Fall of the Empire - IC

[CGCL_Andy]

You enter to visit the king at last, you've been asked to leave your military detachments and abandon your current missions for this audience. Some have traveled directly from battle fields, away from constant skirmishes with the arab forces, others have simply been traveling in the kings company. But now you are all here, ready to serve wherever he needs you.

As you enter and perform the elaborate salutation ceremony, you can't fail to notice the meager hall in which the audience is held. The room is small compared to the throne room in Ctesiphon, with almost no decoration. The only indication that this in fact is the throne room of the persian emperor is the throne itself. You can probably recognize it with little difficulty, oddly missing from the room is the constant companion of the throne, drafshe kaviani, the bejeweled standard of the persian empire. Another odd aspect that you undoubtedly notice is the complete lack of courtiers, guards and staff in the room. In fact apart from you and the king no one is present.

Those who arrived fresh from the battle fields are shocked when the king turns around, he is a shell of the figure you recall seeing only a year ago. He looks tired and old, much older than any 47 year old should look. He sits on the throne and starts speaking.

"I have received grave news, from our spies within the ranks of the enemy, they are turning their attention to egypt and Heracleus will not be able to stop them." He sighs, and hesitates for a second. Then continues by giving you a short description of how he thinks the arab armies will take Egypt while the Byzantine armies are tied down in Syria and Mesopotamia.

"There are things that needs to be done there, and evil to be quashed." He stops again and sighs. Looks down at you with great concern and asks

"What do you think of magic? Can it be used to level towns and destroy armies?"

Yazdgerd stops talking after asking the question, as if he is waiting for you to answer. However court etiquette dictates that you can not address the king directly, nor can you ignore him or the question. You are all well aware the grave consequences of doing so.

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The consequence of addressing the king (if you are not one of the very few privileged to do so) is death, so is the penalty of disobeying him and not answering a question asked of you.

Those of you, who are more familiar with the king, or have better peoples skills (i.e. Seth, Ista, Jayanti, Pedram)

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You can tell from his tone of voice and his short hesitation that he is not at ease with the idea of sending you on this mission. You know your abilities and that of your comrades, and people of your rank are not usually commissioned personally by the king. But then again scores of the best persian fighters fell in the battle of Al-Qadisiyyah, and he might not have much choice.

For those more familiar with the court (would be Jayanti and Seth I'd say):

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Normally there will be another person in the room, who would repeat the kings question, you would answer him loud enough for the king to hear. That position in hereditary and a jealously guarded one.

Last for Jayanti and Ista:

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You've both run across legends and fairy tales, describing magic that's destructive, armies whipped away by single powerful magi and towns destroyed by the wrath of the gods. You however recognize it as fairy tales and fables with no bearing on the real world. So the kings question, to put it mildly, seems stupid to both of you.

[Sxoa]

Jayanti steps forward and turns so that her back is facing the corner of the room and both the Emperor and the party are within her field of vision.

She says to her assembled comrades, "What do you think of magic? Can it be used to level towns and destroy armies?"

Still talking to her comrades as she is not one of the few privileged enough to address the king, "My friends, I have heard tales of powerful sorcery. Spells that sink kingdoms or rain fire from the sky. But I believe these are just tales and nothing more. No magic that I have seen or felt can cut so much as a blade of grass let alone an armored man."

[IAmNotJeff]

Ista shuffles a bit, starts to talk, but mainly looks at his feet (using his low charisma to full advantage here).

"Destructive magic is well established in the mythology of many cultures. Obviously, we are all familiar with the demon Indra, who wields the thunderbolt to strike down his enemies. The Indians, of course, also recognise the same god. In the time of Alexander, the Greeks believed that their chief god, Zeus, used a similar weapon. The Abrahamic faiths, from the Coptics, to Rome, the Byzantines, the Hebrews, and the Arabs, have a story of the Ark of the Covenant. This is a large, wooden receptacle for their commandments and was used in a ritual by their priests to destroy the city walls in Jericho.

