Chasing Off the Greys

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Scribe Notes: Session – Winter 805

GM: Jillian Mitchinson
Level: Medium.
Title: Chasing Off the Greys.

Mission:

Remove the "Greys" from the Trog plane.

The Party:

  • Motley - A Giant Non Mage played by James Mitchell
  • Morgan the Orc - An Orc Non-mage played by Cherie Nouwens
  • Cher - A Suarime Binder played by Sean English
  • Akuji - Chris Caulfield Elf necro (Goddess) boy. Military Scientist

Tussock Mustardseed (GM Info), A nefarious halfling played by Mandos

The Adventure

Day 1 (Duesday 1 Frost 805)

At the guild meeting the party is retained by Enrico on behalf of Duke Arric to return to the Trog plane and remove the people he calls "the Greys". Enrico is accompanied by Lord Socks, a very large lion/cat (and member of the Cisco Cats). Lord Socks, who seems very bouncy and playful, is a "sender" - broadcasting thoughts into our heads, and which will send us to the Trog plane.

Day 2 (W'ansday 2 Frost 805)

After breakfast we gather back in the briefing room, and take turns to stand before Lord Socks. Socks stares at us and the room fades, replaced by another room with a much bigger cat who is concentrating on us. Enrico has warned us not to break the cat's concentration, so we ensure Akuji is hurried into the next room - his goddess may become upset with the cats? While waiting for the rest of the party Clarissa amuses herself by fending off Akuji.

Party travels in the order: Morgan, Motley, Akuji, Cher, Clarissa, Douglas, Tussock; followed by Enrico then Socks (who gets cuffed out a door by the bigger cat). We are immediately off to the courtyard and into three carts. Pulled by very large dog creatures (who are mind controlled by our cat escort) the carts are off and so are we.

Tussock's pet bird and Motley fly as lookouts. Enrico mentions it would be best not to see any Gnomes, as the cats will be obliged to stop and kill them all.

Day 3 (Th'rsday 3 Frost 805)

We have been travelling all last night and today. Late in the evening we stop at an abandoned Human farm. Around us the mountains have given way to plains, and we are moving away from the centre of the land ripples. Nothing of note happens until a lonely undead attacks us in the middle of the night. The party hits it until it goes poof...

Day 4 (Frysday 4 Frost 805)

More habitation is apparent. Enrico is more alert, and cats are patrolling closer to the carts. We see farms, cattle, and sheep in the distance. Ripples are further apart and smoother - about three per day compared with five per day at the start of the trip. We cross "herd moving tracks" which seem to make a straight line while we curve back and forth, however these are made by the Humans and the Greys, and protected against Trogs and cats. When cattle are being moved it has magical protection.

We stop the night in another deserted farm-stead. Cats are very close to the camp.

Day 5 (Reapsday 5 Frost 805)

We are up early and away for the city. We see Trogs travelling during the day. At mid afternoon we leave the cats and carts to continue on foot to Arricton. The city has lots of troops, and seems closer to a barracks then a shopping mecca. We arrive at a large square with Ducal palace at one end. Our quarters are in a large house on one side of the square.

Spend the evening washing off travel grime in the hot plunge pools, and enjoying the hot food. Both dinner and the pools feature tubs of Orcish blood on the side, which our hosts tell us we can add to the food (or water) to enhance the experience. Brings back bad memories of the Trogs sacrificing Orcs through the night for Morgan's benefit. However, Akuji seems more alert when it is brought in.

Day 6 (Sunday 6 Frost 805)

We breakfast, and are told we have an audience with Duke Arric in the late morning. Douglas pops Enrico into the mind link spell and we go off to the palace.

Present for the audience are Duke Arric, the cat ambassador Magma, many Orc functionaries, and a line of Orcs who are the official library. The Trogs are very confident, as they do not remove weapons from the party. However the audience hall seems to be covered with spying niches, some occupied. A small amount of paranoia washes back through the mind link from Douglas as he watches in all directions at once. Duke Arric welcomes us, and formally enlists our aid in removing the Greys from the plane; then leaves.

Magma gives us a rather more detailed briefing, and offers the aid of the Cisco Cats.

After they divinated Motley's message-puppy, the Cisco Cats knew all about Motley, and were able to locate the Guild. We think it may be useful if they divinated a Grey artifact - or even if our Namer had a go. Party is not keen to return to Stillgate and abduct one of the Humans who have been magic'd by the Greys. Instead Magma suggests an ancient Grey artifact which may have helped in the Orcanian downfall - the "river of infinite cold".

The Party agrees to go after this item, which some members have seen on previous visits to the underground Orcanian city, and accept Magma's offer of a Cat guide and doggie transport. The party disperses for the evening, planning to leave in the morning. I spend the time chatting with the library, getting some very interesting information about Gnome trading protocols, the use and usage of the harness for the Goddess that infests Akuji, Trog history, and the limitations of library indexing within an oral tradition.

Day 7 (Moonday 7 Frost 805)

It seems Akuji was sapped by Tussock last night. Something about going out for a quiet drink then realising all the pubs serve fresh sacrificial Orc blood. Cher is harried out of the hot pools by the cleaning staff. Oh, and someone packed away all our gear yesterday evening... strange.

After breakfast we mount up on the dog creatures outside, and our Cat guide Smoke leads us off through the town. Smoke has a mind speech going with Clarissa and Morgan. Tussock and Cher are flying on a carpet.

Once out in the countryside Clarissa orders Akuji to try and control any Trogs we encounter, who don't belong to anyone. The rest of us think this may lead to a "stupidest adventurer award". Tussock's bird reports hovels with Humanoids 29 miles away. We turn to avoid them, and run straight into an ambush of Gnomes hiding under trees, not visible from the air.

We kill several Gnomes, but two escape, one getting clean away. We try to question a survivor (who plays dumb), and a dead body (who is more forth coming). They had been set to ambush us, to find out why the Cats have been moving about so much recently. We also notice that all the Gnomes had portal magics on them.

After the battle, scouting, and questioning, we move off quickly to avoid the reinforcements that Akuji has summoned with his morale boosting horn blast - they appear to be Trog banners. Smoke leads us off, but soon we stop at an unexpected, huge ravine in front of us. The ravine is a mile wide with rubble at the bottom. On the opposite side are Gnomes and smaller figures (Goblins). To the left we see an end to the ravine; no end insight to the right. We go left. Ravine was created three or four days ago when a lot of Earth mages cast a lot of unbinding magics, collapsing the roof of an Orcanian tunnel.

Press on until twilight, and camp away from the Trog camp (with their banners and big fire), near the end of the ravine. From the air, can see what may be a Gnome skirmish line heading towards the Trogs. Tussock shadow walks over to the Trog camp to find food, and returns with an extremely large drum/pot containing dinner for the entire Trog camp. She says they won't miss it, since they are currently under attack. Then she fails to sap Akuji who has become very excited.

While the rest of the party rush after Akuji, Motley and Tussock proceed to eat as much as they can of the 25 elven litres of food. "Uncaring, unfeeling bastards" is the word from the Hobbit thief. Eventually the others drag Akuji back to camp and tuck into some the fantastic stew. We decide against asking too closely what it might be made of.

Day 8 (Duesday 8 Frost 805)

After a breakfast on more stew, the party leave Smoke and the dogs, and wander about in the ravine. At the bottom is a six day dead Gnome and his lesser undead spirit. Behind the rubble is the continuation of the tunnel. The party digs and enters, finding an Orcanian tunnel, complete with anti-Trog wards, but without the usual cat-skin carpet.

