[HQ Ignorance] Scene 68: The Abiding Book, Nochet and The Dead God

[Lev Lafayette]

nota bene: Just returned from Gencon Oz! More on that latter...
Meanwhile, something I composed whilst at the con..


Scene 68: The Abiding Book, Nochet and The Dead God

Over the next week, the Acindina makes good speed heading towards
Nochet, the only metropolis in densely populated Esrolia. The Fellowship
chooses a course of open sea in a nor'easterly direction from the
Mournea isles and is only slowed when approaching the famous Kethaela
Bay of the Holy Country when all of the sudden - in indeed measurable to
a metre - the strong so'westerly wind blowing towards the Dragon Pass
region comes to a sudden and complete stop, whereupon Kalen shaking his
head, went below deck to command the engineer to release the Elementals.

During this previous week the Godlearner Riku was below deck, feverishly
scanning the Abiding Book. As a great treasure, lost for hundreds of
years, Eurynome also diplayed a great deal of interest and some full and
frank discussions broke out concerning the book's fate, for Eurynome was
of the opinion that it should be handed to her patron Nauticles the
Lhankor Mhy priest in Nochet. Also interested was King Azhur, for the
book was indeed holy to all pious worshippers of the Invisible God,
Malkion.

To all three the story is well known. One thousand years ago the various
Malkioni faiths were fragmented in various and sometimes contradictory
sects which even led to bloody in-fighting during the Second
Erandinthanos Conference. One heresy, that of the Priest Serozos claimed
a revelation through an spirit entity called Makan, an expression of the
One True God which argued for worshippers to practise Veneration to God
via Priests as intermediates. Despite interrogration by the Dolphin
Guild we was brought before the Conference to explain himself.

Suddenly a hand, quill and book of indestructible binding and paper
appeared from nowhere. A disembodied voice commanded 'Write', and the
hand did so, expressing how worshippers of the invisible God were to
live, how they should worship, what was True and what was Illusion and
how heresies could be reconciled. For a thousand years it has been the
most holy of texts for all who follow the Invisible God.

Reprinted many times, all these doctrines are well known throughout
western Genertala. Yet what has surprised the Fellowship the most, and
has held them in greatest awe is the appearance of a new book, as yet
unfinished. Entitled "The Hero Wars" it recounts the adventures of the
Fellowship from the very day that a brave shepherd discovered fragments
of Kyrmon's Scroll to the most recent encounters. More so, it records
what is seen and unseen; Azhur discovers the depth of Aalmon's madness
and wickedness from the eve prior to his wedding and Eurynome discovers
that the pirates of Smelch are actually in the employ of the Free City
of Khorst.

Taking almost two days, at a pace of a slow moving ferry (for the
Dwarves wish not to exhaust the Elementals), the Acindina makes it
slowly through the Bay. There are very few ship in what is a normally
teeming region and those that do exist are either powered by oars or by
magical means such as this Seshnelan craft. Most disturbing is the
absolute lack of wind - not even the faintest breeze. Even breathing,
although necessary, feel peculiar. Passing through the fabled City of
Wonders one is struck by the silence and inaccessibility of the place.
Once teeming with its golden dome, the exterior is now like tarnished
bronze from a by-gone era.

Eurynome explains some of the recent events in Dragon Pass that have led
to this unusual state of affairs. Over the past thirty years the Lunars
have invaded steadily from the north, first taking the Heortling Kingdom
of Sartar and then the Holy Country. The Pharoah died suddenly some
eight years ago and no replacement was found, leaving the Holy County
vulnerable. A mercenary leader from the west appeared and took some of
the old Satarite lands; named Sir Richard the Tigerhearted, he too was
eventually driven away by the ever-expanding Lunar Empire. From
Eurynome's description he bears a remarkable resemblance to a certain
mercenary captain encountered in the Battle for Segurane by certain
members of the Fellowship.

Two years prior, the last surving Satarite stronghold, Whitewall, fell
to Lunar troops although King Brian is still at large. With the last
surving temple to Orlanth, most senior of the Gods of the Air, in Lunar
hands the very winds themselves stopped and have remained so for two
years. The Lunars openly proclaimed that the God himself was captured
and over time would acknowledge his subservience to both the Sun and the
Moon and may even be released once more.

The Acindina chugs its way in Nochet harbour, a massive city of some one
hundred thousand people, most important of Esrolia and seat of their
matriarchial government. A number of men assist the docking of the ship
whilst women in authoritive regalia approach Eurynome for a report on
the condition of the ship. When it is remarked that a foreign King is
aboard, the women show deferential respect and mention that the Council
will be informed of his presence. Karala gives her fair well's to Knarl
who, without much ado, leaves the boat to head inland to his people.
Talor's Axe feels particularly heavy at this moment with the realisation
that the prophecy of her relationship to the fate of the Telmori has
grown even more. 

In the meanwhile, Eurynome takes the Fellowship to the Lhankhor Mhy
temple, where she has rooms along with her mentor Nauticles one of the
few men in Nochet with any semblance of position or authority (and even
that is most nominal). The elderly scholar offers drinks to all and
seeks reports on the journey, hanging off every word that is spoken. He
is particularly fascinated by the presence of both the Dragonewt and, of
course, the God Learner for the former are most rare in any human city
and the latter were believed to be an extinct people. 

It was the ever-empathic Jareena - and the ever sensitive Icthya (albeit
for different reasons) - who noticed that the people of the city bore
many of the signs of a very modest diet. There was no indication of
starvation, but nobody could be considered of generous girth by any
stretch of the imagination. Inquiring of this state of affairs,
Nauticles sighs. "It is the capture of Orlanth. With the winds dying,
the temperatures have become more extreme in heat and in cold. Crops
have failed - not so badly here is Esrolia I will readily admit - but
certainly in Heortland, Sartar, the Grazelands and parts of southern
Tarsh. The winters have been most terrible there, 1621, 1622.. thousands
starved. Gradually some are beginning to make adjustments of course, but
nevertheless life is terribly tough for the Heortlings and Satarites. If
of course, the Orlanthi submitted this would change.. But I don't think
that would happen. *We* Orlanthi value our independence a great deal,
and have always sworn we will never submit to the Lunar conquest. There
is, of course, rumours of an Iron Ring of rebels leaders who seek to
liberate free the Storm God..."