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

Session 203, Part Three - Blast Off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PP1XFlGFogs

When they got back to the fort there was a huge amount of activity going on, not just in preparation for the incoming fleet, but down at the dockside as well: gnolls were swarming all over the hull of the Coaltongue, working under the direction of Alden Wondermaker making major modifications to the vessel. Admiral Smith and his senior officers were watching, perplexed. Uru scampered excitedly up to the others and told them they had used the new technology developed by Pemberton for his dragon-fliers, scaled it up and applied it to the Coaltongue. He went into a huge amount of technical detail but the upshot of it all was this: the Coaltongue could now fly!

This meant that the urgency of evacuation was lessened slightly, but the problem of how to evacuate the whole fort remained. The work on their ship would need a couple more hours to complete. The Danorans would be here in less time than that. If they began the evacuation now, and the gnolls left their posts, it would be impossible to hold off the invaders, and the Coaltongue would be caught in the water. But there was no way they could evacuate Pemberton’s whole force on the Coaltongue alone. Some of their vessels were anchored in coves not far from the fort. Those that could not be teleported out would have to take their chances and escape through the jungle.

They sent the dragon-fliers out to scout out the approaching fleet. It was enormous. If the troop carriers were anything to go by, they must have outnumbered the defenders twenty-to-one. At the centre of the fleet was the Danoran flagship, La Lux du Raison.

Uriel channelled his most powerful incarnation, the druid Talmai and sent a terrible hurricane at the fleet. To his surprise, he found that the Danorans had their own druids now – not as powerful as him, but present in sufficient numbers to repel the foul weather he sent them. He summoned bolts lightning and threw them at the enemy vessels, but they were magically protected against such attacks. Here was the problem with fighting a nation that was allied to the whole world. Would there be a chink in their armour to exploit?

Korrigan took the few demolition charges they still had left, and swam out towards the fleet. He saw a number of submersibles ranging ahead of the rest of the ships but ignored them for now and headed for the flagship. As he neared, he felt that he could sense the presence of Sovereign Han Jierre, although he could not see him – an effect of the Rites of Rulership, perhaps? But when he closed to try and plant the charges, magical electricity coursed through the water, and he was instantly stunned. When he came to, the demolition charges had sunk into the depths. The Danorans weren’t about to fall for the same trick twice! Korrigan decided to try his luck against the submersibles, and was able to scupper two of them with his remaining charges. The rest went on to enact the first stage of the Danoran’s stratagem:

Stage 1 (Insertion & Chaos): The navy pushes towards the Fortress’s Sea Wall but remains out of reach of the cannons in the sea wall bunkers. Submersibles blast a submerged section of the fort’s main gate and enter underwater. They surface, and now that they are inside the fortress, Obscurati-augmented strike teams of the Porteurs de Mort teleport directly into the bunkers along the eastern side of the sea wall, fighting gnolls in close combat. They light chemical flares to illuminate whichever bunkers they’re inside. One group of Obscurati agents take the lighthouse, then place a custom magic item, a wayfarer’s jaunter, on the house’s beacon. This magical device disrupts teleportation that would arrive within 200 feet of the lighthouse, redirecting it to where the light shines. The Obscurati agents aim the beam out into the middle of the Danoran fleet, so anyone who attempts to teleport in and aid the battle will end up splashing in the sea (and the agents can easily escape if seriously challenged).

The unit decided not to be drawn here. By now, their augmentations to the Coaltongue were complete, and it was just a matter of loading everyone on board as fast as possible. Up on the wall, Uriel tried to disrupt the Wayfarer Jaunter but failed. Then he took on ghost form to avoid the attacks of the porteurs and rejoined the others.

Rumdoom followed orders and pulled back too. He had been up on the wall creating ice around the sea wall, but the submersibles had headed straight under it, and the Danoran’s next move would bypass this obstacle too:

Stage 2 (Landing): Half of the fleet approaches at full steam, firing forward turrets at any bunkers along the eastern line of the sea wall that aren’t illuminated by flares. After about half an hour of bombardment, five ships pull up beside the wall, while others form lines behind them, connected with bridges. Troops climb onto the wall. A few escort ships stay at the edge of this formation, watching the skies in case Pemberton appears. The other half of the fleet heads for the sea gate, which is damaged when the submersibles detonate at its hinges. The gate dangles loose, which might hold, but at the same time the eastern fleet is making landing on the wall, La Lux du Raison engages its Lantern Cannon. A blinding flash of light strikes the gate and vaporizes a twenty-foot wide span. The beam travels far enough to also singe parts of the docks on the other side of the sea wall harbour.

This beam was a real threat to the Coaltongue and they wondered how long it would take to recharge. It wouldn’t be safe to take off until they established if there was a window.

Having disappeared some time ago, Pemberton and Pardo returned just in time to embark. Pemberton was dressed in a sharp linen suit. This was really him, not a duplicant! He was furious, fulminating and clearly itching to fight instead of flee.

Gupta wondered if the gathered Danoran forces ought not to have created a hivemind by now, and just as she thought this, one began to coalesce:

When the Danorans finally reached the fortress, their combined desire to conquer Axis and begin a fifth Yerasol War had unforeseen consequences (for them, at least). High above the battlefield, a growing cloud of protoplasmic energy roiled. Starting as a small mote, this tiny spark of nascent thought-energy began to grow. Unlike other hive minds, though, this one didn’t get a chance to mature, because Sovereign Han Jierre targeted it with the Lantern Cannon.

And here was their window: two minutes between shots! They gave orders for take-off. The Danorans watched agog, as the Risuri flagship took to the skies.

Stage 3 (Raze): The Danorans take no chances and thus no prisoners. Scout squads sprint through the fortress with orders to locate Pemberton or the party, then light flares and teleport away. Once flares are lit, the fleet launches mortars at those locations. Additionally, lookouts who inserted earlier on the island outside the fortress watch likely escape routes. They light flares if they spot large groups heading inland, which brings in more mortar fire.

(Later, the unit would learn from Pemberton’s gnolls that their retreat had been covered by the deep faen. Acting on Rumdoom’s orders they attacked every Danoran they could find, ensuring that many more of Pemberton’s subjects won free of the island.)