Party pause in their quick sprint down the tunnels and decide to check back with Smoke. During the pause, Tussock has looked at her tarot cards. First she saps Akuji then gives us her reading, that we will win through by using lots of violence, and not going down the tunnels. Clarissa, Motley, and Cher go back to the entrance and chat to Smoke - who refuses to enter these tunnels (and points out the dogs couldn't get in). While they chat, I take a minute to review the events of the last week where the Gnome body is lying - it confirms a band of Gnome and Goblin Earth mages with sticks wandering along and collapsing the tunnels.

Popping back to get the others, and we notice a slight vibration in the air, more pronounced when touching the rock. In two seconds less than no time at all the party retreats in orderly panic for the entrance. Once outside we see lots of Gnomes and Goblins (with sticks) standing in two lines above where the tunnels run. Smoke drags Morgan to safety and the rest of the party scrambles out of the ravine, while Motley, Tussock, and Akuji deal to a few Earth mages. Party retreat unharmed, except for Tussock who has been drained and is in turn draining any party member who touches her. However she seems to stop once she is feeling better.

We travel under Smoke's lead, angling back for the tunnels that we know. Akuji spends a happy time tossing food to other people's mounts, while Morgan has a falling out with Smoke and leaves the mind link. Cher is popped in as replacement.

That night Motley flies out for a look at the Gnome camp seen in the hills. Finds a very large camp in the hill caves, with a possible hole or digging into the Orcanian tunnels.

Day 9 (W'ansday 9 Frost 805)

Hard travel all day for the rest of the party. I catch a restful sleep in the pixie hammock suspended above the doggie saddle.

At midnight we arrive at our destination, the huge doors leading into the Orcanian tunnels. Tussock rushes off to open the doors (since this is her first time...). Eventually they open and she appears, without looking in the least bit exhausted.

Day 10 (Th'rsday 10 Frost 805)

We sleep just inside the tunnel. In the morning we head to the room with the "river of infinite cold" - Tussock is very excited at having found it earlier, all by herself. Tussock divinates the river, then we go through a few doors that Clarissa has never before allowed parties to open. In the second room is the source of the river - it is a casket, frozen in mid fall, being opened by an Orcanian wight. The wight is King Redfelt, and he will be released when the casket is closed; this will also stop the river. Obviously any entity touching the river or the casket will be killed, so we send in Akuji. He wisely chooses to cast spectral hands to close the lid. They move slower than normal, but ten minutes later the lid is closed, the river is "drying up", and we have the gratitude of a King.

We have a nice chat with the King as he hobbles back to his throne, declaring his intention to awaken his people and start to "kill them [Orcs, Trogs, Greys, Gnomes,...] all". In a well rehearsed move, taking Akuji and the King by surprise, we attack and kill King Redfelt.

Tussock and Cher then divinate the casket and the little blood spattered locking pin we found. The casket is from the plane of "Archfield". It contains the river of icy blue. The river will seek and destroy all members of a race (based a sample of blood which is spilt on the chest), freezing the targets to brittleness. The pin has the magical properties of closing and nullification, and the blood was Orcanian. Cher inserts the pin into the casket. It becomes safe, and much less magical.

By the time we get outside again it is dusk. Smoke hunts down an antelope for the dinner. We pop some into the stew. A quick DA shows the antlers were magical, ensuring a swift, accurate kill.

Day 11 (Frysday 11 Frost 805)

We leave in the early morning for two days hard ride to a Cat fortress where we can get some extra divinating done on the casket (the sort of divinate that allowed the Trogs to find the Guild and hire a party based on divinating the results of Motley's spell).

The party rides the doggies as best they can, Tussock is strapped across the back of hers; Motley sleeps undisturbed in his hammock, except for the short eat and excrete breaks at dusk and dawn. Akuji kindly buries the doggie evidence with a scarring terrain at each stop.

Day 12 (Reapsday 12 Frost 805)

We travel through the night, stopping briefly just before dawn, and halt in the early afternoon. The rest of the party is very sore and tired. Smoke hunts down an offering for the master of the fortress, then we walk a short time along an actual cart track towards walls. Party seem strangely argumentative, and not very happy with me.

