- David has me stumped here as to how Ichabod has managed to track Ethan/Isabelle from Nexopolis to Orlano - I’m really interested in how he has managed this but this is part of the game’s charm - it many ways it’s fun not to know - it makes Ichabod scary/spooky not to know how he did it. Of course, I returned the favour by surprising David with Ethan’s response to Ichabod…. but to say more would be a spoiler… read on!
- Oh, one more thing - this session included a very judicious use of an Icon contact and how useful these things can be to put objects (or people) out of harm’s way.
Realm 40 - Orlano (Brown Door)
Part 1 - Finding Eigen
- Having failed to find Eigen and reassured that Isabelle is safe, Ethan speaks with Heinrich. He asks if the Dwimmerlaik could behind this and Heinrich is doubtful. He seems surprised that Ethan was attacked by them on the previous night. Ethan feels quite tired and unsure as to what to do next. He goes downstairs, puts Gorgorin aside and sits down in an armchair. Surveying the place with fresh eyes, and perceiving the Eidolon more easily without bearing Gorgorin, he is able to feel some of the strong impressions left upon the place by those who fought here recently. He wanders about the Golden Crescent, and decides that the fight did not start in the kitchen, nor did it start in any of the back rooms. There was a confrontation in one of the front rooms in the tavern - Ethan feels another presence other than the Eigen-wolf. The presence has left a strong impression here and it feels both cold and alien. Ethan can sense traces of some power at work here, but it does not resemble either Eidolon or Umbra - it feels odd and mutable.
- Ethan goes into the kitchen and prepares a meal for both himself and Heinrich. While it cooks, he continues to study the area, looking for clues and anything else that he might have missed previously. At last he heads upstairs and offers Heinrich a bowl of food. They talk for awhile but Heinrich doesn’t have any other ideas as to where Eigen might have gone.
- During the meal, and with Gorgorin away from him, Ethan concentrates on Eigen using Wayfinding and feels that he is some distance away but can keenly sense which direction to go. (Ethan has a strong feeling for where Eigen is because he has already been to more than one place where Eigen has recently been - like a bloodhound, Ethan now has ‘the scent’) Ethan asks some questions of Heinrich as to what could be in that direction and Heinrich gives him some directions.
- Heading out once again, Ethan enters the financial district but many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair and there is the strong smell of decay. The financial district borders on an even poorer district which is little more than medieval slums, but as such the houses have been reinforced, even fortified in some cases. Ethan is drawn via Wayfinding to his target. He takes a deep breath and kicks the door down, marching in with Gorgorin drawn.
- The ground floor of the structure is empty, but there is another door inside that leads down into the basement. Ethan can tell that there are magical wards on the door, but Gorgorin makes short work of both the door and the magical defences. Again, Ethan marches on in spite of his fatigue.
- In the basement there is a third door. A massive vault door with a clockwork mechanism. Ethan plunges Gorgorin into the door and it begins to buckle and warp, then finally explodes, showering Ethan with pieces of the mechanism and throwing him back. Bloodied, Ethan gets back to his feet and marches on, to find Eigen standing between him, Yolanda and Stefan. They appear to be ruffled, but not hurt. Eigen growls a warning, and Ethan realises that he has been followed to Eigen’s bolt hole. It never even occurred to him that Eigen might be protecting them, nor that someone would be watching him for him to locate Eigen.
- It is Ichabod, whom Ethan last saw in Nexopolis.
* Image by Santani on DeviantArt, model: Aleksiy Chumakov, photographer: Diana Serejkina
Part 2 - Ichabod’s Threats
- Ichabod bows respectfully but his tone is icy cold when speaking to Eigen, Yolanda and Stefan. He apologies for the misunderstanding, but says that he has the box and now he wants the locket that Yolanda has. Ethan senses that Ichabod isn’t really present and that this is some sort of sorcerous projection - he doesn’t know how Ichabod has found him but he knows that he isn’t fit for any battle against a sorcerer of this quality. He steps back and listens to the exchange. He notes that Ichabod is able to see through the projection - it is as if he is really here - and Ethan wonders how much sorcerous power is being channeled here for such a spell.
- Yolanda refuses to give Ichabod the locket, at which point Ichabod begins to threaten them. The building around them begins to shake as Ichabod demonstrates his control over the area, and Ethan takes a swipe at him with Gorgorin - this disrupts the spell, but instantly a second spell is triggered and the projection resumes. Ichabod returns with more threats against them and dust begins to fall from the ceiling as it seems that Ichabod wants to shake the building apart. He also targets Eigen directly with his taunts, claiming that the acid that he used (which is countering Eigen’s regeneration) was only a low dosage and next time he will use a more powerful acid. Ethan then triggers his spell, using ‘The Force’ to hold up the building long enough for the four of them to leave. Ichabod winks out. Clearly this isn’t over.
