ZEITGEIST [ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.

Session 76 - Downtime Week Two

This week Matunaaga left Flint to visit his family, Malthusius took extended leave to undertake some private research and Leon devoted himself to extensive training at the Battalion. (Their players were out, but we went ahead with the session anyway, focusing on the other half of the unit and leaving unit B aside for now.)

Free to pursue more complex and/or varied goals were Korrigan, Rumdoom and Uru. This account draws extensively on the contacts each player set up as part of their preparation for the Dying Skyseer (details of which I posted earlier in this thread http://www.enworld.org/forum/showth...ontinuing-Adventures-of-Korrigan-amp-Co/page3), and demonstrates what an effective method of campaign-building that was, as they were throwing in these names and ideas without prompting (unlike Ptolus where every NPC was presented by me and they forgot all their names and who they were and what they did). So the story was built by the players, with me chucking in a few roadbumps from my notepad as we went along:

Tilish Dredgeport, retired smuggler and landlord at the Slippery Eel (where Rumdoom once drank, slept and provided security) got back to Rumdoom regarding his earlier request for help. He suggested that certain associates of his might be able to help interfere with the supply-lines (ships bringing ammuntion and supplies) for the gathering mercenary fleet in Flint harbour. These friends had other friends who might for a fee be persuaded to change the targets of their piratical activities and take on individual mercenary ships on their way to join the fleet. Rumdoom agreed and paid a substantial sum of gold to grease the wheels.

Uru began working on clockwork insects to bring his garden to life: creatures that could use the strange bleak/fey plant-life as fuel. He toyed with the idea of trying to find some way of enabling them to self-replicate, but quickly realised that this was beyond his capabilities for the time being. Having discussed the problem with Tinker Jack, who he hadn't visited for some time, they instead began to think about using the punch-card programming system found in some of the newest 'gearmen' created by Pemberton Industries. They also thought about using this system to improve Little Jack, making it easier for the ghostly toddler to operate, so that Uru could teach him more tricks. At the same time, Uru began work on a new crossbow - one that would fire both the shuriken he had picked up while facing off against the Obscurati Shadowdancer and the bola he used to bring down fleeing targets.

Sticking with matters technological, Uru also responded to a request by Royal Technologist Justin Rollins to come by and cast his eye over the bronze golem the now-disbanded beta unit had found. Uru had tried to help out several weeks ago, but Rollins had been too jealous of his task. This time he admitted he was flummoxed and Uru did his best to arrange the pieces as he saw fit, relying on instinct and anatomical knowledge rather than 'book-smarts'. When he left, Rollins was in grateful good humour, despite the strange songs Uru hummed to himself while he worked. Uru, for his part, was impressed by the incredible workmanship and complexity of the bronze golem and realised that he had learned alot about technology while working on it.

Uru also came to an agreement with Tokoloshe, the strange creature he had freed from the stoppered bottle Ashima-Shimtu had led him to. Tokoloshe promised not to leave the confines of the garden (Uru was worried it would get up to mischief), but was keen to prepare for the winter solstice ritual that would pay its debt of freedom. Uru would need a 'bleak candle' made from human body fat. He asked Searkil Shortankard to see what he could do to obtain such stuff from crematoria and surgeries.

Korrigan spent the week networking: He sought out Cezar Stainer (nephew of his father-in-law and well-meaning social gadfly) for advice on how to approach the informal side of politics in Flint. Cezar was only too pleased to help, having always liked Korrigan, and suggested he might want to put a more positive 'spin' on his family situation if possible - that the conservative socialites of the upper echelons would find his predicament unnerving. He also went to see Heward Sechim to try to put the feelers out among like-minded pacifists and cautious industrialists who might be opposed to the militaristic adventurism of Black Star Mining and Pemberton Industries. Heward was pessimistic about galvanising much support, but felt that more idealistic entrepeneurs might be pursuaded to join their cause if public opinion swung in their direction.

And so Korrigan spent a great deal of time with ambitious young reporter Johan Grimm developing a series of articles for the Flint Courier - reminiscances about the war, Korrigan's take on public issues, his reaction to the tragic events that had befallen his wife (with an appropriately sympathetic tone). They also discussed collaboration on a ghost-written memoir.

