Profile: Company of the Bright Spear

The Company of the Bright Spear was an adventuring party that was active between 322 SV and 335 SV. Their adventuring was intercontinental, and they won fame for destroying a Cult that worshipped the Dark Necromancer in the city of Nath. They took their name from their leader Perry’s weapon of choice – an enchanted spear that glowed with a brilliant blue light when wielded. At the height of their notoriety they had twelve members, but after the final climatic battle with the Cult only four survived.

Those four chose to join up with the Valian Army during the Treyvan War of 335 SV because Lt. Gen. Karl was tasked with laying siege to the Dark Necromancer’s Tower, and the Company saw a chance to end the threat of the Dark Necromancer once and for all. During the siege of the Tower the Company of the Bright Spear along with the Knights of Mist Valley penetrated the tower and presumably confronted the Dark Necromancer. No one knows the details of that encounter, but it seems the Dark Necromancer was destroyed but none of the remaining members of the Bright Spear survived.

The members of the Company of the Bright Spear who survived the Cult’s destruction and confronted the Dark Necromancer were:

Akkan the Jovial

Perry Spearwielder

Zack the Rogue

Herbian (a wizard)

Profile: Knights of Mist Valley

The Knights of Mist Valley are an adventuring group popularized in several songs of recent years. Originally a military squad during the Treyvan War (335 SV) designated Badger group, they served under Lt. Gen. Karl during the assault on the Dark Necromancer’s Tower.

While many deeds are recorded in song and tale, only the military records filed in Boarlanding are used as reference here.

The forces of mercenaries and Beastmen gathered by the Dark Necromancer to send in aid to Mario Treyvan’s armies were camped in two valleys when Lt. Gen. Karl, supported by a column out of the Dragon Wastes led by court mage Trevor, divided his forces and attacked. The Dark Necromancer took the field in return, and blanketed the eastern valley in a thick mist, and then summoned a mighty storm that threw lightning into the now obscured melee. The larger group of Karl’s forces was in the western valley.  After heavy fighting they secured the western valley and moved into the eastern valley. Upon arriving the mist began clearing (the Dark Necromancer having returned to his tower) and found the results of a massive slaughter with hundreds dead on both sides. The only individuals left standing was Badger group, which the rest of the army named the Knights of Mist Valley in awe.

Later during the actual assault of the tower, the field was heavily contested due to the large number of undead the Dark Necromancer brought into play. The Knights of Mist Valley along with the adventurers called the Company of the Bright Spear alone fought their way into the Dark Necromancer’s Tower and confronted the Necromancer. The details are not clear on what exactly happened in the tower in the military report; a highly descriptive but questionable account is presented in the song Fall of the Tower of Darkness. What is known is that at one point the tower suffered from an initial explosion, and then a second explosion during its collapse. The second explosion blew the top balcony off of the tower and through that the Knights were able to survive.

The Knights were largely inactive in the years following the Treyvan War, but have recently been spotted – reportedly  confronting the Marquis Daedalus of Avonhollow in his keep and fighting bandits and Tainted Ones.

The original Knights of Mist Valley (per military records) were:

Feydor Riverman

Bajol Risus

Fyn Sosyl

Frumious Hawthorne

Grigor Dragomir

Thomas of Boarlanding

Bruce of Greymoors

Nolan of Halvenspring

Justarius of Halvenstomb (deceased)

Profile: Badger Group

During the Illmarian war of succession of 335 SV, commonly called the Treyvan War, Luigi Guardos was able to invoke the mutual defense treaty of 321 SV, and received military aid from the Kingdom of the Seven Vales against the forces of his cousin Mario Treyvan.  One of the armies sent from the Seven Vales was a special unit under the leadership of Lieutenant General Karl. The bulk of the forces from the Seven Vales were conscripts, and the conscript squads in Lt. Gen. Karl’s command were given color and animal designations.

Badger Group (originally Green Badger) was one such squad, made up of individuals from the north Mossreach area. It was led by Sergeant Thomas of Boarlanding. Over the course of the campaign it was merged with other groups but maintained the designation Badger Group until the battle of Mist Valley. While active, Badger group was distinguished and noted for its ability and was frequently used as a scouting squad. The original members of Badger group were:

Feydor Riverman

Bajol Risus

Fyn Sosyl

Frumious Hawthorne

Grigor Dragomir

Nolan of Halvenspring

Thomas of Boarlanding

Members of Badger group that were added later were:

Bruce of Greymoors

Justarius of Halvenstomb (deceased)

Colin of Halvenstomb (deceased)

Master Shake of Halvenstomb

Kellen Cloudrest (presumed deceased)

Icabod of Merrioc

Murph of Merrioc

Journal Entry #19

Osgood,

Thank you for the update, you are becoming quite a wizard, lad.  Maybe soon it is I who will be apprenticing to you.  Please give this note to Nolan:

Nolan,

I am glad to hear you are safe.  You and I have much to discuss, and I could use your "resources" on some things.  I also have information of Thomas, as well as a host of other things.  I understand you were planning on leaving soon.  As you oldest friend, and family member, I would ask that you stay a few more days until we can talk about some things.  I would not ask if it were not important.

Grigor

Communique #7

Grigor,

I am delighted to know that I will see you soon.

As your apprentice, I have been somewhat remiss in my duties as I have failed to keep you apprised of my studies and progress – instead choosing to focus on local news and the specific tasks you have assigned to me. Allow me to rectify that before you arrive and see what I’ve done to your tower.

