Session 225 – Return to Tachyon Squadron Part 1

- GM’s note: After Session 224 we felt that we’d lost our groove. David didn’t know how to conclude the ‘Hunt Ethan’ plotline and we’d had enough of lockdown to know that we needed something fresh. Something nice and easy to play.

So we decided to return (for three Sessions) back to the Tachyon Squadron universe where much younger PCs are still finding their feet. We really like this setting.

Hence this session continues straight on from Session 216. They’ve just graduated – Grant (aka “Deadeye”) has five days and Ethan (aka “Chance”) has six days of shore leave. 

Part 1 – Returning Home

- Grant and Ethan decide to stay in a hotel after their graduation to rest and recover from the day’s ‘high’. The next day, they check out and head for the Door that leads back onto the Stair. It’s only 40 mins walk back to the Door leading back to Earth (Realm 0). They carry all of their stuff with them, arrive back safely and dump their duffel bags inside the Door of Westgate Manor. 

- Even though they’ve been away for months, nothing has changed. (note that this series of adventures pre-dates the cats and ravens so they are not there). There is some mail in the mailbox. The milk is out of date and there is no food in the house. The house is cold and it is 8am in the morning.

- Feeling good, Grant and Ethan decide to walk into Fiveways and go shopping. It is even colder outside but it feels good to be home. Arriving, Ethan prioritises a lot of batteries for his Walkman and some AV cables, however he notes that his account is almost out of money. Grant suggests that they get a bite to eat and they stop for brunch at the Tipsy Elephant. Looking over today’s newspaper, they find that things seem much the same as when they left – nothing really notable has happened and things seem much less complicated than on Draconis.

- They head back with heavy shopping. The sun is higher and the temperature is warmer but the journey feels longer and both start to feel a little tired. When they get back they put away the shopping and make some fresh tea which reinvigorates them. 

- Sitting in the front room, they eagerly discuss what to take back to Draconis and what they should do before they report for their next assignment. They make a list but decide to sleep on it.

- The next day they fry up bacon and eggs for breakfast and start making the most of their R&R. Ethan misses the colour ‘green’ when he is in space – he wants something ‘green’ to remind him of England. Grant wants to take some artwork with him. They pick items that are special, some keepsakes, and chuck in a football (soccer ball), cricket bat, stumps and a ball. 

- Ethan makes mention that he would like some more music before heading back but he doesn’t have the money to do that. Grant is not in much of a better situation – they are running out of funds here on Earth.

Part 2 – Venturing Forth

- They decide to go back to the treasure cave that they discovered early on. Opening the Door is more difficult than they expected and as soon as they open it a crack, a mass of gold coins pours out and they have difficulty closing it. This is not how they remember things, but they fill their backpacks regardless. Singing Abba’s “Money Money Money”, the two merrily head back to Westgate to stash the majority of the coins, and then head out once more with lighter purses.

- Ethan takes the lead and goes to find a Door where they can have some fun. He finds a weathered wooden Door and opens it. On the other side is lovely sunshine. They step into a mediaeval marketplace where everyone is dressed in bright colours. There are musicians playing and the local people seem to be in a good mood.

- Judging that they don’t really ‘fit in’, they decide to spend some of their coins to buy different clothes, and then mingle, trying foods here and there. It is a festival of some kind, and they just enjoy the spectacle. The quality of the ale isn’t very good by modern standards but it is wet, and it is strong.

- After a few hours, the commoners go to watch some nobles fighting in mock battles. It is difficult to see over the many people watching the spectacle, but Grant and Ethan enjoy what they can see of the event.

- As the day wears on, the pouch of gold that Ethan is carrying has drawn attention and he finds himself being questioned by some of the local constables. They wonder if he is a bandit to have so much gold on him, but after some fast talking, they let him go.

Part 3 – Re-equipped

- Grant and Ethan return to the Door without further incident. They feel that they’ve had a lot of fun but they haven’t accomplished as much as they wanted, so they change back and decide to head to another Door. This time Grant takes the lead – he imagines a modern or near-future shopping mall, some place that they haven’t explored before. After some time, they reached a brushed metal Door with a small, rectangular, semi-transparent window. 

- On the other side is a modern city, but it has more neon than any city that they have seen. There are vehicles that fly here and there amongst the many tall buildings. The grey sky above doesn’t look like cloud and there is a lot of trash about.

- Finding lifts that go to different levels of these tall structures, the pair go exploring. They find that this place is a warren of buildings and corridors with side shops everywhere. It would be hard to get their bearings if they didn’t have Wayfinding. The place’s name is Aleph and it seems to be some sort of high-tech city – or maybe that’s the name of the planet. They’re not sure. Most of the people here are human but there are some humanoids and even aliens. It looks like there are many things worth buying here but there is a problem. Aleph is part of the Hegemony and they need an Identity Card in order to transact.

- The good news is that getting an Identity Card is relatively easy. They register their Identities with a bored-looking attendant in a booth. Questions are asked. A DNA fingerprint is taken and ten minutes later, they have Identity cards. They then find a moneychanger to change the gold coins into ‘sticks’ that can be used to pay for goods.

- Ethan finds a department store called One! and falls in love with an elaborate sound system there. However Grant talks him out of it and instead they go to have a quiet meal at a bar called “Atomic”. The beer and pizzas are excellent. They are served by a green-skinned alien with tentacles for hair. “Atomic” doesn’t have many customers and they are treated royally.

