The Band is Dead... Long live my retainers.

The Band is dead, it was wiped out by that pesky POEE who sent them all to their doom in Exoma. I could have reconstructed the Band but after spending a weekend building up a nice decent sized group (Was about 10 men all told). I just didn't have the heart and as mentioned in an earlier post I gave up on followers. Just me, Fledge and Ruby. As a Knight however I've decided to take up the minimum once more, a squire Leah has joined our ranks and a yeoman, Uradan who'll hold my banner He has to level first, Bannerman are notoriously hard to level up once they start holding the banner. A couple of pegasi for them and that's it. So just the four of us. It isn't the Band reborn or anything I'm taking my skillset elsewhere these days, and I'm not pouring my heart into trying to make the small group work.

It will be easier to manage though.

Gav

RL Stuff (for a change)

I'm not around much, I won't be around playing properly except maybe on sundays and the odd hour during the week.

The plan is to get married in 2012, on my current income and the fact the Missus still has a few years to go before she qualifies as a psychologist we can't really afford it. But I'm in my thirties and I think this being the right woman and all I really should start getting a move on. I got an offer from the hostel I used to run a few years back to come back. I explained I was teaching and didn't want or plan to leave that job, so the owner offered me a part-time manager position and a 5 percent share of the company if I manage to stop the occupancy figures going into free-fall and get the rates back to 2005 levels. I spoke to Her Indoors about it and she also wanting to get married in 2012 agreed that we should make the sacrifice. So on an average week my timetable is something like this:

1pm Wake up
2pm Go to school, prepare lessons
3pm-9pm Teach
9.30pm-3am Manage the hostel, mainly web marketing and the like, with some managerial stuff thrown in.
4am Home
5/6am depending on how wired I am, sleep.

Except on a saturday where I have the school off, so I do 3pm-1am at the hostel.

We're still seeing if I'm able to keep up the schedule but I've managed to the last couple of weeks. I'll make up my mind at the end of the month. My regular job is enough to pay the bills, but considering I only get paid 9 months of the year, it isn't enough to save up for a wedding with.

Wedding aside, I will see if I can throw the odd donation LS's way over the course of the year anyway.

The War Ended...

Pretty much. Though with the odd dig, occasional comment or rudeness it does seem that my declaration of it has made Porph go from neutral/sometimes good to hostile in my direction. There were promises of forcing the end of Gavadel (via yog-sothoth) if I didn't concede defeat, via life eating if I was found idle and various insults to my intelligence. And I do concede I'm not a player of the mechanics of the game. I said the war ended if Porph apologised for destroying the Band, which she actually did, though some more insults were thrown just after too (I think that's where the stupid comment came in). There was an unrelated incident yesterday whilst me and Dyne were idle, though Porph says she didn't sacrifice my stuff, someone did (I believe her actually), though she did sac Dyne's. Which seems to me as just mean.

It has forced me to take Gavadel in a new direction, before I was willing to let power slide by me, now I'm actively searching for it. There'll probably be a leavetaking in Corna (not like that association ever did me any good) and I'll try and rejoin the Wandslingers. There are a few other avenues open to me but I'll keep those to myself.

The Band is officially disbanded, though a smaller Band will probably crop up at some point with the bare minimal. Ruburnel and a Squire. I have a few stored in Fledge but I think even Nerus will be let go at this point, donation or no. Gav's going in a new direction. He needs reinvention every so often, though this time, without losing Fledge.

On a related note: Why don't Knights have access to combat maneuvers?

Round 2

A different scenario from Round 1, rather than a straight fight I chased Porphyria around Camelot for at least... half an hour maybe more. Definitely got the feeling I was being the mouse in the game rather than the cat. Eventually Porph seemed to get tired of my chasing her and went in for the kill. I didn't last long after that. It's hard to hit someone who's invisible which didn't help. It was fun, but this time Porph went straight to destroying my stuff somehow. So no treasure hunt this time for my stuff and had to use guild equipment to help the Losthaven Guard in their fight against Shub-Niggurath. So... died to Porphyria but /did/ manage to help Venar, Dyne and Morgana at one point fight an Elder God. And defeat him. Venar's gift of Heavensfire during the fight went a long way.

The war continues...

Defeating Ahrikol

Well, it was mostly Rylar, and I did die during the first phase, but I was back in action for the second, not that it last long. Rylar is probably the finest swordsman in the realm.

Round 1

I expect other rounds to go much the same way, but... I lasted longer than I expected even if I didn't scratch Porph... still. Here's the log:

