Flashback to LEGO Lords of Gossamer

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.....

5 Year Anniversary of the Grant/Ethan game!

And it's 24th July 2018, which means that this game has been running for 5 YEARS!. And we haven't finished yet!



Woo!  How many games run this long, with this many regular sessions?!?! We must love this game!   

I haven't done any LEGO Lords of Gossamer in a while, and it's not quite Christmas, but I think this sums up how David and I feel about the game.
(In the picture is LEGO Ethan, LEGO Grant, LEGO Macavity and LEGO Stolvir, by the way)



And on a good news front, I'm heading to Melbourne this weekend to catch up with David for his birthday! Yes, we might actually get a photo of the two of us, revelling in this glorious achievement. 5 years and still going!

Happy New Year 2017 - LEGO LoG&S

And now some more LEGO Lords of Gossamer, probably set in the aftermath of Mowbray's death.... (after Session 100)

1. The Lords of Gossamer go sailing on 'Admiral' Drake's imperial flagship. 

2. Another shot of the same.

3. On the prow, Lady Sophia and Lord Grant enjoy a private moment. (too hard to do a 'Titanic' on the front of the ship in LEGO   )

4. In midship, Lady Vala and Lord Lucien discuss the future. (Meanwhile a soldier comes to ask if they need anything) 

5. A closeup of Lady Vala and Lord Lucien.

6. Macavity has a quiet word with Stolvir....

7. 'Admiral' Drake and Mordecai reconcile their differences. (it might be the first time I've used the reverse side of Mordecai's head for the other face). If you look closely, there is another LEGO couple in the background.....

8. Abbie and Ethan enjoy time together ....

9. While Yaeger Zane buzzes an excitable crew member .....   

Hope you enjoy this. Happy New Year folks. I hope 2017 is better than 2016.

Session 101 - Christmas Special

GM Observations
- About two months ago I suggested to David that we end the year 2016 (which let’s face, has been a pretty awful year) by having a ‘Christmas Special’. Given that I’d been GMing a fair bit of the main Breath of Eden/Mowbray plot, David agrees to lighten the mood with the last session of the year.
- So this session was run in the vein of the Marvel comics which used to feature Santa Claus as a heroic character and typically had the featured heroes buddy up with him, handing out presents and doing good. I didn’t quite know what David meant by this concept, but I googled the following image and got the general idea. 

* Image sourced from Google Images
- So at the end of a (pretty sh&tty) 2016, sit back and try to laugh as Grant and Ethan work to save Christmas. (Don’t ask me whether it’s Christmas 1992 or 1993 - I’m losing track of years. We’ll work that out later …. )
- And on that note, Merry Christmas everyone. Have a Happy Holiday and be safe!

Part 1 - Christmas doesn’t work on Marindar 
- About six weeks has passed since Grant returned to Marindar. Things have settled down. Grant and Ethan caught up at their favourite inn in Versais and had a wonderful evening laughing over all the things that have happened to them since they first came to Westgate cottage and stepped out onto the Stair. Ethan seems happier and more relaxed than he has in ages. Lucien has moved the Skandian Door onto the landing near Realm 0 and he feels completely free of the Dwimmerlaik’s influence. The only downside in the aftermath of Mowbray’s death is that Ethan has failed to find the Shoggoth that was sniffing around Westgate - he tracked it back to its shack but it has vanished. Despite his best efforts, he has not been able to locate it. November becomes December and the two of them try to introduce Christmas to Marindar, but this fails miserably.
- Even with the help of Grant’s family and Ethan’s family, the idea of putting up trees and decorating them with tinsel and balls hasn’t really caught on. Grant has also pointed out that Christmas doesn’t work so well in warm climates. It’s hot in Central at this time at year - he wants snow. (GM’s note - it will be 35 degrees in Melbourne on Christmas Day (2016) and 32 degrees in Canberra - those temperatures are in Celsius. The bottom line is we know what hot Christmas’ are like.)
- It is breakfast on 24th December and both families are sharing a breakfast looking over the bay. Abbie has slipped away with Ethan for the Christmas holidays and was looking forward to some beach fun, but everyone else seems to feel that the message of Christmas is completely lost here. It’s just another warm day in Central. There is nothing special about this time of year.
- Ethan’s father makes a comment about how he wished to see Santa’s workshop as a boy, and Ethan all-too-quickly says that this might be possible. Suddenly everyone is staring at him and Ethan points out that it may be possible to find almost anything on the Stair. Surely Santa’s workshop must be on the Stair ‘somewhere’. Ethan’s father says half-jokingly that he’d be obliged if Ethan could find Santa’s workshop - he’s always wanted to see it.

