Kelehess 27th
(29 days total, 16 days until the New Moon)
(sorry guys, slowly catching up with these...)
Experience: 290 each (7,878 total)
Magic: None
Loot: Raven Pendant (250 gp), 5 suits of medium leather armor, 5 daggers
Money: 650 gp
NPCs:
Ispar, young drow commander of the Hand of Doom's Provian cloister
Ms. Beetle, goblin servant in disguise as the Hand barkeep
Dazeen the Uniter, prince of the old Gloriandeline empire and the only one able to reunite the Hearts; son of High King Gloriandel and presumably Kaylan's uncle
Pearlol and Chokloth, naiad sisters in the freshwater grotto beneath Blackdelve
Monsters: Human cultists, crocodile, vine horrors, naiads, piranhas
Organizations: Cult of the Green God, The Hand of Doom
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Session 23: Provian Lairs
Afternoon, Kelehess 26th - Morning, Kelehess 27th
(29 days total, 16 days until the New Moon)
Jeda Uninterrupted
Finally free of chaperons and the morally sound, Jeda, with Adej tightly wound around her forearm, snooped through camp a bit and eventually slipped off into the city. And what a big place it was, filled with far more people than she was accustomed to. All Nors, it was a thrilling experience to remain hidden, yet she played the role of human well beneath her robes, where her red skin could not see day. Had she looked in anyone's eyes, though, well, they'd have known she was something more sinister than man.
Using her recollection of the map, and some good old fashioned wandering, she walked the main Ring Road which wound around Provia, through lesser districts, guild blocks, even passed the church and graveyard. She'd only one destination, though, which made itself known by the grizzly mummified hands dangling from the gutters, the pale stone pillars, the sunset stained glass windows as The Mummy's Hand.
The Mummy's Hand
Opening the door, she was struck in the face by a plume of smoke, a mix of tobacco, weed and opium. Dazed a moment, she entered and shut the portal behind her. In a small coatroom, yet unable to see much more than five feet in front of her, she shuffled ahead for what low murmurs and coughs marked the common room. Yet before she'd taken three steps, a hulking man with indistinct features besides rippled muscles, a bald head, and dark wells for eyes, blocked her way. She did not belong to the Hand, and thus was not welcome, though when Jeda mentioned DeWitt the large one allowed her entry.
Entering the cloud bank that was the common room, it was difficult to discern much of anything about it. Orange coals from hookahs burned like a few dozen stars, lighting the vagueness of so many more orbiting faces. There were couches, cushions and chairs, even a fireplace or two, but the bar was unseen. She wasn't even sure how big the room was or if there was another exit.
Counter Culture
With some wandering, Jeda managed to find the bar, a small, darkwood counter but with a vast set of racks behind it which held all manner of drink, herb and drug, as well as the glasses, hookahs, papers and pipes for such indulgences. A beetle-like woman hunched on a stool, all together darkly dressed with dark, slightly-silver-streaked hair, reading a book.
Jeda attempted to order, but the woman didn't respond, infuriating the tiefling until which point the barkeep took pity and explained that in the Hand there was a certain language of ordering that wasn't Common. She helped Jeda through the steps to buying a hookah, enough hashish to fill it and a room for the night.
The Artists from Tolsted
At that point Jeda, feeling confident in the smoky room which masked most everyone's features, looked for a companion for the night. She passed by a few tables curiously, no one biting, and eventually came to an odd pair, two Umbalans with ebon skin out of the jungle colony of Umbala. She tried making small talk, but the two were either very stoned or very cruel as they could only laugh at Jeda's attempts to address them. The tiefling quickly grew angry and moved off, even as the two laughed so hard they were warned by the management.
Jeda tried another table, one with a blond, athletic Norswoman, a tall, handsome Norsman, and a twenty-something, balding Norsman. Her attempts to enter their conversation proved fruitful and the three were introduced as Heidi, Dieter and Paul. They were artists out of Tolsted, the creative capital of the empire, and regarded Provia as backwater and hardly much more than a town. They were only passing through on their way back home, but Dieter insisted on seeing DeWitt's circus tomorrow night. Jeda revealed she was performing in said act, prompting a demonstration of her "shadow puppets" with the help of Adej. It was a small shadow beetle, but enough to impress Paul and freak Heidi.
Dieter, taking a liking to the mysterious Jeda, offered to grab a bottle of Green Fairy. Jeda learned it was an alcohol called Absinthe which, if drunk in large enough quanities, caused the drinker to hallucinate. Of course, Paul added, it helped to already be fucked up. They shared hookahs, Heidi's a nice sky blue and Jeda's red dragon, until Dieter returned with a large bottle.
Green Fairy Aftereffects
The night melted then as the four of them shared drink after smoke after story, the lot getting entirely FUBAR. At that point Heidi rose and suggested an orgy, which Jeda was invited to. They shuffled to the bookcase which was cleverly designed as the door to the upstairs rooms. They entered a room larger than Jeda's and leaped on the bed, experiencing a night of sensation, experimentation, illusion and fun the likes of which Jeda had not had prior.
She passed out soundly, as did they all. Jeda was woken that morning to the sounds of screaming and the impact of a pillow on her head. She was naked and they were awake, realizing they'd copulated with a tiefling...
Beneath Blackdelve
After some debate, Kaylan and Portia tore open the trap door on the forest floor and plunged down root-choked stairs and into pitch blackness. It smells musty and moldy. They could feel slime and fungi on the walls and the floor held scum-skinned puddles which eventually grew into flood waters.
Trusting in their senses despite being blind and more or less defenseless, the pair (mostly led by Kaylan's persistent curiosity) made their way through the beginnings of a crumbling underground complex stretching beneath Blackdelve Asylum.
Slosh, Slosh, Slosh
In her blind exploration of the tunnels, alcoves and empty chambers beneath Blackdelve, the cleric generated a lot of noise. Enough, in fact, to spark torches in a distance chamber at the corridor's end. Portia slipped into shadow with the ease of her ancestors, Kaylan a little less gracefully wedging herself in a crumbling pocket of wall.
The two investigators turned out to be Norsmen with severe allergic reactions, hooded and robed in wool dyed forest green, cultists in the same vein as those in Angern. Torches held before them, one waited at the doorway of the chamber and the other began a slow, cautious trudge through the shin-deep waters for Kaylan and Portia's direction. He stopped almost right beside the hushed Kaylan, looking about for signs of intruders. Portia threw a stone against a section of particular wall decay, the brick bouncing off and splashing. The cultist jumped a little and moved to investigate, muttering finally, "This whole damned place is going to fall on us..."
Cult Gossip
Following the cultists back to their half-flooded chamber with a stealth akin to Portia, Kaylan quietly tried the door to her left whilst listening to cult gossip. They talked about all sorts of things in their uneventful vigil, though eventually moved onto some juicy information, talking about an unseen cult chapter leader by the name of Greentongue and the odd collection of fey assembled under him. One was called a vine horror that lurked the corridors which none of them seemed to comfortable being near and, in fact, mentioning they prefered the croc. Conversation slipped to the basement level itself, all flooded and deteriorated. Greentongue had been digging for over a month now, they said, suspecting partly why the upper levels were sagging so much, but another assured them it had been like that ever since some curious Blackdelve doctors thought to rennovate the space into more cells for their lunatics, only to trigger an ancient elven trap which flooded the place. Talk moved to their hatred for elves, which drew a bit of Kaylan's ire.
Of the chamber she explored, it was also flooded, truly flooded, as the sunken floor and cieling and the water level combined to create a room with no breathing clearance after five feet or so. A dark, dead end she reasoned. Having spotted another door on the far end of the room, she crept into chest-deep water to try it out.
Visejaw
As Kaylan slipped through the deepening waters, unseen around the grotto's perimeter, something quieter and more attentive still followed close behind. Nearly to the half-submerged door, something gigantic burst from the black water and caught her in a vice. The cultists nearly leaped out of their skins, and Portia too from her hidden vantage. The men ran with torches to the edge of the shore, lighting the grizzly scene of a giant gray-brown crocodile thrashing and chewing on the unarmored Kaylan. The pain was unbelievable as her stomach and back were sawed with every throw of the monster's head, by dozens of dull teeth.
Gripped with fear and despair, Portia fled back to camp.
Saved by Diplomacy
As the animal tore into the cleric, she tried to convince the cultists she was more valuable alive by playing to their fear and obedience to the mysterious Greentongue. At first she choked on her own blood, as the crocodile slammed her against the wall, but eventually she managed to croak the words which ultimately led to her salvation.
However the cultists were in no position to deny the hulking primeval thing and instead called to the ceiling. Vines as thick as forearms lashed down and entangled the crocodile, despite its frenzy, even prying open its mouth so as to release the half-elf. They drew it to the far wall and let it tantrum, as Kaylan was left to bleed out a bit and then finally dragged to shore.
They kept close watch as she bound her wounds, having been close to oblivion. One dove down through a sunken gate after a few tested breaths to inform those below of what they'd caught, returning a few minutes later and going on about fairy dragons with cute, razor wings. Unsure whether or not the little things had understood his report or not, despite one having flown off deeper into the complex, the three decided to wait and see.
Two of the three cultists revealed themselves to be elf-haters, no surprise if the cult drew members from the Kingdom. The bigots remarked bounty hunters would often trade in the ear tips of elves for coin, though they did it mostly for fun. One removed a knife and the other moved to hold Kaylan down, remarking even a halfie's ears could get them something. The third cultists quietly protested, but Kaylan protested a bit stronger with kicked to the groins which toppled the two.
Seeing her chance to escape, she made a dash, leaping away from the standing cultist and starting a break down the long, dark hall. However these three were hardly the true guardians of the sunken gate, rather the vine horror, whose many arms lashed out with surgical precision and wrapped Kaylan from toe to nose and drew her to the ceiling.
It plunged into the waters of the sunken gate and passed through flooded chamber after flooded chamber, until Kaylan lost consciousness for lack of air.
Ghisidhran
Kaylan woke to the sounds of high-pitched giggling, her returning vision unable to focus on the tiny shapes flitting by her. When at last sight did come back, she found herself in a humid, fungal cave with high ceilings and a wide berth. Rising, she was met with a tall, pale mandarin with straight, black hair to his waist, coupled with black fingernails and dark eyes, dressed in the finest green semi-metallic robes which trailed behind him like a tail. In the blue faerie fire which traced dangling fungi and yet did not burn it, this imposing figure cast the large shadow of a dragon...
Kaylan need not look at the shadow to guess whom she was facing, the man confirming he was indeed Ghisidhran. He bowed slightly and addressed the raggedy cleric as princess, noting he'd been expecting her...
Experience: 200 (7,588, LEVEL UP 6!)
Magic: None
Loot: Red Dragon Hookah, Room 14 at The Mummy's Hand (Jeda)
Money: -30 gold (Jeda)
NPCs:
Abum, bouncer at The Mummy's Hand
Hand Barkeeper, beetle-like woman behind the counter
Umbalan Brothers (unnamed), pipe smoking gigglers of eastern jungle descent; ebon-skinned
Heidi, pretty, athletic, presumptuous Nors artist from Tolsted
Paul, balding, mild, twenty-something Nors artist from Tolsted
Dieter, strong, blond, handsome Nors artist from Tolsted
3 Green Cultists, seemingly not quite as fanatical as chatty
Ghisidhran, in the form of a tall, pale, black haired-and-nailed mandarin; cast a dragon's shadow on the wall (Large Dragon)
Monsters: visejaw crocodile, vine horror, fairydragons, human cultists (level 5)
Places: Flooded basement level of Blackdelve and Green Grottos of the Provian GG Cult (Kaylan and Portia), The Mummy's Hand (Jeda)
Organizations: Cult of the Green God
Kill Ghisidhran
And bring me back his tongue!
Kaylan's Secret Origins
What is the real origin story on Kaylan?
The Mummy's Hand Connection
Just what is the connection DeWitt shares with the "inn"?
(29 days total, 16 days until the New Moon)
Jeda Uninterrupted
Finally free of chaperons and the morally sound, Jeda, with Adej tightly wound around her forearm, snooped through camp a bit and eventually slipped off into the city. And what a big place it was, filled with far more people than she was accustomed to. All Nors, it was a thrilling experience to remain hidden, yet she played the role of human well beneath her robes, where her red skin could not see day. Had she looked in anyone's eyes, though, well, they'd have known she was something more sinister than man.
Using her recollection of the map, and some good old fashioned wandering, she walked the main Ring Road which wound around Provia, through lesser districts, guild blocks, even passed the church and graveyard. She'd only one destination, though, which made itself known by the grizzly mummified hands dangling from the gutters, the pale stone pillars, the sunset stained glass windows as The Mummy's Hand.
