- The Draconian Empire has been mentioned previously in this campaign as a power in its own right but no PC has gone out of his way to find it. I wanted to introduce it again as it’s a major power on the Stair which could be used again even after we’ve finished this story arc and are back to the original timeline.
- This session revealed a lot about how Bastiano changed the timeline. They don’t know how to stop/undo this yet, and I suspect that many of the Lords of Gossamer will have differing opinions on what should be changed. We’re building up to the culmination of this story arc.
- We also reveal what was meant by Belimicasi’s comment last session that “even loyal subjects can have grievances.”
Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan, Greywalker
Adversaries
- A Balrog, A Guardian Dragon, Jalt (the mad-elf).
Adventure Hook
- This session carries straight on from the preceding session.
Adventure Summary - Part 1 - Leaving Outlands
- Grant and Ethan leave the demonic bordello, Broken Reach. Ethan recasts his Mental Invisibility spell. Both Lords of Gossamer are sure that this break in their sorcerous protection will not go unnoticed. They expect an ambush and they get one in the red-purple gloom that passes for starlight in this place.
- Within sight of the Door, Ethan gives a little jerk. He has stepped on a sigil which has bloomed to life. Grant uses Umbra immediately to break the immobilisation spell and hops off Ethan’s shoulder, shifting back into his normal human form and drawing his new blade. Ethan draws the Blade of Hoth as two gaunt, bearded demons with long polearms charge them. They are preternaturally quick and hard to hit as Grant blazes away with his wrist blaster. It takes considerable effort to gun one down, and Ethan engages the second.
* Image sourced from Google Images but this one is from one of the D&D 3.5 edition supplements
- Sensing that this is only the beginning, Grant whirls and finds that another demon has arrived. This one is a huge festering mass which resembles a minotaur. Baphomet’s back is radiating heat and flames and it carries a great, unholy-looking axe. Grant throws an Umbral attack at the demon lord to disorient it but it still manages to bring down its axe in fury, shattering the pavings up and down the street with the force of the blow.
* Image sourced from Google Images but this one is from one of the D&D 3.5 edition supplements
- Ethan dodges the thrusts from the demon’s polearm, hacks the weapon in two with the ice blade and then fights at close quarters. However, four more vulture-headed demons see the battle in progress and swoop down to join the fray. The longer the battle goes, the more attention is being drawn. Ethan kills the bearded demon and goes to engage the nearest vulture-demon. Meanwhile Grant tries to use Umbra to overheat Baphomet. Using Umbra in the middle of a battle is hard but worse still, Baphomet seems to be immune to heat. Even though the demon lord seems to be ‘on fire’, the worst it does is to enrage him further. Grant switches tactics and decides to push Baphomet into a berserk rage. The demon lord smashes buildings and chops through other demons in his rage to deal with Grant, and as more demons arrive, Grant and Ethan decide to make a run for it while confusion reigns.
Adventure Summary - Part 2 - Pursued
- They make it to the Stair safely but they know that pursuit will not be far away. There are no easily accessible Blank Doors here so Grant severs one of the Doors and repurposes it. They quickly shift away and Grant finds a realm near Trollworld which is a long way from where they were previously. Grant has sought out a world with ‘holy ground’. The Door leads to a high tech chapel with huge chambers and vaulted ceilings. Somewhere above them there is a choir singing and the fluttering of wings (angels, or just pigeons?). Grant spots imagery of a ‘Saint’ Grant amongst the stain glassed windows. The figure holds aloft a black sword. Curious, he looks around for imagery of Ethan and finally finds a less prominent stain glassed window. ‘Saint’ Ethan is portrayed as a cautionary figure rather than a heroic one. (GM’s note - alas, Bad Stuff again.) He is beset by various ‘evils’ who are pulling at his robes and hair.
- In this ‘holy place’, Ethan looks at the parchment that they acquired from Belimicasi. The paper appears to be blank at first but silvery words appear when Ethan uses Eidolon. Unfortunately neither Grant nor Ethan can read what is written. Grant is frustrated once more but determined to know what the letter says.
Adventure Summary - Part 3 - Translation
- Trying to find the person who wrote the letter leads them straight towards Bastiano’s Empire and guarded outposts. They try to find an alternative - a person who can read the letter - and unfortunately the strongest pull takes them in the direction of the Agora. They then try to find someone else who can read the words who is not in a place that they want to avoid.
- This takes them to an ultra-modern Door made of high density plastic which slides open. The Door opens into a transport hub for maglev trains. They look to be in good condition but are worn by frequent use. The people on the platform appear healthy and are dressed well. Some carry smart devices. Others have obvious cyberwar. Grant spots some individuals who look like they have Orcish or Trollish blood in them. Picking up a newspaper, they find that they somewhere in this world’s equivalent of Europe.
