Lords of RPG

The storm raged outside, and the air inside the shallow cave smelled of ozone and wet fetid earth.  A crash of lightning, nearby...and then another.  Shade pulled his cloak tighter around his body.  "What I'd give to be in a tavern.  The smell of a fire...and stale booze...fat stupid marks drunk and unknowing.  And the ladies..."

Timm smiled.  "Yes, the ladies."  He laughed.  "Traveling port to port has its advantages.  A sailor's life for me."

Vincent was curious.  "So, you really are from a traveling carnival?  I mean...I sort of thought you were joking, or making an anology or something."

Arwin chuckled at this, but said nothing.

Sympos was looking over paperwork by the light of several candles he had set around the top of the chest at the back of the cave.  His grubby fingers ran over the paperwork, as he studied every detail.

Gabe stood nearby.  "Whatcha looking for?"

Sympos looked at Gabe, like he forgot he was there.  "Uh...sorry.  This is the paperwork Niels Kuist gave us."

Gabe shrugged.  "We've been over it before.  It gave us the little song we sing to hold back the Fey.  Some rough maps to get us to the Gate of Oth.  Some dusty old history about a big green dragon, and the destruction he wrought.  And the working theory that we have to snatch the Orb of Om-Radeen from the podium before the Gate in order to shut it.  We've been over it a few times now.  Torvi made me read it twice myself!"

Sympos scrunched up his dirty face.  "Yes.  The Orb powers the gate that allows the Feylands to cross over into ours.  We snatch the Orb...we close the gate.  Om-Radeen just doesn't sound like it originates in the Fey language.  It sounds like something from the Southern tongue, and there's this reference in the paperwork to someplace called Aeruni.  Niels Kuist deals in both lumber and death, but I don't know if this information is good.  It is definitely not complete."

Gabe laughed.  "You worry too much.  The song works.  The maps seem to be correct.  And it seems easy enough.  A big magical thing powers a weird gate into the fey world.  We snatch the thing, and the gate closes.  You're always seeing the dark side of things my friend."

Sympos nodded.  "There is Darkness, and less Darkness...but there is no light.  The darkness of the grave is all we can hope for in the end."

Gabe thought about that.  "Well, that being the case...why worry?"

Sympos ignored this last comment, and went back to pouring over the documents.

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Song to Appease the Fey

Deep in the forest the Annis plays
Do you hear the fairy music?
The enchanting sounds of the Fey
Do you see the floating lights?
The orbs beckon from the Sidh
The Fire is bright
The Shadows at bay
Tonight the worlds are one
Portals opened from the Fey
Two worlds become one
Split twain by magic foul
The music beckons
Join us they say
The Fire is bright
Round and round we sway
Deep in the forest the Annis plays
Strangers are not welcome
Only those who know the dance of the Fey
The wine it pours
The smoke bellows forth
Deep in the forest the Annis plays
The flutes and drums
The rhythm takes you far away
Join us you who can hear
You may die and die and die
Or come join the Annis play
For Lord of Sun
Queen of Moon
King of Earth
Protector of the Mothers Womb
The lights flicker far away
The music lingers
A seducing whisper
Join us if you hear
Join the dance if you can find The Way
The Fey walk amongst us
When the Annis plays

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Snippet transcribed from "A World Fallen to Wild," by Plommer the Fair, a published journal from the time of the Great Cataclysm

"The earthquakes have increased in frequency and intensity.  Great forests are on the march!  Villages and towns subsumed in the natural vengeance.  Waves of nature's forces break like an unstoppable tide upon the fringes of the larger cities.  Animals, once placid, act like rabid creatures...gnawing and clawing at any human nearby.  Herbs betray their purpose, poisoning those that consume them.  The earth itself, seems hungry to devour those that walk upon it.  Great vents have opened up, spewing life-choking fumes and ash."

"Twigtail seeks to return all that men have built to its state of original nature...and I doubt we have anything to stand in his way...."

