And it's 24th July 2018, which means that this game has been running for 5 YEARS!. And we haven't finished yet!
Woo! 
How many games run this long, with this many regular sessions?!?! We must love this game! 
I haven't done any LEGO Lords of Gossamer in a while, and it's not quite Christmas, but I think this sums up how David and I feel about the game.
(In the picture is LEGO Ethan, LEGO Grant, LEGO Macavity and LEGO Stolvir, by the way)
And on a good news front, I'm heading to Melbourne this weekend to catch up with David for his birthday! Yes, we might actually get a photo of the two of us, revelling in this glorious achievement. 5 years and still going!
GM’s Observations
- A major milestone. 150 sessions. But not quite into our 6th year of the game just yet. A few more weeks for that.
- This session sees the rebel Lords of Gossamer trying to keep one step ahead of their many enemies, restore Lucien’s memories, and then to find a way to neutralise Bastiano.
Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan, Lucien, Greywalker, Isabelle, Dayle
Adversaries
- Emperor Bastiano is throwing many of his agents against the PCs. These include Prince Grant (an Eidolon Master originating from the Legendary Realm), a young clone of Lucien with a copy of Lucien’s memories, an ‘Angel’, Mordecai and his Raven Legion and Yaeger Zane. Basically the Emperor is throwing everything at them.
- There are also Demons who are tracking Ethan because he traded a sample of blood in Session 147 for information. They are effectively bounty-hunters / assassins.
Adventure Hook
- This session carries straight on from Session 149 Part 2. Ethan and Isabelle are working on building the machine that will restore Lucien’s memories.
Adventure Summary - Restoring Lucien
- Grant wakes in Maya, Lucien’s observatory/safehouse which is accessible from Mechanus. There are no doors or Doors within Maya, except for the entrance. Grant feels only partly rested - he feels hungover, no doubt due to the strong Eidolon nature of this place. A golden serving droid, Number Eleven, serves him food. It does not talk when he tries to question it. He reads the note from Ethan that one of the elder Lords of Gossamer, Dayle, has been in contact with them. Jalt is in touch with her. He finishes his breakfast and decides to look around.
- Grant finds the great observatory. Isabelle ditched one of the backpacks here, and some of its contents are lying to one side. The bag is only partly unpacked. He finds a clockwork elevator with waist-high guard rails (no door).
- Using Wayfinding, he can tell that there are three other Lords of Gossamer present (Ethan, Isabelle and Greywalker). He has masked himself out of habit. The pocket realm of Maya seems to be heavily warded. He finds his sense of Wayfinding to be dampened somewhat.
- As he looks around he finds there are many different chambers here - laboratories, storage rooms, libraries, workshops. There is a mix of clockwork and mechanical machines here with a wide variety of different power sources. It seems that Lucien left a lot of junk and half-finished pieces here.
- It’s quiet here. Grant decides to review his memory orb, and he uploads his latest memories into it. Eleven serves him some herbal tea. A few minutes after he has finished, Greywalker comes into the chamber. Grant asks how he is feeling and Greywalker says that he has recuperated well. He accepts a cup of tea from Eleven and sits down with Grant to talk over their next steps. Greywalker is assuming that by restoring Lucien that Lucien will have a mechanism to undo what Bastiano has done. Grant says that he may have an alternative if Lucien does not have some sort of device that they can use. He explains to Greywalker that Clockworld may be able to be used. After listening, Greywalker points out that using Clockworld depends upon Lucien’s willingness to help.
- Greywalker doesn’t have much of an alternative if Lucien can’t help. The Draconian Empire is strong and could potentially be used against Bastiano, but to date nothing has been able to stop him.
- Dayle reappears to warn them that their location has been discovered. Greywalker greets her politely and says that it has been an age since he last saw her. She explains that there are many groups tracking them but one has arrived in Mechanus itself. Grant goes to wake Ethan and Isabelle, and finds that they are already up.
- Isabelle is adamant that their enemies cannot enter Maya. She and Ethan get back to work. Greywalker and Grant go to the observatory and start work. The telescope is directed inwards towards an Obsidian Orb which Isabelle brought from the Athenaeum. Greywalker explains to Grant that events across the multiverse will be imprinted upon an Obsidian Orb, making it possible to scry upon the present and past. It is not an easy thing to do as the echoes of past events are very faint, and the sheer volume of imprints upon the Orb make it like searching for a needle through a very, very large number of haystacks. However, some locations and some events ‘shine brighter’ than others. Greywalker suggests using Shatterlight as a zeroing point.
- After a few hours of work, Isabelle’s voice comes through one of the speakers. A screen shows Grant and Greywalker that an ‘Angel’ is standing outside the front door of Maya. It is large, humanoid and very beautiful. It glows with a golden light and it carries a flaming sword. It appears to be guarding the door so that no one will get out. Isabelle notes that someone has already tried to tamper with Mechanus’ reality but has been unsuccessful. Grant asks her why another Warden couldn’t just open the Door, and she says that there is only one Key, and only she or Lucien can open the Door to Maya.
- Grant immediately wonders if it would be possible to fabricate another Lucien and create a copy of the key. Isabelle thinks on the idea, and says that it probably wouldn’t work but there is a pang of doubt in her voice. Grant and Greywalker carry on working. They manage to zero the telescope on Shatterlight and begin investigating back in the timeline. The older echoes are more pronounced. The recordings in the past are stronger than more recent echoes. It seems to be a function of the Obsidian Orb.
- Meanwhile the wards on the exterior of the house are being tested. A troop of soldiers turns up. Grant identifies them as being part of Mordecai’s Raven Legion. Prince Grant turns up and begins examining the lock mechanism, but he can’t open the Door.
- Mordecai and Yaeger Zane turn up in Mechanus. Yaeger is wearing a golden hockey mask which obscures his face. He carries a diamond-edged chainsword - but he is unable to cut his way into Maya.
- The strong Eidolon presence in this place keeps the Lords of Gossamer alert and hard at work. They do not tire in this place. Two days pass. A child-like Lucien makes an attempt to open the Door to Maya but is unable to do so. This latest attempt makes Grant concerned. He wonders if it would be possible for an Umbra Master to imitate Lucien and open the Door. He discusses destroying the Door to Mechanus as a last resort. Meanwhile Grant and Greywalker have managed to find Marindar in the Obsidian Orb, and there is evidence in the Orb of different versions of history being imprinted on the stone. There is no imprint of the other timeline, but something else is changing reality not just in the present, but in the past as well. Grant is spooked by this - this means that Bastiano has access to something like Fiorin - something which can rewrite reality.
