[EF]: Techno-Prophetic (3/2019 - 6/2019)

[Judas D'arc]

Summary: Lector Stavros, leader of the Technocrats, commence their final gambit, using knowledge stolen from the sorcerer Renthar to bring about their mysterious Techno-Prophecy. Meanwhile, the Emerald Fist and their allies confront their foes once and for all.

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3/16/2019:

In Emerald Town, a meeting was held to discuss outstanding business, such as the ongoing Technocrat threat, Renthar's comatose state, and the inactivity of certain members. The Empress also provided Piper with a letter from Lord Haxley requesting that she arrange to visit him at Castle Britannia.

Suddenly, their meeting was interrupted by a knock at the door. An undead creature incapable of intelligent speech stood outside the keep's entrance, beckoning the group to follow it. After a brief discussion, they agreed to do so and were led to Emerald Town's Tower of the Twin Suns. Atop the tower's roof, they were met by a spiritual projection of Renthar, who explained that his body was still severely injured, and this was the easiest way to communicate. He told them about the Renthars Room, an interdimensional space where he was able to confer with his counterparts from other versions of Sosaria. Together, they devised a plan to heal them.

According to the sorcerer, his recovery was obstructed by the metal that the Technocrats fused to his head. He and his fellow Renthars theorized they could override it with similarly powerful technology, a part from the Blackthorn ‘facsimile’ created by Exodus. On nearly every shard-world, its corpse was buried at his castle in Felucca of Britain, under a ward placed there by Lord British. In order to penetrate this ward, the Fist needed the claw of a particularly powerful demon, the Slasher of Veils, which dwelled inside the Stygian Abyss. Once properly treated by the ambient magicks generated by the Emerald Town wards, among other things, the claw would enable them to access the half-machine Blackthorn's grave.

The group then journeyed to the Abyss and slew the Slasher of Veils. Once it was dead, they cut off its hand and placed it atop the Tower of the Twin Suns.

3/17/2019:

The next day, the Fist returned to the Tower of the Twin Suns. Renthar's spiritual projection informed them the Claw had been sufficiently suffused. He then asked them to bring it to the dungeon Shame and slay a Chaos Vortex in its presence. Because Castle Blackthorn of Felucca was a place of Chaotic symbology, and the barrier protecting the grave was created by Lord British, who was symbolic of order, the Renthars believed they needed to channel the power of chaos to overcome the wards.

After destroying a Chaos Vortex in Shame, the group traveled to Castle Blackthorn of Felucca. They used the empowered Claw of the Sasher to pierce the barrier and removed a machine piece from the Blackthorn that was buried there. Jolicia then took custody of the metal part for the next part of Renthar's plan.



3/22/2019:

At Castle Britannia, Piper met with Lord Haxley. During the discussion, he mentioned that Lady Elwina de Hugh of Trinsic learned the Fist captured a Technocrat at the recent Black Market. On her behalf, Haxley raised the topic of her daughter, Frieda de Hugh, who was murdered the previous year by the Technocrats, suggesting that Piper avenge the death if she ever discovered the identity of the killer.

3/23/2019:

After recovering the piece from the grave of the half-machine Blackthorn, Renthar sent Jolicia and the Fist to recruit a competent tinker to fix the dormant object. They recruited the famed Takako for this task and escorted him to the lost Kotl City of Eodon, where he used Kotl technology to reactivate it.



3/25/2019:

During a group meeting one night, Emerald Town was suddenly attacked by a squad of Technocrats intent on capturing the Emerald Empress. Though victorious, the Fist was perturbed to discover the Technocrats were able to overcome the town's wards by creating a portal from the abandoned abbey north of Vesper, a mysterious place that had become a recurring presence in many of the matters they had dealt with.



3/30/2019:

Soon, Renthar requested Jolicia and the Fist find a competent healer to remove the Technocrat metal fused to his face and replace it with the technology stolen from the grave of the half-machine Blackthorn. The druid Aeyia of Yew agreed to so, and she successfully performed the surgery inside the Emerald Town Infirmary. Once this was finished, Renthar's body was finally able to begin its healing process.

4/1/2019:

A Technocrat attended the monthly council meeting at Castle Blackthorn, asking King Blackthorn about his relationship to the half-machine Blackthorn that once invaded Britannia. He also questioned the king about whether he was a true or false prophet, and if he wished to return to his former, superior form. However, Blackthorn denied that he did, proclaiming his preference for flesh. The Technocrat was visibly disappointed, but escaped before the Fist or anyone else present could detain him.

4/6/2019:

After recovering from his surgery, Renthar finally awoke and met with the Fist. He shared with them what he had learned about the Technocrats during his months of captivity.

