ANGEL's WAKE
Chapter
Majesty (1)
Letters
The next afternoon, after the ceremony, Elu, Nagrick, and Spacegraham are on watch, deciding to get Nagrick some formal training. Merut and Cabal are duelling and teaching one another common and dwarvish, the other dwarves tease Merut about having a thing with Nifeemos. Atsara meditates on his rock, which he has began engraving, when he is approached by Fangs, Mac, Sava, and Blinker, who invite him to hang out with them later on and admire his rock. Setep receives five letters, one he pockets, one he gives to Merut, and three he saves for the council. The letter he gives to Merut is from Tia Maccailini, as she details her struggle to track down Cailin, she pleads for good news. Setep reaches out to Flea and tells him that he wants to do one last job with the old guard before moving on with the new band, so he gets Flea, Nagrick, Merut, and Elu together to go to the Martyrs Guild, where they're met by Ilnor Chandri, a pale blue tiefling woman whom had written to Setep in one of the letters. She offered them a job patrolling the underways for undesirables, namely, wererats. The band do not find any such undesirables, but come across a goblin precession, the band decide to warn them that they may be killed if they continue to remain there, due to the bounty on undesirables, they accept the warning, and the band leaves. Flea says to Merut in regards to choosing peace, "it's not the kind of mistake you make again". Setep seems to take notice. Atsara and co find a divey bar to talk in, where they share in their confusion and loss of memory, pride as a new band, and hope for the future. Atsara makes some friends. When everyone arrives back at the Lion's Den, Setep calls a council meeting where he reads the three letters. One from Julie Gaunt, inviting them to a dinner in over a months time, in their honour, and inviting them to come sooner should they wish to ask Julie Gaunt's 'Lady' for any divination help. One letter is the one from Ilnor Chandri, declaring the Rhondarshalar Martyrs guild a safe haven, and listing important contacts. The last letter was from the Away Inn, saying that by the end of the week, a cure for the curse will be delivered, and a continued supply will be offered in return for keeping a distance. Elu and Nagrick decide that night that Nagrick will train to use magic, druidic magic, in Cailin's honour, and due to her upbringing in the wilds.
Majesty (2)
The Fancy Crown
After a nice breakfast with Fangs and Sava, Atsara meet Setep and gathers everyone into the Main Hall. Eager for a task, Atsara joins Merut on a trip to the dock to check for inquiries about the advert.
Unfortunately, there are no responses due to most diviners being tied up with the current conflicts, but the man at the front desk recommends checking the White Hills for Storm Diviners. On the way around the docks, Merut buys some shell jewellery and the two discuss using the Band's new boat to ship cargo for a more reliable source of income. Driven by a need for a tricorne, Merut heads to a milliners called the fancy crown and pays just under 200g for a hat. Setep goes shopping for apology gifts for Flea, buying a pair of delicious chocolaty balls in a sack and a bunch of flowers, while Elu and Nagrick visit Mavis Den Druid Grove. Nagrick is debating enrolling to the grove, and is given a glimpse of Mavisden Proper, a Circle-less commune where all Druids can join, via a teleport circle that leads out of the city. Nagrick explains to Elu that it just feels right, being part of nature, and that she wants to at least try it. Back at Lion's Den, Atsara helps out Flea with the cooking and Merut, on watch, hears a voice on the wind whispering "She's Coming". That evening, Setep apologises to Flea, and gives him the sweets and flowers. In a moment of retrospection, Flea tells Setep the truth about the goblin tunnels and the death of Nagrick's family, Setep is shocked and decides he must tell Nagrick and Elu at once.
Majesty (3)
The Men Who Tried
The news is broken to Elu. She quickly brings her rage upon Merut as he keeps watch, ignoring his admissions of remorse, she throws him into the waters below the keep. Merut wakes up on a beach with waves splashing upon him. He sees the shield avatar along the beach. The shield avatar is sat next to him. The shield avatar identifies itself as Carl, an old crusader once known as Saldon. Merut asks how it all ended, to which the avatar responds - "Who says it ended?". Merut talks about his team. How he enjoyed it. How it had to end. How no matter what his good intentions always lead to hell. The avatar points his sword arm, and explains that something is whispering to him through his hands. He looks to the sword he wields, and the icon on its hilt, and begins to pry it off with a dagger. As he begins, he feels burning heat and the environment around him darkens into a storm. The avatar speaks once more. "It's your choice. Just do what'll make you happy. And - I think you're close. To the others, I mean. You'll be able to pass on Alcain's message." Merut offers to pass on a message from the avatar too, to which it replies: "I'm sorry I couldn't keep Elia safe." And with that, it begins to walk away into the distance, leaving it's mask behind. Merut tries to shed the Wrathful Tide once more and the scene disappears. He is washed up by an estuary out of the city. A muddy and sandy Phoebe stands over him wielding manacles. She claims that the manacles are the only way out of 'this'. She was sent to retrieve him. When the pair arrive back at the den, Setep calls the council together to decide on a plan of action. Flea gives context, on the warfront, the caves, the goblins. They were armed - but the party were the invaders. The party killed them all, but one. After a discussion, it is decided that Nagrick will choose Elu and Merut's punishment. Atsara fetches her, giving her emotional support, and brings her to the council. She decides that the punishment for both offenders is to become friends once again and look past their mistakes. Setep goes to meet Merut and explains the punishment. Merut speaks to him, and says "Have you ever wondered how many Nagrick's we're gonna make?". After a strangely aggressive and confrontational conversation with Merut about the contract and the band's decisions Setep. After Naggie and Elu have made up, Nagrick decides to visit Merut. He can barely bring himself to look at her, and as a single tear runs down his face he receives a soft kiss on the forehead.
