Grant and Ethan
Grant (left) and Ethan (right), with Macavity the Cat
Wednesday, 21 December 2016
Session 99 - End Game
GM Observations
- This plot thread has been running since Session 43 when Heldon’s Pass and the Breath of Eden were first introduced. It has long been suggested that Mowbray was behind the plot which has robbed many Lords of Gossamer of their memories and tipped the balance of power on the Stair. Then in Session 97, Grant finally traced the stolen memories back to Mowbray and confirmed that he is indeed behind everything. This has set up Session 99 for a massive battle in the void.
- Mowbray is no pushover. He has X+2 Rank (i.e.: 2 ranks above Dominant) in Psyche, he has Greater Umbra Mastery, Exalted level Channelling, High Sorcery and he has powers over the Void itself (a power almost unique to himself). He is one of the most powerful characters in the game, and he’s on his home turf.
- In comparison, Vala has X+3 Rank in Psyche but she also greatly outranks Mowbray in Warfare. Furthermore she has a very powerful polearm which does Primal Damage and is linked to Eidolon. She’s a powerhouse in her own right, but is it enough to enable the Lords of Gossamer to actually stop him and get back their memories? Read on….
Part 1 - Call to Action
- Ethan and Abbie are heading south in the Eidolon Car. Abbie is very quiet so Ethan asks if something is worrying her. Abbie explains that she lost track of time (especially as they lost a day in Oban) and she has commitment this evening in Manchester. It’s a black tie reception, all proceeds going to charity and she needs to be there. Ethan asks some questions about the event, and then he asks if he is invited. Abbie is clearly astonished by the offer. She would very much like his company but she questions if he plans to conceal his identity somehow, otherwise no doubt he will meet many people who will remember him (and possibly even be photographed). Ethan just relaxes and says that he’ll think of something.
- Abbie drives to her house in Manchester. The gates open and an armed security guard waves them through. She quickly changes into a pale green evening dress and he dons a dinner suit which she had organised for him (just in case, one day). They head to the reception venue and Abbie spends some time explaining the nature of the reception. The people coming are very rich, and some are influential. She isn’t there to be friends - she’s ‘just a drawcard’ and it benefits the charity - but some people may agree with her positions and want to help in the future, and that could be useful. Ethan muses over this but he says nothing. He wonders what he will say when someone asks him ‘what he does’. Abbie suggests that he tell people that he’s studying to be a doctor, and Ethan likes the idea.
- Heading inside, Abbie turns heads and many people want to talk with her. Ethan attracts some attention just by being with Abbie. When asked he answers politely that he’s studying medicine at Manchester even though that’s something he hasn’t actually done yet. He gives his name as Ethan ("Just Ethan"), and never gives his surname (as Abbie has adopted his name).
- Ethan finds it all rather intriguing. He doesn’t have much to say - he listens, and he observes. He feels out of place but doesn’t feel compelled to fit in. Ethan notes that Abbie seems genuinely pleased to see some people and not others - she can tell those who are here to be generous, and those who are more interested in power and prestige. Abbie keeps Ethan nearby and involves him in the conversation so that he does not feel left out.
- Ethan claps politely when the string quintet stop between pieces. He claps politely when there are speeches. He listens politely even when the person he is talking to clearly thinks very little of him. He finds it all rather amusing, but can see it’s important to Abbie.
- Hours pass. A well-dressed man named Lindsay asks him directly about his relationship with Abbie, and he delicately evades the question. He finds subtle use of Psyche and Sorcery to be quite useful to deflect or deflate uncomfortable lines of conversation, and finds that he quite enjoys asking questions of these people. As the numbers of party-goers eventually thin, Abbie decides that it’s time to make an exit. Besides, she explains, it was important for the charity that she attend but she doesn’t have to be the last one here. Leaving together, Ethan feels that he’s made a very positive step with Abbie in her ‘new world’. Even though he felt a little like a fish out of water, he remained cool and polite. Overall it was not an unpleasant experience.
- Ethan goes to get the Eidolon Car from the valet, and he suddenly receives a very painful Icon contact. (GM’s note - yes, Ethan has Bad Stuff) He has felt nothing like this before. It’s like being stuck in the eye with a needle. Instantly, he is connected to Lucien and Cooper. There is no triggering of the Breath of Eden curse. They explain quickly that Grant has found the stolen memories and the Lords of Gossamer are massing an army to take it. They need him to come at once. Because it is Grant, he agrees but says that he needs to get his things. They give him an hour. Just as suddenly, the Icon contact is broken and the pain is gone. He checks his watch.
- He collects Abbie and they drive away in the Eidolon Car. Ethan is a bit surprised by the number of paparazzi waiting outside. Abbie comments that he's probably already been photographed many times. She tells him not to worry about it, kicking her shoes off in the car. Switching topic, he explains about the Icon contact and that he needs to go. They return to her house, and Ethan changes into his travelling garb, arming himself heavily. They say goodbye with a kiss, and she tells him to look after himself. Ethan promises to be careful, and says that if all goes well, he should be able to contact her with an Icon to tell her that he is all right.
- At the appointed time, Lucien and Cooper contact Ethan, and suddenly he is gone.
Part 2 - Waiting for The First Wave
- “We are coming,” Vala said to Grant. He cannot afford to be detected now, so he decides to wait, passively observe and learn as much as he can. He can definitely sense Mowbray’s presence here now that he knows what to look for. His twenty-six Ailsiliar seem heavily focussed on the memory store. Every one of them is masked with a strange near-faceless face-plate. He can tell that they have a degree of influence over this void-realm. He finds it odd that there are no bodyguards and no minions here. His Ranked Warfare tells him that the Ailsiliar feel that they don’t need bodyguards. Grant is very wary of this.
- Beneath the horizontal plane, Grant can feel other presences below. He knows what an Erebus feels like and he can sense multiple below. Cal is also down there somewhere. Far below. Jessamyn is tethered to one of the platform pillars near the entranceway, and there is some sort of bat-sized creature attached to her - a ‘Keeper’ to keep her compliant.
- Grant is still battered and sore from his encounter with the Eidolon Master on the Stair, made worse because he is trying not to use his Umbra abilities to shift into a form to accelerate his healing. He focuses on stealth, despite the discomfort and hopes that Vala and her allies will not be too late. He knows that they will not arrive beside him - using the previous Icon connection, they know his location and he will act as a pathfinder for their arrival. But exactly where they will arrive, he does not know.
Part 3 - Let there be Light!
- There is a painful flash of an Icon contact warning him of imminent arrival, and suddenly he hears Vala’s voice in his mind “Let there be Light!” Shielding his eyes, the Void is suddenly illuminated by the First Wave.
* Image sourced from Google Images but it’s clearly from Magic The Gathering
- Lady Vala appears in golden armour, great shimmering wings unfolded behind her. In her hands is Vajra, her Eidolon-enfused pole arm. Flanking her are two ‘Angels’. Grant recognises them as Annunaki but they appear here as semi-divine beings of light. Then there is Lucien - clad entirely in a bad-ass suit of silver armour which glows brightly with Eidolon tracery.
* Image by Bradjolly on DeviantART
- And lastly, there is Galatea, dressed in white. All are radiant with primal energy. (GM’s note - they have multiple buffs cast upon them)
* Image by Nebezial on DeviantART
- Battle is joined almost immediately, with the Ailsiliar working as a cohesive team. Some of the Ailsiliar erect protective shields, others cast buffing spells. Alien energy erupts from two of them towards the Lords of Gossamer, forcing them to split up. The great memory sphere is ‘jettisoned’ and it begins sinking through the horizontal plane to the emptiness beneath. As Grant takes in what is happening, he notes that the Ailsiliar have released two of the Erebi from the ground, which begin melting through the horizontal plane and floating upwards towards Vala and the the Annunaki. The humming sound that the Erebi make is painful to be close to.
- The first few minutes of battle is a mess. Lucien tries to reach the memory containment device but the Ailsiliar concentrate their efforts on him. Galatea tries to shield Lucien but she becomes the first casualty of the offensive as the Dwimmerlaik hit her with Channeling and she crumples to the floor. The Annunaki face off against one of the Erebi, whilst Vala cleaves her way through the other one with Vajra in order to reach Mowbray. In an astonishing display of raw power, Vala serenely blunts everything that Mowbray and the Ailsiliar can throw at her, and she cleaves Mowbray in two, only to suddenly realise that it is but a shadow of his real self and this is a trap. (GM’s note - yes, Mowbray has vastly inferior Warfare, but he got help on this occasion) The horizontal plane crackles with energy as she is rooted to the spot and unable to fly. Redoubling their efforts, the Ailsiliar pound Vala with a combination of magical energies whilst another Erebus rises to devour her.
- Deciding that helping Lucien is a higher priority than aiding Vala, Grant decides to switch into a bug-form and he tries to attack the key Ailsiliar who are targeting Lucien. He successfully fells one, but another immediately senses his presence and declares that that “At last, Bastiano has shown himself”. (GM’s note - yes, again, Grant has been mistaken for Bastiano)
- Realising that 'Bastiano' is another serious threat, the Ailsiliar begin combining efforts against him. Some use Umbra, some use Channelling. Grant is able to deflect/redirect some of the Umbra energies but he has never seen Channelling before. One of the Ailsiliar simply looks at him and he feels his mind on fire as if a dagger has been thrust into his head. It takes all of his formidable Warfare (and Ranked Psyche) to be able to withstand and sometimes avoid the multiple attacks that are directed towards him.
- Meanwhile, Vala is engaged in cosmic battle with Mowbray and the Ailsiliar - Greater Eidolon Mastery energies being opposed by Greater Umbra Mastery and unspeakable Void magic. The Dwimmerlaik aim to crack the Lady of the Shimmering Veil’s resolve with raw power, and the energies thrown off by this contest of wills are considerable. Even the Ailsiliar are watchful lest they be incinerated by stray energies from the battle. Void structures begin to lose their cohesion and great cracks form across the plane.
Part 4 - Second Wave
- It has only been a few minutes since the battle began but Grant is fighting one of the toughest battles he has ever fought. The sheer power and coordination of the Ailsiliar here is staggering - he is running on adrenaline, using Umbra power freely as he seeks to avoid being vaporised or mentally skewered. Even though he has slain two of the Ailsiliar, he quickly realises the problem of doing so - the plane itself is bubbling as ‘things’ from below the horizontal are trying to reach through. Already the spherical vessel holding the memories has completely disappeared through the horizontal plane and fallen into the void. But this does not stop Lucien - he cuts through the planar 'floor’, dives after it in his silvery armour and quickly disappears out of sight.
- Then suddenly there are tears in the Void and Mowbray has managed to call in reinforcements. Ghostly gaunts, animated by Umbra, leap from the tears and begin running towards living prey. Grant has seen Umbral Gaunts before in the Legendary Realm (GM's note - last seen in Session 66), and seen how fast they move and how tough they are. Black skinned demons, sinewed with misshapen limbs, horns and tusks spill onto the battlefield from more void rifts. The Lords of Gossamer are hopelessly outnumbered, even though Vala is still standing and withstanding everything the Dwimmerlaik are throwing at her. Then, the second wave arrives.
- Greywalker is suddenly there, appearing in their midst riding a white stallion (GM’s note - yes, Shadowfax makes an appearance). Yaeger Zane also appears above the throng. His wings are armoured and he is carrying a massive flaming sword that is taller than he is. With a battlecry of ‘Booyah’, Yaeger charges into the fray. Samaran, the so-called ‘God of War’ is dressed as one. With a mighty axe in one hand, he charges into the nearest concentration of foes and begins cleaving. Cornelius, the trickster, lets rip with sorcery as soon as he arrives, and then summons ’Shirley', his mecha-dinosaur and begins stomping on anything that doesn’t look like friendly.
L to R: Greywalker, Yaeger Zane, Samaran, Cornelius- With this many friends and foes on the battlefield, all sense of battle lines vanishes and Grant finds himself back in human form, firing almost indiscriminately with his wrist blaster, whilst cleaving with Gorgorin. It is complete chaos and there is no Lord of Gossamer assuming generalship here. Cornelius is sowing discord rather than paying attention to any battle plan and Vala is clearly fully occupied by the Ailsiliar and the elusive Mowbray. Grant manages to catch a glimpse of Yaeger diving under an Erebus to cleave one of the Ailsiliar, and a nebulous Erebus heading for ‘Shirley’, but everything is moving so fast that he loses track of many of the parties amidst the chaos. Grant quickly concludes that they will be overrun unless Mowbray is defeated and the portals shut. He decides to focus on the Ailsiliar who are trying to break Vala, figuring one of them must be Mowbray in disguise. The amount of primal energy being wielded by the group of them makes an approach exceedingly difficult, but Grant uses his Dominant Rank Warfare and Umbra to pick out Mowbray from the others. Concerned that Vala may be weakening, and conscious that Mowbray is fully focused on Vala (identifable because he’s being buffed by some of the others), Grant trusts to the power of Gorgorin (a Primal Damage weapon) and manages to sneak attack him, driving Gorgorin deep into his body. (GM’s note - Dominant Rank Warfare v Superior Rank Warfare - Grant wins) Even though Mowbray has considerable protection on his person, it is no match for Gorgorin and the spells around him shatter. Mowbray collapses and instantly falls through the planar floor, disappearing quickly into the void below. It is so quick that Grant wonders if it is another trick - a wound like that from Gorgorin should be fatal but Mowbray is a master of shapeshifting so he really isn’t sure. (GM’s note - over so soon….oh no it isn’t)
Part 5 - Grand Melee
- Unfortunately the void gates don’t close, the Ailsiliar keep fighting and more Dwimmerlaik allies pour into the domain - dark monsters from a dozen Dwimmerlaik controlled worlds appear in the void-world and begin looking for the enemies of their Masters. The plane has sustained considerable damage by now - the structure of the realm continues to crumble, and the Erebi are now moving uncontrolled and unrestrained, causing more destruction. With Mowbray gone, Vala has enough fortitude to be able to move once more - the light she emits grows brighter still, and she thrusts into the Erebus that has been attempting to disintegrate her, driving it back.
- By this point, all of the Lords of Gossamer are separated from one another and at risk of being mobbed and overwhelmed. Cornelius and Shirley are hard pressed by enemies on all sides, Yaeger is increasingly running out of room to move. Somewhere amidst this, Galatea recovers sufficiently to work out that Lucien is no longer here and she dives into the void after him, flying far into the distance before punching through the planar 'floor' where the structure is weak. As Samaran is seemly overrun by a wall of black bodied demons that pile on top of him, a third wave of Lords of Gossamer arrive and are just as quickly swallowed by the mass.
- Enter Lady Cordelias, the Warlord Taltos and the elite from his Breaker Battalion and the war maiden Gretchen.
L to R: Cordelias, Taltos, Gretchen
- In the same moment, Mordecai and two teams of his Raven Legion, the Simbalion the Aslan Lord and Ethan appear.
