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Reality Unmade
Will the Flux consume everything, like langoliers eating away at the edges of the world until nothing remains but chaos?
AC50 Vis 04
[15e06] The Tyranny of Dreams
AC50 Vis 04
[15e05] Mausoleum of the Damned
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AC50 Vis 04
[15e04] Dark Bargains
AC50 Vis 04
[15e03] The Hunt
Callieâs Journal
GMâs note: NOT FINALIZED
I know that the sword that the halfling took will make people paranoid and then turn into a devil. The sword may have influenced her to take it. Oz noted that Orlock used tongs to put it into the cage. Oz tries to tell her that the sword is evil, but she just clings to it harder and says he can take it out of her cold dead hands. Itâs sad when people get bitter, and cling to weapons or religion or antipathy toward people who arenât like themâŚor people who are exactly like themâŚ.
We decide to throw in the Candles of the Deep as Clan SPIâs offering. Bec and I make a huge show, based on the ritual elements of how the vampires put in their items. We demonstrate how they work underwater using Ozâs vase of endless water. Itâs a pretty good show, if I do say so myself! Freki pretends to freak out at the sight of the fire, which attracts the vampiresâ attention. Meanwhile, Oz sneaks over and gives Sophie my Clamulet, which should help her against undead. She already has something around her neck, which Oz recognizes as an amulet of Tiamat (since he just saw that symbol in Bilboâs house).
With the offering complete, Lestache announces that the hunt can begin. Orlok, since their clan is not participating, guards the valuables. Lestache also lets us know that we canât pull any funny business like hanging around and waiting for Sophie.
They open the cage so the âfoxâ can run. Dragon wings pop out of Sophieâs back and she flies away! Lestache seems surprised, although itâs hard to tell with him how much is part of the show. But then he suggests that they start hunting right away instead of giving her a head start, so it seems more clear now.
Oz tries to challenge the vampsâ courage on the basis that they shouldnât need to cheat to catch a halfling, even with wings. Some of the vampires are convinced, but some are unimpressed and just head out.
Freki keeps sniffing around. Seems like itâs time to go.
Enoch bids us good luck and then turns into some kind of winged demon and flies away. What a man! I hope we donât have to fight him!
We head out and Freki tries to track Sophie. He smells her scent going in 7 different directions, but he knows that this is a magical illusion and he knows which one is the right one. Go, Freki, go!
We continue on and enter an area that feels wrong. It is unhallowed ground, which is the opposite of hallowed ground and resists the living. Ugh, I canât wait to get out of here. Bec wants to pull out her Mace of Disruption for the light. She puts a cloth over it so itâs not like a beacon in the darkness. There are some skeletons in the distance, but they donât seem to have seen us. They have no eyes, how could they?
We end up kind of sandwiched between the Brujah and Enoch, oh no. In order to follow the trail, we need to follow Enoch while avoiding the Brujah. I channel Avandra and send a duplicate of myself shrieking down the alley to distract the Brujah while we go ahead.
We feel a horrible sense of oppression and surveillance. Itâs the Malachimera, urggghhhh. We decide not to attack it because that would draw unwanted attention. Bec wants to make us a tiny hut on the flying carpet to keep us safe in case it attacks. She does, so we have a silent-running covered wagon now!
As we tool around on the carpet, following Frekiâs supersniffer, we suddenly notice that the Malachimera is ON TOP OF THE DOME TRYING TO SEE IN AND I WILL NEVER SLEEP AGAIN. Nevertheless, this is the life I chose, so we carry on.
At a fork in the road, Freki isnât sure which way Sophie went. We know which way Enoch went, so we decide to go the opposite direction and bank on him being wrong. Meanwhile, weâre just flying around with this Malachimera on top of our tiny hut because we donât seem to have any better options. Then the thing starts banging on the top of the dome. Dammit! It canât get in here, but itâs making a lot of noise!
Oz decides to make the carpet do a barrel roll, which probably seemed like a good idea at the time but feels less good to me and Bec, who are rattling around like the last bean in the can. Oz and Freki each manage to grab one of us, wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew. Unfortunately, the Malachimera is still on top of the dome.
But then, it shoots some kind of a fireball at Malak and disintegrates their cloud of bats. Malak is set on fire and if not destroyed, is at least distracted. Iâm going to write ha-ha because I canât laugh while weâre trying to be stealthy.
Calderon the Cold and Lestache are facing off against each other. Heh heh.
Malachimera is banging on the dome again. Will anyone rid us of this turbulent abomination? We decide to use melee attacks against it, which we can do through the dome. I Bless Freki, Oz, and Bec. The dome kind of mutes the effect of Frekiâs arrows. Also, things have a way of passing through this thing. However, their combined attacks dislodge it and it ends up under the carpet. Not sure I like that any better, TBH.
We can see Lestache and Calderon ahead of us, so we try to take the carpet over their heads. Lestache spots us, but luckily theyâre both distracted by the arrival of Malachimera! Go, creature, go! You my friend.
I drop Bless for the time being so I can give Guidance to Freki. We need to know where weâre going. Behind us, Lestache calls, âYou idiot! Theyâre getting away!â But then heâs on fire and we are sailing away, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Itâs almost like treating living creatures as playthings has some kind of consequences? Well, Malachai wasnât alive, but itâs the principle of the thing.
We almost fly into a bunch of mummies that were camoflaged against these ruins, yikes! Weâre surrounded by all kinds of weird undead things, on unhallowed ground, and just overall this is one of the worst situations Iâve ever been in, including when I was stranded at the bottom of the ocean. I have to pick who to Guide, and I choose Oz this time because I feel like we need to stay hidden. Iâm not scared, youâre scared!
Freki thinks weâre close and another push could get us to Sophie. For the next choice, I decide to push through my fear and Guide Freki for this one, in hopes that we can get to her fast.
Around the next corner, we see a clearing with some buildings. Weâve lost track of the vampires, but unfortunately that doesnât mean theyâre gone. Enoch is above us. He says âGreetingsâ as if he can see us, although he shouldnât be able to.
We can see Sophie across the way. She yells, âIâm the one you want, you sons of bitches!â I like her. I hope we can have a drink together someday. Oz notices a mark on a doorway that looks like it may be a thieves cant symbol. He doesnât recognize it, unfortunately, so itâs hard to say if itâs a good sign or a bad sign.
Enoch is distracted by Sophie (or possibly âSophieâ) and flies away from us. But then, like an idiot, Oz yells out, âHey asshole, your wings look like shit!â Itâs a use of Panache weâve never seen before! This will grab Enochâs attentionâŚobviouslyâŚbut also gives him disadvantage against anybody but Oz. Meanwhile, the Gangrel go after Sophie.
Freki sends Hugin and Munin over to the mystery building to find out if Sophie is in there and let her know that weâre on her side if she is. Enoch comes back around the corner as a hellbeast and calls Oz out. Oz kisses his monkey and jumps out of the hut, ready to rumble!
AC50 Vis 04
[15e02] Ball Bluffing Bilbo
Callieâs Journal
Possible session titles:
- Good People On Both Sides
- Live and Let Unlive
A ghast pounds on the door and demands to know whatâs going on. Oz sticks his head out the door and tries to get the ghast to go away using deception. The ghast agrees to wait.
Oz asks me to use my disguise kit on him, so I start doing makeup. He looks almost not entirely unlike Bilbo when Iâm done. The real Bilbo is tied up and still invisible in his house, left on his bed with the covers rumpled so it looks like heâs just a slob. The ropes arenât invisible, though, so this wonât stand up to serious scrutiny. How did he do that invisibility trick, anyway? That was cool!
We go outside and the ghasts are suspicious on the basis of smell, but donât call us on it. We all hop on the olâ magic carpet and head to the ball. Vondal somehow has a good mental map of the layout of the city, and also thinks thereâs a spider-filled plane alarmingly but not immediately nearby. Why did he think we needed to know that?!
When we get to the castle, Oz/Bilbo pipes up that the âgood-looking oneâ had the audacity to attack him, but we left him tied up back at Bilboâs place. Heh heh heh.
When we enter the grand entrance hall, Lestache enters at the other end. Heâs dressed even fancier than before, including a maquerade-style mask. He has provided food and drink, which we can enjoy in any of the private alcove rooms off the main hall.
Ozbo and Vondal have a loud argument about whether Ozbo should be greeting the guests or entertaining us in a side room, so already this plan is off to an excellent start.
âOur first guest has arrived! It begins!â announces Lestache.
A woman in a frilly gown leans down and demands Ozbo announce her. He makes an excuse about getting a head injury and begs her pardon, so she tells him her name. He makes a big show out of introducing her but forgets her last name, whoops.
Lestache tells her that sheâs the first to arrive so she has the âfirst chance,â whatever thatâs supposed to mean.
Ozbo asks Lestache if everything is set to go according to plan, and Lestache tells him heâd know better, since heâs the one who arranged most of it. Ozbo asks about the âmain eventâ and Lestache looks confused and says, âYou mean the hunt?â Thereâs a twinkle in Lestacheâs eye and Ozbo fends off some sort of mental incursion. Lestache orders him to get in the alcove and entertain the livvies. Heâs suspicious and concerned.
Oz comes into our room and lets us know that thereâs a âhuntâ planned, quarry unknown. Someone else is announcing the guests now. Eavesdropping, we find that Lestache has assigned a woman to the task who isnât entirely pleased to have it. He owes her a favor now. Her name is Etria LeDuc, the Shimering Star of Sepulchralis, and she summons an ethereal harp and strums it, giving us all a little frisson of pleasure.
Freki hears someone outside say, âBilbo is one of them. Just play along. It will be funny.â
Nowâs the time when we can prepare some rituals if we want. Lestache pops in and we have a short discussion where he agrees itâs time to introduce us.
The bell rings again and Malak the Mad, Mother of Malkavia and Father of Fascination, enters. They wave hello to us. Bec is still pretty sore about that time Malak tried to kill usâŚearlier today. The assorted vamps all look at each other.
Lestache apologizes on behalf of Malak, who says they didnât try to kill us. Lestache believes there are good people on both sides of this conflict. Maybe it was a misunderstanding! (It was not a misunderstanding.)
All the vampires fall silent as Enoch the Wise, Lord of the Inner Council of Seven, enters. Etria plays an even fancier intro theme for him. He suggests we get the party started. Note for future research: can vampires get crunk?
Lestache tells us we can introduce ourselves, so we do, with Etria playing a little harp flourish between each of us. The vampires applaud politely. Lestache announces that the living guests are not to be harmed, and that weâll have our own buffet, and then tells everybody to go ahead and make merry until the eveningâs events start.
Etria summons a banquet for us. Hell yes, wish I could do that!
Ozbo notices that Troile (who was announced earlier as Troile the Rebel, the Peerless, Champion of Serene Wrath) is not dancing, and in fact they and their retinue have organized themselves in posts around the room. Ozbo pulls Troile aside and Panaches him with a side order of shameless flattery. Ozbo pulls out the vial of changeling blood and says, âI donât know what this is, but it came out of my master when he sustained a wound. I think something horrible may have befallen him!â Troile thanks him and Ozbo slinks away.
The effects of the feast include curing us of disease and poison and making us feel generally invigorated. Bec is aware that the spell that created the feast should have taken 10 minutes, but only took her 1. Bec is enjoying her entire plate of celery and compliments Etria on her harp skill and the food. Bec and Etria dance, and they seem equally impressed with each other.
Ozbo gets into the ruse and figures out that although he is basically livestock, he works for The Master, so he gets what he wants if he plays that card. The power goes straight to his head, but he also uses the opportunity to spy on Troile.
Freki is wondering if the band is dead or halflings. Is anybody alive in this place? There are no ghouls or ghasts, just vampiresâŚand no Lestache. Hmm. Freki catches a glimpse of him disappearing towards the front door in a sketchy way and tries to tail him casually. Some vampires intercept him and strike up a conversation about his werewolfiness and what forest heâs from. In an attempt to fit in, Freki says the Selvaâs orc population has been âcivilized,â but feels gross saying it. Since Freki is detained, he asks Hugin and Munin to follow Lestache and spy a little. Meanwhile, he chats with the vamps. They say itâs been a while since they had guests, since they usually, you know, eat them.
Lestache returns and Freki senses satisfaction, like something went well, and a bouncy anticipation. Freki asks about the vampire heâs talking to. This is Orrick of Clan Ventru.
Ozbo is watching Troile and Freki is watching Lestache, so they both watch when the two vampires have a quiet chat. Lestache looks mildly annoyed.
Bec and Etria are having a nice time talking about magic. Etria asks if she knows a spell that makes people never stop laughing. Itâs her favorite! Etria is a devoted hedonist. Sheâs sick of having goals. It gets repetitive. Sheâs over 500 years old, and has concluded that nothing really matters. Bec says a benefit of being mortal is that you donât really have time to get bored. Etria smiles and agrees. âItâs cute, really.â
Lestache comes and grabs Bec, telling Etria to have a good time. Etria says, âI was.â Hahaha. We all get collected and ushered away.
Once weâre all assembled, Lestache tells us to dispense with the charade and take off the silly Bilbo disguise. He seems rather unconcerned with out intent, but does want to know if we harmed Bilbo. Freki says none of us here did anything to Bilbo. Totally true, as Cal (wait⌠who is CalâŚ?) is not here. Somehow this all makes sense to us. He offers to answer all our questions.
Freki asks if the vampires could not treat the halfling village like a vegetable garden. Lestache understands his concern, but thereâs no getting around it. This is just a city of undead monsters, man! Live and let unlive! He does find Oz very amusing, but he couldnât play along after Oz tried the changeling blood thing. I admit that we barely know what Oz is going to do from minute to minute, ourselves.
A gong interrupts us. âHeâ is here, ugh. Lestache asks Oz to introduce him and says a bunch of words, which Oz probably didnât catch, whoops.
Oz heads out and tells the guest that Lestache gave him instructions. Is the guest ready to come in? Goratrix Ceoris tells him âalmostâ and starts something that looks like, but is not exactly, spellcasting. He clenches his fist and we feel an ethereal shattering of some kind. âNow Iâm ready,â he says, and enters.
Lestache wearily tells Goratrix he could have just extended an invitation, but Goratrix likes doing it this way. Of course he does.
Oz introduces him as âthe hidden, the tiny, the pink man in the boat, Goratrix Clitoris!â Everybody laughs. Goratrix is mad, as Oz intended, but Lestache is like, âObviously I didnât tell him to do that. It was pretty hilarious, tho.â
Goratrix tries another spell-like incantation, but Lestache stops him from making a big scene. One of Goratrixâs entourage, Meerlinda Descant, introduces herself with the title âWeaver of Dreamsâ as reality appears to shift all around us. She then proceeds to announce another of Goratrixâs companions, Calderon the Cold, Bane of Spiderkind, with an illusion of Calderon destroying spiders. Then she performs three illusions as part of introducing Goratrix. The first is an important-looking room with Goratrix the most important (âArchmage of the Crispic Clanâ). The second is the whole city, laid out before us (âArchitect of Sepulchrisâ). The third is him ordering around a bunch of gargoyles (âSupreme Commander of Gargoylesâ).
Lestache is all, âDo you have to do the whole thing every time, sheesh!â He starts calling Goratrix increasingly elaborate names (âPompous cockolorum! Conniving snollygoster! You purveyor of falseness and untidy monstrosities!â). Heâs getting all lathered up when Troile tells him to settle down.
Goratrix wanders off and Freki proposes getting him out of the way to Lestache. Lestache finds him irritating, but not enough to murder him, as it turns out. âHe thinks heâs stronger because he broke into my manor and forced a good announcement, but it means nothing.â Lestache is not willing to ruin the party just to measure hisâŚdominanceâŚover Goratrix.
Freki asks him whether heâs quite sure heâs going to like all the surprises tonight. Lestache tells him there will be some kind of gladitorial event where Goratrix will come out on top, and then in the hunt, Lestache will reveal his trump card. âItâs all showmanship!â
From my investigations in the past hour or so, I have figured out there are probably at least seven vampire clans, of which I know the names of several: Ventru, Crispic, Brujah, the ones that Malak and Lestache belong to, and two more. Lestache, Troile, and Malak are allies. Etria is part of Lestacheâs clan, which is probably why she has to defer to him.
We all head back into the ballroom. Bec goes to find Etria again and chats her up about the harp. Calderon finds Vondal and chats him up about hearing the voice of Lolth. He says his clan has worked hard to contain the spiders. Vondal says he can tell theyâre still close. The tendrils of the Flux continue to grow, and will eventually tear this reality apart. Calderon wants to know how the Flux scarred him. Vondal says using his power is dangerous, plus heâs single! Calderon offers him a place with his clan where he can learn to master his power, if Vondal will serve with them to destroy the spiders and bring glory to their clan. âWhat kind of glory do you seek?â Vondal would like to publish another book. Calderon laughs and tells him to think about it.
Goratrix wonât approach any of us because weâre beneath him. Enoch comes over to talk to me, oh boy! He kisses my hand and invites me to sit down. He wants to know what happened with Invictus. He is super charming and probably has some kind of devil blood, like he was a devil that became a vampire. He brings me drinks and I tell him the story, maybe a little bit more than I intended to let slip. But basically, Invictusâs phylactery was cleansed, sending his clean soul back into his undead body, causing the massive explosion. I also tell him that Invictus is still there in the manor, but canât get out.
Freki communes with his birds. Hugin and Munin land on his shoulder and âremember together.â He gets a flash of what the birds saw: Lestache and an unknown halfling are meeting. Lestache asks âFrokimâ who he brought. She was a perimeter defender, fancied herself a captain, but thatâs against the rules, so Frokim made sure she got caught and exiled. Sheâll be on the outskirts of the southwest border, at the edge of Gangrel territory. Lestache wants to withhold payment until sheâs delivered straight to him, but caves and pays Frokim. Lestache doesnât really look too unhappy.
Freki asks if Hugin and Munin can find the captive halflings and let them free? They agree to look and say it would take time. The caves are endless, but they will search. Munin says Freki was destined for more than just âkeeping the peace.â
Thereâs a brief vamp fight. The band stops playing while they fight, then starts up again when thereâs a clear winner.
Later, Lestache (who is announced as âYour host Lestache de Lyarcourt, Fragrant Flower of the Château de MĂŠcant) asks if everybody is ready for the first event of the evening. Thereâs a smattering of applause and someone yells, âWhat is it, Lestache?â He keeps doing his ringmaster thing. He promises he has something âweird and wonderfulâ and hypes up the crowd.
A big box, covered with a dark curtain, gets rolled into the hall. The curtain is pulled away with a flourish to reveal:
What even is that? Itâs undead, probably unique, but I canât tap into my knowledge proficiencies anymore! My goddess badge seems to have gotten all tingly, so I take it off and look at it. Erathis isnât there anymore!!! Instead itâs Avandra on both sides! I hear her laughter in my mind. âGood job,â indeed. I am shook!
Bec is also astonished by this creature. Itâs so creepy! It moves in jagged fits of blurred motion, hard to predict where it will be at any given moment. Lestache says he has clearly outdone himself, and I canât really disagree. Even Goratrix is fascinated by this thing.
Malak steps forward and says, âI could try.â Lestache is like, âAre you ma â oh, I forgot.â Actually, it turns out Malak doesnât actually want to fight for themself. There are three other very intense, crazy-eyed vampires ready to go. Theyâve been working on a project. They all confer amongst themselves to see who remembered to bring the project.
Malak pulls a sword out of a sack. No! Reaches back in and pulls out nothing. âThis bag is empty!â Then Malak turns the bag all the way inside out and an old man falls out. Itâs Zombie Malachai!
Malak is unimpressed. Making dead people alive is old news. But the subordinates assures Malak that this is what is left of Malachaiâs soul. Itâs Ghost Malachai! Ghostachai? He says, âRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhâ and Malak is onboard.
The two creatures donât seem particularly hostile toward one another, so Lestache invites Goratrix to help out. Goratrix does one of his unique incantations and a forcecage appears around the creatures. The two-torsoed thing starts smashing against the bars of the cage. Ghost Malachai takes everything in and focuses on the two-torsoed thing, who shoots a ray of flame from its staff at Malachaiâbut it passes right through him. Malachai then rushes toward the creature, passing into her body and possessing her with his ghostly powers!
Then the two-torsoed thing phases through the bars of the cage!!! The vampires all jump back, and the thing zigzags out. One vampire somewhere in the crowd yells, âRip off!â
Lestache is like, âHuh, that was unexpected.â
âThat sucked!â heckles the heckler. Lucky for him vampires canât eat other vampires. Can they?
Anyway, seeing as the crowd is getting restless, Lestache moves the hunt up from midnight to now. The quarry has arrived, so he just needs a few moments to prepare.
He leaves and comes back with Orlok (âthe Lady of Whispers, Countess of the Undergroundâ, to which she responds âIâm no ladyâ) and Elloia (âWarden of the Accursed Tunnels, Servant to None But Himâ). Lestache announces the Council of Seven is complete. Another box gets wheeled in. Lestache says the quarry for today is something truly special. âA halfling guardswoman. She was a perimeter defender, and even fancied herself a Captain, and champion of the downtrodden! Her people repaid her service by exiling her from their wretched community.â Heâs really playing this up.
Sophie Steelboots is her name, and she is looking hopeless. Lestache offers to let us join the hunt as âClan SPIâ if we ante up an item to throw in the pot. The quarry gets to choose one item to use, and the rest stay in the pot. If we win, then she goes free and we win the pot. But we have no protection if we join the hunt. The vampires are free to attack us however they want.
The vampire clans all pony up magical objects:
- Lestache / Toreador: Instrument of Illusions
- Enoch / Ventru: âThe Ventru accept your gracious offer, and pledge in return this Needle of Mending
- Goratrix / Crispic: Bag of ten Mind Crystals of Subtlety
- Troile / Brujah: Ruby of the War Mage
- Elloia / Gangrel: Boots of False Tracks
- Malak / Malkavian: Manual of Gainful Exercise
- Orlok: âThe Nosferatu decline to hunt. Nonetheless, just for fun: we offer this Sword of Retributionâ
Sophie reaches for the sword. As her fingers grip it, a fire forms in her eyes, and her expression darkensâŚ
AC50 Vis 04
[15e01] Betraying Bilbo
Callieâs Journal
Cal has fallen asleep, but aside from him, weâre all feeling pretty great when a vampire calls for Bilbo.
He says he probably needs to help prepare for the ball, puts on an amulet representing Nerull (openly), and heads out.
Oz starts rummaging through Bilboâs stuff, of course, and notices a holy symbol of Tiamat mounted on the wall. Thereâs nothing behind it, much to his disappointment. Freki finds some Glowcap mushrooms growing in something like a compost pile. Freki sniffs it and it smells like plant matter, but also slightly like decaying flesh.
Peering out the window, we can see what looks like a bell tower and maybe a churchyard of some kind. It looks like the vampires probably killed whoever was here before and moved in. The churchyard, where Bilbo lives, is mostly falling apart.
Bec looks around to see if Bilbo has any books. He does have a journal, so Bec flips through it. He writes a lot! She does a detect magic ritual for five minutes. The journal is not magical, although it has an illusion magic residue, as though something enchanted with illusion magic touched it a few times. Reading a few entries, Bec finds an incriminating passage: âI do what I can to prevent them from rising as undead, at least,â and we think Bilbo may be killing halflings when he can get away with it. He has also been used as a lure for other halflings. Poor Bilbo, we should help him. :((((
Freki and Oz are suspicious of Bilboâs motives, but with my religion/vampire lore knowledge, I can assure them that no undead creature would have all these symbols of Nerull.
Iâm going to try to sleep. That ale really snuck up on me!
Thereâs a banging on the door and a non-vampiric voice says, âMeatbags! You have been summoned!â
Bec is like, âWho is it?â
Itâs probably a candygram.
Bilbo opens the door from the other side and heâs there with a ghast. The ghastâs tongue is lolling and drooling all over, gross. Bilbo says, âSorry about that. Donât mind him. Heâs always hungry.â
Freki asks him about why thereâs flesh bits in the mushroom soil. The ghast is like âfleeeeeeeesssshhhhh???â
Bilbo sighs and comes inside with his magic carpet so we can talk without this distraction. He reassures us that dinner is ânot likely to be you, this time.â
Oz has had it with these motherfucking vampires in this motherfucking town! Heâs still very keen to liberate the halfling town. He uses Panache to get Bilbo on our side. Bilbo admits that he is all for this plan, but if we attack Lestache heâll have no choice (twitch twitch) but to turn against us. He also says it is his fate to serve Nerull. Nerull loves fate, itâs her thing.
Oz starts talking about how we could disguise someone as Bilbo, which makes Bilbo understandably nervous. He starts backing away slowly.
Anyway, thereâs no obvious way out of this, so Oz tries to whack Bilbo with the pommel of his sword. But before he can, Bilbo slips his hand into his pocket and disappears. Dammit!
Oz grabs the magic carpet. Freki smells where Bilbo is and attempts to grapple him. Bilbo is surprisingly slippery and wriggles away!
Cal all of a sudden whips the air and catches Bilbo! We can see the whip wrapped around something that we canât see.
AC50 Vis 03
[15e00] Bonding with Bilbo
Callieâs Journal
None of us knew Freki was a werewolf, but I guess getting bitten is the kind of thing that could trigger the transformation. Weâll have to figure out how to calm him down without hurting him too much.
Weâre in combat! The undead leaders are fleeing while we make coleslaw out of the minions.
Bec sees a bat and is inspired to whack it with her bat (mace, but whoâs counting?). She ends up smacking it straight into Cal, where it bounces off his abs and falls to the ground.
Cal picks up a petrified creature and swings it around, hitting five of eight of the undeads surrounding him. He lets it fly! Man, this is exciting! What if we gathered athletes every year to compete against each other at throwing petrified zombies?
Vondal uses the Wand of Wonder at the mist. His hair stands on end, bursts into flame, gets sucked into his body, and shoots out the wand as a fireball! Somehow this also entails shooting Roger (the servant from the basement of the mansion) out the wand. He winds up sort of inside one of the mist creatures? Look, this has been a really weird day.
A massive fireball washes over everything on the field of battle. Hmm, this would be another good event for my new sporting venture. I could sell a ton of snacks.
Bec runs over and yells at me to help calm Freki down. I promise that I will as soon as I can.
Roger reaches out a spectralâŚtentacleâŚand pats Freki on the shoulder because heâs looking unwell.
Freki is creeped out and attacks him! He says, âOwww⌠I canât hold on forever, you know.â
All of the hostile undeads seem like theyâre neutralized or fleeing, so I drop the bless spell and cast calm emotions to hit Freki.
Freki feels very calm, and thinks that he always knew about the beast inside, even though he was surprised earlier. He has gained a deeper understanding of his wolf nature. And his bird friends are back!
Munin: âI remember now. All is as it should be again.â
Hugin: âVecnaâs hold over us has been broken.â
Oz wonders how long heâs been a wolf. Freki says heâs always been that way, so itâs probably the Flux making us forget. He says he comes from a village of Lycanthropes and Talos killed his father.
There is a twinkling in the distance, and as it grows closer, someone is waving. âHello! Donât shoot! Hello there! Mâlord Lestache sent me! I mean no harm!â
Itâs a halfling on a flying carpet, flanked by bats. He lands the carpet, and the bats transform into vampires, who stand there wordless. They look like bodyguards.
âI came from the chateau. Mâlord sent me to invite you to his grand ball tonight,â says the halfling.
Bec explains that we were attacked by another group of vampires after Lestache left. Oz asks the halfling (in halfling language) if he saw the wolf and points at Freki.
The halfling is impressed, but he doesnât know anything about werewolves. Bec tells him that Malak got away. Oz complains about the fireball, not knowing Vondal is the one who cast it. The halfling extends this offer to us: if we attend the ball, we have Lestacheâs word that weâll be safe before and after the event. That makes me ask, not during? He rattles off a list of calamities that Lestache promises will not befall us: we will remain alive, unharmed, unturned, unbitten, not food for Lestache or any of his kind. Also, we get to stay in the halflingâs house. Freki asks him if heâs ever heard of a union, and suggests he find some other familiars for collective bargaining purposes.
Our guide, Bilbo, gives us a little flying carpet tour of Sepulchris, the underground vampire city. He points out âMalak the Madâsâ place. Bec asks how Malak knew where we were, and Bilbo answers that he âcouldnât sayâ (um, sir) but Malak is known to have prophetic visions sometimes. He points out another enormous castle-looking residence belonging to âEnoch the Wiseâ and suggests not to go there, saying the Ventru are known to be ruthlessâbut then everyone is here. He sounds pretty over it. I ask him how he came to be Lestacheâs familiar. He says he wonât tell the story for anything less than three pints of beer. Noted!
Oz decides to put the Panache on Bilbo. Now theyâre temporary besties! He tells Oz that his home is guaranteed safe from vampires. The whole thing is ringed with garlic and there are stained glass windows with images of ravens: circling above a field of corpses, pecking out an eye. Thereâs a figure in a cloak. I recognize these as related to Nerull.
Bilbo welcomes us in and goes to make tea. When the door closes, he breathes a sigh of relief. He points out a talisman of Nerull. Every door and window has a talisman. He warns us not to remove the talismans or open the doors or windows for anybody. Vampires canât come in without an invitation. Oz asks him again what his deal is. He says âI love it here!!!!!â in a weird way that doesnât seem one hundred percent genuine. âIâm treated well and have more freedom compared to other familiars. They tend to get eaten fairly quickly in these parts. My master knows this, and allows me these protections and creature comforts to help keep me safe.â
Bilbo toasts âto the livingâmay we all stay that way!â and offers us ale and tea. Freki asks if he has family, and toasts them. He asks why Freki is so calm, and Freki says he has good friends. (â ââ˘âĎââ˘â â) Freki was a lone wolf, but he was looking for a reason to join a team. He joined for me, awwwww. Bec says her mother died and her father disappeared, so she joined the SPI to find him.
âWhatâs the SPI?â asks Bilbo.
âHow does this guy not know the SPI?â Oz asks in response.
âHe lives under a rock,â I point out. Well, itâs true!
Freki asks what Calâs deal is. Explain yourself, shortie! Being a little drunk, Bilbo spills that he thinks he might recognize Cal. Is he from the Ranch? Cal doesnât know that name. Bilbo is astonished to hear that he might be from the surface?! They agree that the surface Arallu is real, real bad (but pls donât tell Lestache that Bilbo said so).
Bilbo proposes a game. Question for a question! He asks Vondal whatâs his favorite color? Orange!
Vondal asks Oz for a list of all the languages he speaks. Oz answers in thieves cant.
Oz asks Bilbo how he came to be Lestacheâs servant. Bilbo answers that he was fleeing vampires with a companion. The companion got eaten, but Lestache needed a new familiar to replace the one Malak ate. He asks Cal what itâs like on the surface. Cal says he spent a lot of time on glaciers and it toughened him up. Bilbo protests that itâs not enough of the truth, so he has to drink.
Cal takes a drink and asks, âHow often does your master meet with the Triumvirate?â
Bilbo answers that he only meets with the Lord Brucolac, as all the clan leaders do from time to time. The Brucolac probably wonât be at the party, as such things are beneath him, but most of the clan heads should be there. Cal asks Bilbo where the Brucolac lives, and Bilbo says no one knows: he appears and disappears as he wishes. But you can always tell when heâs about to appear because everything grows dark and cold.
Bilbo asks Freki which of his friends annoys him most, LOL. Freki answers that his first journal entry was a note to kill Vondal in revenge for trying to kill Hugin and Munin. Also, Freki resents magic and the whole wild magic thing just skeeves him out. But then again, why canât Oz tell the truth about something as simple as how many languages he speaks?!
Bilbo asks (out of turn) if this is Vondalâs real form? What in the world kind of creature is he, anyway? Has he ever had eyestalks? I say heâs a wild mage and not even trustworthy to himself. Bilbo asks Freki what Ozâs deal is. Freki says Oz is such an agent of chaos he doesnât even know if Oz is on our side half the time. Cal says chaos can breed the end of chaos. Bilbo likes that logic. So Cal is a mastermind, channeling all of our chaotic personalities, is what Bilbo is getting out of this.
Freki asks why the spellcasters donât guide the party more. Bec says she deliberates carefully. Bilbo says I, Callie, am wise and therefore avoid doing dumb things. This guy gets it! I use thaumaturgy to make a little halo of light appear above my head, but Vondal calls me on it, the bastard.
Weâre really cool with this guy, so Vondal and Cal float the idea that Bilbo could go with us. Bilbo says his master needs him here. His eye twitches; Cal infers that he is under the influence of magical charm.
Itâs Vondalâs turn, so he asks Bec if he looked good as a pony. Bec says yes, he wore it well. Then she asks him how old he is. Vondal says his consciousness is 87 or so. Oz says he trusts little about Vondal, like that time he put armor on an owlbear. âTHAT OWLBEAR IS ONE OF THE BEST AGENTS WE HAVE,â says Vondal.
âWell, I believe that,â says Oz.
âHow did the SPI get destroyed?â Bec asks Vondal.
âMistakes were made,â says Vondal.
Answer the question, dammit! Vondal âexplainsâ that he woke up in a dumpster and his meat suit was younger than it was before then, but his mind is still the same. The God of Dwarves came. He is very reluctant to talk about it, very unlike him.
Bilbo is like, âOh, itâs his fault! He did something bad and doesnât want to talk about it!â
Vondal admits that âExperiments were being runâŚon the thing that made the SPI blow up.â
âSo the SPI blowing up, that was you?â Bec asks.
âNo, it wasnât me.â
âYou were involved?â
âI was there.â
âYou were indirectly involved?â
âListen, girlie! Iâve had a paper published! I know what words mean!â
Oz, incensed by Vondalâs sexism, bounces his mug off Vondalâs head.
But anyway, Vondal explains that it was an accident. He was experimenting, and the god showed up, and then the dumpster. The course of events is clear!
âDid that bring the Flux here?â Bec asks.
âNooooooo,â says Vondal.
âThen why is there Flux at all, and can we put it back?â Freki asks.
âItâs not your turn!â Vondal protests.
âIâd like to know that,â says Bilbo.
But Vondal wants to know if Cal is undead. Cal hates undead! But Freki hates magic but also is a magic, so the two things really arenât mutually exclusive. Freki says that he is NOT magic, thankyouverymuch.