On Cezar's advice - although he had intended to do so in any case - Korrigan also went to see his in-laws, hoping to find some common ground. Elroy Stainer would not come to meet him, but was prepared to grant an audience in their mansion on the Ayres, where he and he alone (his wife being indisposed) confronted Korrigan with customary disdain, demanding to know why he 'slept when the life of your wife and child are at stake. You must use your influence and demand action from the King!' Korrigan patiently explained that he was working to gain sufficient influence to move matters in their favour ('too little too late' was Elroy's response, sore that Korrigan had not accepted his patronage long ago) and went on to recount the lengths he had gone to - entering the Dreaming, confronting the River King - to free Elizabeth from her bargain. Elroy Stainer said that this issue proved that there was something rotten at the heart of the fey alliance with Risur, which he regarded as a 'crippling canker'. Korrigan did not entirely agree, but said that many things he had witnessed in the Dreaming had caused him to question the motives of the Unseen Court (in particular the attempted incursion which he and the unit had thwarted). Unable to win any greater approval from Stainer, he departed.

Bernard of Glenwade stopped by to apologise for the festival atmosphere that had greeted Korrigan on his return home. Korrigan reassured him that all was forgiven: Bernard had sacrificed alot when they had travelled together to the Dreaming to save Elizabeth, handing himself over to the jealous Birch Queen in order to further their quest. Korrigan still regarded him as a trusted family friend, and allowed that he continue to stand sole vigil over Elizabeth and their unborn son. The old druid became tearful and they shook hands. (Korrigan did not mention that the incident had further shaken his faith that the traditional belief systems of Risur were the best means of securing her future.)

In preparation for his first group meeting, Rumdoom received instruction from Azon the Stoneforger, who taught him the meaning of two of the most important runes on his dwarven heirlooms: the rune of protection (on his shield) and the rune of destruction (on his craghammer). Rumdoom found he had more aptitude encompassing the latter, but he learned about the stories of both and sought to weave them into his own unique approach to the Heid Eschatol.

(He did not say this aloud, but all of this - his survival against the Kraken and subsequent 'rebirth'; the heirlooms Hildegaard and Harn had given him; his fortuitous encounter with Azon following his triumph over the family bravuras - confirmed in Rumdoom's mind the conviction that he was the one who would recover the fabled Stone of Not, an ancient artefact that Azon told him had been stolen from the dwarves thousands of years ago, when the 'sea invaded the land'. Rumdoom had also begun to believe that he could not be killed - in part because this destiny was as yet unfulfilled; in part because he had survived against such incredible odds.)

When the time for the first meeting rolled around, alot of dwarves and other interested parties crowded into the hall Heward Sechim had provided, thanks to the efforts of Hildegaard who was charged with recruitment, and had billed the evening as a fundraiser for poor Khoomrung Morkanstall - mercilessly ravaged by Lorcan Kell during a failed assassination attempt. Rumdoom had seen to it that Khoomrung was now being well looked after, and hoped to provide some way to ameliorate his suffering. Both dwarves now shared a deep enmity towards Khaled Valchek, and were determined to thwart him if they could. So while Khoomrung's avuncular charm was no longer at Rumdoom's disposal (as he now sat in an armchair sans tongue, sans eyes, sans hands) his many friends and well-wishers were in attendance too, all keen to learn about and contribute to this philosophical movement.

Azon wanted to take a backseat, having no wish to publicise his arrival in Flint (his long-standing debt to the Family as yet unpaid), so it was up to Rumdoom to try to better his previous rather lukewarm performance and convey the central tenets of Rumschatology. He abandoned any attempt to sound even vaguely intellectual, or even reasonable, and instead embraced a fire-and-brimstone preaching style which was quite at odds with the rather rational message at the heart of what he was saying. Nontheless (or perhaps consequently) he was greeted by applause and approval, even by hardliners like Thered and Thangir who had stormed out of his previous 'event'. This time they remained, lurking at the back with Kvarty Gorbaty, and were buttonholed by Azon before they left. Their appraisal had been begrudgingly positive, he reported.