- Dayle appears once more to provide an update. She tells them that they have attracted a great deal of attention. There are many demons who have gathered in the vicinity but they cannot enter Mechanus. Bastiano is clearly sending many of his people to try and open the Door to Maya. Suddenly, the connection is cut. Dayle winks out of view, and Isabelle confirms that somehow, impossibly, their enemies are exercising control over the gossamer reality of Mechanus. The time rate is changing.
- Grant is horrified by the idea that the enemy could effectively be immobilising them by altering the time rate. He grabs the key from Isabelle and races for the front Door. Shifting form to become Lucien, he uses the key and his Mastery of the Stair to re-point the Door to somewhere else. He joins the Door to another blank Door on the hidden landing (ie: close to Realm 0). The sensors on Maya’s exterior go dead. Grant knows that he has done the right thing, but he doesn’t know how close they came to the Door being opened. He knows that the home landing is hidden and difficult to find, but they will be coming.
- Greywalker is urged to contact Dayle, which he does via Icon. Dayle is surprised to hear from them - she thought they might have been dead. It has been months since they last spoke. She tells them that she has spotted Oscar in demon-controlled realms - he is clearly searching for something. Jalt left when he thought that the others had failed - he is ‘being disruptive’ to Bastiano but she comments that his luck at escaping ‘close calls’ is likely to run out sooner or later. Grant and Greywalker quickly discuss the situation and Dayle is asked to find more blank Doors that can be used so that Grant can keep moving the Door.
- She agrees to this and Grant remains on Door duty whilst Isabelle and Ethan work tirelessly on the machine to bring back Lucien’s memories, and Greywalker continues to probe history in search for answers. On the next day, Greywalker thinks he may have something. The event where the Dwimmerlaik Empress swore loyalty to Bastiano was most unusual and he has some ideas as to what may have happened. He goes looking for another piece of corroborating evidence.
- After two days of shifting the Door from place to place, the machine is ready. Lucien’s body is prepared. Isabelle has an Icon of Lucien to use as a focus (GM’s note - in this reality, Isabelle has Wrighting, not Invocation) Grant convinces them that Bastiano will expect them to try this and the need to be prepared for a Breath of Eden attack. He advises an extra day or two to develop some countermeasures. Greywalker offers to help with this.
- While Grant continues to shift the Door from place to place, the other Lords make final preparations and then activate the machine. To their great relief, the machine works and Greywalker has prevented anyone from following the Icon to their location. Greywalker looks over Lucien, and then once satisfied that the process has worked, he goes back to work on the Obsidian Orb. Ethan gently uses Eidolon to coax Lucien awake. Lucien opens his eyes and says “who the hell are you?” to Ethan. (GM’s note - Ethan has Bad Stuff) Isabelle hugs Lucien, much to Lucien’s surprise. He doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.
- Isabelle and Ethan bring Lucien up to speed. Lucien asks for food and eats quickly. He is very skinny. Lucien listens as the story is told. He is alarmed by the amount of time that has passed. He suggests that they need to get to Clockworld as swiftly as possible.
Adventure Summary - Clockworld
- Lucien takes over from Grant and repoints the Door to another location on the Stair which he doesn’t believe that their enemies can easily trace. Grant retires to get some rest. Lucien listens to all that has happened from Isabelle, Greywalker and Ethan, and hears more when Grant is rested.
- Lucien surmises that there are two Clockworlds currently in operation. Hence there is a need to get to Clockworld and sort out this situation quickly. He has a Master Key to Clockworld. However, Greywalker convinces him to delay his plans for a day or two until he confirms his theory as to how Bastiano is meddling with the timeline. It takes Greywalker less time than expected. He points out that Bastiano is wearing a silver crown of unknown origin when he meets with the Dwimmerlaik Empress - and each time he achieves the impossible, Bastiano is wearing he same crown. Greywalker thinks that this artefact is the source of Bastiano’s power. Grant confirms this as he recognises the crown from the Dragons’ Graveyard. He knows that Abbie even used this crown briefly in the original timeline, and it warps gossamer reality to match the wielder’s viewpoint.
- Grant asks Dayle to project herself to the Dragons’ Graveyard and confirm that the silver crown is gone. She is able to do this, confirming that Bastiano has the device.
- Lucien insists that they head to Clockworld at once given that Bastiano has such a device. Grant fears that it could be a trap but Lucien checks one of his compass-like devices and confirms that the Clockworld defences are still active.
- The Lords of Gossamer head to Clockworld. Lucien is very confident that he can fix this situation.
- Clockworld is just as Grant remembers it. It is vast, complex, and constantly moving.
* Image by Shortgreenpigg on DeviantART
- The energy radiated from Clockworld is strong in Eidolon, but it is not as piercing as that on Mechanus. Grant tolerates it. As they make their way through the superstructure, they are confronted by a glowing figure. She is a slim lady with long hair and she carries a rapier. Lucien recognises her as Veronique, and convinces her to let them pass.
- As they move on, Lucien comments that Clockworld creates ghostly copies of those who have died as its defenders. The next defender is a lady with a wide brimmed hat. Lucien is sad to see Jessamyn amongst the dead. Again he talks with her and convinces her to let them pass.
- They reach the control room. A glowing figure dressed in golden plate mail awaits them. This is Drake. Again, Lucien has to convince Drake to let them pass. Drake is wary of Grant (he ‘reeks of Umbra’) but Lucien convinces Drake to let them pass.
- Taking control of Clockworld, Lucien decides upon a course of action to unite the two Clockworlds into a single entity. This is a major undertaking, but he directs the programme of work and Ethan, Isabelle, Greywalker and Grant assist him to complete this task. This activity takes months of work, during which time Grant and Lucien spend a lot of time talking about strategy. Isabelle, Ethan and Greywalker do the bulk of work on Clockworld’s mechanism. Grant gets to know the Eidolon-ghost of Drake, and enjoys sparring with him. In the meantime, Ethan and Isabelle become very close - Isabelle agrees to go exploring with Ethan on the Stair ‘when this is all over’.
- Lucien drops his other self (imprisoned in the other Clockworld) off.
- Bastiano is confirmed as having his seat of power in the Legendary Realm, not in Marindar.
