found my mind distracted. I briefly browsed books on magical horses, but it wasn't much more than passing time. Jhelom had become less of a collection of entertaining stories, and a much more real place where plots folded in on plots, much like the metal of the swords they all seemed to carry around.
It was late by the time we left the library, and a storm was coming. It reminded me of what Stanislaw had said of Alojzy. The Stormbreaker was able to draw energy from the weather, it seemed. It was said he was often seen on the cliffs when storms rose.
I made my way to the cliffs near the shore. Securing my horse a distance away, I crept closer to where several figures were sheltered by a lighthouse. One of the figures was the magus Alojzy. The others were his companions, whom we had fought at Twelve Trees Square.
He was involved in some ritual, that much was apparent. He marked a circle, reached for the sky, and the wind picked up as he shouted something I could not quite discern. Lightning arced downward toward his hand, and the storm began to clear... but something seemed to not be to his liking, for he barked some orders to his minions and a chained captive was brought down.
From a distance, it was hard to tell anything about the captive. It was slender, but I could not even be sure if it was male or female, young or old. What was clear, however, was that Alojzy was displeased with the captive, and that the prisoner was not obeying whatever it was Alojzy was making him or her do.
After what I can only assume were threats, the prisoner ceded, and the storm returned. This time, the mage was able to catch the lightning somehow, and do something to it, though what he did is quite beyond me. The storm became... weaker, and the mage and his party prepared to leave. They slipped a hood over the head of their captive and rode off.
The rain was beginning to pick up, but I wanted to find where they had gone. Leaving my horse tied, I decided to follow them on foot. It was here I discovered that sneaking through the streets of Jhelom was more difficult than trying to conceal myself in the woods of Spiritwood. Anyone on the street was trying to duck out of the rain, leaving the narrow paved roads clear to anyone who was keeping watch.
I tried to follow them, but I ended up being spotted. Ducking into an alleyway, I barely avoided being shot by one of the magus' followers. It was not long until I heard the clatter of hooves on the stone pavers. I knew they were coming my direction. Jumping up quickly and flattening myself on the roof, I waited until they passed. However, it was clear it would be difficult to follow them to their destination.
As I hopped off the roof (to the surprise of one of the citizens shielding themselves from the rain), I noticed part of my cloak had been torn, breaking whatever concealing magic contained within the cloak, and ending whatever plans I might have had of following the horsemen.
Retrieving my horse, I returned to Celestyn's residence, significantly more soaked than I had been, and in a worse mood.
The next morning, the group assembled in the common room to discuss our next destination. Trinsic was one suggestion. Avalon was another obvious choice. Whatever was happening here in Jhelom was apparently coming to a head. The only thing left here seemed to be witnessing the consequences of our aiding Celestyn.
I was still uneasy about my thoughts of pirates, and decided to question Marcel. Even if I disagreed with his choices, he was still better at deciphering politics. However, he doubted my ideas, claiming that it could not be the sole reason for the conflict within Jhelom. I agreed, but I did not know where else to go from there. I suspected the airships were important somehow, and suspected Radha was a pirate, or working for them, but I could not quite see how such things played into a bigger plot. Maybe I was imagining plots where there weren't any.
After some fruitless discussion, I turned my mind back to other mundane things, such as getting my cloak repaired. Marcel suggested asking a servant about such things and did so (over my protests). Though I was loathe to pester people about such trivial matters, we were eventually directed to Dominic, as it seemed only higher-ranking (so to speak...) people had any use for magical attire.
Dominic was in the prince's study, unsurprisingly, discussing matters with the prince. Being the master of subtlety he is, Marcel questioned the one-eyed seneschal about the location of a magical tailor.
While we were there, he also mentioned my theories (which I had been loathe to discuss, especially after the initial response to my sharing them). Although I felt a bit pressured, I conceded to discussing my ideas and we were shown into the study. At least it provided a better reason for the intrusion, rather than simply asking the location of the nearest magical tailor.
Celestyn seemed to take my theories more seriously than Marcel did, which was moderately encouraging. However, I found myself a bit uncomfortable about his responses. He was less cautious than I would have expected, and did not seem to mind questionable morality. However, I could not be too dismayed by it. If a similar situation was happening in Spiritwood, and misfortune befell the lords we fought against, I would probably not be as concerned either. Celestyn did say he would deal with the pirates afterward if they became a problem, so I did not question him further. And as for accepting allies, well... if he had not been the sort he was, my companions and I would not be in his residence. We'd probably be spending the night in the dilapidated inn. Still, the thought that we might be pirates or bandits or assassins or something should have occurred to him. Even if the thought of Marcel being an assassin was, frankly, ridiculous.
