Durham's Barcidae Intel Briefing

[written up by Joel, pursuant to certain information his character Durham has been digging up during downtime in the past year]

Durham presents this information to the survivors at Bob hall, during Bart's end of the year feast.

An assistant perhaps, entering with an armload of documents

Durham and Pako have snooped around gathering Intel on the Barcidae, using a variety of methods, combing through records, visiting taverns in disguise, greasing palms and consulting with informed minds.

Major Intel

This is information that Durham has gathered that he believes to be true and has specific details on.

Secret Tunnels

During his intel gathering the rumors of tunnels under the Migdol have kept recurring.  After journeying to the undercity and gaining the favor of Quinn, a southron of dark skin and hair, Quinn shares that the Barcidae have tunnels into and through the Undercity leading out through their Lightning-Tower especially (the one in Cothon); they once uncovered an Undina through those tunnels, among other strange finds. An Undina is a kind of ageless maiden (or ephebe) of strange beauty who has little will of her own, but will follow the orders of her master.

The tunnels lead east–presumably into whatever undercity remains beneath Tsurr al Qadeem, and possibly up to the Migdol or into the Tel al Safina itself. They're guarded by servitors of the Barcidae and bound underworld creatures, so it would be a whole thing to find out where specifically they lead.

Durham has heard that the Barcidae often buy slaves from mines or tomb-digger slaves, and are known to always keep a sapper-engineer on their staff.

Smuggling Ring

It is clear from the letters recovered from the Ocean’s Throat that there was a smuggling ring that involved the pirates of the Ocean's Throat, Souffet Fadhlan (former co-leader of the Cities) and circumspectly the Barcidae. Codenames and aliases or elisions ("Mr. M—" or other such devices)  were used to obscure identities, but given everything Durham and the Survivors have uncovered in the sea caves, it seems fairly obvious to them that the Barcidae were involved.

It is unknown if the smuggling ring is still currently running after the pirates lost their base, now currently Fort Doghouse.  The operation was largely used to smuggle in goods to get around market fees and bring in a few illegal items, such as the Sakkra-blood potions made by Yragram.

Minor Intel

This information was acquired with a minor amount of investigation and requires more work to develop details.

Zortrium

It's unclear when or how the Barcidae became familiar with working Zortrium, but they are acknowledged as smiths who have the secret know-how. They have traded this knowledge with the Attine Sixth House, but with few others. The Barcidae are known to possess a number of Zortrium artifacts, mostly of their own make–but there are no records of them purchasing any raw alloys.

More of these artifacts have "made their debut" in use by the Barcidae within the past 100 years, compared to artifacts attested in the deeper past.

Former-Souffet Fadhlan

Fadhlan is friendly with his successor, the Souffet Urodas. Neither are particularly well-disposed toward the Hanse. Fadhlan was opposed to the pirate campaign, but popular opinion overcame that so that he and former-Souffet Khousra allowed private citizens to help loan the Hanse money through war bonds. Fadhlan was known to be friendly with the Barcidae.

Actions to take

Armed with this new information there are a variety of actions adventures could take. And Durham has a few ideas on that.

• Making more trouble: certainly with the discovery of these secret tunnels there is plenty of opportunity to make trouble for the Barcidae. But it could cause more legal troubles or other problems for us.

• Law & order: there is a unique opportunity to bring legal action against the Barcidae. However, this requires a few things, first a powerful enough person to sue the Barcidae, second money to fund the lawsuit and third, developing more evidence. There is a range of charges that could be brought to the court of the moon from a smuggling charge to more serious ones. It is likely in all such cases that if the Barcidae lose in the Court of the Moon that they will appeal to the Court of the Sword (the Arena), and may well do their best to make sure that their champion wins.

Session #93: Assistance in Medina al Taht

 [written by Jacob, who ran this session--thanks Jacob!]

