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 3.0: The Party's Test for Medianhood

4/25/10 Return to Loxian and Loxias, Tests for Medianhood

--the adventuring party returns to Loxian
--Tirdim (for the Academy), Wren (for the Temple of Possos), Telisa (for the Temple of Mannan Aia), and Lanthorn (for the Temple of Turus) must test for promotion; Loxias arranges to be the administrator of the Tests; the party will be sent as a group on the Tests, each will be rewarded including the non-Testers like Galen and Riseif
--the party receives a letter from the Temples at Grand Takare; each of the Testers also receive individual letters
--Loxias tells the party they have a week to prepare for the Tests; once the Test is begun they will not be able to pause
--the adventurers are brought into Loxias's audience hall on the morning of the Tests; Loxias tells them that the Tests will involve each of them, addressing their strengths and weaknesses; Loxias also offers them one last boon--a trial of chance--he tells them that skill and determination and luck will be a part of the Tests
--Loxias gives them an opportunity to select from several boxes: selecting will either bring them something useful, bring them something negative, or nothing at all; they receive a scroll of water walking and a scroll of median protection from fire and a potion of water breathing
--Loxias tells them that the Tests will be in six parts: The Test of Wood, the Test of Steel, the Test of Water, the Test of Fire, the Test of Flesh, and the Test of Time; the magic of the Tests will be part-real and part-illusory, they will never leave the audience hall of Loxias's manor but what they see, sense, feel, and fight will be real
--to begin, Loxias has one of the party to roll dice (again invoking Luck); the dice will determine the number of days they will have to complete the Tests; Riseif rolls a 5 (on 3d5) so the party will have five days; if the party does not finish the Tests in five days, they will fail the Test of Time
--the test begins and the party is swept into a magical vortext; the room seems to shift and ripple and the group is transported (there is the feeling like teleportation) to a small room with stone walls, floor, and vaulted ceiling lit by some sort of soft, ambient light; in the center of the room is a five-sided stone table; on the table is set with six objects: a wood carving in the shape of a tree, a small iron replica of a greatsword, a crystal sphere filled with water, a piece of fire quartz, a mask made of curious leather, and in the center, an hourglass.
--the hourglass marks five days and the sand begins to flow; the party explores the chamber and the objects; they are magical and discover that to start a test they must hold the object and declare, "Let the Test of ___________ begin!"

--the party decides on the Test of Flesh first
--the room ripples and changes as before and the party appears in a vast underground chambers; the chamber is divided by a impossibly deep chasm; on either side of the chasm are ledges and steel "doors" (plain steel plates set into the wall with no handles or locks) with a length of sturdy chain attached to the middle of the door; across the chasm is a two foot wide bridge of wood
--on one door are the words "make whole" and on the other door are the words "the chain"
--with everyone holding hands, the party can reach across the bridge and chasm; the party decides to be the "living chain" and in doing so the magic of the doors sends an electrical shock through them; each time there is a jolt of lightning, the metal doors begin to resolve taking on other features (like a door handle and lock)
--after several successive electrocutions (and nearly falling into the chasm), the party makes the doors appear; Galen unlocks one door and opening it reveals the starting room; he unlocks the other door and reveals a treasure chest full of loot (200 Lc, 2 magical daggers dedicated to Turus, 8 minor healing potions, and 6 special potions)
--the party heads into the starting room, shutting the door ends the first Test; the party decides to rest to heal up; Tirdim sets to work on identifying all of the objects; Tirdim critically fails on identifying one of the special potions and destroys half of his reagents (natural 100% on Spell Success%) and then he attempts to identify the potions again and critically fails (another natural 100%, then rolling another 10, that's 5 10s in a row) destroying the remaining materials and one of the potions as well
--the potions are augmentation potions (2 for +1 DEX, 1 for +1 CON, 1 for +1 STR, and 1 for +BODYpts, 1 destroyed)

