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#Post#: 11--------------------------------------------------
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
By: Dungeon Master Date: May 4, 2023, 8:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]This Tale Was penned by renowned Bard, Robbi Rothwell,
To the future, do we bid thy well . . .[/center]
[center]ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST[/center]
370 AC
Zero: *Zeva, residing on Krynn with her husband, Rotas, is
unaware that everything is about to change.
1 WK: *Zeva starts to get sick in the mornings but ignores it.
Manages to conceal it from Rotas who is a few days away from
departing to spend time among his people.
*Messengers ride in and inform Zeva that there is new
information on her brother, Jonivar. It appears he managed to
find a way to return to Soreel years earlier.
2 WK: *Zeva recalls her troops to the Fortress and begins to
prepare for a campaign.
*Rotas departs.
*A message is sent to Karnea.
3 WK: *Karnea replies and a deal is struck for passage to
Soreel.
*Zeva’s illness has not gone away and Zeke, her chief military
aide, summons a Healer to look at her. The discovery that she is
pregnant does not deter Zeva from her decision. She decides to
leave a note explaining everything to Rotas.
4 WK: *Most of her troops have gathered, curious about what is
going on and rumors start to fly.
*Zeva, after debating it for over a week, decides to call for
volunteers to come with her. She makes the following speech
early on a crisp morning:
“Comrades-in-arms, I salute you. Before me lies the greatest
military strength known on Krynn and it has been a privilege to
fight beside you. You have protected me from enemies, bled for
me throughout the seasons and some of you have died so that I
may live to bring us to victory. In return, I have bled, known
loss, and guarded the camp through a long winter’s night so that
we may once more see the dawn. It has been my greatest honor to
lead you."
"However, I must leave Krynn. Nay, hear me out before you
grumble! I must leave Krynn and return to my own world to settle
a debt. This debt is to the brother who sold me into slavery,
who betrayed all honor, and I must repay it, no matter what the
cost nor the time involved.
You do not have to come with me. In fact, I will only accept
volunteers. I will not command you to abandon all that you have
known, all that you love, in order to accompany me to a realm
unknown with dangers unknown and no clear indicator of the time
involved or if we will return. This is a personal vendetta and I
would not be much of a leader if I issued that command."
"If you wish to follow me once more into the great unknown then
I gladly embrace you, comrades. And if you wish to stay here,
then I will not condemn you for I understand the difficulties in
leaving everything behind. No matter what you choose, remember
that every one of you has been a supreme soldier of
uncompromising morals and honor and it has been a privilege to
have fought with you.”
1 Mth: *With the aid of Karnea, Zeva and the Wolverines march
out, leaving Merrilee behind as acting commander to those that
stayed behind.
*They arrive approximately where Zeva desired--on one of the
larger unoccupied Free Isles. After settling the troops in, Zeva
and a few others set out to find locals and do some recon work.
For the first time in over a decade, Zeva speaks her native
tongue.
*They come across a small trading village comprised mostly of
elves. After talking some, the potential of an entirely new,
untapped market to work with convinces an elven trader, Tabitha,
to take a few of the non-human troops with her on a trading
mission to the more predominate Free Islander cities for recon
work.
*While they are gone, Zeva starts language lessons so that her
troops will understand the common language of Soreel.
*Mages and healers are forced to make some adjustments to their
spellcasting methods with the help of local spellcasters.
3 Mth: *Recon troops return with encouraging news. Jonivar has
become a ‘pet’ to an unfavored Queen, Marlis, and resides in the
main city of Tarish with her. Queen Marlis is known for her
cruelty to her subjects and is slowly sucking them dry with her
greed and ever-growing need for ‘games’. These games were
originally the concept of Jonivar and he encouraged the Queen to
let herself go and enjoy them. The nation is ripe for a
rebellion and her fellow Queens are so disgusted with her
behavior that they will not offer aid.
*News of Marlis and Jonivar works the troops into a frenzy. Any
doubt that they did the right thing by coming with Zeva is
banished by the growing consensus that both need to be put down.
*Zeva decides to travel to one of the few permanent Free
Islander cities, Offi, and negotiate passage with one of the
pirate or smuggling outfits. Her plan is to travel overseas to
the port city of Larsh, then march overland for three days until
she knocks on Tarish’s gates. Anything else will lose the
element of surprise.
4 Mth: *Her arrival in Offi is noted with surprise and
suspicion. Her entourage is comprised of quite a few non-humans
plus Karnea, Zeke, and the commander of her ariel troops, Heru
with her griffin, Zaboo. While all are dressed plainly, it is
obvious that they mean business. Within minutes of settling into
one of the many shabby inns, they are approached by rumormongers
and traffickers of other, dubious, goods. Finally, Zeva manages
to negotiate meetings with three people: Xavier, leader of the
Gilded Knife pirate outfit, Bito, leader of BloodJewels trading/
smuggling outfit, and Catspaw, leader of the local thieves
guild.
*To Bito and Xavier, she offers a large amount of gold and
weapons in return for their boats. When they refuse to sell, she
drops her price and wrangles passage for her and her troops. In
return for their silence about her mission, she agrees to pay
each of their crew members one gold piece. She can tell that
they think she is crazy as a loon and that this will be easy
money.
*From Catspaw, she extracts a wealth of information about the
events of her home world and the current ruling Queens. Also,
she gets info on the laws and customs (many of which she had
forgotten) that will allow her to make demands of Queen Marlis
without offending the other rulers. When the cheeky 16 yr old
wants to know why she needs all this, she merely smiles and
replies,
“Just as I never forget those who help me, I never forget an
insult or betrayal. It’s time to make someone see his still
beating heart removed from his chest and know that he has paid
for all that he has done.”
*She leaves Offi with rumors and whispers flying behind her.
5 Mth: *Bito and Xavier arrive at the assigned cove to see an
army waiting to
board. When they try to back out of their agreement, Zeva gently
reminds them that they had known of all of this beforehand. They
have two options: 1) continue with the agreement or 2) she will
seize their ships and continue
anyway.
6 Mth: *All troops are encouraged to talk with their guides to
practice language as well as gather information. Several
friendships start.
*Zeva is starting to truly show her condition. She has to be
coaxed to eat anything. It’s almost as if she is being consumed
from the inside out by her slowly growing rage. Karnea stays at
her side being the only one on board willing to risk Zeva’s
temper.
7 Mth: Only Zeke, Karnea, Xavier, and Bito have any influence
over her behavior. Zeke because of who he is and the history
between Zeva and him and
the other two because they can get her to laugh and distract her
mind. Karnea just seems to understand what she is going through.
8 Mth: *Her ship arrives at Larsh. The others are arriving at
various secluded coves and will march overland to await her
word.
*Much to everyone’s surprise, including their own, Bito and
Xavier offer to stay in the area to transport her troops back to
the Isles. By now, they know the story of the Greysword.
*She rides to Tarish with a small escort (which includes Zeke
and Karnea). Upon her arrival, she declares herself betrayed by
blood and demands an audience with the Queen to air her
complaint and demand justice. According to law, Marlis cannot
refuse and so she is granted access to the Palace.
*After cooling her heels for a week but increasing her temper,
she is admitted to Court. There she meets Queen Marlis and sees
Jonivar for the first time in years. He is lounging at the foot
of the throne and is obviously well-trusted by Marlis, who
refers to him several times as her ‘darling Gamesmaster’. Using
all the protocol and etiquette she can master, Zeva states her
complaint and demands justice. Marlis immediately refuses to the
shock of her court. Zeva insists that she be allowed to tell her
full tale under the eye of a Truthsayer (a Low-level psion who
can always tell when someone is lying and in return is incapable
of telling a lie). Under pressure from her nobles, Marlis agrees
and Zeva lays bare her tale of betrayal at the hands of her
brother. The Truthsayer verifies the tale. Marlis still refuses.
*Zeva informs the court that the Queen has made a grave error
and will suffer for it. All who stand with her with die for the
foolish pride and lust of one woman for Zeva will have justice.
Then she leaves the city and assembles her troops.
*Before the closed gates of the city, Zeva speaks so that the
citizens can hear her.
“Citizens of Tarish, listen to me and pay heed to my words! War
is coming to you, brought upon because Queen Marlis has
abandoned her honor and replaced it with greed and lust. My
quarrel is not with you, however. You are not protecting the
villain I seek nor are you to be blamed for Marlis’ refusal to
give him over to me. With that in mind, I will allow any citizen
that wishes to leave before the bloodshed begins this one night
to do so. If you do not leave, then stay indoors where my troops
will not bother you as long as you do not bother them. Unlike
the Queen, I do not like the suffering of innocents; nor do I
want your blood on my hands. Remember, you have until sunrise to
leave.”
*There is a huge exodus from the city. People are detained long
enough to determine that neither Marlis nor Jonivar are hiding
with them.
*At sunrise the attack begins. The city guards are no match for
the Wolverines and within 48 hours the enemy troops have
surrendered and every building has been checked. Marlis and
Jonivar manage to flee through the sewers and troops
are sent in pursuit.
*Wolverines occupy the city. Squads replace the City Watch that
were destroyed in the fighting. The engineering corps started
repairing and rebuilding buildings that were damaged. The
Healers offer their services to the injured and the magus, led
by Karnea, round up all of their brethren to verify intentions.
For the average man on the street, the Wolverines are a better
deal than the Queen’s guards.
Zeva accepts the surrender of many enemy troops after verifying
that they were not involved with the Queen’s sick games. Those
who were involved were quickly executed. All enemy troops that
are killed are tallied and compared to a list of enrollment.
Money is sent, along with a short note of apology from Zeva, to
their families to help tie them over until another member can
provide income.
9 Mth: *Very quickly the city and surrounding communities become
used to the Wolverines and Zeva’s occupation of the throne.
Slowly, her troops move outward, pacifying resistance and
winning over the common person by not raping anyone or
destroying things needlessly, paying for supplies, stopping and
helping out whenever possible.
*News reaches Zeva that her troops have caught up to Marlis and
Jonivar. There are pockets of resistance in the realm but no
major threats from inside or out.
*Zeva goes into labor and after 35 painfully long hours gives
birth to a silver-eyed, pale blue baby boy she names Lucius
d'Janikar.
10 Mth: *Marlis and Jonivar are returned to the city. In the
Throne room, Zeva formally presents her son to each of them and
to all the nobles present. Then she calmly hands Lucius over to
Karnea and proceeds to behead Marlis and Jonivar. One look at
her eyes is all it takes for the nobles not to say anything.
*Zeva requests that all those eligible for the throne to meet
with her.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t like the choices. Several are too
greedy or stupid and will turn out like Marlis. The others are
too weak or not old enough to hold the throne for long.
*She speaks again before her assembled troops.
“Friends, the battle is over and we are victorious. Justice has
been done and this kingdom stands the chance to regain the glory
that Marlis denied it. If you wish to return to Krynn, then feel
free to do so with my full blessings. I, myself, am going to
stay until I am certain that a worthy Queen has been chosen that
will see to the people’s needs before her own, who will be just
in her rulings, and unfailing in her honor. Since I have left
this nation bereft a ruler, that is the only honorable thing I
can do. Whichever way you chose, I understand.”
*She settles in to wait for the new Queen.
#Post#: 13--------------------------------------------------
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
By: Dungeon Master Date: May 4, 2023, 8:34 pm
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[center]ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
371 AC - 378 AC[/center]
371 AC 1 ST: *Karnea, with a small handful of troops, departs
for Krynn.
*Under pressure from the populace, the nobles gathered and
declared House Janikar eligible for the throne. Almost before
she realizes what is happening, Zeva is declared Queen.
*Soreel scholars declare an epoch event establishing the new
date as 1 ST, for Seija no Tochi 1, Seija no Tochi translates to
"Reign of the Saint"
*She started to make minor changes in the laws--primarily the
promotion of equal rights. She lowers the taxes on all items but
instates a program that issues a minor tax on everything. Her
troops move throughout the realm, repairing roads and building
granaries. Most people adjust with minor grumbling, though a few
are violently opposed to her rule and leave to the other
nations.
*Midway through the year, she cements a non-aggression treaty
with 2 of the other queens, which will result in the growth of
trade. The other 2 Queens, provoked by the disgruntled nobles,
declare war.
*Zeva marches to battle once more.
372 AC 2 ST: *She has accepted the surrender of the Queens. (One
commits suicide shortly after capture, and the other one is
imprisoned for conspiring with another noble to poison Zeva).
Again, the populace is behind Zeva, and there is pressure to
make her Queen. Again, she accepts and starts to make gradual
changes to the laws.
*Bothered by strange dreams, she orders the construction of a
large fleet of ships capable of reaching the stars.
373 AC 3 ST: *Unari Empress falls ill, and rebellion breaks out.
The dwarves refuse to commit to a side in the battles. The
rebels approach Zeva for aid. After learning about the
corruption within the current government, she provides them with
military assistance, food, and weapons. She devises several
effective tactics that ultimately lead to the defeat of the
Imperial Army in several key battles.
*Seers across Soreel start having visions of impending doom
coming from the stars. Zeva’s efforts to build a fleet are
redoubled when this is made known to her.
374 AC 4 ST: *Unari Empress succumbs to her illness, and her
troops are left in disarray. Her advisors, in fear for their
lives and seeing no other clear way out, declare Zeva to be
descended from the Gods and thus fit for the Imperial throne.
(The rebel leaders had been spreading lots of rumors to this
effect about Zeva, promoting her as the only clear path
available to return to honorable living, as her divine heritage
would allow her to defeat the approaching enemy.) While
surprised by the offer, she accepts after she realizes that a
refusal will throw the Unari people into greater turmoil.
*She approaches Xavier and Bito, offering them positions within
her government if they can convince their people to pilot
‘Jammer ships for her.
*She launches the first of her fleet to do a recon of the system
and see if there is any truth to her premonitions or the visions
others are having.
375 AC 5 ST: *Scout ships return with dire news. A vast horde
has approached and entrenched its position on the edge of the
system. An attack could come at any time. Zeva orders martial
law and orders all humans between the ages of 18 and 20 years
old to report to the nearest garrison for training. All former
militia or army remnants are called up. Zeva petitions the other
two Queens, Culana and Funi, for their troops under her command.
While they initially bulk, she has her scouts spread the tale of
what they encountered to any and all that would listen. Their
own populations panic and demand that their Queens take action.
*Leaving Lucius in good hands, Zeva assumes command of the fleet
and goes forth to challenge and defeat the enemy that has the
audacity to bother her just when things were calming back down
here, boyos.
376 AC 6 ST: *Zeva and her fleet eventually emerge victorious
over the ravenous horde of Neogi. She returns to Sorrel only to
find herself hailed as Protector of the People and a message
waiting for her from Islana, daughter of Culana. The old Queen
has died, but Islana doesn’t want the throne. In exchange for
the chance to live her own life and be a scholar (not to mention
the ability to marry whomever she wants), Islana offers the
throne to Zeva. Zeva agrees under two conditions:
1) Islana must make this proclamation herself, and 2) she must
use the money and land grants Zeva gives her to find a large
library with
an attached school. Islana accepts and thus begins the first
Imperial Library.
*As part of her celebration, Zeva approaches the Free Islanders
with an offer. She will pardon most of them for their crimes
(the small, lesser ones) if they will agree to join her forces
as naval commanders and sanctioned merchants working for her
regime. For most of them, this is too good of an offer to pass
up, and they agree.
Xavier is placed in charge of the Free Isle contingent as
Admiral to the Gilden Fleet, and Bito assumes the position of
Tade Minister to the throne.
*Zeva sets aside large sections of unclaimed lands as preserves
with stiff penalties for illegal immigration. She’s trying to
keep an eye on the future when her people will want to retire.
She also grants large islands and sections of her realm to the
non-humans so they can live without fear.
*After an off-chance comment by Xavier, she orders an expedition
to chart the seas.
*She then retreats to a small hunting lodge in the mountains for
some quiet time with Lucius, leaving a group of trusted advisors
behind to keep an eye on things. There, Karnea finds her, and
they travel to the Fountain, where Zeva’s vitality is restored.
She sidesteps Lucious’ innocent questions by telling him that
Karnea is an old friend, with a daughter about his age, who has
come to show her something special that would be boring to a
little boy. While she is gone, she has a trusted aide begin the
boy’s instruction in fighting to keep him occupied.
377 AC 7 ST: *After doing a brief tour of her realm, she decides
to accept the invitation that had been waiting for her return.
Apparently, there is a small outpost of Marikan traders on the
desert continent of Arun who would like to meet her and
officially offer allegiance.
*She decides on a full state visit, complete with formal dress
uniforms and fancy, pompous gifts to impress the traders. Zeva
decides to take Lucius but leaves Zeke behind. If there is a
problem while she is away, she trusts him to deal with it most
effectively.