- Ethan suggests swapping the silver crown with another device, or tampering with it. Grant suggests tainting it with the Breath of Eden, hoping to cripple Bastiano when he first acquires the crown. This is done and a new timeline appears - one without Bastiano in ‘current control’, but it is not clear whether Bastiano has been actually neutralised or has simply gone to ground. In this revised timeline, it is noted that Oscar succeeds in finding Vala in demon-controlled Gossamer Realms.
- With Bastiano out of the way, attention then turns to how to change the timeline back to what it was, and how to reconcile their desire to help Jalt in the distant past. It becomes clear to Grant that Lucien’s goals are not aligned with his. He considers double-crossing Lucien but can’t see how to do it without significant risk.
- Grant and Lucien talk over many months. Grant tries to convince Lucien not to intervene, but Lucien is keen to ensure that Isabelle becomes a Warden. Grant points out the flaws of this - it would create a paradox for him, and for Isabelle. If Isabelle is a Warden before she meets Ethan, there would be no meeting between them. Ethan would never rescue Lucien. If Lucien prevents his own capture by the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik, then there are broader changes to the timeline. He strongly recommends that he not change events which could lead to paradox. They know that Umbra Masters are immune to paradox but others are not.
- They also discuss how to permanently deal with Bastiano. Bastiano remains a threat even if he has lost his mind. They can’t kill him because of the impact to Marindar, Sophia and the Great War. Lucien listens carefully to Grant’s ideas on this but remains non-committal.
- With Clockworld fully operational, Grant convinces Lucien to go back into the past to observe Jalt’s ‘origin’ - to see whether Jalt’s recollections are accurate or badly warped. There, they witness a calamitous event where a Typhonian’s corporeal form falls into earth like a falling star. Lucien’s jaw drops with astonishment as he realises that this thing is a semi-divine creature, not dead and yet not truly alive. He realises that Drake knew of all of this, but he did not. The decaying body begins affecting the landscape, warping and changing things. After seeing this, Grant becomes convinced that they cannot interfere with what happened here. There are too many parties that would be impacted by ‘saving’ Jalt. Drake was here. Jalt was separated from the other scouts and corrupted by his proximity to the dark god’s flesh. There is no evidence that the girl that he was chasing ever left the pit. It is possible that some sort of Umbral shadow did walk out, but it wasn’t the person who went in. They are left in the awkward position that they can’t do what Jalt wants them to do without changing the timeline significantly. Grant muses over telling Jalt the truth. He doesn’t know whether this would offer him a measure of peace of not.
- Unfortunately Grant is unable to curb Lucien’s desire to meddle in the timeline. Grant knows that Lucien will try to alter circumstances so that Isabelle will be a Warden. He seems blind to the consequences of such a choice. Thinking long and hard, Grant convinces Lucien to witness Isabelle’s accident which affected her ability to become a Warden. Studying the accident, Lucien realises that he has misunderstood the cause and that he can either prevent the accident, or take steps in the ‘future’ to help her to overcome her reliance on his Compass and become a real Warden of the Stair. The answer is simple if only Grant can convince Lucien not to help Isabelle by preventing the accident in the first place.
Other Impacts
- Session 151 will conclude this story arc as Grant and Lucien try to reconcile their differences and navigate a solution. I appreciate that the above narrative is very dense. David and I have agreed that after Session 151 there will be no more time travel ‘shenanigans’.
GM’s Observations
- As per the Part 1 writeup, unfortunately I was sick for about two weeks so ended up sharing blocks of the narrative (Jalt’s story) via email prior to the actual session. This part of the write-up contains what actually happened during the session.
- Up until now, Grant and Ethan have been relatively lucky in avoiding Bastiano’s hunters, the Marindan Defenders, the Dwimmerlaik and numerous bounty-killers who are after them. But their luck is about to run out ….
Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan, Lucien, Greywalker, Isabelle, Jalt
Adversaries
- The Marindan Defenders, consisting of:- Morrison, who is armed with a green power ring (similar to a Green Lantern)
- A grey-furred squirrel who is piloting a set of powered armour and carries a BFG (Big @#$&ing Gun).
- A Son of Saul
- A Technoknight, dressed in gold and black armour.
- The Black Knife, an elite group of Dwimmerlaik soldiers, consisting of:- Gradik - a muscular Dwimmerlaik, clad in black and silver scale mail, and wielding a silver hammer (of thunderbolts)
- His squad of Dwimmerlaik soldiers, who wield shields that were once ornaments on the Stair (and are hence completely impervious).
- Belgarian - a Dwimmerlaik witch who specialises in counterspells/blocking magic.
Adventure Hook
- This session follows straight on from Session 148. They have found Lucien, who is being cared for by Isabelle. Jalt has switched sides.
Adventure Summary - Part 1 - At the Athenaeum
- Jalt finishes telling his story. Grant was hoping that there would be more to go on - Bastiano, Jalt and possibly even Lucien seem to have changed many things in this timeline. Jalt is an unreliable witness but it seems almost hopeless to unravel or reverse all of these changes unless they can find a way of pinpointing either when the Faraday Queen timeship first arrived, or when they first started interfering. Taking charge of the situation, Grant recommends that the next order of business is to restore Lucien’s memories. He explains that he has experience with the Breath of Eden that Bastiano used and that he was part of the team which built the machine to restore the memories. Isabelle brightens at this suggestion.
- Grant shares what he knows of the process to restore Lucien’s memories. He uses the memory orb to share this with the others. Isabelle studies the procedure and then says that she knows where they should go and what they need to take. Ethan is equally fascinated by Grant’s memory orb - he asks if he could study it but Grant declines. He is worried that this could create even greater divergence.
- They make preparations to leave. They need to reach a place that is secure enough that they can restore Lucien and the Athenaeum is too open. There are too many rooms, too many archways and too much cover should an enemy find this place. Isabelle begins assembling equipment. They have many spare backpacks and she begins packing what she can.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- After two hours, Ethan notes that he hasn’t seen Jalt in about ten minutes. Grant and Ethan go looking for him and find him only two rooms away, standing rigidly. Irritation flickers across his face as he gets back to work. Grant uses Umbral Sight, half-expecting a hostile in the room but there is no immediate threat. A tense five minutes follows, and then suddenly Jalt heads to Ethan and hands him the broken Icon once more. Jalt says that he can’t stay here - and he’s going to take a walk. Grant asks how Jalt will find them again, and Jalt says that he won’t find them - he’ll find what Ethan has been given. Jalt promptly leaves the Athenaeum without explaining where he is going. The other Lords of Gossamer have the distinct impression that he was contacted via Icon. They don’t think he ratted them out, but they can’t be sure. They hurry with the packing.
