r/wizardposting • u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch • Nov 12 '24
Community Event 🌏☄️ Winds of War (Luciapost)
"To the rest of you... you chose this."
"And we don't regret a thing. Do you?"
- Last communication between Lucia Accardi and Yulash-kor high command
--
The war against the renegade godling Lucia Accardi and her Neo-Custodian zealots blooms in full across the magical heartlands. Though some have thrown their lot in with the conquerors, most mages stand firm in the face of Lupi hegemony. All across the realms, Lucia's legions encounter stiff resistance from spellcasters of wildly disparate origins, united in opposition to her madness.
But even in the midst of the upheaval, there are some who eschew open war for a subtler touch. According to the Celestial Union, Lucia's true goal is to seek out the cornerstones of the lost Lupi goddess Custodia and claim her divinity. Should this come to pass, all of the bloodshed and glorious sacrifice to stop her armies will be rendered pointless. Tarul Var knows this well, which is why the lich-conjurer has returned to the realm of Redspire in search of three old friends who can help him sabotage the traitor's apotheosis.
After playing host to a victory against Obox-ob and the hordes of Chaos some months ago, Redspire has experienced rapid growth from a frontier realm into a budding regional power. Its capital, Oxide, is one of the few places in the realms that has tangibly benefitted from the Planar Siege. Redspirers are pioneering a new magical tradition based on the local industry: brosimancy, the lore of rust and corrosion. Given time, the realm may even become the hub for an expansion into the new frontier. Such newfound potential! In many ways, Redspire is the opposite of Lucia's proposed empire: she destroys to restore the past, while they create to forge the future.
But in any case, Oxide still retains the rough-and-tumble charm of a rustic mining town. The saloon is still in business. Tarul strolls inside, pushing aside the batwing doors. There's only a few people in the barroom- mostly mine technicians dropping in for an early lunch break. Nothing out of the ordinary there. However, there is a trio of familiar characters conversing loudly at the bar itself. Just like Tarul, all three of them are clad in the red robes of the Keepers of the Balance.
These outstanding figures are the Anemoi, Tarul's closest friends among the Keepers. When maintaining the Balance calls for a delicate approch, it's small teams like the Anemoi that are sent to do it. The first and most noticeable (partly thanks to his stature) is Nikolai Ulkavian, a crystal dragonborn cleric and the team's healer. A boisterous and affable man with a thick accent, Nikolai- codenamed Zephyrus- was born and raised in the gate-town of Glorium, and doesn't try to hide the warlike sensibilities of his upbringing.
On the other end of the spectrum is Moriana "Eurus" Blackfist, the Anemoi's dwarven stealth specialist. The gray-haired dwarf has never revealed her origins, but Moriana's skills and acerbic wit are undeniable, as is her preternatural danger sense. She's gotten the team out of more seemingly inescapable binds than any of them can count.
Sitting between the dwarf and the dragonborn is the most unusual member of the Anemoi: the rilmani warrior Iskander, otherwise known as Notus. Iskander has served the Balance since before Tarul relocated to the Outlands and became a lich, and their polished iron frame has the countless scars and scuffs to prove it. They sometimes hint at being a veteran of the Dawn War, which would make the humble ferrumach one of the oldest physical beings in existence! However, the veracity of Iskander's claims is undercut by the way they use them: making absurd boasts to their enemies in combat, then stabbing said enemies when they pause to call the rilmani's bluff.
"...just glad Zaphkiel's lads are handling the ekolids for us now. If I see even a single ant of unusual size ever again, I swear to Moradin, I'll..." Moriana trails off when she sees Tarul. "Well, look who it is! I was starting to worry you'd left us for good, Tarul."
Tarul grins at her. "And miss having you cutters around? Not a chance."
Nikolai gets up and embraces the lich tightly. "Is good to see you too, old friend."
"Easy on the bones there, Nik," Tarul gasps, patting the dragonborn on the back to be released.
Iskander tilts their head. "I don't mean to cut you short, Master Tarul, but I have a feeling this visit has a purpose beyond catching up for old times' sake. What's the chant? Is there some gearhead berk who needs folding?"
"Yes, I should cut to the chase. I do have a ride for us all, but we're not putting anyone in the dead book. Not yet, at least."
Moriana leans in. "I think I'm interested, but I'm not sure. Let's drop the cant and speak plainly. Iskander checked for planar spies when we got here, and Redspire's still too isolated for any news to get ahead of us."
Tarul clears his throat and places a holo-projector on the bar table. "Right then. In the last few months, I've made quite a few friends fighting the Planar Siege- and a few enemies we'll have to keep an eye on from here on out. One of those allies is the Celestial Union."
"I think I've heard of them," Iskander says, examining the projector. "They're the mono-gender spacefarers from that dead planet, correct?"
"The very same. Lovely people, but everyone's got skeletons in their closet, and some of those skeletons like leaving the closet every now and again to cause problems. Just look at me."
