Grant and Ethan
Grant (left) and Ethan (right), with Macavity the Cat
Thursday, 9 February 2017
GM Commentary
Thanks Mellowgoth and Songtress. It takes a lot of work to do these write-ups so it's good to know that they are read and enjoyed.
Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Session 103 - Crisis in the Sudan
[BR Note 23-Jul-2022 - I need to replace the images below with versions that don't show photobucket]
- While working through the time compress, this full length adventure triggered which then becomes a turning point / part of the new baseline for Grant and Ethan.
- In terms of how Ethan does some of what he does (because I believe it is OP), I have provided an explanation below.
Part 1 - Trouble in the Night
- It is the middle of the night (3am local time) when Ethan wakes. He is in Clockworld and alone in the small sleeping quarters. He has only been asleep for about four hours but a significant shift wakes him prematurely. He can sense that a planetary scale change has been made in Realm 0. He feels great darkness and he quickly dons his attire, figuring that one of the powers on Earth has finally decided to reverse some of the changes that he has made recently.
- Heading to Clockworld’s control centre, he uses the instrumentation (which he is becoming familiar with) to identify the source of the disturbance. There is a great storm hanging over North Africa with a diameter of over two thousand kilometres - it is classed by the systems as a hurricane but it is bigger and more powerful than anything previously catalogued. It’s epicentre is in the Sudan. Gearwing projects that the storm is intensifying at a geometric rate. It’s not just a storm - it’s a planetary threat, pulling other weather systems into itself and growing at an alarming rate. News reports are already describing catastrophic events in southern Europe.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Confirming that Clockworld has a Door in Kenya, he grabs his Dragonshield and a number of weapons and hastily makes his way to the Door.
Part 2 - The Dark Storm
- The Door opens out from a modest home in a village. He knows that he is more than a thousand kilometres away from the storm’s epicentre and yet even here clouds are swirling overhead, drawn northwards. It is light here (just after 6am) due to the timezone difference. Ethan can tell immediately that whatever is causing the storm is moulding gossamer reality.
* Image sourced from Google Images
- Ethan suddenly realises that there are two other powerful minds nearby and he instinctively cloaks himself. Then there is another sorcerous teleport - within ten miles to the east. Ethan isn’t sure whether these are friends or foes but he doesn’t have time to work out which. Instead he assesses what he sees and what he feels, and decides that the storm is a product of Wrighting but there are also tinges of Umbra as well. He thinks that normal Sorcery won’t survive heading north towards the storm, but he has ‘the Force’ (Eidolon) to bolster his Sorcery. Certainly flight will be harder but he doesn’t like his chances of being able to teleport close to an object (or person) that is that powerful at this distance.
- Then the moment is gone and Ethan is airborne and heading north, trying to avoid the wind shear as it intensifies. He catches the occasional glimpse of others also heading north - one on a magic carpet, another riding a horse through the desert moving faster than a car, a third swimming through the sand and another pair who are attempting short range teleports on the ground in order to get closer. Ethan can sense that they are not his enemies - they are scared and desperate.
- As he carries on, Ethan is forced to use an Eidolon shield as well as flight. The storm whips around him, desiccating everything. Ethan’s mouth is dry. There is no humidity in the air at all. The crops on the ground are all but destroyed. There are dead people everywhere - whole villages wiped out. The storm gnaws at him and Ethan wishes that he had some protection for his eyes.
Part 3 - Phoning a Friend
- As Ethan closes in on his destination, visibility proves more and more difficult as the storm has whipped up the sands of the Sudanese desert into a formidable barrier. Ethan senses that some of the other sorcerers are still there, trying to head north. Some of them are working together, but he is also aware that some arguments are becoming heated - he senses a mage flare being discharged as some of them fight it out over perceived sleights. Ethan does not slow down - he ignores them and carries on as the energy in the storm clouds continues to build.
- The storm is pulling in multiple forms of energy now, and Ethan can feel it trying to consume the energies of his shield. Down below, there are now people and animals that have died from having their very life energy drained from them. Anything with an engine or a battery has been completely drained of power.
- Ethan decides that whatever or whoever is gathering these energies isn’t able to control it effectively, or perhaps they have lost control. Then suddenly he is through - he is within the eye of the storm, and below him on the ground is the remains of a small city, mostly swallowed by the sands. There is no moisture here at all, and Ethan can feel tremendous power deep beneath the sands.
- As he soars overhead, Ethan spots a group of five sorcerers who have made it this far - two humans, a misshapen dwarf, a deep one and a yeti-like creature. They are doing battle with a number of enormous guardians who look like enormous grey trees, but these are covered in bloodshot eyes, gaping maws with sharp teeth, and great talons. For a few seconds, Ethan considers trying to kill all of the sorcerers in one shot while they are busy, but he decides at last that it would be a waste of his energy as he has bigger problems.
- Ethan then plays his trump card - on the journey he has been in contact with Grant and Grant is armed and ready to come through.
Part 4 - Doomsday Weapon
- Grant emerges on the battlefield and heads to engage the nearest colossal treant to buy Ethan some much-needed breathing space. Meanwhile Ethan does his best to be ignored whilst he figures out how to reach something buried far below ground. Ethan is a little tired but he still has more than enough reserve to deal with the situation. He can feel ‘it’ below the ground trying to dismantle his spells but he is powerful enough to resist for the moment. Judging that a large scale teleport would most likely fail, Ethan decides to go for the direct approach. He warns Grant (via Icon) that he will need to be a little ‘vulgar’.
- Ethan has never tried to excavate mass quantities before, but he is well aware that he could move a mountain given enough power and there is plenty of raw power in the storm clouds above. He wields Sorcery backed with Eidolon to use the storm itself to excavate the ground below, moving mountains of sand and rock outwards from the centre as he drives deeper. To Ethan’s surprise, this tactic works better than he expected. The sands are easy to shift and what should be bedrock below is brittle and fractured. (GM’s note - Ethan doesn’t know it, but the earth has been broken ever since ‘it’ crashed, ages ago)
- Ethan tears open the Earth, displacing mountains of rock and sand. The earth below is cold as Ethan descends into the deepening pit, surrounded by his own high speed tornado. Miles down, he finds it. It is huge - colossal - more than a half of mile in length, it is of Dwimmerlaik origin. Ethan can sense that it is broken - it has devolved. More than that, he can tell that it is not a ship. It is a weapon. A bomb of some kind. He can’t possibly use Eidolon to repair it. Worse, it’s active. Something or someone has activated it.
- It’s so huge that Ethan wonders for a moment how he could possibly move it. But then the moment has passed and he simply ‘does it’. How he does it is something to be considered later. Ripping the Dwimmerlaik vessel from its earthy subterranean tomb, Ethan pulls it skywards with him, erupting from the great pit. Using raw power, and still channeling the power of the storm above, Ethan carries it into the outer atmosphere and flings it into the starry heavens. (GM’s note - this is only possible because the Dwimmerlaik vessel has anti-gravity so Ethan isn’t trying to lift a huge dead weight) The vessel accelerates into the distance and is gone. Ethan floats in the heavens, looking down at the ruin of the Sudan - he’s not only torn a hole that can be seen from space, he has changed the topography of the entire area. Then suddenly there is a flash of light from the stars - the Doomsday weapon is gone. Ethan ponders what to do next, and then the gravitic shockwave hits.
- Ethan easily deflects what feels like rain, but below him, tiny ice crystals fall from the sky.
