gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
The White Tongue! She could be in league with those guys, right?
-
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ZEITGEIST [ZEITGEIST] The Continuing Adventures of Korrigan & Co.
- Thread starter gideonpepys
- Start date
RangerWickett
Legend
Doomsdays cult. Multiple days of doom.
I can dig it.
I can dig it.
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Oh, that's those guys, is it? I didn't know they were connected to the eschatologists. (That is what you're getting at, right?)
RangerWickett
Legend
Oh, no, I wasn't implying that. I just like that silly phrase. The eschatologist radicals don't link up with VoR.
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
I like that silly phrase too. Oddly pedantic and strangely ineffective. Clearly these 'doomsdays' aren't up to much if you need to have more than one of them!
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
More Musings - Slightly more coherent this time, I hope.
Some time ago I added complexity and detail to the rather straightforward dungeon bash buffer adventure Danger at Dunwater by pinching a plotline from China Mieville's novel the Scar. What I took was the idea of an explorer who had escaped the clutches of a sea dwelling race (in my case aboleth, or Deep Ones) with details of their fortifications and defenses, as well as a sinister jade idol in the form of a squid that conferred powers of stealth and mobility on the wielder.
The idol was just a little toy to tease the players with; the journal full of details was more important as it advanced a subplot involving Black Star Mining and their plans to launch a fleet to attack the Deep Ones. This fleet was denied a port in Flint due to the political campaigning of the players and long ago sailed south, along with Black Star Mining CEO Khaled Valchek (and Benedict Pemberton). As for the idol, my players refused to play with it - too nervous of its addictive power, so I had Tatzel the dragon demand it from them as the price for leaving the feywild in another adventure.
A lot later, I had unit B stumble upon a similar idol in a Burial Chamber in the Cloudwood. When I say 'similar' this one was in fact a shifting, disorienting crystal, and the only thing that connected the two was the fact that a dragon ended up in possession of them both. That wasn't supposed to happen. I hoped unit B would put up a doomed struggle and be rescued by a powerful NPC (Leshy, a spirit of the forest). The idol was designed to wind up in Leon's hands and give him access to a second pact. When unit B surrendered it outright, I had to change things up, and instead had Leon drawn to a cave in the bayou where there dwelt an entity of pure thought who claimed to be a foe of the gidim and extended patronage to him.
Recently I decided to run some simple dungeon delves as a breather between episodes of Zeitgeist. (Other buffers have proved as complex and intense as the adventures themselves and I'm looking to give myself a bit of respite.) To provide a hook, I have decided that the delves will be linked by more such idols, which I have decided represent the planes of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Life, Death, Time and Space before the Ancients fixed them in place as they are now. Some were designed to draw power from the beings who accessed this worlds through those planes (such as the gidim, aboleth, demons, angels, etc.) and who now can no longer do so.
Also searching for these idols are a coven of hags (who link into previous previous buffer adventures in ways described in my earlier post). The hags may or may not serve the Voice of Rot (depending upon how epic tier progresses) and also seek to subvert and/or hijack the Obscurati plan to realign the cosmos (when they eventually find out about it) - either for their own designs or for their master's.
Thanks to the players, the hags have two of the idols now - connecting to the old planes of water and time, with the traits of deceit and plasticity - meaning they can travel back in time and alter all my mistakes. They are using these to mess with events in the Dreaming, as will become clear in the second of the buffer adventures I have planned before embarking on episode 6. (In which Leon heads into the fey realm to try and fix the mess he's made.)
Maybe Lavanya is one of the coven before she became a hag. Maybe.
Some time ago I added complexity and detail to the rather straightforward dungeon bash buffer adventure Danger at Dunwater by pinching a plotline from China Mieville's novel the Scar. What I took was the idea of an explorer who had escaped the clutches of a sea dwelling race (in my case aboleth, or Deep Ones) with details of their fortifications and defenses, as well as a sinister jade idol in the form of a squid that conferred powers of stealth and mobility on the wielder.
