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

[gideonpepys]

Session 39, Part Two - Pala

When Kieran Sentacore called for help, the rest of the unit was halfway between Orithea and the Eastern Piscine Mountains – slap-bang in the middle of the Malice Lands. They had gone there after their activity in Alais Primos was compromised by the dazzling light-show they had staged late at night and the panicked reports of eladrin armies beyond the city walls. (Some citizens even claimed to have seen the goddess Srasma etched in smoke, towering above the walls...!)

So keen was Uriel to explore the last of his incarnations it seemed appropriate that they abandon Alais Primos for the time being, and head for Palas – the precise location of which had been unearthed by Ken Don.

They had to go on horse-back, as god knows what would happen if they tried to use phantom steeds in the Malice Lands. It was slow going, as they fended off unnatural beasts, from a pair of owlbears to a persistent manticore. When Korrigan and Leon answered the call, the others took pains to hole up in a defensible campsite and await their return. Matunaaga posted a constant watch and Kasvarina shielded their location with a ritual until it turned out to attract the attention of displacer beasts. (Once they were dealt with Matunaaga fell back on traditional survivalist wiles to obscure their location.)

A few days later, Leon teleported back with Korrigan, Rumdoom, Uru, Kieran and Rumdoom’s entourage. All of them had been vetted by Mayor Isaac’s mind-sweeping machine***, and had been declared clear of possession, domination or geas. Rumdoom had put Bhalu and Black Star Mining in charge of tracking down Grandis Kamanov, and set about thwarting the Ob in the meantime. When he appeared in camp, Kasvarina approached and commiserated with him on his loss. Rumdoom managed a curt nod with a clenched jaw. Then Uriel approached and said, “I foresaw our paths will cross with Kamanov. Come with us and we’ll find the stone.”

It wasn’t far from their campsite to the mountains and the following day they came across a ranch in the foothills. The Clavels, a disgraced family of tieflings from Cherage, lived in self-imposed exile here, raising axebeaks and growing Leaf of Nicodemus. Though taken aback by the sudden arrival of strangers, Leonard Clavel was gracious enough to allow them to explore: both Uriel and Kasvarina found themselves unable to pinpoint the site of nearby memories, as the Arc interacted strangely with the wild magical energies of the Malice Lands.

Showing them about was Angus Perasmus, an unassuming human ranch-hand (unusually poised, in Matunaaga’s estimation). When they heard rumours of ruins in the surrounding forest, he made an futile attempt to dissuade exploration; the ruins were dangerous, he said – host to a gigantic Malice Beast known as ‘the Wriggling Dread’. Uriel could read his uppermost thoughts and sensed his views were spiritual or philosophical in nature, not driven by real caution or cowardice, but Angus would not be drawn further. Still, he agreed to accompany them onwards, mainly to keep an eye on them.

As they went on – with Uriel now proudly mounted on an axe-beak which he intended to train as a destrider – they were treated to the first in a series of memory events which astonished the mild-mannered Angus:

They suddenly found themselves riding in a column of clergy troops. The memory events focused on a series of hit-and-run attacks by a gold-armoured clergy godhand: Uriel’s first incarnation, Babatunde (who must have followed Nicodemus here from Alais Primos). With each attack, he took out three or four soldiers before escaping into the hills again. The attacks only ended when a priest’s hold person spell caught Babatunde on a bridge over a dry river bed. He was then subjected to hail of arrows which killed him outright. Uriel himself only narrowly survived, and now found himself possessed of the speed and agility of his forebear. He was also aware of having reincarnated somewhere nearby, as Tadeas – denied knowledge of his heretical past and taken back to civilization by the clergy, with whom he then refused to associate (thanks to some recalcitrant instinct or other), until in his third incarnation, Cardinal Tadeo, who fully embraced the Church. After that, he joined the eladrin in the jungle; then back to the clergy as the monster-hunter Jannick! (How many times had he switched sides?) One thing perplexed him, though: He had hoped that on revisiting all his incarnations – which he had now done – he would get his memories back; that he would be in full possession of the details of his lives, as Roland Stanfield was. But that hadn’t happened yet. Perhaps it would come in time?

Angus interrupted Uriel's thoughts, and asked to know more of his history. Uriel told him all he knew and Angus felt compelled to bow before him. Here was the very godhand who defended William Miller to the death – the very godhand whom the Fists of Pala sought to emulate! Angus’evident poise was explained when he went on to reveal his role in this secretive order: founded by the descendants of the survivors of Pala, sworn to defend the place and spread the teachings of William Miller. He now led them eagerly onwards to the Monument of Pala: a small standing-stone located in a grove of birch trees. The stone was engraved with text in the common tongue, but of an older style and with embellishments common in the first decades following the Second Victory. The monument read:

A dream that shall endure beyond the destruction of stone,
A brotherhood undaunted by atrocities of the mighty,
Their bodies shall be strengthened by this good labour,
To spread his words, an offering to the world,
Until the dream may become reality.​

Two memory events now took place simultaneously, with both Babatunde and Kasvarina, talking to the same man at different points in time, as the clergy troops descended on the city:

In one, William Miller (for it is he) insists that Babatunde stand down. “No one should die for me or on my behalf. Only in this way can my conscience be clear.” Babatunde protests. He says that his own conscience cannot be clear if he allows Miller to be murdered by the clergy. Miller says that more deaths will undermine everything Pala stands for. Babatunde says that Pala’s eradication will have an even more profound effect. “You will be erased from history. No one will remember you.” Miller smiles and says that his writings will have to speak for him. Babatunde turns and stalks away to disobey his leader.