Bilbo asks if Cal has plans to kill Lestache. Vondal says we have no current plans. Bilbo says heâd be most distressed if Lestache were killed (*twitch*twitch*). And if the Brucolac were killed, everyone in Xaryuvia would be even more miserable than they already are. Whatâs that? His hometown. He asks if weâve heard the name âXaryu.â Some of us recognize it as an infamous crimelord from the Radiant Union of Pelor. Heâs a beholder and also thereâs a cult that worships him. Back in my very first case, we saw a Colosseum that was rumored to be backed financially by Xaryu. Bilbo used to beâand most of his people still areâin the thrall of Xaryu. He complains that he used to be a law-abiding cleric of Tiamat, but then he was banished from the colony and hunted by vampires. Weâre kind of getting into the idea of liberating Bilboâs family.
âDo you know the first thing about beholders?â asks Bilbo.
âDo they know the first thing about us?â asks Freki.
Theyâre aberrations, unnatural. They shouldnât even be here. Theyâre covered in eyes, which makes it extremely hard to sneak up on them. In their lairs, itâs completely impossible. Beholders shoot petrification rays, but they do need a target or an inkling that thereâs a threat. Theyâre also extremely intelligent, good at planning, and believe they are perfect and everything else is lesser. They dream, and sometimes pull things from their dreams into reality. Thatâs how they reproduce, but unfortunately (fortunately for us) they tend to fight to the death when they meet. Very rarely, sometimes they see each other as âmeâ and form a hive mind.
Bilbo says there are at least six Xaryu. Basically they keep the halflings as livestock for the vampires to eat. Thatâs why halflings get banished periodically. âYou donât stand a chance,â he finishes sadly.
âWeâve heard that before!â say Freki and Oz at the same time.
Bilbo is curious about the glacier. Who lives there? Cal says there werenât more halflings there. He lived with a race called the giants. He was adopted. Or, yâknow, traded. Acquired, even. To honor his father, he was given to his new father, and served (with) him until he joined the SPI. He spent a lot of time fighting off the undead.
âVampires have to eat. Itâs in their nature,â says Bilbo.
âThey can eat my ass! Weâre ending this slave trade!â says Oz.
âYou were a sacrifice to the gods?â Bec asks Cal.
âMy fatherâs not a god anymore,â Cal says.
Talking about studying the Arkenstone brings memories back to Vondal. He has some new ideas about how to enhance its resonance, so that it can reach its true structural potential. If he had access to the stone, maybe he could improve it!
Vondal drunkenly asks me: âHow did you get two of them? Because normally they fight.â
It takes me a second, but I get heâs talking about my goddesses. I say they have a special relationship. Heâs like, âTHEYâRE THE SAME!!!â
Thereâs a knock at the door, and a feminine voice says, âIt sounds like a party in here. Can I join?â
Itâs Avandra! OMGOMGOMGOMG
She says quietly to me, âI know you like my sister better than me. But itâs OK, I donât mind.â
Vondal says, âSo you belong to her, then?â
Avandra puts a hand on my shoulder and says, âSheâs doing a great job.â Cal senses shenanigans!
Vondal drunkenly complains that the gods should require their priests to be nicer to orphans. Avandra responds sadly that that isnât how it works. If you want the gods to change, you have to change the worshippersâ hearts. She doesnât want to be what people expect. She wants to be herself! But thatâs because thatâs what her followers want her to want. She can never truly be free.
âTo true freedom!â she toasts.
âAnyway, I promise not to say anything about what I just figured out. I know thatâs why youâre here,â Vondal says sulkily.
âEverything is not about you,â says Bec, who has been drinking tea the whole night.
Oz is really into rescuing the halfling village. Vondal and Bec corner him and ask whatâs weighing on his heart. Oz pretends to cry into his beer.
âWhat Iâm trying to excommunicateââ Vondal starts.
âNope,â says Bec.
ââexplain, is that Cal is growing. Heâs opening up more.â
Vondal wants to sleep off the ale, so he crashes in Bilboâs bed with Murky as a bat on his face.
Avandra flips Oz a wooden coin with her symbol on both sides and tells him to bite it if he ever decides to forgo the direct approach in favor of a sneakier one. âYouâll know when itâs time.â
AC50 Vis 04
[Case 15] Halflings and Hemophilia
Bloody things happened. TODO
AC50 Vis 03
[14e05] An Embarrassment of Ghouls
Callieâs Journal
Possible Session Titles:
- Ozborn, Underfoot
- Be a Lycan, Not a Ly-canât
- Hunka Hunka Burninâ Bec
- Calsplosion
- Vondal Shocks the Monkey
Weâre outside, but we have no way back since (fake) Malachai brought us here and heâs dead(er). A bat flies toward us. Those of us with dark vision can see it. Oz takes the opportunity to hide under Malachaiâs corpse. He is truly the best of us.
Luckily, our old buddy Lestache flaps over in bat form and greets us. Heâs pretty surprised that weâre all still alive. Also, he has a new accent. Never a dull moment!
Callie tries to remind everyone that Mallory told us we were to avoid unbalancing the powers here in Arallu, but Vondal is here, so that goes nowhere.
Vondal explains that we found the Lich, but he wasnât exactly himself anymore. Lestache asks how Invictus came to be chained up in his own basement. Vondal explains that we think the Necronomicon was Invictusâs phylactery. When the book was cleansed, it cleansed him too. So itâs highly unlikely this could happen again.
Lestache is relieved that this is a one-time deal. He says âsomeâ in his faction would want to seize power now that Invictus is gone. Not Lestache, though! He finds that tacky. He invites us to his âchateauâ for dinner. I canât help noticing he didnât specify whatâs on the menu.
Bec tells him she thinks the effect is contained in the manor, and also could he call us an Uber or something? When Lestache asks if thereâs anything else we need to do here, Vondal and Bec have a furious whisper fight over it. Vondal really wants Invictus destroyed, so heâs stoked that Lestache seems like he could do it.
Nobody argues about the dinner invitation, so Lestache leaves to make arrangements. After a few minutes, a formation of five bats flies in. They all land and turn into vampires. The pommel of Calâs sword is glowing in their presence. They do not get too close to the manor, which is still shining.
The vampire who seems to be in charge, Malak, responds to our questions with some riddle-like non-answers. This doesnât seem like a great start to our relationship. We ready for battle.
Oz comes out stabbinâ! Then he walks away trying to be all cool or something.
The pincushion vampire bites Malachaiâs body. Its wounds heal from drinking Malachaiâs blood. Bec, an intellectual, knows that there are vampires and then vampire spawn. Spawn are lower ranking and more animalistic. She thinks most of this group are spawn.
A vampire spawn attacks Ozâs monkey and grievously wounds it! The monkey turns back into a statue and clatters to the ground.
Malak takes a sack off her back and turns it inside-out. A bunch of things falls out, including a buttload of ghouls and ghasts! âOh, right, thatâs what was in there,â says Malak. She directs the undead mob at me. Hey, Iâm too cute to get eaten alive!
There are so many creatures they canât all reach me, so some of them attack Cal. This is quite an onslaught, but Cal is great at resisting this kind of thing. Unlike me; I am not great at resisting. I get paralyzed. At least Iâm not dead, thanks to Vondal.
Cal, having been attacked, is enraged. I mean, I am too, but I canât do anything about it. He ends up taking one out.
Two ghasts attack Murky, and one attacks Vondal.
A vampire in a white dress leaps elegantly at Bec and grapples her in preparation for taking a big olâ bite. Well, as long as they keep it classy.
Oz tries to hide behind Freki. He gets partial cover from that. Freki will need double movement to get off that square, since Ozborn is underfoot. DM: âHeâs not literally between your legs.â Nate: âRespectfully disagree.â
Bec casts fire shield.
Callie casts bless at level 4 to bless everybody in our party. Callie also gets attacked for 10 HP.
In response to being attacked, Freki feels like clawing it. Huh, what a weird thing to think. He reaches for his sword, but that feelsâŚlike, wrong somehow? He attacks with his bow.
Vondal puts a hand on Callieâs shoulder and teleports them both away, back inside the manor, with a swoosh of his cape.
Murky tries to pick up the monkey statue. Itâs a little too heavy, so Murky log-rolls it toward the manor. This attracts the attention of some of the enemies, who kill Murky. RIP, little buddy, it was a good try.
The red vampire moves into the spot vacated by Callie and attacks Bec. The fire shield burnsssss it preciousssssss. Nice!
Oz stabs to his left. That vamp is looking pretty raggedy, but itâs not quite done for.
Malak points at Oz and says, âYouâre naughty.â He somehow manages to pull out enough wisdom to resist. Malak declares Bec naughty next. She resists too. âYouâre ESPECIALLY naughty!â she says to Cal. With Vondal and Callieâs assorted blessings, he also resists. Stuffâs still attacking him, though, so he takes damage.
Cal attacks. His sword explodes with radiant light and hits a bunch of the undeads. He defeats one of the vampires, which turns into mist and starts retreating. He destroys a couple of the ghouls/ghasts.
Malak looks at Callie through the window of the manor and says, âPeekaboo!â SHE SEES ME! I deflect her mind-magic, though.
A vampire attacks Bec and gets burned, haha.
Callie continues concentrating on bless, but also blows up the mist vampire with sacred flame, then hits Malak with spiritual weapon (level 3). The olâ one-two! Hiyah, have at you! Not really though, stop running at me, Iâm very uncomfortable!
Freki attacks and does some damage.
Vondal uses his Wand of Wonder, so as not to ignite the Flux that this manor is full of. He casts gust of wind in Malakâs general direction. The window in front of us blows out. The monkey statue blows away. Oh man, Oz is never gonna find that thing.
A vampire grapples Freki, bites him, and drains some of his blood. It awakens the beast within Freki. He can choose to resist or accept it. It feels good and right! But is it the vampire trying to turn him? It doesnât matter, he canât control itâŚ.
HEâS A WOOOOOOOOOOLF!
AC50 Vis 03
[14e04] Talk to the Hand
Callieâs Journal
Weâve determined that Ozâs short bow is mint in box. Maybe itâs worth more that way!
Thereâs no time to think about that, though, because each of the thousands of mirror shards beckon to us with the call of hidden knowledge. Ooh, sparkly! I feel that Vecnaâs influence has tainted this place and artifact. I can offer it a secret, which I will lose my knowledge of, and it will give me some piece of hidden knowledge in exchange. Bec, Vondal, and others hear âTell me a secretâ and are tempted to answer it.
Some sort of vapor comes out of Vondalâs mouth and he hears, âWhat you seek is in the crypt.â He complains about the customer service and demands a refund.
Callie tries to warn Bec that sheâll lose any knowledge she offers here, like a sacrifice. But itâs too late, Bec offers up [[[[[[the knowledge of karach and its uses]]]]]] something?
Bec hears a voice say, âThe time has come for you to accept your destiny. What you seek is here.â This is followed by a flurry of images of the crypts here, including a correct path and how to open the doors, leading to a pedestal with a hand on it. âThe time has come for a new wielder.â
Callieâs warning gives Bec and Vondal another chance to resist Vecnaâs temptation. Vondal fails. Bec is tempted. Meanwhile, Oz uses his portable firehose to spray the mirror shards away. Vondal is so entranced that he runs after them, trying to shout his secret (âFreki is a werewooooooooooolllllllfffff!â). Oz tries to spray Vondal, but it only ends up making him faster. Vondal disappears into the mist!
Vondal is lost. Vecnaâs influence seems moreâŚdemandingâŚhere.
Bec looks at the portal and realizes we manifested the plane with our energy. So we could reverse the process and eject this plane from here, putting us back in the original room. She thinks this would be the easiest way to get Vondal back. Freki wants to know whether Vondal might instead be lost, but Bec is pretty sure it would be fine.
Freki tries to track Vondal by scent. Callie uses guidance to give him a little extra oomph.
Meanwhile, Vondal has given up some piece of knowledge to discover that Freki is âA pawn of the Raven Queen. His bird companions are her servants.â Vondal knows this means Nerull, one of the gods of death.
When Freki returns with Vondal, we all exit as Bec suggested. It works! Weâre all okay and not dead or lost!
Vondal informs everybody of what he heard about Nerull and Frekiâs bird friends. He tries to interrogate them, but nobody knows if they can even talk out loud. They tell Freki, in his mind, that they could speak if he wants them to. Freki asks them to go ahead and speak to Vondal.
Vondal asks the birds what the Raven Queen wants with Freki. They say he has a great destiny. Vondal asks them why Freki is a piece on the game board. They say that there is no game board, just what isâŚand what wasâŚand what will beâŚ.
Munin says, âHe was born under the sign of death.â
Hugin says, âAnd death follows him.â
Both: âHe is a bringer of death.â
The birds say this power may destroy him one day, or it may save everybody. The power to devour, yâall! Things move forward, and in a circle.
Everybody offers to buy Freki a beer for having to put up with this shit.
All Freki wants to know is whether heâs going to get another shot at killing Talos. The birds confirm that itâs within his destiny and theyâre all about helping with murder.
Freki asked what part of what theyâve told him is the most important. âNot knowing held you back from your true potential. You must meet your true potential. The world depends on it.â
Freki tries to pin down the birds about the nature of his power, in an attempt to get at the truth of his lost memory. But Munin seems spooked (ââŚI canât remember. I should rememberâŚâ) and the birds fly off and vanish. Huh.
Freki asks Hugin mentally if they need his help, and Hugin says they are OK, but implores Freki: âshe is the power of memory. She should remember. Find the truth.â
Callie realizes that the forgetting effect (which is neither a blessing nor a curse, but some kind of anti-divination magic) is from Bec and Vondal offering secrets to Vecna. Dammit!
Freki is convinced that remembering whatever he forgot is the most important thing to do right now, but Bec wants to go down to the crypt and continue investigating down there. Callie agrees with Bec, but on the condition that no one partipate in any paranormal phenomena without the agreement of the rest of the group. YOU GOT THAT, YOU BUNCH OF MUPPETS?
Vondal checks in on his depressed friend Roger, from last time he was down here. Roger is the same as before, unsurprisingly.
They find a door with a hand on it. Thatâs the door that Roger said they couldnât get through because they donât possess the power of the goddess of secrets.
Vondal and Oz try to neg Freki into using his magic, which is his secret that he forgot, probably.
Bec is the one who opens the door, obviously. Inside is the Hand, surrounded by seven coffins with guardians that will either let us through or try to stop us.
Cal feels that the hand is no longer undead, somehow. There are no undead here, in fact. He decides to go look in the coffins. Nothing in there but dust!
The hand is covered in symbols, many of which are written on the map upstairs. The central ring symbol, however, is not.
Observing the hand, Bec feels the presence of Sartus Morningdew. She realizes the hand has been cleansed, like the Necronomicon. In fact, when the book was cleansed, it also cleansed the hand! Bec thinks back in her mind palace. She thinks the Necronomicon may have been Invictusâs phylactery, in which case his soul was likely pushed out, and may once again reside in a living body. Vecna wanted Bec to know about the hand, but this part was a surprise. Did Vecna not know, then?
Cal grabs the hand with his whip. It has a golden chain around its wrist. Nothing happens when Cal takes it. He sticks it in his backpack.
There is a dark-skinned elf standing next to Bec. No one can see her but Bec. Sheâs dressed in leathers and is of the night. She whispers, âPut it on.â Then she melts back into the forest. Bec is pretty sure the hand will help them recover their lost memories, but Cal isnât convinced that itâs entirely un-evil. Oz uses panache on Cal to convince him to give Bec the hand. He also wants to cut off Becâs hand and replace it with this magical one, so maybe we arenât going to take all his suggestions.
Under Ozâs persuasion, Cal reconsiders his position. While heâs pondering, he notices that his sword is glowing like an ember, like there is fiery energy. It gets brighter when he moves it closer to the hand and dims when he moves it away. He asks Callie what she thinks. She tells him that the hand has the same kind of energy as the sword, and thatâs why they light up when theyâre together.
Cal allows Bec to take the hand out of his bag (with mage hand, because the other thing in his bag is a severed angel head). Divine energy washes over her. It does not try to kill her, for now. She thinks she can use the hand to manifest something like divination. She asks the hand, âWhat steps should be taken to restore the memory of Munin?â
This knowledge does not want to be known. Bec has to push through it. But she does get the tip, âHe must lose control.â She would have gotten a better answer if the knowledge wasnât so protected, but she tells Freki that he has to lose control.
Bec opens the door that Roger said weâd never get through. He says, âYou found itâ but not excitedly, then goes back into the servantâs quarters.
Inside is a mystical chamber. Invictus likes weird-shaped rooms, it seems. There are 16 walls in here, which have either a tapestry, a door, or a shelf on it. The shelves hold all sorts of books, potions, and items for performing ritual magic. Including some real strange and forbidden stuff. Bec wants to close the door and leave, but Vondal has his foot in it and Oz is also pushing to get in. They bust in like Larry and Curly.
Then Freki and Bec close the door behind them, the perfidious bastards! They are super creeped out by this room. Iâll forgive them someday.
Inside, Cal notices that one of the tapestries seems un-tapestry-like. Oz whips out his blade and slashes it. It was enchanted to conceal what was behind it, but thatâs all. Thereâs an archway behind it and a dismal, reddish glow across the threshold. This is the glow of the manor suffused in the air.
Vondal opens the door for Callie and they all (minus Freki and Bec) go to investigate the door. Walking through, thereâs a gross metallic taste in the air. Thereâs an angel of some kind with bloody wings. There are glowing tendrils connecting him to parts of the room. He seems to be suffering.
Also, thereâs some creep in the corner of the room! Itâs Malachai! This seems like it might be the real one, not the fake one we killed earlier. He complains that heâs alive again and his whole setup with the crystalline heart is all messed up.
Invictus says, âYou must destroy this place,â referring to all of Arallu. âYou must burn it all down. It should never have existed.â
Malachai says, âI dunno, I think itâs pretty great!â
Invictus says, âShut up. You were never my servant. You belonged to something that should never be. Undead are abominations. They act like humans, but they are not humans. They must all be destroyed. If they come here, this power could destroy them, but they are too cunning for that.â
Invictus tries to expose his heart so we can kill him. âNo one deserves to suffer like I am!â
Malachai is like, âYou did do some pretty horrible stuff, yeah.â
Oz tries to shoot Malachai with his mint-condition short bow. It is ineffective, and Iâm starting to think Oz has Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
Cal asks Callie to go check the ritual room and see what itâs for. I think itâs where Invictus ate the souls he needed to fuel his unlife. Yrrrghghhh.
Invictus promises to tell us stuff in exchange for us euthanizing him. Cal promises that if the information is good, he will return and kill him. Invictus says the Brucolac was once a god but is now corrupted. Thatâs why Calâs father hates him so much, because they were brothers.
When the world was young, the gods overthrew the titans. Hyperionâs titan brother Iapetus created the Book of the Dead in an effort to save the mortally wounded Cronus. But something went wrong and Cronus became the Brucolac. For a time the book was lost, but it was ultimately rediscovered by Invictus, who took the opportunity to bind his soul to it to make himself immortal. As for the ghost, he is an enigma. Something happened fifty years ago that no one understands and Invictus canât remember. But the vial of divine essence, which Invictus wanted to use to free himself from lichdom, had to come from somewhere. All of us now contain some of that power, which he theorizes came from a dead god. Oz and Cal wield great power of destruction. He wants them to use it on him. Heâs been alive far too long and done too many horrible things.
Malachai would like to continue doing bad things, thanks!
Callie asks Invictus whether we need to do something special to kill him. It has to be an amount of power equal to that which did this to him, so, the power of a god.
The chart upstairs was an attempt to understand what happened when the manor exploded and where the power went. We all gravitated toward certain elements based on our souls, except for Invictus, because he had no soul; he was inverted in some way.
Malachai, Callie, Cal, and Oz head out to the ritual chamber to destroy the really evil stuff. Also, Callie grabs as much of the non-evil magical components as she can and stuffs it into Calâs backpack.
Meanwhile, Malachai silently casts a spell on Callie, but she resists. She can tell he was trying to bind her physically. He complains that he could really use a Ring of Mind Shielding. Ha ha, bet you could! Oz stabs him for his betrayal. The wounds donât heal. Malachai says, âI just wanted to have the ring, so when I die my soul could go in there and maybe I could come back!â
Upstairs, Freki hears the whispering in the paintings. Oh, so THATâS why they call it the Gallery of Whispers! All the paintings are portraits of individual people. Freki is looking for anyone or anything he recognizes, but he doesnât see anything. A womanâs portrait beckons him. âCome to me so I can be free!â Freki is like, âNah, mang.â He asks if any of them know about Munin. One of them says he might know something if Freki just comes in the painting. Freki asks about assurances. The guy is like, âYou have my fine word, sir.â Sounds legit!
Bec is waiting in the foyer and hears the noise weâre making downstairs. She comes in just in time to see Oz stab Malachai in the back.
Bec goes in to talk to Invictus. She asks him whether Vecna is still the master of the hand. He is surprised that Bec is able to wear it and thinks even Vecnaâs power apparently has limits. Bec asks if he can help, and he says no amount of help would make up for the bad things heâs done. But heâll try anyway. He mentions the dead god again, and Bec asks if that is the power of the nine elements she saw inscribed on the hand. Invictus is shocked. There were never nine! But if there were⌠that changes everything! It explains the hole in the world. The gods bound the world with the elements. If one of them has really been destroyed, then the world would be unraveling.
âYou donât know what the Flux is? It is everything that is not the world. It is unreality. The gods bound Aecus so the Flux would be kept out.â Then he roasts Vondal for thinking he had mastery over such a primordial power.
Bec asks Invictus whether itâs possible to restore a memory lost to Vecna. He says yes, itâs possible to learn something again, but Vecna will exact some kind of toll.
Freki shoots him with some sort of acid arrow. Heâs in pain, but doesnât die. He says one of the relics or divine magic beyond that could kill him.
Oz uses his divine-powered blade. Even though it doesnât kill Invictus, Oz keeps right on stabbing him.
This is obviously not working, so Callie prays to Erathis for guidance. âThe vengeance must be complete. Both she and her shadow must be of one mind.â The vengeance must be against Invictus specifically. I know this is a specific âshe,â someone ancient and powerful, and thereâs some reason Erathis canât tell me, perhaps a gap in her knowledge. If thereâs a âsheâ and a âshadowâ then it seems they need to be reunited in some way.
Ozâs stabbing is getting to beâŚcompulsive? He can hear the ghost in his mind possessing him and enjoying this stabbing a LOT. Cal pulls Oz away.
Callie relates what Erathis said to her companions. We canât kill Invictus, but we should definitely take care of Malachai. Cal and Vondal decide to escort him outside. His feet drag and he eventually passes out. Cal tosses him out the front door and he dies.
As they all walk to the door, Callie thinks over what she heard and tells Cal and Oz that they could have killed Invictus, but they both have to go into it wholeheartedly. It seems Calâs heart is not quite in it now, though.
AC50 Vis 03
[14e03] Go Flux Yourself
Callieâs Journal
Lady Nightshade challenges Callie to drink it again. Callie passes, but only barely and only with Vondalâs help, again!
Vondal shows her the SPI badge (?). She says, âYou are the ones we need.â She then swings her scythe and rips a hole in reality through which we can see the pulse of the Flux. She punches into the rift and grabs the Flux. It starts crawling up her arm. Gross! This could give her immense power. Bec and Callie think that the Flux is using her more than the other way around, though.
Freki shoots into the rift with a lightning arrow and the Flux snaps the angelâs arm off at the elbow. Sheâs kinda pissed! And also made out of mouths! The mouths shriek, âWe will consume you aaaaaalllllll!â
âWe should kill these people,â says Oz.
âHow?!â demands Freki.
âWith violence, how else do you kill people?â Oz says.
The magic surrounding the sexy Chippendale angels breaks, and they turn into glowing balls of light with faintly visible visages within.
A residual psychic echo enwreathes the balls of light: fading images of flaming skulls, which they once were. The charm they were running on Oz broke when they became heads, so heâs only charmed by the angel now.
Bec, Vondal, and Callie sense that the angel has an overwhelming desire to eat us, as opposed to what she wanted earlier. Nom nom nom. She was consumed by her need to consume. Callie thinks when she said âweâ she didnât mean her skulls, but someone else we havenât seen yet. And also something more sinister, perhaps from beyond reality itself. Jinkies! Maybe we should try being worse at our jobs, to avoid inspiring this kind of behavior.
Oz attacks one of the skulls and stabbinates it. The hornblade has necrotic, poisonous damage. Its negative energy cuts through the positive energy of the room. The glowy flamy light of the skull dims. Oz skewered it good, so itâs stuck like a shishkebab now.
All the foes attempt to intimidate us. Oz and Cal are afraid, but everyone else shakes it off. The skulls hit Oz (and Cal?) with a beam of light that sucks some of his life force into Lady Nightshade. The unicorn taps Oz with its horn and he regains some health!
Vondal tries to banish Lady Nightshade and one of the skulls, but unfortunately he becomes terrified of Freki and also drunk. He does regain some spell slots, soâŚnice? But the spell succeeds somehow, and Lady Nightshade and the skull disappear.
Callie casts Calm Emotions (lvl 2) and the party members who were frightened or charmed are calm now. Yay!
Just then, reality slice apart and Lady Nightshade starts climbing out of the rift. Sheâs mutated even further, somehow! Freki decides to shoot her in the face again, assuming he can find it. He manages to get her right in the neck and the rift snaps shut, slicing her head clean off. Cal catches it like a goddamn basketball!
Oz attacks the skull he attacked before, whose wounds were slowly closing up. He destroys it.
The unicorn gives Vondal a goodbye tap with its horn and vanishes.
Before Oz can murderate the remaining skull, Bec tells the party to hold up. She wants to ask it some questions. The skull tells her she is not of this place, but she seems cool, so it will tell her what she wants to know.
Where is the positive energy coming from? The Master.
Who is the Master? The Master is the Master.
Where is the Master? Below.
The Master was once called Timor Invictus, but not anymore.
Vondal asks how we can kill him. You know, so we can make sure that never happens.
The skull says Timor is stuck in a realm of endless suffering. Heâs tried to die, but canât. Thatâs kinda sad! The skull doesnât want us to kill him, but maybe thereâs a way to, ahem, end his suffering. That would be the kind thing to do.
The skull starts shaking and sparking. A figure superimposes on top of it. In a ragged voice, it says, âYouâve come. I will be waiting.â
The skull says, âMy master calls!â and flies away downstairs.
By the time weâre done talking, Cal and Ozâs wounds have healed. The positive energy is almost getting annoying at this point, like, give it a rest already.
The party takes a quick look around. Thereâs a banquet hall, a magic laboratory, a library. In the lab is a journal written in an elegant hand and signed by Illyana Nightshade. The journal begins 300 years ago. She appears to have been researching how to join Invictus in undeath. She successfully created a Philosopherâs Stone, and then she ate it. It does seem to have given her eternal life, but she is now forever hungry and thirsty. Towards the end (about three years ago) are notes about how efforts to cure the insatiable hunger and thirst arenât working. Nothing about splitting apart and become a tooth monster, though.
Next we look around the library. Oz snags a crystal ball that looks valuable. Bec tells him that itâs used for scrying. Thereâs a bookmarked story about how Vecna lost her hand.
Timor (probably) tells us to find him upstairs.
Upstairs, there are three main areas: an art gallery, guest rooms, and a study. The skull that went upstairs before is floating around the gallery at random. Well, itâs not like the art is going to appreciate itself.
Oz checks the study door for traps. It gives him a funny vibe. He grabs Cal and asks him to take a look too. Cal agrees itâs weird. They feel like it would be a bad idea to open the door, but thereâs no clear reason for it. Bec can use Mage Hand to open it safely, perhaps.
Meanwhile, some of us remember when we were talking to Malachai, he mentioned the âGallery of Whispers.â Maybe we should check there? We all gather in there to hide from whatever explosion or whatever is going to happen when the study door opens. She casts Mage Hand, andâŚthe door isâŚlocked.
The skull whispers, âWhy did you defy the Master?â to a painting. Each of the paintings is a portrait making an emotional face. Vondal thinks the Mirror of Living Memory might have trapped souls in these paintings. There arenât legends to that effect, but still.
Murky touches a painting and hears a wail of misery. Vondal tells us to touch the paintings. âItâs like a seashell, but instead of the ocean you hear the lamentations of a lost soul!â
Vondal and I grant Bec some extra fate juice as she attempts to remove the trap on the study door with Dispel Magic. Sheâs able to avoid the trap and doesnât set it off.
Doorâs still locked, though, so Oz is going to try to pick the lock. Inside, the eight magic domains are scrawled on the floor â a portal? On the desk is a scroll covered in divine symbols, as well as figures resembling each of us and some of our associates (Sartus, Tybalt, Bram the Blithe, and Timor Invictus). Mine is next to Avandraâs symbol, natch. Avanadra appears to be at the intersection of air and sand, whatever that means.
Bec wanders away to look at the portal. She knows a lot about portals and can see magical rivulets for channeling magic energy. She postulates that maybe we need to pour each of the types of magical energy into it, in order to activate the portal.
Cal looks at the paper with the figures and notices that all the people represented are the ones invited to the undead party before! Nice one, Cal!
Everyone gathers around and tries to figure out the paper with the tokens and symbols. Vondal figures out that the elements correspond to the magic domains:
- Water â Knowledge
- Storm â Tempest
- Air â Trickery
- Sand â Life
- Fire â Light
- Magma â War
- Earth â Nature
- Ice â Death
Iâm confused about why Avandra and Erathis are on here under two things, when each represents just one domain. Also, the combined form is also on this chart. What?
Cal is inspired and getting this thing solved! Freki is also coming in strong on this puzzle! It occurs to Freki that every square is covered and only one god occupies each one. Maybe this is an illustration of the lines of power in the world?
 | Water | Storm | Air | Sand | Fire | Magma | Earth | Ice |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Knowledge | Tempest | Trickery | Life | Light | War | Nature | Death |
Knowledge | ? | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Tempest | Vondal | ? | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Trickery | Ioun | Brandobaris | ? | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Life | Sartus^ | Callie | Avandra | ? | Â | Â | Â | Â |
Light | Moradin | Invictus* | Tybalt* | Pelor | Hyperion | Â | Â | Â |
War | Erathis | Kord | (spider) | Bahamut | Sune | ? | Â | Â |
Nature | Bec | Melora | Sehanine | (cornucopia@) | Corellon | Gruumsh | Gaia | Â |
Death | Vecna | Bram | Oz | Nerull | Cal | Tiamat | Freki | ? |
^ = prone figure
* = darkened square
@ = scratched out
+ 8 mystery symbols on the diagonal
We spent quite some time figuring this out!
Eternals | Elements | Domains |
---|---|---|
Corellon | Fire + Earth | Light + Nature |
Avandra | Sand + Air | Life + Trickery |
Erathis | Magma + Water | War + Knowledge |
Ioun | Air + Water | Trickery + Knowledge |
Moradin | Water + Fire | Knowledge + Light |
Vecna | Water + Ice | Knowledge + Death |
Brandobaris | Â | Â |
Kord | Magma | Â |
Melora | Â | Â |
(spider) | Magma + Air | War + Trickery |
Sehanine | Â | Â |
Pelor | Fire + Sand | Light + Life |
Bahamut | Magma | Â |
(cornucopia@) | Earth + Sand | Nature + Life |
Nerull | Sand + Ice | Life + Death |
Sune | Magma | Â |
Gruumsh | Â | Â |
Tiamat | Â | Â |
Mortals | Elements | Domains |
---|---|---|
Bec | Water + Earth | Knowledge + Nature |
Cal | Fire + Ice | Light + Death |
Callie | Storm + Sand | Tempest + Life |
Freki | Earth + Ice | Nature + Death |
Oz | Air + Ice | Trickery + Death |
Vondal | Water + Storm | Knowledge + Tempest |
Bram | Storm + Ice | Â |
Sartus^ | Water + Sand | Â |
Tybalt* | Air + Fire | Trickery + Light |
Invictus* | Fire + Storm | Light + Tempest |
Munin speaks to Freki and says he needs to activate the portal.
On the Nature/Nature square is a symbol representing the Divine Mother Gaia, perhaps the source of all life:
She predates the eternals, according to legend. Cal recognizes the symbol as appearing once on a letter his father got once. He mentions that his dad claimed that he âused to be a godâ and talked about things he would do if he still had his full power.
It turns out that when we touch our own symbols, they light up, wow! But before we can activate the portal, Vondal and Cal leave to check out the basement. Down there are servantâs quarters, more stairs leading down to the crypt, and a door with some evil-looking glyphs. Vondal thinks it looks like a lock of some kind.
Something floats out of the servantâs quarters while Cal and Vondal are looking at the door. Itâs a giant neck-head thing followed by a suit. âYou wonât get in there,â he says helpfully.
âI believe the Master is expecting us,â says Cal ominously.
âYou do not possess the power of the Goddess of Secrets,â says the servant (?).
Cal asks if they need that power to see the Master. The servant says you need it for the door, which may or may not lead to the Master, whatevs. âThis is Invictusâs chamber, beyond which lies the Veil of Secrets.â
Vondal recalls that one of the people who hired the SPI said the Veil of Secrets was the source of the problem. The butler opines that it doesnât matter whether they get it open or not, because nothing matters anymore. Vondal offers him a job, but he doesnât seem interested. He seems depressed. He should try taking a walk or writing a gratitude journal.
Cal wanders off while Vondal converses with the spirit. Eventually Vondal comes back and we all combine to activate the portal.
Through the portal is a mirror with a cloth on it. Vondal mentioned before that the butler said Invictus could see the future and sometimes the past, when he looked in the mirror. The edges of the room just fade away into nothing, as if weâre always in the middle of the room no matter how far we walk.
Oz holds up the hornblade and uses it to cast light around. The room gets bigger, but there doesnât seem to be anyone or anything else there. Munin seemed veiled before but now seems clear. Hugin was clear before and is now veiled. Munin tells Freki to accept his destiny.
Vondal yanks the cover off the mirror and Munin is perched atop it! Munin says this is their domain, the domain of memory. Glancing at the mirror, Freki sees flames. Munin says the mirror shows what Freki has forgotten. âThis is where my parents died,â Freki realizes. But he wasnât there when the village burned, so this canât be his memory.
Freki sees himself go to confront the invaders and say in a voice that isnât his, âWhat do you want?â Itâs Frekiâs fatherâs voice. He says he has power.
The centaur Talos laughs condescendingly and says that power is what he came for.
