We begin this week’s session at dinner still on the day of September 7th. We are expecting Polurn the Firbolg- the expert from Get Smart as well as the stately gnome Gwelldar.
Eabrossi notes there are three guards at our townhome tonight. They
are familiar Black Tar clansmen.
Before dinner we talk about the morning encounter at the
funerial. Besides Gwelldar’s children, other graves were for the remains of bodies found at the Peylor mausoleum. We also talk at length about the object noticed by Zaigan
in one of the graves.
We also ruminate about Gwelldar’s information our enemies mayhap want. Gwelldar helped Aevum’s mother and her search for reflecting pools. He
points out that everyone looking for these pools eventually comes to him. We do not have to look far to see this is evident.
Q: How well does he know the King
A: Cryptically said- no one really knows the King
Eabrossi reads the note we found.
Gwellar doesn’t know anything about the note but there are
many groups that could benefit from the riddance of the Saxo bloodline.
Q: What notable areas has (Gwelldar) visited with the Queen?
A: Spraggle Tower. Researched the undefeated. Studied currents, winds, seasons, and weather patterns. Ancient giant graves and met with specialist wizards about older ancient magics. We also studied ancient and giant bloodlines and lineages.
The possibility comes up to attempt locate Bhishma
of the Kuru Kingdom, that me might not be dead. To test this theory, Aevum ceremonially
sends a miss you message to his mother Sanguine. The message token leaves him and flies away.
Eventually Polurn arrives geared up and carrying some books and on his back, a large barrel of ale to share.
We invite Polurn to tell his side of the graveyard battle. He describes
being sick and it was hard to see. He helped people get out and when that was
done all he could hear was fighting between waves of sickness.
We ask Polurn what he has learned.
A: He guarantees his help if we would take him along on our journey. He claims the three books he has belonged in a cloud giant's or in a titan's library. It was recovered in volcanic ash and was somehow protected from the fire. He believes they would be great reference tools.
One book he shows us has an
artists depiction of a ‘reflecting pool’. But that is not the focus of the
book. In ancient times physical travel between planes took effort and therefore the
powerful made ways to travel between the places. He believes the book identifies
this as a giant or titans place- somewhere. He believes the picture proves its existence and he thinks he can
find it.
At this point Aevum produces his mother’s arcane books (ancient
geography, diary Theatrum Botanicum, two magical text books: Unearthed
Arcanas from the era of antiquity and the time of creation and a book of magic theory from those times. (different iterations of d&d).
Polurn’s reaction is excitement. We begin to share what information we have obtained up until now.
When the subject of undefeated come up, Poulrn gets excited
and grabs a book and asks where the flying citadel makes stops. Gwelldar is sure he can
figure out the next time the undefeated will be at Spraggle Tower. Connecting
his knowledge of seasons and weather patters, a guess to when the Undefeated
could arrive.
Aevum sends another message- a message specifically written
by one of our guards... the message reads: ‘message completed’ but this time Aevum's intended recipient is Bhishma,
this time the message goes in a different direction. This leads Tena to assume
the note:
My betrayal is complete even if my plan isn't. Now I
wait, face hidden, for my next opportunity.
How those children survived is a question that may well
haunt me to the end of my days. Instead of lost and forgotten in carnage, they
are aware of the danger and searching down the same road as the Jinnborn's
parents.
Could I be so lucky as to have the group of them suffer
the same fate? I shall hope so but prepare myself and fellow conspirators for
the eventuality that they do not.
There shall be a new king despite these setbacks and I
will suffer the loss of my homeland no longer. An active bloodline of a fallen
king is not a fate a wise new king should suffer. Our research on that subject
must continue. We must isolate the king until we are prepared to strike and use
this time to end the Saxo bloodline.
Was from Bishma?
Meanwhile Polurn and Kron retrieve ale and grog. Talk between them consists of opinions on ale and how Polurn handels himself in combat. Kron observes Polurn carries a large great axe. He is armor free and dabbles
in magic to augment his battle prowess. The toughest thing he’s faced was an enlarged
dire boar. A creature that seem to come through a portal. In fact he had been
through a portal. A portal near Spraggle tower that took him underground to
Darkell.
