Year 7, Part 4
New
The timeless allure of the treasures of the Far East grasp your attention for a time, but in the end getting a foot into the door of Ulthuan's magical academia is too valuable to overlook. The palanquin you already have on display is a good example of the sort of artefact that the Asur are interested in having stored securely somewhere they have access to, but the thing that will really put you on the map to start with is your display on the Siren-Wail. The magics that form it are being allowed to fade as the modern Vampire Coast no longer requires it, having enough accumulated strength to be able to directly source any ships that it might need, but there's no need for you to share that information with the Asur. Instead, let them come to your island and study your findings on the matter, learning ways of minimizing the danger they believe it still represents and possibly bypassing it in its weakened form entirely.
And once there's that proven success out there, you should be able to open a dialogue with the White Tower of Hoeth, the heart of Asur magery and currently the greatest repository of arcane knowledge in the known world. Nehekharan pride compels you to emphasize the currently - during the mortal dynasties, the Temple of Years in Khemri surely outstripped any of the scattered collections of the Asur that preceded the White Tower. But that was a long time ago, before the Great Ritual, before the chaos of the Awakening, before the banishment of Khatep. Now it is the White Tower that dominates, and it is to the White Tower that your attention must turn.
Duarchy of the Citadel of Dusk, as the Kirior Tavlu Lustria - Overseers of the Research Colonies of Lustria
One of the responsibilities of the Citadel of Dusk is to oversee Ulthuan's research colonies in and around Ulthuan. Currently this consists of meterological research in the Citadel itself under High Priest Belodar Whitesurf, botanical research on the Isle of Lost Souls under Mage Telsomar Greendale, zoological research on the Turtle Isles under a population of disreputable Mages known as 'Grey Lords', some sort of extremely secretive research being performed on the Star Tower of Spitting Serpent Island by somebody, presumably, and now the Aqshythonel Tavlyngra, the Fire Serpent Island Magical Archive.
Affinity: Lustrian Magic
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The Norscans are not the sort of society to record their history on paper or papyrus. To their thinking, the primary means of recording and retelling history is the spoken word, and if an event calls for more commemoration than that, it should be carved into a stone monolith to dominate the local landscape for the next thousand years or more. The Tide of Skjold may have schismed from mainstream Norscan religion, but they still hold fast to this aspect of Norscan culture. When you approach them about commemorating their adoption of their new faith in the medium most natural to them, they seem to agree, confer with each other, and then sail off.
Several months later, long after you had started to worry that you might have offended them, they return with what they consider to be a suitable monolith for this purpose: a massive stone statue of a Khureshian morse, a sea beast with the front half of a lion and the back half of a fish, freshly stolen from the Gates of Cailith. It supposedly represents stately authority projected over the sea, and Ausmundr intends to symbolically and literally overwrite that by carving an enormous sea serpent encircling the sea-lion, with the runes bearing their message carved along its body.
For months the courtyard of your museum rings with the sound of chisels on stone, carved with the patience of the dead and the focus of the fanatic, and the carving begins to take form. It begins ᚨᚢᛊᛗᚢᚾᛞᚱ ᚺᛃᚢ ᚱᚢᚾᚨᚱ ᚦᛁᛊᚨᚱ ᚦᚨᛁᚱ ᛁᛊᚲᛁᚱ ᚨᚢᚲ ᚦᚢᚱᛚᛁᚠᚱ, crediting the carvers of the runes, and then goes through the long story of Skjold's compact with the Chaos Gods and the long despair of those abandoned by it, trapped at the bottom of the sea for an unimaginable eternity until their rescue by the magics of the Pearl of the Kraken Sea. Harkon and Manann are spoken of in the same tone, making it seem as though they either consider the two equals, or at the very least Harkon to be an avatar of Manann. Stromfels is mentioned as an epithet of Manann rather than a distinct God, considered to be an aspect of Manann rejected by the Asur, which the theft and suborning of this statue is intended to punish. Whether this represents heresy among the Stromfelian Cult of the Vampire Coast or merely harmless variety in worshipping styles is not for you to judge - what is, is how impressive an exhibit this represents for your museum. And with this embodiment of regal majesty bound in serpentine chains that tell the story of those that refused to remain sunk, you judge that it is very impressive indeed.
