Post by Judas D'arc on Oct 7, 2020 15:43:47 GMT -5
Summary: For the past few years, those of Skara Brae and Trinsic have encountered hints about the existence of an otherworldly Voice with an interest in this particular shard-world of Sosaria. Nothing is known about its true identity or objectives, only that it haunts Michael Mitre, the former Keeper of the Rangers Guild of Skara Brae also known as the villainous Renthar, a former lieutenant in Mondain's army and foe to Britannia. Others who hear the Voice include the Stower Twins and Relthor of the Broken Ankh, who have struck various bargains with it, and Colin Stark, the former prince of a fallen northern kingdom who has been investigating it from deep within the dungeon Khaldun. But now, the Voice sends forth an Emissary to assume a more direct role in furthering its mysterious schemes.
7/15/2017:
From its unknown location, the Voice contacted Relthor of the Broken Ankh to request two favors involving the seer Aila of the Holy Fist. The hooded sorcerer agreed and sent his servant, the 'In Quas Xen' (magical duplicate) of Faeryl Tyra'them, who had infiltrated the ranks of the Holy Fist of Trinsic and was spying upon them, to bring Aila to him. During their conversation, Relthor informed the seer that she was being granted two gifts by a mysterious benefactor.
The first of these gifts was a person of importance to her. Relthor and Aila concocted a scheme where Aila sought out her fellow Holy Fist members about a recurring vision she could not decipher: an unidentified man, suffering and trapped in an unknown place. She then asked them to join her in Minoc, where they consulted with another gypsy seer, Riodan, who was actually Relthor in disguise. This Riodan pretended to use a crystal ball to gather information from Aila's vision, and he determined that this unidentified man was being punished, imprisoned by a master of time. He opened a portal to the man's location, and the Holy Fist and their allies entered and arrived in a strange place filled with lava and rocky terrain, where they discovered a stone figure trapped behind mystic wards. Aila swiftly removed the wards, and the figure was transformed into Minalan Zhalfest, her former lover and the father of her child, who had been missing for more than a year since he tampered with powerful, magical forces. Unfortunately, Minalan had no memory of what exactly he had done or who had imprisoned him there, but he was glad to be freed and the group escorted him to safety so that he could recover from his ordeal.
8/5/2017:
After spending years attempting to uncover more about the mysterious Voice, Colin Stark, former prince of the fallen northern kingdom of Winterfell, had an epiphany. Previously, he could only perceive the faintest echoes of the Voice's communications, while deep within the dungeon Khaldun, at the same spot that the demonic entity known as the Harrower breached their shard-world with its tentacles. Colin theorized that the Voice was using the same magical channels as the Harrower to access their world, but that the creature's presence was also causing the interference that prevented him from hearing it more clearly. In order to remove this interference, the Harrower needed to be distracted.
Colin then hired a passing adventurer to deliver a message to his cousin and current head of the Stower family, Erollisi of the Holy Fist, asking for their aid. They agreed to travel to Khaldun, and once they did, he explained his theory to them. As Colin meditated and focused his magical abilities, the group battled the Harrower's tentacles. Eventually, Colin collapsed, exhausted. He revealed that while he was still unable to identify the Voice or its true nature, he was able to divine that it had sent an Emissary to their world to achieve some unknown objective. Colin stated he would continue his stay inside the dungeon to learn more, but they would probably need to confront the Harrower itself in order for him to hear the Voice clearly and without any interference. Before the Holy Fist departed, Colin asked that they consider summoning and facing the creature.
8/2017:
The mage Jolicia, a new arrival to Trinsic who was employed at the Paladin Isle library, began making appearances at the Keg & Anchor, and she soon became acquainted with the Holy Fist and their circle of allies. Upon first encountering her, "John" (Chanticleer) believed she looked familiar, though she denied that they had ever met. Relthor's In Quas Xen of Faeryl also recognized her from the true Faeryl's memories that she possessed, but quickly decided that the mage must be this shard-world's version of the woman Faeryl knew on her own native shard-world. Following this, Jolicia continued to spend time around the group, and demonstrated a particular interest in Sergio Jarrett.
8/27/17:
At the end of the conflict between the Rangers of Spiritwood and the Rangers Guild he once led, the former Keeper Michael Mitre narrowly escaped imprisonment and execution for his numerous misdeeds, and he was instead permanently banished from Skara Brae and Spiritwood. For more than a year, he had been hiding in the Tokunese countryside with his lover, the half-elven ranger Mylar Tyrmitore. Earlier in the year, Mylar became pregnant, but she soon suffered a miscarriage.
One day, Mitre asked Mylar to join him for a walk up the nearby mountain to meet with someone. They were met by a robed man who introduced himself to Mylar as the healer who saved her when she lost her unborn child. Mitre explained that this individual opposed the mysterious Voice that hunted him, and had taught him techniques to avoid detection. As they speak, the robed man mentioned that he was aware that Mylar was pregnant again, and he congratulated her.
