"Big" Geno Cabaretti
10/19/2024
Q: What is your favorite bird? A: Wereraven, because DTF.
BEGIN SESSION
Dawn rises, and we continue. Melfine, Marda, and I try to get some shuteye (WIS save – 13 – I get sucked into my book, only sleeping ~3 hours.) Yun and Petunia notice the volcano, verdant growth all around the area, and wings approaching. Druss does better, catching a glint from the back indicating armored riders coming to observe us. He waits until they’re a little closer to wake the sleepers. Golden eagles circle us, followed by a very young red dragon with a rider, a drider (spider-person like Quelaag), gripped around the dragon with all 8 legs to secure itself. The drider has a parasol and 60’s-style secretary glasses. They question why we’re here, and identify themselves as Miss Gray, and what we are looking for. Druss tells the truth about the soul stone, which we know may or may not be in Charring’s possession. They could guarantee an opportunity to talk to Bloody Charring instead of us just getting the runaround.
The dragon is named Chad, and Gray kicks like one kicks a horse to get Chad going. Chad is a little sour about it but does as instructed.
There is a small township at the base of the volcano, the capital of this domain. We circle around away from it, following Chad’s lead. This isn’t the way Charring would go, but the rest of us that couldn’t survive the main volcano entrance must use it. The lava tube is covered in a sharp glass (DEX save – 16 – no damage) and gash Melfine but miss the rest of us. Once we’re through the sharp glass segment, we can see Charring’s hoard. What once were piles of coins are now melted together into small mountains of precious metals. There is a sword plunged into the top of the gold mountain, and around us are Phase Spiders, but with an orange-red aura instead of the usual blue. The spiders are like worker ants busying themselves about the hoard. Further in, a massive, rotund dragon with one glowing yellow eye observes us. The dragon is laid upon a massive metal ship, long ago crashed.
Upon seeing us, the dragon perks up somewhat, probably in surprise at our arrival. He sits up, extending out his wings. We can see that the webbing of the wings is mended with gold, a la Japanese Kintsugi. Miss Gray leaps from Chad and heads to a lava glass desk area. She uses some legs to begin knitting, and others to arrange papers and begin taking minutes. Charring turns to glare at her, and then back to us. (INS – 26 (nat 20) – Charring had winced at Druss speaking in Draconic, so I warn Druss to switch to Common.) In Common, Charring asks what we have to offer for the trade that Druss had just proposed. Melfine takes over, noting that many of our magic items are probably already in the hoard, but also offers services. Some kind of Aasimar appears briefly, with a breeze that smells of fate. Marda slips out that she is currently marked/possessed by Asmodeus, and that we need the soul stone.
He shifts and shimmers, and fades in an Azer (fire dwarf) walking off the ship towards us. He is unarmed, and the kintsugi now webs throughout his arms. He rips of a piece of the metal ship to sit on, eyeing us expectantly. He admits that Asmodeus getting to the Material Plane would be at least inconvenient. We’re offered a test, since we seem stupid. He admits to having the soul stone, is not currently using it but was saving it for something.
I offer him the arrabiata sauce from Smallville (PER – nat 20+4 – he summons bread and eats it, loving it). He offers me some food after I admit to liking it, and several spiders appear with charcuterie boards. He talks about his domain with the Elemental Plane of Fire, and its proximity to the Hells. I agree to set up a supply line to distribute Smallville Arrabiata to Charring’s Domain. I eat the hottest of things (CON save – 15 – 10 dmg, Absorb Elements halves it to 5 and stores 1d6 fire damage to use on the next turn, but that’s not really relevant here.)
Miss Gray notices Melfine’s constant bloodiness and approaches her, asking if Melfine generally enjoys pain. There’s sofa king much tension.
Charring asks our names, which we give, except Druss but that seems to be accepted? I am Geno, 32nd son of the Cabaretti Family. Charring is offering exclusive trade rights to my Family, should we be able to meet the needs of His Domain. This would provide wealth for generations.
His demands: 1) elementals as the end of his domain trying to limit growth of the access point to the Plane of Fire. Elementals are probably of the opposing type, but we’ll still want fire res gear. The City of Brass will have cultural differences, don’t give names, don’t take contracts, we’re 2nd class citizens, ruled by ifrits, being there will hurt as it’s made of fire. They have good magic items since there are tons of scum and a measure of villainy there. The city is probably a half-day journey from the access point. 2) He wants the soul stone back. Melfine counters with demands Asmodeus not be released ever again. Charring promises not to do it on the Material Plane and not for most of our lifetimes, but he’ll have to do it eventually, as the stone won’t hold Asmodeus forever. Melfine just wants to protect Marda and her sister and needs the time to do so. Charring is amenable but is going to need a voucher for a future date requiring us to fetch him and magical, non-world-ending item. It won’t kill one of us forever, maybe just a little dead for a little while, or cursed, whatever. Fixing those temporary conditions will be on us.
We move out into the township at the base of the volcano, mostly made up of fire genasi. We go to The Fireside Inn to get a single room, in which we’ll up put the tent for everyone (1 GP for their silence and a wakeup call). The general store will have the fire res potions (1hr/50GP; Marda buys 6 and 2 standard HP pots), the armorist will have the fire res equipment (ring/1500GP, Garudo town slut outfit/1000GP, bracelet/1500GP; I buy an outfit without a second question).
Back in the inn, Druss erects the tent for us all. Because of the poor sleep before, I fall to sleep right after entering my room, face first on the floor. Druss has a vision from the Great Russet Sovereign Amberfern.
In the morning, the coffee is burnt and tepid. We load up on the barge and we’re off to see the access point. We see an assortment of large figures made up of whitish-bluish material, and a fire vagina soaring up into the sky. Some appear to be water elementals, but others are ice elementals.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6, +d6, +d6
9/28/24
BEGIN SESSION
Druss and Max head off to a forge/workshop, Rogair's Hammer. Melfine, Marda and I hit a bookshop on the way to securing travel means to Charring's domain. (INV - 22 - I find an old leather-bound copy of Hitchhiker's Guide to Dragon Island, and I Built a Gun and So Can You! - I could theoretically make a gun now. I'm thinking something like a blunderbuss that I load with silverware.) We head to the mail service and ascend to where the wyverns are stabled. Getting out of the elevator, we go to the help desk and secure passage for the team. Marda pays up and we have to sign an enormous liability waiver. We depart at sundown on an overnight trip to Charring's domain. The total trip is about a day and a half, each way.
Harrison is guesting for a few sessions. He is playing our pilot, Petunia Luneshade, an elderly half-elf woman (crazy cat lady type). The wyvern is Eggbert, or Egg.
We need to get everyone back pretty quickly, so we use the magic carpet. Taking a corner hard, Melfine spots Yun but I slowly slide from my position, only to be saved by Marda skewering the carpet and keeping me onboard. We gather everyone but Druss, who is going to have to meet us there, and head back to the wyverns. Sylvio can't use the carpet, so I will ride him there under the effects of Haste.
We board the barge which is situated behind the wyvern. Petunia rides on Egg but the rest of us are on the barge. I sit atop Sylvio, who is dug in and secure. I release my hair from the braids so that it can blow in the wind, plastering whoever is behind me with stray grease and oil. I am reading the HGtDI (INT - 18 - gain 1d4 on next survival check). I stay up reading as long as I can. (PER - 12 - a peryton, no 2, then more, are on the attack. They are dawn perytons) Combat ensues, and they die, almost exclusively on top of Druss.
We're just passed dawn, about 1/2 day into the journey.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6, +d6, +d6
8/24/24
BEGIN SESSION
Valorant City lies in the domain of Radiant Rhogair (golden adult dragon), the youngest of the Cabinet - the ruling organization of the dragons. As the youngest, he is considered the most benevolent. The other two I know exist - Eclectic Erend and Bloody Charring, both ancient in age; green and red in color, respectively. The only other large city I am aware of existing is in the territory of Burnished Bromand, an ancient bronze.
There are ships in port, and I recognize The Greasy Cog, a goblin trading caravel. Guards are waiting for us as we dock. In the air around us, there is an oppressive weight of magic that settles on our shoulders. In the guards, the highest ranking person appears to be a dragonborn (golden). They are all armored lightly or not at all, and seem to be casters. There are no gnomes, goliaths, or aasimars in sight, but every other race seems represented in the crowds around us. There are all kinds of rifts to other planes around the island, but they're always in the territory of a very old dragon and we would need to secure permission in order to enter territories other than the one Valorant City exists in.
Gail and Bellia show their documents for immigration. Yun and I have everything ready since we've travelled enough, Marda and Melfine have some from the Sanctum, and thankfully Max has everything for Druss, as Druss apparently lives off-grid in his own mind. The captain of the guard, Captain Larkin, wants to know why we're here and Yun, as Dr. Darwinstein now, says we're here on vacation. That doesn't go over, so they pivot to research, then to asking for an inn to stay at. They somehow don't cause an international incident, then Gale steps in to cover our asses and kill the fun.
Entering the city, we're told we have 48 hours of access but have to file petitions to stay longer. We also cannot leave the city without gaining more permissions and filing more petitions. The city smells heavily of magical smog and the crush of bodies. I lead the way to the agency so we can ask for longer access right out of the gate, and the office seems pretty empty. Most people around the island just kinda live here, not a lot of tourists. We find and fill out the forms, getting a 14 day visa for the island. We still can't leave the city, and don't know where we'd go first anyways.
We find a hotel, more like a B&B, on the 30th floor of one of the towers. We book 5 nights for 25 gp. Since the towers are magical spaces, opening extradimensional spaces (e.g. the handy haversack) would be very bad. We're going to a seafood restaurant at the top of the tallest tower, and along the way we see several laundromats, wizard sublets, and a beautiful antique shop which is on the base floor. We intuit that the antique shop owner owns the tower, otherwise why would that shop be there? There are all sorts of magical wonders to behold: time-wimey fuckery, gravity fuckery, a botanical garden, and an aquarium building.
Everyone wants to check out the antique shop, Genie's Wayfair. I am concerned about some of the crew getting us in some hot water, so I keep an eye on everyone while they shop. Druss goes for arms and armor, and Yun also looks for fashionable armor. Yun nearly falls into a deal with the Genie, but Druss is suspicious and tries to stop them from accepting the fetch quest of writing a Yelp review for a restaurant at the top of a tower. We're going to do it though, despite the possibly nefarious intentions of Genie.
We head off to the restaurant, and it's not excessively packed. The buffet is split between regular food in the outer strata and the dessert items in the center of the circular space. A host greets us and takes payment upfront. We all smash a good quantity of food, and I don't eat a single vegetable, it's a waste of space. Through the windows, we can see the expanse of the city abruptly end where a primordial forest takes over. Below a waterfall, we see something that very well could be another city. Something is swimming around out there, something very large. A massive shadow overtakes the building for a second, then screaming and cheering thunders from street level. Fireworks start going off, depicting elementals, dragons, and other beasties. The last few shapes are a bridge, a dragon, and an egg. Yun asks about it, and they are told Radiant Rogair has shown himself.
