- Again, I asked Lurker37 to keep GMing as I felt that Ethan was still a long way behind where Grant is (at least 5 months behind) and hence it was possible that Ethan’s actions could affect Grant’s position.
- This session sees more twists as Ethan is vulnerable without his memories.
Part 1 - Back to Base
- As Marcavius and Ethan travel back to the compound, Ethan asks if the fortress has a name. Marcavius tells him that it has a designation but it’s too long and complex so everyone just calls it ‘Base’. They return to the sanctuary of the compound, talking as they go. Marcavius points out to Ethan that he must have lost his memories after going through the Glimmerwoods, for he has no memories before the farm. Ethan realises that Marcavius is right. He had just assumed that something in the Glimmerwoods had affected him but that cannot be the case.
- Back at the Base, Marcavius goes through his new acquisitions whilst orderlies bring them food. The Hosts and their human fellows are very excited by Marcavius’ discovery at the library. Meanwhile, Ethan accepts a meal, lays out all of his possessions and then goes through them one by one. He pays particular attention to the things he didn’t have before. The notables are:
- He has Icons for Grant (whom he senses is a friend), Macavity (whom he senses a fellowship with), Isabelle (affection), Sophia (difficult to read), Greywalker (he has a feeling of shock when he touches this one) and Abbie (again, a mixed feeling - shock with something else). He can tell that these Icons are important, but he knows not to try to use them.
- His lightsaber has a ‘calmness’ about it. He doesn’t think he has ever used this weapon in anger before.
- His dragon shield evokes powerful feelings. He was battling something huge and powerful which almost killed him and his companion, Isabelle. He recalls his desperation to prevent the colossus crushing her. It’s the closest thing to an actual memory that he has. (GM’s note - refer to Session 35 Part 3)
- His other sword (the steel elven blade) also evokes an odd feeling. He feels that it was given to him in friendship. (GM’s note - refer to Session 57 Part 1)
- As he walks, he notes that there a great deal of activity in the place. The mood has changed too - people are apprehensive. He asks one of the Hosts what is going on and he is told that there will be an inspection. Ethan wonders what that means. Everyone here seems to be preparing for it, tidying and organising.
Part 2 - Someone Talkative
- As Ethan wanders, he finds someone who needs help. A thin Host with a crooked back is trying to quickly organise piles of books and place them back in an orderly fashion back onto the shelves. He looks harassed and anxious. Ethan asks him politely if all of these books came from here, and the Host explains that he brought them with him. The books are mostly on the ecology and culture of other worlds - any useful reference materials. It is the first time that ‘other worlds’ has been mentioned and Ethan asks what that means. To his surprise, the Host then opens up and promises to tell him anything he wants to know if he will but help him get the books back on the shelves.
- Ethan agrees to help, and the Host tells him how they came to be here in this realm.
- The Hosts became aware of a new Door after the Stair reorganisation. New Doors are rare and have to be investigated. The first group of scouts did not return, but the second group of scouts reported that there were creatures lying dormant here that were easily awakened and very dangerous - because they were dormant, they were called ‘Sleepers’. Of particularly interest to the Hosts was that they found their very own technology on the world (such as the transport orbs) but they had no record of ever coming to this world before, so why was the technology here? The Hosts found that there were people here - human survivors of a calamity no more than a few generations ago which had wiped out the population centres and left only small pockets of people behind. To date, the Hosts still don’t know what happened in this place - why their technology is here, and what happened to all of the people - but they will continue the investigation until they solve the mystery.
- This is a lot of information for Ethan to take in, and he asks if the Host has a name. The Host says that his name is ‘Bart’ - it is customary here for his people to use the local language and use local names (besides, his own name is too long and complicated for the locals). They have found that they are able to glean tiny pieces of information which have been handed down through the generations by talking to the local in their own language.
- As Ethan continues to stack shelves, ‘Bart’ tells him that the Hosts have been here for six months. They learnt very early that any use of ‘powers’ would tend to wake up the Sleepers, so they only use technology. Hence the Hosts here are scientists, not sorcerers. Ethan gets the impression that in the Hosts’ society, it is those with ‘powers’ that are normally important, but here it is a liability. Hence these Hosts are not used to being important. He also gets the impression that these Hosts’ attitude to the humans may be atypical. ‘Bart’ confesses that he think it possible that somehow his people may have contributed to the calamity in this place. He considers a matter of honour to find out the truth.
