Session 7 - Tears in Reality
General Summary
The three day sail back to Ebenring pass relatively uneventfully. After the first day of sailing, Iva toasts the beginning of summer, but the chilling wind that blows makes you doubt that she is correct. By the time the ship approaches see the mainland, the snowstorms that have perpetually plagued you since coming north have finally died down; and although it remains cold, you can finally see the sun.
Skara and Ronove meet the group at the dock. They learn that Amon has been horribly injured by Skara's magic, and is recovering in Zubarin's old house. Aragon goes to check in on him.
Ghostclaw, Arimanthos and Wilvert head to the general store. Ghostclaw decides to give the Castillo ring he found the week before to Arimanthos as well as the money for the suit of armor. Wilvert greedily eyes the loot, and gets a warning from the elf. The shopkeeper shows interest in buying the Oricalcum, too much interest for Ghostclaw's liking. After Arimanthos and Wilvert leave, a knife is drawn. Ghostclaw threatens the shopkeeper, and is banned from the store.
Skara gets word that the newly crowned Queen Rose Stoker has summoned them to an audience. All but Aragon and Amon attend.
"You will need every advantage you can get if you hope to beat the demon lord. I do not offer this to you lightly, will you do whatever it takes, sacrifice whatever it takes, to destroy him once and for all?" the queen states.
The queen takes them to a wall tucked away in a far corner of the castle. Inlaid in the wall is a carving of Ebenring, around it snowstorms blow. Rose grabs craved pieces of the wall and they begin to move. Etched winds glide across the stone wall and descend onto the carefully chiseled castle. A hidden room opens before them, walls and floor bare. A stale smell hangs in the air around the room as Rose enters and a bitter cold is felt. An arch of wood stands in the center of the room, trees that seem to have twisted together and died. Cold emanates from glowing ruins, the old tongue, unrecognizable to any of them. The permafrost and dirt crunches beneath their feet.
Rose stands before the arch, her hand runs down the stone, "Even my father is unaware this exists. Entering this place pulls at the very fabric of reality. I found this place when I was a child. This is old magic, when you leave this place everything might be different, I might no longer be queen, or perhaps I died hundreds of years ago, found by those who hunt my kind. But more likely good will come of this. If the chosen one is among you, he might tug at fate. It is a roll of the dice."
Fenrir is the first to run through, followed by Wilvert and Roger. Slowly the rest of the group enters, one by one, leaving Rose alone in the long forgotten room.
Blackness consumes each person who enters. Eyes slowly adjust to the pitch black, and the group finds themselves in a curia.
A Winter Witch stands before a table, "Who is to be first?" she holds out a deck of cards.
Roger is the first to stand before the table. He draws a card called "The Vision". He is grabbed by an unknown force and lifted three feet up into the air and begins to scream, but not in pain. He seems overwhelmed.
"To see the future can overwhelm even the strongest of minds," the witch laughs. "If you can see what is to be, do you even have choices or is everything predetermined? Imagine knowing your future mistakes, but knowing that if you try to change it, you could doom your friends." She cackles loudly. "I showed him his salvation, but I cursed him with the knowledge of what must be sacrificed to achieve it." Suddenly Roger falls to the ground, a glyph has burned into his hand.
"I understand what I must do," the normally jovial Roger spits at her, "The light curse you, but I understand."
Arimanthos steps forward next, he draws "The Betrayal". A glyph burns into his had but nothing else. Wilvert draws, "The Juggler"; another glyph appears. Suddenly the gnome feels a surge of strengths and the glyph fades. Nath hold his hands over the deck, and draws "The Courtesan" as a glyph mars his skin. Skara picks "The Joke" causing Fenrir and himself to draw an extra card. Fenrir chooses "The Dance" and feels more aware of his surroundings before the glyph fades.
When it comes back to him, Skara picks "The Cricket" and is given a chance to draw three more cards. He greedily draws them and gets "The Hidden Truth" "The Locksmith" and "The Uprising". Four glyphs appear on his skin, and one fades as he realizes how nimble he has become. Fenrir now picks his, and he chooses "The Survivor" as the burnt mark appears. Finally, it comes to Ghostclaw. "The Wanderer" is chosen, and the mark appears.
With everyone done, the Winter Witch sends them back to Ebenring Castle. "I have given you what is required, never return to this place, unless you intend to serve me until the world breaks."
They enter the throne room. "21 days," the queen says, "when I went there I was only gone 2. You had started to worry me. Much has happened, I am glad to have you back."
Castillo has stopped sending food to the capital. It will be hard to feed an army, much less raise one without their support. A new faction has risen up, the Band of the Broken Staff. All races, all countries, young men flock to the banner. Rose doesn't know who leads them, just that they are against the towers existence. The royal forge to the north has stopped sending weapons. Finally she suggests you find someone adept in raising and commanding armies.
Rose reveals that when she entered The Beyond, she was given the gift and the curse of vampirism. After a short talk, the group decides to address the issue of the forge, and rumors of a great general heading there.
Arimanthos tells the queen he wishes to say goodbye to Alice before he leaves.
"Why?" asks the queen indignantly. "She has withdrawn her support for me, and you two have never been on good terms anyway."
Reality hits Arimanthos hard, and he sees "The Betrayal" glyph fade.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments