Catacombs of the North Wind: What you Know

What the party knows about the backstory of the Catacombs of the North Wind.

Source of Info 1: From The History of Zyan, by the Utmost Chronicler Medes, which is written in the mode of narrating events about which the chronicler could not have had firsthand knowledge, but this is interspersed with (somewhat) more responsible evidentiary sections that give some indication of what is known and what is speculation.

"The negotiations were predated by a period known as the Marine Wars, a series of sabotage and skirmishes flaring occasionally into catastrophic violence between the Sky Singers (as the ancient Zyanese were known) and the spirits of the air. Although his augurs counseled against it, reading mixed and ominous portents in the heavens above and below, Hegalion the Captain, leader of the Sky Singers saw no other way forward than to parlay and negotiate a lasting peace.

[1:52 PM]

The treaty is named for the site of the conclave, the most remote of the satellite islands that share an orbit with the Rock of Zyan. The negotiations were conducted between the Priests of Azmora (as the Archon Azmarane was then known) and the aether sprites that served Hashivaz, Prince of the North Wind. Hegalion agreed to ground the Sky Singer’s “flying castles”, ceding the currents of the Endless Azure Sea to the spirits of the air. He also agreed to erect the Catacombs of the North Wind, a complex of whistling, wind-filled shrines in the caves that catacomb the eastern cliffside of the main island, where pleasing worship could be rendered to the marine beings. In exchange Hegalion received three things: a cessation of mischief and violence from the genies of the sea, the service of a number of aerial spirits in fixed roles, and the Metaphysical Crown. The Metaphysical Crown was a splendid artifact of tremendous power that would found the monarchy, and make Zyan the flying pearl of all Wishery.

[1:53 PM]

After a glorious period, where many wonders were accomplishment, and the foundation of future greatness was laid, the troubles began. The problems were small at first, like a single cloud that passes before a bright sun in a blue sky on a late Spring day. But they grew slowly at first, and then more rapidly, trouble heaping upon trouble. The augurs could read nothing of the woe with their astrolabes. So Hegalion, in his old age, performed the rituals to summon Prince Hashivaz to the Catacombs of the North Wind. Reports of what passed between them are conflicting and speculative, but this does not stop Medes from narrating the meeting. In his telling, Hashivaz informed Hegalion that “Everything fashioned from the winds of the Endless Azure Sea is doubled, and something so great as the metaphysical crown will naturally cast its own shadow.” He revealed to him then the nature of the crown’s double and hinted at the existence of a hidden monarch. Hegalion became enraged at this, and accused the great Prince of treachery. To which he responded, “It is in the nature of a contract to have many unintended consequences, for each party. It is not the duty of each side to school the other in their folly.” Hegalion drew his sword, Song Blade, against him entitled to strike the Prince, but the magic of the Treaty shattered that great weapon into four pieces. So it was that the congress between the kings of Zyan and spirits of the air came to a bitter end. Although each upheld the terms of the contract, their conclaves were no more."

The second source comes from Melnea, who knows the catacomb from the classical opera The Wind Cycle by the composer Phaos. She speaks warmly of the opera, for as a girl she played with her cousins in the chorus of winds in the much abbreviated versions that were popular then.

The opera tells the story of the founding of Zyan and the death of Hegalion. In other works of poetry and opera that focus on Hegalion’s (picaresque) voyages across the sky, Hegalion is a sort of trickster hero, a master of cunning stratagems. But in Phaos’ opera he is an old man bearing the weight of his people’s destiny and the bitter pride of the Sky Singers. For the future greatness of his people, he believes he must cede the freedom of the Endless Azure Sea. The Song Blade is his inheritance and patrimony, a blade of pure embodied song, the highest art of the Sky Singers made steel. With it Hegalion is able to sing each of the Hymns of the Heavens Above, songs otherwise unmasterable by mortals that each contain potent magics. In the opera, when Hegalion founds Zyan, he must destroy the Song Blade, which he shatters into three parts. Its destruction in the opera is followed by the Threnody of the Song Blade, a dirge that accompanies the interment of the fragments within the Catacombs of the North Wind, which contains one of the most famous arias in Zyanese classical opera.

Later in the opera, when Hegalion believes he has been betrayed and that he has sewn the doom of his people, and traded the skies for uncertain miseries, he tries to refashion the blade to avenge himself against the King of the North Wind, but he is unable to do so, for all the songs have gone, and the opera ends in silence .

Melnea does not know how much of this, if any, is accurate. But she says that all the stories agree that the song blade was sundered into parts, and that it rests in the Catacombs of the North Wind, which have sometimes been called "The Tomb of the Song Blade".

Meanwhile, Fake Umpalior (the Hidden King) has commissioned Valmoreaux to form a company to explore the Catacombs. Here is the contract he issued to them:

"I, a King of Zyan, whom people call Umpalior the Victorious, son of Queen Ilaskia the Pale Rose, swear an oath before Five of the Six under the Regal Alien Contractarium of Zyan with Captain Valmoreaux of Rastingdrung. I hereby grant Valmoreaux a royal charter, to form The Company of Saint Garanax, the members of which are to be appointed by Valmoreaux subject only to the following requirements:

(1) The Company of Saint Garanax will consist of no more than six members at any given time, including Valmoreaux, who must remain the Captain of said company.