Frekiâs father turns into a tiger. His tiger claws rake at Talos while crying things like âAbomination! God hater!â Some of Talosâs bling comes off in the fight.
The last thing Freki sees is Talos landing a finishing blow on his father.
Vondal looks in the mirror and sees himself having a wild magic surge. All the SPI agents around him get sucked into some kind of singularity produced by the Arkenstone. Vondal feels a divine presence and sees a dwarf-size (but metaphysically huge) entity called Moradin. Vondal thinks it was a divine intervention that ultimately ended the wild magic surge.
The mirror shatters!
AC50 Vis 03
[14e02] Never Bring a Potion to an Arrow Fight
Callieâs Journal
Freki offers a mutually beneficial alliance. In response, the woman holds out her hand and says we can kiss her ring if we want to serve. Bec and Callie notice that the ring is the symbol of Vecna, who deals in secrets.
Bec realizes that this woman is Lady Ilyana Nightshade. She says, âWhat I need is worship. What you need is knowledge and power, and I can offer both.â
Freki is not about to agree to any of her terms. She snaps her fingers and figures start appearing out of nowhere, flanking her on both sides. They look like angels with broken-off wings, staring at her adoringly.
But the last one is Vondal! This lady is as surprised as the rest of us to see him.
The lady orders Bec to be silent and she is silenced for one round!
Freki pulls out his bow because this is pretty hostile. He feels an attempt to take over his mind and says, âThat is gonna cost you an arrow.â He shoots her with ensnaring strike and then says, âCan we stop?â
Oz tries to stab her. She doesnât dodge, but also he doesnât seem to do any damage to herâhis sword deflects around some invisible barrier she has. Then he saunters around behind Freki and taunts her from there.
Cal knows that Lady Nightshade is supposed to be undead, though this person standing in front of us doesnât seem to be. He decides to wait and see what happens.
Lady Nightshade tries to force everyone to obey her. It works on Oz, who suddenly sees how totally reasonable and awesome she is. Why doesnât anybody else get it??
Vondal casts mage armor. He senses that this place is chaotically infused with Flux. There are tendrils everywhere! There is a wild magic surge, but Vondal feels that now that he knows about the place, he might be able to avoid it next time. Thereâs a lot of positive energy in this place, so much that weâre all healing slowly every round. So the result is that a unicorn appears and nuzzles Vondal.
Callie pets the unicorn. It touches its horn to her hand and she is suffused with holy power!
Freki readies an arrow.
Lady Nightshade offers Oz a potion and he makes to take it, but Callie slaps his hand in reaction.
Bec realizes Oz is acting strange and casts dispel magic on him. Freki tries to stop him from taking the potion, but Oz dodges! However, the charm is dispelled by the time he gets to the potion, so he tries to grab it and smash her in the face with it. Heâs been in a lot of bar fights, yâall! The glassâŚturns out to be a lot thicker than he thought and he has to make 4 Wisdom saving throws, lol.
The angels, or whatever they are, all turn to him and say in unison, âDrInK iT.â They charm the everloving shit out of him!
The unicorn is furious at Ozâs attempt to hit its mistress, so it tries to gore him with its horn. Oz trips and falls down, but keeps his grip on the potion bottle.
Hold onto your butts, itâs Vondalâs turn. He decides to cast charm person on Oz. The air gets all weird and shimmery around him and he is shunted to the Astral Plane. So why is he still here? Also, the Charm succeeds so now Oz is charmed by Vondal.
Callie canât even reach out to Oz before the unicorn knocks Oz to the ground. Callie tries again to grab the bottle out of his hands and barely manages to yoink it. She makes it disappear with sleight of hand, but unfortunately, the only person who saw where the bottle went was Oz. Womp womp.
Freki furiously roars, âStop!â but it comes out kind ofâŚbadly rolled.
Lady Nightshade orders Callie to drink the potion. With a lot of help from Vondal, she is barely able to resist. She gets a little taste and it tastes delicious! But she still resists.
AC50 Vis 03
[14e01] The Hills Have Malachais
Over the next few days, Mallory (the real one!) and Cassandra work to get the SPI HQ back into shape.
-
All field agents are called back to base for an all-staff meeting on Woodsday, Vis 03. This includes:
-
Meanwhile, our SPI agent heroes have two days off: Vis 01 and Vis 02. Or they can help rebuild HQ.
Some notable things relating our heroes:
- Cal feels something has changed about the Arkenstab. He feels it pulsing with more power than ever, but he also feels a shock of momentary cold every time he grasps it. Cold like vengeance.
- Becâs father Letharil Galere stops by the SPI. To thank her again. He entrusts her with Sartusâs spellbooks.
- Freki has time to craft more special arrows.
- Ozâs contacts confirm that they sent him the monkey statue. Signed, sealed, and delivered to SPI administrator Cassandra.
- Callie has a clairvoyant episode.
At the all-staff meeting: various agents share information about current events:
-
In the absence of leadership, McKraken, Feathersworth, and Rocksmith have started to establish SPI outputs in three of the nations: Squeaks under the Mountain, Featherworth in Reenaâseere. Rocksmith in Trell.
-
Cassandra remembers what happened to her: she and Mallory (Eeoram, really) were back at the base, trying to deal with the Breach, when they were ambushed by the Malosi. Before she could react, she was slain by Andalla the dragon shaman. Cassandra felt Andalla pulling at her spirit, trying to consume her, but she managed to flee into the nearby monkey statue, which she sensed could house souls. But once inside, she realized the soul of a monkey was already within, and they began to comingle. Cassandra remembers being inside the statue, her consciousness fading, but striving with all her will to drive the intruders as far away as she could. She doesnât know what happened to Eeoram, but she remembers him being there with her right before the ambushâŚ
- Squeaks McKraken has been working on a case in the dwarven lands:
- Dwarves arenât fighting goblins anymore because goblins stopped coming.
- When dwarves investigated, they found karach had spread up from the tunnel depths: a âsuper bloomâ of karach!
- The karach is unstable, and Flux oozes in various places. Squeaks was unable to delve deeper on his own, but he was able to connect the source to the old SPI HQ, behind the sealed off stone wall.
- Lawrence Feathersworth has been in contact with Arallu about an incident that occurred in Sepulchralis, the underground Arallan necropolis.While agents of Arallu are the ones who contacted him asking for the SPIâs help, he has not yet been successful in arranging passage to Arallu to actually investigate what happened. But he knows some details of the incident:
- Evershroud Manor, the primary residence of Timor Invictus, suddenly exploded with positive energy on Rixa 25. It is believed that Invictus was inside at the time, and he has not been heard from since.
- The undead sent in some living mortals to investigate, but none returned.
- The undead themselves cannot enter, for fearing of being quickly destroyed by the positive energy suffusing the place.
- Victor Rocksmith has also been in diplomacy mode:
- He has spoken with agents of Saint Benedor, who wants the SPI to ensure that an unnatural hurricane from Trell reaches Oasis, to rejuvenate the land, and insists that the SPI owes a debt to his nation for their actions regarding the Cornucopia.
- But the dragons of Skyrealm have pledged to unravel the hurricane using air countermagic, and have forbidden the SPI from interfering. It is a brewing international incident.
- Rocksmith is not sure what to do, but he was able to trace the origin of the hurricane back to a magical lighthouse on the shores of TrellâŚ
- Rain has been chilling at Vondalâs house in Vondalâs bathrobes. :-D
Feathersworth has arranged for the Arallan representatives to meet at the SPI outpost in Reenaâseere.
Mallory approves Cal & companyâs request to join Feathersworth for the Arallu meeting. But he warns them that that there is a very delicate balance of power in Arallu, and that the actions the agents take could disrupt that balance and lead to world instability.
Callieâs Journal
We have some time off! We need to be back for the all-staff meeting on Woodsday the 3rd.
Mallory asks Callie and Bec to help repair the olâ HQ, which is pretty trashed.
Bec goes to see the elves and is presented with the spellbooks of Sartus Morningdew. They think that if anyone can use his books to the best effect, itâs Bec. Aww!
Oz decides to go to âGnome Vegasâ to cheat at the casinos. He succeeds! But then Leopold shows up and says âWeâve been looking for you!â Oz tips the dealer 10% of his winnings and says to always remember the name of Freki the werewolf!
Cal hangs out at HQ to fix up the training room. He also talks to Mallory and spars with Cassandra (who is boosting her AC with magic). She has some cool magic that makes people not want to hit her. She also tells him his sword synergizes with divine casting. Neat!
Callie goes back to see Gavin at the Emporium. She asks whether he has anything that can help repair HQ. Then, holding a bottle of glue that can stick anything to anything (Sovreign Glue) and a Cube of Mending, she has a vision of a door behind which is the promise of infinite, forbidden knowledge. AND a secret that only Callie can know. She could use the items to seal the door forever OR go in there, get the secrets, and THEN seal it! But before she can make a decision, the vision ends. Gavin asks if she saw tomorrowâs lottery numbers and suggests that she come back sometime when she doesnât need anything, just to see him. Aww!
All-Staff Meeting
Rain the Owlbear, Cassandra, Mallory, Squeaks McKraken, Victor Rocksmith, and Lawrence Feathersworth are all there.
Oz comes in late, when weâre recapping the World Tree events.
Mallory congratulates us on saving the World Tree and giving the Necronomicon to the elves. Although we did piss off the RUP by stealing their artifact.
Squeaks McKraken opened an outpost under the mountain, not the same one as the old, sealed off outpost. The dwarves refused to reopen that one because thereâs a flux leak down there. Squeaks thinks the leak originated in the old SPI outpost and is slowly spreading karach.
Victor Rocksmith set up an outpost in Trell, his homeland. St. Benedor has had a vision that a hurricane will come and rejuvenate the desert that we destroyed by stealing their cornucopia. Unfortunately, the dragons of Zephyr plan to stop the hurricane to prevent it from damaging the Sky Realm. Victor investigated the origin of the hurricane and found it emerged from one of the Trell magic lighthouses. They absorb storm energy, but are not supposed to let any out.
Lawrence Feathersworth opened his outpost in his hometown, Reenaâseere, a half-elven city that Bec is also from. Some reps from Arallu came out to see him. He arranged a meeting with them for tomorrow over lunch to hear more about their request. Basically, a manor belonging to one of their leaders has begun radiating positive energy and they canât enter it. They need someone living to investigate it.
Bec is interested in Cassandraâs lack of shadow. Weird! Cassandra suggests letting the monkey out. The monkey nuzzles Oz, then hops over to Cassandra. The monkey has two shadows!! One of them is Cassandraâs shadow. The monkey barks at the shadow and poofs back into the statue.
After the meeting ends, Freki sniffs around to grab any DNA in case he needs to find these people later. He doesnât get any from Mallory or Rain, but he does get a hair from each of the others.
Mallory warns us that the balance of power in Arallu needs to stay balanced. If any of the three factions gains too much power, it could be a disaster.
Reenaâseere
Feathersworth tells us that he has no money (on account of being a statue for centuries), but he has repurposed a B&B for his outpost. He apologizes for the dinginess of the place, and makes us tea! Itâs slightly chilly, so he starts a fire in the fireplace. Heâs great!
At noon, three figures teleport inside: Grim Tanzerin, Lestache de Lyarcourt, and Malachai Hawthorne. Bec sees that Lestache has some magical items, Grimâs chain is magical, and Malachai is filled with transmutation magic.
Lyarcourt introduces Hawthorne, but Bec has to ask about Grim. Lyarcourt says heâs ânobody, protection.â Lyarcourt totally has some tea. Cal thinks maybe he has heard of Malachai. Malachai is one of Invictusâs top lieutenants. Supposedly Malachai ripped out his own heart and replaced it with a spirit trapped in a gemstone to avoid dying of old age. He isnât exactly undead himself, but this is obviously some real dark magic. Cal thinks Lestache is some kind of vampire nobility.
Malachai was apparently a witness to whatever happened at Evershroud Manor. He says there was an explosion of energy and he barely teleported out in time. He was near the Chamber of Whispers. He thinks the energy came from inside the Chamber. Invictus may or may not have been in the Chamber.
Lestache says that, according to his sources, the explosion source was the basement. Heâs going to share everything he knows as a courtesy, so we donât all die. Such a sweetie. Itâs hard to read whether heâs lying or just oily.
Malachai seems to have a deep desire to direct us to the Chamber of Whispers, though why is unclear. Additionally, Callie senses that he is anticipating us going there, so something will happen.
Lestache and Malachai are very not agreed on where they think we should go.
The Triumvirate (https://ctrue.name/equilibrium/creatures/undead):
- Timor Invictus is the archmage, heâs the one whoâs missing.
- The Brucolac is the head of the vampires. Lestache serves him.
- Janus Ilaris is a spirit and head ofâŚspirits? Weâve seen him around, possessing people at times.
Malachai describes the manor. Thereâs a study where Invictus does divination, some bedrooms, an art gallery. In the gallery is door to the whispering chamber. Malachai says the basement doesnât matter. Lestache wants to talk about the basement! Thatâs where the lich has his crypts and builds his undead horde. Lestache thinks Invictus lost control of one of his magical artifacts and thatâs what caused the explosion. Weâll see about that!
Evershroud Manor
We are teleported by Malachai. Itâs a normal teleport, but we wonât be able to get back on our own (the spell is too high level for us). When we get there, we feel great from the radiant energy, but the undeads arenât comfy.
Malachai hands Feathersworth a bag and starts casting a spell. Bec realizes that the spell is to turn Feathersworth into a puppet! She tells us that the spell is dangerous and Lestache tries to stop Malachai but Malachai doesnât stop casting.
Cal whips out his sword to slice off Malachaiâs arm, but before he can move, Oz stabs Malachai in the gut with the hornblade. Malachai stops casting, but doesnât seem all that upset? Then suddenly a creature kind of emerges from Malachai and then his face reassembles. Gross!
The creature claims that he saw what he saw and is definitely not lying. Bec and Cal are 100% sure he is lying. He didnât see anything, that eyeless bastard! He tries to run away, seeing that we are now hostile, but Freki nabs him with a grapple arrow and Cal incinerates him with his sword.
Lestache says heâll investigate what that whole thing was about. Bec asks him directly if he knows about totenmaskes, but he says he doesnât. Callie thinks heâs probably telling the truth, but itâs hard to say.
As we approach the entrance, we see that thereâs no sky. It appears to be inside an enormous dome or maybe underground? This is similar to the dwarf caves, but grander. It looks like outside, but dimmer.
Rays of light are shooting out the windows. Similar to this:
Letâs go in!
The front door is slightly ajar. Oz and Cal just waltz on in.
A figure appears on the grand staircase with black bird wings. She says, âHalt. Pledge your service to me, leave, or die.â
AC50 Vis 03
[Case 14] Animus and Annihilation
Positive things happened. TODO
AC50 Vis
[Case 14 Prelude] Assemblage and Absolution
In the aftermath of the Malosi fight at Alyeâadu, the SPI agents rescue Mallory and Cassandra from their respective plights.
Mallory and Cassandra reestablish operations at SPI HQ, and the other active SPI field agents bring new cases for the agency to address.
Callieâs Journal
There is a woman in the village named Respa (the redhead carrying a bowl of food). I remember her from a case we were on. We went to arrest Hollerd, a dwarf, on his ranch, for poisoning his uncle. There was a woman on the farm who tried to send us away, but we pushed past her and arrested him. Respa looks like that woman.
Freki asks if she has seen other people transform the way he does (into a werewolf). She says she hasnât, and asks if many people outside the village can do it. He asks if any of them can, and she says no because none of them are tigers, wolves, rats, rhinoceroses, etc.
She says Rotesabal has a little friend, and another person in the village is a bird (that would be the one who looks like a white bipedal bird).
Cal asks whether any of them are undead. They are not!
Marigold is the only changeling present in the village right now. She keeps up the mind link so they can all communicate easily. Changelings that are outside arenât connected to the mind link. They need to be within 100 feet.
Eeoram is the alt-Mallory (i.e. the one weâve all met). We havenât seen him in a long time!
Marsh witch spends half her time in the forest and half in the marsh. Named Grainne/Anorje.
We all have a drink at the pub before we go, and talk over what weâve learned.
We need to rebuild the base and find the other SPI agents. Mallory has been burned by pure elemental fire and can only be healed with a focus of equal strength to the spell that burned him. Cal pipes up that now that he has his sword back, we could use that. Since it was the Arkenstone that burned him to begin with.
We convince Marigold to let us try to heal Mallory. Bec makes a tiny hut around his bed, and another magic user in the village makes another barrier around the whole house. Bec, Cal, and I try to do a healing ritual. Cal feels an intruder in his mind and tries to resist.
Cal places the Arkenstone on Malloryâs forehead. I cast bless on us, then cast cure wounds at level 5. Bec supports with a 5th level spell. The stone explodes outward with healing light. Calâs job was to focus the effect, but Marigoldâs interference makes it too hard and he loses control of it.
Wave of sacred fire washes over. It is infused with healing energy but still painful. We take some damage, but Cal is able to redirect. I have to heal Marigold, but Mallory is saved!!!
We return to the pub so Mallory can catch up over a beer. He last talked to Eeoram about a month ago. He wants to know where Vondal is. We donât know any better than he does. He says Vondal has gotten worse if he keeps disappearing. He never did that before. We tell him that the HQ is more or less repaired and weâve recruited some new people (Bec, Oz, Freki, the owlbear Rain and Squeaks McKraken). Mallory sighs. âWild magic sent âem away, wild magic brings âem back.â
Mallory asks whether Vondal has screwed anything up lately, but we think he hasnât. Heâs relieved. He didnât want to fire Vondal. He says we need to get back into HQ and get things set up. We let him know that Cassandra is missing and we donât have any sending stones.
We decide to go to Vondalâs house so we can meet up with Rain. Cassandra should be able to find us there, too. Rain says hello: âBoss! And you guys!â
I send to Cassandra first. It feels like thereâs some kind of barrier, but I push through. âCassandra where are you? Are you in trouble? Can you get to Vondalâs?â
The monkey statue in Ozâs bag turns into a real live winged monkey! Also all his shit falls all over the ground, LOL.
The monkey answers my question with monkey squeaking. The monkeyâŚis CassandraâŚ?
Freki can talk to animals, so he asks it some questions. The monkey recognizes Oz as its friend, but not Mallory. It rifles through Ozâs bag and finds Vondalâs cookies. It holds one up and then eats it, sharing with Oz.
We ask it what it is, but it just says âI am me. I am two things.â
The monkey points at Oz and the Hornblade and says theyâre both partners. Oz gives the monkey the sword. It holds up the sword, hops up and down, and then four wings pop out of its back. Two are the celestial wings it had before, two are shadow wings. The sword is the monkeyâs shadow, and the shadow has the shadow wings. Callie thinks there is some kind of deific power associated with the sword and the monkey is empowered by its mirror. My goddesses are twins, but they arenât opposites. The monkey and the sword are more like two sides of a coin. Cassandra is a divine spellcaster, and the monkey has done some divine magic. The sword is something different.
While Bec and Callie discuss the feelings of the magic being wrong somehow, Freki smells something familiar. It makes his hackles rise. It was when the orc lady rubbed a statue and turned into a demon. Freki smellsâŚthe statue/whatever magic that was.
Mallory tries to sum up: Cassandra is in the monkey? And the monkey is the sword? Where did the hornblade come from, anyway? Oz says that he took it from the fountain.
We take the monkey to the mirror. It looks transfixed for a moment, but then the mirror shatters. Dâoh! Bec and Callie sweep it up so Callie can use mending on it. I notice that thereâs a woman with dark hair and arms crossed. When I look closer, sheâs actually blonde. When I look even closerâŚitâs me. Weird!
Callie does augury with tarot cards. Would it be a good idea to try dispel magic on the monkey? The final card is Strength. Itâs a good idea!
Bec and Callie cast dispel magic at 4th level together. It is kind of like pulling something out of the monkey. Bec and Callie can barely hang on. Calâs Arkenstone starts vibrating. The monkey is agitated. The celestial monkey and the monkey monkey are separated but stuck together by sticky strands. Cal slices through the strands and Cassandra appears and falls to the floor. The monkey turns back into a statue. The shadow goes back into the hornblade.
Oz grabs the statue and thinks âbe a monkey!â It seems to want to, but it has a hard time. When it pops back into monkeyness, it seems very tired. The shadow stays in the sword and doesnât go back into the monkey. Freki gives the monkey some food and asks if itâs OK. Itâs tired and misses the nice lady. The monkey eats the food and pets Cassandraâs hair. Itâs unsure if Oz is still its friend, so Oz hugs it and allows it to go back to its pocket dimension to rest.
Cal says Cassandra wasnât the only thing in the monkey. Bec and Callie think the shadow wings might have been the other thing.
Mallory tries shaking Cassandra, but she doesnât wake up. He picks her up and puts her in Vondalâs bed. He doesnât think sheâs going to wake up for a while.
I have two sendings left. Who should we contact first? Mallory suggests that he can put out feelers to get Simaâs body back from the elves. Maybe Cassandra can rez her, if itâs not her time to die. Mallory is excited to have another agent!
We decide Eeoram is the top priority. I try to cast sending, but I get a 404 :( His spirit is not on this plane. AlthoughâŚwhere is it? Changelings canât be resurrected and we donât know how they reproduce.
Mallory says that when Vondal disappears, heâs time traveling. I probably canât contact him.
Letâs try Squeaks. I do a sending: âMallory says to meet at Triumph recruitment circle, tomorrow 9 AM. Bring any other agents you can. Will brief everyone.â
Squeaks and the other two NPC agents (see episode 2) have established field offices and each has been investigating some active cases.
-
Squeaks has been investigating in the city under the mountain, the dwarven lands. Our old friend Sil is not in charge anymore. Someone else has called Squeaks to find out what happened in the goblin territory. They seem to have gotten encased in karach or some kind of crystalline flux.
-
Victor Rocksmith, a hard-drinkin, hard-smokin sailor gnome, has been in the land of Trell. He says thereâs a political situation brewing. A hurricane has emerged from Trell and is heading towards the island-city of Aether in Skyrealm. The High Priest of Pelor, St. Benedor, has invoked the SPI to convince the dragons not to dispel the hurricane. Pelor gave him a prophecy that the hurricane will cleanse the desert lands and restore them. The desert has been overly dry since we took the cornucopia, oops.
-
Lawrence Feathersworth was contacted by an agent of the vampire. They are demanding the SPIâs service. Agent went to Arallu and saw it briefly. They wanted him to enter the manor of the archlich, which has begun to exude some sort of power and no undead can enter it. Also, the archlich has not attended any meetings of the triumvirate. Where is he?
Open questions and next steps
- Should we try to recover Simaâs body and see if we can revive her? Or will one of us volunteer to be the anchor for Simaâs double?
- Vondal wants to find Malloryâs doppelganger.
- Vondal has a big lead on what happened to the SPI agents, and will want to follow up on it.
- Freki wants to find out what happened to Hugin and Munin. They were somehow held at bay during the battle.
- What was Talos talking about?
AC50 Auran Apex
[13e04] The Malosi Strike Back
Cal has reclaimed the Arkenstab, and Talos is on the ropes! But Andalla has transformed into a goristro demon that is unlikely to serve you beer, and they both still have a boatload of hit points⌠Will Talos succeed in entering a berserker rage and laying waste to Alyeâadu? Or will Bec enchant him again into an oblivion of giggles? FIND OUT NEXT TIME
Callieâs Journal
Rumble in the Jungle
âORâ
Cat-tastrophe
The battle situation has developed not necessarily to the partyâs advantage.
Oz stabbed the centaur. The centaur looks bad but not dead.
Freki has âattunedâ one of his remaining four arrows, so he has three left that are not attuned.
Vondal directed Murky up toward the horse-man.
Bec does Magic Missile and hits it!
I attack with Spiritual Weapon! It glances off the demonâs thick hide, boo. I move a little over to my left so I can affect both enemies with my Spirit Guardians. They donât get an opportunity to swipe at me because theyâre both slowed, haha.
The monster lady saves and takes only 5 points of radiant damage from the Spirit Guardians. Then she starts casting a 6th-level divine spell called Blade Barrier that slices through four of us. She is a shaman. She also moves towards everyone.
The centaur turns into a were-tiger-centaur and says âYou all stink of the gods. How fortunate for me.â Then he does something and we feel a pull at our souls. Bec failed the save, so she feelsâŚdepleted in some ineffable, non-numeric kind of way. Everyone else is OK for now. Murky is unaffected. Hugin and Munin are affected somehow, although Freki doesnât find out about that until later.
Oz feels ice climbing up his legs and needs a strength save. He fails and takes 9 points of cold damage and his speed is reduced.
Cal fails his save against the soul-stealer too. He strikes out at Talos and hits! He is bleeding from all over his body. His second strike runs Talos through! But then Talos says, âPathetic!â and gets back to his feet.
Talos screams a battle cry and I feel a divine energy of some kind. Cal feels that he is tapping into Calâs power somehow.
Oz attacks. Talos is just death-saving at this point. Oz is unable to finish him off, so he calls Monkey Caesar into play.
Cal realizes that Talos will live as long as he is enraged, so he calls out, âStop the rage!â But heâs been knocked down and is prone.
Freki fires his special arrow point-blank into Talos. It does damage, although the creature kind of shrugs it off. He tries to climb up the neck and doesnât succeed but doesnât fall off.
Vondal banishes the enemies. Theyâre gone for a little while. We get the opportunity to rearrange our battle order and prepare actions.
I break concentration on my Spirit Guardians and cast Calm Emotions at fifth level on Talos as soon as they reappear (it has to be 5th or above to hit Talos because he has an Ion Stone or something that absorbs spells 4th level or lower). He barely manages to throw off the calm, but he looks tired now and the cold doesnât return.
Vondal did Shocking Grasp with Murky.
Oz finally gets his natural 20 roll that gives him some ridiculous attack with his horn blade. He cuts Talos into halves (104 points of damage, whoooaaaaaa).
Bec attempts to cast a spell on the orc, but sheâs resistant to magic and nothing happens.
Freki claws at the orc. He does a total of 24 damage.
The orc casts Revivify on Talos, knitting his halves back together. She then changes back into an orc from her other form.
Talos gets to his feet and casts Heal. He puts his ax on his back and says, âEnough! I yield for now.â
Oz says, âHe really pulled himself together!â
In accordance with Selva custom, Talos allows us to name our terms (âwar priceâ).
Cal is keeping his sword. Freki takes the ax and gives it to Cal, who hands it back (sensing as he does so that Talos is relieved to have it back). All Cal wanted was his original sword back! Talos mentions that we donât even know what we are.
Freki says, âWe want the bracers. And we want you to leave this space. And also, what is it you think we are?â
He says, âYou are godlings. If you become like the others, I will have to kill you. What I donât understand is how you donât know.â
Talos stole the god-ling-ness??? from Bec and Cal during the fight. Thatâs why they felt they had lost something.
Freki asks, âWhy do you want to kill the gods?â
âBecause they deserve it. You could all join me. You are worthy to join the Malosi.â
Hugin and Munin land on Frekiâs shoulders. He feels comforted, aww. He checks in with them. They say something happened to them that they do not understand, but theyâre OK now.
A big suit of armor comes clanking up to us with Sabrina on its shoulder. The orc turns into a raven and flies over to the armor, landing on the other shoulder.
Talos promises not to harm the people of this village. He says again that we could join his tribe if they want. Then he says to Freki, âIâm glad at least one person from your village was strong enough to survive.â Freki notices that he has a very self-satisfied smirk as he does so. Then Talos rushes over to the armor and they all vanish.
Marigold apologizes for being unable to do anything. She explains that they were unable to move or possibly didnât exist for a little while. Bec asks if they saw the suit of armor, but Marigold doesnât recall. We (not Oz) remembers the suit of armor from when we met Sabrina before. It protects her.
Bec is thinking they might have had their memories modified or been banished, although all we saw was them running into the trees, so we donât know for sure.
A dwarf villager opines that whatever happened to them âfelt psionic.â Bec says Sabrina may be a githzerai, and the dwarf is like, âI knew it!!!â
Vondal goes to check on Mallory. Heâs still there, right where we left him. He tells Simaâs doppelganger that she can imprint on him, with the price being that she has to figure out a better way of doing things.
Marigold says, âWeâre changing the rotation then, so I can leave!â
Oz blabs that Bec took Isisâs body and has it, so Bec apologizes for her cultural insensitivity and she and Callie take the body out of the portable hole and lay it out so they can see it. The villagers are all shocked.
Vondal mentions that heâs older than he looks, like the villager who looks like a child. Later, sheâs munching on some of Vondalâs cookies. Freki also notices that suddenly she has a ring that she didnât have before. And hey, Vondal is missing a ring!
Vondal orders the kid to give the ring back before she gets hurt. He gives her a cookie because rewarding bad behavior is what grandpas do. Michael gives Allen an inspiration point for that! Vondal proceeds to give the kid a whole grandpa lecture along with it. He doesnât roll well, so he takes her word for it that sheâs totally taking it all in and learning.
Changelings are dead forever once theyâre dead, so thereâs no chance we could revive Fake Isis.
Aina (?) asks whether we knew that centaur. Freki explains that he sensed our innate goodness, or at least trying-to-be-goodness. Callie feels like maybe she knows something, but canât quite grasp what. But she doesnât think Talos was lying or mistaken; he was right in some way.
The villagers want to know what happened with Isis. There seems to be no point in keeping anything from them, especially since Vondal is going to spill it anyway. Bec says something about the cult of the white crane and the dwarf guy objects that it isnât a cult, but a âforce of natureâ that has âdone nothing but benefit us.â Isis was the leader of the village, but she was deposed for saying bad words about the white crane.
We explain about the blood mage gnome that was inside the hamadryad Phoebe and how Isis tried to protect him after he was expelled from Phoebeâs body. He escaped, but Oz killed Isis.
Aina says to Vondal and Bec that she knows the centaur, or at least her double does. Talos has attacked the Lord of the Devils, Azmodeus, many times. She asks if Bec/Vondal knows why he would do that. Vondal tells her that they met him once before in some kind of demiplane. Talos expressed admiration for Calâs sword and was angry at us for invading his territory. Bec recalls that Azmodeus might be almost a god himself, and Talos seems to hate any kind of god. Aina tells Vondal and Bec to keep their conversation to themselves.
Vondal and Bec head off to take a look at the destroyed âdoorâ to the village. Seeing them, Callie joins them. Vondal wants to dump some flux into the door. Callie casts Augury (knowledge domain, once per day) to ask Erathis whether this will have a good result or not. Weal! Itâs a go!
Vondalâs magic gets sucked up and woven into a wild magic door. Aina is shocked that Vondal is so powerful.
Open questions and next steps
- Should we try to recover Simaâs body and see if we can revive her? Or will one of us volunteer to be the anchor for Simaâs double?
- What happened to Mallory, and is there anything we can do for him? Vondal wants to find Malloryâs doppelganger.
- What was Talos talking about?
- Vondal has a big lead on what happened to the SPI agents, and will want to follow up on it.
- Freki wants to find out what happened to Hugin and Munin. They were somehow held at bay during the battle.
AC50 Auran Apex
[13e03] Arkenstab Reclaimed
The SPI, after tearing the veil protecting the hidden changeling village of Alyeâadu, learned that the SPIâs leader Mallory has been comatose here for the past four months. Now Andalla the orc shaman, in the form of Frekiâs raven companion Munin, and Talos the centaur warlord, wielding the Arkenstab, have followed the agents through, and seek to seize the power of the changelings for themselves!
Callieâs Journal
An Equestrian of Power
âORâ
Unleash the Beast
The centaur starts throat singing and at the same time, the air chills and snow starts falling. He says he is here to take what is his, i.e. the shapeshifting power of these changelings. Seems bad! The orc doesnât do anything.
I am able to perceive that the centaur is trying to stall us, so I yell, âStop horsing around!â
Everybody prepares to fight. Freki fires off some arrows at the centaur, but they deflect off of him somehow. An invisible shield of some kind?
Vondal banishes the centaur and orc. They will reappear in the same place in one minute.
I cast Spirit Guardians at level 3 and move into the area where the centaur and orc will be, so my spirit guardians can affect them. I also cast Spiritual Weapon at level 2.
Bec decides to Dispel Magic on the snow, which has been coming down more thickly and making it hard to move. It dispells. Yay!
When weâre all ready, Vondal lets his concentration go and the centaur and orc pop back in.
I attack using my spiritual weapon and do 15 damage, yay!
We pretty much own the centaur, so the orc pulls a little figurine out of her pocket and turns into a Goriostro (sp?), a big scary demon.
Cal grabs his sword out of the centaurâs hand. There is a flash and all the snow in a five foot radius melts.
Oz stabs the centaur, who seems toâŚlike itâŚ.
AC50 Auran Apex
[13e02] Adieu to Alye'adu
The SPI was on the trail of a suspected doppelganger, the spitting image of one of their former colleagues. But then her trail suddenly disappeared midstep! And Freki is being shadowed by a mysterious and malicious-seeming third ravenâŚ
Freki asks Hugin and Munin if they saw where they prey went. They tell Freki:
They track her trail to a place where it ends in midstep. Ozâs hand feels weird as he waves his sword through the space where the step ends.
Callieâs Journal
We find a spot that is described as a âveilâ or âportal,â although itâs invisible. Cal and Oz decide to go through. From my outside perspective, they donât seem to have gone anywhere, but itâs pretty funny to watch them get a running start at nothing.
Vondal tells us that itâs a kind of protective or misdirection field, intended to keep people away. But because itâs large enough for a small village, it isnât very powerful.
I know a little about the shapeshifters because theyâre âtrickery-adjacentâ
Trickery Gods (I know them all, or mostly):
- Avandra, the best one, of course
- Brandobaris
- Ioun
- Some lesser dragon deity
- Sehanine, Elven goddess of the moon
- One whose name I forgot
- See also eternals
I channel divinity (one week cooldown) and realize that the way to get through this veil is to know the name of the place, which I heard from the doppleganger when I used Speak With Dead. Speaking with Erathisâs voice, I say, âAlyeâaduâ as Oz attempts to stab the veil.
The veil is ripped, because of the sword. :\
I can sense that Erathis knew about this place already. Both my goddesses seem pleased that Iâm investigating it.
Our party goes in there and some sentries immediately find us.
Their leader (probably) comes out to talk to us. She looks like one of Sehanineâs priestesses, powerful.
