Actually, the Aspiti Empire is nowhere near finished yet. They've been beaten back, but they've not been beaten outright. Like Winston Churchill said, "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
[X] When you go back to the Engelram Academy to start a new academic year, Catharne will join as a first-year student.
-[X] Keep an eye on her and make sure that she will be all right.
Well, I can think of a number of ways - the school has to have a charter, and there have to be beaurocrats that administer that charter. If we can perhaps bribe them to alter the school's terms to assist Green Flame in siezing control of her own leash - the law, as I understand it, requires all elves within the country's borders to be slaves, but does it, say, prohibit them from owning themselves? Or from owning or controlling the entity holding their leash? Going over Prentigold's head, I fear, would require us to wade in the muck of either beaurocracy or politics, neither very appealing, but we could do that for a friend, right?
Then I shall submit to the bandwagon. It sounds relatively short, a good way of easing in to doing new plotlines again and giving Catharne a little more screentime.
[x] When you go back to the Engelram Academy to start a new academic year, Catharne will join as a first-year student.
-[x] Keep an eye on her and make sure that she will be all right.
Actually I am going to double post to say - did we ever find out the true nature of the moon? Zora Alishandra is there and asleep, but is she on the moon or is she the moon?
Actually I am going to double post to say - did we ever find out the true nature of the moon? Zora Alishandra is there and asleep, but is she on the moon or is she the moon?
You are about to begin your second year at the Engelram Academy of the Magical Arts, which you expect will be almost exactly same as the first: you will be having some lessons with Jana and the other third-years, but most of your new timetable will be dedicated to self-study. That doesn't bother you. By now, you're used to it.
However, you are worried about what will happen to Catharne. You are the one who encouraged her to join the Engelram Academy as first-year pupil, starting at the same time as you go back there, so you should be happy about it, shouldn't you? However, now that the appointed time is fast approaching, you are feeling increasingly anxious.
Catharne seems cautiously excited, but otherwise she gives little thought to the future. As far as you've been able to tell, from talking to her and asking a few probing questions, her attitude seems to be that there's not much point in worrying about it until it happens. You wish that you could share her optimism.
The last time she was at the Engelram Academy, they locked her up in the stables as if she were a mere animal. Admittedly, that was because Mishrak originally created her so that she could be your 'noble steed' and they didn't know what else to do with her, but it still wasn't a kind thing to do a sapient being! And now she will be attending lessons without you, disguised as an eleven-year-old girl, surrounded by other eleven-year-olds who might be thoughtlessly cruel and make her miserable if they notice that there is something different about her.
You worry that she won't be able to maintain her shapeshifted disguise every hour of the day. You worry that she will accidentally reveal the fact that she isn't human, that she is only seven years old, or that she is the daughter of a god. You worry that she will be shunned and bullied. And so, you are especially attentive towards Catharne during the last few days before you have to go back to school. At first, she seems to enjoy the attention, but before long you realise that your apprehension has infected her as if it was a disease and you fear that she has started making excuses to avoid you.
"I just want her to be safe and happy!" you cry, after you have explained the situation to Jana. "What's wrong with that?"
"Sometimes, you have to take a step back," says Jana, sagely, as if she were an expert on such matters. "I know you love her, but you're not her mother and you can't do everything for her. Nor would she want you to. From her perspective, going away to boarding school is one of the most exciting things she's ever done. It'll be a taste of freedom and independence like nothing else she's experienced so far. You're waiting for things to go wrong – and when they do, you'll be ready to mop up her tears, wrap her in blankets, and tell her that everything's going to be all right. But have you considered that maybe she doesn't want you breathing down her neck all the time, huh? She wants to experience a little of what life is like outside of your warm, loving arms. You understand, don't you?"
"Um, I suppose," you murmur, after you've spent some time thinking about what Jana just said. "You think I've been smothering her, do you?"
Jana winces at that. "By all means, be there for her if she needs help," she says, waving her hands in an attempt to placate you. "But please, give her some space."
"I didn't mean to," you say, struggling to speak past the lump in your throat. "I wish… I wish I didn't keep making mistakes like this."