We enter the fortress (called "Takari"), where we meet Ferris, a large Cat (whose paw covers the entire sheep offered by Smoke) who is in charge. Ferris agrees to divinate the casket for us - it will take all night. We make ourselves comfortable in the guest apartment.

Day 13 (Sunday 13 Frost 805)

We get the results from the divination, breakfast, then meet with the last survivor of a Cat party which went into the Grey's area.

The scout is about the same age as Smoke, but is now looks very old, stiff, and nearly skeletal. Has been this way since the mission last week. They approached the area at dusk and were wiped out by the time it was dark; taken by surprise within sight of the Grey's building. Their group was drained when some unknown, weird creatures touched them; also hit by magical javelins that penetrated the tough Cat hide. Our cat has been under a rank 18 Witchcraft spell, and has also been possessed by an entity. The party decides they need to spend 6 days having Tussock and Douglas rank counters for Wiccan, Earth, and Mind.

Fly off to a valley five miles west and a little north of the fortress. In flight, we notice that the perpetual Autumn cuts out above the clouds, where it is a lovely summer's day. The barrier aura reveals it is nondemonic and will suppress the weather until turned off. It also has a secondary effect of "ricochet" magic, and was created with a binding weather ritual.

Land in a valley with a water supply. To disguise our presence the party asks Motley to summon Foras and get a scarring terrain laid over the area. Once Foras has done this (and leaves) the party gets quite abusive, but they calm down once we find another valley and set up another camp.

Day 18 (Frysday 18 Frost 805)

After spending too long watching Tussock and Douglas ranking their counter-spells, we are finally attacked by a group of seven Gnome fighter mages (mixture of Earth and Undead).

Just as we are getting the better of the Gnomes (one dead, two down, and four getting nervous), they start portaling away again. Clarissa is left holding an enemy sword in her stomach; Akuji is worse for wear; everyone else either took out their opponents cleanly or remained unengaged.

The portal magic starts working on a headless body we are examining, but slows and stops after I pick it up. The portal is targeted to "Castle Attia", which may be on the plane of Archfield. We move the camp again...

Day 19 (Reapsday 19 Frost 805)

The Gnome body was a dud, and the portal magic failed to activate during the night, so I dumped it back in the scarred terrain before having breakfast and a snooze while the mages go through their morning rituals. Cher has divinated some armour and a sword. The armour has magical defensive enhancements, and the sword (she says) is no longer magical, although well made. Tussock gets very jumpy and accuses Cher of being possessed by the sword - Cher's aura does show signs of having been "wiggled". Tussock and Douglas team up on poor Cher, and Douglas does some weird Mind stuff on her. Afterwards Cher seems strangely quiet and subdued...

The party continues very paranoid about the sword, which does seem to have a bad effect on magical items touching it. A spectral hand starts to sizzle and blacken when sent to pick it up, and a warped wood case starts to melt when the sword is placed inside. The black melted wood reminds some people of the black Goddess harness once seen being plunged into water to control it. Akuji rushes off with case and sword to the nearest source of water.

Day 20 (Sunday 20 Frost 805)

Clarissa is healed and reasserts herself in the Party Leader role. First decision is to let Douglas have his way with the sword, which is duly encased and buried in the ground with water running through the case. I hope we are well away before it starts melting the whole plane. The black melty, Goddess control substance is from the plane of "Petris", which is the name of one of the races destroyed by the casket. We fly off towards the centre of the land ripples, deciding to leave the Cats well out of it. Tussock's bird notices that we are being followed by a small rippling in the earth.

On approaching the shiny centre of the land ripples (surrounded by a black viscous "lake") Douglas alerts us to a questing/probing magic that is impacting. At about this point we breach a magical barrier, and the volume around us is full of enhancement magic. All magical items start to glow, and any exposed iron starts to discolour and fall apart.

