GLRP:EMs:Royal Spies:2011:Ordinary Times, Interesting Times

Ordinary Times, Interesting Times

Mission 102, April 5, 2011 - The Synod
With Magnus still recovering from Oswald’s attack the previous week, Sarah Paumera assumed temporary command of the Spies. She presented Adelais who wished to address the group regarding Princess Mirendel.

Adelais informed the Spies that the young platinum had been removed from Castle Britannia since Queen Dawn was no longer available to guide her. Apparently, a vote amongst the Platinum Synod had gone in favor of Mirendel’s placement with an elder of her race. However, the entire Synod hadn’t voted, and Adelais hoped that the Spies might be able to tip the balance in favor of Mirendel remaining at the castle. He said that three votes were all that was needed and then provided a tome containing the names and locations of those the Spies should contact.

The Vote on Mirendel, by Adelais

The first vote-eligible Synod member the Spies encountered was Myroxylon in the library of Terort Skitas. Myroxylon hadn’t voted regarding Mirendel due to being able to see merit in both opinions, and because several books had gone missing from his stash at the library. After questioning how Britannia would educate the Princess, the elder platinum agreed to vote in their favor in exchange for a favor.

The one responsible for the missing books was a lich located several floors below the library, thus Myroxylon asked that the Spies recover his books. When the lich lay dead and the books returned, the Spies were presented with Myroxylon’s vote in the form of a scale.

The next platinum they were to encounter, Cethiba, was found communing with Sudiva on the deepest level of Covetous. While polite about Britannian culture, she was set against Mirendel staying with the Britannians. The Spies did not secure her vote.

The third platinum, Xylosma, they met just west of the labyrinth on the island in the Divide of the Abyss in Malas. This platinum, known as the Silent Watcher because of an inability to speak, used a telepathic crystal for communication. This dragon wished to test the strength and Valor with which the Spies would defend Mirendel against a denizen of the labyrinth, a minotaur totem. The creature’s defeat earned the Spies the platinum’s vote. Only one more was needed.

The last Synod member, Aenvral, was located at the Shine of Honor on Homare-Jima of the Tokuno Islands. He said that protocol indicated that he must test strangers as if they were brothers and sisters, and wished the Spies to take a special oath to care for Mirendel as if she were kin. To do so, the Spies would need to secure an Oath Flower from the Winter Spur. Once the flower was acquired and presented to Aenvral, the Spies swore to protect and love Mirendel as if she was one of their own. Thus the platinum’s vote was earned.

With three votes to tip the balance back towards Mirendel’s continued care at Castle Britannia, the Spies set out to find the elder Cremix. This platinum was found in a canyon in the Serpent’s Spine Mountains north of Britain. When presented with the new votes, the elder seemed perturbed and didn’t believe the Spies had obtained them honestly. When pressed to accept the votes, Cremix lied about the Princess’s whereabouts before admitting he wouldn’t return her. As the Spies readied various weapons, the great dragon’s pretense dropped – for he was not what he appeared. In truth, he was actually a crimson who had slain Cremix and assumed his identity to abduct Mirendel.

The Spies found themselves honoring Aenvral’s oath sooner than expected as they battled the faux Cremix. Upon his demise, a book was found indicating that Princess Mirendel would soon find herself the first meal of a baby crimson soon to be hatched…

The First Meal, by Cherisanth

Mission 103, April 12, 2011 - Blood Wyrm Queen
A week had passed since Princess Mirendel’s abduction by the Crimson Dragons, a week of scant intelligence about her whereabouts...

Sarah Paumera, still filling in for Magnus Grey, said there had been a dragon attack in Vesper. The platinum Aenvral was brought in as a go-between for the Synod and the Spies during the time of crisis. He believed the attack may somehow be connected to Mirendel and urged the Spies to investigate.

The Spies found several strange dragons menacing Vesper citizens near the bank and immediately set upon them. Once the dragons had been felled, a book was found which shed light upon the attack, and the possible whereabouts of Mirendel’s abductor, the Queen of the Crimsons: Cherisanth.

Dragon Research I, by Edmund Butterfield

The Spies stormed the Fire Dungeon on the Isle of Deeds where they found an irate platinum dragon fuming on the bridge over the river of lava. This platinum said the he had seen Cherisanth and could smell Mirendel. Unfortunately, his anger got the better of him and he attacked the Spies in despair. Sadly, but unsurprisingly, the platinum did not survive this encounter. Fortunately, another tome was discovered nearby that suggested Destard as the next locale to investigate.