The idol was just a little toy to tease the players with; the journal full of details was more important as it advanced a subplot involving Black Star Mining and their plans to launch a fleet to attack the Deep Ones. This fleet was denied a port in Flint due to the political campaigning of the players and long ago sailed south, along with Black Star Mining CEO Khaled Valchek (and Benedict Pemberton). As for the idol, my players refused to play with it - too nervous of its addictive power, so I had Tatzel the dragon demand it from them as the price for leaving the feywild in another adventure.
A lot later, I had unit B stumble upon a similar idol in a Burial Chamber in the Cloudwood. When I say 'similar' this one was in fact a shifting, disorienting crystal, and the only thing that connected the two was the fact that a dragon ended up in possession of them both. That wasn't supposed to happen. I hoped unit B would put up a doomed struggle and be rescued by a powerful NPC (Leshy, a spirit of the forest). The idol was designed to wind up in Leon's hands and give him access to a second pact. When unit B surrendered it outright, I had to change things up, and instead had Leon drawn to a cave in the bayou where there dwelt an entity of pure thought who claimed to be a foe of the gidim and extended patronage to him.
Recently I decided to run some simple dungeon delves as a breather between episodes of Zeitgeist. (Other buffers have proved as complex and intense as the adventures themselves and I'm looking to give myself a bit of respite.) To provide a hook, I have decided that the delves will be linked by more such idols, which I have decided represent the planes of Earth, Air, Fire, Water, Life, Death, Time and Space before the Ancients fixed them in place as they are now. Some were designed to draw power from the beings who accessed this worlds through those planes (such as the gidim, aboleth, demons, angels, etc.) and who now can no longer do so.
Also searching for these idols are a coven of hags (who link into previous previous buffer adventures in ways described in my earlier post). The hags may or may not serve the Voice of Rot (depending upon how epic tier progresses) and also seek to subvert and/or hijack the Obscurati plan to realign the cosmos (when they eventually find out about it) - either for their own designs or for their master's.
Thanks to the players, the hags have two of the idols now - connecting to the old planes of water and time, with the traits of deceit and plasticity - meaning they can travel back in time and alter all my mistakes. They are using these to mess with events in the Dreaming, as will become clear in the second of the buffer adventures I have planned before embarking on episode 6. (In which Leon heads into the fey realm to try and fix the mess he's made.)
Maybe Lavanya is one of the coven before she became a hag. Maybe.
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Session 102 - The Battle of Bosum Strand
Gale sustained her mass flight power, despite the great strain it placed on her magical reserves, and her concern about an approaching storm which even now was sending wisps of cloud scudding over the night sky. With her help, the unit were able to approach the great golem, and saw that Lavanya was still crouched atop its head.
She had proved to be very dangerous and her mind-bending powers would be even more deadly in a fight three-hundred feet up.
As soon as she saw them heading closer, she stood and waved them away, shouting words that were lost in the winds that buffeted them as they flew.
Rumdoom was uncharacteristically cautious: He was nursing many wounds from their fight beneath the hill, and a fight with a slender young woman was one he felt no shame in walking (or flying) away from. But the rest of the group were determined to ensure that Lavanya did not gain control of the colossus.
Uru also reminded them about the 'hole to the underworld' that the golem had opened up. Korrigan said that they would have to worry about that later.
"The problem with ignoring long-term problems is they can sneak up on you," said Uru.
"And then you end up with a load of dead children hanging from a tree," Leon added. He then asked the others to give him the chance to speak to Lavanya. But even as he flew closer she began to magically manipulate him and would have succeeded in turning him against his friends again had Matunaaga not distracted her from her spell with a well-placed shot. With a snarl, she hurled another, lesser charm which filled Rumdoom's mind with imagined fears and caused him to peel away from the others.
Leon touched down on Borne just a few feet away from Lavanya. Bracing his mind against further enchantment he gently suggested to her that her situation was hopeless - that she should surrender and allow herself to be placed under arrest. Lavanya scowled and said that she was very angry that he had betrayed her. Then she launched a mental attack that caused Leon flee for his life - right off the top of the golem.