As for the Coaltongue, the Danorans responded to this surprising turn of events with a weapon they had brought to deal with Pemberton: they fired a huge chain, tipped with a piercing grapple into the hull of the airship. Another followed, but Uriel magically ‘undid’ that, allowing Uru time to steer the ship aside and dodge it; and Rumdoom’s ‘fiat’ refused to allow a third grapple to pierce the hull and it fell away, harmlessly. But the first chain held the Coaltongue in place while the Lantern Cannon recharged…

Pemberton turned turned to Korrigan and said, “Well now, this is one hum-dinger we have here. By the looks of things, our friends down there came with toys to use against me. I so hate to disappoint them, and more, I’d hate to lose this fine ship I spent so much time on. I do believe it’s time to join the rodeo.” Turning his back, he stripped off his jacket and pants, then handed them to Pardo to fold. “I’ll leave it to you fine folk to get this new-fangled ship unstuck. I’ll deal with those ruffians below.” With that, Pemberton leaped from the side of the ship. Moments later, Gradiax the Lord of Steel flew once more.

Uriel and Rumdoom headed belowdecks to deal with the one that had hit home. Quratulain stood guard over Uru. Gupta peered through the sights of her rifle, searching for Han Jierre, while Korrigan leaped off the ship to support Pemberton.

With the king of Risur’s keen military mind and commanding presence to bolster and protect him, Gradiax was able to strafe the deck of every nearby ship, causing the crew to scurry for cover. There would be no more artillery, or any other weapon, brought to bear on the Coaltongue while the dragon remained in the air.

Belowdecks, Uriel and Rumdoom found that an Obscurati steam-walker had somehow teleported aboard to defend the grapple-point. Uriel stepped back and let Rumdoom deal with it. It didn’t take long.

Meanwhile, Uru pushed the jet-portal to its utmost, and the chain snapped. The Coaltongue was free. As soon as she began to move, Gradiax performed a graceful pirouette in mid-air and flew back onto the deck, transforming into his human shape as he came into land. Korrigan was close behind him.

By now, Gupta had Han Jierre in his sights. She realised it would be pointless to shoot, but could not resist a parting gesture, hoping that it would overcome the flagship’s arcane defences. It worked, and the Sovereign was suddenly jolted by a bolt of lightning empowered by the titan of Thunder himself. In return, Gupta was struck by the infernal wrath of the Jierre bloodline; painful, but well worth it.

The Coaltongue flew off into the non-existent-sunset.

End of Session


DM's Note: I accidentally omitted the part where Gradiax gets clipped by the Lantern Cannon. Now there's no reason for him not to join in the fight against the Godmind in Cherage. I think I might try to use this error to my advantage, to remind the PCs that Pemberton isn't a selfless hero all of a sudden just because he's allied with them.

Session 204, Part One - Matters Arising

Having escaped Axis Island, they made arrangements to regroup closer to the date of the Forward Symposium, lending temporary teleportation codes to Pemberton so he could return to the Coaltongue at the allotted time. Brakken experimented and found that he could forge an effective ‘mental gestalt’ with no more than five people. The link would need to be established before he departed – his intention was to sneak eastwards with the help of El Extrano and then travel to Cherage along the Avery Coast rail line, and send letters announcing his intention to attend along the way. For the gestalt, in addition to Pemberton, they chose Korrigan, Uriel, Uru and Quratulain, representing the broadest range of skills to cover all eventualities.

Before Pemberton left, Uru tried to learn all he could about the dragon’s view of technology. He learned that for Gradiax the Steel Lord, modern technology was all about power – a substitute for the power he once wielded naturally, and had lost (but hoped one day soon to wield again). Uru was considering his own approach to technology, how he would manifest it as titan of the mountains. He could not imagine leaving it behind, but how could he reconcile it with the fey? Until recently, tinkering with gadgets had been for him nothing more than playing with toys (albeit deadly ones), but Uru also saw in clockwork things with a potential for life. Quratulain came close to that didn’t she? But what he saw throughout Flint, and in Danor and Drakr, was the loud, fiery clang of industry. This is what the fey despised, and had caused them to break from Risur. While man-made machines might have theoretically promised a democratisation of power (unlike magic which was reserved in the hands of those able to wield it), in practice that was not the way it worked out. The wealthy owned the means of production and the workers were reduced to penury. Uru wondered if there was a third way, both to help the poor children (whose spirits often visited his garden) and to reconcile progress with the folk of the Dreaming.

Korrigan discussed the matter with him. The king was not against technology, but was conscious of Risuri tradition and the alliance with the fey, which kept them strong. He too sought to reconcile these things, and now began to wonder if they could affect the planar alignment to aid this. Of course, his principal concern was Risur, but he was thinking now of the whole world, and considered Risur as a good example for other nations to follow. Korrigan began to revisit the idea of the Arboretum, raised by Macbannin at the convocation. Uriel reminded him that this plan had not included a defensive plane to forestall outside intrusion. Korrigan’s response was vigorous – they could cower and hide, or open up new opportunities. Uriel conceded that if they kept the ‘ceiling’ off mortal power, they might be strong enough to repel an invasion. Korrigan said that his concept was “not about empowering individuals but creating strength through unity”. When Uru joked that he was beginning to sound like the Ob, Korrigan said that if he had his way, there would be no effect on free will. Uru wondered aloud if it wouldn’t be better – in a practical and a moral sense – to put things back the way they were. Uriel pointed out that this was set up by someone else - it wasn't 'natural'! “What made perfect sense thousands of years ago might not make sense now.”

They discussed Nicodemus, too – how his continued existence threatened everything they did, because he would never give up, “even if it takes five hundred years”. They all agreed that he was clearly insane. “Look at how he dealt with the problem of the Colossus faction”; ruthlessly wiping them out. Korrigan emphasised that it was this dubious choice of means that undermined the Ob's hope of achieving their ends. “It is inevitable that the outcome will be flawed.”

Quratulain said that she had been locked up too long to understand all of this. “When do we kill Nicodemus?” she asked. Perhaps the better question was ‘how’?

