Seattle Campaign 4.0: Fortune Favors the Lucky

5/30/10 Training Time, A Favor from Loxias, Travel to Grand Takare

--experience is awarded
--the adventurers spend the better part of a couple of weeks in Loxian resting, training, and preparing for their next quest
--Tirdim turns over the books of Aquellon the Waterwise (which were taken from the old mage's house from back in Middern) to Lord Mayor Loxias; of course, Tirdim garned what magics and formulae he could from the books
--Lord Mayor Loxias eventually calls upon the adventurers to help out an old friend; Loxias tells the group that a priest of Jule by the name of Ixix has called upon Loxias for a favor; Loxias asks the group to travel to Grand Takare; there they will participate in formal ceremonies of Raising with their respective Orders or Halls, and they will meet up with Ixix Jule
--the adventurers decide on travel by ship; Wren secures passage aboard a small river boat named The Shining Fox captained by a man named Lurick (using the group's rumored infamy as motivation for the captain) to take them from Loxias to the coastal town of Floodern; from Floodern, Wren finds a small, fast ship The Wing captained by an Irain woman named Aleta Forward; The Wing seems to be a smuggling runner but none of the party cares; the ship takes them around the Takaran peninsula stopping once at Corotal and once at Tresta and finally reaching Grand Takare in about 8 days
--the party disembarks and heads to The Star and Laurel Inn; the innkeep Aretina greets them and says that Lord Mayor Loxias has already made arrangements for their stay; The Star and Laurel has expanded to an adjacent building, where Aretina has created a more upscale, private section of rooms and common room called the Wayhaven; the adventurers are given modest suites in the Wayhaven.
--the group spends about a week in Grand Takare waiting to be contacted by Ixix; in the meantime, the priests and the mage attend formal ceremonies for the Medianhood
--the priests are promoted and ordained as median; they spend much of a day in prayer and meditation; the power of augury overwhelms them as each of their gods impart new powers and prayers upon them
--eventually, one evening, Ixix Jule pays a visit to the group as they are having eveningmeal; he is a tall, slender, aging man with silver gray hair and bright gray eyes; he wears a subdued motley shirt, of fine make, dark pants, and different colored boots; he carries a short, narrow staff capped in silver; Jule acts as though he were meeting old friends, fully of smiles and cheerful laughter; he prays to protect the table with privacy and reveals what he wishes the group to help him with; all the while, Ixix, to passing observers, seems to be speaking of nothing serious or secretive
--the adventurers realize, after seeing Ixix's holy symbol, that they are speaking to the Sovereign Priest of Jule (something Loxias failed to mention)
--Ixix explains that since the War of the Nightsage (some several hundred years ago) and since the Great Reprieve, the Powers of Night have gained in strength, visibility, and number; that in of itself is of no concern to a "true" Priest of Twilight for Luck has no investments save for the balance of Fate, the balance of the Pattern, and the balance between order and chaos
--he explains that the Order of Jule, though small in number, has been slowly corrupted by the Powers of Night; there are some priests who claim to serve Dark Jule, claim to use the damning, cursing, vindictive side of Luck; Ixix does not believe Luck to be good nor evil, rather shades of fortune and misfortune
--he has dedicated much of his current energies to trying to bring those of Dark Jule back into balance and now wishes the help of Loxias's heroes
--he tells them that he will send them to the coastal town of Tanton, in the north of Reeor on the Reeor-Feth border; there they will meet another priest of Jule, a major-level priest named Minka; Minka will take them to a sanctuary of Jule (a very rare thing indeed) called the Pillars of Luck, which is located in the foothills of the western end of the Great Spine Mountains
--the power of the Pillars allows only those seeking the guidance of Luck, those worthy to enter the sanctuary to find the Pillars; once one has visited the sanctuary, they can never visit again; Ixix Jule has been to the Pillars in the past and cannot return
--therefore, he wishes to send the adventurers; there they will earn the favor, the gift of the Pillars, which bestows upon a worthy supplicant a moment of extraordinary luck; this moment of fortune can be used to know the incredible, to do the impossible (e.g. to gain knowledge of something lost, forgotten, or yet unknown, to perform a single incredible act, to abjure a unbreakable curse); much like the power of a wish, the moment of fortune has the power to alter fate and chance itself and must be used with extreme care
--Ixix Jule wishes the party to go to the Pillars of Luck to: 1) discover the greatest threat posed by the Order of Dark Jule, 2) to open a curious locked box (which he gives them), and 3) to use the Luck of the Pillars to send them to where the greatest threat to Jule will rise; they will send him a message and he will meet them there; the remaining opportunities at the pillar can be used at their discretion; he will recompense those who give up their moments of fortune
--Ixix also warns them that no blood may be shed in violence in the sanctuary lest Luck take a turn for the worst
--the party agrees to help Ixix Jule; they prepare for the trip (purchasing more potions of healing); they meet Ixix the next morning and he blesses them each with a dark horse prayer as well as gives them each a Temple Coin of Jule (grants +10% to Luck%), which should mark them as worthy of the Pillars; Ixix then uses a magical bracelet (which expands into a portal) to send them to Tanton (alas they must leave their horses behind in the care of the Inn of the Star and Laurel)
--in Tanton, the party trusts luck to direct them to finding Minka Jule; they seek out a place for a drink, a dockworker's tavern called The Brass Cup; there they are given something very strong and something very murky to drink; they fortunately also discover that Minka Jule is in the establishment overseeing a dice game, making sure it is played fairly
--Minka introduces herself (there is some jesting about her name being Minka Radinka) as a Priest of Jule, adventurer extraordinaire, and rider of dragons; she says she will take them to the Pillars of Luck; the party must (once again) buy horses
--the party sets out the next day; the travel is uneventful (perhaps due to their luckiness); within two days, they reach the foothills of the Great Spine Mountains; Minka Jule leads them to the rise upon which the sanctuary is built; she too cannot enter the Pillars and remains behind to watch the horses
--the adventurers make their way up the small mountain, to the top, to a clearing overlooking the plains of Reeor; the remains of ancient stone pillars dot the top of the mountain
--the heroes of Loxias also discover that they are not alone atop the mountain; their adversaries (the minions of Abraxas Rul) are also at the Pillars, including Rissa Ittar, Joven Iirago, the assassin Lamm, and a group of mercenaries
--can the adventurers deal with Rissa and her company without shedding blood at the Pillars of Luck?

