As Saffron gets to know Behn and Samul she wrote a song celebrating their homeland.
Night pours over the rolling dunes. First, pink and purple, swallowing the sun-soaked sky. Then red to match the blood-soaked hands. And a whisper in the wind decries: nothing remains now except stars and scars.
Dawn breaks the black horizon. We are thirst, and thirst is all we know. We are sand, wind, sun, and burning sky. We are.
Here, in the desert, We cannot be claimed nor owned. Carried by winds, A mirage of heart and bone And memories built by hand.
I turn toward emptiness. I see nothing, hear nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs.
Here, in the desert, Ahid wraps tight around our ribs Preparing us for battle. We stand at the gates, Men and women, Myths and legends. Ready to fight.
The Five keep growing in size, but are far from completing their quest. The fogs of Sheljar have them on edge. They fear another tunneling nightmare striking their inn-home. Furthermore, the dead walk the night and there is the problem of their still hidden master wandering the bog-city.
Session Notes: A guest player is here on a one-shot. They are playing a non-humanoid. Ixnyx remains at the inn, working on an unknown project.
Shonie is still in Telse, they think. Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is back with Ixnyx.
Stumbling back from the battle at the temple the group is weary. They fear going back to the island with the city center and its Library of Glight. Over the next day they will set a watch. Sure, the Necromancer will have some time to recoup, but the group needs the health and energy, especially if more wights or tunneling nightmare’s show.
During their rest day Saffron goes fishing with her mage hand. Ajhenas’ heron helps gather fish as well. Samul is mourning the loss of Boo, his trusty lizard. Aamar is in the main room of the inn. Behn took a perch on top of the storage shed to paint the faint images seen through fog. Mo is up there as well.
Encounter: Pet Shop Boys
Limping through the thick fogs is a skeletal form. It has a spear it uses as a staff and a cape. Beside it is the ghostly visage of a massive warhound. Next to that is a tiny skeletal creature. Ajhenas is fishing at the base of the bridge and orders the skeleton to stop. This works, just short of the alarm zone.
“Stop!” Ajhenas shouts. The skeleton and its companions stop. “Approach,” the scout from Kirtin says. A few steps forward. The start and stop commands continue. Leaning on the staff like a weak old man the skeleton does not seem threatening.
Ajhenas mistimes his start-stop commands and the non-enemies, they cross Ixnyx’ alarm system. No longer is Ajhenas audience the two halflings on the storage shed, but the whole group, coming out into the courtyard seeing the creatures on the edge of the bridge.
When Samul exits the building the tiny skeletal lizard sprints towards the massive gladiator, leaping up into his leather shirt’s inner pocket. This thing is, was?, Boo.
Mo’s shortbow and Behn’s crossbow remain trained on the human skeleton. Ajhenas notices the cape is from a different light infantry unit than his own, one that was eliminated during the Awakening. Saffron asks the undying soul if it can talk, it shakes its head. She then follows up seeing if it can write.
Through a long conversation with a skeleton carving words in the dirts of an abandoned isle the Five learn that the skeleton’s master is angry about the destruction of the temple, but extends the offer of an animated Boo as a symbol that the two parties may be able to communicate with less violence. They arrange a meeting with the Necromancer. Tomorrow, the Five will see this man across the collapsed bridge that once connected city center to the grand market. There will be a gap between the adversaries, so while missile and spell fire could happen, retreat into the fogs will be possible.
Encounter: Enter a dragon
With time to prepare the Five (it’s not five, but this adventuring party hasn’t named itself) build a second rope bridge over the gap between where the old massive stone bridge fell apart. That rope bridge is about 60 feet above the water. The stone bridge had a massive rise so smaller sea-worthy vessels could round the market isle.
The also construct a couple simple defenses for the ranged fighters to use as cover. They’ll be shooting at shadowy objects through the fogs, but the cover provides some felling of safety. There are two of these. Some of the group is set to prevent a flanking action. Then they wait.
Marching in step two banks of four skeletons walk to the edge of the bridge. Taking a knee and placing their shields in front the first row provides defense for the second row and their bowman. These are all human sized, but the skulls indicate that not all are human. Two mulkon zombies stumble forward from the rear of the military unit to the edges of the rope bridges. Their massive forms holding the giant morning stars that are common among their living race.
These walking dead provide a defense for a large pitch black cloud of darkness that walks forward. This is powerful magic, not some mere illusion but a black that makes night seem like broad daylight. The group of adventurers is tense. If this meeting comes to violence they have a chance, Behn always thinks they have a chance.
Greetings are exchanged. Interrupting the pleasantries is a resounding screech comes from the sky. The skeletons aim their bows up, as does the group. This is something different – a third side to the potential conflict.
A winged form, somewhat related to the flying lizards of Mehmd comes into view, a second screech. There is a rider.
“DRAGON!!!!!!!” screams Saffron and she sprints away, cowering in an abandoned merchant booth.
And the fight starts. Bolts, arrows and spells fly out at the beast. The rider flings spells back. While in the air the wyvern does a spin move to avoid one of Behn’s spells. Its rider is flung aside into the water. Ajhenas runs down to the shore and Maurice leaps off the bridge chasing the stout form.
The rest focus their efforts on the winged beast, eventually slaying it. When it dies the Necromancer and his companions are gone. That group of Behn, Samul, Boo, Saffron and Aamar look down to the water.
Between the quick thoughts and strengths of Ajhenas and Mo they’ve captured the man. He is about 4 feet tall, with broad shoulders and a beard. He is a spell caster, once using a spell to get away from the group, but they recapture him. He has heavy armor, a hammer and is quite angry to find his mount is dead.
While interrogated he declares that he is a “Proctor of Grace.” He displays some contempt for the “pathetic” spells used in the conflict, and disgust specifically for Behn. Some of the group take this Proctor back to their inn. The rest field dress the fallen wyvern and take its venom from the stinger.
They now have a prisoner who can cast spells beyond what they do (he claims), wyvern parts and are no closer to learning the identity and disposition of the Necromancer.
The loss of Boo still haunts the group as they consider their next move in the audience of a few dozen decomposed bodies. The skeletal remains of a congregation loom over the party, their open eyesockets unmoving but seemingly following each nervous tic, every sideways glance.
