Alright, one massive lore dump coming up. Did it as a conversation to try and break up the walls of text. I will probably do one or two more just to cover all the bases. Also a lot of choices at the end. Hopefully everyone can manage.
Preparations Part 1:
You sigh and relax.
It is the third day you have spent holding the gate open. You and your Circle arrived at the secondary vault four days ago. It was only when you saw it that you realized just how much wealth the old empire had. There is more gold here than in entire imperial cities. You and your friends are rich... very rich. At first you had intended to simply carry everything by wagon but that would take far too long. Instead you opened a gate to your tower and let your warriors and the children carry everything through. It will take weeks to clear out the vault and the smaller holdings of the three Damned Orders but you are willing to take the time. Everyone is in high spirits and your collective success has kept conflicts to a minimum. Finally you have time to just relax and enjoy the fruits of the last few months labour. You know it won't last but you remind yourself to take things one step at a time. Patience and cunning will take care of the rest.
As you sit in your tent next to Thaïs the two of you fall to talking about the state of the empire. About great heroes and villains past, about ancient artefacts and deadly magics. As you speak to her you remember Henry's book. You dig it out and flip to the relevant section and you begin reading to her...
Appendix D: Great Persons and Artefacts
Important figures of the Light:
Albrecht VII, King of the Dwarfs
It is no secret that the dwarves and the ghôls have long made war on one another. The southern hills of the continent have been bathed in the blood of both races since time immemorial but the events of the last two hundred years put even that bloody history to shame. Albrecht fought at the head of his father's army against Balor and his ghôl armies. He fought valiantly but in the end he failed to defend his homeland. The twin capitals of Myrgard and Stoneheim fell to the Fallen Lords and with them fell the kingdom.
Albrecht ruled his people in exile for over sixty years, fleeing the advance of the Fallen Lords and offering to humanity what resources and aid he could. Alric's surprise victory over the Fallen Lords provided the dwarves a chance for revenge and they have spent the better part of the last sixty years beating the ghôls back into the wastes and reclaiming their homeland. Much work remains to be done but Albrecht has never been one to shy away from a challenge.
You chuckle and comment to Thaïs, "Seems all dwarves are made of strong stuff."
She nods, "I suppose they have to be. Living at the edge of the world, far from help. They have no one to rely on except each other."
You flip through to the next marked entry. The Emperor of the known world, Alric the First...
Alric I, Emperor of the Cath Bruig, King of the Province, Protector of Tandem, First among the Avatara
Alric was born to King Lotharing II and Queen Luana of Province over ninety years ago. Few realized then the role he would play in the cycle of ages. He was the oldest of three children born to the couple and received martial and military training from some of the best minds in the kingdom. His interests lay elsewhere however. Alric had a natural talent for magic and took to the field with great interest. He attempted to balance his duty to the kingdom with his ambitions as a mage but in the end he surrendered his throne to his younger brother, Caliban, and left for the east in pursuit of ever greater magical knowledge.
At this point Alric disappears from all public records for a span of some twenty years. There are many tales told throughout the empire of his deeds but none can be confirmed with any degree of certainty. What is known is that Alric returned shortly before the war waged between Balor and the remaining people of the Light. Alric joined the ranks of the Avatara and fought alongside his brother's army against the Dark. Following the collapse of the Province's army at Covenant in 2468 A.E. Alric and the other eight Avatara assumed command of the remaining forces of the Light consisting mostly of irregulars. This new force, called the Legion would bear the brunt of Balor's attacks with dignity and determination.
As the war raged on the Avatara uncovered the location of an old enemy of Balor's known only as the Head. With the aid of this new ally the Light began to strike back at the Fallen Lords and scored an number of dramatic victories.
Alric however disappear on a mission across the Cloudspine Mountains into the East. The brave actions of a small band of heroes managed to recover the archmage and he told tales of the Head's treachery. Alric immeditately took command of the remaining forces of the Legion and led them against Balor. Alric tricked Balor and using an ancient artefact, an Eblis Stone, the king managed to best the dark lord and behead him.
Following his victory Alric, the last of the Avatara and now the most powerful known archmage, ascended the throne of Province and set to work rebuilding his kingdom. Hopeful that his peace would last for a thousand years.
