Sangraal starts once everyone is seated and comfortable.

“I spent most of this winter in study and with Yelms blessings much was revealed to me.” With that said Sangraal begins telling of the findings from his time at Aigurval.


[OOC: For speeds sake I have compiled everything Sangraal has learned. ]

Sangraals Research

Introduced NPC Characters

Hvari – Tribune of the Dawn Triumvirate. Becomes a trusted mentor to Sangraal.

Varamon – Eldest Tribune of the Dawn Triumvirate. Very powerful warrior. Leader of the Brotherhood of the Dawn.


Spotting the Grey Disk in the Temple of Aigurval

Sangraal continues to look around the place and quickly notices a familiar object. Sitting atop a nearby crate is a flat disk of grey stone. It takes him a moment to recall where he saw the thing last. Hvari notices his fixation.

"I was hoping you would remember that device... from what you told me of the watchtower on the coast road."

Sangraal snaps his fingers. "The seal to the Chaos shrine! Kezib and I found it beneath the watchtower, but that fiend Gulkhu stole it that very night."

"Yes, good." Hvari purrs. "There were eight of these disks, of varying size, as I understand it. Their origin is still a mystery to us, but Varamon is certain that the Shadows want them... badly. From what you tell they have captured yet another disk, which leaves just three remaining - this one, the massive disk that holds shut the shrine beneath Old Kurlew, and the last rema! ins unaccounted for."

Seeming to change the subject, Hvari inquires "Sangraal, have you ever come across any mention of the Drowning Dawn, or perhaps the Heart or Song of Fire?"

Conversing with Hvari on the Drowning Dawn

Hvari grins. "We found some heretics and extracted what may be useful information. They were agents of a sect called the Poisoners. Assassins mostly."

"They were reluctant to talk but Yelm overcame their fear," Hvari says ironically. "Though they were incoherent at times, these words 'Drowning Dawn' and 'Song of Fire' figured prominently. The Drowning Dawn seems to be something they want to achieve, and the Song of Fire something they fear, or seek to control."

"I find this interesting in light of your tale, Sangraal. We did not know much of the wizard Edrigan, or of his partnership with Koraeus in defending the Nral valley. An admirable aim, I must admit. Yet consider: Edrigan was known as a mage of fire and now he is gone."

"And the mace of Irigaal, a thing of fire. Now gone," Hvari continues. "Furthermore, last week I received word from the Isselwaith tha! t Durmunda, a potent ally of the Firewalker cult, has disappeared. Could the ilk of Chaos are flailing blindly, destroying anything in their reach that even resembles this Song of Fire? We need to know more."

Revealing Iran Aros’s scrolls to Hvari

Hvari looks over the scrolls for a long time, a grave look passing over his face. His fingers trace the outlines of the strange arching characters.

"Indeed they do match what is on the stone. I have found no one who is able to understand the strange language. In fact, what Irian discovered only makes the mystery that much more profound."

Sangraal quickly runs through the questions that have been haunting his mind, but Hvari has few answers. Instead, the veteran priest gathers up the scrolls and rolls them into a tight bundle while he considers their contents.

"Varamon should see these. He knows more of the stones than I. When he returns from -"

Meeting Varamon

From the main hall outside Sangraal's quarters a thunderous boom echoes through the complex as the massive double doors of the entrance way are hammered open. Hvari and Sangraal quickly hustle out into the chamber and are soon joined by a half dozen young acolytes, some still in their nightshirts. The massive armored form of Varamon strides through the hall, calling out for Hvari with a bassoon growl. He is soaked to the skin as an icy rain lashes through the open doors and into the meeting hall.

Through a bushy beard covered in flakes of ice and snow, Varamon booms "come!" and strides back out into the storm. Hvari and Sangraal follow, along with whatever acolytes were fortunate enough to have put on their boots.

In the rainy courtyard outside, Varamon marches up to a large wagon, a pair of anxious mules hitched to their yokes, twitching in the brutal downpour! . Sangraal and Hvari just reach the edge of the wagon when the barrel-chested Varamon throws aside a large square of canvas to reveal a twisted beast laying in the shadows of the wagon.

The thing is silent and dead. It is a long, sinuous beast - much like a snake but with avian features around its massive head. Sangraal recognizes it instantly as a chillserpent, though one considerably smaller than the one he faced in the Cairnhollow. As if the beast itself wasn't disturbing enough, Sangraal and Hvari both notice something entirely out of place on the creature. Hvari speaks first.