One of the villagers says Isis was her âimprintâ and she was Isisâs âanchor.â They are changelings. (The changelings are the âimprintsâ and the originals are the âanchors.â There is one and only one anchor per imprint. If they lose their anchor, they need to find another one or they die.
50 years ago, The Vanishing happened. During the War of Countless Dead, one day all the soldiers fighting disappeared into thin air, and the Flux appeared. Since then, the Flux had been growing. The changelings believe something happened at the Tower of Orsis that caused the Vanishing, but they donât know what because they didnât have an agent there at that time. Thatâs why they planted all these agents around in various nations.
I want to know what they know about the white crane tattoo/cult. Several of them react positively. They feel like itâs been helpful, which is exactly what Isis said. She said it was super helpful until it started controlling her and forcing her to do evil.
Cal, Freki, and Oz are not part of the mind link. So theyâre watching when a centaur named Talos comes riding in with Calâs sword at his hip.
AC50 Auran Apex
[13e01] Flimflam in the Forest
The SPI is on the trail of a suspected doppelganger, the spitting image of one of their former colleagues.
Cal asks the elves if they can do a locator spell for his sword⌠but canât remember the resultâŚ
At camp the first night, Freki confronts Cal about his behavior, and they bury the hatchet.
Callie casts a sending to Enoki to make sure he is doing OK. She canât remember exactly what she asked him, but he responded:
Where is doppel-Sima going? Northeast, from Deepwood into Selva, toward the dwarven Veldt. General direction of the Mountain.
After six days, Freki is considering scouting ahead to confront the fake Sima.
But Freki suddenly senses that they are being followed. The hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The agents decide to climb trees and set a trap for the follower, whatever they are.
Callie casts seeming to turn Bec into Sima, and Oz and Callie into trees. Freki declines to be magicked.
Freki feels he is somehow connected to whatever is following them.
Hugin: âIndeed, there is a connection.â
Munin: âYes⌠It is me. I remember⌠dying.â
Munin: âI am me. The other⌠a facsimile only. With my power.â
Freki: âIs the facsimile bad?â
Munin ponders for a moment. âUnclear.â
Freki (to the rest of the party): âDo not attack my friends the ravens. However, do not trust them either.â
Hugin: âWe protect you, so that you might fulfill your purpose.â
Freki: âDo you know its intentions?â
Hugin: âWe do not know this third. It is an other.â
Freki: âDo you know my purpose? But also: thank you very much for the protection.â
Hugin: âTo devour the world. Or⌠prevent others from doing so. The choice is yours.â
Freki remembers that he did see Munin die once. He later had a vision of the dragon shaman that killed Munin turning into a raven and flying away.
Freki: âSomething is following me. I donât think itâs following us, itâs following me. So⌠do we want to as a group book it after Sima? Do we want me to run ahead possibly taking the thing thatâs following me with me? And you guys follow it best you can? I might be able to catch Sima. I have no idea what happens if I catch Sima when it catches me.â
Bec: âBut if you go and it chases you, at some point it will have to pass by us.â
Freki proposes that the agents stay together, and move at a speed that allows everyone to stay alert. (âI canât have flippy McGee flippinâ!â)
Freki: âOur priority is no longer catching Sima, itâs staying together.â
Freki is trying to guard his thoughts, in case the third raven can perceive them.
The agents abandon their tree-lurking plan, because Freki can tell the third raven is not getting closer while they are stopped.
They start moving again. They can see ahead no more than 100-200 feet, due to all the trees.
Freki feels like bird #3 is maybe a half-mile to the southeast, and keeping its distance.
Freki sprints 100 yards ahead, to check whether the bird keeps pace with him. It does. Does it think thatâs funny? He senses that it is amused by his behavior. Arrogant!
Oz: âCan you untree me?â
Callie: âOhh⌠I dunnoâŚâŚ can you give me one of those candy bars youâve been hoarding?â
Nate: âHow did you know that Oz invented nougat in this world?â
The agents think back on what happened during their first few days of pursuitâŚ
One the first night: Oz sneaks up to the camp, sees Sima doing normal camp things, including building a fire, hunting, and fletching. She has only the clothes on her back, but is a competent survivalist. He also sees some of Simaâs skin on her hand slough off while she is eating dinner, and she cries out in pain.
Second night: Oz sneaks up to the camp again, and sees Sima casting a spell on a small thrush bird. It flies up to her and lands in her hand. She whispers something to it, and sends it flying off ahead. Oz thinks she enchanted it to do something. He also sees her casting goodberry on some berries and eating one of them.
Bec drips antitoxen onto Isisâs blood. It distends and reacts. Same even more so when Bec tries mixing more water with the blood: itâs like it canât hold one shape while confronted with another liquid.
Callie casts speak with dead on Isis. Oz, because he killed Isis, is banished to a ways away before doing it, so that the corpse does not clam up in response to an enemy being present. After consulting with her team, Callie asks these questions:
-
What is your mission? To protect the world from another Vanishing.
-
Where do you come from? Alyeâadu. (Bec translates this word from elven as something like âtogether doubleâ.)
-
How did you get here? I was stabbed by an artifact.
-
How were you going to prevent the Vanishing? By watching the nations, and intervening in their affairs.
-
Who is your leader? (with a hint of sadness) I was.
Callie: âWell that was interesting!â
Back to the six day mark, after the agents have made contact with the third ravenâŚ
Freki asks his birds if they need anything.
âWe are sustained,â they respond.
Freki: âWhat about you, third eye? Do you need anything?â
Response *drily eager*: âSoon enough.â
Still following doppel-Simaâs trail, they debate whether to try intercepting her before she gets where she is going. They are pretty far into the Selva now, getting closer to the beginning of the Veldt, when Freki realizes theyâve lost the trail. Wait, noâthey didnât lose it, it ended, abruptly, mid-footstep. Dun dun duuun!
AC50 Auran Apex
[Case 13] Facts and Facsimiles
Duplicitous things happened. TODO
AC50 Rixa 25
[12e12] Confrontation with the Queen
The Tree is rumbling.
Stormseeker: âDid it work? Is Sartus OK?â She goes over to check him.
Bec: âWe have to get out of here.â
Oz (adamantly): âYes, we should go check on the queen immediately, posthaste.â
Vondal quickly tells Rain: âWe blew up, Iâm good, everybody else question marks, welcome back, hi, and now the tree that holds all of existence of dying.â
Cal beckons Oz over to talk to him. He wants Oz to stab the Book.
Phoebe: âThe cleansing is incomplete. Something is wrong.â
The shaking is getting worse.
Lorissa (still checking Sartus): âHeâs not breathing!â
Cal, whispering to Oz: âI want you to use the Hornblade to stab the Book.â
Oz: âAww Brando, do we think thatâs a good idea? I donât think thatâs such a great idea⌠They seem to be way smarter than us, man.â
Cal: âWe need to kill the Book.â
Freki overhears: âI donât know that itâs a bad idea. âcause the Book is clearly magic.â
Oz, Cal, and Freki continue to debate it.
Oz: âItâs against my nature, but I think this is a case where âdonât stabâ is the way to go.â
But Cal is adamant that the Book has to be destroyed.
Callie intuitively senses that Sartusâs spirit and divine connection are rapidly dissipating, leaving only a lifeless husk. She thinks even speak with dead would not work on him.
Bec: âWe have to go the Queen. We have to take the Book with us if it hasnât been fully fixed.â
Callie senses that the Book is still evil, but much less so? âIt was always an evil artifact⌠butâŚâ
- Rain hefts Sartusâs lifeless husk over his shoulder.
- Vondal and Murky and Freki and Rain run for the entrance.
- Bec tries to heft the Book with mage hand. Itâs hard at first, but suddenly it gets easy; Callie feels a divine assist from some Fey influence.
- Phoebe and Lorissa follow them out.
Oz: âThat owlbearâs gonna eat that guy!â
When the party gets outside the treasury, they realize itâs not the treasury thatâs shakingâitâs the entire Tree. And itâs getting worse.
âQuickly! With me!â Phoebe says and she touches part of the trunk in prep to tree stride. âTake my hand!â
Mushrooms oozing out the trunk, Phoebe recoils. The creature thatâs in the queen is fighting back, and Phoebe cannot use her power on this Tree anymore, it is too far gone.
But Letharil Galere and the other remaining tree-melded appear! They can still tree-stride, since they are bonded to this Tree. Each of the seven can each take one person to the throne room. Letharil takes Bec, and the party agrees the other six should be Cal, Callie, Freki, Oz, Vondal, and Lorissa Stormseeker, who has sworn a vow to protect the Queen and would like a chance to fulfill her oath, as well as get revenge for Sartusâs death.
Throne room
In the throne room, the party emerges from the two sides of the giant throne made of tree branches.
The Queen/Zuggtmoy is chained to the throne with roots wrapped in cold iron:
Celes Skyfall the paladin is there. She is shocked to see them appear, but moves to block them from advancing any closer.
Skyfall: âIf you kill her, the Tree dies.â
Vondal remembers that this situation is a lot like that one time with the evil entity possessing that guy⌠just gotta get it out of there and kill it!
Vondal asks others for advice, but people arenât sure⌠then Stormseeker speaks up.
Lorissa (quietly): âBanishment.â
Vondal: âBanishment? I have that!â
And he immediately casts it.
Freki wants a page of the Book to incorporate into an arrow of slaying. Celes thinks itâs a brilliant idea.
Oz points his weapons at the Queen: âCreature! You are a yeasty onion-eyed ratfucker. Get out here and face me!â
Zuggtmoy: âUntie me and it would be my pleasure.â
Vondal casts it! He busts through the first layer of her will. Then, Feymist begins to flow from the Tree into him! He is chaotically empowered, and pushes through the second layer of her will!
An enormous black ooze emerges from the Queen! It gushes all over Callie, who was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time.
- Oz uses decanter to wash off Callie.
- Freki shoots a lightning arrow at the ooze but itâs immune to lightning.
- Vondal manipulates reality to make the ooze be Frekiâs oathbow sworn enemy, which is currently still Erasmus the faerie dragon.
- The ooze takes the form of a faerie dragon (still black oozy).
Vondal makes Bec super lucky (all 20s), and everyone else critically unlucky (all 1s).
Lorissa casts fireshield as she bladesings, but trips (auto-1!) and falls into the black ooze. :-(
Vondal tries to fix it, causing three wild surges. Vondal grows large, is followed by ethereal music, and immediately teleports 20 feet.
The black ooze makes nine pseudopod attacks! But all nine miss, since it was critically unlucky.
Oz attacks the ooze with his swords. The ooze fails the Con save vs poison, then fails another Con save vs necrotic.
Celes still wants to grab a page from the Book and give it to Freki to incorporate into an arrow of slaying. Bec stops her from touching the Book directly, concerned it would corrupt Celes, then rips out a page using mage hand, thrusting it toward Freki.
Freki dexterously grabs the torn-out page of the Book and wraps it around one of his arrows-of-slaying-in-the-making. He swift shot shoots it. The ooze is completely obliterated! But his hand feels oily, and itâs not going awayâŚ
Cal tries to whip grapple the Hornblade (35 Athletics!).
Oz: âWhat the fuck?â
Cal: The Book must be destroyed.â
Oz manages to weasel the Hornblade out of the whipâs grasp (39 Acrobatics!). As he frees the blade, he flips around acrobatically, bringing the sword down⌠ON THE BOOK!
As this happens, Bec reflexively drops the Book (which she was still holding with mage hand), which lands still open, as Ozâs downthrust drives unerringly toward the Bookâs spineâŚ
Vondal, concerned he might have been created by the Book, or even be an aspect of the Book itself, tries to channel luck to protect it using Lucky (which normally can only be used to protect himself)⌠but it doesnât work. Whew!
âŚand the Hornblade pierces Freki straight through the back.
Oz does 109 critical damage. But Freki in hybrid form has 110 hit points! He has 1 hit point left.
The party quickly acts to heal him:
- Vondal uses Callieâs 5th level cure wounds from his ring of spell storing to heal Freki for 16 HP, and also heals him with a charge from his Wand of Healing.
- Celes, a paladin of the ancients, uses her lay on hands power to heal Lorissaâs acid damage, then heals Freki for 40 more HP.
Celes then inspects the Book and the Queen for lingering traces of evil, but finds none. However, Cal is skeptical, sensing some subconscious doubt in Celesâs analysis of the Book, and calls her on it. She looks again at the Book, and now notices a tiny gem of something evil still there. Lorissa casts remove curse on the Book, and everyone feels a tiny metaphysical cracking sensation, and Celes believes the Book to be now fully and truly cleansed. At least, Frekiâs oily hand feels better now!
As everyone frees the Queen from her chains, an argument can be heard through the throne room doors. The Warforged bursts through the door with two of her elite hunters (1 and 2), having pushed past a flustered Anastasia Starflower.
âŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚâŚ.
Six days later, the agents are tracking the Sima doppelganger east through the Deepwood.
And Freki senses that they in turn are being followedâŚ
AC50 Rixa 25
[12e11] Feathers, Fun, and Unholy Ghost
TODO â clean up and complete these rough unfinished notes.
Callie, Bec, Freki pass save and see through shadow conjuration illusion. Itâs a magical construct.
Bec: âSo you didnât believe in it enough though to actually come here to stop us?â
Tybalt: âItâs doesnât matter whether I am here⌠what matters is that he is.â And he floats up anime-style, manifesting Janus.
Freki: âTheyâre not real!â and shoots an arrow at Tybaltâs eyepatch, thinking it will go through⌠but it thunks! Then he shoots another one, and itâs deflected by some invisible shield.
Oz (bluffing): âApologies, weâre still not used to these forms⌠Weâve taken the forms we believe to be most beneficial to our causeâŚâ Trying to convey that they are actually doppelgangers. 32 persuasion.
Janus raises an eyebrow, seemingly unconvinced and ignorant: âWhat nonsense is this?â
Oz: âOh come now, donât be coy, we all know what weâre talking about here.â He moves in front of Sartus.
Bec: âWho else is involved in this? Are the guards up there on our side?â She moves behind Sartus.
Sartus: âRun, you fools!â He takes some steps back, then turns and runs.
Dark Oz appears! Tells the monkey to fuck off. Then to Oz: âAnd now for youâ and channels the dark ghost lady! She points the Hornblade at Oz, and Oz looks down and believes his Hornblade has reverted to the Cornucopia horn.
Janus: âBegone, unworthy!â and does mind blast. Everyone is blasted back five feet. Freki fails the save and takes 13 psychic damage and is stunned for one round. He is bleeding out his nostrils.
Cal recognizes that his undead sense is not tingling. He lashes out with his whip, grabbing Tybalt/Janus and pulling him into melee with Oz and himself.
Callie receives a sending from shadow-Gavin: âHelp! Thereâs a crazy guy wrecking our shop! I tried to stop him but he sprayed me with blood! I feel⌠so itchy⌠and hungryâŚâ
Callie decides to cast calm emotions to make Sartus stop being stupid. It also helps Freki shake off the stun, and Oz finally see through the illusion. Cal almost sees through it, but not quite. The monkey is also on the edge of the magic and stops fleeing.
The Brucolac appears. Callie and Freki donât see through the illusion. But Bec sees through it fully. âI have a gift for youâ the Brucolac says to Bec, and pulls a ball of feathers?! out of his bag, and throws it down. An owlbear samurai appears in front of him! âWhat? No!â he explains, and tries again, this time producing the corpose of Letharil Galere.
Freki transforms into hybrid form, and moves up to the ghost and owlbear.
Oz attacks Janus with his dagger of venom, misses, and fancy footworks away from the ghost toward the owlbear samurai. âYouâre next, you limp-cocked pig rapist!â Oz taunts the dark-Oz-ghost. Then he stabs the Hornblade into the owlbear!
Owlbear: âOz! What are you doing, I know I annoy with my spells, but please!â
Bec casts dispel magic on Cronus! His conjured will tries to resist but fails, and he dissipates. So does the shadow Letharil, and the residual shadow energy around the owlbear. Bec realizes that all the effects are linked in a chain.
Sartus comes back and stands next to Bec. âThank you, and Iâm sorry. But itâs all up to you nowâI need to save my magic for when we get the Book.â And he draws a longsword.
The dark Oz-ghost moves up to the OG Oz: âLetâs dance!â she smirks.
Stabs Oz impotently.
Owlbear: âI donât know how to deal with that!â He steps back, and attacks the dark Oz-ghost. Hits, but itâs only half effective. He does, however, see through the shadow conjuration effect. But he doesnât know what it isâŚ
Cal is possessed by Janus. He throws sartus out of the room with the whip.
Callie casts spiritual weapon next to the Oz-ghost lady, and hits her! It is fully effective. There is a flash, and they see another woman in gold and green in a negative instant. Only momentarily.
Phoebe finishes casting a summoning spell, and six pixie knights appear with shortbows. They shoot at the dark-Oz ghost, but only one hits.
Phoebe then casts dispel magic on Janus-inside-Cal. Oz makes a choice to cleverly sidestep the challenge of continuing to battle the dark-Oz ghost⌠and they disperse!
Bec then dispels the unconscious Tybalt, who is the only remaining shadow conjuration, and the spell collapses.
Vondal-as-Owlbear: âWhat is with these awesome sunglasses?â
Meanwhile, Phoebe heals Cal.
Oz: 22 deception âYou cockroach shit-sucking cowards! Weâre your relief sent by the Queen. Now open the door before we break it down and report your beligerence to the Queen.â
Unfortunately, this is not a believable lie for multiple reasons.
Male guard (sounding amused): âHeh heh hmm hmmâ
Female guard: âIf you come in here, we will be forced to fight you. We have our orders.â
Oz suddenly remembers about his monkey, and decides to go back and look for him quickly. He finds the monkey in statue form lying on the ground just outside the treasury building. When he picks up the monkey statue, he feels a wave of assurance and relief wash over him.
Lorissa: âIf you take this book, it will do immeasurable harm. Nothing good will come of it.â
Vondal-as-Owlbear: âSartus, explain why this is not bad plan. Sartus maybe not most popular, but pretty big brain boy over here!â
Sartus explains the plan: erase the writings in the Book.
Oz (panache): âLook into your heart, you know we can be trusted. I know it can be hard to bend the rules sometimes, but when all this is said and done, you donât want to have regrets that you didnât do everything you could to save the Queen.â
Book is encased in translucent crystal.
TODO â describe how the party got the Book out of there, and performed the ritual to erase the writings.
Meanwhile, Oz steals the Ioun Stone of Mastery! But he accidentally cracks it when he uses the Hornblade to split the crystal casing. It has 9/10 HP remaining.
Callieâs Journal
There is some heavy-duty illusion magic going on here with Dark Oz/Janus/Tybalt. Sartus is totally taken in, maybe because this is what he feared would happen. He yells at us to flee, and runs towards the door himself.
These things are illusory, but whatever they really are, theyâre sending waves of terror out at us. I cast Calm Emotions at level 2 to try to reduce the effect.
A giant appears and tosses two things out of its pack or pocket: a samurai owlbear and Becâs father, all disconnected from the tree and looking very undead.
I cast Spiritual Weapon at level 4, so damage is 2d8 plus my spellcasting modifier (7).
After the battle, Freki and Vondal were pretty wounded, so I cast Prayer of Healing at level 5. 4+5+4+8+7+(7) = 35
As we all pray/cast ritual magic on the book, I am forced to contribute 3 more spell slots toward the spell. I contribute one level 4, one level 3, and one level 1.
AC50 Rixa 25
[12e10] ...Unusually Large Amounts of Blood
Enormous gouts of blood burst out of Phoebe the Hamadryadâs neck, when Freki suddenly wolfed out and lunged at her throat. Ozborn immediately followed Frekiâs lead and stabbed the hamadryad with both his blades, further engorging the blood flood. All that blood blobbed into a bloated blubbery pile of gnome on the ground, unconscious.
After that, things happen fastâvery fast.
âWait!â cries Isis Raâksh, âDonât hurt him! Heâs a friend.â She interposes herself between Phoebe and the gnome, poised to respond to any aggression.
Bec hesitates, watching to see how everyone else reacts.
âWe canât let him escape,â says Sartus, then tries to cast hold person on the gnome. But Isis counterspells it using dispel magic.
âI agree,â Vondal says, âWe have to secure that guy immediately.â He points his fingers at the gnome and casts a spell, but it fizzles out, with Vondal poofing out in a puff of feathers!
Callie casts cure wounds on Phoebe. It is super effective! She feels not only the presence of the dual goddesses, but also less familiar divine presence, as Feymist coalesces from around the area and infuses itself into her hand as she touches the hamadryad. Phoebeâs wounds close, and her eyes begin to flutter.
Cal stays near Phoebe, wanting to know if sheâll recognize him now, if/when she awakens.
Phoebe then opens her eyes, apparently awake, but just lies there staring, at least momentarily. She seems to be in a daze.
Freki picks up the unconscious gnome in his maw and holds him threateningly. The gnome is grappled and covered in drool.
Oz readies to stab Isis if she takes any hostile action against his friends.
Bec asks Isis what the hell is going on with this blood guy.
Isis pleads: âPlease put him down, and Iâll explain everything.â
Bec: âIâd rather him in Frekiâs âgentleâ grasp, then who knows⌠all those things on his belt. One of those potions could make him RUN AWAY, just DISAPPEAR.â
Sartus (to Isis): âI share Becâs concern. We need to be extraordianariliy cautious. We cannot fully trust you.â
Cal to Phoebe: âAre you OK?â Phoebeâs head slowly turns, in a daze, toward Cal. She slowly sits up, and Cal helps her to her feet. Phoebe looks Cal straight in the eyes: âWhere is he?â she utters darkly.
Michael rolls a 32 on perception for Freki to sense exactly what parts of the gnome are in his mouth the most. Due to Frekiâs close bodily contact with the gnome, Freki can sense that the gnome is barely unconscious. Any little thing would awaken him. So Freki shakes him awake!
The gnome startles. âAhgh!â And then when he realizes his predicament: âPut me down at once! Iâm being oppressed!â
Bec: âNot until you explain what you were doing with the hamadryad. Or in. Thatâs not a normal place for a gnome.â
Meanwhile, Phoebe has come to her senses, and Cal has helped her to her feet. As she turns toward the gnome, her eyes fill with lightning, and more lightning begins to crackle from her fingers.
âWait, no, I can explain!â exclaims the gnome desperately.
Phoebe raises her arms, lighting shooting up into the sky, and a storm cloud manifests in a matter of scant seconds. A lightning bolt shoots downward, striking the gnome square in the everything. âGraghghgh!â screams the gnome in pain.
Freki is also struck, his jaw clenching as he refuses to let go of the gnome (even though he could sense the oncoming bolt a split second before it strikesâhis instinct to brace for impact wins out).
âNo!â cries Isis. âItâs my fault, not his! Everything he did is because of me!â Callie and others can sense that Isis is lying, trying to cover for his behavior, because she has strong feelings for him.
Oz, sensing that the storm would only grow more dire from there, looks at Cal: âWeâre about to get wet; we might as well swim.â And he stabs Isis with the Hornblade, with secondary fire damage burning the gnome. Then he fancy footworks away, sauntering over to Cal.
âPlease, stop!â cries the gnome. âWe had good reasons for everything we did!â But no one is convinced.
Bec decides to jump into action, casting confusion on everyone except Freki and herself. Callie, Cal, and Oz all resist the effect, as do Phoebe and Sartus, but Isis and the gnome both become utterly confused!
In the last moment before confusion overcomes her, Isis lunges toward the gnome, touching him as she casts plane shift. The gnome has just enough presence of mind before madness overtakes him to acquiesce to the magical effect, and reality warps around him, bending him away to who-knows-where. In the moment, Bec knows enough about planar magic to recognize that Isis might have been able to include herself in the escape attempt, had she been able to join hands with the gnome⌠but she failed to do so due to his flailing around from being electrocuted and on fire.
Phoebeâs murderous gaze turns on Isis.
Callie is also thinking on her feet, and strongly considers casting calm emotions, but she is afraid of the consequences, and decides not to intervene against Phoebeâs rage. She steps back.
Phoebe strikes Isis with a lightning bolt, who screams in agony.
Oz then kills Isis, running her through with the Hornblade. He moves to give a flourishing bow to Phoebe, but at that moment, he feels the presence of the creepy halfling ghost responsible for his acquisition of the Hornblade (see Case 11, Parts 02 and 04), and a powerful sense of vengeance fulfilled washes over him. He feels satisfied, that this person he just killed was specifically responsible for some grievous wrongdoing against his benefactor.
Isis falls to the floor, her skin sloughing off, and she looks like THIS:
Bec recognizes the creature as a doppelganger! She wasnât even sure they were real, or how many of the various conflicting stories are true. But here it is.
Bec wants to keep part of the body and starts sawing it. Oz stabs it again to make sure itâs really dead (it is).
Freki asks: âWhy donât you keep the whole body?â
Sartus cleans up the corpse with prestidigitation, and Freki dumps it into his bag of holding.
Bec: âWould it be a bad thing if we kept this, for studying? âCause this is like myths being proved real, and Iâm kind of reaaally excited about it.â
Sartus nods. âI agree. We have to keep it. We donât know enough about these creatures. We need to know how far this goes.â
Sartus explains that he needs the hand anyway, because it will improve their chance of success at unmaking the words from the Book of the Dead.
Bec: âWe need to tell people. Tybalt.â
Sartus: âDo we?â
Callie: âWe may need to find a way to know that we are all who we are.â
Oz (bluffing): âItâs well known in the circles I travel in, that doppelgangers are real. And we have a very simple test.â He pulls a vial out of my pack, with liquid in it. Unbeknownst to everyone, itâs just water. He pricks his finger, puts some blood in, and explains that if he were a doppelganger, it would have fizzed and reacted.
Cal immediately pricks his finger and proves heâs not a doppelganger.
In actuality, Oz wants to test who will refuse to do the test. Everyone except Freki agrees to do the test, and âpassesâ it.
Phoebe suggests that the test actually works, and that any liquid will do, which gives Oz momentary pause.
Phoebe looks at Sartus and asks him whether he really wants to proceed with his plan. Sartus answers earnestly that he does, and Phoebe agrees to help him. The exchange seems uncomfortably intense.
The party votes on what to do next:
- Cal wants to seek out Tybalt because he wants to investigate whether Sima is another doppelganger.
- Sartus wants to not tell Tybalt, and instead steal the Book first.
- Callie votes to deal with the Book first.
- Freki wants to go after the safe, because he would like to stick to some plan for more than 20 seconds.
- Bec would also like to go after the Book.
- Oz is also on board with that.
Cal argues that we outnumber Tybalt, and should find him first.
Callie expresses concern that Tybalt also could be a doppelganger.
Bec: âI think we really need to save the Tree.â
Callie suggests using a sending to Tybalt. She thinks the risk is low that it get intercepted by a false/doppel version of Tybaltâthat it will likely go to the Tybalt they have been interacting with.
The agents discuss this idea, but Sartus suggests to be very careful what they say to him.
Cal: âIf you guys donât want to go there, we should at least warn him.â
Oz: âBut if he is one, weâre in deep doo-doo. And letâs face facts: he probably is.â
Sartus pleads with Cal, arguing that if Tybalt has any whiff that they are going after the Book, he will try to stop them.
Cal agrees on two conditions:
- As soon as weâre done, we go to Tybalt.
- We destroy that book immediately.
Sartus agrees completely, but expresses doubt that the book can be easily destroyed. Cal thinks: âI wish I had my fuckinâ swordâŚâ
They decide not to cast sending, and go straight to the vault. Itâs an hourâs walk through the city, from the ground floor on up through the cityâs various districts of lowtown, midtown, hightown, and finally the palace:
They reach the treasury building, situated on a tree branch such that there is only one accessible entrance and exit. The entryway has a high vaulted ceiling with a walkway of quite some length, beyond which is the treasure room proper, protected by several elite elven guards.
At the buildingâs entrance, a figure stands with his back turned. As the party approaches, he turns aroundâit is Tybalt. He looks angrily at Sartus. âI knew you wouldnât listen to me.â
AC50 Rixa 25
[12e09] Everybody Goes in the Hole
(TODO: Clean up and flesh out these very rough notes.)
Andy guest stars as Erasmus, the Faerie Dragon guardian!
Bec flies through the hole!
Oz: âScrew it! Weâre clearly not doinâ anything here. Iâve jumped in worse holes.â And jumped down the hole.
Callie sending to Bec:
Becâs reply:
Everyone else follows suit. The hole leads to the ground level of the Tree.
Freki: âSwift defeat to my enemiesââas he drops into the hole.
On the surface, the Tree is covered in bands of black and gray mushrooms. Enoki mumbles, smacking the tree trunkâs infected mushrooms with his staff. âItâs worse than I thoughtâ he says. He quickly says his goodbyes and squeezes into the tree trunk, to wrangle the mushrooms.
Callie casts sending to Tybalt:
Tybaltâs reply:
Callie senses that Tybalt is impatient.
Vondal using Lucid Memory to remember something about the Book feedback trying to protect itselfâŚ
Allen: Not using luck. Using sorcery power, gives advantage. Cost: GM can then make me do a free roll on the wild magic table.
Vondal: 18.
(TODO: Fill in Vondalâs recovered memory here!)
Vondal: âYou ever hear of the âArkenstoneâ?â
Callie: âMaybe⌠whatâs it worth to ya?â
Vondal: âJust sayinâ⌠it might be explosive.â
Vondal [about not remember which heretical deity Cal worships]: âIâll have to ask him when he exists again.â
Isis is afraid of the Vortex. She says the more she says, the worse it gets. âTelling you everything would doom us all.â
Bec uses Prevailing Truth. How is it all related? What is the entity that needs to be destroyed?
- Isis says she has been controlled for the past month, and wants to destroy the monster that grew inside her.
- The monster grew because of corruption from the Book.
- She obtained the Book months ago, from the vault of Dominic Tremere. WHY?
- The power wants to be found? Perhaps. Could reach out to the entity that had the most ability to release it. Or the ability to enhance its power to break free of the Book.
- The SPI removed the Cornucopia in response to a prophecy of a coming Calamity.
- Is the Calamity somehow related to the Vortex?
- What if⌠the Calamity of the world spoken of by Melora seems strongly related to the Vortex that Isis, you, are speaking of.
- What if what Isis did is because of the Calamity?
Bec: âDid you get the Book to keep it safe from the Calamity, but then it corrupted you instead?â
Vondal [to Isis]: âHowâd you even know about it?â
Frekiâs Animal Instinct senses something off about Phoebe. As Isis talks about the Vortex, Phoebe seems to be getting increasingly fidgety and uncomfortable. âLet me out let me out let me out let me outâŚâ Freki hears her whisper, so quietly no one else notices. And he smells⌠blood. She is a plant creatureâhe should not be able to smell blood. Overcome with suspicion and paranoia, he transforms into beast form and lunges at Phoebeâs throat. Fresh red blood spurts out, and Phoebe cries out.
Oz notices, and immediately springs into action, stabbing Phoebe with both his swords. As more blood gushes forth, it congeals into⌠a small man. Unconscious, on the ground.
âDonât hurt him!â Isis cries out. âHeâs my friend!â
AC50 Rixa 25
[12e08] Thrilla in the Willa
Thanks to the tree stride power of Phoebe the Hamadryad, the SPI agents and allies reached what they believed to be the heart of the World Tree, the secret womb of the Fruit of Life, only to find that the vision of the Fruit was a powerful illusion, masking a pit into which they would have fallen, had they naively approached the Fruit.
Beyond its threshold, Freki sees Enoki and his poodle moth Cornelius entangled in an enormous thornbush, and hears him crying out for help!
Meanwhile, the others see half of Frekiâs disappear as he stands at the threshold. Moving quickly to investigate, everyone save Vondal (who projects into his familiar Murky) advances toward the thresholdâs edge until they can see what was going on.
Freki shoots a grappling arrow at Enoki and Cornelius, hooking them and pulling the duo out of the thorns, though not without some painful tears to Corneliusâs wings. Enoki has free-floating How Dare You energy, but is more concerned about healing Cornelius. Fortunately, Enoki is able to heal him quickly.
The other agents continue to advance cautiously until they are outside the threshold⌠when they suddenly hear a voice behind them. The illusion dissipates, and standing at the edge of the previously concealed pit is a fully armored knight clad in green armor made of wood and bone:
Speaking in a masculine voice, the knight demands they cease their attempts to interfere with the Fruit, or face destruction. âLeave or perish. The fruit must not be disturbed.â The scholars in the group recognize this figure as a Green Knight, a supernatural fey creature summoned to aid the cause of the wilds in times of need.
Bec kneels and explains to the knight that we need the Fruit or the tree will perish anyway.
The hamadryad Phoebe says, âStand down, sir knight. It is as she says.â The knight, however, says he is bound to protect and says we will be destroyed if we persist.
Bec asks Phoebe if the Seed can be moved without disturbing it.
Freki attempts to point his drawn bow at the Seed, but he canât actually see it.
Callie asks the knight who summoned him, but he ignores everyoneâs questions and says this is his final warning. Enoki agrees thatâs a great question, but also tells Callie the green knight wonât answer because âthey never do. Theyâre really one-track.â
Oz slyly approaches the knight, playing dumb, until suddenly *stab!* he slays the knight in one blow!
As soon as the knight discorporates,
Frekiâs bird companions Hugin and Munin speak in Frekiâs mind, warning him that there are unseen threats in the Megilâram (which Freki somehow mentally understands to mean âThornbushâ or literally âWall of Swordsâ in elven). They dive from the canopy overhead into the thornbush, and a flock of songbirds (which Freki recognizes as shrikes) burst forth from the bush and fly away in fright.
At the same time, a series of mental attacks on Oz commences. Oz feels his body begin to pulse and stretchâsome foul magic is happening to him. Resisting with all his might, the disturbance dies down⌠and then begins again as strong as ever as a figure concealed head to toe in a cloak of leaves, feathers, and bone appears at the edge of the thornbush, crying out in frustration.
Bec theorizes on the spot that at least two different people must be using magic on Oz, since one person could not have hit him twice with such a powerful spell so quickly. Unfortunately for our plucky murder machine, the second time he does not muster sufficient resistance, and he feels his body and mind crunched into a tiny metaphysical ball and reformed into⌠a giant narwhal!