- Given that their ‘sticks’ worked, they then go shopping. One! seems to stock body armour and they spend money on one that looks better than what Draconis has to offer. Then they go to a specialist weapons shop called the Razor’s Edge which sells blasters, arcoswords, power axes, sports weapons and other gear. Ethan gets a powersword, a blaster pistol and shock gauntlets with power cells and a portable fusion generator. Grant likewise buys a small arsenal.

- They decide not to linger, figuring that buying this much ordnance will attract attention. With their bags full of body armour and an arrangement of lethal weapons, they make their way back on to the Stair and home.

Part 4 – Return to Prime Landing

- The next day, after unpacking and testing the equipment, the friends discover to their surprise that the Aleph blasters actually work on their Home Earth. They were not expecting this. 

- Ethan decides to head to York to go to a bigger HMV (music shop) to buy more music. Grant wants to return to Aleph to buy more gear from One! and then head back to Prime Landing (on Draconis) to rent an apartment that they can use as their base. The two friends go their separate ways on the third day.

- It takes Ethan a long time to get to York and back – he has a car, but traffic is awful, it takes time to park etc. But he does manage to change some money and buy a lot of music CDs. 

- Meanwhile, Grant has deposited funds in his account (by selling some of the gold) and is successful in finding a two-bedroom apartment which is only 4 blocks from the Door. It is available immediately (lucky!) and he decides that he’ll worry about furniture another day.

- Ethan is tired after his long day to and from York but he is very excited when he hears that Grant has arranged an apartment for them. The friends pack a bag or two each and head over. It is nighttime when they arrive and the place is very bare, but it is theirs and they are happy.

- There is an iPad-like tablet stuck to the wall and they have their first messages from the real estate agent, welcoming them to their new home. 

- They decide to celebrate by going for a walk and finding out what is nearby. They find a Korean-style restaurant – it is ordinary but there is a queue of locals lining up for it and the food is excellent. Grant decides that he has discovered some new favourite foods.

- They go for a walk around to get to know the place but decide not to stay the night as they don’t have beds.

- They return to Westgate manor and despite the fact that it’s very late and cold, on the spur of the moment they decide to walk into Fiveways to go to the Tipsy Elephant for beer and to throw some darts.

- The next day they move more of their gear to Prime Landing. Grant takes his acoustic guitar. Ethan takes some books that he has been meaning to read. In Prime Landing they go on a spending spree and buy basic furniture, bedding, cooking implements and white goods. That evening, the friends cook a meal in their home consisting of sausages, mashed potatoes and beans. Very basic, but it makes them feel good.

- Grant and Ethan make a list of all that they have and brainstorm what they might be missing. After all, it seems like they’ll be spending some time here.

Part 5 – Reporting for Duty

- The day quickly comes when Grant needs to report for duty. A shuttle takes him to Draconis Station. He is welcomed by “Nails” who will be his buddy to help him get settled in. Grant has a tiny apartment on Draconis Station where he will stay when not on duty. A ship is waiting for him and it has his name, “Deadeye” on it. This the first time that he has his very own starfighter. Not just one from the pool. This one is his. There are many like it, but this one belongs to “Deadeye”.

- “Nails shows “Deadeye” around and he is introduced to “Rana”, one of the technicians who will be helping him settle in. She’s ex-Republic, an older woman with a heavy-set face and of Filipino descent. 

- It seems that it has been relatively quiet in the last week while he and “Chance” have been on leave. There has been no pirate activity to speak of.

- Grant spends the evening at the Spacer’s Bar with other members of Tachyon Squadron. There are no cadets here – there are only pilots now, and “Deadeye” is one of them.

* Image sourced from Tachyon Squadron RPG by Evil Hat 

- Meanwhile, back in Prime Landing, Ethan catches up with Nicky. They hit it off and have a good time together. Nicky reveals that she has applied to join the military, much to Ethan’s astonishment as he thought she was going to university to become a scientist like her parents. But no, she’s very keen on joining the military and her eyes sparkle with the same patriotic fervour that he’s seen in others. 

- The next day, Ethan takes a shuttle to Draconis Station. His leave is over. He is met by his buddy, a pilot named “Cobalt”.

- Meanwhile, “Deadeye” has been taking his fighter out for ‘familiarisation’. He remembers how to do this and he flies with confidence.

* Image sourced from Tachyon Squadron RPG by Evil Hat 

- When he returns, “Skipper” comes to see him and “Chance”. He tells them that there has been no contact from a team from Axion squadron that headed to the Dalban system three days earlier to search of the missing ship “Challenger”. He tells them that he’s putting together a team to find out what happened and they are on it.

- Two ‘pugs’ (ie: Phoenix class strikeboats) are put together. “Hammer”, a no-nonsense, professional pilot is in command of the mission. “Chance” has been selected to fly the pug, with “Tex” on the guns. “Tex” is of American descent and known for his strong accent and unflappable demeanor. “Deadeye” will be on comms and sensors.

- In the second pug are “Gunner”, “Nails”, “Nok” and “Auger”.

- They are given all of the information about the “Challenger” – the ship details, its configuration, pictures, information on the crew and exactly where they were going on Dalban.

- They are also given information about the missing Axion Squadron members – “Spooky”, “Farmer” and “Kid”. 

