-
Going forward, links to content from Twitter (now X) will no longer be embedded. Pre-existing links should not be affected.
Chosen by the Dragon God
- Thread starter Chandagnac
- Start date
- Original
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
All right, so...
Elys regularly meets with Raef so he can teach her more about portal magic. After broaching the subject with him, the next step would be to get Samaya involved. Jana and Catharne could easily be there as well because they go to school with Elys. And I reckon Bellona and Green Flame would have something useful to add to the discussion. But do you want to invite anyone else?
Elys regularly meets with Raef so he can teach her more about portal magic. After broaching the subject with him, the next step would be to get Samaya involved. Jana and Catharne could easily be there as well because they go to school with Elys. And I reckon Bellona and Green Flame would have something useful to add to the discussion. But do you want to invite anyone else?
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Hmmm... the way I'm seeing this is as a general strategy meeting - the Mystic Path are going to stand in our way sooner or later, and this is a good time to come up with strategies on how to deal with them, perhaps a trap if we feel we have enough information to go after one now, but in general ideas and maneuvers Elys and her allies could employ impromptu during a battle with a degree of teamwork and fore-coordination that would allow those maneuvers a greater deal of success without too much guesswork on either the target's capabilities or the intentions or plans of others.
This would also allow us to prepare things like specific rituals, objects, or magic ahead of time that can't reasonably be prepared out in the field.
Like, to give an example, say Luth-a-Nyvech has a crippling peanut dust allergy or something. If our side were to sortie on a battlefield, we'd carry a few small sacks of peanuts, maybe research a spell for launching them or build a wrist-mounted catapult, and have a signal with Bellona and, say, Samaya, to counter his current efforts, then the other socks him in the gut so he opens his mouth, at which point the peanut launcher is prepared for the shot.
That's... a silly plan, and a false weakness, but it illustrates what I mean.
Frankly, for most of the Mystic Path members, they may be too powerful to truly ambush in their lairs, or to pin down in a meaningful way unless they are seeking something that fleeing would deny them.
To answer the question though, if we know any good strategists now would be the time to invite them.
This would also allow us to prepare things like specific rituals, objects, or magic ahead of time that can't reasonably be prepared out in the field.
Like, to give an example, say Luth-a-Nyvech has a crippling peanut dust allergy or something. If our side were to sortie on a battlefield, we'd carry a few small sacks of peanuts, maybe research a spell for launching them or build a wrist-mounted catapult, and have a signal with Bellona and, say, Samaya, to counter his current efforts, then the other socks him in the gut so he opens his mouth, at which point the peanut launcher is prepared for the shot.
That's... a silly plan, and a false weakness, but it illustrates what I mean.
Frankly, for most of the Mystic Path members, they may be too powerful to truly ambush in their lairs, or to pin down in a meaningful way unless they are seeking something that fleeing would deny them.
To answer the question though, if we know any good strategists now would be the time to invite them.
Ah! So we're moving on to the general strategy meeting about how to take down Agon?
Granted, I don't expect non-Demon Lords to know that, which is probably why Mishrak and Lavok are speculating about their plan to deal with the All Devourer.
Wasn't this what the implication from the recent PoV shot? That they're actually too deep to back out, that is.
Granted, I don't expect non-Demon Lords to know that, which is probably why Mishrak and Lavok are speculating about their plan to deal with the All Devourer.
Last edited:
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
More or less. I doubt we can heist him out of the picture, but ways to spring a trap shut around him, or at least negate his battlefield presence or cause him to retreat or pursue other aims would be good enough.
Yeah, that was my interpretation - that they took the forms of gods to have the power to do what they were planning on doing, and they failed, but the mantles they siezed could not be so easily abandoned. So they're between a rock and a hard place, now.
There are also the demon lords who have decided they like Creation because of the power they've gained, though I'm not sure how much the rank and file demons know about that.
