I hope you had a merry christmas and have a happy new year.
Thanks for posting this and your Lego Gossamer Lords.
I don't think I've ever followed a forum thread as long as I've followed this one. Definitely one of the high points of the internet for me.
Grant and Ethan
Grant (left) and Ethan (right), with Macavity the Cat
Friday, 30 December 2016
Saturday, 24 December 2016
Session 101 - Christmas Special
GM Observations
- About two months ago I suggested to David that we end the year 2016 (which let’s face, has been a pretty awful year) by having a ‘Christmas Special’. Given that I’d been GMing a fair bit of the main Breath of Eden/Mowbray plot, David agrees to lighten the mood with the last session of the year.
- So this session was run in the vein of the Marvel comics which used to feature Santa Claus as a heroic character and typically had the featured heroes buddy up with him, handing out presents and doing good. I didn’t quite know what David meant by this concept, but I googled the following image and got the general idea.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- So at the end of a (pretty sh&tty) 2016, sit back and try to laugh as Grant and Ethan work to save Christmas. (Don’t ask me whether it’s Christmas 1992 or 1993 - I’m losing track of years. We’ll work that out later …. )
- And on that note, Merry Christmas everyone. Have a Happy Holiday and be safe!
Part 1 - Christmas doesn’t work on Marindar
- About six weeks has passed since Grant returned to Marindar. Things have settled down. Grant and Ethan caught up at their favourite inn in Versais and had a wonderful evening laughing over all the things that have happened to them since they first came to Westgate cottage and stepped out onto the Stair. Ethan seems happier and more relaxed than he has in ages. Lucien has moved the Skandian Door onto the landing near Realm 0 and he feels completely free of the Dwimmerlaik’s influence. The only downside in the aftermath of Mowbray’s death is that Ethan has failed to find the Shoggoth that was sniffing around Westgate - he tracked it back to its shack but it has vanished. Despite his best efforts, he has not been able to locate it. November becomes December and the two of them try to introduce Christmas to Marindar, but this fails miserably.
- Even with the help of Grant’s family and Ethan’s family, the idea of putting up trees and decorating them with tinsel and balls hasn’t really caught on. Grant has also pointed out that Christmas doesn’t work so well in warm climates. It’s hot in Central at this time at year - he wants snow. (GM’s note - it will be 35 degrees in Melbourne on Christmas Day (2016) and 32 degrees in Canberra - those temperatures are in Celsius. The bottom line is we know what hot Christmas’ are like.)
- It is breakfast on 24th December and both families are sharing a breakfast looking over the bay. Abbie has slipped away with Ethan for the Christmas holidays and was looking forward to some beach fun, but everyone else seems to feel that the message of Christmas is completely lost here. It’s just another warm day in Central. There is nothing special about this time of year.
- Ethan’s father makes a comment about how he wished to see Santa’s workshop as a boy, and Ethan all-too-quickly says that this might be possible. Suddenly everyone is staring at him and Ethan points out that it may be possible to find almost anything on the Stair. Surely Santa’s workshop must be on the Stair ‘somewhere’. Ethan’s father says half-jokingly that he’d be obliged if Ethan could find Santa’s workshop - he’s always wanted to see it.
Part 2 - In Search of Santa’s Workshop
- Grant, Ethan, Sophia and Abbie head for the Stair, carrying winter fur-lined coats. Ethan can’t believe he’s agreed to something so silly (like trying to find the Easter Bunny), but at the same time he finds the idea amusing. Leaving the heat of Marindar behind, they don their coats and Ethan takes the lead in trying to find Santa’s workshop via Wayfinding. Grant holds back because he figures that Ethan knows best what Ethan’s father would have in mind for Santa’s workshop.
- The journey is very short. Surprisingly so.
- Ethan is led to a painting on the wall only a few hundred metres from the Door to Westgate cottage. He has passed it many times, but when he looks very closely at it, the grass and trees are moving in the picture as if a wind is blowing. It is so subtle that he’s never noticed it before. Touching the picture frame, Ethan hopes to get a feeling as to crafted this, or at least who touched it last. But there is no person. However he senses an awareness behind this. He feels a call for help, and then he hears the words “Help Us!” Blinking, Ethan asks out loud “How?” and the section of wall slides back, revealing a lift which is operated by ropes.
- This is not the first concealed passageway that they have found on the main landing next to Realm 0. Grant and Ethan speculate that there may be many more - they decide that they should explore more fully in the near future.
- Grant and Ethan operate the lift, pulling on the ropes and quickly drawing the lift to the next floor. It stops with a click. In this new section of Stair it is very cold. There is snow on the ground and a cold wind whistles down the corridor. GM’s note - this is the first time that Grant or Ethan have seen weather on the Stair, so they are curious about it)
- There are many Doors in this part of the stair - one is orange with eyes and a mouth; another is covered in stripes and swirly patterns; but some look sad and disused. One however is in very good order - it is candy striped in red and white and flanked by red and green pillars. The door has a huge brass knocker but no door handle. However there is a keyhole.
- Grant and Ethan look at each other with childish grins on their faces. The glee on their faces is infectious and Abbie can’t resist it. They freeze for a minute as the sound of sleigh bells is heard somewhere, far far away.
- Ethan asks Grant if he should knock, but Abbie takes the initiative and knocks loudly. Suddenly there is a sound of a key being turned from the other side and they are surprised to see two short elves on the other side. Barely three feet high with big eyes, they are clad in fur trimmed green clothes. One of them is holding a key that looks like it’s made out of candy cane (it is striped red and white). They look terrified and they immediately flee onto the Stair, shouting “save us from the Krampus”.
Part 3 - Krampus Attack
- (GM’s note - I personally had never heard of the Krampus before, so David had to fill me in. Here’s the Wikipedia link which explains that they are. A trio of huge man-shaped Wampa-like creatures charge the Door. Ethan steps through the Door and ignites his lightsaber. When the lead Krampus doesn’t back down, Ethan chops a horn off and they flee. Grant asks Ethan “what now?”. Eyeing the scared elves, Ethan crouches down and says firmly “Take me to your leader.”
- The elves oblige, leading them over a low snowy ridge back to their village. The village looks like a small Christmas village surrounded by low snow-covered hills, but unfortunately there are a number of rampaging Krampus chasing the Elves and pulling down the houses (which look to be made out of gingerbread).
- Laughing loudly at the ridiculous scene, the four of them split up. Ethan uses ‘the Force’ to poleaxe the Krampus and scare them away. Grant fires a few blaster bolts at them, setting their furry bottoms on fire. Sophia simply has to get close to them, gesture and the Krampus lose interest in what they were doing and wander away. In contrast, Abbie throws a snowball at a Krampus who has just demolished a building but this just antagonises him. Roaring, it charges at Abbie. Abbie hurriedly casts a spell (GM’s note - say WHAT?) and she hurls a fireball at the creature as if she were pitching a baseball. It hits the creature in the face, explodes and scorches its face black. The Krampus opens its eyes, blinks, and then passes out, falling flat on its face in the snow. Abbie looks around hurriedly to see if anyone noticed, and of course (GM’s note - because this is comedy) EVERYBODY stopped fighting just to watch this, such that NOBODY missed the big reveal that Abbie knows some magic.
Part 4 - Santa Claus
- As the Krampus flee, Ethan looks at the damaged houses and smiles. He can fix this. He’s good at fixing things. All four of them get stuck into repairing the village, and they inspire the cowardly elves to get cracking. The elves may be very small, but they are ridiculously strong, able to lift huge weights easily. The magic of this place becomes obvious as they reattach a fallen wall to a damaged building - immediately the building looks like new again and smoke begins pluming out of the chimney.
- Ethan has a strange feeling about this place. It feels like this is Earth (i.e.: Realm 0), not other realm on the Stair. In the centre of the village is a tower that looks just the one in Westgate, Eastgate and so forth. There is definitely a connection here.
- HO! HO! HO! they hear and out comes a jolly well-padded man with twinkling eyes and half-moon glasses. He is not a Warden of Stair but Ethan and Grant can tell that he wields ‘power’. He is definitely a real person, not an illusion. He introduces himself as Nicholas and he needs no introduction to Grant and Ethan - he knows them by name. Of course he hasn’t met Lady Sophia (whom he says is charming) and when introduced to Abbie, he realises that he does know her - he has all of her albums. Abbie blushes.
Part 5 - Saving Christmas
- At the end of the introductions one of the elves come out and says that Christmas is ruined - the Krampus have damaged the sleigh. Santa and the others head to the ‘hangar’ (which looks like a barn, but which is bigger on the inside than on the outside) and they see a huge sleigh with a colossal sack on the back. Conveyer belts guide thousands of presents into the sack and Ethan works out quickly that it too must be ‘bigger on the inside’. Ethan asks if Santa uses dimensional engineering technology and Santa says that he does (with a twinkle in his eye). A short way over, they spy a number of reindeer in tip-top condition. They are clearly Eidolon-enhanced beasts and all of them have glowing red noses.
- The elf shows Nicholas that there is damage to the sleigh. A section on the side has been pulled off and Nicholas comments idly that without the missing component, the reindeer will not be able to fly. The missing component transfers power from the anti-gravity generators from the sleigh to the reindeer themselves. Ethan is confident that he can fix it if he gets what the Krampus tore off, and Grant is asked to find the Krampus while Ethan focuses on repairing the damage that he can. Sophia is no slouch when it comes to advanced technology - she also does what she can, and Abbie watches and learns. Grant returns after a short period - he comes back with half of what the Krampus tore off - apparently the Krampus ate the other half and is currently digesting it. (GM’s note - this made me laugh - that’s one way to thwart an Eidolon Master)
- As they survey the damage, Ethan reasons that the technology on the sleigh is not too dissimilar to Marindan technology that he adapted on Earth to get his Speeder Bike working. He decides to return to Westgate to get the parts he needs to repair the sleigh. While he is gone, he suggests that Grant invite their families through to ‘Santa’s workshop’ to help wherever they can. Grant agrees.
- Grant’s family and Ethan’s family arrive in Santa’s workshop and despite the wonder they feel in this place, they quickly offer to help out - after all, there are people (and children) all around the world who are counting on them. (GM’s note - get in the spirit of Christmas, folks!)
- Meanwhile Ethan heads back to Earth and then teleports across to Westgate. Neither Jacob nor Gearwing are in Clockworld - they seem to have gone away for the holidays. At Westgate there is no Shoggoth waiting for him. He finds Stolvir and Macavity who are both pleased to see him. When Ethan explains where he has been, Macavity asks if he might come along, and Ethan happily agrees to take them both. They cram into the Ford Escort (which has similar performance to the Eidolon Car but looks like a Ford Escort) with the components they need in the boot. (GM’s note - yes, please imagine Stolvir taking up the entire back seat of the small Ford Escort)
- As Ethan drives back, he realises that Santa’s Workshop must be somewhere on Earth. The Door from Santa’s Workshop leads directly to Clockworld with no Stair in-between. That is similar to the other places in Realm 0 which are connected to Clockworld. Hence Santa’s Workshop is not a separate Realm - it is connected/part of Earth.
- Returning to Santa’s workshop and keeping a close eye on the time, the repair work continues in earnest. Ethan has to jury-rig and then Eidolon-enhance the jury-rig to get the sleigh working, but at last with thirty minutes to go, all is done and the sleigh is ready to fly.
Part 6 - Christmas Day
- As Santa readies for the journey, he invites Grant, Ethan, Sophia and Abbie to come with him to ‘spread some Christmas joy’. Astonished, they agree. Nicholas tells them that they will need to rug up warmly and he suggests that his wife should be able to help them if they need any more garments.
- They are quickly ready and the reindeer are hooked up to the sleigh. Looking at the dashboard of Santa’s sleigh, Ethan notes the similarity in the mechanism to that of Clockworld. The dashboard has many timepieces set into its paneling and it looks as though Nicholas is expecting to manipulate time as part of his Christmas run. Abbie and Ethan snuggle up in the back on one side of the sleigh, whilst Grant and Sophia sit comfortably together on the other side. Ethan asks Nicholas if he has any food or drink with him for the long journey - Nicholas laughs and points out a cupboard which will product mince pies, cake and hot chocolate. Looking at it, Ethan recognises the device as one that produced divine tea and crumpets in Clockworld.