- Remembering Grant, and suddenly feeling more than a little tired, Ethan descends back to the ground. He finds Grant still fighting two of the remaining colossal tree-beasts, but he has some other sorcerers helping him. Ethan is too tired to chip in - he lets Grant destroy the trees. He looks down upon the gaping hole in the Earth that he has made, and wonders what to do next. How can he possibly cover up something of this magnitude?
* Image sourced from Google Images
Part 5 - The Aftermath
- At last Ethan realises that he doesn’t have a mental invisibility cloak up, and he could be recognised by the other sorcerers. He attempts to teleport back to the Kenyan Door, but it takes him longer than it would normally as he is quite fatigued. As the ice crystals start falling like a soft rain, Ethan makes the teleport, figuring that Grant will find his way back to Marindar without him.
- Ethan returns to Clockworld, and sits down to have some tea and crumpets. He just wants to close his eyes, but he needs to know what Gearwing can tell him about what has happened. Gearwing tells him that the storm is dissipating but there has been severe damage across a wide area, and hundreds of thousands of people are dead with many millions now homeless and facing starvation given that their crops have been wiped out.
- Ethan is about to ask about the time elementals when he receives an Icon contact from Abbie. Ethan accepts it and tells her that he’s okay, just tired. Abbie doesn’t realise that the crisis is over - the news reports haven’t quite caught up yet. Abbie agrees to come through and Gearwing repeats its evaluation. Horrified, Abbie asks what happened. Ethan explains that some sort of Doomsday weapon had been activated, but it’s not clear by whom. He stopped it, but he made quite a mess. Abbie is stunned and asks Gearwing what would have happened if Ethan had not stopped it when he did. Gearwing hypothesises that there would have been planetary devastation within four hours, with planet-wide extinction somewhere between six and ten hours after that.
- Abbie sits down and has some tea and crumpets as she comes to terms with the fact that all life on Earth was nearly wiped out, and Ethan managed to prevent it. They talk a while, and Abbie ends up comforting Ethan. Ethan is more than a little upset - almost everybody died, and even when he did his best, a lot of people (millions of people) died. Ethan asks Gearwing about the Time Elementals and whether it is possible to reverse everything that has happened. Gearwing explains that a large scale reset is not possible - it would more likely reopen the fractures in the world which were caused by the Great War. The Time Elementals can’t be used anywhere near the Sudanese Pit due to the energies there, but elsewhere (for example in Europe, the Middle East, Southern and Western Africa) it would be possible. Tiredly, Ethan tells Gearwing to send them out to repair what they can.
- Ethan asks Abbie to stay with him for a few hours, and he sleeps deeply while she watches over him. When he wakes, he finds out to his disappointment that it was all real, and not just a bad dream. Ethan explains that he moved mountains in the Sudan which is beyond anything he has ever done before. He had heard from Lucien that it was possible to control the fabric of reality in a realm - he wonders if what he did was a taste of that. He felt like he truly could do anything.
Part 6 - Invitation
- Two weeks pass as the world adjusts to the ‘Sudanese Cataclysm’. Whilst mainstream media refer to it as a meteor strike which very nearly destroyed the planet, it is very clear that most governments are skeptical of this and seeking to investigate what really happened given that the storm disappeared so abruptly. (Coincidentally, the newspapers are also reporting a flash (perhaps an explosion about three light-minutes from Earth - roughly the same distance as Mars is away from Earth - (GM’s note - yes, this was the exploding Dwimmeraik super weapon) People flock to York as part of a pilgrimage (remembering the ‘miracle’ that Ethan performed there). Ethan tries to adjust back to university life, whilst also trying to deal with a vastly changed world.
- Then one day a letter arrives at Abbie’s address in Manchester. It is addressed to her, and she has opened it. The letter has been cosmetically enchanted to look pretty. Inside, both Abbie and ‘her companion’ are invited for a magical evening where the laws of hospitality will be upheld. The invitation is for a date two weeks away. Macavity listens in, and is disappointed that he is not invited.
- Abbie seems pleased with the invitation and she encourages Ethan to go with her as the other sorcerers clearly want to meet him. But Ethan doesn’t want to go. He is suspicious of any gathering where they could ‘gang up on him’ and he doesn’t want to put her in danger. He doesn’t share that he considered killing some of them whilst they were vulnerable in the Sudan. Abbie tries to reason with him again, explaining that they would be well prepared. The invitation makes it clear that they want to thank ‘her companion’ for saving the planet - they think he’s a hero and they’ve promised that the laws of hospitality will be upheld. Given that she has started learning the basics of spell craft, she wants to go. Also, the chance to meet others who might be interested in helping improve the world is too good an opportunity to pass up.
- Ethan refuses. He says that he doesn’t want to go, and he suggests that she go with Grant instead. Seeing Macavity glaring at him, Ethan suggests that she take Macavity as well. Hurt, Abbie doesn’t know what to say and Ethan goes to get some fresh air.
Part 7 - A Gift
- Ethan and Abbie do their best to carry on as if nothing has happened, but things have changed. Ethan is finding it harder and harder to meet his study commitments as he spends significant amount of time covertly repairing what he can in Africa, and he works long hours to transport food, water and medical supplies across. His studies suffer, but he hides this. Abbie tries to talk to Ethan about coming, suggesting that there may be others who will help, but Ethan still refuses. Instead he kisses her on the forehead and tells her that she’ll be safe with Grant, but to contact him (via Icon) if anything goes wrong.
- Ethan carries on working whilst Abbie and Grant go to the party.
- Later that night, Abbie contacts Ethan via Icon to tell him that she is fine and that the party went well. Ethan asks if they wanted anything, and Abbie explains that the sorcerers only wanted to express their gratitude and seek his guidance as to how to prevent a repeat. Ethan is glad that Abbie is well, and he agrees to come home when she asks. Appearing via the Icon, he hugs her and says that he’s glad that she is okay. Abbie tells him that the sorcerers still want to find a way to meet him, perhaps at another place that he feels comfortable with. Ethan shrugs the thought off and says that he’s not interested in meeting them.
- In the week that follows, nothing much changes. Abbie struggles to connect with Ethan. On one level, they are together, but there is something very wrong with Ethan. Then, a parcel is delivered. It is a book on magical theory - a gift. Inside the front cover is another letter, addressed to ‘Abbie’s friend’.
- Ethan opens the letter. The writer apologises that they have not been able to meet in person and hopes that ‘Abbie’s friend’ will change his mind at some future date. The letter warns Ethan that there are places in the world which should be left undisturbed, particularly in the frozen wastes of Antarctica. He is warned not to wake what sleeps there.
- Ethan folds up the letter, puts it back in the book, and puts the book aside. He had not forgotten that he and Grant were asked to mind Westgate Manor by the previous owner, who never returned from Antarctica. (GM’s note - way way back in Session 1).
Part 8 - Arguments
- Over the next two months, things go from bad to worse for both Abbie and Ethan. Ethan is constantly working, doing as much as he can to help thousands and millions of people in need. Ethan has almost no time for study - he has made almost no friends at university and most think that he has dropped out. Abbie can’t talk to Ethan - he does what she asks, and he is always busy, trying to make a difference. Ethan tries harder and harder but they don’t seem to be making a difference in all of the places where they want to make a difference. Abbie is herself frustrated. Aid which has been sent to Sudan and Ethiopia is not getting through - the aid is delivered but it never reaches the people. Ethan knows that the Sudanese and Ethiopian authorities are keeping the aid themselves - Abbie wouldn’t believe it at first but Ethan took photographs to prove it.
