Days 46 - 55 - Preparation for the Return of the Crawler
- More Lords of Gossamer have joined Grant and Ethan in Tyland Mills. In addition to Cal, Yaeger Zane, Erik and Cordelias, Veronique, Jessamyn and various allies have arrived via Icon. It is a strange transformation of Tyland Mill as there is an influx of diverse and often brightly coloured individuals who look most out of place in this medieval town. The locals are quite bewildered. Gimilkina is clearly not impressed with these new arrivals, but she says nothing. She just scowls at the lot of them.
* Images of Veronique (from Threats Dawn of the Dwimmerlaik but I’m not sure which artist) and Jessamyn (by Gordon Napier)
- In the days that follow, an army is built and the Lords of Gossamer prepare for war. Erik takes command of the Steel Eagles, figuring that he can use them if they are competent and are simply motivated by money. Wendolyn and Jo, the adventurers that were petrified in the Hexenhoof Mine and rescued by Grant, join Erik’s army. Ingmar Fellowthongs is greatly pleased that Ethan and Magnus have returned with the Deed to the Hexenhoof Mine (recovered by the Weeping Castle) and the dwarves pledge their support.
- There is a brief attempt to locate Nadakara (Nadia) but Grant and Ethan decide not to spend too much time and resources hunting her. She is almost certainly an Umbra Master, and as the ‘shadow walker’ of the three priestesses, she is probably very stealthy. If they remove Tyland Redmantle’s two descendents from the reality, this gives her no way to complete the Fifth Sacrifice as foretold in the prophecy. Her only way forward would be to sacrifice herself to awaken the Crawler. Grant and Ethan discuss this - she’s only a young girl, perhaps seventeen or eighteen years old. They could attempt to stop her, but the cycle would likely repeat in another two hundred years and another attempt to resurrect the Crawler would be made. So they decide to let her kill herself, and let the Crawler be summoned.
- Hence they make themselves busy getting ready to engage and slay a God-monster of epic proportions. At Grant’s request, Lady Marian and her half-brother Red are removed from this reality by Jessamyn so that the surviving priestess, Nadakara (Nadia) cannot target them.
- Grant heads to the Hexenhoof Mines and persuades Tinkerbell to join him. She seems interested in exploring other worlds, and more than a little intrigued when Grant shows that he is capable of shapeshifting to a size that matches her own. He then heads south to the Inn at Mossy Bridge to track down Skinner Jack, the last remaining Tower Warden of the area - he convinces Jack to rejoin the fight.
- Wherever Grant goes, a robin sent by Lord Wynterlyr follows. He is tempted to bargain with Lord Wynterlyr but eventually he decides to send a message back to indicate that he will discuss it after the battle is over.
- Ethan shows the Lords of Gossamer the various locations around Tyland Mill, including the River Caverns and the Undercity beneath Tyland Mill. He also persuades Freya, the slayer who still wants to kill John the Fair, to hold off until the next moon. They will need John’s werewolf strength - and Ethan is pretty sure that he will be able to cure John of his lycanthropy after the battle is over. Freya agrees to this - she is a monster slayer and she is willing to help them slay the Crawler.
- Seeking further allies, Ethan heads north-east to Vendra’s tree house and uses Eidolon to remove the Necromancer’s curse which has been slowly killing Vendra. This rejuvenates her and she too agrees to join the fight against the Crawler.
- The Lords of Gossamer bring more soldiers and equipment into Tyland Mill. Thorn Fellowthongs, the local smith, is very busy preparing weapons of war. Sir Adrian Whitespear, the knight who was rescued from being sacrificed by Grant in the ruins of Nyrath, coordinates the locals and works closely with Erik.
- Ethan judges that the Crawler itself is underneath the ruins of Nyrath, but once awakened it will move quickly to Tyland Mill. Looking at the map of the area, Grant decides that they should fortify the stone bridge which crosses the Dusker River further to the south. They begin making preparations to do so.