In the past, the gods and demons may have taken an active roll in our world, but, it would seem that, today, they are only heard in whispers. "

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Does knowledge: arcana or knowledge: religion provide any information beyond what you previously told us? (1d20+11)[25]

[Bandededed]

Matias

Looking at Jayanti, and trying to keep the king in the edge of his peripheral vision, Matias answers in a deep voice:

"Heard, but not seen. In all of my years and battles, never have I come across something with that kind of destructive force,"
He unconsciously rubs at a scar at his arm. "Only have I felt the pain of metal and bone,"

[CGCL_Andy]

The king smiles as Jayanti react quickly to solve the dilemma you faced. He waits for everyone to finish what they have to say.

"Bold enough to ignore the court etiquette, usurp a hereditary function, and speak in front of me, you are more willful than my reports suggest."

"Magic, as you've mentioned, seems to have almost completely disappeared from our world. But it was offered along with demonstrations that left no doubt at its powers three times to three different men."

"The detail are not known to me, and no man alive knows more than I do. What I know is that when Darius the great conquered egypt, an offer was made to him. By an evil being, locked in an ancient egyptian tomb. He was offered the power to rule the world and to have magic at his disposal unrivaled by even the strangest of legends, in return he would free the creature. He refused the offer, and locked down the devil where he had found it. There it laid in rest for hundreds of years, until Alexander arrived in Egypt. Again the offer was made and refused. Last was Augustus, tempted the same way, and realizing the dangers, he created a more elaborate prison to hold the devil. He build this prison well hidden from the men hidden in secret passages under the library of Alexandria. The building housing the library lies in ruins, it's destruction ordered by Theophilus. But I am certain the prison is still safe, as we would've know had it been freed."

"Of course knowing what I have told you, you realize that offers were made to all significant conquerers who have come to contact this evil. What happens when the arabs reach egypt is therefore of great concern, not only to us the persians, but too the Romans, the Byzantine and every other kingdom big or small in this world."

"Your mission, therefore is to make your way to egypt and prevent our enemies from getting a similar offer." He climbs down his throne and walk to a table against the wall, and you notice a book resting on the table.

He motions you to come closer, and continues "This book contains, all that is known about the subject. The great magi Firouz, discovered how to destroy this evil many years ago, going to egypt with Khosrow to rid the world of this danger once and for all. Naturally you are all aware of the defeats we suffered there. Firouz did not have enough time to gather what he needed in egypt, he stayed behind to finish the job, but he went missing and never reported back. It is safe to assume that he has failed to accomplish his objective. He however left two copies of his instructions. One was with him, and is most likely destroyed, this is the second."

"Take it, and use it to destroy this danger. May Ahura-Mazda help you and persia." He steps aside opening the way for one of you to take the book and waits to see what you do.

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Same people who felt his uneasiness, can tell that he is more relaxed after you answered his question, as if he thinks better of you as a result.

All of you know by this point that things are so far away from the normal ritual of an audience that pick up the book will not push it further away (normally such act would've been unthinkable, but normally he wouldn't have come down from the throne, nor would he beckon you to walk closer, or prayer for you.)

@IAmNotJeff: The knowledge check doesn't give you any more information.

[Jael_Darkwood]

Seth

At the King's question, Seth's face shows a momentary discomfort, then goes back to impassive. He makes an ancient salute, no longer used, which carries the meaning 'I offer my life in service.' to the king, then bows. His eyes remain fixed on the feet of the king, and, as the king continues to talk, his eyes go distant, as if he is carrying on an internal dialogue.

He must trust these others... Or they would not be here. He considers this mission of the utmost importance, it is obvious. I can not fail. I will not fail

When the king finishes talking for the second time, Seth slowly moves to the table, strokes the book cover, then slides it into a bag at his side.

He turns, returns to the group, then faces the king, bowing deeply and giving the salute once more.

[Sxoa]

What is going on here?

Jiyanti struggles for words, a sensation she does not oft experience, "...Umm...Of course your highness. On this journey shall we fly the Persian standard or shall we be as... discreet... as possible?

[Unholier_Than_Thou]

Pedram simply stood there quietly with tension in his brow communicating his concerns plainly enough. The cataphract's kind features and innocent brown eyes seemed out of place on the face of a veteran warrior. One would be forgiven for thinking that 31 year-old Pedram would be more in his element at home with a wife, bouncing a healthy child or two on his knee, rather than astride a charging stallion, tilting lances at formations of enemy soldiers. But there he was, clad in heavy lamellar armor, with a sword at his hip, a helmet tucked under one arm, and a shield lashed across his back. So fresh off the battlefield was he that the wetness of a bloody hand print still showed dark against the breast of his crimson tabard.