Anticipation (Part One)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Anticipation (Part One)
During one of your lessons with Raef, you mention to him that you should discuss Agon Hurondus and how to end the threat from him and his friends once and for all. He agrees and suggests meeting in the Underwater Palace later that evening. You know he will bring Samaya with him, you have no reason to conceal anything from Jana and Catharne – especially not if you'd need to waste time recounting it to them later on – and after some thought you decide to invite Bellona and Green Flame as well. Should anyone else be included? Perhaps later, after you've fashioned a plan of action. Then you can adjust it as needed.That evening, around a table, in a room Mishrak has assured you is safe from prying eyes and ears, you address the group: "On the moon, before we managed to rescue Zora Alishanda, I encountered a wizard who calls himself Agon Hurondus. He was allied with the Demon Lord Melphior and opened the portal that transported an army of demons to the moon. He insisted on being very well-paid for his work: he only agreed to lower his asking price if Melphior gave him the statue of Keron, which… Well, I'm not sure what he hoped to gain from it, but he's had plenty of time to examine it."
"Hurondus and his friends enslaved me, imprisoned Raef and killed at least one of my brothers," says Samaya. Then, looking at you, she continues, "And you saw Peels with the Aspitis while you were liberating Ismar from them, so they must have enslaved her as well."
"He is an immensely powerful portal mage who has gone to some lengths to exterminate anyone else who can use portal magic," says Raef, who is wearing the form of a wizened old man, wearily sagging in his chair.
"At one point, he came close to succeeding," you say. "But then you two escaped from where you were confined, you started to teach me and Green Flame learned the basics from some of the knowledge you'd left behind."
Jana frowns like she's been given a puzzle she doesn't have all the pieces for. "Even if he succeeded in wiping out everyone who knows about portal magic, wouldn't someone eventually figure it out just by experimenting with various other branches of magic that are related to it?" she asks. "For instance… scrying is like opening a window to somewhere else. How long before someone figures out how to turn that window into a door and then step through it?"
"Maybe his efforts will ultimately be as hopeless as a man trying to hold back the tide with his outstretched hands, but he has been very successful so far," you say. "And he knows that someone else – someone who was allied with the goblins – used a portal to transport them to the moon. I was there when Melphior told him so."
"He didn't stick around for long enough to find out who the other portal mage was. It's a pity," says Samaya, with a savage grin. "In Zora Alishanda's domain, he'd have been almost helpless."
"So, he fled to wherever he's been hiding in the Underworld. And now he's probably trying to track us down so he can finish the job he started more than three decades ago," Raef surmises.
"I thought one of the reasons why hardly anyone uses portal magic was because it can damage the fabric of reality. So, when it becomes widespread… does that mean Creation is doomed?" asks Catharne.
"That's the sort of thing Nymandor wanted us to prevent," says Raef, indicating himself and Samaya. "But I suspect some of the things we've done have only worsened matters. And there are too few of us left."
Catharne looks increasingly panic-stricken. However, before she can ask any more questions – and before Raef can frighten her anymore with overly truthful answers – you make an effort to haul the conversation back onto its original course: "The Mystic Path have a base in the Underworld, given to them by the Demon Lords, which they call 'the Fortress of Forever'. And they stay there most of the time, not daring to show their faces here in the real world because otherwise Teryn or one of his allies would try to get revenge for what they did to his Necropolis."
Bellona gives a small, thoughtful nod. "Which is presumably why they have allied with the Aspitis – because their empire is somewhere Teryn cannot go and his worshippers are unwelcome."
"And by 'unwelcome' you mean they are likely to be tortured and publicly executed," you explain, for the benefit of Green Flame, who was looking a little confused.
"Oh, I see." She nods. "Sorry, this is a lot of new information for me to process all at once."
"I'm not sure 'allied' is the right word to describe their relationship with the Aspitis. If they wanted to, they could teleport an entire army to Castle Standfast, kill or capture the royal family, and knock Rivayne out of the war with a single stroke," says Raef. "The fact that they haven't suggests they haven't fully committed themselves to the 'alliance'."
"Aspitolm is just another resource for them to use, for as long as it exists. But why should they expend any real effort trying to save it? They don't really care if it falls," says Samaya.