- Ethan has constructed a chair-like backpack which is suitable for carrying Lucien. Isabelle straps on a second backpack, carrying the most vital supplies. Grant and Greywalker each carry a backpack.
- Isabelle leads them out of the Athenaeum via a backdoor which is hidden behind a bookcase. She explains that they are heading for Mechanus, a place that the Dwimmerlaik will not go.
Adventure Summary - Part 2 - The Mobile Stair
- This section of Stair is unlike any that Grant or Ethan have seen before. It consists of ladders, platforms and gantries as many other sections of Stair, but the complex moves on a clockwork cycle. The routes change. New Doors are exposed. Old Doors become hidden. There is a thick mist in this space but there are no obvious walls. The mist inhabits a void.
- Shutting the Door behind them, Isabelle explains that the Dwimmerlaik almost certainly don’t know about this section of the Stair. Also, Wayfinding is hard here because the Stair moves. She demonstrates that it is possible to alter the Stair’s configuration by using controls built into the platforms and gantries. These controls are well concealed as part of the structure - the twist of a handle, the press of a hidden button and the configuration of the Stair changes.
- They travel swiftly along the Stair with Isabelle in the lead and Grant bringing up the rear. Occasionally they have to pause - Isabelle checks an elaborate timepiece from time to time - and she seems to know the natural timing of the Stair in this section. At last, they reach a new Door which is made of shimmering chitinous material. The Door appears to be floating, connected only thinly to the gantry at the Door’s base.
Adventure Summary - Part 3 - The Kuari Princess
- Isabelle opens the Door and the Lords of Gossamer find themselves in a large lounge. Above them are large glass windows and beyond them, stars like small moons float by in a sea of deep blue coloured mist. They appear to be on some sort of vessel, like the Sparrowhawk.
- Surveying the place, Isabelle comments that it appears not to have changed. She consults her timepiece again and says that they need to be back at the same Door in fifty-two hours. In the mean time, they need to lie low and avoid detection. Grant checks with Ethan and Ethan confirms that he already has a Mental Invisibility spell in place (it’s becoming habit).
- Looking around, they find many different races here. Most are humanoid but none are human. The closest to human here are a race of thin humanoids with pale blue skin and protruding foreheads. The Lords try to find a berth but all are full and trying to persuade the purser does not work. Ethan produces the deep orange Beguiling Jacinth that Grant stole from Marindar, with the result that the purser is awestruck and will do anything Ethan asks. A room suitable for four passengers is found, quickly renovated and readied for them. Isabelle is impressed. Grant wonders if Isabelle has herself been affected by the Jacinth as she begins to warm up to Ethan.
* Image by jas-tham on DeviantART
- In their cabin, Isabelle begins casting spells (GM’s note - she is an accomplished sorcerer in this timeline) to conceal their presence and block scrying. The warding is so potent that it significantly dampens their Wayfinding even to the nearby Door. Ethan compliments her and she blushes.
- Over the next two days, the four Lords of Gossamer talk and plan. Food is organised via room service. All have itchy feet but they dare not go outside the warded chamber.
- Isabelle explains that Mechanus is a realm of machine people. It is a strong Eidolon world where Icons do not work easily. Lucien has a workshop there.
- Grant shares his memory orb to help them understand how the Breath of Eden was reversed in the original timeline. Isabelle asks a lot of questions and Ethan listens intently. She is clearly a scientist and an engineer at heart. Together the two of them start designing a machine and the components that they will need to fabricate. Grant again notes a spark of interest between Isabelle and Ethan. They seem to bounce ideas off each other very well.
- Meanwhile, Greywalker snoozes.
- As they work, Isabelle asks about both Grant and Ethan - where they have come from, their connection to one another and their motivations. Again, she seems to warm to Ethan over Grant. Grant is more intimidating with his colossal knowledge of multiple timelines. Ethan is simpler and easier to understand - he’s only recently become a Lord of Gossamer, he’s following others’ leads, he trusts Grant, and he wants to help Lucien and Isabelle without any apparent agenda or ulterior motive. Grant smiles inwardly at the spark between Isabelle and Ethan - there was a spark in the original timeline too so he is not surprised that it has manifested here too.
Adventure Summary - Part 4 - Returning to the Stair
- Fifty two hours pass. The Lords of Gossamer count down the remaining minutes and head to the Door, knowing that the configuration on the other side will have changed. However, things do not quite go according to plan. In the few minutes between leaving their berth and reaching the Door, Ethan feels the tug of an Icon contact. The tug becomes a push. Someone, or probably many someones, are pushing hard.
- Focusing to keep them out of his mind, Ethan calls out a warning to the others while he draws an Eidolon-enhanced pistol. They have been found.
- A dozen heavily armoured Dwimmerlaik with polished broad shields materialise on one side in the lounge. They are led by a narrow-eyed Dwimmerlaik, clad in silver and black, who wields a massively heavy silver hammer. They quickly interlock shields behind their leader.
- On the other side, another group materialises in a green shimmer. Grant recognises the Marindan Defenders - he spots Morrison.
* Image by Graysun_D on DeviantART
- Accompanying Morrison is a Son of Saul, a knight in black and gold armour and an individual (who appears to be a squirrel) sitting inside a twelve-foot high set of powered armour. The Lords of Gossamer are immediately encased in a green force bubble.
- Grant realises that these two groups are operating independently. He uses Umbra, and cuts loose with a shadow-lance to try to kill Morrison. The black spear penetrates the green shield, cracking it, but Morrison evades. Immediately the squirrel fires a canister through the breach in the shield from its BFG (GM’s note - yes, ‘Big F$%#ing Gun’).
- Ethan grabs Isabelle’s hand and triggers a Sorcerous Teleport. He hasn’t done this before, and unfortunately there is a Dwimmerlaik Witch who is trying to prevent Sorcerous escape. Using all of his formidable willpower (GM’s note - Dominant rank Psyche), Ethan forces the spell through, but it misfires. Ethan and Isabelle vanish, along with Lucien (strapped to his back), Greywalker (whom Ethan didn’t mean to take) and some random nearby objects - a comfortable chair, a vending machine and a flying robot waiter carrying a platter of food. Grant notes the explosion of black smoke isn’t Ethan’s normal teleport and he simply has to hope that Ethan knows what he is doing.
