As we headed to the inn, I cleared away the notifications that popped up from the Voice of the World. It looked like defusing the situation with the general was enough to get us some experience in the World’s eyes. And, more importantly, it was enough to get me another 2 levels, and, unexpectedly, launching me into a new class, the Marshal, which was focused on leading troops.

Your party has overcome 4 Silverwood Elite Soldiers, 1 Silverwood Elite Warpriest, 1 Silverwood Elite Guard, and Mirthal Daephyra!

Melinda gains 21600 xp.

Ebonheart gains 19440 xp.

Siora gains 21600 xp.

Vestele gains 21600 xp.

Fartooth gains 21600 xp.

You have Leveled Up!

You are now Level 21.

231380 / 231000 XP to level 22.

+1 Epic Attack Bonus

HD: 1d8+3 = 5

+1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Intimidate, +1 Perform (Dance), +1 Sense Motive, +1 Spellcraft, +1 Use Magic Device

New Feat

Epic Leadership – Able to gain benefit from leadership scores beyond 25.

Marshal Abilities

Skill Focus (Diplomacy) - +3 bonus to Diplomacy checks.

Auras (Ex): Able to project auras as a swift action, affecting all allies able to hear you within 60’, including self.

New Minor Aura

Determined Caster – Add CHA to CL checks to overcome SR

You have Leveled Up!

You are now Level 22.

231380 / 253000 XP to level 23.

+1 Epic Save Bonus

HD: 1d8+3 = 11

+1 Bluff, +1 Diplomacy, +1 Intimidate, +1 Perform (Dance), +1 Sense Motive, +1 Spellcraft, +1 Use Magic Device

Warlock Abilities

Eldritch Blast improves to 10d6.

Marshal Abilities

New Major Aura (+1 value)

Resilient Troops - Add Major Aura value to all saves

All of that was great. The extra blast damage was great, and the increased leadership ability was awesome. The real boon, however, was the auras. With that, I could not only move away from relying on Vitriolic Blast when facing creatures resistant to spells, but I could also provide that bonus to the rest of my team.

We paused in the stables of the inn to quickly going through the gear we had ‘acquired’ in the courtyard. Unfortunately, other than the potions, of which we still had four of the nine we pilfered, most of the loot wasn’t that useful to us. Plate armor, tower shields, and exotic elven blades that looked as though they were almost short swords (but clearly weren’t), longbows with strength ratings far too high for us to properly use, and so on. Crystals that clung to weapons, shields, and armor, all of which we’d seen before. More of that kind of thing.

Then there were items we either already had, or had better versions of. Everlasting rations and replenishing skins, for instance, or gloves of Dexterity and rings of protection. Arrows and javelins were great, and all, but there was only so much we could do with those, and we didn’t need THAT many. Though some of it could be used on the ship, perhaps.

Speaking of the ship, we quickly ferried our loot up to the ship, storing it safely away, where we could sell it later, preferably somewhere far away from here. Oh, it wasn’t like we couldn’t find someone with the coin to buy the gear in Silverwood, but the country’s symbol was emblazoned on most of the shields and armor, with the only exception being the ones belonging to the priest. Those were hardly any better, as they had the symbol of Corellon on them. We might as well walk up to a merchant and say, “Hey, you want to buy this stuff we took off the soldiers we killed right outside your door?” That would not be nearly as much of a problem in other lands, however.

Ioun Stone (Pale Green Prism)

Type

Tool

Weight

This crystalline stone always floats in the air and must be within 3 feet of their owner to be of any use. When a character first acquires a stone, she must hold it and then release it, whereupon it takes up a circling orbit 1d3 feet from her head. Thereafter, a stone must be grasped or netted to separate it from its owner. The owner may voluntarily seize and stow a stone (to keep it safe while she is sleeping, for example), but she loses the benefits of the stone during that time. Ioun stones have AC 24, 10 hit points, and hardness 5.

+1 Competence bonus to attack rolls, saves, skill checks, and ability checks.

Still, there were a couple baubles that were worth adding to our kit. Each of the fallen guards had one of the pale stones. After each of us claimed one, the four remaining stones went into the loot chest, with the rest of the things. Once we dealt with things in Silverwood and Thedra, we’d find someplace to sell them off for a tidy profit.

All told, it was just past midnight before we finally turned in to our rooms to sleep. Shortly after the morning meal, which was a simple affair of juice and honeyed bread to start the day, a messenger came down from the keep. He looked young, even for an elf, but he at least kept his back straight as he looked us in the eye.

“Lord High General Mirthal Daephyra bids you attend at the castle. The Princess is alive again, and wishes to speak with you.”

To the High General’s credit, there were no armed guards escorting us to the keep, and, when we passed into the courtyard, there were fresh guards in place, but they did not draw their weapons or try and take any offensive action. They did watch us closely, but that was to be expected, given everything that went down the night before.

In the audience hall, they found double the number of soldiers there had been last night, with more mages and priests mixed in, as well as the General and the member of the Coronal Guard. Next to them, however, glowing like a beacon despite the rags she wore, was Princess Findelye. The Princess looked troubled, beyond the normal troubles one might associated with having recently been dead, at least temporarily.

The Princess nodded once as she saw us enter. “My companions. May I present to you Lord High General Mirthal Daephyra, High General of Silverwood, Mortal Champion of Corellon Larethian, Lord of Ah Alora, Defender of the People, Supreme Commander of the Armies of the Blessed Lands, and Veteran of the Third Ork War.”