In the other, Kasvarina tries desperately to persuade Miller to leave. The city burns around him and he sits, casually smoking and reading a book. She is frantic and insists that they leave all this behind and simply try to be together somewhere peaceful, where the troubles of the world cannot bother them. Miller watches as the troops approach, putting his followers to the sword. “Yes, we could do that. And then more people will die because I gave in to complacency. I can’t let that happen. So they kill me? I’ll find a new body and start the fight again. These people killed your daughter; destroyed your whole world. I know now that they can’t be reasoned with, or even tolerated. Now run! You can’t come back like I can. I’ll find you as soon as I can. And the next time to see me, don’t call me William. He’ll be gone. Call me…” He glances around for inspiration and then catches sight of his cigarette. “Call me Nicodemus.”

Before Kasvarina could say anything else, a multi-mouthed scream tore the memory asunder. The Arc had attracted a gargantuan Malice Beast of mind-bending hideousness: ten tentacle-legs writhed and thrashed from a bloated abdomen the size of a house; a long, thick neck ended in an eyeless, serpentine head. This horror caused reality to alter in huge swathes around it, and it sought to grab and consume anything living.

A terrible fight ensued, with Angus fighting alongside the unit. Each terrible wound they inflicted on the Wriggling Dread caused it to eruct a filthy mix of gas and bile. But in the end, exhausted, they drove it away.

Needless to say, they did not linger, but left in haste to confer with their newfound ally, and cogitate on what they had learned.

Korrigan had suspected Nicodemus was Miller for some time, to the point of having thought through the ramifications beforehand. “An idea is not a man,” he told the others, including a deflated Kieran Sentacore. “Miller’s philosophy belongs to everybody.”

He elaborated on this a few days later when he spoke to the Fists of Pala: Angus led them to a cave in the mountains, having called the order together at Korrigan’s request. While they waited on the ranch, Kasvarina became almost as withdrawn as Rumdoom. Leon tried to talk to her, but it seemed these fresh revelations, and the tumultuous emotions involved, had caused a new degree of turmoil and confusion. She channelled her feelings into an impassioned speech to the Fists, in which she described the ‘new’ Miller as a liar, a murderer and a traitor to his own cause. (Though to those who knew her better it sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than anyone else.) She lent her passion to support Korrigan’s rhetoric, while Kieran Sentacore provided the dispassionate historical record. When Korrigan finished speaking – he ended with a warning to the order not to be taken in by the Obscurati – Uriel asked if he could join them.

The Fists – who had by now considered the testimony presented to them – agreed. Babatunde had, after all, been their founding inspiration and his presence encouraged their pledge to aid the unit against Nicodemus should the opportunity arise. They agreed with Korrigan. They followed the idea, not the man.

***This machine was invented by the new Mayor of the Nettles just before Cauldron Born, after I overused the mind-control plot device to the extent that the players became paranoid. My intention was to reassure them that it wouldn’t keep happening, and that’s my intention now too.

 

[RangerWickett]

I don't have a good sense of how much the typical group cares about the origin of Nicodemus, or how often PCs are followers of Millerism and how they'd react to finding out they've been on the villain's side the whole time.

Where's your party stand, philosophically? I went back to reread the Ob Convocation discussion, and it sounds like the group was never interested in siding with the Obscurati.

 

[gideonpepys]

I don't have a good sense of how much the typical group cares about the origin of Nicodemus, or how often PCs are followers of Millerism and how they'd react to finding out they've been on the villain's side the whole time.

Over the course of the campaign, from a fairly non-committal and patriotic adherence to the Old Faith, Korrigan has developed a serious, dedicated and detailed devotion to the writings of William Miller - a development I was very grateful for, and encouraged. (I was kind of disappointed that Miller was overlooked during character creation.) It helps to have sympathetic NPCs like Rutger Smith and the Panoply name-dropping him. I also had Ottavia Sacerdote recommend a text on Triegenes, which turned out to be a heretical biography written by Miller and banned by the clergy. (A non-too-subtle hint about Ottavia's philosophy and by extension the Ob.) That book proved to be something of a turning-point. As Korrigan provides the moral 'rudder' for the group, it was quite gratifying for him to choose this path, and forms the basis for a very a personal rivalry as we enter the Third Act.

They reacted to the revelation with world-weary fatalism, a reaction I enjoyed. Nicodemus' true identity had been heavily hinted at during the memory event in Resal, so they had guessed at the truth. They don't really think of him as Miller any more; Korrigan articulated the notion that Miller's ideas no longer belonged to him anyway. I really think this aspect of the campaign is a lovely touch - too cool to save until adventure #12 IMHO (which is why I had Uriel's memories lead them to Pala too).