- Grant consumes the canister with Umbra as the breach in the green force shield closes up. Whatever the canister was can’t hurt him whilst it’s wrapped in Umbra. He looks left and right, and confirms that the others have bailed. Smiling, Grant blows a hole through the floor using Umbra, shifts into Shadow form and makes a run for it.
- Morrison is shocked by Grant’s sudden exit, and it takes him a moment to dispel the green containment field so that they can pursue. The Son of Saul is the first to dive into the breach after Grant but Grant reaches a Door first and uses his Mastery of the Stair to connect the door to another door on the same vessel. He does this more than once and then lies low in his shadow form. Both the Marindan Defenders and the Dwimmerlaik search the Kuari Princess for him, but he is too good to be found. Frustrated and disappointed, they leave.
- At last, figuring he has beaten them, Grant returns to the Stair only to find that he has no idea where to go from here.
Adventure Summary - Part 5 - Teleport Misfire
- Ethan, Isabelle, Greywalker and Lucien materialise along with a vending machine, chair and the robot waiter inside a futuristic chamber. Ethan’s head is spinning but he has arrived. Staggering, he is the least affected by the miscast. (GM’s note - he has Dominant rank Endurance) Isabelle collapses on the spot, and Greywalker says that he’s ‘gone blind’ and gropes for something to cling onto. Cursing to himself about brainless companions, he reaches the vending machine. Unfortunately they’ve arrived in an unfriendly environment. The inhabitants of the chamber are worm/snake-like creatures with skinny arms and legs. They seem most displeased with the Lords of Gossamer arrival and begin hissing to each other. Ethan doesn’t understand what they are saying (GM’s note - because they didn’t come through a Door) but one of them draws a strange pistol-like weapon.
- Ethan ducks for cover and loses his backpack and Lucien. Greywalker is hit and utters a most undignified curse before he hits the ground. Ethan fires back with one of the pistols that he manufactured in Meridian, killing two of the creatures. One of them hits him with a number of needle-like rounds but they just bounce off his armour. Within a minute, reinforcements have arrived - these worms have powered armour and heavier weapons - but Ethan’s vision has cleared and he does a ‘John Wick’ on them, slaughtering them all. Unfortunately this does not end the mess that they have arrived in. The Lords of Gossamer have arrived on a space vessel, and the worm-like aliens were using needler weapons to avoid piercing the hull. In the second exchange it becomes evident that Ethan’s enhanced weapons will penetrate the hull of the ship, leading to speedy decompression. Unfortunately it gets worse. The aliens decide that their mission has been compromised and they decide to self-destruct the ship by overloading the engines. Over the course about thirty minutes, Ethan is trying to patch walls, dragging his companions to a safe place, trying to convince the aliens that it’s all a mistake (unfortunately any he catches and tries to talk to commit suicide), heading to the drive room to try to disable the self destruct, realising that he doesn’t have time to eject the engines before they go critical, and then trying to commandeer a shuttlecraft and override the docking bay doors to let them escape. (GM’s note - yes, Ethan is a Bad Stuff character. Everything that can go wrong, goes wrong.)
- In spite of these obstacles, Ethan manages to find a way to launch the shuttlecraft before the mothership explodes. He realises that they are orbiting a lush green world, and he attempts to steer the craft safely to the ground. This is harder than he expected because the controls are totally alien. Ethan uses Eidolon to rouse both Isabelle and Greywalker, and they use all of their combined knowledge to land the craft. Ethan gives Isabelle the Torc of Stolvir the Great (said to make the wearer invulnerable) in order to keep her safe, Ethan tries to use Eidolon to keep the ship together, and Greywalker simply ‘buckles up’ and hopes for the best.
- They crash. The ship breaks up on impact, crashing into thick forest. Isabelle walks away from the crash without a scratch, astonished at how she could have survived that. (GM’s note - yes, the Torc is potent) She finds Ethan - he has a bad concussion and his arm is actually broken. (GM’s note - when will Ethan’s Bad Stuff ever end?) Greywalker is still attached to his seat, but the seat itself has been flung high into the trees and he is dangling precariously from a high branch. Isabelle helps Greywalker down, and they look through their supplies to find some morphine for Ethan. They give him enough to knock him out, figuring that he won’t have reserve to be able to block another Icon contact. Greywalker suggests that they find another way off this planet - he can sense another Door nearby on this planet but it is a long way away. Greywalker and Isabelle ward the area and they settle down to wait until Ethan recovers a little.
Adventure Summary - Part 6 - Reunited
- Ethan regains consciousness faster than they expect. Isabelle has splinted his arm to help it heal. She explains where they are, and Greywalker criticises him for attempting a ‘blind jump’. Ethan doesn’t really take it in - his head is muddled and he hurts everywhere. He asks if he should contact Grant given that they were separated. They agree, but Isabelle makes the contact on Ethan’s behalf.
- They find that Grant has continued walking on the Stair and been waiting in another nearby realm for them. He had tried to contact Ethan but found that he was unconscious. The group is swiftly reunited. Grant explains that this world appears to be a highly ordered modern society. He hasn’t seen any rubbish or pollution since he arrived. He thinks the people here could have some sort of hive mind based on the way that they move and interact with one another. Ethan is apprehensive but Grant encourages them to eat and move on quickly. He has a theory that they are tracking Ethan rather than Grant, and they need to keep moving. Isabelle reassures the group that they will be safe when they reach Mechanus.
- Returning to the Stair, Ethan still has a splitting headache and a bad feeling that they are being hunted once more. Isabelle leads the way once more, and both Greywalker and Grant stay close to Ethan to keep him moving. Hours pass. Both Ethan and Greywalker comment that they are sure that someone is hunting for them and that they are nearby. Grant continues to play rearguard, keeping a watchful eye peeled for pursuit. On one of the breaks, Grant asks Isabelle to warn him when they are getting close as he wants to leave a false trail to another location.
