TITANSFACE

A Titansgrave/Fantasy AGE Campaign

[titansface]

A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO BONISSA: PANTHEON

Codex: The Pantheon of Bonissa

Religion in Bonissa is a tricky thing. Bonissa has a pantheon of gods, the primary ones corresponding to the four principal natural elements in their belief system, with lesser deities playing supporting roles in their mythology. However, Bonissa also prides itself on being a society of advanced scientific learning and understanding, even as it pertains to the Fade and arcane matters. Thus, if you ask the average Bonissan about their gods, you are likely to get a patient explanation that they are metaphors, convenient personifications of elemental forces that govern our lives, both physical and ethereal. The gods in this view are not literally real, but simply a helpful cognitive construct. The myths that surround them are parables that were cooked up by the primitive ancients and are now useful primarily as stories to teach children moral lessons.  Ask those same questions in certain quarters of Low Town or among the palace servants who pass dutifully unnoticed at the periphery of Bonissan court life, however, and you will get a much different answer. To these denizens, particularly those of gnomish or elvish blood, the gods are very real and very literally will intervene in mortal affairs from beyond the Veil. Much like many of the more primitive elvish tribes, they also believe that the myths are real history, that the gods at one time possessed the actual ability to pass freely across the Veil, and frequently would very literally walk among mortals in the material world. The strange thing is, insofar as I can tell, this view is shared by the Cult of the Shifting Sands, a very learned and respected, if also esoteric and clandestine, organization. Even stranger is that the Cult seems to enjoy status as Bonissa’s dominant religious institution despite the average citizen, and even many nobles and officials, knowing nearly nothing about its inner workings and beliefs.

-- From A Compendium of Beliefs and Superstitions in Greater Valkana, Fifth Edition, by Professor Ibid Genitivi of the Storm Coast Academy, Wanocce

Major Deities

Ōn, the God of Air, patron of knowledge, justice, and commerce; his avatar is a shaman; his animals are the great birds, principally the eagle; his common attributes are wands, scepters, scales, crosses, crown; Ōn is the king of the gods who led them to victory over the primal chaotic forces that existed before the birth of the universe and gifted chosen mortal species with sentience and the power to reason

Lurra, the Goddess of Earth, patron of the harvest and of the hunt; her avatar is a huntress; her animals are wolves, halla, bears, and other forest creatures; he common attributes include gems, fruit, bow and arrow, horns, sand, wood, plants; Lurra is the queen of the gods, in some versions of the myth Ōn’s wife and in some his twin sister, who taught mortals how to farm, hunt, and survive off the land

Vodda, the Goddess of Water, patron of lovers and of the arts; her avatar is a bard; her animals are fish and other sea creatures; her common attributes include cups, shells, pearls, lyre, palette, masks; Vodda is the princess of the gods, in some versions of myth the daughter of Ōn and Lurra and in some versions their younger sister, who taught mortals to feel emotion

Gar, the God of Fire, patron of war and of the forge; his avatar is a warrior; his animals are dragons, reptiles, and serpents; his common attributes include swords, blades, hammer, anvil, helmet; Gar is the prince of the gods, in some versions of myth the son of Ōn and Lurra and in some versions their younger brother, who taught mortals to forge weapons and tools and how to use them

Minor Deities

Nave, the Goddess of Death; her avatar is a spider; Nave is in some versions of myth the mother of Ōn and Lurra and in some versions their older sister, who saw the necessity that for mortal life to have meaning, they must be granted the ability to die. This act was seen as a betrayal by the other gods, and so Nave was cast down into the depths underground, which are considered her domain.

Yalan, the God of Lies; his avatar is a shadow; Yalan is in some versions of myth the twin brother of Ōn and in other versions is Ōn’s shadow come to life. Fearful that mortals would one die try to unite and make war against the gods in hopes of winning immortality, Yalan the Trickster taught mortals to lie, ensuring that chaos and discord would forever plague their lives. This act was also seen as a betrayal by the other gods, so Yalan was banished like Nave, this time confined into the shadows, never able to step foot in the light.

Argia, the God of Light; his avatar is a chevalier or paladin; his attribute is the sun; Argia is the first of two twin children of Ōn, in some versions of myth Lurra is his mother and in other versions he and his twin sister were born wholly from their father. Argia was the gift of light that Ōn placed in his domain, the sky, so mortals could have daylight by which to read and study, to congregate and organize into societies and establish laws, to nourish the ground so that Lurra’s food can grow and to provide the warmth needed to kindle Gar’s flames. Most versions of the myth contend that Argia was murdered by the trickster Yalan as revenge for his exile and out of jealousy that Argia’s light diminished his domain. 

Ametsa, the Goddess of Night; her avatar is a priestess or healer; her attribute is the moon; Ametsa is the second twin child of Ōn and twin sister of Argia. Argia was the gift of night that Ōn placed in his domain, the sky, so that mortals would have the ability to dream and thus journey through the Fade, the realm of the gods and the source of magic. As such, Ametsa is often a favored patron of mages in Bonissa. Additionally, in the myth of Argia’s death, rather than allow her brother’s soul to pass into the realm of Nave, she allows his soul in her domain, the night sky, until it is strong enough to be resurrected. This was said by the ancients to be why the sun disappears every night but then returns in the morning. To hide Argia’s light from Nave’s detection, Ametsa fills her night sky with other lights, the stars, allowing her brother to blend in. This association with the myth of Argia’s death and rebirth has also caused Ametsa to be cast in the role of psychopomp, the shepherd of souls passing through the Veil, and thus makes her particularly favored as a patron for Bonissa’s necromancers.

[titansface]

A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO BONISSA: TRAVELOGUE (II)

Codex: Walk Without Rhythm - Quest Log

<< Back to Day One

Day Two

Early in the morning, after many of your party have only received half a night’s rest at best, the sound of a loud air horn repeatedly blaring carries through Ilse’s suite, waking you. Upon investigation, you find that Garek has arrived to visit his cousin with a large entourage in tow. The source of the air horn noise is actually the data pad carried by the gnome Ziza, Garek’s personal valet-concierge-hype man. Ilse and Garek go into an adjoining room to speak privately while Ceru, who only just returned from her revelries at the Brass Cog and has not yet been to bed, negotiates with Ziza to re-establish peace and quiet. The other members of the party attmept to eavesdrop on Garek and Ilse’s conversation, determining that the topic of conversation is Alric’s behavior at the previous night’s dinner, during which he spoke out against the Rockfort Foundries deal and besmirched the Order of the Serpent, among other things. Garek warns Ilse that a report has been prepared for Queen Irulan and suggests that she may want to intercede with the Queen on Alric’s behalf, as she usually does.

After Garek and his entourage depart, the party decides to return to Low Town to further investigate the mysterious warehouse that Hunter and Amai discovered. Ceru stays behind at the palace to catch up on her sleep. While the rest of the party makes their way to Low Town, they notice number of signs indicating that most of the major streets, including the main highway connecting Low Town to High Town, are going to be closed this evening for the Night of the Air parade that kicks off the opening ceremonies of Ankommenstag. As a result, it appears that travel of any significant distance within the city will be slow and difficult tonight while the parade is in progress, particularly moving back and forth between Low Town and High Town.

Side Quest: Toil & Trouble 

Back at the warehouse, the party finds the warehouse seemingly empty with both front and rear doors once again locked. The lock on the back door appears damaged and therefore unpickable, and Krazztar detects an alarm ward placed on the front door. Without another clear way inside, he dispels the ward, and Faendal is able to pick the lock. They don’t find much out of the ordinary on the main floor other than an envelope left conspicuously at the front desk of the defunct warehouse’s former reception area. The envelope has a wax seal bearing the same vortex sigil that Hunter and Amai had seen last night. 

They also find a doorway that leads to a stairwell descending into a basement. Krazztar detects another ward placed on something downstairs and dispels it without learning exactly what it was protecting. Down in the basement, the party finds a large obsidian altar shaped like a giant anvil. Surrounding it are a circle of 24 dressmaker’s mannequins, each adorned by a ceremonial robe. Off to the side of the room is a chest containing a variety of ceremonial or ritualistic props, most of which appear to be in sets of four, including four candles, four ceremonial daggers, four chalices, four golden disks bearing the vortex sigil, and four wands. They also find a box that contains four syringes, four vials of spice melange, and four vials of a distillation solution. The party decides to put everything back as they found it and then return upstairs.

The party then tries to come up with some way to open the sealed envelope without damaging the envelope. During their deliberations, however, they hear a noise outside the front door like keys jingling. They rush to hide, but the door does not open, and they surmise that whoever was planning to enter heard someone inside and decided to turn around. The party decides to take the envelope with them and quickly leave the warehouse. On their way out, however, they spot at a distance a shadowy figure retreating from the front side of the warehouse. Frank tries to detect the blood mark she placed on the wigs from the hidden room the party had found on the previous day and senses only the faintest trace, as if the figure had only a single strand of hair from one of the marked wigs clinging to its clothes.

The party returns to the palace and opens the envelope, discovering it to be in the same code as they had seen the previous day. Having watched Alric decipher the previous note, Rethkka is able to decode this one, discovering it to be a note from Soror Ignem to someone identified only as “High Priest”. The letter reports that the cleaning and preparations were complete, including the delivery of the “payload”. She goes on to say that she will not be present right when guests begin to arrive but should be able to join before the ceremony begins, and further states that Nachash, who is arranging for security, will likely stop by the warehouse during the day to survey it.

The party asks Nettle if she knows anything about the vortex sigil that keeps turning up, and she easily identifies it as the symbol of the Cult of the Shifting Sands. The party decides to visit the Temple of the Shifting Sands in the Temple District of High Town. They ask Ilse to arrange a visit on short notice. Ilse reaches out to Eoghan, who is the cult’s liaison to the palace, and she agrees to give the party a tour of the temple that afternoon since she is already there. They also attempt to ask around to see if anyone at the palace knows who Nachash is, but no one has ever heard that name except for one of Garek’s maids, who says she overheard him and Eoghan mentioning that name, though she doesn’t know to whom it belongs.

The party arrives at the temple and is greeted by Eoghan. She walks them through the two public areas of the temple, the Courtyard of Earth, which is flanked by the temple’s public library and archives, and the Cathedral of Fire. She explains the relation between these areas and the Bonissan pantheon while also answering the party’s questions about the cult, its membership, and its standing in Bonissan society. She also takes them to a third area where normally non-members would not be permitted, the Promenade of Water, which contains a large reflecting pool and is flanked by private offices of the cult. While walking along the promenade around the pool, Faendal looks through the windows into the offices and sees the shadowy figure from the warehouse looking back at him. 

