Blythe Hahn
Session 25 (6/29/22)
Zak 15, 3e661
Damnation or Salvation
15 Zak, 3e661
mage hunter guild
metal door with carvings of faces of man and woman with horns: entrance to chamber of purification
a false sun emitting no heat circles the room
chamber is circular, about fifty feet across
a man inside - Grand Inquisitor Tulmoric
Marlie, Blythe, and Cordelia assume their true forms
Marlie’s skin and hair loses its pigments, her eyes blue
Cordelia’s fangs grow and her skin becomes more corpse-like
the shadow of a woman (Death Mother) appears around me and my antlers grow
he asks if we’ve ever summoned anything
tell him we’ve summoned a lenaan sidhe
he heals my foot, taking a piece of skin from it
he detects our deepest thoughts
he finds Kelsa Pickles in my head
Hahn Estate
I fetch my father’s ciphered journal and some business documents and Kelsa’s plaque, hide the platinum counterfeit, Kelsa’s journal, and mother’s letters; and turn off the electricity in the workshop; fetch some clothes for Marlie and me
Trembly Estate
take a bath and chat
in the morning, Coldwill appears in a door in the wall, tells us to “come out,” that he’s paid our “bail”
we were in a demiplane prison for three weeks
the ACTUAL Hahn Estate
Varen is home, her bones were broken and rehealed, she has associations with dangerous groups and people
I decide to go to Asheborn Estate, which is the former Vulcanus Estate
Post-Session
I visit with Eve at the Asheborn Estate
I tell her that Tulmoric knows everything from my mother’s letters
she comforts me and tells me what we need to do: “we must kill the entire mindset, the entire culture that allows these men to rule our lives and steal our freedom”
she says that Drevlin has passed the entry exam for the Heroes Academy and will apply soon
I tell her that ascendance is the only way to destroy Adrian Vulcanus
Eve begins to tell me about the city being enslaved, people overlooked, and the city cannot be free unless it has no master; she says we need to sit on the Mirror Council
Mirror Council “topples empires” and doesn’t care about the people, is seated by criminals and politicians from around the world
she and Drevlin have been building a criminal empire in Quiluna to attract the attention of the Mirror Council
she describes her vision of the city: no more children starving on the streets, or people enslaved or indentured
she refuses to tell me her specific plans of governing
Helwyn is recruiting Blackbloods to guard my house and hunt down the demon
I meet Eve’s new bodyguard on the way out, a were named Lelian
she shares what kind of bullets she has: iron, silver, hollow point nitrate, feldspar
"...if you've been attacked by demons once they won't stop coming until the target of conjuring is dead."
I then go to the Trembly Estate to talk to Indigo
I ask him if he knows how Brighid ascended
I tell him why I’m asking after he agrees that Adrian Vulcanus needs to die
he agrees to ask Brighid about it
Indy tells me there’s a resistance forming in the city
he tells me about the resistance’s plan for the city: “One that can put leadership in place that represents all the people of the city equally, rich and poor, old and young. One that is aware of the cities problems and... accountable, just, and fair.”
we begin to argue about Eve and her methods
we talk about HARM donating guns to the cause
Indy asks me how I am, and I breakdown
I ask how Indy is, he tells me:
he misses his mother
his eye from Brighid lets him see people who are about to die
he thinks he’s in love
he doesn’t think someone like him could have a wife, children, in a life of fighting
I tell him I thought I was in love too, and I wanted children but couldn’t bear to pass anything on to them; I say we can be alone and miserable together - and we make a pact to do so
a few days later, I visit with Cordelia at the Coldwill Estate
she tells me BB is now a vampire, but Katty doesn’t know yet
we discuss plans for Cordelia’s birthday party
we begin to discuss matchmaking
she tells me Indy’s in love with me
I tell her about my conversation with Indy
I tell her not to do anything about it
she tells me she has crushes on everyone, including me
in return I tell her that I have a crush on Drevlin but he clearly doesn’t like me back
we meet with Coldwill about birthday plans and I say I intend to invest in Frost Corp to help people like Cordelia
I say mostly with coin now, but perhaps in the future with work
Session 24 (6/15/22)
14 Zak, 3e661
It’s in the House
14 Zak, 3e661
Hahn Estate
awaken to Cordelia and Elli screaming, Indy roaring
as I get up to run out the door, something cold grabs my ankle, pulling me beneath the bed before releasing me and disappearing
group together at my workshop, where the floor is covered in acid and the walls are dripping with oil; the metal soldier rips its way off the table, the lightning rod moving precariously, even though the lever is not pulled
