The Rights of Spring

Employer: Tarahell Alatáriël, the 23rd Legion of Alfhiem - He wants the peace kept.
Level: Medium-ish
Day: Monday - starting 15th Sept
Changed to Tuesday as of 23rd Sept Location: Royal Oak - 21A Oak Street

Party:

Clarissa d'Ornay (GM Info), A Tattooed Elven Air Mage played by Ben Taberner (Party Leader)

1. Eltan (Scribe)
2. Akuji
3. Prudence played by Julia
4. Serra Angelus, Elven pacifistic Earth Mage played by Michael Scott
5. WordSmith, a Dwarven Namer played by Errol (Mil Sci)

Mission:
Preview - Elves, The Fair Folk, Gods, Monsters, Hey Nonny nonny and a lot of blood all over the place.
Preview for those who are paying attention - The Lady Anellia of Lalhaudh has resurrected the practice of the Spring Rites, a fertility festival dedicated to the Old Elven Gods. This heretical practice would normally be stomped down hard from Eidolon if it were not for a few mitigating factors, like the dragon, the hemidemisemi-approval of the Queen and a really big sword.
As a result the event will be well attended with interested parties from the royal court, the low courts, cultists, worshippers of old and new Elven Gods, fae (both flavours), dragons, beltans, lunatics, holy men, Gods, Goddesses and Daemons. Most of them will be armed, even more will have money. And while all have been asked to comport themselves in a civilized manner, that's a bit much to hope for given that the God's being honoured have only a vague understanding of civilization.
Related Scribe Notes
Summer 808WK The Laughing Hills
Autumn 808WK The Legacy of Kael
Winter 808WK In Her Majesty's Somewhat Secret Service

Narrative

Day 1

After a long and hearty conversation with a baker about the possabilities of getting more cream buns I realise I'm late for my meeting with an employer. Rush into the room and greet Tarahell, the 23rd legion (who doesn't appreciate good food like I do).

Introductions are made and are as follows.

Akuji : A Budding Necromancer, who is a warrior for this outing, as long as he can keep his pants on.

Clarissa : A Goddess of pure beauty who seems to enjoying flirting with myself. Voted party leader as everyone kinda couldn't keep their eyes off her.

Wordsmith : A namer dorf who has a lovely crystal rodent. He's a little bit of a guild beast and creeps me out. Been here before and a volentary Mill-Sci.

Prudence : A youthful farmer girl who's dead keen on becoming a water mage but needs a little more practice.

Serra Angelus : A certain drunken earth mage, but at least she's been here before.

Eltan, The Reaver : My esteemed self, albit unwilling scribe, but tells it how it is. Earth mage, lover of fine food, friend to all plants and animals.

Roles if you missed them before. Party leader : Clarissa Mill-Sci : Wordmith Scribe : Eltan

Mission: To keep the peace during the spring rites. These rites are the ones that are semi-heritical due to being of the old gods ways and not of the "new" gods. Thus mostly banned by the Elven Crown. Back to the events as they happened.

After a massive long list of people and factions to look out for including basically every elven family, provence and noble of note sending a representitive if not coming themselves. I got lost stareing at Clarissa's fine form so missed a lot of what was said, but it all seemed to make sence. Also mentioned was that Lady Celeblothel is probably turning up and may make a bid to reclaim her "ownership" of the provence. Prehaps the biggest problem to arise that we see.

Pay: Standard guild rates, plus possible training from people in Lauder Provence.

Meeting over we wander off and get some more food, talk to Tarahell and agree to go Pub Crawling before getting down to business. Prudence knows a lot of decent pubs, Tarahell can drink like a real man, not a pansy elf. We lost Akuji to the temple of the One Horned God as was kinda expected. Clarissa kept things mostly under controll and in the morning we set off.

DAY 2

Alcomahol is bad... head hurts... need something like more cream doughnuts... or cream buns... or anything to eat.

Soothe pains around, people feel better, most of us are equipped and ready to go, off to meet our transport the ever so helpful Beriadan. Air mage who specialised in binding and traveling by clouds. Fast.. but dangeous.. no hand holds and I can't do anything!