Part 3 - Preparing for confrontation
- Ethan, Eigen, Yolanda and Stefan head back to the Golden Crescent. None of them consider it to be a particularly safe place, but Ethan insists as he is concerned that Ichabod may attack there next. On the way, Eigen laments that his sanctuary was compromised by Ethan, and Ethan is unsympathetic given the injuries to Isabelle. Luckily Eigen is injured which enables Ethan to conceal just how battered he is feeling. As they return, they found some of the city guard at the Golden Crescent and Ethan persuades them to let Eigen pass. Ethan can tell that some sort of corrosive element is working within Eigen’s body and over time, it will probably kill him. Ethan asks Yolanda and Stefan to check on Isabelle, and then expends some of his remaining energy to gently remove the foreign agent from Eigen’s body and accelerate his healing. He encourages Eigen to rest but he refuses - he says he has the scent of Ichabod’s ‘soul’ and as such can find him anywhere. Eigen appears eager for a chance to even the score against Ichabod. Ethan asks Eigen why Ichabod wants a locket, and Eigen says that it belonged to Lucien. Eigen encourages Ethan to work with him to find Ichabod, and Ethan firmly says that he has no wish to kill Ichabod. Eigen appears disappointed.
- Yolanda calls out from the floor above the happy news that Isabelle is awake. With that, Ethan presses Eigen for him to return the compass which he took from Isabelle. Eigen sees the look in Ethan’s eyes and he hands it over. Ethan heads upstairs and returns it to Isabelle. She is relieved and pleased. Heinrich also seems pleased to see that she is recovering.
- Ethan waits patiently for some time to talk privately with Isabelle and he wonders how to deal with Ichabod given the number of people that he might target. Ethan is extremely tired and doesn’t feel that he can protect them all. At last he has his chance to talk with Isabelle, and he asks if she would prefer to continue on looking for Lucien and simply leave. As expected, Isabelle doesn’t feel that she can leave Yolanda or Stefan while they are in danger. She also uses Lucien’s compass and the compass gives an indecisive answer as to where they should go next, suggesting that the answers are here in Orlano. Ethan is not surprised. He asks her why Ichabod seems to be following her, and she admits to a misunderstanding with Ichabod for which he has held a grudge.
- When Isabelle finds out that Ichabod is after Yolanda’s locket, she asks for it and attempts to open it using a lock pick. Shaking his head, Ethan takes the locket and gently opens it (GM’s note - Wardens of the Stair can open any lock). Inside is a key which would fit a small music box. Lucien’s compass points to the small key, then away to another location, then returns to the small key, then away again. Clearly this key is one part of the next step in the journey.
- Ethan decides upon the next course of action and contacts Grant via Icon. He finds Grant still in Marindar, and Ethan asks if he could look after some people for a few days, show them the sights of Marindar and generally look after them. Grant agrees, and Ethan quickly convinces Yolanda, Stefan and even Isabelle to ‘go on vacation’ for a few days. Before Isabelle has a chance to protest, she has stepped through the Icon contact and Ethan has suddenly cleared Orlano of any potential targets (with the exception of Eigen who refused to go). (GM’s note - this was a very deft piece of negotiation on Ethan’s part and a really good use of an Icon) Ethan even considers giving Grant the sword Gorgorin (and Gorgorin likes the idea) but given how badly he got his butt kicked the previous night and how exhausted he is feeling, he decides to keep it for the time being (Gorgorin growls at this).
- Ethan doesn’t want to fight Ichabod - he doesn’t feel up to it - but he does sense that danger is coming, and that Ichabod has brought others with him.
Part 4 - Two men walk into a bar ….
- Ethan decides that the Golden Crescent is not the right place for a confrontation, so he persuades Eigen to leave via the back door, even though Eigen is itching for a fight. They head back towards the section of town where are lots of people still about in the aftermath of the festival. Ethan can tell by this point that Ichabod is following, along with about a dozen locals who are ready for a fight. Seeking to diffuse the situation, Ethan decides to enter a tavern. In the worst case situation he figures that they will struggle to use weapons in a confined space.
- To Eigen’s surprise, Ethan buys a round of beer with a gold coin and sits down with him.
- Some of Ichabod’s men turn up. They seem surprised as they were expecting to fight, but they quickly decide to copy Ethan and Eigen and try to look inconspicuous until they can figure out what to do next. Ethan buys a round for all of them, and settles down for the afternoon. The men begin to relax, and Ethan chats quietly with Eigen. Ethan can sense that Ichabod’s hired help like this particular tavern and have no wish to trash it. While they are in the bar, it seems that Ethan and Eigen are safe.