attacks us, and we run away
downstairs, we run into Varen, and the front door has a magical barrier on it
try to get out the kitchen door and a creature stops us, attacking me and ripping at my arm
go into the servants’ quarters towards the secret exit into the sewers, but see all of the servants are in their rooms, slaughtered like those in the Middies
Cordelia runs back upstairs and we find BB with his guts spilling out
back downstairs, we find another BB who seems to be dead of the same wound, but run out the secret exit
sewers
on our way through the sewers, “BB” morphs into the creature and begins to fight with Varen as we run away
I scream to Indy to “kill it” and he hops out of the water to help Varen, though his sword doesn’t affect the creature
Varen manages to kill the creature, punching its heart out, and we escape up to the streets
greeted by several paladins
we tell them that a demon invaded my home
they recognize me as the one in the Vulcanus case and ask if we summoned the demon
taken to the temple to be questioned
temple
gathered to await the “Grand Inquisitor” so we might be interrogated in the “Chamber of Purification”
Chamber of Purification harms those who try to lie
(Post Session)
Cordelia messages Coldwill but he does not respond
Marlie heals Indy and Blythe with a healer’s kit from the mage hunters
Session 23 (6/8/22)
Zak 13, 3e661
Don’t Look Down
13 Zak, 3e661
at Kelsa’s party (Asheborn convention, apparently it used to be a regular thing with her father several hundred years ago), observing the inventions here
Banglestamps, gnome inventors from Braedstone who deal in children’s toys
shotgun powered by blue tubes - “non-magical concoction”
Sizzle, Bizzle
VULCAN Tech
rat named Squibbles is the salesperson
40 years ago, Beetle King gave intelligence to some rats to put them on the same level as dwarves
opening a shop called “Exploding Ink”
buy a pen/gun, holds one bullet (35 gp) - Squibbles invented it for rats
Dr. Fantastico’s booth
antibiotics
pieces together extinct creatures
unicorn
little teacup monkey with wings
leaving the party, our carriage breaks down in the Middies
we hear a woman screaming, then gurgling
everyone except me goes over and sees a pale woman with skinny limbs and matted hair and golden red eyes emerging from the sewer grate to grab a body; the other body has had all of its bones broken
several more screams on the way back to the Hahn estate
Indigo lets the guards know
Session 22 (6/1/22)
Zak 12, 3e661
The Vulcanus Dinner
Autumn, 3e660
2 Years Pass
Morg, 3e658 - Zak, 3e661
Blythe's Google Doc for Timeskip
Blythe makes an effort to visit the Coldwill estate as frequently as once a month if possible to see Cordelia, Sarah, and Katty. Along the way she visits the temple of Vek, offering a donation of a metal cog even if Wilhelmina or Elli are away. She visits Indy and Dax at the neighboring Trembly estate slightly more often, although only when Dax’s family isn’t around to see her. She tries to convince Varen to allow Indy into the Hahn house again; otherwise, she sneaks him inside for visits. She sees Marlie and Drevlin daily, showing Drevlin her father’s collection of books and Marlie his workshop and tools.
Blythe tells no one of what she learned in the dresser, except for letting Marlie know that her mother is still alive and loves her more than anything. The following Dawnsfalls, she grows very subdued as she watches the bann sidhe circle in the sky.
She learns from Varen how to be a lady alongside Kelsa, trying to keep the older girl’s enthusiasm for mischief in check. When guests come to the house, she hides reluctantly, looking forward to the day when she can greet them as Lady Hahn. While Kelsa is occupied, she tries to research the Asheborn family and any potential descendants of Nelocon that carry the name.
At the same time, she delves into her father’s work. She needs to know what drove him to go to such great lengths, making deals and mistakes that had cost him, and everyone around him, literally everything. She wonders where he cast the seed of the world tree into the ocean. As much as she can, she learns how HARM is run, from the finances to how the factories operate to the products they make; her desperate attempt to preserve something of her father's legacy.
Practicing with his tools, she learns the basics of repairing simple machinery and armaments. She augments the processes, however, with what he was too afraid or too spiteful to use: magic.
Her godmother, now accessible through her estate wardrobe, teaches her deeper levels of magic, and Blythe uses the power of the Otherworld to experiment with tools and parts that she summons from her imagination. She memorizes the structure of firearms, duplicates it within the wardrobe, and practices shooting at mushrooms and leaves with a gun drawn from her mind.
