Session 153 - Boraelis, Chapter 2

GM’s Observations
- This session was originally run on 23rd August 2018 but I’m running behind in the writeups. Again, I’m going to keep the session writeup short.

Major Characters
- Macavity, Abbie

* Image by Haryarti on DeviantART

Adversaries
- None

Adventure Hook
- The poor quarter in Harbourtown has just ‘exploded’ in a cloud of blue smoke. Ethan and Macavity escaped just in time.

Adventure Summary
- People are fleeing the poor quarter. It is pandemonium in the streets. The blue cloud seems to strike people dead, sucking the life out of them, and leaving their bodies completely unmarked. Structures are unharmed. Slowly, the smoke dissipates. By the time the smoke has gone completely, there are hundreds dead.
- Ethan and Macavity watch from one of the walkways above street level. There is nothing that they can do. A shaken Ethan contacts Abbie via Icon. It is the middle of the night and she was asleep in their palace in Bloodstone (Legendary Realm). She listens and they talk for some time. She understands that he needs to find out what was being traded here - whatever it is has just killed a lot of people. Ethan explains that he saw a number of caskets. He plans to acquire them and transport them to the Legendary Realm. Abbie agrees to help but points out that any magical enchantment is likely to be many times more powerful in the Legendary Realm. She urges Ethan to take care.
- Steeling himself, Ethan tells Macavity that they have work to do. They go back to the night market to investigate. It is deathly quiet. Everyone is too afraid to return there. A number have popped their tops and one is sitting open. Inside there is padded packaging to hold globes but they are missing. Ethan waits for moonlight to shine through the clouds and it looks like a lot of the invisible items have been badly damaged in the explosion. Of the chests which were being sold, Ethan counts that some are missing. 
- Ethan contacts Abbie and then opens a sorcerous portal through to Heliogabalus (the capital of Bloodstone in the Legendary Realm). He then transports all of the chests through and warns Abbie to be exceptionally careful. (He has it in mind that he’s just given her a consignment of ‘atomic weapons’ which will be significantly more destructive in the Legendary Realm).
- Everything else in the night market which was of value is either dead or destroyed. Ethan takes a piece of debris which is only visible under moonlight in order to study it later. Oddly enough, non-magical china cups and saucers are still intact. The blast didn’t affect those but did leave some residual static in the atmosphere.
- Ethan uses Wayfinding to hunt the remaining chests. He finds a hatch in the floor but the boat beneath has gone. Someone is still dangling from the rope ladder down to the water. Dead. Ethan takes a moment to study the body - the corpse is physically intact but the spark of life has been magically removed. 
- Ethan and Macavity find a skiff and it takes Ethan about an hour to locate another hatch under the pier where he is sure that the other chests have been taken. Ethan listens at the hatch to the sound of voices arguing. There are four different parties. They are angry and upset. The gist of the conversation is that they have recovered goods which were stolen from them but they had no idea that the thieves who stole them didn’t know how to store them properly. All four parties appear to be local as they sound genuinely upset as to how many people they personally knew have died.
- Macavity is bored on the skiff whilst Ethan listens in on the conversation above. Macavity points out that it will be dawn in a few hours. Ethan decides to use a Sleep spell on the people above him. He hears them slump and he opens the hatch. One is an older, burly man. The second is a younger boy whom Ethan has seen before. The third is a young man with a wiry build. The fourth is a woman in her mid-twenties. There are five chests here, all locked, bound with red sashes and wax seals. There are also seven stacks of empty chests. 
- Exploring, Ethan finds their record books. They have kept a trading diary of incomings and outgoings for the last two years (which pre-dates Bastiano’s death). It appears to be legitimate enterprise. The workshop here appears to be putting the padding into the chests, embroidering the sashes and putting the wax seals in place. There is a residual trace of magic here.
- Hunting around, Ethan finds a hidden compartment in the writing desk. The journey within appears to be written in Bastiano’s handwriting, with the last entry only 3 days before Bastiano disappeared. Ethan pockets the diary.
- Contacting Abbie once more, Ethan transports all of the chests, including the empties, to Heliogabalus in the Legendary Realm. It is the middle of the night but Abbie is nonetheless pleased to see Ethan - she is dressed in comfortable clothes of elven make. Together they inspect one of the open chests and find well packed cannonballs that can only be seen in moonlight. Each feels completely solid but they are invisible without the moonlight. They talk, wandering what possible use these devices could have and what Bastiano could be doing with them. Where did they come from? And if these are weapons, how could they be safely deployed?
- Both of them recognise the danger of keeping them here, so Ethan transports them using sorcery to a field more than twenty miles away. This field was once fought over during the Bloodstone Wars. No one farms here. Ethan uses sorcery to excavate a large area and then buries the chests. Ethan notes that the grass seems to be growing quickly over the buried chests, almost as if the Legendary Realm itself is seeking to hide these cannonballs.
- Ethan takes Abbie’s hand and thanks her for helping. Abbie smiles and suggests that they go home. They return to the palace together. Macavity finds a fireplace in the palace to warm himself and he goes to sleep.
- Ethan does not wake at dawn. He sleeps in a little and takes pleasure in having breakfast with Abbie before returning to Boraelis with Macavity. 
- In Boraelis, on the ‘morning after’, people are in shock. No one can quite believe what has happened and that so many people have died. There are many funeral rites being performed. Ethan and Macavity pretend to have slept through the previous night’s explosion. Ethan asks questions and listens in on the conversations between various merchants. No one seems to know what has happened. There is talk of Bastiano’s ‘old business’ but it is not clear as to what that means.

Other Impacts
- A large quantity of ghostly cannonballs with the potential for mass destruction have been stored in the Legendary Realm where they will many times more powerful. No doubt Ethan will come to rue this decision but where else could he have put them?

Session 152 - Boraelis, Chapter 1

GM’s Observations
- We’ve continued on running this game (currently up to Session 166) but it takes a lot of time to write these session write-ups and I’m a long way behind. Session 152 was run in mid-August 2018.
- I’m going to keep these session write-ups brief (<1 hour per session writeup), otherwise it would just take me far too long.
- In Session 151, Bastiano was killed/removed from the timeline. However, he was a powerful Lord of Gossamer with many realms and many interests across those realms. The race is on to claim what was once his Empire.