Later, wanting to find out more about the Deep Ones, who according to Silas Fennac (and corroborated by Azon's great flood myth) now had possession of the fabled Stone of Not, Rumdoom visited Krazy Krauss' abandoned compound. It lay untouched. He broke in, but could not make much of Krauss' crazed scribblings and diagrams. And yet, when he threw back the tarpaulin on the huge machine Krauss had been working on, he felt sure he had uncovered something of significance (despite its resemblance to an enormous, contracted brass sphincter). Rumdoom would have to find some way to indentify its function, and perhaps complete this machine, without drawing all kinds of attention!

Finally, an anxious Stover Delft - who had yet to be summoned to Slate to discuss the unit's most recent adventure, and was clearly losing sleep over the possible ramifications, his worry made all the worse by the length of time it was taking the King to respond - called Korrigan in to go over s few matters, most importantly what to do about Luc Jierre, and what to do about Malthusius who had shaken Delft's faith by confessing a leak of information about the Avery Coast mission. Delft was considering sacking the deva from the unit. The problems were linked, as Malthusius' abilities as an interrogator were highly valued. In response, Korrigan spoke highly of Malthusius, and vouched for him in no uncertain terms. The very fact of his artless confession proved that there was nothing further to worry about. Korrigan felt that the investigation into the Obscurati would suffer without him. Delft decided to trust Korrigan's judgement and leave Malthusius' status as unit member intact.

Then Korrigan went to the library to take out a book on Triegenes ( one mentioned by Ottavia in their intriguing discussion about philosophical approaches to the clergy faith) and something happened that made him question his faith in Malthusius:

A librarian at the University asked Korrigan to step into a private room, where he expressed concerns about the deva's behaviour: He had spent all week in the library, researching deva heritage and reincarnation (so far, so good). But he had returned after hours using his fellow's pass and worked from midnight until just before dawn. His temper during this visits had been short, according to reports of the duty watchmen, and records showed that he had requested a variety of specialised books on demonology, the history of the Demonocracy, and the binding of demons and devils. While all of this might be explicable on its own, all together it presented a very odd picture indeed. The librarian knew that Korriagn was a friend and colleague of Malthusius and took this opportunity of his coming in to seek his advice on the matter before passing it on to the proper authorities. Korrigan said he would look into it.

Next week will begin with a planned 'intervention' as the group intercepts Malthusius on one of his nocturnal library visits...

Session 77a - Wrapping up 'Week Two'

The players have ten weeks of downtime altogether, and some of the players were away last week, so we wrapped up their stories at the start of this session. Leon didn't take long to cover, as he had spent the whole week at the Battalion, in preparation for the benefits he receives from the Martial Scientist theme at level 10. As for the other two:

Malthusius - Concerned about Malthusius' behaviour, Korrigan summons the unit (except the absent Matunaaga) to a meeting and Malthusius does not appear. They go to his apartments near the University in Central Flint to find them darkened. (Uru got impatient when Malthusius did not answer their first knock and picked the door lock.)

Malthusius is in bed claiming to be exhausted. Korrigan asks him what he has been up to, and when Malthusius says he's been studying, but got an early night last night, they know something's up: Uru kept tabs on Malthusius the night before and saw him leave his apartment at midnight and head for the University library (despite already having spent the whole day there). Without giving any of this away, Korrigan says he's come to ask Malthusius' advice on an ancient text. He then presents him with a note he has had transcribed into Supernal (which only Malthusius can read). It warns Malthusius that Xambria may be up to something as he is clearly unaware of his own activities.

The upshot of all this is that, through careful subterfuge so has not to alarm the co-occupant of his brain, Malthusius is taken up the hill to the Mayor of the Nettle's residence, where his old friend Isaac now lives. Isaac is an expert in all things arcane, and - once appraised of the situation - straps Malthusius to a comfortable chair with modified mage-cuffs before confronting Xambria...

It transpires that the poor woman, desperate for a body of her own, had accepted the bargain of Ashima-Shimtu and even now, under duress to renege, is determined to cling to her hopes of finding a new vessel, and continue her work to try to free Ashima-Shimtu in return. By now it would appear that she is almost spellbound by the demon, and unable to think clearly. (It is ironic that Malthusius, having done so much to rid the others of their ill-considered bargains, should find himself the unwitting host of a demon-compacted soul.)