"It can't be helped," says Jana with a playful grin, giving you a quick hug. "You're human, after all."
After that, you keep your distance: you allow Catharne to decide when, where, and for how long you will meet, though it pains you to do so. Her life continues much as it did before you returned home for the summer; she seems eager to spend as much time as she can with her parent, Mishrak, before she has to go away.
When you and Jana go back to school, Catharne goes with you. As far as you can tell, she is given an effusive welcome. She mingles with the crowd of high-spirited eleven-year-olds and no one seems to notice or care that she is any different from the others.
A few days later, you see her at the other end of a long corridor. She seems to have made some new friends: a group of young girls, who presumably must be her classmates. One of them is podgy, with a uniform that doesn't quite fit, and her dark hair in twin plaits. Another has darker skin than is common in Quellonia; something about her chosen hairstyle and chiselled features makes you suspect that she has Avanni ancestry. A third seems blandly unnoticeable until, much later, you get a chance to see her up close: she has crooked teeth and blotchy freckles that appear to have spread over her entire face. The four of them are talking in conspiratorial whispers, giggling and joking.
They seem happy. That makes you happy too.
"She'll be fine," says Jana, rolling her eyes. "Don't worry so much."
"How can I not?" you ask.
"You never seem to worry about yourself, so why worry about other people?"
That strikes you as one of the more nonsensical things Jana has ever said: an ill-considered attempt at wisdom. You give a snort of laughter and shake your head. "I can take care of myself," you explain. "I only worry that I won't be able to take care of the people I love."
"You're a sweetheart, Elys," says Jana, with an exasperated huff. "But you've got to extend some trust sometimes, or you'll end up pushing people away."
"I know," you say, subsiding into misery.
Jana looks as if a thought just occurred to her: "You're just like your mother, you know?"
"How so?" you ask, furrowing your brow.
"Haven't you noticed how she frets whenever she finds out that we've been getting ourselves in danger? That's not because she doesn't trust us or she thinks we're stupid or incompetent. It's because she loves us and doesn't want us to get hurt. But… that kind of love can get kinda stifling."
You nod. It's something to think about. You've no desire to stifle anyone, least of all the people you love. But you are repelled by the idea of leaving them to struggle and suffer alone. So what can you do instead? How can you strike a suitable balance?
And… that's the end of another month. Now, we'll move into a new stage of the war between the Aspiti Empire and the Coalition.
The Aspiti Empire currently has 2 Warscore. Their Warscore increases at a rate of 2 per month (and can be increased by various special events).
The Coalition (of forces leagued against the Aspiti Empire) currently has 0 Warscore. Their Warscore will not increase unless Elys uses her monthly actions to check up on Mishrak, her parents, or any of their allies who are involved in the war. Think of it as 'Schrodinger's warfare': the Coalition is in a quantum state in which it is impossible to know whether they are winning or losing until Elys opens the box and collapses the wave form. Or maybe I'm just spouting nonsense...
Whichever side gains a total of 54 Warscore first will be the winner of this stage of the war.
What do you want Elys to do next month? (Choose one)
[] Go to Mishrak's undersea palace and spend time meeting various representatives of the different groups that make up the Coalition. (+Warscore?)
-[] Ask Sildar and Jorantul how they're getting on.
-[] Meet some of the Wranni.
--[] Be pleasantly surprised to see an old friend.
-[] Talk to some of the Deep Ones.
-[] Meet Red Ruin and a few of the orcs.
[] Sildar and Jorantul want a portal mage to help them with their daring plan to destroy a large part of the undead fleet commanded by the Aspitis.
-[] Elys will volunteer for the job.
--[] Samaya doesn't want to attract attention to herself, but if Elys volunteers, she will insist on taking part as well.
[] Join Gareth and Yslena in trying to sort out what's going on with the Rivayni royal family, demon cultists, and the upcoming trial.
-[] Rescue them from a difficult situation.
[] Jana is worried about her mother.
-[] Go with her to Truinon and spend some time with her mother, Moraine.