- Setting off, Nicholas heads for the Pacific and begins his present delivery. The presents literally float out of the sack when he reaches his destination, disappearing down chimneys or phasing through walls to reach their targets. Occasionally Nicholas stops the sleigh and he leaps down a chimney, using some sort of dimensional technology to squeeze down and reappear inside the house. Once finished, he teleports back, sometimes with fresh cookies crumbs in his beard. Watching Nicholas work, he is sure that Nicholas is manipulating time - how else could he deliver so many presents.
- Time passes swiftly as they continue their magical journey across the world. But it is only somewhere in eastern Europe that they run into trouble.
Part 7 - Santa’s Helpers v Jack Frost
- Santa warns them of an approaching figure. Saying that it is ‘Jack Frost’, the companions ready themselves in case he is unfriendly. Jack passes them and is surprised to see that Nicholas is not alone. Jack animates a number of ice creatures which fly to attack, including vorpal bunnies, sleet dogs, ice swans and other dangerously sharp critters. It is clear that Jack means to stop Nicholas, and Santa’s Helpers go to work. Ethan puts up an Eidolon Shield around the sleigh. Grant snipes at the ice creatures with his wrist blaster. Gesturing, Sophia conjures up music which shatters some of the icy creatures. Her secret blown, Abbie conjures up a crude firewall that decimates many of Jack’s minions. Clearly outgunned, Jack Frost says that he’ll deal with Nicholas ‘next year’ and he vanishes in a puff of snow.
Part 8 - The Magical Journey Ends
- Time passes in a blur. Neither Grant nor Ethan can quite figure out how Nicholas does it - the higher the population centre, the faster the sleigh seems to be able to move. Although some parts are similar to the magic of Clockworld - some of it is still alien to them. Ethan can tell that each present is imbued with a spark of positive energy which will be passed to the person who opens the present but he isn’t sure how this is achieved. But all too quickly, the journey comes to an end. All four of Santa’s Helpers loved it. Ethan did need to make some adjustments to his jury-rigged repairs a few times during the trip but Christmas was a success once more and Nicholas is very grateful for their help.
- Nicholas invites them all to a feast which has been prepared by his wife and the elves. It is Christmas Day and he is very pleased to have guests - guests are from his point of view relatively rare. While the elves sing carols, everyone digs into a delicious meal which has everything they could possibly have imagined.
- At last everyone is full and tired and Nicholas invites everyone to stay the night. There is a large guest house here and the elves have prepared rooms (indeed the elves look very excited to have people staying with them in the community). But before they go to rest, Nicholas kindly says that he has some presents for them.
- At first Grant and Ethan think that Nicholas is just being kind, but then the presents reveal that some thought has been given to them.
….. and there, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. And on that note, some Christmas wishes from LEGO Grant and LEGO Ethan…..
And today I finished off my wall display for LEGO Lords of Gossamer miniatures. It was a bit difficult to get the lighting/focus right but here it is:
Top to bottom, left to right:
- Top Row - Dwimmerlaik Lord, R2-D7 (the potty mouthed droid), Yaeger Zane, Macavity
- 2nd Row - Lady Sophia, Grant, Ethan, Abbie
- 3rd Row - Drake, Lady Vala, Lucien, Isabelle
- Bottom Row - Greywalker, Mordecai, Jodan, Bastiano
And a final word from me. Thanks for sticking with us on this journey over the last 3 1/2 years. We’ll be taking a week off, but will be returning in 2017.
We are going to wind forward the clock by ~5 years (time compress) and up Grant’s and Ethan’s points to over 300 points. I’m not quite sure what the next plot arc will be - I’m still thinking it over.
Next session will likely be Tuesday 2nd January 2017.
- About two months ago I suggested to David that we end the year 2016 (which let’s face, has been a pretty awful year) by having a ‘Christmas Special’. Given that I’d been GMing a fair bit of the main Breath of Eden/Mowbray plot, David agrees to lighten the mood with the last session of the year.
- So this session was run in the vein of the Marvel comics which used to feature Santa Claus as a heroic character and typically had the featured heroes buddy up with him, handing out presents and doing good. I didn’t quite know what David meant by this concept, but I googled the following image and got the general idea.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- So at the end of a (pretty sh&tty) 2016, sit back and try to laugh as Grant and Ethan work to save Christmas. (Don’t ask me whether it’s Christmas 1992 or 1993 - I’m losing track of years. We’ll work that out later …. )
- And on that note, Merry Christmas everyone. Have a Happy Holiday and be safe!
Part 1 - Christmas doesn’t work on Marindar
- About six weeks has passed since Grant returned to Marindar. Things have settled down. Grant and Ethan caught up at their favourite inn in Versais and had a wonderful evening laughing over all the things that have happened to them since they first came to Westgate cottage and stepped out onto the Stair. Ethan seems happier and more relaxed than he has in ages. Lucien has moved the Skandian Door onto the landing near Realm 0 and he feels completely free of the Dwimmerlaik’s influence. The only downside in the aftermath of Mowbray’s death is that Ethan has failed to find the Shoggoth that was sniffing around Westgate - he tracked it back to its shack but it has vanished. Despite his best efforts, he has not been able to locate it. November becomes December and the two of them try to introduce Christmas to Marindar, but this fails miserably.
- Even with the help of Grant’s family and Ethan’s family, the idea of putting up trees and decorating them with tinsel and balls hasn’t really caught on. Grant has also pointed out that Christmas doesn’t work so well in warm climates. It’s hot in Central at this time at year - he wants snow. (GM’s note - it will be 35 degrees in Melbourne on Christmas Day (2016) and 32 degrees in Canberra - those temperatures are in Celsius. The bottom line is we know what hot Christmas’ are like.)
- It is breakfast on 24th December and both families are sharing a breakfast looking over the bay. Abbie has slipped away with Ethan for the Christmas holidays and was looking forward to some beach fun, but everyone else seems to feel that the message of Christmas is completely lost here. It’s just another warm day in Central. There is nothing special about this time of year.
- Ethan’s father makes a comment about how he wished to see Santa’s workshop as a boy, and Ethan all-too-quickly says that this might be possible. Suddenly everyone is staring at him and Ethan points out that it may be possible to find almost anything on the Stair. Surely Santa’s workshop must be on the Stair ‘somewhere’. Ethan’s father says half-jokingly that he’d be obliged if Ethan could find Santa’s workshop - he’s always wanted to see it.
Part 2 - In Search of Santa’s Workshop
- Grant, Ethan, Sophia and Abbie head for the Stair, carrying winter fur-lined coats. Ethan can’t believe he’s agreed to something so silly (like trying to find the Easter Bunny), but at the same time he finds the idea amusing. Leaving the heat of Marindar behind, they don their coats and Ethan takes the lead in trying to find Santa’s workshop via Wayfinding. Grant holds back because he figures that Ethan knows best what Ethan’s father would have in mind for Santa’s workshop.
- The journey is very short. Surprisingly so.
- Ethan is led to a painting on the wall only a few hundred metres from the Door to Westgate cottage. He has passed it many times, but when he looks very closely at it, the grass and trees are moving in the picture as if a wind is blowing. It is so subtle that he’s never noticed it before. Touching the picture frame, Ethan hopes to get a feeling as to crafted this, or at least who touched it last. But there is no person. However he senses an awareness behind this. He feels a call for help, and then he hears the words “Help Us!” Blinking, Ethan asks out loud “How?” and the section of wall slides back, revealing a lift which is operated by ropes.
- This is not the first concealed passageway that they have found on the main landing next to Realm 0. Grant and Ethan speculate that there may be many more - they decide that they should explore more fully in the near future.
- Grant and Ethan operate the lift, pulling on the ropes and quickly drawing the lift to the next floor. It stops with a click. In this new section of Stair it is very cold. There is snow on the ground and a cold wind whistles down the corridor. GM’s note - this is the first time that Grant or Ethan have seen weather on the Stair, so they are curious about it)
- There are many Doors in this part of the stair - one is orange with eyes and a mouth; another is covered in stripes and swirly patterns; but some look sad and disused. One however is in very good order - it is candy striped in red and white and flanked by red and green pillars. The door has a huge brass knocker but no door handle. However there is a keyhole.
- Grant and Ethan look at each other with childish grins on their faces. The glee on their faces is infectious and Abbie can’t resist it. They freeze for a minute as the sound of sleigh bells is heard somewhere, far far away.
- Ethan asks Grant if he should knock, but Abbie takes the initiative and knocks loudly. Suddenly there is a sound of a key being turned from the other side and they are surprised to see two short elves on the other side. Barely three feet high with big eyes, they are clad in fur trimmed green clothes. One of them is holding a key that looks like it’s made out of candy cane (it is striped red and white). They look terrified and they immediately flee onto the Stair, shouting “save us from the Krampus”.
Part 3 - Krampus Attack
- (GM’s note - I personally had never heard of the Krampus before, so David had to fill me in. Here’s the Wikipedia link which explains that they are. A trio of huge man-shaped Wampa-like creatures charge the Door. Ethan steps through the Door and ignites his lightsaber. When the lead Krampus doesn’t back down, Ethan chops a horn off and they flee. Grant asks Ethan “what now?”. Eyeing the scared elves, Ethan crouches down and says firmly “Take me to your leader.”
- The elves oblige, leading them over a low snowy ridge back to their village. The village looks like a small Christmas village surrounded by low snow-covered hills, but unfortunately there are a number of rampaging Krampus chasing the Elves and pulling down the houses (which look to be made out of gingerbread).
- Laughing loudly at the ridiculous scene, the four of them split up. Ethan uses ‘the Force’ to poleaxe the Krampus and scare them away. Grant fires a few blaster bolts at them, setting their furry bottoms on fire. Sophia simply has to get close to them, gesture and the Krampus lose interest in what they were doing and wander away. In contrast, Abbie throws a snowball at a Krampus who has just demolished a building but this just antagonises him. Roaring, it charges at Abbie. Abbie hurriedly casts a spell (GM’s note - say WHAT?) and she hurls a fireball at the creature as if she were pitching a baseball. It hits the creature in the face, explodes and scorches its face black. The Krampus opens its eyes, blinks, and then passes out, falling flat on its face in the snow. Abbie looks around hurriedly to see if anyone noticed, and of course (GM’s note - because this is comedy) EVERYBODY stopped fighting just to watch this, such that NOBODY missed the big reveal that Abbie knows some magic.
Part 4 - Santa Claus
- As the Krampus flee, Ethan looks at the damaged houses and smiles. He can fix this. He’s good at fixing things. All four of them get stuck into repairing the village, and they inspire the cowardly elves to get cracking. The elves may be very small, but they are ridiculously strong, able to lift huge weights easily. The magic of this place becomes obvious as they reattach a fallen wall to a damaged building - immediately the building looks like new again and smoke begins pluming out of the chimney.
- Ethan has a strange feeling about this place. It feels like this is Earth (i.e.: Realm 0), not other realm on the Stair. In the centre of the village is a tower that looks just the one in Westgate, Eastgate and so forth. There is definitely a connection here.
- HO! HO! HO! they hear and out comes a jolly well-padded man with twinkling eyes and half-moon glasses. He is not a Warden of Stair but Ethan and Grant can tell that he wields ‘power’. He is definitely a real person, not an illusion. He introduces himself as Nicholas and he needs no introduction to Grant and Ethan - he knows them by name. Of course he hasn’t met Lady Sophia (whom he says is charming) and when introduced to Abbie, he realises that he does know her - he has all of her albums. Abbie blushes.
Part 5 - Saving Christmas
- At the end of the introductions one of the elves come out and says that Christmas is ruined - the Krampus have damaged the sleigh. Santa and the others head to the ‘hangar’ (which looks like a barn, but which is bigger on the inside than on the outside) and they see a huge sleigh with a colossal sack on the back. Conveyer belts guide thousands of presents into the sack and Ethan works out quickly that it too must be ‘bigger on the inside’. Ethan asks if Santa uses dimensional engineering technology and Santa says that he does (with a twinkle in his eye). A short way over, they spy a number of reindeer in tip-top condition. They are clearly Eidolon-enhanced beasts and all of them have glowing red noses.
