- And we’re back to part of the session being for Grant, and part being for Ethan. As I write up this narrative, we’ve actually done Session 97 now and we’re closing in on Session 100. Who knows, we might even run a “Christmas Special” for the fun of it.
- Grant is still tracing the damaged memory canister, hoping that it will lead back to wherever the Dwimmerlaik are storing the stolen memories from many Lords of Gossamer. Given that the architect behind this is Mowbray, they are not making it easy for Grant but he has Dominant Rank (1st Rank) Warfare and he’s an expert in Shapeshifting (with a lot of in-game practice at tricky/sneaky stuff) plus he’s now a Master of the Stair. One of the biggest things in Grant’s favour is that the Dwimmerlaik don’t know much about him - they can’t decipher his memories because he’s an Umbra user, so they will likely assume (incorrectly) that he’s Bastiano. They don’t realise that the Lords of Gossamer have another Umbra Master amongst them who also has High Ranked Warfare. Because Grant has been so sneaky, they haven’t yet figured this out. Bastiano is infamous to the Dwimmerlaik, and Grant doesn’t realise that he’s contributing to Bastiano’s infamy.
- Talking about Dominant [1st] Rank, it’s worth noting that Bastiano has [X+1] Rank in Warfare and above him, Drake has [X+2] Rank, and Krovaliss has [X+3] Rank. Why do I mention this? Because as described in previous sessions, Drake has been affected by the Breath of Eden and ‘turned’ to the Enemy. We start to see evidence of the consequence of that in this session. Part of the reason for turning Drake to the ‘dark side’ is that it makes Bastiano and Grant extremely important - because they are literally the best of the best that the Lords of Gossamer has….. and beyond that, well, you’ll just have to read the session writeup.
- Finally this session makes reference to Stratospheria which is an official Rite Publishing supplement. You can find it at DrivethruRPG here. Buy it! It’s worth it.
Part 1 - Assistance from Greywalker
- Grant attempts to contact Lucien via Icon but can’t reach him. This is most unusual. He pauses and then decides to try Greywalker. He initiates a contact using the method he has been taught to prevent transfer of the Breath of Eden and, to his relief, Greywalker answers the call.
- Hello, he says, it’s been quite a while. Grant then launches into an explanation as to everything that is going on. Greywalker listens for a while and finally stops him, asking if he is in danger and then to slow down. Grant takes a deep breath and tries to explain. Greywalker listens patiently, and then agrees to come to see the ‘fascinating Door’ that Grant has found.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- The contact is broken, and Grant sits down on the Stair to wait for Greywalker. He has no idea how far away the old Lord of Gossamer is, and he prepares himself for what could be a long wait.
Part 2 - On the Warpath
- To his surprise, Grant receives an Icon contact after a few hours. The Icon contact is sudden, painful and insistent. Grant doesn’t quite know what to do - he doesn’t think it is an attack, but the person on the other end is clearly desperate.
- Grant accepts the contact and it is Bastiano. (GM’s note - Bastiano has already lost his memory to the Breath of Eden and as an ‘infected’ person, he can’t lose it again. So in this case, there is no transfer of the Breath of Eden)
- “He’s gonna kill me!” yells Bastiano, and Grant hastily invites him through. Bastiano collapses in a heap at Grant’s feet. There’s a nasty gash across his forehead which is bleeding everywhere, his clothes are torn and he sobs uncontrollably. Grant has never seen Bastiano like this. He is astonished to see Bastiano so broken.
- Bastiano looks around and demands to know that they’re not in the Labyrinth, which Grant confirms. Bastiano goes into shock, and Grant realises that he has been badly injured. He has sustained multiple bullet-wounds and he’s bleeding all over the place. But who could possibly do this to Bastiano?
* Image by Jason Rainville
- Grant uses shapeshifting to try to heal his wounds quickly, but he quickly realises that the damage to him on a physical and psychological level is severe. He needs to get him some assistance.
