GM’s Observations
- It’s that time of year again where we decided to have a Christmas Special (the last time was Session 101), hence Grant and Ethan needed to be returned to Realm 0 from the far-flung reaches of the Stair (Ethan is trying to find the ‘End’ of the stair) and then … cue Christmas mayhem.
- In terms of inspiration, I used the Mutants and Masterminds adventure Crisis on Christmas as a base, but I then added a dose of Groundhog Day as well. So effectively Realm 0 is caught in a time loop, and Clockworld (which sustains the time rate of Realm 0) is under increasing strain during each loop…..
- In this writeup I’ll break tradition and write up the whole thing, not just the summary.
Major Characters
- Ethan, Grant, Abbie, Lady Sophia
Adversaries
- “Misery”, elves and the dread Santa CLAWS
Returning Home
- Grant calculates that it is 23rd December, and decides that it’s time to return home and share Christmas with his family. Ethan is easily convinced - he has been far away from home for a long time, and he hopes to see Abbie. Using his abilities as Master of the Stair, Grant connects Doors to get closer to home, taking a circuitous route but being careful not to lead anyone from the ‘outer reaches’ straight back to Realm 0.
- When he gets close enough to establish an Icon connection, Grant contacts Lady Sophia on Marindar. (GM’s note - Grant and Ethan have passed through shattered sections of the Stair which prevent Icon contact so they have to take extra steps to reach a clear connection point)Lady Sophia welcomes Grant home and greets Ethan. She encourages them rest and refresh themselves.
- Grant finds that his parents and older sister are still in Central. His parents are between trips and are happy to see Grant. His older sister is working as a nurse in Central. Grant’s older brother is off-world on one of the colonies. Grant’s brother is an accountant but his job takes him to faraway places. Grant sends a message to his brother to invite him for a trip back to Earth for Christmas. One by one they agree to return to Earth and Grant is very pleased with this. He goes shopping in Central to find presents and finds a decorated tree. This is not the first time that a decorated tree has been seen in Central but the Christmas tradition has never really taken off here. The Marindans seem to consider the tree an interesting curiosity.
- Ethan’s twin brother Mark is in Central too. A mechanic and engineer, Mark seems to have settled down with a Marindan girl named Lorelei . He is as close to ‘married’ as a Marindan can be which is astonishing to Ethan given Mark’s reputation with the ladies. Ethan decides to go for a walk on the Stair to find Abbie (who is on her homeworld) (GM’s note - yes, this probably doesn’t make sense given that I haven’t written all of the sessions yet - Ethan located Abbie’s home world as a ‘present’ - at first she dismissed the gift but upon reflection, she valued it and she has started working to rebuild her shattered planet which was devastated by the Rhan). To his immense pleasure, Abbie is really pleased to see him and she agrees to come back to Earth for Christmas.
- Grant and Ethan spend one night on Marindar and decide to head to Earth on 24th December (Christmas Eve). Grant spends the night with Sophia and invites her to Realm 0 which pleases her. In a private moment, Grant contacts his wife in Bloodstone (Athelwyne) and says that he’ll be home ‘soon’.
- Ethan and Abbie head to Realm 0 two hours before Grant, his parents, Sophia, Mark and Lorelei take to the Stair and walk from Marindar to Realm 0. Ethan reasons that it may be difficult to find a place to celebrate on Christmas Eve so he goes ahead to make some phone calls.
Loop 1 - Christmas is Gone
- It is 4:06pm. The sun is setting. There are 2 taxi cabs waiting for them, and a note from Ethan that they’ve got some tables at the Tipsy Elephant (the local pub at Fiveways). Ethan and Abbie have gone ahead.
- The pub is just as Grant remembers it. He finds Ethan and Abbie playing pool. Ethan gives them a friendly wave and goes back to playing the game with Abbie. Grant smiles - he can read Ethan’s and Abbie’s body language. They seem to have really hit it off again which is a relief.
- They have some drinks, listen to some music on the jukebox and order some food. Then Grant spots what is so odd here - there are no Christmas decorations in this pub, no special menu items, nothing. He grabs a newspaper - the date is 24th December but there is no mention of Christmas. No Christmas Sales. No Christmas messages, nothing.
- Grant decides that it is rather odd but not worth worrying about. He can’t sense any magical effect in place (using Umbra) but things do feel slightly different (his Mastery of the Stair is picking up some differences in the fabric of this Gossamer Realm). He checks out the jukebox and finds that it still has one of Abbie’s Christmas albums on it. Grant mentions his observations to Ethan and Ethan says that he spotted it too - no one here seems to remember Christmas, none of the shops up and down the street have any Christmas decorations - it’s strange but he doesn’t see any need to spoil the evening chasing down why.
- Ethan is completely absorbed spending time with Abbie, but by 10pm Grant has had enough. He wants to know why no one remembers Christmas. He says goodnight to Ethan and Abbie (who are still playing pool, and want to walk back), and heads back with the others to Westgate Cottage. He notes that the wards on the house are still active and have not been tampered with.
- Most of the ravens and cats have left Westgate Cottage, but Grant talks with Plato (a young raven) about Christmas. Plato has heard of Christmas, but mentions that it has not been celebrated in years. The tradition died out a long time ago. Grant looks for photos with Santa Claus (from the previous year’s Christmas adventures) and finds them just as he remember it. The situation doesn’t make sense.
- The hour is getting late but Grant is determined to get to the bottom of the situation. Just before 11pm, he tells Sophia of his concerns and decides to walk out onto the Stair to find Santa Claus (the one he remembers from last year). He steps through the Door ….
Loop 2 - Out of Time
- It is 4:06pm. The sun is setting. There are 2 taxi cabs waiting for them, and a note from Ethan that they’ve got some tables at the Tipsy Elephant (the local pub at Fiveways). Ethan and Abbie have gone ahead.
- The pub is just as Grant remembers it. He finds Ethan and Abbie playing pool. Ethan gives them a friendly wave and goes back to playing the game with Abbie. Grant smiles - he can read Ethan’s and Abbie’s body language. They seem to have really hit it off again which is a relief.
- They have some drinks and note that the report on the television says that northern England is expecting particularly bad weather. There is heavy snow already covering much of Scotland, lowlands and highlands. Grant picks some music on the jukebox, picking Abbie’s Christmas album and playing the first track. It is at this point that he realises that there are no Christmas decorations in this pub, no special menu items, nothing. He grabs a newspaper - the date is 24th December but there is no mention of Christmas. No Christmas Sales. No Christmas messages, nothing.
- Grant decides that it is rather odd but not worth worrying about. He can’t sense any magical effect in place (using Umbra) but things do feel slightly different (his Mastery of the Stair is picking up some differences in the fabric of this Gossamer Realm). He checks out the jukebox and finds that it still has one of Abbie’s Christmas hits on it. Grant mentions his observations to Ethan and Ethan says that he spotted it too - no one here seems to remember Christmas, none of the shops up and down the street have any Christmas decorations - it’s strange but he doesn’t see any need to spoil the evening chasing down why.
- Ethan is completely absorbed spending time with Abbie, but by 10pm Grant has had enough. He wants to know why no one remembers Christmas. He says goodnight to Ethan and Abbie (who are still playing pool, and want to walk back), and heads back with the others to Westgate Cottage. He notes that the wards on the house are still active and have not been tampered with.
- Most of the ravens and cats have left Westgate Cottage, but Grant talks with Plato (a young raven) about Christmas. Plato has heard of Christmas, but mentions that it has not been celebrated in years. Grant feels an odd familiarity about the situation and wonders if Clockworld is working properly. He contacts Ethan via Icon and asks him to check it out. Ethan reluctantly agrees (as he was enjoying time with Abbie) and quickly confirms via his timepiece (which is linked to Clockworld) that the Clockworld machinery is registering severe stress. Ethan resolves to head directly to the Door to Clockworld, and signs off.
- Grant waits for a while, but after hearing from nothing from Ethan in over an hour, he leaves Westgate Cottage and flies over to Northgate. He sees a black storm on the horizon - it looks like snow clouds. He reaches the Clockworld Door and opens it ….
Loop 3 - Misery will find you
- It is 4:06pm. The weather looks really appalling and the clouds overhead are blocking out the setting sun. There are 2 taxi cabs waiting for them, and a note from Ethan that they’ve got some tables at the Tipsy Elephant (the local pub at Fiveways). Ethan and Abbie have gone ahead.
- The pub is just as Grant remembers it. He finds Ethan and Abbie playing pool. Ethan gives them a friendly wave and goes back to playing the game with Abbie. Grant smiles - he can read Ethan’s and Abbie’s body language. They seem to have really hit it off again which is a relief.
- They have some drinks and note that the report on the television says that northern England is expecting particularly bad weather. There is heavy snow already covering much of Scotland, lowlands and highlands. As the first snows fall outside and Grant picks Abbie’s Christmas album on the jukebox, he feels the whole situation oddly familiar. There are no Christmas decorations here - what happened to Christmas?
- Dinner arrives and the family sit down to eat and relax. However, Ethan is alerted by his timepiece linked to Clockworld that something is very wrong. He excuses himself and Abbie elects to go with him to keep him company. They head out into the falling snow even though they have no thick jackets.
- Grant is convinced that there is something magical about the storm and he goes to investigate. He quickly confirms using Umbra that there is sorcery in use, and he takes to the sky to find the source. There is significant power in the storm and he finds his snowy owl form battered by the winds. High in the sky above the storm is a foot high, long eared elf with pale blue skin. The elf is floating there, clearly directing the storm. Grant uses Umbra to disrupt the elf’s control, and immediately the storm begins to pulse with uncontrolled lightning discharges. Pulling out a radio which looks like a tacky child’s toy (it is yellow and orange coloured), “Lofty” calls in to “Peaky” that he’s having trouble controlling the storm in Sector 3 and he asks for reinforcements.
- Grant uses Umbra and his general sneakiness to seize the elf’s radio and hunt down “Peaky”. Flying through the storm system, he finds that there are many elf magicians up here. Each is dressed like a little jester, but their colours clash and they are clearly not friendly. Grant finds “Peaky” on a floating platform being pulled by a single reindeer (which is airborne). The elf on the platform has huge headphones and a series of computer screens. Clearly not expecting trouble, “Peaky” seems to be directing the elves to drive the storms southwards to provide cover for the “Giant Snowmen” on the ground.
- Grant decides to seize the elf, who tells him to get off “you big bully!” Grant tries to wring some sense from the elf, but only learns fragments. He learns that “Misery will find him” (and it is only after the second threat that he realises that Misery is a person. When he asks about Santa Claus / Kris Kringle, he is told that Misery will send “The Claws” after him. “Peaky” tries to pull a brightly coloured water pistol on Grant but this fails completely. “Peaky” asks if Grant is a magician and Grant responds that he is a Lord of Gossamer. “Peaky” says “Gesundheit”.
- Failing to get much sense from “Peaky”, Grant uses Umbra to break down his resistance, quickly reducing him to tears. (The Reindeer blows a raspberry at Grant) Grant learns that Misery is directing the elves, and they will be sent to ‘a dark place’ if they don’t obey. Grant follows “Peaky”’s directions and heads north into a whiteout.
- But time has run out ….
Loop 4 - Misery and the Santa Claws
- It is 4:06pm. The weather outside looks appalling. Heavy snow is falling but Ethan has managed to arrange two cars to take everyone into the Tipsy Elephant. They make their way into Fiveways as the weather worsens and Grant is astonished to see no Christmas lights or decorations anywhere. They make it to the pub, but before Ethan can even get his first beer, his timepiece tells him that there is a problem in Clockworld. Grimly, he says he had better investigate. Abbie looks out at the thick snow and elects to stay put. She gives him a kiss goodbye, then goes to find her Christmas album on the jukebox and starts playing it as the sky goes very dark outside.
- Grant decides that the storm is being driven my magic and goes to investigate. Again he runs into “Lofty” and learns that it is Misery who is directing the elves to do this. Grant asks about Kris Kringle and is told about an abomination draped in the colours of fresh blood and white snow who has enormous claws. Grant tries to get a mental image of Misery and finds that it is some sort of bipedal dark shadow. He surmises that it is an artificial form as it is a very stylised image.
- He puts “Lofty” to sleep and heads north, looking to find Misery. He keeps an eye on the time as he travels through whiteout. He sees giant snow creatures moving on the ground. Hours pass and he is in the far north of bleak northern Scotland. He finds a transformed village which has an ‘evil castle’ in it. It is definitely evil given that it clearly been fabricated to look ‘evil’.
- There are many snowmen here, and many elves. Grant senses a powerful mind here. He begins scouting. Most of the castle interior is completely empty - there are many rooms here but nothing in them. Occasionally there is a glowing stone which illuminates a small area but most areas are dark. Grant creeps around.
- He finds a throne room where a young girl no more than twelve is seated. The throne is massive compared to her. To one side there is a figure in red and black who looks very much like a classical devil. Grant is about to get closer when he receives an Icon contact from Abbie - she’s worried given that Ethan has been gone a long time.
- Unfortunately the contact alerts the girl on the throne. Furious, she leaps to her feet and her form changes completely into a horrific shadow figure - this is Misery! The devil smirks as Misery hurls eldritch bolts at Grant, shattering stone walls and pillars. The noise alerts a hulking beast with serrated claws which lumbered into view - this is an aberration of Santa. Then suddenly one of Misery’s bolts hits Grant ….
Loop 5 - Not that Way
- It is 4:06pm. There are two feet of snow on the ground and the weather looks to be getting worse. Ethan and Abbie have made tea but both seem a bit gloomy. Short of teleporting to the pub (and that means going outside into the snow to get outside the wards), they have no way to get to the Tipsy Elephant.
- While they are discussing options, Ethan’s timepiece alerts him to the problem in Clockworld with a red-hot warning that makes him jump. Ethan decides to head to Northgate and Abbie decides to go with him. Grant offers to help but Ethan declines - he says that he will Grant when the crisis is sorted. Grant accepts this and leads the others back on the Stair ….
