- The narrative continues, this time continuing Grant’s story first. By the end of this episode, Grant is almost certainly 4-5 months in the future compared with where Ethan is. Grant’s plot line is moving at a far faster pace, and significant time is passing, whereas for Ethan the last 2 sessions haven’t taken more than a full day.
- This session makes a marked change for Grant as he decides to go ‘undercover’ and infiltrate the Dwimmerlaik Empire. This is something that the Lords of Gossamer have never attempted before. It allowed Grant to be proactive and not be overshadowed by the more experienced Lords.
- This writeup will be a little different - I normally detail every realm and every section of Stair that the PCs go through. I can’t do that in this narrative because Grant goes to many many places. This was actually a hard session to writeup. It took me quite a bit of time. Much longer than usual.
Part 1 - A New Strategy
- Grant and Bastiano spend a good evening at the Lambs Go Bar. Bastiano is quite ‘the life of the party’ as he attracts drinking buddies and dance partners easily. It is cold and snowing outside and no one really wants to go home, so after ‘lock-in’, the party gets more animated. Bastiano spends some of the time dancing and the rest of the time chilling at the bar with his new buddies. Meanwhile Grant is dominating a dart-throwing game with a complicated target structure, and he’s hit it off with a young woman whose hair is snow white. Grant learns that this valley is the home of the “Alpine Corps”, a military training academy. Most of the people here are locals, but there are some soldiers too who are off-duty. The girl seems to think that Grant is one of the officers.
- A few hours after midnight, Bastiano’s friends call it quits and Bastiano leaves with them as they’ve offered him a place to stay. Not long after, Grant mentions that he needs a place to stay, and one thing leads to another. The girl takes him home. Fade to black.
- The next morning, Bastiano is keen to move on. After a late breakfast, Bastiano and Grant head back to the Stair. This time it is a different section - the air here is cold and misty, and the steps which lead upwards appear to be made out of translucent crystal. Shutting the Door behind him, he again reconnects with another realm and steps through. This time, they step into a small modern study with a simple desk and chair. Bastiano severs the Door once more and goes downstairs to make a pot of coffee.
- After some strong coffee, Bastiano takes out a small metal rod and scans the data crystals which they acquired. He then transfers the information to two data pads (one is larger and clunkier than the other. He keeps the newer data pad for himself and gives Grant the clunky one to look over. They sit down to read. After a while, they compare notes, and eventually they return to the Athenaeum.
- It is not obvious from the records where the stolen memories are being held. Lox did work on the ‘prismatic shielding’ for the storage array but there is no information as to where it is. The records confirm that Mowbray is responsible for the Breath of Eden.
- Red Hands has performed many experiments to create powerful and compliant soldiers for the ‘good of the Empire’. There are also mentions of biogenetic experimentation that sounds very much like the creatures that attacked Arcadia (GM’s note - way back in Session 34)
- The records confirm that Lydia was captured and experimented upon by Red Hands. She became unhinged and escaped captivity, and has since created other human-machine hybrids which the people from Coscarla Division call the ‘Snatchers’. Red Hands considers them a minor nuisance, though occasionally useful.
- There is a long list of Lox’s inventions, including a mass driver cannon that can ‘shoot across dimensions’. A lot of Lox’s research seems to be related to other mechanisms for transdimensional travel, including sorcery, portals. There are a number of references to Shadow, suggesting that the Dwimmerlaik consider it to be a real physical place.
- Grant decides to help the Lords of Gossamer cause by infiltrating the Enemy. It has the virtue of never having been tried, so Vala, Bastiano and Lucien are willing to support the idea. Over the course of the next two weeks, Grant and Bastiano scout out potential targets. They settle on House Sural, one of the noble houses famous for producing the Empire’s best artisans - and focus their attention on an industrial realm known to the locals as “655” (as the present year in this realm is 655).
- Bastiano leads an attack on “655”. Pathfinders are sent in first, and then Bastiano brings in a group of powered armour ‘mecha’ which function in this ‘steampunk era’. Two young Dwimmerlaik Lords are caught up in the pitched battle - a sister named Urla and a brother named Forst. Despite the House Guard’s best efforts, Lady Urla is hurt when one of the structures collapses on her, and many of the House Guard are killed. As the battle rages on, much of the city crumbles or is set on fire. Using the confusion as cover, Grant manages to pick off one of the House Guards and he spends fifteen minutes absorbing as much of the Dwimmerlaik’s mind, memory and personality as he can. At last when he feels there is no more time, Grant tranquillises the Dwimmerlaik and passes the body to one of Bastiano’s companions. Grant shape shifts into ‘Trell’ and rejoins the battle on the Dwimmerlaik side. The House Guard has been decimated and only Trell remains to defend Lord Forst and his sister.
