With the party gone for the day to Rodown, the special forces & Imperial mages took the time to read, organize, & understand Civitello's Library. The following information has been gleaned:

First Day:

Civitello's Cabal & Army:

Civitello was a member of a small cabal of wizards, who had accepted a new member recently. In a cabal, there are three common ranks: grand master, associate, & apprentice. Civitello served as the grand master of his cabal, with Ordoro Amano (a necromancer), Kaetr Ancatur (a sorceror), Nedla & Vonea (a pair of black witches), & a new comer called "Hollow Tim" (a demonomancer) as associates. Two apprentices, Auvaths G'lozram & Ijurom Rashed, were also part of the cabal.

As far as we can ascertain, Nedla & Vonea were the nagas Duke Battisto inadvertently killed in Civitello's tower. His final journal entry mentions that they were due to visit on the day of the attack, & the description of the wooden statues within the tower match their own.

Ordoro Amano is the most senior member of the cabal, havin allied with Civitello back in Civitello's youth. Notes indicate he may have even taught Civitello the dark arts, & Archduke Perival verifies that this man is, in fact, now undead. He is said to have a stronghold in Kael'Ras, which further confirms this.

Kaetr Ancatur is a complete unknown. His designation as sorceror indicates that, while he has no specialty, he is probably only marginally less powerful than Civitello himself. His tower's location is unknown, but is likely somewhere on Ansulym.

Hollow Tim, clearly some sort of Hollow Jack-inspired being, is a powerful demonomancer who was recently invited to the cabal (or perhaps, invited himself--it's hard to tell). He has a tower near the main stronghold in the Night Wood.

The apprentices would not yet have towers, by the traditions of a cabal, but traditions are not always followed. They will likely be found in one of the joint strongholds. Three exist: one in Ansulym, somewhere deep in the Night Wood; one in the Mallerin Mountains here in Maraddon (a force has been sent), & one on Palhur, near to Civitello's Island.

Furthermore, several allies, servants, & hired guards are mentioned:

• Connell Colzayre, accomplice & agent
• Captain Marnak Maltukh, a trollish mercenary, & his crew
• Captain Rangast Bonemuncher, leader of a pack of scavenger goblins
• A mercenary named Redaur Amolaur (presumably, some sort of minotaur)
• Three named demons: Taoluth, Honzep, & Ganvorien. The good news is, these might be their true names.
• A blood giant named Khomur the Leech
• A manservant named Andrew Rust
• Two slaves: Murdana & Gyny, further identities unknown, but the latter is a sex slave of some sort
• A being called Hojud, identity unknown. Possibly another demon.
• Nogodr, a harrower gargoyle
• Two other named undead: Farnus Infarnus, Ordoro's bodyguard (meaning Ordoro might actually have a body), & Baejim Delkori, his manservant (note: Ordoro took this man's heart out, so he is likely a heartless)

Other forces mentioned include a small host of demons (offered by Hollow Tim as a means to join the cabal--numbered at about 100), a cultivated beholder hive, nightmariens (former soldiers of the nagas), a force of lesser undead (probably about 50), & two elemental beings enslaved.

These forces were likely scattered previous to the attack on Civitello's Island, but it must be assume dthey are finding a new stronghold to amass in at this point. With their magic, this could be done already.

Civitello's Magic:

He is a sorceror by the look of it, meaning a majority of the spheres of magic have been mastered. He tends to favor meta magic, dark magic, pestilence magic, envy magic, & dream magic. This is by no means a comprehensive list.

Notable spells in his arsenal:

• An envy spell that will take your physical characteristics & make them his own.
• A destruction spell that enchants a threshold to destroy the weapons of those entering--including bodily weapons.
• A time spell that enchants a room to keep returning unwanted guests to the moment they entered.
• A love-combined-dream spell that makes faeries unflaggingly loyal to him.
• A love-combined-darkness spell that enchants the air to cause anyone who breathes it to start hurting those he loves most.
• A knowledge spell that erases the memories of anyone who reads from certain passages in his books. This took hours to dispell, & only because we had a void-source could we do it.

Civitello's Plans:

Originally, Avery Colzayre was going to be a slave to Civitello & Connell, who would have married him to Annavera & made him the next Emperor. The civil war changed that, but the two were seeking a way to bring him around (without using duress) to returning to Service so that they might arrange a different marriage for him, then a few assassinations.

Then, Civitello learned that the shadow-kin within Avery was trying to get free. His theory was that the shadow-kin itself commanded Avery to kill his own mother. The shadow-kin was much, much more powerful than Civitello. He had to use ceremonial magic (a version of magic he abhorred) to capture it & the innocence of Avery himself was enough to bind it. As he began to experience more worldly experiences, the prison got weaker. Had Avery committed a strong enough sin, or merely had sex, he would have been destroyed. Civitello sought to counter this in Hrass by casting a voice extending spell, commanding the shadow-kin to kill, & thus, sate its lust.