6/6/10 The Pillars of Luck

--the adventurers ask Rissa and her party about why they are there; they respond that they are looking for Loxias's heroes; among Rissa's party is a Feth mage by the name of Mhitai, whom the group has never met before; there is something very strange, very unnerving about Mhitai
--Rissa's party is there to claim the power of the Stone of Thanuran from them
--it does not seem that Rissa and the others can see the Pillars of Luck (for they are not marked by Luck)
--Riseif gets in Joven's face, words are exchanged, threats are leveled, as Riseif tries to get the evil party to draw first blood
--Mhitai casts a hate spell on Riseif, causing him to attack Joven; Joven is commanded by Mhitai to stand his ground
--as the battle erupts, the party loses sight of the Pillars of Luck (they no longer can see it either); an extremely bloody battle is waged on top of the mountain; eventually Rissa calls a retreat; Joven is killed (possibly) but Mhitai manages to claim his body
--Tirdim realizes that Mhitai's spellcasting reminds him of the demon Abraxal's powers; it is possible that Abraxal Rul is possessing Mhitai
--after licking their wounds, the party tries to figure out how to complete Ixix's task; with the help of Minka Jule, they decided to use their dark horses in order to once again 'see' the Pillars of Luck
--the party uses the power of the Pillars:
--Galen learns the True Name of Abraxal Rul (approximately spelled Abaraghashuxsl); the power of the pillars allows Galen to reverses the magic of Rissa's medallion (the party discovers that Rissa's group has been tracking them via Rissa's medallion, which they took from one of her dupes way back in Gilal, Takare) allowing him to clairsentiently hear Rissa and the others; Abraxal Rul realizes that he is being spied upon and says, "You wish to know my True Name? Then I will tell you..." (why the demon lord would reveal his True Name is uncertain...)
--Telisa uses the Pillars to open Ixix's strange box; open the box reveals nothing inside
--Riseif uses the Pillars to learn of the greatest threat to Jule; he receives a vision of a group of volcanic islands to the northwest of the Third Continent, deep in the open ocean
--Wren uses the Pillars to learn how to discover items of power to help their cause; she recieves a vision of the Tower of Tomasur Abrill and his Books (located on the First Continent)
--Lanthorn uses the Pillars to ask for a permanent augmentation to the party's abilities; this is achieved via Paw (Ixix's familiar), who brings the party six powerful potions (of Academy make) via the hoop of traveling; where Paw got the potions or how he got them is uncertain...
--finally, Tirdim uses the Pillars to ask for transport to the islands Risief saw
--the transportation comes in the form of Jullux, a True Dragon, the Dragon of Luck, who takes them to their destination (Minka is very happy)

