In the House of the Ten Veils - IC Thread

[KJDavid]

At the heart of the Holy Middelund Empire and at the confluence of three great rivers lies Trium, a bustling bastion of commerce and trade of great import to Imperial coffers. Timber rides down the Royal River, wheat down the Weizen, and metal down the Dweraz. All mingle in Trium where they are taxed and inspected and sent elsewhere, or variously bottled and bounded and built into something else in the halls of one of Trium’s many guilds. The three rivers flow into Trium and silver flows out, it is said.

In the spring of 1499 by Imperial reckoning, silver is not the only thing flowing out of Trium. Those with means and sense are fleeing the city by caravel and carriage. Those without money or influence crowd onto barges or risk their own feet on the muddy roads. But one and all are heading south into the bosom of the Empire. There is nothing but cold forest in the north, and no outsider would dare head west into Ghuldavia. And it is the west that most in Trium in years past would have thought held the greatest menace for the city. After all, what Imperial peace could hold back necromancers and vampires forever?

But, no, Trium’s doom approached it from the east in sturdy boots and suits of stout mail all manufactured by the guild houses of Trium itself. It was an army of Men bought with gold, and motivated by the promise of more. It was an army, supposedly, fifty thousand strong. Such a force had not taken the field in a thousand years, and that was if the old histories could be believed. Perhaps the Emperor himself could, in time, raise a host to match. Trium certainly could not and everyone knew it. At best, the city would be sacked, and all manner of crimes meted out against its populace. At worst, it would burn.

The mighty and wise and wary were not waiting around to find out. Those who had not fled already were in the streets, bundling belongings onto carts or beasts or backs. People were streaming out of the gates in the huge numbers. Not all would leave, of course. Some would stay to fight or hide. Some would gamble that things would not be so bad. No matter though, everyone in the city seemed to be in a fury of activity. Those who were not fleeing were buying what they could at nearly empty market stalls, boarding up windows, or clearing out cellars and attics.

There was one place in the city divorced from the frenzy of activity. Within the House of the Ten Veils, the greatest pleasure house in the Empire and perhaps the world, the mood was calm. The halls were quiet. Save for the stretching of the Veils’ many cats and the gambol of the scullery dogs, little else moved within the Ten Veils for the mistress of the house had called all her servants to her for a meeting.

Once upon a time, the House of the Ten Veils had been a seat of kings. Tall and beautiful and crafted entirely from white marble threaded with gold, the construction had bankrupted the dynasty that financed it. They might have survived such a pecuniary loss. Trium was, after all, a rich city, and those who lorded it were richer than most. But the last King of Trium was besotted by a courtesan. On his deathbed, he bequeathed to her his grand and perfect palace. Six hundred years later, Caillech the Fomoira dwelt in that place still.

As a cool spring breeze rippled the silk curtains in a high-ceilinged hall, Caillech stood before her assembled servants. Among the throng were many of high stature. Caillech stood taller still. Given the reputation of the Ten Veils, many were alluring and sensuous. All appeared as but a pale shadow of Caillech. There were sages and knights, rough fellows of all sorts, the cunning and the wise, but all quailed before the Living Goddess.

And that was how each of them thought of her now. Once she had been Caillech the Fair or Caillech the Witch. That had changed after her encounter with the Mage of Flowers. Now her eyes shone like the sun, heat radiated from her skin like a furnace, and when she spoke it was with the voice of ten thousand souls lost in the Deluge. What exactly had transpired between the Witch and the Mage none knew.

None perhaps save Viktor Guntram. He stood before the Living Goddess, the crowd of servants parted around him. The billowing wind stopped. The curtains fell slack. Caillech spoke.

"Victor Guntram. You will travel to Nemedor, lost and drowned. You will bring back to me the Mantle of Mastery Most High."

[Enoch]

"Nemendor? Nemendor is a...a myth, not a place where mortals travel. How am I supposed to find a myth, and bring back a fairy tale?"

I assume he would have heard of Nemendor, at least?

