Clem's Promise

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The adventure takes place in The Fastness of Girwyllan (also Sanctuary)

Summary

Adventure: Clem's Promise
GM: Jono Bean
Session: Autumn 807
Night: Wednesday

Employer
Clementine
Mission
To restore the balance of the elements in the Fastness, that we broke when we were young and foolish.
Pay
Standard guild rates (and if you're lucky a bite of Sage Trout)

Party

Clementine - Werebear-Hobbit - Female - Air Mage - Party Leader, Employer and Scribe
Mordrin - Dwarf - Female - Warrior - Mil Sci
Lizette - Human - Female - Namer
Keshah - Elf - Male - Runemage
Amber - Elf - Female - Wicca
Erszabet - Human - Female - Namer
with assistance from Braegon

Plans and Schemes

  • Questions we need to ask:
What are the consequences of restore the elements?
How do we go about restoring the elements?
  • Visit Suzanna the Naga at the Lily Garden in Sanctuary, for info and prophecy DONE
  • Visit Rosemary Katherine the Shriver (the Shaper's sister-in-law) in Sanctuary, why did she substitute the false staff etc
  • Visit Faldo & Gross in Kinlu, and find out what they know, why did they lend the crystal
  • Add other entities to the Fastness with our names, to confuse prophesy DECIDE NOT TO
  • Talk to dead Malcor at a graveyard at the most western part of the Ranke spit DOING
  • Ask a question of the weapon smith of the Superstition Mountain dwarfs
  • Pour the sand over the paper, at dawn, not in Sanctuary
  • Ask three questions of the University of MMHS (Erszabet is owed three favours)
  • Talk to Matthew of the Elements. He knows lots

Scribe Notes

Fruit 2

We put on Keisha's buffs, portal to the Candlestone Farm circle, take paths to the Fastness to get Braegon's buffs on, paths back to Candlestone, then portal to a stone circle a few miles out of Sanctuary.

Visiting Suzanna

We walk into town, somewhat covering our obvious wealth, and go to the Lily Garden. Over breakfast and beers we talk to Suzanna (the Naga stripper).

Info from Suzanna:

  • How do go about fixing the problem?
Go to the most western part of the Ranke spit, at the end of it is a graveyard. There is someone dead there, revenant or somesuch, who we should talk to, a wizard. She won't say the name, but by clues it is Malcor, who helped set up the Fastness. He will be released if we disturb his grave. (Mordrin stuffs up and mentions his name, which she covers by saying "milk or sugar" a number of times, and we chat of inconsequentialities for a time.)
  • Should we go and talk to Rosemary Katherine?
She asks if we'd had any problems with scorpions on the way into Sanctuary. This leads onto: Rosemary, not lavender, is good for keeping vampires away.
  • Is fixing the balance a good idea?
It's a good idea to her and probably to us.
  • What will be the consequences?
Some of the Children of the Shaper will perish, but not all, the Naga will be freed, all the dead will be released from the "Land of the Dead", probably in a good way. A couple of wizards in Sanctuary with will lose some ability to channel elemental magic, ie they have some of the items we need.
  • Including the Shaper and his Wife?
Hard to say
  • Is she his wife?
I think you will have some hard choices.

The girls go upstairs for a bath. (Suzanna likes girls and is a broadcast empath, and those who participate in her amusement, receive prophecy, regeneration and good posture.) Nakedness ensues and we are provided with baths and serving eunuchs, while our clothes are taken away and cleaned.

Clementine and Lizette wait in the next room, but Lizette is caught in the magical overflow.

  • She asks if this is the Mordrin who had a dwarven sword, found in a spider trap. (We figure out later that it was actually Mitothin.)The maker said that she would return one day and ask him a question. Now is a good time. He is the weaponsmith of the Superstition Mountain dwarfs.
  • What will happen if Erszabet starts turning back creatures morphed by the crystal?
That would strain the crystal and break it completely which would be bad.
  • How do we fix it?
She's not saying, but we need lots of luck, including greater luck potions, which are leakage from the broken crystal. Luckily we have Bedivere the Luck Dog and I am still very lucky from the Rites of Spring.
  • Is one of her sisters being morphed?
Yes.
  • She gives Erszabet some sand and a sheet of paper. She is to pour the sand over the paper, at dawn, outside of town.
  • Bellow was the "power of air" before Matthew the Giant was.

Suddenly it is time to go as Keisha is in trouble as...

Meanwhile Keisha goes upstairs with three of the working girls. Two of them turn out to be Kitty and Purr, who proceed to commit suicide (deja vu, this cannot be a coincidence.)

We go find him and we portal out with the corpses.

Hanging around the Rune Circle outside of Sanctuary, we resurrect them.