- Arguments become more frequent. Abbie wants to make permanent positive changes but she keeps hitting problems, and meanwhile people are dying or starving. Ethan is getting tired, and increasingly cranky. He withdraws to Clockworld more often, particularly when he needs to sleep. Abbie argues that if there are people who are stopping the aid getting through, who are opposing their efforts, then they should be removed by one way or another. Ethan refuses to do any such thing - he won’t change people’s minds and he won’t remove governments, not even warlords. They argue over alternatives, but almost all involve ‘going public’ and ‘seeking more public support’ and Ethan is not prepared to do that.
- The situation becomes more and more miserable. Neither of them are having any fun.
Part 9 - Missteps
- Ethan reaches the point where he realises that he will fail in his studies unless he takes it seriously and dedicates more time. He’s already missed so much. He tries to catch up - effectively ‘saving the world’ by day and studying by night. Whilst at Manchester University, Ethan notices another student who has a strong mind and some magical potential, but he decides to ignore following it up - he’s too busy.
- Whilst studying late one night, Ethan is interrupted by Abbie. She reminds him that she loves him very much, and asks him to come to bed and let it go. Ethan thanks her but says that he can’t just drop it. He needs to study or else he’ll fail - and he doesn’t want to fail. He also needs to do everything he can to help Abbie improve the world because he doesn’t want to let her down. Abbie can’t seem to get through to him, so she leaves him be.
- As the days roll on, Abbie becomes increasingly worried - Ethan hardly sleeps, and he’s always working. She contacts Grant and asks him to have a word with Ethan. While at Manchester University, Grant bumps into Ethan and suggests that they visit some places on the Stair for fun - Ethan politely declines and says that he’s too busy. Grant suggests that he’s trying to do too much. He points out to Ethan that it doesn’t matter if he does the subjects this year, or the next, or the year after that. Grant tells Ethan that he doesn’t look happy and he suggests that he needs to have some fun, or else ‘what’s the point of being here’?
- Ethan accepts this but it is too late to pull out of his subjects this semester, so he tries. He puts in a last burst of effort and gets through most of the subjects, but fails two. Ethan is crushed. How could he have failed?
- Abbie decides to cheer Ethan up, and they go out for quiet dinner. Over dinner, she suggests a getaway, and asks if Ethan will take her to a place that neither of them have been before. When Ethan protests, Abbie presses and says that the world will survive a night without his intervention. Ethan agrees, and they head out together. Together they find Eflan, a faerie world within two kilometres of Realm 0 which is infested with curious and mischievous faeries. It is high Spring when they arrive, and the hills are awash with flowers. The two are welcomed as honoured guests, although that also means that they become the butt of many practical jokes. Ethan’s hair is turned bright blue by a sprite who wanted to practice some ‘magic’ with him. A satyr attempts to woo Abbie with song and fine manners. A group of long-eared elves invite them to a merry dance and offer fine wine and ‘flower tea’. A group of pixies challenge Abbie to a friendly competition of magical prowess - which ends badly for Ethan when she accidentally sets his blue hair on fire. Nevertheless they pass a happy few hours together, and the experience serves as a pleasant distraction, quickly forgetting about their problems. (Although a goblin elixir to help Ethan’s hair grow back ends up giving him three feet of long red hair). Neither is particularly keen to spend the night being pranked, so they head to Marindar and spend a relaxing evening there. Grant is aware of their arrival, and contacts Ethan via Icon - Ethan explains that they needed to get away, and Grant seems relieved that they have done so.
- Returning back to Earth, some of the tension between them is lifted but Ethan quickly resumes his work and he works far too hard again. Even though he should have more free time as he’s finished studying for the time being, he fills it quickly with more work.
- Then, ten days after their return, Abbie tries to use her apprentice-level magic to persuade some of her guests to aid her, hoping that it would perhaps ease some of Ethan’s burden. But this backfires badly and she alienates a number of her high profile guests who accuse her of spiking the drinks with mind-altering drugs.
Part 10 - Another Try
- Knowing that her attempt will end up on the front page of the newspapers, Abbie returns home that evening in tears. She trying everything she can to make a positive change in the world, and she knows Ethan is too - but it’s making them both miserable. She’s fed up and sick of this ungrateful world. Ethan looks after her. That night, snuggled up in bed, Ethan admits that he thinks that they are both trying too hard - they’re trying to change big things too quickly, and throwing physical resources like goods and money at the problem isn’t working. They talk candidly about what they could do differently - and for once Abbie feels like the old Ethan is back - they’re close to one another and talking to one another.
- Ethan explains that it’s difficult to make people different from what they are - he can’t make people kinder, or more considerate, or more tolerant - and he’s tried. He might be able to change one or two, but people are complicated and it’d probably fail if he tried to do it en masse. He speculates that it might be possible to acquire a level of control over the realm (similar to what he has on Skandia) but it takes time to acquire that - and here, the sorcerers may not be too happy if he were to actually achieve that.
- Abbie acknowledges that she’s been asking a lot of Ethan, and she knows that he’s been trying really hard. She asks if they can start small, and maybe make a difference there? Ethan kisses her goodnight and promises to try.
- The next morning they sit down with a fresh pot of tea and share ideas. Ethan wonders if it would be possible to bring out the good qualities of people by infusing water with Eidolon which is then passed into the food chain. They know there are dozens of dams in the United Kingdom - it would be hard to infuse them all and keep them infused. Harder still to do it on a regional or planetary scale. Abbie points out that Santa Claus had a way of infusing presents with a spark of kindness and optimism - she wonders if Ethan could learn something from Nicholas.
- They head to Santa’s workshop and meet with Nicholas. He’s pleased to see them both, but he also shows some concern that they haven’t been taking proper care of themselves (or each other). When hearing what Ethan has to say, Nicholas explains that it is very difficult to change people. Even he only puts a subtle spark of positive energy into the presents, and it doesn’t last very long. What Ethan is suggesting would be difficult and very laborious to implement and maintain. Besides, even if were to change one part of the world - for example, made half the people kind, the other half would probably take advantage of their brothers’/sisters’ kindness and it wouldn’t end well. Ethan and Abbie thank Nicholas for his counsel and return.
- They return to Westgate and then drive back to Manchester. Upon arrival, they write a list of all of the things they’re going to do to try to improve things gradually. Ethan has decided that he wants to introduce some technology which will make a difference to people’s lives - clean energy, food production, clean water. Abbie wants to start developing and empowering people to make a positive difference - leaders, medical professionals, teachers. They start drawing up a list of dos and don’ts. Ethan records the rule that he’s prepared to heal people, but he won’t tamper with them or kill them.
Part 11 - The Doctor’s Daughter
- In the months that follow, Ethan makes some significant changes. Chernobyl is magically cleansed, to the astonishment of the world (another miracle!). Ethan works with an Indian engineer named Kapoor to develop a working Powell-Kapoor reactor to produce clean power. (GM’s note - I’m not saying whether it’s fusion or cosmic energy - it’s just groundbreaking) He has many inventions that he plans to release gradually, but he knows that this will badly disrupt the fossil fuel industries. Kapoor is pictured on the front cover of Time Magazine for the invention of the century - Ethan retains his anonymity even though the invention bears his name.
- Kapoor becomes the front-man for many of the subsequent inventions, whether it be mobile condensers for making drinkable water from moisture in the atmosphere (to help drought affected areas), or the larger vaporators for irrigating crops.
- In the background, Ethan continues to work on Clockworld, seeking to understand what would be involved in achieving control of the realm. He half expects the other sorcerers in Realm 0 to intervene, but to his pleasant surprise, they do not.