At any rate, Celestyn did seem to agree that perhaps a little more caution was in order, and that he might need to know more information about the people Radha worked for, and that if we discovered anything he would appreciate the information. However, that brought up the question of what I would say to Radha.
After we had finished our discussion with the prince, I decided to speak with Radha. I had little intention of actually sharing the information about her group with Celestyn, so trying to wheedle information out of her was not a concern. (Even if I had been concerned with that, I knew I would not get very far, seeing as how she was much more skilled at such things than I.) However, I had told her I would not share her identity with everyone. Yet I also felt it was necessary to warn Celestyn to consider what sort of people he was making his allies. Radha had lurked around in his office for similar reasons, so telling him to be careful seemed fair, at least. However, I doubted Radha was terribly concerned with what was fair.
I decided to simply tell her the truth. I expected that being honest with her would ruin my chances of her accepting me for training. However, my intentions were not to mislead her. Fortunately, though she was not pleased to hear of my disclosure, she did not seem too dismayed, as it would have been necessary eventually. Still, there must have been some hesitation, as she directed me to the Den. If I was seen as worthy, I would be contacted.
After speaking with Radha, I returned to the common room. I was uncertain whether my comrades would be interested in taking such a journey -- or even whether I should make such a trip. Though on the surface it seemed that many of the skills coincided with what I was already doing, I was unsure whether I wanted to be a spy.
But were scouting and spying really all that different?
At any rate, sometime during the musings and attempting to convince my companions to go to the Den, a servant appeared to tell us that Celestyn would be holding a gathering, and that we were to dress in finery and armor. It seemed the prince had a different sort of soirée in mind.
The prince and his ally Princess Basia once more gathered with their retinues. The eyes of every single person in the room were fixed on Celestyn as he gave his final speech. The gates of Jhelom would be taken. Once they were under Celestyn's command, he would effectively control the city.
The prince and his troops began to ride out.
Everything my friends and I had done from the moment we had arrived had been building to this point. But in this, we were merely spectators. This was Jhelom, not Spiritwood, Trinsic, Avalon, or Skara Brae. Celestyn had been planning this for a long time. His allies knew where they were going. My friends and I merely assisted his plans.
If all went well, there would be little need for help. If Celestyn and his forces could keep control of the gates, his troops would enter the city and prevent the other princes and princesses from receiving reinforcements. My Jhelom history might have been limited, but I knew that no one had ever overcome the city from outside the walls through force. And if something did go awry?... It was unlikely that my friends and I would be able to stop it.
As the sun set, and clouds began to form in the darkening sky, the line of torches - the line of Celestyn's army - advanced through the city.
Changed lines 77-78 from:
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily, and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death.
to:
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily, and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death. And working for the magi gave us a way to finance a possible future excavation, and discover more about [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|the sword]].
Added lines 80-110:
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[[#mattcamp]] [+'''Matthew’s Excavation'''+][[<<]]
We left the town of Avalon after consulting with [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|Susanna]]. Vikram was apparently a swordsmith of some renown, and he resided in a city known for its arms.
As we passed the town of Paws, however, we noticed two ships were moored at the docks: the Perspicacity and the Endurance. They had been carrying heavy cargo, roughly 500 men and women, and sailed under an unusual banner which none of the party could identify: red, with a heart, tear, and dagger surrounded by stylistic vines. Marcel suspected it might be affiliated with the Society of Sacrifice.
The unidentified militia with the unusual banner had apparently assisted the locals by directing them how to build some fortifications. However, after unloading the ships, they marched off into the highlands east of town.
Seeing armed troops in a mining town was unusual. While goblins would have made a likely motive for the stationing of troops, the goblin problem had been dealt with before the militia had arrived. Curious too was the fact the militia did not seem interested in spending much time in Paws. Questioning locals did not yield much information.
After a few preparations, we trailed the militia. Because of their numbers, it was not difficult to follow their tracks. Even if they had wanted to hide, their numbers made it virtually impossible.
%center%[[http://www.tirislom.com/pseudobritannia/valleycamp.jpg|http://www.tirislom.com/pseudobritannia/valleycamp.jpg]]
They made camp in a hanging valley due east of Paws. In order to gain entrance, Marcel put on an act of being a travelling musician, and we were able to enter their camp. Or... to be more accurate, we were taken to their camp, and made to speak with their captain, a veteran named Matthew.
