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[AliceTheOwl]

The PC's start off an ordinary evening in a tavern in Elmfair, when the evening's entertainment is interrupted by a loud scream from the tavern wench's room. Three people from the tavern rush in, and find the room filled with bandits. One grabs the wench, while the others fight Our Heroes.

 

The three who've come to the wench's rescue are Lina, a would-be hero who's excellent with a sword and supplements her abilities with spells, a priest named Father Danaecus and a surly Knight of the Holy Order by the name of Sir Gerard.

 

The three heroes are outnumbered, but they nonetheless start to thin the bandit's numbers. After Lina sets off a fireball that obliterates a wall, the bandits concentrate on taking her down, and manage to knock her out. Father Danaecus casts a spell to protect her from further harm and joins the fray, bashing in some heads with his mace. The knight also proves, despite his age, to be quite capable with a sword, and soon the numbers are pared down to an even match.

 

Sir Gerard takes out the bandit holding the wench and tells her to go to a corner, but she's frozen to the spot in terror and is caught again. Gerard takes him out, as well. The wench finally regains her senses, and hides behind her bed.

 

Meanwhile, Father Danaecus noticed that someone was carrying a mgical item, and was taken out by Sir Gerard. Another bandit who's still on his feet grabs the item and runs away as fast as his feet will carry him.

 

Finally, the bandits are defeated, leaving only one alive (but barely). The party questions him, but he only laughs at their threats and tells them he was prepared to die. Meanwhile, Gerard and Danaecus have noticed chalk markings on the floor, and Father Danaecus has recognized them as similar to the ones that require the summoning of a Seraph.

 

Having gotten nowhere with questioning the bandit, the party enlists the help of the bard who'd been playing in the tavern that evening, in exchange for healing him. (He'd tried to stop the bandit who got away, and got a broken arm for his trouble.) Speaking quietly and gently to the bandit, the bard extracts the information that they were speeding up the summoning of something that would be coming, anyway, and that the spilling of blood was all the summoning required.

 

Exhausted from the fight and their injuries, everyone goes to bed.

 

The following morning, everyone is up but Father Danaecus, when there's another scream from the tavern wench's room. When our heroes arrive, they find a rather confused and disoriented youth. He has all the markings of someone who's quite wealthy, but doesn't seem to have the faintest clue where he is or what he's doing there. He introduces himself as Michael Williams.

 

After questioning Michael, the party is satisfied that he isn't evil, and starts planning on tracking down the bandits. They decide to first check to see if they can find out what magical item the bandit who got away was carrying, and set off for the Realm of the Fae.

 

Along the way, they meet the bard, who's headed in the same direction. He offers to document their story, as it sounds like they're off on an interesting adventure, and they agree to think about it.

 

When they reach the Fae, they're challenged to a duel for the right to enter the gates. However, once the fight begins (and Gerard and the Fae champion are fairly evenly-matched), Father Danaecus strolls on by through the open gates. The Fae laugh at the audacity, shrug off the challenge and let them in.

 

The party finds the creator of magic items who helped the bandits, and they find out that the item allows people to communicate over long distances. They also learn that the bandits seem to be working with a priest by the name of Father Salem.

 

That settled, they hand Michael off to their friend the bard, who quite happily agrees to keep an eye on him in exchange for the tale of what happens when they go after the bandits, and they set out to track down the bandits.

[Super Squirrel]

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Meanwhile' date=' Father Danaecus has noticed that someone is carrying a mgical item, and bashes him to the ground. Another bandit who's still on his feet grabs the item and runs away as fast as his feet will carry him.[/quote']

Just a note, I saw a bandit take the object and run out the wall. I took out the person between me and the wall, not the original bandit with the object.

 

I'll see about posting the "Father Danaecus" version after I get home.

[AliceTheOwl]

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Just a note, I saw a bandit take the object and run out the wall. I took out the person between me and the wall, not the original bandit with the object.

 

I'll see about posting the "Father Danaecus" version after I get home.

You got both, actually. First the one between you and the object, then the one with the object.

 

Or was that Gerard . . .? Hmm.

[Super Squirrel]

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I never took him down. I was going to tackle him if I got to him which is why I know. I had people in the way for too long.

[AliceTheOwl]

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Okay. I'll fix it.

[Super Squirrel]

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Brief description of party members based on player provided description:

 

Lina – A short and young person in her early twenties. She is very beautiful but she carries a frequent scowl. She wears male clothing.

 

Gerard – An older, greying beard and mustache. He wears chainmail armor and there are markings on his chest to indicate he is a member of the Holy Order.

 

We are at the tavern in Elmfair. The bard is performing for what is mostly a female crowd. A wench goes to bed as a group of men enter for the night. A minute later, there is a cry. Three of us rush into the room to find six bandits trying to kidnap the wench.

 

I run in and demand that the lady be released in the name of the church. To attempt to impress them that I was clearly empowered by the creator, I cast the spell Guidance of Truth. The bandits will have no idea what I cast other than to know I have cast something. Lina starts off by blasting a huge hole in the wall with magic. It hurts but does not take out any of the bandits. Gerald moves in to attack but misses.

 

Two bandits surround and attack me but only one hits. I hit back at the one that hit me and leave a good mark on his forehead. I'm hit again during the time that Lina and Gerald take down two bandits. One of the bandits grabs a fae enchanted item from a fallen bandit and runs. I chase after him but before I can get far, Lina falls. I cast a protection spell on her when I see the wounds are not severe. I take out a nearby bandit instead of chasing after the escaping bandit.

 

We interrogate the bandits for information and have little luck. The bard helps us learn that the bandits are summoning something but they don't actually know what it is they are summoning. They claim that the summon will happen sooner or later but they are trying to accelerate the process and they were successful at that. We go to bed, which unfortunately includes a visit from the wench. Being quite tired, I tell her I'm too tired for her company. In the morning, she leaves for fresh clothes and we are alerted to another scream. There is a man named Michael Williams in the middle of the room. He is from a strange world called Sacramento where he is a student of Tay Kwo Dew. He is quite the offensive fool, clearly a nobleman.

 

As we leave the tavern to go to the bandit camp, we are suddenly attacked by two archers. Quickly defeated by some fast fireballs from Lina, we head out. We decide instead to go to the fae forest to learn information about the fae enchantment that the bandits had on them. We reach the gate and as the prepare to conduct a rite of passage on Gerald, I ride past on my horse.

 

In the Fae Kingdom, we track down the fae that made the enchantment. We learn that it was a horn for communication over great distances. One was made for the bandits and one was made for Father Salem. Father Salem's horn is so that he can communicate with Rexson. We decide for Michael's safety to leave him in the hands of the bard. We then head off to the bandits to defeat them quickly before word can be sent to Rexsom.

[AliceTheOwl]

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He is quite the offensive fool' date=' clearly a nobleman.[/quote']

Heh. ^ v ^

[AliceTheOwl]

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This time, the party had just parted from Michael Williams and Aralden the Bard when there was a crack of thunder, and the skies opened up.

