Friday, August 23, 2019

From the Vault: E-Dawn 23


E-Dawn Volume 23: January 2006 Edition

“You stole the Chain! You stole our Queen’s life! We stole your reputation. And now we will steal your lives and live as you doing evil in your name! ” –Noratu’s Doppler.
 

Spoiler Alert: This journal contains spoilers for the Legend of Earthdawn Volume 1 quest: The Heart of Heroes.

PC RECAP


Pugsli’s Spy Report 10. Conspiracy.

                               
Borrum 2-3 Bonehead’s Revenge to Spiral Towers
Boss,
We traveled to the Spiral Towers.  A tired Bonehead and crew returned to Kaer Cellesis on Bonehead’s Revenge and left us there.
As we entered the town, we felt something was wrong. T’skrangs ducked into buildings, doors slammed, and windows shuttered. The people in town were avoiding us. We headed towards the central tower where Thrynn and Magnus stay. As we made our way through town, a larger and larger crowd, a mob really, formed in front of us.  They screamed out something like kill the child-killers and then rushed at us. We braced to defend ourselves from the mob, when suddenly a 9 foot and 1000 pound humanoid in plate mail bearing a wicked pole-axe rushed in front of us. He warned the crowd to not harm his charges apparently referencing us. The crowd seemed to waver after seeing the giant man and decided to flee to their homes rather than attack us. He introduced himself as Black Guard, a servant and bodyguard of Ronzo.  An obsidiman cadaver man created through the arcane magics of the Fellowship of the Night. He had been waiting for his master at a Bone Circle at the Servos Jungle. He presumably came to the Spiral Towers after sensing his presence here. 
We continued to the central tower, wary of the eyes of the town focused on us. At the central tower, the t’skrang Warriors reacted similarly to the townspeople drawing weapons at the sight of us. The more disciplined Warriors did not immediately attack though. Instead one of them withdrew while the rest threw accusations at us. That we were thieves who had stolen from the town’s merchants, killed a t’skrang child by strangulation, as well as hijacked the Floranuus’ Sprint! The lone t’skrang returned with Thrynn, who saw us and immediately drew his pole-axe.  He accused of us the crimes as well, saying that we entered town and started harassing people, and then either Coga or Granite strangled the t’skrang child in an alley, and we then hijacked the Floranuus’ Sprint to Daiche about a week ago.  We continued to try to explain that we were not guilty of these crimes, as we were in Kaer Cellesis a week ago, after stopping the stone ship Teran Draksha and securing the Mountain Key. Finally Magnus, the voice of reason came down the stairs accompanied by his apprentices. He took us to a private chamber and explained the full story to us, that a group resembling us including Coga, Noratu, Laura, Granite, Demetrius, Pugsli, Keth, Sch’ella, and someone calling himself Heimnin who looked like Ninheim, had entered the Spiral Towers and started bullying the townspeople, stealing goods from merchants (I suppose that was a new accusation for the rest of the party…), forcing themselves into inn rooms, gambling, lying, and finally killing a t’skrang child, before hijacking the Floranuus’ Sprint. Nemokla and the superstitious crew of the Floranuus’ Sprint apparently thought they were seeing the ghosts of Keth and Sch’ella and decided to take them to Daiche, as they demanded! Obviously the other group was a bunch of fakes, since Keth and Sch’ella are dead, killed in the battle with Druidstadt. Magnus said as much. But the townspeople, guards, and even Thrynn had seen some despicable actions by people who looked just like us, and were angered by the death of the child and were not listening to reason. We promised Magnus we would hunt down the real killers and bring them to justice, as well as bring back proof, after all our very reputations were on the line here. Magnus suggested we get out of town and head to Daiche. Magnus told the guards to let us pass and they obeyed despite their objections. When we left the central tower an even larger mob had formed. Magnus and our group explained to them the truth of the situation as best we could, but didn’t disperse until we mentioned the part about the ghosts. The crowd fled screaming something about ghosts and songs, and we fled to the west to Daiche Canyon.
                                                                                                                                                                -P
Borrum 4-5 Daiche Canyon
Boss,
As we traveled through Daiche Canyon, I could swear that I heard a voice singing or chanting, but only faintly, like a whisper on the wind.
A group of ork thugs and t’skrang pirates were set to ambush us in the canyon, but seemed to recognize us, and then ran away instead. That’s really weird. Usually when people from Daiche recognize us, they immediately attack, ever since Ninheim inspired their ire towards us anyway. Hmmm.
                                                                                                                                                                -P
Borrum 6 Daiche
Boss,
As we entered Daiche, we heard footsteps trailing away from us. They led to alleys and houses. People were fleeing us again. Our pretenders must have been here as well.
We headed towards the docks, where the Floranuus’ Sprint was supposed to be anchored. On the way there, we saw the charred remains of the Two-Tailed T’skrang inn. Our twins probably burned it to the ground.
