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

Session 37, Part Two - Waiting for Uriel

Malthusius’ rooms had been repurposed many years ago, but the RHC were able to requisition them. No one was sure when Uriel would return so they determined to wait until he did – wary of further Ob attack. Meanwhile, individual team members were able to talk to their various contacts and run an errand or two:

• Leon wanted to know more about the sprite Festoon and contacted the Unseen Court and the Vekeshi. (He already recognised her as a kind of sprite related to an old ally of his, Etiotek Ekiokiet.) Etiotek’s folk were humanoid but a cross between insect and plant in nature/form. The Old Stag responded at once: he was very keen to meet Kasvarina, and asked for Leon to bring Gupta along too, once Leon had vouched for her. They had a long and cordial meeting. The Old Stag was certain that his wing of the Vekeshi movement had not been pursuing a pro-Ob agenda, unlike Gupta’s parents. Gupta was asked if she wanted to join the Mystics but she was uncertain now. (What she had learned about her parents had sullied the idea.) She impressed the Old Stag by recounting Vekesh’s famous oratory and song. For his part, the Stag was unable to tell them much about the sprite. But both she and her partner were immune to divination.
• Once again, Delft proved his worth: having initially demurred when Korrigan asked if he could help establish diplomatic contacts in Danor, Delft now came up with the goods. He suggested that Korrigan meet with Nathan Jierre. Korrigan learned from Nathan that he and Geoff Massarde – another Danoran defector – were in contact with a faction in Cherage who were opposed to Han Jierre. Not only would they prove to be likely allies in the long-term, they would be able to arrange for the unit to teleport into the city and avoid the authorities while they hunted for memory events. It would be risky, but they were prepared to do anything they could to help.
• Ken Don contacted Korrigan, having unearthed some interesting facts about William Miller. [Borrowed wholesale from Hirou's post, above - including the very useful life story document which I used to sum up what they already knew.]
• Heward Sechim suggested that they go and speak to the Clockwork Count. They had called on Heward and asked that he take over from Stanfield in the business of helping the ‘underfolk’ as the Count had long ago requested. They were concerned that the Count would stop helping the RHC if matters did not rapidly improve. At Heward’s urging they arranged to do so, and found that the Count was currently working at in an artillery range in the bayou not far from the Battalion. They were surprised to find him in his true form. The erudite and dapper mechanical man who strode the halls of the RHC was merely the ‘public face’ of the Count. Here, he was an artificial brain in a reinforced glass jar, around the neck of a brain-damaged formorian with a clockwork skullcap on its head. The formorian was able to lug the huge artillery pieces about easily. Doing all the fine, dextrous work was a team of halfling wererats, who were handily immune to any accidental explosions! The Count was grateful for their visit and for their efforts to improve the lot of his people. He said he had no intention of stopping his research work, and regarded it as his duty, not a favour that had to be returned. Korrigan asked him if he could reproduce Benedict Pemberton’s duplicant technology. (Korrigan wondered if the unit could use the duplicants themselves in certain situations.) The Count said that he could, if they could supply him with a functioning prototype. He would get on to it as soon as his ‘advanced explosive research’ was done. As they left, he asked them for one small favour: he was tired of his moniker – a nickname given to him long ago – and asked for the unit to give him a name. He was happy to wait for them to come up with a good one.
• Leon asked Kasvarina out on a date! Something more than friendship had been blossoming between them, or so he hoped, and he decided to be direct and declare his admiration. Kasvarina said that her mind was not entirely her own right now. She confided in Leon that, during those early memory events featuring Nicodemus, she had felt very strongly that she must once have been in love with the man, whatever her feelings were now. That was confusing enough without feeling herself drawn to another mortal. She smiled and Leon smiled too at this not-so-subtle confession. Kasvarina said that she felt that she had known Leon for a very long time. Leon replied that he had missing memories too, so that was entirely possible. She agreed to spend an evening with him on the condition that they agreed not to complicate matters. They dined at a fancy restaurant in Stray River (under an illusory disguise, of course) and then at Kasvarina’s insistence, visited the Clunge – an unfortunate local name for the furthest rock of the Ayres, where at night, strange fey creatures provided a beautiful display of light, a remarkable sight which Kasvarina had long wished to see. There, as they sat on the beach, they drew very close, but kept their earlier promise.
• On the third day, Uriel rose again, in accordance with his promise: in Malthusius’ old chambers. It was a strange thing to witness a deva suddenly appear out of nowhere, naked and poised as if receiving unction from above. They were tense, expecting an Ob attack, but none came. Uriel asked them who he was. Korrigan was tempted to answer, ‘Malthusius’. Uriel was more annoying, and he wanted his old friend back. But he answered ‘Uriel’ to avoid confusion. They returned his belongings and Uriel said to Gupta, “Can’t you help me speed this process along?” Gupta used her charms to remind Uriel of his old ideals. The group noticed that Uriel seemed a lot softer and nicer now that he had reconnected with Malthusius.
• Hoping to visit Alais Primos before they went to Cherage, Korrigan contacted Morgan Cippiano again and asked him if he had been able to arrange to smoothe over their passage with the clergy. Cippiano said there had been no movement as yet and asked how Korrigan was doing with the El Primo matter. Korrigan said he didn’t have time to deal with the matter personally and had left it with Delft. Cippiano said he too had left the matter with others, and that they would both just have to wait. Korrigan got the message and passed it on to Delft, who said his officers were drawing a blank. Uriel took a look at the case file and used Malthusius’ old trick of memorising them for later study.

Nathan Jierre came up with the goods first so they went to Cherage. Nathan asked to come with them, to see his home at long last.

