For post 499, I thought I'd take a step back into the past and dust off (literally dust off), the LEGO Lords of Gossamer....
From top to bottom, left to right:- Top Row - Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik, R2-J7, Yaeger Zane, Macavity
- Second Row - Lady Sophia, Grant, Ethan, Abbie (Abigail)
- Third Row - Drake, Lady Vala, Lucien, Isabelle
- Fourth Row - Greywalker, Mordecai, Jodan, Bastiano
(and just off to the left hand side is Stolvir, Ethan's white wolf, complete with Christmas hat)
I really need to do more with my LEGO. For one, it is dusty. But also, I miss doing stuff like the following which I did for the Grant/Ethan's 3rd birthday:
... the rest of those photos are here if you're interested....
Definitely need some more LEGO Lords of Gossamer going forward.....
- And here is the 2018 Christmas Special. It was a little late because David was in hospital. The point of the Christmas Special is normally to do something with a Christmas theme or do something more light hearted. It doesn’t always succeed but it’s tradition.
- Grant, Ethan and Macavity (Ethan’s capital-C Cat) are travelling together on a passenger vessel to Nautica. The Doors are on different planets. It has been a week since their failed attempt to recover Abigail. Even though inside the ship is festooned with Christmas decorations (they even call it Christmas in this reality), Ethan isn’t really in the mood. He’s confused by Abbie’s behaviour and using Divination and Scrying to hunt for answers. He isn’t having much luck. Also the Kingdom of Bloodstone is a mess given that Abbie lost the entire army. The people of Bloodstone are spooked and upset. Bloodstone’s neighbours are already eyeing Bloodstone with envious eyes.
- It’s only a short trip through Warpspace to their destination and about eight hours travel in normal space. Macavity fits in here as there are many talking pets here. Ethan finally tries to contact Abbie to talk to her but she doesn’t respond. Ethan enjoys the view of the nebula from the viewing deck and chats with Macavity (who has a belly full of fish) while Grant tries out the holodeck.
- They encourage passengers to sleep during the six hours through Warpspace and Ethan follows instructions. Unfortunately on the journey, the ship enters a minefield and is disabled. Grant and Ethan go to work to try to figure out what has happened and they find large sections of the ship have been opened to hard vacuum. Ethan concentrates on engineering. Grant heads to the bridge and rescues a crewman who has been blown out into space and is tumbling away in a spacesuit. Macavity does a survey of the ship and tries to keep the remaining passengers out of trouble. They quickly realise the scale of the damage is beyond three people to fix and Ethan contacts Isabelle (who is tipsy) and asks for her aid. She sobers up quickly and comes to assist. They repair the communications array and then repair one of the engines to provide some basic propulsion (as they are drifting further into the minefield). Then Ethan goes to provide some medical aid to the injured – including the Captain.
- By this time, Grant has identified that there are many mines outside the ship and it will take some careful manoeuvres to extricate the ship from the minefield. As they make preparations, an ancient warship and minelayer emerges from the nebula to finish them off. The old warship appears to be operating autonomously. With no weapons onboard the ship, Grant lures the ancient minelayer into the minefield. It takes many mines to destroy the enemy ship but they are successful in doing so.
- Isabelle thanks Ethan for the invitation and she heads off to the next party. Five hours later, a military hospital ship arrives to evacuate the crew and wounded. The three friends play cards on the way. Arriving in Nautica, they are greeted by a lot a frantic people who are waiting for their loved ones, some of whom will not be coming home. However, Grant spots the engineer that he rescued from space being reunited with his family and feels better about things. As they head for the Door, Ethan considers contacting Abbie again via Icon but thinks better of it. Instead he contacts Isabelle and asks if he could join her. She accepts and he and Macavity find themselves in a familiar looking hotel – it’s Midas (GM’s note - first visited in Session 70) – and there are others here whom Ethan knows. However, there is no Yaeger Zane. It is late afternoon and there is a party on the beach. Ethan and Macavity sit on the warm sand and watch the sun setting. Ethan thinks about the future ….
- David left hospital just after Christmas Day and he was well enough to run this session. This was a longer session, hence I’m going to tell the story in two parts. We deferred the annual ‘Christmas Special’ until Session 167. Fear not – it is coming.
Part 1 – Seizing the Initiative
- It’s only two hours before dawn when Grant returns from his snooping. He talks with Ethan and Isabelle while Olin remains fast asleep. They decide that they will take no action that evening.
- In the morning Grant is awoken by a mummy servant sweeping the stone floor in the corridor nearby. Olin is still asleep. Ethan and Isabelle are already up and having breakfast whilst being attended to by some of the undead servants. They talk again. Ethan says that he has done more Divination spells. Liliana will be leaving the realm today but will not be gone for long. There is some sort of event happening in the next 2-3 days which is important. They are all still in danger but Abbie is in less danger than they are. Isabelle wonders how long this hospitality will last.
- After a while, Yaeger Zane arrives, brimming with confidence. He grabs a piece of fruit and as there is no place at the table for him to sit, he stands. He asks how long they intend to stay – it is very clear that he doesn’t want them here. He doesn’t them ‘muscling in’. Grant asks how he came here and how he would leave (given that there are no Doors). His answer is cryptic but Grant assumes that he knows Sorcery.
* Image of Yaeger Zane by Sam Denmark
- Ethan says little. Grant does the talking. Eventually Olin arrives. Grant admits that they came for Lady Abigail (Abbie) and that there is a spell on her. Yaeger doesn’t believe it, and he whistles for a shadow to guide them to her. Abbie is close-by, clad in light armour, armed and with her hair tied back in a bun. She stiffens when she sees Ethan. Yaeger says that they believe that she’s enchanted. Yaeger agrees and pays her a complement on her physical beauty. She reacts negatively but takes it out on Ethan (GM’s note – Ethan’s Bad Stuff again). Again she refuses to leave.
- Ethan tries to reason with her but she unloads even further, pointing out the number of times that Ethan has ‘fixed things’ (even a whole world) and then walked away from it. Grant tries another tact and reasons with Yaeger that they are under a spell even if they are not aware of it. Yaeger listens thoughtfully while Abbie remains angry.
- Yaeger retrieves some powders which he inhales (GM’s note – yes, why wouldn’t Yaeger be snorting some white power to trigger his ‘sorcerous’ powers) and then he throws a fistful of ‘dust’ into the air while chanting. Yaeger’s spell reveals a lot of magical spells in the room. Abbie’s defensive wards show up as red and orange blooms. But there are also intricate green-blue flowing chains around both her and Yaeger. Abbie shows curiosity at first but then her attitude hardens. It does not change her opinion – she seems to be convinced that Ethan has manufactured this situation somehow.
- Surreptitiously, Isabelle has been using an Icon of Abbie to create a mental connection with her – to see whether the real Abbie is here or whether this person is someone else. Suddenly Abbie becomes aware of this intrusion and she smiles a cruel, most un-Abigail-like smile and promptly blasts her off her feet with a force bolt. With this attack, the shadows and guardian mummies are alerted and they begin moving from adjacent rooms. Olin draws his sword and covers the door, ready for the inevitable attack.
- Yaeger leaps into the fray, drawing a weapon and siding with Abigail. Grant makes a beeline for Abigail and for a moment, Ethan considers unleashing a spell on Grant but changes his mind and directs a full strength ‘force push’ upon Yaeger, blasting him out onto the balcony.
- Grant unleashes Umbra upon Abigail, smashing the spells around her – crashing her sorcerous defences and agitating the green-blue lines of control. Grant follows up and renders her unconscious, much to Ethan’s dismay.
- Yaeger gives a bellow and leaps back into the room. The green-blue chains around him are also writhing furiously. He is amped up, pissed off and ready for a fight. He has a massive curved blade. Grant barks an order to Ethan, telling him to tend to Isabelle while he handles Yaeger.
- Battle is joined between Yaeger and Grant. The bloodlust is with Yaeger Zane and Grant is fighting to subdue him. Grant quickly shatters Yaeger’s sword with Gorgorin the Shatterer and then then the battle becomes a fist fight. Meanwhile, Ethan has erected a force-shield to prevent the jackal-headed guards from entering the room and shield the floor and walls from the shadows that are coming through the stonework. The jackal-headed guards begin incantations to dismantle the shield. There are many places that the shield is coming under attack. Normally Ethan would be capable of withstanding this sort of attack but his mind is in disarray. Inside the shield perimeter, Olin waits for the unhappy moment when the shield will collapse.
- After a few minutes, Ethan judges that the situation is going to get much worse if they stay. He tells Grant that they are leaving immediately and Grant quickly agrees, even though he has the upper hand in his battle with Yaeger Zane. (GM’s note – Grant outranks Yaeger Zane in Warfare but they are a closer match with Strength) A teleport spell is hastily triggered and all of them (Grant, Ethan, Isabelle, Abigail, Yaeger and Olin) are transported to the Legendary Realm. The teleport is a shock to the system. Their bodies feel like they are on fire. Olin collapses. Even Yaeger is staggered. But the intricate blue-green spell-chains are still on both Abbie and Yaeger. They have a moment to draw breath but there is a sudden flash and both Yaeger and Abigail are gone. Ethan is very upset by this – they didn’t adequately interrupt the enchantments on both of them and whoever cast the spells had built in some sort of recall ability.
- Isabelle regains consciousness soon after. She has bruises where she was slammed into the palace wall. Olin escaped without a scratch. Ethan bitterly admits to them that they lost.
Part 2 – Salvaging the Situation
- Standing in a farmer’s field to the east of the Bloodstone capital, the group talk about what to do next. Grant and Ethan are frustrated and angry. They assume that Abigail and Yaeger have been recalled to Amonkhet. The spellcraft was certainly the work of a master magician. They debate whether to return immediately to Amonkhet or not.
- Grant points out that Amonkhet will be crawling with undead soldiers and returning would almost certainly result in another fight. Ethan thinks it over. Isabelle points out that that Abbie was certainly there – she verified it via Icon. Icons don’t work into Amonkhet but they do work within Amonkhet.
- Ethan steels himself and decides that they’re going back. He gathers his equipment from the Legendary Realm, including the impervious Dragonshield and the Silver Crown which can shape reality, both of which were recovered from the Dragons’ Graveyard. He places a sorcerous marker on the ‘bird cage’ (also recovered from the same place), just in case. (GM’s note – these artifacts were recovered in Sessions 134-135)
- Ethan is not completely sure that he can adjust his Mental Invisibility spell to avoid the undead but he decides to wing it (without telling Grant). He and Grant teleport back to Amonkhet to their previous rendezvous. Ethan uses a modified version of Mental Invisibility and discovers to his pleasant surprise that it works. Grant hides in shadow form in Ethan’s shadow.
- But neither Abigail nor Yaeger Zane are in Amonkhet. Wayfinding tells them this. They quickly decide to change target and capture Liliana, figuring that she probably knows the most about what is going on.
- They make their way back into the palace. Ethan has to concentrate hard to do this as the black-eyed jackal guards and the sightless shadows are difficult to fool. Using Wayfinding, Ethan hunts down Liliana and finds her in a separate chamber full of peculiar, sweet smelling yellow smoke that flows from a lit brazier. A deep bass voice can be heard inside the chamber, talking to her. Clearly the smoke is a sorcerous method of communication.
- The voice says that it is not amused and asks Liliana why she has disturbed him. She reports that two Lords of Gossamer came to Amonkhet looking for Lady Abigail (she oddly doesn’t mention Isabelle as a Lady of Gossamer). The voice tells her that nothing has changed and to keep to the plan. Liliana asks about her people (presumably referring to Yaeger Zane and Lady Abigail) and the voice assures them that they are safe with him. Liliana says that it is difficult to keep to the plan without them and the voice asks them which is needed more. Liliana wants Yaeger due to his strength. The voice says he will consider her request, and the connection is cut. Ethan catches a glimpse of what is in the smoke before it dissipates – the head of a great horned dragon.
- With the room still full of smoke, Grant shifts into shadow form and tries to find a vantage point to ambush her. This fails as she spies the shadow on the wall and realises that is not one of hers. Before she can attack, Ethan drives her into the ceiling with a Force Push. She collapses on the floor with blood on her lips and Grant quickly incapacitates her with a second punch. He is careful not to render her unconscious lest it be a trigger for a recall spell.
- Two jackal guards attack from a chamber on the other side. Ethan blasts them away.
- Despite Liliana’s weakened state, she is still somehow capable of using spells. She triggers a spell and as she rises to her feet, sigils glow over her body and Grant can feel the life being sucked out of him. Grant uses Umbra as an anti-magic screen to scour the sigils off her. She screams as green and purple light rips over her but Grant does not hold back. He rips the sigils from her. Collapsing on the floor and spitting blood, she begins cackling with glee, declaring herself finally ‘free’! Chuckling, she tells the Lords of Gossamer that they have no hope and that Nicol Bolas will kill them all. (GM’s note – yes, Nicol Bolas, who else?) Grant realises that Bolas’ enchanted coils are still on Liliana – he hasn’t yet broken them – and they are highly agitated as they were when they were fighting Yaeger Zane and Abigail.
- More of the undead tear into the chamber. Ethan blasts what he can but the smoke has made the visibility very poor and his defences on the room are incomplete. Some get through, forcing Grant to defend himself.
- Despite everything, Liliana still has enough power to stand and cast spells. She shouldn’t be standing but somehow she is exceeding her physical limits and still going. Grant decides that he is running out of time. At the next opportunity during the battle he uses Umbra to violently break all remaining enchantments and spells upon her. She struggles to withstand the attack and for a moment Grant thinks she might able to hold him. Suddenly, she falls to the ground like a puppet with her strings cut. Liliana Vess is dead. Grant has apparently killed her.