The captain struck me as a straight-forward individual. Understandably, he would not immediately answer our questions as to his group's purpose here. He wanted us to answer some of his questions. He apparently suspected we were working for someone. Once we answered that we were not affiliated with anyone, he made it known that his group was exploring ruins. He did not appear to be the type that would lie or misdirect us.
He started to make a deal with us and I suspect that if we agreed to work with him, we might have had access to more information. However, Marcel seemed interested in exploring on our own. While not the optimal course of action, I believe it was the better course. Even if I had a good impression of Matthew, if we allied with him, we would have been at the command of the mysterious people who had hired him.
Something struck me as odd, however... As we left the tent, Matthew gave the sword Robert carried an odd look. I suppose I might have said something about it, but I admit I felt hesitant about confronting the captain. I was unwilling to draw more attention to the sword, especially as Matthew was working for an unknown society.
Another part of the valley contained a cave. There were guards posted, but they appeared to be guarding from something inside, rather than preventing others from entering it. This did not prevent them from restricting our entrance, however.
We decided to explore further up the mountain. While we discovered another cavern, it was small. And aside from noises as we advanced further into the cave, there was nothing of note.
We came back down and Marcel tried to put on the "whimsical curious bard" act in an attempt to again gain entrance to the cavern. However, they were not interested. In fact, one of them ordered a guard to break Marcel's psaltry. Things got... a bit tense, and we decided it was probably best for us to leave.
While our little excursion did not turn up much of note, at least our questions were mostly answered. We did find out that the group was looking for antiquities, and because of their activities, it is highly likely they are involved with the Society of Sacrifice.
We continued toward [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#princes|Jhelom]].
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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[[#mattcamp]] [+'''Matthew’s Excavation'''+][[<<]]
We left the town of Avalon after consulting with [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|Susanna]]. Vikram was apparently a swordsmith of some renown, and he resided in a city known for its arms.
As we passed the town of Paws, however, we noticed two ships were moored at the docks: the Perspicacity and the Endurance. They had been carrying heavy cargo, roughly 500 men and women, and sailed under an unusual banner which none of the party could identify: red, with a heart, tear, and dagger surrounded by stylistic vines. Marcel suspected it might be affiliated with the Society of Sacrifice.
The unidentified militia with the unusual banner had apparently assisted the locals by directing them how to build some fortifications. However, after unloading the ships, they marched off into the highlands east of town.
Seeing armed troops in a mining town was unusual. While goblins would have made a likely motive for the stationing of troops, the goblin problem had been dealt with before the militia had arrived. Curious too was the fact the militia did not seem interested in spending much time in Paws. Questioning locals did not yield much information.
After a few preparations, we trailed the militia. Because of their numbers, it was not difficult to follow their tracks. Even if they had wanted to hide, their numbers made it virtually impossible.
%center%[[http://www.tirislom.com/pseudobritannia/valleycamp.jpg|http://www.tirislom.com/pseudobritannia/valleycamp.jpg]]
They made camp in a hanging valley due east of Paws. In order to gain entrance, Marcel put on an act of being a travelling musician, and we were able to enter their camp. Or... to be more accurate, we were taken to their camp, and made to speak with their captain, a veteran named Matthew.
The captain struck me as a straight-forward individual. Understandably, he would not immediately answer our questions as to his group's purpose here. He wanted us to answer some of his questions. He apparently suspected we were working for someone. Once we answered that we were not affiliated with anyone, he made it known that his group was exploring ruins. He did not appear to be the type that would lie or misdirect us.
He started to make a deal with us and I suspect that if we agreed to work with him, we might have had access to more information. However, Marcel seemed interested in exploring on our own. While not the optimal course of action, I believe it was the better course. Even if I had a good impression of Matthew, if we allied with him, we would have been at the command of the mysterious people who had hired him.
Something struck me as odd, however... As we left the tent, Matthew gave the sword Robert carried an odd look. I suppose I might have said something about it, but I admit I felt hesitant about confronting the captain. I was unwilling to draw more attention to the sword, especially as Matthew was working for an unknown society.
Another part of the valley contained a cave. There were guards posted, but they appeared to be guarding from something inside, rather than preventing others from entering it. This did not prevent them from restricting our entrance, however.
We decided to explore further up the mountain. While we discovered another cavern, it was small. And aside from noises as we advanced further into the cave, there was nothing of note.