*After a four-month voyage overseas, they finally arrive at the
small, dusty city of Verth where she makes a suitable impression
on the trading clan of Merik. While there, she tours the local
marketplace and becomes fascinated by a weapon set, the likes of
which she had never seen before, and didn’t know how to use. She
eventually learned that they were made by a tribe deep inside
the heart of the continent and were considered to be the masters
of these, along with other weapons. Over the protests of her
advisors and much to the dismay of the Merik clan, she decided
to extend her visit to Arun by traveling to meet these
mysterious people
378 AC 8 ST: *Zeva and Lucius had a wonderful time. She teaches
him the basics of survival in hostile environments as well as
self-defense. They both grow lean and tan under the harsh sun,
while others in their party are forced to turn back. They meet
numerous tribes and clans, and with each one, Zeva impresses
them by learning their ways, and Lucius by learning their
language. For the most part, considered ‘simple people’ (mostly
by those who don’t know them), the tribes value honesty and
loyalty above all else, and after Zeva convinces them of her
good intentions, they accept her with mostly open arms.
*As she tours the continent, she leaves behind a series of water
oaths and treaties--all binding until her death, and then they
must approach Lucius--and gains a small train of children. They
are all fosterlings about the same age as Lucius to stay with
her until a certain age before returning home with their newly
gained knowledge. She is to care for them and raise them as if
they were her own. Their lives are in her hands and, as she sits
under the flimsy shade of a tree while waiting for the heat to
pass, she glances down at the small sprawled bodies around her
and realizes something she never knew so clearly before: she
loves her life and she willingly accepts the responsibilities of
all the people she has met but it is for these children,
especially her son, that she would kill for in order to keep
them safe. Especially for Lucius’ happiness and health, would
she risk everything or die trying?
#Post#: 14--------------------------------------------------
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST 379 AC - 381 AC
By: Dungeon Master Date: May 4, 2023, 8:34 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
379 AC - 381 AC[/center]
379 9 ST: * Zeva’s return to Marika causes quite a stir among
the populace. Never before have they seen such strange people,
unusual animals, and above all such peculiar and rich items:
Archana silk, heavy and smooth, made from the webs of large
poisonous spiders; delicate Aka pottery, so thin that a person
can almost see through it; handwoven leather armor, lightweight
yet more durable than plain boiled leather. When her nobles
protest the inclusion of ‘savages’ in the court, Zeva points out
that those ‘savages’ are responsible for the wealth they are
gawking over. Besides, she has given her word.
*Funi, the last remaining Queen, dies without naming an heir.
When it is discovered that she has been poisoned, her country is
thrown into a civil war. In an attempt to quiet things done and
minimize the damage being done, Zeva inadvertently takes over.
When she determines that all those with a legitimate claim to
the throne are dead and those left would make everything worse
through greed, she claims the throne for herself.
*Her fleet returns from mapping the oceans and informs her of a
previously unknown continent that the natives call Seles. Over
the protests of her nobles, who immediately want to send a
military force to occupy and pacify the natives for the wealth
their land might have, she declares it a closed continent. The
only people, for the moment, that will have access to Seles will
be a small select group of surveyors and linguists accompanied
by a squadron. Their mission is to learn about these people and
map the land.
*There is a surge in ‘beasties’ attacking outlying villages.
Zeva does several things:
1) she orders out one battalion to the problem areas with the
instructions to break into smaller units and assume fortified
positions near enough to the front to be able to respond but
pulled back enough to be able to serve the needs of a large
area;
2) she reinstates the mandatory enlistment for those youths of
appropriate age, religious sensibilities, and physical
capabilities regardless of race. Part of the proclamation that
she sends out.
reads:
‘Any family with a person in mandatory service will receive a
break on yearly taxes (the only area of taxes that did not
previously receive a large cut) while that person is enlisted.
Said youth will be paid as if s/he were a regular member of the
army with all the benefits of enlisted until his/her time is up.
s/he will be taught the basics of self-defense, and standard
military exercises, and educated the first year while performing
defensive actions against unwanted attention.
In the second year, s/he will encouraged to pursue those
activities in which s/he has previously been trained in civilian
life or encouraged to
find something that his/her abilities are best suited for so
that after discharge s/he will still be able to support
his/herself. While not engaged in pure military actions, these
units will be put to work building granaries, repairing roads or
in some other way making themselves useful to the realm at
large. If, after two years, s/he wishes to continue in military
or governmental positions pay rate will increase in accordance
with the results of a review board.
If s/he wishes to leave service there will be no stigmata
attached nor pressure applied to remain and said person will be
willingly released back into civilian life with whatever gear
s/he may have purchased while in service. The outlying areas
will receive this benefit first and gradually as one area has
been stabilized and the program is in place, it will gradually
work its way inward on the continent until all of Marika is
under it. Then it will move to the other lands under Queen
Zeva’s rule so that no one may declare that she has been unjust.
There will be no exceptions to this proclamation without good
cause.
380 AC 10 ST: *Zeva finds herself yearning for another vacation,
some excitement, something other than the tedious plotting at
court. All her nobles want to do is raise taxes and grow rich.
Too few of them want to actually help and guide the people that
they are supposed to be leading and it is bad policy to kill
someone simply because they are greedy. She needs something more
to stir them up.
*She decided to do a bit of traveling. Perhaps, if she is out of
the picture for a while, her nobles will wither shape up in the
way she wants or do something so stupid she can find cause to
execute them without the entire court grumbling. She orders a
military expedition prepared for outer world exploration. She
overcomes protests by stating that while she feels the Neogi has
been eliminated, she will not be caught unprepared if they
return.
She decides to leave Lucius behind, along with her fosterlings
as they are in the middle of tutoring and having fun being
children. She makes him a promise to return as quickly as
possible.
*The first planet out, Arimal, with its sharp peaks and rugged
terrain, catches her eyes and she orders the fleet to settle
down. Right from the beginning there is a fierce battle merely
to maintain what she has without being forced to retreat down
into a valley. Gradually, she and her troops stabilize the area
and force the enemy to withdraw to a nearby mountain range.
While attempting to stabilize the Wolverines’ defensive line,
she questions those enemies that her people have captured as
well as the few local civilians caught behind her lines. She
learns that she is in the middle of a vicious Clan War that has
been several generations in the making. No one is exactly sure
how it started anymore only that it keeps growing and consuming
all before its path. In the past two years, it has gone from
involving two clans to six of the nine and as casualties mount
all clear roads available for ending it are being closed off.
381 AC 11 ST: *Much of her time is spent slowly increasing the
clear area she has obtained and talking with the locals,
attempting to find out exactly what happened and how to stop it.
She learns more about the complex family structures that make up
much of the population--human or otherwise.
Each family unit has ties to all the people connected to it. For
example: Papa and Mama have two children, Son and Daughter. Papa
is from A family but he married someone from B family. While his
children are technically members of A family (it’s patriarchal
based) they also have ties to B family because of Mother.
Now if Son marries a woman from C family, his children will be A
family but have ties to B and C and if Daughter marries someone
from D family her children will be of D family but have ties to
A, B, and C families which must be honored.
The rules for interaction are very complex as each family also
belongs to a Clan--a large organization comprised of many
families. It is possible for two people of different Clans to
marry though usually not encouraged due to complications of
family loyalty during times of war.
To make it more complicated, non-family members can be ‘adopted’
through a ceremony, and not only do they have their own Clan and
family ties to worry about, but they also inherit their adopted
family and Clan as well. There are levels to adoption and each
level has its own restrictions and binding ties.
It is possible for a dwarf to be adopted into Eagle Clan even
though Eagle Clan is all human and while his own family would
come first, it is possible that harm done to Eagle Clan will
force him to take action, even though his people usually do not
involve themselves in human affairs.
In other words, a huge mess can result and in Zeva’s case, she
landed in the middle of such a complicated cluster ****.
*She manages to meet and talk with the three non-combatant Clan
Chiefs. They, out of sheer desperation, offer her an idea. If
she can get the Clans to stop fighting within two years, they
will throw all their support behind her and make her a
Clan-Chief, making her cause their cause, i.e. they will offer
her the greatest of adoptions--the Blood-Oath, Clan-Chief to
Clan-Chief.
All of her people and her blood will be safe from them and vice
versa because to violate such a sacred oath would instantly
cause the violator to be shunned and even the gods would turn
their backs on such a person. She agrees and sets out to make it
happen.
#Post#: 15--------------------------------------------------
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST 382 AC - 384 AC
By: Dungeon Master Date: May 4, 2023, 8:35 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
382 AC - 383 AC[/center]
382 AC 12 ST: *She starts extending her forces in such a way as
to make no-fire zones between the warring clans. Finally, it
gets to the point that to attack each other, the Clans have to
go through her first. Towards the end of winter, they started to
send embassies to her, requesting that she remove her forces
from something that did not concern her. To each Clan Chief, she
sends the same.
reply:
Hail Chief *Name* of the mighty *Name* Clan,
As the woman in charge of a very large military force, I greet
you and request that you read this message carefully. I am tired
of all this fighting and would like to see it end. I am willing
to meet with you on Andori Mountain, at Summer’s peak, to
discuss how we may put aside our differences and unite behind a
common cause. What I offer is Blood Oath. Accept me as Sister
and Clan Chief, and my Clan will unite with yours for such glory
that you have not envisioned. Fail to do so, and I will unite
with your enemies and be forced to crush you beneath my heel so
that peace may once more reign on this planet. If you arrive,
you will be allowed a suitable entourage of thirty men per your
rank--no more, though of course you are allowed less.