 

It rained for the next two days, an unseasonable soaking.

 

When they finally got back to their hunt, they discovered a small road worn into the forest, and followed it for a day.

 

As they were settling down for camp, they noticed three elven archers around the camp, two of whom fired on them. They retaliated, and eventually found that there was a fourth, who was invisible.

 

Both sides struggled, until a member of the Elven Royal Family stepped into the clearing, calling a halt to the battle.

 

After they learn that they were mistaken for a party of three who'd stolen several precious magical items from them, Danaecus demands an apology, and is only told that the Queen wishes to speak with them.

 

The Queen offers an apology, and forces those who attacked them to also apologize for not recognizing that they weren't the same three. Here they meet Ryllis, the leader of the hunting party, who is a formidable elven woman, nine feet tall.

 

By way of apology, the Queen allows them to stay in her castle, their wounds are tended and they're fed well. They learn that the elves are looking for the same Father Salem and others who stole their treasures.

 

Father Danaecus summons a Seraph that night, who he instructs to go see Father Salem and offer his own magical items. He instructs it to not tell Salem who sent him. The Seraph returns several hours later with only a raspberry, and the knowledge that Salem knows of only one other priest in the area.

 

Meanwhile, Danaecus has a conversation with Ryllis, and they speak for several hours.

 

The next morning, it's raining again, and Lina goes to see Ryllis. She nearly steps on a bouquet of flowers left on the doorstep overnight. Ryllis is puzzled about the flowers, but invites Lina in, and agrees to teach her the invisibility spell she'd been using in their battle.

 

After several days of searching, the elves finally find the bandit fortress, and they insist on helping the heroes get in to defeat them. They stress the very large force they saw inside the fortress, and say that the 60 archers killed one of their hunting party when he got too close.

 

After some discussion, it is decided that Lina is in charge of the small army they're sending (12 archers, 24 fighters), and they're given Ryllis to protect the three of them.

 

(Next week: Storming the fortress!)

[AliceTheOwl]

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The game this week started with the announcement that, in addition to the troops the Elven Queen was sending with the party, the Prince would be accompanying them. When the party grumbled about this, she informed them it wasn't a request, and he'd have his five personal guards to look after him, so it wasn't any additional work for them.

 

Along the ride, the Prince rode up alongside Lina to insult her height, which she's sensitive about. She just barely managed to rein in her anger.

 

The first night, the party began strategizing with Ryllis on how to storm the fortress, when the Prince called Ryllis away. She returned 2 1/2 hours later, and the party continued their planning.

 

That night, Father Danaecus was asked by the Prince to stop by Ryllis's tent. When he arrived, she informed him she's been ordered to sleep with him. Father Danaecus eventually sent a small Seraphim messenger to the Queen, who sent back an order overriding this one, and giving Ryllis permission to lie when asked what took place.

 

It was raining the next day, and, by the Prince's orders, they were to go nowhere until it cleared up. Lina tried to supercede his orders, but found that none would disobey him. Ryllis, upon learning of the party's hatred for the Prince, told them that she would be obligated to stop them if they tried to harm him, to the best of her ability, but went on to tell them that she finds priestly spells more painful than most people do.

 

While waiting for the rain to clear up, Father Danaecus called the Prince away, and sent Lina in, invisibly, to his tent. She found, under his pillow, a small brass horn, the very same magic item she'd seen in the hands of the bandits who'd attacked her (see session 1). With evidence that the Prince was working with the bandits, the party plotted how to "accidentally" bring about the Prince's demise, but couldn't come up with anything solid.

 

The rain cleared up that night, and they returned to their journey. The Prince continued to ask for Ryllis each night right after dinner, which took her away for 2 1/2 hours, but the party was uncurious about what might be taking place.

 

Then, the battle came. Thanks to Lina's fireball spells, the wall around the fortress, the Captain of the archers, and the resupply sheds were made short work of, and the elves burst in, giving the heroes enough cover to make it to the main building. Before they could make it, the ground shook in a terrible earthquake. The elves knew what to do, and so they managed to avoid further harm, but this halved the number of bandits still standing.

 

The party finally reached the main building, and encountered a man wearing one of the magical items they were sent to retrieve, a set of armor which absorbed any damage and adminstered it to a second set. The second set of armor was nowhere to be seen.

 

They mostly avoided doing any damage, but kept him distracted long enough to obliterate his backup. Father Danaecus spotted a boy running down the stairs and into a door underneath them, and made chase. As he did so, two more guards chased after him, long enough to slow him down.

 

Eventually, the man in the armor realized he was not going to be able to harm these three, and ran off into the fray of elves and bandits.

 

Shortly after, a woman appeared on the stairs, with six more bandits, carrying a magical bow. The party took care of the bandits, then knocked the woman out, luckily without blowing up the bow in a fireball. (Lina remembered in time that blowing up magic items is bad). Then they followed the boy the Father had seen.

 

At first, all they saw was darkness, even despite Father Danaecus's light spell. Then Gerard fell down the ladder-hole, and caught the ladder in time to avoid smacking his head on the stone floor below. This led to a long corridor below, and they saw torchlight well on the other side.

 

Upon their approach, the torch-bearer paused, then cast a spell which sprayed them with needles of ice. Only Gerard was wounded, but Father Danaecus passed out from the pain. The person carrying the torch hurried on and, a moment later, the party heard a rumbling noise.

 

The room they went to contained a closed trapdoor, and, underneath that, a sub-basement. The first room they went into was dark, dank, and seemed to contain a pile of dirty rags. However, when Father Danaecus went down, he could see the rags were glowing magically. He went to it, and, drawing closer, could see that the rags were, in fact, feathery wings, which were grey and tattered.

 

Lina and Gerard chased after the bearer of the torch, but found only a wall, which looked to have been torn apart recently. They tried to dig, but only found loosened dirt, and a rumbling noise beyond that.

 

So they went to the Seraph, who'd been imprisoned in this sub-basement. His hands were pinned to the wall by being run through with a magical sword, and his magic was trapped beneath Fae enchantments. He was also wearing the second half of the armor. Once freed from his magical confines and healed by the Father, the Seraph returned to his former glory.

 

He spoke to the party of the coming of the Messiah, and they eventually realized he was speaking of Michael Williams. The Seraph spoke of how he'd seen him come through a portal from the godly realm. After informing them where to find the final magical item the elves had lost, the Seraph broke through the floors above him to incinerate the bandits who'd kept him prisoner. He mentioned he was looking for something before disappearing.

 

The party got the last of the magical items, then spotted Ryllis being attacked by other elves in the fray of battle. By the time they arrived, she was passed out, and the elves attacking her ran away. The party took the first to run away captive, and Lina fireballed the other four a couple of times, leaving them singed but conscious. The party recongized the uniforms of those in the Prince's personal guard.

 

the Seraph returned to the ground then, and healed Ryllis to consciousness. She was surprised and quite frightened at the sight of him, but the party disparaged his sanity by remarking that he believed "that idiot" was the Messiah. At that, he scooped up Gerard by his ankle and flew several hundred yards in the air. He then informed Gerard he would show the proper respect to the Messiah, and he would protect him. Gerard nodded, and made no further remarks, and the Seraph set him back down gently.