We came back down and Marcel tried to put on the "whimsical curious bard" act in an attempt to again gain entrance to the cavern. However, they were not interested. In fact, one of them ordered a guard to break Marcel's psaltry. Things got... a bit tense, and we decided it was probably best for us to leave.
While our little excursion did not turn up much of note, at least our questions were mostly answered. We did find out that the group was looking for antiquities, and because of their activities, it is highly likely they are involved with the Society of Sacrifice.
We continued toward [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#princes|Jhelom]].
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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(now in
to:
[[#top]]''[++'''T'''++]his weathered journal contains several dated entries penned in a plain, functional script. Notes are scribbled along the sides, and a few maps and rough sketches are present on some pages.''
(now mostly in sequence...)
(now mostly in sequence...)
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[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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[[#magerival]][+'''Avalon – Magical Rivalry '''+][[<<]]
While in the Adventurer's Guild in Avalon waiting for Robert and Valicus to return from [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|Susanna’s]]
, I approached a man named Pascal, who was apparently a mage. He wanted us to enter a particular tower belonging to his master, another magicial by the name of Kell. An emotional sort, he was initially suspicious of Valicus, and seemed paranoid that we were under the control of his rival.
The other mage, this one by the name of Ismene, also wanted us to enter the tower, but for the sake of protecting Kell. As can be expected, Ismene was Pascal's rival. She also had a rather remarkable way of viewing the world... namely that everyone was only out for their own selfish ends, so her own selfish purposes were justified. Manipulating people using her looks (and supposedly her magic) was perfectly fine in her world.
Through some convoluted circumstances (mostly thanks to Marcel...), the group ended up playing the two mages off each other. We were to meet Pascal at the tower, while Marcel distracted Ismene.
We managed to break into the tower, in spite of an elemental creature barring the way. The guardian out of the way, we made our way to the top and discovered Kell's body. He had apparently suffered a fatal magical accident.
Ismene and Marcel arrived not long after. A confrontation between Pascal and Ismene ensued. Through this, it was discovered that Ismene had allegedly found Kell's body, and wanted to loot the tower before anyone else came to claim it. Pascal wanted to protect Kell's reputation, and continue his research.
Eventually, the mages were calmed, and it was decided that since Ismene only wanted loot, and Pascal wanted the tower, they would each get a share. Marcel was able to distract Pascal from revenge by coming up with some plot involving the Society of Sacrifice or Artificers or something.
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily, and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death.
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
----
[[#magerival]][+'''Avalon – Magical Rivalry '''+][[<<]]
While in the Adventurer's Guild in Avalon waiting for Robert and Valicus to return from [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|Susanna’s]]
, I approached a man named Pascal, who was apparently a mage. He wanted us to enter a particular tower belonging to his master, another magicial by the name of Kell. An emotional sort, he was initially suspicious of Valicus, and seemed paranoid that we were under the control of his rival.
The other mage, this one by the name of Ismene, also wanted us to enter the tower, but for the sake of protecting Kell. As can be expected, Ismene was Pascal's rival. She also had a rather remarkable way of viewing the world... namely that everyone was only out for their own selfish ends, so her own selfish purposes were justified. Manipulating people using her looks (and supposedly her magic) was perfectly fine in her world.
Through some convoluted circumstances (mostly thanks to Marcel...), the group ended up playing the two mages off each other. We were to meet Pascal at the tower, while Marcel distracted Ismene.
We managed to break into the tower, in spite of an elemental creature barring the way. The guardian out of the way, we made our way to the top and discovered Kell's body. He had apparently suffered a fatal magical accident.
Ismene and Marcel arrived not long after. A confrontation between Pascal and Ismene ensued. Through this, it was discovered that Ismene had allegedly found Kell's body, and wanted to loot the tower before anyone else came to claim it. Pascal wanted to protect Kell's reputation, and continue his research.
Eventually, the mages were calmed, and it was decided that since Ismene only wanted loot, and Pascal wanted the tower, they would each get a share. Marcel was able to distract Pascal from revenge by coming up with some plot involving the Society of Sacrifice or Artificers or something.
For our trouble, we were given rooms to stay in temporarily, and a portion of the discovered relics. I suppose that it worked out for the best, even if it was not to my liking. Though I find I've acquired a distaste for magi, at least Pascal got what he wanted. His goals seemed the nobler of the two, even if he may be deluded as to reason of Kell's death.