[] Get to know some of Jana's friends, third-year pupils at the Engelram Academy.
[] Get to know some of Catharne's new friends, first-year pupils at the Engelram Academy.
[] DIPLOMACY TRAINING: Elys's mother, Yslena was once a member of a knightly order known as 'the Sisterhood of the Iron Orchid'. She believes that they might be willing to join Mishrak's coalition. (+Warscore?)
-[] Elys will be thoroughly briefed on how to approach the Sisterhood and what to say to them.
--[] Then, she will visit the city of Epiny and go to their headquarters.
---[] Elys will try to persuade the Sisterhood's leaders that joining the war against Aspitolm is the right thing to do.
[] Go to Norrange and meet her grandfather, Count Lymond Sayce. (+Warscore?)
-[] Visit her uncle, Elward, and his wife, Raene.
--[] Visit her cousin, Jesric.
[] Finish reading Kelamon Dumar's How to Enter the Underworld.
[] Ask Raef how you can free Green Flame from the magical bonds that keep her as a slave.
---[] Attempt to free her, maybe? (Warning: this will be extremely difficult and potentially dangerous)
[] Invite Philander to the undersea palace.
--[] Get Bellona to examine his soul and the curses that bind him.
[] Go to Tyrepheum and investigate Humferth Hygmalion. Try to find out what he intends for Isolia.
[] Go to Lyones. Visit the headquarters of the Dream Knights.
-[] Tell them what is going on in Tyrepheum.
--[] Convince them to help.
[] Get Raef to open a portal to Dharta Thennir.
-[] Speak with one of the captains of the Night Blades.
--[] Hire them to protect the goblins of Tyrepheum.
[] Tell Sildar and Jorantul about Humferth Hygmalion.
-[] Convince them that killing him would be the right thing to do.
--[] Transport them (via portal magic) to Tyrepheum.
---[] Keep an eye on them. Try to limit the amount of collateral damage.
[] Visit the Headmaster of the Tyrepheum Academy, Opernus Prentigold.
-[] Offer to buy Green Flame from him.
[] Go to the Tyrepheum Academy and talk to Jaqari Pruyte, head of the space gonne project.
-[] Ask him what he needs to finish it.
[] Go to the Tyrepheum Academy and find Moroth Noorandiun.
-[] Convince him to tell you everything he knows about the Melphior cultists.
[] Go to the Tyrepheum Academy and find Simony Bulhac.
-[] Convince him to tell you everything he knows about the Melphior cultists.
[] Visit Archironaeus and ask him about…
-[] The Magic Mirror.
-[] Demon cultists at the Tyrepheum Academy.
-[] Green Flame's attempts to learn about portal magic.
-[] Something else (write in).
[] Do something else (write in)*.
*If there's anything I've forgotten to add to this list, that doesn't mean that you can't do it. Also, it may be possible to combine some of the vote options above.
Hmm... tough call for what to do next (as usual), but right now I'm leaning towards:
[X] Get Raef to open a portal to Dharta Thennir.
-[X] Speak with one of the captains of the Night Blades.
--[X] Hire them to protect the goblins of Tyrepheum.
Setting up things to protect civilians is the sort of thing that is both a priority, and kinda time critical. The longer we go without doing it, the higher the chances of any individual goblin getting killed.
However, I could be persuaded to vote for something else instead if someone has a good enough argument for it.
This was a very cute chapter and some of my own anxieties are actually calmed with it, good on Jana!
I get the feeling you didn't want us to go back to school XD
Does this add to our war score, if so then I also vote for
[X] Get Raef to open a portal to Dharta Thennir.
-[X] Speak with one of the captains of the Night Blades.
--[X] Hire them to protect the goblins of Tyrepheum.
[X] Get Raef to open a portal to Dharta Thennir.
-[X] Speak with one of the captains of the Night Blades.
--[X] Hire them to protect the goblins of Tyrepheum.
Catharne seems cautiously excited, but otherwise she gives little thought to the future. As far as you've been able to tell, from talking to her and asking a few probing questions, her attitude seems to be that there's not much point in worrying about it until it happens. You wish that you could share her optimism.
