GM’s Observations
- At the end of Session 139, I was quite stumped as to what to do and whether I even cared about Jasper Lin. And of course that was the problem - Ethan had little reason for wanting to pursue this. So what if there was a black sphere with an escape pod inside it? He couldn’t go inside without being unnaturally aged, and he couldn’t send droids in to do the work. So …. why not leave?
- In hindsight, I think there were two things that weren’t quite right. Firstly, there wasn’t a reason to care. Even if David had said Jasper Lin was a cool guy, there would be a reason. That was missing. It’s not David’s fault - he was trying to remember an adventure that he had first written up 3 years earlier. Secondly, David and I had different recollections of what Ethan could do at this time. He expected Ethan to go in and use Eidolon and Sorcery in combination to ‘do stuff’ - but Ethan hasn’t got those powers yet. He’s a noob compared to where he was in Session 137. Hence David had to prompt me a few times to say - why isn’t Ethan doing X or Y.
- Anyway, here’s the writeup.
Major Characters
- Ethan, R2-J7
Adversaries
- An Unknown Sith Lord
Adventure Summary
- Ethan is stumped. He can’t figure out what to do. He asks R2-J7 if he can leave, and is told that there is no way that he is leaving his @#$*ing master. (potty mouthed droid). He tries to sense where this other ship might be, but he can’t sense it. It could be a few miles away hidden in the upper atmosphere or on the other side of the planet.
- Ethan is interrupted by the protocol droid telling him to vacate the landing pad. There is only one pad and another ship is coming in. As they leave, they get a glimpse of the incoming vessel. It is definitely some sort of TIE Fighter.
* Image sourced from Google Images, obviously sourced from one of the LucasArts Star Wars games
- They spend an hour going around the planet and find that the TIE ship is no longer on the landing pad. It is not clear where it is. Returning to the station, they wait. Strangely, Ethan feels that the necklace is relatively close even though he can’t see it. At last there is an energy burst, and the cloaking field around a huge, bulbous cargo ship collapses. This is the ship that Jasper Lin boarded.
- Ethan takes the Morning Star and docks in the cargo hold. He dons a breather and heads off with R2-J7 to find Jasper Lin.
- As they explore the ship, they find evidence that it is some sort of cargo ship carrying live animals. They find evidence of conflict - some destroyed droids. Some of the animals are also loose. They make their way to the bridge and find Jasper Lin lying next to another fellow who is slumped on the floor. The fat fellow is over nine feet tall. R2-J7 swears mightily as he sees his master and he trundles over excitedly.
- The necklace is pulsing with energy. It is definitely a strong power source. Jasper is pleased to see Ethan, but he is almost delirious. He apologises for abandoning Ethan and explains that this necklace was the only chance that he had to save his sister who has been trapped here for an inordinate length of time. Jasper found this ship with some companions, discovered the exotic creatures but when they docked, he had no idea that they would get into trouble. Unfortunately when they did get into trouble, the Morning Star was no longer there (because Ethan had taken it). There have been multiple fights with the ship’s security droids over the last few weeks.
- As Ethan uses Eidolon to heal Jasper and his companion, the computers on the bridge report that a second vessel has docked with the bulk carrier. Ethan senses another powerful mind (no doubt the Sith Lord), and he seals the bridge then focusses on repairing the unstable energy crystals in the necklace. Once this is done, he watches the intruder in black armour and wielding a red lightsaber cut his way through the remaining droids and make a beeline for the bridge.
- Ethan seals the doors to the animal enclosures, and explosively depressurises the section outside the bridge as the Sith Lord is cutting through the door to the bridge. The result is that the Sith Lord is sucked out of the nearest hatch and drifts out into space. Ethan then decides to repair the bulk carrier’s cloaking device and he jettisons the Imperial TIE so that the Sith Lord can board it and retreat.
- Ethan uses the power of the necklace to nullify the black sphere and retrieve the escape pod. Jasper is overjoyed to be reunited with his sister. She has not aged a day. She was aware of time passing but could do nothing. The suspended animation was imperfect. Jasper is overjoyed and offers to take Ethan anywhere he wants.
- On the route back to Cepharus 7 and the Door, Ethan looks carefully at the necklace crystals and decides that these are worth studying.
- Returning to the Stair, Ethan heads off exploring again. He does not go very far before he meets a blackbird who sings to him about a fabulous place with wonders to behold. Curious, he follows the bird. (GM’s note - this is an alternate version of the red robin which was sent to meet Grant and welcome him to Marindar. Obviously, it is not the same Marindar that Grant and Ethan are used to)
Other Impacts
- Next session we return to Grant in Ninjaworld, however I will also reveal some of the ‘off-camera’ stuff that happened to Ethan in Marindar. (David doesn’t actually know all of this stuff yet because Grant hasn’t asked Ethan - which has led to much amusement for me which will only be revealed when Grant puts two and two together. David is an experienced player and he’ll laugh at this and won’t use out of character knowledge)
GM’s Observations
- And now we continue on with Ethan (rebooted) in the Alternate Timeline that has been created by Bastiano. This session carries on from Session 20. Yes, long long ago Ethan tried to find a ‘Star Wars’ realm. He found it, but of course it isn’t exactly Star Wars.
- In the original timeline, Ethan ended up in Einland and had a thoroughly miserable experience. In this timeline, that doesn’t happen. Instead he goes to find out what happened to Jasper Lin, the captain of the Morning Star.
Major Characters
- Ethan, R2-J7
Adversaries
- None
Adventure Summary
- En route to Dagobah, a strange ship docked with the Morning Star. The Captain, Jasper Lin, boarded the vessel but did not return. He was carrying an alien necklace that seemed to radiant power. Ethan decided not to investigate and instead carried on to Dagobah. On Dagobah he acquired Eidolon Mastery, and poor potty-mouthed R2-J7 was left waiting for Ethan to return for some time.
- Nevertheless, R2-J7 is @#$*ing pleased to see Ethan. R2 thought that he had been abandoned after so many weeks and wasn’t looking forward to spending the rest of his miserable @#$*ing existence stuck on this @#$*ing mud ball. (yes, R2-J7 swears a lot).