- They arrive at Mechanus after ten hours on the Stair. Ethan’s headache has receded. Greywalker and Grant have left multiple false trails and Grant has used Umbra to carefully mask their true destination. Mechanus is a plane where everything is made of moving machinery and intricate cogs. Even the larger creatures seem to be made up of a hive of smaller machines. They show no interest in the Lords of Gossamer. A golden light seems to radiate from everything here - the Eidolon radiance is uncomfortable for Grant. This whole place seems to be one complex system. Isabelle leads them through what resembles a golden forest peppered with the occasional ornate building made of the same golden machinery. At last they come to a structure which is made of the same material but it has an anachronistic slanted roof which stands out. Isabelle produces an elaborate golden key and turns it within the lock. The house with the slanted roof seems too small to be one of Lucien’s workshops but inside, it is much larger (similar to Marindan structures).
- The interior reminds Grant of Clockworld. As Isabelle locks the Door behind them, he finds his Wayfinding cut off to the outside world. It is as if they are no longer in Mechanus at all. A pair of service robots with the numbers Five and Seven greet Isabelle and offer to take their things. Isabelle directs Seven to prepare lodgings for them all and she takes Lucien to a room and makes him comfortable.
- The lodgings here are very large. There are many work areas, multiple libraries and an observatory where the telescope faces inwards rather than outwards. Isabelle assures them that they are safe in this place, and that wards surrounding this place are considerable. She also points out that there are many doorways here, but no doors. This realm is cut off.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Ethan feels much better after some food. The food is Eidolon-enhanced and it helps his body to recover more quickly. Unfortunately Grant doesn’t feel very well. This place seems to upset his stomach. He goes to rest for a bit. He unexpectedly conks out and sleeps for a long time.
- In the meantime, Isabelle has sorted out the gear that they lugged from the Athenaeum, and the three Lords of Gossamer begin work on the machine to restore Lucien’s memories. Isabelle and Ethan work well together, and Greywalker marvels at how quickly their plans take form. They are aided by three golden servitors - Three, Five, and Eleven. (Ethan notes that they all seem to have names based on prime numbers).
Adventure Summary - Part 7 - The Projection
- Twelve hours pass, and Greywalker retires for a nap. Ethan and Isabelle continue. Ethan remarks that it would be better if some music were playing. To Ethan’s surprise, Isabelle finds some Beethoven, Mozart and Handel in Lucien’s collection. They carry on working for another two hours before Isabelle begins rubbing her eyes with tiredness and she suggests that they should both rest, especially given Ethan’s broken arm.
- As they begin to leave, Isabelle notes that they are not alone. An elegant woman, ghostly transparent is standing in the doorway. Her dress is formal and she is dressed in black and silver. Her eyes glow faintly. Ethan tenses, unsure what to make of this new individual, but Isabelle greets the woman as Dayle.
* Image by Jason Rainville
- Dayle speaks with a beautiful, measured voice. She did not wish to disturb or alarm them while they were working and was waiting for an opportunity to talk to them. She has not been standing by the door for more than a few minutes. Isabelle introduces Ethan to Dayle, explaining that she is one of the oldest and most travelled of the Lords of Gossamer. Ethan expresses surprise that he cannot sense her as a Lord of Gossamer, but she politely explains that this because she is not really ‘here’, but is ‘far, far away’. Dayle seems pleased to meet Ethan but she quickly asks about Lucien. Both Isabelle and Ethan are guarded until Dayle explains that Jalt sought her out and she offers to assist in any way that she can. Dayle says that she ‘sees much that is happening on the Stair’. Ethan asks if they are being hunted and Dayle confirms this to be the case. There are many seeking them out by many different methods. She suggests that they hurry with what they are doing.
- Grimly, Ethan looks back at their mostly assembled machine and he suggests to Isabelle that they press on. Isabelle smiles and says that their enemies won’t find them so easily - they have time to rest. Dayle offers to keep watch and alert them if any of their enemies come close. Ethan thanks her. Dayle says that she will return in ten hours and she fades from view.
- Before resting, Ethan leaves a note for Grant, saying that Jalt has been in touch and has found a new ally. When Grant wakes, he finds the note.
Other Impacts
- So we finally have Dayle in the game. She has not appeared before in the Grant/Ethan game.
GM’s Observations
- Unfortunately I was sick for about two weeks, so we ended up sharing blocks of the narrative (Jalt’s story) via email prior to the actual session. Given that the narrative would be very long, I decided to split the writeup into two parts - this first part is only Jalt’s story.
Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan, Lucien, Greywalker, Isabelle, Jalt
Adversaries
- None
Adventure Hook
- This session follows straight on from Session 148. They have found Lucien, who is being cared for by Isabelle. Jalt has switched sides.
Jalt’s Tale - Part 1
- Seeking to understand why Jalt would have joined forces with Bastiano, the Lords of Gossamer listen to Jalt’s story. The story does not make sense, but this is what he says:
- Jalt tells a story of how he travelled with three other elven scouts far into the far north where no one and nothing lived. All four were young by elven standards but they were experienced. They were chasing a fallen star and travelled for many months to find it. In the ice sheets of the far north, they found an abyssal rift where the star had fallen. Exploring that place, they found they were completely unprepared for the horrors that had come from above. One by one they lost their way. The first to fall was a young elven girl whom he admits to being in love with - she fell - one of the ropes broke in the descent. They tried to recover her body but they could not find it. Jalt lost track of the others - he appears confused in the storytelling to Grant and Ethan. Jalt is not sure if he lost them or they lost him. He has fragments of lucid memory. By this point, Grant would be almost certain that Jalt has been exposed to Umbra.
* Image sourced from Google Images but this image by Igor Braulio
- Despite the freezing temperatures and lack of food, somehow the mad elf survived. In fact, he continued to explore The Maw (as he called it). The sprawling rift seemed to change over time, exposing new fissures in the ice. Convinced that she had either crawled into an ice cave or been taken by one of the horrors living in this strange place, he began hunting. He found a silver ring that she carried and became even more convinced that she was alive somewhere.
- Then one day, he found tracks leading out of the Maw. It seemed impossible and he was convinced that he was dreaming. He followed the tracks back onto the ice flow where they became indistinct and petered out - but he continued to follow them nonetheless. In hindsight, he thinks it madness - folly that he believed that she could have walked out after so long. It took him a long time - the Maw had grown and spread to cover most of the valley floor and the fissures were much deeper than should be possible.
- At last when he had travelled for days, he felt that the trail had only been a dream and he fell into despair. He could tell that the seasons had shifted and that much time had passed. He made his way back to his home, and the elves there were astonished to see him alive. His brother scouts had believed him lost, and returned home long ago.