As you know I have been studying topics arcane and magical; I have also been studying spell theory and the art of casting. You will be pleased to know that I am progressing well in both areas. In addition to that I have undertaken the pursuit of several fields of study that dove-tail nicely with your instruction.

First please know that I take my role as your librarian very seriously, and have now become proficient in the creation, construction, and binding of books – as well as archival, restoration, and preservation.

I have also developed a keen interest in crafting and alchemy. You mentioned scrolls in a previous letter; I hope you are proud to find that I have scribed an assortment of arcane scrolls for our use.  In addition I have constructed a small stone alchemy lab next to the tower (but not connected as failed experiments have proven to be volatile). From there I have been able to craft several vials of antitoxin, tindertwigs, everburning torches, etc…

I have also expanded my alchemy practice into the creation of magical potions and have a very modest supply representing my efforts. Thanks to Phineas Whooperill I have also discover how to craft enchanted items that are far more wonderous than their mundane counterparts. I am currently working on a set of bracers that provide a magical effect that duplicates wearing armor. Unfortunately my first attempt also immobilized the wearer, BUT HE WAS WELL PROTECTED.

I am now fluent in 5 languages – Valian Common, Gnomish, Celestial, Illmarian Common, and First World Common. I hope to add Elven and Dwarven soon.

Finally my casting abilities have progressed where I can now cast Flaming Sphere – something of a personal triumph.

Your tower has now become, ah, more organized along my particular tastes. This was so that I could fulfill your various research requests more quickly. A minor rearranging of furniture and book organization, nothing huge and easily returned if you wish when you arrive.

I have reconstructed the third floor as you requested – dismantling my jewelry shop to do so, just so you know. Anyway, on to the local news.

Two days ago Nolan arrived from the north. He looked pretty exhausted and asked if he could stay here. As I write this he is down stairs eating lunch. He has not seen anything other than the first floor and has not asked – mainly he’s just been sleeping. He told me he intends to leave tomorrow morning, heading south into Goldmeadow. He inquired after you and the others and I told him you left heading east at the beginning of Winter Waxing. He seemed pleased and left it at that.

Eric Plowman and his son Toby found Nolan’s arrival far too interesting for my tastes.  I attempted to use Detect Thoughts on Toby as he was watching Nolan eat in the Sleeping Dragon.  All I got was “So the High bards continue to meddle in Illmarian affairs,” before Melor’s tunic got caught in the door and caused a commotion. What was most interesting to me was that following the physical comedy of Melor falling etc., Toby locked eyes with me in a way that told me he knew. For Eric’s part he inquired with your Mother about Nolan and the details surrounding his upbringing, who he hung out with, etc…

Just today we received word that the Baron will be coming to visit Halvenspring. The official reason is a managing tour of the Barony, but I think Marc Risus and Pharun’s activities far more likely a reason. He should arrive shortly after you guys, the following day if you keep your schedule.

Yesterday Klaus knocked on the door. He has noticed me testing my alchemical work and asked if he could see my shop. Not knowing what else to do I showed it to him. He politely asked me a few crafting related questions and made a few suggestions, which I was happy to take. We’re going to meet over dinner tonight in his tower and discuss the limitations of potion brewing.

Your brother Dorian has been making forays into the Firnockt, accompanied by Wren and Uval. Do you remember Wren? The Allade girl, Bruno’s daughter? She has been spending time with both Omsythe and Father Theodore, and I suspect picked up a few things with her new divine beliefs. Uval you wouldn’t know – his family migrated from Templemount a month ago. Anyway the three of them have been “exploring” and “patrolling”. I bring it up both to keep you informed and because I want to tell you about the events of last night.

Apparently they encountered a band of Redcaps because they are idiots and were walking at night through the Firnockt by the Tainted wood. They engaged and slew 3 Redcaps before deciding that they were outmatched – by Gwen’s account there were 8 of them – and fleeing. The redcaps gave chase and Dorian’s group ran for the closest building which was Salavic’s shop – he’s a halfling, a new resident who makes toys and baskets.  Anyway the Redcaps stopped and refused to enter the clearing where Salavic’s place is built. Why would they do that? That seems odd. Perhaps there is more to Salavic (note to readers – this sentence is struck through and ends with “Salavic,” as if Osgood thought it was a mistake. The letter resumes) They were just lucky I guess. Gwen’s account of the incident however mentions a figure made of smoke, about man sized, that was with the Redcaps. I wonder if this is the same kind of Tainted One you met on the road between Waymeet and Shadowmount? I asked around, looked into church records, and there has never been mention of any other kind of Tainted One other than Redcaps in the Firnockt.

As I researched that though, I came across an old record (well, old for Halvenspring anyway) mentioning a Redcap leader named Blackbriar. This implies that 1) Recaps are intelligent enough to have and follow leaders, and 2) have a sense of self enough to have names. This revelation is chilling to me. Is there an intelligence behind these seemingly random attacks? Why are things escalating? It is becoming clear to me – something is going on in the Firnockt. Something new – or rather something very old which is doing new things. I will confer with you more on your arrival, but I am of the mind to accompany Dorian and his friends on some of their forays. As with Toby Plowman, it may be time for me to become more than an observer.