Clearly, something must be done, but Isaac is puzzled, for this is not a matter for exorcism. Xambria is a living psyche, transferred through psionic power to Malthusius, not a spirit. He conducts research and Malthusius remains his guest for several days, before, at the beginning of Week Three he walks free, having been subjected to a procedure which effectively quarantines Xambria - alive but unconscious and unable to take control of Malthusius - until such times as an effective way to transfer her spirit can be found.

Matunaaga - Turning to Matunaaga (and reverting to the past tense because I have no idea why I wrote that last bit in the present) he spent the week travelling home - not to the Anthras mountains where his people dwell, but to the home-from-home he had made with Ayesha, a large-boned and maternal healer who had been the saviour of many a Risuri soldier during the Yerasol War. Their six children were overjoyed to see their father, but Ayesha kept her distance. At length she told him that his place, for the time being, was not here: that the comforts of home would not be his until his task was done. She also warned of an approaching danger and - on the third day of his stay - said simply, over her shoulder, while kneeding bread, "They have arrived. Please send the children inside." Matunaaga stepped outside to do so. His eldest was taking water from the well. The sounds of chirping cicadas ceased and at once, he sent the youngster back in for his gun. Two figures emerged from the treeline: Roshna and Tosin, the two caji he had happened upon in Agate. Both were armed and wore black warpaint and black trim on their gear - a sign that they had come to deal with what they regarded as a renegade caji. They told Matunaaga he was lucky to be accorded that honour, as he had abandoned his people and refused to return home with them last time they met. They had run all the way from the Anthras Mountains since his message regarding the ancient stone plate (which they called 'the Palimpsest') had arrived with the elders. They had come to claim it from him. Matunaaga refused to hand it over, but also refused to fight and sat cross-legged on the ground as they surrounded and approached him. Only when Roshna made to lay hands on him and take the plate from his belt-pouch did he resist, and when Tosin darted in to attack, he leapt up and fought back. Tosin wielded katar and slipped in and out of sight using psychic powers similar to those Matunaaga now wielded; Roshna focused her psionic energies through her obsidian blade. But the pair swiftly found that - even 'unarmed' - Matunaaga easily outmatched them. He had already felled Roshna when his son appeared in the doorway of their hut and threw him his rifle. He did not even use it to subdue Tosin. Then he disarmed them and , when they regained consciousness, exacted an oath that they would return to the Anthras Mts with this message: that the 'palimpsest' was his by right of possession and that any further attempt to reclaim it would be met with deadly force.

DM's Note: the Palimpsest is is a stone tablet whose meaning is only revealed through intense study. Some of its layers will only be unlocked when Matunaaga's WIS is increased. It is the means by which I intend for Matunaaga to unlock several 'alternative rewards' and also his paragon path, or should I say 'paths': Matunaaga will have access to both of the githzerai racial paths and will be able to switch between them. For anyone who is wondering, Matunaaga is a ranger/monk hybrid, house-ruled to make the combination playable. His paragon choice of a racial path was suboptimal but flavourful, so I decided to grant him the ability to access both paths. I'm not even sure if it's of much benefit as yet; he may end up only using one.

The turn of events surrounding Malthusius occured to me when the whole unit except for him accepted the temptation of Ashima-Shimtu. I suddenly realised that there was another person in the group that everyone had probably forgotten about, and who had a 'wish' that she would be desperate to have fulfilled. By this point I'm playing it that poor Xambria has gone a bit crazy, and her condition is not really her fault: first she was possessed; now she possesses someone else and is simultaneously possessed by a demon.

It was also kind of funny, considering the lengths Malthusius went to to free the others from their pacts, and the stern lectures he had administered at the time, to see the look on the player's face when he realised what was happening: that Xambria was taking him on nocturnal jaunts to research a means to free the she-devil of Odiem.

Session 77a - Additional DM's Note

Haven't got round to writing up the rest of the report yet, but forgot to highlight something in the last report:

One of the things I've noticed recently about my group as that they like each others' characters so much, they seem to be happy to sit back and watch a whole episode unfold surrounding a single character.