As he fell, Leon saw his life flash before him. Not just past events, but future ones too. At some point in his later life, he would learn that someone was twisting the very fabric of time at the very moment he confronted Lavanya.
Meanwhile, the desperate struggle went on without him. Before she fell under a hail of blows and bullets, Lavanya was able to twist Rumdoom's mind too, and he followed Leon to the ground, bouncing off the golem's chest as he went.
But this was just one of the possibilities, Leon learned. Someone, somewhere, somewhen offered him the chance to alter course of events. Lavanya might be rescued; she might hurl herself off the golem; she might escape before they came after her; or she might surrender without a fight.
Leon chose the last option and the fight never happened. (The following night, everyone would dream about it.) Lavanya surrendered and allowed herself to be placed in mage cuffs and flown away from the golem. Uru landed on Borne's shoulder and clambered down to the cavity in his chest.
Messages had arrived from Stover Delft and the Old Stag. Stover wanted the unit to make haste for Hotel Aurum. The Old Stag wanted to see Leon at the first available opportunity. Light rain was falling. Gale was exhausted. She would not, in any case, have flown the unit so close to the heart of government - she was a wanted terrorist after all. And so she wished them luck and bid them farewell.
Leon was standing apart with Lavanya, exchanging a few quiet words with her. The rest of the had a hasty discussion about what to do with him now that they had learned his true identity. Rumdoom said, "I never trusted him in the first place. Weirdly, I trust him more now." Korrigan came to a decision with a nod of his head. He trusted Leon. They would work with him for the time being and try to prevent him from being arrested again.
Meanwhile, Borne was on the move, stomping down the hill towards the city. Uru reported his findings. He felt sure that the cavity represented a weakness. A massive blow could destroy the monster. Leon immediately thought of the eschatologist bomb. With a daring plan in their minds, Rumdoom, Matunaaga and Korrigan set off to the Hotel in the wondrous carriage they had looted from Kell. Lavanya was with them and Conquo stomped along behind. Leon travelled as fast as he could, fey-stepping across the rooftops of the Nettles to try and cut the golem off. Korrigan had given him a messenger wind so he could stay in touch with them.
At the Hotel, the unit learned that the Danorans had departed in haste as soon as the golem appeared and had already sailed out of the harbour. Luc Jierre remained in custody, however - he who had sent the messenger to the Bleak Gate. There was no time to question him, however; the king had convened his court in the lobby of the hotel (ease of evacuation being more important than posh furniture at this stage).
The King also had a plan: He wanted to use his Rites of Rulership to banish the colossus from his kingdom. The ritual was lengthy and demanding and would expose him to attack, so it had been decided he would perform it from the deck of the RNS Coaltongue - assuming of course that they could lure Borne to the harbour. The king was more than happy to let the unit try their plan first, and while they dashed to pick up the dwarven bomb (and drop Lavanya off at the RHC cells on the way) Delft went to round up as many leftover New Years fireworks as he could find (with the suggestion from the unit that he try Blander Waryeye the House Elf who had a workshop full of pyrotechnics).
Borne had stopped moving near Parity Lake, where it was joined by the Stanfield Canal. Leon did his best to help evacuate people calmly, having tried and failed to communicate with the golem. Uru scuttled all over its surface and established that it was extremely well-defended against mundane and magical attacks. Then he went back to the chest cavity and worked out where best to place the bomb.
At RHC HQ, the unit went to the evidence locker to pick up the diffused bomb. They also grabbed the Golden Icon of Avilona (and while they were at it, Matunaaga picked up the Golden Icon of Nem and Uru purloined the Cracked Cauldron). The quartermaster objected strongly, waving unfilled paperwork at them, but he was countermanded by Korrigan and they left with what they needed. They took the wondrous carriage to Parity Lake. The colossus appeared to be taking no notice of anything or anyone, just staring out across the city, having stomped every building in its path into rubble.