- Jalt tried to fit in but he was never quite the same elf. He was always quiet but now he stood apart from his kin. Almost a year after returning, he travelled back to the Maw with a new company of elves to verify that the Maw was spreading. They found that the abyssal vents were melting the deep northern ice and the impure waters were flowing south into human lands. The elves tried what they could but ended up giving up and returning to their homelands. Jalt was unhappy and restless with their decision to leave the Maw along and hope for the best. They tried to settle him, but he wanted to be elsewhere, feeling more disconnected from his people that he had ever felt before. So he left and went travelling, searching for some answers for what was happening, and perhaps a clue as to where his fallen companion might have gone, assuming that he not gone mad and imagined it all. Time passed - occasionally there were rumblings from the north. Stories of a giant, black pit which spawned all nature of evil. Jalt listened but did nothing about them. He lost interest with returning to the Maw and instead moved south through the human lands, and then east to the dwarves mountains. As he travelled, he listened for rumours about an elven girl - and occasionally there was a glimmer of hope. He heard whispers of an elven girl who travelled alone. It was during this time that he first met a Lord of Gossamer. He met Lord Drake. Jalt was asked to guide Drake’s men to the north. He was going to say no but Drake was persuasive. He agreed to lead Drake’s men.
* Image by Jason Rainville
- Returning to the north for the first time in many years, he found the landscape transformed - the Maw had spread even further, spear-like mountains had erupted like a defensive wall, and there were black-skinned orcs of a kind never seen before that now held the land. Jalt agreed to fight alongside Drake. What followed was a terrible war.
- But all wars come to an end sooner or later, and Jalt doesn’t dwell on what happened. Instead he makes mention of Gorgorin the Shatterer. He notes that Grant has carried this weapon. Jalt notes that he has carried this weapon. Kargoth, one of the Maw-transformed generals, wielded this powerful weapon. He was defeated when separated from Gorgorin by ‘some good fortune’. Grant knows Kargoth - Grant defeated him. Jalt muses over this. He was pursued by Kargoth for many years who sought to reclaim the weapon. Jalt only used it once, but it was too powerful a weapon for him to handle. He even fled ‘across worlds’ with Kargoth in pursuit. Somewhere on those travels, he became able to perceive and open Doors. He doesn’t think it was a sudden thing, but rather a slow awareness of such things. He met Greywalker on one of those journeys, but that is another story.
- Jalt switches back to the story and says that The Maw never really healed, nor was the world saved. Drake may have won a battle or two, but the war was ultimately lost. The elves were driven back into their forests, the dwarves ever deeper into their underground holds. The human lands were conquered. He doesn’t know what happened. He headed east. He was still seeking to follow the faintest footsteps that he had perceived so many years before, and following the occasional odd rumour which might lead him to her. At last he reached lands where the Shadow had not yet fallen, and that’s where the it finally happened. In lands where honour, loyalty and discipline are highly prized, he found the girl that he had been seeking. She called herself Jasla now, and she was as far from the light as darkness can be. Jalt pauses, and Ethan has to ask him what happened. Jalt says that she appeared to have no recollection of her life before. He admits that she stabbed him with a poisoned blade. He doesn’t want to say any further about her, or what happened to her.
- And then the topic of conversation shifts to what Bastiano was trying to do, and what Jalt wanted changed ….
Jalt’s Tale - Part 2
- Grant and Ethan are more than a little confused by Jalt's story. It is not a consistent or coherent narrative, and some things just don't make sense. It is easy to believe that he has been affected by Umbra, and Grant confirms this with Umbral Sight. Jalt's body is unchanged but his mind is very mixed up. It's not even clear whether this elf is the same elf who went to the Maw in the first place - he doesn't mention much about his life before going to the Maw. He stares blankly at Ethan when asked about family and childhood. Jalt is clear about some details and yet either blind or hazy about others.
- It's also not clear whether Jasla is a figment of his imagination, or a Umbra-induced hallucination. There is something very wrong about his story - it feels wrong somehow. But Jalt seems convinced that the elf girl exists, survived the fall and left the Maw under her own power, no matter how implausible that sounds.
- From what they can discern, Jalt doesn't speak of this because it sounds crazy. He is sufficiently self-aware to know that. But it does seem that Bastiano is the only person who offered to help Jalt, the only one who showed kindness towards him. (Well, not completely true - Ethan seems to have struck a rapport with him on Marindar, but he never explained this level of detail to him) Bastiano seems to be the only person that Jalt actually likes, and this itself angers him because he has come to the realisation that Bastiano has used him, or at least failed to honour the agreement as he understood it.
- Grant can tell that there is a lot of anger in Jalt. The elf doesn't comprehend what has happened to him, and he is frustrated and angry at his inability to comprehend or resolve what happened. The offer to somehow undo all of this would have been a very powerful carrot for him.
Jalt’s Tale - Part 3
- Shifting the conversation back to the Faraday Queen, Jalt says that he first learnt about the timeship from Bastiano almost two years before the plan went ahead. Bastiano dropped it into conversation one day. Grant is certain that this would have been deliberate. Bastiano would have known the impact that such a device might have on Jalt. Bastiano knew that Lucien had built it and used it once.
- As a result of this exchange, Jalt decided to join Lucien at the Athenaeum. Jalt justified it that Lucien needed protection in the wake of the attack on Mowbray and the distribution of the Breath of Eden, but he had a different purpose - he wanted to find any trace in Lucien's library to what happened to the Faraday Queen.
- In the library, Jalt found information about Lucien's timeship. He found sketches, some preliminary engineering drawings and Lucien's notes about the first and only 'jaunt'. Most critically he found that this jaunt had been on Marindar.
- Jalt relayed this information to Bastiano and continued to search for more details. Meanwhile, Jalt knows that Bastiano went to Marindar to look for corroborating evidence. It did not take Bastiano long to find evidence that confirmed the timeship's existence on Marindar, but according to records it was destroyed. Also notable was that Banatar, the legendary Marindan sorcerer, was apparently killed onboard the timeship. This conflicted with what Bastiano and Jalt knew of Banatar - they thought he died at the end of the Great War. Bastiano went to organise an underwater salvage operation to see if anything could be learnt from the wreckage. It took some time to find the wreckage, but they found it. The ship was destroyed and unsalvageable.
- Jalt was disappointed with this news, but again it was Bastiano who suggested a possible way forward. He advised Jalt to find Banatar in Hades and find out what happened. Despite the danger in such an expedition, Jalt went into the Underworld and managed to find Banatar's shade. Banatar was unwilling to talk about what had happened except that it had been an accident. Jalt was furious that Banatar wouldn't talk.
