"The mind is a doorway...
...one that you can walk through if you wish."
Summaries from Nathan's interactive storytelling sessions (otherwise known as DnD)
"The mind is a doorway...
...one that you can walk through if you wish."
- The Bandit Busters arrive led by Kilvin, Jaman, and battered constable Thelen
- the armies do final preparations - they ride to Rebel’s Ford - A messenger comes with news of Blays interrogation - Blay arrives soon after - it was found during the interrogation that Blay was innocent - Ink is turned into an Union-No-Amanda - camp is set up - harrying parties ride out to bother the enemy - but before they strike the Umon-No-Manda turn away and retreat, led by Raven - Derfel wounds Raven but doesn’t kill him - the EP(Exalted Peoples) army arrives outside of the Alliance camp - it is learned that 100k Norren Wolf riders are riding from the north as fast as they can, they Willa drive in a couple days - Jaques and Blay go out as emissaries - Blay double crosses Jaque, and Queen Aya reveals that she has replaced her damaged eyes with pieces of the Ocularis Divinius - she cuts a scar on Jaques cheek(the one unscathed by Arthur’s blade) - Jaques rides back to camp in defeat - Treasure disappears, Sky follows her Act 1 - II Battle of Rebel’s Ford - it is dusk - mortar fire comes from the EP camp - a few explosive and smoke rounds - Shae ride in on kinetic cycles(motor cycles) for a “cavalry” charge - they fire a barrage of Gatling gun fire, which is stopped by the Wall of AIR(a Sudari ritualist trap) - then they run into devils wire(another Sudari ritualist trap) - finally they hit the Sudari phalanx and are obliterated - the first wave has been decimated - early in the night there is another attack - the EP launch flares, hallucinogenic gas, and sonic rounds into the Alliance camp - then mortar rounds better the wall down - then dwellers and Shae armed to the Teeth attack over the ruined wall - they are armed with Gatling guns, microwave guns, flechette pistols, sonic shotguns, Shae blades, rail guns, grenade launchers, and lightning generators - The Elxa Quen and Ink fight on the front lines with eh Bandit Busters - the Dwellers cut through the enemy, until the Norren berserkers arrive - Torrig leads the charge, with Greer at his side - Torrig, Greer, and the kings guard see Queen Aya, and they attack - she slaughters a few kingsguard and cuts Torrigs left arm off - he punches her across the battlefield - a submarine landing pod tunnels under the beach defenses - it sends out a Shae strike team led by Raven and Blay - they put down a time field(stops time for everywhere outside the dome) and move towards the Altas Beam - raven turns into a werewolf and obliterates the Alweni guards - Jaques, Fi, Derfel, Flyn, and a rallied group of Alliance soldiers charges towards the strike team - the Alliance Squad begins a skirmish with the Strike team, - Jaques, Derfel, Fi, Alana, and Flyn attack Raven and Blay - It is going pretty evenly until Raven tries to throw the Altas Beam at the others, but slips and it crushes his arms - as the Alliance squadron wins the skirmish, Blay flies away with the broken body of Raven(he flies to the tunnel sub and escapes) - raven recuperates and is given two spirit arms - the wave ends and a pile of dead is left where the wall was - the Alliance list many more than the EP - but the percentages of the armies lost is equal - The EP army was 110,000 strong - the Alliance army was 1,300,000 strong - each has lost roughly 30% of their army - during the battle the dwellers moved up their camp fortifications to within arrow fire - scouts begin to notice that Dwellers are taking bodies off the battlefield - Derfel orders a volley of arrows - as soon as the arrows fly the Dwellers begin mortar fire - and the mortar fire stops as soon as the arrow fire does - the Alliance feels trapped, and that they can be crushed at any time - the Elxa has a plan - he suggests they retreat to Dragonsden, where they could avoid mortar fire due to Aubery - a rear guard will be needed though - the Commandant will offer to lead the Uber cavalry to hold off the enemy - it is dawn and finally the light of the sun shines through the clouds - suddenly the stitched together corpses of the dead start limping toward the Alliance camp - they are flesh golems - The retreat action starts - the rearguard, the commandant, Ink, and Flynn charge forwards - the EP send gigamechs who obliterate the rear guard - the Commandant is knocked off his horse - he is approached by the queen who challenges him - the duel is quick, and Aya holds his decapitated head in the air - Ink rescues Flyn when Flynn’s horse is shot out from under him - ink escapes - the Alliance army is marching quickly away when Operation thunderhead is revealed - ten Zeppelins armed with artillery and blaring Dweller rock music come out of the clouds - they rain hell on the retreating army, which scatters to avoid the artillery fire - 40% of the Alliance army is destroyed on the four day long trek to Dragonsden Act 2 - Siege of Dragonsden - the troops arrive bleak and battered to the city - Jaques is named the new Commandant - planning is carried out - the EP army makes camp - Tim arrives and chats with the team - he offers to escort those who can’t fight out of Dragonsden to Caradyl - Tim does so, just walking at the head of the column - no EP dares fire on him - then Tim offers to mediate a negotiation between The Alliance leaders and the Queen, no fighting allowed - Tim teleports Flyn, Jaques, Derfel, Alana, and Fi to the Queens Commandant tent - a dweller tries to attack Tim but is struck dead - Tim seems to have a slight crush on Flyn(so edgy) - some tense negotiations are carried out - Derfel gives a passionate speech, and the Queen offers to let the Alliance surrender - they refuse - Tim teleports then out, but keeps coming back for a few clever one liners - the Elxa lays all his cards on the table - he has a Huntsman attached to him - and before the Alliance was confirmed to last after the war he had 200 k Sudari in reserve to conquer the other human nations - the 200k are on their way - Arthur arrives and asks what he can do - he is told that there are suspected l Dweller submarines that are near Waterside - he disposed of all three of them(almost killing Blay) - the giga mechs advance into the Outer Ring, but detonate the Oraxium traps set for them, destroying the mechs and the outer ring - the EP have lost a lot of people - they send in a stealth team with invisibility cloaks, led by Raven and Blay - they clear a barracks of Alweni soldiers and kidnap Flyn(who has been present to many planning sessions) - then they use the Chair on Flyn, brainwashing hint o be on their side - the EP begin their advance into Dragonsden - Thelen, Kilvin, Jaman, Torrig, Ink and Greer lead the defense - the Elxa, Arthur, Jaques, Alana, Fi, and Derfel teleport to the Queen(using Arturs blinking) and engage - Aya fights Jaques, Arthur, and the Elxa - Raven, Flyn, and Blay fight Alana, Fi, and Derfel - a group of EP splits off to fight the incoming Norren warf riders - three battles wage - the siege of Dragonsden goes poorly, the defenders are being pushed back despite all their efforts - the Queen holds off her duelists while the other six do heavy damage to each other - Alana kills Blay by tearing off her head - Blay self immolates as she dies, almost killing Alana - Fi is badly short by Flyn - Raven turns into a werewolf and attacks Alana, - Derfel activates a powerful ability and tackled Raven, beating him to near death - Aya is beating her combatants - the Elxa allows himself to be impaled, and as he dies his Huntsman breaks the Queens neck - she dies - the warf riders break through, slamming into the dweller flank - the dwellers still hold, that is until the Sudari reinforcements arrive, singing the Alweni national anthem - the EP are slaughtered - Raven is captured, but breaks free and ends his own life - with a ritualism spell, words are burned into the ground forever more “I️ fight for my kin, I️ die for my kin” - the Alliance war is over - the Alliance has won - of the original army, less than 50,00 remain - the world will never be the same - the group awakens to the sounds of gunshots
