We had a long conversation over dinner with Benjy and his wife Tella. I must admit that I have never been good at understanding these historical matters and did (at some point) doze off. Perhaps it was the fine meal that Benjy conjured for us. For what it is worth, Carlagnios also did not seem pleased with an evening of chatter.
"Have you ever seen an adult dragon?" asked Benjy. "Or an elder dragon? I once saw a chromatic dragon passing through."
"We have found several dragons in our encounters," Garg answered. "Carlagnios always gets sad and funny when we kill dragons."
Carlagnios scowled and muttered something about others not knowing the difference between dragons that breathed fire and dragons that spat acid.
Benjy began to explain some of the history of the Siege World. "The 'Wayfarers' all came at once, when the 100 left. They were the Dragonborn, the Dwarves, the others like yourselves.
"The Exodus of the 100 came just after the First Apocalypse. Most of the damage here (the lava, the buried buildings) was done in the Second Apocalypse, when the 100 were not here to stop him.
"Lord Chimera is an incarnation of a demigod. Every 5 years, he takes a student for his services."
Kale interjected, "My master has had interactions with the Chimera."
"Your master? Where are you from?"
"We are Wayfarers as well." Kale proceeded to explain where we came from.
"Interesting. Perhaps your world isn't one of the original worlds..."
"What do you know about the Lover of the Raven Queen?"
"The Lover was a mage who become a god. He has an oracular gift. He can see different futures. Every time a choice is made, he can see all the possible futures from all the choices.
"He ended up coordinating his actions with his selves from the different worlds. He would flip a coin to decide each action and coordinate his actions with this new and future selves. He flipped a coin every day for 10 years. By evaluating the prophecies, he was able to transcend from a paltry mage to a greater being.
"But a god has no gaps, and he had them. The Raven Queen took him and filled in the gaps.
"As part of this ritual, some of him died, and it left him mad
"The Early Centenarchy -- the rule of the 100 -- was a peaceful time. They met and passed laws at a building called the Centenarch -- their seat of power. Passage of laws required a majority. During this time, they also brought in the Cthona."
"Seat? It was a chair?" asked Carlagnios, waking up briefly from a short snooze.
"Furniture?" asked Tiny, who had also fallen asleep.
Benjy ignored them and continued. "During the Early Centenarchy, the 101 appeared. He was like Robin Hood -- an outlaw. Sadly, he was married to one of the 100 at one point, and then he was imprisoned three times and spent 1000 years in captivity. The name of his wife was Ana Logrid Polliz. She was a mage of some repute, but there were stronger mages in the 100.
"Early during the first war, the 100 hid the Centenarch, in case a crackpot got ideas. Rumor has it that there is a hall of maps in the old city that might have the location, and there are dungeons beneath the city.
"During the First Apocalypse, all crops were destroyed and there were worldwide clouds. The 100 left soon afer that because they realized that they couldn't win."
"Speaking of the city," Kale mentioned, "do we need to be in a guild?"
"No, you just need to hire a guilder."
"What do you know about the Aspect of Gamerat?" asked Bran.
"It was involved in the relationship between the Lover of the Raven Queen and the 100. The followers of the Raven Queen still have a template in the city. The Lover tolerates worship of the Raven Queen."
"What magics have survived since the early times?" asked Kale.
"Sometimes, we'll find bits of Animata rituals. But usually it's considered bad taste to summon an Animata. Many have lost loved ones to Animata."
Kale cringed. "What about the markers throughout this world?"
"It is a system of beacons that was introduced in the Late Centenarchy. The flying Animata guard these."
"What about the towers in this city?"
"The 100 built the towers with help from the Lover of the Raven Queen."
"Why is the top of the tower in the mage's school missing?"
"It happened between the First and Second Apocalypse. They used to use the Cthona for their larger magics. But the Cthona left the world when the 100 left. They took their loyal servants with them."
"What happened in the Second Apocalypse?"
"The Chimera raised the lava over the world. A god can't be contained in one world, but his agent could be."
"Do you know the Owl?"