- Ethan repairs the ship and they leave. Instead of returning to the Door, Ethan decides to track the huge ship that disappeared with Jasper Lin onboard. They reach a huge gaseous planet in the Outer Rim with a enormous chunk gouged out of it. The system has no name, just a code. There is a space station orbiting the planet above the missing chunk of the planet - it is a spindle with three rotating layers. There are many smaller craft going from the orbiting space station into the chunk. Hailing the station, they receive droidspeak back which tells them that this is an automated mining facility. The droids onboard have mistaken the Morning Star for a supply ship.
- Landing, Ethan finds the place rundown but very well maintained. Greeted by a protocol droid who thinks Ethan to be an inspector, he is led to an office and given access to the station records. The facility here is mining gas from the planet’s ‘surface’ - the storage tanks were last emptied 173 years ago, and they have been pressurised well beyond normal capacity (but not yet at dangerous levels) while the droids wait for a supply ship to take some of the mined gas away.
- It seems that everyone left about 174 years ago. A bulk carrier exploded in the upper atmosphere and fell towards the planet. However the hyperdrive then imploded, taking a section of the planet with it.
- While the protocol droid brings him tea and crumpets, Ethan inspects the sensor logs and finds evidence of some anomalies, suggesting a recent arrival. Ethan drinks the tea and leaves the crumpets (they must be ancient!)
- After a while, Ethan consults with R2 and he takes the Morning Star into the mined section of the planet. Storms rage at the edge of the cut. A long way down there is a black sphere which is about 2 miles across. Sensors don’t register it. Ethan senses a presence within the sphere.
- Ethan and R2 return to the station and send drones in to investigate. Inside the black sphere, the signal breaks up, and then lags. There is an escape pod inside the sphere, but the drone is going haywire - even the timestamp is fluctuating between days. Remarkably, the drone makes it out of the sphere but needs assistance from other drones to return to the station. Ethan examines the drone and finds that it shows signs of uneven ageing, however its sensors indicate that there are life readings within the escape pod.
- Ethan sends the drones in to attempt to move the escape pod out of the black sphere, but the sphere moves with the pod. A few drones are lost as a consequence.
Other Impacts
- Ethan continues in Session 140. We will return to Grant in Ninjaworld in Session 141.
GM’s Observations
- As per my notes at the end of Session 137, Bastiano has achieved his goal and somehow rewritten history. This doesn’t invalidate everything that we have done - it just just another story arc.
- In terms of how this works, the premise is that Umbra Masters are very good at dealing with madness and fragmented memories, and they recall the alternate timelines. We have already seen evidence of this before. Hence Umbra Masters like Grant, Bastiano, Oscar and even Mowbray (boo hiss!) know that something is different and they have memories of the original timeline. This means that Grant will quickly recover a lot of his powers (as a Master of the Stair) and he can use his knowledge of the alternate timeline in order to continue his investigation to find Bastiano and try to reverse what he has done. Right now, Grant doesn’t have information to know why Bastiano wanted to change the timeline, nor does he know exactly how he did it.
- In contrast, Ethan is the same young Lord of Gossamer that he once was. Pre-Einland. Pre-Marindar. Pre-Abbie.
- In game terms, we are going back to …. Session 13 (yes, Session 13) but this time things are a little different.
Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan
Adversaries
- Dwimmerlaik Hit Squad
Adventure Summary
- Grant is lying on green grass near clifftops by the sea. The place is oddly familiar. He must have blanked out. Concentrating he remembers a beautiful woman in a garden (Sophia), a friend of his (Ethan) who is working on a speeder bike whilst a huge white wolf snores nearby (Stolvir), and a regal lady who regards him coolly (Vala). He is surprised by these memories as he doesn’t know where they came from.
- Grant begins to explores and at first, things play out similarly to the events of Session 13. He explores locally, finding abandoned houses, then he explores further afield in wolf-form (which he naturally chooses). He finds there are humanoids in this place who don’t like the light. He makes his way to the Door, which is in a place called Tyndam. He looks for a Dark Tower here but does not find one. He ignores the strange mounds of earth that dot the Tyndam grounds, finds the Door and steps onto the Stair.
- On the Grand Stair, he finds himself expecting to see a red bird (in the original timeline it was a robin) but there is none. He returns to the home landing and checks the Doors. All seems as he remembers it, but he is unable to return home to Realm 0 as he doesn’t have the Key. He produces his pseudo-Icon of Ethan (because they don’t have a real Icon at this point) and tries to contact him. Ethan refuses the contact - Grant is not surprised by this. It is as though this has happened before.
- Walking the Stair, he finds many things are familiar, but he can also feel memories slipping away from him. He decides that he needs to find a way to store his current set of memories before they deteriorate.
- Grant finds a source of gold and jewels (the treasure cave, a short way from Realm 0) and then goes in search of the Agora. (GM’s note - this is something that Grant and Ethan didn’t do until Session 122!!!) He finds the Agora relatively easily, but finds horned warriors (Dwimmerlaik) in many places. He avoids them and finds an entrance to the Grand Bazaar. Interestingly he finds standards of the White Hand and a White Eye displayed prominently on banners made of shimmering black fabric. The locals seem to ignore these as they go about their business.
- Grant finds a blue skinned lady with long white hair who is prepared to sell him a globe of crystal to store his memories. She provides instructions as to how to use it and warns him that memories are slow to transfer into the globe. It may take some time depending upon how old he is. Grant goes into the back room behind heavy curtains to try this, but he is interrupted by a pair of Dwimmerlaik.
- Resisting and heading out onto the street, Grant finds himself running straight into an ambush. This group is waiting for and expecting him. Without Gorgorin, Grant is at a significant disadvantage. He is wounded by the Dwimmerlaik who attack him, and he chooses to run through the shops rather than continue along the street. Crashing through the wall at the back of the shop, he enters another shop, and then ambushes the first Dwimmerlaik to follow him through the breach. Killing one, and then another, he then uses a combination of brute force to smash his way out, and judicious use of Umbra to slip away, shifting into another form. When he is far enough away, he gasps for breath at his lucky escape. He is bleeding heavily from an abdominal wound but he can at least move. He knows that he faced a professional team that was prepared to do battle with him. In this place he is a Marked Man. He doesn’t know quite how, but he is known here.
