Session 4 - Kohdama's Cryptic Letter
General Summary
The mysterious and unofficial leader of the Bastion, Kohdama the Blind Seer, has summoned you to meet with him. A militia guard named Brenuin arrived in Tent Town late last night, delivering a sealed scroll to the party. The contents are as follows:
Hearing the call to action was Tork, Yellow Al, Ivangelo and Fossil. Together they traveled with their guide Brenuin, a human crossbowmen with the militia, down the southern banks of the The Plateau and into The Lowlands. They hiked for a few hours deep in old growth forests before coming to a deserted encampment. Tork found signs of Goblin tracks, and the party became wary of an ambush. Using Fossil's Pass without trace, they were quiet as they crested a hill and snuck up behind a goblin hunting party. Using this opportunity to their advantage, they ambushed the goblin hunters and a battle ensued. Tork charged the largest goblin, raging in bounding leaps and swings of his glaive. Yellow Al used stealth to his advantage, silently stabbing two goblins in the back. Fossil dual wielding her rapier and scimitar, fought admirably, while Ivangelo cast Sacred Flame to immolate a goblin into cinders. All of their enemies slain but one, Tork captures the last Goblin and questions her in Ghukliak (goblin language). She reveals mundane information about bandits, other goblin clans, or beasts in the area - but nothing useful. Tork lets his glaive do the rest of the talking, and the party is on their way.
Continuing, Brenuin eventually leads the party to a Secluded Grotto. The ominous mouth of a cave peaks behind an overgrowth of vines and trees, however the entrance to the cave is across a freshwater ravine. Some loose stone pillars have made a faux bridge across, though it does not look safe. But Yellow Al has come prepared, providing a climbers kit and 50ft of rope. Tork takes one end of the rope, and Ivangelo takes the other end and uses misty step to cross the gap. They both then secure the rope to either side, and the party is able to cross the gap while holding the rope. Ingenuity rewarding them, everyone makes it safely across. Brenuin lights a torch and leads them deeper inside the cavern. A carved hallway and some stone steps downward, lead you to Kohdama who is sat meditating ominously in front of an ancient looking mirror.
Kohdama greets the party, and asks that they step in front of the mirror. Everyone sees their reflection, except for the militia guard Brenuin. Kohdama explains that this is Enoch's Mirror, a magical artifact designed to only show the reflection of those who are not from this reality/timeline. This means Brenuin is a native to Astara and from the timeline as expected, but Kohdama and the party are not. Kohdama reveals that he suspects you arrived for the same reason he did so many years ago, due to a metaphysical phenomena called The Echo that occurs every 50 years.
During The Great Calamity / The Heliocide, the collision of the two deities released such a massive amount of magical energy that it is theorized to have tore a hole in the fabric of reality. This tear has resulted in what is called an echo, or the resonating of magical energy (resonant energy), where energy waves will ebb and flow between two states of reality. Whenever this occurs, people from other realities are suddenly merged into the timeline almost seamlessly, as if they've always been there. Now stranded in a world familiar but different, these confused folks are known as Travelers. It is unclear why or how certain individuals are selected as Travelers, however it is thought that perhaps these individuals resonate themselves with a similar magical frequency as the echo, such that it pulls them along with it as it ebbs back into Astara.
Now revealed that you (the party) are all Travelers, victims of this magical disturbance, Kohdama explains that he too has had his trials over the years. Time operates slower in Astara, at about 1/10th the rate of other realities. Kohdama has been in Astara for 150 years, but has only biologically aged 15 human years in that time. Kohdama promises to help discover a way home, if there is a way home, and enlists the help of Brosk Druwar the Scholar to teach you about the world of Astara. With Brosk's library and scholarly knowledge, combined with Kohdama's journals and experience in both realities, a Codex of notes, maps and useful information is slowly - yet continuously, compiled for the party. (Unlocks Codex on Discord).
Hearing the call to action was Tork, Yellow Al, Ivangelo and Fossil. Together they traveled with their guide Brenuin, a human crossbowmen with the militia, down the southern banks of the The Plateau and into The Lowlands. They hiked for a few hours deep in old growth forests before coming to a deserted encampment. Tork found signs of Goblin tracks, and the party became wary of an ambush. Using Fossil's Pass without trace, they were quiet as they crested a hill and snuck up behind a goblin hunting party. Using this opportunity to their advantage, they ambushed the goblin hunters and a battle ensued. Tork charged the largest goblin, raging in bounding leaps and swings of his glaive. Yellow Al used stealth to his advantage, silently stabbing two goblins in the back. Fossil dual wielding her rapier and scimitar, fought admirably, while Ivangelo cast Sacred Flame to immolate a goblin into cinders. All of their enemies slain but one, Tork captures the last Goblin and questions her in Ghukliak (goblin language). She reveals mundane information about bandits, other goblin clans, or beasts in the area - but nothing useful. Tork lets his glaive do the rest of the talking, and the party is on their way.
Continuing, Brenuin eventually leads the party to a Secluded Grotto. The ominous mouth of a cave peaks behind an overgrowth of vines and trees, however the entrance to the cave is across a freshwater ravine. Some loose stone pillars have made a faux bridge across, though it does not look safe. But Yellow Al has come prepared, providing a climbers kit and 50ft of rope. Tork takes one end of the rope, and Ivangelo takes the other end and uses misty step to cross the gap. They both then secure the rope to either side, and the party is able to cross the gap while holding the rope. Ingenuity rewarding them, everyone makes it safely across. Brenuin lights a torch and leads them deeper inside the cavern. A carved hallway and some stone steps downward, lead you to Kohdama who is sat meditating ominously in front of an ancient looking mirror.
Kohdama greets the party, and asks that they step in front of the mirror. Everyone sees their reflection, except for the militia guard Brenuin. Kohdama explains that this is Enoch's Mirror, a magical artifact designed to only show the reflection of those who are not from this reality/timeline. This means Brenuin is a native to Astara and from the timeline as expected, but Kohdama and the party are not. Kohdama reveals that he suspects you arrived for the same reason he did so many years ago, due to a metaphysical phenomena called The Echo that occurs every 50 years.
Now revealed that you (the party) are all Travelers, victims of this magical disturbance, Kohdama explains that he too has had his trials over the years. Time operates slower in Astara, at about 1/10th the rate of other realities. Kohdama has been in Astara for 150 years, but has only biologically aged 15 human years in that time. Kohdama promises to help discover a way home, if there is a way home, and enlists the help of Brosk Druwar the Scholar to teach you about the world of Astara. With Brosk's library and scholarly knowledge, combined with Kohdama's journals and experience in both realities, a Codex of notes, maps and useful information is slowly - yet continuously, compiled for the party. (Unlocks Codex on Discord).
Report Date
16 Apr 2023
Primary Location
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