GoCorral

This session was attended by Trajan, Will, Ben, and Tyler. The session was using Skype for voice and video. Roll20 wasn’t really needed this session.

In His Head

Hektor and Danar teleported to Jipangu to speak with Amalius about borrowing the ring gates. They made their way to his estate and were swiftly admitted by his servants to his study. Bookshelves covered the walls and a large desk was covered in maps and tactical drawings. A worn wooden chair with a leather seat was behind the desk while three padded stools were in front of it. Hektor began to examine the maps while they waited for Amalius to meet them. He saw that the maps were of the Great Divide, the river the Xorians would be fording.

Before Hektor could look at the maps in more detail the door opened and a young man entered. Not Amalius, but a well-dressed servant with a sword at his hip. The man was tall with a small nose, brown hair, and green eyes. Hektor recalled the description of Amalius’s dead squire, Endi, and noticed that this man matched it to a tee. Hektor was about to speak when the man smirked at the two guests, “Hello. You must be the two heroes my master spoke of. I am Endi, Amalius’s squire.” Endi tilted his head forward as he finished speaking.

The smirk, the tilt of his head, the speech pattern. Hektor knew without a doubt, this was Amalius. Either disguised as Endi or controlling the squire’s mind, the person who stood before them was not Endi, but Amalius.

“It is good to see you, Andi,” Hektor said, deliberately mispronouncing Endi’s name and drawing it out in such a way as to make it obvious that he knew the true identity of the man he addressed. “Will Amalius be joining us?”
“No,” said Endi as he sat behind the desk. “but I speak with his voice.” His eye twinkled.
“Of course. Perhaps you already know why we have come. We wish to borrow the ring gates that the Alliance uses for instant teleportation. We plan to attack the Xorian army that retreats from Phoenix with Tagenadi’s undead forces. This ambush will cripple the Xorian military, with no risk of lost life for the Alliance. I’m sure you can see the strategic advantages of such a move. Furthermore it has the potential to rid us of another troublesome threat, the undead army itself, which has long been a plague upon Cimmeria.”
“Ah yes. Another ‘brilliant plan’ that I can’t help but accept is the good and righteous path. Is that it? I cannot condone an attack such as this. The loss of life would be too severe.”
“Loss of life? There’d be no loss of life. Only the undead would die and you surely don’t value their existence.”
“Not the undead, the Xorians. Your undead attack would give the Xorians little opportunity to retreat or surrender. Many innocent conscripted soldiers would die needlessly. They have done nothing wrong, why do they deserve a fate such as that? Furthermore you haven’t considered the problem of the undead creating spawn from their victims. Instead of solving two problems at once you may be creating an even bigger one and playing right into Hades’s hands.”
“Then what should we do? You’ve looked at this. I can see your maps.” Hektor swept his arm towards the battle plans upon the desk. “This is a war, what else can we do but kill the enemy?”
“I can give no suggestions to you.”
“Really? That’s your answer, Inky?” Hektor lampooned Endi’s name once again. “We shouldn’t do this attack and there aren’t any other paths that you think are better. Bah! You’re hiding something.”
“And what if I was?”
“Then you’d tell me as your friend. We’ve worked together so many times in the past. If you have something that can help us, help the people of Cimmeria in this war, you should share it. After all the sooner this war ends the fewer casualties there will be in the long run.”
“How is your side more right than their own? Do you not have gods and a pantheon that demand sacrifice and dictate what is right and wrong, just as the Xorians have their Blendegad?”
“That’s different. Our gods do not demand enslavement of the masses and organize-”
“Oh I think they do! What of your home country, Hektor? What of Aractrash? Twenty percent of the jungle kingdom is literally enslaved and who knows how many more have little freedom but to live and die in the same hovels that their parents lived and died in. You think your side is so right and just? Wake up and smell the hippocras!”
“Our society has problems of its own, I admit. But they are nothing compared to the dragovinians and their tyranny. I implore you again, help us in the name of the bond of friendship that binds us. What would you tell us?”
“What would I tell you?” Amalius/Endi said. “I would tell you that the true tyranny is not the dragovinians or the kings or nobles. True tyranny comes from the gods themselves.”
“What are you saying?”
“A great war is coming, Hektor. Not between Blendegad, Poseidon, Hades, or any of the other Olympians. No, not between them, but between us and them. We will rise up and cast off the shackles of ritual and superstition. A new order will be formed, where everyone is free. Gods have been cast down before. Do you know of Marduk? Ashur? Ereshkigal?”
“No, but-”
“All dead. Or as good as dead, but their people replaced them. They raised up new idols and clamped new chains upon their ankles and wrists.”
“This is madness! We cannot turn against the gods, Amalius!”
“Can we not? How else do we resist slavery and tyranny? How else do we do right by the people of Cimmeria. Zeus sleeps forever and his siblings and children will join him by the end of the Great War.”
“Don’t talk about this anymore. It’s foolishness. Let’s… Let’s discuss the war with Xoria. We need to borrow the ring gates to help the Alliance.”
“So you can have your kings prove dominance over theirs? Your gods over theirs?”
“Our rule IS better! How can you not see that?”
“A country without a ruler would be better.”
Hektor and Amalius argued back and forth, but no common ground could be found. Amalius would not budge and Hektor refused to see any truth in Amalius’s bleak depiction of the rule of gods over mortals. Eventually, Endi/Amalius stood to leave the room.
Hektor pleaded with him as Endi’s hand touched the doorknob, “Please! For the sake of our friendship.”
Endi turned back and said, “I value our friendship and that is why you will be the first to know when the time comes to create the new world.”
Danar called out as Endi turned away, “Inky! You remind me of Tentineh.” Danar mangled the squire’s name, apparently unsure of how to actually pronounce it.
Endi/Amalius paused with his hand upon the door, then exited without a word.
Hektor looked at the maps on the desk in more detail after their host left. Amalius had come up with several different battle plans based on different conditions. Hektor rolled up the maps and took them all as he and Danar exited the Halkias estate. If Amalius would not help them, they would go directly to the Alliance Council.