Loop 6 - Backstab the Devil
- It is 4:06pm. There are four feet of fresh snow on the ground and Abbie tells the new arrivals that Ethan headed to Clockworld over an hour ago as there is something seriously wrong with time (and the weather).
- Grant decides that Ethan will need help. He digs through the snow and finds ice-armoured snowmen marching through the fields. Grant cuts one down, and hunts down their controller. He finds a dark-skinned elf named Clarice leading them and quickly figures out that someone called Misery is directing them.
- Grant heads north into the massive storm, and after hours of travelling through the whiteout, he arrives in the far north of Scotland. He finds the ‘evil’ castle and senses a powerful mind inside. Again he finds a young girl sitting on a massive throne, looking thoroughly miserable about the situation. He sees an entity that resembles a classical devil hovering nearby, and goes on the attack, using his full abilities to launch an attack upon the devil creature. He puts Gorgorin clean through the devil’s chest, only to have the devil ‘tut tut’ him and Grant is blasted by Misery….
Loop 7 - Jolly Grant
- It is 4:06pm. Abbie looks gloomy as she says that there is something seriously wrong with time. Ethan has headed to Clockworld to sort out the problem. Grant heads outside, and finds ice-armoured snowmen and some giant versions of the same on the march. He finds their controller - a dark-skinned elf named Clarice and learns of Misery who is far to the north.
- By this time Grant is starting to guess that he has done some of this before - and the day is repeating but he doesn’t have memories of the previous loop. Reaching the castle, he finds Misery and the Devil but can’t see an opportunity to deal with the situation. He can’t kill a twelve year old girl, and there is something strange about the devil creature - he wonders if this is how he perceives it. It can’t actually be the Devil, or can it?
- Grant goes looking for some clues as to how this twelve year old girl could possibly have acquired so much power. He searches the castle and finds the kitchen. He looks further and finds what must be her bedroom as it has not been transformed. The possessions within are that of a young girl, but as he searches he finds evidence of a tragedy. The girl’s name is Heather and her parents died less than a week ago in a car accident. Grant reasons that somehow this devil entity has convinced her to wish away Christmas, but that means making a wish which conflicts with Clockworld’s regulation of time, which probably has created a time loop.
- Grant wonders how to deal with this. He can’t use violence. He has to find another way. He wonders how he could possibly cheer her up. He goes to work in the kitchen, making her a meal.
- Unfortunately Claws picks up the scent of food and attacks Grant. Grant opens fire on Santa Claws, sending him scurrying away. Two elves come to investigate the noise, but by this time Grant has finished the meal and he evades them. Shapeshifting into a jolly figure, he takes the meal to Heather. Grant ignores the devil creature, who is clearly irritated by him but is unable to interfere. Heather looks at the meal sourly but admits that she was hungry and eats a little.
- Withdrawing, Grant thinks through the situation. He knows now that the devil can’t stop him, but somehow he needs to heal Heather - with the spirit of Christmas and convince her that it’s going to be okay. He only hopes he’s going to remember all of this on the next loop…..
Loop 8 - A Christmas Dinner
- It is 4:06pm. The smell of roasted turkey fills Westgate manor. Abbie explains that Ethan had to leave for Clockworld to sort out some sort of problem with time. The storm outside is terrible now, but earlier she stepped outside and used some simple ‘fetch’ spells to get some groceries - she figured that if they can’t reach the pub they may well at least have dinner at Westgate cottage.
- Grant decides to investigate the storm and runs into Clarice (the dark elf) who is directing the ice-armoured snowmen. He learns of Misery and heads north. In the far north of Scotland he finds Heather and the devil creature in the ‘evil’ castle’s throne room, and he goes looking for clues as to how to deal with Heather. He finds out about her background and realises that her parents died less than a week ago. She is clearly miserable and lonely. He thinks about cooking her a meal and then remembers that Abbie and the others are preparing a feast at Westgate Manor.
- Grant looks at the ‘devil’ very carefully and decides that it probably won’t intervene unless he threatens Heather. He contacts Abbie via Icon and asks for her help and Lady Sophia’s help. Bringing the roasted turkey through (and Grant is in a jolly form), Heather is astonished with the offering to join them. She is gobsmacked to meet Abbie Powell in person (GM’s note - Abbie is a famous singer in Realm 0), and Heather admits to being ‘her biggest fan’. Lady Sophia (who is a seasoned negotiator and diplomat) invites Heather to join them, and Grant subtly uses Umbra to break down her resistance and convince her to come with them.
- Soon Heather is no longer alone. She is no longer miserable, and she asks her ‘friend’ (the one that appears like a devil) to put everything back the way it was. The creature asks if she is sure, and she nods.
Loop 9 - Christmas has Returned
- It is 4:06pm. The sun is setting. There are 2 taxi cabs waiting for them, and a note from Ethan that they’ve got some tables at the Tipsy Elephant (the local pub at Fiveways). Ethan and Abbie have gone ahead.
- The pub is just as Grant remembers it, all decorated up for Christmas. He finds Ethan and Abbie playing pool with a young girl that he does not recognise. Abbie is teaching her how to shoot straight. Ethan gives the new arrivals a friendly wave and Grant goes to order drinks. He spots the television screen and the weather reports that there might be a light dusting of snow for Christmas Day. Something feels strange here though - he can’t quite pinpoint it. He goes to the jukebox and plays some of Abbie’s Christmas music to lighten the mood.
- As they settle down to dinner, Grant asks Ethan as to who his friend is. Ethan introduces Heather, and explains that there was a message for him at Clockworld (left by himself) to invite her for a Christmas meal. Ethan shows the short note in his own handwriting telling him what to do. Ethan comments that there seems to have been a time loop - at least nine loops - there is a mound of paper to go through as to what actually happened but he did grab the last page of the readout before heading back from Clockworld. He passes it to Grant and he reads the records of the last loop and how Grant rescued Heather (and Christmas). Ethan comments that she seems to have lost her parents only last week, and was feeling pretty down - so an invitation to a Christmas meal and the chance to meet Abbie Powell has made a big impact on her. Lady Sophia also seems to have taken a shine to Heather.
- Grant has a vague recollection of going to a castle in the far north, and he resolves to read the report later but focus on enjoying dinner with his family and friends now.
- Christmas is back to normal….. 
GM’s Observations
- This session concludes the Shattered Stair arc. It’s the first time that we have seen Wardens fighting Wardens, and the difference that Mastery of the Stair can make.
- We also introduce the concept of a parasite creature that can use/marionette a Warden. I think this is a valid concept.
Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan
Adversaries
- The Others
Adventure Hook
- This session continues immediately on from the previous session. Ethan has decided to go on the offensive and hunt down the Others.
Part 1 - The Hunt Resumes
- Ethan and Grant resume their hunt for more of the Others. The Others are very active in this section of the Ramp - there is a lot of moss growth here, and a steady flow of water trickling downwards.
- Ethan looks for another portable Door - he wants to see how these creatures are using them. They take a few hours, being picky, to find the right Door to open.