Majesty (4)
Fell Meetings
Setep interrupts Atsara's meditating late at night, asking after the Ring. When Atsara hands it over, it turns out that it was Sweetsong in disguise, recovering one of his lost personal effects. Atsara rushes to tell the Boss, who takes the news well and quickly sends out the order to go out with Phoebe to hunt for traces. Returning to the place of intrusion, Atsara and Setep are met by a Nycaloth, called Landark, tasked with protecting the Band while they stay inside the keep. Setep decides to talk to the Nycaloth about whether it can be contracted to serve against Sweetsong. It offers, if Setep slays the Ki'Rin, the Maelstromyr that lives near it, and that Maelstromyr's four living kin, to help kill Sweetsong permanently. Setep asks the creature for hints on finding the Kirin, it has an aura of good fortune and good living, providing boons to all those around it. It tells him instead to find info on the five Maelstromyr who banished the Queen of Dragons in order to find the Kirin. Setep agrees to the terms and Landark disappears. Merut wakes up the next morning, overhearing Atsara and Phoebe discussing Sweetsong, and is brought into the fold. A team is put together to go into town to gather bloodhound fur to focus Merut's divination, in order to discover Sweetsong's location should he be within 1000ft. After gathering the component from Chainstoke, who has moved into the Cat's Pajamas, they perform the ritual and it fails - it seems Sweetsong isn't close at the moment. Naggie and Elu have a long moment preparing for Naggie to move away to live at the Druid Grove for a while, getting packed meals and Sending Stones from Nifeemos. Naggie says good bye to her friends, and in a moment of bravery decides to visit Merut to say one last goodbye. As she leaves, she gives him a bit of simple advice - "be better".
Majesty (5)
The Gathering Storm
Merut awakes in an empty Den, filled with long shadows that melt everything on which they cast. It is a nightmare - it seems the curse is strengthening again. After, he meets with the council to discuss the Crusaders. They know of Alcain, Lohic, Yuki, Elia, Jorey. There are rumours that there were ten of them - the Bastion of Ten. They hear the crusade was fought in Dormort and Lohic, but that each of them came from a different corner of the world. Elu shares that she was sent a message by the Shield Avatar back during the Maiden Festival. It told her that "The Next Crusade Is Coming". The Band begin to understand that the shield is some kind of soul-trap. These Maelstromyr, the Old Crusaders, fought against the Dragon Queen on the plains of Dormoor, a place called Caltor. Merut, Flea and Atsara go to Chainstoke to ask about Maelstromyr. Chainstoke recognises the Shield - he thought it destroyed, and called it a 'fell omen'. He also reveals that several years ago he met with Jorey Zealotous and his sister, he says the pair took him out of a bad situation and helped him start his life in Forlonde. Maelstromyr are a storm that pull others into their fated paths, and Maelstromyr come together once in a generation to form a great storm that can change the world. Rankirk and Setep learn from the Rhondarshalar Martyrs guild that the Kirin must be at either the one of the mountains of Majesty, or the White Hills. After flirting with Ilnor Chandri, Setep asks Regional Chief Animalis Staurek about Yuki Derindel. He says Lady Yuki hasn't made a public appearance since Stadium. She lives in a blue palace, apparently, with Julie Gaunt, who has written to the band before inviting them over. The band arrive, inviting people from the Den along too, to go to the Palace and finally meet Lady Yuki of the fallen house of Derindel. Julie Gaunt meets them at the door, but claims that Yuki is far too frail for visitors. Merut gives Julie the Bag Rags, and unsurprisingly Yuki is up for proper discussion. She is playing a piano when she meets them, her skin grotesquely burnt from protecting a town from Stadium. As the song finishes, she turns her head backwards, her eyes fixed on what is left of the Bag. She asks Merut and Setep where they got it, claiming that Alcain had died 22 years ago, but Merut replies with the story of Alcain they knew - the old man who would throw everything he had away to save another. When Setep asks for information, she replies that the mountain is in Majesty, and that she no longer knows the Crusader who lives there. She claims she sent them out there to live out there days in the wasteland, and that she fully expects them to have succumbed. Their name was Oroe Merlot, a red Dragonborn filled with inconsolable rage of a strength that was a danger to those around him. He fled to the mountain with his son.
Finally, Merut asks her whether she knows the name Gallith, and finally Yuki loses her composure. According to Yuki, Gallith is an old, old, evil, who snatched up Yuki from her original home before the Derindel's found her. Gallith is the reason that Yuki looks as she does, since their connection prevents the burns on her body from healing. It seems that she can only heal if Gallith dies, but Gallith is an incredibly dangerous, incredibly powerful fell creature.
BLue City
Chapter
Majesty (6)
The Voyage Begins
The party return to the Lion's Den and hold a meeting to plan their expedition to Majesty. They first collect their shared knowledge of Majesty as a nation. Majesty is under the control of the Blue Wizard Cities and the Mines of Majesty, a dwarves mining collective. The towers in the cities were the devices that removed Tieflings from the world, before their recent collapse let them back into the material realm. The party talk to the arcane division's leader, Barney Moon, he agrees to come on the expedition with the Setep Squad to offer them magic support. The plan is for Flea, Merut, and Phoebe head to Bell Cairn with Setep's folding boat to sail to Majesty. Upon arrival, Flea will learn the nearest teleportation circle runes in order to transport the rest of the party. Meanwhile, Elu heads to reunite with Nagrick, who has attained enough basic skill to provide magic food and water for the journey. Nagrick's mentor at Mavis Den is an orc druid named Carla. Across the course of the planning, Setep finds himself at odds with Rankirk over the amount of financial supports and benefits that band members are receiving. Setep initially wishes to have all insurances cut, but calms down and asks Rankirk to reduce what is offered and increase the Bands finances. The Band is making a profit off of all of the smaller contracts the claws members are taking, and financing for the Majesty exhibition is offered up to 2000GP. Merut says goodbye to Nifeemos, the two share concerns for one another's safety and promise to talk things through when they are reunited. In only a few hours Flea and his group are on the sea on 'The Bitchy Devil'. The three have limited sailing experience, and Merut accidentally leaves a line trailing in the ship's wake.
Majesty (7)
The Bitchy Devil
Atsara accompanies Elu, Nagrick, and Spacegraham as they go 'badger' hunting and it horrified to learn that they intend to kill the critters. After disagreeing for a while, the group concede to trying things Atsara's way, however, things changed when one of these 'badgers' took the bait. It had an infernal appearance that prompted Atsara to make a U-turn on his decision and help Elu crush it, but the impish creature disappeared into a puff of red smoke when crushed. The party searched for sometime but found no further traces of the monster. On The Bitchy Devil, Phoebe takes over the helm from Flea, as Merut goes to check the lines, only to find a pair of red eyes staring up at him, hanging from the loose line he left. A group of weresharks attack, climbing aboard and scraping up Merut. Phoebe threw daggers, and Flea threw a fireball, but a hammer headed shaman among them returned the barrage with magical waves. The fight was short, but tough, and only Merut took substantial injury. The crew waited out the rest of the night before resuming their voyage. They came before the great dragon turtle upon which the docks on Blue City were built and offered it tribute in order to dock. It gave way to them, and they made their way onto the busting, arid, port city. They took shelter at the inn called 'The Cerulean Star' that seemed a host to all manners of scum and villainy, giants, drow, duergar, shadar-kai, and lizardfolk. Flea left Phoebe and Merut to the inn, while he set out to find a teleportation circle to fetch the rest of the expedition. Back at the Lion's Den, Setep and Rankirk disagreements about financing, but nonetheless, Setep left Rankirk incharge of the band.
Majesty (8)
Blue City
Atsara has flashbacks as he arrives in Majesty, he has been there before, on a mission for someone, with a friend. He went up the mountains to make contact with a mage, Barlead, while the towers still stood. Merut is found lying in a puddle of saltwater. While he cleans up, Setep gambles and everyone else passes the time. After the party was ready, they headed out to go shopping! Setep bought crampons, snow shoes, cold weather gear, climbing kits and 60 rations each. When asking about where they could buy mules, the shopkeeper in the broken fence mentioned a menagerie run by the Barlead from Atsara's memory. Barlead was said to be an incredible mage, who had headed to her tower high in the mountain, leaving her simulacrum behind to manage the store. After inspecting some of the fabulous and exotic beasts, Setep makes a deal with Barlead to afford a down payment by perhaps investigating a shipping convoy moving unmarked crates to the ruins of an abandoned tower. Setep ends up buying Manny the Mammoth, and used him to pick up the supplies before the party head back to the casino. Merut headed back to the supply shop to buy a map of the mountain (written by Giants). The party enjoy one last night of urban life before embarking on an adventure that would likely test the very limits of their bodies. Drinks were on Atsara, and Setep made som money playing card games in the Casino.
Majesty (9)
Urbania
The party arose, and after a drawn out morning ritual met outside the front of the Cerulean Star. Setep led the party through the residential and mage quarters of the city and headed south towards the city gates, towards the base of the mountains. They were stopped at the gate by some Majesty guards who seemed in disbelief that a group of rookies would be travelling simply for the sake of trying to reach the top of the mountains. After getting as much information from the band as they were willing to part with, they were let along their path. Outside the city, the dust and sand turned into sandstone. On the journey they plotted a route on their map that they theorised would buy them the most amount of time to use Manny without needing to climb a sheer cliff face. Only an hour up their chosen path they encountered trouble; a duergar man, guarded by an automaton with a firearm blocked a collapsing stone bridge. The duergar demanded all of their coin. Setep tried to sleight the man, and Merut tried to out talk the man, but he spotted Setep, and wouldn't play Merut's games. The band decided to throw their coins into the crevice below the bridge rather than give it over. When it came time for Setep and Manny to cross, the party found themselves at an impasse, with no good ideas on how to get him across. Fortunately, Barney Moon stood up to the challenge and cast polymorph on the mammoth to make him pocket size. After that, the band let the bandits behind them, travelled through the briar where the yellow sands turned orange, then brown, then green, and found their way to the mountains base.
quiet cold
Chapter
Majesty (10)
Stonekinder
The party rest after their first day of travel; Setep inspects Mannie for injuries, Atsara teaches a bit of meditation to Barny and Merut, Flea and Elu chat about Big Leader, and Phoebe chats to Spacegraham while on watch. Spacey tells ghost stories, the stories of the dark powers, and their tendency to respond to tragic acts of evil, plucking a person and their surroundings from the world and placing them in a domain of dread. The journey begins again, trekking across the crags. Eventually, the party reach a thin goat-path along a cliff face. When Setep tries to bring Manny across, it knocks Setep, Elu, Nagrick, and Elu off the ledge, with Barney being gored before falling. While the others are left in the dark, Barney casts feather fall to save them all, and Elu casts spare the dying on Barney. Eventually they reunite, and the next night they recover Manny, who had charged ahead and gotten his leads stuck on rocks.Yet another day later, they find themselves in a narrow chasm, sheltered from the wind. As they follow the path, they notice mounds of corpses that have fallen from the cliffs above, and the skeleton of a titanic humanoid creature, it's very bones forming parts of the landscape. As the party travels around the corpse, they awaken corpse flowers that are full from feeding on the bodies of those who fall from above. The plant monsters are able to reanimate their half digested food as zombies that swarm the party forcing them to cross the titans sword. Atsara gets surrounded, but pushes ahead, Merut gets cut off but teleport ahead, and Manny and Setep get scratched up, but trample their way out of the valley. Just beyond the valley, they find their paths blocked by some wandering stone giants, the giants don't seem interested in a fight, and instead seem concerned for the party, who are walking through giant country without tribute on them. The giants offer Setep a sack of gems and depart.