[KJDavid]

"I was born there. Dead and drowned, Nemedor is now. The Isle Where Dreams Die is what remains of the highest peak. The Steinring will allow you to walk paths untread for millennia."

Yes, Viktor would almost have certainly heard of Nemedor. You can make a Test to determine what else Viktor knows, if you wish.

[Enoch]

"And why should I do this task for you, Dread Caillech? I know you can burn me to cinders where I stand, yet a mere mortal such as I attempting to find a land 'dead and drowned' will bring my death no less surely.

"Allow me some portion of your divine power, and tell me what you know of Nemedor and the paths to it, and perhaps I can do this thing for you."

I'd like a DoW: I propose for my stakes that she give me what information she has on how to reach Nemedor and retrieve the item (which I suspect she'll give freely) and that she allow me to collect antecedents from her.

[KJDavid]

There is a gasp from the assembled servants. What had Viktor asked? Caillech did not move. A wind stirred Viktor's hair. It touched nothing else in the hall. Perhaps Caillech leaned forward slightly. Perhaps a smile tugged at the edge of her lips. Perhaps.

"Across the Great and Shining Sea. As far south as south goes the Isle That Was a Mountain still lies. There and down is the only path to Nemedor for you, Viktor Guntram. In the Dark Below. Lore is prepared for you in that means which you best devour."

Movement from the throng pulled at Viktor's attention. The ranks parted, and a hunchback in yellow robes stepped forth. Pulling a lame foot behind it, the hunchback trudged toward Viktor. In its hands was a bundle of oiled leather. The hunchback stopped a foot from Viktor, grunted as it dropped painfully to one knee, and then drew back the leather wrappings to reveal a heavy tome. Arthritic fingers stumbled, but finally opened the blue-colored cover to reveal the calligraphic title: The Dindsenchas by Furbaide, First Poet of Nemedor. The pages, and there must be a thousand of them, are so thin as to be nearly transparent. The age is impossible to determine.

"Name your price, brother of Margrit."

Well, getting right into it are we? Give me your Statement of Purpose and your Body of Argument. Given the price you're asking, this feels like a Big Deal.

FYI, the book counts as sufficient material for a Research Test related to Nemedor.

[Enoch]

Viktor bows his head as the book is presented. "Thank you, Fair Calliech. If you say this book will be of assistance in finding dead and drowned Nemedor, I have no doubts that it shall. Yet I fear, that in your power and majesty, you may overlook the frailty and weakness of mortals. Such a journey will be neither quick nor without peril, and I would be loath to fail to prepare for such a task to the best of my ability.

"Perhaps if I were to craft some portion of your majesty, I would be better able to recover this Mantle for you?"

Statement of Purpose: Calleigh allows Viktor to collect an antecedent and craft an artifact prior to setting out.

Body of Argument: Rhetoric B6 + Will B6 = BoA 12

[KJDavid]

Caillech Statement of Purpose: Viktor will never again ask for such a boon.

Body of Argument: Persuasion G6 + Will G6 = BoA 16

Scripting:

Feint (Seduction), Obfuscate (Falsehood), Point (Persuasion)

[Enoch]

Oof. That's a brutal but perfect SoP. I accept.

I haven't looked at your scripting yet. Here is mine:

1. Avoid the topic
2. Feint
3. Point

Now that I've looked at Calleigh's scripting, that first volley's gonna be a miss, as neither really interacts with the other. 2nd volley will be a vs. test, and we'll both test standard for our Points in the 3rd.

[KJDavid]

Let's just ignore the first volley, and start with the second.

"Why struggle in vain? Love has tied your little wings." Caillech's eyes close for a moment, and the room grows visibly darker. They flutter open. "And given you, in your thirst, hot tears to drink."

Obfuscate. Falsehood G7 = 5,6,2,4,1,2,3,+0 (4 successes).

[Enoch]

Viktor's eyes dart around, widening as they take in the growing shadows. "Indeed it has, O Wise and Beautiful Mother. But I am mortal, and desire to live. Can you not grant me this boon so that I may?