* Image of Tyland Mill with the stone bridge ringed by a red circle.
- The defenders in Tyland Mill keep a watchful eye as the days pass and the night of the next full moon draws closer. Grant suspects that Nadakara (Nadia) may still try something unexpected even though she is likely to have few surviving allies. However, nothing eventuates.
- As the days pass by, some of the Lords of Gossamer leave for a day or two, checking in periodically via Icon and then returning when it pleases them. Jessamyn confirms that Lady Marian and Red are safe.
- Yaeger Zane walks around town bare-chested, a paragon of masculinity. The women of Tyland Mill stop and stare at him. There is a magnetism about him that the local women find extremely desirable. Even Salthia appears smitten by Yaeger - and Grant notices this.
- Grant is very busy in the days leading up to the full moon. With Lady Marian gone and Mayor Prigg seemingly overwhelmed, he is both Sheriff of Tyland Mill and the Lord of Gossamer that all of the others look to for direction. Grant has worked with other Lords of Gossamer before, but this time he is being seen as the leader of the group. They defer to him partly because of his local knowledge, and partly because it’s quickly clear to them that his knowledge of battle is greater than theirs (GM’s note - at this point I think he has X+1 Rank of Warfare - ie: he’s no longer just at the top of the generation, but also a match for many of the Elders - only Mordecai, Drake and Krovaliss are better)
- Meanwhile, Ethan has confirmed his mastery of Sorcery in this realm and is preparing for the battle to come by fabricating a number of defences along the Dusker River to protect Tyland Mill if the Crawler tries to attack the township from the river. He also works with Cal, and Erik’s troops to prepare the stone bridge across the Dusker River as a defensible location.
- In the evenings, Ethan talks to Cordelias and plays a chess-like game with her. He is curious about her because he has never talked to her before. He knows that she is older than he is even if she doesn’t appear to be - and he is curious about where she comes from and what she has seen in her time as a Lord of Gossamer. She is also curious about some of Ethan’s background - she heard that he was marked as a dragonslayer and she wants to hear what happened.
- A few days before the full moon, Lords Gretchen and Taltos arrive via Icon. Cal has brought them through. They report to Grant and offer their steel to help defend Tyland Mill. This means that there are now ten Lords of Gossamer preparing to fight the Crawler.
* Images of Gretchen and Taltos (both are official Lords of Gossamer pieces of art, I know that the image is by Tommy Arnold but I’m not sure about the Gretchen artwork - it’s from Lucien’s Guide to the Grand Stair)
- On one of his patrols, Veronique accompanies Ethan. She is a tall blonde woman who carries a light sword. She has a slight accent when she talks. She asks many questions about Ethan - she has heard many stories but has never met him. Ethan admits that he hasn’t actively sought out other Lords of Gossamer, and this is something that Veronique finds surprising as the Lords that she has met have typically seen much and have ‘the best stories’. To Ethan’s surprise, Veronique is also a ‘runner’ - someone who enjoys running for pleasure, and who enjoys exploring wilderness areas away from any Doors. She hasn’t been a Lord of Gossamer as long as he has, but she has visited many places and seems to be an experienced Stair-Walker. It is a pleasant conversation and Ethan wishes that he’d made her acquaintance earlier.
- Visiting the Good Omen Inn one night to see Salthia, he finds that she is not in her room, and he finds her having noisy sex with Yaeger Zane. He’s reminded of finding Abigail (Abbie) in Yaeger’s embrace years ago - he never told Ethan about that. Annoyed, he decides to go for a walk. Later that night, on the way back to the Sheriff’s Tower, he passes Thorn’s smithy and hears the sounds of ‘small’ activity. Sure enough, Tinkerbell is still working away, fixing panels to the sides of her fairy-sized motorbike. She looks to be almost finished. Grant asks how she is going, and she shrugs. She’s spent years in captivity and she’s keen to get out of this realm - but she’ll hang around a few more days to see what happens before taking her leave. She gives Grant the impression that she’ll wait to see what he does next before deciding whether to come with him or go her own way.