Session 37, Part Three - Right Under Their Noses

Cherage, Danor’s capital, lies on the edge of the Dead Magic Zone. Rituals and minor magics do not work there. Spells do, but only if cast through a powerful implement (such as a Dreaming Blade). The unit arrives in the catacombs beneath the estate of an influential Danoran merchant – a human named Naz Duchamps. He is white-haired and slight, but energetic and full of life – keen to establish allies in Risur and wrest Danor from the hands of Han Jierre.

Korrigan dismissed their fears that he might regard them as traitors, and understood fully their desire to oppose the Sovereign, who was using state resources in pursuit of his personal agenda (and, lately, a personal vendetta).

Naz and his associates said they would need to move very cautiously. It took several days to explore Cherage for memories and when each one was discovered, they had to work very carefully to extract it without drawing unwanted attention – returning after dark; begging favours from contacts, etc. Leon’s ability to weave daydreams over the memory events, to hide them from bystanders, was invaluable, as was Gupta’s erase memory spell.

Three of Uriel’s incarnations had lived/died here:

1. Gjurd was the Spirit Medium from Ber whose practices had been viewed as witchcraft by superstitious tribes. A chance meeting with Vicemi Terio saw him sail for Cherage, but the boat foundered in stormy weather and sank halfway between Yerasol and Danor. Gjurd drowned. (Korrigan had to fish Uriel out before he did the same. Oddly, he found himself breathing comfortably once the memory event had ended, before they reached the surface.)
2. Gjurd reincarnated on the Danoran coast, and was tracked down by Vicemi, who had escaped the shipwreck. This incarnation chose to call himself Gjord and developed a psionic version of the spiritual powers he had possessed in Ber. Through Vicemi he became involved with the Ob, used his talents to wow high society and steal secrets, helping the Jierre’s – Han’s ancestors – control the nation. He was murdered by a tiefling woman whose affairs he revealed to her husband. She visited him one evening in disguise, drew a pistol and shot him. Uriel narrowly escaped suffering a cardiac arrest.
3. Finally, there was Malthus, who refused to get involved with politics and eschewed Gjord’s power suite and lifestyle. Instead, he used the fabulous wealth Gjord had accrued to live in relative seclusion, in an estate just outside Cherage. He became an astronomer, maltmaker and brewer and eventually developed an interest in his prior incarnations. To that end, he travelled and discovered his connection to the Hierophant of Elfaivar, developing an interest in Seedism and the skyseers of Risur. Eventually he became able to make prophecies of his own. On his return to Danor, he foresaw a terrible disaster in a small city in Risur and took this news to the only people he knew who could make a difference – contacts of his previous incarnation, Gjord. They just so happened to be the Obscurati. Malthus accompanied Amielle Latimer on her mission to Flint, where he died on the Governor’s island.

The two memories Kasvarina found were incidental but enlightening:

On Mutravir Island, the unit met the ghost of Amielle Latimer, an Ob conspirator with a knack for custom firearms, who seemed somewhat uncertain of her loyalties to Nicodemus. That same Amielle Latimer came from Danor to Risur a hundred years ago and helped the then king oust the red Contessa from Cauldron Hill. While there, she helped to open up pathways of industry. The Arc of Reida led Kasvarina to a fancy restaurant that had once been Amielle Latimer’s workshop. The walls of the restaurant were adorned with guns. The group returned after dark and witnessed a very minor memory in which a very-much-alive Amielle is told by Kasvarina and Nicodemus that she needs to undertake a risky bit of diplomacy: They’re sending her to Flint, to help the king deal with a witch problem.

Kasvarina’s next memory was much harder to access, as the Arc of Reida now drew her to the Sovereign’s Palace. But the Danoran state was confident and lax; when Han was not in residence it wasn’t too hard to gain access and their dissident friends had contacts who were able to arrange matters for them. The event took shape in a secluded, rarely visited part of the palace. Korrigan stepped into the shoes of Nicodemus once again and Leon was drawn into the event as… Leon:

Kasvarina is in conversation with Han Jierre and Nicodemus. Leon Veilleux stands silently at a discreet distance. Han is nervous of discovery. Meeting here is unwise, he says, but the matter is urgent: They all know of their recent success in retaking Axis Island from the Risuri. Kasvarina’s work with her students has been key in unlocking their ability to oppose the Risuri magically. Dax Corbeau, in particular has exceeded all expectations. However Dax is also rabidly anti-fey (hence his ruthlessness towards the Risuri) and his recent discovery that the conspiracy is led by an eladrin – that it was an eladrin who (in heavy disguise) had taught him all he knew – has caused him to behave irrationally.

Nicodemus casts a quizzical glance at Kasvarina, and asks pointedly, “Did you involve yourself with this man?”

She laughs. “I am rarely attracted to mortals. Though I must admit his intellect and ability are almost stimulating enough to sway me.”

Nicodemus asks again if Dax’s sense of betrayal might stem from something deeper than politics.

“The man claims to have been betwitched,” Han says, as if this proves something.

“Indeed?” Kasvarina responds. “And yet he claims to hate all fey. He can’t have it both ways.”

Han grows impatient with their badinage and cuts to the chase: Dax has made attempts to inform the Danoran senate of Han Jierre’s devotion to a ‘foreign’ cause – communications that have fortunately been intercepted.

But Dax will not hand over Axis Island, as he has come to realise that it is central to the Obscurati plan.

“He knows we need the knowledge that can be unlocked there,” says Nicoedmus.