Many months ago, Uru went on a little solo adventure to find some 'milk spider eggs'. The player was supposed to turn up early so we could run this side-quest without the others getting bored, but the others happened to turn up early too, and got quite into observing his wee stealth mission.

Then, when Rumdoom went up against Sly & the Family Stone during Always on Time, the group was on tenterhooks to see how things turned out, and gave a huge cheer when (to everyone's surprise, including mine) he beat the whole encounter by himself.

Knowing that they are prepared to give 30-40 mins over to one player freed me up a bit when planning the downtime sessions and, although I'm not going to present every player with such an opportunity, I've come up with at least two. This week was the turn of Matunaaga.

Roshna and Tosin were two level 9 opponents, and Matunaaga is level 9 too. But the dice really did go his way - I rarely rolled above a 10 - and he came out the other side almost unscathed.

This made him look pretty cool, it has to be said, and fit quite nicely with his development as a 'living weapon'. One of the other players said, "It's good to be reminded every once in a while that we're not first level any more."

I had all kinds of interesting things planned in case he got beat, but it was balanced so that he had a good chance of coming out on top. Acing it in the way he did means that word of his prowess will return to the Anthras Mountains and influence events in the months to come in ways I haven't yet foreseen.

Session 77b - Downtime Week Three

With a mixture of relief and trepidation, Stover Delft set of for a high-level briefing in Slate.

Korrigan approached Admiral Rothcoe - the man who had recommended El Perro for the unit, and who he had last seen at the young man's funeral. He wanted to see if Rothcoe was a potential ally. Rothcoe turned out to be in support of rapid industrialization and was more-or-less pro Black Star Mining. He recommended Benedict Pemberton's book Behold! Science! Korrigan tactfully went along with Rothcoe's opinions, but learned (during one of the Admiral's more vociferous diatribes) that there were still one or two 'tree-huggers' in the navy, one of whom was Admiral Dawkins.

Having secured Krauss' compound, Rumdoom returned to his studies, where he struggled with the finer points of runic lore, frustrating both himself and Azon the Stoneforger.

Having spent a great deal of the previous week training intensively at the Battalion, Leon decided to turn his Martial Scientist background to his further advantage, producing a paper that spoke critically of allowing private control of substantial military resources. The paper was extremely well written and sparked some controversy.

Uru devoted himself to preparing for the ritual that would allow him to step into the Bleak Gate and draw the lost spirits of Cauldron Hill into his garden. Tokoloshe was very excited - next week would be the Winter Solstice, and the bleak fey plants would be in bloom!

Korrigan also headed for the Battalion for command training.

Malthusius began to look into methods of dealing with Xambria's trapped psyche. Many of the rare texts he required had sadly been lost in the fire at the Miller Memorial Library, but that Governor Stanfield had some in his private collection.

Rumdoom hosted another religious meeting, this one only a modest success - his confidence knocked by the difficulty of his studies. Harn told him that money was beginning to come in, as many in the dwarven community were very fond of Khoomrung. The group began to think about possible solutions for the dwarf - telepathic magical items; magical healing rituals, etc. Malthusius also took Rumdoom along to the Thinking Man and reconnected him to the Dockers movement. They saw Sly Marbo in there, but he just nodded and kept his distance. (No one knew he had anything to do with the RHC...)

Leon gathered the information necessary to pass on to Tilish Dredgeport, enabling pirates to prey on the right ships. He also reaped the reward of some investigations he had begun weeks ago into Black Star Mining, when he heard that some of the 'Avatars' touted by Khaled Valchek might not be all that they seemed. (Since falling out with Rumdoom, Valchek had found other dwarves capable of manifesting the Icy Ends of the Earth, and 'Avatars' was what he had taken to calling them.)

Uru spent more time studying and modifying the punch-card programming mechanisms he was hoping to use on Little Jack and other equally complex toys. He also tried to find out what was going on at Pemberton Industries, only to discover that the company had no factories in Flint...

Having returned from the Rainbow Falls, Matunaaga tried and failed to unlock the second next layer of the Palimpsest. He also spent some time at the Battalion.