- The days fly by. Yaeger’s activities grate on Grant and he becomes most eager to leave Tyland Mill. Yaeger has already bedded Freya, Salthia and Thom Rishavel’s wife Gina. Erik, Gretchen and Taltos seem to have built the Steel Eagles into a potent fighting force. Most of the other Lords of Gossamer are wielding power to shift gossamer reality and every time they use it sends a tremor through reality. The villagers are bewildered. Grant doesn’t like the amount of disruption that his fellow Lords of Gossamer are causing. Strangely, Ethan seems to be relaxed in the company of his fellow Lords of Gossamer - and that is most unusual. It is normally the other way around - Ethan stands apart from the others.
Day 55 - The Return of the Crawler
- Night falls and the full moon rises. Ethan waits in the undercity beneath Tyland Mills for Nadakara (Nadia) to arrive. Many of the Lords of Gossamer are positioned at the stone bridge, waiting for the Crawler to arrive. Others defend Tyland Mill. The people of Tyland Mill have been evacuated. Lady Marian and her brother Red are off-world where Nadakara cannot reach them.
- That evening, Nadakara arrives in the heart of the undercity. There is a black pool of water in the main temple chamber. She sees Ethan waiting for her and gives him a venomous stare. Realising that he’s not going to stop her, she begins the ritual. She undresses and stands pale before the black pool, a sacrificial dagger in hand. She calls out for her ‘Father’ and offers her life in return for her failure. She then plants the dagger in her chest and crumples into the still waters.
- Ethan contacts Grant via Icon and tells him that Nadia is dead, and the Crawler will almost certainly be on its way.
- Far away, the Crawler emerges from the Gorge - it is gargantuan in size. It speeds upstream along the Dusker River for Tyland Mills with supernatural speed, summoned by Nadia’s death. The water in the river is blasted out of the way as the god-thing hurtles along.
- The defenders at the stone bridge are ready for the Crawler. They have built barriers to force it upwards where it can be attacked. Despite all of their preparations, they are still awed by the physical size of the creature. It hits the bridge and shatters it. The great chains that have been woven across the River and reinforced with Eidolon stop it, and it strains to climb over the obstacle.
- The Crawler is shaped like an aquatic caterpillar, but it has a horrible eel-like head surrounded by a crown of tentacles. Five large eyes shimmer in its head, full of psychic energy.
* Image sourced from Google Images (It’s not quite right but it’s the best that I could find)
- Grant, Yaeger Zane and Cordelias are well prepared for this. Grant begins using Gorgorin as a bow to attempt to weaken it. Yaeger Zane takes to the air (he has wings) and tries to cut into its head. Cordelias gives the order to fire and a series of ballistas with wicked harpoons open fire. They don’t expect to stop it here - but they want to be able to injure it before it arrives at Tyland Mill.
- The battle lasts about five minutes before the Crawler has dragged itself over the barriers and obstacles laid in front of it, and reached the Dusker River on the other side. During that time, Grant has destroyed two of its mighty eyes with piercing arrows charged with Umbral energy (using Gorgorin). Yaeger has struck many blows against the creature and tested its armoured carapace in a number of places. Cordelias has had better luck - her harpoons penetrated its softer underbelly, but the strength of the creature ultimately won out and the god-thing dragged itself past the defences and broke the harpoons or their points of anchor.
- Grant uses an Icon to contact Ethan to return to Tyland Mill, but Ethan has realised that the Crawler is being summoned to the pool where Nadia killed herself and he is now running for his life before the Crawler arrives and collapses the Undercity. Ethan rejects the call and keeps running. Grant is unsure as to what has happened but he contacts Erik instead and the three Lords of Gossamer return to Tyland Mill.
- The Crawler arrives shortly after, emerging from the black pool which is far smaller than it is and bursting out of the ground only a few hundred yards south of Tyland Mill. At that point, the corridors collapse on Ethan and he is partly buried.