- Once more frustrated, Ethan puts up the best shield he can around them and tells Grant to cover him. Using Eidolon, Ethan brings Liliana back from the edge of death. Her face and body have aged to be that of an old woman but her piercing eyes open and she tells Ethan that he is a wonderful fool. With Ethan’s shield cracking around them and shadows phasing through the unshielded floor, Grant declares that it is time to go. Cradling Liliana, Ethan musters another teleport.
Part 3 – Japanese Teahouse
- The three appear outside Ethan’s favourite tea house (GM’s note – last seen in Session 96). They go inside and order some tea and cucumber sandwiches. Liliana smiles an old woman’s smile and tries to size them up.
- This time Liliana is quite talkative, especially after Ethan shows that he can use Eidolon to heal her (and potentially even rejuvenate her). She clearly wants to be seen as valuable to the Lords of Gossamer (Grant assumes that Nicol Bolas will come after her and she thinks they can offer her some protection). She admits to having been a servant of Nicol Bolas but there is no longer a binding on her. She explains that she sought power a long time ago and made pacts with different beings that gave her power. They left sigils on her flesh, marking her as theirs. Bolas was just the longest in a long line of masters. But for the first time in an age, she is actually free. She’d forgotten what that feels like.
- Her mission in two days was to strike a treaty with the ‘Cinders’, a race of elementals that has been cursed to burn without dying. They have been persuaded to serve Bolas on many occasions.
- She says that she rarely deals with Nicol Bolas in person and having him turn up in person is definitely something to be avoided. She mentions some of Nicol Bolas’ other minions whom she knows of. Zendikar is important to Bolas because of the number of worlds that are easily connected to it via the hedrons. Beyond that, she knows that Bolas wants to rule the multi-verse (he has already conquered death) but she doesn’t know the specifics as to how he plans to do that.
- Grant asks how they find Nicol Bolas and she tells them that Bolas will find them. They’ve interfered in his plans and he has a long memory.
- Ethan asks about the bindings that Bolas places on people and, to their surprise, Liliana says that Bolas monitors his servants, gives them power but that generally his servants have free will but there is suggestive magic to follow Bolas’ orders or at least the intent of his orders. The thought that Abbie is actually choosing this course of her own free will is stunning to Ethan and in some ways even worse for Grant because he hasn’t told Ethan that Abbie spent last night in bed with Yaeger Zane.
- Sensing the reason for their question, Liliana tells them that what she told them previously was not a lie. Abigail was broken after the battle and Liliana could have killed her easily but chose not to. From her perspective it was almost a whim. On another day she might have chosen differently.
- Faced with the situation that they are no closer to recovering Abbie and that she may really not want to be rescued, Ethan sighs and asks Liliana what her plans are. She jokes about a bath, a glass of wine and then enjoy herself for as long as she can – before Bolas tells her to come back and work for him. Grant and Ethan discuss options. Grant thinks that she needs a minder but he doesn’t want her in Marindar. She brightens when Ethan agrees to look after her in the Legendary Realm. She promises to keep out of trouble but neither Ethan nor Grant truly believe her.
- GM’s note – Session 165 was done via a combination of Play-By-Email and play via Google Hangouts chat. Unfortunately, David was very sick (he ended up in hospital over Christmas). Hence rather than try and summarise this, I’ll simply tidy up the actual play and publish it. Bruce is GMing. David (playing Grant) is playing. There is a little bit of overlap between Session 164 and Session 165 – oh well.
Bruce (GM): Recapping what has gone before. Grant and Ethan have come to Amonkhet, a world that seems to be set up to harvest the adult population, producing an army of obedient servants. They have traced Abbie to this realm through a sorcerous portal. In the previous world, a world with floating hedrons, a battle had been fought between the forces of Bloodstone and an undead army of mummies from Amonkhet. The undead were victorious and the Bloodstone forces have been harvested. Their leader is the sorceress Liliana Vess, a necromancer who is also apparently Yaeger Zane’s girlfriend. Yaeger appears besotted by her. Liliana is confident, even a little arrogant and comfortable in dealing with Grant and the others. She is clearly not a native of this realm (her skin is too pale). Grant is certain that Liliana (and probably Yaeger) know a great deal about what is going on that they are not sharing. For example, what is the other realm and why were they fighting Bloodstone anyway? Abbie seems to be broken in spirit, subservient to Liliana and also under some sort of binding enchantment by someone other than Liliana. Abbie told Ethan that she won’t leave. There is a mystery here and Grant has only fragments of information.
* Image found on Google Images, but it is no doubt owned by Wizards of the Coast
Grant has made Ethan aware that there is an enchantment on Abbie. On one level, Ethan wants it broken… but he is uncomfortable acting too soon with too little information. Is Liliana controlling Yaeger or is Yaeger operating under this own free will? What is the agenda here and why was the Bloodstone army travelling outside the Legendary Realm anyway? Surely Abbie would know more….
David: Grant would ask Abbie more about the hedrons she found, and how they activated. Then why the army was with her. Umbral sight up, looking for any sign the enchantment is reacting to certain subjects of conversion.
Bruce (GM): Grant leaves Ethan, Isabelle and Olin to go and find Abbie once more. I’m assuming a few hours have passed. This time she is in one of Amonkhet’s many mortuaries. The recently deceased are being embalmed as part of the purification and reanimation process. There are many here. Abbie is coolly studying the process. Grant slips past mummies and two jackal headed guards. The jackal headed guards look comparatively strong. Grant isn’t sure whether these two creatures are here to guard the mortuary or to guard Abbie. Having a conversation with her is difficult. Grant decides that it is better to wait for an opportunity and he ends up watching the reanimation process. Once the bodies are prepared and purified, an acolyte dressed in similar garb to Liliana’s vizier prepares a ritual to reanimate the dead. The spell is unnerving as the acolyte invokes the god Amon-Seth many times before the spell takes effect. A bitter chill seems to flow through the room as the necromancy occurs but there is no movement of air. The dead rise and are instantly obedient. Abbie tests that she is able to command them. They follow her commands.
It is over an hour later that Grant is able to talk to her in an antechamber. She was clearly about to leave this place and head outside. Grant waits for her to change before interrupting her. Grant asks her about the hedrons and she is oddly cool in her response. She explains that they provide a gateway to a place called Zendikar. The hedron gates go many places and there are many sorcerers (and others, she adds) who would control those pathways. As for why she had the Bloodstone army with her, she is at first evasive. She says that she found a hedron in the Legendary Realm (but Grant feels that she’s cutting corners and not telling the whole story). After that, she is less evasive. She took an army from Bloodstone in order to seize control of one of the gates but she badly underestimated the number of gateways and the number of determined parties in Zendikar. From this exchange, it’s not clear whether Abbie is still interested in claiming Zendikar or following a different agenda. It is clear that she believes that the gateways in Zendikar lead to many places. In terms of who started the battle in Zendikar, Abbie says that the smaller army (Liliana’s army) attacked hers. She hadn’t met Liliana beforehand and knew nothing of her.
