Puzzle involving magical darkness!

Wizard-lords of Nevershyed. Two powerful unicorns and a pegasus who rule Nevershyed.

Genius Loci, brother of Numinous, unicorn, studied at the crooked tower when Emerald was there.
Probably a psychopath. Very ambitious. 

Numinous Spirit, sister of Genius, pegasus, mostly taught by her older brother.
She is mostly just going along with the others.

Baleful Gaze, unicorn, estranged daughter of Malign Gaze Sr, who deposed her from the overlordship of Nevershyed with the help of Genius and Numinous. (Malign Gaze's other daughter, Malign Gaze Jr, now rules in the remaining part of her mother's territory.)
A sociopath.

Though not as evil as some, the wizard-lords are pretty bad - they manage Nevershyed for their own long-term benefit and not for the welfare of its population. Unlike Malign Gaze Sr, though, they aren't doing wicked experiments to make pony aberrations and invent new types of undead, though.


MALIGN GAZE Jr, "Overlord of Witch Point and Nevershyed." She hates her sister, Baleful Gaze, with a passion, and wishes for nothing more than to take over Nevershyed, to whose overlordship she is a pretender.
Although not totally without empathy or morality, she is very self-centered and petty and would be hard to turn.

Geldbit, Baron Saltpillars. A stallion, an earth pony zony and alchemist in a very classical vein. He likes gold and other precious metals. He's comparatively benign, if not benevolent; he is very greedy.
His mortal enemy is Scarflanks. Turning him would be mutually exclusive with her.

Scion the Fleshgrafter, a unicorn, likes making abberations, has "recreated crystal ponies" with crystal forest experimentation. RBO spies raided him eight years ago and he is still pissed at Risen Bones a lot, and made two of them whom he caught into abberations.
He has extensive knowledge of psychic magic as well. Nova wants him extra dead.
He is pretty much a complete monster. Is a bit of an abberation himself, added pegasus wings to himself, but they don't work other than for limited gliding.


Scarflanks the Callow, a featherless pegasus wizard who is the way she is because of magical war wounds on campaign against Geldbit, who had mercenaries from Scion the Fleshgrinder.
She could probably be turned, but it would be hard, and mutually exclusive with Geldbit since they are mortal enemies.

Saltwithers, an earth pony wizard, who got her start leading a peasant uprising against Scarflanks after being her general.
Could easily be turned; RBO failed because he doesn't trust RBO.


Freetown is an elective dictatorship, currently under Chief Sootstreak, a unicorn fire mage who rebelled from Nevershyed after initially supporting the disposal of Malign Gaze Sr when reform failed to materialize fully. He is already collaborating with Nova.

The soil of the area is poor and a high population cannot be supported. Intensive cultivation, raised beds, recycling of fertilizers, and summoning of extradimensional food by wizards are popular. Lately produce from Teardrop island has reached them as well, though the overlords have tried to suppress this to some extent since they don't want RBO propagandizing their subjects.

The wizard-lords have a tower in Nevershyed which is by far the tallest structure in the NE Dusts.

There is an annual summit of eminent wizards in Nevershyed, which Risen Bones formerly attended. He has not in some years (the last year he attended was 3327 before his destruction) but has sent word that he will attend this year. It's whenever the party is in town. Parades will be rehersed and so forth for them to notice. People may think Emerald is a delegate.

This is part of EL's plans. She is planning to assassinate the other attendees and occupy/liberate (depending on your POV) the NE Dusts. The casus belli will be the 'destruction' of Risen Bones at the summit (while he is giving a controversial speech calling for reform of the overlordship system), a false flag operation to be pinned on Malign Gaze Jr. EL/RBO will be assisted by troops from the NW transported over the crystal forest by the stolen missing aeropony ship (who have been moving them from the NE; RBO has promised to aid them in achieving a peaceful succession from New Equestria as part of the to-be-founded Harmonic Dominion of the Ashen Sea, and to destroy the forces of The Swift One. The Northwesterners also did most of the capturing of the aeropony ship, RBO supplying the antichangeling weapon which is also pretty much how Ruby got one.)

EL is likely to ask the party to help provide security for her and Flint to keep them near _after_ the assassination; she won't want them to see it go down.

Risen Bones being "destroyed" will allow EL to officially take over; the occupation of the NE Dusts will allow it to take place at a high point.

The question of why RBO obviously prepared (the NW troops) is legitimate. The claim will be that they were gated in, an incredible feat of magical prowess intended to overawe potential enemies of RBO. The person who explains this will believe it is true; EL obviously knows it isn't, and is willing to confide in the party of asked privately (hopefully Akasha doesn't just shout "YOU LIE" at her in front of a bunch of people... a risk I guess)

RBO's delegation will be very visible giving out fruit and treasure. (Coins minted with the image of the new princess, naturally., "HARMONIC EMPIRE OF EQUUS")

• IMPERIUM HARMONICUM

Reverse UNUM FRENUM Numeral 1 in a six-pointed star. CIVITAS HARMONIAE

Obverse ANNO RESURGENTIS XVI Profile of Princess Nova wearing a grass crown woven of flowers and cereals. NOVA, CURATRIX EQUORUM

RES HARMONICA f 3dec CIVITAS HARMONICA EQUORUM

Party could accept the geas for the summit and have to trust Nova to remove it, simply stay out of her plan, or report it to the wizard-lords.

civitas harmoniae