- Tineye and Blay are being arrested - Tineye is screaming that one of the guards caught his bullet and that it’s unnatural - the Sudari in long robes hold Tineye easily - the Elxa walks into the room, holding Blays ring - he says that it means she has high standing in Dwelle and she has been using it to communicate with the Exalted Peoples - Blay is to be interrogated, while Tineye will be executed for shooting at a Sudari guard - the group is given a morning to relax and then invited to witness the Sudari Legion - they meet with the Elxa on a balcony overlooking a very neatly made camp - there are 800,000 professional Sudari soldiers in perfect formation - the Elxa gives a short speech and they begin to march - as they march they sing the Sudari national anthem, keeping perfect time with their marching pace - the Elxa and his guards rides to the front of the column, along with Jaques, Kirra, Greer, Treasure, and Lucy - they are heading north to Dragonsden - a Sudari monk is sent with 25 Sudari soldiers to march with Raven, Derfel, Alana, and Fi - they are heading south to the Wall of Teeth Act 1 The Wildelands -Sesha is the name of the monk sent south with them -she is one of the Shashurak monks who guard the Elxa, and she has been sent to guard the group(and make sure Raven doesn’t betray them) -They all head to the Wall of Teeth -The Wall of Teeth is a wall of giant humanoid jawbones, that guards the border of Sudar and the Wildelands -They pass through the Teeth with no problems(there is a giant sand snake in the distance, but it is very far away) -The Wildelands is mainly an arid plain, and the team makes good time -soon they are attacked by their first group of Urom-No-Manda -The Sudari shield wall stops the worst of the damage, but a few are killed or wounded -Sesha helps by actually catching the arrows out of the air -as the archers ride away the group pursues quickly -Derfel fires an arrow of smoke at them -It misses but the riders are fascinated and turn around -Derfel, Fi, Alana, and Raven approach -Derfel makes all the Sudari drop their weapons -Derfel tries to pet the leader’s horse but gets an arrow shot through his hand -after trying many diplomatic tactics(Alana drawing stick figures, Derfel miming, Fi offering food) they try one last thing -Raven begins to sing to the Umon-No-Mandan riders, and they instantly react -The riders grab Raven(and Fi who is in Raven’s backpack) and ride away with them -Derfel begins to track the horses -Fi and Raven are taken to the village where they are made to sing(and dance in Fi’s case) in front of the whole village -then they are put in a small hut which is under guard -Fi makes friends with the guard(named Candula) by giving him a candle which changes the color of its flame -Derfel is tracking them this whole time, and starts to notice a lot of hoof traffick -he and the Sudari are ambushed two more times, losing a few soldiers each time(Derfel is shot as well) -then as he is nearing the source of all the traffick he is hit by a massive ambush of the nomads -normally they attack in groups of 6 - 12, this gorup is 25 - 40 -and instead of hitting and running, the horsemen circle the sudari formations, firing arrow after arrow at them -the sudari formation collapses under the pressure(they are not Legion after all and their numbers were low) -Sesha saves Derfel and Alana’s life and gets them out of the situation -meanwhile Fi and Raven keep preforming, and meet a crazy old Alweni man who lives in the village -This man is quite mad, and he is tolerated by the villagers, but he does speak their language -Fi picks his pocket and finds the man’s journal -The man was a missionary from the Divine Temple in Alwen, who went south to convert the Sudar with his chapter -his chapter secured some Pearls of Speaking from the Senate to allow them to learn new languages instantly -They were ignored in Sudar(a primarily atheist nation) and got lost in the desert -the chapter wandered into the wildelands and was slaughtered by some “terrifying beast” -the attack of this creature drove this missionary mad -Fi sneaks out of his hut to return the journal, but is caught and taken to the CHief -The Chief decides to hold a trial in the morning -In the trial everyone is furious at Fi -Just before the final decision is made, Raven sings a heartwrenching Shae song about the destruction at Sanctuary -The entire village weeps in sadness, and forgives Fi as long as the journal is returned -The old missionary however is unstable and attacks Fi -Everyone who can hold a bow(which is every Umon-No-Mandan past age 10) aims an arrow at the old man -The old man crushes some item, and with a puff of smoke he is changed to look exactly like Fi -The situation is at a standstill -Derfel. Alana, and Sesha recovering nearby hear the commotion -they sneak over and Derfel fires a flash arrow at the feet of the goblins -Both exclaim at the flash of light, but the old man didn’t change his voice so he doesn’t sound anything like Fi -The Umon-No-Manda kill him, and turn their bows on Derfel -As they are about to shoot him he taps into his past lives, and speaks with all of their voices, telling everyone to calm down -As this conflict is going on, Fi steals into the missionary’s house and steals the last Pearl of Speaking, -Fi runs up to Derfel and gives him the Pearl -Derfel takes it, and can speak Umon-No-Mandan now -he begins negotiations with the Umon-No-Manda -It is quickly apparent that they are highly emotional peoples who are attatched to their horses -Derfel tells them about the Dweller horse killers to the north -The Umon-No-Manda agree to fight on two conditions -First Raven must become one of them and be their envoy -Second the group must prove it by hunting an Anganthrope -Anganthropes are creatures that become whatever thing you most fear -They are dangerous predators -One has been spotted to the south near the grazing grounds of a small tribe, -That tribe hasn’t been seen for a while, and the group is sent to investigate -First though, Raven is made Umon-No-Mandan -Both of his arms are cut, and his blood is painted onto his horse -After an hour of painting, he is linked with his horse(Bonnie) and they are as one -He can sense and feel what Bonnie does from Bonnie’s perspective -Then the group(led by Candula) rides south -They enter the dead forrest where the Anganthrope is prowling -Fi has time to set up some