The New Epic Chronicles

[James McMurray]

You hated it? You're not the guy that became 110 years old and died of a heart attack in his sleep.

I need to get that update posted tonight. Unfortunately, Kimet ran off with the adventure log so I'll probably miss a few minor things.

 

[James McMurray]

From out of the Keep strides a burly armored figure. He introduces himself as Rikus Aran, the duke’s second in command. He has been ordered to accompany the party and provide aid when possible. The huge sword at his side is carried with ease, and it seems obvious that he is a capable man.

With Cutter leading the way, the party traveled first to his village, where they found most people asleep in the streets. Even the animals were unconscious, with one horse left tied to the inn-post still hanging his head from the tethers. Spurned onward by the boy, the group headed to the Seer’s island, a small and barren field in the center of a wide river.

Not trusting the rope and pulley hung to allow crossing of the river, the paladin and the samurai shuttle people across on their flying carpets, still stained with the blood from the Skull’s prophetic speech. On the other side, they begin to search the island, as it appears to be just a simple flat plain. Shortly thereafter the group hears Farlight’s startled cry as he falls through a patch of illusory ground and lands on a plush pile of pillows in a richly appointed waiting chamber. A beautiful elven woman comes up to him, “Welcome to the Seer’s island. What can I do for you?”

Farlight calls back to the rest of the party, and they eventually find him. Meanwhile he talks with the woman, who directs him through a door. Once the party arrives, they move onward, ever paranoid that something will attack them. Rikus leads the way, the only party member not flying.

In the next chamber is a large pool of mud spanned by a bridge. As Rikus crosses he falls through the bridge and into the mud, which doesn’t take well to being landed on. Several humanoid figures rise up out of the mud and attack the intruder, but the party rapidly fends them off. Not having experimented with their magic in this new era, there is one minor problem in the battle. Tsura unleashes an ice storm on the attacking mud golems, but miscalculates the range and area. She manages to pelt the party, and kill young Cutter in the process. Farlight simply views it as a chance to test his magics, and resurrects the boy with a prayer. The boy awakens, seeming none the worse for wear, and the party directs him to return back to the entry chamber and await their arrival. He grudgingly leaves.

The next large chamber is a vast amphitheatre. Atop a raised dais sits the largest gargoyle in the party has ever heard about, much less seen. Although they walk past fully expecting to be assaulted, they are not even looked at by the thing.

Behind the door at the far end of the amphitheatre is an eve larger cavern. This one has no apparent exits except for an open pit some 30’ beyond the door. Lying calmly against the far wall is a 10-15’ long six-legged lizard, staring languidly at the party. Before they can decide whether to move onward again, a portion of wall slides aside, and Cutter walks through. “Hey guys! Look at what I found.” He sees the huge lizard and exclaims “Wow! What the heck is that?” The lizard looks his way, but doesn’t act aggressively.

The party collects the lad and decides that it would be best to have him follow along. Aust expresses wonderment that they didn’t leave the child dead until this matter was resolved. Moving into the chamber, the party notices that the pit is actually a spiral staircase, and they move ever deeper into the Seer’s lair.

As they reach the bottom, it is like stepping into another world. A vast desert stretches out to the horizon, and a clear blue sky opens above. Gathered around an oasis are two large scorpions and a terrifying beast. If centaurs crossbred with scorpions, this would be the result. The three creatures scuttle towards the group, and the manscorpion speaks. “What do you want here?”

Aust tells him they seek the seer, and asks the way. The manscorpion does not know exactly, but he points towards the West, and the party heads out. A few minutes later, Aust slams face first into a wall he can’t see. Deducing that the landscape is illusory, the party feels around and finds a door, which they open and step through.

Down a dank corridor they enter another large chamber. The sound of water can be heard, and in the far corner is a waterfall dropping into a black pool. Beside it stands a huge black dragon, which rises up on its back legs and gives a loud battle cry.

A moment later it is apparent that the dragon is only warning and not attacking, and the party gives it a wide berth, moving around the outside of the chamber and down a tight passageway into a room filled with gears, machinery, and wiring. Through the moving parts can be seen a few small “passageways,” each no wider than 3 feet at the most.

Deciding to press onward, the party puts Rikus in the lead, hoping to avoid the brunt of the dangers themselves. A while later that it obviously not the case, as every trap they set off seems to hurt them all. A paralyzing acidic gas trap knocks out the paladin and scorches him severely. Gravity reversal sends party members falling into the gearing above, grinding flesh between metal cogs. Invisible stalkers don’t appear, but they do attack. Finally breaking through the place and stopping for a break in a wide hallway, the party debates setting up camp here, as everyone is greatly hurt and the cleric is out of healing.

They decide to do so, but poke their heads around the next corner first to see what lies ahead. What they see is a hexagonal room, the walls of which are covered in black tapestries. Woven in each tapestry in shades of gray are pictures of great battles. In the center of the room is a large kettle full of hot coals. Floating in midair next to the kettle is a large moldering book. Floating cross-legged behind the book is an old man wearing a black robe. A hood obscures his face.