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Snippet transcribed from "Transference and Justaposition," an essay by the Elder

"Cross-polylineal spacial tranference would be possible, in order to shift several degrees from the current reality anchor.  But, the amount of power required would be immeasurable, and not within our current grasp.  Others believe otherwise, and seek arifacts or baubles that might provide such power.  Once such artifact is the Orb of Om-Radeen, created by the Aeruni mage Onra Om-Radeen several hundred years ago in a bid to control the power of the Djinn.  Rather than control this power, the final orb was quite deft at opening gateways to other worlds.  Especially worlds imbued with high levels of innate magic of their own.  Should my rival find the Orb, and deploy it, I give him a 5% chance of successfully bringing about the spacial juxtaposition that he seeks.  For my part, I will retreate from my tower in the Kingdom of Othamar.  There are mysteries I seek to study in the Great Barrens.  And there is no time like the present."  

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Notes taken from "The Great Kingdoms of the Mainland," by Piko Torrini or Paralo, a Pre-Cataclysm writer on political matters

"The three southern kindoms of the Mainland in the West are the Duchey of Vesh, the Kingdom of Othamar, and the Far Reaches.  Vesh is the easternmost Kingdom of the three, with the Far Reaches in the center, and Othamar being the westernmost."

"The Duchey of Vesh has a culture not dissimilar from my homeland of Paralo.  Wine, women, and food are paramount.  The men live big, laugh loud, and show great bravery in battle.  The diversion of gladitorial combat, and slavery in general, have never taken hold in Vesh, and I would be lying if I did not say that I admire them for these ommissions.  The Vesh family appears to have ruled with wisdom and enlightenment these past few generations, but like all great families, they are descended from the most brutal and manipulative of Kings and Queens."

"The Far Reaches is not so much an independent Kingdom, as it is a puppet-state of the Kingdom of Jacobe in the central Mainland.  Centuries ago, through great cost of coin and men, Jacobe took the area of the Far Reaches in order to control much-needed coastal ports, and so Jacobe could deploy a strong navy.  It is through their control of the Far Reaches, that land-locked Jacobe has been so able to influence the Coastal Kingdoms of the Mainland.  While not an unpleasant place to visit, the Far Reaches are very structured and militaristic in their culture.  Their borders are dotted with forts, and there are more Jacobian soldiers in the Far Reaches than there are in the Kingdom of Jacobe itself!"

"The Kingdom of Othamar is a place of great knowledge and learning.  Most of the Mainlands great Colleges and Libraries are located in Othamar, and one could consider Othamar the repository of the best of Western Mainland culture.  The Capital city of Daveen is a sprawling metropolis, with a well-planned water and sewage system that would rival anything one could find in Paralo.  If there were one flaw I could point to, it would be their utilitarian and intellectual approach to architecture and the arts.  Othamar could learn a thing or two about living life from Paralo...or the Duchey of Vesh for that matter!"

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Snippet from a report provided by Mylus Baum, a hired ranger associated with Thorn's Men

"...At this point in the mission, I was the last remaining member of our group.  I had crept as close as I dared to the Gate of Oth, and was able to gather the information below.  I know it will be questioned why I did not attempt to close the gate, being close enough to observe it.  For my part, I felt at the time, that the information provided below would be more helpful to your cause, than another dead ranger.  And I had no doubt, that should I try to close the gate at that moment, that I would die."

"The orb and gate are contained beneath an octogon-shaped roof, some 30 feet off the ground.  At each of the eight points of the roof, a supporting column descends.  There are no walls, so the white glow of the Orb shines outward onto the surrounding trees and greenery.  The orb sits upon a stone pedestal, some 3 or 4 feet high.  It appeared to me, that iron bands of some port criss-crossed the orb, holding it in place.  It is hard to say, due to the distance of my vantage point, and the glow of the orb affecting my vision, but I believe these iron bands incorporated some sort of locking mechanism."

"I saw no guards or wardens dirctly around the orb and gate, but based on the heavy resistance that has taken my men from me over the past week, I had to assume that he guards were there.  And that as the one remaining ranger of my group, I would die attempting to close the gate..."