GotF Session Summaries
Here I'll be posting session summaries from my games, with the newest at the top. They are written as stories, with occasional details about the stats or spell types that the characters encounter. For my behind the scenes perspective, inspirations, and other musings, look at my GM Session Notes page.
The adventurers already knew they have a touch of the divine. Small sparks, mere glimmers of the radiance that shone like the sun from the old gods. Not enough to make them powerful, not yet anyway. But more than enough to get them killed by the Reconciliation. The man, Dershan, was quickly confronted, hushed. Sent on in silence to meet somewhere quiet, away from the gathering eyes, and ears, of the streets. There he told his story. A young woman, Sephoni, nearly ready to give birth. A promised child, Arua, a God of Spring that will in time banish the moon of Nod and bring the Nightlands out of their permanent eclipse. A dream of warning: monsters coming to prevent the birth. The adventurers were persuaded to help. Leaving a child to those who would harm it sits ill with them, and the hope of something bringing light to this too cold, too dark land stirred even their cynical hearts.
They traveled with Dershan to Caladar Keep, a ruined fortress in the wall of Corso. There they and a few fanatical followers of the cult of Adherents, which seeks the return of the old gods, stood against waves of bewitched human and befuddled monster attackers. Underworld mercenaries, ferocious griffins, shadowy noddlings. All came against them, and all were turned away. As the birth of the child neared, a Tranquil Assassin bearing a double-headed wolf tattoo snuck into the birthing chamber and was narrowly killed, and a powerful rakshasa cames over the keep’s walls, killing one of the few defenders. But before the rakshasa could kill the adventurers, the child was born. Those who previously had fought to enter the keep turned away, confused. The rakshasa shook its head, turned away, and disappeared. All was calm.
Dershan provides a solution from an unexpected quarter. Although most of Corso’s nobility panders to Nulumriel and engages in all sorts of depraved activities, one Lady Farran is a secret ally. Although she is not a member of the Adherence she runs a secret resistance smuggling slaves, refugees, and other victims of Nulumriel’s reign out of Corso. Dershan believes she will not turn away a new mother, and goes ahead to give word.
The party disguises themselves, with Zahir taking the role of wealthy father and husband, and the rest as attendants for the “family”. Their journey through Corso’s streets is uneventful, and they find a warm welcome at Lady Farran’s estate. Sephoni is quickly whisked away to rest and clean up, while the party converses with the Lady.
Their first priority is to leave Corso. The magically compelled attack on Sephoni smacks of a conspiracy, and it would not be wise to keep such a powerful young goddess near to Nulumriel and the Order of Reconciliation. Sephoni has mentioned family in Somorrah, a strikingly peaceful city on the border of the Nightland, far from Corso’s bleakness. Lady Farran hires the party to act as Sephoni’s escort to Somorrah. In return she offers them gold stars and 2 rare and prized books that have recently come into her possession.
To exit the city and begin the journey, Lady Farran recommends using a merchant caravan that she has worked with in the past, although they have always used a go-between to keep identities secret. They will have a cart for the mother and child to ride in, and will not cause any suspicion as they leave the city. The group sets out with Valen, the go-between, to meet the caravan leader at the Sleen’s Barrel, a dingy bar near the East Gate of the city.
Corso has many broad and well lit avenues, but eventually the party finds themselves taking dingy back roads toward the bar. Valen hears a noise and runs ahead. Before anyone can react, he is pulled sharply out of sight into an alleyway. When the party rounds the corner, it’s empty. The only clue left behind is a small scrap of leather, perhaps from an armband, with a stylized double-headed wolf emblem. Zahir recalls the tattoo on the Tranquil Assassin from their recent battle, and suspects that this may be related somehow. Careful searching and investigative work uncover a trap door in the cobblestones, explaining the sudden disappearance of Valen.
The party needs Valen to contact the caravan leader, so they plunge ahead into the tunnel, following it along. As they approach the end it grows brighter, and the party can see beautiful carved etchings in stone all along the walls. A lone youth stands guard in the hallway. Datura and Zinnia successfully convince him to divulge all about what they might find. He informs the party that he is a member of the Final Clave, an obscure group that Datura has heard of, but believed extinct 30 years ago. They used to promote mass sacrifice to restore the old gods. The youth is terrified of our adventurers, one of whom is on fire, and is easily convinced to repent and mend his ways.
With urgency, the party emerges into a tall room with windows ringing the top. Mosaics and carvings of Verecocho, the old god of magic, run around the walls, and an altar stands in the middle of the round space. It is covered in old blood.
Scared of what they might find, the party ventures through a door on the other side of them. They encounter 6 guards, and 5 bound victims, including Valen. A fight ensues, brief and deadly. Zahir’s onslaught proves to be terrifyingly efficient at killing, and the rest equip themselves well with swords, arrows, and fire. Hearing the fight, the group’s leader, Vistan, emerges from a side room. Despite his greater weapons and power, he is dispatched by Zahir in one blow. Some in the party wish they could have interrogated Vistan, but it’s done. In the aftermath of the fight, the group notices Vistan’s pendant, a wolf’s tooth that emits a faint aura. Zahir pockets it, and the aura gradually fades.
When the intended sacrifices are led into the main room, a soft light seems to emanate from the walls, and Verecocho’s symbol glows strongly through the old blood on the altar. For a moment, the air feels warm. The victims are set free, and given loot from the guard’s pockets to speed their way home. Valen is shaken, but determined to continue, and he leads them to the Sleen’s Barrel.
At the pub, the party is introduced to Levona, a tall, dark-skinned woman with a vivid blue bandanna restraining her curly hair. She is brisk and no-nonsense, and accepts the party on board her caravan. They run a regular monthly route from Corso to Loreda, a golden bower that is known for its bountiful food production. The caravan will depart in 2 weeks time. Satisfied, the party returns to Lady Farran’s to rest and prepare for the 2-week journey to Loreda.
