The Hermetic Embassy
June 1227 - Adventure 27
The Magi travel to Baghdad on behalf of Exarch Boustaphan, in search of the Hermetic Embassy. Once there, they become embroiled in the politics of the Order of Suleyman, meeting the Grand Vizier Khatraz in person. Thubayta Al-Shafiyya enters Fatra Bayna, which causes her to disappear for a year, but the rest manage to contact Aurora Borealis of the Hermetic Embassy, who is imprisoned by the Grand Vizier in a lacuna of the Realm of Magic. She assures them that she is fine, explaining that she is no prisoner but instead is there voluntarily. She explains she's trying to build a bridge between the Order of Hermes and the Order of Suleyman to face the upcoming danger of the Golden Horde in the near future. During their stay in Baghdad, they face Salima, Thubayta's patron, who captures Khalila for a time, but Eric d'Ancelin manages to free her. A year later, Thubayta returns from Fatra Bayna, and is taken in by the Great Vizier. She negotiates with him her formal expulsion from the Order of Suleyman, to avoid the enemity of the Order of Hermes since she knows the secret of the Parma Magica, and the Grand Vizier also frees her from her service to Salima. After returning to Constantinople, she confesses to the other magi her true mission in the Order of Hermes, which she is no longer doing. She also confesses to Khalila that she is her sister. Khalila, furious, leaves the Covenant and joins House Mercere in Alexandria.
Participants:
- Charis
- Eric d'Ancelin
- Hyperides Hylas
- Thubayta Al-Shafiyya
Note: This was a big turning point for Thubayta, as she was outed as an actual member of the Order of Suleyman to the other magi. All the players already knew this, as we use a policy of playing everything at the table in front of everyone. A character's secrets are not secret to the players, only to the characters. We feel this allows everyone at the table to greatly enjoy the stories focused on a particular character. This was one of those cases, and everyone had a blast seeing Thubayta's player sweat. In the end, we agreed that the other characters would accept her into the Order of Hermes, as her secret was revealed at the same time she was cast out of the Order of Suleyman. Her agreement with the Grand Vizier served to advance her patron's switch from patron to antagonist, as Salima will be one of the main antagonist down the line. We're also playing a plot whereas there's a rift in the Order of Suleyman, which will take center stage later on. Also, this adventure featured one of the worst-timed Twilights I've ever seen (Fatra Banya in her case, but it's all the same).