You shake your head, "Well we all know how that turned out..."
Thaïs shudders, "Soulblighter."
Balor's lieutenant took his time. Sixty years in fact. He enlisted every ally that he could and he made his play. The last war tested humanity's resolve but once again Alric won out. Soulblighter was beaten and Alric declared the rebirth of the Cath Bruig. You do not envy the man, to be so many things to so many people. At almost one hundred years old he works tirelessly to restore the realms of man and if he gets a few centuries free of strife he may do just that. You certainly wouldn't bet against him. He was not the greatest of the archmages, nor was he the most martial but he was the most cunning. Or perhaps just the luckiest. Either way he survived as all of his peers and enemies perished and that sort of determination deserves respect.
The next entry is on Connacht, sometimes called the Wolf. A skilled general and administrator with dozens of legendary feats to his name. Connacht ended the Wind Age and began the Age of Light. He wiped out the Myrkridia, he broke the Trow, he slew the Leveler of his age and he ruled the Cath Bruig at its height. Alric has large shoes to fill if he hopes to live up to Connacht.
You flip through half a dozen pages listing great mages from the past. Finally you find the rest of the former Avatara.
You point at an etching of a large warrior glowing with magical energy. Thaïs speaks up, "That is Rabican. The spell blade, he led the armies of the Light through much of the Great War following the defeat at Covenant. He beat Shiver at her own game and destroyed her in a dream duel outside of Madrigal."
You nod, "And he fell not a year later to the Watcher. Trapped at Seven Gates by the Fallen Lord he was ambushed and slaughtered along with his men."
You examine the next page, short passages detailing each of the remaining Avatara spring out at you.
You and Thaïs alternate, "Murgen, sorcerer, diplomat, lost in the Tain."
"Maeldun, truthsayer, he wiped out the Pirates of Leix but fell defending the passes over the Cloudspine from the Deciever's forces."
"Cu Roi, loyal and true, perished alongside Murgen within the Tain."
You continue on like this, listing the names of great mages... all dead... it is a bit sobering for both of you.
Thaïs clears her throat, "Well we will just have to do better than they did!"
You nod in agreement as you turn the page.
Ou'Kahn, First among the Fir'Bolg
Long time enemies of man the Fir'Bolg of the modern era have become strong allies of the Light. Little is known about the master archers of the Ermine forest save that they are much better to have as friends then as enemies.
Fir'Bolg archers fought alongside the Legion in the Great War and proved vital to the success of the Light. As a result Ou'Kahn and Alric have signed dozens of treaties recognizing each others rights and two imperial academies have been opened in the Ermine to teach humans how to master the bow.
It is too early to say whether this new relationship of peace and understanding between human and Fir'Bolg will last but there is cause for hope.
You shake your head, "Henry always was an optimist."
Thaïs gives you an appraising look, "Well they did help us win the Great War Derryth and they have trained all of Alric's archers for the last sixty years. I would say they are firmly on our side."
You nod but you are not sure. No one knows anything about the Fir'Bolg and that makes you uneasy.
You flip through the names of ministers and generals but none of them really interest you until you come to final entry...
Mazzarin...
The archmage. Anyone that has ever seriously hoped or dreamed of learning magic aspires to follow in his footsteps. The greatest mage of the Wind Age, of any age in fact. He founded the Avatara before the reign of Connacht. It was his artefacts that allowed Connacht to defeat many of his foes as well. Mazzarin fell to the Watcher in the closing decades of the Wind Age and it was the greatest victory of the Dark in that age. Part of you wonders though. A mage as skilled as Mazzarin would not fall easily and he was a true master. Perhaps the historical record is not quite accurate after all...
Having run through the heroes of the Light the two of you turn your attention towards the Dark. You are confronted by a list of monsters and madmen but chief among them are the Fallen Lords.
"Balor," you whisper, some part of you afraid to even mention his name.
Henry had scribbled something in the margin of this page:
"Although the hero of every age of light is different, every dark age is ushered in by the same beast - a transient divinity that seeks only conflict - The Leveler. And so Tireces returned as Moagim to end the Age of Reason - and Connacht, the great hero of the Wind Age, returned as Balor to lay waste to the greatest empire the world had ever known."