--the next morning, the party decides on the Test of Water
--the room shifts and changes and the party feels like they are transported again, this time they appear in the middle of the ocean; below them, about 10 measures down, is the wreckage of a ship
--Wren calls upon the power of Possos to empower some of the power to swim; they give Lanthorn (since he's the heaviest and non-swimmy) the potion of water breathing
--in the wreckage, they discover two giant eel-like, ray-like sharks protecting a silver holy symbol to Possos; Riseif decides to draw the attention of the sharks; Wren gets the symbol and they kill one of the sharks and drives away the second
--Wren puts on the symbol and the Test ends; the entire scene seems to collapse, drain away into the symbol; the party is returned to the starting room

--the party decides to do the Test of Wood next
--the party is transported to a deep forest, somewhere far away from civilization, and seemingly out of season (there are leaves on the trees)
--in the distance, they spot a clearing; heading to the clearing, they come upon a great oak tree, a treeant tending to the trees around the clearing; they approach the treeant and it ignores them; they attempt to get the tree's attention and it wonders what they want; high in the branches of the tree, they see a silver medallion hanging
--the party plans to figure out how to get the medallion

5/2/10 Test of Wood Continued, Test of Steel

--Galen attempts to jump up to the higher branches of the treeant and to take the medallion; his first attempt he falls but is saved by his belt of safefall; his second attempt is successful and as he takes a hold of the medallion, there is a peal of thunder and a bolt of lightning strikes Galen knocking him out of the tree; he is knocked unconscious but revived by Telisa
--the treeant takes notice of the party now and picks up the silver medallion, a holy symbol to Mannan Aia; the tree plunges the medal into the ground and says that in order to get the symbol they must earn it; they must seek out four plants: wizard's breath (an uncommon but not terribly difficult plant used as reagents in most magical rituals), balm of evening (a very rare flower that can be used to make a powerful sedative, the party has seen this plant before), white woodrose (a common flowering vine but a white flower is extremely rare), and an aged acorn (an acorn from a blessed oak tree)
--the party sets off to find the different flowers; they discover that stepping out of the clearing produces unforeseen results--the clearing seems to be moving, following along with the treeant, even though while you are in it there is no sense of movement
--the party discovers all of the flowers over time, they return to the clearing, and Telisa plants all of the plants; the treeant causes a young oak tree to grow on the spot; in the branches is the holy symbol; Telisa takes the holy symbol and puts it on and the Test ends

--the party heals up and and decides to proceed with the Test of Steel
--the small iron sword becomes a magical great sword; a door appears on one wall; Tirdim identifies the sword as a median great sword dedicated to Turus
--the party goes through the doorway and appears upon a stone pedestal in the middle of a large underground lake; a small beach is in the distance, two tunnels lead out of the big cavern; closing the door, the test begins
--in the distance, on the shore of the lake, people with jet black skin enter dressed in bone and leathers, painted to look like skeletons (they look like they are from the Third Continent, Tyurraeans perhaps); they accuse the party of blaspheming their sacred pool; they begin to fire arrows at them; the party struggles to reach the shore
--Lanthorn is given the scroll of water walking and he charges ahead to the shore; Lanthorn makes a charisma attack and scares off some of the attackers
--the party attacks and defeats the tribal men and a giant darkling; taking one of the passages, they discover a small chamber where a tribal woman has been left, bound, and collared; attached to the collar is a silver holy symbol to Turus
--to take the collar off requires hurting or killing the woman; they discover that the woman is meant to be a sacrifice to "he that will come," meaning a priest of Turus
--the party discusses what to do about the woman; the woman freaks out and says that if she is rejected then she will be killed anyway and tries to kill herself; the group stops her
--Lanthorn eventually realizes that if the woman is meant to be a sacrifice, meant to be for him, that he can accept her but instead of killing her set her free
--in setting her free, the collar shatters releasing the woman and the holy symbol; Lanthorn puts on the symbol and the Test ends

--the party rests and heals up for the next and final test, the Test of Fire

5/23/10 The Test of Fire, Completing the Tests

--limited attendance (only three of six made it to gaming); Telisa, Riseif, and Lanthorn succumbed to stupid disease
--Tirdim begins the Test of Fire
--the party appears in a broad, domed chamber; the walls and floor and ceiling are gray stone
--they are surrounded by thin, flickering, fiery hemispheres of flame; 23 barriers; each wall of fire is only an inch thick and set about a foot apart; the walls give off no heat until you get very, very close to them
--in the distance, through the walls of fire, they can see a door in the far wall
--on the ground, a symbol of fire has been carved into the stone and the lines:

a sacrifice of power
a sacrifice of knowledge
a sacrifice of pages
or a sacrifice of self