Session Notes: The player running Ajhenas wrote this recap. This is the first recap written from a single player’s angle and thereby gives new insights into the story. Samul and Maurice are absent from the session, but they remain in the temple nave. Maurice also helps open a lock. Shonie is still in Telse, they think. Mansaray’s whereabouts are unknown. His falcon is back with Ixnyx. Ixnyx is back at the inn setting some alarms.
Given the disastrous, carefree door opening of Samul only moments prior, it is instead the recently revived Ajhenas who is entrusted with opening the doors of the temple. The Kirtin man still hasn’t fully recovered from the severe head injury that left him floating alone miles downriver. Silently he curses himself for not sensing the earlier trap that left much of the party injured. After due diligence, Ajhenas opens the left door into a back room, with Aamar, Behn and Saffron close behind. Injured and traumatized, Maurice and Samul wait in the rubble. Ajhenas’ heron remains outside on watch. Mitzie, Edgar and Barkley stay with the barbarian and rogue. If the skeletons animate the halfing and human will have some help.
Beyond the door the party finds a simple set of rooms and a pair of staircases. In one room lies a table with a set of unfamiliar books; Behn notes that the books have been disturbed recently. As much of the party examines the mundane items scattered about, Ajhenas goes to a window to look more closely at the side of the church farthest from where they entered.
To his astonishment, the thick fog that hindered their progress earlier appears to have completely lifted in the direct vicinity of the church, allowing him to see outside. There, ten yards out from the church, is a lone pole with a pennant hanging from the very top. A gruff word calls the others to the window, where no one is able to recognize the peculiar symbol adorning the flag. Behn takes note of it for later.
Having seemingly seen all that is there to be seen, the party considers the stairs and decides to travel downwards first. Their descent leads them into pure darkness, greeted only with a nasty stench not unlike a sewer. Saffron and Ajhenas light torches in an attempt to make sense of the room, but to no avail. It simply isn’t worth the risk, and an exploration of the basement is abandoned.
That leaves only the upwards stairs. At the top, nothing greets them save for a few more books with more strange symbols, and two more doors facing towards the back of the building. Behn presses his ear against the right-most door, and hears nothing living. Ajhenas is wary nonetheless, and opens the door with an axe at the ready. And sure enough, upon opening the great wooden wall, a wight blows by him to attack the rest of the party. In a moment of weakness, Ajhenas attempts to bring one of his trusty handaxes down on the nasty ghoul only to get it stuck in the doorframe. An encounter with the other leaves him badly wounded as a rusty sword slashes his chest.
Behn and Aamar have similarly poor luck despite seemingly excellent preparation. An attempt to disarm the opponent leaves both Behn and this new enemy without weapons.
Bernie, Aamar’s bear cub, rushes forth swiping at the wight attacking Behn. Saffron stands back in support. The fellow Kirtin-ite drumming inspiring beats, with secondary rhythm that place that same wight at a disadvantage.
Calling upon his long military career, Ajhenas attempts to isolate this armed creature from the rest of the party. The cut he sustained was deep, and the man has seen how man and beast alike fare with such wounds. His shield equipped, Ajhenas pushes his attacker deeper into the room from which it came, blocking the door with his body. He attempts to push it closed behind him, but fails; a most fortuitous fail.
In the other room, the party appears to have the wight in hand. A series of swipes and spells leave it all but defeated. Behn considers finishing it off, when out of the corner of his eye he sees the struggling Ajhenas alone, staggering with his shield high. Behn calls on one of his most powerful spells (I silently pray for good aim) and fires a bolt over the shoulder of the Kirtin man into the face of the looming creature. The wight lets out a horrific scream, barely clinging to the world of the living. Everybody looks on, anticipating that Ajhenas will run his longsword through the blight and earn his bravery.
But the man is too weak, a lumbering strike misses wide and his body is left open to a critical strike, which falls swiftly after. Ajhenas crumples to the ground, wondering if this is the day he dies, surrounded by foreigners in a foreign land for a cause he doesn’t fully understand. He thinks of his blacksmith parents, of his bonded bird, the halls of the academy and of the many mountains he will never traverse. It’s only when he feels the healing salves on his lips that he realizes just how overly dramatic he was being.
Helped to his feet, Ajhenas sees the smoking remains of the two vestiges of death. The man is not one who speaks, but Behn earned a few words of gratitude. Also to Saffron and Aamar, for their generous use of healing Everflow.
By now the light struggled to survive through the island’s fog. The party checks the accompanying door, which was gratefully empty. Ignoring the remaining upwards steps the party returns to the first floor, where Behln stops just before the party reunites with Samul and Maurice. He reminds the group of the pennant flying outside and how it appeared to repel the fog. After some discussion, Behl bursts through a window and (with help) retrieves the cloth. As soon as he does though, the fog that was held back as if by a glass bowl flows back into the empty space, and a sense of dread envelops the group along with the thick air. Replacing the pennant does nothing. Ajhenas calls for Laurel, who through speaking with Aamar informs them that a green cloud is approaching from that side of the building (and also that it’d be a very good time to leave.)
The group reunites in the main chamber, ready to pack up and go. But the skeletons still sit in their pews, waiting for the sermon that will seemingly never come. Tired, wounded and annoyed, Ajhenas calls for the whole damn building to be burned down. But that idea doesn’t fly. Instead, Aamar sends the others on and lets forth a powerful spell from the center of the room which thunderously shatters the remaining bones.
From there it’s a race to get off the island, away from the now apparent green cloud, and to the party’s base of operations. But as they cross the long bridges that connect the haunted village to the mainland, a bell rings in front of them. Ajhenas mentally braces himself for another fight, particularly when a goblin approaches excitedly. It’s all the party can do to keep him from throwing an axe at the monster. It makes the coming introductions between hottie Kirtin outsider and former captive turned Five member Ixnyx rather awkward.
The green fog approaches no further, the group returns to the inn and the party settles down for rest at last.
Hiding in the abandoned bog city of Sheljar The Five found an home. The once thriving inn is a rare building within the fogs that is in a decent state of repair. As Behn and Ixnyx scouted the city square the others remained on their new tiny island.
Aamar and Bernie rid the store room of a swarm of rats. They also found two vials of the Everflow. Both were from prior to Bishop Ollium’s reign.
Samul repaired or built systems that could bar the doors and shutter the windows.
Saffron and Barkley scouted the east side and the docks, noticing an island across the faster flowing water.
Maurice and Edgar headed out the western trail following it through the garden. Mo found two wheels for the dog-cart and down near the orchard a land broken by pockmarks.