traps before the battle -As the Anganthrope charges the group its leg gets shorn off by a bear trap -This confuses the creature and the group finishes it off, with Derfel getting badly bitten in the process -The group returns to find that the Umon-No-Manda have mustered every single resident of the Wildelands -7000 are ready to ride and fight, with those too old or young to fight being brought along anyways, they also have shamans from the south who have captured five Anganthropes, who can be released onto the enemies -They all ride north to Dragonsden Act 2 The North -Jaques, Treasure, Greer, Kirra, and Lucy are at the head of the Legion with Elxa Quen and his bodyguards -Treasure, and Kirra talk medicine with the Elxa -Greer practices Sudar with him -Jaques, Greer, and Treasure spar with the Elxa -Quen(the Elxa) is master swordfighter, learned scholar, brilliant tactician, and leader of an empire at the young age of 28 -Lucy also spends some time throwing coins in lakes -they arrive at the border to Dragonsden -The ragtag Alweni militia faces the uniformly deadly Sudari Legion -The Commandant meets them, carrying a white flag with gold rings(the Aliance of humans flag) -The team meets in Dragonsden and preps for war -afterwards the group goes to Lucy’s warehouse to check on his business -when they arrive Lucy’s clerk is dead, with an A carved into his chest -The vigilante is waiting there, waiting for Lucy -Jaques recognizes the man’s eyes, it is Arthur -Arthur reveals he has been killing criminals, and protecting the commandant from assassination -the group squares up against him but Artur promises he will just slaughter them all -Treasure and Lucy try to unleash a dangerous spirit at Arthur but he avoids it and stabs Treasure -Jaques tries to challenge Arthur to a duel but Arthur refuses, saying he wouldn;t want to kill the Kapitan -The group leaves Lucy to his fate, but not willingly -Lucy uses all his skill to battle Arthur, but in the end is slain -Lucy is given a military funeral with a speech from the Commandant -Then the team sets of to Norren, with a group of Alweni and Sudari soldiers -They are interested by an old swordmaster who lives alone in Norren] -She offers to train someone but they are too busy and promise to return -They meet up with Ink, and a girl Ink has been taking care of -He has been spending time in a grove and has mande friends with lots of animals -He decides to travel with them -They arrive at Norren and are stopped at the city gates by a pair of familiar faces -It is Jordan with a wall of muscle named Bryce to back him up -Jaques and Greer handily beat them, to the cheers of Norren onlookers -Then they head to the longhouse and meet up with High King Torrig, who they instantly take a liking to -Torrig is excited for war and agrees to the alliance easily -He rallies 200,000 warriors and sets sail back to Dragonsden -But jsut before the fleet arrives they are ambushed by Dweller sumbarines - torpedoes tear through the wooden longboats, and thousands are slain - Only 10,000 make it to shore - The Battle is near I seek the peace of words
The growl of war it cracks my soul The poet holds his Quill The snow it falls in sheets Upon my Stoney shoulders sits A rabbit seeking warmth My heart of Stoney make It longs across a range of waves I bleed my thoughts upon An island strangely stands A mystery it does surround The fog it watches me I calm my inner thoughts They scream and cry in panicked craze But now the sea is calm The sons of giants thrive
On rolling dunes of golden sand Through starry nights of sapphire Their cities glow with magic stone The sons of giants thrive The sons of giants march They march cross mountains grey and cold They march through fields of wheat and maize They march in sun and rain and snow The sons of giants march The sons of giants train A million spears of sharpened steel They gleam like stars that walk the earth Their swords so strong they strike through stone The sons of giants train The sons of giants fight The Legion cuts through blood and bone All enemies they flee in fear Our warriors with glory gleam The sons of giants fight The sons of giants sing Their host eight hundred thousand strong All sing in time with step of boot As one they seek to slay their foe The sons of giants sing - the journey back to the Dweller city is uneventful
- it seems that Ink has learned Dweller - they arrive at the city and the orb is given to the queen - the queen meets with them and thanks them for their service - Jaques begs for the Alwen people, but is denied - Derfel begs for peace but is denied - Tineye drags the group away before they are killed by the queens guards - Jaques asks Tineye how he feels about the war - Tineye says “short” - they exit the city and meet Treasure(formerly known as Gianna) camped outside the gates - Jaques flips off the Dweller gate and has a piece of his ear shot off by a bullet - ink(now carrying a large Dweller claymore and chalk/slate for poem writing) heads north and bids the group farewell - Tineye and Lida are traveling with the group south to Halfrock - as they travel Jaques, Raven, and Blay begin to get sick - Treasure diagnoses them with Tongue Rot, but cannot cure them - they are very close to death - the group rides hard for Halfrock - on the way the see the dead bodies of badnts, with A’s cut into their chests - the three infected are about to die - they are rushed into their quarters at Halfrock - raven preforms some clever ritualism using an artifact from Treasure, curing the lot of them - they also meet Cousin Nickeys bodyguard, a Norren woman named Greer - Cousin N Updates them on the castles progress - Simon also talks to the group about finding dead outlaws with A’s cut into them - Greer chimes in saying that she has seen this sort of thing on her journey down from Norren - Cousin N then shows the group what he uncovered - there is a large Weylanian entrance hall, with multiple offshoots all caved in - there is a large gate at the end that radiates heat - the group enters and finds a massive stone egg - Treasure is overjoyed and explains that this egg is a dragon, that she is actually related to - the group decide to let the dragon hatch, and swear to secrecy - they are talking with Cousin N about renovations when someone knocks at the gate - it’s a Alweni Knight, who is requesting the presence of Jaques - all get on horseback(Greer comes with, she originally wanted to join the Halfrock Heroes) - the team rides hard through the countryside - all around them the peasants are mustering for war - they arrive at Dragonsden - there are war preparations all around them - a man in a deep red cloak rides towards them - it is commandant Thorp - Jaques accepts Thorp’s offer to become Kapitan(the second in command of Alwen) and they talk strategy - Jaques explains what he knows of operation thunderhead - he agrees with The Commandant that a peace treaty between the Alweni and the Sudari should be made - also Jaques gives the commandant some information about entering Dwelle, so an assassination attempt can be made in Queen Aya - Jaques is scheduled to act as ambassador for Alwen, and head down to the capital of Sudar - Treasure goes to meet with some intellectuals about Aubery but is kicked out - the whole group then goes to talk to Aubery - the great dragon notices