- Periodically, Ethan seeds Eidolon infused energy into a number of the water supplies of Great Britain, and then monitors the changes it makes as it flows through the food chain.
- Meanwhile, Abbie records another album, and she works hard to build and inspire a small army of helpers to improve the lives of all those who live in the United Kingdom.
- Medical miracles occur - sudden breakthroughs which seemed impossible are suddenly possible. Ethan has been deliberately helping a number of doctors in key facilities around the country. It is during this time that he meets Thaddeus. Thaddeus is a doctor but he is also a sorcerer. Ethan can see that he has been working hard to find a cure for a degenerative disorder, but he has been unable to find one. Thaddeus’ daughter is afflicted with this condition, and Ethan decides to help.
- Ethan goes to meet Thaddeus in person and Thaddeus doesn’t even bother to erect a defensive ward - he knows that he is totally outclassed. Ethan kindly asks if he might be allowed to help, and Thaddeus gratefully accepts. His wife couldn’t cope with their daughter wasting away like this, so she left. His daughter (now 11) is little more than skin and bones and Thaddeus’ spells are helping to keep her breathing. The condition she is cursed with is very aggressive, and he has been unable to reverse its course through either science or magic.
- Ethan takes a look at Thaddeus’ daughter and finds that she is infected by some sort of parasite which is feeding on magical energy. He reasons that if he tries to use magic, it will attempt to latch onto him, so he decides to put it to sleep - and then he is able to remove it. Using Eidolon, he gently brings her out of danger, and then he decides that he has no choice but to destroy the parasite. Ethan would have preferred to keep it as such a creature could come in useful, but he can’t see any way of containing it safely, so he terminates it.
- Thaddeus can’t believe it - he offers to help Ethan any way he can, even giving him access to his library. Ethan declines the offer, but takes the opportunity to ask for his counsel and to learn more about the other sorcerers.
Part 12 - A New Beginning
- Thaddeus tells him that most of the warlocks and witches on the planet work alone. Very few of them work together. The Circle (an American group which occasionally meddles in politics) is the only significant group, but they only perhaps five now - some were lost in the Sudan. Ethan explains what he is trying to do - to improve the world - and Thaddeus thinks that it is very unlikely that Ethan would be opposed, partly because improving the world is a noble pursuit, but also because Ethan is far more powerful than any sorceror on Earth and no one would dare oppose him. Ethan thanks him for his counsel and says that he’ll be in touch.
- As the months go by, a new level of national pride is visible. Britain is doing great and ground breaking things. The British are a happier people than they were. They are more optimistic. John Major is the most inspiring Prime Minister since the Second World War! It’s not all rosy however - there are many more people who wish to migrate to Britain, and many of their European allies look across the Channel with envious eyes.
- Jacob returns to Realm 0 and Clockworld one day, and finds Ethan exploring the inner workings of Clockworld in an attempt to extend the machine’s functions - to achieve control (or at least influence) over Realm 0. Jacob is wary of this idea and suggests that Ethan proceed carefully. He listens to what happened in the Sudan, and praises him for the way he acted. Jacob leaves shortly after.
- A few days later, Ethan receives an Icon contact from Isabelle - she wants to visit. A little surprised, Ethan accepts the contact and brings her through. She heard from Lucien (who heard from Jacob) that he is doing some work on Clockworld - and she wants to be involved. Ethan agrees, and decides to tell Abbie what is going on lest she think poorly of him. Abbie asks Ethan to invite Isabelle to stay with them (as she knows Clockworld is not particularly comfortable to sleep in), so Isabelle is given the choice of Westgate or Manchester. She chooses to stay in Westgate.
Part 13 - Tea with Thaddeus
- Ethan meets up with Thaddeus again over tea and asks him more about Earth magic. Thaddeus explains that there is little cohesion to magic here on this world, such that most wizards have acquired Sorcery that works in all of the world’s many magical ‘pockets’. Thaddeus confirms that his daughter is feeling much better (she’s been on TV - another medical ‘miracle’) and thanks him again. It is during this time that Ethan asks Thaddeus about divination - foretelling the future. Thaddeus knows that it is possible, but it is also tricky to get an accurate reading on something that is in motion. He himself uses a ‘lesser divination’ to see if anything unusual may happen, and if that tells him that something is going to happen, he then tries to prepare himself accordingly. It’s not always accurate, of course. He didn’t expect Ethan to walk into his office, for example. (GM’s note - that’s a factor of Ethan regularly using ‘mental invisibility’)
- Isabelle and Ethan spend time investigating Clockworld’s functions. Ethan finds Isabelle’s presence a little uncomfortable - she is beautiful and intelligent, and yet quite different to Abbie. Ethan knows that Isabelle knows that he finds her attractive - but she pretends not to notice. Assessing the machine, they decide that it is highly highly complex, but it would be possible for the mechanisms to influence Realm 0 - but new controls would need to be built as Clockworld was never designed this way. Ethan and Isabelle begin working on the modifications.
…. and that’s where we left Session 103 (the adventure). The next session (Session 104) details the time compress from 1993 to 2002 and then Session 105 re-baselines the Grand Stair proximate to Realm 0. After all, with Mastery of the Stair and ten years passed, some changes were made.
GM Commentary
S103, S104 and S105 were run and written up but David was unwell and unable to comment on them before I posted. We ran S106 last night.....
So, yes, things are better. Thanks for the nudge.
So, yes, things are better. Thanks for the nudge.
Monday, 6 February 2017
Wednesday, 11 January 2017
GM Commentary
Session 103 was run last night (10th January) and Session 104 will be run tomorrow night (12th January)..... we may not manage a session next week though.
Friday, 6 January 2017
Session 102 - Settling Down
GM Observations:
- In the first session of 2017, David and I sat down to review the ranking table (which we had not looked at in a very very long time - years), then we talked about the length of a time compress and what we’d like to see happen in the next story arc.
- This was the first session that we used Google Docs as a way of locking down points that were agreed during the time compress. Hence we talked over Google Hangouts (ditched the video on this call) and then talked through a Google Docs document, refining the decisions as we went. In locking down each point, we worked out whether we needed to run an adventure, or whether it was simple footnote.
- Those bullet-points then formed the skeleton of the initial time compress, up to the first adventure. The time compress ended up being less time than we expected because actions taken (by Ethan) have triggered an adventure. The time compress was so short that we decided not to award any advancement points, even though we haven’t awarded any since roughly Session 57!
- Why didn’t we award advancement points? Well, if for example we awarded Ethan 100 points, he can’t spend it on any powers because he can’t suddenly have them. He needs some downtime and an opportunity to develop those abilities. And if he ploughed all of those points into Attributes, we’d hit a different problem. Grant and Ethan can’t go up more than one rank in an advancement so we’d probably find both characters ploughing points into Attributes and being locked into spending only as much as it takes for them to bridge the gap from 2nd Rank to the current 1st Rank. Difficult to visualise? I’ll give an example. Ethan wants to increase his Strength from 12 points (2nd Rank). He can’t spend any more than 8 points because 1st Rank is currently 20 points. This is one of the downsides of infrequent advancements - we’re now stuck because we haven’t given the characters many opportunities to create new ranks above 1st Rank, so we’re caught. It’s a minor issue - we’ll make it work (I’m thinking of awarding them 3 tranches of points so that leapfrogging can happen if one PC ploughes points into Powers but the other ploughs points into Attributes). Most games wouldn’t have this problem - we’ll make it work.