Over His Head

Danar and Hektor invited Barakah and Zelus to come and be introduced to the Alliance Council. The four of them went to the home of Arendil, diplomatic leader of the Alliance and head of the First Family of Jipangu. His home was the seat of leadership within Jipangu just as Jipangu was the seat of leadership for the Alliance. They were told that the Council would be meeting immediately and they were ushered into a sitting room to wait.

Around an hour later the Council members had all arrived and the meeting commenced in a large empty room with a wooden floor. Hard pillows were available for people to sit or kneel on. Servants hovered at the edge of the room, ready to provide drinks or food as needed. At the head of the room, Arendil sat. On either side of him were Astyanax and Gradorian. Astyanax still wore the enchanted golden mask that obscured his features. The other attendees included Titandra, Kig Yupington, Erick Stoneborn, Junai, and Lieutenant Hunter. The party took their seats beside Junai and Lieutenant Hunter. Barakah sat at the end of the rectangle. A place that he felt suited him, being opposite the head, and a place that was large enough to accommodate his form as well. Absent were representatives from Dalleer, Mars’ Oasis, and Aractrash. Mars’ Oasis and Aractrash had yet to join the Alliance, but they planned to soon.

“We have much to discuss,” said Arendil after the appropriate introductions had been made.
“Yes,” said Hektor. “We have a plan to attack the Xorians that requires the ring gates.” Hektor told them of the party’s plan making sure to emphasize that using the undead might allow the Alliance plausible deniability should the Xorians wish to retaliate.
Arendil said, “I fear there is no hope for plausible deniability any longer. The same was true for the destruction of Bradel Fields. Although we may have come through with the majority of our military strength unscathed… we were not without casualties…” Arendil trailed off. His chin quivered and he looked down.
Astyanax set his hand on Arendil’s shoulder and said to the Exiles, “We had actually hoped to work more closely with you now that Amalius has proven his commitment to the cause. We received your letter Danar, but we respectfully disagree. We work towards the same goal, why not join our talents instead of dividing them?”
Danar had sent a letter to the Alliance, offering to cooperate in supplying them with weapons and armor, but wishing to stay out of any official Alliance activities to maintain plausible deniability.
Arendil said, “There’s no reason to think the Xorians won’t strike back again. I think it best that we work together from now on. With that in mind we see two ways forward to winning this war in earnest. We must heal Zeus or kill Jevaninada.”
Hektor said, “Healing Zeus has been a priority for us.”
“And well it should be,” said Titandra. “The sooner he returns the sooner Poseidon can be cast back into the sea. His encroachment onto the realms of the other Olympians threatens to upset the natural order of the world. Only Zeus can restore our world to its proper state.”
“As for Jevaninada…” said Arendil. “We’d thought you might be planning some assassination attempt on him. We don’t wish to stand in your way. Rather we wish to help you in anyway we can.”
“I don’t think an assassination attempt would be wise. If we fail the Xorians may retaliate and the results could be disastrous,” said Hektor.
Arendil harumphed but said no more.
Hektor said, “We have almost everything needed to bring Zeus back. We think it best to strike against the Xorians now though. There will never be another time where they are so exposed. My lords, now is the time to act.”
Astyanax said, “Give us some time to deliberate in what you’ve told us. We’ll vote and then tell you our decision.”
The party members stood and left the room.

While waiting for the Council to reach a decision the Exiles talked amongst themselves. The topic, would it be so bad if Poseidon were King of Olympus instead of Zeus? Zelus, knowing both Olympians personally said that it was not right. Poseidon’s place was in the sea as the Fates had decreed. Furthermore, his holding of both sea and sky made him too strong. Poseidon would surely abuse his power if given the opportunity and many would suffer.

Before the others could weigh in, the doors opened and the group was summoned back into the large hall.

The Alliance had agreed to lend the ring gates to the party. Astyanax, Gradorian, and Kig Yupington would watch over the ring gates while the party used them. With that the party’s official business with the Alliance was concluded for the day.

After the other Councilors said their farewells Gradorian approached Danar. The hobgoblin opened his mouth, then closed it. He took a deep breath then started again, “I’ve heard stories about you since I was a child. You slayed many beasts, fought the dragons, brought civilization and culture to places that had none. In a way, I’ve always wanted to be like you. To have deeds worth remembering, to defeat evil, and to save the people of this world. Please, if you’ll let me, could I follow you? I can help you in your quest now! Learn from you! And when the time comes, carry on your legacy if need be.”
“Of course,” said Danar. “But what of the Alliance? Won’t they need your skills and strength?”
“They will make do without me and I can still aid them at critical juncture. Junai will assume my responsibilities. She is my equal in more ways than one.”
“Then I accept. Come, tell me about yourself. What are your skills?”
And so Danar gained a new cohort!