The Mummy's Hand
Opening the door, she was struck in the face by a plume of smoke, a mix of tobacco, weed and opium. Dazed a moment, she entered and shut the portal behind her. In a small coatroom, yet unable to see much more than five feet in front of her, she shuffled ahead for what low murmurs and coughs marked the common room. Yet before she'd taken three steps, a hulking man with indistinct features besides rippled muscles, a bald head, and dark wells for eyes, blocked her way. She did not belong to the Hand, and thus was not welcome, though when Jeda mentioned DeWitt the large one allowed her entry.
Entering the cloud bank that was the common room, it was difficult to discern much of anything about it. Orange coals from hookahs burned like a few dozen stars, lighting the vagueness of so many more orbiting faces. There were couches, cushions and chairs, even a fireplace or two, but the bar was unseen. She wasn't even sure how big the room was or if there was another exit.
Counter Culture
With some wandering, Jeda managed to find the bar, a small, darkwood counter but with a vast set of racks behind it which held all manner of drink, herb and drug, as well as the glasses, hookahs, papers and pipes for such indulgences. A beetle-like woman hunched on a stool, all together darkly dressed with dark, slightly-silver-streaked hair, reading a book.
Jeda attempted to order, but the woman didn't respond, infuriating the tiefling until which point the barkeep took pity and explained that in the Hand there was a certain language of ordering that wasn't Common. She helped Jeda through the steps to buying a hookah, enough hashish to fill it and a room for the night.
The Artists from Tolsted
At that point Jeda, feeling confident in the smoky room which masked most everyone's features, looked for a companion for the night. She passed by a few tables curiously, no one biting, and eventually came to an odd pair, two Umbalans with ebon skin out of the jungle colony of Umbala. She tried making small talk, but the two were either very stoned or very cruel as they could only laugh at Jeda's attempts to address them. The tiefling quickly grew angry and moved off, even as the two laughed so hard they were warned by the management.
Jeda tried another table, one with a blond, athletic Norswoman, a tall, handsome Norsman, and a twenty-something, balding Norsman. Her attempts to enter their conversation proved fruitful and the three were introduced as Heidi, Dieter and Paul. They were artists out of Tolsted, the creative capital of the empire, and regarded Provia as backwater and hardly much more than a town. They were only passing through on their way back home, but Dieter insisted on seeing DeWitt's circus tomorrow night. Jeda revealed she was performing in said act, prompting a demonstration of her "shadow puppets" with the help of Adej. It was a small shadow beetle, but enough to impress Paul and freak Heidi.
Dieter, taking a liking to the mysterious Jeda, offered to grab a bottle of Green Fairy. Jeda learned it was an alcohol called Absinthe which, if drunk in large enough quanities, caused the drinker to hallucinate. Of course, Paul added, it helped to already be fucked up. They shared hookahs, Heidi's a nice sky blue and Jeda's red dragon, until Dieter returned with a large bottle.
Green Fairy Aftereffects
The night melted then as the four of them shared drink after smoke after story, the lot getting entirely FUBAR. At that point Heidi rose and suggested an orgy, which Jeda was invited to. They shuffled to the bookcase which was cleverly designed as the door to the upstairs rooms. They entered a room larger than Jeda's and leaped on the bed, experiencing a night of sensation, experimentation, illusion and fun the likes of which Jeda had not had prior.
She passed out soundly, as did they all. Jeda was woken that morning to the sounds of screaming and the impact of a pillow on her head. She was naked and they were awake, realizing they'd copulated with a tiefling...
Beneath Blackdelve
After some debate, Kaylan and Portia tore open the trap door on the forest floor and plunged down root-choked stairs and into pitch blackness. It smells musty and moldy. They could feel slime and fungi on the walls and the floor held scum-skinned puddles which eventually grew into flood waters.
Trusting in their senses despite being blind and more or less defenseless, the pair (mostly led by Kaylan's persistent curiosity) made their way through the beginnings of a crumbling underground complex stretching beneath Blackdelve Asylum.
Slosh, Slosh, Slosh
In her blind exploration of the tunnels, alcoves and empty chambers beneath Blackdelve, the cleric generated a lot of noise. Enough, in fact, to spark torches in a distance chamber at the corridor's end. Portia slipped into shadow with the ease of her ancestors, Kaylan a little less gracefully wedging herself in a crumbling pocket of wall.
The two investigators turned out to be Norsmen with severe allergic reactions, hooded and robed in wool dyed forest green, cultists in the same vein as those in Angern. Torches held before them, one waited at the doorway of the chamber and the other began a slow, cautious trudge through the shin-deep waters for Kaylan and Portia's direction. He stopped almost right beside the hushed Kaylan, looking about for signs of intruders. Portia threw a stone against a section of particular wall decay, the brick bouncing off and splashing. The cultist jumped a little and moved to investigate, muttering finally, "This whole damned place is going to fall on us..."
Cult Gossip
Following the cultists back to their half-flooded chamber with a stealth akin to Portia, Kaylan quietly tried the door to her left whilst listening to cult gossip. They talked about all sorts of things in their uneventful vigil, though eventually moved onto some juicy information, talking about an unseen cult chapter leader by the name of Greentongue and the odd collection of fey assembled under him. One was called a vine horror that lurked the corridors which none of them seemed to comfortable being near and, in fact, mentioning they prefered the croc. Conversation slipped to the basement level itself, all flooded and deteriorated. Greentongue had been digging for over a month now, they said, suspecting partly why the upper levels were sagging so much, but another assured them it had been like that ever since some curious Blackdelve doctors thought to rennovate the space into more cells for their lunatics, only to trigger an ancient elven trap which flooded the place. Talk moved to their hatred for elves, which drew a bit of Kaylan's ire.
Of the chamber she explored, it was also flooded, truly flooded, as the sunken floor and cieling and the water level combined to create a room with no breathing clearance after five feet or so. A dark, dead end she reasoned. Having spotted another door on the far end of the room, she crept into chest-deep water to try it out.
Visejaw
As Kaylan slipped through the deepening waters, unseen around the grotto's perimeter, something quieter and more attentive still followed close behind. Nearly to the half-submerged door, something gigantic burst from the black water and caught her in a vice. The cultists nearly leaped out of their skins, and Portia too from her hidden vantage. The men ran with torches to the edge of the shore, lighting the grizzly scene of a giant gray-brown crocodile thrashing and chewing on the unarmored Kaylan. The pain was unbelievable as her stomach and back were sawed with every throw of the monster's head, by dozens of dull teeth.
Gripped with fear and despair, Portia fled back to camp.
Saved by Diplomacy
As the animal tore into the cleric, she tried to convince the cultists she was more valuable alive by playing to their fear and obedience to the mysterious Greentongue. At first she choked on her own blood, as the crocodile slammed her against the wall, but eventually she managed to croak the words which ultimately led to her salvation.
However the cultists were in no position to deny the hulking primeval thing and instead called to the ceiling. Vines as thick as forearms lashed down and entangled the crocodile, despite its frenzy, even prying open its mouth so as to release the half-elf. They drew it to the far wall and let it tantrum, as Kaylan was left to bleed out a bit and then finally dragged to shore.
They kept close watch as she bound her wounds, having been close to oblivion. One dove down through a sunken gate after a few tested breaths to inform those below of what they'd caught, returning a few minutes later and going on about fairy dragons with cute, razor wings. Unsure whether or not the little things had understood his report or not, despite one having flown off deeper into the complex, the three decided to wait and see.
Two of the three cultists revealed themselves to be elf-haters, no surprise if the cult drew members from the Kingdom. The bigots remarked bounty hunters would often trade in the ear tips of elves for coin, though they did it mostly for fun. One removed a knife and the other moved to hold Kaylan down, remarking even a halfie's ears could get them something. The third cultists quietly protested, but Kaylan protested a bit stronger with kicked to the groins which toppled the two.
Seeing her chance to escape, she made a dash, leaping away from the standing cultist and starting a break down the long, dark hall. However these three were hardly the true guardians of the sunken gate, rather the vine horror, whose many arms lashed out with surgical precision and wrapped Kaylan from toe to nose and drew her to the ceiling.
They turn you upside down and something resembling a human face choked by vines and left to rot a year in this murk descends to study you with eyeless sockets. It reeks of festering fungi and fermented vegetation. Water bugs spill from its "mouth" as brackish gray water dribbles on your already soaked and bloody vestments.
It presses disgustingly close, so that its forehead rubs against the whole of your face, choking you in its putrescence. It seems to be reading you like a blind man would. The foul vine flesh is soft and gives far more than normal flesh.
It plunged into the waters of the sunken gate and passed through flooded chamber after flooded chamber, until Kaylan lost consciousness for lack of air.
Ghisidhran
Kaylan woke to the sounds of high-pitched giggling, her returning vision unable to focus on the tiny shapes flitting by her. When at last sight did come back, she found herself in a humid, fungal cave with high ceilings and a wide berth. Rising, she was met with a tall, pale mandarin with straight, black hair to his waist, coupled with black fingernails and dark eyes, dressed in the finest green semi-metallic robes which trailed behind him like a tail. In the blue faerie fire which traced dangling fungi and yet did not burn it, this imposing figure cast the large shadow of a dragon...
Kaylan need not look at the shadow to guess whom she was facing, the man confirming he was indeed Ghisidhran. He bowed slightly and addressed the raggedy cleric as princess, noting he'd been expecting her...
Experience: 200 (7,588, LEVEL UP 6!)
Magic: None
Loot: Red Dragon Hookah, Room 14 at The Mummy's Hand (Jeda)
Money: -30 gold (Jeda)
NPCs:
Abum, bouncer at The Mummy's Hand
Hand Barkeeper, beetle-like woman behind the counter
Umbalan Brothers (unnamed), pipe smoking gigglers of eastern jungle descent; ebon-skinned
Heidi, pretty, athletic, presumptuous Nors artist from Tolsted
Paul, balding, mild, twenty-something Nors artist from Tolsted
Dieter, strong, blond, handsome Nors artist from Tolsted
3 Green Cultists, seemingly not quite as fanatical as chatty
Ghisidhran, in the form of a tall, pale, black haired-and-nailed mandarin; cast a dragon's shadow on the wall (Large Dragon)
Monsters: visejaw crocodile, vine horror, fairydragons, human cultists (level 5)
Places: Flooded basement level of Blackdelve and Green Grottos of the Provian GG Cult (Kaylan and Portia), The Mummy's Hand (Jeda)
Organizations: Cult of the Green God
Kill Ghisidhran
And bring me back his tongue!
- Find the source of the Cult of the Green God and find the dragon
- During Nors mass, two suspicious twins of marked beauty sat in the green light
- The twins disappeared in a copse near Blackdelve Asylum
- Kaylan found a trap door in the copse floor leading to a flooded basement level of Blackdelve Asylum
- Green Cultists, a crocodile and a vine horror guarded a deep chamber
- Spoke of their mysterious leader Greentongue
- Portia escaped, Kaylan captured and dragged down...
- Fairydragons mentioned deeper down
- Portia: It is obvious the Cult of the Green God is located there
- Kaylan: You found Ghisidhran
Kaylan's Secret Origins
What is the real origin story on Kaylan?
- Princess Kaylan? At least that's what Ghisidhran is convinced of.
- The only thing you are certain of is that you are a half-Gloriandeline elf whose mother was and likely still is a slave somewhere in the Kingdom
- The Gloriandeline Empire of elves lorded Othyr and the Nors for over a thousand years
- Subsequently, elves were made low and into slaves once Nor came to power
The Mummy's Hand Connection
Just what is the connection DeWitt shares with the "inn"?
- The "inn" turned out to be an exclusive den of opium, weed, fine tobacco and green fairy
- A monolithic bouncer named Abum initially denied access under pretense you were not a member of the Hand
- Mentioning the circus owner allowed access
- Many private parties and even more stoned individuals
- 3 haughty Tolsted artists were among them, who looked at Provia as backwater
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Session 22: Scratching the Surface
Morning, Kelehess 26th - Afternoon, Kelehess 26th
(28 days total, 17 days until the New Moon)
Base of Operations
Having found a temporary campsite on the side of a farmer's road, near woods to hide Hulda, the group discussed their plan of action. Hulda "spoke up" most loudly once the map was unfurled, pointing to the gypsy camp and intimating that they are dangerous and should be killed. Though it was questionable how "right" it was to kill an entire camp, it would have made an excellent long-term base, and also offer costumes and transportation to explore the city at large.
