* Image sourced from Google Images
- In addition, Grant asks about whether there have been any temperature anomalies on Marindar. Drake has detected some unusually chilly weather across more than one realm but does not know how widespread it is. He is not sure how an atmospheric effect could affect multiple realms. Grant says he will check it out. He quickly does so and finds that it is cooler than normal for this time of year but it is not abnormal.
- He briefs Lady Sophia and heads out onto the Stair. It takes him hours to reach what was once Bastiano’s territory. On the way, he finds a trio of demonic bodies on the Stair that have been split open.
- Carrying on, he is interrupted by Lofwyr. The dragon is clearly displeased. He says that what was delivered to him (referring to Abigail) is not as expected. She is distracted, unfocussed, undisciplined and incomplete. Lofwyr says that his Divination spell was not in error but Grant has brought him someone that he cannot use as she is. He directs Grant to remedy the situation, and when he has done so, to speak Lofwyr’s name.
- Groaning over the situation of too much happening at once (GM’s note – which is, of course the whole point), Grant continues onto Reat. Reat is a wet, lush-green world where the homes are built into the natural surroundings. Looking around he finds evidence of a plague. There are dead bodies everywhere. The people here have been wiped out. The plague has an Umbral taint, suggesting a bio-weapon has been used.
- Grant makes his way to a spaceport and finds a small vessel capable of carrying 2-3 people. He takes off and heads into space. There are many structures here – many stations – but no fleet. Pike’s fleet has already left via a Sorcerous Portal which he can detect using Umbral Sight. Frustrated that he doesn’t have the means to open a Sorcerous Portal, he uses an Icon and contacts Cal. Cal accepts and comes through. He uses a spell to reopen the Sorcerous Portal but Grant notes that Cal is much slower at this sort of magic compared to Ethan. (GM’s note – Ethan has Higher Ranked Psyche)
- They head through the portal, straight into the middle of a major ship-to-ship battle. Cal decides to leave via Icon as Grant weaves through the firefight, trying to assess what is going on. He spots Drake’s forces. Pike’s fleet seems to be heavily outnumbered and with no fighter screen. Below hangs a familiar dirtball – Grant recognizes it as Heldon’s Pass, one of the most heavily defended Nexus worlds in the Multiverse. What the hell is Pike doing? Is this some sort of suicide mission?
- Contacting Drake via Icon, he quickly conveys that Pike’s people have been infected with some sort of Umbral plague. He needs Drake to back off while he tries to find Pike. Drake agrees that he’ll try to slow the battle down.
- Zipping back and forth, Grant tries to identify Pike’s flagship. There are four battleship class vessels but he quickly narrows down which is the lead vessel. (GM’s Note – Grant has Dominant Rank Warfare) He guns the engines and heads straight for it, dodging flak from all directions. Someone tries to contact him via Icon but he shrugs it off. An ugly brute of a cruiser near his position explodes soundlessly.
- Grant swings the ship around and docks on the flagship’s hull. He then creates a breach using Gorgorin and slips onboard in shadow form. The ship’s interior is a mess of ugly corridors. It is functional but there are dead bodies everywhere. The few living crew members are continuing to fight for their lives. The ship is taking hits and shaking all over the place. With bulkheads in place, it takes time for Grant to get to the bridge. The bridge itself is sealed off but Grant finds a way through the electrical piping onto the bridge. The few bridge crew are all infected. General Pike looks very sick indeed.
- There a black robed sorcerer here too. He or she is also infected but not sick. Grant assesses this as a suicide run – they’re trying to last as long as possible and to take as many of Drake’s ships with them as they can. Grant decides to deal with the mage first – he clobbers her and then knocks the rest flat with an Umbral wave.
- Assuming command, he orders the fleet to cease fire. This is mostly successful but some ships continue to move and fight. He contacts Drake via Icon, telling him that he’s now in control of the fleet and asks Drake to back off.
- He then grabs the mage. Her name is Kislet. Using a mental contact, he realizes that she is the carrier of the plague. She’s being controlled by Bolas like the others.
- Another ship in Pike’s fleet is destroyed. Grant wakes Pike. Pike is disoriented but moans when he sees that Kislet has fallen. He wails that he was promised a cure and they’ll all be annihilated if they don’t fight.
- Grant weighs up the situation. He has to stop the Umbral plague but he hasn’t ever done something like this before. Concentrating hard, he works on the flagship. It takes him a long time but he is able to break the plague on the survivors. He then starts moving from ship to ship to repeat the process.
- There are hundreds of ships in the fleet. Grant cannot save them all, but he saves as many as he can. It takes him days of work.
- During this period, he receives an Icon contact from Lady Sophia. He worries about her but she assures him that he is safe. He tells him that Lady Abigail has asked for assistance from Ethan and gone to the Legendary Realm. She sees this as good news which she thought she should pass along. Grant smiles but realizes that this wasn’t the only reason that he was contacted. Sophia says that it’s probably nothing but there have been two reports in Marindar of a dead person actually walking around. It’s disconcerting. Grant blinks at this – he wonders if the dead could be rising. Lady Sophia says that this is unlikely as it is Marindan custom to burn the dead, not bury them. But she will ask Lady Lucia (her colleague) to look into it. She is also heading to the Legendary Realm at Ethan’s request.