âStop!â the figure shouts at the agents. âThis is the moment Iâve been waiting for. I cannot let you do this!â
Freki demands that she/they turn Oz back. When she refuses, Freki attacks, transforming, tearing into the spellcaster and knocking off her mask with two powerful claw attacks. Under the skull mask, they see:
âIsis! What are you doing?â exclaims Eixam. Callie and others get the impression that Eixam is surprised and frustrated that Isis is here, doing this. Eixam transforms into a swarm of vermin: locusts, spiders, scorpions, and centipedes, rolling over Isis and nearby thorns, devouring everything in their path, and lacing Isis with innumerable bites and stings.
Oz gets turned back from a narwhal (how?). Back in human form, he clambors to his feet, tumbles over to the figure, and does a bunch of damage.
Vondal burns Isis with a volley of scorching rays.
Enoki begins casting a summoning spellâŚ
Callie casts bless on herself, Oz, and Freki, then summons a spiritual weapon and slices up Isis some more.
âNo! Isis!â exclaims Phoebe, rushing forward to cast cure wounds on her!
Meanwhile, the thornbush grows supernaturally fast, straining toward all the interlopers, and twines itself around Isis to form a protective barrier from further attacks. But the swarm of Eixam eats through the bush as fast as it can grow in the area surrounding Isis, and Sartus casts command plants to further interfere with the thornbushâs attempts.
Still bleeding profusely, Isis desperately reaches out to touch something unseen next to her as she casts some kind of giant growth spell, which radiates outward⌠A faerie dragon appears next to her, and promptly begins to balloon to a much larger size, along with three remaining shrikes from within the thornbush.
In one smooth motion after completing the casting of her spell, Isis swings up onto the faerie dragonâs back⌠but Oz does not miss the opportunity to tear into Isis, who thusly lays across the dragonâs back, dying.
The faerie dragon waggles its eyebrows, flicks its tongue a couple of times, turns invisible again along with Isis, and casts another polymorph on Oz, this time turning him into⌠a crimson jellyfish! Suffocation rules, here we come!
Bec, concerned about the danger now posted by the three enormous shrikes, charms one of the two birds near here with her hypnotic gaze.
Oz, dissatisfied with his squishy existence, decides to end it all by declining to hold his breath (crimson jellyfish only âbreatheâ water according to D&D5E rules), and begins to drown.
Enoki completes his spell, and a buttload of mushrooms spring up from the tree trunk floor in a huge radius around him. He commands them to push back against the thornbush, and its sharp vines begin to recede.
Freki exercises his conscious will, takes control of the beast, and reverts to his elfin form. He then kills jelly Oz, causing him to return to his natural form also.
The faerie dragon, from higher up in the air above the edge of the thornbush, offers to parlay in a cute and resounding voice: âYou donât have to do this. Itâs not too late to talk.â
After some appeals from Vondal that the SPI needs the Fruit to Save the World!â˘, with the dragon seeming unconvinced, the party reluctantly agrees to parlay. Even Eixam seems willing to talk, as they regain control of themselves enough to reform into a bipedal shape.
The dragon appears with Isis still slumped across his back. âYouâre being dumb, you know. The real threat is down there.â
AC50 Rixa 25
[12e07] Dickery in the Hickory
Eixam claims they want to help stop the destruction of the Tree (GMâs note: âtheyâ is Eixamâs pronoun), and says that the partyâs current means of travel will take too long to reach the Fruit. They offer to take the party there more quickly.
The party is cautiously interested in learning more about Eixamâs proposal, although they can sense that Eixam is full of malice. Eixam suggest a convoluted plan to travel via getting into a portable hole, which is an extradimensional space that can be folded up and carried by Eixam, who will fly directly to the Fruit.
Unfortunately, Enoki hates Eixam because locusts eat his mushroom pals. âThey insatiably devour whole fields. Out of balance.â He flat refuses to go with Eixam. So the SPI agents decline Eixamâs help, who buzzes off.
Enoki offers to carry them in the portable hole instead, after chastising them for not telling him about it before.
The partyâs plan: Callie will levitate using her tattoo and be pulled by Cal, who along with Oz will be carried by Ozâs mysterious new winged monkey companion. Sartus will cast fly and keep pace, carrying the folded up portable hole. The remaining members will enter the portable hole and ride inside.
Bec casts rope trick inside the portable hole, so they have 1 hour of air. Then Freki, Vondal, and Murky also climb into the hole-inside-a-hole. Unfortunately, Frekiâs discomfort with magic causes him to panic when he gets in the hole; Freki wolfs out and tries to escape, but the hole is rather deep. Vondal cleverly casts banishment on Freki to boot him from the extradimensional space, and Callie calms emotions.
Callie begins levitating, towed by Freki, who is now flying thanks to another fly spell from Sartus.
For the first 20 minutes, the monkey struggles to carry both Oz and Cal at the same time. But then out of nowhere, she grows huge divine wings! Oz has vision of a woman in a dark cloak, face down, turning⌠on the other side, a red-haired woman in a green and yellow dress:
The next ten minutes are easier going, although the agents hear continual buzzing in the distance, and surmise that Eixam must be shadowing them. Frekiâs ravens confirm this fact.
Then Cal receives a sending from Tybalt:
- Tybalt: Found druidâs lair. Yaaraâtal Yggdrasil cave near elderly tree-melded. Sima dead, chained inside. Other Sima captured. Infected Queen awakening, spells doom. Hurry!
- Cal: Holy crap. Enoki leading us to Fruit. 30 minutes away. Eixam, locust thing, hovering nearby. Friend or foe? Two Simas?
Another sending follows shortly thereafter:
- Tybalt: Heard of a creature of vermin, evil being. Be wary. Glad but surprised Enoki helps. Yes two Simas, one must be imposter. Will find out.
- Cal: Will update as soon as something changes.
Soon, the party reaches a place where there is a thick mist around a large branch of the Tree. The party has a sense that something of import is happening, as the mist parts and a regal tree-like creature emerges from the tree trunk:
Some agents identify her as a creature called a hamadryad, a powerful dryad bonded not to a single tree, but rather an entire forest.
Enoki recognizes this woman and, bowing respectfully, says, âYour Grace? What are you doing here?â
Cal recognizes her too, and refers to her as Phoebe. But he seems surprised that she does not appear to recognize him in return. Cal asks her directly if she knows Hyperion. Callie recalls that Hyperion is the name of a titan. After some short exchanges, Phoebe confesses that the Treeâs sickness is affecting her mind, and she is having trouble with her memory.
Eixam buzzes over, radiating even more fury and hatred than usual. They tell the hamadryad she shouldnât be here. Bec asks immediately why not; Eixam responds with a lie: âBecause it is not safe.â
âI can take you directly to the Fruit of Life,â she responds, âThere is not much time left.â She explains that her ability to tree stride can take others along with her, as long as everyone links hands. After a short discussion, the agents accept her aid.
Phoebe takes everyone, including Eixam, through the tree trunk to a very beautiful place. They see the Fruit theyâve been looking for!
Unfortunately, itâs way too big to put in the portable hole or otherwise transport.
Bec and Sartus warn the party that there is a powerful illusion magic happening. Eixam agrees, âYes, this is wrong.â
Nonetheless, Phoebe starts walking toward the fruit, transfixed.
Sartus says, âYour Grace, it is not real.â But she keeps walking.
Vondal casts wall of fire between Phoebe and the fruit.
The fire burns away the mist and the glamour with it. The mist flows into Vondalâs mouth. Beyond the glamour, the Tree ends. If Phoebe had kept walking, she would have fallen off it. She snaps out of her trance.
Confused, she says, âBut I brought us to the fruit. We are here, at the heart of it.â
Bec asks Eixam whether thatâs true. âPerhaps,â they answer.
Enoki scouts and then reports, âThere, I see it! That way!â
The party follows where heâs pointing. It looks like a dead endâlike heâs flying through the trunk. Another illusion?
Freki goes through it and sees the true heart in the distance, surrounded by a huge amount of thorns. He (and he aloneâthe rest of the party is still on the other side of the illusory border) hears Enoki cry out in fear, and sees the poor little guy trapped in the huge thicket of thorns, which supernaturally surge toward the party!
AC50 Rixa 25
[12e06] Deep Truffle
The party wakes up covered in mushrooms. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!
But they did have a long rest, so they are refreshed.
Callie, Bec, and Freki realize the mushrooms arenât realâjust psychic residue from the attack in the Feywild.
Sartus and Bec dispel Oz and Calâs effects. Oz is convinced the mushrooms were mentally real, and he has some psychic damage. Cal is just fatigued.
Callie heals Oz with cure wounds at level 2 for 10 HP restoration. But she takes 5 damage from a weird feeling of being STABBED IN THE SOUL BY PURE DEATH AND EVIL.
Bec thinks the mushroom face woman is some legendary creature⌠not a fey creature⌠but she canât put her finger on it. Neither can Callie.
The party realizes that outside of their magical protective hut, real (presumably evil) mushrooms have overgrown everythingâeven including the hutâs walls and ceiling. Itâs a good thing the tiny hut has a floor too, or who knows what would have happened to the party while they slept!
The agents spend some time trying to decide how to proceed without getting near the mushrooms, which seem to be emitting some kind of highly poisonous spores. They clear away the mushrooms on the hutâs roof, shoot a grappling arrow up to the forest canopy above them, and proceed to climb and/or float their way up into the treetops, safe from the carpet of mushroom death.
Surveying the area around them, while discussing how to proceed from there, Frekiâs ravens report that someone is closing in on their position. After a short while, a tiny mushroom man riding a poodle moth comes into view!
After being berated by the creature for riling up the mushrooms, the agents try to explain the situation. Vondal is on the same wavelength with the mushroom druid, who they learn is named Enoki, and his moth companion is Cornelius. Enoki and Cornelius fly down to the center of the mushroom field, and the cranky little man begins shouting at the mushrooms and bludgeoning them with his staff, which causes them to recede one by one. After a little while, the agents complain that this approach is going to take forever, and the group arrives at a solution: Enoki can lead a ritual to calm all the mushrooms at once, with the help of the SPI agents.
Callie, Bec, Vondal, and Sartus work to aid Enoki. Sartus continues to seem strangely ill at ease in this natural setting, and he isnât too helpful⌠but the others are.
As the ritual nears completion, Cal receives a sending from Tybalt:
- Tybalt: We found the Book on the forest floor. Was this your doing? The Treeâs getting worse. The queen is deathly ill. What do you know?
- Cal: Book not us. Tree has passages bored in. Queen infected by mushroom woman. Freki accidentally decapitated Queen in Feywild. Ritualing with Enoki now. Please advise.
Tybalt sends to Cal again:
- Tybalt: Warforged searching area near Book. I will gather more intel and get back to you when I know more. More urgency now. Keep me apprised.
Just as Cal receives this message, the ritual is complete; Enoki exhales an enormous sigh of relief as a massive number of spores shoot from his cap, which cover everything and send all the mushrooms away. âThey wonât act up again for a while. I need a napâŚâ and he collapses.
- Cal: Group casting with Enoki. Will explore passages afterward. Will update with pertinent information. SO MANY SPORES! Mushroom problem resolved.
GMâs note: How and why did Enoki find the SPI agents where he did? Because thatâs where the trail of mycelial corruption led: to ground zero. He didnât bother explaining this, of courseâŚ
The agents let Enoki sleep it off while they discuss the situation. They debate whether to return to the surface to meet up with Tybalt and the Warforged, but ultimately decide to continue on their journey to rescue the Fruit of Life from the Tree before it falls victim to the Bookâs dark magic.
The agents wake up Enoki and learn that he is familiar with the Fruit of Life, and claims to know where it is. The way he speaks, the party starts to think Enoki might be really oldâmaybe thousands of years old. Vondal sweet-talks Enoki into guiding them to the Fruit.
They follow Enoki for several hours. With Frekiâs survival skills and everyoneâs vigilance, they are able to proceed up the Tree without any major incidents.
UntilâŚ
They hear a buzzing sound in the distance. It grows increasinly loud, and after a few minutes a small swarm of locusts comes into view. It seems to be heading for an area just ahead of the party. They reorient themselves into a defensive position as the locusts keep moving, settle into the trunk 50 feet in front of the party, and coelesce into a bipedal shape.
The being speaks in a droning mass of sound: âWe are Eixam (ee-SHAHM), and we have come to help.â
AC50 Rixa 24-25
[12e05] You never said your tiny hut had a floor
Sartus casts polymorph and animal messenger on the elephant to turn it into a crow and then sends it to the Queen with a message: âOur journey continues, and all is well.â
After traveling for a while, Freki reappears in a puff of brimstone, directly behind Bec. But not before the others made much progress slashing, climbing, and surviving with aplomb through the rougher terrain. He claims to have been trapped in a force maze.
That evening, the party stops at beautiful tree:
As the sun sets, the fruit begins to glow, captivating everyone.
Sartus says it is a dormina tree, which he has never seen in person before, but the fruit of which will send anyone who eats it into a euphoric slumber.
Oz does not hesitate to eat one of the fruits right away, and falls asleep smiling. Callie also has a bite of a fruit, and takes one with her for later.
Bec, ever the sensible one, casts a tiny hut spell to secure shelter for the party near the tree.
Oz and Callie have euphoric experiences!
Callie has visions of adventures with all the people sheâs known. She digs a hole with Tybalt Nightbreeze, then plays dragon poker with Sima Cordelia and wins! But Sima says she cannot pay Callie what she owes until she is freed from her captivityâand Callie realizes that Sima is chained to a wall in a cave. She hears a voice asking, in an unfriendly tone: âWho are you? How did you get here?â, turns around, and sees a person with an eyeless mushroom face! Who then swallows her!
Oz dreams heâs a pirate, raiding pirate ships and fighting pirate battles. While swinging across to a target vessel, he realizes that strangely, the deck is devoid of life. Proceeding below decks to investigate, the stairs down become a tunnel through the trees into the FeywildâŚ
The othersâCallie, Bec, Cal, and Frekiâappear as well. They all find themselves on a forest path, with harmonious dwellings integrated:
This servant:
emerges from a door and asks them to come inside. She claims that Ambriel Estanesse, Queen of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts, wants to speak with them.
Bec dispels the servant! But they decide to enter the door anyway.
The queen is seated at a long table eating fairy wings:
When she lowers her hood, they get a better look at her:
But when her mood changes for the better, her appearance transforms:
She offers the assistance of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts if they agree to swear oaths:
- Feytouched swear an oath of service: assistance in future for a particular to-be-named task, for no more than a year and a day.
- Godtouched swear an oath of exile: never to return to Elyrian lands.
Alternately, when Sartus requests an alternate bargain, the voices of the Courts speak! They suggest for the Feytouched to bond with the court, to gain its power but participate in its politics.
Ozborn swears: âThe sun in your kingdom shall not shine again upon this face,â the vow sealed by a painful wave of psionic energy from Janus Ilaris representing the Unseelie Court, summoned by the queen in flesh and blood.
Cal is shocked to see the ghost, and refuses to swear an oath with him. He offers to swear an oath with the Queen, but she smiles sadly and says that in 7 daysâ time, she will no longer be capable of enforcing such an oath. (The more astute and empathic amongst the SPI infer that the queen thinks she is going to die!) But the queen summons Orsob, a satyr, to represent the Seelie Court, and Cal swears the oath of exile by drinking a cup of tea with him:
Callie swears the oath of service with Orsob, because she feels now is not the time for waffling!
Freki waffles, claiming he doesnât know which side he is on, but that his âoathâ is to protect his friends before all else.
Bec tells the queen about the spot they saw in the blighted area, where the beetles went into the ground, on a hunch that it might be related to the queenâs pain. The Court acquiesces to the Queen indulging this theory once Cal and Oz had sworn their oaths.
The Queen manifests everyone spiritually at the blighted area. The agents show the queen where the suspicious activity took place, and she studies the ground. She reaches into the ground, her arm elongating as she reaches deeper and deeper⌠âI feel you⌠you will pay!â she hisses.
In response, everyone feels a psychic flash in their minds, and sees the same mushroom face that Callie saw in her vision. âI SEEEE YOOUUâŚâ
The queen screams and withdraws her hand, as mushroom tendrils rapidly crawl up her arm and onto her body.
Reacting quickly, Freki pulls out his greatsword and takes his one chance to stop the spread of the contagion, by swinging at the queenâs arm⌠trips⌠and his sword comes down on her head.
Everyone wakes up screaming, covered in mushrooms.
AC50 Rixa 24
[12e04] Attacked by a murder sprite
Battle with murder sprite.
AC50 Rixa 24
[12e03] The Golden Path
With Sartus Morningdew, the agents start climbing the World Tree, staying together. They climb up a 60-foot area. They find the Treeâs immature âgolden pathâ of trees above. Then they find a blighted zone. Inside one of the dead trees are some beetles roving in a circle; in another, a sleeping sprite, which Ozborn wakes up. The sprite sleepily climbs out of the tree, spies the agents, and screams an ear-splitting shriek!
AC50 Rixa 23-24
[12e02] The Tree-melded
The party divvies up the merpeople treasure. They decide to store the treasure chests inside one of the treasures, a magical hole that is 10 feet deep and can be folded up.
When they get to the elven dwelling in the tree, everybody eats dinner and then they all go to bed. We are soooo tired!
Bec is woken up right at the beginning of her rest by some bastardTybalt. She comes out of her room and discovers the tree-melded. These elves are being absorbed by the tree, supplying their own life force to keep the tree alive. Her father is one of them! Every day one of these tree-melded gives up their own life so the tree doesnât die. So far it hasnât been him, but it could be any time.
Becâs father says that it is a great honor to be joined with the tree, and it would have been a dishonor if he refused, so he did it and didnât tell his family in case seeing them broke his resolve. He points out that Sartusâs plan will end up killing the tree, and the tree-melded along with it. The tree will be reborn, but there would be destruction in the meantime. This is why the Queen and most of the elves favor stopping the Druid and taking the Necronomicon back.
Bec asks Tybalt what his patron is doing to help this situation. Tybalt says he canât speak to his patronâs intentions, he can only carry out his patronâs will. Tybalt offers to use his patronâs leverage to get the party a meeting with the Queen if thatâs what we want. He canât go with us if we decide to join the hunt for the Druid, but he will try to help however he can.
During their goodbyes, Becâs father asks her not to consider his life as part of her decision. He also says heâll help if he can. And if he lives through whatever happens next, then he hopes theyâll meet again. Then he says that the Queen is not of sound mind and sometimes what she says canât be trusted. But sometimes she has incredible insight, so, try to tell which is which.
The next morning, Sartus is true to his word and escorts the party to the treasure vault, where they are able to trade some of their merfolk treasures for elven items of magic power to help them on their mission. Available treasures include:
Item | Negotiated price (gp) | Rarity |
---|---|---|
Amulet of Health | 8000 | Rare |
Glamoured Studded Leather | 2000 | Rare (Major) |
Boots of Speed | 4000 | Rare |
Boots of Elvenkind | 2500 | Uncommon |
Bracers of Archery | 1500 | Uncommon |
The treasure vault also has an Ioun Stone of Mastery, which is a Legendary (Major) treasure that Oz considers bargaining for, but then decides it would be better to come back later to steal it instead.
Geared up, the agents set out to begin scaling the Tree in search of the legendary Acorn of Life.
AC50 Rixa 23
[12e01] Burglary at SPI HQ!
The agents return to SPI HQ to find that Calâs sword, the Arkenstab, has been stolen! And someone repaired the crystalline flux rift with karach! And where did this monkey come from?!
The decide to secure SPI HQ by changing the proverbial locksâi.e. the teleportation sigil sequence. At the same time, the meet with Sartus Morningdew, who is waiting anxiously at an SPI contact circle in Estanesse.
TODO: Flesh out these notes in more detail.
AC50 Rixa 23
[Case 12] Burglary and Blight
Devastating things happened. TODO
AC50 Rixa 21-23
[11e09] The Frekoning
The party floats in void goo, suffocating. What do you do? Where do your thoughts go?
- Vondal: âMust get rid of the goop!â Banishment spell with spell trick.
- Callie: Use last charge on the Trident to talk to the fish remnants
- Oz: Spite in the face of death: âGood luck gettinâ paid now, fuckfaces!â
- Cal: âCan I use my whip to move myself?â
- Bec: âMy Dad, the World Tree, the Elves⌠will I ever see them again?â Hoping the World Tree doesnât dieâŚ
Meanwhile, Freki accidentally pushes the big red TELEPORT button:
- Looking around for a button that starts up the subâŚ
- âŚsees the big red button⌠this must be it! Pushes it.
- Too late, notices the label next to it that says âTELEPORT HOME â FOR EMERGENCIES ONLYâ
- Hears a build-up of energyâŚ
- âŚand the sub pops out of existence.
- Freki feels rattled around⌠like the sub is looking for somewhere to goâŚ
- âŚbut there is nowhere for it to go. Itâs disconnected from reality here.
- So, the pent up epic conjuration magic EXPLODES, filling the vacuum of the void!
The party feels this magical wave wash over them, reality rushing in. As it does so, the thoughts in their minds are made manifest in fascinating ways:
- Freki remembers the ancient merfolk city that the aboleths had projected as an illusion, sensing it must have been based in historical reality. He imagines the city at its prime, and the merfolk metropolis begins to coalesce!
- Oz: âWhat fun would life be if they werenât chasing me?â He finds himself standing in an ill-gotten pile of gold and jewels and gems.
- Cal: âCan I use my whip to rescue my friends?â His whip is suffused with epic magical power, becoming the Whip of Rescue +1 (Reach, Finesse).
- Vondalâs banishment spell eliminates the divide between this place and the prime material plane, dissolving its barrier. As the realm is made manifest, he thinks quickly, visualizing the largest library ever built, open to the public, and it becomes part of the city!
- Bec sees a vision of Sartus Morningdew waiting at a teleportation circle of the SPI.
- Callie feels the power of her trident fuse with the realm as it comes into being, a powerful charm merfolk effect. The corrupted fish folk are restored to merfolk, who now believe in their hearts that the SPI agents are the ones from the other side of the Waters of Antigua! The ones prophesied to save them from the evil sorceress Gwendeviere, who decimated the city with the fierce Dragon Turtle Vorltrarr! But now that nightmare is finally over! The evil sorceress Gwendeviere can never threaten the waters of Antigua ever again, thanks to these brave adventurers!
Fortunately, it seems that banishing the abolethsâ foul influence restored Linistreya to her normal form as well. But she is still unconscious. Callie heals her and wakes her up. She is very grateful to see her daughter!
The SPI meets the mermaid princess Chrandria, and her friends Filiandra and Shraunna, who escort them to the Brotherkings Aquarmand and Harnaqua. They are rewarded with three large chests of treasure in thanks for their valiant efforts stopping the evil sorceress Gwendeviere and her dragon turtle Vorltrarr!
The agents discuss how to get home. They could take the sub home, but itâs a 12-day journey. And they would need to leave some munitions behind to make room for Linistreya. Or they could fix the teleportation circle, updating it to modern standards so that they can teleport.
They opt for the latter. Once Vondal has finished perusing the incredible library, and Bec has the teleport circle squared away, they teleport back to SPI HQ, except for Aurora and Lini, who return to Cognitutus to update the Board of Regents and Rollo on what has transpired. Their plan is to send someone back to Antigua later to retrieve the sub.
Case file addendum: What happened in Cognitutus?
- A huge dragon turtle was wrecking the city, bashed in part of the bubble, and the water and sahaguin were streaming in⌠and then they just⌠stopped. The dragon turtle swam away back down into the depths, and the sahaguin seemed dazed and confused. When they realized the danger they were in on the front lines, they surrendered.
- The Board of Regents were delighted with Aurora and the SPI, issuing a citywide proclamation of herodom honoring their accomplishments.
- Rollo was ecstatic to be reunited with Lini. The Rockwells also finalized the deal to sell Euphoria back to the Noffindorfs, so their fortune is saved, and they are able to rehire all of the servants.
AC50 Rixa 21
[11e08] Epic Aboleth Battle
- One by one, the pillar lights go out. Freki, Bec and Callie all have darkvision, but it is half as effective as normal.
- The fish people meander off, back through the glass. There is no sign of Cal, Aurora, Vondal or Oz.
- Callie is still connected to the Ăźber-fish. It is harming her psyche, but she can feel her mom deeper in the structure.
- The party argues with each other, as they fall victim to the psychological tactics of the evil overlords.
- After jabbing her trident into one of the suspicious columns, Callie establishes a psychic link with whatever is in charge of this place. She can feel her motherâs psyche and decides to follow it.
- The party drifts down into a coliseum and is surrounded by fish people! Continuing to follow her motherâs trail, Callie leads the party into a cave. Inside is a giant monster!!!
- After being grappled, Callie casts Zone of Truth to force the creature to stop lying. Her goddesses smile down and Erathis uses a significant chunk of power to destroy the illusions surrounding the party. They can now see that there are two aboleths whose will is holding the place and the giant monster together.
- Freki RIPS APART THE ABOLETHS like a total wolfman.
- Bec casts magic missile, kapow!!!
- The aboleths die and the whole place dissolves into a barfy mess. Callieâs mom is free but has no hands or mouth. Vondal, Oz, Cal, and Aurora are there but unconscious.
- Everyone takes some damage from grossness.
- Freki, who can move quickly, goes back to the sub in an attempt to bring it back to collect the party and the unconscious innocents. Banging around on the buttons at random, he somehow manages to roll a 13 on his luck check and boop teleports in the sub. God. Damn. It.
AC50 Rixa 21
[11e07] Hallucinations of an Ancient Civilization
- Bec attempts to feel out telepathically, but everything is mentallyâŚobfuscated.
- The party has many opportunities to avoid Aboleth Doomsday! But for some reason, it seems theyâd like to touch everything in here. Itâs not a great idea.
-
Thereâs this magical orb that seems to be kind of a lightning rod for magic. Crazy messages from the psionic monster:
- Callie â âbegone your vileness(knowledge-cleverness-goodness-hope), it has no place here(void), vanish(sleep-die) for a while until your body(essence-soul) can be replaced with another more worthy(empty-cruel-infinite), this is always your choice(transformation-or-destruction)â
- Bec â âwe have destroyed(stab-of-pain-soul-ripped-out-of-body) much more powerful wizards(stab-of-hate) than you could ever become⌠on your own⌠their knowledge belongs to us⌠and you, if you join usâ
- Freki â âbit by bit⌠your curse consumes you(pain-of-jaws-rending-into-your-right-hand/claw, rich-delicious-blood-in-your-mouth)⌠turn your hunger to the ones more deserving(hatred-divine-magical-energy-radiating-from-the-organs-of-beings,organs-that-have-only-ever-been-there-for-you-to-eat) and grow strong(be-your-own-god,worship-at-your-own-feet,rip-away-your-body-and-eat-it,it-holds-you-back)
-
Oz â âyou are the death(weapon-to-cleave-all-weapons,all-things) we have craved, raw impetuous undiscipline aligned with the void(our-unrealm-the-space-before-space-and-time-before-time), embrace your true existence(joy-at-breaking-rules,taking-what-you-want,no-authority-blunting-your-whim), total freedom forever.
- Bec sees some creatures peering in through the walls. Then they start coming through the walls, arrrggggghhhhhh.
- All our attacks bounce right off the orb. :(
- Oz impulsively attacks the weird observing creatures. Two of the creatures grapple him while another one starts pulling pieces off its body and hucking them at Oz.
- Bec, the smart person, decides to attack the pillars instead. This seems to work well! But since she is the only smart person, everyone else keeps attacking the fish-food zombies. :(
- Ozâs attacks cause the creatures to fall apart into 8 tiny piranhas. :O
- Using the Trident of Fish Command, Callie realizes that all the creatures attacking are part of one, giant, fish, creature. And somewhere in the legion of things that make up this thing, is Callieâs mom!!!!
Aboleths eat the party and obtain the Cornucopia and Lamp.NO THEY DO NOTâŚMaybe?- The meaning of time and space in the campaign world is corrupted.
AC50 Rixa 21
[11e06] Shark Attack!
- Shark attack!
- Sharks and sahaguin defeated.
AC50 Rixa 10-21
[11e05] Journey to the Lair
-
Aurora hooks up the party with some guns. How the guns work:
- Rate of fire
- âToastyâ Flamethrower - mounted on the Crab - 3d6 fire in 15â cone
- M2HB heavy machine gun - mounted in weapon port on exterior - 1d12+3 per slug
-
M72A3 LAW torpedo launcher - occupying one passenger spot - 10d6
- There is not enough room in the sub for all 8 people as well as all the guns. We leave Rollo behind to make room for the flamethrower. He gives Callie his blessing.
- Swarms of creatures, and electrical firestorm/battle at the main gate. To avoid that, as well as the âpoop tubes,â we decide to use the passwall module. We are sure it will be fineâbut Callie gives Oz her inspiration and Vondal uses magic to boost his skill so we donât all die.
- We barely make it to the water.
- Some sort of evil mental tendril is leading us to our doom. The End of All Things.
- After several days in the sub, a large bluish floating bipedal being appears â a Water Genie (Marid), who warns us to turn back or DIE!!!
- After being informed the party carries the Hornblade, Benirree the Elegant says she has no choice but to help, giving Vondal and Callie detect evil and good at will; Callie invisibility 1/day; Vondal control water 1/day. Benirree plane shifts away.
- The party continues on their ill-advised journey for 12 more hours, till the water becomes more sludgelike, more difficult to navigate. Auroraâs continued sanity seems questionable.
- Bec ventures out in the Crab, hits the flamethrower and sees the void of nothing.
- After redocking the Crab, and traveling forward for another couple of minutes, the party realizes they have arrived at a non-place: a football-shaped Void around which reality itself bends. There is a crack leading in, which looks like this:
- Those who are strong of mind realize that the city is an ancient phantom, with no bottom:
- The party takes 20 minutes to buff, staring directly into the void while doing so.
- The party heads into the sketchy chasm. They see a temple-looking thing floating in the non-reality underneath (see right).
- There is a perfect place to dock the Streamcutter, which appears to be the sole obvious entrance into the temple. Everything is perfectly safe.
- Oz, Freki and Cal scout into the temple. They begin to understand the layout of the temple. They start heading back to rejoin the othersâbut they are ambushed by sharks!
AC50 Rixa 10
[11e04] An Undersea Rescue Mission
- A sinister voice echoed in the room: âYOUR KINDRED IS IN OUR GRASP. BRING US THE PRIMARY CORPOREAL ELEMENT, OR WE WILL INCORPORATE THE KINDRED INTO OUR LEGION. WE ARRANGE A DISTRACTIONâTO MINIMIZE INTERFERENCE FROM OTHER CORPOREAL BEINGS. BRING IT NOW. WE WILL GUIDE YOU. OR DO NOT, AND WE WILL WRACK YOUR TERRITORY WITH SUFFERING.â
- Freki was backhandedly blessed by Pelor, and could breathe either water or air.
- Rollo argued that the party should take the Cornucopia with them on a mission to locate the evil entitiesâ lair, destroy them, and save his wife Linistreya.
- The group discussed how best to take the artifact out of the city and move on the lair of the big bad evil fish. They decided to speak to the city council, presenting themselves as agents of Linistreya, and request support.
- Freki (reluctantly) opened his mind to Pelor, and felt a slight connection: âTHE FUTURE IS YOURS TO SHAPE.â
- Callie prayed to her deities for guidance: âShould we take the cornucopia, in whole or in part, out of Cognitutus; or should we leave it in the city where it is protected?â Her deities replied, âThe fissures in your reality grow deeper⌠and time is a horizon beyond which even we gods see only imperfectly. Erathis: Take the Fountain, and all we have built may begin to topple and be destroyed. Avandra: Take the Fountain, and you may emerge triumphant over malevolent forces from before the dawn of time.â
- The water smelled funny.
- Oz scaled the Cornucopia and retrieved the horn, which became the Hornblade once he allowed the mysterious (and possibly malevolent) halfling spirit to touch him. The Hornblade functions as a +3 short sword of sharpness and wounding.
- Gonna go talk to the Board of Regents! âJeeves: to the Hall of Regents.â
- Sirens started going off. Callie knew that this meant the fish army was already attacking.
- Guards tried to keep the party out of the meeting, but they persuaded their way in by dropping Callieâs momâs name.
- Rollo attempted to speak to the Regents, but he is not a political creature and did not give a good speech.
- Callie gave a speech: âWe are aware of the threat to the city. My mother went on a mission to save it and she needs our help. I was granted a divine vision from Avandra. When you have an invasive plant, you do not just cut off the top and hope for the best. You dig it out root and stem! We are willing to lay down our lives for Cognitutus, what are you willing to do?â
- Freki gave a speech: âIâm just a simple amphibious wolfman archer and I am willing to stand not only behind but in front of Callie to help.â
- Oz gave a speech: âWe are the SPI and this is what we do - we get results! The front line is not where you think it is.â He also stole a chicken drumstick as a prop/snack and wielded it to great effect.
- After some deliberation, one of the regents (Kwalish) agreed to loan them her minisub called the Streamcutter, and one of the others (Aurora) agreed to come along on the crazy mission. The minisub also has a scout ship called the Crab that can be piloted by two gnome-sized people. The top can be put down like a convertible, although water will flood it unless a wizard can provide a diving bell sort of effect. There are 3 Caps of Water Breathing. It also has a button that will automatically teleport the sub back home, but it can only be used once. She also has an experimental module that might allow the sub to pass through a wallâor else scramble the sub and everyone on it.
- Rollo went back to Rockwell manor to pick up some of his alchemical creations. He brought back 10 oils of slipperiness.
- The party then met up with Aurora near the west gate, with guns on hand. It was clear the cityâs alarms were going off in that area; curfew had been imposed. Attack seemed imminent.
AC50 Rixa 10
[11e03] Breaking Free of the Madness
- The agents fought the monsters.
- They broke free of the madness that gripped each of them, with reality reverting to the actual.
- Before it was slain, the abolethâs mucus cloud cursed Frekiâhe can now only breathe water.
- In the aftermath of the confrontation, Rollo (Callieâs father) noticed that the familyâs watercraft was missingâŚ
AC50 Rixa 10
[11e02] Something Amiss at Rockwell Manor
- Raliana told Callie that her parents have split up! She heard through the grapevine from Archibald (family butler) that she was staying at the Hotel Crane. The servants all went with her, except Raliana.
- Nate on Auror: âI hate this gnome so much. He reminds me of a mall cop.â
- Freki smelled a strong unnatural smell in the kitchenette, and decided to leave. The smell permeated everything, but became less strong as he moved further away from the action.
