Add Seventh Ancillary Journal

journals/seventh/lore/3rd-army.md

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+---
+layout: journal
+no-footer: True
+tags: seventh-lore
+title: On the 3rd Army
+---
+# {{ page.title }}
+
+#### Worries
+
+- There is an orc warlord, unfriendly with the Accords, that is assembling a
+	massive warband to the North.
+- There are waves of refugees coming from the far east fleeing "the horde"
+- The elves of the hidden settlement, who occasionally gave the army
+	information, have not visited for many months
+- The Snakefriend Clan of the Accords has vanished, every man woman and child
+- While the eastern roads of the Long Pass have been repaired, the Bore has not
+	been retaken. Until it is, large forces will not be able to march to the Far
+	Territories from the interior.
+- A brigand has slain the 13th Ancillary squad and taken the Golden Labyrinth.
+	What was once a small source of income is now a nigh impregnable staging
+	grounds for raiding parties.
+
+#### Good News
+
+- The second Ogre King of north has been slain and the road to the Accords
+	completed
+- A cessation of hostilities with the daemons of the Pool of Al Jeezir was
+	negotiated by Baron Calder Black
+- The crop blights in the South were the work of the Fairy Court of Worms and
+	stopped with the help of the ghouls of Nemes
+- The Church of Damerrich has built a church in the town of Hope, and sent hero
+	level characters to run it.

journals/seventh/lore/arconus-journal.md

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+---
+layout: journal
+no-footer: True
+tags: seventh-lore
+title: The Journal of an Arconis
+---
+# {{ page.title }}
+
+### The Sun in Rags
+
+A deity that resides within the Pathways of the Raven King. Its rights are the
+ones the alternate Kaldur / Arconis uses to hide from other outer gods and to
+make the pathways safer. The Sun in Rags glories in the decay of the physical
+and the enlightenment of the mind. It either is, lives in, or is just strongly
+associated with the sun that shines between worlds.
+
+At Tier 3 you'd get:
+
+- Sojourner Magic: -6 saves vs conjuration, +3 saves vs illusion, +3 saves vs
+  necromancy
+- Sun's Casting: Necromancy spells are cast 1 level higher, spells with the
+  \[Light\] descriptor are cast 2 levels higher. Undead you create that would
+  normally be vulnerable to light are not. These bonuses double if you are
+  standing in area of bright light.
+- Flesh is Rags (Su): Anytime you take 10 or more physical damage from a single
+  attack, you may, as an immediate action raise the light level around you by 1
+  step. The radius of this effect is 40 ft. If you take 20 more physical damage
+  while standing on solid ground, you may do the same targeting your blood and
+  flesh that falls to your feet.
+- Light is Being (Su): As a swift action, you may take one point of Con damage
+  and teleport to any space in your line of sight that is lit by bright light.
+
+Forming a connection with the Sun in Rags requires that you have seen the sun
+between worlds with your own eyes and the completion of a ritual that requires a
+mirror portal to the Paths and the corpse of a creature that had an Int score of
+12 or higher. The ritual takes 3 hrs to complete and a Knowledge (Arcana) test
+DC 15 and a Knowledge (Planes) test DC 20.
+
+### The Chiliarch
+
+A deity that lives on The Manse demi-plane (another interstitial plane, but one
+you are mostly unfamiliar with). The Chiliarch typically appears as a humanoid
+covered with wounds, with bleeding eye sockets and an empty mouth. He is blind
+and mute, but sees and communicates in other ways. The Chiliarch understands
+suffering, but endures.
+
+If you embrace his teachings, at Tier 3 you would get:
+
+- Sojurner Magic: -6 saves vs Conjuration, +3 saves vs evocation, +3 saves vs
+  enchantment
+- Fading eyes: Your natural sight range ends at 30 ft and you receive -4 to
+  sight based Perception tests. You are immune to sight based attacks that
+  originate from over 30 ft away. You gain tremorsense with a range of 90 ft.
+- Colonel's Endurance (Su): For every active point of bleed you receive DR 5/-
+  this stacks with every point of bleed. As a standard action you can give
+  yourself the bleed condition up to your Sojourner Tier, so long as you carry a
+  broken bladed weapon.
+
+To form a connection with the Chiliarch, you must have been brought below 0 hp
+and stabilized without outside healing. You must perform a ritual which requires
+an iron door frame gilded with silvered symbols (100 gp), and ritualized self
+mutilation of walking on broken glass and cutting yourself with a broken weapon
+12d4 damage. You must pass a Knowledge (Planes) DC 20 test, but the DC is 4
+lower for each 5 ranks you have in Profession (soldier). If you have ever lead
+other intelligent beings to their death in combat, this DC is 4 lower.
+
+### The Lost Hour
+
+The book also contains a brief description of a deity called The Lost Hour, a
+being that wanders at will between worlds with a magic map of time, but does not
+have enough information for rites. It also suggests that the fey have a method
+of hiding from outer gods, but not what it is.