Xambria remained in charge of Conquo. There appeared to be no sign of the demonic possession that once afflicted her and the unit was only too happy to have their help. Conquo took the eschatologist bomb in his huge arms and, using the power of the Golden Icon of Avilona, flew up into Borne's chest cavity. The golem glanced downwards but did not otherwise react. It took Uru several minutes to reset the bomb. He timed it to explode in ten minutes. Then, with the alchemical admixture beginning to gurgle, Conquo took Uru in his arms and leaped out of the cavity, to be caught by Matunaaga's telekenetic power and gently lowered to the ground.
Uru's second mistake was in his timing of the bomb. As soon as they had landed it exploded with full force, sending a jet of rainbow energy arcing a hundred feet in front of the golem, who was blasted onto his back half into the lake, half onto the warehouses around the lake which splintered like kindling. It turned out that Uru's first mistake was in thinking that the bomb would harm the golem. Enraged, Borne clambered to his feet, batted at its chest for a moment, before looking around for the source of the attack.
Delft gave the order for the first burst of fireworks to be set off and Borne stomped angrily in their direction, crushing more buildings and the final bridge over the canal. Before he reached the site of the launch, more fireworks went off downstream and Borne chased angrily after them. The unit jumped back in their carriage and made best speed towards the docks, arriving well ahead of the golem. Heavy rain had begun to fall and thunderclouds had gathered.
There was panic and confusion at the dockside. Only a few ships were in the harbour, and these were undermanned. Crowds of people were trying to force their way onto two transport ships while Thames Grimsley and some of his dockers tried to calm them. Korrigan took charge, got the crowd's attention and drawing on his own reputation and popularity with the common folk, persuaded every able-bodied seaman he could to volunteer for service with the fleet and take part in the defence of their city.
The King and Harkover Lee were already aboard the Coaltongue. The golem was drawing near, his footsteps causing the ground to quake. As they dashed for the flagship, Captain Rosalyn Taylor hailed them from her ship the Freux Rogue. She and her crew had not joined the Danorans when they left the harbour but had stayed behind to help the Risuri against this unknown threat. But the port authorities would no longer give them leave to cast off, so Korrigan intervened again and added another, very capable ship to the miscellaneous vessels that now defended the Coaltongue and the King.
On board the Coaltongue Geoff Massarde (who had sobered up quite quickly) explained some of the features of the ship while the unit placed themselves where they hoped they would be most useful: Uru headed for the engine room; Matunaaga the forward turret; Korrigan the command deck; Conquo close to the King and Minsiter Lee. Rumdoom tried to help too. He suggested to one of the gunners that they put all of the guns on one side to get a better shot, when it was pointed out that the ship might have to move, and then there would be no guns on the side facing the golem. Rumdoom nodded and sidled away. Hooded, Leon kept out of sight of anyone who might recognise him, placing himself where he could use the ships magical brand if necessary.
With no more fireworks to distract it, the angry golem stomped on the battery that had launched the final display. Then a roar of cannon from the ships in the harbour caused it to surge out towards them, where it grabbed the nearest, the Avalanche and shattered it like a toy. At this sight, the veteran captain of the Coaltongue clutched at his chest and keeled over. Marshal Korrigan assumed command.
The king's ritual began, and an arc of green light snaked out from him and began to weave itself around the Colossus. It immediately focused its attention on the flagship and it took all of the skill of the crew to keep their distance. It was made all the more difficult by the presence of a fey weed in the harbour which clogged up the propellers and slowed all of the vessels down. How it had got into the harbour was anybody's guess. (Anybody except Uru, who had introduced it some months ago in an attempt to mess with Black Star Mining.)
Unaffected by the weed, and unharmed by the barrage of the fleet, the golem eventually drew close enough to the Coaltongue to strike the deck with its huge fist. The ship lurched, several crew members perished and gobs of witchoil spattered to the deck. These rose up to form wailing monstrosities that by their very presence visibly sapped the green, life energy of the ritual. At once, the unit sprang into action and did what they did best, dispatching these horrors in double-quick time, before helping the crew to get away from the colossus.