 At the docks, we negotiated past the t’skrang guards of the Floranuus’ Sprint by giving up our weapons. We went to see Captain Nemokla Vitaille in his chambers. He wasn’t in good mental shape; he was mumbling about ghosts, curses, Horrors, and how it all began to turn for the worse when we found that ghost ship floating on the river. He was scarred to see us when he noticed us in his glassy-eyed haze, probably induced by a little too much of that t’skrang peach wine they enjoy so much. Nemokla was screaming about us being ghosts, and we tried to calm him down. We assured him that we were the real group, not the fake group he had encountered. He asked us how he was to know for sure. We of course gave him a litany of reasons, first and most consequential the fact that both Keth and Sch’ella were dead, as well as the fact that Coga was a Slayer now, and we had found the Mountain Key. Nemokla saw the new copper DT belt buckle, as well as the Stone Key we showed him. He told us how the other group had only four keys on them, and that he was convinced we were the real party. We asked him what happened to our doubles. Nemokla replied that they had stolen another ship here in Daiche and set out southward down the Tylon River. We convinced Nemokla to help us to pursue our look-a-likes, and Ninheim gave him a pretty good economic incentive to help to the tune of several hundred gold pieces in fact.   We set out from Daiche to Javukk the next day.
                                                                                                                                                                -P
Borrum 7 Tylon River-Javukk
Boss,
We docked at Javukk after a day of sailing. The Lighthouse Citadel continued to light the way of ships traveling through the misty haze of the surrounding area. I wonder when that huge Light Quartz we saw at the Citadel Tower will go out?
                                                                                                                                                                -P
Borrum 8 Tylon River-K’tenshin
Boss,
We went to port at K’tenshin, heart of the House of Nine Diamonds. We went shopping for a bit, and we managed to find a rare Stone Ring for sale at the Magic Shop. Of course, I certainly did not spend money at the accursed home of one of the main enemies of the Slayers. Quite the opposite in fact…
                                                                                                                                                                -P
Borrum 9 Serpent River-Travar
Boss,
We arrived at Travar, where the Nemokla said the water vibrations ended. Whatever that means. We explored the port and found an abandoned fishing vessel, which they had left here. As we entered Travar, nobody acted adversely to our presence. Must mean that our other selves had ditched their disguise, or felt there was no need to trash our reputations where we didn’t operate anyway. With no other clues to guide us, we decided to walk into the Badlands and go southwest towards the Dragon Mountains.
                                                                                                                                                                -P
Borrum 11 Badlands
Boss,
Two Wyverns attacked us suddenly on the second day of our journey. We simply overpowered them through shear numbers.
                                                                                                                                                                -P
Borrum 13 Badlands
Boss,
The Therans had set up an ambush for us in the Badlands. Their windling leader ordered them to capture Black Guard, Ninheim, and Ronzo for interrogation about the Fellowship of the Night under the orders of Azim Keel, and kill the rest of us. The Theran Strike Team had a row of human poleaxe users, a row of elf swordsmen protecting the elf archers, and a row of elf archers in the back protecting their windling leader. It was a pretty effective formation against non-adepts, but being able to fly naturally or by talent really helps. I did what I would normally do, fly and maneuver towards the leader. But the leader’s ice mace and chain spell and a few arrows struck me down. Coga managed to get through the ranks and kill the leader, but the troops fought on. They literally turned him into a pincushion with as many arrows as they fired. If Coga had been even a second or two late dodging the rest of the arrows, then he would probably be dead now. They actually managed to capture Black Guard and Ninheim at one point. Black Guard broke the human’s hold and ripped an arm off then proceeded to beat his partner to death with it. A couple of soldiers nabbed Ninheim and actually directed his granlain and cart away from the battle, but Coga managed to save Ninheim. And then Ninheim charged back into the battle and proceeded to wither the other arm of the one-armed human, who dropped dead, bleeding from both armless shoulders. Not even a Theran deserves such a cruel death. After Black Guard and Ninheim’s antics, the morale of the remaining Therans broke and they fled. We let them go, no need to attempt to pursue a bunch of archers into terrain they knew better than us.
                                                                                                                                                                -P