L to R: Mordecai, Simbalion and Ethan
- Battle is joined immediately as the servants of the Empire leap upon the newly arrived Lords of Gossamer. Ethan is quickly fighting for his life, beset by enemies on all sides. Even Mordecai’s Raven Legion are being pulled apart as they struggle to create a perimeter to defend. Yaeger Zane doesn’t seem to be flying anymore, and only one of the Annunaki is still glowing dimly in the void. In the mayhem, Grant manages to destabilise one of the void rifts sufficiently to close it (by using Umbra), but then he spies Vala and decides that she is the best rallying point that they have. Cutting a swath towards her, he tries to rally as many Lords of Gossamer as he can to hold Vala's position. Lady Cordelias, bloodied and battered answers the call, as does Yaeger Zane. Mordecai arrives a little later with only half of his troops left alive, and 'eye-eater' demons clawing at them in pursuit like a black tide. With no way out, they fight on. Mordecai, Vala and Grant each take charge of a third of the perimeter, Vala defends her section with great sweeps of her polearm, cutting down demons and gaunts alike. Mordecai's troops lay down suppressing fire as hordes of creatures closes on them. Grant uses Umbra as a barrier, and sends Yaeger Zane out to retrieve Gretchen as she has been cut off and isolated from the rest. Yaeger makes a second trip out to retrieve another Lord of Gossamer but is intercepted by one of the remaining Ailsiliar and he crashes to the ground along with Ethan, disappearing under a swarm of Umbra Gaunts. Grant has no time to think about the situation - he knows that if he breaks ranks to save them that Vala, Mordecai and the others will likely be overwhelmed.
Part 6 - Into the Abyss
- Then quite suddenly there is another piercing Icon pain in his head. It is Cooper and the message is brief. Lucien has recovered the memories. It’s time to leave. Grant can sense a number of the Lords of Gossamer accepting the contact and leaving, but Grant can’t leave without Jessamyn, Cal or Ethan. As the confused tide of demons and gaunts continues to sweep across the unstable plane, Grant fights his way to Ethan's side. Ethan is bleeding from a head wound (they bleed a lot) but still fighting strong against the surrounding Gaunts. Grant grabs him and together they fight their way to Jessamyn. Luckily they are not the only ones who have resisted the call to return. Yaeger is covered in blood and gore but is still fighting despite an injury to his right wing. He flashes a pearly white smile at Grant and doesn't slow down in the slightest, even as an Erebus looms above them and the situation looks increasingly dire. Reaching Jessamyn, Grant finds that Greywalker had a similar idea - back to back, they create some space for Ethan to work his magic and remove Jessamyn's Keeper. The Erebus looks set to devour them by crushing them and Greywalker announces that it's time to leave. Yaeger Zane however has spotted a colossal dragon with fiery eyes emerging from one of the void rifts and calls 'dibs' on it. Grant doesn't have time to reason with him - he lets him go but proceeds to cut through the floor and uses Umbra to mould a ’carpet’ out of the plane, which quickly falls away from the main floor into the void, taking Jessamyn and Ethan with him as the Erebus consumes everything above them.
- With a dazed and barely conscious Jessamyn on the carpet behind him, Grant focuses on diving after Cal - who is far far beneath. Meanwhile void creatures continue to leap at them, and Ethan does his best to keep them off the ‘carpet’. As they go deeper, the attacks become more infrequent, but the creatures in the depths are bigger and faster. Then suddenly Ethan is gone (GM’s note - cue Bad Stuff) - Ethan has been cleaved off the ‘carpet’ by a demon and he spins off into the void like a falling star.
- Cursing, Grant realises that it's too hard to turn this carpet of voidstuff around and even if he does, he'll be going further away from where Cal is. He hopes that Ethan is able to accept an Icon contact and return to wherever Cooper is. In the complete and absolute darkness, Jessamyn can't see a thing so she hangs onto Grant's leg for dear life. She sings a song to herself in the darkness - it sounds to Grant like some sort of child's rhyme designed to ward off evil.
- The deeper they go, the quieter it becomes. Occasionally something attacks them out of the darkness, but by this time they are travelling very fast and Grant swiftly deals with anything that comes too close. Ethan has completely vanished by now - Grant hopes that Ethan got out. At last, in the distant there is a speck of starlight and Grant presses on, finally homing in on the body of Cal. Cal still glows brightly in the void due to Eidolon. Using Umbra to slow the 'carpet', Grant and Jessamyn spiral in on Cal. At last, Grant can see him in the flesh. His body is withered - he looks ancient - but it definitely him. Cal reacts as Grant tackles him, figuring him to be another demon in the void, but Grant restrains him (GM's note - Grant has Dominant Rank Strength) and accepts Cooper's Icon contact. Instantly they are gone - recalled.
Part 7 - It’s Over
- In the blink of an eye, Grant, Jessamyn and Cal appear in a large chamber with medical staff dressed in white and pale green garments. Some of the doctor are tall and thin, almost human. Others are short goblins with large droopy ears and long spindly arms. Pale light shines from the ceiling, but it is still enough to make Jessamyn need to shield her eyes. Cal is unconscious as the medical team wave devices over them, assessing their injuries and summoning remedies to quickly deal with the worst of their injuries. Grant suddenly feels the need to sit down, but before he can be brought a chair, he feels the adrenalin wearing off and he sits down with a thump. A doctor hands him a clear cylinder of water and electrolytes whilst Grant starts rambling, asking if everyone is okay. One of goblin nurses kindly offers him a sedative to help him relax, but he asks instead for a cup of tea.
- It is a strange place - the walls of the chamber seem to be some sort of organic bone-like substance rather than a fabricated material. The air feels crisp and clean.
- Jessamyn and Cal are taken away to be allowed to rest. Grant notes that there are many many medical personnel here - and a number of Lords of Gossamer. It looks like not everyone made it. Using Wayfinding, he tries to figure out who is here. Ethan is here (he is relieved by that) but Greywalker isn't here. Vala, Lucien and Galatea are here. He doesn't need to use Wayfinding to know that Yaeger is still alive. He's already telling stories to a gathering of medical personnel about how many foes he slew and how high the bodies were piled. Grant gives a little smile - he is relieved that Yaeger survived. The Stair just wouldn't be the same without Yaeger Zane.
- A potion is mixed especially for him. Grant drinks it and starts to feel better. He can feel his body coming back to life. A goblin uses a device to disinfect some of his wounds then seal them, applying green paste to the sealed wound to help further 'stimulate the healing process'. Grant marvels at these people - they seem to be natural healers, motivated only by the desire to heal others.
- He tries to stand up - his body is unwilling at first but the taller people help steady him. Isabelle spots him and runs over to him with a broad smile. She's very pleased to see him. They talk a little, and then he ambles over to where Vala is being treated. She has also been wounded (by Umbral energy) which will take some time to recover. She says that they will talk later, but for now, the battle has been won and it is time to let Lucien and Cooper 'weave a miracle'.
- Ethan is sitting quietly with a group of goblins who offer him more 'ooda' (a blue liquid). He offers a tired smile when he sees Grant. Grant is too sore to sit down, and Ethan is too tired to get up. He explains that he came under sustained attack after being thrown off the 'carpet' - he's battered but he'll be fine. He says that it's time for him to go home. One of the goblins interrupts him and tells him to rest, and then he can go home. Grant then offers an apology that he hasn't seen Ethan for such a long time - he explains that he's been trying to find the missing memories. Ethan says that for a long time he didn't remember - he has some of his memories back, but not all of them yet. They agree that there is much catching up to do, but for now, Ethan needs to rest. They can talk later.
- Grant slowly walks from place to place, trying to understand how many were wounded and how many didn't make it back. Vala’s wounds will heal. Greywalker can't be reached by Icon but he's pulled disappearing acts before - maybe he got away somehow. The Aslan Lord whom Grant has never met before has been mauled by demon claws and a team of goblins is working to try and save his life. Taltos also 'fell' but managed to hang onto consciousness long enough to be retrieved - he will probably recover but the men he came with were lost to a man. Gretchen survived and sustained minor injuries. Cordelias survived. Samaran lost an arm to a creature that bit it off - but despite massive blood loss, he seems to have survived too.
- As wounds are healed and the injured are sent to rest, Grant and a tired Ethan join Lucien, Cooper, Galatea, Vala and Isabelle to hear about how Lucien managed to recover the memories. Seeing Ethan, Galatea's eyes light up. (GM's note - yes, she probably has that crush on Ethan from all the way back from Session 33 Part 2) Lucien tells them that he managed to reach the sphere containing the memories, access and retrieve them but he would most certainly have perished if not for the timely intervention of Galatea. Galatea brightens at the praise. Cooper explains stoically that the device to restore the memories is complete. Using an Icon image of the target, he can reverse the effects of the Breath of Eden - which will mean all those Lords of Gossamer who have not been able to remember sections of their past will find that they suddenly can. In addition, Cooper explains that he and Isabelle have devised a strategy for avoiding the Breath of Eden in the future. Using a ‘Icon Buffer’ as a kind of sacrificial anode, a Lord of Gossamer can receive a contact from an infected individual which would result in the Buffer being destroyed rather than the Breath of Eden being transferred.
- Vala asks that they begin the process as soon as Cooper, Lucien and Isabelle feel that they are ready. She reminds them that many other Lords of Gossamer are without their memories and some are even working for the Dwimmerlaik. Once they remember who they are, she hopes that they will be in contact once more.
- While Cooper, Lucien and Isabelle prepare the machine, Grant watches them with interest. Ethan tries to have a quiet cup of tea but is interrupted by Galatea (GM's note - cue Bad Stuff). Ethan has never felt comfortable around many of the Lords of Gossamer and he wants to return to Earth to see Abbie - he congratulates her given that she is now a Lord of Gossamer, but says that he just wants to go home. (GM’s note - Ethan is a little introspective given the terrible battle that he just fought. He needs a bit of time to process it.) Ethan half expects Galatea to go to pieces, but she handles it very well. She offers a glowing smile and then asks his opinion of Bastiano and Lucien. (GM’s note - oh dear…..)
- At last, the machine is activated, one by one the Lords of Gossamer feel a sudden Icon contact and suddenly Ethan finds that he remembers what happened in the gap in his memories. Grant remembers all of his history and time with Sophia. He remembers properly growing up with Ethan and all of the fun they had together.
- The Lords of Gossamer finally begin to rejoice in their victory as little by little those who have been affected remember what they had lost. Icon contacts from lost Lords of Gossamer are received and the gathering slowly increases as the likes of Harrison and Turadok arrive. Ethan decides that this is the time to leave. He seeks Grant out, shakes his hand and waves goodbye to the others. Vala has a few words for him before he goes. Ethan bows respectfully, pulls an Icon from his pocket of Abbie and contacts her to return home. He disappears.
Part 8 - Or Is It?
- Grant revels that it is over. He talks with Mordecai and Vala, and they agree that the Dwimmerlaik are too busy fighting each other to worry about the Lords of Gossamer for the time being. He asks where Bastiano is, and it seems that Bastiano has been here in ’Sikano’ for weeks, being a particularly grumpy patient. Grant goes to find him, and Bastiano is anything but pleased to see him. He is particularly grumpy that he missed out on this adventure in the void. Nevertheless, Grant manages to get him to laugh by telling him that the Dwimmerlaik thought that he was Bastiano, so his reputation is safe.
- Then Vala receives an Icon contact from Lord Drake. Grant is pleased with this - he hoped that Drake would change sides when he had his memories return. Vala explains that Drake has just told him that he’s in Marindar with one of his armies. He came to Marindar with a Lord of Gossamer named ‘Grant’ and a number of Dwimmerlaik. Grant is concerned by this and he decides to head to Marindar at once. Lady Sophia is foremost in his mind. Is it really over?
….. and of course it isn’t over. Session 100 is where the last hurrah for this Story Arc finally occurs.
- This plot thread has been running since Session 43 when Heldon’s Pass and the Breath of Eden were first introduced. It has long been suggested that Mowbray was behind the plot which has robbed many Lords of Gossamer of their memories and tipped the balance of power on the Stair. Then in Session 97, Grant finally traced the stolen memories back to Mowbray and confirmed that he is indeed behind everything. This has set up Session 99 for a massive battle in the void.
- Mowbray is no pushover. He has X+2 Rank (i.e.: 2 ranks above Dominant) in Psyche, he has Greater Umbra Mastery, Exalted level Channelling, High Sorcery and he has powers over the Void itself (a power almost unique to himself). He is one of the most powerful characters in the game, and he’s on his home turf.
- In comparison, Vala has X+3 Rank in Psyche but she also greatly outranks Mowbray in Warfare. Furthermore she has a very powerful polearm which does Primal Damage and is linked to Eidolon. She’s a powerhouse in her own right, but is it enough to enable the Lords of Gossamer to actually stop him and get back their memories? Read on….
Part 1 - Call to Action
- Ethan and Abbie are heading south in the Eidolon Car. Abbie is very quiet so Ethan asks if something is worrying her. Abbie explains that she lost track of time (especially as they lost a day in Oban) and she has commitment this evening in Manchester. It’s a black tie reception, all proceeds going to charity and she needs to be there. Ethan asks some questions about the event, and then he asks if he is invited. Abbie is clearly astonished by the offer. She would very much like his company but she questions if he plans to conceal his identity somehow, otherwise no doubt he will meet many people who will remember him (and possibly even be photographed). Ethan just relaxes and says that he’ll think of something.
- Abbie drives to her house in Manchester. The gates open and an armed security guard waves them through. She quickly changes into a pale green evening dress and he dons a dinner suit which she had organised for him (just in case, one day). They head to the reception venue and Abbie spends some time explaining the nature of the reception. The people coming are very rich, and some are influential. She isn’t there to be friends - she’s ‘just a drawcard’ and it benefits the charity - but some people may agree with her positions and want to help in the future, and that could be useful. Ethan muses over this but he says nothing. He wonders what he will say when someone asks him ‘what he does’. Abbie suggests that he tell people that he’s studying to be a doctor, and Ethan likes the idea.
- Heading inside, Abbie turns heads and many people want to talk with her. Ethan attracts some attention just by being with Abbie. When asked he answers politely that he’s studying medicine at Manchester even though that’s something he hasn’t actually done yet. He gives his name as Ethan ("Just Ethan"), and never gives his surname (as Abbie has adopted his name).
- Ethan finds it all rather intriguing. He doesn’t have much to say - he listens, and he observes. He feels out of place but doesn’t feel compelled to fit in. Ethan notes that Abbie seems genuinely pleased to see some people and not others - she can tell those who are here to be generous, and those who are more interested in power and prestige. Abbie keeps Ethan nearby and involves him in the conversation so that he does not feel left out.
- Ethan claps politely when the string quintet stop between pieces. He claps politely when there are speeches. He listens politely even when the person he is talking to clearly thinks very little of him. He finds it all rather amusing, but can see it’s important to Abbie.
- Hours pass. A well-dressed man named Lindsay asks him directly about his relationship with Abbie, and he delicately evades the question. He finds subtle use of Psyche and Sorcery to be quite useful to deflect or deflate uncomfortable lines of conversation, and finds that he quite enjoys asking questions of these people. As the numbers of party-goers eventually thin, Abbie decides that it’s time to make an exit. Besides, she explains, it was important for the charity that she attend but she doesn’t have to be the last one here. Leaving together, Ethan feels that he’s made a very positive step with Abbie in her ‘new world’. Even though he felt a little like a fish out of water, he remained cool and polite. Overall it was not an unpleasant experience.
- Ethan goes to get the Eidolon Car from the valet, and he suddenly receives a very painful Icon contact. (GM’s note - yes, Ethan has Bad Stuff) He has felt nothing like this before. It’s like being stuck in the eye with a needle. Instantly, he is connected to Lucien and Cooper. There is no triggering of the Breath of Eden curse. They explain quickly that Grant has found the stolen memories and the Lords of Gossamer are massing an army to take it. They need him to come at once. Because it is Grant, he agrees but says that he needs to get his things. They give him an hour. Just as suddenly, the Icon contact is broken and the pain is gone. He checks his watch.
