- GM’s note: Continuing on the adventures of Ethan ….. A bit of a shorter session this time.
Portents
- Ethan uses Divination spells relatively regularly in order to determine likely futures and nudge events in the right direction. There still seems to be some sort of lurking darkness in Tyrnador but there is no imminent threat. There is no sign that the shadow fey will return and try to claim Wynterlyr’s ring, but Ethan wonders if that could be a ‘blind spot’ in the spell. He doesn’t trust the results. Regarding the Dwimmerlaik Voidship that he and Isabelle have been exploring, the Divination spell indicates to him that there are no other entities aware of its discovery….. yet. But the signs do tell him that this discovery will change Isabelle and he’s not sure that he likes what he sees of the possible futures. The Voidship feels like a key - a key to a new and vast frontier. Places and secrets long lost. This is the sort of challenge that she will find irresistible. For now, she wants him at her side to explore what has been discovered. But for how long?
- With the tournament of Tyvar now over, Ethan explains to Girion (the elf), Sir Amlyn (of Scarlet) and Sir Danain (of Tyvar) of the Baroness’ request and asks if they would like to accompany him on his journey. (Persuade = ‘2’) All three of them pale at the request - they have heard that the Troll King Nwyll hates men and elves, and they believe that he will never negotiate. They think that the Baroness’ hope for peace is hopeless and that Ethan cannot succeed. Girion asks Ethan to talk to Lord Morial and see if her mind can be changed but Ethan cannot be dissuaded. They are even more alarmed when Ethan says that Hilda will be going with him - ‘everyone’ knows that trolls love to eat children.
- Seeing that they are unwilling to help him, Ethan asks Hilda if she wants to come with him. His Divination spells suggests that it could be perilous but he doesn’t think it is a hopeless quest. Hilda considers for a bit and then decides that she will accompany him. She thinks it is dangerous for Ethan to travel alone, and she believes that she can help. If the journey becomes too dangerous, it is still possible to use an Icon to retreat.
- That evening, Sir Amlyn returns to talk to Ethan. (Persuade = ‘5’) He admits to being afraid of facing one troll, let alone an entire Kingdom of trolls. But he is unwilling to let Ethan go alone - he agrees to go with him into the Frozen Pines Forest. He agrees to stand with him. Ethan thanks Sir Amlyn warmly.
- Hilda is also pleased and relieved. Sir Amlyn is a relatively young knight who has been friendly and courteous towards them both. They agree to leave Tyvar in two days.
Connections
- Using Icons for communication is a subtle use of magic which does not disturb Gossamer Reality, however Ethan has recently used Icons for transporting equipment (and Ajax, the Horse Lord) into this realm. This is a vulgar use of magic in Tyrnador and is easily detectable by those who can sense disturbances in Gossamer Reality. Unfortunately the nearest Door is in Scarlet which is almost a week’s journey away.
- Ethan knows that Grant is a Master of the Stair and has the ability to create Doors. Ethan contacts Grant via Icon and he reluctantly accepts the contact. Grant is pleased to hear from Ethan but he sounds a bit down. (Fortune Roll = ‘2’) When Ethan asks for his help, Grant agrees. He comes through the Icon contact (even though this is yet another disturbance to Gossamer Reality).
- Once in Tyvar, Grant agrees to create a new Door to the Stair and then accompany Ethan, Hilda and Ajax onto the Stair and to the Athenaeum. Ajax doesn’t think much of the Grand Stair - the Horse Lord grumbles about the many steps. However, only Ethan can understand him (because Ethan walked through the Door to the Horse Lords’ realm).
- Grant has been to the Athenaeum more than once and knows the most expedient paths to approach it. Upon reaching the Athenaeum, Ethan asks Isabelle about the merits of moving the Door to the Dwimmerlaik Voidship to another location which is more proximate to the Athenaeum. (Persuade = ‘3’) However, Isabelle doesn’t want to share their discovery with Grant at this point. Ethan points out that Grant has more knowledge of the Dwimmerlaik than any other living Lord of Gossamer as he lived with them during the Dwimmerlaik Civil War. He thinks that Grant might be able to help expedite the process. (A more Risky Persuade roll = ‘2’) Isabelle reacts badly to this and asks what else Ethan has shared with Grant. Very agitated, she makes it clear that what she has shared with Ethan regarding her experiments and discoveries is for the two of them only and he has no right to talk to Grant about them. She makes it plain that she wants to secure the Dwimmerlaik Vessel as soon as possible and she doesn’t want any other people involved. She wants Ethan to get rid of Grant for the time being - she doesn’t want him in the Athenaeum.
- Ethan decides not to argue with her. He thanks Grant for helping him and explains that he wants to spend some time with Isabelle. (Persuade = ‘4’) Grant takes the hint that he’s not welcome and decides to ask Ethan about it at a more appropriate time. He suggests that they catch up in the next week or two but Ethan thinks that may be unrealistic for him. Ethan promises to contact him when he can. Grant is a bit miffed and asks if Ethan is in any trouble. Ethan tries to convince Grant that he is fine (Persuade = ‘3’) but Grant is left with the impression that Ethan is hiding something. Grant reluctantly leaves.