- Drawn east, they travel to the city of Essen in Upper Germany. By this point they have realised that they are seeking a dragon as the writing on the parchment is almost certainly draconic. Reading the paper it seems that the richest and most powerful creatures here are dragons. Grant and Ethan organise to see a Dragon Lord named Lofwyr at very short notice, through a combination of bribery (offering him a gift), judicious use of the Beguiling Jewel to charm Lofwyr’s receptionist and sheer panache.
* Image sourced from Google Images but I believe this one is from a Shadowrun game
- Lofwyr appears as a caucasian man with golden eyes. He is pleased to meet two Lords of Gossamer (he recognises them as such) and shares jasmine tea with them. The gift is gratefully received and Lofwyr agrees to translate the parchment. It is an instruction to let the bearer pass, and clearly the bearer is meant to be Lord Ethan.
- Lofwyr explains that the Draconian Empire has been under attack from many sides for a long time. They have many enemies and the Stair is choked with the bodies of their attackers in many places. However there is a bridge over a ‘bottomless’ abyss which none of their enemies can send an army across because it is too narrow. A dragon lord guards that bridge and the note is clearly for him to allow Ethan to pass.
- They relax and have a pleasant chat. Grant gets the impression that Lofwyr is apolitical. He doesn’t care for either side and won’t sell them out - he seems to be relishing a friendly chat with other beings ‘of power’.
Adventure Summary - Part 4 - The Narrow Bridge
- In parting, Lofwyr teleports Grant and Ethan onto the Stair to assist them on their way. The teleport is a gross display of dragon sorcery to show them just how powerful a Dragon Lord is. At a glance, this new section of Stair is very ordinary. Wood panelling on the walls, occasional Doors, and occasional paintings. However there are dead bodies on the floor - or at least bits of dead bodies - scattered here and there. The smell is unbelievable. There are sounds of movement from nearby corridors. They are not far away from a horde of demons.
- Heading to the right Door, they find it is made of finely-carved stone. Perhaps dwarven-made. Grant shifts into a tiny form and stows away on Ethan’s shoulder. Ethan ensures that his Mental Invisibility cloak is working before proceeding.
- The Door opens into an underground cavern. The walls and pillars are fine stone work. It is very quiet here. Ethan proceeds carefully, feeling for another Door in the distance.
- As he travels away from the Door, he feels the temperature increase. Ethan smells a burning smell like sulphur. Down a set of broad stone stairs there is a reddish glow, and there is vapour on the ground like smoke. He senses something powerful down here.
- Ethan travels quietly across the gravel floor. They spot the creature which is radiating heat and smoke. Grant recognises it as a Balrog but Ethan only recognises it as a demon. Clearly this is the demons’ guardian on this side of the bridge. Ethan creeps around it at a distance and avoids waking it.
- Descending further, the next chamber ends suddenly on one side in a yawning abyss. A narrow bridge, little more than a foot wide, extends into the blackness.
- Ethan readies a fly spell but Lofwyr has already warned Ethan that any attempt to leave the bridge will result in winds blasting him away. He carefully crosses the bridge. It takes him almost a quarter of an hour before he sees the other side. The dragon guardian is waiting for him. It is an enormous red-gold scaled dragon.
* Image by Keith Parkinson (I own a print of this)
- The dragon refers to Ethan as ‘morsel’ but it has been expecting him and it allows him to pass.
Adventure Summary - Part 5 - Draconian Empire
- On the other side, Ethan is met by big and scary looking draconians. His welcome is a cold one, and he is escorted swiftly onto the Stair through multiple Doors and realms. His escort isn’t interested in talking. They appear to be alert for trouble.
* Image sourced from Google Images but this one is from one of the D&D 3.5 edition supplements
- The empire appears to be large, well organised and relatively sophisticated. Ethan spots a mix of alien technology and sorcery, and they large space-faring warships. Boarding a dreadnought, Ethan is taken directly to a chamber where the old Lord of Gossamer sits brooding.
- Greywalker flashes a smile when he sees Ethan. He was hoping that Ethan would receive his message. He needs him to “cure a man’s madness” which is beyond his skill to heal. At this point, Grant returns to his normal form and says hello.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Greywalker is astonished by Grant’s appearance. He was expecting Ethan but not Grant. They properly introduce themselves and talk for awhile. Greywalker explains that the draconians are more curt than usual because Bastiano has attacked in full force, no doubt to prevent Greywalker from making new allies. Grant asks about who needs to be cured, and Greywalker explains that Lucien has lost his mind. Isabelle has been caring for him ever since. Grant asks Greywalker to describe the symptoms, and Greywalker describes symptoms consistent with Lucien being exposed to the Breath of Eden.