After a good 2-week rest, the party starts gathering up their things, ready to depart Corso. Mother and baby (Sephoni and Arua) have had some time to recover, and are eager to leave the dark city. The party has been busily reading the two books Lady Farran is paying them with. They have learned much about progressing in their divinity and have read the seven old prophecies of Sudhara.
The trek through the city is uneventful, but trouble is in the air at the inn. Levona’s face looks tight with worry. She explains to the party that a delivery was supposed to arrive that day, but she has had no word from the ship that was bringing it in, the Bright Star. Levona knows the ship is Lady Farran’s personal vessel, not knowing that Lady Farran is also her employer. She must remain at the inn, in case a message comes, and asks the party to investigate the docks. After securing Sephoni and Arua, the party heads out for the southern port of Corso.
The docks are busy and bustling, and rife with unsavory characters. Most of them are just doing their jobs though. The Bright Star is easy to find, and a ship’s boy is sitting on a crate next to the loading plank. The poor boy is easily intimidated by the 4 adults bearing down on him, and he quickly admits to having taken his eye’s off the merchandise briefly. When he returned, it had all been taken right off the dock. Agai suspects that the Sea Knives, a notorious gang of pirates and thieves has taken the merchandise. A little more pressing reveals that his childhood friend, Ithi, is now a ship’s boy on one of the Sea Knives’ ships, and he likes to hang out at the Erinyes’ Eye during the Nod cycle.
The party easily finds the pub, a run down affair with a seedy clientele. It is easy enough to spot based on Agai’s description. His two friends flee quickly as the party approaches, leaving him trapped and alone. Datura embarks on an epic guilt-trip, blasting the boy for joining such an ill-reputed sea crew and scolding him for not writing to his mother in over a year. “What would she think if she knew what you were up to?” Ithi breaks down, blurting out “We’re not the bad guys, I swear!” He readily admits to having taken the crates off the docks, but doesn’t know what they contain, just that it was likely to be valuable. He reluctantly gives the party directions to a warehouse in the back alleys around the dock area.
The warehouse is a large, plain building, sharing walls on two sides with other warehouses. An alleyway off to the side allows the party to hide and think for a minute. Using his Far Step abilities, Zahir is able to crouch on a small ledge and peer in through a high window. There are a few chairs, a card table, and many crates piled up at the back. A ragged curtain closes off the far back area, likely for sleeping quarters. 5 guards are inside, in various states of boredom.
Rather than burst through the front, the party identifies the crate mostly likely to contain Levona’s delivery. A clever cypher is used, a glowing chunk of crystal imbued with vestigial divine power, and a small hole appears in one of the wall’s bricks. Zahir turns to shadow and slips through the hole, appearing unnoticed in the warehouse. He grabs the small crate, and turns to leave through the hole.
Suddenly, the back curtain is thrust back, and a ragged man stares at Zahir. He looks emaciated and dirty, with gaunt eyes. The Sea Knives are known to traffic in illegal slavery, and Zahir feels a powerful sadness and revulsion on behalf of the man. In a shocking twist though, the man cries out, “Why are you stealing from us? Please, don’t do this!” The guards hear the shout and start moving toward the back of the warehouse. Despite his confusion, Zahir fades back through the hole, and the party starts mobilizing.
Guards rush out the front of the warehouse, and block off the mouth of the alley. They have weapons, but seem conflicted about fighting. One of them begs the party to enter the warehouse. “Please, we can explain what you saw, but not out here.” Warily, the party follows them in, with a “we can always kill them later” mentality.
Inside the warehouse a pitiful sight meets their eyes: 10 painfully thin and battered people, dressed in slave rags hiding in the back of the room. Some of them are barely in their double digits. Much to the party’s confusion, the guards of the vicious Sea Knives are kindly checking on the slaves, and ushering them back into hiding. A large Taran woman walks through the front door. The party members from Corso recognize her by reputation: Tamsi, the feared head of the Sea Knives. She approaches the party, and tells them an almost unbelievable tale.
The Sea Knives are known for their fearsome thievery, their piracy, and their illegal slavery because they deliberately encourage those stories. They are too frightening and powerful to be taken out, and that allows them the freedom to pursue their true goal: smuggling slaves out of the Nightlands. Their thievery is real, but it mostly goes to funding their smuggling trade, and to providing the freed slaves with enough cash to start a new life. Tamsi is proud of her work, and only regrets that currently the Sea Knives are a purely naval operation. She hopes to eventually have an overland route toward the northern Nightlands.
Recognizing a golden opportunity, the party offers to connect Tamsi with Lady Farran, thus opening up more routes to free slaves from Corso. In exchange they require Lady Farran’s items to be returned. Tamsi is willing to return the items, especially in return for netting such a powerful ally.
Some quick traveling follows. The item is delivered to Levona at the Sleen’s Barrel, after which the party hastens back to Lady Farran’s manor to apprise her of the new situation. She is delighted to hear the news, and mentions that there is a tunnel connecting her kitchens down to the docks which could prove useful. She’s never used it before because it’s infested with strange creatures, and is currently too dangerous to traverse. Pumped up with enthusiasm from their recent adventure, the party boldly offers to clear it out before leaving Corso.
The Tunnel starts just off the kitchen, through a closet. The boggins in the kitchen look perturbed as it opens, billowing cold air. As the party ventures down, the first obstacle they encounter is a large group of boggins. These are not like the friendly kitchen dwellers though; these have gone feral. A brief discussion is held, and the party quickly retreats to the kitchen. They interrogate a boggin as best as they are able, and manage to determine that the feral boggins only need to be led back to the safety of the house to regain their normal good nature. Using small pieces of cheese they lure the hoard back, where they are gleefully met by their new friends.