- At last Ethan opens a triangular shaped Door and they find themselves inside a building which is at a 20 degree angle. They arrive in some sort of lobby and there are at least ten floors above them. On the back of the Door is a grown biotech monitoring device. Ethan puts it to sleep so that it cannot alert the Others.
- They can sense that there is another Door in this realm, but it does not feel near. Ethan uses Mental Invisibility to hide them, and they go in search of the Others in this realm. Outside the badly damaged front doors are lots of buildings, many of which are at odd angles, and the ground is severely cracked and broken. Tremors can be felt through the ground. The two Lords of Gossamer are very cautious - Grant takes to the air to investigate and he quickly finds a high vantage point. Less than a mile away, a great ‘thing’ almost 5 stories high is ploughing through the city, devouring everything in its path, eating the rock and harvesting the building for materials. It is very very slow, but Grant spots that it has some flying creatures for protection.
- Finding that there is enough magic in the realm to use sorcery, Ethan joins Grant on the rooftop via a teleport. The creature below is extremely slow. It has clearly come a long way, and it has a long way to go. They quickly realise that it has come from one far away Door, and it is slowly inching its way towards a distant Door. This appears extremely inefficient but the creature is slowly creating a path between the two Doors, paving a huge ‘road’ behind it.
- Grant scouts ahead, heading for the target Door. (GM’s note - with Engine Speed, he is very fast) In the meantime, Ethan figures an Icon and decides to try it. There is no connection, and no apparent reaction from the smaller creatures, but the large creature seems to slow, even pause. Ethan ceases his concentration and muses on this. He watches the creature carefully and decides that it is moving perhaps a foot every hour.
Part 2 - First Strike
- An hour later, Grant reports that he has found a Door in a fortified area in a neighbouring city. The land between the two cities is badly damaged. The Door is large - garage door sized - but still too small for the mountainous creature that is making its way there. Grant reports that there are perhaps one hundred Others in the fortified area around the Door. Furthermore, he can sense another Warden of the Stair here. He knows that the other Warden can’t sense him (because Grant is very very skilled with Umbra) but he is still being very very cautious. He believes that he could sneak through the Door onto the Stair (Ramp).
- Ethan uses his Icon of Grant and he steps through to join Grant. They decide to watch and learn what they can about the Others. The Others are not looking for them, and they keep a low profile so they are not detected. The days are fractionally longer than expected (27 hours) and the nights quite cold, but they keep watch on the Others for two days and nights.
- During that time, the Lords of Gossamer identify that roughly forty of the Others are not combatants - they have specialist functions. They count twenty combatants, which rotate in two shifts of ten. They Lords infer from this that they do need to rest, possibly even sleep. They also spot a number of elite fighters, roughly twenty in number that are guarding the building that the Warden dwells in. These elite fighters look strong and agile, with preying mantis-like limbs.
* Image sourced from Google.
- More interesting to Grant is the way that they move. He is able to determine that they are connected to one another, like some sort of linked or hive mind. Meanwhile, Ethan has been using Divination spells to explore certain lines of thinking. He concludes that they will be very disoriented if the Lords disrupt their shared mental connection to one another. Even though Ethan believes he can achieve this disruption using sorcery, the Warden’s capabilities are unknown so they decide that using Umbra is a safer bet.
- The two plan their attack - they want to find out just how tough these creatures are. They want to capture the enemy Warden if they can, or kill it if they cannot. They also want to see how the Others will react to their sudden attack. Their theory is that they are devastating and even unstoppable if they are able to attack, regroup and attack again; but they may be quite weak in defence. They decide to attack during the day cycle.
- They attack when the sun is high. Grant uses Umbra to disrupt their hive mind. The weaker Others collapse like marionettes, their strings cut. The combatants seem very confused, but they do not go down. Both Ethan and Grant engage them in hand-to-hand, and find that they are tough, but still no match for either of them. Ethan and Grant cut loose for the first time in an age, cutting their way through the creatures. Grant reaches the Door and blocks it, preventing the Warden from escaping. Meanwhile, Ethan enters the main building. He finds a huge table covered in maps, and four figures around it. Three of the figures are spindly and robed. The last is a creature that is almost humanoid, but there is a biomechanical device clamped over its head and shoulders - the Other is literally wearing the humanoid Warden. Its beady black eyes are fixed on Ethan.
- Ethan uses a Force-Push to scatter all four of them. The spindly creatures quickly get back to their feet, and they slide out of their robes, revealing very tall spider-like Others. Ethan slams through the roof and turns his attention to the Warden, who has gotten back to his feet and is looking very dazed. The Warden doesn’t look like a threat, but Ethan isn’t taking any chances. Looking the enemy in the eyes, he attempts to put the Warden to sleep. This is easier than he imagined as the creature holding him is no match for the strength of Ethan’s mind. Its resolve caves in and the Warden collapses in a heap.
- Meanwhile the commotion continues outside. Grant is still hacking his way through the elite warriors. Ethan goes to join him and together they finish off the Others, making sure that none have escaped. They talk quickly, and Grant has a look at the strange Warden. They agree that they need to get him off world, but first they intend to ‘make a mess’ that will make the Others think a much large force has attacked them.
- While Ethan carries the disabled enemy Warden to the Door, Grant uses Gorgorin to wreak devastation. He uses Gorgorin to slay the huge Other that has been devouring the city to create a path between Doors, then he breaks up the road that it had been making and he creates a mighty earthquake (GM’s note - Gorgorin is an Umbral weapon) to collapse the city and the fortified structure. In the middle of all of this, Grant unblocks the Door and the two Lords of Gossamer escape onto the Stair with their captive.
- Grant and Ethan find another safe realm nearby. They arrive on the deck of a beached ocean-going vessel, but there is no ocean here. It looks like this vessel has been here a long time. Below there is a sandy island which is criss-crossed by tiny streams of water. There are lots of red crabs migrating across the sand here. They find a place to lie their captive down and examine him. They find that the Other creature has implanted itself into its host’s brain. The creature has effectively co-opted this Warden, enabling it to use the host’s Warden abilities. Looking closing, Grant feels that this is very similar to the silver infection which they saw in Arcadia (GM’s note - way back in Session 33). The only way to repair this kind of damage would be to use a combination of Umbra to break down the Other, and use Eidolon to repair the host. That is going to take time, and the poor fellow may simply be too far gone.
- Ethan doesn’t like being here for too long - if they are caught here they don’t have an easy escape. He puts the captive Warden into a deep deep sleep, and they go back onto the Stair to look for another place to retreat to.
Part 3 - The Others in Pursuit
- The Lords of Gossamer return to the Ramp (Stair). Ethan has a very bad feeling that something is coming. Grant takes this cue and shifts into bird form and flies away from Ethan’s position as fast as he can, climbing the Stair. Left alone with a nagging feeling of growing dread, Ethan runs the opposite direction, descending the Stair as fast as can with the captive Warden. He almost misses the feeling of a Door opening somewhere behind him. Something is on the Stair behind him. He runs faster.
- Five minutes pass, then ten, then fifteen. At the speed that Ethan is travelling, he cannot help to touch the moss or the occasional sticky thread. He knows that this will summon more of them, but it cannot be helped. He is counting the minutes, knowing that every minute Grant will be much further away in the opposite direction.