"And, too, that I might take with me some token of you, to sustain me in the darkness and the cold?"

B3 Falsehood (she's beautiful, but that has little to do with his desire to collect antecedents from a powerful being): 2 successes and a Challenging Falsehood test (since it was against 4 successes).
That leaves Calleigh with 2 successes on her Obfuscate and takes Viktor to BoA 10.

Volley 3: Point.

"I am only of use to you if I survive, Wise and Merciful One. You know my abilities lie in the creation of powerful artifacts like the Steinring. Why not allow me as great a chance of success as possible? It costs you nothing."

B6 Rhetoric +1D FoRK Enchanting: 4 successes (none from FoRK). No test recorded. That will take Calleigh to BoA 12.

[KJDavid]

"There is always a cost, Viktor Guntram. Always."

That was a solid point. You've already gotten at least a Minor Compromise.

Caillech Volley 3: Point. Persuasion G5 = 6,3,5,4,4 (5 successes). That knocks Viktor to BoA 5.

Scripting for Exchange Two:

Feint (Seduction G7), Dismiss (Beginner's Luck Command; Will G6), Hesitate

[Enoch]

Exchange 2:

1. Feint
2. Dismiss
3. [Hesitate]

Volley 1: Feint vs. Feint. These will go off, and successes will subtract from opponent's BoA. 2: both Dismiss. 3: both hesitate.

"Calleigh, a magical item containing a portion of your power would be of great use to me." He pauses for a moment. "And what benefits me, benefits you."

BL Persuasion: 0 successes.

[KJDavid]

"You growing strength serves mine own." Caillech sighs. It is a seemingly innocuous act somehow full of suggestion. "But the charms of the House of the Ten Veils are enough."

Feint. Seduction G7 +1D FoRK Pleasures-wise = 2,3,6,6,5,2,6,1 (5 successes). Viktor falls right to BoA 0. Caillech gets her Statement of Purpose: Viktor will never again ask for such a boon. However, you reduced her BoA by a few points, so you are entitled to a Minor Compromise. As is tradition, it is the losing player's right to provide the starting point. What else would Viktor want from Caillech or want her to do?

[Enoch]

Viktor bows deeply, his face chagrined, but his voice is firm and respectful.

"As you say, Mighty Calleigh. Would it be too much to ask, however, for some small token of your favor and esteem? Perhaps an official position at this House. I am not one for idleness, and to serve as a hanger-on makes me...uncomfortable. I would know what my place is, if I may."

[KJDavid]

Wind bursts through the open windows. The silken curtains snap. Caillech advances from her dais toward Viktor. The servants fall to their knees, muttering and praying, but the rising howl of the wind drowns their voices. Caillech touches Viktor's forehead with one thumb. The heat of the caress is enough to make sweat break out across his face.

"From this day forth, you are the Master of the Secret Lore. You are my Draíocht."

Caillech turns away from Viktor. She glides more than walks to an open window and casts her shining gaze out across the rooftops of Trium as the city evacuates at the coming of the Eight Eyes. Murmuring amongst themselves, the servants began to disperse. All have many duties, and the day is young. After all, there will still be visitors to the House no matter the state of the city.

Viktor feels a nudge at his elbow. The hunchback is there, and gives an awkward bow. "I am Ekhis. I am to provide you with all you need, Master of the Secret Lore." It tugs on your sleeve with gnarled fingers. "Come. The Goddess wishes to be alone. Come."

You gain 1D Reputation - Draíocht, Master of the Secret Lore. Being touched by the Living Goddess is the equivalent of an Obstacle 10 Steel Test for purposes of Advancement.

Ekhis will help as it can. You can move through the House of the Ten Veils as you wish, retire to your quarters, or move elsewhere through Trium. What do you wish to do?

