Promises - Cursed Compass

General Summary

As the last angel falls it calls out to it's lord asking for aid and a sound as though reality is tearing erupts from the ground. From the fissure a huge radiant being emerges swinging for the group.
The being quickly notices Myra concentrating on the protection for Sarya and takes her out with a well placed lightning bolt dropping her to the group. Amelie is able to buffer people with her twilight sanctum and her Dream angel quickly restores Myra to functional. Hagren takes to the air on Trenchcoat providing cover from the sky while Raijun and his clones dance in and out on the ground. Even as the being calls down divine retribution the group stands stalwart until as both Dream and Nightmare attack they drive their powers through his skull he appears to match the color of Amelie's eyes as the glow menacingly. As they attack the group sees flashes of the time Amelie has been locked in the prison, other parties, other rooms.
"I have waited so long for my release," Amelie's voice echoes, "I have banded both sides of fate to come home once more."
As the being is destroyed it's body erupts in a brilliant power which knocks the group into another memory. The group is standing on a mall, 75 men in military uniforms standing at attention before them. Each soldier looks forward in a single direction, staring attentively at their commander. A tall dark skinned man with short hair, his uniform is immaculate there is not a single thread out of place. You notice on his collar 3 donuts with dots in the middle they are horizontal, each red.
The group wears a consistent uniform, black, with a skull embroidered onto the sleeve. Another soldier approaches the commander and hands him a piece of paper.
Everyone in the group recognizes the commander as Abio. Abio reads reads the note though his face seems puzzled. Everyone catches the text of the note. It reads, “We have a most urgent mission requiring 5 of your soldiers, send them forward, this is an extremely dangerous mission and they may not return. — Bèipàn Zhě”
“Ruben, Hale, Barlow, Klein and Morton, report to the front,” Abio commands. Five men leave the ranks and walk to the front, each tall and muscular. “Follow this gentlemen you have a mission of thee upmost importance from General Bèipàn Zhě. Do your best, fight with strength and determination, do not embarrass the Blades.” The five men walk away.
A week passes and the men are again standing in their ranks, Abio standing at the front. A messenger steps forward and hands him a letter. Myra and Sarya note that the text is the same as the last, “We have a most urgent mission requiring 5 of your soldiers, send them forward, this is an extremely dangerous mission and they may not return. — Bèipàn Zhě” Abio looks bewildered and upset, addressing the messenger, “None of my men from the previous mission have returned, what is this mission?”
“I am only the messenger”
“Curtis, Gould, Ellis, Owen, and Hashim report to the front. Follow this gentlemen, you have a mission. Be extra careful as your comrades did not return. Ensure you fight with strength and do not give up or give in, you are the pride of Slekul and the blades.” The men walk off following the soldier.
Abio steps away as the scene shifts bringing another general into focus. “General Bèipàn zhě what is this mission you have been sending my men on?”
We have a most secret and important mission, no one but those involved are to know about it, not even you Abio.”
“I know about most missions and generally sit in on tactics meetings. Why am I excluded from this?” Abio demands.
The general's curt, “Because you are a Commander. Do not question your superior officer.”
“Yes sir,” Abio replies.
Another week passes and the scene seems to resets again, another soldier appearing in front of the men as they are marshaling.
“Oh hell no," Abio grinds, "Lin, Jin, Topias, Xander report to the front." As the group notices that Abio doesn't even look to the paper the messenger delivers. “Soldier let’s go”
The soldiers salute, “Yes sir.”
As the group walks away the messenger begins to tell them of the mission to retrieve sacred artifacts from a mysterious cave. As they leave town, they arrive at the skulltree and a mesmerizing pattern appears just before the vision blacks out.
The scene shifts and the group finds Abio awakening in a dungeon, tied to a table with ropes.
“What are you doing here ant," the lich sneers, "I am sure the King would be quite displeased if you were used for this testing. I will send word.”
“Wei Yu, free me fool. Why am I tied to this table?”
“Don’t say my name ant, I cannot have you snooping around, it would be bad. That fool Bèipàn Zhě didn’t check who was going on the missions. You should only be here momentarily after his highness responds to my sending.”
“If you harm my men, I will have your head”
“Idle threats will not help you ant," Wei Yu laughs as he walks away.
Abio struggles just bending his knee enough that his hand can reach into his right boot. In his boot is the knife his father gave him, that he fought to reclaim. He cuts his restraints and begins to move towards cages in the corner of the room.
Wei Yu re-enters, “Oh seriously now? You are exhaustingly persistent and annoying. I will have to restrain you in a better fashion.”
“Wei Yu where are…”