the changes in each character and talks to them long about their adventures - he seems to be very fond of them, even when they try to manipulate him into helping them fight the Dwellers - Aubery also doubles the price on that weylanian artifact - Fi goes off hunting for cake, but is satisfied with getting a carrot - they meet with Tim(the Snakeskull Guy) and do some business - Jaques goes in private to give Thorp an idea for a weapon that would burn the Dwellers - they then begin their journey to Sudar - they have to pass through the Shattered States first - it is a long journey and they meet many Sudari patrols along the way - the patrols are deadly and efficient - one day the Heroes come across a man being harassed by some bandits - they save the man and learn more about him - his name is Kirra and he is an Eschlen scholar - that night Derfel is in watch and notices something interesting - Kirra is not in his tent - Derfel investigates but is stopped by Kirra himself - but the old man is gone - in his place is a younger and stronger man - Kirra reveals that he is a vampire, he changes from a weak old man to young and strong in the night - he needs someone to draw blood from - Brink wakes up Treasure, who is given the details, and volunteers her blood - Kirra confides a bit in Treasure and tells her that another one of his powers is a perfect memory(even of colors, tones, sounds, smells, everything) - they continue on - Lucy rides up to the group out of nowhere again - everyone talks about how to negotiate with the Elxa(the Sudari emperor) - then they meet with their Sudari escort - their escort is extremely alert - when asked why they explain their fear of marauding Urom-No-Manda(nomadic horse riders) who are known to be extremely deadly archers - it is also migrating season for the Sand Snakes - suddenly the ground begins to tremble and a massive sand snake tunnels out of the ground - everyone goes into a dead gallop - after the Sand Snake departs the Sudari are still galloping - they explain that was just the pack leader - a dozen more sand snakes explode out of the dunes - the group rides as fast as they can to the gates of Caradyl(Sudari capitol, translates literally to City of Starlight) - they see how quiet and clean the streets are - the builders are all 10 stories plus and made out of sandstone - there is trading and business going on but it is all done in whispers - the narrow streets are kept clean and traffic is orderly - the Sudari warriors(mostly women) wear skirts to hide their footwork - the Sudari non-warriors(mostly men) wear pants - the Sudari children wear shorts - each Sudari has different ways of growing their chitin, it is an important personal and spiritual journey - any Sudari warrior would carry a knife on their left shoulder and a sword under their right arm - this implies that they are in safe trusted company, because you could never draw your sword quickly if it is under your arm - if you are in dangerous company you wear your blade naked on your right hip - on the right because 90% of Sudari are left handed - Sudar is also known for the Academy, which is the best school in the world - they proceed to the palace, which is a short building compared to all the skyscrapers - Sudari scholars come out and make sure the group is removed of all of their magic items - then a ritualist takes a sample of blood from each of them - then they enter the palace - sitting alone without guards is Elxa Quen - he is a young man in his late 20s - he wears his hair in the classic Sudari style, long and braided to his waist - the negotiations begin with Jaques and Derfel taking the lead - they explain the danger of the Dwellers - the Elxa then commands one of his guards to challenge Tineye to a duel - Tineye easily kills her(using a weapon that no one can see) and the negotiations continue - dueling is a very valued tradition in Sudar - the Elxa tells the group to walk with him - they follow him up some stairs into one of the large skyscrapers - as they ascend he tells them of the power of the Sudari people, of the richness of their heritage - as they reach the roof they see that all the Sudari warriors have been gathered, and they stand ready - the Elxa says, “My army is at the service of humanity” - the deal is sealed, and the group is shown to their rooms - all are given gifts from the Elxas treasury and plans are made for the future - Jaques, Greer, Treasure, and Kirra will head north to Norren - they will attempt to make a treaty with the High King there - Derfel, Alana, Tineye, Lucy, Blay, Raven, and Fi will head south to meet with the Urom-No-Manda and try to sign a treaty - one thing is certain - war is coming - the whole ship is preparing for the exploration of the Isle
- the Heroes get all the gear that they need - they go ashore with Ink, two gunner Dwellers, Tineye(a Dweller they saved), and two Shae archers - they explore a small island which Derfel names Avalon - unfortunately they miss the massively overpowered microwave gun buried on the island - then they head to the beach of the main island - in the sand, collapsed face first, is Lucy, holding a mirror and a bag of gold - while he is being tended to, two of the boulders on the beach unfurl - they are revealed to be Titan crabs - a battle begins involving illusions, Gatling guns, unfortunate harpoons, arrows, and very dangerous crabs - Jaques is badly wounded - Tineye is a crack shot and takes out one of the crab eyes - Raven hypnotizes a crab until it falls asleep - Lucy stabs the crab in its leg so that it collapses - Blay then promptly cooks it with fire magic - the dwellers de-shell the crab, so that Titan crab armor can be made later - crab sandwiches are made and stored - little does the group know, but a small pack of goblins are watching them from the trees - one of the goblins(Fi) is fascinated by the strangers - he remembers that there some signs written in Goblin ahead, and he decides he will offer to translate for them - Fi secures an Position as the groups tour guide - as the group heads deeper into the canyon Fi guides them around traps - he does miss a trap, which mortally wounds a dweller - the remaining shae(the other one died in the crab fight) takes him back to the sub - Derfel sees a figure watching them from the cliffs - he uses his flying boots to get to the crevice where he saw the figure - raven tries to follow by climbing but falls and hurts himself - after being bribed with a crab sandwich, Fi scrambles up the cliff behind Derfel - as Derfel is going into the crevice an arrow flies out at him - Derfel catches the arrow with a flip of his bow, and fires it back at the figure - the arrow cuts through the figures bowstring - the figure reveals himself to be a battered old Shae - he begins to lead the group through all his traps in the canyon - they arrive at his house and he explains his story - his name was Lida, and he was kicked out of the Forge for crafting a really powerful artifact and getting into a smuggling ring - after being tortured and beaten he was thrown into the underground sea - but he didn’t drown, he found a coral reef close to the surface and walked along in, foraging for food - then he got to Schtakfen Isle and fought goblins there - he still has the artifact, and since it is archer based, he decides to give it do