The Freux Rouge finally struck the golem with a broadside that drew its attention long enough for the Coaltongue to establish some distance. Then Matunaaga fired a shot that drew the golem away from the Freux Rouge. Just as Borne headed back towards the Coaltongue both the storm and the king's ritual reached their crescendo. There was flash of blinding green light and a clap of thunder and the next moment, both the storm clouds and the golem were gone.
Gale sustained her mass flight power, despite the great strain it placed on her magical reserves, and her concern about an approaching storm which even now was sending wisps of cloud scudding over the night sky. With her help, the unit were able to approach the great golem, and saw that Lavanya was still crouched atop its head.
She had proved to be very dangerous and her mind-bending powers would be even more deadly in a fight three-hundred feet up.
As soon as she saw them heading closer, she stood and waved them away, shouting words that were lost in the winds that buffeted them as they flew.
Rumdoom was uncharacteristically cautious: He was nursing many wounds from their fight beneath the hill, and a fight with a slender young woman was one he felt no shame in walking (or flying) away from. But the rest of the group were determined to ensure that Lavanya did not gain control of the colossus.
Uru also reminded them about the 'hole to the underworld' that the golem had opened up. Korrigan said that they would have to worry about that later.
"The problem with ignoring long-term problems is they can sneak up on you," said Uru.
"And then you end up with a load of dead children hanging from a tree," Leon added. He then asked the others to give him the chance to speak to Lavanya. But even as he flew closer she began to magically manipulate him and would have succeeded in turning him against his friends again had Matunaaga not distracted her from her spell with a well-placed shot. With a snarl, she hurled another, lesser charm which filled Rumdoom's mind with imagined fears and caused him to peel away from the others.
Leon touched down on Borne just a few feet away from Lavanya. Bracing his mind against further enchantment he gently suggested to her that her situation was hopeless - that she should surrender and allow herself to be placed under arrest. Lavanya scowled and said that she was very angry that he had betrayed her. Then she launched a mental attack that caused Leon flee for his life - right off the top of the golem.
As he fell, Leon saw his life flash before him. Not just past events, but future ones too. At some point in his later life, he would learn that someone was twisting the very fabric of time at the very moment he confronted Lavanya.
Meanwhile, the desperate struggle went on without him. Before she fell under a hail of blows and bullets, Lavanya was able to twist Rumdoom's mind too, and he followed Leon to the ground, bouncing off the golem's chest as he went.
But this was just one of the possibilities, Leon learned. Someone, somewhere, somewhen offered him the chance to alter course of events. Lavanya might be rescued; she might hurl herself off the golem; she might escape before they came after her; or she might surrender without a fight.
Leon chose the last option and the fight never happened. (The following night, everyone would dream about it.) Lavanya surrendered and allowed herself to be placed in mage cuffs and flown away from the golem. Uru landed on Borne's shoulder and clambered down to the cavity in his chest.
Messages had arrived from Stover Delft and the Old Stag. Stover wanted the unit to make haste for Hotel Aurum. The Old Stag wanted to see Leon at the first available opportunity. Light rain was falling. Gale was exhausted. She would not, in any case, have flown the unit so close to the heart of government - she was a wanted terrorist after all. And so she wished them luck and bid them farewell.
Leon was standing apart with Lavanya, exchanging a few quiet words with her. The rest of the had a hasty discussion about what to do with him now that they had learned his true identity. Rumdoom said, "I never trusted him in the first place. Weirdly, I trust him more now." Korrigan came to a decision with a nod of his head. He trusted Leon. They would work with him for the time being and try to prevent him from being arrested again.
Meanwhile, Borne was on the move, stomping down the hill towards the city. Uru reported his findings. He felt sure that the cavity represented a weakness. A massive blow could destroy the monster. Leon immediately thought of the eschatologist bomb. With a daring plan in their minds, Rumdoom, Matunaaga and Korrigan set off to the Hotel in the wondrous carriage they had looted from Kell. Lavanya was with them and Conquo stomped along behind. Leon travelled as fast as he could, fey-stepping across the rooftops of the Nettles to try and cut the golem off. Korrigan had given him a messenger wind so he could stay in touch with them.