We return to table play.
When the gobkon and Sorcerer return from their trip they are short the mulkon. They speak of an encounter with some dire beast that trips creatures and tosses them into its gaping maw. It is also the source of the Stench of Sheljar. The two do not know if there are more of this bog kraken.
Wounded and needing to heal, Mo recognizes the description of the holes from those whipping tentacles and leads the group down to where he scouted. But on the way along the eastern path Barkley barks at the river. Then Mitzie joins in as well. Floating down in the chill water, at night is some kind of man. A large heron is circling above. That bond clearly still active.
The two dogs jump into the water on command. Their attempts to drag the man to shore fail, but they do slow him down. Aamar sprints ahead and uses his thorn whip to pull the poor soul to shore. That action and the dogs get the man into the dock area.
Aamar uses a full vial of the Everflow to help the hapless soldier of Kirtin. Saffron having recognized the insignia on the light infantryman. Later, she escorts him back to the inn. Ixnyx had already turned one table into a work bench. She was working on some promised alarm system for the bridges. So Saffron took Ajhenas to one of the bedrooms to heal. They also discussed Kirtin, his presence in Sheljar and a certain volcano.
Mo leads Behn, Samul and Aamar down to the pockmarked land. It is immediately familiar to the Sorcerer of Gate. He again speaks to how he won that previous encounter, with Ixnyx and the mulkon doing a bit themselves.
A watch is established when the return. Ixnyx, Behn and the new arrival Ajhenas allowed to heal.
In the morning Ixnyx declares that she needs to install those alarms, and even has a messenger flitter ready for Saffron. This small device will return to a single location with a short message. That location is the fireplace mantel in the inn.
Saffron suggests the group head through the thicker fogs to the east. She wants to avoid that dangerous beast, maybe finding a new path to the city square. It takes two trips in the rowboat to get everyone across. They explore an island market, mostly failed and decaying. The fog is so thick they cannot see too far, but both the Rogue and Behn see Samul pocket a bar of silver.
Heading to the northeast edge of the island there is a huge dockyard. No boats are left, but this is a place where great ships came to Sheljar. There is also a bridge that rapidly rises from the land, heading towards the city square. It ends in an abrupt slice through the stone. On the edge of vision they see the other part of the partitioned bridge.
Saffron and Aamar want to take the rowboat across. Samul and Mo think there is a way between the Barbarian’s great strength and the Rogue’s quick feet they can build a bridge. Behn points out that their dogs couldn’t cross such a rope-bridge. Ajhenas is stuck chuckling as this group that has just accepted him argues.
Done with words the Bard and Cleric of Quar head back to the row boat. Samul is offering to tie a rope to Maurice and just throw him across the gap. But then little Mo sprints up the bridge leaps the gap. The tiny halfling from Ooshar tumbles to his feet with a little flourish. Then he ties off the rope. Samul comes across the rope bridge while Behn rides Mitzie to let the fans of more traditional transportation know what happened.
Now on the island square Behn “leads.” He isn’t in front of the group, but he is describing the things they see. Across the square is the Temple. The group decides to edge around it, but to the right of the open doors is a cemetery. The grounds and graves broken open. The group avoids that and instead goes straight to the steps.
Two gargoyles swoop upon them. Aamar and Samul do most of the work to take them out. All aided them, but the two were the primary targets of the living stone. A bit shaken, a bit weary the pit fighter enters the vestibule through the open doors. Between the nave and vestibule is another set of doors.
A bit naive the Mehmd native flings the doors open and the ceiling gives way. Behn, Mitzie, Aamar, Bernie and Samul survive the crush of stone and wood. Little Boo, Samul’s lizard, is smashed. Aamar’s spells cannot help the little bearded dragon, but they do heal Mitzie and Bernie.
Now, the group proceeds with caution. Mo checks the door. He looks into the nave, and it is occupied, but nothing is moving. There are no more traps, just 16 skeletal heads staring towards the altar.
They enter. Mo again looks for traps in the nave. He finds none, though there are two doors on either side of the altar behind the lectern. As the group fans out none of the skeletons react. There are five more smaller ones, that look like the face of Ixnyx. The larger ones a mix of human and those hobkon that captured their ally.
Frightened that the undead could rise at any moment in a Obscon temple guarded by traps The Five ponder their next move.
Updating progress for The Five has been difficult for a bit. This shall sum up their activities over the last four sessions. Mansaray is still somewhere in the Western Wildes as his falcon is stays close to Aamar. Shonie stayed in Telse and works to provide some information to her companions via messenger pigeon to the caravansary.
Saffron and Aamar arrived at the caravansary on the scheduled date. Maurice stayed in Fort Ooshar a day longer and discovered that his father’s old friend Willan’s children are part of local gang of thieves that have been ordered to follow him. At last check Willan may, or may not, be in Qin along the Southern River. Mo then slips out of Ooshar and catches up to his companions.
At the caravansary The Five (Aamar, Behn, Maurice, Saffron, Samul) head off to Sheljar, and the supposed safety from harm that a place that is either haunted or cursed offers. Along the way there they happen upon a broken repeating crossbow the size of a siege weapon and some marks of a scuffle. This reminds Behn and Samul of their previous conflict so the group heads down the gully.
Working along the path the group finds that it runs up a gully. As they walk this gully the find tracks of a subject that was drug back along the “path.” As they head down they are ambushed by two more giant, tusked humanoids with those immense crossbows. Those two slow the group, but are not a significant threat.
Continuing up the path they notice an encampment with two defensive positions, a few tents, a cave at the far end, a giant thing tied to a stake and a tiny mouthed halfing inside a cage. This is now a rescue operation. The group hates slavers. It doesn’t matter that these are not Kin being kept.
Through a combination of flanking, frontal assault and luck The Five manage to stay alive despite large numbers of opponents. There are three different sizes and two genders they fight. A few run back to the cave and block the entry, leaving the two captives to The Five.
Ixnyx is a goblin. She was held in the cage and works as the translator for herself and the mulkon. Both agree to work with The Five in the near term, as they are now free due to their help. Though a few of the rebel goblins remain unadressed, Isnyx agrees that hiding within Sheljar will prevent other powers from following The Five, because no one would be insane enough to enter this cursed city.