They were called back to Risur for various reasons. Rumdoom received a sending from his followers in Flint. Leon had returned with Hildegaard! She was still asleep, slowly recovering from whatever stasis the deep ones had placed her in. Leon said he had urgent business elsewhere and departed as soon as he arrived. There was a woman with Leon whom he did not introduce. Rumdoom went to his meeting house, and waited for Hildegaard to wake up, which she did shortly after his arrival. She was happy to see him, happy to be free, but bemused at how long had passed. For her, it seemed like an instant since she offered herself to the aboleth in exchange for the freedom of her friends. Both husband and wife embraced and made competing apologies: She was sorry for having allowed Grandis Komanov to use her and steal the Stone of Not; he wished he had been able to rescue her sooner. Rumdoom spent the next few weeks with Hildegaard.

Leon followed up his visit with a sending for Korrigan: “The deep ones are gone. Consumed by their own fear. Formed into a hivemind which has also vanished.”

Gupta withdrew into herself. She had been greatly affected by the collapse of the colossus, and requested a period of leave prior to their infiltration mission.

Uru went to Flint to plan his eventual removal to the mountains. There, he discovered that his link with Flint itself was weaker than it had been. There were fewer spirits to communicate with – all were being slowly drawn towards Cauldron Hill. He remembered his initial alarm on learning that motes of the hill had begun to float upward into the sky shortly after the Great Eclipse. Now the whole peak was thoroughly denuded. He was then distracted from this matter by two things: first, a possible answer to his search for a ‘third way’ – the effigy he created in tribute to Conquo reminded him of the nature of Lavanya’s fey golem, and how it married technology and magic.

Before he could thoroughly investigate this, he was shaken by an enormous earthquake that felt as real to him as if it had happened right there in Flint. But it had not. The quake had happened in the Anthras Mountains and the effect on Uru was an unforeseen consequence of his growing link to the range. He had felt it so keenly because it was not natural – there were very few such tremors in the Anthras. While he pondered how best to travel there – both to investigate the quake and attune himself more closely with the territory – a very strange thing happened: his wish to travel to the mountains was granted and he suddenly found himself there! This was a great surprise, needless to say. Unfortunately, he discovered that despite intense efforts, he could not so easily return to Flint, although he could move within the mountains at will. So he sent a message to Uriel telling him about the Cauldron Hill phenomenon, and went to investigate the quake.

Uriel was busy handling another matter when he received the message from Uru. Stover Delft complained that Andrei von Recklinghausen was making trouble in the drinking holes of Flint on an almost nightly basis. He was getting into fights that no one else could hope to win, and was difficult for ordinary officers to subdue. Even the RHC had trouble. Andrei was currently sleeping off his latest session in RHC cells. Delft had resisted throwing the book at him because of his valuable assistance in the past. This was something Uriel would ordinarily have left to Gupta, but she was reluctant to get involved, so Uriel decided he would prepare himself by visiting Isobel Travers first, guessing this might have something to do with her. Korrigan came along because he wanted to talk with Gale.

Both eladrin women were in mourning for their kin. News had come from Elfaivar since She Who Writhes withdrew: Those eladrin who hid for centuries in the fey enclaves – which existed between this world and the Dreaming – begin to stream into colonial cities, telling of their enclaves splitting apart and disintegrating. Thousands died. Only one enclave survived - Athrylla Valanar, matriarch of the Sentosa enclave, managed to pull her city back into the real world as the Ob’s ritual cut the Dreaming off from the rest of reality. (Ushanti evacuated, warned by Kasvarina on her way south. The other enclaves had been warned too, but had not trusted or listened to Kasvarina.) They commiserated with this latest blow to the eladrin people. (They also began to wonder anew what exactly had happened to Av.)

Korrigan explained to Gale his earlier hint that he had a notion about how to proceed with Risur’s ‘advancement’. He said there would be no simple solution, and that turning back the clock entirely might not be possible, but he hoped to find some way to ameliorate the worst excesses, using the mechanism the Ob had employed to alter things for the better. Gale said she just wanted Risur to become what it once was, and to stop aping Danor. Korrigan promised to try, but warned that it might be a slow process.

Isobel confirmed that Andrei was upset because she would no longer see him. His behaviour had worsened when it became clear that, though she was intensely grateful to Andrei for everything he had done, Isobel did not and could not love him. This had nothing to do with the scars he had suffered at the hands of Stanfield’s incarnations (half his face had been melted by magical alkahest), Isobel simply did not have anything more than feelings of intense gratitude and admiration for him. She wished they could remain friends, but Andrei had become sulky and angry and Isobel had to be firm: She was not going to be anybody’s prize. Uriel said he would do his best to help Andrei see sense and overcome his sadness without further upset.

He visited Andrei in jail and offered him healing, bringing him before the king. Korrigan used his hurtloam hands to restore Andrei’s face. A small miracle! Then Uriel told Andrei that he needed to find a purpose beyond his feelings about his father and about Isobel. “Your body might have been created by someone else, but your personality is your own.” He took Andrei to Stover Delft and recommended that he sign Andrei up as a ‘heavy hitter’, so long as Andrei did not fall back on the drink. This arrangement seemed to suit all concerned.

Quratulain had been on hand when Andrei was healed. She wondered if Korrigan could heal her face too. But she had lived with her wizened, cadaverous visage for so long, she wasn’t sure if her original face would feel right any more. In a private moment, she took off the mask Uru made for her, to consider the matter further. To her surprise, her face was already renewed! Staring back at her was a young, comely olive-skinned woman with piercing blue eyes. This must have happened when Korrigan used his healing hands to restore her after her encounter with the Ash Wolf, but she so rarely took off her mask that she had never noticed. The revelation disturbed her, and she put the mask back on without telling anyone. (Another secret she also nursed was the temptation to track down the Father of Thunder and accept his offer to impregnate her. Maybe after all of this was over…? It might go some way to make up for shooting him in the balls.)

Meanwhile, Quratulain devoted herself to a new project: the development of a sophisticated beam weapon inspired by the lantern cannon she had seen on Axis Island. With the help of Alden Wondermaker she fashioned a ‘lantern blaster’, and also made refinements to the Nok Gun.

A surprise visitor caused Korrigan to return to Slate. Ayesha – human wife of Matunaaga – had arrived at court with eight of her ten children. They were older brother and sisters to Kai, just as she had been a mother to him, during his three years in the Hidden Valley. Kai was overjoyed to see them and they were given a long time to play, talk and catch up. Ayesha was disapproving when she learned that Korrigan had been taking Kai into battle with him. Yes, he might be physically safe, but what of the mental scars? Korrigan confessed that he could see how it might look to an outside eye, but that he regularly talked things through with Kai and felt that adults underestimated the capacity of young children. Besides, he had not been able to trust anyone with the safety of his son. Then he asked Ayesha why she had come. It had become clear, she said, that the gith planned to withdraw entirely from the world, something she could not do. Her eldest children, now capable warriors, had remained with their father, but she had chosen to leave before the Hidden Valley was cut off completely. She felt that she had been wrong to tell Matunaaga that it was his destiny to follow Korrigan. She had had a skyseer vision that told her Korrigan was a good man and worth following, so much was true. But was it not just as important for her to do so? She had come to offer her services, in the healing arts and, now much more importantly, it seemed, as a mother to Kai. This led Korrigan to contemplate his idea to set up the Coaltongue as a mobile base of operations where Kai would be safe. He welcomed the idea of bringing Ayesha and her children aboard. (Even the youngest was capable and gith-trained.)

Uriel reintroduced himself, much changed, to the children he had lived with too. They were surprised to see him out of his congregational robes, and teased him about his shock of white hair. Uriel said he would spar with them to keep them in practice, as he knew the ways of the clergy godhands whose fighting style was based on lessons taught them by the gith.

Ayesha brought gifts: Matunaaga had finally unlocked the secrets of the Palimpsest and eschewed weapons and tools entirely. Before she left he had given her his rifle, silksteel mantle, aeriad bracers and the Hands of Heaven and Hell. They were gratefully received and shared out amongst the unit.

Ayesha’s arrival coincided with bad news from Uru: the quake he had sensed had been centred on the Hidden Valley itself. He had traveled there and found all of the buildings destroyed – collapsed into rubble – and all of the gith were gone. Uru sensed residual psychic energy, something like a hivemind.

Ayesha was impassive when she heard the news. Part of Matunaaga’s vision in the Ziggurat of Apet had been the destruction of his homeland in an earthquake. He had always thought it was symbolic. She chose to keep the news from her children for now, as they had suffered enough loss of late.

While Uru made his way back from the mountains, Uriel took his concerns about Cauldron Hill to Isaac, Mayor of the Nettles. After an awkward exchange of pleasantries with his old friend (who met Uriel in the company of his ‘wife’, a thri-kreen) Isaac said that he had been studying the phenomenon and concluded that the spirits of the city and the hill, and the physical matter of the hill itself which had been so wholly infused by its link to the Bleak Gate, was being drawn upward by an as-yet-unidentified force when the mysterious Gyre was overhead. This had led Isaac to theorise that Av (and the Dreaming and the Bleak Gate) must be in the Gyre. (And might go some way to explain why, when using the power of the fey portal pad, the Coaltongue had found itself speeding through empty space at an impossible speed.) But what was the Gyre? This question still remained to be answered, and was left in the capable hands of Isaac, Harkover, and the astronomers and skyseers of Risur.

Before departure, Korrigan consulted his military advisors, and put in place plans for the defence of Risur. His orders were to prepare for a guerrilla style of defence – not big concentrations of armies. He also issued an edict that the White Tongue cult was outlawed.

Uru discovered he could still use ‘Granny’s Boon’, but now the power derived directly from him. He wondered what to rename it. ‘My Boon’ didn’t have much of a ring to it. In the end he went with ‘Uncle Uru’s Gentle Touch’.

I love a fate of the world philosophical debate.

Uncle Uru is a fine fey titan.

Session 204, Part Two - The Forward Symposium

Set to take place in the Congressional Hall of Danor, the Forward Symposium had put the career politicians of Danor out on the street, with only a few allowed to attend. With the recent changes in the world, the congress had been relegated to a lesser role while Sovereign Jierre and Nicodemus temporarily took direct control of matters of state.

The Congressional Hall of Danor was famous for its retractable metal plated roof, a device that was opened on days of fair weather in the Danoran capital city. Through political connections, divinations, and the spy network of El Extraño, the unit learned that the following dignitaries would be in attendance:

• Nicodemus the Gnostic (Obscurati representative)
• Sovereign Han Jierre (Danor government representative)
• Minister of War Eloise Duffet (Danoran military representative)
• Brakken of Heffanita (Beran government representative)
• Prime Cardinal Tito Banderesso (Crisillyir government representative)
• Chancellor Dmitra Takhenova (Drakr government representative)
• Sagu Jacksdotter (League of Malice States government representative)
• Lord Kulp (Nalaam economic representative)
• Betronga Sidhon (Eladrin survivor representative. This was a surprise!)
• Vlendam Heid (Eschatologist philosophy representative)
• Various military and opposition political representatives from each of the major nations.
• Various locally-notable politicians and philosophers from Border States, Malice States, and colonies in old Elfaivar.

Each dignitary also had a small gaggle of attendants and aides, bringing the total number of people due to attend to over a hundred. The Ob had issued reassurances that they had measures in place to defend against the creation of a hivemind, acknowledging the existence of the phenomenon and blaming it squarely on Risur.

The city of Cherage was built upon several hills around the Bay du Violette, named after the violet hue it used to give off during sunsets. Small islands in the bay each supported immense artillery batteries – weapons installed after a brazen Risuri attack forty-five years ago.

The city built upon itself in layers, with the more affluent citizens residing on hilltops, while the common folk lived in an almost literal ‘melting pot’ between the hills and the bay. North past the hills, great fields of industry churned out smoke and soot, which could faintly be tasted on the air even in the finer parts of the city. Small surface rail moved citizens between the industrial sectors and the central city, while traditional carts and carriages were required to navigate up to the hills.

Obscurati enforcers now walked side by side with Danoran police in protection of the city. The increased enforcement, coupled with the subtle shift in behaviours since the Great Eclipse, had led to fewer acts of disobedience or direct sabotage. As a result the Danorans had ended their previous curfew, leaving its citizens to feel both more free and more secure.