- The elf shows Nicholas that there is damage to the sleigh. A section on the side has been pulled off and Nicholas comments idly that without the missing component, the reindeer will not be able to fly. The missing component transfers power from the anti-gravity generators from the sleigh to the reindeer themselves. Ethan is confident that he can fix it if he gets what the Krampus tore off, and Grant is asked to find the Krampus while Ethan focuses on repairing the damage that he can. Sophia is no slouch when it comes to advanced technology - she also does what she can, and Abbie watches and learns. Grant returns after a short period - he comes back with half of what the Krampus tore off - apparently the Krampus ate the other half and is currently digesting it. (GM’s note - this made me laugh - that’s one way to thwart an Eidolon Master)
- As they survey the damage, Ethan reasons that the technology on the sleigh is not too dissimilar to Marindan technology that he adapted on Earth to get his Speeder Bike working. He decides to return to Westgate to get the parts he needs to repair the sleigh. While he is gone, he suggests that Grant invite their families through to ‘Santa’s workshop’ to help wherever they can. Grant agrees.
- Grant’s family and Ethan’s family arrive in Santa’s workshop and despite the wonder they feel in this place, they quickly offer to help out - after all, there are people (and children) all around the world who are counting on them. (GM’s note - get in the spirit of Christmas, folks!)
- Meanwhile Ethan heads back to Earth and then teleports across to Westgate. Neither Jacob nor Gearwing are in Clockworld - they seem to have gone away for the holidays. At Westgate there is no Shoggoth waiting for him. He finds Stolvir and Macavity who are both pleased to see him. When Ethan explains where he has been, Macavity asks if he might come along, and Ethan happily agrees to take them both. They cram into the Ford Escort (which has similar performance to the Eidolon Car but looks like a Ford Escort) with the components they need in the boot. (GM’s note - yes, please imagine Stolvir taking up the entire back seat of the small Ford Escort)
- As Ethan drives back, he realises that Santa’s Workshop must be somewhere on Earth. The Door from Santa’s Workshop leads directly to Clockworld with no Stair in-between. That is similar to the other places in Realm 0 which are connected to Clockworld. Hence Santa’s Workshop is not a separate Realm - it is connected/part of Earth.
- Returning to Santa’s workshop and keeping a close eye on the time, the repair work continues in earnest. Ethan has to jury-rig and then Eidolon-enhance the jury-rig to get the sleigh working, but at last with thirty minutes to go, all is done and the sleigh is ready to fly.
Part 6 - Christmas Day
- As Santa readies for the journey, he invites Grant, Ethan, Sophia and Abbie to come with him to ‘spread some Christmas joy’. Astonished, they agree. Nicholas tells them that they will need to rug up warmly and he suggests that his wife should be able to help them if they need any more garments.
- They are quickly ready and the reindeer are hooked up to the sleigh. Looking at the dashboard of Santa’s sleigh, Ethan notes the similarity in the mechanism to that of Clockworld. The dashboard has many timepieces set into its paneling and it looks as though Nicholas is expecting to manipulate time as part of his Christmas run. Abbie and Ethan snuggle up in the back on one side of the sleigh, whilst Grant and Sophia sit comfortably together on the other side. Ethan asks Nicholas if he has any food or drink with him for the long journey - Nicholas laughs and points out a cupboard which will product mince pies, cake and hot chocolate. Looking at it, Ethan recognises the device as one that produced divine tea and crumpets in Clockworld.
- Setting off, Nicholas heads for the Pacific and begins his present delivery. The presents literally float out of the sack when he reaches his destination, disappearing down chimneys or phasing through walls to reach their targets. Occasionally Nicholas stops the sleigh and he leaps down a chimney, using some sort of dimensional technology to squeeze down and reappear inside the house. Once finished, he teleports back, sometimes with fresh cookies crumbs in his beard. Watching Nicholas work, he is sure that Nicholas is manipulating time - how else could he deliver so many presents.
- Time passes swiftly as they continue their magical journey across the world. But it is only somewhere in eastern Europe that they run into trouble.
Part 7 - Santa’s Helpers v Jack Frost
- Santa warns them of an approaching figure. Saying that it is ‘Jack Frost’, the companions ready themselves in case he is unfriendly. Jack passes them and is surprised to see that Nicholas is not alone. Jack animates a number of ice creatures which fly to attack, including vorpal bunnies, sleet dogs, ice swans and other dangerously sharp critters. It is clear that Jack means to stop Nicholas, and Santa’s Helpers go to work. Ethan puts up an Eidolon Shield around the sleigh. Grant snipes at the ice creatures with his wrist blaster. Gesturing, Sophia conjures up music which shatters some of the icy creatures. Her secret blown, Abbie conjures up a crude firewall that decimates many of Jack’s minions. Clearly outgunned, Jack Frost says that he’ll deal with Nicholas ‘next year’ and he vanishes in a puff of snow.
Part 8 - The Magical Journey Ends
- Time passes in a blur. Neither Grant nor Ethan can quite figure out how Nicholas does it - the higher the population centre, the faster the sleigh seems to be able to move. Although some parts are similar to the magic of Clockworld - some of it is still alien to them. Ethan can tell that each present is imbued with a spark of positive energy which will be passed to the person who opens the present but he isn’t sure how this is achieved. But all too quickly, the journey comes to an end. All four of Santa’s Helpers loved it. Ethan did need to make some adjustments to his jury-rigged repairs a few times during the trip but Christmas was a success once more and Nicholas is very grateful for their help.
- Nicholas invites them all to a feast which has been prepared by his wife and the elves. It is Christmas Day and he is very pleased to have guests - guests are from his point of view relatively rare. While the elves sing carols, everyone digs into a delicious meal which has everything they could possibly have imagined.
- At last everyone is full and tired and Nicholas invites everyone to stay the night. There is a large guest house here and the elves have prepared rooms (indeed the elves look very excited to have people staying with them in the community). But before they go to rest, Nicholas kindly says that he has some presents for them.
- At first Grant and Ethan think that Nicholas is just being kind, but then the presents reveal that some thought has been given to them.
- Lady Sophia receives a leather-bound tome which looks like it contains a cultural history of Earth. She looks surprised, opens the front cover, flicks through a few pages, closes it and thanks Nicholas for his kind gift.
- Abbie is given what looks like a child’s rag-doll. Tears run down her face as she explains that this is a music doll from her world. She finds the button on the rag-doll’s back and it plays a rhyme that clearly means something to her.
- Grant receives a jar of pale ointment - a healing salve (GM’s note - which will only work on other people). This is something he has greatly desired.
- Ethan receives a ‘cube’ which plays music. (He keeps losing his Walkman) (GM’s note - this will in time have other properties similar to Mihoshi’s cube from Tenchi Muyo)
- Macavity receives a jewelled collar which radiates ‘power’. (GM’s note - this will give him telekinesis, like “The Cat From Outer Space”)
- Stolvir is given a juicy bone and something else which he hides from the others.
….. and there, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. And on that note, some Christmas wishes from LEGO Grant and LEGO Ethan…..
And today I finished off my wall display for LEGO Lords of Gossamer miniatures. It was a bit difficult to get the lighting/focus right but here it is:
Top to bottom, left to right:
- Top Row - Dwimmerlaik Lord, R2-D7 (the potty mouthed droid), Yaeger Zane, Macavity
- 2nd Row - Lady Sophia, Grant, Ethan, Abbie
- 3rd Row - Drake, Lady Vala, Lucien, Isabelle
- Bottom Row - Greywalker, Mordecai, Jodan, Bastiano
And a final word from me. Thanks for sticking with us on this journey over the last 3 1/2 years. We’ll be taking a week off, but will be returning in 2017.
We are going to wind forward the clock by ~5 years (time compress) and up Grant’s and Ethan’s points to over 300 points. I’m not quite sure what the next plot arc will be - I’m still thinking it over.
Next session will likely be Tuesday 2nd January 2017.
Friday, 23 December 2016
Session 100 - Homeworld
GM Observations
- Ok, Session 100. It’s got to be big, right? Right. But I thought Session 99 was big. You mean this one will be bigger? Well, it is Session ONE HUNDRED.
* Image of Ethan and Grant (cropped) by Gordon Napier
- I mean, why were the Dwimmerlaik after the memories of the Lords of Gossamer anyway? Wasn’t there some ‘greater purpose’? And after all – they’ve been trying lots of things for the last hundred sessions – trying to steal the Codex, trying to get Fiorin. Could it all be connected? Could it all be part of some MASTER PLAN? Ooo… now that’s scary.
- But surely it can’t be that bad even that Mowbray is dead? <pause> He’s not dead? <pause>Well, that makes a lot more sense for Session 99 then – after all things were collapsing, the Lords of Gossamer were trapped in the Void. It makes sense for Mowbray to sacrifice his minions and go after the PRIZE.
- But Bruce, what could possibly be so important that he’d go to these extreme lengths? I mean he was looking for worlds in the void, trying to steal the Codex to find something, and even trying to get Fiorin to remake something. But what could it possibly be? What could the Dwimmerlaik have lost that could be so important?
- And on that note, this is the last Session of a very big story arc. Grant and Ethan began in Session 1 as 30 point characters. This is the great conclusion of that story arc…. But it’s not the end. The game will continue while David and I are having fun.
Part 1 - Return to Marindar
- Without further ado, Vala connects Grant into the Icon contact, there is a quick exchange with Drake and he is suddenly there, back in Marindar. Grant recognises that he’s arrived in the Queen’s palace. He hears the sound of gunfire in the distance – this is most unusual. Drake is dressed in his battle armour – he explains quickly that his forces are in control of Central, but there are some Dwimmerlaik who have not yet been captured or killed. His men are dealing with them.
- Like Grant, Drake is still adjusting to the influx of returned memories. He appears a little uncertain of himself, and he pauses every now and again when he speaks. Drake explains that he was ordered by the High Command (ie: the Dwimmerlaik High Command) to come here, but that ‘Grant’ came with him. ‘Grant’ was able to open the Door to Marindar (something that the real Grant knows that only he can Ethan can do). When pressed further as to who sent Drake, he is told Lord Aurin sent him. Grant is concerned by this – he remembers that Lord Aurum tried to assassinate two of Mowbray’s prodigies (Erla and Forst), eventually initiating the civil war (which Grant helped along quite a bit). Grant asks where this doppelgänger is and Drake points in the direction. He explains that he has quarantined the Doors so that none of the Enemy should escape. Grant asks when he was given orders to come here, and apparently it was weeks ago.
- Thinking quickly, Grant decides that he urgently wants to see Lady Sophia. She was in a coma, but her memories should have returned. He tells Drake that he’ll be in touch, then he shifts his form into a black bird and flies to her.
- Lady Sophia is in a private room at the Central Hospital. As Grant bursts in, she puts down her notepad and pen and says calmly that she’s pleased to see him. Grant is surprised by this reaction. She goes on to explain that she’s been reading up on what she has missed – she has been unconscious for a considerable length of time and there is much that has happened during that period(more than a year and a half!). Grant sits down on the bed – he strongly desires to embrace her but she has assumed a professional demeanour and it seems somewhat inappropriate. Lady Sophia assures Grant that she is fine, but she is not fully recovered. Grant pauses, and Lady Sophia gently points out that there is trouble in Marindar, and she will be here when he gets back. She suggests that he deal with this threat first and then return. Grant thanks her and departs.
Part 2 - The Gate to Skamino
- Deciding that his next target must be his doppelgänger, Grant and Drake descend on the floating octahedral gate which contains the Door to Skamino. Skamino is a forbidden world. Grant has never been there, but he knows from reading Marindan history that a terrible battle was fought there during the Great War. Primal forces were unleashed and the world was devastated.
- Drake has arrived first with a group of his soldiers. The Marindans guarding the Door look relieved to see Grant. Drake has brought a prisoner – a Dwimmerlaik warrior who looks to be a low-level officer. He is bruised but not badly hurt. He is restrained with high-tech cuffs. Sizing him up, it’s clear to Grant that this one doesn’t want to die. Using Umbra and Ranked Psyche, Grant persuades the Dwimmerlaik to tell him what he knows. It’s clear to the prisoner that Drake will deal with him more harshly, so the Dwimmerlaik talks. He explains that they came back to recover Caliban, the Dwimmerlaik homeworld.