Farther down the tunnel they encounter 4 ghosts. Careful persuasion convinces them to go haunt other areas, out of this tunnel. As they near the end of the tunnel, the party almost runs over a sleeper, a magic user from the Guild of Sleep. He is deep in a magical sleep, and may have been here for weeks or months. 5 nodlings rise out of the ground, swarming the party and attacking the sleeper. Oftentimes the Guild of Sleep wages battles against the King of Nod, and he sends minions to attack their helpless bodies. Having had experience with nodlings in the past, the party blasts them down to dust quickly. Zahir’s onslaught and Zinnia’s fire prove quite effective against the creatures of the night. The sleeper is gathered up and returned to Lady Farran for safe keeping.
Having done a hard day’s work, the party finally returns to the Sleen’s Barrel, where Levona is waiting with some concern. They gather up all the caravan members and items and head out, passing through Corso’s gates with barely a glance from the guards. As they hit the road, Levona asks the party for a favor. She knows they are headed to Somorrah, and will likely be taking the Winter Road, passing by Old Nemoro. Her delivery is a powerful artifact that needs to be given to a friend in the city. She asks that the party take the item to her friend, Jhaan, when they pass through. In return she offers two small cyphers, an Instant Shelter and a Phase Changer, and a much more valuable artifact, a modified Chronolapse. It can serve as a vehicle for one person, moving at great speeds. The party agrees, intrigued by the valuable artifacts.
After several hours plodding, an obstacle rises up ahead of the caravan. A large block of ice lays across the road. Deep furrows and ice blocks mar the fields on either side of the road, blocking the progress of the carts. Zinnia charges to the rescue, turning on her fire and rushing to melt the block across the road. As the block slowly melts, it glows with the golden light of the flames.
Suddenly, the block finishes melting, flaring up with flames. A large Golden Bull snorts angrily, covered in flames, and shooting golden fire out of its nostrils. The Golden Bulls were once wise, magical creatures, beloved of the gods. Now, they have succumbed to rage and are deadly to those caught wandering through their domains. Zinnia flares her fiery aura, magnifying her divine flames, and speaking soothingly. Through the powers of her flames and some assistance from Yarrow’s calming speech, the bull calms down, enough to speak to the party. In cultured Silver he introduces himself as Aiden, and attaches himself to Zinnia, saying he can help teach her the ways of the flame.
Since Aiden makes the caravan slightly nervous (as do all the flames), Zinnia travels with him a little ways behind. Several more hours and rests go by, as the caravan makes its way north. A shriek comes from a barren field out to the right. The party immediately dashes out, leaving the caravan guards to protect Sephoni and Arua. They spot a figure hunched over in the field, with a griffon circling overhead, coming in for a dive. Cerena dons her magic armor, and rushes out to protect the man. The rest of the party successfully drives off the griffon mating pair that had attacked, drawn to the man’s shiny weaponry. He introduces himself as Master Muscari, and follows up his introduction with an intriguing comment: “Huh, you guys have the auras too.”
The team stares at him in shock, and notices he has a faint aura around him, just a shimmer. They question him a little further, and learn about his fascinating past. Until recently, Master Muscari was the master of the Uroch Chapterhouse, a spiritual retreat at the edges of the Guruden Marsh. He was recently ousted from the Chapterhouse by his pupil, Kronetus, a powerful sorcerer. Kronetus grew from child to adult in an incredibly short period of time, but his mind remains that of an impetuous teenager. After deciding that he should use his powers for personal gain, he used his strong telekinetic magic to overthrow Muscari. Rather than fight and risk the lives of his other students, Muscari left, and began the trip across the Nightlands. He is battered and travel weary, but remains in almost naively optimistic spirits. His life at the Chapterhouse was almost completely unaffected by the Fall; he did not worship the old gods, and holds to a simple philosophy of inner spirituality and meditation. He believes that the auras are a sign of clean living and spirituality, since everyone who came through his Chapterhouse eventually develops one. The party files this tidbit away for further reference.
As Muscari recovers from his ordeal, he rests in the cart with Sephoni and Arua. Zahir rides with them and makes shadow puppets for Arua. She tracks them slightly with wide eyes. In addition to chatting about his past, Muscari offers to coach Yarrow and Datura in the use of their bladed weapons.
The trip holds one more encounter for the party. A large band comes along the road toward the caravan, causing difficulty with passage. In the slow shuffling, the party notices that the band consists of several heavily armored men on horseback and a group of ragged looking men and women on foot. They are bound in chains are barefoot, dressed in torn clothing: slaves bound for Corso’s market.
The party feels deeply angered by the presence of the slave drivers, and decides to take a stand while the civilians from the caravan are still safely behind them. Zahir allows the head slave driver an opportunity to leave the slaves and goods and walk away. He contemptuously declines, drawing his sword. Zahir decides on his dominion, and becomes the God of Choices, gaining access to his divine shifts, and unleashing a devastating Onslaught on the slave driver, dropping him with one blast of shadow. A quick attack from the other party members drops some other slavers, causing the rest to panic and run.
The party frees the slaves from their bonds. Several have had their lips sewn together, a horrifying punishment. Some healing magic helps with the worst of the wounds, and the caravan helps the rest of the slaves wash up and rest their feet.
Zahir and Cerena are able to tackle Frick and Frack before they enter the Faerie Ring, although Frick is stunned by the psychic shock and goes into a swoon. Working with swift efficiency, the team pulls Datura from the mess and blasts the fungus into oblivion. Just before its demise, it takes on the form of a young girl begging for her life. The party is untouched (except for Frack), and the fungus perishes quickly. No one sleeps well that night.