Part 2 - In Search of Santa’s Workshop 
- Grant, Ethan, Sophia and Abbie head for the Stair, carrying winter fur-lined coats. Ethan can’t believe he’s agreed to something so silly (like trying to find the Easter Bunny), but at the same time he finds the idea amusing. Leaving the heat of Marindar behind, they don their coats and Ethan takes the lead in trying to find Santa’s workshop via Wayfinding. Grant holds back because he figures that Ethan knows best what Ethan’s father would have in mind for Santa’s workshop.
- The journey is very short. Surprisingly so.
- Ethan is led to a painting on the wall only a few hundred metres from the Door to Westgate cottage. He has passed it many times, but when he looks very closely at it, the grass and trees are moving in the picture as if a wind is blowing. It is so subtle that he’s never noticed it before. Touching the picture frame, Ethan hopes to get a feeling as to crafted this, or at least who touched it last. But there is no person. However he senses an awareness behind this. He feels a call for help, and then he hears the words “Help Us!” Blinking, Ethan asks out loud “How?” and the section of wall slides back, revealing a lift which is operated by ropes.
- This is not the first concealed passageway that they have found on the main landing next to Realm 0. Grant and Ethan speculate that there may be many more - they decide that they should explore more fully in the near future.
- Grant and Ethan operate the lift, pulling on the ropes and quickly drawing the lift to the next floor. It stops with a click. In this new section of Stair it is very cold. There is snow on the ground and a cold wind whistles down the corridor. GM’s note - this is the first time that Grant or Ethan have seen weather on the Stair, so they are curious about it)
- There are many Doors in this part of the stair - one is orange with eyes and a mouth; another is covered in stripes and swirly patterns; but some look sad and disused. One however is in very good order - it is candy striped in red and white and flanked by red and green pillars. The door has a huge brass knocker but no door handle. However there is a keyhole.
- Grant and Ethan look at each other with childish grins on their faces. The glee on their faces is infectious and Abbie can’t resist it. They freeze for a minute as the sound of sleigh bells is heard somewhere, far far away.
- Ethan asks Grant if he should knock, but Abbie takes the initiative and knocks loudly. Suddenly there is a sound of a key being turned from the other side and they are surprised to see two short elves on the other side. Barely three feet high with big eyes, they are clad in fur trimmed green clothes. One of them is holding a key that looks like it’s made out of candy cane (it is striped red and white). They look terrified and they immediately flee onto the Stair, shouting “save us from the Krampus”.

Part 3 - Krampus Attack 
- (GM’s note - I personally had never heard of the Krampus before, so David had to fill me in. Here’s the Wikipedia link which explains that they are. A trio of huge man-shaped Wampa-like creatures charge the Door. Ethan steps through the Door and ignites his lightsaber. When the lead Krampus doesn’t back down, Ethan chops a horn off and they flee. Grant asks Ethan “what now?”. Eyeing the scared elves, Ethan crouches down and says firmly “Take me to your leader.”
- The elves oblige, leading them over a low snowy ridge back to their village. The village looks like a small Christmas village surrounded by low snow-covered hills, but unfortunately there are a number of rampaging Krampus chasing the Elves and pulling down the houses (which look to be made out of gingerbread). 
- Laughing loudly at the ridiculous scene, the four of them split up. Ethan uses ‘the Force’ to poleaxe the Krampus and scare them away. Grant fires a few blaster bolts at them, setting their furry bottoms on fire. Sophia simply has to get close to them, gesture and the Krampus lose interest in what they were doing and wander away. In contrast, Abbie throws a snowball at a Krampus who has just demolished a building but this just antagonises him. Roaring, it charges at Abbie. Abbie hurriedly casts a spell (GM’s note - say WHAT?) and she hurls a fireball at the creature as if she were pitching a baseball. It hits the creature in the face, explodes and scorches its face black. The Krampus opens its eyes, blinks, and then passes out, falling flat on its face in the snow. Abbie looks around hurriedly to see if anyone noticed, and of course (GM’s note - because this is comedy) EVERYBODY stopped fighting just to watch this, such that NOBODY missed the big reveal that Abbie knows some magic.

Part 4 - Santa Claus 
- As the Krampus flee, Ethan looks at the damaged houses and smiles. He can fix this. He’s good at fixing things. All four of them get stuck into repairing the village, and they inspire the cowardly elves to get cracking. The elves may be very small, but they are ridiculously strong, able to lift huge weights easily. The magic of this place becomes obvious as they reattach a fallen wall to a damaged building - immediately the building looks like new again and smoke begins pluming out of the chimney. 
- Ethan has a strange feeling about this place. It feels like this is Earth (i.e.: Realm 0), not other realm on the Stair. In the centre of the village is a tower that looks just the one in Westgate, Eastgate and so forth. There is definitely a connection here.
- HO! HO! HO! they hear and out comes a jolly well-padded man with twinkling eyes and half-moon glasses. He is not a Warden of Stair but Ethan and Grant can tell that he wields ‘power’. He is definitely a real person, not an illusion. He introduces himself as Nicholas and he needs no introduction to Grant and Ethan - he knows them by name. Of course he hasn’t met Lady Sophia (whom he says is charming) and when introduced to Abbie, he realises that he does know her - he has all of her albums. Abbie blushes.