"The Owl was one of the greatest, most ruthless generals."
"Do you know of the Lens?"
"The Lens allows someone to commune with the Lover of the Raven Queen. But teaching someone to use this would drive a mage mad."
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
A Teardrop Above the City
The next day, Caleb led us up the river to a tributary. We followed him over a hill and down a valley, where we were finally able to see Lordahl.
From a distance, we could see white spires pointing up toward the sky. Beneath these spires was the grubby underbody of the rest of the city.
There was a vast central tower that tapered up. Above this tower hung an inverted teardrop, suspended in the middle of the sky.
The second tallest tower was jagged at the top. Smoke billowed from the top.
Caleb turned to us and said, "This is as far as I go. I don't want to go into the city. I have enemies there."
We parted ways and headed toward the city. We no longer had any Finder to guide us along.
On our way, we were intercepted by a patrol of 4 guards.
"Guild pass," they demanded.
"We don't have any guild pass."
"No guild pass? Well, then, you'll need to pay the entrance fee. There are 8 of you, so that will be 120 gold pieces."
Tiny frowned and whispered to us, "They're trying to extort money from us."
Bran turned to the guards. "By whose authority?"
"The authority of the mayor," the guards replied. "You'll have to join a guild. The main guild hall is in the inner city." They pointed to the central tower. Then, they pointed to the burning tower. "The mage's school is in the outer city. Now pay your 120 gold pieces."
"Hold on," Firinne interrupted. She spoke with them diplomatically and was able to bring down the cost of our entrance to 60 gold pieces.
We walked into the city and noticed that the structures along the way were low and dismal.
Ryn checked around and found that we should go to the gate, talk to the guards, and get into the market. We walked to the gate, and the guards looked us over.
"We need to know if you're serious and have the gold to spend."
Kale showed them some of the treasure we had collected, and the guards let us through.
Inside, there were solemn warehouses filled with people in chains. It turned out that this was a slave market. There were a variety of slaves -- most of them human. There was a tall wall around to prevent their escape.
Garg walked along, oblivious to the sight, but the rest of us felt uncomfortable. "How could you not care about what is going on here?" growled Carlagnios.
As we approached the mage's school, we noticed the top of the tower was glowing, as if it had been blown off. We walked through the broad entrance to the school and noticed a Chimeric leaving.
The Chimeric had a scar across his head. People quickly moved out of his way to give him space. It was an odd sight.
In the center court, there were plants growing. The towner was a hollow cylinder with doors leading to inner rooms.
Tiny sat down and reflected. As we waited, a wizard approached us.
"Can I help you? You're not all here to enroll, are you? We are one of the premier mage academies in the area. We teach students how to become great wizards."
"I'm a mage, sixth rate," replied Kale. "I've mastered fire and ice, and I have knowledge of poisons."
The wizard seemed to perk up. He introduced himself as "Provost Benjy Bellingham". "We have an open teaching position here. We need someone to teach our classes on Intro to Glyphs, Aberrants, Greater and Lesser Dragons, and Practical Pyrotechnics."
"That sounds interesting. Have you also had experiences with these?"
"I was actually once an adventurer myself. But," he sighed, "I decided to settle down and get married. Say, why don't you come back here for dinner tonight, and I will set the table for you."
Tiny whispered to us, "He's dying of boredom and is looking for someone to talk to."
We agreed to meet for dinner and continued our exploration of the city. The area beneath the inverted teardrop was the inner city. It was the tallest tower in the city. Instead of a courtyard, there was a levitating platform that went up and down many floors of the tower. You could speak to tell it to go up or down.
It used to be an old building, but the alcoves and the stalls were retrofitted at some point. It also seemed to be a dangerous area. There was a criminal element that pervaded the place.
After our exploration, Bran decided to buy some wine for dinner. Then, we headed off to have our dinner with Benjy.
From a distance, we could see white spires pointing up toward the sky. Beneath these spires was the grubby underbody of the rest of the city.
There was a vast central tower that tapered up. Above this tower hung an inverted teardrop, suspended in the middle of the sky.