6/27/10 The Islands of Aktoh, Bara, Coh, Dumit, Ehvi

--on the back of Jullux, the adventurers make it to the islands in several hours time
--as they approach, they see an archipelago of six islands: one large and five smaller ones; they decide to land on the smallest island
--within about a mile of the island, Jullux suddenly loses consciousness for a moment, regains it, and then simply collapses midair; he transforms into human form and the party falls out of the sky; luckily, they are not too far above the ocean; Galen's belt of safefall fails
--the group manage to get to shore safely, set up a small camp, and decide to explore the island
--Jullux is comatose and nothing seems to wake the dragon
--Galen tries to contact Ixix via his medal of message; the message does not seem to get carried on the wind; Tirdim surmises that something about the islands prevents certain air magics such as flight or message
--over the next several days, the party builds a makeshift raft and explores the island
--on the first island, they discover an extremely disheveled, old, paranoid man (seems Midali-Feth or Midali-Elar) dressed in tattered Elar clothes, with wild graying hair and beard; his name is Aktoh; Aktoh has a worn sovereign coin of Jule with heads on both sides; he flips the coin in order to make decisions; Tirdim discovers via thought reading that Aktoh asks the coin over and over "Can I go?" and the answer is always no; Aktoh also bears platinum bracers, like manacles, on his wrists; the bracers seem to be connected to the coin and are part of how he is being restrained on the island; Aktoh also seems to be naturally telekinetic; the party puts Aktoh to sleep (Tirdim rolls a natural 2 on ESS vs. ESS); they take his coin, mark one side as tails, and return it to him; eventually he flips tails and his bracers fall off of his wrists and Aktoh vanishes into thin air
--whether or not they should of freed Aktoh is undetermined...
--on the next islands, they also discover strange hermits, each of them look exactly like Aktoh but are named differently and doing different things
--on the second island is Bara, who is searching for a lost ring by digging holes on the beach
--on the third island is Coh, who is throwing games of five dice; he always throws five ones
--on the fourth island is Dumit, who is looking for something in a house full of hundreds of books
--on the fifth island is Ehvi, who is trapped in a cave protected by a clockwork golem made of platinum, who according to Ehvi, never loses
--all of the men seem to be engaged in activities of luck and all of them seem to be aspects, perhaps, of the same person
--the party eventually uses the raft to take a couple of people out to sea far enough away from the islands to be able to message Ixix and revive Jullux; Ixix provides what help he can but fears that he cannot go to the islands (something about the islands restrains the power of Luck); he asks them to continue to investigate but to not free any more men; Jullux says he will remain in the area
--on the final largest island, the party discovers a set of rough steps that lead up into the low volcanic mountains; they reach a plateau where a model of the six islands has been raised in stone; encased in the stone of the largest island is the same man, asleep, held in a block of glass or crystal; they see signs that cracks in the plateau floor radiate out from the first, smallest island and reach and touch the largest island, which has caused part of the encasing stone to crumble
--Tirdim tries to thought read the man in the glass block and finds him completely thoughtless; they realize that freeing all of the strange men would probably release whoever was in the glass; that all of the strange men are probably parts of the entombed man's consciousness divided and kept busy; but for what purpose?
--as they try to figure out what to do, they notice on the other side of the island, there is a small ship anchored off shore

7/5/10 The Wave Rose, Dark Jule Cometh

--the party sets out to find out as much as they can about the ship; using Riseif's spyglass, Wren recognizes the ship as The Wave Rose
--Wren is extremely uncomfortable about the arrival of the Wave Rose, but says that the ship should not be a threat per se; the ship is a "trade" ship
--the party tries to spy on the ship; a long boat is sent ashore from the ship
--Galen tries to sneak up to see who has arrived ashore; while trying to stealth his way down the beach, he triggers the retribution of the dark horse hanging over him; he trips, crashing into a nearby coconut tree causing several laden coconuts to strike him on the head knocking him unconscious
--luckily, Tirdim realizes Galen's plight because of the telepathic link he has with him; they assist Galen and get him back on his feet
--the adventurers discover that some twist of luck and fate has brought together people from some of the party's past including Captain Jacob Jill (who commands the Wave Rose and is somehow married to Wren), Vemed Roathe (priest of Occus, who Wren has been hunting), and Arasha D'rivian (a fire mage hunted by Riseif)
--the group from the ship is led by a priest of Dark Jule named Sindian and also includes a priestess of Ittar named Eddara
--they decide that Sindian Jule must be at the islands for some nefarious purpose connected to the strange presences bound to the islands
--the party ambushes Dark Jule and others; the battle is intense as they learn that tangling with a priest of Jule is extremely dangerous; they managed to kill all of Sindian's group save for Jule himself and the Captain
--Sindian Jule flees

7/18/10 & 8/1/10: The Return of Sindian Jule

--the party sets to dispose of the bodies of their foes, but since several of the adventurers are gravely wounded, they seek refuge on the ship; they manage to build a pyre and burn the body of the Priest of Occus Vemed Roathe
--upon returning to the beach the next day, they discover that the bodies of Eddara Ittar and Arasha D'rivian are missing; there is evidence that they have been revivified
--while the party ponders what to do, Sindian Jule releases the being named Dumit and then Coh
--the party decides to intervene at the island of Bara; they decide to look for the ring that Bara is searching for in order to get it before Sindian and to hide it permanently
--while searching the beach, they discover other magical rings (seeming decoys) of various properties
--Telisa augurs the location of Bara's ring and receives a message from Mannan Aia in the form of a small bird that has regained the power of flight; the bird discovers a ring in the branches of a tree
--the party gets into another combat with Sindian, Arasha, and Eddara (with Bara also causing trouble); Sindian tricks via illusion Bara into thinking that the party has his ring
--the party defeats Arasha and Eddara again but they suffer some mortal wounds; Sindian pins Telisa with a hold and threatens to instantly kill Telisa if the party does not let him and his companions go; the party decides to release three dark priests
--they hide the ring in a stone outside of Bara's house and return to the ship to recover