Speaking calmly and confidently in a voice creaked with age, the man says, “Greetings. I am the Seer. What is it you seek?”

The party tells him that they are attempting to save the boy’s village. As Cutter steps forward to speak, the Seer corrects them. “You are attempting to save civilization, not just this boy’s village.” The Seer looks Cutter over and then nods. “The child should remain here. I am not sure why, but I sense that he is of great importance in this matter.” Cutter does not want to stay though, and after quite a bit of protest, the Seer relents. “Be careful with him though. Do not let harm befall him, although precious little can harm him.”

“Why is that?” asks Farlight.

“My sight is not perfect, I only see what I see.” Is the Seer’s cryptic response. “But you can stop this curse if you act quickly.

“Ages ago a general of Alphatia bravely fought many battles in this land. But supplies were slow in coming from his homeland, and often he fought just to survive. His final battle was on the banks of this very river, where he was overwhelmed by the savages and their tribal shaman.

“At he end, feeling betrayed and angry, he stood alone on the river bank. Raising his magic saber he called down a curse saying, ‘Let this land remain a savage and uncivilized wilderness for seven times seven centuries!’ Although the sky was without clouds, it seemed to shudder at his words, and a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere and struck his upraised blade, dividing it in two.

“The general and his weapon fell into the river and were never recovered. However, the shaman came across the hilt of the sword and, knowing that if the curse was to one day be lifted the hilt might play a part, kept it safe.

“For years the curse was forgotten because noone cared to brave the wilderness, but for over a decade now the land has been gradually settled, and the curse is showing its power.

“The saber hilt lies in the Tower of Terror in Flamesmouth Mountain. I cannot leave this island, but if you will go to the tower, find the hilt, and bring it to me, I will lift the curse. The way is dangerous, and you must keep young Cutter free from harm. But if you succeed the land can be saved.

“You will recognize Flamesmouth when you see it. 4 leagues north it lies, a massive mountain of black rock, with smoke billowing from its top.”

Being the heroes that they are, the party agrees to travel to the tower and return with the hilt.

More to come shortly, but it was a long session two weeks ago, so I have to apologize for the sparsity of detail.

 

[James McMurray]

Triumph and Tragedy

Before heading out, Toshiro (having had his carpet of flying burnt to a cinder by one of the traps in the chamber of machinery) asks the Seer if he can fix the magic item for him.

“Certainly I can. I will require a favor in return from you.”

Thinking that the favor would be repaid by bring the Seer the hilt of the Saber, Toshiro agrees and the Seer takes the ash from the samurai. Holding it up to his lips, the ancient sage blows gently. As the ash falls to the ground, it swirls and reforms, once again becoming a magical carpet, floating mere inches off of the ground. Toshiro steps aboard the carpet and the party heads out towards Flamesmouth Mountain.

The journey is long and uneventful, and the party whiles away the time experimenting with their spells, to ensure they know how they function in this time period. When Tsura casts confusion on Aust and the paladin attacks Rikus, the warrior begins to give the apparently insane group a wider berth.

Seeing the mountain on the horizon, the party lies down to rest for one more night before heading into the Tower of Terror, whatever that may be. That night they are visited by three old crones riding nightmares. The ladies cackle with glee at the handsome paladin, and lament the loss of such worthy heroes to the tower. One of them seems a bit more optimistic, telling her sisters “If they can avoid the Crimson Sailor’s wrath, and have the sense to leave a cork in a bottle, they may just make it through.” The others snort derisive comments, and before the party can respond, the three crones vanish and the party awakes from their communal dream.

The party finally reaches Flamesmouth mountain, and it is exactly as the Seer described it. However, he apparently didn’t know about, or failed to mention, the two incredibly large red dragons that they see flying directly towards them. The group prepares for battle, and the dragons charge in. One of them snaps out at Farlight and grabs him up in his teeth, while the other one disappears. With concentration broken, the illusionary foe vanishes.

Farlight lashes and cries out, but cannot free himself from the massive beast’s jaws. With only its teeth engaged, it hovers over the party, slamming them with all of its claws and its massive tail. Just as it starts to fly off with the cleric still held in its teeth, Toshiro and Aust drive their blades home, killing the creature before it can enjoy its new meal.

Farlight heals people up, and they continue on. Flying down into the mouth of the great volcano, they find themselves in a colossal central chamber. From deep below a dull red grow breaks the darkness into shadowy light. Several small tunnels lead out from the primary shaft, and the heroes pick one to head down.

The tunnel curves around, leading to rough-hewn steps that drop deeper into the mountain, before returning to the monstrous central chamber. On a giant ledge overlooking the dull red deep below stands the largest fire elemental every seen. The creature roars like a bonfire in agony and attacks, but the party swiftly drives it back, Tsura’s summoned elementals doing a large portion of the work.

The group heads on past the ledge and into another side tunnel. This one leads to a large room with several tunnels leading out, and a metal pole rising from the floor to a hole in the ceiling. Before the group can investigate though, three large bulls seemingly made of metal charge the party, gushing forth noxious vapors from their mouths. As Tsura and Aust touch the vapors, their skin hardens into stone.