Majesty (11)
Farlun's Haunt
The Runoff is a wet and boggy land that makes for harsh travel, until on the path ahead, a space in the mountain is spotted. Some kind of bridge fortress built from peak to another across the valley the party are walking across. A great chain rolls up the mountain face past it as far as the eye can see. Up above, just before the white of snow, is some kind of mechanical fortress. Phoebe is tasked with scouting the fortress to check whether it is occupied. She notices some humanoid statues wearing some kind of ceremonial gown decorating the outside. She hears echoing footsteps, too, and the pulling of a chain in between moments of quiet. The creak of an oiled wooden door. There are openings in the walls, but are blocked with wood to presumably block the wind. Phoebe also notices the insignia of Old Majesty, back when the Blues and Reds were one. Upon knocking on the door, the party are met with trolls. They welcome in Elu (who they recognise as a troll) and her 'pets', and as everyone sits around a campfire the one that invited them in - Mograk - asks Elu whether she is like him, higher or lower, and whether she orders him, or he orders her. The trolls are Mograk, Lindar, Donslow, Farlan, Rawg, Gosher, Bislip and Grin the Bone Carver. Elu says that she and her pets want to stay the night, and Morgrak offers to show her around. After noticing Naggie, Morgrak exclaims he used to have a gobbo, but they went squish. Elu asks to look through his stuff. He says yes, then is sad because Elu might take his stuff, then hides it because he doesn't want to show discontent. Phoebe works out that they are, trolls. Trolls have one thing going for them - they have incredible adaptability. They have regeneration, though this is a misnomer - they actually have adaptive regeneration, and the ability to gain the features of the things they eat. They are conceptually adaptive, and it shows through they mental states and linguistics. While searching, Elu finds a scratchings that read "DON'T GO SILENT PLATEU, DON'T WANT TO KNOW", and a mandala-style illustration. The party minus Elu decide to look into the book room. While the rest are distracted by a locked chest, Atsara studies a book on the history of Majesty. As the party returns to sitting round the fire, they are surrounded by trolls of all sizes. Tensions rise as the party's escape routes are cut off. Eventually, the bone carver leaves his den. The party huddles around Elu for protection. The bone carver - right behind Merut - reaches out in silence, and takes some meat off the fire next to him. Atsara, Merut and Setep try to convince Elu to leave, but she is unwilling to leave the warm living quarters. After a nerve-wracking moment, the party make it to the sleeping quarters. As Setep makes his way to the comfortable bed, he orders Atsara to leave the location he feels safe in and go guard right next to the door. Mograk dumps a pile of fleshy food onto the ground inside the doorway. The trolls each take some meat of the fire, in a certain order. Farlan does not any meat from the fire, and instead his jaw quivers. Elu asks why he isn't eating, and Morgrak decides to write the question on some paper and give it to him. It's written as the writing on the wall was, common in Giant script. It says: "Farlan Was Here Longest. Farlan Was Here With The Redses And The Blueses. Farlan Used To Be Higher Than All. The Redses Did Not Like That So They Kept Me In A Cage And Made Me Change. And Now I Can't Have The Red Anymore. But Farlan Got Free When The Redses And The Blueses Were Long Gone. And We Use Their Halls As Ours."Elu remembers the Ordening. Every giant and giant-kin has it's place. There is a very strict hierarchy, and it seems like Farlan used to be the chief of the trolls. Now, he says to Elu after she offers him nuts, he can only feed from the Light, but the Light burns his skin. Elu enters the bonecarver's room, and sees him with a dagger in his own leg, sawing back and forth at his black scars amid a deluge of his own blood. Mograk says it's the blade is the only thing that can hurt them. It negates a troll's regeneration, and allows one to carve Giant runes on their own bones. Elu has a nice conversation with Mograk, giving back the little treasures he loved so much, before drinking some very earthy tea and heading to bed. She wheedles some treasures from Setep to trade for Grin's runeknife. Setep is harrassed by the little troll Rawg throughout the night, but other than that the party safely rest. As they ready themselves to leave, Elu is pulled aside by Mograk. When she tells him that they aim to reach the 'tippy', as he calls it, he offers to give them a lift. He walks her over to the big chains that leave from the top of the fortress. He explains that by moving the crank, they can use the chain almost like a gondola to ride up to the snow level. The entire is being pulled up the mountain with enormous, five-foot-thick chains! Above us is a suspended bridge that will take us off the moving bridge-castle. Flea draws a magic circle so they can return one day, and then the party head out and frolic in the snow.
Majesty (12)
Barlead's Isolation
Atsara has a vision of the last time he headed along this path. The party changes into their cold weather gear, and head off towards Balead's tower. They spot all sorts of strange trees, ice rabbits and winter bugs in exotic shapes en route! They even find some hibernating fire salamanders in a nearby stream when they set up camp. Elu threatens to eat Atsara, Atsara mumbles hidden wisdoms to himself at the river's edge, Setep and Barny chat, and Merut and Flea have a heart-to-heart about goblins and all sorts. Spacegraham tells a story to Phoebe about Forlorn and the plane of shadows. The dark powers are formless, motiveless, unknown gods that are not worshiped that grant power to tragic, evil events by creating a Domain of Dread in the shadowfell, gifting a portion of power to the perpetrators, but forcing them to relive their horrors eternally. The next day, after a few hundred meters of travel, the party come across a small clearing - almost a crater - where all snow has melted. There is even grass in a 1m diameter patch in the centre. Stinking of sulphur lie four mocking scrolls from the Nycaloths. The party sleep, and travel, and sleep, and travel, until Barlead's tower rises into view. The tower sits on an island in the middle of a well-frozen lake, bodies and skeletons visible unchanging beneath the surface. Barlead invites them all inside the tower. Setep asks some blatant dumb questions, investigating into Ki Rin and how to find them. The party drink some warm soup, and all but Atsara and Phoebe collapse unconscious. Barlead's face shimmers away, revealing a cold, blue-skinned old woman. Atsara has been there before. The fire was on, last time. Balead was there, looking like her simulacrum. This did not happen last time, so Atsara decides that he's going to attack. Balead has been trapped in the mirror, calling for help by writing in the fog. In her place, hags now dwell, Mothers Mildew, Muffle and Mists.