- Jalt admits that it was not a good situation. The timeship was destroyed, unsalvageable and the only person who he could think of to build another (Lucien) would probably not do it.
- But a few months later, the situation had changed. Bastiano had convinced Lucien to help. Jalt doesn't know how. The solution involved using another machine called Clockworld to reverse the flow of time in Marindar (in relative terms) and take the timeship before it was destroyed. Lucien seemed confident that he could do this and for the first time in an age, Jalt thought that things might turn out all right.
- Jalt doesn't know all of the details, but there were only three of them at this time - Bastiano, Lucien and himself. They spoke about their plans to no one. He knew that Clockworld had to be repurposed. Lucien attached it to Marindar (he doesn’t mention that Jacob was involved in helping Lucien), and Bastiano wanted Grant out of the way so that he wouldn't interfere (as he knew that Grant had some degree of affinity, perhaps even influence over the gossamer reality of Marindar).
- The plan worked. They went back, and seized the timeship shortly after its maiden voyage. Lucien stunned his younger self and put him in a hibernation capsule on Clockworld. (Grant understands by this that Lucien immobilised himself, but later Bastiano subjected the older Lucien to the Breath of Eden, effectively stranding the younger Lucien in a detached realm and immobilising both Luciens). Lucien then convinced Banatar to come with him, which made the party four. According to Jalt, Banatar was easy to convince. Lucien spun a tale of a terrible future and neither Bastiano and Jalt disputed the story that he told.
- The timeship needed a lot of work - there was a major instability that needed to be corrected before it could be used again. Lucien suspected that the instability had been caused by Umbra, but he thought it unlikely that Bastiano would have purposefully done this. Repairs were made. When they were ready, they went back…..
Jalt’s Tale - Part 4
- Jalt sighs and says that they arrived at the height of the Great War against the Dwimmerlaik. He didn’t understand why Lucien had brought them back at this point, because this was hundreds of years after the events that he wanted to change. Jalt asked Lucien about this but he was advised to ‘trust him’. Jalt trusted Lucien because he saw no reason not to.
* Image by Jason Rainville
- However, Jalt notes, Lucien and Bastiano had very different ideas about disturbing the past. Both wanted to be discreet, but Lucien seem to take this to the extreme. Bastiano asked Jalt to come with him, and the two of them slipped away. They began gathering information about this reality, confirming that it was as they remembered it and not different. Then Bastiano chose to intervene in an event on Marindar that seemed relatively minor, but it saved the life of a Marindan noble named Arcavia. Bastano used subterfuge (shapeshifting) to achieve this, but even then he didn’t interfere directly - he still used proxies and he was very careful. Bastiano was pleased with this change, and they discussed what else they could do whilst here. Jalt suggested that they kill Krovaliss or ’deal with’ the Dwimmerlaik homeworlds. Bastiano was taken aback by the suggestion and rejected the idea but he was curious as to how Jalt would propose achieving such a deed.
- To Grant’s surprise, Jalt talks about retrieving Gorgorin the Shatterer from ‘where he hid it’, implying that Jalt knows about the Dragons’ Graveyard. Nevertheless, Grant stays silent and listens.
- Jalt continues and details the numerous minor and not-so-minor interventions that occurred. He doesn’t know what happened to Lucien. He assumes that Lucien was smarter than either Bastiano or himself - and that he was seeking something far more precise and hence he stayed completely hidden and only affected things very slightly. Ethan asks about time paradox given that Lucien had evidently immobilised his younger self. To this, Jalt stares blankly at them and says that he doesn’t know. He was aware that there was another Bastiano and another version of himself running around. Ethan pushes to understand more - if the Great War ended hundreds of years ago, does that mean that there have been two Bastianos and two Jalts running around for all of that time? Jalt explains that his other self - his younger self - died during the Great War. He’s not really sure what they changed that resulted in that outcome, but he is still here - he didn’t wink out because his younger self died. As for Bastiano, he has lost track of how many there are of him. There are at least three. He doesn’t understand how there could be more than two, but there are.
- Grant encourages Jalt to continue with his story. It seems that both Bastiano and Jalt changed things in the timeline. Both were relatively subtle to begin with but that quickly went out the window when they found things changing as a result of their meddling. Jalt found himself changing history when he defended against himself the Dwimmerlaik. Simply killing a handful of them resulted in changes to the timeline. Before long, they were not merely observers but active participants in the war as they found that things were changing away from what they were familiar with. Bastiano joined the fight alongside the Lords of Gossamer, joining forces even with the Lucien of this time period. He seemed to be enjoying himself and began taking an active interest in changing history.
- Grant frowns - he thought that Bastiano only became active in the last years of the Great War. At least this is how it was in the original timeline.
- The rest of Jalt’s story is even more confusing. It reeks of paradox, and yet both Bastiano and Jalt seem to still exist despite changing history and not returning to the future. Grant and Ethan aren’t even sure if Jalt is a reliable witness. Certainly the earliest sections of his account seem to be fragments and they wonder if his recollection is entirely accurate.
- According to Jalt, the Great War ended when the Dwimmerlaik Empire surrendered to the High Lords. Grant raises his eyebrows at this one. High Lords haven’t been mentioned before. Greywalker explains that in Bastiano’s Empire, the most powerful of the Lords of Gossamer are referred to as High Lords. Bastiano was originally the High Lord, but he elevated himself to Emperor and promoted the ruling council of Lords to High Lords. Drake and Jalt are High Lords. (Jalt lowers his eyes at this). Isabelle is not - she is considered too young.
- Grant asks what made the Dwimmerlaik surrender, and Greywalker says simply that they gave up. The Lords of Gossamer had done much damage to them during the Great War, and they no longer wished to continue. It had become too costly, and they chose to submit. Grant finds the idea of the Empress Ayasha surrendering to be ludicrous. Nevertheless, Jalt, Isabelle and Greywalker confirm this, leaving Grant to wonder how Bastiano could have possibly performed such a feat.
Other Impacts
- Obviously we have time paradox going on without apparent consequence. There is a reason for it but I haven’t explained it yet (because David is still figuring it out).
- It is also not clear how Bastiano changed things to this degree. Again, there is an explanation but I’m not going to divulge it because David hasn’t figured it out yet.