[Enoch]

Viktor starts, startled by the touch at his elbow. "What? Oh...yes. Yes, of course." He draws his sleeve across his forehead and nods to the hunchback, following along behind him with a limp of his own. "Yes, alone...I should like to be alone as well. I have studying to do." He nods to the book in Ekhis' hands.

"After, I suppose I must begin assembling whatever supplies and companions I will need. But I must understand the task before me in order to do so, I suppose."

Once ensconced in his chamber again, Viktor takes the book of poetry and begins to read, cross-referencing various verses with his own books of star-lore.

Not sure what the Ob would be (or if you want an open-ended test), but I'd like to make a Research test for information about what the heck I need to do here. Research B4, +1D (open-ended both ways) FoRK Astrology. I assume Symbology wouldn't play a role here. 2 successes.

[KJDavid]

Graduated Test it is then. Your two successes give you two pieces of information.

Sequestered in his quarters far from the roil of the city, Viktor sets his mind to The Dindsenchas. It is not a straightforward read. As expected with a work of poetry, the writer does not state things plainly. Matters of historical (mythical?) import are wrapped in twisted metaphor and contorted prose. Characters come and go. Which were real figures and which were imaginings? It was impossible to say. With Ekhis tending to his food and drink and chamber pot, Viktor was able to read long into the night.

As Ekhis lit a fire in the hearth to drive away the spring cold, Viktor pushed away from his desk. The Dindsenchas told him two things with certainty:

1. An arcane catastrophe ruined Nemedor, the remnants sunk into the Dark Below, and the sea washed over what was left.
2. Those few survivors were changed. They left mortality behind. They called themselves the Fomoire. Caillech was named among them.

In regards to the Mantle of Mastery Most High there was, as of yet, no mention. There were, however, many pages in the The Dindsenchas still unread.

Presumably after a long day of Research, Viktor will retire for sleep. What is your next move? Continue Research? Seek out allies? Questions for Ekhias?

[Enoch]

Under Let it Ride, I don't think I can continue Research. I've gotten what I can out of the poetry until the situation changes. I assume I have free rein to go out into the city?

Viktor calls Ekhias to his chambers as he dresses for the day. "Ekhias, you know that Calleigh has charged me with finding Nemedor, but despite what she's told me and some intriguing fragments from the book" -he waves a hand to indicate The Dindsenchas- "I still know next to nothing about how to go about this. I seek 'The Isle That Was a Mountain', so I assume I will need to charter a ship. Do you know of any captains, perhaps, that could assist?"

[KJDavid]

Ekhis bobs its head. "There are many captains who have visited the Ten Veils." A gap-toothed smile spreads wide. "We keep detailed records of debts...and secrets. Would you like me to consult the records, Master?"

Yes, you can go wherever you wish.

Also, all the tales about Nemedor that Viktor would have heard place it somewhere south of Middelund, across the Great and Shining Sea. That would be the sea on the southern side of the continent. Trieste is on an island in that sea. Mengang is to the east, of course.

[Enoch]

Viktor nods. "Yes, please see if you can book us passage to the Imperial City. Any ship headed downriver is probably not a seagoing vessel anyway. Once you've done that, please deliver this letter to Till Emerich at the College of Sorcery. In the meantime, I will work in the lab. If your mistress will not assist me with antecedents, I may as well try to collect my own before I depart."

He hands a letter to Ekhis; within its sealed page is a rather respectful letter written to Emerich requesting a meeting at his earliest convenience.

With that, he turns away and strides to his laboratory.

I have a Relationship with Till, so I shouldn't need a Circles roll for him. I'd like to make an Enchanting test to add Reduce Add to the polearm. I've calculated it out on my character sheet: it's an Ob 7 Enchanting test with +2D. I'd like to take Vessel-wise as a FoRK, giving me 9D total.

6 successes on 9 dice, and 4 of them 6's! This is an open-ended test, so I reroll those and get 3 more successes (all 4's). 9 successes total, and I didn't even need my Call-on. I'll record a Difficult check, and at least for this campaign Grausam becomes quite deadly.