Tell all the truth but tell it slant —

if a river of blood can become paint and the pariah blades can become ploughshares and the hallowed round can become a theatre, then bolaire can so too be changed. in fact, he already has been, just like when thaisha attempted to reshape the pariah blades and found shadia had already done it unknowingly.

To be clear: a story that includes inherently evil/good races is founded on racist rhetoric. The idea that someone can be born into a moral prerogative is racism. D&D isn’t unique in this regard, and it is not isolated to TTRPGS.

I looked at D&D’s recent (last decade) shift from “these races are for sure evil” to “well they can be any alignment, but you’re most likely to find X alignment” to be a sign of progress. Is it still racist? Yes. But it’s a softer racism, and at least it’s not as bad as 20 years ago. The mainstream is shifting as slowly as it always does.

The result is that all D&D games have a facet of racism baked into them. A campaign might not address it, but it’s still there. CR campaigns 1-3 brushed against it, but only gave some shallow and predictable themes on racism, and almost all of them from a white perspective: actually, these brutish savages we’ve presumed to be enemies aren’t all that bad (not like those other ones we slaughtered). The few instances where a PC experienced racism were always limited to backstory or small-scale interactions. The framing was racism as a personal opinion, not an institutionalized strategy for the preservation of a ruling class. It’s not shocking from a founding cast of white people; it’s progressive that they even dipped a toe into it. But it’s still just a toe, and they have had multiple instances of either not examining their own biases or just not caring.

I did not expect Brennan to do any better, and he’s surprised me. It’s not just the worldbuilding around the Shapers as gods literally creating races in their own images and pitting them against each other so they would view their own gods as their rightful overlords. It’s not just that the orcs were victims of this system and led the fight to destroy it by freeing themselves. It’s not just the aristocratic humans rushing in to secure power in other races’ lands and politics and that this is a fight they will repeat in perpetuity. All that is nice to see, and refusing to be subtle about it earned a lot of good will.

However, Brennan included demons. My immediate and ongoing conclusion was, “Well, there’s still an evil ‘race,’ we’re just not calling it a race. But this story is better than others about it.” At least there’s the orcs addressing racism outright, so a fuckup over demons isn’t that offputting. The hints against this (Tyranny’s inner turmoil, Tsul’rekshi’s anarchy, etc.) didn’t really phase me because the overarching idea of demons as evil had not been dispelled. Individual anecdotes are exceptions to the rule. My view was that any episode now, we’re going to learn of some special reason that Tyranny and Tsul’reskshi are different.

Kattigan’s insight into Tyranny clears up that issue in its entirety: she truly is a demon through and through, there’s nothing less demonic about her in particular, and she is not evil. Demons aren’t evil.

The conclusion is then that Ksha'aravi is the head of a faction and has built a myth of demon kind that suits him, not any differently than Yanessa has built a cult around the idea that people need redemption by the light. Tyranny may have a penchant for destruction, as does Bolaire, as do all of the mercenary/soldier PCs—but destruction itself is not evil. Ksha'aravi and his kin are not naturally vile. Demons can choose to behave as they please, like anyone else can choose. He’s just like the shapers: constructing a world view that divides people into categories so that they view their leader as righteous and infallible. Racism maintains the status quo, and individuals’ racist mentality need to be demolished before they can fully appreciate the degree to which they have been manipulated and used.

The Termina and Amariya Situation

The Archanade, Bolaire, and Hal are all in deep shit if the Termina-Amariya issue isn’t handled right. Amariya has Termina wrapped around her finger, and Termina—by influence or design—is already eager to start making gods out of someone in order to have more gods to kill.

Bolaire was made into a Disintegrate target after 1.5 conversations. Where does that leave Halandil Fang? Or the secret archive under the Archanade? Or the Archanade itself?

STATUS: FUCKED (PENDING)

Primus Recognizing the Signet Ring as a Plant

UH OH, SCHEMERS!

Specifically, Azune. You schemed too close to the sun, buddy. Unless you forged a good record of discovery, the exact wording for how Occtis’ ring wound up in the Lady Cormoray assignment was…

“We have this signet ring. From Tachonis. And I want to slip it into the evidence of what was discovered in that investigation.”

Not that you found the ring, but that you somehow planted it within the evidence already within the Arcane Marshals’ collection.

Yanessa waved off the idea of Einfasen trickery, and maybe that will stick. But if/when it comes out that the ring was added after the major investigation evidence was compiled, within the Brethren Hall itself? Alarm bells are going to start ringing.

The only thing working against a major non-lethal stink as far as complaint goes is…well. The fact that all that other evidence was compiled against House Tachonis that is very blatantly authentic and Primus had to pay a requisite apology bribe to get the heat off. And that only barely. The idea of Tachonis storming up to Einfasen and insisting that THIS PARTICULAR PIECE OF EVIDENCE AGAINST ME is in fact FRAUDULENT and PLANTED >:C is laughable. So I expect the most he and the family will be after is who in the Brethren Hall was able to get the ring from Occtis, operating as fellow agent against his plans. And Captain Nayar is right there. And that other shoe still hasn’t dropped regarding Thjazi’s fake Misty Step glyph and the Arcane Marshal responsible for throwing the scan…

STATUS: LIKELY FUCKED (AZUNE PLEASE HAVE SOME EXTRA NAT 20s IN THE POCKET FOR ANOTHER SUNDERED HOUSE SNIFF TEST)

Teor and Cyd Pridesire’s Remains Still in Obrimus Manor

Thimble needs to survive long enough to discover them.

