01 - 11/14/22 : The Pride That Divides

 

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  Our tale begins at what should be an ending. In the seaside capital of Pontus Tinigal, grandest among the cities of Oceanus , a circular overlook of white flagstone stands in defiance against the chopping waves and rising mists. A chill grips the air as the clouds gather and the gulls fill the air, anticipating the leavings of the massing citizens. They come not to spy ships coming and going, but to watch a man die.   A wooden gallows stands upon the overlook, its wooden skeleton standing strong as a monument to the crown's ability and willingness to adjudicate a man's final fate. Three figures are escorted to the risen platform, where three of the reaper's own nooses toss gently in the sea-spray.   The figures are fitted with their grim wreathes of rope one at a time; a tiefling man with skin the color of charred wood and locks the hues of flame and smoke, his eyes clouded and distant; a human woman of sharp gazes and sharper features, her military background evident even in the way she draws breath; and a human man of at least sixty winters, with hair of quicksilver and a forehead made to wear a crown, his stance regal and filled with purpose even in the face of oblivion.   Before the three stands an elf; clearly a man of the sea, dressed in the finery of an admiral in shades of blue and gold. He stands ominously near the lever primed for deliverance, and unravels a scroll carefully. After waiting for the crowd to silence themselves, he speaks.   "Dagult Ambermantle of Revelmoore, once of Pontus Tinigal. You are brought here for you and your accomplices to stand in judgment before the Crown of the Oceans Blue and the gods themselves. You stand convicted of the crimes of sedition, treason, grand treason, unlawful use of magic with intent to do harm, proclaiming of false royal lineage against the divinely established line of succession, amassing forces to do harm against Oceanus and her people, and conspiracy to incite rebellion against the Crown of the Oceans Blue. For these crimes, you are your accomplices, as well as any of those found guilty of conspiring alongside you, are sentenced to hang from the neck until death, after which your remains will be interred and warded against resurrection and necromantic communion. In accordance with the laws of Oceanus, you are allowed a final statement. What say you in your defense?"   Of kingly bearing even with roughshod rope encircling his neck, Dagult Ambermantle gazes out to the sea, to the castle reigning from the bluffs above, and to the people gathered to see his fall. He looks to each tired former soldier, each beleaguered widow, and finally to a younger man of red hair and eyes so much like his own. With his chin held high, the would-be king of Oceanus speaks.   "I look upon this land, my childhood home, and what do I see?" he asks, his voice carrying weight far beyond is volume, cutting through the din of waves and creaking wood. "I do not see the oceanic paradise written of by my ancestors. I do not see a place of hope and dignity, but instead a shade of past glories. I see a crown used as a weight upon its people, instead of a guiding star to the seas beyond. Admiral Ildessalar, I do not recognize the legal authority of this place you call Oceanus, for to my eyes, it is Oceanus in name only. Gone is the spirit of the sea, gone is the storm that stood against the Overking of Old and won freedom. There is only a false kingdom built upon the backs of the enslaved and exploited."   The murmurs continue to grow. The guards shift about uncomfortably, yet the elven admiral stands stoic and stone-faced.     "I do not deny what I have done. I never have, and never will. I act for the Oceanus of days past, that she may be brought into the future to stand against the tyranny of bard's gate, the unrestrained opulence of Revelmoore, and the overlong reign of the Foere Crown. I do not promise a path of ease free from hardship; I can only promise that I will not forget any and all who struggle alongside me to attain an Oceanus worth the pride its crown demands. If these are transgressions against the crown, then so be it. My words and deeds will carry on far beyond my mortal means."   As if to answer, the clouds above crackle with lightning and swell with pressure. Admiral Ildessalar breathes deeply and places a hand on the nearby lever, the last barrier between man and fate. "Your last words have been noted and recorded, that we may remember the madness that brought you to commit your misdeeds. Now, by the power invested in me by Quell , The Sea King, Lord of the Blue and God of the Oceans, I shall carry out the punishment decreed by King Roderigo D'velas, King of the Oceans Blue. May the gods have…"   Yet another CRACK! rings out from the overlook, as if a deity took offense to the proclamation and delivered a sound judgment from above. As the crowd regains their vision following the flash, they are greeted by the sight of the gallows aflame.   Admiral Ildessalar moves to draw the saber at his side and make a call to order, only to be stopped by the timely arrival of an arrow through his throat. As the words struggle to navigate through the maze of wood and blood, an archer wearing the colors of the Crown raises his fist and screams a rallying cry; "Death to the crown! Long live King Ambermantle!"   The shout is barely carried past the stark white flagstone, but its sentiment rocks the very foundation of Pontus Tinigal. As blades are drawn and the fires of rebellion are stoked, Dagult Ambermantle stands firm upon the burning gallows, a satisfied smile on his face. Once again his eyes lock with those of the red-haired scion in the crowd, the son he left so along ago when he could not be entrusted with his kingly dreams. Renaer looks back to his father and makes a motion for his own blade, only to be tugged at the sleeve. His gaze turns to the face of his fellow agent and wife, Bonziel, who pleads with him to flee. "Renaer, he has friends here. We need to go. Live to fight another day."   His teeth gritted, Renaer looks back to his father. No words are exchanged; none are needed when their shared oceanic eyes convey all there is left to say. Like to sides of a coin, never to meet, father and son are once again separated as Renaer flees with his dwarven companion.   As frantic hands loose the rope around his throat, Dagult turns to look at the palace of Oceanus. Flame flickers in his eyes and heart alike, as the Usurper's Gambit finally begins.  