Everyone returns to the caravansary for a brief reloading of consumables, and they head back out on the path to Sheljar. Now seven strong (3 halfings, 2 humans, 1 gobkon, 1 mulkon) with several animal companions they enter the deep fogs that have surrounded the former empire. There is no stench, but there is this thick fog and apprehension.
As they descend toward the bog-city the fogs get thicker, the definition between river and decaying city disappears. But there is a clear entry from the Sheljar Road into the city proper. It is a wide and kept bridge. The span crosses a formal moat of brackish water.
Samul and the mulkon lead the way. The mulkon makes Samul look small. Samul is well over six feet and has a pit fighter’s muscles. A few dozen feet onto the bridge two helmed horrors with their reddish eyes trapped inside a blackened armor that screams death fly into their path. It takes some time, with Ixnyx and Maurice jumping into the water to hide, getting off shots, some of Ixnyx bolts are on fire.
After the horrors are defeated the group knows they will need a sanctuary to establish as a home while in Sheljar. These kinds of creatures, plus the two goblins talking about undead walking at night and a mysterious stench that swallows the Kon, mean fear rules. But, Ixnyx knows there is a square where the airxips landed. It has a library and a temple. They are well defended, but could contain either the power that rules Sheljar (Xelgar) or a Lorebook.
Moseley Bog and Joy’s Wood Local Nature Reserve – Coldbath Brook by Elliott Brown at https://flic.kr/p/dCZmcC
They all head off to the northeast. It is a wandering path through dry land, some fords, some bridges, some walkways. Everything is in disrepair. The stone bridges can hardly hold the mulkon. The fords mean walking through a water where bones rest at night. These bones are of Kin, of Kon, of beasts.
Death is everywhere. They continue walking until there is a stench along another bridge to the northeast, where Ixnyx says his expeditionary flight landed, and later fled. But that stench is a cue. If they continue along that path someone, probably everyone, will die.
The next most direct route is a wooden bridge to the north, except that odor is there as well. As a group they’ll need to find a longer route to the city center. Down to the southwest they find a rickety bridge leading to away from the stench. They cannot see the land where it ends due to the fog, but it is the only path that does not include death. They take it.
After a walk through the deep fog, and a few broken planks, The Five arrive at a place that used to be an inn. It has has a small dock off the common room, place for a animal companions, a storage room that currently hosts a family of rats, but has a decent roof to use as a lookout. Plus there aren’t any piles of bones or old cemeteries on this patch of land. It’s old orchard and garden is currently feral, but may have some food that they can use.
Samul declares this the capital of his kingdom, which brings some surprisingly good humor to the group. They start to create defensive positions. Behn volunteers himself and the two goblins to head out on a scouting mission along the only other bridge. They do take the rowboat, but follow that bridge.
On deadline, hoping to return to the soon-to-be sanctuary prior to sunset they find their way to the city center, which is a triangular space where most of Ixnyx flight landed. The open square fit the main ship and two of the tenders. Another landed off to the northwest. Three buildings flank the area – a library, a temple and a government office. Ixnyx lets Behn know that expedition never got past the entries of the library or temple due to the amount of skeletons and zombies there. They did clear the office of government before the fleet fled the volcano.
Behn targets the temple for their first visit. They have about an hour before they must return to safety, they hope it is safety. Ixnyx has the mulkon picking up some of the remains of Ixkon’s fleet’s visit. She thinks they can build a couple messenger devices, as well as convert more crossbows to the repeating style she thinks is standard.
As Behn and Ixnyx approach the temple two gargoyles swoop down attempting to prevent entry. It’s a tough contest, but with the advice from Ixnyx Behn is able to fight well. A few well placed spells and the fiery bolts from Ixnyx’ crossbow take down the animated statuaries.
The excitement of victory doesn’t last long.
Shortly after the gargoyles are destroyed the mulkon comes running “the stench is coming.”
A small tendril of thing shoots out of the ground whips at the mulkon’s legs, tripping the large fighter. A gaping maw shoots up from the ground a few dozen feet away from Ixnyx and Behn. Small tendrils reaching to the sky. Two larger ones flank the many-toothed mouth slapping the ground nearby with a thwack-thwack beat.
Ixnyx fires a fire-bolt at its mouth-body. Behn leaps on Mitzie to ride the dog, hoping that rapid movement will keep the two safe, or at least together. Eventually the sorcerer locks onto the flaying beast with his witch bolts. Mitzie leaps a few of the whipping tendrils, while the mulkon shoots the mouth with its huge spear sized crossbow bolts and they try to stand up, getting immediately tripped back to the ground.
One of those slappy tentacles trips Mitzie, but the halfing is able to concentrate on his target. Mitzie does not get grappled. The mouth of this dire creature opens and vomits bones at the mulkon. This spew of former victims rips and slams into the poor fighter.
The fight seems a bit repetitive, until the mulkon is incapable of moving. Somehow the bog beast’s little appendages grasp the 9+ feet of muscle, bone and tusk, tossing it into the air towards the gaping mouth. That many-toothed mouth closes on the mulkon, who is swallowed.
Behn, Mitzie and Ixnyx survive the fearsome creature, who on death causes many dozen of tiny tendrils to pop out of the ground and the chewed remains of the mulkon can be seen in the maw, among the teeth.
The group flees, before some noxious cloud can come and to avoid the walking death of night in Sheljar. They return via rowboat to the old inn. Their hearts full of fear, disgust and some sorrow.
Leading up to Summer Festival Mayor Kellamon is notified that annual special ale from The Ferments did not arrive in its customary window (generally a week before the festival). Since it would take a large quantity of ale about a week to get to Telse this is their last opportunity to check on the status of the ale. A few messenger pigeons were sent, but none return. Saffron, Barkley and Samul are sent to check on the ale while Aamar continues to study the Lorebook. Maurice is tailing Piyu. Behn gets an invite to visit Esmenet Fallaugher second of House Graysterm, the trade house of Qin that manages the South River and River Kirtin trade.
Session 10.5 Notes: Saffron and Samul’s players are present. None of the other players are present. Maurice and Behn’s characters were sent emails filling in their couple days in Telse. Some of those tales are relayed to the group in Session 11.
Saffron and Samul do find the ale. On the way Saffron finds a crown of forgetfulness at a waystation along the road. This crown is a simple band of a silvery metal and reminds them that Cortez bragged about wiping the minds of the unworthy who visited him.