We land next to the "lake of not water", which is in fact formerly living with a GTN of "Morphran". Motley's DA shows the primary magic is containment, which can be broken by freezing. Douglas pops some lake glop onto the chest, removes the pin and opens the casket. The icy blue streams out and changes the "lake" to "icy blue" and very cold. Then it starts to leech out and freeze the rest of the area. Douglas, Cher, and Motley struggle to close the casket before the rest of the plane is frozen. With the casket closed again, and a mounted man charging across the draw bridge towards us, the party flies for the roof of the shiny castle before us. The ramparts have magic-repelling magic on them, which makes landing and walking difficult for all, but we manage to get to the warded door into one of the towers. Motley uses Tussock on a stick to open the door, who then drops down and scampers in to see what is what.

Session 10: 22 August 2005

Tussock wanders through the tower room and down the stairs. The wind outside is getting really strong, trying to blow us down and along the roof. When people realise the castle may be flying up and away there is a general scramble for the door. Since the giant is blocking the door, Motley reaches back and tosses the party into the room one at a time. As they enter, they start screaming - so we can assume the room was warded. Motley becomes a pixie hoping to avoid the ward by not touching the floor, but gets hit by the pain, then the floor anyway. Eventually the whole party crawls or is dragged to the stairs, and the effects fade as we get further away from the room.

Halfway down, and we are feeling much better. Can spare the time to notice the stairs are a rusting metal spiral inside a stone tower. We descend to some doors and Tussock does something fiddly with oil and sticks. Eventually Motley is able to squeeze through the gap by the hinges to see what is inside. It is the corner of a corridor, completely dark, with heat signs at odd spaces along the walls. Unfortunately I get caught in a web, and an enormous spider (easily as big as I am) charges me. I manage to kill it with a spell. Morgan and Cher resist the spell (which was "Agony" I'm told), then enter the corridor slowly and cautiously, while Douglas, Akuji, and Clarissa crawl through behind them.

In the corridor we are attacked by Hell hounds which were in concealed spaces in the walls. Morgan takes one out in a single blow with her flaming sword, then proceeds to stealth her way down the dark corridor. Clarissa is pounced on by another which falls over after another Motley special ("Malignant Flames" apparently). Douglas lights a lamp while others search slowly down each leg of the corridor. Suddenly (or at least sooner then expected), the Agony effects fall off; the quicker members of the party suggest that the castle has now flown out of the area of the spell. Then the castle gives a huge jarring thump. Those same party members (after picking themselves up, dousing the burning Akuji, and removing him from the Hell hound's jaws) suggest that the castle has landed again.

The heat signatures of the hidden Hell hounds start to disappear, including the two stunned hounds from further up the corridor. Checking the area we notice the external walls are bound earth, and the hound hidey holes have a portal on the floor; under the portal is a grating which causes much pain on contact, and covers a very long drop.

The door nearest us opens onto a barracks sleeping room. Cher puts up walls to protect our rear, and the party has a quick look around. The occupants were a mixture of Humans and Gnomes. They once possessed bags of gems and Gnome money (pebbles); a magical dagger; two unidentified potions; clothes and a book (in Orcish).

Next room is the mess hall, and we see a flicker of torch disappearing out the far door. We give chase. The quarry heads downstairs, and eventually the party regroups and follows. Motley flies straight down, overtaking the running Gnome and finds about twenty to thirty Humans and Gnomes, armed with swords and pole weapons, rushing across the Great Hall and out through the main door. Outside I notice that the ground is rupturing around the castle, troops are advancing from the castle, and more of the black "Morphran" goo is oozing towards us. I wait for the rest of the party.

The party arrives. Akuji immediately starts to slaughter the slower Gnomes, while the others discuss looting the castle, so Motley flys out to see what is happening. The castle has landed in another spot, and we have new land ripples to interfere with the old ones. There are about 150 troops moving in an orderly fashion in a direction away from the castle, and there are two carts amongst them.