Eoghan then explains that there is one more area of the temple, but she cannot allow non-members to go there. She does however encourage the party to stop in the library on the way out, since it contains many books on arcane lore that cannot be found anywhere else.

(to be continued)

Coming Up

Tonight is the opening night ceremonies of Ankommenstag. There will be several celebrations throughout the city, including the Prancing Pierogi in Low Town and the Obsidian Wyvern in High Town. There will also be a parade from the Low Town Market to the Royal Palace in High Town, which will make travel within the city difficult.

Also tonight, there will be a secret event held in the mysterious warehouse in Low Town’s Harborside District. It appears that members of the Cult of the Shifting Sand are planning some sort of ritual.

You have a standing invitation from the Order of the Wolf to return to Low Town and interrogate the dwarf brigands who attacked you in the market.

Wirik, a dwarf engineer from the Ministry of Abundance, has offered to give your party a tour behind the scenes of the palace security system.

Later this week there will be other events, including a combat tournament and a grand ball at the royal palace. These may be opportunities to gain influence and prestige.

[titansface]

BONISSA BONUS: Q-BRANCH

Codex: Aurun’s Bag of Tricks

Aurun revealed to you that he has brought along several magical items from the Storm Coast Academy archives that may help you with your quest -- as long as you don’t mind that they may have been procured by less-than-legitimate means.

Fade Pocket A black velvet cloth about one foot on each side, when laid right side up, it becomes a magical portal into a pocket dimension that can hold an object of 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 yd maximum size. The cloth can then be folded up and transported as normal, and the object remains secure inside the pocket dimension until the cloth is unfolded again and the object retrieved.

Charm of Command A red polished stone charm carved into a relief of a king, when pressed to the skin of a sentient being, it allows its user to give a single short command, which the target must obey to the best of his or her ability. The charm fuses to the skin of its target for five minutes or until the command has been fully satisfied, at which point the charm crumbles to dust and the effect ends.

Hand of Fate A severed and dried monkey’s paw with three of its five fingers raised, the other two lower, a user who verbally invokes the “hand of fate” when attempting any difficult action will be guided to certain success by the hand’s power. The action attempted must be within the physical capability of the user. Automatically succeed a test roll, three uses

Door of Opportunity A rectangular stone pencil case with a crude drawing of a door carved into its lid, it contains a nub of green crayon that allows its user to draw a working door onto any surface that can be opened and closed once. The door has a maximum depth of one foot and opens onto whatever naturally lies on the other side of the surface. Four uses

Scent of Desire A small vial of perfume with a paper label marked with a simple hand drawn heart, when applied to the skin, it makes its wearer more alluring to  +5 to communication (seduction) tests, each use lasts for 4 hours or until the perfume is washed off, 10 uses

Mask of Pedrolina A short cylindrical tub of white clay with crude drawing of a mask carved into its lid, when applied to a user’s face as a mask, it creates a glamor that aids the wearer in disguising oneself. The glamor is more effective when the wearer is attempting to pass as a type of person rather than a specific person. When attempting to pass as a specific person, the effect is less convincing to someone who knows the person well. +5 to communication (disguise) tests, each use lasts for 1 hour or until the mask is removed, 5 uses

Psychic Ink A small vial of ink with a paper label marked with a simple drawing of a brain, when used to write a word or phrase upon a piece of paper, the paper will be perceived as the actual thing described by the word or phrase -- or at least that person’s best idea as to what it would look like -- by anyone who reads it. The effect is not able to confer upon the reader any knowledge that he or she does not already possess.  Four uses

Scrying Stone A pink marble sphere allows its user to view a single scene of up to 1 minute in duration once per day. The user can choose to either a single known person, known object, or known location as the focus of the scrying. Aurun cautions that only people possessing a strong will should use it. One use per day, one minute duration, user must make a willpower(self-discipline) or willpower(faith) test after each use

[titansface]

A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO BONISSA: TRAVELOGUE (I)

Codex: Walk Without Rhythm - Quest Log

Day One

You travel overnight on a military boat and arrive in the early morning, docking in Bonissa's Low Town. 

You are taken to the Royal Palace, where you establish yourselves as Ilse's personal guests staying in her private quarters. She introduces you to her personal servants, Cordelia, Nettle, and Garlen, as well as her pet drake Muad'dib.

Protector Erskine, an officer of the palace guard, searches your personal belongings but does not find anything objectionable. Your party however finds Erskine's manner very objectionable.

Aurun, who accompanied you to Bonissa from Wanocce, reveals that he has brought along several magical items that he believes may be helpful to you in your quest, as long as you do not mind that he stole them from his job at the Storm Coast Academy's archives.

Low Town

Nettle accompanies the party back to Low Town as a guide. At the Prancing Pierogi tavern, your party start an impromptu eating competition that pits Cupcakes against several competitors. Your party is able to make a fair amount of coin wagering on the competition. In the process you also incur the favor of the tavern's proprietor, who appreciated the entertainment you provided and invited you to return the following night as guests of honor during the Ankommenstag opening ceremonies. You also establish contact with a gnome engineer named Kowalski, who is in fact a relative of the Kowalskis you know in Nestora. He may be of use should you need anything exploded.

While in Low Town you stop by the Low Town Market and browse the various goods on sale from the street vendors and storefronts. In conversation with Nettle, Rethkka learns that the type of mana-powered blaster weapon she has been looking for may be available at the palace from the Order of the Serpent's armory.

A quintet of dwarf brigands ambush the party in the market. An elf rogue who had been observing the party from afar also comes to their aid and helps them defeat the brigands, who turn out to be not much of a challenge. At the same time, the party notices another shadowy figure observing them from an alley across the market.

City guards from the Order of the Wolf appear and round up the three brigands who survived the battle. Nettle is able to produce credentials storm the palace that spare the party from any scrutiny for their part in the combat. The elf rogue who aided the party gives her name as Melohari and says that she works for an organization that makes it their business to keep tabs on persons of interest in the city. She also says that her organization frequently is contracted for work by House Dracaedis and that she will be a guest at thebes's palace tonight.

The party then investigates the alley where the shadowy figure was observing them and find an ornate key lying on the ground as well as hidden maintenance hatch leading into the sewers. While exploring the sewers, searching for traces of the shadowy figure, the party splits. One half of the party finds another maintenance hatch that has been wired with traps. The other half of the party finds a giant albino alligator, who turns out to be sentient and able to communicate psychically, and whom you are able to appease with an offering of tribute in the form of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Upon disarming the traps on the maintenance hatch and picking the lock, the party is able to access a small, sparsely furnished room that appears to be some sort of dormitory room or perhaps prison cell, except there is no readily apparent way out of the room. Exploring the room, you find a footlocker filled with wigs, theatrical makeup and prosthetics, and a nondescript pauper’s robe. There is a wardrobe in the room that is empty save for some high quality clothes hangers whose quality and apparent cost seem incongruous with the rest of the room. Additionally, a vent is found to hold two hidden items, a small ornate snuff box filled with spice melange and and equally ornate scroll case containing a scroll written in code, which the party cannot decipher.

The party finds a hidden door leading out of the room and is able to trigger it, discovering that it leads into what appears to be a storage room or armory for the Order of the Wolf. Footsteps and voices coming from the floor above seem to indicate that this room is situated under an active guard station. The party decides to leave the way you came in, through the sewer.

Royal Palace

Back at the Royal Palace, your party washes the stench of the sewers off yourselves and prepares for dinner with the royal family. You find that Ilse has a visitor in her quarters before dinner, her half-brother Alric.

The party heads downstairs to the Lesser Dining Room, where nearly a hundred people are sitting in the antechamber socializing before dinner begins. Ilse begins circulating around the room while the party are left to observe the guests and approach any persons of interest. The prevailing sentiment of the guests seems overwhelmingly favorable towards House Dracaedis. There are several expressions of disdain and distrust for the city-state of Tolan and its citizens.

Amai sees Melohari, who appears to be a part of a group of four women. She asks Ilse about her, and Ilse explains that Melohari’s organization is one of several in the city that are employed by nobles to spy on each other and perform other clandestine work in hopes of gaining advantage over political and business rivals.

Ceru strikes up a conversation with a dwarf engineer named Wirik who works for the Ministry of Abundance’s R&D Division. He reveals that he helped design the palace’s defense system and is working in the palace during the Ankommenstag Festival to personally make sure that it is functioning properly during this important week. Ceru invites him back to Ilse’s quarters to introduce him to Rabbit, and he is suitably impressed by the technology in play. He offers an invitation to tour the palace security system behind the scenes. 

Rethkka finds Alric at a table playing a complex game with a group of friends, which he says is called Owlbears and Oubliettes. She asks him if there are any representatives of the Cult of the Shifting Sands among the guests, and he points out High Priest Eoghan, a human woman who is part of the large entourage that has gathered around his cousins Garek and Bertok.

Amai notices a very striking qunari woman enter the room and speaks with her. The woman is very beautiful but has extensive scarring around her mouth. She says that she left the Qunari because she disagreed with some aspects of their philosophy and felt her talents would be better utilized if she set out on her own to see the world and seek her fortunes. It is ultimately revealed that she is Birener, the emissary from Rockfort Foundries. When she later tells her grandfather, Maraas, about the encounter, he says that the Qunari would often be distrustful of mages and would sew the mouths shut of mages who were found to be practicing forbidden kinds of magic.

Queen Irulan then appears and invites the guests into the dining room proper to eat. The party splits up at different tables to better observe and engage the guests.

Rethkka sits with Alric and shows him the coded scroll that they found in the hidden room in the sewers. He is able to decode it and reveals that it is a list of the party’s names and physical descriptions.

Krazztar sits at a table directly next to that of the royal family so that he can eavesdrop on their conversations. He hears them discussing the upcoming tournament as well as plans to celebrate the opening ceremonies of Ankommenstag at a club called the Obsidian Wyvern in High Town tomorrow night.

Krazztar also speaks with a young mage at his table named Tamlaros, who is a junior secretary of the ambassador from the city-state of Anjiksa, who is negotiating the renewal of trade agreements with Bonissa in advance of Ankommenstag. Because their work is mostly done, Tamlaros, who is also an arcane scholar, plans to spend most of his time exploring the libraries in Bonissa, particularly the palace library and the library at the Temple of the Shifting Sands. He says he has heard those two buildings also have private collections with even rarer books of arcane lore, but that his requests to visit the private collections have so far been denied. 

Irulan circulates to each table, greeting her guests and having a brief conversation with each of them. Rethkka takes this opportunity to ask about the Cult of the Shifting Sands, and Irulan offers to arrange for the party to visit their temple.

As the evening winds down, Sovereign Lord Caedmon finally makes an appearance. Ceru and Krazztar join the queue to speak with Caedmon, greeting him as diplomats from Nestora and thanking him for his hospitality.

