Tag Archives: Sutheron

Coming Home, Again

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The night before the Crimson Calling enters Sutheron.

“Tonight I stand before you not just as Alexis Laelius, renowned treasure hunter and lore seeker, but as a son returning to his beloved home city, a place where the echoes of my family’s leather working craft still resonate through the cobblestone streets.”

“As I prepare to walk those familiar avenues, I can’t help but feel a rush of memories. Memories of my father, tirelessly crafting fine leather goods with hands weathered by time and toil, trying to instill in me the value of hard work and dedication. Memories of my mother, whose gentle spirit and unwavering support guided me through the darkest of tombs and the most treacherous of pits. And let us not forget my dear younger brother, who shares in our family legacy, ensuring that our craft endures through the ages.”

“But there is another figure, a mentor whose wisdom illuminated my path like a torch in the darkness. Publius Helvius Laeca, sage of our city, whose passion for humanity’s past glories and the pursuit of lost artifacts ignited a flame within my soul that has burned ever brighter with each discovery, each adventure.”

“I am reminded of the rich tapestry of history that weaves through the very fabric of our city. A city where old meets new, where the craftsmanship of antiquity mingles with the innovations of tomorrow. Yet, amidst this juxtaposition, there lies a challenge, a challenge to uphold the standards of excellence set by our forefathers, to preserve the legacy of our ancestors, and to safeguard the treasures of our past for generations yet to come.”

“For too long have we allowed the shadows of mediocrity to cloud our vision, to tarnish the splendor of our… heritage. But fear not, for I return not only as a prodigal son but as a champion of our city’s greatness, a defender of its legacy.”

“Together, we shall embark on a new quest, a quest to free humanity from the shackles of those who would enslave us and send us into the dark. The path ahead will be full of peril, and though the challenges may seem insurmountable, I know that the Crimson Calling is up to the task!”

“So let us raise our voices in triumph, let us march forward with heads held high, for we are the heirs of a legacy forged in the fires of history, and together, we shall write the next chapter of our not just our city’s tale, but the tale of humanity once-sundered, being stitched back together. And remember, as we journey forth into the unknown, we do so not as mere mortals, but as guardians of humanity’s past, present, and future.”

“To glory, to adventure, to the enduring spirit of humanity!”

The Road To Sutheron

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Throughout the ride to Sutheron, Rask takes an on-watch posture while travelling, often at the back of the group, on guard crossbow loaded and eyes on his horse’s ears and the surroundings. If asked, he takes point. Either way he pulls his plain brown cloak in close over his plain brown tunic and does his best to appear inconspicous.

In camp, Rask takes on the standard camp tasks as much as Gustav will let him help. He is actually useful while hunting, a knows a handful of edible wild plants, much to Gus’s suprise and consternated delight.

Rask takes last watch when given the choice, and always wakes early. He does a series of excercises every morning; push-ups, sit-ups, burpees, pull ups if there is a decent branch available, and such. He tends to the horses, checks their feet and brushes them out every evening and morning, when he can.

At lunchtime when travelling, if no one else is around, Rask does a series of swordsmanship exercises. First excruciatingly slowly, then at a normal speed, and then as quickly as he possibly can. He uses an older Aegierian army-issue long sword for his exercises. It is well cared for, he cleans and sharpens it after each session.

Before bed each evening, after checking on the horses one last time, Rask does a series of stretches, slowly with clear deliberate breaths moving in and out of each position. Rask bathes regularly, and cleans himself and all his gear daily, but sleeps in his chain shirt as long the group is “on the march.”

Collegia Arcana 101: Lecture 13 – A Material World

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Ezrin shifts, while still excercising caution and limiting his audience to Ethelred, at last, to material components.

“First, let us review a few definitions:

Magic is the art of changing consciousness according to Will.

Magic can be divided into thaumaturgy and theurgy, or as some say, arcane and divine respectively. 

