Transia: Story of Five Worlds

[Dodavehu]

Intro:
This is the campaign tracker of the game I'm running. Hopefully it will entertain anyone that might stumble across it, offer ideas to any DMs that might read it through, and help me and my players remember just what happened.

The game takes place in the city of Transia. A spraling, overcrowded metropolis that teleports at random intervals between five different planets that share the same sun.

Current Players[sblock]Lia--Half-elf Rogue
Streetwise girl who's grown up in the poorest district of the city, known as the Shingles. She and her twin brother, Aulineer, were raised by their human father after their mother abandoned them. As she got older, she learned some techniques to help out with money that her father, if he knew, might not be too proud of. She has a knack for getting out of trouble. One of these times brought the attention of a wealthy paladin, Ethan, who wished he could be an adventurer. He soon fell in love with her care-free and down-to-earth spirit and proposed to her. She accepted, but secretly only because his family's money would led to a good life for her aging father.

Aulineer--Half-elf Warlock
While Lia spent most of her life getting out of trouble, her twin brother spent most of his trying to avoid it altogether. That didn't stop him from joining in on her adventures during thier childhood though. On one such outing a professor from the Magisterium, the city's magic college, noticed that he had a raw magical power bubbling just under his dirty skin. He offered Alineer the chance to study to become a wizard, free of charge. He and his father were reluctant to leave each other, but they both saw the great oppurtunity for him. Aulineer had frustrations with developing the magical abilities that everyone else was so sure that he had, much unlike his roommate, Rem, who seemed to excel at it from day one. Then one day he came across an ancient tome that was forbidden to students. He couldn't remember reading it, but the next day he found that his magical abilities had finally been unlocked.

Relic--Warforged Cleric of Latemel
Warforged are seen as property is most places, Transia included. Relic has gone through a couple owners in his short life, but he has ended up in the charge of an ascetic sect of Latemel, god of light and justice. The head priest took him under his wing and taught to bring glory to his god's name and to live a modest life. Eventually the head priest determined that Relic could learn no more from within the monestary's walls and instructed him to pack a bag and prepare to bring Latemel's message to the city and the rest of the worlds.

Rem--Aselesti (Eladrin) Wizard
Many aselesti are known for two things: being good at magic and coming from wealthy families. Rem is living proof of where the sterotype comes from. His family paid his way into the Magisterium at a very young age. When he had finished his mundane study, he went on to the arcane school and became one of the fastest students to demonstrate wizardly abilities. He continued to master the basics of magic manipulation, but his favorite professor seemed to ignore his accomplishments. His roommate, Aulinner, seemed to get all of his teacher's attention even though Rem was clearly the better student. [/sblock]


NPC Companions[sblock]Ethan Lionblade--Human Paladin of Latemel
Bree Scepterbound--Spirit-touched Fighter/Rogue[/sblock]

Former Players[sblock]Wella Wash--Kithling (Gnome/Kalishtar/Halfling) Paladin of the Traveller
Solaris--Saturnine (Tiefling) Ranger[/sblock]

 

[Dodavehu]

Chapter one--Something Old, Something New

Chapter One
Something Old, Something New

Aulenir takes a holiday from studies at the Magisterium to return home, visit his father and sister, and meet her new fiancee. After the three of them catch up, Desmond, their father, expresses just how proud he is of them. His son is off at the Magisterium becoming a wizard while his daughter is starting a family of her own with a noble and influencial paladin. He says that they remind him more of their adventurous mother everyday. With that he digs through a cedar chest and gives them a small, ornate box. He says that this was something their mother had left to an old friend of hers. He has been too reluctant to let go of it, but now he realizes that his children are all that he needs to remind him of his former lover. He tells the twins to take the box to a dwarf named "Lefty" at the Stoned Martyr Tavern and Inn.

Later that night, Lia's fiancee, Ethan, arrives and has dinner with them. He is intrigued with mission and asks if he can come along. They agree and the three set off the next day to try to find the Inn.

All doesn't go well though. They soon realize that they are lost in the (one of the many) bad part of town. They are attacked by a gang of goblins calling themselves the Spider Guts. These creatures assult them with acids, poisons, and explosives demanding that they give them money. At the last minute, an aselesti wizards jumps out of hiding to offer aid. Aulenir quickly recognizes him as his roommate from the Magisterium, Rem. With the combined efforts of Aulenir, Ethan, Lia, and Rem they are able to defeat most of them and drive the rest away.

After the battle, Rem explains that he caught Aulenir sneaking out. Auliner then admits to Lia and Ethan that the Magisterium denied his request to visit his family. Rem says that Aullenir owns him one, but that he can lead them to the Inn.

They continue on their way for a while until a group of city guards approach them. One of the goblins was with them and screamed that the trio was the one who attacked his friends as they were taking a walk around the city while screaming racist epithets. The guards try to get to the bottom of it, but it quickly degrades into another fight as more goblins show up.

As the battle pours out to the street, a warforged cleric, Relic, sees a group of goblins and guards attacking a fellow follower of Latemel. He joins the fray which quickly becomes a chase through the crowded streets.

They eventually make it to saftey and Rem comments on one of the prizes that Aulenir took from a fallen goblin. It was a glowing gem that Rem called a "Goddess Tear." He said that Auliner should give it to him as payment for his services and continued silence. Aulenir refused and challenged him to a mageduel. Aulenir was victorious, but many saw that the magic he performed was something unlike that of a wizard.