Wei Yu says an incantation and the pattern that appeared in the field appears again but this time the memory doesn't fade. The group sees Abio drop and as he does Wei Yu levitates his body back to the table. He pick's up Abio's knife from where it had fallen and slices across Abio’s carotid. Blood sprays from Abio's neck like a geyser. Wei Yu says another incantation and the bleeding slows, no longer immediately deadly, though blood trickles out. Wei Yu tosses the knife on the table and walks away.
We watch the minutes pass as we see Abio breathing shallowly. A soldier walks in and runs to Abio, pulling out a key and unlocking the shackles. He shakes Abio awake. “Commander, are you ok? He seems to have slit your throat, but you are alive.”
Abio gasps for breath as he becomes conscious, “Where are my men?”
“They have already been used to test whatever they are doing," Padilla whispers, "it’s some type of necromancy, but I don’t know what it is. They seem to be ripping the souls out of people’s bodies, but Wei keeps saying it hasn’t worked yet, it hasn’t created it. I have no idea what it is.”
Abio looks solemn, a single tear drops from his eye, “Then I shall have to avenge them, where is the magistrate?”
“Commander you can barely stand, you are in no position to fight, and if I am being honest, his magic is too strong for you. You don’t have the magic or capabilities to do anything against him. Twice he’s put you under a spell and there was nothing you could do.”
“That doesn’t mean I won’t try,” Abio wheezes as he picks up his dagger off table.
“If you try you will lose and be unable to avenge your men, or help anyone, least of all your family.”
A look of concern fills Abio’s face. He nearly drops to his knees, the word family echoes through his mind he hears his words, “I swear to the sun, the moon, the mountains, and the oceans that I will love you deeply, passionately, that your happiness will be my desire, and your safety my mission, I will give anything and everything to protect our family.”
“I can help you escape," Padilla continues, "there is a pipe in the sewers that leads out of here.”
"Show me.” They make their way through the dungeon into a sewer. “Why are you helping me, I have never done you any kindness.”
“But you have, thrice now. You saved my life when I stole your knife, you could have left me bleeding to death in that alley, but you stopped and fed me a potion. You saved me the day I came back with news that the then Prince was captured. Months ago you came across me and my lieutenant was beating me with a stick and you ordered him to stop, I was late that day and the Lieutenant would have killed me, he told me prior if I was ever late again he would kill me, and he is a man of his word. He had me transferred afterwards, but your kindness saved my life, I know I would have died that day if not for you. You saved my life thrice, and now I will save yours.“
The group can't see the monsters that appear at the end of the hall but they hear the sounds of something large approaching.
“Go around this corner," Padilla hurries, "there is a drain at the end of the hall, the bar on the right is weak and can be pushed aside, take the path and you’ll go free.”
“Come with me,” Abio wheezes.
“I believe today is a good day to die, I have repaid that which was paid to me, the months you gave me gave me time to appreciate life, to drink heartily with my friends, to love a woman. So, if today I dine in hell, then today is a good day to die.”
The words 'good day to die' echo in the memory as Padilla's voice almost transitions into that of Kanai begging him to run to choose a good day to die. Padilla draws his sword rushing forward, “Now, run you fool!”
Abio runs. He runs past the gate, runs until his arms hurt and his feet bleed. He runs for himself. He runs for his family. He runs for all that he cherishes. The day passes. Abio has slowed to a walk as he trudges through a snow storm with a trail of blood behind him, clothes tattered, bruises, blood dripping from his neck. He looks up at the sky exhausted, tears from the pain of the last day forcefully falling from his eyes. He can tell he doesn’t have enough energy to proceed anymore. He sees a cave up ahead and enters chuckling, “Today is a good day to die I suppose.”
He collapses against a wall, the blood that had been dripping from his neck begins to run in a steady stream until it is fully reopened. The scene pulls back as we watch his eyes close, his grip on his dagger lost as it rolls to the ground as the scene goes black.
A deep cackle manifests from the darkness, “Ohhh, so that’s what happened with him. I was never sure. He disappeared from my table. Let me show you my favorite part of this story.”
The scene reopens, this time a vision of three people. The lich stands in the background as the boy who was formerly the prince addresses Amelie. “Diviner find me Abio.”
“Yes my Lord,” Amelie replies. Amelie completes an incantation and her eyes go white as she attempts to scry on Abio. It fades quickly and another incantation with a message is tried. “My Lord, Abio cannot be found, he is no longer with the living”.
“Find his body," the King demands, "bring him to me, search far, search wide, bring his body to me now!”