Derfel - Derfel passes through some hallucinations and gets the artifact - it is the Quiver of Creation, which allows the user to imagine new types of arrows, and they will appear in the quiver - Lida then shows the group a room full of treasure form dead Dwellers and Shae who had died in the underground sea - everyone gets on item - the group then follows the trail to the power source - they go to some Weylanian ruins, and see all the traps and opponents Lida has overcome throughout the years - but only one thing remains for them to fight, a giant steel golem - ink goes in to converse with the creature, but is badly hurt by it - the group uses gorgon spray and ice arrows to freeze the golem, then they run past it - they get to the door the golem was guarding, but can’t break through it - finally ink bashes it in - but they were too slow, the steel golem breaks through its binding and attacks the group - it cuts Lucy’s arm and Blays leg off - then ink tackles it - Derfel freezes the creature and Blays flyer(Steve) starts evacuating people - while ink runs away, raven and Lida keep the creature distracted with makeshift devices and crossbow bolts - as soon as everyone gets out of the room the creature explodes - in front of the group is a crystal ball hovering in the air - it is the power source for Operation Thuderhead -our heroes are recovering from their wounds in Redwell -Clamps arrives from Dragonsden, having spent his time in a interesting manner -Letters are received from Nickey the contractor, and Commandant Thorp -Redwell celebrates the heroes and makes sure that they recover quickly -One night the group’s rest is interrupted by a knock on the door -It’s the Redwell guards -They have been alerted of a dangerous figure going about town talking about them -They are relocating the group to the jail house -Alana and Derfel are fetched as well and the group beds down in the jailhouse, under the watchful eye of the grateful guards -Suddenly there is a commotion outside -The guards are yelling at a figure who is trying to get in -The door is kicked off its hinges as a figure in dark brown robes strides in, holding an adamant blade -A guard charges the figure, but it slain with ease -Combat begins but the creature seems invulnerable -All weapons can connnect, but do not seep to effect it -They eventually escaped, but only with the help of the constable and some Oraxium -The group rides down the road but a snowstorm starts up -It is getting really bad when they arrive at an inn -THey see Jordan and some other thugs in the inn -There is a small confrontation but the Inkeeper(Hemlock) stops a fight from breaking out -a figure is seen coming in from the blizzard -It turns out to be a massive stone Golem -The villagers shun the creature, but the group welcomes him -The Golem’s name is Stone Incarnate or Ink for short -Ink wants to be a poet -The group heads to bed -They awake to the morning only to find that a note was posted on the door being racist about Shae -They start to have breakfast when Clamps takes Hemlock into the back room and murders him - This is because Clamps was introduced into an assassin’s guild during his stay in Dragonsden - But someone catches Clamps in the basement and starts a fight - A standoff begins with Jordan, Derfel, and Clamps - Jaques uses magic perfume to dissuade the situation - Clamps does lose a finger to one of Jordan’s thugs - The group quickly leaves the tavern, and they see the creature in the brown robe trudging through the snow - They ride all day to outpace it - As they are riding past the Dweller Gates Blay splits off from the group, saying they should meet up at Dragonsden - Blay meets with a representative of Queen Aya, who asks if anyone knew he was heading this way - Blay admits that his group knows that he is heading here, and dwellers and shae are sent to apprehend them - Since Alana is a vampire and Derfel is her Soulbound, they are considered Exalted People - Alana, Blay, and Derfel are allowed to the war council - Blay is given a Shae name: Altari - the war council commences - Blay is asked about Aubery’s danger levels, but he assures them all is well - Operation Thunderhead is revealed, which is an operation designed to wipe out all human nations and armies - Blay manages to convince the council to focus on the Sudari instead of the Alweni - Another urgent matter is brought to attention - A power source is required for the operation, and one has been detected off to the east Underneath the WorldCrest Mountain range is a massive underground ocean - The Exalted Peoples have designed a few submarines to find that power source, but both have sunk about 75 miles into their journey - Another Submarine(the Exalted People’s Ship Intrepid) is ready to go, locked and loaded with ALC(Anti Large Creature) torpedoes - Blay and his team are invited to go on the ship - Before they leave they purchase some cheap Dweller gear - And Blay is alerted that the creature is outside the Dweller Gates - Some gatling guns are trained on the being but can do no lasting damage - The gate guards promise to keep the creature locked out - The group heads to the Inrepid - They meet the dweller Captain of the ship: Captain Truncheon - The ship sets off after the team gets a tuor - The sub is very large, with a notably secret weapons cache fullt of experimental and dangerous items - All goes well for the first 60 miles - Soon the ship is in a massive choral structure - suddenly the hull damage alarms are going off - Everyone is panicking - Water tests are taken but the water is not acidic - Jaques and Clamps are put into diving suits, and sent to the outside hull of the ship - Small fish are eating away at the outside of the ship - Both get some samples, but a large eel starts bothering them - Jaques jams a harpoon into its snout and it leaves - The samples are analyzed and the ship takes a detour through a large cloud of jellyfish to clear away the deadly fish - the ship is not bothered for a few miles more - Blay gets a sudden emergency message on the ship’s comms, - The creature apparently got into Dwelle and snuck onto the ship - Derfel accesses one of his past lives(who was a ritualist) and determines the creature is a Huntsman - A Hunstman is a magical being, that is sent to avenge his master if his master was a powerful ritualist - This must be Teren’s huntsman - The Huntsman is found in the science lab, and promtly attacks Clamps - A battle begins which rages through the Intrepid - The Dwellers and Shae reveal some of their more experimental weapons to try and kill the Huntsman, but are slain easily - Jaques uses his basic ritualist knowledge to try and copy a circle spelled out by Derfel’s past self, that should trap the being - Another option is using a powerful artifact to destroy the relic powering the creature - The adamant blade it wields may work, but Captain Truncheon also has something that(if the creature was trapped) could kill it - The battle continues, until the Huntsman is lured into the weapons cache - The remainder of the crew awaits it there, holding all manner of powerful and dangerous weapons - Jaques circle is there and so is Truncheon’s artifact(a disturbing and strange looking device) - The final battle begins - Jaques’s circle fails - Clamps is pinned to the wall with a chunk of metal, and dies - Blay enters one on one combat with it and gets its adamant sword(with Derfel’s help) and destroys the relic - The battle is over - Clamps is dead, and he is buried with Dweller honors - A quarter of the ship’s crew was killed - Suddenly one of the shae technicians runs into the room - An island was just spotted on the bridge - Jaques, Blay, Derfel and Rook head towards Redwell
