Session
One
The
party travelled to the mountains; it passed through Duvik’s
pass, with its silver mining and plague; they went to Inn of the Ark
where an
elven girl was killed by band of kobolds. Kyga (Ted) killed the
kobold
leader.
The party continued to Icewall where it was to have caught a boat to
Moff Tet;
the boat, however, lost its crew to a nearby construction project and
was
frozen in for the season. Male elf (brother of the slain elf girl)
offers to
lead party through the mountains to Moff Tet instead.
The journey the children and Herus have begun is what is known among
Pioneers
as a vacation mission. Pioneers typically use time off to visit
relatives or
run important errands, such as achieving goals related to their
character
classes other than Cleric, Paladin, Fighter, and Ranger.
Often, groups if Pioneers will use their time to
perform
good deeds, like repairing an orphanage or bringing supplies to the
drought-stricken. Another common theme of these vacation missions is
making
sometimes arduous journeys to learn skills and obtain experiences that
are
impossible to obtain otherwise.
The parents or guardians of the children on the
mission were
approached by their local Pioneer Corps or Order of the Rose officials
and an
offer was made for their child to participate in a very special example
of such
a mission. They are to take an unusually extended journey for the sake
of
learning skills in what the Order calls “Observational Intelligence”, or
what
an unbiased inside observer (if one can imagine such a thing) might call
spycraft. It is possible that some of the parents are a bit hazy on the
actual
meaning of the reasons given regarding the journey’s purpose.
Although the attitudes of the parents toward the
Pioneers
and the Order may have varied, the value of such an opportunity was
unmistakeable. Despite some ambivalence, the parents agreed to the
journey and
its unmistakeable risks.
The cover for the journey is that the group of
children are
itinerant musicians and entertainers, putting on a variety show where it
was
convenient to do so, with Herus posing variably as an elderly chaperone
or the
troupe’s manager. Aided by Abrizio Parthos, the bard-in-the-making, the
troupe
is developing skills and may each add one bonus skill level in Perform
as well
as one level in Disguise.
Now that the journey is well on its way, the current
destination of the seems clear to the more knowledgeable Pioneers: the
far-off,
exotic port city of Moff Tet.
EXP: 100 Each
Session
Two
The
party sold the animals in Port Icewall and, on the advice of
the Elf Boy, made the very equipment-oriented ascent to the terminus of
the
Secret Path. They brought an ally, the half-elf druid/ranger
Cermathus,
to aid them in safely ascending the large-eagle-infested mountain peaks
separating them from the Secret Path.
Finding a warm, safe, rich ecosystem, they traversed a tremendous
distance (it
took them over two months total travel to reach Moff Tet) at a very
quick pace.
They encountered a stone structure, the Oracle of Calafractus; members
of the
party, after asking for wisdom and being paralyzed and lectured to at
length
about the importance of self-imposed morality, were given wisdom by the
oracle,
either:
“In three years’ time, look to the fiery wasteland for your destiny.”
or
“Neither across the ocean, nor beyond the mountain, nor beyond the ice,
nor
below the fire; neither in the air nor underground, but very nearby,
exist
those that would influence your destiny.”
They traveled hundreds of miles farther before encountering a tiny man,
with
dun grey skin and long,wild white hair and a bushy white beard. He wore
a tidy
and fine-looking brown suit and bright blue boots and carried a
freshly-killed
goose; he tried to entice the party to visit his master’s camp for
dinner but
Dana the paladin detected evil in the creature and the party
demurred.
Continuing on, the party happened upon a scene taking place in the Arena
(an
ancient abandoned site with a magic-dampening field):
As the party watched, the Black Elf Warrior and the Aged Elf greeted and
spoke
to one another, embraced, kissed deeply, and speak to one another for
some time
while grasping each other’s hands facing one another. They then
dropped
their hands to their sides and stepped back from one another. The Aged
Elf
suddenly sang out a strange word: “Cardecfrus!”
At that moment, the party’s attention was diverted as the Aged Elf’s
young
accomplice, a hundred yards away, was sneak-attacked by the Tiny Old Man
with a
gleaming dagger. After stabbing her gleefully to death, the wicked
little man
danced around, giggling, and licking flecks of blood off of his blade.
At the
same time, just after the Aged Elf cried out, the Black Elf Warrior drew
his
weapon and cut the Aged Elf down. He then broke the weapon over his
knee, threw
the pieces to the side with a barely audible vocalization, and strode
off. The
Tiny Old Man scurried after him.