Dekan joins Squire Polyalu in battle against Chukka.
Wedge joins Squire Polyalu in battle against Chukka.
You sense that someone has committed violence against Hanoma and the
natural order that it expresses.
The area goes dark.
Someone flies in from the south.
Someone closes its eyes.
Someone opens its eyes.
A massive wave of force bursts outward from someone.
Aglox is smashed violently.
Frudkiss is smashed violently.
Frudkiss's right arm is broken.
Frudkiss's black iron battleaxe is torn from his grasp.
Frudkiss drops his black iron battleaxe.
Frudkiss's left arm is broken.
Frudkiss's right hand is torn off.
Frudkiss's left hand is torn off.
Frudkiss's right leg is broken.
Frudkiss's left leg is broken.
Frudkiss's right foot is torn off.
Frudkiss's left foot is torn off.
Squire Polyalu is blasted devastatingly.
Squire Polyalu has been stunned.
Dekan is smashed violently.
Dekan has been stunned.
Colonel Ruburnel is blasted devastatingly, though he resists the attack
slightly.
Colonel Ruburnel has been stunned.
Wedge is blasted devastatingly.
Wedge has been stunned.
You are smashed violently, though you resist the attack slightly.
You have been stunned by the pain and trauma.
The world goes silent.
Your body goes numb.
You feel sluggish.
You do not see a someone here.
Fledge Shieldbreaker is thumped.
Throglith is pummelled.
Throglith has been stunned.
Druzgorth is smashed violently.
Druzgorth has been stunned.
Hakord is blasted devastatingly.
Hakord has been stunned.
Chukka is smashed violently.
Chukka has been stunned.
Hubad is blasted devastatingly.
Hubad has been stunned.
Fledge Shieldbreaker kicks at Chukka with her right hindhoof, connects
adequately and wallops Chukka's head, chest, and left leg.
Chukka snarls and charges Fledge Shieldbreaker.
Fledge Shieldbreaker kicks at Chukka with her left hindhoof, connects well
and wallops Chukka's head and chest.
Fledge Shieldbreaker connects solidly and gnashes on Chukka's head with
her mouth.
Fledge Shieldbreaker connects adequately and crushes Chukka's head
brutally with her left forehoof.
Chukka dies.
You have gained thirty-two experience.
Someone connects with superb precision and impales Fledge Shieldbreaker's
head with its glowing-blue-haloed hyperium armblade.
Someone connects reasonably well and bashes Fledge Shieldbreaker's head
with its left hand.
Someone connects with superb precision and thumps Fledge Shieldbreaker's
lower right wing with its right hand.
[ Spirit: 1100.2/1260.6 Endurance: 2308.4/2753.1 Speed: 38 ]
Something spasms as if in great pain.
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
Something spasms as if in great pain.
Something spasms as if in great pain.
[ Spirit: 1112.2/1260.6 Endurance: 2341/2753.1 Speed: 38 ]
Your hearing returns.
Someone reverberates, |- N'gai thrkthuu thooomooou Cthugha, ia, n'yah bhee
niebhubh eaw an raihooo, ia, wie eathooo, raishaf feeiebh ooona, ia ia ia! -|
in Ngaathgl.
Something bursts into flame.
Something bursts into flame.
Something bursts[092910120318am1;33m into flame.
Something bursts into flame.
Something bursts into flame.
You hear a massive boom.
You hear a thud.
You hear a thud.
Something's right arm is torn off.
Something's something is torn from it.
Something's left arm is torn off.
Something's something are torn from it.
Something's right leg is torn off.
Something's left leg is torn off.
You hear a thud.
Something's right hand is torn off.
Something's left hand is torn off.
Something's right foot is torn off.
Something's left foot is torn off.
You hear a thud.
Something's right wing is torn off.
Something's left wing is torn off.
You hear a thud.
Something is torn from something's grasp.
Something drops something.
You hear a thud.
Something's right wing is torn off.
Something's left wing is torn off.
You hear a thud.
The world goes silent.
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
Something's right hand is torn off.
Something's left hand is torn off.
Something's right foot is torn off.
Something's left foot is torn off.
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
[ Spirit: 1112.2/1260.6 Endurance: 2334.9/2753.1 Speed: 37 ]
Something's right hand is sliced off.
The flames on something continue to burn.
Something's something are torn from it.
Something's left foreleg and left forehoof are blown off.
Something's left forehoof is blown off.
You feel a piece of yourself being torn away as you lose empathic contact
with your familiar.
You have been stunned.
You feel a piece of yourself being torn away as you lose empathic contact
with your familiar.
You have been stunned.
You feel very despondent.
[ Spirit: 803.2/1244.1 Endurance: 2324.1/2742.3 Speed: 37 ]
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
Something's something is torn from its grasp.
[ Spirit: 800.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2318.7/2742.3 Speed: 33 ]
Something's right hand is sliced off.
Sensation returns to your body.
Something appears in a splash of sizzling liquid.
[ Spirit: 800.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2313.3/2742.3 Speed: 33 Head:
161.6/213.9 Chest: 230.5/470.5 ]
You connect reasonably well and slice something's left arm with your
something.
You don't know how to 'hmhm'.
> [ Spirit: 800.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2307.2/2742.3 Speed: 33 Head:
161.6/213.9 Chest: 230.5/470.5 ]
You connect precisely and cleave something's right arm with your
something, despite its attempt to dodge.
You feel less sluggish.
Your hearing returns.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
Your wounds heal.
You are free of disease.
> > Something snarls with rage.
[ Spirit: 533.4/1244.1 Endurance: 2301.8/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You connect with remarkable precision and mutilate something's right leg
with your something, despite its attempt to dodge.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your chest.
Something connects reasonably well and rakes your chest with its left
hand.
> A massive wave of force bursts outward from something.
You hear a thud.
You are pounded, though you resist the attack slightly.
The world goes silent.
You feel sluggish.
Something's right hand is torn off.
Something's left hand is torn off.
Something's right foot is torn off.
Something's left foot is torn off.
Something's right arm is torn off.
Something's something is torn from it.
Something's left hand is torn off.
Something's right foot is torn off.
Something's left foot is torn off.
[ Spirit: 533.4/1244.1 Endurance: 2297.1/2742.3 Speed: 43 Head:
213.6/213.9 Chest: 414.5/470.5 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
Your wounds heal.
You are free of disease.
Something barely connects and claws your left arm with its right hand,
despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
You feel less sluggish.
Your hearing returns.
[ Spirit: 502/1244.1 Endurance: 2296.4/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You connect precisely and slice something's right foot with your
something, despite its attempt to deflect it with its right hand.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
Your wounds heal.
You are free of disease.
> > [ Spirit: 497.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2291/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
Someone reverberates, |- Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wagn'nagl
fhtagn! -| in Ngaathgl.
Something's eyes take on a dull, listless look.
You take a couple of somethings with your right hand.
> You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
> [ Spirit: 487.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2328.3/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
> Someone reverberates, |- Apooollooo... Delian... cooome... tooo... my...
succooor... Apooollooo... Pythian... aid... me... against my foooes!
Apooollooo... Phoooebus... I... call... ooon... the... might... ooof the...
shining... sun! -| in lugubriously-accented Graecan.
[ Spirit: 487.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2327.5/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
> [ Spirit: 487.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2326.8/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You connect skillfully and mutilate something's chest with your something,
despite its attempt to deflect it with its right hand.
[ Spirit: 487.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2321.4/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You connect quite skillfully and slash something's chest with your
something, despite its attempt to deflect it with its right hand.
You connect with remarkable precision and cleave something's chest with
your something, despite its attempt to deflect it with its left hand.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
> [ Spirit: 486.5/1244.1 Endurance: 2311.3/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
Someone reverberates, |- war... -| in lugubriously-accented Anglic.
[ Spirit: 483.8/1244.1 Endurance: 2311.3/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You connect with remarkable precision and mutilate something's right leg
with your something, despite its attempt to deflect it with its right hand.
You connect adequately and cleave something's left leg with your
something, despite its attempt to deflect it with its left hand.
Something leers at you hungrily.
A massive wave of force bursts outward from something.
You hear a thud.
You are pummelled, though you resist the attack slightly.
The world goes silent.
Your body goes numb.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease.
> [ Spirit: 426.6/1244.1 Endurance: 2302/2742.3 Speed: 44 ]
Your hearing returns.
You hear a thud.
You hear a thud.
You hear a swish.
You hear a thud.
You growl.
> [ Spirit: 426.6/1244.1 Endurance: 2335.4/2742.3 Speed: 44 ]
You hear a swish.
You hear a swish.
Sensation returns to your body.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
> You hear a thud.
You hear a thud.
You hear a swish.
You hear a thud.
You hear a thud.
[ Spirit: 426.6/1244.1 Endurance: 2326.1/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You feel energy flowing from your something into you.
The setting on your something turns white.
> You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
> You hear a thud.
You hear a swish.
You hear a thud.
You hear a thud.
You hear a swish.
[ Spirit: 676.6/1244.1 Endurance: 2326.1/2742.3 Speed: 44 Head: 213.9
Chest: 470.5 ]
You hear a swish.
Something's head is sliced off.
You hear a thud.
You hear a thud.
You hear a swish.
You hear a thud.
[ Spirit: 673.8/1266.7 Endurance: 2325.4/2681.4 Speed: 44 Head: 209.1
Chest: 460.1 ]
You connect with remarkable precision and carve something's right hand up
with your something.
You connect with remarkable precision and mutilate something's left leg
with your something.
Someone reverberates, |- Ph'nglui mglw'nafh... Cthulhu R'lyeh...
wagn'nagl... fhtagn... -| in Ngaathgl.
You are struck by a hideously painful telepathic assault, a wave of
psychic force with a feeling of cold, inhuman remoteness behind it.
You have been stunned by the pain and trauma.
You hear a swish.
You hear a thud.
You hear a swish.
[ Spirit: 673.8/1266.7 Endurance: 2316.1/2676.1 Speed: 44 Head:
189/208.9 Chest: 400/459.5 ]
You connect with remarkable precision and mutilate something's chest with
your something.
You connect reasonably well and cleave something's right leg with your
something.
You have gained forty-seven experience.
Your command has been queued for after you recover from being stunned.
> Something connects with remarkable precision and cleaves your right arm
with its something, despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
[ Spirit: 673.8/1266.7 Endurance: 2303/2676.1 Speed: 44 Head: 189/208.9
Chest: 400/459.5 ]
Someone reverberates, |- Rus... Ibied... hoooa... wuf... humoooa... oooest
fnooord... oooenlige... rus... ooonf... rooos... figoooam... ooor re
toooataet... Wooo... fnooord... tael... -| in Erisian.
> Something warbles incoherently.
Something connects skillfully and slashes your head with its something,
despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
The world goes silent.
[ Spirit: 673.8/1266.7 Endurance: 2294.6/2676.1 Speed: 44 Head:
177.9/208.9 Chest: 400/459.5 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
Your wounds heal.
You are free of disease.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and are uninjured.
An obscene black tendril emerges from something's mouth and squirms its
way through the air toward you.
Upon reaching you, the black tendril thrusts deeply into your chest,
performing a disgusting peristaltic sucking motion.
You experience hideous, wracking pain as the black tendril attempts to
suck out both your innards and your lifeforce.
You have been stunned.
You feel sluggish.
You resist the attack slightly.
Something connects with remarkable precision and wallops your head with
its left hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
You have been stunned.
Something connects quite skillfully and slashes your head and chest with
its something.
Something connects with remarkable precision and bashes your head with its
left hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
You feel more sluggish.
[ Spirit: 594.4/1266.7 Endurance: 2290/2658.5 Speed: 26 Head:
183.8/207.7 Chest: 6.3/457 ]
Your wounds are too severe to fight.
You attempt to flee southward, but cannot.
A massive wave of force bursts outward from something.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
You are pummelled, though you resist the attack slightly.
You have been mortally wounded and will die soon if not aided.
Your body goes numb.
You feel more sluggish.
Your command has been queued for after you recover from being stunned.
> Something connects skillfully and slices your head with its something,
despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
[ Spirit: 591.7/1266.7 Endurance: 2325.5/2658.5 Speed: 24 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease.
> A black haze spreads over the area.
The black haze vanishes.
Something connects well and slashes your chest with its something.
Something connects with remarkable precision and crushes your head
brutally with its right hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
Something connects with remarkable precision and bashes your head with its
left hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
[ Spirit: 410.2/1266.7 Endurance: 2312.9/2658.5 Speed: 26 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease.
Sensation returns to your body.
> > > Something connects well and perforates your head and chest with its
something.
Something connects precisely and bashes your head with its left hand,
though you resist the attack slightly.