(2) All members of The Company of Saint Garanax are to be citizens of Rastingdrung at the time of the signing of this contract.

(3) No members of The Company of Saint Garanax may be citizens of Zyan by birth, lineage, custom, or law throughout the duration of this contract.

I hereby agree to allow The Company of Saint Garanax passage through Ultan’s Door for the sole purpose of exploring the Catacombs of the North Wind. I hereby agree to provide safe passage to and from the Catacombs of the North Wind. I hereby guarantee that neither the Catacomb Watchers, nor other agents under my authority, will molest The Company of Saint Garanax while they are travelling to or from, or are within, the Catacombs of the North Wind, as long as the members of the Company of Saint Garanax abide by the terms of this contract. I hereby promise to provide Valmoreaux with a description of the area of the Catacombs of the North Wind called The Chambers of Audience so that The Company of Saint Garanax may honorably fulfill the terms of the contract.

In exchange, The Company of Saint Garanax agrees to locate and secure the region of the Catacombs of the Northwind known as The Chambers of Audience, and to communicate accurately the precise location of The Chambers of Audience to me. The Company of Saint Garanax swears not to disturb the sacred objects within The Chambers of Audience, or to defile The Chambers of Audience in any way. The Company of Saint Garanax swears that it will not knowingly provide any material assistance, or knowingly encourage any third party to disturb sacred objects with The Chambers of Audience, or to defile them in any way. This contract should not be taken to condone other acts that may be taken in The Catacombs of the North Wind by The Company of Saint Garanax, purely under the authority and direction of Valmoreaux, who is not a citizen of Zyan.

Once The Company of Saint Garanax has fulfilled its terms of the contract in full, I swear to provide Valmoreaux and The Company of Saint Garanax a royal reception in the Sunset Palace, and to reward him with gifts of values judged enormous and surfeit by the standards of Rastingdrung.

Should either party violate the terms of this contract, the limitations binding the other party will be lifted. Should the Company of Saint Garanax violate the contract, its royal charter will thereby be revoked. Under these circumstances, the members of The Company of Saint Garanax at the time of its dissolution agree on their honor to each face an agent of my choosing in single combat. This honorable duel will occur at a time and place of my choosing, which I will communicate to Valmoreaux, or the members of The Company of Saint Garanax, or the agents of the Chatelaine of Rastingdrung."

Here is the Chatelaine's Take on what is going on with this, and what she wants from you:

"From the contract, it seems that Umpalior wishes to locate The Chambers of Audience, and to use whatever powerful items lies within to contact the spirits of the air. Likely he wishes to turn them against me, perhaps timing his attack to coincide with the reception he plans to hold for Valmoreaux. Since your hands are not tied by the contract, you may provide me with intelligence about this area, and perhaps liberate some of these sacred items for me. If they are not there for him to use when Valmoreaux finds the area...then he will not be able to use them. Don't get yourselves killed though; I have need of you in the other dungeon, once the spell is prepared."

Here is the result of Mia's research into the Chambers of Audience and the relics contained within:

According to the treaty and commentary, the Chambers of Audience are indeed the site of conclaves between the Zyanese and the spirits of the air. There are protocols for each side to summon the other. For now, you focus on the protocols for summoning the spirits of the air, looking especially for items or artifacts of significance. The treaty tells us that sacrifices must be made on something it refers to as the “Flying Altar” within each of three pools in a set order: the “Pool of the First Heaven”; the “Pool of the Third Heaven”; and the “Pool of the Fifth Heaven”. The text speaks of the pools as emanations of three respective “Hearts”, some kind of elemental organ. The text also mentions a holy item called “The Scrolls of Law”. Before the sacrifices are made, the ark containing the Scrolls of Law must be opened; for it is the energy of the Scrolls of Law that sanctifies the sacrifice and makes it worthy to be received. In the Pool of the First Heaven one must sacrifice bountiful sheaves of grain and honeyed wine. Next, in the Pool of the Third Heaven, one must sacrifice an animal, wrapping the marbled fat thrice around the succulent thigh meat. Finally, in the pool of the Fifth Heaven, one must sacrifice a sapient being. This line of inquiry opens up several branching paths for possible further research. (1) “What is the Flying Altar and How Does it Work?”, (2) “What is the nature of the Scrolls of Law?”, (3) “Under What Conditions May and Must One Party Summon the Other?”, and a special question that you may open only because of progress you have made on the clock about whom the treaty is between, (4) “What rules concerning the Chamber of audience might apply to Kings in the plural, and so perhaps to the Hidden King?"

One other thing: The party also interrogated speaking busts on the second level of the dungeon (the Chambers of Audience is the fourth level). They said that the Catacombs of the North Wind was a place of mourning, where the vessels of the Sky Singers were interred when they ceded the Endless Azure Sea to the Spirits of the Air.