Aevum asks Gwelldar to look into Aevums Saxo family genealogy. Along
that line Gwelldar knows there is a strange clan of ogre magi and giants from
the Kuru Kingdom.
Tena examines an item using spellcraft: The Follow your Dreams
book found in the dungeon (Session 6): They detected as divination magic. (Page
30, room 11) The book is a find the path spell. One per page and one ‘path/goal’
per person. And more than one ‘path/goal’ can be active at once. There are
seven pages left and a crafter of wonderous items could add new pages.
Tena needs at least 4 more days of training before we leave.
Eabrossi has finished 5 days of downtime with Gwelldar and
Aevum’s second day his new downtime.
Zaigan and Kron visit the market to liquidate his +1 sword
and his short bow and gets 60% of the list price.
In the morning, September 8th, Aevum wakes with
the knowledge that one of his messages has been delivered.
Overnight Zaigan is haunted by dreams. Thoughts of his
memories being jumbled but thoughts always return to his legendary armor- once
worn by Bishma.
Eabrossi sends a courier to the Portly Frog’s owner Zedar
Ekran of our wish to meet him. A response comes back almost immediately with an invitation to
dinner tonight.
We head out to the site where Sanguine and Bhishma were murdered. We find
a worn area where Tena casts a spell View the Past using Zaigain’s armor as a
focus.
This awakens Zaigan's Legendary Armor.
During the spells effects Tena, Zaigan, and Aevum each see: Through the eyes of the armor wearer, oddly mounted on a undescriptive horse.
The hands of the rider are familiar, the three characters witness Bhishma ride up to a spot and places Sanguine down with a badly beaten third body strapped on the horse. The body is eventally pulled off the horse and decapitated. Not long the headless body is outfitted with Bhishma’s armor and gear as to pass as Bhishma.
Sanguine is peaceful and dead.
Q: Did Bhishma drop the body of the queen?
A: He set her down.
Q: What direction does he come from
A: he comes from and returns to the Rift.
Q: Was there any iconography on Bhishma?
A: When he departs, a green draconic symbol for ENVY is
evident.
Bhishma’s motives are largely unknown, but he seems to be working with draconic agents. And it seems that Bhishma would be free after assuming Zaigan’s identity.
On our way to the cemetery:
Aevum sends a message to King Saxo:
Bhishma is still alive, one
conspirator amongst a seditious cabal working to eliminate the Saxo bloodline.
Allied with the dragon of envy.
At the cemetery we search our old battle field and the small
object that caught Zaigain’s eye. Finally we realize there is metallic ore mixed
in with dirt and that the area could be mined. The graves appear undisturbed. Nothing interesting yielded.
Back to town it is 3:30 in the afternoon when we return to
the Grand Dome. There are the usual three guards including the manager checking
in our stay. We say all is good but he mentions missing three men for about two days.
We claim to not know about their whereabouts.
On our way to dinner with Zedar Ekran we find a beautiful
dome akin to a ziggurat. On the grounds are functioning crops divided by a path to
the main door over which a stone gargoyle sits.
Eabrossi knocks and answering the door is a woman dressed
in a translucent cloth. Definitely genie-kind, beautiful save for being horribly scarred and very blind. Some
of our starting attitudes are improved upon entering the abode.
We are guided to a sitting room and are invited become comfortable.
Music emanates from youths playing instruments, each of them have extreme deformities
or handicaps.
Eventually a drow woman enters, dressed in leather, greets
us and introduces herself as Bacall. Seems we are not to be the only guests at
this dinner. Eventually Zedar Ekran arrives and heads straight for the prince
and provides smoke and small talk.
Diplomatically Zedar Ekran did not offer the prince any
condolences; Bacall is observed with having a slavers mark on her neck. As do
the small children.
When Aevum notices the cat familiar in the room we end the
session.
1 comment:
Great review! Note: When Russ first informed me of the spell I told him the spell was approved but with the caveat that there would be a spell focus. The more intimate the object was to the location or to the people in that location during your time of scrying, the greater chance of a successful viewing. Thus the armor was perfect for this casting
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