- He collects Abbie and they drive away in the Eidolon Car. Ethan is a bit surprised by the number of paparazzi waiting outside. Abbie comments that he's probably already been photographed many times. She tells him not to worry about it, kicking her shoes off in the car. Switching topic, he explains about the Icon contact and that he needs to go. They return to her house, and Ethan changes into his travelling garb, arming himself heavily. They say goodbye with a kiss, and she tells him to look after himself. Ethan promises to be careful, and says that if all goes well, he should be able to contact her with an Icon to tell her that he is all right.
- At the appointed time, Lucien and Cooper contact Ethan, and suddenly he is gone.
Part 2 - Waiting for The First Wave
- “We are coming,” Vala said to Grant. He cannot afford to be detected now, so he decides to wait, passively observe and learn as much as he can. He can definitely sense Mowbray’s presence here now that he knows what to look for. His twenty-six Ailsiliar seem heavily focussed on the memory store. Every one of them is masked with a strange near-faceless face-plate. He can tell that they have a degree of influence over this void-realm. He finds it odd that there are no bodyguards and no minions here. His Ranked Warfare tells him that the Ailsiliar feel that they don’t need bodyguards. Grant is very wary of this.
- Beneath the horizontal plane, Grant can feel other presences below. He knows what an Erebus feels like and he can sense multiple below. Cal is also down there somewhere. Far below. Jessamyn is tethered to one of the platform pillars near the entranceway, and there is some sort of bat-sized creature attached to her - a ‘Keeper’ to keep her compliant.
- Grant is still battered and sore from his encounter with the Eidolon Master on the Stair, made worse because he is trying not to use his Umbra abilities to shift into a form to accelerate his healing. He focuses on stealth, despite the discomfort and hopes that Vala and her allies will not be too late. He knows that they will not arrive beside him - using the previous Icon connection, they know his location and he will act as a pathfinder for their arrival. But exactly where they will arrive, he does not know.
Part 3 - Let there be Light!
- There is a painful flash of an Icon contact warning him of imminent arrival, and suddenly he hears Vala’s voice in his mind “Let there be Light!” Shielding his eyes, the Void is suddenly illuminated by the First Wave.
* Image sourced from Google Images but it’s clearly from Magic The Gathering
- Lady Vala appears in golden armour, great shimmering wings unfolded behind her. In her hands is Vajra, her Eidolon-enfused pole arm. Flanking her are two ‘Angels’. Grant recognises them as Annunaki but they appear here as semi-divine beings of light. Then there is Lucien - clad entirely in a bad-ass suit of silver armour which glows brightly with Eidolon tracery.
* Image by Bradjolly on DeviantART
- And lastly, there is Galatea, dressed in white. All are radiant with primal energy. (GM’s note - they have multiple buffs cast upon them)
* Image by Nebezial on DeviantART
- Battle is joined almost immediately, with the Ailsiliar working as a cohesive team. Some of the Ailsiliar erect protective shields, others cast buffing spells. Alien energy erupts from two of them towards the Lords of Gossamer, forcing them to split up. The great memory sphere is ‘jettisoned’ and it begins sinking through the horizontal plane to the emptiness beneath. As Grant takes in what is happening, he notes that the Ailsiliar have released two of the Erebi from the ground, which begin melting through the horizontal plane and floating upwards towards Vala and the the Annunaki. The humming sound that the Erebi make is painful to be close to.
- The first few minutes of battle is a mess. Lucien tries to reach the memory containment device but the Ailsiliar concentrate their efforts on him. Galatea tries to shield Lucien but she becomes the first casualty of the offensive as the Dwimmerlaik hit her with Channeling and she crumples to the floor. The Annunaki face off against one of the Erebi, whilst Vala cleaves her way through the other one with Vajra in order to reach Mowbray. In an astonishing display of raw power, Vala serenely blunts everything that Mowbray and the Ailsiliar can throw at her, and she cleaves Mowbray in two, only to suddenly realise that it is but a shadow of his real self and this is a trap. (GM’s note - yes, Mowbray has vastly inferior Warfare, but he got help on this occasion) The horizontal plane crackles with energy as she is rooted to the spot and unable to fly. Redoubling their efforts, the Ailsiliar pound Vala with a combination of magical energies whilst another Erebus rises to devour her.
- Deciding that helping Lucien is a higher priority than aiding Vala, Grant decides to switch into a bug-form and he tries to attack the key Ailsiliar who are targeting Lucien. He successfully fells one, but another immediately senses his presence and declares that that “At last, Bastiano has shown himself”. (GM’s note - yes, again, Grant has been mistaken for Bastiano)
- Realising that 'Bastiano' is another serious threat, the Ailsiliar begin combining efforts against him. Some use Umbra, some use Channelling. Grant is able to deflect/redirect some of the Umbra energies but he has never seen Channelling before. One of the Ailsiliar simply looks at him and he feels his mind on fire as if a dagger has been thrust into his head. It takes all of his formidable Warfare (and Ranked Psyche) to be able to withstand and sometimes avoid the multiple attacks that are directed towards him.
- Meanwhile, Vala is engaged in cosmic battle with Mowbray and the Ailsiliar - Greater Eidolon Mastery energies being opposed by Greater Umbra Mastery and unspeakable Void magic. The Dwimmerlaik aim to crack the Lady of the Shimmering Veil’s resolve with raw power, and the energies thrown off by this contest of wills are considerable. Even the Ailsiliar are watchful lest they be incinerated by stray energies from the battle. Void structures begin to lose their cohesion and great cracks form across the plane.
Part 4 - Second Wave
- It has only been a few minutes since the battle began but Grant is fighting one of the toughest battles he has ever fought. The sheer power and coordination of the Ailsiliar here is staggering - he is running on adrenaline, using Umbra power freely as he seeks to avoid being vaporised or mentally skewered. Even though he has slain two of the Ailsiliar, he quickly realises the problem of doing so - the plane itself is bubbling as ‘things’ from below the horizontal are trying to reach through. Already the spherical vessel holding the memories has completely disappeared through the horizontal plane and fallen into the void. But this does not stop Lucien - he cuts through the planar 'floor’, dives after it in his silvery armour and quickly disappears out of sight.
- Then suddenly there are tears in the Void and Mowbray has managed to call in reinforcements. Ghostly gaunts, animated by Umbra, leap from the tears and begin running towards living prey. Grant has seen Umbral Gaunts before in the Legendary Realm (GM's note - last seen in Session 66), and seen how fast they move and how tough they are. Black skinned demons, sinewed with misshapen limbs, horns and tusks spill onto the battlefield from more void rifts. The Lords of Gossamer are hopelessly outnumbered, even though Vala is still standing and withstanding everything the Dwimmerlaik are throwing at her. Then, the second wave arrives.
- Greywalker is suddenly there, appearing in their midst riding a white stallion (GM’s note - yes, Shadowfax makes an appearance). Yaeger Zane also appears above the throng. His wings are armoured and he is carrying a massive flaming sword that is taller than he is. With a battlecry of ‘Booyah’, Yaeger charges into the fray. Samaran, the so-called ‘God of War’ is dressed as one. With a mighty axe in one hand, he charges into the nearest concentration of foes and begins cleaving. Cornelius, the trickster, lets rip with sorcery as soon as he arrives, and then summons ’Shirley', his mecha-dinosaur and begins stomping on anything that doesn’t look like friendly.
L to R: Greywalker, Yaeger Zane, Samaran, CorneliusPart 5 - Grand Melee
- Unfortunately the void gates don’t close, the Ailsiliar keep fighting and more Dwimmerlaik allies pour into the domain - dark monsters from a dozen Dwimmerlaik controlled worlds appear in the void-world and begin looking for the enemies of their Masters. The plane has sustained considerable damage by now - the structure of the realm continues to crumble, and the Erebi are now moving uncontrolled and unrestrained, causing more destruction. With Mowbray gone, Vala has enough fortitude to be able to move once more - the light she emits grows brighter still, and she thrusts into the Erebus that has been attempting to disintegrate her, driving it back.
- By this point, all of the Lords of Gossamer are separated from one another and at risk of being mobbed and overwhelmed. Cornelius and Shirley are hard pressed by enemies on all sides, Yaeger is increasingly running out of room to move. Somewhere amidst this, Galatea recovers sufficiently to work out that Lucien is no longer here and she dives into the void after him, flying far into the distance before punching through the planar 'floor' where the structure is weak. As Samaran is seemly overrun by a wall of black bodied demons that pile on top of him, a third wave of Lords of Gossamer arrive and are just as quickly swallowed by the mass.
- Enter Lady Cordelias, the Warlord Taltos and the elite from his Breaker Battalion and the war maiden Gretchen.
L to R: Cordelias, Taltos, Gretchen
- In the same moment, Mordecai and two teams of his Raven Legion, the Simbalion the Aslan Lord and Ethan appear.
L to R: Mordecai, Simbalion and Ethan
- Battle is joined immediately as the servants of the Empire leap upon the newly arrived Lords of Gossamer. Ethan is quickly fighting for his life, beset by enemies on all sides. Even Mordecai’s Raven Legion are being pulled apart as they struggle to create a perimeter to defend. Yaeger Zane doesn’t seem to be flying anymore, and only one of the Annunaki is still glowing dimly in the void. In the mayhem, Grant manages to destabilise one of the void rifts sufficiently to close it (by using Umbra), but then he spies Vala and decides that she is the best rallying point that they have. Cutting a swath towards her, he tries to rally as many Lords of Gossamer as he can to hold Vala's position. Lady Cordelias, bloodied and battered answers the call, as does Yaeger Zane. Mordecai arrives a little later with only half of his troops left alive, and 'eye-eater' demons clawing at them in pursuit like a black tide. With no way out, they fight on. Mordecai, Vala and Grant each take charge of a third of the perimeter, Vala defends her section with great sweeps of her polearm, cutting down demons and gaunts alike. Mordecai's troops lay down suppressing fire as hordes of creatures closes on them. Grant uses Umbra as a barrier, and sends Yaeger Zane out to retrieve Gretchen as she has been cut off and isolated from the rest. Yaeger makes a second trip out to retrieve another Lord of Gossamer but is intercepted by one of the remaining Ailsiliar and he crashes to the ground along with Ethan, disappearing under a swarm of Umbra Gaunts. Grant has no time to think about the situation - he knows that if he breaks ranks to save them that Vala, Mordecai and the others will likely be overwhelmed.
Part 6 - Into the Abyss
- Then quite suddenly there is another piercing Icon pain in his head. It is Cooper and the message is brief. Lucien has recovered the memories. It’s time to leave. Grant can sense a number of the Lords of Gossamer accepting the contact and leaving, but Grant can’t leave without Jessamyn, Cal or Ethan. As the confused tide of demons and gaunts continues to sweep across the unstable plane, Grant fights his way to Ethan's side. Ethan is bleeding from a head wound (they bleed a lot) but still fighting strong against the surrounding Gaunts. Grant grabs him and together they fight their way to Jessamyn. Luckily they are not the only ones who have resisted the call to return. Yaeger is covered in blood and gore but is still fighting despite an injury to his right wing. He flashes a pearly white smile at Grant and doesn't slow down in the slightest, even as an Erebus looms above them and the situation looks increasingly dire. Reaching Jessamyn, Grant finds that Greywalker had a similar idea - back to back, they create some space for Ethan to work his magic and remove Jessamyn's Keeper. The Erebus looks set to devour them by crushing them and Greywalker announces that it's time to leave. Yaeger Zane however has spotted a colossal dragon with fiery eyes emerging from one of the void rifts and calls 'dibs' on it. Grant doesn't have time to reason with him - he lets him go but proceeds to cut through the floor and uses Umbra to mould a ’carpet’ out of the plane, which quickly falls away from the main floor into the void, taking Jessamyn and Ethan with him as the Erebus consumes everything above them.
- With a dazed and barely conscious Jessamyn on the carpet behind him, Grant focuses on diving after Cal - who is far far beneath. Meanwhile void creatures continue to leap at them, and Ethan does his best to keep them off the ‘carpet’. As they go deeper, the attacks become more infrequent, but the creatures in the depths are bigger and faster. Then suddenly Ethan is gone (GM’s note - cue Bad Stuff) - Ethan has been cleaved off the ‘carpet’ by a demon and he spins off into the void like a falling star.
- Cursing, Grant realises that it's too hard to turn this carpet of voidstuff around and even if he does, he'll be going further away from where Cal is. He hopes that Ethan is able to accept an Icon contact and return to wherever Cooper is. In the complete and absolute darkness, Jessamyn can't see a thing so she hangs onto Grant's leg for dear life. She sings a song to herself in the darkness - it sounds to Grant like some sort of child's rhyme designed to ward off evil.
- The deeper they go, the quieter it becomes. Occasionally something attacks them out of the darkness, but by this time they are travelling very fast and Grant swiftly deals with anything that comes too close. Ethan has completely vanished by now - Grant hopes that Ethan got out. At last, in the distant there is a speck of starlight and Grant presses on, finally homing in on the body of Cal. Cal still glows brightly in the void due to Eidolon. Using Umbra to slow the 'carpet', Grant and Jessamyn spiral in on Cal. At last, Grant can see him in the flesh. His body is withered - he looks ancient - but it definitely him. Cal reacts as Grant tackles him, figuring him to be another demon in the void, but Grant restrains him (GM's note - Grant has Dominant Rank Strength) and accepts Cooper's Icon contact. Instantly they are gone - recalled.
Part 7 - It’s Over
- In the blink of an eye, Grant, Jessamyn and Cal appear in a large chamber with medical staff dressed in white and pale green garments. Some of the doctor are tall and thin, almost human. Others are short goblins with large droopy ears and long spindly arms. Pale light shines from the ceiling, but it is still enough to make Jessamyn need to shield her eyes. Cal is unconscious as the medical team wave devices over them, assessing their injuries and summoning remedies to quickly deal with the worst of their injuries. Grant suddenly feels the need to sit down, but before he can be brought a chair, he feels the adrenalin wearing off and he sits down with a thump. A doctor hands him a clear cylinder of water and electrolytes whilst Grant starts rambling, asking if everyone is okay. One of goblin nurses kindly offers him a sedative to help him relax, but he asks instead for a cup of tea.
- It is a strange place - the walls of the chamber seem to be some sort of organic bone-like substance rather than a fabricated material. The air feels crisp and clean.
- Jessamyn and Cal are taken away to be allowed to rest. Grant notes that there are many many medical personnel here - and a number of Lords of Gossamer. It looks like not everyone made it. Using Wayfinding, he tries to figure out who is here. Ethan is here (he is relieved by that) but Greywalker isn't here. Vala, Lucien and Galatea are here. He doesn't need to use Wayfinding to know that Yaeger is still alive. He's already telling stories to a gathering of medical personnel about how many foes he slew and how high the bodies were piled. Grant gives a little smile - he is relieved that Yaeger survived. The Stair just wouldn't be the same without Yaeger Zane.
- A potion is mixed especially for him. Grant drinks it and starts to feel better. He can feel his body coming back to life. A goblin uses a device to disinfect some of his wounds then seal them, applying green paste to the sealed wound to help further 'stimulate the healing process'. Grant marvels at these people - they seem to be natural healers, motivated only by the desire to heal others.