Kasvarina is serious now. “This is very disappointing. Dax Corbeau is a fabulously gifted arcanist. By far my most able pupil. Perhaps I could try to dissuade him?”

Nicodemus cuts in. “We don’t have time for words. We need action.”

Han Jierre then introduces Leon Veilleux, who bows low. “This man knows Dax well and has served with him. He has been tasked with assassinating the general. It would be beneficial if the two of you could work on ways of penetrating any magical defences Dax may have.”

With Nicodemus watching her for signs of reluctance, Kasvarina agrees. Leon is then dismissed before the three move on to even more sensitive matters. Before he leaves, Leon apologises for what must be done. “General Dax is an impressive, fearsome leader whom I have been proud to serve. I shall be sorry to kill him.”

Han then dismisses him again: “You have your orders, lieutenant.”

As he leaves Kasvarina remarks, more for Nicodemus’ benefit than for anyone else, “Now there is an attractive mortal. He reminds me of Asrabey in his youth. Perhaps I could be persuaded to favour a mortal after all. …”

Nicodemus glowers as the memory event fades.

Leon stood silently, trying to come to terms with the bizarre experience of vowing to assassinate himself.

Kasvarina roused him with a nudge and said with incongruous levity, “Cela explique beaucoup, n’est-ce pas?”

End of Session

Session 38, Part One - Calling All Eschatologists in the Trekhom Area

As promised, please find attached a prolix 'synopsis' of this ongoing side-quest (which will hopefully reach its apotheosis in the next couple of sessions).

Uru and Rumdoom were busy laying plans for their incursion into the Cold Claw Sea:

• Concerned that a simple dispel magic could mess with any water breathing spells, Uru sought to design tech-based ‘re-breathers’ fashioned from leather and rubber. He also worked on a remodel of Little Jack that swapped out wings for propellers. Taking a cue from a prototype he saw in the workshop of Krazy Krauss, he also suggested that everyone wear tin-foil hats to protect them from Deep One mind-control. This idea fell on deaf ears (fortunately, Uru could protect himself thanks to his hat of hats).
• Uru also began to make enquiries about the Stone of Not in case, you know, they needed to carry it for some reason. When cross-examined about this line of questioning, Uru reminded Rumdoom that his exact words had been, “Let’s go get the Stone of Not”. But Rumdoom had stepped back from his initial bravado, and was content simply to put a question to the Stone, as the Deep Ones had offered. However, he did not trust them entirely (having been dominated by them in the past) and decided to take a small but capable task force along with him and plan for hasty extraction. To this end, they had the Cracked Cauldron brought out of storage in Flint, and had a teleportation spell cast into it. There was a debate about who should carry the eerie handle. (One positive side-effect was that it might keep the Sunfish free of barnacles.)
• There was a huge meeting of all the local eschatologists. Vlendham Heid was in attendance. It was the first time he and Rumdoom had met since he attempted an intervention during Rumdoom’s hedonistic breakdown, when Rumdoom had punched him in the nose. Vlendham was forgiving and philosophical (ahem…) and keen to help with advice on the mission. The Stone of Not was an important eschatological artefact and he would be glad to learn more about it. Although sceptical of folklore, he reminded Rumdoom (who did not need reminding) of the myths surrounding the Stone: that the Avatar of the End would wield it to herald the Icy End of the Earth. Rumdoom made no secret of the fact that he thought he was the Avatar, while Vlendham did not trouble to conceal his amusement.
• Kieran Sentacore had returned from Flint, to record this quest. Both he and Captain Rutger Smith were in attendance (as the Impossible would tow the sub south), and the conversation turned to the overlap between Millerism and eschatology. Rumdoom was appraised for the first time of the story of Von Coppenhoff, a dwarf who had followed Miller and almost taken over a whole nation by persuading its leader they agreed with him. He was said to be able to alter reality through his words alone. Rumdoom thought about his own capacity to do so, to prevent the death of his friends, and wondered if he might try to develop this further. “Both Logos and Avatar in one?” said Vlendham. “We are honoured, indeed!”
• After a few days catching up with friends in Trekhom, Hildegaard reappeared wearing an unusual suit of magical armour fashioned from coral, with a shield formed from a giant shell: family heirlooms from the days when dwarves had been in conflict with the merfolk, and had to fight underwater. Hildegaard was determined to stand by her husband even to the very depths of the Cold Claw Sea! As the most level-headed person in the party, she would carry the Cracked Cauldron handle!
• A huge cheer erupted when Kvarti Gorbartiy arrived and volunteered for the mission.* He had heard about it from Bhalu, who had also decided to come along. He and Rumdoom had been inseparable of late and the eladrin had shaken off his habitual torpor and thought that the quest sounded interesting **. Rumdoom introduced Kvarti to Heid. Kvarti bowed so low his forehead touched the floor. He was suitably impressed. Some of Rumdoom’s most ardent followers also planned to come along, taking their total numbers to eleven: too many to fit comfortably in the Sunfish!
• Khaled Valchek solved this problem for them. He was in charge of logistics and supplies and told them that the Sunfish was only the front end of a two-part vessel he and Tinker Oddcog had designed. The larger craft had remained in a submerged part of Pemberton’s complex on Isla Dola Focas. The Berans could not confirm this; only that they had not explored the base to the fullest extent, and had simply mothballed it. With Leon’s help, they travelled to the island and confirmed that the larger vessel was still there. It looked like an open-mouthed fish, into which the smaller, rounder Sunfish would fit. Uru christened it ‘the Lamprey’.

*This spontaneous and sincere outburst from the players was both rewarding and surprising. Who knew Kvarti was so popular?
** Had fun statting up Bhalu. I envision him as the Dude played by a native American. Gave him powers with names like, “Nice Marmot” and “This Aggression Will Not Stand”.

Session 38, Part Two - Weary Enid

Session Soundtrack

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

So the Impossible sailed south and retrieved the Sunfish, from where it lay on the seabed near the mouth of the Tapi river. They blasted free from bottom with the Tyrant’s Eye and set of for Isla Dolas Focas, where Uru was waiting with the Lamprey. Having carefully negotiated the Silent Storm*, they hooked the two submersibles together, and set off even further south into the Cold Claw Sea.

Before they left the warmer waters along Ber’s south coast, they were approached by a merfolk vessel. Captain Smith granted them permission to board. The merfolk were very polite and impressed to board a human ship that had been blessed by Beshela herself. But they were concerned about the group’s intentions. The merfolk had long ago petitioned the unit to prevent Pemberton Industries and Black Star Mining from launching a fleet against the Deep Ones. Once again, they were keen that the aboleth should not be antagonised.

When one of their number questioned Rumdoom’s business, Uru (who had grown tired of diplomacy and may have misunderstood the conversation) used his ghosts to ‘throw’ words into Rumdoom’s mouth: “I am the Avatar of the End. When the sun dies and the oceans freeze it shall be I who wields the Stone!” This did not placate the merfolk, although it did frighten them. When reassured about the peaceful nature of the party, they asked that one of them be allowed to accompany the group to observe. For the sake of mutual trust, this was agreed, and the merfolk chose to send Oolsholeel, who had fought alongside the unit in the past.

About two days south of Isla Dola Focas. Silky, the mascot of the Impossible reported a dark, mysterious shape in the water that appeared to be following them. It was a frightening thing and Silky would not go too near. This same shape had followed the Impossible many months ago when she sailed against Pemberton alongside the Berans. At the time, they had assumed it was an Obscurati submersible, but Oolsholeel was able to communicate with Silky (while others could only interpet its dumb-show) and establish that it was organic, very large, and smelled of death.

Undeterred, Oolsholeel took to the water to investigate the mysterious shape in the form of a mako shark (for a quick getaway). But he could not find the thing, and his senses were obfuscated by the strong odour of rot in the water. Then without warning, he was set upon from below: razor sharp claws and teeth lacerated his flesh and sought to cling onto him. He fought free, sped back to the Impossible and clambered on dock before collapsing in a bloody mess. “Lacedon!” he gasped.

Sea ghouls, in the deep ocean? The crew began to murmur rumours about a sea hag named Weary Enid** who commanded a vessel formed by an undead leviathan and crewed by ghouls ‘harvested’ from shipwrecks. (Weary Enid had been a member of Jenny Greenteeth’s coven, but that fact would only emerge later, when Leon heard accounts of their mission.)

Uru fired several warning shots from the Sunfish, to demonstrate the power of the Tyrant’s Eye and deter further pursuit.


*[What’s the deal with this storm? Its cause (the Ziggurat of Avilona) gets foreshadowed in adventure 6, and in adventure 8, but then nothing happens with it. I’ve looked through the whole of the third act and can’t find a single reference. Am I missing something?]
**[I had to sneak Weary Enid in because she was my contribution to the Admirals of the High Seas Kickstarter. (I was supposed to be adding an NPC to the latter stages of the campaign too: I filled in the questionnaire, but he never showed up.) I’d tried to introduce her twice already, but my players never took the bait. Fun fact: Weary Enid is an anagram of my real name!]

There wasn't really a deal with the storm. If I recall, the ziggurat of Avilona was there, the Ob tinkered and screwed things up, and that was all. It was just an example of planar tinkering messing things up.

I always loved Weary Enid.

I'm sorry about forgetting the NPC. Who was it?

RangerWickett said:

There wasn't really a deal with the storm. If I recall, the ziggurat of Avilona was there, the Ob tinkered and screwed things up, and that was all. It was just an example of planar tinkering messing things up.

Click to expand...

But it says in adventure 6, "in adventure twelve... the party will find a path there to the graveyard of the multiverse." I'm assuming that got bumped in favour of Cauldron Hill. I'd like to find some reason for them to go there so they discover what's behind it.

RangerWickett said:

I always loved Weary Enid.

Click to expand...

Me too! A friend came up with the name years ago, having run my name through an anagram creator. (Another alternative was Inward Eye! Ommmmmmmm!)

RangerWickett said:

I'm sorry about forgetting the NPC. Who was it?

Click to expand...

No worries. It would have been nice for the player who invented the character to see his name in print, that's all - having made his way from an improvisation to the pages of the adventure path itself!

Way back in Dying Skyseer when one party member had to tackle the Creepy Warehouse on his own (everyone else having been trapped by Leone Quital), I had the other players stat up low-level sidekicks on the fly. Uru's player decided to play one of the spirit mediums who sensed the screams of the witchoil. He christened him Swami Melanchol, which was such a great name to come up with off the top of his head, I thought it deserved recording for posterity! I plan to substitute him for the halfling who receives the messages from Rock Rackus. (Assuming we get that far!)

Ah, right. I think the idea was that the 'adventure' Rock Rackus said he might invite the PCs on back in Digging For Lies was going to be to the ziggurat of Avilona, but then plans changed.

Session 38, Part Three - The Lair of the Deep Ones

Once again, I refer readers to the session soundtrack. (See previous post.)