--also on the ground is a fine quality book, bound in leather, with gilded pages; the book looks like a spell book; opening the book, each page seems to contain a formula but the text and notation are completely garbled; Tirdim attempts a translation spell to no avail
--the party deduces that they must either sacrifice themselves, wound themselves on the walls of fire, or rip out pages to be burned
--Riseif, Lanthorn, and Galen volunteer to try sacrificing themselves
--entering a wall of fire inflicts fire damage (approximately 30-40 points of PRC damage to average defense); the damage is dangerous and drains the party's healing ability and potions; however, a sacrifice of self does cancel one wall
--sacrificing a page to a wall will lessen the effectiveness of the wall; one page reduces the wall's damage slightly, two pages reduces the wall's damage slightly more, and three pages will cancel a wall entirely
--through a combination of sheer determination, healing, and careful use of the pages, the party manages to get through all 23 walls
--Tirdim walks away from the test with a number of spells to enter into his spellbook; the test is frustrating because every page that is burned up reveals what spell it is before it is gone (e.g. losing the formula for invisibility or cone of frost was a tough loss)
--the party makes it to the final door; the door is magically trapped; everyone is extremely wounded; Galen decides to pick the lock and does so successfully (bypassing the trap)
--the party returns to the starting chamber with one day remaining on the hourglass
--the hourglass reveals a message saying that they have completed the tests but they can use the remaining test to repeat any of the prior tests for a second time, for a different reward; the group decides it best to cut their losses (particularly given their weakened condition)
--the Tests for Medianhood end

--the party reappears in the audience hall of Loxias; he congratulates all of them on their hard work and perseverance; the party is returned to their rooms, healed, cleaned up, and tended to
--they return to Lord Mayor Loxias once they are rested
--Tirdim must complete the practicum portion of his mage test; Loxias tests Tirdim on his forms and tracings; he also requires Tirdim to perform identifications for five magical items (given the fact that Tirdim failed identifications so miserably during the test); Tirdim passes both the forms and identifications with flying colors; he identifies a median mana reservoir (a ring), a median wand of shards of ice, a bag of holding, boots of stealth, and a medal of command
--Lord Loxias commends all of the group and says that he will send word to the Temples and the Academy recommending that the priests and the mage be Raised to medianhood; he gives everyone an additional monetary reward and allows them to keep the magic items Tirdim identified
--the Lord Mayor suggests the party rest for a week or so, train, and prepare; he will send them on their next task soon; the wraith still wanders the realm and the evil adventuring party led by Rissa Ittar and Joven Iirago are also at large