- ‘Bart’ continues to chatter on, telling Ethan that they brought in this fortification when they realised how dangerous this place could be. A second one ‘for the military’ was brought in a little later. At the mention of a second installation, Ethan feels a little wary - he remembers that one of the orderlies had told him that if they contacted a ‘specialist’, it might not end well for him. Perhaps that means that the ‘specialist’ would come from the second installation and perhaps those Hosts will not be friendly towards him.
- Ethan feels that time may be running out. He asks ‘Bart’ where the Door is, and ‘Bart’ explains that it is in the nearby ruins. Ethan asks about the Stair and ‘Bart’ explains that it connects to many Doors, and each Door leads to a different world. ‘Bart’ goes on to explain that only Wardens can open the Doors, and he is not a Warden. ‘Bart’ explains that the Stair has changed/reorganised itself twice in their history - once to ‘save them’, and once to ‘defeat them’.
- Suddenly there is a loud chime and Ethan senses that ‘Bart’ is afraid. The apprehension that he has been feeling from the nearby people becomes more acute. ‘Bart’ whispers to Ethan that the inspector is here - he suggests that Ethan be ‘out of the way’ when he arrives. ‘Bart’ suggests a storage room and tells Ethan the way.
Part 3 - Military Inspection
- Ethan heads to the storage room and decides to lie low for a bit. After about twenty minutes, Ethan decides he doesn’t like waiting to be found (particularly given the room has only one exit) so he decides to head for the front entrance. As he does so, Ethan almost runs into a two-man patrol but he senses them and avoids. The patrol consists of two armoured Hosts - each is powerfully built and armed with a slender rifle and a sword where the grip is two-thirds of the length along the blade. Clearly they are looking for something or someone. He hurries on, and finds that the main gate is guarded by another patrol.
- Making his way back, Ethan finds himself trapped in the streets. There is no way down - no sewer system to escape into. There is no easy way up either - the staircases to the rooftops are inside the buildings. The buildings between the inner keep and the outer courtyard are mostly smooth surfaces with doors flush into them. There are no alleyways to duck down. There are limited places to hide.
- Ethan decides to retreat, avoiding two more patrols. People are afraid now. They are clearly looking for someone and Ethan feels that it is him. He narrowly manages to return to the storage room without being detected but then he becomes aware of another feeling.
- Something is very wrong. Something is happening. Something big and powerful is happening. Ethan feels the terror of some of the Hosts inside the main keep. Whatever has been done has horrified many of them inside.
Part 4 - The Sleeper Wakes
- The storage room shakes. Ethan feels the acute fear of the humans and Hosts in the complex. People are frightened, and he feels the powerful emotion of some of the people in the inner keep - they are furious with what has just happened.
- Ethan takes a deep breath as some of the storage containers rock with the room. He knows that something massive is waking up. He can sense it. It is near the farm. He can feel the farmers’ terror.
- Ethan pauses. He waits, hoping that somehow this will all simply go away. But then he realises people are dying. The farmers are dying. He doesn’t know what sort of man he was in the past, nor what that sort of man would do, but he decides to take action even though he has no idea how to deal with such a monster.
Part 5 - Affirmative Action
- Unslinging his dragon shield, Ethan goes looking for Marcavius. He knows he needs to get to the farm in a hurry and the only way to do that is to travel in one of the Host transport spheres, but Ethan doesn’t know how to fly one. Ethan is in no mood for being stopped by the patrols.
- Ethan finds the Hosts arguing in front of the keep. The scientist Hosts are on one side - they are defiant and angry. Marcavius is with them. Martha is with them - she appears to have her memories back as she is the most vocal of the scientists, calling the inspector an ‘idiot’ for using something called ‘Umbra’ which has woken up a Sleeper. The target of their fury is lying on the ground, dazed. It appears that someone has brained the poor inspector with a crystal vessel which has shattered into many pieces. The guards are clearly disoriented given that they are facing a hostile crowd and there is a colossal Sleeper only twenty miles away. They try to keep the scientists away from the inspector while talking to someone unseen in order to get further instructions.
- Ethan strides through the group and attempts to arrest Marcavius. One of the guards swings his blade at Ethan and Ethan blocks it (to the guard’s surprise) with his shield. Ethan tells Marcavius to come with him and he drags the Host scientist away with him. Marcavius seems surprised at just how strong Ethan is - he wants to know what is so important, and Ethan tells him simply that they’re going to deal with the Sleeper but he needs Marcavius to get him there.