- Grant takes his time to escape the Agora. He uses the stormwater systems and multiple Doors to evade pursuit. He uses Shapeshifting to close the wounds and accelerate the healing process.
- Grant decides to find a place close to the Agora to lay low. He finds a realm that looks like modern Tokyo. It is nighttime when he arrives but there are huge neon signs here and there are people everywhere. Upon arrival he feels that he is being watched, and he makes it difficult for his pursuer who attempts to follow along from the rooftops above. Gradually he realises that there are different ‘gangs’ here who wear different colours and different symbols. He sees a blue ninja leap from a motorcycle and engage two yellow-clad foes in combat. No one bats an eyelid. Grant notes that someone is following him with a wide brimmed hat. Glancing down an alleyway, he spots a silver samurai facing off against two crouched ninja, dressed in brown.
- Grant stops for noodles. His wounds hurt and he needs time to rest and recover. As he eats, he watches traffic stop as two ninja masters face off in the street. One is dressed in white. The other in black. Both are ‘powering up’, seemingly crackling with energy. Finally, one of the masters faints and is dragged away by his apprentices.
- Finding this realm intriguing, and needing a place to lie low, Grant decides to go and find a dojo.
Other Impacts
- In Sessions 139 and 140 we get to find out what Ethan is up to…. again, history does not quite repeat itself.
- We will return to Ninjaworld in Session 141.
GM’s Observations
- This was an odd session which we cut short. David (playing Grant) couldn’t figure out where to go and hence we ‘called time’ on the session and summarised the actions that Grant took.
- I have subsequently added the actions that Ethan took which were ‘off-camera’ to Grant.
Major Characters
- Ethan, Grant, Abbie, Vala
Adversaries
- Zeus, Ares, Hephaestus, Apollo, Bastiano, Lucien
Adventure Summary
- Grant has less than three days to return a stolen amphora of Ambrosia to Zeus, or Zeus has threatened to destroy the Kingdom of Bloodstone (in the Legendary Realm). None of this makes sense to Grant. Why would Bastiano have been impersonating him? Why did Bastiano want Ambrosia?
- In desperation, Grant tries to contact Bastiano via Icon. To his surprise Bastiano accepts. Bastiano listens to Grant and then cuts the contact, leaving Grant certain that Bastiano is behind all of this, but his motive is unclear. He knows that Bastiano is an Umbra Master, and Umbra Masters are hard to find when they don’t want to be found. He tries to Wayfind to him but finds this very difficult.
- Grant then tries to contact Lucien, but Lucien refuses to speak to him. Grant then goes to seek out Vala in Shatterlight. Even though the environment is painful for Grant, he endures and speaks to Vala about what is happening. Vala herself is having difficulty with precognition - the future appears to end. She contacts a number of other Lords of Gossamer via Icon and tells all of them to seek out Bastiano and Lucien with all due haste.
- Meanwhile, Ethan and Abbie use their magics to bolster the Bloodstone Army and prepare for battle. Ethan weighs up having to do battle in the Legendary Realm against at least two Olympians. Even though he feels as strong as he has ever been and he is aware that the Legendary Realm is almost edging him towards taking the initiative and striking a blow first, he stands fast and looks for an alternative. It is Abbie who provides the idea - she suggests that they speak to the Olympians under a flag of truce and seek to find out more. (GM’s note - Abbie was actually inspired by an old woman working in the Bloodstone camp kitchens who suggested to her that the only ones who truly want a battle ‘are the crows’. It is possible that old woman was Athena in disguise of course, or she could have just been an old woman. This GM will leave such possibilities up to the readers’ imagination)
- Ethan takes a small boat across the Icelake river and goes to parley with the Lords of Impiltur - to listen to what they have to say. As expected, they don’t want to fight either, but they believe that Bloodstone is on the verge of falling under the influence of the Red Wizards and this a threat that they can’t ignore. Ethan doesn’t attempt to persuade them - he asks to be able to think on the problem and return if he can think of a solution. As he leaves, he notices Ares studying him carefully.
- Ethan confers with Queen Athelwyne but she is unmoved. The Red Wizards are an important part of Bloodstone’s defences now - even if she wanted to disband them, she’s not sure that she could. Even if she could, it would leave the Kingdom considerably weakened. Ethan thinks over the problem and discusses with Abbie. To his surprise, Abbie asks him about the possibility of attacking them first. She believes that they don’t have as many sorcerers as the Bloodstone army does and Hephaestus’ war machines are designed for assault and siege, not defence. Ethan points out that they have Ares, the God of War, and Abbie replies calmly that Ares was always one of the weaker gods, at least according to Homer. Ethan grimaces at the thought of actually fighting Ares.
- Grant and Vala head to Mount Olympus to speak with Zeus directly, figuring that he must know more about what Bastiano is up to and why the Ambrosia was taken. They reach the holy mountain, flying as high as they dare and then climbing the last stretch on foot. In his palace above the clouds, Zeus confirms that someone recently stole into Hades’ realm but that no one and nothing was taken. Grant is frustrated by this, as he assumes that Bastiano must have wanted the Ambrosia to bring someone back to life but he is no closer to knowing who that might be. When Vala asks about an extension to Zeus’ deadline, Zeus calmly tells her that it is too late, and that the fighting has already started. Grant is crestfallen - it’s been less than two days and despite his efforts, battle has been joined.
- While Grant and Vala were journeying to Mount Olympus, Ethan and Abbie have come to the realisation that the future seems to end in less than two days. Their Divination spells tell them nothing is beyond. Waiting for Grant to complete the mission won’t solve this problem. Again, they consult with Queen Aethelwyne but there seems to be no way forward. Ethan decides to go back across the river to parley once more, and this time he convinces the Lords of Impiltur to send a delegation to discuss terms by which they might resolve this crisis without bloodshed.
- Ethan is grim-faced as he discusses his strategy with Abbie. If the parties cannot agreed to a peaceful resolution, the plan will be to attack the enemy first with everything they have. If appropriate he will also consider brainwashing the delegation from Impiltur or Queen Aethelwyne herself if it will prevent bloodshed, but that could backfire. Abbie approves of the plan - it seems like a rather desperate plan. Changing the topic, they talk about what they will do ‘if the world doesn’t end tomorrow’. It’s a lighter topic, and Ethan appreciates the diversion.