Looking forward to your safe return,

Osgood

Journal Entry #18

Osgood,

So somehow I got confused on how far we were from home.  I know I said 4 days ago we were close, but now we truly are.  I am at the Inn in Rams Run, and we are riding hard.  Here is a quick recap of the last several days:

So we left Tradedock, and on the first night of camping we came across Orisus returning from having the Underground Mine take care of that Awakened that was still dormant.  The one that the Steel-toes were trying to uncover.  He is actually heading to visit a friend of his named Klaus Steelpick.  So he should be riding with us all the way back to town.  The ride has been cold, snowy, and creepy.  Crows flying overhead, every shadow is suspect, everything feels like your enemy when you are out here and running for home.

On the second day we saw a strange bird flying in an unusual pattern.  I sent Kyros to investigate, and as he got close, the bird turned into tiny wooden spikes and peppered him.  Kyros fell out of the sky, but is OK, I am happy to say.  Right about then was when the ground exploded in front of us and 2 large wicker . . . animals? charges at us.  I am including a sketch.

Once we damaged them a certain amount they dissolved into several wicker warriors.  They were easily defeated, but it was a tense few minutes.  Needless to say that quickened our pace, and we made a minor course correction to head for home as the crow flies.  (Maybe that is no longer the best expression for us to use)

That night, as we were sleeping, a shadow appeared to Bajol and Orisus (they were on watch).  It was the Shadowlord, and he was looking for the box to keep it out of the hands of his brother.  So either "brother" is a term used for all of those who were extant in the first world, or we are smack dab in the middle of the most fucked up family feud I have ever seen.  Either way, it was pretty spooky.  The shadow also seemed concerned that we were heading back to Halvenspring, that makes me even more convinced that the Puppet King is tied to our new Toymaker.

We rode on to Ram's Run, and then encountered Ichabod and the "Knights of the Mist Valley" harrassing a barmad in the inn.  He made us, and whispered to a partner that he knew pretending to be us would draw us out, and to tell Fengali that we are here.  I have no clue what the hell this is about.  Needless to say we took out most of them.  Ichabod got a way, and we tracked him for a while, but lost him in the dark, and the snow.  We just got back, and are turning in now.

So hopefully I will see you in 48 hours or less.  Omnos, I can't wait!

Grigor

Calendars of Andara

In the world of Andara the year is broken up into twelve months named after seasons: Spring Waxing, Spring, Spring Waning, Summer Waxing, Summer, Summer Waning, Autumn Waxing, Autumn, Autumn Waning, Winter Waxing, Winter, Winter Waning. The months follow a lunar cycle and are each 25 days long for a total of 300 days in the year.

The month begins with the First Quarter phase and ends with the New Moon phase. Each phase lasts for about 6 days but again the full lunar cycle is 25 days long. Thus there is no real concept of “week”, planning being broken up into either days or months. The new Omnian religion observes religious rites every fifth day and slowly the concept of “week” is being explored and introduced to society in this manner.

One other thing to note is that the days of Andara are all the same length; they do not grow shorter in the winter or longer in the summer.

There are several calendars that the party would be aware of. The most obvious would be the Valian Calendar which is the one the Seven Vales operates on. The Valian Calendar begins with the founding of Boarlanding at year zero. Events after the founding are listed as SV (the years of the Seven Vales) and events before are PSV (Prior to the Seven Vales). For reference the Knights met Nolan in the Sleeping Dragon (following the 10 year break) on the last day of Autumn Waning, the 25^th, in the year 345 SV.

There is also a church calendar that begins with the finding of the Libram by Valnar in the year zero. Events after are labeled AD (After the Discovery) and events before are BD (Before Discovery). The same day in the paragraph above occurs in the year 223 AD.

The Knights would also be aware of a Chovalian Calendar and the Old World Calendar.  While they would not have this specific information at this time (publishing at Session 26) the Choval Calendar begins with the founding of the Choval Empire and denotes with IR (Imperial Reign) and BE (Before Empire).  The year 345 SV is the year 1014 IR in the Chovalian Calendar. The Old World Calendar supposedly began at the landing of the first human ships on the southern continent and does not recognize years before the event and thus has no post script.  Occasionally scholars will label it with the post script OWC, but only when comparing dates with other calendars. The year 345 SV is the year 3178.

Finally there was once a Calendar called the Desert Empire Calendar, but as it was the only one that did not start its new year on the first day of Spring Waxing (starting instead on the first rain of summer – making for irregular length years) it fell into disuse after a few centuries.

The common man and even minor nobles rarely pay attention to calendars or years, instead marking the passing of the seasons. It is not unusal for the answer to the question "How old are you" to be "I've seen 40 winters."

Session 26

Date: 3/22/2015

Attending: Jake, Dave, Chris, Joey, Aaron, Martin guest as Orius

Absent: None

Start Time: 7:25 p.m.

End Time: 10:20 p.m.

XP awarded: 975

Game time elapsed:  4 days

Enemies Defeated: 2 wicker rhinos, 10 wicker mannequins, Icabod and 7 adventurers

Notes:

In the morning, after a conversation about Grigor’s latest discoveries in the Marquis’ journal (see found lore), The Knights meet up with Orius Kegbreaker (and Snort) riding down from the north. Orius tells the Knights that he told his organization (“You mean you told the Underground Mine? Huh? Is that who you told?” Grigor said pugnaciously) about the Steeltoe excavation and they are having it sealed.

The party rides west for a day and camps for the night, noticing bird activity above that may have been crows. In the morning they continue west, only to have two large wicker rhinos burst out of the ground and charge them. Once a certain amount of damage was dealt to the rhinos, they fell apart and the wicker re-formed as several (10) humanoid figures who continued attacking. The party defeated the wicker creatures and continued on to the west at a quicker pace.

