Campaign 2: Session 9 - Late Arrivals
Rewards Granted
Anpu Winkybits
- Participation: 100XP
- Activities: 60XP
- Peril: 100XP
- MVP: 100XP
- Story Arc: 500XP
- Total: 860XP
- Participation: 100XP
- Activities: 40XP
- Peril: 100XP
- Story Arc: 500XP
- Total: 740XP
- Participation: 100XP
- Activities: 40XP
- Peril: 100XP
- Story Arc: 500XP
- Total: 740XP
- Participation: 100XP
- Activities: 40XP
- Peril: 100XP
- Story Arc: 500XP
- Total: 740XP
- Participation: 100XP
- Activities: 20XP
- Peril: 100XP
- Story Arc: 500XP
- Total: 720XP
- Story Arc: 500XP
Missions/Quests Completed
2nd Spriarjeń 269 5E
As the Battle of Merkawada Crossing rages around her, Anpu Winkybits jumps down into the trench beside the Mamnomaga and takes cover beneath the crossing bridge. From where she hides she forms a symbol of Marani in the stone with her blood and she meditates to her patron.
As she looks out into the battlefield it feels suddenly distant and serene, and she finds herself looking out into the bloodshed, as a presence moves by her side. She speaks to Marani and asks her what she wants her to do. Marani tells her that the path forward is her own to take and it is incumbent upon her to decide for herself.
Anpu asks her if Ronasura is a good person, and she tells her that he was a ruler who only ever wanted to do good, and to protect those he considered to be his people, but the will to do good and the capacity are not always the same thing. Ronasura was usurped due to his own weakness in Marani's eyes, and her abdicating loyalty in favour of Malonkar was simply the most pragmatic way to serve her people.
With this said she tells Anpu that she does not know The Thirteenth Paragon, nor does she understand him. She tells Anpu that the power of Ronasura should be kept from him, though tells her that what becomes of that power after the fact is for her to decide. She tells her that she chose her as she trusted her, and so she trusts her judgement.
Anpu returns to the battle as the spectral form of Marani disappears. She rushes up to the Mamnomaga and sees as the battle on the ground begins to turn in favour of the Giants as the undead are restained or beaten down. While some Giants are invested in combat however, others linger behind the lines of combat.
Anpu sees Tedduch Stoutman, Thalmun Burrowale, Audrey Wepple, Zi, Awenir, Karl, and Andrei rushing along the top of the Mamnomaga, moving towards the First Class Carriages as Garuda swarm down ahead of them. Anpu moves to catch up with them and is halted in her path by Orville Wepple who has abandoned his bar to rejoin the adventure.
By the time the two finally catch up with the group and reach the First Class Carriages, they have fought their way through the dormitories but have found themselves facing a barricaded door. Tedduch tries to talk to the guard on the other side of the door, but not knowing whether they are friend or foe, he refuses to open the door. They leave the dormitories to try and enter the common room through the restaurant and there they run into Orville Wepple and Anpu Winkybits.
Before they can continue on their course, they hear the Captain of the Mamnomaga screaming in agony as he is dragged away by two of his men, his leg having been crushed beneath a frantic mammoth's foot. They opt to leave him with his men and continue on their way. As they do so, Tedduch Stoutman watches in horror as Giants that had been lingering on the periphery of the battle lance forward to strike not at the undead but instead at their own kin. One such traitor moves forward and as Arnak prepared to strike the final blow against an undead Giant, the traitor drove a club into their head. As they hit the ground, the Giant swung the club down at Arnak's head and crushed their skull.
They make their way down to the restaurant where they find a fire spreading across the room, and the body of The Wretch and two dead Garuda veiled within the smoke. Thalmun Burrowale rushes forward to provide immediate medical treatment before Awenir, Karl and Andrei make their way into the fire and haul his body from the room.
Orville Wepple, Anpu Winkybits and Zi work together to put out the fire, stamping it out with Orville's tentacles, Anpu's magic hand and Zi's wings. Over time the fire begins to diminish and all the while, Thalmun Burrowale, Tedduch Stoutman and Audrey Wepple rush toward the Common Room door. Audrey reaches the door first and drives her cleaver into a Garuda's knee, as it buckles to her weapon, she leaps up and drives the cleaver into the warrior's skull, killing them instantly.
As Tedduch Stoutman arrives he sees the other Garuda dead on the ground, one being feasted on by the undead Daniel Starkerow, another being looted by Sarlaren. The bartender looks across the various scenes with an expression of abject horror, before she hastily turns to drive a dagger into Ronasura's heart. Ronasura reached her first however and grabbed her by the wrist, whilst kindly resting a hand on the knape of her neck. He tells her that it is okay and that it will be okay, he then uses his magic to disintegrate her to ash.
