Online Session Recap - 05.02.2019

Tylendel is in Ipeshtir’s refuge in the Between. The walls and the items and furniture in the room are changing – one minute there are wooden walls, the next they are made of stone.

Tylendel takes off his armour, and realize that he came to the Between in only his underclothes. He wills new, warm underwear on himself, a new pair of shoes, and an indigo coat and trousers with silver scrollwork.

The table is set for three persons. The food is alien for Tylendel, and he waits for Ipeshtir to start eating to see if there is some etiquette he should be aware of. Pábes looks exited.  Ipeshtir pours wine from strange, long decanters.

They start eating, and Tylendel samples the different dishes. He tries everything – some things he enjoys, others he tries only once. He especially enjoys some white, grape-like fruits drizzled with chocolate – something Tylendel has never tasted before.

While eating, Tylendel tells the others of the first time he met the legless woman on the Great Plain. The others are very engulfed by Tylendel’s story.

Ipeshtir: “My friend, you are a very gifted teller of stories. I am sad to hear that it sounds like you really experienced it. But if you consider what my ancestors experienced, maybe you were lucky after all. Here we have entire worlds broken to many pieces. It sounds, though, like a smaller, more contained, perhaps, version of what has happened here.”

Pábes nods.

Tylendel: “That’s what I thought as well. There were many cracks like those opening on the Great Palins.”

Pábes: “I think that could be when the Creeping God’s chains at last broke.”

Ipeshtir: “Hmm, yes, that is possible.”

Tylendel: “I’m thinking more it was stirring before waking. That was two months or so before Kobian attacked the Doomed City, and the city exploded in flame.”

Ipeshtir: “You may be right about that. As we have talked about, we experience time differently, and time is different here and there, so what was two months for you, could have been a very short time for him. Maybe. I am not sure.”

Tylendel: “But I’m more interested in the woman and the gateway.”

Ipeshtir: “Ah, the woman, yes. She sounds like one of them in some way. Does she not, Pábes, my friend?”

Pábes: “I don’t know of anything without legs that can stand. Must be something powerful. Something from somewhere else, something supernatural.”

Ipeshtir: “Ah, yes, let me see.”

Ipeshtir stands up and starts looking for a book in the shelving.

Tylendel: “Could it have been Pentarlys or Nysal?”

Ipeshtir: “I think you are on the right track, my friend. I think it could have been one of the beings that came to your world, and mayhap became thought of as deities.”

Ipeshtir finds the book he is looking for and brings it over to the table. He places it on the suddenly empty table with a bang.

Ipeshtir: “Whoops.”

The book is massive and ironbound, and Ipeshtir unlocks it with a key and opens it. While Ipeshtir does that, Tylendel wills the wall mirror to show him the Crow-king’s army. The usual night sky is replaced with a night sky without stars, but with Dimsilver slightly illuminating the landscape. He can see a river, and an abandoned village. The Crow-king’s army is encamped in and around the village, with the inhuman parts gathered farthest from the village palisade. Seeing the forest surrounding what he see, Tylendel suddenly realise that they must be somewhere in Porsomonia. When he notices the forest, he can also see torches roaming the forest – he assumes that those are gathering parties.

Bringing his attention back to the camp, Tylendel notice that there are a few horses remaining, and they all look starved. The Norochtí are segregated from the humans and horses; they are caring for each other, something that surprises him. There are many banners in the camp, some Áhar, some Parsian, some that look Empyrean. There are archers, Cultists and cavalry companies; there are both heavy and light infantries. As he pays more attention, he notices that there are both mountain and dust Áhar. The most secluded humans are two or three hundred bronze men, with a banner showing a spear piercing a heart. One banner shows a grey wolf emerging from clouds or fog. The Áhar around that banner are the ones following Khapa Khorba. Tylendel recognise the Áhar amazons.

Tylendel estimate that there are fewer here than his forces at the Holy Hill – he approximates 4500 humans and 3000 Norochtí. Tylendel frowns, then…

Tylendel: “Show me the other Cultists army.”

The image in the mirror changes to show a place on the Great Plain, near the Old Road. He recognises the place as being near the Buried Battlements. A larger army is encamped here. 2000 Cultists, 1000 Parsabastians, and as many as 10000 Norochtí. It looks as if the humans are watching over the Night People – there are three humongous Norochtí that are chained to the ground, watched over by more Cultists. There are several large Norochtí with great helms.

