To this point, 2 days have passed. You know this (in rough sequence;
stories you hear will vary a lot):
1. The nomads, led by Jaldon and someone caled Argrath White
Bull, assaulted the Lunars in Pavis several times this night, taking horrible
losses without making many dents in the Lunar forces. But some nomads were biding their time,
and when dawn broke Jaldon Goldentooth's magic had once again taken its toll: mystical powers that he learned from
Boggles on the Plateau of Statues ate holes in the North Wall of New Pavis,
bringing it down. The Granite
Legion defended it but were smashed by nomad might, and the nomads fought into
the city.
2. Elsewhere, by dawn a large band of New Teeth warriors and
magicians had made their way through secret tunnels into New Pavis from below,
and appeared in the middle of the city much to the surprise of the Lunars! Their leader Ettir the Sly called
on people to sing a song linking their minds in harmony with "the
dragon" (i.e., the nomad horde).
Yes, they sang a song.
Wait. PAVISITES DON'T
SING?!? But Ettir showed them how,
and revealed a forgotten myth that Orlanth gave him in a dreaming. The Lunars moved to suppress them, but
then the North Wall fell and havoc broke loose. At the city square, a moonboat with
powerful defensive magics was loaded and ready, and the Coders prepared to
board. Governor Sor-Eel the Short
came forward with his household and demanded that they take the boat
instead. The Coder Princess Anderida
of Raibanth spread her arms and
called on the surrounding people to lay down their arms and bid the Coders (and
a few allies) farewell. Sor-Eel,
his brutal bodyguard/general brother Bor-Eel, and his household stood at
attention saluting the Coders and waving a fond farewell as they rode off on a
moonbeam straight to The Red Moon.
3. The New Teeth fought, sang, ran, and defended, and were joined
by new voices from friendly people trapped in the city. None who sang was harmed. Ettir led his warriors toward the Old
Gate of Pavis, where Che'enshashan had finally decided on his allegiance and
sent huge mosquitoes and other river forces to help take the gate towers. Along the way they met the demon
assassin Gim Gim the Grim, leader of Lunar intelligence (and some later say,
true master of Sor-Eel?). Ettir
slew Gim Gim, saying "This is how we deal with thieves and assassins with
no respect for life." And Gim
Gim was cut into seven pieces, and seven followers of Ettir carried these
pieces to seven corners of the Big Rubble to be hidden. [A ritual of execution?] Ettir opened the gates and welcomed the
nomads inside, much to the panic of the people. Yet when the nomads harmed few people
and focused their energies on plundering, panic subsided into reluctant
submission, and people went into hiding and just tried to preserve what they
cherished most.
4. Sor-Eel snapped
out of his trance and realized the horror of his situation as nomads closed in
from all directions. Ettir came
forth with his singing New Teeth, and most of Sor-Eel's household was struck
down by nomad or Pavisite. Sor-Eel
vanished into the custody of Ettir's men somehow, and was not seen again.
5. Now Argrath White Bull had fought his way to the Temple of Pavis,
where the god Pavis awoke for the first time in centuries and strode forth in
all his glory. He greeted Argrath,
the bison rider who they say was once just a lowly slave but learned how to
find the spirit of the White Bull, and came to Pavis to bring the nomad tribes
together in peace with Jaldon's leadership. Pavis healed Argrath's wounds and made a
pact with him that the city would be spared from destruction again. The Lunar forces who saw this were
stunned, and surrended in fear, but soon enough Jaldon would have their heads!
6. Ettir marched valiantly with a throng of singing supporters to
the Temple of Pavis shortly later, and met Pavis just in time to greet him and
sing a song of his ancestry. Ettir
was a son of the late Brenna of Pavis, a respected tradeswoman of old, who was
a daughter of Verlain, a herdsman son of the founder of New Pavis, Dorasor, who
himself was a descendant of Sartar the King. Thus Ettir had noble Sartarite blood in
him, confirming his link to the Sartarites of New Pavis. But Ettir surprised everyone by
revealing that Dorasor's consort, previously thought just a "slave
girl," was truly Dendeedi of Auldryn House, a now-extinct noble house of
Old Pavis! Thus Ettir had noble
blood both of New Pavis and Old Pavis.
The god Pavis blessed him and retired into the Temple. Ettir turned to the crowd gathered in
Pavis and asked if, hearing this, they would accept him as their interim
leader, to recover the city from its near ruin and link the cities of New and
Old Pavis together as one, Free Pavis. They accepted.
