Meeting Krett

This past Tuesday, February 19, Royal Spymaster Magnus Grey assembled the Royal Spies to continue investigating into the affairs surrounding Mors Gotha, the blackrock prisms, and the icy world of Anodunos.  This week’s mission was straightforward:  Find a way to break through the icy barrier separating the Britannian gate into Anodunos from the remainder of the world.  To that extent, Lord Grey had enlisted the aid of Krett, an expert on Exodus-style golems.  “You are to provide protection and support to Krett,” was Grey’s final order on the matter, though he echoed a question by Ra’Dian Fl’Gith that locating filanium was still a secondary goal of the Spies.

Heading to the blackrock dome in southeastern Britain, the Royal Spies met up with Krett and passed into Anodunos.  “You need me to work with unknown tinkering to get you through an unknown task.  Sounds like a lot of fun,” Krett said enthusiastically as the group travelled through to Anodunos.  “[L]ook for control panels under the ice,” Krett instructed as everyone spread out through the entry hall on Anodunos.  Many of the spies set out to work on decoding puzzles that locked control panels along the walls, and as more and more panels were brought down, a strange sentinel appeared, identified as Sentinel 868.  After the last panel was brought down, the sentinel attacked, but was quickly reigned in by the Royal Spies.  “Hmm… I hope it isn’t broken,” Krett noted as he began to tinker with the subdued sentinel.

Sentinel 868

Having the Royal Spies search for various pieces that had exploded off of the sentinel during combat, Krett was finally able to restore Sentinel 868 to working order.  In short order, the Sentinel was able to break through the barrier, allowing the Spies to proceed further into the icy world.  While the drilling proceeded, the Spies defended both the sentinel and Krett from Dire Ghosts.

Once through, the Spies encountered a corpse that was enshrouded with strange moving vapors of cold.  As the Spies fought off more Dire Ghosts, a friendlier ghost appeared by the name of Beatrice, presumably the ghost of the former Queen of Anodunos.  “Another world.  Hmm… Interesting…  The last one from another world doomed us…  This cold is the true evil…  Killed us all…  Why are you here?”  When told it was to search for the prism to help Britannia, Beatrice answered, “This world is dead.  No answers.  I haunt my failure.”  However, as the conversation continued, Beatrice seemed to understand a great deal more as to what was at stake, and also saw a glimmer of hope.  “Maybe you can set us free from this curse.”

Beatrice also explained that the reason the ghosts were attacking the Spies was because they felt the Spies had brought the doom upon them, however she understood that the Spies were in no way connected to the fate that had befallen them.  Finally, Beatrice revealed what she knew of the blackrock prism Mors Gotha had brought to her world.  “It is east of here, down a southern tunnel.  We tried to bury it.”

Filanium

Proceeding further, Sentinel 868 broke through two additional walls, one housing a great deal of filanium, an icy-looking ore, and the other protecting the Spies from a horrific fiend.  The battles were fierce but finally all was calm.  Beatrice informed the Spies that the golems continued to mine for filanium and that agents of Mors Gotha still returned monthly to retrieve what had been mined.

When finally the wall was reached in which the blackrock prism was encased, even the mighty sentinel could be of no aid, its gears cracking and grinding against each other, ultimately causing the golem to explode.  Within the icy prison, the blackrock prism sat, awaiting freedom, pulsing with the cold, but the Spies could tread no further.  It was time to return to Spymaster Grey and inform him of the eve’s events.  Galen spoke of a plan with which Lord Grey seemed to agree:  “Seems Mors Gotha’s minions arrive monthly to get filanium.  I’m thinking… if we can figure out the cycle… we lie in wait.  And, with any luck, end this right then and there.”

The Royal Spies meet on most Tuesday evenings beneath the Counselor’s Hall in western Britain, starting at 8:00 PM Central.  Tuesday, February 26, 2013, however, will be a meeting of the Royal Britannian Guard, which will convene at the Warriors Guild in western Britain, on the  opposite side of the bridge leading from the West Britain Bank.

Beatrice

The Final Days by Beatrice
I think of my beautiful city:  the streets where I walked, the museums and concert halls, the great bell towers that range sweetly in the summer nights.  I think of Anodunos covered in ice, and I weep.  And I know that it is my fault.
      I cannot blame my mages and advisors.  They searched for the means to save Anodunos at my request, and in the end, I was the one who agreed to the dark emissary’s terms.  I should have known then.  Some favors come at too high a price.
      We paid more than we had originally promised and in the end, I made the decision to stand firm against Mors Gotha’s dark master.  Anodunos would still provide filanium, but not at the expense of my people.  I believed we were allies.  I was wrong.  That is when the cold started, pouring out of the prism gate.
      We tried everything to close the gate and stop the spell, but nothing could break the prism’s hold over Anodunos.  We were freezing to death slowly, and we were desperate.  We sent out scouts with appeals to the northern empires, begging for refuge.  We moved what we could underground and built great ice golems to mine our filanium, the mineral being our last lifeline against the bitter cold.  I kept back some hoping that we could appeal for mercy, but no mercy came.
      The scouts we sent out to find an end to the cold have not returned.  Whether they died to the frost or could not outrace the cold, I do not know.  This is the end of Anodunos.  Most are slipping into a final sleep.  A few like Alorik have succumbed to a madness caused by the cold and fear of sleep.  I don’t even have the strength to order the golems to stop mining filanium.  I will rest a moment.  I am so tired…

The Frozen Gate

Tuesday evening, Lord Magnus Grey, Royal Spymaster, assembled the Royal Spies at their secret headquarters to discuss the latest mission the spies were being sent on. “The King shares our concern on the slowly expanding dome,” Grey announced, refering to Mors Gotha’s blackrock dome encasing a guard tower in southeastern Britain. “You will be working with Michael on this problem,” Grey added, “I believe Damion’s injuries and state of mind make him problematic to work with on this matter.” The Royal Spies headed to Castle Blackthorn to meet with Michael of Moonglow to learn what help he could be.