- He tries to stand up - his body is unwilling at first but the taller people help steady him. Isabelle spots him and runs over to him with a broad smile. She's very pleased to see him. They talk a little, and then he ambles over to where Vala is being treated. She has also been wounded (by Umbral energy) which will take some time to recover. She says that they will talk later, but for now, the battle has been won and it is time to let Lucien and Cooper 'weave a miracle'.
- Ethan is sitting quietly with a group of goblins who offer him more 'ooda' (a blue liquid). He offers a tired smile when he sees Grant. Grant is too sore to sit down, and Ethan is too tired to get up. He explains that he came under sustained attack after being thrown off the 'carpet' - he's battered but he'll be fine. He says that it's time for him to go home. One of the goblins interrupts him and tells him to rest, and then he can go home. Grant then offers an apology that he hasn't seen Ethan for such a long time - he explains that he's been trying to find the missing memories. Ethan says that for a long time he didn't remember - he has some of his memories back, but not all of them yet. They agree that there is much catching up to do, but for now, Ethan needs to rest. They can talk later.
- Grant slowly walks from place to place, trying to understand how many were wounded and how many didn't make it back. Vala’s wounds will heal. Greywalker can't be reached by Icon but he's pulled disappearing acts before - maybe he got away somehow. The Aslan Lord whom Grant has never met before has been mauled by demon claws and a team of goblins is working to try and save his life. Taltos also 'fell' but managed to hang onto consciousness long enough to be retrieved - he will probably recover but the men he came with were lost to a man. Gretchen survived and sustained minor injuries. Cordelias survived. Samaran lost an arm to a creature that bit it off - but despite massive blood loss, he seems to have survived too.
- As wounds are healed and the injured are sent to rest, Grant and a tired Ethan join Lucien, Cooper, Galatea, Vala and Isabelle to hear about how Lucien managed to recover the memories. Seeing Ethan, Galatea's eyes light up. (GM's note - yes, she probably has that crush on Ethan from all the way back from Session 33 Part 2) Lucien tells them that he managed to reach the sphere containing the memories, access and retrieve them but he would most certainly have perished if not for the timely intervention of Galatea. Galatea brightens at the praise. Cooper explains stoically that the device to restore the memories is complete. Using an Icon image of the target, he can reverse the effects of the Breath of Eden - which will mean all those Lords of Gossamer who have not been able to remember sections of their past will find that they suddenly can. In addition, Cooper explains that he and Isabelle have devised a strategy for avoiding the Breath of Eden in the future. Using a ‘Icon Buffer’ as a kind of sacrificial anode, a Lord of Gossamer can receive a contact from an infected individual which would result in the Buffer being destroyed rather than the Breath of Eden being transferred.
- Vala asks that they begin the process as soon as Cooper, Lucien and Isabelle feel that they are ready. She reminds them that many other Lords of Gossamer are without their memories and some are even working for the Dwimmerlaik. Once they remember who they are, she hopes that they will be in contact once more.
- While Cooper, Lucien and Isabelle prepare the machine, Grant watches them with interest. Ethan tries to have a quiet cup of tea but is interrupted by Galatea (GM's note - cue Bad Stuff). Ethan has never felt comfortable around many of the Lords of Gossamer and he wants to return to Earth to see Abbie - he congratulates her given that she is now a Lord of Gossamer, but says that he just wants to go home. (GM’s note - Ethan is a little introspective given the terrible battle that he just fought. He needs a bit of time to process it.) Ethan half expects Galatea to go to pieces, but she handles it very well. She offers a glowing smile and then asks his opinion of Bastiano and Lucien. (GM’s note - oh dear…..)
- At last, the machine is activated, one by one the Lords of Gossamer feel a sudden Icon contact and suddenly Ethan finds that he remembers what happened in the gap in his memories. Grant remembers all of his history and time with Sophia. He remembers properly growing up with Ethan and all of the fun they had together.
- The Lords of Gossamer finally begin to rejoice in their victory as little by little those who have been affected remember what they had lost. Icon contacts from lost Lords of Gossamer are received and the gathering slowly increases as the likes of Harrison and Turadok arrive. Ethan decides that this is the time to leave. He seeks Grant out, shakes his hand and waves goodbye to the others. Vala has a few words for him before he goes. Ethan bows respectfully, pulls an Icon from his pocket of Abbie and contacts her to return home. He disappears.
Part 8 - Or Is It?
- Grant revels that it is over. He talks with Mordecai and Vala, and they agree that the Dwimmerlaik are too busy fighting each other to worry about the Lords of Gossamer for the time being. He asks where Bastiano is, and it seems that Bastiano has been here in ’Sikano’ for weeks, being a particularly grumpy patient. Grant goes to find him, and Bastiano is anything but pleased to see him. He is particularly grumpy that he missed out on this adventure in the void. Nevertheless, Grant manages to get him to laugh by telling him that the Dwimmerlaik thought that he was Bastiano, so his reputation is safe.
- Then Vala receives an Icon contact from Lord Drake. Grant is pleased with this - he hoped that Drake would change sides when he had his memories return. Vala explains that Drake has just told him that he’s in Marindar with one of his armies. He came to Marindar with a Lord of Gossamer named ‘Grant’ and a number of Dwimmerlaik. Grant is concerned by this and he decides to head to Marindar at once. Lady Sophia is foremost in his mind. Is it really over?
….. and of course it isn’t over. Session 100 is where the last hurrah for this Story Arc finally occurs.
Thursday, 15 December 2016
GM Commentary
Session 100 was run on Tuesday night. Big number. Session 100.
However, it wasn't a nice clean end to the story arc so David/I want to tweak the 'third act' via a subsequent conversation. Basically I didn't expect a direct confrontation between Grant and Mowbray, and if you look at the difference in stats and available powers, Mowbray is very likely to kerb-stomp Grant, Ethan, Yaeger Zane and Drake in any situation where Mowbray can use his primal magic. But both Drake and Grant have vastly superior Warfare (X+2 rank and Dominant Rank respectively) so it shouldn't have played out this way - the situation shouldn't have happened in the first place.
Anyway, a little bit of tidying up, I'll get the next two sessions posted and then we're onto Session 101 - the Christmas Special.
However, it wasn't a nice clean end to the story arc so David/I want to tweak the 'third act' via a subsequent conversation. Basically I didn't expect a direct confrontation between Grant and Mowbray, and if you look at the difference in stats and available powers, Mowbray is very likely to kerb-stomp Grant, Ethan, Yaeger Zane and Drake in any situation where Mowbray can use his primal magic. But both Drake and Grant have vastly superior Warfare (X+2 rank and Dominant Rank respectively) so it shouldn't have played out this way - the situation shouldn't have happened in the first place.
Anyway, a little bit of tidying up, I'll get the next two sessions posted and then we're onto Session 101 - the Christmas Special.
Sunday, 11 December 2016
Session 98 - The Saboteur
GM Observations
- Not much to report on here. This session was predominantly focussed on Ethan and his pursuit of Jacob’s assailant who had damaged Clockworld and almost destroyed Realm 0.
- We also discussed Grant’s preparation for the assault on Mowbray’s lair, setting the stage for Session 99.
- As an aside, I was very chuffed to find the plot taking Ethan to Scotland. I’ve lived in Scotland, worked there, got married there, climbed stacks of Munros there. It’s a beautiful place.
Part 1 - After the Restart
- Abbie and Ethan monitor Clockworld from the control centre. Since the ‘emergency rollback’ which rewound time by 5 minutes, they have been apprehensively watching the monitors. Ethan asks Gearwing to report any anomalies as he thinks it possible that the saboteur will try again. Gearwing reports minor problems across the Clockworld array, but nothing major which would impede Clockworld’s primary functions. The Time Elementals which serve Clockworld are at work investigating the anomalies and repairing any minor damage.
- As the minutes tick by, Ethan asks Gearwing if there are any armaments here - a steam-punk style disintegrator is produced from a cabinet which Ethan hands to Abbie and advises her to use it ‘in self defence’. Ethan asks Gearwing to describe the intruder, which he does. The intruder was a large humanoid figure, dressed in a trench coat and wearing a loose fitting balaclava. He wore oversized goggles and he carried a duffle bag and crowbar. Gearwing was felled by the crowbar. Ethan asks if the intruder carried any sort of device, or timepiece on his person. He theorises that the intruder must have had a mechanism to open the Door, and also a mechanism to be able to move through ‘frozen time’. Gearwing concedes that he did have a golden chain which might have connected to a pocket watch in one of his pockets, and Gearwing is able to advise that there are a set of five pocket watches that have capabilities to manipulate time - Jacob, Lucien and Crees all carry them.
- They continue monitoring and waiting to see if the intruder will come back. Gearwing shows Ethan a picture of one of the pocket watches and Ethan tries to Wayfind to it, or ‘something similar’. There is nothing here in Clockworld with that capability. Disappointed, Ethan offers an apology to Abbie ‘for ruining their date’, and offers to return her to Fiveways if she wants to return home. To Ethan’s pleasant surprise, Abbie isn’t interested in returning home. She sees this as more important, and wants to stay.
- Ethan asks Gearwing if there is any food and drink here, and when advised that there is, he orders ‘tea and crumpets’. A clock world cupboard opens, revealing a steaming pot of tea, and crumpets with butter and honey. All are Eidolon-infused and taste divine. Consuming these brightens both Ethan’s and Abbie’s moods. They both feel happier and more relaxed. Abbie curls an arm around Ethan and kisses him. Before long they are cuddling up happily on one of the chairs, leaving Gearwing to monitor for any sign of disturbance.
- After a time, both Ethan and Abbie recognise that they’re feeling a little too good. Both of them are getting carried away, Ethan points out that it’s probably the Eidolon-enhanced food and Abbie decides to go for a little walk to ‘cool down’. While she’s away, Ethan’s mind wanders to the creature that has been lurking near Westgate Cottage and has even devoured a hotel that Abbie stayed in. He asks Gearwing about it, and they share what they know of it in the hope that Gearwing can identify it. Gearwing concludes that the creature is a Shoggoth, which means nothing to Ethan. Gearwing explains that this is what Lovecraft called it.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- It explains that Lovecraft was an associate of Crees and Jacob, and he named many of the creatures that lurk in Realm 0. He has written a number of horror stories about them. Ethan makes a mental note to search out these books and read them, but he asks Gearwing how the ‘heroes’ of such stories deal with these creatures. Do they have a weakness? Gearwing explains that the protagonists of Lovecraft’s stories are normally either slain in grotesque ways, or go mad. Ethan is a little deflated that there is no clue here to tell him how to deal with this creature. Gearwing advises him to run away if he encounters a Shoggoth.
Part 2 - Crees’ Watch
- Ethan checks the time again and again. Abbie has returned and they have passed the time with idle conversation. But after four hours, nothing has happened and Ethan thinks that enough time has passed. It is early afternoon in Fiveways and he decides that it’s time to go, even though that could mean leaving Clockworld undefended. He explains to Abbie that there may be one these timepieces in Westgate, and if he can find one of them he can probably find another one like it, which might lead him to Jacob’s assailant. As they leave Northgate Manor, Ethan suddenly realises that he has no car here. He has normally driven over to Northgate from Westgate - he has never travelled this way before. Above, the sky is unsettled. He spots a time elemental still fixing oddities like a bird caught in a time loop, flying forwards, freezing and then reversing.
- Ethan doesn’t feel like catching the bus (which could take ages) so he talks with Abbie about jogging across country back to the house - there is a risk of being spotted but no one is likely to be looking. Abbie grins at this and her face says that she wants to race him. Ethan says that it’s not a race, but that doesn’t stop Abbie from turning it into a friendly competition. They vault fences, hurtle across fields, and pick up a ‘Right of Way’ about half-way to follow a walking trail back to Westgate. Abbie sprints the last two miles, pushing Ethan to run very fast just to keep up. They arrive in front of Westgate manor, flushed but pleased with the run. She practically leaps over the area which the Shoggoth has destroyed and skids to a halt on the driveway. Abbie flashes a smile, obviously happy.
- Inside Westgate, Ethan finds a large pile of cats by a sunny window, soaking up the afternoon sun’s rays. A few stir and blink absently at them as they step inside. The ravens begin hurriedly cleaning the house, using their wings to ensure that all surfaces are clean. Ethan gets the impression that the house was already very clean beforehand but they are putting in a bit of extra effort.
- They don’t get very far before running into Macavity. He eyes them both, then asks when dinner will be provided.
* Image sourced via Google Images
- Ethan raises his eyebrows and asks what Macavity would like. Macavity requests some fresh salmon, and Ethan promptly agrees (much to Macavity’s amusement). Ethan explains that he needs to find something first, then he’ll organise some salmon. Macavity watches as Ethan heads upstairs with Abbie following.
- Reaching the attic door, Ethan uses the door key to open it. He knows that he can open it using a Warden’s power, but he also knows that the key is special - that it would be almost impossible to open the door for a normal person without key, and he’s unwilling to use more power than necessary to open the door. Inside, the attic is just as he left it. (GM’s note - last seen in Session 74, Part 3)) Ethan explains to Abbie that this place used to be the Crees’ sanctuary and there are many things here that he hasn’t explored completely. He searches for a little while, looking for a timepiece and he finds a number of concealed compartments in the attic. He finds a pencil which is some sort of optical device. He finds a fragment of something bigger, but it’s not clear what it’s function is. He finds a glasses case with a pair of spectacles inside. There is also another journal, but this one is pocket sized.
- Abbie asks how many secret chambers Ethan thinks there are here, and he confesses that he doesn’t know. He says that one day he would like to find them all, but there always seems to be something more important to do. After an hour of searching, Ethan finds a compartment in the desk which contains a golden pocket watch.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- The two of them look carefully over the watch. It is definitely dormant but there is a winding mechanism on the side. Ethan begins to wind the watch, which takes considerable effort, and he can feel that there is more than mechanical energy at work here. As he winds, the runes covering the device begin to glow very slightly. There are a number of knobs on the outside of the watch and when he touches one of them, the mechanism opens revealing an array of secondary dials and levers. Nothing is labelled.
- Abbie asks quietly if he can use the device. Ethan says that he doesn’t have a clue, but he hopes this device can serve as a guide to the other one. Using Wayfinding, he can tell that there is another somewhere to the north (perhaps 100 miles).
Part 3 - In Pursuit
- Abbie convinces Ethan that before they head out they should clean themselves up - they are still covered in Jacob’s blood. Ethan laments that he didn’t find out if there was an Eidolon-enhanced shower in Clockworld. Abbie rolls her eyes and goes to quickly shower and change. Meanwhile Ethan quickly prepares for a fight, putting his dragon-shield, a sword and a blaster in the Eidolon Car. They trade places in the shower, and Abbie dons her armoured coat (which she acquired from City Seven) and carries a fire-wand which she was given by Lady Sophia on Marindar. As they prepare to leave in the Eidolon Car, Macavity confronts them and reminds Ethan that he promised to get them some salmon.
- Groaning, Ethan ducks up to the shops in the Ford Escort, buys a quantity of fresh salmon and returns to the house. This makes the cats very happy. He finds Abbie on the phone, talking into a Marindan phone. Ethan had no idea that she had this, but she says that everything is fine. Ethan doesn’t pry. He asks if she wants to drive the Eidolon Car and her smile becomes wide. She puts on some cool sunglasses, and slides behind the wheel.
- They drive and Abbie asks Ethan to ‘do his thing’ so that they don’t pick up a speeding ticket. Ethan shrouds the car such no one really sees who/what the car is. The Eidolon Car hurtles north up the M6 at truly astonishing speeds.