Where's your party stand, philosophically? I went back to reread the Ob Convocation discussion, and it sounds like the group was never interested in siding with the Obscurati.

I wondered why I had received XP for an eight-month-old post!

There was a brief moment of morbid curiosity but it passed very swiftly. (They were interested in how the campaign would pan out if they switched*, but in the end were too appalled by the hubris of the Ob, considering the sheer number of near-catastrophic failures in the past.) Xambria was supposed to sound them out as she herself was converted to the cause, but the player was otherwise engaged and absent - which worked out quite nicely in the end, but the extended debate would have been fun to report.

*I should add that they were quite impressed when I told them that every adventure begins with an outline for DMs of how to run the episode if the players switch sides. (I didn't think there was any harm in letting them see 'behind the screen' in this case.)

 

[gideonpepys]

Session 40 (189), Part One - The Seige of Alais Primos

Their meeting with the Fists of Pala yielded one extra piece of information as they revealed more and more about the activities of the Ob: One of the Fists who lived to the north of the Eastern Piscenes suddenly heard a possible explanation for her strange experience a month ago, when the unit described Borne, the colossus. The woman, middle-aged but fit as a fiddle, said that she had been meditating in the high peaks when she had what she thought was a vision: she suddenly saw a gigantic metal man clamber up, over and then down one of the highest peaks, before stomping off down a valley heading west, whereupon it disappeared from view. (They would be handed a possible explanation for this, and a reason to hurry their investigation, several days later.)

During their return journey to Orithea – travelling overland for fear of risking long-range teleports in this land of wild magic – they received a sending from Vitus Sigismund, the clergy godhand they freed from Ob captivity on Mutravir Island. He wanted to know what they had been doing in Alais Primos! When they reached Orithea and it became possible to answer him safely, they admitted their involvement and arranged to meet on the deck of the Impossible, now sailing just off the coast of Crisillyir. Vitus was not there officially, but in the self-appointed, unofficial capacity of rooting out Obscurati officers from the church. He had investigated the recent sorcerous phenomena in the city and recognised descriptions of the unit. If their activities would help to thwart the Ob, then he was keen to help, though slightly taken aback at Kasvarina’s involvement. (“Are you sure you have not all been bewitched?”) The only condition was that Vitus would accompany them to all of the event sites. Local law enforcement would not dare contradict the word of a godhand.

With this agreed they returned to Alais Primos, and headed for the city walls. Vitus roped the guards there into clearing the area. He told them they were about to use a powerful divination in the hunt for heretics (which was more-or-less true). But nothing could prepare them, or him, or the unit for what happened next:

When the event begins, they once again see the magical, golden dome that could be conjured by prayers of those within, shielding the city even from aerial attacks. This close, the shield is faintly translucent so you can see the defenders inside. Kasvarina and other mages wait behind a row of eladrin rajput holding heavy shields to defend against missiles from the city.

The army has left a wide opening in their ranks, and General Sor Daeron walks out, followed by a hundred human captives held at spear-point by soldiers. With his voice magically amplified, Sor shouts to the eladrin army that this golden wall is made of human prayers, but that they will now make those prayers falter. He turns to the wall and demands that achampion of the Clergy meet him in open battle, then says that if the city’s faithful are too cowardly to face him, he will cut down human prisoners ten at a time.

There is no response, and Sor orders his men to begin. The massacre lasts five minutes, with the human prisoners begging as spears pierce them row by row, while those inside the walls scream and jeer. The Elfaivaran army shifts nervously, but true to Sor’s word the humans inside are not praying sufficiently, and the wall begins to fade.

When only forty prisoners remain, the wall parts and three hundred human soldiers emerge, led by Prime Cardinal Richelmont, a battle-priest who walks within a smaller version of the golden shield that protects the city. As fighting erupts on all sides, Sor begins a formal challenge, but the cardinal interrupts by summoning pillars of salt that spray up from the ground around him, killing every eladrin they touch, and catching Sor Daeron by the arm.

Throughout this memory event, the unit had found themselves subject to attack from all sides, embedded as they were in the midst of a suddenly manifest eladrin army. The eldarin struck out in all directions and did not restrict their blows to their historical foes. The unit dodged, defended and sought cover as best they could.

Ignoring the pain, Sor Daeron wrenches his arm from the pillar. Wafting tendrils of sand emerge from the severed limb as Richelmont strides forward to strike. Just before the Cardinal can deliver a fatal blow, the tendrils that were once Sor Daeron’s arm form together in a new limb made entirely of salt, and the elf strikes the cardinal’s golden shield, destroying it. The surrounding eladrin launch arrows and spells, and the cardinal falls. The surviving humans retreat, and eladrin rush to treat the injured Sor, but an officer beside Kasvarina notices that a new opening has appeared in the dome nearby. He recklessly orders everyone to rush the opening, but only Kasvarina and four others manage to get inside before the opening closes. Within are ruined walls and trenchwork.

Human warriors overwhelm the eladrin who drop one by one under a hail of blows, until only Kasvarina fights on. She kills every man in this small pocket of rubble, before dropping to her knees next to one of her male allies, who barely clings to life. For a moment they are alone, the sounds of combat distant. As an exhausted Kasvarina watches the warrior breathe what should be his last breaths, a robed figure emerges into the trench work from the south.