Balor, or perhaps Connacht if the theories are true, was the greatest danger to face the world in a thousand years. Despite this, very little is known about the man in his time as the Leveler. Reports exist dating back centuries of a powerful mage dressed in enchanted plate on the eastern borders of the old Cath Bruig. These are believed to be the earliest sightings of the man we would come to know as Balor. Balor was possessed of a keen mind and boundless patience both of which he utilized to slowly reduce his opponents one by one. One hundred and one years ago he sacked the Kingdom of the Dwarves, mere decades later he reduced the old Cath Bruig Empire to ruins. Had he traveled West then and attacked the Province he would have ushered in his age of Darkness but he did not.
Instead he sent his generals.
It is my belief that Balor did not realize the power that lay in the Province. If he was Connacht then he may still have thought of the Province as an underdeveloped backwater as it was in his time. The modern Province however is a full fledged kingdom with enough power to resist the Cath Bruig Empire before its fall. His generals scored a number of early victories but gradually fell to bickering among themselves. When the Legion struck back at him he was overconfident and unprepared. He vastly underestimated the young Alric and it cost him everything. He was decapitated and his head thrown into The Great Devoid to fall for all eternity.
You shake your head, "It was a very close call though."
Thaïs takes the book, "Well we won in the end right. Like Gareth says, any fight you can walk away from..."
You laugh, "Well in this case we crawled away but I agree. The Light survived, the Dark perished. At the end of the day maybe that is all that matters."
Henry has further entries on each of the other Fallen Lords.
Soulblighter, the Twice Born.
In an earlier age he was known as Damas. He was Connacht's hound, his champion, a warrior of unparalleled skill. As a Fallen Lord he was perhaps the only loyal follower of Balor. Soulblighter attempted to coordinate the campaign in the west but he lacked Balor's skill. Alric outmaneuvered him and slew his lord.
You grab a pen and snatch the book back. You scribble a single line on the bottom of the page.
Sixty years later Soulblighter attempted to gain his revenge. Again he failed.
Thaïs chuckles, "He was a complete failure wasn't he?"
You smile at her, "The worst of the Fallen Lords by far I would say. The man accomplished nothing. Still he was quite dangerous..."
She scratches the side of her head, "So who is next then?"
You turn the page over.
The Deceiver, The Source of Five Hundred Poisons
Your eyes light up, "Now here is a mage! He fought for both the Light and the Dark. Scholar, diplomat, assassin, no one really knows why he agreed to serve Balor. Henry believed that he was a former Avatara by the name of Myrdred he-"
"Myrdred!" Nine shouts from the pillow she is resting on, "That was the bastard's name that did this to me! Oh, if I ever find him!"
The two of you stare at her, "Wait, you knew the Deceiver?"
She blinks twice as you stare at her, "Umm... I guess so yes. The man that did this to me was named Myrdred and it is not like it is a common name or anything..."
You feel the need to ask, "What did you do Nine? Who are you?"
She screws up her lips as she tries to think. After a moment she gives up and smiles at you, "Sorry dear, I don't know. But if we ever find this Myrdred I want to kill him okay?"
"Sorry Nine. Rumour is he died during the last war in a duel with Shiver or at least someone that looked like Shiver. For what it is worth he killed her too."
Nine looks crushed for a moment, "Really? Well I suppose I will get over it... At any rate what else does the book say? Maybe there is an entry on someone else I know."
You look back at the book, "Well the next entry is on Shiver, the Mother of Plagues."
Nine blinks once in understanding, "Even when I was a girl they told stories about her. They called her Culwyeh and Myrdred once called her Ravanna. She was one of the greatest battle mages to ever walk the lands. If she really is dead then the world is better for it."
"If?" Thaïs asks, curiosity and caution battling for control in her.
"Well dear, old Shiver is ancient. She has "died" so many time already. What would be one more? She was beautiful and terrible in equal measure..."
You laugh, "Well if she is still out there somewhere she is not beautiful anymore."
Now Nine is curious, "What do you mean dear?"