[[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#top|Back to top]]
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* Magical Rivalry
* The Sword of Yeverex
to:
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#magerival| Magical Rivalry]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|The Sword of Yeverex]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#yeversword|The Sword of Yeverex]]
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* Matthew’s Excavation
to:
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#mattcamp|Matthew’s Excavation]]
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* Princes and Parties
to:
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#princes|Princes and Parties]]
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* Council Espionage
* The Trouble with Ismene
* The Fate of the Sword?
to:
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#scoutspy|Council Espionage]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#marcelboink|The Trouble with Ismene]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#swordcont|The Fate of the Sword?]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#marcelboink|The Trouble with Ismene]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#swordcont|The Fate of the Sword?]]
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* Return to Matthew’s Excavation
to:
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#mattcamp2| Return to Matthew’s Excavation]]
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''[++'''T'''++]his weathered journal contains several dated entries penned in a plain, functional script. Notes are scribbled along the sides as addendums, and a few maps and rough sketches are present on some pages.''
to:
''[++'''T'''++]his weathered journal contains several dated entries penned in a plain, functional script. Notes are scribbled along the sides, and a few maps and rough sketches are present on some pages.''
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[[#yeversword]][+'''Avalon – The Sword of Yeverex '''+][[<<]]
After Yorick’s hospitality, we headed to Avalon to research the sword. Robert and Valicus went to the academy in the city and spoke with a scholar named Susanna, a member of the Green Apples, and known for her research on various things. Through the use of spells, she was able to again find the writing on the box: “Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end.” She was also able to decipher the runes on the sword: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe." and "The force and the hope of we, the people of this kinship."
However, Susanna could not tell us who Yeverex was. Nor could she identify what sort of foe the blade was enchanted against. She did not know if it was a monster, a sort of person, or a group of people. She also did not know what sort of metal the blade was made of. She expressed interest in an excavation. However, in order to arrange anything, we would need some money.
Fortunately, or perhaps –unfortunately-, we ran into [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#magerival| two mages]] trying to hire adventurers.
After finishing our obligations to the magi, the party returned to Susanna. She told us what she could, and updated us on the fact that she was making arrangements, but in the meantime, she recommended a Jhelhomian smith named Vikram in order to identify the metal the blade was crafted of. We made plans to travel there.
Along the way, we heard rumors of goblins in the hills. Something was apparently chasing them out of the higher country, resulting in more confrontations with townsfolk. Though usually such things were caused by goblin bands quarreling with each other, this was different.
We encountered a group of goblins while camping. Through the use of some rough goblin, I managed to decipher that they were running from something gray-skinned and tall. The group we talked with contained several wounded members, a strange thing for a goblin band. In my experience, goblins tend to only take the strongest of their numbers on raids. Though weakened, they outnumbered us. While I would have estimated our chances of victory to be decent, I thought it best to prevent an altercation and simply gave them food so they would leave.
We continued onward toward Paws. There, we found a [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#mattcamp|strange militia]].The presence of an armed band was curious, and we (or, at least Marcel and myself) were interested in investigating.
After our explorations, we continued to the city of [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#princes|Jhelom]].
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to:
!!!Mirava's Journal
''[++'''T'''++]his weathered journal contains several dated entries penned in a plain, functional script. Notes are scribbled along the sides as addendums, and a few maps and rough sketches are present on some pages.''
''[++'''T'''++]his weathered journal contains several dated entries penned in a plain, functional script. Notes are scribbled along the sides as addendums, and a few maps and rough sketches are present on some pages.''
Changed lines 5-27 from:
Silverton
- Ogres in a Mine
Avalon
- Magical Rivalry
- The Sword of Yeverex
Paws
- Matthew’s Excavation
Jhelom
- Princes and Parties
Return to Avalon
- Council Espionage
- The Trouble with Ismene
- The Fate of the Sword?
Paws
- Return to Matthew’s Excavation
Ogres in aMine
Avalon
Paws
Jhelom
Return to Avalon
Paws
Ogres in a
to:
[++'''Silverton'''++][[<<]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#Ogres|Ogres in a Mine]]
[++'''Avalon'''++][[<<]]
* Magical Rivalry
* The Sword of Yeverex
[++'''Paws'''++][[<<]]
* Matthew’s Excavation
[++'''Jhelom'''++][[<<]]
* Princes and Parties
[++'''Return to Avalon'''++][[<<]]
* Council Espionage
* The Trouble with Ismene
* The Fate of the Sword?
