- This session is a meld of my storytelling and Lurker37’s. I was given some parameters as to how long the journey would take, I proposed a number of locations along the way, Lurker37 picked some of them and then I expanded upon some of them, then Lurker37 ran the session, expanding and twisting some of the narrative. I’ve broken the narrative into three parts. This is the first of three.
Realm 30 - The Sparrowhawk (Wooden Door)
- Ethan and Isabelle stay at an inn for their one and only night in Florin. They enjoy each other’s company, drink good wine (including the bottle that Isabelle procured in Aquila) and celebrate that they have evaded any pursuit that might have attempted to follow them from Nexopolis. They dance and drink into the wee hours of the morning. Isabelle is so drunk by the evening’s end that she has to be helped to their room and put to bed. (GM’s note - at least she appeared to be ‘that drunk’ - it’s possible that it was a test of Ethan’s character and she was skilled enough to get away with it)
- The next morning, Isabelle rises late and feels very sick. Ethan gently uses Eidolon to make her feel better, and when she is ready, they head to the Door to leave.
Grand Stairway Section 12 – Proximate to Florin
- The section of Stair outside of Florin is rough-stone like that of a castle dungeon. There is no light source, forcing Ethan to ignite his lightsaber in order to see by the glow. Isabelle and Ethan agree that their first priority should be to restock and re-equip. Isabelle asks if he has a routine for travelling upon the Stair and Ethan tells her that he will typically walk for 6-8 hours before resting, then repeat. Only when he needs to will he find a safe realm and find a bed to sleep. He shows her the wristwatch that he carries and explains that where he comes from has 24 hours in every day and he tries to keep to this so as not to upset his body’s routine.
- It is slow progress for the first 4-5 hours in near total darkness. Isabelle stays close to Ethan - she does not appear to like the total darkness. Occasionally she asks Ethan to stop so that she can check her compass. Finally, Ethan finds a suitable Door.
Realm 31 - Somebody else's house (Grey Door)
- The Door opens up into an ordinary house that could be anywhere on Earth from between 1970s to the 1990s. The residents are not at home, but there is food in the fridge and pantry and the beds are neatly made. Ethan isn’t sure if the people who live here have gone away or gone to work. He comments to Isabelle that this place is not too dissimilar from the Earth that he grew up on.
- They find a torch and other useful items in the house but Ethan suggests that they find a store to properly re-equip themselves. There is a vehicle in the garage and Ethan is able to use Wayfinding to locate the spare key. They drive to a shopping centre. Ethan wanders around while Isabelle purchases suitable attire for a lengthy expedition. She purchases hiking and wet weather clothes, proper walking boots, a light backpack, solid fuel pellets and matches, a wind-up torch. Ethan watches with interest as she hands over suitable money. With the basics obtained, she organises some new clothes for herself from the local department store while sending Ethan off to the local supermarket to buy some trail rations for emergencies. Ethan takes his time. Isabelle returns looking very different - she has had her hair cut and styled. Ethan comments that she seems to be enjoying this so far and she agrees. She treats him to tea at the local cafe while she savours a berry cake and a coffee-like drink.
- Ethan asks if she’d prefer to stay in this realm awhile - find the local beach, rest and recharge. She considers it for awhile, but declines with a smile.
- They return to the house and leave before the occupants return.
Grand Stairway Section 12 – Proximate to Florin
- They travel on the Grand Stair for almost a full day before deciding to stop at the next Door. The Stair is dark in large sections but has once again changed and there are occasional lit sconces.
Realm 32 - The Inn of the Golden Grain (Green Door)
- The Door opens onto the upper floor of a rural inn from perhaps the 1700s. Heading downstairs, they are welcomed by the innkeeper and his wife and Ethan asks for a room to stay the night. He offers to pay in gold (Arcadian gold) which the innkeeper Oskar quickly accepts and shows them the best that they have. That evening Isabelle gets a lot of attention from the locals. Most are simple farmers or labourers and none of them have seen such a beautiful lady before. The food offered is basic but good and tasty. Ethan feels relaxed in the place, but Isabelle is not used to being stared at by so many. Ethan sees Isabelle’s discomfort, hands the bartender three additional Arcadian gold coins and buys drinks for everyone to thank them for their hospitality. The mood in the inn changes immediately and Ethan drinks and chats with the locals, diverting their attention from Isabelle.
- Unfortunately Ethan can’t please everybody. (GM’s note - this is Ethan’s Bad Stuff coming to the fore) One local has already been drinking heavily before Ethan ‘shouts the bar’ and takes this opportunity to tell him off in a most unpleasant fashion. Ethan gives a crooked smile and tells him “Sleep, friend”, and the man collapses in a heap. (GM’s note - this is an example using Psyche) No one bats an eye to see a drunk fall down and the rest of the inn continues to make merry.
- Later Isabelle thanks Ethan but Ethan says with a smile that she is too easily impressed (flipping around what Isabelle told Ethan back in Session 33 Part 1). They depart the following morning.
Grand Stairway Section 12 – Proximate to Florin
- Carrying on, Isabelle asks Ethan about Grant. Ethan shares some of his past history with Grant, how they grew up together and became Wardens of the Stair together. Ethan speaks warmly of his relationship with Grant, and Isabelle comments that she has never heard of a Lord of Gossamer speak of another Lord in such brotherly terms. Ethan is faintly surprised by this, but Isabelle is very clear that the strong friendship between the two of them is most unusual, perhaps even unique amongst the Lords.