- Drake’s eyes boggle at this but Grant doesn’t understand the significance. He knows that Caliban is a Dwimmerlaik homeworld but doesn’t understand why this world is any more important to the Dwimmerlaik than any other. Drake explains quietly that it is THE homeworld. The one above all others. It disappeared during the Great War, supposedly lost. No one knows where it went, but it is supposed that it was cut off from the Stair and ‘fell into the void’.
- Grant mulls this over, and his blood runs cold. The Dwimmerlaik have been ‘fishing in the void’ before (GMs – note see Session 85). They have tried to find the Codex of a Marindan Sorcerer who fought in the Great War, perhaps hoping for a clue to where this might be. (GMs – note see Session 50). They even went to the Marindan version of Hell in an attempt to find that Sorcerer. (GMs – note see Session 47). And they tried to find Fiorin, the maker which Grant and Ethan managed to recover first (GMs – note see Session 72). And finally they used the Breath of Eden to attack the Lords of Gossamer – was it to acquire territory, or to acquire memories for some clue as to what had happened?
- It is clear that Drake is thinking this over too. Is it possible that the Dwimmerlaik have found Caliban, and what would this mean? Grant asks him what Drake knows of Skamino, and Drake explains that the final battle of the Great War was fought there. Both sides used great war hosts, and the bloodshed was terrible indeed. Drake remembers the battle fought between Lady Vala and the Dwimmerlaik Empress was so severe that the world itself ‘broke’, creating great chasms and ruptures in the earth and sky. Skamino was sealed off because of how damaged the world is. No one in their right mind would go there. It’s a remnant of the savagery of the Great War.
- Grant thinks and decides that he must go to find out where his doppelgänger has gone. The Marindan guards pipe up at this point and say that ‘Grant’ had two Dwimmerlaik with him – so there are three of them ahead of him.
- Drake is uncomfortable with this and tells Grant to look after himself. He also asks if Grant has any ‘last requests’. Grant considers the very real possibility that he may not come back from Skamino.
Part 3 - Shattered Stair
- Stepping through the Door onto the Stair, he finds himself on a landing where the floor feels very unstable indeed. There are great holes torn in the walls through which shines blinding light. There are a few Doors along this section of Stair – but all are broken. One has even been torn off its hinges and behind, there is only a gaping hole. The corridor turns and ends suddenly in a wall of white light. Only one Door stands – a Door of stone which is cracked as if under great strain.
- Hesitantly, Grant opens the Door and he peers out into a wasteland of loose pebbles which vanishes quickly into clouds of fog. A short way from the Door there are a number of short robed creatures that appear to be looting a body. A boot goes flying while Grant watches. Under the protection of the Door, the creatures do not notice him.
- Grant emerges from the Door, quickly transforming into a Rancor which scares the creatures. With cries of ‘Utini’, the jawa-like creatures scream and run in all directions. The air smells very moist here, but there is a strange smell in the air – like gas of some kind. It is eerily quiet. Looking back at the Door, it seems to be embedded into the hillside like the entrance to a bunker.
- The body on the ground looks a lot like him, but in death the creature seems to have partially transformed back into his original form of a Dwimmerlaik. The Dwimmerlaik’s chest has been blown outwards, making quite a mess. Inspecting the body more closely, he is certain that this Dwimmerlaik was killed using Umbra. Worse, he knows exactly who did this. The signature is unmistakable. This ‘Grant’ was killed by Mowbray.
Part 4 - Mowbray Lives
- Grant is torn. Grant is alone here in a very dangerous place and Mowbray is here too, with bodyguards. He pulls out his Icon of Drake but no connection is made. He thinks for a moment, uses Wayfinding and is quickly sure of the direction that Mowbray has headed. He thinks quickly. Mowbray probably doesn’t know that he’s being pursued. There may be an opportunity here.
- He tries his Icon of Drake again and this time he’s successful. It seems that Icon ‘reception’ here is as patchy as the damage to this world. Drake listens, and when he hears that Mowbray is alive and here, he insists on coming through. Any uncertainty is gone from Drake’s face – he is clearly determined to hunt Mowbray. “No one hates them more than Drake does,” is something that Grant was told long ago. He sees that in Drake’s face now.
- In the distance is the sound of shelling, suggesting that there is still conflict here. Grant decides to call in additional reinforcements. He contacts Yaeger Zane, who is only too glad to come along. Grant pauses as he thinks about calling Ethan, but he decides that he needs him. Ethan asks for a few minutes, but he quickly joins the group. Stony-faced, he asks what is going on and is quickly filled in.
- The group heads off, but Grant is quickly forced to take lead. The rifts in this place are sometimes visible, and sometimes invisible. Worse still, the rifts move. It is clear that these rifts lead to many different places – sometimes somewhere, and sometimes nowhere. It would be so easy here to fall through one of these tears and simply disappear, perhaps forever. This is not a safe place to linger. Grant is the only one who can see all of the rifts (via Umbral sight) - the others can only see some of them.
Part 5 - The Ruins of Skamino
- The four of them move very quickly across the broken landscape. There is the sound of occasional gunfire and a deep rumbling, like thunder. They sense another Warden, out there somewhere, but are not distracted. Ethan cloaks their presence using Mental Invisibility so that they do not attract attention. Drake pauses to inspect the body of a man whose face is covered by a gas-mask. The soldier wears the insignia of a red dragon - it’s Drake’s own symbol. The soldier has no weapon - the body seems to have been stripped of other equipment - but the soldier died recently as his flesh has not yet decayed.
- Further on, Grant spies a quartet of Dwimmerlaik soldiers on patrol. They are dressed in rags but they carry an odd array of weapons. One carries an energy weapon, another a percussion-cap rifle, and the others have crude bows and arrows. Grant concludes that the Great War never stopped here - the survivors may not even know that the war is over. They have continued fighting all of this time. Drake’s eyes are hard and he urges that they press on. Grant looks for some reassurance from Drake that he will come back for the men and women who have been left here all of this time - Drake tells him that he wasn’t aware that there was anyone left. Grant thinks that Drake will take action so he doesn’t push matters.
- Crossing a low rise, they are confronted with a wide expanse which is criss-crossed with terrible chasms like the land has been pulled apart. Some sections of the land have even been flung into the sky and float there in defiance of normal physics. The sky itself seems to be fractured here too - and there are great rifts in the sky, some of them moving and some of them static. Grant feels sure that some of these rifts lead directly to other places. There is no doubt that this is the epicentre of what happened here - whatever structures were once here are gone and this land is most certainly shattered. From the rise, they spy three Dwimmerlaik navigating carefully across the plane, avoiding the dangerous rifts.
Part 6 - First Strike
- Drake and Grant have been discussing tactics on the way. Mowbray is dangerous and they know it - they need to surprise him if at all possible. From their vantage point, they quickly size up the situation and decide on a two pronged approach. Grant has already realised that the rifts block normal and magical senses and could be used to shield a covert approach. He will attack and try to ‘ace’ Mowbray, but Ethan will use Grant as a marker and teleport the others in as soon as he makes his attack run, so even if Grant fails, the others will quickly be able to follow up.
- Ethan is assigned to deal with one of the bodyguards, and Yaeger the other. Grant and Drake will focus on Mowbray. They hope that either Ethan or Yaeger will be able to kill one of the bodyguards quickly and then be able to help finish Mowbray.
- Ethan palms his Icon of Abbie and tries to reach her. However, the Icon doesn’t work where they are crouching. He puts it away and focusses on the task at hand.
- Then suddenly Grant is off (GM’s note - at Engine Speed) in the form of a black crow. He takes a winding path, using the rifts as cover wherever possible. This is a little disorienting because he too is blind to Mowbray for fractions of a second as he makes his approach. Unfortunately, despite Grant’s speed and strategy, Mowbray senses his approach at the last moment and he throws up an Umbral shield which causes Grant to miss his strike. Mowbray curses Grant, realising that this isn’t Bastiano but another Umbra Master. One whom he knows very little about.
- Ethan teleports himself, Drake and Yaeger into the action. Mowbray instinctively releases a massive Umbral blast in all directions which engulfs them all, including his bodyguards. The two Dwimmerlaik bodyguards respond by shifting their forms into terrible war forms - one looks like a giant mantis-sliver-creature with serrated arms and legs; the other bulks out, assuming a monstrous horned-demon form with bat-like wings and a great axe. Ethan withstands Mowbray’s blast, protected by his shield. Grant manages to avoid damage by using one of the rifts as a shield. Drake takes cover behind one of the Dwimmerlaik bodyguards, giving him partial cover and his armour withstands the rest of the hit. However Yaeger is not so fortunate - he takes the full force of the blast and the Umbra begins eating its way through the armour plating on his chest and wings.
- Drake and Grant go straight on the offensive, but Mowbray demonstrates why he is the most powerful Warlock the Dwimmerlaik have ever had by wielding Channelling to deadly effect. (GM’s note - Mowbray has X+2 Rank in Psyche which can be used via Channelling in a Warfare situation. This matches Drake’s X+2 Warfare) As Drake and Grant attack, they are blocked with ebony knives and shields tentacled out of Mowbray’s own shadow.
- Meanwhile as Yaeger tries to get his armour off, the great mantis-sliver creature attacks him, forcing him to jump here and there to avoid being skewered. The great horned demon attacks Ethan with its great axe - Ethan blocks it but he is thrown backwards like a rag doll due it its enormous strength. Each time Ethan is driven back, he picks himself up again and attacks once more. Yaeger finally gets his armour off and takes the sky, only to receive an urgent warning from Grant to fly lower as there are too many airborne rifts that Yaeger cannot see.
- So Yaeger returns to the ground, firing up his chainsword and proceeds to take pieces out out of the mantis creature. This takes considerable time as the creature’s hide is tough and it quickly regenerates damage. It also has many redundant limbs and Yaeger becomes quite frustrated with this. Meanwhile Ethan has worked out that he can’t beat his opponent physically, so he’s working on a strategy to outwit it.
- Drake and Grant continue to press Mowbray, but he suddenly gives another burst of Umbral power and blasts them back to give himself some breathing room. Glancing over his shoulder, he quickly gets his bearings and disappears into his own shadow, reappearing some way off. Grant’s armour smoulders - it clearly won’t protect him much longer. Drake sheds his helmet and shield which are corroding fast due to Umbral decay. He managed to protect most of his body with his shield, at the cost of his shield.
- Then suddenly Mowbray has reached a rift and before Grant can reach him to re-engage, he has vanished. Drake and Grant rush over, but Grant stops Drake from following. He assures Drake that he won’t be able to go through without some sort of shielding. The rift will almost certainly tear him apart - Drake will need Ethan if he plans to follow.
- Grant prepares Umbral defences and follows Mowbray through the rift.
Part 7 - Across the Threshold
- Angry, Drake heads back to join the other two. He quickly helps Yaeger to kill the mantis-sliver creature by chopping it into many pieces. There is a sudden primal scream behind them and Drake and Yaeger realise that the horned demon is shrieking its death-cry. Ethan has managed to trick it and then drive it into one of the rifts with a mighty Force Push. The creature screams like it is being sucked into a blender, and black gore showers everywhere. Ethan is covered in a shower of black rain (GM’s note - Bad Stuff)
- Drake scowls at him and tells him to stop playing around. He explains which rift Mowbray went through and relays Grant’s warning. Ethan charges a powerful Eidolon shield around all three of them and they enter the rift. There is a tremendous feeling of vibration as the rift grinds against the Eidolon shield, but Ethan’s spell of protection is very strong (GM’s note - Dominant Rank Psyche) so they make it through.
Part 8 - Caliban at War
- Upon making it through the rift, Grant is initially quiet disoriented. The floor is hard and shiny. The walls are gleaming metal. It appears that he's just appeared on a Death Star set from Star Wars.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- He can't see Mowbray anywhere nearby, and his head feels like a swarm of bees is buzzing nearby. Getting hastily to his feet, Grant heads for cover. This place might be Caliban, but he doesn't really know. But he does recognise this place as being fabricated by the Dwimmerlaik - he's seen enough installations whilst impersonating Trell. He starts looking for a computer console that he can access. Slowly the buzzing in his head recedes and he is able to use Wayfinding. He finds a console in an alcove and gets to work, whilst keeping his ears open in case anyone should draw near. Suddenly he feels a series of tremors through the floor. Grant knows an explosion when he feels one - something is going on here.
