[Burning Wheel] The Emperor Must Die!

[lexifab]

EMD 21 – 13 May 2010

GM note – Back into the Emperor Must Die campaign after a long hiatus (Easter holidays, mainly) and two of the player characters needed updated Beliefs. Hesperia’s new one is “The status quo in heaven is unacceptable; I will consult with the Pontifex to find a new solution” (or something of that ilk). Aetius’ player was vacillating on where to take the character next, so we started with Aetius focusing on just two of his Beliefs.

Duke Vierius of Palinorum begs an audience with the Triumvir Maior, Aetius, to denounce the Duke of Montessium as a traitor to the Empire. While Vierius is clearly courting favour in order to make up for his earlier deceptions, Aetius nevertheless thinks there might be something to his claims that the Duke is smuggling arms into the city and arming his supporters, who are comprised chiefly of Prelates opposed to the church reforms of Triumvir Hesperia. He dismisses the would-be-sycophant with some vague thanks and a promise to look into the matter.

His first action is to summon his fellow Triumvirs, but they defy the summons – Kaeso is busy with his fiancée Claudia, instructing her in the astrological arts, while Hesperia is just not willing to be summoned. Exasperated, Aetius seeks Kaeso out, informing him of the Duke's suspicions. Kaeso retorts that Aetius had already convinced him not to unsettle the Dukes with his loyalty census until after the Conclave, which has still yet to be called. Aetius requests that Kaeso and his student provide him with a reading to determine the most auspicious date for the Conclave to take place, which proves to be three days hence, commencing at the third hour before midnight and lasting precisely 21 hours. Satisfied, Aetius begins a plan to locate the Montessian troublemakers and disarm them before the Conclave is called.

Hesperia, meanwhile, has acceded to the polite but insistent requests from Kaeso’s father, Duke Servius Sidonius of Aprillia, for an audience. Servius seems mostly to want to speak with fondness about his closeness to the would-be Emperor, Trabius Travillian. In discussing the hopes and ambitions of the late conqueror, Servius tells her that Trabius wrote to him often during his years of campaigning, and that in the latter years he mentioned her often, always in the most flattering terms. He appears to be attempting to build a case to persuade Hesperia to support Aprillia’s petition to the Triumvirate to host the Empire’s new capital, mentioning repeatedly that it was Trabius plan to do so. Hesperia is more interested in Trabius’ correspondence, however, and asks to see it. Servius agrees to send word home to have his best scribes transcribe the entire – very sizeable – collection. As for the matter of Trabius, Hesperia tells him, he was a heretic and a traitor to his people; she cares nothing for what he might have wished. Servius regards her with a detached curiosity – he uses his Aura Reading to determine her true regard for the late Emperor, which he sees is an overwhelming sense of bitterness and betrayal – and politely expresses his hope that she will look upon Aprillia’s petition, which has been formally lodged with the Chamberlain, when the time comes, before bidding her a good day.

Servius Sidonius being one of the nominal villains of the piece, by virtue of his openly hostile relationship with Kaeso, there may be unforeseen consequences for Hesperia of his knowing something about her inner thoughts. He is known to be a master of sorcerous influence and manipulation – and off the record, we know that he knows that Hesperia bore a child by the late Emperor – but what exactly what he’s playing at is not yet obvious.

Aetius begins his crackdown by having his men review the records of traffic from Montessium into the city, looking for suspicious patterns. Sure enough, there is some evidence to suggest that weapons are being brought into Palinorum over and above the usual trade, through mercantile concerns with links to Duke Mencius Tyrmius of Montessium. He commands his Marshall Fabius Gallus to lead his personal troops and lock down the city, closing the gates and swooping on the warehouses and residences of those likely connected to the conspiracy. Arrests, seizures of property and martial law follow, which throws the city into a passionate state of disgruntlement. Palinorum is on the verge of (yet another) uprising against the repressive Triumvirate, until Aetius delivers a stirring appeal to their sense of history and pride: “Historic times are upon us, and the city must be made safe so that great things may come to pass”, he declares. The people’s ill-feeling is mollified by the speech, which historians will come to know as the Great Pacification of Palinorum.