"It's possible that the Aspitis are aware that the Coalition has their own portal mages. In which case, they may have informed Hurondus and his friends." Raef looks contemplative. "But if they know, how will they react?"
"They're probably planning to attack the Undersea Palace as they did the Necropolis," says Bellona, dismally.
"I've always wondered: how were they able to do that without Teryn appearing to defend his private kingdom?" asks Jana.
"They used a magical ward to repel him."
"And they could do the same to Mishrak," you realise.
"If they come, they'll have to face all of us and many others. Mighty warriors and powerful mages," says Green Flame. "Sildar and Jorantul. Red Ruin. Gelfavar Wolfshadow and his pack. The many elves who follow you around like lost children. None of us will die easily."
Does Elys have anything to add to this discussion?
If we lure Agon to Mishrak's lair, then we'd have all those chosen and elves in a place of our choosing that we could prepare for the fight. Killing the moon portal mage and stealing Mishrak's wealth would certainly be a big lure.
On the other hand, it's a lure big enough that other members of the Mystic Path might join in, and I'd rather pick them off one by one with no chance of coordinating and escaping.
Also, Mishrak's palace is full of vulnerable people, experiments, and the nexus of the war effort. We shouldn't expose those to the Mystic Path.
On the other hand, it's a lure big enough that other members of the Mystic Path might join in, and I'd rather pick them off one by one with no chance of coordinating and escaping.
Also, Mishrak's palace is full of vulnerable people, experiments, and the nexus of the war effort. We shouldn't expose those to the Mystic Path.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
That's a... good point, are we worried about that? Is that a thing that we should avoid in our tactics?
Absolutely. What we need is... well, we need another moon mission where Hurondus's appearance is expected rather than a surprise. Maybe... I wonder, if we move another Demon Lord to action, and let it leak that portals are part of our plan, he might tag along or sell his services cheaply specifically to get a chance to assassinate the moon mage, and plug the leak.
Then all we need is a few contingency plans to lock Hurondus in place, and we can sweep him off the board. I wonder if we could get the goblins and/or Zora Alishandra to help us?
How specific does the ward have to be?
If they expected to ward against Mishrak, could they be surprised by Terin? Or by Zora Alishandra?
If them getting involved directly might cause "starts god-world-war 3" issues, they might have some followers interested in supporting us.
Portal douce stepped on a few toes in his time.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Abd I think the decoy will have to be Elys - we don't want to put an elf in his line of fire, and a non-elf will, if things go terribly wrong, induce him to capture rather than kill to find out where we learned it.
I think there may be a difference between a god going around the place, and a god helping out a friend in their own domain, as long as that was not already a battlefield.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
A ward powerful enough to block out a greater god has to be quite specific. (Mishrak isn't quite a greater god, but he's very powerful on his own turf.) During the first part of the Second Age, there was a ward that blocked the Forgotten God from accessing the Western Continent. And some other wards that blocked his allies from getting close enough to the ritual site to do anything about it. But then he gave Teryn some of his power, sent him to gain experience and get tooled up, and then Teryn was able to overcome the lesser wards while the greater wards did nothing because they weren't aimed at him, after which he was able to destroy the ritual circles maintaining the spells that cut the Western Continent off from the Wheel.
Yeah, exactly. Gods are wary of engaging each other in open conflict on the surface of Narrath, but they all want to be able to defend their own private territory, so under most circumstances they wouldn't do anything to prevent other gods from defending their private territory.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
With a bit of a carveout for the territories of lesser gods and spirits, considering past quests. Though, that was already shaping up to be a battlefield, even if it got to be a really large-scale one.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
By the way, I'm going on holiday for a week, so this will be my last post for a while. I'm not sure if you'll notice the difference, considering that I haven't been updating very often recently. Anyway, I'll see you later. Have a good week. 
It's kind of like the real-world Cold War. The global superpowers didn't fight each other because they were afraid that it would lead to nuclear apocalypse, but they were happy to use smaller countries as proxies...