- Ethan never sees the Others in pursuit but he knows that they are there. After what seems like hours, Ethan receives an Icon contact from Grant. He has reached the target destination.
- Grant pulls Ethan through and he finds himself in a very different section of Stair where the walls are exceptionally clean, even clinical with a slight smell of disinfectant. Immediately Ethan realises that this is not anywhere near where he was before. He uses Mental Invisibility to cloak themselves, and Grant quickly finds the Door he was after. Behind the oval shaped Door which glides open, they find themselves in a dimly lit hallway, illuminated by a thin row of red lights. This is Ward 7. Grant seals the Door behind them and then thinks better and disconnects it completely from the Stair.
- While Grant puts the captive warden to bed, Ethan goes to find a cup of tea. The ward seems to be empty. There are no other people here, and the power appears to have failed relatively recently. Ethan does not sense danger, but he has an uneasy feeling about this place. He is certain that the Others are still hunting them, and they know that they have a Master of the Stair amongst them.
- Grant eyes the cup of tea in Ethan’s hands and Ethan shows him where the kettle is. Ethan explains that he thinks that they have stirred up a hornet’s nest. Taking the Warden has provoked a reaction - he speculates that they may be able to find this Warden based on the hivemind that the Others share. It may enable them to home in on this individual’s location.
- They quickly formulate a plan. At the very least they need to get as much information as they can out of this Warden’s head as they can, but they need to save this poor Warden if they can.
Part 4 - Allen, Captured Warden
- Grant and Ethan go to work on the captive Warden. Grant uses Umbra to disorient and weaken the parasitic Other, whilst Ethan concentrates on strengthening the host. In addition to this, Ethan tries to understand the Other better. How does this entity perceive itself? How did this Warden come to be enslaved by the Others?
- Little by little, the story comes out. The Warden doesn’t remember anything from the point it was captured. After that, it is only the parasitic Other’s memories. This Warden was a scout during the Great War. He has memories of fighting the Dwimmerlaik long long ago. He has memories of Lord Drake and Lady Vala. But then he met the Others before they became the monsters - they tricked and captured him.
- Once, long ago, this Warden was called Allen. He was bigger and stronger then, but he has been severely weakened over the centuries since his enslavement.
* Image sourced from Google, but is obviously Allen the Alien from Invincible (the comic)
- As Ethan starts going through the creature’s memories, he realises that they have hit the jackpot. Allen is a Master of the Stair. Allen is THE Master of the Stair. The only Master of the Stair that the Others have captured. Allen was being kept in a safe place until needed, especially as his body had not been healing quickly. They have had an unexpected stroke of good fortune.
- Ethan tells Grant of these revelations. They are silent for a few minutes as both realise that the Others will throw all of their resources into finding and recovering Allen. Without Allen, their war machine is significantly less effective.
- At last Grant tells Ethan that they should continue the process of separation as long as they can in Ward 7. He is confident that they can escape from this realm when the Others inevitably arrive. He asks Ethan to concentrate on what resources the Others will send against them - for example, do they have any Sorcerers? Are there any other capabilities that they have which could affect how they proceed from here?
- Ethan dives into the captive’s memories once more, looking for clues. The alien Other’s memories are difficult to piece together but he rummages around as quickly as he can. An hour later, he is certain that they have a total of twelve Wardens, not including Allen. According to Allen they have no Sorcerers, no Umbra Masters, and no knowledge of Eidolon. The other Wardens are all of the Others’ race, although they are have different configurations. He stops to brief Grant and he works on a Divination spell to give them early warning of the Others’ arrival.
- Then they get to work to separate the Other from Allen.
Part 5 - Origin of the Others
- After three long, six hour sessions to separate the parasitic Other from Allen, the Divination spell warns them that they will be interrupted in the next hour. Grant opens a new Door (using his Mastery of the Stair abilities) and the Lords of Gossamer withdraw to another location. They find another safe place to work without being disturbed, and repeat the process. This time they treat Allen in a room in a tropical island resort. The natives are stubby legged ovoids with long necks and small heads. To avoid being noticed, Ethan uses Mental Invisibility once more.
- Grant and Ethan order room service, Ethan reestablishes his Divination spell to provide early warning, and they go back to work on Allen.
- During this time, Ethan finds out a lot more about the origin of these Others. Once, long ago, they were a single race with uniform appearance. They were hexpedal, upright creatures, walking on two legs with two sets of arms. They were very advanced and built many machines. However, something went wrong - they lost control of the machines. The machines that they built to help them improve and transform them changed them into something very different. Perhaps the Others desired these more radical changes, and the machines were simply fulfilling the purpose for which they were built, but the end result was a transformed race which became something far from what it once was. The Others are linked with an Icon-like connection, but it is only a mental link and it only works within a single realm.
- In terms of the Others’ ability to navigate the Stair, the first Warden was a native of their race, not an enslaved creature. But the machines derived who had the potential to become a Warden, and then harvested those who could. From the thousands of generations that have been born, there are only twelve Wardens, not including Allen who was captured by the Others during one of their incursions.
- There seems to be no one directing these Others. No central authority or guiding ruler. They originated from one realm but have spread out since. The Others are grown on a number of nursery worlds. The parasite which has been controlling Allen was born on one of those nursery worlds. It knows where the original homeworld is. To the Others, it is simply called Home.
Part 6 - The First Wave
- At last the separation is complete. Allen is resting. It will take him time to recover but they have been successful in saving Allen.
- As Grant and Ethan rest, exhausted from the effort in separating Allen from the parasite, the Divination spell alerts them to the fact that the Others have arrived. They have not arrived on the island, but they are in the realm. Ethan uses a mental projection to view the target Door. He sees more than a hundred wolflike, quadrupedal Others have arrived, led by four Wardens. One of the Wardens remains by the Door with a small group while the others board a strange floating transport. They are coming.
* Image sourced from Google. Again, the best that I could find
- The Lords of Gossamer discuss whether to stand and fight, or withdraw. Grant considers withdrawing but Ethan convinces him that they can take them. It will take the Others hours to reach their location, and a lot can be done in a few hours. Ethan suggests that they eat quickly and plan to cut them off and deal with them.
- A plan is quickly hatched and then put into place. Ethan shows Grant the township where the Others arrived, and Grant connects a new Door to take him from the island to his destination. Under ten minutes later, Grant has slain the Warden and the guard that was defending the Door and temporarily blocked the Door so as to prevent reinforcements coming through. In ten minutes, this surgical strike has cut the Others off, isolating their strike force.
- Grant returns to the island as Ethan plans to ‘nuke’ the transport using sorcery. He has previously used the elemental power of storms as an enabler, but this time he prepares to use raw sorcerous power from the realm itself, channeled at range to destroy the approaching transport. He is already tired, but he has enough reserves to pull this off (GM’s note - Ethan has First Rank in both Psyche and Endurance) The blue turns a broken shade of purple, red and black. Energy crackles across the sky - and suddenly there is a calamitous explosion - a huge fireball can be seen in the distance, appearing above the horizon from their hotel window. Ethan is greatly tired by this and can do no more. He needs to rest. He doesn’t know if he succeeded in blasting the Others from the sky or not.