Majesty (13)
Reflections of the Past
Using a burst of Ki, Atsara dodges out of engagement and manages to wake Elu, who promptly rages. After failing to wake Naggie, the Hags cast - in a row - deafness, blindness and an AoE cold damage spell. Between Barny and Elu, all three of the hags are hit, but they simply turn to snow and blow away - the fight is clearly not over. The party wake each other up, and search the building while trying to free Balead. Atsara touches the mirror, but takes cold damage from the mold inlaid in it. Merut and him conspire to burn the mold away, but instead cause it to rapidly grow and instantly reduce both of them to negative hit points, and leave Phoebe and Barny at almost no health. Atsara asks the mirror how to free them, and the reply is 'Fell The Crones'. When Atsara says that they will return, Balead calls out and tells him to wear the Wrappings. When he takes them from Elu and applies them, he sees his own furred hands for a second, and Balead, before he returns to his current body. He feels them, the magic inside them, but they lack a certain spark. They don't feel *right*. However, in their dormant state, they still have power. Setep gears everyone up for a fight, and the adventurers, the party, the mighty heads of the Band of the Lion head out to slay a coven of hags.
Majesty (14)
Disturbing The Nest
As the party follow the witches, they discover a ruined, abandoned tent camp. In one tent, Elu finds a rune engraved belt. They gather ladders from against the cliff, and use them to climb the peak towards where the Merut has located the hag. When the party reach the top, they see a series of giant, corpse-filled nests. Setep sees a necklace with a stone anatomical heart, and throws it away. Just after, while investigating, Merut receives some sort of mental message from one of the hags, asking their 'kin' to come and greet them rather than hiding behind the 'sheep'. When Merut tries to locate creature, he triggers some kind of defence as spectral, mist-like hands tear over his shoulders and a voice screams out 'SISTER! THEY COME FOR US!' The party track the hags to a cave, but it seems that some kind of creature has made its home there. There head on to a small glade, within which are a series of large spider eggs. The party burn them down, finding trinkets within, a sword, a ring, some coin. Immediately after the largest egg burns, a wave of mist rolls out, extinguishing the fires and blinding everyone. After a short blind fight, Setep proposes leaving without killing the hags, which pushes Atsara over the edge, who has held a grudge since being forced to stay on watch near the door while in Farlun's Haunt. He leaves Setep, taking the others, and explores the rest of the area. They find a strange red barrier, over an animal pit, which is where the party believe the hags are holed up. They take a rest and Elu identifies the loot. A hags heartstone, a fell item that can take one into the ethereal plane at will; though likely at an unknown cost. A sword of wound closure, a ring of angelic flight, and a broken belt of giant strength.
Majesty (15)
The Coldblister Coven
Atsara apologises to Setep and Setep accepts but gives him a harsh final warning, then the party continue. The pit barrier is magic, and Balead proposes finding the anchor for it so it can be destroyed. Barny leads the party to a ritual site with a riddle (related to the outcasting and killing of a fourth hag in the coven), which the party solve and write the answer in blood, breaking the ritual barrier. They return to the hole, and Atsara approaches. The winds cut out - entwined in netting at the bottom of a hundred foot hole is the blue hair and green skin of Mother Muffled. She attempts to smack Astara, before flying away with a crack of thunder. Having discovered all the hags, the party return to Balead's house. It's empty, but the mirror seems to be reflecting... Wrong. It seems to be showing the wrong race? Flea looks like a Dwarf, while Elu looks less muscled and smaller. Setep looks the same. Merut looks the same. Phoebe has bright, glowing eyes, and her wings are out. Atsara almost can't recognise himself - he looks like he used too, before he died. It's a mirror of trueseeing! It will reveal the hags even if they are hidden in the ethereal plane. Setep, seeing through the mirror, sees them - three dots in the sky. Phoebe takes the ring of angelic flight, smells the residual blood on the heartstone and enters the Ethereal Plane. There she dashes into the air making it before the hags notice cutting Mother Mists Feet. She begins to fall and all return to the material plane. Flea throws fireballs while others take cover. Everyone is battered by lightning, cold, sleet, and hail. Elu drags Mother Mists to the ground and tears out her jaw. Merut spars with Mother Muffle and his hellish rebuke casts them of the cliffs. Atsara makes a great leap and begins to rapidly strike at Mother Mildew, as Elu holds her down. Merut falls unconscious but sees as Setep gives the order and everyone attacks as one, killing the last hag.