- As they leave, one of the guards reports that Command have advised that are no more ‘nukes’ to deal with the Sleeper at the present time and hence they are on their own. The scientists curse and one of them even cites that this situation is a ‘Threat to the Stair itself’, before one of them asks where Appleplum (i.e.: Ethan) is taking Marcavius. Ethan ignores them but Marcavius calls back that Appleplum is going to deal with the Sleeper. There is a period of stunned silence, and one of the guards reports the situation back to Command.
- Ethan doesn’t wait to hear further. Marcavius quickly agrees to take Ethan back to the farm, and they head off together. Less than a minute later they are joined by the two guards who have received orders to escort them both to the transport sphere. Ethan has no idea what was said to them. He’s busy listening to Marcavius. Marcavius tells him that every Sleeper is different, but they all have a Core organ that they can’t live without.
- As they leave the Base and head for the transport sphere, the Sleeper is a colossus on the horizon. It is more than a mile high and shockwaves of its movements can be felt keenly. The Hosts with him seem to think that going to the Farm is suicide. Then Ethan spots another creature heading towards them - it’s no more than a mile away but is closing fast. It’s the same creature that he saw in the Glimmerwoods. Ethan points it out and asks one of the guards whether he thinks that it might be dangerous. In response, the guards hurry Ethan and Marcavius to the sphere and prepare to defend it with their lives. They seem intent on staying at the Base, but Ethan orders them into the orb before the creature can reach them. As Marcavius enters the coordinates with the creature bearing down on them, Ethan asks casually what a ‘nuke’ is. Marcavius explains that it’s a bomb that makes a very large explosion but they don’t have at this time and it’ll take them time to get more. He asks Ethan what his plan and Ethan shrugs and says that he’ll be improvising, but he suggests that they run for their lives when they arrive. Marcavius pushes the button and the sphere spins and hurtles away. The creature thunders into the transport pad behind them and destroys it.
Part 6 - Bait
- In a flash they arrive at the farm. The farmhouse has been destroyed - crushed flat. The colossal Sleeper towers above them. It must be a mile high. Crudely centaur-shaped with six large legs, it has eyes behind a mask but no eyes or mouth. Ethan feels an invisible power radiating from this creature, a terrible rejecting power. Some of the farmers nearby are gasping for breath as the power crushes them, others are running for their lives.
* Image by Org12 on DeviantART
- “You should flee now,” Ethan tells Marcavius and the other Hosts and he points a direction for them to run. Sizing the Sleeper up, he realises that he is totally outclassed here. Even with a lightsaber, there is no way that he can hurt something this massive. The best that he can think of is to lure it away and buy time. The Sleeper does seem to be looking for something, but it could simply be trying to find and kill the survivors as they try to escape.
- Running quickly around it and avoiding its massive massive legs, Ethan ignites his lightsaber. It gives off a green glow, but using it seems to reduce the terrible pressure coming from the Sleeper. Ethan doesn’t know why (GM’s note - the lightsaber has been improved using Eidolon so it gives him a token defence) To his pleasant surprise, waving the lightsaber attracts the Sleeper’s attention. It leaves the others alone and moves towards him.
- Ethan runs.
- He runs for the forest, following its trampled path. The ground is very uneven but there are some trees still standing here and there - it provides some cover. Ethan is faster than the Sleeper to begin with but it picks up speed as it moves, getting faster and faster as it lengthens its strides. When the Sleeper gets too close, Ethan turns off the lightsaber and abruptly changes direction, then he reappears elsewhere with the ignited lightsaber, confusing it and forcing it to slow and change direction. This seems quite effective as the Sleeper has trouble seeing him clearly through the trees. While he runs, he tries to think of a better plan. He has been able to observe the Core in its chest, mostly concealed behind its massive breastplate but he can’t think of a way to get to it. He can’t fly, and trying to climb it while it is moving would be suicide.
- At last he reaches the clearing that it emerged from. There is a huge hole in the ground with great sections of earth at unnatural angles due to the Sleeper’s emergence from underground. He decides to avoid the clearing which leads him into a section of the forest which has yet to be trampled flat. The trees seem to sense Ethan’s plan and they try to amble out of the way as quickly as their roots will let them. The dense foliage makes it more difficult for Ethan to move here, and he needs to use the elven sword to cleave his way through, but the unbroken canopy also provides him with better concealment as the Sleeper searches for him.
