GoCorral

This session was recorded and can be watched on YouTube. There’s an audio error so only my audio was recorded for the first 36 minutes. After that was smooth sailing. As this session was recorded I was able to get a lot more dialogue written down and more accurately at that. Whether that was worth it is another question.

Quick Detective Work

The party returned to Mars’ Oasis after losing Amalius in the Plane of Elemental Fire. They investigated the scene. The adamantine door to the dragon vault had been broken in by an acidic blast. Four guards lay on the ground with caustic lacerations that strongly resembled those that Barakah inflicted. Were Amalius and Barakah working together? No… The Exiles suspected not. They examined the bodies closer. Were the wounds really caused by a giant’s tentacle?

WAIT! One of the guards was still breathing! The party quickly revived him and got his version of events. Six guards had been stationed to the vault. They were attacked by a tentacled giant who lashed at them with his acid pseudopods. He had moved too quickly for them to react and incapacitated all of them. Two of the guards were eaten whole by the beast. The guard they were speaking to had been knocked away by a tentacle and passed out. He had no memory of his mind being assaulted in any fashion. This was especially odd as the elite guards of Mars’ Oasis receive special mental training. It was unlikely that his mental state had been altered without his knowledge.

Suspicious, the party cast speak with dead on one of the corpses to confirm the living guard’s story. Everything matched up. Still, the Exiles remained uncertain. Barakah and Amalius’s goals seemed incompatible. Could they really have worked together? If Barakah had attacked initially, where was he when the Exiles arrived? Where was Amalius in the guard’s story? Unfortunately, the party had a wedding to get to. They told the guard to report their suspicions to his superiors before they teleported back to Jipangu.

Wedding Games

The party’s absence from the ceremony was noted, but the wedding had proceeded successfully without them. Torin stumbled his way through the swearing of vows, often not so subtly insulting the couple by mentioning their premarital relations. Additionally, where it is traditional to praise the couple’s finer attributes, Torin could come up with nothing for neither bride nor groom. At the conclusion Fauxmalius kissed Denara and people applauded as they usually do. Husband and wife left for the Halkias estate and the reception. The rest followed. Gorwinua, Hektor, Eathirilu, and Danar returned as the stragglers were still exiting the shrine where the wedding ceremony was held.

It is traditional after a classical Greek wedding to hold a series of contests at the reception. The first contest was a javelin throw. Hektor stepped up and hefted one of the javelins. With a lazy throw he sent it flying 80 meters. Danar tossed his javelin a sizeable 60 meters. A good throw, but not the best.

Gorwinua hobbled over to the javelin rack, humming as she went. The old orc grabbed one of the javelins and lifted it over her head with both hands. She then adopted the perfect javelin throwing pose and chucked the missile 90 meters.

Eathirilu was too busy shotgunning a keg of ale to participate in the javelin toss. A few of the other guests participated. Gradorian, Astyanax, Junai, and Alabaster threw their own javelins. Gradorian and Junai threw their’s a bit short of Danar’s throw. Astyanax threw a “weak” 40 meters. Alabaster gave his javelin a heave and it landed 88 meters down the pitch.

Gorwinua won the javelin throwing contest. Fauxmalius gave her a slight smile, knowing that she had used magic to unfairly influence the outcome. Regardless, Fauxmalius congratulated the orc on her stunning victory. He produced a beautifully decorated golden javelin and gave it to his mother, Hiroka. She in turn presented it to Gorwinua. The old orkish bard accepted the gift graciously and used it as a cane for the rest of the evening.

The party elected to not participate in the remaining contests. Gradorian won the wrestling contest and Sabriyya won the sprinting contest. The long jump contest went to a local Jipangu noble. Each winner was presented with a gift from the host.

Drinks and Toasts

As the evening went on Gorwinua got drunk and started encouraging people to dance. Many asked her to sing. She responded, “I have something special planned for later.”