Yun then submits their Yelp review to the Yelp kobold that appears through the window. We get back in the elevator, and it takes us down below the ground, despite us pressing the button for the ground floor. It takes us to the 5th sub-basement, where the armor is sitting on a stand under the only lit lamp in the room. All around, it is extra super magically dark and very spooky. A Mage Hand from Yun disappears immediately upon leaving the elevator. Melfine tosses her chain dagger to grapple the armor to us, and needs a hand pulling the armor toward us. It comes, and the cursed book that is bonded to it charges to us, disappearing into the darkness. We duck and brace, and after a few seconds the book thuds against the back wall of the elevator, chomps around a few times, then falls still. We head back up to the ground floor for real this time, and are met with the suitcase Marda purchased. All items are delivered and the deal is complete, we hope.
We get back to the room, and settle in for the night. The spellbook belonged to Vaughn Varegoth, Yun discovers. It also changed languages for them. VV made a soul stone, and left it with Bloody Charring. We are going to need to get some permission to go to Charring's territory, the volcano area. I cast Identify on all the nice new things they purchased today. The armor is a +1 mithral shirt, plain and simple, but it's bound to the book and that's what's odd. That binding is now paired to Yun as well, and in that binding pulses necromantic power. The book will heal itself by drawing life from its bond. There is no sentience, but it does want to be bonded always. The book will also try to defend itself. No one can read the book that doesn't have permission, and it is a really well-made spellbook.
We go to bed. I dream of running from a lobster I had been eating, which is hard because I'm very full but also easy because I ate some of its legs. I run and run and get tired, then ride a shrimp like a horse, then circle back to eating the lobster, and repeat the loop until I wake up, let out a monstrous belch that reverberates throughout the city, and return to sleep. Yun wakes up missing their left eye, and the binding tattoos are more intricate.
In the morning, I dump it out hardcore, then sweat it out at the spa.
To get to Charring's domain, we have to go through Eclectic Erend's, Rusty Quail's (not in the Cabinet), and Copac the Clever's lands. We file the papers for the journey.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6
6/15/24
Q: What is your poop schedule like? A: Once a day, every day, about the same time of day.
BEGIN SESSION
Captain Gail is a little less than pleased with the dangers of travel, believing having us on board to be responsible. During breakfast, Marda asks if we all dreamed of Asmodeus (mistakenly. She meant Astrea), which we affirm. We're going to try to extract some knowledge from the magic scroll that drains life, a phenomenal idea if ever there was one. We're going to check in with Lenny first, covering Dragon Island and soulstones. He doesn't have much by way of help, but they do still have some old, filled soulstones. Pretty much nothing on Dragon Island. Goblin trade routes are only about 100 years old, and we know more than the rest of the world. We're about 1 day from Dragon Island.
Scroll touching time! Druss is going to touch it with his flesh arm first, fearing damage to the magical metal arm. In Marda and Melfine's room, I am using a long pole to hold the framed scroll in place while Druss moves in for the touch. Initially, he is injured pretty heavily and almost can't pull away. He does manage to get free, and some of the text appears on the scroll. I cast Identify on Druss's magical arm, to see if I can fix it and if it is more suitable for touching the scroll. The arm reeks of Necromancy; it is utterly covered in it. It allows 1 casting a Vampiric Touch per long rest; resistance to necrotic damage; if you absorb 100+ with Vampiric Touch, you get a free casting of Finger of Death; there is a maximum amount of damage it could take and become unfixable, even to me trying to fix it; there is also a hint of sentience in there. I pass this along to Druss, and anyone else listening.
Druss opts not to use the metal magic arm full of someone/something, but we're gonna try again. Druss touches the flesh, and quickly recoils. He looks startled, and says there's a voice in his head. It seems like his magical arm is awake now, and pissed. He tries to remove it, grunting in pain, ultimately failing to take it off. He says he needs to go sit for about an hour. It mostly seems like there is something going on in his mind, as he sits there still and almost unmoving. Yun Commands the arm to sleep, and Druss quickly removes it from his person, laying the arm on the deck. After a moment, the arm crawls about (Thing-style) and tries to move away, but I pin it to the deck. Yun Entangles the arm as well, then Druss summons his axe and goes to smash the arm. It takes a few more hits before Marda fully pulls it apart. A black spectre coalesces in the room, and Druss fucks off, joining Yun outside the cabin. This mind was Daja's ex, and she beat him to death with a hammer for raising tons of undead and bringing them to her for some reason. He was trapped in the arm as punishment for all eternity for this action. Spellen kinda reaches him and then Melfine bonds with him over the trauma of tons of memories flooding back all at once. The spectre is sort of brought up to speed on why we need the spell from the scroll and the soulstone, and mentions our need for a wizard (-_-), not knowing they're pretty much all gone. They have some back-and-forth trying to fix this man, but I mean, when has a dude ever actually been fixed? The spectre does slip that they used to be an elf. They eventually agree to stick around, and are going to store a spell (Magic Jar) in an empty potion bottle, which no one can touch until the time comes that Marda is again possessed by Asmodeus. Once she is possessed, she has to touch the thing and the spell will enact upon her. Then, we need 100 ft of clearance from the Jar in every direction.
The spectre does reassemble the magic arm, but it's not as good as we had just learned. He's saying his goodbyes and vanishes. Marda brings the now uncursed arm back to Druss, but he's too suspicious to put it back on. After Melfine proves it's safe, he puts it back on. It works, but is less responsive. We're going to move on to using the earlier advice to heal the scroll directly instead of sacrificing life from a party member. We get some more info, but to get the spell instructions, Melfine is going to have to Heal it a few more times over the next few days.
Evening comes, and we need to make a water landing before pulling into port. The seas around Valorant City are a fraught with dangerous features, but this is where we find ourselves. I precast Fly so that I can control myself better during the rough touchdown. Even when the floor lurches out from beneath my feet, I maintain my position in space, so it looks like I'm floating above the floor now. I maintain this altitude and wander the halls. I run into the folks with whom I repaired the hull after the kraken attack. They're fans, and I show off the wings by tuck-and-rolling through a doorway to show my mobility.
We pull into dock, and Yun scouts the city as approach. The horizon is brightening a little even though it's evening. Stormy notes that it is actually a very large angler fish, does a double-take, and runs to sound the alarm. The boat rotates around me, as I am fixed in space until I choose to move in the air. I get topside, and call Sylvio to me. Melfine lights up this angler fish with Guiding Bolt and Helen basically finishes the thing off with a wicked sick critical. Before death, Yun does Speak with Animals to tell the fish it'll die if it doesn't stop. But, it was too late to live, as Helen had killed it from within its closed mouth.
Melfine and Spike work to get the fish and its blood on board, and the chef is going to make some hot pot of it. Next session we're pulling into port, full of junk, down some arm function, and ready to party.
END SESSION
Ship HP: 400/400
INSP Inventory: INSP
5/18/24
Q: What is your favorite type of cloud? A: Cirrocumulus, for reasons of similarity to popcorn chicken.
BEGIN SESSION
Melfine's puppeted corpse is on deck, and Spike has the look of hunger about him. He manages to monch 8 toes before being stopped by Melfine. I engage in repairs for the ship, and the day moves to evening. I utilize the downtime after repairs to Identify the shiny bauble I'd found on the train. It is a gilded luck stone (d100 roll, 75 or higher it doesn't work that day. +1 to ability checks and saving throws. It's silver in color, and looks like the Chicago Bean, about fist-sized). The day ends, and some The Dreaming is afoot. While repairing the ship, I had made some friends with the thrillseekers on payroll, which is obviously who would volunteer to hang off the ship and fix the hull. They're bro-y and casual about the high-stakes things we went through, and we drink it up, maybe a little too much. I make my way to my bunk, the lower under Yun. I dream of a shop bursting with magical oddities, absurd as they are powerful. I can hear and smell family around, Aunt Rita is cooking up her famous bracciole, but I realize I'm not really home. I'm out adventuring, on the road gaining new experiences, and then I'm in a blank plane. Ricky, Mikey, and Sylvio are all there, and paths lead off to various futures. Sitting on a blanket, Astrea is there in full plate, but I don't know who she is. I move to the location, and am invited to sit. Astrea pulls charcuterie components from the picnic basket, and spreads them before us. They're a little off from traditional components, but all delicious. We never speak, but she tosses grapes at me. I spend a moment to calibrate, and begin trying to catch them in my mouth. The ones that miss circle the space around me, and I awaken. I can cast Melf's Minute Meteors now.
On day 3, the sun sets. Most of us are vibing on the main deck, listening to Yun pluck out a tune. Emerging forth from the Astral Plane is a fancy creature reminiscent of the Kraken that the crew had fought before. Combat ensues, and I order Sylvio to protect the rear ballista. I am grappled by a tentacle of the kraken, and when the captain takes evasive maneuvers, am left floating above the Astral Sea, further above the regular Sea. Yun fires off quite a blast against the main body, and then talks shit to it for a minute. A lot of fighting, hurting, and general chaos occurs, before a number of tentacles are beaten down. Yun issues a Command that the beast depart, and it does. The crew tries to shake the trauma of this event from their minds. Melfine collects Stormy the earth genasi's blood in a vial, maybe thinking they're flirting?, and cures his wounds. Melfine milks a tentacle for its blood, successfully. She also spends a lot of time with Stormy, doing some talking.
END SESSION
Ship HP: 344 (beginning) ; return to full 400 after repairs by me and the crew.
INSP Inventory: nothing
4/13/24
Q: The skyship is about to take off; how are you preparing, knowing how it went last time? A: Double- and triple-checking Sylvio's gyroscopic equilibrium manifold, which also calms me down.
BEGIN SESSION
The ship takes off, and down in the hold, Sylvio's claws dig into the ship's floorboards, giving me a very stable foundation to keep my feet under me during liftoff. During the weeks long journey, I'd like to work on an early detection system for attacks on the boat. I happen to have access to Alarm, and am going to work on getting it set up in gadget form for the ship. The sword was the knight of the North Star, Realt, like Lv. 20 Oath of Devotion Paladin kinda stronk, one who would find you in the darkness and bring you protection, helping lost wanderers, the right hand of Veizen. Their name is something similar to Astra, but giving the name back to the sword might make it not Marda's sword anymore, instead maybe granting us a dope friend for the final fight against the demon lord; their name is Astraea (ass-TREY-uh), and Marda is going to give the name back to them. DREAM TIME - (WIS save - 17 - I have a what if? style dream, wherein I never sell my shop, settle down with a childhood flame, lots of kids learning how to build their own Steel Defenders which we will Voltron together and conquer the countryside! I awaken in the hold with Sylvio, and the thrill of conquest fades from my mind, replaced instead by the visceral need to conquer a breakfast buffet instead.