In the morning they chose not to continue west into Borderton, but instead try for a more direct route northwest to Halvenspring. Again they travel for a full day and camp, pushing the horses hard. That night while Orius and Bajol are on watch a shadow cast by the fire animates and converses with them.

Here is a condensed and paraphrased version of the conversation.

Shadow: “Why are you fleeing to the spring?”

Knights: “Who are you? What is your name?”

Shadow: “In this world I am call the Shadow Lord. Where is the box?”

Knights: “This world? Have you lived in other worlds?”

Shadow: “I lived in a previous world. Who has the box?”

Knights: “Not telling. Why do you want the box?”

Shadow: “I don’t. I don’t want my brother to get the box.”

Knights: “Do you mean us harm?”

Shadow:  “Maybe.”

Knights: “Is Vespatius your brother?”

Shadow: “Vespatius is a tool of one who was cast out.”

Knights: “What is in the box?”

Shadow: “Information. Why do you serve the Carrion King? That one (points at Grigor) says that you are aligned with him.”

Knights: “Our friend was mistaken. We do not serve the carrion King.”

Shadow: “I will not let the box fall into my brother’s hands.”

Then the shadow was still. Bajol and Orius woke the party and told them about the conversation.  In the morning the party rode hard again, and made Ramrun shortly before dark. Frumious poked his head into the inn and saw Icabod with a group of adventurers, harassing the barmaid. Frumious informed the Knights, who entered the inn en masse.  As they did Icabod smiled and whispered into the ear of one of his companions (overhead by Grigor) “Tell Fingali I found them; they’re heading home.”

Immediately it broke out into a fight. The Knights slayed the group, including the messenger, but Icabod escaped and left a false trail by sending a riderless horse riding into the night. The party then returned to Ramrun and spent the night in the inn (Bajol having paid for the damages). End Session

Song of Percival

Riding in the Gnomish cleric's backpack,
Weighs as many ounces as a nut sack,
He is Frumious' guide
for Omnos' wild ride
Hanging out with the Knights of Mist Valley

Little Angel Man -
Little Angel Man -
they've given you a body, and taken away your ball.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMHrl6IyHcs

Session 25

Date: 3/8/2015

Attending: Jake, Dave, Chris, Joey, Aaron

Absent: Justin – in New York for Spring Break

Start Time: 7:20 p.m.

End Time: 10:05 p.m.

XP awarded: 875

Game time elapsed:  2 days

Enemies Defeated: none

Notes:

The party left the next morning in the company of Marwyn heading west. They took the opportunity to question him further about a few things. One of the notable pieces of information was that the organization of dwarves that Grigor had been trying to suss out info on was identified by Marwyn as the Underground Mine – a network of dwarves who look out for dwarven interests, often have agents near suspected Tainted Ones areas of activities, and quietly monitor local events. Also noted is that they send a small group into the north each year; where no one seems to know.

Marwyn also suggested that there is a connection between the metal used by the Tainted Ones, the shape of the world, and the existence of world enchantments. He also indicated that he was part of a loose group or organization (Grigor – “Of course you are. Everyone but us is.”) and his conversation suggested that this group is led by or follows someone other than him.

In further conversation Grigor mentioned the jester figure he encountered which caused Marwyn to immediately shift demeanor.  Shocked, he asked for the details of that encounter. He told the party that the jester works for the God-King of the Giants and that his presence on this continent means that the God-King is involved in whatever “game” is being played by these entities. Stating that he needed to tell someone about this he showed the Knights a tattoo of a blue anvil on his wrist, stating that any who claim to be in his group would have the same tattoo. Then he summoned a large flying lizard who carried him off to the east.

That night the Knights crossed the Avonwine by ferry (the Avonwine being a large river) and entered Tradedock. The Tradedock residents seem to be active in the evenings and were out on the streets conducting normal daily – or in this case nightly – business.

While walking through the streets, Feydor noticed a beggar crouched down in an alley, swatting at shadows that seemed to move of their own accord to probe and prod him. The group entered the alley and realized the beggar was muttering unceasingly to himself, saying such phrases as “He sees me in the darkness,” “bound bound bound,” and “I know the unutterable name, oh yes I know…” etc… When the knights approached the beggar straightened and turned to them, still muttering. Frumious cast a light spell at the back of the alley, and the shadows immediately reverted to normal shadows.  The beggar’ eyes had been gouged out, and the sockets were empty, dried blood painting his face underneath. Fyn addressed him, saying “I hear you know the unutterable name.” The beggar stopped and replied with a smile “Yes, yes I do.” Fyn then said, “What is it?” The beggar calmly and clearly said “Zarthos” and immediately exploded, tiny droplets of him being spread all over the alley. 

After a quick discussion with the town guard about the death, the party retired to the Crooked Horseshoe, a two story inn. They split into two rooms. That night Feydor had a peculiar dream. He was floating in blackness and there was an enormous blue mountain ahead. As he flew closer he saw that the mountain was an inverted sapphire. Flying to the top of the mountain he saw a horse that looked very similar to Brutus, a sword, and a shield. The emblem on the shield was a white horse against a blue triangle, point up. Picking up the shield he saw an inscription on the inside that read “Seek our lore in tombs to the south.” The he began rising above the mountain, and as he did he looked down and saw that from overhead the mountain looked like the symbol of Omnos.