A trail leads them off of the road along a path through a light forest to one of the untamed geysers. Along the way they rescue a dog that had been with the cart originally. This mastiff is loyal to them, but not a companion. There is no trace of the other mastiffs. A group of mephits, impish elementals fly up out of various geysers and pools. A quick fight with these creatures of smoke, steam and mud results in the rescued mastiff passing. There is no obvious leadership for these odd creatures. Nothing can explain why they’ve stolen the ale. The Ferments were already an odd place, and this theft makes it more strange. Something with access to a crown of forgetfulness and able to control elements is active in this land of liquors and geysers.
Samul and Saffron do manage to get the ale to Telse, but only in time for the Eclipse of Feylf on Summer 2 rather than Summer Festival on Summer 1. The party is ongoing, but Samul and Saffron discover some issues upon talking to their friends. At least one of Qin’s tradehouses know that they have the Lorebook in the Church of Quar. From Mo they learn that Piyu has a base outside the inner wall where he is operating his recovery operations. The Azsel ambassador also wants the Lorebook from The Five, who he hates.
That puts the list of people that may be alive and probably want the Lorebook at Chorl, Piyu, at least one tradehouse in Qin and maybe Cortez or maybe he’s just insane.
A decision is made. They cannot defend themselves while in Telse and with the Lorebook. The tailend of the two-day celebration of Summer Festival is the perfect time to leave. The Five will split. Aamar, Maurice and Saffron will go down river towards Mira, where there may be some clues to find other Lorebooks and/or Scholars. They will do this with a fake Lorebook, leaving with some of the Telse militia on a routine barge going downriver along the North River to Fort Ooshar.
Samul and Behn will have the real Lorebook with them and sneak out at night. The Five will meet in six days at the crossroads on Sheljar Road and the road from Fort Ooshar into the Sheljar Fields. Together they will hide in the Stench of Sheljar since a vast majority of the Kin will never go into those swamps after the empire fell.
Session 11 notes: Samul and Behn’s players are present. The others will either play out their journey via Slack or at the table prior to a full session.
On the night of Summer 2 trying to sneak through the inner city Behn the Sorcerer with Mitzie and Samul the Barbarian are trying to sneak through the crowds. Behn is concentrating on sneaking rather than partying. This is unusual. Eventually he and his companions disappear through invisibility. They get through the inner wall and the ghetto of people who survived the destruction of Sheljar rather uneventfully. But now again visible in the morning they work towards the West Gate where Obsconites control the fringe of Telse. One of Obscon’s patrols meets them on the edge of a forest. The poor cultists die. Samul and Behn destroy the holy symbol of the faith and tie the bodies to the trees. Samul wants western Telse to be free of these types of people that ended the Empire of Sheljar.
The two and their Companions travel just off the Sheljar road, avoiding a caravan and the sparse homesteads. On Summer 6 they are nearly at the crossroads. That morning, finally back on a standard nightly sleep schedule they encounter a pile of burned skeletons. A few of the skulls have large tusks, a few others with tiny little mouths and huge foreheads. There are hands as small as a halfing’s hands but with longer fingers as well as femurs that are nearly as large a goliath’s thighs.
At the crossroads, with a caravansary, a ranch house and a house managing an orchard it’s the largest homestead they’ve seen in days. They take refuge in the caravansary overpaying for use of a stable-room and promising to help patrol the area that evening.
Samul and Behn join two humans on the patrol, both have dogs. As they walk the fenceline a crossbow bolt rips into one of the men from the ranch. He perishes and his retriever immediately collapses as well. Using one of his crafty little cantrips Behn gets light towards where the shot originated. The skirmish is quick. The large opponents are creatures not even from legend. They are unheard of and use huge crossbows that don’t need to be reloaded. Behn, Samul and one ranchhand survive. None of the opponents do.
Summer 7 is one day before the rest of The Five are to arrive. All of the caravansary are on high alert. These strange creatures are unknowns and in daylight are unrecognizable. They are one day from the Stench of Sheljar, three days from the city proper.
After the last session The Five had finished their original goals. They’d found a Lorebook, and discovered it does not have the answers to “What caused the Awakening?” They did discover a cause, within a clandestine group of Scholars, that Chorl had something to do with the release of the minor magic. There was the discovery that the Obsunites captured the New West Gate. More close to their hearts was the conflict with Parun. The human that is hunting Mansaray.
This session had the following attendees: Behn, Saffron and Samul. Maurice and Aamar have small roles as DM run PCs. Mansaray is still out in the Wildes, maybe. Shonie returned to her family in Telse.
It is now Spring 75, just three days before Summer.
Bishop Ollium has offered the non-Telsians (Behn, Saffron and Samul) a place to stay as there are no visiting priests in the House of Quar at this time. They eat down in the tavern that the Quarites run while Aamar is in the temple library trying to learn more from the Lorebook. As those three and Mo dine Piyu enters the room, he has a single one of his guard with him. He is massive, but does not fill the room. The temple is built for goliaths, as is most of Telse.
“Hello, I will need to see you in my office when you are done with your morning meal. We will discuss the incident yesterday with Parun. He is waiting for us.”
Behn asks, “Should we hurry?”
“No. There isn’t a need. He can wait.”
The group take a reasonable amount of time to finish their meal and leave Aamar in the library. Their canine companions stay in the stable and yard connected to the House of Quar. Bernier, the bear cub, stays with Aamar.
When they enter Piyu’s office Parun is waiting, visibly frustrated at the delay. He has two dogs with him, a reminder that three of his dogs passed in the battle. Piyu’s heron is standing on the desk behind him. As the door closes it unfurls its extensive wings.
Telse, Mira, Qin and the other cities near the Everflow and its two rivers.
“We are here to discuss the incident,” Piyu starts. He describes how Parun is the new ambassador from Azsel. Being new to Telse, he did not understand the laws as regards to slaves. He has now been informed and though he is an ambassador, with all of those rights, he pay a fine to the city for the violence he laid on the local heroes. His netthrower will no longer be allowed inside the inner wall of Telse, nor at Fort Ooshar. Lastly, he will be followed when in Telse. Piyu asks Maurice to lead this effort. Maurice, having a certain hatred for Parun’s profession, agrees.
“But you, you five, damaged that netthrower and killed five dogs from the embassy. Though in self-defense, these sorts of crimes are not welcome in Telse.”
Behn argues that it was really just accidental magic. Piyu points out that it was a fire bolt that set the netthrower on fire. Behn is humbled, but not for long.