Though he was standing in the wrong place, Korrigan felt the tug of the Humble Hook and moved to merge with the newcomer. He understood at once that he was here with a purpose, looking for someone or something.

Garbed in gray robes, the man strides forward with determined vigor, to kneel beside Kasvarina. She watches as he silently begins applying pressure to the eladrin man’s wounds and applying herbs from the folds of his robe. In response to Kasvarina's scowl, he says simply, "Does it really matter who I am, if I can save this man?” Kasvarina winces at her own wounds, and falls forward into William Miller’s arms.

When the dust of the event settled, there was confusion and despair. The radius of the memory extended beyond the cordon they had cleared and several bystanders had been cut down – subject to all-too-real blows from eladrin scimitars, which even the unit had been forced to fend off. The memory event had attacked every available human target, real or reimagined. Vitus admitted that he was not sufficiently high-ranking to elide over such an atrocity and suggested they move quickly to the site of the next memory and try to be more careful next time. Shouts of alarm drew near; they made haste.

“That was the very man we fought against on Mutravir, was it not?” asked Vitus, of the vision of they had seen, although how he had been able to tell was unclear. (Uriel read his surface thought, and found it was Miller’s voice that gave him away.) They affirmed this fact, and told Vitus that he was also William Miller. Vitus snorted with derision as if an old suspicion had been confirmed. Then he urged them to make haste before the church authorities arrived. In response to their quizzical looks, he admitted that he was himself wanted by the Church, having recently executed a number of priests he had discovered working in the service of the Ob!

The next event was to be found near the centre of the city, in a humble building halfway up a steep incline, in the shadow of the basilica. Kasvarina sensed another event could be found within the basilica itself, but Vitus counselled against the risk, as the central cathedral was heavily guarded. So they made do with the closest memory for now:

During the Siege of Alais Primos, this place had been a hospital, but now it was a laundry where the priests’ robes were washed and aired. The humble washer-women obeyed Vitus’ order to leave and the memory event played out without spectators. They needn’t have worried, as this memory was decidedly less violent. Once again, Korrigan was drawn into the memory as Nicodemus:

Nicodemus has set up a hospital to treat eladrin prisoners-of-war. He works alone: his mission disapproved of. For safety’s sake the eladrin are chained to their beds, all save the most badly wounded. Every day Nicodemus treats wounds and talks to a few of the lucid. Gradually he asks them their own religious beliefs, their opinions on the war, who in Elfaivar might be sympathetic to a truce, and whether they have any family they care for back home.

He speaks to Kasvarina too, who at first hates him since he’s a priest, and her husband died in the first holy war fifty years ago. Nicodemus explains that he was raised in the Clergy, but he no longer has faith in it; afterward he never wears his priestly robes when he tends to her.

One by one, the eladrin die or are carted away by soldiers. (Uriel notices that the eladrin only ever die if they express strong religious fervour, or hostility.) After a while, only four eladrin remain, including Kasvarina.

One night, when Kasvarina has mostly regained her strength, he removes her chains and they have a long conversation. It’s clear that by now that she has come to trust and respect him. At last, Miller makes an audacious proposition. He wants to escape the city with her, then travel to Elfaivar and negotiate with the ranamandala. Miller says he has found a way to halt the advance of the clergy, but will do so only if the eladrin vow not to exploit the weakness this creates and wipe out his people. “I plan to hand the clergy a weapon, and your people the means to destroy it. If they do so, the human militants who persecute this endless war will be wiped out, leaving the rest of us to pursue peace.”

After a long discussion of the risks they’d have to take, Kasvarina agrees. But, she asks, what of his other patients? At this point he shakes his head, and says that they will have to remain here, as they are too sick to travel. (Uru checks these sickening eladrin and recognises the tell-tale signs of poisoning. …)

“After we have travelled to Elfaivar, I will need your help again, to obtain the weapon I seek. It will not be an easy task.”

“Where must we go to find it?” she asks.

“To the island of Odiem, and a place called the Vault of Heretics.”

 

[gideonpepys]

Session 40, Part Two - Odiem

Soundtrack for the Vault of Heretics:

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

Vitus stood apart from the group as the memory event faded. He listened while they discussed what they had just learned, and weighed up their new set of options. Then he said, “Surely you do not intend to enter the Crypta Hereticarum?” His ready stance and balled fists suggested he was prepared to fight if necessary.

Uru began to talk to him, having developed some sympathy for the clergy’s cut-and-dried way of thinking, but Vitus could barely conceal his attempt for the ‘weasel words’ of this fey-shadow-thing. Korrigan interceded and revealed the Humble Hook. It didn’t have the same profound effect on Vitus as it had on Aulus Atticus, but eventually he was able to persuade Vitus to back down. He agreed not to interfere with their mission, but would no longer help, and immediately stalked off.