Part 5 - Saving Christmas 
- At the end of the introductions one of the elves come out and says that Christmas is ruined - the Krampus have damaged the sleigh. Santa and the others head to the ‘hangar’ (which looks like a barn, but which is bigger on the inside than on the outside) and they see a huge sleigh with a colossal sack on the back. Conveyer belts guide thousands of presents into the sack and Ethan works out quickly that it too must be ‘bigger on the inside’. Ethan asks if Santa uses dimensional engineering technology and Santa says that he does (with a twinkle in his eye). A short way over, they spy a number of reindeer in tip-top condition. They are clearly Eidolon-enhanced beasts and all of them have glowing red noses. 
- The elf shows Nicholas that there is damage to the sleigh. A section on the side has been pulled off and Nicholas comments idly that without the missing component, the reindeer will not be able to fly. The missing component transfers power from the anti-gravity generators from the sleigh to the reindeer themselves. Ethan is confident that he can fix it if he gets what the Krampus tore off, and Grant is asked to find the Krampus while Ethan focuses on repairing the damage that he can. Sophia is no slouch when it comes to advanced technology - she also does what she can, and Abbie watches and learns. Grant returns after a short period - he comes back with half of what the Krampus tore off - apparently the Krampus ate the other half and is currently digesting it. (GM’s note - this made me laugh - that’s one way to thwart an Eidolon Master)
- As they survey the damage, Ethan reasons that the technology on the sleigh is not too dissimilar to Marindan technology that he adapted on Earth to get his Speeder Bike working. He decides to return to Westgate to get the parts he needs to repair the sleigh. While he is gone, he suggests that Grant invite their families through to ‘Santa’s workshop’ to help wherever they can. Grant agrees.
- Grant’s family and Ethan’s family arrive in Santa’s workshop and despite the wonder they feel in this place, they quickly offer to help out - after all, there are people (and children) all around the world who are counting on them. (GM’s note - get in the spirit of Christmas, folks!)
- Meanwhile Ethan heads back to Earth and then teleports across to Westgate. Neither Jacob nor Gearwing are in Clockworld - they seem to have gone away for the holidays. At Westgate there is no Shoggoth waiting for him. He finds Stolvir and Macavity who are both pleased to see him. When Ethan explains where he has been, Macavity asks if he might come along, and Ethan happily agrees to take them both. They cram into the Ford Escort (which has similar performance to the Eidolon Car but looks like a Ford Escort) with the components they need in the boot. (GM’s note - yes, please imagine Stolvir taking up the entire back seat of the small Ford Escort)
- As Ethan drives back, he realises that Santa’s Workshop must be somewhere on Earth. The Door from Santa’s Workshop leads directly to Clockworld with no Stair in-between. That is similar to the other places in Realm 0 which are connected to Clockworld. Hence Santa’s Workshop is not a separate Realm - it is connected/part of Earth. 
- Returning to Santa’s workshop and keeping a close eye on the time, the repair work continues in earnest. Ethan has to jury-rig and then Eidolon-enhance the jury-rig to get the sleigh working, but at last with thirty minutes to go, all is done and the sleigh is ready to fly.

Part 6 - Christmas Day 
- As Santa readies for the journey, he invites Grant, Ethan, Sophia and Abbie to come with him to ‘spread some Christmas joy’. Astonished, they agree. Nicholas tells them that they will need to rug up warmly and he suggests that his wife should be able to help them if they need any more garments. 
- They are quickly ready and the reindeer are hooked up to the sleigh. Looking at the dashboard of Santa’s sleigh, Ethan notes the similarity in the mechanism to that of Clockworld. The dashboard has many timepieces set into its paneling and it looks as though Nicholas is expecting to manipulate time as part of his Christmas run. Abbie and Ethan snuggle up in the back on one side of the sleigh, whilst Grant and Sophia sit comfortably together on the other side. Ethan asks Nicholas if he has any food or drink with him for the long journey - Nicholas laughs and points out a cupboard which will product mince pies, cake and hot chocolate. Looking at it, Ethan recognises the device as one that produced divine tea and crumpets in Clockworld.
- Setting off, Nicholas heads for the Pacific and begins his present delivery. The presents literally float out of the sack when he reaches his destination, disappearing down chimneys or phasing through walls to reach their targets. Occasionally Nicholas stops the sleigh and he leaps down a chimney, using some sort of dimensional technology to squeeze down and reappear inside the house. Once finished, he teleports back, sometimes with fresh cookies crumbs in his beard. Watching Nicholas work, he is sure that Nicholas is manipulating time - how else could he deliver so many presents.
- Time passes swiftly as they continue their magical journey across the world. But it is only somewhere in eastern Europe that they run into trouble.

