Musings of a Canadian Nierite. . .

No problem Henry. When I posted it, I knew we weren’t in the Spoilers thread, but I figured I’d answer the question with more detail anyway. Thank you.

Ah LA-SP4-15 Secret’s of the Serpent’s Teeth. I wondered about this mention of the valossan empire. And with the recent release of the History of Blessed Lands the wheels in my head continue to turn.
Valossa was a Ssethric city located in the center of where the Pirates Isles are now. It was created after the Elorii initiated their coup, by a group of Yigites that fled. The land was destroyed when a Cult of the Unspeakable One attempted to summon the Unspeakable One onto Onara. This also made the Pirates Isles what they are today.
Valossan Empire was the small empire they had going in the area. Note these are the Ssethrics who would have used the Pengik as slaves. Any snake/Ssethric mention in the Hinterlands could be pointed back to this Empire.
val’Ossan- the Val family that was created by a Valinor of Yarris.
Ossarion Empire- This Empire was mentioned in the new Blessed Lands History as an enemy of the First Imperium. With many mysteries attached to them. Like where they were located and what happened to them when they were defeated.

Anyway back to the module. On pg 6 in the adventure summary it mentions the tunnels being explored are from the time of Valossan Empire.
On pg 7 it states that PC can catch an overview glimpse of the val’Ossan cities sunken below the tunnels.
Also on pg 7 it states the city is pre-Imperium, and that there are prayers to the God of the Seas written on the walls.

On the one hand its a little hard to trust information that’s allegedly passed from a talking mouse to a talking jackal to the first Ehtzartas. Come to think of it, only an idiot believes everything an Ehtzarta says too. And the story presented is not on four corners with some other material …

Still. Very interesting stuff.

On the one hand its a little hard to trust information that’s allegedly passed from a talking mouse to a talking jackal to the first Ehtzartas. Come to think of it, only an idiot believes everything an Ehtzarta says too. And the story presented is not on four corners with some other material …

Still. Very interesting stuff.

It has the tantalizing merit of being very specific, which imo ups the possible impact of it’s inaccuracies.

The Vault: Arkhosian history shows up in Pebbles Upon Still Water IIRC. It’s possible to find and talk to a Kurenthe`-cursed Eloran spirit who says something about being unable to move on until “honor is restored.”
My guess is either the ejection of the Pit that moved in or War of Vengeance.

Hello,

An elorii spirit, huh? Hmmm…they must be very rare as I’ve never seen evidence of such a thing outside of this one occurrence.

Strange…

The memory plays tricks, sir.
Could just be one of those at play in my grey meats.

Here we go:

Encounter 10
Until Honor Is Restored
As you move closer to the city, you can see that the walls of Arkosia have been stained a deep brownish red. Some areas of the walls seem to have movement on them, though you cannot make out the details from here. Every so often, the ground trembles slightly, and you can hear the deep guttural growls of some massive creature in the distance. The grass closer to Arkosia shows the wear of heavy traffic, being worn completely away in several spots.
As you continue to move closer to the fortress, someone moves out from behind a ruin. It is an Elorii, one who towers high into the air much like Xerxes. His skin and robes alike are completely grey, as if all color had been drained from him. After a few moments, you realize that it is possible to look through him. He, in turn, seems to be looking directly at you, his expression grave and sad. “You must go back,” he says, his voice hollow. “I beseech you.”
Elorii PCs automatically know that there is never such a thing as an “Elorii ghost.” Any Elorii that dies returns to the Orumar to be reborn. For one of their people to be trapped as an undead is unthinkable – and terrifying.
Who are you?
“I am damned. But once, I was known as T’Lenauth, High Sorcerer of Arkosia.”
Why must we turn back?
“I would not have you throw your lives away by marching into the Ssethregoran Pit. I will not allow any more to die because of my shame.”
I thought that there were no Elorii ghosts?
“I betrayed my goddess and gave away her most precious gift; my life. When I called upon the blood curse, I doomed us all. Elorii and men, even the forest itself, all suffered because of my hate. And so I am now cursed to this place. I cannot leave, nor can I stem the ever-flowing chaos that seeps from the sore I placed upon the earth. I can only watch, and warn, and mourn.”
Why did you call upon the death curse?
“Humanity’s treachery had forced us back. We were not ready for our new friends to turn against us. They took us by surprise and struck savagely, but we are not so easily defeated. We regrouped and met the armies of man head on… and then it was their turn to rout. It was in their darkest moment that these traitors, these Men, called upon their usurper gods and beseeched them for help.
“The skies opened up, and the winged Valinor hosts fell upon us. The slaughter began anew, and we fell back to the forests. Arkosia was one of our last strongholds. The Valinor and their humans came here to finish what they had started, to put an end to our people. The rubble you see all around you is a result of that war.
“They tore through our gates and washed Arkosia with our blood. They were relentless and without mercy… and my hate for them was so strong that I invoked the Kurenthe and turned their treacherous souls back upon them. The armies of man fell upon each other with the same savagery they had shown in attacking us. Many ran in fear as the rest slew one other. The invading army shattered and fell to pieces.
“But this was no victory. Half of my people abandoned the city, fearing what the blood curse would bring. Those that stayed behind were soon driven mad, and turned upon each other as the humans had. And as for me… I am bound here, to see my handiwork and dwell upon my crime.
“Now that you have heard my tale, you must turn back. I can not allow you to go further.”
Is there anything that we can do to free you?
“Every day I hear my own words whispered on the wind…’until honor is restored’. I know that is the key to my curse. Belisarda must forgive me. This is why I wish you no harm, not even the humans. I have done enough evil for a hundred lifetimes, and it will take a hundred more for me to atone.” He then turns and looks back towards the fortress. “They are coming soon. Leave NOW. Go!”