 

When the party asked the Seraph if he'd found what he was looking for, he only placed a hand on Ryllis's shoulder. So they returned to camp, while a terrified Ryllis stayed behind to speak with the holy creature. She said nothing about what he'd said upon her return.

 

That night, the Prince (who'd stayed in his tent all battle) once again called Ryllis to his tent. This time, Lina invisibly followed, to witness what happened. She saw Ryllis disrobe, while the Prince pulled out a whip, with barbs on the end of it. These barbs were crusted with dried blood. Lina hurried out to inform the rest of the party what she'd seen, and growled that she should've stabbed him right then and there. The Father summoned a messenger Seraph to go in invisibly and witness what took place. He then waited, and witnessed Ryllis staggering out nearly two hours later, and going to the healers.

 

The treatment continued, however, as the party wondered how they could kill the Prince and get away with it. As they approached the city gates, the Prince gloated to them about how, in a way, he wished they'd killed Ryllis when they had the chance, though this was also better.

 

When the party met with the Queen, they brought their charges before her, but she informed them it was the Prince's right to make the punishment as harsh as he deemed. She pointed out that they, themselves, had authorized Ryllis's punishment, the first night they were there, and that their continued unhappiness with the treatment they received was what prolonged it. Lina argued that it was the Prince making it so miserable for them, but the Queen only shook her head. Even the evidence that the Prince had a magical item once held by the bandits was met with the Prince's assurance that he'd only picked it up when one of them dropped it, pitting his word against theirs.

 

Finally, Father Danaecus summoned the messenger Seraph he'd called to be a witness, and the messenger verified that the Prince's punishment had been too cruel. The Queen maintained that it was the Prince's right. Hard-pressed to come up with anything of any weight, the Father asked if the messenger had heard anything. Eventually, the word "patriarchy" was mentioned, the Prince blanched, and the Queen had him thrown into the dungeon and, at least temporarily, disowned.

 

(As a historical note, the Elven ruling system is a Matriarchy. For it to be a Patriarchy, the current system would have to be overthrown. The Prince had been plotting that very thing all along, and, knowing Ryllis wouldn't say anything, taunted her with the assertion that he'd get to be King, when everything came together.)

 

Ryllis was then questioned by the Queen, and verified all the party had said, now that she had no allegiance to the Prince. She was released from her oath to preserve the royal family's lives to make up for the punishment she wrongfully received. At that point, she presented the Queen with a Seraphic feather, as a token that Father Salem's actions did not represent those of the Church.

 

When Father Danaecus came to visit Ryllis that night, she handed him a Seraphic feather, and informed him that the Seraph had told her to come with him and his companions.

 

Lina learned this news the following morning, and grudgingly accepted, after being reassured by Gerard that Ryllis could be given babysitting duties.

 

Ryllis, meanwhile, informed them she'd learned that ley lines had been charted as moving, and that such things often meant a barrier had been breached that wasn't supposed to be.

[AliceTheOwl]

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In the latest installment, Our Heroes find themselves in posession of a small treasure, as the elves find some money with the bandits the heroes helped defeat, and the amount was beyond what had been stolen from them. So, they turned it in as a reward to Lina, Gerard and Danaecus.

 

The party heads off to Castabini, and are assaulted along the way by hungry bandits wielding clubs. When they arrive at Castabini, after surviving some unseasonable weather (ice and snow in June), they find that the bard whose care they placed Michael under is nowhere to be found. He's moved on to the city of Aveliel, across the strait.

 

They go to charter a boat the next day, but Gerard has a bad feeling, and states flatly that they're not going on that boat. The party listens to him, and learns later that the boat they were going to take was wrecked in an unexpected storm, and the passengers robbed before they drowned.

 

Upon arriving in Aveliel, they headed to the tavern where the bard was staying, and spotted him being attacked in the alley next to the tavern. They made short work of the attackers, then went to the church, where the bard had told Michael to go if he was attacked again.

 

They find Michael sketching, sitting by himself in a crowded church. He's dressed more appropriately for the setting, lightly armored and carrying a walking staff. Father Danaecus pulls him into a private room, and informs him he's the Messiah. Micheal takes this news rather well; he nods as if it makes perfect sense to him.

 

A Seraph appears in the church then, delivering a message to Father Danaecus from Angelique, the highest of the Seraphim. He says she'll be waiting at the Father's church. Then he greets Michael, bowing low, and offers to check a way they may be able to get him home. They vanish in a flash of golden light. Five seconds later, Michael reappears, without the Seraph, looking sick and weak.

 

Before the party can leave, they're attacked by a group of twelve swordsmen and four archers. Sir Gerard cuts a swath through them before being knocked unconscious. As the situation is looking very dire, a lightning bolt very much like the ones Danaecus has been casting obliterates a balcony and some of the roof. While they continue to fight, two others come crashing down, turning the tide and making it possible for the heroes, on their last legs, to finally take them all out. The last of their attackers surrenders, and says he was sent by Father Salem to collect "the boy". Then, quite suddenly, everyone realizes that the lightning bolts were being cast by Michael, who looks utterly exhausted. He explains that he started imitating the bard's spells while they traveled together. He says he doesn't know how, but he seems to be able to imitate their powers.

 

Lina goes back to the men who attacked the bard, and finds one of them just waking up. She turns on the charm, until he tells her that he's with an organization that's seeking something called "The Godstone". Michael's eyes light up at this, and he starts ranting about a loose end. The party makes him slow down and start from the beginning. He explains that he heard of their greatest hero through books written in his own world, and that it always bothered him that there was this plot device that they never did anything with. It was the Godstone, and it was supposed to grant wishes, for a price.

 

The bard then speaks to Ryllis, the elf, and learns that the party didn't leave the elves with the best of impressions. He explains to the party that, if their goal is to be known as heroes, it would be a very good idea to make amends for that, sooner rather than later, since no stories survive if you've pissed off the elves.

[AliceTheOwl]

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In a bid to make amends with the elves, the party commisions a fine crown of gold and jewels, and returns to the elven territory. They consult with the bard who'd been watching after their charge about the rules they need to know to set foot in elven territory again, and are given the 12 tenets of a treaty signed several thousand years ago between elven- and humankind.

 

Along the way to elven territory, the party encounters two packs of grizzly*, which they are able to take down with few problems.

 

Upon reaching elven territory, they learn that the Queen is dead, and that she was killed in her sleep three nights previous. In her place is the youngest of the triplets they met on their way into the territory the first time, the one who was almost killed by fireballs. The party offers to help in whatever way they can to find the killer, and give their gifts (bearskins in addition to the finely-crafted crown) to a proxy, to hold onto until the period of mourning has passed.

 

Father Danaecus is chewed out by the older brother of the elf traveling with them, who believes the Father coerced the elf into sharing his bed, thanks to odd rumors circulating in their absence. Ryllis, the elf traveling with them, apologizes for her brother's temper, owing it to the incurable sickness which plagues him, and goes off to have a word with her brother.