- Helping Bastiano to a nearby Door, Grant connects it to ‘Comet City’, a modern metropolis where there are large numbers of superheroes. In this place, villains are scarce because they are quickly mobbed and flattened by a plethora of nearby superheroes. An ambulance is quickly called, and Mega Man helps fly the ambulance to the main hospital. As they fly, Grant asks Bastiano what happened to him and he tells Grant that Drake almost killed him. Grant feels sick - he knew that Drake was one of the missing, but it seems that Drake is now working for the Dwimmerlaik, probably because his memories have been altered. Arriving at Emergency, Bastiano is whisked away. Nevertheless, somehow he still manages to deliriously profess his love for one of the nurses there. (GM’s note - yes, typical Bastiano)
- Once Grant is sure that Bastiano is receiving appropriate medical treatment, he thinks as to how to best protect Bastiano from Drake. Grant doesn’t want to stay here, especially as Greywalker was heading to meet him, but if another Warden of the Stair is coming for Bastiano, he can’t leave him unguarded. But who could possibly stand up to Drake?
- Grant goes through his Icons and decides upon Yaeger Zane. Yaeger accepts the contact, and Grant explains the situation. Yaeger is a little bit disappointed, suggesting to Grant that he was in the middle of something, but he agrees to help out. Yaeger Zane appears in the hospital - he looks as if he’s just come from a war zone as his coat is torn and stained with mud. When he realises where he is, he quickly puts aways his favourite chainsword and asks his ‘bud’ if the cafeteria does a good mocha? They head to the cafeteria and exchange information.
* Image of Yaeger Zane by Sam Denmark
- Grant tells Yaeger that Bastiano has been a fight with Drake, and that it is possible that Drake will come after him again. He explains that he thinks he’s on the right track to find the stolen memories, and Greywalker is helping him. Over an extra-large mocha, Yaeger tells Grant that its complete bedlam on the Stair at the moment. The Dwimmerlaik are fighting each other, and Yaeger has been helping to stir up trouble to further encourage the conflict. Yaeger wonders if the Empress has lost control of the situation - he hopes that is the case. He knows that Drake has been on the warpath for the last six weeks or so, as the Lords of Gossamer have been attacked by his ‘Dragon Army’ on more than one occasion. Grant asks about Lucien but Yaeger isn’t sure where he is.
- After the drink, they head back to check on Bastiano. Seeing his condition, Yaeger remarks “Man, you got your butt kicked.” Bastiano hears Yaeger’s voice and groans. Pulling out a wad of cash out of his money pouch, he hands it to Yaeger and asks him to take care of Bastiano. Yaeger agrees to this.
- On the way out, Grant also seeks out someone tough who can be counted on here to protect Bastiano. He meets a beefy fellow named Guardian who is dressed in blue with silver trims. Grant explains the situation and describes Drake to him. Guardian offers to protect Bastiano while he recuperates.
Part 3 - Dash and the Birdman
- Grant heads back to the Stair, returns to the Starfield section and the location where he lost the trail. He finds Greywalker waiting for him, puffing calmly on a pipe. Grant apologises for his delay and explains what has happened to Bastiano. Greywalker listens and remarks that things on the Stair are more chaotic than usual. He implies that he has contributed to the situation, but does not explicitly say so.
- Grant explains the route that the courier took, and Greywalker inspects the Door. On it, he finds not only part of the coordinates but he is able to glean a mental image of the courier. The courier is relatively short (under 5 1/2 feet high), with pale sullen features and faintly serpentine features. He is clearly not human, nor is he Dwimmerlaik. Greywalker shows Grant an images of the courier, projecting light from his staff to form an image. He agrees with Grant’s assessment that they will need to find the courier in order to complete the spell. Given that Grant is infected by the Breath of Eden, Greywalker will get the information from the courier when the locate him.
- They set off at once with Greywalker leading. He warns Grant to stay alert as the Stair is more dangerous than usual. Grant gets the impression that Greywalker takes a very cautious route - through back channels and infrequently travelled passages. They stop briefly at a mediaeval inn for lunch. Over lunch, Grant asks a number of questions as to what Greywalker has been doing to destabilise the Empire, and Greywalker is evasive in his answers. Grant is not sure whether he isn’t trusted, or whether there is something else at play, but Greywalker remains polite towards him.