I don’t guess -if I have alternatives.

True, but it’s as good a source as any other (ie; zero alternatives) and I prefer to move away from total ignorance as a rule.

He’s also the one who pronounced his own Kurenthe, which gives him a certain authority on the subject.

That said, it’s entirely possible that we think he’s a “ghost” because there isn’t a better frame of reference for his circumstances. Notably he doesn’t contradict the questioner about his that when he hears, “I thought that there were no Elorii ghosts.”

Problem is the “so what?”

If he’s not a genuine ghost, an unquantified thing unto itself, then A) what is he, B) what’s the difference and C) what does that matter?

It could be that a genuine ghost is so because it’s explicitly the soul of a dead person missing from it’s appointed date with the Cauldron.
In that case there could be no true Elorii ghosts because they do not head that way after corporeal separation.

T’Lenauth also understands the term “ghost” and offers no reciprocal term or correction, so if it’s not the exact right fit it’s close enough for the purposes of his tragic history and consequent dire warning.

It looks like a difference without a distinction.

Edit: oh, right yeah I missed that -yeah, I get your angle now, Henry.

Though again we’re back where we started. If he’s lying what about, why, and so what?

It’s not like I’m disinterested, just that doubt and $2 gets you a cheap cup of coffee. The insinuation of deceptions and secrets in the absence of evidence is just busy work for electrons.

It’s not like I’m disinterested, just that doubt and $2 gets you a cheap cup of coffee. The insinuation of deceptions and secrets in the absence of evidence is just busy work for electrons.
One of my favourite things about this campaign is the fact that we are kept guessing. I enjoy the fact that historical information presented in the rulebooks is written from a bias, and that we can’t assume everything written is correct. It lends a level of realism to the campaign that many fantasy settings lack.

It can occasionally be a little frustrating to not know, and we have to trust that Uncle Henry will eventually reveal all, but in the meantime it can be fun to wonder. You not only have to think about what was said, but also who said it and why they said it. Many times throughout the life of the campaign Henry has alluded to things that are going to happen years down the road, and it is only looking back upon it after the fact that it becomes clear what he was talking about.

…snip…Cuz I really want to discuss theories and speculate about topics like what Cody’s come up with, but I’m not sure that I wasn’t just told to not bother because I risking perpetrating an assumption based on information I don’t have or didn’t see.

Please. Help me out here…snip…
Now that’s a much more well edited post!

I also believe that in *exceptional* circumstances eloran souls may be diverted from the Ourumar. At Winter Fantasy of 2004 (Lo now 11 long long years ago) the low level special table from Sibling Rivalry rescued a Kelekene named Alendros who sent them just within the edge of the Vastwood to a small “Kurenthe Pocket” where time was out of whack. There I’m told the PCs interacted with Eloran & Nierite spirits trapped in an endless recycling battle, ended the curse and freeing the spirits of both sides to go to their final rest.

I was not at the table, but someone at a con told me about this alleged event, so I have an old set of notes on it. Its the only time I’ve ever heard any words that the effects of a Kuerenthe could be ended by “mortal level” intervention. Its possible no one who has heard of this event believes it. Or its possible that someone was pulling my leg … but offhand I doubt that’s so.