This was a series of increasingly difficult linked tests – Logistics to find the weapons, Command to order an effective roundup of the troublemakers and Oratory to quiet the unrest. The Oratory test would have failed, but the player spent a Deeds point to make it work. Palinorum has indeed swung firmly behind the Triumvirate and its Ducal Conclave (though not necessarily the Dukes themselves, of course). The players decided not to move on the apparent treachery of the Duke of Montessium, at least not yet.

Kaeso wants to press the Pontifex to accept his destiny and complete his ascension (thus fulfilling – at least in part - Kaeso’s obligation to his benefactor in the Empty House, Sychorata). Pontifex Beltravius has retreated to an abbey, where he has apparently lost his mind to madness. He has stripped his apartment of its furnishings and written all over the walls in blood and ash, strange astrological symbols and equations. Kaeso perceives that the Pontifex is attempting to divine some scenario by which the nightmarish fate of the gods and saints might be changed. In response to Kaeso’s enquiries, he insists that the numerological patterns of heaven – five gods, five houses – be reflected in the earthly realm. He believes that the Empire must be ruled by five, not three – a Quinumvirate. “Do you mean a Pentarchy?” enquires Kaeso drily. Beltravius is distracted by a greater concern, however – his expectation that if he ascends, it will be at the cost of his personal patron, Saint Spes. Kaeso rather impatiently encourages him to proceed to his destiny, whatever the price.

Hesperia arrives at this point, hoping to learn what the Pontifex knows about the savage ecology of the heavens. She enquires after his health, observing its obvious deterioration since their last meeting. Both triumvirs try to help Beltravius to see the true pattern of the universe, but his madness or his hunger rob of his powers of perception. He fails at the last hurdle and, forced to concede that he can see no alternative but to accept his fate, he resigns to ritual fasting and prayer to prepare himself for his final journey into the heavens.

As he prepares for the Ducal Conclave, Aetius receives the unwelcome news from Fabius Gallus that Duke Vierius is dead. This time his summons to the other Triumvirs is heeded. The Duke of Palinorum has been murdered in his own bedchamber, left naked and covered in bloody gouges in the shape of astrological symbols, pinned to a stone wall by the throat with a broken spear and drained of blood. Kaeso observes that the astrological symbols are meaningless and inexpertly carved, as though by a hand that did not know their purpose. He also deduces that the broken spear belonged to Obedient Luciano. Kaeso denounces as a dangerous liability, irrespective of his guilt. Hesperia agrees, holding herself in part responsible for his downfall, though she cannot quite accept Kaeso’s speculation that his latest public repudiation at her hand has completely deranged the holy knight.

“Still, I doubt that he will come peacefully,” observes Kaeso, hinting at a certain enthusiasm for the hunt. Aetius suggests that they begin by looking with some urgency to the safety and protection of the other luminaries of Palinorum.

[lexifab]

EMD 22 – 20 June 2010

Kaeso orders Lieutenant Saridus to lock down the scene of the crime, the Palinorum Ducal palace – nobody is to enter or leave, on threat of a visit to the Censorial interrogation chambers. Hesperia prays for guidance, seeking the location of their prime suspect, Obedient Luciano. The gods grant her a vision of the missing warrior. He is receiving a blessing from the Pontifex in the Abbey of Saint Spes.

At the abbey, Hesperia asks to speak to Luciano first. Her fellow Triumvirs agree, though as soon as she is out of sight Kaeso uses sorcery to make himself inhumanly inconspicuous and follows. Aetius stands with his personal guard, ready to intercede if violence threatens.

Hesperia confronts a serene Luciano, who informs her that the gods have shown him her purpose in seeking him out. He declares his innocence in the murder of Duke Vierius. When she demands to know what else the gods have revealed, Luciano haughtily replies that he will not help. “The gods have set this task before you, not me. I have faith that you will deliver proof of my innocence despite your anger towards me.” Hesperia assures him that she does not suspect him of the murder, but her attempt to placate his arrogant zeal is unsuccessful – Luciano is soon shouting provocatively. “Do the gods’ will!” he demands. “Your fervour is inspiring, Obedient Luciano,” declares Hesperia, perhaps with a note of exasperation at this latest defiance “but to interpret the gods’ will to me is the act of an impetuous child.”