Eathirilu sat in the corner and continued to shotgun kegs. The Björn of Dalleer invited Eathirilu to a drinking contest. The wolverine druid continued to drink without saying yes or no.

The Björn said, “Ah! An animal after my own heart!” He raised his eyebrows provocatively, “We should talk later.” Eathirilu continued to drink. The Björn continued, “I see I have some catching up to do!”

Björn picked up a casket of wine, poked a hole in it with his magically sharpened finger, and then began shotgunning it along with Eathirilu. The Björn engaged in circular breathing through his nose to continue downing the wine nonstop. The wolverine’s head inclined towards Björn in a slight nod.

Torin drank keg after keg. When he felt close to his limit, he cast restoration on himself and continued to drink.

Tagenadi and Hektor sat in a corner and avoided social engagement.

Danar mingled amongst many people who admired his legendary deeds from 500 years ago. He danced with his old friend, Gorwinua. He made connections with a few of the key political figures in the Alliance and in Jipangu. The food was served. The noble guests hid their surprise as best they could when they realized that their banquet would contain exactly the same dishes offered to the commoners outside the Halkias estate.

Soon the time for toasts arrived. Gorwinua took the first, “First off! Another round of applause for the newly beds. I mean! Newly weds! Newly weds,” Gorwinua paused for applause and laughter, “Raise your glasses to our gilded tongued master of ceremonies, Hierophant of Athena, and High General Torin, son of Ringr of the Dwarven Empire.” The reception gave a quiet round of polite applause, remembering Torin’s abysmal officiation of the wedding.
Gorwinua continued, “From the looks of it he has a lot of seats to fill, but don’t worry folks. He and his belly are working on it.” The crowd chuckled a little bit. “And lastly, of course, a toast to the venerable lords and ladies of Jipangu and the Alliance whose wisdom and acumen, courage and strength, have together raised the greatest slave army that Cimmeria has ever seen.
“Ah… the young couple. I would like to present to them a gift. Twelve barrels of the finest orkish wine, one each for the twelve Olympians. Er…well… Eleven and seven eighths barrels?” Gorwinua flashed a smile, indicating that she had tasted a goblet from one of the barrels. “Not the finest wine in all of Cimmeria none-the-less the orkish people have slaved over it for generations.” The crowd was a bit more puzzled now. The guests were uncertain whether to look at Gorwinua, the married couple, or the goblin servers she seemed to be talking about.
Hektor cast mage hand and began tugging on Gorwinua’s dress. Gorwinua ignored the wizard’s attempts to quiet her, “And to you, young Amalius, what deeds you have wrought in your two dozen years. To bring back the armies of the Alliance, you are our very own Prometheus. I’ve only been back for a short while, but I feel I already know him so well.” She put her hands on her hips and said in a joking tone, “Amalius have you been messing with my memory?” The crowd was silent, but from the back of the party one could hear the sounds of a drunk wolverine laughing.
“But really folks, he really has done so much for the people of Cimmeria. One is forced to wonder if there really are two of him.” Gorwinua paused for those in the know. She continued with a wink, “And what a fine gift for young Denara that would be.
“To Amalius and Denara. To the end of tyranny and the end of an evil god and to the end of evil kings. And now…” Gorwinua gestured to the band and they began playing.

The party continued on. Gorwinua attempted to introduce Hektor to some of the eligible ladies at the reception. Hektor stumbled when it came to social conversation, but Gorwinua more than made up for it. She told the women about the many exploits and talents of the best wizard in the world. Hektor began to talk with them. Once the conversation seemed to be approaching stability, Gorwinua left.

The whole night, Aldarian had been glued to the side of Eamorataj, the elvish, druidic tutor of Fauxmalius and Denara’s children. Gorwinua cut in, attempting to dance with Eamorataj. Aldarian skillfully twisted the dance into a circle of three.