The second tallest tower was jagged at the top. Smoke billowed from the top.
Caleb turned to us and said, "This is as far as I go. I don't want to go into the city. I have enemies there."
We parted ways and headed toward the city. We no longer had any Finder to guide us along.
On our way, we were intercepted by a patrol of 4 guards.
"Guild pass," they demanded.
"We don't have any guild pass."
"No guild pass? Well, then, you'll need to pay the entrance fee. There are 8 of you, so that will be 120 gold pieces."
Tiny frowned and whispered to us, "They're trying to extort money from us."
Bran turned to the guards. "By whose authority?"
"The authority of the mayor," the guards replied. "You'll have to join a guild. The main guild hall is in the inner city." They pointed to the central tower. Then, they pointed to the burning tower. "The mage's school is in the outer city. Now pay your 120 gold pieces."
"Hold on," Firinne interrupted. She spoke with them diplomatically and was able to bring down the cost of our entrance to 60 gold pieces.
We walked into the city and noticed that the structures along the way were low and dismal.
Ryn checked around and found that we should go to the gate, talk to the guards, and get into the market. We walked to the gate, and the guards looked us over.
"We need to know if you're serious and have the gold to spend."
Kale showed them some of the treasure we had collected, and the guards let us through.
Inside, there were solemn warehouses filled with people in chains. It turned out that this was a slave market. There were a variety of slaves -- most of them human. There was a tall wall around to prevent their escape.
Garg walked along, oblivious to the sight, but the rest of us felt uncomfortable. "How could you not care about what is going on here?" growled Carlagnios.
As we approached the mage's school, we noticed the top of the tower was glowing, as if it had been blown off. We walked through the broad entrance to the school and noticed a Chimeric leaving.
The Chimeric had a scar across his head. People quickly moved out of his way to give him space. It was an odd sight.
In the center court, there were plants growing. The towner was a hollow cylinder with doors leading to inner rooms.
Tiny sat down and reflected. As we waited, a wizard approached us.
"Can I help you? You're not all here to enroll, are you? We are one of the premier mage academies in the area. We teach students how to become great wizards."
"I'm a mage, sixth rate," replied Kale. "I've mastered fire and ice, and I have knowledge of poisons."
The wizard seemed to perk up. He introduced himself as "Provost Benjy Bellingham". "We have an open teaching position here. We need someone to teach our classes on Intro to Glyphs, Aberrants, Greater and Lesser Dragons, and Practical Pyrotechnics."
"That sounds interesting. Have you also had experiences with these?"
"I was actually once an adventurer myself. But," he sighed, "I decided to settle down and get married. Say, why don't you come back here for dinner tonight, and I will set the table for you."
Tiny whispered to us, "He's dying of boredom and is looking for someone to talk to."
We agreed to meet for dinner and continued our exploration of the city. The area beneath the inverted teardrop was the inner city. It was the tallest tower in the city. Instead of a courtyard, there was a levitating platform that went up and down many floors of the tower. You could speak to tell it to go up or down.
It used to be an old building, but the alcoves and the stalls were retrofitted at some point. It also seemed to be a dangerous area. There was a criminal element that pervaded the place.
After our exploration, Bran decided to buy some wine for dinner. Then, we headed off to have our dinner with Benjy.
"I Attack the Darkness!"
It was a large, black dragon. As we scattered, it spewed out acid with a fearful, stunning roar.
We moved into position to attack it from all sides, but it suddenly surrounded itself with a massive cloud of darkness. We could not see our hands in front of us, so we scrambled to make our way out to the light.
Kale declared that he would attack the darkness and sent an icy hand after the dragon. We shot into the cloud in an attempt to strike the creature. Eventually, it dispelled the darkness and moved in after us. We kept striking it, but our blows were barely enough to bloody the monster. The dragon finally grew weary of our attacks, and it flew away from us, covering us with a final blast of acid.
Drained from the battle, we decided to take an extended rest in the swamp. In the morning, we continued on, and Caleb led us to an odd structure. It was an unornamented cube of stone, sticking out in the middle of the swamp.