“That’s not my favorite part though," Wei Yu comments, "the King was furious with me, I thought I might have to leave the kingdom. But then I came up with a wonderful idea, I simply told him Abio found out about our experiments and ran from his duties. That he ran from him." Wei Yu chuckles, "The rage that filled the King's eyes. I don’t think it was duties, but definitely knowing he left him, that hurt his pride”
The scene shifts again showing a city street. There’s a house with red and yellow flowers around it. They are in bloom, the iris’s of the flowers are big and beautiful. The smell from the flowers fills the air, it’s a mix of citrus and cinnamon. Myra recognizes the flowers around the house are the Dutch Carnival Dahlias Adama has previously described.
The king approaches the house knocking on the door, “Is Abio here?”
A muffled voice through the door, "No, I haven’t seen him for several days”
Guards enter the house to search. They walk past two children, a boy and girl. The girl is holding a doll and the boy barely past the age of crawling is teetering. He runs towards the King excited with his arms out as if he sees someone he knows well. King turns his back and stalks out of the house.
Outside he joins Wei Yu and Amelie.
“My Lord," Amelie offers, "if he has shirked his duties, abandoned the kingdom, and gone missing, it must be done.”
“My lord," Wei Yu speaks up, "you know what must be done, he betrayed you, he left you.” “I do not believe it,” the King rejects. The group can see the pain in the kings face, the tears that drop from his cheek. He does not want to do this.
Wei Yu places his hand on the Kings shoulder. The King shakes with rage and anger, you can see him holding back. The King’s hand shakes as he releases a massive fireball engulfing the house, screams can be heard coming from inside. He throws a second, then a third, fourth, finally a fifth fireball on the house already composed of flames and incinerating.
The scene fades as Wei Yu's voice provides the last comment, “That was fun. I never liked that ant.”
The group reappears back where they had felled angels, covered in their divine blood. Myra turns to Amelie, "Why?"
Amelie looks subdued, guilty, tired, "For her. It was always only for her."
Myra nods, picking up a stone that appeared in the body of the final giant of the angel. She casts see invisibility but it seems their lich friend is out of sight. She looks at the group defeatedly and walks heavily over to the last sigil and places the stone in its center. As she does there's the sounds of locks clicking as the group can practically feel the large ornate door at the end of the room opening. They silently make their way over until they are standing in front of it.
Myra pulls out two coins and her hands flash in a pulse of warmth as she hands the newly minted warden's coin to Amelie. "I know we are souls so maybe this is giving you some of mine and is a terrible idea. But its not like we've had any good ones recently. I know where your daughters were, out there. I don't want to say anything in here, prying ears and all. But if you find me I owe you a debt. Though it seems like our companion may not be so favorable toward you."
Amelie thanks Myra and says she has a debt in kind to repay to her, especially as she wasn't able to fulfil her previous promise. She says that she has confidence that they will meet again and the two embrace in goodbye. Amelie then makes the rounds of good-byes to the others shaking hands or hugging where allowed.
As she steps up to the door Myra calls out, "I know what we saw but Amelie I pray that the next time we meet we are on the same side again."
Amelie smirks, "Yes that would be most unfortunate for you otherwise," as she steps into the light of the door.
The group pauses for only a moment longer in the prison before Myra ushers them all through the door to follow. As the scene changes they find themselves in another twenty by twenty room and the group has to stifle a groan as the notice the lich standing at the far end next to another door. The lich comments that that all went quite well, that we performed better than he expected. The group is silent seemingly done with his games. The lich baits the group and Hagren draws his pistol with the lich egging him on. When Hagren chooses not to shoot saying there's no point the lich laughs saying that we are merely children. As Hagren goes to walk forward he collides with an invisible wall of force. The lich laughs again offering a partnership but when none of the group responds, sighs saying it would be easier to just kill us now and keep us out of the way. The lich laments that he's a man of his word though instead cautioning the group that next time we meet he won't be so nice reiterating that we should stay out of his way. With a flourish he exists through the door on the far side of the room and the wall is dispelled enabling passage.
As the group passes through the door they find themselves in another memory. Before them, a wrecked house. There is nothing there but ashes. What was once a lavish residence has been reduced to charred wood, and melted bricks. Kneeling in the rubble is Tsama, Abio, or Adama. The group appears about twenty feet behind him. As they approach they see him slits his hand with the knife from his boot and swear to avenge them.