Something connects quite skillfully and skewers your head with its
something.
Something connects with remarkable precision and slashes your head and
chest with its something.
Something connects precisely and cleaves your head and chest with its
something.
You feel more sluggish.
[ Spirit: 397.2/1266.7 Endurance: 2312.9/2658.5 Speed: 26 Head:
169.5/207.7 Chest: 368.1/457 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
Your wounds heal.
You are free of disease.
> Something connects adequately and broils your right leg with its atrophied
right upper midleg.
Something connects adequately and burns your right arm with its atrophied
right upper midleg.
Something kicks at you with its huge right upper midfoot, connects
reasonably well and smashes your left leg, though you resist the attack
slightly.
Something connects well and slashes your left leg with its something.
Something connects with superb precision and crushes your left leg
brutally with its left hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
Something connects with superb precision and carves your head up with its
something.
Your body goes numb.
You feel more sluggish.
Something connects with superb precision and pounds your head with its
left hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
[ Spirit: 365.4/1266.7 Endurance: 2312.9/2658.5 Speed: 26 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease.
> Something connects adequately and impales your chest with its rocky right
mid chest.
Something connects precisely and impales your head with its something.
Something connects reasonably well and bashes your head with its left
hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
Something connects precisely and slashes your right arm and right hand
with its something.
Something connects skillfully and slashes your chest with its something.
Something connects precisely and thumps your left leg with its right hand,
though you resist the attack slightly.
[ Spirit: 333.3/1266.7 Endurance: 2312.9/2658.5 Speed: 26 ]
You sense that the thing has been completely drained of energy.
> > Something connects reasonably well and dissolves your left arm with its
hypertrophied scaly left lower mid head.
Something connects adequately and mauls your left leg with its gigantic
chitinous upper hindhand.
Something connects reasonably well and wallops your head with its left
hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
You feel more sluggish.
Something connects with remarkable precision and carves your head up with
its something.
[ Spirit: 330.5/1266.7 Endurance: 2312.9/2658.5 Speed: 26 ]
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease.
Sensation returns to your body.
You are struck by a hideously painful telepathic assault, a wave of
psychic force with a feeling of cold, inhuman remoteness behind it.
You have been stunned by the pain and trauma.
> Something connects skillfully and slashes your right arm with its
something.
Something connects with remarkable precision and cleaves your head with
its something.
You feel more sluggish.
Something connects with superb precision and mutilates your chest with its
something.
[ Spirit: 274.1/1266.7 Endurance: 2312.9/2649.7 Speed: 24 Head:
144.8/207.1 Chest: 285.4/455.6 ]
> Something connects precisely and pokes your head and chest with its
something, despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
Something connects well and wallops your head with its left hand, despite
your attempt to deflect it with something, though you resist the attack
slightly.
Something connects precisely and wallops your left arm with its right
hand, despite your attempt to deflect it with something, though you resist the
attack slightly.
[ Spirit: 274.1/1266.7 Endurance: 2343.8/2649.7 Speed: 23 Head:
124.8/207.1 Chest: 297.7/455.6 ]
> Something connects by the slimmest of margins and slices your head with
its something, despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
Your body goes numb.
You feel your knowledge of rings of stupidity, potions of minor healing,
and the Valathyr square and some of your knowledge of memory and mineral lore
slip away, along with more that even now eludes you.
Something connects skillfully and cleaves your chest with its something,
despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
[ Spirit: 274.1/1266.7 Endurance: 2337.1/2649.7 Speed: 24 ]
Something connects by the slimmest of margins and skewers your head with
its something, despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
Something connects precisely and crushes your head brutally with its left
hand, despite your attempt to deflect it with something, though you resist the
attack slightly.
Sensation returns to your body.
You burst into flame.
> A massive wave of force bursts outward from something.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
You are pounded, though you resist the attack slightly.
> A globule of acid spurts from out of the air onto your left leg,
connecting well and giving it acid burns, despite your attempt to deflect it
with something.
A blob of acid spurts from out of the air onto your chest, barely
connecting and blackening it, despite your attempt to deflect it with
something.
A jet of vitriol streams from out of the air onto your chest, right arm,
and right hand, connecting adequately and giving them caustic burns, despite
your attempt to deflect it with something.
A blob of alkali spurts from out of the air onto your chest, barely
connecting and deliquescing it, despite your attempt to deflect it with
something.
A torrent of alkali erupts from out of the air over your chest, right arm,
right hand, and right leg, catching you in the heart of the thing and giving
them alkali burns, despite your attempt to dodge.
A jet of alkali streams from out of the air onto your chest, connecting
fairly well and blackening it.
A globule of alkali spurts from out of the air onto your head, connecting
well and deliquescing it.
A blast of acid explodes from out of the air into your chest and right
arm, catching you in a quite sizable part of the thing and giving them acid
burns.
A blob of vitriol spurts from out of the air onto your right arm,
connecting with remarkable precision and blackening it.
A blast of alkali explodes from out of the air into your chest, legs, and
right foot, catching you in a quite sizable part of the thing and giving them
alkali burns.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
A geyser of alkali shoots from out of the air into your left arm and left
hand, connecting quite skillfully and blackening them.
A jet of alkali streams from out of the air onto your chest, connecting
precisely and deliquescing it.
A jet of acid streams from out of the air onto your chest, connecting
precisely and deliquescing it.
A globule of vitriol spurts from out of the air onto your left foot,
connecting reasonably well and giving it cau[092910120430ammstic burns.
A jet of alkali streams from out of the air onto your right arm and right
hand, connecting skillfully and deliquescing them.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
A blob of acid spurts from out of the air onto your left arm and left
hand, connecting well and giving them acid burns.
> [ Spirit: 274.1/1266.7 Endurance: 2324.4/2649.7 Speed: 18 Head:
55/207.1 Chest: 146.4/455.6 ]
The flames on you continue to burn.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
Your wounds heal.
You are free of disease.
Something connects adequately and tears into your chest with its huge
upper hind mid head.
Something throws an uppercut at you with its gigantic chitinous upper
hindhand, connects indifferently and wallops your head, though you resist the
attack slightly.
Something barely connects and blackens your chest with its hypertrophied
rocky right fore lower wing.
Something connects reasonably well and scorche[092910120431amms your chest with its
gigantic right fore lower midtail.
> A bolt of lightning leaps from something's left hand toward you, connects
well and electrocutes your chest.
You have been stunned by the pain and trauma.
[ Spirit: 3.1/1266.7 Endurance: 2324.4/2649.7 Speed: 26 Head:
191.2/207.1 Chest: 339.5/455.6 ]
The flames on you continue to burn.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
Something connects well and wallops your head with its left hand, despite
your attempt to deflect it with something, though you resist the attack
slightly.
Something connects precisely and cleaves your right arm with its
something, despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
> [ Spirit: 3.1/1270.1 Endurance: 2318.4/2651.4 Speed: 26 Head:
173.8/207.2 Chest: 328.1/455.8 ]
The flames on you continue to burn.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
You sense that the thing has been completely drained of energy.
Something connects well and thumps your head with its left hand, despite
your attempt to deflect it with something, though you resist the attack
slightly.
Something connects with remarkable precision and wallops your head with
its left hand, despite your attempt to deflect it with something, though you
resist the attack slightly.
[ Spirit: 3.1/1270.1 Endurance: 2313.2/2651.4 Speed: 26 Head:
154.3/207.2 Chest: 317/455.8 ]
The flames on you continue to burn.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and do not have enough spiritual energy to heal
yourself.
Something punches at you with its gigantic chitinous upper hindhand,
connects indifferently and crushes your chest brutally, though you resist the
attack slightly.
Something connects reasonably well and deliquesces your left leg with its
hypertrophied rocky right fore lower wing.
Something connects adequately and blackens your chest with its
hypertrophied scaly left lower mid head.
Something connects well and slices your head and chest with its something.
Something connects quite skillfully and thumps your head with its left
hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
You feel more sluggish.
Something connects with superb precision and wallops your chest with its
left hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
Something connects fairly well and nicks your head with its something.
[ Spirit: 3.1/1270.1 Endurance: 2308.5/2651.4 Speed: 26 Head:
143.2/207.2 Chest: 258.4/455.8 ]
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and do not have enough spiritual energy to heal
yourself.
Something barely connects and rakes your left arm with its gigantic
chitinous upper hindhand.
Something barely connects and gnashes on your right arm with its huge
upper hind mid head.
Something connects with remarkable precision and cleaves your head with
its something.
You have been stunned by the pain and trauma.
Something connects fairly well and wallops your head with its right hand,
though you resist the attack slightly.
Something connects quite skillfully and crushes your head brutally with
its left hand, though you resist the attack slightly.
Something connects with remarkable precision and slices your head with its
something.
> > [ Spirit: 3.1/1270.1 Endurance: 2308.5/2651.4 Speed: 24 Head:
72.5/207.2 Chest: 248.3/455.8 ]
The flames on you continue to burn.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
Something connects with remarkable precision and skewers your head with
its something, despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
You feel more sluggish.
Something connects with remarkable precision and cleaves your chest with
its something, despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
Something connects indifferently and impales your head with its something,
despite your attempt to deflect it with something.
Something stares at you in concentration.
Something stares at you in concentration.
Something stares at you in concentration.
Something stares at you in concentration.
[ Endurance: 2181.8/2649.7 Speed: 23 Head: 26.8/207.1 Chest:
220.1/455.6 ]
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
You sense that the thing has been completely drained of energy.
Something connects indifferently and perforates your right arm and right
hand with its rocky right mid chest.
Something kicks at you with its huge right upper midfoot, connects
reasonably well and wallops your right leg, though you resist the attack
slightly.
Something stares at you in concentration.
> Something stares at you in concentration.
[ Endurance: 2120.3/2649.7 Speed: 21 Head: 23.8/207.1 Chest: 211/455.6
]
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and do not have enough spiritual energy to heal
yourself.
Something ejaculates a gout of fire on you, singing you.
Something throws an uppercut at you with its gigantic chitinous upper
hindhand, barely connects and bashes your chest, though you resist the attack
slightly.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
Something connects well and pokes your left arm and left hand with its
something.
Something stares at you in concentration.
> [ Endurance: 2123.2/2649.7 Speed: 20 Head: 23.4/207.1 Chest:
206.3/455.6 ]
The flames on you continue to burn.
You believe that the thing has found a weakness in your left hand.
You call out to Yehovah, who envelops your body with healing waves of
energy.
You are free of disease and do not have enough spiritual energy to heal
yourself.
Something throws an uppercut at you with its gigantic chitinous upper
hindhand, connects reasonably well and bashes your chest, though you resist
the attack slightly.
Something connects adequately and gnashes on your left leg with its huge
upper hind mid head.
Something connects indifferently and gnashes on your right leg with its
huge upper hind mid head.
Something connects skillfully and perforates your head and chest with its
something.
Something connects well and cleaves your head with its something.
Something connects well and wallops your chest with its left hand, though
you resist the attack slightly.
Your body fails to obey you.
> The thing falls to the ground.
You sense a blatant hostile telepathic contact which something had
established with you closing down.
The internal energies maintaining your enhanced physique fade away.
A slight tingling sensation that had spread throughout your body fades.
Your mind feels dull and slow.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
This something is your sacred trust, and may only be relinquished to
another Knight or returned to the armoury.
Your something is of great sentimental value to you. You think twice
about parting with it.
Your something is of great sentimental value to you. You think twice
about parting with it.
Your something is of great sentimental value to you. You think twice
about parting with it.
You die.
The flames on you flicker out.
You feel yourself floating away from your body.
You cannot see anything.
You begin to float in the air.
You declare, (%\ WAR! /%)