Led by Lector Stavros, his lieutenants were Sister Niva, and the twin Brothers Corban and Karan, who was slain at the Black Market. Originally they were a rogue faction of Technocrats that desired revenge for transgressions against the Techno-Prophet, their world's version of Blackthorn. Their objectives had since shifted to fulfilling the Techno-Prophecy, which entailed altering reality and restoring the original history of Sosaria, so that the Techno-Prophet and his followers would dominate the shard-worlds of the multiverse. In order to do this, they needed to corrupt each world's "Pathways," mythical currents that defined and shaped its reality. Stavros had ripped knowledge of these "Pathways" and other information from Renthar's mind while he was a prisoner, and the Technocrats were now searching for this world's "Pathways."

Following this discussion, Renthar announced he was departing, but he promised to contact them if he uncovered anything new about their foes. He also suggested they speak with the Technocrat they captured at the Black Market.

[Judas D'arc]

4/13/2019:

Soon, the Fist interrogated Sister Tarren, their Technocrat Prisoner. After weeks of imprisonment and the realization that no rescue was forthcoming, she proved surprisingly cooperative. Though she knew she would face punishment for participating in Lector Stavros' unsanctioned mission, she wanted to return to her world. However, she refused to do so without her lover, a Mathematician named Brother Farnum. In exchange for reuniting them and providing safe passage home, Tarren agreed to reveal everything she knew about her brethren's plans. Her proposal was reluctantly accepted, and their prisoner informed them that Farnum was last assigned to watch their old enemies, the Juka and Meer, in Ilshenar.

In Lakeshire, the Fist and their allies once again encountered Kosha, a young Meer who previously aided them. When asked about any recent Technocrat sightings, the girl informed them that Nahja, a fellow Meer, recently encountered a Technocrat scout nearby. But Nahja was no longer present in the village, she had recently departed for the Twisted Weald.

Journeying to the dungeon, the group quickly found Nahja at its entrance. She explained that she was investigating reports that Dread Horn had been straying from his lair and causing trouble in the wilds. Without asking for anything in return, the Meer also confirmed what Kosha told them. After spotting the Technocrat scout, he immediately fled north until he reached Mistas. Unable to follow him without alerting the Juka, Nahja then ceased her pursuit.

Next, they decided to search Mistas. While there was no sign of the Technocrat scout in the city itself, they eventually located him to the north, camped in the nearby Serpentine Passage. He immediately fled, but they quickly captured him. The Fist then secured the scout, who they confirmed was Brother Farnum, back at Ezekial's home.

4/16/2019:

The Fist returned to Ezekial's home to question Sister Tarren and Brother Farnum. While the former was eager to answer questions, the latter was initially hesitant and only agreed because his lover convinced him. Together, they shared the following with their interrogators:

When the Technocrats first arrived on this world, they appeared in the Mushroom Caves in Ilshenar, and their entrance was marked by multi-colored lightning that reflected the time and space magicks used to transport them. They did not have a specific base of operations, instead they used the various underground tunnels and dungeons to move about Ilshenar. Over time, their group split along ideological lines. Tarren and Farnum followed the twins Corban and Karan, who were focused on the capture of Renthar and the Emerald Empress. Others, led by Sister Niva, embraced the idea of the Techno-Prophecy and wished to return home with the knowledge taken from Renthar. Their leader, Lector Stavros, encouraged both factions without taking sides, though he ultimately kept his true plans to himself. With Karan's death at the Black Market, those that favored the Techno-Prophecy were winning out. It was Sister Niva who organized the attempt to kidnap the Empress, hoping that either outcome would force a return to their homeland. Due to all of their defeats at the hands of the Fist and their allies, the Technocrat forces were dwindling. Finally, Farnum was aware that Stavros was in the process of building something related to the Techno-Prophecy, but he did not know any further details.

The group also learned that Farnum was the murderer of Frieda de Hugh of Trinsic, nearly a year ago. This revelation, as well as Ezekial's request that the two prisoners aid him with an unrelated project, caused the ranger Okami to strike down and kill the Brother. This enraged Tarren, who considered it a betrayal of their agreement. When given the opportunity to grieve alone with her lover's corpse, she escaped out a window with his body, depriving the Fist of any additional advantage in their conflict against the Technocrats.

4/28/2019:

Renthar soon returned to Emerald Town. Unable to locate the Technocrats or the Pathways, the sorcerer feared that time was growing short and proposed a ritual that could aid their struggle. By attuning an individual to the world's subconsciousness, she would be able to detect any attempts to alter or corrupt it, such as any efforts to implement the Techno-Prophecy. The candidate needed to be a mage native to this particular shard-world and untainted by shard or time travel. After proper preparation, she would be placed in magickal stasis and buried underground for a period of up to a three days and nights.