Part 7 - Santa’s Helpers v Jack Frost 
- Santa warns them of an approaching figure. Saying that it is ‘Jack Frost’, the companions ready themselves in case he is unfriendly. Jack passes them and is surprised to see that Nicholas is not alone. Jack animates a number of ice creatures which fly to attack, including vorpal bunnies, sleet dogs, ice swans and other dangerously sharp critters. It is clear that Jack means to stop Nicholas, and Santa’s Helpers go to work. Ethan puts up an Eidolon Shield around the sleigh. Grant snipes at the ice creatures with his wrist blaster. Gesturing, Sophia conjures up music which shatters some of the icy creatures. Her secret blown, Abbie conjures up a crude firewall that decimates many of Jack’s minions. Clearly outgunned, Jack Frost says that he’ll deal with Nicholas ‘next year’ and he vanishes in a puff of snow.

Part 8 - The Magical Journey Ends 
- Time passes in a blur. Neither Grant nor Ethan can quite figure out how Nicholas does it - the higher the population centre, the faster the sleigh seems to be able to move. Although some parts are similar to the magic of Clockworld - some of it is still alien to them. Ethan can tell that each present is imbued with a spark of positive energy which will be passed to the person who opens the present but he isn’t sure how this is achieved. But all too quickly, the journey comes to an end. All four of Santa’s Helpers loved it. Ethan did need to make some adjustments to his jury-rigged repairs a few times during the trip but Christmas was a success once more and Nicholas is very grateful for their help.
- Nicholas invites them all to a feast which has been prepared by his wife and the elves. It is Christmas Day and he is very pleased to have guests - guests are from his point of view relatively rare. While the elves sing carols, everyone digs into a delicious meal which has everything they could possibly have imagined. 
- At last everyone is full and tired and Nicholas invites everyone to stay the night. There is a large guest house here and the elves have prepared rooms (indeed the elves look very excited to have people staying with them in the community). But before they go to rest, Nicholas kindly says that he has some presents for them.
- At first Grant and Ethan think that Nicholas is just being kind, but then the presents reveal that some thought has been given to them.

• Lady Sophia receives a leather-bound tome which looks like it contains a cultural history of Earth. She looks surprised, opens the front cover, flicks through a few pages, closes it and thanks Nicholas for his kind gift.
• Abbie is given what looks like a child’s rag-doll. Tears run down her face as she explains that this is a music doll from her world. She finds the button on the rag-doll’s back and it plays a rhyme that clearly means something to her.
• Grant receives a jar of pale ointment - a healing salve (GM’s note - which will only work on other people). This is something he has greatly desired.
• Ethan receives a ‘cube’ which plays music. (He keeps losing his Walkman) (GM’s note - this will in time have other properties similar to Mihoshi’s cube from Tenchi Muyo)
• Macavity receives a jewelled collar which radiates ‘power’. (GM’s note - this will give him telekinesis, like “The Cat From Outer Space”)
• Stolvir is given a juicy bone and something else which he hides from the others.

- The party breaks up and they head to the guest rooms. Above them, the Northern Lights are brilliant and clear. It has been a good Christmas.


….. and there, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. And on that note, some Christmas wishes from LEGO Grant and LEGO Ethan…..


And today I finished off my wall display for LEGO Lords of Gossamer miniatures. It was a bit difficult to get the lighting/focus right but here it is:

Top to bottom, left to right:
- Top Row - Dwimmerlaik Lord, R2-D7 (the potty mouthed droid), Yaeger Zane, Macavity
- 2nd Row - Lady Sophia, Grant, Ethan, Abbie
- 3rd Row - Drake, Lady Vala, Lucien, Isabelle
- Bottom Row - Greywalker, Mordecai, Jodan, Bastiano

And a final word from me. Thanks for sticking with us on this journey over the last 3 1/2 years. We’ll be taking a week off, but will be returning in 2017.

We are going to wind forward the clock by ~5 years (time compress) and up Grant’s and Ethan’s points to over 300 points. I’m not quite sure what the next plot arc will be - I’m still thinking it over.  

Next session will likely be Tuesday 2nd January 2017.

Session 93 - Striking a Match

GM Observations
- Sorry for the delayed write-up. I’ve just moved from one side of Australia (Perth) to the other (Canberra) and it’s taken me some time to get to this. On the plus side, David and I are now in the same timezone which means longer sessions. Woo!
- This narrative carries on from Session 90, as Grant decides what to do after discovering that Lord Aurum was behind the assassination attempt on Lord Forst and Lady Erla of House Suril.

Part 1 - The Plot
- Grant weighs up the situation and decides that that his chance of remaining Trell is almost nil. Members of House Suril will attempt to contact Trell via Icon and that connection won’t reach him. Even if it did, he’s still cursed with the Breath of Eden which would attack whoever made the contact. There is no way forward on that front. He knows that Lord Aurum has tried to assassinate Lord Forst and Lady Erla, and Lord Aurum is influential on the High Council. Revealing what Lord Aurum has done could create a division within the Dwimmerlaik. 
- Grant initiates a series of conversations, firstly with Cooper Nassar, and then with Bastiano. Given that Grant is still infected with the Breath of Eden, they take ‘precautions’ to avoid the transfer of the hostile spell. Cooper confirms that the stone Icon is that of Lord Aurum - he is certain. Cooper also confirms that of the two memory canisters that he has in his possession, the canister of Galatea’s memories is complete, but the canister of Lady Sophia’s memories are incomplete. Discussing the situation with Bastiano, they devise a plan to one of the canister’s as bait, and hopefully trigger some conflict within the Empire. 

