Raid/Defense - The Dying Embers / Calligraphy of the Sky
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The Dying Embers / Calligraphy of the Sky
Golden Geese Target: Zeal, the "Fire that Devours the World"
Locus Operandi Target: George Longcloak "Prime" / the Soul of Jaxon (206)
Tentative Time - Subject to change:
Saturday, May 2nd, 2026, at 12:00 Noon Eastern Time.
Background - Golden Geese:
Years ago, the Golden Geese defeated one of the three sisters, i.e. the Wounded Mother, that mass of flesh that infested and grew beneath the Giantspire Mountains. They did so with the help of a Prophet of Flame, for whom they initially presumed was a blessing of Kossuth, but quickly suspected was false -- a blazing, flaming entity which would ultimately introduce itself as "the Fire That Devours the World." Before that, Aoth Sepret carried this flame inside of her before unleashing it upon the Wounded Mother. This fire devoured the Wounded Mother, destroying her and the threat she posed to the region.
However, the deed complete, the fire then threatened to consume the entirety of the Giantspires, Peltarch, as well as the Nars if not even more. The Golden Geese struck a bargain with the fire, and asked that it delay its devouring at least for a few years (while they prepared) -- a bargain to which the fire agreed, before shooting up past the atmosphere and forming the now blazing orange star that dots the northern sky in the Nars. This star is visible everywhere in the North except from the Province of Moonreach, which is at once wreathed in a thick, frothy, misty fog and a vivid, clear night sky, and in this Year of the Foggy Night, is home to the hidden moon.
As suspected by some of the Golden Geese (notably the ones with their own experience against Far Realm entities), that blazing star is in fact infested with a Far Realm Entity. They will learn that it is Zeal, which festers and grows within the underlying passions and furies that underpin the principles of those heroes who fight fiercely for that which they believe. Aoth Sepret may have carried the initial flame, but Zeal has turned its focus now upon George Longcloak -- festering within him, until the archmage Adan Whisperwick abducted and obliterated George in a veiled attempt at destroying the star's influence within him. In so doing, he shattered George's soul into a countless number that led to the formation of various artificial humans / variants with fragments of George's soul (including, it would seem, Jaxon/206).
Upon contact with the original George Longcloak, those artificial humans / variants transform back into the segment of George Longcloak's soul, and return to him as their original source. The original George Longcloak, who operates with the Golden Geese, has gathered about half of these fragments of his soul. However, George Longcloak "Prime" considers himself to be the original, has gathered the other half, and has now issued an ultimatum to the Golden Geese: help him burn Narfell to the ground, or burn with it.
The Golden Geese must square off against this new threat to the region, who will arrive in Peltarch very shortly. There is no tower to raid. No clear enemy, but for that blazing, Zealous star in the sky, and its agent on the ground.
Background - Locus Operandi:
The Locus Operandi has successfully raided Adan Whisperwick's tower to put an end to the malign and cruel infleunces of Adan Whisperwick, who tortured, raided, and plundered the Province of Moonreach, and inflicted his experiments upon its denizens. It appears Whisperwick intended to harness and harvest the energies from the blazing orange star (see: "Zeal," as described above), in order to fuel his grand and dangerous magical experiments.
During the confrontation, they were aided by George Longcloak "Prime", who deceived them into believing he was the original George Longcloak who works with the Golden Geese. During the battle against Adan Whisperwick, Whisperwick nearly mortally wounded this spawn/variant, though the variant survived by devouring the Sun Soul Monk Jaxon / 206, who was, in the devouring, revealed to be yet another of the very many variants of George Longcloak that were created as a result of Adan Whisperwick's spell that shattered Longcloak's soul.
It was Nerrez, who managed to obtain the flickering cinder -- the last remaining essence -- of Jaxon / 206's soul. The Astrologer Farian, having heard of this, has indicated to the Locus Operandi that it may be possible for the Church of the Hidden Moon to ressurect Jaxon/206 -- if they can obtain the rest of his essence from 206's abductor, i.e. George Longcloak "Prime". He has provided them with a device, a strange magical stone, i.e. a modified soul jar, that can perform an extraction upon a target to split one soul from another, which he theorizes can be used to safely extract 206's soul from his abductor.