He would continue to stand there in stunned silence, as the others certainly knew by now, until he had something to say. For the moment words escape him, and he is thankful to have the likes of silver-tongued Jayanti around to break the silence and ask the questions that should be on the tip of his own tongue. Deep in his chest, he feels a knot of worry twist and tighten. Was this the threat, the danger that kept him awake at night?

[CGCL_Andy]

The King seems surprised by Jayanti's question, but he answers promptly nevertheless. "I am certain that flying the persian standard will only cause you trouble once you leave persia."

He then takes out a small bag seemingly from an inside pocket, and removes a metal plate from it. You instantly recognize the ornate square, it signifies the kings trust and is carried by people on official business.

"and while you are still in persia, this will be more useful than flying our flag." He then puts the badge back in the bag and places the bag on the table, exactly where the book used to be.

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In the interest of moving things forward, I'm assuming one of you, most likely seth picks up this bag. If this is not the case post your actions and I will edit this post.

Ista and Jayanti:

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You know the plate will be useful, but you also know that not all satraps are loyal to the king at this point in time. And the ones who are not, will be very threatened by the appearance of an official carrying one of these badges. Generally speaking, the eastern provinces are less loyal than the western ones.

He then continues, "Officially, you have been summoned here so you can be honored for your services. I never assigned you a mission, never talked to you about dangers in other parts of the world, and did not give you a book or a badge, and nobody broke the court etiquette here today."

He then walks to his throne and seats himself. His face grows hard as he look down and you can recognize the change in his demeanor, he is once again the unapproachable shahanshah of persia. Signaling with his hand he indicates the end of this audience.

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Susa is a small town at this point in time, an old town but small and rather insignificant.

The military men among you are not attached to a company since they have been called to the city, they can room in the barracks by showing the order calling them to Susa.

The others who travel with in court already have quarters assigned to them.

I need to know what you will be doing immediately after the audience, how long you will stay in town before your departure, what you will do during that time. and where you'll be heading when you do leave.

[Bandededed]

Matias

After exiting the kings chamber, Matias grunts a rather abrupt, "Leave upon the morrow?" and looks to the others expectantly.

[IAmNotJeff]

Ista follows Matias from the room and waits for the corridor to be empty to talk with the others.

"Friends, this is a very serious business, and we have some difficult decisions to make.

On the one hand, this offer has been rejected three times before, so it may be rejected again. It may, therefore, be more important to guarantee that a copy of these notes is maintained safely for the future. On the other, this offer may not be rejected, so we should act quickly. I agree with Matias that we should leave as soon as possible, but we should also make an effort to ensure that a second copy of this book is made and the original returned to Yazdgerd.

Determining a route will also be tricky. Three routes immediately suggest themselves. We can go north to the Caspian, sale to the Khazar territory, cross by land to the Black Sea, and sail from there to Alexandria. We can ride directly from here, through Persia, through Arabia, through the Sinai, and into Egypt. We can travel south, to the Persian Gulf, sail south around the Arabian peninsula, sail up to the end of the Red Sea, and travel briefly onto Alexandria. Jiyanti or anyone else, do you speak Khazar? I'm afraid I do not, and I fear the first route maybe quite lengthy. The second route will involve crossing two military frontiers, first into Arab territory, and second into Roman.

I would suggest the third route. We may be able to book passage on a merchant vessel. Ideally, we could persuade a loyal Persian merchant to take us the entire route, by impressing on him the importance, but not the details, of our mission, and showing him the badge. Depending on the weather, we could entirely avoid contact with the Arabian peninsula. Even stopping for supplies a few times, disguised as merchants, we would stand a good chance of resupplying without difficulty. Once we land in Egypt, we should not have difficulty traveling through Roman territory. A sailing ship should be able to handle us, our horses, and our guards, assuming none of you have too many. "

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CGCL_Andy: can you correct me if any of the geography I've described is incorrect.