Having heard the call for aid in the Medina alTaht, Najm ventured to Cothon-Under-Star in search of fellow barbarians with which to aventure in the “basement” of Cothon. And so, the group headed down into the Medina alTaht in the mid-morning:

• Bart (Magic-User 9)
  Gan (Fighter 6)

• Avinia (Magic-User 6)

• Najm (Magic-User 7)
  Alianor (Fighter 2)
• Haijo (Magic-User 6)

After several hours exploring the depths of al Taht the company returned in the early afternoon. Hauling an ornate chest, and discussing amongst themselves a distribution of the various treasures.

The Lucre

• 3 simple canopic jars, with no particular distinguishing features

• 1 ‘special’ canopic jar, similar to this in design but made of Zortrium metal
  

• A fist sized rock of a strange transparent crystal (went to Najm)

  • Several smaller pieces were also taken by Heijo

• A wooden staff made of a dark stained rosewood, the head of which is worked into an intricate daisy (went to Najm)

• An ornate chest and golden key (the lock of the chest was detected as magical)

• A pair of earrings, detailed leaves made of gold joined at the center to a small sapphire like some kind of blue berry. (claimed by Bart, worth 250 dn each)

• An armband made of overlapping golden leaves (claimed by Bart, worth 250 dn)

• A pair of serpentine hand weapons (one to Heijo, another to Avinnia)

• A strange, presumed hand device, made of a golden metal with a large red gem at the center, and a brace inside which one could place their hand (this could be sold to the right buyer)

The Learning

• 1244xp for the slain cloaker

• 2330xp for the slain Wraith

• 100xp to each for discovering a ‘stair’ to a new ‘floor’

• 750xp from treasure

The Cut

• No coinage from this adventure, and the treasure was already divided out save for the hand device

• 865 xp to player characters
  433 xp to Gan and Aliannor

(player reports, art, etc. representing this session will earn a player-character 100 xp per level)

The Xoldasoteri Games

Trumpets blare and timbrels clash! The Coreguyi Arena is strewn with fresh sand and the fighting societies march from their headquarters, instruments sounding, swords and spears clattering against shields, warsongs boldly shouted. The Xoldasoteri Games are begun.

The Klackon phalanx who will battle in the Arena ...
see below

These, the Xoldasoteri Games, are the last of the trilogy of games that recapitulate the Man-Kzin Wars in gladiator format in the great Coreguyi Arena. The Coreguyi Games mark the early wars; the Tsamri-Hane Games represent a kind of middle period moving toward peace; and these last games mark the end of the Wars and the coming into its own of Cothon-Gadeed and the real beginning of the Ten Cities League.

The recent election of new Souffets symbolically corresponds with this final establishment of power over the traditional Kzin enemies of Gadeed (and Tsurr before). The powers of the Souffets to rule are connected with the New City (Gadeed) finally coming into its own--and the tribulations of new Souffets in the first year of their office are symbolically linked to the early troubles of the city establishing itself and coming into its own.

Like the other games, these Xoldasoteri Games are gladiatorial at core, though also involving other athletic contests and displays. The spectacle of these Games, however, revolves around the otherwise unprecedented involvement of the Xolda Klackons in the arena. In keeping with the traditions of the other Games, this is an historic theme.

Whereas, for instance, the Tsamri-Hane Games commemorate a peace won between Man and Kzin so many years ago, the Xoldasoteri games represent the coming of the Klackons. This last incident was a lynchpin in the history of Cothon, for it was the Klackons who finally built the fortifications that made Cothon (and Gadeed) secure against all the sieges and assaults of the Kzinti. And with Cothon-and-Gadeed secure, the two cities were able to extend their influence to other nearby cities, to offer military aid, and thus to ultimately secure the loyalty of the Ten Cities of the League.

The major event of these games is the pitting of Klackons against various foes (beastly, human, and Kzinti). While this isn't meant to subtract from the combats between established gladiators, it is meant as a glorious reminder of the miraculous arrival of the Klackons in Gadeed's most desperate hour, and of the Accord that was established here between humans and Klackons, to stand against alien aggression.

Player-characters may engage with the games by carousing, per these rules for the Tsamri-Hane Games:

Carousing the Games

Those player-characters who wish may spend downtime this week (ending 7 January) to carouse the taverns and arenas during this week's games, and may thus spend up to 100 gp per level, earning the same amount as xp, and then also rolling 2d6 on the table published along with the Coreguyi Games (here). 