Notes from Session 21 (5/18/23):
while Umot rules, winter does not come; darkness does, but temperature never goes below freezing
more rainstorms, however, with lightning and thunder
new king (Asharok) will take Nelocon’s throne, eye for an eye type justice
higher taxes on nobility
executes prisoners who are in jail for life
mistrusts the Vulcanus
Nord king is head of Nordholm, oversees 9 other kings and queens who each represent a dragon
Nords have discovered adamantium mines in their lands; they believe the adamantium dragon is deep within the mines
settlers moving in from Nordholm
lycanthropes like Karlie
half-dragons, dragonborn, kobolds
children (in the past couple months)
pull lever in father’s workshop: generator attached to metal soldier overloads, pumps into creature; runes begin to glow and its eye glows, big red gem in eye, glowing veins
I turn it off rather quickly
try to decipher code in ledgers with Drevlin, but not able to so far
dates covered in ledgers: each shelf ten years - mid 2e when Nelocon rebuilt the city
one full shelf is missing
reaction to my horns
horns keep growing as I age
dragons don’t care about horns (they have horns)
Duncan joins the Death Mother forest once again, becomes a guardian
godmother tells me Shadhaun is actually the son of Nelocon and the goddess of death, Kalfa (half-god is protecting people from lost souls during the dark months (those souls trying to escape the catacombs)
Karlie is not with the Nordmann until about a month ago, makes full claim over the Pickle house and begins to repair it; continues adopting orphans
Indy gets a new eye, his glass blue eye (in ~3e660)
Indy tells us that Tallhorn/Berthold Vulcanus is dead (pre-invasion)
Elli returns from Palladonum in mid 3e660? and brings Blythe a pressed bird of paradise flower
Kal, 3e659
Blythe gives Drevlin the homemade book for his birthday:
A collection of parchment bound with a string, the majority are stained, tattered papers, obviously from the Pickle house; the last few pages are fine stationary and written in elegant blue ink from the estate. The title page is messy calligraphy: Encyclopaedia Dresser - An Academic Reference for the Realm of the Death Mother.
The contents describe the flora and fauna she's encountered in her godmother's realm, as well as small notes about her adventures exploring, mimicking the academic books she knows Drevlin enjoys.
Summer, 3e660
Blythe and Drevlin, after months of searching, discover the hidden room referenced in Father Zaius’ letter from 3e658
hidden in a third floor guest bedroom is a wardrobe, which has two false backs opened by a switch beneath the bed; a locked door leads to a ladder, which leads up to the room
the door is locked when we find it, but unlocked when we check again
the room is dusty and looks like it hasn’t been touched in years
the windows are boarded over
a desk sits on one end
here we find the tuning fork and a very sharp golden letter opener
nine bookshelves contain the household reports of the Hahns who first lived here, covering ten years
they have some kind of strange code or typos
the Hahns started out in the wheel/wagon business
other shelves contain 15 lockboxes stacked
one lockbox appears to be missing, though there are no footprints or handprints
all are locked with an elaborate, cubical keyhole, and each weighs about 60 pounds
an array of artwork and sculptures
an orb filled with darkness seated on a sculpted hand
when we look into it, we receive a vision: Quiluna is flooded by an endless storm, bodies floating on the waves; as the sea level rises around us we see a colossal beast with a vicious gaping maw filled with rows of teeth, which swallows us
I recoil from the vision feeling like a fish hook is tearing out my insides
Drevlin is visited by Maggie in the vision, who tells him to not look at the orb again lest “your mind be shattered and your will be feeble. Keep the orb close, take no temptation. Fail in this and you will be abandoned in darkness forever.”
Drevlin places a blanket over the orb
after finding the tuning fork in the desk, Blythe excitedly looks around for any secrets
she discovers a switch behind one of the boarded windows, and pulls it; she is blasted by electricity but unharmed, and a cubical key falls from the ceiling
delighted, Blythe immediately begins opening the lockboxes
in the first one, she discovers what at first glance seems to be 10 platinum bars, but upon further examination are counterfeit, merely unpurified iron with a small piece of adamantine
checking the next box, she finds a note, stuck inside with bubblegum: “Let’s make a deal.”
the next box…: “Not a very clever little fawn are you?”
the next box…: “Tsk, tsk, I thought this would be more fun. I am sure you are shaking, and you want to run, but hold steady little fawn. There are 15 boxes where once there were 21.”
the next box…: “One box is still is in a house, within a house, one too small for any but a mouse. Open more boxes and you will spy one single ingot, so you know I don't lie.”
we find a single pure platinum piece, with the note: “As you can see a pure little portion, a small piece of the Hahn family fortune.”
Mid 3e660, a few months later
Kelsa gives Blythe a box with a cuboidal lock; she says she found it in a dollhouse in Sarah’s room, along with a “poem”
inside is a death certificate, mage registration, birth certificate and resurrection certificate assigned to Blythe Hahn, stamped, certified and notarized with a Draconic seal as well as the official seal of Quiluna
the birth certificate is wrong, specifying that she will be turning 14 on her birthday in 3e662 (11)
an additional stamped and seal church document certifies that Blythe Hahn was incorrectly declared dead and should have been declared missing as she had been trapped in an alternate dimension where time moves faster; a victim of supernatural circumstances
Blythe asks Kelsa for the poem, which she fetches from the desk: “Gold is good for rings but not for exploding things. Take a look down the barrel little fawn only takes one shot and you're gone.”
with Kelsa and Marlie watching, Blythe pulls the golden gun down from above her father’s study and points it at the ground; a bicycle horn sounds and another note falls out: “Bang! I hope you didn't die, pull the trigger again and give it another try.”