Seattle Campaign 2.2: The Ritual of Cleansing and Dividing

--when the party returns to Loxian, they are sent for by Lord Mayor Loxias; Loxias tells them that the ritual is nearly ready for them; the Ritual of Cleansing and Dividing will work on a simple principal: the party will be protected by magics to keep evil from touching them, from infecting them
--the party tells Loxias that they wish him to have a portion of the Stone's power
--Loxias says that the ritual will be set up at his former tower, which is a day or so ride from town in the wilderness; Loxias wants to make sure that if the ritual goes awry, the town is not threatened; also, the tower still retains some magical protections useful to the rite
--Loxias prepares the Stone to be transported by the party to the tower; he does not want to teleport the Stone for fear that the magic of the Stone will cause the spell to fail or become unstable; also, his strength has not fully returned and he fears that he will not be able to transport the Stone magically
--the party will carry the Stone in a prepared iron box, which has been enchanted to be much heavier than normal; with the use of magical bracelets, the box can be picked up with relative ease
--the adventurers take the Stone and ride to the tower; on the way, the evening of the first day of travel, they come up on a small camp; in the camp there are four priests of Day, who are waiting for the party
--the four priests are: Lentin of Rune (who contacted them earlier from Cavalon), Tholand of Valadarin, Danyara of Irriste, and Callair of Vessa Lune
--the four priests of Day are an envoy from the Sovereign of Temples of Cavalon; they were sent to beseech the party for the Stone; through divinations they knew that the Stone would be on the move; they wanted to "achieve" the Stone while it is out of the hands of Loxias
--the parties exchange words; the adventuring party is reluctant (even offended and angry); the envoy are haughty and demanding; they explain that divinations reveal that the Stone is extremely dangerous if it remains in the hands of Loxias; however the envoy from Cavalon disagrees with the rulings from the Sovereign Temples at Grand Takare
--Telisa invokes turn animal to scare the horses away; the horse carrying the iron box with the Stone runs off; the box falls off in the middle of the woods
--Tholand Valadarin goes after the stone only to discover the enchantment on the box
--Telisa messages Ti'anti that the box is in danger; Loxias magically summons the box away
--the envoy from Cavalon is extremely angry, but now that the Stone is once again in Loxias's hands, they have no recourse except to leave; all of the priests magically return to Cavalon; Lentin remains behind in an attempt to try diplomacy
--unfortunately, the party is attacked; Lentin is shot in the chest with an arrow; a combat ensues
--a priest of Iirago named Joven, a comrade of Rissa, and companions attack the party; the party fights Joven, two giant darklings, a rogue named Lamm (invisible, met previously), and an archer
--the combat ends with many hurt, Lentin killed, most of the attackers dispatched, Joven escapes (called back by Rissa)
--the party uses one of Burnbeard's master potions to bring Lentin back to life; he is made comfortable as he recovers from revivification; the party camps with the sunstone out
--there is a clap of thunder in the distance, a clap of thunder that sounds like when the Stone was first removed from the Valley of Thanuran
--suddenly, they feel like something is calling them, summoning them; Loxias is magically attempting to bring them to him; they give into the magic of the summoning (leaving Lentin behind); they are brought directly into the Ritual of Cleansing and Dividing
--the ritual seems to be hastily wrought; they stand in a circle around the Stone; magical protections are laid upon the party; Loxias breaks the Stone; the power is split among the seven; a sinister wraith-like presence leaves the Stone; Loxias forbids the wraith from tainting the ritual; the wraith escapes
--the party feels the power rush into them and black out

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

Seattle Campaign 1.2: "The Ring of Fi'an" (Burnbeard)

1/2/10

--experience is awarded
--the adventuring party leaves Gilal (after securing horses for everyone), crossing west across Takare, and head to Grand Takare, the Sovereign Capital of the Second Continent
--about a week or so later, they arrive in Grand Takare
--they seek out a reasonably nice inn settling on the Inn of the Star and Laurel; the innkeep Aretina (Takaran, sturdy though not fat, friendly in a stern sort of way, dark brown hair) welcomes them
--the party seeks out the help of the Temple District and the Academy Hall
--the Academy reveals a little bit more about the Ring on Tirdim's hand; it is a ring of Magic Talent, dedicated to Lor, and is of Elar make; it is an antique; it also has had other magics imprinted upon it, magics that prevent accurate identification; the "curse" that binds the ring does not seem to be a true or evil curse
--Wren sets about translating a journal of Burnbeard's they found in one of the magic boxes; the journal is about the ring
--eventually, the party heads to the Guild of the Eleventhed Star (particularly after Galen is snubbed by the Academy mage, who called him Tirdim's "manservant")
--at the Guild, they make a contact with a median mage named Magda(Takaran, short, sturdy, long light brown hair, friendly)
--Magda reveals that Burnbeard has left a message and a package for anyone that produces the Ring
--the package has a slip of paper that says, "Seek these hands."
--the package also has two items: a sealed glass phial containing a twig with small delicate leaves and tiny silvery-green berries suspended in clear liquid, and a piece of pottery that is an intricate bit of clay ropework, glazing, and firing
--"Seek these hands." means to find those who made these items
--they seek out an herbalist named Laryth Greenwealth, who knew Burnbeard; Laryth gives them a magical rootball; something small is magical inside the rootball
--they seek out a potter named Tomias Handworth, who also knew Burnbeard; Tomias gives them a sealed clay jar filled with some liquid; something small clunks around inside
--Telisa uses the magic of shape earth to open the ball revealing a second ring
--the clay jar has been enchanted to be nearly unbreakable; the party decide to throw it out of the highest inn window possible; the jar shatters and a gelatinous, slippery, extremely bouncy sphere of greasing is released; inside the ball is a third ring
--once the rings are gotten, they are identified; like the first ring, they have beneficial powers but also seem to be "cursed"
--Riseif wears the ring that grants strength
--a small disagreement breaks out in the party about the third ring, which hastens the wearer's reactions, but eventually the ring is worn by Galen
--Wren's translation of the journal reveals that the ring was given to Burnbeard by an Elar mage named Fi'an, who had visited Burnbeard many years ago; the mage and Burnbeard were fond of each other; the Elar mage passed away and bequeathed the ring to Burnbeard (an unusual act for an Elar mage and for a ring of such value); Burnbeard wanted the ring to be a source of curiosity and inspiration for adventure
--speaking the name "Fi'an" to the ring releases it from Tirdim's hand
--another illusory message is triggered saying, "To seek knowledge is the greatest of all curses. To know wisdom is the greatest of all cures."
--at the release of the ring's curse, a tiny shimmer of light seems to escape the ring and fly away through the walls and out of sight; the party surmises it might have been a message of some sort (but do not know to whom or what it said)

1/10/10

--the next morning, after the discovery of the ring's purpose and name, Aretina awakens the party very early saying a messenger was at the inn for them
--the messenger turns out to be brown-black owl, who turns into a druid named Brela (short, Takaran, weathered tanned skin, beakish, ill-mannered)
--Brela tells the party that she has a message to deliver (which was prearranged by Burnbeard just shortly before his death); she gives them a scroll case and leaves
--the scroll case contains another letter, a final letter from Burnbeard:

To my esteemed friends,

Many apologies — it seems that I have been needing to say that as of late — for resorting to such an impersonal medium to express my thanks, my amazement, and my respect for you all. (And apologies for asking so much of you, for asking you to humor the wooly and nettling wishes of an old, old man.) If I have learned anything in all of my years in this world it is that all life is a game and that some games are very serious. Praise be to Luck! However, I shall not wax philosophical. My time is short. And my plans, as they are wont to be, long in the making.

You have accomplished so much. And whether you are an old friend or a new acquaintance, something of you has charmed this old fool’s heart, and I see in you the very germs of myself at your age. I hope to grow those sometimes fickle, sometimes brilliant, sometimes adventurous bits of myself in you. And if you have come by this final letter then you have my utmost commendation and my utmost pride. There is one last thing I must beg of you.

Help me. Help this old man. Help this fool on an important errand. You have recovered the Ring of Fi’an. You have gained two other things, which I had hoped would be further adventures to the lands to the north and south. But as with all plans and some lives, they sometimes must be curtailed. So, you have the two rings: the Ring of Ogrummum and the Ring of Fleeting. The keys to their would-be curses are now yours as well. It was arrogant of me to think that I could trick you, I could teach you, and most of all, I could instill in you some great truth about the world. I relinquish that arrogance now. But I cling to the hope that you will continue reading and continue seeking.

But I get ahead of myself, as usual. My hope that the adventures I had laid out would provide for you the fortitude, the experience, and the resources to take you to even greater adventures and challenges. My hope was that you would be ready given time and wisdom gained. I hope you are ready now. I know you must be. I do trust in you, my friends.

What I have to reveal to you I cannot do so here. It would be too much, and it would be unsafe. There are many eyes and hands that would go to extraordinary lengths to discover my secrets, no matter how silly. But what I would tell you is that I ask you for one final favor. Two things. Enclosed is a coin. It is a clue. Another test, I am afraid. I sometimes laugh at my own presumptuousness. I beg your leave in this. The coin can only be used in Gilal. Also, please do not sigh, enclosed is a map. Yes, I test you again. But I cannot chance that those undeserving gain any of this. There is a place, there is a power that even now works to undo this letter, this knowledge. I cling to the memories as best as I can. But time works against me. This life is also being undone. Oh, my friends. But the map. Yes, the map will take you to the next part of this summons.

