GLRP:EMs:Royal Spies:2010-2011:Blood Feud3
Blood Feud
The Shadow Crusade
Mission 90, December 28, 2010 - Training #14: Observation
With Minister Grey taken away for violating the Britannian Peace Act, Lord Kendal appointed Philip Stafford (Queen Dawn's Private Secretary) as the temporary head of the Ministery of Security. A training exercise comprised his first official interaction with the Spies.
During the training, Sarah Paumera directed the Spies to check on Minister Grey at his home in eastern Britain. All they found, however, was a message in his log book.
Log, by Magnus Grey
Mission 91, January 4, 2011 - Pip's Day Out
Before the Spies first mission under their new leader, those gathered in the underground base snooped through a suspicious backpack belonging to Philip. In the pack was an opened letter addressed to Dasha of the Meer from Queen Dawn, a blank check signed by Lord Kendal, a Royal Signet Ring, and a torn scroll with “B Chosen attacks Cove nd Moon.”
Letter, by Queen Dawn
Sarah Paumera soon arrived and suggested the Spies look in a bookcase in the base library. Hidden within, a kryss engraved with “Swap in crates of fresh vegetables” – a message from Lord Grey. Without knowing why, the Spies scrambled to gather crates of fresh foods while Sarah delayed Philip at Castle Britannia.
When Stafford arrived, he said that they would be delivering a shipment of supplies to aid the Meer at Queen Dawn’s request. The Spies, accompanied by Philip, would gather the supplies from the Deuce's Vinculum Inn and then transport them by foot along a rather dangerous road instead of using the moongates.
Once the crates were gathered, the Spies headed south along the road through the jungle. Not long into the journey, a ratman gang attacked the caravan…causing Philip to hide.
Continuing down the road, the Spies neared Mistas. Just before the bridge, Philip ordered the Spies to continue on ahead while he hid under a large plant. Just south of the city, a contingent of Juka welcomed them to the area with an ambush.
A book of orders on the Jukan leader said that they believed Britannia was about to declare war. The Juka had apparently slain someone they thought was a Britannian Royal Guard who had information regarding an attack. Strangely, Philip didn’t want to be bothered with this information, and ordered the Spies onward.
Orders, by Warlord Kabur
Fortunately, several Spies ignored his orders and snuck away to find the ‘guard’s’ body. At small camp, an order shield and a book of orders lay near a corpse. Not far away, a partially buried dragon helm indicated the Bane Chosen’s involvement.
Orders, by ...
Philip had continued on with the Spies towards Lakeshire but was attacked near the bank of Pormir Priin by daemons and Bane Chosen. The battle stretched into the healer’s grove to the south before the Spies emerged victorious.
Arriving in Lakeshire, the Spies met with an eternal named Satharn. Philip ordered the crates to be delivered, not knowing that the Spies were giving the Meer crates full of fresh food, not his questionable crates.
Philip then asked to meet with Dasha to personally deliver the Queen’s letter, but was rebuffed by Satharn who would not reveal the Meer’s sanctum. Eventually, Philip begrudgingly agreed to give the letter to the Eternal before abruptly leaving.
The Spies returned to Britain and shared their misgivings about Philip with Sarah.
Mission 92, January 11, 2011 - Framed
Philip started the evening’s meeting by saying that both Lord Kendal and he believed there was a traitor working against Britannia. He said that his own investigation uncovered rumors that a daemon had been causing problems.
He said that his suspicions had been confirmed the night before when the wingless servant of Ankausvidlem was murdered. Allegedly, the evidence pointed to Bertrand , the Spies’ advisor, as the suspect. Philip then confronted Bertrand, who believed this must be a jest. In the end, the helpful daemon was arrested and hauled off to the Yew Prison to await trial. Philip then dismissed the Spies, saying he had other business.
With Stafford gone, Sarah Paumera appeared and led the Spies through a secret passage into the Britain sewers. A magical lever then teleported each Spy to a small house in Paws, the hideout of Magnus Grey. Lord Grey said that he wanted to speak to the Spies about what had transpired, but first he had a surprise.