 

Session 224 – Duskwall Adventures

- GM’s note: This session was an example of a good idea that misfired and needed a recovery. I had discovered Blades In the Dark (by Evil Hat Productions) and had fallen in love with the Magpies Podcast. I ran a one shot for a group of local Canberra-based friends and decided that this was indeed awesome. I then started a campaign of Blades in the Dark (you can find the writeups here on the Blades in the Dark Community site). That campaign, as of writing this post, is now in its 2nd Season.

Anyway, I decided that I wanted to introduce Blades in the Dark to David (who plays Grant). A dark industrial setting was a perfect setting for Grant to ply his sneaky skills. 

But how to avoid making him uber-powerful? Well, I decided that in this realm (of Duskwall), the difference between the average scoundrel and a ranked Lord of Gossamer was much less than elsewhere. It meant that, for the first time ever, Grant would be challenged by the locals. He was stronger and tougher, but the difference was not as great.

And….. David hated it.

I couldn’t believe it. This was such a perfect setting. 

But perhaps I forgot something important about David. David likes playing the superhero characters who are more powerful than everyone else around them. Take away some of Grant’s powers and put him into a rich setting which he was unfamiliar with and …. It just didn’t work. Also, sometimes we are tired in the evenings and he just wanted something simple, not something where he needed to navigate a complex world.

So we ran the first session on 9th July 2020. It went ker-splat.

I think it was also a bit of LoG&S fatigue on both our parts. We’ve been at this for eight years! So we decide to flashback in Session 225 to Tachyon Squadron and then come back to it.

I ran the conclusion to the Duskwall adventure on 25th September. This time it worked better and we concluded the adventure.

Meanwhile, my local gaming group is playing both Blades in the Dark and Scum and Villainy (two different campaigns). I love the system, but it’s just not geared for ranked Lords of Gossamer.

Anyway, on with the tale….. this is both parts so at least it seems semi-coherent.

Part 1 – Duskwall Blues 

- The realm of Duskwall is relatively close to the Agora. It was a heavily used realm during the Great War, before the Cataclysm which broke the gates of death and plunged the world into almost eternal night. However, the realm of Duskwall is still frequented by many individuals of power because it contains relics of an earlier era, and because it is a good place to hide. Wayfinding doesn’t work very well in this realm.

* Image sourced from Google Images 

- Isabelle, Cal, Jessamyn and Grant have come to Duskwall and are staying at the Leaky Bucket on Cinder Street. The Dragon Lords are up to something here – they are searching for something and the Lords of Gossamer want to beat them to it. The Dragon Lord Arcades is here in person, shapeshifted into another form. The Dragon Lord Asmadi has sent a servant – Baird.

- Duskwall is a dark, industrialised city and a spooky place to visit. Isabelle has been here before – she spent a lot of time here. She has a doppleganger here named Lyssa. They look very similar except that Lyssa wears an eyepatch. Lyssa leads one of the gangs in Crow’s Foot. Mistaking Isabelle for Lyssa, a group of Lampblacks ambushes Grant and Isabelle, leading to a knife fight. There are eight of them against the two Lords of Gossamer and it is a hard fight. One even scores a knife wound against Grant before Grant dispatches him. 

- Cal and Jessamyn try to follow Baird to figure out what he might be up to. They follow him to Nightmarket and a number of stores that sell spiritual relics. They assume that he is after some sort of relic here that would be worthy of a dragon’s interest. 

- By this time, Grant has realised that there is a ghost field here that he can peer into which shows a spiritual and ghostly overlay as to what is currently present, and also what has been. He finds this intriguing. He knows that Ethan has been able to pick up afterimages from objects (psychometry) but it is the first time that he has been able to do it so easily.

- Cal thinks that he has identified that there are items of interest at Mordis’ place so the Lords of Gossamer stage a heist. Grant plays the role of backup. Rather than steal the items, they use sorcerous marks on them to figure out what Baird may be after.

- Hearing bells in the distance, Grant takes to the air in crow-form and goes to look for what the noise is all about. It is not the famed Deathbells that he has heard of but some sort of police warning system. He arrives in Six Towers and finds a number of Bluecoats on the ground, singed and injured. Reinforcements are arriving. It looks like there has been a robbery and the house in question is heavily warded. Taking an interest, Grant listens in and finds that there was a crew of four who got away with a trunk. He notes the arrival of the Spirit Wardens, a group of protectors who hunt down and destroy rogue ghosts, and he decides to investigate further.

- Looking into the ghost field, he finds recent afterimages as to who has been here. He recognizes Shimrod by his golden face mask – he has not seen him in ages but Grant has heard that he has been working for one of the Dragons. Shimrod and three other men left in a goat-drawn carriage with the trunk onboard.

- He decides to tail Shimrod and he follows him back to a mansion in Crow’s Foot, the residence of the Red Sashes, a powerful Iruvian gang.

- Investigating further, Grant figures out that the house in question belonged to the Spirit Wardens and that Shimrod has stolen something that can be used to protect the wearer from or repel ghosts.

Part 2 – Duskwall Blues 

- Months pass and Grant has been busy. There seems to be a lot of players here and the various powers have been very active here. Grant finds Duskwall challenging – he is having to work much harder here than he usually does. Wayfinding barely works here. His Umbra Mastery works, but it also has some unusual side-benefits – he is able to look into the ghost field here and see much with clarity. But this is a broken realm, shattered by the Cataclysm that happened hundreds of years ago.

- Shimrod has been stealing equipment. Isabelle has been pining over Bardal, an old lover who has spent the last few years in Ironhook prison. Grant helps with a breakout which goes very badly. Isabelle receives a deep stab-wound (she is mistaken for Lyssa) and they end up being trapped in the prison. They escape, but Bardal doesn’t get out alive. This seems to make Isabelle even more gloomy.

