With the aid of the blind sage Bowgentle, the Runestaff reveals what is threatening Rome.
First, Lolth, the Demon Queen of Spiders, is behind the orc horde beyond the Black River. They have already slain Crassus' armies, and now they are approaching Spoletum, the residence of the Emperor and Emperor Emeritus. Once they have him, they will put a spider in his ear, and thereafter he will say whatever Lolth wants him to say.
Second, Fabulus Calamus has remade Britannia, or parts of it, into Granbretan, the Dark Empire. Their armies of beast-men are overruning the empire from the West. Calamus is an ally of Lolth, not a slave. But he serves her purpose.
Third, Persia is to be conquered by Chin, a land in the Far East. Chin has tamed the wild horsemen of the steppes, so their army is invincible. Also, several Persian wizards are servants of Lolth, guiding the Persians to ruin.
And fourth, Lolth has perverted the temples of the old gods of Rome, tolerated by the Christians so long as they celebrate folk heritage rather than worship. But she has promoted pontiffs who are secret pagans and suppressed others who are orthodox. Through their prayers, Lolth knows each man's heart and grows wise.
This has worked literally everywhere, in every dimension, except Rome, which worships the real god instead of pagan sprits.
Sigrid Junia, in particular, was a big pull for secret neo-paganism when she was in charge. She's repented now, but if she won't work for Lolth, she can just be murdered.
That is the limit of the threats described, although the Runestaff can also give the exact location of the contending armies. No doubt those present, Romans and otherwise, will have additional questions.
You should feel free to comment here, and we'll all discuss your ideas.
ReplyDeleteLike "hit them!" That's an idea.
Oh is that All? I think we should let the church know of the blight curuptimg the pagans.
ReplyDeletePouncequick
Jay: If Lolth is employing allies, perhaps we can do the same. Send Elrond back to his kingdom to request the aid of the elves against the orcish horde or the dark empire. Then, we can do what always works: split the party.
ReplyDeleteAmbassador Bjern and half the group can sail to northern England and try to enlist his people in the fight against Granbretan.
General Junius and half the group can fly to Spoletum and escort the Emperors to safety in Rome.
I don't think we'll ever hear the words "Ambassador Bjern" again, so savor it now!
Delete"Where should I go? Lolth hates me particularly for corrupting her servant and luring the other into a volcano, so whomever I go with may experience extra attention...
Delete"I could go alone, of course. With my cloak of invisibility, I am rather hard to capture."
I imagine those wishing to spirit the Emperor out of orcish clutches may appreciate having someone who can draw Lolth's eye away from their escape, but I defer to the General and Brother Aquila's expertise on these matters.
Deletethe Persians being conquered by the Chinese hurts my heart, but this is from a VERY biased opinion...
ReplyDeleteI can provide first-hand historical proof that Persia was established by conquering the horse and building their empire by horsemen. The inscriptions still exist on the mountainside today. To become a true "Persian" man, the boy must learn to Ride The Horse, Shoot The Arrow (from the horse), and Tell The Truth.
ReplyDeleteElrond points out, "These dooms will not strike at the same time. The threat from the East will seize your Emperor in days or weeks. The threat from the West will reach Rome within months. The fall of Persia will be a matter for your children, and the corruption of your public religion, though dreadful, cannot even be meaningfully opposed for another generation beyond that."
ReplyDelete"Therefore, it does not seem necessary to dissipate your efforts ..."
He looks around.
"OUR efforts," he amends himself. "Although raising hosts in the provinces may buy much needed time."
Rosa asks the clerics, Pouncequick the Pious and Brother Aquilla: "If Lolth is a demon as the Christians understand these things, can she be killed?"
DeleteOf course demons can be killed; as created beings, there was a time when they were not, so there could be a time when they are not.
DeleteCan this be done by mortal men? Ah, now THAT's a question ...
If killing is not an option, could the demon be trapped or contained somehow?
Delete"Well, we do have a box that would turn her into a statue--if she could be fit into it somehow... nothing I have does that, however."
DeleteJunius: It seems to me that because the immediate threat is to the emperor, we should address this first. However, there may be an opportunity to draw Lolth out and bring the fight to her. For the first time, we have the advantage. We know her plan, but she doesn't know that we know.
ReplyDeleteLolth isn't looking for military conquest, but worshippers, and she wants the one place she hasn't yet been able to conquer ... Rome.
Our protection has been the worship of the One True God, so this must continue to be our protection.
So far, we have not observed a means of killing demons, but we have found ways of casting the away. This will work for a time, but if we are to be rid of this threat completely, we will have to either find a way to kill Lolth, or trap her indefinitely. I believe the trap is the more viable option.
In order to trap Lolth, we have to draw her out. So far, she is content to operate through her minions, but we have been able to find ways to both annoy and entice her. She hates my coin of truth, and she has used Sylvia's gem. And she is definitely full of pride.
So, here is what I propose ...
We go to where the Emperor is to protect him. What Lolth wants is to control him, but there won't be anything to control ... if he is already "dead." We have two stasis boxes that place the occupants into a kind of torpor, which would give the full appearance of death.
We will go to the Emperor with my legion and a corps of engineers. Once there, the legion will prepare for battle while the engineers erect a shrine to the most humble Virgin with her foot stomping on the visage of prideful Lolth. We will then, placing the emperor into the stasis box, report throughout the legion that the emperor has died. Sylvia will kneel and pray as the emperor lies in state (stasis), before the statue of the Virgin stomping on Lolth.
Lolth, undoubtedly looking through Sylvia's gem-eye, will not only see her plan foiled, but will be enraged at seeing her image trampled upon by the "common" mother of her enemy.
Hopefully, we can draw Lolth out into the shrine, in an attempt to destroy it. Brother Aquila and Pouncequick will need to do their theatrical best to shame Lolth with their hymns of praise for Lolth's vanquisher. We'll hide the second stasis box at the base of the alter, and once we draw her out, we will find a way to force her into the box, shut the lid, and then have it spiritually sealed by our clerics.
Thoughts?
You should be able to meet up with the XX Legion en route, as the two weeks have not yet elapsed. And in any legion, the tradition is you can find ANY skill ... so some of the men can run you up a nice altar with a sculpture of Our Lady trampling the Spider Queen!
DeleteThe box is probably too small for Lolth to fit into, but Elrond thinks he can extend the box.
If you want other help from Rome, including the Three Rebukers, Peter, the Knights of St. Michael, money, special troops, Vesuvius, Aristocles, Junia, Retaria, etc. then you'll have to add six days to your journey. Should still be able to catch up to the Legio XX.
Should I prepare sets, props, etc. with this in mind?