A True Wedding Has a Little Blood

The sun began to set. People went from drunk to wasted on Gorwinua’s gift of wine. The festivities continued outside of the Halkias home as well. The hum of voices outside rose to an angry murmur. Eathirilu’s keen ears picked up the sound of a demagogue riling the commoners up against the nobility. A strong male voice shouted, “You know what they’re eating in there? They’re eating all the sirloin while we get the stringy bits. They get lamb and pork and you get the scraps! They think nothing of the plight of the common man and the trials you face in your daily lives. They care not. They do nothing for you, but placate you with these empty entertainments and empty gifts. The nobles do this to keep you down. To keep you depressed and obedient!”

The angry voices shouted for blood. Danar flew to the top of the Halkias estate’s exterior walls and looked out at the crowd of thousands. In the midst of the mob a wooden platform had been hastily constructed out of overturned tables. On top of the platform stood Amalganus, Amalius’s father, or at least a simulacrum of him. Amalganus continued to rally the crowd against the nobles of Jipangu, “We should go in there! We should take what they’re keeping from us! We should bring them out here into the misery of our lives so they can see what it’s like to live like us for a change!”
Danar flew off the Halkias wall towards Amalganus, planning on removing him from the platform. As he streaked forward he was slammed by an unseen force. He struggled and pushed through the magical force, whatever it was. Danar shouted to the crowd, “Yes! People of Jipangu, refugees, war victims, now is the time to strike out and make a new life for ourselves.”
Amalganus spoke towards Danar, “Yes! Here stands one of the converted like me who is sympathetic to your plight and wishes to share our materials. Come forth! Share your wealth oh, Danar of Sheerzen, King of the Dragon Artists!”
Danar responded, “Do you know who I am? I am the man who denied the throne and started a kingdom in the middle of the fucking swamp. Follow me and you shall prosper!” Danar laced his words with a magical suggestion adding a little umph to his self-made man story. As he cast the spell, Danar was hit by the unseen force once more. He ignited one of the wards he had set in place earlier and deflected the hostile magic. Danar’s suggestion influenced the minds of key members in the crowd, getting them to follow him. Unfortunately, not knowing Danar’s full intent, the crowd began to pick up improvised weapons and light torches.

Within the Halkias estate most of the guests were gossiping about the growing mob. The conversation seemed to center around how it would take a long time for them to make their way home through the throngs. Few seemed concerned about the dangers the gathering presented.

Gorwinua flew out, holding a bottle of wine and a goblet. She alighted next to Danar and asked him, “What’s going on?”
“To be honest, I saw a big group of people. I’ve been looking to start a new settlement. I kind of miss the swamp days. I saw an opportunity.”

Within the mob there was a multitude of fearful screams. A point coalesced where the crowd thinned as people ran away in fear. There was nothing at this point as far as Danar and Gorwinua could see. The screams attracted Eathirilu. He transformed into a bear and carried his keg over to the wrought iron gate to watch the proceedings.

Amalganus vaulted off his platform and overturned one of the tables to create a barricade between himself and the point that people ran from. As he did so, the mob went insane. People began frothing at the mouth, running, and stabbing each other. The spellcasting party recognized this as a magic influence.

This was too much chaos for Torin. His stoic indifference to the affairs of Jipangu dropped and Torin used dispel magic to clear the minds of the people rioting outside. Some of the people calmed down, but only relatively. The mob continued to writhe and surge.

Hektor, thinking that this must be some sort of plot by Amalgami with the Amalganus simulacrum, acted without remorse. He shot a disintegrate at Amalganus. The false man turned to ash and water. This served only to anger the crowd further as their demagogue was martyred in front of their eyes by the perceived enemy.

As the crowd’s anger peaked, Gorwinua began to sing. The message of the song was that the dream of Jipangu was still alive. If you work hard as a person of Jipangu you can succeed and build an honorable life and home for your family. There is a problem in society, but there’s a peaceful solution to it. This calmed more of those within the mob, but still not enough.