Take care! Hope you enjoy the vacation!
Honestly, I'm thinking it may be best to ask another god we're buddies with to act as a proxy instead of giving away that Elys is with Mishrak in particular, because of the aforementioned "there's a lot of civilians who are in the Undersea Palace" thing. It's supposed to be a trap, so I'd imagine it's going to take a bunch of planning and moving around for all the people we need for it already. With as much effort that's already going to be needed, I don't think it's a good idea to choose our base of operations to be the place where we set the trap up.
Maybe Zora Alishanda would be amiable if we ask for help, especially since we know that the Dream World can mess with portals? But if we do want to use some Dream World trickery, I want to note that "Portal Magic" is probably pretty important to Dumar's self-perception and identity, so there needs to be a second source of interference...
Honestly, I'm thinking it may be best to ask another god we're buddies with to act as a proxy instead of giving away that Elys is with Mishrak in particular, because of the aforementioned "there's a lot of civilians who are in the Undersea Palace" thing. It's supposed to be a trap, so I'd imagine it's going to take a bunch of planning and moving around for all the people we need for it already. With as much effort that's already going to be needed, I don't think it's a good idea to choose our base of operations to be the place where we set the trap up.
Maybe Zora Alishanda would be amiable if we ask for help, especially since we know that the Dream World can mess with portals? But if we do want to use some Dream World trickery, I want to note that "Portal Magic" is probably pretty important to Dumar's self-perception and identity, so there needs to be a second source of interference...
They could easily hear about Elys' connection to Mishrak.
But Zora would be perfect. They already had a run in with her followers/supporters using portal magic (moon mission).
If we can win her for this (which i hope and expect), even if for "cold war" reasons she herself doesn't get involved, her followers can.
And Illusion magic is stronger at the fringes of creation, where the rules set by the elder gods are weaker. Like the dreamworld.
True, but it's not something I'd want to announce to them myself, you know what I mean?
Yeah, "lets not announce it" is something I'm fully on board with, just wouldn't be surprised if they learn of it anyway.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
It's worth noting, perhaps we can combine these things. Perhaps there's a mission that Zora Alishandra would like her followers to perform against the demon lords, or counter to their aims such that they would send cats paws to interfere, that we could leak "moon mage will show up at this" to the enemy, so AH might choose to appear on the opposing side. And that's when we spring our trap.
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
All right, I'm back from my holiday. I'll get started on writing the next chapter. It seems like the plan is to get Zora Alishanda involved in the plan to lure Agon Hurondus to somewhere he can be trapped and killed... right?
That's my thought, yeah.
Flashkannon
Aqua Iconographer
- Location
- TM 91
Yep, that was my thought. We need a hook, bait, and a pond. Elys, or rather, "the moon mage" is the bait, and we're forging the hook here in this meeting. We need Zora Alishandra to provide the pond.
Anticipation (Part Two)
Chandagnac
Broken Robot
- Location
- Nowhere
Anticipation (Part Two)
"In summary, we need to find a way to lure Hurondus to somewhere we can ambush him with superior firepower and then prevent his escape," you say. "He seems to have at least a modicum of caution, as evidenced by the fact that when Zora Alishanda was freed and Melphior was defeated, he was nowhere to be found. And although he knows there are other portal mages out there despite his best efforts, he hasn't yet taken any precipitate action."
"Wow, when did you learn such big words, Elys?" asks Jana, jokingly, waggling her eyebrows at you.
"Merging part of Creation with the Dreaming World, as Melphior's worshippers did, would be an excellent way to hinder Hurondus's portal magic and prevent his escape," says Raef. "But it would need to be very carefully timed and we'd need to conceal the ritual circle maintaining the spell, or he could very easily bring it to a premature end."
"And we're only likely to get once chance at this," says Green Flame.
"It would be best if Zora Alishanda herself aided us in this venture. I could ask my patron to contact her on our behalf," says Bellona. Then, turning to you, she adds, "Or you could. You've spoken to her before."
