Lichdom: some questions

[cvlowe]

In FfH, there is actually a pretty good thematic argument for not allowing any Good Archmages. While good mages can have more than enough talent and training, what makes an archmage is the strength of will to carry through in all his goals despite any obstacles, especially ethical qualms. True Neutral alignment often facilitates this strength of will best, but evil works fine too.


Becoming a High Priets of the Order most certainly does not involve consorting with demons. Human sacrifice would only count if executing (suspected) criminals counts. I also tend to think Junil and the Order look down upon mortals using (arcane) magic (most of the gods did not want Man to learn he could channel magic personally instead of praying for an angel to do it, so arcane magic in general could be considered to be against divine will), although if the answers to prayers count then I suppose you could say malicious magic was used.

Argh... So I suppose my current game as Order Amurites is counter to the storyline...

Maybe thats why Varn Gossam (runes) declared war on me the same turn as they summoned Basium (overlords???) I had to ignore Hyborem prosper for a while until I eliminated the Malakim & Mercurians. Fortunately Brigit smashed many many SODs of angels for me. She dies 4 or 5 times but always bounced right back. She currently has almost 700 experience and is unstopable and seemingly unkillable.

 

[Lone Wolf]

Maybe thats why Cassiel (runes)

What ?

 

[cvlowe]

What ?

Sorry, brain fart. Fixed above!

 

[MagisterCultuum]

Order Amurites actually fits the lore fairly well; the pedia clearly shows Valledia calling for help from the Order after it is revealed that her plot to get help from the Elohim (the one that involved driving Einion's wife insane and binding her soul to her flesh so that she would try to commit suicide and would curse her husband in her pain, forcing him to kill his own wife to save her from her suffering. This act appeared demonic occurring just barely before the Elohim-Infernal treaty was signed, so Einion honored the treaty and forgave the offense despite his people crying out for vengeance.) would work but not quickly enough. She of course would not be faithful to the precepts of the religion, but she would officially convert and use the faith as a tool.


I don't see any reason why a Good person could not be a powerful Mage, but Archmagehood would be beyond them until they learn to compromise their morals or rationalize useful sins.

 

[Milaga]

the pedia clearly shows Valledia calling for help from the Order after it is revealed that her plot to get help from the Elohim

Valledia did that? Man, I need to get started on that Civilopedia ... from what I read it seemed to imply that that was Hyborem's doing just to add a twisted element to the treaty.

 

[MagisterCultuum]

The pedia doesn't make it clear that Valledia was behind Ethne's wife's death, but Kael did in the Trivia thread. The connection between Einion's entry and Valledia's isn't obvious until you know it exists. Valledia wanted people to think it was the Infernals' fault, and she succeeded.

Culva.

He always began with "culva", the Lanun word for love. He went through his list, intoned each word and its meaning. At the begining they were all recited from memory, but each week he added a few more, and he had to read from the journal he kept for the task when he neared the end of the list.

She died 2 years ago. He had promised that he would take her to the Aegean Isles, always postponing it. During times of war he was needed for battle, in other times he was needed to maintain the peace. Threatening armies retreated from cities once they found out he was in them, enemies unwilling to negotiate were eager to offer peace when he carried the treaty to their capitals' gates.

But there is no good deal that can be made with demons. He had just returned from negotiations with the Infernals, a deep blue demon with a goat's head and shattered bones had agreed to the peace treaty but with several demands. He had lost most of them and that infuriated the demon. He threatened, Einion ignored the threats and demanded complete surrender. The demon had no choice.

The treaty was signed, it agreed to end hostilities between the Elohim and the Infernals. That all crimes previous to the signing of that treaty would be forgiven. The demon signed, and smiled.

The smile haunted Einion for the 3 days it took to return home. While the others celebrated his success, the end of the war, a dark cloud hung over Einion. When he opened the door to his secluded manor-house he understood why.

The stench slammed into him but he had been on enough battlefields to realize immediately what had happened. The curse of knowledge is that it kills hope, you know what has happened, what is happening, what will happen regardless of your desire to remain ignorant.

Einion walked through his house, wanting to run to his wife but unwilling to move any faster than a walk through the horrors around him. Blood was everywhere. An elegant glass cabinet in the foyer had had her faced pressed up against it. You could still see the prints of her face and hands in the dried blood, and the fragile shells she had painted herself were inside undamaged. No one had pushed her against the glass, she had been possessed and rubbed and held her face just enough to leave the mark.

It was like this in every room. She had climbed unto the rafters in their sitting room and tied her long hair to the rope braces. Then she had leapt off, her hair and patches of flesh from her head still dangled there. The paintings that hung in the hallway to their bedroom had been painted over with cruel messages to him, all in her handwriting. Einion tried to ignore them.

There was a grey light coming from their bedroom. It made odd jumping shadows in the hallway, like a tattered flag being waved in front of a lantern. Einion expected to find her dead, but she was unable to die.

Her skin was gone, she had carved it off herself, she had torn and pulled most of her joints out of their sockets, and they now hung and flopped at odd angles. The light was from a grey symbol on her chest. A mark that wouldn't allow her to die, but wouldn't relieve her of any of the pain she was experiencing. Her soul was trapped in a tortured body. Her body writhed in pain, her soul could be seen stretching out of it, trying to escape, but held fast by the symbol's power. She had been driven mad by the pain and screamed soundlessly.

Einion wept as he knelt by the bed. He cast the spell to dispel the symbol and once it was gone, once he killed her, he collapsed by the bed and prayed for her forgiveness.

His Rue-de-guar (shield bearer) found him there that evening when Einion failed to show up to the celebration banquet they had planned for him. The city suffered with their favorite son and his tears were shared by the youngest child to the most veteran warriors. When the city called out for blood, that they must break the truce, only Einion said no. He addressed the Council of Ayes:

"If you grieve for me, lay down your arms; if you love me, do not march to the battlefield but return to your wives and children. Let your ships be those of trade and exploration, your dreams be of children playing in the yard and long years spent amoung friends. I go to bury my wife, with whom I had too little time; do not allow your time to so easily slip by."

"Is it done?"

Sammuel offered only a painted shell as proof. He wasn't the most talented of Valledia's wizards, but skilled enough in the magic of the mind and soul to do what was required, and particuarly unhindered by morals that can conflict with such a task.

Valledia nodded and excused the wizard from the chamber, he bowed and slunk out, seeming a jackal to her eyes. But she was no better, her hands were just as bloody for ordering him to the task as he was for completing it.

She sat and considered this while she waited for the Caswallawn to arrive. He was ever late, and as undisciplined as he was talented. When finally he arrived he was rushed, as people who cannot keep time always are.

"You have released Sammuel from the prisons? He was convicted of unapproved necromancy, of sustaining a creature's life past natural means!"

Valledia didn't answer.

"He should have been killed for his experimentation, there is no balance in what he was doing, he threatens to incur the wrath of the gods on all of us. First you order him spared, now you let him go. What were you thinking?"

"Incur the wrath of the gods?"

She knew Dain wasn't religious, he had been listening to the priests ramble on. He started again.

"He broke the law, why shouldn't it apply to him? What is special about this man that he should flaunt our restrictions while others are punished justly for them?"

"His life is mine to give or take, as is your counsel. Go on to other topics, you won't receive anything that will satisfy you with this one."

Dain began to argue back, but he sensed a gravity in her that he didn't understand. She wouldn't be moved on this matter, and Valledia had her reasons even if she wouldn't share them. She was as stubborn and logical a creature as he had ever met.

"Fine, to this truce then. The priests say that the Elohim are withdrawing from their war with the Infernals."

"And?"

"The Infernals are not as weak as some suppose, if they are agreeing to peace with the Elohim then it is only because they wish to carry on battle somewhere else. The Elohim are a powerful force and they must see easier targets to feed upon, the Bannor, the Lanun or us."

Valledia waited to see if he would continue with his logic, but for all of his arcane skill he had a disappointing inability to anticipate the future.

"The priests are right, at least on this, the Elohim have already agreed to peace. What would you have me do about it?"

"We need to go to Cahir Abbey and meet with Einion, to talk him into resuming this war."

"Do you think that we could convince Einion to go back on his word? To forfeit a signed deal because if he doesn't sacrifice Elohim lives we might have to sacrifice Amurite ones? Or do you think that even attempting to do that will not only fail but draw the Infernals wrath at our attempt, and we will have the war you fear so much."

Dain began pacing. Although shortsighted at times he was an Amurite and once presented with a logical arguement he would consider it carefully. He reached out to a burning brazier that hung in the chamber and his finger cut the smoke into twin plumes. At Dain's silent command the smoke gathered and formed itself into two images, one of Hyborem and the other of Einion. He studied both of them, looking for some sign of their nature in the fabricated images. He spoke slowly as he thought through each statement, trying to see if there was anyway to work around it and finding himself trapped by them.

"Einion won't break his truce. Hyborem will attack another civilization. If that civilization is us, we will likely die. Do we have something Hyborem wants, something we could trade for peace if we needed it?"

"What would a demon want except to kill?"

"Is there a reason you suspect that he will attack the Lanun or the Bannor instead of us?"

"No, like most predators he will go after the weakest of his targets, that is us. Ready your wizards for war, it will come to us. Slip the firebows from the coastal borders to those we share with the Infernals."

Dain nodded, understanding the situation. Understanding that diplomacy was lost, he turned hs mind to war.

"I will begin to train adepts to sanctify the land, no doubt we will be facing the taint. We may want to consider a show of support for the Order, they could be strong allies soon.”

"You are right, I will handle the Order, stay to your mages."

"I should go, I have much to do."

Valledia noded and Dain turned to leave. She stopped him before he left the chamber.

"Dain, I have forseen this war and moved to save us from it. Though the night will be long, morning will come. The Elohim will rejoin the war, as they have borne a great enmity against the Infernals and wont be able to watch us fall to them. When the Infernals have taken our border cities and march toward our capitals we will go to them, talk of those we have lost, and they will break their truce and join us."

"They bear no love for us. Their hated for the Infernals must be greater than I imagined."

Valledia only nodded.

I suspect that the Infernal's diviners probably knew about Valledia's crime, and enjoyed it. A demon might even have planted the idea in Valledia's head, but she chose to go through with it of her own free will.