“So how much is the fine?” all four ask at nearly the same time.
“150”
“What?!” Behn, eager to pay back since he was the one that caused the damage was about to pay out of his pocket, but now needs help.
“There may be another solution if you do not have these funds readily available.” Parun tries to interrupt and is told to hold his voice. “Telse needs help. Half the Guard and a third of the Militia is monitoring the West Gate and the neighborhoods near where the Obsunites gained control. But there are many other issues you’ve brought forth to the Mayor. Will you help us?”
Parun again interrupts. “These, four? They committed crimes.”
“Leave, now. Mo will follow you,” Piyu commands. “If you help your fine to the city will be on probation.”
“What should we do?”
“What ever is needed.”
It’s open ended. They do not have instructions, unless they choose to address the silly apocalyptic cult blocking the New West Gate and the refugee ghettos on that side of town. But they are connected to the city, a bit more.
Samul goes to a mailer to send a pigeon to a friend back in Gate. That friend will then need to get a note to his betrothed. It should take about two days for that message to get to her ears. Saffron sends a pigeon to Kirtin-in-the-Sky to then get the note carried to Korlot where her older friend Teegan lives.
There’s also some shopping. Most of it is administrative. Behn replaces his missing bolts and buys more, and then buys a pack and harness for his dog Mitzie. Samul requests a dagger-glove for his off hand. (The mechanics for this are just that he always has a dagger ready on that hand, he already did a d4 damage). It will be done in a couple days.
The three then return to Aamar. The priest tell them that he’s learned a few things from his study.
There’s more than one Lorebook
They are likely where more Scholars are
Within the Lorebook are the type of spells that could remove the Stench of Sheljar
The Stench of Sheljar is because the former empire fell to pieces when the Awakening happened. Many people perished as those with powers of violence acted. The area rapidly fell to ruins. Some fled to Brodton, many more came to the northern parts of Telse, but most died. There is now a general uneasiness in the air, the odor of decay and a light fog. A number barely larger than zero enter those lands.
Now the group splits up. They’re learning about the area and have some clues to follow.
Samul heads out to the dockside. He’s worked the sea before and knows he’ll find some info among those that work the river. His target is a group of sailors from Daoud. He discovers that their ship is in Qin and they’ll be taking several barrels of the Everflow and other goods down river soon. Asking about areas they know he learns;
Qin has something like cannon guarding the harbor
In general the sailors think that Qin is a bizarre, but huge city
Kirtin-on-the-Lake has a huge library
Behn and Saffron head to the embassy for Mira, approaching the ambassador there. The idea is that since Mira was a fringe, semi-independent part of Sheljar they may learn more about the Stench and Sheljar.
Brodton is a no man’s land
Mira’s merchants avoid the roads rather than risk going through the town
Even the river traders up their alertness when on river, though it is several miles from the town
The government of Mira avoids the Stench of Sheljar
Session 10 was heavy social session, with a tiny bit of exploration, as the players started to fill out spaces within the town with the mailer and the dockside tavern.
Depending on the hooks they are looking to chase they can pursue heading off to Kirtin-on-the-Lake’s library (Lorebooks?), to the exotic city of Qin (Scholars?), to Brodton (Sheljar), or back out west to investigate Chorl/Cortez.
It was our first session in about two months. Planned as a short session that wrapped up the Quest for the Lorebook. The intent was for a primarily social session that introduced some new hooks for further adventures and established some downtime activities. As they say, “the best laid plans.”
After leaving Mayor Kellamon’s house/office most of The Five headed towards the House of Quar, the temple/storefront of Telse’s largest faith. Sitting on the Font of Two Paths the House of Quar bottles and barrels the holy water. Its waters can heal wounds, cure diseases and prolong life. It has two prices, for the faithful (a small donation) and for others (50 gold).
Being in Telse, which is the homeland of three members of the party, they are confident. Shonie heads off to her home. Ten less minutes talking to priests is fine. They got their payment, what more does she need to do?
So the Five, but not the original Five, cross the market. It is bustling with dogs, birds, ponies and other companions. Shops are hawking goods, sometimes hawks.
And then a huge net falls on top of Aamar, Bernie and Mansaray’s falcon. It came from the direction of the Fair Market, where gemstones, jewelry and blown glass are sold. Behn immediately spins in that direction and unloads a bolt into a halfling manning a cart with a large netthrower on it. In front of the cart are two mastiffs. There are five other warhounds with the group opposing The Five. Another halfing is alongside the cart. A slight human stands in front of the group.
“Give me Mansaray’s falcon,” the human demands.
Here the party could do many thing. Though in conflict no lethal action was taken. And, it stays that way for just a moment longer.
Behn wins initiative. He’s just a sorcerer, and still learning his spell powers since the Five have had a Lorebook for a couple days. He casts Fog Cloud to obscure The Five. Mo is next. The quick thinking rogue cuts through the netting to release Aamar and the two bonded companions then uses Cunning Action to Dash towards the House’s door. He yells for Samul and Saffron to follow (those two characters are unplayered in this session).
The two halfings at the cart start loading a new net.
“These need not go further, just give me the bird,” as he whips the bird. Dropping it to the ground unconscious.
Aamar, now free of the net, casts Hold Person. It doesn’t take, as the mental power of the subject was too strong. That man whips Behn. It’s a relatively minor wound, but magically saps his strength as well. Behn’s pissed. The man is rather frustrated.
This next round is when things escalate.
Behn casts Thunderwave. Luckily every single possible subject makes its save. Luckily because it includes several of his friends. But five of the opposition’s dogs are in range and they all fall. Both halfings are wounded both from the wave of thunder and their psychic bond. Aamar is wounded two ways. Bernie is wounded. The man with the whip is wounded two ways. The rest of The Five are inside the House. Maurice is dashing for the Bishop sensing that his friends are outmatched.
One other issue takes place. Behn’s a wild sorcerer. All arcane casters in Kin are wild. There are not yet the schools teaching those that channel magic to understand what it is they do. He surges. To Behn’s good fortune he gets to teleport to a place within 60 feet and he’s now inside the bell tower looking down into the fog.
Everyone in the market and most inside Telse hear the boom of thunder. What was once a quiet, non-lethal attempt to capture became a deafening battle with lives on the line. The Guard is alert.