"This must be 'the Armory'."
On the door, there were symbols in old warrior that read, "Sworn Quartermaster."
Firinne remembered from our travels months ago that we had found a key in a Quartermaster's quarters. She took the key -- her amulet -- and placed it in the door. The door melted before us. Silently, we entered and began to explore the building.
It was indeed an armory that once held weapons and armor. Apparently, it was used to replenish arms. Most of these had been cleared out by someone at some point in the past.
We did find a long sword and a suit of scale armor. Kale examined these and announced that the sword was a magic Demonblade, and the armor was Demonscale. Carlagnios took the armor.
The armory also seemed to be a safe haven in the swamp, so we decided to camp here for the night.
We moved into position to attack it from all sides, but it suddenly surrounded itself with a massive cloud of darkness. We could not see our hands in front of us, so we scrambled to make our way out to the light.
Kale declared that he would attack the darkness and sent an icy hand after the dragon. We shot into the cloud in an attempt to strike the creature. Eventually, it dispelled the darkness and moved in after us. We kept striking it, but our blows were barely enough to bloody the monster. The dragon finally grew weary of our attacks, and it flew away from us, covering us with a final blast of acid.
Drained from the battle, we decided to take an extended rest in the swamp. In the morning, we continued on, and Caleb led us to an odd structure. It was an unornamented cube of stone, sticking out in the middle of the swamp.
"This must be 'the Armory'."
On the door, there were symbols in old warrior that read, "Sworn Quartermaster."
Firinne remembered from our travels months ago that we had found a key in a Quartermaster's quarters. She took the key -- her amulet -- and placed it in the door. The door melted before us. Silently, we entered and began to explore the building.
It was indeed an armory that once held weapons and armor. Apparently, it was used to replenish arms. Most of these had been cleared out by someone at some point in the past.
We did find a long sword and a suit of scale armor. Kale examined these and announced that the sword was a magic Demonblade, and the armor was Demonscale. Carlagnios took the armor.
The armory also seemed to be a safe haven in the swamp, so we decided to camp here for the night.
The Judgement of the Blind
"You are accused of slaughter!"
"Who are you?" we asked.
One of the men in front replied, "I am Brady, a Defender of all that lives. And you are responsible for slaughtering the men in that caravan!"
"We didn't slaughter anyone. Where is your evidence?"
"I don't need evidence. You're guilty unless you can prove your innocence."
We tried to explain ourselves. "We didn't kill anyone. Are you sure it wasn't the Chimera or his men?"
Brady hissed at the sound of that name.
"We spoke to one of the Chimera's men," we continued to explain.
Brady glared at us. "We have a way to tell if you're lying. You'll have to come with us."
Tiny whispered to us that they seemed to be fanatics but had no special desire to kill us.
Garg narrowed his eyes. "How far do you want us to go?"
"We are close by our camp," Brady answered. "We have been following you for a while."
"But if you followed us," Firinne pointed out, "You would know we didn't kill anyone."
Brady would not be dissuaded. "Come with us. Now."
We followed them to a camp, where we were met by 2 dozen other men. Near the fire sat a blind man. Brady gestured toward him.
"You will need to tell your story to Dunnell."
We sat next to Dunnell. "These ones are innocent," Dunnell declared. He felt the need to apologize for his comrades. "You understand -- it is a hard life to lead, when one is responsible for defending life against the agents of the Chimera."
"Are you sworn?" asked Kale.
"Yes," Dunnell replied. "We are sworn to fight the Lover. We swear ourselves to fight. Would you like to be sworn?"
"Uhhhhhhh -- no thank you. What do you know about the 100?"
"The 100 fight the Chimera. We are preparing ourselves for their return!"
"Didn't the 100 work for the Lover?"
"It sounds like you're confused. The 100 defended every living thing against the Chimera. They were forced to leave in order to muster their strength. But they will return with an army."
"From father to son, we have passed along the oath," Dunnell continued. "We are preparing ourselves for service when the 100 return."
