Interlude DCXCV: In a Stranger's Gaze
In a Stranger's Gaze

First Day of the Twelfth Month 293 AC

The Dimwell Delving, Plane of Earth


Fair and grand was Volantis, City of the World's Desires, yet Zherys Naethyreon, governor of the city, had to admit to himself, if not to others, that he was glad to be ranging beyond it's walls for a fortnight and far indeed this was. A forest of glittering crystal stretched out before him, pillars emitting and refracting light in a dizzying array that you could not tell one form another. A pity that it would crumble to dust if carried away from under the Deep Stone. It would be worth quite a lot in the markets of the city for their beauty. To the locals, however, the chamber was worth no more than a good place for caravans to rest and picky beasts to feed on the thick carpet of crystalline sand. Show them a glade in the woods and they would would count it one of the wonders of the Spheres. How would one hailing from beyond all the Final Circle see this place, he sorcerer lord wondered, turning to meet the great eye of the spectator Xor.

Whether reading the question in Zherys' eyes or completing whatever observation he had made of the place the beholder-kin spoke up: "No trace of Far Realm resonance, not a shard of bile stone that I can see and in this sort of setting the color alone would be striking."

"Could our quarry have simply departed this part of the Realm of Stone entirely?" Lady Caleris asked thoughtfully. "It was wise enough not to face the King and his companions when they passed by its lair, perhaps it chose less perilous hunting grounds rather than risk a dragon's wrath."

Wisdom Xor swayed from side to side in an approximation of shaking one's head. "No, the..." a sound utterly impossible to pass through human throats and subtly wrong to hear passed his lips. "Sorry, I meant to say Eye Tyrants, it's just a terrible name, I mean... when you think about it they have more eyes than two, but so do a lot of other things. "

"The vagaries of poor naming bedevil even the King," Zherys pointed out. "Proclamation or no he is going to have to share the name of his kindred with unthinking war-beasts likely for years."

"Quite," Xor bobbed in absentminded agreement. "In any case, the one we are hunting will likely be quite secure in its superiority besides most beings of the Spheres, they won't abandon their projects just from one sight of a dragon."

"Project..." the naga mage who had been silent so far hissed. "A grand word for banditry and theft."

"It is unlikely they seek simple monetary value in ambushing caravans," Xor replied. "Eye Tyrants tend to have lofty ambitions, spilling forth dreams of Beyond."

Zherys was curious about the last part, but he recognized it as an imperfect translation of alien truths and he did not wish to expose his ears to that speech again so soon. Instead he asked: "Then why does the entire caravan vanish in such cases, all merchants, guards and goods?"

"Unfortunately..." the spectator sighed. "I think they are obliterating everything they aren't using so that no 'lesser being' can profit from their work."

"Ah... lovely, one of those," Lady Caleris said sarcastically, leaving Zherys to briefly ponder the nature of Valyrian sorcerers that she might take that weary tine when speaking of such senseless destruction and madness. True he could think of one or two former magisters, long since dead, who might have taken a similar perspective, but he did not see either of them possessing the discipline to light a candle with magic.

"Do you think you could identify a pattern in the cargoes of afflicted merchants?" the serpentine mage asked Wisdom Xor.

"Not with any surety, no," he replied after a moment, eyestalks falling slightly.

"We possess stronger divination than common merchants are likely to," Lady Caleris said thoughtfully. "Perhaps rather than stalking the bilestone veins we could simply find a doomed caravan and follow it at a distance to launch our own counter-ambush."

"Better to hire on as guards rather than risk the merchants finding us out by some mischance and mistaking our intentions," Zherys pointed out, spotting the less than pleased expression on the sorceress' face he added. "We would not have to keep the payment after the ruse is done, of course..." In his youth the mage-lord would have counted himself lucky and even now he did not object to more gold, but one must make allowances for the principles of one's allies.

OOC: Another set up chapter with some characterization.
 
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Wisdom Xor swayed from side to side in an approximation of shaking one's head. "No, the..." a sound utterly impossible to pass though human throats and and subtly wrong to hear passed his lips. "Sorry I meant to say Eye Tyrants, it's just a terrible name, I mean when you think about it they have more eyes than two but so do a lot of other things. "

LIES RUNG AS HOLLOW TRUTHS!!! The Far Realm and it's inhabitants are anything BUT subtle. Even their language. Especially their language.
Zherys was curious about the last part, but he recognized it as an imperfect translation of alien truths and he did not wish to expose his ears to that speech again so soon.