Ceru then joins Wirik and a group of his colleagues from the Ministry of Abundance, including his boss, Lord Minister Thesephi, who are socializing with Birener and Alric. The topic of conversation is spice harvesting and refinement, and it quickly takes on the wonky tenor of shop-talk. The group then decides to adjourn to a favorite local tavern, the Brass Cog. Birener declines the invitation but Ceru convinces Alric to tag along. Faendal, Krazztar, and Nettle follow behind stealthily in case any danger arises.

Late Night

Meanwhile, Hunter notices a small paper note has been passed to him, suggesting that he investigate an address in Low Town’s Harborside District. He recruits Amai to accompany him, and they borrow a motorcycle from the palace motor pool.

At the Brass Cog, the contingent from the Ministry of Abundance get VIP treatment and drink with abandon late into the night. Faendal and Krazztar notice that Nettle is displaying surprising acumen at stealthily following and observing the party, and she explains that Ilse has been teaching her certain skills to help her effectively spy on palace staff and visitors, low-level espionage apparently being a favored pastime in Bonissa. Ceru proposes to the party to play the rocket dog game with Cupcakes, and the assembled drunken nerds immediately begin engineering a ramp with altogether too much fervor and zeal. Alric beats a hasty retreat, as do Faendal, Krazztar, and Nettle.

Back in Low Town, Hunter and Amai arrive at the address, which is a seemingly abandoned warehouse. They attempt to pick a lock but cannot, so instead they ring the buzzer at the loading dock entrance. A pair of surprised humans answer, both dressed in clothes more suited to High Town than a derelict building in the Harborside District. Hunter and Amai say that their motorcycle ran out of fuel and ask if they have any. The pair, who introduce themselves as Soror Ignem and Frater Lucem, let them in to grab a can of fuel from inside, though they appear anxious to get the strangers out of the warehouse as soon as possible. While Amai retrieves the fuel, Hunter asks to use the restroom. The warehouse is immaculately clean and the bathroom is stocked with fine soaps, towels, and other amenities that would befit nobles more than longshoremen or warehouse workers. With some tactful investigation, Ignem and Lucem reveal that they are preparing the building for an event on the following evening. Sensing that the pair’s patience is wearing thin, Amai and Hunter decide to leave.

Later, as the sun rises over the Brass Cog, after several hours of trial runs, careful measurement of trajectories and velocity, diligent note taking, and iterative revisioning of the ramp design, the Rocket Dog sails gloriously through the air, silhouetted against the rising sun for one perfect moment, an unmitigated triumph for the scientific method.

Coming Up

Tomorrow night is the opening night ceremonies of Ankommenstag. There will be several celebrations throughout the city, including the Prancing Pierogi in Low Town and the Obsidian Wyvern in High Town. 

Also tomorrow night, there will be some sort of secret event held in the mysterious warehouse in Low Town’s Harborside District.

You have a standing invitation from the Order of the Wolf to return to Low Town and interrogate the dwarf brigands who attacked you in the market.

Queen Irulan has offered to meet with you to assist in arranging for your party to visit the Temple of the Shifting Sands.

Wirik, a dwarf engineer from the Ministry of Abundance, has offered to give your party a tour behind the scenes of the palace security system.

Later this week there will be other events, including a combat tournament and a grand ball at the royal palace. These may be opportunities to gain influence and prestige.

Continue to Day Two >>

[titansface]

A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO BONISSA: INSTITUTIONS

Notable Locations

High Town Half of Bonissa is nestled in the mountains that overlook Bonissa Harbor. High Town is home to the nobility, high ranking government officials, and most affluent citizens.

ROYAL PALACE - north most and topograpically highest point in Bonissa, seat of government and home of the royal family

PALACE SQUARE - large public square in front of the Royal Palace, flanked by twelve massive clockwork statues, surrounded by Citizens' Hall, Hall of Justice, Exhibition Hall, and the Bank of Bonissa

HIGH TOWN MARKET - heart of High Town, bustling district of merchants, taverns, tradespeople, entertainment halls, and social clubs

COLISEUM - major public entertainment venue, hosts tournaments, sporting events, music and theatrical performances

new> CLOCKWORK DISTRICT - hub of science and technology in Bonissa, home to the Ministry of Abundance, numerous laboratories, research facilities, and institutes of scientific learning

new> THE BRASS COG - a popular tavern in the Clockwork District, featuring potent, alchemically-enhanced beverages and clockwork-driven, Rube Goldberg-ian mechanisms

new> THE OBSIDIAN WYVERN - a very exclusive social club in the High Town Market

new> TEMPLE DISTRICT - religious and educational hub in Bonissa, home to the Temple of the Shifting Sands, the University of Bonissa, the Royal Museum, and the Library of Bonissa.

new> TEMPLE OF THE SHIFTING SANDS - the crown jewel of the Temple District, headquarters of the Cult of the Shifting Sands Low Town The other half of Bonissa sits at the foot of the mountains directly surrounding Bonissa harbor. Low Town is home to blue collar workers and other citizens of modest means

LOW TOWN MARKET - bustling heart of Lowtown brimming with merchants, taverns, and entertainment; popular with foreign visitors and the only part of Low Town that High Town residents deem worth visiting

THE PRANCING PIEROGI - a popular tavern in the Low Town Market

HARBORSIDE DISTRICT - docks and adjacent area on the northern edge of the city with a high concentration of factories, warehouses, canneries, and foundries

new> MYSTERIOUS WAREHOUSE - an ostensibly abandoned warehouse in the Harborside District that appears to be used by members of the Cult of the Shifting Sands for some secret ritual

Notable Organizations

CULT OF THE SHIFTING SANDS - An enigmatic but influential blood magic cult, it has been an institution in Bonissan culture for centuries. It is widely known that the cult advises the Sovereign Lord on the production of spice melange, although most ordinary citizens know little of its beliefs, practices, or the exact nature of its connection to the spice.

ORDER OF THE DRAGON - Fourth and largest of Bonissa’s four military orders. This order is responsible for defending Bonissa against foreign aggression as well as protecting Bonissa’s mining and trade interests beyond the borders of the city-state.

ORDER OF THE WOLF - Third of Bonissa’s four military orders. This order is responsible for policing the citizens of Bonissa and mediating disputes within the city’s borders. It serves all functions that would normally be shared between a city’s guards and its judiciary, including investigation, arresting, prosecuting, passing judgment, and sentencing.

ORDER OF THE SERPENT - Second of Bonissa's four military orders.  This order is responsible for investigating high crimes against the state including treason, espionage, sedition, and misappropriation of state funds. It is also responsible for palace defense, protection of the royal family, and spying on the two lesser orders on behalf of the throne.

ORDER OF THE WORM - First and most elite of Bonissa’s four military orders. This order serves as the personal bodyguards and shock troopers of the Lord Sovereign. They also spy on the Order of the Serpent on behalf of the throne.

new> MINISTRY OF ABUNDANCE - One of the civilian ministries that comprises the Bonissan government, it is responsible for overseeing the mining and refinement of Bonissa’s natural resources as well as agriculture, environmental sciences, scientific research and development, engineering, and computer technology.

[titansface]

A VISITOR’S GUIDE TO BONISSA: THE FESTIVAL OF ANKOMMENSTAG

Codex: Ankommenstag

Ankommenstag is the most important feast day in Bonissa. It commemorates the arrival of settlers to this island and the founding of the City-State of Bonissa. Considered the start of a new year in the Bonissan calendar, the day of Ankommenstag is traditionally a day of ceremony and pomp when major trade agreements and other important compacts are renewed and new agreements are executed. The days leading up to Ankommenstag however are meant for celebration, and the streets and taverns of Bonissa are flooded with revelers and visitors. These days of celebration, collectively referred to as the Festival of Ankommenstag, begin a week before the feast day as countless independent events, large and small, are held across the city. The few days immediately preceding Ankommenstag have special significance during which official events are held to correspond to the story of Bonissa’s founding.

The Night of Air (3 nights before Ankommenstag) Opening night ceremonies begin at sundown. A grand parade marches from the Low Town Market Square to the Palace Square in High Town. Twin celebrations are held in each of the two squares, and many taverns and social clubs in both the Low Town and High Town markets will host their own parties that frequently extend into the next morning. The Night of Air commemorates the divine revelation to Bonissa’s founders of the need to prepare to leave their old homeland.

The Day of Fire (2 days before Ankommenstag) The Grand Tournament is held at the High Town Coliseum. Residents who cannot afford to attend will gather in taverns across the city to watch the live broadcast feed. These viewings naturally feature wagering on the tournament matches and are also often accompanied by smaller competitions, performances, and exhibitions in the taverns between matches. At night, people gather on rooftops, balconies, and in open public spaces to watch a fireworks display over the Bonissa Harbor. The Day of Fire commemorates the great war that forced Bonissa’s founders to flee their ravaged homeland.

The Day of Water (1 day before Ankommenstag) A day of fasting is traditionally observed between sunrise and sunset on the day before Ankommenstag. Citizens will often spend the day in prayer, meditation, or study. For visitors, it is often viewed as a welcome respite from the preceding days of excess. While it is not required for visitors to fast, those who at least refrain from heavy meals or consuming alcohol will be viewed favorably by locals. The Day of Water commemorates the long and arduous sea journey endured by Bonissa’s founders as they searched for a new home to settle.

The Night of Earth (1 night before Ankommenstag) On the eve of Ankommenstag, the most powerful and influential citizens, as well as the most honored visitors, will attend the Grand Ball at the Royal Palace. For those not fortunate enough to rate an invitation, other formal dances are held at taverns and social clubs across the city. Where you spend the Night of Earth is viewed as a definitive indicator of your standing in Bonissan society. The Night of Earth commemorates Bonissa’s founders landing on the island that would become their home.

Ankommenstag The Day of Arrival is generally viewed as a somber and ceremonial day. Aside from ministerial ceremonies at the Royal Palace, nearly all businesses are closed and citizens generally spend the day at home with family preparing the large multi-course meals that are customary for Ankommenstag dinner. Ankommenstag commemorates the settling of the island and founding of Bonissa.

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A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO BONISSA: QUEST BRIEFING

Codex: Walk Without Rhythm

Sovereign Lord Caedmon is planning to enter into an agreement with a foreign company called Rockfort Foundries to sell off a substantial portion of Bonissa's spice melange reserves. The deal, which will be finalized on the upcoming feast day of Ankommenstag, is being brokered by an influential blood magic cult called the Cult of the Shifting Sands. Ilse opposes the deal because she feels it is too risky and could be disastrous if spice production were to drop. She has also learned that Rockfort Foundries is in league with your arch enemies, the Children of Chaos, which does not bode well for what they intend to do with the spice.