"It has wings."

"Yes," Varamon replies, his bile rising. "Chillserpents don't have wings," he insists. The huge warrior exchanges knowing glances with Hvari before sighing "we've run out of time, brother."

In an hour Varamon has looked over Irian's scrolls and is deep within the pages of Sangraal's story. Hvari and Sangraal sit quietly while the senior member of the Dawn Triumvirate digests the new information.

Sangraal doesn't know much about Varamon except that he is a tireless crusader against Chaos, and is famous for the weapon he wields: a massive heavy mace called Retribution. It is said to have been forged by a Runelord of Yelm before the Lunar invasion, but the identity of that champion has been lost.

Reaching the end of what little Sangraal and his scribe have been able to get onto paper, Varamon leans back and grumbles under his breath.

"Tomorrow we go an see the Swordelders. This concerns them as well. Perhaps they can lend some answers to this riddle."

[OOC: Went to the sword elders and they tossed us out on our ears. Wouldn’t converse with us at all about our findings. Now after running into the golem and fighting Yashai Sangraal believes he knows why.]

Speaking with Varamon and Hvari about the Grey Disks

Hvari whispers "we've noticed a number of strange occurrences, and made some disturbing discoveries. At first they were merely unusual, such as a cat with a forked tongue, or rats with the eyes of flies. These little beasts stank of Chaos, but were random and rare."

"In autumn Varamon came across the source of these mutations: a coven of Draud who were using one of these grey stone disks in some sort of elaborate ceremony. We surrounded the coven and wiped them out, thus securing the disk that sits in the tower above."

"In the diary of the Imperial Legate of Thasvara, from during the occupation, we found some vague reference to the disks and how they were used to seal off the Chaos shrines along the coast. While the potency of the artifacts remained unknown to us, we knew then that there were eight of them, and that they were part of some larger mechanism, or device."

"Or forge," Varamon interrupts. "The Legate used the word 'forge.'" The big man returns to his reading.

"Yes," Hvari continues. "And we surmised that additional disks, when combined, would increase the potency of the mutations. We hoped that we could locate these objects before they could be used in earnest to create something terrible, but it appears we have lost that race. Now there is no telling what hideous beasts will be unleashed on our people."

Sangraal finds the Map

Late into the second month of winter, sitting silently in a dusty cell of the temple, Sangraal makes an unexpected discovery. While translating one of hundreds of ship manifests - Lunar supply vessels passed regularly from the Empire to Moagara during the occupation - he notices a word that jogs his memory: Zagam.

Sangraal soon accumulates a number of references to this word. In a list of the Lunar priests that accompanied Lord Marshall Darqai (and Wulfwaru and Zhvedros as well) to Old Kurlew to fight Slaeg Gnara he finally ascertains the source of the word. Vues Zagam was a Lunar warpriest, a name he recalls seeing on the tiny map of the Shadow Cult shrines he found among the documents in the Fortress of Lead.

After two days of feverish searching, Sangraal finally locates a bundle of the war priest's official documents. Among them he finds a copy of the map.

www.jubilex.com/moagara/temples.jpg

Researching the Red Edict

Sangraal doesn't have far to look. Warpriest Zagam makes some commentary on the Red Edict in his personal journals (the Lunars are always rambling on about something). According to him the Red Edict was an imperial command to seal the eight Shadow Cult shrines along the coast rather than destroy them. Zagam surmised that more inquisitive Lunar priests had convinced the Emperor that they could be worth further study, but also notes that Zulquerzarhen (the Emperor's son) was very interested in the shrines when he visited Moagara during the occupation.

Zagam also relates the proscribed method for how the shrines were sealed: by using a collection of gray stone disks taken from an ancient, subterranean complex near Qaede. The disks, it was learned after much investigation, could be used to facilitate a wide variety of magical effects. They not only amplified a priest's power,! but also allowed him to mimic arcane magic despite having no skill in the sorcerous arts.

Consulting Hvari on the Map

Hvari is intrigued by the map and congratulates Sangraal on a job well done. "Research was never my strength," Hvari quips.

The elder priest admits, however, that the only reason he knew that there were eight disks was because that's what he and Varamon learned from several captured cultists last spring. The map does seem to confirm this rumor.

The disk currently locked in the tower above the Aighurval, Hravi reveals, was taken from the Draud outside Yvud, so it could have come from shrine 8. The Brotherhood found the shrines at 5, 6 and 7 several years ago and though they found the stone doors that would have born the disks, each of them had been breached. Likewise, according to Sangraal's own account, the disk at shrine 4 had been borne away by Gulkhu and his broo warband.