Mirror


Borrum 14 Badlands
Boss,
We encountered a troll male and an ork female, both badly wounded. They noticed us, and the troll drew out his troll sword, and the ork summoned plate mail from thin air. The troll was saying something about us killing his comrades and somehow outflanking them. He then charged forward, as the ork summoned claws from thin air. As they approached we noticed a Silver Dt belt buckle on the troll, and a Dt brooch on the ork. We dropped our weapons, and surrendered to them. Stunned by our odd behavior, the pair stopped their attack and began to cautiously explain their situation to us, after noticing some differences between us and the party that attacked them, specifically, Black Guard’s presence, Coga’s bronze Dt belt buckle, and Ninheim’s Granlain and plate mail. Their names were Drach’mar Na’Gra and Jezsia Lashcutter, the last survivors of the group Drudge created, the Revivers of the Passions. A party of adventurers looking like us had come upon them, and surprised them by suddenly attacking. They managed to kill their dwarf Traveled Scholar, Brul Wornpage, their elf Woodsman, Keshay Thornscar, their human Swordmaster, Darrin Bourguet, their t’skrang Boatman, Roohck Kestemel, and their windling Windscout, Oma Wyufli, quickly. They only managed to escape with their lives because of their Obsidiman Purifier, Klaude’s ultimate sacrifice. Knowing he was too slow to outrun them, he battled to the end to ensure their survival, for if the whole party died, they would lose the Elf and T’skrang Keys forever and Barsaive would be doomed. The Revivers of the Passions had been in the Badlands searching for Fiona Flamehair Branford, who had married Luke Branford and eloped over three years ago. They were tasked by the King of Lasael to retrieve her and bring her back to Lasael in exchange for the Human Key. We told them how we had been impersonated by the other group, and needed to defeat them to clear our name. Jezsia told us she could track down the imposters if we would defeat them and avenge their dead friends. After saying that we would, we tended to their wounds as best we could, and Jezsia started to track down our doubles.
                                                                                                                                                                -P

Borrum 15 Badlands
Boss,
We tracked down our doubles, who talked about vengeance for killing their Queen and stealing the Chain of Skulls. They had ruined our reputation, and would kill us and replace us for all time. These things were those Horrors from Javukk! They were insanely fast, and soon each one of us was face to face with ourselves. I myself was fighting a clone of Keth and my own double. The only thing was that Keth wasn’t Keth; he wasn’t a Swordmaster at all. He was some sort of Illusionist pretending to be Keth. And it seemed that was the same way it was with Noratu and Laura’s duplicates. Ninheim summoned up the spirit of Sch’ella to fight her double by using her Thorn Man’s Spear. The spirit of Sch’ella fought with an ethereal spear and short sword, and she disappeared after slaying her fake saying, “ Let my memory rest in peace.” Coga dispatched Heimnin, Ninheim’s clone, and then turned to attack my clone. He knocked him out and I killed him with a surprise strike. I could hear Demetrius scream. I struggled to regain my feet, but then the fake Keth knocked me out. When I awoke, I saw Keth in front of me, and delivered two attacks. I had overdone it, but I saw him fall as my eyes closed again. I had killed him, and defeated both the fake Pugsli and Keth and preserved the honor of the Slayers.
                                                                                                                                                                -P

