[HQ Ignorance] Re : Scene 25: Arolanit and the Palace of the Pentacle

[Lev Lafayette]

During the journey, the Red Banner's message change
rapidly, indeed frenzied. Messages spoke of greatness,
glory, danger and despair. This increased with the
approach to Arkhome, where the Banner's writings began
to become wildly tangential, but with a strange
reference to 'mother'.

At Arkhome, a number of St Humact cultists and trolls
were present; Anzhur's attempts at Darktongue were
successful, much to the pleasure of the Dark Men, who
when recognising the Red Banner offered a cult spirit
[success, opportunity for development]. 

Some nights after Anzhur left Arkhome, the banner
communicated. It apologised for its behaviour, noting
that it had undergone a strange regression in its
spirit on the approach to the ancient fortress. It
revealed to Anzhur that Arkhome was where it was
initially woven.

At the Palace of the Pentacles, Grand Wizard Talar
Malaskan Phillipe responded grimly to Anzhur's
response. It explained what the quest of the
Fellowship was, but not why they were in these lands.

"Weeks ago, another member of this Fellowship arrived,
expressing the importance of his quest against some
lycanthrope, of whom our history has most terrible
records. The night after his return we found him
hanging by his neck in his quarters. His Essence
refuses to speak to our wizards, except to say he
awaits your arrival. We would Dispel him, but so far
he hasn't caused any problem to us." 

--- Loran <aillet_l at yahoo.fr> wrote:

> All along the way from the County of Holut to the
> Kingdom of Arolanit, Azhur tried to decipher the
> ever-changing inscriptions on the Red Banner of
> Valor, but the messages were so cryptic that it
> could have been as if the Banner didn’t want to be
> understood for the moment. The disappearance of the
> elf was quite worrying too.
> 
> Still training and wandering with the Beast, he
> followed him at Arkhome, eager to learn more about
> the trolls and the Dark Tongue.
> 
> He was really astounded by the poverty of Arolanit.
> The absolute refuse of Death by its inhabitants
> seemed to make Life weaker for all the land. Both
> notions were here exemplary linked. Azhur put his
> right hand on his chest, feeling the deep impression
> the Arkati quest has left here: being touched by
> death was making him less or more living?
> 
> When finally the Fellowship arrived in front of the
> Grand Wizard Talar Malaskan Phillip, he was still a
> troubled man.
> - “I’m Azhur of Daymare from the Loskalm Kingdom,
> ex-knight of the Sparrowhawk and today a beginning
> liturgist of the Battle Seers Order of the New
> Hrestoli Church. My companions will present
> themselves because if we are all differents, we are
> all equal among our Fellowship. Together, we are all
> humble questers, my Lord, sent by our own rulers in
> a try to save our countries from the most
> threatening menace they had to face for many years:
> the cancer of the Kingdom of War which is
> ever-growing, nourishing itself from the atrocities
> it commits”.
> 
> Loran
> 
> ----- Message d'origine ----
> De : Lev Lafayette <lev_lafayette at yahoo.com.au>
> À : HeroQuest Glorantha <ignorance at mimesisrpg.com>
> Envoyé le : Mardi, 21 Août 2007, 10h30mn 47s
> Objet : [HQ Ignorance] Scene 25: Arolanit and the
> Palace of the Pentacle
> 
> 
> Scene 25: Arolanit and the Palace of the Pentacle
> 
> Reminder of regional map:
> http://www.pensee.com/dunham/ralios/ralios.gif
> 
> >From the Dangin March near Sodal Marsh the
> Fellowship
> turned their eyes northwards to the Kingdom of
> Arolanit. As the armies of Ralios clashed with the
> Kingdom of Seshnela, the Fellowship skirted the
> great
> marsh for several days. It was during the night of
> the
> fifth eve that Icthya the Aldryami disappeared and
> none of the magics of the Fellowship could discern
> where he had gone to, as all his equipment was gone
> and there was no trace of his departure.
> 
> [Of course, Icthya *may* have left behind a note or
> something: "I've gone for a walk, I might be a
> while"?]
> 
> The remaining members of the Fellowship continued
> northwards in Arolanit. They had barely entered the
> border region and spoke only a few words with the
> most
> supsicious and impoverished peasants ever
> encountered
> before they were confronted by a two score of
> soldiers
> of the regime and three Wizards on horseback. They
> spoke in dull monotones, demanding to know who the
> Fellowship were and what they were doing in this
> Holy
> Land.
> 
> After an eve in the extremely spartan quarters of
> the
> local Count, some intense questioning and finally
> the
> provision of Letters of Introduction, the Fellowship
> travelled in the Kingdom of Arolanit with a herald
> who
> was virtually silent through the entire journey.
> Only
> once did he allow the Fellowship to stray from their
> allocated path and even then it required some
> convincing; it was when The Beast insisted on
> visiting
> the ruins of Arkhome, a mighty fortress established
> by
> Arkat the Liberator many centuries ago.
> 
> [This is an opportunity for The Beast to interact
> with
> some trolls if he so desires]
> 
> The impoverishment of the land struck all members of
> the Fellowship present; the soil seemed to provide
> life only under duress and coaxing. There was a
> constant greyness to the sky and perpetual drizzle.
> The entire population was dour and grim, speaking
> only
> the words that were utterly necessary. Most eerie
> however was the utter absence of children.
> 
> Making a modest speed to the Palace of the
> Pentacles,
> the Fellowship arrived almost three weeks after
> their
> arrival in Seshnela region. The Palace proper could
> be
> seen for many miles, an enormous star-shaped tower
> complex surrounded by a medium city of artisans and
> that surrounded by farming and herding communities.
> 
> With the herald providing the necessary bureaucratic
> requisites, the Fellowship is given quarter in the
> Palace and a meeting is arranged with the Grand
> Wizard
> Talar Malaskan Phillip in the following morn, ruler
> of
> Arolanit for five hundred years. As the party enters
> the audience hall, he wears the Iron Crown, of the
> great Vampire Grachanamagacan, whom he slew many
> centuries ago.
> 
> The Talar removes the crown when the Fellowship is
> present, revealing a man who looks no older than
> fourty. He makes askance of your quest, and your
> presence in this land, although you are sure he
> already knows the reasons.
> 
> 
>      
>
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