- Ethan asks Abbie if she likes the car, and Abbie replies quietly that she’s always liked his car. She comments that she’s having to concentrate very hard while driving because it’s so fast and the controls so sensitive.
- As the journey continues, it’s clear that they are heading into Scotland. Skirting Glasgow, they continue to head northwest into the Highlands. The Eidolon Car hurtles along the winding roads but they can’t see the flanking mountains as the sun has well and truly set. As they drive, Ethan wonders if this could be a decoy, drawing them away from Northgate. Nevertheless they continue on, arriving in the fishing village of Oban.
Part 4 - The Fishman
- Abbie parks the Eidolon Car by the waterfront. A handful of commercial fishing vessels are moored in the harbour. There are some people around even at this time of night (after 8pm) and no doubt the car will attract some attention if they linger here too long. Ethan uses Wayfinding to find their target and they are led up the hill to a two-storey house with an unkempt garden. The target is inside. Abbie asks whether they should just go in, and Ethan decides that they should go get a pint and a meal before going further. Walking back down the hill to a local pub, Abbie reminds Ethan that she could be recognised here. Ethan fixes this with magic, casting a variant of mental invisibility over her so that only he can see her as Abbie Powell. Everyone else will see her as someone other than Abbie Powell. They sit down in the pub and order some pints and some delicious fish and chips. Ethan points out that the fish should be good as they’re in a fishing village.
- Abbie marvels at how casual Ethan is - what if it is a decoy, what if the intruder wasn’t working alone. Ethan shrugs and says he doesn’t think that is the case. After dinner, they get their things from the car and walk back up the hill from the harbour to the house. The target is still upstairs in the house. Ethan goes up to the front door and decides to knock. Unfortunately the big brass knocker which is in the form of a gargoyle comes to life and yells a warning “Danger, Warden.” His shield ready, Ethan opens the door using his Warden abilities and steps inside. Once inside with Abbie, Ethan concentrates and shuts every door and window in the house so that the target cannot escape (without breaking something).
- They make their way cautiously upstairs, only to find that the target is in the bathroom. By shutting every door and window in the house, Ethan has inadvertently trapped his quarry in the bathroom. However there is something strange about the bathroom door - it appears to be bubbling and blistering. Recognising an attack, Ethan yells out a warning to Abbie to get out of the way.
- Before the bathroom door can explode outwards, Ethan quickly executes a Force Push and counters against the door. The door explodes like a grenade, but all of the fragments erupt into the bathroom rather than outwards towards the landing. The man in the bathroom screams and acrid smoke billows out.
- Amidst the smoke, Ethan catches a glint of metal and he guesses that the man is going for the golden pocket watch that he carries. Ethan runs into the bathroom, and dives for him to grab the watch….. (GM’s note - cue Bad Stuff)
Part 5 - Abbie Triumphant
- In an instant, it is daytime. The smoke has gone, revealing the extent of damage to the bathroom. Whirling around to find out where his target has gone, Ethan finds Abbie sitting on top of him. The man is definitely non-human and has a distinctly fishy look about him with bulbous eyes and grey-green skin. He is unconscious, but Abbie has trussed him up to make sure that he doesn’t go anywhere when he does wake up.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Abbie asks if Ethan is okay, and he nods. In contrast, she’s sporting a black eye and her lip is split. Ethan asks if she’s okay, and she says that she hurts a bit, but ‘he came off worse’. Ethan is rather astonished - looking around, he can see that the bannister on the landing has been broken - clearly they fought pretty hard.
- Ethan finds the fishman’s watch is still in his hands. It looks like he grabbed the watch but in seizing it, he activated it. Putting it away, Abbie excuses herself to go to the downstairs bathroom. She’s been waiting a long time to go. Meanwhile, Ethan goes to work on the fishman, healing his injuries but keeping him unconscious. The fishman has clearly sustained acid damage across his face - probably he had been preparing a nasty weapon when Ethan counterattacked through the door. When Abbie comes back, he tends to her, gently healing her wounds and relieving her of her aches and pains. There is a moment where he considers kissing her, but the smell of the nearby fishman is pretty bad and is a bit of a turn-off.
- As Ethan goes through the fishman’s pockets, he explains that he’s made sure that the fishman won’t wake up. When they finish searching him, they begin to search the house, finding a number of concealed areas of the house which contain equipment of some kind. It is all low tech, but clearly magical. He finds something which looks like a data storage crystal similar to what the Marindans use. Abbie locates a duffle bag which contains a crowbar, suggesting that he is the assailant. They also locate a strange communications array, and Ethan can tell by handling the controls (via psychometry) that there are many others of this creature’s kind on Earth.
- Ethan tries a mental probe on the creature without triggering Breath of Eden, but he can’t seem to make the connection with such an alien mind without ‘wiping his target’s mind’.
- The search continues and Ethan is able to find a device which is capable of being used as a heat ray if set on ‘overload’ which he assumes was use to slag the massive cogs in Clockworld. He also finds a strange Key which looks corroded, but clearly it has clearly been fabricated to appear this way, perhaps how the creature managed to enter Northgate. There are also some tools here, suggesting that some of the equipment in the house belongs to the fishmen, but some does not. There appear to be secret compartments in this house that haven’t been touched - and Ethan removes any objects that he considers interesting or potentially dangerous.
- This process takes many hours, and the sun goes down once more. They have spent all day here.
- Then, at last there the sound of a foghorn - this would normally be unusual in a port, but the sound seems to come from beneath the house. Ethan goes looking for the source and he finds a trapdoor in the basement. Even though this house is on a slight hill, it concerns him that there could be something beneath. “Time to go,” he advises Abbie, and the two prepare to make a hurried exit from the house.
- Almost as an afterthought, Ethan goes back to the fishman and pushes a mental probe. He feels the Breath of Eden leap to his target and then Ethan leaves. When Abbie asks Ethan why he went back, Ethan explains that he triggered a transfer of the Breath of Eden which should mind-wipe the creature. (GM’s note - there is a downside of this of course - the Dwimmerlaik could then potentially learn from the creature’s memories and it has been in Clockworld. Who knows if that will trigger action on the part of the Dwimmerlaik. We’ll just have to wait and see.)
Part 6 - The Return
- They arrive back at the Eidolon Car to find that it’s covered in parking tickets. In fact, the parking officer is still there, planting yet another ticket on it. Ethan apologies to the officer (who is still gazing wistfully at the car), says that he will pay and he then offers the keys to Abbie to drive.
- They start heading back south. Abbie asks what Ethan will do now that Clockworld is safe, and he says that he has a Shoggoth to deal with (“good answer,” says Abbie) and also he wants to see if Lucien can help relocate Skandia away from the Empire. Also, he needs to check in on Jacob and see if he has recovered. After all, he doesn’t want to be the caretaker of Clockworld forever.
- Abbie points out that the tea and crumpets were pretty good in Clockworld. She wonders what else is there, particularly if Clockworld can be used to ‘stop time’ in Realm 0. Ethan says that he’s not sure about that, but that Gearwing would probably know. Ethan asks her what is on her mind, and she says that she felt pretty good there - she just says matter of factly that she’d like to continue on where they left off, at least for a little while. Ethan agrees that this would be very good.
- Abbie drives on in silence for a while with the car going ridiculous fast. Wetting her lips, she reminds Ethan that he failed to find a gift for her on Oasis Seven, but she’s thought of something that she wants. Without waiting to be asked, she asks Ethan if she can have the Eidolon Car.
- A short pause. Ethan agrees. She doesn’t smile. She just says a brief thanks and keeps driving.
Part 7 - In the Void
- Meanwhile, Grant has taken shadow-form in the Void, in Mowbray’s realm. He spends a considerable amount of time trying to learn more about his environment. Away from the tiny faerie lights and the structures, there are little flurries of energy and he finds that he can manipulate them gently with Umbra. The further away from the structures, the less the coherency of the horizontal plane. There are no Doors in this realm, or at least he can’t find any with Wayfinding.
- There are about 25 of the Ailsiliar (Mowbray’s elite) here, working away on the great sphere of contained memories. He can’t tell their purpose as to they work from this distance. He assumes that they are scrutinising the captured memories.
- Then suddenly he feels a piercing feeling like he is being stabbed in the head with a giant needle. It is an Icon contact like none he has ever felt before. He gets a mental image of his callers - there are three of them working collectively. Vala, Lucien and Cooper. Lucien has been wounded - he is wearing an eyepatch and there is scarring on his face. Vala speaks to him, asking him to share where he is and what he has learnt. Grant does, explaining that he’s found the stolen memories. After listening, Vala tells Grant to be patient and be prepared for their arrival. “We are coming,” she says.
…. and that’s where we left Session 98. Next session - Big Battle in the Void.
- Not much to report on here. This session was predominantly focussed on Ethan and his pursuit of Jacob’s assailant who had damaged Clockworld and almost destroyed Realm 0.
- We also discussed Grant’s preparation for the assault on Mowbray’s lair, setting the stage for Session 99.
- As an aside, I was very chuffed to find the plot taking Ethan to Scotland. I’ve lived in Scotland, worked there, got married there, climbed stacks of Munros there. It’s a beautiful place.
Part 1 - After the Restart
- Abbie and Ethan monitor Clockworld from the control centre. Since the ‘emergency rollback’ which rewound time by 5 minutes, they have been apprehensively watching the monitors. Ethan asks Gearwing to report any anomalies as he thinks it possible that the saboteur will try again. Gearwing reports minor problems across the Clockworld array, but nothing major which would impede Clockworld’s primary functions. The Time Elementals which serve Clockworld are at work investigating the anomalies and repairing any minor damage.
- As the minutes tick by, Ethan asks Gearwing if there are any armaments here - a steam-punk style disintegrator is produced from a cabinet which Ethan hands to Abbie and advises her to use it ‘in self defence’. Ethan asks Gearwing to describe the intruder, which he does. The intruder was a large humanoid figure, dressed in a trench coat and wearing a loose fitting balaclava. He wore oversized goggles and he carried a duffle bag and crowbar. Gearwing was felled by the crowbar. Ethan asks if the intruder carried any sort of device, or timepiece on his person. He theorises that the intruder must have had a mechanism to open the Door, and also a mechanism to be able to move through ‘frozen time’. Gearwing concedes that he did have a golden chain which might have connected to a pocket watch in one of his pockets, and Gearwing is able to advise that there are a set of five pocket watches that have capabilities to manipulate time - Jacob, Lucien and Crees all carry them.
- They continue monitoring and waiting to see if the intruder will come back. Gearwing shows Ethan a picture of one of the pocket watches and Ethan tries to Wayfind to it, or ‘something similar’. There is nothing here in Clockworld with that capability. Disappointed, Ethan offers an apology to Abbie ‘for ruining their date’, and offers to return her to Fiveways if she wants to return home. To Ethan’s pleasant surprise, Abbie isn’t interested in returning home. She sees this as more important, and wants to stay.
- Ethan asks Gearwing if there is any food and drink here, and when advised that there is, he orders ‘tea and crumpets’. A clock world cupboard opens, revealing a steaming pot of tea, and crumpets with butter and honey. All are Eidolon-infused and taste divine. Consuming these brightens both Ethan’s and Abbie’s moods. They both feel happier and more relaxed. Abbie curls an arm around Ethan and kisses him. Before long they are cuddling up happily on one of the chairs, leaving Gearwing to monitor for any sign of disturbance.
- After a time, both Ethan and Abbie recognise that they’re feeling a little too good. Both of them are getting carried away, Ethan points out that it’s probably the Eidolon-enhanced food and Abbie decides to go for a little walk to ‘cool down’. While she’s away, Ethan’s mind wanders to the creature that has been lurking near Westgate Cottage and has even devoured a hotel that Abbie stayed in. He asks Gearwing about it, and they share what they know of it in the hope that Gearwing can identify it. Gearwing concludes that the creature is a Shoggoth, which means nothing to Ethan. Gearwing explains that this is what Lovecraft called it.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- It explains that Lovecraft was an associate of Crees and Jacob, and he named many of the creatures that lurk in Realm 0. He has written a number of horror stories about them. Ethan makes a mental note to search out these books and read them, but he asks Gearwing how the ‘heroes’ of such stories deal with these creatures. Do they have a weakness? Gearwing explains that the protagonists of Lovecraft’s stories are normally either slain in grotesque ways, or go mad. Ethan is a little deflated that there is no clue here to tell him how to deal with this creature. Gearwing advises him to run away if he encounters a Shoggoth.
Part 2 - Crees’ Watch
- Ethan checks the time again and again. Abbie has returned and they have passed the time with idle conversation. But after four hours, nothing has happened and Ethan thinks that enough time has passed. It is early afternoon in Fiveways and he decides that it’s time to go, even though that could mean leaving Clockworld undefended. He explains to Abbie that there may be one these timepieces in Westgate, and if he can find one of them he can probably find another one like it, which might lead him to Jacob’s assailant. As they leave Northgate Manor, Ethan suddenly realises that he has no car here. He has normally driven over to Northgate from Westgate - he has never travelled this way before. Above, the sky is unsettled. He spots a time elemental still fixing oddities like a bird caught in a time loop, flying forwards, freezing and then reversing.
- Ethan doesn’t feel like catching the bus (which could take ages) so he talks with Abbie about jogging across country back to the house - there is a risk of being spotted but no one is likely to be looking. Abbie grins at this and her face says that she wants to race him. Ethan says that it’s not a race, but that doesn’t stop Abbie from turning it into a friendly competition. They vault fences, hurtle across fields, and pick up a ‘Right of Way’ about half-way to follow a walking trail back to Westgate. Abbie sprints the last two miles, pushing Ethan to run very fast just to keep up. They arrive in front of Westgate manor, flushed but pleased with the run. She practically leaps over the area which the Shoggoth has destroyed and skids to a halt on the driveway. Abbie flashes a smile, obviously happy.
- Inside Westgate, Ethan finds a large pile of cats by a sunny window, soaking up the afternoon sun’s rays. A few stir and blink absently at them as they step inside. The ravens begin hurriedly cleaning the house, using their wings to ensure that all surfaces are clean. Ethan gets the impression that the house was already very clean beforehand but they are putting in a bit of extra effort.
- They don’t get very far before running into Macavity. He eyes them both, then asks when dinner will be provided.
* Image sourced via Google Images
- Ethan raises his eyebrows and asks what Macavity would like. Macavity requests some fresh salmon, and Ethan promptly agrees (much to Macavity’s amusement). Ethan explains that he needs to find something first, then he’ll organise some salmon. Macavity watches as Ethan heads upstairs with Abbie following.
- Reaching the attic door, Ethan uses the door key to open it. He knows that he can open it using a Warden’s power, but he also knows that the key is special - that it would be almost impossible to open the door for a normal person without key, and he’s unwilling to use more power than necessary to open the door. Inside, the attic is just as he left it. (GM’s note - last seen in Session 74, Part 3)) Ethan explains to Abbie that this place used to be the Crees’ sanctuary and there are many things here that he hasn’t explored completely. He searches for a little while, looking for a timepiece and he finds a number of concealed compartments in the attic. He finds a pencil which is some sort of optical device. He finds a fragment of something bigger, but it’s not clear what it’s function is. He finds a glasses case with a pair of spectacles inside. There is also another journal, but this one is pocket sized.