Objectives:

Stop the sale of spice melange to Rockfort Foundries.

Investigate Ilse's suspicions that other members of the royal family have been coerced into supporting the sale, either through blackmail, magic, or some other means.

Investigate the connections between Rockfort Foundries, the Cult of the Shifting Sands, and the Children of Chaos.

Gain influence and prestige among Bonissan society to aid in your goals.

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A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO BONISSA: CHARACTERS

Codex: House Dracaedis

The current ruling dynasty of Bonissa has endured for centuries, pre-dating even the beginning of the Chaos Wars. Power is passed from the Sovereign Lord to a chosen heir, always a member of the royal family and nearly always a blood relative. In determining succession, a prospective heir’s merit and fitness for leadership can often weigh against birth order and proximity of relation. As a result, potential heirs in each generation develop zealous and often bloody rivalries as they compete to curry favor and demonstrate their guile.

Below is a running list of key non-player characters your party has encountered or heard about.

The Royal Family

CAEDMON, Sovereign Lord of Bonissa, a human male who spends most of his time inside a mechanical suit of power armor with sophisticated life support systems

IRULAN, Queen of Bonissa, Caedmon's wife, elf female

GAREK, Caedmon's son and heir apparent, human male rogue (duelist) whom your party met as a tournament combatant in KARROS

BERTOK, Garek's brother, human male warrior, also a tournament combatant in KARROS

ILSE, Caedmon's niece and adopted ward, human female warrior whom you met and befriended in KARROS, your main ally and benefactor in Bonissa 

ALRIC, Ilse's half-brother, human male mage, fourth of the quartet you met competing in the tournament in KARROS

Ilse's Staff & Confidants

CORDELIA, middle-aged elf woman, Ilse's senior handmaid

NETTLE, young elf female, Ilse's junior handmaiden

GARLEN, middle-aged elf man, Ilse's footman

MUAD’DIB, Maude for short, female drake, Ilse's animal companion

Other Palace Staff

PROTECTOR ERSKINE, Bonissan noble, human male rogue, high-ranking officer in the ORDER OF THE SERPENT, responsible for palace security

new> ZIZA, a gnome male, personal valet-concierge-hype man to Garek

Other Palace Visitors

BIRENER, Qunari female mage, emissary from ROCKFORT FOUNDRIES, staying as a personal guest of Garek

TAMLAROS, human male mage, junior secretary to the Ambassador from the City-State of ANJIKSA and also an arcane scholar

High Town Residents & Visitors 

EOGHAN, human female mage, a High Priest of the Cult of the Shifting Sands, personal friend of Garek

MELOHARI, an elf female rogue, member of an organization hired by the royal family and other nobles to perform services requiring a very particular set of skills

WIRIK, a dwarf male engineer, normally works for the MINISTRY OF ABUNDANCE, a civilian government department, but is consulting with the ORDER OF THE SERPENT during ANKOMMENSTAG due to his familiarity with the palace’s defense systems, which he helped design

new> LORD MINISTER THESEPHI, a human female noble, head of the MINISTRY OF ABUNDANCE, and a member of the Sovereign Lord’s cabinet, she seems to have a keen interest in Alric

new> LORD MINISTER VALAINE, a human female noble, head of the MINISTRY OF TRUTH, and a member of the Sovereign Lord’s cabinet, has sought Ilse’s, and by extension the party’s, assistance in investigating her missing daughter, ANEMONA

new> CRINA, a human female noble, Lord Minister Valaine’s younger daughter, who sent the party an anonymous note directing them to investigate the mysterious warehouse in Low Town in hopes that they would be able to save her sister, ANEMONA, whom she believed to be in danger

new> CRINA, a human female noble, Lord Minister Valaine’s older daughter, who went missing during the Night of Air celebrations of Ankommentag

new> SOROR IGNEM, human female mage, ostensibly a resident of High Town, but found in a seemingly-abonded Low Town warehouse late at night

new> FRATER LUCEM, human male mage, another apparent High Town resident found with Soror Ignem in the Low Town warehouse, making preparations for an event of some kind

new> NACHASH, a shadowy figure who has been observing our party’s movements in Bonissa and has been hinted to be a sort of enforcer for the Cult of Shifting Sands

Low Town Residents & Visitors

LEV ZELENSKI, Bonissan citizen, human male innkeeper, proprietor of THE PRANCING PIEROGI tavern, has invited your party to be guests of honor at the Ankommenstag opening night celebration

KOWALSKI (3), gnome male rogue, engineer and demolitions enthusiast, champion competitive eater, vagabond and urban forager, currently staying at THE PRANCING PIEROGI (but they don't know that), cousin to the two Kowalskis you know in NESTORA

new> DONULIR, dwarf male warrior, member of the ORDER OF THE WOLF and boyfriend of Ilse’s servant, CORDELIA

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A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO BONISSA

Codex: The City-State of Bonissa

Located on an island in The Mezzor at the far southeastern corner of Valkana, the City-State of Bonissa is one of the enigmatic locations in Valkana. Rich in natural resources, it is an affluent city-state despite its relatively small size and remote location. The Bonissan culture celebrates that affluence as well as the scientific, technological, and military superiority it has helped achieve. Under the rule of the Sovereign Lord, the Bonissan government owns and operates all mining operations on the island, maintaining a stranglehold on they city-state’s wealth. In exchange for sharing in the fruits of this prosperity, the Sovereign Lord imposes on citizens a strict code of living and demands absolute allegiance. While Bonissa is happy to trade with other city-states, its aggression and zeal in bringing military might to bear to defend and expand its business interests have earned it a reputation as a bully among its neighbors, particularly its rival city-state of Tolan.

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Heart Full of Napalm

Quest Summary February 5, 2016 Campaign Days 39-40

Participants: Amai, Ceru, Faendal, Frank, Hunter, Krazztar

DAY 39

Location: Performers’ Camp, Festival Grounds, Karros

While the others are inside KARROS paying their respects to CHESTER, CERU and ISAAC are back at the camp to watch PRIM. They are in the security bus along with CUPCAKES and RABBIT. Isaac is checking the surveillance drone video feeds on his datapad when suddenly is expression grows grave, and he instructs Ceru, “Take Prim and run!”

They hear the sound of drones flying through the air, swooping towards them as CERU tries to hide PRIM in one of the secret compartments in the bus. However, the bus is suddenly rocked by two grenades hitting the side, blowing it open and sending shrapnel flying. ISAAC takes the brunt of the damage, being closest to the biast, but Ceru, PRIM, and CUPCAKES are also hit. Luckily Prim’s wound seems to be superficial, but Ceru also sees that a piece of shrapnel tore through the compartment where she was about to put the baby, revealing it to be poor protection from the bombing.

ISAAC mobilizes his drones to mount a defense and once again entreats CERU to flee to safety with PRIM, which she does, leaving RABBIT behind to help Isaac. As she runs from the bus, she sees a variety of drones advancing upon their camp and opening fire. Isaac’s drones shoot back, providing cover for Ceru to get herself, Cupcakes, and the baby to safety. Unfortunately, several members of the band’s crew who are also trying to flee from the camp get caught in the crossfire. Overhead, Ceru recognizes DAVID and GEORGE’s DARK ACADEMY drones, SKEETER and STINKER circling around for another bombing run.

RABBIT tries to stand firm and help ISAAC defend the camp, but CERU is focused on getting PRIM as far from the camp as possible and therefore is unable to pilot the drone. Without Ceru’s piloting, Rabbit proves unable to contend with STINKER. Meanwhile, ZENDRIEL emerges on the scene, easily overwhelming Isaac’s drones with his magical attack. Isaac tells Rabbit to run, saying that Ceru needs her. Rabbit is worried however that Zendriel might follow her if she does and through her find Ceru and Prim. Isaac makes a last ditch effort to slow down Zendriel, sending his strongest drone, the Iron Raven, to face him. The drone is no match for the mage, but at least keeps him distracted long enough for Rabbit to get away. Isaac makes a last desperate plea for Rabbit to run, and she does.

CERU meanwhile is running as fast as she can for AURELIUS’s camp. After ten minutes of frantic sprinting, she finally sees Aurelius’s ATV speeding down the road towards her with Aurelius, KOWALSKI, GERTRUDE, and GUNTHER inside. The vehicle stop, and Aurelius explained that ISAAC just radioed them for help. Gunther gives up his seat on the vehicle to Ceru and offers to take the baby and CUPCAKES on to their camp while Ceru accompanies the others back to help Isaac.

As the ATV approaches the band’s camp, however, they see a large explosion. When they finally arrive, they see the camp in shambles, the ground littered with dozens of destroyed drones along with a handful of dead and wounded crew members. The security bus has been reduced to rubble, as has the front half of the “Funvee” bus where most of our heroes have been sleeping, and several of the other buses are riddled with blaster holes.

CERU and the others frantically search the rubble for ISAAC, and KOWALSKI eventually finds him. AURELIUS moves to try to revive and heal him with her magic, while Kowalski entreats Ceru to stay back and give her space to work. The gnome mage is finally able to revive Isaac, but still suffering from grave wounds, he immediately begins screaming and writhing in agony. Aurelius yells for Kowalski to help subdue him so she can continue healing him. Ceru also comes over and gets a closer look at Isaac’s injuries. Aside from a handful of blaster and shrapnel wounds, his left arm has been blown completely off and his left leg is so badly torn to shreds that it seems unlikely that it can be saved. Most troubling however, are three large shards that have been embedded in his chest, which appear to be fragments of a HEARTSTONE.

At this point, AMAI, FAENDAL, FRANK, HUNTER, KRAZZTAR, and LUCY return from KARROS with the band. They survey the damage and help sift through the wreckage for survivors. HUNTER arranges for our heroes to move into AURELIUS’s camp while he takes the band, their manager, and what’s left of the crew, and set them up at a hotel inside Karros. He further arranges for his fellow members of the ORDER OF FORLORN HOPE to provide security for the band while inside the city.

Meanwhile AURELIUS manages to stabilize ISAAC enough to move him to the Festival’s main medical clinic with CERU’s help. Exhausted from her efforts to keep Isaac alive, she is relieved to turn his care over to the healers at the clinic. Ceru is relieved to hear the healers confirm that it seems like Isaac is going to survive, even if his leg does need to be amputed. They are troubled that the Heartstone fragments seem to have fused with his skin, muscle, and nerves, and cannot be removed. As if to further reassure her, Isaac manages to weakly whisper to Ceru, “Best... super-villain.. origin... ever.”