- With the end of the world in mind, Ethan suggests that they should get married. Abbie laughs off the suggestion, saying that they are already married from her point of view. She married him when she took his name. Clearly she isn’t taking the suggestion seriously, so Ethan points out that she knows what he means - she’s spent enough time on Earth. Again, Abbie takes the idea lightly until Ethan talks about having kids. They have never talked about children before and Abbie muses over the thought. At last Abbie acknowledges that he’s given her a good reason to survive ‘the end of the world’, and she promises to give the enemy ‘hell’. She mentions her father’s comment that ‘she was meant for gentler things’ (GM’s note - this has been mentioned before) - with a determined smile, she decides that her father was wrong. In a strange way, she feels that she was meant to be here - that this is her battle.
- The thought that Ares’ presence is having an impact on everyone here crosses Ethan’s mind.
- Abbie asks that Ethan use Eidolon on both of them before ‘the battle’ - they need to be at their peak, at their very best. Ethan points out that this will change them. Abbie shrugs this off as unimportant and says that they need to survive this. Ethan does as Abbie wishes, and uses Eidolon to bolster both of them. Ethan and Abbie become youthful and stronger.
- The next morning two delegations meet on a grassy hillside on the Impiltur side of the river. Queen Aethelwyne, Lord Ethan, Lady Abigail and a small cadre of royal guard are met by High Lords Hilbrant and Osgard, the sorcerer Jollivar and a group of soldiers. The negotiations are cautious, but it all ends in disaster. A member of the royal guard draws a sword to kill a snake in the grass, but Ethan decides that this is a real threat and he uses his full powers to destroy the Impiltur delegation. A short battle is fought. Jollivar’s sorcerous shields are shattered by the raw might of Ethan and Abbie combined, and Ethan hacks down one High Lord, and then the other. The truce is broken. (GM’s note - whether or not the snake was a trick of Ares or not is again left to the readers’ imagination. It could be Ethan’s Bad Stuff too)
- Queen Aethelwyne is shocked by the brutality of the attack. The enemy lies splattered across the hillside and any hope for peace is gone. Even the Impiltur sorcerer’s spells were crushed so easily. Abbie (Abigail) teleports the Bloodstone delegation back to the Bloodstone lines, and Ethan orders General Tain to expect enemy artillery.
- What follows is a devastating battle. Hephaestus’s war machines fire flaming projectiles across the river, some of which are deflected by sorcerous barriers cast by Ethan and Abbie but many of them pierce the shields. One of the war machines dives into the river and begins deploying sections of bridge for the Impiltur army to cross. Ares leads the way. Even though Ares is but one Olympian, he cuts a swath through the Bloodstone ranks, forcing Ethan to deal with him. Ethan uses sorcery to engage him, but Ares is a force of nature and is difficult to restrain.
* Image sourced from Google Images, but this is from Mythic Battles Pantheon (an awesome boardgame)
- Ultimately Ethan uses sorcery to banish him to the icy wastelands of Vaasa, and then focuses on leading the Bloodstone forces to victory.
- The Eidolon reinforced Bloodstone army is more than a match for the Impiltur army, and despite a rain of flaming projectiles from above, the Bloodstone army begins to cross the Icelake River, forcing the enemy back across the river or into the icy waters. They have just reached the opposing bank when an enraged Ares returns. However, he does not get far. Again, Abbie and Ethan use dirty tricks to remove him from the fight and press the attack.
- Total victory seems near, but then there is a flash from above and a lightning bolt strikes Ethan from above, cleaving clean through Eidolon-reinforced shields. Mighty Zeus is taking direct action in the battle. In the space of only a few minutes, the vanguard of the Bloodstone army seems to fall apart as lightning strikes rain down upon them, leaving them disordered and overextended. The storm stops just as swiftly as it started, and the survivors are picked off by golden arrows fired with deadly accuracy from an Olympian archer. Zeus has sent his son, Apollo, to join the battle.
- Ethan manages to withstand Zeus’ lightning, but Apollo’s arrows can’t be stopped by sorcerous shields. The golden arrows pierce the shields as though they are not there at all. Taking two arrows, Ethan staggers and tries to teleport away with Abbie - but Abbie has already fallen, an arrow in her breast. Red blood is already pouring from the wound, and her face is white with shock. Grabbing her, Ethan hurls out a Force Push just as Ares returns once more. The Force Push deflects a third golden arrow just slightly. It hits him in the shoulder rather than in the chest as he tries to concentrate on a Teleport spell.
- …. cutting to the chase. Ethan goes down. He never makes it off the stone bridge that was made by one of Hephaestus’s War Machines. Whether that means that the Gods of Olympus slew him or not is academic …..
- Because before Grant and Vala are able to hunt down Bastiano, Bastiano achieves his goal and …. everything changes.
Other Impacts
- At this point, David (playing Grant) has run out of time and Bastiano achieved his goal, rewriting history. No, this doesn’t invalidate everything we have done, but we then continue on the game from Session 13 (yes, Session 13!). This won’t happen forever - it’s just another story arc before I believe we will return to the ‘present’.
- In terms of how this will work, Umbra Masters are very good at dealing with madness and fragmented memories - it’s part of their ability. Umbra Masters remember something of the mainstream timeline when an event like this occurs, hence Grant, Bastiano, Oscar and even Mowbray will realise that this new timeline is different and they will have memories of the other, original timeline. This also means that Grant will have a lot of his powers (as a Master of the Stair) whereas the Ethan of the time is but a novice who has only recently mastered Eidolon and learnt Sorcery. Hence pursuing Bastiano continues in the past as Grant tries to figure out what Bastiano wanted to change so badly, and how exactly did he do it?
GM’s Observations
- Everything was fine until…..
- That sums up this session. Grant had warning that Bastiano was up to something, but didn’t realise how bad it was he returned to the Legendary Realm.