The industrial district of Cherage (technically located out of city limits to the north) was abuzz with new job opportunities. Folks from all over Danor were flocking to the capital city for well-paying work churning out improved firearms, war equipment, and revolutionary constructs. Many people were fascinated by the possibility of learning magic (although finding a teacher wasn’t easy and tended to be reserved for the rich).

Warehouses along the docks of Cherage had been stockpiled with war materiel, and despite attempts to maintain some security, gawkers were fascinated by the steady arrival of man-sized constructs dressed in Danoran military uniforms.

People in Danor did not work against the Obscurati or see them as any sort of evil conspiracy; instead, they saw the Ob as a group on the cusp of bringing about their salvation. The people of Cherage were predisposed to dislike of Risur, and Obscurati propaganda had tempered that to pure hate. All the positive changes of the Great Eclipse – magic returning to Danor, improved healing, people being less prone to violence – were the Ob’s doing. All the faults with the ritual – hiveminds, the sun disappearing, and She Who Writhes disrupting shipping – were due to Risuri meddling.

From the hideout provided by El Extrano – a huge, roofless abandoned warehouse, with a deep basement that had collapsed in on itself – the unit made initial contact with Brakken, resuming the connection they had established weeks before. Pemberton and Pardo came aboard, and Pemberton joined in the gestalt.

The Obscurati didn’t do anything to interfere with Brakken’s plan to enter the Forward Symposium. Elite military guards watched the entrances to the event, and corridors were patrolled by large golems that could pierce most magic. Security screenings checked for illusions, polymorphing, mind control, possession, and duplicant technology, but Brakken’s link with the unit – being psionic and unforeseen – was not detected.

The Congressional Hall of Cherage sat atop the highest hill in the city. The massive metallic structure of the domed roof was currently open, which used to allow for an impressive view of the sky; now the black heavens were ominous – a reminder of the meddling for which the Ob blamed Risur.

Prior to the official start of the conference, a brief gala in the hall provided an opportunity to mingle with the other attendees. The Obscurati guards stayed out of the way to ensure the attendees didn’t feel overly scrutinized. However, the Humble Hook allowed Korrigan to spot that Nicodemus was actually present, possessing the body of a waiter and serving drinks so he could eavesdrop.

Delegates filed into the hall with their aides and attendants. The government representatives from Crisillyir and Drakr – Prime Cardinal Tito Banderesso and Chancellor Dmitra Takhenova – were already there, talking with Gelsey Jierre, a tall, serious tiefling woman, and wife of Sovereign Han (who sadly would not be in attendance). Sagu Jacksdotter, the representative of the newly-formed League of Malice States, was giddily telling stories of horrible magical mishaps she had seen, which she would never have to experience again thanks to the Obscurati. Betronga Sidhon, head of the eladrin contingent from Elfaivar, talked with representatives of the various colonies who had taken their land, warily trading tales of violence they had each perpetuated, but their mood was one of relief that such warfare might be no more. Close by – on his arm to begin with, but noticeably more detached now – was Sokana Rel.

Brakken made a bit of a stir by arriving alone, and attendees from various minor states gathered around him. Despite Ber being a large nation, the minor states saw it as a kindred spirit since Danor, Drakr, and Crisillyir had long treated it as inconsequential too. Many people expressed concern that Ber might have been in danger because it shared a border with Risur.

Only one person, Lord Kulp, the master of games from Nalaam (and, Uriel reminded the others, a Vekeshi Mystic), kept to himself.

Brakken’s conversation with the other representatives was interrupted when the lead attendees from Drakr and Crisillyir stepped in. Brakken was able to fill the unit in on a lot of details they might not otherwise have known about the pair. Brakken, always the diplomat, had done his homework. (Either that, or he was reading their minds.)

Chancellor Dmitra Takhenova, an obese dwarf woman who wore a robe woven with tiny runes that conveyed her core philosophy, was nearing the end of her six-year stint as leader of Drakr, having been appointed by a council of philosopher-politicians. She had been ruthless in using security forces to hunt down internal dissidents, though she was recently dealt a humiliating defeat when some of her supporters were bombed by followers of Grandis Komanov, the radical eschatologist. (She also made a few public statements blaming Risur for the high-profile destruction of a railyard in Mirsk a few years ago.)

Prime Cardinal Tito Banderesso, rail-thin and sporting an impressive moustache, was rumored to be the highest-ranking member of the Clergy who did not commit suicide during the Great Eclipse. He was a powerful divine spellcaster, and his public statements had always been fairly traditional and positive, but Brakken remarked telepathically that he wouldn’t be surprised if he was an elitist, like most of the Clergy hierarchs were.

Dmitra asked if Brakken had any first-hand knowledge of the disasters that had befallen Risur since the sky changed, and then she rattled off the various accusations the Ob has made about how Risur nearly doomed the world with their interference. The Cardinal opined that the Risuri people must be truly bereft of leadership, and that the noblest thing to do would be to ‘kill the wolves who rule them, so that the sheep might live the simple lives nature intended for them.’ Dmitra said she’d sooner see the savages of Ber return Risur to a land of beasts than let the Clergy’s classical brand of delusion take root there.

At this point, overhearing tensions beginning to arise, Minister of War Eloise Duffet joined in. Korrigan recognised her from the Peace Conference several years ago. She had lost an arm during Yerasol IV, and nursed a legendary grudge against the Risuri. She admonished the two to save their anger for Risur, not each other. They all agreed that Risur must be conquered. Dmitra asked if they thought it will be a long war. (Trying to hide her enthusiasm, she suggested that it would be risky to change leadership in the middle of an ongoing conflict.) The Minister of War offered to give them a preview of her presentation about the invasion plan. She even had prepared letters of intent that the Chancellor and Cardinal could sign if they agreed. They could send those letters out immediately so preparations for the invasion could begin.