Sincerely
General-Queen Zeva, The Greysword, Protector of the People
*She sends for Lucius, praying that she has not miscalculated.
383 AC 13 ST: *Zeva moves the bulk of her command post to Andori
Mountain and waits. When Lucius arrives, she sequesters herself
with him and spends several weeks merely being a mother in a
wartime situation.
*Midsummer comes and with it arrives the Clan Chiefs. Zeva,
warned by her scouts, has them led to the meeting point where
they are kept separated from one another by squads of her men.
Ignoring their cries of treachery, she calmly announces that she
has sent the message to every one of them and since they all
arrived, they all wanted the same thing: her as Sister and an
end to the fighting. These goals are not incompatible. She is
willing to be a Sister to them all. If they refuse, then she
will make good her threat from the letter: she will crush them
now the fighting will end. She then calls on one of her allies
to start the ceremony with one slight change--Lucius is also to
be part of the ritual.
By that point in time, all the Clan Chiefs have had a chance to
look around and realize the situation they are in and while they
don’t like it, there is grudging respect for Zeva and how she
maneuvered them into doing something their advisors
couldn’t--bringing peace. One by one, they submit to the
ceremony, and in a matter of hours, peace has been returned to
Arimal and Zeva is the one technically in charge.
*Concerning the Blood-Oath ceremony: It is a magical and
religious ritual in which the participants are placed under
strong geas.
The conditions of the geas are formulated during the ceremonial
recital of what it means to be blood-bound to one another and it
is triggered fully by the exchange of the charged blood. In the
case of Clan Chiefs, there is the implication that through their
blood flows the blood of every member of their clan, and thus
the geas is binding for every member. At the time the ceremony
ends, every person involved will feel the geas fall into place
and there is an instant of total understanding between
participants. In the case of Clan Chiefs, there is understanding
but each member of their Clan will hear a faint bell, the
ceremonial phrase, and in their minds they will suddenly know
not to fight this person or betray that person.
As Zeva and Lucius go through the ceremony, the Clan Chiefs gain
a greater understanding of the two of them until, by the end,
they know more about Zeva than anybody in the system but Zeke
and a few others. Also, as an unusual side-effect that Zeva was
counting on, with each additional Clan, they are bound not to
harm one another because they would be betraying her and Lucius.
By the time the ceremony is done, no one on Arimal can attack or
betray another, they are bound to her and she, in return, cannot
attack or betray them.
She and Lucius must do everything within their power to aid them
and help them live good, plentiful lives and they are bound to
do the same in return until her bloodline, through Lucius,
fails.
*She and Lucius spend the rest of the year in a bemused state on
Arimal. She let the Clans continue to govern themselves with the
knowledge that they would now work towards peace and
goodwill.They enthusiastically embrace her ideas of granaries
and equality before the law as well as mandatory military
service, with certain modifications made for their world. She
learns that much to her dismay, the Blood Oath has some unusual
side effects that she didn’t consider.
The Clan Chiefs all view her as a sister or daughter which, for
the Clans, means they feel they have the right to comment on her
private life and how she is raising Lucius. Also, they have an
uncanny ability to know when she is upset or moody and will seek
her out to try and help. This also works in return as she and
Lucius will occasionally set aside plans to spend time with a
chief who is troubled by his youngest daughter’s choice of
husband or worried that his crops will fail and his people
starve.
*When she leaves Arimal, it is the most painful parting she has
endured for years. She finds herself leaving behind many good
friends though she has gained a wealth of soldiers and traders
as well as more foster children.
On Krynn 383 AC Summer of Flame on Krynn, at the close of the
Chaos War, the Planet Krynn disappeared from all sight. No
mortal or God knew where the World went. Krynnspace is still
present, but the World has vanished.
384 AC 14 ST: *Zeva returns to find Soreel quietly running
itself with minimal problems. She spends much of her time
fine-tuning laws and trying to figure out how to properly
introduce Arimal goods into the market without either side
gauging the other. Finally, she comes up with an Imperial
system. She declares that the language that all Imperial
transactions will occur in will be Sorrelian common.
The Imperial year will be 13 months, each month to be 28 days,
each week 7 days, and each day 24 hours.
The Imperial currency will be 1 platinum=10 gold,
1 gold=10 silver, 1 silver=10 coppers.
Each Imperial gold will weigh 1 Imperial weight=10 oz. One
Imperial gold is equal to 1 3/4 Arimal gold and 1 Soreel gold.
One Imperial measure is 1000 cubics, 1 cubic=10 ells, 1 ell=1
inch.
While all local systems will be honored any transactions
concerning the government, military, or off-planet efforts must
be conducted using the Imperial standards to avoid confusion and
illegal actions
#Post#: 16--------------------------------------------------
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST 385 AC - 387 AC
By: Dungeon Master Date: May 4, 2023, 8:38 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
385 AC - 387 AC[/center]
385 AC 15 ST: *Much to her relief, the effects of the Blood-Oath
ceremony only seem to be in effect when she is on Arimal or
surrounded by a large number of Clansmen.
*To appease her nobles, Zeva agrees to review numerous palatial
building plans submitted by architects throughout her realms.
After much arguing and ‘polite discussions’, she and her top
engineer finally agreed on one that is simple and elegant in its
lines, truly magnificent in scale and function but still with
great defensive capabilities. The biggest arguments are over the
function of the buildings but Zeva finally prevails in her
desires for an Imperial Library (with attached school), a
Healerie, a Magus’ building complete with four towers, and
several barracks for top-notch guards, as the necessities that
the nobles seem to feel a Queen's needs: an indoor riding salon,
large throne room, impressive guest chambers, etc. Her design
will incorporate the various native styles and building
materials found in her realm as well as be easy to add on to as
her realm’s needs grow.
She selects a property near Tarish that the realm already owns
that has many of the basic buildings she desires for her
complex.
There is a slight tax increase but the most heavily hit are the
nobles that wanted her to build a palace to begin with.
*She decides that the various children under her care, plus
Lucius, are old enough to undergo a formal state tour of the
realm without her supervision. She assembles an impressive group
of servants, tutors, aides, animal handlers, etc. to accompany
them as well as a large group of hand-picked warriors (land and
ariel-based) to escort the group from city to city. The seven
children from the tribal people of Arun will have the option of
remaining with her court or, if their parents wish, returning
home to resume their roles within the tribe.
The primary adult supervisors she includes with the group are
three of her Ministers: Islana, newly appointed to
Education/Entertainment; Deacon, newly appointed to Religion (to
replace Islana); and Grevil, Infrastructure.
*After the children leave, Zeva is overcome by fatigue and a
general weariness. After quietly discussing it with Zeke, she
decides that a true vacation is in order, a clean break from the
day-to-day grind of ruling, no military activity, just rest and
relaxation. To hide her true intentions (as well as her weakened
state), she announces that she is planning on taking a retreat
to the mountains so that she may observe her Ministers and
nobles in action without interference or prejudice. (The basic
message comes across as I’m going to hide somewhere and watch so
don’t **** up or else you’ll regret it.)
*Taking a small group of aides and servants, plus plenty of
books, she slips away one evening to the ‘Jammer fleet and
commandeers a vessel. She sets course for the outer rim of the
system (primarily because astronomy charts show nothing is out
there but two gas giants) and spends much of her time reading,
sleeping, and learning new languages and fighting styles.
She barely notices when they pass Nuva, a gently swirling blue
and green gas giant, or Tisha, a large and violently agitating
red giant, though as they approach Tisha her sleep is crowded by
dreams of ice and large pale blue eyes, voices gently raised in
song, deep soothing shadows of large caverns, and a compelling
need to continue in the direction she is heading.
386 AC 16 ST: *As they pass Tisha, Zeva notices a faint shimmer
in the distance. Deciding to investigate, she and her crew are
shocked to discover an anomaly never heard of before a small
planet surrounded by a sphere of tiny ice chips!
Closer inspection reveals that while the planet rotates
clockwise, the sphere orbits it in perfect synch other than the
fact it rotates counter-clockwise. Also, the planet is mostly
hidden from the Sun and Soreel by the enormous gas giant in
front of it, occasionally its orbit will move it to one side of
Tisha and the Sun will reach it creating a dazzling light show
of blues and whites.
