Yeah, I have really appreciated MarkM's feedback. Now I need to finish clearing the backlog of stuff and get ahead of his group again.@Tormyr you have a fan.
ZEITGEIST The Hounds - a Zeitgeist Campaign
MarkM
Explorer
Session 5 (2-18-21):
Coming out of the hills, we could see a village up ahead. We were going to simply move around it but… it was a little too quiet… a little too dark. I moved up to get a look and stepped on something… a hand! There were a few bodies around me. They were Danorians and I assume the former residents of this village. Calling the others up, we moved cautiously into the village and found a large building Bell pointed out looked like a factory of some kind.
We entered it and had a hard time figuring out what they made here at first. But, after looking around a bit, we found an ingot of adamantium. It looked as if they’d figured out a way to manufacture it out of lesser materials… quite a discovery indeed.
Sylvia noticed movement just outside of town while we were in the factory. But, by the time we got out, whatever it was had moved on and gone south. That wasn’t the direction of our mission so we packed up and started on the road that would lead us to the fort.
We moved quietly for a little over an hour trying to keep an eye out for patrols… which we found. In fact, both groups almost stumbled into each other.
It was a short fight where we took out 4 men and 1 who appeared to be their leader. He was a spellcaster. Through dialogue during the fight, we were able to discern that they were indeed aware that what they were doing was treason and that they fully supported the Duchess.
This led to an interesting moment of tension when the fight was over. I wouldn’t have been sad if some had died knowing what we know now. This is a war, a rebellion. Didn’t seem like Bell had any issues with that either. Sylvia and Vic (particularly Sylvia) though still wanted to leave people alive if possible. But, Gyldiel took it to another level beyond even Bell and I. After the soldiers were chained up to a tree and gagged, Gyl moved to kill all 5 of them. It took Sylvia and Vic standing in his way to stop it.
He said it was too risky to leave them alive. Had he followed through with it, to me at least, that would have been a war crime that not only cost us our jobs but potentially much worse. Sylvia reminded him our mission briefing stated we should leave any alive we possibly could. These were Risuri soldiers after all, and maybe even misguided patriots. That seemed to satiate him and we moved on leaving the enemy alive behind us.
Not too long after that, a very disturbing event occurred. As we were walking, our vision blurred and it was like we were somewhere else. The sun was blue like for the other team right before they all died. We all thought that might be our fate for a moment too but then it blurred and we were back. But, we had mud on our boots from that other place. We were actually there! Very odd.
We ran across another strange scene on the road a little while later. It was an overturned wagon with swords and firearms scattered on the road. However, they were placed in such a way that it was obvious they couldn’t have fallen that way… it was staged. We looked around quickly, fearing an ambush. Vic spotted a sniper’s nest a bit into the trees and she and Gyl sprinted toward it to spring any trap that might be waiting for us. But, there was no one there. Odd… whoever it was left sometime ago. So, it was hard to tell if it was a Danorian trap or something left by the Duchess.
Also, the weapons on the road had strange magical glyphs on them that likely would have done something nasty to us had we touched them.
Further on and very close to the fort, we heard a crashing up ahead. We took cover and a headless metal golem came stumbling by us. I figured it was one of the fort’s defenses that the Duchess’s forces wrecked but it ran away before it could be finished off.
After it passed, we finished our travel and took a short rest outside the city to patch up a few wounds and catch our breath before it got really hard.
We approached the wall and cast a Passwall spell to get through the outer defenses. Our plan was to disguise ourselves using the uniforms of the soldiers we’d met out on the road. We’d never pass close inspection but if we acted like we belonged, hopefully no one would give us a second glance. We intended to pass by the makeshift brig we knew about and get a sense of the jail’s defenses so we could come back after the gatehouse and look for Jierre’s cousin Nathan.
We didn’t see it directly but there definitely were more patrols in that area. Further on, I took to the roof to try and guide the rest of the team away from any patrols that might stumble on them. Unfortunately, I stumbled at one point and someone came out of a house and almost blew our cover.
But, we handled it and finally arrived at the wall that would lead up to the gatehouse we were here for. We bluffed our way past a couple of guards but, as we got really close to the mission objective, someone asked to see our papers… the fight was on.
We took out several guards, including a wizard. Making our way into the gatehouse, Bell found the controls, activated the gate and gave the signal to the ships out in the bay.
It would take them about 15 minutes to get to us and, unfortunately, we discovered we couldn’t simply break the handle off. Anything that stopped the hydraulics of the sea gate would simply cause the gate to start closing and not just stay in whatever position it was in. That meant we’d have to hold our position against the enemy for most, if not all, that time.
We had caltrops, fire stones, enough furniture to barricade the doors, spikes to make the doors even more impassable… it was a very defensible position… but against how many? This was starting to make my blood pressure rise...
Coming out of the hills, we could see a village up ahead. We were going to simply move around it but… it was a little too quiet… a little too dark. I moved up to get a look and stepped on something… a hand! There were a few bodies around me. They were Danorians and I assume the former residents of this village. Calling the others up, we moved cautiously into the village and found a large building Bell pointed out looked like a factory of some kind.
We entered it and had a hard time figuring out what they made here at first. But, after looking around a bit, we found an ingot of adamantium. It looked as if they’d figured out a way to manufacture it out of lesser materials… quite a discovery indeed.
Sylvia noticed movement just outside of town while we were in the factory. But, by the time we got out, whatever it was had moved on and gone south. That wasn’t the direction of our mission so we packed up and started on the road that would lead us to the fort.