- A quite irate Ichabod enters the tavern and congratulates Ethan on his strategy. Ethan firmly tells Eigen to keep quiet and Ethan buys Ichabod a beer as a peace offering. Ethan apologises for what happened in Nexopolis and would like to start afresh. This stuns Ichabod. He sits down, and they start to talk.
Part 5 - The terms and the Enemy
- Ichabod is old. Very old. He remembers the Great War although he doesn’t say that he fought with the Lords of Gossamer. He is very concerned that Lucien’s Compass may fall into Enemy hands and has been working very hard to prevent Isabelle from re-forming it for exactly that reason. Ethan asks if Ichabod knows where Lucien is, and Ichabod tells him that Lucien is trapped, even though he may not realise it. The Enemy has him. He counsels against trying to find Lucien, because this would be delivering the Compass to them. Ethan asks why the Enemy would want the Compass, and Ichabod explains that it can find anything, including the Heart of the Stair. He explains that in the dying days of the Great War, the Stair itself turned against the Dwimmerlaik, and the Dwimmerlaik have not forgotten that. They want to find the Heart, and the Compass is a way of doing so. Ethan asks how Ichabod knows this, and Ichabod explains that the Dwimmerlaik attempted to recruit him.
- Ethan asks about the nature of Ichabod’s grudge against Isabelle, and Ichabod tells him part of the story. Isabelle and Ichabod worked together in Nexopolis some time ago, but Isabelle’s actions led to the death of two of Ichabod’s immortal kin. Ichabod is still furious with her for that, but he acknowledges that she probably sees things quite differently and may not understand the consequences of her actions. At this point, Ethan asks if it is possible for him to repair the situation. He explains that he is helping Isabelle to find Lucien, but not for Isabelle’s sake. Ethan makes it clear that he will not ‘offer up’ or sacrifice Isabelle to Ichabod, but he does not want Ichabod as an enemy either. If there is some way to resolve their dispute, Ethan will do his best to assist. Eigen watches the exchange nervously as Ethan steers very close to selling Isabelle out to Ichabod, before pulling back. Again it is Ethan’s force of will that keeps Eigen silent and under control.
- Ichabod advises that it is not wise to seek out Lucien for the reasons that he has already outlined. He describes a Dwimmerlaik with a blood red-eyes who is seeking the Compass. Ichabod does not give his name, but says that he is a master of Umbra. Ichabod acknowledges that Ethan is a Lord of Gossamer, and a strong one, but warns him of the Dwimmerlaik who will most certainly snare him. Ethan acknowledges this, but says that he managed ‘last night’. Ichabod nods and then speaks of Gorgorin. He recognises the weapon and says that it “belongs to the Enemy’s”. He has seen it wielded by two different Lords of Gossamer during the Great War, but both fell. He tells Ethan that it is folly to ever think that Gorgorin belongs to him. The weapon will betray him when he needs its help most - it wants to return to its Masters. Ichabod’s description of Gorgorin unsettles Ethan but he tries hard not to show this.
- Ethan suggests that when they know where Lucien is that the Compass be hidden somewhere, so that the Enemy cannot take it from them if they fail. Ichabod warms to this idea but asks if Ethan knows of a place that he would consider ‘safe’. Ethan nods, thinking of Grant, and says that he knows someone who would keep it safe. Ichabod is surprised by this, and his tone softens. He decides that he likes Ethan, and is willing to help him to an extent. He offers to return the music box to Ethan, but he wants some things in return. He wants an apology from Isabelle - a real one. He wants a promise from her to not interfere again in his affairs in Nexopolis. Ethan thinks on this and asks if there is anything else. Ichabod then says that if Ethan attacks the Dwimmerlaik who have cornered Lucien, then there must be no survivors to report back to the Empress. He stresses the importance of this. Ethan considers, and then says that he will do his best but can’t make any promises on behalf of people who aren’t present (referring to Isabelle). Ethan asks how to contact Ichabod and Ichabod offers him an old Icon card, made of thick card stock which has been hand painted. The Icon looks ancient and Ethan is quite astonished to be given something so precious. Ichabod says then that he will withdraw for now, but thanks Ethan for the hope that these matters can at last be resolved without further bloodshed.
- Ichabod then leaves, and Ethan wilts a little in his chair. He had been faking his strength for some time during the conversation, and can’t believe that he managed to deal with the situation without having to fight.
Onto Session 42….
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