A few nights later, after they had sailed into the region where Rumdoom last encountered the Deep One’s ‘envoy’, an intruder alarm was raised on deck. The ‘intruder’ turned out to be a Deep One vassal that took the form of Krazy Krauss, just like the last one had. Only where the last one was almost a perfect simulacrum, this one had a strange, chitinous growth over its left eye. It stood impassively on deck, coated in a sheen of slime. It wasn’t wearing any trousers.

Rumdoom explained that he had come to access the Stone of Not, as the Deep Ones had promised he might. ‘Krauss’ told him simply to ‘follow’, then stepped off the deck. A transparent, fleshy limb awaited him and lowered him into the sea. The task force hastily clambered into the Lamprey and followed the glowing, translucent craft that the aboleth had sent to intercept them. Oolsholeel stayed outside and took the form of a squid, capable of withstanding the depths.

Outside they saw a ‘border’ formed by knots of kelp, buoyed by limbless thralls that were entangled in their fronds – half-dead, mindless sentries, keeping a thousand eyes on the deep.

After a few hours (during which it was discovered that they had forgotten the sandwiches) a mental message echoed through their minds. It told them that they were about to be ‘consumed’ but reassured them that they would come to no harm: the Deep Ones merely sought to ensure that they could not navigate their way back here, and this was their version of a blindfold. Oolsholeel realised that the dark shape in the water behind them was a two-hundred foot behemoth, a mindless creature engineered by the aboleth in their image. He hastily took his place inside the submersible - worried about saliva and digestive juices – as the behemoth engulfed the craft. They came to rest upon its tongue.

Now their bellies really began to rumble: this next leg of their journey went on for many hours. Bored, Uru explored the belly of the beast with his ghostly entourage. He discovered a large, solid lump of unpleasant material, something like ambergris, from which he discovered he might distil a deadly mind-poison. Despite his best attempts to smother it with a tarpaulin, the others objected that it stank out the cabin.

Eventually, after maybe half a day, they were disgorged. There were lights all around them: natural luminescence clung to the underwater city that stretched out around them. It occupied the bottom of an oceanic cavern, and was home to the Deep Ones’ sahuagin servitors. (Where the aboleth were was not clear. Perhaps they dwelled in the walls of the trench?)

After the behemoth withdrew, they began to follow the smaller, luminous craft once again. Their submersible passed over carefully tended egg fields, and strange, sharp, twisted totems to the fey exarch Sekolah. Glowing limbs or roots joined everything together, all leading in the same direction: their direction of travel.

A few failed sendings revealed that they were within the aura of the Stone of Not, which the aboleth used to power their city, and defend it from scrying. No magical divinations could penetrate. Uru was now glad he and the-artist-formerly-known-as-the-Clockwork-Count had developed a short-range radio. The task force had a non-magical means to communicate with the Impossible if need be. They also had one in each of the parts of the sub which came in handy when they were forced to separate:

Word came that the Deep Ones would not allow them to go any further en masse. Only Rumdoom and one other would be allowed to approach the Stone. Hildegaard was the obvious choice, as Uru would be able to follow along unnoticed (or so he hoped; he switched to his tin-foil hat just in case). They decoupled Sunfish from the Lamprey and followed the translucent craft deeper into the underwater city.

About half-a-mile later, they came to a place where the glowing roots all coalesced, twisted together to form a gnarled trunk, upon which sat a spherical, organic structure about twice the size of their craft. Many sahuagin warriors guarded this place. The mind-voice told them to disembark. Keeping their re-breathers at their belts, they relied on water breathing potions for now. Rumdoom and Hildegaard swam outside, with Uru a fleeting shadow in their wake.

Two copies of Krauss floated in front of the structure, before a portal that was moulded like a lobeless ear. One had a crab-like arm, the other articulated legs and a single antennae where its left ear should have been. There was a long pause, and then space itself seemed to twist and spiral, heralding the arrival of a Deep One: frighteningly large and disturbingly alien.

“Why are you here?” it asked, telepathically.

“I am Rumdoom,” thought Rumdoom, in response.

“You seek access to the Stone, but we know your deepest desire is to take it. Do not attempt to do so, or all of you will perish.”

“I will not. But first, can I return here, and use the stone again?”

“No. You are fortunate to have been allowed this far. We now know that you do not command the colossus. But you have served us in the past and proved yourself worthy, thus we agree to this trespass. Tell us again why we should let you see the Stone.”

“The question I am asking will be of benefit to all of us,” said Rumdoom. There was a pause. Uru had his ghosts add, in terrible voices that were not hindered by the water, “The ones you flee will find your scent when the seals of the world are broken!”

They could feel a palpable change of mood at this, a sense of fear in the water, accompanied by a low, melancholy ‘noise’ (that may have been in their minds).

The aboleth at once responded, “Enter, then. But be warned. Do not touch the Stone.”

They went inside, accompanied by the two Krauss-thralls. The aboleths admonition seemed redundant: the Stone – a jet-black object no larger than a water-melon, but of irregular shape – was held within a multi-layered, blue-green, crystalline lattice.

Hildegaard stepped up to the lattice alongside Rumdoom, while Uru slipped unseen to the far side.

Rumdoom reached out tentatively and thought, “If there was a moment when I was going to steal this thing, I suppose this would be it.” But he dismissed the idea, placed his hand on the lattice and hoped this method worked.

Feeling somewhat clumsy, he asked for whatever memories had been stored in the stone by Kasvarina Varal. His eyes rolled back in his head and he floated, lifeless for a moment, as he bore witness to them:

The tower in Trekhom, where the Stone was stored. Nicodemus, Kasvarina and a high-ranking tiefling man all place their hands on the Stone in unison. Rumdoom hears an echo of these words, although they do not say them now: “At Methia, in the Lance of Triegenes, we were founded in secrecy”. As they walk away from the Stone, Kasvarina glances at the dwarves who have accompanied them to this place. “I do not trust them. How do we know they will not grant others access to the Stone.” Nicodemus smiles and says that he has already taken care of that.