We grab some of Al Fonses food baskets on the way out and head to Bergelfen. Once there we poke some of the Beltan elves we know and see how things are going, somehow Prudence makes herself a crystal glove for her right hand... and keeps it. It doesn't fit anyone else and after some pokeing is solid crystal to all ber her and has a replication prupose. Need to divinate to know more.

Some more pokeing with other people and we find out that the people we need to talk to are at the elfheim great university.

A quick trip over there and we're greeted by mobs of elven students in diplomatic debates with themselves and sometimes other groups of students. A wee struggle and we're inside and trying to track down a Scholar who's specialising in the study of the elven race (Master Tangleleaf) and it's current decline, with some information on the elven spring rights.

After being suggested we go and get the Scrolls of Kael which have been lost for some time we convince him to look at other races and how they breed / populate the world. After a long and interesting discussion we convinced him to run away with his partner to a secret location and have a romantic time in an attempt to have children.

Brief panic as we realise we've just convinced the ONLY person in the elven empire who's paying attention and studying the decline of the elven race and who's reporting to the elven courts of this situation to run away with his partner, we convince him to stay instead.

Party debate happens about what just happened so we hurry after master Tangleleaf and convicne him to continue his work for the crown, Then run off with his wife. Disaster averted once again, but somehow I feel it was worth it, Clarissa running and well moveing was well worth the wait.

Tangeleafs brother, Tanglebones knows more of the Scrolls of Kael so we decided to go and talk to him. Unfortunately he wants to study me... and that is never pleasant.

We get to the portal to the Eidalon and the gates are closed and guarded, with many many students wanting to get hame but not allowed. Brief discussion with the guards and some pulling of rank and we're in. Unfortunately Eidalon is under some curfew so no-one is on the streets. It seems that the elven city has run out of food. That's a very silly thing to do. Step 1, get to the Royal Court (without being arrested). We got accosted by guards but with Tarahiel around they seemed slightly hesitent to do anything to us and let us go free. To the Court we go.

Apon entering the court we get intoroduced.

• "Akuji from the south"
• "Eltan the Reaver"
• " Prudence of {forgotten, some help here}"
• "The Elven Justicar"
• "A mysterious stranger"

Wordsmith was outside talking to Tarahiel so didn't come in. The names didn't mean much to the elves but the last two got some worried looks from the party.

Looking around the court, we spotted Tanglebones, as he seemed to be one of the few non-kurf heads around and was sober. We talk to him in a private room and learn lots and lots. Akuji recives a token from him after asking some obscure questions about sex. The Scrolls of Kael we sent away by the royal crown and it's prophisised that apon their return the elven crown will fall. They're being "looked after" by Ice Giants far to the north due to a Royal Edict. They are everburning, and contain the history of the elven race plus much more on rituals and the gods. He also said that if we meet Anghammerbad again tell him "We know where Mara is", oh boy more secrets to deal with should we meet him again.

Tanglebones did something so abhorrently rude next that I was stunned. He leant down and with a sharp knife took a hair from my head. He's very spry and that caught me offgurd. Surely he should have courtly manners... will have to do something about this later.

After a little more talking tanglebones excused himself and parted out company so we went to the Keepter of Records to see if she could help us with more information... due to kurf she was unable to stand, talk or really do anything except giggle. Plan aborted so we leave the courts and head of the Guardians of the Tree.

Lavinir, the head preist there seemed to have his head screwed on and wasn't on kurf or anything else. Told us about the scrolls after we informed him of the iminent extinction of the elves.

The Scrolls of Kael are written af the Beghest of Kael, are the "original" ideas on how to be an elf, and after writeing them Kael departed for te sun, where he apparently is now.

I also learned that for an elf to give birth they need the services of a decent healer or both child and mother may die. I keep thinking we should teach elves to have litters, 4 babys at once would really help their population issues. Think that's my rodent side thinking though, declineing to suggest it as I might get badly told off. There was some talk about blessing a lake to somehow make Elven births better and Lavinir seemed rather keen for it even offing the sacrifice of his rather powerful staff to bless the lake. Before any more actions were taken on this effect we couldn't work out if it would work.