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Majesty (16)
The Silent Plateau
Barlead is returned to the material plane, unconscious, but after a night's rest, the party get Barlead back to health. She seems suprised at Atsara's appearance, knowing him in his past life. When Atsara introduces Setep as his boss, Barlead seems nervous. She welcomes him humbly, and addresses him as the Maharaja. Both Setep and Atsara are alarmed to learn as a consequence of this mistake, that Atsara was a claw of the clowder. Barlead says that Atsara came once with his brother Intom, and friend Helen. They were to speak to the frost giants about a way to get Sweetsong into Dormani. She also gives information about some of the giant countires coming up on the Band's journey. Goldencrown is surrounded by an aura of gold, where certain creatures can't cross. The Fjords have Genasi and waterfolk, but is dangerous to cross. The Escarpe Blanc is a sheer rock face. Barlead is even able to offer some information about the legends of the Ki Rin. The Ki Rin is the embodiment of good fortune. Getting too close with ill intent, or at great speed, would bring the foulest of fates. Setep asks how to kill it, and Balead explains you need to acclimatise to the aura. Don't take chances after Goldencrown. Stay neutral or good to escape consequences. It's unsafe for others. As thanks for freeing her, Barlead offers Setep the command words to wyverns in the Fjords that know a flightpath up to Impasse. She also recommends they stop at a Darkling Village up the Escape Blanc, to get some new gear, before attempting to cross the Silent Plateau. She stabs a poker into the fireplace, and with a shaking of the earth the lake outside begins to defrost, and she is reunited with her last surviving pet from the fight with the Coldblister Coven, two years prior, an Antlebear. After some pets and farewells, Atsara promises to return once they have completed their journey. Four days after, the party come to the White Crag; it's a directly vertical cliff face 1146ft at it's lowest, leading to a large flat plateau. Phoebe is sent ahead, flying up by herself to check what's on top of the cliff. It's completely flat, without any sort of cover. Raw cliff, and exposed plains, with some rocks and grass. There were trees and small hills on the horizon. As they travelled over the ice, they came across a small settlement built partially inside a quarry, in the shadow of a giant rock. The darklings are outsiders, beings from the inner planes. They were wearing full-body clothing, and most were small and wiry. Some, however, appeared more like grey skinned elves and have much larger stature. Merut cast tongues, as Setep approaches the largest. The man explained that all outsiders are worthy of caution, but that he'll help the party by providing some devices to help keep warm, as Barlead had arranged. In payment, the man, Henrag, explains that the party must hand over Balead's equipment, to be given back to her. The cost of their dishonesty. Not everyone is entirely convinced by the claim, but they don't push the issue. The party left the quarry, and walked until the smoke of the village disappeared from view, then they knew, they were in the Silent Plateau. The party spent a day and night traversing, they heard no birdsong, found no tracks, fruit, smoke or uncovered grass. They set up camp in the silence, and Setep spoke to Flea about their quest. They set up watch, with Barney first. He wakes up Merut, pointing to a strange light in the darkness up river - swaying back and forth. It looks like a headlamp looking around. It does a 180, then the light goes out. In the morning, after extinguishing the fire, the party head over to where it was. There are multiple sets of footsteps on the ground. Setep identifies that the tracks are from something humanoid, but very light. As they walked across the clearing, Setep notices what appears to be a rock is actually a solid block of ice encasing a Dragonborn, with a slit throat and drenched in blood. That night, Flea and Atsara discuss Setep's dream and their parts in it, Elu explains to Barney how she was mutated by her time in the Far Realm, and Merut makes peace with Setep. On watch, Spacegraham tells Phoebe another story about the Dark Lords and Dread Domains. This story is about Gregor Zolnik, a coup de noir, lycanthrope who committed mass murder against his wife, her lover, and then the entire town. Spacegraham explains how some of the towns people ran into the cold night with nowhere to go. They ran and ran and ran, hearing the lycanthrope hunting others around them. Eventually they would freeze to death, but not all of them stayed dead. Some were so driven by fear, that their cold bodies carried on running without their souls. With the two watchmen distracted, they didnt see the thing that had wondered past their perimeter.
Majesty (17)
The Fullmoon and the Fjords
The party are awoken to a creature make of coldlight walking into the camp, Phoebe gets the drop on it and Elu pummels it until it dissipates, but its howling draws more in, so the party flee. After travelling through the night, and then the day, the party gather round to keep watch. Elu decides to Identify some of her loot. She has an Imp of Rumours in a bottle that can spread rumours to an entire province once in return for it's freedom. She has also has an infusion Scroll of Determination, which is given to Atsara as it will help him even further in his fight against dying. The party rests, and continues walking the next day. Under the light of the fullmoon, Merut's heart freezes, his whole body wracked with pain. As Elu and Atsara come over quickly, he starts pouring with tears - anomalous amounts. There's water leaking from the wound in his side, from his eyes, as he contorts in pain. He's restrained by Elu, just about, but in his latest scream he reveals his teeth are sharp triangles, in two rows. His arms begin to swell, his spine cracks, as a pointed growth sprouts from his back. As Setep is knocked back by the transformation, he notices that the screams have attracted Coldlight Walkers above the cliffs. Merut has turned into a Were-Shark, cursed since his fight with them three weeks earlier. Between Elu, Setep's command and Atsara's flurry of stunning strikes, Merut is stunned and then knocked unconscious. While Elu then fights off the encroaching Coldlight Walkers, Merut speaks to Carl while he dreams. Carl - Saldon - berates him for being too weak to resist the Waves, to resist Chaos. He tears Merut down for being fickle, for not having the strength. But Merut shouts back that he doesn't care - that he'll try, and keep trying until he succeeds. Coldly, Saldon replies that in that case, Merut has doomed them all. Merut gets back up, his health returned to him and tougher than ever. He fights off the party, before diving into the ice-cold water to escape the growing crowds of Coldlight Walkers. Naggie manages to convince Elu to let her go after him with her wild shape ability, Phoebe offers to supervise as a favour, as Elu has earlier given her the troll dagger. The land party take a long rest in an abandoned building. Merut, on the other hand, is cold. His cold weather gear is damaged, and he can feel a dragging on his back and hands on his legs. Naggie is dragging him through the forest by the ankles. Naggie notices he's awake, and rushes to his side. He apologises, but Naggie explains there are Coldlights on the way, and that there is no time to discuss recent events. They see an intense light coming from the North. A Coldlight Terror approaches, and using Darkness Merut and Phoebe escape, leaving Naggie behind to escape herself. The rest of the party reach the edge of the Silent Plateau. There's a bridge, and before it a truly enormous horde of Coldlight Walkers. Atsara volunteers to be polymorphed into a Giant Eagle to distract them, so that the rest of the party can pass. Before long, they find themselves looking at the Lesser and Greater Fjords, and a banner above a small hut in Baliad's iridescent robes with two Wyverns waiting outside. The next morning, as Elu is wracked with worry, but at sundown, Naggie, Merut and Phoebe's return - with Naggie in their pocket as cat. As they ride up the mountain on the Wyvern, the golden influence of the Kirin becomes visible. The party is now at the top of the Shifting Fields.