A material component is one or more physical substances or objects that are annihilated by the spell energies in the casting process.

Artificery – imbuing magic into objects, including but not limited to weapons, armor, staves, wands, tools, and more. Generally the items must be of the most excellent quality, and often made of exotic materials, and various rituals and materials are needed to permanently infuse magic into the items.

Alchemy – imbuing magic into potions, draughts, oils, etc, often requires a variety of special base liquids and other materials in addition to any of the typical components of the original incantation.

Hidden sympathies between objects that allow one to influence the other. Theurgy and Thaumaturgy share the need for material engagement. Ceremonial or ritual thaumaturgy is more complex, involving lengthy and detailed rituals as well as sophisticated, sometimes expensive, paraphernalia.

Our topics today will be:

The Principle of Similarity 

Common/Powerful Components:

Silver, Linked to Ishar by some

Gold, Linked to Anashar by some

Copper, Linked to Avv by some.

Gems are used often. Linked to Traan-Vilu and Algin, and in some cases, more specific deities. 

The Principle of Similarity 

If we analyze the principles of thought on which magic is based, they will probably be found to resolve themselves into two: first, that like produces like, or that an effect resembles its cause; and, second, that things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed. The former principle may be called the The Principle of Similarity, the latter the Principle of Contact or Contagion. From the first of these laws, namely the Principle of Similarity, the magician infers that he can produce any effect he desires merely by imitating it: from the second he infers that whatever he does to a material object will affect equally the person with whom the object was once in contact, whether it formed part of his body or not.

Imitation involves using effigies, fetishes or poppets to affect the environment of people, or people themselves. Witches’ curse dolls are an example of fetishes used in this way: the practitioner uses a lock of hair or group of finger and toe nails, on the doll to create a link (also known as a “witchlock”) between the doll and the donor of this lock of hair. In this way, that which happens to the doll will also happen to the person.

Correspondence is based on the idea that one can influence something based on its relationship or resemblance to another thing. Many popular beliefs regarding properties of various plants, fruits and vegetables have evolved in the folk-medicine of the Westlands for example. 

Many traditional societies believed that an effect on one object can cause an analogous effect on another object, without an apparent causal link between the two objects. For instance, many folktales feature a villain whose “life” exists in another object, and who can only be killed if that other object is destroyed.

Some examples from my own grimoire:

Fireflies or Glow Moss and Luminofeal 

The brass key and Sesame-emases

The crystal used to read magical writing

The sample of metal consumed in detect metals

Silver powder used for the Circle of Protection, and to enchant weapons

Silver

Linked to Ishtar by some, silver has the highest arcane conductivity of any metal. 

Silver has long been considered a purifying element and has been used to treat any number of illnesses, particularly contagions and wounds.

Traditionally, water that had been stored in a silver container or into which silver coins had been placed would be given to a patient or used to wash his wounds.

Silver is a great conductor of energy, including magic. Any stone set in silver will be amplified and its energy more easily directed.

Holy water used for purification purposes is best stored in or distributed from a silver container. The silver will infuse the water with its purifying energy. It will also enhance moon water.

Silver objects, such as pendulums or scrying mirrors, aid in divination and receiving messages.

Some believe that Silver harnesses the energy of Ishtar and Her Moon for spells, rituals, and lunar-based magick

Silver is the favored metal of many polytheurgists, Anasharites and Ishtari for its associations with Ishtar, the Goddess and the moon, Magic, the female principle and Winter. 

Silver possesses protective powers against negative influences and evil spirits and has been used since ancient times for Amulets. The metal also is said to enhance psychic faculties. Some mages prefer to wear all silver jewelry; many who wear gold also wear at least one piece of silver at the same time.

Silver, which appears in nature in a pure state and is an excellent conductor of arcane energies, has always been valued in various societies and has long been used for magical and sacred purposes. 