8/22/10 & 9/26/10: The Final Showdown, The Rise of Mallux

--(my memory of these last few sessions is a little fuzzy)
--the party is tricked by Sindian via insanity magics to reveal the location of the ring
--Bara is released and the party fights Dark Jule again; there is no easy victor; Sindian uses darker prayers and curses to thwart the party
--they contact Ixix, who believes that the presence on the island is Mallux, an elder true dragon of Luck; Mallux must have been trapped upon the islands by Jule and Dark Jule hopes to release him
--the party is left with two choices: stop Sindian Jule and try to assure that the last visage of Mallux is not released or to release Mallux themselves hoping to exact a boon from the freed dragon (binding him to not interfere in the Realm for a year and day giving Ixix and Jullux time to prepare)
--Ixix gives the party the blessing of dark horse again
--the adventurers regain their strength and decide to lay an ambush at the island of Ehvi, where the magical golem guards one of the presences of Mallux
--they decide they will use their dark horses in order to insure that Sindian cannot previal
--Wren calls upon Possos to shroud the island in a thick fog (so Sindian cannot see the golem and simply invoke something like malfunction upon it) that they can see through but not their enemies; Possos brings storm into the area
--when the battle is engaged, they are met by Sindian, Eddara, and Arasha (all flying)
--Lanthorn calls upon the dark horse to hold person Sindian; Galen goes up to Sindian in order to remove the relic of Jule that allows him to use his powers on the island
--Tirdim uses his dark horse to cancel Sindian's flight
--but once again, an illusion tricks the party: Sindian is actually Eddara disguised and Eddara is Sindian disguised
--Sindian moves up to the golem in order to end its magic; Riseif uses his dark horse to throw a dagger into the back of Sindian's head to kill him instantly (and because of the magic of karma is also killed instantly as well)
--Eddara is quickly dispatched (while held)
--Arasha moves in toward the golem and begins to cast spontaneously; Lanthorn interrupts him and the party realizes that the magics that are about to be loosed because of a spell gone awry will be devestating; Telisa uses her dark horse to instantly dispel the magic; the magic is turned against itself and Arasha is consumed by his own magic and is disintegrated
--some sort of magical rift is produced as a result of the dispellation/disintegration
--the party returns to the ship to rest
--in the middle of the night, Tirdim sense some magical disturbance coming from the island; the party returns to the island to discover the rift is growing and is attracted to sources of powerful magic (like the golem)
--Ixix is called in for help, who asks for Loxias's help as well
--eventually, the rift is contained; Ixix decides that it would be best if the party released Mallux to take the boon
--the party release Ehvi and head the main island where the crystal prison of Mallux is finally fully revealed; a simple speaking of the word "freedom" breaks the prison and Mallux wakes
--though weak, Mallux is still a threat but the party invokes the boon and asks for Mallux to not interfere in the Realm for a year and a day; Mallux abides by the old laws, the old ways and leaves
--the party is returned to Loxian for much needed rest and recovery

Seattle Campaign 2.1: Rissa Retreats (Scene 1)

{SCENE: a cave or rough underground chamber, like a dungeon. The walls are hewn but unfinished stone, the floor is tamped dirt strewn with gravel. Torches set into brackets hastily hung from the walls light the room in a flickering, shadowy light. The smell of burning cloth, wood, and oil is heavy in the air. A woman, dressed in fitted leather and brigandine, paces in the room. Rissa, as she has taken to call herself these days, seems worried or impatient. A single opening is the only entrance into the room, which is exactly five strides across. She takes her measured strides and glances at the doorway. There are no furnishings in the room.}

RISSA: (irritated) What is keeping her?

{The sound of footsteps can be heard in the tunnel beyond. A younger woman, in her early twenties with braided dark blonde hair and Takaran features, hurries into the room carrying a basket. Behind her, two others follow at a more measured pace. A man, tall and burly, dressed in a mixture of chain and plate. He wears no helm and his face is tanned, scarred, and cruel. The other is a shorter, frailer man, clearly Feth, with prematurely graying hair, narrow face, and curiously large, dark eyes.}

YOUNG WOMAN: (curtsying) I have brought what you requested, Rissa Ittar.

RISSA: I can see that, Alorna. Set them down.

{Alorna, who wears an aspirant’s symbol to Ittar, sets the basket down. From the basket, she spreads a small blanket on the floor and begins to unpack and lay out various items—clothes, a small wooden box, items of healingcraft, brush and mirror. Rissa watches the process with a critical eye and then looks up to the others entering the chamber.}

LARGE MAN: (nodding) Rissa Ittar. Good to see you back…so soon. Where are the others?