He makes the mirror display the Hall of the Watchers and turns to Ipeshtir to see if he has made any progress on his search. Just as he turns, he notices a light in one of the towers. He turns back and makes the mirror zoom in on the light. It is a window of one of the buildings of the First Circle, where Captain Wilhon Ruys had has office. There is a candle burning on a table, and a lit torch on one of the walls. The room looks occupied, with a bed in one corner and a pile of refuse in another.

Tylendel: “Show me who lives in that room now.”

The view changes to show a person entering the mess hall. The man opens a trapdoor behind the bar and pulls out some rations. As he turns, Tylendel an old Moon Guard tabard and a worn face – Quinton Messny. Tylendel decides, again, that if he finds him in person he will kill him.

This time Tylendel turns away from the mirror with a certain feeling of schadenfreude.

Pábes: “I remember when I was there.”

Tylendel turns to the mirror again.

Tylendel: “Show me one of the four-armed creates I saw at the Black Lakes.”

The view changes to show a dark landscape faintly lit by Dimsilver. The trees of the Wailing Widows come down to the water – he can still feel a malicious presence when he sees the lakes. On the shore he can see the hideous dwellers of the Black Lakes.

Tylendel: “What are those?”

Pábes looks scared, and Ipeshtir stands up and comes close to Tylendel.

Ipeshtir: “How interesting. This is on your world?”

Tylendel: “Indeed it is. By the way, do you see the spirits in the water?”

Ipeshtir: “Spirits in the water… I see movement. Some creature I think. But these creatures, they do not belong on your world, do they. I have seen them in the Between. There is a place called the Pools of Hunger. In those pools are bred these twisted abominations. Part ape, part spider. All hungry. Could they have slipped through by sorcery, or were they taken there by someone?”

Tylendel: “When the Moon Guard was decimated, below the Hall of the Watchers we found black water like that, and we saw one of those creatures, and it hadn’t been there before the decimation.”

Ipeshtir: “I’m not sure I understand what you are saying. Is… Have you seen these things elsewhere?”

Tylendel: “That is at the Black Lakes, to the east of the Remheck Mountains.”

Ipeshtir: “Your world.”

Tylendel: “Yes. And when the Áhar that served Parafor, they lured… Somehow they got into the Hall of the Watchers, and they made all of the Moon Guard to walk off the edge, down into the chasm below. When we went into the chasm, there was black water like that, and we saw one of those creatures.”

Ipeshtir: “I see. I do not think they are carrion eaters.”

Tylendel: “That one was.”

Ipeshtir: “oh. Was it possible for them to catch a scent of this tragedy and get there? Or is that impossible?”

Tylendel: “Not across the Remheck mountains, no.”

Ipeshtir: “Tunnels?”

Tylendel: “Hundreds of miles?”

Ipeshtir: “I don’t know. I am just asking.”

Tylendel: “But where did the black water come from?”

Ipeshtir: “I am not sure. The Hunger Pools, those waters are dark. But I can’t imagine that that water has been moved from here to there. Why? That doesn’t make sense.”

Tylendel: “Maybe that’s what made the Moon Guard walk over the edge and down into it. What do those Hunger Pools do to the mind of a man?”

Ipeshtir: “It is believed that that is how the Hunger Pools make these creatures. Men goes in, beast comes out. Precreation of death.”

Tylendel: “Was that what happened?”

Ipeshtir: “I do not know.”

Tylendel: “Parafor summoned some of those hunger waters, and that was what made the Moon Guard lose their minds?”

Ipeshtir: “Well… In that case, if I had been, and I’m glad I not, Parafor, I would lure them to these waters, and not off a cliff.”

Tylendel: “Maybe he doesn’t have perfect control of where he summons the water. If he manages to summon things from the Between.”

Ipeshtir: “It sound strange, but who know what he has learned in all these years?”

Tylendel: “Well, because it’s obviously possible to pass from the Between and Eras, even without the Twilight Gate.”

Ipeshtir: “Because of the sorcery that is leaking.”

Tylendel: “Well, before that as well, because they got to Eras, when they first arrived in Eras.”

Ipeshtir: “Yes. I think so. But I thought that the gate was made first. Am I wrong?”

Tylendel: “Has there been several gates?”

Ipeshtir: “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I haven’t heard of more than one. Soon to be two!”

Tylendel: “Hopefully.”