- Abbie asks how many secret chambers Ethan thinks there are here, and he confesses that he doesn’t know. He says that one day he would like to find them all, but there always seems to be something more important to do. After an hour of searching, Ethan finds a compartment in the desk which contains a golden pocket watch.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- The two of them look carefully over the watch. It is definitely dormant but there is a winding mechanism on the side. Ethan begins to wind the watch, which takes considerable effort, and he can feel that there is more than mechanical energy at work here. As he winds, the runes covering the device begin to glow very slightly. There are a number of knobs on the outside of the watch and when he touches one of them, the mechanism opens revealing an array of secondary dials and levers. Nothing is labelled.
- Abbie asks quietly if he can use the device. Ethan says that he doesn’t have a clue, but he hopes this device can serve as a guide to the other one. Using Wayfinding, he can tell that there is another somewhere to the north (perhaps 100 miles).
Part 3 - In Pursuit
- Abbie convinces Ethan that before they head out they should clean themselves up - they are still covered in Jacob’s blood. Ethan laments that he didn’t find out if there was an Eidolon-enhanced shower in Clockworld. Abbie rolls her eyes and goes to quickly shower and change. Meanwhile Ethan quickly prepares for a fight, putting his dragon-shield, a sword and a blaster in the Eidolon Car. They trade places in the shower, and Abbie dons her armoured coat (which she acquired from City Seven) and carries a fire-wand which she was given by Lady Sophia on Marindar. As they prepare to leave in the Eidolon Car, Macavity confronts them and reminds Ethan that he promised to get them some salmon.
- Groaning, Ethan ducks up to the shops in the Ford Escort, buys a quantity of fresh salmon and returns to the house. This makes the cats very happy. He finds Abbie on the phone, talking into a Marindan phone. Ethan had no idea that she had this, but she says that everything is fine. Ethan doesn’t pry. He asks if she wants to drive the Eidolon Car and her smile becomes wide. She puts on some cool sunglasses, and slides behind the wheel.
- They drive and Abbie asks Ethan to ‘do his thing’ so that they don’t pick up a speeding ticket. Ethan shrouds the car such no one really sees who/what the car is. The Eidolon Car hurtles north up the M6 at truly astonishing speeds.
- Ethan asks Abbie if she likes the car, and Abbie replies quietly that she’s always liked his car. She comments that she’s having to concentrate very hard while driving because it’s so fast and the controls so sensitive.
- As the journey continues, it’s clear that they are heading into Scotland. Skirting Glasgow, they continue to head northwest into the Highlands. The Eidolon Car hurtles along the winding roads but they can’t see the flanking mountains as the sun has well and truly set. As they drive, Ethan wonders if this could be a decoy, drawing them away from Northgate. Nevertheless they continue on, arriving in the fishing village of Oban.
Part 4 - The Fishman
- Abbie parks the Eidolon Car by the waterfront. A handful of commercial fishing vessels are moored in the harbour. There are some people around even at this time of night (after 8pm) and no doubt the car will attract some attention if they linger here too long. Ethan uses Wayfinding to find their target and they are led up the hill to a two-storey house with an unkempt garden. The target is inside. Abbie asks whether they should just go in, and Ethan decides that they should go get a pint and a meal before going further. Walking back down the hill to a local pub, Abbie reminds Ethan that she could be recognised here. Ethan fixes this with magic, casting a variant of mental invisibility over her so that only he can see her as Abbie Powell. Everyone else will see her as someone other than Abbie Powell. They sit down in the pub and order some pints and some delicious fish and chips. Ethan points out that the fish should be good as they’re in a fishing village.
- Abbie marvels at how casual Ethan is - what if it is a decoy, what if the intruder wasn’t working alone. Ethan shrugs and says he doesn’t think that is the case. After dinner, they get their things from the car and walk back up the hill from the harbour to the house. The target is still upstairs in the house. Ethan goes up to the front door and decides to knock. Unfortunately the big brass knocker which is in the form of a gargoyle comes to life and yells a warning “Danger, Warden.” His shield ready, Ethan opens the door using his Warden abilities and steps inside. Once inside with Abbie, Ethan concentrates and shuts every door and window in the house so that the target cannot escape (without breaking something).
- They make their way cautiously upstairs, only to find that the target is in the bathroom. By shutting every door and window in the house, Ethan has inadvertently trapped his quarry in the bathroom. However there is something strange about the bathroom door - it appears to be bubbling and blistering. Recognising an attack, Ethan yells out a warning to Abbie to get out of the way.
- Before the bathroom door can explode outwards, Ethan quickly executes a Force Push and counters against the door. The door explodes like a grenade, but all of the fragments erupt into the bathroom rather than outwards towards the landing. The man in the bathroom screams and acrid smoke billows out.
- Amidst the smoke, Ethan catches a glint of metal and he guesses that the man is going for the golden pocket watch that he carries. Ethan runs into the bathroom, and dives for him to grab the watch….. (GM’s note - cue Bad Stuff)
Part 5 - Abbie Triumphant
- In an instant, it is daytime. The smoke has gone, revealing the extent of damage to the bathroom. Whirling around to find out where his target has gone, Ethan finds Abbie sitting on top of him. The man is definitely non-human and has a distinctly fishy look about him with bulbous eyes and grey-green skin. He is unconscious, but Abbie has trussed him up to make sure that he doesn’t go anywhere when he does wake up.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Abbie asks if Ethan is okay, and he nods. In contrast, she’s sporting a black eye and her lip is split. Ethan asks if she’s okay, and she says that she hurts a bit, but ‘he came off worse’. Ethan is rather astonished - looking around, he can see that the bannister on the landing has been broken - clearly they fought pretty hard.
- Ethan finds the fishman’s watch is still in his hands. It looks like he grabbed the watch but in seizing it, he activated it. Putting it away, Abbie excuses herself to go to the downstairs bathroom. She’s been waiting a long time to go. Meanwhile, Ethan goes to work on the fishman, healing his injuries but keeping him unconscious. The fishman has clearly sustained acid damage across his face - probably he had been preparing a nasty weapon when Ethan counterattacked through the door. When Abbie comes back, he tends to her, gently healing her wounds and relieving her of her aches and pains. There is a moment where he considers kissing her, but the smell of the nearby fishman is pretty bad and is a bit of a turn-off.
- As Ethan goes through the fishman’s pockets, he explains that he’s made sure that the fishman won’t wake up. When they finish searching him, they begin to search the house, finding a number of concealed areas of the house which contain equipment of some kind. It is all low tech, but clearly magical. He finds something which looks like a data storage crystal similar to what the Marindans use. Abbie locates a duffle bag which contains a crowbar, suggesting that he is the assailant. They also locate a strange communications array, and Ethan can tell by handling the controls (via psychometry) that there are many others of this creature’s kind on Earth.
- Ethan tries a mental probe on the creature without triggering Breath of Eden, but he can’t seem to make the connection with such an alien mind without ‘wiping his target’s mind’.
- The search continues and Ethan is able to find a device which is capable of being used as a heat ray if set on ‘overload’ which he assumes was use to slag the massive cogs in Clockworld. He also finds a strange Key which looks corroded, but clearly it has clearly been fabricated to appear this way, perhaps how the creature managed to enter Northgate. There are also some tools here, suggesting that some of the equipment in the house belongs to the fishmen, but some does not. There appear to be secret compartments in this house that haven’t been touched - and Ethan removes any objects that he considers interesting or potentially dangerous.
- This process takes many hours, and the sun goes down once more. They have spent all day here.
- Then, at last there the sound of a foghorn - this would normally be unusual in a port, but the sound seems to come from beneath the house. Ethan goes looking for the source and he finds a trapdoor in the basement. Even though this house is on a slight hill, it concerns him that there could be something beneath. “Time to go,” he advises Abbie, and the two prepare to make a hurried exit from the house.
- Almost as an afterthought, Ethan goes back to the fishman and pushes a mental probe. He feels the Breath of Eden leap to his target and then Ethan leaves. When Abbie asks Ethan why he went back, Ethan explains that he triggered a transfer of the Breath of Eden which should mind-wipe the creature. (GM’s note - there is a downside of this of course - the Dwimmerlaik could then potentially learn from the creature’s memories and it has been in Clockworld. Who knows if that will trigger action on the part of the Dwimmerlaik. We’ll just have to wait and see.)
Part 6 - The Return
- They arrive back at the Eidolon Car to find that it’s covered in parking tickets. In fact, the parking officer is still there, planting yet another ticket on it. Ethan apologies to the officer (who is still gazing wistfully at the car), says that he will pay and he then offers the keys to Abbie to drive.
- They start heading back south. Abbie asks what Ethan will do now that Clockworld is safe, and he says that he has a Shoggoth to deal with (“good answer,” says Abbie) and also he wants to see if Lucien can help relocate Skandia away from the Empire. Also, he needs to check in on Jacob and see if he has recovered. After all, he doesn’t want to be the caretaker of Clockworld forever.
- Abbie points out that the tea and crumpets were pretty good in Clockworld. She wonders what else is there, particularly if Clockworld can be used to ‘stop time’ in Realm 0. Ethan says that he’s not sure about that, but that Gearwing would probably know. Ethan asks her what is on her mind, and she says that she felt pretty good there - she just says matter of factly that she’d like to continue on where they left off, at least for a little while. Ethan agrees that this would be very good.
- Abbie drives on in silence for a while with the car going ridiculous fast. Wetting her lips, she reminds Ethan that he failed to find a gift for her on Oasis Seven, but she’s thought of something that she wants. Without waiting to be asked, she asks Ethan if she can have the Eidolon Car.
- A short pause. Ethan agrees. She doesn’t smile. She just says a brief thanks and keeps driving.
Part 7 - In the Void
- Meanwhile, Grant has taken shadow-form in the Void, in Mowbray’s realm. He spends a considerable amount of time trying to learn more about his environment. Away from the tiny faerie lights and the structures, there are little flurries of energy and he finds that he can manipulate them gently with Umbra. The further away from the structures, the less the coherency of the horizontal plane. There are no Doors in this realm, or at least he can’t find any with Wayfinding.
- There are about 25 of the Ailsiliar (Mowbray’s elite) here, working away on the great sphere of contained memories. He can’t tell their purpose as to they work from this distance. He assumes that they are scrutinising the captured memories.
- Then suddenly he feels a piercing feeling like he is being stabbed in the head with a giant needle. It is an Icon contact like none he has ever felt before. He gets a mental image of his callers - there are three of them working collectively. Vala, Lucien and Cooper. Lucien has been wounded - he is wearing an eyepatch and there is scarring on his face. Vala speaks to him, asking him to share where he is and what he has learnt. Grant does, explaining that he’s found the stolen memories. After listening, Vala tells Grant to be patient and be prepared for their arrival. “We are coming,” she says.
…. and that’s where we left Session 98. Next session - Big Battle in the Void.
Saturday, 10 December 2016
GM Commentary
Thanks for the words of encouragement BelleSorciere, I'm working on the S98 writeup now. It'll be posted soon!
Thursday, 8 December 2016
GM Commentary
Session 99 was run this evening. Woo boy, big battle. 
Hopefully I'll get a chance to write up in the next week.
I'm running Session 100 next Tuesday (13th December) and then David will run Session 101 on the following Tuesday (20th December) as a Christmas Special.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to write up in the next week.I'm running Session 100 next Tuesday (13th December) and then David will run Session 101 on the following Tuesday (20th December) as a Christmas Special.
Wednesday, 7 December 2016
Session 97 - The Black Corridor
GM Observations
- This is almost the end of Grant’s quest to find the stolen memories, but he has operated very much as a ‘lone wolf’ and has not thought through what he will do when he finally finds them. This is perfectly in character - he may be a Master of Warfare but he is still a young man in his early twenties. So what will he do when he inevitably runs into Mowbray - after all it has been long foreshadowed that the Dwimmerlaik Lord behind the “Breath of Eden” is Mowbray, the Lords of Gossamer equivalent of Dworkin (those of you who have read Zelazny’s Amber and played Amber Diceless know what I’m referring to).
- Of course Grant is no match for Mowbray, but this is where we haven’t seen ‘on camera’ what a number of other Lords of Gossamer have been doing. Grant has been ‘Wolverine’ doing sneaky-stabby secret stuff, and Ethan has been almost a polar opposite, mostly isolated from the Dwimmerlaik War plot thread that has been doing on. The others have of course been very busy, and just like the End Game of the Patternfall War (Book 5), we’ll shortly see Vala, Drake and all of the others in a battle royale. After all, it isn’t going to end in a whimper. We’re getting close to Session 100 after all.
- Meanwhile, Ethan getting to know Abbie was no flight of fancy on the part of the player. It was also a deliberate way to get Ethan to spend more time on Earth where so many of David’s plotlines have been lying undisturbed for dozens and dozens of sessions.
- We are moving swiftly towards a new major plot arc and a new era for Grant/Ethan. Who knows, maybe we’ll even give them a bit of a time compress and give them some more points - I don’t think they’ve been awarded any experience points in a very long time. Grant is now a Master of the Stair, and Ethan has a large white wolf named Stolvir - but neither has actually spent 'points' to acquire these.
Part 1 - Behind the Boot
- In shadow-form, Grant hides deep in the shadow of an elite Dwimmerlaik guard, just behind the guard’s heel. He tries to listen and learn as much as he can about this place. It does not appear to be a long section of Stair but it is well guarded. Despite his concealment and the darkness of the corridor, Grant isn’t sure that he can move very far in shadow form without being detected. So he watches, and waits.
- Five minutes pass, then ten, then fifteen. He hopes that Greywalker doesn’t open the Door behind him and come looking for him. Then one of the Doors open and a Dwimmerlaik with braided hair who wears no armour on his muscled arms comes into view. Grant’s view of this individual is cut off for a moment and he repositions himself. The Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair talks to some of the guards with sign-language, but it’s only a fragment and not enough for a Warden of the Stair to determine the meaning behind the gestures.
- Then Grant feels the touch of an Icon contact. He has no idea who it is, but he steels himself and ignores, burying his presence as deep as he can. Meanwhile, the Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair and bare muscled arms takes a good look up and down the corridor, and then approaches the guard standing beside Shadow-Grant. Grant practically ‘closes his eyes’ hoping not to get detected, and then suddenly the Dwimmerlaik opens the Door and steps through.
- Breathing a sigh of relief, he wonders what will happen back in the Ice Castle. Will Greywalker still be there and will this Dwimmerlaik find him? Grant pushes the thought to one side as he tries to figure out how to reach the target Door without being detected. After studying for a few minutes, he begins slowly slowly moving towards the Door, using the walls and roof. The corridor itself is only about 80 metres long, with twelve Doors in it.
- When he is about half-way down the corridor, the Door to the Ice Fortress reopens and the Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair returns. He again converses with some of the guards using sign language – this time Grant is able to pick out that he is making inquiries, and they are stating that they have seen no one. The Dwimmerlaik lingers in the corridor, listening and thinking. Grant is used to shapeshifting but this form is uncomfortable to use for long periods.
- Then, almost without Grant noticing, the Dwimmerlaik has produced an Icon, and he knows that trouble is coming. While the Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair is distracted, Grant drops from the ceiling onto another guard and hides again, a shadow within a shadow. He exposes only a fragment of himself to see what happens, but is prepared to pull himself in at the slightest sign of danger.
Part 2 - The Eidolon Master
- Suddenly, there is another Dwimmerlaik there. This one is wizened, almost skeletal in appearance. He wears a fine robe of red and silver, and his antlers are old and chipped in places. His hair is bone-white, and he carries a white staff. Grant doesn’t like the look of this individual. He doesn’t like him even more when the first thing he does is establish an Eidolon-charged lightning shield which glitters around him. Grant decides to hide – hide deep. It is increasingly uncomfortable being so close to an Eidolon Master. Grant can tell that he is just waiting there in the corridor, listening and watching. He dare not move.