As for the raphael, Civitello knew well that grand wishes--an Empire, a Gift, etc--were too much to ask, especially of an inherently good being. He notes he wished for the way to control a shadow-kin (ceremonial magic & innocence), a promised resurrection should he die (apparently granted recently), & that the raphael be sealed into the eyes he put into Colzayre.

The other beings within Colzayre's eyes seem to have been chosen more or less at random from what Civitello had available. The Fork-Tongued Masquer more or less was in the wrong place at the wrong time & ended up being enslaved.

When Civitello became aware of the situation in the Summer Country (like most powerful wizards, his planar informants told him much, but eventually, he got a fairly full account somehow a few days before he was defeated), he began to plot how to make Avery into the next King of the Faeries & thus, control faeriedom. This plan is/was still in development. His main plan seems to be, though, that his agent (Connell Colzayre) will win the First Song somehow & force Avery to serve him in exchange for access to it--& thus, access to freeing the Summer Country.

Civitello's cabal is focused on overthrowing the government of Tamarnthek. They have allies in several areas, but mostly, they seem to be allied with "the Green Party," who seem to be Aeldians.

Planar Information:

The Summer Country was, in fact, conquered somehow by the King of Thorns. His allies include, but are not limited to, the Queen of Nightmares, the Queen of the Black Goats, & a being called Lord Borreliosis.

The King of Thorns is the "son" of the Champion of Envy & the Goddess of Envy. His powers are incredible. Until the end of First Shem, he wore the body of the former Champion of the Sun. Very little else is known.

The Queen of Nightmares is known to be non-demonic. She is similar to demons in many ways, though, & was the mother of the monster Annuzzi, which haunted Mother Viollca during the last war. She lacks his particular flaws (latching onto a single victim, etc) as far as we know.

The Queen of the Black Goats is a void-based demon queen. Her young, known as the Thousand Black Goats, are very powerful anti-magic beings.

Nothing is known about this mysterious Lord Borreliosis.

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Pages: Characters . Logs . Setting . The Artistocrats . We Are The Band . List of Known Contestants . The Golden Ticket . Compositions . The Cards . List of Help & Danger

Characters: Arlie Battisto . Avery Colzayre . Jack Crane . Aurelia Lucent . Subiquim Ixioj . Arsul Toutant . Dionysus Berrywight . James "Magnum" Peltier . Bartleby the Rogue . Tomerane the Snowsinger . Leia Bantae . Leonas Willow . Hunny . Manny . Little Wing . Kashaji . Odellino . Muxiat Solgheraq . Klaus Uwengelter . Lucilla Toutant . Greipur . Jack the Diamond . Rumbleford . Rubella Crane . Stalker Toutant . Domy Toutant . Shatter . Samuel Jericho . Rex Cuniaid . Dayrum . Damon Argent . Merian Dremholz Battisto . Conell Colzayre . Valara Lucent . Kansallus the Rogue . Gaja Gamini . Ushpishtim Gamini . Darion Bumblebee . Todzeney Gemmerit . Uvex . Berko . Bentley Pharnum . Thelser . Robin Goodfellow . The Merry Men . Beauregard . The Balladeer . Katerina Ryne . Kinglsey Allfenn . Tracey Jamison . Roshadam . Fane Crow . Monir the Unseelie . Qualla the Fool . Servant of the Never . Asad Windkin . Fitz Romaine . Eliza Hawk . Uriah Trumble . Wivena . Martha Mellaus . Henry the Guileless . Ulysses Bloom . Roan Asher . Deepa Ramanarah . Civitello the Great . Mark Goodrich . Ismuth . Borreliosis . Idjallora . Seela Wile . Necrocurcuriba . Shezeri's Son . Queen of the Black Goats . Gryfyn Cuniaid . The Crippler . Giobog . Avery Jericho . Deltriquim Ixioj . Christopher Laird . Hornet Rust . Caella Markanan . Nadia Hyatt . On'Jandu . Genfyllid Cuniaid . Corwin Jericho . Blake Guidry . The Norns . Flick Tinpot . Albert Renkarr . Marilyna Maraddon . Onitan . Shona . Minerva . Bast . The Nilos . KratsatsMeky . Boelvasmithr . ShijieDeMailuo . NagyVadaszno . NeizaiFangshi . Eris . ZirehliZeng . VahKadumavenRashaven . TananIlay . Gorgeron . HiliKar . MiteraTonAlogon . Jodis . Drifa . Valdis . Salmei . Ilse . Jana . Grag Headsplitter . Chiyo Date . Inteus . Hanisim . Marcus Johansen . Nicholas Kringle . Hrodwulf Grom . Germaine Butterfelter . Makeko . Guiteau Toutant . Ten Thieves of Renown