• A character who spends at least 150 gp rolls on the table at +1
• A character who spends at least 500 gp rolls on the table at a further +1
• Providing a narrative description of at least part of how the money is being spent (as a comment here, or in the downtime thread of the Discord server) will also earn a player-character a +1 on their roll on the table
• (these are cumulative and so altogether a maximum of +3 can thus be earned)

Betting at the Arena

Bookies have gathered at the gates to the Arena, eager to take bets on the various planned gladiatorial combats. Characters may bet without spending any downtime, and may bet even if they do not carouse the games. The bookmakers will not take bets in excess of 1000 dinars--such bets should be done in private clubs or between friends, where anything may be bet upon.

These bets are expressed fractionally: consider odds of 2/3 for Drago and against Theriax. A bet of 100 dinars for Drago and he wins will earn the bettor back 66 dinars for the bettor. A winning bet for Theriax would earn back for the bettor 150 dinars. &c.

Alora

All bets must be placed by 7 January. As with the Tsamri-Hane Games, the referee will work out the results of the contests and post them with some additional description, hopefully by 14 January (I know last time it took forever, I'm hoping to be better this year).

The Roster of Contests

• 

  Khaled

  Drago of the Heroic Companions of Hrrl-Ra vs. Theriax the Peltast
  odds 2/3 favoring Drago
• Barshan the Strong vs. Charna of Arnhe
  odds 4/5 favoring Barshan
  
• Alora of Tsipa vs. Khaled al Dekkeri
  odds 5/4 favoring Khaled
  
• Korbassh the Sakkra vs. Ayob the Shen
  odds 3/4 in favor of Korbassh
• Mortu the Black vs. Idrig the Denyan
  odds 1/2 favoring Mortu

  

  Ayob

• Elam al Kir vs. Shalla the Aridani
  odds 6/5 favoring Shalla

Unlike earlier Games, these Games will involve quite a few Klackons. First, a single combat between one Klackon and a Kzin warrior; then later and somewhat unusually, a mass melee of a phalanx of Klackons and human auxiliaries against a pack of Kzinti Heroes.

Korbassh

• Aklaw the Klackon vs. Hlri-Manhunter the Kzin
  odds 3/2 in favor of Hlri-Manhunter
• a phalanx of Klackons and humans vs. a group of Kzin warriors
  odds 4/5 in favor of the phalanx

As always, the Confraternity of 'Issa will be out during these games, protesting, proselytizing, claiming that blood sport and use of slaves in such games is an evil that society would be better without. And, as always, they will be laughed at as strange radicals with bizarre views, and only a few will actively engage with their arguments or concerns.

The Almagest of Khushvant Sen

A kind of "living document", copies of this work reside in the libraries of every one of the Ten Cities, and many beyond. Scholars in each city are charged with maintaining their Almagests with new information as required, and with coming together every number of years in committee to reconcile their Almagests across the League (and beyond). The scholars of Nous are the chief drivers of this tradition, they being preeminent scholars and intellectuals among the Ten Cities, and the most obsessed with knowledge for its own sake. The eponymous Khushvant Sen was once one among their number, many years ago, and the originator of this peculiar idea of intercombining knowledge. Khushvant is considered a Saint among certain sages' guilds of the Ten Cities, especially in Nous.

There are of course times where little changes other than recondite quibbles; and yet, there are years where suddenly everything changes regarding certain facts, and vast revisions must be made to the Almagests. Not that former copies are destroyed, but rather, new copies are made and the historical scrolls sealed carefully away in cases to preserve them against decay so that historians can consult old records as necessary in their research contrary to the reality of the current world.

There have been times when such debates about what to change in the Almagests have broken into literal fistfights between scholars, which would be perhaps less surprising for those more in-the-know concerning the academic rivalries that lie behind such conferences. Nevertheless, most councils regarding changes are more peaceful than that.

An etymological note: "Almagest" means something like "the magisterium" or "the greatest" referencing the encyclopedia's place as the "master of encyclopedias".