Under orders from Stover Delft, Korrigan and Malthusius decided to tackle Luc Jierre, who had been left to cool his heels for long enough. Before they went to visit him, they went to see Nathan Jierre to find out what he knew about his cousin. Nathan had put on weight and seemed slightly depressed, but was very friendly towards the two officers, who had after all saved him from treason charges back in Danor. He told them that he and Luc did not see each other much, but were often paired up and left to occupy one another during family functions - both socially awkward and with an interest in the sciences. Luc tended towards more arcane pursuits, however, and Nathan found him difficult to be around. The stammer didn't help, obviously, but he always thought there was something not quite right about him.

This conversation put Korrigan in mind of a question he'd been meaning to ask Malthusius (ever since the name was mentioned by the Voice of the Island back on Odiem): who was Kasvarina Varal? They both remembered Asrabey, of course, but Malthusius thought he remembered the name Kasvarina from history texts. She was a high-ranking member of the Unseen Court, but he didn't know much else.

They paid a visit to Luc, who was being held in secure, luxurious quarters on a compound in Central Flint. He was allowed to walk in the gardens, but rarely left his rooms, didn't eat much and never spoke. Indeed, Luc remained mute for their entire visit, staring at them accusatorily. They pointed out that no one had demanded his safe return, but that they would look after him if he cooperated and told them what he knew. They said they knew he was not a bad person, and went on to detail the crimes of the Ob. Luc did not speak.

Only when they spoke of Ottavia did he react to their presence, when a single tear rolled down his cheek.

They determined to try again, and to bring Nathan along to see if a friendly face would help. They headed straight back to Nathan, and while securing his cooperation, mentioned the name Kasvarina. Nathan reminded them of the following exchange between himself and Asrabey back on Axis Island (which only Uru had borne witness too, and could hardly be expected to remember):
Nathan: “Wait a minute, Varal? Are you kin to a Kasvarina Varal?”
Asrabey: “How do you know Kasvarina?”
Nathan: “Um, what-? She- She was here, months ago! She was on the arm of a Crisillyiri man. In the company of my cousin. They took a tour of the mines. They left a few days later. I . . . I think she was the one who crafted the portal ring.”

The oh-so-powerful single tear of lament.

Remind me what Ashima-Shimtu said to them about Kasvarina.

RangerWickett said:

The oh-so-powerful single tear of lament.

Click to expand...

Nothing works better at the gaming table than ham-fisted cliche.

RangerWickett said:

Remind me what Ashima-Shimtu said to them about Kasvarina.

Click to expand...

When she was making each character an offer, she told Korrigan that helping Asrabey to find Kasvarina would help Korrigan to free his wife. As with all of her bargains, the character learned nothing that he would not have learned eventually without her help. (And at this point Korrigan had never heard of Kasvarina.)

Folllowing the events of Cauldron Born, Asrabey will use his influence with the Unseen Court to have them end the bargain with Korrigan's wife, so that she no longer needs to remain in magical stasis to prevent the birth of their child.

I was very pleased that the group remembered Nathan and decided to use his influence with Luc, mainly because it provided a great way to remind them of that snippet of conversation from adventure #1, which made them feel like they had found another piece of the puzzle. (It didn't harm that I name-checked Nathan last week in the hope that this would happen; or that I mentioned Kasvarina and Asrabey back in the vault with the express intention of guiding Korrigan back to where they had heard that name before. What a clever chap!)

Session 78a - Downtime Week Four

It was the Week of the Winter Solstice. A great festival was planned for the end of the week, but spirits were generally not as high as they were during the summer solstice.

Leon spent the first half of his week in training at the Battalion, then departed into the Bayou for a secret meeting with the Vekeshi. (His player was absent.)

Korrigan was introduced by Cezar to councilman Deneric Jayce, a member of a loose alliance of politicians who felt that the rampant industrialisation of Flint was growing ever more dangerous in combination with free-wheeling militarists like Benedict Pemberton. This group was easily dismissed as 'peaceniks' as none of them had any military clout. Jayce was keen that Korrigan should step forward and publically declare his allegiance with the group. He took him along to the council in Central Flint to get him aquainted with the system, pointing out key groups, factions and individuals. Korrigan also sent invitations to dinner at a privarte members' club to a list of individuals suggested by Jayce and Heward Sechim. He also requested an audience with Admiral Dawkins. Both Korrigan and Malthusius redoubled their efforts to see what had become of Ottavia Sacredote, as this would make dealing with Luke that much easier. Korrigan sent a message to Lord Kulp in Nalaam, to see if he would help. Both Malthusius and Korrigan also took Nathan to visit Luke*.