David: Grant asks Ethan to try to get what Abbie is holding back. She might be more open with him. Grant continues to watch with Umbra, looking for signs of influence. ( did we already confirm no enchantment on Grant, Ethan and Isabelle?)
Bruce (GM): Re-read. Grant has left Ethan, Isabelle and Olin behind. Are you leaving Abbie, going back to see Ethan and then going back with Ethan? i.e. leaving Isabelle and Olin
David: Oh. Oops.
No. Grant will ask more about where Abbie found the Hedron, and also about her plans for Zendikar, and for Bloodstone. Again, using Umbra to look for signs of influence.
Bruce (GM): Okay, firstly, my assumption is that Grant is using Umbral Sight in a very subtle way. Abbie is a Sorceress and he knows that she’ll notice if he pushes too hard. So the conversation in the antechamber continues. Abbie says that she found the original Hedron in a tomb within the Legendary Realm. With Ethan away, she decided to go adventuring with others. (the adventure was in the Legendary Realm, not elsewhere) (when she says this, Grant vaguely remembers Sophia saying that Abbie had gone adventuring…. anyway, they (yes, it was a party) succeeded in delving in the crypt and one of the items found was the Hedron. It was magical but not easily identifiable.
Regarding her plans, she is a little vague on this (uncharacteristic, and yes, you can pick up meddling using Umbral Sight). She plans to stay in Amonkhet, at least for a time. She knows that Liliana plans to return to Zendikar but not when. She presumes that she would return to Zendikar when Liliana goes there. When Grant asks about Meridian, she blinks and has to think hard before remembering her homeworld. She tells Grant that everything is fine there - that the Rhan invasion has been prevented. She admits that it will be lonely in Amonkhet. At this point, Grant would notice the slight chill that precedes one of Liliana’s wraiths (shades)… one of them is coming….
David: Grant leaves Abbie on case the wraith reacts badly. Next Grant would return to the others to suggest that he, Ethan, Isabelle and Olin pay their hosts another visit. Polite small talk, bit Grant needs the others so he has an opportunity to see if either of them are enchanted. Ethan's call as to what he says about Abbie.
Bruce (GM): Grant leaves practically just as the shades arrives. It might have caught a glimpse of him - Grant wouldn’t know. Returning to see Ethan, Isabelle and Olin (I’m assuming that you’re walking down the street), it’s quite cold and dark now. The sun has set and most people are indoors. Even the mummy servants are mostly off the streets - very few are still doing chores. There are no street lights.
(I’m just thinking. Ethan, Isabelle and Olin would not have been idle for all of the hours that Grant has been away)
(It’s been hours, right? You’ve spent time at the mortuary. You’ve gone back to see Abbie. You had to wait to see her etc.)
David: Confirmed
Bruce (GM): Grant goes back to the rendezvous point and finds only Olin there. Olin looks cold and uncomfortable in the darkness but he perks up when he sees Grant. Olin explains that Ethan told him not to leave this spot as he would be found. Ethan and Isabelle have gone to the palace but that was two hours ago. Ethan asked Grant to keep an eye on Abbie in case they needed to leave in a hurry….. but he was off to try some diplomacy.
(Are you going to stay put or head to the palace or wait…. thoughts?)
David: To the palace. Grant is still hoping to check if Liliana or Yaeger are enchanted. Plus, Ethan might need help. Grant will bring Olin with him. Maybe that can get a meal while they chat. Grant will check the food is safe if so.
Bruce (GM): Ok, so you know that Ethan and Isabelle have headed to the palace two hours ago and you have decided to head there on foot with Olin. Correct?
David: They were trying diplomacy, and Grant is known to be wandering the city. Grant is going that Yaeger still remembers Ethan and Isabelle as friends. If they are not still there, Olin will have to be sufficient distraction for Grant to attempt subtle umbral sight. He didn't need to study the enchantments in detail if they are there, just confirm their existence. If anything goes down, getting Olin out safely is the priority, as Ethan and Isabelle are both ranked attribute combatants. Grant can try sneaky again later, but unlike last time he had no clear idea of what he would search the palace for, and that would leave Olin by himself.
Bruce (GM): I’ve used the Deck of Fate to determine Ethan and Isabelle’s interactions. (-1 and -2 Botched)
The palace is a very gloomy and cold place after dark. The mummy guards are there - silent, ever watchful. The jackal headed elite are there too, with their gleaming black eyes. Grant is shown to where Liliana is entertaining her guests. The room is large and lit by a number of braziers which are emitting pleasant smelling smoke. Liliana is talking comfortably with Ethan and Isabelle - she appears very much in her element. She is nursing a glass of blood red wine. Yaeger Zane is snoozing on a couch - he appears to have nodded off. There are multiple undead servants in the room, holding platters of food and wine. There is magic in this chamber which appears to be keeping the cold out of the room. It is pleasantly warm here - relaxing. However there are many undead servitors here. Shadows lingering within the shadows.
Liliana greets Grant. She hopes that he enjoyed his tour of the city. She has invited that Ethan and Isabelle stay for a few days and she extends the invitation to Grant. I’ll assume that Grant doesn’t want to interrupt the conversation and so it continues. (Obviously it has been going for a number of hours already so information has been shared which Grant will have to pick up on later) Assuming that Grant joins the conversation, a mummy silently offers him a glass of wine and some food. Bread. Sweet meats. Nuts. Berries. The food appears to be okay - Grant notes that the wine is quite potent.
Ethan appears to be sparring with Liliana during the conversation. Liliana seems quite fascinated with the conversation - as though she likes having a sparring partner. Isabelle has a glazed look on her face, as though the wine has been affecting her. Liliana is talking about the machines of Myr which have ‘infested’ parts of Zendikar. The sorcery which has animated them apparently works everywhere, and they are capable of manufacturing more. Liliana knows which gates that they come from. Ethan is relatively intrigued by this and Liliana feeds him titbit by titbit, never revealing very much. On the flip side, Liliana is very interested in Ethan’s travels and what he has seen. Ethan gives her a little at a time. As such, very little of consequence is said but both give the impression that they know a great deal.
Grant observes that Liliana seems to know a great deal about other realms, how they operate and how to reach them. She clearly has enemies and rivals. There is something predatory about her - she likes being in control.
Regarding enchantments, Grant has to be extremely careful with Umbral Sight here as there are multiple sorcerers in the room. Yes there are enchantments on Yaeger - probably from Liliana but there are others too. Yes there are enchantments on Liliana - including by others. There is also a lot of magic in the room, and in the wine. Grant is almost certain that there are narcotics in the wine and in the incense. Very subtle, but they are there.
David: Grant will let the conversation play out while avoiding the wine and shifting his nasal cavities to filter out the incense. Do any of the enchantments bear passing similarities in form or origin to the one on Abbie?
If this requires further use of umbral sight he will be VERY careful.