On Soreel this phenomenon was dismissed as a quirk of the gas
giant’s violent storms.
*After locating a small rift in the ice sphere, large enough for
maybe two ships, Zeva decides to land and investigate this
frozen world: after all, she reasons that no people could
survive such a desolate wasteland. With careful maneuvering, her
pilot manages to land them on what appears to be the only bit of
the planet not covered in ice or trapped in permafrost. Watching
for a few days, she and her crew figure out why such a small
zone of life exists on the planet: as the Sun manages to reach
the sphere, some of it slips through the opening and then is
reflected and magnified over a small patch of ground. It is just
enough for a struggling forest and a few non-frozen meadows to
flourish.
*Zeva’s explorations reveal that there are ‘people’ living on
the planet. Apparently, from what she can deduce, the Sunspot
moves, slowly warming up one area while abandoning another. The
people probably shelter in one of the ice mountains until
‘spring’ reaches them. With that in mind, she leads her crew
toward the nearest ice mountain to investigate.
*After much searching and barely surviving increasingly severe
storms, they reach the base of a mountain. There Zeva discovers
a solidly built door of bones. Before she can do anything, the
door opens to reveal a soft white glow and several beings. After
a moment of stunned surprise, Zeva’s crew starts to draw
weapons. Zeva stops them and, as if bemused, approaches one of
the figures. Very softly, in a heavily accented voice, she and
her crew are bid welcome to the planet Marook.
*She and her crew are led down into a deep maze of caverns lit
by gently glowing stones. While the under-Mountain structure
seems immense their guide, Bera, assures them that only a small
area is ever used at one time. Her people, the Maru, are linked
quite closely with the Sun and the brief periods of warmth that
touch the planet. As the Sun comes through and warms a spot, the
portion of the hibernating Maru nearest to it awakens and tends
crops, speaks, writes, love, and carries on normal lives until
the warmth leaves and they sink back into hibernation or the
Dream. Eventually, the small group of humans is led into a cozy
room covered with various mosses in delicate shades, numerous
stones that glow on touch conveniently placed, and a warm spring
running through the middle which effectively heats the entire
thing. they are told to make themselves comfortable and food
will be brought (mosses, lichen, fungus, etc..).
*The Maru are a gentle people of philosophers and diplomats,
possessing great insight into behavior and yearnings of the
heart. They are roughly bipedal, standing between 5’-7’ tall.
One assumes that they weigh a lot but it is hard to tell any
details beneath their long, glossy coats though their large
ice-blue eyes can be clearly seen. They are strict vegetarians
and the thought of killing another sentient being makes them
uneasy. While not seeming to talk among themselves, to outsiders
they have a low, melodious voice which they will occasionally
raise together in a breathtaking song. The greater portion of
their population is always in hibernation, experiencing the
Dream.
The Dream is a type of racial conscience. What one Maru
experiences in the waking world, the others will know once that
one sleeps. In the Dream, all things are considered, all things
taken into account, and all things may be glimpsed both past and
future for the Maru possess a type of telepathy and general
psychic ability.
The ice-sphere or shield as Zeva calls it, is the remains of
their moon which shattered eons ago and trapped the planet
beneath a sheet of ice. After many years, when the Maru were
trapped in hibernation, a small rift appeared in the sphere and
not only did warmth come in but so did the feelings and thoughts
of others. Over the years, the Maru have listened to these
fragments and pieced together much of what the system, and the
people in it, are like. While they were listening, a millennium
ago, a particularly deep Dreamer, Bera, was struck by a
prophecy.
‘There shall come one who is of this place but who shall leave
in betrayal for a life of a hard-work and pain.
A conqueror, a madwoman, vengeance’ blade, she shall return in
secrecy, leaving her heart behind to destroy her blood and give
birth to her hope.
She will right the wrongs of the flesh and bring change in her
wake.
She shall conquer the known realm with sword and word, leveling
the rich and raising the poor, seeing all as equal before the
law.
She shall prevail against the ravaging darkness, the devouring
horde that comes from the deep black of space.
She shall walk on worlds never before explored and unite them
behind her in a vast Empire of peace and prosperity.
Know well the marks of the Star-Child, Bringer of Change. She
shall be like ice in both coloration and personality. And she is
just as fragile. Surrounded by people who admire and trust her,
she cannot turn her back on their pleas and never will be able
to return to her second home, the home of her Dream, to reclaim
her heart. All she will have is the promise found in her hope
and the legacy left behind.
Guide the Star-Child gently for her wrath will burn like the Sun
yet her friendship will warm even the coldest heart to reveal
goodness. Be a friend to the Star-Child, for those she can trust
fully will be rare and she shall become worn from the bickering.
Give her comfort and a place to rest within the Dream so that
she may continue with her work and achieve the promise of her
light which will burn brightly enough to guide entire worlds.’
Troubled by this prophecy that echoed through the Dream, the
Maru debated for nearly a century before coming to a consensus:
in order to aid the Star-Child, a group of them would have to
make a sacrifice. A select group pulled themselves deep into the
Dream, where dreams can become flesh, and began to work. Slowly
they began to alter themselves making themselves humanoid in
appearance, more tolerant of heat, slight changes to their fur
to shorten and thin it, etc. Eventually, the changes were
completed and the results were as follows:
the Lariu are approximately 4’-6’ tall, bipedal with mostly
human features such as jaw structure, noses, and hands (though
with only three fingers and an unusually long thumb). Large
ice-blue eyes that seem much too large for their delicate faces.
A short pelt of fur that grows longer on the head to give the
semblance of hair. Life expectancy is severely shortened from
several thousand years (due to the Dream) to a mere three or
four hundred. They can tolerate quite a range of heat if given
time to acclimate though they still prefer cold temperatures.
Their sleep cycle is much like a regular human’s though they can
still share the first levels of the Dream while asleep. The
deeper realms of the Dream are cut off from them. Their psychic
abilities have been increased somewhat and they are capable of
breeding true to their altered forms.
*Zeva has a wonderful time in the caverns. The Maru treat her
and her crew with great respect and honor and are more than
willing to explain things to them. Eventually, she meets the
Lariu, who hail her as the Star-Child and immediately pledge
allegiance and undying loyalty. After her crew is settled in,
she agrees to accompany the Maru and Lariu on a tour of the
under-Mountain. There she discovers many things to baffle the
eye and dazzle the mind: crystals that change colors with sound,
ice so dark and smooth it’s like looking into space, soft beds
that bloom brilliant colors when someone lies down so that the
person may drift off to sleep smelling sweet things. It is in a
cavern of filled beds that she is asked to partake in a
ceremony. All she has to do is sleep.
*By accepting the Maru and Lariu offer, she finds herself
attached to the Dream on a specific level. From this point on,
her sleep will be restful and full of positive things. If there
is a danger that the Maru are aware of, they will inform her,
carefully, through the Dream. If she is puzzled by something or
unhappy, through the Dream, they will try to help. She is bound
to them and, to a limited extent, they are bound to her. It is
the only gift that they feel is appropriate for the Star-Child
and the only way they can help her emotionally without her
knowing. She spends much of her time on Marook either sleeping
the Dream or talking with the various philosophers and artisans
that have woken up to greet her.
*It is with great regret that she finally leaves, taking with
her all the Lariu her ship can handle and promising to send for
the others. She also has samples of the light crystals and her
own personal moss bed, carefully tended by the Lariu.
387 AC 17 Yr: *She returns to Soreel completely rested and
restored to her previous energy. Carefully and in stages, she
brings the Lariu to the Planet’s surface where she places most
of them under the Minister of Religion’s care where their
uncanny sensitivity and natural diplomatic natures will best
serve the realm. Bera insists on staying with her, both to tend
the bed as well as tend Zeva.
Zeva agrees as she finds the Lariu’s gentle nature very soothing
even though the thought of anyone ‘tending’ her is quite
amusing.
*She settles down into a comfortable routine of guiding her
realm. She smooths out several trading problems and reaffirms
that the nobles are still nobles and no one will change that if
they play by the rules, and in general enjoys herself.
*An amazing amount of work has been done on her palatial
compound and she takes to watching with great interest.
*The children return from their formal state visits and she
hardly recognizes her son. He’s shot up inches, lost a lot of
baby fat, developed an assurance that is uncannily like Rotas,
and in general is no longer a child. His tutors give rave
reviews on his performance and the military commander of the
escort agrees that he kept up with practice, was quite competent
for his age and on occasion displayed almost eerie insight.
*She holds a ceremony that officially names Lucius Janikar Royal
Heir-Apparent to the Imperial Throne.