* Image is from the Lords of Gossamer Sourcebook (Joe Shawcross) - this is Cooper Nassar

Part 2 - A Disturbance in the Empire
- Bastiano and Cooper Nassar journey to Metro City. Cooper takes the canister of Galatea’s memories (and fabricates an identical canister). Bastiano volunteers to find ‘The Goddess’ (i.e.: Galatea) and convince her to travel with him and restore her memories. (Grant suspects that Bastiano is particularly interested in helping given that Galatea is an attractive woman) (GM’s note - yes, this is Bastiano that we’re talking about here)
- Meanwhile Grant has considered the implications of breaking his cover as Trell. His servant Arana will in danger, but he doesn’t trust her far enough to attempt to recruit her. So he decides to leave her for the time being and come back for her later. She has her own residence which is part of the main complex on the world assigned to Trell. 
- With Cooper’s assistance, Grant is transported to Chammont, one of House Suril’s realms and the residence of Lord Forst and Lady Erla. Disguised as an assassin from House Devish, he prepares in the realm and then performs an assassination attempt. Grant (as Trell) knows a great deal about House Suril’s defences and how to break them. He does not wish to kill Lord Forst or Lady Erla, but he wants to make it look like a solid, plausible attempt. He also wants to be thwarted in the attempt, but in fleeing, he wants to leave some of the evidence pointing to Lord Aurum at the scene.
- Grant’s assassination attempt goes very much as planned. Even though House Suril’s defences are in a heightened state of readiness, and more than one Dwimmerlaik Witch is on alert, Grant penetrates the defences easily (using Umbra). He very nearly kills Lord Forst before being ‘forced’ to withdraw, and even with the forces of House Suril on his tail, he still manages to find time to sow considerable discord in their ranks, committing numerous acts of sabotage across Chammont. 
- Grant does not see how the Empire reacts to this attempt. He returns to Metro City to find that the second part of the plan is ready to put into place. Using Umbra, Grant ‘blows up’ the building where Lord Forst and Lady Erla were conducting their observations of “The Goddess”. He destroys it sufficiently to convince any investigators that Trell must be have been killed. The canister which Cooper fabricated is also destroyed totally, but the canister containing Sophia’s memories is badly damaged (‘just as planned’)
- At this point, Grant withdraws from Metro City. Both he and Cooper Nasser have been very careful with the damaged canister so that each is certain that they can track it across the multiverse if required. They expect the damaged canister to be retrieved by the Enemy sooner or later, and then they should be able to follow the trail and find out where the stolen memories are being held.

Part 3 - The Enemy Within
- Grant goes to ground. He knows enough of the Empire now to position himself where he will learn about some of the fallout from what he has done. At first there is little news, but he forces himself to be patient. He also finds that his body wants to keep returning to the form of Trell, not Grant. He has not ‘been himself’ for some time. Nevertheless, he has to assume the identity of more than one Dwimmerlaik to move freely, listen, and learn as to what is happening.
- After a few days, news start to trickle in that House Suril claims to have been attacked by House Devish, and that some of the other noble houses have sided with House Suril. Grant notes that the Empress is involved and observes the prevailing viewpoint that a political settlement will be reached. Grant is less than satisfied with this and he decides to stir things up.
- Over the next two weeks, Grant tries to bring the Dwimmerlaik Houses into conflict with one another. Using the identity of the first (dead) assassin from House Devish and the (invented) second assassin, also from House Devish, Grant strikes targets of opportunity in House Cavalarn’s territory and he murders a Dark Witch from House Malkesh. Each time, he takes tokens where he can so that he can spread the suggestion that there are multiple factions involved in an undeclared war. 
- To begin with, Grant thinks that he is attempting the impossible. He is only one man, he can’t be everywhere and he doesn’t know the exact points to hit in order to cause real disruption to the Empire. But then, quite suddenly, things start paying off. House Suril has had a Mass Driver in its possession for many years (GM’s note - used against Arcadia way back in Session 34), and Grant sabotaged it in Session 81). There are reports of House Suril using this weapon against other Imperial Targets, but the Empress herself ordered Lord Krovaliss to intervene. Even though Suril’s Mass Driver was quickly destroyed, it’s clear that this situation is not over. 
- Grant takes a more subtle approach on his next attempt. Using information from House Cavalarn, he commandeers a battalion ‘on the orders of the Empress’ and uses it to launch an attack on House Suril. This is very successful, and he causes a great deal of damage to House Suril holdings before he decides to switch sides, join the defenders and swing the battle the other way, this time impersonating a Dwimmerlaik Witch from House Malkesh who has come to their aid. The result of this is even better than he expected, with two other noble houses offering an alliance to House Suril as each concerned that they may be picked off without allies. The concern is that the Empress herself could be siding against the minor houses.

