Concerning the Proposed Deal with the Abyssal Lords of Fire & Ice

People of Travance,

By now, most of you have heard of the proposition between Travance and the Abyssal Lords of Fire and Ice, known as Mother and the Jailor, to work together in some fashion to deal with the Abyssal Lord of Earth. You can read here on these boards the argument for us to sign it from the Fire Legionnaire called Q’aare’zel, a.k.a. Karl. We do not yet have the text of this proposed contract, but we must be of one mind before the start of the December Feast.

We, the Grand Council of Travance, have not made a decision one way or the other. I will be frank: none on the Grand Council have spoken in favor of signing this pact, for we believe nothing good can come of dealing with demons. However, we are not the only people who call this barony home. Your opinions matter.

Tell us, Travance. Tell us what you would see happen.

Regardless of your choice, there are some immutable truths about this situation:
•We must close the portal to the Abyss opened by the Earth Lord Kalen Maitel.
•We must not kill his remaining legionnaires, or else the power he regains will cause him to become too difficult to fight.
•There must be an Earth Lord, or the resulting planar instability will ripple out to our own plane.
•We are going to be fighting LOTS of demons.
•Should you choose to work with Mother and the Jailor, we will have fewer demons to fight, but we do not know what the price will be.
•If we do not sign, we will be trying to close the portal on our own, and very likely fighting Kalen on our own.

We are not without plans for dealing with Kalen & his portal on our own, so saying no will not suddenly leave us scrambling next Feast, but the plans will definitely be more difficult to pull off without the assistance of Mother & the Jailor.

So please, Travance, let us see your arguments for or against signing this contract. All may speak freely here, without fear of retribution from the nobility or any kind of criminal charges vis a vis dealing with dark forces, with one exception: if anyone decides that this posting is the place to indulge in petty insults and squabbles, I will be removing those posts. State your views, argue your points, ask questions, and please, be respectful.

In Service to Travance,

Considered how Mother has caused Travance to be attacked before, not interested.

Besides, next feast is Reclamation, the celebration of the defeat of Xualla.

It'll be difficult, but we have the initiative to get rid of this problem on our own as long as we work together on gathering the resources to stop it before it gets out of hand.

-Squire Ilana Darkwood

*A few portions are underlined*

Ergos wrote: But if there is some way in which we could ally with the Demons of Ice and Fire without getting the short end of the stick, I would be interested. To choose the difficult path, thus taking longer to handle the situation, as well as perhaps losing any semblance of treaty between those "allied" Demons and ourselves, is to guarantee the deaths of many.

I merely request we view the contract cautiously and proceed only if we can guarantee our safety and the safety of the innocent lives we would be signing away.

-We will be getting the short end of the stick.
- 'Treaty' is probably the wrong word to be using. Though, Mother may 'renew' her 'will not harass Travance' for another year. However, she can't keep all her demons away anyways.
-Looking at the contract is important, signing or not, in my opinion.

Mr. Winstonshire,

This is a copy of Q'aare'zel's note: ((OOG: It's the epilogue for the November event, so you can find it on the main KR home page))
Dear Magnificent and Terrifying Mortals of Travance,
I, your humble and pathetic imp friend, have done some research in the Abyss on your behalf. I wouldn’t want you mortals to waste your vast and great intellect when such a wretch as me could do this for you. I want to regale you mortals with the tale of Kalen Maitel, but first I must tell you of the original Abyssal Lord of Earth - Erkod the Jagged King. Please, I know my writing is terrible and undeserving of your sight, but please keep reading. Erkod was not satisfied with the Earth Throne’s power and sought to attain more. Avalon Maitel, the lesser faerie king of earth, got wind of the plan and sent his son Kalen with a small force of earth faeries to stop it. In the Abyss the battle was long and bloody. Kalen felled Erkod but was struck mortally in the exchange. With his soldiers dead around him and pinned by the body of the Abyssal Lord, the great warrior (for a Faerie) felt the blood washing over his wounds. He knew that the power in the Abyssal Lord’s body that could save him. The weak-willed prince, afraid of death, chose to embrace the Demon Lord’s power. Kalen saved himself by drawing the blood into him, thus sealing his fate as the Abyssal Lord of Earth. Kalen realized that he was now bound to the Abyss and unable to return to his home and family, but figured he could find a way around the pact and mantle he now bears. Kalen, the new Abyssal Lord of Earth, reveled in his new power and it seemed to compliment his already vast Faerie power. Soon enough, he got bored and felt constrained by being stuck in the Abyss. Something you mortals have figured out is that Abyssal Lords require vast amounts of power and sacrifice to leave the Abyss, which is I guess good for you. Your no-longer-good-friend Kalen decided he wanted to leave and keep all his power, but he was patient like his father. This was far long ago. After much time had passed Xualla and Balfurious left the Abyss. Kalen saw this and began forming a plan. When you mortals graciously helped my Lord ascend her rightfully earned throne, Kalen saw a potential and avenue to enact his escape. Kalen kept his plans and actions close to his wounded corrupted demonic heart and no one suspected his plan. You may feel used by the Abyssal Lord of Earth but, trust me he would've escaped either way. His Abyssal Legionnaire taking the Earth Faerie Key allowed him a connection to your plane and allowed him the ability to grow the portal with his power. Once Tonun Preaxon the Shambling Menace was slain, its power went to Kalen and with that extra power returned - he broke through that portal. I apologize for my rambling and prattling, please forgive this feeble imp. Here we are and I will reiterate my Lord Mother and the Jailor’s offer. They wish to have Kalen returned to the Abyss to take his throne so that the Abyss, the plane of earth, and potentially your plane do not fall into ruin. You mortals are dealing with so much and I know it can be a burden. The Abyssal Lords of Ice and Fire can help you secure Kalen and protect you in the Abyss where he must be brought. I know you do not trust us and definitely shouldn’t, but Kalen’s return is beneficial for both of us(Demons and Mortals). I know you mortals have qualms with Abyssal creatures, I don't blame you, but we are coming to you first for aid and temporarily stopping hostilities until the situation is decided. There will be a detailed and written contract for you mortals to decide upon. I guarantee it will be in your best interest to side with my Master, she has kept her word in not interfering...but you mortals will make the right choice.

Your Most Loyal and Humble Servant,
Q’aare’zl aka Karl

P.S. Please don’t tell the Abyssal Lords I wrote this. Thank you.