Major Characters
- Ethan, Grant, Abbie, Sebek, Queen Aethelwyne, Cordin, General Tain, Paliss (of the Red Wizards)
Adversaries
- Zeus, Ares, The Rhan
Adventure Summary - Part 1 (Turning Back the Clock)
- (GM’s note - this section of the narrative takes place before Part 2 of Session 135 - ie: during the four months of raiding the Dragons’ Graveyard)
- Ethan and Abbie discuss the Warptime Ring which has the power to reverse the terrible devastation done to her homeworld, Meridian. The ring can literally wind back the clock in that realm to the point prior to the Rhan invasion. They decide that this should be done, and Ethan spends some time with Abbie learning more about Meridian history so that they can surgically alter the timeline and affect the course of the war. They are not sure if they make a mistake whether it can undone or not.
- Like ghosts, Ethan and Abbie travel back into Meridian’s past and make changes, then wind the clock forward to see the results.
- They are not finished making alterations to the timeline when Grant contacts Ethan via Icon and asks for his company in returning to the Legendary Realm. Ethan is reluctant at first but agrees - he knows that his friend has been avoiding returning to face Queen Aethelwyne. Abbie agrees to come along - she would like to see Emlyn (her old mentor) again, as well as Aethelwyne. They plan to finish their work in Meridian when they return.
Adventure Summary - Part 2 (A Glimpse of Home)
- Grant, Ethan and Abbie prepare themselves and find a gold-rimmed red Door which leads to the Legendary Realm. It opens out into a new place - the port city of Telflamm. The capital of the Kingdom of Bloodstone is far to the north, across the sea. There are many humans of different ethnic backgrounds here. Some reptilians and rock trolls too. Stone buildings. It is arid here. They get some strange glances. There are no women on the street at all. Ethan uses a spell to hide Abbie so that she will not draw unwanted attention.
- Exploring the Merchants Quarter in Telflamm, they meet a reptilian merchant called Sebek who agrees to be their guide. Telflamm is at the western end of the Golden Way, a trade route that leads far to the east. This is the key port city for taking goods to the rest of the western cities, including Heliogabalus, the capital of Bloodstone. It is a deep water port of some 40,000 people. Sebek has been travelling back and forth on the Golden Way for 30 years. He takes them to his home and offers wine and a place to stay.
- Grant, Ethan and Abbie introduce themselves. Sebek says that he is honoured. He remarks that the King of Bloodstone has a similar name to Grant’s, and Grant smiles at this. They learn that Bloodstone is well known to be very rich, and hence all sorts of luxury items - animals, spices, rugs, silver, tea are all bound for Bloodstone. Some go by land, but there are bandits and goblins there. Most of the trade goes across the Sea of Fallen Stars and then upriver to the capital.
- Grant observes that the red robed Wizards of Thay are in Telflamm. Sebek acknowledges this but comments that they have never attempted to ‘muscle’ him.
- While Grant wonders why the Door has brought him here, Ethan and Abbie visit the local bazaar and buy knick knacks. Abbie is dressed in men’s clothes so as not to attract attention. They buy some magical items.
- Grant can find no sign that another ‘Grant’ has been here. At Grant’s urging, Ethan uses Divination spells and confirms that things are okay in Bloodstone and there is no other Grant here. He notes that Sebek is making an effort to please them - the beds in his residence are new.
- That evening, there is a cool change and Sebek retires early, noting that a storm is coming. He leaves a dancer to entertain them. Servants pour keep their wine glasses full until late in the evening. The smell of incense is heady and intoxicating. Grant goes for a walk to clear his head. Ethan and Abbie thank the dancer and they head to bed.
- That night there is a terrible electrical storm. There are many lightning strikes and one of the nearby houses is set on fire. They have a normal breakfast in the morning. Ethan and Abbie talk about moving on. All of them think that the storm was unnatural and something or someone has been awakened to their presence. Sebek is disappointed by this and asks how Grant can be contacted. Grant offers him coin and tells him to seek him out at the Inn of the Burning Giant.
- Ethan is clearly bothered by something. Grant asks him about the problem and says that he isn’t getting a clear reading about the future when looking more than a few days out. He doesn’t think there is trouble in Bloodstone, but there is something wrong in this realm.
Adventure Summary - Part 3 (Bloodstone in Peril)
- Grant connects a Door from Telflamm to his palace in Heliogabalus. Ethan hesitates and asks if he wants them with him. Grant nods and they journey through. The palace is very quiet. Grant quickly finds an elf dressed in green and silver who wears the crest of the steward. Grant asks him who he is, and the elf gives his name as Cordin. Grant is angry - he didn’t hire this man. What happened to his predecessor? Cordin replies flatly that his predecessor died, and Queen Aethelwyne appointed him.
- Grant asks where the Queen is (he knows that she is not nearby) and Cordin explains that she took most of the army south three weeks ago. Grant is astonished, and asks how long he has been away. Cordin tells him that it has been more than a year since he was last in Bloodstone. Grant had no idea that it had been so long. Ethan takes over and asks why the army has been sent south. Cordin refuses to answer until Grant directs him to answer his friend’s questions.
- Cordin explains that Vaasa to the north has not stirred for some time, even though the winters have been getting colder each year. However, the High Lords of Impiltur to the south have been making demands. The Red Wizards of Thay are not welcome in many lands, and yet Bloodstone has been permitting their merchants to trade here which the southerners do not like but the local population desires many commodities which they provide. Looking out the window into the market, Grant can see some Red Wizards trading in the marketplace. Grant knows of the Red Wizards - they are evil, powerful and not to be trusted. So why would Queen Aethelwyne allow this?
Adventure Summary - Part 4 (Aethelwyne’s Army)
- Grant is troubled by this situation. He contacts Aethelwyne. She responds coolly to him but they are brought through the Icon to her command tent. With the arrival of King Grant of Bloodstone, General Ethan and the Lady Abigail, the numerous commanders in the tent fall upon their knees. Emlyn the Grey is also here, but he is too elderly to kneel. Instead he bows. Grant notes that there is a bald-headed Red Wizard of Thay amongst them. Grant asks, and the Red Wizard gives his name as Paliss. He says that he is present ‘to defend your sovereignty’. Paliss eyes up Abigail given her formidable reputation in the Legendary Realms.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- The Queen’s General is called Tain. Both Grant and Ethan recognise him as he served as a knight under their commands during the Bloodstone Wars. He is young and fresh-faced and not experienced enough to be a warlord of all of Bloodstone’s armies. Yet here he is.