Major Characters
- Macavity

* Image sourced via Google Images

Adversaries
- None

Adventure Hook
- Drake contacts Ethan via Icon and asks him to investigate a realm called Boraelis. Bastiano had a Door there into a place called Harbourtown which is some sort of smugglers’ paradise. Drake sent some of the Raven Legion in (Mordecai’s people) but they haven’t been able to find out why this place is important. Why would Bastiano care about such a place? Drake comments that fighting has broken out elsewhere so he’s withdrawn Mordecai’s people.

Adventure Summary
- Ethan agrees to Drake’s request (Drake asked nicely). Macavity is interested in coming along - a port must have plenty of fresh fish. Ethan follows Drake’s directions to Boraelis - he goes through a number of realms which Bastiano once controlled. One is high tech with futuristic flying cars. The next is a primitive world with large quantities of naturally occurring crystals. Bastiano has a mining operation there. There are other Doors leading to various warehouses which hold goods and equipment from different places. All of these Doors are close and the route is very easy. There are many places to eat, places to get supplies. Some are bolt holes. 
- The Door to Boraelis is sea-weathered with an anchor symbol on it. Opening the Door, Ethan smells the sea.
- Harbour Town is a seaside town with cobblestone streets and wooden buildings. Some buildings have second floors which are made of a different type of wood. There are walkways between the buildings.
- It is daytime and people are walking around, going about their business. Ethan’s musketeer outfit blends in well. He wanders around the trading port. This place is sun-drenched, weathered by sea and storm and everyone is working hard. Most of the faces are European and there are strange accents here.
- Ethan finds a high point to overlook the city and docklands. The merchants appear to have bigger houses on the hillside whilst most of the poorer people live closer to the harbour. There are many piers which jut out into the harbour and buildings have been erected on top of them, making it possible to offload from the many sailing ships in the harbour, sail skiffs under the piers and then offload into the warehouses above. Ethan finds the sailing ships in the harbour very interesting. They are much larger than the sailing ships from the 1700s on Earth. The largest have three masts. The largest ships are made from the same redwood as the older structures in Harbourtown. There doesn’t seem to be much magic here - the people make do with the mundane.
- Macavity can smell fish and he encourages Ethan to find a fish market. There is a wide variety of seafood here and they sit down to take in the scenery whilst Macavity munches away on some fresh fish.
- After a meal, they wander around. Ethan tries to figure out where Bastiano would stay when he was here. Some of the original stone houses here look solid and well furnished. The wood in these structures appears to be of high quality. Many of the ships in the harbour are made from the same material - it looks like the saltwater strengths the wood.
- They settle down to watch the comings and goings in the port. Eventually they grow bored and find a decent place to stay in the merchant quarter. The inn has a sign of a sun rising over a hill with two trees but no name on it. Inside, Ethan organises a room and he asks after his ‘business partner’ (Bastiano). The innkeeper remembers him but hasn’t seen him in a long time. She describes him as colourful company and suggests that he go to find Old Sam and gives him a coin to pass along. 
- Ethan finds a man in tattered clothes by the local fountain. He has a strong mind but is not a Warden. Ethan decides to ignore him and returns to the innkeeper, mentioning that he couldn’t find Old Sam. 
- The food in the inn that night is very good. When the sun sets, he contact Abbie via Icon and talks to her for a while. It’s pleasant conversation. Then he tries to contact Grant via Icon but Grant is busy.
- That night, someone tries to break into Ethan’s room. Two teenagers climb in through the window but are surprised to find that Ethan and Macavity are not there. In fact, they are there but Ethan has used his favourite spell (Mental Invisibility) to hide themselves. Confused, the two teenagers leave and Ethan follows them from a distance. The teenagers walk across the rooftops - walkways have been put in place between the structures - they appear to be afraid of the ‘walkers’ on the ground level. Eventually they drop to street level in the poor quarter and make their way cautiously to one of the warehouses which is built on top of the lattice of piers. There Ethan and Macavity find a night market where hawkers are selling strange and wonderful things. Powders, creatures, pelts and gems are for sale. There are weapons here but very few. Patrons show a gold coin to get past the bouncers at the door.
- Passing by the bouncers using Mental Invisibility, Ethan and Macavity wander around. They find a cordoned off section and the guards are too close to shuffle past. Ethan puts one to sleep (he collapses) and then slips past. 
- Wandering further, Ethan and Macavity find that there are a number of enchanted items being sold here which are only visible in moonlight. There are pearls, translucent weapons, pieces of wood (which look like they have come from a ship) and some old coins. But the main items appear to be thirty sealed wooden chests. Ethan is curious as to what is inside. It must be valuable as a number of parties here appear keen to bid on these caskets. One of the chests is slightly ajar and Ethan can sense ‘power’ within.
- The auction starts and Ethan settles back to watch. The bidding is high. It is clear that they are auctioning off Bastiano’s property. Relaxed, Ethan spots two people carrying another chest into the hall. The seal on the casket is broken and they are having trouble with the weight. Suddenly alarmed, Ethan glances at Macavity only to find that Macavity has cast a Recall spell and vanished in a bubble of green light. Ethan realises that something really bad is going to happen and he runs for it, dropping the Mental Invisibility and attempting a Teleport back to the Inn.
- Suddenly back in the Inn, there is a thunderclap heard in the distance which makes the shutters rattle. His first thought is for Macavity and he pulls out a cat-shaped Icon and confirms that he is safe (only a few blocks away). Macavity tells him shakily to look outside. Heading out into the street, he finds that a cloud of blue smoke, hundreds of metres across, with tiny white motes of light in it has enveloped the poor quarter. It is magical but not something that he has seen before. The cloud is dissipating fast. He can sense the fear and panic of the people around him. 

Other Impacts
- None

GM Commentary

BelleSorciere wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 30, 2018 8:00 am

I've had distractions that kept me from keeping up with this. IDK if anyone else is still following along, but curious if it's still a going thing.

