Story Thus Far

Piecing it all together...

I think the best way to proceed with this whole campaign metaplot is to explain the Nors story thus far. Consider it a combination of Kaylan's knowledge since session 6 or so, the orb, the logbooks, the diary and everything else gleaned or throttled out of the surviving Nors doctors and priests.

Is what's outlined below an overly complex plot? Absolutely. Welcome to my games! That said, my goal here is to be more transparent and share an understanding of how exactly all these sessions add up from 1 to 89 (in so far as the Nors plot). Mystery has its place, but at this point I prefer everyone be on the same page. I think everyone will be able to appreciate the sessions and what their characters are doing more if they grasp why they're doing it and how it could affect the world.

At the onset of the campaign, Deloth DeWitt and his infernal carnival scoured Othyr at the behest of his archfiend father Belizeez, Lord of Glut, hunting for unique and powerful individuals to distill. Belizeez had entered into a partnership with Emperor Endymion Norson (partially the reason he was able to become emperor), and the combined resources of The Fourth Ring and the Holy Nors Empire began unlocking the secrets of ancient and crash-landed Anubian ships. Among the technology they reactivated was The Godengine and the motherboard which powered the Sodden Hold Distillery (see magic items in 88a summary).

Long did DeWitt and his network collect these specimens for distillation and consumption, but most precious of all were those with direct relations to the New Gods, specifically siblings and parents (the old and new Saviors). The emperor postulated that within them were small amounts of residual divinity which could be distilled and, if gathered in adequate amounts, used to form an ambrosia elixir that would bestow godhood. Of course, Endymion kept such a notion to himself...

Two years passed, DeWitt and Crematia failed to acquire the Saviors in any of their forms, but did manage to kidnap all sorts of other unusual specimens from across the worlds. Those with ties to the New Gods were quietly put into the emperor's share of the elixirs (a lot of King Matthias' bastards among them) without the archduke ever taking issue.

When High Priestess Finduilas, who mothered Kalinda and possessed maybe the most residual divinity of anyone on the continent, was captured by DeWitt after the wedding ceremony, the emperor thought her too valuable to be left in the hands of infernal agents. Belizeez had a history with the woman, who was part of the group which exiled him from Othyr twenty years ago, and there was little chance Endymion would be able to pry her away from the archduke's vengeful clutches. Endymion sent military forces to intercept DeWitt on his way to Edmark, the same military dispatch the party saw moving through Bleachbone. DeWitt and Crematia barely escaped with their lives, and the emperor replaced both of them with identical puppets.

Puppets are, in a manner of speaking, clones without consciousnesses and perfect for Endymion to inhabit, not to be confused with corpses, which the emperor can possess but which decay before long. Some are grown from 'genetic' material of existing persons, which the emperor kills and replaces (or tries to in the case of the surviving DeWitt and Crematia), others are 'designed' like Huron, never having been a real person at all. These puppets form a support network across the empire and, perhaps, in other nations, helping to ensure Endymion remains in power. He can pull the strings of many at a time, but each adds a little more strain.

Still with me?

So the puppets DeWitt 2 and Crematia 2 returned to Edmark, the Godengine now under his control due to the exact genetic match of the DeWitt puppet. Endymion was able to reprogram the machine through DeWitt 2, which fed everything it saw and sensed to him, which is why his imperial override had it so adamantly chase Narra.

The Blue Angel is immensely important the Endymion for reasons still only guessed at, but given the information found in the logbooks, orb and diary, it may just be that the soft-spoken Norswoman is in fact one of Endymion's puppets, seventh in a series, that somehow gained self-awareness.

Beyond his infernal connections and puppet supporters, Endymion also has 'facilities' which are Anubian ships. There are two known facilities: alpha and beta. Alpha is Narra's birthplace and most likely the puppet factory. Beta is where dissidents and the unwitting are brainwashed and reprogrammed to become Sons and Daughters of Nor, what Tyvis fears is better known to the public as The Imperial Gulag: where his father was sent. Beta was the first facility discovered by Endymion himself (The Sons of Nor movement was pivotal in raising him into power).

And lastly in his power structure, Endymion has actual free-thinking supporters across the empire, largely in the Church of Nor, but also in the Nors Inquisition. Yathnoc and The Imperial Dragoons also support him (the elder red as powerful an ally as Belizeez). He is also championed by The Consortiums and the various city armies and navies (though it's unclear where Edmark now lies in that scheme).

So what does it all mean? How is this plot in any way manageable for someone looking to take down the emperor, liberate the empire and end the war ravaging Othyr? It starts with Endymion's power structure of course...

Endymion's Power Structure
(in no particular order of importance)

• The Fourth Ring (infernal ally in Archduke Belizeez, devils, tieflings and duergar)
• Puppet Supporters (key imperial leaders keeping Heartland and other conquered nations in check)
• Anubian Technology (Facility Alpha and Beta, Godengine, distillery...)
• Sons and Daughters of Nor (hopeless loyalists throughout empire)
• Free-Thinking Supporters (devote loyalists throughout empire, centered around Church and Nor faith)
• He's an insanely powerful psychic

My hope is that after reading this you all will have a better understanding of what's been going on in this Nors storyline and maybe see how things fit together in ways you didn't see before. The future is still yours and whatever you like to make of it. The outcome certainly isn't set. And there are plenty more revelations and ways things fit together that are yet to come, so don't take this as any sort of spoiler! This is just the essential information to continue forward, what I feel you all have earned.

If you have further questions, feel free to ask me.