journals/seventh/lore/coming-invasion.md

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+---
+layout: journal
+no-footer: True
+tags: seventh-lore
+title: On the Coming Invasion
+---
+# {{ page.title }}
+
+Many signs and portents across the realms have predicted total disaster.
+Alternate timelines have suffered from several different sweeping disasters, but
+clues the party has gathered (and probably forgot) point to a coming invasion
+from the Dark Tapesty. These clues were: a stone obelisk made by ancient ghoul
+prophets, the cryptoc ramblings of an eclipse giant, the warnings of the dark
+priest, the prophecy of the hainted castle, the artifacts and writings of
+marooned space farers, and the signs and entreaties of the black butterfly. The
+party knowns that Orlon, the king of the undead River Kings went in seatch of
+more information, but never returned. They also known that in the alternate
+universe of The Soaring Place, fairyland suffered an invasion by the creatures
+of the Dark Tapestry, and The Crown Pronce in Exile wars againat them. Finally,
+they know that a small incursion from the Dark Tapestry happened about 950 years
+ago in the Far Territories and a coalition defeated that force.

journals/seventh/lore/dark-folk.md

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+---
+layout: journal
+no-footer: True
+tags: seventh-lore
+title: On the Dark Folk
+---
+# {{ page.title }}
+
+"Dark Folk" is a catch all for couple species that share the same language and
+have some physical similarities. The small ones are dirty, vicious things that
+dress in rags and love stabbing people. The medium sized ones hold nearly all
+leadership positions, dress in immaculate black outfits and while less directly
+quarrelsome tend towards sadism. All species have bodies that behave violently
+when killed.The party had several run ins with them in the past, largely
+centered around the noose. They used Acronis as an oracle, and were mad when the
+party absconded with it. However, at some point Barri managed to convince, or
+bully, them into serving him. The details of that are not known to the party.
+The Dark Folk are known to be skilled at stealth, poison use, and arcane lore
+that is considered abstract, in particular they are knowledgeable about many
+facets of the Shadow Plane and the Underdark. They famously hate dwarves of all
+kinds, gnomes and light.

journals/seventh/lore/disappearance-twin-cities.md

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+---
+layout: journal
+no-footer: True
+tags: seventh-lore
+title: The Disappearance of the Twin Cities
+---
+# {{ page.title }}
+
+The party was previously roped into a widesweeping investigation on behalf of
+Breach who was engaged in a frantic battle against kytons on the Shadow Plane.
+One Breach agent mentioned to Calder that the kytons were trying much harder
+than usual to "save us". There were several unusual trends on the material
+plane: 1) people were disappearing all over the cities, in Busura it was a large
+number of people, mostly children, in Al'Jira a small number of adults of
+varying professions. 2) A worrying number of people developer total amnesia 3)
+an intellegent zombie was discovered working as a night watchmen and was slain
+immediatly. The party was in the process of tracking down where the children
+were being taken when they blundered into another universe, except for Calder
+Black. Calder continued the investigation on his on, and then with Barri and
+discovered that a daemonic priest was kidnapping them and leaving them in the
+care of a mostly benign undead orphanage master in a ramshackle building inside
+the city. The priest was killed. The orphan master was killed, the children were
+released into the streets, save for the undead ones, who Barri adopted. They
+declared the investigation complete and began planning their raid on the Dark
+Priest. The cities vanished about a month later, leaving behind only a massice
+stone slap with a single symbol carved on it. Later, the Bishop of Nemes threw
+out a bunch of doomsayers from his lands and only afterwards learned from his
+ghoul priests that they may be far more fangrrous than they seemed and
+potentially responsible for the Twin Cities disappearance. The Bishop passed the
+warning along to General Vandeemer and several cultists were captured in Fort
+Rather and several more were apprehended and put death in the town of Hope.