Words to strike any child straight through the heart.
[x] DIPLOMACY TRAINING: Elys's mother, Yslena was once a member of a knightly order known as 'the Sisterhood of the Iron Orchid'. She believes that they might be willing to join Mishrak's coalition. (+Warscore?)
-[x] Elys will be thoroughly briefed on how to approach the Sisterhood and what to say to them.
--[x] Then, she will visit the city of Epiny and go to their headquarters.
---[x] Elys will try to persuade the Sisterhood's leaders that joining the war against Aspitolm is the right thing to do.
And, hear me out on this, by the end of the next month, the Aspitis will be at 4 Warscore. Much as I want to do things about the goblins now (though I hope Chandagnac doesn't have a dozen doom counters for these things running), we do need to make sure we're not losing the war. Seeing this or any other warscore option pan out would do wonders to ease my nerves on that front.
[x] DIPLOMACY TRAINING: Elys's mother, Yslena was once a member of a knightly order known as 'the Sisterhood of the Iron Orchid'. She believes that they might be willing to join Mishrak's coalition. (+Warscore?)
-[x] Elys will be thoroughly briefed on how to approach the Sisterhood and what to say to them.
--[x] Then, she will visit the city of Epiny and go to their headquarters.
---[x] Elys will try to persuade the Sisterhood's leaders that joining the war against Aspitolm is the right thing to do.
[X] Get Raef to open a portal to Dharta Thennir.
-[X] Speak with one of the captains of the Night Blades.
--[X] Hire them to protect the goblins of Tyrepheum.
Convinced by various arguments.
Outside of that though, I want to get ahead of the Aspitis on war score as soon as feasible. Staying ahead is much easier than catching up.
My other interest is the underworld, but that's currently secondary.
The moon is much too vast to be seriously damaged by a single bullet from the space gonne. Zora Alishanda probably wouldn't even feel it, in the same way that you probably wouldn't feel it if you were bitten by a microscopic organism.
Hmm. Dharta Thennir is a province of the Avanni Empire. The Avanni don't have the best relationship with the Aspitis (because, in the past, the Aspitis conquered a lot of coastal territories around the northern edge of Anakwaan and took tens of thousands of slaves). Possibly you may be able to persuade the Avanni to join in the war against Aspitolm, but first you'd need to find the right person to talk to...
Yep, though I said underworld instead that book both because I couldn't remember kelamon's name of the top of my head and in case some other opportunity to examine the underworld comes up. I don't expect the latter to happen, but I saw no reason not to hedge my bets once the thought occurred to me.
The moon is much too vast to be seriously damaged by a single bullet from the space gonne. Zora Alishanda probably wouldn't even feel it, in the same way that you probably wouldn't feel it if you were bitten by a microscopic organism.
That's a relief. Ever since I saw that film, the iconography of the pictured moment has been fixed in my mind's eye, especially considering the 'gonne' aspect of that means of travel. Perhaps... well, it might be worth bringing Raef if we go to see the Space Gonne, to get their perspective on portals back from the moon.
I don't think I've ever seen parents like Elys's, in fiction or irl. At first I didn't have much to say about Part 1, but as I got further & further into how straightforwardly they were discussing how to send their preteen daughter into war alliance negotiations... they're abnormal! No one's normal in this household!
Like, it's great that they take Elys's wants & needs into serious consideration, immediately thinking of opportunities for her and encouraging her pick. A princess of a more established nation, a chieftain's child, they'd probably be doing similar things with some backing. It's just-- they're so blasé about it. Fantasy adventurers really are freaks.
You go on to explain everything you know about Philander's condition, his siblings, his evil father and the deal he made with the Demon Lord Achamat, the fact that his surname keeps changing, and so on.
This is when I realized I had no idea what she was talking about, and that I'd forgotten a lot of lore for this quest. That said, it does leave me kinda gobsmacked that this is the situation her friend's in. What a bunch of protags, amirite?