After some discussion, Kalanna was chosen to be the subject of the attunement ritual. Renthar then sent the group to the Lost Lands, in order to recover the lard of the demon Chief Paroxysmus, which was a required ingredient for the ritual.

5/1/2019:

A few days later, Renthar summoned the Fist and their allies to Castle Britannia of Felucca. Inside the throne room, the sorcerer explained that mythicaly and geographically speaking, this was the heart of Sosaria. While it was impossible to dig a hole beneath the throne room, there was suitable ground behind the castle.

Outside, a spot was selected, Ezekial summoned earth elementals to dig a grave-sized hole. Kalanna removed her clothing, and Renthar and Jolicia proceeded to cover her naked body with a paste made from a mixture of ingredients, including Paroxysmus’ lard. The sorcerer explained how some of these items were not native to this world, making the spell impossible to repeat.



Renthar proceeded with the ritual. Using his ruby amulet to aid him, the sorcerer placed Kalanna under magical protection and into a deep sleep. She was then pushed down and swallowed whole by the ground. Renthar told the others that she would be safe, and they could retrieve her within a few days.

5/4/2019:

After three nights, they returned to recover Kalanna. After magically unearthing her, Renthar proclaimed the attunement ritual a success, though Kalanna seemed confused and somehow different. The sorcerer then parted ways with the group, stating he would be in the City of Umbra for the time being.

5/6/2019:

During the next council meeting at Castle Blackthorn, Kalanna experienced a strange vision, alerting her to the Technocrats' attempt to infiltrate the Pathways and implement their Techno-Prophecy:

“It starts with a whisper; small, harsh words that snarl at the back of your skull. Louder, slowly, the moments flow together then separate once again, forever transformed by their coupling. Streams of rust-blood flow from ears to eyeballs and down into your nostrils, filling them with the non-scent, antiseptic. A deep cold penetrates your flesh, turning bright-hot-white as it navigates your veins. Slow, rhythmic pulsing beneath a twisted melody, your ears are overwhelmed by the liturgy of the Techno-Prophecy. The land suffers, and you crumble at its intensity, the violent act of uncreation, the automation of what-is into what-should-have been.

The location of the pathways are far from certain, but you push past the constant chorus of pain and confusion, intent on finding the way. You witness its point of origin; a broken facet, hovering between darkness and light, surrounded by a sea of stars. The world resists for now, but soon, it will no longer have the strength.”

She also heard a dark voice in her mind that repeated the following phrases, which she then shared aloud:

“He's moved on. And you should, too.”

“A prostitute. And young and blonde at that.”

“That’s the one good thing about the sort of fools you find here. They're so optimistic. So self-centered. Focused only on their own goals. They do not consider the price, or the cost, and how they weren't the only ones to benefit ...”

After the meeting, Chanticleer suggested they find Renthar in Umbra. They located him on the outskirts of the city, in the midst of torturing Sister Tarren of the Technocrats, who was tied up on the ground in front of him. According to the sorcerer, the Technocrat had made an attempt on his life.

They then discussed Kalanna's vision. Upon hearing the strange words she spoke at the meeting, Renthar knew them as his own. Theorizing that the attunement ritual must have created a connection between him and Kalanna, he realized he could now locate the Technocrats.

The group also questioned Tarren, who revealed that after escaping and burying Farnum, she returned to Ilshenar to search for her fellow Technocrats. Upon hearing her confession, Sister Niva offered the errant Mathematician a chance to redeem herself by killing Renthar. Tarren was unrepentant, fixated on revenge for her lover's death.

Before leaving to track their foes, Renthar advised the Fist to gather as many allies as they could and prepare for war. They also decided to execute Tarren, and Ezekial performed the deed himself. They then left her corpse in the hands of Ariadne, who successfully dismembered and burned it. With scissors!

[Judas D'arc]

5/11/2019:

At Emerald Town, the Emerald Empress addressed the large group that the Fist recruited for what would prove to be their final battle against Lector Stavros and his Technocrats. She briefly explained the history and nature of this threat against their world, and what they faced that night. The Empress also revealed that Renthar had located the site of the Pathway that Stavros was using to implement the Techo-Prophecy. But before confronting him, they would need to strike at the Technocrat fort in Malas and destroy their army, preventing him from summoning reinforcements.