Magnus had managed to rescue a crate of honors which Philip had ‘misplaced.’ He and Sarah proudly handed each Spy a cloak embroidered with their current rank. Two Spies, Galen and Neptune, had earned the highest rank (King Listener) twice, and were promoted to Assistant Royal Spymasters.
Next, the Minister discussed the situation with Bertrand and the murder of Ankausvidlem’s servant. Since the accusation against the daemon didn’t make sense, Magnus tasked the Spies with investigating the crime. He gave the coordinates of the scene of the crime, a small house in Britain. First, however, the Spies were to sneak into the Yew Prison and rescue Bertrand before any Bane or Conclave assassins could get to him.
The Spies arrived just in time to thwart a group of the Conclave’s destroyers from breaking into Bertrand’s specially warded cell. The daemons put up a fight, but ultimately failed in their mission. Bertrand was then taken to the dilapidated house center of the Hedgemaze to hide until he could be publicly exonerated.
With their main mission completed, the four Assistant Royal Spymasters headed to the coordinated of the gargoyle’s house in Britain. The scene of the crime.
Within the house, they found a broken knife in a pool of dried blood, but no further evidence. Fortunately, however, the trees outside the house concealed far more damning evidence: a Bane Helm and a Royal Signet ring… The same ring found after Mirendel’s abduction. The same ring both Lord Kendal and Philip Stafford wear…
Mission 93, January 18, 2011 - A Fool's Errand
Orders, by Magnus Grey
The evening started with Philip informing the Spies of Betrand’s escape, and the need to protect the advisers who remained in Britain: Adelais the Platinum Dragon and Harriet the Scribe. He wanted them both escorted to a safehouse in mainland Skara Brae.
Mission, by Philip Stafford
The Spies went to Castle British and found Adelais in his natural form looking down from the roof. Philip attempted to talk the dragon into leaving the castle, but found the idea met with little more than mute indignance. Adelais would not be leaving.
Getting to Harriet would be tricky, as Moonglow was currently under attack by the Bane Chosen. Philip left the Spies to take care of her escort by themselves while he finished paperwork.
Sarah Paumera brought the Spies back to the base to confer with Magnus Grey, who had used the sewer entrance to sneak into the city. He agreed that Pip was attempting to kill or scare off the Spies’ advisers, but also thought that Harriet should be taken to safety. He suggested the Spies escort the scribe to the Tea House in Tokuno where she would be taken into the care of Tess Midnight.
The Spies found Harriet in the courtyard of the Lycaeum fighting off the invading Bane Chosen. Talking her into leaving the massive library entailed agreeing to transport her most valuable books. She led the spies to a storeroom full of extremely heavy crates and asked them to lug them with her.
Demonic Religions, Vol. I, by Sigmel of Umbra
Corruption Magic, by Kahler
When the Spies arrived at the Tea House they found the area besieged by yama-uba. After defeating the child-eating ghouls, Tess Midnight agreed to take Harriet to safety.
The next stop was to investigate Philip’s safehouse in Skara Brae. The Spies quickly found that the house had been booby trapped by the Bane Chosen… Philip’s true allegiance was no longer in question…
Orders, by Kerom
When the Spies returned to the base, Lord Grey said that he would bring the evidence of Philip’s crimes to Queen Dawn that night.
Mission 94, January 25, 2011 - VirtueBane
Minister Grey once again commanded the Royal Spies, since Philip Stafford had been dismissed by Queen Dawn due to evidence of High Treason. Unfortunately, the traitor fled arrest and managed to escape Britain with Britannias’s plans for the ware with the Bane.
The Spies were sent to investigate Philip’s quarters at the castle in the hopes of finding clues to his whereabouts. In the tiny room was found several documents, including manipulated reports that Philip had given to Lord Kendal and a copy of the Principia Daemonis.
Letter, by Lord Kendal
Reports, by Philip Stafford
Reports, by Magnus Grey
A passing castle maid mentioned that Stafford had been spending a lot of time around the kitchen. The Spies located a switch near the kitchen door that opened a trapdoor to the sewer. In the sewer, a trail of scrolls and unusual monsters led towards the tunnel to the Lost Lands. Near the tunnel, a strange rune appeared to summon a nasty pet left behind by Philip.
