The Necromancer's Legacy - part 15

At the consul's estate progress is being made, but Charon is interrupted by the arrival of advocatus Hàran - a representative of the imperial administration and upholder of the law. Hàran explains that it has come to his attention that the seneschal has some debts which could cost him his position and offers his aid in resolving the situation. Charon, who has repeatedly forgotten about the affair, recalls that he received a payment demand some time ago. When investigated it is shown that the holder of the debt is an organization known as Zamatspire - a powerful guild of businessmen acting as a front for more shadowy activities. This draws the attention of Constance who has some previous grudges with the organization. Together the three head to Amoros to resolve the matter.

Arriving in the capital they head to Casino Casa, a gambling den where Charon originally acquired his debt. The seneschal has a hard time avoiding the tables, but once they gain the name of the owner they head towards his private Palace to sort things out.

The owner, one Hercus Marones, is not much for visitors, and with lions guarding his property no one feel like entering the grounds uninvited. They head back to the casino to see if they can sort the thing out by speaking to the administrators instead. However, they are met by strange news: the debt has been bought by someone else and is no longer a matter for the casino. They'll need to find the buyer - identified only by the name "Jiha". Constance is familiar with the name as Jiha is a persona in Amoros underworld and suspect the debt has been bought to be used against Charon at an opportune moment.

Asking around they hear that Jiha is involved in gambling and smuggling of exotic animals but no clues as to how to find him. Eventually they find out that harbor master Adrian Lucus is involved in the animal trade and may know how to get into contact with the elusive man. They split up as Charon head back to Casino Casa to find more clues by "socializing" and Constance and Hàran head to the harbor to find Adrian.

Eventually they find the harbor master and after a discreet interrogation they leave with a name, Jorian, and an adress in the eastern part of the city. Hàran collects a few mercenaries as backup while Constance fetch the "socializing" seneschal and they all meet outside Jorian's house.

Their meeting is civilized and while Jorian at first cannot recall the debt Charon speaks of he eventually remembers and accepts Charon's offer to pay him on the spot. After this dealing they all leave. Charon return to the wizard house to spend the night before returning to the estate and Hàran return to his regular duties. Only Constance refuse to let things be and return to Jorian's house the same night - only to find it abandoned but for a simple house keeper.

The Necromancer's Legacy - part 14

For the first time in many weeks the seneschals where able to enjoy the comforts of civilized living as they made themselves at home at consul Seneca's country estate. However, the consul still had need for their services as he required some specific spells to be researched. Pressured on time the two tried to persuade the consul to give them more time, which they where reluctantly granted - along with a serious scolding for their lack of progress. It was clear that there would be no further delays for the project if the consul's good will was to be maintained.

Thriatos and Geb left for the capital to explore the library of the wizard house, and Thriatos was given the opportunity of reconnecting with an old colleague by the name of Marca with whom he traded some information in return for aid with finding a spell he needed.

Meanwhile Charon and Sarissa engaged in advanced spell research for the next few weeks, with only a few minor interruptions. The spells required began to take shape.


However, not very far away another group was also making progress. Seneschals Ignatia and Horacio, accompanied by the waipuku tracker Awhero had been sent on a mission by consul Quadrata to the largely abandoned graveyard city known as the Tomb of Haomas.

Heading for the Imperial Mausoleum at the city's acropolis they battle their way past undead zombies and skeletons to find what they are looking for: the artifact known as the White Citadel - a magical breast plate once worn by the Empire's rulers. Having completed their task they return their consul who give them a handsome reward for their services.

But all does not go as planned. Instead of the praise and envy of the Mages' Council, Quadrata is met by accusations and domesday prophesies. She had no right to enter the graveyard city! The armor  should not have been moved! Terrible events will unravel!

Facing the fact that her influence is more fragile than ever Quadrata realize her enemies are gathering to have her expelled from the council. But an unexpected ally appears: consul Seneca. Given the armor, Seneca promise to repair what injury has been made and to defend her position in the council. Quadrata doubt he can be trusted, but what choice does she have? And exactly what is Seneca planning to do?

The Necromancer's Legacy - part 13

After the chock wear off Charon, Thriatos, Jannis, Nohen and Sarissa watched from a distance how the trolls brought forth various gifts - handcrafted items by the look of it - to the dragon. Among the many items they spotted the dagger given by Thriatos to the troll king as part of their arrangement.

Suddenly without a word and to the suprise of the others the seneschals started walking down towards the dragon. The trolls stood up as they passed and for a short moment they appeared before the dragon, but no words could be heard. The meeting was quickly over and after a night's troubled sleep they resumed the journey South on which they had originally set out.

They managed to cross the nothern desert of Menokh with little trouble and arrived in the town of Baava, situated by Lake Jecca. Several baths and a new set of clothes later the group catch a barge heading South and after several days of travel with only a short stop in the city of Ebrion they reach the capital of Amoros. Long overdue, they split up as each has their own businesses to attend to.