Back in time to the first night in the air, Druss and Bellia got married by the captain! Everyone on the ship attended, Melfine made brisket and frog soup via Create Food and Water. I do some minor tinkering on a small orb, which I roll down the aisle timed to go off right after the first kiss of the new bride and groom, and it is a static display of fireworks popping off accompanied by the words "Congratulations, We're so happy for you, Get it!"
Day 3 in the air, (PER - 8 - probably not so good) Yun is up in the crow's nest, and sees a boulder flying toward the ship. They are able to warn the helmsman fast enough to dodge, but there are 3 humanoid figures ice skating through the sky towards the ship. Accompanied by a large rumble, a storm rolls in. Yun casts Fireball at the lead figure, and in retaliation lightning strikes the crow's nest, hurting Yun, as well as splintering off to kill two sailors. Belowdecks, I hear the sounding of the alarm, and metallic clattering alongside the hull. Then I notice a crackling alongside me in the wall, where metal rods in the ship appear to have become charged. The ship has a lightning dispersal defense skeleton?!? Sylvio and I race to the deck and man the rear ballista installation, with sailors as my loaders. We are under assault by storm and cloud giants, the bastards. From the back ballista, I Conjure Barrage and fire the bolt, critically striking the second giant to reach us, off the starboard bow. The leader (the only storm giant) and another quickly fall, but the third, which had fallen under Yun's Hypnotic Pattern, is released from their control when they summon 5 steam mephits and is in hot pursuit of us. Max pops into being near me on the aftcastle, panting and making oddly high-pitched mooing squeaks. After a few more shots, the third beast falls from the sky, dead. Then, the second one to fall climbs its way back onto the deck, falling limply to the boards. Melfine has somehow puppeted the corpse back up onto the ship for some unknowable reason. What an oddity.
Ship HP = 400 - 28 (giant #2 attack)+ 14 (Sylvio repair) - 42 (giant #3 attack)
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: emptier than my head
3/9/24
Q: How do you feel about going to Dragon Island and putting everything else on hold? A: Geno is very excited to go back, it's been years since he last made port in Valorant City. Since I've been there before, I have 3 contacts. I'm thinking something like a dockmaster, the person we would actually do the trading with, and a third person. I also am able to assure Druss that they are not thought of any worse than the rest of us smallfolk, as far as the dragons were concerned.
BEGIN SESSION
In the morning, Druss has to go talk to Bellia about our new destination, which seems to upset her a bit. Druss and Yun hadn't come back last night, but when everyone else wakes up, Geno isn't in the tent where they expect him. I've gone back to the ship, where Ricky was waiting, and begin a long cosmetic retooling. When I'm done, the Steel Defender now resembles a large lizard, lower to the ground and possessing a long tail. The detailed scales are filigreed and beautiful, and the broad head holds a flickering tonguelike sensor that darts out at regular intervals. Marda hears the voice from the sword, and stabs Yun with consent. The sword reveals they used to be a knight. Also, Helen can hear the voice from the sword, and goes silent around Marda. She can eventually fill Melfine in on this. Yun had bought an old banjo that was made of bone and carved with Draconic runes. Druss can't quite make it out since it isn't standard Draconic, but I can also read that language. I can see that it's actually Lizardfolk language, and that it is assembled incorrectly. I try to fix it, but hurt my hand on the spearhead first. After that, I make my way through the repairs and establish that a certain chord progression will extend the spear up and down from the main body of the banjo, such that the banjo is the middle of the shaft.
Sometime later in the day, we are attacked by sirens/harpies, which use their songs to get some crew members, including Druss, Bellia, and Tuli, to jump into the sea. Marda gets more info from the sword after doing some stabbing. It was a knight to one of the old gods, but the knight was forsaken by that god after making some sort of transition (masc to fem, it seems like, since they used feminine pronouns but the hilt of the sword is dick skin). After the battle concludes, Druss takes attendance and notes that we lost 2 sailors, who clearly couldn't swim. Sylvio and I bound down from the aftcastle and I introduce my newest (to them) companion. Marda gives him affectionate chin scratches, and Sly's tongue flickers around her head, testing what this diminutive shape means.
Melfine tries to communicate with her goddess using Divination, in order to determine which old god might have been responsible for cursing the sword. (I missed the verbatim answer, but something about the North Star. God of sailors, navigation, and more = Veizen. This is maybe our new frontrunner).
We are going to take off during the night, so the squad beds down for the night. A round of dreams washes through our sleeping minds. My dreams of riding Sylvio over magnificent fields, dreaming of a grand adventure, are indicative of the first few days at sea, where I wish to be anywhere else.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: nyet
2/3/24
BEGIN SESSION
The Raging Echidna wasn't in dock during that previous fight. We are now standing on the dock, watching the slaver boat burn. We hear the city guard charging this way from the main docks. Max really lays into Druss when we go to flee the scene. The clock runs out for us to flee, and the guards arrive along with folks from the Black Legion. The Legion now has authority here in the city, and can take over the investigation. We are interviewed for a bit, but Druss handles it with his Legion brethren.
We head back to the Dog's Breakfast for some food and rest. A phantom hand emerges from under a table, grabs some coffee, and returns to its dark abode. We all have some brekky (breakfast burrito, extra spicy; hash browns, scattered, smothered, and covered; a metric gallon of coffee). Retiring to our standard room, Melfine uses Sending to reach out to Dani about finding another soulstone, but they're super rare. Also, there has been chatter from the Hells. After a moment, a foreign voice erupts from Marda, talking to Melfine. It says that we don't have much time and that it can't wait to get Melfine back. There's a flicker around Melfine's person, and their Aasimar self alters a bit, changing wing structures and such. The voice is having a hard time maintaining a connection and Marda is bleeding out of their head holes. After that, it seems like the voice is gone and Marda is back, but unconscious and falling to the floor. Melfine springs to catch her, with her now 6 total wings wrapping about the two women, and the Heal spell flares to life inside the boundary made by the wings. It's now apparent that Marda came back to us with some souvenirs. She is mantled with a golden crown, which is leaking black ink down her face. Moving to stand, Marda also pulls the crown from her head, dropping what looks to be skin stretched between a wooden frame to the ground. In her other hand, there is a black sword with tendrils reaching up her arm. After falling to the floor, the wood of the frame petrifies.
Druss goes to read the scroll written into the skin, seeing it is a spell of binding. It is for binding souls into objects, or to other souls, or to places. The frame is spreading the petrification to the floor now, and it's not stopping. Yun uses Mage Hand to get it off the floor, and we cram it into the lead box we'd gotten before. Marda then drops the haunted crown in, and the crown's thorns retract as soon as it's not touching flesh. Next, Marda puts the sword on the ground. The blackening of her veins does not recede,, and her hand is sharper, more claw-like. Yun tries to investigate the item but can't. They then throw it at me to look at, and I reflexive catch the damned thing. I drop it quickly, but there is still some blackening to my palm. Druss uses Lesser Restoration and cures the damage. ARC - 30 it is the Soylent Sword; the skull, tendons, and knucklebones that make it up are human; it's necrotic and super cursed. Melfine then uses Identify: the skin - necrotic, a spell is bound to it that will bind it to the holder so they can't release it, it's infant flesh, it contains passive protection magic that will leech life (DC 17) from what it is touching, and it will show more spell(s?) after it leeches more health. The crown - divination/abjuration with a whiiiiffff of necromancy, abjuration protects it from non-chosen wearers, necro for the spikes, divination for a biggly good Scry and also 2 Portents a la divination wizards, requires attunement for which it is the choice maker, the blood from the barbs has been sucked into the crown. Sword - there's someone in the sword, evocation to freeze, 8 charges; 1 charge = Chill Touch; +1 cold/necrotic damage per charge spent; spend HP at midnight to put more charges in it; the poison in the hilt is 3d8 damage, when activated for 1 charge.
Dragon Island city we would make port in - Valorant City, a bubble utopian city, magical hub, but known tourist face for the island. It is not representative of the inner lands. Melfine reaches out to Garnet via Sending and says: Asmodeus using Marda to come [sic], soulstone dangerous, we're going to Dragon Island, can you come help us? and hears back: the size difference is a bitch, make sure you stretch; what do you mean soulstone bad?; you're going to Dragon Island? Where are you? She uses it again to continue the conversation, answering the questions and saying Asmodeus needs to die, receiving only "K" in response. Druss runs to take the rug off of the Teleportation Circle, but doesn't make it in time. Garnet and Druss meet in the stairs, then move on to the room we're staying in. Garnet kicks open the door, and demands an explanation about our trip to Dragon Island. We need the pure chaos essence of the Material Plane to fight the Prince of Lies.
Druss enlists the airship captain in our plan to go to Dragon Island, and Gale is down for it. We go to bed for the night, and all find sleep. I dream of a storm from one of my sea trips to Dragon Island. In the gaps between the lightning, I can see the outlines of dragons. Uncertain trips and times, I feel the pure chaos of the place around me. Sleep through the night.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6
1/13/24
Q: What is your best tavern story? A: Bar on Dragon Island, rigging up a magic beer bong for a young blue dragon to get drunk.
BEGIN SESSION
Druss asks Post where the boat will be coming in, and Post gives us directions to the exact dock. Detect Magic cast by me, and the second gem (opalescent, neon teal) is of the Conjuration school. The red gem is a battery that we can pump magic into to recharge or let it recharge slowly over time, and the soulstone is Necromancy. Identify cast by Melfina, soulstone is like the item Soul Jar and there's room for one more large soul. Trapping a Prince of Hell in it might complete some ritual. Then Melfina uses Divination to ask Solvene how to save Marda from becoming Asmodeus' vessel, answer: "It's a leap of Fate." Also, she had heard an angel screaming from inside the soulstone.
To get rid of all the bodies, Helen ghosts on through the totally normal corpse chute in the basement, for recon. She couldn't go all that far, but could tell that it was getting warmer. Posty is a follower of old god Briveer. Melfina needs more incense, which we can get from hookah bar (and other things) The Sacred Handjob.
Yun, Druss, and I head out of the city to talk to the Black Legion. We see Max and Leona doing triage for minor shit, like athlete's foot and such. They're mostly just teaching the privates how to act in order to prevent dumb illnesses. We hand off the info they'll need to get Baraxus suspended and the Legion into the city. Melfina, Marda, and Spellen go to the Sacred Handjob, where people are also smoking opiates. They purchase some incense.
We all rendezvous at the docks for recon. STE check - 15 (+5 from flash of genius) = 20 - I have done an Oscar the Grouch since this city isn't very goblin-dense. Yun changes shape and tries to gather some info from the dockworkers. They then make their way into the office to check the schedule. There are 2 guest badges, which Yun lifts. They can also see that Baraxus' dock is more active than the other private docks, has a too-large workforce, and the quantities don't line up, indicating a tunnel system through customs. The ship we're looking for will come in around high tide, about 11am.