In the dark recesses of your mind, you reach for the bond between you and Mishrak. You call out to him, telepathically, saying, "I have a friend, Dorian, whose father is dying from an incurable disease. Would you be willing to take a look at him?"
"Yes, of course," he answers, after a brief delay. "Where is he? Can you bring him to me?"
UWAAAA, the way he answers just like that. He's grown so fond of her since her earliest days.
Why do we love a person?
It often starts as mere circumstance, nurtured by proximity; maybe something sparks the attention, unbound by logic or fairness. Then the relationship changes, as circumstance falls away and we begin to see someone truly.
The first half of the answer: "because they were there." The second: "because they are."
"We can slow down, if you wish," says Green Flame. "But I thought you were in a hurry."
"I didn't say that, did I?" you ask, wondering why she thought that. Maybe she still doesn't trust you and this is her way of being passive-aggressively obstructive. "Well, anyway… let's just walk. I'm not in that much of a hurry."
Huh. I was trying to figure out if that was reading too much into it, but, well, Elys is a newcomer with a sizeable amount of chaotic potential. Not a surprise if Green Flame is wary of Elys doing something. Funny how this is how she expresses her displeasure, though.
Dorian is fetched for you from one of the upstairs rooms. His hands are spotted with ink, so you assume that he was working on something before you arrived. He stands blinking at you for a moment and then says, "Ah, Elys and... uh, Raef. It's good to see you. How have you been?"
"I'm fine, thank you. I've had a pleasant summer so far," you say, smiling at him.
"Yes," says Raef. Then, after a moment's deliberation, she continues, "It's short for Raefferty. It was my mother's family name. Mercadian, you know. From the southern Ryk."
It seems odd to you that anyone might choose not to be healed, especially after they've spent many years wanting to be healed and asking for help from some very peculiar people – Alikada Zinistrari of the Mystic Path, for instance – but even if the correct choice seems obvious, you suppose that Theophyllus Valens has a right to make it for himself.
Personally, the arbitrariness would bother me. Out of all the reasons why characters would choose not to get healed, I think beliefs about the human condition like "being human is about being flawed/imperfect" are some of the least convincing, though realistic. Refusing out of a sense of solidarity, though? Love to explore that. The incentive structure, placing your fortunes with the unfortunate, similar in ways to the motivations behind proletarianization, whether it makes sense & what are the actual consequences.
Elys picked up the bickering sibling trope from her stories, didn't she? Mrs Valens, I'm sure the liege & handmaiden genre has a number of works you might like.
After you've eaten a light lunch, while Catharne is still happily munching and Dorian is staring into the depths of his bowl as if forgotten secrets might be hidden in the dregs of his soup, you say to Jana, "Well, I must be on my way. I have a meeting to go to. With Gelfavar Wolfshadow, the Wranni chieftain, you know."
"Whatever the case, it is recorded that the settlers were welcomed with open arms. Possibly because the locals were vastly outnumbered and knew that they'd be slaughtered if it came to a fight.
I wonder if there's been any narrative accounts irl that describe this scenario, great migrations & all? Side note: it's nice how sociological? anthropological? the lore dumps are.
Perhaps they thought they'd be welcomed, that after the passage of a few hundred years the Vashiiri would have realised how necromancers could be useful to them, or at least they'd be given the benefit of the doubt until they'd had a chance to prove themselves. But that didn't happen.
Many people died, including my parents. Perhaps they wouldn't have died if they'd been able to get better food and medical treatment, but…" She gives you a helpless look.
I'm not sure if it's Elys, or the pacing, but the quest always strikes me with its gaping absences and abrupt transitions. The implications left unsaid, the feelings left undescribed, the silence where Elys processes. I think reader reactions are mostly aligned with her own, since she's a decent sort, so it's easy enough to imagine. The consistency of that negative space is its own stylistic quirk.
"For some reason, his shadow is in the shape of a wolf. No matter where he is standing or how intense the light is, his shadow always looks rather wolfish."
"I've looked at my family tree a few times," says your mother. "I know that we have several Wranni ancestors. The daughters of clan chiefs, most of them."