- Then suddenly Ethan has reached the edge of the forest and he realises that he has a problem. He had hoped to have more distance between himself and the Sleeper such that he could reach the nearby city, but he realises that without cover the Sleeper will spot him and catch him easily. He’ll never make it to the city.
- Ethan is about to double-back to the pit that the Sleeper emerged from when he spies the broken bridge and the ravine. Standing on the bridge and trying to to get it to crash into the ravine will be very exposed and probably not work, but he doesn’t have a better plan. He decides to risk it.
Part 7 - The Guardian Falls
- Ethan heads for the partially collapsed bridge and waves his lightsaber as a lure for the creature to follow. Seeing him in the open, the Sleeper picks up speed. The ravine below Ethan is deep - a true rift in the world. He can’t see the bottom but it can’t be bottomless. The creature bears down on him, and Ethan waits until he believes that it is truly committed and cannot stop before he gets out of the way. The Sleeper attempts to change direction but it is too late. The colossal creature goes over the edge and Ethan throws himself to the ground as there is a massive earth tremor as it crashes into the ground. A plume of dust explodes from the rift.
- Ethan waits for the dust to settle before he goes to look. The bridge is now completely gone, and he can see the Sleeper wedged far below him in the ravine. At least two of its legs are broken, and its back is twisted in an unnatural angle but it is still alive. Ethan decides to climb down the ravine wall. This takes him considerable time but he makes it just before nightfall. The creature is in pain. He can tell just by touching it. It is also insane. He learns much by making a connection with it. This creature is a Guardian for this world. But the world changed when new people came. The new people put it to sleep. Putting them to sleep drove it mad. But over time the bindings keeping it asleep grew weaker and the people forgot about the Guardian.
- Ethan takes a few minutes to study the Sleeper and what he knows of this world. (GM’s note - more on this later) Weighing the options, Ethan decides to end the Sleeper’s pain. He uses the lightsaber and destroys the Core. The foliage on the Sleeper’s body wilts and the leaves fall off as if Autumn has come prematurely. Ethan feels a wave of energy flow out from the Sleeper and he knows that the plant men in the city and the tree creatures in the forest are no more - he has cut the strings that connected them with their master.
- Ethan sadly climbs back to the plateau as the Guardian decays below him at an accelerated rate. Reaching the top, he rests and watches the stars overhead. The forest nearby no longer looks quite so intimidating but he decides to wait until morning before entering it. Suddenly there is a great noise in the rift and Ethan rushes to the edge to see the Guardian crumble into pieces and disappear into the abyss. The Guardian is gone. It is over.
Part 8 - Ethan’s Reward
- As Ethan returns through the forest, he feels that the forest around him has breathed a sigh of relief. He hears birdsong. The trees move slowly out of his way as he passes.
- Just before the sun reaches its peak, Ethan arrives back at the farm. Two thirds of the community has survived. The farmers and Hosts cheer his return. They knew that the Sleeper had been defeated but did not know if Ethan had survived. They are relieved. Marcavius reminds Ethan that the Sleepers are territorial which means that this area is now safe. Despite the losses, Ethan has made this area safe for future generations.
- The Hosts have brought fresh provisions and are in the process of bringing in improvised shelters and building materials to help the local community to rebuild. Ethan realises that the lady who first gave him a meal and the scholar with the library of books are among the dead. As the community works to rebuild, Ethan helps. The others marvel at how physically strong and tireless he is.
- After three days, a richly dressed Host inspector turns up. Dressed in formal robes and lacquered armour, Ethan notes him conversing with Marcavius and some of the other Hosts. He can tell that the inspector is asking about him. The inspector seems both angry and a touch regretful, but doesn’t speak with Ethan. When the inspector has left, Marcavius tells Ethan that he’s convinced the inspector to help him get his memories back. Ethan brightens at this and thanks Marcavius for the good news.
- As the days go on, Ethan senses a change of mood in Marcavius and asks him what is bothering him. Marcavius says that he hopes that Ethan’s attitude towards the Hosts won’t change when his memories are restored. He asks Ethan not to judge them too harshly. Ethan thinks on this and says that he’ll try.
… and that’s where we ended Session 83…. Ethan has ‘Bad Stuff’. Anyone want to bet that this is going to end well for Ethan? Or do people think that the Dwimmerlaik are going to give him some memories that will ‘turn him to the dark side’. Frankly, it’s going to be hard for the Dwimmerlaik to fabricate something convincing which will withstand scrutiny because they don’t know much about Ethan. It’ll be interesting to see what Lurker37 comes up with.
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