 

While staying in the territory, the party is able to see the dungeons, and finds evidence of the presence of the priest they'd fought before, Father Salem. Danaecus sends a message to Salem and inquires if he had anything to do with the murder. Salem responds that he freed the elven prince, Solanum, and permitted him to pass undetected, as per a previous agreement, but knew nothing of the Queen's death.

 

The party gives this information to their elven representative, who passes it along to the new Queen, and the mystery is considered solved. They continue on their way. Meanwhile, they've found that their charge, the Messiah, not only has the ability to emulate powers he's seen manifested, but also has considerable artistic talent. They commission several drawings from him.

 

 

* The GM is aware grizzly bears don't travel in packs. This is meant to show that the world doesn't behave the way ours does. Via contains factual errors, physical impossibilities, and things that just don't make sense.

[AliceTheOwl]

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This week's game starts with the players learning that their NPC, Michael (aka the Messiah) is somehow bending ley lines around himself, thereby causing the horrendous weather patterns and various other localized disasters. The elves, who saw this for themselves, predict that, if this is allowed to continue, it'll continue to get worse and worse.

 

The party heads out then, and ends up at Lindale a week and a half later. There, Lina bumps into someone she knows from back home, and recognizes him as a rival merchant with the slimeball she's betrothed to. He gets the answer from her regarding her betrothed's message from several weeks before, thanks her, and leaves.

 

Meanwhile, Father Danaecus notices a man watching them, who has a magic item in his pocket. He talks to him for a while, and notices a tattoo matching that of the men who'd attacked the bard in Aveliel. He says nothing of it, and the man leaves them be.

 

When they leave Lindale the next afternoon, they find the betrothed's messenger, all beaten up, by the side of the road. When he's healed, he gasps that it's a trap. Eight skilled swords-for-hire emerge from the woods on either side and attack the party, going for the weakest NPCs first. Eventually, they're beaten, and the party claims the money they were paid to bring Lina in, and take their very finely-crafted swords. Lina sends a more detailed message to her fiance, which makes it sound like she wants him to come get her, along with the very nicely-drawn portrait she commissioned from Michael.

 

While they travel, Ryllis, the party elf, gives them gifts from the recently-coronated new Queen - improved Giant Powder and a more potent potion which restores magical energy.

 

As they approach Wheatmarsh, the party is drawn to the sound of a barn dance, as the locals celebrate the first clear day of weather they've had in some time. The bard joins in with the singing and playing, and the party rests and takes it all in. They hear, as the night wears on, of rumors of a vampire in a keep on the hill in Shadowlake, the next town over. As they're leaving, they're joined by a young man named Jeremiah.

 

On the ninth morning, when they wake up, they find that Michael is missing. They ride into Shadowlake, and find him as he's wandering out. He hurriedly tries to explain that yeah, he met the vampire, but she's not evil. The party is skeptical, and they go up the hill to see for themselves. Jeremiah reluctantly lets them in and, after sunset, they meet the vampire, whose name is Eirielle. She explains that she's been alive for 2500 years, living under a curse all that time. She tells a story of a husband she fell in love with only after being betrothed to him, and a wizard who tried to make her cheat on her husband, and cursed her with this existence when she refused him. She gives them his name, and the party decides they'll break the curse, if they can ever find out more about it. Meanwhile, Lina, feeling sympathy for the woman, offers some of her own blood. Eirielle explains she gets a little less human the hungrier she is, and the more blood she takes from a single person, and gladly accepts the offer.

 

While the party is staying at the vampire's keep in Shadowlake, a mob with flaming torches and pitchforks shows up. The party keeps them at bay long enough to learn that the young girl missing from town actually ran away to be with her boyfriend. They learn the following day that she and her lover were actually kidnapped by bandits, so off they go to rescue the young lovers.

 

Thanks to sound and clever tactics, they easily defeat all of the bandits, and bring the bandits back to the vampire's castle so they can make amends for their deeds. The party tells the villagers, meanwhile, that they've made an offering to appease the vampire, and that she won't bother them for some time. They then head to Norbush, to hire some contractors to help fix up the vampire's castle. They are paid a generous finder's fee for their troubles.

 

Along the way, they learn the purpose of the Seraphic feather in their posession, and also hear that the King had learned of the Messiah's existence, and was sending out his guards to collect him and kill anyone who prevented them from doing so. They also learn that the King will be holding a tournament that fall, and the reward will be lands (and, of course, a title) for he who wins the most contests. Father Danaecus also knows, but hasn't told the rest of the party, that the prize is also the Princess's hand in marriage. In addition, Father Danaecus is keeping to himself, for the moment, the news that Father Salem, a rival of theirs, will be meeting with the King in one month's time.

[AliceTheOwl]

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This week's game opens with the party testing out their newfound swords (commandeered from the assassins from our last adventure), and finding them to be most valuable and useful. They fail to get any offers that meet their value, and head on.

 

As they're traveling, they notice a rider on a horse, coming for them at full speed. As he gets closer, they recognize Jeremiah, who, after getting a drink of water, explains that there have been men with tattoos on their hands, asking odd questions. Eireille has slowed them down, he says. They thank him for the news and continue along.

 

Shortly after they pass by a town (which the bard insists they pass by, since it's a town that's embraced a sex cult), the party is ambushed by bandits, who they make short work of. In the process, the Messiah is shot by an arrow, and swears in Draconic. Father Danaecus learns that the language the Messiah calls German is the language dragons speak, and the Messiah speaks it conversationally, having learned it in school.

 

After taking away the bandits' weapons and pants, they continue traveling, and reach the hidden bardic city of Eriden a week later. Aralden, their bard, is welcomed warmly, and the party learns that he is a direct descendant of Miliol, the first bard of Via. They also meet Lethia, the girl their bard is in love with, and learn that neither knows of the other's feelings. Between learning to use the bow and researching the location of the godstone, Lina speaks to each of them and gets them to confess their feelings.

 

Eventually, they find that the person who hid the godstone didn't tell Miliol, whose journals they've consulted, the location of the godstone, but she likely told Linum, the elf whose bed she shared.

 

Meanwhile, Father Danaecus witnesses, thanks to the very handy magical item in his possession, both Father Salem and Solanum meeting with the King. Solanum makes an agreement with the King that, if he delivers the Messiah, the King will offer him amnesty, and Father Salem tells the King he must call off the search for the Messiah. The King listens to Salem, mostly because Salem is backed up by the very same Seraph who has been helping the Messiah and his protectors.

 

At one point, Father Danaecus realizes he's met Lethia before. He recognizes her as the most recent hero to emerge in the world, and tells Aralden, the bard, who she really is. Since Lethia has no memories previous to three years before, when she first came to Eriden, this is accepted as truth.