Ipeshtir: “But! If it did not matter, whether these people were dead and broken, and only needed to be moved to these waters, and he could plunge them into these waters and make them rise again as Black Dwellers, then it could have made sense. Of course, if this was a powerful enemy, perhaps the quickest and easiest way to get rid of them was to do something like that.”

Tylendel: “Yes.”

Pábes: “Unless, could it have been those war priests? Those who can control your mind?”

Tylendel: “You have to look them in the eye for them to do that. As far as I know they can only control one person at the time.”

Pábes: “Ah.”

Ipeshtir: “You are very clever, Greyoak. You see things that… I was not aware that there were these things in your world. They certainly do not belong there.”

Tylendel turns to the mirror.

Tylendel: “Show me Kobian’s black child.”

The mirror shows the ruins of Camrey Castle. Amongst the ruins a feral creature is crawling – he looks almost human, large as a child. He has large, black eyes, and as they watch, he turns towards them, as if he can see them.

Tylendel: “When I killed Kobian, three or four weeks ago, that came out of him. But it was the size of an infant then. So what’s that?”

Both Ipeshtir and Pábes looks stunned.”

Ipeshtir: “It’s looking at you.”

Tylendel: “Oh yes, I know.”

Ipeshtir: “That’s impossible!”

Tylendel: “The Crow-king does that as well.”

Pábes averts his vision.

After a while, the creature crawls into ruins and disappear. It looks as if he is trying to hide from Tylendel. He notices that the creature has a long, slimy tongue.

Ipeshtir: “What manner of unholiness is this? More of the Creeping God’s doing?”

Tylendel: “I imagine it’s something the Creeping God placed inside Kobian, in the Doomed City.”

Ipeshtir: This Kobian was a vessel?”

Tylendel: “Yes.“

Ipeshtir: “Then the Creeping God wants an heir.”

Tylendel: “Possibly.”

Ipeshtir: “If that is indeed his work.”

Tylendel: “Then it doesn’t matter if we manage to lure the Creeping God here and kill him. He’ll just inhabit that thing.”

Ipeshtir: “Yes. I’d say it’s a contingency on his part. Perhaps. I do not know. But you saw this being born?”

Tylendel: “when I executed Kobian, Kobian burst into flame and that thing came out of him.”

Ipeshtir: “I do not envy you the sight.”

Tylendel: “Luckily, the fire and smoke hid the birth itself.”

Ipeshtir: “So when that host could no longer… Then it must have been ready to be born. Perhaps it was hiding there. And then you interrupted the travel. I do not know, but that sounds like could have happened. Parafor, he is meddling with a world that does not, is not ready for things like this. It’s all the more reason why we need to remove him from your place. Before he ruins everything. He must be mad.”

Pábes: “Worse than mad!”

Ipeshtir: “But that… Thing. It looks like it is looking for something. What is this place?”

Tylendel: “The ruins of Camrey castle.”

Ipeshtir: “That is the castle of the one who carried this thing. Am I right?”

Tylendel: “Yes.”

Ipeshtir: “I worry about your world. Look at this. Ruins. Darkness. A foul creature. Black water. I’m not surprised things seem hopeless.”

Pábes: “That’s why we have to get this thing going!”

He stands up and walks over to his lectern.

Pábes: “I think I’ve almost solved formula. Almost.”

Tylendel: “And what answer did you have for me, Ipeshtir? What did you find in your book?”

Ipeshtir: “You see, your description, it reminded me about a woman from one of the many places in the Between. She disappeared around the same time as the others, you know. So it was, and is, believed that she was one of those who left. Either by the words of Ruis or Parafor or one of the others, I do not know. She was named Mulendobra. She was named this by your scholars and priests, I must add. I have come to believe, after reading this and hearing your tales, and listening to Pábes, and realising that in essence these Betweeners have become exalted into godhood. She might have been the goddess of the neighbours of the Dragon-kings. There was an ancient realm…”

Pábes: “Amorion.”

Ipeshtir: “And I think that this is what you are looking for. She is the Broken Goddess. One of the nine.”

Tylendel: “The ninth.”

Ipeshtir: “If you look here, this is a symbol that has been inscribed onto the parchment.”

Tylendel: “She was trapped.”

Pábes: “They all are.”

Tylendel: “No, but I mean, look at the drawing. She’s chained.”

Pábes: “I think that is what happened when the people of your world at last found the strength of will, or the strength of power, to resist their domination. That’s, I think, how they came to be trapped. One in ice, one beyond the gate, one beneath the city, one by a tree, and so on and so forth. Do you think that’s the link?”