*At Zeke’s insistence, she agrees to send Lucius on a military
tour of duty so that her Wolverines can get a chance to know
him.
#Post#: 17--------------------------------------------------
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST 388 AC-390 AC
By: Dungeon Master Date: May 4, 2023, 8:38 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
388 AC-390 AC[/center]
388 AC 18 ST: *By being in constant attendance, her court truly
begins to take form around her. While most of her nobles are
loyal and see the good in what she does, there are a few
scattered disgruntled people who seem to think that either she
should rely solely on them or she should step down and let one
of them rule.
Zeva orders that these people be carefully watched and sends for
Catspaw, who has managed to claw his way up to the ranks of the
thieves guild until he has control of all of it. He masquerades
as a nuevo riche merchant and has occasionally sold Zeva or her
people a piece of useful information. She offers to pay him a
handsome amount of money if he will watch the disgruntled nobles
for her, telling her of everything they do, as well as keeping
an ear to the ground for problems among the population.
*She sits down and hammers out the trading policies off-planet,
what items receive a restriction, what doesn’t, the amount of
import or export tax--that sort of thing.
*She visits Arimal briefly to attend the wedding of a Clan
Chief.
*Rumors start that she is actually a god. No one has seen her
age. She is unbeatable in a fight; She’s united many people in a
short amount of time. She’s gone places that no one has heard of
before. She’s improved life for many people. She tries very hard
to be fair and just in her judgments and laws.
389 AC 19 ST: *As her palace draws near completion, she starts
to grow restless again. Too many people are pressuring her to
divorce Rotas, a man they have never met, and re-marry to
produce more heirs. Worse yet, they are starting to pressure her
to force Lucius to marry even though he isn’t fully grown yet!
*She decides that she could benefit from a journey towards the
sun. There are three planets to explore and her Wolverines could
use the experience. After Lucius returns from his tour, she
places him in charge, with the admonishment to listen to her
Ministers, and prepares the fleet.
*The journey is rather uneventful except for the growing romance
between a cold-loving Lariu and a desert nomad.
*Her advance squad of scouts returns with a recon of Nakeel. It
is a torturously hot planet with a minimum of water. There are
desert people and a variety of creatures that all appear to be
poisonous or otherwise unpleasant. There is often fighting and
large-scale bloodshed is not uncommon. It is another
patriarchal-based society though a few women seem to have
achieved quite a bit of status.
There is a small but thriving slave trading business. The
highest density of the population seems to be centered on one
large oasis. It acts as a hub for trade and is held by a group
of religious zealots who believe in the Sun Goddess Akuma, and
her ability to protect them from demons.
*She thinks for a while about how to see down on the planet
without creating more bloodshed. Due to an offhand comment of
Bera to the other Lariu, who will not be able to set foot on the
planet because it is too warm, she decides to try a different
approach, She orders a small group of Wolverines to return to
Maroook and under the guidance of the Lariu retrieve a large ice
chunk after bespelling it against harm and melting.
*Zeva and her entourage wait until the ice chunk (which turns
out to be the size of a small glacier) is brought. To pass the
time, various scouts and linguists make discreet landings on
Nakeel and pass on tidbits of information and customs to Zeva.
On hearing how the natives believe that demons are incapable of
wearing holy blue, she orders a large quantity of blue cloth
bought and modifications be made to all uniforms
390 AC 20 ST: *Under the cover of night, she and her troops land
right outside the Oasis. She has ordered that all the troops
wear their modified, blue-trimmed uniforms while they are
on-planet and she wears an entirely blue and gold uniform
instead of her comfortable and familiar She positions her
command center right next to the covered ice chunk and waits
until daybreak when the natives notice her.
*When the sun comes over the horizon, she is stunned by the
number of people that hurry by her encampment, making signs of
protection. She has her linguists start making a speech, that
she and her troops are not demons but visitors from another
world that wish to see the wonders of this planet; see how we
can wear blue without burning and our shadows are long and dark,
moving with the sun; we mean no harm to anyone but are here in
peace; to prove that we are not evil nor are we servants of
demons, our gracious leader has a surprise for the population of
Oasis, which will be shared at sun height.
*Slowly, she and her troops manage to gather a group of natives
that are not afraid of them. At noon, even though the crowd
gathered is small (though Zeva can feel many eyes on them from
the Oasis), Zeva steps out of the shade and glitters under the
harsh desert sun. She makes another speech about how good her
intentions are and then pulls away the covering to the ice
chunk. For a moment the crowd is puzzled over the giant
glittering crystal and then
Zeva
speaks once more:
‘Dear friends,
To prove my intentions are noble, I have brought a gift, unlike
anything you have seen before: ice, frozen water. For any that
wish it, I will remove a piece and give it to you. As you move
away from here, the ice will melt and you will have water.’
*One by one, the crowd approaches her and tentatively reaches
for the ice chunks she gives them. Some drop them because they
are cold.& Others gasp in wonder at this miracle. Some fall to
their knees and pray to Akuma in thanks. Seeing that no harm has
come to the daring, the rest of the Oasis emerges and each
receives a chunk of ice.
*After being convinced that she is not a clever demon, the
religious fanatics of the Oasis come out to meet her. Upon
seeing the miracle of ice for themselves, they fall to their
knees and immediately begin a song of thanks to Zeva, the
incarnation of Akuma. When she realizes what they are doing, she
tries to stop them but it is no use. Each person she talks to
just smiles knowingly at her protests and continues the hymn.
(No true goddess would claim her identity. She walks among us
for a reason our mortal minds cannot comprehend. We will refer
to her by the name she has chosen but we all know that only a
goddess could produce so much water and in such a form. Her
powers have been demonstrated to us and we believe.)
*A call goes out among the desert people: the Goddess is here in
the flesh to bless us and lead us to a new way of life. She is
awe-inspiring in her beauty which is cold like the night but her
wisdom and heart burns with the Sun. Akuma walks among us.
Akuma-Zeva is here to lead the way.
*During her stay, Zeva is a public spectacle. She is given a
house with servants to see to her every need. A parade of men
and women entertain her and offer themselves to her. Countless
wise men and religious leaders approach and ask for her wisdom.
She is beseeched for blessing from everyone. Her troops
fair only a little better as obviously they are the host of
heaven, warriors
supreme to be given the honor of serving Akuma-Zeva and riding
the strange beasts of the sky (SpellJammer ships).
*Finally, out of desperation, Zeva declares that the Goddess
needs to consult with the High Father (the Sun) but she will be
back soon. She returns to the remainder of her fleet, hovering a
safe way from Nakeel and the Sun to consult with Bera and some
of her other advisors. She also sends a missive to Zeke asking
for his advice.& What Bera and the others tell her is not
exactly what she wants to hear. They remind her that she has
done godly acts on several planets now--bringing peace to
Arimal, delivering Marook from its isolation, and uniting Soreel
in times of trouble. She shouldn’t be surprised that she is
being hailed as a god for bringing ice and water to a barren
planet. When Zeva protests that all those things were done in
the heat of the moment, to stop the suffering of innocents and
silence fools, Bera calmly replies, “Isn’t that what a good and
just Goddess would do?”
*Finally, Zeva grudgingly agrees that many of her actions may
seem fantastic to someone who doesn’t know her but anyone in her
situation would have done the same thing. But, since she has
somehow altered the beliefs of these people and they seem
determined to follow her, she owes it to them to provide the
best protection and lives she can.
*She returns to Nakeel, disgruntled but resolved. She asks if
the people truly believe that she is the avatar of Akuma. At
their resounding roar, she bows her head a moment and then
speaks,
‘People of Nakeel,
I am merely a woman of flesh and blood gifted with a strong arm,
trusted advisors, and a healthy dose of luck. I do not feel like
a Goddess nor do I feel that I am qualified for such an exalted
position. I am not worthy of your admiration nor your devoted
love. I am someone who in times of need tries to reach out and
make things better for all people involved.
Anyone with my training, my experience, and my life, would do
the same thing. If you wish to follow me then I cannot promise
you a home in the Sun’s Heart nor life eternal. I cannot promise
you a life filled with your heart’s desires. I cannot promise
you much of anything other than I will do all that I can to help
you lead good lives, safe and protected, just and righteous
before the Gods, but only if you accept me as who I truly am: a
mere woman of flesh and blood who has led a full life and tried
to bring peace and prosperity to those around her.
If you join with me, then each of you will have the possibility
of meeting strange people or traveling to unusual places. You
will be bound by my laws before which all are equal. There will
be no more slavery except in the case of Imperial punishment.
People are not to be traded back and forth like a child’s toy.