And on that note, I give you the current (pre-advancement) Ranking Table:
Part 1 - Settling Down
- Another New Year. It is now January 1993. Grant and Ethan can scarcely believe it. Where have the last two years gone. Margaret Thatcher is no longer in power, deposed by John Major over two years ago. A coalition of UN forces have invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam Hussein. The Soviet Union has fallen apart - the Cold War is over.
- Grant settles back into life on Marindar with Lady Sophia. Once convinced that the immediate security threat to Marindar is dealt with, he begins opening the Doors and starts working to rebuild Marindar as a centre of trade. Queen Constancia (Constance) remains the reigning sovereign, however Grant adopts the formal title of Protector of the Realm. Lady Sophia previously preferred to keep her relationship with Grant discreet, but that has changed. She is seen openly in the company of the Lord Protector.
- Grant also makes it a priority to assist Drake to find his missing troops on Skamino. Grant, Drake, Yaeger Zane and a squad of Drake’s 151st Legion “The Dragon’s Own” brave the hazardous realm to recover almost thirty soldiers and their descendants who have been marooned in the ‘Forever War’ for hundreds of years. The Wardens of the Stair sense another Warden in the realm (possibly trapped), but the individual proves elusive.
- As things start to settle down on Marindar, Grant and Ethan discuss returning to university (which they discussed more than once but not done). They also agree to explore the landing adjacent to Earth (Realm 0) and find more of the hidden Doors.
- Given that Abbie is so well known, Ethan uses sorcery to construct a ‘glamour’ for each of them so that they walk about normally without being recognised. Abbie asks Ethan if she can be taught the spell. Abbie reveals that she has learnt some sorcery from Sophia, and some from books which Macavity (!!) found. She asks Ethan to teach her more.
- Ethan settles down to spend time with Abbie. He finds one of the rooms in her Manchester house full of books about Earth politics, economics, religion and history - she is clearly seeking to understand how the present came to be, and why people here are the way that they are. They talk about Earth and she asks him many questions which illustrates to him just how different her homeworld (Meridian) is from Earth. Ethan has always been careful not to ask many questions about where she came from as it is a painful subject to her, but from her questions he is able to work out that she comes from a world with a unified government, with a single currency and where the needs of society outweigh the needs of the individual. Unlike Earth which has many religions, Meridian is effectively apatheism - the existence of a higher being or beings was not important to most of her people. She speaks highly of her own society, but to Ethan it sounds like the society was state-controlled with relatively limited personal freedoms, even if Abbie seems to think otherwise.
Part 2 - Moving out of Westgate
- On one of Ethan’s trips back to Westgate Manor, Macavity asks if he can come with Ethan to Manchester and he agrees. Stolvir also insists on coming. Stolvir becomes quite fond of Abbie (and vice versa) and he decides to stay with her. Abbie is also pleased to see Macavity and in the days that follow, she has long conversations with Macavity about theology and political structures - Ethan gets the impression that she and Macavity are kindred spirits.
- Ethan makes a point of going to see Finn (of Mordecai’s Raven Legion) in Fiveways. Ethan puts Finn in touch with Mordecai, and Mordecai extracts the team from Earth.
- As the weeks go by, Abbie starts to explain the changes (and improvements) she wants to make to the world. To begin with, she wants to address world hunger and poverty, but then she wants to make education a priority, particularly in the sciences. Abbie believes the challenge is enormous, but she is clearly driven to make a difference. She encourages Ethan to ‘think big’ and asks him to see if there is anything in Clockworld that they could use. Ethan asks her some questions as to what she thinks of the different Earth governments, and she comments that she thinks that there is a lot of waste but she has more important things to worry about at the moment (like food production).
Part 3 - Assuming Control of Clockworld
- Jacob eagerly hands over the responsibilities of Clockworld to Ethan when asked. The handover is rushed and doesn’t cover everything as Jacob is keen to leave and go home (at last). Jacob is convinced that Ethan can handle it (as he has repaired Clockworld more than once). Wrighting is also integral to Clockworld, but Jacob is sure that Ethan will ‘pick it up’ over time. Besides, some of it is beyond even Jacob and only Lucien understands all of its inner workings. (GM’s note - Bad Stuff means that the handover from Jacob to Ethan is incomplete)
- Jacob shows Ethan the Master Control Room which contains the master settings for Realm 0 - there are settings to change the speed at which time moves relative to the Stair (currently set 1:1) and Ethan knows that it’s possible to roll time back in an emergency situation. Jacob shows Ethan how to use one of the timepieces which can be used as a ‘remote control’ for this realm and he points out that Gearwing will remain with Clockworld (as he is effectively a part of it).The transition from Jacob to Ethan is agreed by the Guardian, a very strong Eidolon creature (who may or may not be an Annunuki). The Guardian reminds Ethan that the seals on this Realm are designed to keep dangerous things inside the realm.
- Jacob gives Ethan an Icon to contact him if needed. He plans to retain Eastgate and he explains that he will be back from time to time.
- Given that Westgate is currently occupied by a large number of cats and ravens, Ethan decides to take up residence in Clockworld. There is only one small room for sleeping and washing, but Ethan makes it comfortable. He moves some of his workshop from the Westgate basement into Clockworld. Clockworld becomes his ‘home’ when he is not in Manchester with Abbie.
Part 4 - Making Changes
- Ethan and Abbie work together to identify changes which can be made to the world to improve things. Ethan makes trips to Chernobyl to try to work out how to remove the radioactivity. He also visits drought/famine affected regions in Africa to see what is happening first hand, and visits Rwanda and Somalia, both of which are in a state of civil war. Ethan is convinced to help but he can see a slippery slope here - it is hard to stop a war without taking sides somewhere.
- Grant makes regular trips to Earth from Marindar and he enrols in a paramedic course in Manchester. (He found that healing on Marindar relies upon sorcery which may not work in all places). Ethan is also very keen to go to university but he ends up in an argument with Abbie about what to study. She discourages him studying medicine, saying that he is already an incredible healer. Reluctantly, Ethan is persuaded to study science and engineering instead.
- Ethan and Grant talk regularly on campus, and Ethan shares some of his thoughts about improving the planet. He worries a little about Abbie and Ethan asks Grant to keep an eye on them both in case they ‘go too far’. Ethan is afraid of losing his objectivity. Grant points out that Ethan needs to have some fun - he can’t work all of the time.
Part 5 - Changes and Distractions
- While Grant is studying on Earth, he receives an urgent Icon contact from Lady Sophia. Grant had long suspected that some fragment of Talos had survived on Marindar. With the news that Talos has returned (or at least part of him), Grant returns to Marindar and quickly deals with the situation. This time, Grant is sure that the threat has been ended permanently.
- Ethan studies biology and chemistry. He is a quick learner and he finds that he enjoys his time at university. But he has little time to make new friends as he’s distracted by Abbie’s plans and he’s frequently making changes to the Earth. On his third attempt, Ethan believes he has figured out a way to remove the radioactivity from Chernobyl without having to remove a large amount of planetary mass. In the meantime, he’s delivering food supplies to starving people in two countries (using sorcery to transport foodstuffs), whilst Abbie is publicly putting her support via the International Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières and half a dozen other international aid organisations. The work is satisfying but Ethan begins using Eidolon more casually, healing sick people, improving crop yields and interfering more frequently. This does not go unnoticed. He senses a scrying spell upon him whilst in Somalia, but when he focusses his attention upon it to study its source, the spell winks out.