You start to lecture, glad to be teaching her something for a change, "Back during the Great War she was killed by Rabican as Thaïs mentioned. She reappeared during the last war but she was greatly diminished... dried out... hideous... and without many of her old powers."
Thaïs hazards a suggestion, "Well maybe it was not really her?"
You shrug, "could be possible," you flip the page again.
Bahl'al, The Watcher, the Mad Goat of the Fens
Even Nine shivers when you read his name. If Mazzarin was the greatest archmage to ever live then the Watcher was number two or three. He is often considered the first necromancer and his mastery of the Dream of Unlife has brought unimaginable suffering to the world.
Nine breaks the silence, "A real piece of work that one..."
You nod and quietly add, "Dead as well... Alric got him..."
Nine is surprised by this, "Well then this new emperor of yours is either very powerful or very clever. Myrdred had been trying to kill the man for centuries..."
Thaïs cuts in, "I think I remember this story. Alric managed to find the Watcher's severed arm, lost during a battle with the Deceiver. He had arrows made from the Watcher's bones and enchanted them to petrify the arch-necromancer. Alric sprung his trap and destroyed the Watcher, transforming him into a statue and shattering him into pieces..."
Nine whistles, "Now that is how you kill a man."
You mumble to yourself, reading ahead while Thaïs and Nine talk, "According to Henry's book there were two more Fallen Lords; Bheil, the Twiceborn daughter of Flood and Famine, and the Voiceless One, the Loveless Child of the Unwed Dawn... hmmm..."
"What is it dear?" Nine prods you.
"It says here that the Voiceless One was called Ravanna. But didn't you say that, that was Shiver, Nine?"
Nine blinks once in confusion, "Yes, at least I think so. Maybe they were the same person?"
"Well I guess we have a mystery here..." Thaïs adds.
You look from one of them to the other, "Well if we ever run into a Fallen Lord I will be sure to ask right before we are all horribly killed."
They both laugh a little as you turn back to the book, "Well that is it for this appendix though Henry has attached a few notes to the end. Looks like a list of artefacts with short entries scribbled next to each," you read through the list to them both:
The Anvil of Culwyeh - Shiver's tool perhaps. What is it? Dangerous... destroyed?
Balmung - Alric's sword, heavily enchanted... very powerful... chain lightning?
Mydred's Staff - powerful channelling device perhaps... how did he do it?
The Eblis Stones - five of them, supposedly all destroyed... Alric found one... maybe more? Note - get Derryth to look into it for me. The girl just loves doing research...
You grumble, "Damn it Henry, you know I hated research..."
Halcyon Stone - one half lost under Muirthemne... so close...
You take out your pen again and strike the entry out, "I have it Henry... I won't let you down..."
The Ibis Crown - Very powerful, in Alric's possession... I wonder if I could steal it?
Maul of the Dwarven Kings - somewhere in Myrgard probably... would be worth a fortune...
The Oriflamme - The royal standard of the house of Mabingion of Tyr... lost during the Great War... powerful magics here... may have to travel to Tyr sometime...
The Tain - pocket sized box containing a whole prison plane... destroyed during the Great War... but what a find it would have been...
Thalor's Eye - a weapon of some sort... need more research...
The Total Codex - currently under lock and key in the Imperial Palace... oh the information it could contain... anything I could ever want...
Trabist's Mirror - lost, resurrection device?... immortality... it must have a cost...
You gently shut the book, "I guess Henry really was ambitious..."
Thaïs smiles, "Well you got it from somewhere right?"
Brigit sticks her head into your tent, "The two of you are late! Serpent and Christine want to take a break and it is your turn to hold the gate open."
"Alright, alright. We will be right there," the two of you gather up your things and exit the tent.
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Alright now for the second round of voting.
You spend about three months looting everything and you are rich. Really rich. So the way I am going to do this is to divide it into sections. First up you have a number of magic items which you can either keep or give to party members. Second you need to pick where you want to go. Third you need to decide if you want to leave people behind to work on things while you are gone.
Part 1: The Loot (Just put down the name of who should get the item)
1. A glowing blue sword with lightning bolts etched into the hilt and blade.
2. A large round shield made of gold, it has a stylized depiction of a Fetch on it. When Brigit accidentally pointed it at you, you felt terrified.