[++'''Paws'''++][[<<]]
* Return to Matthew’s Excavation
----
[[#ogres]][+'''Ogres in a Mine'''+][[<<]]
* [[PseudoBritannia.MiraJournal#Ogres|Ogres in a Mine]]
[++'''Avalon'''++][[<<]]
* Magical Rivalry
* The Sword of Yeverex
[++'''Paws'''++][[<<]]
* Matthew’s Excavation
[++'''Jhelom'''++][[<<]]
* Princes and Parties
[++'''Return to Avalon'''++][[<<]]
* Council Espionage
* The Trouble with Ismene
* The Fate of the Sword?
[++'''Paws'''++][[<<]]
* Return to Matthew’s Excavation
----
[[#ogres]][+'''Ogres in a Mine'''+][[<<]]
Added lines 1-38:
This weathered journal contains several entries penned in a plain, functional script. Notes are scribbled along the sides as addendums, and a few maps and rough sketches are present on some pages.
(now in sequence…)
Silverton
- Ogres in a Mine
Avalon
- Magical Rivalry
- The Sword of Yeverex
Paws
- Matthew’s Excavation
Jhelom
- Princes and Parties
Return to Avalon
- Council Espionage
- The Trouble with Ismene
- The Fate of the Sword?
Paws
- Return to Matthew’s Excavation
Ogres in a Mine
On the road to Silverton, our party encountered a well-armed group of soldiers. Their leader, a distraught merchant by the name of Yorick, explained that ogres had ransacked a caravan of his and taken several captives -- including his niece. He asked for our aid, and added that he was wealthy enough to compensate us for the effort. We agreed to help him.
We tracked the ogres to a cave nearby. Judging from the appearance, the cave had previously been used for a mine. A few of the creatures were outside the cave, but we quickly dispatched them. Exploration of the cavern revealed captives were chained to a forge, harassed by the ogres.
%center%http://www.tirislom.com/pseudobritannia/mine_map_complete.png
We freed the hostages, who were grateful for the release, then Valicus, Marcel, and myself proceeded to accompany the hostages to the entrance while Suraliha and Robert checked for any further threats. Apparently there were none, but the Hulk's digging had unearthed some sort of tomb.
Inside, we found an urn of ashes, and a stone box carved with writing, with an ornate sword within. Examining the swordbox posed no problem, but touching the urn resulted in a loud, painful shout in some sort of Goblin language. It was a swear, of sorts. "Thief", "betrayer", "bastard" or the like.
The writing on the box was Valicus was later able to translate it to, "Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end." The sword bore the inscription: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe" and "the force and the hope of we the people of this kin”. The urn, as can be expected, was revealed as the remains of Yeverex.
(now in sequence…)
Silverton
- Ogres in a Mine
Avalon
- Magical Rivalry
- The Sword of Yeverex
Paws
- Matthew’s Excavation
Jhelom
- Princes and Parties
Return to Avalon
- Council Espionage
- The Trouble with Ismene
- The Fate of the Sword?
Paws
- Return to Matthew’s Excavation
Ogres in a Mine
On the road to Silverton, our party encountered a well-armed group of soldiers. Their leader, a distraught merchant by the name of Yorick, explained that ogres had ransacked a caravan of his and taken several captives -- including his niece. He asked for our aid, and added that he was wealthy enough to compensate us for the effort. We agreed to help him.
We tracked the ogres to a cave nearby. Judging from the appearance, the cave had previously been used for a mine. A few of the creatures were outside the cave, but we quickly dispatched them. Exploration of the cavern revealed captives were chained to a forge, harassed by the ogres.
%center%http://www.tirislom.com/pseudobritannia/mine_map_complete.png
We freed the hostages, who were grateful for the release, then Valicus, Marcel, and myself proceeded to accompany the hostages to the entrance while Suraliha and Robert checked for any further threats. Apparently there were none, but the Hulk's digging had unearthed some sort of tomb.
Inside, we found an urn of ashes, and a stone box carved with writing, with an ornate sword within. Examining the swordbox posed no problem, but touching the urn resulted in a loud, painful shout in some sort of Goblin language. It was a swear, of sorts. "Thief", "betrayer", "bastard" or the like.
The writing on the box was Valicus was later able to translate it to, "Here is the tool of Yeverex. Let him take it on his great journey and let him bless us, his kin, when he reaches its end." The sword bore the inscription: "Strike ever true against the ancient foe" and "the force and the hope of we the people of this kin”. The urn, as can be expected, was revealed as the remains of Yeverex.
Page last modified on December 10, 2007, at 01:55 PM