Wondrous Item

Uncommon

The Senate Ledger Rod (2) is a slender staff crafted from polished white wood, its surface smooth and unmarred save for faint etchings of root-like patterns that spiral delicately from the base to the tip. Measuring approximately 12 inches in length and an inch in diameter, the rod tapers slightly at one end, where a small, inset orb of a white opalescent gem serves as a counterweight.   At its midpoint, the rod features a recessed band of gelwed, engraved with the insignia of the Ḧelflynz. This metal accent provides both grip and a subtle visual distinction, marking the rod as a tool of high status.   The opposite end of the rod features a hollow, capped compartment designed to store small scrolls or notes. The cap, also fashioned from gilded metal, is threaded to secure tightly and engraved with some numeral that has been scratched out.

Senator Orrumyr: (Leaping to his feet, his voice sharp and mocking) “So speaks the mighty Caelor, the Sun’s chosen wrath! Shall we all bow now, brethren, and let him alone wield the blade of Raskirith? Ist thou truly ablaze with thine thoughts, Horonyr?”

Senator Eldglād: (Slamming his fist on the table) “Mind thy tongue, Orrumyr! Caelor speaks the truth. Thou wouldst defend Ellaher’s pandering as though it were wisdom, yet what hath it earned us? More whining from the provinces, more demands from those who barely see the Light!”

Senator Hrodania: (Rising, her voice venomously) “Pandering, thou callest it? Hath the inner provinces not grown fat on the labor of those thou scornest? Thy farms overflow, thy coffers burst, yet thou wilt begrudge the fringes a voice? Thou art a coward, hiding behind the Sun while others suffer thy life! I smell greed upon you!"

Senator Sunfryð: (Pointing an accusatory finger at Hrodania) “Greed, thou sayest? The only greed here is thine, Hrodania! Thou wouldst see the Tree uprooted, its power divided among those unworthy! Caelor is right—Ellaher’s softness will lead us to ruin, and thou art dumb to it!”

Senator Fryðand: (Standing abruptly, his tone sharp as steel) “And what dost thou propose, Sunfryð? That we silence all dissent with the sword? Shall we march on the outer provinces and slaughter our own kin? This is no unity; it be tyranny, and thou dost see such clearly!”

Senator Sunfryð: (Sneering, his voice dripping with contempt) “That is precisely what I propose! I would rather see the provinces burn than let their whispers guide this Senate!”

Senator Raenand: (Rising to his full height, his voice booming) “Burn, thou sayest? And what of the legions that march from those lands? Shall we slaughter the soldiers who have bled for Raskirith because their tongues wag differently? Thou art a fool, Sunfryð, and thy words are poison!”

Senator Sunfryð: Mind your tongue, whoreson.

Senator Raenand: Mind your arrogance, bastard.

Senator Sunfryð: It is you who play that part, Raenand. Perhaps your mother laid a mouse and begat your sorried self.

Senator Raenand: Perhaps your mother's early death was caused by her own passions.

Senator Sunfryð: You jest to claim passions, as I have heard tell that you enjoy your time in Vraskia.

Senator Raenand: I have heard tell that you enjoy your time in country barns!

Senator Sunfryð: Your mother laid a gnoll!

Senator Raenand: Better a gnoll than merely a dog!

Senator Fryðand: Silence! Such words are cowardice incarnate.

Senator Hrodania: (Cutting in, her tone escalating) “And what of thee, Caelor? Thou darest threaten the Radiant himself in this chamber? If thou art so eager to draw thy sword, then do it! Let us see if thy strength is enough to silence all dissent, or if it is but bluster!”

Caelor: (Remaining seated, his voice cutting through the din with chilling calm) “Do not mistake my patience for inaction, Hrodania. Thou art not worth the effort. Words alone suffice to reveal thy weakness.”

Senator Raenand: (Laughing bitterly) “Weakness? The only weakness here is thine, Caelor! Thou clingest to the old ways, blind to the change that Raskirith must embrace. The world doth not revolve around thy blade!”

Senator Orrumyr: (Interrupting, pointing at Raenand) “And thou wouldst have us revolve around the whining of the provinces instead? Thou art the weakness, Raenand, always cowering behind Ellaher’s shadow, hoping his glow shall shield thee!”

Senator Fryðand: (Roaring over the noise) “Enough! Are we senators or squabbling children? We are Raskirith, the Light’s stewards! If thou wouldst tear each other apart, then do it beyond this chamber, for thy pettiness disgraceth our assembly!”

(The room erupts further as senators shout over one another, their voices rising to a crescendo. A few slam fists or weapons against the stone tables, a primal need to dominate fueling the chaos. Guards stationed at the doors shift uneasily, their hands hovering near their weapons but unwilling to interfere in the sanctity of the Senate’s deliberation.)

Senator Hrodania: (Pointing directly at Caelor, her voice filled with venom) “The Radiant’s path is the only way forward, and thou shalt see it, Caelor, whether by reason or force! Thou mayest think thy blade unmatched, but even the greatest swords rust with age! You are not even a true son!”

Caelor: (Finally standing, his voice cold and unyielding) “Then let us test the mettle of thy conviction. If thou darest challenge the Light’s will, know that my blade shall be the one to prove thee wrong."

(Caelor, standing tall and unwavering, turns his piercing gaze toward Senators Raenand and Hrodania. His voice cuts through the tense chamber like a blade, filled with calm certainty.)

Caelor: "If thou dost truly believe thy words, if thou dost truly see me as unworthy of this chamber and unfit to speak for the Light, then let us settle this as befits our station, as warriors of Raskirith. Words suffice not where steel may speak more truly. I challenge thee, Raenand, and thee, Hrodania, to meet me upon the field of honor. Let us draw swords, for only in the clash of blade can the Light’s will be revealed. But hear me well: this is no brawl of desperation, no display of modern theatrics with magic and tricks. This is the tradition of Aurelis himself—metal alone, unadorned, unaugmented. Swords and courage, nothing more. Accept, or let thy words be forever silenced beneath the shame of cowardice."

(The chamber erupts into murmurs, some senators glancing nervously at Hrodania and Raenand, others nodding in approval of Caelor’s bold challenge. Raenand and Hrodania exchange tense glances before both rise, their expressions darkened by fury and pride.)

Senator Hrodania: "Thou art a relic, Caelor, and I shall shatter thee upon the field to prove it. Thy traditions mean nothing in a world that changeth without thee."

Senator Raenand: "I shall join her. Thy arrogance shall be thy undoing, and the Senate shall remember this day as the fall of the so-called First Horonir."

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