Meanwhile, is late in the night as our heroes finally settle into AURELIUS’s camp, and their new allies are eager to help them by sharing their stew and their ale. LUCY is relieved to recover PRIM and gives her a thorough but very clinical examination to asses any wounds or abnormalities. A little put off by the elf’s lack of warmth or nurturing, AMAI takes the baby from her. Shaken by this ordeal, Amai begins thinking of some way to protect Prim in the event of future attacks, considering either the possibility of building her armor or a protective carrier, or of finding some way to hide her from magical detection by the CHILDREN OF CHAOS. She consults with the group, who suggest that the HEARTSTONES may be able to help with this task. They decide they’d like to learn more about the mysterious stones, including to see if they can use their power to augment their weapons or magical abilities. CERU, conferring with he group over their com-link, is also interested in finding out about what effects the fragments in ISAAC will have on him and suggests that they return to visit NIKOLAI BLACKSTONE again.

Day 40

Location: City of Karros

The next morning, HUNTER goes into the City of KARROS to check on BABY METAL. They are safe and are ready to accompany Hunter back to the FESTIVAL GROUNDS for a VIP meet and greet they have scheduled that day.

While HUNTER is in the city, FRANK has asked him to use his connections with the ORDER OF FORLORN HOPE and the GOLEMS to check the records of residents who have entered and exited the city. She is specifically interested in the whereabouts of her missing friend ELMIRA ALBATROSS. Hunter finds her records, and it doesn’t appear that she’s traveled much. The last time was a little more than a week before the group met Frank. Records show that Frank also left the city at the same time. There is no record of Elmira re-entering the city.

Location: Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

HUNTER returns with the band and fills FRANK in on what he found. CERU meanwhile has reviewed the images in RABBIT’s memory of the previous day’s fight and recognized several drones that she had seen at the Tech Workshop or in the drone competitions. Upon further study of the footage, she realizes that all or most of the drones appear to be remote-controlled, and therefore potentially susceptible to hacking.

Then CERU, AMAI, HUNTER, FRANK, and CUPCAKES go to the TECHNICIANS’ WORKSHOP to ask around about the drones that participated in the attack, only to find that the CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE are already there doing the same thing, albeit with a heavy-handedness that undermines the effectiveness of their questioning. Ceru cuts in and asks several of the TECHS how their drones came to be involved in the fight. They all insist that their drones got hacked and suddenly got up and left at some point the previous night. UBER MAN seems unconvinced by their story, but Ceru feels they are credible. Ceru then recruits the techs to pledge their remaining drones to help get retribution against the men who stole their drones. She then goes to speak to the VAPOR DANDIES to enlist their aid in helping to secure the drones against hacking, as none of their tech was compromised. 

HUNTER then goes to the tournament grounds and finds EMERIC of the VORAKIS delegation. He asks him about ZENDRIEL, but the elf hasn’t been seen since the attack last night. He then asks what he knows about the Orc combatants known as the GENTLEMEN. Emeric replies that the group’s members have entered every melee combat event and are continuing their tactics of dirty fighting and deliberately crippling opponents when they can. Emeric says that some of the combatants have complained to the TOURNAMENT COMMISSIONERS, but the Orcs have managed to keep their actions just shy of the line where the Commission would be compelled to take action, largely by avoiding fatalities.

HUNTER, AMAI, FAENDAL, FRANK, and KRAZZTAR then accompany BABY METAL to their meet and greet as security. CERU meanwhile goes back to the MEDICAL CLINIC to check on ISAAC. His leg has been amputated, but overall he is more stable than the previous night. He has developed a fever and other symptoms of an infection, which the healers believe may be tied to the shrapnel in his chest. Dark purplish-black tendrils are spreading outward from the fragments, spreading across his chest. ISAAC confirms their origins as the HEARTSTONE that was inside STINKER. He says that he destroyed the drone by ramming a grenade into it through a hole blown in its armored shell. Unfortonately, his arm got stuck and he was unable to remove it before the grenade detonated.

CERU then proceeds to interview a few members of the band’s crew who were also wounded in the attack and ended up in the MEDICAL CLINIC. A few of them did see ZENDRIEL and said that he threw a tantrum when he realized that PRIM had escaped from the camp during the fight. With his target gone, he abandoned the fight, telling SKEETER and STINKER that he needed to “get out of their before that witch comes back.”

CERU returns to AURELIUS’s camp and talks to LUCY, telling him about what ZENDRIEL was purported to have said. Lucy chuckles at it, sighs, and says that she probably should have mentioned this earlier, but she and Zendriel have a history.

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NPCs | Karros Festival Grounds - Groups

The Dirty 13

A group of fellow adventurers who travel throughout VALKANA, kicking in doors, looking for trouble, and looting the room. They generally tend to align themselves with the cause of good, but they aren’t afraid to bend the rules and venture into moral grey areas from time to time. Our heroes first encountered them on the road to Karros, where a misunderstanding over mistaken assumptions led the two teams into a brief combat. The groups reconciled however and forged an agreement to provide mutual aid when possible and necessary. Members: AURELIUS, a gnome healer mage (leader); RIVER JACK, an elf rogue assassin, and Aurelius’s wife; SEBASTIAN, a saurian sharpshooter; SPICY PETE, a stone golem with fire crystals; GERTRUDE, a dwarf rogue who runs the gun on the group’s ATV; GUNTHER, a dwarf rogue who drives the group’s ATV, and Gertrude’s husband; TK, an orc warrior; LANA & LARA, twin sisters and human cybernetic mounted warriors, skilled acrobats and stunt motorcycle drivers; LOLA, the twins’ younger sister, a human cyborg berserker with metal claws; CASSIUS, a gnome shadow mage; and KOWALSKI, a gnome grenadier and demolitions expert. Wait... is that 13?

The Champions of Justice

Garishly-costumed heroes who fight for truth, justice, and... probably some third thing, making lists isn’t really their thing. More like punching villains. In the face. For justice. Members: UBER MAN, human strongman (leader); AMAZONA, human barbarian warrior; EMERALD WIZARD, human mage with a magical lantern; SWIFT, really fast human rogue; FISHBOY, human body with the head of the fish, useful if you accidentally fall into the river, I guess; and THE GEARHEAD, human gadgeteer/engineer... where does he get those wonderful toys?

The Vapor Dandies

A team of drone pilots and engineers who dress in formal clothes of a bygone era, mostly in brown and copper hues and believe that their tech should be aesthetically striking as well as functional. To that end, they have designed their drones with exposed gears, extraneous pipes, inconveniently-placed gauges, and purely cosmetic levers and switches. They are the reigning champions in the drone combat competition, and this leads them to look down their noses -- usually through some kind of monocle or pince-nez or ornate pair of goggles -- at those they consider inferior intellectually, technically, and sartorially. Members: HERMOINE, dwarf; WINSTON, dwarf; RUPERT, saurian; NIGEL, gnome; and STEAM PUG, ace dirigible pilot and official mascot.

House Dracaedis

A delegation of nobles from the mineral-rich island city-state of BONISSA, which is notorious among the rest of VALKANA for its strange religious practices, gothic style of dress, nihilistic philosophical views, and apparently hedonistic morality. This family also has a generations-long feud with ULYSSES’s family, HOUSE DEDALUS from TOLAN. The current generation is more than happy to keep the rivalry alive, with House Dracaedis’s young scions positioned as formidable contenders in the paired-melee competition, for which is the prize is House Dedalus’s lost ANCESTRAL SHIELD. Members: GAREK, a duelist, heir to the throne; BERTOK, a berserker, Garek’s brother; ILSE, a reaver, their first cousin; and ALRIC, a necromancer, Ilse’s bastard half-brother.

The Gentlemen

A quartet of orc tournament combatants who fight dirty and seem to be out to cripple and maim as much of the competition as they can. Tellingly, they seem to have an ardent fan in ZENDRIEL, who takes great satisfaction in watching their exploits. Members: Voltaire, a sword mage (leader); Copernicus, a mage hunter; Hobbes, a berserker; and Ptolemy, an assassin.

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The Ballad of Bobby Metal

Quest Summary January 23, 29, 30, 2016 Campaign Days 38-39

Participants: Amai, Ceru, Faendal, Frank, Hunter, Krazztar, Rethkka

DAY 38

Location: Performers’ Camp, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

At daybreak, FAENDAL ends his shift on watch and climbs down from his crow’s nest on top of BABY METAL’s bus only to find that an envelope has been posted on the door of the bus at some point in the night, unseen by him. 

He sees that the envelope has bloody fingerprints on it and decides to bring it to CERU to have RABBIT examine it before opening. In the meantime, KRAZZTAR goes inside BABY METAL’s bus to check on the band, finding all three girls are safe.

RABBIT opens the envelope to find a bizarre letter inside. It is made of words and letters cut out of other printed materials and pasted onto the sheets of paper. There are bloody fingerprints on the pages that match those on the outside of the envelope. The content of the letter is an incoherent, stream-of-consciousness string of song lyric fragments. Our heroes recognize one of the songs that played in the background of a video found in the home of CHESTER, the band’s former technician-turned-stalker. They question whether it was a mistake to show him mercy and keep him alive after their last encounter.

They ask ISAAC to review the night’s footage from his surveillance drones, and they confirm their suspicions when they see CHESTER putting the envelope on the bus door while FAENDAL is looking away. His clothes are torn and tattered, his skin bruised and bleeding with several open wounds exposed and festering.

Our heroes warn the band’s manager and decide to stay close to the camp site that day to keep watch over the band until it is time for them to perform at the SOLSTICE FESTIVAL OPENING CEREMONIES.

Later that morning, a couple members of the FESTIVAL SECURITY force visit the camp and ask to speak to the head of security for the band. The guards seem out of their depth and ill-informed, needing to consult a clipboard for the name of the act and mis-reading it as BOBBY METAL. Their flimsy armor, cheap weapons, and apparent inexperience make them seem ineffectual against the many armed and skilled tournament competitors roaming the festival grounds.  The guards tell our heroes that a bomb was found in the camp of the delegation from the City-State of VORAKIS, hidden inside of crate of supplies. This lead the Festival Security to reach out to the other camps and warning them to look out for any suspicious parcels. Festival Management has also hired a team of specialists to investigate as the normal security is woefully ill-equipped to handle it. Our heroes mention that they may have information about the person behind the bombs, referencing CHESTER. The guards say that they’ll send the specialists to visit their camp and note CERU’s name on their clipboard as the head of security.

That afternoon, the team of specialists arrive. Calling themselves the CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE, they are professional crime solvers, clad in armor and robes in garish primary colors. They are UBER MAN, an upright guardian of nigh-supernatural strength and speed, AMAZONA, a statuesque warrior whose armor is strangely revealing in ways that seem to compromise its usefulness, EMERALD WIZARD, a mage in green robes who carries and arcane lantern, SWIFT, a rogue who boasts of his exceptional speed by putting little wings on his boots, FISHBOY, a member of PICO’s species of fish-headed men, and THE GEARHEAD, ISAAC’s arch-nemesis with his dusky cowl and utility belt of inexplicably gear-shaped gadgets.