Also, a much belated congratulations on making it for five years.

Thanks BelleSorciere, yes we're still playing. We ran Session 162 last Thursday. Another 2 weeks and we'll have this year's Christmas special.

It takes a long time to write these up and post. I've just been very busy. Maybe I'll get some of it posted up during the Christmas break.

Since we did a lot of 'big stuff', most of the sessions of late have been one-shots, exploring realms, trying to find out what is left of Bastiano's empire now that he is dead.

Feedback from BelleSorciere

I've had distractions that kept me from keeping up with this. IDK if anyone else is still following along, but curious if it's still a going thing.

Also, a much belated congratulations on making it for five years.

5 Year Anniversary of the Grant/Ethan game!

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



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

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



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

Session 150 - Lucien Returns

GM’s Observations
- A major milestone. 150 sessions. But not quite into our 6th year of the game just yet. A few more weeks for that.
- This session sees the rebel Lords of Gossamer trying to keep one step ahead of their many enemies, restore Lucien’s memories, and then to find a way to neutralise Bastiano.

Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan, Lucien, Greywalker, Isabelle, Dayle

Adversaries
- Emperor Bastiano is throwing many of his agents against the PCs. These include Prince Grant (an Eidolon Master originating from the Legendary Realm), a young clone of Lucien with a copy of Lucien’s memories, an ‘Angel’, Mordecai and his Raven Legion and Yaeger Zane. Basically the Emperor is throwing everything at them.
- There are also Demons who are tracking Ethan because he traded a sample of blood in Session 147 for information. They are effectively bounty-hunters / assassins.

Adventure Hook
- This session carries straight on from Session 149 Part 2. Ethan and Isabelle are working on building the machine that will restore Lucien’s memories.

Adventure Summary - Restoring Lucien
- Grant wakes in Maya, Lucien’s observatory/safehouse which is accessible from Mechanus. There are no doors or Doors within Maya, except for the entrance. Grant feels only partly rested - he feels hungover, no doubt due to the strong Eidolon nature of this place. A golden serving droid, Number Eleven, serves him food. It does not talk when he tries to question it. He reads the note from Ethan that one of the elder Lords of Gossamer, Dayle, has been in contact with them. Jalt is in touch with her. He finishes his breakfast and decides to look around.
- Grant finds the great observatory. Isabelle ditched one of the backpacks here, and some of its contents are lying to one side. The bag is only partly unpacked. He finds a clockwork elevator with waist-high guard rails (no door).
- Using Wayfinding, he can tell that there are three other Lords of Gossamer present (Ethan, Isabelle and Greywalker). He has masked himself out of habit. The pocket realm of Maya seems to be heavily warded. He finds his sense of Wayfinding to be dampened somewhat.
- As he looks around he finds there are many different chambers here - laboratories, storage rooms, libraries, workshops. There is a mix of clockwork and mechanical machines here with a wide variety of different power sources. It seems that Lucien left a lot of junk and half-finished pieces here.
- It’s quiet here. Grant decides to review his memory orb, and he uploads his latest memories into it. Eleven serves him some herbal tea. A few minutes after he has finished, Greywalker comes into the chamber. Grant asks how he is feeling and Greywalker says that he has recuperated well. He accepts a cup of tea from Eleven and sits down with Grant to talk over their next steps. Greywalker is assuming that by restoring Lucien that Lucien will have a mechanism to undo what Bastiano has done. Grant says that he may have an alternative if Lucien does not have some sort of device that they can use. He explains to Greywalker that Clockworld may be able to be used. After listening, Greywalker points out that using Clockworld depends upon Lucien’s willingness to help.
- Greywalker doesn’t have much of an alternative if Lucien can’t help. The Draconian Empire is strong and could potentially be used against Bastiano, but to date nothing has been able to stop him. 
- Dayle reappears to warn them that their location has been discovered. Greywalker greets her politely and says that it has been an age since he last saw her. She explains that there are many groups tracking them but one has arrived in Mechanus itself. Grant goes to wake Ethan and Isabelle, and finds that they are already up.
- Isabelle is adamant that their enemies cannot enter Maya. She and Ethan get back to work. Greywalker and Grant go to the observatory and start work. The telescope is directed inwards towards an Obsidian Orb which Isabelle brought from the Athenaeum. Greywalker explains to Grant that events across the multiverse will be imprinted upon an Obsidian Orb, making it possible to scry upon the present and past. It is not an easy thing to do as the echoes of past events are very faint, and the sheer volume of imprints upon the Orb make it like searching for a needle through a very, very large number of haystacks. However, some locations and some events ‘shine brighter’ than others. Greywalker suggests using Shatterlight as a zeroing point. 
- After a few hours of work, Isabelle’s voice comes through one of the speakers. A screen shows Grant and Greywalker that an ‘Angel’ is standing outside the front door of Maya. It is large, humanoid and very beautiful. It glows with a golden light and it carries a flaming sword. It appears to be guarding the door so that no one will get out. Isabelle notes that someone has already tried to tamper with Mechanus’ reality but has been unsuccessful. Grant asks her why another Warden couldn’t just open the Door, and she says that there is only one Key, and only she or Lucien can open the Door to Maya. 
- Grant immediately wonders if it would be possible to fabricate another Lucien and create a copy of the key. Isabelle thinks on the idea, and says that it probably wouldn’t work but there is a pang of doubt in her voice. Grant and Greywalker carry on working. They manage to zero the telescope on Shatterlight and begin investigating back in the timeline. The older echoes are more pronounced. The recordings in the past are stronger than more recent echoes. It seems to be a function of the Obsidian Orb.
- Meanwhile the wards on the exterior of the house are being tested. A troop of soldiers turns up. Grant identifies them as being part of Mordecai’s Raven Legion. Prince Grant turns up and begins examining the lock mechanism, but he can’t open the Door.
- Mordecai and Yaeger Zane turn up in Mechanus. Yaeger is wearing a golden hockey mask which obscures his face. He carries a diamond-edged chainsword - but he is unable to cut his way into Maya. 
- The strong Eidolon presence in this place keeps the Lords of Gossamer alert and hard at work. They do not tire in this place. Two days pass. A child-like Lucien makes an attempt to open the Door to Maya but is unable to do so. This latest attempt makes Grant concerned. He wonders if it would be possible for an Umbra Master to imitate Lucien and open the Door. He discusses destroying the Door to Mechanus as a last resort. Meanwhile Grant and Greywalker have managed to find Marindar in the Obsidian Orb, and there is evidence in the Orb of different versions of history being imprinted on the stone. There is no imprint of the other timeline, but something else is changing reality not just in the present, but in the past as well. Grant is spooked by this - this means that Bastiano has access to something like Fiorin - something which can rewrite reality.
- Dayle appears once more to provide an update. She tells them that they have attracted a great deal of attention. There are many demons who have gathered in the vicinity but they cannot enter Mechanus. Bastiano is clearly sending many of his people to try and open the Door to Maya. Suddenly, the connection is cut. Dayle winks out of view, and Isabelle confirms that somehow, impossibly, their enemies are exercising control over the gossamer reality of Mechanus. The time rate is changing. 
- Grant is horrified by the idea that the enemy could effectively be immobilising them by altering the time rate. He grabs the key from Isabelle and races for the front Door. Shifting form to become Lucien, he uses the key and his Mastery of the Stair to re-point the Door to somewhere else. He joins the Door to another blank Door on the hidden landing (ie: close to Realm 0). The sensors on Maya’s exterior go dead. Grant knows that he has done the right thing, but he doesn’t know how close they came to the Door being opened. He knows that the home landing is hidden and difficult to find, but they will be coming. 
- Greywalker is urged to contact Dayle, which he does via Icon. Dayle is surprised to hear from them - she thought they might have been dead. It has been months since they last spoke. She tells them that she has spotted Oscar in demon-controlled realms - he is clearly searching for something. Jalt left when he thought that the others had failed - he is ‘being disruptive’ to Bastiano but she comments that his luck at escaping ‘close calls’ is likely to run out sooner or later. Grant and Greywalker quickly discuss the situation and Dayle is asked to find more blank Doors that can be used so that Grant can keep moving the Door. 
- She agrees to this and Grant remains on Door duty whilst Isabelle and Ethan work tirelessly on the machine to bring back Lucien’s memories, and Greywalker continues to probe history in search for answers. On the next day, Greywalker thinks he may have something. The event where the Dwimmerlaik Empress swore loyalty to Bastiano was most unusual and he has some ideas as to what may have happened. He goes looking for another piece of corroborating evidence.
- After two days of shifting the Door from place to place, the machine is ready. Lucien’s body is prepared. Isabelle has an Icon of Lucien to use as a focus (GM’s note - in this reality, Isabelle has Wrighting, not Invocation) Grant convinces them that Bastiano will expect them to try this and the need to be prepared for a Breath of Eden attack. He advises an extra day or two to develop some countermeasures. Greywalker offers to help with this.
- While Grant continues to shift the Door from place to place, the other Lords make final preparations and then activate the machine. To their great relief, the machine works and Greywalker has prevented anyone from following the Icon to their location. Greywalker looks over Lucien, and then once satisfied that the process has worked, he goes back to work on the Obsidian Orb. Ethan gently uses Eidolon to coax Lucien awake. Lucien opens his eyes and says “who the hell are you?” to Ethan. (GM’s note - Ethan has Bad Stuff) Isabelle hugs Lucien, much to Lucien’s surprise. He doesn’t know what all the fuss is about.
- Isabelle and Ethan bring Lucien up to speed. Lucien asks for food and eats quickly. He is very skinny. Lucien listens as the story is told. He is alarmed by the amount of time that has passed. He suggests that they need to get to Clockworld as swiftly as possible.