Bruce (GM): Grant can’t be certain because of the amount of magic in the room. (I used the Deck of Fate) If he studied them with Umbra Sight at close range he could probably figure it out but not like this. The conversation continues. Liliana asks Grant the occasional question but it’s all fluff. You get the impression that she’s changed tact since you entered the chamber. Grant can tell that Isabelle is trying hard to concentrate on the conversation - she’s not nodding off but she’s definitely feeling the effects of the ‘layers’ in the room. Ethan is difficult to read - he seems unaffected but he’s not saying a great deal.
After an hour, Liliana offhandedly instructs two of her servants to assist ‘Lord’ Zane to get the couch and to a proper bed. (Zane was definitely asleep) The conversation doesn’t continue much longer than that. Liliana is beginning to get bored when Ethan asks whether Abbie is free to leave. Liliana smiles at that and says that she is free to go if she wishes. Ethan probes a bit to find out what happened and Liliana makes it plain that the Bloodstone army was unprepared, and Abbie was simply outfought. Liliana believes that she doesn’t have enough experience to do battle with other sorcerers. She considered killing Abbie outright but that wouldn’t have produced an undead magician, just another undead. So she decided to look after her. It is very clear to Grant that Ethan is being tested - Liliana wants to figure out whether Ethan is here for Abbie or not.
Ethan reveals his cards that he is here for Abbie and again, Liliana repeats that she’s free to go if she wants to leave. She says this with a smile. It is plain to Grant that Ethan is threatening Liliana if Abbie is harmed and Liliana seems to understand the threat. But she brushes it off.
Grant definitely feels that the interplay would be different if he were not present. The conversation concludes amicably, Grant is left with the impression that Liliana’s invitation of hospitality stands but she is pleasantly cautious.
(Now, do you decide to leave the realm to rest/regroup or are you accepting her offer of hospitality?)
David: Grant will wait until they are dismissed ( hoping sleeping quarters are made available) and the group can gather elsewhere to learn what was revealed in the first half of the conversation. ( Working with Ethan to weaken the effects on Isabelle and restore her clarity of mind might be a good first step) Once he knows that, he will sneaky sneaky to Zane and do a closer inspection of the enchants and effects on him.
Bruce (GM): The conversation winds down. Liliana departs for the evening and her servants show Ethan, Isabelle, Grant and Olin to some private quarters. Each are very simple, almost spartan. A bed. A pitcher of water and a bucket. A simple tray of fruit and nuts. A chamber pot in the corner. A brazier burns, heating the room (and it turns the room from cold into comfortable). The jackal headed guards do not speak - they simply gesture. Ethan wants to ask a question but the jackal headed guards do not stay. They leave the four to their own devices. Note that there are no doors here. The entranceways to each room are open. It does not feel particularly comfortable knowing that, especially given there are so many undead around.
Isabelle sobers up very quickly. She says that she is fine but it’s clear that the narcotics have had some effect on her. Grant can help speed the process up. Ethan comments that he doesn’t like the idea of sneaking around this place but he agrees that Yaeger himself could be in danger and it makes sense to check.
Grant no doubt asks Ethan what he learned from Liliana. Ethan explains that there seems to be multiple sorcerers using Zendikar as a nexus point to reach other worlds. Liliana seems to be one of those sorcerers - she seems powerful enough to run this place on her own but she isn’t. Someone else is running this place and Liliana seems to be caretaker. She is expanding an army. Her recent foray into Zendikar wasn’t the only foray. She’s been there before. It seems to be some sort of ‘turf war’ between sorcerers and Zendikar seems to be key, or at least important because it’s a staging area to many other places. Ethan admits that Liliana flirted briefly with him - she was keen to see if he would be interested in helping her. She did this in front of Yaeger Zane (and Isabelle) which was interesting. Yaeger seemed pretty relaxed with her behaviour.
Liliana did show interest when Ethan briefly mentioned the Legendary Realm. It is a place that she knows of. She tried to hide her interest but she clearly was intrigued. Ethan is of the opinion that they should get Abbie and get the hell out of this place. Figure out the rest later. Isabelle is undecided - she thinks that interfering here could have consequences.
Grant tries to be sneaky sneaky to find Yaeger Zane. There are many undead minions in this place - mummies, shadows… I’m assuming that you are in shadow form. Yaeger is not asleep and he has company in his bed. He’s making a lot of noise. Yaeger’s chambers are a long way from the guest chambers.
David: Grant will take advantage of the distraction to carefully and gently examine the enchantments on both. He's using an extremely gentle touch and will try to be gone by the time they finish.
He is employing all of his stealth abilities, yes. They included shadow form.
And he is trying to be as subtle and hidden as possible.
Bruce (GM): Grant is not the only unnatural shadow in this place. Yaeger’s chamber is lit in the same way as the guest chambers - with an incense burner that gives off pleasant fumes and a dull light. The two lovers are passionate and …. noisy. But Grant is a bit surprised to see blonde hair rather than black. Yaeger is with Abigail (Abbie), not Liliana.
A little unsettled, Grant confirms that there is not another living creature in the room. He half expects to find Liliana or someone else nearby but there isn’t anyone else here. Apart from a lone jackal guard that stands silently out on the balcony outside the bedchamber, black ears listening….
Blocking out how out of character this is for Abbie, Grant tries to concentrate. There is a lot of magical interference here from the incense burner and Grant ends up having to get much closer to the couple in order to investigate. Yes, there are enchantments on both Abbie and Yaeger. Complex, highly sophisticated enchantments. They are the equivalent of geas - compulsion. Restrictive enchantments. Grant has studied sorcery before (because he’s broken a lot of it) - this is masterwork stuff. Breaking the enchantment would be possible with Umbra but it would not be without consequences.
A very awkward bit of investigation. (Yaeger has ranked Endurance)
David: Are their enchantments both from the same caster?
Bruce (GM): Yes
David: Reasoning that they are both under the effects of what amounts to mind control, Grant will not tell the others about Abbie. He will report his findings on the enchantments and suggest that they need to find the actual person in charge, as they are probably casting the enchantments. He asks Ethan whether killing the caster ends this sort of spell.
Bruce (GM): Ethan says that some enchantments die with the caster but it depends. For example, an enchanted shield will retain its enchantment indefinitely. When you return, Ethan and Isabelle are lying on the single bed together. Not intimate. Ethan was snoozing whilst Isabelle kept an eye out.
David: Where is Olin?
Bruce (GM): Olin is asleep (it is late), fully clothed. His sword and belongings are placed near the bed as if he is expecting to be disturbed. I assume that Grant does not wake him. He looks peaceful. The brazier nearby is still burning dimly.
David: Grant will ask Ethan if divination will help here. They need to find the boss, and to know whether killing him will help break the enchantments or dry of some sort of. *Ahem* "contingency plan" (boom).