Women will have the right to decide their husbands and will not
be confined to cozy rooms to await a man’s pleasure. Each of you
will have the option of joining my military or helping me run my
empire but based on your own merits, not your wealth.
I tell you once more, people of Nakeel, I am not the Goddess
Akuma made flesh. I am merely a woman trying to do what any of
you would do: live a good life and help others along the way.’
*She finishes to a resounding cheer. There are tears on some
people’s faces and others seem caught up in a type of ecstasy.
She feels that she has finally gotten through to them and
gracefully retires to her house. And, to a few of them, her
words held the meaning she was hoping for that she was merely a
person with extraordinary vision and luck, not a god. However,
to the vast majority of Nakeel, she just re-enforced her status
as Akuma-Zeva. Akuma would never presume to just give people a
good life, a person must work for it. And Zeva’s lack of
worthiness is understandable: no goddess would brag about
herself, it’s unseemly, and besides, even goddesses can feel
unworthy of devotion. That’s a sign that they are good for good
people question themselves.
Akuma-Zeva has many people who worship her, probably under
different names so as not to attract jealousy from the other
Gods. As for her decision concerning slavery and women, that is
understandable because she is a woman with a delicate nature.
The last incarnation of Akuma was male and viewed things
differently.
*Zeva finishes her trip to Nakeel working on trade agreements
and the timetable for imposing her laws on the populace. After
conferring with Bera, she agrees to send one be-spelled ice
chunk each Imperial year of her reign to prove her loyalty to
Nakeel’s people and to remind the people of her words.
Then she makes good her escape, her spine-tingling with the
anticipation of a thunderbolt being hurled at her for
faith-stealing.
#Post#: 18--------------------------------------------------
ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST 391 AC - 392 AC
By: Dungeon Master Date: May 4, 2023, 8:39 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]ZEVA, TIMELINE of CONQUEST
391 AC - 392 AC [/center]
391 AC 21 ST: *She takes a slow, leisurely flight back to
Soreel, leaving recon scouts behind at Sigoon and Ke’un.& She
doesn’t need another headache but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared
either.
*She returns to find her court in quiet upheaval. While she was
gone, Lucius made several rash decisions which resulted in the
loss of one village and severe droughts throughout another
region. This, while being bad enough, could have been fixed
early on but he refused to listen to anyone, stating that he was
the Heir-Apparent and knew what he was doing. When the death
toll began to come in, he merely shrugged and commented that
peasants were a dime a dozen and easily replaced.
Her Ministers managed to keep most of the court from learning
this but a group of highborn children Lucius had recently been
running with knew the entire tale. (These ‘children’ range
between 16 to 23 yr. old and would have been queens, princes,
and rulers if not for Zeva.)
*She doesn’t even wait for Lucius to be brought to her before
she snaps out a way to fix the problems and what Imperial aid to
give, plus an order that there is to be no yearly tax collected
in the afflicted areas for the next three years to help the
villagers get back on their feet. She then orders a fully
assembled court to be held the next morning as she has some
things to say.
*Lucius and the others are ordered confined to their rooms until
summoned the next day to appear in formal court.
*She summons her Ministers and has them recite the full tale,
leaving out no detail. Apparently, Lucius had been approached by
the highborn children and asked about his parentage. While he
could answer most questions about Zeva after she returned to
Soreel, he couldn’t tell them anything about her before that
time. Nor could he tell them anything about his father, Rotas.
In turns patronizing and cunning, they told him it didn’t matter
that he was a bastard since he was going to rule the Empire but
he would need people that understood how things should be run.
They started to invite him to their ‘parties’ decadent affairs
that had harmed no one which is why she hadn’t been informed of
them. Slowly, they weaned him away from his foster brothers and
sisters until they were the only people he saw. By flattering
him and playing to his ego and importance, they managed to get
him to do several questionable things but no one had any idea
how much influence they had until he ordered a river dammed up
so that he and his playmates could have a lake to swim in. The
dam caused the drought and the resulting deaths could be traced
directly back to Lucius.
By the time her Ministers had caught wind of what was going on,
it was too late to stop it though they had pulled down the dam
days before her return.
*She goes through the papers awaiting her return until she finds
Catspaw’s reports on the disgruntled nobles. She is not
surprised to learn that the ringleaders of the children’s group,
the ones most eager to goad Lucius, belong to them. What
surprises and bothers her is the fact that several of the girls
in the group have competed for and won his ‘favor’. The current
mistress is a particularly cunning vixen that, if things had
been different, might have been Queen Animar d’Livet. As it is,
she and her father are living off their accumulated wealth from
spice trading. According to the report, she recently informed
her father that everything had gone according to plan and soon
she would be married to Lucius and there was nothing ‘that
savage upstart ****’ could do to stop it.
*She summons her Steward and has him run a discreet inquiry
among the maids on when was this girl’s last period. The
answer: three months ago. The little tart is pregnant. Yet, the
maids also report that Lucius is not the only one sharing her
bed. There is another man, the ringleader of the group, who has
been seen leaving her room very disheveled on several mornings.
Tushari Wasobi is an orphan, the last remaining member of the
Unari Imperial House.
*She orders a trusted Healer from Arimal to check on each of the
children to make sure that they are not suffering any ‘ill
effects’ from their enforced
solitary confinement. Under the guise of checking general
health, she is to
check all the girls for pregnancy and if possible, determine who
is the father. The Healer reports back and everything is how she
hoped.
*At the morning’s formal court, she has all the children
gathered so she can look them over. She states that while there
were troubles while she was gone, she understands that mistakes
can happen and people can be led astray by a pretty face and
sweet words.
However, she will chastise those who need it later, in private,
as she has several happy announcements to make. She proceeds to
divide the highborn children, sending them to various sections
of her realm so that their talents may not whither away under
the sedate pace of her court’ and of course, their esteemed
parents will accompany them “so that their children may benefit
from the wisdom and foresight of their elders” However, she
saves the best for last by announcing that before Animar d’Livet
and Tushari Wasobi journey to Arimal to promote trade (her
father, alas, has requested to be sent to Nakeel thus breaking
up a happy family for the good of the Empire) they are to be
joyously married.
Animar protests, declaring she cannot marry Tushari when she is
going to bear Lucius’s child. Nodding gravely, Zeva assures her
that, if that is indeed the case, she will of course be allowed
to marry the child’s father.
*She calls in a Truthsayer and a Healer (again from Arimal as
the Blood Oath would permit him to tell if it was Lucius’s) to
confirm the pregnancy and the paternity. While the Truthsayer
verifies everything, the Healer declares that Animar is indeed
pregnant but, while the child’s is not Lucius’s, he cannot
determine who the father is. Zeva then politely asks Animar who
else has she been sleeping with to get into such as state. When
she tries to lie, Animar glows a brilliant white (the effect of
a power Truthsayer doing a reading) and the entire court knows
it. Finally, she admits to sleeping with only Tushari and
Lucius. Zeva smiles and says,
“Then it’s settled. You will marry Tushari Wasobi and everything
you deserve will come your way.”
*After court, she orders Lucius confined to his rooms until she
has calmed down enough to deal with him.
*Once she has caught up, so to speak, with the affairs of the
state, she goes to see her wayward son. She manages, barely, not
to scream at him though her voice trembles with the effort. She
rips him up one side and down the other, threatens to take away
his position as Heir, and considers sending him to Marook for
the rest of his natural life, all sorts of dire things that only
a mother would think to say in the heat of an argument.
She only stops when she notices him quietly crying (which throws
her off stride. She’s not used to tears.) Anger immediately
turns to concern and she apologizes for yelling at him but
people, especially the people under their care, are not toys to
be moved around and played with.
Each person had the right to live their life as fully as
possible with minimal, negative interference from those in
power. And people in power will always be tempted to use it in a
negative way causing harm to the people they need to protect.
When that doesn’t completely stop the flow of tears, she finally
asks him what’s wrong. The answer staggers her.
*Lucius truly believed Animar loved him and that they were going
to marry. He knew that she was pregnant and believed the child
was his.
By doing what she did, in the middle of court, Zeva broke his
heart and shattered his illusion. On top of it, he wanted to be
a father to see what it was like. He’d grown up seeing other
children with fathers but never knew what having one was like
nor even knowing what his father looked like. The closest he had
to his paternal figure were the various clan Chiefs and
Zeke--all of whom had concerns other than him.
*Stunned, Zeva sits down and tells him everything she can about
Rotas and why she can’t go back to him because of her
commitments to the people under her. “I never planned on being
away from him for so long but there just isn’t anyone to take my
place. And what I’ve built from the ashes of my heart may not be
able to lay down with me at night and hold me in his arms but it
is something good and I believe that it can be something grand.