After emerging from the Secret Path along the coast northeast of Moff
Tet after
another long walk, the party walked the rest of the way on a path cut
into the
cliffs by the sea.
Arriving in Moff Tet, Herus sought out an elf to inform of the events in
the
arena; he found an elf named Imarel and told him the party’s tale. He
also made
contact with the small Order of the Rose outpost here in Moff Tet.
Additional bonus skill ranks from this week:
+1 rope use, +2 mountaineering, +1 survival, +1 entertain, +1 disguise
Your characters are now 1st level. Due to your long journey and many
travails,
you may be considered to be stronger and wiser tan your years and may
eliminate
the penalties imposed for your youth as well as those specific to your
former
0-level status.
Session
Three
The
party in Moff Tet: You will never find a more wretched hive of
scum and villainy.
The party, after receiving the message regarding the map leading to a
path
through the mountains, set off to retrieve it. Traveling through the
warren of
tunnels and chambers in the depths of the city, the party finally
arrived at
Caratook Bazaar. After entering the Bazaar, the party explored Skuhrums
Delicatessen, freed the half-orc boy Welby, slew the butcher and the
cook, and
disguised the remains as stew and compost. Welby fled as soon as the
party
exited the deli.
After leaving the deli, they went to Scurturgness the Barrister’s office
to
purchase the map. After negotiating with the orc to sell the map for
1500 gp,
the party took the “map” (a weird object shaped like a giant, chitinous
“leaf”
of a pinecone about one foot long and decorated with runes, hashmarks,
colors
and textures) and left for their villa on the surface to try to decode
it.
EXP: 160 per player
Session
4:
The
party returned from the Bazaar. They had comprehend languages
cast on the map, called a guiderune, and read the following:
“Skywalk
Journey”
A
series of groups of number and letter sets without obvious
meaning
The
words “moon” and “sun” several times each
Colorful
metaphors for various animals and plants
They
are informed that a man who can probably further decode the
guiderune is a scholarly type working on an archeological dig a ways
away.
The
formerly extremely evil greatsword was repaired:
The
Greatsword of Krowanarcus is a legendary evil blade. Writ with
eldritch symbols and embossed with depraved imagery glorifying evil
deeds, the
the masterworked greatsword is of an unknown lightweight and strong
material
and is marvelously balanced. As such, it deals damage like a greatsword
(1d10)
but can be wielded as a longsword or as a greatsword. It is also Keen.
The
decoration of the weapon indicates that its origin is an
ancient Faceless God culture.
The
party resisted an invitation to take a ride on an elevator to,
presumedly, learn all of the secrets behind all of the curtains; instead
they
left Moff Tet to travel to the monastery.
After
being greeted near the valley containing the monastery and
being escorted, blindfolded, to the monastery itself, the party spent
some time
conversing with the monk Master. The spoke for a while in what in other
contexts one would describe as a throne room, although here it seemed
more
mighty but somehow less formal. It was a large, dark, columned hall,
with
ceilings far, far above. Groups of simply garbed monks here and there
sat and
meditated. The Master and several other people dressed in simple clothes
sat in
the brilliant-by-comparison shaft of sunlight from an oculus far above.
The
Master and his court sat and reclined on cushions, speaking softly to
one
another as the party approached.
First,
the Master spoke with Herus. After a while he directed
questions to several of the children. He heard the party’s story and
asked many
penetrating questions. The Master led the party out onto a nearby
balcony; the
balcony overlooked a wide, shallow valley filled with grassy fields and
copses
of trees. He pointed at a sharp peak in the mountains framing the
background
and said,
“My
disciple, Roland, journeys to his final test to become a monk.
Walk, as best you can, in the direction of that sharp peak. Roland goes
there,
but will stop and meditate frequently along the way, so perhaps you can
catch
him. I suspect that it would be best that you do; I think that perhaps
he can
help you learn the meaning of your encounter with the dark elf and the
elf
woman in the Arena.
“There
are, among you, some who may wish to accompany him for his
test; the wardens will know who may enter, should some of you decide
to.”
Meanwhile,
at the entrance to the Ominous Cavern, a fierce attack
against the Sentinel monks who guard it occurred. The dark elfin
attacker is
driven off and his dread allies are destroyed.
Session
Five
Leaving
the monastery, the party hastened to meet Roland the
disciple. They caught up to him and discussed their travels and
experiences.
Roland recognized the word the Aged Elf cried out, “Cardecfrus!” as
being very
similar to the name of a kata or form the children at the monastery
learned
when they were little. This is a form that would typically be a part of
the
series of forms performed by the disciple when they underwent their
test.