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PeakS
Chapter
Majesty (18)
Snowsprings
Flea and Phoebe talk about books, and how Phoebe doesn;t won any books to read. Naggie asks Elu is she ever wishes she wasn't mutated, Elu seems content with her lot. Nagi also mentions how her mentor, Carla, has been telling her in her druid dreams about astral archdruids who were corrupted by the far realm and turned into the moonfire guardians. Barney uses Atsara's claws like a compass on a Map of Majesty, to work out using the curvature of the golden aura, which peak the Ki Rin must reside on. It is the western one. Merut despairs about his curse and the threat he poses, but Atsara tells him that he won't know what actions are right and wrong until he tries. The party continues onwards, until they find a skull shaped cave - a Giant springs from it, asking the party if they are hunters, fighters or neophytes trying to fix what is broken. Merut translates and Setep asks about Goldencrown, but the giants say they cannot cross the aura. Elu asks them about her broken belt of Storm Giant Strength, but the giants won't fix a relic of other giants that are above them in the ordning, as is the case with Storm Giants. Another day ahead, the party find a frozen village with many gardens grown from melted stone buildings. A family of pink dragonborn girls. Tiurf, Tun, Lemerac, Eikooc, and Spihc Merlot. The sisters of Oroe Merlot, though it appears they never knew him, being told he died on the day they were born. They share stories of a flying guardian, and a kenku, Keith who is guardians keeper who visits the village often. The party decide to stay long enough to gather information from Keith. During this time Setep befriends Lemerac, and Elu discusses Nagi's new astral form. After two nights, Keith arrives and the party quickly discover his connection to Yuki, Alcain, Oroe, Saldon, and Jorey, as the kenku talks in mimicry of their voices. He clarifies some things for the party. How Jorey tried to end the crusade by asking for divine intervention, and a Ki Rin was sent to aid in the fight against Tiamat. How Alcain ended the crusade by placing two extraspacial magic items within one another, creating an astral tear that damaged the fabric of the world. How after the fall of Lohic, Oroe was so lost in his anger, that it overtook him, and the power it once gave him, became a form he could not escape. Merut asks Keith if there's anything he wants from them and he says, put Oroe out of his misery. It is then revealed that Oroe is the vilages flying guardian, only seen once, when he burnt all the corrupt leaders from the village, accidentally fulfilling his oath of vengence against his mother. Keith agrees to accompany the party to an unholy temple at the boundry of Goldencrown, where the Ki Rins aura is weakest; there, it is safest to pass. The party leave the Oskrin tribe, and travel for another day, until they see the temple.
Majesty (19)
Goldencrown
Keith tells the party to dip their heads in the unholy water of the temple to pass the Ki Rins boundary. Everyone but Atsara does this. Setep, Elu, and Flea open up a sarcophagus with the inscription "Here lies a Baelnorn, who dedicated his life to locking away these secrets. Let him be remembered as the man he strove to be". Flea takes some books from the sarcophagus. The party bid farewell to Keith, and pass the golden boundary. They begin climbing the rock mesa that ends in the third peak. Two days up, they come across werebears, who were journeying to find the Ki Rin to cure their curse, they are hibernating for the winter due to some injuries picked up from the journey. Setep offers to help but remembers that they are short of time and cannot. Another two days up, the party discuss their plan of attack, but things get complicated. Barney refuses to fight a dragon because of his family back home. The matter of how to kill a dragon was then raised and no satisfying answer was reached. Flea vehemently defended Setep and insisted the party go on. Even when it was pointed out that a dragon would be smarter than all of them, Flea pointed out their numbers were an advantage, as Alcain had said, "more heads are better". That night Flea gave Phoebe one of the books he found. Phoebe attuned to it and learned it was a tome that had within it many foul powers and depraved writings. This included the fact that a 'Baelnornn' is an elvish good lich created by high magic; it seems the tomb they found was the final resting place of some other hero. Phoebe learned the powers to dominate evil and to cast death from her finger, but whether or not this would work on a dragon or not, or even if it would be safe for Phoebe to do, was unknown. The party decided to stick with Setep, with the hope of Phoebe's new power, even if fate itself was otherwise working against them. It was luck that Phoebe had unlocked this tome. Another two days up, they arrive at the third peak where they are shortly attacked by an adult red dragon, Oroe Merlot. He breathed fire upon them, almost killing everyone, knocking Elu unconscious, and decimating Flea with fire, all temporarily. Phoebe cast her finger of death to bring the dragon from the sky where Atsara felled it, fuelled with visions from his past life. He remembers how him and his brothers were able to get Sweetsong into Dorun, why he and Intom had climbed the mountain, how the towers of majesty had fallen. Atsara fought the ice giant king of Majesty to get the giants respect, then commanded them to organise their tribes and assault the four towers of Majesty simultaneously. Atsara watched as the Blue Tower fell to giant boulders, and Sweetsong entered Dorun. In the present, Oroe is unconscious, returned to his original form. And with the hope given to them by the werebears, that the Ki Rin could cure Oroe, and with Keiths claims that Oroe is a hero, the porty are resolved to take him with them to the very top of Majesty. The end of their journey begins.