"But the 100 did ally themselves with the Lover at some point?"
"The 100 were given their immortality by the Lover of the Raven Queen. He tricked the 100 into doing things for him. He enslaved the 100. But soon, they will return with their army."
After some discussion, Dunnell agreed to "share book" with our Finder. As he and Caleb walked away to talk, Kale turned invisible and followed them. Kale saw Caleb writting down notes from his talk with Dunnell.
After they were done, we returned to our camp. Caleb said, "They gave me a lot of good information. There is a direct path to Lordahl -- we just need to go through the 'Fenns' for a few days. We need to go through this swampy area around the river."
"There was something else that was odd," Caleb mentioned. "In this area, we will find a place called 'the Armory'. What an odd name for a place in the middle of the swamp."
We slept through the night. After waking up in the morning, we headed to the swamp.
The trek through the swamp was long. We could not make it through in a day, so we were forced to make camp and sleep there for a night.
And it was during this night that we were attacked -- by the darkness.
"Who are you?" we asked.
One of the men in front replied, "I am Brady, a Defender of all that lives. And you are responsible for slaughtering the men in that caravan!"
"We didn't slaughter anyone. Where is your evidence?"
"I don't need evidence. You're guilty unless you can prove your innocence."
We tried to explain ourselves. "We didn't kill anyone. Are you sure it wasn't the Chimera or his men?"
Brady hissed at the sound of that name.
"We spoke to one of the Chimera's men," we continued to explain.
Brady glared at us. "We have a way to tell if you're lying. You'll have to come with us."
Tiny whispered to us that they seemed to be fanatics but had no special desire to kill us.
Garg narrowed his eyes. "How far do you want us to go?"
"We are close by our camp," Brady answered. "We have been following you for a while."
"But if you followed us," Firinne pointed out, "You would know we didn't kill anyone."
Brady would not be dissuaded. "Come with us. Now."
We followed them to a camp, where we were met by 2 dozen other men. Near the fire sat a blind man. Brady gestured toward him.
"You will need to tell your story to Dunnell."
We sat next to Dunnell. "These ones are innocent," Dunnell declared. He felt the need to apologize for his comrades. "You understand -- it is a hard life to lead, when one is responsible for defending life against the agents of the Chimera."
"Are you sworn?" asked Kale.
"Yes," Dunnell replied. "We are sworn to fight the Lover. We swear ourselves to fight. Would you like to be sworn?"
"Uhhhhhhh -- no thank you. What do you know about the 100?"
"The 100 fight the Chimera. We are preparing ourselves for their return!"
"Didn't the 100 work for the Lover?"
"It sounds like you're confused. The 100 defended every living thing against the Chimera. They were forced to leave in order to muster their strength. But they will return with an army."
"From father to son, we have passed along the oath," Dunnell continued. "We are preparing ourselves for service when the 100 return."
"But the 100 did ally themselves with the Lover at some point?"
"The 100 were given their immortality by the Lover of the Raven Queen. He tricked the 100 into doing things for him. He enslaved the 100. But soon, they will return with their army."
After some discussion, Dunnell agreed to "share book" with our Finder. As he and Caleb walked away to talk, Kale turned invisible and followed them. Kale saw Caleb writting down notes from his talk with Dunnell.
After they were done, we returned to our camp. Caleb said, "They gave me a lot of good information. There is a direct path to Lordahl -- we just need to go through the 'Fenns' for a few days. We need to go through this swampy area around the river."
"There was something else that was odd," Caleb mentioned. "In this area, we will find a place called 'the Armory'. What an odd name for a place in the middle of the swamp."
We slept through the night. After waking up in the morning, we headed to the swamp.
The trek through the swamp was long. We could not make it through in a day, so we were forced to make camp and sleep there for a night.
And it was during this night that we were attacked -- by the darkness.
The Fate of the Caravan
In the afternoon, we saw a speck in the sky. Slowly, the speck grew, and we began to realize that this speck was someone -- some thing -- flying toward us. It was a man on a Vulture Drake. He landed near us and dismounted. He walked toward us and greeted us.