I have left you what I can and what I have been able to prepare. But there are not enough days. Not enough hours. But you are strong, young, resourceful, and more than capable. I have never had an apprentice — for too long anyway — who would study with a cantankerous hermit that prefers the company of plants and wilderness to the company of civilized people? — but I hope that you would find a small place in your heart for me. You are my adopted family, truly. And I hope I have been a good, albeit long-winded and at times boorish, uncle.

The light grows dim. And I wish I could explain more. But to the south is my last wish. I cannot forget it. It cannot be forgotten. The gods have blessed me and cursed me.

I thank you.

Lorhest Burnbeard

--along with the letter is a blank piece of thick paper, which the party guesses has the map secreted upon in; they try to reveal the map with normal means (heating the paper) to no avail; they decide to leave it till they get to Gilal
--also along with the letter is a Sovereign coin stamped with the symbol of Anurl, the God of Death; the coin is a ceremonial coin often used as a tithe or a proof or a message
--the adventurers decide they must head back to Gilal and discover what Burnbeard's big secret is
--on the road to Gilal, while camping in the wildernss, they are attacked in the middle of the night by would-be seekers of Burnbeard's secrets
--the attacking party had a greater darkling with them, two mages (one of them a necromancer)
--the adventurers (with difficulty and some comedy) defeat the attacking party; all are killed save for the necromancer who escapes
--Riseif is badly injured during the fight
--the party must tarry until Riseif is able to be magically healed and travel
--they return to Gilal, surprising Hyuster Moll
--they seek out the Priest of Anurl, who is the caretaker of Gilal's main cemetery; his name is Cobren (thin, sallow-skinned, quiet, dark-haired)
--Cobren Anurl tells them, after being presented with the coin, that Burnbeard made provisions for his death and burial; Burnbeard also left instructions to give anyone who produced the coin three scrolls of speak with dead and access to his mausoleum
--the party contemplates what questions could be asked of Burnbeard's spirit

1/17/10

--Galen has stupid disease
--the adventurers mull over what questions they might ask the spirit of Burnbeard; they must wait till nightfall before they can return to the graveyard and seek out the Priest of Anurl; the party discusses different possible questions
--meanwhile, they also try to tackle the problem of the map (or currently the empty piece of paper); Tirdim says the paper might be affected by illusion magics, which require the proper trigger to reveal
--Tirdim attempts a more detailed identification spell; he fails the first time; he gets it the second time and reveals that the paper has been affected by illusion magic (most likely some sort of invisibility) and strangely body magic
--the party decides that perhaps blood is needed either as ink or some sort of catalyst; Tirdim pricks his finger and tries a drop of blood, which reveals momentarily a little area of the map; eventually, Riseif volunteers to cut his hand and smear the paper with more blood
--the map is revealed showing an area of Takare, southern Takare, the Javelin Mountains; notes are marked where an arm of the mountain extends into the Takaran forest (called Jeweltooth's Arm); locations of two tribes of darklings also marked (the Morning Fire Fire clan and the Winter Ash clan); the names of "wise ones" for each clan are named include Togro (Winter Ash) and Obreth (Morning Fire Fire); some sort of valley is marked on the map; notes about seeking out the clans and finding a Stone
--the adventurers seek out Cobren Anurl, who opens the mausoleum of Burnbeard
--they use the three scrolls of speak with dead
--meanwhile, Wren, who is fearful of undead and superstitious about messing with the dead, stays at the gate of the graveyard and thinks someone might be lurking about, spying on the group
--first question: What did you want to tell us before you died?
--Burnbeard's spirit responds in fragments: something about a Valley, to the south, great power, forgetting what to say, very important, darklings can help, go find the Valley
--second question: What can you tell us about the stone?
--Burnbeard's spirit responds: the Stone is needed, the Stone will protect you, the Stone has been left for the party, it will keep back the darkness, it will offer some comfort, hopefully
--third question: ???
--the party discovers Burnbeard has a necklace on, a egg-shaped locket, which contains within it a sunstone
--the party packs for a long trip to the south, to find the darkling clans, to find the Valley; before they make it out of Gilal, Cobren tells them of an augury he has about their quest; he says that they will meet "Death and Undeath"
--the party makes it to Deshelen, Takare on the Jeweling River; they hear of some rumors of another party of adventurers who came and left the town just before them
--while in town, Telisa contacts the local druid, named Rathkin; she tells Rathkin Mannan Aia some of what they look for (e.g. the valley, undead, Burnbeard); Rathkin asks her to report to him as soon as she discovers anything
--on the road toward the mountains, during lunch, they catch someone magically spying upon them; they ride to catch the spy and discover it is the necromancer from the earlier brigand attack; the party attacks and the mage puts up a good fight; the mage tries to bargain his way out of the situation but the party refuses; sleep spells abound; in the end, the mage with his dying breath attempts spontaneous magic, which is interrupted by Riseif
--Riseif and Telisa and the dead mage are trapped in a magical sphere of force; Tirdim phases into the sphere but also gets trapped; Tirdim must depend on spontaneous magic to teleport each of them from the sphere
--the leave the magical "disaster" and hope it resolves itself
--they head to the mountains and are approached by a group of darklings from the Morning Fire Fire clan; they arrange to meet with Obreth, the wise one; Obreth looks older than she is; in a ritual, she shows the party what she knows about the Valley; something about the magic of the Valley causes forgetfulness and remembering the Valley causes rapid age; Obreth dies in order to show them where she thinks the Valley is
--they meet a young wise one named Arata, who takes Obreth's place; Arata takes them to meet the Winter Ash clan
--Togro, the Winter Ash wise one, also shows the party in a similar fashion what he knows of the Valley; he dies in passing on the information
--Arata will take the party to where she thinks the path into the mountains is; the party will have to go the rest of the way on their own