He then warned them that the Voice had sent an Emissary to their world to locate Mitre, and regardless of his attempts to conceal his presence, there was a strong possibility he would eventually fail. Because Renthar was born prior to the Shattering of Mondain's Gem, he had counterparts on every shard-world of Sosaria, and so he was prevented from escaping to any of them. However, the robed man did offer to send away Mylar, so she could raise their baby in peace. When asked about the location of this other place, and their would-be benefactor explained it was not exactly another Sosaria, but a placed related to all of them, "Everywhere." Mitre would not be able to join her there because the Voice had his eyes on that place, but Mylar and the child would be safe. He suggested that they consider this, and Mitre once again referred to Mylar as his weakness. As they parted ways with the robed man, he warned them to be safe, and told the former Keeper to do his best to survive.
9/9/2017:
One evening, Jolicia approached the Holy Fist and requested that they help her obtain an audience with Lord Everett de Hugh of the Trinsic Council. At this meeting, she informed the nobleman that while perusing the library on Paladin Isle, she came across a reference to his ancestor Lord Norbert de Hugh, who died battling demon worshipers in Hythloth centuries ago. His body was unfortunately left behind due to the sudden appearance of more demons. Another book the mage read detailed how Norbert was the last member of his family to possess a family heirloom, a small key ring known as the Mark of de Hugh. Everett was familiar with the item and explained how the key ring supposedly opened an old abandoned crate in his family's vault. Jolicia then suggested that they journey there to see if the artifact was retrievable. She then led Everett and a group of locals to the bottom floor of Hythloth of Felucca, where they were able to find the spot Norbert died and recovered the Mark of de Hugh. This pleased Lord de Hugh greatly, and he officially welcomed Jolicia to Trinsic as a valued ally.
9/24/2017:
The Voice's Emissary contacted Relthor and told him that it was time for the next favor involving Aila. The hooded Broken Ankh sorcerer then summoned his false Faeryl and ordered her to escort the seer to Kent's Last Pint in Felucca. The elf warned him that Aila had threatened to tell the rest of the Holy Fist if she caught Faeryl acting on his behalf again, but Relthor assured his servant not to worry because the meeting was not about him.
When the In Quas Xen of Faeryl and Aila arrived at Kent's Last Pint, the Broken Ankh sorcerer informed her it was time for her second gift. The Emissary then appeared, her features obscured by a hood, and she revealed that Aila shared the lost spirit of a woman called Aingeal, who was a native of the true Faeryl's shard-world and suffered a violent death. She shared some of the details about Aingeal's life and how she died. She also promised that she and the Voice would help the seer recover the lost pieces of herself, so she might be whole once again. However, the Emissary refused to disclose her own face or identity, or that of the Voice. After their discussion concluded, Relthor commanded his false Faeryl to return Aila to Trinsic, and reminded them both to keep this matter between them.
********
7/15/2017:
From its unknown location, the Voice contacted Relthor of the Broken Ankh to request two favors involving the seer Aila of the Holy Fist. The hooded sorcerer agreed and sent his servant, the 'In Quas Xen' (magical duplicate) of Faeryl Tyra'them, who had infiltrated the ranks of the Holy Fist of Trinsic and was spying upon them, to bring Aila to him. During their conversation, Relthor informed the seer that she was being granted two gifts by a mysterious benefactor.
The first of these gifts was a person of importance to her. Relthor and Aila concocted a scheme where Aila sought out her fellow Holy Fist members about a recurring vision she could not decipher: an unidentified man, suffering and trapped in an unknown place. She then asked them to join her in Minoc, where they consulted with another gypsy seer, Riodan, who was actually Relthor in disguise. This Riodan pretended to use a crystal ball to gather information from Aila's vision, and he determined that this unidentified man was being punished, imprisoned by a master of time. He opened a portal to the man's location, and the Holy Fist and their allies entered and arrived in a strange place filled with lava and rocky terrain, where they discovered a stone figure trapped behind mystic wards. Aila swiftly removed the wards, and the figure was transformed into Minalan Zhalfest, her former lover and the father of her child, who had been missing for more than a year since he tampered with powerful, magical forces. Unfortunately, Minalan had no memory of what exactly he had done or who had imprisoned him there, but he was glad to be freed and the group escorted him to safety so that he could recover from his ordeal.
8/5/2017:
After spending years attempting to uncover more about the mysterious Voice, Colin Stark, former prince of the fallen northern kingdom of Winterfell, had an epiphany. Previously, he could only perceive the faintest echoes of the Voice's communications, while deep within the dungeon Khaldun, at the same spot that the demonic entity known as the Harrower breached their shard-world with its tentacles. Colin theorized that the Voice was using the same magical channels as the Harrower to access their world, but that the creature's presence was also causing the interference that prevented him from hearing it more clearly. In order to remove this interference, the Harrower needed to be distracted.