The ancient Sutheroni are said to have revered silver more than gold, and some claim that gold is not found in Mount Sutheron. Some say the god Anshar has bones of silver. Ancient Sutheroni used the metal to make scarabs, rings and other objects used in magical spells.

Silver has a long association with the moon. The old tribes of Suthe considered silver to be a divine quality rather than a metal substance. They associated silver with the luster of moonlight and called it the tears of the moon. In alchemy, the symbol of silver is a crescent moon; alchemists called the metal Luna or Ishtar, after the goddess of the moon. In some pre-Second Age scrolls, the moon is of written of as ‘the silver candle’ and the Great Road is called the Silver River.

Amulets made of silver can be enchanted to repel evil spirits from persons, houses and buildings. Some have written that in the folklore of parts of Aegir, couples who are going to be married encircle themselves in a silver chain in order to avoid being bewitched en route to the church.

Gold

Gold can adopt many different meanings. In economic contexts it can acquire material value, in social contexts it can gain significance for status and position within a hierarchical structure, in religious contexts it can be used to express veneration of the divine or a divinity, in magical contexts it can be perceived as a material with inherent powerful qualities. We can define the symbolic nature of gold as a means of communication. That implies, firstly, communication among humans in different situations for different purposes but also, secondly, between humans and the Warrens.

Special qualities of gold and golden objects, and their links to a numinous sphere, are quite diverse and sometimes indirect. Golden objects tend to be interpreted in arcano-archaeological research as having theurgic and thaumaturgic properties when they appear in particular find circumstances that suggest some form of ritual performances or ritual deposition. These rituals may include making the object unusable or destroying it deliberately, depositing it in inaccessible places like lakes or wetlands, or burying it in hoards that were composed of selected items in a pattern that is repeated in other hoards. 

Gems

In some old writings many gems—whether precious, semi-precious, or otherwise— are described as to having potent magical abilities, either on their own or when used properly in the casting of spells or creation of magic items, potions, etc.The innate magical properties of gemstones are precise and carefully guarded, and with only a few exceptions, it is not possible to access a gem’s natural magic without the proper knowledge. Other writings discuss how gems could be worn by an individual to gain certain magical benefits, although this often seemed to require the gem to maintain contact with the wearer’s skin. Furthermore, harnessing natural gem magic was known to be imprecise, and would often yield “flawed” results—in much the same ways that gemstones themselves could be flawed.

Gem Attunement: This form of gem magic seems to have been meant to use a gemstone to affix a spell to for later use. The gem could only be activated—and the spell released—based on some trigger specified by the creator at the time of the gem’s attunement. The trigger could be that the gem was touched, that a certain amount of time had passed since its attunement, or that a certain manner of creature was present or came near the gem. An attuned gem could detect and trigger based on a creature’s type, alignment, race, or appearance, but generally could not detect the relative skillsets or strength of a creature. Regardless of the prespecified trigger, the crafter of the attuned gem could freely handle the stone or even cause the spell to release prematurely if so desired.

In theory, these gems could also be attached to other items, in which case their triggering could cause the stored spell to affect or empower that item. When affixed to doors or other large objects, the gems could serve as traps. When affixed to weapons or other pieces of equipment, the gems could provide instant enhancements to the item or protections to its wielder. A common application was to create a gem ward which provided emergency protective spells in response to a nearby enemy. Common wards were empowered with protection workings.

A practitioner of this kind of gem magic would certainly need to be well trained trained in both gemcutting and arcane spellcasting. More powerful magics would require bigger and more valuable gems, with the weakest spells needing more common gems.”

Permission, But Only If You Say So

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To the most suitable secretary under Nardor-Threp, Head Marshall of the Collegiate of the Esteemed, Keeper of the Keys, Bearer of the Mysterious Inner Flame, and the most previous Patriarch of the old Sutheron Council,

It seems nearly-pretentious to take any time with the matter with which I write you today, but I thought it best.

