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- June 25, 2017 at 5:14 am #152703AnonymousInactive
Hey there.
At Origins Henry ran a special mini mission where Tukufu and friends tried to perform an exorcism on a member of the Golden Court thought to be under Matias Spirt-Mount’s influence. (Tukufu’s wife Belinay). Things only sorta worked out … but the part that is directly relevant here is that I said Tukufu owed the other players a big favor. And one of them has emailed me saying they want Tukufu to find out about the valC for them.
I owe the character a lot and need to provide *something* to him. At present I am planning to include (1) the information that there is a book called the 14th Imperial House that allegedly has the history of th valC. (2) that a copy of said book was once in the hands of Prince Walder of Almeric, but sent to the Dovitoni family in Savona (3) that they allegedly defend from the valinor of the Gentlest Goddess who was consumed by Umor (4) the Legion of the Black Sun have been hunting them through the ages. (5) that Tukufu encountered the Legion of the BS in the Sea of Grass destroying an ancient First Imperium out post of the valC and (6) that while there Tukufu learned the Hunoi people were once the Hunac’s who were a client family of the valC.
I know there isn’t a lot of traffic here but I wanted people to have the chance to speak up if there are parts of our history they specifically want me to leave out. I think the above is fair, without giving away too much of our history.
June 25, 2017 at 11:31 am #275600AnonymousInactiveIf its appeared in a module, go ahead. Not everyone would have found the bits and pieces.
June 26, 2017 at 4:21 am #275601AnonymousInactiveHi Tukufu (Eric)
Seems reasonable to me. Truthfully I would give out as little as possible at this stage, but it sounds like you owe quite a favour.
I hope that things worked out with Belinay. Sorta worked doesn’t sound as good as it could be.
I’m intrigued. Do they know that you (Tukufu) has connection to the valC? Or do they just think he is a knowledgable guy and asked about valC?
There is no part in particular that I would ask you to leave out. I trust you cousin.
June 26, 2017 at 8:43 pm #275602frootsnaxParticipantThe AR for the mini mission will look something like…
“You were part of a small group of friends and colleagues that attempted to help Tukufu unravel the mysterious hold that Matias Spirit-Mount holds over the women of the Golden Court. During an evening meal, you were part of the discovery that an almond sized piece of “soul-stuff” was wrapped around the heart of Tukufu’s wife Belinay. This echoes some whispered blasphemies allegedly practiced by renegade Beltinians in the First imperium. The piece of “soul-stuff” was not affected by spells or powers that target spirits or shades.
The piece of “soul-stuff” was removed, but at the cost of damaging Belinay’s soul. While wintering and recovering in Enpyben, the location of the Well of Souls was conveyed to the Temple of Beltine. It was discovered in return that Matias Spirit-Mount did not consult the Temple of Beltine in Enpyben despite his claims to the contrary.
Despite the cost to Belinay, Tukufu is deeply grateful for your support and owes you a pretty big favor”
Not the victory I was hoping for, but a pretty good use of a few late night hours. In the spirit of ‘real friends help you move bodies’ I think I owe something to Josh Elliot/Oswald Val Inares. He knows OOC that Tukufu is valC. In character he is asking because Tukufu owns a bookstore and stuff.
June 26, 2017 at 11:36 pm #275603AnonymousInactiveDon’t forget to include the picture on pg71 of the Blessed Lands book.
There is also a Y2 adventure where Lianna was named in text but I can’t remember which one. Throw that reference in as well about the goddess’ name.
Oh, and give him an actual scroll that is usable in game. Possibly called ‘musings on the 13th Family’
![\":twisted:\"](\"{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_twisted.gif\" "\\"Twisted")
June 27, 2017 at 10:46 pm #275606AnonymousInactiveHi would probably include any feel good stories that you can. Bit of positive propaganda for the family
Like the one about the VC that stopped the invasion but history refers to him as just a general (its in the blessed lands book, coded section. I don’t have my notes with me.)
basically use the opportunity if you can to build some allies. We may need them
June 28, 2017 at 6:30 am #275607frootsnaxParticipantHere is a rough draft of what I am thinking of sending …
PART 1
Oswald-
If you were not a trusted friend … and if I was not in your debt for your generous help, then I would try to find weasel out of your questions about the val’Cessari. I could claim total ignorance. And I would certainly not lack for plausibility or company. What most of the world knows about the val’Cessari (if they have heard the name at all) can be summed up in the statement, “General Calemnon says that an individual named Merric val’Cessari is the Destroyer.”
