Recap
The Hand of Fate, a now renounced force in the world known for their many deeds, from the slaying of the chaos sisters in Vodras, brining stability to Warnek. Stopping the cult of the metallic dawn before it even got started. Their journey continues, now able to focus on personal objectives.
The group goes to Ipyèn by means of teleportation circle and new more powerful magics that they have gotten, they buy magic items and talk to important people. Daren and his sister Cyra go to find their mother, who Daren confronts and Cyra stays to comfort, driving a wedge between the siblings. Greta and Libra talk to the Kari Seladin about the magical misgivings they have encountered, they learning about the Ik-fe’i and the possible stirring happening in the ossuary of sirinal. Alar continues to build his influence in Nashel.
They journey to Sirinal, across the world. Posing as foreign dignitaries they go to Alar’s home in the northern reaches of Sirinal, the wood elven enclaves. Daren reaches out to various divine sources for information. At Alar’s house, with the desire to kill Alar’s grandfather and shift family control, this spirals into learning that his cousin Coletti was taken over by a Fae skinwalker. Meeting the strange pair of Demor and Mura who are cousins of Alar but have been scared by the torture methods meant to “better” those and their skills. Perplexed on how to deal with this Daren trusts the young Mura to go about her discovery of power on her own.
Doing more northwards still to Shasal and then the small village in where Joenes is from, meeting his family and town and enjoying the one area of the world still rather peaceful.
Then back south they teleport to Sirinala’av where, it seems the city is preparing for a large invasion, scouts tell of a massive skeleton army coming from the ossuary, meeting generals and military leaders, priests and citizens abound the city. Daren accepts in part his role and announces the coming of the dark one to the church of Mornal, being on better speaking terms with Mornal now. quick plans are made and they fly off to the ossuary.
At the ossuary the topple magical defenses to get inside the core of the city and into the inner chamber, where they find to their surprise an almost man who is King Oberon of the Fae, a tough battle where Flynnic and Pascal brush with death, but succeeding for now to banish Oberon away. They return to Sirinal and defeat the large skeleton army, talk with the warmaster general and go about on the long preparation for what they know will be further dealing with the Fae.
Sense then 5 months have passed, the Fae have shown small signs of existing, and our heroes have prepared in their own ways to face the oncoming threat.
Session #42
8/36/1564BM
The Fae are here, after building up forces in secret, even evading detection by our party it seems they have gathered enough recourses to make their first strike. Kest has fallen, the major cities from Lo’ra to Sernavil have been taken over, the whole country aside from the draconic empire has been taken by a fast attack. Only those few mages who escaped and the draconic empire bring reports. It seems in the span of but three days they managed to take over. By what means it is not exactly known but the world was caught deeply off guard. Now our players meet back up in Nashel to discussion what to do, and what they have done to prepare in this time.
Daren and Alar have been working on a secret room, one to discuss matters such as this, going down into their base they seen an ornate table and surrounding them are artifacts of their adventures, the skull of Argenta’is, the Kopesh of the mummy, the geometric obscurity of Hlyenna and many more. Daren being decorated in his new armor, silver with deep blue and black subtle accents, a set of well-made half plate but with hidden ability to so fully shield the mind from outside detection. After seats are taken he takes an exasperated sign to say an “I told them so” about the generals of Sirinal and other powers of the world, they knew about the threat of the Fae yet others where unconvinced. He invites the others to tell what they have done these past five months to prepare.
4/46/1564BM
As Alar has grown in power, almost to the height of nobility, especially in Nashel. Major players of the world have grown to know of him, he gets various offers and requests from time to time but two of note he found. First was lady Aminatu of the Rasvel, who has been experiencing problems with production of the jungle resources. She explains in the letter that she makes deals and trading with the native tribes of the glow jungle and her last two weekly shipments have bene quite small in production, and it being blamed on men “vanishing” she knows that Alar has experience in both commerce and in plants but also has access to the hand of fate as an important team of adventurers. The dinner is held in Piltir and shows the height of the worlds summer. Arriving at the city a day before and settling in Libra and Greta have been invited by the Kari to socialize. The party scene is glamorous, adorned in decorations and floral gallantry. It’s scene of nobility and those famous in Estia alike, rather busy but enjoyable for most. Alar is there with singular intent, to talk to Animatu and get a greater understanding of the issue, in finding her quickly they discuss details of what needs to be done, and from Alar’s assessment, but without saying it to her, he guesses it to be Fae involvement. Getting a black scale style calling card, so that Daren can identify himself. Alar also is bothered by Armani Trest, who is the head of the glassmakers of in this area of Estia and knows of his project, proposing a business connection. While interested in theory, Alar’s plans involve a large amount of money that is being made to be spent on the funding of the magic school that Daren and himself are running, with Libra to help as well. he also wishes to make a permanent teleportation circle in Nashel, to further build up its power as a city.