7. Then Ettir met
with Jaldon and Argrath, and confirmed the pact made with Pavis, and the nomads
were free to do as they pleased for two days before they would leave to fight
the Lunars again in Sartar. Argrath
named the surviving horde (about half were dead!) the Army of the Bull, and the
head warriors of the army now all rode white beasts. Jaldon moved among his people keeping
their morale high with his heroic stature, while Argrath disappeared into many
negotiations. Ettir too moved
quickly to settle affairs in Free Pavis.
8. It is soon figured
out that the Crimson Bat was brought at Sor-Eel's request to Pavis County, as
part of a grand scheme to distract the nomads from the building of the Temple
of the Reaching Moon. [You were
sent off on a wild-goose chase hoping that either Nolantor would get you
killed, or something else would, or at least you'd be out of the way for a
while] Everything backfired,
though. The Bat managed to eat its
way through most of the local Storm Bulls and other chaos-fighters in the
valley, and then a few criminals, refugees, and undesirables at Pairing Stone,
but then its hunger proved too much and it demanded the local peoples. It was sated briefly, but soon Sor-Eel
realized that it was too hard to keep it fed here (people were good at hiding),
and riots were breaking out in Pavis, sure to worsen if the Bat was brought
closer! And then the nomads came,
the Wolf Pirates were attacking Corflu, and something had to give. To Sor-Eel's protest, the Red Emperor
recalled the Bat into Sartar to quell the many rebellions there now that the
Dragonrise had destroyed the Temple of the Reaching Moon, Tatius the Bright,
and most of the Lunar forces and sympathizers around the capitol Boldhome. Sor-Eel had hoped to feed all the White
Bull riders to the Bat, but when all of the nomads came instead, the Lunars
realized that all was lost. So Sor-Eel was left isolated, thrown to the wolves
so to speak, and he did his best to defend the Lunars left in Pavis, which
turned out to be surprisingly good but still not enough. Now his reign has ended, and the future
is uncertain except that the Lunars have abandoned Pavis as a failed
enterprise.
9. Other factions:
Duke Raus and the Sun Dome Temple had ejected all Lunars from their
lands under penalty of death (Count Solanthos ordered some token Lunar figures
executed by ritual combat or Sunspears just to prove his point). The Sun Domers fought only to guard
their lands against nomad incursions, and in New Pavis they fought to defend
Sun Quarter only. Haloric Glowbrow
proved himself a valiant leader, so their steadfastness prevailed against the
nomads who sought easier prey in Pavis.
Effectively, the Sun Domers and Raus are left intact, as is the Real
City. The trolls have remained
remarkably quiet during the whole event!
Dwarves and a few elves fought valiantly in service of Pavis and the New
Teeth, so their allegiance is very clear as expected. Krogar Wolfhelm, Wind Lord of Orlanth,
has stepped forward and sworn allegiance to Ettir, backed up by the former
leaders of the Cold Wind and other devout Orlanthi. But other Pavic factions are not so
sure. Ettir pronounced that he
wished the cult of Pavis to remain centered in New Pavis, but with stronger
ties to the Real City. Bendrath and
others seem more keen on refocusing the center of city worship on the Real
City. They are in agreement that
stronger ties must be forged between the peoples, including the Sun Dome,
dwarves, elves, river, and dragons.
The trolls and perhaps the nomads will remain a problem, but can be held
in check.
10. The Army of the
Bull is moving slowly west toward Sartar, stopping at key nomad holy grounds
such as the Paps and The Block to conduct rituals and gain forces. Any nomad is welcome to join them. Word comes that the sworn enemies of the
beast riders, the horse-riding Pol Joni tribe, have already allied with Jaldon
as tradition commands. The horde is
growing.
More news over the next 2 days or so:
1. Most of north/west Pavis County is deserted, with refugees who
survived the Bat now cowering from the nomads. Less bad in the south or east, although
the east has suffered greatly from nomad pillaging en route to Pavis. Garhound was defended well by its own
men and some paid mercenaries from the Sun Dome across the river; it is almost
intact.
2. The Rubble has barely changed. There are still nomads, bandits, etc.
about. The Real City likewise has
barely changed. A few nomads
bothered it early, but were driven away by the defenses and went after New
Pavis instead. Some Lunars remained
in the Real City; their current whereabouts are unknown but they were not very
important figures.
3. Miloh leaves today (2 days after your battle) in the afternoon
with Ithas Resh, Jr. of the Pavis Survivor zebra riders and his haggard,
battle-weary force. Miloh talks
with Elohwyn, Tison, and the others a bit before he leaves, asking that he and
the New Teeth get these benefits from you in return for helping with the fort:
a)
Miloh's "delivery business" will continue to route through the fort
as needed, although its nature will change now that he does not have to smuggle
goods past the Lunars. Miloh will
be granted full access to the fort EXCEPT the downriver area, the Firshala
circles, and First Dreamer's tomb.