[Jael_Darkwood]

Seth

As nobody else moves to take the badge, Seth claims it as well. After leaving the room, he listens seriously to Ista's proposal. "As we are attempting stealth, perhaps we should make contact with the spymaster... he may know of a ship that flies another countries' flag... one that would draw less attention, but be equally reliable and secure."

[IAmNotJeff]

Ista nods, "Spymaster. Foreign flag. Good ideas."

[IAmNotJeff]

If the other characters don't object, Ista would like to look at the book. How big is it? What language is it written in? How long would it take to read? To copy?

[Sxoa]

Jayanti nods at Ista's words and strokes the thin stubble artfully pasted onto her chin, "I alas do not know their tongue, but I have a talent for languages. We could get by if needed. Christian priests will know Latin, so we can obtain translator with no difficulty I suspect, and any merchants in the area will likely speak Greek if they have dealings with the Byzantines."

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Jayanti has the wanderer's diplomacy feat so we can get by with limited communication no matter where we go (it takes a week or so

"I agree that the last route seems the easiest, but we would be sailing around the heart of our enemy. We do not know if there will be unfriendly eyes on the lookout for us and it only takes one loose tongue of a drunken sailor when we are stopped in an Arabic port to alert the enemy to our presence. Even if we fly another nation's flag this is still a danger...

While the first would be longer, it does have the advantage of taking us away from the invaders. Perhaps we do not need to go so far as the Khazaars? We could perhaps cross through Albania to the Black Sea? Or even still we could ride through Persian territories for most of the way, and make a short crossing through Roman or Iberian lands to black sea. I have no mind of one over the other, I merely am making possibilities and concerns known.

I agree that we should make a copy if not copies of the book, but this can be done as we travel I think. I know my letters and can work at this by oil lamp or candle light."

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Map of the area, though modified presumably by an expanding Caliphate and a collapsing Sassanid Empire.

[Jael_Darkwood]

Seth

Raising an eyebrow, he responds to Jayanti, "To spell it out, I suggest we travel on a vessel that actually works for our government in an espionage and covert transport capacity. One with a crew that appears normal, but is composed of trusted, well trained loyalists... wolves in sheeps clothing. Or at least ones who know to keep their mouths shut." He smiles. "Trust me, the spymaster is not exactly prone to mistakes."

[CGCL_Andy]

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I'm assuming this conversation is either happening in Seth or Jayanti's quarters, or in a private room in the first Inn you can find. The corridor behind the audience chamber is not a good place to discuss missions that the king wants to keep under the wraps, nor is the street just outside the palace. Neither place is a good place for ista to take the book out, and these are of course details your characters all know. Please let me know where you are.

Ista studies the book for a short while, the first couple of pages are written in standard persian and are basically giving a slightly more detailed account of what the king already told you.

After that the book is written in a language none of you understands, it's still using the persian script, but the language is unfamiliar to all of you.

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Sxoa is right about the map, it's basically correct with the exception of the arab expansion. The persians hold no land in the arab peninsula at this point, and have lost most of their land west of Zagros mountains. The byzantine empire has lost what it held in Mesopotamia, and is therefore disconnected from its egyptian holdings on land.

[IAmNotJeff]

If Seth or Jayanti permits, we should probably be in their quarters.

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Presumably, all of modern Iraq is under Arab control, if they've taken Ctesiphon, but I suppose that might still leave us with land access in the north to the border kingdoms, going to the Caspian. CGCl_Andy could you clarify this for us?

While looking at the book, Ista rubs his eyes, paces to the fire place, says some prayers, and flicks some grit from his pouch into the fire. He then returns to study the book further.

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Does comprehend languages help here, or is the second part of the book in code?

[Unholier_Than_Thou]

Pedram wears his frown all the way back to Jayanti's quarters, where it only deepens. Looking a touch weary, he takes a seat and rests one hand on the pommel of his sword.

"All this talk of disguises and cover ups, spymasters and even running up a foreign flag," Pedram says quietly, even apologetically. "I.. have no talent for this. Please excuse me if I have little to contribute, but know that if you four came up with a hundred plans, I would still trust my life to any of them."