Sir Ruburnel

He wasn't happy with my plans for him to be an angel. He's a bit too down to earth for that, so Criss went. Instead he wants to focus on being the best swordsman the Knights Templar have ever seen. As an almost unheard of eleventh level swordsman he decided he wanted to take that to the next level. Hearing legends of those bonded with the heron being the best blades he's pursued that further with bonding one. Let's see if his prowess with the blade increases...

Some Day...

It's my own fault really. Started watching some Terry Pratchett on one screen whilst I had LS on the other. And I fell asleep. Outside LH. Then the POEE Amygala (better known as Porph) comes along, twists her fingers and does some jiggledypicklety and the reformed full size Band is sent to Exoma. Only me, my squire and a pegasus survive. Fledge and Ruby of course rejoined us and I have some of the others under the charm. But I'm not summoning them back or reforming the Band. Cos I've sworn revenge on Porph. I don't know how, where or when. But she's got it coming.

Takes ages to get the friggin Band to full strength. And I hate stuff that screws over the Band without any chance of doing something about it.

Developer

They made me a Dev... fools!!! hahahahahahahaha

Fall of the Altrian Empire

I wrote this a while back when I went through a phase of wanting to write something for the history of Lost Souls. It would need to be majorly reworked to fit in with the current maps and some fo the latest updates and it's completely unofficial. Also it was written and typed up over the space of three days and I haven't gotten around to copy-editing it since then. But... enjoy.

The Fall of the Altrian Empire – A Summary.

Sire, I do wish you would find the time to read all twelve volumes, however at your command I have had one of my students, Gavadel of Amber write up a summary of the most important events and some interpretations as you commanded. – Your obedient servant Hardrad of Jhan

Summaries

Volume 1 Foundation and Growth

The Altrian Empire was the last and greatest of the civilisations Aedaris has ever seen. The Istax Empire and the Bubasti Kingdom were centuries dead when Prince Aleksandr of Altri dreamed his dream of One Hand guiding the destiny of the peoples of Almeria. One Emperor, One Justice, serving the highest to the lowest. On the Field of Dorian he took that first step towards that dream and the Altrian Empire was born.

For six and a half centuries the Empire grew, until it enfolded all the Northlands, Almeria and Avalon. Elves, dwarves, phaethon, humans, yeti, deryni and others were included in it’s populace. Her two military forces, the Knights of the Emperor’s Hand and the Knights of the Emperor’s Fist were welcomed everywhere as keepers of the peace and the heralds of justice. The Knight’s of the Palm were charged with the protection of every citizen and traveller within the Golden Land and for the first two centuries fought long and hard in keeping the goblin and orc hordes in check. The Knight’s of the Emperor’s Fist were his shock troops, used for policing the borders and along with the Imperial Guard in taking the battle to Altria’s enemies. Banditry steadily decreased and eventually kept to almost zero, first because of the risk in confronting the Knight’s of the Palm and secondly because conditions within the Empire improved to the point that few had need to take up that risky trade.

The first three centuries of the Empire are now seen as the period of real vitality. The dream was still fresh, the people believed in Aleksandr’s vision and even those who were conquered found their lives were better under the protection of the Golden Throne and the first Emperor’s dream of Justice were more than just hollow words. This time was the finest hour of the Knights of the Fist and saw their Grand Master as one of the Emperor’s closest advisors. However even during the Empire’s birth, the seeds were sown that eventually would lead to her destruction.

Volume 2 Discordianism and the Deryni

Although no direct connection has ever been made, it is curious that two of the most direct reasons that led to the Empire’s destruction were both first recorded during the third century of the Empire’s growth and both within twenty years of one another. Worship of Eris by humanity can be traced back millennia however it is around AA 230 that there is confirmed evidence of an ‘organised’ discordianism, with a High Priestess and followers from all ranks of the Empire. It is important at this point to note that it can be dangerous to overstate the influence of Eris. Although widespread, the overall percentage of discordianism must be kept low, even if we double our suspected figures, it would still leave the vast majority of the Empire worshiping Tyr and Yehovah. Some other minor gods were also worshiped and during this period the Emperor Edwurd II encouraged religious tolerance. Fifty years after the first records of discordianism there is a court census which lists Berefin of House Mergriffon as a member of the Legion of Dynamic Discord shows that the Legion had already began to form by around AA 280 and included some nobility in it’s ranks.

The first confirmed existence of the deryni is from around AA 250 although it’s possible that they had been in existence for sometime beforehand and indeed it has long been suspected that Zoltar the Invincible was deryni rather than human and he had led Sanctuary in it’s battle against Aleksandr more than two centuries earlier. Some would go as far as to suggest that Zoltar was the first true deryni and point to evidence that the deryni first appear in region of Sanctuary two and a half centuries later although they soon spread throughout the Empire.