This includes information on how to open the back door.
b)
Miloh has already taken custody of most of the Lunar documents left behind, and
will share pertinent details with you.
He is taking Trivius away for questioning, and smirks that they have
"a long history of interaction," with an ominous tone that suggests
that Trivius is not long for this world.
Trivius squirms, pleads for help, and offers lots of money if you help
him get free. He is a pathetically
weak official but seems to know a lot.
c)
The New Teeth will be granted safehouse at Wyrmsjaw Fort if they come
requesting it. They will leave as
soon as they feel safe, and will not abuse your hospitality. Ithas comes forward as a second ring
member of the New Teeth, and vouches for Miloh's good faith, and promises his
aid to you in the future in return for continued good dealings.
Miloh
submits these three requests as ideas for future discussion, and heads off with
Ithas, Trivius, and the surviving Pavic forces, plus anyone that needs an
escort somewhere around Pavis that day.
He says he'll be back soon, and Bendrath will be by later.
4. Windwhistler is reborn with the first ray of sunlight that
strikes his ashes, and comes to the fort to chat. He is happy about the safety of the fort
now, and doesn't mention his recent death, but is excited to show you his
blinding golden glory in the morning sun!
He says that he'll return home to Griffin Gate as its warden again soon,
but will come by often to chat. He
hangs out until Miloh leaves.
5. In New Pavis, here's what's left:
A). You are surprised to learn that a dozen
people came out of the Seven Mothers temple as it was assaulted, and danced
their way safely into the town square.
They all wore white linen frocks, nothing else, and were clean shaven
and bald. They claim to be
"Moonies;" White Moon adherents.
Those who saw them dancing, even the nomads, did not want to harm them,
and a few onlookers even heeded the Moonies' call to drop all arms, magics, and
armor and join them. Now there are
a couple dozen people in white frocks dancing gaily around the city, splashing
indifferently through puddles of blood and piles of corpses or cinders where
people once stood. They run past
nomads raping or slaughtering Lunar citizens calling them to stop the violence
and rejoice in the end of the world.
No one is sure what to do with them, in fact no one seems to be doing
anything about them.
B). The nomads have destroyed anyone and
everything in New Pavis or nearby bearing a Moon Rune (except the Moonies), as
part of their pact with the god Pavis.
This means that most of the government buildings in Pavis are rubble
lots, as is the Seven Mothers temple and similar structures. Many of these are now said to be
haunted. Apparently every single
Seven Mothers priest, priestess, or rune lord (except the Coders) fought to the
bitter end there, and it is likely that their angry spirits still roam.
C). Most other key features of New Pavis
remain, although the north wall (along the river from near River Gate up to the
Fish Market) totally collapsed, and parts of all gate structures were
ruined. Rebuilding is just
beginning, and is slow while the nomads are still nearby. Outside New Pavis in the badlands, it is
a terrible sight. Meteor craters,
scorched blast zones from giant 20d6 moonspears, half-disintegrated bodies of
charging nomads and beasts that hit Warding 20 spells at top speed, and
innumberable arrow-flecked and scimitar-hewn bodies litter the perimeter for
kilometers. A huge swarm of vultures
and giant condors has come all the way from Condor Crags near Five Eyes Rise to
feast, including the great Scarlet King of the condors. Hyenas, rubble runners, rock lizards,
and other vermin now join them in the scavenging, and it's hard to tell them
apart from the beggars, bandits, and refugees looking for scraps. The river is awash with
still-burning slicks of fluid, bloated corpses of Lunar and nomad, and drowned
beasts. Corpses of the defenders
still litter the walls, towers, and buildings all around Pavis. Some have been propped up and decorated
with vulgar nomad symbols to curse them to hell. Disgusting place, and one hell of a
cleanup job!
6. Major factions now vying for power here:
A.
Ettir and the New Teeth, whose leaders remain unclear to you but apparently
include Miloh and Ithas Resh, Jr., and an unknown hierarchy or membership. May be hundreds of people.
B.
Bendrath and the Real City (including Bilkar, Daughter of Pavis; actually
Bendrath's senior but defers to him and acts mostly in minor practical
affairs). Ascendant now that their
worst rivals, the Lunars and their sympathizers, are gone, and backed up by
untold numbers of reclusive Old Pavic folk. Includes The Grey Company, the Real City
Armed Escort service and guardsmen, led by Captain Nervon Kline.
C.