At the Hotel, the unit learned that the Danorans had departed in haste as soon as the golem appeared and had already sailed out of the harbour. Luc Jierre remained in custody, however - he who had sent the messenger to the Bleak Gate. There was no time to question him, however; the king had convened his court in the lobby of the hotel (ease of evacuation being more important than posh furniture at this stage).
The King also had a plan: He wanted to use his Rites of Rulership to banish the colossus from his kingdom. The ritual was lengthy and demanding and would expose him to attack, so it had been decided he would perform it from the deck of the RNS Coaltongue - assuming of course that they could lure Borne to the harbour. The king was more than happy to let the unit try their plan first, and while they dashed to pick up the dwarven bomb (and drop Lavanya off at the RHC cells on the way) Delft went to round up as many leftover New Years fireworks as he could find (with the suggestion from the unit that he try Blander Waryeye the House Elf who had a workshop full of pyrotechnics).
Borne had stopped moving near Parity Lake, where it was joined by the Stanfield Canal. Leon did his best to help evacuate people calmly, having tried and failed to communicate with the golem. Uru scuttled all over its surface and established that it was extremely well-defended against mundane and magical attacks. Then he went back to the chest cavity and worked out where best to place the bomb.
At RHC HQ, the unit went to the evidence locker to pick up the diffused bomb. They also grabbed the Golden Icon of Avilona (and while they were at it, Matunaaga picked up the Golden Icon of Nem and Uru purloined the Cracked Cauldron). The quartermaster objected strongly, waving unfilled paperwork at them, but he was countermanded by Korrigan and they left with what they needed. They took the wondrous carriage to Parity Lake. The colossus appeared to be taking no notice of anything or anyone, just staring out across the city, having stomped every building in its path into rubble.
Xambria remained in charge of Conquo. There appeared to be no sign of the demonic possession that once afflicted her and the unit was only too happy to have their help. Conquo took the eschatologist bomb in his huge arms and, using the power of the Golden Icon of Avilona, flew up into Borne's chest cavity. The golem glanced downwards but did not otherwise react. It took Uru several minutes to reset the bomb. He timed it to explode in ten minutes. Then, with the alchemical admixture beginning to gurgle, Conquo took Uru in his arms and leaped out of the cavity, to be caught by Matunaaga's telekenetic power and gently lowered to the ground.
Uru's second mistake was in his timing of the bomb. As soon as they had landed it exploded with full force, sending a jet of rainbow energy arcing a hundred feet in front of the golem, who was blasted onto his back half into the lake, half onto the warehouses around the lake which splintered like kindling. It turned out that Uru's first mistake was in thinking that the bomb would harm the golem. Enraged, Borne clambered to his feet, batted at its chest for a moment, before looking around for the source of the attack.
Delft gave the order for the first burst of fireworks to be set off and Borne stomped angrily in their direction, crushing more buildings and the final bridge over the canal. Before he reached the site of the launch, more fireworks went off downstream and Borne chased angrily after them. The unit jumped back in their carriage and made best speed towards the docks, arriving well ahead of the golem. Heavy rain had begun to fall and thunderclouds had gathered.
There was panic and confusion at the dockside. Only a few ships were in the harbour, and these were undermanned. Crowds of people were trying to force their way onto two transport ships while Thames Grimsley and some of his dockers tried to calm them. Korrigan took charge, got the crowd's attention and drawing on his own reputation and popularity with the common folk, persuaded every able-bodied seaman he could to volunteer for service with the fleet and take part in the defence of their city.
The King and Harkover Lee were already aboard the Coaltongue. The golem was drawing near, his footsteps causing the ground to quake. As they dashed for the flagship, Captain Rosalyn Taylor hailed them from her ship the Freux Rogue. She and her crew had not joined the Danorans when they left the harbour but had stayed behind to help the Risuri against this unknown threat. But the port authorities would no longer give them leave to cast off, so Korrigan intervened again and added another, very capable ship to the miscellaneous vessels that now defended the Coaltongue and the King.