Charon and Thriatos head to consul Seneca, who is much pleased with their success despite the trouble which have rised in Ossaria. As a reward he grants the seneschals his country estate to use at their leisure. As they are about to leave Sarissa shows up and they decide to take her on as a laboratory assistant.

The three leave for the estate on the following day and are greated by the consul's nephew Constance who gives them a tour. Two more characters are introduced: former griffon rider Julius and the seneschals old aquiantance Geb - who lost his employment at the university but who has been hired to manage the consul's private library at the estate.

Exploring the Void

For a long period of time the sky was believed to be another realm, similar to the demonic Abyss, referred to as the Astral Plane. It wasn’t until well into the Age of Knowledge that it was proven that the boundaries of the Mortal Realm was far greater than could ever have been imagined. The most prominent travelers of the Astral Plane; Ebna, Pavaria, Narkos, Omiron, Bessad, Valogord and Chronos where all determined to be planets of their own, orbiting the Sun just as Aladron did. The distant stars where soon discovered to be distant suns, but with all the discoveries the most disturbing was the vastness of space found in-between. It became known as the Void.

There are eight recognized planets within the solar system of which Aladron is a part.

The closest to the sun, and also the smallest, is Ebna – a barren rocky world, eternally scorched on one side and with everlasting night on the other. Omniavars occasionally visit the planet to look for valuable resources but so far nothing has been found to warrant a large scale expedition. Ebna is only marginally larger than the Moon with its 2 800 km radius.

Aladron, as the second planet, is the fourth smallest with a radius of 10 000 km. It is covered in deep oceans and has a dense atmosphere which keeps temperatures stable. It is the home of the Mortal Races and is orbited by the Moon.

The Moon is the only inhabited astral body apart from Aladron, but does not count as a planet. Its barren surface is not suitable for life, yet the mineral wealth has caused the large corporations to put a lot of credits into making it so. The Moon is 2 500 km in radius.

Pavaria is the third planet and slightly smaller than Aladron at a radius of 6 000 km. It too has a dense atmosphere, but with a much higher concentration of carbondioxid, creating a much higher temperature. Pavaria is known to be rich in minerals and metals, which is the reason Sky City was constructed as an orbital space station. The planet now houses several robotic mines which ship materials to Sky City and then to Aladron.

Narkos is the fourth planet and consists largely of ice and rock. Scientists have proven that beneath its icy crust a vast ocean – even greater than the Great Southern Sea – spans the width of the planet. Though only a handful of probes have actually visited the planet it is believed that Narkos’ seas may harbor some kind of life form. Narkos has a radius of 8 000 km.

Beyond Narkos lays Axala’s Belt, compromised of thousands of asteroids in various sizes. It separates what is known as the Inner Astrals from the Outer Astrals. Only scientific expeditions have ever passed beyond this region and not all those who did have returned.

Omiron is the first of the Outer Astrals. It is a gas giant and the second largest planet in the system after Bessad with its 65 000 km radius. The planet has a bluish coloration, varying from almost purpose to green and is often referred to as the Sapphire planet. It has six known moons; Terana, Halysses, Veneron, Lumiar, Gordrion and Isuvar. From a habitation perspective Terana and Gordrion are the best candidates for a permanent or semi-permanent habitat beyond Axala’s Belt.

Bessad is the sixth planet and the largest with its 70 000 km radius. It is also a gas giant, but with a brown-yellowish coloration. It has five known moons; Dyrras, Ronos, Sevarin, Kalath and Unib.

The seventh planet is known as Valogord and has a solid rock surface covered by a dense atmosphere. Volcanic activity has been noted in some regions but most of the planet appears dead and lifeless. It has a radius of 22 000 km, making it the third largest in the solar system. Valogord has two moons known as Alcar and Odir.

Chronos is the outermost planet and is a gas giant with a deep emerald coloration. It has a radius of 16 000 km and is noted for its icy tail which can sometimes be seen on Aladron in the right conditions. Chronos has a single moon by the name of Morpheus.

 

 

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The Necromancer's Legacy - part 12

After two days of research the mages are no closer to discerning the secrets of the Storm Eye, but a mysterious black stone has been produced by a wraith with Charon summoned and sent into the storm. They decide to continue researching this stone when they make it back to the capital, so break camp and continue south.

The group crossed the valley late in the day to avoid the worst of the sun, but with the night approaching they found themselves searching for shelter. The Southern Mountains proved to be rather barren and inhospitable and rather than a camping site the group stumbled across three monstrious trolls. These did not appear to be hostile, and rather than fighting them the group was convinced to follow them back to their home, not far away.

In a giant cave the three mages and the two trackers met a small tribe of trolls and was taken before the King of the Mountain.