RISSA: (nodding) Joven Iirago. (firmly) Dead.

FETH MAN: What? Abraxal Rul?

RISSA: The lord demon and Loxias battled. I do not know what has become of them. The so-called heroes of Burnbeard sided with the lich.

JOVEN: I see you survived.

RISSA: (defiantly) There was no more to be done. They felled both of Abraxal’s guard, the giant darkling, and the necromancer.

FETH MAN: A pity. It took quite a bit of magic to re-empower the corpse.

JOVEN: So, you fled?

RISSA: I do not make it a habit to come between a master mage and a demon lord.

{Rissa begins to slowly, calmly, without any shame, undress. Alorna helps the Priestess of Ittar with her armor. The two men seem surprised. Joven lewdly watches. The Feth man turns away.}

JOVEN: (seeing the Feth man’s expression) I think you have worked too long with your corpses, Mhitai…

MHITAI: I… I…

RISSA: At least one of you has some manners.

JOVEN: (laughing) Propriety from a priestess of whores.

RISSA: (fiercely) You will learn to hold your tongue… (drawing a dagger) or I will hold it for you.

JOVEN: (laughing again) You may hold whatever you like…

MHITAI: It is unwise to provoke a woman…

JOVEN: There is no better way than to poke and prod…

RISSA: (icily) Enough. (finishing dressing) I have more pressing matters than unmanning you, Joven. The box, Alorna.

ALORNA: (picking up the small wooden box) Yes, mistress.

RISSA: (taking the box and opening it, revealing a crystalline sphere of fiery quartz) Abraxal’s sphere is unbroken. It means he is still alive, somewhere.

MHITAI: Can you contact him?

RISSA: I will try. (touching the sphere three times, intoning) Once to hear. Once to see. Once to be seen and heard. Lord Abraxal, I call you. Abraxal Rul, my lord.

{The sphere shimmers for a moment. A voice, deep and gravelly, speaks from the crystal.}

ABRAXAL: (wearily) I hear you, Ittar.

RISSA: By the Lady, what happened?

ABRAXAL: (anger rising) The lord fool fought well. Though he summoned the aid of the gods to his cause. How did he come by a Seal? I am trapped now. Trapped until freed. But he, too, suffered at my hands…

RISSA: What do you wish of us?

ABRAXAL: Mhitai will prepare a summoning.

RISSA: Your will will be done, my lord.

MHITAI: (worried) I do not know if I can break the power of Loxias.

JOVEN: If the demon lord commands it, you will try and succeed or you will fail and die.

MHITAI: It… It is not that easy! If the Lord Mayor possesses a Seal, an artifact of the Age of Power, then he has trapped Abraxal Rul with the equivalent of knowing the lord demon’s True Name. I cannot break such a power.

RISSA: Lord Abraxal, Mhitai expresses concern about his abilities to… (she pauses for a moment as if listening to something the others cannot hear) Your will be done, my lord.

ABRAXAL: Prepare the ritual in the chamber of return.

RISSA: Mhitai, prepare what you need. Joven, Alorna, you are to leave at once. Joven, you are to prevent anyone from entering this chamber till Lord Abraxal has been summoned.

ALORNA: Yes, mistress.

JOVEN: As you please, Ittar. But perhaps I should stay to assist. My god knows the ways of summoning as well.

RISSA: Lord Abraxal commands that only myself and Mhitai may be present during the summoning.

JOVEN: (suspiciously) Very well.

{Alorna quickly gathers up the belongings on the floor. Both Joven and Alorna leave.}

MHITAI: (to himself) This is impossible…

RISSA: No, it is not. Abraxal Rul has revealed to me how it will be done.

MHITAI: I cannot undo the magic of a Seal.

ABRAXAL: Give the sphere to Mhitai. He will hear my thoughts. He will know how to summon me.

MHITAI: (incredulously) How?

ABRAXAL: I will tell you my True Name.