Seattle Campaign 1.1: "A Friendly Letter from Afar" (Burnbeard)

{I'll be using the Tellings blog to archive adventure notes from the current Seattle campaign.}

12/6/09

--sitters at the table:

Rebecca: Telisa, an Ebani priestess of Mannan Aia, likes horses and alpacas
Curtis: Galen, a Gaurien "rogue" and man of mystery
Mike: Riseif, an Ebani warrior
Andrea: Wren, an Atalisiran privateer and priestess of Possos
Josh: Tirdim, an Elar Academy mage
Greg: Lanthorn, a Gaurien knight of Valadarin

--adventure opens, all player-characters are given backstory that connects them to an NPC named Lorhest Burnbeard
--Lorhest "Burnbeard" Windlin (5'8", broad shouldered, chubby, dark brown hair, blue eyes, always smiling), a middling mage and merchant of Gilal, Takare; very well liked and favored by Gilal; a member of the Guild of the Eleventhed Star; came to magic late in life (earned his nickname "Burnbeard" by setting a man's beard aflame during a heated argument); noted for his skill in accounting, woodlore, potionmaking, and storytelling; a bit of a trickster, curious
--the adventurers receive a letter informing them of Burnbeard's death:

Friend,

I have always been a man of very few words. I have prided myself on my actions, rather than anything that I have boasted or written. And I have prided myself on the choices I have made. I believe I am a good judge of a person’s character. Therefore, I have chosen to write you and to offer you a gesture of friendship, respect, and adventure.

You see, my friend, I am dead. And I have left a portion of my fortune, my knowledge, and my demesnes to your care for I believe that you shall take up my offer, my challenge and do me proud. I have named the good man Hyuster Moll of the Inn of the Wild Cap in Gilal, my home town as you know, as the executor of my posthumous wishes. Seek him out, if you would, and he will reveal to you my final wishes.

In the past, I have been accused of many things. Recluse. Foolish wanderer. Scamp. Simpleton. Magician. However, one name that I shall always hold dear and hold true is friend. You have impressed me and touched my old heart. And I shall like to repay the favor. Of course, as a foolish, wandering, reclusive, simple, scamp of a magician, I shall not make it too easy. As I said, I am a good judge of character. And I believe that you are more than able and are more than willing to honor this old man’s wishes.