In the other room Grigor was having an experience of his own. On first watch he was studying and writing in his journal. Taking a break to stretch he saw a shadow pick up his pen and write in his journal Who do you serve? Grigor wrote back Knowledge. In the book then Knowledge or Secrets? For Knowledge is mad, and Secrets are hidden. Grigor replied to that with Secrets. At which point the shadow wrote Well if it is carrion you side with, carrion you shall be.

Immediately the shadows of the room came alive and began choking Grigor who struggled to no avail. Finally he sent a mental cry to Kyros, who awoke and was able to drive the shadows off with a burst of fire. The shadow then wrote I was wrong to protect you from the Puppet King. No more.

In the morning the party compared notes, and then rode west heading towards Mossreach. They rode for a full day and camped for the night. End Session

NPC Profile: Father Theodore

Home: Halvenspring

Public Lore: Father Theodore is the local village priest for the Church of Omnos in Halvenspring. He was assigned to the village some 30 years ago although no one seems to know or care where he was prior. The villagers of Halvenspring view him as wise and he has a paternal air about him. Known for his patience, fairness, and even temper he is often called upon to settle disputes that would otherwise be taken to the Grey Circle or the Sheriff. He has a strange friendship with Onsmythe – they have a playful rivalry regarding the village’s largely wholesale conversion from Onsmythe’s druidic beliefs to the Omnian faith – a conversion that mainly occurred prior to Father Theodore’s arrival. Most of his sermons deal with community, charity, and faith in the face of adversary. For such a prominent member of the village, he receives very few visitors and only rarely any kind of obvious communication from other Church members.

Physical Description: Father Theodore is a robust healthy man in his early sixties. He wears the common brown robe associated with the lower clergy of Omnos, clasped with a wide leather belt over sturdy boots. He is grey of hair and beard, both of which he wears at about a foot in length. He is thick around the middle but still active and muscular – his belly has merely caught up with his chest in old age. His skin is wrinkled in the manner of one who has seen a lot of sun, and he stands about 5’11’.

2nd Excerpts From the Journal of the Marquis Daedalus

It seems in the west on the far shores of what is now called the Dragon Wastes lives one who is called one of the “Endless”. To whom is this referring? Its far enough away that I don’t feel it threatens my territory, but it would be best to be on my guard.

……………………………………..

So Omnianism survives. Whether the priests or the monks does not matter. How much remains? It’s so hard to make sense of my memories as a beast, especially from before. Sticks and Shadows, Crows and now Omnos. Those I remember though under different guises save Omnos, as well as the Lily and the Flame. If the Book becomes Sticks and the Wing becomes Crows, what would the Lily become?

………………………………………

I have detected massive magics that seem to be laid upon the world. They appear to be binds, enchantments, and wards.  A madman in my village tore out his eyes and activated one such enchantment by saying a word, where-upon he exploded. Note to self – be careful of what you say. By monitoring the effect I was able to reverse engineer the word he said. It seems to be a name, but it means nothing to me.

………………………………………

The city of Illmar has expanded and now claims to be a Kingdom. Its university sent an emissary to me to figure out what I am and how I came to be. He was quite tasty. I sent a polite letter back in return asking if they planned to provide a steady supply or if this was a onetime occurrence.

………………………………………

I met the Gnome of Gnomewood. He named me for what I am. My first inclination was to attack, to cast, to swallow him whole. But I did not. Something about him… he radiates a quiet power that I chose not to test. Thankfully he does not seem to venture often or far out of his woods.

………………………………………

I discovered an old text that maybe from what the humans call “the First World”. It mentions that the book containing the “nine words” was moved to the Western Tombs. That would place them in what is now Goldmeadow. What are these nine words I wonder? It seems the author was advocating moving the most “dangerous” texts to the Western Tombs, and this was the first to be sent.

Game Break 3/15/2015

No session was held on 3/15/2015 - Jake was unable to get back to Sugar Land in time (backpacking trip outside Lufkin).

Journal Entry #17

Whom do you Serve?

Knowledge

Knowledge or Secrets?  For Knowledge is mad, and Secrets are hidden.

Secrets

Well if it is Carrion you side with, carrion you shall be

I was wrong to protect you from the Puppet King.  No more.

 

 Osgood,

I shall explain what is on the preceding page in just a moment.  The good news is that we are a few days, at most, from home.  We are currently  in Tradedock in the Mark of Payrus.  I am sitting here watching Fyn sleep after a, somewhat, bizarre and terrifying experience. 

So, after our meeting with my fellow Owls (that feels real silly), we headed West with Marwyn.  This gave me a good opportunity to annoy him with questions, which I did.  We started talking about World Enchantments and he gave me some information, and a bit of a riddle.  The information is that world enchantments seem to have no single point or source of emanation, and that we can only observe that there is magical energy, but not the effect of said enchantment.  Frumious wondered if that meant Enchantment in the strict archane sense, or if it was just another way of saying magick.  I think that is an excellent question, and something we should look in to.  The riddle, of sorts, or the statement Marwyn gave me to ponder was that there is something linking world enchantments, the nature and shape of our world, and the metal used to taint the firstborn.  Yep, mind blown.  No theories yet, but pondering this gives me a headache.

We also talked about Vespatious.  He mentioned that Vepatious was trying to contact something or someone the day his tower fell.  He also thought it worth noting that Vespatious was not as, obviously, concerned with the shadow entity, as he was with Crow man, or Puppet King.  Both of those things bear some exploration.  Something else about Vespatious has been bothering me.  Why had he never read a single one of the Scrolls of Legend that he possessed?  I know he couldn't read all of them, but there were several that could have benefited him.  I find that odd.