 

After the party finds a clue to the godstone's whereabouts, they hear that the trade routes have been blocked by people calling themselves The Order of the Wish, who'll keep up their embargo until the Messiah, his protectors, and the girl who Eriden has been protecting for the last three years turn themselves in. They root out the bad guys with some difficulty, but the task is made much easier when Ryllis, the elf, is kidnapped, and their angelic protector goes berserk with rage when he sees she's been hurt. The Order of the Wish flees the area, completely abandoning their camp.

 

The party heads to Fae territory then, and Father Danaecus commissions a magical item for communication, while Lina studies new spells. Aralden, in an attempt to pay for a magical item for restoring Lethia's memories, sings a song of the party's adventures, but the Fae call it inadequate payment. So he sings the Song of the Battle of Detroit, as learned of from the Messiah and carried from his homeworld. The Fae are most entertained by the bizarre tale, and agree to make the memory charm Lethia needs to get her memory back.

 

Father Danaecus uses his new magical item to contact the King and set up a meeting with himself, the rest of the party, and the Messiah. The King agrees to it, most flustered by the news that there exists a magical device for spying on his throne room.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

This game finds Our Heroes having spent the last week in Fae territory, training and whatnot. Father Danaecus gets word of a prophecy regarding their elven companion, and shares it with the rest of the party. They decide, based on the wording of the prophecy, that they need to help her sort out some of the issues that are giving her nightmares every night, and Lina volunteers. The elf is initially put off by Lina's friendly overtures, but does open up somewhat and talk to her, but not about anything important.

 

The party then rides on to Faymont Forest, where Lina buys a very fine mare, bred to run fast for a long while. She names her "Star". Upon learning of the mare's qualities, she spends most of the trip to Winterwick running alongside the party, working on her own speed and stamina for the upcoming tournament.

 

In Winterwick, Sir Gerard encounters a superior officer, who asks him to make a full report. He manages to leave out the part about accompanying the Messiah, though the officer is curious about what made him stick with this motley bunch. On his way out of the interview, Gerard grumbles about the feasibility of murdering a superior officer.

 

Meanwhile, Ryllis, the elf, turns up missing. The party panics, but she rematerializes, looking tired and worn out. She says tiredly that she thought it was a dream, and by the way, Eireille says hello. (Eireille is the vampire the party met several sessions before.) She confirms that she appears to have teleported through a spell, but hasn't the foggiest notion when such a spell appeared in her head, except to say she was dreaming at the time.

 

Gerard senses danger on their way to the Northern Elven Settlement, just in time to witness the appearance of a Seraph, who's glowering. He hands Father Danaecus a message from Father Salem and asks if there is a reply, grumbling the whole while. The message reads that rumors they've heard about Solanum's whereabouts are a trap, and the party asks him about what happened in Constal, Father Danaecus's hometown. They've heard that it was leveled, with only the church left standing. The Seraph grows uncomfortable, and confirms that it was done by Angelique, the highest of the Seraphim. But he'll only explain why to Michael, who comes back and announces that Angelique is going nuts.

 

The party moves on to the Northern Elven Settlement, where they meet Foxglove, a friend of Ryllis's. He allows them to stay in his home, and Gerard notices that Foxglove's expression changes when they mention they're looking for clues regarding the Godstone.

 

They speak with the Queen, who is gracious and polite, and who tells them that the elf living in the stone house is the descendant of Linum, and who therefore would know the location of the Godstone, if anyone does. When they confront Foxglove, he confirms that he has information, but that he's sworn to only give it to the person who bests him in unarmed combat. While he's explaining that he swore to kill any who challenge him and fail, Ryllis sheds her weapons, then trips him.

 

What results is a one-on-one fight with the party getting fragile things out of their way, and keeping out of range. Eventually, Ryllis wins, though barely, and Father Danaecus heals them both. Foxglove tells them the Riddle of Elua. They write it down to better puzzle it out, memorize it, then burn the riddle.

 

Meanwhile, Foxglove tells them that they were followed, but that he was rather surprised to find it was a Seraphim following them, and inquires what it's about.

 

Once outside the elven settlement, Ryllis mentions to Lina that the Seraph seemed to interrupt every time she was catching up with her old friend, and recoils in horror when Lina proposes that perhaps he's attracted to her.

 

In Butterwall Point, the party sees the assassins meant for them and Ryllis, all dead, by obvious sword wounds. When they reach the inn, they see a single member of the Order of the Wish waiting for them. He proposes some trades to get Elua's riddle out of them, but they are unwilling to listen. He shrugs and strolls away. For the next couple of days, the continues to ply them, stating that the Order truly desires to benefit Via. Finally, on the third day, they agree to give him the riddle if he can prove the Order's benevolence, with two lines up front to show their good faith. However, he doesn't tell them in what order the lines are, and puts different words into one line.

 

The party hits upon a solution for finding the answer to the riddle (getting a list of possible places it could be from another source, thanks to a hint in the riddle and based on context), and for shaking the Order of the Wish (taking a boat on a busy seaport, and making it appear they took another).

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

As the party is leaving for the next town and while they ponder where the search for the Godstone will take them, they realize they're being followed by the member of the Order of the Wish who arranged to gain the riddle from them. He follows them quietly and unobtrusively, but obviously, until Father Danaecus drops back to join him.

 

The following day, the party slows down to allow him to join the rest of them, and they arrange for him to help Lina practice her swordfighting. He agrees, guardedly, expressing a concern that he might hurt her. They assure him the priest can patch her back up, and he agrees.

 

That night, Ryllis, the elf, starts shouting at someone nobody can see. After a moment, Father Salem appears, apparently having been masked in an illusion. He expresses surprise when he sees the OotW swordsman, and speaks to Father Danaecus in private. It is revealed that Angelique, the most powerful Seraphim in existence, is going mad.

 

The party narrowly avoid crossing into an angry gryphon's territory and in its sights, then has the Messiah turn invisible while members of the Holy Order pass by. The second group stops them to question Father Danaecus, and he points, with all honesty, to the last place where he saw the Messiah.

 

The party, through liberal use of Salem's mental illusions, eventually loses the swordsman, and heads to a nearby port city. They charter a boat, but also make it appear they're going in several other directions. Meanwhile, they pay a large group of bards to spread Lina's tale all over, to further confuse the Order.

 

The trip to Griffin Isle takes a shorter time than usual, thanks to benevolent weather. They stay overnight in the fishing village there, then climb the mountain. At the top, they find a cave, occupied by a HUGE dragon, who's asleep. While they're conferring about what to do, the dragon wakes and corrects them about their gender assumption.

 

She recites a riddle for them, which Father Danaecus guesses, and she lets them pass. While they're searching, however, the dragon tells them a fair-haired human girl showed up and took the Godstone away. She tells them the girl disappeared in a flash of golden light.

 

The party realizes that Rinandra, the last hero, must be who the dragon speaks of, and asks the party elf (who's recently discovered that she can jump from one location to another rather quickly) to hurry them home. She vanishes, then reappears a moment later, holding a small glowing stone.

 

When the Messiah holds the stone, his pocket starts making a funny noise. Eventually, he realizes it's the cellphone he's been carrying all this time, and answers it, then hands it to Father Danaecus.

