GM’s Observations
- Effectively this was a side plot which then contributed to the main ‘Hephaestus’ storyline.
Major Characters
- Ethan
Adversaries
- ??? (no spoilers)
Adventure Hook
- Hermes spoke to Ethan and asked to discuss a matter privately with him. Ethan assumes that Hermes will meet him on Marindar where the Olympians occasionally visit.
Background
- Hephaestus has completed two Great Tasks. Ares and Aphrodite are expected to interfere with the third Great Task. Hera has watched Hephaestus’ conduct with interest but has not expressed a point of view.
Adventure Summary
- Ethan returns to Marindar. A few days later, Hermes meets with him and asks Ethan to perform a task on behalf of his patron. Hermes doesn’t know who the patron was but he believes it to be one of the Olympians. Stressing that discretion is important, Ethan is asked to go to a pastoral realm and fix a broken statue. He is told that he won’t be welcome in that location. The patron of this errand would look upon Ethan most favourably if he can complete this task.
- Ethan doesn’t like the idea of an unidentified patron. He doesn’t sense danger but it could still be some sort of trap. Ethan agrees to try. Hermes gives him directions as to how to find the realm and the house which holds the statue. The status is supposed to be on the upper floor but Hermes doesn’t know precisely where.
- After thinking over the situation and preparing himself for the errand, Ethan departs Marindar. He carries objects for gathering up pieces of a statue, shrinking an object and also dimensionally transporting it (his old dimensional cube). He assumes that the status will be heavy and he doesn’t want to carry it out, especially if it is in pieces.
- Ethan walks the Grand Stair and arrives in a mighty temple to the Olympians. This one is dedicated to the goddess Hera.
- Using a Mental Invisibility spell to avoid detection, Ethan follows Hermes directions through the farmlands, through a small hamlet to a larger house a few miles away. Ethan can feel that this realm is very strong, and very sensitive to magic. Any significant magic here is likely to create a tremor and be detected.
- It is late morning when Ethan reaches his destination. The farmstead feels forbidding. He can’t sense any animal life nearby - even the birds seem to avoid this place. Ethan approaches the front door and pulls a cord to ring the doorbell. At last a malformed creature that seems to be part-man, part-dog answers the door. The creature seems to be in pain. Ethan tricks the creature into allowing him entry (Ethan was afraid of breaching the rules of hospitality) and then puts the creature to sleep with a spell. Inspecting the dog-man, Ethan decides that it is not a hybrid - someone has merged a man with a dog, possibly some kind of curse. He decides to let the creature sleep and heads upstairs to find the statue.
- Ethan finds a dead man in the first room who seems to have died of shock. The body shows no sign of decomposition - everything here seems to be frozen in time. In the second room the curtains are drawn and the shattered remains of a statue. There are thousands of fragments, many of them tiny. It appears that the statue was blown apart, possibly by ‘lightning’. Of course, it would be impossible to be struck by a bolt of lightning when indoors but not if the lightning were thrown by one of the Olympians. Zeus seems the most likely Olympian to be throwing thunderbolts and Ethan wonders if he will incur the ire of whoever destroyed the statue if he puts it back together. Ethan assumes that the statue was once a person, but it’s in too many pieces to be sure what type of person.
- Ethan carefully gathers up the pieces and stores them in a dimensional cube. As he does so, he hears something knocking faintly but persistently on the window. He ignores it, finishes up and heads downstairs. The dog-man is still sleeping but there is a small bird flying from window to window, chirping frantically. Ethan makes a discreet departure using Mental Invisibility.
- Returning to the Stair, Ethan decides to visit Isabelle. He arranges to meet her in her home domain. Isabelle is pleased to see Ethan and they catch up on current events. Ethan produces the dimensional cube and explains that he’s been asked to put a broken statue back together, and it is in many pieces. He thought that they could work on the project together. Isabelle is pleased with this and they start work, using advanced technology to scan the individual fragments and figure out how best to align and place them. The task takes them many days but neither of them is in any hurry. They have finished fashioning the Vessel for Grace and are awaiting the opportunity to prime it.
- At last the statue is restored and it is of a beautiful young woman whose face is frozen in a final scream of anguish. Her arms are outstretched, reaching for something. Using Eidolon, Ethan is able to restore the statue to its original perfect state. He is certain that this used to be a person - the detail is so exquisite that it would be a lifetime's work to carve. He still has no idea who the patron is or what consequences there might be to restore this statue.
- Isabelle is already thinking about another interim project and she needs to visit Hephaestus’ workshop in order to consult with Brontes (one of the Cyclops) there. She wishes Ethan well and heads on her way. Ethan uses technology to shrink and store the statue, and then heads to Marindar where he hopes that Hermes will find him.
- Ethan finds Marindar hasn’t changed much since he left it. The sun is warm, the people are pleased to see him return and the smell of freshly baked loaves of bread is inviting. Ethan settles back into his house but it feels empty without Hilda, Isabelle, Abigail or Antigone. Leaving the statue of the nameless girl in the entrance hall of his house, Ethan goes out into the streets. Central feels alive and vibrant. It’s market day and there are many strangers to Marindar here. Ethan even spots a few reptilian creatures walking around that he hasn’t seen before. Ethan finds Hermes in the marketplace, enjoying a variety of cheese samples provided by a foreign merchant. Ethan doesn’t recognise the race of the merchant - he has a broad face and a squat frame. Another stranger from a foreign land.