Runestone: The Tide of Skjold - Centrepiece - History, Norsca, Asur, Khuresh, Magic, Religion
Detailed understanding (requires: Sea Gods, Khuresh)
ᚺᛖᛁᛚᛚ ᛗᚨᚾᚨᚾᚾ ᛊᛏᚱᛟᛗᚠᛖᛚᛊ
A stone statue of a Khureshian morse stolen from the Gates of Cailith and carved with a sea serpent bearing the runes telling the story of the Tide of Skjold. Its undead crew were in death gifted to but rejected by the beasts of the Kraken Sea believed to be avatars of the Chaos Gods, and then rescued in undeath by Luthor Harkon and the enchantments he placed upon the Pearl of the Kraken Sea. Now they serve what they believe to be the true will of Manann, including His aspects that were rejected by the Asur, which is sometimes known as and separately worshipped as Stromfels. Also recorded are the names of every member of the Tide of Skjold, past and present, with room left for future recruits.
You have three actions to undertake this year.
Spend Goodwill (Current Goodwill: 0)
[-] New Acquisitionist
An Acquisitionist is someone you send out with instructions to acquire a specific type of relic. You will be given a selection of Acquisitionist to choose from based on your existing Patrons and Contacts.
[-] New Contact (specify a Patron or Contact)
A Contact is someone you can acquire specific types of goods from. You will be given a selection of Contacts to choose from based on who it is that you're asking to introduce you to one of their Contacts.
[-] New Museum Staff
Museum staff have knowledge that can add valuable context to your relics, and sometimes unlock entirely new capabilities for your museum. You will be given a selection of Staff to choose from based on your existing Patrons and Contacts.
[-] Develop Affiliate (specify who)
Develop one of your Acquisitionists, Contacts, or Staff. Acquisitionists may get new capabilities or specialities, Contacts may increase the range or amount of product they are willing to supply to you, Staff may gain new knowledge or capabilities. Developments might also be in more esoteric ways. You will be given a selection of ways for the Affiliate to Develop, and at least one of them will be benign.
[-] New Relics (specify a Patron)
You will be given a selection of rare, valuable, difficult to acquire, or otherwise significant Relics to choose from.
[-] Cultivate Audience (specify who and what)
Sometimes you must make the iron hot by striking it. Convince a specific audience to take an interest in something that's plausibly aligned with their interests and place in the world, but currently isn't driving them to visit museums. This will be more flexible if you have something suitably impressive to spark interest.
Develop Museum
[ ] Create Exhibit (specify what)
An exhibit consists of at least one centrepiece and any number of relics, combined by some sort of theme. For example, combining Luthor Harkon's original flagship with a number of Lustrian skeletons could create an exhibit centered around the Conquests of the Pirate King, describing Luthor Harkon's early history in Lustria and his conquest of Huatl. Exhibits can be altered, added to, or dismantled later.
[ ] Adjust Exhibits (specify what)
Add, remove, and move any number of relics to and from existing exhibits. You can also use this to dismantle an exhibit completely, moving its relics either to other exhibits or to storage. This cannot be used to create new exhibits.
[ ] Research Relic (specify which)
There is a great deal of difference between a display that is just a sword and one that tells you what type of sword it is, which people made it and used it, what was special about it, and what it developed from and into. Items that you or your staff already have requisite knowledge of will have that understanding automatically applied, but you can also personally research a specific item to seek out that specific set of answers yourself.
[ ] Acquire Relic (specify what or where)
Pahtsekhen can seek to acquire something specific personally, or can venture somewhere and see what he finds. While this will usually get worse results than using a Contact, it can be useful if there's something very specific you want, or if you've got surplus actions you don't know what else to do with. Keep in mind that though he is hardier than the average gentleman of his apparent age and a skilled Death Mage, he is not immune to consequences. Think less 'daring heists' and more 'let's go antiquing'.