The man with the whip strikes Aamar twice. He isn’t seeking a killing blow, but one that disables the Cleric of Quar. It works. Aamar is down. Bernie is enraged and rakes his claws across the slaver. Samul rushes out to find Aamar in the fog. One of the halfings shoots at Behn in the tower. The other has the netthrower readied.
Behn’s fog is still stable. Bernie and this slaver are inside the thick cloud and can’t make out the details from the rest of the conflict. The two dogs that didn’t get caught in the thunderwave flee. It’s rushed. There is chaos. Behn’s bicep is oozing blood with a dark mist around the whip wound.
The man drops his whip. Pulls a bow and shoots at the man of Mehmd, again hitting. Behn is about to go down as well. Mo gets Samul’s help, rushing out to pull Aamar into the church as the fog clears. Bishop Ollium stands at the entry too.
Bernie claws the slaver again.
Piyu and a few members of the Guard are nearby. Behn blasts the netthrowing cart with a Firebolt. The halflings try to put that fire out.
Captain Piyu shouts out, “Parun, drop your bow. Everyone, stop.” He has numbers, and health on his side. One of the Guard casts friends on Bernie, the bear cub.
That event requires some quick rules invention. Bonded Companions are somewhat like people, but not their own agents. The check for control is opposed by Aamar’s Charisma. Luckily for Aamar and the Five the role fails and Bernie stops attacking, for a moment.
Behn runs down the ladder-stair from the bell tower into the temple’s chamber of worship. He snags a flask of the Everflow and quaffs it. The necrosis on this arm stops. Saffron shoves different vial of water down Aamar’s throat.
“Piyu, I’m here on Azsel business and just need that falcon. Mansaray escaped and we are able to recover.”
“I do not see a Mansaray. I see six heroes of Telse. I don’t even see the falcon.” The poor falcon is at the top of the bell tower. “Azsel’s authority here is at Kellamon’s will. He most certainly will not will you to recapture an escapee within town.”
Piyu is a goliath, like Mansaray. Half his guard is as well.
“Come with me Parun. We will talk with the Mayor about this,” the old goliath commands. “You others, go with the Bishop. Figure out what to do with the Lorebook.”
Pointing at one of Parun’s halfling companions with a crossbow bolt in his thigh Behn asks, “Can I have that back?” That halfling casts Acid Splash back to answer in the negative.
Bishop Ollium steps between the two. “You, go! You, come!”
They are saved, but heavily wounded. The road between the General Market and Fair Market is covered in the violence. Another priest of Quar comes out to look after the wounded dogs. Some may be saved.
“You, Mehmd man, fifty gold for that flask.”
“What flask?” Behn tries to play it off.
“The one that you tossed aside at the base of the stairs.”
“OK, that flask.” Behn scrapes together the coinage, barely. The Five have yet to cash the cheques that Mayor Kellamon instructed them to take to the money changer.
“Son,” the Bishop looks at Aamar, “does the Book have answers?”
“It does not,” the independent priest answers. “It has some history and lessons of magic. Over these days I think I’m learning more and we of Quar can learn more.”
“May I have the book?”
Aamar respectfully declines. “I will study it here, but I’m attuned to what it does and can help us all learn.”
After a first adventure The Five went out into the Western Wildes. They learned that a group called The Scholars are keeping Kin ignorant of magic. Cortez’ student Chorl is responsible for the Awakening, violating the trust of the Scholars. When Cortez set the volcano off he may have eliminated Chorl and the Cult of Nak’s power. While they were away the West Gate was taken over by Oun/Obsconites who are trying to hasten the fall of Kin. This group is preventing all goods from coming to Telse along the Western Road that connects Dakan Thaeeb and the Cliffs of Gallinor to Telse. Lastly, they met Parun, an agent of Azsel who is collecting escaped slaves to bring them back to the halfling slave kingdom.
Their adventures are not over. They’ve collected a few goods, gained some power and know that Kin continues to feel the effects of the Awakening.
I’ve had the great pleasure of playing with the alpha test of Fantastic Maps#HexAllTheThings. If you want to break the tool sign up here. The first thing I did to break it was make a larger than expected map of the Western Wildes, or those cities and towns that are primarily influenced by The Everflow.
Telse, Mira, Qin and the other cities near the Everflow and its two rivers.
This image doesn’t include the Fog of War functions, nor the ability to see descriptions as part of the labels as the web version does. Thankfully for me, the region is temperate and mostly green trees. So the earliest of releases looks like what I want the area to look like.
You can see the North River and South River coming out from the Font of Two Paths. There is also the devastation at the Ruins of Sheljar. That city didn’t handle the Awakening well. Though it’s only been 21 years the influx of cantrips into this city in the swamps lead to fighting and destruction. The area has been abandoned as many of the bridges, dikes and other bulwarks were destroyed. There are also now massive waves pounding the shores of Sheljar Bay.
Those that followed the story of The Five will see the Glass Tower and the encampment where the Cult of Nak took residence. I used regional shading there to show areas that were effected by the volcano that Scholar Cortez set off. Along the road is the West Gate where Obsondites took over. There is regional shading there as well.
Mira and Qin get some attention, but since their outlying communities are not common knowledge to the people of Telse they get no labels. Three of The Five are from Telse and its environs. Shonee grew up in the town itself. Aamar spent some time in the uplands discovering his faith. Mo hails from Fort Ooshar, a former Sheljar tax collecting town that Telse now controls so that their goods can get to Mira unmolested.
Qin is defined by it’s massive harbor, the lighthouse and the Cannons of Qin. Those two towers at the mouth of the bay prevent attack from the sea. The road through the uplands is hard travel, and many will take the South River upstream on pole and paddle.
Mira has more outlying towns and towers. With it being much closer to the River Crinth it has to use more of its might to prevent invasion and refugees from the Crinth/Azsel wars. There’s also an odd peninsula that I made just to test out how the automatic shorelines worked.
These are fairly simple maps at this point. I used a scale of 24 miles across, because I wanted a moderate day of travel per hex. The scale change and actual gaming forced changes from my first hand drawn map. I’ve now started working on two other regions where other characters originate. Gate (Samul, Behn) is nearly done. The lakes along Crinth where Mansaray is from are still being developed, and may need to wait for more features.
Making a homebrew setting can be rough. You give thought to empires, races, class restrictions, some unique things (cantrips for all, bonded companions). You start to layer on some histories (Lorebooks), maybe a secret society or two, some competing faiths as well. Eventually you think “this can run.”
Then your players ask you a question you can’t answer quickly. Sunday, that question was “What day is it?”