Arriving at the Ominous Cavern amid the aftermath of the Dark Elf
attack, the
party is admitted to the cavern.
The “cavern” turned out to be a series of vast interior spaces in the
mountain
characterized by incredibly high ceilings, floors that slowly curve into
the
cavern walls and a profound “deadness” to sound; the characters voices
and
footfalls fall flat without the slightest echo. The walls and floor are
slightly luminous, providing a dim, dusk-like lighting. The last couple
of
hundred feet of passage leading to the cave appear to be in an original,
naturally formed state.
The cave itself seems to be dark to non-residents when they first
arrive. After
a few rounds, their eyes begin to adjust and they begin to see swirling,
waxing
and waning tonal patterns of every color, moving and growing slowly at
times,
and a other times spurting across the arc of the player’s vision in a
flash.
After a few more rounds, they begin to perceive a ground surface and
horizon
line of sorts. Some of the color patterns resolve themselves into
creatures
that flit about, changing rapidly in color and shape, texture and size.
Roland performed his Cardecfrus. As he finished it, a tall, gangly,
green-skinned figure looking somewhat like a gigantic, stretched-out
frog
approached him and asked, “To whom shall I deliver the message?”
Roland replied, “To us.”
The messenger delivered a long narrative whose purpose was to deliver
the
message in a form that will be imprinted on the recipient’s mind so that
the
message will be more likely to be remembered.
The message itself, once studied by scholars working for the monk
Master,
turned out to be a complex series of lyrical allusions to obscure and
rare
texts written by a sect of neutral worshippers of the Faceless God:
“and so, just as the lion eats the hare, so too may the lion dream of
what it
means to be a hare.”
This is an allusion to a tale, detailed in an ancient tome referring to
a far
older story, relating a conversation between two philosophers that leads
into a
discussion between them about recent portents of great changes that were
afoot.
“Listen not to the words of angels or devils, but seek the steady
thoughtful
wisdom."
This passage alludes to a phrase said to be carved on a plinth in a high
gallery located in an edifice near the peak of Old Carsomonia. Part of
an
installation that had some sort of communication or related purpose, the
particular direction indicated by that particular plinth focused in some
way
directly upon another point quite near the present location of Duvik’s
pass.
Scholars and poets still study the phrases today, since they are parts
of a far
longer set of verses remembered from a distant epoch.
“To nurture the mind and the spirit is essential to prosperity
“Meat, bread and a clean draught; a roof over one’s head; all aid a
quest for
vigor
“But happiness? Playthings and baubles for this!”
This verse is part of a comical version of an archaic theatrical form
professing the importance of material things over learning and spiritual
pursuits. The meaning is thought to be that it is an object that is to
be
obtained, as opposed to (or in addition to) knowledge.
Needing the advice of a scholar named Yoric to interpret the guiderune,
the
party travelled for a few days to reach an archeological dig where the
scholar
was working. Yoric agreed to interpret the guiderune for the party in
exchange
for the party running an errand to obtain an artifact from the tomb of a
king
from a tomb complex to the south of the dig several days travel away;
the party
agreed.
While camping one night as they approached the tomb complex, the party
encountered a fierce, wild bipedal creature of great strength. They
killed it.
Entering the tomb complex, the party was assailed by a sense of dread.
The
performance of the bard soothed their fears enough for them to proceed.
Wide, arched stone doorway leading to buried ramp stuffed with large
boulders,
rubble and gypsum-sand. There is evidence of broken stone hinges, and
broken
stone doors lie upon the ground. There is also a side entrance,
originally
hidden but now smashed open and laid bare. It consists of a 10’ wide
hallway
leading into the large earthen mound.
EXP: 250 each
The
session begins at the entrance of a king’s tomb said to
contain the objective of their journey here, the Disc of Romnus. Going
down a
100'+ long hallway to a round room with an ocular above and a
spiral
staircase going down, they found the scattered and broken skeletons of
two
large humanoids, perhaps hill giants.
Going down the stairs, the small room below had a hall leading to a
large oval
room in the shape of an “O”; the remains of six wains once full, no
doubt, with
grave goods in large quantities were in the room. All now is
mouldering ruin
and decay, and little but dust and clumps of matter of an
indeterminate plant
or animal origin. There was a doorway, with great stone doors thrown
down in
pieces. Some of the rubble that fills the cavity beyond the doorway
extends
into the room a few feet. Bones of many creatures lay strewn around,
including
one over two feet long that has been dubbed a dragon by the party.
Four antechambers off the main room hold the same ruined materials
scattered
about but are otherwise empty except for the skeleton of a humanoid
child lying
intact upon the floor of one.