[ ] Investigate (specify what)
Research a specific person, place, event, or people to discover Leads: clues that might be followed to discover and possibly acquire particularly impressive or meaningful relics of the past.
[ ] Pursue Lead (specify which, and optionally with who)
Pursue a matter of interest or significance that your investigations have uncovered. You can bring one of your Staff or Acquisitionists, or you may invite a Contact if the matter is relevant to them. Current leads: Nakai the Wanderer, New Huatl.
Broaden Horizons
[ ] Learn (specify what)
Surface can be learned as long as you have somewhere it can be reasonably learned from. Detailed requires either a very cooperative expert or a contact with influence over a centre of formal learning. Minutiae and higher are not currently available to be learned.
[ ] New Audience - Arabyan Academics
Affinity: Age, Magic, Nehekhara
Pahtsekhen has had a number of students over the years, and not all of them have ended infamously. If you think you have displays that may be of interest to them, you could spread word of your museum among the learned classes of Araby.
Acquire Relics - via the Tide of Skjold
[ ] Excursion - Tide of Skjold (specify where and for what)
The Tide of Skjold primarily specializes in hunting sea creatures, but are also capable of piracy, coastal raids, riverine raids, sea floor salvaging, and trading with minor settlements (who lack the standing military to say no when heavily armed skeletons want to barter). In general, a ship will return in one turn from an Excursion to Lustria, western Southlands, Araby, or Ulthuan, two turns for Naggaroth, the Old World, and eastern Southlands, and three turns for Ind, Cathay, and Nippon.
Acquire Relics - via Princess Aelsabrim Fallenstar
[ ] Critters
Lustria is home to various kinds of fascinating and unique forms of wildlife, the smaller and more manageable examples of which are in demand as pets and exhibits in Ulthuan and the Old World. You might decide that they're also in demand on Fire Serpent Island. Depending on what exactly you get you might not have the skills to keep them alive here, in which case you will kill and preserve them as lifelike display.
[ ] Beasts
Lustria's more impressive beasts are rarer, more dangerous, and even more sought after, both by Elven hunters and by the native Lizardmen that use them as mounts and as living siege engines, but one can be diverted from the trickle flowing through the Citadel to go towards your island. You do not have the skills to keep them alive here, so you will kill and preserve them as lifelike display.
[ ] Plants
Princess Aelsabrim roped in a local ally of hers, the Mage Telsomar Greendale, to make sure you didn't mishandle her husband's spirit. Her claimed area of expertise is carnivorous plants, and she seems to be quite competent. You could arrange for seeds and samples from this collection if you foresee a botanical wing to your museum.
[ ] Skeletons (choose one: small, rare, large)
Most places would consider the skeletons you have to be very large indeed, but in Lustria, they're strictly medium-sized. They're also only the more common specimens. You could have the expeditions also start crating up the smaller skeletons, less individually impressive but greater in quantity, or have them seek out the remains of rarer and more impressive beasts, or gathering portions of larger, older, and less complete skeletons they encounter in the hopes of being able to eventually piece them together into a future centerpiece.
[ ] Arms and Armour (optional: specify what sort, eg: bows, spears, siege weapons)
With Ithisar established as equal to the Citadel of Dusk in the Anurell Peninsula colony, Aelsabrim has the right to raise and equip her own Sea Guard. Some of her acquisitions to this end can be redirected for display in your museum.
[ ] Gems
Honestly, there's not much historical value in freshly-mined jewels, but they are extremely pretty. Uh, they were mined on Fuming Serpent Island, so they are tangentially related to the Vampire Coast. And Elven faceting techniques are some of the most advanced in the world. You could come up with some excuse to indulge in corvid instincts.
[ ] Magical Relics
It might be seen as in the best interest of the Asur if certain magical relics inadvertently unearthed from Fuming Serpent Island were quietly removed to a secure yet deniable location for further study.
- There will be a twenty hour moratorium. Voting will be in plan format.
- Actually contacting the White Tower would be done via spending Goodwill on [-] New Contact (Citadel of Dusk).
- The Runestone is loosely based on the Piraeus Lion.
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