There are things that are beyond your wildest imaginations... and there are things better off unlearned. Lest the knowldedge within consumes you...
 
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LIES RUNG AS HOLLOW TRUTHS!!! The Far Realm and it's inhabitants are anything BUT subtle. Even their language. Especially their language.


There are things that are beyond your wildest imaginations... and there are things better off unlearned. Lest the knowldedge within consumes you...

Keep in mind this is Zherys narrating, he's been delving into the secrets of and practicing magic for decades. His standards for eldritch truths man was not meant to know are likely to be different from most people.
 
"Better to hire on as guards then rather than risk the merchants finding us out by some mischance and mistaking our intentions," Zherys pointed out, spotting the less than pleased expression on the sorceress' face he added. "We would not have to keep the payment after the ruse is done of course..." In his youth the mage-lord would have counted himself lucky and even now he did not object to more gold even now but one must make allowances for the principles of one's allies.
Hmm.
I admit that I don't quite get why she wouldn't want payment from a caravan.
They will actually protect the merchant after all, the payment would be fairly earned.
 
You should post it here.

Exemplar seems attractive for Skill Mastery, tho Even More Diplo from the other feature won't hurt. About 5 skills which I can always take ten on would be great for guaranteeing Diplo and Sense Motive, plus whatever I decide to focus on. Spellcraft and Arcana? Tumble? Iaijutsu? Autohypnosis? Intimidate (as I was thinking of Imperious Command & Never Outnumbered)?

In a world which should have a dearth of proper casting, the seven Wiz/Sorc spells of up to seventh level go a long way, too. Incidentally, could I use those SLAs to craft?

Tons of skills, and removing the "master of none" but from "Jack of all trades".

But something like a level in Swordsage or Warblade wouldn't be bad, either.

The world-leader cohorts are a short-term trouble, too. If Trump is your BFF, it doesn't stop him getting voted out of office next election, say by the various Diplo builds running around in the US.

Researching how to become, say, Phrenic Half-Fey would be much easier if I can supply most of the theoretical framework myself.
 
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Hmm.
I admit that I don't quite get why she wouldn't want payment from a caravan.
They will actually protect the merchant after all, the payment would be fairly earned.

Were it not for the fact that one of those party member is a Valyrian Dragonlord? Those people tend to have the ego and arrogance bigger than the tallest peak of the Planes. I'm guessing they wouldn't be bothered in doing 'caravan guarding'. For the profit that they obtain from such job is sooo abysmal when compared to their usual wealth.

EDIT: First time being Faceless'd in this Quest. Woo-hoo!
 
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Taking the money by contrast means subordinating herself to said merchant however briefly.

Ah, I enjoy hearing and reading arrogant and prideful characters. They just have this mentality that I could respect when they ACTUALLY have the might and power to back their words.
Keep in mind this is Zherys narrating, he's been delving into the secrets of and practicing magic for decades. His standards for eldritch truths man was not meant to know are likely to be different from most people.

Ah right, forgot that he's our senior when talking about the usage of the Arcane. The reawakening of magic really screws up my perspective on things... and standards.

Hmm...

Hey, @DragonParadox ? Not too long ago, you said that Zherys do not have any particular interest of grooming an heir nor does he have any interest on dying as well.

Since he's a Wizard (Mage/Sorcerer/Cleric of Meraxes—whatever the fuck) he must've have a Spell or Lore in order to prolong his longevity OR... becoming an Immortal outright.

How... did he... 'procure' such a method? Did he do some dungeon delving inside some old Volantene mansion for the knowldge in question? Or is the re-coming of magic helped him somewhat?

...or is it his Dragonseed Blood doing most of the work for him, much like Viserys and his draconic form?
 
Damn, that prospective caravan is going to have some ridiculously powerful guards. The caravan master will probably think he's hiring on a couple mid-level mages and their funny looking midget Beholder.
As usual, the "the stuff we added to Companions X, Y, Z"-notes are highly appreciated.
We haven't gotten one for the 11th month, iirc.
I'll be making one of those, too.
 
? Do Caravan Masters of the Plane of Earth are so lax with Beholders that they could called it 'midget'.
They might not even know what a true Beholder is. They're rare creatures, after all, and violently xenophobic, so Xor might be the first type of Beholderkin most beings see or hear off, even those who live out among the Planes.
 