Matunaaga was thwarted once again in his attempt to unravel the Palimpsest. This was clearly something he needed to devote himself to entirely, and to that effect took the next two weeks off from his duties, spending this week tying up loose ends: training at the Battalion, and out of sheer curiosity, attending Rumdoom's next eschatologist meeting.

Malthusius visited with Bishop Antonescu, asking after Ottavia. The Bishop was unhelpful, as he could sense Malthusius wasn't telling him everything. (The deva declined to mention the circumstances under which he and Ottavia met, only that Ottavia came from a seminary in Sid Minos.) Malthusius was visited by a nervous Wolfgang von Recklinghausen. At first he was all business: it transpired that Malthusius' severed arm did not rot or otherwise deteriorate, as a human arm would. (Deceased deva were committed to pyres and, it was said, released a pleasing fragrance as they charred.) But nor could it be reattached through the methods Wolfgang had used on Leon. So he proposed a magical contraption he had used on previous occasion: a butcher's girdle (so christened with mordant humour by the Danoran soldier he had first designed it for). Malthusius agreed to pay for such a girdle as soon as he had the money. Then, having sensed Wolfgang's obvious tension, he asked what the matter was. Wolfgang told him he had been approached by a man who represented an unknown faction who had become interested in the good Doctor. They valued both his talents and his philosophy. Wolfgang was concerned because, in conversation, the man revealed knowledge of Wolfgang's views and opinions which reminded him of the interrogation he and El Perro had received in Macbannin's Laboratory. He feigned interest and the man (who called himself 'Norm') said he would return for Wolfgang's answer and arrange a meeting with the people he represented. Malthusius told Wolfgang not to attend such a meeting without letting the unit know first, and Wolfgang agreed. Malthusius also had a meeting with Governor Stanfield, following a request to access his private collection of books*.

Rumdoom made significant progress in his study of runes this week. Azon was pleased, and had some good news of his own: he had found a ritual (albeit a very expensive one) that could help restore poor Khoomrung. 10000gp could help him regenerate lost limbs and perhaps even his eyesight. But the group was a long way from being able to afford that. According to Harn their funds currently amounted to 678gp. A lot of rich contributors had stuck with Valchek's group. Rumdoom responded with a full-blooded fire-and-brimstone speech at their next meeting, getting the message out there (based on information uncovered by Leon) that the 'Avatars of the Ending' who Valchek had discovered to replace Rumdoom were in fact imposters. He hoped that this message would spread through the dwarven community and undermine the rival group. Matunaaga attended this meeting and found himself in some accord with Rumdoom's brand of eschatology.

Uru spent the whole week preparing for the Winter Solstice ritual Tokoloshe had taught him. The Bleak Fey plants in his garden would bloom on that day alone, and were a vital ingredient: when enhaled and combined with the appropriate chants and gyrations, they would enable the caster to pass into the Bleak Gate safely*.

*A more detailed account of some important events will follow.

Do you want me to merge this with your existing thread, or did you intend to start a new one?

Thanks, by the way, for playing up the Eschatological elements. It reminds me that I need to plan to freeze the world in Act Three.

Oops! Yes, I would like you to merge this thread, please. Don't know how I managed to do that.

With regards to the eschatological stuff, it's the player who is motivating it, really. Which is funny because he really didn't fancy the prospect of it when we were generating characters. He was going with gunsmith and didn't see how the eschatology theme meshed with his character concept. I said it was uniquely dwarven and did my best to persuade him, and that's when he came up with all this stuff about the Stone of Not, and the eschatologist cell he was a member of, thereby furnishing the campaign with the basis of 90% of our buffer adventures.

But I do enjoy ensuring that the campaign themes are kept front-and-centre where possible. (The hardest part is remembering we're in a tropical country.)

