Another lore dump, tried not to cover the same information over again but there is probably some overlap. Also the final set of choices before chapter two at the end. If you have any specific questions about something you want to do or some element of the setting that I did not explain feel free to ask.
Preparations Part 2:
You pinch the bridge of your nose as another headache assails you. Who would have thought that success would breed so many issues. You sit behind what used to be Eris' desk in her private chambers, now your private chambers, you have spent the better part of the last week attempting to catalogue and store all of the resources you recently acquired. Thaïs sits off to one side going through another stack of tomes, her help makes this manageable but it will be difficult even with the two of you working together. Nine rests in the corner, pretending to sleep like usual but by now you can tell when she is eavesdropping.
The gold and mundane wealth was relatively easy to handle. It is piled in the lower storerooms where Gareth oversees its storage, but the magical artefacts and spellbooks you have recovered require your personnel attentions. Loosely speaking the spellbooks fall into three categories, those taken from the Silver Order library, those taken from the Blue Order outpost and a smattering of texts recovered from the library and attached vault. There are dozens of tomes detailing spells from half a dozen schools of magical knowledge here mixed in with history boks and texts on arcane philosophy. It will take months to properly go through what you have recovered and you simply do not have the time.
"Find anything interesting?" you call over to Thaïs, hidden behind a stack of tomes.
"Not much, looks like this is a general history text... but listen to this..."
The Axe Age
Little is known about the earliest age, or perhaps ages, of the world. As such all of human prehistory is simply termed the Axe Age. Humanity lived in small bands as hunters and gatherers. We were the prey of the myrkridia, and far below the notice of the Trow. We lived and we died without leaving any mark upon the world. This was the first age of darkness and it seemed to last without end...
"Hmm... grim stuff," you shake your head, "Of course the Trow did not see it that way. From what Henry used to tell me that was their golden age. They built their great cities to the goddess Nyx and exterminated or enslaved any race they deemed a threat."
"Like the Callieach?" your friend asks.
You nod, "Exactly. What little we know of them paints a picture of a race of master magicians, possessed of a control over magic unseen before or since. It was not for nothing that they are called the Sovereigns of the Time Before..."
Your little speech grabs Nine's attention as Thaïs questions you, "So they fought a war with the Trow? I assume they lost then."
Nine finally cuts in, you knew it was just a matter of time, "Everyone lost against the Trow dear."
You smile, "Everyone except the Legion. But yes, the Callieach had the magic but not the numbers to win a sustained conflict with the Trow. Slowly but surely the Trow pushed them back, giants clad in black metal, they destroyed the Callieach cities and drove them back to their capital. It was there, during the battle of the Real Seal that the Callieach played their final card. They unleashed a spell of such great power that it killed them all and wiped out the invading Trow legions. The hole created by that spell remains to this day, far to the east... The Great Devoid..."
Thaïs gives you an odd look, "I thought you were not interested in history?"
You beam at her, "This is the history of
magic. I am always interested in magic."
She shakes her head and smiles, "Alright, so what happened then?"
"Well the Trow declared victory and headed home but their empire entered a state of decline following the war. The Callieach had killed so many of them that they began to rely on slaves to do all their labour. It worked for a time but eventually it proved their undoing. Anyway, what else does that book say?"
Thaïs turns her attention back to the tome, "The next entry is on the Age of Reason, mankind's golden age and the first age of light. It says that the age extends from 3,111 to 2,112 years ago and began when Tireces, the first archmage, managed to defeat the very first known Leveler in 570 H.C. Eight years later he founded the settlement of Llancarfan..."
"Llancarfan?" you ask but Nine quickly shushes you, "Dear, Llancarfan is the old name for Muirthemne, we are probably standing on top of or near the very place that Tireces stood thousands of years ago."
"The city really is that old then?" Thaïs asks. Nine blinks twice in affirmation before continuing, "Oh dears there are probably three or four cities buried down here going right back to the very dawn of human civilization. We are near the heart of the oldest human city in the world."
You gesture for Thaïs to continue, "Well nothing much happens for the next five hundred and sixty two years. Humanity pulls itself up, while the Trow continue to decline. It is a good thing they never realized the threat we posed of they would have wiped us out as well. In the year 1 A.E. the Emperor Clovis I founded the first Cath Bruig Empire and renamed the capital to Muirthemne. Humanity took the scraps left by the Trow and we learnt, we stole the knowledge of iron working from them and we built our power. At the same time the Trow came into conflict with most of the other races in the world, too proud to beg and hide like humanity. They defeated the Forest Giants and drove them back into the great Forest Heart to the south. They crushed the human kingdom of Yer-Ks and drowned it below the waves. Finally they defeated and enslaved the Oghres. The Age of Reason ends in 431 A.E. when the next Leveler, Moagim, rose in the East. He organized the myrkridia and taught them all that they know of military strategy and magic. This horde pushed west and crushed the Cath Bruig Empire. However, in his moment of triumph Moagim was cut down, drawn and quartered his body was scattered to the corners of the earth. For the next thousand years the myrkridia ruled the known lands and terrorized humanity."