Part 4 - The Cannister Moves
- Meanwhile, Grant is aware that the damaged cylinder has been removed from Metro City. Despite his many forays across Imperial-controlled Stair, he has kept tabs on its movements until it suddenly ‘disappeared’ from view. Grant contacts Lucien to get his point of view. Grant explains that the canister was taken deep within Dwimmerlaik territory before suddenly disappearing from his view. Lucien is wary of a trap. He think it it is possible that the realm is warded and warns Grant to be cautious.
- Turning his attention from tricking the Dwimmerlaik into war, Grant begins the long walk towards where the canister disappeared from sight. Using Mastery of Stair, he takes many shortcuts and he is very careful - he travels through Imperial territory in disguise, pretending to be a Dwimmerlaik Lord and he changes his identity frequently. He suppresses that he is a Warden of the Stair (which is well practised in) and he avoids sections of the Stair which are ‘hostile’. 
- At one point he senses the presence of another Warden but he avoids them. Even with Mastery of the Stair, it seems that it will take him considerable time to reach his destination.

Part 5 - Contact with Vala
- After more than day travelling, Grant receives a contact from Vala. She has clearly been talking with Lucien as she asks him to be especially cautious. She explains that Greywalker has reported that pockets of the Dwimmerlaik have begun openly warring against each other, even though the Empress is trying to stop the fighting. 

* Image by Jason Rainville
- Grant is intrigued and interested in hearing what Greywalker has seen. It sounds like his efforts have been making waves in the Empire. Vala assures him that this is the case. Vala praises Grant for his efforts in creating divisions within the Empire - his fellow Lords of Gossamer are trying to take advantage of that situation in an indirect fashion. In particular, Bastiano, Greywalker and Yaeger Zane have been stirring up considerable trouble for the Enemy. Grant then asks about Galatea and Vala assures him that she has recovered. Grant wonders if the Dwimmerlaik fighting one another might have impacted Ethan. He asks Vala if there has been any word from Ethan and she says that there has not. Vala wishes him luck and the contact is cut.

Part 6 - Following the Trail
- Grant feels very tired. Talking with Vala made him realise that he has started something and yet he hasn’t stopped in days. He decides to find a forested realm, and he goes down a burrow as an animal in order to rest. He sleeps deeply before returning to the trail.
- Grant reaches a section where the Stair is little more than stepping stones and there is no apparent wall, ceiling or floor. Apart from the grey stepping stones, all else appears to be void. Grant finds this quite disturbing but he carries on. At last he comes to a stepping stone that contains a trapdoor - the Door leads down. 
- Grant takes a deep breath, lifts the trapdoor and notes that there is a faint purple glow coming from the realm below.

…. and that’s where we left Session 93. I’ll try to get Sessions 94, 95 and 96 written up over the next few days.


And lastly, since it’s been awhile that I’ve done any LEGO Lords of Gossamer, I’ll show you a Work In Progress shot of a shadow box that I’m working on to display the characters. Yes, some are missing horns, hair, Yaeger Zane’s wings etc and the blocks aren’t perfectly lined up yet. I’m still working on it. (Macavity is missing too)



From top to bottom:

• Row 1 - Stolvir, Yaeger Zane (currently missing wings and chainsword), Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik (currently missing hair/horns, weapon)
• Row 2 - Lady Sophia, Grant (missing weapon), Ethan (missing shield, weapon, Macavity), Abbie
• Row 3 - Drake, Lady Vala (missing hair, weapon), Lucien (missing weapon), Isabelle
• Row 4 - Greywalker, Mordecai, Jodan, Bastiano (missing weapon)

Grant/Ethan - 3 Years

Well, as of 24th July 2016 we've been running the Grant/Ethan game for 3 whole years. 86 sessions - that's a lot - and there's still plenty of "gas in the tank".



To celebrate, here's some LEGO. Enjoy!

1. Ethan and Grant celebrate with a cake.


2. The entire scene


3. Some Dwimmerlaik join the party, whilst Drake enjoys a lollipop


4. From high above, Yaeger Zane enjoys a cold one (a beer) - note Stolvir here too


5. Bastiano goes for a drink at the bar. Greywalker and Mordecai 'talk shop'. Isabelle and Abbie have a friendly chat.


6. Meanwhile, Grant as Treeman (or is that Groot?) talks with one of the Stormtroopers on his Dewback - a nod to Grant's "treeman-form")


7. And finally, another shot of the gathering - some 'Rebels' can be seen conspiring in one of the booths   


Sadly I didn't get the Session 86 writeup done in time. I often do writeups on the plane, but it doesn't help if the person in front of me puts back their seat as far as they can - it stops me working. Sorry.

And so Year 4 begins.....  