- After another half hour of fighting, additional reinforcements arrive - some more Dwimmerlaik from the House Guard and some of the native “665” armoured airships. Driven back under heavy fire, Bastiano ‘retreats’ from the realm and the young Lord Forst swears vengeance against Bastiano for injuring his sister.
- Grant as Trell helps Lord Forst retrieve his sister from the rubble. She needs medical attention and Trell advises that Lord Forst should summon aid in case the Lords should strike again and then withdraw to safety with his sister. Lord Forst agrees to this and uses an Icon. Grant finds it interesting that the Dwimmerlaik are still using Icons - he decides to remember this.
Part 2 - I am Trell. I am Trell. I am Trell
- Lord Forst brings through a skeletal-looking Dwimmerlaik Witch named Belligar who is wearing an amulet that marks him as a member of House Suril. Forst quickly explains the situation and the Witch starts ‘sniffing’ to find out how the Lords got here. When it is mentioned that Lady Urla is wounded, Belligar immediately goes to her aid. Deciding that her wounds can be healed and that she is not gravely injured, Belligar counsels Trell to take Urla and Forst to a place of safety. Belligar produces a Icon of a massively horned Dwimmerlaik, and suddenly Krovaliss is there.
- Krovaliss is truly massive. The Grant in Trell is buried deep as he tells himself that he is Trell, only Trell. Krovaliss surveys the scene quickly but chooses not to ask any questions of Urla, Forst or Trell. He himself summons ten members of his Sable Guard, the black-clad warrior elite, and then sets off to re-fortify the city in case of a second attack. Each of the Sable Guard summon other Dwimmerlaik and Krovaliss’ army quickly grows.
- Lord Forst does not linger. With Trell carrying his wounded sister, the three of them travel via Icon to a place that Grant has never seen before, but Trell knows that this is Chammont. The palace here seems to be made of glistening metals. Looking over the city below, everything seems to be made of the same materials. The metalwork here is gorgeous - carefully crafted by master artisans. Everything here is so bright in the sunlight.
- Lord Forst and Lady Urla are taken to healing chambers and Trell is allowed to rest. Troll’s chambers are simple but functional. Two human slaves with tanned skin and black eyes (with no whites in them) see to his needs. They appear to be well fed servants. They offer him wine and different types of fruit.
- Grant sends the servants away and he rests. It was hard to maintain himself as Trell. He hopes it will get easier. Still, he peruses Trell’s memories and tries to assimilate what he has learnt. He knows he needs to be a Dwimmerlaik, to be Trell. He thinks hard about what he has observed of the Dwimmerlaik, and what he has learnt of Trell. He thinks hard and wills himself to be Trell, with all of Trell’s mannerisms.
- Trell himself is a relatively interesting character. Going through Trell’s memories, Grant is astonished to find that Trell has faced Mordecai before in battle and survived. Trell is not especially proud or arrogant, and is somewhat bemused at his fortune at surviving the encounter. The Dwimmerlaik do not have the concept of ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ - they would say it was ‘By Design’. This is how Trell thinks of it. It was simply meant to happen that way.
- Trell has no living siblings that he knows of, and no offspring. He has no mate, nor any living parents. He has no close friends. Trell is loyal to House Suril and to the Empire and he has no particular ambitions beyond wanting to serve both to the best of his ability. He is a capable commander and warrior, but he is not a warlord. His masters are craftsmen, artisans, charm-makers and master builders and he is content to serve and protect their way of life. Grant finds this all astonishing - he has been extremely fortunate in picking Trell. (GM’s note - yes, lucky Good Stuff, plus good planning - i.e.: leveraging 1st Rank Warfare plus X+1 Rank Warfare) Also, Lady Urla and Lord Forst are said to be ‘special’ - rumour has it that they are descended from Mowbray himself. Trell does not necessarily believe that, but he knows that they have powerful patrons and they have the potential for greatness.
- Grant hides who he is, suppressing his Warden abilities and Umbra abilities as well as he can. He knows that Wardens can sense other Wardens but he knows that he can hide this with concentration. In this place, he doesn’t feel that anyone is looking for spies but he has no wish to tempt fate. When he is ‘listening’, he can feel the presence of Doors here but he does not go looking for them.
- Two days later, Lucien contacts him via Icon. They speak briefly and then Lucien cuts the contact. This routine continues, but Grant as Trell is free to reject the contact if it is not convenient. As this continues, Grant finds this a useful anchor to remind him of who he is, as he spends a great deal of the time suppressing Grant and being Trell.