Now, the Locus Operandi has heard of George Longcloak "Prime"'s ultimatum, namely the ultimatum to the Golden Geese to either help him burn Narfell to the ground, or burn with it. He will be in the Nars, and soon. There will be conflict.
The Locus has an opportunity to intervene in this conflict, in an attempt to potentially the above-mentioned stone and try and obtain what's left of their friend's soul, to bring him back.
Consideration:
This is a dual party event. Half will be played by the Locus Operandi, and the other half, by the Golden Geese.
Besides that, this is a scheduled pivotal plot event for the Ongoing Chronicle of the Calligraphy of the Sky. The typical considerations apply.
Scheduling, Planning & Actions:
Participants, please post your availability and actions below, both for the above date and for any actions, efforts, coordination, or any in game meeting plans you intend to make between now and then. You may use this thread to RP any IC efforts and coordination.
[DM Xanatos Gambit / Eternal]
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For a time, Jhaelrya seems especially heartbroken at the unexpected loss of a friend, and the reaction is only exacerbated by her untimely absence. Having no connection to divine magic, she turns instead to her earliest lessons, to studies which she long elided from her curriculum vita. With the limited resources within reach, she begins to consult necromantic texts in search of gleanings about the incorporeal undead. She searches for treatises on the atoms of spirit, on the consumption of spiritual energy, and the transmutation of the soul as practiced in the lower planes. She takes notes on shortcuts, common hacks, and the incomplete closures in these practices. She hopes to pinpoint likely methods of disrupting and reversing the process that took Jax.
Elsewhere, very many elsewheres in fact, one might think the gray druid has left civilization to fend for itself. At the outer reaches of Peltarch's farmland, hunters find new stone formations and crevices of uncertain depth. The wise will see the shade these provide, and access to aquifers. With a conception of kingdom befitting her druidry more than any political title, Aoth has done what she can to preserve the insects, the birds, the wild seed, and all the hidden webs of life that city walls can never truly exclude nor exist without. Then, with what time remains, she speeds north toward the edge of the glacier, where the great barrier of the polar vortex runs its eternal course. She lifts her prayers as ever to the heart of the tempest herself, but not with incense today. She dances with whirlwinds, summons unseasonly storms and capricious entities of the air. All this to call on her goddess---to tempt her goddess---to let loose these chill winds from their circumpolar cage. What mere star can lay a claim to fate when a butterfly can upend all?
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Isolde suggests to Christina and the bardic community at large within the College that those who so desire should join the temporary refuge to Moonreach, providing drinks, sweets and entertainment to ease the tensions. With perhaps a smidge of reluctance, she adds:
"...We should even have the cakes with the 'stuff' in them included in this care package, it's only fair. It is, after all, not just a crisis but a once in a life time chance to really bridge the divide. Let's bring Moonreach a true taste of the best that the Bardic College has to offer, hm? We should liase with Baxter, a local bard, to make sure we don't stomp on anyone's toes."
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George's men stand by and ready for evacuation, as set.
George prays . . . during one of his prayer sessions, he hears word from one of his men that "Isolde Garibaldi" and "Reyhenna Jorino" are organizing some manner of defense, and there is talk of a "trap."
DM Xanatos Gambit
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Gom agrees. Among the list of evacuees, some put up protest; Thalaman, certain Guild Leaders, as well as Dacre Aberdeen, are among the major protesters. That being said, they eventually do come around and begin to assist in the evacuation and be ready to proceed to Moonreach.
Once the first evacuees even arrive to Moonreach, May Celine, on behalf of the Cleimant Council and Lord Caleb, sends official correspondence indicating that, as promised in previous correspondence, Moonreach's doors are open and that the Keep has room for Peltarch's refugees.
She does, however, press hard that Peltarch should bring food supplies, as the Keep might not be able to feed everyone for very long.