Scouting the Circus
Portia and Jeda circled the outskirts of Provia, through farms and woods, to get some further intelligence on the gypsy circus. Circus was the apt word, with painted wagons and colored streamers, but camp had grown more into a permanent settlement with a dozen or so cabins built into a tiny neighborhood for the circusfolk. And there was about thirty of those, from circus hands, to clowns, dancers and everything in between, including some more exotic animals like lions and large snakes. Portia even recognized a few of the same circusfolk who kidnapped them!
Portia opted for stealth, slipping through trees and shadows, sometimes over rooftops. Jeda, however, kept her hood up and went to question the nearest carnie, a young Norswoman hanging clothes on a line, a sizable basket besides her.
DeWitt and Crematia
You're Hired
Giers' Curiosity
Portia's Curiosity
Mother-Daughter Excursion
The Wolf's Bane
The Church of Nor
Twins in the Green
Jeda's Shadow
Experience: 200 (7,388 total)
Magic: None
Loot: None
Money: Portia (-2 cp)
NPCs:
Polly, magician's assistant
Duck, laughing circus hand
Walter, mean circus hand
DeWitt, dark and charming circus owner
Crematia, pale and dangerous beauty
Klarese (mentioned), owner of The Mummy's Hand
Red Priest, head priest of mass responsible for the major prayers and sermon
White Priests, co-runners of mass
Child Attendants, children who serve at the altar
Brown Priests, young men who pass the church collection baskets
The Twin Norswomen, suspicious twins that sat in the green light of the church stained glass
Adej, shadow-humanoid form of the Black Heart
Places: Provian Groves, Gypsy Circus Camp, Provia (covering most points on the map)
Organizations: DeWitt's Traveling Circus, Church of Nor
Where is Ghisidhran hiding?
Something strange about DeWitt's Circus...
Secrets of the Provian Church
Black Heart Speaks!
(28 days total, 17 days until the New Moon)
Base of Operations
Having found a temporary campsite on the side of a farmer's road, near woods to hide Hulda, the group discussed their plan of action. Hulda "spoke up" most loudly once the map was unfurled, pointing to the gypsy camp and intimating that they are dangerous and should be killed. Though it was questionable how "right" it was to kill an entire camp, it would have made an excellent long-term base, and also offer costumes and transportation to explore the city at large.
Scouting the Circus
Portia and Jeda circled the outskirts of Provia, through farms and woods, to get some further intelligence on the gypsy circus. Circus was the apt word, with painted wagons and colored streamers, but camp had grown more into a permanent settlement with a dozen or so cabins built into a tiny neighborhood for the circusfolk. And there was about thirty of those, from circus hands, to clowns, dancers and everything in between, including some more exotic animals like lions and large snakes. Portia even recognized a few of the same circusfolk who kidnapped them!
Portia opted for stealth, slipping through trees and shadows, sometimes over rooftops. Jeda, however, kept her hood up and went to question the nearest carnie, a young Norswoman hanging clothes on a line, a sizable basket besides her.
DeWitt and Crematia
You're Hired
Giers' Curiosity
Portia's Curiosity
Mother-Daughter Excursion
The Wolf's Bane
The Church of Nor
Twins in the Green
Jeda's Shadow
Experience: 200 (7,388 total)
Magic: None
Loot: None
Money: Portia (-2 cp)
NPCs:
Polly, magician's assistant
Duck, laughing circus hand
Walter, mean circus hand
DeWitt, dark and charming circus owner
Crematia, pale and dangerous beauty
Klarese (mentioned), owner of The Mummy's Hand
Red Priest, head priest of mass responsible for the major prayers and sermon
White Priests, co-runners of mass
Child Attendants, children who serve at the altar
Brown Priests, young men who pass the church collection baskets
The Twin Norswomen, suspicious twins that sat in the green light of the church stained glass
Adej, shadow-humanoid form of the Black Heart
Places: Provian Groves, Gypsy Circus Camp, Provia (covering most points on the map)
Organizations: DeWitt's Traveling Circus, Church of Nor
Where is Ghisidhran hiding?
- Find the source of the cult and find the dragon
- During mass, two suspicious twins of marked beauty sat in the green light
- the Twins disappeared in a copse near Blackdelve Asylum
- Ghisidhran can hide in the form of a man
- You need the dragon's tongue
- 17 days left
Something strange about DeWitt's Circus...
- There's a circus in every Kingdom city
- Performers are rotated between cities when the profits and interest start to waver
- Run by the charismatic and dark DeWitt
- DeWitt's woman is Crematia, an eerie and cruel beauty
- Perform shows three times a week
- Dislike the Inquisitors, who give them grief over potential magic being used
- DeWitt has many connections, one of which is Klarese at The Mummy's Hand
- Some of the performers in the camp were the same ones that kidnapped you
Secrets of the Provian Church
- One of the largest buildings in the city, a cathedral
- Reedthagn claimed it held the secrets of the war effort against Etheria beneath it
- There was, in fact, a large stairwell leading down under the cathedral where the priests and attendants moved up and down from
Black Heart Speaks!
- Conceited but powerful
- Hates the Heart of the Wild, and dislikes the Angry Heart (apparently a red Heart)
- There are 9 gems, one for each of the planes, all of which were once kept together in the Vault of Nines
- Wanted Jeda to protect her from Ezariel and the other one, not wanting to go back into the vault or "be put back together"
- Explained she and the shadow plane of Cadavera were like sisters, intimately bound, allowing the other to exist and using the same great power
- Mentioned the idiot Heart of the Wild hadn't even figured out how to take a humanoid shape yet (referred to the gem as a male)
- The humanoid shape was new and taxing and Black Heart did revert back to a snake bracer after too long
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Fireside Chat: The Campaign's Story
DM stirs his brandy, puffs his pipe, and fiddles with his smoking jacket. Marrow curls up at his feet, near a roaring hearth, beside a now-silent stone in the likeness of a weeping face.
Well 22 sessions as of tonight and level 6 around the corner. I feel we've come quite a ways. We've had a few nail-biting moments and some powerful character development. Players have come and gone, a character even died, and I've managed to squeeze dragons, demons and artifacts in the lower half of the Heroic Tier. There's no question you guys have grown in capabilities and personalities, no two characters quite the same as when they broke out of that circus wagon.
Yet despite all of our accomplishments, I can't help but feel a bit of uncertainty in the group. In the characters, sure, I mean despite everything they are teenagers being hit with things most mortals couldn't comprehend. I'm more referring to players, though, and the uncertainty of plot and story.
We started this campaign in what is called a "sandbox", that is no definitive and driving goal like last campaign's Kill Shalraza! We went from place to place, dabbled in fey cults and drow secret wars and even ended up on another plane. And through it all I sort of felt something was missing, that the sandbox, while fun, wasn't nurturing my need for larger narrative and story arch.
It was at that point I reexamined the campaign (this was around the time of Isabella's death) and realized that the central story wasn't necessarily any external threat or impending event, but you all, the characters, and the family you had created (I also owe my revelation to Dave's excellent rp where he addressed the importance of the group/family). In each of your origins there is something important having to do with family, whether family was a pillar in your youth, a point of angst and emotion, or not there at all. Looking over 21 sessions, I saw that the characters instinctively created their own family in wake of being kidnapped and, despite the wildly differing personalities, congealed into a functioning (most of the time) party. It hasn't always been pretty or very tactical, but you all got the job done time and time again, in lands that hated you, with people that feared or distrusted you. You've stayed true to the motivations of your characters and how they would act with the other personalities in the group and for that I am impressed, proud, excited and hopeful. This is the most organic campaign I've ever been a part of and I am really enjoying it.
So what does this all have to do with the "Campaign Story"? Well, for one I'm trying to underline the fact that, while at times this campaign may seem random or adrift, there is a central theme in everything we do, born directly from your characters, which I'll label as Family. That actually fits perfectly with the idea of Legacy, the inheritance and perpetuating of family ideas, values and accomplishments. You all have some of the most famous, powerful and important people in the world/s for parents (even you, Kaylan, if you consider Fin, Matthias and maybe even a speck of Victoria as adopted parents) and there is a lot that comes with that. I think we are in the process of working through that juicy potential.
Secondly, I guess I'm addressing this because I do owe you all some forms of closure, and myself for that matter, for putting all these pieces in motion. So I've added an Open Quests section to the menu to keep tabs on what we've touched on. I'll see what I can do to wrap up or progress these quests. As it is, this whole Wild leads to Blight leads to Reedthagn leads to Provia has been something like a quest line. I think there will be a great sense of closure once that all wraps up.
In any case, nice chatting.
Classical music plays into a fade to black...
Well 22 sessions as of tonight and level 6 around the corner. I feel we've come quite a ways. We've had a few nail-biting moments and some powerful character development. Players have come and gone, a character even died, and I've managed to squeeze dragons, demons and artifacts in the lower half of the Heroic Tier. There's no question you guys have grown in capabilities and personalities, no two characters quite the same as when they broke out of that circus wagon.
Yet despite all of our accomplishments, I can't help but feel a bit of uncertainty in the group. In the characters, sure, I mean despite everything they are teenagers being hit with things most mortals couldn't comprehend. I'm more referring to players, though, and the uncertainty of plot and story.
We started this campaign in what is called a "sandbox", that is no definitive and driving goal like last campaign's Kill Shalraza! We went from place to place, dabbled in fey cults and drow secret wars and even ended up on another plane. And through it all I sort of felt something was missing, that the sandbox, while fun, wasn't nurturing my need for larger narrative and story arch.
It was at that point I reexamined the campaign (this was around the time of Isabella's death) and realized that the central story wasn't necessarily any external threat or impending event, but you all, the characters, and the family you had created (I also owe my revelation to Dave's excellent rp where he addressed the importance of the group/family). In each of your origins there is something important having to do with family, whether family was a pillar in your youth, a point of angst and emotion, or not there at all. Looking over 21 sessions, I saw that the characters instinctively created their own family in wake of being kidnapped and, despite the wildly differing personalities, congealed into a functioning (most of the time) party. It hasn't always been pretty or very tactical, but you all got the job done time and time again, in lands that hated you, with people that feared or distrusted you. You've stayed true to the motivations of your characters and how they would act with the other personalities in the group and for that I am impressed, proud, excited and hopeful. This is the most organic campaign I've ever been a part of and I am really enjoying it.
So what does this all have to do with the "Campaign Story"? Well, for one I'm trying to underline the fact that, while at times this campaign may seem random or adrift, there is a central theme in everything we do, born directly from your characters, which I'll label as Family. That actually fits perfectly with the idea of Legacy, the inheritance and perpetuating of family ideas, values and accomplishments. You all have some of the most famous, powerful and important people in the world/s for parents (even you, Kaylan, if you consider Fin, Matthias and maybe even a speck of Victoria as adopted parents) and there is a lot that comes with that. I think we are in the process of working through that juicy potential.
Secondly, I guess I'm addressing this because I do owe you all some forms of closure, and myself for that matter, for putting all these pieces in motion. So I've added an Open Quests section to the menu to keep tabs on what we've touched on. I'll see what I can do to wrap up or progress these quests. As it is, this whole Wild leads to Blight leads to Reedthagn leads to Provia has been something like a quest line. I think there will be a great sense of closure once that all wraps up.
In any case, nice chatting.
Classical music plays into a fade to black...
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Quests Map
The Legacy Wars
Wars rage across three worlds, consuming manpower and attention, even as the greatest threat in all the Void moves ever-closer to Creation. Each war is deadly necessary, either the defense of sovereign order or the strides to establish new order, sanctified by personal liberty, varied religion, royal heritage or sacred oath. These terrestrial and planar matters MUST be put to rest if the worlds are to stand united against the coming Devourer.
I. The War of Three Mountains (Saviors, Dark Three)
The Holy Nors Empire wages war against the Northern Alliance, a union of three northern nations: Saspien, Atha and Etheria. They bear the standard of three mountains, black, white and gold, as befits their regions and capitals. Though vastly out-manned and dwarfed in resources, the tenacious trio has matched the enemy for nearly five months. However one slip could see the end of the free north and the emperor’s near-total domination of Othyr.
II. The Wild War (Saviors)
For thousands of years the war has raged, demons, devils, dragons and faerie lords vying for control in the fractured kingdoms of the fey. All have failed to tame the hearts and minds of the mercurial People for very long... until now. In the past twenty years, a being known as the Green God, Chernobog, has united an impossible number of clans and kingdoms under his religion, a host not seen in the Wild since the days of the Seelie Court. All that stands between him and total dominion are pockets of native resistance, soon to be crushed for their lack of vision, and the retreating forces of the green ancient Reedthagn, whose only remaining trump rests in the alien Tesseract with its unknowable potential.