Adventure Summary - Clockworld
- Lucien takes over from Grant and repoints the Door to another location on the Stair which he doesn’t believe that their enemies can easily trace. Grant retires to get some rest. Lucien listens to all that has happened from Isabelle, Greywalker and Ethan, and hears more when Grant is rested.
- Lucien surmises that there are two Clockworlds currently in operation. Hence there is a need to get to Clockworld and sort out this situation quickly. He has a Master Key to Clockworld. However, Greywalker convinces him to delay his plans for a day or two until he confirms his theory as to how Bastiano is meddling with the timeline. It takes Greywalker less time than expected. He points out that Bastiano is wearing a silver crown of unknown origin when he meets with the Dwimmerlaik Empress - and each time he achieves the impossible, Bastiano is wearing he same crown. Greywalker thinks that this artefact is the source of Bastiano’s power. Grant confirms this as he recognises the crown from the Dragons’ Graveyard. He knows that Abbie even used this crown briefly in the original timeline, and it warps gossamer reality to match the wielder’s viewpoint.
- Grant asks Dayle to project herself to the Dragons’ Graveyard and confirm that the silver crown is gone. She is able to do this, confirming that Bastiano has the device.
- Lucien insists that they head to Clockworld at once given that Bastiano has such a device. Grant fears that it could be a trap but Lucien checks one of his compass-like devices and confirms that the Clockworld defences are still active.
- The Lords of Gossamer head to Clockworld. Lucien is very confident that he can fix this situation. 
- Clockworld is just as Grant remembers it. It is vast, complex, and constantly moving. 