Session 85 - A Request from the High Council

GM Observations
- This writeup continues the Grant storyline which was last visited in Session 81. We last left Grant on a side-mission with Lady Urla on a machine world which appears to house Lox’s mass driver. This session wasn’t particularly long because I was very tired (jet lag). Hopefully we’ll complete this story arc in Session 87.
- In this session I introduce the concept of the High Council, those Dwimmerlaik who directly serve the Empress. (this is a great way of introducing new, important villains).
- I also introduce and explain the concept of Shadow, the unreality that lies beyond the Gossamer Realms.
- Also, another LEGO picture at the end of this writeup - for Kendal (Ethan) and Stolvir. Enjoy!.

Part 1 - Delayed Disruption
- While Lady Urla speaks with the Dwimmerlaik commander who is dressed in a black and red uniform, Grant studies what he can. He decides it would be too obvious to sabotage the equipment here, so thinks how best to cause a failure at a later date. Grant is Dominant Ranked Warfare, he is an Umbra Master and he has had access to Lox’s data crystal which contained some information about this place. As such he is able to come up with a plan relatively quickly. He is only on the machine world for a comparatively short amount of time (about 6 hours), but he manages to weaken some of the containment structures such at least some of them will catastrophically fail very suddenly. He also makes some alterations to some of the monitoring devices so that they incorrectly monitor systems that will continue functioning so that the sabotage will not be detected until too late. 
- Lady Urla and Trell (Grant) return to ‘Earth’, the realm which Lady Urla and Lord Forst have been tasked to conquer. Grant continues to talk from time to time with Bastiano. News trickles in over time - Drake has rejoined the Lords of Gossamer (despite the loss of his memories). There is unfortunately no news of Ethan. The Lords of Gossamer which are part of the Vala, Lucien etc group have developed ways of receiving Icon contacts even from those infected with the ‘Breath of Eden’ without being infected themselves and losing their memories. Grant tells Bastiano about the location of the mass driver and shares information about his sabotage. Bastiano agrees to monitor and launch an attack if appropriate. Grant wonders if he’s making the right choice to remain as Trell or whether he should switch to another identity. His Dominant Rank warfare tells him that remaining as Trell is worth something as Lady Urla and Lord Forst are well connected. He just has to be patient.
- In the meantime, Grant (as Trell) gets to know Lord Forst a little better. The two of them are still relatively aloof and distant, but Lord Forst has a weakness - he enjoys a checkers-like game called ‘Ko” which is played on a much larger grid. Trell is particularly competent with this game and Forst desires to be better - hence they develop a rapport. Both Lord Forst and Lady Urla are relatively young Dwimmerlaik with short horns (teenagers) but they are clearly well thought of, and Trell is aware that Lady Urla has provided positive reports back to her superiors on his performance. 
- It is never spoken about openly but Trell is able to figure out one of the side projects that Lord Forst and Lady Urla are working on in their laboratory. They receive coke-can sized canisters of coloured fluid via sorcerous portal which they then mix carefully. Trell is able to deduce that they are blending memories. Once their assignment is complete, they return the completed canister via sorcerous portal. Grant is interested in this but he sees no opportunity to ask questions so he continues to observe and wonder. He thinks that they are working on ways for controlling subjects, ensuring obedience, even subservience but there are pieces missing in his understanding.

Part 2 - The Summoning
- One day, Lady Urla meets with Trell and tells him that she has received a summoning for him. This is unusual for Trell, as Urla is the elder of the two and it is normally Forst who speaks with him (there is a pecking order). Urla tells Trell that his loyalty has not gone unnoticed and the High Council has a request to make of him. Grant (as Trell) knows that a request from the High Council, the ruling body that serves the Empress, is no trivial matter. He also knows that he can’t say no, so he agrees to meet with a representative from the Council. 
- Urla opens a portal for Trell, and he reaches a dark chamber of black glossy metal. In it waits a single Dwimmerlaik Lord, dressed in light armour. From his shoulders hangs a deep burgundy cloak. His face is covered with a reflective mirror-mask. This is Lord Aurum (GM’s note - last seen in Session 84 where he met Ethan) Lord Aurum is a Warden of the Stair - Grant can tell - but he keeps his own powers suppressed so that Aurum is unable to sense him as a fellow Warden. Meeting Lord Aurum is unnerving for Trell - clearly he is powerful and important - hiding his face behind a mask means that Grant (as Trell) has difficulty reading him.
- In a hollow voice Lord Aurum asks for confirmation of Trell’s deeds, recounting the many times that he has survived. Trell confirms that he is that individual and Lord Aurum tells him that his service to the Empire has not gone unnoticed. Aurum explains that Fiorin has been found. (GM’s note - Fiorin is a gemstone which was finally recovered by Grant and Ethan in Session 73 - it is effectively a macguffin, allowing whole worlds to be reshaped - think “The Jewel of Judgement” from Roger Zelazny’s Chronicles of Amber) Grant hides his surprise at this because he knows that Lady Vala has Fiorin (or at least ‘had’ Fiorin when he last checked). Aurum goes on to explain that the Dwimmerlaik have tried twice to retrieve it but both attempts have been unsuccessful. 
- Lord Aurum introduces Number Five to Trell. Number Five is a spindly Mechanoid (a sentient robot) with a red faceplate and the number ‘5’ inscribed. Lord Aurum explains that Number Five’s dreadnought will take Trell to the rift. Beyond the rift is Shadow - the void beyond. The ships at the rift have managed to establish a tether to a great mass on the other side. That great ‘hulk’ is made up of planetary materials and a number of lost ships. The first two missions were lost, but Number Five’s mechanoids have been hardened with Eidolon, and Trell himself is a great survivor. Perhaps Trell and the mechanoids can succeed where others have failed? Lord Aurum explained that it is the Empress’ command for Trell to try, and success will bring ‘many rewards’.
- Trell asks a handful of questions and Lord Aurum answers them patiently. The Dwimmerlaik clearly think that Fiorin is at this location because of the strong Eidolon signature - but Number Five has more information about the previous missions. Lord Aurum makes it clear to Trell that he will have the full resources of the Empire at his disposal - whatever he needs will be provided. 

