113a: To Stand Apart

Biosh 20th [early morning hours]
divided

Plot Developments

• Varlasun sent the intended messages, and the Saviors' plan has been set in motion (see last summary).
  
• Varlasun and the kobolds acted as decoys while the party forewent rest and instead pursued the Chernobogians through the understory.
  
• Narra's attempt to psionically augment the vision of the party trackers backfired so near the Tesseract, and instead she was stricken with an ability to see visions of the past as they played out in particular spots she passed. She witnessed a time of happiness and peace between a Chenussean father and his children, saw Rogar training when he was no bigger than a kobold, and was lastly struck by a vision of Chenussean dryads from the Grand Temenos of Life being captured by Reedthagn, in the process surrendering one of the sacred urns containing the Mother's placental goo.
  
• When the Saviors finally caught up to the Chernobogians, they made quick work of them in an astounding display of power. In the wake of their victory, tempers rose and some of the uglier sides of the party members emerged, who was thirsty for blood, who was blindly preaching, who was erring toward gullible and foolish...
  
• Nalua took a coure, Blaen, aside to better learn of the Chernobogian agenda despite its apparent madness. She learned much, that the Green God was interested in uniting the Wyld into one fey host, a closed fist to swing against the real threat, Yith and the Voidborn menace. He did not care who wore what crown, but democratic unification was too slow given the impending doomsday, and perhaps impossible with such a fickle and varied collection of kings, queens and chieftains. He chose the quicker, more efficient role, that of conqueror and living god, and had nearly achieved total dominion after twenty years of war. However, Annwn's continued resistance inspired further insurrections and delayed Chernobog's ultimate goal, an act the coure found selfish. It compromised, in his belief, the entire world. Though Nalua addressed the idea that the Green God's means were brutal and wrong, which the coure could not entirely deny, he countered it did not matter when faced with annihilation, and that rightful claims would be honored once the threat had passed. It had to be this way, he believed, a notion which gave the priestess pause, and earned the coure his freedom (albeit through a misinterpreted murmur on the coure's part).
  
• During Arinew's questioning of the Chernobogians, it was revealed Gliadim was once a very wicked fey, and had been the one who tried to assassinate the prince those many years ago. He'd made amends with the city, with Hjokenstalf, but the news shocked the prince, Fonnig and Dewdrop (Ashenthe got a kick out of it, though). He ultimately left the party, agreeing to fulfill a distant duty where Arinew's eyes and the party's suspicions would not haunt him, by escorting the prisoners back to Eglantine. He was joined by a group of Verbeeg giants, who'd been trailing the prince since his departure (though they could not adequately match pace with the zephyrs).
  
• Before departing, though, there was a matter of honor to see to. Brantus and the centaurs had broken their oaths to protect Ashenthe, a matter which they took deadly seriousness in. They were shamed, and to live without honor was akin to death. Stoically, the centaurs marched with Rogar into the woods and were executed each in turn, calling into question the morality of honor.
  
• With business settled and an hour before sun up, the party made camp and took a much-needed rest while their distant forces mobilized.
  

Experience: 5000 xp (128,200 total)

Personal Resources
treasure: stag helm (level 15, Rogar), horn of blasting (level 17, Rogar), carnage bastard sword (level 18, Rogar), fey strike rapier x 3 (level 20), ring of fey travel x 3 (level 22), cold iron dagger (level 23), fey warrior's boots (level 24)

stag helm: Less of a helm, more of the naked skull of Brantus Stormbreaker, former centaur chieftain possessed of huge elk antlers.

horn of blasting: Among Brantus' possessions, this spiral horn is fashioned from the tusk of some nameless Wyld beast, something large.

carnage bastard sword: Brantus' weapon, a stone-bladed bastard sword that crackles with black and red energy when unsheathed. It has a fearsome weight to each swing.

fey strike rapiers: Wielded by the coures and Ashenthe both, these silvery blades are so sharp the air peels in wispy ribbons when swung. They shimmer with an unnatural polish and never dull, suggesting their ranged power within. Those looking into the reflection of the blade see only what they want to see.

rings of fey travel: Adorning the fingers of the coures and Ashenthe, these golden rings allow for the wearers to heighten their fey attributes. Non-fey who wear them take on some subtle faerie likeness, a slight pointing of the ears or angling of the cheeks, perhaps green eyes or unusually-colored highlights.