Libra gets talked to by Kevra-tan who is the prince of Salra, one of the third regions of Estia in the ongoing Three Estia’s conflict. He is deeply interested in Archaeotech and Libra is his first war forged that he has seen. Libra explains them being here on behest of the Kari. Kevra-tan talks at length about the interesting deep history and makes mention of the far north of Thalia and the secret rune stones that he would one day wish to visit. Libra talks a bit about the Fae, at least indirectly and Kevra-tan makes it known that he feels poorly about Sirinal’s disbelief in cremation, and how Estia doesn’t have these undead problems.
Greta gets almost trapped in a conversation with a man named swumthultosh who goes on a far to passionate conversation about various succulent plants, while she listens, she also has her ears open and hears over into the conversation that Alar has with Animatu, and while interesting she feels it not for her to join. After some while she goes off deeper into the palace estate, and comes across a younger women dressed in a nice pink but taking a break away from the loud action. The women, introducing herself and Crane, and makes some complaint that she is really only here to accompany her two sisters, Clair and Clain, how they enjoy the whole party scene far more, btu its not as much for her. The two talk a bit about the lack of desire for these things, and Crane’s general boredom at life. Crane asks how long she is staying and recommends seeing the bird women on Friday, bird women being people who dress up in fancy and dazzling clothes and spend time in public as a spectacle, almost a living decoration.
Libra stays long enough out in the main area, talking to other members of the aristocracy, hearing about the various non-issues that they have to complain about it, in time late in the night the band gets a bit more rowdy and the atmosphere livens up, more improvisational and fun.
Greta walks the palace by herself, in time stopping to observe the frescos on the celling, a servant stops by and offers champaign, which she takes. In time the party ends and her and Libra go back to their hotel close by.
5/5/1564BM
After hearing from Alar the group goes out to investigate the glow jungle of Estia. Libra having mastered an even greater level of teleportation uses this magic to bring them to the city square of Rasvel, where in, as it often is, the people there are quite surprised by Pascal, a proper true dragon. Flynnic does his usual of playing nice and Daren and Libra go about finding direction to the jungle. As quick as they came they leave, Libra polymorphing into a giant eagle and scooping up Daren with Pascal carrying Flynnic in toe. Not knowing exactly what to look for by Flynnic spies the first very small sign of life, some wooden steaks into a tree side that go from ground level to canopy height. Going down into the jungle, past the tree tops, through the canopy and onto ground level they start to look around, the sounds of nature surrounds them, even as a giant bird and dragon they feel utterly small next to the massive sounding area that is the deep glow jungle. A fusion of mushroom and trees, plants growing in and on other plants. Flynnic is cautions and looks around, but climbs up the small stick ladder in the tree, him and Daren getting to the upper canopy. Looking around for a moment, and not seeing anything they try and alert the jungle, yelling out their purpose. Small vines from the canopy reach around their feet, trying to anchor them, yet this does little to deter, but knowing that something magical is happening Daren pulls out the scale he was given by Alar and shows it around, and this seems to draw attention. A man of dark skin, who was holding on to underneath the canopy layer and covered in disguise and makeup comes out and very cautiously shows himself. Looking and saying little he speaks in elvish, but with a slow and unpolished accent. Upon seeing the man he quickly notes the form so he could later disguise it. The man asks “why you here?” Daren responds “Aminatu sent us, to help”. suspicious he looks “What your names?” the group responds in kind. After libra changes into his normal sized self the man asks “is dragon also man?” to which Flynnic says no. they asks what the problem is he says “The jungle is sick, is bad” Daren asks “where is it sick? What direction is this coming from” to which the man says “Not direction, is all around” he, still on guard tells them to come to ground and leads them away.