* Image by Shortgreenpigg on DeviantART
- The energy radiated from Clockworld is strong in Eidolon, but it is not as piercing as that on Mechanus. Grant tolerates it. As they make their way through the superstructure, they are confronted by a glowing figure. She is a slim lady with long hair and she carries a rapier. Lucien recognises her as Veronique, and convinces her to let them pass.
- As they move on, Lucien comments that Clockworld creates ghostly copies of those who have died as its defenders. The next defender is a lady with a wide brimmed hat. Lucien is sad to see Jessamyn amongst the dead. Again he talks with her and convinces her to let them pass.
- They reach the control room. A glowing figure dressed in golden plate mail awaits them. This is Drake. Again, Lucien has to convince Drake to let them pass. Drake is wary of Grant (he ‘reeks of Umbra’) but Lucien convinces Drake to let them pass.
- Taking control of Clockworld, Lucien decides upon a course of action to unite the two Clockworlds into a single entity. This is a major undertaking, but he directs the programme of work and Ethan, Isabelle, Greywalker and Grant assist him to complete this task. This activity takes months of work, during which time Grant and Lucien spend a lot of time talking about strategy. Isabelle, Ethan and Greywalker do the bulk of work on Clockworld’s mechanism. Grant gets to know the Eidolon-ghost of Drake, and enjoys sparring with him. In the meantime, Ethan and Isabelle become very close - Isabelle agrees to go exploring with Ethan on the Stair ‘when this is all over’.
- Lucien drops his other self (imprisoned in the other Clockworld) off.
- Bastiano is confirmed as having his seat of power in the Legendary Realm, not in Marindar.
- Ethan suggests swapping the silver crown with another device, or tampering with it. Grant suggests tainting it with the Breath of Eden, hoping to cripple Bastiano when he first acquires the crown. This is done and a new timeline appears - one without Bastiano in ‘current control’, but it is not clear whether Bastiano has been actually neutralised or has simply gone to ground. In this revised timeline, it is noted that Oscar succeeds in finding Vala in demon-controlled Gossamer Realms.
- With Bastiano out of the way, attention then turns to how to change the timeline back to what it was, and how to reconcile their desire to help Jalt in the distant past. It becomes clear to Grant that Lucien’s goals are not aligned with his. He considers double-crossing Lucien but can’t see how to do it without significant risk.
- Grant and Lucien talk over many months. Grant tries to convince Lucien not to intervene, but Lucien is keen to ensure that Isabelle becomes a Warden. Grant points out the flaws of this - it would create a paradox for him, and for Isabelle. If Isabelle is a Warden before she meets Ethan, there would be no meeting between them. Ethan would never rescue Lucien. If Lucien prevents his own capture by the Red Eyed Dwimmerlaik, then there are broader changes to the timeline. He strongly recommends that he not change events which could lead to paradox. They know that Umbra Masters are immune to paradox but others are not.
- They also discuss how to permanently deal with Bastiano. Bastiano remains a threat even if he has lost his mind. They can’t kill him because of the impact to Marindar, Sophia and the Great War. Lucien listens carefully to Grant’s ideas on this but remains non-committal.
- With Clockworld fully operational, Grant convinces Lucien to go back into the past to observe Jalt’s ‘origin’ - to see whether Jalt’s recollections are accurate or badly warped. There, they witness a calamitous event where a Typhonian’s corporeal form falls into earth like a falling star. Lucien’s jaw drops with astonishment as he realises that this thing is a semi-divine creature, not dead and yet not truly alive. He realises that Drake knew of all of this, but he did not. The decaying body begins affecting the landscape, warping and changing things. After seeing this, Grant becomes convinced that they cannot interfere with what happened here. There are too many parties that would be impacted by ‘saving’ Jalt. Drake was here. Jalt was separated from the other scouts and corrupted by his proximity to the dark god’s flesh. There is no evidence that the girl that he was chasing ever left the pit. It is possible that some sort of Umbral shadow did walk out, but it wasn’t the person who went in. They are left in the awkward position that they can’t do what Jalt wants them to do without changing the timeline significantly. Grant muses over telling Jalt the truth. He doesn’t know whether this would offer him a measure of peace of not.
- Unfortunately Grant is unable to curb Lucien’s desire to meddle in the timeline. Grant knows that Lucien will try to alter circumstances so that Isabelle will be a Warden. He seems blind to the consequences of such a choice. Thinking long and hard, Grant convinces Lucien to witness Isabelle’s accident which affected her ability to become a Warden. Studying the accident, Lucien realises that he has misunderstood the cause and that he can either prevent the accident, or take steps in the ‘future’ to help her to overcome her reliance on his Compass and become a real Warden of the Stair. The answer is simple if only Grant can convince Lucien not to help Isabelle by preventing the accident in the first place.

Other Impacts
- Session 151 will conclude this story arc as Grant and Lucien try to reconcile their differences and navigate a solution. I appreciate that the above narrative is very dense. David and I have agreed that after Session 151 there will be no more time travel ‘shenanigans’.

Session 149 Part 2 - The Flight to Mechanus

GM’s Observations
- As per the Part 1 writeup, unfortunately I was sick for about two weeks so ended up sharing blocks of the narrative (Jalt’s story) via email prior to the actual session. This part of the write-up contains what actually happened during the session.
- Up until now, Grant and Ethan have been relatively lucky in avoiding Bastiano’s hunters, the Marindan Defenders, the Dwimmerlaik and numerous bounty-killers who are after them. But their luck is about to run out ….

Major Characters
- Grant, Ethan, Lucien, Greywalker, Isabelle, Jalt

Adversaries
- The Marindan Defenders, consisting of:

• Morrison, who is armed with a green power ring (similar to a Green Lantern)
• A grey-furred squirrel who is piloting a set of powered armour and carries a BFG (Big @#$&ing Gun).
• A Son of Saul
• A Technoknight, dressed in gold and black armour.

- The Black Knife, an elite group of Dwimmerlaik soldiers, consisting of:

• Gradik - a muscular Dwimmerlaik, clad in black and silver scale mail, and wielding a silver hammer (of thunderbolts)
• His squad of Dwimmerlaik soldiers, who wield shields that were once ornaments on the Stair (and are hence completely impervious).
• Belgarian - a Dwimmerlaik witch who specialises in counterspells/blocking magic.

Adventure Hook
- This session follows straight on from Session 148. They have found Lucien, who is being cared for by Isabelle. Jalt has switched sides.