They arrived at the Stoned Martyr without further incident. Inside is a huge tavern seemingly populated by war ventrens and adventurers. After some narrowly avoided trouble from some drunk dwarves seated nearby, a minotaur employee comes over to them. He introduces himself as Vincent and has a pleasent conversation with them about Aulenir and Lia's mother and about Lefty. He goes to tell the old dwarf and returns to tell them that Lefty can close the bar early and see them later that night. They enjoy the bar for a while and eventually Lia and Aulenir are led to his chamber upstairs.

Lefty is an ancient dwarf that looks about two minutes away from cumbling into dust. He's full of scars, wears heavy iron boots, and is missing his right arm. He speaks fondly of their mother and opens the box. He holds back tears and explains that it contains the elven dagger she stole from her homeland in her childhood. He tells them that all five of them are welcome in his bar anytime.

Their conversation is interrupted by sounds downstairs. They all rush down and see that Rem, Relic, Ethan, and Vincent are engaged in battle outside. Apparently the Spider Gut Goblins had been following them and wanted revenge for earlier that day since half of their number was now in jail or killed. A huge golden axe covered in glowing runes appeared in Lefty's hand and he started defending everyone. The goblins lured them into the building next door, an apothecary, and then made it clear that they had rigged the building to explode.

They all rushed out, but Vincent had fallen unconscious and they weren't able to get to him before it exploded in a ball of fire and acid.

They all mourned the loss of the minotaur who showed them unparrelled kindness, but Lefty said that he died a warrior's death.

Rem and Aulenir return to the Magisterum undetected, but Rem is clearly bitter about losing the duel. Ethan thanks Relic for all the help and offers to house him in his church for the night. Both of the holy men wonder if they should say anything about Aulenir's apparent dark magics on their way home.

Before any of them reach their homes though, they are met by city guards and arrested.

 

[Dodavehu]

Chapter Two
Consequenses or Just Desserts

The next time the party meets up is by force.

City guards have collected them one by one and put them in prison. They are all charged with destroying the apothecary next to the Stoned Martyr. Not too surprizingly, most of them protest. The guards, for the most part, ignore their pleas.

During the night they feel strange virtigo that only accompanies Transia's shifts. It seems odd since the city only teleports every few months (sometimes years) or so, and they just arrived on the current planet a couple weeks ago. It also seems that it's winter time on whatever world they landed on as snow flurries drift down from the barred windows near the ceilings of their cells.

They are kept (sometimes literally) in the dark for all that night and through most of the next day. Finally, a guard goes over to their cell and unlocks it--only to quickly slam the gate closed after Rem steps out. The guard explains that Rem's wealthy family has bailed him out. Rem begins to protest, but then looks at Aulenir, smiles, and waves goodbye to them.

A couple more hours pass an then Lefty stomps up with his iron boots. He tells them that he's doing the best he can to explain the mix-up to the authorities, but that it's authorities' job to get in the way of the truth. He says that Ethan's family, the Lionblades, are neogotiating with the city to find the Magisterium responsible since it was caused by two of their students who weren't supposed to be outside their walls. Lefty guesses that the Lionblades would rather have their son charged with protecting his fiance, who was in turn helping her brother, than to take the responsibilty upon themselves and damage their name.

Lefty says that it wouldn't be the worst outcome. Then they'd just go to trial at the Magisterium instead of the city (which would probably have vastly better penalties). Either way, he'll be able to pay their bail once they figure it out.

Lefty leaves and the party discusses the situation a bit. Then Lefty comes back and has the guard set them free on bail. They are ordered to the Magisterium to trial and sentencing under their jurisdiction.

They argue their case in front of the Magisterium. The judges review some divinitory evidence and find that they were only accessories to the crime. Aulenir is suspended for a year and everyone is ordered to work as cooking staff for a Magisterium hosted feast in a few days.

Aulenir's favorite professor tells him not to worry and to look at his suspension as an oppurtunity to apply his knowledge in the field. He also tells him how impressed he was after seeing the illusory images of him in action.

A few days later they all meet at a banquet hall in the city. It turns out that they aren't the only ones that were forced to work as caterers. A dozen or so saturnine, a kithling paladin, and a hunched back creature who had what looked like worms coming out of his mouth all met in the kitchen. A short-tempered human working for the Magisterium assigned everyone jobs and made it clear that he had little respect for them. He called the wormed-faced creature Maggot, which was a name that seemed to stick.

As they prepared the food the party found out some information.

--The feast was to welcome a group of aselesti that had arrived just before the city shifted. They were apparently very important figures on their world, perhaps even royalty.

--Maggot, whose real name was Osar, was of a race called the spirit-touched. He said there were strange elemental creatures called the Old Spirits. Sometimes, people were born to close to one of them and came out . . . different. He suspected some earthen spirit was around during his birth since his skin was soil-like, his hands were similar to a mole's, and the worms. He also had some mental abilities (which allowed him to communicate since he had no mouth to speak with). He had been treated poorly his whole life and had gotten in trouble because someone framed him for a minor crime.

--Most of the saturnine were part of a cult called the Belphigion. They planned to get revenge on the Magisterium for their treatment of warlocks by assassinating the foreign dignitaries.

--One of the saturnine, Solaris, was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and had no connection to the Belphigion.

(More later.)