- Over the next three months, Ethan intervenes dozens of times. He becomes aware that there are others of power who have sensed what he is doing. Between Abbie and himself, they catch glimpses of the Faceless people, Deep Ones and even small animals behaving strangely (with a strange glow in their eyes). But there is no sign of the Shoggoth creature that plagued the area around Fiveways. It is as though it has disappeared completely, and Ethan cannot even locate it via Wayfinding.
- Over a beer after university, Grant comments that he thinks that Ethan is working too hard. Even though they are still getting out onto the Stair quite regularly (once a week), and gradually they’re mapping out the landing, Grant fears that he’s ‘burning the candle at both ends’. Ethan smiles and reassures him that he’s pacing himself. Grant comments that Ethan is pretty serious about Abbie, and Ethan admits that he’s in love with her. He finds that he thinks of little else even when she’s not around. This pleases Grant (he describes it as the ‘honeymoon period’) and he encourages Ethan to make sure that Abbie knows this.
Part 6 - Finding Arana
- Shortly after, Grant goes to find what happened to Arana (the dark elf) - she was last left in a secure location by Trell. Before heading out into Dwimmerlaik-controlled territory, Grant consults with Lady Vala and Lord Drake. He also takes the opportunity to talk with Drake about the Excalibur project that he discovered on Finbar. Grant is very interested in seeing that project continue and Drake agrees to involve Grant in its future development. Grant takes a circuitous route which only a Master of the Stair could follow. He finds that Arana has moved on, slipped away from the location where he (as Trell) left her. Pressing on, he tracks her down to a domain known as the Slave Markets of Attalan. (GM’s note - which Ethan has been to, back in Session 48) Even though she appears to be laying low here and not in immediate danger, Grant judges that the situation could change in a place where many monstrous creatures prey upon humanoids. Disguised as a Dwimmerlaik, he subdues her, then removes her from the realm. He deposits her in what he considers a ‘safe’ realm for the time being.
Part 7 - Something Unexpected
- Back on Earth, whilst Ethan is continuing to ‘do good’, something unexpected happens. Ethan has been prepared for a magical attack, but he is not prepared for a mundane one. He feels Abbie cry out in pain (he’s psychically sensitive to her). Abandoning any pretense of normality, Ethan teleports to her location in a flash of light, appearing in a chamber full of witnesses. Abbie has just been shot in the foyer of the Steigenberger Grandhotel in Brussels. One of her bodyguards has just tackled and is attempting to disarm the assailant, whilst another shields her. Everyone is in shock. Ethan instinctively slams both Abbie’s assailant and the bodyguard with a massive invisible Force-Push, felling them instantly but also making a mess of the lobby, overturning chairs and tables. Turning his attention to Abbie and her other bodyguard, he finds that she’s lying on the ground and the bodyguard is calling for an ambulance. Despite being shot, she’s still conscious and she insists that it isn’t too bad, even when the blood starts soaking through her clothes. Seeing Ethan, she stammers apologetically (as if it is her fault) that she saw the gun but wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way. She heard two gunshots but it seems that she’s only been hit once on the right side (in the abdomen). He must have been a lousy shot. With the sound of sirens in the distance, Abbie pales and Ethan can tell that she’s going into shock. He holds her hand and uses Eidolon to relax her, take away the pain and stop the blood flow. He knows that he could remove the bullet with sorcery and heal her, but he can’t do it here. Not in front of so many people.
- The ambulance arrives and Ethan decides to go with her. Abbie continues to be mildly apologetic, but Ethan reassures her and she seems happy with that. Holding her hand in the ambulance, he realises just how much she means to him and he can feel her contentment at having him there.
- In the hospital, the surgeons wish to operate on her to physically remove the bullet and stitch her wounds. At this point, Ethan intervenes. Using force of will, he freezes the medical staff in place and then removes the bullet using sorcery. He then repairs the wound using Eidolon, and releases the medical staff to make an inspection and confirm that she has been healed. Ethan feels very tired - his secret has been blown. The doctors can’t believe it - one of them openly wonders if there is some sort of trick. But it is one of the nurses that snaps him out of it and tells him to come with her. Abbie seems to be sleeping so Ethan agrees. The nurse leads him back the emergency section - she shows him a handful of patients that are badly injured. One may not survive. She persuades him to do what he can. Watching him carefully as he’s not a doctor, Ethan nonetheless heals the patients one by one. To finish up, he takes her hand, heals her of mild arthritis and uses the contact to gently forget what he has done here. He tries to do the same of the other doctors who witnessed what he did, but he is not successful. (GM’s note - Bad Stuff)
- Abbie recovers quickly. The police arrive and ask some questions - they are astonished to find that she has recovered so quickly from being shot. It is revealed that her assailant claims to have been her lover (which Abbie denies). It appears that the man is an ordinary but very disturbed man. Ethan is shocked by this - he had no idea that she could be a target for a normal man.
- The next day, the newspaper reports are conflicting and confused. There is a photo of Ethan in the papers - evidently Bartholomew wasn’t able to suppress this one. There is mention of the miraculous recovery of four people in the emergency section of UMC Sint-Pieter (the hospital). Worse, Ethan can feel the occasional scrying eye of another sorcerer (perhaps the same one as before), and he realises that his public actions have now drawn unwanted attention.
- Abbie decides to press on with her itinerary in Brussels and Geneva and try to ‘ride out the noise’. Ethan goes along, wearing a ‘glamour’ to disguise himself. However, in Brussels he sees the Faceless Men on the streets in broad daylight; and in Geneva he feels that some of the changes to the weather systems that he has made to Eastern Africa are being unravelled. Someone else in Realm 0 is working against him.
And that’s where the next adventure begins …. clearly there are entities in Realm 0 (Earth) that are now aware of Ethan’s presence. This is where the next adventure triggers. We’ll continue to the time compress after the adventure concludes.
- In the first session of 2017, David and I sat down to review the ranking table (which we had not looked at in a very very long time - years), then we talked about the length of a time compress and what we’d like to see happen in the next story arc.
- This was the first session that we used Google Docs as a way of locking down points that were agreed during the time compress. Hence we talked over Google Hangouts (ditched the video on this call) and then talked through a Google Docs document, refining the decisions as we went. In locking down each point, we worked out whether we needed to run an adventure, or whether it was simple footnote.
- Those bullet-points then formed the skeleton of the initial time compress, up to the first adventure. The time compress ended up being less time than we expected because actions taken (by Ethan) have triggered an adventure. The time compress was so short that we decided not to award any advancement points, even though we haven’t awarded any since roughly Session 57!
- Why didn’t we award advancement points? Well, if for example we awarded Ethan 100 points, he can’t spend it on any powers because he can’t suddenly have them. He needs some downtime and an opportunity to develop those abilities. And if he ploughed all of those points into Attributes, we’d hit a different problem. Grant and Ethan can’t go up more than one rank in an advancement so we’d probably find both characters ploughing points into Attributes and being locked into spending only as much as it takes for them to bridge the gap from 2nd Rank to the current 1st Rank. Difficult to visualise? I’ll give an example. Ethan wants to increase his Strength from 12 points (2nd Rank). He can’t spend any more than 8 points because 1st Rank is currently 20 points. This is one of the downsides of infrequent advancements - we’re now stuck because we haven’t given the characters many opportunities to create new ranks above 1st Rank, so we’re caught. It’s a minor issue - we’ll make it work (I’m thinking of awarding them 3 tranches of points so that leapfrogging can happen if one PC ploughes points into Powers but the other ploughs points into Attributes). Most games wouldn’t have this problem - we’ll make it work.
