The Council of the Free Peoples

18th Day of Wealsun, CY 592

A council was convened to discuss the progress of our group’s progress in the fight to destroy the cultists of Tharizdun.  It was attended by many of the same people who attended the Hommlet council during Patchwall of last year.  That council convened to put a plan together to retrieve the Air Binder from the Sea of Dust.  Two of the people involved in that quest joined the main group shortly after they retrieved the binder.  A second gathering, the Binder Council, met two months ago, where it was decided to give the Earth and Air Binders to the Circle of Eight until such time as we are able to pursue their final destruction.

Meeting Roster
Canon Gareth Heldenster, Prelate of Heironeous, Furyondy
Canon Cassius Varpan, Order of Saint Cuthbert, Veluna
Canon Clarence Herzog, Temple of Pelor, Verbobonc
Canoness Y’dey, Order of Saint Cuthbert, Hommlet
Archmage Fistan Nolro, Circle of Eight
Thurl Ranevalac, Arch-Heirophant of Obad Hai
Creden Vigorian, Justiciar of the Billets, Order of the Cudgel, Veluna
Delvanos Caelith, Riverwalk Society, Verbobonc
Safadin Gammel, Professor of the Wheel, Grey College, Greyhawk
Uthgar Khannenhelm, Khannenhelm Clan, Lortmil Mountains
Victor Nikeas, Sacred Fist of Kord, Verbobonc
Archmage Steven Vannay IV, House of Vannay, Veluna

The first issue that came up was the lack of support from the dwarves in the war effort.  Uthgar explained that his people were currently involved in a war against the frost giants and their dragon master.  Canon Heldenster veered the discussion away from this, because the purpose of the meeting was not the war.  

Heldenster went on to say that the war was mostly in a holding pattern as neither side could gain the advantage.  Crockport seems to be serving as the main focus of both sides, as it has been under siege all summer.  Lord Noct is marshalling the forces of Iuz from there, but the location of Iuz is not known.

Y’dey explained that she felt that her presence in Hommlet, and the cultists’ knowledge of who retrieved the binder placed her town at risk.  She had been in hiding for some time, but now she felt it prudent to attend this meeting and resume her position in Hommlet.  Delvanos informed her of the status of the scout, Kainell D’Fehund, she dispatched to the temple site several months previous.

The main topic of the council was the disposition of the binders.  It became apparent that Heldenster had told Varpan about the decision to give the binders to the Circle of Eight.  This did not sit well with anyone in the group for a number of reasons.  At the Binder Council two months previous, it was agreed that no one else would know.  Since the Hommlet Council was compromised, it seemed foolish to assume that other meetings would be safe from agents of Iuz or cultists of Tharizdun.  Though the cult does seem to be in disarray after much of the leadership and two thirds of the triad have been destroyed.  Iuz clearly has designs on the binders based on the word of the wizard Lord Falrinth, and Iuz certainly has agents in Chendl.

Varpan stated in his typically caustic fashion that he had learned of the meeting about the binders, and he refused to be left out of the discussion.  He had been at the Hommlet Council, and he had supplied the leader of the group currently assaulting the temple site.  Creden pointed out that he is not the leader of the group, and the decision to limit the knowledge of the binder’s whereabouts was merited.  Varpan was undeterred.  He went on to rail against the turning over of the binders to people whose “motives were suspect”.  He did not mention the Circle of Eight by name, but he was clearly referencing their representative, Fistan Nolro.  Varpan brought up the old rivalry in Veluna between the church, the nobles and the wizards under Bigby of Mitrik.  Varpan also pointed out that the spy at the first meeting was from the Grey College, and they still had a representative here.  Safadin took exception to this, since one of his colleagues was killed because of the deception of Myrliket, the doppelganger.

We took Heldenster to task for his decision to inform people outside the first Chendl council about what happened.  Heldenster defended his decision by saying there were other considerations.  A coalition of several countries was needed to prosecute the war against Iuz.  There is a careful balance that must be preserved in order to keep all the member nations in agreement.  The other nations sometimes feel that Furyondy pushes the others around with their power, and so concessions must be made.  It is a difficult balance, and Heldenster must strive to maintain it.  Our group seemed to be of one mind about this.  Political considerations fall a distant second to the purpose of our quest.

Victor spoke up at this point.  He pointed out that no other Kordites were at this meeting even though they are aiding in the war effort, and they were critical in the evacuation of Crockport.  Victor said this was not surprising, but it shows the prejudices of others.  He went on to say that in this critical juncture of the war, political and theological differences were not the main issue.  The careless words of Varpan and the decision of Heldenster put people’s lives at risk.  Varpan did not seem to find the words to answer him.

The final portion of the council was concerning the last stage of the quest.  An inquiry was made about the status of the Water Binder, but it seemed unlikely that the cultists have recovered it.  Fistan Nolro said that the party would be going into the Fire Node, which in many places is referenced as a “moon”.  The node would be similar to conditions on the Elemental Plane of Fire.  Imix would likely have powers similar to a deity on his home plane.  The extent of these powers is not known, but Imix would likely be aware of our presence immediately upon entering the node.  The champion or as the prophecy states, “one of marked worth”, would be critical to the cultist’s plans.  He would be protected as such.  The details of the attempt to free Tharizdun are also not known, but it probably requires the presence of the champion.

Overall, the meeting was a bit heated and lacked the unifying spirit we would need in order to succeed in the two fold task of stopping the cultists and defeat Iuz.  Some important information was gained regarding the nature of the Fire Node, but the spreading of information about the binders did not bode well.  We spoke briefly with Ranevalac about Erwin Muir, our fallen druid.  He was pleased to learn of Erwin’s contributions to the party, and he said that if we needed help in the future the people of the Old Faith would stand ready.  We stayed in Chendl for the next eight weeks making our final preparations for entering the Fire Node.