- Clamps and Lucy stay behind at Dragonsden to get some “business” done - Redwell is a city on the northern border of Alwen - It is known for its extensive graveyard(The Barrows) and its high murder rate - it is also known for the large mansion nearby - The Rayden family made its money from mining an explosive material: Oraxium - As Blay practices his Common, and Jaques messes with his Ritualist kit, the group remembers the advice given by Kilvin - Kilvin recommended they meet with the town’s detective, Gumshoe, and get the info they need - They see the town is light by flames, as one of the houses is being burnt down - Then an Oraxium explosion goes off - They arrive at the scene, seeing city guards swarming a crazy man trying to blow up the road - He’s screaming and going crazy - The town constable(Thelen) approaches the heroes and explains the situation - Apparently, the madman in front of them is Gumshoe himself - With a flash of their Bandit Buster IDs they schedule a meeting with the Constable in a couple hours - They then head deeper into the town - They see the carnival wagons of the traveling Ruttan Performers, no doubt preparing for the New Year Festival on Friday - There are two Inns in town: The Rusty Boot and the Jackdaw Inn - They decide on the Rusty Boot - Upon entrance they meet a bully named Jordan, who tries to scam Derfel using an “entrance fee” - A girl with a sword comes to help in the fight - The get into a fight which is stopped with Jaques puts a dueling pistol to Jordan’s head - Jordan retreats, and the group gets free food, drinks, and rooms for their trouble - The Halfrock Heroes get to know the girl who came to help them - She is a traveler who is a master of herbs - Another traveler is sitting at the table with them, his name is Ellaren - Ellaren is in town to explore the Devil’s Well, a sinkhole that opened up last year - Ellaren names the female herbologist Giana, which is Eschelen for traveler - While they are talking a Shae slave comes through the tavern, putting pamphlets onto each table asking people to vote for Goldthroat, - Ellaren is made furious by the sight of a Shae slave, and has to leave to calm himself - While they are talking Blay catches someone trying to pick his pocket - It’s a young eight year old girl - Jaques realizes that he has been stolen from too - He demands the money back - The girl is absolutely scared - But just as she is about to give it back, she puts a knife through Jaques hand - Jaques roars with pain, and the girl dashes out - Giana and Derfel race off in pursuit - Blay and Jaques head to the town Hospice - Giana and Derfel try to keep up with the girl but lose her when she goes into the Devil’s Well - Blay and Jaques get an appointment with Doctor Stipen, a Sudari doctor - As he walks out of a soundproofed room they hear someone screaming THEY’RE IN ME THEY’RE IN ME THEY’RE IN ME - Jaques and Blay get taken care of, and Jaques tries to get out into the soundproof room but fails - The group is gathered together by a panicked guard, saying that there has been another murder - They meet at a house by Devil’s Well, where the wall has been burrowed through - After examining the crime scene it is clear that the occupants of the house have been torn apart by human teeth - A note with a strange rune on it marks the crime scene as one of the Corkscrew killer’s works - Blay finds a disturbance in the snow with his Shae senses and follows it to the pit - Jaques and Blay head back to the Inn to prepare for their expedition and to find Ellaren - a charm spell is cast on Derfel by a passing woman and he begins to follow her to her house - Giana sends her pet bird(Birdey Ricky) to alert the rest of the group of her location - Jaques is having a frustrating exchange with Smithy Abend when her gets the note - They meet outside of the vampire’s house - As they are talking about what to do the girl herself opens the door and invites them in - She explains(via writing and Blay) that she is vampire who was run out of her town in Norre - Vampires all have different abilities and powers, thus the large amount of differing stories about them - But many vampires can have a link, someone who when blood is drawn from them there is positive effects all around - She knew that Derfel was her link when she saw him, and had to know him - She adjusts Derfel’s covers to make him warm and heads to bed - The group wakes late on Thursday morning when a city guards knocks on the house door - He is letting the group know that Madman Gumshoe wants to meet with them - They all go to the Jailhouse to meet with him - Gumshoe is in a watery cell in the basement - He is quite quite mad - With Giana’s help they get that Gumshoe went mad after going into the mansion - They begin to gear up to go into the mansion when the constable asks them to check on some missing guardsmen for him near the Ruttan caravans - The group head over only to find the caravan deserted - There is no sign of the Performers or the guards… until they look up - Impaled on the leafless trees are dozens of bodies -A note pinned to a wagon’s door with a strange rune on it marks it as one of the Corkscrew Killer’s works -Lucy arrives -The group head quickly to the Rayden mansion -in front of the mansion is a young man drinking something out of a bag who cheerily greets them -he offers them a tuor which they warily accept -Jaques quickly gets disturbed by the young man(Teren) and tries to shoot him -Teren disappears -Teren’s voice(without the goofy accent) comes through the walls, taunting the heroes -Jaques foolishly tries the drink that Teren was drinking, with no immediate effect -they all advance into the house -they find themselves in a long hallway and take a right -there is a trapped door that takes a small drop of Jaques blood with a small blade -(I forgot a room or two) -in the next room the floor is covered in small hairs -Derfel recognizes them as spider hairs -Jaques makes a makeshift ritualist circle and crushes the spider hairs -unfortunately he also hurts himself because he drank a potion called pacifists fire, which makes all damage you inflict hurt yourself as well -they also find a rare artifact hidden in spider webs -then the group moves upstairs quickly(to avoid the room flooding) -they pass through a spider room filled with corpses -they then arrive in a new room -as soon as Jaques steps in the lights turn off -suddenly their are two Jaques -the blood taken earlier was used to clone him -the group realizes the the true Jaques would have drunken the pacifists fire -they quickly kill the fake Jaques -but as they leave the other Jaques attack them! Both were clones -(I then forgot another room) -the group arrives in an immaculate kitchen -they smell the smell of burning flesh and quickly pull us out of the oven and leave the room -next room is a library -Blay identifies some of the books as traps and Lucy takes one for himself -before they get to the next