As Nod rises high over the plains, the caravan reaches Loreda, a quiet farming town, known for its Golden Bower, a powerful magical artifact that mimics the light of the sun, allowing for the growing of crops. The town is laid out in concentric circles: market and wealthy in the middle circle, farmers next, hunters/ guards, and livestock pens on the outside. The guards protect the farmers, who are needed for tending to the fields. The guards at the front gate know Levona, and wave her through with a cursory glance. The wagons stay outside, as the caravan drivers start unloading their wares. They will be in town for 2 days to exchange goods for crops.
As part of their welcome to the city, the party requests a tour of the town and of the lamp that lights the farm. Levona takes them around to meet the lighthouse keeper, Kai. She’s a tall woman, with pale hair and eyes, and an iridescent dragon tattoo crawling up her forearms. Kai takes them all out to see the lamp. It’s 8ft. tall, with intricate metal work spiraling up a slender pole. At the top, more elaborate metal forms a lattice-work globe with 7 sides. Bright light spills from the globe, lighting the surrounding fields and town. The lamp is on constantly, and encourages faster than average growth of crops.
Most of the party is awestruck by the light, especially Zinnia, who has never been out of the Nightlands. But baby Arua starts screaming inconsolably as they approach, and will not be comforted. Zahir reads her mind, but can only glimpse feelings of terror and sadness. Sephoni apologizes to Kai, and the party hurriedly goes back to town.
On the way, Zahir pauses briefly. Since coming into his new powers, a strange sense has been growing. As he stands alone, a seraph flies down, ready for his orders. Many gods were attended by seraphs decades past, so this is not so strange. However, the seraph appears to be a seraph of sin, not of virtue. It appears content to obey him, so Zahir tells the seraph to hide for now, but come when called. He rejoins the party at their inn (a real one this time), where they meet the innkeepers, Hanna and Gart, their daughter Gwennen, and her small black kitty, Kitty.
Shaken by Arua’s crying, the party resolves to visit the light again after the town is asleep. That “night” they return to the field. Zahir uses some clever shadow play to create a way for him to slip inside the lamp. Once inside, he determines that a seraph of virtue is slowly being drained to power the lamp. The light that keeps the crops growing comes at the cost of a seraph being slowly tortured to death, over the span of several years. This light has already been burning for 5 years, 2 years longer than the average light lasts. It is likely on its last legs. Troubled, the party retires to bed, and plans to plan in the morning.
A decision is reached to revisit the sun-orb and talk to the seraph held within. To gain privacy for this, Frack sets up a fire show in town to delight the passersby. Out in the field, Yarrow persuades the farmers, hard at work to finish the harvest for the caravan, to take an hour off to go see this wondrous sight. Alone in the field, the party calls down Zahir's Seraph of Sin and-by writing- communicates with it. It confirms the presence of a Seraph of Virtue in the lamp. With its help, a bargain is struck with the imprisoned virtue: it would be freed to heal while the Sin took its place. Once it has healed, it will return to the lamp to serve until either spring came or we could return to grant it rest again.
Cerena's examination of the lamp suggests that opening it to swap the seraphs would be a level 9 task. She also points out that the village could not help but notice if the sun went out, even for a few moments, even at "night" when the work had ceased. Zahir, recognizing some wisdom in not alerting the entire town, suggests doing the exchange at night and getting the town drunk. Plans develop as they return to the town and reunite with Zinnia, whose disappointing take of "mostly mushrooms" includes one "special" mushroom. Cerena's examination of the special mushroom determines it to be a hallucinogen, and one of her cyphers generates a number of doses of a similar drug. The plan is now fully realized: a mass purchase of alcohol, suitably spiked with mushroom and drug, is administered to all in the night. The flaming bull Aiden is also called back to walk the edges of the town to contribute to the confusion. Aiden had not expected to be called on quite so soon, but he is willing to help out because Frack asked so nicely.
The party, regrettably not able to join in the festivities, repairs to the field. With much effort, assistance, training, and asset cards expended, they are able to open the lamp on the first try. A broken, almost shattered seraph falls out and the light dies. A healthy seraph of sin enters in its place, and the lamp snaps shut. Again light blazes forth. The color is, perhaps, ever so slightly different. But this is barely noticeable.
The Virtue is a wreck. Put on the horse, it is taken to a field outside of town where it can recover by the light of the natural moon. Zahir remains behind to stand guard.
Everyone else returns to the inn, discovering the remains of a somewhat epic rager. Residents could still be heard to have conversations with, about, and around various imaginary sights. Something as mundane as the sun momentarily going out did not register in comparison. The infant Arua, however, is disturbed. Frack tries to communicate with her, but this appears to be a job for the telepath. A short horse ride later, Zahir attempts to read Arua's mind. Apparently this nascent god of spring is happy that the Seraphs of Virtue and Sin have traded places, and wants to see the wounded Virtue. No one being coherent enough to notice these odd goings on, the party takes Arua to the seraph and watches in wonder as the baby's touch greatly speeds the broken Virtue's healing. Before their eyes, a garden of local plants grows around the baby and fallen seraph in a symbol of regrowth. In a few days, it will be time to switch the seraphs back.
Session 0: The Rite of Spring
Every story must have a beginning. This campaign began with the Rite of Spring, taken from the Gods of the Fall corebook. The story is quite straightforward: A ragged band of adventurers was walking through the streets of Corso. Corso, the greatest city in the Nightlands. Corso, the most wretched haven for the depraved. Corso, on which the sun has not shined for 40 years. It is not a city to stand out in, and most certainly not a city in which to be associated with the fallen divinities of an older age. So the adventurers were disturbed and greatly dismayed when they heard a strange man calling to them. “O, Divine Ones! I need your help!”