- Ethan, Drake and Yaeger Zane arrive in the same corridor. Drake and Yaeger are a little wobbly on their feet, but other than that, the shield has protected them. Drake sizes up the place, and Ethan heads straight to where Grant is located. Grant is not surprised to see them. Accessing the computer system from here is child's play for an Umbra Master who has worked on far more advanced Dwimmerlaik systems. This is Caliban, and they're in one of the military installations - this one is very deep - almost two hundred and fifty miles below the surface. However, it is more than 600 years in the past. The rift has transported them not only across dimensional realms, but back in time as well. It is the time of the Great War.
- The group is silent for a moment as Grant starts investigating what is happening that is making the complex shake. Drake clenches his fists. He advocates for a change of objective. Caliban disappeared during the Great War - he speculates that perhaps it was destroyed - perhaps this was meant to happen. Grant reminds them that they are here for Mowbray, but Drake presses that the mission should change. Drake isn't sure whether destroying Caliban is meant to happen or not, but even the possibility that he could end the War early and save millions of lives would be worth it. Grant points out that there is a civilian population on Caliban, not just military personnel. At this point, Ethan insists that he won't have any part in killing civilians (GM's note - Ethan has spent a lot of time with Abbie, and Abbie is the survivor of a destroyed world) Yaeger bluntly says that they should deal with Mowbray first, and Caliban second. Drake curtly agrees - it is clear that he holds a personal hatred of Mowbray.
- Grant discovers via the computer that Caliban is under attack. An armada of ships is attacking the planet - and they belong to the Mandragora (GM's note - the Mandragora are a race of space-faring dragonoids who in the present control great sections of the Stair, and are being courted by both the Dwimmerlaik and the Lords of Gossamer as a potential ally). They are also invading Caliban itself. Furthermore there are a number of other invaders. There are Lords of Gossamer here.
- The sounds of armoured feet is heard in the corridor, and Grant tells Drake that they'll use the same attack plan again. He then transforms and flies off after Mowbray, even as a number of armour-clad Dwimmerlaik 'stormtroopers' blast away at him. The other Lords then spring out from the alcove - Ethan takes some of the blaster-fire on his dragon-shield, and then he flattens them all with a Forge Push. Whilst Drake and Yaeger swiftly deal with the floundering Dwimmerlaik, Ethan tries to sense the locations of other Wardens of the Stair and the hostile Mandragora.
- Ethan's concentration is swiftly broken by Drake who tells him to follow him. Running down the corridor, they are confronted by other groups of Dwimmerlaik troopers and even a Dwimmerlaik warlock - but they are no match for three Lords of Gossamer. The complex continues to rumble, and then suddenly is a red glow of a teleport and the corridor is filled with hulking armoured creatures. The Mandragora have arrived and they are heavily armed - they fire a few stray shots at the Lords of Gossamer, before realising that they are not the Enemy, and then they spread out to take control of the area.
- In the space of ten minutes, Drake has led them across multiple levels and down a turbolift to an even deeper section of the complex. They have arrived at some sort of power array, tapped deeply into the planet's molten core far below. Arriving here, Ethan can tell what Drake is up to. He's proceeding with his plan to destabilise the planet.
Part 9 - Mowbray's Master Plan
- Grant has found it very difficult to locate Mowbray. Mowbray clearly knows the intricacies of this world and how to get from A to B without using Doors, corridors or turbolifts. Nevertheless, at last Grant has found him by using his Mastery of the Stair to open Doors to him. The first Door he opened led him straight into a firefight between Dwimmerlaik and a number of Lords of Gossamer (none of which he recognised). The second Door led him into a section of corridor which was controlled by the Mandragora - they opened fire at him as soon as he entered the area. But at last, the third Door has led him into a vast chamber. In it is a massive device, revolving and rotating like a planetary system. Grant has no idea what it does, but it radiates power, and he can see Mowbray deep within the structure.
- Grant, still in bird form, lines up to attack Mowbray but suddenly realises that there is more than one Mowbray here. He quickly counts four of them - and all appear to be real and not illusions. That shouldn't be possible even for a Shapeshifter, but this is Mowbray.
- As he studies the Mowbrays, Grant realises that Mowbray is aware of his presence. Speaking in the Dwimmerlaik High Tongue (which Grant can understand), Mowbray says that he does what is needed to ensure the preservation of the Empire and warns Grant not to interfere. Shifting back into his human form (and with his hand on Ethan's Icon), Grant replies in the High Tongue that he's seen the Empire and doesn’t share Mowbray’s high opinion of it. He notes that none of the subjects have any personal freedom. Mowbray frowns and admits that he underestimated Grant - he didn't expect the Lords of Gossamer to possess a third Umbra Master. (GM's note - the other two being Bastiano and Oscar)
- Ethan responds to the subtle Icon contact and tells Grant to keep Mowbray talking. Something has happened and Drake has a plan. He asks Grant to stall. Grant doesn't understand why, but he goes along with it. Mowbray obliges him, explaining to him that he has no intention of changing the outcome of the Great War. The defeat was, in his opinion, necessary. But when Caliban is severed from the Grand Stair, he plans to reconnect it again at the appropriate time, restoring the foundation of the Dwimmerlaik Empire and all of its hidden treasures, gathering his wayward warring flock (referring to the current civil war) and beginning the cycle anew. This time the Dwimmerlaik will be successful, becoming the Dominant and Supreme Power in the multiverse. (GM’s note - cue dark triumphant music)
- Mowbray doesn't seem particularly interested in fighting Grant but he warns Grant that he will annihilate him utterly if he interferes. Grant continues to covertly nudge Ethan to hurry up, especially when a number of Dwimmerlaik troopers arrive via sorcerous teleport to reinforce the position and cover the exits. They don't immediately attack Grant so he keeps Mowbray talking whilst listening to Ethan. Ethan explains that Drake was going to destroy the planet, but Drake has had a change of mind after he sensed that his own son is on Caliban (GM's note - "A feel a presence, a presence not felt since.... " quoting Darth Vader) - the one that Mowbray killed during the Great War. Drake never knew that his son went to Caliban and he has suddenly realised that he might actually be able to save his son.
Part 10 - Enter Oscar
- The conversation is interrupted by the red bloom of a sorcerous teleport as a squad of heavily armed Mandragora arrive with two Lords of Gossamer that Grant has never seen before. One of the Lords of Gossamer is dressed in a high-tech set of battle armour and Grant suddenly realises that he wears a wrist blaster made from the same technology. This is Oscar!
* Image sourced from Lucien’s Guide: Legends and Lies (Rite Publishing Supplement) - I can’t easily credit the artist of this one.
- The other Lord of Gossamer is dressed in powered armour, but he appears to be an aged veteran of many battles.
* Image sourced from Google Images, but it appears to be a colourised Space Marine
- The Mandragora don't waste any time engaging the Dwimmerlaik and a full-blown firefight ensues. Spotting Mowbray, Oscar gives a primal roar and leaps to attack him. Mowbray is clearly displeased with the intrusion and he reforms himself from the four 'splinters' and unleashes Umbral havoc against Oscar. As Oscar blasts back, the delicate movements of the machinery is disturbed and great sections of it fall away, forcing Grant and Mowbray to move.
- Grant pushes Ethan again, telling him that 'now' would be a good idea.
Part 11 - Battle Royale
- Ethan accepts the Icon contact and suddenly Yaeger Zane, Ethan are there. But they are not alone. Lady Vala is with them - she looks different. She looks a little slimmer and younger, but her face is as serene as that they have seen before. Drake has contacted the Lady Vala of the past, and called her to Caliban!
- The battle that ensues is terrific. The great machine in the room is smashed by primal forces. Mowbray is attacked on three sides by Grant, Lady Vala and Oscar whilst Ethan, Oscar’s ally and Yaeger Zane engage the Dwimmerlaik on the ground. With the machine destroyed, Mowbray no longer has to hold back, and he wields Umbra and Void energies with lethal force. The complex shakes and begins to collapse in part. Oscar is thrown back and felled by Umbra energy (GM's note - which ultimately means that he becomes 'tainted' by Umbra). However the combined might of Grant and Lady Vala is too great. Despite extensive use of Channeling, shapeshifting to restore himself and void magic to attempt to escape, Grant and Lady Vala are too strong. Mowbray's escape from the chamber is quickly followed via Mastery of the Stair. More Dwimmerlaik who are ordered to interpose in the corridors are dealt with swiftly and, nearly exhausted, Mowbray flees into what appears to a sanctuary chapel.
- Mowbray clearly expected to find reinforcements or allies in this chapel, but at last his luck has run out for none of the guardians are here to aid him. (GM’s note - yes, Mowbray has Bad Stuff)It is in this red-lit chapel, flanked by statues of the Dwimmerlaik heroes of the past that the final duel is fought, and at last he is struck down and his staff broken. Exhausted, wounded, and with black blood dripping from his mouth, he surrenders.
- Grant takes a moment to think on this, but Vala does not hesitate. She thrusts Vajra into his shadowed form, and bright lines of Eidolon tracery criss-cross his form. Mowbray opens his mouth for one last scream from which no sound is emitted and then suddenly in a flash of light, Mowbray is gone.
- Vala levels a gaze at Grant and considers him. "I don't know you," she says. She introduces herself as Vala. When Grant introduces himself, she replies that she will remember his name. (GM's note - which is a nice tie-in back to Session 43 where Vala alludes that they have met before. Ah, isn't time travel grand) Grant says quizzically that where he comes from, Vala was never on Caliban, so he probably should not speak of this until they meet again and Lucien has restored his memories. Vala nods sagely.
- They make their way back to find the others, fighting their way through more Dwimmerlaik as they go.
Part 12 - Escape from Caliban
- Grant is quickly reunited with Ethan and Yaeger Zane. Yaeger has decided that he wants to keep a set of Dwimmerlaik armour (and one of their funny helmets) as a souvenir, but more Dwimmerlaik keep arriving, and he's running out of Mandragora to use as shields. They are tough, but there are a lot more Dwimmerlaik than there are Mandragora. Ethan has given up using his lightsaber as as weapon and is blasting away with a Dwimmerlaik weapon from behind the cover of his dragon-shield. He's made his way over to Oscar, whose skin is shifting colour and texture due to exposure to Umbra, but Ethan keeps getting interrupted such that he can't finish healing them. The other Lord of Gossamer has continued to provide covering fire for Ethan and Oscar, blazing away with a bolt-gun that never seems to run out of ammunition. (GM’s note - a boltgun that never runs out of ammunition, you speak heresy, BLAM!)
- Grant and Vala re-enter the fray like a wrecking ball, carving through the Dwimmerlaik formation from behind, before finally cleaving through the Warlock at the front that had erected a protective shield which allowed them to advance more easily. Heading over to Ethan, Grant tells Ethan to leave Oscar. Ethan doesn't understand but Grant yells over the blaster fire that he's meant to be infected by Umbra or else Oscar will never train him in Umbra. (GM's note - oo, more time travel weirdness) Ethan agrees to contact Drake, and he initiates the contact.
- Grant yells out to Yaeger Zane that they are leaving, and he blasts a number of Dwimmerlaik with Umbra to hold them back. Unable to keep all of the pieces of armour together, Yaeger settles for a whole dead Dwimmerlaik and flies him over to where Ethan and Grant have huddled. The contact is initated and suddenly they are gone, leaving Vala, Oscar and the other Lord of Gossamer to deal with the Dwimmerlaik.
- They arrive in an alcove where Drake and other Lord of Gossamer are holding position. Grant notes the family resemblance - Drake has managed to locate his son. The rift is nearby.
- Grant calls out that it's time to go but Ethan hesitates. He thinks for a moment what would happen if he were to stay - could he somehow prevent what happened to Abbie's world of Meridian? But then he pushes the thought aside, and says that he's ready. There is a firefight in the corridor as they make their way to the rift. Grant puts up an Umbral shield to protect the others and then Ethan erects an Eidolon shield around himself, Drake, Yaeger and Drake's son. Together they enter the rift, and Grant follows immediately after.