Meanwhile Kaeso has watched the confrontation from a shadowy alcove. As Hesperia and Luciano are drawn into an argument, he weaves a sorcerous compulsion upon Luciano. He is now obsessed with pursuing his own ascension to the Houses of Heaven.

Kaeso, fed up with Luciano never quite getting around to fulfilling his destiny, gave him a firm push here, laying a campaign-length trait of “Devoted to the holy cause to ascend”, a Call-on trait for Faith when making tests towards bumping his Faith score to 10. Luciano pretty much has no excuses now. After Kaeso convinced the Pontifex to accept his fate and ascend last session, that makes two NPCs in a row that he has manoeuvred into becoming saints. The only other character in the game even close to ascending is Hesperia, and Kaeso has his eye on her as well...Scary!

Luciano and Hesperia both call upon the gods to take their part in the argument, but Hesperia is the Chosen One of the Terra Caelan faith, and her will is indomitable. Unwilling to accept that yet again the gods have chosen not to intercede on his behalf, Luciano implores them for deliverance from Hesperia’s grasp. His prayer is again refused, and this time the gods’ stance is unambiguous – the stones and timbers of the old Abbey begin to crumbles and crack, and its walls and ceiling begin to fall in.

At this threat the Pontifex, who had taken no part in the heated debate between Hesperia and Luciano, leads a prayer for deliverance of the faithful within the collapsing building. Sure enough he succeeds – all within its walls are able to walk free and unharmed. A (finally) abashed and repentant Luciano suffers the rock-slinging opprobrium of several irate monks, who know him by divine means to be responsible for the destruction of their home. Hesperia grants him forgiveness and asks him to reveal what he knows of the Duke’s killer. He declares that Lord Procitus, the right hand of Duke Servius Sidonius of Aprilia, is a necromancer who commands the living dead, and that these were Vierius’ murderer.

Kaeso observed pragmatically that the current situation represents an opportunity. With Vierius dead, he argues, Palinorum could be declared an Imperial protectorate. Its strategic and economic positioning is among several benefits he outlines in support of his case. Hesperia happily agrees with Kaeso – Palinorum is her home city. Aetius is more concerned with the threat of an invasion of the living dead. “Can we do something to keep the corpses out?” he asks. Kaeso suggests that because they are not spirits but bodies stripped of their souls, that the stratagem they devised in Spinosa will not work here. The following discussion on the nature of the walking dead leads to no firm conclusions.

Deciding that the protection of conclave delegates is paramount, Aetius organises a massive effort to have them relocated to the ducal palace districts for their protection. By the eve of the Ducal Conclave, the nobles and their vast entourages are safely ensconced within the controllable bounds of the palace.

With their safety assured, he quietly turns his attention to the matter of the alleged necromancer Lord Procitus. Choosing not to question Luciano’s assertion that Procitus is an evil black magician, Aetius calls upon his ally, the great assassin known as the Nailed Man to deal with the problem directly. The Nailed Man is intrigued by the challenge, quickly itemising a number of expensive items that he will need to provide sufficient magical protection to allow him to get close enough to Procitus. Aetius’ deep pockets assure the success of his murderous mission.

I was a bit taken aback at the idea that a campaign-level threat like an evil necromancer should be taken out completely offscreen, but what the hell. Aetius’ player only pulls her pet killer The Nailed Man out of her hat extremely infrequently, so it should count for something when he makes an appearance. All the same had the Resources roll to pay for his magical protections failed, the consequences would have been catastrophic, so it was worth it. Besides, Procitus was just a lackey – basically a dark(er) side version of Kaeso, who is also consorting with dark powers in return for sorcerous knowledge – and Sychorata and the Empty House entities are the real threats.

[Trithemius]

Woo! Sorcery is solving* your problems!