Vote closed
Adhoc vote count started by DragonParadox on Jan 8, 2020 at 9:18 AM, finished with 158 posts and 18 votes.

  • [X] Resolve to spend some more time with Balerion.
    [X] Meraxes being worshipped as actively as she is is a fine thing - except we know of the danger that grows alongside her.
    -[X] Talk to Zherys and Meraxes, try to ensure she doesn't "return to life" for a while longer so that we won't have to worry about the 15th getting proactive.
    [X] Visit Vialesk again
    -[X] Talk to Star Admiral Kharban of the Splendid Armada, get him more fleshforged creatures if he so desires (likely).
    --[X] Attempt to secure a military alliance against Deep Ones.
    -[X] Grab the crafting orders we made, make new ones.
    -[X] See if the Council of Vialesk has changed their mind about setting up Planar Terminus station - with all the trade we brought in with us.
    --[X] Imply that if they don't, they will greatly lose out on the trade, since we'll look into opening one in the Emirate of Mardja anyway.
    [X] Visit the Emirate of Mardja, inquire about setting up a Planar Terminus station there.
    [X] Look further for mercenary companies capable of effectively fighting Deep Ones.
    -[X] Asking around in Mardja seems a good start, what with us having made a defense pact.
    [X] We already got the crafters and Enchanters from Vialesk and Hampa, now would be the time to try and get more from:
    -[X] Dalaqua (focus: crafters/artisans, also any enchanters we can get).
    -[X] Zerbat (focus: artisans, also any enchanters we can get).
    -[X] Dawa (focus: crafters (fishnets), also any enchanters we can get).
    -[X] Kela (focus: crafters (massive amounts), also any enchanters we can get).
    [X] Look into the situation between the Emirate of Kela and the Wyrm Galzerai - learn the truth about their relationship insofar as we can, there is a possibility of us manning a rescue mission of sorts, in order to get Kela's resource support.
    [X] Look into the possibility of bringing more Marid Emirates into your war on Deep Ones:
    -[X] Dawa (fishnet-wielding units, said to have been excelling in the last war).
    -[X] Kela (huge amounts of crafters, so possibly war-machines of sorts..?).
    [X] Attempt to have a meeting with Althazi the Deathless - learning his price for use of his forces against Deep Ones, and looking for guarantees he won't establish a foothold on Plane of Balance once those are vanquished.
    [X] Visit the Gith Monastery again.
    -[X] Gather the ordered items.
    -[X] Offer more fleshforged creatures
    -[X] Gather the promised lore on Psionics (basics) and Aberrations (all they can share).
    -[X] Make new item-orders:
    --[X] 1 [1/day, Slotless, Unaugmented (7 ML)] item of Zealous Fury (6,854 IM).
    --[X] 2 [1/day, Slotless, Unaugmented] items of Hustle. ()
    --[X] 1 [1/day, Slotless, Augmented (15th ML)] item of Empty Mind (3,672 IM).
    --[X] 1 [Slotless, (15th ML)] Third Eye: Conceal (24,000 IM).
    --[X] X-amount of [(15th ML)] Third Eye: Conceal (effective Psionic Mindblank items - 12,000 IM per item).
    [X] AFTER TIAMAT'S FORCES ARE DEALT WITH:
    -[X] Hunt for some Winter-touched creatures Beyond the Wall.
    --[X] Variety is the answer here, grab animals, monsters, Fey - anything possible, really. (High-level Divination guarantees some good non-Mindblanked finds right off the bat)
    --[X] Have them handed over to Djinn for their research on cleansing Void-corruption.
    -[X] If there is time - look into setting up a counter-trap to those Efreeti hunting the Char-Serpent(s) in Oil-seas of Plane of Fire.
    [X] You have received reports of Inquisition on the creatures you once encountered beneath the King's Landing. While your Empire is fairly progressive towards the non-humans, same most assuredly can't be said of Westeros as it is now - sooner or later, something will happen, either they'll be discovered and rooted out, or some corruption may get to them, those forced to hide away from the rest of the world in fear.
    -[X] Visit the Rat-folk beneath the King's Landing, try to convince them to move cities - Sorcerer's Deep will freely offer them a safe haven if they agree to become your subjects.
    [X] Arrange a personal meeting(s) with the remaining 2 rulers of Lorath - attempt to persuade them into joining the Empire, claiming economic growth and stability as reasons, grease the wheels where necessary by bribes.
    -[X] Additionally, look into "the Shadowbinder" who started a school in Lorath - while the regulations used in it clearly make it seem like a preparation for joining The Empire, we are curious about sich a mage - since we had only limited contact with Shadow-mages so far.
    [X] Meet with the Candlekeep Courtier, hash out what he needs for him and his Fey to be more effective at the task we put him on - we are talking gear, we are talking consumables, we are talking potential House of Mirrors support.
    [X] Have the talk with Stannis - the Storm God can do much for the realm, and him personally. So far he seemed a goal-minded man, so we believe he'll see the merit in converting to the just and practical God of First Men.
    -[X] In case of success, also retrieve the Heart Tree from the Storm's End - putting an exact fleshforged copy, with permanenced (Diamond dust) Fire Resistance, on it.
    [X] Meet Galeneia, the daughter of Merling King.
    -[X] If she succeeded in getting the lore on forging the water-spirits, barter for it.
    [X] Look for a way to contact the "exiles" of Faceless Men under the false persona of Liu of Qarth - under the pretenses of relaying to them the research of the tablet you completed.