Making Preparations
- Ethan explains that he has two days before he needs to be back in Tyvar. (Fortune = ‘6’) Isabelle is relieved by this - she believes this will be enough time. She explains to Hilda that she will be busy with Ethan and Hilda accepts this with good grace. (Persuade = ‘6’) Hilda points out that Sir Amlyn won’t leave for the Frozen Pines Forest without them so it should be okay.
- Ethan freshens up and then the two Lords of Gossamer discuss the plans to return to the Dwimmerlaik Voidship. Both believe that the ship is still undiscovered by other parties and Isabelle has been very busy examining the recovered Voidship ‘brain’. (Engineer roll = ‘Critical’) Isabelle shares that the Dwimmerlaik Voidship seems to be connected to other vessels in some sort of jumbled array. There are a finite number of breaches in the ship’s superstructure but the ship is now regenerating. Her plan is to secure the vessel, which means sealing all of the breaches and then sweeping the vessel for any intruders or dangers that may be lurking onboard. She doesn’t believe that it is viable to move the Voidship from its position in the array until such time it’s secured. Besides, there may be other ships worth exploring in nearby proximity.
- To this end, Isabelle has been preparing a number of drones that will help them to search the vessel. She has also prepared a mobile ‘command centre’ to conduct the sweep from. But before they go, she wants to make sure that Ethan knows how to use all of the equipment as well as she does, and also to get his thoughts as to whether she’s missed anything.
- Ethan asks many questions and she shares more about what she has recovered from the ‘brain’. They talk about the malevolent presence that Ethan sensed on the ship which tried to kill him, the missing Dwimmerlaik crew, and also the mechanical servants that they’ve seen scattered here and there. They spend hours going over the information that they have and making refinements to the plan. Ethan doesn’t like that the drones are unarmed.
- Ethan uses his multi-dimensional cube to store much of the equipment which would be too heavy or bulky to carry, including a rack of twelve basketball-sized drones. They suit up and arm themselves, then head to the Dwimmerlaik Voidship.
Securing the Vessel
- This activity is treated as a 6-part clock “Secure the Vessel”. It is done as an abstraction over a two day period. Ethan and Isabelle establish a mobile command centre within fifty metres of the Door and deploy the drones to search the ship. (Group Study roll, led by Isabelle - result ‘6’ - hence incrementing the clock to 2 of 6) It takes the drones considerable time to sweep the ship. As the sweep identifies points of interest, including breaches in the hull, Ethan goes to investigate while Isabelle monitors (Ethan makes a Traverse roll - result ‘6’ - incrementing the clock to 4 of 6). He can still feel a trace of the ship’s malevolence but it seems to be receding. For each of the hull breaches, the ship is regenerating but it is a slow process - clearly some of the mirror-faced androids would normally assist for major damage and they are all currently disabled.
- Both Ethan and Isabelle proceed cautiously, watching for any signs of abnormalities or lurking threats. However, the ship continues to be as quiet as a tomb. With the sweep of the ship largely complete, Isabelle and Ethan start working on bringing other systems online. (Group Engineer roll, led by Isabelle - result ‘6’ - incrementing the clock to 6 of 6). There is a limit to how much can be run from the mobile command centre so they rig it up to provide updates by remote. Isabelle heads for the power core and Ethan for the ship’s bridge.
- The bridge is just as quiet as everywhere else. The lack of any crew whatsoever is disconcerting. There are no bodies. Ethan still doesn’t understand how this ship ended up devouring its crew - he feels there is still danger here. Even if the danger feels distant now, that still doesn’t mean that the danger is gone.
- Ethan starts working to bring the internal and external sensors online. The internal sensors indicate that they are the only living things onboard (Fortune roll = ‘6’) and that the hull breaches have not damaged any major internal systems. Life support systems are still offline - even though they could be brought online, it looks like it will take some time before there is a breathable atmosphere on the ship. The external systems indicate that this Voidship has collided with no less than three other capital ships of varying configuration, but there are dozens in close proximity. The sensors cannot detect any other lifeforms on the nearby vessels. All of the vessels that Ethan can see have suffered damage, some of which is extensive. Looking carefully, he can see what look like extensions to some of the structures to reach from one ship to another. Clearly someone has built ‘bridges’ between some of them.
- Using long range sensors, there is some sort of celestial miasma surrounding the ships. It appears as a red and purple hued nebula but the voidship’s sensors seem unable to penetrate it. (Study roll = ‘6’) There are some references to the miasma in the ship’s log but Ethan can’t read them. He hasn’t spent time amongst the Dwimmerlaik or learnt their language.
