Season 3, Episode 3: "Order of the Pike" Report
General Summary
As the Hellknight charged through the portal through Valentina, the Dream Team felt something roll through them, and time slowed... All turned to focus on the threat, including Lockette (who was still waking up from a stupor), and then a violent explosion of aura erupted from Chad, wrapping around the woman and locking her into place. Chad smoothly played off his confusion as confidence, and to Valentina's pleasure, the Hellknight was returned to her ship (while Lockette was recovered) without incident. Before the portal closed, Mist grabbed the knight's SID and exchanged his own, hopeful that the effect would soon fade, and the warrior would reconnect at a later date.
The group patched up Lockette's burns, and then grilled Valentina on all that had just transpired. She examined Mist, and discovered two handprints burned into his back -- one black, which seemed to be connected to Leng (and thus, the Skinny Men), and a counter-blessing given by Unari Dama, the mysterious demon that roamed the jungle around Mist's village. The former seemed to be what drew the Skinny Man to interfere in the group's duel with Nawa Jin, and the resulting entropy blast that sent Abelina and Lockette hurling through space (and possibly time). The latter, at least according to Valentina, seemed to be what was keeping Mist alive, but she seemed unsure of how Unari had accomplished such a thing, and feared the potential side effects.
This discussion led the group to ask Valentina about her knowledge of the universe, and the powers that the Dream Team had suddenly found itself surrounded by. The lawyer invited the group to a walk-and-talk (claiming to have another appointment to keep), and discussed the separation between common mortals, those who bear Mantles of Power, and the beings who have risen above the "threshold" known as the Infinite Line. While the lecture was fairly basic, it was enlightening to the adventurers who had just felt such powers settle around their shoulders. Then Valentina bid the group farewell, and the Dream Team continued to the Aga Jain.
They were met by a representative of the Solarions of Idari, Deldros, who took Tesin aside to clarify things before her departure. Upon learning that Tesin didn't remember him, the young man seemed crushed, and left the ship with awkward swiftness. He was seen conversing with Nawa Jin at the edge of the docks, who bowed his head at the news, and then vanished into the crowd.
On the return trip to Ezorod, three major events happened during the downtime:
On the slow ride aboard the Sun Diver, Mist decided to view another memory -- the day that Lightning gained his gift. He saw his brother watching a group of adventurers explore the jungle around his village, who were soon horribly mutilated by a rogue Razorback. The last survivor, a thin young man by the name of "Sammy", gifted the Mantle of the Walker to Lightning, although he was unable to pass on any of his knowledge.
With another day past, the Dream Team finally met up with Jun Zhao, and explained the loss of his granddaughter. Clearly angry, he demanded help from Tesin's psychic knifes and Mist's memory, which contained information about the event in question. Using his own power, he dove inside the Ysoki's head, recovering the information he needed to locate Abelina across time, but awakening something in Mist's mind. Both Tesin and Mist saw the Void, suddenly blessed by the light of creation, and a trio of gods walking on a field of wheat. They saw the creation of the first Walker, Raemus, and then the eons of violent storms that defined the beginnings of the universe...
Meanwhile, Jun Zhao pulled on the metaphysical essence left behind by the Skinny Man, and pulled Abelina back into the present. She seemed incredibly rattled, claiming to have been on the Horse Eye Orbital Plate for the past three months, although decades in the past. She saw the original Lockette there, being worked on by Jun Zhao, and caught a glance of the mysterious SS Iron Drake, which Abelina believed to be a "planet buster". When confronted, Jun Zhao claimed a litany of literal and magical contracts binding him into silence, which was backed up by earlier investigations into his aura. He apologized to Mist for invoking another memory, being unaware of his new Mantle, and cautioned him against accessing the memories of Roarin' Ruby -- an old experiment of his gone rogue, and a previous Walker.
Overwhelmed, the group decided to rest for a time before deciding on their next move, but destiny is rarely kind to such requests. A booming knock echoed across Ezorod, and Vaughn Blackblood came calling, looking to finish some deals, and begin others...
The group patched up Lockette's burns, and then grilled Valentina on all that had just transpired. She examined Mist, and discovered two handprints burned into his back -- one black, which seemed to be connected to Leng (and thus, the Skinny Men), and a counter-blessing given by Unari Dama, the mysterious demon that roamed the jungle around Mist's village. The former seemed to be what drew the Skinny Man to interfere in the group's duel with Nawa Jin, and the resulting entropy blast that sent Abelina and Lockette hurling through space (and possibly time). The latter, at least according to Valentina, seemed to be what was keeping Mist alive, but she seemed unsure of how Unari had accomplished such a thing, and feared the potential side effects.