(Just a few months later a tidal wave hit Trekhom, and the Stone of Not vanished during a sahuagin invasion. ...)

At the same time, Uru had sudden desire to make use of the Stone too. He was tired of hankering after his memories of being truly alive. He was half-shadow now, thanks to Tokoloshe, and often wished to be restored to normality. This was distracting. So he placed his hand on the lattice and sought to commit his memories of life into the stone. It worked! His eyes rolled back, and he floated lifeless for a moment too.

And so neither of them saw the icicle that formed in the water next to Hildegaard – or noticed that Hildegaard was floating lifeless too – or saw the icicle as it grew rapidly, took on a form, shaped itself into the icy simulacrum of robed female dwarf.

The thralls saw it, but found themselves suddenly encased in ice with a gesture from the interloper. She turned back to the Stone, raised a fist and brought it down on the lattice with enormous force, shattering it instantly. When she laid hands on the stone, Uru and Rumdoom’s eyes snapped open, but they couldn’t get their limbs to move just yet.

The woman turned to Rumdoom and said, “I am Grandis Kamanov, Avatar of the End. You have given me the greatest weapon I could ever have.” She laughed. “I followed you to Knutpara. Learned the same trick you learned from the lich-giant. Thank you, my dear,” she said to Hildegaard, “You were a gracious host.”

Then she took the Cracked Cauldron handle from Hildegaard’s belt and vanished!

[The mad idea of having Grandis steal the stone, instead of appearing on Odiem, occurred to me in the middle of the session. I had to fake a toilet break to give myself a chance to figure out if it worked or not. Ran with it because it intensifies the rivalry between Grandis and Rumdoom, and the players might not even let Serafina accompany them into the vault. Decided it would only happen if Rumdoom took Hildegaard on with him, and came up with a back-up plan which explains what Kamanov planned to do if she hadn’t been able to obtain the cauldron handle. Enjoyed a rush of adrenalin as it played out at the table. Who needs extreme sports, man?]

Session 38, Part Four - Meanwhile, back on dry land...

Matunaaga returned to active duty after convalescing in the Hidden Valley (for fear he might be exposed to Ob assassins if left to recuperate in Flint). Korrigan gave him a letter to be read to his three-year-old son, Kai, along with some toys and other mementos.

Matunaaga had expected to see his father on his return, but was surprised to find that the old gith had left the valley to meditate in the high mountains. Uriel recently told him he would not see his father again. Could that be true? He consulted his wife Ayesha, herself a skyseer. She spent an evening gazing at the stars and the next day returned to say this: While she had initially told him that he should serve Korrigan many years ago, it was not necessary for him to remain at Korrigan’s side in order to do so. She would not be drawn further on this cryptic comment, claiming that the future was, as always, unclear.

When he was well, he returned to Flint, where he found the others returned from Cherage.

The rest of the unit had finally decided to travel to Alais Primos without the help of Morgan Cippiano (who in any case was honest enough to express his doubt that any amount of persuasion on his part would convince the clergy hierarchy to grant a tourist visa to Kasvarina Varal). Uriel had been unable to remotely crack the El Primo case, but he was still ruminating on the matter. Cippiano hoped that Korrigan and Co would continue in their efforts despite his inability to assist them on this occasion. (El Primo was, after all, a notorious criminal…)

Instead, Gupta contacted a friend of her father’s - Cooran Ashmeal was a writer and philosopher who was particularly known for his incisive satire highlighting inconsistencies with the church's message. He'd been a guest of Gupta's father in the past and had applauded her skill with instruments. Cooran visited not long after the incident with the golem and made certain to seek her out, promising to be of assistance in any way he could. They had kept up a correspondence in the intervening years, and now Gupta asked him if he would be willing to provide a safe base of operations for their foray into the clergy capital.

Cooran obliged, and found the unit a secluded place to hole up if things got dicey. It had a convenient hidden entrance into the incredible sewer system. Other than that, he felt it would be better if he kept his distance, as he was already on the watch list of the authorities.

Uriel and Kasvarina doused for memories, and found many. They tried to figure out which ones would attract the least attention, and aim for those first.

Alais Primos sprawls in a verdant valley along the coastline, framed by a semi-circle of cultivated hills and low mountains to the north and west. Enzyo Mons rises at the southernmost tip of this mountain range, and the priests of Crisillyir make monthly treks to hurl objects of evil into the volcano’s fiery rift. Massive libraries, temples, and sepulchers fill the heart of the city, some so large they straddle the canals that carry mountain rivers between the wide-spread city neighborhoods. The city has three harbors, each feeding into a different system of canals. Some of the most grandiose cathedrals in the world are built on gorgeous tended garden islands just off the coast. Hundreds of small chapels dot the city, and citizens are expected to visit and confess any crimes or sins at least once a week. Many of these chapels possess enchantments to compel honesty, though corrupt patriarchs and local priests with Family connections alike have been known to remove these “peacekeeping auras.” Matunaaga in particular had to be circumspect: firearms and other items of technology seen to be related to the tieflings of Danor are illegal, subject to confiscation and fines. (Tieflings are not welcome, either, so Leon travelled in disguise, as usual.) Traditional city watchmen are reinforced by clerics capable of summoning spirits of the dead, and like every major Crisillyiri city, every church has a bell of solid gold, which can be rung in times of crisis to create a teleportation shield across the whole city.