Enraged by this, the sorceress cast off her mortal flesh and ascended as the goddess Nyssa, the Autumn Mother, Queen of the Harvest, the Equinox Flame, and so on. She laid a terrible curse upon the Kingdom of Urosh, so that whenever its people saw each other they were filled with rage and compelled to fight.
Oh wow. Damn, Nyssa. That's uh, real Bronze Age or whatever.
No surprise why people in universe & out of it like Lissa so much; she appeals to all sensibilities. Nyssa, Strashan, and Astran, otoh, I want to dive into their worship & devotees. There's so much to explore with the wealth of seasonal inspiration, the ways they don't fit neatly with audience values.
Any action with a "(+Warscore?)" in the vote. As I understand things, the sub options are more flavor than necessarily affecting the odds of a warscore. Except for taking up the time of another major character, which I think has a small malus. Most of these options are not actually happening in universe until the option is picked though.
Warscore increases are rarely guaranteed, because we can mess up, but odds are good. I think we've only failed one.
Edit: to be clear, I know this action I voted for doesn't increase warscore. While I was convinced it's a non-war but immediate priority, I have trouble thinking of another priority that will take precedence next vote.
[] DIPLOMACY TRAINING: Elys's mother, Yslena was once a member of a knightly order known as 'the Sisterhood of the Iron Orchid'. She believes that they might be willing to join Mishrak's coalition. (+Warscore?)
Well, like it or not, Elys will be spending most of her time at school, for the next few years. That won't be the focus of the majority of updates, though.
I don't think I've ever seen parents like Elys's, in fiction or irl. At first I didn't have much to say about Part 1, but as I got further & further into how straightforwardly they were discussing how to send their preteen daughter into war alliance negotiations... they're abnormal! No one's normal in this household!
Like, it's great that they take Elys's wants & needs into serious consideration, immediately thinking of opportunities for her and encouraging her pick. A princess of a more established nation, a chieftain's child, they'd probably be doing similar things with some backing. It's just-- they're so blasé about it. Fantasy adventurers really are freaks.
Earlier in the story (in The Tinpot Princess and Her Many Travels), Yslena got very worried whenever Elys was in danger, but I thought my players might start to resent her if she was always trying to prevent them from having any fun, so over time Yslena has become more accepting of the fact that Elys is the Chosen of a god and can handle herself in a fight even if she is only a tween.
This is when I realized I had no idea what she was talking about, and that I'd forgotten a lot of lore for this quest. That said, it does leave me kinda gobsmacked that this is the situation her friend's in. What a bunch of protags, amirite?
Personally, the arbitrariness would bother me. Out of all the reasons why characters would choose not to get healed, I think beliefs about the human condition like "being human is about being flawed/imperfect" are some of the least convincing, though realistic.
[X] Get Raef to open a portal to Dharta Thennir.
-[X] Speak with one of the captains of the Night Blades.
--[X] Hire them to protect the goblins of Tyrepheum.
was talking to someone about how gnosticism has some appeal to me, and then got to thinking about how much the demons deal in hedgeverse kinda aligns with that. demon propaganda and a gnostic text would look very similar.
the material world as a prison for souls that created by the hubris of a capricious god, a mistake that should never happened. a perfect world of spirit where the real and kind god resides, who either cannot interfer with the material world or is ignorant of it, and agents of this good fighting against the material god to free the souls from thier prisons.
this is not to say i support the demons in quest, or that i think the irl world is a magic matrix simulation running on souls. its more that i like the idea of having a nice place to go that isnt compromised by the mishandling of earth. and the concept of demiurge maps onto manmade sociological horrors quite well imo.
was talking to someone about how gnosticism has some appeal to me, and then got to thinking about how much the demons deal in hedgeverse kinda aligns with that. demon propaganda and a gnostic text would look very similar.
the material world as a prison for souls that created by the hubris of a capricious god, a mistake that should never happened. a perfect world of spirit where the real and kind god resides, who either cannot interfer with the material world or is ignorant of it, and agents of this good fighting against the material god to free the souls from thier prisons.
this is not to say i support the demons in quest, or that i think the irl world is a magic matrix simulation running on souls. its more that i like the idea of having a nice place to go that isnt compromised by the mishandling of earth. and the concept of demiurge maps onto manmade sociological horrors quite well imo.