The unit toyed with the idea of risking the basilica, but decided against it for now. While they discussed their options, Stover Delft called them with a message from Slate. Livia Hatsfield, now a prisoner there, had asked to speak to them urgently. Curious, Korrigan went to see her, while the others dealt with personal matters in Flint: Matunnaga prepared holy bullets for Odiem; Uru experimented with his newly strengthened bond to the ghosts of the city; Rumdoom orchestrated the search for Grandis Kamanov; Leon tried to bring Kasvarina out of herself by throwing himself back into training.

In Slate, Livia Hatsfield told him of a visitation she had had in her dreams: Amielle Latimer, the ghostly gunsmith, had come to her with a warning: She said that Nicodemus was tracking ‘our mutual friends’ and was convinced that they would go to Methia. This was a trap, Amielle said. “Stay in Flint. Protect your homeland.” Of course, they immediately linked this to the colossus: a quick glance on the map confirmed that Borne would have to cross the Piscenes in order to reach the old clergy capital. It wouldn’t be long before it arrived. “The best way to avoid a trap is to spring it,” said Uriel, but Kasvarina was keen to go to Odiem first, and in the end the unit agreed.

Just a day later, they teleported to the island, arriving in heavy rain. The chapel-come-lighthouse had been partially renovated since their last visit and protected by strong wards against the undead. Coming down the slope to meet them, picking her way carefully and holding her robes above her ankles, was a female dwarf. She introduced herself as Serafima Saveli, an inquisitor sent by the clergy to supervise their exploration of the Vault. She would accompany them inside and ensure they did not hear any words spoken by the demoness within. Uriel tried to read her mind but could not. Korrigan sent to Vitus to ask if he had informed on them, and though he did not reply, they agreed to Serafima’s request and allowed her to tag along, for fear of drawing the clergy down upon them in full force.

By now, Kasvarina had already become aware that this memory event was different, that it was taking place all around them, continually. Gradually, as they entered climbed the slope from the beach and entered the lighthouse, Korrigan took on the being of Nicodemus. Serafima seemed to take all of this strangeness in her stride. Her sole focus, she said, was to ensure they did not listen to the words of Ashima-Shimtu.

Beneath the lighthouse, where they could now see signs of continuous habitation, they found the entrance to the vault. There they witnessed a confusing palimpsest of memory events:

…Of Kasvarina using eladrin magic to defeat the clergy’s wards, with her work lit by lantern held by Nicodemus. …Of Cardinal Tadeo (embodied by Uriel) arriving to investigate the island, using a clergy key, and telling his subordinates to wait behind and leave in haste if he does not return before nightfall … Of the unit entering, pursued by zombies, holding the door for Rumdoom, who is fighting his way up from the beach … of Unit B coming here, in driving rain, in pursuit of the annis hag, Gorago who was sent by Jenny Greenteeth to track down another planar idol.

To Serafima’s amazement, these memory events altered reality to such a profound extent that they were able to bypass the clergy’s newly enhanced wards and follow Kasvarina and Nicodemus inside. Below, they found the entrance chamber where Leon fell through and broke his back last time they were here. (And where Ottavia had taught Korrigan to remove affliction using his hurtloam hands in order to restore the tiefling.)

Next came the Hall of Maur Granatha, restored to former glory by the memory event. (When they last visited, the floor had collapsed, and the place was infested with wights.) Maur Granatha was a heavily armoured earth titan who had guarded the vault until his death at the hands of Gene Javerto. Once again they witnessed a layered plethora of memories:

Maur kneels and ‘detects evil’ on Nicodemus & Kasvarina, then gives them permission enter. Centuries later, Cardinal Tadeo speaks to Maur Granatha, and learns of a healer and an elf who came here and went on to speak with ‘The Silent Lady’. Tadeo admonishes the titan and tells him his actions have caused untold suffering. Maur bows his head and Tadeo leaves.

Compelled by the Humble Hook, Korrigan reached out and touched his gigantic sword, planted point-first into the ground as he knelt. It seemed as if Korrigan’s hand reached ‘through’ the event into the reality behind it, and when he withdrew it, he held the sword in his hand, rapi9dly shrinking to human size. Though it was a holy blade – one of a handful forged in the war against the demonocracy – and even though Korrigan was not a follower of Triegenes, he found himself able to wield it (though he would not learn the true extent of its powers until later).

Then, although none of them had been there at the time, they witnessed a confrontation between Maur Granatha and Gene Javerto, the deranged godhand:

Granatha passes a huge hand over Javerto. “You may not pass,” he says.

“By what right do you deny me?” demands Javerto, angrily. “I am a godhand of the clergy!”

“Leave and seek counsel. Your heart grows corrupt. It will fail you in the halls beyond.”

“We’ll see whose heart fails them!” cries Javerto, and at once strikes the kneeling titan such a mighty blow that it rends a hole in his armoured stone chest, killing him instantly.

When they had absorbed all of these events, and Korrigan had stowed his astonishing new sword, they explored the entrance hall as Nicodemus and Kasvarina had done before them.

Nicodemus takes a book on Giovanni the Painter. “Fascinating,” he mutters. As he pockets it, a page slips, unnoticed to the floor (where Uru found it 500 years later (and four years ago)). The book details the creation of extra-dimensional spaces. (The page contained the rope trick ritual.)