- With the full moon illuminating the whole area, the Crawler looms over the entire landscape like a godlike shadow, its tentacles writhing.
- The battle that follows lasts more than an hour as the Lords of Gossamer work to bring the creature down. The defenders of Tyland Mill all play their part - from the Steel Eagles to the Fellowthongs Clan, to Vendra the Witch, to Freya, to John the Fair (in Werewolf form) to the Lords of Gossamer themselves. The Crawler is a truly fearsome opponent as it not only possesses mighty strength and legendary endurance, but also it regenerates and can channel its psychic energy through its shimmering eyes to confuse and dominate.
- After about twenty minutes, Ethan digs himself out of the rubble and joins the fight.
- Despite all of their efforts, the Crawler seems to be invincible. It destroys some of the outlying houses, and seems to be healing faster than they can injure it. It psychically dominates those who seek to fight against it, and it even turns some of the Lords of Gossamer and makes them fight against the others.
- In the end, there are two factors that turn the tide.
- Grant uses the Black Whip (a faerie weapon) which he recovered from the catacombs beneath the Weeping Castle, and this is even more effective than Gorgorin at hurting the creature. The Black Whip cuts clean through its armoured shell as if it wasn’t there, injuring the flesh beneath. The Crawler doesn’t seem able to heal these injuries, and even though it tries to dominate Grant with its psychic abilities, Grant is able to break its grip using Umbra.
- Ethan begins using Lord Wynterlyr’s ring, drawing upon faerie magic to further empower his own. Even though this does not directly damage the creature, he is able to weaken it.
- After more than an hour of hard fighting, the Crawler shows signs of slowing down - it is no longer regenerating as quickly as it was, and it finally falls. Grant then uses the sword which was blessed by Many Frogs to cut his way into the creature’s throat and destroy its brain. At this, the Crawler finally dies, and its gigantic corpse begins to wither away as if time has been accelerated.
Aftermath
- Many of the Steel Eagles are dead, including their leader Raktor Stoneface. Some of the Fellowthongs clan have also died in battle. Freya and Wendolyn have both perished defending Tyland Mill.
- Of the Lords of Gossamer, Gretchen has been slain in battle with the Crawler. Despite being renowned as a survivor of countless battles, she has not survived this one. Both Cordelias and Erik have both sustained wounds that would be mortal for any normal person. Cordelias’ wounds were inflicted by Erik when he was under the Crawler’s control. Cordelias has lost her shield-arm in addition to suffering chest wounds. Erik was lucky to live at all given that Yaeger Zane ended up knocking him out with the haft of his axe.
- Nevertheless, the danger has passed. There is mourning for those who have been lost, healing for those who have been injured, and celebration for those who have lived. Lady Marian and Red return and the people turn their attention to rebuilding. Some of the Lords of Gossamer want to stay and some wish to depart. The question which Ethan and Cal are asking is - where did the Crawler come from, and is it unique?
- Yaeger Zane departs shortly after the feast with Salthia in tow, much to Grant’s relief. Grant has no wish to remain as Sheriff, and in the days that follow he talks to Cal about assuming the title, at least for the time being. Ethan spends time with Cordelias and Erik, making sure that their injuries are healing properly. Erik is ashamed of injuring Cordelias and he leaves soon after Gretchen’s funeral. Ethan spends more time with Cordelias, rejoining her severed arm and ensuring that she is recovering physically before she too chooses to leave. They part on friendly terms - Cordelias didn’t know that Ethan was a healer and she promises to remember his kindness.
- Grant heads to the Hexenhoof Mine to locate Jacob’s personal effects. He organises a funeral for Jacob, and the remaining Lords of Gossamer attend. Ethan cures John the Fair of his lycanthropy, breaking the curse.