Blythe points the gun at the vault door and pulls the trigger; a burst of glitter shoots out, along with another note: “Crashing waves and steaming boats the second box doesn't float. How long can you hold your breath, not in winter or catch your death. Watch out for the toxic grime, for their poison will fester with time.”
Blythe shows the notes to Marlie and eventually tells the rest of the group what they contain; she shows them to Kelsa as well
Session 20 (5/11/22)
Morg 1, 3e658
Duels, Dreams, and Devils or…Dragons?
Morg 1st, 3e658
Hahn estate
tell Kelsa not to go into the vault, probably trapped; she’s pulling gold coins out of her pocket, gives one to Cordelia and one to Elli
Indy says he was at Dax’s house, and is joining him for training
Drevlin asks Maggie how to get to the Temple of Vek
Old Gods District - 6 temples
Temple of Vek: dragon statues, red gem eyes
statue of a dragon man with wings and horns at the door (huge doors)
strange creature on roof; answers door, with one large arm ending in a claw, hump on back, red scales (half dragon, half dwarf)
Wilhelmina Ajarkxetixis
very hot inside temple (~90 degrees)
temple full of thousands of books; metals being melted in 9 different fires
books: Battle of Blackspire, 1e17; first era books
grab a book off the shelf, dragon scale leather, and it begins glowing and speaking in Draconic (according to Elli, narrating)
Vek “dragon father who rules us all”
creation story of Vek starting fires across the sky, which became stars, which scattered sparks, which became eggs
wife Imolen, the two of them are now Magumaas
dragons came before the gods (at least the gods we know now)
Wilhelmina tells Elli she’s an ice dragon
exposes silver scales all across her body, horns
says she is not a full dragon but has the heart of a dragon
Wilhelmina tells us several things in detail:
how babies are made
the First Ones and the elves
go down to basement
collection of different metal cogs
collection of tiny wood sculptures of cats
various other strange collections
shelves of dragon plushies
end of the dark month
clean up city from the storm, but the ice never melts; Alderoak and Vulcanus mages start to research it, barricading the area around the market
Dawnrise is a very quiet celebration compared to usual
as the light comes over the horizon, the sun becomes platinum, shedding rainbows of light around the city; blue with hints of purple, indigo, whites
a shadow is cast in the distance, growing closer and closer; in the distance, a fleet of ships sailing towards the walls of Quiluna
flying over the horizon, atop a huge dragon, is a single person on a seat, eclipsing the sun for a moment
dragon has rhodium scales, brings white lightning
a voice from the city tells the dragon there will be no surrender
lands outside the city
ships are from Nordholm, raiders, Norkheimers; Quiluna guard fights but they are overwhelmed and surrender
on the fourth day of lockdown, the dragon comes to the Palace District, becomes a woman of massive stature who takes the council from the chambers, casts them into the dungeons, and occupies the city for the next two years
Nordman king with her has a clawed, mechanical arm carved with runes
says city is full of “maggots,” refers to the councilors
says Umot (dragon) can bring the sea down upon them with a single word
criticizes city for bowing to lich?
says temple is stolen from the gods (used to be a temple to all the gods)
(Post Session)
Morg 1st, 3e658
at the temple of Vek, Blythe starts to tell Indigo that they started the fire, but he interrupts, already knowing, and says “I forgive you.”
he whispers to her, “I just don't want anything like this to happen to you.”
Cordelia says that Indy can’t be the one to forgive us; we burned the High Horns’ house down, so it has to be them
Blythe tells Indigo that Drevlin didn’t mean to hurt him either, that he’s just scared
Indy says he wants to watch Drevlin’s back and make sure he doesn’t get hurt or killed
in the dresser at the Pickle house
Blythe asks her godmother if her family is dead in the ice
father is dead and “returned home”
mother is alive but “weakens, a broken heart chips away at the threads”
Andrew is alive
Sarah has “parted from the skein [soul stream],” and “the reapers will come for her one day, but she will see a final sunrise”
Blythe asks about Marlie’s mother:
“Sable shines, she knew what would come, the seeds are planted and her roots run deep. The deal she struck will carry until the child's death.”
upon clarifying, her mother will die without her, but Marlie will live without her mother
godmother does not speak of the deals of others, so does not clarify more
Blythe shows her the note from Father Zaius
she asks what I will do if my friends set fires again; I suggest putting it out or stopping them
she says if they behave wrongly I should not follow, and if I have the opportunity to right my wrongs, I must commit
“Our word is a bond that cannot be broken or betrayed, this above all else matters, and we do not lie, only weave a new truth.”