-
Back in the foyer, the party (sans Bec) discussed Aurorâs plan to protect the Cornucopia.
- He will wall off the Cornucopia with walls of stone+force, and then arcane lock the door. The interior of the structure he builds is dimensionally anchored, alarmed and antilife shelled. Inside on the floor is a glyph of warding spell glyph with hold monster.
-
He tried to get Callie to sign off on the plan, warning that it would be expensive but worth it. He was reluctant to name a price; the party thought ~20-50K gp of materials alone.
- An undead âcourierâ of âthe Companyâ arrived: a revenant with a contract signed by Lord Rockwell! He had a work order for one year of service from undead workers: 21 skeletons, 3 ghasts, and a revenant butler. Callie ordered them to wait outside until the issue could be cleared up by her fatherâs return.
- Callie decided to send to her parents, one at a time:
a. [TO DAD] Undead platoon at the door, leader says theyâre yours. I sent them away. Whatâs going on? Come home as soon as possible! b. [RESPONSE] Oh, you made it home! So glad to hear! Yes, I hired them. Cost-saving measure, you know? Please let them in. Be home shortly. c. [TO MOM] Where are you? Please tell me we still have live servants. Where is dad? Are you getting divorced? Come home as soon as possible! d. [RESPONSE] *emotional voice* Callie? Where are you?? Iâm coming to save you, honey! Stay strong, donât give in to the madness. I love you so much.
- Vondal appeared in the fountain. SPLASH! Then Pelor said into his head: âYOU ARE NOT WORTHY OF THIS POWER. BEGONE AT ONCE.â and he was flung from the fountain. Vondal was pissed! He spat into the fountain. The fountain shrugged it off.
- Callie poked her face out the front door and ordered the undead servants to make a path for when her parents got home.
- Oz heard a voice calling him âMy chosen avengerâ but that didnât make sense to him. He thought maybe it was a telepathic wrong number. But the voice persisted, and he saw that the Horn of the Cornucopia had become a compelling-looking hornblade. Oz decided to grapple over there swashbuckler-style.
- Freki started dancing to create a distraction. Oz landed on the top of the fountain and talked to a halfling ghost identifying herself as Yondalla. He touched the Cornucopia and his hand transformed! The Cornucopia itself lost its magical aura. Vondal theorized that the halfling woman was âput outside of realityâ somehow.
- Callieâs father returned home. He had a new tattoo of a white crane on his neck. He confirmed that he had hired the undead servants as a âcost-saving measureâ and ordered them down into the manor to start working. A little while later, they heard Raliana scream.
- Bec realized that the revenant butler was her father, Letharil Galere. But he couldnât remember her.
- Raliana screamed. âThere are skeletons!â and came upstairs. Callie calmed her down.
-
People started having weirder and more intense ideas:
- Freki wolfed out, trying to escape from the manor, but lost his direction.
-
Callie (at the suggestion of Raliana) got the big idea that her parents might be mentally incompetent, and
-
People had a critical moment to reject the reality of what was transpiring, and state a revelation:
- Vondal: âThis is the work of the deep ones!â
- Oz, reluctantly: âThis is not my hand!â and it returned to normal. The Cornucopia was also back to normal.
- Callie: âThatâs not my dad!â And Rollo said, âWhat are you talking about?â But his tattoo disappeared!
- Bec was not sure what was real! Is it her dad? Isnât it?
Freki: âThe cook is the source of the corruption!â And she transformed into this:
AC50 Rixa 10
[11e01] The Secret City of Cognitutus
- SPI agents transport to Cognitutus using Callieâs secret sigil sequence.
- Freki saw a light far-off in the distance out to sea. He got the impression the light was very big, and therefore probably very far away.
- They made their way through the vibrant underwater city to the Rockwell family manor. On the way, Callie insinuated that she was bringing these non-gnomes back to her family to serve as dinner. The driver seemed nonplussed. Oz discerned via innuendo that the driver had some criminal connections, but did not understand what they were trying to ask him.
- The manor was strangely unoccupied, with no servants nor family to be found. The Cornucopia was sitting in a dominant position in the first-floor foyer, having completely crushed the teleportation circle there.
- After exploring several lavish rooms, the agents happened upon the study, where a man named Reginald Auror sat at the desk, writing some notes. He recognized Callie and was unsurprised to see her.
- The agents learned Auror was a security consultant hired to keep the Cornucopia safe from any and all threats. He had only just begun his assessment and plan to do this. He was initially gruff, but became slightly less rude as time went on. Auror claimed that Callieâs parents were out at an important meeting, but did not know what it wasâonly that they would be back later that evening.
- Auror mentioned âhorrors from the deepâ multiple times during their conversation. After Auror left the study, they inspected the document that he had been writing. It was a sketch of the area around the Cornucopia, with some jotted notes about protective spells. In one margin was drawn a cartoonish-looking fish monster.
- Callie offered everyone snacks; the agents went to the kitchenette. There, they encountered Raliana, the long-time Rockwell family chef. She was happy to see Callie, and told her that her parents were out at a pre-arbitration meeting for Euphoria.
AC50 Rixa 10-23
[Case 11] Hardships and Homecomings
Location
Cognitutus, the city of the gnomes.
And the depths of the ocean in the lair of the aboleths.
Patron
The Rockwell family
Victims
The Rockwell family
Crime scene
Persons of interest
Reginald Auror, newly hired âsecurity specialist,â a contractor who works alone. He has dark, beady eyes and a shaved head. He seems quite concerned about âhorrors from the deep.â
Raliana Quizzelpuff, a long-time cook for the Rockwell family. She is friendly and honest.
Rollomorphus (âRolloâ) Rockwell, Callieâs father. Easygoing, friendly, creative, eccentric, playful, a bit rash. He loves Callie very much and spoils her. Hard for him to say no. He is an alchemist by training.
Linestreya (âLiniâ) Grumbletuft Rockwell, Callieâs mother. She is stern, the âbad copâ of the family, but ultimately has a kind heart. She is a political advisor.
AC50 Rixa 06-10
[10e06] The Demons in the Kitchen
TODO
AC50 Rixa 02-06
[10e05] Corruption at SPI HQ
Freki remembers being the target of a scrying. He tells his allies about the message. They decide that Callie is going to use sending again, to contact Gardenblossom:
Where are you?
How can we get to you?
Why did you contact us?
Was that your scrying?
Whatâs going on?
Still love the clock.
Leopoldâs reply:
I canât believe youâre using Sending! Such an inferior spell!
Sure, itâs a little faster than scrying, but way less versatile. Back in my dayâ
The party waits 10 minutes for Gardenblossom to respond again, but he does not. They decide to teleport to the SPI HQ. They dig up a teleport crystal and activate it! The magic feels⌠sluggish. But it activates. Agents feel like their bodies and souls are being stretched like taffy through the wormholeâŚ
The party finds a branch that is crying out for water. Callie tries healing it, but it just disintegrates under her touch. Bec discovers that it was undead.
Vondal tries some magic! It causes Callie to burst into bright light, blinding everyone. Vondal tosses Callie a rope so she doesnât get lost, but everyone moves 5+ feet away from her to get away from the light.
Vondal doesnât want to use his mystery wand, which he got from the genie. But he doesnât want to put it away, either.
In a room that used to be Malloryâs office is a desk with a lamp that is âshedding roots.â Freki walks over to the desk and senses that the plant wants to help him. He likes the weird magical plant! Vondal casts Read Thoughts and kind of talks to the desk. Desky tries to get the party to open up its drawers and take whatâs inside. Inside the drawer is a number of helpful alchemical objects. Vondal immediately becomes best buds with Desky, but their conversation takes a strange(r) turn and the party leaves. Heâs acting shifty, but he doesnât tell the others whatâs wrong. When theyâve left the room and the door is closed, he fills them in that the desk turned out to be evil. Still, weâre keeping the loot!!! Freki and Callie really want to keep the loot, but Bec and Vondal warn them away. BY PEEING ON IT!
Vondal uses Prestidigitation to clean his vomit off of everybody. Callie tries to sneak a vial of Alchemical Fire, but then Vondal pees on all the loot to make it nasty to touch! Callie very reluctantly replaces the vial without touching the pee.
In Cassandraâs lab, a weird bulging wall of dirt covers the wall that had the hole. Bec sticks her head in. She calls out to Gardenblossom twice, but no answer. Then hears a very faint low droning sound. She mage hands near the dirt, and the hand becomes visually scrambled, like a computer glitch. Bec reasons that the dirt is elemental magic, and some sort of extraplanar phenenomenon distinct from the original hole.
Vondal: âSo⌠you guys wanna fight it here, where itâs super strong? Or in a mini elemental plane of earth, that somehow dampens the flux? Your choice, âcause itâs probably cominâ!â
Callie eats all the cheese. Itâs not going to save her. :(
The SPI buffs, then proceeds through the earthen barrier. Oh noez, the tree comes to life! Combat ensues.
TODO picture of tree
Web at the bottom of the hill.
- Hilltop is 40 feet upâthere is a huge nightmare tree (big d30), brutal-looking Hezrou demon (yellow d6), and giant mosquito-like chasme demon (orange d6).
TODO pictures of demons
- Vondal and Callie break right to edge of web, a little further down the hill
- Bec breaks right to edge of web, no further up the hill
- Freki breaks left to edge of web, no further up the hill
- A wall of fire 60 feet wide and 20 feet high shields the party from the hilltop and its monsters
- The tree moved through the fire to the other side; at the center just past the fire
- Frekiâs turn is next
- Everyone is blessed
- Callie and Bec have earth spell slots from Zanâqaa
- Freki entangled the mosquito but it broke free but is still at the hilltop
- The Hezrou came around the right side of the wall of fire
- Zanâqaa is still floating above the scene. What will he do next??
AC50 Rixa 02
[10e04] Yo Ho! A Pirate's Life for Me
Callie suggests to teleport the Cornucopia to âmy parentsâ basementâby which I mean their vault.â She explains that they live in a secure location in Cognitutus, the secret underwater city of gnomes! Bec deciphers and adapts a ritual from a history book that Anne Bonny brought, which described a druidic group ritual to ⌠the party canât remember. Bec leads the group teleportation ritual, barely competent (with Stephanie rolling exactly what was needed on the die). Anne Bonny provides the scroll of teleport. Callie draws the sigil sequence. Bec opts not to include the participants in the teleportation effect, but only the artifact.
The agents then realize they will need to trek back to Refugeâanother seven-day journey through the desert, which has grown notably more inhospitable since the Cornucopia disappeared.
Anne Bonny whines to her boss: âDo we really need to slog all the way back?â to which Bram says no, they can teleport back. After a brief discussion, SPI agents agree to accompany Bram and Anne Bonny back to the Tempest, Bramâs ship.
They appear in the captainâs quarters. There is a lot of treasure and finery. There is an ice chest, closed, with an unlocked padlock. Bec almost peeks inside but Bram says, âI wouldnât open that if I were you.â
Out on the deck, they see a large teleportation circle in the middle. A terrible storm rages in all directions a mile or so out from the ship. Several pirate crew members are active on deck, including a thri-kreen lookout peering through a magical spyglass from the crowâs nest.
The lookout climbs down and clicks at Bram, handing him the spyglass. Bram spies a chaos rift a couple miles away, and charts a course around it. âThat wasnât there before.â
Sending from Callieâs mom:
Response from Callie to her mom:
Vondal suggests contacting R. Martine Andrews, the sentient Warforged artifact, who went off after the Necronomicon, which had been stolen by an evil druid. Sending from Callie:
Response from the Warforged:
Sending from Callie to R. Martine Andrews:
Response from the Warforged:
Where is Mallory? No answer on the sending stone.
The SPI can barely remember Cassandra.
A scrying sensor appears above Cal! The thri-kreen lookout perceives it through the trueseeing spyglass.
Party doesnât like being spied on. Bram is OK with Bec trying to dispel it. She casts dispel magic right as Leopold Gardenblossom messages Cal: âWhere in the bajeezus are you? Weâve been looking everywhere for you! Please, come meet us atââ and the dispel magic terminates the scrying effect before Gardenblossom can finish.
AC50 Rixa 02
[10e03] A Test of Valor and Resolve
The SPI valiantly battles the agents of Pelor. The largest stone statue rumbles to life, and speaks with Pelorâs voice! How dare they, mere mortals, interfere with a sacred artifact that protects an entire nation!
Bram fires back! How dare he, a stupid god, take issue with his much more awesome goddess, Melora! She knows whatâs best for the Cornucopia! And it sure as hell isnât safe where it is!
Pelor proposes a test of their valor and resolve: defeat his guardians, and he will allow the relocation of the Cornocupia. Two more stone statues rumble to life!
The SPI battles them, and is victorious! Pelor assents to their wishes. He also allows Panthea to drink from the Water of Life. She is judgedâwracked with pain, and then falls dead. Her soul is cleansed, and in a better place now, Pelor says.
AC50 Cudo 26 - Rixa 02
[10e02] Desert Pilgrimage
On the first night of camp, we discuss the prospects of stealing the cornucopia, as Seirye wants us to do. Freki asks about what will happen to the region if we take the artifact away. Bec asks why take it, rather than one of the smaller relics?
Seirye says:
- The lamp is in SPI custody (Vondal took it to hide)
- The Necronomicon was stolen and a Druid called Isis Rakesh has it
- The Warforged went after the Necronomicon
- The stone is also in SPI custody (Cal has it)
- The ship is at sail in the Infinite Ocean, exact whereabouts unknown
- The tree is even bigger than the cornucopia
- The puzzlebox was stolen by Alex Orbach, who claimed to have it in his possession, although nobody got a look at it.
Freki interrogates Seirye rather rudely and she storms out. Callie tries to talk her down and gives her a little information about the puzzlebox. Seirye is unhappy that people donât believe her.
On the second night, Meroe is doing worse. Her affliction resembles mummy rot (but isnât), also resembles turning into undead (but isnât that either).
On night four, Meroe throws up dead bees.
On the fifth night, Meroe can hardly go any farther. Freki decides to leave and see if he can retrieve the water. Meroe confesses to the circus crime. She framed Zombozo for the murder because he killed her parents when she was 13 (also he sucked as a manager, but mainly the parents thing). Also, after Freki leaves, Panthea rips out a chunk of her hair and it turns into Oz. Seirye beats the hair with her quarterstaff as it turns into our party member.
Then, a worm! Right after supper the worm attacks and is strangely attracted to Meroe but the party (with Freki hurriedly returning from his scouting ahead) manages to kill it before it can harm anyone.
On day six, Seirye tries to convince us to go through with the heist. When we wonât agree, activates her bracelet of friends, and summons her pirate boss, Bram the Blithe! We learn that Seirye is really Anne âBonnyâ Qin, Seiryeâs sister, and notorious first mate of the dreadnought Tempest. The time travel schtick was a ruse. But Anne and Bram insist that the goddess Melora really did tell them that a great calamity is coming, and the artifacts need to be secured. In any case, we agree to continue to the Cornucopia in order to heal Meroe and Panthea.
On day seven, Meroe is comatose, so we pull her in a makeshift sled.
We arrive at the Cornucopia. There are two Luminous Defender paladins there, two weeks off schedule! Meroe has awoken, and is acting strange, claiming she is fine. She meanders toward the paladins. As she reaches the Cornucopia to take a drink, one of the paladin tries to put his hand on her shoulder: âHalt! Who are you? What are you doing?â His hand passes through her body like sand, and she falls forward, dissolving into dust.
AC50 Cudo 26
[10e01] A Dubious Caper
- Vondal leaves the Amulet of Vecnaâs Lore in the safe in his house, along with his retirement savings. Then everyone met back up in the tunnel near the entrance to the old HQ.
- Lightning breath and shenanigans ensue. The old HQ has been consumed by the Flux. The gang escapes while Ghensh serenades the guard (Lomagret Drakehead) and proceeds to get drunk with her.
- Meroe has a resurgence of flux taint. Vondal sees that Panthea also is still affected by the taint but has yet to tell the rest of the party.
- Seirye wants to secure the Cornucopia by teleporting it away using a group ritual. The SPI agents do not necessarily agree, but Meroe is willing to do anything to get healed.
- The team heads to Oasis to prepare for the journey. Vondal plans to catch up in an hour.
Urchin delivering note: âTime to go. Donât mention that youâre heading to the portal to them. Pay this child a silver; I will repay you. âVâ
AC50 Cudo 26 - Rixa 10
[Case 10] Capers and Calamity
Whatâ˝ A case where the SPI are the culpritsâ˝
Location
Beyond Oasis, Radiant Union of Pelor
Patrons
Meroe and Panthea; Seirye Qin
Victims
Pelor, and the people of the R.U.P.
Crime scene
The Cornucopia of Life.
case 09
The Breach
Referred to by MAD as âthe Incidentâ.
See Case 09: Amalgamation and Anathema file.
AC50 Cudo 25-26
[09e04] Time Travel Shenanigans
- Mary is unmasked as Seirye Qin. She claims to be from a future where a âcalamityâ has occurredâa calamity she is now trying to prevent by stopping the eight artifacts from being brought together and potentially destroyed. She says that Vondal sent her back in time, and that she cannot say much more for fear of polluting the timeline.
- The next morning, MAD shows up and kicks out the SPIâthey have a writ from the Aecus Concord Council of Nations designating the SPI as the site of a threat to security. They refer to âthe Incidentâ a lot.
- The five people from the MAD posse:
- Sennik Cromwell, grizzled but fatherly Luminous Defender, a paladin of vengeance.
- Donovan Morvain, half-dragon dragonborn bard, last seen in Case 01 as a member of the Luminous Defenders. The SPI knows him to secretly be a cambion: i.e., his father is a fiend.
- Leopold Gardenblossom, from Case 03, a gnomish professor of magical theory. Heâs the one who made Gurin Aldrimorâs life clock.
- Ceowyn Mandragoran, the Grandmaster of Earth, a wood elf. He was present during âthe Incident,â and left with Mallory to get help.
- Sil Aldrimor, also from Case 03, former general of the dwarven armies, now dour-faced and stoic. She is silent for the entire encounter.
- Notably, Mallory is not among them.
- Vondal blurts out that Morvain is âthe guy whose dad is a secret,â then challenges Morvainâs authority to take control of the SPI headquarters.
- Ozborn and Cal secretly raid the evidence locker, taking the Lamp of Seeming and Amulet of Vecnaâs Lore, giving them to Zanqaa the Devoted (earth genie) to conceal them in Vondalâs ring of spell storing.
- Freki annoys the MAD agentsâe.g., he gives his branch from the Shadow Forest tree to Morvain, claiming it was âinvolved in the Incident.â
- Cassandra decides to free Panthea and Meroe from the holding cell and bring them along. She confides in Freki that their best course of action is to extricate themselves from the situation, to avoid ending up powerless in the holding cell themselves.
- Ghensh escorts Leopold Gardenblossom to the breach. He removes his carpet, thinking that Gardenblossom knows what heâs doing as he begins to pull out a large number of scrolls and other arcane paraphernalia. Ceowyn Mandragoran hustles to the breach so that he can reseal the breach with his elemental magic.
- Cassandra and the SPI agents teleport away.
AC50 Cudo 25
[09e03] Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jog
- Cassandra heals Freki.
- Vondal realizes there is virulent wild magic sparkles afoot.
- Mallory comes, Mallory leaves to get backup.
- Cassandra says she knows that the agents have a part of some power, and the creature has some part, and this power craves to become whole again.
Callieâs Diary
- I joined hands with my fellow magicians and cast Dispel Magic once.
- Then we decided to use the Arkenstone in Calâs sword as a focus, to cast Dispel Magic harder.
- After that, all my magic got sucked into the sword!
- And then Meroe and Panthea ran away.
- I was so mad, I pulled out my crossbow and shot at them!
- After Ozborn stabbed her, I saved Meroeâs life with Vondalâs wand of healing.
- Then we all went out to the designated teleportation circles to check for new recruits.
- We found one! She came back and sparred with Freki. Her name is Mary Reed.
- Mary almost killed Freki! I used the wand of healing again.
- Then I was tired, so I went to bed. We are supposed to be wild-magic-quarantined anyway. What could go wrong?
AC50 Cudo 25
[09e02] OMGs! A Balor!
If she sprays the barrier with our blood, it will become a grizzly barrier.
âGhensh
- They fight the demon (a balrog? a balor?), while attempting to penetrate the Zenoâs paradox of a barrier into SPI HQ.
- The demon seems somehow reluctant (or possibly unable?) to get near Ghenshâs carpet. It also is reluctant/unable to enter reality bubbles that people manifested.
- With Ghenshâs efforts, the yachtopus âmade portâ with the barrier. The party tried various things to penetrate the barrier, without initial success. But eventually, the carpet speared itself through, and unrolled enough to create an opening large enough for the party to beginning slipping through one at a time. Bec is the first one through, and quickly informs the NPCs what was going on.
- Ceowyn Mandragoran, the Master of Earth, blasted elemental energy through the carpetâs opening, splattering a bunch of reality into the chaotic zone. Ceowyn seemed confident, while Cassandra was more concerned.
- Ceowyn says that Cassandra possesses the power to⌠something relating to healing or helping the party overcome their ailment�
AC50 Cudo 19-25
[09e01] Imagine All the People... on a Yachtopus
- Vondal and Bec both create bubbles of stable reality. Because they both are powerful, the realities combine.
- Pantheaâs body starts morphing.
- Vondal decides to reshape reality in the form of a playground. Panthea tries to grab at the playground equipment with her hair, but she is too clumsy and canât grab it. Everybody flails around in various ways. Vondal wills a yachtopus (half octopus, half yacht) into existence so everyone can ride together.
- Panthea turns into an anemone. Ghensh imposes his will on reality and turns everything into pure platinum. Various things get stuck in the platinum and eventually tumble together and start cruising down the mystical flow atop the yachtopus.
- Freki intuited that there were two ways out of this place: a âhigh risk, high rewardâ direction toward crisis but also salvation; and a âlow risk, low rewardâ direction away from harm, but away from destiny.
- The party encounters a strange scene: the body of Alex Orbach, with his heart cut out in the same manner as Dominic Tremereâs wasâand a twisted small-sized creature wearing Priscilla Stormcloudâs clothes eating of it.
- The creature sees them. Bec sleeps the creature, and they take it with them on the yachtopus, along with Orbachâs body.
- Freki traces the flow of this place to its center, and they see SPI HQ.
- The creature awakens and transforms into a huge demon!
-
[09e00] 1UP!
No story this session⌠just leveling up and hanging out!
AC50 Cudo 19-26
[Case 09] Amalgamation and Anathema
Location
The clouds atop the Vondalstalk.
Patron
None
Victim
Alex Orbach, disgraced magical researcher and alleged killer of Dominic Tremere.
Crime scene
The crystalline flux, a surreal realm of structured chaos.
Persons of interest
Priscilla Stormcloud(?), once a noted historian, now apparently an insane animalistic creature and/or balor demon.
AC50 Cudo 19
[08e03] Blood & Fire & Landsharks
- Fire was all over, and several people fell into the pit down the rockslide of rubble.
- Vondal tried to use wild magic to mitigate the situation, but managed to turn himself and Ozborn into potted plants.
- Meroe tried to kill everyone with magic. She used obscuring mist and then confusion on the owlbears Fuzzy and Wuzzy.
- Vondal the plant sparkled, and over the next moments, exploded into a giant beanstalk.
- Meroe implored Panthea to âremember her promise,â which Panthea reluctantly did. She apologized and pushed Ghensh off of his carpet.
- But then, the party persuasioned Panthea into surrendering after Meroe was critically injured. Panthea agreed to surrender in exchange for fair treatment.
- But the landsharks were still attacking, doing devastating damage. As such, everyone rallied and climbed the beanstalk up into a mystical sparkling realm, leaving all their problems behind forever!
AC50 Cudo 19
[08e02] A Circus of an Investigation
- Ozborn wakes up; runs into the Grandmaster of Earth in the SPI HQ. The monk tells him that it is a good thing Ozborn woke up, because he and Callisto are needed by their friends now. âI see the tapestry of fate. If you do not join them, you will not be happy with how matters proceed.â Ozborn wakes up Cal, they talk to Mallory, and head out.
- Ozborn snags a pixie after a slam-dunk hop and hands the pixie to Freki.
- We pepper the pixies with persistent petitions.
- Freki freaks and summons his birds. The pixies scatter!
- Vondal wakes up in a trash heap. âNot again!â He is almost eaten by some kind of trash monster (otyugh). A Kenku bird-man (Weezer) stops the trash monster from doing so.
- Also, Vondal is a pony now.
- Ghensh goes to investigate. But then, the golem Squatch says his tummy hurts. Ozborn asks to look at it. The golem is agreeable. The part that hurts is weirdly⌠squishy. Ozborn and Callie decide to do an âexploratory-investigatory surgery.â Ozborn attempts to bribe the golem with a ball bearing, but the Kenku bird-man runs over and steals it.
- Vondal and the bird-man talk about shinies. He accuses the pixies of stealing his shiny disguise hat.
- Callie cuts open the golem and Bec notices that it has a fresh interior wound. Afterwards, Meroe and Panthea come over angry and Callie uses a heal wounds spell to mend the golem. Meroe is reluctantly thankful.
- The party interviews Panthea and Meroe again in some depth. They suss out that there was a past incident of Zombozo getting âout of control,â which Panthea is ⌠TODO
- [other things that have been forgotten in the mists of time]
- The party presses Meroe increasingly harder. She becomes agitated, and decided to pull the trigger on her trap: a wired underground infrastructure of bombs. The ground from her desk explodes outward and collapses, exposing the underground lair of the landsharks Fair and Foul.
AC50 Cudo 19
[08e01] Murder is no Laughing Matter
- Frekiâs birds pecked him awake. Laying in a pool of blood. Not his own blood. Next to him, Cal was dead. Freki held the murder weapon limply in one hand.
- Flash back to the real worldâin Malloryâs office.
- Cassandra found them at the fourth teleportation circle of Estenesse.
- No sign of anyone else. Where did they go?
- Mallory said that he does not know the location of any of the others.
- Mallory gave the agents their next case: murder at the circus!
- Freki was very disturbed by his vision (or whatever it was). He was fully convinced Cal was dead. But Mallory promised that Cal was just sleeping in his quarters, still recovering from the partyâs recent ordeal at the auction. Freki insisted on checking on Cal in his room, where he was indeed found in a deep slumber.
- Agents went to Sanctum and found the LD chapter house. They met Brother Alabastor.
- He led them to Zombozoâs cell. Zombozo told them he didnât do it.
- Knock knock! Whoâs there? Harry! Harry who? Harry up and get me out of here!
- Knock knock! Whoâs there? Toodle! Toodle who? Buh-bye!
- Brother Alabastor and two paladins then escorted them to the circus.
- The agents met and interviewed Meroe, Panthea and Squatch.
- Meroe seemed pretty busy.
- Squatch seemed somewhat fixated on the bodies.
- The order of acts in the show:
- Comedy show with Zombozo and the pixie clown
-
Trapeze act (Panthea and pixies) + light show (Meroe and pixies)
-
Bodies were found towards the end of this act.
- Animal act (Weezer)
- Intermission
- Comedy redux
- Strong man
- Grand finale
- Freki spoke to Meroe in private in her tent about possibly working at the circus.
- He showed her his transformation shtick.
- Meroe invited Freki to perform with them that night.
- He learned that she believes the circus will be more profitable with her in charge.
- Callie cast speak with dead on Vanesse:
- Who did you see last? My husband
- Why were you killed? I donât know
- Why were you not watching the show? I was hungry, and had to pee
- What made you step back? A huge clown
- Were you serious about investing in the circus? Yes
- The agents discussed the mysterious âsecond clownâ that performs with Zombozo during the opening act. The clown appearedâa ten-foot-tall creature wrapped in bandages from head to toe. And then it exploded into a swarm of pixies!
AC50 Cudo 19
[Case 08] Revelry and Revenge
Location
Zombozoâs Traveling Circus, outside the big top, on the outskirts of Sanctum, capital city of the Radiant Union of Pelor.
Patron
Luminous Defenders hired them due to a legal obligation to the accused.
- Brother Alabastor, a mild mannered, friendly and bookish holy man.
- Zombozo is in custody, but swears he is innocentâhe passed a zone of truth test.
- The Luminous Defenders seem biased against Zombozo, because he is undead.
Victims
Vanesse and Bernd Jaglia, young patrons of the arts.
- Wealthy husband and wife. First time at the circus, considering investing in the circus.
- Owlbears smelled the corpses. Weezer heard them snuffling.
Crime scene
- Happened during the trapeze act and light show.
- Owlbears smelled the corpses. Weezer heard them snuffling and came over.
- Bodies found spiritually empty and with wide, bizarre smiles. There arenât a lot of creatures that can cause that kind of damage.
- Bodies had lingering aura of necromancy.
- Some very large shoe prints (that could be clown shoes) were around the victims.
Persons of interest
Zombozo (male, undead clown). Ringmaster and comedy act.
- Originally from ArallĂť.
- Has run the circus for decades.
- Feeds on the laughter of his audience. But he never takes it unwillingly and it doesnât hurt people long-term.
- He was outside looking for Weezer at crime time.
Squatch (flesh golem), the strong man.
- Possesses a child-like mind.
- Was not seen in the big top at crime time.
- Bec sensed a lingering illusion aura on him.
Meroe (female, half night hag). Alchemist wizard and stage magician.
- Does pyrotechnics during the show.
- Created Squatch.
- In charge while Zombozo is incarcerated.
- Was observed in the big top doing fireworks around crime time.
Panthea (female, half night hag). Circus acrobat.
- Hair moves in bundles on its own.
- Twin sister of Meroe.
- Performing with the pixies at crime time.
- Their androgynous leader: Pizzazz.
- The women: Laramy, Kenta, Sprish, Pahla and Tressie.
- The men: Woz (scout), Greco, Darro and Zop.
- They take the shape of another clown for the comedy act.
- They do their flying light show during the trapeze act.
Weezer (male, kenku). Monster tamer and trainer.
AC50 Cudo 13-19
[07e06] Escape from Invictus Manor
I canât remember⌠did the potion of divine potential⌠explodeâ˝ The whole manorâit went crazy. Iâm not sure how, but we barely escaped with our lives. At least⌠I think we didâŚ
AC50 Cudo 13
[07e05] Feed Me, Seymour!
- Bec Galere, Freki Sarin, Cal and Vondal are present for the continuing investigation.
- Quick recap of who is representing which artifacts:
- Death - Necronomicon - Isis Raâksh - Not present
- Knowledge - Puzzlebox - Alex Orbach (by process of elimination!)
- Light - Arkenstone - Calâs sword
- Life - Cornucopia - in Oasis - Not present (or possibly Janus Ilaris? WTF?)
- Nature - Tree - Sartus Morningdew representing the Fey Queen
- Tempest - Ship - Bram the Blithe, Captain of the Tempest
- Trickery - Lamp - Mallory and the SPI representing
- War - Martine Andrews - Not present - Dominic Tremere fronting
- Open question - Why is Tybalt Nightbreeze / Janus Ilaris here?
- Vondal casts detect thoughts. He tries to target the lich, but finds no mind to target. At that moment, Tremere accuses Orbach; Vondal swaps his focus! Then he targets the pirate, who is thinking: âThat dick! Of course he tried to frame me! Iâd never eat that shitty heart.â
- Bec thought the speak with dead should have lasted longer. Vondal believed âsomething is wrong with the bodyââlike its soul had not transitioned properly to the next plane, but instead had been somehow ripped out.
- Cal asked whether the Periapt of Health is genuine. Bec detected magic, focusing on the periapt, and saw that it was moderately magical with a conjuration healing aura! It appeared to be real.
- Freki tried to sniff out where the heart might have gone. But his search was fruitless, and eventually he gave up in frustration. But he did hear a quasi-horrific shrieking from the far door of the library. The door was slightly open, and he saw an arcane laboratory within. The strange shrieking sound was louder here. Freki signaled to Cal, who came closer.
- The shriek suddenly intensified. The following people proceeded quickly but cautiously to the Preservatory through the Arcane Lab: Cal, Freki, Bec, Bram, Timor, Murky. They passed a beholder in a jar! And all kinds of pickled somethings. There were also skulls and scented candles.
- The following people refused to be distracted and remained with the body: Vondal, Priscilla, Alex and Sartus.
- Where did Tybalt Nightbreeze go? He was lost in the shuffleâŚ
- The SPI fought the murderous shrieking mega plant!
- It grabbed the pirate with its main tentacle, and ate him shortly thereafter.
- Invictus fed the plant a previously-unseen corpse hanging from the ceiling, which kept the plant distracted for a moment.
- Freki shot it with an arrow (which worked! Was the geas not applicable somehow? Or no longer in effect?), then ring-of-jumped down its gullet.
- Cal Indiana-Jonesâd down to the ground with his whip, but couldnât stab through the plantâs thick outer casing.
- Bec pelted the plant with magic missiles.
- Vondal came running when Murky told him what was going on, dove onto the catwalk, tripping and falling as he cast slow, which rebounded off the plant tainted with necromantic energy, and seeped into him. The plant then slammed him with tentacles till he almost died. He was almost necromantically reincarnated into something horrible, but narrowly saved by Bec, who used a healing potion and a very prudent dispel magic to unravel his curse before it festeredâresulting in a harmless explosion of wild magic butterflies, aww!
- Invictus conjured a Bigbyâs Hand and grappled the plant, holding its mouth shut so that it would stop eating people.
- A partially digested Freki Hulked out, transforming into a werewolf, and tore his way out like the Kool-aid Man. âI coulda done that!â said Bram. Freki almost devoured the heart of his enemy, but thought better of it when: A) the pirate shouted âDonât do it, man!â at him, and B) he felt vile necromancy spreading down his limb even in the first moments of his holding it.
- Invictus: âPoor Matilda. Lucky you dispatched her before she replicated.â
- But the zombies got loose! Someone must have opened the first floor door. They were streaming all over the place: into the Preservatory, up the stairs, into the Hall of Victory⌠Invictus used the Bigbyâs Hand to shove them around, then commanded them to lie down, then commanded them back into the room.
- Orbach somehow slipped away from Stormcloud and Morningdew unnoticed. Bec looked around, and noticed something unseen (invisible? Hard to tell) lurking in the torture chamber. Then it disappeared (did it jump down into the pitâ˝), and Cal noticed something unseen (invisible? Hard to tell) shouldering zombies out of the way in the 1st floor doorway. Cal whipped it good, tripping Orbach. The party dogpiled him, took away his gear, tied him up, and dragged him back to the Study. âI almost made it,â he said, âI guess itâs time to make a deal.â
AC50 Cudo 13
[07e04] A Thief and a Killer
- Callie Rockwell, Ghensh Faass, Bec Galere and Freki Sarin are present for the auction.