Dragon Research II, by Edmund Butterfield

The Spies found the Great Jade Wyrm on the lowest level of the dungeon eying a terrified looking man. Once the wyrm had fallen, the man introduced himself as ‘Lord’ Edmund Butterfield a researcher of dragons, and recent captive of Cherisanth. He said that he had been captured by the Blood Wyrm Queen in the Desert of Compassion and taken to her hidden lair in the mountains to the west.

Cherisanth’s lair was discovered just to the southwest of the Shrine of Compassion, Princess Mirendel sat cooing to a large crimson egg. Apparently, she was unclear on what the egg represented and her role in its hatching. As the Spies attempted to explain the nature of the situation, Cherisanth angrily returned to her lair. The Spies ignored her preposterous claim of ownership over Mirendel, goading the Queen to battle.

As Cherisanth’s body hit the floor of her mountainous lair, she used her dying breath to cast a spell which would destroy her lair and all within. Fearing the death of her egg-friend, Mirendel wished the egg “…far far away to cold place where it not hatch ever!” before fleeing from the lair with the Spies.

Mirendel returned to her playpen to resume her life and training with Britannia, but now with even more eyes watching over her…

Mission 104, April 19, 2011 - Fellowship
Magnus Grey returned to once more lead the Royal Spies after convalescing for several weeks following Oswald’s attack. Eager to resume his duties, Lord Grey tasked the Spies investigating several disappearances. Since VirtueBane’s defeat, people had mysteriously vanished from the major cities only to reappear elsewhere without explanation.

Thinking this might be a case of mass-wanderlust in the wake of yet another near apocalypse, the Spies traveled to Trinsic to investigate the disappearance of a group of Paladins. There they met Zachary Oathsword at the city’s Training Hall and he related the story of Aaron.

Aaron, an older paladin, had felt his beliefs strained by years of a kingdom in turmoil. The duplicity of Casca and the corruption of the Shadowlords; the rise of Virtuebane and the betrayal of Dawn’s murder – a blow only heightened by the archdaemon’s escape. The paladin had been acting oddly for a while, slipping away during the night, meeting with strangers, and…reading.

Zachary led the spies to Aaron’s bunk in the Trinsic barracks so they could look for clues in his belongings. A suicide note lay crumpled along the wall, while a message suggesting a sudden faith in a new community had lured him away. Under the message lay a book outlining the tenants of 'Fellowship.'

Crumpled Paper, by Aaron of Trinsic

Honor and Peace!, by Aaron of Trinsic

Following a clue in the message, the Spies headed to the city docks to see if they could find the man Aaron met there. Near where Zachary said a white merchant vessel had been berthed, a book outlining the tenants of 'Fellowship' lay. A discarded slip of paper indicated that the merchant vessel’s next port of call would be Skara Brae, so off the Spies Rushed.

The Book of Fellowship, by Batlin of Britain

They found the Fellowship vessel at the docks in Skara Brae being watched over by a shifty looking peasant. For a few coins he revealed that the ship’s master, a man by the name of Joseph, had announced he was going to convert some nearby brigands to the Fellowship...unarmed.

The Spies weighed the man’s bravery, or stupidity, as they crossed to the mainland and headed along the road to the Britain-Yew-Skara Brae Crossroads. Eventually they encountered a brigand encampment commanded by the rather hostile Yizabeli and Mahlik`ki. Their demise led to freedom for the captured Joseph, who in turn agreed to take the Spies to someone who could explain the Fellowship more eloquently. The Spies returned Joseph to his boat and helped him carry a large supply of food to the shanty town of Paws. Upon arrival in Paws, the Spies were witness to a propaganda speech by a man named Feridwyn:

“My friends, let me tell you of the Fellowship. While you enjoy food given freely by friends and fellow travellers.

The most important aspect of Fellowship: Strive For Unity. So much in the last few years has torn our people apart. Casca used lies. Virtuebane used violence. But we can't just blame evil men and beings. We are to blame for our lack of unity. We are too quick to see the "other," the outsider. Too quick to don red swords and cut down those who are different. Those who aren't human, but share a common decency.

And this brings me to the second aspect of Fellowship: Trust Thy Brother. Your brother brought you food. Your brother will heal you when you are sick. Your brother will carry your burden when you no longer can. In exchange, you must be willing to carry his burden, to help him.

The final aspect of Fellowship: Worthiness Precedes Reward. Those who are good are rewarded. Those who choose to follow the path toward righteousness will be healed and helped. We will not judge you. Take your time, decide for yourself. But those of you who are ready, please come forward and speak.”

A woman by the name of Molly approached Feridwyn and explained that she was slowly going blind. The Fellowship had told her that they could restore her vision if she earned it through helping others. They would take her to their village, a place called Dawn. "Named for she who has fallen, and the new day that is coming.” Unfortunately, the Spies could only follow Molly to a portal deep in the Spiritwood Forest which led to the village – for they were unworthy.