 

The Father has a conversation with someone identifying himself as God, or a piece of God, anyway. He tells the Father that the Godstone can't be used until the memories it holds are given back, or spent on a wish. The party realizes the Godstone is holding onto Rinandra's memories, and finds this all the more reason to rush back to Eriden. Ryllis teleports them all, and they find Rinandra muttering feverishly.

 

When Rinandra touches the stone, however, she sits up, then panics about the Order of the Wish finding the Godstone. When she settles down, she remembers how much time has passed, and tells them she was kidnapped by the Order. She tells them that the Order's plan is to revive Aveliel, the first hero, and to bestow him with godlike power.

 

From there, they have Ryllis teleport them all to Constal, the city destroyed by Angelique. They are teleported into the church, where, in response to a question about where Angelique is, the bells begin to peal. When they rush upstairs, they see her hovering outside a window, but she mutters something in a language they can't understand.

 

Father Danaecus uses his Seraphim Feather to ask Seth what she said, and he translates is as, "You brought the Messiah here. You're foolish." When they go back down to where the Messiah is, they see him being approached by a strange woman. When he sees her, he says, questioningly, "Mom?" She recoils, and spits out that he represents everything she hates about God, but runs away.

 

Realizing the Messiah's life is in grave danger, Father Danaecus wishes for a portal to open to send him home on the Godstone, in exchange for a holy quest of God's choosing. The wish is granted, the Messiah says his goodbyes, and he steps through the portal. The party sees the light blink out in the Godstone, then the portal closes.

 

When they awake the next morning, they find a portrait, of themselves and the Messiah, all together.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

And I had a really proud moment in the game when I had all the characters knee-deep in the treasure horde of a dragon, and it never even crossed their minds to take any of it. ^ v ^

[Super Squirrel]

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I like my character's quasi-pacifism when dealing with the dragon. "You don't have to eat them or smash them into the wall. You could just... drop them into the middle of the ocean."

[AliceTheOwl]

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That whole interaction was pretty awesome. ^ v ^

[Eoywin]

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Stealing treasure wouldn't be very heroic!

[AliceTheOwl]

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Stealing treasure wouldn't be very heroic!

Well, that and the dragon would notice, and eat you all. I'm just amused that it didn't even seem to cross anyone's minds. I'm going to have to tack on an extra Hero Point for everyone for that (because it is the very definition of a hero, to not even let evil deeds cross one's mind).

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

(Happened last Sunday, but I'm only now getting around to writing it up.)

 

This session begins with the PCs getting up to discover Angelique sitting, quietly, by the altar. She speaks to Father Danaecus, referring cryptically to someone she freed from "a curse of God", but who she'll kill if the Father can't free her from her own God-given curse.

 

The party goes to Starryfield from there, where they encounter some very confused members of The Order of the Wish, asking if they've come from the ruins of Constal. When the party answers in the affirmative, they confer confusedly, but let them pass.

 

Lina is welcomed to her hometown with open arms, but is unable to avoid the gossips who pressure her to settle down and have babies. Grumbling, she hides herself away in her parents' house and practices for the tournament.

 

Meanwhile, Father Danaecus tracks down the survivors of Constal, and finds one who's been looking for him. It turns out that Sarah, his former lover who left him to get married (inexplicably claiming she'd suddenly fallen deeply in love with her husband) is the one Angelique was talking about, and that Angelique killed Sarah's husband in front of her. She's wracked with guilt over the relief that brought her, and clings to the Father.

 

From there, the party teleports to the holy city of Romennor, where Father Danaecus and Sir Gerard are able to gain an audience with the chaos-filled Council. It turns out that the two Council members who most strongly advocated the death of the Messiah were killed by a Seraphim, and the Council is scrambling to find their replacements.

 

Father Danaecus tells his story to the disbelieving Council, and tells them of the threat the Order of the Wish poses. When they ask for proof, he summons Seth, the Seraphim whose feather he holds. Seth grabs the skeptic, vanishes, and returns brushing blood off his hands. He declares, a little angrily, that Father Danaecus speaks the truth, and is dismissed. Sir Gerard points out that THAT was why he'd neglected to turn the Messiah over to the Knighthood.

 

When the Council reconvenes with Sir Gerard and Father Danaecus, both are promoted, and Sir Gerard is given the option to stay in the holy city. He accepts, passing along his duties to a young apprentice-knight named Rastal. Father Danaecus is raised in rank, with the option to serve on the Council if he continues his model of service in a way that serves God, rather than the bureaucrats' wishes.

 

The party then sets out by boat to Silvermerrow Shore, where they have heard of a castle resembling one in the Messiah's dreams. They arrive to find it looks exactly like the picture he'd drawn of it, and they start to investigate the town. They find it crawling with Order of the Wish swordsmen, and get into a conversation with some of them. When Father Danaecus lies and identifies himself as Salem, the swordsmen become immediately defensive.

 

Eventually, it is revealed that Rexson, Father Danaecus's brother, serves in the castle, training new recruits of the Order of the Wish. They also mention his wife, and Father Danaecus realizes they speak of the same woman who'd been killed, and who Danaecus had refused to resurrect many years before. Coupled with the fact that Rexson is responsible for the burning of the church, the party wonders how Rexson is still living, with such blasphemies under his belt.

 

When Father Salem arrives to help deal with the siege on the castle, they learn one possibility. He speaks of having been a Seraphim before, and being able to remember everything of his life as a higher being, except what he'd been sent from the Heavenly Realm to do when he was reincarnated as a human. He tells the party he has a similar mental block where Rexson's crimes are concerned, and therefore believes they're related, and that he'd been sent to punish Rexson for his blasphemies. Having gotten several hints that Salem is what he says he is (he knows FAR more about Seraphim than any mortal), the party accepts this explanation, and continue their plans to destroy the castle.

 

They hold them inside for a week, and the ships in port form a blockade. The night the reinforcements arrive, Lina sneaks into the castle and traps each of the mages inside. Her presence is almost alerted when Rastal is spotted by a guard, but she returns in time to help him out.

 

After Lina has a chance to rest, the walls are breached, and they rush in. They find a single battalion still in formation, and chip away at them. Eventually, after Lina reveals that she's incapacitated their "backup" and Rastal has gone into a bloodlust craze, the last of them surrenders.

 

However, Rexson and his wife have gotten away, and he left a note for Father Danaecus laughing at him for his failure to capture either of them. Questioning of the mages reveals that he's probably gone to the main Keep, which is several stories deep, lined with iron. When Lina chastises them for picking the wrong side, they retort that the Order is all they've known; would she betray those she regarded as parents? They're surprised to find sympathy from Rastal, who they'd pegged merely as a bloodthirsty warrior.

[AliceTheOwl]

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The next morning, Rastal notices a feather tangled in Ryllis's hair, and she sheepishly admits not even she has enough willpower to resist the affections of a Seraphim.