- Freki remembers following Dominic Tremere to the Conservatory as he stormed out of the room (the same way Cal did/remembers from session 20). Freki overheard a conversation between Tremere and the lich.
- Ghensh overheard Sartus trying to hire Orbach over a game of dragonchess. âWeâve heard you have a talent for obtaining unique items; we seek a bothersome item that currently vexes our people; the elven treasury could more than adequately compensate you for your time and effort.â Invictus immediately appeared and tried to hire Orbach instead. âIâll pay double, should you instead obtain said item for me, its rightful owner.â Sartus raised an eyebrow, giving Invictus an irritated look. Orbach declined, saying he cannot find missing objectsâonly obtain them when their location is already known to him. Sartus persisted: âWe heard a rumor that you already obtained this item once beforeâdoes that not make it more feasible in this case?â Orbach glanced askance at Tremere. âI donât know what you mean.â But Tremere looked pissed and stomped out of the room. Orbach, sarcastically to Sartus: âThanks for that,â and he went into the foyer.
- The lich led the party to the body. On the way, the party was joined by the other guests:
- Timor Invictus escorted the party the entire way.
- Priscilla Stormcloud was in the Study, and accompanied them from the start.
- Tybalt Nightbreeze emerged from the Dining Room into the Parlor.
- As the party emerged into the foyer, Sartus Morningdew was there, and complained of having to kill at least a dozen of the skulls singlehandedly. He seemed mystically winded.
- Bram the Blithe had not been seen since he left to purportedly take a dump after his big speech.
- Alex Orbach emerged onto the balcony from the 2nd floor Preservatory door, and joined the procession from there, after claiming to have battled skulls in the Preservatory.
- The party arrived at the crime scene: Invictusâs âHall of Victory,â the hallway on the 2nd floor leading to the library. The victim was Dominic Tremere, still wearing his Periapt of Health. His heart was cut out in an apparently hasty fashion, with a supernaturally sharp knife. There was surprisingly little blood.
- The southern door was slightly ajar. The party investigated the room beyond, and found it to be a torture chamber. On the south side, rather than a wall, there was a pit, which was full of a writhing mass of zombies, 15 feet down. Ghensh flew around under the torture chamber, above the zombie, just out of their clutches, searching for clues, but did not find much.
- The door to the north led to the library.
- Investigating the body itself, it was clear to the investigators that the scene must have been cleaned up somehow.
- The pirate returned from outside. The party heard the front door slam, and him tromp up the stairs. His arms were scratched up, fromâhe claimedâwrestling a tree into submission so that he could shit on it.
- Callie connected the dots of Alex Orbach being the one who stole the Necronomicon. She believed that whoever had done that is the same person who stole her family heirloom. She confronted Orbach demanding that he empty his pockets. When pressured by everyone else, he reluctantly produced magic chalk of his own design which was âquantum linked.â
- Orbach expressed scorn that he was kicked out of the wizard college, due to his invention being âtoo dangerous.â It somehow harnesses the Flux to quantumly link objects.
- He did not, however, produce the Puzzlebox.
- Callie cast speak with dead on the corpse. Tremereâs body bolted upright in a puppetlike semblance of life. He fingered Orbach as his murderer. Callie was considering her next question, when the spell started to unravel for reasons unknownâŚ
AC50 Cudo 13
[07e03] Interrupted... by MURDER
- Bram was called into the room. He jumped up on a table, tankard in hand. âBegginâ your pardon, but⌠I donât need to go in that room to make an offer. Listen up, me hearties. If I end up with that juice, then you (points to Stormcloud) get on my boat. You (points to Sartus and Tybalt), Iâll fix your Tree. You (points to Invictus) canât use it anyway; and Iâll get your book back for ya. You (points to the SPI), Iâll tell you what happened to the rest of the SPI, and who was responsible. You (points to Orbach): you can be a pirate on my pirate ship; I know you want to. And you (pointing to Tremere): you get nothing; fuck you. And now: I gotta go take a shit. Think about it.â And he stomps out of the parlor into the foyer.
- Next, Stormcloud called Janus Ilaris. Tybalt channeled Janus. Tybalt hung like a marionette, floating/hanging with toes off the ground, with dead eyes, hair standing on end. Janus was translucent, wearing elven finery, floating an inch off the ground.
- Meanwhile, Cal sneaked out of the room after Tremere and Invictus, who had slunk off to have a private chat. He listened at the door of (what he later learned is) the âPreservatory.â
- Tremere: âWhat will it take to get you off my back?â
- Invictus: âI want your warforged.â
- Tremere pauses. âNo deal.â
- Invictus (surprised/intrigued): âThe pirate was right: you donât have it anymore!â
- Tremere (angrily): âOf course I still have it!â
- Invictus, no longer interested. âWe have nothing left to discuss.â
- And Cal heard Tremereâs stomping feet coming toward the door.
- Cal hid in the shadow of a foyer staircase, but Tremere noticed himââWhat are you looking at?â
- Tremere stomped back to the parlor, trying but physically failing to break a decorative lamp.
- Tybalt, still as Janus, emerged. Stormcloud seemed more pleased with how the meeting went.
- Stormcloud called the SPI. They wrangled Vondal from the library. Cal followed the ghost into the dining area, where he discovered Tybalt having a private conversation with it. âBegone, mortal!â the ghost spoke in a deep supernatural voice, gestured dramatically and psionically pushed Cal out of the room.
- Afterward, back to normal, Tybalt apologized for his patronâs rudeness. âIf you want to compare notes after your meeting, seek me out. Good luck.â
- Callie, Vondal and Cal entered the study with Stormcloud. âYou have the best leverage. If you turn over both artifacts to me, I will give you the vial.â Both artifacts? Stormcloud revealed that the pommel of Calâs sword is in fact the Arkenstone, the artifact of Light. Vondal and Cal realized that the timelines match up for when the stone disappeared, and when Hyperion (Calâs guardian?) gave it to Cal. (Cal realized that Hyperion used the Giant word âinstrumentâ when describing the sword, which at the time Cal had thought was merely a formalism of the situation, but he has now understood to mean something like âcardinal toolâ).
- The party negotiated with Stormcloud. They offered to give her the Lamp, and let her study Calâs stone between missions, with Calâs supervision.
- While Stormcloud considered the offer, Callie asked to speak with her privately.
- Cal and Vondal left the room, seeing that only Timor Invictus was currently in the study, standing motionless in one corner.
- Meanwhile, Callie asked Stormcloud whether she knew anything about a puzzlebox. âYou speak of the artifact of Knowledge, yes? The owner is in attendance at this auction.â
- Before Callie could ask anything further, a wave (of unmagic? or Flux?) washed over the room. Cal and Vondal could feel that the wave did not originate from the study, but rather the opposite direction from them.
- The lights went out; the room was lit by glowing green flames of a flameskull near the study ceiling. Stormcloud sprang into action, calling out: âTake them down! But please avoid collateral damage.â
- The SPI battled the flameskulls:
- The skulls moved quickly, shooting fire rays from their eyes, burning Callie and Vondal badly.
- Stormcloud then used mass protection from energy to give fire resistance to the agents.
- Cal stabbed one with an expert strike of his sun blade, and a wave of energy exploded outward from the pommel, damaging two enemies.
- Callie channeled her goddesses into an undead turning effect which destroyed the flameskull Cal had weakened most, and sent the other two fleeing into a corner of the parlor.
- Vondal hammered the two remaining skulls with scorching rays (crit!), before realizing that they were immune to fire-based attacks. However, he could feel that the matrix of his magic was, incredibly, completely aligned in a manner that made his attacks completely reliable, and more effective than usual.
- The skulls continued to flee, since they had not taken any damage.
- Stormcloud readied a counterspell, cautioning the agents to finish off the monsters quickly.
- Cal could not reach them, but pulled out his whip and hit one, which snapped it out of its panic to flee.
- Callie summoned a spiritual weapon, and blasted the damaged skull with sacred flame.
- Vondal hit the two skulls with an augmented witchbolt, which was again super effective, destroying one and damaging the other.
- The remaining skull tried to manifest a fireball in its mouth, but Stormcloud countered it with a chopping motion. She then readied another counterspell, saying, âI can only do that once more! Finish it quickly!â
- The agents slung more attacks at it. The skull tried to manifest a flaming sphere but it was again countered. Finally, Cal destroyed it with a final blow.
- They looked around warily, but saw no more foes.
- Soon after the battle, the lights flickered and the room returned to normal.
- A loud knock was heard in the distance, which Vondal recognized as the spell of that name being used somewhere nearby.
- Less than a minute later, Timor Invictus reappeared in the parlor. âIâm afraid I have bad news. Someone has died. I suggest you come quickly.â
AC50 Cudo 13
[07e02] The Auction Begins
- Went to spooky manor.
- Went through foyer to parlor. Met Priscilla Stormcloud.
- Argued about geas wording:
- I will do no harm for 24 hours, unless my existence is in danger.
- I will negotiate in good faith and will not steal or damage property.
- Invictus: I pledge to guarantee your safe passage to a location of your choice within my power before the geas expires.
- Everyone (including Timor and Priscilla) swears the geas.
- Stormcloud explained that she had a potion that could turn you into a god. But she cannot drink it for reasons.
- Michael:
- Does she know which item is the one she needs to study?
- If so, what are the rest of us doing here? If not, whatâs her plan?
- Dominic Tremere was the first to enter private negotiations.
- Vondal asked Timor if he could use the library. Timor escorts him there, to the west wing, past a hallway of urns labeled with peopleâs names and slights they committed (presumably against him).
- Meanwhile, Freki asks Tybalt how he appeared out of thin air, at the transport circle. Tybalt answered that he teleported in while invisible. He explained that he bonded his soul to another in exchange for certain powers. Then they both checked the perimeter like dual Jack Bauers.
- Cal checked out the zombie kitchen. He found a larder, a wine rack, a freezer, and a bunch of ovens and grills. He met a ghast chef.
- Tremere emerged seeming very displeased with the session. Alex Orbach was next to go in.
- Callie challenged the pirate to a rum-drinking contest. She used sleight of hand to pretend to drink more than she really could. But at the end, the pirate cast a magic spell to sober up, and she was still tipsy. Then the pirate started blathering about his magic ship and had a great number of stories about how he got it.
- Orbach returned. Bram the Blithe was next to go in.
- Dominic Tremere said to Invictus that they need to talk. It was heavy with subtext. They went off to talk.
AC50 Cudo 11-13
[07e01] The Invitation
- The SPI agents were covered in Flux goo from Solomonâs explosion. Their memories were scattered and fragmented while Mallory briefed them on the latest happenings:
- Freki remembered Mallory paying him, and offering him a job as a full-time member of the SPI. As part of his pitch, Mallory gave a vague spiel about knowing what itâs like to be alone. Freki accepted the job. Cassandra healed Frekiâs fragmented essence.
- Bec remembered opening Groshâmogâs cage. âYou will soon find a clue to your fatherâs whereabouts. But it will not matterâthe world will finally be rid of filthy elves soon,â he declared smugly. âMay you find honor and glory. I hope we do not meet again; I would hate to have to kill you.â
- Cal remembered parting ways with Kavaki, feeling mutual respect and a sense that they would meet again some day. He also remembered seeing Ceowyn in the room next door practicing the four types of elemental energy, spinning, combining, separating. Ceowyn invited him to a sparring session. Cal was tripped up when the tiles in the floor erupted under his feet; Cal cut him with his sword; Ceowyn closed his eyes in concentration and healed the wound by meditating.
- Callie remembered Salazin, the familyâs new imp servant, appearing with a summons from her parents. She returned home to speak with them. They told her a Flux spot now grows beneath Euphoria. It is dangerous and unfit for operation. The Rockwell clan does not know how to deal with this albatross. Callie promised to tell her boss about it, and ask him for aid.
- Vondal remembered receiving a private lecture from Mallory. The Temple of Symmetry was ultimately sucked into the unstable vortex which was created when Vondal disrupted the Zenithal Summit. Sonan the Scholar is dead, from the wounds he suffered curing Vondal, KĂĄra and Mishaal. Ceowyn wants a place where he can meditate in seclusion, as recompense. Mallory told Vondal: âThis goes beyond a formal reprimand. I should fire you. But weâve been through too much together. So according to the official case file, the bad guyâs magic tainted the platform. Donât make me regret thisâI could lose my job if you get up to any more wild magic shenanigans.â
-
Mallory told the agents that they have a new resident of HQ: Ceowyn Mandragoran, the Master of Earth, from the Temple of Symmetry, who teleported in (!) and requested to stay, now that his monastery was destroyed.
- Mallory also told the party that several new areas of Flux have emerged, including one where the Stormherd camp was, and another at the old SPI headquarters under the Mountain. He says that their colleague Audreth has been dispatched to Euphoria to research ways to combat their growth. Mallory stresses that the SPIâs new top priority is to prevent, or failing that, contain explosions of wild magic from now on (e.g., like Cal tried to do by destroying the Flux weapon), until a way is found to reverse the Flux at these hotspots.
- Mallory gave the agents their next caseâalthough no crime has been committed this time. He showed them a card he received which âdemands a response.â On the front side, written in flowery elven script, was âR. Mallory.â On the flip side, it was blank, but with detect magic, writing appeared: âAt the sanctum of the esteemed T. Invictus, His Dreaded Excellency. Be at the 4th Circle of Estanesse at twilight on Evensday. Rest assured that all manner of precautions are being taken to protect all involved parties. Yours sincerely, P. Stormcloud, MAI, MHA.â
- Callie and Bec knew the name P. Stormcloud: she is a historian, author of âThe Aecus Concord and the War of Countless Deaths,â the definitive history of the events leading up to the cataclysm and reformation 50 years ago.
- MAI = Master of Arcane Invocations; MHA = Master of the Historical Arts.
-
Mallory briefed the team on known artifacts likely to be on par with the lamp. These objects might (or might not) be part of this auction. The artifacts in the file include: 1) the Necronomicon, 2) the Arkenstone; 3) the Cornucopia of Life; 4) Yggdrasil, the World Tree; and 5) the Lamp of Seeming. After hearing about the artifacts, it occurred to Bec that each one seemed to be aligned with a different divine domain! See Items of Interest from the case 07 file for details.
- In the 24 hours before the meeting time, Bec, Callie, and Vondal investigated possible artifacts for the remaining domains:
- Knowledge: Callie had a hunch about what it might be! But she did not share.
- Tempest: Callie summoned Belifax so that she and Bec could ask him about Melora, the goddess of the sea who the citizens of Trell are forbidden to worship. When they dropped her name, Belifax whispered the legend: Melora lives in the eye of the Relentless Hurricane, at the helm of a mighty vessel which she built using her own two hands. Many in Trell do not believe it, and in fact, Melora worship is sometimes punished by sending the offenders into the hurricane. Belifax then offered them some freshly baked blood cookies.
- War: No ideas yet!
- Meanwhile, Freki scouted out the 4th Circle of Estanesse, and found it looks like this: He staked out the place for 24 hours. As the time of the meeting neared, several colorful characters emergedâsee Persons of Interest from the case 07 file for details.
- Timor Invictus appeared at the circle, and demanded everyone produce their invitations.
AC50 Cudo 11-13
[Case 07] Hazards and Harbingers
Persons of interest
Priscilla Stormcloud (female, elf, middle aged)
- A noted historian.
- Has organized an âAuction of Divine Potential.â
Timor Invictus (male, lich, ancient)
- One of the Unholy Triumvirate, the rulers of Arallu.
- Believed to have lived for hundreds or even thousands of years, his life force sustained by dark necromancy.
Bram the Blithe (male, human, adult)
- Captain of Meloraâs legendary pirate ship.
Janus Ilaris (male, elf/ghost, adult/???)
- The Vengeful Ghost, one of the Unholy Triumvirate of Arallu.
- Patron of Tybalt Nightbreeze.
Sartus Morningdew (male, elf, adult)
- A wizard of the Holy Sorcerers, the order to which Bec Galereâs father Letharil belongs.
- Attending the auction on behalf of Titania, Queen of the Fey.
Tybalt Nightbreeze (male, half-elf, young adult)
- A warlock of the fey, and former SPI team member.
- Previously called home on elven business by the Fey Queen.
- Attending the auction on behalf of his patron, Janus Ilaris.
Alex Orbach (male, human, adult)
- A wizard(?) guy. What is his deal?
Dominic Tremere (male, human, adult)
- A dealer in antiquities from Refuge, RUP.
- Patron of Case 01, and victim of Case 02.
- Returned to life as a young man via a clone in his vault.
- Needs to wear a periapt of health at all times.
- Formerly in possession of the Necronomicon and Warforged.
Items of interest
Necronomicon (Death)
- Anything which touches it is cursed by (un)death.
- Naming a creature and writing its name in the book curses them to die.
- The SPI believes the book to be in the possession of the cancer druid Isis Raâksh, current whereabouts unknown.
Puzzlebox (Knowledge)
- It seems Callie somehow knows about this artifact.
Arkenstone (Light)
- Legend says it was forged by Moradin, god of dwarves, and used to fuel the fire at the heart of the Great Mountain.
- Two months ago, it was in the SPIâs possession. They were studying it. Then the SPI exploded in flames one nightâit may or may not have been the Stone which was responsible⌠afterward, the Arkenstone was gone.
**Cornucopia of Life (Life)
- Very large. In Oasis in the R.U.P. on public display.
- Worthy drinkers receive Pelorâs blessing; unworthy are judged.
- Would take several strong people to lift it out of its mount.
**Yggdrasil, the World Tree (Nature)
- In the heart of Estanesse; the elves believe it sustains all life.
- Too big to move, but legend has it that it can bear fruit, and that its branches and leaves have power as well.
**The Tempest (Tempest)
- Bram the Blithe sails a legendary ship that he claims was crafted by Melora, the goddess of storms and the sea.
**Lamp of Seeming (Trickery)
- Name as indicated in Raâfajâs diary. Currently in the SPI evidence locker.
- Preliminary research suggests that it grants wishes tainted by the wielderâs heart.
Warforged (War)
- The SPI believes the War artifact is Martine Andrews, the erstwhile robot butler of Dominic Tremere.
Crime scene
The Auction of Divine Potential is happening at the sanctum of Timor Invictus the Dread Necromancer, deep within the Forest of Shadows.
AC50 Cudo 07
[06e06] The Union of the Elements
- Sean separated the belts on his front right tire. He also bent three of his rims.
- Then we started gaming.
- Then he rolled a 1, so basically same deal.
- Cal somehow managed to Back To The Future the Flux Capacitor! It started to fade from reality. Solomon broke the weapon anyway! The stuff inside melted over him, but it was evaporating as that happened. That didnât seem to have been the plan.
- Solomon called the genie and asked for his final wish. The genie said âAs you wish, Masterâ and it was creepy so Bec took matters into her own hands with a Magic Missile. This got her stabbinated by the spear-wielding yak guard.
- The genie unwound time in an attempt to retrieve the Flux Capacitor from before it was destroyed. Solomon immediately began to ripple and grow. There was an explosion and some of the party were knocked over and damaged.
- Solomonâs new monstrous form, reminiscent of Akira (1, 2), rolled over even his own defenders as he cried out in ecstasy, tears streaming down the face of his original head.
- Now free, the genie granted three boons to the party to aid them in fighting the abomination created by Solomonâs wish.
- After generating several âsaneâ heads and having them lopped off, the Solomon monster started generating âinsaneâ heads.
- The SPI fought valiantly to destroy Solomon, finally succeeding: Solomon exploded in a shower of guts, blood and chaotic magic.
AC50 Cudo 07
[06e05] The Stormherd
- Munin pecked Frekiâs eye. Freki had a vision:
- What was. Fire. Burning. Blood. Talos sneering disdainfully: âThere is nothing else I need from a lycanâ and he turns away.
- What is. Sabrina scoldingly to Andalla: âThat bird was his friend!â; Andalla grinning wickedly with pointed orc teeth: âSo? Spirit animals are delicious!â and she turns into a raven and flies.
- What might be. A ring on Talosâs hand flashes, and his fist begins to glow. Effortlessly, he lifts Freki off the ground by his neck. âYou are weak. Your people were weak. Afraid of who you really are, and the power within you. What a disappointment.â He throws Freki down and swings the spiked chainâŚâ
- WAKE UP! utters Munin, pecking Frekiâs eye again. It explodes in pain.
- Munin tells Freki he is not yet ready. âIt is not strength you lack, but wisdom. And allies.â
- Frekiâs left eye got all cataract-like. Callie tried to heal it, but there was nothing physically wrong.
- Upon further consultation of the compass, the party decided to head toward the Stormherd, which seemed close. Munin also flew in that direction (westward). Ghensh flew above the trees on his magic carpet.
- The party asked Kavaki whether she had any experience with the yakfolk. She said she had only encountered them once, as hostiles, and she barely escaped with her life.
- After a time, the party discovered several plumes of smoke, the Stormherd encampment.
- Outside the encampment, some yak kids are crowded around a scorpion and a spider, while the two creatures viciously fight. Cal notices one yak child slumped against a tree, apparently sleeping despite the noise. The children ran away once the yaks detected the party nearby.
- The party requested entrance into the camp to speak with Solomon, who they had learned was a powerful diviner. The yaks initially refused to let the party in, but Bec convinced them that the party was elementally balanced (which was apparently somehow important to the yaks). Naamah the spokesyak was the only one who spoke Common.
- Zanqaa the Devoted, an obsequious dao genie servant, appeared. He extended his master Solomonâs invitation for the party to spend the night and witness the Joining of the Elements ceremony at dawn.
- Bec threw veggies on the ceremonial fires in an attempt at cultural respect. She tried to grab some of the ash from the fire, but the yaks stopped her.
- Ghensh sang songs of his ancestors, and their (fictional) partnership with the yakfolk in past efforts to spread their race across Aecus.
- The party started poking around the camp. They found Groshâmog the orc in a cage in one of the tents. He told them he was an oracle from the Blood Hand, and said the yaks were planning to sacrifice him very soon now. He begged them to free him.
- While party members debated whether to do so, Zanqaa appeared again and said his master was ready to receive them.
- As the party entered Solomonâs pavilion, they found three strong-looking guards inside, who Kavaki recognized as the ones she had fought previously. Solomon was sitting up in a king-size four-post bed. Next to him on one side was an end table with a spell book, and on the other side of the bed was a large scrying pool.
- The party had a conversation with Solomon, during which it became clear that his intentions were quite nefarious. While Cal was noticing something odd about one of Solomonâs pillows, Bec realized with dawning horror that Solomon must be the one who had somehow orchestrated Kavakiâs actions: Kavaki had been attacked by yaks, so Solomon could have been watching her via his scrying pool. She panicked, and shouted, âRun!â But the yak guards blocked the partyâs escape.
- Solomon shook his head in a tsk tsk sort of way. âToo bad it has to come to this. Behold the union of the elements!â He pulled something out from under his pillowâit was the Flux Capacitor. Solomon moved to break the weapon across his knee; Cal, who had been watching like a hawk, moved to stop himâŚ!
AC50 Solis 28 - Cudo 07
[06e04] Retracing Kavaki's Steps
- Callie healed Kavaki. Cal rescued Freki from the stream before he drowned. Vondal made sure Sabrina was OK, and gave her a cookie.
- The party talked to Kavaki. At first, she did not want to say anything, saying that her story was too strange and unbelievable. But the SPI convinced her to tell them anyway, with Vondal explaining that it was their job to believe what most people find unbelievable.
- Kavaki claimed that she was ambushed while sleeping in the jungle, and that somehow her body was taken over by a foreign power, which physically compelled her to take all the actions that she did. She was fully conscious and aware while her body returned to the Malosi encampment, asked Sabrina to make the Flux Capacitor, took it on a several-days-long solo march through the jungle to the Manufeai, and wordlessly murdered them with it. She also remembers her body using it to absorb some sort of essence or energy from the slain gnolls afterward, and it resonating strongly afterward. Her body then marched her far to the south, where she laid down and was bludgeoned unconscious by unseen persons.
- When she awoke, the Flux Capacitor was gone, she stumbled a few steps, and found herself at the stream with Sabrina, Mengiris and the SPI.
- Bec checked the area where Kavaki had come from, and found a series of concentric circles with energy directed inward. She theorized that Sabrina had somehow unwittingly transported Kavaki here using her power.
- Kavakiâs flux tattoos started acting up. Even though Callie healed her, she seemed like she was slipping away somehow. Vondal tried to channel wild magic at a tattooâit resonated and he felt like he was in perfect harmony with the surge of wild energy as the orange tattoo jumped from her onto his body.
- Kavaki was angry, but also seemed slightly more grounded. She sat up a little. The other tattoos were all still wiggly, shimmering and unstable, though. Sabrina believed that Kavaki needed to get the tattoos off her body in order to survive. Normally though, a person can only sustain one tattoo at a timeâkeeping more at once requires immense strength of will. But Kavakiâs will had been weakened by her ordeal.
- Kavaki did not want to lose her tattoos, but Cal had a conversation with her in the tongue of giants, affirming that those responsible must be brought back into the Ordningâgiant cultureâs concept of a unified justice and order to the giantkind and the universe as a whole. Cal swore an oath to help Kavaki do this, and Kavaki agreed to lend the SPI her tattoos, as Cal directed.
- After some discussion, the SPI agents agreed to each shoulder the burden of a tattoo. Sabrina declined to have one, and no one asked Mengiris or other Malosi.
- The seven tattoos are: green (biofeedback, DR 4/- for 7 min.); blue (defy gravity, 1 hour, self only); yellow (time hop, 5 rounds forward, Will DC 15 negates); orange (hustle); red (hammer, 4 touches at 3d8 each); violet (vigor, 20 temporary HP); and black (truevenom, Fort DC 15). Tattoos recharge after one hour.
- The tattoos also imbue some personalized metaphysical power upon each character. Players (out of game decision) can activate these powers once per session, as needed. The powers are merely guidelinesâanything that fits the character is appropriate here.
- Bec - Prevailing truth (Arcana, History, Nature, Religion). The tree of infinite possibility appears before you, you see branches which must be eliminatedâand a powerful truth remains.
- Freki - Animal instinct (Survival). You smell emotions, even as they fade, and can even track people by the âemotional trailâ they leave.
- Cal - Healthy skepticism (Perception). You notice something subtly out of place, which everyone else is taking for granted.
- Callie - Inspired reading (Insight). You have a supernatural flash of inspiration which yields a line of questioning that, together with a subjectâs body language and response tone, is likely to extract a secret from them.
- Vondal - Lucid memory (Luck). You remember something from the past which is relevant.
- Ghensh - Stranger than fiction (Performance). You perceive the narrative arc of the universe, compelling you to burst into an impromptu story which parallels reality.
- Sabrina channeled immense psychic energy to transplant the tattoos as directed by Cal. Everyoneâs heads went fully fuzzy; when the psychic fuzz cleared, a dragonborn named Ghensh Faass was present, bearing one of the tattoos. This was completely expected and normal to everyone presentâhe had always been there. (It seems the flux tattoos are somehow linked to unstable reality, much like the Flux as a whole.) And there was never any black tattooâthere are only six.
- In response to this metaphysical outburst, the Malosi tribe chieftain Talos appeared. He challenged the SPIâs presence in âhis domain.â Talos appeared as a well-muscled centaur with much bling (magical and otherwise), a spiked chain easily accessible on his flank, and a missing joint on one finger. He was arrogant and superior, but perceptive, disdainfully referring to Freki as a âlycan.â Calâs sword drew his interest, and he requested(!) to handle it more closely. Cal sensed his avarice and refused; Talos backed down and allowed the SPI to leave without a fight in pursuit of the flux weapon.
- Kavaki agreed to lead them through the jungle in the direction she went before. They headed south for some days, but noticed nothing immediately relevant to their investigation during the journey. On the third evening, Kavaki told them they had gone farther south than she was at the time she was bludgeoned and left for dead.
- The party made camp to discuss what to do next.
- Bec checked the compass and noted: Manufeai (fanged tooth) pointed NNE; Malosi (finger bone) pointed N; Blood Hand Orcs (patch of skin) pointed NW; Stormherd (clump of fur) pointed W.
- Callie threw a prophecy bead in the fire: âThe hounds are on the trail, and soon will catch the scent. Heed the raven.â
- The next morning, a raven hopped on Frekiâs face, and pecked him awake. âHello! I am Munin,â it told Frekiâs mind.
AC50 Solis 25-28
[06e03] The Malosi
- They left the scene with Freki and Ni, and made camp to decide what to do next. Ni decided to return to the scene after exchanging tokens in a binding agreement.
- A lizardfolk ninja named Semu appeared, andâon strict orders from the elder of her tribeâgave the SPI a âvoodoo compassâ capable of tracking the five tribes of the area. Semu warned it must be returned after justice had been served. The compass was flatâthe size of two hands togetherâwith four needles, the tail of each attached to something grisly:
- Manufeai: a fanged tooth
- Blood Hand Orcs: a patch of skin
- Malosi: a finger bone
- Stormherd: a clump of fur
- Semu said: âOur debt to the Concord is now paid. When you are finished with the compass, leave it in Xaos, at the shrine of Essyllis. Do not seek us out or you will die. The elder also bid I give you this.â She handed them a bag of fire beads. âI warn you: her premonitions are incessant and melodramatic. Be measured in your response.â
- Two beads emitted prophetic words:
- âBeware: the poltergeist seeks to fulfill its wish.â
- âThe death of the wilds brings the worldâs ruin. Unless you act.â
- A third vibrated wildly, and when thrown in the fire, caused Vondal to materialize. And the fire snuffed out.
- The party used the compass to find the Malosi. It led them to a tree with a magical portal entrance. Freki used his bird Hugin to scout, but it was noticed by an orc dragon shaman, who vaporized with magical energy of some kind. Freki attacked in retaliation, and the dragon shaman blasted him too with devastatingly powerful but partially uncontrolled auras. Callie managed to talk down the situation with a bluff, leading to an uneasy truce.
- Andalla the shaman warned the party not to enter the portal (even though thatâs where the compass pointed), because inside was the Malosi chieftain Talos, who would likely kill them for trespassing.
- Andalla told the SPI that Kavakiâs favorite place was down by the river, so they went there, and encountered another member of the Malosi: an armored being with a very large two-handed sword, standing watch. Attempts to check it for magical auras revealed it was a âblack holeâ of magic. Vondalâs wild magic backfired, creating an explosive fireball, which nearly killed Callieâbut time slowed and a child emerged. She rubbed a substance over Callieâs body and clothes, such that when the explosion resumed, Callie was not killed. âYou should be more careful,â the girl said. The party soon learned her name was Sabrina.
- Sabrina was mischievous but friendly, and told them several important things:
- She is friends with Kavaki.
- Mengiris is her protector.
- Talos uses Sabrinaâs powers for his own purposes, when she allows it.
- She sculpts karach, which forms in underground caves where the Flux is strong.
- She made a karach weapon for Kavaki, who was very insistent about needing it for reasons Sabrina does not know.
- At the request of the SPI, Sabrina used her psychic ability to reach out to Kavaki. Bec created a tiny hut, a magic bubble which would protect them from Sabrinaâs psychic disruption. Freki wanted no part of it, though, and was knocked unconscious by the mental force (think Professor X in the movie Logan). Mengiris was unaffected. Sabrina seemed substantially drained from the effort, saying she had done all she could. Shortly thereafter, Kavaki stumbled through the trees, having suffered grievous physical harm. âItâs gone,â she muttered, and then collapsed in exhaustion.
AC50 Solis 25
[06e02] Freki the Hunter, Freki the Witness
- The party slew the demonic reanimations of the tribe.
- They spoke to Freki, who had witnessed the actual crime a few days before.
- Flux Capacitor! Named by Stephanie!
- Cal was itchy from the vargouille.
- Callie paid Freki 5 gold to help find some plants to cure the itching.
- Callie and Bec used the sending stone to Mallory:
- Callie: Flux-based weapon in hands of Malosi goliath. Client wants revenge, also weapon. Cal itchy. Poisoned?? Abandoned by guides 4 days from city.
- Mallory: Malosi exceptionally formidable. Gather more intel. Make a solid plan. Definitely capture that weapon. Why itchy? Plant? Poison? Spell? Cure him ASAP. Hire new guide.
- Ni and Freki exchanged tokens: he gave her a special arrow, and she gave him one of her jingly bells. She said he is now bound to help, and he said she is bound to use the weapon for good. She promised to only slay those who deserve it.
- Ni left, saying she will await news from them regarding the incident. She seemed to believe that some of her tribe may have lived (in a sense) through this ordeal, and made stronger.
- Freki gathered more herbs and various plant stuff, to restock arrows, and get Itchy some more cold cream.
- Callie tried to heal Cal again. She cast Cure Wounds and flushed the taint out of Calâs body.
- Freki called out to Hugin to fly cover. He sensed contact and acquiescence.
- The party discussed how to find the Malosi, since that seemed to be their best lead.
- Bec tried to form an alliance with the taciturn Freki. The SPI wanted to hire him as a guide. Freki said he could do as well as the people that they had. He wanted 11 gold a day, payable upon first access to a teleportation circle.
- The party did a round of introductions.
AC50 Solis 24-25
[06e01] Fate of the Manufeai
- The SPI traveled to Xaos, the City of Chaos, to look for the tribe of the Manufeai (gnoll tribe) because they heard something terrible and mysterious had happened to them.
- After watching the hubbub for a while, they luckily encountered Bruck, who they persuaded to guide them to the site of the Manufeai, for a price. Bruck subsequently hired Vuthos as a co-guide.
- At the site, the SPI met Ni, the sole surviving Manufeai gnoll, who hired them.
- In Xaos, looking for a guide.
- Bumped into Bruck, which was great because no one else would be a guide to the Manufeai.
- Bruck reluctantly agreed, but said he needed to get supplies.
- He came back with lots of supplies and another orc named Vuthos.
- Tough trek through the jungle. Many huge spiders and other huge things. Vuthos enjoyed spearing and eating them. Bec and Callie studied the fauna, catching stuff in jars and drawing sketches. (Was Cal there? Was Vondal?)