The biggest problem facing the deryni was their powerful gifts, fortunately perhaps for the human parents they are also a peaceloving people, yet their tremendous abilities would eventually instil fear and jealousy in their human kin. First and most noted in history of the age the deryni far outstripped their human kin in the magickal arts. Although some talented pure-strain humans could rival some of the deryni the greatest wielder of magicks were always the deryni themselves and they in time came to rival even the elves.

However the greatest gift of that race was (and is) their psychic abilities. Humanity have developed some psychic talents since time began it seems, however these gifts were sporadic at best and only a small percentage ever developed any of the these talents and fewer still developed them to any real strength. It seemed to be with the opposite with the deryni; it was a rare deryni indeed who didn’t develop at least one talent in his life time and most were far stronger than their human counterparts, some would even go on to develop two or even three talents, unheard of for humanity at large.

Fortunately in the first centuries of their existence their numbers were extremely low and they were little noticed within the Empire as a whole and when they were they were more than often only too happy to serve and train for the Emperor’s service for any of the roles for which they were suited, especially as Imperial Magicians.

Volume 3 Empire and Magicks.

Due to records kept by the elves we know that however skilled they would eventually become in the arts, it was a human, Hermes Trismegistos almost 47,000 years ago who first laid down the basic principles of magick, drawing upon energies inherent in the planar structure of our universe to produce wondrous effects. It is perhaps in the Order of the Winged Serpent that human magicians reached their peak in that art if the fractured stories and legends that have survived from the Graecan era are to be believed. Magick has been with humanity since before the beginnings of their own civilisations or records began.

However it is from the time of the late third and early fourth centuries of the Altrian Empire that ‘modern’ magick was born. Over the centuries some of the Hermetic Tradition had been taken and specialised from it’s original haphazard concepts into something more focussed and powerful which gave rise to the modern orders (modern in the sense of recent historically even if some of these ‘modern’ orders are no longer in existence).

In AA 310 these recently formed Orders of the various magick arts came together after four years of intensive negotiations at the behest of the Emperor Danyel I and his Court Enchanter Magius the Red to form the Conclave. The Conclave was created for the purpose of furthering magickal knowledge and presenting a common respectable front to non-mages. It was also charged with policing the magickal community, both those within the Order and without.

After the first century of their existence their influence stretched into all areas of the Empire and some of the greatest wonders of that Age (or any other) were created not by any one Order but by spells and artefacts that had these different magicks working together in unison. It should be noted that even during the founding era of the Conclave the deryni made up a higher than proportional numbers of the various magickal orders.

Volume 4 The Golden Age

Although the real vitality of the Empire were it’s first three centuries, the Golden Age of the Golden Throne was to be the next four. The empire continued to grow, albeit slowly, wars were rare and civil unrest even moreso. The Empire was undeniably a force for Good and Justice, embodied in it’s two military forces, the Knights of the Emperor’s Palm who worshipped Yehovah and the Knights of the Emperor’s First, followers of Tyr. Both proved a check on the other and together with the Conclave represented the most obvious manifestations of the Emperor’s will. This Golden Age was punctured only by the Thirteen Years of the Dragon and considering the sheer force of the threat it is a testament to the Conclave that their combined magicks were able to defeat her binding her under Centaur Isle. For the Conclave, after thirteen years of battle, failure, research, loss and experimentation it was their Golden Hour of this Golden Age.

The quality of life for the average citizen was also very high. The justice system put in place by Aleksandr I and refined by his successors was the wonder of any age where a farmer could hold a duke accountable to the law and win without any repercussions. Even Danyel III abdicated when charged and found guilty of a crime the records do no make clear. Magicks and Magickal devices, although still expensive were within the reach of even the commonest of men and if a citizen could read then cheaper still scrolls of power were available at low cost. Spells that would help with livestock, crops and illness. Their were scrolls to deal with any known disease or hurt save death and rumours were constant the Black magi were always close to discovering the secret of immortality.

Volume 5 The Rise of Discordianism

In AA 480 a petition was presented to the Emperor Elrik I for permission for the construction of a temple to Eris on the north east shores of the continent. Discordianism by now had friends in the highest ranks of the Emperor’s government and with minor political maneuvering the permission was given. In 500 the temple was constructed, giving the High Priestess a permanent home. The Legion of Dynamic Discord and later in 561 when the Paratheo-Anametamystikhood of Eris Esoteric were formed, made their bases of operations at the Temple. Throughout the sixth and seventh centuries the religion continues to spread throughout the empire and in the upper echelons of the nobility begins to rival that of Yehovah and Tyr. The Knights of the Emperor’s Palm manage to stay aloof from this inner corruption of their values, the Knights of the Emperor’s Fist slowly begins to succumb.

A this point in the seventh century the Empire ceases to expand although most of their major rivals have long since long since been subjugated there are still minor threats mainly from the raiders of Gardagh and under the will of Ahrikol the orcs and goblins began to multiply once more. The leadership of the Empire is more interested in sacrificing artefacts and animals in the name of Eris than governing the Empire and setting policy. Even when the region of Illefarn is over-run by orcs in AA 688 the response from the Empire is slow in coming and even with the mighty Battleragers part of the mighty city of Kolond is still taken and fortified by the orcs.

The machinery of the Empire is still strong and the foundations of the government well laid that it takes a few centuries before the decay becomes apparent to those both within the Empire and the enemies without.

Volume 6 The Knights of Purity

A pubescent boy unknowingly and unwittingly hastened the demise of the Empire by centuries if not a millennia or two. In AA 966 Aldan, a deryni youth at the onset of puberty visiting Altri to watch the wedding of the Heir Apparent had his talent awake as he was being violently jostled by a crowd that numbered in the hundreds of thousands. In the panic and in the fear of being crushed his latent talent awoke and subconsciously the youth tried to defend himself from the terror he saw closing in around him. Unfortunately for Aldan and all his kin, his latent talent was that of a firestarter and he was perhaps the most powerful in a generation, by the time the smoke cleared, over 3000 civilians were dead including the Heir Apparent to the Imperial Throne. The public backlash caught everyone by surprise and the riots in Altri especially left the Deryni Quarter of the city in flames, hundreds dead and a lingering desire to drive the deryni from their midst.

The most long-lasting effect of this massacre was the founding of the Knights of Purity, initially formed by Knights of the Palm and Knights of the Fist who had lost family and loved ones in the Aldan’s unwitting attack or during the riots that immediately followed that although saw mainly deryni die, many humans were also killed. Originally their mandate was to purge the deryni from the empire in recompense for this attack on Altri itself, but others were attracted to the Knights, including many nobles who felt that other non-human races had too much influence on the Emperor.

Even at the time of the backlash, one voice cried for public calm and time to understand what had truly happened before setting the Empire on such course, in order to learn from the mistake and make sure it would never happen again. That voice was Lord Aurelius Paendragon, Grand Master of the Knights of the Emperor’s Palm.

Volume 7 The Rings of Power

Almost five thousand years after the forging of the first three rings of power (now in control of the elves), Ahrikol made his second attempt in AA 972, and this time these new rings would answer to the Master Ring he himself wore. Emissaries were sent to all the major powers, except the elven nations and he offered the might inherent in these devices in exchange for servitude. His envoy dispatched to Altri approached Lord Aurelius Paendragon and Lord Morwin Melgriffon, Grand Master of the Knights of Purity. Morwin accepts the ring, originally hoping to cheat Ahrikol and use the ring to his own ends. Aurelius has the envoy arrested and executed.

Morwin subverts the other high-ranking officials within the Knights of Purity until the upper echelons are people only by Morwin and his Ringwielder Captains. With the aid of the ring he gains a wisdom and guile not inherent in his character which he uses to stand ever closer to the Emperor. Other wielders throughout the empire gain the power of the ring, but within a few decades even the strongest willed and purest of heart who accepted these devices have succumbed to the power of the Master Ring. Whole provinces of the Altrian Empire are now effectively under Ahrikol’s dominion. The rest of the Empire, with the possible exception of House Paendragon are blind to the subversion, their leadership distracted by the hedonistic rights in the name of Eris.