During the treasure-hunting and fact-finding myself and my companions are currently undertaking we have been exposed to artifacts, mysteries, and strange fellows with strange magics. As one might expect, my very-clever engineering companion has nearly discovered some causal links within the pre-first circles of the greater materials sciences. For the time being my engineer explores in darkness, but it’s clear our understandings of the material sciences could benefit from his insightful nature, bestowed upon him from a relatively generous deity.

Sorry for such a trivial bit of minutia. Any rejoinder correspondence before spring would be appreciated if there is time. If not, I will endeavor to navigate as best as I am able.

Your humble fellow collegian,

Alexis Laelius, Adept, sponsee of Nardor-Threp, Bearer of the Mysterious Inner Flame, Keeper of the Keys, Head Marshall of the Collegiate of the Esteemed, and the Ultimate Patriarch of the old Sutheron Council

Where Fools Dare Tread

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Around the fire, the subject of the Dark and Hand and Bandesing rises in discussion. Telosh, Clyte, the Axe Man, Shai-yeeni, Varisimuss, Mavon, Skelor, Leer, what and whom – have you.

“Beware the Light Foot, for death follows where the Singing Bandit steps…” Ezrin seems to reciting a proverb from the streets of Sutheron.

“Most I know would avoid them, but I suppose it is too late…

“And it seems you’ve already received a lesson, or your late companion did at least.”

The Sutheroni mage looks at his new companions with a mixture of fear, concern, and compassion, and perhaps a bit of awe and excitement.

“Supposedly the Foot, sorry, the Dark Hand – even young nuns wear old habits – is engaged in the traditional business of the Black Hills, but no one know who they sell their…”

It is obvious that Ezrin is used to using a particular type of slang when discussing these types of topics.

“Slaves to. And they do not do business with the traditional Hill-guilds. There have been a few conflicts, not with good results for the Hill folk…”

“Everyone knows they took the Kings’ betrothed, but beyond that..” the mage shrugs.

“Their goals and motivations are the subject of much speculation. Their power and danger are clear though, and you have placed yourself squarely in the sights of their crossbows, chasing treasures they desire…”

Ezrin is quiet and thoughtful for a moment, then he shakes his head a little, and smiles ruefully.

“So be it, Crimson Calling, if you’ll have me, I’ll cleave to you now and join in your work to undermine the… Dark Hand.

“What have you learned about them so far?”

Ezrin is clearly nervous about this choice, but also very serious about it.

The Final Obituary of Telosh Winterborne

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Dear Mr Okken Winterborne,

I write to you as the last, and final, companion of your son, Telosh Winterborne. Perhaps you have been made aware that your son has been fighting the slavers known as the Dark Hand for more than a year now, and unfortunately they were able to get the upper hand in the woods to the Northeast of the Copper Hills Fort.

While Chia-eenee shot the arrow that almost surely killed your son, we were unable to check his body as it was carried away by the giant that haunts these woods. Perhaps you will take some small solace in knowing that your son helped defeat three of the Dark Hand’s most ruthless agents in that same combat, although I regret to inform you that Chia-eenee was able to escape in the confusion of the giant’s arrival.

It was my great pleasure to have discovered Telosh at his lowest; drinking and throwing fights for small-time criminal bets, and to have seen his embrace of the battle against the Dark Hand and of taking up the path of the Peacemakers.

During our short time together, your son fought the Dark Hand with his wits and with his strong-arm. He visited the lost Dwarven city of Dura-Intun, and helped slay the black dragon that dwelled under the mountain. He stole a powerful artifact of the goblin god. He ransomed a Sutheroni noble working for the Dark Hand on more than one occasion. He helped drive the goblin army away from the Copper Hills fort when they were led by Barra, including helping kill a troll. When magic was unleashed in the the Copper Hills mine, he worked diligently to reverse the threat to humanity. He saw the ancient Sword Chaotic, and had the good sense to leave it alone. He confronted the enemies of humanity known as Malor and the Arru-Norroth, and walked away to write about it in his book.

