<< This sounds to me like the sort of thing that many of us would love to see more info on. How 'bout a writeup, Keith?
Mike >>
OK, you asked for it:
Basic set up: PCs are Carmanian supporters of the Shah of Worion, having done various adventures growing up after most of their parents were killed/destroyed/missing presumed mad in the Battle of Chaos, or some other recent catastrophe (it being the 1260's). The Shah of Worion musters an army on the pretext of atrocities at the city of Rafelios, supported by exiles from that city and a regiment of Earth Avengers. First though, he wanted reliious justification to make it a crusade rather than just politics. The players took on the roles of Shah, Lord General, assorted Vizirs, for the big decisions, but played their own characters when relevant. [HW gamespeak in square brackets]
Day '4': Shah Ningizztavar ordered his wagons, with a small prtectign force, forward to Megarlardinth to obtain supplies for the advancing armies. His Black Vizirs called upon their Dark Powers to obtain True Prophesies and Divine Revelations [simple contest]. Omens were good.
The White Vizirs visited the Magi at Brinnus, eager to speak of gods and men. Vizir Pyrang spoke of Pure Magic and Power, but Magi Akturex spake thusly:
"Though you have all Magic, so that you could remove mountains, and have not Truth, you are nothing, Vizir, with respect you know nothing of the higher elements of True Religion, your soul is made of ashes, an incapable o fany grand or noble emotion. Compared with the men of this order pg Magistery, you are one line of flat prose in a beautiful and spirited lyric. You lower, you never elevate. When you hit upon a policy, substantially good in itself , you contrive to belittle and besmear it in soem way, to render it mean contemptible and useless. Even wisdom from you seems folly" [part of a group extended contest, Vizirs Pyrang (Oratory), Blackbooks (Weird Arcana), Gert (Wisdom) vs Magi Akturex (insults), Bankooj (tedious trivia), and another one I can't remember name of: Wisest Magus (silent eminence)]
Then R'han Blackbooks spoke, of things unheard of, of dark secrets and of invisible powers. He told of the darkness without shadow and the light that cannot be seen. Of the Blue Fox and the Red Giant, of Screaming Horrors and the nude descending the staricase. Magi Akturex said this was gibbering nonsense and that R'han consorted with Uz. But Magi Bankooj said that he knew of these things and more; of the burden of royalty, the perils of the soul; the divorce of spiritual and temporal power, the soul as a shadow and a reflection. He told of the death and rebirth of Kostrubonko, and of analogous rites in Seshnela. He gave detailed descriptions of the hair cutting ceremonies and spoke at length about accountancy procedures amongst the Pentans. At length, Gert, a humble adept [and player character] interrupted the monologue;
"With respect your eminence, our cause is Just and True and your citations
matter not. I make a plea to you, Great and Wise Magi, do not listen to these
arguments of the intellect, for although often true they can be shaped to
decieve not less for being true if not spoken straight. Follow your hearts
for they are simpler and closer to Wisdom. You must declare if the New Moon
is False or True else deception has won."
The Wisest Magus then rose, he had remained silent until now:
" This young Gert has got to the heart of it. Decisions must be taken as they
are the necessary crucible by which Moral Understandings are tested and
insanity and other weaknesses exposed, they are dangerous and holy but we
must cross the Sword Bridge to Truth..."
And so was the War begun.....
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