In AA 1000, during the celebrations for a millennium of Empire an elderly and ailing Aurelius Paendragon confronts Morwin in front of the Emperor on charges of sedition and treachery against the Golden Throne. Unable to prove these charges, he challenges a surprisingly youthful Morwin to single combat as two Knights should. The challenge is accepted and Aurelius even at his age and in his bad health put up a surprising fight. Even with the power of the Ring, Morwin found it difficult to defeat Yehovah’s Champion in single combat. However his immortality and the power of the ring eventually broke Aurelius’ sword and the old knight fell before Morwin’s blade. The Emperor intervened on behalf of Aurelius’ family which Morwin demanded should be executed, the Emperor instead exiled them to the small insignificant trading post of Losthaven. Several of the Knights of the Palm follow Aurelius’ son into exile.

Volume 8 Fall of the Conclave and the Witch-hunts.

For seven centuries the Conclave held together the different Orders of Magick, at least to the outside, as one Brotherhood. And indeed during the early centuries the greatest accomplishments from various artefacts of power to the binding of Tiamat were achieved by the Conclave working as a whole.

Even in the beginning though petty rivalries between individual mages and between the various orders saw the halls of the Tower as rife with politics as the Golden Palace itself, from various positions such as Court Enchanter or Emperor’s Advisor or Court Ambassador to heads of small specific research positions within the tower fought over bitterly. It is even said the position of Tower Librarian was an envied post, though mainly because of it allowed it’s holder a seat on the Tower Council.

By the 1100s the Tower was rife with corruption and scandal as any noble house, however because of the greater power they wielded, the were held to a higher standard. Every minor scandal was elevated in the eyes of the populace, particulary by the Knights of Purity who eyed the Tower jealously, aware of the deryni who lurked within it’s walls.

Of particular note is the corruption of the White Magus deryni Lucius Cantor by the Black. The Black Order gifted Lucius with a Ring of Power, something they themselves had avoided along with most other magi, they themselves although not master of ring lore, could detect the dark vibrations emanating from it and guessed at it’s purpose. It is thought that this was a research project within the Black to record the progress of the domination of the ring, ostensibly in order to combat it’s effects. Perhaps the experiment was a success but the public outcries at the depravities of the once pure Lucius focussed the long-held rage against the deryni in the direction of the Tower.

With the Knights of Purity and the will of the people of Altri arrayed against them, the Conclave falls apart. The Orders retreat to their respective towers outside of Altri, with the exception of the White Magi, firm in their belief that remaining public and open in their attempts to heal the damage done by Lucius Cantor and other scandals they can reclaim their image and the public trust.

The dangerous gambit fails, as the now immortal Morwin gains the permission of the Emperor to wipe the Magi from Gaia, also the will of Ahrikol as other than Lucius, only very few of the magi had accepted his rings of power. As a group, they could be one of his few real adversaries in his quest to dominate the Empire. With the White Magi remaining in the open, they are the main and the easiest targets. The witch-hunts take the better part of a year before the Knights can claim victory against the Magi, though truth be told it was the Ringwielder Captains who alone of Morwin’s followers who had the strength to hunt-down and kill the most powerful members of the White Order. The Knights of Purity gain considerable prestige with the final destruction of the White Order.

With the removal of Aurelius Paendragon a century earlier and the destruction of the of the Council of the Conclave, Morwin now stood as the most prestigious of the Emperor’s Council, With the last two voices of reason silenced Morwin continues the witch-hunts, mainly targeting deryni and elves also known as wielders of magicks. With the effective leadership of the Empire in disarray the non-human regions of the Empire begin closing themselves off, mainly restricting movement out of their realms for fear of making their own races a target to the Knights of Purity. The dwarves are particularly distrustful of this new direction the Empire is taking and Minister Thuran from Illefarn is eventually arrested for attempting to defend deryni rights. By the 1120s the Empire is fractured and strained and with the rise of Morwin to almost executive power, it seems nothing can be done to stop the demise of the Empire.

Volume 9 The Last Hope

In 1128 the old Emperor Verrus III died. His son Octavian had spent his youth in a foster home on estates near Camille. Morwin encouraged Verrus to keep his son away from the court intrigues, in the hope to take advantage of the new emperor’s youth and inexperience. It seems that later reports changed his mind and three attempts were made on the young man’s life and his foster parents made it clear to Octavian what their suspicions were. Even from his remote foster home, he began paying attention to the situation on Altri and made contact with House Paendragon. During his coming of age he was approached by a pair of magi, of the red and the black who gave him some teaching in magick. They explained what they’d learned of the lore of the Rings of Power and the corrupting influence it had on many in his father’s court including his father’s chief advisor: Morwin the Immortal. The Black Magi after fleeing concluded their research that had began with the poor white mage Lucius Cantor and working in secret with the Red had manged to subvert on of Ahrikol’s rings. Ironic perhaps that these mages of the Dark and the Fire had created a new creed. On gifting the Ring to Octavius he takes the oath. In darkest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight, let those who worship evil’s might, beware the power of the Emperor’s light. It should be noted this first ring was perfect and without the weakness of the later rings or the need to be recharged with a lantern, working in perfect harmony with the body of the heir apparent.

When Octavius returned to Altri on the death of his father, with the aid of the ring and the magi he defeated two assassination attempts enroute, on entering the court awaited to receive him he shocked all present being flanked by two magi and the Knights of the Emperor’s Palm under Utha Paendragon retrieved from exile in the north by ordering the arrest of Morwin and his closest advisors. Using their ringwielder magicks, they managed to escape to Yevath.

It was already perhaps too late, even as Octavius took the throne in the name of Aleksandr II, news came in that Illefarn formally seceded from the Empire for the treatment of Minister Thuran. His first act as emperor was to send envoys under Utha to the realm, in an attempt to explain the new leadership and direction of his rule. The envoys managed to prevent Illefarn demanding any retribution but little else. Aleksandr takes a tour of his realm, the first Emperor in generations to do so, and stopping at every province and province capital and by his own example, persuasion and natural charm manages to avoid any further secessions.

Aleksandr outlaws the Knights of Purity and tries to reverse the damage done by the witch-hunts. Altri again has not one, but two Court Enchanters, the Black and Red Magi who gifted Aleksandr with his ring. Discordiansim isn’t outlawed but discouraged and at least on the surface the people of Altri return to the worship of Yehovah and Tyr.

For fifty years Aleksandr works at repairing the damage done by his predessors and perhaps during the first decades of his rule this damage was only superficially healed. It is undisputed that over the last two decades much was truly healed and even if many of the grudges lay closer to the surface than appeared none would dare break the peace, not so much out of fear of retribution, but out of love for their last Great Emperor, Aleksandr II.

Volume 10 The Witch-Hunts Renewed

In 1177 at the age of 84, Aleksandr II passed away in his sleep. His chosen heir, his grandson Aleksandr III is found dead within the hour. A systematic assassination of the imperial household. It is in this turmoil that Morwin returns from exile in Yevath. With the Empire leadership in disarray there is little to stop the now Necromancer and his Immortal Captains seizing the reigns and Morwin ascends the Golden Throne as Morwin I.

The Knights of Purity are returned to their place as the single most powerful group in the Empire, many of the Knights of the Fist join. The Knights of the Emperor’s Palm are disbanded. The new Immortal Emperor has no intention of sheltering anyone with his own hand. Any noble who raises their voices in disagreement with the new turn of events is executed. The remnants of House Paendragon flee to protect the newborn infant heir to the seat of the House, again several now disinherited Knights of the Palm flee to protect them.

The witch-hunts begin once again, this time in force with nothing held back. The deryni are treated as pariahs wherever the try to settle and there are none in the great city of Altri itself. Even humans who develop Wild Talents flee for fear they will be executed as deryni. Pogroms tears through their neighbourhoods in other town with alarming frequency. The treatment of other non-humans begins to follow that of the deryni, eventually all non-humans in the central provinces are declared as slaves. The work of Aleksandr II now lay in ruins and after a delay of fifty years, the Empire finally began to fragment. The non-human regions of the empire formally secede and the deryni flee in droves to refugee camps, many of which become deryni towns, villages and these quickly become forts.