The rest of the group rapidly dispatches of the gorgons, but then realize that the only person capable of returning their friends to flesh is currently made of stone herself. Farlight tries several spells short of a Cureall, but none of them work. The party elects to leave the statues here and continue to explore, hoping to return later if need be and try to figure out a way to get them out of the volcano.

Greyhawk steps aboard Aust’s carpet and floats up beside the pole, poking his head through into the large empty chamber above. Returning back down, he scouts out the southern room as well, but it too is large and empty. Finally, the group heads out the last tunnel in the room, and find more rough-hewn stairs leading up into a gleaming rich room.

Red, green, blue and white light spills from a hundred sources in this spectacular, intricately appointed chamber. Suspended from the ceiling a chandelier of carved red and green stones glows with a light that emanates from the stones themselves.

Around the outer wall are 10 statues of stern warriors, eyes glittering like diamonds in sockets of gold. Each statue seems ready to draw its sword from the bejeweled scabbard at its side.

The floor of the room is a mosaic of jewels, placed in an abstract pattern of simple, yet elegant design. The walls too are covered with skillfully rendered mosaics. These tell the story of the saber, advancing from left to right around the room.

Across the room is the most dazzling sight of all. In a triangular alcove directly across from the entrance is a small altar. On this altar, radiating a golden light that overwhelms all other glitter, site the hilt of an ancient saber.

The group steps into the room and a whirling screen of glowing hammers appears across the entrance to the alcove. It doesn’t stop the party for long though, as the cleric simply turns ethereal and moves around it, grabbing the hilt and returning to the room.

The party decides to rest before returning to the Seer, and the next morning Farlight’s Cureall restores the statues to flesh.

When they reach the Seer’s isle, they are again greeted by the beautiful elf. Asking how best to reach the seer, she directs them yet again through the door. Not wanting to brave the machine room again though, Rikus asks if there is a way around it.

“Generally the visitors call out to the Seer to let him know they are here, and he then shuts off his traps.”

Feeling a bit out of sorts that the solution was so simple and polite, the group heads in. As they reach the machinery room, they call out, and slowly all of the gears grind to a halt, letting the party pass through uneventfully.

In the Seer’s chamber, they are asked where the hilt is. When shown it, the Seer says, “You were to return with the hilt, not a hilt.” Although the party tries to tell him that this is the hilt, the Seer assures them that it is not, and that they must return to the Tower of Terror.

Toshiro complains that it isn’t a tower at all, just a mountain, and is chided for his lack of understanding of metaphor.

The assembly of warriors heads out yet again, and this time they decide to completely search the mountain. Their search takes them into a corpse-filled room, where a dread revenant leaps upon the cleric, rending him severely. While Aust fights the fiend, Farlight destroys both it and several of its minions with the holy might of his symbol, exploding them into dust with the channeling of positive energy.

Finding nothing of interest in the room except for a magical ring, the party continues onward, deeper into the volcano. Their journey takes them to the depths of the central shaft, where several humanoid shapes of fire greet them cordially. These Hellions say they are tasked to ensuring that too much of the plane of fire does not seep out of the mountain and into the material world. Unfortunately, their duties keep them quite busy, and they have not explored the cavern. After much light conversation, and impatient Farlight spurs the party onwards, but they have apparently visited every chamber in the place.

When asked, Cutter tells the party that he saw a hidden door but didn’t think to mention it. The party heads through that door and up farther into the mountain. At the end of a long winding tunnel is a medium sized chambers, within which sit three glowing orbs. Ectoplasm begins to seep from the orbs, and they move menacingly towards the party.

Aust leaps into battle bravely as usual, and when he gets near the supernatural goo lashes out and surrounds him, dragging him into the ethereal plane and trapping him within its steely mass.

The remainder of the group fights hard, and one poltergeist is destroyed, but not before its dark touch can caress Rikus’ cheek, sapping his youth and vitality away. Rikus, now appearing to be around 60 years old, continues to fight, knowing that if they touch him again he is most likely dead.

Farlight also charges and is dragged into the Ethereal plane alongside Aust.

Unable to further harm the party once their defenses are up, and coming under heavy fire, the surviving two poltergeists flee through the wall, leaving the group to wonder where the paladin and cleric are. Moments later the two return via the cleric’s travel spell, and decide that perhaps it would be best to use that spell to scout the remainder of the mountain. A previously found potion is identified as granting youth, and Rikus quickly gulps it down. His youth is restored, but the potion is now empty.

They do so, but find no more secret exits, and feel that the true hilt must lie either inside the chamber where the false one was found, or back where the poltergeists were driven off. Electing to face the poltergeists first, the party buffs up as much as they know how to in this strange time, and they head that way.

Being more prepared, they manage to destroy one and chase off the last poltergeist, but not before Aust’s youth is drained as well. He is hit much worse than Rikus was though, and when the fight is over, he looks to be a man of 110 years of age. Collapsing in a heap under his armor, the paladin vows to survive to see the saber restored.

Not knowing what else to do, the party chases the last poltergeist to a secluded room with no exits buried deep in the rock. They slay the thing and collect the acquired treasure of the Mountain from the room, but none of them are potions of longevity.

Returning to the chamber of the false hilt, they completely search the area, even going so far as to destroy every last bit of statuary and take the hilts of the golden warriors as well.

Moving as fast as they can in the hopes that the Seer can save Aust, they travel back to his island. Meeting with the Seer, they pull forth the hilt. The Seer stands over Cutter and says, “Hold forth your hand, Erbas, Son of Korse.” Slowly Cutter extends his right hand. “Grasp the hilt of the sword long lost. Feel its power.” Cutter takes a firm grip on the hilt, and with an evil screech of triumph the Seer calls out an alien word. The hilt explodes in a blinding flash of light and Cutter’s body seems to melt and shrink until at last it is transformed.

A moment later the Seer is holding a whole saber in his hand. The blade crackles with sorcerous blue energy. He waves the blade and shouts, “Death to you all! Now that I have the Saber, the curse shall be fulfilled, and the land remain savage for all eternity! With this saber in my hands I am invincible! It is time to fulfill our oath, knight. Slay them all.” Toshiro, locked in a magical bond of servitude to the seer, turns to attack the party.

In Cutter’s voice the Saber cries out, “Help me!”

Aust, his frail form still stooped by age, nevertheless draws forth his sword, aiming to destroy the Seer or die the hero’s death in the attempt.

Might magics flash and swords cut, but all of them pass harmlessly through the Seer’s body, while his blade flashing out, cutting deep into everyone it hits.

Rikus strikes upon an idea and whips his blade out to disarm the Seer. Seeing fear wash over the Seer’s face, he knows he has struck upon the proper course of action, but before he can grab the sword himself, the personification of the curse snatches it back up.

Meanwhile, Toshiro slams into his friends with his bastard sword, before Tsura disintegrates him into a pile of dust.

Aust, unable to keep up the strain, is forced to move aside and collapse to the floor, his heart trying to pound its way out of his chest and his left arm flaring with the pain of a heart attack. He refuses to die ignominiously though, and through sheer force of will he commands his heart to slow and steady. He is too weakened to participate though, and stays lying on the floor watching helplessly.

Again and again the seer is disarmed, but again and again he grabs the blade back up. It seems as if they’ll never get the blade themselves, but Aust summons forth the last of his strength and kicks it aside, towards where Rikus can grab it. Finally holding the blade himself, Rikus slashes out, and his blow strikes the Seer firmly!

His image grows fluid and with a bloodcurdling scream he begins to dissolve before their very eyes. His body becomes a puddle upon the floor over which a black mist hangs. The mist begins to move, taking on the shape of a skull, and the Seer’s voice says, “Your doom is upon you. You have defeated me here, but I shall return and then shall all the land know my fury!”

The chamber shakes and black water begins to pour through the entryway. Quickly the party flees the chamber and the island, and they watch as the river fills the entryway.

That night, the party rests and tries to figure out if they can save Toshiro. An attempt to raise without the body fails, and they begin to try to figure out how to get in, find, and then take a piece of the samurai’s dust out with them. A plan to get in Ethereally and use Locate Object is formulated, and the group lies down to rest.

The next morning, they find themselves holding a forlorn funeral. Aust’s ancient frame has given out in the middle of the night. He is buried in full regalia, and afforded the honors of a great warrior. His ring and his carpet are taken, to be returned to his lady once they make it back to modern times.

Knowing they can’t let this setback stop their quest, the group heads back into the Seer’s chambers to see if they can’t restore their other fallen comrade. As Rikus appears in the chamber, Cutter in his hand, the black waters around him turn clear and are absorbed by the blade. It takes only a few moments and the chamber and all within it are completely dry. Another few moments and Farlight’s magic has found a few tiny pieces of dust. These prove sufficient to the task, and Toshiro is retired to life.
Cutter tells the party that their work is not done. He can still feel the presence of the curse, and somehow he knows that to finish it he must journey to the heart of the river to destroy the blight at its source.

The group returns to the Duke’s court to inform him of their progress, and then journeys out. This time, the Duke sends his magical advisor as well, seeing that the danger is greater than he knew, and the stakes higher.

 

[James McMurray]

Whew! I'm caught up until last night's session. That'll get uploaded just as soon as I can write it.

 

[James McMurray]

The long journey to the heart of the river is quite uneventful. The group mostly spends their time daydreaming of getting back to their own era and the laws of nature that they know and understand. They do take the time to identify the magic items they have found, and divide them up amongst the group.

During the last few days of their journey the party enters rough snowy mountains. The river they follow has long since turned black and devoid of life. Now in the mountains it roars past them deep at the bottom of a gorge. The group is forced to follow small ledges down the gorge itself. Some of the ledges appear to have once been roads carved from the rock itself, long since abandoned by the Alphatians that built it.