- Meanwhile, Isabelle has been busy in Engineering, looking at the feasibility of moving the ship. (Engineer roll = yet another ‘6’) The power core is still operating on minimal power, and she notes that there is an unspecified energy drain which will take the power core offline if not addressed in the next few days. The structural integrity of the ship is relatively good, but there isn’t enough power for a ‘descent’ (the Dwimmerlaik equivalent of a jump - the ships descend into Shadow). Normal propulsion might be possible but there are a lot of structures nearby which would make navigation difficult.
- Isabelle shares with Ethan that the ship will become dormant again if the power drain takes the core offline. She can’t be sure whether the ship itself is damaged and is losing power or whether its surroundings (the nebula itself) is draining the ship, but she believes the only way to remove the ship is by introducing another power source from the Stair.
- Ethan considers this and points out that if the voidship is in some sort of trap, he doubts that adding more power will enable them to escape. Whatever is draining power from the ship might simply increase the rate, and they might still not be able to get away. They discuss the option of using a more powerful version of Ethan’s cube to ‘shrink’ the ship, but this might fail as the Door is connected to the ship. Ethan suggests using Sorcery to transport the vessel to another realm - Isabelle is surprised by this as it’s not something normally uses herself. She asks if Ethan could transport something of this size (Ethan’s Warp roll = ‘6’) and he believes that it is possible. However, he also points out that if they are after knowledge, then perhaps it’s best to leave the voidship where it is. Potentially even move the Door to a more secret location or even cut the Door to the Stair and rejoin when needed.
- As they talk over this, Isabelle notes that whatever is draining power from the ship is also affecting her drones. Ethan points out the possibility that all of the ships in this array could be just like the Dwimmerlaik Voidship - without power and without life. If that is the case then taking the Voidship away might be a waste of an opportunity. There may be other vessels here that are worthy of further exploration and investigation. Isabelle agrees with this and suggests that they withdraw with their equipment and decide on the next steps in the safety of the Athenaeum. They take the internal and external sensor data with them before they leave.
Plans at the Athenaeum
- Hilda is pleased to see Isabelle and Ethan when they return. She’s found a room full of old novels and she’s been reading one called “The Hobbit”. Ethan recognises the title and wonders how it got here.
- Isabelle and Ethan have a meal and freshen up. Then they go over the sensor data regarding the proximate ships and try to work out if any of the vessels are worth exploring. A lot of the ships are completely alien to them and no two are alike. It takes them considerable time to identify any of them and they have to use old books that look like they haven’t been opened in centuries. There is an ‘Old Earth’ Battlecruiser which looks like it has seen heavy action. There is a winged Eldar cruiser whose bow is embedded in a ship that looks like it has been built into a large asteroid. Some of them look vaguely Star Trek-like with rocket nacelles. Some seem ramshackle or irregularly shaped. Others seem manufactured.
- Isabelle wants to give the matter some thought before the next foray. She asks Ethan to perform another Divination and to his surprise, the spell suggests that the risk of discovery has increased. (Warp = ‘5’ - hence a success, but the Clock “Another Group Arrives” is now 1 of 8.) Isabelle draws him aside for a private conversation, and she tells him that the Dwimmerlaik would do anything to recover the ship, as would some of the other Lords of Gossamer. Explaining that the Voidship is a rare prize, she says that the ‘brain’ contains coordinates for other places that the ship has been - especially Dwimmerlaik places.
- Isabelle asks Ethan to stay longer. This discovery is important to her and she wants him with her. She doesn’t normally ask much of him - she accepts that he has other commitments - but this time she wants him to stay. She has a ‘bad feeling’ about this ship. This is bigger and possibly more dangerous than anything else she’s done before - and she doesn’t want to face it alone. She certainly doesn’t want to be alone when someone else arrives on the scene and tries to ‘stake their claim’ on the ship.
- Ethan holds Isabelle close and agrees to stay. He’ll have to explain the decision to Hilda (and she may not be happy about it) but he’s sure that Sir Amlyn will wait for him. He can contact his travelling companion and tell him that there has been a change of plans. Isabelle is relieved - she thought Ethan was going to say ‘no’.
- Ethan goes to talk to Hilda. She takes the news very well. (Persuade = ‘6’) Ethan explains that they’ll still go to the Frozen Pines Forest but ‘Auntie’ Isabelle needs some help and it needs to be now. Hilda accepts the situation, reopens “The Hobbit” and starts reading again.
- He contacts Sir Amlyn via Icon and tells him that he has been delayed. The young knight is surprised to hear Ethan’s ‘voice in his head’ but he accepts the message and says that he will wait for them.
- Isabelle kisses Ethan to thank him. Ethan reiterates his suggestion to involve Grant - they will be faster if he is involved. He understands Dwimmerlaik culture (having lived among them) and he can speak the Dwimmerlaik language. Also, he can move the Door to a more secure location on the Stair (something that neither Ethan nor Isabelle know how to do). Finally, if they do get into trouble, Grant is handy to have in a fight. (Persuade = ‘5’) Isabelle really doesn’t want to involve anyone else in this, but she reluctantly agrees. (The clock “Another Group Arrives” is now 2 of 8.)
No comments:
Post a Comment