GHG Session 23: Choices, Sacrifices, and Nothing Earned
General Summary
Month 9, Week 4, Year 918
To: Jezean Heshtara
From: Phaedra of Orem Jezean, I am writing again as things on the ground have changed drastically, and I need to talk to someone. When last I wrote, I expressed frustration at accommodating teammate idiosyncrasies and questionable moral choices and bemoaned my incompetence as leader of the Fantastic Few. It has all blown up since then. Read through Rutik's articles to get a more detailed summary of our ‘heroic’ exploits, but you won’t get the full story of how I lost faith in this group:
In the battle at Vivaldi's creepy warehouse, Argus used the unconscious body of a minion to bludgeon his enemies. That was the first red flag. It was disturbing, but even more unsettling was his remorselessness and casual justification for such brutality. I independently went back for the body and paid for her burial at a pauper’s gravesite. Ysmyreldra would not help me, caring more for her personal safety than doing the right thing. Second red flag.
And then we met Jezebeth Rahal. It took me like 30 seconds to realize the Aetherforged Project was a path to a dystopian hellscape where malevolent ghosts, now with physical forms, overran the continent--starting with the Union. My teammates' first solution? Kill Jezebeth. Third red flag. Oh, and it turns out that the mage Zan'kiri is a necromancer Gith* that consumes souls and not food for sustenance. Should have been a red flag, but I was hopeful (and naive) regarding him. I thought I had convinced the team to let Jezebeth live when I contacted Kirby who used his authority to order her to shut the project down. That coupled with the intel I gathered regarding her contacts for THEM should have been sufficient, but some of my teammates merely plotted to kill Jezebeth behind my back. No, I don’t know which ones. But the really awful thing is all of them could have/would have.
We had many actual successes: killing ghosts, eliminating giant mutant Sauhaugin, and foiling the plot of Bianca Avon's minion Ryuna. But after an incident at a creepy farm outside Ardin our differences became too apparent to ignore. There were also a few incidents where my colossal bad judgement and uncontrolled magic left the party ready to either kill me or excommunicate me. (Jezean, it just kept getting stronger and stronger no matter how much I trained and danced!) Things were bad and getting worse, so I resolved to leave the FF before we prepared to enter Bianca’s aqueducts.
Bianca had her classic villainess plot: kill everyone and usher in an era of elven ghost rulership of the world. And she was well on her way to succeeding when we finally set out to vanquish her. What is that saying? No plan survives first contact? Jezebeth, miffed about Kirby shutting down her mad-science-project, picked fights with everyone except her lover Argus. Then someone killed her, denying us the promised Hero’s Feast meant to protect us when we confronted Bianca. The night before entering the aqueduct, the Shroud agent Windred attempted to probe my mind through magical means. Even though I had resolved to tell the party of my affiliation when the time was right, having it torn from me unwillingly was absolutely unacceptable. I know you warned me about my anger issues… but all the same I stalked away from camp. As I was leaving, Ys tearfully begged me to stay and Argus reminded me how much I cared about the people of Ardin, but anger and fear won the night. No rest for me though; I feared what might happen if I slept. Between ghosts, the negative energy, and my own damn party, I was not safe. Despite my exhaustion, I committed to following the FF the next day and assist with Bianca’s defeat before formally parting ways.
The meet up was awkward, but the FF needed another combatant and they knew it. Then all hell broke loose (as it does in these instances). First we accidentally murdered Horton, one of the town’s people we were trying to save, when Bubbles accidentally spilled acid on him. I rescued our agent Horace along with the remaining halflings, but between the trauma of the last few weeks and Zan’kiri’s fear tactics it may take weeks before he can be assigned to the field again.