- Cal and Jessamyn seem fascinated with this place due to the number of powerful relics that they uncover here in the city and beyond the city limits in the Deathlands. However, Grant grows frustrated with the progress of them both as they seem more interested in antiquities than in doing something which will help Ethan. He also notes the change in Isabelle – she is clearly unhappy to be in this place. They both know that there is something here that the Dragons want but they can’t figure out what it is.

- It is only when Grant slays a demon that has been hiding here since the Great War that he finds a clue. 

- Ethan killed Nicol Bolas, but Bolas was not the first Dragon Lord to have been slain. Bolas had a brother, Ugin, whom he hated. They find evidence that Bolas slew his brother in this realm – and this fascinates Grant. This must be what the other Dragons are after. It is increasingly likely that they are about to go to war, so they are seeking information as to how Bolas killed his brother.

- There is a place where the Imperium keeps relics and books that are too dangerous to be destroyed; where ancient ghosts are kept rather than being eliminated by the Spirit Wardens. It is called the Archive of Echoes.

- The team figures out where the Archive of Echoes is in Brightstone and they stage a break-in.

- What then follows is a textbook Grant infiltration – something that he is very practiced in and exceptionally good at. He takes his time, evades the guards, has to disable one, and locates the central catalogue (a huge tomb which is chained to a desk). There are many things related to Ugin here and he goes in search of them.

- One by one, he acquires the items, bypassing arcane wards, dealing with more guards all while time passes and the risk of discovery becomes greater. At last he breaks into one of the ghost vaults, opening a door covered with runes. Inside the dark room, he finds a glowing spirit jar (one amongst many) that is under a heavy cage. He swaps the spirit jar for another containing a mundane spirit and then sneaks away.

- He also picks up other items of Ugin and a few items of curiosity before he makes his escape.

- Returning to the others, they quickly decide to leave Duskwall and examine what Grant has found in a place of safety and security. After establishing many protective wards, they open the spirit jar and the ghostly form of the Dragon Lord Ugin appears (it is small, about two thirds the size of a man). He has been expecting Grant.

* Image sourced from Google Images but this is Ugin, one of the Dragon Lords created by Wizards of the Coast 

- GM’s note: The point of this is that Grant is able to learn from Ugin how he was slain, and how a dragon can be permanently killed. (This is a difficult thing. It is very very hard to kill a True Dragon, an almost impossible to kill a Dragon Lord)

After running the session on 9th June (and finding that it didn't work), we then decided to go back and continue the Flashback adventures back in the Tachyon Squadron universe, carrying on after Session 216. We felt that after 8 years of Lords of Gossamer, and months of lockdown from Covid-19 (which was particularly bad in Melbourne, where David is), we had lost our groove and needed to do something fresh before continuing and concluding the 'Hunt Ethan' plot line.

Session 223 – Clues to the Mark

- GM’s note: This session contains two separate adventures, both set during the period where Ethan is dragon-marked and being hunted. Despite being pursued, he is continuing to investigate the Dragon Mark and how it was created. He hopes that by learning more about it than he will find a way to remove it.

Part 1 – Wards like the Dragon Mark 

- Ethan is tired of being hunted and he is running out of ideas. He was hoping that the Forbidden Library would have more information but it hasn’t yielded anything solid. It is only a matter of time before they go after people that he knows in order to get to him. A group of assassins has already tried to hit Grant. Ethan and Isabelle meet with Grimples in Grimples’ test lab. The Cat has prepared three body suits, each warded and runed. There is one for Ethan, one Isabelle and one for Macavity. They need the suits to explore a realm which has no magic and major powers such as Eidolon are unreliable. The atmosphere is caustic. 

- The realm in question used to be populated by an amphibious race whose skin layers provided protection from the environment. They were very advanced and were allies of the Draconian Empire. Quite suddenly they went dark and were apparently wiped out. But their magic was very similar to Draconian magic, and the suggestion is that there may be something that can be learned from what is presumably a dead realm. It is even possible that the current Dragon Mark spell was based on this realm’s magic. The suits that Grimples has fashioned should last roughly 18 hours.

- The realm in question can’t be accessed directly. They need to access it via a gate in another realm. They reach this intermediary realm from the Grand Stair. The Door hasn’t been used in a long time. There is no sign of a trap or ambush. Ethan’s spells make it difficult for most to track him, but it has been done before.

- Heading through the Door, Ethan recloaks the group and establishes a teleportation marker near the exit. They have exited from a door which is part of a low shack built into the base of a rock face. The pebbly beach is cold and there is a clinging mist.

- Ethan follows his nose (ie: Wayfinding) and follows the shoreline until he reaches a point where natural rocks jut out from a stone circle. There is a carved obelisk here. Waves could reach this place at high tide but not now. Ethan takes time to identify the waystone which opens the path to the gate. The gate requires two pairs of hands to activate the ritual. Speaking the ancient tongue, Ethan and Isabelle complete the spell and rocks rise out from the sea like massive stepping stones. A wind picks up and divides the mist. 

- On the final stepping stone is the gate to the target realm. A doorway with no door, appearing as a heat haze in the shape of a door. The three step through and find themselves elsewhere.

- They are in a park, on a raised platform which has half a dozen heat haze gateways. There are thick succulents underfoot – it is all overgrown. 