- Grant remembers that Bastiano was one of the few who weaponised the Breath of Eden to use against the Dwimmerlaik - but that means that he has captured Lucien’s memories and is storing them somewhere. Both Ethan and Greywalker are amazed by this information. Greywalker was expecting Ethan to be able to heal Lucien but instead Ethan has brought someone with him who has intimate knowledge of Lucien’s condition. Grant’s knowledge of the Breath of Eden is the cure that has eluded them all.
- Grant theorises that Cooper Nasser must have helped Bastiano to build a storage device for the memories, then Bastiano crippled Lucien. But why? Ethan suggests that it might be because Lucien built the Faraday Queen, whose wreckage is in the Central Museum in Marindar. Bastiano wanted to stop Lucien making another Faraday Queen.
- Grant starts piecing this together - somehow Bastiano used both Clockworld and the Faraday Queen - but there are pieces missing from his understanding. He advises that reaching Lucien is now a priority - if Bastiano realises that Lucien’s memories could be restored, then Bastiano may simply decide to kill him.
Adventure Summary - Part 6 - The Heart of the Stair
- Greywalker, Grant and Ethan leave immediately and they hurry to the Heart of the Stair where Lucien dwells. Again, they are on guard, expecting Bastiano to have pre-empted this move.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Arriving at the Athenaeum, they quickly find Lucien. He appears to be mindless and Isabelle is pushing him around in a wheelchair. Isabelle looks drawn and tired. Greywalker declares ‘peace’ and explains that Grant and Ethan can help Lucien. Isabelle looks nervous, even afraid. At that moment, Jalt (the mad elf) walks in. Again he exudes a murderous aura.
- There is a pause as Grant weighs up the situation. Jalt could kill Lucien before he can make a move but what can he say to the mad elf to convince him to parley. But before Grant can think of what to say (GM’s note, I counted to five and David was stumped), Jalt asks Ethan if he gave Grant the locket. Ethan explains that it was broken in a fight with Oscar but he’s repaired it as best he can. Jalt looks even angrier that his precious Icon has been destroyed. He gives Grant a hard look and asks ‘can you fix him?’ (referring to Lucien).
- Grant nods and says that he can. Jalt tells him that he will help them. There is a moment’s silence as they take in what has just happened. The mad elf has switched sides. Grant assumed that he could not be reasoned with, could not be bargained with - and yet here it is. Before Grant can ask why, Jalt says that he was with Bastiano, Lucien and Banatar on the Faraday Queen. He helped Bastiano to change history but doesn’t like this future. Promises were made but nothing changed for him.
- Grant and Ethan now have three allies - Greywalker, Isabelle and Jalt. Possibly four if Lucien can be brought back.
- But where are Lucien’s memories stored? Grant theorises that an Icon can be used to retrieve the memories but how to do this without tipping Bastiano off.
- Grant and Ethan talk about the Faraday Queen. From his research, Ethan knows that the Faraday Queen was destroyed on Marindar - and Grant knows that Bastiano was hanging around Marindar in the original timeline, perhaps to find a clue as to where it lay. He also muses over whether the Ambrosia was taken from Olympus in order to bring Banatar back from the dead - Banatar surely must have been involved in the construction of the Faraday Queen - he must know something useful. Even though Zeus said that no soul had been taken from Hades, Grant wonders if Hades could actually be wrong. Either that or the Ambrosia was never actually used and Bastiano got the information he wanted from Banatar another way.
- Grant now has most of the pieces of the puzzle but not all. He believes that Lucien connected Clockworld to Marindar in order to recover the Faraday Queen. The Faraday Queen was then used to go back and change things. But then Bastiano needed to stop his allies from altering things further. He exposed Lucien to the Breath of Eden and somehow got rid of Vala (Belimicasi suggested that Bastiano had a hand in this). Banatar must be somewhere - living or dead. Jalt was loyal but he didn’t get whatever Bastiano promised him and this has eroded his loyalty. It might even explain Jalt’s unrelenting rage. Something in the past happened to Jalt, and he would do almost anything to change it.
- But there are still many missing pieces. What did Lucien want that would have convinced him to change the timeline? (was it as simple as Isabelle becoming a Lord of Gossamer?) What did Jalt want that wasn’t achieved? Where is the Faraday Queen now? Has it been destroyed? Where is Clockworld and is it the cause of the damage witnessed elsewhere on the Stair? Why did Bastiano set out to change so many things? Does Bastiano have the warptime ring that Ethan acquired from the Dragons’ Graveyard? What role did Banatar play in all of this?
Other Impacts
- So we’ve reached the point where Grant has most of the pieces of the puzzle but he doesn’t yet know how he’s going to be able to undo this mess and what steps Bastiano is taking to prevent him from doing so.
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