Bruce (GM): Ethan says that he’s already tried some divination spells. Some answers seem almost certain. They are in danger here. Abbie is not in her right mind. She is under the effects of some sort of spell. But many questions don’t produce a clear answer. Ethan tries a series of divination spells. Interestingly, he observes that whatever is burning in the brazier is actually giving him far more clarity when putting together these spells. It’s helping, not hindering. In terms of the answers, they are still in danger here. The architect of that danger is not here - but where it is unclear. Ethan thinks that the ‘boss’ is not in this realm but he’s not completely sure. Effectively this place has its own rules and ‘magical order’ which may not be producing accurate results.
Ethan wants to know if Grant has a plan. If both Yaeger and Abbie are ensorcelled, then surely it makes sense to break them out and get out of here. If Liliana knows something, then they take her with them and get it out of her.
Grant ponders this. It’s the direct route but it might not reveal anything. Isabelle again counsels patience - that careful study might reveal more. But she also suggests that it might be possible to ‘bend’ the enchantment without breaking it. Maybe Abbie might say more …. but then Isabelle comments that she might not actually know more. Liliana is the one with the greatest knowledge. She points out that Liliana seemed to warm up to Ethan. Perhaps Ethan could get close enough to her to ‘put her to sleep’ and figure out what is going on. Ethan doesn’t seem too enamoured with this idea. He points out that a sorceress of her calibre isn’t likely to be put herself in a position of vulnerability. But he admits, it could be tried.
David: Grant suggests that they try to double team Lilliana. Grant will try to weaken her defences while Ethan puts her to sleep. As to when, the longer they stay, the more the danger grows. Grant suggests that they move now. He will use his shadow form and Ethan can use his invisibility. Take her down fast before she can summon servants or cast a spell.
Does anyone see any flaws with this plan?
Bruce (GM): It’s the middle of the night (probably about 4am). So the plan is to find her and subdue her? She controls or at least strongly influences this domain. As a necromancer, she may be awake during the night. the servants around you may not be susceptible to Ethan’s mental invisibility. You can see flaws in this plan. Unless you are suggesting that Ethan or yourself are attempting to seduce her in the middle of the night. (that could backfire)
Seduction won't necessarily work very well if you just turn up in the middle of the night. It takes a build-up. If that is what you are thinking of. Of course if it's just a snatch and grab, the challenge is how to get out. Ethan could use sorcery of course.
Ethan is a powerful sorcerer. If you’re advising him to deal with Liliana and you will be backup, Ethan will think over that.
David: If the best move is to bail, can they actually leave this domain?
Bruce (GM): Back to Zendikar, yes. A Sorcerous portal.... Ethan thinks he can do it but it’s not a flick-of-the-fingers thing. A sorcerous teleport would be faster but then would an Icon back to you here actually work? (Isabelle thinks it would if Ethan were to use her Icon). There you... options.
David: So the plan is to abduct Lilliana and try to break her conditioning and learn what she knows. Grant suggests a backup plan: have a door opened to a zero-magic realm. Not only would this hamper her, but it might suspend the enchantments long enough for her to realise what had been done to her, and the extent of it. Grant is going that she is completely unaware of the enchantment, as Abbie is, but that she knows enough about them to realise when one is lifted from her.
Does Ethan think that would work?
Bruce (GM): Challenges: 1) trying to capture the domain owner in their home domain will not be easy. 2) opening to a zero-magic realm. How? Ethan uses sorcery to transport to a known location. 3) what are you doing with Isabelle and Olin during all of this. 4) you are discussing all of this in her palace. Do you know for certain that she is not eavesdropping?
David: Grant can open a door to a realm where magic does not work, they've encountered a few. Yes, this means that he goes with them. Isabelle and Olin will also come with. If Liliana realised she was being controlled she could be convinced to work against the one who enslaved her, and teleport them back. Grant runs all this past his warfare to see if it will work. There are 2 critical points of failure and no guarantee of surprise advantage. The biggest problem is subduing her without killing her on her own domain.
Does Grant think that Ethan would be able to win if Grant is backing him up and handling any distractions?
Wait, are there any hedrons floating nearby that could be grabbed? Another possible way back.
Bruce (GM): You haven't attempted up until now to wayfind to any hedrons. Yes, you can sense that there at least one present. You said "Grant can open a door to a realm where magic does not work." That presumes that you can find a door which can be turned into a Door. I've said more than once that you have yet to see a door here. (which begs the question - how did Yaeger get here)
I'm about to go to bed, so you can have time to plot/plan and I'll respond in the morning. Grant assesses it as possible but risky to try to capture Liliana in the middle of the night. She is in her home domain, she's a sorceress and you don't know what traps/defences await. Yaeger Zane and Abbie would probably rally to her defence if alerted. Your escape route relies upon Ethan - without him you can't get out. And you have Isabelle and Olin with you. Isabelle can probably handle herself but Olin may not be able to. You also don't know what will happen to Abbie and Yaeger should you grab Liliana. If the 'boss' becomes aware that you have captured Liliana, what happens to Liliana, to Yaeger, to Abbie etc.... risk... risk... risk. It's a big gamble to try at 4am, based on incomplete information. Still, you might be able to pull it off. 'Fortune Favours the Brave', so the saying goes.
David: For how to get to the no magic domain: Ethan ports out to known location with doors. Grant opens door from there to blank door, then on to the desired domain. (Had it typed, didn't want to type tomorrow)
Bruce (GM): Yes that is plausible. Any other questions?
…. And that is where we ended Session 165.
- GM’s note - The big reveal was, of course, that Abbie is sleeping with Yaeger Zane. Abbie is the Bloodstone Witch, not Liliana (which of course makes sense). But why? Is she doing this of her own free will, or being controlled or coerced in some way? It was very much out of character but it made sense. Ethan had been neglecting her for some time, going on long jaunts on the Stair, spending time with Isabelle and others. It made it plausible that she might be doing all of this under her own free will but the PCs don’t know for sure. Talking with David about this much later, I thought I’d given him guidance months earlier to ‘mess things up a bit’ for Ethan but nothing happened so I started doing a number on my own character. David had a number of things prepared to ‘mess things up’ but I had not tripped any of them. And things had been a bit tough on the home front so he laid off beating up Ethan as a kindness to me. But then of course David ended up sick so I ended up running about 15 sessions in a row. Besides David’s ideas of messing things up tends to be much kinder to the underlying character (in my opinion, anyway). Ethan is a bad stuff character and I tend to throw nasty stuff at him. Bad stuff characters aren't mean to be happy characters (in my opinion).
Personally, I enjoyed having Liliana Vess running around. I enjoyed introducing a sorcerer who clearly knew stuff that the PCs didn’t and they couldn’t easily get her to divulge the information that they wanted. They had to work for it.)
- (GM’s note: there are some Magic The Gathering (MTG) references in the narrative from this point. I’m not a MTG nut. I just needed some sorcerers who were capable of reaching other realities and some of the Planeswalkers from MTG seemed to fit in reasonably well so I imported some of the elements. It would suck if I had the Gatewatch running around so that doesn’t exist. Generally Lords of Gossamer (and Amber, for that matter) are great at importing concepts from other games/genres – we’ve had Cthulhu, we’ve had Tolkien. Importing some characters from MTG is no different in my book. We’re doing this for fun, nothing more.