Lucius, sweetie, I can’t just walk away from those people who
need me, lowborn to high. I will be alone for the rest of my
life because I can’t ask Rotas to abandon those people who need
him. It’s something I don’t think he would understand even
though he’s a Prince, maybe even King by now. You, however, have
the chance to find love and be loved by someone very special.
You may already know her or have only seen her in your dreams.
But no matter what, you will always have to guard your heart
against those that would use it because after I am gone you will
rule and all the people of the Empire will look to you, and just
you, for guidance.”
*Zeva declares that she and Lucius are going on a retreat
together, mother and son, to spend time together as a family.
What they do is slip, lose from their bodyguards, and mingle
with the populace as ordinary people. Zeva leads Lucius through
various ghettos and villages, taking her time and letting him
see the population as people and not just numbers. They spend
time hiding out with Catspaw and the thieves' guild. They work
as guards for a caravan. They live in a variety of homes and
talk with a variety of people.
By the time they are at the end of their journey, Lucius is
feeling better, more resolved in his position as Heir, brimming
with ideas for an information/spy network to crisscross the
Empire. Happy to see him enthused, Zeva gives her permission and
funding on the two-part condition that he reports only to her
and swears he will not use the network to turn the Empire into a
police state of fear and suspicion.
Later, during a visit to Soreel, She brings Aravis with her to
meet Lucius, Karnea is unexpectedly granted a small parish of
land and the accompanying title of (minor) nobility by Zeva on
the Second largest Island of Unari. The Empress notices a
growing interest between Lucius and Aravis, and decides to
ensure that Aravis would be of sufficient nobility in case their
love interest grows. Karnea surveys her new holdings and
determines that the existing caretaker is doing an adequate job,
elevating him to the regent and telling him to keep up what he
has been doing. The incomes from these holdings are set aside
for Aravis’ use.
392 AC 22 ST: *Life returns to normal for Zeva and Lucius. She
spends much of her time working with the occasional visit to
Arun, Unari, or the Free Isles. Lucius lays the groundwork for
the network and makes the startling decision that he is best
suited to be an assassin, focusing his military training in that
area.
*Her palace is completed At Tarish (at the least the primary
stage) and Zeva spends the year moving furnishings, offices, and
people from the old to the new . . . .
[center]And there it is, the Twenty-Two Year Odyssey of
Conquest. [/center]
#Post#: 626--------------------------------------------------
Seija no Tochi-The Great Peace-To the Breaking of the Great Peac
e
By: Dungeon Master Date: October 30, 2023, 5:48 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I hope you have enjoyed the updated version of the Timeline of
Conquest penned by my very good friend who played Zeva and Rilla
and she also created all of Soreel, Soreel-Space, and the
Timeline of Conquest. I asked our very good friend Adam to
develop a Dating System, where he used the vocabulary of Soreel
words to develop the translation I wanted. I think it is
perfect. It is everything I asked for and it does exactly what I
wanted, to stand Soreel apart and be its own thing. It's such a
little thing but I think it is an enriching touch to establish.
Coming one of these days, an updated continuation from 393 AC to
422 AC. It is what I call the Lost Years. While assembling the
Timeline, I am continuing to work on this so this is a work in
progress.
[center]Seija no Tochi-The Great Peace-To the Breaking of the
Great Peace[/center]
393 AC 23 ST General Hjortarian is Named Governor General of the
Wolverines
394 AC 24 ST
395 AC 25 ST Aravis and Lucius are formally engaged, and Karnea
travels to Soreel for the official celebration. Karnea spends
several months there, reviewing her holdings and establishing a
small spelljammer trading company with links to her interests in
Waterdeep, allowing her to profit on both sides of the trade
route. She also establishes a school of wizardry in the Unari
province with a heavy focus on the ways of High Sorcery from
Krynn, in an attempt to attract the attention of the Gods of
Magic. The school is run by a Soreelian wizard named Jelben, a
former member of the Imperial Wizard College. Karnea recruited
him after successfully converting him to the worship of Nuitari,
in spite of the fact that there is no evidence of Nuitari’s
presence on Soreel.
396 AC 26 ST Arrival of an Arcane Embassy
397 AC 27 ST
398 AC 28 ST The Doppelgänger incident (First sighting of a
Doppelgänger in over a hundred years on the Continent)
399 AC 29 ST
400 AC 30 ST
401 AC 31 ST
402 AC/32 ST A Giff Embassy arrives and makes inroads with
different elements of society. They bring several very skilled
Mercanry companies soon train with and against the Wolverines
Army and Spelljammer Navy
Returning to Soreel, Karnea finds Jelben’s school thriving, and
a small (12-15 members) cult of followers of all three of
Krynn’s gods of magic. Intrigued, Karnea introduces Aravis to
Jelben. Aravis becomes the “spiritual advisor” to Jelben’s
school (called “The Conclave”) and remains in frequent contact
with the members of the cult. Over the next few years, the cult
gains new members, eventually having approximately 200 members
throughout the Soreelian system.
403 AC/33 ST Emboldened by the success of the school on Soreel
to attract potential worshippers to the Krynnish gods of magic,
Karnea travels to Faerun to attempt the feat there as well. She
is immediately countered by the Red Wizards, as well as
worshippers of Mystara and Azuth. She abandons the project and
returns to Soreel, where she amuses herself by attending court
and playing at politics for a time.
404 AC/34 ST Karnea departs Soreel amidst rumors of an improper
relationship between her and Viscount Albax d’Marten, a
(married) nobleman from an outlying area of Marika. The Empress
is eager to resolve the scandal involving the mother of her
son’s betrothed, and “suggests” that Karnea leave the system for
a time. About 8 months after her departure, the Viscount is
found dead in his bed of apparent natural causes, triggering an
investigation by the Imperial Police and the Imperial Ministry
of Intelligence.
405 AC 35 ST
406 AC 36 ST
407 AC/ 37 ST Karnea is contacted by Aravis with news of an
investigation into Jelben’s school by the Imperial Wizard
College. The Bureau is concerned that the growing cult of the
“Moon Gods” is becoming dangerous to the established religions
on Soreel. Aravis tries to use her influence on Lucius, who
oversees Imperial Intelligence, to close the investigation. The
school goes underground, and the cult is forced to adopt
secretive ways in order to survive. As a result, the incident
has a cooling effect on Lucius and Aravis's relationship.
408 AC 38 ST
409 AC 39 ST
410 AC 40 ST
411 AC 41 ST
412 AC 42 ST
413 AC 43 ST
414 AC 44 ST
415 AC 45 ST
416 AC 46 ST
417 AC 47 ST
418 AC 48 ST
419 AC 49 ST
420 AC 50 ST Year Long Celebrations across the Empire
culminating with a Worlds Fair set in the Marikan Capital of
Tarish.
Retired General Zeke dies in his sleep after the closing
ceremonies.
421 AC 51 ST
422 AC 52 ST
#Post#: 864--------------------------------------------------
423 AC 53 ST Breaking of the Peace
By: Dungeon Master Date: July 6, 2024, 6:29 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[center]Breaking of the Peace [/center]
423 AC 53 ST Breaking of the Peace
-Agents of the Wizard's College uncover the machinations of
several aligned Doppelgängers in the outlying provinces, raising
fears they are already in the Capital.
-Set before the Monsoon Season an assassination attempt on Lady
Aravis at the Royal Appartments resulted in a major fire that
gutted a royal apartment building.
-Six days later Prince Lucius d'Janikar departs Soreel for
Krynn, in search of his bride to be Lady Aravis
-Four Days later, Missing Spelljammer scout ships have begun to
raise some alarms. Evidence comes that battles have taken place
in Soreel Space. Investigations across the sphere begin.
-Intelligence spy network collapses in the Southern Great Desert
of Arun, possibly carried out by the Black Hand, the Secret
Organization of the Litch-King of the Black Fortress.
-The Oracle of Tarish leaves her sacred Tower and ventures to
the Imperial Palace to meet with the Grand Empress and brings
ill tidings. she relays her vision and her advisors help Zeva
discern the meaning. Pig faced Scro, Some kind of advanced Orc
has taken up residence on the moons of the far-off Gas Giants
when nobody was looking. These things did not happen on the same
day and are unconnected, but they all fell on Zeva's lap on the
same day.
-Silver is found on one of Zeva's properties on Arimal.
-The first living Doppelgänger has been captured in a sting
operation, a Psi Master interrogated him, and the first-ever
mention of He Who Knows apparently of the Free Isles came from
the Interrogation. The Doppelgänger Subject apparently feels no
pain which has hindered further questioning with torture. Mental
block has stopped any further Psi probes.
424 AC 54 ST
424 AC 54 ST
425 AC 55 ST
426 AC 56 ST
*****************************************************