He looked like a human. He wore a cloak around him. The most notable things about him were the incredible number of scars crisscrossing his arms and the bird claw that was his left hand.
"My name is Yolori," he said. "I'm looking for a caravan of 4 wagons. The wagons are being pulled by lizards, and one of the carts is blue."
"Why do you seek this caravan?" Kale asked.
Yolori seemed puzzled with this question. "I don't know why. I just need to find it. The High Lord Chimera demands it."
We learned that the High Lord Chimera was the Lover of the Raven Queen made real -- the incarnation of the Lover in this world.
"We did meet some riders on lizards earlier in our travels," Bran noted.
"Finder, where were these lizards?" Yolori asked.
"Near Sour Well."
"No. That is in the wrong direction."
Ryn asked, "Are there others looking for it?"
"Yes. There are 3 of us looking for it. But if you find the others, don't tell them that I'm looking for it."
"Is there a reason why you need to find it?"
"It is not for us to question the Lord Chimera's will."
"Are the people in the caravan dangerous?"
"No, not dangerous. Probably not."
Tiny whispered to us that Yolori seemed incredibly imperturbable. Yolori didn't seem to be cued in to any social distinctions.
Garg looked over Yolori's Vulture Drake. "Where can we buy drakes like that?" asked Garg.
"In Lordahl."
"How far is Lordahl?"
"About 4 to 5 days."
Yolori walked back to his Vulture Drake and mounted it. "I must continue my search for the caravan," he said, and he took to the sky.
After he left, Caleb explained Yolori's odd behavior to us. "Chimerics are like that. They tend to fly around and do things."
"Should we -- "
"We are in the Lover's world," Caleb cautioned us. If he wants something, he can take it. We just mind our own business and don't cause trouble. The Lover doesn't care about us."
"Why did the Lover take over this world?" asked Bran.
"I don't know," Caleb replied. "You need to ask someone who is more book learned."
Later that night, Clarence (our blue Servitor Animata) returned to us after completing his task. He came toward us from a direction not very far from Lordahl. We slept for the night and woke up the next morning.
Kale instructed the Servitor Animata to retrace its steps, and we followed it. It was evening when we stumbled across something. Something terrible.
It had, at one point, been a caravan. But the men and lizards were no longer breathing, and the chests they carried were now destroyed.
It looked like they had time to prepare for the fight. They tried to defend themselves, but one by one, they were tracked down and slaughtered. There were no survivors.
They had been killed with some sort of weapons. It wasn't clear what weapons were used.
They seemed to have been merchants who were selling rope and iron bars. Bran took some of the rope.
We found a lockbox that had been split open. 400 gold pieces were spread on the ground. We took the gold.
It was early evening at this point. Caleb remembered that we passed a good area for a camp, so we walked back and made camp.
As we prepared to rest, a group of people approached us from the site of the slaughter. They wore dusty leather hats and capes.
"You are accused of slaughter!"
He looked like a human. He wore a cloak around him. The most notable things about him were the incredible number of scars crisscrossing his arms and the bird claw that was his left hand.
"My name is Yolori," he said. "I'm looking for a caravan of 4 wagons. The wagons are being pulled by lizards, and one of the carts is blue."
"Why do you seek this caravan?" Kale asked.
Yolori seemed puzzled with this question. "I don't know why. I just need to find it. The High Lord Chimera demands it."
We learned that the High Lord Chimera was the Lover of the Raven Queen made real -- the incarnation of the Lover in this world.
"We did meet some riders on lizards earlier in our travels," Bran noted.
"Finder, where were these lizards?" Yolori asked.
"Near Sour Well."
"No. That is in the wrong direction."
Ryn asked, "Are there others looking for it?"
"Yes. There are 3 of us looking for it. But if you find the others, don't tell them that I'm looking for it."
"Is there a reason why you need to find it?"
"It is not for us to question the Lord Chimera's will."
"Are the people in the caravan dangerous?"
"No, not dangerous. Probably not."