Part 13 - An Ending
- It is a surreal feeling being back in Skamino. Drake urges them not to celebrate too soon as they are not safe here. He instructs his son to follow Grant and Grant leads the way back to the Marindan Door. (Grant considers flying ahead and then using an Icon contact to bring them through but decides that this could be dangerous for those left behind. He also doesn’t know if an Icon will work reliably here). Again, Ethan uses a shielding spell to make them invisible (Mental Invisibility) and they make their way back to the Door.
- The route back is uneventful despite the sounds of nearby shellfire and they make it back safely. To Grant’s relief, Marindar is just as he left it. He was a little worried that bringing back Drake’s son could have changed things, but it doesn’t seem to have affected anything here.
- Yaeger Zane is pleased to be 'back in Marindar' as he hasn't been here in some time - he decides to go and get ‘cleaned up’ and then look up some lovely Marindan ladies that he once knew.
- Drake sheds a tear (a manly tear) as he embraces his son, Eric. He thanks Grant and Ethan warmly for bringing his son back safely and says that he is forever in their debt. Drake asks Grant for his permission to rest in Marindar for a short time, and Grant agrees to this.
- Grant contacts Lady Vala via Icon and they talk briefly about what has happened. Vala reveals that she remembers Grant from Caliban but kept the knowledge secret until now. Vala praises what he has done for the Lords of Gossamer, and says that the Empire will not recover quickly from such a loss. She suggests that he rest awhile but they should talk soon about the future. Vala would value his counsel and insights about the Dwimmerlaik given that he has lived among them. Grant agrees to this.
- Grant reminds Ethan that they have not talked for some time - he urges Ethan not to leave too quickly. Ethan checks his watch and believes it to be a little after midnight in Westgate. He says that he needs to leave but he promises to return soon. Grant points out that ‘Christmas’ is not far away, and even though the event is not celebrated in Marindar, he asks for Ethan’s help to make it a special time for both families. Ethan agrees to this, but Ethan offers a counter-suggestion that they catch up at their favourite inn in Versais ‘next Thursday’. Grant grins at the idea of returning to an old haunt.
- Seeing that Ethan is about to depart, Drake makes an effort to talk to him. Drake offers Ethan an apology, and says that he was so focussed on avenging his son (who was slain by Mowbray) that he was quite prepared to destroy Caliban. He thanks Ethan for persisting long enough with him for him to realise that his son was on Caliban. He admits that if he thought that Ethan was going to stop him, Drake probably would have killed him. It takes a brave man to stand up to that. (GM’s note - all of this happened ‘off camera’ - Ethan tried to reason with Drake. Ethan managed to work out that Drake’s son was killed by Mowbray. And then by fortuitous circumstance, it turned out that Drake’s son was part of the attack on Caliban - something that Drake did not know. This is Drake’s Good Stuff at work. Why did we include this? Because Grant’s reputation is solid with most of the Lords of Gossamer, but even after 100 sessions, Ethan is relatively unknown.) Ethan doesn’t know Drake very well but he recognises that a tough man has just made a heartfelt confession - he offers his hand to Drake, and Drake shakes it firmly.
- Ethan tries to initiate an Icon contact to Abbie in the hope that she is still awake, and to his pleasant surprise she is. He vanishes when she accepts the contact.
- Leaving the octahedral gate to Skamino, Grant confirms that all of the Marindan gates (Doors) are secure, and then he takes a car to street-level. The driver is surprised that he doesn’t want to fly home, but Grant wants to walk through the city streets to his home. He takes in the smells and sights of Central, and heads for home where he knows that Lady Sophia will be waiting for him. Grant hums ’When Johnny Comes Marching Home’ and a smile widens across his face as he realises that it’s finally over.
- In Abbie’s house in Manchester, Ethan embraces Abbie and promises her that he’s not going anywhere for a while.
.... and that's where we end Session 100. Next up, the Christmas Special.
- Ok, Session 100. It’s got to be big, right? Right. But I thought Session 99 was big. You mean this one will be bigger? Well, it is Session ONE HUNDRED.
* Image of Ethan and Grant (cropped) by Gordon Napier
- I mean, why were the Dwimmerlaik after the memories of the Lords of Gossamer anyway? Wasn’t there some ‘greater purpose’? And after all – they’ve been trying lots of things for the last hundred sessions – trying to steal the Codex, trying to get Fiorin. Could it all be connected? Could it all be part of some MASTER PLAN? Ooo… now that’s scary.
- But surely it can’t be that bad even that Mowbray is dead? <pause> He’s not dead? <pause>Well, that makes a lot more sense for Session 99 then – after all things were collapsing, the Lords of Gossamer were trapped in the Void. It makes sense for Mowbray to sacrifice his minions and go after the PRIZE.
- But Bruce, what could possibly be so important that he’d go to these extreme lengths? I mean he was looking for worlds in the void, trying to steal the Codex to find something, and even trying to get Fiorin to remake something. But what could it possibly be? What could the Dwimmerlaik have lost that could be so important?
- And on that note, this is the last Session of a very big story arc. Grant and Ethan began in Session 1 as 30 point characters. This is the great conclusion of that story arc…. But it’s not the end. The game will continue while David and I are having fun.
Part 1 - Return to Marindar
- Without further ado, Vala connects Grant into the Icon contact, there is a quick exchange with Drake and he is suddenly there, back in Marindar. Grant recognises that he’s arrived in the Queen’s palace. He hears the sound of gunfire in the distance – this is most unusual. Drake is dressed in his battle armour – he explains quickly that his forces are in control of Central, but there are some Dwimmerlaik who have not yet been captured or killed. His men are dealing with them.
- Like Grant, Drake is still adjusting to the influx of returned memories. He appears a little uncertain of himself, and he pauses every now and again when he speaks. Drake explains that he was ordered by the High Command (ie: the Dwimmerlaik High Command) to come here, but that ‘Grant’ came with him. ‘Grant’ was able to open the Door to Marindar (something that the real Grant knows that only he can Ethan can do). When pressed further as to who sent Drake, he is told Lord Aurin sent him. Grant is concerned by this – he remembers that Lord Aurum tried to assassinate two of Mowbray’s prodigies (Erla and Forst), eventually initiating the civil war (which Grant helped along quite a bit). Grant asks where this doppelgänger is and Drake points in the direction. He explains that he has quarantined the Doors so that none of the Enemy should escape. Grant asks when he was given orders to come here, and apparently it was weeks ago.
- Thinking quickly, Grant decides that he urgently wants to see Lady Sophia. She was in a coma, but her memories should have returned. He tells Drake that he’ll be in touch, then he shifts his form into a black bird and flies to her.
- Lady Sophia is in a private room at the Central Hospital. As Grant bursts in, she puts down her notepad and pen and says calmly that she’s pleased to see him. Grant is surprised by this reaction. She goes on to explain that she’s been reading up on what she has missed – she has been unconscious for a considerable length of time and there is much that has happened during that period(more than a year and a half!). Grant sits down on the bed – he strongly desires to embrace her but she has assumed a professional demeanour and it seems somewhat inappropriate. Lady Sophia assures Grant that she is fine, but she is not fully recovered. Grant pauses, and Lady Sophia gently points out that there is trouble in Marindar, and she will be here when he gets back. She suggests that he deal with this threat first and then return. Grant thanks her and departs.
Part 2 - The Gate to Skamino
- Deciding that his next target must be his doppelgänger, Grant and Drake descend on the floating octahedral gate which contains the Door to Skamino. Skamino is a forbidden world. Grant has never been there, but he knows from reading Marindan history that a terrible battle was fought there during the Great War. Primal forces were unleashed and the world was devastated.
- Drake has arrived first with a group of his soldiers. The Marindans guarding the Door look relieved to see Grant. Drake has brought a prisoner – a Dwimmerlaik warrior who looks to be a low-level officer. He is bruised but not badly hurt. He is restrained with high-tech cuffs. Sizing him up, it’s clear to Grant that this one doesn’t want to die. Using Umbra and Ranked Psyche, Grant persuades the Dwimmerlaik to tell him what he knows. It’s clear to the prisoner that Drake will deal with him more harshly, so the Dwimmerlaik talks. He explains that they came back to recover Caliban, the Dwimmerlaik homeworld.
- Drake’s eyes boggle at this but Grant doesn’t understand the significance. He knows that Caliban is a Dwimmerlaik homeworld but doesn’t understand why this world is any more important to the Dwimmerlaik than any other. Drake explains quietly that it is THE homeworld. The one above all others. It disappeared during the Great War, supposedly lost. No one knows where it went, but it is supposed that it was cut off from the Stair and ‘fell into the void’.
- Grant mulls this over, and his blood runs cold. The Dwimmerlaik have been ‘fishing in the void’ before (GMs – note see Session 85). They have tried to find the Codex of a Marindan Sorcerer who fought in the Great War, perhaps hoping for a clue to where this might be. (GMs – note see Session 50). They even went to the Marindan version of Hell in an attempt to find that Sorcerer. (GMs – note see Session 47). And they tried to find Fiorin, the maker which Grant and Ethan managed to recover first (GMs – note see Session 72). And finally they used the Breath of Eden to attack the Lords of Gossamer – was it to acquire territory, or to acquire memories for some clue as to what had happened?
- It is clear that Drake is thinking this over too. Is it possible that the Dwimmerlaik have found Caliban, and what would this mean? Grant asks him what Drake knows of Skamino, and Drake explains that the final battle of the Great War was fought there. Both sides used great war hosts, and the bloodshed was terrible indeed. Drake remembers the battle fought between Lady Vala and the Dwimmerlaik Empress was so severe that the world itself ‘broke’, creating great chasms and ruptures in the earth and sky. Skamino was sealed off because of how damaged the world is. No one in their right mind would go there. It’s a remnant of the savagery of the Great War.
- Grant thinks and decides that he must go to find out where his doppelgänger has gone. The Marindan guards pipe up at this point and say that ‘Grant’ had two Dwimmerlaik with him – so there are three of them ahead of him.
- Drake is uncomfortable with this and tells Grant to look after himself. He also asks if Grant has any ‘last requests’. Grant considers the very real possibility that he may not come back from Skamino.
Part 3 - Shattered Stair
- Stepping through the Door onto the Stair, he finds himself on a landing where the floor feels very unstable indeed. There are great holes torn in the walls through which shines blinding light. There are a few Doors along this section of Stair – but all are broken. One has even been torn off its hinges and behind, there is only a gaping hole. The corridor turns and ends suddenly in a wall of white light. Only one Door stands – a Door of stone which is cracked as if under great strain.
- Hesitantly, Grant opens the Door and he peers out into a wasteland of loose pebbles which vanishes quickly into clouds of fog. A short way from the Door there are a number of short robed creatures that appear to be looting a body. A boot goes flying while Grant watches. Under the protection of the Door, the creatures do not notice him.
- Grant emerges from the Door, quickly transforming into a Rancor which scares the creatures. With cries of ‘Utini’, the jawa-like creatures scream and run in all directions. The air smells very moist here, but there is a strange smell in the air – like gas of some kind. It is eerily quiet. Looking back at the Door, it seems to be embedded into the hillside like the entrance to a bunker.
- The body on the ground looks a lot like him, but in death the creature seems to have partially transformed back into his original form of a Dwimmerlaik. The Dwimmerlaik’s chest has been blown outwards, making quite a mess. Inspecting the body more closely, he is certain that this Dwimmerlaik was killed using Umbra. Worse, he knows exactly who did this. The signature is unmistakable. This ‘Grant’ was killed by Mowbray.
Part 4 - Mowbray Lives
- Grant is torn. Grant is alone here in a very dangerous place and Mowbray is here too, with bodyguards. He pulls out his Icon of Drake but no connection is made. He thinks for a moment, uses Wayfinding and is quickly sure of the direction that Mowbray has headed. He thinks quickly. Mowbray probably doesn’t know that he’s being pursued. There may be an opportunity here.