On the side of the "O" shaped room opposite the large broken doors,
there are two mostly empty rooms and a magically-locked door; upon
chiming the
door open, the party defeated two zombies made of preserved bodies
that were
perfect-looking young females. Finding the disc behind the body of the
king,
the party left.
The party also looted the tomb across the way, getting some magical
saddle and
tack, and a bunch of metal chits and small objects of a myriad of
forms and
shapes, along with hundreds of clear glass or crystal discs, embedded
in a pile
of mouldering organic matter.
Leaving the second tomb, they noticed that the gorillas that had been
watching
them from the entrance of the tomb complex were gone.
EXP: 450 each
Leaving
the tomb complex, the party was attacked by two more
gorillas that targeted Herus specifically.
Returning to the dig site, they were given their guiderune translation
and told
that their other find was an important coin collection:
The Coin Collection is a numismatic collection of an archeologically
significant nature. The Collection was found in the tomb of a Prince
Orinalcus
from a thousand-plus years ago. As such, is is an extremely
comprehensive
coin collection from a period long ago.
The collection is large and heavy and in mouldering ruins. Once well
organized
and compartmentalized, only the coins have survived the millenia of
decay. They
are loosely impacted in a matrix of fibrous and brittle/punky matter,
with
pieces of glass or crystal (previously windows protecting some of the
more
valuable specimens) mixed in with the coins.
The collection has coins of perhaps hundreds of different peoples
and/or times
from areas ranging far and wide, indicated by the sometimes
difficult-to-identify landscapes depicted on some of the coins. The
metals and
other materials, languages, visual styles, coin types and shapes, and
quality
of craftsmanship vary widely.
500 GP worth of gold coins
400 SP worth of silver coins
350 CP worth of copper coins
35 coins of patinated steel
60 coins of about a dozen unidentifiable metals
26 coins of unidentifiable non-metal materials including gemstone-like
materials and a few coins made of somewhat pliable ivory-like
substances.
Upon leaving the encampment at the dig site, the group noticed the
absence of
the Efl Boy, brother to the slain-at-the-inn Elf Girl. Traveling back
to the
monastery, the party observed a group of six kobolds stealthily
following the
obvious path of the party.
Stowing their loot in the monastery’s massive vault, the party
traveled to the
starting point of the Skywalk Journey of the guiderune.
The party set out on a series of easy fifteen or so mile long legs of
a journey
through the mountains. Along the way they encountered a school of
giant air-fish
guarding a needle-like stone spire jutting 200 feet into the air,
glowing at
the tip with blueish light in the morning and purpleish-red light at
dusk.
Mountaineering around the spire to avoid the air-fish, the party
traveled until
it saw meadows, fields and copses of trees below them, and eventually
a little
boy and a little girl tending sheep.
EXP: 300 each
The
party began the session in the vale they found as they
descended from the Skywalk Journey, conversing with two shepherd
children. The
discussion was interrupted when a hill giant toddler popped out,
snatched a
lamb and ran off with it, chased by the children’s dog and the boy
shepherd.
Chasing the giant, the sheep, the dog and the boy, the party followed
them into
a subterranean complex of corridors of ancient, heavily worn by age
but well
finished stone. The party at last emerged on the other side of a
mountain
bordering the vale, discovering a family group of hill giants living
there.
Escaping the giants through the corridors, the party encountered and
slew two
really big centipedes before returning to the surface. Proceeding to
the
village with the boy and girl, the party is welcomed warmly. It is
apparent
that there has been little news from the outside lately.
The next day, the party set off for the lodge following the villager’s
directions into the mountains to the south. Finding a stone arch
leading to a
massive (2000 +/- feet wide) spherical void cut cleanly from the
mountainside
as if by an ice cream scoop. Passing through the arch, the party found
themselves at the Doon Aben lodge on the plane of air; essentially the
“scoop
of ice cream” with the lodge building and surrounding areas, falling
endlessly
through space on the plane of air.
Peculiar-looking leather-skinned porters and the Host emerged to take
their
bags and welcome them to the lodge. At a sumptuous dinner, the Host
explained
some of the perils of the plane of air and discussed the nearby (on
the plane
of air) village of Fooose Ahhhh.
As the guests sipped their aperitifs, another party arrived to the
lodge
through the arch. It consisted of two adult-sized females, two
adult-sized
males, and two children. Some of the party found the four adults
familiar, and
Kyga thought that he had seen them earlier in the journey, between
Carsomonia
and Duvik’s Pass. As the newly arrived group walked up the stairs into
the
lodge, one of the cloaked and hooded children looked over at the
window through
which the party watched them. It was clearly the face of the Elf Boy.