Seeing that they might not be able to stop the flood, Danar and Tagenadi began flying down and picking people out of danger to deposit to safety nearby. The mob flooded towards the Halkias gate. Eathirilu vaulted in front of the gate and took up a defensive position. He waved his bear claws and summoned a strong magical wind to blast people backwards, preventing the mob from reaching the people in the wedding reception.

Torin continued to dispel the insanity magic and Gorwinua kept singing to calm the people. Eventually the chaos abated and the crowd dispersed. Who had cast the insanity magic? Most likely Amalgami due to the presence of the Amalganus simulacrum.

With the action over the party wound down. Guests began leaving. Amalius and Denara went off to bed. Slowly everyone else trickled out. The sun set on an eventful day.

Hektor, Danar, Torin, and Gorwinua engaged in a discussion on the ethics of slaves in Eastern Cimmerian society. Hektor felt all social issues could wait for the fall of the dragovinians. Gorwinua felt that no time was too soon to begin the work of abolition. Torin felt that slavery was a naturally more ethical than executing prisoners of war.
(Watch the movie at about 1 hour and 55 minutes in for the slavery talk)

The Final Gauntlet

Plans for the war continued. A few days later the Alliance Council was contacted by a human messenger from the Xorians. They wished to negotiate a truce. The party joined the negotiations with the Alliance Council.

Gorwinua asked, “Is this an unconditional surrender?”
The messenger spoke with a Xorian peasant’s accent, “I have been instructed to allow King Jevaninada the Second to speak for himself, using me as a remote. I shall summon him immediately if you are ready to discuss terms.”
“The Council is ready,” said Arendil.
The messenger twisted the pendant on his ruby necklace and his face began to morph and change. Slowly his features were altered to become those of the King of the Dragovinians, the Avatar of Blendegad’s Might, Jevaninada the Second of Xoria. The messenger’s plain face remained beneath the surface, visible only out of the corner of an observer’s eye.
“The loss of life in this war is no longer sustainable. Greshendale, Bradel Fields, Phoenix, and Jevanicia, destroyed. We throw mindless undead armies at each other and do not consider the consequences to our individual soldiers and citizenry. I ask you to end it. Come to Nox Castle with your best fighters and face the best of Xoria.”
Gorwinua spoke up saying, “Why do you come here now? Is it that you realize you have no chance in this war without hinging your fate on ritual combat?”
“We wish to end the loss of life. Xoria has always had the power to crush your Alliance and bring an end to your resistance, but doing so would be traumatic. All your people would die and there would be nothing left to conquer. I now see this result as inevitable if we are to continue on our current track. To forestall this outcome, ritual combat is preferable. Vanquish you, not eliminate you. Afterwards we will raise up those with merit who join our Empire. It has always been the Xorian belief that Ability, Unity, and Immortality are the most important things in society. Therefore they should be the most important things in people.”
Eathirilu said, “You realize your immortality is a lie. You’re all just offering yourselves up to your god. For him to devour you all. I have seen it. There will be no one left in the end and you will hand your people their doom.”
“You look at false visions, druid. As Blendegad rises, so will the best among us rise to join him in the pantheon. He will not consume the rest of us as we will raise up to be gods just as he is. You too could be a god in the new pantheon, druid.”
Hektor broke in, “The way I see it, you don’t have the power to eliminate us. Your threat is meaningless. We are winning this war. We have the power of resurrection on our side. We’ve got Eathirilu and me. You have Stanton and Terroc, oh wait, they’re dead! This is just a war of attrition and the Alliance is winning.”
Jevaninada answered, “Perhaps you need another demonstration like Bradel Fields. Maybe that should happen here in Jipangu, or Yuettencal, or Lakatia. You think that you stand above us? We have weapons that you cannot even imagine.”
Eathirilu said, “You can kill our cities, but you can’t kill us.”
“I wouldn’t need to. You won’t have anything left to fight for but your own, sad vision of the world.”
Danar said, “We may not be able to save the world, but you can be damn sure we’ll avenge it.”
Gorwinua asked, “Would there be slaves in your new order?”
Jevaninada said, “Of course. Such is the natural and right way of the world. The strong rule the weak.”
“Dammit!” Gorwinua took off her shoe and threw it at the messenger. The man did not even flinch as the shoe hit him in the nose. Blood began to drip down into his mouth. The messenger’s actions were controlled by his Emperor and Emperors do not bleed.
Gorwinua said, “We accept your challenge! But we refuse to negotiate terms through this gross, middle person.”
“If you so wish you may come to Nox Castle I swear no harm will come to you as long as you keep the peace. A dragovinian is bound to his oaths, so you can have faith in your security throughout the negotiations.”
Gorwinua said, “If Jevininada, emperor of Xoria and Avatar of the Reaper, expects us to trust that the terms of his challenge will be honored in the very heart of Nox, then he must trust us and meet to discuss terms in a place of our choosing. Atop the Lich Shade is both neutral and a place of power that honors neither his gods nor ours.”
Jevaninada replied, “The Lich Shade? The very site where you sent thousands of undead to slaughter my men? You call this neutral ground? A grave insult if I’ve ever heard one. If you wish a more neutral location then we should meet outside the east gates of Gazeara in two days hence.”
“With your grand assembled armies at your back, and starving peasants and battered walls at ours? Ridiculous.”
Jevaninada was happy to trade insult for insult, “Then perhaps your ‘great intelligence’ realizes why communicating through a messenger suits both our needs.”
An idea came to Gorwinua, “No, we can meet in the desert. There’s twenty-five insect queens that rule the great hives. They are bound by their custom and their culture to uphold lawful interactions between people. They will stand as witness and through their magical might enforce civility between us and you fuckers.”
“Since you honor honest and in-person discussion so strongly, I will meet your challenge pitiful orc woman. We will go to the hives and negotiate there.”