When we finally made it to Bianca, the aqueduct walls closed us in. Now the option of running (not that I would run, but it had been discussed in the FF’s final civil planning session) was officially off the table. With no outlet the water swelled filling up our section of the aqueduct, but fortunately Windred had cast water-breathing on us all an hour earlier in preparation for this eventuality. Bianca manifested, called us half-breeds and mongrels, and invited us to sacrifice ourselves to usher in her post-mortal revolution. We obviously declined, so she just as obviously called upon her chunky undead minions. Smasher and I got in one good hit before Bianca’s necromantic aura knocked me out. It wasn’t the first time I had fallen in battle, but it was the first time where I was uncertain if I would be brought back. Things had gone that badly between the party and I.
I was dreaming about Bubbles and their icy tentacle and Zan'kiri with a catapult when I felt my spirit transition. I was in an ocean on a rickety boat that broke apart in a lightning storm. Would I die for real when I couldn’t swim anymore? I panicked. And then I met Seevo. I know I was never very religious, but as part of my travels, I have developed an appreciation for the version of reality Seevo subscribes to and have been dancing and praying to him for a few weeks now. His healing potions have ‘interesting’ after effects, and he is not self righteous like the Ageless One can sometimes seem. Apparently he has heard my prayers. The first time we met, he protected me from Mershaulk who until then had continued to stalk me. Now he looked down on me and stated the obvious: “You done fucked up.” In exchange for letting him change my magic, I was brought back to life. Jezean, the wild magic surges are gone now! I have complete control over my magic and I now know spells that will help me keep others alive. It is the greatest gift I have ever received.
Awake, I began to taunt Bianca, but Seevo redirected my anger--I guess it can be done. We killed her and most of the minions. I was able to help one leave of their own volition. Then Jezebeth reappeared or something wearing Jezebeth’s face. Her giant form towered over us all in a sleek, gray suit. I am assuming it was the ‘Grey Hat’ we had been hearing about for weeks had struck a bargain with Jezebeth, and she was ready for revenge. Ys had just passed out, many of us were injured, and Argus was MIA. I didn’t want to leave without Argus, but Seevo told me to run. I refused to leave anyone else behind though. Despite the bad feelings of the past week, I needed us all to make it out of there alive. Zan'kiri had Ryuna’s skeleton cure Ys and help guard our exit.
And we ran.
I hate to think what would have happened if we hadn’t chosen to hunt ghosts all those weeks ago. If the Fantastic Few were off being muscle in the Calothosk Ruins or slaying monsters in Thorvald, the residents of Ardin may have been genocide victims before greater powers were called to arms. For the record, I AM proud of my FF work portfolio, but I cannot stay with these people. Even Ysmyrelda, my friend, has begun a slow descent towards evil. The new beginning she received from her re-awakening is fading, and she is falling back into her old Talzerine habits. I guess that is where her heart truly lies. Bubbles is redeemable, but too close to Ysmyrelda, so they will not follow when I leave. They are learning to read and may one day decide to join THEM. Their path is theirs to choose; I can no longer influence it. Zan’kiri (soul stealer) and Windred (Shroud agent) I can happily never see again. And Argus (body basher) is dead ... I hope, because the alternative is so much worse.
As I look back at all these scratched words, I realize that I write this letter more for me than you. Much of it is just venting, so I thank you for the kind attention you’re giving me and I hope to hear back from you. Any advice you have for my path forward will be invaluable. I plan to team up with the Redscale Rumblers. Rutik Kapuscinski said they were last spotted near Rochelle in Despero. This keeps me in good graces with THEM as I will still be associated with the GHG, plus Seevo kind of suggested that is where I should go next. Until we meet in person-
Your Forever Grateful Friend, Phaedra
PS: Sorry this writing is so tiny. I had a lot to say.
PSS: Someday I will dance the “Life Cycle of a Ghost” for you.
PSSS: Mission Title- Team Harmony Extremely Mercurial
To: Jezean Heshtara
From: Phaedra of Orem Jezean, I am writing again as things on the ground have changed drastically, and I need to talk to someone. When last I wrote, I expressed frustration at accommodating teammate idiosyncrasies and questionable moral choices and bemoaned my incompetence as leader of the Fantastic Few. It has all blown up since then. Read through Rutik's articles to get a more detailed summary of our ‘heroic’ exploits, but you won’t get the full story of how I lost faith in this group:
In the battle at Vivaldi's creepy warehouse, Argus used the unconscious body of a minion to bludgeon his enemies. That was the first red flag. It was disturbing, but even more unsettling was his remorselessness and casual justification for such brutality. I independently went back for the body and paid for her burial at a pauper’s gravesite. Ysmyreldra would not help me, caring more for her personal safety than doing the right thing. Second red flag.
