NikinkCityOfGoldcampaign/CoG769AscWater

Resplendant Air, 769

City of Gold

Group enters Rathess at some forgotten point in time... B-) [I think it was mid-month-ish]

• Week 13 Beginning 1st :: [Leath Notes]
  • Dace and his mercenary company provide difficulties to StrombergNikinkCityOfGoldcampaign/Realm troops. Borova manages to hold its capital, settling into siege warfare with the troops. Sorcerous attempts at destroying resistance are made. These are prevented from succeeding by the arrival of Arianna, one of Dace's circle of the Twilight Caste.
  • Banyan ambushes a young Immaculate Monk. The body is discovered the next day. Cathak Claren calls for additional troops to be sent to protect the 'spiritual benefactors' of the people. Kalara agrees and messengers are sent.
  • Lookshy troops scout situation but are unable to enter Albin'Shar under the terms of the alliance.

• Week 14 Beginning 8th :: [Leath Notes]
  • Lookshy completes basic training of Albin'Shar citizens. 50 are sent back into the city to scout and report.
  • Immaculates (with Kalara's support) declare the library to be a repository of blasphemous and demon-tainted works. They order the building closed and set up troops to guard. Anyone attempting to enter is arrested.
  • Extra Realm troops in Cathak colours arrive and protect monks. Curfew is established 'for the good of the people'. Anyone disobeying is arrested. Arrested citizens are transported to Stromberg to be used as prisoners of war (slaves).
  • Banyan manages to find another monk. This one is protected by sorceries and defeats the Lunar. Banyan is forced to flee before his tattoos and anima banner become visible.
  • Scouts return to Lookshy and report on situation.
• Week 15 Beginning 15th :: [Leath Notes]
  • Lookshy prepare detailed missive to be delivered by infallible messenger to Acturius. They continue to train Albin'Shar troops.
  • Immaculates post description of assailant around Albin'Shar. Banyan is largely unaffected as he was using a stolen face at the time of the attack.
  • Stromberg declares Albin'Shar to be a protectorate of the Stromberg nation. They name Kalara as their representative, creating her an Earl. She is still controlled by the Sidereals.
  • Offensive at Borova bogs to a halt. Realm can not spread available troops thinner.
  • Two immaculates discover Talorin and are killed trying to get past it.
  • The Wyld Hunt from the South returns having missed its prey and waits for the Solars to eventually return to Albin'Shar.
  • Banyan lies low and acts in intelligence gatherer role, waiting for the best moment.
  • Kiss-Of-Winter meets Relza, gets wet over flying machines, stays incredibly uncommunicative, gets caught by plants(!), assaults the Fae of the Western Tower, gets caught...
  • Yari finds the Tomb of his First-Age incarnation, and plunders it (yes, of course the Unconquered Sun said it was ok...), gets beaten to a bloody pulp by stone automaton guardians, but after 8 hours unconscious on the floor, gets up and hits them until they crumble from old age.
  • Yari finds the Torc-Of-The-Deliberative on his previous incarnation, and steals it, then flees from the Hungry Ghost that rises out of the body, until he realises he can stop that sort of shenanigans and runs back in to the sarcophagus chamber to unleash his 'Holy Bazooka of Caring' upon the body.
  • The group goes to the Fae of the Western Tower to get Kiss-Of-Winter back... and get caught in an Oath with them. The Fae bring Kiss-Of-Winter to the Circle and we all get screwed over again...
  • We kill some strange degenerate lizard creatures... despite (because of) Kiss-Of-Winter's insistance that we don't kill them... but the circle still manages to take one alive back to Relza (Hooray! The Circle meets it!) and the other one... The Circle learn of the terrible tragic fate of the Lizard Kings...
  • And then travels back to Albin'Shar which has been insidiously taken by Stromberg and the Realm, leaving Kiss-Of-Winter behind, and after swearing two (Eclipse powered) Oaths:

1. They will not willingly talk about Relza and the Flying Machines to anyone other than those within the Circle.

2. They will submit to the memory blocking charms

• • They first portal to Lookshy, Acturius meets with Big Fat Kev(?)-[Kaveg - Leath]-, learn of Guild taking Albin'Sharians as slaves and then the slaves being freed by Barbarian tribes...