 

Father Danaecus, meanwhile, has witnessed an exchange between the King and his eldest son, where the son declared an end to his betrothal. The King agreed to it, provided the Prince finds another woman he'd rather marry before the end of the upcoming tournament. Father Danaecus shares this knowledge with the rest of the party.

 

Ryllis then teleports them to outside the city of Asini, so that Lina might sign up for the tournament that's taking place in six weeks. She teleports them to far outside the city, and they find themselves on a mountain path. However, while they travel, they find an encampment, and recognize Rinandra at the center of it. She invites them to join them, explaining she owes the local dragon a payment. She introduces the party to the Prince of the Realm, who's accompanied her (along with several dozen palace guards). He's glad to meet them, and expresses a great respect for the heroes he's heard so much about.

 

The party accompanies Rinandra to the cave, and Lina rides next to the Prince. He keeps her talking about herself, and she obliges.

 

When they reach the cave, they find no dragon, just a single shepherd, who's surprised to learn there's supposed to be a dragon occupying this mountain. He agrees to pass a message along if he sees anyone else, but seems nervous at the prospect of meeting a dragon.

 

Most of the party then heads back to the city, but Father Danaecus stays behind to wait for the dragon to appear. Sometime in the middle of the rainstorm that arrives that night, the dragon pokes his head out of his cavern, and accepts the Father's offering of a gem in exchange for putting up with his presence. Danaecus learns that the dragon is lonely for female company, and vows to return with another "offering".

 

In the city, Rinandra invites the party to stay in her uncle's home. They learn that she's speaking of the previous hero, Sir Falol, who happily accommodates them.

 

The next morning, Lina goes with Aralden, the bard (who's been strangely quiet since the arrival at the campsite) to register for the tournament. When Aralden slipped away to find the end of the line, she was nudged, and a package was slipped into her hand. She recognized the swordsman from the Order of the Wish who'd been ordered to follow the party before. He hurriedly explained that he was giving her three doses of an antidote, and that someone was going to try to kill her during the swordfighting competition by poisoning. He dashed off before she could ask any questions, apparently unnerved by the approach of guards.

 

When Father Danaecus arrives in Asini, he goes to the open marketplace and offers healings. No sooner has he settled in and started healing for a silver apiece, but an acolyte of the church approaches and orders him to cease and desist. Father Danaecus goes to the church, where he learns that priests have been attacked in the open marketplace for performing spells there, and he vows to find the culprit.

 

Meanwhile, there's a new guest at the house, and initially, the party doesn't recognize Michael. Though it's only been a few months for them, he looks several years older, and no longer requires his glasses. He presents to them the Aveliel Saga, which he'd taken from his own world to give to them, that it might shed some light on the origins of their world. And, indeed, the introduction includes a very long-winded tale of how the world of Via came to be. Father Danaecus takes notes, and learns that, when dragons speak of a goddess of the Fae, they mean Angelique, the half-mad Seraphim.

 

In the days that follow, Lina tracks down her parents. Her mother is overjoyed to see her, but her father is skeptical about her claims about being the latest hero. While they're talking, an invitation arrives for Lina for lunch at the palace, leaving her father taken aback.

 

Eventually, her fiance tracks Lina down. When he does, Father Danaecus lies and says that she's betrothed to the Prince. Luckily, the Prince plays along. And, upon learning that the stipulation for their marriage is illegal, he talks the ex-fiance into turning over the family land of his own free will, lest he get sued. The parents come to stay in Falol's city manor.

 

The next several weeks are spent preparing for the tournament and whiling the time. Father Danaecus and Rastal spend several days in the marketplace, luring out the attempted assassins. Finally, they take the bait, and are easily outnumbered, and found to be elves. When taken back to the church for questioning, they angrily demand a cure for the Wasting, which a Father Fainan had claimed existed. (Father Fainan was the one killed by Seraphim for trying to have the Messiah killed, and who ordered his capture by bandits.) Father Danaecus released the elves, with the promise that, if a cure existed, he would find it. He goes off to the dragon caves for a week to meditate on this puzzle. He takes two young women with him, to keep the dragon company.

 

Finally, the time of the tournament arrives, and all of the party members receive invitations to the opening ceremonies ball. On the way in, Lina is getting openly ogled and stared at, and basks in the attention.

 

Once dinner is underway, the King makes a speech welcoming everyone, as does the Prince. He introduces Rinandra, who stands to announce first, that this is a New Age of Heroes, and that the restrictions based on birth and number are gone: anyone who does a heroic deed is a hero, from here on out. She recognizes Lina's fellow party members, leaving Father Danaecus, at least, confused and overwhelmed by the notion that he, too, is a hero.

 

She then announces that she's broken off her engagement to the Prince, to stunned gasps.

 

Father Danaecus speaks after that, hinting strongly that he's aware that there are members of the Order of the Wish in the room. His suspicions are confirmed when he sees a tableful of people toward the back put their heads together and start muttering nervously. He then turns over a highly valued object to the King, which he'd liberated from the Order of the Wish. He preemptively refuses the reward, which is substantial.

 

Shortly after, the dancing begins, and the Prince reserves his first dance for Lina. She catches up with him again later, hiding out on a balcony from the women he refers to as, "the gold-digging harpies". She strongly hints that, if there's something he wants, he needs to at least TRY for it, and he agrees.

 

The party turns in before the party has fully wound down, and the Prince kisses Lina on the back of her hand when she says good night.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The start of the session began with the establishment of the party's treatment as houseguests. Their host, Falol (a previous hero) has been nothing but gracious, kind and generous. His children, however, apparently failed to inherit the heroism gene. His daughter is a backbiting, manipulative brat, and his son propositions each of the women in the party, despite the obvious fact that one is spoken for, another is uninterested, and the third is elven (and would therefore be inviting a dread disease if she accepted).

 

The tournament gets underway, and Lina meets a polite young man named Charlie. It seems Charlie is her only real competition in the tournament, though she pulls ahead in the rankings. Falol's children attempt to topple her standings, but both fail to do so. Her party members place bets on her, and Father Danaecus makes a rather tidy sum of money.

 

During the swordfighting competition, Charlie is stabbed by a poisoned blade. When Lina goes over to help, she, too, is stabbed. Luckily, the antidote given her by the swordsman from the Order of the Wish works in counteracting the poison, and she and Charlie recover for the final round of the competition, which Lina wins.

 

On the final day of the tournament, with Lina far ahead in the rankings, the Prince informs her he'll be asking for her hand in marriage publicly, so won't do so if her anwer is no. She responds that it won't be. And, indeed, after she's declared the winner of the tournament, the Prince asks for her hand in front of the substantial crowd. It's decided that they'll wed in the morning. Meanwhile, "Charlie" reveals herself to be a disguised missing Princess. Having won second place in the tournament, she is granted freedom from any arranged marriages.

[AliceTheOwl]

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The party is invited to stay in the palace for the winter, and all accept, save Rinandra, the previous hero. Her love interest, the NPC bard, remarks that she's been acting strangely lately.