    [X] Visit the Dornish tourney in a guise - the lords shall be properly briefed on many a thing.
    [X] Loot the entirety of Mercury Lake in PoE.
    [X] Grow Heart Trees for provinces with active Inquisition Bases (provided enough sacrifices/items are available for that).
    -[X] Stepstones
    -[X] Tyrosh
    -[X] Lys
    -[X] Myr
    -[X] Braavos
    -[X] Pentos
    -[X] Mantarys
    -[X] Tolos
    -[X] Naath
    -[X] Eastern Basilisk Isles
    -[X] The Three Snakes
    -[X] Western Basilisk Isles
    [X] Grow "Plant Growth"-type Hearts Trees for the following greens (provided enough sacrifices/items are available for that):
    -[X] Golden Desert Tree seeds
    [X] Have someone talk to Laenor - the man clearly wanted time away from troubles, after all, he's been through much... but his knowledge may yet be of use for the coming generations. If he doesn't mind teaching in Scholarum..?
    [X] Have Dany use her Half-Celestial form's Hallow SLA with the Tongues spell attached to blanket the area where our normal SD MirrorVision broadcasts and performances originate from, ensuring that all the recipients understand everything said on the broadcast.
    [X] Restore the documents and the lore recovered from Ymeri's mansion in Volantis via the ash-to-book ritual.
    [X] Have the library of Storm's End copied.
    [X] Recover the lore of the Many-Faced-God written down by Faceless.
    [X] Have some Druid Creature Leshi/Treants busy themselves with increasing the population of the following magical plants acquired previously:
    -[X] Cassil seeds
    -[X] Flame Clove seeds
    -[X] Arkas Grass seeds
    [X] Have the 20 lbs of Void-touched Jade handed over to Djinn Cryomancers for their research in cleansing Void Corruption - with the full tale we know of it.
    -[X] Preferably, those shouldn't be consumed in the process - but we can live with it if the results would look really promising.
    [X] Have the Efreeti Wish-slaves, summoned alongside the Devils last month by their True Names, handed over to Shaitan/Djinn officials - perhaps making them into a propaganda move for all of Genie since the practice is as abhorrent to all of them.
    [X] Have school-temples of Zathir opened in Opaline Vault, Armun Kelisk, and Vialesk (and Mardja if possible).
    [X] Open a temple of Yss in Vialesk (and Mardja if possible).
    [X] With several educational institutions off-plane accepting the offer of student exchange, it would but make sense to keep an eye on it.
    -[X] Djinn Criomancers - will read lectures in SD for a month (12th month).
    -[X] Djinn Auxiliaries (Mystic Rangers) - lore needed for training acquired, we can train Mystic Rangers (starting, 12th month).
    -[X] Djinn Order of Stormweavers (Stormcasters) - agreed in principle, but need to free up a Master to visit beforehand - unknown when available.
    -[X] Shaitan War Academy (Warmages, Diviners, Officers, and Engineers) - tentative agreement, bureaucracy needs to be pushed through to start the exchange - either visit the Shaitan leader or send diplomatic envoy throughout several months.
    -[X] Shaitan Guild of Shapers (Magewrights) - accepted student exchange.
    [X] The lore of the Faceless Men is perilous indeed - presenting a danger to the very beings of those who may attempt to follow it without the sort of pact the Faceless have in place- but maybe, just maybe, there are those in your realm who will take such a path. You cannot in good conscience set aside the potential power this path may lead them to, and the potential usefulness of such assets.
    -[X] Talk to Ysandrix, some of our Fiends, maybe Vesill, potentially some of the most proficient humans (read: Inquisitor-level). Make the dangers clear and apparent, even we won't be able to blunt those.
    -[X] With Faceless seeking to bring Yss into the millennia-old pact, to better guard the Domains of [Death] from the Void, perhaps something on a smaller scale can be done to other gods of your realm? Inquire Zathir, Yss, the Ferryman, Old Gods, Weeping Lady, and the Goddess of Silver Moon if they'd be willing to grant knowledge and power to someone in such a way - and for what price.
    [X] Have Bloodraven!Varys get all of the Dragonbone outside of the Red Keep and into our possession and replaced with fleshforged fakes so that they can't be ritually used against the resurrected dragons.
    [X] On-screen show of efforts against poverty in The Empire.
    -[X] Efforts already available in SD - as a general policy kept in mind - are being spread everywhere we can:
    --[X] We provide the basics to the needy (food, housing).
    --[X] We have a job board for job seekers and employers looking to make job offers more visible.
    --[X] We provide various forms of education for children and criminals (reading and writing, a trade skill).
    --[X] We run massive businesses and government services that employ people.
    -[X] Further ways we can fight poverty:
    --[X] Get the Iron Bank to do microcredit (possibly backed by Divination?) or facilitate investor/entrepreneur links.
    --[X] Have a vote on how to stop rampant magitech from crashing huge swathes of our economy.
    [X] The Faceless Men that left Braavos - and the territory of your Empire - are unlikely to remain civil about practicing their rites with your Empire actively expanding its borders, and leaving them little place to do so. Eventually, they'll have to be dealt with, one way or another.
    -[X] Have Inquisition cross-reference cases of Assassinations/"peaceful deaths" that match the patterns of Faceless Men, and work even more closely with House of Mirrors, the Zomok Seer, and even the Divination-capable Companions on free time, if needs be, to find such events outside the Empire's borders.
 