- Isabelle and Ethan have been hard at work studying the hedron which Grant acquired in Nexopolis. Using Invocation, Isabelle has identified the realm that the hedron comes from and will return to. The realm is called Zendikar and it is not connected to the Stair. Grant, Ethan and Isabelle have decided that they will journey to Zendikar and find Abbie. Ethan is almost certain that there is a connection there. Grant finds a blank Door on the Stair that he plans to link to Zendikar if he can find a door there. Returning briefly to Marindar, Grant catches up with Olin and finds that Olin has ‘groupies’ who love his music. Olin immediately buys into the quest and insists on coming. He has never met Abbie or Ethan but he knows of her and that she is a musician.
- Returning to Isabelle’s research laboratory, Olin is charming around Isabelle. Ethan finds this very amusing. They ready themselves to head to Zendikar, uncertain as to what will be there. Ethan takes the genie with him – he has one wish remaining (and the genie within is getting frustrated that Ethan hasn’t used his third wish).
- Ethan does a number of Divinations before they leave. They tell him that Abbie is in danger but not from the natives of wherever she is. They are friendly. However, she is in a place without doors.
- They ready themselves and Ethan triggers the hedron. Silver beads of energy trace over the surface of the hedron. It glows and there is a flash of light. They are transported to an expanse of grasslands. It is pretty here. There are many floating hedrons, defying gravity and the wind. It is very windy here. The hedron that they have travelled with levitates to a predetermined height and then holds position.
* Image found on Google Images, but it is no doubt owned by Wizards of the Coast
- They test their magics and equipment. There are no people or towns nearby. Ethan uses a Flight spell to gain some altitude and survey the area. Olin is stunned by this. He indicates that he has spotted something only a few miles away and he goes to investigate. There has been a battle fought here. The earth is disturbed and still stained by blood but there are no bodies. There is equipment and battle standards. It looks like the armies of Bloodstone fought here – the red and gold standards, the pieces of armour and weaponry. They fought against an army clad in black and purple wearing the symbol of a crescent moon. The others join Ethan and they begin to investigate. It looks like the Bloodstone army was numerically superior but it left with the opposing army – possibly prisoners. Grant finds evidence of blasting magic – Abbie’s signature spells. There are also Umbra-charged sorcerous marks on the landscape, suggesting that she was fighting another sorcerer or sorcerers here.
- Ethan speculates that Abbie must have brought an army with her when she came here, but she wouldn’t have done that unless there was a threat to the Legendary Realm. Grant points out that the enemy forces must have a necromancer with them, and a powerful one at that. This battle happened weeks ago but there are no graves. Everything that died here got up and walked on.
- They test Icons but they don’t work in this realm at all. Ethan tries to contact Abbie via Sorcery but this fails too – she’s not in this realm. He can sense other sorcerers in other locations here but they are not nearby. Grant suggest that they follow the enemy army. It appears that Abbie must have gone with them. Ethan tries a Divination spell, wondering if she was killed and reanimated, or whether she is a prisoner. The spell suggests that she was probably a prisoner but the result is uncertain. Ethan wonders about the spell’s accuracy given his own mental state.
- Pursuing the enemy army, Grant scouts ahead and finds evidence of a sorcerous gateway, now closed, at the edge of a swamp. The rest travel together, cloaked by one of Ethan’s Mental Invisibility spells. Thirty miles of hiking across the plains takes a while, and Olin keeps chatting with Isabelle. It is clear that Olin is interested in Isabelle. That night, they decide not to press on but instead to open the gateway in the morning. Overnight, Grant spots man-shaped creatures in the distance that are taller and broader than men. They appear to be hunting but it is not clear what they are hunting for.
- In the morning they reach the mire and Ethan prepares the open the portal. Beforehand, he checks Divination spells. There is dangerous on the other side, but not immediate danger. Cautiously, he opens the sorcerous gateway.
- On the other side it is already hot and dusty, despite being early in the morning. They have arrived in a desert city with many one-story dwellings but there are also large temples and a much larger pyramid here. The people are dark-skinned, dark-haired and dressed lightly. Ethan can sense that Abbie is here. He points the way.
- As they head through the streets, they find that there are mummified people tirelessly working away, sweeping the streets and preparing the city for the new day. There seem to be more of these strange automatons than live people here, but there is still the sound and smell of life. People are waking up and the day is getting hotter.
- They reach the palace. Grant, Ethan and Isabelle can sense another Warden of the Stair here. Ethan is very tense. When Grant suggests snooping around, it is clear that Ethan is having none of that – he wants to find Abbie now. In the palace there are strange jackal headed guards and many mummies with swords. A lot of them.
- Grant convinces Isabelle to stay put and look after Olin, while Grant and Ethan head into the palace. Inside they are met by a Vizier who speaks many languages. He asks their names and the Lords of Gossamer introduce themselves. He curious where they come from but when Grant mentions the Stair and Doors, the Vizier shows no sign of understanding what these concepts are. The Vizier asks what brought them to Amonkhet and what offerings they have. Grant says that he wants to meet the other Warden like himself and Ethan says that they have gemstones. The Vizier leaves them with the jackal guards, who escort them to a waiting room.
- Twenty minutes later they are ushered onto a balcony where a pale-skinned woman is sitting. She appears quite comfortable and a mummy is gently fanning her. Grant gets the distinct impression that she is not threatened by their presence in the slightest. He notes that she is not a native of this realm – her skin is too pale. Ethan says nothing but he can tell that she is the necromancer who defeated the Bloodstone Army. Sensing Ethan’s apprehension, Grant takes lead in the conversation. The woman introduces herself as Liliana (Vess) and she speaks in Brivali (a Germanic tongue).
* Image found on Google Images but the artist is Chris Rallis (I love this piece of artwork, particularly the purple folds of her dress)
- The conversation is pleasant but Liliana is trying to figure out more about them. Grant asks about the society here and the role that the dead play in it. Liliana patiently explains that the people owe a duty to society in death as well as in life. The way she speaks gives Ethan and Grant the creeps. It is clear that she is the necromancer that defeated the Bloodstone Army and presumably captured Abbie.
- The conversation is interrupted by the introduction of Yaeger Zane, who arrives bare chested and immediately sides with Liliana. Grant concludes that this is Yaeger’s girlfriend that he was so tight-lipped about and he realises that he needs to be careful in his interactions so as not to offend the normally-cool-but-strangely-easily-irritated Yaeger Zane. They talk while Ethan listens. Liliana answers questions about Amonkhet and a little about the zhedrons but she is very cautious about what she reveals. Even when Grant reveals how little they know, she doesn’t offer to fill in the blanks. She admits to destroying the Bloodstone Army but says that she spared their leader. When asked why she would do that, Liliana whimsically admits that the Bloodstone Witch reminded her of herself. It also occurred to her that if Liliana had slain her that she would probably not be able to bring her back with her sorcerous skills – which would have been a pity.