During all of our adventures, Telosh spoke often and fondly of yourself, Dakun, Sven, Gorf, and Dirk.

Unfortunately none of your sons belongings were able to be included with this letter, since the body was carried away by the previously mentioned giant.

My deepest condolences on your loss,
Alexis Laelius of the Crimson Calling

The Dwarven Job

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“It was eight or nine years ago, probably a year or so before I received The Invitation. I was apprenticed to a locksmith. My parents were both Known. I’d done some good work of my own though, stepped up from the kiddie stuff. Some second-story work and some tunnel work. I was Known, and young.”

“So a Friend came to talk to me, he and some other Friends had been talking with Someone about some ruins on Mount Sutheron, out past The Horsetrader’s estates…

“It was mid-autumn, we set out early during the Festival of Oo-rin, after making a small offering and promising a larger one if our ‘harvest’ was successful… festivals are an auspicious time for A Job after all.

We were a small team, as usual: myself, the Doors and Traps man… Bragnasar, a great climber, classic Second Story man, and good in tunnels too. We’d worked together before several times. Then, uh… Sibrah, some muscle mostly, but a good climber and good swimmer, did a lot of work on the docks… Dunbar, a thug and aspiring pit fighter I hadn’t worked with much before, but I knew he had a level head… and Stackin, a sage I’d never met before that claimed to be working for a Lord Allbah, from what I remember, Sibrah knew him from a previous job? I’m not so sure Stackin was working for Lord Allbah, frankly a lot of Jobs at the time were supposedly for Lord Allbah… it was kind of an inside joke back then… and I think some jobs really were for or at least connected to Lord Allbah…”

Anyhow, Stackin and SIbrah led us to an old pile of ruins in the hills around the base of The Mountain, and a somewhat hidden, somewhat collapsed entrance to a… cave? dungeon? ruins?

“The entrance itself was collapsed, but once we were about ten feet in the cave turned into a well crafted hallway. We proceeded cautiously, tapping here and there, lanterns high.

“About 100 feet in or so we encounter the first of several ancient well built traps. Sibrah claimed we were in ancient dwarven ruins around that point. It was a simple crossbow trap but with an ingenious floor-based trigger system and some sort of self-reloading crossbow built into the wall. I wish I could have studied it more, but I disabled it with a couple small wedges in the floor tile to keep it from moving down when stepped on.

“We continued deeper into the mountainside, and eventually came to some stairs. Another trap! These well built stone stairs were designed to… roll over onto a smooth surface. I was able to locate a hidden off-switch though and we descended the stairs.

“About halfway down though, a landing and another trap! This one was a huge Dwarven face, with a vent in the mouth that seemed like it spewed and lit oil. Again, the same floor based trigger mechanism, but the whole landing was difficult to secure. It took a bit, and was a little tricky since by this point the stairs were along the side of a large natural cavern, I was able to climb over the side with some rope held by… Bragnasar and… Sibrah, and wedge the trigger-stones into place and we were able to move safely past.

“At the bottom of the stars was a room worked out of the natural cavern and three heavy wooden doors. And three strange corpses.”

“The corpses were dead dwarves. Stackin was very excited, and very impressed with how well their corpses were preserved, for as old as they must have been. They were dry, they still had a leather skin over the bones… We searched them, and Stackin lay claim to all the items with writing on them, there were runes on most of the weapons, at least the axes and hammers, and some the daggers too.”

Ezrin reaches over to his pack and pulls out his dagger,

“Not this one though.”

He hands the dagger to Alexis. It looks like it could be dwarven made, no runes, not even small smithmarks though.

“Anyhow, we packed up all we could, their plate mail and everything. Set most of it into a ready to pile, and carried the most valuable items with us. Stackin took a few scrolls with him, we all took gold, silver, and a few smaller weapons. There were a few rings too.”