Borrum 16 Badlands
Boss,
I awoke the next morning, and I was told what had happened. Demetrius had only been knocked unconscious, Black Guard and Granite had killed the fake Granite and Demetrius. They told me that Laura had become a t’skrang child when killed, and that Keth and Noratu had become adult humans when slain.  But the rest had still looked like us when they died. Ninheim had collected the heads of our slain opponents except the t’skrang child. Poor kid. But that wasn’t all. Noratu had examined their bodies and found that there was a place where they should have had a tail. Jezsia tracked down the scene of the battle where the Revivers of the Passions had fought our doubles. There they found their six slain comrades, each buried with a red scorpion’s tail. At the tip of the tail, was a baby-like creature with a red scorpion tail and claws for hands. They had burned the tails and heard the death screams of the creatures within.  On the bodies of their slain comrades they found the T’skrang and Elf Keys. Noratu took Brul’s grimoire and his books with the permission of Jezsia and Drach’mar. To preserve Brul’s knowledge was one way to preserve his memory, and knowing Brul he would want no knowledge to be buried with him when it could be given back to the people of Barsaive.  They then reburied the six slain heroes. Seven down, two to go. Now do we continue on the Dragon Key quest or go after the Human Key instead?
                                                                                                                                                -P           

Rumors


Daiche


       There is a ghostly voice singing a song in Daiche Canyon, but I can’t hear the words!

       The Two-Tailed Tavern burned down a while ago, after an incident, which killed a bunch of residents and visitors. I suppose somebody could now longer bear seeing it anymore after the tragedy that transpired there.

        I heard that Ninheim is back in town masquerading as some guy called Heimnin. His party stole a ship from the port of Daiche and headed south. The rumors say that Keth and Sch’ella died at the incident at the Two-Tailed Tavern, and were with them. They could be a party of ghosts!

K’tenshin


      Somebody is out there pretending to be a K’tenshin ship and raiding and declaring bakshevas in our name, trying to sully our reputation. Let’s go find these imposters and thrash them!

      There is a long list of names for registration to the War College. Not just anybody can go to school there. It takes a lot of hard work to just apply with all the bureaucracy involved. Not to mention the physical training, mental wit, and understanding of tactics that are required to pass through the rigorous courses.  

Spiral Towers


      The child who was murdered was Named Kessa. The Passions shall punish whoever did it or me if I see them first!

      A party of adventurers or ghosts hijacked Nemokla Vitaille’s Floranuus’ Sprint. It’s currently anchored at Daiche. Nemokla has seen misfortunate after misfortune after a successful dredge mission. Perhaps they got some cursed gold when they were out then?

       There have been some strange sightings of ghosts and spirits on the edge of the Servos Jungle near here. I hope this doesn’t mean that the ghita are active again!

Travar


       No I haven’t seen anyone who looks just like you. Sorry sir but I am going to have to cut you off from ale now.

      Moltaa has done a surprisingly good job keeping safety and security in Travar. I just wish she cared a bit more about infrastructure. That gapping hole left by Bratz’ul-char is a blight on our fair city, and should be restored by now. Perhaps in the next Founding Moltaa will be defeated and the next Magistrate will care a bit more about city maintenance and repair.

       I saw a gorgeous red-headed babe in tight leather and fine clothes carrying a rune-covered spear with an unkempt blond dude with dirty clothes, tattoos, no weapons, and a couple of beasts with him. I guess Astendar has a wicked sense of humor. What’s a woman like her doing with a guy like that anyway?

       I wonder if its possible to somehow reverse the effects of the Horrors on the Badlands similar to what happened at the Heart Wood?

NPC CHARACTER BIOS 1

                 This is a new section introducing important NPCs in the quest who have been met recently.

Jezsia Lashcutter

Race: Ork
Discipline: Liberator
Circle: Fifth
Homeland: Cara Fahd.
Organization: Revivers of the Passions, Broken Fang
Passion: Lochost
Character Background: Jezsia was born into the Broken Fang tribe, but always felt her calling lie elsewhere. To her the Broken Fangs were themselves broken, more concerned with raiding others than in freeing others. Thus she left and traveled to Parlainth and trained to be a Liberator under Justice Bells and fought in many great strugglers with the Theran slavers there. After hearing rumors about a terrible event in Cara Fahd, she rushed back to her homeland and nearly entered the expanding sphere of the Curse of Dis. Keth warned her and brought her back to Bartertown. Thus she became one of the first members of the Revivers of the Passions, a group of eight Name-Givers of the racially specific Disciplines, assembled to collect the Nine Name-Giver Keys to the Heart of Heroes. In the Badlands, searching for Luke and Fiona Flamehair Branford for the King of Lasael in exchange for the Human Key, dopplers of the party ambushed them, and only her and Drach’mar survived.