They headed into the schematics room, with a map of the vault embossed into its marble floor, and a detailed history and catalogue on a pedestal at its centre. Again, a palimpsest of memories:

Malthusius bypasses a trap here, but Nicodemus proves insufficiently devout and raises a host of warding spirits to drive away intruders. Kasvarina is forced to deal with them, and is drained by the encounter. Here also, Unit B fights a terrible battle with Gorago the annis hag and her band. Ffenwig the bugbear is slain by a lamia just as Leon arrives to rescue them. Ludo Marcione is protected behind a force-field, but doesn’t otherwise seem to be helping, so focused is he on defending himself. Brajham is blazing with radiance and actually harming his allies as well as his foes. When Leon arrives, the hag and her allies fall back into the Vault, and Leon tells unit B not to pursue her, despite Orum Dwist’s protests. “Don’t worry,” says Leon, “I’ll get the bloodstone ape later.” Dwist is dumbfounded that Leon knows which idol can be found in the Vault. (So was Leon, for that matter). Before they teleport away, Throgmorton tries to attack Ludo and is pulled off him by Doctor Stanhope and Orum. He feigns calming himself, then suddenly attacks again, shouting “Coward! Coward!” They are separated for the second time, and Ludo brushes himself down, indignantly denying the charge. Then they leave with Leon, and five-hundred years earlier, Nicodemus takes Kasvarina by the hand, reminds her of the dangers they will face, and says that they will not be able to return this way once they pass through. She affirms that she is ready and they enter.

 

[RangerWickett]

Man, that place has been busy. When did the b team stuff happen?

 

[gideonpepys]

Man, that place has been busy. When did the b team stuff happen?

The short answer is, it didn't.

A more complete answer would be that unit b headed there shortly before our initial run finished, as I intended to use the newly published Crypta Hereticum Add-on (which wasn't out when I ran Always on Time). The memory event gave me the chance to tell the players what happened! (They had heard rumours, but not details.) I'm using the Add-on now.

I thought you might be amused by the appearance of Serafima, given Grandis had already shown up during our side quest. My initial thought was to remove Grandis from this part of the story, as the players would no doubt suspect her and refuse to take her along, or better yet, use some of their powers to reveal her true identity. Then I thought, "what the hell, I'll give them the opporunity to thwart her and feel smug about it". I was very surprised when they just shrugged and let her accompany them. Boy, will they be pissed when they find out she's fooled them twice!

 

[gideonpepys]

Session 40, Part Three - The Mechanical Devil of Kurat-Ul-Ain

Wandering, weaving corridors – represented by straight lines on the schematic – connected each of the major halls. The tome in the schematics room proudly declaimed that the concrete used to line these passageways contained the crushed bones of priests who had chosen to be interred here to help contain the evils within and so protect the world from heresy.

They followed the lead of the memory event as best they could, fearing that divergence would disrupt it.

(However, in the Vault of Heretical Texts, Uru did try to find a second version of the bottled quasit, Tokoloshe, so he had two to torture; an impossible task which, had it succeeded, may have a ripped a hole in the fabric of reality that would dwarf the alterations which the Ob sought to make.) It was necessary, then, for them to cope with the same traps and creatures as Nicodemus and Kasvarina had: a blazing cascade of radiance; a pesky invisible stalker; some noisome, irritating dretches; and a malicious spirit that extinguished all of their magical light. Kasvarina was once again forced into a difficult fight – this time with a half-dozen wights. The battle left her injured and, after exhausted and she was forced to rest in the Vault of Unholy Arms and Armour, where Nicodemus tended her wounds:

“We can’t go on like this,” he says. “I’m no use in a fight. You need some help.” Nicodemus looks around, then approaches a figure held in magical stasis: a female automaton of surprising complexity, not an empty suit of armour like the rest of the exhibits. He scrutinizes the plaque on the pedestal, proclaiming this to be the Mechanical Devil of Kurat-Ul-Ain. “Ah, here she is,” he says, then asks Kasvarina if she can dispel the wards that restrain the figure. Kasvarina questions his decision. “Don’t worry,” he says. “I know a thing or two about heretics. I have heard of this contraption, and I’m sure it will help us if we explain our purpose.” They free the Devil, and at once, it attacks! A sharp blade springs out of its right forearm and it rains down blows on Kasvarina, who struggles to parry them. They dance backwards across the hall, until Nicodemus cries, “Quratulain! We seek to oppose the men who imprisoned you! Help us to escape this vault, and you will have vengeance upon the clergy!”

At this, the Devil stopped fighting.

Meanwhile, the rest of the party had ranged beyond the scope of the memory event and heard a female voice calling out, “Identify yourselves. Only friends of Giovanni may pass, and I know all of Giovanni’s friends.” (They were relieved to note that this was not the same female voice who had tempted some of them last time they came.) Uriel and Gupta handled the negotiations with this being, recognising the name Giovanni from the book Nicodemus stole. (They stepped into the breach after Leon tried to pretend that they were friends of Giovanni, a blatant lie that exasperated the voice, to the extent that it hurled a cursed, maggoty mace at his head.) In the end, they agreed to co-operate to their mutual benefit: they would be granted passage, if they helped to defeat Giovanni’s enemies –‘the legion of Belcamp’, a band of devils to the South. But first they would follow the voice – who called herself ‘Grunhilde’ – to meet Giovanni…

While this was going on, Korrigan was having a very awkward conversation with the Mechanical Devil. While the initial exchanges had been predetermined by the memory event, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words. Instead of continuing to try to persuade the Devil, he risked disruption and said, “Did I keep my promise to you?”