III. The Darakaani Invasion (The Dark Three)
The Lich King has campaigned across Cadavera for the last several decades, conquering domain after domain, mounting darklordships upon himself with unrelenting fervor. From his throne country Darakaan, largest and northern-most on the continent, his armies have swept south to claim Lamordia, Dementlien, Falkovnia, Zhukara, Viktal and Arak. He currently battles for dominion of Nova Vaasa, though his Kargat agents have been seen as far south as Barovia and Assassin’s Vale.
IV. The End of All Things (Saviors, Dark Three)
Anubian Legacy
The ancient remnants of alien technology belonging to the extra-dimensional beings known as the Anubians have influenced Othyr in unexpected and mostly detrimental ways. Ambitious and well-informed individuals throughout history have sought to abuse the awesome powers of these ships and devices with varying degrees of devastation.
I. Tesseract (Saviors)
The massive, jade hypercube, over a mile high and wide, sits upon the summit of Highmist Mountain in the center of the Wild. Lair of the green ancient Reedthagn and stronghold for his kobold hordes, Diana also uncovered its dormant ability to fold time and space. No telling what other powers it possesses, or how they might affect the Legacy Wars.
II. Planar Nexus (The Dark Three)
The onyx octahedron levitates above a black lake in the depths of the Underdark, at the very bottom of the Stygian Chasm. Though its time-traveling enablers are beyond repair, it still proves capable of teleporting subjects anywhere in the universe, and was used by the Dark Three to return to Barovia after the events in Tsojcanth.
It is normally guarded by Derro worshipers of the Outer God Umrat-Tawil, but when the party passed through the mad dwarves had already been slaughtered by an eager Pazuzu, who used the ship’s core to teleport to his layer of the Abyss.
III. Imperial Gulag [Facility Beta] (Saviors)
The crystal hendecachoron originally discovered by the emperor in his youth now sails the planes along secret flight paths, acting as a high-security jail containing notable imperial prisoners and dissidents, as well a distillery, and ample laboratories and operating rooms. Here in-mates are experimented on, and most often reprogrammed, a function the emperor put to use very early on in his career in order to assume control of the Heartland and the means by which he initiated the Sons of Nor movement and overthrew the thousand-year-old monarchy. He continues to this day, turning his most dangerous enemies into his most loyal followers, solidifying his absolute authority.
Planar Hearts
Sentient artifacts of near-limitless potential, possessing the power and essence of each of the planes, they are sought after by some of the most powerful beings in existence for purposes largely nefarious. Who made them? What is their true purpose? Not even they can rightly say, but undoubtedly they play an important role in events that will shape the future.
I. Heart Trouble (Saviors, Dark Three)
Since their discovery, the Hearts have proven little else but trouble, painting targets on the backs of all who possess them, but also providing vast powers accessible only through child-like consciousnesses. Yet Astralheart warned not to be fooled by these facades, for each Heart is interested only in the driving passions of its plane.
II. The Watcher (Saviors, Dark Three): Ezariel, the archangel charged with keeping the Hearts locked away in a celestial vault of nine times nine folded dimensions, was in self-imposed exile as he searched for the gems. He explained their origins were largely a mystery even to Heaven, but their planar power was clear enough, as was their potential for abuse, spurring the angels to gather and seal them away in the first place. Yet Portia appealed to his compassionate nature, insisting it was wrong to imprison the Hearts now that they’d proven sentient. He agreed, and decided to watch over them and prevent their misuse to the best of his abilities, despite the idea he would never be able to return home.
Current Status: Ezariel was last seen running interference for the party as they escaped Darling, but events in Edmark showed he kept his word returning Percy, Bremen and the orphans back home.
III. Dark One (Saviors, Dark Three): Who or what is the Dark One beyond a being of shadow and wind, the tenacious hunter of the Hearts and enemy of the archangel Ezariel? Where does its allegiance lie, and what are its true motives? Those who’ve encountered it before have a queasy feeling they’ll find out sooner or later...
Current Status: The Dark One has not been seen since the Wildheart valiantly sacrificed itself to see Portia and the rest of her friends safely to Darling. One can only assume it continues its hunt for Hearts.
IV. Dazeen the Uniter (Saviors): While Kaylan was held captive by Ghisidhran underneath Blackdelve Asylum, he spoke of the Gloriandeline prince Dazeen, kept in a tomb only kin could open, being the key to uniting the Hearts. Entering the tomb revealed the prince was not some decrepit mummy, but young and handsome, sleeping in a state of suspended animation for some uncertain event and protected by a radiant barrier that would disintegrate those not of royal elven blood. Kaylan received a vision describing how three magic items could be used to wake him, two rings and a circlet, which she largely kept to herself, unsure whether or not waking her uncle was in the best interests of the worlds.
Outer Gods
As the New Gods sleep, powerful beings claiming divinity and garnering worship have sprung up across the planes, threatening to tear down the existing pantheon and achieve true apotheosis.
I. The Green God (Saviors)
Worshipped as the god of fey and the Wild, he is largely recognized as a being encompassing all that is powerful and dangerous in Nature, without any of its beauty or vulnerability. It is that sort of tenacity and absolutism that has drawn so many loyal fey, who recognize him as an unstoppable juggernaut, a force of nature that will rid the Wild of all other usurpers, crush the weak kingdoms resistant to change, and bring about a new empire.
His loyal chaplains and cult leaders are given the ‘Green Gift’, a spore which links them, sharing thoughts and knowledge. His loyal hosts number most fey species and several faerie lords, including the centaur tribes and the Courts of Autumn and Winter.
II. Tenebrous (Dark Three)
Worshipped as the god of darkness and secrets, his forms are many, tailored to suit the local cults which offer souls and ancient knowledge in his name. To some he is a demonic prince, others a beautiful drow or menacing vampire. His goals are as mysterious as his visages, though he’s proven a unifying force for many of the darker creatures of the worlds.
Perhaps the fastest-growing of the outer religions, his presence is felt throughout the Underdark, as well as in Cadavera and wherever else his loyal adherents dwell, numbering the fearsome Ordo Templi Nox and splinter groups of drow, dragons and vampires.
III. Asmodeus (Dark Three)
Worshipped as the true god of Hell, his emergence from Gehenna has inspired many restless devils awaiting Hecate’s reawakening to convert and put their resources behind an active master. Still others join his cause in opposition of the other New Gods, whom they despise for their wretched morals and overarching goals of peace and harmony. He brings a notion of intelligence and strength, the menace of a master fiend, a tyrannical and undeniable order.
His most loyal are blessed with the Crown of Baator, an unseen right of rule which commands awe and allegiance from lesser-minded creatures.
IV. Umrat-Tawil (Dark Three)
Worshiped as the god of time and space, his holy symbol’s likeness is that of an Anubian head, leaving little mystery as to the identity of this outsider. Yet Umrat has made no moves against the New Gods and hasn’t reached out to followers beyond the derro, seemingly content to dwell in his dark ravine with his mad supplicants.
Personal Missions
The Saviors
Tyvis
Archdruid
The Heartland Circle
Restoring Balance
Arinew
King of the Silverwood
Narra
Origins
Kiri-Raina
Storm-Maker
Brothers and Sisters
Kiri-Auro
Storm-Maker
Brothers and Sisters
Rogar
Archwarden
II. The Dark Three
Renato
The Gilda
Assassin’s Vale
Isabella
Prophet of Hecate
Mommy Dearest
Diana
The Starry Maiden
Star Child
A Murdered Mother
NPCs
Kaylan
Anita
Relic
Giers
Thamior
Portia
Selja
Wars rage across three worlds, consuming manpower and attention, even as the greatest threat in all the Void moves ever-closer to Creation. Each war is deadly necessary, either the defense of sovereign order or the strides to establish new order, sanctified by personal liberty, varied religion, royal heritage or sacred oath. These terrestrial and planar matters MUST be put to rest if the worlds are to stand united against the coming Devourer.
I. The War of Three Mountains (Saviors, Dark Three)
The Holy Nors Empire wages war against the Northern Alliance, a union of three northern nations: Saspien, Atha and Etheria. They bear the standard of three mountains, black, white and gold, as befits their regions and capitals. Though vastly out-manned and dwarfed in resources, the tenacious trio has matched the enemy for nearly five months. However one slip could see the end of the free north and the emperor’s near-total domination of Othyr.
A. Opposing the Overmind (Saviors, Active): In their many iterations, the Saviors have contributed greatly to the opposition of Emperor Endymion Norson. Escaping the carnival meant to deliver them to a distillery was first and foremost (denying the emperor potent essence elixirs), their salvaging of the rightful royal bloodline (not in preserving Frederick, gods rest his soul, but in little Bella), their rescue of Percival and Bremen Wright (whose parents are staunchly opposed to the Nors’ current agenda), supplanting Mossel’s overseer with a changeling double more sympathetic to the fey and the people (Tyvis), helping liberate the Free Guilds of Edmark (weakening the Nors Consortiums and inspiring new opposition in the Heartland’s largest port), rescuing High Priestess Finduilas Oranar (denying the emperor the most potent of essence elixirs, not to mention saving one of the key leaders of the Northern Alliance), dismantling Sodden Hold (taking out an important distillery), uncovering the emperor’s many abuses of Anubian technology and the intent to create an ambrosia elixir, discovering log books and journals with which to track down his other puppets (currently used by Anita), and reassembling Huron’s orb to track imperial-controlled Anubian ships (used by Narra).
Current Status: Dismantling the Imperial Gulag will be the harshest blow yet to the emperor and the Holy Nors war machine, depriving the empire of its ability to reprogram enemies into allies!
B. Imperial Institutions (Saviors, Active): The emperor did not gain his position by himself (unless there are a LOT of puppets). He founded and took control of various imperial institutions in order to solidify his vast empire, institutions which allow things to run and could potentially be subverted in order to weaken him.
1. The Sons and Daughters of Nor: The lowest rung of the emperor’s authority, but the most crucial in getting Endymion to his current seat, the Sons and Daughters of Nor are an empire-wide militia of diehard loyalists with varying degrees of military training and outfitting. Most are simply angry peasants armed with sharpened farm tools and painted in the traditional reds, whether pigs’ blood or more expensive dye, and they usually convene in what are called ‘Red Lodges’. General Gauthier Garvyn heads the grassroots army, a loyal follower of Endymion Norson since his early political days and one of the militia’s truly formidable and well-equipped warriors. It seems the closer you get to the capital, the more impressive their combat prowess.
Material from the Sodden Hold distillery and an account from the late Dr. Hemmler revealed the emperor and his torturer-scientists have perfected a method of reprogramming the human mind, turning even the staunchest opponent into the most devote loyalist (see Imperial Gulag). Many of these people are then inducted into the Sons and Daughters, cruel twists of fate if ever there were.
2. The Holy Inquisition: Just after Endymion took power, he fought a two year cold war against the noble houses resistant to the imperial theocracy. He had need of a police force with authority over all others, even nobility: investigators, torturers, incorruptible agents with cunning and menace to root out the enemy wherever they hid. Their task expanded in later years to hunting mages, foreign clergy and free elves, a mission worth breeding the insipid Magehounds. They’ve towers in every major Nors city, headed by Grand Inquisitors, and smaller towns and villages are overseen by more regional Inquisitor Governors. Their leader, dubbed by the peasantry ‘The Most Feared Man in the Heartlands’, is the sadistic and merciless Divine Inquisitor Volker, second only to the emperor himself.
Fighting through Sodden Hold revealed the inquisitors possessed psionic powers akin to Narra’s, summoning bolts of force and, with the aid of orium and crystals, bending wills. They certainly weren’t born this way, suggesting perhaps another Anubian influence...
3. The Church of Nor: Endymion was once Archbishop of the Church of Nor and uses notions of divine right and Nor’s true mission to justify his rule to the people. The Sons and Daughters of Nor are built upon his vow of following God’s intended course, the unification of all human races and the empowerment of mankind (taken very literally to omit all other races and, more recently, their foreign magics and religions). The Church acts as the mouthpiece of the emperor, relaying his propaganda and lies to the greater populace, keeping them succored and content with news befitting their idealized empire. The more rural churches are headed by a pastor or chaplain, each city by a bishop (in a cathedral dedicated to one of the God King’s legendary companions turned modern-day saints), and the capital by the Archbishop Bern Martel.