With disk 8 secure, and 4,5,6 & 7 gone, that leaves only shrines 1, 2 & 3. The fate of those disks is currently unknown, Hvari concludes.

"It also may be worthwhile," he adds, "to investigate this 'arcane forge' up at Qaede. It may reveal more about the disks."

In Conclusion

Synopsis of Sangraals Theory

The forces of Chaos are attempting to weaken, captured, killed, kidnapped or bind Humakt. Sangraal don't know why or how exactly and every time the party has approached the Humakt priests the party has been not so kindly escorted away. Humakt is the Lord of Oaths. The party knows of two oaths. You are born and you die. If Humakt is not around to enforce the second oath, then it would be easy to create an army of undead. Unleash a tsumani, kill tens of thousands and then start the mass zombie factory.

Sangraal believes that the golum seen in the catacombs is connected to the attack on the Hamukt temple in Raven’s Gate. Yashai was using it and would not flee without it when we attacked the catacombs. The golem’s appearance in Dobrug indicates an attack on the Humakt temple in Dobrug was most likely thwarted by the party. We should inquire to see if any other Humakt temples have been attacked.

The drowning dawn is going to be catastrophic. All the temples on the map were along the coast lines. Grugni left her home because of the bard Nuali who told her a great storm was coming and everything would be washed away. The disks themselves are part of a larger doomsday device. The Forge located on the map Sangraal found holds the clues to what the doomsday device is. Sangraal also believes that it has to do with “Salhaug” but he’s not sure how.

The theory is futher supported by the words of Brother Ithmond.

“The golem. She has served her purpose, and has done so much better than the Kurashk anticipated. The Lightbringers are weak without the Lord of Oaths. Have no fear. The Path is secure, save those two remaining stones. Soon the Drowning Dawn will be upon them and your kind will have their prize.”

Sangraal has formulated a theory on what the forces of chaos are planning. Sangraal knows there are holes in it but the larger picture he believes is solid.

Outline of suspected Chaos plot

1. Find the grey disks.
This phase is almost done. There are only 3 disks that are not accounted for. The three shrines are located in Lusing, Rhylva and Bullulds island.

2 .Stay Humakts hand - suspend the oaths.
The attacks on the Humakt temples. Not sure about what this portents. But with the golem buried under the rubble we may have halted an attack.

3. Join the disks.
The disks most likely will be joined at the forge.

4. Tsunami time.
Speculation on Sangraals part by cross correlating information gathered. Multiple references to theThe Drowning Dawn. All the sealed shrines on the map are along the coastline. Bard Nuali’s warning to Grungi of a coming storm.

5. Zombie hordes overrun moagara.
Again speculation on Sangraals part but with the vast amount of necromantic items found, Lyssa’s pursuit of a necromantic broo shaman coming out of Osender carring a grey disk and the involvement of the Shadowrakers all point to a heavy necromantic influence. A massive disaster would provide all the corpses needed to build an army.


Future paths

1. Go to the Humakt temple in Dobrug and inform them of the gloems location and its past use in an attack on a Humakt temple. The knowledge might be enough to garner some useful information from the swordelders. Its obvious they know more then they are letting on.

2. Find out the meaning of the following words:
Lord of Blackfathom
Drowning Dawn
Xoraith
Song of Fire
Hear of Fire
Salhaug

3. Send message to the Brotherhood of the Dawn that the temple might be openly or covertly attacked in an attempt to get the grey disk.

3. Split up into 2 groups and go after the remaining disks. There are 3 shrines and 2 disks left. Lyssa interception leaves us with a guess. Sangraal is pretty sure that the shrine on the island of Bulluld is intact. The other two shrines in Lusing and Rhylva are question marks. Sangraal thinks Lusing is the shrine to go for since the broo band that Lyssa intercepted was coming out of Osender and most likely was part of the large broo band that split up before going after Grugni’s house. That makes its target to most liekly have been Rylva.

So Lusing and Bulluld's Island are the two they should search.

4. After finding out about the last of the disks the party meets up in Thasvara. With Sangraals brotherhood located there it would be a place that they could all find each other quickly. Once everyone is back together we go after the forge.

[OOC: The above plan that Sangraal lays out is a proposed course of action.]

Edited by: yucatanyeti at: 1/9/05 9:00 pm