- Travelling on, they reach a section of Stair which appears metallic like the interior of a factory. There are metal grill-plates underfoot and a number of Doors are hatches with yellow and black hazard markings around them. Greywalker locates the right hatch and opens it.
* Image by Adrian Mark Gillespie
- Above the clouds are purple, green and even blue. The air here is thin. It is some sort of city in the clouds. They look around, Grant following Greywalker’s lead. It seems that this place is called Aerion Prime. It feels like the courier is a long way from here - in this realm but clearly not in this city. In the city there are humans, and also slim avian creatures that appear to be flightless.
- There are a number of sky ships here and it is clear that they will have to either steal or hire one in order to get to their destination. Greywalker suggests that they find a suitable pilot, and he uses Wayfinding to locate a suitable one at a local bar. Greywalker warns him that this place could be “a little rough” and Grant gets a feeling of deja vu as he enters the bar, acutely aware of the cantina music that is playing here (GM’s note - yes, we are effectively replaying the famous Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker scene as they enter the Mos Eisley cantina - cue music!) Inside, the bar is dirty and smoky. Grant has a drink whilst Greywalker finds a suitable pilot and his co-pilot.
- It does not take Greywalker long to find a pilot named Dash who has a ‘fast ship’ that can take them where they need to go. Dash has an avian co-pilot who doesn’t speak any of his language, so he just calls his co-pilot “The Birdman”. Dash and Greywalker discuss payment, and Dash asks if they are prepared for sky pirates (which are apparently aggressive and common here). Even though no money changes hands, Dash is convinced that he has been paid. The Birdman protests at Dash’s stupidity over this but of course Dash can’t understand a word of what The Birdman has said to him.
Part 4 - To the Skymax
- They set off quickly in Dash’s ship, a fast sky ship that has been heavily modified by multiple successive owners. At dusk they see grey nebulous ‘cloud giants’ - great jellyfish like creatures that float amongst the clouds and give off their own luminescence as the light fades. Dash’s ship has no external lighting - they are ‘running silent’ in case they are spotted by other ships. Dash follows Greywalker’s directions as to where to head, despite The Birdman’s protests.
* Image by Adrian Mark Gillespie
- In the darkness, there is still an aurora of light above where charged particles are hitting the upper atmosphere. Dash refers to it as a ‘Twilight Sparkle’. (GM’s note - aw, I can’t resist a My Little Pony reference) Greywalker presses Dash to keep going, but Dash keeps an eye on the fuel gauge in case they run into difficulty.
- At last, despite Greywalker’s obvious manipulations of Dash, Dash figures out where they are heading and he snaps out of the situation. He wants to know why they’re heading to the Skymax as they’ll get shot out of the sky. Grant asks about the Skymax and he is told that it’s a maximum security penitentiary. Dash is about to turn the ship around, when Greywalker puts a hand on his shoulder and gently calms him down. The Birdman becomes agitated by this apparent trickery but Greywalker again uses his influence to calm them both and keep them focussed on taking them to the Skymax.
Part 5 - Oscar’s Tale
- (GM’s note - this section continues on Ethan’s narrative which we left off in Session 92) Another beer arrives for Ethan and he asks Oscar why he was in the library, and why Oscar was there too. Oscar explains that Ethan was looking at the records for someone, but this doesn’t make sense to Ethan so Oscar tries to fill in the blanks for him, and Ethan starts to remember what happened.
- Ethan apparently had felt activity on the Stair and gone looking for the source of the disturbance. He was led to the Door which opened into the deserted city with the library and the nearby Guardians. Ethan believed that he was hunting another Warden, but she was terrified. She practically radiated fear.
- But then she vanished or masked her presence. Ethan tracked where she had been to the library, and that is where he met Oscar. Oscar had also felt a disturbance, and was also investigating the same thing. Together, they found where she had disappeared in the library. Ethan managed to get a mental impression of this person - and it was a young girl. She was frightened, and being chased by something.