The third day of their mountainous journey they see several large birds wheeling in the sky ahead. As they watch, the giant eagles get larger and larger, diving in to attack. When the first wave hits they are as large as horses. Tsura and Kismet fireball and ice storm the birds, while the remainder of the group engages them in melee. Rikus’s first ever attack using cutter slices a Roc in half with a single blow, and he exclaims quite loudly, “How often can you do that!?”

Cutter’s response is, “I don’t know, I’ve only been a sword for two weeks.”

The first wave falls, but the second wave proves to be tougher, perhaps because they are twice the size. They too are driven off, but the third wave comes down the size of apartment buildings, and almost kills Kismet. He dives for cover under Farlight’s carpet and the rest of the party finishes the Rocs off. A bit of healing later and the journey continues.

A few short hours later they round a bend to see the path leading upwards to an opening in a cliff wall. Beside the opening are several large stone pillars, most of which are hanging out over the open gorge. Looking down to the sounds of a rushing waterfall below, the group sees a large heart-shaped opening deep in the chasm below. Jet black water shoots out of it, completely filling the opening.

Before they can investigate, a wing of 15 saberclaws reveals themselves on the far side of the chasm, charging in to attack. The beasts rapidly drop Kismet and Tsura, the two least capable melee combatants. They are unable to truly hurt the remainder of the party, and after a long fight, these saberclaws finally fall. In unison they plummet into the gorge, their bodies turning to black water and being carried away by the rushing Saber River.

Deciding its time to rest before pressing onward, the group flies up and out of the gorge, finding a large clearing in which to make camp. Fallen comrades are revived, and the next day they head back towards the Heart of the River. Deciding to scout ahead, they use Farlight’s Travel spell to turn ethereal and move down towards the heart of the river, where the black water flows.

A bizarre growth has attached itself to the edge of the hole. It looks much like a sponge, except that it is much larger, black, and slick, and seems to radiate a sense of evil. The growth pulses with a rhythm much like that of a giant beating heart that suffers sickness and decay. While passing through the growth, streams of sickly black water join with the water of the river. They also writhe their way against the strong current.

“I’ve got to cut that away, or the curse will never end,” says Cutter.

The group talks to try to figure out a way to deal with the growth. They can’t simply rematerialize, as the water will shove them out into the gorge before they can hope to cut away all of the growth. Cutter is more than willing to try this method, but is talked out of it by Rikus.

They head deeper into the tunnel, hoping to find a point where they can block off the entryway with a wall of force. Unfortunately, the entire tunnel is too wide, and it finally opens out into a large lake in an underground cavern. The lake appears to be fed from a river pouring through the ceiling, but a moment’s observation shows that it must have another source, as the water coming in is nowhere near as plentiful as the water being forced out of the Heart. Along the shores of the lake they see large grooves in the ground that appear to be monstrous claw marks.

They follow the water upwards and into a large hallway. To their left are two sets of large bronze doors, while at the far end of the hallway a small babbling brook drops down through the ceiling, flows along a groove in the floor, and finally drops into a hole to the lake below. The water here is free from the influence of the black sponge, and flows cold, clear, and pure.

Continuing along the water’s path, they head up this fall and come into a large room almost completely full of water. Again the water pour in through the ceiling, while some passes through a tiny opening and into a larger chamber where it forms a small pond. The only thing in this small circular side chamber is a large piece of driftwood. Cutter spies a secret door to the south, and directs the party’s attention towards it.

They investigate, and follow a staircase down to another secret door. Opening it they come face to eyes with a large beholder. It appears to be guarding this chamber, and luckily for the party it cannot see them while they are ethereal. They back out of the room and head beck to he main waterway.

Upwards again to find a very large circular chamber. In the corner of the room is another large pool, and to the south and large bronze doors. Another pair of bronze doors are in the western wall. The party steps through the western doors and finds themselves in a dark corridor. A clicking and chittering sound can be heard, and as their eyes adjust to the dim lights they see countless horse-sized carrion crawlers lining the walls, floor, and ceiling. Were they not ethereal, they would be hard pressed to move through the chamber unmolested. Even flying through the center would be a tight squeeze, and not guaranteed to be safe from the paralytic tentacles of the scavengers.

The far side of the hallway opens into a large chamber lined with pillars. A moment’s investigation shows it to be the area they saw from outside, so they head back in and through the only doors they have yet to explore.

These two bronze doors open into a 100’ tall stairwell that leads down into a resplendent chamber. Mosaic tiles in white, blue, red, and black cover the floor. Twenty feet overhead are a hundred gleaming ivory tusks. Each tusk is planted base and tip in the marble tile of the ceiling so its curve faces the floor. The light is bright here even in the corners. Five columns of radiant gold divide the room into two huge chambers. Behind the golden pillars is a small pool of placid water. No ripples disturb its smooth surface and those who have bathed in pools in the past see the unmistakable dull gray glow of the Pool of Time.

Looking around the room, they also see 30 saberclaws clinging to the golden pillars, ready to assault anyone that tries to enter the pool.

The party retreats to try to decide how to confront these creatures so that they can bathe in the pool. They know they’ll have to be deadly and swift if they are going to avoid losing more friends on this quest.