And on that note, I give you the current (pre-advancement) Ranking Table:
- Psyche: X+1 [100 points], 1st Rank [65 points], 2nd Rank [25 points], 3rd Rank [5 points], 4th Rank [1 point]
- Strength: X+1 [50 points], 1st Rank [20 points], 2nd Rank [12 points], 3rd Rank [11 points], 4th Rank [4 points]
- Endurance: X+1 [50 points], 1st Rank [20 points], 2nd Rank [10 points], 3rd Rank [8 points], 4th Rank [1 point]
- Warfare: X+1 [100 points], 1st Rank [50 points], 2nd Rank [10 points], 3rd Rank [6 points], 4th Rank [3 points]
Part 1 - Settling Down
- Another New Year. It is now January 1993. Grant and Ethan can scarcely believe it. Where have the last two years gone. Margaret Thatcher is no longer in power, deposed by John Major over two years ago. A coalition of UN forces have invaded Iraq and deposed Saddam Hussein. The Soviet Union has fallen apart - the Cold War is over.
- Grant settles back into life on Marindar with Lady Sophia. Once convinced that the immediate security threat to Marindar is dealt with, he begins opening the Doors and starts working to rebuild Marindar as a centre of trade. Queen Constancia (Constance) remains the reigning sovereign, however Grant adopts the formal title of Protector of the Realm. Lady Sophia previously preferred to keep her relationship with Grant discreet, but that has changed. She is seen openly in the company of the Lord Protector.
- Grant also makes it a priority to assist Drake to find his missing troops on Skamino. Grant, Drake, Yaeger Zane and a squad of Drake’s 151st Legion “The Dragon’s Own” brave the hazardous realm to recover almost thirty soldiers and their descendants who have been marooned in the ‘Forever War’ for hundreds of years. The Wardens of the Stair sense another Warden in the realm (possibly trapped), but the individual proves elusive.
- As things start to settle down on Marindar, Grant and Ethan discuss returning to university (which they discussed more than once but not done). They also agree to explore the landing adjacent to Earth (Realm 0) and find more of the hidden Doors.
- Given that Abbie is so well known, Ethan uses sorcery to construct a ‘glamour’ for each of them so that they walk about normally without being recognised. Abbie asks Ethan if she can be taught the spell. Abbie reveals that she has learnt some sorcery from Sophia, and some from books which Macavity (!!) found. She asks Ethan to teach her more.
- Ethan settles down to spend time with Abbie. He finds one of the rooms in her Manchester house full of books about Earth politics, economics, religion and history - she is clearly seeking to understand how the present came to be, and why people here are the way that they are. They talk about Earth and she asks him many questions which illustrates to him just how different her homeworld (Meridian) is from Earth. Ethan has always been careful not to ask many questions about where she came from as it is a painful subject to her, but from her questions he is able to work out that she comes from a world with a unified government, with a single currency and where the needs of society outweigh the needs of the individual. Unlike Earth which has many religions, Meridian is effectively apatheism - the existence of a higher being or beings was not important to most of her people. She speaks highly of her own society, but to Ethan it sounds like the society was state-controlled with relatively limited personal freedoms, even if Abbie seems to think otherwise.
Part 2 - Moving out of Westgate
- On one of Ethan’s trips back to Westgate Manor, Macavity asks if he can come with Ethan to Manchester and he agrees. Stolvir also insists on coming. Stolvir becomes quite fond of Abbie (and vice versa) and he decides to stay with her. Abbie is also pleased to see Macavity and in the days that follow, she has long conversations with Macavity about theology and political structures - Ethan gets the impression that she and Macavity are kindred spirits.
- Ethan makes a point of going to see Finn (of Mordecai’s Raven Legion) in Fiveways. Ethan puts Finn in touch with Mordecai, and Mordecai extracts the team from Earth.
- As the weeks go by, Abbie starts to explain the changes (and improvements) she wants to make to the world. To begin with, she wants to address world hunger and poverty, but then she wants to make education a priority, particularly in the sciences. Abbie believes the challenge is enormous, but she is clearly driven to make a difference. She encourages Ethan to ‘think big’ and asks him to see if there is anything in Clockworld that they could use. Ethan asks her some questions as to what she thinks of the different Earth governments, and she comments that she thinks that there is a lot of waste but she has more important things to worry about at the moment (like food production).
Part 3 - Assuming Control of Clockworld
- Jacob eagerly hands over the responsibilities of Clockworld to Ethan when asked. The handover is rushed and doesn’t cover everything as Jacob is keen to leave and go home (at last). Jacob is convinced that Ethan can handle it (as he has repaired Clockworld more than once). Wrighting is also integral to Clockworld, but Jacob is sure that Ethan will ‘pick it up’ over time. Besides, some of it is beyond even Jacob and only Lucien understands all of its inner workings. (GM’s note - Bad Stuff means that the handover from Jacob to Ethan is incomplete)
- Jacob shows Ethan the Master Control Room which contains the master settings for Realm 0 - there are settings to change the speed at which time moves relative to the Stair (currently set 1:1) and Ethan knows that it’s possible to roll time back in an emergency situation. Jacob shows Ethan how to use one of the timepieces which can be used as a ‘remote control’ for this realm and he points out that Gearwing will remain with Clockworld (as he is effectively a part of it).The transition from Jacob to Ethan is agreed by the Guardian, a very strong Eidolon creature (who may or may not be an Annunuki). The Guardian reminds Ethan that the seals on this Realm are designed to keep dangerous things inside the realm.
- Jacob gives Ethan an Icon to contact him if needed. He plans to retain Eastgate and he explains that he will be back from time to time.
- Given that Westgate is currently occupied by a large number of cats and ravens, Ethan decides to take up residence in Clockworld. There is only one small room for sleeping and washing, but Ethan makes it comfortable. He moves some of his workshop from the Westgate basement into Clockworld. Clockworld becomes his ‘home’ when he is not in Manchester with Abbie.
Part 4 - Making Changes
- Ethan and Abbie work together to identify changes which can be made to the world to improve things. Ethan makes trips to Chernobyl to try to work out how to remove the radioactivity. He also visits drought/famine affected regions in Africa to see what is happening first hand, and visits Rwanda and Somalia, both of which are in a state of civil war. Ethan is convinced to help but he can see a slippery slope here - it is hard to stop a war without taking sides somewhere.
- Grant makes regular trips to Earth from Marindar and he enrols in a paramedic course in Manchester. (He found that healing on Marindar relies upon sorcery which may not work in all places). Ethan is also very keen to go to university but he ends up in an argument with Abbie about what to study. She discourages him studying medicine, saying that he is already an incredible healer. Reluctantly, Ethan is persuaded to study science and engineering instead.
- Ethan and Grant talk regularly on campus, and Ethan shares some of his thoughts about improving the planet. He worries a little about Abbie and Ethan asks Grant to keep an eye on them both in case they ‘go too far’. Ethan is afraid of losing his objectivity. Grant points out that Ethan needs to have some fun - he can’t work all of the time.
Part 5 - Changes and Distractions
- While Grant is studying on Earth, he receives an urgent Icon contact from Lady Sophia. Grant had long suspected that some fragment of Talos had survived on Marindar. With the news that Talos has returned (or at least part of him), Grant returns to Marindar and quickly deals with the situation. This time, Grant is sure that the threat has been ended permanently.