Blythe tells her father always said war was inevitable
“There is only one thing that is inevitable and that is all things come to an end. It is the path to that end that grants wisdom to those left behind.”
Blythe asks her about any deer gods in the forest, tells her what Sarah said
she tells me….
father traveled to the Silver Lakes in search of the soul stream so he could create a soul for a machine
he made a deal with Lochlann, the Horned One of the Silver Lakes: “Lochlann gave your father a seed of a world tree. He told him to plant the seed and when it bore fruit he would have the secret he asked for. In exchange, you father was only to protect life, never bring harm to it.”
“He planted the seed, and tended to it for years, but when the seed remained in the soil and did not sprout, your father dug it from the ground and threw it into the sea.”
after the seed was cast into the sea, father started HARM; however, soon after my birth, the company began experiencing hardship and misfortune
Lochlann, claiming life for life and death for ruin, claimed me and cursed my house to never be whole until the debt is repaid
mother approached the Death Mother, and asked her to “stop the present and take the past”
she says her heart was in the right place but she was stupid, and promised the future in exchange; so godmother took the Hahns’ future
she took me and all of the children my mother would ever bear
Sarah would be a Hahn no more
Andrew would never father a child
Lochlann was not satisfied with this to give father’s past, and she would not let him have me, so he took father instead
he took father to the Silver Lakes, where he is bound to protect life until the end of time
if Blythe finds the seed in the ocean, “your father will be free, but you will remain mine”
Blythe asks what being “yours” means:
Blythe will live amongst the mortals and know pain, love, and life, and then, when she is ready, will join the Mother in the forest as a bann sidhe with all of my sisters and brothers, collecting souls and giving peace to the dead
this will be true of everyone descended from her, until the end of time
godmother tells Blythe about a forest in the center of the Otherworld, which has an enormous tree and many people
Blythe declines going today, and goes to think instead
Session 19 (5/4/22)
Morg 1, 3e658
Session 18 (4/27/22)
Morg 1, 3e658
Session 17 (4/20/22)
Xai 30, 3e658
Frozen Fate
Xai 30, 3e658
Blythe watches her godmother work from a nearby stone bench, trying to ignore the unblinking eyes of the frozen people surrounding her. Her godmother’s hands move rapidly and decisively, plucking the ethereal silver and gold threads with an efficiency she had only ever seen in her father’s factories, as line workers assembled a firearm from a pile of seemingly disparate little pieces of metal over the course of a few minutes.
The thought startles her and she jumps to her feet, heart racing. Her father brought her to the Duskfire festival every year. She, Sarah, and Andrew would play games, devour sweets, and buy small trinkets with their allowance while their father spoke with his fellows. Her mother would join for a few hours to make sure she was seen, but she couldn’t stand the cold.
Were they here? Her stomach turns as she whips around, searching the pale, still faces around her. She rushes between the macabre pillars, slipping and crashing onto her knees several times in her hurry.
There are so, so many in the ice, and to study each face is overwhelming. They begin to blur together as her eyes fill with tears. She sees her former neighbors, an older couple who hosted parties every week; a girl her age named Opal Lisson, who had made fun of her freckles when they played together; a man whose name she did not know, but her father had muttered to her that he was “new money”; Marcus Gray, an older boy her mother wanted Sarah to marry one day; and so, so many others she knew.
She finds them near the ferris wheel, where her father must have been observing the new clockwork mechanisms while others were busy with the religious rituals. His eyes evaluate the steamworks, a hand raised to his chin thoughtfully. Her mother stands beside him, looking bored as she scrutinizes the wardrobe of a woman frozen nearby. Andrew, between them, looks to the sky, eyes wide. His finger points up, and Blythe follows it but sees nothing in the air but darkness. His mouth is open, as if about to ask a question.
Blythe touches the ice separating her from her family delicately, ignoring the chill. She stares up at her parents. Her father’s tight brown curls are edged with silver, the lines in his face deeper. Her mother is as beautiful as ever, but the unnatural stillness of her body makes her look like a porcelain doll. Blythe hovers her hand over her mother’s face, trying to touch her, but the solid mass of ice stops her fingers.
The tears fall from her eyes, freezing to her cheeks. Her godmother hates her mother, but she does not. She loves her. She loves her father, though he sent her away. To protect them, he wrote. Protect them from her curse, from fates worse than death. She did as he asked, and they were supposed to be saved. Is this a fate worse than death? Or are they just dead?
Fate. She was fated to be here, in the ice with them. But she wasn’t, because her godmother had gifted her a crown. She lost everything else, but she has a crown. Blythe looks back at the web of souls gathered in the center of the square. She wonders which are her family, and where they will be sent.