Volume 11 The Cleansing Wars

Five years after taking the throne, Morwin had consolidated all in his hands. The central provinces were now firmly under his control and he allowed the outer regions of the empire to secede whilst he build his own forces. In 1182 with all his pieces in place, Morwin launches a campaign against the seceded nations, apparently to keep the empire whole and to punish the deryni for damages done to the empire. In truth it was merely to bring these regions back into Imperial control and to reduce all non-human populations to slave status. The long since forgotten incident of 966 was no longer enough to galvanise the people against the deryni, however by this point hatred was almost inbred to the human population, and the propaganda machine of the Empire found it easy to blame the ‘deryni conspiracy’ for every difficulty facing the Imperial Citizens, from crop failings (deryni magicks) to the secession of one region after another (deryni machinations). With the lack of any real motivation gone, the humans fell back on fanaticism rather than reason There were still those who couldn’t be convinced, it was still too soon after Aleksandr’s reign, but those nobles who’d survived the purges and yet disagreed with the Morwin’s campaign preferred to retire to their secure country estates.

It would be difficult to call it ‘A Cleansing War’ if only because Morwin chose to fight his eccentric and erratic campaign on many fronts at once, against ht elves here, the dwarves there, this deryni fortress there. Indeed any military tactician looking back on these campaigns makes it clear that in the in the ten years the wars lasted, it would have been almost impossible to make victory more difficult than he had. If Morwin had employed even basic strategy he could have conquered the seced regions in a campaign probably lasting even half that time, although he lacked the traditional magicks, he had enough Ringwielders in the ranks of the Knights of Purity to deal with even the most powerful deryni mages. And even in her final years, the Legions of the Imperial Throne were still by far the largest and most powerful military force at that time.

However fighting the campaign the way he did, Morwin squandered much of the Empire’s strength. Evenso victory was almost his by 1192. By the spring of that year the deryni fortress of Lealta, the last to hold out finally fell. Most of the non-human realms, even Illefarn were by now at least under the Empire’s martial control, their armies broken and reduced to fighting guerrilla-style wars against the Empire. With the fall of Lealta, the family of the tremendously powerful deryni mage Canthus Ephairi was captured and brought to the capital for execution. An attempt at rescue failed and the execution was moved forward to the day after the attempted rescue instead of the High Summer Games Morwin had planned to celebrate the Empire’s final victory.

With the execution of his family Canthus lost all reason and decided upon a revenge to punish the city that for two centuries had no only been arrogant enough to exclude his people, but had hunted them to the point of extinction. Powerful even by deryni’s highest standards, on the High Holiday to open the Summer Games Morwin during which had originally planned on executing Canthus’ family as the Morwin was addressing the people from the Golden Palace overlooking the Emperor’s Square, Canthus, a skill psychic levitated up from within the crowd. Behind him the closed up Tower of High Sorcery disappeared, his last gift to his people. It reappeared far to the east. Having captured his enemy’s attention, Canthus declared his doom on Altri. As he began to glow brighter and brighter, the Imperial Guard’s arrows and the magicks of the Ring-wielder Captains, including Morwin’s own powerful attacks fail to harm the red magus. Canthus’ spell summons all his most powerful magicks and to maximise his effect he pours all of his life-force into it. When the smoke cleared, the City of Altris, pride of the Empire, the Home of the Halls of Justice, the Golden Palace and until minutes before, the Tower of High Sorcery was erased from existence.

Volume 12 The Aftermath

With Altri gone, Morwin and the leadership of the Empire dead, the remants flailed in the death-throes, causing much damage but ultimately coming to nothing. The Knights of Purity quickly disintegrated into individual groups, their Ring-wielding Captains all being with Morwin for the celebrations. Many smaller town and villages near altri were caught in the blast that seared the previously beautiful countryside and turned to ash. The region immediately surrounding Altri soon became desert. Other major towns and villages were abandoned in the plagues and famines that followed the collapse of the empire.

It is doubtful that any one leader could have rallied the Empire, perhaps the heir of House Paendragon, but at the time the youth was not yet 16 years old and by the time he was old enough the Empire was already past any rallying point. The human population dropped considerably during this time and considering the number of forming townships and villages that took refuge in Thessalae, we can estimage that in the two decades following the Fall of Altri the human population of Almeria was around a quarter of it’s level in AA 1177 when Aleksandr II died.

It is easy to say in hindsight that the Fall could have been averted if certain steps had been taken earlier, if Aleksandr’s heir had survived, if discordiansim had been banned rather than discouraged or even if Morwin had planned his military campaign better and he could have pulled all of the Empire under his control. However for all the threats our world faces now, perhaps it is for the best that almost eight centuries ago Morwin didn’t realise his ambition of ruling over a new Empire, a dark corruption of all both Aleksandr’s had stood for and dragging humanity and all Almeria into a longer and darker age than the one we face now.

The Band

The Band needs a name, it has always been the Band of the White Cross, but with the Order of the White Cross having disappeared seems like a bit of a relic, maybe when we rename the Rune Guard and give that company some meaning I'll ally the War Band with them. We'll see. Or we can just keep them as the Band of the White Cross.

It's about time we had a War Band update and I've been reluctant because an update tends to be followed by the Band being wiped. But the current incarnation has survived over a week so... let me present them to you, a few old favorites but most of them are relatively new.

Prince Gavadel of Amber (level 77 Attuned Knight of the Round Table, Prince of Amber, Losthaven Guard, Steel Serpent, Neophyte Warden, Summachos of the Pantarchic Church of Yehovah). Gavadel first and foremost is a Prince of Amber, everything else is second. But he takes his obligations seriously to the cities he's allied with. He's also recently been asked to lead the Rune Guard but he isn't happy with the setup and is considering a reform.

Colonel Ruburnel (level 48 Knight Templar and Verynvelrae): Actually unbonded now from his eagle, Ruburnel is currently suffering from a speech defect which makes his duties as Gavadel's right hand man a little difficult. But what he lacks in words he makes up for in fighting prowess with his vorpal blade. Besides Gavadel himself he's the best warrior in the group and the single best champion of the Knights Templar. Ruburnel's mellowed considerably since he was first assigned to Gavadel as his liason with the Pantarchic Church. Experience outside the life of the Cathedral of Camille has opened his eyes to the ways of the world.

Fledge (level 39 pegasus): Gavadel's trusted mount and gives him access to various charms in maintaining and protecting the war band.

Squire Kernele (level 15 Squire): Gavadel's current squire, following in the footsteps of Dame Yennarin. She isn't looking forward to being a Knight to be honest after seeing that all her predecessors including Yennarin have fallen in the defense of Camelot.

Captain Nerus (level 29 Knight of the Round Table): Gavadel's aide from Camelot and he leads the yeomen. The Knight takes his role seriously and is as righteous and full of pride as Ruburnel once was when he joined Gavadel's side. Ruburnel can't help but smile knowingly at Nerus's blustering sometimes.

Sergeant Galidan (level 16 yeoman): Deals with the practical day to day running of the Band, acting as quartermaster and takes care of the pegasi. Surprisingly he's also an ace hand-to-hand fighter and picked up a mithril claw following Gavadel. He's put it to good use in the defense of the Prince. Rumour has it he wouldn't mind joining the Knights of the Round Table himself, but his choice of weapon will make that difficult.

Corporal Demmill (level 15 yeoman): He was once a lacklustre swordsman, but gave it up when Gavadel presented him with a hyperium two-handed axe. And he's proven himself to be a master of the weapon. He's still sometimes prone to stealing but Gavadel's influence seems to be putting a stop to it. A fault he shares with the last member of the Band.

Bannerman Aradis (level 15 Bannerman): Gavadel's bannerman, though once a spearman. The youngest member of the group, but he's proven himself a solid defender of the Prince's honor, despite once being prone to the occasional theft of items left around him.

Poseiden (level 29 drake): The heavy artillery of the group and currently Gavadel's mount. She's protected by a stone of perpetuation and is prone to protecting the Prince when he doesn't mount her. It has seen her fall in combat more than once, if not for the gem she'd be dead by now.

The Mounts: Sorrel, Gray, Snowmane, Snowdrop and Augustus, all around level 16 other than Snowdrop. Augustus was a veteran of Kentaur Isle as we found out when the dragon chasing him met with the Band and almost led to the death of Gray and then Squire Yennarin. Pegasi are useful mounts but because of their wings being a weakspot have almost led to the demise of members of the Band on more than one occasion.

Steel Serpents

I said I'd write about this in my next post, but since there was the disaster on Ry'leh I wrote about that instead.