- After some time, the wizened Dwimmerlaik begins to move down the corridor, waving his wand as he does, searching back and forth, high and low. As the Eidolon scan passes through him, Grant feels his body on fire, but he manages to hold his form. This happens not just once, but twice. The second time is even more painful.
- Singed by Eidolon, Grant is almost afraid to poke out of hiding, but at last he does. The Eidolon Master is still there, sitting cross-legged in the corridor, floating about two feet off the floor. In pain, Grant bundles himself up tightly and tries to maintain his form.
- Time passes, and then suddenly Grant is aware of more soldiers entering the Stair. The Eidolon Master is gone – Grant didn’t hear him leave. The Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair is still there, and he gathers the troops and opens the Door back to the Ice Fortress. They go through, leaving guards on every Door but some of the guards have been relieved.
- Despite feeling most uncomfortable, Grant begins making for the target Door again. Moving slowly is painful, but he soldiers on. As he does, he feels a strange faraway sensation, and he realises that something is happening on Marindar. He can feel the tug of the realm that he has connected himself to. (GM’s note – what could be happening on Marindar? Ah, you’ll have to wait until Session 100 to find that out!) He knows that he should deal with the problem, but he knows how far he has come and that all of his trials would have been for nothing if he leaves now. So he remains.
- An indeterminate time later, he receive another Icon contact, but he shrugs it off. He is on the roof again now, inching slowly towards the target Door. It is not far now.
Part 3 - A Way In
- Then suddenly another Door opens and a Dwimmerlaik officer dressed in red and black armour with a craggy face enters the corridor. He demands a report in sign language from one of the guards and they again report ‘no contact’. Then the Dwimmerlaik speaks, and asks for confirmation that ‘Tovarg’ has left in pursuit. (GM’s note – Grant assumes that they think that he has doubled back) The guards nod, and he tells them to remain vigilant, and check that when Tovarg returns that it is truly him. The Dwimmerlaik officer then heads for the target Door that Grant has been trying to reach and produces an amulet in order to open it. The Dwimmerlaik concentrates on the device and it glows.
- While his attention is distracted, Grant glides towards the Door, then when the Door is opened, he slips through the crack at the top and then rushes to catch up with the Dwimmerlaik. He is through.
Part 4 - Into the Void
- On the other side, they have emerged from a great golden step-pyramid, around which is coiled a mighty golden dragon. But it appears to be the only structure here. The world here is bathed in a strange purple twilight and there are patches of stars above. The ground is a flat plane and it is eerily quiet. Grant can tell that this is a broken world – his Umbral Mastery tells him this.
- As the Dwimmerlaik moves on, with Grant now attached to him in shadow-form, the ground below becomes paper thin, and begins falling away like rain. The edge of the land is disintegrating here and there is only a great abyss beneath. Then the Dwimmerlaik officer is falling but Grant senses no anxiety in his host as they falls into the darkness. Grant can tell that this is the way to the damaged memory canister – it definitely came this way.
- But darkness does not mean emptiness. Here darkness has a tactile feeling – it feels oppressive, smothering.
- Suddenly, they have stopped. The Dwimmerlaik is standing once more on a platform of darkness but there are tiny lights nearby, providing some contrast and definition to this odd place. Grant has been into the void before (GM’s note – see Session 86) and he knows that he is in Shadow.
- He tries Wayfinding here, and it works but there is no obvious way out of this place. The Dwimmerlaik officer leaves the platform and begins a descent. When the way evens out, Grant realises that there is another Lord of Gossamer here and he sneaks out for a peek. He finds that it is Jessamyn – she is chained to a stake made of void-stuff, and her face has been branded. She looks like she has been badly treated and her face shows the strain of incarceration. Privately Grant is enraged by this, but he forces himself to remain composed, thinking it likely that she is ‘bait for a trap’. Wondering how many other Lords of Gossamer are here, he also manages to locate Cal – but he is somewhere below.
- This place is eerie. There is very little sound here – there are no echoes of footfalls. Even the structures here are things of darkness, defined only by occasional pin-pricks of light at the edges. And worst of all is a terrible bad feeling of being watched here by something, or someone powerful. As the Dwimmerlaik makes his way through the alien maze of platforms and structures and their odd faerie lights, Grant feels his sense of dread growing. He decides to slip away in the darkness, but follow the officer from a distance. (GM's note - this was a case of a first warning to the player that they felt something bad was coming, then a second warning. If Grant had not detached then he would have faced Mowbray directly at close range)
Part 5 - Mowbray’s Sanctum
- Once separated from the Dwimmerlaik officer he gets a sense as to how big this world is – it is relatively small – like a small city – and beyond, there is only darkness. He follows the Dwimmerlaik officer and sees him from a distance meeting a cloaked figure with bone-white skin and ancient antlers. It is Mowbray. Grant is sure that it is Mowbray. The ancient Dwimmerlaik pauses, listening to the officer’s report and then ponders. Grant draws back, thinking that this far too dangerous for him. If Mowbray is as powerful as the other Lords of Gossamer have said, he’s in serious trouble here. He can’t get out, nor can he call for help. An Icon would almost certainly be detected here.
- Drawing back, Grant sees a large spherical structure which has many lights defining its perimeter. He knows that this is where the missing memories are kept – he can sense that there are about 30 sets of memories within it. He can also tell that many of Mowbray’s Ailsiliar are here too – Mowbray’s elite cadre of warlocks. Slow and steady, he withdraws further. This place is quiet disorienting, but he keeps moving away from where the Dwimmerlaik have gathered.
- The further away Grant moves, the more the plane seems to lose its coherency. It is a disorienting and chaotic place. He tries to use Umbra in a subtle way and he finds that he can affect the void-stuff here, but he's reticient to do much manipulation lest he be discovered. He tries Wayfinding to locate any Doors here, but there are none. He also searches to see if there are any other Lords of Gossamer here but there are not. He looks specifically for Turadok, Mordecai and Ben, but can't locate any of them.
- Grant ponders the next steps.
Part 6 - Frozen in Time
- Ethan and Abbie are still holding hands when they see the Door to Realm 0 and the cracks through it. It looks as though the Door itself is straining against something on the other side. Abbie asks if this is normal and Ethan admits that he's never seen anything like it.
- After inspecting the Door for a few minutes and then asking Abbie to stand back, Ethan opens the Door. With the Door open, he can see into the interior of the house. A cat is in the process of leaping down to the floor but is frozen in midair. Beyond, he can see the windows of the house. A blinding light fills them, and the glass in the warded windows has just shattered. All of the fragments are frozen in midair. The runes and wards along the edges of the windows are glowing brightly.
- Ethan comments that he thinks something bad has happened in Clockworld, the pocket realm that regulates the flow of time in Realm 0. He tests this theory by flicking a coin through the Door into the corridor - as soon as it is beyond the protective 'bubble' of the Door, the coin stops in midair. There is no way that they can go through the Door without being halted like everything else. Ethan explains there is another way into Clockworld, and it'll take an hour or two to get there. They have to go via Nexopolis. Abbie is a bit surprised by this but she can see that nothing is moving - she won't miss anything - and another 'adventure' is calling.
- As they start ditching their unnecessary gear, Ethan explains that he never found the saboteur who attacked Clockworld in the first place and he always thought that the perpetrator would try again. At first Ethan is very serious about the matter - he explains that if Clockworld is destroyed, it could destroy the entire planet. Abbie, however, finds humour in the situation. Even as begin running along the Stair to Nexopolis, she points out that as the time on Earth has stopped, they technically have an even longer weekend than before. Ethan can tell that she's joking, but she teases him about all of the fun they could get up to without missing anything on Earth if everything is truly stopped. Ethan goes along with the joke, ignoring the fact that even if Earth is frozen that the perpetrator could still be in Clockworld doing damage as time there would still be moving. As they run along, she even asks if he could 'stop time' in the future if they wanted to get away. By the time they've passed through Nexopolis and are on their way to the Clockworld Door, both of them are cracking jokes about what they'd do next if the Earth really was destroyed (Ethan would have to get a new cat, for starters). When they finally reach the Door, Abbie asks Ethan if he brought any weapons with him, and he admits that he should have thought of that - maybe even picked up some sort of steampunk-styled disrupter in Nexopolis. Abbie is astonished by this - Ethan knows that there is probably a madman in Clockworld who has probably managed to overpower Jacob, and yet they’ve come to deal with the situation, unarmed.
Part 7 - Rescuing Jacob
- The Door to Clockworld blends into the wall, which is a mass of interconnected cogs. Only a Warden of the Stair would know that it is there, and only Ethan and a few others know how to align the cogs in order to reach the Door. This takes a few minutes, and then the Door is accessible to them. Stepping through the Door into Clockworld, they are first aware of how quiet it is here. Normally Clockworld makes a lot of noise when it is active. The mechanism has completely stopped.
* Image by Shortgreenpigg on DeviantART
- Ethan and Abbie hurry to the control centre, with Ethan wayfinding the way to Jacob. On the way he picks up a large spanner from a toolbox to improvise a weapon. There is a spattering of blood around - it’s clear there has been a fight here, and he spots a large non-human footprint on the gantry. Jacob himself is lying on the floor in a pool of blood, his innards hanging out. He has been badly wounded but he is still alive thanks to his mastery of Eidolon.
* Image by Nicolas Kole on DeviantArt
- Quickly handing the spanner to Abbie, Ethan assesses his condition and begins to heal the wound as best he can. He can tell that there is a strong toxin in Jacob’s system which just isn’t clearing, and is inhibiting Jacob’s capability to regenerate. After quickly looking around to make sure the control centre is clear, Abbie puts down the spanner and finds a medical kit in a brass locker. Between them, they manage to stabilise Jacob’s condition and get him out of danger, but they are all covered in his blood by the end of it. At last, Jacob relaxes and falls unconscious and Ethan steers him into a deep slumber.
- Now what? asks Abbie, pointing out that he can’t stay here. Ethan agrees and he quickly looks for Jacob’s assailant - but he/she/it has gone, which tells him that whoever did this came in through a Door and was able to leave through the Door back to Realm 0 - which means that they have a device that enables them to move through frozen time. Ethan makes the decision to take Jacob directly to Marindar to recuperate - it is the only place that Ethan knows that he will be safe.
- Covered in blood, Ethan carries Jacob gently along the Stair back through Nexopolis and then onto Marindar. It takes him more than an hour to do so. Abbie points out that they’re leaving Earth unprotected, and Ethan acknowledges this. At last they reach Marindar, and Ethan hands Jacob over to the Marindan guards there. A hospital vehicle is called, and when it is safely away, they decide to leave, pausing only to borrow some weapons from the guards (which they promise to return). (GM’s note - again, Ethan is blissfully ignorant of events going on in Marindar - he has avoided this twice now)
Part 8 - Repairing Clockworld
- Quickly returning to Clockworld, Ethan and Abbie find the place just as they left it. Ethan hurries to inspect the damage, and finds three enormous cogs, each the size of a football field, have been melted such that the gears will no longer turn. The damage is extensive and Ethan knows that replacing the cogs will take time. He explains to Abbie that he’ll use sorcery and Eidolon to repair the damage, but it’s going to take a lot of effort. He asks her to watch over him while he repairs the mechanism. She agrees and he starts work. To un-melt the mechanism takes a great deal of his strength, and leaves him very tired, but he manages it. The gears start moving again, but then suddenly a bell starts ringing loudly. They rush back to the control centre, where the display tells him that the tower in Fiveways has detonated and that an “emergency rollback” is required.
- Ethan knows that it is possible to wind back time using the machinery in Clockworld - he’s taken advantage of this before, but he has no idea how to perform an “emergency rollback”. He quickly locates Gearwing, Jacob’s assistant - the poor creature is inactive, having been thrown to the floor and broken. With a gentle use of Eidolon, Ethan repairs the bird-machine and plugs it into the console so that it can speak.
* Image by Dreamspirit on DeviantART
- Gearwing babbles that he didn’t see the saboteur, but he was struck down early in the fight, and he doesn’t know what is going on. Ethan presses for an explanation of the “emergency rollback” and Gearwing explains that it’s necessary when a “Priority 1 Event” has occurred, but it can only be authorised by Lucien or Jacob, and neither of them are here. Ethan insists that he’s authorised, and Gearwing agrees given that the alternative is destruction of Realm 0 and Clockworld. Ethan asks how much time will be rewound, and Gearwing tells him that it will be about 5 minutes, but that will certainly reverse the events of how the saboteur got in, making it difficult to trace the individual. Ethan tells him not to be so silly and tells him to ‘do it’.
- The great cogs in Clockworld stop and begin winding backwards. After about a minute, they then stop, a chime sounds and the cogs begin winding forwards again. Ethan asks Gearwing to confirm that this procedure has worked, and Gearwing confirms that it has. The destruction of the towers (which Ethan and Abbie saw from the Realm 0 Door as a brilliant light) has been reversed, but the saboteur is still at large.
- Abbie realises that the adventure isn’t over yet. Ethan wonders if the saboteur might try again given that his attempt to destroy Clockworld had failed - either way, Jacob’s assailant needs to be found and stopped.
…. and that’s where we left Session 97. (I'm running Session 99 tomorrow - woo! big battle in the Void)
- This is almost the end of Grant’s quest to find the stolen memories, but he has operated very much as a ‘lone wolf’ and has not thought through what he will do when he finally finds them. This is perfectly in character - he may be a Master of Warfare but he is still a young man in his early twenties. So what will he do when he inevitably runs into Mowbray - after all it has been long foreshadowed that the Dwimmerlaik Lord behind the “Breath of Eden” is Mowbray, the Lords of Gossamer equivalent of Dworkin (those of you who have read Zelazny’s Amber and played Amber Diceless know what I’m referring to).
- Of course Grant is no match for Mowbray, but this is where we haven’t seen ‘on camera’ what a number of other Lords of Gossamer have been doing. Grant has been ‘Wolverine’ doing sneaky-stabby secret stuff, and Ethan has been almost a polar opposite, mostly isolated from the Dwimmerlaik War plot thread that has been doing on. The others have of course been very busy, and just like the End Game of the Patternfall War (Book 5), we’ll shortly see Vala, Drake and all of the others in a battle royale. After all, it isn’t going to end in a whimper. We’re getting close to Session 100 after all.
- Meanwhile, Ethan getting to know Abbie was no flight of fancy on the part of the player. It was also a deliberate way to get Ethan to spend more time on Earth where so many of David’s plotlines have been lying undisturbed for dozens and dozens of sessions.
- We are moving swiftly towards a new major plot arc and a new era for Grant/Ethan. Who knows, maybe we’ll even give them a bit of a time compress and give them some more points - I don’t think they’ve been awarded any experience points in a very long time. Grant is now a Master of the Stair, and Ethan has a large white wolf named Stolvir - but neither has actually spent 'points' to acquire these.
Part 1 - Behind the Boot
- In shadow-form, Grant hides deep in the shadow of an elite Dwimmerlaik guard, just behind the guard’s heel. He tries to listen and learn as much as he can about this place. It does not appear to be a long section of Stair but it is well guarded. Despite his concealment and the darkness of the corridor, Grant isn’t sure that he can move very far in shadow form without being detected. So he watches, and waits.