Urged on by his gestalt fellow-travellers, Brakken asked to join this discussion. Eloise Duffet gave him a disapproving glance and said that she remembered him being entirely too cosy with the Risuri during the peace talks. Speaking through Brakken, Korrigan quickly established a rapport with Duffet by talking disparagingly of Risur and its new king. Brakken had merely been acting in his role as ambassador back then, he reassured her. The Bruse had sent him to find out what action they would take against their rebellious neighbour, and was furious to learn that they had seemingly forged an allegiance with the dragon tyrant Gradiax, who had recently tried to assassinate him and take over Ber. Duffet was pleased to hear all of this, and keen to show off her plan, so she allowed Brakken to join them.

The general strategy was for Danoran soldiers and golems to take the Avery Coast Railroad to Trekhom and Sid Minos, where they would board ships from Drakr and Crisillyir, since the Danoran navy was depleted. Additional forces from those two countries would launch two invasion fleets. The Drakran fleet would target Flint, but instead of a frontal assault the fleet would drop off its soldiers ten miles to the east. Though there was no suitable harbour, the soldiers would be trained to teleport to make landfall from a safe distance. Then the fleet would begin bombarding Flint proper while the army advanced through the Cloudwood.

Meanwhile, the Crisillyiri fleet would make landfall in southeast Risur, on the northern shore of Marrajado de Oro, near Ber. Minister Duffet had hoped the fleet could assist a bridging action to march Beran forces into Risur as well, hence her eagerness to include Brakken. The two armies would have a hundred-mile march to reach Bole, where they would cut off the rail supply lines to Flint. The western Risur city of Shale, though it had great symbolic prestige from past wars with Danor, would only be harried by a token fleet to keep them from sending reinforcements to Flint. Most of Danor’s remaining navy would be needed to protect Cherage, where they would be constructing a new colossus. (That process would take perhaps a year, so it wouldn’t be available for the invasion.) Once Flint and Bole were captured, they’d take a few months to rebuild industrial facilities, and then they’d invade down the Great Delve River to capture the capital Slate.

With little further ado, the Chancellor and Cardinal agreed and signed expedited orders, which the Obscurati would deliver to the respective military leaders of Drakr and Crisillyir. A teleporting courier is waiting out in the foyer. “We want to act quickly and take the Risuri by surprise,” Duffet explained. “They won’t expect action so soon after this symposium.”

Everyone’s attention was suddenly grabbed when Vlendam Heid teleported in with his bodyguard Kvarti Gorbatiy. (Korrigan realised later that Heid had made a point of using the new nature of magic in his arrival, because he intended to speak out against the changes and did not want to be labeled as reactionary.) Dmitra Takhenova saw him and said, “Vlendam, I’m glad you finally arrived. I know you appreciate endings, so why don’t you leave and come back when we’re done?”

“Dmitra,” Heid said with a chuckle, “I hear you’re taking to heart my advice to plan for the end of your chancellorship. Invading Risur, very good idea! I wager if you could out-debate the dockside poets in Flint, they’ll gladly let you be in charge of a shipping guild or something.”

“Guilds,” scoffed Cardinal Banderesso. “Just common people trying to get a taste of real power. I am not impressed by the ability to make a high-quality shoe.” He chanted a prayer, and conjured a shining angel. The crowd gasped, few having ever seen a true celestial. It bowed to the cardinal. He introduced it as a planetar, named Adimel. “Go fetch me some shoes,” he ordered. “Red leather, please.” The angel gazed at the gathering with a hint of disapproval, then flew out of the open roof.

Chancellor Takhenova clapped. “We should give it a rifle instead of a sword, but still, good. I’m glad to have such magic on our side for the war against Risur.”

Heid said, “Now come, we’ve all gathered together here in peace. Can’t we make peace with Risur too? I say let’s not jump so hastily to conclusions, and I just teleported here from a mile away. I’m getting quite good at it, don’t you think?”

Standing beside him, his bodyguard Kvarti shrugged. “Yes, but now we cannot flee quickly. You must be prepared for your life to end here.”

“I always am, my friend,” Heid said. “Well, perhaps not before I get a drink. Chancellor, Cardinal, I look forward to our discussions. Ambassador Brakken, please allow me to get you something as well.”

Heid wanted to talk for a bit with Brakken, mostly to mention the synchronicity that his current bodyguard was unwittingly part of the terrorist group that nearly blew Brakken up in Flint a year ago. He was curious what the minotaur thought of the Risuri people, and during the conversation he dropped several hints that he did not trust the Obscurati. Encouraged by his allies, Brakken agreed, whereupon Kvarti said that he had not made up his mind yet: a lot of things did seem better after the Great Eclipse. Heid admonished him, and reminded him of how they met – through the auspices of their old Risuri friend Rumdoom. “All this talk of war makes me uncomfortable. I think it is time to talk. This is my third conference this month, and I’m off to another in Bhad Ryzhavdut straight after this one – a gathering of eschatologists who plan to discuss our philosophical response to this new world.”

Just then, Gelsey Jierre politely called the delegates to take their seats around the chamber. The keynote speaker would be arriving momentarily. Once they were all seated, which took quite a while, Nicodemus appeared – now wearing the body of a bald, somewhat heavy-set man whose face looked eminently friendly and trustworthy. He was flanked by the ghost of Lya Jierre, Bert Facie and Xavier Sangria (erstwhile host of Leon during the convocation).

Once Nicodemus reached the centre of the chamber, he paused for silence and began to speak.

I'm curious, how did the group deal with being mostly bystanders in this scene? It was a challenge to come up with a way to present all the information in a way that wasn't just a report from spies or something.

RangerWickett said:

I'm curious, how did the group deal with being mostly bystanders in this scene? It was a challenge to come up with a way to present all the information in a way that wasn't just a report from spies or something.

Click to expand...

First of all, it's very kind of you to give me XP for cutting and pasting your own words from the adventure (although I did have to painstakingly change the tense from present to past). There's more of the same in the next report!

I guess that speaks to the passive nature of this scene. I was very much aware that the players wouldn't get that much chance to act, which is why I devoted the first half of the session to downtime. They had lots of time to stretch their legs before entering the vehicle! Another thing that worked in our favour: only 4 out of 7 players were present, so there were fewer egos jockeying for Brakken's headspace!