The adventurers already knew they have a touch of the divine. Small sparks, mere glimmers of the radiance that shone like the sun from the old gods. Not enough to make them powerful, not yet anyway. But more than enough to get them killed by the Reconciliation. The man, Dershan, was quickly confronted, hushed. Sent on in silence to meet somewhere quiet, away from the gathering eyes, and ears, of the streets. There he told his story. A young woman, Sephoni, nearly ready to give birth. A promised child, Arua, a God of Spring that will in time banish the moon of Nod and bring the Nightlands out of their permanent eclipse. A dream of warning: monsters coming to prevent the birth. The adventurers were persuaded to help. Leaving a child to those who would harm it sits ill with them, and the hope of something bringing light to this too cold, too dark land stirred even their cynical hearts.
They traveled with Dershan to Caladar Keep, a ruined fortress in the wall of Corso. There they and a few fanatical followers of the cult of Adherents, which seeks the return of the old gods, stood against waves of bewitched human and befuddled monster attackers. Underworld mercenaries, ferocious griffins, shadowy noddlings. All came against them, and all were turned away. As the birth of the child neared, a Tranquil Assassin bearing a double-headed wolf tattoo snuck into the birthing chamber and was narrowly killed, and a powerful rakshasa cames over the keep’s walls, killing one of the few defenders. But before the rakshasa could kill the adventurers, the child was born. Those who previously had fought to enter the keep turned away, confused. The rakshasa shook its head, turned away, and disappeared. All was calm.
Session 1: Corso Wanderings & Nightbeast 1
Having just fought off almost countless enemies during Sephoni’s labor, the party takes a little while to rest, heal wounds, and meet the new young goddess, Arua. She emits a strong aura shortly after birth, but it dies down over the following hour. Sadly for the new mother, their fighting may have attracted undue attention, and they must find a safer shelter to rest than Caldar Keep.Dershan provides a solution from an unexpected quarter. Although most of Corso’s nobility panders to Nulumriel and engages in all sorts of depraved activities, one Lady Farran is a secret ally. Although she is not a member of the Adherence she runs a secret resistance smuggling slaves, refugees, and other victims of Nulumriel’s reign out of Corso. Dershan believes she will not turn away a new mother, and goes ahead to give word.
The party disguises themselves, with Zahir taking the role of wealthy father and husband, and the rest as attendants for the “family”. Their journey through Corso’s streets is uneventful, and they find a warm welcome at Lady Farran’s estate. Sephoni is quickly whisked away to rest and clean up, while the party converses with the Lady.
Their first priority is to leave Corso. The magically compelled attack on Sephoni smacks of a conspiracy, and it would not be wise to keep such a powerful young goddess near to Nulumriel and the Order of Reconciliation. Sephoni has mentioned family in Somorrah, a strikingly peaceful city on the border of the Nightland, far from Corso’s bleakness. Lady Farran hires the party to act as Sephoni’s escort to Somorrah. In return she offers them gold stars and 2 rare and prized books that have recently come into her possession.
To exit the city and begin the journey, Lady Farran recommends using a merchant caravan that she has worked with in the past, although they have always used a go-between to keep identities secret. They will have a cart for the mother and child to ride in, and will not cause any suspicion as they leave the city. The group sets out with Valen, the go-between, to meet the caravan leader at the Sleen’s Barrel, a dingy bar near the East Gate of the city.
Corso has many broad and well lit avenues, but eventually the party finds themselves taking dingy back roads toward the bar. Valen hears a noise and runs ahead. Before anyone can react, he is pulled sharply out of sight into an alleyway. When the party rounds the corner, it’s empty. The only clue left behind is a small scrap of leather, perhaps from an armband, with a stylized double-headed wolf emblem. Zahir recalls the tattoo on the Tranquil Assassin from their recent battle, and suspects that this may be related somehow. Careful searching and investigative work uncover a trap door in the cobblestones, explaining the sudden disappearance of Valen.
The party needs Valen to contact the caravan leader, so they plunge ahead into the tunnel, following it along. As they approach the end it grows brighter, and the party can see beautiful carved etchings in stone all along the walls. A lone youth stands guard in the hallway. Datura and Zinnia successfully convince him to divulge all about what they might find. He informs the party that he is a member of the Final Clave, an obscure group that Datura has heard of, but believed extinct 30 years ago. They used to promote mass sacrifice to restore the old gods. The youth is terrified of our adventurers, one of whom is on fire, and is easily convinced to repent and mend his ways.
With urgency, the party emerges into a tall room with windows ringing the top. Mosaics and carvings of Verecocho, the old god of magic, run around the walls, and an altar stands in the middle of the round space. It is covered in old blood.
Scared of what they might find, the party ventures through a door on the other side of them. They encounter 6 guards, and 5 bound victims, including Valen. A fight ensues, brief and deadly. Zahir’s onslaught proves to be terrifyingly efficient at killing, and the rest equip themselves well with swords, arrows, and fire. Hearing the fight, the group’s leader, Vistan, emerges from a side room. Despite his greater weapons and power, he is dispatched by Zahir in one blow. Some in the party wish they could have interrogated Vistan, but it’s done. In the aftermath of the fight, the group notices Vistan’s pendant, a wolf’s tooth that emits a faint aura. Zahir pockets it, and the aura gradually fades.
When the intended sacrifices are led into the main room, a soft light seems to emanate from the walls, and Verecocho’s symbol glows strongly through the old blood on the altar. For a moment, the air feels warm. The victims are set free, and given loot from the guard’s pockets to speed their way home. Valen is shaken, but determined to continue, and he leads them to the Sleen’s Barrel.
At the pub, the party is introduced to Levona, a tall, dark-skinned woman with a vivid blue bandanna restraining her curly hair. She is brisk and no-nonsense, and accepts the party on board her caravan. They run a regular monthly route from Corso to Loreda, a golden bower that is known for its bountiful food production. The caravan will depart in 2 weeks time. Satisfied, the party returns to Lady Farran’s to rest and prepare for the 2-week journey to Loreda.
Session 2: A Pirate’s Life for Me.