I return to the castle which the party have locked up nice and tight, and wait to be let back in. They are questioning a Gnome, and have found out that the Greys and their troops are outside heading back to our original location to retrieve the casket. We are unclear why they think it is back there, since Cher is still carrying it, but the confusion should work to our advantage. After a quick vote, the party resolves to fly out and attack the Greys.

Outside, the party flies in over the troops and carts. Cher casts a transparency on the roof of one cart, while others harry the troops. The spell works and the sunlight appears to reduce the occupant to black muck. Douglas reports only one evil mind left in the area. Unfortunately Cher fails the next spell, and the last Grey is eventually seen portaling away from the now sun-filled cart. DA suggests the portal target is back in the castle; and gives the GTN as "Avatar".

The party rushes back to the castle, heading down the stairs, past the newly pale and drained Gnome prisoner. Rushing down stairs, we pause at a door until Cher and Akuji's spectral hands can out-shove the golem holding the door closed. We enter accompanied by the tinkling sound of broken pottery. Morgan and Motley enter and are not affected by the Telekinetic Rage ward. Inside is a very dank and smelly dungeon, complete with fires and torture devices; around the walls are humanoid bodies (some still alive) in manacles. Evading a grasping manacle, Motley flies off to check the room's exit. Morgan however is caught amongst four sets of manacles and chains, and spends quite a while with Cher's help avoiding their unwanted attentions.

Through the next door is a Wall of Darkness. Akuji enters while Clarissa and Motley think about light and dark aspects. Clarissa tries to brighten up the room by casting a Lightning Bolt - luckily she resists her own spell... Once Tussock gets to the door, she and Motley enter (one high, the other low), resist the wall, and find Akuji being attacked by giant birds. He is caught underneath one (newly unconscious), while the other two birds circle up for height. Motley uses a Lightning Bolt to roast one of them and poses as a target for the last one, giving Cher time to pull Akuji free. Eventually a swooping attack brings the bird too close to the wall, and it stuns itself, dropping to the floor, narrowly failing to land on Cher and Akuji. Akuji discovers the secret door behind the only decorative tapestry in the room, so Akuji, Cher, Tussock, and Motley leave through that instead of the obvious door with the five hell hounds behind it. Judging by the yelps behind us Clarissa, Morgan, and Douglas failed to resist the darkness and are still in the torture anteroom.

Standing in the last room is Mistress "the Greys" who is relying on her stunning good looks to stop us. Instead the four party members leap forward with sword and spell. She is weakened and tries to flee, fortunately pausing at the door (does she catch a glimpse of the casket hanging under Cher's cloak?), where we fell her. She starts to dissolve and fade away, back to her demonic plane. We rush back to our huddled party members and exit the castle before the black gooey blood of this plane can submerge and absorb the castle.