Referring to the clipboard they have been given, UBER MAN asks to speak with head of security BOBBY METAL before AMAZONA corrects him by pointing out that’s the name of the performer. He then speaks with CERU to get the details about CHESTER and the CHILDREN OF CHAOS. THE GEARHEAD makes a copy of ISAAC’s surveillance footage. Ceru also asks if any of them have seen members of the DARK ACADEMY around the festival grounds, and Fishboy says that he saw a couple by the river yesterday using fish for target practice. Based on their descriptions, Ceru believes them to be DAVID and GEORGE, a pair of identical twins who she remembered from the Academy as being particularly sociopathic.

Location: Tournament Arena, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

Our heroes then proceed to the TOURNAMENT ARENA where the Opening Ceremonies will be held to scout the location. They distribute a still photo of CHESTER printed from the surveillance footage to the venue security. AMAI and FAENDAL also question the guards and workers about Chester, finding several people who saw him early that morning, shortly before dawn. All reference seeing him around the ENTERTAINMENT SECTION of the Festival Grounds walking from the outskirts of the grounds towards the Baby Metal camp and then back.

KRAZZTAR and AMAI then search the area around the stage where Baby Metal will perform and find another bomb hidden inside a crate of parts used to build the stage and lighting rigs. Our heroes alert the CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE, who come to investigate. After puzzling over its strange design, THE GEARHEAD should use one of his drones to take it past the outskirts of the Festival Grounds, defuse it, and take it apart. He does so while the heroes watch the drone’s surveillance feed on a data pad, and they realize that the bomb does not seem to have any triggering mechanism or radio receiver for remote detonation. It does however have a HEARTSTONE similar to the one found in RABBIT and the other DARK ACADEMY drones as well as NIKOLAI BLACKSTONE’s experimental weapons from the secret lab in NESTORA. 

CERU then has RABBIT analyze the crate that held the container to see if any of the fingerprints match those from CHESTER’s letter, which they do not. AMAI asks the workers who are building the stage about the crate where the bomb was found, and they explain that the crates were delivered that morning by truck. They further add that the delivery crew that offloaded the truck seemed more like tournament combatants than normal delivery men. THE GEARHEAD’s drone brings the HEARTSTONE back and gives it to FRANK, who casts a Blood Mark on it, Normally that spell would allow her to track the marked object by concentrating on it to divine its location; however, the Heartstone seems to amplify the spell’s effects to the point that Frank is continually aware of its presence and finds it hard to keep her mind from drifting back to it.

That evening, the OPENING CEREMONIES commence, and our heroes take their watch positions. The show proceeds without incident until right before BABY METAL is scheduled to go on. FRANK notices that one of the stage crew who is setting up the band’s equipment is just milling about, lurking in the wings of the stage, and not doing any actual work. The man is wearing a hooded jacket that obscures his face, but as she moves to confront him she sees that he is in fact the man she knows as CHESTER from the surveillance footage, although a part of his head, including his right eye, has been removed and replaced by another HEARTSTONE and circuitry that is wired into his partially-exposed brain. Frank alerts the others. Meanwhile, Chester appears to be muttering something under his breath. Thinking he may be casting a spell and hoping to stop him, CERU flies RABBIT into him, hoping to knock him off balance but failing. Chester’s voice grows louder and the others realize that the words he is saying are lyrics to Baby Metal songs in their original Elvish.

FRANK, AMAI, and KRAZZTAR subdue CHESTER and tie him up. As he feels pain, the HEARTSTONE set in his head glows, and Frank feels her bloodmark on the other Heartstone activate and temporarily overpower her senses. CERU infers from this that Chester is the trigger for the heartstone bombs, and that his dead or injury might result in their explosion. The others turn the unconscious Chester over to HUNTER to bring back to their camp. With the threat temporarily neutralized, the band is finally allowed to take the stage. 

Location: The Chaos Realm, aka the Dreamlands, aka the Fade

HUNTER and CERU take CHESTER back to LUCY. Lucy uses her magical abilities to psychically access Chester’s memories and is further able to establish a link with CERU so that she can ask questions. She first asks who sent him. Chester’s memories show them a dream that he had of DREAM CITY behind a locked gate. A cloaked and masked DEMON stands before the gate and tells Chester that the city on the other side of the gate contains all of his dreams and desires, but that he lost the key to the gate when he let “that witch” steal his memories. The Demon then produces a crystal ball that glows bright green and floats out of his hand. He tells Chester that the ball will lead him to the key. Lucy and Ceru then glimpse a series of visions of Chester traveling across VALKANA in the waking world, still following the floating green orb.

CERU next asks where the other bombs are hidden around the FESTIVAL GROUNDS. They see a montage of scenes of CHESTER arriving at the Festival stowed away on a supply truck, retreating to the outskirts of the Festival Grounds, lurking out in the wilderness, subsisting off hunting and eating small woodland creatures raw. His memories don’t contain any information about the location of the bombs.

Finally, CERU asks who installed the HEARTSTONE in CHESTER’s head. They see a vision from Chester’s point of view of the operation in progress. Once the splattering blood and electric sparks settle, and Chester ceases thrashing in agony, they see a face covered by a surgical mask and goggles pulls away. Another face then leans into view, examining the surgeon’s handiwork with a cruel twisted smile, and Ceru recognizes him as the Blood Mage KRAZZTAR (the other one, it’s a common name).

Location: Performers’ Camp, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

Unsure how to safely disconnect the HEARTSTONE from CHESTER, our heroes call in the CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE. The Champions however seem to be of little help, especially since all of THE GEARHEAD’s tech has been hacked and now his datapad will only display an animation of the Champions’ heads being urinated on by an eight-legged dog. ISAAC and CUPCAKES discreetly withdraw.

CERU then uses the com-code she had been given by AURELIUS, but they voice that answers is a gruff male who introduces himself as KOWALSKI and explains that Aurelius sent him ahead for reconnaissance. None of his teammates have yet arrived, but our heroes invite him to the Opening Ceremonies After-Party.

Our heroes decide to split their party with HUNTER and AMAI providing security for BABY METAL at the party while CERU, FAENDAL, FRANK, KRAZZTAR, and RETHKKA search the Festival Grounds for the rest of the HEARTSTONE BOMBS.

Location: Mage’s Enclave, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

CERU, FAENDAL, FRANK, KRAZZTAR, and RETHKKA spend several hours searching the FESTIVAL GROUNDS. They find their first bomb within the Mage’s Enclave in one of the vendors’ tents. It is on display as a jeweled mystery box with a HEARTSTONE embedded in its lid. They open to the lid to find the Heartstone wired to explosives, similar to the other bombs, but with additional vials of pure LYRIUM SAND. They call ISAAC to send his drones to take the bomb outside of the Festival Grounds and defuse it.

CERU then leaves the group to answer a call from AMAI, while the others continue to search. 

Location: Gala Pavilion, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

AMAI and HUNTER are on security duty at the After-Party. Hunter  circulates through the party while Amai stays close to BABY METAL. KOWALSKI in the meantime has availed himself of the party’s free hors d’oeuvres. A procession of VIPs come by to great the band, including the Festival Chairperson, ANSELM, an upright and blandly cheery older man who moves from person to person, shaking hands and exchanging banal but pleasant platitudes while flashing an broad, unctuously disingenuous smile. He happily chats up the band members, undaunted by the fact that they neither speak nor understand the COMMON LANGUAGE, and concludes by asking the girls which one is BOBBY METAL. Trailing behind him is the rat-faced and bespectacled Festival Administrator, LEOPOLD TWAIN, whose beleaguered countenance at his boss’s turned back speaks volumes. 

AMAI also overhears some nobles complaining about recent financial setbacks. One has recently lost money due to a computer glitch at the bank, which is syphoning money out of accounts. The other has had several of his mining concerns in THE FOLLIES close down due to attacks by RAIDERS. He says that it has become impossible to find people to replace them and re-open the mines due to the stories that survivors have been telling about the raiders’ unnatural ferocity and monstrous mounts, as well as their horned leader and superhuman strength.

HUNTER meanwhile sees a commotion brewing near the display cases where the Festival Management are showcasing the various prizes for the tournament contests, including a wide array of magical devices, ancient artifacts, and rare weapons and armor. The commotion is being caused by ULYSSES, who appears to be ranting as Festival Security attempts to calm him. Hunter goes to investigate and realizes that Ulysses is upset that his family’s ANCESTRAL SHIELD is on display as one of the prizes. Nearby, a group of pale aristocrats in gothic formal dress taunt Ulysses in thick distinctive accents. They tell him that if his family truly deserves to have the shield, he should be able to win it in the tournament, and one gloats about how nice the shield will look when he has won it and mounted it on his wall. Hunter tries to calm Ulysses down and offers to join him as his partner in the paired melee competition to help him win the shield.

AMAI and HUNTER then rotate duties, with Hunter taking his post beside the band just in time to see the girls greet an eccentric avant garde visual artist named ALOYSIUS MOON. AMAI circulates through the party and encounters a group of nobles wearing masquerade-style formal wear, complete with elaborate and ornate masks. One of the masked party breaks away from the others to speak with her. He is a young elf, at-first charming and well-spoken, but gets increasingly aggressive and unsettling in his questioning. When he starts asking about PRIM, Amai realizes that she is talking to ZENDRIEL. He taunts her, boasting that when the time is right, he will take the baby. She attempts to attack him, but before she can strike, he unleashes a burst of lightning from his cybernetic arm, momentarily stunning her. He is able to slip away as a crowd starts to gather and Festival Security is poised to intervene.

AMAI calls CERU to tell her what has happened, and Ceru comes to the party to check on her.

Location: Artisans’ Bazaar, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

As the night wears on, FAENDAL, FRANK, KRAZZTAR, and RETHKKA continue to search the FESTIVAL GROUNDS for HEARTSTONE BOMBS. After hours of looking, they finally happen upon a large sculpture on display in the ARTISANS’ BAZAAR that has a HEARTSTONE embedded in it. They call ISAAC to send his drones to remove it, but they are unable to lift the sculpture. They then decide, reluctantly, to call on the CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE for help.

UBER MAN comes running to the rescue and, with great exertion, manages to lift the sculpture. Red-faced, grunting, and sweating, he carries it beyond the outskirts of the FESTIVAL GROUNDS. ISAAC’s drones then set about defusing the bomb and removing the HEARTSTONE.