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  Thus it was that Oceanus was plunged into civil war, waged between the loyalists of the reigning King Roderigo d'Velas, and the rebels hoisting the banner of Dagult Ambermantle and supporting his bid for the throne.   Two weeks after the miraculously interrupted execution, in the fortified citadel of Almanza Citadel, a small crew of hopeful mercenaries gathered at the base of a set of stone stairs. In this, the strongest bastion of the reigning d'Velas dynasty's might and military power, the three individuals quickly got to know one another while anticipating their meeting with the King.   Cygnus Fractal, Frel, and Eleanor Colfield spoke briefly about their individual reasons for aligning themselves with the ruling Crown Faction in the newly ignited civil war. Eleanor, a noblewoman of Pontus Tinigal, stood to benefit from maintaining the status quo. Frel, an eccentric goblin warrior with dreams of glory and might, saw the contest as a perfect way to showcase her strength of arms. Cygnus, a planar wanderer of disturbingly mechanical mannerisms, sought a quarry elsewhere away from Oceanus, but while his investigation was stalled, he saw the preservation of the d'Velas dynasty and the eventual inheritance of the crown by Princess Cordelia to be a worthy endeavor in the meantime.   After meeting one another, the trio was summoned further into the citadel and soon found themselves in front of King Roderigo d'Velas, who was concluding negotiations with a weapons dealer. The dealer, a duergar woman named Brynmora Ramrider, happily thanked the King for his doing business with the Xanathar Syndicate and promised him only the finest magical weapons acquired from the Undermountain beneath Revelmoore to the north. She paused to bid her cousin Bonziel farewell, and then brushed past the trio of mercenaries on her way out.   The king waved over the three adventurers to seat themselves and outlined what he expected; while the bulk of his forces were committed to fending off the assault by Ambermantle's rebels, the three mercenaries would be deployed to carry out delicate, high-risk operations unsuitable for large platoons of soldiers. He also introduced the newly bound party to several of his advisors and allies:  

• Admiral Baneloch, admiral of Pontus Tinigal and the King's closest military advisor
• Baron Victory, an impressively wealthy tiefling aristocrat contributing a great deal of capital to the crown's military campaign
• Princess Cordelia, the crown princess of Oceanus and a priestess of Quell with impressive knowledge of arcana and spell-craft
• Renaer Ambermantle, Dagult Ambermantle's estranged son and former heir, and an agent of a clandestine organization known as The Masquerade
• Bonziel Ramrider-Ambermantle, elder sister of Raeziel the Xanathar, wife of Renaer, and a fellow agent of the Masquerade

  After the party agreed to the king's terms, he gave them their first assignment; Dagult Ambermantle had somehow come to command a massive adamantium golem that had previously slumbered beneath the waves, and was using this "Shipbreaker" to disrupt the transport of troops loyal to the crown. The party was tasked with destroying the Shipbreaker, and Princess Cordelia advised the party to observe the construct and its reliance on an internal power source in order to discover a potential weakness.   Before departing, Renaer asked to speak to Cygnus near the inner walls of the fort. Frel boldly took charge of her new 'unit' and led them to where Renaer awaited. Renaer's earlier comments about his adventures in his home of Revelmoore had caught Cygnus' attention, just as Cygnus' name had reminded Renaer of he and his friends' conflict against Veszaltyrr Oussndar, the brass sorcerer. Renaer gave a brief overview of his role in the Dragon Heist and confirmed that Veszaltyrr held the relic that Cygnus sought; the Heart of Cygnus, a power core stolen from one of the great cogs of the plane of Mechanus.   Although Renaer was unable to provide any information regarding Veszaltyrr's current whereabouts, the knowledge of the relic's current holder, as well as Veszaltyrr's link to the current High Dragon & Archmage of Revelmoore, Solauvaire, proved invaluable to Cygnus' search, and would be chief among his leads to follow after his involvement in the civil war concluded. With their talk concluded, Renaer left to rejoin Bonziel so that the two of them could meet with representatives of Gellan Primewater, a noble of Saltmarsh to the south.   The trio made their way to an expanse of beach where the Shipbreaker had been spotted, following the trail of Rebellion-loyal soldiers on the way. Cygnus used his powerful clockwork magics to slow the squad of enemies, allowing Frel and Eleanor to close the gap and quickly dispatch their opponents. While this brawl occurred, a massive splash erupted from the nearby waters as the Shipbreaker revealed itself and approached the shore.   Once the Rebellion soldiers were dispatched, the party engaged the Shipbreaker in earnest. The colossal construct, standing over 60 feet tall, unleashed vicious weaponry including massive 'breaker blades', torrents of a superheated flammable gel substance, and a retractable chained wrecking ball.   Cygnus took to the sky with clockwork wings summoned by his sorcery and shielded himself with the lawful magics of Mechanus, while Eleanor moved with supernatural deftness and grace to stride atop the surface of the water as if it were solid ground. Frel sought a more risky route to the Shipbreaker, baiting a shot from the wrecking ball and then grasping it with all her strength, allowing her to ride it while it retracted.   Although the Shipbreaker fought with cold determination and shrugged off even the mightiest blows from Frel's powerful greatsword, the construct was eventually taken down by a concentrated assault of the party working in tandem. The massive golem crashed to the sand, causing sand and sea-spray to erupt in every direction. With his Shipbreaker disabled, Dagult Ambermantle's ability to disrupt the troop movements of The Crown were now greatly hampered. Frel's unit celebrated their victory and then returned to Almanza Citadel to await their next assignment.  