Who is Merric? Where is Merric? What forces does Merric command? I can say in all honesty that I don’t know. Just like everyone else. I do know if someone like Calemnon was hunting me, I’d be hiding under the biggest rock I could find. On the far side of the world.
But it happens I quietly know more about Merric’s family than just about anyone else you might meet. I’ve gained this knowledge by various avenues including my addiction to the written word and a very strange adventure into the Sea of Grass.
I am not alone in this knowledge. Both the Inquisition of the Mother Church and the Legion of the Black Sun (currently residing in Nishanpur) know of the val’Cessari family and are actively taking steps to suppress knowledge of them. So I hope you will understand that this knowledge is potentially dangerous and that I am eager to avoid any further notice by these two groups.
In all honesty I am deeply ambivalent about sharing what I know. But you have asked. So I am answering.
Lets start with a book.
If you are serious about learning more about the val Cessari then you need to read the Chronicle of the Invisible Kings. If you can find a copy. There are not many in existence. It was penned by the scholar Aldemerius Birigio, the 28th Abbot of Rell and was almost immediately censored in the year 1012 when The Inquisition of the Mother Church placed it on their Roster of Banned Works. And poor Aldemerius quickly became known as the “Heretic,” the “Mad,” and (my favorite) the “Black Abbot.”
I have managed to peak inside its covers. Prince Walter of Maren once owned a copy, though it was concealed as a palimpsest titled Managing an Orchard. However he died recently and I believe the late Prince had it sent to the Dovitoni family in Savona. I do not know what happened to it from there. I can tell you that the author thought that there was a so called 14th Imperial House in addition to the thirteen great val families we are familiar with. He named this house the val’Cessari and also bestowed upon them the sobriquet of the Invisible Kings. Aldemerius asserted that despite the fact that their line once included Imperators of the Imperium of Man, that they are currently a smaller and more fragmented house than even the val’Baucisz or the val’Haupt.
The val’Cessari allegedly descend from a valinor of the “Gentlest Goddess.” In most version of myth this Goddess was the daughter of Illiir and Saulwe and had dominion over the mind. Though there are variations on this theme. In Enpyben, the Temple of Beltine suggested that the Gentlest was the daughter of Beltine and Neroth. All variations do agree that She was consumed by the Other in the opening moves of the Gods War. In myths at least one of Her valor survived the conflict and was permitted to start a line of vals honoring both Her memory and Her followers service.
The symbol of the val’Cessari is an open eye. There are lots of people (and things) that use an eye as their symbol, so this can be confusing. However it seems overwhelmingly likely to me that the section of the undercity we explored as part of the resolution between Isul Khan Daxio and Venu Khan Forso was an ancient laboratory of some member of the val’Cessari family. the psionic golems and carved eye symbols are highly suggestive.
As befits the children of the Goddess of the Mind, they were supposedly master manipulators and brilliant leaders.
One set of myths suggests that the val’Cessari manipulated the val’Mehan into starting the Blood War. A pretty good trick if true! Are you familiar with the Blood War? It mostly marks the end of the Golden Age of the Imperium of Man as I understand it. The (then more numerous) val families discovered they could ritually caniblilize each other to steal their bloodline powers. But it only worked between val families of the same deity. Presumably the val’Cessari were the only descendants of the Gentlest and had no direct rivals. If this story is true then the family’s power in the Imperium of Man must have increased dramatically as everyone else descended into horror slaughter and madness.
June 28, 2017 at 6:31 am #275608frootsnaxParticipantPART 2
On the other hand there are myths that speak of greatness and self sacrifice. I can report to you that Xiothun was the last known val’Cessari to wield real political power in the Imperium of Man. During the War of Empires period he was known as Xiothun val’Rankin and he led his legions to victory after victory until he was exposed to be of the val’Cessari bloodline.