Yun goes to the marine biologists' ship, seeing a goblin captain (who is a hired person, not an employee; named Jareth), a triton (Flotsam) and merrow (Jetsam) working on the ship. Yun readily befriends the latter two, learning that they're using SONAR to figure out how far the dragons are spreading from Dragon Island.
Melfina uses Clairvoyance and eventually finds a secret tunnel behind some dumpsters. During their shenanigans, I make coke-bottle binoculars. I see a ship I know, the Raging Echidna, captained by Jareth, a goblin captain famous for gaining many secrets whilst visiting Dragon Island.
We head back to the Dog's Breakfast to end the night, where Yun makes up the map of the area we scouted. Post can make us some copies of those passes to the private dock area. Melfina casts Tongues into the empty red spell gem. Yun and I are going back to the docks, so I can meet Jareth. Eventually, Yun scoops me and walks me into the private dock area. We get onto the ship, Yun greets the merrow in strange burbling sounds, asks about Jareth for me, and yeets me toward his back cabin. I land face down, get up, and make my own way into the back. Yun talks to the merrow, Jetsam, and asks about all of the extra munitions that were loaded onto the boat earlier that day. Jetsam has the gateway tattoo on their arm, as they are a member of the Undertow, like Yun. Yun flashes their own token of membership and engages in some light flirting. That progresses into a full plea for help against the Other Toe's incoming slave shipment. Flotsam is also in the Undertow, and the two of them are going to help. In the meantime, I go back to the cabin and see Jareth relaxing and Flotsam is nowhere to be seen. I get his attention and ask for the autograph. They're also from Cogswallow, and invite me in. I ask about the secrets they learned on Dragon Island, and if they'd ever gotten a blue dragon drunk, which they had not. They did learn all kinds of secrets on the island, and have tons of dragons, who gave their blessing, tatted all over their bodies. On their back is something I recognize, a Great Wyrm mercury dragon named Mad Meriwynd. They also have an ancient green dragon named Eclectic Er'And. Ancient Red called Bloody Charring, actually very kind, but killed a lot of people in the war and got that name. Burnished Bromand, an ancient bronze. Radiant Ro'gair, adult gold, and a recluse responsible for the sundering. These are the Cabinet of Dragon Island. Amberfern, a copper Great Wyrm, the Grand Russet Sovereign and first king of Dragon Island. It turns out Jareth was just at the right party at the right time and told a great joke. They fell into fetch questing for these dragons, gained their blessings, and were then granted captainhood. All of the tattoos hurt, but they were worth it, as they granted powers over elements.
Yun wants me to make a flare gun, EZ. We're back up by the merrow, but Yun isn't able to communicate anymore after Tongues faded away. They used the spell stored in the red gem, which brings its effect back, but hurts their mind in the process. The merrow wants company of the physical variety, but we can't provide that tonight, with our mission on the morrow. Back at the homestead, we plan the battle tomorrow.
It's the battle tomorrow. We did a Heroes' Feast on party money. I reawaken Ricky, who was on the airship until now. We get into place on the docks and in the tunnel. Max brings 6 Legionnaires, 1 of whom is a Druid. A beautiful, sunny Spring day suddenly turns stormy. Dockworkers and customs agents start to get involved with our targets. As the final boxes are making their way off the ship, beaten but well-dressed people start to make their way off the ship, paired with a ruffian sailor as escort. The youth we've been looking for is one of the folks being escorted.
Fighty fighty. Marda rage-kicks a dumpster, containing Post, into a guy. Melfina mummifies the guy escorting the boy. Some whopping happens, then Yun yeets Spike into the air, where they rapidly transform to a sperm whale and crash to the ground. Drax suddenly flies in on a hang glider, onto the ship deck, and smacks ass. Yun blows up the gangplank and signals the aquatics to set off the bombs soon. The last of the enemies that got to the dock are killed off. Drax had thrown some civilians off of the boat, which Ricky and I set free, and they flee. As the boat sinks, the pirates on the ship are slowly whittled away. Running down the secret tunnel is something or somethings quite loud. There are about 40 enemies rushing our way. Two Fireballs from Yun make short work of that, and combat ends.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP
12/9/2023
No Questions, Please.
BEGIN SESSION
We resume in the basement of the casino. Marda and I search the office, finding the false books, and also a trapdoor leading down. Melfina lowers a newly found magic chain into the gaping maw of the trapdoor. After lowering for awhile, she accidentally triggers a switch and the chain retracts, like a winch. Marda and I head down there, taking some damage on the way. Once I plant my feet on the ground, I see a statue of a beautiful woman holding a chest. It's fully iron, and might be good for storing stuff that we don't want to be traced magically. In addition, we notice that the fire trap we came through was a Glyph of Warding and is powered by a gemstone that recharges it. We go to pry the gem out of the fitting so that I can later make it into a magical item. Marda stands on my shoulders and pries it out, neatly catching it as it pops free. Someone begins pounding at the front door. The iron box is 12"x6"x4" and we cart it out also. We're gonna head back the Dog's Breakfast to collect ourselves. Susan meets us and we state intention to go to the basement, but we don't have Drax, so she doesn't want to let us. Some PER checks get us a key to a suite and access to the basement. In the lockbox, we get ~500 pp and a diamond valued at about 300 gp. There is a wand with 5 charges (Otto's (5 charges), Tasha's (2), and Mindsliver(1). Recharges 1d4 every dawn. If charges are at zero, roll d100. 5 or less, it becomes mundane.) At night, we set up the tent in the suite and are lulled to sleep by the cannons on the walls, fruitlessly firing at the Black Legion again. If we can set up the charges to reflect how serious the trafficking and fraud are, we will be able to invite the Black Legion into the city to set things right.
On first watch, Yun is solo and a person sneaks in through the window. It's Post, and Yun shouts for Druss in surprise. Then, Post uses Silence to end the shouting. After some hand gestures, they drop the spell and Yun talks them into going into the tent to talk with us all. They're offered a room in the tent to hang out until the morning. There's a kerfuffle in the office on 3rd watch. Druss checks it out to see Drax in the office. Druss gets whopped by a flying book, and then they commence the talking.
In the morning, we awake to Post being gone, as they had to get to their day job. I am tapped to fix the broken office door later, but now we're drawn along by the smells of a diner breakfast. From the day shift server we learn that someone broke into the casino (whaaaaaaaaat?) and the court records department of the Capitol. The casino was burnt to the ground, the vault was completely emptied (they did this after to cover their tracks?), the stolen records are still being assessed, but there doesn't seem to be a pattern to the stolen information. Post suddenly runs back through the door, winded AF. Seems like Post was the one who robbed the archives. It was to prove that people were paid off, as well as just for shits and gigs. Tomorrow is the next boat coming in for the PompaDicks, and we're looking to prove they're using the boats to bring in trafficked persons. This proof would allow the Black Legion to enter the city again, under the auspices of aid.
Fighty fight against the PompaDicks. They had tried to burn the place down, and Marda is dumping buckets of water onto the building facade. A figure in a red beret dumps a deluge of water down the building, dousing the blaze (it's Posty). After a short while, the boss Pomp appears and is thoroughly whopped. Combat ends and we hear sirens in the distance. We drag the bodies inside to hide the scene. Marda and Druss stay topside to talk to the cops, and Yun disguises themself as an innocent bystander. In the basement, we loot the bodies (INV - 26 - 100gp, 1 very well-made cloak, a beautiful ring (magical? ARC - 22 - abjuration magic and there's a shield on the ring - Ring of Protection - +1 to AC and Saving Throws), 20pp, schematics for something familiar, quite similar to a grappling hook made from the Chain of Returning Melfina found earlier, another gem much like the one from the glyph trap - bright neon teal in color, almost white.)
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: *tumbleweeds*
11/12/2023
Q1: How do you feel about your character's past? A1: Geno's past isn't really much, but the time spent on guard duty would have been harrowing the first few times through. More recently, things are probably tougher, but he hasn't had time to fully process a lot of that since it's been go-go-go since selling the shop and chasing after Yun. The stress dream from last session is probably an early sign of the reckoning to come in the near future.
BEGIN SESSION
Last day of the voyage to Davenport, we descend in the water on the far north coast. It is still about a day's sailing voyage. I spend the last day in the hold/stables section with Mikey, mostly to get my head on right as we enter a scenario with a lot of potential danger. As sun sets, we can see the peaks of buildings and will probably arrive in the middle of the night. Firework-type sounds are detectable from the interior side of the town at the gates. By the time we are able to dock, it has died down. They were accompanied by smoke, and maybe are not actual fireworks, I'd guess.
In the morning we disembark and go through customs. Everyone heads downtown to the Dog's Breakfast except Marda. She's having some me-time to work through the mental issues that came up last session. Marda runs into Melfina's sister and they have a little chat. The rest of us arrive at the Dog's Breakfast, which is a shitty little tavern that is more like a diner with beer. An older woman (Lazy Susan from Gravity Falls) is our server and takes some orders for the children and Vern. Just then, Marda walks in the door but suddenly has a thousand-yard stare. Melfina puts her hand on Marda's shoulder and the halfling is able to rein it in. After the food arrives and we eat for a bit, an older half-orc man emerges from upstairs. He's very grey in color, clearly used to be in phenomenal shape, and is not wearing a shirt. Maybe a hint of undeath to him?
"What do you want?" he asks, and "Garnet sent us." is Druss's answer. The owner, Drax, is reticent to show us to the basement, where an object of our search may be located, a teleportation circle. After some explanation, we are led down there to an ornate rug, which Drax pulls aside. Some small talk reveals that Drax was at some point resurrected by Garnet. Drax has a stash of powerful relics down here, and that's why he doesn't like people coming down here. Vern can tell that the circle goes to the Incatori Mountain Range, some wizard's tower (the one we've been to before, it turns out. This is the super-duper secret base for the Undertow.) Kevin the Mob Boss, not a friend to Drax, has lost some guys to Drax sending them on "vacation" for an indefinite time. Drax's friend Post, their Mate, might be able to help us locate this Kevin.
We go on a walk and some large guy with a pompadour shoulder checks Druss. The guy is scared away when Druss uses his breath weapon to intimidate him. There are many other pompadour-bearing fools, also with leather jackets which have a one-eyed skull on the back and the word Baraxus. (INS - 23 - the shoulder check man was an up-and-coming lieutenant in this gang) Yun and I are able to flank around the guy and get some blood for our cleric, and I hide (STE - 9 - this works). This gives us enough blood to track him down later. We're stopped at the gate and Druss is targeted as someone who shouldn't be in the city, but we talk our way out of that. He might have some trouble getting back into the city though.
We are greeted at the Black Legion camp with vigor. Druss and Max are celebrities to these guys. Someone named Ragnis approaches, pretending to think Druss is here to help them and sign back up. Druss presses almost-not-at-all and gets the real story. The Black Legion wants to check basements for human trafficking, but most people aren't traffickers and it's just an invasion of their homes and privacy. Since the Incident, they've been barred from the town and the guards will occasionally shoot cannons (ineffectively) at them. They're looking for the child of a new patron who gave the Legion some money to find him. He's a small blonde boy, musical prodigy. Senator Kevin Baraxus, elected in a corrupt fashion, uses his power to keep the Legion out.