You whistle, "And the same thing would have happened to us if not for Alric..."
Nine urges Thaïs to continues, interested in what else is recorded, "This age of darkness, known as the Wolf Age lasted till just over a thousand years ago. In 1431 A.E. Connacht came from the East, some say from Gower, some say from the lands beyond. He descended upon the myrkridia and broke their power, trapping them within the magical prison of the Tain. Within one generation the entire race disappeared."
You scratch the back of your head, "That Connacht was truly something. First he seals away the myrkridia and then her turns his attention to the rulers of the world, the Trow."
Thaïs nods, "It says here that Connacht took advantage of the Trow's reliance on slavery to undermine their empire. It says that the Trow priests controlled their slaves through the Dream of Domination... hmm... I have never head of that one before... and that Connacht's mages managed to unravel the spell and free the Oghres. The resulting war wiped out the Oghres. The Trow, conscious of their own sins, cast down their weapons and forever rejected the gift of iron leaving it to the younger races."
You tilt your head, "It was not the first time they had committed genocide though. What was so special about the Oghre Rebellion that the Trow swore off weapons and withdrew like that?"
Neither Nine nor Thaïs has an answer to this question so you are forced to shrug it off. Another mystery to tease at your mind, "Anything else of interest in there?"
Thaïs considers the page, "Not too much that is not already public record. The Leveler of that age appeared soon after, some say it was Moagim reborn, and Connacht crushed him and his forces. The emperor of the Cath Bruig fell during the battle and by popular acclaim Connacht was named the new emperor. He spent the rest of his life setting humanity on the best footing possible while his champion Damas sought out and destroyed any artefacts that the next Leveler could use against humanity. Connacht's end is not recorded, it is said he journeyed far into the east in search of something but no one knows what..."
You frown slightly, "For a history, this story raises more questions than it answers."
Nine just gives you both a knowing smile, "Most histories do my dear."
Thaïs continues, "Well the next section is just about recent history. Balor's appearance a few centuries ago on the eastern border. The deal he made with the Myrmidons and his recruitment of his six Fallen Lords are all alluded to though no real facts are given. Two centuries ago the Province waged a war of independence against the Cath Bruig and won. A century ago Balor sacked the Dwarven Kingdom and in 2431 A.E. he raised Muirthemne and destroyed the old empire."
You nod confidently, everyone knows the rest of the story, "Ah, now we are moving into recent memory. With the fall of the empire, Balor built up his power in the east while his generals were free to attack the Province. The nobility of the Province were decimated at Covenant and Alric and the Avatara took over the war effort. Shiver was killed outside Madrigal by Rabican, Rabican was killed not a year later at Seven Gates by the Watcher with the surprise aid of the Trow. The Deceiver and the Watcher had it out immediately after and the Deceiver was presumed dead. Cu Roi and Murgen lost their lives in the Tain and to top it all off a civil war broke out between the Head and the remaining Avatara. By 2481 all of the Avatara lay dead save for Alric and every major population center in the west had fallen but the Legion remained. They outmaneuvered Soulblighter and killed the Watcher. Finally Alric tricked Balor at the ancient Trow city of Rhi'anon, decapitated him and sent what remained of the Legion south to the Great Devoid with his head. They must have succeeded as the forces of the Dark collapsed overnight and Soulblighter fled into the east."
Nine is left speechless, "This Alric did all that?"
You nod, "Not just that. Soulblighter spent the next sixty years rebuilding his forces. He somehow resurrected Shiver, or found someone that could pass for Shiver. He located the Summoner, the one man capable of resurrecting the myrkridia, and he undermined much of the eastern nobility. Finally he struck at Alric. He might have caught the emperor by surprise but Alric recieved warning just in time. Alric found and enlisted the aid of the Deceiver, the Warlocks and the Trow and together with the Legion he broke Soulblighter's armies and killed the Fallen Lord deep in the heart of the great volcano Tharsis."
Thaïs grins, "You sound like a fan of his."
You shrug, "He is the greatest living archmage of our time and one of the few reasons we actually won the wars. He deserves all of the praise he gets."
With that whirlwind history lesson out of the way you turn your attention to more pressing matters. You pull out a map of the known world.
Everything from the Great Devoid in the East to the great cities of the West is displayed before you. The Trow lands of the North, next to the state of Gower and the Berserk Tribes. The Dwarven Kingdom and the Barren Hills of the ghôls to the south. The Ermine Forest of the Fir'Bolg, the Forest Heart of the Forest Giants and the Deep Mire of the Skrael all jump out at you. So many possible destinations but you are only interested in the Dwarven cities to the southeast. It will be a difficult trip but it should be manageable. In three days time you want to be back on the surface, a week from now you hope to be on the road but there are a number of things that you must see to first and a few final orders to give to your people.