------

Now all that's left is to describe the party's failure to end the curse and the complete rewriting of the history of Oerth that results from it.

 

[James McMurray]

After a short debate, the group decides to utilize the powers of the Saber in the best way they know how, without endangering their own lives. They talk Rikus into being magically boosted and then moving into the area for a frontal surprise assault. They are a little bit surprised at how well it works, when they return ten minutes later to see Rikus standing in a room full of puddles of black water, with only a few cuts to show for his efforts.

Looking around the room to ensure there are no more dangers about, the group tries to decide what to do. In the process they explain about the pools of power to Rikus and

Ever impatient when the lure of power beckons, Farlight walks over to the pool in the middle of the discussion and wades in. As the cool waters wash up and over him, he pixilates and fades from view. Greyhawk, his sworn protector, rapidly follows.

Deciding that there is no danger involved, Toshiro and Tsura immediately follow. After a short time, when they have not yet reappeared, the duke’s two advisors decide they too want the power of Time made physical, and wade in.

As each person steps in, they find themselves being drawn upward, through the roof of the room and the mountain above. Through the air into the upper stratosphere, where they get the most amazing view of a continent they have ever seen. Down below, time seems to flow more rapidly, and all around the world lives under a slow strobe as the sun rises and sets in time with a universal heartbeat.

Below them the tapestry of generations plays out. The blackness at the heart of the river grows until it fills the hole entirely, and the water that seeps through slowly poisons first the land, and then the entire continent over the course of 30 years. And the party is helpless to do anything but watch.

Within a hundred years humanity has been driven into hiding by wild unkempt savages that spring up in tribes throughout the land. Another few hundred years and the entirety of demi-humanity is chased deeper into their hiding places, only to be hunted down and killed by the tribes, which are now led by warring demon princes vying for power.

During this time, the Immortals which rule the land also come under siege. A group of powerful beings arises from out of the turmoil and takes a war out into the planes. Slowly but surely, each of the world’s gods are usurped except for one. The on-looking party sees that the usurpers are the deities of their own time, and they know they are seeing the rise and fall of pantheons.

Down below, the small few bits of humanity that survive are driven into a single valley in central Oerth. It is here that they are making their final stand. But before the outcome of that final stand is determined, the party feels itself being drawn back downward, through the skin of a mountain, and into the room where the portal of time lies.

Standing in total darkness, only the two glowing emerald eyes of the Phane give light, until Farlight brings forth his holy symbol. When questioned, Toshiro explains the nature of the beast to Rikus, and explains his belief that it is no longer hostile.

The group decides what to do, and they begin to notice a difference in the way they perceive the world. Every so often, they experience a great sense of déjà vu, and then they realize that what they think they’ve already seen hasn’t actually happened yet. They also know that if they wanted, they could stop it from happening by choosing a different option at that moment. Finally, they feel as if they can choose at these moments to step sideways instead of back or forward, and have the foreseen outcome perhaps occur slightly differently. But there is only a short moment to make that choice, and then the option is gone.

Realizing that the pool has returned them to the past, and that their return has destroyed the world that they know, they must make a terrible decision: whether to stay and attempt to redeem demi-humanity, or to risk stepping through the portal again and hopefully returning to the past to try to repair the damage there.

The debate at this point takes much longer, but finally it is decided that Rikus will step through first. If he sees them going to the wrong time period, he will use his newfound ability to twist time to hopefully take them to the proper destination.

Just before he steps through he sees a deep desert stretching out before him. Above him several large silver boxes fly on roaring wings, and deadly beams of light flash back and forth between them. Knowing this is wrong, he twists and steps. He is overjoyed to see the duke’s chambers all around him, and as the duke asks how the quest fared, the remainder of the party follows and is also happy to know they will have a chance to right their wrong.

They explain that they met a “slight delay” and that they will now be returning to the heart of the river to finish the task.

Two weeks later they have arrived. Searching out the place again, they find nothing new, and feel certain that the driftwood behind the beholder must be important to be guarded so well. Sneaking past the thing ethereally they examine it, and Tsura determines that it is a polymorph object. They dispel the magic and it lengthens into a 20’ long and 8’ wide flat boat, which also radiates a magical aura. Investigation reveals it to be a vessel capable of travelling underwater, and the group decides to use it to work their way to the heart and cut away the blackness there.

They make their way ethereally to the chamber of the large lake. But as they are dragging the vessel to the water, disaster strikes! A massive draconian turtle bursts from the water’s edge and breathes forth a giant cloud of steam, which fells Farlight and Greyhawk in one blast. Moment’s later Toshiro lies in pieces beside the creature, cleft in twain by the beast’s mighty jaws.

Again Rikus draws on Cutter’s power, but this time it fails, and he is forced to fight the beast without it. Tsura lends her magical aid, and the two rapidly defeat the beast, but then begin to wonder how they’ll leave the mountain, and how they’ll take the fallen with them. Deciding that it doesn’t matter what happens to them if they succeed, they climb aboard the boat and drift down the cavern towards the festering Heart. If they push against the flow they just manage to drift slowly forward.

As they reach the heart, Cutter cries out that he must cut away all of the blackness, and Rikus goes to work. Once it is gone, Cutter says he must be left in place there, or the blackness will return. Rikus releases the boy-blade to its chosen fate, and the boat slowly drifts towards the roaring falls outside the heart.

Thinking fast, Tsura dimension doors to the ledge outside with Rikus, and the boat hurtles out over the ledge and smashes itself against the rocks below. Tsura calls forth an elemental and Rikus leaps aboard a flying carpet and the two retrieve their fallen friends’ bodies, although some small portion of their gear is lost to the river.

The two bedraggled heroes return to the Duke’s lands and revive their companions, and then prepare to bid farewell and return to the pool, and hopefully their own time.

 

[James McMurray]

Now all that's left to do is to describe the true history of Oerth as seen through the party's eyes. Man that was a short but world-shaking game session that night!

 

[James McMurray]

Just replacing my subscription tot his thread, which seems to have been disappeared.

 

[James McMurray]

The group returns to the pool of Time, and yet again steps in. Although the viewing angle is the same, the panorama of events that plays out below them is markedly different.

Fairly rapidly they see the black tide stop and then return to the source of the river. In less than a minute subjective time, it is gone. Demihumanity slowly moves into the lands, forging deeper. This time it is the humanoid tribes that are driven out of their homelands by the onslaught of mankind. Now it is the orcs and goblinoids who are driven to the caves to hide.

Soon the people begin to build great cities, and the world begins to look much more like what they envisioned it would from the maps they have seen.

To the North, several up and coming Immortals are vying for a seat in the new pantheon, and one of the combatants lays waste to a vast stretch of land with a great rain of fire. Rather than see his people destroyed completely, the rival steps aside to allow Erythnul his place.

Most positions are not being filled with combat though, and it appears that this time around the transition is much less violent. The gods choose their heroes and set them on quests to prove their worth. Behind it all two figures watch.

One is a vast unmoving being, seemingly composed of the universe itself. Merely to look in hi direction is to quake in fear and awe at the power. He has the look of a great pair of eyes superimposed upon the world above and below them.

The smaller of the two appears highly focused on one of the groups of heroes chosen. When they find themselves unable to continue their quest, he disappears for a mere moment from his watching place, and shortly thereafter they continue down their road to divinity. None of the other gods appear to notice his absence, perhaps they don’t even know he exists.

The great entity shifts slightly, and the world ripples. The new immortals are granted their powers, and they quickly form alliances. The mysterious small figure is gone from his perch, but one of the risen gods has a faintly familiar look about him. This god calls himself Raffi, and unlike the rest of the new deities he does not immediately strive to build a faith in order to increase his own personal power.

Some of the failed heroes attempt to raid the dens of the new pantheon, and to stop the incursions the gods form together for a singular purpose: to limit humanity’s rise to power.

To do so, they place a great metaphysical cap on the world, limiting the progression of its inhabitants. For decades the world below carries on under the gods’ rule. The panoply of Greyhawk’s history plays out. Iuz rises to power in the East. The circle of Eight forms. Everything that the heroes learned during story time as youths plays out for them to see.

At least a millennium after the change, and probably more, several of the new gods join together in council. Although the heroes cannot here what these deities (including Heironious, Corollan, and several other of the lords of Good) discuss, it is shortly thereafter that the pools of power begin to pop up within the planes, including the pool of glory.

Seeing the good gods allowing the power to slip back into the world, several gods of evil also come together, and soon more pools begin to appear, among them the pool of pain and a jet black pool deep underground in the Valley of Bloodstone at the entrance to the Valley of the Mage.

Raffi, for reasons of his own, creates the pool of time, and sets it off into the flow of time itself, with only a portal to lead adventurers towards it. Shortly thereafter a powerful lich tricks Raffi into captivity, and slowly drains the divine Spark into himself, destroying Raffi in the process. Vecna, the new Lord of Secrets, has arisen.

Again the power flows into the world, and a vast Epic City forms deep in the Astral Plane. From here several gods contact different followers of theirs, sending them on missions across the multiverse.

Before they can decipher what is going on, the group finds themselves yet again in the dark cavern of the Portal through time. They quickly return to Greyhawk City and Union, to spend their newfound treasure and try to learn what is happening.

While visiting Jarla Screan, a crafter of great renown in the city of Greyhawk, their consignment ordering is interrupted. A wrenching in their gut tells them that the time stream is being toyed with, and moments later they see why: the lady they are talking to has frozen in place, as has the flickering of the continual flames which light her office.

Jarla’s skin melts away and they see Raffi, the dead god with no following, standing before them.

 

[James McMurray]

"Hello, we've seen each other before but not met. My name is Raffi."

The group recognizes him and introduces themselves, wracking their memories for things they've seen him do. They remember seeing him introduce the parents of Iuz, thus setting in motion one of the greatest evils this continent have ever witnessed. They also saw him work to lessen that evil.

Toshiro, having focused on hi homeland most in his journey through time, saw Raffi being instrumental in the foundation of ancestor worship, and in steering the clans towards reverence of honorable forebears over deities. Raffi was also instrumental in bringing several great houses to their current power.