[*making them worse]

I have two conversations prior to the Conclave: rap with Dad (another Not-Quite-Evil Wizard, it runs in the family it seems); and talk to Luciano about my Sychorata problem - it seems apt that Sychorata Maior and Kaeso are scheming to have proxies wipe each other out while still, ostensibly, dealing with each other, very Mephistophelean I think!

We probably need a Triumivarate chat too to work out what we want from this whole Conclave thing - if I get a Belief slot opening up (nudge nudge! ) I might have something political to put forward!

[lexifab]

EMD 23 - 30 July 2010

[GM Note: I took incredibly sketchy notes for this session of the Burning Wheel Emperor Must Die game, mostly because I spent the entire time talking. For that reason this may be a less comprehensive summary of events than I usually manage. on the other hand, this might be a lot less long and tedious summary of events than I usually manage...]

On the eve of the Ducal Conclave, just hours before it is due to begin at the (astrologically determined) auspicious hour of three in the morning, Chamberlain Gallius Appono apologetically approaches Triumvir Maior Aetius with a message. An obscure merchant, a trader in curios and antiquities by the name of Octavo, has asked to meet with him. For reasons he cannot explain, the Chamberlain accepted the proffered bribe and failed to register the fellow's apparent social insignificance. "He asked that I give this to you," says the confused Appono, holding out a silk-wrapped rusty iron nail. Aetius recognises it as the symbol of his personal assassin, the Nailed man (he also recognises that the nail is not stained by rust, or at least not just by rust) and agrees to the meeting. He is escorted to a small villa just outside the closed and protected Imperial precinct, which has been locked down by the Imperial guards due to the potential threat of zombie attack.

Sure enough the merchant Octavo is none other than the Nailed Man. the assassin is in bed, pale and gaunt. He explains that while his mission to assassinate the rogue necromancer Lord Procitus was a success, the dire fellow nevertheless managed to extract a small measure of revenge by scratching him with a poisoned fingernail. While the Nailed Man was able to escape with his life, and while he did have the foresight to have a physician engaged and standing by in case anything went awry, his injuries are nonetheless quite severe and he faces a protracted period of recuperation. The assassin explains that for his constitution he will shortly travel somewhere a little more tropical - but before he departs he has two warnings for the triumvir. The first is that the necromancer Procitus' enslaved dead servants were freed upon their master's death, and even now undoubtedly are roaming the streets. The second is that he saw enough in the necromancer's chambers to be certain that Procitus has targeted the lovely Lady Claudia and had intended some nefarious fate for her. Aetius thanks the Nailed man for his service and for the warning and returns to the imperial precinct.

[Octavo was a minor relationship character of Kaeso's who has been on the character sheet since before play began and whom I have never managed to squeeze into the story. Since it is beginning to look like we were never going to engineer an excuse to bring him in, I decide to rather gratuitously make him the same man as the secretive, rarely glimpsed assassin the Nailed Man, in accordance with the Law of Conservation of NPCs. It's an idea that had occurred to me a long while ago - an innocuous dealer in antiquities seems like a good cover for an assassin - but I'd all but abandoned it because the Nailed Man's appearances were not much less rare. Had the game gone differently (if say nobody had murdered and usurped the Emperor, so that both a dealer in foreign enchantments and a terrifying murderer might have been more useful people to know, I suspect Octavo the Nailed Man might well have played a much more significant role]

The Pontifex Egius Beltravius calls upon Triumvir Hesperia. He seems less maudlin than most of their recent meetings. He explains that now that he has finally taken the decision to kneel to his destiny and accept that he is unable to change his fate - which is to ascend to the Houses of Heaven and take the place of Saint Sepp, who will be dislodged therefrom and fall into the devouring maws of the entities of the Empty House - he is feeling better. His irreverence is mildly unsettling however. The Pontifex asks if there is any final service that he might perform for her before he takes his place as a new constellation. Hesperia, perhaps humouring him in his final human hours, politely requests that, if they should happen to meet, the Pontifex explain to the late would-be Emperor Trabius that she wishes to speak to him. Beltravius finds the proposal raises an interesting theological question - is the soul of the late Emperor, who was burned to nothingness by Kaeso's white fire and who was denounced upon his death by Hesperia herself as a traitor and heretic, to be found residing in the heavens? Would the company of so tainted a creature be tolerated by the saints and gods of Terra Caelus. "We will see," he muses. He bids the Triumvir adieu and suggests that they will meet one more time before he departs.