[Jael_Darkwood]

Seth

"Pedram, right?" He pauses for confirmation. "We each have our own areas of expertise. I wouldn't let it worry you." He smiles. "I'm sure we will each of us be needed on this mission." He pauses again. "So. Is everyone O.K. with the 'going by boat' idea in general? If so, we should get in touch with the Spymaster, see what he can get organized for us.... I mean, in the current state of affairs, the resources might not even be available..."

[CGCL_Andy]

Ista struggles with the book and still has no idea what language it's written in. As you are sitting around the table, discussing the options and just as Ista gives up on examining the book, you hear someone knocking on the door:

"Open this door, in the name of the law and Bozorg Farmadar Anushiravan."

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Anushiravan is a name familiar to all of you. Holding a position equivalent to the western vice-chancellor, he is the second most powerful man in the empire after the king.
Jayanti:

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You have heard rumors around that the man is not loyal to the king, these are mostly wild speculations suggesting anything from him having dealings with the arabs, to him trying to set the stage for a coup by Bahram (Yazdgerd's cousin.)

[Jael_Darkwood]

Seth

Immediately upon hearing the voice, Seth swiftly closes the book and puts it back in his bag, then assumes a casual position in his chair.

[Bandededed]

Matias

After Seth stashes the book, Matias stands up and slowly begins to walk toward the door. If none of his companions object, he will open it.

He makes sure to look at each of them before he reaches it, and to take note of anything in the room he may need later, just in case. (Scouting habit).

He tries not to make any noise, again, just in case.

[IAmNotJeff]

Ista nods to Matias.

[CGCL_Andy]

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Matias looking around the room: Assuming that this is Jayanti's quarters, I'll let Sxoa describe it. When Jayanti moved in (about a month ago) the room was furnished but nondescript, just having a bare minimum of furniture to provide one with life necessities (no cooking equipment or kitchen, as a member of the court Jayanti's meals were provided by the courts kitchens.)

Matias opens the door, and two guards walk into the room and stand on the sides of the door. They are dressed in ceremonial armor, and have purple colored bands around their arms.

After them walks in an officer of the royal guard also dressed in the formal attire. Lower in rank than most present he salutes you and hands a rolled scroll to Matias. After Matias accepts it he says, "I have been instructed to carry a reply back to Bozorg Farmadar."

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Assuming that Matias reads the letter. It's an invitation to an audience by by Anushiravan. It instructs you to meet him the day after tomorrow 2 hours past noon in his chamber in the court.

Those familiar with court practices know that the invitation is an invitation only in name, in reality it's an order to meet him. The officer will wait until you announce you will go (or that you will not, but then another group may come to arrest you.)

In case you are curious it's about 4 PM when the message is delivered.

If you are curious about the officer or the guards, here is what you know:

None of you know the guards. The purple bands identifies them as being directly under Anushiravan.

Jayanti and Seth know a bit more about the officer:

Jayanti:

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You've seen the officer around the palace in Ctesiphon mainly doing what he is doing now (i.e. delivering important messages and formal invitations from the king or vice chancellor.)

Seth:

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You actually know the man. A young man named Bahram from one of the old aristocratic families. His family has used their influence to keep him off the battle field so far, and he is not happy about it at all. But his is not strong headed enough to defy his powerful father.

[Bandededed]

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I read the letter aloud

[IAmNotJeff]

Ista looks to Jiyanti.

[Sxoa]

Jayanti's quarters are a thesis in bad taste. The decorations are masculine but effete, and everything is garish and distracting. They are humble in comparison to her old quarters but still ridiculously and tastelessly lavish given the current circumstances. Most of the stuff is actually quite worthless however and under careful scrutiny is obviously fluffed up junk. She has an extensive wardrobe however with a dizzying array of courtier clothes, and a small shrine in the back of her closet. Numerous draperies help to muffle all sound and the thick heavy door is padded on the interior to making listening through it extraordinarily difficult. The entire tone and feel of the room is designed to and succeeds at putting people ill at ease with bright clashing colors and disturbingly bad and bizarrely themed pieces of art.

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She also keeps numerous disguises squirreled away, but they're less obvious.

"A most eloquent reading Matias. When we defeat the invaders perhaps you'll consider being a herald."