Moving further into the forest, taking turns and following paths that seemingly only the man can see they venture. Eventually he gets to an area and looking around picks out a corner, and makes odd blinking motions. Daren picks up on this and ask “why so much blinking” he looks at him and says quick “eyes dry”. In a few minutes another man comes down and the two look at each other, exchanging some hand gestures but saying nothing. Eventually they nod and go to a tree, in which our first one reaches into the bark and pulls a handle, the second does the same and a disguised door opens up to reveal a central ladder carved going down. Climbing a few feet down they make to a very dim area but with three other people working on various crafts around the space. A central figure, one wearing a head dress of sorts steps forward and tells them that skin stealers are present, and so them being outsiders their normal systems of trust do not work, but they know that the stealers are young and so do not know things. he asks each of them to tell some fact that shows they have wisdom. Libra speaks about the workings of well water, Daren talks about city design and management and Flynnic talks about secret codes and thieves cant. They speak for a little bit about the problem, how it has been for a few weeks. About the trauma of seeing a thing that looks like a friend but is not, they can mimic sound and some limited memory but not everything, many have disappeared and now everyone is distrusting, it has struck fast and they worry. Daren, in his confidence tells them he has solution, using a special formulated ointment and magic he is able to see into the ethereal plane and past disguises, and sadly, he sees the second man that brought them in as a Fae, a pale skinned beast with long fingers and sharp claws, in an instant he slashes twice with his sword and kills it. the other four are deeply surprised and shocked, again how easy it is for their secretive nature to be slipped. They ask how to draw out the creatures and they say loud noises are the best way. So the group goes out and starts their blaze on the jungle. The first group of Fae they run into is five of them, all looking like hunters, but moving in quickly and coordinated. Pascal and Flynnic as a dynamic tag team of dragon and man, Libra with his mastery over fire magic and Daren with fast and swift strikes and banishing energy, they kill the Fae quite fast, and when doing so their disguise fades, skin back to a pale white. Gathering the bodies and working to get specimens. The first day they kill a good few, two more groups of four and three respectively. They camp out in the little underground shelter. With the men there saying they will gather other members and so try and sort out all the real people with his Daren’s magic eyes. The second day the Fae seem more cautious and so they use disguises as those native tribes men, before lashing out and attacking. Half way through they capture three alive, with Daren using a force cage, a deep and powerful level of magic. The three inside are threatened yet corporate and speak a little bit, under fear of duress and death. Daren asks about their origin, where they come from, how they communicate, while the three are non helpful, when they start to answer less he uses sickening radiance to give them a little pain to keep talking. They learn the local General is Khemntesh and get a visual for what he looks like, a more monstruous Fae, four arms with a serpents tail and a barbed ending, thinking about fighting him but knowing they could come back later with more, at least more information would be needed. They also learn that each Fae does not really know where they come from, simply waking up in a cave or dark place on day and vaguely knowing what they must do, learning quickly from other Fae and being able to sense them out, they have a very weak psychic connection to other, but generals have more, and that they have a wider range of ability. They also surmise that the Fae wish to be feared again and respected, with idea of the Fae’s new world order a bit odd, as they consider even this jungle to be too tamed by humans. They contact Alar and work out a method to get the Fae back to the magic school that is being started up, into a secret and well magickly protected sub-basement, there in they will work to interrogate and discover further. They continue to root out the Fae, and kill about 34 in the End, by the third day they can find no longer and they feel satisfied that the work is done, so heading back home after collecting samples of the soil and trees, after brining back lots of bodies of the Fae to study, they find their mission a success, is a great curiosity.
26/5/1564BM
In Sirinala’av the work of repair and rebuilding is taking much higher focus than that of building a counter to the oncoming threat, Joenes works hard to push initiatives but this does little to sway those higher in power, he does make the process of the magic school and finding those suitable for it easier. In addition he does work to get their horses sets of quite decorate armor, swooping golden wing like panels fitted to each horse, while at this point the horses live in the stables of Nashel and are much more pets than functional animals they still see great care.