Location: Performers’ Camp, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

CERU has in the meantime returned to camp to check in on ISAAC and CHESTER. At the moment that ISAAC finishes removing the HEARTSTONE, however, CHESTER briefly regains consciousness, moaning that the light of the orb has gone out. His body then convulses in pain as he hemorrhages a geyser of blood from his mouth, and finally crumples into a lifeless husk. Ceru and Isaac conclude that this means that all of the bombs have been defused and Chester was no longer of use to the DEMON that held him enthralled.

DAY 39

The next day, HUNTER arranges for CHESTER’s body to be removed from the camp and taken to a CREMATORIUM inside Karros. He also convinces the member of BABY METAL to go into the city and pay tribute to Chester as his remains are cremated. He plans to send the ashes back to NESTORA for Chester’s grandmother.

Location: Tournament Arena, Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

Our heroes go to the TOURNAMENT ARENA to participate in the qualifying rounds for the single melee combat and team mixed combat events. HUNTER wins his first match against a human brigand. The NUGS OF UNUSUAL SIZE (AMAI, CERU, FAENDAL, and RETHKKA) also win their first match against a quartet of human brigands who pose little challenge to the Nugs. While the competitors battle, ZENDRIEL is spotted in the audience, mockingly applauding our heroes’ victories. 

As matches continue, a team of Orcs called THE GENTLEMEN draw the audience’s attention and ire with their dirty fighting tactics. They seem to be intentionally trying to cripple and maim their competition. As they emerge victorious from their bout, the leader of the Orcs turns to the audience and salutes ZENDRIEL, who looks on in approval.

HUNTER next faces off against dwarf warrior in his next match, who is more formidable than his last adversary, but Hunter still prevails. The NUGS OF UNUSUAL SIZE also struggle in their second match against a team of elves but eventually rally to overcome their foes.

As the qualifying rounds wind down, AURELIUS, RIVER JACK, and KOWALSKI arrive at the arena to greet our heroes. After exchanging pleasantries, Aurelius asks CERU if they know someone named FRANK. Ceru introduces the two women, and Aurelius produces an envelope that she says contains a message from a woman named ELMIRA. Recognizing her friend’s name, Frank presses Aurelius for more information, and the gnome explains that their group came across Elmira at the last outpost where they stopped on the way into KARROS. She says that Elmira seemed frail and shaken, and when they asked her about it, she said that she was on her own in the wilderness for some time before meeting up with her current traveling companion. That companion, according to Aurelius, was an older male mage who wore a very distinctive robe inscribed with strange runes and sigils that she’d never seen before. She sketches several of the symbols for Ceru. Hunter and Ceru recognize several of them as being associated with the Blood Mage KRAZZTAR (the other one, it’s a common name).

Location: Crematorium, City-State of Karros

After the competition closes for the day, HUNTER, AMAI, FAENDAL, FRANK, and KRAZZTAR accompany BABY METAL into KARROS to witness CHESTER’s cremation and pay their respects. LUCY also asks to come along.

Rather than say a few words, BABY METAL reveals that they have composed a song in CHESTER’s honor, which they sing as his body is put into the furnace. None of our heroes fully comprehend its lyrics, but LUCY says that from what she can discern, it is very touching -- despite the fact that they may be under the impression that his name was BOBBY METAL. 

LUCY then proceeds to explain that she has recently been in contact with her mentor, LADY VALOURIA, who uncovered information about CHESTER’s activities after she wiped his memories at the group’s behest. In the intervening time, Chester’s grandmother passed away. Lady Valouria wanted the group to know that Chester was able to be with her in her final days, only succumbing to the CHILDREN OF CHAOS’s influence and leaving NESTORA after her death, and thus their decision to show him mercy and spare his life had not been in vain.

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House Rules | Custom Specialization

REAVER

Reavers are the Warrior's answer to Blood Mages, drawing strength from pain, both their own and others’. Reavers typically gain their abilities through a magical ritual presided over by a Demon or Blood Mage, which often includes drinking the blood of a dragon or other eldritch creature.

The house rules for becoming a Reaver are similar to those for the custom arcana:

Degrees can be taken in place of either a normal talent or specialization talent, but the Reaver must first find a teacher within the story.

The Reaver's ability to draw strength from pain is seen by many as unnatural and evil; NPCs may treat you differently after seeing your power in action.

Because the Reaver's abilities are acquired through dark rituals, Reavers incur a -2 penalty to resist spells cast by Demons.

Novice

DEVOUR: the Reaver feeds off the pain of an enemy; for 2 Stunt Points, heal self for an amount equivalent to the damage dealt by the attack.

Journey

AURA OF PAIN: Reaver radiates an aura of pain, harming others and self; taking a minor action to activate, self and all enemies within 6 yards take 1D6+Willpower penetrating damage each round; use once per combat, remains active for number of rounds equal to Willpower or until deactivated with a minor action.

Master

FRENZY: pain only makes the Reaver stronger; when Reaver's health drops below 75% the damage dealt with every successful attack is boosted +1, when health drops below 50% the Reaver's damage bonus becomes +2, and under 25% health grants a bonus of +3

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House Rule | Magic - Custom Arcana

We are using two custom magical arcana that are loosely adapted from the Dragon Age RPG — Chaos Arcana and Blood Arcana. For the most part, these will function like the other arcana in the Fantasy AGE system, but with a few important differences:

Talent vs Specialization: To allow for greater flexibility, players can take a degree in one of the custom arcana on levels that grant either a degree in a normal magical talent or in a mage specialization talent, at the player’s option. Players can also choose an Intelligence focus in a custom arcana whenever allowed per normal rules for gaining focuses.

Forgotten Knowledge: Notwithstanding the first rule, because these arcana are very rare in the world of Valkana, a player must find a suitable teacher who has mastered the arcana before taking the Novice degree. In other words, the rules for learning a normal specialization apply, regardless of whether you are taking the custom arcana as a magic talent or a specialization talent.

Forbidden Knowledge: Because of the particulars of our story, both of these arcana are widely considered taboo. Whereas standard uses of magic are commonplace and accepted in Valkana, practitioners of Blood Arcana and Chaos Arcana need to be careful about where they use their abilities. Using these spells in a public setting could quickly turn public opinion against a character and create a significant obstacle in social interactions. Likewise, using these spells around certain authorities who recognize them and understand the dangers associated with them might quickly turn an ally into a mortal enemy.

Risky Business: Speaking of dangers, both Blood Arcana and Chaos Arcana are notorious for leaving their practitioners susceptible to demonic possession. By flirting with the dark arts, characters will incur a -2 penalty to any test to resist a spell cast by a demon or other fade spirit.

Grand Master: Risk does however sometimes come with reward. Characters who have attained the Master level of a custom arcana can spend a fourth degree in the talent to become a Grand Master and learn a powerful fifth spell.

BLOOD ARCANA

A Blood Mage can use the life force contained within a living organism's blood to power magic. Because it is often associated with human sacrifice, demonic worship, mind control, and other similarly abhorrent practices, Blood Magic was banned even by those civilizations most accepting and permissive of magic, and its use has long been thought eradicated.

When making a casting roll, the Blood Mage subtracts an amount equal to Stunt Die from Health instead of Mana to power the spell. The remainder of the cost is subtracted from Mana as usual. For example, a spell costing 6 MP with a Stunt Die of 4 on the casting roll will take 4 from Health and 2 from Mana. Upon attaining the Master, the caster can use the health of another character who is either willing or subdued instead of their own.

Novice

DRAIN LIFE Mana Points: 4-12, Target Number:  12, Cast Time: Major Action Range: single target within 10 yards; Duration: single round Effect: caster drains life from target & uses it to restore own health; 1D6 per 4 MP spent (up to 3D6) +Willpower penetrating damage, healing = damage Test: Constitution (Stamina), no Willpower bonus to damage

WRACK Mana Points: 5, Target Number: 15, Cast Time: Major Action Range: single target within 10 yards; Duration: rounds=Willpower Effect: caster uses target’s blood to wrack victim with debilitating pain; -2 defense, -2 attack, -2 tests Test: Willpower (Self-Discipline), end effect (repeat test each round)

Journey

BLOOD WOUND Mana Points: 8, Target Number: 17, Cast Time: Major Action Range: all targets within 12 yards; Duration: single round Effect: caster makes targets' blood boil, inflicting damage; 1D6+Willpower penetrating damage, stun 1 round Test: Willpower (Self-Discipline), damage only

Master

HEMORRHAGE Mana Points: 15, Target Number: 19, Cast Time: Major Action Range: single target within 20 yards; Duration: single round Effect: caster makes target’s blood hemorrhage out of victim’s mouth, nose and eyes; 3D6+Willpower penetrating damage, stun 1 round Test: Willpower (Self-Discipline), damage only

Grand Master  

BLOOD SLAVE Mana Points: 20, Target Number: 21, Cast Time: Major Action Range: single target within 20 yards; Duration: rounds=Willpower Effect: caster able to use target’s blood to control victim's actions with -2 to attack Test: Willpower (Self-Discipline), no effect (repeat test each round)

CHAOS ARCANA

Beneath the surface of our reality there exists a dimension of that lies outside of time and space, full of raw magical potential. It known by many names — the chaos realm, the Fade, the Dreamlands — and few truly understand its nature. It is believed however that there is an invisible, intangible energy field, known as the Veil, that separates our reality from the Fade. The Veil is said to permeate our reality, existing in all places and all things. Magic users are thought to be more closely attuned to the Fade and able to draw magical energy, or Mana, from the Veil to cast spells.

Whereas most mages manifest this energy in some other form — such as an element like fire or in a healing life force — a Chaos Mage taps into the raw chaotic energy of the Veil and shapes it to their will. This can be potentially powerful but also potentially destructive. The consequences of tapping directly into the chaos realm can be unpredictable, and Chaos Mages often flirt with madness and leave themselves open to manipulation by the spirits that live in the Fade. In the present day, the practice of Chaos Magic is inextricably linked in the public mind with the Prophet Dhawan and the Chaos Wars she unleashed on Valkana. As such, its practice has been banished in all but the most darkest recesses of society, and its practitioners are universally assumed to have nefarious intentions.