Lady Claudia has taken advantage of the closure of the Imperial gates to invite their new neighbours, the court of Servius Sidonius, the Duke of Aprillia, to dine with her fiance Kaeso, the Duke's estranged son. She hopes that the two can find common ground and at least begin to reconcile. The dinner begins awkwardly, but soon Triumvir Hesperia begins to press the Duke with her plans to reform the church and found a more egalitarian Imperial religion. The Duke politely questions the wisdom of her proposal that peasants be afforded the means and opportunity to improve their education through the provision of schooling in astrology - he suggests that it is not necessarily a kindness that those constrained to a life of poverty, labour and unquestioning loyalty be capable of having that destiny made explicit to them. Hesperia presses him, however, and the Duke agrees that he will support her proposal at the Ducal Conclave. He praises the virtue of a leadership that seeks to create unity through bold and visionary enterprises.

Kaeso makes an oblique enquiry regarding Lord Procitus' whereabouts, aware that he is a practitioner of the despicable death arts but unaware that he is, in fact, dead. He inconspicuously observes Duke Servius' reaction, and is annoyed to learn from his aura that the Duke is ignorant of Procitus' treachery (not to mention his recent demise).

Aetius finally meets Allestia, the adoptive daughter of Duke Servius. She was one of the three eligible maidens recommended to him by the Chamberlain and the Imperial herald. She is a blunt and inelegant speaker, almost to the point of vulgarity. Kaeso, calling her "sister" to test the sound of it, enquires of the promising military commander how she might go about dealing with the northern barbarians and their powerful magics. Her answer is unsophisticated and lacks grace - she observes that if the Triumvirate were able to banish the Caprisian ghosts from their own holy city then they cannot be all-powerful. She suggests a strategy of frontal assaults, with the usual attention paid to their sorcerors and what-not. Duke Servius chides his adoptive daughter that he has much to learn from the successes enjoyed by the triumvirate.

As the dinner comes to an end, Kaeso invites his father to the observatory. He reveals his purpose is to ascertain whether there is any hopes that the dispute between them might come to an end. Duke Servius is guarded in his response, couching his views in political discussions. Despite his inscrutable demeanour, it becomes evident that he is impressed by Kaeso's growing powers of political manipulation. When Servius proposes that he take the place of Triumvir Hesperia when she inevitably meets her fate (both have a reasonable idea of what the gods have in mind for her), Kaeso counters that the current balance is correct and that he would be advised to try a different approach. He suggests instead that Allestia be groomed to take Aetius' place (in time). He further impresses his father by intimating that he is pursuing his goals through actively manipulating certain religious notables - this is an avenue of political manoeuvering that Servius has never thought to investigate before.

While he does not immediately give an answer to Kaeso's suggestions, the Duke's manner seems to have softened in their discussion - a remarkable accomplishment given the years of animosity between them. The Lady Claudia, upon observing that the two of them spoke at length without either dying or being cursed, makes a declaration of optimism to her fiance.

[lexifab]

EMD 24 - 12 August 2010

[GM Notes - The players made some Bleief changes at the start of the session. Kaeso now has a Belief that he wishes to ensure that the Triumvirate ruling the Empire is not dynastic - that nobody will inherit the rulership from an existing triumvir. Aetius believes that any duke who does not support his rule is by definition a traitor to the Empire. Hesperia believes that the Duke of Montessium, Cyrus Ranginus, is a traitor and that she will call him to account for his actions. She also wants to set the rule of the Triumvirate in stone with legal accords and wishes to garner support for her notion that astrology should be learned in every lowly village and hamlet of the Empire.]

In the final hours before the Ducal Conclave, Triumvir Maior Aetius bribes the Chamberlain Gallius Appono, gifting him with wealth beyond his wildest dreams in return for his unswerving loyalty. The faithful old retainer, who has ever served the Empire, is only too happy to declare his gratitude and his loyalty. Meanwhile Hesperia call upon the gods for divine guidance and Kaeso upon his own sorcerous manipulations for the power to sway minds. Both sought magical boons for their natural powers of persuasion, anticipating a certain amount of debate from the Dukes. Correctly, as it turns out.