- He tries his Icon of Drake again and this time he’s successful. It seems that Icon ‘reception’ here is as patchy as the damage to this world. Drake listens, and when he hears that Mowbray is alive and here, he insists on coming through. Any uncertainty is gone from Drake’s face – he is clearly determined to hunt Mowbray. “No one hates them more than Drake does,” is something that Grant was told long ago. He sees that in Drake’s face now.
- In the distance is the sound of shelling, suggesting that there is still conflict here. Grant decides to call in additional reinforcements. He contacts Yaeger Zane, who is only too glad to come along. Grant pauses as he thinks about calling Ethan, but he decides that he needs him. Ethan asks for a few minutes, but he quickly joins the group. Stony-faced, he asks what is going on and is quickly filled in.
- The group heads off, but Grant is quickly forced to take lead. The rifts in this place are sometimes visible, and sometimes invisible. Worse still, the rifts move. It is clear that these rifts lead to many different places – sometimes somewhere, and sometimes nowhere. It would be so easy here to fall through one of these tears and simply disappear, perhaps forever. This is not a safe place to linger. Grant is the only one who can see all of the rifts (via Umbral sight) - the others can only see some of them.
Part 5 - The Ruins of Skamino
- The four of them move very quickly across the broken landscape. There is the sound of occasional gunfire and a deep rumbling, like thunder. They sense another Warden, out there somewhere, but are not distracted. Ethan cloaks their presence using Mental Invisibility so that they do not attract attention. Drake pauses to inspect the body of a man whose face is covered by a gas-mask. The soldier wears the insignia of a red dragon - it’s Drake’s own symbol. The soldier has no weapon - the body seems to have been stripped of other equipment - but the soldier died recently as his flesh has not yet decayed.
- Further on, Grant spies a quartet of Dwimmerlaik soldiers on patrol. They are dressed in rags but they carry an odd array of weapons. One carries an energy weapon, another a percussion-cap rifle, and the others have crude bows and arrows. Grant concludes that the Great War never stopped here - the survivors may not even know that the war is over. They have continued fighting all of this time. Drake’s eyes are hard and he urges that they press on. Grant looks for some reassurance from Drake that he will come back for the men and women who have been left here all of this time - Drake tells him that he wasn’t aware that there was anyone left. Grant thinks that Drake will take action so he doesn’t push matters.
- Crossing a low rise, they are confronted with a wide expanse which is criss-crossed with terrible chasms like the land has been pulled apart. Some sections of the land have even been flung into the sky and float there in defiance of normal physics. The sky itself seems to be fractured here too - and there are great rifts in the sky, some of them moving and some of them static. Grant feels sure that some of these rifts lead directly to other places. There is no doubt that this is the epicentre of what happened here - whatever structures were once here are gone and this land is most certainly shattered. From the rise, they spy three Dwimmerlaik navigating carefully across the plane, avoiding the dangerous rifts.
Part 6 - First Strike
- Drake and Grant have been discussing tactics on the way. Mowbray is dangerous and they know it - they need to surprise him if at all possible. From their vantage point, they quickly size up the situation and decide on a two pronged approach. Grant has already realised that the rifts block normal and magical senses and could be used to shield a covert approach. He will attack and try to ‘ace’ Mowbray, but Ethan will use Grant as a marker and teleport the others in as soon as he makes his attack run, so even if Grant fails, the others will quickly be able to follow up.
- Ethan is assigned to deal with one of the bodyguards, and Yaeger the other. Grant and Drake will focus on Mowbray. They hope that either Ethan or Yaeger will be able to kill one of the bodyguards quickly and then be able to help finish Mowbray.
- Ethan palms his Icon of Abbie and tries to reach her. However, the Icon doesn’t work where they are crouching. He puts it away and focusses on the task at hand.
- Then suddenly Grant is off (GM’s note - at Engine Speed) in the form of a black crow. He takes a winding path, using the rifts as cover wherever possible. This is a little disorienting because he too is blind to Mowbray for fractions of a second as he makes his approach. Unfortunately, despite Grant’s speed and strategy, Mowbray senses his approach at the last moment and he throws up an Umbral shield which causes Grant to miss his strike. Mowbray curses Grant, realising that this isn’t Bastiano but another Umbra Master. One whom he knows very little about.
- Ethan teleports himself, Drake and Yaeger into the action. Mowbray instinctively releases a massive Umbral blast in all directions which engulfs them all, including his bodyguards. The two Dwimmerlaik bodyguards respond by shifting their forms into terrible war forms - one looks like a giant mantis-sliver-creature with serrated arms and legs; the other bulks out, assuming a monstrous horned-demon form with bat-like wings and a great axe. Ethan withstands Mowbray’s blast, protected by his shield. Grant manages to avoid damage by using one of the rifts as a shield. Drake takes cover behind one of the Dwimmerlaik bodyguards, giving him partial cover and his armour withstands the rest of the hit. However Yaeger is not so fortunate - he takes the full force of the blast and the Umbra begins eating its way through the armour plating on his chest and wings.
- Drake and Grant go straight on the offensive, but Mowbray demonstrates why he is the most powerful Warlock the Dwimmerlaik have ever had by wielding Channelling to deadly effect. (GM’s note - Mowbray has X+2 Rank in Psyche which can be used via Channelling in a Warfare situation. This matches Drake’s X+2 Warfare) As Drake and Grant attack, they are blocked with ebony knives and shields tentacled out of Mowbray’s own shadow.
- Meanwhile as Yaeger tries to get his armour off, the great mantis-sliver creature attacks him, forcing him to jump here and there to avoid being skewered. The great horned demon attacks Ethan with its great axe - Ethan blocks it but he is thrown backwards like a rag doll due it its enormous strength. Each time Ethan is driven back, he picks himself up again and attacks once more. Yaeger finally gets his armour off and takes the sky, only to receive an urgent warning from Grant to fly lower as there are too many airborne rifts that Yaeger cannot see.
- So Yaeger returns to the ground, firing up his chainsword and proceeds to take pieces out out of the mantis creature. This takes considerable time as the creature’s hide is tough and it quickly regenerates damage. It also has many redundant limbs and Yaeger becomes quite frustrated with this. Meanwhile Ethan has worked out that he can’t beat his opponent physically, so he’s working on a strategy to outwit it.
- Drake and Grant continue to press Mowbray, but he suddenly gives another burst of Umbral power and blasts them back to give himself some breathing room. Glancing over his shoulder, he quickly gets his bearings and disappears into his own shadow, reappearing some way off. Grant’s armour smoulders - it clearly won’t protect him much longer. Drake sheds his helmet and shield which are corroding fast due to Umbral decay. He managed to protect most of his body with his shield, at the cost of his shield.
- Then suddenly Mowbray has reached a rift and before Grant can reach him to re-engage, he has vanished. Drake and Grant rush over, but Grant stops Drake from following. He assures Drake that he won’t be able to go through without some sort of shielding. The rift will almost certainly tear him apart - Drake will need Ethan if he plans to follow.
- Grant prepares Umbral defences and follows Mowbray through the rift.
Part 7 - Across the Threshold
- Angry, Drake heads back to join the other two. He quickly helps Yaeger to kill the mantis-sliver creature by chopping it into many pieces. There is a sudden primal scream behind them and Drake and Yaeger realise that the horned demon is shrieking its death-cry. Ethan has managed to trick it and then drive it into one of the rifts with a mighty Force Push. The creature screams like it is being sucked into a blender, and black gore showers everywhere. Ethan is covered in a shower of black rain (GM’s note - Bad Stuff)
- Drake scowls at him and tells him to stop playing around. He explains which rift Mowbray went through and relays Grant’s warning. Ethan charges a powerful Eidolon shield around all three of them and they enter the rift. There is a tremendous feeling of vibration as the rift grinds against the Eidolon shield, but Ethan’s spell of protection is very strong (GM’s note - Dominant Rank Psyche) so they make it through.
Part 8 - Caliban at War
- Upon making it through the rift, Grant is initially quiet disoriented. The floor is hard and shiny. The walls are gleaming metal. It appears that he's just appeared on a Death Star set from Star Wars.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- He can't see Mowbray anywhere nearby, and his head feels like a swarm of bees is buzzing nearby. Getting hastily to his feet, Grant heads for cover. This place might be Caliban, but he doesn't really know. But he does recognise this place as being fabricated by the Dwimmerlaik - he's seen enough installations whilst impersonating Trell. He starts looking for a computer console that he can access. Slowly the buzzing in his head recedes and he is able to use Wayfinding. He finds a console in an alcove and gets to work, whilst keeping his ears open in case anyone should draw near. Suddenly he feels a series of tremors through the floor. Grant knows an explosion when he feels one - something is going on here.
- Ethan, Drake and Yaeger Zane arrive in the same corridor. Drake and Yaeger are a little wobbly on their feet, but other than that, the shield has protected them. Drake sizes up the place, and Ethan heads straight to where Grant is located. Grant is not surprised to see them. Accessing the computer system from here is child's play for an Umbra Master who has worked on far more advanced Dwimmerlaik systems. This is Caliban, and they're in one of the military installations - this one is very deep - almost two hundred and fifty miles below the surface. However, it is more than 600 years in the past. The rift has transported them not only across dimensional realms, but back in time as well. It is the time of the Great War.
- The group is silent for a moment as Grant starts investigating what is happening that is making the complex shake. Drake clenches his fists. He advocates for a change of objective. Caliban disappeared during the Great War - he speculates that perhaps it was destroyed - perhaps this was meant to happen. Grant reminds them that they are here for Mowbray, but Drake presses that the mission should change. Drake isn't sure whether destroying Caliban is meant to happen or not, but even the possibility that he could end the War early and save millions of lives would be worth it. Grant points out that there is a civilian population on Caliban, not just military personnel. At this point, Ethan insists that he won't have any part in killing civilians (GM's note - Ethan has spent a lot of time with Abbie, and Abbie is the survivor of a destroyed world) Yaeger bluntly says that they should deal with Mowbray first, and Caliban second. Drake curtly agrees - it is clear that he holds a personal hatred of Mowbray.
- Grant discovers via the computer that Caliban is under attack. An armada of ships is attacking the planet - and they belong to the Mandragora (GM's note - the Mandragora are a race of space-faring dragonoids who in the present control great sections of the Stair, and are being courted by both the Dwimmerlaik and the Lords of Gossamer as a potential ally). They are also invading Caliban itself. Furthermore there are a number of other invaders. There are Lords of Gossamer here.
- The sounds of armoured feet is heard in the corridor, and Grant tells Drake that they'll use the same attack plan again. He then transforms and flies off after Mowbray, even as a number of armour-clad Dwimmerlaik 'stormtroopers' blast away at him. The other Lords then spring out from the alcove - Ethan takes some of the blaster-fire on his dragon-shield, and then he flattens them all with a Forge Push. Whilst Drake and Yaeger swiftly deal with the floundering Dwimmerlaik, Ethan tries to sense the locations of other Wardens of the Stair and the hostile Mandragora.
- Ethan's concentration is swiftly broken by Drake who tells him to follow him. Running down the corridor, they are confronted by other groups of Dwimmerlaik troopers and even a Dwimmerlaik warlock - but they are no match for three Lords of Gossamer. The complex continues to rumble, and then suddenly is a red glow of a teleport and the corridor is filled with hulking armoured creatures. The Mandragora have arrived and they are heavily armed - they fire a few stray shots at the Lords of Gossamer, before realising that they are not the Enemy, and then they spread out to take control of the area.
- In the space of ten minutes, Drake has led them across multiple levels and down a turbolift to an even deeper section of the complex. They have arrived at some sort of power array, tapped deeply into the planet's molten core far below. Arriving here, Ethan can tell what Drake is up to. He's proceeding with his plan to destabilise the planet.
Part 9 - Mowbray's Master Plan
- Grant has found it very difficult to locate Mowbray. Mowbray clearly knows the intricacies of this world and how to get from A to B without using Doors, corridors or turbolifts. Nevertheless, at last Grant has found him by using his Mastery of the Stair to open Doors to him. The first Door he opened led him straight into a firefight between Dwimmerlaik and a number of Lords of Gossamer (none of which he recognised). The second Door led him into a section of corridor which was controlled by the Mandragora - they opened fire at him as soon as he entered the area. But at last, the third Door has led him into a vast chamber. In it is a massive device, revolving and rotating like a planetary system. Grant has no idea what it does, but it radiates power, and he can see Mowbray deep within the structure.