And just to reiterate - yes, do please merge these threads! Thanks!

Session 78b - Downtime continued‏

Here is a recap of two of the asterisked events from the last journal entry:

Korrigan and Malthusius took Nathan Jierre to see his cousin Luc. Nathan was initially reluctant to report his conversation, until the pair convinced him that it was in Luc's best interests if they could encourage him to talk to them. Together they identified a certain arrogance in Luc, a wounded belief in his own unsung genius, which translated into a reluctance to think ill of the Obscurati, who had treated him with the respect and recognition he long felt he had deserved. They also doscovered that Luc was actually quite frightened. He had, after all, tried to kill the unit, and believed that they had in turn killed Ottavia. (He wasn't even sure that they hadn't killed Lya, Bree and everyone else.) He was also somewhat prejudiced and regarded Risuri as bloodthirsty savages. They felt confident that they could use this information to manipulate Luc into cooperating.

DM's Note: The players are convinced that Luc holds the next piece of the puzzle, which makes sense considering they spent a whole adventure trying to capture him. I want them to feel really frustrated before launching their assault on Lorcan Kell. So Luc will turn out to be a dead-end of sorts), as will Wolfgang (who will flee Flint before leading them to the Ob, heh heh heh...)

Another important meeting came about when Malthusius - seeking rare texts on deva reincarnation lost in the Miller Memorial Library fire - sent a formal request to Governor Stanfield for access to his library. To recap: as long-lived deva (and the only two who live permanently in Flint), the pair have known one another over many decades. Some months ago, Malthusius was offered the jointpost of Mayor of the Nettles, working alongside his arcane expert friend Isaac. At the same time, Korrigan was helping out his cub reporter friend Johan Grimm by giving interviews about their exploits and Rumdoom was appearing as an 'Avatar of the Icy End' and drumming up support for Black Star Mining. Lady Margaret Saxby used these three developments to discredit the unit, implying that they were power-hungry. Stanfiled chose to distance himself publically fro Malthusius by giving him a dressing down at a public function, but secretly approached him to say that he thought it would be a bad idea for Malthusius to accept the mayoralty, as it would limit his effectiveness. Following the events of Digging for Lies he encouraged his old friend to maintain contact, which Malthusius did by letting him know they had a lead.

Knowing the unit was leaving Flint, Stanfield had them followed and so their ship was known to the Ob. (Fortunately, they had plans to switch ships in Beaumount.) At the end of Always on Time, Malthusius confessed his indiscretion which almost led to his sacking until Korrigan vouched for him. He promised to renounce the relationship, but Stanfield is now working to redevelop it more openly:

He chided Malthusius for the formality of his book request, and when Malthusius reminded him that it was his idea they maintain a discreet distance, he said that was only while Saxby was a threat and a rival. (Right now, while Malthusius' insight is through the roof, Stanfield is a much better liar.) Malthusius also mentioned the compromise of their mission and Stanfield, though certain it was none of his trusted staff, promised to look into it. He went on to reiterate his pledge to support the unit if and when they unearthed the Ob in Flint. But, as communication lines were potentially compromised, he asked that Malthusius come directly to him if and when the unit located the Ob.

In a renewed spirit of honesty and openness, Malthusius let the team know about his encounter. Rumdoom asked him if he thought Stanfield could be trusted and Malthusius declared emphatically that he could.

Next week Stanfield will offer up a patsy in his organisation who he has learned has connections to the Obscurati...

DM's Note: This is getting complicated, but enjoyably so. I'm giving Malthusius' player enough rope to hang himself with, and we'll have to see how it all turns out. I imagine once they locate the Ob lair, and discover a means to get at it, that Malthusius will go straight to Stanfield and ask for help. At that point Stanfield will immediately warn his underlings that the RHC are coming, giving them a useful head-start. I then need to come up with some 'help' that he can offer that seems useful, but really isn't. I guess if he's abandoned hope of saving the Bleak Gate installation, why not commit to helping root it out?

@ RangerWickett - What level is Stanfield? Specifically, how high is his Bluff skill, do you think? Also, does he have direct access to any troops or other ways that he might aid the PCs (as he has promised)?