- Ethan studies biology and chemistry. He is a quick learner and he finds that he enjoys his time at university. But he has little time to make new friends as he’s distracted by Abbie’s plans and he’s frequently making changes to the Earth. On his third attempt, Ethan believes he has figured out a way to remove the radioactivity from Chernobyl without having to remove a large amount of planetary mass. In the meantime, he’s delivering food supplies to starving people in two countries (using sorcery to transport foodstuffs), whilst Abbie is publicly putting her support via the International Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières and half a dozen other international aid organisations. The work is satisfying but Ethan begins using Eidolon more casually, healing sick people, improving crop yields and interfering more frequently. This does not go unnoticed. He senses a scrying spell upon him whilst in Somalia, but when he focusses his attention upon it to study its source, the spell winks out.
- Over the next three months, Ethan intervenes dozens of times. He becomes aware that there are others of power who have sensed what he is doing. Between Abbie and himself, they catch glimpses of the Faceless people, Deep Ones and even small animals behaving strangely (with a strange glow in their eyes). But there is no sign of the Shoggoth creature that plagued the area around Fiveways. It is as though it has disappeared completely, and Ethan cannot even locate it via Wayfinding.
- Over a beer after university, Grant comments that he thinks that Ethan is working too hard. Even though they are still getting out onto the Stair quite regularly (once a week), and gradually they’re mapping out the landing, Grant fears that he’s ‘burning the candle at both ends’. Ethan smiles and reassures him that he’s pacing himself. Grant comments that Ethan is pretty serious about Abbie, and Ethan admits that he’s in love with her. He finds that he thinks of little else even when she’s not around. This pleases Grant (he describes it as the ‘honeymoon period’) and he encourages Ethan to make sure that Abbie knows this.
Part 6 - Finding Arana
- Shortly after, Grant goes to find what happened to Arana (the dark elf) - she was last left in a secure location by Trell. Before heading out into Dwimmerlaik-controlled territory, Grant consults with Lady Vala and Lord Drake. He also takes the opportunity to talk with Drake about the Excalibur project that he discovered on Finbar. Grant is very interested in seeing that project continue and Drake agrees to involve Grant in its future development. Grant takes a circuitous route which only a Master of the Stair could follow. He finds that Arana has moved on, slipped away from the location where he (as Trell) left her. Pressing on, he tracks her down to a domain known as the Slave Markets of Attalan. (GM’s note - which Ethan has been to, back in Session 48) Even though she appears to be laying low here and not in immediate danger, Grant judges that the situation could change in a place where many monstrous creatures prey upon humanoids. Disguised as a Dwimmerlaik, he subdues her, then removes her from the realm. He deposits her in what he considers a ‘safe’ realm for the time being.
Part 7 - Something Unexpected
- Back on Earth, whilst Ethan is continuing to ‘do good’, something unexpected happens. Ethan has been prepared for a magical attack, but he is not prepared for a mundane one. He feels Abbie cry out in pain (he’s psychically sensitive to her). Abandoning any pretense of normality, Ethan teleports to her location in a flash of light, appearing in a chamber full of witnesses. Abbie has just been shot in the foyer of the Steigenberger Grandhotel in Brussels. One of her bodyguards has just tackled and is attempting to disarm the assailant, whilst another shields her. Everyone is in shock. Ethan instinctively slams both Abbie’s assailant and the bodyguard with a massive invisible Force-Push, felling them instantly but also making a mess of the lobby, overturning chairs and tables. Turning his attention to Abbie and her other bodyguard, he finds that she’s lying on the ground and the bodyguard is calling for an ambulance. Despite being shot, she’s still conscious and she insists that it isn’t too bad, even when the blood starts soaking through her clothes. Seeing Ethan, she stammers apologetically (as if it is her fault) that she saw the gun but wasn’t fast enough to get out of the way. She heard two gunshots but it seems that she’s only been hit once on the right side (in the abdomen). He must have been a lousy shot. With the sound of sirens in the distance, Abbie pales and Ethan can tell that she’s going into shock. He holds her hand and uses Eidolon to relax her, take away the pain and stop the blood flow. He knows that he could remove the bullet with sorcery and heal her, but he can’t do it here. Not in front of so many people.
- The ambulance arrives and Ethan decides to go with her. Abbie continues to be mildly apologetic, but Ethan reassures her and she seems happy with that. Holding her hand in the ambulance, he realises just how much she means to him and he can feel her contentment at having him there.
- In the hospital, the surgeons wish to operate on her to physically remove the bullet and stitch her wounds. At this point, Ethan intervenes. Using force of will, he freezes the medical staff in place and then removes the bullet using sorcery. He then repairs the wound using Eidolon, and releases the medical staff to make an inspection and confirm that she has been healed. Ethan feels very tired - his secret has been blown. The doctors can’t believe it - one of them openly wonders if there is some sort of trick. But it is one of the nurses that snaps him out of it and tells him to come with her. Abbie seems to be sleeping so Ethan agrees. The nurse leads him back the emergency section - she shows him a handful of patients that are badly injured. One may not survive. She persuades him to do what he can. Watching him carefully as he’s not a doctor, Ethan nonetheless heals the patients one by one. To finish up, he takes her hand, heals her of mild arthritis and uses the contact to gently forget what he has done here. He tries to do the same of the other doctors who witnessed what he did, but he is not successful. (GM’s note - Bad Stuff)
- Abbie recovers quickly. The police arrive and ask some questions - they are astonished to find that she has recovered so quickly from being shot. It is revealed that her assailant claims to have been her lover (which Abbie denies). It appears that the man is an ordinary but very disturbed man. Ethan is shocked by this - he had no idea that she could be a target for a normal man.
- The next day, the newspaper reports are conflicting and confused. There is a photo of Ethan in the papers - evidently Bartholomew wasn’t able to suppress this one. There is mention of the miraculous recovery of four people in the emergency section of UMC Sint-Pieter (the hospital). Worse, Ethan can feel the occasional scrying eye of another sorcerer (perhaps the same one as before), and he realises that his public actions have now drawn unwanted attention.
- Abbie decides to press on with her itinerary in Brussels and Geneva and try to ‘ride out the noise’. Ethan goes along, wearing a ‘glamour’ to disguise himself. However, in Brussels he sees the Faceless Men on the streets in broad daylight; and in Geneva he feels that some of the changes to the weather systems that he has made to Eastern Africa are being unravelled. Someone else in Realm 0 is working against him.
And that’s where the next adventure begins …. clearly there are entities in Realm 0 (Earth) that are now aware of Ethan’s presence. This is where the next adventure triggers. We’ll continue to the time compress after the adventure concludes.
Sunday, 1 January 2017
Happy New Year 2017 - LEGO LoG&S
And now some more LEGO Lords of Gossamer, probably set in the aftermath of Mowbray's death.... (after Session 100)
1. The Lords of Gossamer go sailing on 'Admiral' Drake's imperial flagship.
2. Another shot of the same.
3. On the prow, Lady Sophia and Lord Grant enjoy a private moment. (too hard to do a 'Titanic' on the front of the ship in LEGO
)
4. In midship, Lady Vala and Lord Lucien discuss the future. (Meanwhile a soldier comes to ask if they need anything)
5. A closeup of Lady Vala and Lord Lucien.
7. 'Admiral' Drake and Mordecai reconcile their differences. (it might be the first time I've used the reverse side of Mordecai's head for the other face). If you look closely, there is another LEGO couple in the background.....
8. Abbie and Ethan enjoy time together ....
9. While Yaeger Zane buzzes an excitable crew member .....
Hope you enjoy this. Happy New Year folks. I hope 2017 is better than 2016.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)