- Ok, this is the first of the ‘Dwimmerlaik War’ sessions. We’re designing the sessions to be episodic wherever possible, starting and ending in a single session.
- The session was relatively short so we didn’t conclude the episode on this occasion. But this is what we are aiming for so that we can move the plot forward at a rapid pace. We don’t need to go blow by blow.
- Both Ethan and Grant had some ‘on screen time’ in this session.
Part 1 - A Job To Do
Realm 80 - The Athenaeum, Heart of the Labyrinth (Iron Door)
- With a job in mind, Bastiano sits down with Grant to learn more about him. His line of inquiry suggests to Grant that he thinks that Grant might be useful but he wants to know just how useful. Bastiano knows that Grant is an Umbra Master (like himself), but he is particularly interested in how experienced is in shapeshifting. He asks Grant to copy Greywalker’s form, which he does - Bastiano is reasonably impressed by this. Grant shows that he can become a small bird (a swallow) - Bastiano wants to know if he can become even smaller. Grant says that he can (although it is hard for him, and quite tiring to become smaller).
* Image by Jason Rainville
- Bastiano tells him that he wants to find a Dwimmerlaik Lord named Tarloxaricus (“Lox” for short). Lox is well connected and he’s an Umbra Master himself. Bastiano has had a long relationship with Lox - sometimes it’s been a hostile relationship but they haven’t killed each other yet. Based on the information recovered from the severed head and what Bastiano knows of “Lox”, “Lox” will almost certainly know where the vault of stolen Gossamer Lord memories is, or at least who has them. Grant agrees to come but Bastiano doesn’t share a plan with him. He keeps the plan to himself. Grant goes along with this for the time being.
Grand Stairway Section 40 - The Maelstrom
- Leaving the Athenaeum, Bastiano walks for a while. Grant asks where they are going and Bastiano shushes him. (Grant gets the distinct impression that Bastiano likes being in charge) After a time, Bastiano finds a blank Door and he connects it.
Realm 81 - Asanni (Weathered Door)
- They step through a flimsy wooden Door. Beyond it is hot and desolate. They have stepped into an arid desert where the white-stoned buildings have been partially consumed by sand. Bastiano takes a moment to sever the Door from the Stair, and then he shape shifts and takes to the air in the form of a desert eagle.
- Grant matches him and takes to the air as a golden eagle. Below them, Grant realises that the settlement below is completely deserted and that Bastiano chose to enter this realm via one of the few intact doors that remained.
- It is cooler in the air, high above the desert sands. They fly on, soaring high over dunes and low hills. Then in the distance there is a solitary mountain.
Part 2 - The Shadow King
- The pair fly on until they are a little closer, and then Bastiano lands and returns to his human form. Grant does the same. Before they continue on, Bastiano tells Grant more about their destination. He tells Grant that the mountain ahead is controlled by the Shadow King and it would be dangerous to approach any further by air. He explains that the Shadow King has many assassins in his employ and there will many eyes on the approach to his mountain. They will kill anyone who isn’t Bastiano - hence Grant is persuaded to become a cricket and sit under the fold of Bastiano’s collar.
- Continuing on foot, Bastiano tells Grant that no technology works in this place and that it is a useful place to return through as any pursuit would be engaged by the Shadow King’s assassins. Grant talks to Bastiano as they go, speaking as a cricket. Bastiano is very confident of himself. He has a very strong ego. Grant gets the impression that he’s still evaluating Grant, and drip-feeding information to him. Grant hopes that Bastiano has a coherent plan and that he isn’t just making things up as he goes.
- At last Bastiano enters the mountain itself. There are many carved passageways within but Bastiano seems to know the way (courtesy of Wayfinding). Grant can also sense that there many parties watching him as they approach but none engage. The passageways are dark and unlit but Bastiano and Grant can see clearly in the darkness (thanks to Umbral sight). After some time navigating the labyrinth (and using some secret doors to cut down the time it takes to get through), Bastiano and Grant enter a chamber lit by torches. There are four masked assassins in this room, clad in robes which are the same colour as the sandy stone blocks. A single figure in black, also masked, sits on a throne made of stone blocks. The figure in black welcomes Bastiano to the mountain, and Bastiano greets the Shadow King. Grant notices that they both speak with a similar accent. Bastiano asks to speak with the Shadow King in private and the Shadow King agrees with this, dismissing his guards and sealing the chamber.