Adventure Summary - Part 1 - At the Athenaeum
- Jalt finishes telling his story. Grant was hoping that there would be more to go on - Bastiano, Jalt and possibly even Lucien seem to have changed many things in this timeline. Jalt is an unreliable witness but it seems almost hopeless to unravel or reverse all of these changes unless they can find a way of pinpointing either when the Faraday Queen timeship first arrived, or when they first started interfering. Taking charge of the situation, Grant recommends that the next order of business is to restore Lucien’s memories. He explains that he has experience with the Breath of Eden that Bastiano used and that he was part of the team which built the machine to restore the memories. Isabelle brightens at this suggestion.
- Grant shares what he knows of the process to restore Lucien’s memories. He uses the memory orb to share this with the others. Isabelle studies the procedure and then says that she knows where they should go and what they need to take. Ethan is equally fascinated by Grant’s memory orb - he asks if he could study it but Grant declines. He is worried that this could create even greater divergence.
- They make preparations to leave. They need to reach a place that is secure enough that they can restore Lucien and the Athenaeum is too open. There are too many rooms, too many archways and too much cover should an enemy find this place. Isabelle begins assembling equipment. They have many spare backpacks and she begins packing what she can.

* Image sourced from Google Images
- After two hours, Ethan notes that he hasn’t seen Jalt in about ten minutes. Grant and Ethan go looking for him and find him only two rooms away, standing rigidly. Irritation flickers across his face as he gets back to work. Grant uses Umbral Sight, half-expecting a hostile in the room but there is no immediate threat. A tense five minutes follows, and then suddenly Jalt heads to Ethan and hands him the broken Icon once more. Jalt says that he can’t stay here - and he’s going to take a walk. Grant asks how Jalt will find them again, and Jalt says that he won’t find them - he’ll find what Ethan has been given. Jalt promptly leaves the Athenaeum without explaining where he is going. The other Lords of Gossamer have the distinct impression that he was contacted via Icon. They don’t think he ratted them out, but they can’t be sure. They hurry with the packing. 
- Ethan has constructed a chair-like backpack which is suitable for carrying Lucien. Isabelle straps on a second backpack, carrying the most vital supplies. Grant and Greywalker each carry a backpack.
- Isabelle leads them out of the Athenaeum via a backdoor which is hidden behind a bookcase. She explains that they are heading for Mechanus, a place that the Dwimmerlaik will not go.

Adventure Summary - Part 2 - The Mobile Stair
- This section of Stair is unlike any that Grant or Ethan have seen before. It consists of ladders, platforms and gantries as many other sections of Stair, but the complex moves on a clockwork cycle. The routes change. New Doors are exposed. Old Doors become hidden. There is a thick mist in this space but there are no obvious walls. The mist inhabits a void.
- Shutting the Door behind them, Isabelle explains that the Dwimmerlaik almost certainly don’t know about this section of the Stair. Also, Wayfinding is hard here because the Stair moves. She demonstrates that it is possible to alter the Stair’s configuration by using controls built into the platforms and gantries. These controls are well concealed as part of the structure - the twist of a handle, the press of a hidden button and the configuration of the Stair changes.
- They travel swiftly along the Stair with Isabelle in the lead and Grant bringing up the rear. Occasionally they have to pause - Isabelle checks an elaborate timepiece from time to time - and she seems to know the natural timing of the Stair in this section. At last, they reach a new Door which is made of shimmering chitinous material. The Door appears to be floating, connected only thinly to the gantry at the Door’s base.

Adventure Summary - Part 3 - The Kuari Princess
- Isabelle opens the Door and the Lords of Gossamer find themselves in a large lounge. Above them are large glass windows and beyond them, stars like small moons float by in a sea of deep blue coloured mist. They appear to be on some sort of vessel, like the Sparrowhawk.
- Surveying the place, Isabelle comments that it appears not to have changed. She consults her timepiece again and says that they need to be back at the same Door in fifty-two hours. In the mean time, they need to lie low and avoid detection. Grant checks with Ethan and Ethan confirms that he already has a Mental Invisibility spell in place (it’s becoming habit). 
- Looking around, they find many different races here. Most are humanoid but none are human. The closest to human here are a race of thin humanoids with pale blue skin and protruding foreheads. The Lords try to find a berth but all are full and trying to persuade the purser does not work. Ethan produces the deep orange Beguiling Jacinth that Grant stole from Marindar, with the result that the purser is awestruck and will do anything Ethan asks. A room suitable for four passengers is found, quickly renovated and readied for them. Isabelle is impressed. Grant wonders if Isabelle has herself been affected by the Jacinth as she begins to warm up to Ethan.

* Image by jas-tham on DeviantART 
- In their cabin, Isabelle begins casting spells (GM’s note - she is an accomplished sorcerer in this timeline) to conceal their presence and block scrying. The warding is so potent that it significantly dampens their Wayfinding even to the nearby Door. Ethan compliments her and she blushes.
- Over the next two days, the four Lords of Gossamer talk and plan. Food is organised via room service. All have itchy feet but they dare not go outside the warded chamber.
- Isabelle explains that Mechanus is a realm of machine people. It is a strong Eidolon world where Icons do not work easily. Lucien has a workshop there.
- Grant shares his memory orb to help them understand how the Breath of Eden was reversed in the original timeline. Isabelle asks a lot of questions and Ethan listens intently. She is clearly a scientist and an engineer at heart. Together the two of them start designing a machine and the components that they will need to fabricate. Grant again notes a spark of interest between Isabelle and Ethan. They seem to bounce ideas off each other very well. 
- Meanwhile, Greywalker snoozes.
- As they work, Isabelle asks about both Grant and Ethan - where they have come from, their connection to one another and their motivations. Again, she seems to warm to Ethan over Grant. Grant is more intimidating with his colossal knowledge of multiple timelines. Ethan is simpler and easier to understand - he’s only recently become a Lord of Gossamer, he’s following others’ leads, he trusts Grant, and he wants to help Lucien and Isabelle without any apparent agenda or ulterior motive. Grant smiles inwardly at the spark between Isabelle and Ethan - there was a spark in the original timeline too so he is not surprised that it has manifested here too.

