SESSION 26A: TOR’S TRAINING
August 24th, 2008
The 13th Day of Kadal in the 790th Year of the Seyrunian Dynasty
After several mournful minutes in which little was said, they quickly decided that someone needed to return to the surface and notify House Erthuo of the death of Faeliel and the others.
Dominic and Ranthir took that heavy task on themselves. Tor left with them, needing to keep an appointment later in the morning.
The walk back to the surface took a little more than twenty minutes. Then they took carriages in opposite directions: Tor back towards Midtown; Ranthir and Dominic towards the Nobles’ Quarter.
When Ranthir and Dominic arrived at the estate of House Erthuo, they still weren’t sure what they were going to stay. Clambering out of the carriage they approached the two guards on duty at the gate.
“What’s your business here?” The guard had an edgy suspicion in his voice. It wasn’t until that moment that they realized what a dismal sight they must present – dusty and bloody from their delving.
“We bring news for Cordelia Erthuo.”
“News of what?”
“Of Erthuo workers who were retrieving an orrery. She’ll know what we mean.”
The guard nodded to his comrade, who left through the gate. They stood in uneasy silence for several minutes before Cordelia came rushing up.
MEANWHILE…
Tee, Agnarr, and Elestra had remained behind in the bloodwight complex to watch over the bodies.
Agnarr and Tee took the time to go back to the hall where the ghulworg had stacked the more cumbersome treasures from the Laboratory of the Beast, confirming that nothing had been taken by Ribok or the other servants of the Surgeon in the Shadows. Nothing was missing, although it was clear that the items had been rifled through.
The bluesteel door had been smashed open, proving that they were not completely impassable. But in the process, the door had also been rendered useless. There was nothing preventing the Surgeon’s men – or other intruders – from returning to these tunnels. So Tee made the decision to gather up the few remaining items of taint and chaositech from the obsidian temple, intending to take them to the safety of the facility Aoska had mentioned to them on the 12th. They also took the time to strip the adamantine from the ghulworg’s skeleton, stacking it with the other items in the hall.
A little over forty minutes had passed by the time they returned to where Elestra had been waiting. As they were walking up, Elestra suddenly heard footsteps approaching from the direction of Greyson House.
It was still much too soon for Ranthir or Dominic to be returning, so they quickly moved into defensive positions: Tee kept a watchful eye focused in the opposite direction, while Elestra, Agnarr, and Seeaeti flanked the passage from which the footsteps were approaching.
“Do you want to send your dog down to the stuff we gathered?” Elestra asked. “You know, to guard it?”
Agnarr looked flatly at her. “No. I don’t.”
And then they fell silent, awaiting the approach of whoever – or whatever – was coming…
… they were House Erthuo’s men. Six of them, dressed in the livery of the house mercenaries.
MEANWHILE AT HOUSE ERTHUO…
Cordelia came rushing up. “Master Ranthir! Master Dominic! You’ve come from Greyson House?”
They nodded. “Yes,” Ranthir said.
Cordelia couldn’t help noticing their melancholy. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid… Your men are dead.”
Cordelia gasped. “All of them? What happened? Even the guards I just sent?”
“Yes— Wait… the guards you just sent?”
After several moments of confusion, they quickly realized that they must have crossed paths with the House Erthuo guards. Cordelia had sent them after Faeliel failed to report in.
“Oh dear,” Ranthir said. “I hope nothing unfortunate happens.”
Cordelia asked them to return to the orrery site and help with the recovery of the dead bodies so that they could be given proper rites.
“Of course.”
MEANWHILE AT THE ORRERY SITE…
“What happened here?” The House Erthuo mercenaries, taking in the sight of their dead housemates, were clearly suspicious – if not outright hostile.
Agnarr – his sword still raised above his head – opened his mouth to respond, but Tee quickly stepped forward. “They were killed by a man named Ribok who worked for the Surgeon in the Shadows.”
“Who?”
“He works for the Balacazars.”
They clearly recognized that name. “Why would they want to kill scholars?”
“They were just innocent bystanders,” Tee said.
“We think they were looking for chaositech!” Elestra blurted.
“Back that way,” Tee said. “Beyond a bluesteel door. That’s where we met them.”
“And who are you? What are you doing down here?”
“My name’s Tee,” she said. “This is Agnarr and Elestra. We were the ones who sold the location of the orrery to Cordelia.”
At that, the Erthuo mercenaries finally relaxed and lowered their weapons. Agnarr followed suit.
“What happened to the murderers?”
“We killed most of them,” Agnarr said.
“Except Ribok,” Tee said. “He escaped.”
The Erthuo mercenary grimaced. “Not for long, if I have anything to say about it.”
The three companions helped the Erthuo men gather up the bodies. Ranthir and Dominic arrived during this morbid work. It wasn’t long before the dead were being carried up the passage towards Greyson House.
TOR’S TRAINING
Instead of taking his carriage into Midtown, Tor had it turn aside on Golden Elm Way and pass into the Temple District. When he arrived at the Cathedral, he quickly headed to Sir Kabel’s office.
After a warm and cheerful greeting, Sir Kabel took him back across the Cathedral’s courtyard and up the Godswalk towards the Godskeep.
“The Godskeep serves as the headquarters and training facilities for the Order of the Dawn,” Kabel explained. “In truth, it is a set of twin keeps which have been joined by the upper towers.” He pointed up to the colossal statue of Crissa atop the western keep and the matching statue of Athor atop the eastern keep, both looking north.
Crossing through the Godskeep gateyard, Kabel led Tor out the far side of the keep. There stood the Statues of the Six Gods – Itor, Itehl, Sarathyn, Sayl, Bahl, and Tohlen. Smaller than the colossi atop the keeps, these statues were nonetheless impressive, standing three times as high as Tor.
“These are the heart of our order, Tor. Only Vehthyl has no statue here at Godskeep, but that should not be considered any slight. We are all sworn to serve the Nine Gods.”
Sir Kabel then led Tor into the Godskeep itself, and began recounting the oral history of the Order.
TOR’S PRIMER – RELIGION IN BARUND
Tor was born in 757 YD at the height of the Twenty Year War between Seyrun and Barund. Among other things, the Twenty Year War triggered a religious schism within the Imperial Church. After Seyrun invaded Barund, the king of Barund refused to acknowledge the Edicts of the Novarch (as those edicts were closely associated with imperial power in Seyrun). An outright refutation of the Novarch, however, would have put the king on somewhat shaky ground: For six centuries, the Line of Kings had been recognized and legitimized as a divine bloodright dating back to the Holy Coronation performed by the Novarch in 127 YD.
So the king declared that the Novarch, while still the Living Voice of the Nine Gods, had no secular or religious authority over the lands controlled by the divine bloodright of the Barundian royal family.
The supreme leader of the Church in Barund had always been the Prelate of Barund. The Prelate of Barund had been appointed by the Novarch and had authority over the regional prelates of the church throughout Barund. Following the religious schism, however, the king of Barund – on the authority of his divine bloodright – promptly appointed his own Prelate of Barund.
Following the end of the Twenty Year War, the schism was at least partly repaired. However, even today, there are still two Prelates of Barund: One appointed by the King and the other appointed by the Novarch.
This is all to say that Tor was born into and grew up during the height of this religious tension.
TOR’S PRIMER – ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD
Any order of knighthood has three things in common:
- They follow the Code of Law as laid down in the Book of Athor.
- They adhere to the Martial Code as laid down in the Book of Itor.
- They honor the Seven Compassions as laid down in the Book of Crissa.
The Code of Law is your bedrock “thou shalt not” stuff: Don’t murder, steal, enslave your brother, and so forth.
The Martial Code is essentially your standard chivalric ideal: Face your opponent fairly and honorably.
The Seven Compassions are a bit more philosophically complex, and are also referred to in some commentaries as the Seven Cares. The compassions are of the self, the companion, the stranger, the task, the thought, the memory, and the true. In other words, care for yourself, for your companions, and for strangers. Take care with what you do, what you think, and it shall be remembered. And if you can do all that, then you will know true compassion. (For most people, the Seven Compassions boil down to “be nice to people” and “think before you act”.)
Collectively these are also known as the Way of Knighthood.
TOR’S PRIMER – THE DEEDS OF HONOR
Although not an official part of the Way of Knighthood, the Deeds of Honor are intimately tied to the popular conception of “what it means to be a knight”.
The Deeds of Honor, as written in the Book of Itor, are a collection of legendary tales of valor, honor, bravery, and faith. In some ways they serve as a kind of “scorecard” or exemplar of heroic actions. “He lives his life by the deeds of honor” is a common saying.
TOR’S PRIMER – THE ORDER OF THE DAWN
The modern city of Ptolus was founded by a man named Shay Orridar, the head of the Orridar merchant family (now defunct). It is said that the inspiration of the city was based on the research of the loremaster Gerris Hin, who was studying the ruins of an ancient city built on the same location.
As a result of Hin’s researches, Ptolus also became one of the early centers for the rejuvenation of Pantheon worship. The Knights of the Golden Cross, founded by Hin on the basis of his research into the old traditions which predated modern history, championed the cause of the Nine Gods.
The Knights of the Dawn were founded perhaps a quarter of a century after the Knights of the Golden Cross. The Knights of the Dawn, like the Knights of the Golden Cross, were dedicated to the Pantheon. The two groups became rivals of a sort, but the Knights of the Dawn became ascendant when they became the official protectors and guardians of the Imperial Church in Ptolus – an official Order of the Church.
The Order of the Dawn is now primarily a defensive knighthood, there to protect the temples, holdings, and interests of the Church. Only occasionally are they sent on quests, and then only with the direct blessing of the Silver Fatar.
The current leader of the order is Sir Kabel Dathim, who answers directly to the Silver Fatar of Athor.
NEXT:
Running the Campaign: Urban Splits – Campaign Journal: Session 26B
In the Shadow of the Spire: Index
Great to see these starting up again! In the interim, you’ve inspired me to run my own Ptolus campaign, my players and I are having a blast in the city. Keep it up!
Yes! I’ve been looking forward to this for ages, great that you found the time. Thanks!
The mention of the Ptolus campaign in the last video had me wondering when we’d get to see more of this. Pleasantly surprised that it’s so soon!
HOORAY!