Turning to the General, she said, “And, with respect, allow me to introduce you to my rescuers, Champions of Darkness though they be, Melinda Rimedancer, Twice-Born servant of Auril Frostmaiden, and her companion, Ebonheart. Along with her are Siora and Vestele Faydark—yes, of that clan long thought lost to the ravages of time—servants of Malcanthet, the Demon Queen of the Succubi. And, last, though not least, Szel Mukblood of the Mukblood Clan, master of the mindful arrow.”

Introductions made, she turned back to face us, her face still showing concern. “It is good that you have come. None would have faulted you for quitting this venture, after the way that we were received last night, and so it warms my heart to see you here with us.”

She sighed once, and then said, “Unfortunately, the circumstances in the kingdom have become even more complicated than they were when I was betrayed. It would seem that, the same day I was betrayed and enslaved by my sister, there was an ‘accident’. My mother, Queen Siraye, ‘slipped’ as she was on her balcony, and fell to her death upon the ground below.”

I coughed, trying to clear my throat as it felt like something caught in it all of a sudden. “Pardon me, your Highness, but that seems awfully… convenient. That the Crown Princess is made ‘unavailable’ at the same moment that the Queen died from a supposed accident? And the sister who ensured that the Crown Princess was gone is next in line? Surely, someone questioned the timing of these events?”

The High General nodded. “Oh, there were a great many questions, believe me. However, then Princess, and now Queen Aerith was quite crafty. She was seen by no less than fifty people the moment the Queen died, as she was in the midst of attending a ball. A ball that had been scheduled long in advance.”

Vestele shook her head. “Then it would appear that there is more going on here than just a simple struggle for the throne.” She waved away the glares she got from some of the elves, “Oh, don’t give me those looks. The betrayal of one sibling by another in order to gain the throne is an old, old story, one told many times throughout the lands. As is the story of a child slaying their parent for the crown, whether or not they actually do the deed themselves.”

She stared the Coronal Guard down, almost daring the elf to speak. The elven woman grit her teeth, obviously insulted at the aspersions thrown upon the kingdom and the royal family, especially by people like our group, though there was little she could do to deny the facts. Instead, she just kept a stony silence, and her face was one of barely mastered rage.

Vestele continued. “Upon the day siblings rival, a suspicious accident shall bring forth an age of inhumanity and justice.” There was a stirring as the words from the Prophecy were uttered, but none spoke. “These words were just one of eight prophecies that were given to all the lands. Everyone knows them. And, now, we have a sibling rivalry, two polar opposites, and the kingdom is already in turmoil due to one’s disappearance, and the queen’s death.”

The High General nodded. “Indeed, it is as you say. The Prophecy that all followers of the gods received does seem strangely fitting, at this time. In fact, as I recall, it was scarcely half a tenday between the prophecy and the Queen’s death. And that was three months ago!”

I took a breath, and said, “Then, in that case, you should take heart, but be wary. I would wager that the Prophecy, if the timing were not divinely appointed, spurred the would-be queen into action, perhaps before she was ready. Two months may seem like a long time for one in torment, but in the grand scheme of things, it is not long enough to make sweeping changes. Likewise, five days is far too short a time to procure an item the likes of which was used to bind Princess Findelye, to say nothing of contacting Thedran slavers and getting her moved out of the country.

“No, all of that would have taken planning, perhaps years of planning and laying the groundwork. And such a plan is not something that can be rushed. One mistake, and it is game over. There are no second chances when you are talking about what is effectively high treason of the worst sort.”

I paused, and looked both Princess and General in the eye, “So, the hope you must have is that the Princess moved before all her pieces were in place, which will work to slow any changes she can make, as she is forced to spend longer on consolidating her power than she may have planned on, before going to whatever the next step of her plan might be. This is countered by the fact that these plans have clearly been in motion for some time, and the very real possibility that the timing of the Prophecy was not accidental or simply coincidental, but a reflection of the fact that, perhaps, her plans were really already prepared, and that ball was always going to be the event that started things. Unfortunately, there is no way to know which is the truth without more information.”

The High General nodded. “In that regard, there are some changes that have come down from the Throne since the new Queen’s inauguration. None of them appeared to be outright sinister, or even problematic. Indeed, most of them were simply seen as rewarding longtime supporters of hers, and arranging for them to be in key advisor roles, something that any new monarch might do.”

Findelye frowned, “You said ‘most’. What changes aroused your suspicion?”

“Hm. Well, as I said, most of the changes were simple enough. Longtime allies being promoted into government, and the like. The assassin known as Whisper was given an official position, no doubt to try and bind one of the most dangerous beings in the country to her rule. There was also a group of mercenaries from some far-off land, as well, that she has recruited as her personal agents, but every Queen has trusted agents of the crown.”

I nodded slowly. “Well, those people will likely have to be dealt with, or they’ll cause trouble when their patron is gone. Was that all the changes?”

One of the soldiers raised a hand. “With permission, sir.” The General nodded, so the soldier continued. “I have a cousin in the guard at Andor’s Hall. Queen Aerith has long been a patron of the city, and owns, outright or in part, most of the farms there. My cousin says there’s been a sickness going through the town, of late.”

The General frowned. “A sickness in Andor’s Hall? Why wasn’t I informed of this? Those farms provide the better part of the grain for the capitol!”

I nodded slowly, a tickle in the back of my mind warning me that this could be important. Almost like it was familiar, somehow. I knew why the general was worried, of course. Food, especially staples, were critical when it came to warcraft. If there was a plague or sickness going around, and it disrupted or infected the food supplies, then that could get bad, very quickly.

“Perhaps we ought to go see what is happening in Andor’s Hall?”