3. A little blue stone, an attached note claims that it allows the user to indefinitely breathe under water.
4. A pair of plain matching bracelets. Give them both to someone or one each to two different people, you choice.
5. A simple golden ring. On the inside is engraved, the ring of the master
6. An empty quiver decorated with snowflakes.
Part 2: The Plan Part 2:
1. Where do you want to go?
A) The Dwarven Kingdom with Bari
B)Tyrvard's Tribe with Serpent and Christine
C)West following the old map you found
D)West to one of the great cities of the Province:
i. Tandem - the Free City of the North - semi independent republic
ii. Madrigal - the capital of the Province - trade city of the West
iii. Tyr - City by the Sea - livestock and fishing
iv. Covenant - The old capital - textiles, merchant houses
v. Scales - The Great City of the South - wine, crafts, courtesans
E) You head Northeast in search of the ancient city of the Trow.
F) You head west into the mountains in search of ancient knowledge in forgotten temples
G) You head North to the sunken cities
H) You head Southwest in search of the hidden library
I) freeform
Part 3: Personnel Tasks (Alright, I don't want to link the options given how many different combinations there will be. This means you are going to have to do some of the work here and come up with a coherent plan. I will need to know who is going to stay in the city and who is going to go with you. I will also need to know what you want each person to do. Yeah, it will get messy but I have complete faith in you.)
1. Biliku and Uttu can set up a spider breeding program for you if they stay. It won't really cost you anything but they will have to stay at the tower to do it.
A) No
B) Yes - Biliku and Uttu stay behind
C) freeform
2. You will not be on hand to manage Circle affairs and you do not want to trust Circle policy to anyone else. So while you are gone no progress will be made on research and mage training. However you can set Gareth to work recruiting muscle to support your efforts if you want.
A) No
B) Yes - have him recruit his old friends from the Legion. There are not many of them left but he vouches for each of them. He tells you that each one of them is worth ten normal men but they will not come cheap. Gareth and Brigit will stay behind.
C) Yes - you have him recruit from the unemployed of the tent city. It will be cheap but it may take a while to whip them into shape. Gareth and Brigit will stay behind.
D) Yes - you have him do both. It will cost more but you can afford it.
E) freeform
3. You could have Thaïs stay behind to manage your financial affairs while you are gone. She will try and make wise investments with your communal funds as opportunities present themselves.
A) No
B) Yes - Thaïs will stay behind
C)freeform
4. The Orphans, you should start thinking about what you are going to do with them. If you are going to let them stay at the tower you should leave someone in charge. Amena and Ithapi know the area best and can begin teaching them if you wish. Alternatively Gareth and Brigit can look after them if they stay in the city. Biliku and Uttu can also try and supervise them. (Keep in mind if you are training forces or raising spiders B&G and B&U will have to split their efforts).
A) You do not leave the children at the tower. You buy an orphanage and staff it. They will stay there though they may have trouble adjusting to surface life.
B) You let the children stay at the tower. Amena and Ithapi will look after them.
C) You let the children stay at the tower. Gareth and Brigit will look after them.
D) You let the children stay at the tower. Biliku and Uttu will try to look after them.
E) freeform
Part 4: Misc.
1. The Black Fang and the Black Staff: Nine says they are definately connected to Miosguinn's "Goddess". If you hold on to them they could be dangerous. On the other hand they may be tools that you can use against her. The decision is yours.
A) Destroy them
B) Keep them. Lock them up in your private vault in the Tower
C) Keep them. Take them with you.
2. Serpent and Christine are going on a trip. Do you give them a bonus for their honeymoon?
A) No
B) Yes - A modest gift
C) Yes - A large gift (the best of everything)
D) freeform
3. You will have to meet with Brigit's dad to negotiate for her services. He owns a fair amount of property on the surface and if you want he could lease you a warehouse and guards. This would let you store some wealth on the surface in case you need it.
A) No
B) Yes
C) No - instead you take the time to shop around for a proper above ground compound. (This option will take a couple months to set up properly and as such it is not compatible with Part 2: 1 A and B)
D) No - though you try to play matchmaker with Gareth and Brigit by winning over her dad.
E) freeform