Adventure Summary - Part 4 - Returning to the Stair
- Fifty two hours pass. The Lords of Gossamer count down the remaining minutes and head to the Door, knowing that the configuration on the other side will have changed. However, things do not quite go according to plan. In the few minutes between leaving their berth and reaching the Door, Ethan feels the tug of an Icon contact. The tug becomes a push. Someone, or probably many someones, are pushing hard.
- Focusing to keep them out of his mind, Ethan calls out a warning to the others while he draws an Eidolon-enhanced pistol. They have been found.
- A dozen heavily armoured Dwimmerlaik with polished broad shields materialise on one side in the lounge. They are led by a narrow-eyed Dwimmerlaik, clad in silver and black, who wields a massively heavy silver hammer. They quickly interlock shields behind their leader.
- On the other side, another group materialises in a green shimmer. Grant recognises the Marindan Defenders - he spots Morrison. 

* Image by Graysun_D on DeviantART
- Accompanying Morrison is a Son of Saul, a knight in black and gold armour and an individual (who appears to be a squirrel) sitting inside a twelve-foot high set of powered armour. The Lords of Gossamer are immediately encased in a green force bubble.
- Grant realises that these two groups are operating independently. He uses Umbra, and cuts loose with a shadow-lance to try to kill Morrison. The black spear penetrates the green shield, cracking it, but Morrison evades. Immediately the squirrel fires a canister through the breach in the shield from its BFG (GM’s note - yes, ‘Big F$%#ing Gun’).
- Ethan grabs Isabelle’s hand and triggers a Sorcerous Teleport. He hasn’t done this before, and unfortunately there is a Dwimmerlaik Witch who is trying to prevent Sorcerous escape. Using all of his formidable willpower (GM’s note - Dominant rank Psyche), Ethan forces the spell through, but it misfires. Ethan and Isabelle vanish, along with Lucien (strapped to his back), Greywalker (whom Ethan didn’t mean to take) and some random nearby objects - a comfortable chair, a vending machine and a flying robot waiter carrying a platter of food. Grant notes the explosion of black smoke isn’t Ethan’s normal teleport and he simply has to hope that Ethan knows what he is doing.
- Grant consumes the canister with Umbra as the breach in the green force shield closes up. Whatever the canister was can’t hurt him whilst it’s wrapped in Umbra. He looks left and right, and confirms that the others have bailed. Smiling, Grant blows a hole through the floor using Umbra, shifts into Shadow form and makes a run for it.
- Morrison is shocked by Grant’s sudden exit, and it takes him a moment to dispel the green containment field so that they can pursue. The Son of Saul is the first to dive into the breach after Grant but Grant reaches a Door first and uses his Mastery of the Stair to connect the door to another door on the same vessel. He does this more than once and then lies low in his shadow form. Both the Marindan Defenders and the Dwimmerlaik search the Kuari Princess for him, but he is too good to be found. Frustrated and disappointed, they leave. 
- At last, figuring he has beaten them, Grant returns to the Stair only to find that he has no idea where to go from here.

Adventure Summary - Part 5 - Teleport Misfire
- Ethan, Isabelle, Greywalker and Lucien materialise along with a vending machine, chair and the robot waiter inside a futuristic chamber. Ethan’s head is spinning but he has arrived. Staggering, he is the least affected by the miscast. (GM’s note - he has Dominant rank Endurance) Isabelle collapses on the spot, and Greywalker says that he’s ‘gone blind’ and gropes for something to cling onto. Cursing to himself about brainless companions, he reaches the vending machine. Unfortunately they’ve arrived in an unfriendly environment. The inhabitants of the chamber are worm/snake-like creatures with skinny arms and legs. They seem most displeased with the Lords of Gossamer arrival and begin hissing to each other. Ethan doesn’t understand what they are saying (GM’s note - because they didn’t come through a Door) but one of them draws a strange pistol-like weapon. 
- Ethan ducks for cover and loses his backpack and Lucien. Greywalker is hit and utters a most undignified curse before he hits the ground. Ethan fires back with one of the pistols that he manufactured in Meridian, killing two of the creatures. One of them hits him with a number of needle-like rounds but they just bounce off his armour. Within a minute, reinforcements have arrived - these worms have powered armour and heavier weapons - but Ethan’s vision has cleared and he does a ‘John Wick’ on them, slaughtering them all. Unfortunately this does not end the mess that they have arrived in. The Lords of Gossamer have arrived on a space vessel, and the worm-like aliens were using needler weapons to avoid piercing the hull. In the second exchange it becomes evident that Ethan’s enhanced weapons will penetrate the hull of the ship, leading to speedy decompression. Unfortunately it gets worse. The aliens decide that their mission has been compromised and they decide to self-destruct the ship by overloading the engines. Over the course about thirty minutes, Ethan is trying to patch walls, dragging his companions to a safe place, trying to convince the aliens that it’s all a mistake (unfortunately any he catches and tries to talk to commit suicide), heading to the drive room to try to disable the self destruct, realising that he doesn’t have time to eject the engines before they go critical, and then trying to commandeer a shuttlecraft and override the docking bay doors to let them escape. (GM’s note - yes, Ethan is a Bad Stuff character. Everything that can go wrong, goes wrong.)
- In spite of these obstacles, Ethan manages to find a way to launch the shuttlecraft before the mothership explodes. He realises that they are orbiting a lush green world, and he attempts to steer the craft safely to the ground. This is harder than he expected because the controls are totally alien. Ethan uses Eidolon to rouse both Isabelle and Greywalker, and they use all of their combined knowledge to land the craft. Ethan gives Isabelle the Torc of Stolvir the Great (said to make the wearer invulnerable) in order to keep her safe, Ethan tries to use Eidolon to keep the ship together, and Greywalker simply ‘buckles up’ and hopes for the best. 
- They crash. The ship breaks up on impact, crashing into thick forest. Isabelle walks away from the crash without a scratch, astonished at how she could have survived that. (GM’s note - yes, the Torc is potent) She finds Ethan - he has a bad concussion and his arm is actually broken. (GM’s note - when will Ethan’s Bad Stuff ever end?) Greywalker is still attached to his seat, but the seat itself has been flung high into the trees and he is dangling precariously from a high branch. Isabelle helps Greywalker down, and they look through their supplies to find some morphine for Ethan. They give him enough to knock him out, figuring that he won’t have reserve to be able to block another Icon contact. Greywalker suggests that they find another way off this planet - he can sense another Door nearby on this planet but it is a long way away. Greywalker and Isabelle ward the area and they settle down to wait until Ethan recovers a little.