My players are also very much invested in the story, and enjoy watching it develop. I made sure to keep things moving, with conversations interrupted just as they were about to interject, which if anything added to the sense that they were mere passengers, or hostage to events. We were on a timer, by this point, so I had to keep the symposium feeling pacey.

They really loved the moment when Nicodemus lost it and started screaming in frustration at the attendees. And I enjoyed revealing Sijhen again!

Two quick notes:

1. I added Vlendham Heid's reference to Bhad Rayzhavdut. The timeline for him leaving the symposium (following the trauma of the Godmind) and appearing in northern Drakr in time to send the mystery box is a little tight. If I stick to the adventure as written, that would happen in maybe two weeks' time (unless I'm misreading something). So I thought it would help if I foreshadow it, and maybe put off the delivery of the box until deeper into adventure 11.
2. Korrigan was really interested in finding out what precautions the Ob had put in place to fend off a hivemind, but I was unable to supply any details. If the Ob can manage that (albeit thwarted by the presence of sijhen) why haven't they spread the knowledge throughout their allied nations?

Anyway, we really enjoyed the session. A bit of readaloud text is fine every once in a while!

*sheepish* The XP is just to let you know I'm reading and eager to hear about your group's exploits.

Re: Question 2, a wizard did it. It's like defending some VIPs with security guards. It's not hard if you have the manpower, but you don't have enough manpower to protect everyone the same way.

RangerWickett said:

*sheepish* The XP is just to let you know I'm reading and eager to hear about your group's exploits.

Click to expand...

I'm very grateful. I don't want to be an Enchanter forever! My point was intended to be self-deprecating.

RangerWickett said:

Re: Question 2, a wizard did it. It's like defending some VIPs with security guards. It's not hard if you have the manpower, but you don't have enough manpower to protect everyone the same way.

Click to expand...

So the nation of Risur could duplicate the precautions, but only in small, confined areas.

Session 204, Part Three - “Contribute!”

“It’s heartening to see so many gathered in one place, meeting in peace and willing to discuss how we can work together and set aside old differences. Before I get into the meat of things, I want to take a moment to thank you for showing me that my long faith in people’s capacity for good was not misplaced. My name is Nicodemus.” He paused to light up a cigarette and smiled. “An old nickname from my monastery days. More recently, though, I have devoted myself to leading an organization on a dangerous path. We hid most of our actions because we knew our ultimate goal would be opposed by many people in power. People like you, if I may be honest. It would be easy for governments to assume that our aim was to take power for ourselves. It’s a sad fact of the world that it’s hard to believe that someone’s intentions are benevolent.

“But I knew that once we accomplished what we set out to do, it would place before the world evidence of the common sense of the matter. Already changes are happening that are so positive that they must command the assent of those who witness them.

“You’ve no doubt read by now the generalities of how we enacted this change, and I’ll be glad to give you more technical specifics later if anyone has any questions. But I want you to understand that our ritual was sabotaged just before we could finish it. Operatives on order from Risur detonated a bomb that killed many of my friends and could have had catastrophic consequences. One particularly brave friend named Borne was able to continue with the ritual, but he was killed before he could secure it.

“It’s a flaw of my character, I feel, that I empathize with the leaders of Risur. I can understand why they’d fear to lose their power. For two centuries they waged war with Danor and tried to crush this nation before its industry could be strong enough to challenge their magic. But I wish Risur’s ruler were here today so we could show that cooperation will benefit us all.

“My organization tried to save the world, and Risur nearly doomed us all. It will be months before we’ll be able to fix their sabotage—and I assure you we will; I miss the sun as much as you—but between now and then our foremost goal should be eliminating the threat Risur poses. I have personally met some of the agents of Risur’s Homeland Constabulary, and they’re dangerous people.

“Danor’s navy, sadly, is very depleted, but thankfully Risur’s is as well. I’ll call upon Minister Duffet in a few minutes to explain the invasion plan, but I hope we can count on your nations to lend their ships for a full-scale invasion of Risur in one weeks’ time.

“I don’t want to focus on the spectre of war. This symposium is for looking forward, and I’d like to propose a comprehensive agenda where we talk about positive changes. We can determine how our nations and philosophies will best cooperate to deal with international challenges such as long-standing grievances, constant military build-ups, and territorial disputes, as well as local challenges like alleviating poverty, negotiating with and integrating rebellious populaces, and most intelligently making use of natural resources.

“I think you’ll find that in the new world we have brought forth, it will be much easier for us to agree on paths that are a net benefit for everyone.”

At this moment, an advisor leaned in and whispers in Nicodemus’s ear, then backed away.

“Right,” he says with a smile. “We’ve all heard or even seen the worrisome ‘hivemind phenomenon’ – an unfortunate consequence of Risuri sabotage of our ritual. We understand the mild risk we’d have with everyone focusing on solving the same problems, but don’t worry. We have guards and magical wards set up to detect any precursor energies that could lead to a hivemind. You’re all perfectly safe. Unless an element of risk is intellectually stimulating, in which case by all means, panic a bit.

“Again, it is an immense honour to stand here among you, and to see the first steps toward a better, united world. Before I call up Minister Duffet for her invasion presentation, does anyone have any questions?”

The first reply came from Chancellor Takhenova. The large dwarf voiced Drakr’s support for the Obscurati, and talked about how she looked forward to a new future alongside them. She would be glad to rally her nation’s military might to use against Risur. Nicodemus was pleased, smiling calmly.

Prime Cardinal Banderesso was the next to address the crowd, citing Crisillyir’s current turmoil and the need for immediate order. The Cardinal said that he was initially worried that there was a plot against his religion; he found it suspicious that so many of his colleagues recanted their faith and killed themselves at the exact moment the Obscurati took power. However, he agreed the invasion plan for Risur should benefit the Clergy – and the Crisillyiri people, he added as something of a reflex afterthought. He was willing to direct his people to work with Obscurati, but he was concerned that not all of his nation would recognize the clear logic of this war. He offered to contribute to the war effort if the Obscurati were willing to work with his nation in quelling the more rebellious elements of society, particularly the lower class.

Nicodemus seemed slightly taken aback, but before he could reply, the Drakran chancellor voiced her support. She already had agreements with other leaders in her nation to undertake grand industrial projects, but there were concerns that they would meet opposition from the working classes. She was sure that the war effort against Risur would be more efficient if these dissidents could be persuaded, rationally of course, to contribute.

