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Yellow Floating Belle
8f84ee
>>685279
 "What are you doing?"
 "Observing our borders from this vantage point, and glimpsing beyond into the affairs of neighboring nations. It is important to be informed of events that take place, especially given the weakened state of Azoth and the theft of many of our dangerous artifacts."
 "Dangerous artifacts?"
"Yes, sir. There is an artifact vault within the palace, where many magical artifacts have been sealed away."
"To.. prevent them from hurting people?"
"It is more accurate to say they are there as part of Azoth's bounty, but the end result is indeed the protection of those who could not comprehend their power from being overwhelmed by them. Unfortunately, the artifact vault was a target for raids over the past years, and the quarantine zones were breached frequently. The vault now is much more empty than it should be."
 "I see..."
 ...Artifacts? Plural? Those sound like they're a big deal. I'm starting to feel really uneasy about this... Whatever were in those 'quarantine' zones aren't anymore. If that's not cause for concern, I'm not sure what is.
>>685273
"..."
 "Hey Blue, take off your mask."
"! I-I would really prefer not to, my lord."
 "I wanna see your face."
"M-my lord, is there anything else that you--"
 "What's all the fuss about?"
"S-sir, the servitors' masks have not been removed for at least--"
"Red over there took his off."
1d20+7=26 Diplomacy.
"..."
"..."
 "..."
Aaah.. I feel so much better now.
"...isthereanything else I may help you with, my lord?"
>>685275
Heh, yeah... good idea.
Too bad I.. can't for the life of me remember my former tribe. Or.. well.. anything about them at all, really. There's a whole lot like that that's just.. missing now, I guess.
>>685273
"So.. I'm awake now."
"Sir?"
"I can tell that there is so much power inside me now, but something doesn't feel quite right. And Red said something about me being 'power-drained'...? What happened?"
"Ah, yes, it is unfortunately true. When the Font transferred his domain to you, and you laid there upon the altar for three years, a kind of leakage occurred as your form rejected the energies. It could not be helped; your body could not take so much power at one time, and before you had a chance to absorb the rest, it was scattered away and stolen by opportunistic scavengers and fortunate vagabonds. We ought be thankful to providence ourselves that the leakage was all that occurred; it was a very risky endeavor after all, usually power of that magnitude is impossible to transfer owners, much less from one of such sheer, glorious majesty to one of such insignificant prowess."
You do indeed feel a strange, faint feeling of loss within you, as if a swathe of information had been stricken from your character sheet.
"Hold on a second, you mean to tell me you didn't even know if that ritual was going to work or not at all?"
"Well... yes and no, my liege. Our lord, you see, possessed a kind of precognitive sight, able to observe events in the future as one would remember the past, choosing lines of action that would lead to his desired outcome. It was a very real risk that the attempt of the ritual on your body would have destroyed you irrevocably, but I surmise our lord had already known the result before the attempt had even begun."
"In more simple terms, you could say that his dice were loaded."
"I... I see. And this drained power.."
"If you should come in contact with the power, it would not be difficult to absorb it yourself. You are its rightful owner. You may have to kill whoever possesses it currently, however, or manage to get them to agree to relinquish it. If you should ask, I will search for the location of one of your lost pieces of power to the best of my ability."
>>685274
Yeah.. I don't really look forward to getting killed by my own people. I guess I shouldn't be expecting this to be easy, but.. I have to do something, don't I...?
"Alright, well.. for now, I think you'd better tell me the layout of everything, and about those places you're spying on."
"Very well, my liege. Here is the status of the outlying nations in this area. I will list them in order of proximity to us."
To the North-West are GNOLL TRIBALS, collectively known as the Rimewind clan. They used to be many warring tribes, but they banded together under one leader twenty years ago, raising their level of formidability. They have attempted failed skirmishes against Azoth in the past, and then several successful ones in the last five years, however, they have stopped hostilities all but completely since late last year. Your HONOR amongst the Rimewind clan is 23%; they have high animosity for you, but seem more interested in their own affairs than acting upon hostilities.
To the North is CRADLE, a drow city situated beneath the shadow of a great forest. The dark elves are known for their brutal social orders, operating on betrayal and heavy subjugation of males and other races to uphold a theocratic matriarchy in worship of their goddess. It is believed that they are the primary culprits behind the thefts within the artifact vault. Your HONOR amongst CRADLE 46%; they hold a some measure of admiration for your power, but have disdain for your gender, your not being a drow, and for Azoth's weakness in recent times.
To the North-East is MUR-GAHANA, the cosmopolitan home of several different races. It is a comparatively new, democratic civilization, formed of refugees that fled down from the far North-West. There is not much of note in this large town, but they are still of interest because of the magician's academy located within their borders, which has grown in prestige surprisingly quickly. Your HONOR amongst MUR-GAHANA is 38%; they have no particular hatred of you, but early on, they learned quickly and bitterly that Azoth is not obligated to assist them.
To the South-East is the port city of Franza, a wealthy offshoot city of a distant empire. Franza is a metropolis, possessing developed infrastructure and a large population composed mainly of two social castes, celestial-blooded beings and those touched by hell. The upper caste performs such tasks as administration and fine artisanry, while the lower caste is set to more manual labor. Franza is a ways away, and its people have scarcely had any contact with Azoth. Your HONOR within FRANZA is 46%; Franza has not heard of you, but your race is disfavored within its society.
"Wow, all of that? How do you know what you're telling me is correct?"
"Much of it I am aware of from direct observation, my lord. It is within my power to observe in this manner, when I am free of other duties to do so."
"Huh, alright. I think you missed one, though."
"My lord..?"
"..Ah, of course."
AZOTH is almost as much a city as it is an organism. Isolated from outside influences by thick forestation and magical wards, it is a world of its own. The lifeblood of Azoth flows from the Palace of Stone, which in turn draws its power from the lord of Azoth, the scattered magical power that permeates the land. These veins of power run throughout the city, supplying these magical energies to all that live within its borders. Needless to say, what others would deem to be incredible feats of magic are commonplace in the city of twinned souls, and its people have a deep devotion to their lord, worshiping their power and leadership. Azoth has existed in the same state, unchanging for eons, frozen in time and prosperous until quite recently when their king became injured. After many years with an infirm ruler, and three without any at all, the city has fallen into decline, and quickly. It still is, however, a wonder to behold. Your HONOR within AZOTH is 62%; the people are devoted to your well-being even over their own, and they welcome your presence once more within the city, but they have been left to suffer alone for quite an extended period, and their minds have become jaded and afflicted with anxieties.
"Sixty two? That's... that's all?"
"Yes, my lord."
 "That's.. not very much! That's how much they trust me...?"
"Somewhat, my lord. It is a general measure of your reputation amongst a given people, which corresponds to their trust in you, their devotion to assisting you, their view of Azoth and your position, how much you ask of them, and other such factors."
"Still, only sixty two..?"
"That is still a firmly positive outlook upon you, my liege!"
"I was hoping people were going to trust me a little more than that! How am I going to help everyone if they don't trust me enough to go along with my plans...?"
"Oh, is that all? I hardly think you should be worrying about such things, my lord."
"Huh..?"
"You may relax, my liege, people don't truly expect you to lead them. You are simply a creature that must exist to power the ley lines and keep the city active, nobody is going to attempt to hold you to these difficult standards."
"I..."
"We will, of course, assist you regardless my lord. Would you like for me to attempt to locate a piece of your splintered power?"
"..."
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