As the Conclave commences, five Dukes - the rulers of Aprillia, Ferruca, Montessium, Villaneus and Portoscola - and Senator Numerius, the Triumvirate's appointee representing Spinosa, are set about a table featuring a relief map depicting the Terra Caelan peninsula, the whole of the empire. Their business is conducted on a rooftop under the stars, under the watchful gaze of the gods and saints in heaven. As the triumvirate take their seats, Pontifex Egius Beltravius blesses the proceedings. He begs the indulgence of the Conclave in order to make a declaration - that the old church, founded in Montessium and established most firmly in the central cities of Montessium, Villaneus and Palinorum, is to be disbanded. He names Hesperia as his spiritual successor and bids her to found a church which serves their faith well. Then he sounds a note of caution and warning - once he ascends to the heavens, he plans to wait exactly one year, and then he will war upon the dark entities of the Empty House. He expresses the hope that the present company (he looks in particular at Kaeso and Hesperia) will be prepared to support his effort at that time.

When the Pontifex departs (through a door, rather than in the expected shower of light that carries him to the stars), Kaeso quietly enquires of Hesperia whether Obedient Luciano is available, and asks that she have him attend to him at the first recess. Hesperia is still a little non-plussed at the unexpected endorsement by the Pontifex, but agrees to summon Luciano.

Aetius addresses the Dukes, informing them that the Triumvirate seeks to solidify their commitment to the Empire. “We require much of you,” he tells them, “but we are aware that there are some of you who do not wish to unify. If you are here to betray the Empire, I grant this one opportunity to leave.”

Duke Cyrus of Montessium, aware that his plans for a coup have fallen apart with the arrest of his loyal followers and the seizure of their smuggled weapons, quickly identifies himself as one such, standing to berate the triumvirate. “Is this how you will maintain loyalty in the Empire, through exile of anyone who disagrees with your policies?”

Aetius replies: “I will tolerate dissent, not treachery.” Montessium rails against the Triumvirate, singling Hesperia out in particular, declaring her a jumped-up peasant who seeks to disrupt the old orders. Hesperia pleads with him to cease voicing his blasphemy (she is, after all, the chosen of the gods) but Montessium oozes arrogance and confidence. He signals his allies, the Dukes of Portoscola and Villaneus, who throw off their human guises to reveal that they are demons of the Empty House.

Hesperia prays. Her prayers are answered as overhead, the constellation representing Saint Spes shifts, spreads and scatters, as the old Saint is dislodged from his house and thrown into the wilderness - the demons of the Empty House pounce and feed, tearing the dead saint into shreds and notions. Meanwhile new stars blink into the sky and the shape and alignment of one full fifth of heaven alters subtly as the new Saint Picus - who was Pontifex Beltravius in life - takes his place among the Terra Caelan gods. His first act as a saint is to answer Hesperia’s call for assistance and strike the two hapless demons down.

Kaeso acts only an instant later, burning Duke Cyrus down where he stands with black fire. In a moment there is nothing left of the treacherous duke or his infernal masters. Aetius haughtily inquires of the remaining Dukes - Servius Sidonius of Aprillia and Mencius Tyrmius of Ferrucca - whether they too, contemplate treachery. The Dukes wisely say nothing, but Kaeso sees in their auras the intense rivalry that has kept the two at loggerheads for nearly four decades.

Knowing that this personal enmity could be just as damaging to the Empire as acts of deliberate treachery, he demands that they renounce the rivalry. Hesperia suggests that their offspring be married to forge an alliance (perhaps unaware that both men have only daughters!). The Dukes wallow their pride and agree to the terms, but even at that the Triumvirate are not finished with them - they call a brief recess to consider what they will do about the two surviving Dukes of the old peninsula states.