 

Meanwhile, the Messiah heads home, after telling the party to check the library in a few months' time. The nearby mountain pass blocks up with snow, and the river freezes over for the winter. Ryllis attempts to get Solanum, a former Prince of elves, turned over to elven custody, to no avail.

 

And Rinandra continues to behave strangely. When Lina visits her, she indicates she's angry with Lina for marrying the Prince.

 

Rastal, meanwhile, has been visiting Falol (another previous hero) for sparring and swordfighting practice. He notices Falol's daughter, Farulla, returning from an outing escorted by men wearing black gloves. This indicates members of Order of the Wish. He passes this information on to Lina, who begins to suspect that perhaps Rinandra is under a spell.

 

However, Father Danaecus, who can sense the application of magical items, is unable to find any evidence of such, and any truth spells he casts determine that Rinandra is speaking sincerely.

 

Finally, Aralden, her love interest receives a "Dear John" letter, and despondently locks himself in the room. However, the PCs look over the letter and, without emotion to cloud their vision, are able to read the hidden message in the letter: "I am under a spell. Help me."

 

They make Rinandra think she's going to be meeting the Prince, but put Aralden in that room, instead, and wait to ambush her when she enters the room. But, when she goes in, there isn't a sound, and she walks back out again. They're able to stop her, and they see that the window is open in the vacated room. While they're detaining Rinandra, they hear a scream outside, and Father Danaecus rushes out.

 

He sees a dragon taking off, carrying something, and several charred men on the ground. Closer inspection reveals them to be members of the Order of the Wish. Father Danaecus heals one, and learns that this was the culmination of a plot to kidnap the Prince, and that Rinandra has a magical item embedded under her skin. Danaecus sets that one free, and has the others taken into custody. Rastal, meanwhile, captures Farulla, who accompanied Rinandra.

 

Danaecus extracts the magical item from Rinandra and heals her. When she comes to, she thanks him for freeing her from the spell, and asks where Aralden is.

 

The party goes to Falol's to tell him of his children's treachery, and to try to capture Millac. But Millac escapes after hearing they've undone Rinandra's spell. Rastal stays with Falol, who's ashamed of himself as a father, to have raised two children to be such awful people.

 

Father Danaecus casts a spell which is able to give him a view of where Aralden is, meanwhile, and determines that the dragon (who he'd recognized as the one from Griffin Mountain) is taking him back to her lair. They teleport there the next day, and attempt to negotiate Aralden's release. Finally, Father Danaecus is allowed in to speak with him, and the dragon (who, the party learns, is named Enna) allows Aralden to walk out of his own free will.

 

As the winter wears on, Lina checks the library, and finds a complete set of the Via books, as written in the Messiah's world, on the shelf. She reads both volumes of their tales, and is disgusted to find an emphasis on sex, revolving around the party priest. The priest isn't too happy about this development, either, since the books paint him as a dirty old goat.

 

After the spring thaw sets in, the Queen holds a ball to welcome Lina into their midst.

 

The day after, Ryllis tells Father Danaecus that Solanum has told her of a plot to assassinate the elven High Queen, who visited for the ball. Skeptical, they meet him at the gates to the palace, and he explains how he overheard a plot to trap her in a mountain pass and ambush her party. Father Danaecus, having cast a spell to sense falsehood, sees that he's telling the truth. Even more surprising is his sincere apology to Ryllis, who he'd mistreated in the past.

 

The party arrives just in time to thwart the would-be assassins. Though they're outnumbered, the heroes prevail, and the High Queen is unharmed. She speaks to Solanum, who declares he didn't kill his mother (the former Queen of the eastern elves). Rastal, meanwhile, spots a man in black, who rides away quickly. He recognizes him as the same man who'd slain his parents and nearly killed Rastal, himself, when he was just a boy.

 

The party asks Solanum on the way back if he knows who DID kill the Queen, if he didn't, and he confesses he doesn't know. But he does offer a lead of the name of an assassin working for the King. The party is surprised by this revelation, and asks why the King would want the elven Queen killed. He replies that that's what he's trying to find out. The Princess, Charlotte, points out that her father isn't a very nice man, and that she wouldn't put it past him at all. Ryllis chimes in about the discord that's caused by elven assassination, and how easy it would be to take advantage of the weaknesses caused by such chaos in elven society.

 

Charlotte, meanwhile, says there's something else they have to watch out for, but refuses to say what. Instead, she declares she's coming with them, but will be out of sight for the first several days. She cautions them to keep this a secret, though.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: [Campaign Log] Via

 

The game (after a two-week hiatus due to wedding) begins with the party (along with the Crown Prince and his sister, hidden away) setting off to journey eastward once again. They're given provisions, and 18 of the Royal Guard to accompany them. However, after several nights, they're woken by 15 of the guard members, who attack them. After dispatching the threat, they learn that the Guard had been ordered to take the Prince captive and hand him over to the Order of the Wish. They learn that the King had been plotting to secretly fund the Order, but that they've thwarted his plans. They free the guards who remained loyal to the Prince, and get signed confessions from the rest of the guards. Five of them elect to swear loyalty to the Prince; the remaining ten return to the palace.

 

Meanwhile, Iarid, the Order of the Wish swordsman who'd warned Lina of the plot for her demise, shows up to warn them that there are four others on the way. However, they run into the Seraphim who was on his way to investigate, and are captured. The party sets them free, with a stern warning, and Iarid leaves the Order to join their cause, claiming he's seen the evils the Order has set out to do.

 

As they travel, the party finds it impossible to travel inconspicuously, since people keep recognizing the Prince. They give up on the idea and start sending someone else ahead to get rooms at the inns, so they're at least not bankrupting the innkeepers (who refuse to take the Prince's money).

 

At Eireille's castle in Deeplake, the party is greeted by a young man named Duncan, who Father Danaecus recognizes as being magic-natured, like a dragon. But when he speaks to Duncan about it, Duncan coldly tells him not to speak to him of dragons and walks away. Father Danaecus guesses Duncan must be a Drake, a half-human, half-dragon creature considered to be a soulless beast by the Church.

 

At Eireille's, the party hears her mention the name of the mage who cursed her (Piercylwin), which Lina and Danaecus recognize as the same name of the mage who Aveliel (the first hero) fought and supposedly killed. They reread the books, which Eireille has a copy of, somehow, and learn that it was Salem who accompanied Aveliel to kill the evil wizard. They send a message asking for him to talk to them, and he arrives shortly after, confirming that, in his Seraphim days, he was summoned by Aveliel to defeat Piercylwin. He explains that he was dismissed before he could explain to Aveliel that Piercylwin wasn't entirely dead, that he seemed to have only switched bodies. Salem warns the party to take anything they hear with a grain of salt before he leaves.

 

From there, the party heads to elven territory, where they're received with utmost care and respect, thanks to the Prince's presence. Ryllis says good-bye to them, saying she'll stay behind.

 

They visit Elmfair on the way to the city of Aveliel, and visit the in-construction Church of the Messiah, which is being built where Michael first appeared. The presiding priest there is puzzled by Father Danaecus's request that the ceilings are high enough to accomodate elves, but agrees to see it done.