Within the tunnel itself, a Bane drop box was found. It contained orders from Miegen, concrete proof that Philip was part of the Bane Chosen.
Orders, by Miegen
Acting on the information from the drop box, the Spies descended on the Isle of Magincia. At a partially constructed temple, they found not only the traitorous Philip, but the deserter Cole and VirtueBane himself!
The jade-hued arch-daemon towered over the Spies, dismissive of their combined might. He called them "Gnats, full of fury and self-importance." One spy, Galen, managed to goad VirtueBane into recklessness. He got VirtueBane to agree that the stolen war plans could be won back if the Spies could defeat the 'weakest of Virtuebane's Honor Guard.'
Several minutes later, the honor guard lay dead and the plans were recovered. His pride wounded, VirtueBane haughtily boasted "Your blood will have a special place in the foundation of my temple!" before vanishing.
Philip and Cole managed to slip away while the Spies’ focused on VirtueBane. Their time will come…
Mission 95, February 1, 2011 - Relic Hunters
Lord Grey ordered the Spies to head to Ilshenar and recover the Heart of Earth and the Cauldron of Rebirth, two artifacts he didn’t want falling into the hands of Virtuebane. He feared that Pip may have given information as to their whereabouts to his master.
The Spies went to the Shrine of Compassion in Ilshenar where they found a Bane agent had already taken the Heart of Earth. Fortunately, they were able to find the agent and dispatch it handily. Unfortunately, order found on the corpse indicated that it was now a race against time.
Orders, by VirtueBane
The Spies ran to the teleporter located in the Pass of Karnaugh, only to find that the Cauldron was missing. The single guard stationed there had been replaced by one sent by Lord Kendal, or rather, by Philip Stafford. This guard turned out to be another Bane agent and he attacked the Spies. Fragments of the Cauldron were found on his corpse.
Reassignment Letter, by Lord Kendal
Returning to Britain, the Spies handed over relics to Lord Grey. He took them into the base vault for safekeeping, even going so far as to reassemble the Cauldron.
Magnus then sent the Spies to Nujel’m, as a recently acquired asset had reported seeing odd shaped skulking about the city.
Letter, by Lord Marstan
The Spies found Lord Marstan’s home in northeastern Nujel’m, a Bane Rune had been placed just before the walkway. Marstan believed that this rune would lead to his death should he exit his home to investigate the daemon sightings further. He reported several disappearances in the city’s slums, and that he spoke to a man fitting Cole’s description several weeks prior.
Following his tip, the Spies headed for the slums where they knew the daemons had been hiding before - dank tunnels under the city. There, they found a horde of daemons to slay. When they died, a new set of orders from Virtuebane was discovered which explained their presence.
Orders, by VirtueBane
Returning to Marstan, the Spies informed him that the daemons were dead and that the rune outside his house had changed colors. Asking about the teleporter for which Virtuebane was looking received an odd response. Marstan suggested a map he had recently purchased which would lead to arcane buried treasures. Using the spellwords “Vas Ex Wis Por” caused the map to begin relaying instructions like a treasure map.
Treasure!, by Marstan
Following the map’s instructions eventually led the Spies from the Nujel’m guillotine to a small pool in the northern garden of the Sultan’s Palace. Petting a dolphin statue whisked one to a small pit below the pool where the teleporter had been hidden.
The Spies returned to Magnus with the teleporter and learned that the Royal Archaeologist had determined that there were more rooms of Xenve An-Amo-Lem which might now become accessible. The tile was placed in the vault for safekeeping until Ankuasvidlem could be contacted for assistance.
Mission 96, February 8, 2011 - Twist of the blade...
Magnus sends the Spies to Despise after hearing a rumor that the Bane are after something there. At the entrance to the dungeon, a Bane camp is discovered and eradicated. Orders found in the camp indicate that Cole wants a poison brewed by a lizardman alchemist who lives in the dungeon.
Orders, by Cole of the Chosen
The Spies follow a path sparsely marked with human skulls to the swamp in the second level. There, they meet Sspitess, the alchemist, who is being guarded by a Bane creature. When the creature was finally slain, the lizardman begrudgingly admitted to brewing a deadly poison from local fungus for Cole. In fact, a shipment had recently been picked up. Fortunately for the Spies, Sspitess found a book the Spies found useful.
Advari's Crypt, by Sigmel of Umbra
Following Cole’s notes, the Spies went to Deceit where they found one of Maggie the Red’s crew, Sweet Maid Sally. She was there to acquire something from a chamber deep within the dungeon. The Spies followed Sally to a hidden burial chamber deep within the dungeon, Advari’s Crypt.
Their entrance woke the undead assassin, who lashed out at them savagely. As the Spies fought him, Sally managed to steal the blasé which the Bane were after and flee the crypt. In her haste, she dropped the orders given to her by Maggie.
Sailing, by Captain Maggie
The Spies followed Sally to Skull Island off the Coast of Buccaneer’s Den where they were minutes too late to prevent the pirate from handing over the blade to Cole. The two evildoers gloated about their victory before both escaping Britannian justice.
Mission 97, February 15, 2011 - Out for blood
Lord Grey started the evening’s meeting with a somber walk to Castle Britannia so the Spies could get a closer look at what failure looked like. Queen Dawn’s sarcophagus rested before the dais in the throne room, her death at her husband’s hands with the blade the Spies failed to acquire the week before. The price of failure was simple: death.
However, Magnus didn’t blame his Spies for the actions of Virtuebane’s minions. He blamed the traitors that had moved amongst the honest citizens of Britannia, those who were the real culprits behind the Queen’s death. He wanted the Spies to go after them, or rather one that evening, Cole.
Information obtained from the interrogation of a Bane soldier led the Spies to a small camp in south central Ilshenar, a slave camp east of Exodus’s Lair. Apparently, the Bane were abducting citizens from the cities they had unsuccessfully attempted to seize in Britannia and were using them as slave labor.
At the camp, the Spies fought several blackrock golems before finally securing the area. Within a small stone cell, they found someone who had been abducted from Cove during the last attack on the city. When he was freed from imprisonment, he mentioned a box that had been hidden in his cell. The box contained a book with Cole’s possible location.
Orders, by Cole of the Chosen
Following instructions in the book, the Spies found a small keep which had been built around a pass leading into Montor, Cole’s new fiefdom. The keep was guarded by a few blackrock golems and daemon destroyers, but they proved no match for the Spies’ determination. For on the keep’s wall stood Cole, smirking down at them.
The Spies breached the keep walls and confronted the traitor. They gave him several opportunities to surrender peacefully and submit to Britannian law, but the man refused. He attacked the Spies with poisons and trickery, wounding many. Fortunately, however, superior numbers and training proved his downfall.
Journal, by Cole of the Chosen
The silver spear Cole had been awarded for a decade of service to the Ministry of Security became the pike in which his head was placed. A warning to all future traitors.
Mission 98, February 22, 2011 - Manhunt
Lord Grey had news regarding the whereabouts of Philip Stafford, the traitor who briefly commanded the Spies. Sarah Paumera had been covertly monitoring the activity on Magincia and knew where Pip was currently located. The goal was to arrest the man, however, it was expected he would resist.
The Spies headed to the ruins of Old Haven where they were to meet Sarah. They found her in the crumbling music academy wearing bright outfit of a merchant sailor. Before she could impart her information, a Bane agent was caught following a few straggling Spies. Once the agent was dealt with, Sarah said that she had seen Pip go through a gate to the Conclave chambers in Hythloth.
The Spies fought their way through the Conclave’s daemon warriors all the way to the deepest level of the dungeon. They found Pip lounging in the Conclave’s meeting chambers; he greeted them by ordering his daemon guards to slay certain people in specific ways. Sadly, for him at least, his guards were easily dispatched. As expected, Pip refused arrest – saying that Britannian law didn’t apply in the dungeon. As with Cole, he foolishly chose to challenge the Spies. His death came quickly, and shortly thereafter his head adorned a pole in Britain.
Two papers found after Pip’s death indicated that the Bane has sent the remnants of the Brothers of Valor after Ors. Apparently, the human supremacists viewed Ors as a hero for killing Queen Dawn, the woman they considered a blood traitor.
Letter, by Vicfier of the Chosen
Orders, by Philip Stafford
Based on the papers, the Spies headed for Trinsic via the local moongate. However, they were ambushed by Bane who were under orders from ex-Brother Vicfier.
Orders, by Vicfier of the Chosen
After the Bane were dealt with, the Spies continued on to the Trinsic southern gate. A city guard named Gene stopped them at the bridge before the entrance to the city. He explained that several people had approached the gate, but had been spooked when asked for their names.
When asked about Ors, he said that he hadn’t seen him, but that a half-dead looking man has stumbled up several days prior. More recently, a group of men had come by and seemed interested in the same man. The guard had told them that he had suggested that the man seek aid in the hidden valley to the west.
The Spies tore away from the guard and headed for the valley. Unsurprisingly, they found Vicfier approaching the small stone building at the southern end of the valley. He and his men attacked the Spies, ultimately failing in their mission. The last of the Brothers of Valor were dead.
Within the stone building, the Spies found Ors’ body at the feet of a man clad in white platemail. He claimed to be part of a Virtuous sect following a new path to 'the clarity of mind and spirit,' He said that Ors had taken his own life due to the grief and dishonor caused by being Virtuebane's tool of assassination. Without asking the Spies, the man severed Ors’ head and took his leave.
Consensus amongst the Spies was to doubt the plate-clad man’s story, but barring any evidence they couldn’t do anything. The prospect of a new and mysterious organization suddenly appearing did not sit well with them either…
Mission 99, March 1, 2011 - Counterstrike
The Spies gathered in their Britain headquarters to prepare for whatever mission Minister Grey would send them on. Queen Dawn had been buried a few days prior, and Virtuebane had once again shown the world how powerful he was. The archdaemon had appeared at the memorial ceremony, slain Ricardo, and stole the Crystal of Duplicity.
Once Lord Grey arrived, he said that he thought the Bane were acting recklessly, wasting resources as if their victory was assured. Fortunately, Harriet and James had determined, based on prophecies in the Principia Daemonis, that the temple being constructed on Magincia was the key to Virtuebane’s plans. The Minister declared that was where Britannia would strike back at Bane, they would destroy the temple.
The Spies were to seek out the arsonist John Cullen in the Yew Prison. They could promise him nearly anything to help them destroy the temple. After that, they were to approach Bertrand in his hedgemaze safe house to determine what else they needed to do to reach their goal.
When the Spies approached Cullen, he seemed trepidatious at first. Luckily, his enlightened self-interest spurred him into working with his enemies to prevent the end of the world. John had the spies bring him various components for the creation of a powerful explosive mixture.
The Spies next went to Bertrand and explained the basic of the plan. The scholarly daemon asked for a description of Virtuebane’s temple, which several Spies were happy to provide. When he heard of white flames surrounding the structure, he recognized them as powerful wards – magic that would have to be countered before the temple could be damaged.
His own research into Virtuebane’s original temple indicated that there would be a portal to the Void somewhere within the new construct. He suggested that the Spies escort him to Xenve An-Amo-Lem so he could search the library there for relevant information, and so he could take measurements in the Dark Path.
The Spies kept their daemon safe from the Conclave soldiers they encountered in the fortress, fighting their way to the library. Fortunately, they located a dusty tome written by the mage of the gargoyle brothers which would help Bertrand.
A Dark Path, by Vasortlem
Next, Bertrand wanted a look at the Dark Path which was accessible from the room containing the Fault of Lithos. The daemon used a magical spyglass to survey the ethereal structure, but dropped it as he was doing calculations. A void shimmer, a beast the Spies has seen on the Path before, nabbed the spyglass before attacking.
The shimmer was dealt with quickly, and Bertrand was able to complete the spell calculations. He determined that Cullen’s explosive would need to be augmented with “unstable blackrock in a crystalline matrix.” He suggested some be acquired from the ophidians in the Lost Lands.