- A number of books had been disturbed, but there was one book that was out of place. It was a sorcerous text. Ethan wasn’t sure if she had put it there, or abandoned it - but he had thought of Greywalker. Unfortunately, Ethan had been unlucky - by contacting Greywalker at the time that he was working with Lucien to lose his memories and have them restored, Ethan got ‘zapped’ and lost his mind as well. Oscar comments that it had been fortunate for him that Ethan had chosen to contact Greywalker privately without him around, or else he might have been ‘zapped’ too.
- Oscar knew something had happened to Ethan, but he kept away to begin with, fearing that whatever had affected Ethan could also have affect him. Oscar only stepped in when Ethan ran afoul of the plant-zombies in the city and they swarmed him. Oscar helped Ethan fight his way out of the city, but then Ethan asked Oscar to leave him be. Oscar did as he was asked, but kept an eye on Ethan from a distance just in case. Unfortunately Ethan got zapped a second time at the farm - Oscar still doesn’t know how that happened. Ethan asks what happened to the sorcerous book that he recovered from the library, and Oscar says that he doesn’t know - he presumed that Ethan had it.
* Image by Francoclun on DeviantART
- Oscar pauses at this point, and Ethan thanks him for his help. He says that he remembers some of it now, but there is still a gap. He asks if the girl is still out there and Oscar says that he didn’t manage to find her. Ethan wonders if the sorcerous book is still somewhere nearby the farm.
- In studying Oscar, Ethan has recognised that he is carrying technology identical to the other items that he found scattered across various realms, and identical to the wrist blaster that Grant wears. Ethan asks if the escape pod that he found is his, and Oscar confirms this to be the case. Ethan asks what happened.
- Oscar takes a deep breath and tells Ethan a tale from the Great War. The warship that he was travelling on exploded, scattering many pieces of his realm’s technology across many different places. Oscar laments that the ship was too reliant on the home realm. It lost connection with the navigational beacons during a critical time which weakened the vessel, leading to its destruction by the Dwimmerlaik. Oscar explains that he has been trying to find his homeworld ever since - he hopes it is still out there but he has been looking for a very long time (hundreds of years). He feels that his homeworld is still out there, but there is no connection to it. So he has travelled to many ‘broken worlds’ since the end of the Great War, looking for clues.
- Another serving of hot chips arrives with another round of beers. Oscar explains that Lucien keeps encouraging him, telling him that his world must still be there, somewhere, even if they can’t yet find a way to connect to it yet. Ethan asks if there is some way that he can help. Oscar laughs a little then thinks better of Ethan’s offer. He says that some Doors have a resonance such that one can’t sense what is on the other side. He hopes that his world is there somewhere, just warded in such a way that he can’t find it amongst the millions of others.
- Ethan thinks this over. As he does, he realises that there is another mind present, originating from the device that Oscar carries. He is reaching out to Ethan but Ethan does not let it connect.
- Switching the topic, Ethan asks for Oscar’s advice about how to remove the ‘Breath of Eden’ curse. Oscar advises him to get his missing memories back first, and then to remove the curse. He points out that the Dwimmerlaik knows that they have stolen some of Ethan’s memories, so they will be reluctant to establish a mental contact with him. He may be able to use that.
Part 6 - Returning Home
- At last, Ethan parts with Oscar and he returns home via a sorcerous teleport. Opening the Door into Westgate Manor, the cats and ravens quickly tell him that there has been an intruder on the grounds. Ethan heads outside and finds that something has been within a metre of the fence. There is a ring of dissolved grass and earth surrounding the property and a peculiar smell. Ethan can tell that it is the creature that he encountered a few miles away from Westgate. (GM’s note - first encountered in Session 70, it then proceeded to eat the hotel that Abbie was staying in Session 72 - all because Ethan hasn’t dealt with a problem but instead has allowed it to fester.)
- The creature doesn’t seem to be present now, and his ‘date’ with Abbie is tomorrow - so he decides to leave it be for the moment. He asks Macavity about any other ‘strangeness’ and he is advised that there has been a man in town with large bulbous eyes. The ravens attempted to investigate but then he vanished.
- Ethan thinks about the situation and decides that he will have to deal with these problems, but after his planned getaway with Abbie. He doesn’t want to ruin things by trying to solve these problems in a rush.
…. and that’s where we ended Session 95.
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