journals/seventh/lore/on-arconis-barri-traitors-noose.md

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+---
+layout: journal
+no-footer: True
+tags: seventh-lore
+title: On Arconis, Barri and the Traitor's Noose
+---
+# {{ page.title }}
+
+The noose was first discovered by Barri, Argon, Calder and Helga as the journed
+through the Long Pass with the remnants of the 18th Infantry of the 4th Army of
+Altay under the command of Lt. Sydney. The Hanged Man was being used/worshipped
+by the Dark Folk that lived in the Spire as a prophet. The party, acting on
+Helga's dream, raided the the Spire and took the noose for themselves. Barri
+decided to wear the noose personally, to help mitigate the ill effects of the
+curse Sulnaj had inflicted upon him. Over time, the party learned the Arconis's
+story; he was a prince of a small human city state subservient to the Dwarvish
+Triarchy. When the Triarchy declared war on the Halfling Empire, they cled on
+Arconis's people. At the time, the human city-state had more in common and
+better relations with the Halfling Empire than their suzerain. Arconis resented
+being forced to a war his people dis not want, and resented that an unrelated
+law would force him to give up his daughter so she could serve as a priesthood
+as an oracle. The war declaration pushed him over the edge into rebellion.
+Knowing his dutiful father would bring his people to war, Arconis killed him and
+his older brother both. His rebellion failed, largely because of the interence
+of a Magi, whondefeated Arconis and his followers. However, before he was
+captured, to prevent the Magi from taking his daughter from him, he threw her
+over the Spire instead, earning the appellation 'Child-slaying Arconis".
+Afterwards, he was hung as a traitor and cursed by the Magi, the nature of the
+curse forces all his male descendants to eventually betray what they should
+protect and in doing so, meet a painful death. Arconis was cursed with unlife to
+watch this happen to all his line, unable to die while it endures. The party,
+largely at Barri's insistence, promised to help Arconis kill off his remaining
+heirs so he could finally die. Presently, all but one have been killed, and
+Arconis has gotten more powerful with each death. He has become more lucid, but
+when confused his madness is contagious and the living around the bearer of the
+noose can be convinced they are Arconis's long dead companions. Such as Argus,
+his spear bearer, or Clytemnestra, his lover. At night, any of the souls held in
+the noose can manifest as ghosts, during the day, they can attempt to commune
+with or posses the bearer, these abilities work best at dawn/dusk and poorly at
+noon. At Barri's request Arconis is willing to fight Sulnaj and has helped
+design a ritual so the revivifying god can be stopped and destroyed once and for
+all. Barri's motivation is because the god cursed him at one point. The current
+concern is that Barri's subservient Dark Folk may torture Arconis's last heir to
+death before the ritual is performed, nullyfing the ritual and leaving Sulnaj
+unchecked and able to return to true godhood. Sulnaj itself hungers to return to
+power so it can proclaim and witness the end of the world. That would probably
+not be helpful for anyone who wants to live.

journals/seventh/lore/sojourners.md

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+---
+layout: journal
+no-footer: True
+tags: seventh-lore
+title: On Sojourners
+---
+# {{ page.title }}
+
+The places in between universes and the Raven King: There are several ways to
+move between universes that the party knows of:
+
+1. The Pathways of the Raven King- named after the famous sojourner but far
+   older than he, the pathways connect alternate universes and timeliness
+   through reflective surfaces. Magically induced light behaves strangely here
+   and physics tends to be relative. People who die seem to quickly be raised
+   into undead. Powerful outsiders, and even dieties, fear to use or even
+   observe these paths, however it is known to the party that several versions
+   of Caymden Cailen have done so.
+2. Portals of the Old Ones- built by ancient cults of obscurity, the party
+   decided not to even consider using them at the advice of Palemon, the Crown
+   Prince in Exile (an alternate version of the Forgotten Lord, who tended to
+   rage instead of melancholy).
+3. Harvey and Gek were returned to their home universe by either a technological
+   or magical beam employed by servants of the Throne of Worlds that used
+   neither of these methods.
+
+Visiting other dimensions is perilous, largely because of the predatory
+multiverse entity known as Tindalos. Hiding from Tindalos is the Sojourner's
+best bet and the ways the party currently knows of are:
+
+1. To bend the knee to the Throne of Worlds, a LN force that values obedience to
+   hierarchical order, taming the wild and dangerous facets of nature and
+   growing civilizations
+2. Become a student of the Raven King, an arcane caster that has delved into the
+   secrets of the pathways between worlds and used them to his own advantage
+3. Eat a piece of Tindalos and become one of its many mouths, in so doing you
+   get feed instead of be food but you will suck at parties forevermore
+4. Learn the "Shaded Way" an arcane practice that learned from how Tindalos does
+   what it does without being at its unsatiable whims. They feed on Sojourners
+   and psychic casters, but exactly how is not somethinf the party knows.