When they arrived, the Spies and the Fellowship were beset by strange poisonous creatures. After they had been slain, Molly magically disappeared into Dawn, and a familiar form appeared in her stead – the stranger in plate that had been present at Ors’ alleged suicide. He was Aaron of Trinsic! Aaron explained that he and his fellow paladins had all come to Dawn willingly and would protect the Fellowship sanctuary from those wishing it ill.

Relieved, but still disquieted, the Spies returned to Britain to report their findings to Lord Grey.

Mission 105, April 26, 2011 - The Xorinite Protocol
Lord Grey, obviously still in pain from his injury, asked that the Spies head to the Royal City in Ter Mur to speak with Queen Zhah. Apparently, the gargoyle Queen had an important matter she wish the Spies to deal with.

Queen Zhah met the Spies in her throne room and asked the Spies to investigate problems contacting the wisps assisting the gargoyles with their Void problem. Apparently, the Elder Wisp Broker was refusing to conduct any trades due “hostilities.”

Seeking a direct route to answers, the Spies went to the Whist Dungeon in Ilshenar. In the room containing the shrine to Zog, they met one of the wisp brokers. It said that ‘debts were unpaid’ and the hostility toward our realms was due to lack of payment. It was unclear exactly on to whom the debt belonged, but the wisps had demanded eight 700,000 year old ‘lost stone texts’ in exchange for something.

After a failed attack by an aggressive wish, the Spies managed to wrench a few more bits of information out of the broker. Unknown human mages had traded false stone tablets to the wisps. Eventually, following another attack, the wisp suggested that the humans may have come from the city of Umbra, and thus the city would be razed by an army forming near Doom.

The Spies, growing tired of the cryptic wisp, went straight to Doom and utterly crushed the wisp army in a preemptive strike. After their defeat, the wisps finally decided to cooperate and divulge all the information about the trade: Three human mages had proposed a trade to the wisps. In exchange for eight 700,000 year old tablets from Zog’s original casting of the Ritual of Armageddon, the wisps would provide maps to two blackrock veins and three rituals. A new wave of wisps appeared, interrupting negotiations, but was deftly defeated. This secured a temporary truce from the wisps while the Spies investigated the tablets.

Returning to Britain, the Spies reported the latest threat to world peace to Lord Grey. He suggested returning to the wisp broker to learn more about the tablets, as well as speaking to various authoritative individuals in Castle Britannia…

The Wisp Broker said that the eight tablets had been carved after the mass genocide caused by the Ritual of Armageddon by Zog the Destroyer. They locations were: 1 - Stone tunnel. 2 - Carved tunnel. 3 - Blackrock deposit. 4 - Mountain cave. 5 - Stone tunnel. 6 - Stone Building. 7 - Carved tunnel. 8 - ?????? Since those locations were but vague descriptions, the people gathered at the castle were the only hope.

Louisa Clark suggested exploring a ‘wisp circle’ at 6o 51'S 50o 20'W, south of Shame. While that area was devoid of ancient stone relics, an in-depth search of Shame produced positive results. Within the mage tower on the third level, one of Zog’s tablets was discovered.

Relic Notes #1, by ...

Sam Oxley suggested that the wisp dungeon might hold more mysteries then the FoA had managed to uncover in all their years of their wisp worship. Deep on the bottom level, past a teleport puzzle that would try most mortal’s sanity, a tablet lay waiting to be uncovered.

Relic Notes #2, by ...

Michael of Moonglow gave a short lecture on the unstable power of blackrock, theorizing that Zog had underestimated the purity or power of a palm sized orb. While he may have been trying to decimate a city or an entire country, the entire world bore the brunt of his insanity. Michael suggested a detailed exploration of a blackrock vein on the western edge of the Lost Lands. Upon inspection, am ancient tablet was indeed located.

Relic Notes #3, by ...

Speaking to Adelais earned the listener a retelling of the Zog story from the Platinum perspective. Zog had bartered with daemons and wisps for ever increasingly powerful magicks, the demon spells drove him insane, and the wisp spells were too complex. He was known to them as the ‘Crimson Mage’ due to his act of pure hate in casting Armageddon. The platinum felt that the site of the original spell might be a good place to look, somewhere in the Serpent’s Spine Mountains… Despise.

On the upper floor of the dungeon, it was found that a lizardman had hidden the tablet near a bucket. The tablet was found in the northeastern corner of the dungeon.

Sneaky, by Lsst

Relic Notes #4, by ...