Information

Some things we think we know after gossipping to people. 1. from Enrico 1.1 Greys helped the Trogs overthrow the Orcanians. 1.2 Greys dominate the Humans. 1.3 Gnomes are traders but they work for the Greys. 1.4 Party have seen two Greys. A male and a female. Are there any others? 1.5 Greys were first seen in the mountains, near a lake, also near the centre of the land ripples. 1.6 800 years ago the Trogs were bandits living in the mountains before the Greys offered to help overthrow the Orcanians. 1.7 When the Orcanians dominated the plane, Humans were slaves, the Gnomes existed. The Orcs did not exist but are descended from the Orcanians? 1.8 Soon after the last Orcanian was killed, the Greys betrayed the Trogs and allied with the Humans. 1.9 Blood magic is native to this plane. 1.10 Greys use some other non-blood magic. 1.11 Greys are responsible for keeping the whole plane in perpetual Autumn. 2. from Magma 2.1 Greys are near the centre of the land ripples, which is a lake of "not really water". 2.2 Cats have sent several expeditions to find Greys, and successful ones don't come back. 2.3 Gnomes are attacked on sight in case they are transporting the Greys. The Greys are moved by Humans in a cart which joins a Gnome convoy. 2.4 Greys may have tricked the Orcanians into accepting an item which made them defenceless. This is the "river of infinite cold" seen on previous trips to the underground Orcanian city. 2.5 Cats believe the Orcanians will destroy all life if they are revived. 3. from the Gnome ambush 3.1 Gnomes have access to portal (and other?) magics. 3.2 Gnomes (and Greys) know something is up with the Cats and Trogs, but do not know specifics yet. 4. from the late King Redfelt 4.1 Orcanians only dealt with two Greys. 4.2 The big glowing thing is the centre of Orcanian civilisation, often seen as a sceptre, crown, or a room. It may be what kept the Orcanians as undead while the river of icy blue tried to kill them. 4.3 Akuji's Goddess seemed very happy around the King. Is it possible that the Goddess was originally an Orcanian construct to subjugate the Trogs? 5. from Ferris divinating the casket of icy blue 5.1 Plane of origin? Archfield. 5.2 Way to keep safe? Don't bleed on casket then open it. 5.3 Possible to recover from effect of casket? No. 5.4 Does the range include those off plane? Works while casket is open, and hunts on current plane only. 5.5 Can the casket be used against the Greys? No. 5.6 Item or Power to save from the casket? None. 5.7 How to use the casket to defeat the Greys? Can assist in gaining access, not in killing. 5.8 List all magic available to Greys. N/A 5.9 Name of the Grey's race? Human. 5.10 Who made the item? Decarabia. 5.11 How fast does the casket curse happen? First day, fast as light. Second day, half as fast; etc... 5.12 How to safely transport? Do not open. Do not spill blood on casket. 5.13 How many times has the casket been used? Three times. 5.14 What is the "not water" in the lake? N/A 5.15 Are the contents sentient? No. 5.16 Are the contents similar to the "not water"? No. 5.17 Will the casket affect the "not water"? Yes. 5.18 Can a counter-spell protect from casket effects? No. 5.19 Can the casket contain things other than the icy blue? No. 5.20 What happens if blood is spilled, but the casket is not opened? Nothing happens immediately. 5.21 Can the icy blue be blocked physically? Yes. 5.22 Is the casket a two way portal? No. 5.23 What can physically block the icy blue? Bound earth. 5.24 What three species have been targeted? Orcanian, Petris (from Grey plane), Giant Python. 5.25 How to destroy icy blue? Send into a volcano. 5.26 Has the casket been used on other planes? Yes. 5.27 What other planes has it been used on? This one, and Archfield. 5.28 How old is the casket? 20,000 (somethings/urgonomes). 5.29 Can the curse be used more than once on the same race? Yes. 5.30 Is there a maximum number of times the casket can be used? No. 5.31 How many Gods/Powers know about the item? Two. 5.32 Who are the Gods/Powers? Andrealphus "The Beautiful Marquis", and Decarabia "The Marquis in the Pentacle". 5.33 Can the casket only work on this plane? No. 5.34 Is the icy blue magically created, or natural? Yes. 5.35 Name of the plane icy blue is created on? Wharfran. 5.36 Can the icy blue liquid be used independently of casket? No. 5.37 Can the casket be opened accidentally, or must it be opened by a sentient being? Can be opened by accident once pin is removed. 5.38 What affect of contact when blood is not on the casket? Melded? 5.39 Who can monitor or sense through the casket? Decarabia. 5.40 Is the casket related to the permanent Autumn? No. 5.41 What is the native form of the casket's magic? Magic of ice and cold.

The People and Places

Places

Planes

Archfield
Plane the Greys come from.
Morphran
Name of the Trog plane.
Wharfran
Plane the icy blue river is created on.