EXP: 500
The
session begins at the entrance of a king’s tomb said to
contain the objective of their journey here, the Disc of Romnus. Going
down a
100'+ long hallway to a round room with an ocular above and a
spiral
staircase going down, they found the scattered and broken skeletons of
two
large humanoids, perhaps hill giants.
Going down the stairs, the small room below had a hall leading to a
large oval
room in the shape of an “O”; the remains of six wains once full, no
doubt, with
grave goods in large quantities were in the room. All now is
mouldering ruin
and decay, and little but dust and clumps of matter of an
indeterminate plant
or animal origin. There was a doorway, with great stone doors thrown
down in
pieces. Some of the rubble that fills the cavity beyond the doorway
extends
into the room a few feet. Bones of many creatures lay strewn around,
including
one over two feet long that has been dubbed a dragon by the party.
Four antechambers off the main room hold the same ruined materials
scattered
about but are otherwise empty except for the skeleton of a humanoid
child lying
intact upon the floor of one.
On the side of the "O" shaped room opposite the large broken doors,
there are two mostly empty rooms and a magically-locked door; upon
chiming the
door open, the party defeated two zombies made of preserved bodies
that were
perfect-looking young females. Finding the disc behind the body of the
king,
the party left.
The party also looted the tomb across the way, getting some magical
saddle and
tack, and a bunch of metal chits and small objects of a myriad of
forms and
shapes, along with hundreds of clear glass or crystal discs, embedded
in a pile
of mouldering organic matter.
Leaving the second tomb, they noticed that the gorillas that had been
watching
them from the entrance of the tomb complex were gone.
EXP: 450 each
The
party receives a visit an early morning visit from an
especially creepy Hellraiser club member named K’snee who is
fascinated by the
Greatsword of Krowanarkus.
They then go to Foose Ahhhhhh to seek someone to help them with their
purpose.
The mayor of the village, which turns out to be a group of enormous
clumps of
stone and earth, and massive stone cylinders, spheres and cones and
even a few
sailing ships, all fastened together by mighty chains and short
hanging bridges
holding everything together as it falls through space.
Asking around to for the Mayor, they found him in his office. He said
that they
should go speak to Omid Krauza, who runs a gambling parlor and pawn
shop. Omid
Krauza takes the party to a ritual chamber where they were vetted for
being
descendants of Kelfarious the Fleet, ancient hero of the air cult on
Terra.
Of the ten children still in the group, six proved to be descendants.
Abrazio
was not among them. He, and the three NPC children who were rejected
(and
Herus), were asked to leave the room so the ritual could continue.
The chosen children were each given a mark that will make creatures of
the
plane of air favor them. They were also each given a gift of ancient
and
somewhat queer style, and made with high degree of craftsmanship:
Albamenon: A richly jeweled and decorated scroll consisting of a
thin
flexible sheet of gold that is engraved.
Roland: Sash of the Divine Wind
Dana: An ancient amulet of Calafractus
Kyga: Mightiest of all: the Divine Brassard (armband)
Leaving the complex with the ritual room, the party (except Abrazio)
saw the
Elf Boy’s group on the way in. The party (except Abrazio) returned to
the
lodge. Later on, Abrazio returned. He was getting some ink.
After
being tasked with finding the missing boy hero, Milo
Turrani, by his uncle Gallatio, the party meets at a pioneer camp in
the
mountains and sets off to look for Milo in the Smuggler’s Village.
Meeting up with Meerwight the Ranger at the Standing Rock, the party
learns a
few things about the region befor setting off for the village.
In a woods near the village, the party is ineffectually ambushed by a
troupe of
bugbears; a survivor leads them to the cave where the bugbears had a
lair and
to four trussed and tormented hunter/gatherer humans from a few miles
away.
The dwarf cleric cleaned the cave and consecrated it; the party spends
the
night before heading off in the morning.
Exp: 650 each
The
party began by killing 2 dire wolves and wounding a
third. The bard bought Shana. The party decided to escort Shana away
before
returning to inquire with the goblins.
Sartoq the half-orc conversed with the party on the way out of town to
bring
Shana to Meerwight and safety.
The party hunted successfully; they brought the meat to Sartoq and
sold it to
him. They mentioned Milo to Sartoq; Sartoq acknowledged knowing the
name but
said no more.
The party decide to meet up with the goblins, then return and see if
Sartoq can
help them find Milo.
360 xp each