As a "living document" and "magisterial encyclopedia" what is recorded so far is meager, but please bear with the Scribes. It was deemed helpful to translate the Almagest into the Chronicles for ease of access to additional information, but the process is, like all works of writing, a slow one. We hope the additional information is helpful, or at least interesting:

The Almagest of Ardha by Khushvant Sen, et al.

The Fortress Moon

A point of curiosity for many (and deservedly so!) the Scribes thought it would be appropriate to develop some information in a general sense of what the Fortress Moon is, or may be.

Chiefly, the Fortress Moon is the moon, the one that lunar calendars used to establish the "lunar year". It shows a luminous face to Ardha during the night, waxing from a dark disc into a silvery-green crescent, all the way to a full circle of luminous green, and then wanes again to a crescent unto darkness. This cycle takes about thirty days, hence the thirty day "month" that makes up the lunar calendar. The reason for the lunar calendar being only twelve thirty-day months long, whereas the entire solar calendar and circuit of Ardha around its red sun takes about 1200 days, has been lost to history. Whatever the reason, it remains the case that each solar year lasts approximately three lunar years, counted each by twelve thirty-day months (with an intercalary "month" at the end/beginning of the new solar year that "offsets" new and full moons for the next set of lunar years).

Of course such calary quibbles tend to arouse less curiosity about the moon than the fortresses that cover its surface and grant its name. For the Fortress Moon is indeed a kind of castle-in-the-sky--or really, a whole world of castles. This is even somewhat evident for those looking on the moon with a naked eye, for many of the fortresses of the moon are lit up so that places on its face are visible even when it is "new" and dark. But scholars with access to telescopes have confirmed that these lit-places, as well as other locations, are in fact fortresses upon the plains and mountains of the moon. In fact, so much of the moon is built up that many have proposed that the whole moon is a single fortress, suggesting that perhaps the world too (Ardha) itself was built along similar lines.

And more! The mere physical characteristics of the Fortress Moon are perhaps dwarfed by the legendaria surrounding the moon. For the Fortress Moon is the home of all the demons that plague the world! Or so many mythologies declare. Certain sects differ on the details--is the moon the last bastion of these demons, constructed for them? or built as a fortress against these demons, a series of castles to garrison against their return?

Regardless of the particulars, it is true that the Fortress Moon is dotted with mysterious fortresses and castles, and that the demons that infest the world are often reported to have come from the Fortress Moon as well.

Some Areas of Interest
(when looking with a telescope)

• the Plain of Daggers / Plain of Towers, a large flat area on the moon observed to be filled with great towers of bewilderingly different shapes. Both names are well known but relate to the same feature
• the Tower of the Sword, a huge keep, in the shape of a xyphos or sword, which points back toward Ardha
• the Face of Kudonia, apparently named after some ancient feature of another world; a carven face that looks down upon a kind of field of Mars
• the Valley of Fear, a huge crater near the Tower of the Sword that also points back toward Ardha. The meaning of its name is lost, but millenarian cults are happy to assert that demons will boil forth therefrom come the end of days ...
• the Smaragdine Castle, a fortress-in-the-air, visible especially because of its emerald-green lights, though it can only be clearly seen when passing over the near face of the Moon
• the Forest Perilous, so called because it is perilous to think too long upon these lunar things rather than engaging with the world as it is; covering a large part of the face of the Moon, this forest lends its green color to the light that shines down upon Ardha when the Moon is bright at night; it is also said to be the source of certain nightmares of the mad