• Week 16 Beginning 22nd :: [Leath Notes]
  • The Solars return.
  • They then portal to the Lookshy Camp outside Albin'Shar where Colonel Nafran updates them with the latest stuff.
  • Mettan'Aku sneaks inside the city to find the remains of the Night Watch, and meets Banyan.
  • Banyan is a curiosity, who wants to meet Jocelyn.
  • The Circle meets with Banyan in the Woods.

Next Game:

• 26th :
  • Whilst meeting with Banyan, the Circle spots a shadow some 10 miles away carrying what appears to be, from this distance, a Huge-Freaking-Daiklave.
  • They surmise it's Scar.
  • Mettan-A-Korren is joyous, but everyone realises Scar's arrival generally heralds trouble, and that Scar has no idea about the trouble Albin'Shar is in.
  • Mettan gets Acturius to scribe a note describing the general situation, which is tied to an arrow, and then stealthily runs out to Scar, and fires the arrow into the ground at Scar's feet.
  • Scar gets the note and heads towards the Forest.
  • Scar is spotted by people in the City, and a patrol is sent out to investigate.
  • Scar meets with the Circle in the Forest, and is introduced to an unimpressed Acturius, blasé Karess and rather disdainful Banyan.
  • When appraised more fully of the situation, Scar advocates headlong charge and open combat.
  • He is quickly ignored.
  • After some discussion, a basic plan is formulated where-by Mettan-A-Korren, Yari and Jocelyn will sneak into the City to investigate the old room of Nilus (Mettan-A-Korren and Yari) and Kalara (Jocelyn, to further investigate any sorcery upon her).
  • The rest head back to the Lookshy Fort (Wood-Dragon 3) (with Scar grumbling).
  • One hour after dusk, Mettan-A-Korren, Yari and Jocelyn meet Banyan just inside the western gate (that'd be the watergate then?), where he provides Yari with a disguise of Immaculate Monk Robes, and Jocelyn with more normal clothes than she had (I think?). Yari leaves his artifacts with Acturius for the duration.
  • Banyan also provides Mettan-A-Korren and Yari with a couple of higly skilled lock-pickers called Marisson and Corlyne.
  • Mettan-A-Korren, Yari and the Thieves shall be designated "Team A"
  • Jocelyn is "Team B"
  • Team A sneak into the Palace dungeons (ok, more of a beautifully appointed sub-level basement, but every castle needs a dungeon...) and then very stealthily work their way up to the stairs leading to the fourth floor, which are being guarded by two Realm Troopers.
  • Team B wanders to the Palace looking for Kalara.
  • Mettan-A-Korren devises a cunning plan.
    • Yari is to approach them as an Immaculate and ascend the stairs.
    • About half-way up, he is to pretend to stumble and fall.
    • In theory, the Guards will come to his aid. In theory.
    • When the Guards touch him, as they help him up or offer him assistance, Yari is to berate them soundly about daring to lay their profane hands upon his Immaculate Self and order them to the nearest Immaculate Temple to beg for forgiveness and do penance.
    • Not a bad plan for a young Barbarian Man with bugger all subterfuge inclinations.
  • Yari does not like the plan, and tells Mettan-A-Korren to scale the walls and check that there is no entry possible via any windows into Nilus' rooms.
  • Mettan-A-Korren assures Yari there is not, and so Yari ventures towards the Guards.
  • The Guards intercept Yari before he can climb the stairs and gibber at him in some funny foreign lingo that is probably High Realm.
  • Yari stares at them somewhat stunned and somewhat uncomprehendingly and very uncomfortably.
  • Yari wishes he could speak High Realm.
  • Yari manages to pantomime enough to convey to the Guards that he is under a vow of Silence.
  • The Guards nod their heads and usher him on his way.
  • Yari looks at them for a minute longer.
  • Yari walks slowly back to the hiding spot of the rest of Team A, profoundly wishing he was with Team C...
  • Mettan-A-Korren berates Yari for being soft (and for pretending to be under a vow of silence when he is supposed to be able to berate and browbeat!!!), and reformulates the plan to involve Yari tripping up the flight of stairs leading to this landing area, and then proceed with the beration etc.