Adventure Summary - Part 6 - Reunited
- Ethan regains consciousness faster than they expect. Isabelle has splinted his arm to help it heal. She explains where they are, and Greywalker criticises him for attempting a ‘blind jump’. Ethan doesn’t really take it in - his head is muddled and he hurts everywhere. He asks if he should contact Grant given that they were separated. They agree, but Isabelle makes the contact on Ethan’s behalf.
- They find that Grant has continued walking on the Stair and been waiting in another nearby realm for them. He had tried to contact Ethan but found that he was unconscious. The group is swiftly reunited. Grant explains that this world appears to be a highly ordered modern society. He hasn’t seen any rubbish or pollution since he arrived. He thinks the people here could have some sort of hive mind based on the way that they move and interact with one another. Ethan is apprehensive but Grant encourages them to eat and move on quickly. He has a theory that they are tracking Ethan rather than Grant, and they need to keep moving. Isabelle reassures the group that they will be safe when they reach Mechanus.
- Returning to the Stair, Ethan still has a splitting headache and a bad feeling that they are being hunted once more. Isabelle leads the way once more, and both Greywalker and Grant stay close to Ethan to keep him moving. Hours pass. Both Ethan and Greywalker comment that they are sure that someone is hunting for them and that they are nearby. Grant continues to play rearguard, keeping a watchful eye peeled for pursuit. On one of the breaks, Grant asks Isabelle to warn him when they are getting close as he wants to leave a false trail to another location.
- They arrive at Mechanus after ten hours on the Stair. Ethan’s headache has receded. Greywalker and Grant have left multiple false trails and Grant has used Umbra to carefully mask their true destination. Mechanus is a plane where everything is made of moving machinery and intricate cogs. Even the larger creatures seem to be made up of a hive of smaller machines. They show no interest in the Lords of Gossamer. A golden light seems to radiate from everything here - the Eidolon radiance is uncomfortable for Grant. This whole place seems to be one complex system. Isabelle leads them through what resembles a golden forest peppered with the occasional ornate building made of the same golden machinery. At last they come to a structure which is made of the same material but it has an anachronistic slanted roof which stands out. Isabelle produces an elaborate golden key and turns it within the lock. The house with the slanted roof seems too small to be one of Lucien’s workshops but inside, it is much larger (similar to Marindan structures).
- The interior reminds Grant of Clockworld. As Isabelle locks the Door behind them, he finds his Wayfinding cut off to the outside world. It is as if they are no longer in Mechanus at all. A pair of service robots with the numbers Five and Seven greet Isabelle and offer to take their things. Isabelle directs Seven to prepare lodgings for them all and she takes Lucien to a room and makes him comfortable. 
- The lodgings here are very large. There are many work areas, multiple libraries and an observatory where the telescope faces inwards rather than outwards. Isabelle assures them that they are safe in this place, and that wards surrounding this place are considerable. She also points out that there are many doorways here, but no doors. This realm is cut off.

* Image sourced from Google Images
- Ethan feels much better after some food. The food is Eidolon-enhanced and it helps his body to recover more quickly. Unfortunately Grant doesn’t feel very well. This place seems to upset his stomach. He goes to rest for a bit. He unexpectedly conks out and sleeps for a long time.
- In the meantime, Isabelle has sorted out the gear that they lugged from the Athenaeum, and the three Lords of Gossamer begin work on the machine to restore Lucien’s memories. Isabelle and Ethan work well together, and Greywalker marvels at how quickly their plans take form. They are aided by three golden servitors - Three, Five, and Eleven. (Ethan notes that they all seem to have names based on prime numbers).

Adventure Summary - Part 7 - The Projection
- Twelve hours pass, and Greywalker retires for a nap. Ethan and Isabelle continue. Ethan remarks that it would be better if some music were playing. To Ethan’s surprise, Isabelle finds some Beethoven, Mozart and Handel in Lucien’s collection. They carry on working for another two hours before Isabelle begins rubbing her eyes with tiredness and she suggests that they should both rest, especially given Ethan’s broken arm.
- As they begin to leave, Isabelle notes that they are not alone. An elegant woman, ghostly transparent is standing in the doorway. Her dress is formal and she is dressed in black and silver. Her eyes glow faintly. Ethan tenses, unsure what to make of this new individual, but Isabelle greets the woman as Dayle.

* Image by Jason Rainville
- Dayle speaks with a beautiful, measured voice. She did not wish to disturb or alarm them while they were working and was waiting for an opportunity to talk to them. She has not been standing by the door for more than a few minutes. Isabelle introduces Ethan to Dayle, explaining that she is one of the oldest and most travelled of the Lords of Gossamer. Ethan expresses surprise that he cannot sense her as a Lord of Gossamer, but she politely explains that this because she is not really ‘here’, but is ‘far, far away’. Dayle seems pleased to meet Ethan but she quickly asks about Lucien. Both Isabelle and Ethan are guarded until Dayle explains that Jalt sought her out and she offers to assist in any way that she can. Dayle says that she ‘sees much that is happening on the Stair’. Ethan asks if they are being hunted and Dayle confirms this to be the case. There are many seeking them out by many different methods. She suggests that they hurry with what they are doing. 
- Grimly, Ethan looks back at their mostly assembled machine and he suggests to Isabelle that they press on. Isabelle smiles and says that their enemies won’t find them so easily - they have time to rest. Dayle offers to keep watch and alert them if any of their enemies come close. Ethan thanks her. Dayle says that she will return in ten hours and she fades from view. 
- Before resting, Ethan leaves a note for Grant, saying that Jalt has been in touch and has found a new ally. When Grant wakes, he finds the note.

Other Impacts
- So we finally have Dayle in the game. She has not appeared before in the Grant/Ethan game.