* Image by NichaSheng on DeviantART
- General Tain explains that the Lords of Impiltur have marched to the border between Bloodstone and Impiltur. Seven of the nine High Lords are believed to be in the enemy army. Showing Grant a battle map, they have brought powerful war machines with them. War machines that do not appear to have come from Impiltur.
- Seeing an awkward situation between Grant and Aethelwyne, Ethan suggests that the command tent to be cleared, and asks General Tain to show him the Bloodstone Army. Grant nods and gives the order. Everyone filters out and there is an uncomfortable silence between Grant and Aethelwyne. Slowly it comes out. The Assassins Guild is back. At first deaths appeared coincidental, but a pattern has emerged. They have been destabilising the region. Bloodstone has been weak for more than three years and their neighbours know this. In particular they have no wizards, except for Emlyn the Grey (who is quite elderly). Hence the Red Wizards have offered their assistance and so far they have been valuable and trustworthy allies. As for the Lords of Impiltur, she doesn’t know where they have acquired powerful allies to fabricate these war machines. The Lord of Impiltur have normally been content to rule their own lands justly, not to invade others. She doesn’t know what has changed. Aethelwyne didn’t ask for help for Grant because it was clear to her that Grant preferred his life elsewhere. She remarks that she talks more with Abigail (Abbie) than anyone else - she’s not completely in the dark as to what is going on. She doesn’t mention Lady Sophia but Grant gets the impression that she may know of her.
- Meanwhile Ethan looks over the Bloodstone army and the enemy encamped on the other bank of the Icelake River. The Bloodstone army looks well organised, but the enemy army is bigger and they have huge war machines of metal and stone. Ethan and Abigail look over the enemy forces and spot some of the enemy commanders. Bold paladins wearing shining armour are easy to spot. But then Ethan spots a hunched giant working on one of the war machines and he recognises Hephaestus. Reaching out with ‘the Force’, he senses other Olympians within their ranks. He sees Ares calmly appraising the Bloodstone forces from the opposite bank. Ares is huge - he stands as large as a giant.
Adventure Summary - Part 5 (The Hand of Zeus)
- Grant joins Ethan and Abbie to appraise the situation. It does not look like a good situation at all. Grant has no idea what would cause the Olympians to side with Bloodstone’s enemies - and surely this has not all happened in a matter of days. It takes time to mobilise and army and march. This has been coming for weeks, possibly months. Looking skyward, he catches a glimpse of an eagle, high above. The eagle is large with plumage of white and gold feathers. Grant shifts into bird form and follows it into the clouds where he comes face to face with Zeus. Zeus sits on a throne made of cloud-stuff as though it is solid. Zeus looks unhappy and asks Lord Grant when did he stoop so low as to become a thief? A common criminal?
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Zeus tells Grant to return what was stolen, or he will destroy Grant’s kingdom. Grant has no idea what Zeus is talking about, but assumes that his doppelgänger performed the deed. Zeus explains that he stole Ambrosia from Mount Olympus twelve days ago - enough for one man. Thinking fast, Grant makes a bargain with Zeus to give him three days to find the real thief. Zeus agrees that the truce between them will last for three days.
- Grant returns to the Bloodstone Army and confers hurriedly with Ethan and Abbie. He assumes that they can’t fool Zeus by fabricating Ambrosia so the only alternative to a battle with the gods is to find the thief fast. Ethan points out that they could just leave. Grant is shocked by this suggestion, and says that he can’t leave his wife. Ethan gently points out that he hasn’t been here for a long time, and things are different now. He notes that General Tain and the Queen Aethelwyne seem to share some affection for one another - perhaps like Lancelot and Guinevere. Grant didn’t see this and is surprised by Ethan’s observations. Instead he asks if Ethan feels that he could just leave these people, and Ethan shrugs and says that he probably would not even though the thought had crossed his mind. He and Abbie agree to stay while Grant goes to find the perpetrator.
- Grant leaves hurriedly. He isn’t sure where to go but he knows that he needs to find Bastiano quickly. But why would Bastiano want Ambrosia? Surely it wouldn’t confer any benefits for a Lord of Gossamer.
- Upon Grant’s departure, Abbie asks Ethan if he would like to check on Lady Aelfwynn and his son. This surprises Ethan (particularly that Abbie would even speak of it) - he declines and says that they need to prepare for a fight if Grant is unsuccessful.
GM’s Observations
- I’ve been doing full blown write-ups for a while. I’m going to cut those down again so that I can keep up to date, rather than being 10 sessions behind in writeups.
Major Characters
- Ethan, Grant, Abbie, Sophia, Macavity, Stolvir
Adversaries
- The Guardians of the Dragons’ Graveyard.
Adventure Summary - Part 1 (Raiding the Dragons’ Graveyard)
- Another four months has passed. Grant and Ethan have made multiple forays into the Dragons’ Graveyard. Each visit has been more difficult. They have dealt with Guardians of black stone waiting by the Door, Guardians of brown mist in the clouds, and Guardians of reanimated dragonflesh and bone.
- During that time they have found the following:- A powerful silver crown which enables the wielder to ‘see truth’ in all things. In fact, the crown shapes reality to meet the wielder’s view of ‘truth’. (This was found under the ground in a temple)
- A pair of magical pistols which do not require ammunition. (This was found in two boxes)
- An umbral device which enables the wielder to transform reality, but to use it is euphoric and addictive. (this was contained within a black umbral vessel)
- A set of plate armour which matches Ethan’s dragon shield and is just as impervious. Found in an underground tomb, it appears that it was once worn by a dragon’s champion. The sword and shield are missing from the tomb.
- A ‘bird-cage’ like device which can be used to imprison sentient creatures. Inside, a miniature demon lord rages.
- A great tome which contains drawings and musings about “The Infinite Staircase” and its many Doors. It appears to have been compiled by someone with an extraordinarily long life span.