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This will probably be your last chance to give instructions to your whole group for a while. Serpent and Christine will head north across the Barrier, past the Twelve Duns and to the islands in the northern sea. They will probably be gone for awhile. You, Thaïs, Biliku, and Uttu will travel south with Bari to the dwarven capital at Myrgard and you have a few options on how you want to do this. Gareth, Brigit, Amena, Ithapi and the children will stay in the city and again you have some choices on how you want them to undertake the tasks you have given them. Once these final decisions are made your group will return to the surface and split up and Chapter 2 will begin.
Part 1: The Tower, Amena and Ithapi
1. Amena and Ithapi - since the two of them will be looking after the children while you are gone you will have to give them instructions on what to do with them.
A) Have the children study with Amena. Knowledge is power and it is never too early to start.
B) Have the children help Ithapi with fixing up the tower. Physical labour will do them some good.
C) Let the children be children with the bare minimum of structure. Well it should toughen them up a little...
D) Aim for a more balanced and structured approach. They will be given time to themselves but most of there time will be spent in study with Amena or working with Ithapi.
E) freeform
2. Some of the children have expressed an interest in worshipping their goddess. Do you let them?
A) Yes - it probably won't do any real harm and it should comfort them.
B) No - They need to make a clear break.
C) No - You try and give them a substitute god to worship. Something close but hopefully different.
D) freeform
Part 2: The Muscle, Gareth and Brigit
1. You think it might be a good idea to train your warriors on the surface. Gareth and Brigit will have to purchase a compound to do this though and you do not have time to go shopping around with them. You will have to decide if you want them to purchase a compound or not. Also you will need to supply them with the resources to do so They will use the funds you leave them to make the best purchase possible.
A) You have them buy a compound. You do not want too many people knowing about the tower and you would rather have them on the surface.
i. You leave them a little money
ii. You leave them a moderate sum
iii. You leave them a lot of money
B) You do not need a new compound. They will take the recruits they believe are reliable back to the tower which will also grant you further security for the children.
C) freeform
2. While you are gone Gareth may want to test out your new forces by taking a few mercenary contracts. It would make you some money and if they do well it will give your group a bit of a reputation. It may also make enemies... Do you let him take any contracts?
A) Yes
B) No
C) Yes - but you speficically instruct him to take only contracts against former Dark forces
D) freeform
Part 3: Your group
1. A talking head will raise a lot of questions, while not illegal she will draw attention. Do you take Nine with you or leave her at the tower?
A) Yes - you are confident you will be able to hide her.
B) No - you do not want people finding out about her.
C) freeform
2. There are a number of ways you can travel to Myrgard. How do you want to go about it?
A) Just the five of you. You will travel light and try not to draw attention. You can move quickly and silently as a small group.
B) You will join up with a caravan. There is safety in numbers after all.
C) You hire a company of mercenaries to get you to your goal.
i. A group of Berserks that you have seen drinking at the Hanged Man. They know no fear and will gladly escort you.
ii. A group of dwarves Bari has had some dealings with in the past. Reliable but eccentric.
iii. A group of sell-swords, unemployed warriors and archers that live in the tent city. Probably the cheapest option.
D) freeform
Part 4: Your training
1. Travelling on the road, you won't really be able to practice more complex tasks but there are a few things you could try and accomplish. (Pick two)
A)Dwarven Language - Thaïs is learning Dwarven from Bari, you could join her and see what you can pick up.
B)Drinking - Bari says there are few things dwarves respect more than someone that can hold their liquor. You are no lightweight but to keep up with the dwarves would take practice. Thankfully you have Tyrvard's still. If you started now, with Bari and Thaïs' help you could become an expert drinker.
C)Combat Training - You think it would be useful to improve your combat skills. You spar with members of your group in the evenings. (who you spar with will be determined by your choice in part 3 question 2. If it is just the five of you it will be Biliku, if you take an escort it will vary a bit more).
D)Diplomacy? - Thaïs can try to give you some pointers to make you more diplomatic. From what you know of dwarves they respect honesty more than flowery words but a little tact would never hurt.
E) Research on the Road - You will attempt to study the artefacts in your possession along with Nine and Thaïs. It will be more difficult then at the tower but you may uncover something.
F) Something Else? - freeform
Part 5: Your vault
If you want to put anything Derryth is carrying in her inventory into your vault (so I can't destroy it on you
) for safe keeping then let me know.
As a reminder of what you are carrying and what is in the vault:
Equipment:
Knife, The Whip, Silver Staff
Clothes, A Very Stylish Hat, Small Wooden Buckler, Leather Armour
Spellbook, Heaven Stone, First Piece of the Halcyon Stone, One of a Matching Pair of Bracelets, Ring of the Master, Water Breathing Stone
Brass Spyglass, A Weathered Book "On the Cycles of Light and Dark", One Hideous Belt Buckle
the Dream Map and Notes, Tyrvard's Still, Miosguinn's Stone, Miosguinn's Cube
Derryth's Vault (storage):
The Heron Scrolls, The Ancient Tablet, The Gate Tablet, One large Unsorted Collection of Scavenged Spellbooks