An ophidian lord was approached at the desert blackrock lode northwest of the ophidian lair. He was willing to part with a quantity of crystalline blackrock in exchange for a hefty sum of fresh eggs and live rodents. Unfortunately, the unpredictability near the lode caused the situation to devolve quickly when a blackrock elemental. The ophidian perished in the ensuing chaos, although the blackrock was retrieved…
Bertrand returned with the Spies to the headquarters under Britain where he encased the explosives in a blackrock shell. He then explained that the bomb would need to be positioned exactly; a spell would need to be used to find where a portal to the Void was forming. He gave the spell, Vas An Sanct Ex Ort, to the Spies.
Acknowledging that destroying the temple could have unforeseen consequences, the Spies stormed Magincia and fought their way inside. As the Spies’ mages worked on the white fired of warding, others searched for the portal. When the fired had been doused, the bomb was placed on the northwest corner of the structure, and the Spies ran for cover.
A massive explosion pulverized Virtuebane’s center of power, his monument to Pride. The Spies’ rejoicing was short-lived as the temple’s architect appeared and attacked them with a host of blackrock golems. The Spies made short work of these reinforcements.
The victorious Spies returned to Britain to plan their next offensive against the Bane…
Mission 100, March 8, 2011 - Traitor's Due
Following the successes of the last several weeks, the Spies were loaned to Queen Zhah to attempt to locate her missing Minister of War: Uskadesh. The Spies headed for the palace in the Royal City where they found a gargoyle named Delsasonpor waiting for them.
Delsasonpor explained that the missing minister was one of Ter Mur’s greatest warriors, and that only his death could have kept him from his duties. Queen Zhah had sent Uskadesh to meet with Captain Avery inform him of Dawn’s death, his next duty was to support the defense of Britain from the Bane. Unfortunately, no one had seen him since the meeting with Avery.
A search of Uskadesh’s quarters in the military academy south of the city uncovered a journal-like book. A tenuous clue seemed to indicate that something had happened in the fishing village in northern Ter Mur.
Notes on Gargoyle War, by Minister Uskadesh
The Spies travelled to the village with Delsasonpor. There, they found scraps of paper which eventually led them to a large vase near the village docks. Manual inspection of the vase would cause one to be teleported to a hidden cove northwest of the village. A hidden drop box found there shed a damning light on Uskadesh…
Unity of Blood, by Sadislem
Sadislem is a well-known An-Kal-Lem minion of Virtuebane, a true believer in the daemon’s cause. The discovery that Uskadesh was in league with the Bane shocked Delsasonpor, as did the revelation that the ‘Void-tainted dagger’ has been taken from the palace.
Knowing that time could be short, the Spies stormed the Abyss from the Tomb of Kings and followed a trail of spears stuck in the ground by Sadislem. Eventually, they found him in a box canyon readying a ritual with the dagger. Fortunately, the Spies disrupted the spell causing the An-Kal-Lem to flee. They cornered him again on a bridge to the ruined city, where he chose to taunt them with hints of an upcoming siege of Xenve An-amo-lem. Eventually he fled across the lava out of the Spie’s reach. Delsasonpor recovered the dagger from the ritual site.
Next, the Spies headed to Yew in search of Captain Avery, they found him holding vigil at Queen Dawn’s grave. He explained that he last saw Uskadesh sailing south from their meeting place on the ocean. The meeting coordinates were 138o 53'N, 12o 1'W, south of there was a large peninsula.
The Spies sailed to the location at sea then headed directly south. Along the shore they found evidence of the gargoyle’s ship, and pieces of its crew.
Words Home, by
They eventually found the gnawed remains of Uskadesh scattered around the forest. He had apparently been eaten by a rather large daemon, presumably Virtuebane. Delsasonpor gathered his remains to return them to their Queen, then turned his attention to finding the Minister’s memory jar. He hoped this artifact might shed some light on Uskadesh’s actions. The jar was eventually found near the late Minister’s personal talwar.