“As you have probably guessed, the prisms are connected to the dome,” Michael told the assembled Spies. “Think of the prisms as a sort of river of magic. They connect a bunch of lakes and ponds together. Using this river, Mors Gotha sort of poured a lot of magic into her spell to make the dome.” Michael then noted that the blackrock dome would likely grow into a large space, suggesting that perhaps it would eventually be large enough to house an invasion army. Michael also noted that Neptune’s suggestion that the blackrock dome acted as a sort of anchor was correct, and the plan then would be to direct the magical energies away from the dome. In order to do so, the set of blackrock prisms being used on the other end of the magical energies, those likely used by Mors Gotha, would have to be recovered. “I think we can reopen the gates Mors Gotha used. And send you somewhere else…”

Elemental Battle

Following Michael to the blackrock dome, the goal was to use one of the blackrock prisms to open a gate to the location of one of Gotha’s prisms and retrieve it. “When Mors Gotha opened her gate,” Michael explained, “the prisms started to behave strangely.” Pointing at a prism that had been placed near the blackrock gate, Michael noted, “This one got really, really cold.” Michael then requested the assistance of all mages and magical beings, asking everyone else to back away for safety’s sake. As Michael placed runes around the blackrock prism, the mages were asked to chant a spell: “In Ort Vas Rel Por.” Over and over they chanted, until suddenly there was a great explosion of energy, and a handful of Greater Frost Elementals poured through the gate, attacking the Royal Spies.

Once the monstrous elementals were defeated, Michael and the Spies returned to the blackrock prism. “I believe the path is stable now,” Michael announced, warning, “I suggest you do not stray far from the gate.” The group traveled through the now stable gate, arriving in a cold, frosty environ filled with equally chilling horrors. Facing Ice Golems, the battle was frenzied and chaotic, but eventually the Royal Spies prevailed, only to face Dire Ghosts. The second battle on the other side of the gate was far less hectic, and in time, the entrance was secured.

Anodunos

With time to inspect, two tomes and a warm, wrapped body were discovered. Michael hefted the wrapped body, noting that it was still breathing. A huge ice barrier barred further progression, and so Michael and the Royal Spies retreated back to Britannia to care for the wrapped figure, and to take time to figure out how to further progress. It was clear that Gotha’s first prism would not be recovered this eve. Placing the figure in the care of the inn near the Spies’ headquarters, the Spies themselves reported back to Lord Grey the events of the eve.

The following passages are the texts from the two tome found beyond the frozen gate:
 

The Frozen City by Alorik
Ours was a great city. Lead by our queen, Beatrice, it was a center of art and culture for the entire continent. Our people were prosperous because the warm climate meant we never went hungry, and deposits of filanium brought trade and wealth to our home.
      It was not to last. The northern empires waged war against us, and we lost [all of our] land but our walled city. In our moment of desperation, our mages cast desperate rituals to summon allies to our cause, but not demon or elemental could stop the hordes. Our calls through the Ethereal Void brought us to the attention of another power who sent its emissary to teach us in the ways of war for a price. With Mors Gotha’s help, we turned our filanium’s purpose from healing toward death. We brought destruction to our enemies.
      Our weapons were terrible, and even won, the war demoralized our people. The price we paid was even higher. We paid higher and higher tributes to this great being, [strip] mining away our wealth of filanium. Eventually, the burden became too great, and we refused to pay any [more]. We never expected what happened next.
      This faceless titan cursed our world, bringing a magical cold that turned our paradise into eternal winter. We did our best to survive for as long as we could, moving underground around thermal vents and building great golems to travel out into the cold. It was not enough. The world grew even colder, and eventually, so many of us [simply] went to sleep. Anodunos is now a frozen grave.

The Warm Body

Filanium by Alorik
Filanium, the greatest resource of Anodunos, is a mineral prized for its use in healing magic and alchemy. In its unrefined state, filanium mud can be used in baths that promote good health. [The] mineral can also be dissolved in healing potions that can cure many different ailments.
      The mineral has other uses. That which it can heal, it can also destroy, so dangerous sorcerers have been known to use the mineral for harming spells and rituals. The mineral can also be used to bind together creatures of flesh and creatures of spirit. Some in the northern lands have been known to use this mineral to allow dead ancestors to speak through them.

The Royal Spies meet on most Tuesdays at 8:00 PM (Central) beneath the Britain Counselors Hall in West Britain (near the bridge leading to King Blackthorn’s Castle). Everyone is invited to attend these events. The next meeting of the Royal Spies will be on Tuesday, 12 February 2013 at 8:00 PM (Central).

Also, mark your calendars for the RED VELVET FAIRE on Saturday, 16 February at 4:00 PM (Central), an afternoon faire featuring Naked Archery, Teddy Bear Summoning, and a Kissing Booth!