- Trell returns to the court as Lady Urla’s personal bodyguard. Lady Urla has kind words for him in his defence of “655” (though the Dwimmerlaik refer to it by another name). Trell has survived again. She encourages him to choose others who will serve in the House Guard and protect her and her brother, and he does this. As the weeks pass, Trell is asked to give a formal oration of the battle to the court. This is enormously difficult for Grant as the oration is a form of formal poetry which is unfamiliar to Grant, but which is familiar to Trell. Nevertheless he succeeds.
- But not all of it is hard. Some of House Suril’s best musicians play forked pipes and delicate stringed instruments to the court, and Grant finds the performance very moving. Even though Trell would not be moved, Grant is a musician at heart.
Part 3 - Conquest. Deeper and Deeper
- After nearly a month on Chammont, Grant is starting to feel restless as Trell. He doesn’t feel that he is gathering useful intelligence that could help the Lords of Gossamer win the war, even though he is learning a lot about the way the Dwimmerlaik live and they relate to others. His conversations with Lucien, Bastiano and occasionally Vala herself are helping him to remember who he really is, but they don’t tell him very much about what is going on in the war. They tell him that they are making progress, but they are careful not to give him any specifics lest he be captured and reveal what he knows.
- Grant doesn’t hate the Dwimmerlaik - they have a different outlook on life, and their perceived rightful place in the universe. They are not cruel, but they are ordered. Where they are not dominant, they strive to be dominant, whether it be in war or in craftsmanship.
- Then, quite abruptly things change. Lady Urla and Lord Forst have been given an assignment to convert a world to the Dwimmerlaik and they need Trell to accompany them. Together they journey to an Earth-like world where they appear to the indigenous people as divine beings like angels. Those who see them quickly ‘believe’ and their number of followers grow. But there are many ‘unbelievers’ who see their sudden appearance as something other than the divine. Even though the unbelievers are in the minority, they attempt to reason with the majority, and then when that fails, they defy the growing regime.
- Over the course of the next five months, the Dwimmerlaik Lords conquer the planet, with only Trell needing to get his hands dirty by dealing with some pockets of unbelievers who continued to resist Dwimmerlaik rule. Trell does not question why this world is important - Grant knows that it will be revealed at some point. He’s not sure if it is the people itself or some natural resource.
- Grant studies how the Dwimmerlaik work, marvelling at how quickly only two Dwimmerlaik can subjugate an entire world. He wonders if this is a test for Lady Urla and Lord Forst - he hopes that this is the case but before the conquest is completed, Lady Urla summons Trell and tells him that she has been summoned. She instructs Trell to come with her. Again, an Icon is used and Trell finds himself in a machine world with large corridors and monolithic machine structures which stand like skyscrapers and are dotted by blinking lights. Trell follows Lady Urla and keeps an eye out for trouble. He sees mechanoids but no threats. There are stars high overhead but it does not appear to be nighttime. It is a strange place. He spots a large containment vessel that looks like it carries an organic fluid. Risking a use of Umbral sight, Grant is surprised to find that it looks like the same plague virus that was used in an attack on Arcadia. (GM’s note - way back in Session 34) At last Lady Urla reaches a control complex and meets with a stern-looking Dwimmerlaik commander dressed in a black and red uniform. They speak privately and Trell cannot overhear them, but Grant is able to observe enough from the monitors to realise that this machine realm is a weapon. He realises that this place is Lox’s mass driver. Grant decides to do nothing, but he will remember this place.
Part 4 - From Farm to Fortress
- Meanwhile, Ethan is introduced to the Host as ‘Appleplum’. The Host greets him with a deep bass voice and speaks to him in the native tongue (which Ethan can understand). The Host is very interested in Ethan and they sit down to discuss. Ethan repeats his story that he doesn’t know who he is or where he came from. The Host theorises that he may have lost his memories by travelling through the Glimmerwoods (the woods which are close to the farm) - it is largely unexplored so it is possible that there is something there (a Sleeper) that had done this. Ethan asks whether the Host knows where he came from. The Host does not know but he offers to help Ethan find out. Ethan finds the Host difficult to read, but he thinks that the Host is genuinely interested in helping him. He seems sincere and he appears to care for the people of the farm.
- Ethan agrees to go with the Host. A great metal sphere, intricately decorated and enamelled is waiting for them outside, hovering a short distance above the ground. One quarter of the exterior is open with stairs leading inside. Ethan asks if he needs to take any food or water and the Host tells him that these will be provided. Before he agrees to leave, Ethan goes back into the house to get his things as he hopes that these might provide clues as to where he has come from. He says goodbye to the scholarly gentlemen, and finally asks his name. His name is Jeremy Crabapple. Ethan asks if he can bring anything back for him and Jeremy asks for some more books if Ethan can find any.