So our conversation continued, and I mentioned a Jester, and Marwyn's face went immediately grave.  Apparently the Jester is a representative of the God King of the Giants.  So we now have a new player on the field.  My count is that this brings us up to 6.  At least.  Marwyn said he needed to go and inform others that there was a new player in the game.  He said that any one who says they are with him will have the mark of the blue anvil on their wrist.  Very much like the blue anvil we saw at Elliqor's.  Then he summoned a kind of Kyros looking creature out of the air, who picked up Marwyn and flew off with him. 

OH!  I found out about the Dwarves.  Apparently there is a Dwarven organization called "The Underground Mine", and they do Dwarf things, and protect Drawf interests.  So that explains that.  Also, regarding this "game" that has been going on, Marwyn said something about a "return to Godhood".  That sounds like it could have terrible repercussions.  So we need to see what the hell that is all about.  Also, Marwyn said something that I found quite interesting.  He said to think of the things occurring now like several "plays" all happening at the same  time, and with recurring characters who appear in different plays.  That analogy makes a lot of sense to me, and I would be well served to remember that moving forward.

I also have a thought on the Ilmarian University, Osgood.  They are trying to buy up all of the first world knowledge and lock it up in their academy to the North.  This may be a stretch, but does that reek of The Carrion King?  What do you think?

So after Marwyn flew away, we continued our journey heading West until we reached Tradedock.  This is a nice sized city on the River Avonwine, and everyone seemed very friendly.  As we were looking for a place to bed down for the night, we noticed an old beggar in the alley who was muttering to himself while being tortured by, what appeared to be, shadows.  He was swatting them off, but they kept coming back.  I cast detect thoughts to see if I could discover the thoughts of these "shadows", but they resisted the spell.  Regardless, Frumious seemed to chase them away.  At which point the beggar stood up and we could see the depth of his depravity.

Rags were all he wore, and he was barely wearing that.  His hair was matted and dirty, his face covered with dirt and blood.  Where was that blood coming from, you ask?  It was coming from the sockets where his eyes USED to be.  Oh yeah.  Creepy blind beggar!  My favorite of the horror story stock characters.  And there he was, one of our very own.  All of a sudden, he stood erect, became very lucid, and said, "I know the unspeakable name!"  Fyn asked him what is was, and the beggar said it.

Osgood, I am not going to write the name.  I am not going to tell you the name.  I hope to not have to think about this name for a long time.  The reason I am not sharing this with you is because when the beggar said the name, he exploded.  Now let me be clear, I don't mean a fireball went off, or his head swelled up.  I mean he fucking exploded.  We were covered in tiny little particles of that guy.  Not only was it gross, but I have never seen a spell like that before.  On some level it was amazing.  Terrifying, but amazing.

So, after we talked with the local constable, we went to an inn to clean up, get some food, and sleep.  After dinner, just a few hours ago, I came to the room to continue deciphering The Marquis' journal.  Shortly after that Fyn came in to call it a night.  I agreed to take first watch, and Fyn was fast asleep before long.  After, I don't know how many hours I got up to stretch my legs and get the blood flowing again.  That brings me to the writing on the earlier page.

When I turned around to get back to work, I noticed a large, very defined shadow writing in my book.  With my pen.  And my ink.  I can't say I was scared as much as I was intrigued.  You can see the exchange above.  After his note about being carrion, I felt myself being engulfed by shadow, constricting my throat keeping me from yelling for Fyn to help.  Now I was scared.  I reached out, mentally, to Kyros, and he was able to scorch the shadow enough to keep him at bay, and then all of a sudden his arms turned to tentacles.  Tentacles very similar to the ones that took Vespatious, and he whipped them around for a bit, then wrote in the book one last time and disappeared.  The last entry was "I was wrong to protect you from the Puppet King.  No more."

So I am pretty awake at this point, but hopefully, I am able to get some rest when I wake Fyn up in a few minutes.

So that is what has been going on here.  What about you?  How are you?  How are your studies coming?  I look forward to some nice long discussions with you about your spells, and abilities.  

In preparation for my return home, I need you to look into the following things:

* Start researching the concept of things that CANNOT be said.  I'm curious to know if there is more than the one unspeakable name out there that people are afraid of saying.

* I need you to restore the third floor back to working condition.  I know I told you to disassemble the room, but when I get back I am going to need to spend some time contemplating.  To that end, I could use a small pouch of the mushrooms that grow near my folks' house.

*Also, think about what scrolls you might want to keep around our house.  I will be spending some time scribing scrolls while we are home, and before the group sails West.

I hope all is well, and you and my tower will be a sight for sore eyes here very shortly.

Grigor

Journal Entry #16

Osgood,

I don't know where to start or where to begin.  We had our meeting with the Parliment of Owls, and well, it has given me a lot to digest.  I am only going to relate what we "know", but once you read what transpired I am sure you will have no difficulty in imagining the myriad speculations regarding the nature of the universe and our place in it that took place.

I will attach the list of questions I intended on asking, although I did not get to all of them.  Let me start with the Marquis.  Little was actually know of him by the Owls, but another gentleman named Marwyn was there and had met the Marquis.  He also had no new information to reveal.

We did get some clarification of the Awakened.  They seem to have no commonalities among them other than the fact that they survived the end of the First World.  They could range from a squirrel to something like the Marquis.  It seems as though those things that were underground fared much better than those above ground.  It makes me wonder if there are extant bloodlines from Dwarves who were underground at the time of the apocalypse.  That might be a line of research worth our investigation.