- At the end of the conversation, Grant wonders if that was Bolas’ plan – to create controllable Umbral Gaunts. He talks to Drake and finds out there are problems surfacing elsewhere. Mordecai says that the Raven Legion have been attacked in two places. Grant says that this is the beginning of something. It’s not clear what Bolas’ goal is though.
- Wearily, Grant goes to find a place on the Stair where the survivors can be safe, where magic doesn’t work and the plague will not come back. Grant tells Pike to keep an eye on Kislet, Bolas’ lieutenant.
* Image sourced from Google Images but this piece of art is by Slawomir Maniak and is part of MTG for Disciple of Bolas
- In this place, Grant hopes to convince Kislet to switch sides, hoping that whatever hold Bolas had is now gone but it is not so simple. Kislet is not a moral person and she was happy to sacrifice the others in order to advance her own position. Grant asks Pike to keep Kislet under control. He promises to come back with a longer-term cure and he leaves them where he hopes they will safe.
Off-Camera Narrative
- Ethan works to put together the biggest, baddest army that the Legendary Realm has ever seen. This is problematic given that the various groups don’t particularly like one another, don’t get along and they all want something for being there. In spite of this, Ethan seems to be able to get them to do what he wants, most of the time. (GM’s note – high ranked Warfare, dominant rank Psyche, occasional usage of the Silver Crown) Liliana pretends to be one of Ethan’s most reliable generals once more. She is back to her arrogant, haughty self – and Ethan mostly lets her get away with it. Isabelle hates that Ethan doesn’t seem to want to stand up to her, but Ethan just shrugs it off and asks Isabelle to be patient.
- While Ethan is preoccupied with building a force to fight Bolas, he receives an unexpected visit from Lucien. In person, not by Icon. Lucien is guarded with Ethan - he wants to know what Ethan is up to and whether he is putting Isabelle in danger. The conversation is tense as Ethan tells Lucien that Nicol Bolas is trying to claim the Legendary Realm but he refuses to explain how he plans to stop him. Lucien doesn’t like being denied answers and he threatens Ethan if any harm should come to Isabelle. Ethan with left with no doubt that Lucien means to kill him (or worse) and he convinces Lucien to side with him, but to remain hidden and watch his back. Reluctantly, Lucien agrees to this.
- With Lucien on side, Ethan contacts Lady Vala via Icon. A brief conversation is had but Vala agrees to help Ethan ‘when the time is right’. She doesn’t ask questions – she seems to already know what Ethan may be thinking.
- Ethan wears the Silver Crown more often than not as the days and weeks pass leading up to the final battle. He knows that the Silver Crown shapes reality in accordance with his wishes, and it can affect more than just the immediate realm. He believes that the Legendary Realm is well prepared for Nicol Bolas, and so it comes to pass. He feels the pull of power but is strong enough (GM’s note – Dominant Rank Psyche) not to lose himself to it. He nudges and guides without pressing too hard.
- He is not at all surprised when he receives an Icon contact from Abbie. In fact he wonders whether he subconsciously wanted this and the Silver Crown has somehow made it happen. It is the first time that Abbie has contacted him in a long time. Her anger seems to have cooled and she seems to have grown somehow (GM's note - hence the change in image below). She asks after his welfare but her real interest is with Bloodstone. She knows that something big is about to happen (GM’s note – she also has Sorcery) and she wants to be a part of it. Ethan knows that she still feels responsible for the destruction of the Bloodstone Army and she is seeking a measure of redemption. He agrees and pulls her into the Legendary Realm via the Icon.
- There is an awkward moment between Ethan and Abbie. Ethan knows that she is danger just being here but he feels better having her with him. Abbie asks for a rundown of his strategy but Ethan refuses to tell her the details. Instead he simply shows her the armies that he has gathered to the east of the capital. The armies are vast. Abbie grimly realizes what Ethan’s plan is (even though he has not said it) and asks him if he’s doing all of this for her.
* Image by Dashinvaine on DeviantART
- Ethan blinks and admits that he hadn’t really thought of it that way. He accepts that a small measure of him would like to hurt Bolas for everything that has happened between the two of them but what he’s doing now goes well beyond that. Abbie points out gently that a lot of good people are going to die. Ethan nods and offers her a command which she immediately agrees to. He then changes the topic and tells her that Hilda will be pleased to see her.
- Hilda is indeed very pleased to see Abbie. She hugs her as a daughter would a mother and she tells Abbie how much she loves her and has missed her. Abbie is astonished and touched by the depth and sincerity of Hilda’s outpourings. She is pleased to hear that Ethan has been looking after her.
- Ethan feels that he has assembled all of his generals for the battle ahead, but there is a lingering doubt. An uncertainty which gnaws at him. The sort of uncertainty that a missing player with Umbra Master can bring. He suspects that Bolas is an Umbra Master and that there is someone else out there.
- In the middle of all this, Ethan completely misses that one of his generals, a young man named Leslie, has been showing interest in Isabelle. The interest takes Isabelle quite by surprise and she is quite charmed by it.
* Image by Dashinvaine on DeviantART
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