You know, this is a very interesting take. The world as a Creation for a Purpose is always intriguing, and I like your application of Gnosticism to Hedgyverse, but applying the Hedgyverse ideas to Gnosticism is almost as interesting - Creation having a purpose that is perhaps a few too many degrees removed from our frame of reference to quite understand.
was talking to someone about how gnosticism has some appeal to me, and then got to thinking about how much the demons deal in hedgeverse kinda aligns with that. demon propaganda and a gnostic text would look very similar.
the material world as a prison for souls that created by the hubris of a capricious god, a mistake that should never happened. a perfect world of spirit where the real and kind god resides, who either cannot interfer with the material world or is ignorant of it, and agents of this good fighting against the material god to free the souls from thier prisons.
You know, this is a very interesting take. The world as a Creation for a Purpose is always intriguing, and I like your application of Gnosticism to Hedgyverse, but applying the Hedgyverse ideas to Gnosticism is almost as interesting - Creation having a purpose that is perhaps a few too many degrees removed from our frame of reference to quite understand.
I can't quite remember, but it's entirely possible that the demons' stated purpose for wanting to destroy Creation was inspired by what I've read about Gnostic beliefs. I enjoy learning about history, so I'm interested in Gnosticism, but I'll admit that my knowledge is fairly sparse, at least in this area.
Well-reasoned, though!
*
In the Forests of the Night (Part One)
You are concerned that the goblins of Tyrepheum are being murdered by Melphior's cultists, so you discuss with Mishrak how you might best protect them. Remembering what Venta said about the warriors of "Dharta Thennir, far to the south, a land ruled by goblins," you suggest to him that you could hire mercenaries there.
"That's a good idea," he says, giving you a fanged smile. "Would you like me to take you?"
"Actually, I thought Raef could take me, when I next have a portal magic lesson with him. He's been there before and he knows where some of the hidden cities are."
"I suppose you should make use of his expertise. They have 'hidden cities', do they? Well, I suppose they must have their reasons, of which – of course – I know nothing about." He pauses, looking thoughtful, for a moment. "How much money will you need?"
"I don't know," you admit. "But I doubt they'll want payment immediately. I'll let you know after I've made a deal with them."
"I'm sure you'll make me proud, my Chosen," he says. "Go forth and be my representative: be the best that you can be, like I know you will be!"
"That was rather corny," you say, giggling at him.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise that you were the corniness police." He rolls his large yellow eyes at you. "Such impudence! Don't you have any respect for your dear old uncle, these days?"
"Less and less by the moment," you tell him, cheekily.
"Kids these days, no respect for their elders," he says, shaking his head. "Honestly, I blame the parents."
"Yes, my parents are to blame for a lot of things," you agree. "For example, if not for my father's impudence, you'd never have Chosen me."
"I suppose we both have that to be thankful for. Who knows what would have happened otherwise?"
You shudder at that: if Mishrak hadn't chosen to aid your parents against the Sea Ghouls, you would almost certainly be dead – or worse, your soul would have been devoured and your body would have been repurposed as a mindless elf.
Because your good mood has turned sour, you make excuses to leave soon after that. You have plenty of other things to be getting on with, anyway.
When you next meet Raef, he is wearing the guise of an elderly bearded man dressed in mage robes, which you suppose makes him feel teacherly and authoritative. In the Engelram Academy, which is where you currently are, he doesn't look out of place.
"I'm not sure you're ready to start opening portals over transcontinental distances yet," he warns, when you explain your plan to him.
"No, but you could show me how it's done," you say, giving him a winsome smile.
"Perhaps," he allows. "I'll admit, I'm sympathetic to your goal of thwarting the demon-worshippers in their attempts to murder the goblins of Tyrepheum and hand over the realm of dreams to their vile master. Therefore, I'm willing to consider a change to my lesson plan. What would you say if I were to suggest that we should go on a field trip, hmm?"