- Grant flies out in his shadowy bird-form. He carries Gorgorin. He sets out with the intention of hunting down survivors but is temporarily diverted by the tsunami-like swell that Ethan’s blast has created. Grant uses Umbra to weaken the waves so that they do not hit with the tropical island where they are staying. Then he hunts down the lone survivor of the blast - a winged Warden who managed to survive the blast - and Grant slays him. Grant returns to the island, then back to the other Door which he unblocks, and then to the hotel room once more.
Part 7 - The Second Wave
- Ethan is relieved that the sorcerous ‘nuke’ worked but he is very weary. They confer and agree that the Others will definitely attack again, but they are unlikely to know what happened to the first wave and will likely just send more troops. The same tactics may work. Ethan says he needs to rest - he puts a Divination spell in place as early warning, but it is so weak that it collapses shortly after he falls asleep. (GM’s note - Bad Stuff) However, Grant is far less fatigued, and he keeps watch.
- When Ethan awakes, he finds Allen has recovered enough to start eating. Grant has been keeping an eye out - it is not yet dawn but there is no sign of the Others yet. Ethan recasts his Divination spell and confirms that they are not going to come under attack yet, but he thinks that they are still gathering their forces. There is still danger.
- More food is ordered. Ethan despairs that there is no decent tea on the menu, and Grant offers to go ‘shopping’. This brightens Ethan’s mood and Grant heads off with a long shopping list. He comes back with better food, a suit of armoured cloth for Allen, and weapons which Ethan can upgrade. This cheers Ethan up a lot.
- As Ethan works to upgrade the weapons, Grant heads off to the distant land where the Door is to prepare a nasty surprise for when the Others come back. Finally the Others return. This time they have sent another four Wardens, but there are over a thousand troops and multiple flying transports. Again, Ethan watches them from afar, and he realises that one of the Wardens in the assault force is a Sorcerer. This does not change their tactics much as they are well prepared.
- Again, Grant and Ethan wait for the Others to commit their forces. They send the bulk of their forces towards the island on flying transports, keeping a small group in reserve to reinforce the Door. Allen is too weak to fight, so he is told to stay out of the way, and flee if he has to. Both Ethan and Grant confront the enemy forces en route to the island. Ethan has already prepared a violent storm for them to fly into, and Grant uses Umbra to weaken and disorient them. With the storm in full force, Ethan uses lightning to pick off the transports, and Grant uses Umbra channeled via Gorgorin with devastating effect. The enemy Sorcerer tries to escape via teleportation, but Ethan uses a Divination spell to predict where he will arrive and then cuts him off. Ethan subdues the enemy Warden with a Sleep spell. He then uses Grant’s prepared ‘nasty surprise’, destroying the structure that the Door is part of, and stranding the rest of the Others in their realm.
- After this, Grant and Ethan pick the Others off using a combination of Eidolon-backed Sorcery (Ethan) and raw Umbral power, channeled via Gorgorin (Grant). They kill all of the enemy Wardens and their warriors, leaving no survivors. It takes them two days to deal with them all. The battle has been bloody, but Grant and Ethan have survived once more.
Part 8 - The Only Way To Be Sure
- Eight Wardens down. One Master captured, Four more Wardens are still out there somewhere. Grant and Ethan reason that the Others will be very cautious given that they have lost so many. They decide to leave this world and find somewhere else. Some other place that has good food. Grant uses Mastery of the Stair to open new Doors and find a place of safety beyond the reach of the Others. They eat, drink and talk. Allen is astonished by Grant and Ethan - he remarks at how powerful they are considering their age. Allen is rebuilding muscle mass but he is a long way from being fighting fit.
- They trio discuss their next target. Grant wants to hunt down the remaining Wardens. Ethan wants to find the Others’ homeworld and destroy it. Paraphrasing Ripley from the 1986 movie, Aliens, he tells Grant that they will have to “Nuke the site, as it’s the only way to be sure.” That gives Grant pause - is Ethan serious about wiping out the entire race? Ethan explains that it’s very clear that the original race has been corrupted to such a degree that they cannot be left alone - this will occur again unless it’s dealt with at the source. They know where the Others’ homeworld is from the parasite’s memories.
- Ethan persuades them to find the homeworld, and they track it back to a lonely place on the Stair that looks forgotten. The realm is a machine world. Everything in the city is old and motionless. The resources of this place appear to be exhausted. There are great thinking machines in this realm, but the machines are built with old technology. Great tape reels and valves can be seen. Umbra is strong here. The world has decayed.
- As they wander about this desolate place, they find that there are relay centres which transmit messages to other places, possibly birthing stations as there are none here. The messages appear to be garbled instructions. The great machine intelligences are breaking down, suggesting that the Others that are being produced are a degeneration of what once was.
- Ethan is willing to build a bomb - he has built and Eidolon-enhanced reactors before - but Grant offers to find him one that he can use as a base. While Ethan remains behind with Allen to explore the dead machine city, Grant goes on a hunt to steal a ‘nega-bomb’. Grant succeeds at this, stealing the super-weapon from a long forgotten weapons vault. Grant is quite proud that he’s managed to acquire a man-portable doomsday weapon - it was easier than he expected. Ethan and Allen are rather speechless at how easy it was. Ethan had been working on a Plan B which he discards quickly in favour of Eidolon-enhancing the super-weapon that Grant has acquired. As Ethan works away, Grant looks for clues as to where the other four Wardens may be assigned. He manages to acquire fragments, and continues working well after the bomb is ready to detonate.
- At last, the three Lords of Gossamer leave the realm, leaving the super-weapon on countdown. Grant severs the Home world from the Stair, turning the Door back into a blank Door.
- Nevertheless the explosion is large enough to shake the Stair itself, and stagger them. What was a twisting descending ramp re-levels itself. The decor of the walls changes. The decay and smell of the place slowly vanishes. Ethan and Grant are astonished - they have never seen the Stair change like this. It is reconfiguring itself. As they walk, they find ruined and twisted corridors re-righting themselves. The Ramp is becoming more like the old Stair once more.
- Ethan asks what Allen will do now. He smiles and asks to tag along with them, but he’s curious where they will go next. Ethan glances down at the Agoran Compass. Its function seems unchanged. Ethan explains that he has been searching for the end of the Stair, but he is conscious that there are still four Other Wardens out there. Allen looks amused and says that there is no end that he is aware of. They agree that they should hunt down the remaining Wardens, but that it will likely take some time.
- As they walk, Ethan and Grant can feel a change. They can sense the direction of home once more. This broken section of Stair has somehow been reconnected back to the rest. Ethan fingers his Icon of Abbie and knows that it will work once more. As they walk, Ethan wonders if trying to reach the end of the Stair is a pointless exercise after all. He wonders if it is time to go home. He has been gone a long time.
Part 9 - Phone Home
- Focussing on the nearest Other Warden, the three Lords of Gossamer start hunting once more. However, after only two hours of Grant’s wizardry using Mastery of the Stair, they have reached their first target. An ovoid Door that has an organic membrane over it. Ethan doesn’t look like the look of it at all - he looks over Allen and decides that he really is not at full strength, and that he’s had enough. The Other Wardens are definitely evil, but he doesn’t like the idea of attacking one on their terms. There could be a hundred or a hundred thousand Others on the other side of that Door.
- Grant seems to sense Ethan’s change of mind, but before Ethan can speak of it, he receives an Icon contact from Abbie.
* Image by Haryarti on DeviantART
- Abbie is reserved to begin with, but her relief shows when Ethan is clearly pleased to hear from her. She was hoping that he was okay, and she has been attempting to contact him every day for months. He quickly explains that he’s been in a sick part of the Stair and Icons didn’t work. She nods, accepting the situation and explains that she knew that he wasn’t dead. She knows enough spell craft to be able to determine simple things like that via Divination. She knew that she just needed to keep on trying. The subsequent conversation is an enormous relief for him - he promises her that he’ll return soon, and she just laughs. She admits that trying to rebuild a civilisation is very draining for her - she needs to get away. Ethan does some quick mental calculations and checks with Grant. They conclude that Christmas is just under a week away - he suggests that they catch up for Christmas. She suggests that he come to see her a little earlier than that - she needs his help with a few things on her homeworld that she can’t fix with Sorcery alone. Ethan agrees and promises to do that.
- Grant sees the change in Ethan’s demeanour and asks if he’s ready for dealing with this Other Warden. Ethan blinks, and admits that his heart isn’t in this. He’s not ready for another battle. Grant asks what is wrong, and Ethan explains simply that he doesn’t know what he is doing here and why he’s been so set on walking as far away from the Agora as possible. He just helped blow up a planet. Maybe he’s just ‘had enough’ for one day. Grant chuckles and explains to Allen that his friend is feeling a bit homesick. He suggests that they go for a walk, and find a place to rest and get something to eat. Relax a little.
- Allen accompanies them but he is clearly discontented. Grant asks what he would like to do, and Allen explains that has been hundreds of years since he had control of himself, and he wants to know what has remained as he remembers it and what has changed. Encouraged by Grant, Allen takes them to a realm called Bero that he once knew - an island retreat with great beaches and ‘surfing’. Allen admits that loves to surf. Following Allen’s lead, the three Lords of Gossamer go to find this place, and find themselves arriving in the evening of what is now a major nightclub strip. Everywhere there is gaudy neon, and bright fluorescent colours. Grant and Ethan nervously glance at each other, expecting Allen to tell them that this is nothing like he remembers it.
* Image sourced from Google.
- But it is exactly the opposite - from Allen’s point of view, Bero hasn’t changed a bit. They go out for a trendy dinner. Allen boogies on the dance floor, and encourages Grant and Ethan to do the same. Grant adjusts his clothes to fit in better, and he joins in the fun as the audience is dusted with brightly coloured neon paint. Ethan stands off to one side, listening to the synth beat and mulling over the contrast of 24 hours - from destroying a planet to being in a crazy bar, dancing to electronic music. He fingers his Icon of Abbie, then pockets it and goes to find a stiff drink. After a few drinks, Ethan lightens up and dances as well.
Other Impacts
- There are still four Other Wardens on the Stair, somewhere…..
GM’s Observations
- Ethan’s decision to hunt down the Others is a marked shift for him. He often avoids situations rather than probably dealing with them. This is one of the reasons why there are so many dangling plot threads - he doesn’t bite on many of them. However, this time he makes the conscious decision to do something about the problem, for once taking on larger responsibilities as a Lord of Gossamer.
- At the point of writing this session up, it’s not clear whether this is a ‘blip’ or the start of a change in Ethan.
Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan
Adversaries
- The Others
Adventure Hook
- This session continues immediately on from the previous session. Ethan has decided to go on the offensive and hunt down the Others.
Adventure Summary
- Grant and Ethan have returned to ’the Ramp’ (the distorted Stair). Grant severs the Door but remembers the link for future reference. He does not want the Others returning after so many have been saved.
- In the past nine weeks Grant and Ethan have had plenty of time to think through the next steps. They know that the Others have the ability to open Doors, and at least one of them is a Master of the Stair. That suggests that either they are dealing with another race of Wardens (like the Dwimmerlaik), or that they have a caste of Wardens amongst their number, or potentially that they have harvested (or assimilated) Wardens. They know that these Others have attacked many worlds, but they don’t know how they are currently configured, or where they are. They need to find them and observe them at close range to confirm what they have already inferred about them. These Others harvest from other races to improve themselves, but they are ignorant of technology and it is not clear what their actual goal is. Harvesting surely cannot be a goal of itself - are they conquerers, or do they have some other purpose?
- Ethan has spent his time improving one of the energy rifles from the last world using Eidolon. He has also forged a cutting blade - a light broadsword which will slice through armour plating without breaking under the impact. He wears a military grade hardsuit which he has also reinforced with Eidolon, and has prepared some explosive grenades.
- The two Lords of Gossamer return to the main branch of the Ramp. Once more there are sticky threads criss-crossing the corridor. Avoiding the trip-wires, the Lords of Gossamer descend once more. The height of the Ramp ebbs and flows as they walk. There are thin lines of clear flowing liquid on the ground as they descend. They pass a handful of Doors. Hours pass, and they notice the first patch of moss. It is growing on the Stair, despite the absence of natural sunlight. Further along, there are more patches. The moss grows where it is wet, collecting the moisture from the tiny flowing rivers
- Ethan stops to study one of the patches. It is not sentient, but neither is it as docile as a plant. He decides that it isn’t safe to stand on this moss. It could be another mechanism for identifying intruders. They continue on, using Wayfinding to find a location where they can spy safely on the Others and learn more about them.
- At last they reach a Door which appears to be rusted shut. Ethan uses Eidolon to repair it - this is difficult but Ethan has Dominant Rank Psyche and he feels that the Stair seems to be helping in his effort. At last the Door is repaired. He puts his hand on the Door to sense on the other side. He senses weariness, but not danger.
- Ethan does not immediately open the Door. Instead he tells Grant that he’s going to search the Stair once more to make sure that there is no one following them or active in their vicinity. If they have to withdraw quickly, he wants to know that they have a safe place to withdraw to without being attacked as soon as they return to the Stair. Resting, he uses ‘the Force’ to mentally project his Psyche. Immediately he confirms that the plant-life is alive, with a hint of animal intelligence. The clumps of moss do not have individual intelligence, but a consciousness seems to move from one cluster to the next, using the moss as a conduit.
- Ethan senses that there is something behind them. It is a long way off, but it is hungry and searching. It doesn’t appear to be searching for them, but he isn’t sure.
- Grant opens the Door and Ethan follows him through. He notes that the moss resonates when the Door is opened.
- The realm that they have arrived in is covered in trees, and the ground is thick with grass and lichen. There is a soft undulation to the ground - it is definitely moving. They have stepped out of a ramshackle structure which has a trapezoid shaped door. Getting their bearings, they agree that the ground is definitely swaying. Ethan can sense another Door - but it is miles away from their current position. He confirms that they are standing on top of something which is alive, but is so far ignorant of them. Grant takes to the air to get a better look. Meanwhile, Ethan prepares sorcerous spells. He finds that air and water magic here are strong here, as is magic that manipulates plants, but many other kinds don’t work at all.