5/32/1564BM
In the few weeks after the Fae much is learned about their means and methods, especially biology. Yet by means cruel and inhumane, yet these are not humans. While the Fae resemble humans they seem different, faster and more agile than the average man, yet also slimmer and less able to sustain themselves over a long time. their biology often resembles human nature, with brains and organs and other internal structures, the blood a pale lavender color. And with the unique mutations often some more odd biology is present, extra limbs, sensory organs in strange places, and more. What exact methods happen down in that basement to extract information are of the most deplorable nature, hurt and healing, the breaking of the mind and shaping it back together, after countless experiments, many hidden out of their horror, Alar and Daren come to realize much, and sadly the Fae can give no more and finally die, added to the corpse pile as fresh dissection tools. Oddly Mornal says little of this, while being focused on pain and death, he does not delight or mourn in this time. they learn that the Fae are able to sustain themselves on a much wider array of organic material such as plant matter and bugs. They also learn that while not weaker to any element, at least among these basic foot soldiers, they seem to fear fire and the elements more than physical attacks, they also seem to be able to detect pure sacred metals like silver and aluminum. They can survive roughly the same band of temperatures as humans, a little bit warmer but not much so. Libra also is given information that is pried out of the Fae, notably the four locations they have taken up by them so far, and more specific ideas about their vision for the new world order.
6/7/1564BM
At the magic school for the Marade, to be slightly expected Daren has gotten a letter from one Archmagis Levothyroxine who is the leader of evocation at the university of Thalia Ipyèn. A sternly worded letter about the safety of his new “so called school without so much as even a pittance of curriculum or safety for the mage students” and his “Unorthodox methods of teaching” which, Daren reads up until this point, underlines the word “Unorthodox” writes, “read up until here, if you want to say anything else, please come in person and we would be happy to hear you” written, in a passive aggressive font. Happy at his pushback against the system he send the letter back. He also has gotten a few letters from the magical regulation society in Thalia regarding his payment of Portal registration dues, at times reminding the necessity of paying them, at other times letting him know someone else paid on his behalf, and to those he writes a rejection and will refuse any payment at all, another statement of his petty and cunning nature at times.
6/24/1564BM
Libra, in his pursuit of knowledge of the Fae, the intellectual defense. He and Greta Travel to Thalia briefly, Greta to visit with him and go attend a luminated temple service and her regular sightseeing, she also needs some components for her magical transformation amulet of polymorph and so gathers them here. Libra journeys up north, to the sage that Kevra-tan mentioned. Up even past Kotūsen, into the deep hills where stones lie. There Libra spends a week deciphering the ancient writings and learns a great deal, lore and legend about the great cities that once flew. The city know as Aevel which has crashed off the coast of Thalia, and currently is under magical protection by the luminated inquisition, one of the few organizations to take the warning of the Fae seriously. Second of the cities is Torin-Dasil, named after where it lies, on the summit of the tallest mountain in the world of the same name, inaccessible and cold but perhaps to be investigated. And the last of the cities, which has no translation but Libra gave the title Thendsia, after the ancient titan of the ocean, this city lies at the bottom of the Soln sea and may be responsible for the many strange misgivings down there, including some they have experienced. While wanting to explore a city he will not do it alone and so would do so only with the whole hand of fate.
7/10/1564BM
Greta and Daren pay a visit to Cyra for her birthday, a small little day celebration but one to connect. Daren working to make amends. It seems that Cyra has gotten into loom work, and was given some nice silks for her projects as a birthday gift by the king. Her job as a royal assistant to help king, she is quite well liked and lives well on her own. Greta bakes some nice oatmeal raisin cookies, these an exercise in the far more normal cooking applications prowess.
7/13/1564BM
Libra continues his studies, into the ancient area of Parahlitan, to uncover and discover the past and its parts. After getting information about places of interest he is brought to the old mountain caves of Kest, those on the peninsula near Lo’ra. Old cave paintings and obscure scrawling of writing, that which even magic has trouble of making out. Yet with time he gains more information, how did the world collapse and what does the time line look like. He makes the basic information. The ancient demon and devil war and the war between metallic and chromatic dragons happened long ago, perhaps five thousand years. Than it was mostly the two main races on Parahlitan, those mortal and those not, human kinds and the Fae, Humans as more lawful and city based and the Fae as more natural creatures of the forest and chaotic. Odd middle he learns that the Elven races seemed to be a descendent of the Fae, with their affinity towards nature and longer age. It seems the humans expanded, and perhaps three thousand years ago where able to master old and powerful magics, to raise great cities into the sky, to bring great power, power so great that its ability no longer yet existed once the cities fell. The Fae wished to take the cities down, and this they succeeded, yet afterwards the gods worked to banish them, gods and humanity worked together. Using three elements, the gods gave frost and plant, the humans gave stone, and with this they made a prison for the Fae. Perhaps, Libra thinks, this could be done again, yet sealed and completed with the hidden part that still lies in Aevel. Also his guess at what caused the climate shift of the ice age of the collapse still at large, perhaps dragons, perhaps a large rock from space, perhaps the anger of the gods, it is unknown, as very little from that time survives at all.
