NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gideonpepys" data-source="post: 7273773" data-attributes="member: 79141">Session 30, Part Two - Vision of the Far Future“Constables.” Rock Rackus said with awkward formality. “Is that an asteroid I do spy?” Through a gap in the forest canopy, they watched a white conflagration streak across the heavens, tumbling end over end. The air roared with its passage. It disappeared from view, but a moment later blinding light flashed through the darkened forest from where it had landed. The ground bucked beneath them, and only then did they hear the deafening explosion of the impact.“Son of a bitch!” Rackus yelped, abandoning all attempts at civility. “There’s more of ‘em! Follow me!”  He set off at a run through the trees.  There were other figures all around them, too indistinct for them to recognise.  They set off after Rackus, Matunaaga easily overtaking him and scouting ahead. Uru jumped on Little Jack and weaved through the trees.  Gupta struggled to run at full pelt, conscious of the puncture wounds to her inner thigh. Only then did they realise that Rumdoom hadn’t moved.  He was rooted to the spot, staring up in awe at the pitch-black heavens.  They called to him and he still didn’t budge.  Korrigan went back for him while the others ran on.“This is it!” said Rumdoom when Korrigan took hold of him.  “This is what I saw!” There were tears in his eyes.  “The sky: no stars. The end!  I meant to tell you but…” He began sobbing uncontrollably.  There was no time to discuss the matter further.  More asteroids were striking to the left and right, and they heard screams from behind them: hostile figures appeared, though too far away to make out, and they were attacking the rest of the fleeing crowd.  Korrigan dragged Rumdoom along with him.Gupta stopped and focused and allowed inspiration to come to her, as it always did if she gave herself pause. “Av!” she announced.  “This is Av!”  “No it isn’t,” said Uriel, unhelpfully.  (This didn’t look  like Av!)Leon teleported in front of Rackus and tried to stop him.  “We need to get to the ship!” said Rackus.  Now they could see it up ahead, lit up against the blackness of the starless sky by small, white flames: a steam ship, though it rested on dry land.  Matunaaga wasn’t far away from it now, but all of a sudden a great crevasse opened up in front of him and almost swallowed him whole. Out of nowhere, to the left, right and behind them, their pursuers appeared: flayed warriors, tightly bound with barbed gold chains.  Each bore a golden lance and shield.  They were able to give chase easily by teleporting despite their golden bonds. Uriel turned to Korrigan and said, “I suspect this is what happens if we fail.”They fought off the first wave of attacks by these golden legionnaires – Uru sprayed a pair of them with shuriken and took them out of the race entirely.  But then their commander appeared: a foul, gigantic four-limbed demon with a dog-like face; flayed just like the legionnaires and also bound in golden chains.  It hurled infernal fires after them and teleported too.One of the chain-bound troopers caught Rumdoom with its lance.   Chains spiralled down the lance to ensare him.  Korrigan stepped in.  He stomped on the ground, unleashing an earthshock that knocked the troopers backwards.The golden glabrezu raised a pincer and cast a spell that sent Gupta and others flying into the air, the gravity beneath their feet magically reversed.  Gupta steadied herself and Asked the Question, “Don’t you want to join us up here?”  Not only did her charm give the glabrezu pause, it was punished for disobedience to some absent master by a  tightening of chains that pierced its flesh.  Leon activated the Wayfarer Lantern again.  This time he used a rarified oil from the portal plane Leave the Nest.   Everyone caught in the anti-gravity zone was able to fly out! Matunaaga followed this up with a perfectly aimed shot that hit the glabrezu right between its glowing eyes, killing it instantly.They flew over the chasm, reached the earthbound ship, gathered up the cool white flames and caused the vision to vanish.Now they found themselves all cramped up together in a small prayer chamber.  They wriggled free of this confined space and returned to the main hall, where the frieze of Ingatan was gone – replaced by a fiery doorway.Nothing ventured, nothing gained – they rested up again and stepped through the door to find themselves on the roof of the Refuge, beside the gigantic, crossed legs of Ingatan.  Floating at head height was a broken, silver circlet: the Lost Arc.Uriel took it.  Even as he reached for it, he experienced the tug of old memories and a sense of what direction they might be coming from.  Even when he tried it on, which was painful as the Arc was sharp, these sensations did not intensify.  It seemed that he was somehow attuned to the thing, and mere proximity was all it took.They bid farewell to the bagheva clan.  Betronga was not at all gracious.  In the cold light of day, he clearly felt that he had not bargained hard enough, but Sokana was on hand to placate him.  She and Gupta shared a few parting words.  Leon asked her if there was anything they could do for her, and she said simply, “withdraw” conflating all human activity with the clergy.  She also had a few whispered words for Uriel, when he asked her about Hewanharimau and the nature of rakshasa, for he was convinced he would one day have to face one.  Careful not to be overheard by the other Children, she told him of a weapon hidden in the sealed temple in Rumar Terakhir:  the weapon that had slain their god, and could slay any such immortal creature – the Arsenal of Dhebisu.They had already discussed priorities, time-limits and other exigencies. Without further ado, they performed powerful travel rituals and set off in search of the Perpetual City, hoping to find out more about the Hierophant.</blockquote>

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