Novice

FADE SHIELD Mana Points: 4, Target Number: 14, Cast Time: Major Action Range: self; Duration: single round, extend 1MP per round Effect: caster slips through the veil and drifts partially into the fade to evade attack; Defense = Spellpower Test: None

HALLUCIATION Mana Points: 5, Target Number: 14, Cast Time: 1 Minute Range: all targets within 30 yards; Duration: Minutes=Willpower Effect: caster manifests an apparition from the fade which cannot be taller than the caster’s Willpower in yards Test: Perception (Any), no effect

Journey

MIND BLAST Mana Points: 8, Target Number: 15, Cast Time: Major Action Range: 8-yard area within 24 yards; Duration: single round, extend 1MP per round Effect: caster creates surge of telekinetic energy from the veil; 1D6 penetrating damage and knock prone Test: Strength (Might), damage only

Master

WALKING BOMB Mana Points: 13, Target Number: 17, Cast Time: Major Action Range: 8-yard area within 24 yards; Duration: rounds=Willpower Effect: caster sunders the veil within target, destabilizing the victim's body at the atomic level until it bursts in a surge of energy; 2D6+Willpower penetrating damage on first round, 1D6+ Willpower penetrating damage recurring, on death 2D6 damage to others within 4 yards Test: Constitution (Stamina), 2D6 damage initial, 1D6 recurring

Grand Master  

MEMORY Mana Points: 15, Target Number: 19, Cast Time: 1 Minute Range: single target within 4 yards Effect: caster uses the fade to access the target’s subconscious, forcing them to recall or forget the memory of a single experience of duration no greater than caster’s Willpower in hours Test: Willpower (Self-Discipline), no effect

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House Rules | Basic

This will be a running list of house rules established for our game.

Currency  1 Gold = 100 Silver, 1 Silver = 100 Copper We are using the Dragon Age RPG conversion rules, which tends to make gold and silver feel more valuable; since Green Ronin didn’t adjust prices from Dragon Age to Fantasy AGE to account for the different conversion, we’ll use the prices (mostly) as listed

Health Packs & Mana Packs We are also adapting the Healing Potion & Lyrium Potion tiers and pricing from the Dragon Age RPG, and these will be the primary source of healing while in combat For Health Packs: Lesser (20 sp for 2D6+CONS), Regular (40 sp for 4D6+CONS), Greater (75 sp for 6D6+CONS) and Potent (110 sp for 8D6+CONS) For Mana Packs: Lesser (30 sp for 1D6+WILL), Regular (55 sp for 2D6+WILL), Greater (100 sp for 3D6+WILL), and Potent (150 sp for 4D6+WILL)

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Desperately Seeking the Seeker

Quest Summary January 22, 2016 Campaign Day 37

Participants: Amai, Ceru, Faendal, Frank, Hunter, Krazztar, Rethkka

Location: Festival Grounds, outside of Karros

CERU, FAENDAL, FRANK, KRAZZTAR, RETHKKA, and CUPCAKES return to the campsite to find AMAI, ISAAC, PRIM, and the members of BABY METAL in the middle of a lettuce party. One of the girls from the band wins.

FRANK then asks CERU about LUCY, and Ceru realizes that the two did not have a chance to formally meet while on the road. She takes her to make introductions, but they find Lucy on one of the buses, sitting on a couch and covered in blood with a somewhat shell-shocked expression on her face. Sitting beside her is a NUG wearing a poncho and a cowboy hat. When asked what happened to her, she responds evasively, “Don’t ask.” When asked about the nug, she says he’s “The Nug with No Name” but she calls him CLINT.

FRANK then talks to LUCY a little about their respective studies in magic, with Lucy explaining a bit about how LADY VALOURIA chooses and trains her apprentices. Frank then asks if Lucy has encountered her missing friend ELMIRA ALBATROSS, whom she believes is in trouble. Lucy replies that she has not, but promises to ask around and keep and eye out.

HUNTER then shares with the rest of the group the information that he found out from his comrades from the ORDER OF FORLORN HOPE in KARROS. He shows them the surveillance photos of ZENDRIEL, ARMEN, and “KRAZZTAR” (the other one, it’s a common name) meeting. He explains that the three members of the CHILDREN OF CHAOS’s inner circle escaped before the Forlorn Hope could move on them, suggesting that there may have been a leak. He also mentions that there are reports that ZENDRIEL THE SEEKER has returned to Garros and enlists the others’ assistance in looking for him. They decide to explore the Festival Grounds and ask if anyone’s seen Zendriel, using a print out of one of the surveillance photos.

KRAZZTAR,  FAENDAL go to the gaming section of the festival where attendees can gamble on games of chance. In one particularly sketchy gaming pavilion, Krazztar notices that when he shows people the photo of ZENDRIEL, they deny knowing him but many appear to be lying and subconsciously glancing at a particular ORC, who has bruises and scars on his face that seem to indicate he had recently been beat up.

The brothers send  join the card game at that ORC’s table. After a few hands, the Orc seems to be loosening up and engage the brothers in small talk, waxing philosophical about the ups and downs of cards and life. FAENDAL then uses sleight of hand to stack the deck in the Orc’s favor, ensuring he and KRAZZTAR will lose. After a couple more hands, AMAI and CERU catch up with them, with CERU offering the players some libations and other sundry party favors while Amai joins the game. 

After another hand, FAENDAL decides to show the Orc ZENDRIEL’s picture and ask if he’s seen him, saying that he owes them money. The Orc ruefully tells the brothers to steer clear of Zendriel, saying that no amount of money is worth getting involved with him. At the Faendal’s prompting, he explains that Zendriel had hired his mercenary company to do some work but then subsequently became displeased with their performance and took it out on them violently, indicating his wounds. He also says that while he doesn’t have anything against mages and even works with a couple in his company, Zendriel was into some unsettling forms of magic and rituals.

Next, HUNTER decides to register for the combat tournament that is the showcase of the SOLSTICE FESTIVAL so he can gain access to the training facilities used by the combatants. Hunter registers for the single armed combat event, and AMAI, CERU, FENDAL, and RETHKKA follow suit and register for the team combat event under the team name NUGS OF UNUSUAL SIZE.

HUNTER then enters one of the locker rooms and strikes up a conversation with a human warrior named EMERIC who turns out to be a guardsman from the City-State of VORAKIS. Hunter decides to hide his identity and his affiliation with the ORDER OF FORLORN HOPE, giving the fake name JONH. When he mentions ZENDRIEL, Emeric says that he has been hanging around trying to recruit mercenaries from among the combatants, concentrating mostly on the more disreputable elements and avoiding anyone who seemed to be affiliated with a legitimate army or peacekeeping force.

Finally, CERU visits the pavilion serving as the tech workshop, where there are several people working on combat droids. After asking around a bit, she gets directed to a group of STEAM PUNKS who appear to be the VIPs of the techies. She gains entry with the Steam Punks by showing off RABBIT, then asks them about ZENDRIEL. They dismissively reply that he’s been seen sniffing around the “ruffians” training for the melee combat events but that he hasn’t come around the techies. She proceeds to ask them if they are familiar with the DARK ACADEMY, and they refer her to one of their members, a gnome named NIGEL, who met a couple people from that group just the previous night. Ceru is surprised to hear this and asks if they were wearing rubberized armor like hers, which Nigel confirms they were. They had come by the pavilion looking to trade for some obscure parts and were directed towards Nigel because he had what they needed. Ceru asks if they were here for the tournament or on a job, and Nigel says they mentioned being in town on a job, though they didn’t give details.

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Exeunt

Quest Summary January 1, 2016 Campaign Day 25-26

Participants: Amai, Ceru, Faendal, Hunter, Krazztar, Rethkka

Location: Snake & Ladder Tavern, Allfeld, Nestora

Shortly after LUCY has dropped off PRIM with AMAI on LIFE DAY, our heroes receive a call from the manager of BABY METAL telling them that the band will be ready to travel in the next couple days.

AMAI tells PICO to stay behind to help MISS SOPHIA at the tavern. She then goes to find JAMES and tells him that since she will be leaving town, she wants to break off their relationship, saying that she’s not really looking for anything romantic right now and doesn’t want to force him to wait for her.

Location: Snake & Ladder Tavern, Allfeld, Nestor

Early the next morning, before sunrise, CAPTAIN AVELINE arrives at the SNAKE & LADDER in civilian clothes to warn AMAI and CERU that COMMANDER NOLA NERENE is on her way to take custody of PRIM. She also cautions that Nerene seems particularly fanatical and unlikely to listen to reason.

Our heroes take Prim to the ORDER OF FORLORN HOPE’s SAFE HOUSE, and then AMAI, FAENDAL, and CERU return to the SNAKE & LADDER in time to find the NESTORAN GUARD gathered outside, preparing to raid the tavern. Pretending to be drunk and returning home from a night out, they approach a couple of the officers try to get information. They are detained by the two officers while the rest enter the tavern and search for Prim. While waiting outside, FAENDAL flirts with one of the guards, OFFICER COCHISE, in order to gain his trust.  

When the rest of the officers return, COMMANDER NOLA NERENE proceeds to question the trio. She comes off as angry and irrational, verging on desperation, as she demands unsuccessfully to be told where PRIM is. She is about to arrest them, but when the other officers seem hesitant to carry out that order, FAENDAL appeals to COCHISE, who intercedes on their behalf. Nerene reluctantly cuts them loose but vows that she will find the baby.

Location: Richard Nelson Pickle Memorial Public House, Riverside, Nestora

Meanwhile at the ORDER OF FORLORN HOPE’s SAFE HOUSE, HUNTER calls CAPTAIN AVELINE to get more information, Aveline says that COMMANDER NERENE was adamant about taking PRIM into the NESTORAN GUARD’s custody, but the Forlorn Hope tried to stop her. The Forlorn Hope called in their COMMANDER MICK FLURY as well as LADY VALOURIA to intercede, but Nola was ultimately able to get a sanction from the NESTORAN COUNCIL by framing Prim’s power as a potential military asset.

HUNTER then reaches out to MICK FLURY directly, who visits him at the Safe House. Flury tells Hunter that he has instructed the Forlorn Hope not to aid with recovering the baby, but that he is powerless to stop Nerene without declaring martial law and usurping the authority of the NESTORAN GUARD.

Our heroes then begin making arrangements to leave NESTORA as soon as possible, realizing that PRIM won’t be safe inside the city. They meet with BABY METAL’s manager to prepare to leave that night. CERU also contacts LADY VALOURIA, who decides to send her apprentice LUCY to accompany them. Lucy will be able to help protect Prim and has been trained to detect and defend against various magical or supernatural threats that the rest of the group may not be prepared for.

Location: Transportation Depot, near the Nestoran Border

That night our heroes join with BABY METAL’s caravan of buses and prepare to leave the city. 

The caravan proceeds to a checkpoint set up at the border by the NESTORAN GUARD. Our heroes hide PRIM in a concealed compartment within one of the buses while the Guards board and search each bus in turn. Unfortunately, the Guards are equipped with infra-red scanners and are able to detect Prim.

Rather than risk the baby falling into the Guards’ hands, LUCY takes it upon herself to attack them. CERU and FAENDAL join in, and the trio easily overpower and kill the Guards, with Lucy displaying a jarring ruthlessness. She then orders the bus driver to ram through the checkpoint’s gates. When asked about the rashness of her actions, she merely replies that her mistress took great pains to impress upon her how paramount it was that the child not be allowed to fall into anyone else’s custody.