7/34/1564BM
Flynnic, going to the Draconic empire to try and outfit Pascal with more proper armor and revisit other draconic elements goes to visit Zyres. He reaches the layer, nervous but knowing it went ok last time and feeling better. he rides in atop Pascal, riding as human on draconic mount. Zyres snakes out to peer from her massive wet cauldron of a hoard, she looks and leans in, Flynnic dismounts off Pascal and bows to show respect she acknowledges it. seeing just how much more Pascal has grown she is surprised but hides it well enough. Flynnic tells Zyres of the Fae threat, and lets her know the details, she not yet having heard of it, and to make the point more has brought a corpse. Zyres examines it and is confused but disgusted, he explains their fight with Oberon and, thinking to himself notes that both him and Pascal died in fact, but does not mention this. He states the massive threat that they face, that even the dragons here could be attacked. He asks if she in her age and wisdom has any information on them, while Zyres is quite old comparatively at 843 years of age, the Fae where over three thousands years old, and only perhaps Fenadak the Green and Thornak as being old enough to remember these things. but she said that perhaps if both the Hand of Fate and herself made an appearance they could talk to Thornak. She also wishes success in the protection of Pascal and so reaching into her horde grabs a vial of her own dragon tears, and it also spills a great number of coins and gold, a small fortune. Flynnic and Pascal both able to channel lightning and storms, Flynnic has a vision for a magical nexus that can control the weather and summon storms, yet this is a costly matter at weather controlling is powerful magic.
8/2/1564BM
Libra, after gathering the information, makes his thesis for how to go about sealing the Fae away again. Two routes exist, one that involves evoking the old magic and one that involves the new magic. For the old magic, it will take the three pieces that where used before, the magical power of Frontril the god of frost and ice, a vengeful god, who was feared during the collapse, power now still small yet held in northern Kotak. Veren the god of the angry forest, of a primal nature who is obscure but the Hand of Fate encountered in Adrea once perhaps. And lasty the element of stone from humanity, guessed to be at Torin-Dasil. And the piece in Aevel to seal it all away in full. The second route is more well know, the four cores of power of the elements. Fire, Water, Air, Earth. Yet not those found in mainline sirinal but those of the splinter groups far outside of the borders, these areas are yet known, the north mountains of Kotak for earth, the northern desert wastes for fire. The air is found in the sky spires, besides the world spine mountains. And lastly the water is found in the jungle lake of Estia. It is said that old gates reside in these spaces that lead to great power, yet are guarded by both people and spirits to keep away wrong doing. Lastly again is that power contained within Aevel, that hidden thing that scares even the gods.
8/32/1564BM
Daren and Alar gather their students at the school, which has been named the Marade school, Marade meaning “Guard” in ancient Si’irin. When the students are able to cast a successful fireball they achieve the rank of Marade. In this school five students have been selected as those most gifted. Of those five, four are quite loyal to Alar first, but Daren and Alar have agreed not to have a civil war in the school, yet still it is good that for now the two agree on their goals and missions. In this room the five students stand, Gevra Duran a tiefling who came already gifted with fire and has learned quite quickly. Polos Laren a fire Genasi who mastered fire and offensive spells quite well due to his bloodline. Sydney Carpaith who is the daughter of a high ranking general in Sirinala’av. Theodric Yeltis who after a tragic accident died, yet was brought back to life by Alar, he claims to have spoken with Fenesal during his brief stint in death. Lastly is Fedtho Romi who is a study of Alar from Nashel brought over. Under each of them around a dozen students and of those around half are Marade. Alar and Daren gather the students to congratulate as well as thank them for their efforts, as well as mentioning that they think they have a first field mission in which they are to go to the north of Kotak in the mountains to take down some Fae, real field training. Excited at the prospect the students ask questions, and knowing that Daren went and fought Fae before are curious, he has largely kept this under wraps but feels that the Fae draw close. They are to have a winter break and meet back on the 37th.
Music
Estian party https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj0boS-gQTY
Jungle mission https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jzp5H4mQVE
Marade school https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpZR2dK0mAI
Sirinala’av https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddMSMwKQkKI