◙Fate of Steel | Order of Faceless Might◙

Lorsh

Varlot
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Roleplay Type(s)
Order of Faceless Might | Cult of Legion
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Moss is crawling across the marbled ruins of Veilport - an old Aedor town, now merely a shadow of its ancient majesty.

The town has largely been abandoned by its former inhabitants, save for the few that remained to be incorporated into your cult. The cult's robed ranks are relatively small in comparison to the number of 'lay folk', but they are heavily armed and command the most defensible sections of the ruins. It is in the best interest of the majority of nearby farmers to live under the Order's rule, rendering crops in exchange for protection from this forsaken region's various faends, lawless people, barbarians, and less scrupulous cults.


The vast majority of Veilport's buildings have been reduced to ruins. There was once an ancient castle on the outskirts of town- said to have still been held by your ancestors for nearly a century after the schism- though it was nearly destroyed in its entirety during an early paladin expedition. A more modest, yet intact pillared hall is located near the centre of town - the old acropolis of the Magus Municipal.

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The harbor bazaar is much less active, with fish, produce and raw goods being the mainstay of what is for sale, with much fewer specialized artisan goods than the old days. Most of the people shopping are the Order's tenants from the hinterlands, mixed with Veilport dwellers and the occasional traveler.

There was once a manaspring in the town circle, but over the years, it has deteriorated into nothing but a crumbling basin slick with the remnants of evil-smelling, blue-gray sludge.

The town's bestiary has since fallen into ruin as well, though the stone cells remain useful for holding captives of the Order. The inhabitants of the bestiary are long escaped or dead as well - the only faend beast remaining in your household's possession is a single horned charger, the last of a long line of steeds.


The Order has been dwindling over the years, slowly but surely. Only over a thousand souls remain, mostly confined to Veilport. During the struggle with your siblings- particularly your sister- you lost a dozen acolytes and thrice that many 'citizens', not to mention three Sorcerai. Mostly, they died from sword strokes and crossbow quarrels, rather than spells. Held captive in Veilport are two people, the Sorceress Thae Makellos, who was a former supporter of your sister, and an Everlight man-at-arms. They were both taken into custody by the Order after being discovered at some kind of secret parley, shortly after your sister's death. Save for Thae, it was here that the remaining acolytes aligned with your sister were put to the sword.

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Tyrvane walked through the halls of the Faceless Hall, robes flowing around him as he moved towards the simplistic throne room he had built. The seat he had was simple, sturdy and comfortable so that he could spend time in it contemplating. The floor currently was being repurposed into a regional map so as to better coordinate their forces. The forces of Faceless Might needed to be rallied and grown, but that would require efforts to be develop the lands around here. Roads needed to be paved or at least made more stable, while routes into and out of their territory needed to be patrolled. Some semblence of order and control needed to be shown to create a draw for others. Order created a sense of safety and a desire to remain.

"Hmmm, we have fish, we should be using them to fertilize farmland. That should get more crops going if we have viable plants. We need to get more fishing going as well. More to trade, more to have and preserve for the harsh times," Tyrvane muttered to no one in particular, used to thinking aloud but also puzzling out the orders.

Food and wood, those were the prime goal. Stone was needed too for paving the roadways. Patrols to be started so that the Order could show it had power. These were the foundations of forging a larger territory. He was even prepared to embraces Faends as traders, allies and converts to the Cult of Legion. Faends were welcome within their holdings for they were the results of the fools who had wasted magic twisting flesh. But not that magic had failed them while the masks made by the Order still worked. More masked had to be made though... and the old armors of the Empire needed to be recovered. To achieve that though, his holdings must be strengthened into a better launching point with more followers eager to march forth.

The next problem was the mana font, but he was prepared to do something for that. Thae Makellos would be sacrificed in a ritaul to try to empower and reawakened the fountain, seeking the blessing of Legion. This Everlight Man-at-arms was concerning though for it meant those fools must know of the Order on some level. All the more reason to stir up local support, draw in more people to convert and show the will of Legion, the many face god. So much to do, but this was a start. The sacrifice my cleanse the leylines to allow the manafont to flow again... or show the means to better repair it and have it supplying the Order.
 
An investment could be made into increasing the production of fishmeal by your coastal holdings, which could then be used as feed or fertilizer. The shipyard in Veilport leaves something to be desired, but it shouldn't be too much of an issue to turn out some extra fishing vessels.

Paving the roads would be quite the endeavor. The remnants of some of the old Aedor roads still exist, but they have been heavily supplanted with gravel. It would be take a great deal of time, effort, and gold in order to improve these old roads. Foot travel between the Order's hamlets and Veilport does not take particularly long, but paved roads would make carts and wagons easier to bring along. Still, the hamlets and outposts aren't exactly booming centers of production, either - and the distance between them is not particularly great.

It would be wise to sacrifice the disloyal sorceress sooner rather than later; an azure nova is beginning to grow in the night sky. It is said that it will become a bright Arcane Star in less than a fortnight by your astrologers [2x turns]. The presence of an Arcane Star will amplify the effects of any sacrifice performed during the witching hour.

The Everlight Order is the Holy Temple's most prominent paladin organisation in the Kingdom of Dyrnwald, the Boldic nation to the south. They have always worked alongside the local warlords to ensure that faends and Galds never roamed too far south. Occasionally, they escort nobles on exotic hunting forays into the ruins of the Old Kingdom, for a fee. They are quite dangerous; the order commands not only mounted paladins, but many sergeants and common soldiers as well. Their coastal citadel is said to be a hard nut to crack, in terms of siege.
 
Preparations will be made to align the sacrifice of the traitor sorceress with the apex of the Azure Star. Before that will be rituals to 'open the ways' better and prepare the population for the final ritual and to fully channel the energies into the desired purpose.

Investments will be made into increased fishmeal production. The same goes for the production of more fishing vessels to increase access to fish for both the fishmeal and simply to give the population access to a good source of food that will help them last in the long term.

If it can be afforded, the paving will be pursued. Veilport is to the the foundation point of a new Empire, meaning it must first establish the strength of itself and any outlying locations bound to its control. Those outer settlements might not be overly impressive yet, but roads mean that various resources can be invested in, creating more jobs for the locals along with ensuring the Order has better resources access along with stronger regional control. The perception of control is paramount before any sort of expansion would ever be considered.

It does leave the consideration to invite or lure in more potential followers. Hopefully the fishmeal and increased farming could create that potential simply from those seeking stable food sources.
 
Word will be sent out to your followers to have them prepare for the sacrificial rites.

The Portreeve of the town could be directed to focus on expanding the fisheries, and fishmeal production capacity. Doubtless, he will ask for a donation from the treasury to assist in fulfilling your intent.

Toxins from the Old Kingdom, released into the air during the apocalyptic days of the Schism, are said to have caused strange rains that have withered down the stones of the old roads over the centuries, causing them to crack open and become overrun with creepers and moss. Perhaps some simpler forms of maintenance could still be done, though repairs will be costly.

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You know that the pavage of the roads will be time-consuming, not to mention very expensive. It may not be possible at all, due to the lack of skilled labor in Veilport. Most of the population of the town are simple famers tending to the fields outside the walls and the gardens within - that is, if they aren't fishers. There is nobody even tending to the stone pathways in the town itself - they are in very poor condition as well.

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Your base of power is, unfortunately, very rural and rather undeveloped, with only some antiquated Aedoran hardware to show for itself. Your dreams of reestablishing an Empire are still a distant prospect.
 

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