Tylendel: “So why does the Crow-king want to keep her chained?”

Pábes: “I believe she was considered an enemy goddess in Brentonian times. After all, they were Amorian, not Brentoni.”

Tylendel: “That implies that the Brentoni worshipped the Creeping God as well.”

Pábes: “Who knows what they were doing? I’m not sure they knew themselves what they were doing. Imagine having this realm and suddenly there appear these powerful beings, and… I’d imagine perhaps they would worship them all.”

Ipeshtir: “Ah, yes. In different ways. Some you would revere in gratitude, and some out of fear.”

Tylendel: “And what about this woman. What was she when she was here?”

Ipeshtir: “I believe she was a queen. Of Candath, or a place of Candath. It is hard to tell you, because the Between is all broken up. We have some ideas of what parts belong to Candath, but we can’t be always sure that this piece belongs to Candath, or to Ether, or to Ilk, or… The text does not say too much, but it does say that she begat a child in her exile, and that this child was also revered as a god. But it does not say much more. It says that in the dark times she disappears. Maybe that was when… I don’t know.”

Tylendel: “What do these gods need to do to access the power beneath the Holy Hill?”

Ipeshtir: “Access the power. If there is indeed sorcery bound to your hill.”

Tylendel: “There is. When I imprisoned Braek I managed to pull some of it to strengthen my magic. The Lady of Summer is… Well, she’s busy growing vegetables and trees to feed the army right now. She’s using the power.”

Ipeshtir: “Let’s think a little bit. Who can she be?”

Ipeshtir looks very intrigued, so he goes back to his book to look for more clues. While he does that, Tylendel makes the mirror show him Nathyn.

Forest. Branches heavy with snow. A fight, firelight flashing on naked blades. Nathyn’s troops are attacked by Norochtí. He is standing in red snow, commanding, and his troops are pushing the Norochtí. The ground is strewn with the fallen: Mostly Night People, but some Empyreans. The men are lighting torches to keep the darkness at bay, to give them an advantage. Nathyn looks magnificent as he is swinging his sword.

Tylendel: “Shit.”

Tylendel stays looking at the battle. It last for another quarter of an hour and the Empyreans finally prevail. Soldiers start walking amongst the fallen, either finishing wounded Norochtí or helping their friends. Nathyn finds a moment to breath near the fire.

Tylendel forms a couple of parchments in his hands, forms letters on them, then seal them with a Greyoak seal. He focusses on Nathyn, then tries to will the letter into Nathyn’s hand in Eras. The parchment disappears from Tylendel’s hand then appears in Nathyn’s hand just as Nathyn is entering his tent. He looks around, then enters his tent. Lady Rhëie is lying in the bed, her head bandaged. Nathyn sits on the bed, then opens the letter and reads it.

Tylendel's Letter wrote:

Nathyn

I’m sorry, my friend. The Creeping God’s army will reach Black Bormost before you do.

The Crow-king is leading an army of twenty thousand Áhar, Norochti, Paksí and traitorous locals across the Great Plains, and they will reach the City within the fortnight. Defending the Holy Hill we have the remains of the Borkan lords’ men and those of the Prophet of Ensalm’s March that chose to stay behind when we evacuated what was left of the people of the Province.

We number some ten thousand men and women and we have food and water, but few are trained in war. Ordinarily it would still be enough to hold the walls of the City, but with thousands of Norochtí that can climb walls like stairs facing us, we stand no chance – thus we only hold Tamolyn Pahórek. Here lies what the Creeping God needs to be able to destroy the Empire, and here is where we will make our stand.

In more cheerful news, I have executed both Kobian Oathbreaker and Durant the Cowardly Murderer for crimes against the Holy Empyre of the God-kings, and I chased the Coward’s sister and the ragged leftovers of the Coastlander army down the Novíla. I believe the Western Straits should be open for travel soon.

I also managed to persuade Syr Bohumíl Camrey that trying to claim his father’s lordship was folly, and he is now part of the leadership here: It is a motley collaboration of Lords, Knights and Captains from across the Empyre. Myself and Syr Bohumíl, Syr Gylian Urunmyst of the Wardens of Tamolyn and Syr Dostan Anpetór of Greywolf Hall in Anastonia, Lord Esmond Sollani of Halinhaven and Black Jaquan of the Mirovni, Syr Kajin the Pardoner of Osbria and the Ducal Syr Malor Mefester of Porsomonia, amongst others. The Prophet himself is sadly indisposed due to a severe case of poisoning by one of Durant’s assassins.