Margaret Korbel suggested speaking to the Ophidians and a friendly daemon, if one could be found. In the Lost Lands, the Ophidian Ambassador said the relic they possessed had been stolen by the Terathans. Deep in the Terathan keep, the tablet was located and rescued.

Relic Notes #5, by ...

Bertrand said that any relics not of daemonic origin were considered garbage by his people. However, if the tablet had been in their possession, they would have most likely lost it in a war over a thousand years prior. A search of daemon-related ruins on the Isle of Fire eventually turned out to be successful within their neglected temple. One more tablet secured.

Relic Notes #6, by ...

Danner of the Meer suggested that civilization that had built Montor may have studied the ancient past. While their city had fallen to daemons millennia ago, there still may be some record of their discoveries.

Within the ruins of the city a satchel was found, apparently someone else had been searching for one the tablets there. Perhaps even the mysterious ‘human mages’ who angered the wisps.

Expedition, by ...

Their writings indicated the Rock Dungeon to the south if the city. Fortunately for the Spies, those mages hadn’t yet made the trek to go look. Yet, with the tablet lay a map to Doom. Who could have put it there?

Relic Notes #7, by ...

In the western recess of the dungeon Doom, the last tablet was liberated from its protectors. The Spies had managed to recover all eight, surpassing the three ‘human mages,’ or as they were better known, the Followers of Armageddon.

Relic Notes #8, by ...

Mission 106, May 3, 2011 - From under a black rock...
Before Lord Grey arrived for the evening’s meeting, Sarah Paumera confessed to the Spies that she was worried about him. She thought that he should have taken more time to heal from his injury before resuming duty since he still seemed pained. She wasn’t able to discuss the issue, however, as Lord Grey arrived soon after she brought it up.

Ignoring questions about his health, Lord Grey sent the Spies back to the Wisp Dungeon in Ilshenar to deliver the tablets recovered over the last week. He also asked that the Spies investigate those with whom the wisps had been dealing, especially since the suspicion was it had been the FoA.

Fortunately, the Xorinite Wisp who accepted the tablets seemed pleased with their delivery. However, a new problem had arisen for the wisps: Someone on Sosaria had been pulling them through the Void and using them as slaves. The wisps found this situation wholly unacceptable and considered using the Armageddon spell as a solution to the problem. Luckily for Sosaria, the wisps were amenable to the problem being rectified by the Spies before taking such drastic action.

The Xorinite Wisp said that those who had betrayed the wisps were currently near the Ilshenar Shrine of Honesty and right outside the dungeon. The Spies rushed outside and encountered many human mages wearing robe of a color commonly associated with the Followers of Armageddon. When they had been dispatched, the Xorinite Wisp seemed relieved but decided to withdraw until the remaining betrayers were dealt with. A message was found on a dead Follower from someone directing them to recover the stone tablets.

Recovery of the Eight, by Roraz the Corrupter

The Spied headed through the mountains towards Nox Tereg and the Shrine of Humility. In the passage, they came across a member of the Fellowship named Otter James. He said that he had seen the mages on their way to the dungeon and had heard them mention an ambush. One of those mages had just run back through the passage and had mentioned needing to get to a nearby basement…

Fellowship Vocation, by Aaron of Trinsic

The Spies found their quarry in the run down log building near the lizardman village. The Pale Lady and mage calling himself ‘Roraz the Corruptor’ appeared to be the ones attempting to manipulate the wisps. Seeing they were outnumbered, the Pale Lady left to protect several mysterious maps while Roraz said he would “sacrifice himself for the cleansing.”

After Roraz perished, the Xorinite Wisp reappeared and declared the solution to the problem was acceptable. A book mentioning the Pale Lady’s current goal was found, pointing the Spies toward a wraith in Covetous.

Born to Misery, by A Pale Lady

On the third level of the dungeon the Spies found a rather disagreeable arcane wraith clutching a roll of parchment. They survived its love of poison long enough to pry a coded map from its cold dead hands before returning to Britain.

Lord Grey was less than pleased to hear that the Followers of Armageddon were indeed up to their old tricks once more. Reading the map, he said, would require some consultation with the Royal Surveyors Office.

Mission 107, May 10, 2011 - Ancient Atlas

Geography of Sosaria, by Gideon of Moonglow

Maps:
Map Key

700,000 YBB (700,000 Years Ago)

30 YBB to BY 24 (The Age of Darkness)

BY 25 (A Year After the Shattering)

BY 29 (Five Years After the Shattering)

BY 464 (Present Day)

Continued on May 13, 2011 by the Royal Guard in FoA Raid

Mission 108, May 17, 2011 - In Sheep's Clothing

The Old Man, by Batlin

Deceit, by FoA