- Grant, still in bird form, lines up to attack Mowbray but suddenly realises that there is more than one Mowbray here. He quickly counts four of them - and all appear to be real and not illusions. That shouldn't be possible even for a Shapeshifter, but this is Mowbray.
- As he studies the Mowbrays, Grant realises that Mowbray is aware of his presence. Speaking in the Dwimmerlaik High Tongue (which Grant can understand), Mowbray says that he does what is needed to ensure the preservation of the Empire and warns Grant not to interfere. Shifting back into his human form (and with his hand on Ethan's Icon), Grant replies in the High Tongue that he's seen the Empire and doesn’t share Mowbray’s high opinion of it. He notes that none of the subjects have any personal freedom. Mowbray frowns and admits that he underestimated Grant - he didn't expect the Lords of Gossamer to possess a third Umbra Master. (GM's note - the other two being Bastiano and Oscar)
- Ethan responds to the subtle Icon contact and tells Grant to keep Mowbray talking. Something has happened and Drake has a plan. He asks Grant to stall. Grant doesn't understand why, but he goes along with it. Mowbray obliges him, explaining to him that he has no intention of changing the outcome of the Great War. The defeat was, in his opinion, necessary. But when Caliban is severed from the Grand Stair, he plans to reconnect it again at the appropriate time, restoring the foundation of the Dwimmerlaik Empire and all of its hidden treasures, gathering his wayward warring flock (referring to the current civil war) and beginning the cycle anew. This time the Dwimmerlaik will be successful, becoming the Dominant and Supreme Power in the multiverse. (GM’s note - cue dark triumphant music)
- Mowbray doesn't seem particularly interested in fighting Grant but he warns Grant that he will annihilate him utterly if he interferes. Grant continues to covertly nudge Ethan to hurry up, especially when a number of Dwimmerlaik troopers arrive via sorcerous teleport to reinforce the position and cover the exits. They don't immediately attack Grant so he keeps Mowbray talking whilst listening to Ethan. Ethan explains that Drake was going to destroy the planet, but Drake has had a change of mind after he sensed that his own son is on Caliban (GM's note - "A feel a presence, a presence not felt since.... " quoting Darth Vader) - the one that Mowbray killed during the Great War. Drake never knew that his son went to Caliban and he has suddenly realised that he might actually be able to save his son.
Part 10 - Enter Oscar
- The conversation is interrupted by the red bloom of a sorcerous teleport as a squad of heavily armed Mandragora arrive with two Lords of Gossamer that Grant has never seen before. One of the Lords of Gossamer is dressed in a high-tech set of battle armour and Grant suddenly realises that he wears a wrist blaster made from the same technology. This is Oscar!
* Image sourced from Lucien’s Guide: Legends and Lies (Rite Publishing Supplement) - I can’t easily credit the artist of this one.
- The other Lord of Gossamer is dressed in powered armour, but he appears to be an aged veteran of many battles.
* Image sourced from Google Images, but it appears to be a colourised Space Marine
- The Mandragora don't waste any time engaging the Dwimmerlaik and a full-blown firefight ensues. Spotting Mowbray, Oscar gives a primal roar and leaps to attack him. Mowbray is clearly displeased with the intrusion and he reforms himself from the four 'splinters' and unleashes Umbral havoc against Oscar. As Oscar blasts back, the delicate movements of the machinery is disturbed and great sections of it fall away, forcing Grant and Mowbray to move.
- Grant pushes Ethan again, telling him that 'now' would be a good idea.
Part 11 - Battle Royale
- Ethan accepts the Icon contact and suddenly Yaeger Zane, Ethan are there. But they are not alone. Lady Vala is with them - she looks different. She looks a little slimmer and younger, but her face is as serene as that they have seen before. Drake has contacted the Lady Vala of the past, and called her to Caliban!
- The battle that ensues is terrific. The great machine in the room is smashed by primal forces. Mowbray is attacked on three sides by Grant, Lady Vala and Oscar whilst Ethan, Oscar’s ally and Yaeger Zane engage the Dwimmerlaik on the ground. With the machine destroyed, Mowbray no longer has to hold back, and he wields Umbra and Void energies with lethal force. The complex shakes and begins to collapse in part. Oscar is thrown back and felled by Umbra energy (GM's note - which ultimately means that he becomes 'tainted' by Umbra). However the combined might of Grant and Lady Vala is too great. Despite extensive use of Channeling, shapeshifting to restore himself and void magic to attempt to escape, Grant and Lady Vala are too strong. Mowbray's escape from the chamber is quickly followed via Mastery of the Stair. More Dwimmerlaik who are ordered to interpose in the corridors are dealt with swiftly and, nearly exhausted, Mowbray flees into what appears to a sanctuary chapel.
- Mowbray clearly expected to find reinforcements or allies in this chapel, but at last his luck has run out for none of the guardians are here to aid him. (GM’s note - yes, Mowbray has Bad Stuff)It is in this red-lit chapel, flanked by statues of the Dwimmerlaik heroes of the past that the final duel is fought, and at last he is struck down and his staff broken. Exhausted, wounded, and with black blood dripping from his mouth, he surrenders.
- Grant takes a moment to think on this, but Vala does not hesitate. She thrusts Vajra into his shadowed form, and bright lines of Eidolon tracery criss-cross his form. Mowbray opens his mouth for one last scream from which no sound is emitted and then suddenly in a flash of light, Mowbray is gone.
- Vala levels a gaze at Grant and considers him. "I don't know you," she says. She introduces herself as Vala. When Grant introduces himself, she replies that she will remember his name. (GM's note - which is a nice tie-in back to Session 43 where Vala alludes that they have met before. Ah, isn't time travel grand) Grant says quizzically that where he comes from, Vala was never on Caliban, so he probably should not speak of this until they meet again and Lucien has restored his memories. Vala nods sagely.
- They make their way back to find the others, fighting their way through more Dwimmerlaik as they go.
Part 12 - Escape from Caliban
- Grant is quickly reunited with Ethan and Yaeger Zane. Yaeger has decided that he wants to keep a set of Dwimmerlaik armour (and one of their funny helmets) as a souvenir, but more Dwimmerlaik keep arriving, and he's running out of Mandragora to use as shields. They are tough, but there are a lot more Dwimmerlaik than there are Mandragora. Ethan has given up using his lightsaber as as weapon and is blasting away with a Dwimmerlaik weapon from behind the cover of his dragon-shield. He's made his way over to Oscar, whose skin is shifting colour and texture due to exposure to Umbra, but Ethan keeps getting interrupted such that he can't finish healing them. The other Lord of Gossamer has continued to provide covering fire for Ethan and Oscar, blazing away with a bolt-gun that never seems to run out of ammunition. (GM’s note - a boltgun that never runs out of ammunition, you speak heresy, BLAM!)
- Grant and Vala re-enter the fray like a wrecking ball, carving through the Dwimmerlaik formation from behind, before finally cleaving through the Warlock at the front that had erected a protective shield which allowed them to advance more easily. Heading over to Ethan, Grant tells Ethan to leave Oscar. Ethan doesn't understand but Grant yells over the blaster fire that he's meant to be infected by Umbra or else Oscar will never train him in Umbra. (GM's note - oo, more time travel weirdness) Ethan agrees to contact Drake, and he initiates the contact.
- Grant yells out to Yaeger Zane that they are leaving, and he blasts a number of Dwimmerlaik with Umbra to hold them back. Unable to keep all of the pieces of armour together, Yaeger settles for a whole dead Dwimmerlaik and flies him over to where Ethan and Grant have huddled. The contact is initated and suddenly they are gone, leaving Vala, Oscar and the other Lord of Gossamer to deal with the Dwimmerlaik.
- They arrive in an alcove where Drake and other Lord of Gossamer are holding position. Grant notes the family resemblance - Drake has managed to locate his son. The rift is nearby.
- Grant calls out that it's time to go but Ethan hesitates. He thinks for a moment what would happen if he were to stay - could he somehow prevent what happened to Abbie's world of Meridian? But then he pushes the thought aside, and says that he's ready. There is a firefight in the corridor as they make their way to the rift. Grant puts up an Umbral shield to protect the others and then Ethan erects an Eidolon shield around himself, Drake, Yaeger and Drake's son. Together they enter the rift, and Grant follows immediately after.
Part 13 - An Ending
- It is a surreal feeling being back in Skamino. Drake urges them not to celebrate too soon as they are not safe here. He instructs his son to follow Grant and Grant leads the way back to the Marindan Door. (Grant considers flying ahead and then using an Icon contact to bring them through but decides that this could be dangerous for those left behind. He also doesn’t know if an Icon will work reliably here). Again, Ethan uses a shielding spell to make them invisible (Mental Invisibility) and they make their way back to the Door.
- The route back is uneventful despite the sounds of nearby shellfire and they make it back safely. To Grant’s relief, Marindar is just as he left it. He was a little worried that bringing back Drake’s son could have changed things, but it doesn’t seem to have affected anything here.
- Yaeger Zane is pleased to be 'back in Marindar' as he hasn't been here in some time - he decides to go and get ‘cleaned up’ and then look up some lovely Marindan ladies that he once knew.
- Drake sheds a tear (a manly tear) as he embraces his son, Eric. He thanks Grant and Ethan warmly for bringing his son back safely and says that he is forever in their debt. Drake asks Grant for his permission to rest in Marindar for a short time, and Grant agrees to this.
- Grant contacts Lady Vala via Icon and they talk briefly about what has happened. Vala reveals that she remembers Grant from Caliban but kept the knowledge secret until now. Vala praises what he has done for the Lords of Gossamer, and says that the Empire will not recover quickly from such a loss. She suggests that he rest awhile but they should talk soon about the future. Vala would value his counsel and insights about the Dwimmerlaik given that he has lived among them. Grant agrees to this.
- Grant reminds Ethan that they have not talked for some time - he urges Ethan not to leave too quickly. Ethan checks his watch and believes it to be a little after midnight in Westgate. He says that he needs to leave but he promises to return soon. Grant points out that ‘Christmas’ is not far away, and even though the event is not celebrated in Marindar, he asks for Ethan’s help to make it a special time for both families. Ethan agrees to this, but Ethan offers a counter-suggestion that they catch up at their favourite inn in Versais ‘next Thursday’. Grant grins at the idea of returning to an old haunt.
- Seeing that Ethan is about to depart, Drake makes an effort to talk to him. Drake offers Ethan an apology, and says that he was so focussed on avenging his son (who was slain by Mowbray) that he was quite prepared to destroy Caliban. He thanks Ethan for persisting long enough with him for him to realise that his son was on Caliban. He admits that if he thought that Ethan was going to stop him, Drake probably would have killed him. It takes a brave man to stand up to that. (GM’s note - all of this happened ‘off camera’ - Ethan tried to reason with Drake. Ethan managed to work out that Drake’s son was killed by Mowbray. And then by fortuitous circumstance, it turned out that Drake’s son was part of the attack on Caliban - something that Drake did not know. This is Drake’s Good Stuff at work. Why did we include this? Because Grant’s reputation is solid with most of the Lords of Gossamer, but even after 100 sessions, Ethan is relatively unknown.) Ethan doesn’t know Drake very well but he recognises that a tough man has just made a heartfelt confession - he offers his hand to Drake, and Drake shakes it firmly.
- Ethan tries to initiate an Icon contact to Abbie in the hope that she is still awake, and to his pleasant surprise she is. He vanishes when she accepts the contact.
- Leaving the octahedral gate to Skamino, Grant confirms that all of the Marindan gates (Doors) are secure, and then he takes a car to street-level. The driver is surprised that he doesn’t want to fly home, but Grant wants to walk through the city streets to his home. He takes in the smells and sights of Central, and heads for home where he knows that Lady Sophia will be waiting for him. Grant hums ’When Johnny Comes Marching Home’ and a smile widens across his face as he realises that it’s finally over.
- In Abbie’s house in Manchester, Ethan embraces Abbie and promises her that he’s not going anywhere for a while.
.... and that's where we end Session 100. Next up, the Christmas Special.
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