- Ethan counts the number of Arcadian gold coins remaining - there are only twelve in his purse. He asks Isabelle about money and she tells him that it is normal for a Lord of Gossamer to seek out a realm where valuables like diamonds or gold are seen as common place and of little value, and then to collect and use these in other realms. Ethan asks about whether there is any universal currency, and Isabelle says that there is, but it is used in very few places. She speaks of Aurum, or True Gold, or High Gold, as it is known - which for some reason is perceived by all realm dwellers (all that she has seen) as being valuable. Aurum has long been the currency of Shatterlight (Vala’s realm) but she hasn’t seen any in years. Ethan doesn’t tell her what he learnt on Marindar - that Shatterlight has fallen - it just doesn’t occur to him.
Realm 33 - The Agora (Brown Door)
The Marketplace
- Two days later, Isabelle stops Ethan at an ordinary brown door. Her compass has led her to this location, and she asks Ethan excitedly to open the Door. On the other side of the Door is a multilevelled open-air market where Ethan can sense there are many many Doors. Grinning, Isabelle announces that this place is the Agora, a place where anything can be found, and if it cannot, it is said that it is only a Door away. Ethan takes in the balconies above and below and the strange collection of semi-permanent tent-stalls and more permanent shops that line them. Isabelle takes charge and shows Ethan around. She knows this place - she has been here before with Lucien and hence this is familiar ground. She advises him to watch his step as not all of the residents are friendly and many are less than reputable.
The Warning
- The whole place is a wonder to Ethan. He has never seen anything like it. The sheer volume and variety of artefacts on sale is enormous and almost beyond imagination. Isabelle takes pleasure in showing him around, occasionally introducing him to shopkeepers that she knows. At last she stops in a showroom which displays finely woven carpets and exotic fabrics, and Isabelle asks to speak to Stradivarius.
* Image sourced from WolfeWOLF on DeviantArt
- A fat attendant goes to fetch the master, and a black cat comes out to greet them. As Ethan stares at the cat, ‘Strad’ admonishes him for thinking of him as a simple feline.
* Image sourced from Art-it-Art on DeviantArt
- Isabelle asks ‘Strad’ kept her things and confirms that he still has them. The fat attendant goes to fetch her things from the storeroom and brings out a rolled up blanket. Stradivarius warns her that there have been others asking after her and Lucien recently. He advises them not to linger too long in the Agora lest trouble find them. Isabelle thanks her friend and they leave.
- Upon departure, Ethan asks what she has in mind next. She grins at him, and leads him deeper into the Agora. They have lunch (something that resembles prawns, although these are green and have more legs), and she asks him about staying for a few days. Ethan is surprised by this as he thought she was keen to move on and the shopkeeper gave her a warning, but she gives a confident smile and tells him that she knows the Agora very well. Ethan sees no reason to object, so he gives in to her request.
Deeper Still….
- Isabelle and Ethan find suitable accommodation on the upper balconies from which to base themselves, and they spend the next four days exploring. Isabelle shows intimate knowledge of where to find the obscure in the Agora and their travels take them to many odd places in the labyrinth of stalls and shops.
- Isabelle opens the package that she had left with Stradivarius, revealing a jitte, a sheathed throwing dagger and a small compact. (GM’s note - the Jitte is a 1 point hardened weapon, good for breaking blades; the Sheath has 1 point Mould Gossamer Reality for the specific purpose of producing more daggers - so as she draws one, the Sheath makes another; the Compact contains ‘make up’ which can be used to alter her appearance, providing a limited shape shift ability - I haven’t seen it used yet so I don’t know how Lurker37 plans to cost this. Ethan has not seen any of this used at this point)
- Isabelle demonstrates to Ethan why a lightsaber may not be a practical weapon to rely upon. She asks Ethan to ignite it, and then uses a simple Cantrip to cause a brief power failure, snuffing out the blade. (GM’s note - Ethan is astonished by this - he has never seen a Cantrip used before) She appreciates that Ethan likes the lightsaber because the hilt can be concealed, but she advises him that an experienced adversary may be able to counter his weapon at a critical moment.
- The two of them go weapon hunting. There are many weapons shops in the Agora, selling everything from magical wands through to plasma pistols. Isabelle explains to Ethan how he can tell whether the weapons have been enchanted to work on other worlds (so he learns what to look for) but she tells him that few weapons will work everywhere. He settles for a simple rapier, similar to what he has trained with in Versais (GM’s note - way way way back in Session 2), and a metal cylinder which extends from a short rod into a long staff by rotating the grip. (GM’s note - a Minbari fighting pike is the closest recent reference that the readers of this narrative could identify with)
- Isabelle introduces Ethan to a magic shop where he buys a silver and brass ring for storing spell energies, and a simple Everpurse which can produce coins for whatever world he travels to (except for the Agora).
* Image sourced from Catherinetterings on DeviantArt
- By the end of the third day, the two of them are almost broke. Ethan has only three Arcadian gold pieces left, and Isabelle is feeling much more relaxed and confident. As she drinks a cup of fresh Rassian coffee, Ethan holds up the Icon of Grant and asks if there is someone who could make Icons of each of them. This surprises Isabelle, and she cautiously asks why he would want such a thing. (GM’s note - Isabelle knows that a mental attack is possible via an Icon, but Ethan currently has no experience of this, hence her reaction is one of caution.) Ethan thinks for a moment and says that he’d like her to have one of him, just in case. He explains gently that if anything happens and they get separated, this would provide her with a way to reconnect with him. He then adds that when they find Lucien and they go their separate ways, he’d like to keep in touch with her - he’s enjoying her company. Isabelle acknowledges the request with a smile, but then goes back to her coffee. Ethan doesn’t raise the subject again.
- On the fourth day, they depart the Agora by the original Door and head back onto the Stair.
GM Observations (2 of 2)
- The inspiration for the Inn of the Golden Grain comes from AD&D module N1 “Against the Cult of the Reptile God”, still one of the best D&D adventures ever produced.
I’ll post up the next part on Thursday 26th June…..
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