- A bizarre organ-like machine which only makes sense to an Umbra Master. It appears to have many functions.
- A beautiful elven music box, which sings so beautifully that anyone who hears it is totally captivated.
- A pair of darksteel gauntlets which enable the wielder to manipulate shadow-stuff as if it had physical form.
- A strange reactor-like device which appears to be empty, but the technology level in this device is beyond anything that Ethan has seen so far.
- Finally, a Warptime Ring which enables the wielder to change, or even reverse time around them. This is the artefact that Nibazizjawlei told him of.
- Grant and Ethan have little reason to go off on other forays. They are quite comfortable exploring the Graveyard and spending time at home.
Adventure Summary - Part 2 (An Unexpected Diversion)
- Grant is deep underground in a heavily warded location when he receives an Icon contact from Drake. He was investigating the Umbral machine. Drake convinces him to come through to a place called Berutha which is unfamiliar to him. In this place the locals claim to be keeping something for ‘Lord Grant’. Everything here is small. The sheep are tiny. The ‘people’ are large rodents who appear used to seeing ‘giants’. A red-robed mouse named Fallon (who speaks perfect French) gives Grant a Dwimmerlaik-made Key. Fallon confirms that Grant left the Key with him, and they buried some his equipment. Grant orders it dug up and he finds a change of clothes, some non-perishable food, a deck of playing cards, a hip flask of brandy and a first aid kit. Grant thanks the Beruthans and gifts them with rain (using Gorgorin gently) to improve their crops.
- Confused, Grant doesn’t remember ever coming to Berutha although he thinks it possible as Umbra can cause blackouts. He asks Drake what brought him here and Drake has been looking into the White Hand. They are active in this area.
- Grant goes hunting for the Door which the Key would open. He is unsure why anyone would want to impersonate him in this way. He finds the Door - it leads to an underground mine labyrinth. Exploring further he finds many dead Dwimmerlaik here. Long dead. This was an invasion force. Exploring further he realises that this is Heldon’s Pass which was heavily fought over by both Lords of Gossamer and Dwimmerlaik, but there appears to be no reason why he would come here. He contacts Lady Sophia and confers with her. He also talks to Drake and informs him what he has found.
- Returning to Marindar, Grant interrupts Ethan and asks him to look over the items that were buried in Berutha. Ethan confirms that they were Dwimmerlaik-fabricated, but he believes that Grant was the last person to wear them. Grant thinks - he assumes that it isn’t a memory loss and that another Umbra Master is up to something. He assumes it is Bastiano as Bastiano likes expanding his empire and he has shown interest in Marindar before. Lady Sophia confirms that Bastiano is currently in Marindar - he has been coming and going for some time. Grant wonders if Bastiano wants him out of the way for some reason. He wonders about the Legendary Realm as he met one of Bastiano’s agents there. His thoughts drift to his wife Aethelwyne (whom he has not seen in some time).
Other Impacts
- By the time of writing this, it is clear that Bastiano is indeed up to no good. Ethan is quite oblivious to this - he is in love with Abbie and, let’s face it, this plot isn’t about him.
GM’s Observations
- Loot! Finally, Grant and Ethan have decided to return the Dragons’ Graveyard (first visited in Session 35 Part 3) and look for other powerful items there. After all, if Gorgorin the Shatterer (20 point item) and Ethan’s dragon shield (8 point item) are found there, what else could be there?
Major Characters
- Ethan, Grant, Abbie, Sophia, Macavity, Stolvir, Nibazizjawlei
Adversaries
- The Guardians of the Dragons’ Graveyard.
Adventure Summary
- Time moves on. Two months have passed. Ethan has been spending a lot of time with Abbie. The two of them have reached a new understanding - Abbie doesn’t want to be left behind, and Ethan has decided that he doesn’t want to leave her. They appear to have come full circle, with neither of them wanting to be too far away from the other. Abbie is older and bolder than when she first stepped onto the Stair long ago. Besides, she still has Stolvir and Macavity for protection. Ethan and Abbie go on shorter trips together. The two of them have had plenty of time to talk about the future. Ethan discusses what he has seen with Abbie, and he wonders whether they should take a more active role in dealing with problems on the Stair. He doesn’t expect to have to deal with these problems all by himself. There are others who will help.
- Grant pops in and out of their lives. He has returned to Marindar and his relationship with Sophia. He seems as relaxed as ever in accepting his place in the universe. He was always more comfortable dealing with the other Lords of Gossamer than Ethan and he interact with them on an infrequent basis. Occasionally there is a poker game and Grant encourages Ethan to help him find more interesting ‘knick-knacks’ to use for stakes in their intermittent games. It is this thought that reminds Ethan that he wanted to return to the Dragons’ Graveyard.
- Recalling Nibazizjawlei’s counsel that there is a device there that can reverse the flow of time in Abbie’s homeworld, and restore it to a pre-cataclysm state, Ethan begins to make plans to return to the Dragons’ Graveyard. He does not tell her that such an artefact exists, but presents it as an adventure to acquire powerful antiquities. Ethan wonders if a suit of armour to match his dragon shield lies within the domain.
- Grant is also keen to return and pick up additional items of power. Grant and Ethan prepare themselves well, and enlist the help of Abbie, Sophia, Stolvir and Macavity to help them to prepare. They have Icons ready to use, and Ethan plans to use his last Wish with Nibazizjawlei as a last resort if they are unable to return to the Door by any other means.
- Ethan casts a Divination spell and finds that there is considerable danger but also considerable reward. A Divination spell confirms that Icons will work, but he finds that Farseeing into the Dragons’ Graveyard doesn’t work as the entropic nature of the realm is too strong. Ethan prepares multiple spells and reinforces them with Eidolon so that they decay more slowing in the Dragons’ Graveyard.
- When they feel that their preparations are significantly advanced, Ethan summons Nibazizjawlei and makes his second Wish. He asks the genie to tell him the location of the ten most powerful items in the graveyard, figuring that the ‘time machine’ device will be one of them. Nibazizjawlei thinks for a while and then patiently gives Ethan ten locations in relation to the Door. He wishes Ethan luck, and vanishes in smoke.