After a good 2-week rest, the party starts gathering up their things, ready to depart Corso. Mother and baby (Sephoni and Arua) have had some time to recover, and are eager to leave the dark city. The party has been busily reading the two books Lady Farran is paying them with. They have learned much about progressing in their divinity and have read the seven old prophecies of Sudhara.The trek through the city is uneventful, but trouble is in the air at the inn. Levona’s face looks tight with worry. She explains to the party that a delivery was supposed to arrive that day, but she has had no word from the ship that was bringing it in, the Bright Star. Levona knows the ship is Lady Farran’s personal vessel, not knowing that Lady Farran is also her employer. She must remain at the inn, in case a message comes, and asks the party to investigate the docks. After securing Sephoni and Arua, the party heads out for the southern port of Corso.
The docks are busy and bustling, and rife with unsavory characters. Most of them are just doing their jobs though. The Bright Star is easy to find, and a ship’s boy is sitting on a crate next to the loading plank. The poor boy is easily intimidated by the 4 adults bearing down on him, and he quickly admits to having taken his eye’s off the merchandise briefly. When he returned, it had all been taken right off the dock. Agai suspects that the Sea Knives, a notorious gang of pirates and thieves has taken the merchandise. A little more pressing reveals that his childhood friend, Ithi, is now a ship’s boy on one of the Sea Knives’ ships, and he likes to hang out at the Erinyes’ Eye during the Nod cycle.
The party easily finds the pub, a run down affair with a seedy clientele. It is easy enough to spot based on Agai’s description. His two friends flee quickly as the party approaches, leaving him trapped and alone. Datura embarks on an epic guilt-trip, blasting the boy for joining such an ill-reputed sea crew and scolding him for not writing to his mother in over a year. “What would she think if she knew what you were up to?” Ithi breaks down, blurting out “We’re not the bad guys, I swear!” He readily admits to having taken the crates off the docks, but doesn’t know what they contain, just that it was likely to be valuable. He reluctantly gives the party directions to a warehouse in the back alleys around the dock area.
The warehouse is a large, plain building, sharing walls on two sides with other warehouses. An alleyway off to the side allows the party to hide and think for a minute. Using his Far Step abilities, Zahir is able to crouch on a small ledge and peer in through a high window. There are a few chairs, a card table, and many crates piled up at the back. A ragged curtain closes off the far back area, likely for sleeping quarters. 5 guards are inside, in various states of boredom.
Rather than burst through the front, the party identifies the crate mostly likely to contain Levona’s delivery. A clever cypher is used, a glowing chunk of crystal imbued with vestigial divine power, and a small hole appears in one of the wall’s bricks. Zahir turns to shadow and slips through the hole, appearing unnoticed in the warehouse. He grabs the small crate, and turns to leave through the hole.
Suddenly, the back curtain is thrust back, and a ragged man stares at Zahir. He looks emaciated and dirty, with gaunt eyes. The Sea Knives are known to traffic in illegal slavery, and Zahir feels a powerful sadness and revulsion on behalf of the man. In a shocking twist though, the man cries out, “Why are you stealing from us? Please, don’t do this!” The guards hear the shout and start moving toward the back of the warehouse. Despite his confusion, Zahir fades back through the hole, and the party starts mobilizing.
Guards rush out the front of the warehouse, and block off the mouth of the alley. They have weapons, but seem conflicted about fighting. One of them begs the party to enter the warehouse. “Please, we can explain what you saw, but not out here.” Warily, the party follows them in, with a “we can always kill them later” mentality.
Inside the warehouse a pitiful sight meets their eyes: 10 painfully thin and battered people, dressed in slave rags hiding in the back of the room. Some of them are barely in their double digits. Much to the party’s confusion, the guards of the vicious Sea Knives are kindly checking on the slaves, and ushering them back into hiding. A large Taran woman walks through the front door. The party members from Corso recognize her by reputation: Tamsi, the feared head of the Sea Knives. She approaches the party, and tells them an almost unbelievable tale.
The Sea Knives are known for their fearsome thievery, their piracy, and their illegal slavery because they deliberately encourage those stories. They are too frightening and powerful to be taken out, and that allows them the freedom to pursue their true goal: smuggling slaves out of the Nightlands. Their thievery is real, but it mostly goes to funding their smuggling trade, and to providing the freed slaves with enough cash to start a new life. Tamsi is proud of her work, and only regrets that currently the Sea Knives are a purely naval operation. She hopes to eventually have an overland route toward the northern Nightlands.
Recognizing a golden opportunity, the party offers to connect Tamsi with Lady Farran, thus opening up more routes to free slaves from Corso. In exchange they require Lady Farran’s items to be returned. Tamsi is willing to return the items, especially in return for netting such a powerful ally.
Some quick traveling follows. The item is delivered to Levona at the Sleen’s Barrel, after which the party hastens back to Lady Farran’s manor to apprise her of the new situation. She is delighted to hear the news, and mentions that there is a tunnel connecting her kitchens down to the docks which could prove useful. She’s never used it before because it’s infested with strange creatures, and is currently too dangerous to traverse. Pumped up with enthusiasm from their recent adventure, the party boldly offers to clear it out before leaving Corso.
The Tunnel starts just off the kitchen, through a closet. The boggins in the kitchen look perturbed as it opens, billowing cold air. As the party ventures down, the first obstacle they encounter is a large group of boggins. These are not like the friendly kitchen dwellers though; these have gone feral. A brief discussion is held, and the party quickly retreats to the kitchen. They interrogate a boggin as best as they are able, and manage to determine that the feral boggins only need to be led back to the safety of the house to regain their normal good nature. Using small pieces of cheese they lure the hoard back, where they are gleefully met by their new friends.