Delsasonpor said that Queen Zhah would share what was learned from the jar, and implored the Spies to prevent the An-Kal-Lem from capturing Xenve An-amo-lem. He said that Virtuebane must never be allowed access to the Dark Path again…
March 11, 2011 - Fifth Magincian Crusade
The Fifth Magincian Crusade stormed the Isle with a large force or warriors, cutting down Virtuebane’s minions with relative ease. An-Kal-Lem seemed to comprise the majority of the minions present, giving credence to the reports they were preparing a large force to attack Xenve An-amo-lem.
Sacrament of Blood, by Virtuebane
Mission 101, March 15, 2011 - The Siege
Due to portents of doom and gloom being relayed by the Eyes of Singularity and the Meer Bonfire of Warning, Minister Grey confirmed that the evening’s mission would be to secure and defend Xenve An-Amo-Lem. While the Royal Guard couldn’t spare anyone from the defense of the cities, Queen Zhah had sent a builder who specialized in “fortifying against the Void” named Arxlem.
Xenve An-Amo-Lem File, by James
After receiving a briefing file on Xenve An-Amo-Lem prepared by James, the Spies headed to the fortress to begin their preparations. They met Arxlem near the entrance a conferred with him as to the best places to build extra fortifications. The gargoyle built defensive walls across the canyon containing the entry, in the maze-like chamber of Vasagralem, the library, and across the bridge over the Fault of Lithos.
As the final pieces fell into place, Virtuebane’s forces began their attack. Daemon sappers breached the first barrier, allowing the main forces to force their way inside. The Spies fought the demons and An-Kal-Lem in a running fight through the halls of the ancient structure, while the daemon sappers left behind explosives as a distraction.
The Siege, by Virtuebane
As Virtuebane’s main forces fell to the Spies’ might, a lone sapper named Zible slipped into the Dark Path and attempted to carry off heavy columns which its master needed to build a new temple. The Spies contained Zible and turned over custody of him and the columns to Sara Paumera. They then went to the source of the attack and fought a gigantic bane dragon of Virtuebane.
With the defeat of the dragon, the siege on Xenve An-Amo-Lem ended – the Spies were victorious. The columns Virtuebane sought to possess were locked away in the headquarters vault. Minister Grey announced that the citizens of Ter Mur would be converting the fortress into a colony to strengthen ties to Britannia.
Mission 102, March 22, 2011 - Spark of Insurrection
Minister Grey stunned the Spies by announcing that Charbon the Pyromancer had turned himself in to the authorities at the Yew Prison. Apparently, the fire-loving mage wished to give a message to “those he has dealt with in the past.” Magnus entrusted the Spies with learning what Charbon had to offer and in acting on it.
At the prison, Charbon said that he had been given a choice by daemons called the Worshipers of Flame. He said that the choice was between his painful death or delivering a message to the Spies. The Pyromancer’s sense of enlightened self-interest caused him to choose the latter. He said that the Worshipers wanted to meet at the summit of Mt. Sho in regards to a mutual enemy.
At the volcano, a platform had been constructed over the lava where two fiery daemons awaited the Spies. A daemon identifying himself as Murflam said that the mutual enemy was Virtuebane, and that he had “betrayed our pact with Pyros and our history and legacy. He has found the pact gem, but refused to share it with us.”
Unfortunately, the other daemon couldn’t abide trusting non-daemons and said that he would kill the Spies and then Virtuebane. His attack was swift, yet his death was swifter.
Murflam apologized for his “brother’s” foolishness and wished to form an alliance with the Spies. He said that he could provide knowledge from history and daemon lore if they came with him to meet the rest of his order at the volcano in Ter Mur. When they arrived, Murflam found that his fellows had been slain by Virtuebane’s minions.
One of Virtuebane’s Honor Guard appeared and jabbed a blade into Murflam, saying, “Your pitiful group is dead. Your rebellion against Virtuebane is finished. All will serve the Paragon of Pride, or all will die!” The Honor Guard then attacked the Spies with the assistance of several worm daemons.
When the fight was over, Murflam announced that he had been mortally wounded. With his dying breath he told of a book on daemon history and military strategy which resided in the library on the second level of Hythloth.