We head back to the Dog's Breakfast and get another inhospitable greeting. Drax appears and invites us upstairs, past the bedrooms, to an office sized for Drax. In the chair is a young halfling newsie boy. Posty helps with the map and asks how we are at fighting. He knows where the item is, but it's under the Baraxis Casino. We've figured out that Drax just really wants nice rugs and it's not hard to convince him to come on the heist. Before bed, Marda hands Melfina something and relates running into Melfina's sister. It's Melfina's moonstone amulet of Solvene. In the wee hours of the morning, Drax wakes us up and it's go-time.
Yun and Melfina (w/ Spellen) walk in and scout the place, while the rest of us plus Drax wait outside for the call to come in swinging. They find where the money would be, the boss's office, another exit, and a weird door. Helen sees an odd room, with an exposed cave lit with bioluminescent lighting. She hears movement, then sees a reflection. There's a fucking cat of some sort that hurts her mind and chases her. Helen fills them in on the kitty cat, then Melfina uses Sending to fill the outside group in.
ROLLO 4 INITIATIVO. Helen (we'd assume, since we can't see her yet) mauls a guard. Yun controls the early combat with a fireball, taking 11 guards down to 5. Marda cleans up most of the rest, leaving the boss and 3 normies. After we put down the humanoids, *KA THUMP* resonates. Druss lets the last of the civilians out and locks the door behind them. We don't want to let the kitty out onto the street. It does bust out of the basement to meet Drax, who really gets off on getting stabbed. I really book it down the tunnel and come on a chamber filled with undead, so I turn right the fuck around towards the group. Back through the tunnel, a yowl indicates the cat's demise. I see some friends in the tunnel, tell them about the room of undead, and head back to the entrance to that room (PER - 17 - there are about 100 undead gazing at a glowing red gem on a pedestal which is about 80 feet in the air.). I wait there for friends to come help. I wade in and smash one's head, but then Melfina one-ups me and 33 of the remaining 99 just, go away. A wall of flame appears in the back third of the room, cutting many zombies off from our area. Yun and Druss Dimension Door up onto the pillar and take the stone. We continue to whittle them down, then Melfina makes all of the ones on the other side of the fire wall just gone, again. Monster. Yun descends with the stone. Then, Vern and Drax Teleport right out of there, leaving us to escape on our own (next time on...Dragon Ball Z).
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: +d6
10/14/2023
Q1: Who is the most important person to you outside of the party? A1: My mentor, Maurizio Cuore, in guarding the naval caravan trade route to Dragon Island.
BEGIN SESSION
We take a few hours to make our way back through the flooded tunnels, and Druss nearly chokes out Jonas trying to keep him from regaining consciousness. Back in the cemetery, most of the healing folks have scattered. Masika sets us up with snacks and a table to which we can strap this fuckboi. Druss vacates the area to help with snacks. Melfina casts Zone of Truth, hitting everyone but Druss. When the magic hits Jonas, they scream and turn into a jackal-like humanoid, indicating a failed save.
Questions: 1) Where is livestock and how many? Jonas answers with another question. They've got some foam building at the corners of the mouth. This is a Jackal-were, and being forced to speak the truth causes them physical pain. 2) Who is your boss? "Our master" to Melfina, which means Asmodeus, but she's the only one who understands. "He'll be waiting for you in Davenport. He's looking forward to the reunion." She even resisted the mask, and promises she'll wear it again soon. Then she pops her holy symbol knife, and rolls some saves. The magic cuffs start to melt and I stall them with Mending. 3) What is Asmodeus' plan at Davenport? To come through the veil. They want to come corrupt as many souls as they can. 4) How do you identify your partners/underlings? Nothing much to go on. Marda snaps and tears the prisoner apart, quite literally. When it's fully dead, the corpse is fully a jackal, as Jackal-weres were jackals first and gained the human side later. I smell some cheese in another room and float away cartoon-style towards the food. I don't have as much blood on me due to Melfina actively moving into the blood streams.
Masika helps dispose of the body and is jazzed to study the blood with Melfina. We are going to view the Grand Finale fireworks from the top of a mausoleum. I elect to use the night studying the cuffs to try to repair their magic, and think I can remake them, with a forge. Sleep comes for us all. My dreams are stressful. I'm back in the tunnels full of water, no wait that's blood, Mikey is falling to pieces. I awake, drain the snake, and return to sleep and better dreams. I awaken and learn Bellia is bringing someone to us that she found, played by Cogan. Their character wants reparations for the SS Garfunkel doing damages to their cave or hole or whatever.
Vern is the visitor's name, and they seek compensation for the damages, but won't take the magic solution. Vern is wanting to accompany us to Davenport on the airship. He acquires a mount, in the form of a screaming goat. We wait for Dani, who shows up with a skeleton hand. Dani doesn't think we can square up with a Prince of Hell, and we ask about what friends we have in the area. We do have the Black Legion outside of Davenport, as well as another Bard's Tower near a tavern called the Dog's Breakfast, owned by someone called Drax. Drax is an old friend of the Bard's Guild, but cannot activate the sigil in the Tower.
The airship prepares for takeoff and the hot air segment inflates. Day 1 in the air goes smoothly. The captain is keeping us above the cloud cover as we fly over Lark's Peak. During the evening, during the singing kumbaya, a wyvern appears. COMBAT WOMBAT. We murder most of them.
Day 2: We're going to sleep the day away after being up a large part of the night. Vern is scrawling notes on the walls of the ship like a madman. A thunderous crack emanates from the girls' cabin, something small flies against the wall, then Melfina emerges looking disheveled. We learn from Vern that the Soulstone we are looking for was last seen in Davenport 300 years ago, when he was there for his cousin's bachelor party. Vern is from Lewisville which was SW of Shadowacer, before the Dragon Island split off from the continent. It was probably intentionally destroyed by the dragons as they fucked off. Vern has an old map of the area which he and Yun try to decipher.
Resume in Davenport.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: +d6
9/16/23
Q1: None A1: None
BEGIN SESSION
In the dark of the night, we resume. Seeing all of those dead bodies harkens to our individual pasts. I've never seen corpses in this quantity. The hollow eyes and bloating corpses slowly washing out to sea is going to sit with me for a long while yet.
I awaken to Druss scratching away at some letters, one to the mayor, one to the guard captain, and one to the local head of Kuzco. I rummage through Lenny's outpost, and pocket a nice little metal ring. Afterwards, I approach Marda to infuse Blur into her off-hand hooksword (10 charges). Melfina Sends to Dani again to set up a meet, and it's set at the graveyard. Luckily, the Sanctum outpost is near that graveyard. Marda is going on a walk-about, and there is a full-on barrage of explosions, followed by mud rain. It's the Mud Festival! She quickly returns, only moderately bemudded.
We head out to the graveyard after the mud stops falling from the sky. (Passive PER - there was a tripwire, which notified Dani that we were there.) Dani emerges from a mausoleum with a new scar across the face and missing their left arm. They also managed to get the caster that we missed down in the tunnels. Dani invites us into the building, down some tunnels, and into a war room filled with a ragtag bunch of compatriots. All of them are beat to shit, with weeping wounds and missing limbs. The air in the room is somber; they missed the leader and his primary security, but got a lot of the lower level folks. The leader was only glimpsed - older, frail, presumably human male, Jonas Gillespie, a very accomplished accountant. He's well-known in high-class, shady circles. He frequents perverse establishments, making Dem Falic look tame. He runs like a bitch, but his guards (12) are muy grande and will throw down. They had fought at a club, the Yeasty Fox, which is still smoldering in spite of the mud rain. We are introduced to Masika, a Grave Cleric Tabaxi (Russian Blue). They have the same holy symbol as Melfina. No one knows where Jonas and Co. are hiding now.
We head off to another perv joint, the Creaky Hinges (very old strippers?), for some recon. Upon entering, the place smells strongly of Fantasy Bengay. I make my way straight to the buffet. (PER check - 22; Yun sees Jonas, who is watching the youngest performer here, a 40ish very pregnant goblin. I see this too, and am unsettled. This tableau is designed to be perverse.) Yun pulls a chair up next to Jonas, who is fat, pathetic, with a hooked nose and a sneering look about his face. Yun goes to pretend they know each other and tries to pitch some party members as sexual objects for Jonas's next show. Combat were declared - Jonas plus 12 guards.
I get put to sleep right away, but am awoken by a scary ghost! (WIS save - 22; it's just Helen) We knock out all 13 combatants, and plan to abscond with Jonas. Yun casts Invisibility on Druss who is carrying Jonas. Mud is raining down and collecting on top of the invisible pair. The rest of us try to exit by blending along with the crowd fleeing the location. (Group STE - 12 for me, others unknown) Druss looks to be getting away without much notice. The rest of us are seen, but not remarked, and we make it back to the tunnel into the vault. Invisible Druss drops invisible Jonas and Melfina fails to catch him, nearly killing him, but then she uses Spare the Dying to stabilize him. The tunnels are filling slowly with water, so I ritually cast Water Breathing on the group.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: +d6
8/12/23
Q1: As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? A1: A professional goblin-ball striker.
BEGIN SESSION
Yun, Druss, and I move to free the captives. I am cut off by Druss's rushing attack on the point where the chains all come together into the wall anchor. He smashes the chains, but they're scared of him now. A good swarm of these folks makes their way into the corridor, blocking us in. A lot of the ads go down, along with a big guy. There's some caster using fireballs but lightning instead and really smacking ass. We are cleaning up and clearing out the place, but eventually we come to realize that we haven't been attacked by the caster in a minute, and there is an eerie quietness other than the dripping of water coming from the room we'd found the prisoners in. Melfina moves first to check it out (Druss was put to sleep and is getting lifted out of the water from some kind of force disk). Druss is rescued, Yun is still missing, we kill the guard on our way out, and make our way back to Madame Curie's. Yun had gone back to Max and Leona at the Three Rivers Inn for help, where they are scrutinized to make sure they are who they say they are. With Max in tow, Yun heads back to the alley.
We get out of the base, duck into an alley, and Melfina Sends to Yun, telling them to meet us all at Madame Curie's. We all get to the inn about the same time and head inside. In the room, Max summons the pillow fort because Druss can't summon the whimsy. There's a central tree with rooms out on the edges in a branching fashion. The rooms all have different architectural styles. Druss reads the rest of us in to what he found on the big guy's body and what he learned. While the talking goes on, I patch Mikey up using Mending. Now that Max can see everything is ok, he heads back to Leona and Tuli. On first watch, Melfina Sends to Dani and lets her know about our killing, and Dani ribs her back about leaving bodies wherever we go. Melfina and Marda wake up Yun and I because there are guards coming to all the cabins. Yun creates a distraction in a crazy old woman disguise so that I can sneak out invisibly, and then I make Mikey invisible too. One of the guards sees us go invisible. They are investigating looking for miscreants and ne'er-do-wells. Two of them enter the cabin and poke the blanket fort. We get them away for now after Yun uses Suggestion to tell them to get, but they'll surely be back when the spell ends. We get a short rest, but Yun has to stay up to keep the spell going.