Tiny whispered to us that Yolori seemed incredibly imperturbable. Yolori didn't seem to be cued in to any social distinctions.
Garg looked over Yolori's Vulture Drake. "Where can we buy drakes like that?" asked Garg.
"In Lordahl."
"How far is Lordahl?"
"About 4 to 5 days."
Yolori walked back to his Vulture Drake and mounted it. "I must continue my search for the caravan," he said, and he took to the sky.
After he left, Caleb explained Yolori's odd behavior to us. "Chimerics are like that. They tend to fly around and do things."
"Should we -- "
"We are in the Lover's world," Caleb cautioned us. If he wants something, he can take it. We just mind our own business and don't cause trouble. The Lover doesn't care about us."
"Why did the Lover take over this world?" asked Bran.
"I don't know," Caleb replied. "You need to ask someone who is more book learned."
Later that night, Clarence (our blue Servitor Animata) returned to us after completing his task. He came toward us from a direction not very far from Lordahl. We slept for the night and woke up the next morning.
Kale instructed the Servitor Animata to retrace its steps, and we followed it. It was evening when we stumbled across something. Something terrible.
It had, at one point, been a caravan. But the men and lizards were no longer breathing, and the chests they carried were now destroyed.
It looked like they had time to prepare for the fight. They tried to defend themselves, but one by one, they were tracked down and slaughtered. There were no survivors.
They had been killed with some sort of weapons. It wasn't clear what weapons were used.
They seemed to have been merchants who were selling rope and iron bars. Bran took some of the rope.
We found a lockbox that had been split open. 400 gold pieces were spread on the ground. We took the gold.
It was early evening at this point. Caleb remembered that we passed a good area for a camp, so we walked back and made camp.
As we prepared to rest, a group of people approached us from the site of the slaughter. They wore dusty leather hats and capes.
"You are accused of slaughter!"
The Road to Lordahl
After our battle with Baird the Lich and his Ghouls, I learned of what had happened when I lost consciousness. Bran, Firinne, Garg, and Carl were finally able to bloody Baird and bring him near death. With his last breath, Baird decided that he would take everyone to the grave with him. He hurled an icy ball the floor, freezing himself to death and covering the ground with unnatural shards of ice. Bran, Firinne, Garg, and Carl were able to get through this difficult terrain and destroy the other Ghouls.
After a long sleep, we awoke to find ourselves surrounded by Animata. Now that we had broken in to Baird's lair, the Animata found a way in toward their final goal.
We make our way upstairs, where we found an old fountain. Next door, there was a stable, which had stalls laid out in a circle. We searched the stable and found a statuette of an ebony fly. Kale examined the statuette and told us that it was magical. We could use it to summon a flying mount.
In the ceiling above us was a hole where sunlight crept through. As we explored the rooms, more Animata collected around us. Caleb noted that they seemed to be going some place. Usually, he said, they are looking for something buried.
Kale suggested that we harvest the Animata and leave 1 or 2 to see what they would do. Tiny taught Kale the ritual of the feeder (from the book), and Kale proceeded to harvest most of the Animata.
Of the two remaining Animata, one skitterred away, and the other did not move. Kale poked the unmoving Animata, but it did not respond. We decided to follow the escaping Animata, who had wandered back to the hole that Bran dug.
The Animata led us back to the surface, where it proceeded to move quickly across the desert. We followed it during the day, and as it began to get dark, the Animata showed no signs of stopping.
"If it keeps going, we'll lose it," Caleb said. "We need to stop and rest for the night."
"Perhaps we could summon a Servitor Animata to follow it," suggested Kale. We got into a long discussion about how long the Servitor Animata should follow it and how we would know where the Servitor Animata was.
After some time arguing about this, Carlagnios began to growl impatiently (or perhaps that noise originated from his stomach). Kale finally suggested that we have the Servitor Animata follow the fleeing Animata until it stopped, at which point the Servitor Animata would return to us. We would then ask the Servitor Animata to lead us back to the point where the fleeing Animata stopped.
Kale proceeded to cast the ritual. "I am summoning a blue Servitor Animata," Kale declared. An Animata with an orange glow appeared before us. Kale didn't try to hide his annoyance. "A BLUE Animata," he declared, as he cast a glamor on the Animata to make it appear blue.
"Clarence," Kale said, addressing the now blue Servitor Animata. "You are to follow that Animata until it stops, and then you are to return to us." The blue Animata quickly sped after the fleeing Animata.
We made camp and slept until the next morning. Caleb suggested moving to higher ground to get a sense for where we were. He still wanted to find our way to the city of Lordahl, which Baird the Lich had mentioned earlier. Bran suggested riding the ebony fly to get a view of our location from the air. Caleb was concerned that "sky rats" might notice him up there, but we agreed that the risk was worth the information.
Bran summoned "Tim" (as he called it), mounted it, and took to the sky. From up there, he surveyed the area but could not see either of the Animata. He flew higher and was able to see more of the terrain around us. The lands were sometimes hilly, and sometimes not. There were swamps around us and, in the distance, a river.
Bran landed back on the ground and told us what he had seen. We spent the rest of the morning waiting for the return of the blue (orange) Servitor Animata.
After a long sleep, we awoke to find ourselves surrounded by Animata. Now that we had broken in to Baird's lair, the Animata found a way in toward their final goal.
We make our way upstairs, where we found an old fountain. Next door, there was a stable, which had stalls laid out in a circle. We searched the stable and found a statuette of an ebony fly. Kale examined the statuette and told us that it was magical. We could use it to summon a flying mount.
In the ceiling above us was a hole where sunlight crept through. As we explored the rooms, more Animata collected around us. Caleb noted that they seemed to be going some place. Usually, he said, they are looking for something buried.
Kale suggested that we harvest the Animata and leave 1 or 2 to see what they would do. Tiny taught Kale the ritual of the feeder (from the book), and Kale proceeded to harvest most of the Animata.
Of the two remaining Animata, one skitterred away, and the other did not move. Kale poked the unmoving Animata, but it did not respond. We decided to follow the escaping Animata, who had wandered back to the hole that Bran dug.
The Animata led us back to the surface, where it proceeded to move quickly across the desert. We followed it during the day, and as it began to get dark, the Animata showed no signs of stopping.
"If it keeps going, we'll lose it," Caleb said. "We need to stop and rest for the night."
"Perhaps we could summon a Servitor Animata to follow it," suggested Kale. We got into a long discussion about how long the Servitor Animata should follow it and how we would know where the Servitor Animata was.
After some time arguing about this, Carlagnios began to growl impatiently (or perhaps that noise originated from his stomach). Kale finally suggested that we have the Servitor Animata follow the fleeing Animata until it stopped, at which point the Servitor Animata would return to us. We would then ask the Servitor Animata to lead us back to the point where the fleeing Animata stopped.
Kale proceeded to cast the ritual. "I am summoning a blue Servitor Animata," Kale declared. An Animata with an orange glow appeared before us. Kale didn't try to hide his annoyance. "A BLUE Animata," he declared, as he cast a glamor on the Animata to make it appear blue.
"Clarence," Kale said, addressing the now blue Servitor Animata. "You are to follow that Animata until it stops, and then you are to return to us." The blue Animata quickly sped after the fleeing Animata.
We made camp and slept until the next morning. Caleb suggested moving to higher ground to get a sense for where we were. He still wanted to find our way to the city of Lordahl, which Baird the Lich had mentioned earlier. Bran suggested riding the ebony fly to get a view of our location from the air. Caleb was concerned that "sky rats" might notice him up there, but we agreed that the risk was worth the information.
Bran summoned "Tim" (as he called it), mounted it, and took to the sky. From up there, he surveyed the area but could not see either of the Animata. He flew higher and was able to see more of the terrain around us. The lands were sometimes hilly, and sometimes not. There were swamps around us and, in the distance, a river.
Bran landed back on the ground and told us what he had seen. We spent the rest of the morning waiting for the return of the blue (orange) Servitor Animata.
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