The Spies stormed Hythloth and fought their way into the library where they encountered another of Virtuebane's Honor Guard. When it had fallen, a bitter Sadislem appeared and half-heartedly taunted the Spies. Apparently, he was angry that the An-Kal-Lem would not be given Xenve An-Amo-Lem as Virtuebane had promised.
More An-Kal-Lem gargoyles arrived and attacked the Spies, failing miserably. In the end, an ancient tome recounting the last time Virtuebane had been ejected from our realm was secured. Britannia now knew how to defeat the ‘Paragon of Pride.’
Daemon War Chronicles, by ReoVex
Mission 103, March 29, 2011 - Epilogue
With the defeat of Virtuebane, Minister Grey wished for the Spies to perform a few tasks to wrap up this chapter in Sosarian history.
The first task was to escort Bertrand to Hythloth before the interim Britannian government blockaded the entrance to the dungeon in an attempt to contain any remnants of the Conclave. Bertrand hoped to help fill the leadership void.
Arriving at Hythloth, Bertrand was beset by the last of the Conclave’s leadership. As usual, the Spies slew the daemon with ease. Bertrand said his farewells and strode into the depths of the dungeon…
The next task for the Spies was to bring the gargish teleport stone that had been recovered in Nujel’m to Ankuasvidlem in the Xenve An-amo-lem colony.
The Spies found several gargoyle workers building new walls around the fortress entrance, while Ankuasvidlem waited in the first chamber. He eagerly took the teleport stone before reporting that there had been “odd occurrences” in the Infinity Room, necessitating it be sealed off.
Ankuasvidlem led the way deeper into the fortress, stopping in the Teleport Nexus room to install the stone. Sadly, the stone did not appear to function, requiring the elder gargoyle to research the matter further.
The Spies continued onto the Infinity Room and found that the game board had changed markedly. Most of the evil statues had crumbled to dust, signifying the triumph over Virtuebane. The statue created by the ghost of Vasbeninlem gave a warning to the Spies: “A bal-sil-fer leaves words of warning. The Dark Path remains open to Sosaria. You must smash the Serpent Arch to protect your world.”
Ankuasvidlem said that he had sealed off the Dark Path because he didn’t trust it. He said that he would reopen it for the Spies, but warned that the Path had guardians which would defend it from damage.
Unsurprisingly, the Spies were instantly attacked by a void creature. Its defeat opened a portal which led to the true Shrine of Spirituality which was generally only accessible from Ilshenar. There, before the Skull of Mondain, stood a surprising sight: The Timelord, Hawkwind.
Hawkwind bore an ominous warning: “Virtuebane was not the first to attack Sosaria from the Ethereal Void, nor will he be the last. By breaking your connection to the Dark Path, you have only bought yourself some time. But time is a valuable tool. I hope you will use it wisely.”
When he was asked for advice, the mysterious man replied: “I will answer only one question. For that is all the help I can give at this time. You must choose your question well.”
Moonrush and Martyna Z’muir posed similar questions, which Hawkwind was inclined to answer:
Questions:
Moonrush: “How may we continue to protect our world?”
Martyna Z’muir: “How do we defeat the next enemy to threaten our world from the void?”
Hawkwind’s answer:
“You must be strong and clever and united. You must protect even the weakest ally, and value even the most worthless soul. You must avoid false virtue, and choose your leaders well. You must do what you've done every time in the past to protect your world. Only you must do it again and again and never fail. I believe you will succeed.”
With that, the Timelord melted back into the ether and the Spies returned to Britain. There they found Oswald the beggar looking for Minister Grey to give him information about a magical weapon. With Magnus’s consent, the Spies led the beggar into the headquarters.
As the two met, Oswald pulled out the assassin’s blade Ors used to kill Queen Dawn. Instead of giving the blade to the Minister, the beggar slashed at him and shouted “Vengeance for Virtuebane!” Seeing the blade draw blood, the Spies ended Oswald where he stood.
The Spies then rushed Minister Grey to the Britain healer’s where a woman named Clara tended to his wound. When she was done, she shooed the Spies away so Magnus could recover.
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