We think to head to the Sanctum outpost we'd visited before, as run by Lenny Potts. It takes awhile to get there, and the spell fades to nothing. Yun collapses from the exertion, and we help them the rest of the way. The outpost is locked, but Marda's silver badge of rank gains us access. We set up the tent and look to all get some deep rest. Melfina Sends to Dani again, who is still hard at work against the Othertoe and requests backup, if we can. We can't until we rest, which we do, and then level up!
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: +d6
7/15/23
Q1: How does your character feel in this moment?(Post-recap) A1: Not worried (yet) about the use of magic, too amped from fighting and running away invisibly. Yes worried about Mikey (stored at the Temple of Kuzco with Mittens), need to get to him ASAP.
BEGIN SESSION
Druss has Hunter's Marked the third entity, and follows at about 150ft. The person is just circling the city in different routes, trying to shake any tails. Eventually Druss loses the target, but is then confronted by another person. A familiar face looks out at him from under a hood, Danarei, who tells him the bad Undertow is now being called the Othertoe (externally, they still call themselves Undertow). They shipped Mikey out of the Temple on some transport, fuck! Dani is going to make her way to Davenport eventually, but is derailed by our shenanigans. She (and Co.) are based out of a tailor's shop downtown. No skyships have come into town, of which she is aware.
Back to the group at Madame Curie's, we've got Mr. Big restrained, and he is being a dick, so Melfine knocks him out for an hour. After he's awoken, Yun sets the chair and dude on fire! Oh wait, it's not real, just Major Image. Marda removes the gag, and Mr. Big goes for a headbutt, but misses. He had demanded water and that we call his boss so that they can kill us all. After the headbutt, Melfine replaces the gag. Yun's questions: Where is base? Underground, beneath the levies, they relocate when the waters are high. Who is boss? Stronger than we can imagine. Mr. Big moniker is for large cock. Glean that he probably hasn't interacted with the actual boss much. Yun casts Silence and Melfine goes to cut off Mr. Big's cock and balls. Druss walks into the room, in the total silence, followed after by Dani. He taps Melfine on the shoulder, disrupting her action, while Dani poses in the doorway. This is the first time Yun or I has met her. Druss lets me know that Mikey was pulled from the Temple and is en route to the bad guys' base. As soon as I have that info, I bust Mr. Big's kneecaps into paste. He's dying for this.
Melfine Messages Bellia on the airship to see what's up, and they're still a week out because of bad skies. Then she walks back in and sees a dead body. Using Zone of Truth and Speak with Dead, Melfine questions:
1. How many are there in the base? We are legion.
2. Is there a password and if so what is it? Of course, and it's Suck My Dick.
3. How many entrances are there? One, through his asshole.
4. Are there any traps? Hundreds.
5. Any prisoners? None, just "livestock" (slaves?).
Dani helpfully mentions the bog as a place where can dispose of the body, and uses some bait to draw gators to the body. Melfine Messages Max, learning he and Leona went sightseeing, saw the bloody mess we left, and says the egg is more active. Dani gives some advice for staying in this seedy place and fucks off.
Yun and Marda are on first watch. A small family of Kenku are seen travelling through the forest. Second shift is me, and Yun lets me know about those Kenku. (PER -17) Don't see the Kenku, light rain begins, front door doesn't seem too active. Third watch is Druss. He wakes up Melfine, saying he needs to go back to the Three Rivers and asks to borrow Spike. He'll be back once the storm is done. Melfine assumes the watch and Druss leaves. As he gets outside, the first lightning strikes roll in and he picks up the pace. He gets to the Inn and hears a yelp, probably from Leona. He knocks on their door, and is greeted by armed Max and Leona. The egg is visible and shifting about vigorously. More chirping is coming from the egg with each lightning strike, then the cracks start to appear in the shell. Eventually Druss' baby girl emerges. He names her "Listens to Lightning" AKA Tuli and they pass the storm and the night curled up together.
Dawn comes, and we awake to Druss being gone. Melfine fills us in on his departure and circumstances. Druss sends a messenger rabbitfolk with the news of the birth, and instructions that we should do the scouting and he'll join us later tonight, around 7:30. Dani arrives with coffee and breakfast sandwiches. She learned about several access points for maintenance in the levies. From tracking supplies and such, they probably don't have more than 12 prisoners. Common phrases she's been hearing: the moon is high, the tide is low, the pigs are herded, the boars are loose. Pigs = guards, first two lines are access point clues. We probably want to get over there about 2:30PM. We go exploring and split into battle units. Dani takes me and Melfine, while Yun and Marda are the other. (INS - 14) Yun is hand-signalling when workers enter, and we clock that some of the workers are not city employees. We figure out that the fakers are coming in watch cycles, about 2 hours apart. Over the ~6 hours we're there, we do see some repeat faces. Based on the patterns and repeat faces, there is probably at least one other entrance. Yun stealths in following a person (d100 - 75), seeing a person show ID and saying "the moon is high" and the guard tells them third tunnel. Next Yun sees a normie go to tunnel one. The third person swings the door open, revealing he is a big burly person that we'd seen on the routes. This person uses "the tide is low" phrase and is told fourth tunnel. Yun does a vibe check (19) and uses the fourth tunnel door closing to cover their sounds of escape. Yun comes back to report to us. Then we head back to Madame Curie's sans Dani. Druss comes back from Daddy Time and we all catch up with everything. Helen psychically blasts us all an image of the baby. Melfine is questioning me about Mikey so that she can Scry his location. Mikey is about shin deep in water, that burly asshole is there, and there are like 10 people tied up. The boss is coming with the ship from Davenport. They're taking the good ones from Davenport to Terry Town. They need to expand, stronger casters, continued efforts, where is Mr. Big?, what do you mean a dragonborn? (End of overheard convo). Back in our room, there is a knock on the door, and it's a sad, dirty urchin with a note for us. Druss takes it and illusory script appears. From Dani: working on the badge, the Garfunkel is spotted but not in dock yet. Yun shifts into Mr. Big and has a wardrobe change.
We're going in live, with everyone being under Invisibility except Yun who is carrying Spellen. (STE - 19) Yun is trying to intimidate the guard with the ass-whooped appearance. We move on in to a completely black tunnel (so dark that darkvision doesn't help). After 20-30 minutes, we start to see the soft lighting and hear the water sounds of the cavern Melfine had Scryed. (STE - 10, used all my INSP and +d6 to get there -_-) We are trying to move through the water without splashing the water all over the place. Melfine lets us know that we're making too much noise. Add d10 to the roll, now a 16. "Mr. Big" rounds the corner and everyone spots him. 5 enemies in sight. Burly asshole is here, a Tabaxi, a Tiefling, and two humans. One of the humans is the speaker for the group. As soon as I spot Mikey submerged in the back, I head towards him. They were going to send Mikey and others "back to the Academy" on the ship the boss is coming on. Yun and the speaker kinda get into it for a second, then hug it out because marriage is special, then Yun gives them the rest of the day off using Suggestion. A sphere of fire erupts in front of me above Mikey, roll into initiative.
We finish off the group, keeping the Tiefling alive for later, and then hear splashing footsteps coming down the tunnel.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: *cobwebs*
6/10/23
Q1: What is a rumor that the town would know about you, true or not? A1: That I am keeping a Gorgon as a pet, danger be damned.
BEGIN SESSION
Now featuring Special Guest Star Mickey as Henry Hotfoot!
We're all in the room and I serve the tea. Yun locks the door, but in a non-menacing way. Druss starts the convo up asking Henry what the most interesting item they've discovered is, and Henry answers that it's a monkey skull beheader, hundreds of years old and a ritualistic tool. Henry reveals that he doesn't go get these items himself, and doesn't even know that he could. There are access ports for maintenance above the cabins.
Henry tucks into the questioning, and Yun straight up reveals that we were in the room earlier today. Henry wants to know why we would be there to help protect against those invaders, and why he should trust us. We can protect his magic stuff, and think these people are gonna take his shit and run, after beating and/or killing him. Henry has a meeting in Lake Town in 28 days, wanting to get an item of some sort. The item is a map, Henry has proof of life for the map from the sellers. During the fight last night, Henry seems to have seen most of what we were up to from those access ports.
28 day training montage!
The hours approaching, just give it your best
And you've got to reach your prime
That's when you need to put yourself to the test
And show us a passage of time
We're gonna need a montage
(Montage)
Ooh it takes a montage
(Montage)
I finish the alchemical tools, and help Melfine finish extracting the blood from the hay. Henry is really interested in our magic items, and tries to buy them. They aren't for sale, but he does study the rug for awhile.
14 days in, Melfine uses the gathered blood to track the target. The target is the tour guide walking me through the 17th tour of the engine compartment. They're blending in enough to be believed. After my tour ends, Yun and Melfine come to ask me about my time with Engineer Bobby (my least favorite), who always seems to avoid answering my question. He's for sure still on shift since the 6 engineers work 12-hour shifts in pairs. Melfine is sure Bobby is the intruder, and is partnered with Joey (Joe Joe). The other engineers are Hank, Tommy, Howard Boom, and Peggy, which is what they're into, not their name. [Percentile - 14] I've met Bobby before, but not on tour or during my interactions, so this is the first large span of time I've spent with Bobby. I cannot tell that anything is amiss with Bobby.
Melfine and Yun are going to investigate the area and Bobby while I go on my usual tour and distract with questions. The command words for the flying carpet are: Ope, gotta go (in Draconic). The carpet is Medium, speed 60ft, 400lbs capacity. (NAT 20 - INT) I am distracting enough, and they do PER checks (28) to look around. Bobby bites and cuts the fingernails, and saves them. Melfine drills into Bobby about the pissing engine (engine pistons made of alloy) and Bobby calls security on us all. An iron golem comes to evict us from the compartment, and we get out before the golem arrives. (INSP for Cunt joke) We have 11 toenails total. Melfine scrying - The real Bobby is dead and rotting; fake Bobby is taking notes in a notebook.
We arrive in Lake Town to see an armed guard escort some of the Harriet party arrested for some plot. Henry's meeting is tomorrow at tea time. We're gonna stay at the Three Rivers Inn, where the meeting is taking place. To kill time over the evening, some of the squad goes shopping. I am staying with Mikey. They come back with gumbo, and I smash. (INSP from heist planning) Two individuals walk in, one in linen with a yellow pocket square (Harry from Leverage vibes), the other in a leisure suit with a definite crease in the elbows, indicating they are often rolled up to get down to business, maybe to defeat the Huns.