- Grant changes the topic and asks to see more of Amonkhet. Liliana encourages this – she suggests that they take a barge and see how cultivated the society is. Her reference to ‘cultivation’ is clearly a reference to both land and people. Liliana grants them freedom to go where they wish but asks them not to disturb the order here.
- Grant and Ethan leave the palace and confer with Isabelle and Olin. They then walk through this strange city where the walking dead and the living appear to peacefully co-exist and seek out Abbie.
- They find her in a mortuary where the living and the dead are working to make yet more mummies. Adults at their peak are slain and then made into more servitors. Abbie is watching the scenes of death and remaking when Grant and Ethan find her. She does not greet them warmly. Grant seeks to understand what is happening here and she says that she is trying to learn. She says that she thought she had grown strong in the Legendary Realm. She knows she is not worthless or incompetent, but she was beaten and humbled by a sorceress whose mastery of the magic arts was much greater than hers. Liliana gave her a new chance at life, similar to what Ethan did so many years ago. She plans to stay and learn from Liliana Vess. To remake herself and be stronger still. She’s not going to waste this opportunity.
* Image by Haryarti on DeviantART
- Abbie’s demeanour is different from usual. She isn’t her normal confident self. This Abbie is more doubting, more self-reflective but there is still determination there. Ethan asks her to come home with him and Abbie rebuffs him gently, saying that her place is here. She has no intention of abandoning Liliana. She notes that this isn’t what she would have chosen but states clearly that she intends to see this through.
- While listening to her, Grant is looking for any traces of magical control over her. Using Umbral Sight, he is able to see that there is a magical binding on her but it appears to be not of Liliana’s making. It is a complex and subtle weave, suggesting an even greater master is at work here.
- Grant is left with the distinct impression that Abbie does not want Grant and Ethan here. There is a distinct change in personality here but it could be a result of trauma. Ethan is left confused, unsure as to whether he should rescue or not. She doesn’t appear to want to be rescued. Grant tells him that there is another spell effect in play here. It’s possible that she is being controlled.
(GM’s note: note the summary at the beginning of Session 165 that makes some elements clearer.
- Grant has been training with the Blue Crane for two months. He keeps in regular contact with Lady Sophia and occasionally contacts Ethan. Ethan doesn’t seem to be achieving very much. Worse, he still hasn’t spoken to Abbie. Drake contacts Grant from time to time. He asks about Turadok and Sybelle - neither have been seen in a while.
- At last Grant departs Neo-Yokohama to return to Marindar for a few weeks, then is off to the Green Dragon inn for the next poker game with some of his fellow Lords of Gossamer. Eric (Drake’s son), Cal, Jessamyn, Yaeger and Jacob are there. Eric has a shapeshifting ‘pet’ which is oddly distracting. Yaeger has bags of Bloodstone gems for his stake which he got from ‘The Bloodstone Witch’. Jacob has a contraption that he built - a small clock with legs. During the game, Grant tries asking Yaeger about the hedron that Ethan won in one of the last rounds. Suspiciously, Yaeger brushes him off and tells him to check in Nexopolis as they ‘turn up there’ from time to time.
- Cal, Jessamyn and Grant talk pleasantly but Yaeger gets more obnoxious as the night goes on. Jacob cleans Yaeger out, leaving Yaeger even more irritable and he ends up stomping out, calling Jacob a cheat. Grant wonders why Yaeger is acting so strangely and Cal comments that it’s probably a new girl in his life.
- Returning back to Marindar, Grant has the odd feeling that something is wrong. He contacts Ethan to ask why he was not present at the card game. Ethan says that he forgot but that seems unlikely. Ethan says that he has run out of ideas looking for Bastiano’s stuff and he couldn’t find the person who built the Tower in Angylne. He tried going back to the Legendary Realm but found Abbie gone and the entire Bloodstone army missing. Abbie apparently took the entire army with her. Grant asks if he knows who ‘The Bloodstone Witch’ is and Ethan has no idea. Ethan is depressed and sick of this. He doesn’t know what to do. Grant asks when Ethan saw her last and Ethan admits that she effectively accused him of seeing Isabelle behind her back. Grant doesn’t tell Ethan that he has seen Abbie more recently than Ethan has. Instead he asks Ethan whether he plans to find Abbie, and is dismayed when Ethan again brushes it off, telling Grant that she can take care of herself.
- Grant tries to wayfind to more hedrons that Abbie was interested in. There is a vague direction back to Nexopolis but when he tries to find Abbie, it feels like she is off the Stair in a place not easily reachable. Grant contacts Ethan and tells him to find a hedron as they attract one another and may lead them to Abbie. Ethan sets off for Nexopolis.
- Back on Marindar, Grant organises a ball - he has not had a party in a long time. The ball lasts a few days and everyone is invited including Grant’s family and Ethan’s family. An immaculately dressed draconian named Aurelius attends on behalf of the Draconian Empire as a gesture of friendship. The Sorcerer-King Harlick the Red with an interest in trade also attends.
- Isabelle also attends. Even though Ethan joins in and enjoys Isabelle’s company, it is more than a little awkward. Even Ethan’s parents are asking about Abbie. It seems that no one, not Isabelle, not Lady Sophia, not Ethan have heard from her in some time. Feeling that something is seriously wrong, Ethan leaves the party early and heads to Meridian, Abbie’s homeworld, but she is not there. He begins hunting for her.
- After the party, Grant heads to Nexopolis to hire a deeva like Steeeeve to locate him another hedron. By this time, Ethan and Isabelle already have a lead. They have located Sybelle in Nexopolis and she has a hedron that she is willing to let them inspect Grant stays in a good hotel called Pinnacle while Bradley (another deeva) locates him a hedron. He is led to a shop owned by a four-armed green-skinned creature called Hox. This creature has large eyes and very little hair. This hedron is big - almost a foot long. Much larger than the other hedrons that one could palm in their hands.
- Grant asks Hox about the people who sold it to him. Apparently, this is not the first time that he has acquired a hedron. There were four humans, one with a cape - all in colourful attire. They didn’t identify with any of the Nexopolis Guilds so they came from outside. Another deeva named California facilitated the trade.
- Hox warns that they sometimes ‘disappear’ - it is part of their charm. Grant buys the hedron from Hox and heads to the Pinnacle to inspect it. There, Grant reports to Drake that Sybelle is safe in Nexopolis.
- Meanwhile Ethan spends time inspecting Sybelle’s hedron. Isabelle determines the name of the hedron using Invocation. It’s called a Zhedron. After comparing notes with Grant, they all decide to head to Isabelle’s own research laboratory which is a technomagical place clad in brass, ivory and white ceramic. Research continues and the decide that the Zhedron is part of something bigger. There is residual power within but not enough to trigger any effect as it stands. Ethan could give it a kick but he doesn’t know what would happen. Using Divination, Ethan determines that it would transport them somewhere else.
- Grant decides that he needs to talk to Yaeger further about this and find out what he knows. He is clearly holding back information.