- The architecture around them is unusual. The skyscrapers have slopes to them. Sloping domes. There are no square windows. Arcs and curves are used everywhere.

- Exiting the platform, they figure that their arrival location used to be some sort of public transport station. Ethan tries to recloak them but finds that it doesn’t work here – hence it will be only a matter of time before pursuit finds them here.

- Their destination is the hall of rituals. They hurry. They can hear something moving in the city – they are not alone here. With Macavity in the lead, they search the hall as quickly as they can, laying their hands on a manual which they hope will help them. By this point, Ethan is almost certain that the hunters are closing in. He can feel it. Worse, Icons won’t work here while the realm is in flux, undergoing an ‘Umbral Cycle’.

- Fleeing what now appears to be a tide of twisted and corrupted amphibians, the group is forced to go to higher ground and buy time. They fight a running battle as they move higher and higher up the structure. Given that the hall of rituals is a relatively low structure, they quickly run out of room to retreat and find themselves fighting for their lives. Macavity’s spells fizzle due to Umbral interference, forcing Ethan to scoop him up and beat a hasty retreat. He covers for Isabelle until she is able to contact Grimples via Icon and then they flee the realm.

- Back in Grimples’ laboratory, Ethan comments grimly that he hopes the book was worth it. Handing it to Isabelle for study, he confirms with Divination that there were hunters in pursuit in the realm that they just left. Given that the amphibious race had clearly degenerated and gone mad, Ethan speculates that the hunters may not have survived.

- Ethan and the others scatter.

- A day later Isabelle contacts Ethan by Icon. She has been through the book and studied a ritual that is very similar to the Dragon Mark. It works on the same principle as the Dragon Mark by leaving a stain on the target which is then easily traceable. Isabelle speculates that the Draconian version of this spell uses Sorcery, Invocation and Wrighting. She has some ideas as to how to weaken the Mark further.

- Ethan thanks her and prepares to cut the contact but Isabelle suggests that they meet and have dinner. Ethan doesn’t like to linger in one place for too long but he agrees. They meet in a high-tech realm locked in eternal winter. Watching the snow fall outside the window, she tells Ethan that even though it may not look like it, progress is being made. The other Lords of Gossamer are trying to change things even if they don’t agree on methods. For example, she mentions that Grant and Drake have recently disagreed strongly. What is making things difficult is that there are tensions between the Dragons. It’s almost as if they are on the precipice of war. The tension between them seems to almost be boiling over, and Grant has been fanning the flames. He figures that if the Dragons do go to War, it might change things as they will be more interested in fighting one another than hunting him.

- Isabelle explains that she doesn’t want to give Ethan false hope, but she tells him that there are others who are fighting for him, even if he doesn’t see it. With that, she passes him a letter. It is a short letter from Abbie, who has clearly taken an enormous risk in passing him correspondence like this. In her letter she tells him to be careful and that this will not last forever. She wishes him well, and signs it ‘Abigail’.

Part 2 – Primitive Culture 

- This adventure starts ‘in media res’ with Ethan running up the side of a ziggurat with a small army of offended worshippers chasing him with spears. The high priest is about to sacrifice a woman that he needs to decode a stone tablet that he hopes will give him some clues as to how to deal with the Dragon Mark. It is after dark and the ziggurat is lit by many torches.

* Image sourced from Google Images 

- This is a low magic realm. Magic is possible but it takes a long time to acquire the energy to make a spell work. The Dragon Mark simply doesn’t work here at all – it seems to be completely suppressed.

- He bolts to the top and upon reaching it, he tries to use his favourite Cantrip on the high priest: a Sleep spell. The tanned fellow who is decorated in glittering metallic robes seems a little unsettled by this but he doesn’t fall asleep. Ethan’s favourite spell doesn’t work.

- Grabbing a spear, Ethan hurls it at the high priest to make him duck and think twice about stabbing his helpless sacrifice. Unfortunately, Ethan’s aim is quite good and it strikes the high priest hard. A glancing blow from Ethan is still enough to throw a normal man off his feet.

- Ethan starts cutting the woman free. She is glassy-eyed, evidently drugged. Guards rush him but he manages to sling her over his shoulder and make a run for it. 

- As three moons come into alignment above, a beam of light hits the open stone where the sacrifice should be. The guards look terrified as the light fills up a small bowl with what looks like liquid magic and the ziggurat begins to tremble.

- Running like hell, Ethan notices that everyone he passes is very frightened – clearly nothing like this has ever happened before. 

- Bounding away from the structure as there is a sudden tremor and the ziggurat shakes and is split by a sharp crack, Ethan doesn’t wait to see what happens – he runs into the jungle to make an escape. 

- He runs for a few miles, climbing out of the valley before stopping to rest. The temple that he has fled from hasn’t fallen – it looks just as it did before but clearly he has done something to the ritual which has resulted in physical damage to the structure.

- Ethan knows that his magic will work better at dawn but at night-time it is badly suppressed. The Door is many hours’ journey away but at dawn he should be able to use a Teleport spell to return to a Mark that he laid earlier. 

- After a while, the woman hits him and tells him to put her down. She has woken from her drugged state and has recovered some of her wits. The woman’s name is Eztli and she claims to be the daughter of a local chief, but her village was burnt and she was dragged away as an honoured sacrifice. Ethan asks if she can read the stone tablet and she confirms that she can. She believes that her people have been destroyed and she thought she was going to be killed too. She is curious about the pale-skinned Ethan and surprised that he can speak her language. Dark-skinned and dark-eyed, she looks nothing like Ethan. She is still dressed in clothes that she was to be sacrificed in.