- Five minutes pass, then ten, then fifteen. He hopes that Greywalker doesn’t open the Door behind him and come looking for him. Then one of the Doors open and a Dwimmerlaik with braided hair who wears no armour on his muscled arms comes into view. Grant’s view of this individual is cut off for a moment and he repositions himself. The Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair talks to some of the guards with sign-language, but it’s only a fragment and not enough for a Warden of the Stair to determine the meaning behind the gestures.
- Then Grant feels the touch of an Icon contact. He has no idea who it is, but he steels himself and ignores, burying his presence as deep as he can. Meanwhile, the Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair and bare muscled arms takes a good look up and down the corridor, and then approaches the guard standing beside Shadow-Grant. Grant practically ‘closes his eyes’ hoping not to get detected, and then suddenly the Dwimmerlaik opens the Door and steps through.
- Breathing a sigh of relief, he wonders what will happen back in the Ice Castle. Will Greywalker still be there and will this Dwimmerlaik find him? Grant pushes the thought to one side as he tries to figure out how to reach the target Door without being detected. After studying for a few minutes, he begins slowly slowly moving towards the Door, using the walls and roof. The corridor itself is only about 80 metres long, with twelve Doors in it.
- When he is about half-way down the corridor, the Door to the Ice Fortress reopens and the Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair returns. He again converses with some of the guards using sign language – this time Grant is able to pick out that he is making inquiries, and they are stating that they have seen no one. The Dwimmerlaik lingers in the corridor, listening and thinking. Grant is used to shapeshifting but this form is uncomfortable to use for long periods.
- Then, almost without Grant noticing, the Dwimmerlaik has produced an Icon, and he knows that trouble is coming. While the Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair is distracted, Grant drops from the ceiling onto another guard and hides again, a shadow within a shadow. He exposes only a fragment of himself to see what happens, but is prepared to pull himself in at the slightest sign of danger.
Part 2 - The Eidolon Master
- Suddenly, there is another Dwimmerlaik there. This one is wizened, almost skeletal in appearance. He wears a fine robe of red and silver, and his antlers are old and chipped in places. His hair is bone-white, and he carries a white staff. Grant doesn’t like the look of this individual. He doesn’t like him even more when the first thing he does is establish an Eidolon-charged lightning shield which glitters around him. Grant decides to hide – hide deep. It is increasingly uncomfortable being so close to an Eidolon Master. Grant can tell that he is just waiting there in the corridor, listening and watching. He dare not move.
- After some time, the wizened Dwimmerlaik begins to move down the corridor, waving his wand as he does, searching back and forth, high and low. As the Eidolon scan passes through him, Grant feels his body on fire, but he manages to hold his form. This happens not just once, but twice. The second time is even more painful.
- Singed by Eidolon, Grant is almost afraid to poke out of hiding, but at last he does. The Eidolon Master is still there, sitting cross-legged in the corridor, floating about two feet off the floor. In pain, Grant bundles himself up tightly and tries to maintain his form.
- Time passes, and then suddenly Grant is aware of more soldiers entering the Stair. The Eidolon Master is gone – Grant didn’t hear him leave. The Dwimmerlaik with the braided hair is still there, and he gathers the troops and opens the Door back to the Ice Fortress. They go through, leaving guards on every Door but some of the guards have been relieved.
- Despite feeling most uncomfortable, Grant begins making for the target Door again. Moving slowly is painful, but he soldiers on. As he does, he feels a strange faraway sensation, and he realises that something is happening on Marindar. He can feel the tug of the realm that he has connected himself to. (GM’s note – what could be happening on Marindar? Ah, you’ll have to wait until Session 100 to find that out!) He knows that he should deal with the problem, but he knows how far he has come and that all of his trials would have been for nothing if he leaves now. So he remains.
- An indeterminate time later, he receive another Icon contact, but he shrugs it off. He is on the roof again now, inching slowly towards the target Door. It is not far now.
Part 3 - A Way In
- Then suddenly another Door opens and a Dwimmerlaik officer dressed in red and black armour with a craggy face enters the corridor. He demands a report in sign language from one of the guards and they again report ‘no contact’. Then the Dwimmerlaik speaks, and asks for confirmation that ‘Tovarg’ has left in pursuit. (GM’s note – Grant assumes that they think that he has doubled back) The guards nod, and he tells them to remain vigilant, and check that when Tovarg returns that it is truly him. The Dwimmerlaik officer then heads for the target Door that Grant has been trying to reach and produces an amulet in order to open it. The Dwimmerlaik concentrates on the device and it glows.
- While his attention is distracted, Grant glides towards the Door, then when the Door is opened, he slips through the crack at the top and then rushes to catch up with the Dwimmerlaik. He is through.
Part 4 - Into the Void
- On the other side, they have emerged from a great golden step-pyramid, around which is coiled a mighty golden dragon. But it appears to be the only structure here. The world here is bathed in a strange purple twilight and there are patches of stars above. The ground is a flat plane and it is eerily quiet. Grant can tell that this is a broken world – his Umbral Mastery tells him this.
- As the Dwimmerlaik moves on, with Grant now attached to him in shadow-form, the ground below becomes paper thin, and begins falling away like rain. The edge of the land is disintegrating here and there is only a great abyss beneath. Then the Dwimmerlaik officer is falling but Grant senses no anxiety in his host as they falls into the darkness. Grant can tell that this is the way to the damaged memory canister – it definitely came this way.
- But darkness does not mean emptiness. Here darkness has a tactile feeling – it feels oppressive, smothering.
- Suddenly, they have stopped. The Dwimmerlaik is standing once more on a platform of darkness but there are tiny lights nearby, providing some contrast and definition to this odd place. Grant has been into the void before (GM’s note – see Session 86) and he knows that he is in Shadow.
- He tries Wayfinding here, and it works but there is no obvious way out of this place. The Dwimmerlaik officer leaves the platform and begins a descent. When the way evens out, Grant realises that there is another Lord of Gossamer here and he sneaks out for a peek. He finds that it is Jessamyn – she is chained to a stake made of void-stuff, and her face has been branded. She looks like she has been badly treated and her face shows the strain of incarceration. Privately Grant is enraged by this, but he forces himself to remain composed, thinking it likely that she is ‘bait for a trap’. Wondering how many other Lords of Gossamer are here, he also manages to locate Cal – but he is somewhere below.
- This place is eerie. There is very little sound here – there are no echoes of footfalls. Even the structures here are things of darkness, defined only by occasional pin-pricks of light at the edges. And worst of all is a terrible bad feeling of being watched here by something, or someone powerful. As the Dwimmerlaik makes his way through the alien maze of platforms and structures and their odd faerie lights, Grant feels his sense of dread growing. He decides to slip away in the darkness, but follow the officer from a distance. (GM's note - this was a case of a first warning to the player that they felt something bad was coming, then a second warning. If Grant had not detached then he would have faced Mowbray directly at close range)
Part 5 - Mowbray’s Sanctum
- Once separated from the Dwimmerlaik officer he gets a sense as to how big this world is – it is relatively small – like a small city – and beyond, there is only darkness. He follows the Dwimmerlaik officer and sees him from a distance meeting a cloaked figure with bone-white skin and ancient antlers. It is Mowbray. Grant is sure that it is Mowbray. The ancient Dwimmerlaik pauses, listening to the officer’s report and then ponders. Grant draws back, thinking that this far too dangerous for him. If Mowbray is as powerful as the other Lords of Gossamer have said, he’s in serious trouble here. He can’t get out, nor can he call for help. An Icon would almost certainly be detected here.
- Drawing back, Grant sees a large spherical structure which has many lights defining its perimeter. He knows that this is where the missing memories are kept – he can sense that there are about 30 sets of memories within it. He can also tell that many of Mowbray’s Ailsiliar are here too – Mowbray’s elite cadre of warlocks. Slow and steady, he withdraws further. This place is quiet disorienting, but he keeps moving away from where the Dwimmerlaik have gathered.
- The further away Grant moves, the more the plane seems to lose its coherency. It is a disorienting and chaotic place. He tries to use Umbra in a subtle way and he finds that he can affect the void-stuff here, but he's reticient to do much manipulation lest he be discovered. He tries Wayfinding to locate any Doors here, but there are none. He also searches to see if there are any other Lords of Gossamer here but there are not. He looks specifically for Turadok, Mordecai and Ben, but can't locate any of them.
- Grant ponders the next steps.
Part 6 - Frozen in Time
- Ethan and Abbie are still holding hands when they see the Door to Realm 0 and the cracks through it. It looks as though the Door itself is straining against something on the other side. Abbie asks if this is normal and Ethan admits that he's never seen anything like it.
- After inspecting the Door for a few minutes and then asking Abbie to stand back, Ethan opens the Door. With the Door open, he can see into the interior of the house. A cat is in the process of leaping down to the floor but is frozen in midair. Beyond, he can see the windows of the house. A blinding light fills them, and the glass in the warded windows has just shattered. All of the fragments are frozen in midair. The runes and wards along the edges of the windows are glowing brightly.
- Ethan comments that he thinks something bad has happened in Clockworld, the pocket realm that regulates the flow of time in Realm 0. He tests this theory by flicking a coin through the Door into the corridor - as soon as it is beyond the protective 'bubble' of the Door, the coin stops in midair. There is no way that they can go through the Door without being halted like everything else. Ethan explains there is another way into Clockworld, and it'll take an hour or two to get there. They have to go via Nexopolis. Abbie is a bit surprised by this but she can see that nothing is moving - she won't miss anything - and another 'adventure' is calling.
- As they start ditching their unnecessary gear, Ethan explains that he never found the saboteur who attacked Clockworld in the first place and he always thought that the perpetrator would try again. At first Ethan is very serious about the matter - he explains that if Clockworld is destroyed, it could destroy the entire planet. Abbie, however, finds humour in the situation. Even as begin running along the Stair to Nexopolis, she points out that as the time on Earth has stopped, they technically have an even longer weekend than before. Ethan can tell that she's joking, but she teases him about all of the fun they could get up to without missing anything on Earth if everything is truly stopped. Ethan goes along with the joke, ignoring the fact that even if Earth is frozen that the perpetrator could still be in Clockworld doing damage as time there would still be moving. As they run along, she even asks if he could 'stop time' in the future if they wanted to get away. By the time they've passed through Nexopolis and are on their way to the Clockworld Door, both of them are cracking jokes about what they'd do next if the Earth really was destroyed (Ethan would have to get a new cat, for starters). When they finally reach the Door, Abbie asks Ethan if he brought any weapons with him, and he admits that he should have thought of that - maybe even picked up some sort of steampunk-styled disrupter in Nexopolis. Abbie is astonished by this - Ethan knows that there is probably a madman in Clockworld who has probably managed to overpower Jacob, and yet they’ve come to deal with the situation, unarmed.
Part 7 - Rescuing Jacob
- The Door to Clockworld blends into the wall, which is a mass of interconnected cogs. Only a Warden of the Stair would know that it is there, and only Ethan and a few others know how to align the cogs in order to reach the Door. This takes a few minutes, and then the Door is accessible to them. Stepping through the Door into Clockworld, they are first aware of how quiet it is here. Normally Clockworld makes a lot of noise when it is active. The mechanism has completely stopped.
* Image by Shortgreenpigg on DeviantART
- Ethan and Abbie hurry to the control centre, with Ethan wayfinding the way to Jacob. On the way he picks up a large spanner from a toolbox to improvise a weapon. There is a spattering of blood around - it’s clear there has been a fight here, and he spots a large non-human footprint on the gantry. Jacob himself is lying on the floor in a pool of blood, his innards hanging out. He has been badly wounded but he is still alive thanks to his mastery of Eidolon.
* Image by Nicolas Kole on DeviantArt
- Quickly handing the spanner to Abbie, Ethan assesses his condition and begins to heal the wound as best he can. He can tell that there is a strong toxin in Jacob’s system which just isn’t clearing, and is inhibiting Jacob’s capability to regenerate. After quickly looking around to make sure the control centre is clear, Abbie puts down the spanner and finds a medical kit in a brass locker. Between them, they manage to stabilise Jacob’s condition and get him out of danger, but they are all covered in his blood by the end of it. At last, Jacob relaxes and falls unconscious and Ethan steers him into a deep slumber.
- Now what? asks Abbie, pointing out that he can’t stay here. Ethan agrees and he quickly looks for Jacob’s assailant - but he/she/it has gone, which tells him that whoever did this came in through a Door and was able to leave through the Door back to Realm 0 - which means that they have a device that enables them to move through frozen time. Ethan makes the decision to take Jacob directly to Marindar to recuperate - it is the only place that Ethan knows that he will be safe.
- Covered in blood, Ethan carries Jacob gently along the Stair back through Nexopolis and then onto Marindar. It takes him more than an hour to do so. Abbie points out that they’re leaving Earth unprotected, and Ethan acknowledges this. At last they reach Marindar, and Ethan hands Jacob over to the Marindan guards there. A hospital vehicle is called, and when it is safely away, they decide to leave, pausing only to borrow some weapons from the guards (which they promise to return). (GM’s note - again, Ethan is blissfully ignorant of events going on in Marindar - he has avoided this twice now)
Part 8 - Repairing Clockworld
- Quickly returning to Clockworld, Ethan and Abbie find the place just as they left it. Ethan hurries to inspect the damage, and finds three enormous cogs, each the size of a football field, have been melted such that the gears will no longer turn. The damage is extensive and Ethan knows that replacing the cogs will take time. He explains to Abbie that he’ll use sorcery and Eidolon to repair the damage, but it’s going to take a lot of effort. He asks her to watch over him while he repairs the mechanism. She agrees and he starts work. To un-melt the mechanism takes a great deal of his strength, and leaves him very tired, but he manages it. The gears start moving again, but then suddenly a bell starts ringing loudly. They rush back to the control centre, where the display tells him that the tower in Fiveways has detonated and that an “emergency rollback” is required.
- Ethan knows that it is possible to wind back time using the machinery in Clockworld - he’s taken advantage of this before, but he has no idea how to perform an “emergency rollback”. He quickly locates Gearwing, Jacob’s assistant - the poor creature is inactive, having been thrown to the floor and broken. With a gentle use of Eidolon, Ethan repairs the bird-machine and plugs it into the console so that it can speak.
* Image by Dreamspirit on DeviantART
- Gearwing babbles that he didn’t see the saboteur, but he was struck down early in the fight, and he doesn’t know what is going on. Ethan presses for an explanation of the “emergency rollback” and Gearwing explains that it’s necessary when a “Priority 1 Event” has occurred, but it can only be authorised by Lucien or Jacob, and neither of them are here. Ethan insists that he’s authorised, and Gearwing agrees given that the alternative is destruction of Realm 0 and Clockworld. Ethan asks how much time will be rewound, and Gearwing tells him that it will be about 5 minutes, but that will certainly reverse the events of how the saboteur got in, making it difficult to trace the individual. Ethan tells him not to be so silly and tells him to ‘do it’.
- The great cogs in Clockworld stop and begin winding backwards. After about a minute, they then stop, a chime sounds and the cogs begin winding forwards again. Ethan asks Gearwing to confirm that this procedure has worked, and Gearwing confirms that it has. The destruction of the towers (which Ethan and Abbie saw from the Realm 0 Door as a brilliant light) has been reversed, but the saboteur is still at large.
- Abbie realises that the adventure isn’t over yet. Ethan wonders if the saboteur might try again given that his attempt to destroy Clockworld had failed - either way, Jacob’s assailant needs to be found and stopped.
…. and that’s where we left Session 97. (I'm running Session 99 tomorrow - woo! big battle in the Void)
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