Regards,

Lorhest “Burnbeard” Windlin
The Garden
Gilal

--the adventurers arrive in Gilal, Takare and take up rooms in the Inn of the Wild Cap; they meet Hyuster Moll (tall, stout Locharan, has the look of a former mercenary, greying hair, stern) the innkeep; Moll informs of Burnbeard's last wishes
--the party meet one another; they learn that Burnbeard died in Moll's inn (he favored the Inn of the Wild Cap)
--the party is told that they are to embark on an "adventure" orchestrated by Burnbeard; they are to seek out his home in the forest outside of Gilal and discover what Burnbeard has left them
--the party investigates Burnbeard's room at the inn; nothing seems out of place and Burnbeard died of natural causes; Riseif discovers a brass key (which he keeps secret)
--Burnbeard called his home "The Garden"
--traveling south into the hills deep in the Takaran forest, the party (some on foot, some riding) eventually make their way to Burnbeard's house
--they discover the house has been sealed, magically protected by various means; Galen tries to climb down one of the chimneys and nearly gets caught by a fire that magically lights beneath him
--the party discovers signs of darklings about the house; Galen's pack is stolen (loses his grappling hook)

12/13/09

--investigation of the house continues; the party discovers there is a magical clay tablet hung on the front door; writing words on the tablet yields different responses; eventually, they discover that the tablet is somehow the key to opening the front door; after a number of attempts, they finally get the tablet to yield the right key to the door
--within the house, they discover a number of things include a set of finely crafted, magically sealed boxes, a table full of unmarked bottles and potions, books on woodlore, and several annoying and inconveniencing traps (including a magically sticky floor that traps Riseif's boots)
--while investigating one of the boxes, Galen attempts to pick the lock and sets off a needle trap; the needle is poisoned with a potent sleeping draught, which knocks Galen unconscious for hours
--meanwhile, the house is approached by would-be mercenaries and highwaymen, who want to a chance at Burnbeard's stuff
--the party (sans sleeping Galen) fights the mercenaries, killing their leader, capturing a mage and two rogues; one of the mercenaries escapes
--the party discovers a secret passage into the hill against which the house is built
--they discover the secret cache of Burnbeard
--the encounter a stone door shut by an immense iron bar; the word "Strength" is carved above the door; they are not strong enough to lift the bar

12/20/09

--Galen recovers
--Tirdim begins to identify the potions left on the table
--Telisa and Wren use the books to try to identify the plant designs set into the top of the three mysterious boxes; they discover that the first box bears the design of bloodquill (thistle-like, red flower, large spines, very poisonous), the second box bears the design of balm of evening (small flat leaves, white clusters of small flowers with violet interiors, violet berries, causes deep sleep),a nd the third box bears the design of the Sarian fire plant (blade-like leaves, serated edges, reddish-greenish in color, causes agony)
--eventually, the adventurers discover that one of the potions on the table is a Strength potion; it is a bottle of wine; however, the potion has the troubling side effect of being magically intoxicating; the more you drink, the stronger you are but the drunker you get
--Wren, being a practiced drinker, is chosen to use the potion to move the iron bar; unfortunately, she drinks with abandon, becomes hilariously drunk and useless, eventually passes out
--Lanthorn and Riseif then share the remainder of the potion and manage to move the bar
--beyond the first door is a second door; the second door is wood and iron; above the door is carved the word "Wit"
--there is a lock on the door; Galen attempts to pick it to no avail; it is completely beyond his skill
--the identification of potions continues with the discovery of a potion of immense luck; Galen uses the potion to miraculously pick the lock (to the sound of a mysterious horse's neighing)
--beyond the door is a cave-like room; three chests full of coin and magical gear are found; a crevice in the cave wall leads somewhere deep into the earth; the party discovers that there is a magical ring just out of reach within the narrow cave
--Riseif uses the remaining luck potion to "fish" the ring out
--Tirdim identifies the ring; it is a Ring of Magic Talent but it also has unidentifable properies
--Tirdim puts the ring on; it is cursed to stay on his hand; an illusory message reveals (in Burnbeard's hand): "An ancient curse binds all who have touched this ring. Seek out its owner, its history, to undo that which it has wrung."
--the party returns to Gilal and decides to head to Grand Takare to seek out information about the ring