She turns to the officer and says obsequiously, pressing her fingertips together and bobbing her head back and forth, "Two days you say? Hmmm, yes, well you see I have been asked by the king to look in on his harem. You know... us eunuchs and all that, wouldn't be tempted by such delights, and keep others in line. And such delights they are! Apparently one of the poor girls is suffering from some sort of erm... curse. As you know I have some talents in the arcane arts..."

Jayanti flourishes and makes a small wilted flower appear in her hand, then runs her hand over it and miraculously it whole again.

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Take ten on slight of hand gives me 21, which should be enough to succeed at a simple trick like that

Jayanti continues in the same manner, My good friend Ista here is to accompany me as well. He is as you know priest of the great and mighty Ahura-Mazda. Together we shall surely be able to overcome this small evil. And of course one cannot forget our newly assigned honor guard."
Jayanti gestures at the others with a sweeping gesture before carrying on,
We truly have such a generous and kind king, do we not? Fear not! We shall strive with the upmost dilligence..."

Jayanti lays a soothing hand on the guards arm to help put him at ease,

"...to have the girl back in the king's... service as soon as is possible. I have consulted with Ista here, and we have concluded that it will take us at least. At least! We think at least three days of ritual purging, prayers and constant oversight to cure the girl. We of course mean no disrespect to his eminence, Anushiravan, but the king wishes these matters to be resolved quickly and erm... discreetly. I trust you will of course know to hold your tongue on such matters as appropriate?"

She gives a long hard look at the guards, squinting one eye and looking mildly suspicious to put them on the defensive.

"Your master will of course be understanding that the king's orders take precedence over his yes? We will gladly meet with him after we are done. Perhaps three days, after he takes his supper? We should be done by then. If not we will of course send word and our most sincere apologies."

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With my minor aura on (which is always the case unless stunned or unconscious) and the bonus from the gentle touch I get a (1d20+32)[45] on my bluff check.

EDIT: I hope that covers it...

She ushers them out with excuses of work to do and preparations to be made along with her sincerest apologies.

Once they are gone and the heavy door closes behind them, she pauses for a moment before turning back to the others.
"Well ****..."

[CGCL_Andy]

The officer motions the guards to follow him out of the room. "I will carry your response back to Bozorg Farmadar."

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Those familiar with the court know that, there will be a response from Anushiravan. It can take anywhere between an hour to one day to come, and it may come in a few different forms depending on how much he investigates your story before responding, here are the rough possibilities:

1. a very quick response may come, acknowledging your prior orders and an invitation for a later day. This will be the result of no investigation, or directly probing the king (who will back your story).
2. He may take longer and ask his contacts in the palace for more detailed information, if he suspects that you have not been completely honest he may insist on the original meeting time.
3. He may take even longer and do a thorough investigation, if he becomes certain that you've lied he will send men to escort you to him.

Basically what you know is the shorter the response time the better your chances of him buying your story. If you don't hear from him by tomorrow around noon, you can be sure the response won't be very friendly.

At this point the stage is set: I want you guys to discuss amongst yourself what you want to do, plan a rough course of action and announce what you will be doing for the rest of today (about 4 hours to sunset.)

(you can do this IC or OOC if you don't want to role play all the conversations. Here is the link to the OOC thread.)

I will check in to answer questions you may have, but I won't post until thursday evening to give you time to discuss you plans (unless a consensus is reached earlier.) Then I will move the plot forward incorporating your decisions.

[IAmNotJeff]

Ista looks to the rest of the party.

"I have the strong impression that we will need to travel to the temple of Ahura-Mazda in Ctesiphon to decipher this book. I favoured the southern, sea route, but I think this will rule it out.

I'm not sure what asking for a two-day delay in meeting Anushiravan achieved. Jiyanti and Seth, if you have some additional information about this situation, please let us know.

From my current information, I think we should either chase the messenger to accept the original invitation or leave immediately. If we leave, we should leave a false trail of rumours to disguise our path.


(I'm going to France until Sunday. I've heard they don't have the internet or vegetarian food there, so I'm not sure I'll be able to post until then. I've said all I know. I'll let Pedram cast proxy votes for me until then, if I'm not able to vote.)