Seattle Campaign 2.0: The Stone of Thanuran

2/14/10

--the adventuring party decides to strike directly west from the Valley of Thanuran and head to the small town of Loxian on the Masked River; the plan will be to seek out a river barge to the coast and then a ship northward to take them as swiftly as possible either back to Gilal or to Grand Takare
--the party is deeply concerned about who and what might be after the Stone of Thanuran
--the obsidian sphere is currently be carried by Riseif, packed alongside the sunstone, which seems to keep the sphere's power quieted
--while traveling through darkling lands, they come upon a group of darkling scouts who have recovered one of the party's horses; Wren's horse Rafferty is returned
--on the third night, less than a day from Loxian, the party beds down for the night; order of watches is set
-- Telisa is first, Galen is second, Riseif is third, and Lanthorn is last; by third watch, Galen lays down to go to bed; just as he is about to fall asleep, there is a strange strangled groan/cry and the camp is suddenly flooded by light from the sunstone; everyone wakes to find Riseif unconscious, fallen down next his pack; the pack is pulled open to reveal the Stone of Thanuran and the sunstone
--Telisa's healingcraft cannot wake Riseif; he seems to be feverish and having bad dreams
--Tirdim casts the minor level spell thought reading and yields only choas in Riseif's mind; the spell determines fragments of two battling voices: "No, no, I cannot..." and "...must take you..."; Riseif is in some sort of psychic battle with the Stone
--the next morning, the party binds Riseif and sets him on the horse; they hurry to Loxian
--those with Legend Lore and Magic Lore recall that Loxian played a significant role in the War of the Nightsage (some 300 years ago when the whole Lake Dannion area was under siege by the Powers of Night); Loxian is home to a powerful family of mages, the Loxias family; rumors and legends of the Loxias family include that one of their line had given up his soul to Occus (the God of the Undead) to become a lich (a powerful, immortal, undead mage)
--Loxian is a prosperous woodland town; though remote, the town has been fashioned to look like a larger, more metropolitan city; the town has a low wall of stone and timber; the town strides the Masked River; the buildings here are a mixture of wood, brick, stone; there are a number of towers that rise from the town; because of its magical history, Loxian is favored by a number of scholars, reclusive mages, traders that specialize in the needs of magic users
--experience is awarded
--the party is met at the western gate by a small contingent; four town guard bearing the livery of Loxian:

--with the welcome party is a young Elar woman, dark haired braided in the back, dark eyes, slim athletic build; she wears the embroidered silk and medal of station marking her as an Elar Seneschal; to those in the know, a seneschal for any keep or noble is one who oversees the day-to-day activities, logistics, and needs of the keep; however an Elar Seneschal is specific to powerful (usually Elar) families and mages; Elar Seneschals are decidedly non-mages and often possess (through ancestry) immunities and resistances to many different kinds of magic, particularly magical influence
--the Seneschal introduces herself as Ti'anti, Seneschal of Lord Mayor Tammacar Loxias, who has sent her to welcome and escort the party (and their mission) into the town
--they are taken to the Adventurine Inn, met by the innkeep Ranparlin, a tall, sinewy Takaran man going slightly gray
--they are asked to clean up, provided with rooms and baths, in fact the entirety of the inn has been emptied for their use (and for their safekeeping)
--eventually, a carriage is sent for the party to take them to Lord Mayor Loxias's manor house, just outside of the town
--the meeting with Loxias is a tense one; Loxias seems to know about the Stone of Thanuran; he asks the party their intentions with such a rare and powerful artifact; he says that he has many contacts with the Academy and the Sovereign Temples in Grand Takare; he says that he will help Riseif as well
--in exchange, he wishes the opportunity to study the sphere; for three days, he asks; he will help Riseif and at the end of the three days, if the party wishes, he will send them magically to Grand Takare
--Tirdim asks to be a part of the research on the Stone; Loxias agrees to allow Tirdim to "apprentice" but binds Tirdim under the oath of the Book and the Star, meaning he is bound by the Academy's code of mysteries
--the investigation into the Stone reveals that the Stone has been corrupted, most likely by the wraith in the Valley; the Stone will need to be purified before the power can be safely used
--the party discusses (at length) what to do about the Stone, whether to trust Loxias or not, whether to take the Stone elsewhere
--they attempt to contact Rathkin the Druid and Cobren of Anurl
--the party is visted by a mysterious woman named Rissa, dressed in a traveling cloak and clothes, wearing leather armor, armed like a rogue; she comes to them in the Adventurine Inn posing as a "friend;" she offers the party a deal -- to trade the Stone for various kinds of help or reward -- she seems to know about certain party member's histories; Rissa will not reveal her sources but she tries to cast doubt on Loxias's motivations; she leaves a bag of Sovereign coins as a measure of good faith
--the party also recieves a communication from Rune, a priest of Rune named Lentin from Cavalon, sends a message asking them to keep an eye on Loxias; there seems to be some dissention between the Sovereign Temples on the First Continent and the Sovereign Templs on the Second Continent
--the party feels squeezed by politic-ing
--while Riseif recovers, they discover that someone has "entered" his room but nothing seems amiss
--the adventurers return to Loxias; Loxias tells them that he believes the power of the Stone needs to be used so that it is safer than keeping the Stone or transporting the Stone; he says that the Stone must be purified first; he also recommends that the power be split and given to the party members; in return, they will serve Loxias (and by extension the will of the Temples) for a year and day
--the party deliberates