4. The Imperial Dragoons: The turning point in Endymion’s coup came with the conversion of the ancient red dragon Yathnoc. When such an old, powerful and proud creature observed the new emperor’s absolute authority as bestowed by God, many were convinced Endymion was truly chosen. Yet the people greatly feared the looming presence of the firewyrm and his kin in the Heartland, spurring the creation of the Imperial Dragoons, dragonrider knights epitomizing the miracle of a unified Norian faith. The dragoons quickly grew in popularity, becoming celebrities and symbols of the renewed glory of the empire. Yathnoc, for his part, chose to assume the guise of a man for much of the last two decades, revealing his five-hundred-foot presence only when absolutely necessary. Imperial Dragoons lair at Redcliffe, but nest bases in each of the major cities, waypoints throughout empire-wide patrols.
Yathnoc chose to reveal his awesome scale during the burning of Crowperch Estates and the fall of the over-lived Kasimir Bertrum. The Hand of Doom was annihilated in the process, caught totally by surprise and suggesting betrayal from within. Since the holocaust, the snake Ris-Radi, a devote Tenebrian, has ousted the drow of Kauth (the birthplace of the Hand of Doom) and taken the city for the dark god (and by implied extension, the Ordo). With the revelation Tenebrous is, in fact, the shadow wyrm Taras, could there be some draconic agenda which was served in all this? The theory is only further bolstered after having witnessed Yathnoc lifting the two purple wyrmlings, Marzonn and Zulthanza, during the fires- only for Izzy to die by Zulthanza’s wrath over a year later (somehow aged to a powerful adult, to boot) in a hidden Ordo base.
5. The Consortiums: Economic backbone of the empire, five major conglomerates control the essential resources, guilds and trade needed to keep things running, divided by Lumber, Iron, Stone, Wheat, and Gold. They’ve offices and facilities spanning the continent, each managed by an overseer, who then reports to a regional trade baron. The Consortiums are known for their poor working conditions, brutal schedules and meager pay, especially during war time (so far the whole of Endymion’s 17 year reign). The heads of the Consortiums, known formally as tycoons, grow richest from such periods of unrest, when their products are needed most and excuses like patriotism, hatred and fear allow for increased, affordable production. As such, the emperor and the tycoons share a mutual respect and maintain a strong alliance.
a. Citadel: The occupied city-state of Citadel is a strange extension of the Consortiums, worked by native dwarves and ruled by their Nors-aligned Queen Moraig, but supervised and assisted by overseers of Iron, Stone and Gold. The trade baron of Citadel is even moving for the creation of a sixth Consortium, one concerned entirely with the production and distribution of magic items (which the dwarves provide the Holy Nors exclusively). It is a vital operation, warranting consideration by the emperor.
b. Edmark: With the Saviors’ aid, the dissatisfied guilds of Edmark, tired of the Consortiums’ massive takes and tight control, rebelled, forming the Free Guilds and assembling their members as an army, which waged war against the local street gangs (the Consortium’s paid muscle). Their victory ousted Consortium leadership from the city and abolished the gangs, leaving guilds and merchants to operate as they please for the immediate future in a port vital to imperial operations (and containing the majority of the interior navy). Surprisingly, the local admiral supports the move, as does the noble house of Wright, undermining the will of the appointed baroness and by extension the emperor. This very tenuous situation could lead to cessation from the empire if compromise is not found soon. In the meantime, Edmark has become a haven for free thinkers, revolutionaries, and foreign spies and diplomats.
C. The Resistance (Saviors, Passive): Kaylan Gloriandel has entered the lands of her youth, liberating her enslaved kin one manor, one city, one region at a time, spreading the word of Kalinda and gathering the once-favored children of the sun. Meanwhile, Anita D’Artigo musters the scattered enemies of the empire as the Scarlet Blade, utilizing the journal claimed in Sodden Hold to systematically wipe out the emperor’s well-placed puppets.
Current Status: Two women create a resistance force capable of aiding the Northern Alliance in the war against the Holy Nors, drawing from freed Gloriandelines, The People’s Resistance of Tolerna and Liscar (Pirates), Queen Tasha’s Redbeards, and the Wolves of Jiwar.
D. The Coup (Dark Three, Active): Preventing the coup of King Dante Il’spana will ensure the Northern Alliance retains a third of its power. Failure will surely result in the collapse of the northern front and an inevitable Nors victory.
Current Status: The Dark Three steal themselves in Cadavera before plunging back into Saspien to finish their business with its many conspirators, all the while the Nors vanguard moves closer to the walls and with them the potential for takeover.
1. Lastlight: The Holy Nors vanguard has landed in the village of Lastlight, conquered and made base camp, and now facilitates hundreds, even thousands, of troops who fan across the Saspish Vale and seek to make ready a proper siege on Saspien. They are aided by native Valemen who’ve taken oaths to Saint Gormite, patron of vampire hunters. A similar story can be told in the port city of Tepest, facing constant bombardment and blocking vital shipping lanes connecting Saspien from its kith in Tir’buk.
2. The Great Vampire Conspiracy: Multiple factions across Saspien are working in accordance with one another to see King Dante removed, what the party is certain includes the following persons: Sire Kalfar al’Zareef, Lord Davos Savrano, Marquess Olivianna Ruiz-Lorein, and maybe even Queen Victoria Il’spana herself. Where does the Ordo Templi Nox fit into this insidious scheme?
E. Izolda Rising (Dark Three, Passive): Enabling Drelzna von Zarovich to unite the errant factions of Tsojcanth will eventually lead to the repopulation of Izolda, adding another political player to the Othyrian mix, one undoubtedly opposed to Nors subjugation and with monstrous forces enough to defend itself.
Current Status: The Vampire Queen and her wretched adviser consolidate power and begin initial steps to fortify Tsojcanth City and rebuild Izolda. A new nation forms.
1. Izoldanian Ambassadors (Isabella, Diana): Granddaughters in blood and adopted were chosen by Drelzna to be her ambassadors to the new world, heralding the second coming of Izolda. No doubt these titles hold much clout in the right circles.
F. Clandash Reborn (Dark Three, Passive): Retrieval of the Crown Jewel of Clandash has enabled the duergar priestess Helzina to raise herself as queen, uniting the vying clans of the extreme east into a new political power. A new city-state has risen.
Current Status: The deurgar queen and her retinue currently fortify their underground metropolis. A new city-state forms.
1. Clandashi Alliance (Renato): Twas Renato’s aid saw the return of the crown jewel and Heliza’s eventual rise to power as priest-queen. The duergar may be a miserly and miserable people, but they don’t forget a debt. Renato has a powerful ally of the priest-queen and her brothers Doorbac and Climrandan.
II. The Wild War (Saviors)
For thousands of years the war has raged, demons, devils, dragons and faerie lords vying for control in the fractured kingdoms of the fey. All have failed to tame the hearts and minds of the mercurial People for very long... until now. In the past twenty years, a being known as the Green God, Chernobog, has united an impossible number of clans and kingdoms under his religion, a host not seen in the Wild since the days of the Seelie Court. All that stands between him and total dominion are pockets of native resistance, soon to be crushed for their lack of vision, and the retreating forces of the green ancient Reedthagn, whose only remaining trump rests in the alien Tesseract with its unknowable potential.
A. Wild and Free (Active): The Saviors have fought for the best interests of the fey since their earliest inception, beginning with the liberation of the savanna gnomes at Tifana, joining the Vergers (an army of gnomes, satyrs, rheen, and cu sidhe) to defeat the demon overlord Alkek’uma, healing the Savanna by removing the dread demonhead Blight, and more recently in the efforts to free Annwn and Silverwood Kingdom from the threat of both the Autumn Court (and by extension the Green God) and the reawakened Nidhogg Nagar.
1. Birthright (Arinew): Prince Arinew seeks his mother’s throne and rulership of the floundering Summer Court in order to lead his people to freedom and bolster the independent fey kingdoms and Primal forces against the Green God.
Current Status: Returning to Eglantine with Nidhogg’s head will have spared Glasir a horrid fate and usher in the rule of Prince Arinew, the first major steps in reestablishing the Summer Court.
a. Nidhogg Nagar: The ancient Voidborn worm has awoken for unknown reasons, inflicting terrible harm upon the elder tree Glasir and spawning all manner of aberrant horror. If the Summer Court is ever to gather itself, Nidhogg must be vanquished. The return to Eglantine with news of such a beast’s demise (or much more dramatically dragging its severed head) would surely help Prince Arinew’s cause.
b. The Autumn Court: The autumn fey are ruled by the Queen of Fallen Leaves, treacherous sister of the late Queen of Summer (Arinew’s aunt and Gliadim’s mother). They hold Annwn, including the Silverwood, in Chernobog’s name. If the realm is to be reclaimed, these cold, withering creatures must be defeated. Prince Arinew needs an army for such a thing, and subsequently a unified and motivated Summer Court.
i. The sword of the king, known to all Eglantians as Solstice, is a blade worthy of their future monarch, possessing incredible enchantments which bolster whole armies. In Arinew’s hand, his forces would stand a chance against the superior numbers of the opposing court (and so would his allies against the Green God). There is just one tiny problem, the sword has been lost for the last eighteen years.
ii. The crown of the queen is a powerful symbol of fey authority, possessed of kingdom-spanning powers granting prosperity and abundance to those under the monarch’s rule. Currently worn by the Queen of Fallen Leaves, upon Arinew’s brow it could help sustain a summer resurgence and inspire wider movements against Chernobog.
B. The Ancient Green (Active): Reedthagn is in the final stages of losing the Wild War, having retreated to the safety of the Tesseract, followed by what remains of his kobold hordes and loyal brood. Yet underestimating a cornered dragon, especially one so conniving, possessing an alien artifact capable of time travel, would be a grievous error.
1. Reedthagn’s Reckoning (Rogar): Your father has much to answer for, and by your honor you will see that he does so, to whatever end.
C. Perennial Alliances (Passive): Allies have been made across the Wild, who fight against the all-consuming faith of the Green God. Among them are the Vergers and Rogar’s brother Ezark.
Current Status: The Vergers fight a losing battle against the Green God’s forces on the Savanna. They are in desperate need of aid, the kind a reestablished Summer Court could offer. Meanwhile, Ezark reassembles his errant troops in northern Annwn for an anticipated strike against the Autumn Court.
1. The Elder Grove: More than just Glasir stands in Annwn, two trees within distant sight, and another yet beyond it. Just as Eglantine stands beneath the shade of the silver yew, so other cities, perhaps other courts, exist beneath its kin. All could potentially be made allies.
a. The Golden Oak
b. The Black Wormwood
c. The Ivory Birch
2. Bonds of Blood (Rogar): Seek further aid from your errant brothers and sisters, or kill them and usurp their power and resources.
a. Ezark Thagnbrood, ally; 1000 troops in the north of Annwn
III. The Darakaani Invasion (The Dark Three)
The Lich King has campaigned across Cadavera for the last several decades, conquering domain after domain, mounting darklordships upon himself with unrelenting fervor. From his throne country Darakaan, largest and northern-most on the continent, his armies have swept south to claim Lamordia, Dementlien, Falkovnia, Zhukara, Viktal and Arak. He currently battles for dominion of Nova Vaasa, though his Kargat agents have been seen as far south as Barovia and Assassin’s Vale.
A. The Lich King (Active): Azalin Rex is the mastermind behind all the military woes facing Cadavera and its southern countries. He’s the Darklord of seven domains, a creature of immeasurable power, knowledge and resources, rumored to be ten-thousand years old. He commands military forces ten times that of any other domain, including a sinister secret police force known as the Kargat.
1. A Timeless Love (Diana): Via Thedra Aranax’s confession and knowledge of the String of Fate about Diana’s neck, the Lich King has been revealed as Christopher Blackwing, the commander of the spellswords in ancient Spelltower. He loved Diana once, and perhaps still does, given the Kargat’s adamant search for the girl.
B. Strahd Lives! (Active): Only one Darklord of Barovia epitomized strength, order and menace: Count Strahd. Despite his death five years ago, he has returned to claim darklordship of the domain. Is that really such a bad thing, considering he was the one Cadaveran capable of holding Azalin at bay with like magics, cunning and will?
Current Status: Strahd has returned and taken over Castle Ravenloft once more. What that bodes for the future of the country in the shadow of Darakaan remains to be seen.
C. Points of Light (Passive): Strahd’s defeat five years ago marked a period of confusion in a historically tyrannical domain and allowed for a shuffling of power, first to Mara and the corrupt Lightbringers, then the overzealous Children of Light headed by Zarephath the Fallen (with the blessings of Templar Giers Oranar), and ultimately the good-natured Raven Knights, commanded by Lady Ashlyn D’Flores under the advisement of the united burgomeisters. In cooperation with the Ravens, native Kalindians have taken residence in the Temple of the Wheel, upon the highest peak of the Balinok Mountains, where they maintain an artificial day-night cycle thanks to superior engineering and the artifact Sunsword.