At which point the Imperial Court sentenced him to death. (from this we can infer that the val’Cessari had fallen from power and were bereft of allies) The legions under Xiothun were unwilling to turn on their brilliant and victorious General, who had racked up victory after victory against the Myrantians and Ossarion enemies. Xiothun may have been the greatest Imperium general since Kai val’Shi and almost certainly could have attempted to seize the Throne of Man in defiance of the Imperial Court. He didn’t. Xiothun was afraid internal turmoil would be terrible for the Imperium he loved when it was actively threatened by external enemies. So after delivering a farewell speech in which he claimed to be the last of the val’Cessari line, General Xiothun committed suicide.His sacrifice ensured continued stability for a generation or more, till lesser men slowly squandered his gains leading to the Imperium’s nadir of the Massacre at Erbo River.
This history is not easy to access. As I have mentioned, the Inquisition of the Mother Church appears to ban all literature that references the val’Cessari family and censure any would-be authors. But beyond that, that the undead members of the secret reason why the Legion of the Black Sun apparently exist is to erase any evidence or artifacts of the val’Cessari having ever existed.
I wrote a letter concerning my travels to the Sea of Grass with several companions including Comma and Kavaris. I ended my letter saying that an ancient fortress was destroyed while we hid in the grass and watched it burn. But that is one of only two direct lies I have ever penned in my letters. In reality, using a combination of Clairvoyance and Distant Steps we entered the stone structure undetected by the Legion of the Black Sun and looted it before they destroyed it. We now secretly know that it was an ancient Abbey of the val’Cessari and it contained a number of “Memory Crystals” that contained the family’s history. Sadly many were burnt out so our knowledge remains spotty. Though almost everything I learned from the chronicle of the Invisible Kings was corroborated and confirmed.
I also saved a golden mask from that site that contains the intellect of Piotr Hunak, who was a first Imperium servant of the val’Cessari family. It is capable of communicating with psionically active people who wear it…though conversations with it are difficult and its answers to questions are erratic and perhaps unreliable. Given the long millennia since its creation, we are lucky it still does anything at all. I have some hopes that when I have better specific questions to ask it, I may yet gain more information about the val’Cessari from it.
As someone who understands what it means to have powerful enemies I trust you will be discrete with this information. And protect my roll in sharing it with you. I need neither the Inquisition nor the Legion of the Black Sun to take an active interest in me any more than you need the val’Ossan’s of Milandir taking an interest in you.
Really, it would be better if you burned this after you are done reading it. I hate the fact I am signing this. But that’s how friends close letters.
Peace and prosperity find & favor you
-Tukufu
June 28, 2017 at 10:56 am #275609AnonymousInactiveLooks good.
June 28, 2017 at 10:50 pm #275611AnonymousInactiveI would leave out the bit about they eye.
It is the secret sign of the family and if it fell into the wrong hands by accident then many innocents may suffer.
Marco.
June 28, 2017 at 11:35 pm #275613frootsnaxParticipantOkay. Will remove the eye
June 29, 2017 at 7:26 am #275614AnonymousInactiveNice work I think.
Tukufu’s stuff is always fun to read.
June 29, 2017 at 2:41 pm #275616AnonymousInactiveIf this is going to Josh Elliott (who I consider a very good friend), you know his goal is to rat out the family, right? I was bluntly made aware of this at Origins.
Since my valC is in the Mother Church Inquisition, working behind the scenes to suppress as much information as possible at the family (especially from fellow Inquisitors), I am obviously not too keen on this. Might I suggest an ‘edible arrangement’ as a thank you gift instead of our heavily guarded family secrets..
![\":D\"](\"{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_e_biggrin.gif\" "\\"Very")
Best,
Joe
June 29, 2017 at 3:11 pm #275617drafitParticipantI have to agree with Joe.
While I understand the debt Tukufu might feel towards a friend who helped him during a crisis, this seems almost self-destructive.
You guys sure you want to let the cat of out the bag?
To be fair, the secret of the Invisible Kings will slowly be discovered over the current story arc, but it won’t be in one massive data dump.
Anyway, it’s up to you guys on what you want to do. You all worked hard to receive this reward and I’ll abide by whatever it is that you wish to reveal.
July 1, 2017 at 1:10 am #275628AnonymousInactiveYou guys know my opinion. Again, I go back to the Cessari doc. Our family triggered the blood war. The existence of the family is so secretive for that reason that only the highest members of the Inquistion are allowed to know about them, everything from the Abbot of Rell is considered heresy, and even family sub-groups are so afraid of the existence being known they are willing to kill off family members who violate the secrecy. I realize the story will come out over time, but can anyone actually see an upside to our becoming known?
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