An Owl named Oscarius has a theory that there is no "First" or "Second" world, but that it is a continuous time frame.  I think we have enough information to abandon that theory, but he also believes that the world is round, and if that is the case, I am curious to see how the concept of the Void fits into that theory.  The other thing Oscarius had to say was that when you summon something, like a dragon, per se, it does not enter in a shape that looks like the dragons we see in the Dragon Wastes.  These dragons are vibrant in color, have wings, and look considerably different than our dragons.  I wonder if it is possible for a species to change over time, losing certain attributes and gaining others as needed for their environment.  I guess something like a growing, or an adapting?  I should come up with a catchier term . . . natural determination?  Selection?  I don't know, but there might be something to this theory.

(If you can't tell, I am looking for material for my first book, which I want to start on as soon as I get back home)

We also learned that Mario is indeed in the south trying to raise an army.  And by raise I mean RAISE an army.   So we added that to the super heroic hero clubs list of things to do.  I suspect he might be using a Xinnian tomb system in the south that we learned about from Telmon.

Let's see what else . . .  I learned that my maternal grandfather was the person that Vespacitous modeled himself after.  So there is that.

OH!  Right.  So apparently there was a pantheon of Gods in the First World, among them names like Arglos, Omnos, Bruhlor, Ellicor, The Puppet King, The Shadow Entity, the Carrion King.  So now these entites are here (NOT as awakened) but in a limited capacity.  They want something, Osgood, I just can't see what yet.  I suspect it is the same thing Vespatious wanted.  We ride out with Marwyn tomorrow heading in your direction, and I am hoping to quiz him a little more.  I am also getting the feeling that we are starting to play a much bigger part in this than I imagined.

Almost as soon as we left Halvenspring, we were visited by representatives of these entities.  The first being the Puppet thing in the woods, asking for the box.  I think we did, or took, or started something in that tower, and the fact we were in Halvenspring kept them from being able to find us.  Now that we are away from the protection of the spring, we seem to be being tracked and watched.  I wonder if perhaps this book box has a larger capacity than I previously thought.  I have never tried to pull books off ANOTHER shelf before.  We should play with this idea when I get home.

Let's see, I feel like I am leaving something out . . . Oh, I petitioned to become an Owl, and was accepted.  As a matter of fact, I might be, outside of Ilmar's university, a foremost authority on First World knowledge.  That just shows how little we know!  Speaking of Illmar's university, apparently they are trying to prevent First World knowledge from getting out.  I wonder if they are trying to keep certain facts/destinations of importance out of the wrong hands, or if their agenda is more nefarious.

Marwyn did tell us that the Bishop of the Choval Empoire has declared himself a sort of supreme pontiff and is forcing conversions to his brand of Omniamism.  He has taken control of that regioin, and looks to start a full court press (hoopball term) into bordering regions.  That can't be good, and I know Frumious will want to make that a top priority. 

Oh, I am not a human.  That was the thing I was forgetting.  NOT A HUMAN.  Apparently, the Xinnians were human, but we are not.  So, I don't know what in the hell to do with that, but the group's plan is to go home, take care of things, and then sail west looking for answers.  I don't even know what to say about this last point.  So I am going to leave it there.  Goodnight, and hopefully we can set eyes upon one another in a little over a week's time.

Grigor

Libros Arcana

By Phineas Whooperill

The nature of magic can be studied and debated ad nauseam. There are several books which do just that, and I encourage you to peruse the writings of Robleon Arcanis if you are in dire need of a good paperweight. For the love of all that’s wonderful Robleon, would it kill you to actually write something useful? …but perhaps that is hypocritical of me as this book is only useful to a small subset of casters. If you are concentrated and focused in your studies, save yourself the time and stop reading here. If however you wandered down a few arcane paths before settling on one, first there’s no shame in that as many discover what is known as sorcery before migrating on to wizardry, and second this book is for you.

Look, what you need to know is that if you are casting spells, whether you are doing it by singing, gut instinct , or study, you are basically manipulating the same forces in ways that only differ cosmetically. I will give you an example using the sport of hoopball.

In hoopball the player throws a ball through the air in an effort to pass it through a hoop mounted in some fashion on a wall, tree, or pole. Now our first player glances at the hoop, hefts the ball, and throws. On his third try he sinks it. On his fourth try he remembers how it felt to sink it on the third and applies that “feeling” to all future shots.

Our second player measures the distance to the hoop, weighs the ball, does some math, and shoots. Seeing his shot fall short he adjusts his math for the upward angle’s fight against the falling principle and tries again. He continues to refine his calculations until he consistently sinks his shots.

Both players are doing the same thing the same way. They are both trying to put a ball through a hoop by throwing it with their arms. The only difference is what they are thinking about while they do it. So too with magic. In this volume I intend to illustrate how one can take the ability to spontaneously cast and the ability to studiously cast, and use one to inform the other. If you are interested in why some magic seems to be musical in nature I reluctantly suggest you read Robleon’s Nature of Creation. Assuming you can get through all the “is a flower really a flower” nonsense without casting a fireball under your own chin he has some unique and not uninformed observations on the relationship between music and magic. And now let us compare a sorcerous casting of the Light spell and a memorized casting of the Light Spell.