Kaeso meets with Obedient Luciano. He tells the holy warrior that they share a goal, to destroy the demons that pray on gods (Luciano remains unaware of the various agonising tests of faith visited upon him by Kaeso, not to mention the fact that his zeal to destroy demons was also incepted by the charcoal-cloaked sorceror). “My sorcery and your faith can work in concert,” he tells him. Before Luciano’s startled eyes, he creates a terrifying black spear, worked from the very stuff of his own dark and forbidden knowledge. With it, Luciano can wound even a demon. Kaeso suggests that he begin his work in the chambers of the dead necromancer Procitus, where even now, Kaeso supposes, undead servants still wander in confusion and horror.

The triumvirate meets to discuss how they will deal with the Dukes. They decide that the title of Duke will no longer carry with it any responsibility for foreign policy, and that the vacant positions will be reaplced by a ruling council of three (one member of which will be picked by each Triumvir personally). Aetius is resolved to remove the Dukes altogether, but Kaeso refuses to contemplate the execution of his own father, not now that their reconciliation is proceeding apace. “When they die and ascend to heaven, we can remove their moribund lines.”

Aetius takes the argument to the Dukes themselves, declaring that they should renounce their titles. Sidonius and Tyrmius contest the notion, suggesting that for the good of the Empire the Triumvirate must install new Dukes in each city state as soon as possible.

[Aetius commences a Duel of Wits with Servius Sidonius, whose formidable powers of persuasion are severely compromised by not being able to cast spells in the presence of Kaeso without being instantly vapourised on suspicion of treachery. Since the triumvirate have no such qualms about helpful magic, Aetius took a significant advantage into the argument. Still, Sidonius is still a wily old noble and a very scary opponent in a DoW. At one point in the following exchange he hit Aetius’s player with 13 successes on a single roll. Lucky for Aetius, that roll was on a defensive Feint. Had it been on a Point the outcome of the duel would likely have been very different.]

Aetius contends that the good of the Empire is bigger than that of any one state; Kaeso observes that its fate is already written in the stars, and Hesperia points to the divine providence that has self-evidently been visited upon the Triumvirate. Sidonius points to the strength, familiarity and certainty of tradition; Tyrmius chimes in to scoff that the earls and counts of Ferrucca are unlikely to flock with a will to the banner of a council of bureaucrats.

In the end the Triumvirate’s authority carries the day and the Dukes agree to bend the knee in loyal fealty once and for all. In exchange they will retain their ducal titles until death. The Empire is secure.

[And...we were done. After the duel of wits was done we agreed to call the campaign done. while there were still a horde of unresolved issues - the campaign to absorb or destroy the Caprisian barbarians; the plans to reorder the natural order of the universe by storming the heavens and banishing the demons of the Empty House; Kaeso’s wedding; Hesperia’s son; Aetius’s dynastic ambitions; Hesperia’s ascension; Luciano’s ascension etc etc etc - it was pretty clear that we had taken the characters about as far as they could really go, at least together. Many if not all of their Beliefs had been resolved and they had actually succeeded in creating a political order that would (probably) survive them. We talked briefly about what might happen in some of the characters’ futures, but for the most part we left our options open in case we decide that some future game could explore those events further. Albeit probably with new characters.

So there it is. The Emperor Must Die - conceived somewhere around August or September 2008, commenced February 2009 and completed August 2010 after 24 sessions - is done. thanks to Steve, TeaParty Advocate and Trithemius for a great campaign!

When’s the next one start?]

[Trithemius]

Yeah! Awesome times!

I agree with Dave that there are certainly Things To Do in the lands of Terra Caelus - however I think the Triumvirate start going in different directions now: Hesperia with her religious revival, Kaeso with his imperial school of sorcery and the establishment of a real office of the censor and his wedding, and Aetius with his military campaigns and being Emperor-in-all-but-Name.

The biggest indication for me though was how hard it was to write my latest beliefs. Having played a pretty wild game with lots of problems and crises things seems fairly quiet. In that environment it was hard for me to imagine what Kaeso felt passionate enough about. I thought it was best to end at the apex, than to slog through some scenes where up to 50% found little dramatic traction.

Looking forward to smaller concerns, lower stakes, and more Fight! in the next one!