- Grant maps out the various locations provided by Nibazizjawlei and they decide that they will try to acquire two, possibly three items on their first ‘raid’. They set up a base camp on a Door within three hundred metres of the Graveyard. The Door opens out from a men’s toilet. The building is a highway hotel with a petrol bowsers at the front. They are met at reception by a strange talking dog who wears a cowboy hat and has the name ‘Roof’ written on a plastic name tag attached to his shirt. Roof is surprised that they have just ‘walked into town without a ride’, but they are offered lodgings nonetheless.
- The Lords of Gossamer prepare Room 4 with food, drink, equipment and medical supplies. Grant makes sure that they have digging equipment. Ethan takes his Eidolon-enhanced axe, a number of other Eidolon-powered weapons and his invulnerable dragon shield. He is expecting a fight.
- Heading to the Graveyard, Grant and Ethan say their farewells and open the Door. The Door is hard to open because of a cave in on the other side. The Lords of Gossamer begin to dig whilst Abbie, Stolvir and Macavity stand guard on the Stair itself. Abbie uses a Warding spell to alert them if anything approaches them. In Marindar, Lady Sophia stands ready to assist in case they need urgent medical attention.
- Grant helps to dig out a small hole as far as he can. He inserts a tube into the hole and then he expands it and reinforces the tube. With only a small section of collapsed earth between them and the outside world, Grant digs the rest by hand. In the meantime, Ethan reaches out with his Psyche to see if there are threats nearby. He can sense something very large, and very close. There are other things out there which are moving, but there seems to be no pattern to their movement.
- Ethan can’t sense another Door here. There is something that he can sense, but it is not a Door.
- He can also sense powerful items nearby which match what Nibazizjawlei told him. The nearest is a few miles away, two o’clock from the Door. Ethan takes out his Icon of Abbie and tests that it still works. There is some interference but it works.
- Reaching the world of dim starlight outside the collapsed mound, Grant goes out to explore in shadow form. He travels out to the rough location that Nibazizjawlei advised, and then contacts Ethan via Icon. Icon accepts the contact and goes through to his position. Ethan and Grant both feel that there is sickness and decay in this place. A wrongness. An incompleteness. Ethan is careful not to use Sorcery or Eidolon lest it attracts the guardians of this place.
* Image sourced from Google Images.
- They travel the last half mile on foot. There is something overhead - the skies are not completely clear. A dark brown cloud provides patchy cover, and Ethan senses something above malevolent above the cloud. He also senses something massive and powerful beneath the ground.
- At last they reach a strange spire which sticks out from the ground. It is only about two metres long, but it looks like a Christian crucifix. It hardly seems possible. Ethan feels the presence of strong Eidolon beneath the surface. Touching the spire, he uses Psychometry to sense what is below the ground that he cannot see. He finds that this is a tip of church, and below there are empty cavities - huge unfilled rooms. On the altar there is something powerful.
- After a brief conversation, Grant shifts into a mole form to dig into the cold, hard ground. Ethan waits patiently while Grant burrows into the chamber below. He uses Sorcery to put a marker on the surface, and then leaves when Grant contacts him via Icon.
- The chamber below is still in pristine condition. Grant finds it uncomfortable due to the strong presence of Eidolon, and he leaves as soon as Ethan arrives. Looking around, Ethan finds a powerful item hidden behind a side panel in the altar. He opens the panel and finds a silver crown. The silverwork is extraordinarily fine. There are tiny jewels worked into the patterns. Ethan can feel the power of this item without evening touching it. Ethan thinks for a moment, and then places another teleportation marker to return to this place. He decides to return to the surface without retrieving the crown, fearful that touching it will immediately cause the guardians to respond.
- Grant and Ethan walk to the next location. Grant can feel an Umbral power beneath the soil. It is not as far down as the previous item, but it is buried. Ethan shivers - he doesn’t want to collect an Umbral artefact at this point. They agree to move on.
- The next location is even further away. They walk on, still feeling strong but very wary. They reach a place which has an Eidolon source beneath the ground. It is a few metres down. Grant and Ethan decide to dig it up by hand, but they notice that using mundane tools still triggers a reaction in the distance. They dig faster and find two shoebox sized wooden boxes with lots of wards on them. Ethan feels that it will be difficult to teleport holding these boxes. Furthermore, they weigh a great deal - it is as if they don’t want to be taken. Grant tries to find the boxes’s weaknesses as they have Eidolon reinforcement on them. He deduces that they require a ‘sorcerous touch’ from an Eidolon user to calm the wards and Ethan does this. Immediately the wards are rendered inert and Grant loads the two boxes much more easily into a bag.
- They Lords of Gossamer decide to split up. Ethan goes to retrieve the crown whilst Grant goes back to the site of Umbral power to dig up that artefact. As soon as Ethan puts his hand on the crown, the ground starts shaking. Even when he teleports to the surface, he finds the ground being sucked away from him like quicksand. He engages a Flight spell and lifts off. Below him, the church seems to be rising, or rather something underneath the church is rising. An enormous serpent head can be seen emerging from the ashen plain - some sort of construct, it is not alive.
- Even as Ethan bolts, something unseen grazes his leg. Fumbling for an Icon, he contacts Sophia as his leg start burning.
- Ethan arrives in Marindar. Black veins are coursing up his leg. There is considerable pain, but he uses Eidolon to stop the spread of the infection. He asks Sophia to contact Grant, and she does so. Grant arrives suddenly via an Icon contact, covered in ash and dirt. He thanks Lady Sophia for the timely extraction - when he acquired the buried black orb, waves of earth rose on all sides and sought to bury him.
- Ethan continues to use Eidolon to purge the affliction which is threatening his leg. He contacts Abbie and tells her that all is well. He brings her through with Stolvir and Macavity to hear what they acquired.
- The first raid is a success.
Other Impacts
- Only one of Nibazizjawlei’s wishes is remaining.
- They have acquired three of the ten powerful items in the Dragons’ Graveyard.
- I’ll detail what is found in more detail in the next session writeup.
I've filled in the gaps that I left leading up to Session 133 (the Christmas Special). I'll start posting the Session 134 onwards session writeups shortly.
Thanks for reading,
Bruce