- Hermes is surprised to see Ethan back so soon, and he quickly persuades Ethan to try and buy some cheese. Hermes follows Ethan back to his house and Ethan shows him the statue. Hermes inspects the statue but has no idea who this is.. Hermes has tried to find who the patron is of this request but still doesn’t know. Ethan asks about whether Juna (who is probably Hera) is in Marindar but Hermes hasn’t seen her. Hermes agrees to report the statue’s repair and wishes Ethan well.
- That evening Ethan invites Grant to join him for dinner. Grant arrives via an Icon contact and they talk. The topics range from current projects (Hephaestus) to the elusive Necromancer, from the next poker game to Ethan’s unfulfilled obligations to the Winter Court. They have a pleasant conversation overlooking the bay and Grant departs the next day.
- Ethan has no idea as to when Hermes will return so he visits Earth (Realm 0) to recover some possessions to make Marindar feel more like home, and then he spends time in the sun marvelling at all of the different peoples here. He visits his brother Mark and his family. He contacts Hilda to check that she is all right. Time seems to pass slowly on Marindar but he finds it a welcome change of pace.
- After a week, Hermes returns. He says that he knows who the girl is, but not who the patron is. Before Ethan can say to Hermes that he doesn’t want to know who the girl is, Hermes blurts out that she is Apollo’s lover. Grimacing, Ethan asks what the patron wants him to do with the statue. Hermes isn’t sure - he communicated to the patron (via intermediaries) that Ethan has restored the statue but he doesn’t know what will happen next. He assumes that the patron will come to Marindar to collect it or give further direction. Hermes is surprised by Ethan’s lack of curiosity as to who the patron is - he would be very curious if he were in Ethan’s place. Ethan remarks some of the Olympians are known to be vengeful, and he has no wish to offend anyone. Sometimes it is better not to know. Hermes laughs and says that this would be no fun and that no life is without risk.
- The conversation then changes and Hermes asks after Hilda and whether she would be interested in another adventure. (GM’s note - the last one was fun but Hermes and Hilda needed to be rescued). Ethan agrees to ask her. He pours some wine and shares some of the cheese. Ethan asks Hermes about the other Olympians and their disposition towards Hephaestus’ endeavours. Hermes cheerfully says that there is a wager going as to whether Hephaestus will be successful or not. Ethan asks which way Hermes is betting and Hermes roars with laughter. Slapping Ethan on the back, Hermes assures him that he would like to see Hephaestus succeed. Ethan notes that Hermes didn’t say which way he was betting.
- Two days later a letter arrives which appears to have been inked in liquid silver. In the letter, Ethan is thanked for recovering and restoring the statue. There is no signature or symbol. The writer remains anonymous. The letter is so beautiful that Ethan puts it aside as a keepsake. At this point Ethan assumes that the patron will not come himself (or herself) - someone will arrive to collect it.
- Less than two hours later, Ethan has an unexpected guest on his doorstep. It is Juna (whom Ethan suspects may be Hera). Ethan has seen Hera before (on Mount Olympus) but they do not appear identical. Juna is dressed in elaborate Marindan garb. Ethan invites her in and offers her some refreshments.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- In the entranceway, Juna catches sight of the statue and stares at it in wonder.She admits that she didn’t think it was possible to repair it, thus revealing herself as Hera and the mysterious patron. After inspecting the statue, she asks about the others (the dog-man and the bird). Ethan answers her truthfully and she says that she appreciates his discretion in this matter. She explains that she was furious with the girl as she thought her husband (Zeus) was being unfaithful. Instead she struck down someone who was precious to her son (referring to Apollo). She asks if Ethan will return the statue to the house where he found the pieces, and she will lift her curse on the house. (which will undo the manservant’s merger with his faithful hound, and restore Apollo’s daughter from her bird-form)
- Ethan agrees to help. Juna asks what reward Ethan would like for his service. Ethan admits to having thought about it, but he can’t think of anything for himself. There are many things that he would like but he doesn’t think asking help from a goddess is the right way to solve his problems. Juna doesn’t appear surprised and she asks what Hephaestus has offered him to assist him. Ethan tells her that Hephaestus hasn’t offered anything. Hephaestus asked for help and Ethan agreed to help him.
- Juna accepts this and notes that Hephaestus is lucky to have such a selfless companion. She will look upon Hephaestus’ current quest with a favourable eye and forgive previous transgressions (GM’s note - referring to the episode from Greek Myth where Hephaestus tied his mother to a chair)
- Juna asks to be shown around his house and Ethan does so. He offers refreshments and they settle down on the balcony. There they chat for a time about Marindar. Juna asks a little about his travels. It is polite conversation but Juna seems interested in Ethan and what kind of person he is. However, when the topic turns to Abigail and Isabelle, Ethan notes that Juna clearly disapproves of him having relationships with two women.
Other Impacts
- None