They might not even know what a true Beholder is. They're rare creatures, after all, and violently xenophobic, so Xor might be the first type of Beholderkin most beings see or hear off, even those who live out among the Planes.
Unlikely.
Yrten immediatly recognised a Beholder (though wrongly in Xor's case).

I guess common Beholders are not that rare?
 
They might not even know what a true Beholder is. They're rare creatures, after all, and violently xenophobic, so Xor might be the first type of Beholderkin most beings see or hear off, even those who live out among the Planes.

Touché. Hey, speaking of my most favourite eye-stalk. I want to ask something that's been nagging for the last...

*sees calendar*

...6 month or so? It's way back-then. You see, when I read upon Beholders, I envision them as these (as you eloquently said it) Xenophobic yet dangerously powerful creature.

Xor is not a Beholder (as far as I know, D&D newbie and all) or at least, a sub-category of Beholders called Spectators. Still, I thought of them kinda much like a Beholder. Scared of anything NOT-HIM and will retaliate for even existing on the same mile per square as he is.

Xor however... isn't like that. He's affable, kind, selfless, and downright peaceful! He's an antithesis to what I know of his kindred.

So, my question is (as a new ASWAH member) ... what makes Xor so different?
 
Hey @Duesal, could you please add this and this to your Rumor post compilation?
Sure, adding it now.
Then stop spreading old misinformation, DragonParadox told us Bahamut was unable to interfere, before Tiamat had made her offer, whether he would have interfered if he could is unknown, he might still have decided to use Tiamat as a test, but it's a fact that he was unable to interfere, we don't know how he would have acted, if that wasn't the case.
Did you somehow miss the part where I said I'm not discussing this with you?
 
Xor is not a Beholder (as far as I know, D&D newbie and all) or at least, a sub-category of Beholders called Spectators. Still, I thought of them kinda much like a Beholder. Scared of anything NOT-HIM and will retaliate for even existing on the same mile per square as he is.

Xor however... isn't like that. He's affable, kind, selfless, and downright peaceful! He's an antithesis to what I know of his kindred.

So, my question is (as a new ASWAH member) ... what makes Xor so different?
No, Spectators are generally much nicer than all other Beholders and less crazy (from a mortal perspective).
I think the standard Spectator is Neutral and more interesting in learning about things than annihilating them.

Xor is just a bit friendlier than the average of his kind, not a lot.
 
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