The Steel Serpents have, as long as I have played this MUD been an NPC organisation that always looked kinda cool. A bunch of battle-hardened soldiers protecting a small city in fairly abandoned lands, protecting themselves from raptorak raiders who hit the town pretty often. Corna itself is one of the best little adventuring towns out there. I'm aware I haven't done all the quests or even come close, but that place has ATMOSPHERE. I was always sad I couldn't ally myself to it or the Steel Serpents.

Twilight just off-the-cuff changed that. The Steel Serpents are now a joinable affiliation with their elite Equites, a cavalry guild which are ALL ABOUT WARBANDS!

You can see the dilemma.

For the first time since I joined the Knights I was actually tempted to find a way to leave them and switch over to Twi's guild. The problem was theme, although a lot of what I heard about the guild made it sound a lot like at least one of the factions I'd envisaged for the long awaited KOTR rewrite, there were a few problems, not the least of which they weren't the Knights of Avalon. Gav although he went through a few guilds in his youth has been a Knight of the Round Table for most of his career. And although I might have wanted him to switch that allegiance to Corna, he wouldn't have it. Besides, Twi pointed out I'd have yet another Bond, and this time to a horse which wouldn't really fit my aerial cavalry theme. So... we'll get by with the Knights. I have compromised and at least joined the Steel Serpents, Avalon's representative and ally with Corna when they need it.

I do hope other people DO join the Equites and we see more War Bands around, they are fun to manage and there is a definite satisfaction in exercises like yesterday's retaking of the gogtzulu city. And please, please can someone work on that knight rewrite I was promised about two years ago now?

Disaster on Ry'leh

The Band was coming along quite nicely for once. Five yeomen, a drake, nine pegasi, a knight and of course Ruburnel. And we've done the raid on Ry'leh more than a few times. We know the drill. I defend the Band, they whittle down the gogtzul. I have to defend the Band because them gogtzul will tear them apart in a round or two. But it's hard to take me down when I'm on full defensive and with Yrenasand, man I'm tough.

Fledge isn't.

She wimpied on me and fled. And without me defending the Band in the round or two it took me to get things under control again, the Band was scattered and/or dead. Me and Ruburnel fought on as long as we could over the bodies of our compatriots, but the gogtzul not only swarmed but were regenerating. Ruburnel covered my escape, knowing that I held the stones and the charms to bring back as many of our followers as we could. I retreated back to the beach where I caught my breath. I realised as well that through some error I'd left my drake's stone actually on the drake. I'd misnamed Trije's stone as the drakestone and on activating it I prematurely activated my squire. I summoned my other charms and waited for Fledge and Ruburnel to rejoin me. We considered retreating and licking our wounds but there was one major problem. The gogtzul held the Battle Standard of Prince Gavadel of Amber. And that was just not acceptable. Our small rag tag band once again reclimbed the slopes to the city. Two pegasi, ruburnel, nerus (now one-armed), my squire (now without protection), and two yeomen. We charged the city and were soon outnumbered once more as the gogtzuli swarmed our small band. But despite the tiredness and fatigue the Band fought on, Squire Trije whom we all thought would make it to Knight fell on the field.

As the battle raged on, my eye fell on a peridot, knowing this to be my missing stone I reached for it, claimed it and recalled my drake back into the fight. The battle last well over half an hour, but eventually the city was ours. And there, lying in the blood, was our Standard. Ruburnel claimed it and insisted on carry it back to Avalon.

When I have the time, I need to once again recruit a squire, though I fear they'll be more reluctant. And of course, comb the skies above Kentaur Isle to mount the Band once more.

Ch ch changes...

I kept meaning to update this, but the changes kept coming and I was waiting on the next one before posting and then the next, then the next and it's been a week now that I should have updated something here.

Donation items came through, though hopefully two of those will soon be available to Knights in general. The first though was a bond to Ruby, who I think earned it the poor sap. Like my bond to Fledge, the original idea is a permanent follower I can breathe easier about, but like Fledge he's come with some nice bonuses. We have some kinda mad skill-synergy thing going and that Templar probably rivals some low level amberites in his skills and attributes these days. He's gone from level 34 to 43 and he seems to gain a new level every other run session. Amberiteish skills with a human assim is scary. The other two items were a knight follower (welcome Captain Nerus) and a Battle Standard which a yeoman can wield and gives bonuses to your group, courage, tenacity, tactics, etc. It's more about theme than actual power, but every little bonus helps. They should be released soonish I think for the general knight population. The other idea I mentioned to Chaos was the option of keeping your knighted squire in your group. As I outlined it, the tradeoff would be you don't get that bonus xp on his reaching knighthood, but you get to keep a level 25 knight follower you've trained his whole career. Be nice if this was implemented, but no timeframe on it other than Chaos thought it was a nice idea. (Could be tomorrow, could be never, but more likely somewhere inbetween).

With the new bond setup I was able to leave the VV, the whole idea of being a ranger was to have Fledge. Now, we've left the guild but we can maintain the bond. There is a loss of some stuff there and future changes to the VV won't affect Fledge. So whatever skinning, crafting or other abilities, specs, or whatever you get won't be applied to us.

I've also left the Wandslingers to join the Steel Serpents. I'll talk more about this in my next post.

Lumps

Today was the day of the lumps. It only lasted a little while, but it was briefly amusing:

You take off your large amethyst-set silver anklet.
You take off your lump of white plate helm.
You take off your lump of white plate left boot.
You take off your lump of white plate right boot.

This is a spartan cell with bare walls and nothing in the way of
amenities. The light cast through the bars of the cell door throws shifting
shadows across the walls. The area is brightly lit. A lump of reddish brown
male eagle thing is here.

and...

The lump of Dark Young thing has been mortally wounded and will die soon
if not aided.

It made me chuckle.

Bonds and Bands

Finally! The new bonding code and the Ranger/verynvelyrae rewrite was released. It came during the week so I was at work, trying to get what I could and teach a class of elementary level adult students who noticed I was a bit preoccupied. 'Prof, what is the meaning of...' SSSSSSSSSH! I'm reading here...

The FIRST thing I noticed was my nice fieldcraft skills were gone. Which was a bit disheartening. They're passive, but they're oh so nice. They're almost like a tactical advantage in most situations. Now my sky fieldcraft has gone up, as suits a pegasus but the fieldcraft skills were for me the embodiment of all that was left of the old Rangers in easy little passive skills. C'est la vie. Ranger skinning has also gone and as far as I'm aware there's no real bonus to the basic ranger. Now don't take this as fact and I'd welcome some new rangers or Twi setting me straight on this. But it seems the current incarnation there are only benefits from your familiar.

Only from your familiar I say. Now I can't actually compare the new rangers with the old. As it seems to me that would be unfair, I need to compare the new rangers with the rangers post the original rewrite which led to familiars in the first place. Since last year Twi has been tweaking and fiddling with how the bond works and what we get from it. The addition of tame and dominion seems to have spiralled off into this new rewrite and I think this is the culmination of what he was trying to do since then. The first thing is the bond now scales your benefits, something previously only seen in the attribute bonus but now applies to ALL your powers and skill bonuses. Now I know some of the older rangers will be a little miffed by this, but this is how it should work. Slowly unlocking your powers and abilities as the bond increases gives great motivation to work on that bond. There are hints that you're getting more from the bond too. I've already seen some of this in the new spy power. We can now see through our familiar's eyes. The other abilities I automagically have from having an older familiar would have been slowly unlocked over time with the new system. Which would have led to some pleasant surprises. Wow! I can now inspire! Wow I can now tame other pegasi etc. Which is very cool.

On to the War Band. Since my return I've been working on recruiting a new War Band. It's where my heart is really. There's been some triumphs and disasters. I was messing with that fool deck again and got another Templar, but... he fell shortly after in Ryleh when I ran into Yog by accident. Damned Elder was already summoned when we moosied on in. The rest of the band was wiped out last night except for Ruby of course, my squire who I'd already gotten a stone for and Auremius one of the yeomen. He had to die this morning though to a Dark Young. Shortly after I went and got another stone for Trije, headed to Kentaur Isle, found myself three pegasi and recruited three more yeomen. Leek, Animus and Rylamon. Here's a hint for recruiting yeomen, choose those whose names are easy to use. "kunontitil, mount pegasus gets cumbersome, I know I know about nicknames but they feel odd on yeomen for some reason.

Now I did donate again (first time since LAST christmas) and I've used that to improve the Band. Ruby is taking advantage of the new Bond code, and there's a couple of followers on the way... What's that Mordred, someone's looking for me?