Current Status: The Ravens are in the process of building keeps across Barovia, which they call Roosts, and are mobilizing the nation’s first real army, one loyal to the people. The last remnants of the Children of Light return to Etheria or join the new order under Gertruda to see the Sunsword safely kept.
IV. The End of All Things (Saviors, Dark Three)
Anubian Legacy
The ancient remnants of alien technology belonging to the extra-dimensional beings known as the Anubians have influenced Othyr in unexpected and mostly detrimental ways. Ambitious and well-informed individuals throughout history have sought to abuse the awesome powers of these ships and devices with varying degrees of devastation.
I. Tesseract (Saviors)
The massive, jade hypercube, over a mile high and wide, sits upon the summit of Highmist Mountain in the center of the Wild. Lair of the green ancient Reedthagn and stronghold for his kobold hordes, Diana also uncovered its dormant ability to fold time and space. No telling what other powers it possesses, or how they might affect the Legacy Wars.
II. Planar Nexus (The Dark Three)
The onyx octahedron levitates above a black lake in the depths of the Underdark, at the very bottom of the Stygian Chasm. Though its time-traveling enablers are beyond repair, it still proves capable of teleporting subjects anywhere in the universe, and was used by the Dark Three to return to Barovia after the events in Tsojcanth.
It is normally guarded by Derro worshipers of the Outer God Umrat-Tawil, but when the party passed through the mad dwarves had already been slaughtered by an eager Pazuzu, who used the ship’s core to teleport to his layer of the Abyss.
III. Imperial Gulag [Facility Beta] (Saviors)
The crystal hendecachoron originally discovered by the emperor in his youth now sails the planes along secret flight paths, acting as a high-security jail containing notable imperial prisoners and dissidents, as well a distillery, and ample laboratories and operating rooms. Here in-mates are experimented on, and most often reprogrammed, a function the emperor put to use very early on in his career in order to assume control of the Heartland and the means by which he initiated the Sons of Nor movement and overthrew the thousand-year-old monarchy. He continues to this day, turning his most dangerous enemies into his most loyal followers, solidifying his absolute authority.
A. Wrongfully Accused (Tyvis): Liberate your father and all the other wrongfully accused slated for reprogramming, if it isn’t too late already. Dismantle the horrific facilities which threaten the free will of all men and stem the flow of Endymion’s fanatic followers.
Planar Hearts
Sentient artifacts of near-limitless potential, possessing the power and essence of each of the planes, they are sought after by some of the most powerful beings in existence for purposes largely nefarious. Who made them? What is their true purpose? Not even they can rightly say, but undoubtedly they play an important role in events that will shape the future.
I. Heart Trouble (Saviors, Dark Three)
Since their discovery, the Hearts have proven little else but trouble, painting targets on the backs of all who possess them, but also providing vast powers accessible only through child-like consciousnesses. Yet Astralheart warned not to be fooled by these facades, for each Heart is interested only in the driving passions of its plane.
A. Strangeheart (Diana): A fist-sized, smooth purple amethyst tied intimately with the Void, whose low hum and unnatural radiance repels insects and panics animals. It has a decidedly male personality, a five-year-old vampire dressed for a funeral, cruel and spoiled. He was named Tiberius by the one who woke him: Diana. He has an insatiable appetite, grown in recent months, served by black holes and thrashing tentacles. The gem was passed down to Diana from her mother, set in a belt worn by the sorceress. He is a bitter enemy of the Astralheart, who represents the gulf of Creation which grates against the Void.
B. Astralheart (Renato): Self-named Astralea, Renato’s defense of her well-being inspired her to manifest as an eleven-year-old deva with ivory skin and delicate features. She speaks to him through telepathy and visions, and appears, thus far, a gentle and guiding force, one linked closely to water and movement, like the Astral Sea. She also displayed the ability to resurrect and, even more miraculous, wash souls of their sins. She is a bitter enemy of the Strangeheart and normally appears a foggy glass sphere hung from a thin platinum chain.
C. Worldheart (Drelzna von Zarovich): While its personality has yet to be revealed, the girls were able to identify the swirling gem of green, white and blue embedded into Drelzna’s sarcophagus as a Heart. Renato appealed to it on the way out of the Sanctum Maleficum, hoping to coax it into his possession, with no luck.
D. Quakeheart (Jeda): A fist-sized, unworked orange citrine marked with spurts of earth and other fused ores tied intimately with the Elemental Maelstrom. It has a decidedly female personality, an angry, adolescent orc. She was named Niza by the one who woke her: Relic. She was the original gem designed to function with Relic's mainframe. Her luster inspires intense emotions in those around her, though, and began to turn the metal man into something much more war-like. The gem was stolen at the Battle of the Mills, its exact whereabouts unknown.
E. Blackheart (Jeda): A fist-sized piece of smooth obsidian tied intimately with Cadavera. It has a decidedly female personality which calls itself Adej, the tiefling shadow of the one who woke her: Jeda. She is one of a series of planar gems possessing untold powers, including shadow conjuration and nightmare visions. Last seen with Jeda, and used during Kaylan and Selja's abductions and subsequent rapes. Whereabouts unknown.
F. Hellheart (???): A fist-sized, faceted ruby tied intimately with Hell. It has a decidedly female personality, a little girl in black lace with blood-red curls named Cinell by the one who woke her: Tyvis. The two had quite a falling out after she immolated some innocent nurses, proving a sin-eating generator of fire and darkness and a natural manipulator. After her rejection by the druid, she promised revenge and fled.
G. Pureheart (Thamior): A faceted diamond tied intimately with Heaven, small enough to be set into a golden ring. It has a decidedly female personality, unnamed and yet to manifest when last the party saw her keeper: Thamior. The gem was given as a gift from Percival Wright, claimed to have once belonged to his father before him.
H. Cagedheart (Selja): Initially a large, jade spurt some two feet tall tied intimately with the prison plane Carceri. It has a decidedly male personality who prefers to remain in gem form, utilizing a root-woven chassis for mobility. He was given to the druid Selja by a time-jaunted treant on its deathbed, insistent someone care for the little creature called Dibs. The two became bosom friends and travel to this day, Dibs proving the only Heart thus far able to physically grow with age and practice. He is now a five-foot jade spurt in a very humanoid root ‘mech’.
I. Wildheart (Dark One): A fist-sized emerald tied intimately with the Wild, woken by Portia, it eventually proved to have a male personality, that of a soft-spoken, extraordinarily-green boggart around sixteen or so. He possesses many abilities, including plant manipulation, animal summoning and rudimentary healing. He also acts like a key to enter and exit the Wild. The gem led a suicidal charge and saved the group from the Dark One outside Darling. He hasn't been seen since...
Current Status: The Hearts remain scattered throughout the worlds, a mystery to the party despite months, even years, spent with them.
II. The Watcher (Saviors, Dark Three): Ezariel, the archangel charged with keeping the Hearts locked away in a celestial vault of nine times nine folded dimensions, was in self-imposed exile as he searched for the gems. He explained their origins were largely a mystery even to Heaven, but their planar power was clear enough, as was their potential for abuse, spurring the angels to gather and seal them away in the first place. Yet Portia appealed to his compassionate nature, insisting it was wrong to imprison the Hearts now that they’d proven sentient. He agreed, and decided to watch over them and prevent their misuse to the best of his abilities, despite the idea he would never be able to return home.
Current Status: Ezariel was last seen running interference for the party as they escaped Darling, but events in Edmark showed he kept his word returning Percy, Bremen and the orphans back home.
III. Dark One (Saviors, Dark Three): Who or what is the Dark One beyond a being of shadow and wind, the tenacious hunter of the Hearts and enemy of the archangel Ezariel? Where does its allegiance lie, and what are its true motives? Those who’ve encountered it before have a queasy feeling they’ll find out sooner or later...
Current Status: The Dark One has not been seen since the Wildheart valiantly sacrificed itself to see Portia and the rest of her friends safely to Darling. One can only assume it continues its hunt for Hearts.
IV. Dazeen the Uniter (Saviors): While Kaylan was held captive by Ghisidhran underneath Blackdelve Asylum, he spoke of the Gloriandeline prince Dazeen, kept in a tomb only kin could open, being the key to uniting the Hearts. Entering the tomb revealed the prince was not some decrepit mummy, but young and handsome, sleeping in a state of suspended animation for some uncertain event and protected by a radiant barrier that would disintegrate those not of royal elven blood. Kaylan received a vision describing how three magic items could be used to wake him, two rings and a circlet, which she largely kept to herself, unsure whether or not waking her uncle was in the best interests of the worlds.
Outer Gods
As the New Gods sleep, powerful beings claiming divinity and garnering worship have sprung up across the planes, threatening to tear down the existing pantheon and achieve true apotheosis.
I. The Green God (Saviors)
Worshipped as the god of fey and the Wild, he is largely recognized as a being encompassing all that is powerful and dangerous in Nature, without any of its beauty or vulnerability. It is that sort of tenacity and absolutism that has drawn so many loyal fey, who recognize him as an unstoppable juggernaut, a force of nature that will rid the Wild of all other usurpers, crush the weak kingdoms resistant to change, and bring about a new empire.
His loyal chaplains and cult leaders are given the ‘Green Gift’, a spore which links them, sharing thoughts and knowledge. His loyal hosts number most fey species and several faerie lords, including the centaur tribes and the Courts of Autumn and Winter.
A. Opposing the False God (Active): The Green God has been an enemy of the party since its first incarnation, and they’ve fought his machinations beginning with the defeat of the Spirit of Winter in the isolated Nors community of Angern, and by claiming the Wildheart before it could be used against Othyr. Later they slew the dragon convert Ghisidran and banished Chernobog’s cult beneath Provia’s Blackdelve Asylum, only to learn from their then-employer Reedthagn that the Green God’s identity was none other than Sev Torban, Archdruid of the North.
Current Status: The Saviors fight on behalf of Prince Arinew and the Summer Court, opposing Chernobog’s loyal Autumn Court.
1. The Last Archdruid (Tyvis): Yggdrasil confirmed the Green God was in fact Sev Torban, fallen Archdruid of the North, whose increasing paranoia post-Demon War led him to assume the mantle of Chernobog and mobilize the errant fey into a force meant to protect Creation from the evils which plague it. His perception of what was and wasn’t evil drastically altered over the years, until he lost himself in his creation. He possesses four of the five Raiment Lordanae and potentially the Shields of the Archwardens.
2. The Black Forest Offensive (Passive): The Green God has made recent moves to oppose the Holy Nors, particularly in the Black Forest region of the Heartlands. Suffused with primal energy, it is the easiest point to cross over from the Wild to Othyr. With such elaborate logging and settling efforts, it isn’t difficult to incite the fey who cross over or recruit what few faerie natives endure. The resulting attacks target all humans, the guilty and innocent alike, serving to dismantle enemy operations, but at too high a cost.
The Archdruid of the Heartlands managed to ease tensions some by placing the changeling Quentin in the late overseer’s position, easing logging operations as much as possible without drawing the attention of the regional trade baron, and at the same time working to appease the fey and diffuse the Green God’s rabble-rousing.
II. Tenebrous (Dark Three)
Worshipped as the god of darkness and secrets, his forms are many, tailored to suit the local cults which offer souls and ancient knowledge in his name. To some he is a demonic prince, others a beautiful drow or menacing vampire. His goals are as mysterious as his visages, though he’s proven a unifying force for many of the darker creatures of the worlds.
Perhaps the fastest-growing of the outer religions, his presence is felt throughout the Underdark, as well as in Cadavera and wherever else his loyal adherents dwell, numbering the fearsome Ordo Templi Nox and splinter groups of drow, dragons and vampires.
A. The Face in the Darkness: Demise and, more so, Zulthanza substantiated that Tenebrous is really the last surviving shadow dragon in Creation, Taras, nemesis to the forces of light since the late Demon War. His whereabouts have remained a mystery to even the most accomplished Othyrians, King Matthias included, but his draconic proxies, the Ordo, and his supplicants in Kauth make his influence painfully felt.
B. Ordo Templi Nox: Creation’s most accomplished assassins, traditionally neutral and dedicated to the sanctity of death and balance, have adopted Tenebrous as a religious figure to increase their influence and power. No longer will they serve death through contracts, rather master it by deciding the hits themselves. Their bases now support a burgeoning cult which corrupts every murder with his dark agenda and undermines the Ordo’s original purpose.