On board the Coaltongue Geoff Massarde (who had sobered up quite quickly) explained some of the features of the ship while the unit placed themselves where they hoped they would be most useful: Uru headed for the engine room; Matunaaga the forward turret; Korrigan the command deck; Conquo close to the King and Minsiter Lee. Rumdoom tried to help too. He suggested to one of the gunners that they put all of the guns on one side to get a better shot, when it was pointed out that the ship might have to move, and then there would be no guns on the side facing the golem. Rumdoom nodded and sidled away. Hooded, Leon kept out of sight of anyone who might recognise him, placing himself where he could use the ships magical brand if necessary.
With no more fireworks to distract it, the angry golem stomped on the battery that had launched the final display. Then a roar of cannon from the ships in the harbour caused it to surge out towards them, where it grabbed the nearest, the Avalanche and shattered it like a toy. At this sight, the veteran captain of the Coaltongue clutched at his chest and keeled over. Marshal Korrigan assumed command.
The king's ritual began, and an arc of green light snaked out from him and began to weave itself around the Colossus. It immediately focused its attention on the flagship and it took all of the skill of the crew to keep their distance. It was made all the more difficult by the presence of a fey weed in the harbour which clogged up the propellers and slowed all of the vessels down. How it had got into the harbour was anybody's guess. (Anybody except Uru, who had introduced it some months ago in an attempt to mess with Black Star Mining.)
Unaffected by the weed, and unharmed by the barrage of the fleet, the golem eventually drew close enough to the Coaltongue to strike the deck with its huge fist. The ship lurched, several crew members perished and gobs of witchoil spattered to the deck. These rose up to form wailing monstrosities that by their very presence visibly sapped the green, life energy of the ritual. At once, the unit sprang into action and did what they did best, dispatching these horrors in double-quick time, before helping the crew to get away from the colossus.
The Freux Rouge finally struck the golem with a broadside that drew its attention long enough for the Coaltongue to establish some distance. Then Matunaaga fired a shot that drew the golem away from the Freux Rouge. Just as Borne headed back towards the Coaltongue both the storm and the king's ritual reached their crescendo. There was flash of blinding green light and a clap of thunder and the next moment, both the storm clouds and the golem were gone.
Last edited:
Falkus
Explorer
Excellent write up as always, but I just want to say; in my many years reading RPG forums, this is the first time I've seen the Rouge/Rogue mistake go the other way
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Excellent write up as always, but I just want to say; in my many years reading RPG forums, this is the first time I've seen the Rouge/Rogue mistake go the other way
Glad you enjoyed it. Both the write up and the typo.
gideonpepys
Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.
Session 102 - New Years Honours
This report is 99% verbatim from the text at the end of the adventure, with a few alterations here and there:
The city will be rebuilt, and the dead mourned. But first, the king seeks the unit’s counsel. As the damaged fleet returns to harbor, he sags onto a seat and tells them that the colossus has been banished. It’s now in the Dreaming, where he hopes it’s beyond the reach of the Obscurati.
He intends to send messengers to the Unseen Court to ask for their aid in keeping the machine from falling back into enemy hands, though he worries the fey might view the sudden arrival of the colossus as an act of war. Still, that’s an easier mission than the one he has for the party
Take time to heal, recover, and prepare, he insists. But once their agents find a lead, the party will need to be ready to go anywhere at a moment’s notice. Today he’s content to just have driven the colossus away, but when they cross paths with it again, he wants this weapon for Risur. He wants to know why the Obscurati were building it, and either how to control it, or how to destroy it.
The question he has for them, then, is what happens now between Risur and Danor. If he tells his people this was an attack by Danor, it will help with the rebuilding, and might be best for the security of the nation. But it’s not quite true. He’s not sure his people will appreciate the nuance of a multinational conspiracy that happens to be headed by the Sovereign of Danor, even if not all of Danor is part of it.