“I swear on my life, my soul, on my very being, I will avenge thee, I will see justice done. For your love, for your beauty, for the lives my children could have had, and as a family we should have had together. This I promise to the gods, this I promise to the devils, I promise to hell, and heaven we will have our revenge against the four beings most responsible for this.”
He reaches down and picks up 4 stones, his hand dripping with blood. The young man fades away, his short hair and tattered clothes replaced by the Adama you know, his long hair, fire sword on his right side, shield on his back, a more aged brow.
As he kneels he begins to sing,
“How do I say goodbye to what we had?
The good times that made us laugh
Outweigh the bad
I thought we'd get to see forever
But forever's gone away
It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday
I don't know where this road
Is going to lead
All I know is where we've been
And what we've been through”
“This entire time I have been stuck here, stuck in the ruins of my former home, in the ashes of my former life. The day my family died was the worst day of my life and I wasn’t even alive for it. This day was a nightmare. My soul broke this day, like a window shattered into pieces, and swept away, leaving me with the emptiness of the frame that remains. This day was the second worst day of my life, I knew I couldn’t get my revenge then. I knew that I didn’t have the capabilities to seek revenge against those that had stolen my family from me, Padilla was right about one thing, Wei Yu was more capable than I. He was overwhelming in his capability. I didn’t know then he was a Lich or that necromancy had stolen my family, my life, and my world. I spent the next year learning what happened, slowly capturing people and squeezing information from them. I realized I could not accomplish my task as a samurai, that I needed a capability with magic. The Manten Liche forces have many war wizards, they are common and they are great as battlefield tacticians. I decided that day, I must lose much of my skill with the sword so I could train with magic.“
Adama Turns towards the group, looks at everyone in the group looking them in the eye, starting with Raijin he stars at Raijin, remembering when they first met, Raijin sitting on the barrel on in Greenport, he remembers the head but bar fight. His eyes move to Hagren, looking warm and caring, in his mind plays him and Hagren in Greenport trying to force the half orc quartermaster to give them information. From Hagren he stares at Myra thoroughly, examining every inch of her face, then looking at hers hands, he checks her eye brows for inflection her cheeks for expression he analyzes her posture, he begins to think of the fight in Nightwell and how she nearly sacrificed herself to save Kymil. He finally smiles at Sarya, with a look of understanding, a look saying sometimes we do what we must. His eyes moving back to focus on the entire group and take in the Wardens, though they do not regard him nearly as warmly.
“So you’ve seen it all then. Who I was, where I’ve been, what I’ve done. I don’t ask for your forgiveness for my transgressions, only that you accept me for who I am, that you accept that the bricks for my road were laid decades ago, that today I am merely walking it. My soul is laid open and bare, I am a naked man whose clothes have been torn asunder by his nightmare. There is little you have not seen, and even less that I still hold as sacred. What would you like to know?”
Myra steps up asking what the four stones were. Adama answers that they are for his wife, his children, and his men, commenting that he doesn't mourn his life as he died long ago.
Myra asks how much he could see of us and Adama replies that he could see it all, that he was trapped here as well. Myra asks if he has remorse for any of his actions, her look pleading. Adama cold replies that he has no remorse mentioning that some of the memories were just bad days. Myra looks like that might have been the last straw, as though she was holding out for some justification, some hope for his redemption and now that too has been crushed.
She soldier on but pivots to asking about the lich and what Adama learned in his years of hunting. Adama explains that the lich's name is cursed so that he knows the location of anyone who says it as though through the use of the scrying spell. Myra asks if this is related to why none of them can hear the prince's name and Adama agrees that the lich taught the king erasing his name for any who did not know it previously.
Myra comments that its not her job to measure the weight of Adama's soul but she hope that he doesn't want our forgiveness for he will not have it as she grabs Sarya's hand and they start down the path leading out of hell. Adama calls out that he doesn't want their forgiveness with Sarya only commenting, "Perfect because you won't get it," before disappearing down the path with Myra.
Adama goes to Hagren and asks if something happened between Sarya and Myra and Hagren shrugs. Hagren comments that the lich will probably be coming after them and Raijun comments that we can take it cause we are the Wardens of the Weave, slipping into the Wardens dance before realizing that the tone of the scene is wrong. As he concludes the three look to each other before quietly following the women down the path.