Here we will stay, and here we will stand, East and West, united. Here we will fight, and here we will die, Lord and Soldier, together. Pray for us, for if we fall, the world falls with us.

Remember me, my friend. There is a convergence of Gods on Byrkburgh, and they all hate one another. Some of them even bear a grudge against me, I don’t know why.

Don’t worry. It’ll be fun.


We had some good times, didn’t we? I’m proud and honoured to have been able to call you my friend.


I will not go gently into that cold, dark night.
I will burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the Light.

Though wise Lords at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning.
I will not go gently into that cold, dark night.

Good Knights, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the Light.

Wild women who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
I will not go gently into that cold, dark night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the Light.

And you, my friend, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gently into that cold, dark night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the Light.

As Nathyn reads the letter, Tylendel tries to heal Lady Rhëie. He can feel something happening, but he can’t see any obvious results. After this Tylendel starts feeling the fatigue of being in the Between and exerting his power.

Nathyn first looks suspicious, then smiles. He talks to Rhëie then hides the letter. He looks happy, considering, then he leaves the tent, apparently looking for someone.

Tylendel turns to Ipeshtir. He is sitting in a rocking chair, reading his book. There’s a fireplace with butterflies fluttering in the flames.

Tylendel: “I need to go back to Eras and rest soon.”

Ipeshtir: “You are growing more powerful. You have been here a very long time this time.”

Tylendel: “It’s starting to tax me. I’m feeling weary now. Especially since I sent that letter to Nathyn.”

Pábes: “Remember that we need a part of a Seal of the Night. Once we have that we’re going places.”

Tylendel and Ipeshtir chuckles.

Tylendel: “Will I be able to return to this chamber?”

Ipeshtir: “You can try. But if I’m not here you won’t be able to find it, because it exists only when I am here. So it depends. I guess we will stay here for a long while now, because my young friend Pábes here, he seeks to solve the mysteries remaining to him, and that, in my experience, can take some time, eh?”

Tylendel: “Yes. I’ll leave the mirror here for now.”

Ipeshtir: “Very well, then. Let’s say that we can agree that we stay here until you arrive.”

Tylendel: “Otherwise I will just aim for the Ghost weave.”

Ipeshtir: “Yes.”

Tylendel: “Did you find anything about the woman?”

Ipeshtir: “The Lady of Summer?”

Tylendel: “No, Mulendobra.”

Ipeshtir: “Perhaps upon your return I will know a little more. Now that you have provided me with enough thoughts to ponder, it will be easier to me to seek out things that might be of use to us.”

Tylendel nods and turn back to the mirror. First he tries to make it show him to places at once. As that doesn’t work, he wills it to show him Mulendobra.

The woman is crawling along the edge of a forest. There are ruined fields nearby and a road. The road is descending towards a village near a lake or a dam. She is still moving quickly, and she looks terrified. Behind her, in the forest, Tylendel can see lights moving – torches.

Tylendel first tries to will her to be in the chamber neighbouring his in Tamolyn Pahórek.

Tylendel: “That’s Mulendobra.”

Ipeshtir: She looks very, very frightened.”

Tylendel: “I freed her from the chains the Crow-king put on her yesterday. She has been fleeing since then, and now it seems like she is getting caught.”

Ipeshtir: “But why would she fear… If she is of the Between, she… Well, she is broken, I can see that. She does not look like a Candathi, though. More like someone from Ether. Not that it matters where she’s from.”

Pábes: “But she needs help!”

Ipeshtir: “I agree.”

Tylendel: “So how do I help her?”

Ipeshtir: “I do not know. Perhaps we should… You are the one who is able to… You are the most able man among us. But I… I… Why? Why is she… Why was she in chains? What use is a broken woman to the Creeping God?”

Tylendel: “Pábes. Hold my mirror. Take it here. And just be wary in case that bloody spirit comes out.”

He tries willing his own mirror to show the chamber next to his, but nothing happens.

Ipeshtir: “I believe that this mirror of yours is a bit like mine, but sometimes it is like you need to give it some time to become active again.”

Tylendel: “What?”

Ipeshtir: “Its sorcery, it is spent, and then it must be refilled.”

Tylendel: “I haven’t used that mirror since yesterday. No, wait, I have.”