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  In the southwestern portion of the city, Ambermantle Manor stood atop cliffside bluffs where its residents were afforded breathtaking views of landmarks such as The Liberation Wall, the Blue Gate, and Kapichi Point. Within this manor, three grim-faced individuals awaited entry.   Uriel de Rossi, a decorated aasimar soldier of the Oceanus Navy. Stikx, a timid goblin healer in service to Uriel. Elandriel, a scowl-bearing elven ranger and former slave. Together, the three were admitted into the manor by Excella Ambermantle, the lady of the house and Dagult's elderly mother.   Upon entering the dining hall, the trio found Dagult in the middle of negotiations with a roguish elven man, representing the Xanathar Syndicate to sell enchanted weapons to the Rebellion just as they had done for the Crown as well. After finalizing their deal, Davil Cedarfall thanked Dagult for his time, wished him luck in his endeavors, and greeted the newcomers on his way out. Uriel, Stikx, and Elandriel took their seats, with Stikx only doing so after being assured it was fine for him to do so.   Dagult greeted the new arrivals and asked that they identify themselves. The party did so, and Dagult thanked them for coming to pledge their service to his cause. He asked if there were any conditions that they might have for their services; Uriel took the offer to introduce himself as Uriel Ambermantle, an illegitimate son of Dagult's from his time as Open Lord of Revelmoore. His condition was that his mother be given safe shelter in Ambermantle Manor, and that he be given his due as Dagult's heir.   Impressed by his son's forthrightness, Dagult promised safe shelter for Uriel's mother. However, he could not officially declare Uriel his heir so soon; in addition to the difficulty of signing off on and filing the proper declarations regarding his estate, he also wished to see Uriel prove himself a worthy successor to the Ambermantle name. After all, Dagult was championing the cause of merit over the virtue of royal blood alone, and Uriel had big shoes to fill after the disinheritance of his elder half-brother, Renaer. Uriel agreed to this, and vowed to prove himself worthy of that which was his right.   Elandriel's conditions were her freedom following Dagult's victory, and the opportunity to slay the servants of King d'Velas. Dagult immediately declared Elandriel a free woman, stating that he did not wish to hold emancipation over one's head as they fought for him. As for her second condition, Dagult elaborated that he required the trio's services for a strike team to engage with targets outside the capabilities of a normal squad of soldiers, but that her opportunity to do battle with the soldiers of the crown would come soon enough.   Stikx held no conditions, though Dagult encouraged him to hold his head high and act with confidence if he were to wade into the dangerous world of war and strife. With their conditions set out, Dagult welcomed them to the rebellion's cause and laid out their first task; the trio would be sent to an inland coral cave infested with sahuagin, where they would seek a hidden temple in which a magical fountain awaited discovery. The party was to recover a vial of water from this fountain and return it directly to Dagult's hands.   Uriel inquired as to the validity of this mission in regards to it seeming unrelated to the ongoing conflict. Dagult explained that the elimination of the sahuagin mean easier troop movements on the inland part of Pontos Island. As for the vial of water, he admitted that it was something of a self-serving request, but a vital one nonetheless. During his time as Open Lord, he frequently communed with a sentient artifact known as the Stone of Golorr, and repeated interactions with the Stone took a severe toll on Dagult's physical health over time; a fact illustrated when he began to cough up a small amount of blood into a handkerchief. The enchanted water of the hidden fountain would be helpful in treating him so that he could live to claim the Crown of Oceanus.   With their mission laid out before them, the trio gathered their equipment and departed, eager to bring the fight to the sahuagin.