Nicodemus interrupted and said that the Obscurati changed the world so that everyone could prosper. Yes, military production would need to increase temporarily, but people would be more enthusiastic to work the factories if they could share in the prosperity. Rather than maintaining existing power structures, he believed that the overall quality of life could be improved if those gathered here were willing to consider more unorthodox social structures.

Lord Kulp from Nalaam asked if he meant communal ownership and wealth redistribution. Betronga of the eladrin scoffed and said of course not. He heard rumours about the Obscurati conspiracy, and they would kill those who got in their way. That’s why he and the eladrin representatives came. He wanted to show that they were willing to change, and to help however they could to make life better for those willing to contribute. (That word again. Sokana Rel turned and looked at him quizzically, then touched his arm and whispered something which he shrugged off.)

Sagu Jacksdotter of Orithea agreed, and vigorously. She came because she hoped to get help with violent warbands who roam what were once the Malice Lands. It was too great an issue for Orithea to tackle on its own, but eladrin hunters and Drakran soldiers could make quick work of them, if they would contribute.

Chancellor Takhenova clenched her fist in support. Those who will not contribute would be destroyed, she said. “They’re ultimately just a net drag on society anyway. This new world only wants people who contribute.”

Nicodemus cleared his throat and gently admonished his guests. “Now, now. You’re all starting to sound like a hivemind.” He was ignored. Vlendam Heid tried to speak up too, but was cut off. A representative from a minor state asked if this was the sort of unorthodox social structure Nicodemus was suggesting. “Nicodemus said to share the prosperity, and obviously some people don’t have much prosperity to contribute.”

Cardinal Banderesso agreed. “Some people are simply inferior. They’re a net drag on society. We could easily remove them. This is a cause to which I could gladly contribute.”

“Contribute,” murmured a dozen people in unison.

Nicodemus stepped away, looking concerned, and conferred with his fellow Ob officers. While the rest of the crowd continued to speak in synch, Nicodemus shouted to the auditorium – to anyone who might be unaffected. “We took precautions! There should not be a hivemind here. Can anyone see it forming? We need to destroy it!”

With Brakken’s permission, Uru took over his senses and focused on piercing whatever veil had been thrown over the symposium. Overhead, he spotted a swirling hivemind – a fleshy ball of tentacles pulsing with brilliant blue-white light as the fervour of the delegates began to empower it. Something must have been hiding its formation from all but the most active and percipient of observers.

Brakken then declared with complete calm that he felt something taking control of his thoughts, and that he was being compelled to contribute to the discussions. They could sense his muscles beginning to freeze. Across the room, Heid fell to his knees and clutched his head. Lord Kulp struggled to cast a teleport spell, but he fumbled the words. Sokana Rel tried to wrest Betronga away from the group, but he resisted her, throwing her to the floor, where she curled into a foetal position. Uriel channelled Jannick, and lent his immunity to mental domination to Brakken. At his urging, he had Brakken begin to forge his way towards Kulp, but the minotaur’s limbs were leaden and the going was slow.

Nicodemus started to back out of the room, shouting to his fellow Obscurati officers to flee. Bert Facie and Xavier Sangria did as they were told, as did Lya – only pausing to wait for Nicodemus. But Eloise Duffet stood still, and even as Nicodemus shook her she did not respond, save to chant, “Contibute!” along with the others.

“You sons of bitches,” Nicodemus spat. “I give you the chance to do something wonderful, and this is what unifies you? This is who you really are, ha? Am I the only one power hasn’t corrupted?" By now he was screaming in fury. "Let this madness take you! You’re a cancer upon civilization, and I’ll cut you out like I should have from the start.”

At the urging of Lya Jierre’s ghost, he left the room just as the massive hivemind became visible and began to surge downward.

Vicious white light flared. The air itself seems to peel open like the petals of a flower. Tendrils unfurled throughout the hall, growing outward from random points to connecting the people caught up in the hivemind. Each tendril was thick, fleshy, and segmented, like an arm at an elbow, but with a new joint every few feet. When connected, the victims’ eyes begin to glow blue, and tiny arcs of energy streamed up and down the tendrils.

Brakken found his way blocked, first one way, then another. He was trapped, afraid to touch the tendrils. As more and more connections formed, the arcs and glowing eyes grew brighter, and the speech of the assembled delegates faded out into a thrum and drone that heaved across the room like waves. The web of skin and nerves began to spread across each person in the hivemind, rooting them to the ground and leaving only their mouths and their glowing, catatonic eyes exposed.

Guards began to lumber in from outside the chamber, zombified, and they too were quickly consumed. The open roof was covered by a spreading mass of thoughtflesh, and the entire building began to shake and heave upward.

In the midst of all this, a figure revealed itself, casting aside a psychic cloak that made it impossible to perceive. The creature – a blue-gray humanoid with tentacles around its mouth and four slits of black eyes – stepped into Brakken’s field of vision, purposefully and gazed into his eyes as if peering through a keyhole. This was Sijhen, the gidim wayfarer they had sought to thwart four years ago.

A thought resounded through Brakken’s mind:

“I can see you in there! I know you! The role-reversal – you in another body, trying to learn secrets so you can get back your world – it is a complex, ironic, and delicious thought. Whatever was done to this planet, it has made you so temptingly vulnerable. Behold what lies in store for your world. You have seen a hivemind, but now you shall witness a Godmind. I urge you not to despair. The Gidim shall consume your world, and the more you struggle, the more I will savour the challenge of defeating you.”

With that, the Gidim reached a hand into Brakken’s face.

Brakken began to spasm and a searing psychic pain drove his passengers out of his mind. The last thing they saw, before they were forced back into their bodies, was Sijhen step away from Brakken and vanish in a flash of blue-white light.

From their parked airship ten miles away, they could just barely see the top of the hill of the Danoran Congress. The entire building was moving, crawling along on massive tentacles that flickered with blue-white light. After a moment it disappeared behind the hill, heading towards the slums of Cherage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThSF2bEhhf4

End of Session

I love the music choice.