door they are stopped by a Butler book -the book warns them the his master is in the study and security measures are in place -they wave him away -the group steps into a maze and feel a cold chill of fear wash over them -Ellaren identifies the feeling as one of a revenant -they quickly move through the maze, avoiding the revenant -finally they arrive at a large door, with many creatures painted on the walls to each side -they have to choose a monster to fight to get through the door -they defeat the troll handily and start to exit when they feel the revenant coming -Giana and Blay are frozen with fear -Blay is carried out but Giana is still there -Jaques throws Wraith Whiskey at the revenant, who screams at the memory of all the pain it has caused -the group escapes into the study -there Giana solves the mystery -the town was carved into one big ritual circle, with Teren being the caster -the ritual made people go mad and murder each other -that’s why Gumshoe wanted to destroy the roads -Teren appears in human form to explain his grandfathers reasons -Rayden lured people into he mansion and killed them, observing their final moments and recording them -Jaques shoots Teren, but the body was only a puppet -the group tries to escape the house but Teren morphs it around them -Blay begins to burn the house down -Teren sends in ghouls to attack them -the group defeats the ghouls while sustaining some damage -with the house badly damaged, Teren transfers into the panicked Ellaren who then challenges Jaques to a duel -Jaques beats him, and then Teren commits suicide -the house explodes, just in time -the heroes have won the day again - The group sees the capitol of Alwen on fire
- They ride quickly towards it, noting the thousands of fleeing refugees - The group notices that the waterside and the lowtops are covered in smoke, but the hightops seem almost as if frozen in amber - Jaques rides first and fastest, galloping towards the Le Fleur mansion - they all ride past piles of bodies, mostly guardsmen - Clamps interviews a fleeing woman, who claims this all happened because of a dragon attack - they arrive at the Le Fleur mansion, which is a burned out husk - Jaques enters and runs up to his fathers room - two Le Fleur men are guarding the door but they let Jaques in to see the dead body of his father, and the battered form of his brother Arthur - having dropped the silly accent Arthur accuses Jaques of abandoning the family - Arthur is furious and tells Jaques that his father doubted Jaques so much that he was already written out of the will - Arthur shows Jaques a paper signed by Brian to let him back into the family, then burns it in front of him - Jaques is being held back by the Le Fleur guards - Arthur smacks Jaques, and then cuts an x shaped scar into his right cheek - then Arthur pushes his ex brother off a balcony onto a pile of trash and rides away(promising revenge on the ruffians who slaughtered Brian) - meanwhile Blay hears a rare sound in Alwen, a cry for help in the Dweller tongue - Blay rushes off to help, with Derfel and Clamps in pursuit - Clamps climbs up to the rooftops while Derfel and Blay run on the streets - they turn a corner to see the Dweller corner by seven Bandits - six Bandits lie dead around the Dweller - Blay and Derfel execute two of the Bandits - the bandit leader whistles for his two snipers in the rooftops - clamps kicks the dead bodies of the snipers from the rooftops to the cobblestone street - the Bandits run away, with Blay and Derfel and Clamps firing on them as they retreat - blay quickly befriends the Dweller(Rook), who is a professor of biology from Dweller University - the group walk back to Jaques who is burying the remains of his father - there is an eardrum shattering sound as houses are getting crushed - the group realizes that the material they thought was amber was actually burnished orange scales - everyone begins to flee but the aura of the dragon slows their minds thoughts and movements - the dragon comes face to face with the mourning Jaques - The silence is broken by the shimmering of a defense ward cast by Blay - the dragon chuckles deeply and shatters the ward with a gentle tap of his claw - they then get to know the dragon(who is named Aubrey) better - he apparently settled down in the capitol(now known as Dragonsden) as a retirement option - Aubery offers the group a contract, to retrieve an ancient Weylanian artifact for 10,000 gold - The group goes about their business getting new equipment, and a contractor is hired to renovate their new Castle in Halfrock - Lucy returns, starving, battered, and beaten from spending days in the wild - They all drink Wraith Whiskey together and head off to Halfrock Castle - After doing some planning they head to Danderon to get a contract from the Bandit Busters - After meeting the secretary(Sheila) the group heads into Kilvin’s office - Kilvin informs them that he has a mystery for them to solve - The group awakes and begins their plans for defense against the Bandits - They estimate that they have one week before the bandit envoys arrive demanding payment - The group does a census and it reveals the village has roughly 108 occupants - There are 31 too young or old to fight - There are 5 priests, 36 fighting men, and 36 fighting women - There are also 50 bandits opposing them - At the war council the group meets with the Elder, the Elder’s daughter Bridget, a local hunting expert named Derfel, and the head of the lumberjacks Simon - Together they divide those who can fight into groups defending two main points, the bridge and the ford - They attempt to destroy the bridge, but fail to do so completely - They manage to make the bridge impassable to cavalry with a few trenches filled with snakes - During preparations Jaman turns back into a human and cannot walk, a wheelchair is constructed for him and he practices is crossbow aim - Four days early the bandit envoys arrive, one archer and two swordsmen - After a heated exchange, Jaques shoots the archer with a dueling pistol and the other two retreat - The next day the bandits attack - They charge towards the bridge, but retreat after a volley of arrows is sent their way - The bandits find cover and fire a few volleys of their own, obliterating most of the village archer force - The combat at the bridge calms and is at an impasse - A contingent of bandits charges towards the ford, but their horses throw them before they get to the caltrops - The bandits and villagers clash at the ford, both doing significant damage to each other - The bandits attempt a retreat but are obliterated by an axmen ambush - Meanwhile back at the bridge villagers begin to drop dead - The party recognizes that there is a ritualist at work, as villager after villager is stabbed or burns to death via magic - Bridget attempts to go in after the ritualist on her own, but is slain by a group of five patrolling bandits, she takes two with her - A sortie is gathered and it advances into the woods to hunt down the ritualist - They are taken by suprise by the bandit archers, who kill many villagers and almost kill Kilvin - Clamps tries to sneak past the archers but is caught - Jaques and a group of axmen begin to flank the archer line - Derfel the hunter sneaks past the archers and sees the ritualist, and shoots him - The bandits panic as