The Devil’s face was an impassive porcelain mask, but it cocked its head to one side at this, indicating perplexity. After a time, her heavily accented female voice responded: “You did not.”

“I will not lie to you again,” said Korrigan.

“What will you do?” said the Devil.

“That promise was given by a different man. I do not break my promises.”

A verbal stand-off ensued, while both parties tried to figure out exactly what was going on. The Mechanical Devil insisted that she wanted freedom in return for her help. Korrigan had reservations about freeing anyone or anything from this place, and responded with equivocations, until the Devil impatiently drew her blade again:

“I won’t wait another five-hundred years. You are not as good a liar as you were, I’ll give you that.”

“I am pursuing this man, the man whose form I take. Lying is the least of his crimes. This man made a deal with you for freedom. I will not. If you help us, then we can talk.”

The Devil was still for a very long time. Uru sensed that it was making calculations. Then she said, “I believe you are not the same man.” Then to Kasvarina, “But I believe you to be the same.”

“I fear that is the case,” said Kasvarina. “I am both the same and not the same, and I am sorry for any pain my past self may have caused you. But I can do nothing here and now to prove that I have changed.”

Another long pause, before the blade vanished again, and the Devil acquiesced. “Lead on.”

Then another walking suit of armour stomped into view. This one was empty, animated by the spirit of Grunhilde, who now led the ragtag band to meet with ‘the beneficent Giovanni’.

Before they left, they witnessed a minor memory event, showing Nicodemus, Kasvarina and the Mechanical Devil returning through this chamber from the south, to try to circumvent a dangerous trap by returning to the Vault of Heretical Texts and taking the alternate route. This continual overlay of conflicting events was very confusing!

As they made their way through yet more interconnecting hallways, Uriel began to study the phenomenon, to see if he could work out exactly what was going on. Together with Gupta, Leon and Kasvarina, he managed to establish that the whole Vault was now one enormous memory event. The overlaid anachronisms were anomalies caused by the attunement of more than one person to the Arc. But generally speaking, this was the Vault as Nicodemus and Kasvarina encountered it five hundred years ago, and judging by what had happened so far, it was not as sensitive to disruption as the other events they had encountered.

They followed Grunhilde – encountering nothing more hazardous than a magical, barking stone dog (a guard dog, she said, placed by Giovanni’s followers) – until they came to the Hall of Blasphemous Artworks, a well-lit, clean and welcoming space, quite at odds with the rest of the vault. The air in the hall was scented with perfume, and lilting music could be heard from a distance, punctuated (or so Uru thought) by the more urgent sound of copulation.

End of Session

 

[gideonpepys]

'The Mechanical Devil of Kurat-Ul-Ain'

Quratulain is a new PC, designed to replace one of the other characters, who is leaving the group (and relocating from London to San Francisco). We had plenty of notice of this change, so her player joined the group a few months ago and has been running Kasvarina, while getting used to the setting and the campaign.

There are three major factors to take into account when adding a new PC to any campaign , but particularly one of this depth and duration:

1) Why would they want to accompany the PCs long-term?
2) Why would the PCs want them to join the group?
3) What makes them stand out?

We had an additional factor, in that the new character needed to fill the role vacated by our departing team member (bearing in mind that Korrigan built the unit to complement one another, with each member fulfilling a specific, if overlapping, role). This was the easiest to deal with. The player simply had to agree to design a combat-focused character, with an emphasis on total competence in that role. ('Pretty good' wouldn't do.)

To some extent this handled 2 and 3 in one fell swoop. To further accentuate the newcomer, though, they would need to be 'outre'. (We went the opposite way with Gupta and made her 'hyper-normal', but she was able to fill the role of the wide-eyed neophyte for a while before proving her worth with a roster of unique supporting powers. (And now, of course, she's 'a freaking weretiger'.))

I decided that whoever the new PC was going to be, they should be discovered in the Vault of Heretics. I suggested a few rough archetypes, and the player chose 'automaton'. Then we created a backstory together - which will unfold over the next few weeks or months - before I added the final touch: that she had been betrayed by Nicodemus, and abandoned in the vault, after helping him reach Ashima-Shimtu. So her primary motivation, after escape, will be revenge upon the main campaign villain. How very convenient!

The intention was to play her out as part of the memory event, and have her slowly come to her senses over the next couple of sessions, but Korrigan 'cut to the chase' - as is his wont - when he asked her directly if 'he' (in the role of Nicodemus) had kept his promise to free her. This question was so direct and 'out of sync' that she was immediately awakened to the strangeness of her circumstances: namely, that she is consciously taking part in a memory event from 500 years ago, while her actual body is trapped in ice, where it was transported by Ashima-Shimtu at Nicodemus' request.