"Yay! Field trip!" you cheer.
"Hush! Not so loud," he says, glancing worriedly around. "I'm sure they've got a lesson next door."
"Can we take Jana with us?" you ask. For a moment, you are about to ask if Catharne can come as well, but it occurs to you that her presence would require some explanation: it seems likely that it would take some time to convince the goblins of Dharta Thennir that either an innocent-looking eleven-year-old girl or a warhorse-sized dragon should be allowed into their military base. Besides, she seems perfectly happy as she is, with all of her new friends. You wouldn't want to get in the way of the wonderful social life she has so recently acquired.
"I don't see why not, so long as she isn't supposed to be in lessons at the time."
"In that case, it would probably be best if we go during the weekend," you decide.
"Next weekend, then," says Raef, with a nod. "In the meantime, shall I teach you what I know about the history and culture of Dharta Thennir? Knowledge is power, as they say."
"All right then," you say, settling down in readiness for a long lecture.
According to Raef, 'Dharta Thennir' translates as 'the Forest of Shadows' or 'the Shadewood'. It has been a goblin homeland since the dawning of the Second Age. The Thenni goblins are apparently masters of their environment: the vast forest is their larder and all the camouflaged fortifications they could possibly need. For thousands of years, they successfully resisted any attempts to conquer them, even by the mighty Betruri Empires, until they finally agreed to join the Avanni Empire in exchange for protection and economic opportunities.
"It sounds very much like Enishar," you murmur, remembering some of the stories you've heard about the heavily forested nation to the north-east of Greater Quellonia: the Enishari used a sustained campaign of guerrilla warfare to drive the Sambians out of their land, repeatedly attacking from ambush and then vanishing into the trees.
"Yes, they've both made considerable use of plant magic to quickly regenerate their forests anytime that anyone's tried to burn them down," Raef agrees. "At least for long enough to drive out the invaders."
"Although… I think I heard something about how a lot of the trees in Dharta Thennir have been chopped down," you say, screwing your eyes shut, trying to recall a half-remembered dream. It was something the Riddling Knight said to you, years ago…
"It's possible, I suppose," says Raef, with a nod. "The trees they can create with plant magic aren't entirely real – and they don't last long – so, if they were going to trade with the rest of the Avanni Empire, they'd probably need to cut down part of their forest in order to have something to sell."
"Do you know anything about their warriors?" you ask, changing the subject.
"The 'Night Blades' are renowned warriors who've fought all over the Avanni Empire and beyond," says Raef. "Excellent light troops, ambushers and skirmishers, apparently. Not that I'm any kind of military expert."
"Well, thank you anyway," you say, smiling at him. "You've been very helpful."
Dharta Thennir is an extremely wet and stinking forest. Fortunately, you're not out in the open for very long: Raef knows exactly where to go to find the hidden entrance to one of the underground cities: a place named Keshpydar. As you approach, you are hailed by one of the guards concealed among the trees outside: a lean and spindly goblin man wearing mottled grey-brown armour and a full-face helmet that reminds you of a beetle's head.
"Hail, travellers," he says, in the trader tongue that is commonly spoken all over Ardenor, in the south of Mercadia and the north of Anakwaan – basically, anywhere near the major trade routes. You're relieved he opened with that instead of Avanni or any of the goblin languages, which you don't speak. "Who are you and why have you come here?"
What will Elys say to that? (Or will she let Raef or Jana do the talking?)
I feel like I could have gone on for longer, but I wanted to give you a chance to react at some point. Any thoughts so far?
"Hail guardian! We've come to hire mercenaries to protect the goblins of Tyrepheum who are planning to murder the Moon Goddess and usurp her domain of Dreams!"
Indivisible's suggestion is pretty good, though make sure to answer his "Who are you" question too... introduce ourself and possibly Jana, but leave Raef to come up with his own answer (unless he is inexplicably bungling an attempt at a cover story again, like she did when introducing herself to Dorian's mother, in which case be ready to bail him out).