She begins to comb the area, looking for Sarah. Her older sister always tried to mimic their mother, acting with aloofness and disdain towards “childish activities,” though she was only four years older than Blythe and two years older than Andrew. Blythe expects to find her accompanied by her giggling friends, within sight of their parents but not stiflingly close.
But she does not find her. Not within sight of their parents, not further away. Had Sarah stayed home? Was she elsewhere in the city? Blythe searches for almost half an hour, peering through the ice frantically, ducking between unfrozen people who sob or stare in stunned silence.
Blythe notices Marlie through the pillars and runs towards her. She is about to call for her help when she sees Ms. Sable, frozen. She gasps, covering her mouth with a hand, and very slowly approaches Marlie, tears gathering once again.
Session 16 (4/13/22)
Xai 30, 3e658
Session 15 (4/6/22)
Xai 30, 3e658
Session 14 (3/30/22)
Xai 29, 3e658
Session 13 (3/16/22)
Xai 29, 3e658
Session 12 (3/9/22)
Xai 29, 3e658
Session 11 (3/2/22)
Xai 29, 3e658
Session 10.5 (2/16/22)
between Tai and Xai, 3e658
Session 10 (2/9/22)
Xai 29, 3e658
8 Months Pass
Tai - Xai, 3e658
Over the course of the next few months, Blythe begins to visit her fairy godmother more and more, mostly keeping it to herself, although she shares with Marlie when she's in town. She cautiously begins to learn more about magic and her own power from her godmother. In the most recent weeks, she has even begun to explore the “dresser” further, traveling the strange forests and experimenting with the power of imagination.
in the time between Tai and Xai (8 months):
learn fairy godmother is a bann sidhe, delivers the souls of children to “a place of peace”
she is a grandmother among other bann sidhe, who bring her souls
2 brownies live in the hut with her godmother
Blythe is not to go beyond the dead trees surrounding her godmother’s area; a dark, misty forest lies beyond
the satyr, Braegan, occasionally gives her godmother homemade goods (not just magically created), and says that she is the guardian of the forest
godmother cares for man-spider’s daughters at times, braiding their hair and feeding them
godmother tells her just before the session starts that she will be away for three days
Blythe works on a book for Drevlin, a collection of parchment bound with a string, about the things she’s seen in the dresser, an attempt to mimic academic books with descriptions of fauna and flora as well as her adventures traveling
Elli has been excommunicated from the church and is now staying at the Pickle house, delivering letters to make money; she has claws
Cordelia befriends the tabaxi merchant’s son, Chi-kui, and sometimes brings him to the house
Marlie visits around once a month with her mother
the upper floor of the Pickles house is repaired, with a sewing room and library
Indy is with the Squalls, training to become a paladin
his creepy friend Brighid watches our house with her ravens
Session 9 (2/2/22)
Tai, 3e658
Session 8 (1/26/22)
Tai, 3e658
Session 7 (1/12/22)
Tai, 3e658
Session 6 (12/8/21)
Tai, 3e658
Dirt and Grind
(Text Chat)
early days of Tai, 3e658
leaving the industrial district and entering Lowtown
old man with missing legs and one eye approaches us to ask for a copper, or a “nugget of brown” (drugs), or booze
diseased, fungal-infected chickens linger in this district
Blythe hears a gunshot nearby as they’re walking, and gurgling sounds emerge from a building nearby, cut off by another shot
a man emerges from the building with a shaved head, beard, brown skin, blue eyes, dark leather armor and sleeveless trenchcoat, dragging a wereboar behind him; he finishes off the wereboar with a silver shotgun
Gammas’ house, right next to the lycanthrope’s
Gammas wears robes similar to church robes worn by Elli and Indy
too loud for Blythe, she sits outside
Marlie screams from inside the house as she clutches the iron box given by Gammas and her skin changes (“repels the shining ones”)
as we leave, see other hunters with the first: a woman with pale skin, pointed ears, and violet eyes in leather; a shorter human man in plate armor with an amulet of a beast-skull forged from metal
Session 5 (12/1/21)
Tai, 3e658
Blind Spot
(Text Chat)
early days of Tai, 3e658
Marlie’s mother’s cart in the market
she asks us to deliver a package to Mr. Gammas on the west side of town (Lowtown)
cross through the industrial district, where kids covered in soot work in factories
Blythe quotes her father: “This is where the hard work is done.”
(Post Session)
Blythe references the children covered in soot, again quoting her father: “That’s the best they can do for themselves.”
Blythe explains guns to the girls, talking about black powder exploding and moving bullets
Session 4 (11/24/21)
Tai, 3e658
Sunlight Sonata
(Text Chat)
early days of Tai, 3e658
leave the manor and head to the market to see Marlie’s mother
see a group of five wealthy children around 10 years old harassing a tabaxi merchant, including Maric Vulcanus
Elli yells at them to stop, attracting their attention even as Cordelia, Drevlin, and Blythe tell Marlie, Elli, and Indy to leave it be
as a fight begins, Cordelia bites Maric and is beaten to unconsciousness by him and the others; Blythe throws herself over Cordelia’s body
to end the fight, Maric forces Elli to kiss his boot
the tabaxi merchant heals Cordelia
(Post Session)
Blythe learns from Cordelia that re-growing your teeth within a day is not normal
Elli calls Blythe brave for protecting Cordelia, but Blythe denies it
Session 3 (11/17/21)
Tai, 3e658
Haunted Homebrew
(Text Chat)
early days of Tai, 3e658
inside the old manor, piano music and children’s laughter
an ethereal man plays the piano
a note falls from him as he disappears, which Indy shares: “talked about a place where all of us would have a toy and food and be warm, but....we'd be dead”
children’s book on the floor, with a picture of a female knight with long golden hair looking up at a prince in distress in a tower: “Radulfo, Radulfo send me a sign, as the quest declares if I rescue you, you’re mine! Let me take you away to my kingdom of gold, where we will grow old. Together we will rule my kingdom with glee with me, you and our children three!”
in another room, a wedding dress begins to dance on its own, and Cordelia picks up a bracelet, at which point Blythe’s horns begin to vibrate again, and Cordelia witnesses her memories of her family on the wall
Katty jumps out at us in a room with a blazing fireplace, and begins to telekinetically move objects
she says her friend Gooby taught her how to do it
Gooby pops out of the fireplace, and Blythe’s horns vibrate strongly; he bamfs out of the fireplace and gets in Blythe’s face, calling her a fairy
when Indy tries to help her, yelling at Gooby, he throws him into the wall
Gooby hates yelling because “his old family used to yell a lot, then one day the daddy painted the floor with the mommies head juices , and then the metal men came”
Blythe apologizes to Gooby and he reappears
“Matilda’s bracelet” plays good memories and dreams; “Master Leopold’s books;” “Master Johansson Brock”
Gooby tells Drevlin that he can’t give him magic “but Maggie can”
the book Drevlin took, Empire in Crisis, is Maggie; Drevlin begins to “talk” with her
(Post Session)
talking with Gooby and Katty
tells Blythe she has a fairy godmother
Blythe plays ball with the others using mage hand
Blythe begins to cry as Elli asks her if she has siblings, and they all cry together
Session 2 (11/3/21)
Tai, 3e658
The Haunting on King’s Way
(Text Chat)
early days of Tai, 3e658
BB arrives at the Pickles house and announces that Katty is missing, has entered an old manor on King’s Way where they say “old man Brock” died
supposedly the knights who died in the war still linger here, not knowing they’re dead
approaching the manor, Blythe feels a vibration in her horns
Cordelia, frightened by Indy and Elli’s approach, bites Indy
(Post Session)
Drevlin on metal men: “When I was a kid they came for my dad. We used to have to hide from them. He was a great wizard and they murdered him for it. I saw them do it.”
Session 1 (10/25/21)
Tai, 3e658
(Text Chat)
early days of Tai, 3e658: Quiluna
ten years ago thousands died in the Ogre Wars
Kelsa Pickles, half-elf girl, leader of the Pickle Kids
other Pickle Kids include: Barnibus (BB) Breadsman, Katrina (Katty) Breadsman, Helwyn Vandercross, Dax Trembly, Drevlin Murdock, Cordelia Joxer
Drevlin brings two newcomers to the house: Elli and Indy, from the church of the Architect
Elli is pleased that Blythe is “different like” her with her crown
Helwyn says that Blythe has met a fairy queen, her horns are a crown, and she should be treated like royalty
Helwyn says that “bag men” from the church threw her family “into the dark”
Kelsa bursts into the house with Haygar, who has been stabbed
To the Streets
Shad 5, 3e657
Blythe yawned, torn from slumber not twenty minutes before by her father’s manservant Raoul, who bade her to dress and prepare for a carriage ride. She looked up, blinking bleary eyes at the gold-plated musket that hung on the wall above her head. She sat outside her father’s office, cocooned in a fine, hooded green cloak. She reached up, making sure the strange, bony protrusions that sprouted from her head two weeks ago were hidden beneath the hood. She touched one of the spines lightly; it was still tender from when the cook had tried to saw it off earlier that week. It hadn’t worked; nothing had worked, and her mother cried all the time now.
The door to her father’s office opened and she dropped her hand, sitting up pin-straight. Raoul exited, closing the door before she could see her father inside. He tucked a piece of folded paper into his jacket and stood over her. “Come along, Miss Blythe.”
She hopped off the couch. “Is father coming?” she asked him.