He gestures to the Freux Rouge. By tomorrow, the crew of that ship will either be heroes who helped Risur defend against a mysterious new foe, or they’ll be enemies, doomed for prison and possibly execution. He groans, feeling his age suddenly, and mentions that he probably wouldn’t have agreed to be king if he’d known he’d have to make decisions like this.
The king raises his eyebrows in surprise when Uru and Conquo council against rash actions, and suggest that to blame the whole of Danor for the actions of a few would be unjust. This is, Conquo reminds him (actually, it's Xambria, but how's he to know) that this is truly a multinational conspiracy and some of those to blame must be Risuri.
The people of Flint line the shore, cheering and applauding for the heroes that drove away the monster that attacked their city. As the Coaltongue sails close enough to be clearly viewed by the citizens, the king stands, draws his sword, and asks the survivors of the unit to kneel. Then, with just a simple proclamation that no one will ever hear but them, he touches his sword to their shoulders and grants them each a knighthood: Sir Baldrey, Sir Uru, Sir Kagan and Sir Dobre.
The crowd grows quiet at the scene, and then Aodhan tells them to stand, and the applause can be heard across the city.
With his hood pulled close, Leon observes the ceremony from the same rooftop where he watched the crowds gather for the launch of the Coaltongue over a year ago. Then he uses a messenger wind to wish the unit good luck and goes to find the Vekeshi.
This report is 99% verbatim from the text at the end of the adventure, with a few alterations here and there:
The city will be rebuilt, and the dead mourned. But first, the king seeks the unit’s counsel. As the damaged fleet returns to harbor, he sags onto a seat and tells them that the colossus has been banished. It’s now in the Dreaming, where he hopes it’s beyond the reach of the Obscurati.
He intends to send messengers to the Unseen Court to ask for their aid in keeping the machine from falling back into enemy hands, though he worries the fey might view the sudden arrival of the colossus as an act of war. Still, that’s an easier mission than the one he has for the party
Take time to heal, recover, and prepare, he insists. But once their agents find a lead, the party will need to be ready to go anywhere at a moment’s notice. Today he’s content to just have driven the colossus away, but when they cross paths with it again, he wants this weapon for Risur. He wants to know why the Obscurati were building it, and either how to control it, or how to destroy it.
The question he has for them, then, is what happens now between Risur and Danor. If he tells his people this was an attack by Danor, it will help with the rebuilding, and might be best for the security of the nation. But it’s not quite true. He’s not sure his people will appreciate the nuance of a multinational conspiracy that happens to be headed by the Sovereign of Danor, even if not all of Danor is part of it.
He gestures to the Freux Rouge. By tomorrow, the crew of that ship will either be heroes who helped Risur defend against a mysterious new foe, or they’ll be enemies, doomed for prison and possibly execution. He groans, feeling his age suddenly, and mentions that he probably wouldn’t have agreed to be king if he’d known he’d have to make decisions like this.
The king raises his eyebrows in surprise when Uru and Conquo council against rash actions, and suggest that to blame the whole of Danor for the actions of a few would be unjust. This is, Conquo reminds him (actually, it's Xambria, but how's he to know) that this is truly a multinational conspiracy and some of those to blame must be Risuri.
The people of Flint line the shore, cheering and applauding for the heroes that drove away the monster that attacked their city. As the Coaltongue sails close enough to be clearly viewed by the citizens, the king stands, draws his sword, and asks the survivors of the unit to kneel. Then, with just a simple proclamation that no one will ever hear but them, he touches his sword to their shoulders and grants them each a knighthood: Sir Baldrey, Sir Uru, Sir Kagan and Sir Dobre.
The crowd grows quiet at the scene, and then Aodhan tells them to stand, and the applause can be heard across the city.
With his hood pulled close, Leon observes the ceremony from the same rooftop where he watched the crowds gather for the launch of the Coaltongue over a year ago. Then he uses a messenger wind to wish the unit good luck and goes to find the Vekeshi.
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