Remnants of New Pavic cultists (high priest/Son of Pavis Benderri was brutally
cut down by Jaldon at the Temple of Pavis; he was the dottering old man who
welcomed marrying Pavis into the Lunar pantheon, assisted by another dead
Daughter of Pavis, Cyrilius Harmonius, who some say men from the Cold Wind just
struck down) -- Fleeter Nemm, was second in command to Benderri and seems to
have a polite rivalry with Bendrath, and his wife the Lhankor Mhy
scholar/Daughter of Pavis Broosta.
Still a force to be reckoned with, as they have very strong connections
to many people remaining in New Pavis, especially the Orlanthi.
D.
Hallarax the Singer, former head of the pro-Imperial faction and head of the
Riverman's Guild. Most of his
supporters were killed, but a few have hidden away and are reported still
alive.
E.
Kolli the Portly, spokesman for the City Peacers faction and head of the
Jeweler's Guild. A vocal, powerful,
but usually neutral and pro-peace faction of merchants and others.
F.
Brygga Scissortongue, former spokeswoman for the Free Pavisites (or Frees)
faction in Pavis, and still a potent political voice; guildmaster of Cloth and
Leatherworkers Guild and noble from Garhound, plus former mayor of New Pavis
and head of the city council. She
is most likely not pleased that Ettir the Sly has made himself Governor! Jorjar the Quick, former Constable of
Pavis and reputed troll-friend from Adari, is her right-hand man and seems to
be less in charge of security in New Pavis now.
G.
The Commission of the Armistice, created by the Lunars, has been dissolved by
Ettir's edict. Most of its members,
such as the Lunar puppet Orlanthi Storm Voice Falktikus the Good, are long dead
now anyway.
H.
The "Pavis Royal Guard," led by the ex-bandit Hargran the Dirty. Once a despised pro-Lunar (liked to call
himself King of the Rubble!), in recent years he saw the power of diplomacy and
became more of a centrist. He
rules from Zebra Fort in the Rubble, just to the southwest of Wyrmsjaw, and had
a huge zebra rider force that took bad losses against the Lunars when he turned
traitor on them with Jaldon. But
he's still alive, and people aren't sure what to do with him as he commands
most of the zebra riders in the Pavis area. The Pavis Survivors (including Ithas
Resh), who officially were the royal guardsmen of Pavis until the Lunars kicked
them out, are mighty pissed at Hargran and have wrestled with him for years.
I.
Yelmalio temple led by Karial the Pure and Haloric Glowbrow. Staying very neutral while they guard
their own.
J.
Krogar Wolfhelm and his Orlanthi friends.
A considerable force now that the Lunars are gone!!!!! Krogar bided his time for 12 years for
this moment, and is in a great position now, with much respect and trust. Some worry about his connections to
terrorists like the Cold Wind, though.
K.
Griselda's band. They've walked on
a razor's edge for years with all of the factions in Pavis, and now no one
knows where they are, what they did when Pavis fell, or where their loyalties
are. Wild card!
L.
Che'enshashan, the Ingilli family, and the Zola Fel cult. They moved away from Pavis to avoid the
nomads and the Bat, and have not yet returned, but in the last moments
Che'enshashan made up his mind (or played the hand he'd had ready all along?)
and sent forces to help the New Teeth.
M.
The Flintnail dwarves. Mixed
loyalties to various Pavic factions.
N.
The Garden elves. Ditto, plus even stronger Sun Dome ties.
O.
The trolls. Yikes, what do we do
about THEM?
P.
The dragonewts. It seems that they
have allied with the New Teeth, for the time being. There is an obvious strong draconic
connection.
Q.
The nomads. Now leaving; phew good
riddance!
R.
Duke Raus and other grantlands settlers down south of Sun County.
S.
Corflu: reportedly still a Lunar garrison, and a probable retreat for Lunar
survivors since the only other near haven, Moonbroth, is right in the path of
the advancing Army of the Bull.
That sums it up well enough for now. You can see the complex nature of the
situation now; the next few seasons will not be simple times.
And now back to you.
I'll be sending e-mails to individuals to make plans. Miloh and later Ithas Resh, then later
Bendrath have many words with you, as a group and in private. They see possibilities for many of you
taking up new responsibilities. In
general, it is promised that you will be made the official guardians of
Wyrmsjaw Fort, with pledges from Free Pavis to support you in times of
strife. Bendrath strongly wishes
the fort be preserved as-is, with FD and STACR imprisoned, and the cult of
Firshala expanded. Your connection
to the river and Puzzle Canal is also vital, and the fort may become a new base
for reclaiming the western reaches of the Rubble, plus linked more strongly
with the nearby Flintnail dwarves.
Lots to do! We will move
time ahead slowly, a few days at a time, so hang tight with longer-term
actions. More will happen soon
enough!