- When the chamber is sealed, the Shadow King removes his face-plate, revealing that he has the same face as Bastiano. The two talk amicably. Grant notes that there is a door behind the throne. Bastiano asks to use the door, and warns the Shadow King that when he returns that there may be others with him - who should be killed. The Shadow King agrees to this and asks for more information about where Bastiano is going. Bastiano explains that he is going to Coscarla to find “Lox”. The Shadow King seems surprised that Bastiano is expecting trouble, to which Bastiano says that it always pays to be prepared. As they are about to leave, Bastiano asks if he has been to Coscarla recently (GM’s note - Bastiano is working from ‘backup memories’ and hence he still has a gap in his memory.) The Shadow King says that he hasn’t been there, but reminds him that he sent Lydia to Coscarla two years ago. The name means nothing to Bastiano but Grant gets the distinct impression based on the Shadow King’s phrasing that Lydia may have been one of Bastiano’s lovers.
- Bastiano opens the Door and they step onto the Stair.
Grand Stairway Section 41 - Junkyard Corridor
- The next section of Stair is ramshackle. The walls seem to be made of piles of debris and the few Doors along its length look little more than improvised hatchways. Even the Stair flooring is uneven and unstable in places. Bastiano leaves the connection to Asanni Door intact.
- Bastiano tells Grant that he can return to normal form. He hops down and becomes himself again. Bastiano becomes talkative once more, telling Grant that “Lox” won’t be expecting Bastiano to bring anyone else with him. Grant asks about Bastiano’s plan and Bastiano candidly says that he’s not sure “Lox” will tell him anything willingly. The ’New War’ has changed things. Also, given the prize is the memories of the Lords of Gossamer, Bastiano worries that even if “Lox” has this information as they were they are kept and gives it to them, the risk is that “Lox” will tell his own people that Bastiano knows and they will be destroyed. He says he is considering having to kill “Lox” this time but it would have to be blamed on someone else.
- They spend less than 5 minutes on the Stair before reaching the Door to Coscarla Division.
Part 3 - Initial Investigations
Realm 82 - Coscarla Division (Improvised Hatchway)
- The other side of the Door is filled with acrid smog. The sounds of machinery can be heard. Stepping through, Bastiano and Grant are confronted with a mass of tall buildings and machinery on all sides. They have stepped out onto a low walkway only a few levels above the street. The street is filled with drab-clothed people, none of whom look particularly happy. There is no sky here - just smog. It looks like the dregs of humanity are here.
- Bastiano and Grant descend to street level. Their clothes don’t stand out, and Bastiano starts looking for Lydia with Grant following on, watching to see if anyone is following them. Over the next hour Bastiano goes from street to street - Grant starts to think that Bastiano is lost - but after a long while, Bastiano confesses that he can’t find Lydia (which Grant assumes is because he doesn’t know Lydia well enough). Grant shares what he has observed since arriving - the people here are downtrodden, there are some bullish thugs who seem to be the local law enforcement group. There are some ground vehicles here and the occasional air-car so they do have some antigravity. Grant notes that he has also seen a flying person - just one.
- At this point, Bastiano decides that it is time to hunt for more information about Lox. He works his magic, venturing into a seedy saloon and talking shop with some of the locals, then checking out a different type of bar where the air smells of perfume (but Grant can tell it is a narcotic), before ending up at a casino owned by Lox. They learn a great deal as they mingle with the locals. Lox lives in a place called ‘Stratos’ which is at the peak of one of the tallest structures. He is the law in this place, ‘untouchable’ to anyone who lives here. The word on the street is that he deals in narcotics and that even the water and food dispensed to the masses contain drugs to keep the population docile and pliable. There are gladiatorial fights in a local arena which he sponsors. No one really knows much about Lox, except that he is a ‘horn head’ - an alien.
- There is one other ‘horn head’ mentioned - an alien known as “Red Hands” after a particular incident where a lot of people were butchered. There is also a flying man - one of the Sons of Saul called Shazir. Bastiano is able to explain to Grant that the Sons of Saul are super-strong, capable of flight, and impervious to most things (though probably not Gorgorin). Lox also has a company of ‘goat-boys’ and ‘goat-girls’ who are his inner circle of enforcers. They have curled goat-like horns on their heads and their legs are faun-like, but they can be pretty aggressive and they are very strong (having come from a high-G world).