 

[gideonpepys]

Session 41, Part One - You Call that Art?

They made their way through the hall of blasphemous artworks, examining the bizarre paintings as they went: depictions of the clergy Vices. All the while, the Humble Hook began to whisper details of the life story of their new companion to Korrigan, who found he simply knew that her name was Quratulain and that her life had been a tragic one. Finally, she had been entombed in the vault for the murder of several clergy priests many centuries before the Great Malice.

(For her part, though outwardly silent and passive for the time being, Quratulain’s mind worked busily to figure out what was happening. Only Korrigan’s surprising question, “Did I keep my promise?” had enabled her to see through the impression that he was Nicodemus, a man she knew had betrayed her, though she could not remember how. Puzzling.)

Grunhilde led them down some darkened steps, and the noise of sexual union became louder. Atop the Pious Mount, overlooking the Keystone Exhibit, two exhausted, red-raw ‘lovers’ kept up a ceaseless, rhythmic pounding. Repulsed, Korrigan ordered them to ‘stop’, but his imperial oratory only caused them to pause for a moment. Quratulain announced that they had ‘clearly been compelled’, a fact Grunhilde confirmed: Giovanni had ordained that two of his followers should ‘perform’ atop the mount at all times, and he often forgot to remind them to switch places.

Before they advanced to meet with Giovanni, they wondered if Nicodemus and Kasvarina had done so, and if it was better for them to follow their exact path. Uriel complained loudly, “hasn’t anyone been listening to me?” Korrigan, who found Uriel’s explanations prolix, turned to Gupta and asked her to sum up their findings. She confirmed that this was not a normal memory event, and would not be disrupted by divergence. Korrigan thanked her and Uriel rolled his eyes (imperceptibly, as they lacked irises or pupils).

In the high, vaulted chamber beyond were many more large paintings, but the largest stood over twenty feet high and dwarfed the others – a painting of a stormy landscape, with an aged but muscular figure standing, bare-armed and legs akimbo in the foreground. Though the rest of painting remained still, the face moved to speak in a booming voice. It offered them welcome and asked why they had come. When Korrigan said they had come to parley, Giovanni gave commands and his followers sprang in large numbers from all of the other paintings, offering succulent meat, grapes, fine wines, cushions to recline on. The couple on the Pious Mount called for them to join in.

Ignoring these inducements, Korrigan established that Giovanni wanted one of his followers rescued from the devil Belcamp: a lillend named Somnia, who had ranged too far along one of the halls and been snatched by the devil’s minions. Although no reward other than safe passage was proffered, Korrigan did not see any reason to decline. They withdrew, dragging Rumdoom away from the party.

On their way back through the main chamber, Uriel’s attention was caught and drawn to the depiction of Envy – one of the clergy’s Seven Vices. The painting depicted an iron-bound chest, with the key inserted into the lock. Uriel approached the image, muttering under his breath as if in recognition. Then he reached out as if to grab the key, only for his whole arm to be sucked in, before he was blasted back across the chamber in a blaze of radiance and lightning. He lay stunned and steaming, conscious but very weak. They left Gupta and Serafima behind to tend to him, and Rumdoom to watch over them both.

On their return to the vault of Unholy Arms & Armour, they discussed their options. Despite the evident danger, Korrigan was curious to investigate the southern hall from which they had seen Nicodemus, Kasvarina and Quratulain retreat. He asked Quratulain if she remembered what lay down there. The question gave the mechanical woman pause:

What exactly what was going on here? She recalled each event only as it unfolded, in a kind of belated déjà vu, but could not remember what would happen next, no matter how hard she tried. When she did try to focus, she instead became aware of other sensations that did not correspond to her current circumstances: the feeling that she was trapped, pinned, frozen. Where was she now? This form was not her; she was somewhere else. (Perhaps these strangers could help release her at long last?) Whatever; all would be revealed in time. For now, her answer to Korrigan was simply, “No”.

Curiosity piqued, they braved the hallway anyway. A few minutes later they returned to the vault of Unholy Arms & Armour for a third time, and paused to heal their wounds. (Uru offered to help Quratulain, but she rejected his ministrations.) The hallway south was indeed dangerous, with a curse that caused every weapon carried to deal injuries to its bearer.

So they headed north, back to the vault of Heretical Texts, and then south-east – where a deep flood caused them much perplexity, until Korrigan – tired of listening to inventive solutions – wondered aloud, “if only someone had a water walk ritual,” whereupon Uru remembered that he did…

The vault of Accursed Items had been comprehensively looted – everything removed or destroyed, including the ornate iron doors. Small piles of silvery powder were dotted about everywhere and Leon warned everyone to avoid them. This place also turned out to be the lair of a bear-sized rust monster that launched itself out if its nest amid the rubble and frightened the living daylights out of everyone. Quratulain bravely drew its attention (as the most tempting target for a rust monster), and allowed the others to get into position, responding swiftly to Korrigan’s commands. Matunaaga aimed carefully, only for his kill to be stolen by a single shot from above: Uru, up on the ceiling, did not want his friends to lose their valuable items, and placed his poison shuriken with care.