Uriel discovered a plethora of memories as he made his way around Alais Primos, particularly around the central basilica frequented by the clergy high-ups. (There were events for Uriel and Kasvarina too inside those official buildings, but they decided to return for those later.) Most of these memories were those of Tadeo, the incarnation who went on to be a powerful cardinal, and was assassinated by the Vekeshi. But there were two others here as well: an energetic, ‘youthful’ incarnation, and a more humble one, who wore heavy robes. Following the trail of the latter brought Uriel to a more important event: the death of the incarnation named Tadeas, who (he later learned) was a healer and lived from 17-100 AOV – making him the second-longest-lived of his past lives after Malthusius. The event took place in a modern home. They called at night, greased a few palms, cast some illusions, and wiped a few minds, departing quickly after the event played out. Tadaes was on his death-bed, an unusual place to find a deva. The cause was evident: his face was a mess of boils and pustules; he was riddled with some sort of pox. At his bedside sat a perplexed clergy hierarch who asked, “Of course I am grateful to be healed. But why did you choose to take the disease upon yourself?” Tadeas replied that this was the only way, and that he – as a deva – would at least live again. He had spent his whole, long life keeping his distance from the clergy, he said - distrusting its core ethics and Byzantine power structure. “But you,” he says to the hierarch, “proved to be different. I witnessed your generosity to the poor, your personal humility and saw someone who might change the Church for the better. All I ask is that you find my reincarnation, lead me into the faith as you know it, and prove my faith in you is not misplaced.” Those were his last words. Uriel left the event in a cold sweat, breathing hard, and felt unwell for the next couple of days. He wondered how such a saintly man could have led to the power-hungry cardinal.

There were memories to be found just inside the city, near the old walls, but this area was busy and they were likely to attract attention, so they decided to handle them last. Both Uriel and Kasvarina were drawn to an area beyond the city walls – fields and farms now. Both of them knew all too well what had happened there five hundred years ago and approached the area with trepidation. Again, they went at night to avoid onlookers. A fat lot of good that did them:

Kasvarina was drawn to a hill that overlooked the farmlands, giving a a breathtaking view of the city’s edge and the crops, which were harvested over a month ago. Desperation and grief swept over her as the memory event began. But when the Lost Arc activated, its effect swept out for nearly a half-mile, far wider than ever before. It summoned daylight, that would be visible for miles around, and its edges crackled with unstable power. Within that area farmlands changed into the wreckage of a great battlefield, covered with discarded shields, broken siege weapons, and weatherworn battlements. Six bonfires guttered in a ring around the hill, and beyond lay thousands of corpses, all of them women.

Uriel gave a cry as, with a lurch, he was swept away, to take part in a simultaneous event at the very edge of Kasvarina’s.

Kasvarina fell to her knees and cradled one woman whose body had been charred beyond recognition. Around the unit stood half an army of eladrin, only the men surviving. At the distant edge of the manifested past, the Alais Primos itself changed. Shattered stone keeps rose from the empty crops, and beyond them a great translucent golden dome shielded the city, shining where sigils of celestial script caught the light of the sunrise, summoned by the Arc. The sound of bells tolled constantly from within, and with them triumphant cheers of the humans, proclaiming their victory:

In the air above the battlefield, a shadow made of ash and soot hung in the air. The wind quickly dispersed it, but for a moment it resembled the shape of a six-armed woman, a hundred feet high. Gupta realised that each of the nearby bonfires was in fact a fallen, flaming sword.

Kasvarina must have arrived here just moments after the death of Srasma!

The memory event ended as suddenly as it began, plunging them into darkness. Kasvarina continued to sob and Leon knelt and put a reassuring arm around her. “I don’t know who that was, but I knew her,” she said, overwhelmed with grief.

Lights flickered on in nearby buildings and Matunaaga pointed to the gates of Alais Primos from whence a brigade of cavalry now charged forth to investigate. Time they were leaving! Leon helped Kasvarina to her feet and opened up a wormhole as far away as he could see in the direction Uriel had gone. Korrigan urged them to make haste: his defender blade told him Uriel was badly injured.

The deva was on his feet when they arrived, but nursing several wounds – wounds that killed his original form five-hundred years ago:

He found himself in the robes of an acolyte, surrounded by vengeful eladrin men who cut him to pieces at once. He had no idea how he came to be stood there – a lone human in the midst of the Elfaivaren army. But he knew he had returned a few days later in Alais Primos.

Even as they stood there, eager to be away lest the cavalry locate them, the Lost Arc unveiled yet another event to Uriel:

Some years later, he had returned to this very location, in the fit, poised form of his first incarnation who was by now (judging by the manner of his dress and the way he held himself) a clergy godhand. He was in the company of a familiar smoking man, with salt-and-pepper hair, who said, “You were born in Methia. But you died here.”

“I remember,” said Babatunde. “I remember it all.”

“Good. Good. Now will you come with me?”

“Where to?”

“It doesn’t have a name yet. We’re going to build a new nation. Start small.” He smiles. “I think we might call it ‘Pala’. …”

End of Session

Session 39, Part One - Hildegaard's Sacrifice

Thank goodness for Uru’s re-breathers! The Lamprey was struck by waves of anti-magic, swiftly followed by a gut-wrenching impact, as a massive harpoon head was driven through the hull, causing water to pour in from outside. It only narrowly missed the occupants. With a lurch, the Lamprey was dragged downwards, and everyone clung on for dear life as the craft tilted alarmingly. Rumdoom’s entourage struggled to steer, but the magical engines had lost power.