1. Temples of the Night: Ordo congregate in temples of the night situated in psuedo-shadow pockets half-way between the native plane and a place of utter dark, perhaps Cadavera, perhaps the Void. So long as one endures, the Ordo endure.
a. Barovian Temple of the Night (complete, converted to Gilda): The Ordo headquarters in Barovia provided a foothold in southern Cadavera to coordinate certain important hits (like the mark on Angelique) and spread the Tenebrian faith.
b. Othyrian Temple of the Night: The Ordo headquarters on Othyr provides the means for orchestrating important deaths across the whole of the continent. Taking it out will purge the order from Othyr, a devastating blow to their power structure.
i. Shadow Doors connect the Othyrian Temple of the Night to the city of Saspien, and by extension Othyr. Locking them by way of eldritch keys prevents anyone from passing through.
aa. Circus of Shadows has been locked, yet the shady alleyways have reverted back under Ordo control in the wake of Harnok’s murder.
bb. Dark Temple has been locked, though the temple was never cleared or fortified.
cc. Black Orchard
dd. Lost Halls
ee. Night Gallery
ff. Bleak Academy
gg. Vault of Souls
2. The Shadow Cabinet: The deadliest assassins in all the worlds comprise the ruling body of the Ordo Templi Nox. You will have to kill or defeat all of these Lords of the Dark to ever truly be safe or in control. Though their identities are kept secret, and similarly their whereabouts, there are several very good candidates known to you.
a. Demise: The mistress of all drow assassins and a master killer, she was encountered in the dark elven haunts beneath Saspien’s ruins, a very likely candidate for a Lord of the Dark.
3. Lord Giovanni Ruiz (Renato): Save your father from the soul-killing Ninety-Nine Cuts. Rumors hold he’s kept somewhere in the Othyrian Temple of the Night, in the horrid chambers of the Angel of Suffering.
C. Kauth: Tenebrians marshaled by the treacherous blackguard Ris-Radi now occupy the ancient drow city beneath the Black Forest. They’ve brought down the old temples and palaces, crafting the dark god’s mecca and a new subterranean power base. After the Hand’s defeat, many turned to the rising god, and the onyx city now teems with followers and resources. Their continued presence threatens Tsojcanth City, Delzoun, Izolda and the larger surface world.
1. Lady of Spiders: The presence of a spidery drow envoy amongst the Ordo was just a precursor. Demise mentioned a new player in the game of dark religion and death, an arachnid demon the likes of which has not been seen since the fall of Anansiel. She lairs in Kauth with the blessings of Tenebrous, having chosen the former royal prince of the debunk House Dredilith has her clandestine mate. Things are quickly shaping to her brutal liking.
III. Asmodeus (Dark Three)
Worshipped as the true god of Hell, his emergence from Gehenna has inspired many restless devils awaiting Hecate’s reawakening to convert and put their resources behind an active master. Still others join his cause in opposition of the other New Gods, whom they despise for their wretched morals and overarching goals of peace and harmony. He brings a notion of intelligence and strength, the menace of a master fiend, a tyrannical and undeniable order.
His most loyal are blessed with the Crown of Baator, an unseen right of rule which commands awe and allegiance from lesser-minded creatures.
A. Lord of the Nine: Who or what is Asmodeus? Where did he come from and how did he manage such power to cow some of the most powerful fiends in Hell. The secret could be the advantage needed to defeat him.
B. Cult of Asmodeus: Asmodeans are cunning and well-hidden, gorged like ticks in existing power structures directly or indirectly involved with Hecate’s church. Their goal, pursued through any number of shadowy means, is the transference of godhood from the Queen of Hell to the King.
Not even the Maidenmother Crone, Hecate’s own avatar, knows quite how extensive the cult has become, suffice to say it required the appointing of a new prophet to cull the herd.
1. Ribcage (complete): A second iteration of the Dark Three managed to undermine Asmodeus’ efforts in the planar purgatory of Ribcage, despite the hold he’d dug into the city. Slaying Flamen Pontifica, freeing Baron and, more importantly, dispelling Asmodeus’ Decree allowed Hecate’s forces to purge the heretics and reclaim the Temple of Darkest Secrets.
2. Saspien (Isabella): All is not well in Hecate’s Church of Delights. The seven sects have been subverted, and not all who claim faith truly possess it. It is up to the prophet to weed the true believers from the false and cleanse the goddess’s most expansive church on Othyr of the traitors who seek to topple it from within, be they vampire, tiefling, or devil.
3. The Living Cushion: A rolling sea of living flesh, fat and secretions comprises the Ring of Lust, Phlegethon, ruled by the transvestite titan Pequid. Among his most prized concubines and advisors is the Queen of the Succubi, Malcanthet, revealed an Asmodean and conspirator by the Maidenmother Crone. Already a sworn enemy of the Dark Three, she will have to be dealt with for Hecate’s church to ever truly be safe. Pray she is the only heretic in this ghastly pit. Pray this is the only ring harboring enemies.
4. Gehenna: Asmodeus is known to dwell somewhere in the horrific underworld Gehenna, Hell’s version of the Underdark. Its complex tunnels are haunted by things even devils fear, serving also as a protective weave about the black sun Nessus: Hecate’s known resting place.
IV. Umrat-Tawil (Dark Three)
Worshiped as the god of time and space, his holy symbol’s likeness is that of an Anubian head, leaving little mystery as to the identity of this outsider. Yet Umrat has made no moves against the New Gods and hasn’t reached out to followers beyond the derro, seemingly content to dwell in his dark ravine with his mad supplicants.
A. Delzoun: The derro of Delzoun, situated at the bottom of the Stygian Chasm, praise Umrat-Tawil as a benevolent force, one who raised them from the aberrant-haunted ruins ages ago in order to assist in maintaining his secrets. In the case of the Planar Nexus they failed, allowing Pazuzu and then the Dark Three to operate the damaged ship, but even that massacre cannot account for all the derro in the chasm, nor the lake and bridge be the extent of their city.
Personal Missions
The Saviors
Tyvis
Archdruid
The Heartland Circle
Restoring Balance
Arinew
King of the Silverwood
Narra
Origins
Kiri-Raina
Storm-Maker
Brothers and Sisters
Kiri-Auro
Storm-Maker
Brothers and Sisters
Rogar
Archwarden
II. The Dark Three
Renato
The Gilda
Assassin’s Vale
Isabella
Prophet of Hecate
Mommy Dearest
Diana
The Starry Maiden
Star Child
A Murdered Mother
NPCs
Kaylan
Anita
Relic
Giers
Thamior
Portia
Selja
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Session 21: Shelter from the Storms
Evening, Kelehess 25th - Morning, Kelehess 26th
(28 days total, 17 days left until the New Moon)
Dinner
After some much-needed downtime, dinner was ready, a large spread of geese, boar, vegetables and bread, complemented with a dark red wine and cool spring water. For the most part, the group enjoyed their meals, passing conversation between stuffing their faces (Hulda and Jeda, I'm looking at you!). However the question still loomed over Bart, would he direct them to Provia or not?
Dishes
Kaylan, grown tired of asking the half-elf, moved into the kitchen and began doing dishes. Cathartic in the scrub and dry, she was soon joined by Bart with a dish towel. He tried one last time to convince her not to go, which for many reasons she expressed she must. Bart, angered by this, said nothing more and, once the basin was emptied, stormed off to his room.
Comfort
Once it was divulged that the group would be heading to Provia, despite the Inquisition presence and general Kingdom xenophobia, Petunia got very upset. She implored the group not to go and then, still upset over Frederick, excused herself and fled upstairs. Hulda followed after the girl, finding her crying softly in a window seat. The urias did what she could to ease the girl's pain, but the barbarian soon found herself with questions of her own. Petunia asked just how they planned to get into the city, or out, or how they would accomplish whatever it was they wanted to do in the city. Hulda didn't know.
Pie
Higliac, annoyed with how emotional everyone was being before dessert, demanded the pies! Pie was the answer to all life's problems, or so he thought, and truth be told it did ease a lot of the tension as peach and apple were served. Everyone fell in love with the desserts, but most especially Portia. On hearing that Provia had a wide variety of pies, even ones with meat in them, she began experimenting with the left-over boar.
The innkeeper got wind of potential sales and offered them pies before they left tomorrow, but the group declined, not wanting to put the upset Petunia to work. When the subject of mead was brought up though, Higliac and Giers' talking eventually did lead to a sale of 5 bottles. While not as finely-brewed as Etherian, Kingdom mead packed a larger punch.
The Map
Bart returned in a huff with a map in his hands, a map of Provia. Fairly recent (drawn within the last 5 years), he spread it out onto the table and described what little he knew of the place and how to get there. He offered the group sale of his horses, which eventually they declined. He also had cloaks and hoods for them, what little they'd do for Hulda and Portia.
Innocent Game
Bart wished the group well and went to retire, while Higliac took up his spot at the check-in counter. Giers, Portia and Hulda weren't quite sleepy enough and the mead began to flow. Soon cards followed and some flirting... Hulda cringed through most of it, but wasn't opposed to taking the game upstairs where strip games commenced. Portia was taken off-guard by Giers' suaveness, but wasn't opposed to hit, and the bird boy enjoyed getting his mac on.
The Stranger
A stranger entered a few minutes before the card game went upstairs, a very tall man with brown robes that extended beyond his hands and feet, and whose hood masked all of his face. He paid well for his entrance and had a seat near Marrow by the fire. He'd clearly seen the group and appeared to be unconcerned, VERY unusual in the Kingdom.
Jeda joined him a few minutes later, sticking her feet and hands in the hearth coals to warm up. Hulda even moseyed on over to offer him a drink, which he brushed off with deep, commanding and giant-like voice, "I've no business with you."
As the urias moved back to the game a little dejected, the Stranger spoke to Jeda, "But I do have business with you..."
Jeda gave him her usual attitude, guessing who he might be or what, but she eventually provoked his ire and he stood, pulling off his hood to reveal a blinding light Jeda could all but squirm in. Yet to the rest of the inn, he appeared as if he was lounging comfortably, smoking a pipe. Jeda called for help, but the tipsy group told her to leave the poor guy alone.
The Stranger sat back down and spoke plainly enough: he wanted the Black Heart and the Heart of the Wild. They were stolen, he claimed, from The Vault of Nines, and he didn't have much time. Jeda asked why, to which he answered he could not tell for fear that information would be disastrous in the hands of those not willing to comply with his wishes. She postulated he was not all-powerful, or else he'd simply take them, to which the annoyed stranger responded that he disliked resorting to violence or killing unless it was absolutely necessary. He asked for them again, warning there was another close on his heels who also desired the Hearts.
Jeda began to get a bit frantic, demanding to know who and why, even as the hearth fire flickered and the Stranger rose. He asked her one last time and, when rebuffed, sighed heavily and rued her human half, for it seemed humans always opted to take the hard road. He turned and left, even as Jeda pulled on his robes for him to come back, even as they continued to pull and extend as if she were tugging on a bolt of the cloth. He left and shut the door behind him, and the tiefling followed after mere seconds later, but what she nearly ran into as she flew into the night was not the Stranger. Jeda found a fog of utter void amidst a growing wind. Within the absence of everything, that place of perfect black, she knew the essence of horror.
The Coming of the Dark One
Jeda saw the endless darkness where terror was birthed and fled like a madwoman back into the inn, even as the blind Higliac tried to comfort her in her panic. The door slammed shut, suddenly a terrible wind picked up and all the lights of the inn went out, hooded or not. The windows began rattling violently, and soon even the walls. Dirt kicked up wildly outside and trees bent like grass blades.
The group flew down the stairs, soon joined by the Weeping Stone family. Giers bravely threw open the door to discover what was the cause of this sudden rainless, thunderless, lightningless storm and Jeda's babbling fear, only to confront the same pure terror. He stumbled back, forgetting how to breathe as the void overwhelmed his senses. The door swung shut as if the storm inhaled, then all the windows blew out. Kaylan ushered everyone to the basement, concluding the shadow and elemental magic was beyond any of them, even as the wind blew off the door and knocked over furniture. The gales carried a language with them, something discordant and painful to hear.
Once in the basement, some huddled between the wine racks, while others fought to hold the door closed. It was a losing battle, as something stepped onto the floor above like the touchdown of a cyclone. It blew the basement door off the hinges. Jeda's fear spawned a shadow door in place of the real one thanks to Black Heart, but soon the walls holding the door came off as the entire inn exploded and flew skyward.
Black Heart quickly expanded its shielding of the group, obscuring like a dark glass the entity before them, the "Dark One" of shadow and blue mist whose form was vaguely humanoid and who carried a scythe-like staff. Twelve feet tall at least and surrounded by a shadowy funnel that bent or destroyed everything around it, the being was a terrifying sight to behold.