Hannan needs to assess the situation, learn Mara is already out with Occtis and Julien, and be convinced to join Thimble down in the dark.

The discovery needs to be made. Emotional damage ensues.

Also! Putting down Raimond Davinos and his zombie crew!

Having survived all that, the Pridesire brothers’ bodies need to be burned before the Tachonises can do any necro fuckery with them.

Hannan needs to get the Einfasen axe and the Royce bracers out of there.

Escape alive. Return to party.

Pain forever. :)

STATUS: FUCKED IN POTENTIA

The Hallowed Round VS the Karen-descent Creed

If it comes to something as gauche as a fight, I think Zebani, the Candescent crew, and/or any Sons of the Dawn mercenaries or spare demons she brought along might actually have a rough time of tackling the Hallowed Round as-is. Hal and Thaisha have made it literally hallowed. Azune, Vaelus, and The First Woken Dragon of Aramán have planted a Faerie haven and healing place in the Tintazi Wood/Lake Nahami. The whole place is crawling with the celestial souls of orcish warriors and buzzing Fae and a whole city’s worth of patrons riding the magic high of the play.

If the Halovars throw a punch, shit will turn ugly.

However! That isn’t the main threat. The issue here is that some Luxes came and tattled to Zebani that mean Mr. Fang had put on the wrong play. Now Hal himself and his maintenance of the Hallowed Round after the curtains close is in danger, as are his people. True, the worst ‘crime’ that might be spun is maybe fraud?  Unless there was something especially nasty buried in the deed that Hal didn’t catch. The aftermath has the potential to be far worse than the actual confrontation. Unless someone can defuse the situation point blank, shit’s going downhill.

Only options I see that don’t end with Hal needing to flee the city?

The entire city of Dol-Makjar (plus some magic weight given by the Round itself) erupt in outrage at the idea, let alone the sight, of Halandil Fang being pressed or otherwise arrested for Ko’Therai. This is the city whose opus was the Family Who Forged the Swords That Killed the God of War. Riding that wave, there’s a very real chance that Yanessa’s own fake resurrection stunt could backfire and have people crying We killed the old gods, we can take down the new. It’d definitely give the Creed pause even if it did cement Hal as a full enemy.

Azune pulls another trick out of his Sundered Houses’ Special Boy bag and goes for full concern. He, his Arcane Marshals, and a legion of Magpies were patrolling the Round all night. No Luxes spoke to them about the play—they left outright when they should have stopped to inform them of trouble. And yet they made it all the way to the Villa Aurora, where every head of the Sundered House is currently gathered, with a complaint that just so happened to draw a sizeable chunk of the estate’s security away from the grounds? My Lady, do you have a messenger bird with you? Any way to send quick word to your uncle? Just to be certain all is…undisturbed at the Villa. The play is only a play. If something must be discussed with Halandil Fang, surely it can wait for daylight. My Lady, the majority of your security is still at the Villa, yes..? Really lean into the paranoia. Also! Have Zebani realize he’s the Capt. Nayar that Filoneus has been hyping up! The same guy who manned the Tachonis case! If she follows his lead—maybe even drags him along back to the Villa—they’d be getting there just in time to see Lux Adora’s corpse splattered in the road after Bolaire threw her out a window, replete with Sir Filoneus and a bunch of Sundered gawkers casing the scene. Oh shit. The play complaint was a ruse. WHERE THE FUCK ARE THOSE LUXES, UNCLE FIL, WHERE ARE THEY—Etc etc, more tasty chaos, go Mischief of Magpies~

Hal puts on the best sales pitch of his life. He was flattered by Lady Iris’ applause for the Photarch’s rendition, and he was prepared to put on the play as she left it—but he knew it was wrong. To have the Light in Ko’Therai, even in so small a role (small?) would taint the power of it. In truth, the longer Hal sat with it, with the potential of it… Well. He couldn’t stomach the idea of the Light playing such a bit part in his work. Not when it deserved a production to itself. (???) Cue some truly next level bullshitting, perhaps replete with some prop outlines hashed out in a fit of late-night/early morning mania, depicting the mountain of ideas the Photarch ~inspired~ him to make. The Creed VS Tansul, who Shaped the Sun but could not hoard the Light! Theatrical productions of choice parables in the Photonic Verses! Pageants in potentia for next Candle Feast! And, if she’d be amenable to an interview, he’s already started drafting a little something to honor the tale of her resurrection~ This one feels the most bitter to swallow, and the biggest gamble. Yanessa’s no fool, but her ego is bottomless. It’d be a coin toss and even if it worked, that’d leave Hal and his company in the lurch as they dedicate their talent to pitching Creed propaganda. Gross

Azune, can you ask your friend in the River Vrosh to eat a few Creed folks? Please and thank you

I think he’s definitely a draconic bloodline sorcerer, but more specifically I think that whatever dragon he’s descended from is something similar to Quetzalcoatl!

So, the word Azune spoke that summoned the dragon: Inxolotle. Xōlōtl in Nahuatl (indigenous language of mesoamerica and main language of the Aztecs) means monster! (Side bar fun fact: axolotl is derived from this word, meaning water monster)

Quetzalcoatl is a god from Aztec mythology (and some other cultures in the area) whose name means ‘feathered serpent’; among his various domains is water/rain/storms. Various people have been picking up on storm stuff and dragon stuff with Azune, and this feels like a solid way for both those attributes to be true!

(Some stuff from wiki for more detail:)