- They decide to rest at a set of ruins only a few miles away. The place is supposedly haunted which Ethan considers fortuitous. Eztli allows Ethan to carry her again and he covers the ground swiftly.

- Ethan is pleased to find that there is a water source amongst the ruins. He also senses some sort of presence here – it is powerful but not dangerous. It feels indifferent to him.

- Eztli has suffered some minor injuries being carried through the jungle at speed. Ethan heals her wounds and she is amazed. She thinks he is a god as he has the ‘power of the ancients’. Prostrating herself humbly, she thanks ‘the god’ for her life and asks how she can be of service. Ethan offers to find her some food but asks if she can translate the runes on a stone tablet (that he cannot read).

- Working by moonlight, Eztli gets to work at once. She is uncomfortable in this haunted place but ‘her god’ promises that she will be safe.

- Meanwhile, Ethan goes to look around – he finds that there are similar runes on the ruins here. He returns with some edible berries and plants for her to eat. 

- Eztli explains that the stone tablet describes a ritual, a method of displacing powerful marking magic from one place to another. In this realm, they are referring to spiritual tattoos but Ethan quickly figures out that there is an application for the Dragon Mark – perhaps a template as to how to shift the Mark to another target.

- Just before dawn, a group of tribesmen who look like they belong to the same tribe that was going to sacrifice Eztli are spotted approaching the haunted ruins. They clearly don’t want to approach but they have followed tracks leading to it. Ethan can feel the presence within the ruins stirring.

- Thinking quickly, Ethan decides to pick off a tribesman with a rock. He throws a stone with supernatural force, killing one of them. The tribesmen look alarmed and look for another approach. Ethan fells another one and they withdraw.

- Dawn arrives. Ethan and Eztli leave the ruins and he feels the presence giving him a sort of farewell. It recognised him as a Warden. 

- With the sun rising higher, Ethan is able to manage a Teleport back to the Door. Back on the Stair, he uses an Icon to contact Isabelle. Back in her clockwork home, an awestruck Eztli is introduced to Isabelle (another god!) and Isabelle promises to look after her. Ethan explains that there are some clues in the tablet which give him ideas to explore.

Session 222 – Burying the Hatchet

- GM’s note: And now we get back to the present plotline – Ethan is Dragon Marked and is being hunted.

Given time constraints, I’m going to keep these updates shorter than previous. I’ve fallen behind and this is my way of making sure that I can catch up.

Part 1 – Bad Advice

- Ethan finds himself in the city of Gau-Mang, a polluted world with heavy industry, heavy mining and few local laws. Life is cheap here. Despite having a very bad feeling about this place, there is an entity called Desslyth here who apparently has information about how to remove a Dragon Mark.

- The creature called Desslyth is a tentacled monster that dwells out of the public eye. He has the knowledge and is willing to trade it to Ethan for a ‘favour’. A bargain is struck and Desslyth gives Ethan the information that a Dragon Mark cannot be removed unless the marked party is ‘unmade’ via Umbra. This knowledge is useless for an Eidolon Master because it would either mean his destruction or the loss of his powers. 

- Ethan leaves the city with the laughter of the alien creature ringing in his ears.

Part 2 – Arranging a Meet 

- In the back alleys of the Agora, Ethan plays chess with a heavily armoured alien warrior with dark red skin called Marrus. They sit on seats made from old barrels and move pieces of bone across a wooden table that looks as if it is hundreds of years old. The sounds of the markets are far away from the players as they indulge in a game of skill. Marrus knows that Ethan is Dragon Marked and is a little tense. Ethan is also a little distracted. He is waiting to hear whether the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik’s sentient cloak, Artemis, has a message for him.

- Ethan has reached out to the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik, his old nemesis, and is trying to reach some sort of arrangement.

- A kid arrives with a green token. It seems that the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik has accepted Ethan’s offer for a meet. Ethan calmly finishes the game with Marrus and departs.

Part 3 – A New Understanding

- They meet in a low-tech world, perhaps around 800AD. There is little or no magic here and there are many racial groups here – humans of different races, plus Pahtra (feline-looking), Trolls, Ikeshti (reptilemen). It seems to be some sort of Trading Post – a permanent marketplace. There is only one Door here.

- Ethan senses the arrival of another Warden. The individual sends Artemis out to scout ahead then when he is comfortable, the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik, clad in heavy armour, strides over and joins Ethan at a table.

- A conversation ensues. It is cordial. An exchange of ideas.

- They talk about what the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik wants. He wants to prevent the Dwimmerlaik empire from reform as it was. He wants to see a new and vibrant culture, not something that just conquers and seeks to supplant others. Without the new, there is no change and the Empire has become stagnant. He says that the Empress is not the same person that she was because she carries an amulet that is a phylactery of all of the souls of the past Emperors – they are reinforcing the status quo – and that will ultimately be the death of his people unless they change. He believes that breaking up the Empire is the only way to save it.

- The Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik also warns that something is coming. Wardens don’t appear at the rate that they have done so, nor do they become as powerful as Grant and Ethan have without there being a very real threat. The Stair has done this before in times of great crisis so the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik concludes that something is coming. It may be years away, but something is coming. He fears for an Empire that cannot adapt and the Empress will not listen while she carries the amulet of her ancestors.