Long-term Goals: Free the Passions. Remove the Curse of Dis from Cara Fahd.

Drach’mar Na’Gra

Race: Troll
Discipline: Outcast Warrior/Swordmaster
Circle: Fifth/Second
Homeland: Thundersky moot, Ashen Hills.
Organization: Revivers of the Passions, the Broken Chain, Slayers
Passion: Lochost, Thystonius
Character Background: Born as Cha’hka Ianu. After freeing Theran slaves in a combat with a Theran mining vedette, which led to their victory, he was renamed Ki’nu Shattershackle. He joined the Broken Chain under Kagola Bondbreaker Thundersky where he learned about why newots should be freed and became a fanatic on the topic. After several disagreements with the chief of the Thundersky clan, Drovka Steelthought Thundersky, over the continued practice of the taking of newots, questioning his wisdom of not forming alliances with other clans, and other slights against his honor, Ki’nu was declared a kava, and his horns cut off and exiled to the Ashen Hills.   He re-Named himself Drach’mar Na’Gra and resolved to accept Thystonius’ challenge to survive near the heat of the Death’s Sea and the freedom of Lochost to do as he wished with his life from now on. He trained as an Outcast Warrior to survive and honor both of these Passions. After Death’s release, and the sealing of the Passions, he left the Ashen Hills and searched for a way to free Lochost after a chance encounter with Vo’tanna, the Grey Woman.  She told him to go to Bartertown and seek out Drudge Tarcke. The way to free the Passions would lie with him. Thus he became one of the first members of the Revivers of the Passions, a group of eight Name-Givers of the racially specific Disciplines, assembled to collect the Nine Name-Giver Keys to the Heart of Heroes. He further became a Swordmaster, and the first troll Slayer. In the Badlands, searching for Luke and Fiona Flamehair Branford for the King of Lasael in exchange for the Human Key, dopplers of the party ambushed them, and only him and Jezsia survived. 

Long-term Goals: Release the Passions. Determine the truth about Vo’tanna, the Grey Woman’s intentions towards the Crystal Raiders of Barsaive.

Revivers of the Passions


                This is the names/gender/races/Disciplines of the eight members of the Revivers of the Passions for PC reference.

Brul Wornpage
Dwarf Male Traveled Scholar Fifth Circle
Deceased

Keshay Thornscar
Elf Male Woodsman Fifth Circle
Deceased

Darrin Bourguet
Human Male Swordmaster Sixth Circle
Deceased

Klaude
Obsidiman Male Purifier Fifth Circle
Deceased

Jezsia Lashcutter
Ork Female Liberator Fifth Circle
Alive

Drach’mar Na’Gra
Troll Male Outcast Warrior Fifth Circle/Swordmaster Second Circle
Alive

Roohck Kestemel
T’skrang Male Boatman Fifth Circle
Deceased

Oma Wyufli
Windling Female Windscout Fifth Circle
Deceased

Legend Points And Loot 3

Session 1: Conspiracy

Wyvern Award: 1030 Legend Points
Therans Award: 3000 Legend Points
Heroics Award:
600 Legend Points
Roleplaying Award: 1200 Legend Points
Session Award: 1200 Legend Points (Discovering the truth about the Conspiracy)
Total Maximum Possible: 7,030 Legend Points
Missed Session Award: 600 Legend Points.
Loot: 720 silver pieces

Session 2: Mirror

Doppler Award: 8,200 Legend Points
Burning the Stingers: 9,000 Legend Points
Heroics Award: 600 Legend Points
Roleplaying Award: 1200 Legend Points
Session Award: 1200 Legend Points (Defeating their doubles)
Total Maximum Possible: 20,200 Legend Points
Missed Session Award: 600 Legend Points.
Loot: None

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