Solemn Silences

The group comes back to their senses in the positions in which they had fallen into the compass some sore from the positions they had fallen asleep in. A loud pouding is at the door and Hagren goes to answer. Outside the room stands a relieved Meko and Persistent.
Meko comments that it had been some time and they were getting concerned, he asks if they had had a long night after they left. Hagren explains that it was something to that effect but it felt a lot worse. Meko says it must have been a good hunt. Hagren corrects him saying that it left a bad taste in their mouths, but Meko says that they must mind the journey.
Meanwhile Persistent has entered the room and is inquiring if it is normal for people to sleep in a group like this. Hagren says sure and Persistant comments that if might have faired us better if we were closer together for warmth.
Myra intterupts to ask how long it's been and Meko informs them that it's only evening of the night they left. Myra comments that we should be shoving off soon, commenting that she'll meet everyone back at the ship as she dives off the deck into the ocean. Meko volunteers Persistant and himself to go get any last minute items and they head off. Sarya comments that she's going to take a walk and Raijun says he'll join her. Hagren goes off to pack as Adama is left alone in the room, the compass left on the floor where it had fallen.
After the group has all left Adama sinks to the ground, head in his hands and begins to cry. He allows himself to cry for a minute before punching himself in the chest to knock himself out of his stupor. Pulling himself together he takes a breath, "Alright you know what you have to do," he comments as the casts mage hand picking up the compass and dropping it into his bag.

Quiet Skies

As the group makes their way back to Reach Hagren checks in with Rand, who he finds tinkering in the lab. Rand indicates that he has been working on Hagren's idea of a smaller containment device for Reach and asks if Hagren prefers a wooden or metalic exterior. Hagren suggests that he might like a combination of the two causing Rand to push two objects that were previously hidden by paper into the trash and say that he'll start working on it. Rand also indicates in his study of Reach that he's noticed that the boat doesn't seem to know what time period it's in, this comment upsets reach who says that it won't stop them from discovering more information on how to defeat their enemies.
After checking that everyone made it to the ship Hagren tells reach to set a course for Drel'Themar, the easiest port to access on Glemios. Reach confirms Hagren's order, comments that the journey will take about three days, and asks if Hagren would prefer to fly or sail. Hagren chooses to fly taking them up just above cloud level to give them some cover from those below.
On thier way Hagren notices a group of three ships sailing below them but the group decides not to investigate. Hagren uses the time to train with Trenchcoat on their dexterity feeling that his accuracy could be improved further from the last couple of fights the group has encountered. Hagren also asks Trenchcoat to work with Myra on creating some alchemist fire that he may be able to use in combat. Trenchcoat successfully makes three pots of alchemist fire with minimal issues.
The group talks briefly about their plans once they get to Drel with Myra suggesting that the fastest way to get to Kolis-tane would be through the train. She also suggests that if Hagren wants to make and modifications to the boat Drel would be an excellent place to do it as they are renowned for their shipcraft. Myra asks if there is anything else they want to do while in the port and the group remembers the bounty previously placed on Myra by the red scarves. As the bounty is over ten-thousand gold and they could use the money to help defer ship costs the group suggests that it might be a worthwhile use of time. Myra sighs and asks Hagren for the manacles suggesting it would be better for her to get practice in now then and spends the three days trying to get better at picking their lock.
Sarya and Raijun take the time to do some training of their own while Raijun also works on his plan the great cape heist or "Order 67" as he calls it. The group reaches Drel'Themar with little issue Hagen landing just out of view to not draw attention to themselves.

Welcome to Glemios

As Reach approaches the group notes the city before them, a clocktower projecting from the center with a glowing light of a light house emanating from it. They see puffs of white smoke from the back of the town and a flurry of activity in the harbor.
As they approach they notice that the docs seem to be divided into places for normal shipping as well as many section carved out for drydocks and ship craft. The group sees a range of ships flying different flags including those of Lions Crest, the Carrefour, and Kolis-Tane. As they pull up to the dock they spy three large grey half orcs in well tailored suits making a bee-line for the ship. Those they pass seem to give them a nod of deference and are quick to move out of the way. Myra nods to Hagren suggesting he take the lead as they approach.
Hagren hails them and they introduce themselves as the local chapter heads of the Bow Breakers, complementing Reach and Hagren. Hagren introduces him self and the leader of the group introduces himself as @Croth, the nephew of Seamile Otman. Crothu asks Hagren about Reach's name and when Hagren replies the "Divine Reach" Crothu instinctually touches a symbol on his ring, though Hagren is too distracted by the blood in the ring to notice the actual symbol. Crothu mentions that the Wardens helped out his uncle and he is confident that we will be able to come to some kind of deal in terms of an upgrades or repairs that Hagren wants. Crothu mentions to come talk to him when the group is ready to sort out all of the details after we are settled and we can finalize a deal. Hagren shakes on it and the Bow Breaker dock workers begin towing the ship to a location.
The group gathers to go ashore and into town Myra beginning to take the lead. Myra pauses at the end of the dock, perplexed, as many people seem to be walking around in clothes and colors identical to her own. Even more concerning many of them seem to be manacled and walking with others. As another blonde woman passes she mouths to Myra "I love your make-up." As three more would be Myra's pass Myra sighs, "Well everyone, welcome to Glemios."

Report Date

13 Apr 2022