- The conversation turns to whether the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik has any advice for him and he sanguinely points out that Dragons have long memories and they will never stop hunting him. The Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik tells him to listen to Hilda if he wants to stay alive. The Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik tells Ethan that the Dragon Mark is an Invocation. 

- The Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik makes a remark that sounds like an apology without actually saying it, suggesting that things may be different between them in the future. He doesn’t know how to remove the Dragon Mark but he says that all Invocation rituals need someone to lead them, so one of the Dragons must have led that ritual. Knowing which of them might yield some clues as to how to remove it.

- Both Ethan and the Red-Eyed Dwimmerlaik sense that they’ve lingered too long and danger is drawing near. They decide to part, but not before he passes his Icon to Ethan (in the form of a stone enamel disk). 

- Ethan contacts Isabelle via Icon and leaves promptly before pursuit can arrive.

Part 4 – Ethan and Hilda

- Ethan finds himself in Isabelle’s clockwork house. Hilda is there and she eagerly hugs him. She wants to show him a picture that she drew – it is of a single yellow rose in a vase, and the moon above has red eyes with a tear dripping from it. It is spooky how she can sense connections to the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik.

- Ethan feels safe enough in Isabelle’s house to stay a little while. He spends time doing normal family stuff and trying to carry on as normal. When he has a few minutes alone, he does some Divination spells and concludes that he is not in immediate danger and the Dragons do not know where he is, for now.

- After helping Hilda to bed and reading her stories, Isabelle asks Ethan how he is coping. He tells her that the Dragon Mark is some sort of Invocation and he asks for her help to break it. He wonders if killing the caster would break the Mark.

- To his surprise, Hilda hasn’t gone to sleep. She walks in at that point and says that she just had a dream about a blue meany that was protecting her as the grey wizard couldn’t help anymore. This makes no sense to Ethan and he reassures her and takes her back to bed.

- Back to an adult conversation, Isabelle says that identifying the originator of the Invocation is important in order to break it – and the Dragons would certainly know that. She suggests that Abbie (Abigail) might be able to find that out.

- Isabelle is clearly concerned about Ethan. She asks how he is coping and he promises not to stay too long and keep moving. Even more worried based on his response, she tells him to rest and get some sleep and she will keep watch. She promises to keep both him and Hilda safe. Ethan accepts her offer, tells her that he loves her and kisses her goodnight.

- The next day they talk further. Ethan wonders if the Dragon Mark will be ended if the target ‘dies’ – for example if Ethan were to die and be resuscitated. Isabelle says that this wouldn’t work as Invocation is linked to the Name. Even if the target came back to life, they would have the same name. Hiding the name wouldn’t work either and changing his name now might not even remove it.

- Ethan thinks through his options. Isabelle offers him some tea and promises to stick with him. They’ll work it out – somehow.

Interludes:

1. City of Gau-Mang, a polluted world with much heavy industry, heavy mining and few local laws. Life is cheap here. Really bad feeling about this place. Ethan gets the feeling that there is some sort of powerful entity in control here, but it is hidden, behind the scenes. He is hunting here for a clue as to how to remove a Dragon Mark. This takes him to a dark place. There is one here who has insights into how to achieve this, but the road will not be easy. (I’m thinking Splugorth from the RIFTS universe) And there is a price….

• The information revealed by Desslyth is that a Dragon Mark cannot be removed unless the marked is ‘unmade’, via Umbra. Obviously this is impossible for someone like Ethan. It would mean either his destruction or the loss of his Eidolon at the very least.

• As a result, Ethan owes a ‘favour’ to the alien intelligence, Desslyth.

2. In the back alleys of the Agora, Ethan plays chess with a heavily armoured alien warrior with dark red skin named Marrus. They sit on seats made from old barrels and move pieces of bone across a wooden table that looks as if it is hundreds of years old. The sounds of the markets are far away from the players as they indulge in a game of skill.

3. Time with Hilda (we haven’t seen Hilda in ages) --- does she have some premonition for Ethan? Are the forces of evil waiting to ambush Ethan?

4. Searching the Forbidden Library for a way to escape the Dragon Mark, Ethan comes upon an interpretation of the wording that the mark will last until death – so is there a way of ‘faking’ his death or crossing over into the afterlife which might trick the dragons into thinking that he is dead? Surely it cannot be that easy ….

5. Or would it be possible to use the RED trick and project oneself into another body to enable oneself to operate freely? (leaving the Dragon Mark behind) Hmmm…. How to test that out.

 

Session 221 – Shadows over Ekul – Part 2

- GM’s note: Ok, I’m months behind in the session writeups. So increasingly my updates will be shorter. This is the second part of the Beasts and Barbarians adventure, which has some Lords of Gossamer spin put into it.

Part 3 – The Enemy is Revealed

- Grant and Ethan march with Tokarim’s armies to Tenebar fort and deal with Jirro. Upon arrival, they find Jirro’s men rebuilding the fort’s defences but it is a long way from being complete. Tokarim isn’t interested in parlaying, and Grant (as Shah Ulesir) volunteers to lead a sneak attack to open and hold the gate as a prelude to Tokarim’s assault.

- Anaea, the commander of the Amazons, has been watching Grant and Ethan carefully. She agrees to send some of her best with them. Painted up for battle, they climb the eastern walls and take the battlements, and then the gate. Jirro’s men are alerted and they try to retake the gate but Grant, Ethan and the Amazons prevent that. Meanwhile Solembar, Tokarim’s general, leads a cavalry attack against the men camped outside the fort, routing them and then attacking through the open gate into the fort itself.

- The battle is over in twenty minutes. One of the Amazons has been hit by a bow-shot but otherwise Grant, Ethan and the Amazons have held their position without injury. 

- Jirro is dragged out to face the wrath of Tokarim, but he pleads ignorance. He did as he was told and he took his men to Tenebar and began rebuilding the defences as instructed. He has no knowledge of where Karmella is.

- A messenger arrives. He carries a message from Korras, Ulesir’s half-brother, who claims to have her. (Ruman Gask stole her out of the city and Jirro unfortunately got the blame) At this new, Tokarim has a seizure and collapses. His men take him away and Ethan’s offers to help (as a healer) are rebuffed. 

- Confined to a tent, Grant, Ethan and Marduk are effectively held as prisoners until such time as Tokarim recovers. As they make plans as to what to do next, Anaea brings the monk Jimpah into the tent who has an idea – they should escape and recover Karmella themselves.

- Leaving Marduk behind to explain where they have gone, the others slip away with the help of the Amazons. Following the instructions given to them by the messenger, they head to Rusty Lake in order to hand over Ulesir in chains. 

- An ambush is set up and when a group of ruffians arrive with a hooded woman to make the exchange, Ethan and the Amazons pick them off. Grant (Ulesir) shrugs off the chains and attacks the leader, Ruman Gask, who undergoes a startling transformation as he seems to channel Umbral power and begins Gaunt-like, shrugging off a number of Grant’s blows before finally he is felled.

- However, their prisoner is not Karmella. It’s another double – this woman named Tamira. She has a passing resemblance to Karmella and has been dressed to look like her. She tells the story as to how she was kidnapped by Korras’ men months ago and has been kept captive in the Monastery of Shadows since. She doesn’t know the way there as she was blindfolded most of the way but says that there is a set of hidden stairs cut into the rocks behind the lake which ascend to a point where there are two men waiting. Her blindfold was removed at the top so that she could safely descend the steep steps.

- Grant and Ethan ascend the steps and surprise the guards there. They get directions to the Monastery of Shadows from the guards and decide to head there immediately.

Part 4 – The Monastery of Shadows

- They travel for hours in the high peaks of the Iron Mountains, eventually reaching a fortified village. The gate is heavily guarded. However there is a sheer cliff that looks climbable – for Grant and Ethan. Reminded of their climb of the glass mountain (GM’s note – way back in Session 44), they rope themselves together and make the climb. They are covered in war paint as they are expecting a fight.

- Climbing by this route, they avoid the gate and guards and reach the monastery directly. Slipping through one of the openings, they start making their way through the rooms, one by one. They find a library where the ‘writing’ is in knots of rope made from human hair. They ambush a group of six guards and quickly deal with them. They pass through an enchanted door which can only be opened via a riddle. They find a torture chamber on a lower level and find one of Jimpah’s fellow monks barely alive – he has been badly tortured. Even Ethan can’t save him. 

- As they make their way through the darkness, Grant receives an Icon contact from Lucien for a chat.

 

- They run across two acolytes and Grant captures one of them named Jinzu. Jinzu leads them to Karmella who seems to be asleep and trapped in a nightmare. Two hounds that have been infused with Umbral energy need to be dealt with before she can be rescued. Unfortunately, freeing Karmella sets off an alarm and the group tries to make a fighting retreat but is forced into another chamber.

- In this chamber, Korras faces the man that he thinks is his hated half-brother. He begins monologuing that he will feed Ulesir to the Black Flame (which clearly has a link to the Greater Power of Umbra) to reinvigorate it. There is a prophecy that the Divided Man will restore the flame. 

- A large number of acolytes in the balconies are chanting a ritual and the black flame on the altar leaps higher. Guards leap forward to restrain Grant, Ethan and the Amazons but they quickly swing into action. Grant punches Korras in the face, breaking his nose. Ethan is seized by two superstrong Umbra-infused guards and the Amazons try to bow down everyone they can. The battle is bloody but between them, they manage to disrupt the ritual – a ritual which has clearly been misunderstood as the Acolytes wanted to sacrifice both Ulesir and Korras to the flame (ie: the Divided Man prophecy referred to both of them). However they have not counted on the fact that Grant is not Ulesir, and Grant is also an Umbra Master. While the others fight for their lives, Grant uses Umbra Mastery to disrupt the ritual, cursing all of the surviving acolytes in the monastery with permanent blindness.

- In the confusion, Grant, Ethan, the Amazons and Karmella flee the Monastery of the Black Flame and return to Tokarim’s encampment (with blind Korras as their prisoner). A wounded Anaea is healed by Ethan. Karmella seems happy to talk to Grant now that she has been rescued and she knows that she will not be married to him. Marduk gives Grant and Ethan a heavy purse for their services and suggests that they be on their way before the real Ulesir arrives. He thanks them and wishes them well.

- The monk Jimpah also says a fond farewell and promises that their paths will cross again ‘should the gods wish it’.

- The Amazons meet with Grant before he leaves. Anaea says that Grant has the bearing of a Lord and King, and she says that her Amazons would follow him should he wish it. Flattered, Grant thanks her (as it is a true mark of respect) and he promises that he will return. 

- Grant and Ethan walk off together back to Teluk’Ammar where Grant plans to open a Door and return to the Stair.