ZEITGEIST Aartvb's Zeitgeist

[aartvb]

A few weeks ago, I started a thread on my WotBS campaign. It was fun for me to 'relive' those sessions, so I decided to do the same with my Zeitgeist campaign! We started this campaign almost 3 years ago, so there are a lot of sessions to cover until I catch up to where we currently are. But we are still having fun in this campaign! (even though only 2 players - apart from me - are the same since the start of the adventure (and only 1 PC)) I wrote all of the notes mostly myself, so this time it's my perspective, not the players perspective. But the notes are also shared with the players, so it contains only information that came up during the session.

The party consisted of:

• Charles Butterworth the Third, a.k.a. Trip. Male halfling fighter gunsmith.
• Galarin. Male deva/human wizard yerasol veteran.
• Zuna. Female kalashtar druid spirit medium.
• Odo. Non-binary human rogue martial scientist (I am not sure about this race, class and theme because this player unfortunately left after a few sessions).
• Frostbeard. Female dwarf cleric eschatologist.

Session 1 (17-11-2021): Steam, Secrets, and Sabotage

500 A.O.V., spring, day 6
King Aodhan, ruler of Risur, arrives in the capital city of Flint to inaugurate Risur’s first fully steam-powered ship, the Royal Naval Ship (R.N.S.) Coaltongue. The group is responsible for the security on behalf of the Royal Homeland Constabulary (R.H.C.), under the command of their superior, Assistant Chief Inspector Stover Delft.

They are aware of four potential threats:

1. Dockers, angry about their poor treatment.
2. Primalists (followers of the ancient druidic faith), upset by the rise of new industry.
3. Followers of the fey terrorist Gale.
4. War veterans, who despise the designer of the ship because he is a tiefling.

The group successfully apprehends three Dockers who were planning to cause disturbances.

The group is approached by Thames Grimsley, leader of a Dockers guild. He informs them that Dockers are working under terrible conditions in factories and warns of an upcoming uprising. He asks if they can put in a good word with the City Governor.
Galarin takes him to let him speak with the Governor.

On the ship, the group meets several key figures:

• Principal Minister Harkover Lee, the king's personal bodyguard.
• Geoff Massarde, the designer of the ship.
• Captain Rutger Smith, captain of the ship R.N.S. Impossible.
• Benedict Pemberton, an eccentric and distinguished industrialist (who removes a loose thread from Zuna’s clothing).
• Duchess Ethelyn of Shale, the king's sister, who disapproves of the new industry.
• Her elven handmaiden, Sokana Rell.

The group is given a tour of the ship. Odo arranges a quiet room for the Duchess. When the group goes to fetch her for the king’s speech, she is missing. Sokana runs off, and a halfling attacks Galarin.

 

[Tormyr]

Part of me feels like Odo should have been a doppelganger.

 

[aartvb]

Session 2 (8-12-2021): Inferno Aboard the Coaltongue

The group chases after Sokana. The halfling becomes invisible. They descend to the lower decks, where they discover a large amount of fire gems in the furnace, threatening to cause the ship to explode. Additionally, two engineers are attempting to close the pressure release valves, which would accelerate the explosion. They are using rusting irons to achieve this. Though they succeed in closing the valves, it costs them their lives.
At the same time, Sokana throws an elemental gem into the furnace, summoning a fire elemental, which further hastens the risk of explosion. Sokana is also killed during the confrontation.
Zuna interrogates Sokana’s corpse using magic, and Sokana reveals that the Duchess has long since left the ship. She was taken by Beshala, a follower of the fey titan She Who Writhes. Duchess Ethelyn could likely be found in Shale, a city in Risur.
The group successfully removes the elemental gem from the furnace, causing the fire elemental to vanish.

 

[aartvb]

Session 3 (22-12-2021): Storming Axis Island

The group finds shovels used to remove the fire gems. Galarin discovers the halfling spy. It turns out that they had gone upstairs to remove the fire wards from the storage rooms. The guards stationed there had been killed. Galarin kills the halfling spy (Ilton) and puts the fire wards back in place. Geoff Massarde comes down to help shovel the fire gems after Trip retrieves him. Together, they successfully clear the gems, saving the ship.

During a speech, the king announces that, after years of conflict, it is time to make peace with Danor. To cement this peace, he plans to marry someone from Danor next year.

Galarin arranges for Thames Grimsley to speak with City Governor Roland Stanfield. Although initially reluctant, Stanfield agrees to have a meeting at a later, quieter time to discuss the working conditions in the factories.
The king thanks the group for saving the ship.

The following week, the group’s heroic actions are featured in the newspaper.

500 A.O.V., spring, Day 13
After a week it is confirmed that the Duchess was likely behind the attack.

Lya Jierre, Danor’s Minister of Outsiders, visits the RHC office along with Stover Delft and presents the group with a puzzle. Galarin and Frostbeard work together to solve it, gaining Lya’s trust. Meanwhile, Odo notices Lya’s distinctive rapier, which has a mechanism making it particularly deadly: a thin, sharp wire runs along the blade, rotating like a chainsaw to enhance its cutting power.

Lya explains that the Duchess has attacked Axis Island, a Danoran-controlled island in the Yerasol Archipelago. The island hosts mining operations, a steel mill, a shipyard, and a military fort on the coast. Danor's congress may interpret the attack as an assault on Danor itself, which could jeopardize the peace treaty between Risur and Danor. Lya needs Risur’s help to drive the Duchess off the island to prevent this.

That evening, the group sets sail aboard the R.N.S. Impossible to join the Risuri fleet en route to Axis Island. The group’s main purpose is to provide insight since they were the last to speak with the Duchess, and they don’t have many other tasks.

The group, alongside four specialists, will head to an underwater tunnel, using a potion of water breathing to enter. Once on the island, they’ll travel to the fort, where they must open the sea gate from the lighthouse, allowing the fleet to enter. Then the Duchess will be captured. The group is instructed to take prisoners when possible, though lethal force is permitted if necessary. Approximately 12 hours after the group lands on the island, Risur must return control of the island to Danor.

Lya also asks the group to look for her cousin, Nathan Jierre, who is currently on the island.

The group receives supplies to prepare for the mission.

Per person:
- 1 Potion of Water Breathing
- 2 Potions of Greater Healing
- 200 GP

As a group:
- 1 Gem of Brightness
- 4 Scrolls of Faerie Fire
- 2 Scrolls of Silence
- 2 Scrolls of Passwall

The group also meets the infiltrators they’ll be working with: Tanya, Letmas, Seven-Foot Dan, and Burton.

 

[aartvb]

Session 4 (12-1-2022): Perils of the Cave

The group arrived on Axis Island. The infiltrators went ahead into the underwater cave. Something seemed to go wrong. The group entered the cave to investigate and found that all the infiltrators, except one, had died. A large rock had fallen. The survivor mentioned seeing yellow frogs and a swamp.

The group helped the injured infiltrator by amputating his leg with a saw. They then proceeded further into the cave, where they encountered two elementals (air and earth), a shadow, and a man named Nicolas Dupiers, who had been hiding there since the Duchess's attack.

There was also a coin in the cave, which Odo picked up, gaining the air elemental as an ally. Trip shot the shadow and the earth elemental, killing them both.

The group successfully persuaded Nicolas to cooperate. He is a miner who collects metals for the island’s factories.

After taking a short rest, the group planned to continue deeper into the cave. They noted that the cave was filled with magical energy, and strange metal pins were embedded in the walls, showing traces of abjuration magic.

 

[aartvb]

Session 5 (26-1-2022): The Journey to the Fort and the Lighthouse

Note: Odo's player left after last session, so now only Frostbeard, Galarin, Trip and Zuna are left.

The group leaves the cave and climbs over a mountain. Along the way, they have a few strange encounters.
Zuna uses a squirrel to find the way.
A few kilometers further, a tall flame shoots into the sky, but no forest fire follows—only a few scorch marks are visible on the trees.
They hear heavy stomping, and Zuna hears echoes of voices. They decide to go around it in a wide arc.
For a moment, they seem to be in another world, a swamp with yellow frogs and a blue sun in a purple sky.
Eventually, they reach the fort. Using passwall, they manage to enter through the outer wall of the fort. The group leaves Nicolas Dupiers behind in a ruined building, but he keeps a mental link with Zuna.

The group heads to the lighthouse, where a ship is docked. They avoid all the guards, in part thanks to Galarin's drunken act. They continue toward the lighthouse. They pull the lever to open the sea gate. One guard runs back to his ship, and another flees to get help.

 

[aartvb]

Session 6 (9-2-2022): The Battle at the Lighthouse

The sea gate was opened, which alerted the people on the island. An army attacked the heroes to stop them. The heroes were stronger, and the army didn’t stand a chance. One by one, the soldiers fell.

As the sea gate opened, the army from the homeland (Risur) sailed into the harbor. Everyone was healed and happy again. Then, there was a loud bang on a ship caused by someone wielding a sword that could extend and was engulfed in flames. After that, lamps shattered, plunging everything into darkness. People jumped overboard into the water.

Trip shouted for calm, but no one listened. Zuna tried to figure out what was going on but was unsuccessful.

 

[aartvb]

Session 7 (23-3-2022): The Capture of the Duchess and the Battle with Asrabey Varal

Zuna calls Nicolas Dupiers back to the group via the mind link, and they briefly discuss his work here. They are interrupted by a Risur soldier, who informs them that they have found some prisoners captured by the Duchess during her attack. Among them are 12 tieflings—perhaps Nathan Jierre (the nephew of Lya Jierre) is one of them!

They go to check, but with the screams of the prisoners and the bleating of sheep in the building, it’s difficult to make sense of anything. It appears that Nathan is not among them. Along the way, Zuna notices another small building where something seems to be going on. They plan to investigate, but are violently interrupted by a magic spell that transforms the area into a jungle. The shadowy figure they had seen earlier returns and uses the terrain to enter the inner wall.

Galarin realizes that fey magic is being used, and that the figure is a high elf, likely a vekeshi mystic. The group chases after him, leaving Nicolas Dupiers behind. They pass through a maze of hedges, which the high elf has set on fire. A man named Gillie Dhu, who is connected to the maze, takes fire damage from the blaze. Initially, Gillie Dhu tries to stop the group, but they manage to convince him to let them pass.

The high elf climbs into the fort/tower at the center of the maze, where the Duchess is likely hiding. The group climbs after him and overhears a conversation between the high elf, the Duchess, and a young man, who turns out to be Nathan Jierre. From this conversation, they learn that the high elf’s name is Asrabey Varal, and he is here on behalf of the Unseen Court. His mission is to execute the Duchess to send a message that the Court does not approve of the king’s (failed) assassination. The Duchess had promised that Risur would withdraw from the tieflings of Danor, but now she is talking with Nathan, a tiefling himself.

Asrabey is about to kill the Duchess when Nathan recognizes the surname Varal and tells him that Kasvarina Varal visited the island some time ago to inspect it. The group interrupts the conversation and attacks. Asrabey is powerful, but they manage to defeat him. Nathan is freed.

Zuna steals a cloak of smoke from Asrabey, but the other items are left behind, as there would be consequences for taking them. Fortunately, only Trip witnessed the theft. Galarin, who wanted to leave everything behind, is unaware, and Frostbeard, who would have opposed the theft (being Lawful Good), was AFK during the event.

The group considers following the Duchess, as she claims to have Risur’s best interests at heart. A skyseer had a vision that could spell disaster for both Risur and the Unseen Court. The Duchess reveals that Danor is combining magic and weapons on this island to create extremely powerful weapons, which could pose a grave threat to Risur. Ultimately however, the group decides to hand the Duchess over.

In the room where they are, there is a telescope, suggesting that much research into stars and planets was conducted here. The Duchess is handed over, and a contract is signed, affirming that Risur does not approve of her actions. The contract is signed by Galarin and someone from Danor (Lya).

Lya and Nathan are reunited. Lya reveals that she is the future bride of the king of Risur, provided the negotiations go well. The group is invited to the wedding, which they eagerly accept (especially since they’re excited about the celebration and free drinks).

Each member of the group receives 1,500 GP. The next adventure takes place a few months later in Flint.

By the way, during one of these sessions, Zuna's player jokingly said something like: "obviously the bad guys are building something here, and at the end of the campaign we have to come back here to destroy it. This island is too weird." Yes, that would be quite something!

 

[RangerWickett]

Long long ago I ran a campaign that became the inspiration for ZEITGEIST, and in it, things started going way off the rails because the PCs stole all of Asrabey's gear and then went AWOL and became pirates.

Very different from what we ended up publishing, lol.

 

[aartvb]

Unfortunately Frostbeards player had to leave our group. A new player joined however, with Oskár, a male dwarf fighter martial scientist.

Session 8 (13-4-2022): The Investigation Begins

500 A.O.V., Summer, Day 1
The group is tasked with investigating Gale, a notorious figure in the city.
11:00:
They receive news that a woman, Nilasa, jumped from the Danoran consulate's window, apparently thinking she could fly. This might have something to do with Gale, who can fly.
12:00:

1. Her body ended up impaled on a fence, splitting her between Danoran and Risuri jurisdictions.
2. Braden Sarkin, a security guard at the consulate, had been dating Nilasa.
3. Julian LeBrix, the consulate's guard captain, claims he caught her stealing some things (including a ceramic egg). She tried to jump out of the window to escape. He shot her in her leg and back (which is very suspicious) in an attempt to stop her. He reacted to her as to an escaped thief.
4. The group visits the 4th floor from where Nilasa jumped. LeBrix walks with them. He says there are a lot of important documents there. He insists he has little time, and wanted the group to leave, but now he is following them around.
5. Nilasa, a frequent visitor, didn’t have a key. She had brought brigadeiros (chocolate snacks). She had cuts on her arm from broken glass. She was spiked by the fence at two locations. She has gunshot wounds in her left thigh and shoulder and a strange injury on her head. The bullets have been removed.
6. Nilasa carried a bail certificate from the Parity Lake police department. She was bailed out after being arrested for smuggling, with Heward Sechim paying the bail.
7. She also had a receipt, showing a total cost of 2450 gp, from someone named D.W.. The receipt was showing items measured in drams, an unfamiliar unit. On the other side of the receipt, there was a note mentioning "Silvo, Deorn Feldman, Family Wharf."
8. She didn’t have innate magic, but there was some source of magic from an extern source. This could have something to do with her wounds, but that is not certain. Investigations revealed that necromantic energy was involved in the head wound.
9. A hidden pocket in Nilasa's coat held an empty vial, but the group failed to identify its contents (1 on their arcana roll).
10. Nilasa probably lived at Sechim's Alkahest and Alchemicals, close by.
11. She was often in the Thinking Man’s Tavern.
    • 13:00:
12. Near the consulate, the group found signs of a struggle in an alley, including dried blood and a canal ship's ownership document bearing the Danoran consulate logo.
13. A witness, Jack Byron (a coachman), reported seeing a man with bloodied hands leaving the consulate, claiming to have performed surgery. Jack took the man with him in his coach. The man was not that old, had a moustache, and was a human male. He spoke with a hard to place accent, from someone north of the Avery Sea. He traveled to The House of Blue Birds hostel without paying. He was carrying a case.
    • 13:30:
14. The group went with the carriage to The House of Blue Birds.
    • 14:00:
15. At the hostel, the group learned that Roger Porter, a police officer, had already searched the room of the surgeon. He took all important items.
16. The surgeon’s name is Wolfgang von Recklinghausen.
17. Dr. Barnaby Camp left a letter of recommendation for the surgeon, so the hostel could trust him.
18. Trip and Galarin are questioning someone from the cleaning staff at the door of The House of the Blue Birds. She says that she saw this officer – he was in pain and had bandages around his chest. There was a black stain visible as well. He smelled like motor oil. She also found a towel in the surgeon’s room, she gives it to the group. It had traces of oil used for maintaining a sword and an unidentified black substance.
19. It is very certain that there is nothing important to find in surgeon Von Recklinghausen’s room. Nothing of note of suspicious.
20. Zuna, pretending that von Recklinghausen was actually called Heward Sechim (because at this point she doesn’t know his name yet), arranged to be contacted if either individual was found.
    • 15:00:
21. The group went to Sechim’s Alkahest & Alchemicals, located in the Parity Lake district (Nilasa lived there). The district is dirty, and has a lot of slums. There are protests. Someone is angry that her husband is locked in until he fulfilled his work quotum.
    • 15:30:
22. They arrive at the factory. There are no protests in front of this factory. The group goes inside. Oskár first sees someone – some kind of foreman – giving instructions. This is Heward Sechim. He had a close relationship with Nilasa, calling her “like a daughter.” He didn’t know of her death, but his uncle, Nevard Sechim, a skyseer, already told him that she would die by falling down, blinded by the wind. He blames himself for her death, believing her association with Gale — related to the anti-industrialization movement — might have led to her downfall.
23. The group makes a song. “Niiii-Lasa Niiii-Lasa, doesn’t fall here, doesn’t fall there, but falls down on the fence!” (yes in Dutch and with a melody it sounds better)
24. Zuna returned to the consulate and used Speak with Dead on Nilasa’s body. LeBrix is there, but he doesn’t know she is talking with Nilasa’s ghost. Talking about her death, Nilasa says: “A monster! A human! He saw me, what I had withme, and then, then, then, the pain! En then I saw nothing! I ran away, I tried to fly!” You tried to fly? “No, I was able to fly, but… No! A Monster!”. “Gale is in the Cloudwood, she is only found when she wants to be found. She recognizes me, and sometimes picks me up.” Did you drink something? “Yes, an invisibility potion.” She wanted to steal documents for Gale. Nilasa disappears. Furthermore, from the conversation they find out that the she only used her boyfriend to get into the consulate. She was still alive when she was on the fence, and gave someone a necklace, a canary in a coalmine. She also gave him the papers, and the assignment to get the stuff to Nevard.
25. The empty vial was analyzed by an alchemist in the factory.
26. Heward Sechim is the owner of the factory, he suggest that the group should question the uncle (Nevard Sechim), to get into contact with Gale to prevent further terror. In that case they should go to the Cloudwood.
    • 16:45:
27. The potion was apparently a powerful invisibility potion, unique to Pine Island due to the use of brackish water.
    • 18:00:
28. The day ends with the group meeting Stover Delft for a debriefing. Inspector Margaret Saxby joins them for a mid-investigation report.
29. The plan for tomorrow is to go to the Cloudwood to contact Nevard Sechim.

Relevant Locations:
North Shore:

• Danoran consulate (close to the beach) (point 1)
• House of Blue Birds (western side) (point 13)
• Dr. Barnaby Camp’s residence and working location (point 17)

Parity Lake:

• Police Department (point 6)
• Sechim’s Alkahest & Alchemicals (point 10)

Bosum Strand:

• Thinking Man’s Tavern (in the harbor) (point 11)

Cloudwood:

• Gale’s hideout (specific location unknown) (point 24)
• Nevard’s residence (specific location known) (point 26)

Pine Island:

• Source of the invisibility potion (point 27)

Central District:

• RHC headquarters (point 28)