In the aftermath of the moment, Suran-Roa offers to pour them all a drink, Tedduch suggests that they pour one for the guard on the door as well, who calls himself Andraz. They are interrupted, as Awenir arrives to tell them that they have something to see outside. They make their way outside and there they see as the Giants who betrayed the Mamnomaga are being bested and detained. The Garuda are beginning to flee, and one turns to swoop down and kill Ronasura. Tedduch pushes him out of the way and moves to protect him, but before it becomes necessary, a Wyvern swoops down from the sky and tears the Garuda in two.
More Wyvern emerge from the sky and swarm around the Mamnomaga, picking off the remaining Garuda and descend. Riders drop from the back of the creatures and move across the vehicle. Sarlaren looks deeply troubled when he sees one of the riders, a crimson-robed assassin in a brass mask sculpted like his face. Seeing the end of hostilities, Thalmun Burrowale rushes to help with the repair of the Mamnomaga to help get it moving again.
When they return to the First Class Carriages, they see a communication crystal hum to life, and the image of the masked man appears. He tells the passengers that the threat has been eradicated and that the Mamnomaga will depart shortly. He tells them to stay within their compartments until the train reaches Kirikrest.
Before the train can depart, Anpu goes to pay a final tribute to the fallen. Among them she found the body of her old companion Neya. She searches his body and finds a pouch of gold on his body. She also notices his dead eyes which blaze orange. She recognises the colouration from her time in Vede, from the torture that marked the servants of Arkash.
Sarlaren approaches her and asks her how long she had known him, she admits she had barely known him for a week when he disappeared, but that she had always wondered what happened to him. Sarlaren goes to loot the body and is a little proud to find that she had already looted his coin purse. He also notices the strange eyes of Neya and she explains where she has seen such a thing before.
Sarlaren changes the subject and tells her that they need to leave the Mamnomaga before it leaves. He explains that the masked man is an assassin of the Gyldan Ren, the personal killers of the Imperator. He claims that as both of them are wanted criminals, it would not be hard for such a man to root them out.
Anpu considers his words but refuses to leave. She claims that she believes there is more to what is happening here, and that she has to stay with Ronasura, to find out who he is and what will happen next. Sarlaren tries to dissuade her, but she is adamant and he opts to stay by her side.
Meanwhile in the Mamnomaga, Tedduch Stoutman calls for Ronasura and Andraz to join him to toast the Giant whom had been celebrating his birthday and laid down his life in defence of the Mamnomaga. Karl and Andrei arrive and tell them that the Giant's name was Arnak.
As they drink, Zi takes their place besides Ronasura and they ask him if he thinks he is a good person. He is thrown by the question and admits that he is not sure, he claims that he has only ever tried to do what was right, and he knows that he failed in that. He says that all he wants now is to have a peaceful life and to live among the people. They ask him if he thinks he deserves that freedom, and he is speechless as he thinks about their question, before finally he leaves them to go and say hello to Kestus Starkerow instead.
Tedduch confronts Zi regarding their opinions on Ronasura, and the two argue. Zi points out how he incinerated and murdered the bartender, Tedduch in turn responds that he had only been defending himself and he offered her forgiveness in the end. The two struggle to align their perspectives and it is clear that a divide is forming between the two.
The Mamnomaga departs as they are speaking, and they settle into their time in the First Class Carriages. They drink together as the journey goes on and as the sun sets they take up what space they can find. Anpu finds a place to rest on one of the sofas along with Sarlaren.
Awenir maintains a room where he tends to the unconscious and injured Wretch. Tedduch finds him there and offers to let him use the one available bed whilst he watches over The Wretch. He agrees that they can observe him in shifts. Tedduch thanks Awenir for everything he has done and tells him that he is a good man and a great deal of the victory over the Garuda was one on the back of his contribution. He is modest regarding this but expresses his gratitude for Tedduch saying it.
Meanwhile, Zi finds a place to rest with Audrey Wepple, the two talk and Ki tells Audrey that she is going to protect her because she loves her. Audrey does not fully accept this given how long they have known each other. When Zi again says that she loves Audrey, she only says thank you, and Zi is hurt by her words. They tell her that they will continue to protect her and that they do believe this to be love, and that though her words have hurt them, she does not need her to love them back. She curls up beneath her wings and Audrey places a hand on her feathers and falls alseep curled up beside her.
While all of the passengers go to sleep, Orville Wepple continues to work the bar where he hears the voice of Russell Tideborn in his mind. The two discuss their situation and Orville suggests the idea that if they were to meet each other in the flesh perhaps they could resolve their predicament.
3rd Spriarjeń 269 5E
The group wake up as the Mamnomaga rolls into the station and they see the fast approaching town of Kirikrest, a city built up along the mountain of Kiri.
Report Date
16 Oct 2023
Secondary Location