“One of the doors was clearly damaged and Stackin led us through it.

“50 feet or so down that hall, Dunbar triggered but dodged a truly amazing scythe-like blade trap. It would have split him open had he not jumped back so fast! I disabled it as well, the pressure plates were very well hidden though, it was a tough one…”

“We passed some old barrack type spaces, everything made of stone and just a little off in size. There were some runes that Stackin copied down in a few spots. An empty armory type space, kitchens and a dining hall… all stone and a little off..

“It was just past the dining hall that Stackin noticed something odd along the wall, he and I investigated it together, he used a spell at this point, ‘Lanua Invenire Dìomthair” I think now…

“It was a well-hidden door, we found the trigger stone, and followed the low passage it opened into.

“It was only a few yards away that the skeletal dwarves attacked. It was a tough fight, their plate armor, and most of us have short swords or daggers. Dunbar had a small flail though, and he liked to disarm his opponents, and we all knew how to help a Friend out in a fight, so once we figured out what we needed to do… Stackin cast at least one spell, but I was fighting with an improvised club at the time I didn’t really understand what he had done. Now, I think I have a pretty good idea. 

Sibrah got hurt a bit, I got a little roughed up, but not bad, and Bragnasar was pretty hurt, but able to press on.

“Again, we quickly searched the bodies, took a few small weapons immediately and set aside the armor and larger weapons for quick retrieval and followed what we could make out of the trail of dwarves. Stackin seemed to be able to track them?

“It wasn’t long after that that we felt IT. The rage was palpable, alien, righteous, and terrifying. Stackin urged us on an we tried, entered in a small room with a door, the door had a few runes on it, some more scratched in than laid in you know? They looked like some sort of warning to me, and I said so.

“Stackin hurriedly copied them down… The room was eerily silent, and filled with rage, whatever was behind that door was going to destroy us. Feed on our very souls. Take revenge on us for how it was wronged. Dunbar and I broke at the same time, we ran. Stackin… Bragnasar… Sibrah… followed shortly. We all knew we needed to get out of there as fast as we could…

“We did stop to get our loot, and it did slow us down. Stackin seemed satisfied with the job and paid us well. He said he would inform the Hoodites about the walking skeletons and the Evil. The rest of us split up everything that didn’t have runes on it, which wasn’t much.”

Ezrin accepts his dagger back from Alexis.

“But it was plenty… Dunbar wasn’t ever really the same, lost the stomach for pit fighting at least… I have no idea what happened to the rest of the guys. I hadn’t seen them when I got the Invitation. I never saw Stackin again…”

If I Am to Fall

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While the group is in the Copper Hills mine waiting with Raff and his few remaining followers, Alexis addresses his companions in a hushed voice.

“If I don’t survive Earika, please take my notebook to the Collegium along with my ring. There is another copy of my notebook in Sutheron, but this one should go to the Collegium. Will you promise me this?”

Hood-rin?

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Somewhere along the way, on the journey from Sutheron to the Copper Hills Fort, Lucius, complete with Sutheron accent, strikes up a conversation with Alexis:

“Say my fellow Sutheroni, I heard an interesting speculation in the Five Winds Inn and Tavern between a couple of priestly types, and it nearly started a fight with some Westy horse traders, apparently one of the horse traders is from a farming family…

“Anyhoo, the one acolyte says to the other, ‘Oo-rin is THE Harvest God, and Hood harvests souls, seems like may be two facets of the same gem, the scythe is associated with both as well, right?”

“Now, the Westlander overheard this and started yelling, ” ‘arvesting gray-en ain’t da say’m as peoples!” and whatnot… no Hoodites were to been seen to stand up for their Patron, but there certainly wasn’t much more discussion of the issue that night!”

“What is your learned opinion, Esteemed Alexis Laelius? Is Hood connected to Oo-rin? It seems odd to me, I always thought Hood was just the… children’s name for Erlik…”