“No,” he told her. “Come along. Quietly, now.”
She followed him, wondering why they were going to the back of the house instead of the front, where she usually boarded her family’s carriage. Raoul led her out the kitchen door and into the dark street, where a small, unmarked carriage waited. She climbed inside at Raoul’s gruff command and curled up on the seat, clutching her hands together nervously. Raoul entered beside her and rapped his knuckles against the wall, and the carriage jolted forward.
The windows were blacked out by dark curtains. “Where are we going, Mr. Raoul?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.
“The lower city,” he replied, brushing aside a curtain to glance outside. “Someplace quiet for you.”
“Oh….Um, why?”
He dropped the curtain, and she shrunk back as he pointed at her bony crown. “That’s why.”
“Is there someone who can fix it?” she asked, brightening.
“No,” he said, and she wilted again. He leaned back, looking again out the window. She hugged her arms around her chest and tried not to cry.
The silence stretched on, suddenly broken by the sounds of raised voices outside and glass shattering. She jumped at the noise, looking to Raoul with alarm. He continued to stare out, ignoring her. The noises varied as they continued. Sometimes moaning, sometimes raucous laughter, sometimes a cry of “alms!” During a lull in the chaos, the carriage juddered to a halt.
Raoul opened the door and stepped out, waiting for her. She peeked outside. This street was unfamiliar to her, almost too narrow to fit the carriage. Piles of filth littered the ground, and large rats scurried into the darkness. “Get out, child,” Raoul said, and she hesitantly jumped to the muddy cobblestones.
“Can we go home, Raoul? I’m scared.” She clutched her cloak tightly around her.
“You can’t go home, Miss Blythe,” Raoul replied, digging in his jacket pockets. “This’ll be where you find your home now.”
Blythe looked around uncertainly, beginning to shiver. “What do you mean? Mr. Raoul?”
“You’re cursed, child, it’s plain to anyone with eyes.” Her bottom lip began to quiver. She had heard them whisper “cursed” as she lay sick in her bed, all the servants and mother and father. Raoul pulled out a small pouch and the folded piece of paper. “Your father explained it for you in this letter here,” he continued, handing her the paper and pouch. “Don’t try to find your way back. You won’t be allowed back in, no one will acknowledge you.”
She took the paper and pouch into her hands. Raoul was speaking far too fast for her to understand, but she knew what he was saying was bad. Tears fell freely from her eyes, and she gulped to speak. “B-but, I didn’t…B-but…c-can we just go home, p-please, Mr. Raoul?” she pleaded, looking up at him.
He sighed, shaking his head. “I think it would be kinder to drown you in a trough. You won’t last a winter out here.” He bent down to her level as she blubbered incoherently and grabbed her chin. “Take that money from your father and hide it well, find a nice warm spot to yourself, and take whatever food you can, wherever you can.” He dropped her chin to unfold the paper in her hand. “Now read your father’s letter, I’ll need to take it back.”
Sniveling, she wiped her eyes and looked at the letter. Seeing her father’s familiar handwriting brought on a new rush of tears, but Raoul shook her shoulder and she froze in fear, quieting slightly. Teardrops stained the paper as she read:
Blythe,
Family is the most important thing in the world. You will not understand now, but you will understand one day; you are saving your family. I do not want to lose you, but neither do I want to lose your mother, or Sarah, or Andrew. We cannot let them be devastated by this cruel curse. Your new life will be hard, but your mother, sister, and brother will be safe. I know you love them, as we love you, so please, stay away for their sakes. There are many children like you in the city, and you will find a home with them. You can have a new name, a new family, a new life, and you will be happy because you have saved your old family from fates worse than death.
Forgive me if you can.
Father
Raoul slid the paper away from her as she finished reading. She sat hard on the ground, curling around her knees as she sobbed. She did love them, she did. She loved her father, her mother, her big sister Sarah and big brother Andrew. So because she loved them…she had to leave? Forever?
Seizing her brusquely by the arms, Raoul set her on her feet. “Alright, child. Like I said, find someplace warm. Don’t be making so much noise.” He placed a hand over the coin pouch. “Tuck that away, now. People’ve been killed for less down here.” He glanced up and down the dark street and patted her shoulder. “Gods preserve you, girl.”
With that, he climbed back into the carriage, and in a moment it was gone, and she was alone.
Over the next three days, Blythe lost her cloak, her boots, and her coin purse to other denizens of the streets. Every door she knocked on was slammed in her face, each alley she attempted to sleep in was already home to feral animals or angry people, and always the cold and the wetness was present, digging into her bones.
Kelsa Pickles found her half-delirious with hunger, shivering beneath a cart. That night in the Pickle house, warm and satiated for the first time in days, Blythe wondered if she could be happy again, if she could find a new life, and a new family.
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