  • Yari tries this, but actually stumbles on the stairs and falls.
  • The Guards at no time attempt to touch his skin and begin to get quite suspicious, calling for help and generally making a fuss.
  • There is a soft twang-hiss-twang-hiss-thud-thud-clump-clump, as two fowling arrows knock the two guards unconscious.
  • The guards are then dragged into a nearby room (which happens to be Jocelyn's bedroom) and thoroughly tied up and gagged.
  • Team A rapidly ascend the stairs and luckily run in the right direction (towards the west) where they find a whole series of doors covered with Solar symbols, and one that doesn't.
  • They try the Night Caste door first, and Mettan-A-Korren asks the two lock-pickers to pick the lock after it is found to be un-openable.
  • The two mooks quietly point out that there isn't any mechanical lock available for them to pick.
  • Team A stares at the door for a few seconds, that seem like hours, then Mettan-A-Korren infuses a point of essence into it, and is relieved when the door opens.
  • Inside they find a 15' tall bronze automaton, which, thank the Unconquered Sun, recognises the Exalted Shard of Nilus and does not lay 12 kinds of mechanical smackdown upon them.
  • They spend the rest of the night, and all the next day, investigating the rooms for any hint or clue as to what the password to get past Talorin is, to no avail.
    • They do discover that the great treasures are : a Gate, The Dragon, The Stabilisers.
    • The Bronze Automaton has a mark upon it, presumably the seal of it's creator, the Sun above a tear-drop above a goblet.
    • Talorin was set as guardian about 300 years before Nilus' death.
    • The Gate was used fairly regularly by Nilus.
  • Back at the Wood-Dragon 3, the others, Team C, were discussing further action.
  • Acturius hit upon a clever plan to raise support and allies from the rest of the Hundred Kingdoms, by having the Lookshy Garrison Sorceress send Infallible-Messengers, with missives written by him, to them all..
  • The missives state something along the lines of "Realm is Evil, Stromberg is evil pawn of the Realm, Unite against them and they can be defeated, thus will you help yourselves and Albin'Shar."
  • This tires the Sorceress greatly.
  • Scar and Karess help train the troops.
• 27th :
  • Team A keeps going through Nilus' room.
  • Team B manages to get back to Wood-Dragon 3.
  • Jocelyn also quizzes Banyan about his history, but doesn't get much, although she had picked up on his ability to use essence.
  • After Nightfall, Team A leaves via a Skylight (activated, like all of Nilus' windows, via an inside mechanism) with instruction for the Bronze Man to reopen the skylight should it hear five knocks.
  • Scar and Karess have been training (both themselves and troops).
  • Team A arrives at Wood-Dragon 3. (Just before Midnight?)
• 28th :
  • Jocelyn sneaks into the City again and manages to Counterspell the magic on Kalara.
  • The Counterspell unleashes an impressive and completely unsubtle display of light and sound in a small blast of essence.
  • Kalara is giddy and shaken and groggy, and she and Jocelyn flee from the onrush of Realm agents.
  • They leap from the Balcony and ascend into the Air via Jocelyn's elemental, in a blazing ball of light.
  • They arrive back in Wood-Dragon 3.
  • A plan is formulated (much to Scar's disgust).
    • Banyan is to start organising an uprising among the citizenry.
    • The Lookshy Force is to aid Banyan in supplying Weapons to Albin'Shar citizens.
    • Just before noon, the Lookshy Troops are to appear outside the Western Gate (in order to draw attantion from the Realm).
    • At Noon, the Solars will Portal into the Central Manse in a blaze of power as a signal to the People to Revolt.
    • The Solars will deal with the Immaculates around the Manse (Hopefully), while the People of Albin'Shar Rise up and Attack the Realm Troops, Aided by Lookshy troops Entering the City.
    • The Citizenry is to be organised around central figures picked by Banyan, who will provide direction and organisation.
    • [End of Game... we're all going to die...]