I thought I had the answer. “It’s seven days since you started your quest.”
“Actually, it’s nine. I wrote that down. I mean what day of the week is it? What month?”
“Oh, you want a calendar. I don’t have one. I’ll fix that. For now, consider it late Spring.”
Then the searching the internet started. Calendars need a few things answered. Are there moons and how many? Are the moons tidally locked? How fast do they orbit the planet? How many days does the planet to take to orbit its sun? Does the dominant culture mark its calendar by the moons or by sun?
So I started answering some of these, but not in a particular order. There were some things I wanted. The calendar where the characters were active would be a solar calendar that has no months, just seasons. Then I decided to cheat and make one of the moons have a cycle that matched the seasons. This is cheating. It lacks realism, but it can have verisimilitude. As long as this is kept consistent and reasonable, it creates a believable, though unreal, world.
Decisions to this point: solar calendar, four months that match the seasons
Would there be other moons? Yes. After a quick internet search I found an awesome resource for calendar creation and played with some ideas. At one point there were seven moons, but eventually I brought it down to four moons. Moon three guides the calendar of the lands of Telse, Kirtin and Daoud with an origin from one Qin was dominant in the South and West. It is roughly the size of our moon.
Moon four (The Dragon) is absurdly large, but also quite distant with a long orbit of just under 20 years. It is a generational moon. The calendar won’t be guided by this, but some holidays and story points can be. Maybe a culture considers its people as One Dragon (developing), Two Dragons (Young Adults), Three Dragons (Adults), Four Dragons (Aged), and Five Dragons (Ancients). Boom! More development right there. This makes a lot of sense for Crinth. They don’t celebrate years, but the passing of The Dragon and how many times someone remembers it being Full.
That’s moon three (Kin) and moon four (The Dragon). But what if I want some cultures to use a lunar calendar?
The answer is moon two (Glibbon). For ease of rules conversion this moon is at 31 days. Making a moon, or other satellite, that follows between 28-40 days should keep your DnD rule-set simple enough. Monthly spells/features/etc should maintain their power. Azsel and Mehmd would use this calendar system. Complicated conversions won’t be necessary as the game will run using the Qin Calendar as the Scholars and host city use it. But at times referencing the competing calendars can help make the World of the Everflow breathe life.
For fun I added a moon with a weekly cycle. The tiniest of the moons (Feylf) whips around the planet every seven days. Crinth’s druids use this moon quite a bit.
Decisions: Four Moons. Three competing calendar systems with one dominating the educated classes, two Kingdoms and a several fallen Kingdoms.
Another thing needs to happen. What is year zero? That changes. The common calendar on Earth starts in a year that is recognized as the birth of Christ. Prior to that is BC or BCE and after is AD or CE.
On Kin the most important event is simple – The Awakening. That’s the start of the Qin Calendar. It began 22 years ago. The current game, answering that player’s question, is now 71 Spring 22 P.A QC. That’s when The Five cashed their cheques from Mayor Kellamon upon returning to Telese.
This convention is common in the Western Wildes (Telse, Qin, Mira, Sheljar, etc) and through the Scholars. Kirtin and Daoud start with the conquest of Kirtin-on-the-Lake. On the Qin calendar that was on the 4th day of Autumn 792 BA. The two Hundred Years wars started in 543 BA and 291 BA.
But, the calendar also needs names for its days. I decided on seven day weeks for two reasons – we’re used to thinking like that and because any rules that reference weeks are pretty simple.
Decisions: Four moons, three calendars, seven days.
Naming the days would in some ways echo the real world.
Elmsday starts the week and honors Selley (Goddess of Birth, Life and Death) and Belsem (Goddess of the Untamed).
Bell’an’Aur is the second day of the week. It starts with a rejection of that which can’t be tamed and ends with a dinner celebrating Aur. Aur is the name of the planet. It hadn’t had a name until the calendar issue came up. In Kirtin and Crinth this is Feylfday and is the day when Feylf is full, shortly after sunset.
Quarsday is the third day. It celebrates Quar (God of Rivers, Mountains)
Day of Glight honors the Lord of Knowledge. In developed lands the afternoons are given to learning.
Torday honors Torq (Goddess of Sea and Storm).
Az and Sel is day six. This honors not a god within the Wildes/Kirtin/Daoud, but the man and dog that legend says discovered the bonding. Nik is also frequently honored on this day. Azsel recognizes Az and Sel as man and dog that raised to the gods.
Day of Oun is the end of the week. Oun and Obscon are not honored. The Lords of the End are respected in that all things end. They are feared.
There are a few other things that should be noted, and here I leaned on the players again. It’s a complex set of moons. When are they all full? That would be every 337,435 Auran years (they have 312 days), except that when the 20 year moon is full it stays full for several weeks. The Dragon is full to the human eye for over two years. So four full moons happens about every 17.5 years. Three full moons happen every 7.75 years. Every 217 days two of the moons are full at the same time.
To look at the Qin Calendar in the year when The Five are in action click here and enter the following on the data tab.
{“year_len”:312,”events”:1,”n_months”:4,”months”:[“Spring”,”Summer”,”Autumn”,”Winter”],”month_len”:{“Spring”:78,”Summer”:78,”Autumn”:78,”Winter”:78},”week_len”:7,”weekdays”:[“Elmsday”,”Bell’an’Aur”,”Quarsday”,”Day of Glight”,”Torday”,”Az and Sel”,”Day of Oun”],”n_moons”:4,”moons”:[“Feylf”,”Glibbon”,”Kin”,”The Dragon”],”lunar_cyc”:{“Feylf”:7,”Glibbon”:31,”Kin”:78,”The Dragon”:6220},”lunar_shf”:{“Feylf”:1,”Glibbon”:9,”Kin”:0,”The Dragon”:0},”year”:22,”first_day”:1}
All of this effort did not create just a calendar. For the most part when role-playing players will not refer to a custom calendar. It’s tedious and slow. But, you should know how many days are in a year and when you create your custom calendar you start to create festivals, celebrations and justifications as to how certain cultures think. Now, with a calendar there is life to the worldspace.
“What day is it?” asked Samul, a Barbarian from Mehmd who currently lives in Telse.
“It’s 71 Spring 22 P.A QC a Bell’an’Aur. Glibbon is full later this week when Ahid (the sun) hides Ounsday.”
Full Moon Storytelling 