'Shard', cold iron dagger: Arinew knows the bite of this weapon well, once Gliadim's longsword that broke in his back as a boy, refashioned a dagger Ashenthe undoubtedly planned to plant a second time. It's an ugly blade, black iron that radiates a chill and sends a shiver whenever its hilt is clasped. If spun or tossed, Shard will always point to a fey. Its enchantment cannot be transferred.

fey warrior's boots: Rarest of the lot, the Queen of Autumn herself crafted these boots for her favored daughter from the leatherleaves of a Tirnan cronaug tree, hemmed in golden, crimson, white and black hair plucked from four noble nymphs, imbued with their speed and elusiveness.

coin: 35,700 gp: 204 pp, 292 gp, 70 sp, 100 cp + 3 rubies (5000 gp each)

New NPCs
Chieftain Brantus Stormbreaker (dead): The stoic centaur barely managed to swing his sword in the swift defeat of the Chernobogians. For his failure to uphold his oaths to Ashenthe and the Autumn Court, he and his centaurs laid their lives at the feet of their vanquishers, bereft their honor. In their tradition, living without honor was akin to death, and despite protests, Rogar mercifully granted them oblivion (or coldheartedly executed them, depending how you view it).

Fidlstyx 'Spike': The gremlin of Ashenthe's party, possessed of illusions and mind-bending magics, was ultimately spared for his many pleas and the mercy of Kiri-Raina. He's since been dubbed Spike, acting as a familiar or simply a pet, and happy to be alive. But can the Saviors trust him?

Coure Blaen of Autumn: One of Ashenthe's consorts and a skilled fencer, he was taken aside by Nalua as she tried to make sense of the Chernobogian madness. His conviction regarding unification and the impending Yick was enough to inspire pause in the high priestess, and she released him. He should have returned to camp, but apparently returned to Orlaith instead.

autumn nymphs, stormbreaker centaurs, coure of mischief and strife, verbeeg...

Returning NPCs
Adaj'iil Varlasun Thagnbrood: The ritualist, envigorated by one of Arinew's spells, was able to provide decoy shadows to help mask the Savior's hunt.

Kriznob and Deshkyr | Yat and Simra: The kobold drakeriders flew as decoys to help mask the Savior's hunt.

Princess Ashenthe of Autumn: The proud sidhe was defeated through a relentless bombardment, and ultimately spared by her cousin, despite urges otherwise. He might even have freed her, but the others intervened. She criticized the Saviors for perpetuating a hopeless and time-consuming war, calling it selfish. She was sent south to Eglantine as a prisoner, escorted by her brother and a cadre of Verbeeg.

Sir Gliadim of Summer: The dashing knight confessed his past, bloodstained and traitorous, and his efforts to repent. Though the prince ultimately forgave him, as Hjokenstalf had done when he knighted him, Gliadim took his leave of the Saviors and the mission, agreeing to instead escort his sister and the autumn prisoners back to Eglantine.

Fonnig, Featherwing, Dewdrop...

Lore

• One of Narra's visions of the past showed dryads captured by the gargantuan Reedthagn. One hugged a jar of red clay shaped like a pregnant figure and banded in precious metals. It's a sure bet the dragon is in possession of at least one of four sacred urns containing the Mother's last essences, the placental goo.
  
• Nalua revealed a very sordid past directly linked to the fall of the Summer Court. It was her father, with the best of intentions, who led the Queen of Fallen leaves and a small 'delegation' into the Summer Palace. He was betrayed, the Summer Queen killed, and the entire kingdom set on a course for ruin. He died sniveling, having been urged into his folly by a young, naive daughter...
  
• Gliadim was part of that delegation, an accomplice in the Summer Queen's murder, and the failed assassin who made an attempt on Arinew's life as a child. He'd lingered in captured Orlaith for several years, when disillusion and eventually guilt struck him. He returned to the summer remnant, earned the trust of Hjokenstalf, and was eventually knighted as a protector of the last summer bastion, Eglantine.
  

Next Session
114a: The party sees how good Varlasun and Ezark are at keeping their words, and with any luck the summit is reached at last.

Political Powers of Othyr

112a: Mirage

Biosh 19th [nearing midnight]
last-minute stratagems

Plot Developments

• The party defeated two mirage dragons, looking whimsical crosses between green dragons and faerie dragons, but refrained from killing them.
  