Using a rune provided by Renthar, the Fist and their allies traveled to the former fortress of of Vamp's Lair, which the Technocrats had now claimed as their own. After dispatching a handful of Mathematician guards, they were confronted by one of Stavros' lieutenants, Brother Corban. He stated he would avenge the death of his twin brother, Karan, who was killed by them during the Black Market at Red Skull Bay.



The defenders of Sosaria then battled Corban and his forces, which included Mathematicians, enslaved gargoyles, and various types of automatons. Eventually, the Technocrats fell before their might, and they were able to capture the fort. Once inside, they discovered a portal that led them to the site of the Pathway that Stavros had targeted. On the other side of this portal, the Fist and their allies spotted a large Construct made of crystal and stone. There was also strange mechanical device on the ground outside of it. They were greeted by Sister Niva, who warned them that their actions were futile. She vanished in a burst of black smoke, and the group was attacked by mechanical Overseers, as well as what appeared to be the Spare Parts of the dead tinker Sterling. But these were quickly destroyed.



Inside the Construct, they finally encountered the elusive Lector Stavros, who explained that he had already won. Before disappearing like Niva did, he flipped a lever that began the process to corrupt the Pathways below the structure.



The Fist and their allies then rushed outside. Waiting for them was a large automaton, which the Lector had referred to as the Vessel, along with the sentinels that protected it. Additionally, the strange mechanical device was now active. Thus began the brutal final battle for the fate of the world.



In the end, the defenders of Sosaria proved triumphant and the Technocrat machines were destroyed. They discovered that Stavros had not fled, and he willingly surrendered to them. Upon searching the rest of the Construct, they found a number of prison cells. There, they freed Vincent the Understudy, a lookalike of the missing bard Judas, previously encountered by some of present. They also recovered a magical war axe. Vincent explained that he was captured when he came to investigate the Technocrats' attempt to 'alter' the story. He also warned his rescuers that worse things were coming, and that the war axe belonged to one of the Hunters of the Abyss. Before he could answer anything else, the Understudy suddenly faded away.

Following this, both the Technocrat Construct and fort were razed, and Lector Stavros was securely imprisoned in Emerald Town.

5/15/2019:

A few days later, Chanticleer officially invited the elf Ariadne to join the Fist. After they explained that they were inviting her to join their group, not physically touch her hands together, she accepted the offer. The Fist and Jolicia then questioned Lector Stavros in their jail, though nothing new or of importance was learned.

Shortly thereafter, Emerald Town was visited by Lord Haxley. He explained how his services had been retained by Sister Niva to negotiate an end to the ongoing conflict between the Fist and the Technocrats. In exchange for Stavros' release, Niva promised they would permanently withdraw from this world, never to return. But if refused, she would gather reinforcements to rescue him. Haxley felt she was sincere and suggested they accept. In response to a suggestion the Technocrats could not be trusted, the solicitor countered by mentioning the Fist's failure to uphold their bargain with Tarren.

5/16/2019:

The next night, Renthar visited Emerald Town. He was opposed Niva's offer and demanded that the Fist kill Stavros. The sorcerer did not care if this resulted in future attacks. The Lector still possessed the knowledge he stole from Renthar, and the capability to alter a world's Pathways and implement the Techno-Prophecy could not be permitted to spread.

5/20/2019:

A smaller grouping of Fist members questioned Stavros a second time. Between both interrogations, they learned how he came to change his objective from the capture of Renthar and the Empress to fulfilling the Techno-Prophecy. He also confirmed that he had not shared the knowledge he stole from Renthar with any of his subordinates. Finally, he told that Vincent the Understudy appeared randomly at the Construct before the final battle, and the strange war axe belonged to a mysterious, red armored individual that attacked the Technocrat camp but they managed to fight off.

5/22/2019:

In Emerald Town, a meeting was held to vote upon the fate of Lector Stavros. Months prior, the Empress warned the mages participating in the ritual to establish Emerald Town's magical wards that they might experience visions. It was now Jolicia's turn, and she was given insight into the outcome of their choice. If Stavros was freed, the Technocrats would never return to this world; instead, they would use Renthar's knowledge to spread their Techno-Prophecy to other worlds. But if he was was slain, the Technocrats would return to seek revenge against the Fist, resulting in casualties among their ranks.

While the Empress urged for the release of the Lector, and some present agreed with her, ultimately the group voted to execute him. This sentence was swiftly carried out by Ariadne.



And with the death of Lector Stavros, the Emerald Fist's nearly year long struggle against the threat of the Technocrats was finally over. At least for the time being.

6/7/2019:

Story: Slouching Towards Logosia (A Techno-Prophetic Epilogue)