12/21/10

--and deliberates and deliberates...
--Riseif makes a full enough recovery that he is up and about and able to travel
--the party asks Riseif what he remembers; all he remembers is the last moments in camp when he was just about to start his watch and the suddenly feeling like the Stone was in some sort of danger; he went to check on the Stone and then his memory is blank till he woke up in the Adventurine Inn in Loxian; he has vague memories of troubled dreams; his uncanny sense for when he is in danger seems to be "haywire"
--the party decides that they will take the Lord Mayor Loxias's general offer
--a messenger bearing the livery of Loxian comes to the Inn and delivers a message that the Lord Mayor wishes to see them at the manor
--Ranparlin, the innkeep, notes that he has never seen that messenger boy before; the messenger could be new; the innkeep lends the party some horses to take them to the manor
--arriving at Lord Mayor Loxias's manor, they are met by a concerned Ti'anti; she says that she has not sent for them nor has the Lord Mayor (who is in study); she checks with the house staff and says that no one sent for the party
--before the conversation deepens, Loxias himself teleports from his inner chambers to the front drive of the manor; he commands that the house be secured and that the party enter the house for their safety
--the house is set upon by a group of adversaries, who also appear magically: a tall (7' tall) figure dressed in black flowing robes holding an inky black gnarled staff, flanked by two bestial feline animen, the rogue Rissa (who reveals that she is a Priestess of Ittar, the Goddess of Assassins), a giant darkling wielding a greatsword, and five zombies, one of which is the animated corpse of the necromancer the party killed on the road some weeks ago
--Loxias and the figure in black exchange words, posturing, and accusations; Loxias reveals that the cloaked figure is a demon; Rissa argues that the party should know that they are working for a lich (former?); the demon is only interested in the Stone and will allow the adventuring party to leave safely; Rissa teases the group saying that they should have taken her offer
--Loxias and the demon engage in magical combat; Loxias pulls the demon to him and erects a dome of force around the two of them; the demon scoffs and attempts to leave the dome by teleportation and Loxias holds him binding him to a summoner's circle; magical explosions -- flame, light, stone, fire -- darken the inside of the dome
--meanwhile, the party engages the remaining combatants
--Rissa charms Riseif with love; Rissa and Ti'anti square off; Ti'anti holds her own against Ittar and the two animen; she seems to fight defensively only occasionally stabbing and slashing with her daggers
--Riseif is too busy with the giant darkling and undead to notice that Rissa is in trouble; Lanthorn turns two of the zombies; Wren and Telisa help with the zombies; Tirdim faces off against the necromancer's zombie (who seems to retain his spellcasting abilities), including phasing into the necromancer's sphere to attack him directly
--the giant darkling's attacks are devestating, knocking both Riseif and Lanthorn unconscious; fortunately the healing of Telisa and Wren keep them in them both in the combat
--the zombies are dispatched, mainly by Galen
--the giant darkling is brought down by a group effort
--meanwhile, Ti'anti has successfully poisoned the two animen (who fall unconscious); Rissa realizes that she herself is poisoned and seeing most of her companions fallen, saves herself and magically transports away; in leaving she reveals the name of the demon (though not true name) as Abraxal
--the combat ends with Loxias bellowing from inside the magical dome that the battle must be finished; the dome collapses and both Loxias and the demon Abraxal vanish (ostensibly taking the fight to some other place or plane); a black glassy circle is left burned into the manor's front drive; glass so hard and residually enchanted that it is impossible to break
--Ti'anti rushes into the house to check on things; the party runs in after her but accidentally trigger the trapped floor in the front foyer; Ti'anti deactivates the traps
--Ti'anti asks the adventurers to remain at the house; it is safer
--the party waits for three days and Loxias has not returned; Ti'anti says that she must wait three days before the enchantments that bind Loxias's chambers allow her entrance; she says that Loxias has not returned but he remains "in existence"
--the party deliberates once again about what to do; Ti'anti says that she will help the party travel to Grand Takare (taking the Stone if they wish); she hesistantly provides for them two scrolls of teleportation
--meanwhile, the adventurers receive a letter from Hyuster Moll, the innkeep of the Inn of the Wild Cap in Gilal, Takare and friend of Burnbeard:

Burnbeard's Heroes,

Allow me that conceit, for you are the kind souls and strong arms that Burnbeard valued during his days. May he rest well with his gods. This message will be brief, and I know enough that anything sent even under seal is not always safe: Cobren Anurl is dead. Murdered, I believe, though many blame darklings. Darklings that desecrated Burnbeard's tomb, it seems. I do not believe it so. Whatever quest you are on, I hope all is well. I willd o my best to determine what has happened here, though I have not heard the call of adventure in many years. If you can, I know Burnbeard would want you to help and to know.