Standing here behind Clarissa, I have to itterate once again, she has a really really nice bum.

We bumped into the Keeper of Secrets there aswell, Master Torihel who after a brief talk gives Prudence a book but as neither she nor I can read Elven very well it seemed mosty inconsequential. Thanks to one of the elves in the party they translated it for us and it's "The Book of Niccoveilli the Skinless" and mostly consists of things like how to skin things alive and such. Niccoveilli is one of the 4 old gods. Along with Kael, the Laughing God and Sha'mez.

There is a fun philosiphical debate of why the elven race is in decline. It seems the old gods were all for reincarnation or rebirth, and the new gods take worthy souls and keep them in a semi heaven place. The former method of reincarnation seems to promote dieing as not bad and birth as a good thing, the latter seems to promote living as long as possible and potentially not having children as often for mostly selfish reasons.

Thanks to the two knowledgable people we are also now enlightened on how to make souls and the magic that is this. Basically have sex, get pregnant, have a baby, doesn't seem hard but somehow the elves are failing at this.

That evening Prudence seems really to want a portent, or something of the sort so it's elected that we will sleep in one of Eidelon's magestic groves. That night Prudence gets a visit from the Archangle Michael and he says "Things you hear in this glade are essentially correct. The magic is in the person, not the item." And now, for the rest of the Season we all get +2Ma and +2WP.

Day 7

What day is it? Never mind, bash on

We decide to see if someone can give us a crash course in Erelheine manners and not-being-beheaded, and when we visit Lady Anellia she has the same idea and is going through a phrase book of frightening sounding exclamations. It looks like we are going to have to wing it. To Clarissa's annoyance, she thanks Akuji for driving off the High Elf Ladies with his antics at dinner the other night, as she has little in common with them and meal times are quite strained. We are to be invited back!

The Erelheine delegation arrives suddenly, and fortunately they are lead by the extremely well travelled Lord Yo(no relation). He is quite fluent in Elven and quite disinclined to sever anything at this time, though during the events that might change as he is competing personally. News of Akuji's fame has already spread to his ears (clearly their spies are competent) but he's aghast to be corrected that he serviced an entire cadre on the same evening. He immediately bustles off to increase his training regime. Clarissa's lip gets downright curly at witnessing the second Courtier coup by Akuji in ten minutes.

Oh, and he also left a message for Lucius from Lord Cochane that was very polite, but roughly translated as "Come on, if you think you're hard enough".

Later, at the local tree/pub we discover that an old acquaintance of Clarissa's from the South Haven Academy for Girls, Mistress High Treason, is also in town. Clarissa is a little put out when her enquiries after students are met an apology that Mistress High Treason is not so much an educator as a demon hunter extraordinaire, and states that her time as Head Mistress there was very successful in rooting out an avenue of corrupting high borne ladies before they married and the Guild contributed greatly during this time. The expression on Clarissa's face suggests that she's not quite as sure about that.

Mistress High Treason says she's here to ensure that the agent of the 72 do not disrupt the rite, and seems reassured that we've font of power like Prudence to protect us.

We decide it would be a good idea to check the countryside for nefarious goings-on. Akuji scouts his way into an Illusionary Terrain, spotting a pair of elves and the imp they summon. The imp jumps on Pru after does her Fire Breathing trick on it, but doesn't last long one WordSmith, his ferret, and Akuji's cat join in. Clarissa and Akuji charge in and around the elves, spreading confusion and despair, but not quickly enough to stop a devil being call forth. Fortunately WordSmith banishes it before it can do more than befuddle Akuji. The demon-worshipper backfiring himself into a stupor is enough to make the merc he had hired surrender.

WordSmith beats the Witch-smeller to the punch in removing the amnesia. Clarissa and the Church-ite take much pleasure and some time comparing interrogation techniques and extracting the following details:

• He was sent by Foras to observe the Spring Rites
• There are many powerful beings in the area
• Foras' plan to exploit the energy and confusion of the rites appears to have been thwarted for now.

We request that the Beltane scour the forest the next day for similar groups. They encounter and burn three groups. Akuji attempts to speak to the dead at the skirmish sites.

1. Seir had 5 followers nearby. Their plan was to stop the ceremony at its climax, Call Master, and use the life force being concentrated. There is an agent in town giving them info via Whispering Wind.
2. A single elf who Akuji cannot contact
3. Two followers of Leraje. They planned to use an arrow imbued with "Theft" magical to disrupt the ceremony and siphon off the lifeforce.

We have an enlightening discussion about the various cultural techniques of cutting agents off from their Masters and do away with them.

• The local Elves remove their organs, cocoon and suspend them in a tree in a state of mummifying semi-death.
• The Unite Church types set fire to them in specific prescribed fashions so their Master cannot help them and they are as purified as can be hoped for.
• The Wild Elves send hunting spirits to hound the Agent's soul for all time so they never reach their Master.
• Akuji's nasty book involves something about turning them into leather goods.
• The Erelheine stockpile them so they can kill a large number at once and ensure they get a good turnout from the Master and this minions. And then they thump them.

Clarissa talks to a very helpful Wind, who has been used to communicate between the Seir-ites. They thought Akuji to be the best target. We get a description of the spy, and the building he uses. there is a bored Air Elemental about, and some buildings in the area have gone. High Treason 'takes up to much space' - this lines up with what Anghamerbad said about shape-changed dragons having dragon-sized auras.

Quotes and MetaQuotes

• Wordsmith - "Well, let's say this cream bun represents the normal amount of fertility magic in the Lalhaudh area. According to this morning's Divination, the current level in the city would be a cream bun 35 feet across weighing approximately six hundred pounds."

• Eltan - "That's a big bun."

• Pru: "I like fluid parties!"

Items and Loot

Foolish Foras Follower

We shook down the amnesiaced devotee, and allocated as below:

• Invested Bone of Necrosis (Rk10, 3 charges)
  • To Pru to provide a ranged option? WS has one already
• Broach of Featherfall (Rk5, ?? charges)
  • To ???
• Waters of Healing (Rk20, 3 potions)
  • To ???
• Ank of Greater Undead (Creating and Enslavement)
  • Anyone but Akuji??

So, what are we doing about the unpaid mercenary willing to work for demon-worshippers?

Private Notes from the Prodigal

Places to go and people to see

• At the Guild
  • Tarahell Alatáriël, the 23rd Legion. Survivor of 30,000 years of soldiering and seems to locally define "quietly competent" where-ever he is. But he seems relatively detached and aloof from the events going on around us, I wonder why that is?
  • After he calmly gives us the long list of "usual suspects", I begin to suspect combat fatigue.

• Bergelfen, and the Regency
  • The Beltane are swarming here, trying to erect living crystal obelisks to fend off the Calimar in future. Pru shows some aptitude with the stuff, which stirs some excitement. I leave a note with the Bergraf to apologise.
  • I run into Angela of Artemis house from my time at the Southhaven Academy for Girls. Apparently she will be at the Rites as well, along with others from Bowcourt and further afield. I'm glad to say the "event" that Arnaud precipitated does not appear to have soured our acquaintance, we have a lovely chat and promise to meet later.

• Aflheim University, Erlangene Province
  • Rioting Students? Some internal strife about the Dean of magical Studies using the "Black Books of Prophesy".
  • Master Tangleleaf, an amiably daffy scholar who is convinced that Elves are an endangered species and will be beyond saving in 1 to 5 centuries unless the Rites are performed and the properly maternal influences are spread.
  • (Apparently Elven women can control their own fertility? I've wasted a lot of money of potions if that's the case. I feel especially foolish for bothering Mortimer. The little scamp.)
  • The Book of Kael are said to contain the necessary information to the make the Rites effective, and he wants us to retrieve the five, 20 foot long (unrolled) scrolls, in perpetually burning cases. Apparently they have been good and lost for some considerable time. I don't doubt the recommended Elven sacrifice might have a bearing on that.
  • For some reason we convince him to lead by example and escape the campus for a dirty weekend with a fellow researcher while we look.
  • The portals are locked down, but we have enough credentials (and clout, thanks to the 23rd) to get past the guards and on the capital.