Farther down the tunnel they encounter 4 ghosts. Careful persuasion convinces them to go haunt other areas, out of this tunnel. As they near the end of the tunnel, the party almost runs over a sleeper, a magic user from the Guild of Sleep. He is deep in a magical sleep, and may have been here for weeks or months. 5 nodlings rise out of the ground, swarming the party and attacking the sleeper. Oftentimes the Guild of Sleep wages battles against the King of Nod, and he sends minions to attack their helpless bodies. Having had experience with nodlings in the past, the party blasts them down to dust quickly. Zahir’s onslaught and Zinnia’s fire prove quite effective against the creatures of the night. The sleeper is gathered up and returned to Lady Farran for safe keeping.
Having done a hard day’s work, the party finally returns to the Sleen’s Barrel, where Levona is waiting with some concern. They gather up all the caravan members and items and head out, passing through Corso’s gates with barely a glance from the guards. As they hit the road, Levona asks the party for a favor. She knows they are headed to Somorrah, and will likely be taking the Winter Road, passing by Old Nemoro. Her delivery is a powerful artifact that needs to be given to a friend in the city. She asks that the party take the item to her friend, Jhaan, when they pass through. In return she offers two small cyphers, an Instant Shelter and a Phase Changer, and a much more valuable artifact, a modified Chronolapse. It can serve as a vehicle for one person, moving at great speeds. The party agrees, intrigued by the valuable artifacts.
Session 3: On the Road
The party is on the road, having left Corso. Sephoni and the newborn Arua ride in a cart, pulled by draft horses. The party members alternate walking and riding, along with the caravan members. The journey is smooth, if boring. The moon of Nod rises high in the sky, bathing the dull, barren landscape in a weak glow. The caravan bears glowing globes and torches to light the path.After several hours plodding, an obstacle rises up ahead of the caravan. A large block of ice lays across the road. Deep furrows and ice blocks mar the fields on either side of the road, blocking the progress of the carts. Zinnia charges to the rescue, turning on her fire and rushing to melt the block across the road. As the block slowly melts, it glows with the golden light of the flames.
Suddenly, the block finishes melting, flaring up with flames. A large Golden Bull snorts angrily, covered in flames, and shooting golden fire out of its nostrils. The Golden Bulls were once wise, magical creatures, beloved of the gods. Now, they have succumbed to rage and are deadly to those caught wandering through their domains. Zinnia flares her fiery aura, magnifying her divine flames, and speaking soothingly. Through the powers of her flames and some assistance from Yarrow’s calming speech, the bull calms down, enough to speak to the party. In cultured Silver he introduces himself as Aiden, and attaches himself to Zinnia, saying he can help teach her the ways of the flame.
Since Aiden makes the caravan slightly nervous (as do all the flames), Zinnia travels with him a little ways behind. Several more hours and rests go by, as the caravan makes its way north. A shriek comes from a barren field out to the right. The party immediately dashes out, leaving the caravan guards to protect Sephoni and Arua. They spot a figure hunched over in the field, with a griffon circling overhead, coming in for a dive. Cerena dons her magic armor, and rushes out to protect the man. The rest of the party successfully drives off the griffon mating pair that had attacked, drawn to the man’s shiny weaponry. He introduces himself as Master Muscari, and follows up his introduction with an intriguing comment: “Huh, you guys have the auras too.”
The team stares at him in shock, and notices he has a faint aura around him, just a shimmer. They question him a little further, and learn about his fascinating past. Until recently, Master Muscari was the master of the Uroch Chapterhouse, a spiritual retreat at the edges of the Guruden Marsh. He was recently ousted from the Chapterhouse by his pupil, Kronetus, a powerful sorcerer. Kronetus grew from child to adult in an incredibly short period of time, but his mind remains that of an impetuous teenager. After deciding that he should use his powers for personal gain, he used his strong telekinetic magic to overthrow Muscari. Rather than fight and risk the lives of his other students, Muscari left, and began the trip across the Nightlands. He is battered and travel weary, but remains in almost naively optimistic spirits. His life at the Chapterhouse was almost completely unaffected by the Fall; he did not worship the old gods, and holds to a simple philosophy of inner spirituality and meditation. He believes that the auras are a sign of clean living and spirituality, since everyone who came through his Chapterhouse eventually develops one. The party files this tidbit away for further reference.
As Muscari recovers from his ordeal, he rests in the cart with Sephoni and Arua. Zahir rides with them and makes shadow puppets for Arua. She tracks them slightly with wide eyes. In addition to chatting about his past, Muscari offers to coach Yarrow and Datura in the use of their bladed weapons.
The trip holds one more encounter for the party. A large band comes along the road toward the caravan, causing difficulty with passage. In the slow shuffling, the party notices that the band consists of several heavily armored men on horseback and a group of ragged looking men and women on foot. They are bound in chains are barefoot, dressed in torn clothing: slaves bound for Corso’s market.
The party feels deeply angered by the presence of the slave drivers, and decides to take a stand while the civilians from the caravan are still safely behind them. Zahir allows the head slave driver an opportunity to leave the slaves and goods and walk away. He contemptuously declines, drawing his sword. Zahir decides on his dominion, and becomes the God of Choices, gaining access to his divine shifts, and unleashing a devastating Onslaught on the slave driver, dropping him with one blast of shadow. A quick attack from the other party members drops some other slavers, causing the rest to panic and run.
The party frees the slaves from their bonds. Several have had their lips sewn together, a horrifying punishment. Some healing magic helps with the worst of the wounds, and the caravan helps the rest of the slaves wash up and rest their feet.
Session 4: On the Road & Loreda
A few days roll by, as the group slowly wends its way along the Winter Road to Loreda. Master Muscari has become fast friends with the group, and they spend their time talking about magic and training with weapons and martial arts. Aiden the bull has tagged along also, but says he will not come into the town, and must depart soon. Nod is settling down toward the horizon, and the caravan is preparing to rest. Datura, Frick and Frack spot an inn up ahead. The smell of spiced milkshakes wafts out to Datura, and she rushes ahead of the group. Zahir and Cerena look toward the inn, and realize it is a horrible trap. The inn is an illusion, cast by a Faerie Ring, a large puddle of sentient fungus that digests meat by secreting a strong acid.Zahir and Cerena are able to tackle Frick and Frack before they enter the Faerie Ring, although Frick is stunned by the psychic shock and goes into a swoon. Working with swift efficiency, the team pulls Datura from the mess and blasts the fungus into oblivion. Just before its demise, it takes on the form of a young girl begging for her life. The party is untouched (except for Frack), and the fungus perishes quickly. No one sleeps well that night.
As Nod rises high over the plains, the caravan reaches Loreda, a quiet farming town, known for its Golden Bower, a powerful magical artifact that mimics the light of the sun, allowing for the growing of crops. The town is laid out in concentric circles: market and wealthy in the middle circle, farmers next, hunters/ guards, and livestock pens on the outside. The guards protect the farmers, who are needed for tending to the fields. The guards at the front gate know Levona, and wave her through with a cursory glance. The wagons stay outside, as the caravan drivers start unloading their wares. They will be in town for 2 days to exchange goods for crops.
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| My map of Loreda |
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| The Lamp of Loreda (I tried, don't judge my art.) |
On the way, Zahir pauses briefly. Since coming into his new powers, a strange sense has been growing. As he stands alone, a seraph flies down, ready for his orders. Many gods were attended by seraphs decades past, so this is not so strange. However, the seraph appears to be a seraph of sin, not of virtue. It appears content to obey him, so Zahir tells the seraph to hide for now, but come when called. He rejoins the party at their inn (a real one this time), where they meet the innkeepers, Hanna and Gart, their daughter Gwennen, and her small black kitty, Kitty.
Shaken by Arua’s crying, the party resolves to visit the light again after the town is asleep. That “night” they return to the field. Zahir uses some clever shadow play to create a way for him to slip inside the lamp. Once inside, he determines that a seraph of virtue is slowly being drained to power the lamp. The light that keeps the crops growing comes at the cost of a seraph being slowly tortured to death, over the span of several years. This light has already been burning for 5 years, 2 years longer than the average light lasts. It is likely on its last legs. Troubled, the party retires to bed, and plans to plan in the morning.
Session 5: Saving the Seraph & Drugging the Town.
Dawn comes to the fair village of Loreda. Datura, mind utterly blown by having finally been able to drink a spiced milkshake after having one melt in her hands, remains in bed. But Yarrow, having finally shaken off the effects of their enchanted sleep, returns to us. Talk in the inn's common room centers on the disturbing shared dreams of the night before. Despite our dreamdust, we all heard cries for help in our sleep. The other occupants of the inn were largely undisturbed, but one local reported similar dreams, coming intermittently over the last several months. The inn's cat, Kitty, is also inconsolable and scratches at Gwen, the innkeeper’s daughter.A decision is reached to revisit the sun-orb and talk to the seraph held within. To gain privacy for this, Frack sets up a fire show in town to delight the passersby. Out in the field, Yarrow persuades the farmers, hard at work to finish the harvest for the caravan, to take an hour off to go see this wondrous sight. Alone in the field, the party calls down Zahir's Seraph of Sin and-by writing- communicates with it. It confirms the presence of a Seraph of Virtue in the lamp. With its help, a bargain is struck with the imprisoned virtue: it would be freed to heal while the Sin took its place. Once it has healed, it will return to the lamp to serve until either spring came or we could return to grant it rest again.
Cerena's examination of the lamp suggests that opening it to swap the seraphs would be a level 9 task. She also points out that the village could not help but notice if the sun went out, even for a few moments, even at "night" when the work had ceased. Zahir, recognizing some wisdom in not alerting the entire town, suggests doing the exchange at night and getting the town drunk. Plans develop as they return to the town and reunite with Zinnia, whose disappointing take of "mostly mushrooms" includes one "special" mushroom. Cerena's examination of the special mushroom determines it to be a hallucinogen, and one of her cyphers generates a number of doses of a similar drug. The plan is now fully realized: a mass purchase of alcohol, suitably spiked with mushroom and drug, is administered to all in the night. The flaming bull Aiden is also called back to walk the edges of the town to contribute to the confusion. Aiden had not expected to be called on quite so soon, but he is willing to help out because Frack asked so nicely.
The party, regrettably not able to join in the festivities, repairs to the field. With much effort, assistance, training, and asset cards expended, they are able to open the lamp on the first try. A broken, almost shattered seraph falls out and the light dies. A healthy seraph of sin enters in its place, and the lamp snaps shut. Again light blazes forth. The color is, perhaps, ever so slightly different. But this is barely noticeable.
The Virtue is a wreck. Put on the horse, it is taken to a field outside of town where it can recover by the light of the natural moon. Zahir remains behind to stand guard.
Everyone else returns to the inn, discovering the remains of a somewhat epic rager. Residents could still be heard to have conversations with, about, and around various imaginary sights. Something as mundane as the sun momentarily going out did not register in comparison. The infant Arua, however, is disturbed. Frack tries to communicate with her, but this appears to be a job for the telepath. A short horse ride later, Zahir attempts to read Arua's mind. Apparently this nascent god of spring is happy that the Seraphs of Virtue and Sin have traded places, and wants to see the wounded Virtue. No one being coherent enough to notice these odd goings on, the party takes Arua to the seraph and watches in wonder as the baby's touch greatly speeds the broken Virtue's healing. Before their eyes, a garden of local plants grows around the baby and fallen seraph in a symbol of regrowth. In a few days, it will be time to switch the seraphs back.
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| Arua's Garden of healing- aerial view |
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