Lawful Negotiations

Particulars were discussed for hiring the formian hives in the Shacklack Desert (Xorian Wars 45/Alliance 34). Both sides offered up a fee and the hive queens were hired. If the sanctity of the negotiations were violated, the twenty-five hives would join together to enforce the contract. With their combined might, to violate the truce was to court death.

A few days later the Alliance party went to the formians. The Xorian party was already there. Blendegad the Reaper, King Jevaninada II, Barejando, Darudanano, and the whole host of enormous dragons that were present at the fight over Nox. Danar locked eyes with Invernix and glared. Danar fingered his axe. Invernix’s eyes slid off Danar to land upon Eathirilu. For armor the druid wore the skin of red dragons, Invernix’s children. The red dragon patriarch snarled.

Blendegad’s participation in the fight was established as non-negotiable. From there the two sides moved to choosing location with the two main options being Nox Castle and the Formian Hives.

Nox Castle could prevent the teleportation of people trying to enter or leave, but allowed teleportation within its confines. This would prevent any retreat, ensuring that the combat would reach a final resolution. Recognizing that this was their home territory, the Xorians were willing to allow a “man advantage” to the Alliance. The Alliance could bring twice as many warriors.

The Formian Hives were more difficult. The Formians could stand by and dispel teleportation magic, but how would they know what was an attempt to escape and what was merely a tactical maneuver? Magical barriers could be put in place, but they lacked the discretion for in-fight teleportation as well.

Nox Castle was decided on.

Next up was who would participate. The party was confident in the six Exiles and six more of the Alliance elite. They knew that at least four of the Xorians would be Blendegad, Jevaninada, Barejando, and Darudanano. If they were going to be matched twelve against six, would the other two be dragons?

Summoning magic was also discussed. Summons were acceptable during the fight, but it was decided that they could not occur beforehand. Doing so would count as bringing additional people.