Colin then hired a passing adventurer to deliver a message to his cousin and current head of the Stower family, Erollisi of the Holy Fist, asking for their aid. They agreed to travel to Khaldun, and once they did, he explained his theory to them. As Colin meditated and focused his magical abilities, the group battled the Harrower's tentacles. Eventually, Colin collapsed, exhausted. He revealed that while he was still unable to identify the Voice or its true nature, he was able to divine that it had sent an Emissary to their world to achieve some unknown objective. Colin stated he would continue his stay inside the dungeon to learn more, but they would probably need to confront the Harrower itself in order for him to hear the Voice clearly and without any interference. Before the Holy Fist departed, Colin asked that they consider summoning and facing the creature.
8/2017:
The mage Jolicia, a new arrival to Trinsic who was employed at the Paladin Isle library, began making appearances at the Keg & Anchor, and she soon became acquainted with the Holy Fist and their circle of allies. Upon first encountering her, "John" (Chanticleer) believed she looked familiar, though she denied that they had ever met. Relthor's In Quas Xen of Faeryl also recognized her from the true Faeryl's memories that she possessed, but quickly decided that the mage must be this shard-world's version of the woman Faeryl knew on her own native shard-world. Following this, Jolicia continued to spend time around the group, and demonstrated a particular interest in Sergio Jarrett.
8/27/17:
At the end of the conflict between the Rangers of Spiritwood and the Rangers Guild he once led, the former Keeper Michael Mitre narrowly escaped imprisonment and execution for his numerous misdeeds, and he was instead permanently banished from Skara Brae and Spiritwood. For more than a year, he had been hiding in the Tokunese countryside with his lover, the half-elven ranger Mylar Tyrmitore. Earlier in the year, Mylar became pregnant, but she soon suffered a miscarriage.
One day, Mitre asked Mylar to join him for a walk up the nearby mountain to meet with someone. They were met by a robed man who introduced himself to Mylar as the healer who saved her when she lost her unborn child. Mitre explained that this individual opposed the mysterious Voice that hunted him, and had taught him techniques to avoid detection. As they speak, the robed man mentioned that he was aware that Mylar was pregnant again, and he congratulated her.
He then warned them that the Voice had sent an Emissary to their world to locate Mitre, and regardless of his attempts to conceal his presence, there was a strong possibility he would eventually fail. Because Renthar was born prior to the Shattering of Mondain's Gem, he had counterparts on every shard-world of Sosaria, and so he was prevented from escaping to any of them. However, the robed man did offer to send away Mylar, so she could raise their baby in peace. When asked about the location of this other place, and their would-be benefactor explained it was not exactly another Sosaria, but a placed related to all of them, "Everywhere." Mitre would not be able to join her there because the Voice had his eyes on that place, but Mylar and the child would be safe. He suggested that they consider this, and Mitre once again referred to Mylar as his weakness. As they parted ways with the robed man, he warned them to be safe, and told the former Keeper to do his best to survive.
9/9/2017:
One evening, Jolicia approached the Holy Fist and requested that they help her obtain an audience with Lord Everett de Hugh of the Trinsic Council. At this meeting, she informed the nobleman that while perusing the library on Paladin Isle, she came across a reference to his ancestor Lord Norbert de Hugh, who died battling demon worshipers in Hythloth centuries ago. His body was unfortunately left behind due to the sudden appearance of more demons. Another book the mage read detailed how Norbert was the last member of his family to possess a family heirloom, a small key ring known as the Mark of de Hugh. Everett was familiar with the item and explained how the key ring supposedly opened an old abandoned crate in his family's vault. Jolicia then suggested that they journey there to see if the artifact was retrievable. She then led Everett and a group of locals to the bottom floor of Hythloth of Felucca, where they were able to find the spot Norbert died and recovered the Mark of de Hugh. This pleased Lord de Hugh greatly, and he officially welcomed Jolicia to Trinsic as a valued ally.
9/24/2017:
The Voice's Emissary contacted Relthor and told him that it was time for the next favor involving Aila. The hooded Broken Ankh sorcerer then summoned his false Faeryl and ordered her to escort the seer to Kent's Last Pint in Felucca. The elf warned him that Aila had threatened to tell the rest of the Holy Fist if she caught Faeryl acting on his behalf again, but Relthor assured his servant not to worry because the meeting was not about him.
When the In Quas Xen of Faeryl and Aila arrived at Kent's Last Pint, the Broken Ankh sorcerer informed her it was time for her second gift. The Emissary then appeared, her features obscured by a hood, and she revealed that Aila shared the lost spirit of a woman called Aingeal, who was a native of the true Faeryl's shard-world and suffered a violent death. She shared some of the details about Aingeal's life and how she died. She also promised that she and the Voice would help the seer recover the lost pieces of herself, so she might be whole once again. However, the Emissary refused to disclose her own face or identity, or that of the Voice. After their discussion concluded, Relthor commanded his false Faeryl to return Aila to Trinsic, and reminded them both to keep this matter between them.