Oosholeel shouted for Kieran Sentacore to snap out of it, get on the short-wave radio and contact the Sunfish. Then he opened the exit hatch (no point in keeping it shut now) and slipped outside in eel form. A huge hawser formed from seaweed was dragging the vessel towards the seabed. It was connected to a huge, almost organic-looking ballista. Oosholeel only caught sight of this briefly before he fled back inside, dodging the crossbow bolts of dozens of sahuagin warriors. Kvarti provided cover with his brand new rifle, Intransigence. He took out the leaders first.

The sahuagin swarmed the craft in overwhelming numbers and Kvarti, Oolsholeel and Bhalu began a desperate fight to prevent them from entering the Lamprey.


Uru’s ghosts helped him to phase through the walls of the chamber that had held the Stone of Not. Before the aboleth or sahuagin could react, or even see him, he shadow-stepped into the Sunfish and fired up the Tyrant’s Eye.

Rumdoom was horrified. He wasn’t focused on fighting at all, heartbroken at this dreadful turn of events. Though the aboleth were hideous and alien and merciless, he felt compelled to sue for peace; his honour was at stake. He dragged Hildegaard outside, while the Krauss-thralls were still restrained by ice, all the while thinking as ‘loudly’ as he could, “Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!”

This must not have been enough to make up for the potential destruction of the aboleth’s entire civilisation, and the theft of their most prized artefact, for at once the dwarves were struck by a wave of psychic slime. Single-minded, they shrugged off its effects, and could detect palpable waves of anger and alarm, even panic, in the water. Now the sahuagin attacked, along with their sharks, but the dwarves fought defensively and deflected these attacks too.

Uru aimed the Tyrant’s Eye at the aboleth and fired. Inspired by what he had learned about the philosopher Von Coppenhoff, and compelled to prevent a bloodbath, Rumdoom uttered a Fiat. He said simply, “NO!” and the beam of the eye lanced wide. Uru felt the fiat and understood. He stopped firing. But he didn’t hesitate to flick another switch, to electrify the hull of the vessel, and scatter the sahuagin that had been clambering all over it.

Two more aboleth arrived. On his shortwave radio, Uru called the Lamprey and told them what had happened; he heard cries and chaos from the other end.

Unbidden, the desperate and horrified Hildegaard, who had been the unwilling host of Grandis Kamanov, made an audacious offer to the aboleth: With a thought, she offered to stay as hostage if the deep ones allowed Rumdoom to leave and retrieve the Stone. Rumdoom was aghast, but the offer brought a moment’s stillness and the combat ceased.*


The Lamprey struck bottom and was swarmed by sahuagin like a wounded whale calf. By now, it was completely water-logged. One of Rumdoom’s entourage struggled with a defective re-breather and then hung limp in the water. Kieran Sentacore had been left with the sending stone – paired with another held by Korrigan. These stones were useless in the radius of the Stone of Not, but since that had been taken, Kieran activated it in desperate hope, pleading for help, if help was possible. Just moments later he received the reply, “Stay put and stay alive.”


Korrigan & Co. were traversing the Malice Lands when the message came through. Leon knew a ritual, follow the voice, which could take him to the paired stone. But the ritual took ten minutes to perform and a minute or more for the transition to complete. He could try to make this quicker, but the effort would exhaust him. Coupled with the problems affecting long-range teleportation (which only great mental concentration could overcome) and he was limited to safely teleporting himself and perhaps just one other. Thanks to his schism-wrought form, Korrigan could meld with Mavisha and feel at home underwater. He could also help to re-energise Leon sufficiently to manage the return journey (or at least a quick portal back to the Impossible). So the tiefling warlock began to plough all his energy into the ritual, hoping to complete it in time. …


Thanks to Hildegaard’s self-sacrifice Rumdoom succeeding in convincing the aboleth to allow him to retrieve the Stone. However they were insistent that the occupants of the Lamprey should remain behind too. Rumdoom said he would have to talk to the others, but the aboleth refused. “Leave in your craft. Straight up.” After a moment’s thought, Rumdoom complied. He embraced Hildegaard, tears lost in the ocean. She told him, “Do not forget your duty. The Stone will mean nothing if the world comes to an end. You know in your heart that this is not our ending. We will have a good ending when you choose.” The aboleth took her in their tentacles and swept away towards the Lamprey. Uru took the Sunfish straight up, as ordered, reassuring Rumdoom that “Korrigan is on his way.”


Sahuagin attacks on the lamprey first intensified, then subsided. Oolsholeel sensed an alarm, and some sahuagin responded to that, swimming away down the trench. (Could it be that the deep one’s enemies had found them already?**) But they didn’t have time to rest: Uru had told them that the aboleth were on their way and sure enough, the vessel was soon subjected to wave after wave of psychic slime, wearing down their defences until, one by one, they came under the control of the deep ones. But before they were all dominated, Leon and Korrigan arrived with a subsonic thump of displaced water. Oolsholeel cast a druidic spell, drawing everyone closer to Leon with grasping limbs of seaweed. With his mental reserves boosted by Korrigan’s influence, Leon transported them all onto the deck of the Impossible. Only Hildegaard remained behind, still in the grip of the aboleth.

* This dramatic and unexpected turn of events came courtesy of the player who was running Hildegaard as an NPC for the purpose of this side-quest. It saved the players from a very dangerous fight. Rumdoom’s player loved the idea. He’s a glutton for punishment.

** Weary Enid attacking the egg-fields, a fact that never came to light in the session. She was Grandis Kamanov’s ‘back-up’ for getting out without the cauldron handle. (They’re both witches aligned with the Voice of Rot, see.)