Mr. Big and his assistant/enforcer Smalls arrive and meet with Henry. They seem to be investors, or wannabes, interested in the resources his business could provide. These are the slavers, and we are not going to let that just slide methinks. Smalls and Henry walk to a window, Henry fuckin scrambles up the wall real fast, and we roll into initiative (18). The map was ignited but Henry tears off the section that is on fire, saving the rest. Smalls flees outside and Mr. Big is Polymorphed into a snail. I repeatedly knee-cap Smalls, and really just let the guy have it. I see Melfine jump to the upper level, and for a brief instant I see glorious, golden wings sprouting from her back. We defeat Smalls and capture Mr. Big, then head to Madame Curie's Inn, which is herbal and witchy. Yun, Mr. Big, and I have to be invisible, but Melfine, Marda, Druss, Henry, and Spellen are all visible as the guard rolls up. They aren't flagged too much and we make it to get rooms at that second inn. 10g per room.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6, +d6
5/6/23
Q1: What is the lie that you tell yourself? A1: The "Big" part of my name is a term of respect for my prowess.
BEGIN SESSION - Gained INSP from question
We begin by deciphering the note:
"He's on the train heading to the meeting. We need him alive to assist with business. This is a test for defenses and to see if They are on board. If you can lift the key and schematics, do so."
One of the 8 total sets of arcane armor is now gone, due to being Banished. It is one on the first-class side of the dining car. Most cars are ~20 feet long.
Morning: blood rain washes over the lounge as breakfast is served. I venture with Marda and Yun to check on Mittens and Mikey. Melfine looks into Henry's room with Clairvoyance, seeing a well-made leather tome, small notes, a note for the scheduled appointment at tea time (2:15 PM ish), a locked chest under the desk, his open travel trunk in disarray. Back in the livestock cart, Mittens is accepting his shitty current situation, and Marda offers comfort. Yun sees scratch marks and notes that there was a battle in here. The outer lock in the back was picked, kind of poorly. Mittens has bloodied claws. There is hay stomped down, and a cigarette is put out underneath. Marda goes to collect some of the bloodied hay from the area around Mittens. Yun heads to the medic station on this side of the train. The nurse is a halfling and Yun asks after a "friend" that had gotten scratched who may have come in for healing. The nurse partied hard with the kitchen staff last night, but did notice that antiseptic and gauze were used while no one was working the station. Marda and I head back up towards the others as well, and Yun has already filled them in on that conversation with the nurse. Melfine tries to recall and transcribe what she saw in the book. Yun identifies it as Elvish, but gibberish. Druss tries to make sense of the gibberish.
Melfine works with the blood Marda brought back, but is not making good progress milking the blood from the hay. I can help, by making alchemist's tools, which takes me an hour. While I am working, Melfine thinks really hard about the book she saw in Henry's cabin (Legend Lore). She sees a book, titled Tales of Fairlong's Travels: The Search for the Fallen City. She sees/feels things about a missing Elven city, unconfirmed fae creatures, King Oberon, a city of white glass, and a feeling of shattering, hints of Shadowfell (dark reflection of the Feywild). Faerie dragons, green dragons, green dragon scale. A ribbon attached to the book, with a-wrought-iron green key with a scale-like shimmer. An older half-Elvish, non-gender conforming person walking along the horizon and fading into the scene (A'lise Fairlong). Melfine has blood coming from her head holes and she comes back to reality. She catches us up on what her vision showed her. She thinks the criminals were after Henry's key. (HIST/ARC/NAT check - 27 - green dragons breath poison, favor woods and wilderness, are common associates of hags, will corrupt the land around them and cause the Feywild to bleed through to the Material Plane, which is why the hags like them.)
Henry is going to a meeting with people that want to bring human trafficking back to Cherwood. Why does Henry want to meet them? This book may be the answer to that.
Druss heads out to talk to Max, and runs into Henry, Max, and Leona heading to lunch. [I gained INSP (+d6) for a knotty/naughty joke] Druss, Yun, and I missed our A group lunch, but Marda and Melfina join Max and Leona for lunch, jostling to sit near Henry,
Yun and I pick our way into Henry's room using Invisibility and Minor Illusion. I don't see the book where Melfine saw it, so I grab the chest from under the desk. No immediate damage, so that's nice. The desk area might have something creating illusion magic. Yun finds a fancy fountain pen, well-crafted and old. Under the endcap, there is a little reading magnifying glass that slides out. It allows the viewer to read the invisible ink from the pen.
I (INV - 28) check out the chest and find it to be a "secret cabinet" sort of chest, which takes about 20 minutes to solve and open. In the main chamber I find the book and key. The key feels cold and makes me tingly (Tinglerock). I flip through the book, much as described, but also worn and stained. There are many notes and hypotheses tucked in the pages, culminating in stuff about the lost secrets of King Oberon being trapped with the Fallen City. Yun can read Elvish and takes a look at it. Henry's notes are mostly fanboying and dreaming to meet the Fae creatures described in the book. Yun then comes across the changeling section of the book, and can't resist learning something about themself. Changelings were likely hunted to extinction in the Material Plane post-Caster Wars. Then they look into the King Oberon entries. During a war between the Summer and Winter courts, something went wrong and the city along with its citizenry were lost.
We put it all back (PERF - nat 20 for a 19) and get out of there (STE - 6). I am not doing well at sneaking, but Yun saves my bacon with a Scoop. We move into Druss's cabin and wait for the others to return from lunch. When they get back, we drop the invisibility and I shout "HI" while Yun is too close to Marda. She moves to slap them, but Yun dodges. Yun fills them in mostly, but I bring up the key and the tingles. Yun goes to make friends with Henry. They ask me to go get some tea, which I do. Gonna have a Jim-Jam Slam in Druss's cabin. I get back to see Druss changing back to the jim-jams, and he tells me what's going on. I immediately shed my shirt in preparation, and we await the others as well as the tea.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: +d6
4/8/23
Q1: Do you remember the birthdays and pet names and such of people? A1: Birthdays are pretty big for celebrating in Cogswallow, and pet names are pretty easy because goblins only have like 5 that they use commonly. Q2: What do you do to feel better when you're sad? A2: Work in the shop, preferably to bardic black metal (performed by the goblin band that has a practice space next to my old shop.)
BEGIN SESSION - Gained INSP for questions.
We have to plan how to get Mikey on the train. Marda and Melfine can use the Sanctum as a cover, saying that they are transporting this creature, a "gorgon" (metal bull monster that turns things to stone and eats them). The guards are largely used to the group shenanigans and are pretty easy to deal with. The train is as long as we need it to be. There is one locomotive, then 2 fuel cars, then as many personnel cars as we need, then the cargo cars (also as many as needed), then the first-class sleeper cars (2 executive suits that are a whole car to one person/group, and regular first-class 5-room cars), then the first-class lounge (bar/food/lounging), then the dining car/kitchen car, then the second-class sleeper cars (8 cabins), then sitting passenger cars, then crew quarters, and stables and livestock at the back.
The all-access passes are on A schedule dining, business class are B schedule, standard tickets are on C, and crew are on D (total block runs 11am-1pm, so 30 minute windows?) Yun and I are in the second-class sleeper cars, but Druss makes it into the first-class sleeper car, as do Marda, Melfine, and Spike. Henry is in the same car as Druss and Co. Henry clocks Druss immediately. There are two large suits of armor on either side of the kitchen car. They don't all match. The style is very old, but they are well cared for. They are from before the Caster Wars (ARC - 21; I can feel a hint of the arcane juju emanating from the armor). We also clock at least 2 guards per shift per train car. Once we're settled in, I want to go check on Mikey and run into as he comes out of the kitchen car, presumably to check on the Magical Mystical Murder Machine. As we head back, the train lurches forward and I eat a metric ton of shit in the middle of the walkway. We get the Egg out of Mikey so that Druss can take it up to hang with Max and Leona. Melfine catches some hint of Illusion magic coming from Henry's cabin. Using Clairvoyance she sees nothing, but hears the sounds of an anxious man, pacing and fidgeting.
After establishing Mikey and the Egg, I want to go check out the locomotive engine. I notice that ~every other car there is a ladder that goes to the top of the car. At the engine car, the guards tell me that there is a sign-up sheet for scheduled tours, which I quickly sign, both in the first spot, and about 15 spots down, so I can come back after time to review my initial findings. I get back to the lounge car in time to see Spike get shocked and piss itself. Druss goes looking for the Captain of the Guards to check on the defensive capabilities of the train. The Captain knows Druss and does not like him, because this Captain is an opponent for the Sheriff position and Vlad is sweet on the crew. Dinner Time! A Group (Me, Druss, and Marda since she has Yun's pass right now) is served a 3 course meal; a mushroom soup and oyster crackers, then lamb with mint chutney and a smashed potato side, finished with a banana pudding, made bougie by adding lemon-infused whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg. The rest of them eat in B Group. Dining ends, and the lounge fills up again. Druss peels off to rest and bond with Egg. The rest of us lounge a bit, then head to Druss's room to talk it up. It's about midnight, and there is a noise above. Melfine uses Clairvoyance and sees 5 shadowed figures heading rearward on the train, where there are a few more figures. Roll for Initiative!
There is a ladder in their car, in the forward section. Yun casts Dimension Door taking me with them, and we come out on top of the car. I ask the group what they're doing up there, to no response, but 4 of 5 are quickly dead. I head to the back group, killing 3 and Melfine gets another. Helen kills the left from the first group, and Marda pops up from below, charging toward the rearward group. One of the suits of armor appears topside and kills the person furthest rearward, but then Yun casts Banishment on the suit. Melfine and I kill off the remaining two, leaving us alone up here. Down with Druss, the doors burst open on both sides of the car. He sees hulking black forms approach, and Druss, Max, and Leona preemptively defend themselves. With every enemy dead topside, we aim to head back into the car. Yun stumbles and falls from the train, but saves themself by using a Dimension Door to make their way to the interior of the train. Druss searches a body, seeing it is a young fighter from some clan, and is B-Team in that clan. Once I'm back in the car, I can see Yun running from something. I prepare to meet whatever it is. They are caught by one of the suits of armor and picked up by the lapels, but upon showing the all-access pass, they are released and cited with a paper showing that the lounge car is closed 12am-6am. Yun and I are trapped on this side and borrow a cabin to bunk up for the night.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: +d6
3/18/23
Q1: Do you want to grow up to be like your parents? A1:Due to the nature of goblin child-rearing, I am not super sure who that would be. Ma Goblin is a banger role model though.
BEGIN SESSION - Gained INSP for notes
We begin by planning for the meeting with Vandran. Yun, Marda, and Druss are going to do the talking, while the rest of us wait in the background. We scout out the ziggurat before the meeting, but Marda is clocked by guards all the time. Melfine notes that the ziggurat has been improved by the myconids with pneumatic tubes and such. I use the time to come up to speed on the group's goals, and learn from Leona's behaviour that she doesn't seem to trust Yun, but likes me. Despite this, she still always keeps herself between me and the big egg. Before the meeting, we all go to some fancy bath house, but I do not partake, in order to protect my grease stockpiles.
