ZEITGEIST Aartvb's Zeitgeist

[RangerWickett]

I don't recall what my advice was in the adventure on getting the whole party to come, but yeah, hopefully the players are okay with you nudging them to situations that they'll enjoy, as long as you aren't trying to thwart specific intentions. They probably thought, "Splitting up is a good way to pursue our mission," but in truth there's nothing else going on in Sid Minos except what you can learn on Odiem.

I liked the speech too.

 

[Tormyr]

Yeah, my goal was to help the PCs realize that Luc was the primary target and convince them that Luc and everyone else were making a break for it and not going to Vendricce. They then follow Ottavia to the island. The part of player agency in my campaign was that they were in no way, shape, or form going to have a face-to-face meeting with the lady of the forked tongue. They left the crypt through the main entrance at dawn and booked a ship to Vendricce, arriving just ahead of the train.

 

[aartvb]

They probably thought, "Splitting up is a good way to pursue our mission," but in truth there's nothing else going on in Sid Minos except what you can learn on Odiem.

Yes, probably. And that's also not a strange thought, considering that was the best course of action in the previous cities.

 

[aartvb]

Session 50 (27-11-2024): The Lighthouse of the Damned

The group launches an attack against the zombies. However, they quickly realize there is an almost endless stream of zombies, meaning they cannot defeat them all.
They try to enter the lighthouse while the zombies continue their assault.

Meanwhile, Bella, Ben's mechanical bird, flies up to attack Ottavia. Ottavia strikes the bird with such force using magic that it explodes.
During the fight, Morthos takes a heavy beating, and Ben falls unconscious.

At the same time, Aurelius is on his way to the island. He sees the zombies rising from the water but notices that all the zombies around him become stunned as he gets close. When Aurelius and the skipper arrive at the island, the skipper drops Aurelius off on the shore. Aurelius offers to bring the skipper along where it's safe(r), but the skipper refuses (due to a low Wisdom roll); he is too afraid of Aurelius.

Aurelius also hears the voice, inviting him to come below in the name of the Dawnbringer. The voice feels familiar, as if she comes from his home plane. Intrigued, Aurelius heads toward the lighthouse entrance, where the rest of the group is holding off the zombies.

Ravarel manages to open the door. The zombies lose interest in the group and instead pour inside, heading up a staircase. Once everyone is inside, Ravarel shuts the door.

The voice continues to lure them downward.

Eventually, Morthos, Levi (Ben's mechanical dog), and Ravarel's mechanical spider descend into the depths. They find many rooms that have been completely looted. Heretical messages are scrawled on the walls.

As they move through the rooms, they finally reach a chamber containing several golden mirrors. In front of one of the mirrors sits an old man, dressed in tattered robes resembling those of a godhand (a type of priest) of the Clergy. The man rushes toward them and attacks.

Levi is struck down in one blow. Morthos carries Levi with him and retreats.

The voice tells them they will gain freedom if they free her from the man.

Note: Because I wasn't able to travel to the location where we usually hold our sessions, we had an online session, using Roll20. This already gave this session a bit of a weird vibe. But then also this: the players really had no idea what they were 'supposed' to do on this island. After they saw Gene the godhand, they now don't trust the voice, so they don't want to fight him, just simply avoid him. I am curious how next session will go!

Note: I have been uploading my Zeitgeist and WotBS logs daily for almost 2.5 months now, and I have finally caught up with where we are now with both games. It was lots of fun to relive all of the great D&D moments! But this means that my log updates will be a lot slower from now on. Both games are planned for every 2 weeks, but often there is a bit more time in between sessions due to circumstances.

 

[aartvb]

Happy new year everyone! Here the summary of my first D&D session of 2025!

Session 51 (8-1-2025): The Chains of Ashima-Shimtu

The group hears the female voice say: "The zombies will attack you shortly. If you kill that lunatic downstairs, you’ll gain your freedom!"
They decide to head to the basement to defeat the old man and ensure their safety from the zombies.

They attack the man.During the fight, Aurelius stands in front of two golden mirrors. Two golden doppelgangers of Aurelius appear. BenDER also stands next to a golden mirror, and a golden doppelganger of BenDER appears. The doppelgangers attack Aurelius and BenDER. Aurelius goes down. Zuna destroys several golden mirrors.

After some time, the party finally manages to defeat the old man. However, during the fight, Aurelius has died. Shortly after his death, Ravarel runs to Aurelius, places a ring on him, and then takes the ring back. The group doesn’t know what the ring does, but it traps Aurelius’s soul within it. They take the enchanted brass knuckles (+1) from the godhand. Morthos swears to avenge Aurelius' death.

The mysterious voice tells the group to come upstairs, and they comply. Ravarel carries Aurelius’s belongings, and whatever Ravarel can’t carry, BenDER takes with him.

When they reach the next room, they see a naked demon woman hanging from chains, her body pierced with hooks. She speaks about herself in the third person. Her name is Ashima-Shimtu. She explains that when Triegenes, the founder of the Clergy (a religion), defeated the Demonocracy, many demons were killed—but not her. She made a deal to survive by betraying other demons. She was then hung above this pit filled with holy water. The essences of other demons were also stored in this vault.
Five hundred years ago, two people came to this island. Ashima-Shimtu gave them a ritual that could give belief a physical form. This ritual was used to summon an avatar of the goddess Srasama, who was later killed by the Clergy. The Clergy wanted to know the ritual as well, but Ashima-Shimtu refused to reveal it.

She seems to know personal details about the characters.

• Zuna: The woman who embraces chaos and loves poultry and eggs.
• BEN: The entity that sometimes pretends to be purely factual, but harbors feelings inside.
• Ravarel: The man driven by a quest for vengeance against another man.
• Morthos: The man driven by a quest for vengeance for a goddess.

Ashima-Shimtu claims that through meditation, she has improved her morality. She offers the characters free teleportation to anywhere they choose. All they need to do is jump into the pit and name their destination. The group debates whether they trust the demon and, if so, where they should go.

BenDER sends his bird upward. It sees that Ottavia has died from the zombies. Luc and Bree are nowhere to be seen. Eventually, the group decides to teleport to Vendricce. They jump into the pit of water and name a Vekeshi temple in Vendricce as their destination.

501 A.O.V., Winter, Day 16
They wake up, washed ashore near the temple in Vendricce.

Note: Interestingly, the group still isn't sure if Luc is to be trusted or not. Their behavior made Luc think they were on to him (destroying the lanterns, mentioning Caius Bergeron to Bree, etc.), but that was actually a miscalculation of Luc. I am planning on changing the dialog at the Vendricce train depot to make sure they understand why Luc thought they knew they were on to him.

Note: Aurelius died! But I think his player understands that it was a consequence of his own actions. He shouldn't have 'summoned' a second golden doppelganger before really finding out what the doppelganger was all about. Also his teammates should have tried to stabilize or heal him. He died simply by rolling bad on his death saves.

 

[aartvb]

Session 52 (22-1-2025): The Hunt for Caius' associates

The group is trying to figure out their next move now that they have arrived in Vendricce. They are somewhat stuck and unsure how to obtain the information they need.

Zuna reveals an amulet that briefly turns gold (Amulet of the Ancients).

The group decides to see if there are people in the city who know Caius.

They split into two groups of two (BenDER + Morthos and Ravarel + Zuna) and agree to meet at the temple around 1 PM.

BenDER takes the "old pistol" from Ravarel as an interesting item for Caius and heads into the city with Morthos.

Vendricce is a rather busy port city, and its golden city clocks are arranged in a circle around the town to make teleportation difficult when they start ringing.

Morthos and BenDER visit a museum in the city. BenDER randomly asks people if they know Caius, but no one recognizes the right Caius. Morthos heads to the archaeology section, partly to impress Xambria.

Ravarel and Zuna visit shady shops to spread the word that they are looking for someone who can make an offer on a valuable art object. They are led to a backroom at the weigh house (a place where goods are weighed for trade) and describe the item they have. One of the four other figures in the room shakes his head, after which they are asked to show the object. They agree to set up a meeting with Muldan Barley in a mysterious shop.

Zuna buys a small box of candy from one of the shops (with a 1-in-10 chance of being cursed upon eating). Morthos eats one and is immediately cursed but does not yet notice what/how/which curse it is.

BenDER finds a random beggar and gives him 50gp to delay the train by four hours, promising another 50gp afterward.

The group continues searching around the city before returning to their ship.

There, they encounter a dwarf named Thorald, a monk who does not speak. He has maintained a vow of silence for 77 years and visits temples, impoverished villages, and places that have been disturbed. He communicates through gestures and written notes.

The group introduces themselves, including Linda, Roos, Jessica, and Bregje (BenDER’s followers).

After some conversations, Ravarel and BenDER visit the mystical shop.

Inside, they find Muldan Barley, who is interested in the pyrecat gem. Ravarel engages in conversation, but there is no strong connection with the man, and they leave the shop empty-handed. However, Muldan did acknowledge knowing the name Obscurati. BenDER repeatedly notices that Ravarel is talking to himself.

Despite BenDER’s efforts, the train arrives on time.

Thorald is Aurelius' player new character!

To be honest, this wasn't a fun session for me. They were completely at a loss of what to do now, and to me, their ideas just didn't make much sense. In the end, I decided to drop a random hint on someone knowing the Obscurati but then they somehow just ignored that clue. They felt completely lost, and I had no idea how to get them back on track. Anyways, luckily for me, at the end of the session, they thought of a plan that could work (even though I would have to do a bit of handwaving to let it work). They will execute this plan next session!

 

[aartvb]

Session 53 (05-03-2025): The Vendricce Meeting

BenDER goes to retrieve the group's belongings from the train while the rest of the group heads toward it, with Morthos disguised as Caius (disguise self) and Ravarel acting as a bodyguard.

Luc, Brianne, and Verzubak do not disembark. Ottavia is also missing, but she is most likely dead at the lighthouse.

As the train empties, Morthos (disguised as Caius) and Ravarel board. They spot Luc, Brianne, and Verzubak sitting together in a compartment.

They engage in conversation. Luc, Brianne, and Verzubak are very surprised to see Caius suddenly appear, and even more shocked that Ravarel seems to be with him. Morthos rolls high on his deception check, so they believe he is the real Caius. They mention that they were supposed to meet in Beaumont, but Caius never showed up, and they wonder why he is suddenly here now. Morthos comes up with an excuse.

Morthos (as Caius) asks about events during the journey. They talk about Zuna, who sabotaged a plan to banish them to another dimension. They also mention that the "lantern test" failed, causing all fire in Orithea to turn into water.

Zuna, seeing that the situation is safe, also boards the train. Luc, Brianne, and Verzubak are now even more confused. They ask why Ravarel traveled with all these other people if he was coming for this secret meeting.
Ravarel: "The more colorful people around me, the less I stand out."
Zuna: "Grandpa, do we still have chicken?"
Luc: "Just take a seat. We're heading to the workshop, where my sister, Lya Jierre, is waiting for us."

Zuna knows that Lya Jierre is about to marry King Aodhan of Risur. That could be a problem. Lya had even invited Zuna to the wedding.

Around 17:45, the train arrives. It has been shunted, leaving only the front two and back two cars (locomotive, fuel, Luc’s suite, and the first-class lounge). By 18:00, the train is almost empty and starts moving again.

After Zuna updates BenDER via mindlink, Levy and Bella are sent ahead to the workshop. Levy spots Lya there.

At 18:15, the train stops at the workshop.
Luc has a lantern hidden under a black cloth.
At 18:30, Lya steps onto the platform and calls for Luc. Luc and Brianne exit the train, followed by Ravarel and Zuna, while the rest remain inside.

Since Zuna doesn’t want to be recognized by Lya, she transforms into a cat.

Lya is dressed in luxurious leather but still carries a sword at her hip. Zuna recalls it as a kind of chainsaw sword. Lya hugs her brother. When she sees Caius, her eyes widen, and she exclaims that she thought he was dead. Unfortunately, Morthos rolls lower on his deception check this time. However, Lya proceeds with her original plan for now.

Lya hands Luc a small bottle of oil. Luc pours it into his lantern and lights it. Within a 50-foot radius, they see a second train depot occupying the same space, brightly lit by lanterns, while the area outside the depot grows darker.

On the platform in this other dimension stand 17 people—five who seem to be part of the meeting and 12 who appear to be guards. The 5 people of interest are:

• Lester Guillory, an engineer from Risur.
• Dustin Huff, an astronomer from Danor.
• Emily and Anna Davis, twin politicians from Crisillyir.
• Nicodemus, a mysterious man who seems to be in charge.

Lya welcomes everyone to this private depot and makes introductions. She explains that if the lantern’s technology is scaled up and installed on all lighthouses and clock towers, it will help them change the world.

As this unfolds, Nicodemus moves among the guests, handing Lya, Luc, and Bree a medallion—one that strongly resembles the medallion Zuna still has from Mayor MacBannin. He also talks with Lya in a whisper voice, and appears to put the guards on high alert.

After a while, Nicodemus declares that there are traitors in their midst. The group tries to shift the blame onto some of the guards, but that doesn't work. A battle breaks out.

During the fight, Luc Jierre is knocked unconscious, and Lya drags him out of the combat zone and away from the depot.

Ravarel shoots Nicodemus, dealing massive damage with a successful sneak attack. Nicodemus looks at him, smirks, and says, “I’ll see you again soon.” Then he collapses, dead.

Nearly the entire group is knocked out—except for Zuna. She has a brilliant idea: destroying the lantern. When she does, all enemies vanish into the other dimension. The group has narrowly survived.