• Varlasun, free of his jailors, seemed a little more willing and able to help the party, though dead-dog tired after ten years of non-stop rituals. He mush have had some means to stay alive so long without food and drink, never mind sleep, but it couldn't have been anything other than a living hell.
• Arinew broke ties with Ashenthe, his wicked Chernobogian cousin, and sister to Sir Gliadim. She'd informed him of demons on the mountain, seeking the demonhead Blight from Reedthagn's treasures, and that if left unchecked they could very well succeed during the Savior's tribulations. Of course, in dealing with this new threat, they'd also be leaving time and opportunity for the Chernobogians to do the same. How exactly they planned to enter the Tesseract remains a mystery, though. Since she refused to divulge the Green God's plans, and generally disliking her intentions, he had little other recourse.
  
• Allies sprung from the most unlikely of places, Varlasun explains, as Ezark, the first of Arinew's alliances and another of Rogar's brothers, was a devout priest of Krysarok, the demon dragon spawned alongside the New Gods at the end of the Demon War. The demons on the mountain were his, part of his 1000 troops, perhaps all 1000...
  
• After MUCH deliberation, the party decided to enact a four step strategy to counteract the catch 22 scenario they were in, which saw them either going after the demons or going after the Chernobogians, while leaving one unchecked and contending with Anoximoia either way...
• Step 1: Find the Chernobogians. The party opted not to rest, instead pressing on in the dark hours of early morning to track the fey and end the Green God's plots on the mountain, whatever they might be.
  
• Step 2: First Wave: Varlasun made himself indispensable by contacting Ezark. The dark supplicant agreed to bring his demonic forces to bear against Anoxiomoia. Though Ezark is convinced this is part of a much larger assault, which it will be eventually, his demons really serve to distract the guardian of the summit. It is likely he also expects Blight among his spoils, but that's a challenge for another day. In combination with Varlasun's illusions, the Saviors hope to circumvent the dragoness and reach the hypercube.
  
• Step 3: Second Wave: Ikkirul, meanwhile, was also contacted, though mobilizing his troops will take much longer than Ezark's (who are already on the mountain). Two days' flight will see the drakeriders join the fray, and another day, at least, for his 8000 ground troops, and whatever else he can muster from the ninth through sixteenth gates. This will hopefully keep Anoximoia occupied during the Savior's activities, and, should they be so lucky, help douse any power grabs once Reedthagn is dead.
  
• Step 4: Win, or Don't Die: Narra must hack the hypercube, so that the Saviors may confront the eight thousand year old dragon called Thrak'redathra by his own kind, Danthareda by fey, Reedthagn by men, Agthanre by elves, Grauntagger by dwarves, Grigmungr by giants, and Spittingdeath by goblins, First of Greens, Sovereign of Reh'na'thagnatar, the Tesseractian.
  

Experience: 4200 xp (123,200 total)

New NPCs
Dazzleyes and Honeyswoon: Cerulean dragons with rainbow fins and butterfly accents, known as mirage dragons. Reedthagn instituted them as Varlasun's jailors, but both were defeated by the Saviors.

Returning NPCs
Adaj'iil Varlasun Thagnbrood: Liberated from his dragon jailors, Varlasun agreed to help the Saviors bypass Anoximoia's forces and reach the summit of Reh'na'thagnatar, where they might question Reedthagn for his many, many wrongs.

Princess Ashenthe of Autumn: After informing the prince of demonic presence further up the mountain, and their goal to steal Blight from the Tesseract, Arinew was forced to part ways with the Chernobogians for not divulging what it was they were after in the hypercube.

Prince Gliadim of Autumn: Ashenthe revealed Gliadim was once an Autumn Prince, but that he abandoned the life to live as a mere knight in the summer city.

Fonnig, Featherwing, Dewdrop, Deshkyr, Simra, Kriznob, Yat...

Lore

• Blight is an artifact of unspeakable power, rumored capable of slaying anything, but at a steep and immortal price. Known as a demonhead, the bald, black mace houses the essence of the demonlord Falagoust, Lord of Ruin, an ancient entity of decay and corruption birthed by the Mother of Demons before the God War. It is always seeking his resurrection, but despite that knowledge the temptation to wield such power cows many.
  

Next Session
113a: With a plan in motion, the Saviors trust in their varied allies to see them beyond Anoximoia and to the Tesseract, wherein lurks Reedthagn, in possession of Solistice and Blight.