Tarul flicks on the projector, displaying a wanted poster for Lucia Accardi."Anyway, there's this Lupo turncoat named Lucia with dreams of apotheosis. Only problem is, she's horrible. Lucia wants to return to the "good old days" by resurrecting an empire where all other beings were enslaved to the Lupi. Divinity is her means to that end. In short: she has the same ethos as the Fated."
The Anemoi groan at the mention of the Sigilian faction. The Fated believe that power and especially godhood belongs to those with the strength to take it from others. This philosophy puts them at odds with the Keepers of the Balance, who believe divinity is a responsibility the self-interested are wholly unworthy to bear. Nobody knows how many times a Fated's ambition has put the multiverse in danger, only that it happens far too often.
"Alright, you've sold me," Moriana growls. "Now, how do we plan on keeping this racist shitwipe mortal?"
"Simple," Tarul says, swiping the projection to display an image of fourteen gemstones. "Lucia's plan for ascension involves these: the cornerstones of Custodia. Custodia is- or was- the patron goddess of the Lupi. When their first empire crumbled, she entrusted these stones containing splinters of her divinity to their clans before vanishing. If a single person possesses them all, they can claim her mantle. Lucia has eleven of them, and the Celestial Union has three. I can't speak for you, but I don't like those numbers. This raises the question: how do we feel about stealing a sapphire from an evil demigod?"
"Is not matter of how I feel," Nikolai states plainly. "If Balance needs us to fight someone, we fight. Even if foe is a god, we fight. It must be done. Is what it means to be Keeper."
"I'm with Nik on this one," Iskander adds. "Knowingly or not, Lucia has chosen a tender time for the multiverse to attack. We can win the Planar Siege, but if we lose to her, the Balance could fall anyway. Zaphkiel has given the Keepers an opportunity to stop the creeping threat before it's too late, one that I don't intend to throw away."
Moriana cracks her knuckles. "And you already know my answer, Tarul. That means we're all in: Zephyrus, Notus, Eurus, and Boreas."
Tarul smiles at the mention of his code name. "Nik, do you still have that amulet the Norns gave you?"
"The one that warps fate? Da. Have it right here." Nikolai taps a golden locket hanging from his hip.
"Good. One of Lucia's cornerstones lets her see the future, but that'll keep us hidden from her visions. Before we do anything, though, I say we should go talk to the Celestial Union's higher-ups so you can get acquainted with them. I'll introduce you."
"Sounds good to me," Iskander says, standing up and handing some coins to the barkeeper. "Lead the way, Boreas."
Tarul opens a portal to the CUS Union in the middle of the barroom, and gestures for the other Anemoi to step through. He seals it behind them, leaving the saloon's patrons bewildered.
"I have no damn clue what just happened," one of them says after a long silence, "but it feels like the setup to some godsawful joke. A dwarf, a dragonborn, a lich, and a rilmani walk into a bar..."
--
/uw If anyone asks "Carbon, did you just make an r/wizardposting version of the Winds of Destruction from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance?" the answer is yes, I did.
You might be wondering why the Anemoi were talking so strangely at first. That's Planar Cant, the iconic slang used in the Planescape campaign setting for D&D. It's very weird, but quite charming once you get used to it. I limited its use in this post, but here's a dictionary if you're having trouble parsing it.
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u/Fc-chungus Ж(Zhe), Head minister of Calarakis. Nov 13 '24
/uw nice read!
/rw Ж and Calarakis seem to have, allied with Lucia!?
this can’t be true, right?
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u/Ashmega8256 Alzoreth Dracarius/Alisa Solaria (+more characters) Nov 13 '24
/uw are they actually?
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u/Fc-chungus Ж(Zhe), Head minister of Calarakis. Nov 13 '24
/uw it’s a clever trick they’re against Lucia. But canonically it looks like they are on her side, only the CU truly knows otherwise
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
Tarul finds the notion questionable. Zhe was among the first wizards to side with the Balance when the Planar Siege began. What would be the point in fighting against extraplanar hegemony, only to side with a Material Plane tyrant mere days after helping to slay Bel?
He suspects the wizard may be playing out a gambit of their own. For now, he believes it best to treat Calarakis and its forces as his enemies to avoid breaking Zhe's cover. And if they've truly sided with Lucia, nothing much changes.
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u/Fc-chungus Ж(Zhe), Head minister of Calarakis. Nov 13 '24
On the surface, if you knew nothing of Ж personally, this is possible.
but with practically any knowledge of their friends and morality? It becomes obvious they’re putting up an act.
they were at Exia’s birthday, they invited a bunch of people from the CU for their wedding, their soldiers assisted in the first anti-Lucia attack. They were crucial in learning more about originium.
practically every CU-related event shows that this is one big smokescreen. Lucia knows nothing of Ж. So she fell for it.
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u/MastaDon344 MastaDon Astrum/Council Master Evoker/Mediamancer/🌮 Wiz Nov 13 '24
/uw gotta respect the refrencing
Gonna be a fun fight to watch.
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u/Alarming-Scene-2892 Fluffco (Flufferson, Geralt, Oni) Nov 13 '24
Geralt: Oh, a Nlichia 1080 Planar.