Zuna collects a small amount of oil from the spilled lantern.

We are back in the fun zone! This was a great session, and me and the others are really hyped for Cauldron Born!

 

[RangerWickett]

I'd forgotten I'd used those names. Lester, Dustin, Emily, and Anna were classmates of mine in middle school. I wonder if they'll Google their names some time and wonder what the hell this is all about.

Good luck with the huge monster that is Cauldron-Born.

 

[aartvb]

Session 54 (26-03-2025): The Outline of a Conspiracy

The group returns to their ship and sails back to Flint. Thorald also travels with them.

501 A.O.V., Winter, Day 24
The group arrives in Flint. After a short rest, they have a debriefing with Stover Delft.

• Who was Caius Bergeron meeting in Vendricce?
  • Lya Jierre
• Who else attended that meeting? Who from that meeting was also on the train?
  • Luc (also on the train)
  • Brianne (also on the train)
  • Nicodemus
  • Risuri engineer Lester Guillory
  • Danoran astronomer Dustin Huff
  • Twin sisters Emily and Anna Davis, political liaisons to the government of Crisillyir
• What allies and accomplices did they have? What possible alliances and connections does this suggest for the Obscurati conspiracy?
  • Brianne "Bree" Kaldeckis, Luc Jierre, Ottavia Sacredote, Verzubak Tantalovich, Olivert Boone
• Other persons of interest, but not linked to the Obscurati:
  • The Griento family (turned out to have a feud with "the Family")
  • Elanor Yanette (turned out to be a slave trader)
  • Mister Mapple/Flasher/Andrei von Recklinghausen (related to Wolfgang von Recklinghausen)
  • Cardiff Hengehill (had a briefcase chained to his wrist; his intentions remain unclear)
  • Malia Baccarin (the group now suspects she may have been involved in the bandit attack on the train, though there is no proof)
• When did each of those persons of interest board the train?
  • Bree: Beaumont
  • Luc: Cherage
  • Ottavia: Cherage
  • Verzubak: Keskay
  • Olivert: Keskay
• What did they do each night when the train was stopped? (Cherage, Orithea, Trekhom, Nalaam, Sid Minos, Vendricce)
  • Unfortunately, the group focused more on those who were not involved in the meeting, making it difficult to determine this.
• Did you notice any patterns, codes, or other identifying traits?
  • No.
• What do we know about the conspiracy's goals? How will they achieve them?
  • They want to widely distribute lanterns. It is unclear whether this will affect Danor, Risur, or all of Lanjyr. Possibly, this will transport everyone to another dimension. The reason for this remains unknown.
• Do we have any clues about allies in Risur or other countries?
  • It is unclear who in Risur supports them. All that is known is that the Kell Guild has worked with them in the past. Additionally, the meeting included representatives from various countries, such as Crisillyir, which raises suspicion.
• Who do we inform, and what do we do next?
  • The question remains whether King Aodhan is aware of this. He is set to marry Lya Jierre. Is he part of the conspiracy or not? The group decides to trust the king, so Delft will inform him.
  • Further investigations include analyzing the lamp oil that Zuna discovered and gathering more information about the people at the meeting, such as Nicodemus and the politicians from Crisillyir.

Two Months of Downtime

• Ravarel gifts 20 acid cartridges to Ben D.E.R. They collaborate on creating a combat suit for Ravarel.
• Ben D.E.R. works on his mechanical gadgets and searches for a workshop space.
• Thorald meditates to learn Evasion. Zuna finds it intriguing but doesn’t understand why Thorald remains silent for so long.
• Zuna and Thorald communicate via Mind Link, with Thorald sharing images that reveal more about his background and his Vow of Silence. He decides to join the RHC.
• Morthos continues his research on archaeology for Xambria.

501 A.O.V., Spring, Day 8
King Aodhan arrives from Shale (the capital of Risur) and stays at Hotel Aurum, a newly constructed building consisting of two towers connected by a high bridge. The peace negotiations will conclude with the formal engagement of Lya and the King.

Stover Delft arranges a Royal Carriage for the group to take them to the hotel for an audience with the king. The carriage is reinforced with bulletproof glass. Their driver, Hadsworth Hudgins, skillfully navigates the streets. The DM warns the players not to get too attached to this NPC.

Near a train crossing (without the barriers closing) Hadsworth says, "I think there's a proble..."—before he can finish, gunfire erupts at the carriage. Hadsworth is killed. The horses panic and bolt. A small device is launched at the carriage, emitting a brief buzzing sound.

ROLL FOR INITIATIVE!