The Cult of Apollo

Session held 26th January - Summer 1227

A cautionary tale, for those who beleive that twilight is a necceasrily good thing.

This log is done in the format of an adventure seed for those who would like to try and run it themselves.

OK. This was run in our campaign, and attatches specifically to parts of it, but I'll try and explain what you can substitute with:

Wormwood.
Big huge (probably) demon thing.
Seems to want to destroy the entirity of novgorod (and probaly the world)
MO - cluts, temples that kind of thing.
Warps peoples minds,and uses them to further its schemes.

This character doens't enter into the plot - but needs to be forward enough to scare the PC's, and perhaps make them beleive that hes running the show.

Have the players stumble onto one of his temples (large statue, etc, unoccupied) while looking for a cause for something else.

I'm sure you've got a demon just like it in your saga somewhere.
(If not, and you live in iberia - ask the local priest, and if that fails, look to the local lord, and then your own council)

Sol and Selene.
Two young mages - friends through apprenticeship, and now, young and eager, wanting to start a covenant.

They are eager to start - have something of a cvision of looking forward and who knows what wonders mnight be acheived.
Idealistic, shall we syy.
Sol appears to be enthusiastic, and selene appears to be more sensible.
Between the two of them, great things might happen.
They begin their founding by asking for contributors at a tribunal.
They also intend to ask many of the independants to join them.

The covenant is duly founded, with the blessings of some of the other covenants (perhaps they intend to keep hooks in, and make it a sattelite - perhaps they are truly generous)

How do you PC's react to an idealist trying to found a covenant (reasonably) nearby.
Do they give support, suggest friendship - perhaps they cannot afford help.
(We are a spring / new summer covenant - others circumstances might be different)

Sol appears to have a fairly firm grounding - but speaks of reaching for the stars.
Selens is much more restrained, and calm - but seems to believe that Sol knows what he's talking baout - and her quiet support is comforting to those who are put off by Sols exuberance.

--
Time passes.
Perhaps some visits to this new covenant
(Ad astra per aspera) (sp?) {its meant to mean to the stars with/for knowledge}
Over time, perhaps they grow friendly - but preferably, a detatchment grows up.
Few visits, but friendly is preferred.

Ad astra grows quickly - it has few resources, but a friendly environment - and Sol is truly inspiring.
Many of the independant magi of the tribunal settle there (many more don't settle, but are extremely friendly)

--

The next event is pretty much hidden from the players, but they'll find out about it later.

Sol goes into a twilight hile trying to blow up some creature thats defending/attacking a vis source.
(Actually, all thats important is that he goes into twilight)
When he comes out of it, he is changed.
He burns brightly - and has a great quality.
Worse, he proclaims himself to be Apollo - the god.
And that everyone should worship him.

He only starts to realise his divinity slowly - and for a time people assume he'll get over it.

The the worshippers start arriving.

Spontaneously, from across the region, people start to gather to him.
Very slowly at first, and at first merely wishing to join with hi in worship to appollo.
A temple gets built, and things start to accelerate.
Mages gather to him.
He formally announces his godhood - and raises a temple.
Local peasantry (and some of the nobility) gather to him.
He uses magic to soothe the nerves of the clergy.
He doesn't even slightly hide what hes doing.

But visits to ad astra are fairly rare, so it takes a while for the rest of the tribunal to cotton on to what is going on.

--

At a tribunal, (this is before his worship has progressed to this stage) Sol walks around trying to gain converts.

He does moderately well - though most simply dismiss him as insane.
{Have you ever considered the sun? Its life itself. Everything is warm because of it. The stars pale before it, and the moon is but a pale shadow...}
<criamon wibble...>

To the PC's, though - this is curious.
To them, he seems to be a babbler - with no inspiring message, nor even the shadow of leadership.
He doesn't inspire them - he seems dull.
They cannot understand why he is gaining peoples trust when he is obviously mad (many of the magi agree with this, but some follow him)
It seems he inspires fanaticism in a very few, and nothing in anyone else.
If the players have fouibnd out, and wish to - or if you have particularly active quaesitoris, the issue of the temple might be raised at this tribunal.

Selene will speak up - saying that a large number of worshippers turned up, claiming that this was a holy site of apollo.
They could hardly turn them aside, that would cause their wrath to fall upon the covenant.
So instead, they allowed them to build the temple.
It seemed the most amicable solution.
Certainly, we are not forcing these people to come - nor are we even encouraging them.
Should we interfere with their beleif, simply because we wsh to make use of the site?

Probably outcome - a slapped wrist, promises not to make it worse, don't anger the church - but not an actual 'do anything' injunction.

--

At Ad Astra, things continue to get worse (better?)
Perhaps up to 150 worshippers, by the time that it becomes obvious to all that ad astra IS encouraging followers, that he *is* pissinbg off the church, andf will likely bring down their wrath.
That the local church and nobility *do* know that wizards are involved, and that the situation is likely to explode.
Oh, and that Sol is unrepentant, and insane.

What do the players do?
Selene seems to have almost given up on her long time friend, if the wrath of the tribunal seems set to fall upon the covenant, she will plead that she, and several others, were not involved - but Sol overruled them.
They will try and bargain that they will stop the worship - but that getting rid of sol will only make things worse.

--

Long tribunal session - it should be fun to watch the politics.
(Ours had one covenant wnating ad astra to continue for reasons of its own, but not wnating to show it, one blackmailing ad astra for its support - if it gave up its vis sources, one that jsut wanted to march it for the fun of it, and the player covenmant which didn't know WHAT to do)

Sol does not turn up to defend himself - he sends another (loony lackey) to do it for him.
{Her defense runs along the lines of 'you cant march him - hes a god. You should worship him'}

Selene is sane, but on the defensive.

When (as is inevitable) it is decided that SOMETHING be done - a bunch of magi will go to ad astra to inform sol of their decision.

They arrive to find him, his magi, and his 150 worshippers gone.
Gone where?

How long?
Investigation type stuff follows...
They marched off into a forest, into a clearing.
There, Sol torched the lot of them (vis) and performed some kind of ceremony - after giving them all a long inspirational speech.
He then disapeared.
No tracking works - something BIG is protecting him.

How do you cover it up.
WIll the church attack?

Is Sol really what he claims, and if so - what is he going to do next?

You should kjnow as well as me how to get players worrying over this kind of thing.

The best bit is - I don't know either.
We haven't had any concluding parts of this story...
Perhaps we will, perhaps we'll never find out.

Enjoy.