Session 1: Upon the Shores Report

General Summary

The party was requested to board the Empress's flagship, Pride of Aignathead, where they met with Caloderias Vostensus for the first time. With the party was the rest of the vanguard of the military that would be participating in this operation. Everyone was led below decks to a large room, where everyone lined up. All were inspected, painstakingly, by the Empress in near silence for several minutes as she looked each one up and down. Heinrich Von Kleist and the Empress had a very brief communication when he tried to avoid her ruby gaze. With a command, he was forced to look at her in the eyes, where she then moved on without saying another word.

After the inspection and a brief speech, reminding the vanguard that the lives of thousands relied upon their success, they were all dismissed. Once again aboard their ship, they were given food from the flagship, as well as a debriefing of the strategy for taking the city. After a couple hours, a mage by the name of Koros Iriad was sent to lead the ship through a ritual that would transport them to the enemy shoreline. He enlisted the aid of Chancer Fate and Heinrich Von Kleist for the ritual.

During the ritual, a large tear in the fabric of reality appeared ahead of them as they were sucked inside, ship, water, and all. All senses were lost within, excepting the sense of touch. With the ship rocking violently on occasion, the mages at the forefront of the ship were able to safely lead the ship to the exit, all the while mysteriously hearing screams on the very edge of hearing. During this journey, the two mages discovered that the mage Koros had perished, having turned into stone, and were forced to pick up his slack. They were able to barely manage the extra workload, but everyone else arrived safely at their destination as their ship crashed back into reality.

From here, they could see the other ships emerging from this strange passage they had taken, as well as one ship emerging through a portal that opened up above the city itself. From inside the portal, ship #321 erupted from the entrance and crashed down into the city. Dewglow had a new worry, as her best friend Asoka Yari was last known to be on board that ship. The party's own ship then joined the flagship's rhythmic beat as wardrums echoed throughout the stormy bay.

The party's ship was first to the pier, where they disembarked and immediately began combat with the enemy soldiers. After several moments of fast and brutal conflict, reinforcements arrived from another ship as a squad of minotaur shock troops disembarked, led by sergeant Ajax. The shock troops opened an avenue for sergeant Laramie Haiam and his troops to push through. From there, they traveled through the city to investigate the crash landing of ship #321. On the way, they came across civilians, where Dreadcrusher mercilessly put down a man thought to be going for a weapon. The squad moved on to the sound of screams and weeping.

The party eventually reached the ship, where they found Asoka Yari, as well as two other survivors--Jebidiah Pylum and William Engram. The party engaged another group of guardsmen while Asoka aided Jebidiah Pylum in extracting William Engram from the wreckage. After the combat, they quickly left in search of a route to the castle. Using his familiar, Heinrich Von Kleist was able to determine such a route. On the way, however, the familiar warned its master that they were on an intercept course with a single swordsman. The party came across this swordsman, where a brief exchange--an attempt for peace--between Loric and this mysterious individual eventually ended in combat. Within six seconds, this individual slew the squadron of nine soldiers and continued on his way.

However, in a strange twist of fate, like the blink of an eye, the squadron was walking down the road they were previously treading, while Heinrich Von Kleist was explaining that a swordsman was up ahead. The party stopped and had a brief discussion as to what happened. None understood what had occurred and why they were alive, though Loric believed it to be a vision granted to them all, and so they avoided the individual all together. Thanks to this foresight, they were able to accomplish their goal in avoidance, and eventually ended up at dropped drawbridge, where the Empress was waiting with multiple squads and her right hand man. The Empress was informed of this possible threat before they began their march into the open gates. Some members of the squad were able to notice a hooded individual, in a shadowed corner, as they made their way through the gate to confront an unknown enemy.

Character(s) interacted with

• Laramie Haiam
• Caloderias Vostensus
• Dwynevere Aignathios
• Koros Iriad
• Ajax
• Asoka Yari
• Jebidiah Pylum
• William Engram
• An unknown individual