Regards in honor,
Hyuster Moll

--the party ponders going to Gilal to find out what happened; they feel responsible for Cobren's death, in some way, and believe that whomever killed the Priest of Anurl is connected to the attack at Loxias's manor
--Ti'anti asks to speak privately with Lanthorn: she asks him as a Priest of Valadarin that he watch the party, that he try to keep the best interests of Loxias, of Loxian, and of the Stone in mind; she gives Lanthorn a magical amulet (a large silver medal set with a broad oval hemisphere of moonstone) telling him that the amulet will allow the party to ask for the wisdom of augury; she secures his word that the amulet will be returned to her (before they travel), that they will use the amulet only to help them in their quest, that they will not use the amulet to inquire about Loxias or against Loxias
--Tirdim identifies the amulet: it invokes median augury, it is not dedicated to any single god though it is an item of the oath and the deed (a curiously rare pantheistic item), and has 9 charges before it is depleted completely
--the party discusses what questions would be appropriate and helpful to ask; Riseif asks for a charge for a personal question; Wren asks for a charge to beseech Possos
--Question #1: What should we do with the Stone of Thanuran? (asked by Galen of Anurl)

Response: Galen receives a startling vision, though brief, of the Stone, atop its original pedastal in the cave, the Stone falls and breaks into seven pieces... then, the Stone, whole, and a crown broken into pieces

--Question #2: What is the easiest way to purify the stone? (asked by Galen of Vessa Lune)

Response: Galen receives a vision of a woman's hand, holding the Stone, then breaking the Stone into seven pieces

--Question #3: What will happen if we take on the power of the Stone of Thanuran (asked by Galen of Rune)

Response: Galen hears these words: "Six will serve the light / Seven will gain the power / One will seek the whole / and attempt to fell the tower"

--Question #4: What should we do with the Stone to best serve you and the Realm? (asked by Wren of Possos)

Response: Wren recieves a vision of open sea, tossed by storm, in the sea are seven large sharks circling something, all take a bloody bite of something they are circling, and then an eighth shark comes and chases after the seven

--Question #5: Where do we go to Purify the Stone of Thanuran? (asked by Telisa of Mannan Aia)

Response: Telisa recieves a vision of the Stone falling to the ground, becoming buried like a seed, and grow into a seven branched tree

--Question #6: Where should we travel next to purify the stone? (asked by Galen of Rune)

Response: Galen recieves three visions: A vision of a tower in the mountains. A vision of a mirror, you (plural) in front of it. A vision of Loxias's chair.

--the party continues to discuss what the final questions will be; Tirdim wishes to preserve at least one charge of the item so that it (as a magical item) is not lost forever

2/28/10

--Riseif uses a charge of the Medallion of Augury to ask about the Arasan mage that killed his wife; he receives a vision of a bright light, like sunlight, and a name: "Arasha."
--the party investigates what the auguries mean and talk about what they should do with the Stone in case Loxias does not return
--while investigating Loxias's chair (in his audience hall), the Lord Mayor suddenly appears, teleporting to his chair; Loxias is severely burned, wounded, with clothes tattered; he is surrounded by a palpable taint and poison, which overcomes some of the party
--Ti'anti sends the party away to tend to her master
--a few days later, the party is sent for by Loxias, who meets with them in his private chambers; he seems still weak, tired, though his appearance seems "fine"
--Loxias's form seems to be covered by an illusion that makes him look whole and hale; the illusion is not perfect, faltering perhaps Loxias himself is weak; whether the illusion has always affected Loxias is not certain
--Loxias tells the party that times are desperate and that he believes the power of the Stone needs to be split and used before the powers that are moving to take it (e.g. the Demon Lord Abraxal) try again
--he proposes an emergency ritual to split the power; he will do his best to protect the party from the Stone's corruption
--the ritual will take a few days to prepare
--Ti'anti speaks to the party in private; she asks that the party implore the Lord Mayor to take a portion of the Stone's power; the power of Thanuran will help restore and help Loxias; she argues that in order to help protect the party and the Stone's power, Loxias must be at his best and the stone's power will help insure that
--the party decides that they will share a portion of the Stone's power with Loxias
--while Loxias prepares for the Ritual of Cleansing and Dividing, the adventurers decide that they will use the power of the scrolls of teleportation (that Ti'anti gave them) to return to Gilal, Takare to investigate the death of Cobren Anurl
--the party teleports to Gilal, just outside of town; they head to the town's graveyard
--they also investigate Cobren's house; they discover the signs of an attack (lots of blood stains, the attack looks like it was a surprise); they also find the Temple coin to Anurl, which has been enchanted to send the party a message (after all of them touch and speak to it)
--Cobren's message tells them that he feared for his life, that he augured his own death
--they party also discovers in the ledgers of the cemetery all of their names entered; investigating each of their "plots" they discover that Cobren left them things to help their investigation
--the party runs into Hyuster Moll (who has taken to help patrolling the graveyard)
--they investigate Burnbeard's tomb finding signs that it had been broken into and looted; they use a scroll of speak with dead left by Cobren to contact Burnbeard's spirit; they ask him what happened to him; Burnbeard's spirit reveals that a necromancer forced him to reveal what he knew about the Stone of Thanuran
--the also use a scroll to speak with Cobren's spirit (after digging him up); they discover that he was killed by Rissa
--the party goes into town and stays at the Inn of the Wild Cap; while at the inn, they spot a young man who has been watching them; they corner the man and get him to reveal that he was hired by Rissa to watch out for the party; he was given a medal of message to use to tell Rissa when he spots them
--the adventurers investigate about Gilal discovering very little
--they return to Loxian