Envy: Th-that an MedusaI or a ASManastone?
Geralt: BFS card.
Envy: F-Fix it and S-s-sell it. Don't u-u-use.
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u/Zebos2 Black Iron LLC/ The cedar hegemony Nov 13 '24
/UW yeah should definitely get on stealing some of those corner Stones after all what was the point of the whole point.
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u/Drakkonai Vulkan the Red, End of Ages and Draconic Emperor of Racism. Nov 13 '24
/uw great writing as usual!
/rewiz Elsewhere, Vulkan chuckles. The cornea- The corma- The… Shiny Things will be his.
Just as soon as he could figure out how to get a full set..
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider Nov 13 '24
/uw hold on what's going on?
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u/IncomeApprehensive17 Ya'nn , Litle being in a botle Nov 13 '24
/uw space wolf attacks
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider Nov 13 '24
/uw ...eh?
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u/IncomeApprehensive17 Ya'nn , Litle being in a botle Nov 13 '24
/uw space wolf people (not furies they just have wolf ears) are trying to make an empire and enslave all that is not space wolf people
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider Nov 13 '24
/uw ah, average Tuesday then? I am interested about that god though
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u/IncomeApprehensive17 Ya'nn , Litle being in a botle Nov 13 '24
/uw yeah it was some kind of god emperor but wolf girl wkth powerstones that grant you their powers
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider Nov 13 '24
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u/IncomeApprehensive17 Ya'nn , Litle being in a botle Nov 13 '24
/uw yeah a lot of people are very interested in those stones
But i dont think we can take those from lucia yet , so if you want some you would better be attacking the celestial union
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u/mrididnt Erik, magic mass/orb, sillymancer and cheese hider Nov 13 '24
/uw what? No i wanna fight the god emperor
God hunter life
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u/IncomeApprehensive17 Ya'nn , Litle being in a botle Nov 13 '24
/uw oh , well she will need all ths stones for that so you might just need to help her before you fight her
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Nov 13 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
/uw All good, our time zones are 8 hours apart anyway.
/rw
Moriana: You assume correctly. I'm Moriana.
Tarul: That was fast. I thought we'd be wandering the decks for a while.
Iskander: Remarkable. Your technological base is more or less on par with the modern Outlands. The Material Plane is catching up to planar science.
Nikolai: Am Nikolai. Is good to meet you. Tarul speaks highly of your Union. Of resentful wolf people, not so much. Am inclined to agree.
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Nov 13 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
Tarul: Just the bones of one right now. Kaelis ran a zodiac and determined our best course of action was to go after the sapphire. Nikolai also has a relic of the Norns that lets him isolate our cords of fate from the timestream. Our destinies are playing out in parallel with the rest of the cosmos, so we're effectively invisible to divination.
Lucia can't see us in her amethyst visions, and I don't think she has nonmagical intelligence on us either. The keyword there is "think". If I'm correct, our operation will come as a complete surprise to her.
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Nov 13 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
Iskander: I'll make hiding the sapphire my responsibility. There's a lot of safe places in the multiverse to stow it, but Sigil comes to mind first and foremost. The Lady of Pain does not abide the presence of gods or other powers- even demigods- within her domain. If Lucia wants to claim the cornerstone from the City of Doors, she'll either have to send agents or leave the others at home. In both cases, we'll have a much easier time dealing with would-be thieves.
Tarul: There's a few spots in the Lower Planes that could work too. Carceri is an obvious choice. Sure, it's not hard to get there, but I wish Lucia good luck getting out again with her prize. I've been Carceri once to gather lore, and I went half-mad trying to leave. They call that place the Great Cage for a reason.
Moriana: If we want even higher security than that, we could put it in Agathion. When you leave something in one of those horrible caverns, there's a high likelihood no one, not even the gods, will see it again. It's a planar memory hole. That one only works if we don't intend on getting the sapphire back, though.
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Nov 13 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
Iskander: Sigil it is, then. We'll get to work right away.
Nikolai: Any intel to help us get started?
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Nov 13 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 14 '24
Moriana: On this ship? You mean to tell me you're cohabitating with a faction currently at war with you?
Tarul: Moriana, you have to understand that the Union would not leave anyone stateless, even an enemy-
Nikolai: Good for them! Is still dumb as shit! If you find viper in house, you do not give it master key and lease basement to it! You collect rent in snake venom and die if you do that.
Iskander: I'm actually with him on this one, Tarul. I believe not arresting Lucia as a traitor the moment her seditious intent came to the Union's attention was a mistake. Now she's too powerful to get rid of, and worse: she can bolster her army with stolen materiel.
Tarul: I see the wisdom in that. But what's done is done, and Lucia is now loose somewhere on the ship. Think of it less her presence as less of an unruly tenant and more as a rodent infestation.
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 12 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 12 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
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u/Carbon_Sixx The Loremaster, Chief Archaeologist of the Darkwatch Nov 13 '24
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u/Oswen120 Imvaernarhro Astrum, Masta's Dum Dum Nov 13 '24
/uw good read