"I don't think she was very impressed with me," you say, rather uncomfortably.
"Even so." Bellona gives a small shrug. "If you want me to do it, I will. But Mishrak is more centrally involved in this matter than Teryn is, so it would make sense for him to be the one to contact her."
"And you could help him explain the situation, Elys," Jana suggests. "Otherwise, Zora Alishanda might come out of the meeting with some interesting new ideas for nightmare monsters and no idea what he originally wanted to talk to her about."
"That… might be a good idea," you admit.
Even Catharne nods sagely at that.
"How are we going to lure Hurondus into an ambush without him suspecting it?" Samaya wants to know. "If we make it too obvious, he'll stay far away, but if we're too subtle he might not hear about it until too late."
"Perhaps Achamat could help with that," you wonder aloud. "He would have to be quite subtle about it. And obviously it wouldn't work if the Mystic Path already have good reason to suspect his motives."
"Even if they didn't already suspect him, I'm not sure how he could deliver the information to them without them realising that something was amiss." Samaya frowns. "But then, wannabe Demon Lords aren't well known for being trustworthy. They might not see anything unusual about his behaviour, so long as they can see an understandable motive behind his actions."
"How many people know about Hurondus's quest to make himself the only portal mage in existence?" asks Green Flame. "Perhaps he could offer to sell information to them?"
Samaya's frown deepens. "But then they might try to verify the information somehow, in a way we couldn't predict."
"I'm not sure we can do anything to stop them from trying to verify whatever information we feed them. We can only make it seem as convincing as possible," says Raef. "Appeal to their prejudices and vanities so they make flawed assumptions."
"Hurondus is extremely vain and when I pretended to be a fan of his, he didn't even question it or why I was there on the Moon with him. I suppose he must have assumed I was one of Melphior's devotees. Except that, if that had been the case, I would have been the only one," you say. "It was remarkably easy to trick him."
"Nevertheless, he is cunning and cautious enough that he has survived until now. Do not underestimate him," says Bellona, a note of warning in her voice.
"Even if we succeed in luring Hurondus into a trap, it's likely that he'll have allies. Aspitis, demons, other members of the Mystic Path, and so on," says Green Flame, slightly changing the subject. "How can we make sure they won't be a problem?"
"Overwhelming force," you say, confidently.
"But then, that's usually your answer to everything," Jana mutters.
"Actually, I may have the beginnings of an idea," says Raef, looking contemplative. "Soon, the Coalition will assault the isle of Tolmar. The Aspitis have heavily fortified the most obvious landing sites, so either our troops will suffer heavy losses assaulting them or be forced to land further away and then trudge through forests and swamps. But what if we used portals to transport them safely past the defences? The Aspitis would be taken by surprise, attacked from an unexpected angle and in danger of suffering disastrous losses. They would be forced to resort to extreme measures to have a chance of defending themselves. I expect they would be willing to offer the Mystic Path just about anything in exchange for their services. And Hurondus, outraged that someone else is using portal magic against his allies, would be inclined to accept. It will be a challenge he cannot ignore."
"Dangerous, brother," says Samaya, looking uneasy. "That could lead to us fighting all of the Mystic Path at once, as well as any other auxiliaries the Aspitis can call upon. Do you really think that's a fight we can win?"
"With overwhelming force on our side, like Elys said, I don't see why not."
"I'm glad we all agree on that," you say, with a smile and a pleasant nod.
"In the situation you've just described, Hurondus and his cronies wouldn't be surprised to come face-to-face with several of our most powerful allies. In fact, they would be expecting it. And it's unlikely that they would try to flee unless they really thought they were in danger of losing the battle," Bellona muses. "By which time we will have had ample opportunity to set up the ritual to merge that part of Creation with the Dreaming World and prevent their escape."
"A cornered rat is especially dangerous," says Samaya, with a sigh. "Of course, whatever we decide to do, it's likely to be incredibly dangerous. And we need to be ready for that."
Does Elys have anything to add to this discussion? If not, shall we move on?