Part 3 - Side Conversations
- Trell is cautious about charging in without understanding further. Lord Aurum accepts this and provides Trell with an Icon to contact him if needed. Number Five shows him the way to the bridge as they are already aboard the Mechanoid Dreadnought - a massive ship almost a mile long with tens of thousands of mechanised troops.
- Number Five speaks to Trell in a mechanical voice (as expected). It is clear that although Number Five is captain of this vessel, Trell is in overall command of the mission. Trell asks a number of questions about why the fleet has gathered at this location (Realm 15-66-2) and Number Five explains that Shadow is vast, possibly endless - it is difficult to find anything in Shadow. Nevertheless the Masters have been able to divine this location by means unknown to Number Five. According to Number Five, this is where Fiorin the Maker is to be found, hence the mechanoids are prepared to find an Eidolon artefact. The first of the two previous teams confirmed the existence of a powerful ‘Eidolon signature’ but they did not return. Trell asks whether the Masters were looking specifically for Fiorin or were they looking for something else. Number Five is unclear, but he poses the hypothetical that the Masters have been looking for many worlds which became lost when they were severed from the Grand Stair - perhaps they found a lead?
- Trell goes to a cabin which has been set up for him to ‘prepare himself’. While he is alone, Trell decides to contact Lady Vala. Lady Vala is pleased to talk to Grant, and informs him that she does still retain Fiorin. Vala has never been into Shadow before but she says that it is a place without form - she speculates that Umbra and Eidolon will be difficult to use. When Grant asks why the Dwimmerlaik would think that Fiorin would be here, Vala says that a powerful Eidolon construct would be a beacon in Shadow. She also comments that Greywalker may have had something to do with this as he was planning some misdirection regarding Fiorin. She suggests that Grant speak to him.
- Grant contacts Greywalker and he admits to having planted some evidence which might make the Dwimmerlaik search Shadow for Fiorin. He surprised that they’ve found something with a strong Eidolon signature so quickly - Shadow is vast, possibly limitless and it would be ‘like finding a needle in a thousand haystacks’ to find something significant. Hence Grant is left with the impression that there may be nothing at all, or something which is Eidolon powered which is not Fiorin at the destination.
- Thinking further, Grant decides to contact Bastiano. He believes that Bastiano will probably know the most about Shadow. Unfortunately Bastiano is using the shower when Grant contacts him so he asks for a few minutes. Ten minutes later, Bastiano and Grant chat. Bastiano explains that Shadow is a ‘nasty place’ - a dark place which is entropic in nature but is sometimes difficult for an Umbra Master to control. Nevertheless Umbra Mastery is the only way (from his perspective) to leave Shadow. When Grant explains that the Dwimmerlaik think that Fiorin or another powerful Eidolon construct is there, Bastiano says that it would need to be strong to survive long in Shadow. He notes that the ‘Shadow always seeks to devour the light’. Grant asks if Bastiano has ever journeyed to Shadow, and he says that he has. At that, Grant asks if he would join him. Bastiano agrees, but says that Grant will ‘owe him a favour’. Bastiano shifts into the form of a black grasshopper and comes through the Icon contact. He hides himself on Grant’s person.

… now this is where I’m going to stop the writeup, because Grant asks questions of Number Five and starts planning. That planning continues into Session 86 so it makes sense to put it in the Session 86 writeup - otherwise it’ll be split up.


But now, some more LEGO Lords of Gossamer….. !!!

Welcome LEGO Griffin and Stolvir



(Ethan doesn’t look particularly happy. Personally, I love the LEGO white wolf. It was David’s idea to have a large white wolf be Ethan’s companion (as a contrast and foil to Macavity)… he didn’t quite expect it to be warg-sized, but when I showed the LEGO model, he went for it. Yay!)



And finally (deep breath) …. in 3 days time we’ll have been running this campaign for 3 YEARS. Woo!