The Black Lotus
- A few days after Jacob’s funeral, Grant thinks about what he wants to do next and whether he wants to try to negotiate with Lord Wynterlyr for the return of Lady Sophia (assuming that he knows whether she is, and it’s not a trick). He fishes out the ‘black lotus’ (a type of swamp weed) out of his pocket and decides to smoke it the way that Knuckles and he did about two weeks earlier when he was seeking out the ruins of Nyrath.
- The ‘black lotus’ is supposed to be life-changing, at least for a normal human. He wonders what he’ll see, and he sits back to enjoy the experience.
- The Black Lotus takes him on an unusual trip. His mind is open to new possibilities using Umbra and he literally cuts his way through the floor of Gossamer reality to the plane of Shadow that lies beneath it. He has been through Shadow before - the Courts of the Shadow Fey lie in Shadow. But this experience is quite different. This time, he can feel his way in Shadow - he can feel the right way to go. He can see the creatures that are here, even if they don’t want him to.
- Grant is gone for two days, but he reappears using the same technique, effectively climbing through the roof of Shadow and emerging through the floor of Gossamer reality. He is shaken by the experience but also exhilarated by the thought of what might be possible.
- Back in Gossamer reality, he feels that things are different here too. He can see spiritual energy here, like he saw in Duskwall. He can see the movements of spiritual energy like a trail - where people have gone, what they have done. The Black Lotus has broadened his mind in many ways. (GM’s note - these are new in-game abilities)
Negotiations with Lord Wynterlyr
- Ethan has been acting as Deputy Sheriff in Grant’s absence. Nothing untoward has happened and he was not concerned that Grant had disappeared. He remarks that Tinkerbell’s motorbike is working - and it flies. Some of the locals don’t like it as it makes a lot of noise and it scares the sheep.
- Grant and Ethan settle down into a routine. They make plans to handover the Sheriff position to Cal. Cal has taken an interest in Tyland Woods and wants to explore further. With Salthia gone, the Fellowthongs Clan have taken over the Good Omen Inn but they are eager to head to the Hexenhoof Mines which they consider their ancestral home. Grant agrees to go with them.
- Ethan wants to head west to Stone Bridge and see what has become of that town (and see Jorus, the blind justicar).
- Before they head their separate ways, Grant and Ethan discuss what to do with Lord Wynterlyr’s Ring. They make their way to the forbidden area of the forest and find the Faerie Well. Grant asks permission to enter and a series of stairs emerge from the wall of the well to allow them to descend. At the bottom they find Lord Wynterlyr and his court. A number of faerie musicians and acrobats are attempting to entertain him but he looks very bored. Lord Wynterlyr’s face is snow-white, blemished only by a single scar (inflicted by his wife, Lady Beethania).
- Grant and Ethan are used to faerie etiquette. They are very polite. Lord Wynterlyr wants the return of his Ring and is prepared to offer almost anything within his power for its return. Lord Wynterlyr says that it is within his power to return Lady Sophia.
- Grant and Ethan withdraw to consult. Grant fears trickery and they decide to think about it. They know where Lord Wynterlyr is - they can always come back. For the time being, Ethan will keep the Ring.
- Returning to Tyland Mill, the two have a final meal at the Good Omen Inn before parting ways. Ethan says his farewells and then heads west to Stone Bridge. Grant asks Tinkerbell if she wants to come with him - she’s less enthusiastic about heading back to the Hexenhoof Mines with Ingmar and the Fellowthongs Clan, but she brightens at the thought that he can open a Door onto the Stair from there. She agrees to go with him.
- GM’s note: This ends the Secrets of Tyland story arc. Tyrnador Secrets of Tyland is a hex crawl campaign by Umberto Pignatelli. Tyrnador is a Savage Worlds setting which is produced by Gramel Books. It can be found on DrivethruRPG. (Personally, I rate anything by Gramel very highly. I was so impressed by Savage Worlds Beasts and Barbarians that I contacted the publisher in Poland and asked them to send me a copy of everything in print - which they did).