Grigor's Questions for the Parliament of Owls (see Session 24)

Erasmus:

1.      What is the Marquis?

2.      What are his weaknesses?

3.      What is the history between him and Elliquor?

4.      What other notable awakened are you aware of?

5.      What can you tell us regarding the Carrion King?

6.      What can you tell us of the Puppet King?

7.      Were these deities in the first world?

8.      Was Vespacious an awakened?

9.      What was the relationship between these 4 entities?

10.  I feel as if there is something acting behind the scenes involving these 4 men.  Any insight?

Oscarius:

1.      What were the Dragon Wastes before they were the Dragon Wastes?

2.      What is currently happening there, and are the dragonkin there recruitable?

Grovath:

1.      Where is the lair of the Laughing Maid?

2.      Why is there a Silent Lady?  She makes nothing?

3.      Is it possible that Omnos created the Chronosi?

4.      What were they in the first world?

5.      How did they survive?

Telmon

1.      Location of hidden tombs?

2.      History of the Argloians?

3.      Any other first world history he is aware of.

4.      Who was Halven?

5.      What happened to Albaer Dragomir?

6.      Who is my mother’s father?

General Questions:

1.      How does one become an Owl?

2.      Tips for publishing books

3.      Signs and portents that are happening that I may be unaware of.

Session 24

Date: 3/1/2015

Attending: Jake, Justin, Dave, Chris, Joey, Aaron

Absent: none

Start Time: 7:38 p.m.

End Time: 10:35 p.m.

XP awarded: 850

Game time elapsed:  several hours

Enemies Defeated: none

Notes:

The party continued their conversation from the previous session. After filling in the Owls (and Marwyn) about their adventures the room went silent for a few minutes. It should be noted that the adventures described were abbreviated, and they (Owls) were not told about Grigor’s box or Percival. The rest of the session was mainly a question and answer/speculation discussion between the Knights and the Owls. Much was covered and I will do my best to hit the highlights, but I encourage any players reading this to leave details left out in the comments. I am also not going to list party suspicions or theories, only things stated or confirmed by the Owls or Marwyn.

* Awakened are varied and do not share common traits. They are remnants from the First World that survived underground in stasis.

* Marwyn seems to have a significant amount of knowledge, and has met many notable figures including the Marquis and Father Theodore. He has approached the Owls several times throughout the years trying to get them to take action instead of passive observation. He approached them 10 years ago regarding Vespatius. This time he is here to ask them to get involved in the Choval situation.

* The Bishop of Choval, Narsus (definitely not Vellen) has declared himself First Patriarch of the Chovalian Church, which he has declared as the only true Omnian faith. All bishops and priests of Omnos asre called to swear fealty to the First Patriarch or be identified as heretics and apostates. The Emperor of the Choval Empire is apparently confined to his palace and Ecclesiastical courts now supersede Secular courts. The Justicars of the Church are now the highest authority for justice in the land. The First Patriarch has sent representatives to all bordering countries demanding that they declare the Chovalian Church the one true faith and accept an advisor appointed by him.

* The Sosyl Family is picking up and moving operations to Tak-Nor-Vel. Also the patriarch who runs the family (Fyn’s grandfather) is several hundred years old. Marwyn suggests there are a number of ways one could live such a time, one involving the sacrificing of the son of a son.

* Oscarius believes that there is no real “first world” or “second world” – it being one continuous world with different time periods. He also believes the world is round. When asked about the Dragon Wastes and the dragons, he mentions that dragons summoned by magic are chromatic or metallic and winged, unlike any dragons found here. Summoned creatures originate from across the void. He also says that the dragons have deteriorated over time into the dragonkin, which could be described as “dragon-men.”

* Telmon tells the group that Halven was a human hero from before the advent of the Seven Vales.

* It is noted that Mario, in Goldmeadow, is trying to raise an army – literally from the dead. The Council of High Bards has sent an agent to address the situation.

* There is a collection of Xianni Tombs in Goldmeadow.

* Feydor is told by Marwyn that he should ask Theodore where his mother is really from – implying that she’s not from Ashvale.

* Marc Risus gained notoriety as a pirate hunter in the Isles of Mist, and from there went to Caer Wynnic where he served the King. At some point he went into the North and was gone for several years. He returned with a woman and 2 children and settled in Halvenspring. Marwyn thinks partially to keep an eye on someone and partially to hide something.

* Albaer Dragomir was an adventurer of note who led an assault on the Dark Warlock’s citadel in the north. The Warlock was away to the south, and Albaer’s son and squire fell in love with the Warlock’s daughter and carried her off.

* The Dark Warlock is worshipped by a cult in Nath, the same cult that produced Vespatius and was destroyed by the Company of the Bright Spear.

* The party learned that The Crow Lord, The Puppet King, the shadow entity, and Ellicor are all of the same ilk. They are thought to be survivors of the First World but are not Awakened as there seems to be evidence that they were active in the Second World prior to the Awakening Event. Particular note was made that the Crow Lord, in talking to Feydor, referred to Ellicor as his brother and claimed to have been once divine.

* Grigor asked to be a member of the Owls and was accepted.

After the meeting the Knights questioned Percival about the things they had learned. Percival was clearly uncomfortable and reluctant to answer, but when pressed offered up some info. When asked if the Xianni were human he answered yes but you (referring to the Human members of the party) are not. Finally a long stream of speculation was presented and Percival was asked if it was on the right track. He answered “No” but at that had apparently said to much. He flared and then shrunk to a small grey pebble that fell to the ground. Frumious took the pebble and put it in his backpack, the party assuming that they had slain the Lantern Archon. The plan is to head west in the morning and Marwyn will be accompanying them. End Session