Speaking hara with a thick accent, the King of the Mountain bid them welcome to his home and offered them his hospitality, asking only a small token in return - the wrapped artifact which Thriatos had brought from the north. Rather than subtly weighing the request among themselves, the humans started a loud argument to the suprise and slight amusement of the trolls. Eventually they decided to refuse the Kings proposal but to offer another artifact they carried instead. The King did not find this item of equal value, so required a service as well to accept their proposal. A mighty cave troll had taken up residence less than a days travel to the west and the King wanted him slayed to protect his tribe. The King described a necklace which the troll would be wearing, which he would require as proof of the deed. Reluctantly the group agreed to the dangerous task but could at least enjoy a safe night in the cave.

The following morning they left on foot as the King of the Mountain was clever enough to keep their camels until their promise had been fulfilled. While they eventually found the cave they where looking for the seneschals had acquired a bad mood and required a rest before they would agree to do anything. A boulder was partially blocking the entrance, likely placed by the inhabitant trolls as a rudimentary door, so the party did not fear being attacked unprepared. Not wanting to waste any time, Nohen and Jannis decided to start scouting the cave while the mages recuperated. As trolls usually slept during the day the two dared use some hastily built torches to grant some amount of light in the pitch-black tunnels. Two trolls where soon discovered, sleeping in different halls within the cave. One of them having a necklace like the once the King had described and Jannis made an attempt at removing it. But as the troll moved in its sleep Nohen decided not to risk it wakening and thrust his spear against the troll's head. Mad with pain the creature launched itself against the two men and they barely managed to escape past the blocking stone out into the open air. In a blind rage the injured troll ignored the sunlight and after pushing the stone aside engage the group in combat.

Soon joined by the second troll, which no doubt had awoken due to the commotion, both where eventually defeated after a bloody struggle. Exhausted and slighly injured the party returned to the King in the Mountain to announce their completion of his task. Satisfied with this the king gave them back their camels so they could leave in the morning, but also made them the offer to join them in the ritual they where about to perform during the night. Here the day's ordeals stood little chance against the seneschals' curiosity and the party had a short sleep before being woken in the middle of the night, joining the trolls as they marched North - towards the Storm Eye.

Against the dark sky even more clouds seemed to have assembled over the Storm Eye, now covering much of the valley. Lightning broke out as the trolls completed some simple runes and watching from a nearby height the group suddenly spotted a shape emerging from the storm. With wings large as sails a red dragon emerged and settled on the ground in front of the bowing trolls.

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The Necromancer's Legacy - part 11

Jannis is having a rough time in Meglorosa, and hunted by a blood-thristy mob he takes refuge on the rooftops where he spends the night. Feeling down concerning his future prospects he suddently gets a magical message from Thriatos stating that they are leaving the city for Kemdun. Jannis hurries to the port and while too late to join the others he manages to find another vessel heading to the same destination.

In Kemdun Thriatos, Charon, Nohen and Sarissa are making their way to the palace. Jannis arrives in time to see them head off in a coach and manage to catch up with them in the heart of the city. The seneschals have a short meeting with the city's ruler and are given quarters in the imperial administration's embassy.

During their journey to Kemdun Thriatos and Charon have learned about a magical site, up in the mountains separating Khamlira from the imperial heartlands. As their plan is to find a way home though the mountains they include researching the site as a task on the road. After a good meal they set about gathering supplies and information for the journey. Nohen and Jannis explores the city's market while the seneschals and Sarissa meet with grandmaster Kabala Shor of the local wizard house. Kabala is however unable to help them, beyond providing them with the local name for the site - the Storm Eye.

As the evening approaches Charon and Thriatos takes refuge in their books while Jannis drags the others along for some gambling and drinking. After a little bit too much of both Jannis is left alone, but tries to keep his spirits high until he staggers home after midnight.

Thus it is no pleasant news when the mages announce in the following morning that they indend for the party to leave, immediately. Not taking no for an answer they soon head into the jungles of Khamlira on a barge loaded with camels and food for several weeks. The journey is swift and relatively pleasant along the river and three days later they land in a small native village from which they are to continue on foot. Despite the Heavy vegetation they manage to reach the edge of the jungle the following day and mount their camels as the way is getting steeper the closer they get to the mountains.

Thanks to information gathered by Nohen and Jannis at Kemdun's market they are able to find an oasis where they could set up camp. Apart fromt the group a large herd of wild camels also lingered there, but despite good efforts neither Nohen nor Jannis managed to capture any and they where left alone.

They continued up the mountains on the following day but after Nohen's camel got injured they were forced to look for shelter to rest. They found a cave with a small stream and after determining it contained no lions or other unpleasant surprises they set up camp. From the mouth of the cave it was now possible to view a valley to the south and from a nearby ridge they could see a massive tornado spinning in it's center. The column of red, dusty smoke rose several kilometers into the air but while spinning frenzily it did not move from its current location. Charon and Thriatos agreed this must be the Storm Eye.