- Getting into the capsule, it closes up and a plasma-orb like device in the centre crackles to life. Ethan feels himself pressed back into the wall as it rotates a little, and then suddenly there is acceleration. The flight is over in 15-20 seconds and then the feeling of movement is gone. The door opens and the they step out into a very different place.
- Here it is rocky, and there is a lot of shale on the ground. There is a path built on top of the ground, and it leads to a fortress made of marble-like stone with very high walls. At each corner stands a massive tower. The huge door opens as the Host and Ethan approach. Ethan asks if the Host built this, and the Host says that his people did, but not here.
- Inside the fortress perimeter there are fortified structures and there are many people here - both Hosts and humans, but mostly Hosts. They are all busy and working together, carrying loads and transporting goods. There are no beasts of burden here. Everything is being done by hand. As the Host leads Ethan deeper into the complex, Ethan asks the Host’s name and the Host tells him that it is Marcavius.
- The people here are very busy - but they are all adults. Ethan can’t see any children. It is only when he gets closer to the centre of the complex that he finds a wider courtyard space where there are some children - Host children, not human children. then there is an inner keep which has even stronger fortifications but the door is (for the moment), open.
- Inside there are screens and glowing lights. There are many beds here. It is well lit in here. It is some sort of hospital. A female Host asks Marcavius about Ethan and Marcavius explains that Ethan survived the Glimmerwood but has lost his memories. At that moment, a siren goes off and the Hosts quickly gather the humans and shield them with simple charms and with their bodies. The ground shakes and everyone holds their breath. The seconds tick by and within two minutes there is another siren. Everyone relaxes and Marcavius explains that this is the ‘all clear’.
Part 5 - Collateral Damage
- Marcavius and the female Host show Ethan over to a stone bed and ask him to lie down. There is a disc-like machine nearby. Ethan refuses to lie on the bed until he is shown what the machine will do. Once convinced, he lies down and the machine looks over him. The female Host is astonished and says that “Appleplum” is showing no sign of injury or trauma - he’s in perfect health. So perfect that it’s impossible.
- Ethan is then asked to hold two crystal orbs - one in each hand. One glows in his hand, the other does not. They have many more questions for him but they still cannot tell him what he wants to know. Opening up the sack he has been carrying, Ethan produces his many possessions and the Hosts look through them. They have not seen anything like these things, or people with the same hair colour as Ethan has. One of the orderlies is able to identify the weapons for Ethan and offers to show Ethan how to use them. Then a female Host is introduced to him as Doctor Marta, and she offers to help him figure out where he came from. She produces a stethoscope-like device with two pads and puts one to her own head and the other to Ethan’s. Then she concentrates….…. and passes out. Other staff members rush over but she cannot be roused.
- After a few minutes of confusion, the other doctors look at Ethan with a mix of pity, fear and bewilderment. They assure him that it’s not his fault and they will probably be able to help Marta. One of the older doctors with grey shaggy hair and a broken antler tells Ethan gently that it was not the Glimmerwood that caused him to lose his memories. Ethan has been damaged by a device called an Icon, and it’s something that they may not be able to help with because they don’t really know how it works - but contact with Ethan can cause the effect to be transferred. The Hosts explains that they are doctors, and they don’t have knowledge of such things. He says that they could call in a specialist who might know, but that might end badly for Ethan. He says that he is sorry he can’t do more.
- Ethan sits down to think. After a few minutes he decides that he should return to the farm and he asks Marcavius to take him there. Marcavius agrees to help but asks why he would go back. Ethan explains that he must have come through the woods, so perhaps he can backtrack as to where he came from. Marcavius offers to go with Ethan, especially if he is thinking of going into the Glimmerwoods.
And that’s where we left Session 81. Session 82 was run on Thursday 26th and it wasn’t a long session so I should be able to get it written up and posted more quickly than this one.
And finally, yes some LEGO Lords of Gossamer. Long overdue, I took some photos last week and am finally posting some up.
The LEGO Lords of Gossamer 01
Here are all of my current Lords of Gossamer (in LEGO format) with their names.
The LEGO Lords of Gossamer 02
And a close-up of Lady Vala with Drake and Grant in the background. I’ve posted Lady Vala shots before, but this is with her ‘angry face’
The LEGO Dwimmerlaik Lords - Work In Progress
And finally a work in progress shot as I build the some Dwimmerlaik Lords (and some of their Mechanoid minions)
Session 82 was run last Thursday. This session was an Ethan-only session so I think it’ll be easier to writeup. Hopefully only a few days and I’ll get that one posted too.
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