75th
Majesty (20)
Beyond Majesty
As the party climb, the mountain seems to bend to facilitate their journey. It becomes warmer, water is purified of rot where carcasses lay and wildlife blossoms. Strange occurrences are innumerable. It is unlike anything else seen, on Majesty or in Dorun. The positive energy is revitalising to all but Atsara. Making camp a short distance form the peak, Setep and Flea keep watch. Setep opens up to Flea about the second contract he made with the Nycaloth Landark, to kill the Old Crusaders in return for aid killing Sweetsong. Setep reveals he has regretted this since it happened, and plans to go speak to the Ki Rin alone to discuss his mistake. Before he leaves, the ever supportive Flea is told that Setep wishes to go on a date with him some time. Atop the mountain Setep is met with a storm cloud that calls itself Qianfan. He asks it what to do, and by saying almost nothing at all, Setep begins to realise he already knows. He doesn't want to kill anything, but the devils. Qianfan, talking with a voice like an otherworldly choir tells him to use the two years until the contract is over to grow more powerful, so he will be ready to take the fight to the Nycaloths. Setep decides to spend the next two years searching for information to beat his enemy, he asks Qianfan where he can find such knowledge. The Ki Rin replies, you will find yourself there eventually. Setep descends the next morning and tells the party of his encounter with the Ki Rin, his contract, and his regret. The party are alarmed at Setep's actions, but heartened that he has agreed with them to not kill the Ki Rin or the Old Crusaders, and they are all doing the right thing. When they all ascend to the peak together, the Ki RIns reveals its form, a golden, scaled, horse, with a pearl horn. It hovers above the ground, not trampling a single blade of grass. It calls the party children of gold. Merut steps forth. He approaches and is pulled to one knee. He begins to cry, then sweat, his clothes soaked in sweat as salt water is pulled from him into puddles around him. Feral snarls are heard, as Merut's lycanthropy leaves him. The Kirin warns Flea, Phoebe and Atsara that they should not approach, for they are unholy. Where a tiefling is created with just the influence of a devil on a bloodline, Flea and Atsara are created by unfiltered negative energy. The state of Phoebe is a mystery. The party bring over Oroe, and though he is cured - for now - the Kirin warns that even a day outside of the aura would see him revert to his former self, as the rage once more takes hold. Oroe wakes, facing the party as he drags himself upright. He asks after Keith, and whether he is safe. The party confirm he is. Oroe sees the Ki Rin and suddenly grows furious, he asks where it was when Elia died, spitting at it when it turns out he was brought back at it's mercy. Atsara and Merut ask him to see his family. To seek no revenge and keep no grudges, Setep asks him if he wants to fight the daemons with them; Oroe has no interest until Merut reveals that their party lost people to the devils. He says "wake me when you need me", and gets the Ki Rin to put him into a magical sleep. Setep also asks about the Soul Coins and how to recover the souls within them, the only way is true resurrection, a powerful magic that only Merut stands a chance of learning. The party are preparing to leave, when Merut asks the Kirin one more question. What makes a person good? The Kirin replies that the only answer to that question is within, and that there is no greater evil than allowing an action to go unquestioned. After a farewell, the party collected Barny and Manny and teleported back to the Den. Nif meets Merut, the Big Man meets Rankirk and catches up with business. Lots of new retainers (around 100) trying to escape the war. A reliable method of income has been put together, as well as a tax loophole based around charity donations to local orphanages and homeless support systems, and the Band is doing well economically. Setep also opens a package from Chainstoke, the greatsword he ordered. The next day the party have their long awaited dinner at the Blue Palace. The guests include Animalis Staurek of the Martyrs guild, Lord Varganak of the Flameguard, Farcel Sr of the Away In, Bards the Bard of the Old Crusaders, and the host Yuki Derindel. Farcel is pleased to hear that Merut has being doing good deeds and share a pleasant and proud moment. Next Merut talks to Bars the Bard, and the two discuss bard affairs. Atsara makes conversation with Animalis Staurek but klets slip that they encountered a dragon, something the Flameguard have been seeking drastically. Once this reaches Varganak, the evening is over, with the high lord grilling the party for answers they don't give. Once it is just the party and the old crusaders, Yuki asks if she can assume the dragon they encountered was Oroe and the party tell all. Yuki is pleased , speaks briefly of the fallen, Elia Derindel and Ho'ew, and then the night ends. Over the winter season, Elu goes to visit the Trolls, and has a good time sharing gifts. Furthermore, Atsara goes to visit Balead, he tells stories of his past self, and how despite seeing himself as a separate entity he feels responsibility and an urge to right the hypothetical wrongs. In his personal growth, he triggers an awakening in his sandy wraps. Merut organises a dinner date with Nif, and meets Lucion at a bar. It's a joyous reunion, full of banter, drink and good food. He's lost a leg, but seems more happy than Merut can remember him being in his old performances. Unfortunately, he's not got long to live. He says he wanted a legacy to give Merut, and that he's sorry he couldn't, but Merut argues back that the legacy he left is Merut himself. That Merut wouldn't be who he was without Lucion. The two share their goodbyes with a jaunty step and finger guns. The end of year is Festag! Merut gets some trinkets for a lot of people, and gives Nagrick and Nifeemos each one of his swords. He is moving on from Cailin, as Lucion said, but committing himself to spellcasting, so as to do right by Cailin, and rescue her and sam from the soul coins. Atsara gives carved stone statuettes to the Mountain Climbing Group, and his tabaxi group. Lastly Setep finds a letter from Sweetsong, promising excitement in the new year.