This discussion led the group to ask Valentina about her knowledge of the universe, and the powers that the Dream Team had suddenly found itself surrounded by. The lawyer invited the group to a walk-and-talk (claiming to have another appointment to keep), and discussed the separation between common mortals, those who bear Mantles of Power, and the beings who have risen above the "threshold" known as the Infinite Line. While the lecture was fairly basic, it was enlightening to the adventurers who had just felt such powers settle around their shoulders. Then Valentina bid the group farewell, and the Dream Team continued to the Aga Jain.
They were met by a representative of the Solarions of Idari, Deldros, who took Tesin aside to clarify things before her departure. Upon learning that Tesin didn't remember him, the young man seemed crushed, and left the ship with awkward swiftness. He was seen conversing with Nawa Jin at the edge of the docks, who bowed his head at the news, and then vanished into the crowd.
On the return trip to Ezorod, three major events happened during the downtime:
- Isra used the Road Key given to her by Valentina several weeks past, and accessed a mystical demiplane known as the Rambling Road. The Spirit of the Well -- a Death imprisoned in an ancient basin in the center of the chamber -- encouraged Isra to go on, giving her the First Avenue Key in advance, but the Android exercised caution, and decided to return with the party at a later date.
- Mist decided to use his newfound Mantle of the Walker to access the memories of his brother's past, and revisited the day that Lightning died. Mist confirmed the death of several of his crewmates, and that his brother once held the Mantle, and gifted it to him upon his death. Previous Walkers were also mentioned, including a man named Sammy, and Raemus. Mist took significant psyche damage from the event, earning renewed scrutiny from Chad.
- Chad tinkered desparately with his Starmetal Puzzle Cube, and finally solved the third level, gaining new insight into the art of gaming, and recovering the Infinite Dodecahedron that was stored inside.
On the slow ride aboard the Sun Diver, Mist decided to view another memory -- the day that Lightning gained his gift. He saw his brother watching a group of adventurers explore the jungle around his village, who were soon horribly mutilated by a rogue Razorback. The last survivor, a thin young man by the name of "Sammy", gifted the Mantle of the Walker to Lightning, although he was unable to pass on any of his knowledge.
With another day past, the Dream Team finally met up with Jun Zhao, and explained the loss of his granddaughter. Clearly angry, he demanded help from Tesin's psychic knifes and Mist's memory, which contained information about the event in question. Using his own power, he dove inside the Ysoki's head, recovering the information he needed to locate Abelina across time, but awakening something in Mist's mind. Both Tesin and Mist saw the Void, suddenly blessed by the light of creation, and a trio of gods walking on a field of wheat. They saw the creation of the first Walker, Raemus, and then the eons of violent storms that defined the beginnings of the universe...
Meanwhile, Jun Zhao pulled on the metaphysical essence left behind by the Skinny Man, and pulled Abelina back into the present. She seemed incredibly rattled, claiming to have been on the Horse Eye Orbital Plate for the past three months, although decades in the past. She saw the original Lockette there, being worked on by Jun Zhao, and caught a glance of the mysterious SS Iron Drake, which Abelina believed to be a "planet buster". When confronted, Jun Zhao claimed a litany of literal and magical contracts binding him into silence, which was backed up by earlier investigations into his aura. He apologized to Mist for invoking another memory, being unaware of his new Mantle, and cautioned him against accessing the memories of Roarin' Ruby -- an old experiment of his gone rogue, and a previous Walker.
Overwhelmed, the group decided to rest for a time before deciding on their next move, but destiny is rarely kind to such requests. A booming knock echoed across Ezorod, and Vaughn Blackblood came calling, looking to finish some deals, and begin others...
Rewards Granted
Tarot Deck
- No changes
- The Infinite Dodecahedron (Chad)
- ??? - Hellknight SID (Order of the Pike)
Created Content
An article for Mantles of Power -- I have a lot of articles to update and create...
Tesin Movahesh
Thunder in the Mist
Lockette Endrinmaster 12 2.0
Isra
Chad
Report Date
24 Feb 2021
Primary Location
Secondary Location
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