Certain Legends

• the city of Gadeed in particular takes pride in its inheritance, for it claims to have inherited the mantle of Dalan the Great and Pure who was a hero-king of old. Dalan the Great was the hero who commanded a strange fleet that sailed against Fortress Moon, and made battle with the demons therein, defeating them and driving them back. It depends on the mythology of one's cultus whether one believes that he drove them off with the intent of throwing down their fortifications, or if he drove them into the moon and set up fortification against their return ...
• the legendary king of Old Tsurr, Dalan II., is also said to have sailed against the Fortress Moon; this is not as well attested outside of his particular cult, but rather treated as the king's merging his own personal cult with that of the man he claimed as his ancestor
• among those said to have sailed to the Fortress Moon, Hamdi the Voyager is of course among their company. The legendary voyager (who seems to have sailed everywhere--could it be possible in a single lifetime?) is variously said to have literally sailed his blue-painted galley the 'Zourqa to the Moon, or to have found passage there by other means. Either way, he found himself imprisoned there by the demons inhabiting the place and invariably escapes in the stories by clever stratagems
• look not upon the Moon when pregnant, lest your babe be a mad mooncalf!
• a number of demons are associated in particular with the Fortress Moon, many of them documented by the old demonologist Tulket ibn al Rahm. A book of his has been claimed by certain barbarians, The Black Book of the New Moon's Shadow (entry 3). This was not an exhaustive list, the larger list being contained in the Clavis Arce Luna, which no barbarian has yet publicly found/read. Unfortunately, as looking too deeply into matters of the Fortress Moon is seen as demonological and dangerous, it can be difficult to come by materials explaining such relations in polite society
• Regarding the "built" nature of the Fortress Moon, it is called in some sects the Second Moon, built after the first one was destroyed during the War of Gods and Demons, when Dalan the Pure drove off the demons at last. According to those sects, this is well-attested by the fact that the "lunar calendar" doesn't perfectly line up with lunar phases, and with certain references in old legends that the Moon was "made to follow the calendar of the old Moon, according to the will of Men" ... The sources for this are (naturally) poorly attested, so take what one will of it. But they also lend a strange credence to the idea that the world itself was "built up" much in the way that a fortress--or a Fortress Moon--might be
• Never trust a Hanse merchant trying to sell you lunar lumber

It should be noted, there are a couple of other Moons. One of them is a "stationary" Moon that is said to hang over the swamped and ruined temple-city of the ancient Viïs Empire. In a way, this lends something to the theory of the Second Moon and the idea of the "built world". In a way ... but don't let it be heard if you think this, for it is certainly heterodox.

Also, for those in Cothon-Gadeed, there is a personality in the city who has an especial interest in the Fortress Moon, one Lady Khadra al Qamariya. Hence this entry, to some extent--but it is also overdue. The Fortress Moon is of course a legitimate object of interest and adventure for barbarians willing to venture into the Tel al Safina!

Veer Shevade

Merchant of the Bani Dawr

Purveyors of the taverns and listeners of rumors may be wondering what goods the Bani Dawr have been selling. Well, joined by members of their house (both for guard and for general assistance) a merchant has recently set up a brightly colored stall in the market. Most obvious of his wares are the brightly colored cloths draped about his stall.

Though not quite as voluminous a stock as this particular shop, these are the sorts of colors and piles one might see in Veer’s own stall.

Veer Shevade, a darker skinned fellow, obviously aged and weathered from travels, is seen during most days staffing his little popup stall. A cheerful fellow, with a thick accent who will happily barter and bargain (sometimes reaching a point where he speaks too quickly for the native Cothon-Gadeed language, and accidentally reverts to his home tongue) with customers for hours, Veer obviously has many things from his homelands for sale. Like other wandering traders before him, in between the “standard” cloths, lanterns, beads, masks and things for sale at this strange new stall, Veer has a handful of more unique items. These are only shown to repeat customers, or customers who are willing to show enough coin to make his haggling senses tingle. Nevertheless, the below special items are for sale from Veer. However, no prices are being listed, as all of these times are under a “make an offer” sort of bargaining.

• A List of Bargainable Goods:           [I can't get these bullets to format]

• 5 small pearls 

• 8 furry ghamel pelts of excellent quality
• 12 bolts of remarkably soft and lightweight cloth. Veer claims this cloth provides protection like that of good leather armor

• 60 “ration” days of sweet fruits and nuts (fresh, not preserved)

• 4 especially remarkable tapestries (above and beyond those for general sale), the artwork depicting strange scenes of whole villages riding on the backs of giant, long-necked, creatures.

• 18 pounds of dye-powder of various exotic colors. Veer will quickly explain that he means no intrusion upon the Barcidae, and their dyers and so any dye-powder is only for trade, not for sale.

• A single, rather odd looking bone. The shape is that of a small finger bone of some kind. There is no scrimshaw, or other markings upon it. What makes it odd is that as one observes the bone it will, occasionally, blur and seem semi-translucent for a moment, short enough that if it didn’t repeat itself a few moments later one might assume it was a trick of the light. Veer claims this to be a bone of the mystical qosoth, a rare item indeed! A small metal chunk that looks to have been crudely shaped into a small bowl, is included with this item, and is what holds the item, Veer explaining that if it were to phase while held normally it might just fall into the depths of the earth.

  

  The Bhave head, in color

• A remarkable little carving with exquisite detail, seemingly carved from a single fist-sized pearl. The figurine is of a four legged seemingly fuzzy or feathered animal, similar to the one depicted on the tapestries. The body is in equal length thirds, neck, torso, and tail, the head rounded with a bulgy nose. Several round spines protrude from the back of the head and down the top inch or so of the neck. Veer claims this to be a magical talisman of the Bhave, a mythical creature that carried humanity on its back to the river delta where she used her feet to trample the paddy-fields, and exhaled the sweet air of the valley from her nasal gourd, and the colorful feathers from her back as the seeds for the fruits and nuts to grow
• 
  A small, palm sized orb with what appears to be metal lacing just beneath a crystalline surface. It does not appear to be one of the "eyes" that certain barbarians have become acquainted with over the past couple years
  

For those interested in the more mundane side of the stall, here are the more “generally” available items, and their prices. Unlike the above items, which are all “as supplies last” these items are, for the foreseeable future, being made more generally available for purchase similar to other specialty goods. Note that these prices are subject to the normal “ebb and flow” of prices. Which is to say, during winter everything is 2x as expensive.

Price	Item
5 dn (gp)	Bolt of brightly colored, lightweight fabric (not as durable as the specialty bolts)
3 dn / pint	A fermented cider, made from exotic fruits
1 dn	Paper lanterns of varying shapes, sizes and colors
30 dn	Masks, often of a predatory (or otherwise beaked) animal, but warped and elongated to the point of the inspiring creature being nearly unrecognizable. The masks are made of a foreign wood that affords the masks a slightly higher tensile strength than most dried and carved wood, allowing them to bend somewhat around the face of the wearer.
500+ dn	Woven tapestries, usually of scenes or creatures (higher price for finer art). He will also accept commissions, explaining that the producer of these fine tapestries traveled with him, and that she would happily produce new such items. Though note that this comes with additional time for the art to be created.

Veer Shevade (or his stall in the Souk, at least) will remain in Cothon-Gadeed for some time yet. Unlike other merchants highlighted in this space, he is not so much "passing through" as setting up a semi-permanent booth to sell the goods of his homeland as they come to him, he being the face of the operation. Though business may call him away at times, the stall will nevertheless remain, looked after especially by servitors of the Bani Dawr.

[written up by Jacob--thanks for an excellent addition to the milieu!]

A Request for Aid from the Undercity

[presented by Jacob, in relation to adventures in the Medina al Taht, the "Undercity" that lies beneath Cothon-Gadeed] 

One day, as the winter months draw long and cold, a messenger arrives for Najm. They are dressed in what look to be fairly standard attire, if a bit dirtier than one might expect, even for a messenger. Though one would notice that somewhat prominently on a lapel is a silvery pin in the shape of the crescent fortress moon. He greets Najm formally, though in a way that shows he wasn’t especially practiced at the motions, introducing himself as Haafil. After that he explains that he has come to Najm on behalf of Farhat'amirat al Fasad wahakimat almadinat taht (this said with the practice and formality of someone who has to regularly use a liege’s full title), who requests Najm's presence at his earliest convenience. She [Farhat] wishes to contract Najm and whatever band of barbarians he can collect, to help deal with an increasing threat to her domain. He refuses to elaborate, claiming no knowledge beyond the request itself.

Najm certainly wishes to take up this request, to venture again into Medina al Taht. There are things down there that bear more investigating! Who will join Najm in this endeavor? When shall we set out? Those who are interested may come to the Saint Iskameen's moorings in the harbor, and from there the discussion will probably continue in Fahra's Hole-in-the-Wall