- Bastiano and Grant survey the casino goings on from the first floor when, out of the blue, one of the goat-girls arrives - she’s pretty (for a goat-girl anyway) and behaves like she owns the place. Most of the patrons get out of her way. Grant decides to put a hastily concocted plan into motion.
Part 4 - Spiking the Drink
- Grant lets the girl play the tables for a little while before he organises to spike her drink with Umbra - just enough to make her very sick, but it will take a little while to kick in. This works, she drinks the drink provided by one of the casino servants and she keeps playing. By this time she has a handful of minor nobles with her - she’s clearly out for a good time, and she likes being the centre of attention. Unfortunately after about ten minutes, she starts to feel very sick indeed. She quickly surmises that it is the drink that has made her ill and she excuses herself from the table, heads over to the bar herself (staggering as she goes), and then very publicly executes the bartender with a bolt-round to the head, splattering the poor fellow’s brains all over the bar. This gets a lot of attention.
- At this point she demands to the crowd that the servant who brought her the drink be brought forward, or she threatens to torch the entire place. Bastiano watches the scene with interest. Grant wants to intercede but he finds it hard given that Bastiano is simply content to watch how this plays out. The goat-girl finds the servant and summarily executes him as well. At this point, Shazir floats into the casino, hovering a few metres above the clientele’s heads. (It is not clear how he has become aware of the disturbance, but he has arrived very quickly) At this point some in the crowd start to panic and head for the exits, while others try hard to carry on and behave like nothing has happened.
- Grant is astonished that his plan could have had this result but Bastiano says simply that he can work with this and he heads downstairs to try and take advantage of the situation.
Part 5 - Who am I?
Realm ?? - ??? (???)
- Ethan wakes up. He doesn’t know who he is or where he is. He’s lying in a simple bed and it is daytime. Sunlight is streaming in through a window. He rubs his head - he isn’t hurt but he doesn’t know how he got here. Getting out of bed, he finds that he’s dressed in a singlet and shorts - there are some clothes lying on a chair nearby. The wooden floorboards creak beneath his feet as he walks over to the window. There are fields outside - a crop of some kind. There is also an orchard of fruit trees.
- Ethan hears children’s voices downstairs - they sound cheerful. He puts on the clothes and looks about the room. Suddenly he is aware of a presence drawing closer. He hears children asking questions through the door - questions that he does not understand. The latch is lifted and three, four, then five children come in. The have tanned skin, wear simple clothing and their feet are barefoot. They have mauve-coloured eyes and bright golden hair. The children are very happy. They are clearly excited to see him. They talk to him but Ethan cannot understand any of it. He finds it a little confronting and he keeps his distance from these people.
- A lady comes into the chamber and ushers the children out of the room. She asks him a question but he can’t understand. She mimes eating and Ethan realises that he is very hungry. Somehow she seems to understand and she brings in a tray which ‘floats’ as she pushes it in. When the table is close to the chair, she extends the legs and takes the cover off. Ethan can’t identify what is on the tray but it smells good. She smiles and withdraws, letting him eat in peace. Ethan notes that she has left a slim book behind.
- Ethan eats everything on the plate, then he looks around the room looking for any clues. There is a painting on the wall but it is a crude landscape painting which doesn’t tell him very much. Looking through the window again, he can see many people working in the fields with hand tools. There are no machines here.
- Confused and uncertain about who he is, where he is and where he has come from, Ethan fingers the book. It is only 30-odd pages in length but the book is old. There is a map which folds out, and there are some pictures. There isn’t much text - it almost seems like a children’s book. Ethan flicks through page after page but he can make little of it. On the inside of the back cover is a mandala. As he looks at the design, there is a sudden flash of light and the words on the page seem to move for him. He is able to read the words and understand them. He is able to speak the words. It is a basic book, meant for children to teach them a little about history and the geography of the region - but the book could easily be a hundred years out of date. Ethan is even more confused by this. He remembers something that one of the children said which he could not understand before but he can now. The child asked innocently whether they could ‘keep him’, and the mother told them not to be silly.
And that’s where we left Session 79…..
(Sessions 80 and 81 will be run on Tuesday and Thursday this week, so will hopefully be able to post the writeup on Saturday 14th)
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