We plan to make it to the ziggurat at 11:17PM, but do not. 11:30PM we arrive and wait. After some time, there is a half-elf, the clerk from Daja, waiting in the darkened doorway. Druss begins the engagement, but Vandran diverts to Melfine and myself for a second, then returns to Druss and asks how we found them. "Luck," Druss says, which Vandran 100% buys.
Q1: War in Terrytown? Not their business, they don't make those calls, but we should spend resources closer to home.
Q2: Crimson Dragons? Bane to Vandran long before previous display in Cherwood. Vandran's job is to keep the wars cold. Druss offers corruption info, but Vandran has already looked into such. Vandran doesn't like
vigilantism. Melfine offers to help out, but Vandran respects due process. Spellen is called out too, but Vandran doesn't know what they are. Vandran can see the connection between the turtle and the wraith it seems.
This turtle business really seems to frustrate them, but they don't make headway.
Q3: Bad Undertow? Vandran doesn't like them much, they traffic in humans. Once the Bad Undertow finished the Black Legion, they're gonna become a bigger problem. We could maybe work this out, deal like. There is
also a sinister person affiliating with these baddies. We are to investigate a high-ranking merchant (Henry Hotfoot, Tabaxi, he looks like her actual cat) in Cherwood. They are going to be on the inaugural train trip to
Lake Town for a meeting, which is leaving in 3 days. It's sold out though. The trip is at least a month. How are we gonna fuck this pig? Druss checks out something about the fall of Davenport? The Black Legion is
fielding retirees and losing. The city will fall in 3 months, approximately. To get to talk to Vandran, we can reach out ot Skullcrusher or Mulder. Maybe just go to Davenport after and bring more info back, or kill the
baddies.Vandran's official title is "Commander." Druss does some pp may-zure over Charles Corbin and they sort of don't overtly threaten each other but let it be known what they know.
Vandran fucks off with some more flair. Bedtime back at Myths and Legends. Max is reading to the egg.
In the morning, we have to set about getting tickets for the train. Melfine and Marda go to talk to Aurane and Rorin for their tickets. (I lost one INSP for "deskticles.") Celia (Senior Executive Assistant) and Kel are working, Aurane is just waiting in a pool of anxiety before leaving on the trip. He gives them 3 tickets. Druss and I head to Holden's workshop and I beeline for Ricky and pow-wow about what he got into over the time apart. Druss went looking for Oliver, but didn't see him at the usual spots. Druss and I talk about refitting Ricky to be a steel cradle, and we think that works out. Holden walks up with Oliver in tow. Druss asks for their train tickets, but they are left in the office and we don't know if there are any remaining. We go check the office here at the workshop, and there are two all-access passes left. We take them. Then I am approached by a gnome employee, who is a huge fan of Ricky and is thankful for him having been around for the week.
Druss finds Gayle Whales (skyship captain) and asks for a ride to Davenport. The skyship is following along with the train to Lake Town, and they can help us if nothing goes awry. We have to use some licorice candies to get Holden to issue the orders to Oliver who will tell the ship that they can help us. Druss wants Bellia to come too, for the birth of the child. Holden signs the orders thinking they are a receipt for the licorice candies. Oliver adds it to the schedules. Yun hooks up with the Marquis, vigorously, and gets some more tickets (1 dope all-access). Then Melfine and Marda go to see Rorin. It...goes. They get 3 business class tickets. Melfine and Marda stalk Henry before departure, learning he lunches in the sun and likes old maps. Druss learns that Max is coming too. To make the steel cradle, Ricky is positioned in the workshop to be a nice statue, and Mikey (Michelangelo) is born to hold the egg.
We have 2 extra business-class tickets, sell them for 4,000gp. Then time for the train.
END SESSION
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6
2/11/23
Q1: Do you admit to mistakes when you make them? A1: All the time, that's 50% of the words that come out of my mouth. They're lessons to all in earshot. Q2: Do you bounce your leg with nervous energy? A2: Usually triggered by a new idea, not all the time.
BEGIN SESSION
Leona is holding Druss's egg with Sora purring atop it; Max is working in the kitchen; the rest of us are chatting with a loose interpretation of sanity. Jerkytin the goblin shows up to the shop, and Melfine engages them about Yun. Jerkytin mentions the return of the Witch Hunters, the collapse of the Bards' Guild, and then sees me and we go about introductions. This poor unfortunate soul has been stuck eating this damn human cuisine all their life. The Undertow, contact Bridgett at the Babble Brook Inn, is gonna be the authority we look to interact with going forward.
Jerkytin talks about the train getting running, from Cherwood to Lake Town through the Incatori Mountains, and I am getting on it, eventually damn it. Someone named Garnet is being stored at the Hunter's Guild, where Jerkytin also resides. Jerkytin palms an item to Yun, 1 Pearl of Power. Yun asks about some bounties, and the Cerulean Sanctum can do temporary licensure (a work visa?) and that looks to be the way.
We head over to the Sanctum, but Druss stays behind with Leona and his egg. The place looks like they expect some bad shit to go down, maybe soon. Yun and I are introduced to the Marquis. (There is no Sanctum in Cogswallow.) After the Marquis is cool with the paperwork and the situation as a whole, we go to the Quest Board. We are going to kill some birds with axes for faces that are harrying the train lines. We aren't going out until the morning, so I want to try some human food I've heard so much. I go the Gilded Stable (Golden Corral) and eat as much as I can. I successfully tested human cuisine, and they're following the quantity not quality game plan. The next morning, I have a shit weighing more than 23 Courics.
The others go to the Babble Brook Inn and Yun meets Bridgett. All recruitment into the Undertow is being handled by the Myconid branch. Melfine looks to question Yun somewhat, to connect, but it's so fucking weird and stiff. Yun stays over the Marquis' place, and Druss stays at his shop; the rest of us stay in the cot rooms of the Sanctum. Yun and the Marquis have a good time.
After the massive dump, I join the others and head to the gate of the Sanctum to meet Druss. We go to the compound, recover Ricky, and head out toward the mission site. At the train station outside of Smallville, called Raptor's Crossing, we see no one. We wander up to tie of the mounts, and hear a rustling. 12 axe beaks set upon us, but Yun makes quick work of them with the spell they learned from that scroll (Fireball). Melfine and Yun go into the station and meet Terri the Secretary, who is hiding behind the window, in the dark, and is very freaked out. Yun and Melfine sort her out, I guess? I shout for sauces to enjoy this fried chicken, but they're all distracted by the explosion (magic is confusing and scary to these people?). At this time, two riders on raptors show up, a nondescript halfling and someone the others call Alana, also a halfling. They offer me some spicy food, so we are friends. We are escorted to the barn for sleeping, and the inn for eating. Alana reads Yun and I in about some oddities in town, vaguely, and notes that we should stay inside at night.
The next day, after dropping Ricky off at the compound, we go back into the city. Yun's intimidating visage and mannerisms causes a guard to quit, gaining them a nemesis. We make it through the gates, turn in the mission at the Sanctum, and head out. The others want the info Yun has, but Yun has a price - someone's most precious possession. Druss hands over a spicy looking battle axe, and Yun says they'll have the info in 24 hours. I leave on Yun's heels and we go get a drink and a bite at the Cross Keys Inn, owned and run by Daisy Shorthalt. After eating, we get a room and ride out the night in peace.
The following morning, Yun asks me to knock on the door. Druss comes out, to see a crucible full of lava melting the axe Druss gave to Yun. They have some weird exchange that really concerns me, but Yun does drop the info. Druss recognizes the woman Yun describes from some previous meeting, and that person works at the Temple of Daja; this person is Vandren, the head of the Witch Hunters' Guild. They all want this Vandren person to side with them in some argument? Maybe over why this city is so rigid? They want to talk to Vandren, so planning ensues. Yun is going to have to follow Vandren, and resumes their dockworker persona to relocate the Vandren persona of which they were aware (3 months). Druss tries to locate the clerk of Daja persona and blows it, sending Vandren to ground (5 months now).
RETCON One month into Yun's investigation, results are sparse. We're gonna cipher a message in Thieves' Cant to Vandren, Yun is gonna drop it off in a burner persona. The message is to meet about the bad Undertow, the Crimson Dragons, and the possible war, if they want. Meeting place: ziggurat under The Docks (Pudge), 2 days, at midnight.
INSP Inventory: INSP, +d6
1/7/23
Q1: Do you enjoy getting dressed up for a special occasion? A1: Dressed up? Like, clean the grease off my cheeks? But I need that!
BEGIN SESSION
Early summer after the time skip, a storm has rolled in around the Cherwood area. I’ve been hot on the trail for days now and am closing in on Yun’s prison caravan. Battle ensues and the driver of the cart quickly dies, and some other basics. The cart under Yun’s breaks open and two monstrous cat creatures emerge. One heads straight for me, but I make Ricky and myself invisible. Ricky whacks the gangboss and I get Yun out of their manacles and shackles.
Yun gathers up their belongings and begins moving toward the city. We are about a half day out from Cherwood. I instruct Ricky to tail Yun, and follow as well, but I am still invisible. I’ve spoken a few times and some of them finally start to be aware of me. The tall blood-soaked one tries to find me and uses Detect Magic. This allows her to see the outlines of my infused items, so they know I’m here now.
The gang had convinced Yun to go to Holden’s compound instead of into the city. I maintain my follow 15 feet behind Yun, alongside Ricky. At some point along the journey, I catch up to Yun and make sure they want to go along with these folks. After an hour passes, my invisibility runs out and they can see me, so they talk to me. They seem to be after Yun because they know who some secret identity Witch Hunters’ Guild goon is.
The scroll I was hunting down goes nowhere. Yun already started studying it and did kill nobody, so I figure I don’t need to take it back. Another satisfied customer.
As we enter Holden’s compound, I see the massive airship and am just SO excited. I see where the plans are kept and am going to get my eyes on those at some point. Oliver is talking to a tabaxi with a weird hat. Bellia (bronze dragonborn) is the one holding those plans, and that towering mama is headed right towards me. But then, she hugs the brass dragonborn, Druss? Maybe next time. She is fascinated by Ricky almost immediately.
The small lady lets Yun and I know that we probably ought to stay here for the night, as getting magic users into the city is an issue. We are going to set something up in Bellia’s cottage, but no way is that going to fit everybody. Druss makes some fancy moves with a sheet and now it’s a cotton castle looking thing. Ricky is going to hang out here at the compound while the rest of us go into the city in the morning.
When we all get shunted out of the tent in the morning, a dwarf is there in Yun’s place, calling himself Derek Shaftswell. It’s Yun, but they changed themselves somehow. Shifty grifter.
At the city gates, there is a line. I turn off all of my infusions to lower the chance of detection. We wait in line to make entry, and a guard questions why they brought hicks back to the city. We are in and headed to Druss’s shop. After we get there, another goblin arrives, some city boy who forgot where he comes from, Jerkyton.
INSP Inventory: INSP
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