• Eidolon, the capital
  • Beautiful (I manage to refrain from gawping like a yokel), but deserted. Apparently there is a curfew in force due to the... ...food shortage?
  • I prevent Prue from paddling in the fountain.
  • We head to the court to locate archivists and I am announced as "Mysterious Stranger" as I've been going about veiled. Another victory for "Team Subtle", I fear. Where's my hay-seed? (Note: All Kudos points were lost when Serra entered, the "Elven justicar") - No, I don't think that even the rest of weirdos will stop that from being noticed.
  • The court largely appears to have invoked the appetite suppressing power of big piles of krrf to do their part during these hard times. (Out, damn'd shakes...)
  • Asking about, we run into Master Tanglebones and have a horrifyingly seditious conversation in a private booth. Apparently the scrolls are prophesied to cause the fall of the Elven crown if they ever return and he thinks that'd be just peachy. They are also being guarded Ice Giants (or Trolls, it's unclear) in the frozen North by Royal edict for just that reason.
  • We try and have conversation with the Keeper of Records, they don't appear to be able to inventory their own limbs. Laminiar is more helpful and sober.

Pru: "See! Portents!"

We still need actual copies of the edict and the prophesies if they are available. Not that I believe that twaddle, but if enough people do they could decide to "Smash the state" if we bring the these things back, I'd like to know why. And just how many sections we can expect to be sawn into. Y'know, for the shipping.

• Other raving loony stuff we heard while there?
  • Elven hips are too small reliably deliver live offspring? A healer is required to guarantee the survival of mother and child?
  • Despite Elves only going 7 months to term?
  • Human surrogates are right out, as they gestate as Orcs?
  • Kael departed for the Sun after importing the scrolls, which are a blueprint for being Elven?
  • The New Gods are simply weak tea for the jaded inhabitants of the capital, remote and uninteresting for the merely rural, and the Wild Elves haven't changed their ways in the slightest.

Tangleleaf's theories are starting to sound more and more plausible, I fear.

• The Sacred Grove Great Guardian - Temple of Manwe
  • Following the healer angle, we speak to Lady Malaestal, Chief Healer and Priestess. She corroborates much of what Tanglebones said, confirming that it is horrifyingly seditious.
  • She considers, in a Healerly fashion, that stopping the rot with a sudden amputation is the best treatment for the patient.
    • (I'm not a Healer. She might not have meant it quite like that.)
  • Akuji mixes up his lewd innuendo about staves with the idea of making a suitably enchanted "birthing pool", but it would be as logistically fraught as trying to organising the Empire's healers to cope with a sudden simultaneous spike in births.
    • He still manages to get his end away, so he his hearts clearly in the right place.

• The Keeper of Secrets / Antiquities
  • Tarihel tells us about the Great Schism and the coming of the new gods.
    • The major philosophical / management difference appears to be the Old Gods encourage souls of Elves to re-incarnate but the New Gods have been collecting them "somewhere nice".
    • A fresh start definitely sounds more appealing, personally. Interesting, another thing that Cain was right about.
  • He also says that something about he "invisible magic" of making souls has been lost. The basic physical elements remain (barely) as does the giving of names, but something is missing.
  • He slips Akuji an illustrated book, bound in some rather fine leather, to do with "Nuckavalee the Skinless".
  • According to him, the prophesy states that,
    • "The Books of Kael will be collected by a gang of fools and madmen, who will give them to the person who is least able to deal with the information." ( Weird, I mis-wrote the last word as "invitation" in my notes )
    • Apparently, we are destined to screw this up. That's a relief!
      • I jest. Destiny, schmestiny.
  • He has a cryptic message for Anghamerbad. Mara, why do I know that name?
  • We return to the grove to sleep, which is invigorating and restful.
    • Pru has a vision of Michael, reassuring her that the things discussed here are basically true. Isn't he aligned with the new gods? If not, what's he doing meddling with my watermage?