Meanwhile, in Moonreach, May Celine and her Lunar Knights have begun a systemic incursion down below into the caverns - occupying control of the first and second levels beneath the Keep, chasing the goblins deeper underground, while the Cleimants have provisioned makeshift cots and barricades to prepare for the arrival of the Peltarch refugees.
DM Xanatos Gambit
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Reyhenna requests General Gom declare Martial Law and impose a curfew to ensure nobody has the opportunity to loiter outdoors whilst staring up at the second sun until they lose their minds. Looking up in general is frowned upon.
She draws up a list of people whom she orders evacuated to Moonreach Keep, where the calamity does not appear to reach:
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King Thalaman
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Issac Thaddeus
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Prince Adrian Fisher
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All Royal Council Members
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All major Guild Leaders
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All heads of Noble Houses and their immediate heirs
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Dacre Aberdeen
She stresses that this is a mandatory evacuation, and invites the other Geese to add any names to the list they think need adding.
Then, in discussion with the others and General Gom, she proposes that Captain Longcloak be moved outside of Peltarch to a more remote location on the assumption that his duplicate is coming for him specifically. Her initial thinking was to place him on a ship or at the bottom of the lake, but on hearing Isolde's recollection of the "freaky cold place" that Friggus Mortis had doubtlessly come from she concurs that that seems like an even better idea.
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Having no real body to train, and his skills seeming ingrained in his wandering spectre, George foregoes the training he usually would submit himself to.
Instead, he spends every available hour with Meadow, ensuring she is as comfortable as she can be in her state, enjoying their time together and urging her to leave Narfell if the star comes too close.
In his function as a captain, he sets his men to prepare an evacuation. Though the order is not given, he wants them ready for the eventuality.
In the quiet hours of the day, when all others are taking their rest, his ghost can be found before the altar of Amaunator. Praying or meditating. If pressed why he worships a dead god, his answer comes "no more dead than I am, really".
In all his prayers, there is really just one question.
"Where do I take my stand?"
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And there is no sign of it stopping.
[DM Xanatos Gambit]
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Isolde, indeed, knows the location deep, primordial "cold," that crack in the earth, initially revealed to the Golden Geese by the death knight of frost, Frigus Mortis. It is to the far northeast, farther northeast than Moonreach still - within the deepest and lowest valleys of the Icerim Mountains.
Horgrim indicates that a baleful teleport would be extremely difficult. The entity is rather large. He indicates he has never before "balefully teleported a star." At Isolde's suggestion of a trap, though, he murmurs that it might be possible if the group had the right bait?
Laura finds very little scientific or arcane answers as to what a soul is. Fiendish texts suggest it is currency. Celestial ones suggest it is the essence of mortal grace -- specifically, the animating lifeforce, essence, and identity of a mortal creature, separating from the body after death to journey to an afterlife plane or to be judged. (Except, of course, if it is caught, abducted, or captured by something else before that can happen.)
Farian takes a rather functional approach reminds her that it is "something that can be extracted" using the stone/soul jar he gave her.
DM Xanatos Gambit
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Isolde and Laura both stand ready at the given time - each with their own ideas and agenda on what's to come.
Isolde considers their earlier confrontations with Far Realm entities Vanity and Dominion - breathing a quiet sigh of relief that divination is restored, though repeating Jonni's then solution in detail is unlikely - the element of surprise being low for the star having watched them all so closely. Still, she consults Jonni on possible alternate means by which to reveal the falsehood of George 'Prime' to itself.
She also consults her notes with regards to a certain location of extreme cold, tied to yet another 'sister' and seeks Horgrim's council with regards to potentially balefully teleporting the entity there (or indeed within some other entrapment like a Labyrinthe wherein they might whittle its defences down without burning the world around them). In clandestine and windowless indoors locations, quiet conversations with the above and all the rest of the Golden Geese and their allies are had...
Laura, for her part, focuses on studying not only the device Farian provided the group, but also the essence of what a soul is - reading any and all materials, including religious texts, that she can find on the subject, clearly determined to bring Jaxon/206 back (and none other). While her worship of Mystra usually expresses itself in studies rather than prayers proper, she will also make the trip to Peltarch to spend a night at her godess' shrine in earnest petition of grace.