And then we met Jezebeth Rahal. It took me like 30 seconds to realize the Aetherforged Project was a path to a dystopian hellscape where malevolent ghosts, now with physical forms, overran the continent--starting with the Union. My teammates' first solution? Kill Jezebeth. Third red flag. Oh, and it turns out that the mage Zan'kiri is a necromancer Gith* that consumes souls and not food for sustenance. Should have been a red flag, but I was hopeful (and naive) regarding him. I thought I had convinced the team to let Jezebeth live when I contacted Kirby who used his authority to order her to shut the project down. That coupled with the intel I gathered regarding her contacts for THEM should have been sufficient, but some of my teammates merely plotted to kill Jezebeth behind my back. No, I don’t know which ones. But the really awful thing is all of them could have/would have.
We had many actual successes: killing ghosts, eliminating giant mutant Sauhaugin, and foiling the plot of Bianca Avon's minion Ryuna. But after an incident at a creepy farm outside Ardin our differences became too apparent to ignore. There were also a few incidents where my colossal bad judgement and uncontrolled magic left the party ready to either kill me or excommunicate me. (Jezean, it just kept getting stronger and stronger no matter how much I trained and danced!) Things were bad and getting worse, so I resolved to leave the FF before we prepared to enter Bianca’s aqueducts.
Bianca had her classic villainess plot: kill everyone and usher in an era of elven ghost rulership of the world. And she was well on her way to succeeding when we finally set out to vanquish her. What is that saying? No plan survives first contact? Jezebeth, miffed about Kirby shutting down her mad-science-project, picked fights with everyone except her lover Argus. Then someone killed her, denying us the promised Hero’s Feast meant to protect us when we confronted Bianca. The night before entering the aqueduct, the Shroud agent Windred attempted to probe my mind through magical means. Even though I had resolved to tell the party of my affiliation when the time was right, having it torn from me unwillingly was absolutely unacceptable. I know you warned me about my anger issues… but all the same I stalked away from camp. As I was leaving, Ys tearfully begged me to stay and Argus reminded me how much I cared about the people of Ardin, but anger and fear won the night. No rest for me though; I feared what might happen if I slept. Between ghosts, the negative energy, and my own damn party, I was not safe. Despite my exhaustion, I committed to following the FF the next day and assist with Bianca’s defeat before formally parting ways.
The meet up was awkward, but the FF needed another combatant and they knew it. Then all hell broke loose (as it does in these instances). First we accidentally murdered Horton, one of the town’s people we were trying to save, when Bubbles accidentally spilled acid on him. I rescued our agent Horace along with the remaining halflings, but between the trauma of the last few weeks and Zan’kiri’s fear tactics it may take weeks before he can be assigned to the field again.
When we finally made it to Bianca, the aqueduct walls closed us in. Now the option of running (not that I would run, but it had been discussed in the FF’s final civil planning session) was officially off the table. With no outlet the water swelled filling up our section of the aqueduct, but fortunately Windred had cast water-breathing on us all an hour earlier in preparation for this eventuality. Bianca manifested, called us half-breeds and mongrels, and invited us to sacrifice ourselves to usher in her post-mortal revolution. We obviously declined, so she just as obviously called upon her chunky undead minions. Smasher and I got in one good hit before Bianca’s necromantic aura knocked me out. It wasn’t the first time I had fallen in battle, but it was the first time where I was uncertain if I would be brought back. Things had gone that badly between the party and I.