• Lalhaudh City, Lalhaudh Province
  • In the morning, we portal to Lalhaudh and find the place pretty much deserted. More a citizen shortage than a food shortage. Estimate the place is at most between 10% and 2% of the population it once held.
  • We barge into the chambers of the Lady E- while we is in conference with Anghamerbad and Heldor, a hot-blooded young Wild Elf who was counselling an immediate assault on the capital.
  • They are not convinced, as they were trying to coordinate the influx of visitors for the Festival, but after he leaves they revealed that 8,000 years ago the Lord Protector of Lalhaudh and the 23rd (including or just Alatáriël at that point?) marched on the capital and overthrew the reigning monarch.
    • Historical precedent. A splendid accelerant to impulsive bloodshed.
  • Anghamerbad tells more about the about the location of the scrolls (200 leagues North, killing cold, Ice Giant fortress etc) and illuminates some more points.
  • We feed his interest in gossip by passing on Tarihel's comment about "knowing where Mara is" and that excites him greatly. (Mara. Where do I remember that name from?)
    • This dragon, though currently in Elven form seems very keen to encourage the recovery of the Elven population. I suspect it something to with the vaguely hungry expression he perpetually wears.
  • In return(?), he says that my features remind him of Elves from Liesusen province. He probably has a taste for such things. I rather nervous about this news, and I'm not sure that it's just his enthusiasm.

• An interview with a solider.
  • One Private Mirastel is sent to answer questions on behalf of the Beltane, by Sargeant Akulas
    • Did we meet him in Bergelfen? Did we ask to talk to someone, or is someone "using their initiative"? How should we interpret them only being able to spare a humble, if very fetching, Private?
  • She helps fill in the yawning gap in our (well, mine anyway) knowledge about the Beltane;
  • Their normal life span is only 500 years, but due to their constant rotation through combat missions against the Calamar the majority are only 50 to 75. The oldest is only 1500 years.
    • (Only? Even that seems disturbingly long to me...)
  • Procreative rights are granted on the basis of campaigns fought, the children are raised (and trained) communally, and they return to active duty as soon as they can.
  • And apparently, keeping the gene pool as diverse possible is priority because she invites Akuji to the barracks later.

Other fun things over the next few days

• I save Pru from being hunted and eviscerated by Wild Elves, but will probably have take possession of a hydra head at some point. I should have asked for something less drippy less drippy and more decorative.
  • Mentions of the Groves of Miskael ( Mis-Kael?) containing Dryad's and some ominous stories about the "end of days, the Dryad's missing their Troll counterparts, the Dryad King (??) being the prisoner of the Low King and the forests sweeping over the land.
    • Sounds like there are Fae involved. In fact, the deserted houses are being plundered by Brownies, which is a bit backwards.
• Akuji is nearly worn down to a nub by two visits to the Beltane's barracks. I actually felt concerned for him.
  • It sounds like the Beltane have a strong camaraderie, which makes me slightly envious. However, their militarism is so total that they will eventually either convince the Calamar to make a bit more effort (them falling back to their out-of-touch home base doesn't bode well), or they'll actually win by dint of throwing the metaphorical furniture out of all the Empire's windows and have to find someone else to fight afterwards. That won't end well.
• Eltan and Serra look up a local illusionist and we talk about the portal north.

The Ice Troll caves

• Semi-Elemental inhabitants, only one apparently patroling and completely taken in the illusions and a "bribe" of trail rations.
  • The others we saa are frozen to the floor or walls in the chamber tha Akuji leads us to.
• The five scrolls of the Book of Kael are trapped in a block of bound ice, but are still blazing away merrily.
• we consider many plans to break/haul/"unmagic" the block but after a time Akuji sidles up to the block and whsitpers to the scrolls and they simply slide into his hands.
  • No alarms or movement from the ice-bound Trolls, but we leave in Haste, just to be on the safe side.

Impromptu Scroll Swot Camp

• We fly south over the snows and find a relatively sheltered valley to assess what sort of ethnographic timebomb we have our hands on.
  • Divination says they are genuine god-texts.
  • They are very legible, even with my poor schooling, and seem to be written in only mildly archaic Elven.
  • Each scroll deals with the different aspect;

1. Histories of Kael and his brothers, and how they each ascended. All pretty tame stuff, but that might be just the weird human gods I'm used to.
2. Assorted lifestyle tips including warfare, hunting,
3. guiding and sharing secrets (of fire and magic) with the "lesser races",
4. and assorted the rituals including causing the sun to rise and the Spring Festival/Games.
5. The Future - this was mostly illegible, though some names could be discerned; Alatáriël's (or at least the 23rd's), Lucius, Serra Angelis. I didn't see mine, but I didn't look very hard. It'd be simpler if I wasn't there.

• Conspicuously absent are the following portions;
  • Use of the wild hunt on anything other than "evil", defined as Drow, Undead(?), and off-planar things.
  • Suppressing the "lesser races".
  • Wholesale Elven sacrifice. Only the victor of the games is, subsequent to a night of celebration and ensuring his lineage with "his choice" of women, drugged to several storeys above the eyeballs, eviscerated with much rejoicing, and cremated a portion at a time. His, and in this case the sexism seems relatively constructive, spirit will also be blessed when it returns to it's next life.
• All in all they are surprisingly sensible, in a rather rustic old-timey fashion.
  • I cannot believe I just wrote that. This pre-soap era stuff is pretty harrowing, but if the alternative is extinction, it might have to do. However, those clinging to the more modern interpretations might be in for a bit of a shock.

• We (well Serra, Akuji, and myself) spend most of the night poring over the texts and determine that they are fit to be released to Tangleleaf to double check our less than scholarly reasoning and do an authoritative version of the rite for the Spring Festival. I insist that we control access to the other scrolls for the moment, until we have a little more buy-in from the various factions.
  • I do note that while Serra and Akuji can handle the scrolls without difficulty, I can't touch them due to the heat. This is despite the Resist Pain amulet and the Protection from Magical Fire I have. I might have an issue if I though of myself as a better role-model, but this is probably a good thing.
• The festival instructions are very detailed, down the the number of steps of on the greased pyramid climbing/brawling challenge. Much reference is made to dancing supporters, honour, and athletic prowess. Few if any have any thing to do with technical fouls or clothes. Should quite an event.
• Akuji is now passionately in favour of competing and personally carrying out both parts of the victory ceremony. I'm torn in number directions about this, but largely I troubled about having to report that I lost one of those in my charge in an ancient ceremony involving sex, drugs, and athletics.
  • On the plus side, if he managed to win and called me up, well, I don't think that condoning the ghastly sacrifice would be such a big problem.

Back to Lalhaudh

• We drop of the scrolls so Tangleleaf can gin up the distributable version of the rites and entrust the scrolls and his safety to Tarahell Alatáriël. We ask him not to look at the other scrolls, other than the one that focuses on the military aspects of hunting monsters an the like.
• We hear that a delegation of High Elves, led by Lady Alas, have arrived and have brought one of the Royal Champions, Lothario. You know, the guys that need to be permanently sedated and fed with long spoons to stop them murdering their keepers?
  • Serra DA's him and looses her mind and much of her clothing for a time.

Divinations

• Show that the Fertility magics are spiking locally, and it's still 4-5 weeks out?
  • My prophylactic Potion and Curse effects are being eroded? This isn't good.
• It also suggests (along with Anghamerbad) that the magic will create an breeder reaction, which will very compelling. Also, fatal for the Death aspected around the place?
  • That's pretty bad too. Also, Akuji exploding prematurely would pretty bad.
• But Life-Aspected Pru might be able to direct the power and protect the vulnerable? If she hasn't gone berserk too, of course.
• But it indicates that we are on the right track? How long has this "love vibe" been increasing?
  • Should we check back and find when this pre-echo started?
  • And take a break in another province with a lower background radiation level?

Prioritising Threats (hugely incomplete)

• Lothario definitely seems the most dangerous and least predictable single entity, and he is making Akuji very nervous as his chances to win the honour of eviscerating himself. Lothario seems ably equipped to beat him too it.
  • Apparently his true love perished in sacrifice that shaped a demon. No wonder he's pissed.
• Lady Alas is the Queen's Assassin. Probably not a fluffy bunny either. Possibly a sign of how seriously the queen is taking the Rites although why she is 'accompanied by/accompanying', Lothario one of the empires 'Slayers' (who are only supposed to be let loose when there is serious threat to the elven nation) is beyond me.
• Random Wild Elves

...and just so I'm not missing anything,

• Sabrina - I understand she's troublesomely noble, but probably pragmatic enough understand our reasons. I'll try and get her peripherally included in the open of the rights, to help her get invested.
• Isil Eth - It's probably safer for everyone if she remains politically blameless, so she can step in to bargain for our release/sentences commuted/executions made painless or whatever.
• Lucius - Convincing Lady Anellia will likely take more effort, but will amount to the same thing. It might stick, too.
• Demons wishing to stop the ceremony going ahead - the demons 'upset' by the last party would love to take all the energy created by the ceremony and use it themselves. They have sent flunkies to spy out the situation and perhaps nobble the contenders.

Greeting & Arrivals

• We speak to Beryllia about separating the arriving groups and stationing Hobbit buffers in between them.
• We crash a dinner party of Lady Anellia's, with Lady Alas, her flunkies, and assorted Wild Elves.
  • And when I say crash, I mean it. Akuji's descriptions and miming of the "after-party" drove Lady Anellia to the commode during the soup course and both Serra and Eltan "let slip' some revelations from the Books of Kael. We don't actually tell them that we've done anything terrible and I furiously try and paddle the conversation towards safer waters.
  • The Wild Elves are mad for it though, and ask for more details once both Ladies have excused themselves.
• Erelheine deligation due shortly? Puts a crimp in our tour the provinces and decompress plan.

Cheer-leading and random Boosterism

• We try make sure that the Beltane understand that if they refrain from compating with the "civilians", that everyone will be let down. And they will be considered Big Chickens. Or squid lovers. Or something.

I don't want to sound paranoid, but...

• We've gotten a lot of information from Wild Elves, domesticated and otherwise, and people they have directed us to. I'd really rather not just trigger an otherwise avoidable bloody civil war a week after returning to what could be the place of my birth, if I could possibly help it.
  • However, if there's good evidence that it might save my disappointingly stupid kin, it's probably worthwhile. Probably.

• Is it just me, or should have this happened centuries ago? I mean, I might be a bit hasty in my thinking from my "upbringing", but if these so-called radicals weren't so passive-aggressive, couldn't they have just yomped up to the snow lands, kicked the butts of the probably even-more-nearly-extinct Ice Trolls and had their revolution in a more timely fashion?
  • So, either the existence or location of the scrolls are "new" information has just surfaced and everyone is digesting it, nobody can be bothered, it a "prophesy thing", or they'd rather not take the blame for sundering oldest civilisation on the plane.
    • I'm betting the latter, and I guess it could get you taken off a whole of Beltane Card lists. I guess.

Prophesy vs Psychology

• Let's see if I've got it right, regarding the Books of Kael.

1. You dump some holy self-help manual somewhere inconvenient and proclaim that it will cause trouble if it's ever returned.
2. Wait for someone with enough boxes in the Desperate/Fractious/Mad column ticked to decide things have "gone far enough" and to go there and recover it.
3. Prophet!

• Basically, if the situation is bad enough for someone to look for them, it's bad enough for their appearance cause a revolt. I've got to commend this Kael fellow on his ingenuity.

Calendar

Spring: Thaw (10)
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	Candlemansa		1	Guild Meeting	2		3		4		5	The Carzalan Generals Ball	6
	7	New Spring festival in the Sea of Grass	8		9		10		11		12		13
	14		15		16		17		18		19		20
	21		22		23		24		25		26		27
	28		29		30		1		2		3		4
Spring: Seedtime (11)
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	5		6		7		8	Rites of Thunor	9		10		11
	12		13		14		15	Equinox	16		17	Eostre	18	The Seagate Spring Ball
	19		20		21		22		23		24		25
	26		27		28		29		30		1		2
Spring: Blossom (12)
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	3		4		5		6		7		8		9
	10		11		12		13		14		15		16
	17		18		19		20		21	Floralia	22		23
	24		25		26		27		28		29		30	Walpurgisnacht