Shadow Wild
In a desperation even the Hearts shared, Hoppers and Black Heart worked as one in defending their keepers. Black Heart created a shadow barrier akin to a spider's egg, while Hoppers anchored it with thick roots from the surrounding forest. Yet once the Dark One's gaze fell entirely upon the group, it began to undo. Hoppers, still recovering from the Battle of the Twisttongue, couldn't maintain the roots and they tore away, caught in the funnel. And Black Heart's egg shell began to crack and flake away, swallowed upward into the maelstrom, unable to sustain its creation when pitted solely against this being's will.
Jeda begged for the entity to stop and all the voices and languages in the winds answered with some bemusement, "No."
Ezariel Strikes!
And when the night was darkest, the shadow egg cracked and the group entirely exposed, a single bolt of lightning struck from heaven into the Dark One. Eyes quickly registered it a being of pure light, which grappled with the being of pure dark. Their struggle produced crackling energy and sparks, even as they crashed and fell with blinding speed, into the forests, through the clouds, miles here, miles there, never in one place more than a few seconds.
All the howls and ululating languages of the winds condensed into one nightmarish voice. "You only delay the inevitable, Ezariel."
To which the being of pure light, Ezariel, in that deep, tremendous voice of the Stranger replied, "They will never be yours!"
A third light shone in the dark then, golden and warm, which instinctively beckoned the group into the woods. Thunder crashed, yelling, "Go!", while the wind seethed, "Ssssstay!" The group collected themselves in a hurry and fled into the light. All strife faded as the white consumed them, comforted them, washed them of doubt and fear...
The Grove
The group woke the next morning in a grove of apples and pears, the sun shining, the sky brilliant blue. Though autumn, today seemed a glimmer of summer past, warm but for the shock of dew. Rising, they found themselves intact, but note quite whole.
Bart shielded his family, telling the group to get away from them. Petunia, likewise, feared the group and lamented the loss of their home, though perhaps fear of what transpired was most dominant in her sobbing. Higliac, however, showed restraint, compassion even, believing what transpired wasn't the group's fault at all, but forces beyond any and all of them.
Kaylan wished them well and gave Higliac all the coin she had as small compensation. He refused at first, but eventually took it more to comfort the half-elf cleric, who looked perturbed to say the least. But Hoppers, at Portia's bidding, provided the greatest gift, returning Higliac's sight through a miraculous use of the Heart of the Wild's powers. And so the family of three left for the woods, moved, changed.
The rest of the group took time for apple and pear breakfasts, eventually discovering they were in the groves just outside of Provia itself! Though early in the morning, the farmers would soon be about, and already the sound of Nors language and carts was coming up the way...
Experience: 200 xp each (7,188 total)
Magic: None
Loot: 4 bottles of Weeping Stone mead (Giers), 1 bottle of Weeping Stone mead (Jeda)
Money: Kaylan (- all coinage), Giers (-8 gp)
NPCs:
The Stranger/Ezariel, hooded being who wanted the Hearts and warned of another that would come; he turned out to be the being of pure light that pitted himself against the Dark One and saved the group
The Dark One, a terrifying entity of shadow and wind who wants the Hearts
What is the Vault of Nines?
Who is the Ezariel?
Who is the Dark One?
What exactly are the Hearts?
(28 days total, 17 days left until the New Moon)
Dinner
After some much-needed downtime, dinner was ready, a large spread of geese, boar, vegetables and bread, complemented with a dark red wine and cool spring water. For the most part, the group enjoyed their meals, passing conversation between stuffing their faces (Hulda and Jeda, I'm looking at you!). However the question still loomed over Bart, would he direct them to Provia or not?
Dishes
Kaylan, grown tired of asking the half-elf, moved into the kitchen and began doing dishes. Cathartic in the scrub and dry, she was soon joined by Bart with a dish towel. He tried one last time to convince her not to go, which for many reasons she expressed she must. Bart, angered by this, said nothing more and, once the basin was emptied, stormed off to his room.
Comfort
Once it was divulged that the group would be heading to Provia, despite the Inquisition presence and general Kingdom xenophobia, Petunia got very upset. She implored the group not to go and then, still upset over Frederick, excused herself and fled upstairs. Hulda followed after the girl, finding her crying softly in a window seat. The urias did what she could to ease the girl's pain, but the barbarian soon found herself with questions of her own. Petunia asked just how they planned to get into the city, or out, or how they would accomplish whatever it was they wanted to do in the city. Hulda didn't know.
Pie
Higliac, annoyed with how emotional everyone was being before dessert, demanded the pies! Pie was the answer to all life's problems, or so he thought, and truth be told it did ease a lot of the tension as peach and apple were served. Everyone fell in love with the desserts, but most especially Portia. On hearing that Provia had a wide variety of pies, even ones with meat in them, she began experimenting with the left-over boar.
The innkeeper got wind of potential sales and offered them pies before they left tomorrow, but the group declined, not wanting to put the upset Petunia to work. When the subject of mead was brought up though, Higliac and Giers' talking eventually did lead to a sale of 5 bottles. While not as finely-brewed as Etherian, Kingdom mead packed a larger punch.
The Map
Bart returned in a huff with a map in his hands, a map of Provia. Fairly recent (drawn within the last 5 years), he spread it out onto the table and described what little he knew of the place and how to get there. He offered the group sale of his horses, which eventually they declined. He also had cloaks and hoods for them, what little they'd do for Hulda and Portia.
Innocent Game
Bart wished the group well and went to retire, while Higliac took up his spot at the check-in counter. Giers, Portia and Hulda weren't quite sleepy enough and the mead began to flow. Soon cards followed and some flirting... Hulda cringed through most of it, but wasn't opposed to taking the game upstairs where strip games commenced. Portia was taken off-guard by Giers' suaveness, but wasn't opposed to hit, and the bird boy enjoyed getting his mac on.
The Stranger
A stranger entered a few minutes before the card game went upstairs, a very tall man with brown robes that extended beyond his hands and feet, and whose hood masked all of his face. He paid well for his entrance and had a seat near Marrow by the fire. He'd clearly seen the group and appeared to be unconcerned, VERY unusual in the Kingdom.
Jeda joined him a few minutes later, sticking her feet and hands in the hearth coals to warm up. Hulda even moseyed on over to offer him a drink, which he brushed off with deep, commanding and giant-like voice, "I've no business with you."
As the urias moved back to the game a little dejected, the Stranger spoke to Jeda, "But I do have business with you..."
Jeda gave him her usual attitude, guessing who he might be or what, but she eventually provoked his ire and he stood, pulling off his hood to reveal a blinding light Jeda could all but squirm in. Yet to the rest of the inn, he appeared as if he was lounging comfortably, smoking a pipe. Jeda called for help, but the tipsy group told her to leave the poor guy alone.
The Stranger sat back down and spoke plainly enough: he wanted the Black Heart and the Heart of the Wild. They were stolen, he claimed, from The Vault of Nines, and he didn't have much time. Jeda asked why, to which he answered he could not tell for fear that information would be disastrous in the hands of those not willing to comply with his wishes. She postulated he was not all-powerful, or else he'd simply take them, to which the annoyed stranger responded that he disliked resorting to violence or killing unless it was absolutely necessary. He asked for them again, warning there was another close on his heels who also desired the Hearts.
Jeda began to get a bit frantic, demanding to know who and why, even as the hearth fire flickered and the Stranger rose. He asked her one last time and, when rebuffed, sighed heavily and rued her human half, for it seemed humans always opted to take the hard road. He turned and left, even as Jeda pulled on his robes for him to come back, even as they continued to pull and extend as if she were tugging on a bolt of the cloth. He left and shut the door behind him, and the tiefling followed after mere seconds later, but what she nearly ran into as she flew into the night was not the Stranger. Jeda found a fog of utter void amidst a growing wind. Within the absence of everything, that place of perfect black, she knew the essence of horror.
The Coming of the Dark One
Jeda saw the endless darkness where terror was birthed and fled like a madwoman back into the inn, even as the blind Higliac tried to comfort her in her panic. The door slammed shut, suddenly a terrible wind picked up and all the lights of the inn went out, hooded or not. The windows began rattling violently, and soon even the walls. Dirt kicked up wildly outside and trees bent like grass blades.
The group flew down the stairs, soon joined by the Weeping Stone family. Giers bravely threw open the door to discover what was the cause of this sudden rainless, thunderless, lightningless storm and Jeda's babbling fear, only to confront the same pure terror. He stumbled back, forgetting how to breathe as the void overwhelmed his senses. The door swung shut as if the storm inhaled, then all the windows blew out. Kaylan ushered everyone to the basement, concluding the shadow and elemental magic was beyond any of them, even as the wind blew off the door and knocked over furniture. The gales carried a language with them, something discordant and painful to hear.
Once in the basement, some huddled between the wine racks, while others fought to hold the door closed. It was a losing battle, as something stepped onto the floor above like the touchdown of a cyclone. It blew the basement door off the hinges. Jeda's fear spawned a shadow door in place of the real one thanks to Black Heart, but soon the walls holding the door came off as the entire inn exploded and flew skyward.
Black Heart quickly expanded its shielding of the group, obscuring like a dark glass the entity before them, the "Dark One" of shadow and blue mist whose form was vaguely humanoid and who carried a scythe-like staff. Twelve feet tall at least and surrounded by a shadowy funnel that bent or destroyed everything around it, the being was a terrifying sight to behold.
Shadow Wild
In a desperation even the Hearts shared, Hoppers and Black Heart worked as one in defending their keepers. Black Heart created a shadow barrier akin to a spider's egg, while Hoppers anchored it with thick roots from the surrounding forest. Yet once the Dark One's gaze fell entirely upon the group, it began to undo. Hoppers, still recovering from the Battle of the Twisttongue, couldn't maintain the roots and they tore away, caught in the funnel. And Black Heart's egg shell began to crack and flake away, swallowed upward into the maelstrom, unable to sustain its creation when pitted solely against this being's will.
Jeda begged for the entity to stop and all the voices and languages in the winds answered with some bemusement, "No."
Ezariel Strikes!
And when the night was darkest, the shadow egg cracked and the group entirely exposed, a single bolt of lightning struck from heaven into the Dark One. Eyes quickly registered it a being of pure light, which grappled with the being of pure dark. Their struggle produced crackling energy and sparks, even as they crashed and fell with blinding speed, into the forests, through the clouds, miles here, miles there, never in one place more than a few seconds.
All the howls and ululating languages of the winds condensed into one nightmarish voice. "You only delay the inevitable, Ezariel."
To which the being of pure light, Ezariel, in that deep, tremendous voice of the Stranger replied, "They will never be yours!"
A third light shone in the dark then, golden and warm, which instinctively beckoned the group into the woods. Thunder crashed, yelling, "Go!", while the wind seethed, "Ssssstay!" The group collected themselves in a hurry and fled into the light. All strife faded as the white consumed them, comforted them, washed them of doubt and fear...
The Grove
The group woke the next morning in a grove of apples and pears, the sun shining, the sky brilliant blue. Though autumn, today seemed a glimmer of summer past, warm but for the shock of dew. Rising, they found themselves intact, but note quite whole.
Bart shielded his family, telling the group to get away from them. Petunia, likewise, feared the group and lamented the loss of their home, though perhaps fear of what transpired was most dominant in her sobbing. Higliac, however, showed restraint, compassion even, believing what transpired wasn't the group's fault at all, but forces beyond any and all of them.
Kaylan wished them well and gave Higliac all the coin she had as small compensation. He refused at first, but eventually took it more to comfort the half-elf cleric, who looked perturbed to say the least. But Hoppers, at Portia's bidding, provided the greatest gift, returning Higliac's sight through a miraculous use of the Heart of the Wild's powers. And so the family of three left for the woods, moved, changed.
The rest of the group took time for apple and pear breakfasts, eventually discovering they were in the groves just outside of Provia itself! Though early in the morning, the farmers would soon be about, and already the sound of Nors language and carts was coming up the way...
Experience: 200 xp each (7,188 total)
Magic: None
Loot: 4 bottles of Weeping Stone mead (Giers), 1 bottle of Weeping Stone mead (Jeda)
Money: Kaylan (- all coinage), Giers (-8 gp)
NPCs:
The Stranger/Ezariel, hooded being who wanted the Hearts and warned of another that would come; he turned out to be the being of pure light that pitted himself against the Dark One and saved the group
The Dark One, a terrifying entity of shadow and wind who wants the Hearts
What is the Vault of Nines?
Who is the Ezariel?
Who is the Dark One?
What exactly are the Hearts?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
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