- Upon reaching the encampment, greeted by a shriveled orc witch doctor. âGood, you come,â she said. She introduces herself as Ni, an elder of the tribe, and leads the party to the scene of the incident.
- The zone is scorched with chaos, slain gnolls and parts thereof strewn around. One corpse has bees coming out of a honeycomb where its chest used to be. Another has a stone slab superimposed, jutting out of one buttock. The rest are similarly grotesque and unique.
- Upon close inspection, all of their heads look⌠fiendish. Like demons. They wobble and begin breaking off at the neck. Vargouilles!
- There is one corpse which is wearing especially nice armor and shield, with an angry eye sigil branded on it. It begins to change, muscles distending as it risesâŚ
AC50 Solis 24 - Cudo 07
[Case 06] Mutilation and Metamorphosis
Victims
The Manufeai, a tribe of gnolls reknowned for being vicious carnivores.
Crime scene
The Manufeai appear to have been killed by some sort of Flux-related event: their bodies are twisted and some look like demons (Ni: âthey grew stronger in deathâ).
When the SPI arrived, their leader, Rohna (female, gnoll, cleric of Yeenoghu), rose as some kind of demonic entity; other tribe members became vargouilles.
Witness
There was a witness: Freki, a wildling ranger. He awoke during the conflict after apparently being unconscious for days(!?). He saw a goliath woman wielding a shimmering rainbow weapon approach the camp with malevolent purpose. She pointed the weapon at the camp guard (identified post mortem as Arrna by Ni) and overwhelming chaotic energy blasted forth, scorching the entire camp. Freki was knocked backward off his feet and fell unconscious.
Tribes
Freki tells the SPI that several tribes frequent this area of the Jungle near Xaos:
- The Manufeai, a vicious gnoll tribe.
- The Blood Hand Orcs, a nasty band of orcs who occasionally wonât kill you on sight.
- The Malosi, a tribe of outcasts too extreme for the other tribes, who value strength above all else, and have a fearsome reputation to match.
- The Blackscales, a mysterious and xenophobic tribe of lizardfolk.
- The Stormherd, a tribe of yikarians (a.k.a. yak-folk) feared and hated by all others.
Persons of interest
Ni Riverfang (female, gnoll, elderly)
- A witch doctor, the sole surviving member of the Manufeai tribe.
- She hired the SPI to find out what happened to her clan folk.
- Seems intrigued by the idea that her kin may be reborn stronger.
Freki (male, wildling, adult)
- A ranger who does not play well with others.
- Claims to have witnessed the massacre.
Bruck (male, orc, middle aged)
- Orc former slave (see case 03), friend to the Blood Hand Orcs.
- Helped guide the SPI from Xaos to the site of the Manufeai massacre.
Vuthos (male, orc, young adult)
- Jovial tribesman of the Blood Hand Orcs.
- Bruck brought him in contact with the SPI to act as co-guide.
- When he saw the scene of the Manufeai massacre, he seemed rattled and left in a hurry.
Kavaki (female, goliath, middle aged)
- A warrior member of the Malosi tribe. Her body is covered in tattoos.
- Freki witnessed her killing the Manufeai with the Flux Capacitor (the karach weapon).
- She claims her body was taken over by a foreign power during the crime.
Andalla (female, orc, dragon shaman, young adult)
- A member of the Malosi tribe who channels extremely powerful auras.
Sabrina (female, githzerai, child)
- An ephemeral child with very strong psionic powers.
- Very good friends with Kavaki.
- Does what Talos wants, when she feels like it.
- Told the SPI that she is the one who crafted the Flux Capacitor.
Mengiris/Menjaga
- A golem-like suit of armor that guards Sabrina.
Talos (male, centaur, unknown age)
- Leader of the Malosi.
- Even the other Malosi speak of him with reverence and fear.
Semuâanya (female, lizardfolk, adult)
- A scout/ninja warrior of the Blackscales.
- Tracked down the party on behalf of her tribeâs leader, to lend them a magical item: a compass which points to a member of each tribe. It appears the Blackscales use this to stay one step ahead of the other tribes.
- Warned that once justice has been served, the SPI needs to return the compass to the shrine of Semuanya in Xaos, or else the Blackscales will be extremely displeased. She also warned the SPI not to seek out the Blackscales, if they value their lives.
Solomon (male, yikarian, elderly)
- Ancient leader of the Stormherd, renowned as a powerful diviner.
Zanqaa the Devoted (male, dao, unknown age)
- Solomonâs earth genie servant.
Groshâmog (male, orc, adult)
- An oracle of ancestors of the Blood Hand, captured by the Stormherd, and planned to be sacrificed to the Forgotten God.
end of case 05
The Mark of Death
TODO
AC50 Solis 19
[05e01] The Temple of Symmetry
- SPI agents travel to the temple of the Progression of Symmetry, a reclusive monastic order situated at the ultimate summit of the Cliffs of Transcendance.
- Agents speak with Ou-sh-, the Grandmaster of Winds, one of four elemental masters of the monastic order. She is the one who called the SPI to investigate. They Progression is sworn not to get involved in corporeal affairs, instead pledging their lives to self-reflection and spiritual pursuit.
- Ou-sh- tells the agents that people have been jumping from the Zenithal Summit platform and disappearing. When Mishaal, daughter of the Master of Fire KĂĄra HalfdandĂłttir, became one of the victims, her mother leaped after her and also disappeared, so Ou-sh- called for the SPI in response.
- Agents speak with Ceowyn Mandragoran, Master of Earth, who expresses his support for the Progressionâs policy of non-intervention.
- Agents speak with Sonan the Scholar, Master of Water, who has secretly kept a journal of all the victimsâ namesâwhich include a young orphanâin violation of the orderâs edicts.
- Vondalâwho has a soft spot for orphansâis furious, runs outside, and blasts the platform (which the agents sense is radiating a strange power) with wild magic. It causes a violent disruption, opening a rift, and sucking Vondal in!
- In response, a red dragonborn acolyte emerges angrily from the temple carrying a lamp, and dives into the rift! Inside, Vondal witnesses him use the lamp to transform into a white dragon. After a few moments, the dragon emerges from the rift and attacks the temple!
- With help from the elemental masters, the agents defeat the dragon.
- Meanwhile, Vondal navigates the place he finds himself in, which seems to be some kind of flux-tainted demiplane filled with spiderwebs. He perceives a gargantuan spider just visible deep down below. He also discovers both Mishaal and KĂĄra bound in chaotic spiderwebs, with Mishaalâs body partially corrupted by Flux.
- Vondal manages to free them both from the webs, and carry them both (mentally) back through the rift. He is also able to extract the Flux within them by channeling it through himself, but at great cost: he falls unconscious, near death.
- Sonan is able to heal Vondal using an unfamiliar technique. Vondal wakes up, and is totally fine.
- Afterward the battle, the other agents investigate the acolyteâs room, where they discover a journal with some details of his scheme, which involved sacrificing people as part of a secret cult. But to what end is unclear.
- Memory of the following few days are lost to flux poisoning.
AC50 Solis 19
[Case 05] Tumbling and Transcendence
Summary
An increasing flow of people were jumping from the Zenithal Summit of the Cliffs of Transcendence. Each longing for his wish to be granted. Each plummeting downward, never seen againâŚ
The SPI was hired by Ou-sh- (pronounced Ow-<whistle>-sh-<click>), an aarakocra, and Grandmaster of Winds of the Progression of Symmetry, a monastic order practicing the Way of the Four Elements. Officially, Ou-sh- was supposed to be watching for gargoyle threats from the Howling Gyre to the northâand was not supposed to interfere with internal city affairs. But off the record, she was very concerned that something sinister might be causing the rising tide of suicide jumpers from the Summit, near the Temple of Symmetry on the mountain top.
When Vondal found out that one of the jumpers was an orphan child, he went ballistic. In a rage, he fired wild magic at the Summit pedestal, which he could feel psychically calling out to him. There was an explosion, and a vortex opened in the sky. Vondal was sucked in; inside, he saw an endless pit filled with spiderwebs, demon spiders, and an enormous many-eyed spider deep within. He found KĂĄra and Mishaal enwebbed, and freed them.
Meanwhile, one of the acolytes, a young red dragonborn named Raâfaj, ran from the temple to the summit, and activated a magic lamp of some sort. Black smoke swirled forth⌠Raâfaj was transformed into a white dragon, and he then attacked the agents in a rage. In self-defense, they slew him.
Persons of interest
Ou-sh- (pronounced Ow-<whistle>-sh-<click>), Grandmaster of Winds (aarakocra, female, old).
Sonan the Scholar, Master of Water (samsaran, male, adult). Secretly kept a list of those who jumped. After the battle, healed Vondalâs corruption at the expense of his own life energy.
Ceowyn Mandragoran, Master of Earth (elf, male, adult). A devout philosopher who often spends weeks or even months at a time secluded in meditation. A proponent of the Progression of Symmetryâs vow to avoid contact with the outside world.
KĂĄra HalfdandĂłttir, Master of Fire (dragonborn, female, middle aged). A valkyrie. Tried to save her daughter Mishaal from the Summit, but instead they disappeared together.
Mishaal KarandĂłttir (half-dragonborn/half-human, female, young). Daughter of KĂĄra. One of the Summit victims.
Raâfaj (red dragonborn, male, young). Acolyte of the Progression of Symmetry. Secretly connected to the victims of the Summit. Was in possession of a powerful artifact called the Lamp of Seeming. Transformed himself into a white dragon in retaliation for the SPI disrupting his plans, attacking the agents, but was slain during the battle.
AC50 Solis 16
[04e03] Brian the Elder Brain
- Agents race through the garbage tunnels beneath the resortâthe walls of which have entrapped thousands of people in expressions of shock, dismay, and agonyâbefore they can be eaten by gibbering mouthers.
- Sima mysteriously has a vision of a specific path to follow, which leads to an elder brain in a pool deep within.
- Vondal dubs the brain âBrianâ in sympathy for its desire to unite the whole world in Flux.
- Sima embeds both of her axes into the brain, dashing its hopes of becoming one with all of Aecus.
- The walls entrapping all the resort visitors release the people� Memory of the following few days are lost to flux poisoning.
AC50 Solis 16
[04e02] That Sinking Feeling
TODO notes
AC50 Solis 16
[04e01] Euphoria
TODO notes
AC50 Solis 16
[Case 04] Ingestion and Incoherency
Summary
Mind flayers infiltrated BlissCoâs resort town of Euphoria via underground tunnels from the Flux. Though they were defeated by the Noffindorfs, a gnomish wizard family, and the tunnels sealed with magical wards, a young Elder Brain was (unbeknownst to the gnomes) left orphaned beneath the surface. Over time, it fused with the gray ooze garbage disposals which were installed in the sewer system, and absorbed thousands of vacationers into its psionic network of terror.
BlissCo hired the SPI to investigate why they had lost all communication with Euphoria. The agents discovered that the sewers were crawling with horrific entities that devoured people, transforming them into zombie elements of the psionic geological network. Sima received a mysterious but powerful vision which directed the party deep into the tunnel network where they found the Elder Brain, who Vondal dubbed âBrianâ in sympathy due to its Flux-oriented nature.
Random notes
The agents met three different imps:
- Belifax - Red - in contract with Tybalt
- Salazin - Blue - in contract with Callie - went to âpack his bagsâ and then contact the founders
- Xoomish - Green - GONE - will âget back to youâ about undead for Cal?
They also met Sophie, a little girl who had tragically been taken over by an intellect devourer.
AC50 Solis 14
[03e04] The Honor of Aldrimor
- Vondal saw a vision of a stone of light, and a figure of light grasping it. Wild magic surge. Split into two Vondals.
- Talked to and fought Zanic. Wild magic surge. Four Vondals. Zanicâs claw was much more robust than expected, but after the hand was ripped to shreds by hounds and subsequently burned, he was quite dead.
- Split up: briefed Mallory. He ordered further investigation into the magical aspects of the case (wanted necromancy trails fully explained, etc.).
- While SPI team decided how to proceed next, Larsa Wrathborn showed up and discovered the body. Upset, she left to tell the Brandywhistle of Zanicâs death.
- SPI brought Zanicâs body to the palace and talked to King Durak.
- SPI returned to Gurin Aldrimorâs keep. Confronted Bronce. He admitted that he covered up Hollerdâs actions.
- SPI made a deal with Bronce: Bronce and Hollerd pay for their crimes, SPI protects the secret of Esprit Repose for the good of the dwarven kingdom, in exchange for Rubinia Elkaâs full cooperation with the SPI in the future.
- SPI went to Hollerdâs farm. Met a female dwarf from Simaâs village. Tybalt tried (and failed) to intimidate her; but Callie took a stab in the dark and used the dwarfâs feelings for Hollerd to avoid combat. Confronted Hollerd and after a brief contest of wits, returned him to the authorities.
AC50 Solis 14
[03e03] Esprit Repose
- On the way to the castle to question Rubinia Elka, Vondal seemed pensive and distracted. He made a flimsy excuse that he needed to buy some fruit from a nearby stand, told everyone to proceed without him, and said that he would catch up later.
- The party talked to Rubinia Elka. Elka shared that Zanic Corbinic was expelled on suspicion of organizing a terrorist network. She warned them that he is extremely unstable and dangerous, stopping at nothing to achieve his radical goals.
- They told Elka known details of the crime. She shared her copy of Thaumaturgical Herbology, and together discovered that the harpyâs tears could have been used to mix a poison known as midnight tears, âthe only poison strong enough to kill a dwarf.â
- After some consideration, Elka told them that ancient legends tell of necromancers who could animate parts of a body, including a hand. Callisto recognizes this legend as that of the crawling claw, a rare form of undead. Other small forms of undead such as flaming skulls would still be too large to fit under the door.
- The party returned to Aldrimor Keep. They talked to Bruck, who told Sima alone that Stave was off on a midnight liaison with his âfriend,â and Bruck may or may not have fallen asleep on guard duty. He also said that Hollerd is the one who brought Gurin his evening meal in his room, and that they argued loudly.
- Vondal reappeared at the manor with a manilla envelope with a top secret SPI file which he claimed was somehow ânot destroyed in the fireââand for which he claimed he shouldnât have clearance. Inside was a document about an organization called Esprit Repose: a secret cabal of necromancers known to engage in sacrifice of living creatures, but whose threat rating is unknown. Five people have âpotential affiliationâ based on âunreliable testimony,â including Bronce Aldrimor, Zanic Corbinic and Rubinia Elka. The cabal is rumored to possess âVecnaâs Lore,â which the party believes might be an amulet (the amulet?) that connects its bearer to Vecna, imbuing secret forbidden knowledge.
- The party (sans Vondal) went to the Brandywhistle in the Flintlock district. Itâs a small tavern, less than a dozen tables, plus a small bar. The locals there are the rougher sort, with weapons and hide armor. Sima tells the barkeep that they, the SPI, are seeking information leading to the apprehension of necromancers who have recently committed horrid and illicit acts under the Mountain. And the SPI has reason to believe the Zanic Corbinic may possess useful information to help quell this foul tide. The barkeep was upset to learn that Larsa Wrathborn is the one who tipped off the authorities about the Brandywhistle. But she trusts Sima when she hears that the SPI has no interest in dwarven politics. She says she will âsee what she can doâ about arranging a meeting with Zanic, if the party will wait outside. The party goes around back to tell Callisto the good newsâand suddenly the back door bursts open and a hooded figure tears down the tunnelâŚ!
AC50 Solis 14
[03e02] The Almost-Kings
- Sil and Bronce decided to destroy Gurinâs corpse. Sil cut off his head, then burned the body in the fireplace.
- The party proceeded to Kham Kuldohr Academy, and tracked down Professor Gardenblossom. He is extremely old and crotchety. They told him about the clock, and he retrieved his old paper about it from his office.
- He drew a lot of animated illusions with the crayons on his crandolier. They learned the clock would explode catastrophically if the mystical core were damaged or unwoven.
- Gardenblossom reconnected the clock to the mystical core. The party learned the clock stopped at 12 oâclock exactlyâeither midnight or noon. Midnight, the apex of night, might be an anchor time for powerful magicsâeither triggered or otherwise at their most potent.
- The party had lunch while waiting for Mungus Wrathborn. During that time, Leopold told them the story of Mungus and Gurin and the almost-kings: Mungus won the duel over Brieâs heart, but was accused of cheating and was expelled from Clan Aldrimor.
- Mungus showed up and gave them the letter from Gurin begging Mungus to visit him. Mungus said that Gurinâs family would be shamedâand at least expelled from Aldrimorâif the truth came out.
- Mungus uttered some words about how maybe the Clans would be dissolved some day. Mungusâs daughter Larsa asked him to be quiet, but Vondal pressed for more details. He was persuasive, so Larsa admitted that some sympathizers are sheltering Zanic at the Brandywhistle tavern in the Flintlock district (same district where the Wrathborns live).
AC50 Solis 14
[03e01] Granduncle's Clock
- Went to the dwarven city under the Mountain.
- Went to the keep of Gurin Aldrimor.
- Met Hollerd, the eldest nephew. Hollerd said that Gurin was about to meet with Mungus Wrathborn, Gurinâs longtime rival, to reconcile their differences, later today.
- Followed a trail of necromancy from Gurinâs room to Bronceâs room. The trail of necromancy led up the side of Bronceâs bed.
- Another trail of necromancy from Gurinâs room led outside the keep.
- Bronceâs things were meticulously organized, but there was a missing vial from his desk drawer. Bronce had all manner of wizardly items, including some potentially useful for necromancy.
- Hollerd said that Bronce left very early in the morning.
- The party learned that Bronce had gone to see Sil.
- They tracked down the Dwarven Army barracks where Bronce went, and found both him and Sil in battle with subterranean goblinoids and zombies. Bronceâs fireball made short work of them, but not before Sima summoned ghost puppies with her acorn whistle.
- Everyone returned to Aldrimor Keep, and opened the crime scene door.
- The siblings reluctantly allowed the party to subdue the zombified Gurin.
- The party studied the crime scene. Of the two necromancy trails, one led up the clock, and the other led to Gurinâs bed.
- The clock was stopped at 3:32, but Callie noticed the mechanism was somehow broken, such that the hands could be freely movedâsomething clearly not intended in the original design. Unfortunately, due to the clockâs gnomish overcomplexity, only an expert on the clockâs inner workings would be able to deduce the actual time when the breakage occurred.
- Callie was admiring and studying the clock, touched it, and had a clairvoyant episode where she saw a young gnome scholar talking to a mother-to-be dwarf called Frelda about how the clock would forevermore be tied to her child.
- After initially denying that he knew the name Leopold Gardenblossom, Bronce admitted to knowing him as a professor at a local dwarven university, where Bronce had studied wizardry.
AC50 Solis 14
[Case 03] Punctuality and Perpetuity
Patron
Clan Aldrimor
Victim
Gurin Aldrimor (dwarf, male, age 348)
- Found zombified in his room, door still locked.
- Very elderly leader of clan Aldrimor.
Crime scene
- Necromancy trails up the life clock, and up the bed.
- The clock hands read 3:32, but are broken.
Persons of interest
Hollerd Aldrimor (dwarf, male, age 150)
- Gurinâs eldest nephew, a farmer. Tough but dour. A stereotypical dwarf.
- Became a farmer because he was no good at smithing.
General Sil Aldrimor (dwarf, female, age 138)
- Gurinâs niece, a soldier. Exemplary warrior and smith.
- General of the Aldrimor regiment of the Army of the Mountain.
- Leads the effort to protect the city from Underdark threats.
Bronce Aldrimor (dwarf, male, age 105)
- Gurinâs youngest nephew, a wizard.
- harpyâs tears missing
- thaumaturgical herbology book missingâŚ
- Works with his siblings:
- Researches magical agriculture with Hollerd.
- Fighting threats in the tunnels with Sil.
Bruck and Stave (orcs, male). Gurinâs bodyguard slaves.
Mungus Wrathborn (dwarf, male, age 297)
- Personal rival of Gurin.
- Dueled Gurin for Brieâs heart; won, but was kicked from the Clan for cheating (accused by Gurin).
- Claims that Gurin lied, and he did not actually cheat.
Larsa Wrathborn (dwarf, female, age 92)
- Daughter of Mungus.
- A sympathizer of the Free Dwarven Society.
Leopold Gardenblossom (gnome, male, age 444)
- Created Gurinâs life clock 350 years ago.
- It was a gift for Gurinâs mother Frelda.
- Professor at Kham Kuldohr Academy. (Motto: âA fat kitchen makes a lean will.â)
Zanic Corbinic (half-dwarf/half-githzerai, male, age 73)
- Writer with extreme political views: wants to abolish the Seven Clans.
- Expelled from the dwarven Scholarly Order for seditious activity.
- Hid in the Flintlock neighborhood, at the Brandywhistle, before being slain by the SPI.
Rubinia Elka (dwarf, female, age 186)
- Head of the Kham Kuldohr School of Magic
- Advisor to King Durak Greyshore
- Academic advisor to Bronce Aldrimor during his college years
King Durak Greyshore (dwarf, male, age 288)
- King under the Mountain
Queen Brie Greyshore (dwarf, female, age 289)
- Queen under the Mountain
- Almost married Gurin or Mungus centuries ago
GMâs note: This case was inspired by the song Grandfatherâs Clock.
AC50 Solis 12
[02e02] Pulchritudinous Euryale
- Returned to HQ to speak to Mallory. Discussed the cases and the book. Got some supplies for dealing with petrification.
- With Martine Andrews, traveled to Euryaleâs villa outside of Haven. From the looks of her villa (underground in some dwarven ruins), they concluded she was very likely a medusa, and probably the culprit.
- Spoke to her about petrification under a ruse of Callieâs grandmother being afflicted, but made her a little suspicious of their intentions.
- Left the villa. After discussion, decided to apprehend her before she could escape.
- She resisted; they fought. Martine Andrews aided the SPI agents during the fight.
- Brought the defeated Euryale back to base, and interrogated her. Learned that she had traded the book for a potion which would make her human again. Made a deal: Euryale would reveal all she knew about the two cases, in exchange for being allowed to use the potion to restore her humanity.
- Euryale told the SPI the name of the bookâs recipient: Isis Raâksh, an ex-druid who worships disease, probably a terrorist. âShe is the worst person in the world to possess that bookâand it was worth it.â
- Talked to the Contessa, who handed over the necklace, and confessed her role in Tremereâs death, as well as the secret that Euryale was using to blackmail her: her son Donovan is half fiend. She agreed to be an informant for the SPI, in exchange for their discretion.
- Returned to Tremereâs manor. Spoke to Andrews without Tremere present: told her that Isis Raâksh now had the Necronomicon. Then gave the necklace back to Tremere, and told him the good news: Euryale was apprehended. âThis is cause for celebration! Andrews, bring the wine. Our best vintage!â But she was gone.
AC50 Solis 11
[02e01] I Think I'm a Clone Now
- Examined the crime scene, discovered secret vault door behind Tremereâs portrait.
- Opened the vault, and fought undead shadowspawn that burst out. Convinced Martine Andrews to join the fight, who demonstrated extraordinary combat abilities.
- Talked to young Tremere, who claimed his murderer was Alyssa Morvain.
- Learned of the missing book in the vaultâthe Necronomiconâwhich Tremere was studying in an attempt to cure his condition (also inflicted by that very book, which he found in Arallu 40 years ago). The only clue to the means of the bookâs disappearance was smudged chalk marks on the lectern which resembled a small teleportation circle.
- Decided to travel to Euryaleâs villa the next morning. Vondal contacted Mallory to fill him in, but when the Necronomicon was mentioned, the boss ordered everyone back to HQ.
AC50 Solis 11-12
[Case 02] Exchange and Extortion
Victim
Dominic Tremere (human, male)
- Dead in his bed, rapidly decomposed and putrified
- Wealthy dealer in antiquities with many enemies
Crime scene
- Alarm spell dispelled without triggering
- Open window
- Two glyphs of warding on the window triggered (dispel magic and hold person)
- Small bloodstain on the floor by the window
Persons of interest
Dominic Tremere (human, male)
- Rich young man, clone of the victim (same great soulâgreat new body!)
- Runs an aggressive business selling antiquities
- Lives in an ostentatious manor in a rich, hilly part of town
R. Martine Andrews (robot?, âfemaleâ)
- Butler of Dominic Tremere
- Appears sentient, but without emotion
- Acquired by Tremere from an ancient Selvan temple 34 years ago.
Contessa Alyssa Morvain (dragonborn, female)
- Tremere claims she is the one who stole his necklace
- She seemed shocked that her action caused his death
Pulchritudinous Euryale (human?, female)
- Business associate who somehow knew Tremere had a particular magic book, which she attempted to acquire from him. He refused.
- She is also the one from whom he originally acquired his periapt of health necklace.
AC50 Solis 10
[01e01] The Ultimate Showdown of Stone
- Examined the crime scene.
- Interviewed Dominic Tremere at his manor; got a list of names from him (see above).
- Visited the Beastly Colosseum and interviewed Rowena Darkshield, its proprietor.
- Callie fed the list of names to Gavin, her assistant; he recognized only two of them.
- Tibalt canvassed the area around Sartanâs apartment. He spoke to a young boy who claims to have witnessed a hooded figure being let in to Sartanâs apartment on the night of the murder.
- Callisto and Sima spoke to the monster trainers, Argus Saravor and Bellamy Crue, about their whereabouts on the night of the murder, and related topics.
- The SPI agents watched the monster arena battles that evening: Gorgon vs. Basilisk, the Ultimate Showdown of Stone! The gorgon won.
- Later that night, while the agents were booking their rooms at an inn, they were magically contacted by Martine Andrews, the synthetic butler: âSPI. Come quickly. He is dead.â
AC50 Solis 10
[Case 01] Petrification and Putrifaction
Some weeks after SPI HQ burns to the ground, and all field agents have gone missing, four new recruits apply to join the SPI on the same day.
- Calumnystra (Callie) Rockwell, a well-off gnome who is ânot the muscle,â specializes in ancient and mystical objects, and is âsometimes clairvoyant.â
- Tibalt Nightbreeze, a one-eyed half-elf with a demonstrated magical knack.
- Callisto, a stout halfling outlander with ânowhere else to goâ who seems uncomfortable in the city.
- Sima Cordelia, a dwarven ranger with an affinity for animals, who âis the muscleâ and believes her gifts should be shared with the world.
The head of the SPI, Mallory (dwarf, male), seems to accept them with hardly an interview, and assigns them to a case straight away, urging them to learn to work together as a team.
A human woman named Cassandra, who seems to be Malloryâs administrative assistant, gives each recruit a sparse initiation packet, as well as a briefing on the first case. Included in the packets is the sigil sequence to the mysterious new (and windowless) SPI HQ.
Victim
Sartan Winterfrost (half-elf, male)
- Found petrified, with pieces raggedly broken off and missing (eaten??)
- Trusted accountant of Dominic Tremere
Crime scene
- Very small apartment on the poor side of town; missing basic amenities
- Ledger of expenses and income from the Tremere household
- Lists recent sales of antiquities; one to Gavin Pepperpotts, Callieâs executive
- Two pages (from 3 and 8 weeks ago) torn out
- Upon close examination, the numbers donât add upâSartan was skimming
- Locked chest containing IOUs and losing gambling tickets from the Beastly Colosseum
- Sartan was obviously petrified, but how?
- Cockatrice has a petrifying bite, but it wears off after 24 hours.
- A cockatrice is not strong enough to destroy one of its stone victims. It usually just flees afterwards.
- Gorgon has petrifying breath, which is permanent.
- But Sartanâs death is not consistent with a Gorgonâs M.O.: single opponent, and he wasnât gored first, nor ground into powder afterward.
- Basilisk has a petrifying gaze, which is permanent.
- Damage is consistent with a Basiliskâs M.O.: breaking apart and eating the stone piece by piece.
- Medusa has a petrifying gaze, which is permanent.
- They donât typically destroy the statues they create.
- They are much rarer than the other monsters.
- The powerful flesh to stone spell can petrify a victim.
- But damage to the apartment is consistent with a monster attack.
- Cockatrice has a petrifying bite, but it wears off after 24 hours.
Persons of interest
Donovan Morvain (red half-dragon? dragonborn, male)
- Local law enforcement, an officer of the Luminous Defendersâbut maybe not a paladin?
- Condescending and unhelpful
Morvainâs unknown partner (human, male)
- Another officer of the L.D., bearing a symbolâa heart impaled on a daggerâfor an apparently less common paladin order
- Described as friendlier than Morvainâbut less friendly than the ubiquitous paladins of the Devotion order
Dominic Tremere (human, male)
- Rich old man, and employer of the victim; he is the one who called in the SPI
- Runs an aggressive business selling antiquities
- Lives in an ostentatious manor in a rich, hilly part of town
- Paranoid that someone wants him deadâgives the SPI his list of prime suspects
- Lady Eden the Dispassionate
- Lord RenĂŠ Wendel â a nobleman with a penchant for buying art
- Lord Galen Ahmed
- Mihael Carpus the Senior
- Pulchritudinous Euryale â a noblewoman art dealer
- Susilo Albin
- Walter Vahid
- Has fired several prior accountants, but was pleased with Sartan; apparently unaware that Sartan was cooking the books
R. Martine Andrews (robot?, âfemaleâ)
- Butler of Dominic Tremere
- Appears sentient, but without emotion
Rowena Darkshield (dwarf, female)
- Arenamaster of the Beastly Colosseum
- Had motive: Sartan owed her money
- Claims she has âother waysâ to deal with problems, and ensure people pay debts: the Colosseum has a business arrangement with Xaryuâs Perfect Order (see below)
Argus Saravor (green dragonborn, male) and Panoptes, his basilisk
- Driven basilisk trainer who still lives with his mother
- According to Bellamy Crue, has a thing for Rowena Darkshield
- No alibi: took Panoptes for a walk outside the Colosseum three nights ago
Bellamy Crue (human, female) and Brutalis, her gorgon
- Inquisitive and observant gorgon trainer with a tough attitude
- Alibi: She was at a party three nights ago, and Brutalis was in his pen during the fights
Xaryu of the Perfect Order (beholder)
- Domineering and xenophobic head of the Xaryu Syndicateâor âPerfect Orderâ as they call themselves
- Authorities believe its lair to be somewhere beneath city streetsâbut have not pinpointed which city, since the Syndicate has a presence within several of them
before the campaign
Fire at SPI headquarters
TODO
50 years ago
The Aecus Concord
The seven nations still standing quickly met to sign a monumental peace treaty, the Aecus Concord. One of the stipulations of the treaty was the foundation of an international peacekeeping organization, consisting of individuals from all the involved nations, also dubbed the Aecus Concord. It consists of three subunits:
- Supernatural Phenomena Investigation (SPI), about whom this story is concerned. These are the people who are called in when the situation is too weird for the countryâs usual police force. Part detectives and part spies, SPI is the âInterpolâ of the A.C. However, their central focus is not on mundane crime, politics or intrigue, but only dangerous magic which might somehow threaten world peace.
- Military Aid and Defense (MAD), a mixed force offering benign services to nations that request it. Members are volunteers from the armed forces of constituent nations. MAD is the âU.N. Peacekeepingâ force of the A.C.
- Trade, Enforcement, Arbitration and Mediation (TEAM), the diplomatic arm of the A.C., facilitating diplomatic relations and fair trade between the nations. It enforces its arbitration decisions, as well as international regulations, largely via threat of trade sanctions and embargoes, should a nation fail to comply. Which so far has been rare.
The A.C. have created teleportation circles between major cities across Aecus, which all three branches regularly utilize in service to their goals. The teleportation circle spell can transport someone from any location to a permanent circle. A relatively common item known as a teleport crystal also exists (typically worth 10 gp) which anyone can use to activate a circle without spellcasting; in this way, the cities stay connected and in touch with one another. While it is not cost effective to use the circles for mass trade of goods, or to commute between cities on a daily basis, they do provide many diplomatic opportunities, as well as offering a rich courier market when the goods or information being transported are of significant enough value.
50 years ago
The Vanishing
Fifty years ago, the war endedâsuddenly. All the soldiers fighting on the warfront vanished without a trace, never to be seen again. After that, the whole area became warped and twisted, resulting in what is now called the Flux.
With no armies left to deploy, the war was effectively over.
50-100 years before the AC
The War of Countless Dead
For decades, the world was at war. The initial cause of the conflict is a topic of frequent historical debateâevery nation tells it differently. After all, every country has reasons they hate the othersâespecially their neighbors. But there are a few facts upon which everyone agrees:
- All the nations of the world were involved.
- No oneâs hands were clean.
- The death toll was immeasurable.
The 5th age
The Age of Endless War
The time before the founding of the Aecus Concord, during which many wars were fought, including the War of Countless Dead.
GMâs note: this era is based on Greek Mythologyâs Iron Age.
The 4th age
The Age of Heroes
A legendary time, before the world was plunged into endless war, when heroes of mortalkind performed great deeds.
GMâs note: this era is based on Greek mythologyâs Heroic Age.
The 3rd age
The Age of Freedom
Everyone just did whatever. And that all worked out fine for them!
GMâs note: this era is based on Greek Mythologyâs Bronze Age.
During the Age of Zas
War of the Giants
A lesser known war of the distant past.
The 2nd age
The Age of Zas
The Age of Zas is a time long past, when Aecus was overseen by a benevolent deity called Zas. It is said that Zas, with the aid of many other eternals, overthrew the tyranny of the Titans, ushering in a new era of peace and prosperity for mortalkind.
According to legend, at the beginning of this age, the eternals reconstructed the world to have four seasons, so that people for the first time needed to seek the shelter of houses and had to labor to supply their food, rather than living idly in ignorance of suffering.
After death, people who lived during this age are said to have become âblessed spiritsâ of the underworld.
GMâs note: this era is based on Hesiodâs Silver Age.
During the Age of Titans
War of the Titans
A legendary war in the distant past when the Titans are said to have been deposed by the gods, ushering in the Age of Zas.
The 1st age
The Age of Titans
The Age of Titans was a legendary golden age, when Aecus was young and still half-formed, and the Titans ruled the cosmos.
Creatures of all kinds were said to freely mingle, with peace and harmony prevailing. The earth provided food in abundance, and people lived to very old age but with a youthful appearance and eventually died peacefully. The spirits of these ancient people are said to live on as beneficent guardians of mortalkind.
GMâs note: this era is based on Hesiodâs Golden Age.
The Beginning
The Dawn of Time
The world was born from primordial power.