Introductions are completed when Farlight says, "What can we do for you?"

"It is not so much what you can do for me, as what we can do for one another." To the party's quizzical looks he continues, "You have seen that pantheons can rise and fall. What you have not seen is that this happens over and over throughout time. That great being you saw watching everything was the universe itself. Everything you see and hear, including yourself, are all just ways for the universe to try to understand himself.

"To that end he has created the world, and set countless little bits of itself into motion, to see where they would lead him. Whenever the current incarnation of the earth has taught him what he sought to learn, he starts anew. The old powers fall and new ones rise. I survived the last passing of power, and I wish to survive another.

"At times this change is violent, but in this cycle the gods have decided to place their powers in the hands of champions. Having seen your deeds, a few have decided to test your capabilities. You should soon be visited by an envoy of the gods, who will explain all of this to you anew. A task will be set before you, and if you succeed, the power of the gods of light will become yours for the next cycle.

"For my part, I would like to see another cycle pass. For that purpose I have allowed the treacherous Vecna and the rest of the gods to believe that I was killed and that Vecna rose to my station. If the others knew I was attempting to be a part of another cycle, they would most likely try to stop me.

"I would ask that I be able to impart a small measure of myself into one of you. Traveling with you I will rise again when you do. I tried this once before with another group, but my subtle ministrations could not stop their headlong charge into battle in an eternal quest for glory, and they failed in their task."

This speech is met with great silence, and then the group begins to talk amongst themselves, oblivious for the moment to Raffi's presence. Farlight theorizes that the one who gains the spark would also gain great power, but Raffi quickly stifles that notion. Should his power flare like that , the gods would know it and would stop them. He can help, but his help must be subtle.

Raffi goes around the group in turn, asking each if they agree. Rikus, warrior from the past, and Bumtin, the human wizard-become gnome sorcerer (also from the past) admit that they are merely along for the ride, and don't care either way. Farlight would be honored to take Corellan's place, and Toshiro wishes to bring honor to his people, but has seen Raffi's hand in other clans and refuses to be the vessel. Once all have agreed or stated their indifference, Raffi merely says, "Excellent," and once again Jarla stands before them, continuing to talk in mid-sentence.

A bit of confusion passes and the group finishes their consignment orders. When they hear that it will be almost a year before their purchases are ready, they decide to take their two friends from the past on a grand tour of Greyhawk, and then to the various Pools of Power that they have found.

The first pool they visit is the Pool of Glory, and they learn from its guardian that only those who need to prove themselves may enter the pool, and so Tsura, Greyhawk, Rikus, and Bumtin look down into the pool to see a terrifying sight. Three bipedal creatures with five tentacles each and great maws covering their entire faces crash through a field towards a vast city. The guardians crystalline lilting voice explains.

"Beyond the planes are the Far Realms, a nightmarish land of unending hunger. From time to time a rift opens to those planes and things come through. These are from there. Their only desire is to subvert our world and draw it into the Far Realms. They head towards that city, and if they can overtake it and drag it into the realms, the surrounding lands will be drawn in by the gravitic force created. They must be stopped."

The four newest heroes prepare themselves, but just like the last time at the pool, the foe spies them before their preparations are complete, and begins preparations of their own.

Rikus is the first to step through, and as he appears on the open grass some 30 feet from the creatures, he suddenly finds himself surrounded by them. His greatsword swings, but the beasts have terribly hard skin, and he only manages to slightly hurt one, whose wounds begin to rapidly heal.

Greyhawk steps through next, and attacks another of the pseudonaturals. Focusing the power of his mind into his attacks, he slams the creature several times.

Tsura follows, and attempts to burst the creatures into flames from the inside, but fails to affect them. Finally Bumtin comes through, and begins to rain fire upon the scene, taking care not to strike his allies.

The two martial heroes continue their assault, but both are grabbed up in the flailing tentacles of two of the creatures. Bumtin takes invisibly to the air, and Tsura again tries to blast smother the creatures with Internal Fire. This time she manages to hurt one, but not destroy it. As Rikus wriggles free, Greyhawk gets torn to shreds and a blast of fire drops two of the creatures. Combined assaults quickly drop the last one, and a few more blasts of eldritch fire from the Wujen and the sorcerer stops their lives permanently. Where the creatures fall, the grass comes to life and grows razor sharp fangs, but another searing blast of fire stops that.

Unsure even of what world they are on, the four heroes elect to rest the night before having Bumtin Planeshift them to the negative material plane. Although the vast chill of the place is only against their flesh for a moment before the sorcerer teleports them to Moil, it drains a small measure of their strength, which Farlight's magics return to them.

Their next stop is the Pool of Love. When asked why he is worthy to bathe in the pool of love, Rikus answers in a way that shows his understanding of self is great, "I am not." The dryad accepts the answer easily, as it has been her answer for a decade.

Bumtin tells her that it is his love of magic, and his hope that the pool will grant him great power that makes him worthy. He is told to return when he truly understands love.