- High overhead in the form of a large albatross-like bird, Grant confirms that the structure is on the back of an enormous turtle-like creature which is so massive that it has a forest growing on its island-like back. The turtle-like creature has no shell, but has a long neck and long legs. It must be at least a mile across. The creatures is slowly wading its way across a sea of primordial ooze. In the distance, Grant sees another creature moving roughly in the same direction. He confirms that there is another Door on that turtle.
- Grant returns back to brief Ethan, and the two quickly decide to head for the next turtle. Grant takes to the air once more, and Ethan initiates a Flight spell. The Flight spell takes considerable effort, much more than usual, but he is able to get airborne. They fly the fifteen miles between the turtles over the sea of grey ooze, finding it very hot away from the creature’s back. The sun above is dull but the heat it produces is intense.
- As they approach, Grant’s keen eyesight enables him to spot some creatures working on the turtle’s back. They are larger than expected, and he descends quickly to approach the turtle at a low altitude. Ethan uses a Mental Invisibility spell to cloak both of them and they land at the rear of the turtle.
- Approaching the Others through the dense foliage is very easy. The ground is soft and spongy, and the plant life provides plenty of cover for them. They find the Others at work, and begin observing them.
- The first Other they spot is very different from the ones that they have seen from war videos. It is low to the ground, with front forearms with pincers. It is cutting down the plants and collecting them on its back.
* Image sourced from Google. Again, it’s the best that I could find
- Another Other is much larger - it is more than thirty feet tall, and has a great bulbous sack for an abdomen. It’s head contains a proboscis which is being used to siphon something from the ground (likely from the turtle).
- Splitting up, Grant and Ethan quickly find that there are no warriors here. These Others are all harvesters, and there are only a small number of them on the island. The Door itself is part of a small, very basic structure. It does not appear to be guarded, but one of the pincered Others is working close to it.
- Grant and Ethan confer via Icon - none of the creatures seem to notice an Icon being used. The Lords decide to watch and see what happens next.
- Hours pass. At last the Others head for a boat which is moored on one side of the turtle. But it is not just a boat - this vessel is also one of the Others, even though it is almost one hundred feet in length. The Others bring their collection of harvested plants and a number of tubes of blue viscous liquid that they have siphoned from the turtle. A large spindly Other picks up the entire structure containing the Door and carries it back to the boat. As Grant and Ethan watch, the odd creatures push off and the boat starts swimming away.
- Grant wonders if they should pursue but Ethan counsels him to let them go as these are only the first that they have seen. He is interested in the ‘portable’ Door. Both of them have seen Doors on moving structures like ships before, but this is the first example of a movable Door that they have seen. Does this mean that the Others have the ability to make structures like these? Ethan wonders where the boat-creature could have come from as it was surely too big to fit through the Door. Grant is wondering the same thing - is it possible that it was grown here? Ethan mulls over that possibility.
- Retracing their steps, the Lords of Gossamer return to the Ramp. Ethan wants to find if there are more Portable Doors. His Wayfinding points the way and Ethan leads on. It is not long before there is a junction and two side branches split off. Ethan leads the way down a very narrow branch. It is so narrow that they are almost walking sideways for six long hours. It is unnerving walking down such a confined space given that there are tripwires of wispy silk from time to time. At last they reach a new section of the Ramp - a knot where multiple branches have converged in a jumble of openings.
- Ethan finds the Door, but it is a shiny new Door. Putting his hand to it, he can feel a hum of power behind it. It makes him uncomfortable and he decides not to go through.
- Once more, Ethan sits down and decides to use a mental projection to sense his surroundings. He finds that a creature behind is following them, and he asks Grant to use his Mastery of the Stair to give the impression that the Door has been opened to delay whatever is following them. He doesn’t want to go through this Door and risk running into an ambush when they return. He advocates that it is time to find a place to eat, and a place to ambush whatever is following them.
- Grant agrees that their current location is too narrow for a good ambush. They use Wayfinding to continue on, finding new spaghetti-like sections of the Ramp which have numerous undamaged Doors and many twisting tunnels for losing pursuit. Out of curiosity, Ethan opens the first Door and finds himself in a supply closet full of weapons and weaponry - hence it is definitely not controlled by the Others. The next Door has been walled up on the realm-side to prevent further access. The third Door leads to an abandoned factory. None of its many conveyer belts have been used in years. At this point, they shut the Door and Ethan cloaks them. They continue on, looking for a fourth realm where they can find good food. After an hour of searching, they find a Door which leads to a stainless steel food court which has many vending machines. There is no one about but the machines appear to be functional. To their surprise, the food provided by the machine is both good and fresh, and they eat well.
- Ethan tries his Icon of Abbie once more, but still it does not function. Grant tries his Icon of Sophia with the same result. Shrugging, they gear up once more and return to the Stair to hunt down the creature that is following them. Once back on the Stair, Ethan uses a spell and confirms that their pursuit has stopped at the Door to the factory. It lost their trail at this point. They return carefully to the factory Door.
- The creature is some sort of two-dimensional shadow. It is wolf-like but with angular limbs. It is hungry and exhausted.
* Image sourced from Google.
- Ethan subdues it easily with a Sleep spell and it falls unconscious. While Grant stands guard, Ethan establishes a psychic contact with the creature and attempts to learn more about it and what it knows of the Others.
- The creature dreams of a forest of shadows and a life interrupted. Creatures came and rounded his brethren up. It was harnessed so that it could be controlled and made three dimensional, but during a battle the harness was damaged and it ran away and reached the Stair. Since then it has become weak. It is starving.
- Ethan tries to pick up the creature but it passes like a ghost through its hands. He wonders what he can do, and again he reaches the creature’s mind in an attempt to understand how this creature feeds. He learns quickly that this creature attacks its prey’s shadow. If it eats the prey’s shadow, the prey itself is devoured.
- The shadow creature is intelligent, but Ethan isn’t sure that he can communicate with it. It is confused and hungry. Using trial and error, Ethan manages to help it eat which gives it some three dimensional characteristics. He is able to carry the creature with difficulty, even though its form is as slippery as mercury.
- It takes them some time to find a realm to leave the creature in, where it will be safe and not a threat to the indigenous population. The Door opens into a very quiet forest. There is no sign of the Others here. The Door itself appears to have been once part of some sort of great airship which crashed here. The cabin is heavily overgrown, suggesting that it happened a long time ago.
- Leaving the wolf-shadow in its new habitat, Grant and Ethan continue on.
Other Impacts
- There is the obvious impact that Grant and Ethan are still out of contact from the rest of their friends and family, and hence have no knowledge of what else is going on. Also, the wolf-shadow creature could have been some sort of potential ally or ‘pet’ but Ethan chose not to befriend it in that way - he deemed it too dangerous to have a two-dimensional creature running around that could kill you by eating your shadow. Possibly a lost opportunity, but Ethan deemed it a risky move….