their ritualist dies - The axmen suprise attack the archers, wiping them out - The bandits retreat for the day - Watch is posted and the village goes to bed - In the night the bandits send out assassins to poison the villagers and assassinate what leaders they can - Some of the assassins are caught by Derfel and Clamps on watch but one makes it through - He is on his way to the well when Simon awakes and kills him - The next money the Bandits want to parley - They offer the group money and their lives if they let the Bandits have control over the village - The group refuses - One of the Bandits challenges Jaques to a duel - Jaque wins but not without sustaining some wounds - Then another bandit challenges Derfel to a duel - Derfel wins his duel handily - In a suprise attack the bandits gallop on horseback out of the woods right as the final duel ends - The villagers get into formation and the final battle begins - Jaques, Clamps, Kilvin, and Derfel flank the bandit charge, attacking the casters and leaders - Blay, Jaman, Simon, and even the Elder in his ancient plate mail take on the bandits head on - The battle is bloody and brutal - Blay is bloodthirsty and brutal in combat, defeating many enemies and saving Jaman’s life - the flanking team kill al lthe bandit leaders and casters, save for one caster in plate mail - Clamps makes that caster his target, and executes him with a few poison daggers - Many bandits and villagers lie dead on the field just outside of Loften - There is only one bandit left, and he challenges Blay to a duel - Blay uses her light magic to defeat him, breaking the dueling codes, but no one seems to mind too much - The villagers began to clean up, heal up, and mourn the dead - Simon gives a powerful speech that rouses the villagers, and he thanks the players profusely for saving the town - Lead by Simon they go into the bandit’s camp to scavenge for loot - It is discovered that the bandits were extorting a dozen towns in this small area - The group takes their pick of magical items, trinkets, and treasure - One of the items they acquire is the deed to an abandoned castle in the east of Alwen known as Halfrock castle - Jaques offers to let the survivors of Loften work for the group at Halfrock, and the survivors agree - The group packs up the Lover’s Leaf and heads back to the Capitol - They round the bend to see the glorious Capitol of the Alwen Republic - The city is burning -While the group was fighting that snake, they failed to notice the snake winding around Jaques sleeping body -Jaman rushed to help him but tripped on a root and fell to the ground -The snake began to crush Jaques, badly wounding him -Fernando took the armor piercing dagger and rushed towards the second snake, only to trip on the same root Jaman had and accidentally stab Jaman in the lower spine, crippling him -With Bat’s martial arts and Clamp’s knife throwing the snake is defeated -The group patches up but Jaman has been permanently crippled for life -It is remembered that Jaman is carrying a mysterious potion with him, which Bat identifies as a potion of transformation into a dog -The potion is given to Jaman who turns into a Northern Shepherd -Everyone has bird egg omelets and snake bacon for breakfast, cooked up by Bat -The group continued on their merry way to Loften -They arrived and are welcomed by the village elder, -Bat begins to do some of his Cult worshiping practices, but is warned off by one of the kinder town priests -Clamps feels something is off and begins to scout around the town -The rest of the crew also notice something is wrong, and begins to push the Elder -it is discovered that the villagers are the ones who stole the shipment of Lovers Leaf -the villagers explain that they only did this to try and pay off s group of deadly Bandits who have been taking advantage of their town for decades -The villagers did not have enough money to pay them this year, and would be slaughtered if they couldn’t pay up -The group decided to help the village fight off the Bandits, as long as the Lovers Leaf would be returned to Brian le Fleur -It would be roughly one week until the bandit envoy arrived to demand coin, and our protagonists knew they had a lot of work to do-Jaques is confronted by his angry father, Brian le Fleurs -Brian is disappointed in his Jaques(not as prestigious as his brother Artur) and sends him on a mission to retrieve a stolen shipment of Lover’s Leaf(a contraceptive plant) -If he fails in this task he will be disowned -Jaques gathers a band of misfits at the Warm Spark Soup Kitchen, which is run by the Cult of Prometheus -Jaques sends letters to Lucy, Clamps, Blay, and Bat -Lucy is a clever snake oil salesman, who has made quite a profit off of other’s foolishness -Lucy’s personal bodyguard is Clamps, a street rat turned assassin, known for his skill in knives -Blay is a former Shae slave, who worked off his time at a Northern slave plantation -Bat is a Cultist of Prometheus(colloquially known as Black Robes or Dark Robes) and is the manager of the soup kitchen -All five meet up with Kilvin, a battered and scarred mercenary who Brian le Fleurs hired to guide them -After a small bit of competition between Clamps and Kilvin, the group is on its way to the stables -Their destination is the small town of Lofton, a few days ride away, Brian has provided horses -On the way out of the city Jaques is beset by a lovely young merchant’s daughter named Lauren, who begs him to seek her brother -Her brother disappeared on a bird spotting trip at a lake near Loften, she promises a hefty reward -Lucy is also confronted on his way out, by a local drug dealer named Narc -Narc offers to do a deal with Lucy on a shipment of Dreamer’s Essence, an extremely illegal hallucinogen -The gorup rides out of the city -After a few hours of riding they arrive at a stone bridge, and iin the middle of it is a many sharpening a scimitar -Clamps recognizes him as a highwayman, and prepares for combat -However, the man is not interested in such things, he actually recognizes Lucy, who he has idolized his entire life -The highwayman(named Jaman) offers Lucy some of his loot, and joins the group -The merry gathering continues riding along the road until it is night time -Clamps buys a dagger of armor piercing from Jaman -They settle down, decide watches, and after a ghost story from Kelvin, they settled down -Clamps was on first watch, and saw nothing -Blay was on second watch, and noticed something moving low to the ground through the leaves -Blay quietly went to wake up Kilvin to ask him what it was when another creature began to curl around the legs of Lucy -Lucy awoke to the feeling of a giant black Constrictor snake curling around his body -The entire group(save Jaques who was still asleep) raced to defend Lucy -Clamps tried to throw the dagger of armor piercing at the snake and accidentally hit Lucy in the thigh -Eventually Blay pinned the snake to the ground with his sword, and Kilvin shot it with a crossbow bolt Chapter 1 - Soup, Snakes, and the Dagger of Unluck
Chapter 2 - The Battle of Loften Chapter 3 - Dragonsden Chapter 4 - Redwell Bloodletter Chapter 5 - Huntsman Chapter 6 - Schtakfen Isle Chapter 7 - The Sudari Embassy Chapter 8 - The Gathering Storm Chapter 9 - The Alliance War |
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