I was dreaming about Bubbles and their icy tentacle and Zan'kiri with a catapult when I felt my spirit transition. I was in an ocean on a rickety boat that broke apart in a lightning storm. Would I die for real when I couldn’t swim anymore? I panicked. And then I met Seevo. I know I was never very religious, but as part of my travels, I have developed an appreciation for the version of reality Seevo subscribes to and have been dancing and praying to him for a few weeks now. His healing potions have ‘interesting’ after effects, and he is not self righteous like the Ageless One can sometimes seem. Apparently he has heard my prayers. The first time we met, he protected me from Mershaulk who until then had continued to stalk me. Now he looked down on me and stated the obvious: “You done fucked up.” In exchange for letting him change my magic, I was brought back to life. Jezean, the wild magic surges are gone now! I have complete control over my magic and I now know spells that will help me keep others alive. It is the greatest gift I have ever received.
Awake, I began to taunt Bianca, but Seevo redirected my anger--I guess it can be done. We killed her and most of the minions. I was able to help one leave of their own volition. Then Jezebeth reappeared or something wearing Jezebeth’s face. Her giant form towered over us all in a sleek, gray suit. I am assuming it was the ‘Grey Hat’ we had been hearing about for weeks had struck a bargain with Jezebeth, and she was ready for revenge. Ys had just passed out, many of us were injured, and Argus was MIA. I didn’t want to leave without Argus, but Seevo told me to run. I refused to leave anyone else behind though. Despite the bad feelings of the past week, I needed us all to make it out of there alive. Zan'kiri had Ryuna’s skeleton cure Ys and help guard our exit.
And we ran.
I hate to think what would have happened if we hadn’t chosen to hunt ghosts all those weeks ago. If the Fantastic Few were off being muscle in the Calothosk Ruins or slaying monsters in Thorvald, the residents of Ardin may have been genocide victims before greater powers were called to arms. For the record, I AM proud of my FF work portfolio, but I cannot stay with these people. Even Ysmyrelda, my friend, has begun a slow descent towards evil. The new beginning she received from her re-awakening is fading, and she is falling back into her old Talzerine habits. I guess that is where her heart truly lies. Bubbles is redeemable, but too close to Ysmyrelda, so they will not follow when I leave. They are learning to read and may one day decide to join THEM. Their path is theirs to choose; I can no longer influence it. Zan’kiri (soul stealer) and Windred (Shroud agent) I can happily never see again. And Argus (body basher) is dead ... I hope, because the alternative is so much worse.
As I look back at all these scratched words, I realize that I write this letter more for me than you. Much of it is just venting, so I thank you for the kind attention you’re giving me and I hope to hear back from you. Any advice you have for my path forward will be invaluable. I plan to team up with the Redscale Rumblers. Rutik Kapuscinski said they were last spotted near Rochelle in Despero. This keeps me in good graces with THEM as I will still be associated with the GHG, plus Seevo kind of suggested that is where I should go next. Until we meet in person-
Your Forever Grateful Friend, Phaedra
PS: Sorry this writing is so tiny. I had a lot to say.
PSS: Someday I will dance the “Life Cycle of a Ghost” for you.
PSSS: Mission Title- Team Harmony Extremely Mercurial
*Gith is the possible name for a race of beings that primarily inhabit Ekal’s moons. They believe the Ageless One brought them to Ekal to battle the Sunken God against their will and want revenge. I reported all this to Nebin**, but he is a tool and may or may not have included it in his report. So I am also telling you. THEY need to know when a group of people with deep animosity towards the Ageless One have the power and will to do something about it. I have a big imagination, but even I couldn’t make up something that crazy. **Yes Nebin, I know you have probably opened this letter and read it prior to delivery, and I don't care.
Rewards Granted
- Everybody in the party reached lvl 6
- Phaedra re-joined the party
- Argus left the party
Character(s) interacted with
- Bianca Avon - An Elflands imperialist corrupted into a wraith by Gray Hat
- Horton, Horace, Henry, Henrietta, Other Henry - some of the halflings abducted by Bianca Avon's spirits
Report Date
24 Aug 2021
Primary Location
Featured Players
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