Towns and Cities

Arricton
Duke Arric's city. Built as an extended barracks.

Places

Castle Attia
Target for the Gnome portal magics. May be on the plane of Archfield.
Lake of Not-Water
A black viscous substance surrounding the Grey's castle in the centre of the land ripples.
Aura is "formerly living", with primary magic as "containment". GTN is "Morphran", so it is probably the blood of the plane.
Land ripples
Ripples that spread out like waves from a central impact point in the mountains. The centre seems to be where the Greys are.
Stillgate
Human manor/farm. Formerly ruled by Lord Ranolf, now ruled by his son Lord Randell and his wife Kalend; whose marriage was officiated by the Greys.
Takari
Fortress near the centre of the land ripples.

People

Races

Cisco Cats
Very large cat/lion beasts. They have an ability to "send" thoughts to communicate, or travel between planes. Live in the mountains. They partner with Trogs, who train the young as warriors/riding beasts.
Gnomes Traders
They deal with Humans and Trogs. They are also summoned to move the Greys around as required. The Cisco Cats tend to attack them on sight.
Goblins
Seem to be allied to the Gnomes.
Greys
Demonic avatars who came to the Trog plane and completely disrupted the existing society and weather patterns. They have the Humans in mind-controlled subjugation. The Gnomes also do their bidding, transporting them around the countryside. Only two have been seen by Guild parties.
Humans
Appear to be standard Human. They live in manors/farms which have a protective barrier to exclude Trogs and the perpetual autumn - instead they have perpetual summer. The barriers are kept up with a magic item fuelled by either life force, or just blood. Servants are either human or Greater Undead (and former family), the latter are bound while in the area of the patriarch. At a marriage, the Greys perform the "Ritual of Claiming" (with much blood) to endow gifts - including massive mind control on the bride.
Orcanians
Giant undead Orc-like creatures. A long dead civilisation with hidden underground cities. They really dislike the Trogs, and cast mean dark spheres. Orcanians have been attacked by the "river of icy blue" but have been kept on as undead by an item known as the centre of their civilisation.
Orcs
Unlike Alusian Orcs, these Orcs are well spoken, well dressed, and rather intellectual. They serve as clerks (civil and religious) in the Trog society. They are descended from the Orcanians.
Petris
A race on the plane of Archfield. Casket has been used against them, so they may not exist now. Linked with the icky black stuff in the Goddess harness.
Trogs
Like an Orc, but bigger (10 feet tall), better looking and more heavily muscled.

People

Duke Arric
A Trog leader.
Enrico
A well dressed Orc from the Trog's plane. Met on previous adventure as religious clerk for Duke Arric.
Ferris
A Cisco Cat, and master of the fortress Takari.
King Redfelt
The Orcanian king who opened the casket given him by the Greys, releasing the river of icy blue.
Lord Socks
A Cisco Cat sender (planar traveller).
Magma
Cisco Cat ambassador to Duke Arric's court. Highest ranked non-courtier skill is "Unarmed pounce and rend."
Smoke
A Cisco Cat guide.

Involved Demons

Andrealphus
A demon with an interest in the casket.
Decarabia
A demon. Made the casket of icy blue, and is able to monitor through it.
Foras
A Guild approved demon.

Items

Casket
Magical item which releases the icy blue stream when opened. Is locked by a magical pin.
Centre of Orcanian civilisation
The big glowing thing down in the Orcanian tunnels. Maybe what kept the Orcanians from being destroyed when the river of icy blue came for them.
Icy blue river
A magical "liquid" that can be targeted to destroy entire races. The target is frozen on touch, and the river spreads throughout a plane very quickly. First seen as the "river of infinite cold" in the Orcanian tunnels.







  • River of infinite cold A channel of liquid running through some rooms in the Orcanian city. First seen in a larder and thought to act as a means of preserving food. May also be a treacherous gift from the Greys. See the "icy blue river".
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