We moved quietly for a little over an hour trying to keep an eye out for patrols… which we found. In fact, both groups almost stumbled into each other.
It was a short fight where we took out 4 men and 1 who appeared to be their leader. He was a spellcaster. Through dialogue during the fight, we were able to discern that they were indeed aware that what they were doing was treason and that they fully supported the Duchess.
This led to an interesting moment of tension when the fight was over. I wouldn’t have been sad if some had died knowing what we know now. This is a war, a rebellion. Didn’t seem like Bell had any issues with that either. Sylvia and Vic (particularly Sylvia) though still wanted to leave people alive if possible. But, Gyldiel took it to another level beyond even Bell and I. After the soldiers were chained up to a tree and gagged, Gyl moved to kill all 5 of them. It took Sylvia and Vic standing in his way to stop it.
He said it was too risky to leave them alive. Had he followed through with it, to me at least, that would have been a war crime that not only cost us our jobs but potentially much worse. Sylvia reminded him our mission briefing stated we should leave any alive we possibly could. These were Risuri soldiers after all, and maybe even misguided patriots. That seemed to satiate him and we moved on leaving the enemy alive behind us.
Not too long after that, a very disturbing event occurred. As we were walking, our vision blurred and it was like we were somewhere else. The sun was blue like for the other team right before they all died. We all thought that might be our fate for a moment too but then it blurred and we were back. But, we had mud on our boots from that other place. We were actually there! Very odd.
We ran across another strange scene on the road a little while later. It was an overturned wagon with swords and firearms scattered on the road. However, they were placed in such a way that it was obvious they couldn’t have fallen that way… it was staged. We looked around quickly, fearing an ambush. Vic spotted a sniper’s nest a bit into the trees and she and Gyl sprinted toward it to spring any trap that might be waiting for us. But, there was no one there. Odd… whoever it was left sometime ago. So, it was hard to tell if it was a Danorian trap or something left by the Duchess.
Also, the weapons on the road had strange magical glyphs on them that likely would have done something nasty to us had we touched them.
Further on and very close to the fort, we heard a crashing up ahead. We took cover and a headless metal golem came stumbling by us. I figured it was one of the fort’s defenses that the Duchess’s forces wrecked but it ran away before it could be finished off.
After it passed, we finished our travel and took a short rest outside the city to patch up a few wounds and catch our breath before it got really hard.
We approached the wall and cast a Passwall spell to get through the outer defenses. Our plan was to disguise ourselves using the uniforms of the soldiers we’d met out on the road. We’d never pass close inspection but if we acted like we belonged, hopefully no one would give us a second glance. We intended to pass by the makeshift brig we knew about and get a sense of the jail’s defenses so we could come back after the gatehouse and look for Jierre’s cousin Nathan.
We didn’t see it directly but there definitely were more patrols in that area. Further on, I took to the roof to try and guide the rest of the team away from any patrols that might stumble on them. Unfortunately, I stumbled at one point and someone came out of a house and almost blew our cover.
But, we handled it and finally arrived at the wall that would lead up to the gatehouse we were here for. We bluffed our way past a couple of guards but, as we got really close to the mission objective, someone asked to see our papers… the fight was on.
We took out several guards, including a wizard. Making our way into the gatehouse, Bell found the controls, activated the gate and gave the signal to the ships out in the bay.
It would take them about 15 minutes to get to us and, unfortunately, we discovered we couldn’t simply break the handle off. Anything that stopped the hydraulics of the sea gate would simply cause the gate to start closing and not just stay in whatever position it was in. That meant we’d have to hold our position against the enemy for most, if not all, that time.
We had caltrops, fire stones, enough furniture to barricade the doors, spikes to make the doors even more impassable… it was a very defensible position… but against how many? This was starting to make my blood pressure rise...
MarkM
Explorer
We did the "hold the sea gate" as waves of tactical combat rather than a skill challenge. One of my players in particular loves city battles. This one didn't disappoint, and it and the battle on the Coaltongue were among their favorite sessions. I really played up the "these commandos are the baddest Navy-SEAL types in Risur, and you are just rookies sent to do paperwork & support until the Duchess is delivered safely into your hands. You are going just so that her arrest is technically civil/criminal and and won't to do a millitary tribunal.:" That made them feel like total underdogs, but the scene turned really epic when they used the fortifications to fend off wave after wave of superior foes. (And turned again when they tried their luck with Asrabey!)
MarkM
Explorer
Session 6 (2-25-21):
The first wave came at us within a couple of minutes and also turned out to be our hardest fight. For whatever reason, luck wasn’t with us and they not only got some solid hits in on us, they even made it into the control room by busting down the door before we could take them down.
We thought we might be done for based on how that first fight went. But, the next was a bit smoother. We heard them coming up the ramp this time. Lighting up their approach, we were able to do some damage to them before they ever made it to the tower. By the time they arrived, we were in good position… and had better luck… so we took them down without too much fuss.
The third wave came at us with only a couple of minutes left before the ships arrived. This wave had a mage with them. I targeted him early and often and was able to bring him down before he did much to us. This wave made more of a fight than the last and several made it into the tower with us much like the first. But, we threw everything we had at them and found ourselves standing on a pile of bodies when all was said and done.
Captain Smith’s vessel was one of the first in through the sea gate and moved to dock near our tower. When he came out to find us, not the elite team, at the tower, to say he was shocked would be an understatement. He told us to rest up while they secured the fort and then we could head into the city once it was safe to find our secondary target and, hopefully, arrest the Duchess as well…
The first wave came at us within a couple of minutes and also turned out to be our hardest fight. For whatever reason, luck wasn’t with us and they not only got some solid hits in on us, they even made it into the control room by busting down the door before we could take them down.
We thought we might be done for based on how that first fight went. But, the next was a bit smoother. We heard them coming up the ramp this time. Lighting up their approach, we were able to do some damage to them before they ever made it to the tower. By the time they arrived, we were in good position… and had better luck… so we took them down without too much fuss.
The third wave came at us with only a couple of minutes left before the ships arrived. This wave had a mage with them. I targeted him early and often and was able to bring him down before he did much to us. This wave made more of a fight than the last and several made it into the tower with us much like the first. But, we threw everything we had at them and found ourselves standing on a pile of bodies when all was said and done.
Captain Smith’s vessel was one of the first in through the sea gate and moved to dock near our tower. When he came out to find us, not the elite team, at the tower, to say he was shocked would be an understatement. He told us to rest up while they secured the fort and then we could head into the city once it was safe to find our secondary target and, hopefully, arrest the Duchess as well…
MarkM
Explorer
Session 7 (3-4-21):
We took a quick rest while the rest of the ships sailed into the harbor and the fighting picked up in earnest. We debated amongst ourselves as to what to do next. Most wanted to head down to the brig to find Nathan. I took the other side and cautioned against it. We’d been lucky up to this point. To expose ourselves further risked the primary objective. But, the others were in the majority.
Right before we were to head out, an explosion from one of the ships down in the bay rang out. A man wreathed in fire was jumping from ship to ship. He made it to dry land and then leapt 40 feet up to the city wall. Who the hell was this guy?
We went down to the bay to find Captain Smith and tell him our plan but also to look for clues on this crazy fire knight. The Captain was leading the men further in the city so we couldn’t talk to him. We didn’t find much when it came to the fire knight. I did see some blood up near the top of the wall… that’s good. It means he can be hurt. Gyldiel said he was Eladrin and we should kill him if we see him. I told Gyldiel we should hide if we see that guy again… I’d later be proven right…
The brig was a bust. Our soldiers were having a hard time figuring out what to do with the Danoran prisoners. Sylvia helped smooth over the matter between them. But, Nathan wasn’t there. Just as we were about to leave, fire knight showed up again. He used some sort of item that blurred the world with the Fey Wild again. It was an orb that he threw away after using (Vic grabbed it). But, it’s purpose was to remove a portion of the wall leading into the central fortress where it was believed the Duchess had retreated. He killed some of her soldiers on the way in.
Interesting… I’d assumed he was on the Duchess’ side… something wasn’t right.
Sylvia and Vic started sprinting toward the opening. The others followed. I was conflicted. It seemed like a bad idea to run face first into the enemy fortress. I almost stopped and stayed outside but I saw that there weren’t any soldiers immediately visible through the opening.
So, going in with everyone else, we came to a giant hedge maze surrounding the tower we believed contained the Duchess.
A portion of the maze was on fire indicating where our knight made his way through. But, as we tried to follow the holes he’d made, we got stopped by a very large, green fey being. He claimed it was his maze and we couldn’t pass. This led to a battle… or more like a game of cat and mouse. He’d pop out and cast something at us and then disappear back in to the maze. He knocked Bell down a few times but we eventually hurt him enough to where he disappeared and didn’t come back out.
We realized we could either squeeze through the walls of the maze or climb over… or walk around the corners. But where’s the fun in that option?
Eventually, we made our way to the center of the maze and found the tower. Moving in, there were dead soldiers everywhere. This fire knight was bad news. Moving quietly, we scaled the tower until we neared the top and heard voices. I snuck up closer to get a look.
It was the Duchess, Nathan, and the fire knight. The Duchess looked to be nearly dead. Hearing their conversation, it was obvious the Duchess did not have the support of all fey as I thought. He told her the Fey Courts condemned her starting this war. She gave all her reasons including some Diviner's prophecy about the king being controlled by “one who’s died a thousand times.”
The knight’s name was Asrabey Varal and he was a legend of the First Yerasol War. Nathan spoke up about Kasvarina Varal which caught his attention. Nathan told him Kasvarina Varal (who we assume is his sister) had come through not too long ago on the arm of a Chrysilliri man. She wanted to see the mines and she was the one responsible for building the transport portal.
As Asrabey turned back to the Duchess to kill her, I took my shot. I couldn’t let him take our mission from us without at least trying. He looked very badly injured so I hoped to take him down in one shot. I let loose and my bolt flew true, right at his chest… and bounced off his tunic? Uh oh… I turned to run away.
The rest of my companions came up the stairs and we tried to talk our way out of this. We told him who we were and that we couldn’t let him kill the Duchess. She must stand trial before the king. Asrabey was hard to understand. We seemed to be on the same side of this yet we had an extremely hard time coming up with an agreement. He wanted a ship and he’d take the Duchess to the king himself. Personally, I’d have gone with that as it seemed our only option. But, my companions didn’t trust him and so stood their ground.
This led to a very short fight where he showed just how much more powerful he was than us. Our blows bounced off of him and he dropped Sylvia, Vic, and Bell in the first few seconds. In addition, I was pinned by his shield which came to life on it’s own and wrapped around me. Gyldiel sprinted away with some plan in mind.
What came next… I don’t know what to do with it honestly. I just know I’m angry. Asrabey came at me to take me down but I convinced him I was no longer a threat and would let him do what he wanted. That seemed to satisfy him and he moved to intercept Gyl. As he walked toward him, he told Gyl that we could take the Duchess and he’d leave only with Nathan. It seemed a crazy good offer in the position we were in. Gyldiel hesitated!
For what reason, I can’t fathom. He must have still thought we could save both of them… but it was quite obvious to me at least we were being offered a way to still accomplish our mission in spite of the fact Asrabey was in complete control.
I called from the hallway just that and told him we’d happily accept the deal. Gyldiel still hesitated and so Asrabey swung his sword and took him down! He then announced the deal was no longer on the table.
He approached me and asked if I had healing. I handed him a greater healing and he asked if I had any more… or did my companions. I told him it had been rough getting up here but he could search my companions. They didn’t have any more. I did but my deception threw him off of pressing me further.
He picked up the Duchess and Nathan carried them out. I made to sneak after them but poured my last greater heal into Gyldiel before following. I was hoping he’d open a way through the maze I could easily follow but he simply jumped up to the top and ran along it until he got out.
Seeing this, I made my way back to my team. They were all stirring when I returned. Looking out on the city, we saw Asrabey’s fire light up a few times. It appeared he was heading in the direction of the portal.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We had to tell Lya Jierre that we failed in our task with the Duchess and Nathan. Fortunately for us, most were simply glad we’d done what we did in the tower and saved a lot of Risuri lives.
Aboard the ships headed for home, I couldn’t help but still seeth over those final few minutes. We had a chance to complete the mission… and hesitated. It cost us. I didn’t want to but I probably needed to have a conversation with Gyldiel away from the others. I also probably needed to have a conversation with Inspector Delft when we got home. I’m not sure which of those conversations I was least looking forward to…
We took a quick rest while the rest of the ships sailed into the harbor and the fighting picked up in earnest. We debated amongst ourselves as to what to do next. Most wanted to head down to the brig to find Nathan. I took the other side and cautioned against it. We’d been lucky up to this point. To expose ourselves further risked the primary objective. But, the others were in the majority.
Right before we were to head out, an explosion from one of the ships down in the bay rang out. A man wreathed in fire was jumping from ship to ship. He made it to dry land and then leapt 40 feet up to the city wall. Who the hell was this guy?
We went down to the bay to find Captain Smith and tell him our plan but also to look for clues on this crazy fire knight. The Captain was leading the men further in the city so we couldn’t talk to him. We didn’t find much when it came to the fire knight. I did see some blood up near the top of the wall… that’s good. It means he can be hurt. Gyldiel said he was Eladrin and we should kill him if we see him. I told Gyldiel we should hide if we see that guy again… I’d later be proven right…
The brig was a bust. Our soldiers were having a hard time figuring out what to do with the Danoran prisoners. Sylvia helped smooth over the matter between them. But, Nathan wasn’t there. Just as we were about to leave, fire knight showed up again. He used some sort of item that blurred the world with the Fey Wild again. It was an orb that he threw away after using (Vic grabbed it). But, it’s purpose was to remove a portion of the wall leading into the central fortress where it was believed the Duchess had retreated. He killed some of her soldiers on the way in.
Interesting… I’d assumed he was on the Duchess’ side… something wasn’t right.
Sylvia and Vic started sprinting toward the opening. The others followed. I was conflicted. It seemed like a bad idea to run face first into the enemy fortress. I almost stopped and stayed outside but I saw that there weren’t any soldiers immediately visible through the opening.
So, going in with everyone else, we came to a giant hedge maze surrounding the tower we believed contained the Duchess.
A portion of the maze was on fire indicating where our knight made his way through. But, as we tried to follow the holes he’d made, we got stopped by a very large, green fey being. He claimed it was his maze and we couldn’t pass. This led to a battle… or more like a game of cat and mouse. He’d pop out and cast something at us and then disappear back in to the maze. He knocked Bell down a few times but we eventually hurt him enough to where he disappeared and didn’t come back out.
We realized we could either squeeze through the walls of the maze or climb over… or walk around the corners. But where’s the fun in that option?
Eventually, we made our way to the center of the maze and found the tower. Moving in, there were dead soldiers everywhere. This fire knight was bad news. Moving quietly, we scaled the tower until we neared the top and heard voices. I snuck up closer to get a look.
It was the Duchess, Nathan, and the fire knight. The Duchess looked to be nearly dead. Hearing their conversation, it was obvious the Duchess did not have the support of all fey as I thought. He told her the Fey Courts condemned her starting this war. She gave all her reasons including some Diviner's prophecy about the king being controlled by “one who’s died a thousand times.”
The knight’s name was Asrabey Varal and he was a legend of the First Yerasol War. Nathan spoke up about Kasvarina Varal which caught his attention. Nathan told him Kasvarina Varal (who we assume is his sister) had come through not too long ago on the arm of a Chrysilliri man. She wanted to see the mines and she was the one responsible for building the transport portal.
As Asrabey turned back to the Duchess to kill her, I took my shot. I couldn’t let him take our mission from us without at least trying. He looked very badly injured so I hoped to take him down in one shot. I let loose and my bolt flew true, right at his chest… and bounced off his tunic? Uh oh… I turned to run away.
The rest of my companions came up the stairs and we tried to talk our way out of this. We told him who we were and that we couldn’t let him kill the Duchess. She must stand trial before the king. Asrabey was hard to understand. We seemed to be on the same side of this yet we had an extremely hard time coming up with an agreement. He wanted a ship and he’d take the Duchess to the king himself. Personally, I’d have gone with that as it seemed our only option. But, my companions didn’t trust him and so stood their ground.
This led to a very short fight where he showed just how much more powerful he was than us. Our blows bounced off of him and he dropped Sylvia, Vic, and Bell in the first few seconds. In addition, I was pinned by his shield which came to life on it’s own and wrapped around me. Gyldiel sprinted away with some plan in mind.
What came next… I don’t know what to do with it honestly. I just know I’m angry. Asrabey came at me to take me down but I convinced him I was no longer a threat and would let him do what he wanted. That seemed to satisfy him and he moved to intercept Gyl. As he walked toward him, he told Gyl that we could take the Duchess and he’d leave only with Nathan. It seemed a crazy good offer in the position we were in. Gyldiel hesitated!
For what reason, I can’t fathom. He must have still thought we could save both of them… but it was quite obvious to me at least we were being offered a way to still accomplish our mission in spite of the fact Asrabey was in complete control.
I called from the hallway just that and told him we’d happily accept the deal. Gyldiel still hesitated and so Asrabey swung his sword and took him down! He then announced the deal was no longer on the table.
He approached me and asked if I had healing. I handed him a greater healing and he asked if I had any more… or did my companions. I told him it had been rough getting up here but he could search my companions. They didn’t have any more. I did but my deception threw him off of pressing me further.
He picked up the Duchess and Nathan carried them out. I made to sneak after them but poured my last greater heal into Gyldiel before following. I was hoping he’d open a way through the maze I could easily follow but he simply jumped up to the top and ran along it until he got out.
Seeing this, I made my way back to my team. They were all stirring when I returned. Looking out on the city, we saw Asrabey’s fire light up a few times. It appeared he was heading in the direction of the portal.
The rest of the day was uneventful. We had to tell Lya Jierre that we failed in our task with the Duchess and Nathan. Fortunately for us, most were simply glad we’d done what we did in the tower and saved a lot of Risuri lives.
Aboard the ships headed for home, I couldn’t help but still seeth over those final few minutes. We had a chance to complete the mission… and hesitated. It cost us. I didn’t want to but I probably needed to have a conversation with Gyldiel away from the others. I also probably needed to have a conversation with Inspector Delft when we got home. I’m not sure which of those conversations I was least looking forward to…
RangerWickett
Legend
Out of character, how did the players handle facing someone clearly out of their league?
MarkM
Explorer
The writing is my player's and not mine, but I do enjoy his style.
I think facing off against someone far more powerful was a mixed bag. I think I signposted Asrabey's power very clearly, so they definitely knew that he was a badass. In this situation they were mostly mad at the player who didn't take the deal when it was offered. I think it was very clear to the other players that they should just take the Duchess and run, but one of the two characters still conscious thought he might be able to pull something.
I don't think getting destroyed in a round by a far more powerful being was fun in the moment, but it was extremely memorable and I think they are definitely interested in seeing him again. Definitely a great moment in the campaign, even if not exactly "fun."
I think facing off against someone far more powerful was a mixed bag. I think I signposted Asrabey's power very clearly, so they definitely knew that he was a badass. In this situation they were mostly mad at the player who didn't take the deal when it was offered. I think it was very clear to the other players that they should just take the Duchess and run, but one of the two characters still conscious thought he might be able to pull something.
I don't think getting destroyed in a round by a far more powerful being was fun in the moment, but it was extremely memorable and I think they are definitely interested in seeing him again. Definitely a great moment in the campaign, even if not exactly "fun."
MarkM
Explorer
I don't know if much of this will make sense, as I abridged the backstories. In addition to the group sessions, we did a fair number of individual sessions to start and then more individual sessions during downtime (players can choose from different downtime activities, from crafting to seeking items, to doing individual sessions to explore beats from the main story or from their own individual story lines). Here is what Jovan did in between the first and second adventures:
Indi Sessions:
My conversation with Gyldiel went ok. I expressed my confusion over his hesitation in taking the deal that could have saved the Duchess. He told me, in of the day, he didn’t believe it was a real offer and wanted to buy time to see if there was another way out of this. I understand his thoughts now at least. If I were in his shoes, I think I would have taken the deal as it seemed our only hope. But, at least I understand what he was thinking.
My conversation with Delft also went ok. I told him of my concerns over Gyldiel and asked if there was anything I should know that might help me better handle Gyl as a teammate. I could tell there was pain in Delft’s eyes when I asked that question and he answered simply, “Gyldiel needs time. He’s had a tough past. I watch him, be patient, but perhaps avoid situations where he’s making decisions for the entire team.”
Sensible enough… Delft also told me there had been another Ragman killing. But, it didn’t follow the line the others had toward Cauldron Hill. It was almost like he was starting over just East of the original starting place. Not sure what to make of that…
I left and went to meet Graphine [sister of another PC who was an illustrator trying to become a newspaper reporter] who had sent me a request. When I arrived, she told me it was time to celebrate. She had been hired at the Flint Tribune! Her work had got her noticed. This was good. We talked about a few other things, including the Ragman and then I gave her a gift. I’d worked on some sketches of the battle at Axis Island.
I was a bit surprised to learn news of it hadn’t made it out at this point. There were far too many involved for this to not become known. I answered a few questions for her about what went on and she thanked me for this scoop.
Last, I told her I was looking for some property in a remote location and she told me she had a real estate friend she could set me up with. I gladly accepted and we had a meet up scheduled for the following day.
In the meantime, I went back to the RHC and asked around about a crime organization known as “The Family.” They were the ones who’d left me a card before I joined the RHC. We had a few files on them. Their leader was a man named Morgan Cippiano. They’d come at odds with Lorcan Kell and his guild here recently. Perhaps that’s the connection… perhaps Kell’s men were sent to kill me and Morgan saved me in order to buy a favor later. Not sure I look forward to having that called upon…
Anyway, the following day, I met my agent, Missy Ferrel who was going to show me property in the hamlets just outside the Cloudwood and then a final property pretty high up in the Cloudwood.
The properties in the hamlets weren’t too interesting. They were a little more expensive than I was looking for and they were too close to people.
The last property though was right in line with what I was hoping for. It was rustic and needed some repairs but it was a lot of land and the house was big enough for my purposes. I told her to put in an offer.
But, on the way back down, we were ambushed by bandits. They were pretending to be travelers in an overturned wagon. But, when I walked closer to see if I could help, they jumped us. Our carriage driver was hit and killed. I dropped a fog cloud and took out two of them in short order. A third fell soon after. But, the last one tried to jump on and drive our carriage off. He hit me with the horses and I barely rolled away to avoid the wheels. Missy jumped out and I dove from above him on the rocks down to the carriage. He tried to knock me off but failed and fell prone at my feet. I knocked him out but, unfortunately, he fell and was ran over.
I was able to calm the horses, check on Missy, load up the three live bandits , one dead bandit, and our poor driver into the wagon. I dropped Missy off and took the survivors to the RHC. They seemed simple thieves and crime has been up in the Cloudwood.
I found out a few days later my offer on the property was accepted. Well, at least I’d have something to do with my free time now…
Indi Sessions:
My conversation with Gyldiel went ok. I expressed my confusion over his hesitation in taking the deal that could have saved the Duchess. He told me, in of the day, he didn’t believe it was a real offer and wanted to buy time to see if there was another way out of this. I understand his thoughts now at least. If I were in his shoes, I think I would have taken the deal as it seemed our only hope. But, at least I understand what he was thinking.
My conversation with Delft also went ok. I told him of my concerns over Gyldiel and asked if there was anything I should know that might help me better handle Gyl as a teammate. I could tell there was pain in Delft’s eyes when I asked that question and he answered simply, “Gyldiel needs time. He’s had a tough past. I watch him, be patient, but perhaps avoid situations where he’s making decisions for the entire team.”
Sensible enough… Delft also told me there had been another Ragman killing. But, it didn’t follow the line the others had toward Cauldron Hill. It was almost like he was starting over just East of the original starting place. Not sure what to make of that…
I left and went to meet Graphine [sister of another PC who was an illustrator trying to become a newspaper reporter] who had sent me a request. When I arrived, she told me it was time to celebrate. She had been hired at the Flint Tribune! Her work had got her noticed. This was good. We talked about a few other things, including the Ragman and then I gave her a gift. I’d worked on some sketches of the battle at Axis Island.
I was a bit surprised to learn news of it hadn’t made it out at this point. There were far too many involved for this to not become known. I answered a few questions for her about what went on and she thanked me for this scoop.
Last, I told her I was looking for some property in a remote location and she told me she had a real estate friend she could set me up with. I gladly accepted and we had a meet up scheduled for the following day.
In the meantime, I went back to the RHC and asked around about a crime organization known as “The Family.” They were the ones who’d left me a card before I joined the RHC. We had a few files on them. Their leader was a man named Morgan Cippiano. They’d come at odds with Lorcan Kell and his guild here recently. Perhaps that’s the connection… perhaps Kell’s men were sent to kill me and Morgan saved me in order to buy a favor later. Not sure I look forward to having that called upon…
Anyway, the following day, I met my agent, Missy Ferrel who was going to show me property in the hamlets just outside the Cloudwood and then a final property pretty high up in the Cloudwood.
The properties in the hamlets weren’t too interesting. They were a little more expensive than I was looking for and they were too close to people.
The last property though was right in line with what I was hoping for. It was rustic and needed some repairs but it was a lot of land and the house was big enough for my purposes. I told her to put in an offer.
But, on the way back down, we were ambushed by bandits. They were pretending to be travelers in an overturned wagon. But, when I walked closer to see if I could help, they jumped us. Our carriage driver was hit and killed. I dropped a fog cloud and took out two of them in short order. A third fell soon after. But, the last one tried to jump on and drive our carriage off. He hit me with the horses and I barely rolled away to avoid the wheels. Missy jumped out and I dove from above him on the rocks down to the carriage. He tried to knock me off but failed and fell prone at my feet. I knocked him out but, unfortunately, he fell and was ran over.
I was able to calm the horses, check on Missy, load up the three live bandits , one dead bandit, and our poor driver into the wagon. I dropped Missy off and took the survivors to the RHC. They seemed simple thieves and crime has been up in the Cloudwood.
I found out a few days later my offer on the property was accepted. Well, at least I’d have something to do with my free time now…
MarkM
Explorer
Chapter 2: The Plot Thickens...
Session 8 (3-11-21):
Our time of more mundane work came to an end on the first day of summer. Inspector Delft called us to his office and told us he had a case of the utmost importance. Apparently a young woman had been killed at the Danoran Embassy. Details were sketchy but apparently the woman had “flown” nearly forty feet from a fourth floor window all the way to the fence around the compound and had been impaled on the fence’s spikes. What with our interest in Gale and all, Delft thought we might be the ones to take on this mission.
The catch was her body was half on Risuri soil and half on Danoran… meaning this was going to be a tricky international incident.
We took an RHC cutter (which I don’t think any of us knew we had access to) and sailed quickly up to the North Shore and the embassy. When we arrived, city police had secured the scene… kind of… The body had been quickly cleaned up by the Danorans which was very annoying but, nothing to do about it now. The officer on the scene gave a quick attempt at trying to remain involved but, obviously, had no real interest and gladly handed the case over to us after satisfying his desire to look tough before slinking off.
We quickly met with the Chief Security Officer of the Embassy named Julian LeBrix. He gave us some kind of excuse for why the body was moved from the scene of the crime but it was weak and made me feel he was lying to us about something or, worst case scenario, he was covering up for something or someone…
He took us inside and explained the woman who’d been killed was named Nilasa Hume. She’d been dating one of the embassy’s security guard for a few months and had been inside a few times. She’d brought food this morning (we later found out it was laced with fey pepper) and the chief claimed she’d been caught trying to steal valuables.
His story was that he followed her upstairs alone, caught her in the act of stealing silver and gold items, and tried to confront her. He said she ran, he shot her once in the leg and then a second time in the back as she was diving through the window. He said she literally flew in the air before plummeting down and impaling herself on the fence. He said he then saw a man in a grey cloak and goatee run up, take something from her and then flee the scene.
The story was mostly believable but there was still something a bit off. We were then taken to the body to inspect it and meet her boyfriend.
Sylvia distracted the grieving boyfriend while Vic and I gave the body a good look. I found a bail record that said she’d recently been bailed out by a “Heward Sechem.” There was also a receipt for several drams of some unknown material that totaled almost 2500 GP. On the back, it said, Silvo, Deorn Feldman, family wharf.
There was also a mostly empty potion vial with just a few drops of liquid left inside. Vic discovered that her bullet wounds… no longer had bullets in them!? The chief didn’t know anything about that and neither did the boyfriend. Also, just as strange, her face had four… claw marks? And, these marks looked like they’d been healed. Vic said she even thought they had been healed post mortem. Not sure what to make of that one.
Leaving the body, we ran into a very attractive woman named Raz Truffaut. Interestingly, Bellum seemed to have a VERY familiar relationship with her. She told us Ms. Hume had talked to a doctor who was at the embassy for immigration purposes. She said it almost looked like she handed something to him after whispering to him. Bell asked for his file which, fortunately, Raz agreed to give us.
When we looked at the file… he looked very much like the description of the man who took something off the body after it hit the fence. His name was Dr. Von Recklinghausen and he’d just become our primary suspect.
We searched the alley where bloody footprints led us to near the scene. We found evidence of a scuffle as well as a sheet of paper that had come from the embassy. It was a writ of sale for a barge but it was missing the name. We later spent a little too much time tracking down this specific barge as opposed to realizing the important thing she stole could simply have been another document that wasn’t dropped.
But, while in the alley, a coach driver came up to us and said someone had stiffed him on a fare and he described Von Recklinghausen almost perfectly. We asked him to take us to the location which turned out to be a sort of bed and breakfast.
When we went in, we were shocked to find out that another person posing (or maybe not posing) as a police officer by the name of Porter had come asking after the doctor only 45 minutes or so ago. We searched the doctor’s room and found only a stained towel that smelled up blood, grease, and ash.
We moved to a reference on Von Recklinghausen’s immigration form… another doctor in the area. He knew him but it had been some time ago. Frustratingly, Officer Porter had already beat us here as well.
Before heading to his second reference, we decided to go back to the Embassy one more time and talk to the chief inspector and try to get him to tell us more about what he was obviously hiding. Long story short… he didn’t comply.
The second reference on his form was a female professor at Pardright University. We made our way down to her and when we confronted her, she was lying about the last time she’d seen him. She wouldn’t say more though no matter how much we pressed and so I made the call to disguise myself and follow her while the others trailed behind me.
It wasn’t too hard tailing her to her apartment. But, when I followed her up the stairs to her floor, I had something behind me… someone else was following her! I saw a patch of shadow near the stairwell. I ran to her door and banged asking her to let me in… which she didn’t and I can’t blame her.
A couple of pistol shots rang out near me but I was able to deflect them away. The enemy tried to run away down the stairs but my companions were there waiting on it. I opened the professor’s door and tried to talk her down but she was quite frightened. Because of that, I didn’t get down into the fight with the rest of the team.
What they described later was pretty frightening. This man… creature… was wreathed in shadows and could teleport through them in addition to moving very fast. They dealt some incredible blows to him but he unfortunately escaped before they could bring him down.
Our frightened professor agreed to come back to the RHC for protection. She said she’d seen Von Recklinghausen the night before but that he hadn’t talked to her about any of what happened today. She said he seemed normal.
As we made our way back to the RHC for the evening, we began to put the pieces together. Von Recklinghausen was at the wrong place at the wrong time… probably… maybe? Hume was able to get him to go out to the alley and wait for her before she died. He took whatever she told him to take from her body but ran into this shadow man? Officer Porter? Same person? This is where they had a scuffle and the doctor is on the run now.
We’ve got to find Von Recklinghausen… We’ve got to learn more about this woman. In the morning we’re going to need to track down this individual who bailed her out of jail as well as the bar where she met our unsuspecting guard who let her into the embassy. We’ve got to make this all happen quick...
Session 8 (3-11-21):
Our time of more mundane work came to an end on the first day of summer. Inspector Delft called us to his office and told us he had a case of the utmost importance. Apparently a young woman had been killed at the Danoran Embassy. Details were sketchy but apparently the woman had “flown” nearly forty feet from a fourth floor window all the way to the fence around the compound and had been impaled on the fence’s spikes. What with our interest in Gale and all, Delft thought we might be the ones to take on this mission.
The catch was her body was half on Risuri soil and half on Danoran… meaning this was going to be a tricky international incident.
We took an RHC cutter (which I don’t think any of us knew we had access to) and sailed quickly up to the North Shore and the embassy. When we arrived, city police had secured the scene… kind of… The body had been quickly cleaned up by the Danorans which was very annoying but, nothing to do about it now. The officer on the scene gave a quick attempt at trying to remain involved but, obviously, had no real interest and gladly handed the case over to us after satisfying his desire to look tough before slinking off.
We quickly met with the Chief Security Officer of the Embassy named Julian LeBrix. He gave us some kind of excuse for why the body was moved from the scene of the crime but it was weak and made me feel he was lying to us about something or, worst case scenario, he was covering up for something or someone…
He took us inside and explained the woman who’d been killed was named Nilasa Hume. She’d been dating one of the embassy’s security guard for a few months and had been inside a few times. She’d brought food this morning (we later found out it was laced with fey pepper) and the chief claimed she’d been caught trying to steal valuables.
His story was that he followed her upstairs alone, caught her in the act of stealing silver and gold items, and tried to confront her. He said she ran, he shot her once in the leg and then a second time in the back as she was diving through the window. He said she literally flew in the air before plummeting down and impaling herself on the fence. He said he then saw a man in a grey cloak and goatee run up, take something from her and then flee the scene.
The story was mostly believable but there was still something a bit off. We were then taken to the body to inspect it and meet her boyfriend.
Sylvia distracted the grieving boyfriend while Vic and I gave the body a good look. I found a bail record that said she’d recently been bailed out by a “Heward Sechem.” There was also a receipt for several drams of some unknown material that totaled almost 2500 GP. On the back, it said, Silvo, Deorn Feldman, family wharf.
There was also a mostly empty potion vial with just a few drops of liquid left inside. Vic discovered that her bullet wounds… no longer had bullets in them!? The chief didn’t know anything about that and neither did the boyfriend. Also, just as strange, her face had four… claw marks? And, these marks looked like they’d been healed. Vic said she even thought they had been healed post mortem. Not sure what to make of that one.
Leaving the body, we ran into a very attractive woman named Raz Truffaut. Interestingly, Bellum seemed to have a VERY familiar relationship with her. She told us Ms. Hume had talked to a doctor who was at the embassy for immigration purposes. She said it almost looked like she handed something to him after whispering to him. Bell asked for his file which, fortunately, Raz agreed to give us.
When we looked at the file… he looked very much like the description of the man who took something off the body after it hit the fence. His name was Dr. Von Recklinghausen and he’d just become our primary suspect.
We searched the alley where bloody footprints led us to near the scene. We found evidence of a scuffle as well as a sheet of paper that had come from the embassy. It was a writ of sale for a barge but it was missing the name. We later spent a little too much time tracking down this specific barge as opposed to realizing the important thing she stole could simply have been another document that wasn’t dropped.
But, while in the alley, a coach driver came up to us and said someone had stiffed him on a fare and he described Von Recklinghausen almost perfectly. We asked him to take us to the location which turned out to be a sort of bed and breakfast.
When we went in, we were shocked to find out that another person posing (or maybe not posing) as a police officer by the name of Porter had come asking after the doctor only 45 minutes or so ago. We searched the doctor’s room and found only a stained towel that smelled up blood, grease, and ash.
We moved to a reference on Von Recklinghausen’s immigration form… another doctor in the area. He knew him but it had been some time ago. Frustratingly, Officer Porter had already beat us here as well.
Before heading to his second reference, we decided to go back to the Embassy one more time and talk to the chief inspector and try to get him to tell us more about what he was obviously hiding. Long story short… he didn’t comply.
The second reference on his form was a female professor at Pardright University. We made our way down to her and when we confronted her, she was lying about the last time she’d seen him. She wouldn’t say more though no matter how much we pressed and so I made the call to disguise myself and follow her while the others trailed behind me.
It wasn’t too hard tailing her to her apartment. But, when I followed her up the stairs to her floor, I had something behind me… someone else was following her! I saw a patch of shadow near the stairwell. I ran to her door and banged asking her to let me in… which she didn’t and I can’t blame her.
A couple of pistol shots rang out near me but I was able to deflect them away. The enemy tried to run away down the stairs but my companions were there waiting on it. I opened the professor’s door and tried to talk her down but she was quite frightened. Because of that, I didn’t get down into the fight with the rest of the team.
What they described later was pretty frightening. This man… creature… was wreathed in shadows and could teleport through them in addition to moving very fast. They dealt some incredible blows to him but he unfortunately escaped before they could bring him down.
Our frightened professor agreed to come back to the RHC for protection. She said she’d seen Von Recklinghausen the night before but that he hadn’t talked to her about any of what happened today. She said he seemed normal.
As we made our way back to the RHC for the evening, we began to put the pieces together. Von Recklinghausen was at the wrong place at the wrong time… probably… maybe? Hume was able to get him to go out to the alley and wait for her before she died. He took whatever she told him to take from her body but ran into this shadow man? Officer Porter? Same person? This is where they had a scuffle and the doctor is on the run now.
We’ve got to find Von Recklinghausen… We’ve got to learn more about this woman. In the morning we’re going to need to track down this individual who bailed her out of jail as well as the bar where she met our unsuspecting guard who let her into the embassy. We’ve got to make this all happen quick...
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