  • Why have they come back to the Lily Garden?
They were thrown out of the guild for stealing, they were no longer bound, but went back by choice for the money.
  • Why is the Naga there?
Good service, good food etc, good place to get gossip, none of the elementalists suspect any thing.

They are unable to tell us why they killed themselves, but by taunting us that they don't have to answer because they are not controlled to, we think that they want us to. When asked directly while Compelled, they fail to resist and die.

A divination shows a curse, MA 22. The primary curse is to be killed by someone they love in the presence of Keisha, followed by a secondary curse that they cannot now be killed by someone they love in the presence of Keisha. A geas to do it Rk 6-8 is gone, it was put on about three months ago.

We resurrect them again and divine them again. Recent magics were control not to reveal, scry guard, witchsight. Six weeks ago lots of combat magics within a four hour period.

Four dwarfs turn up in the portal and wander off. We realise that we are in a thoroughfare, and move away 500 yards and set up a new portal. We go back to the guild and get Amber.

We do some research about who in Sanctuary are the Elementalists.

  • Mebh knows: her guild party stole and elemental focus, maybe water, from a necromancer, who'd stolen it from Kadakithis's palace, with the Blue Diamond faction, whom the necromancer double-crossed. They gave the focus to the Mage Guild in Sanctuary. Then they fought a rat cult. One of the baddies was Blackrod, a blacklisted guild member Runemage, who has vowed to kill all guild Runemages.

We figure the catgirls must be important for something. Could be needed to steal something.

  • Their real names are Melissa and Arabella. There are harpies of both theses names.

Amber hypnotises Mordrin to remember the dwarven weaponsmith clearly

  • The axe of the king which "Mordrin" returned to the dwarves will lead you to the element of fire. It was found at the bottom of the spiders.

We set of to find Faldo & Gross. Erehleine kill elves so Keisha and Amber won't be coming with us. We leave the catgirls with them. We set of for the clock tower in Seagate and plan to find something to rename, maybe a ship, while we're there.

On the way we see a magical cloud approaching. Erszabet panics and her armour appears (she was kidnapped by harpies just here last adventure).

It is a giant, the Strom Giant Matthew Silvercloud from the Fastness. He has come to return a favour. We go back to the guild.

Matthew reminds us of the fishing season. We portal to Candlestone Farm for the scry protection of the stone circle.

Matthew wants to help us between now and fish day. You can get other stuff done while everyone is squabbling over the fish. Katherine the Witch was Spirit Walking and found a cairn of Swithan, with his stuff and told him to come and find me.

He is speaking more clearly now, as he had a promise to speak cryptically for four years.

  • Who listens?
Bridget the Vampire
  • Do trigger names for listening tigger while we're in the circle?
No
  • He doesn't remember us resurrecting Bridget 15 months ago. He last remembers seeing her more than 150 years ago.
  • He helped set up the Fastness. It's purpose is to rescue Bridget from being a vampire, and save Girwyllan's four children who have been infected with vampirism.
  • What happened to Sith, Girwyllan's father?
Killed returning home on a river crossing (this may be wrong, history says that is Bridget and Rebecca's father)
  • Why did she become a vampire
To revenge someone (this would be Rebecca and Sith, by stealing Girwyllan)
  • How does the Fastness work?
The dead are preserved in the land of the dead. After a certain period (which has passed), the gate is able to be opened. Girwyllan and Malcor's servants (the naga's and elementals) should be ready to perform a great ritual.
  • Matthew the Giant tells us to talk to Matthew of the Elements. He knows lots.
  • We discuss the prophecies.
The harpies are the ones only happy when it rains (due to their twisted nature).
He thinks Mordrin's prophecy is about harpies.
Deadwood next to Sanctuary portal
He thinks Erszabet 's is about Bridget
  • The crystal was broken by Faldo & Gross by assassinating.
  • The harpies are deformed naga.
  • Girwyllan stole the crystal from the Erehlein by borrowing it and keeping it, so the Erehleine sent Faldo and Gross to kill Girwyllan.
  • The harpies have control of the Fortress of Shadows where the crystal is.
  • There are several bits of it but it is mostly intact and leaking.
  • The fortress of Shadows can be got to by a shortcut. (that we have used before). You need to run very quickly, faster than an arrow, or arrows will get you. The entrance is below two bent over trees, north of the goblin blessing ruins. Go at night.
  • How will we no if we have all the pieces of crystal we need? He doesn't know.
  • How do we fix it? With the elements. Bits of the elements from each of the focii
    • Water - the beavers have it?
    • Fire - the necros in Sanctuary
    • Air - me
    • Earth - not Braegon
    • Light - on top of the silver tree
    • Dark - the harpies?
  • My memories? I stole something and have hidden it. People keep asking me what I've done with it. He won't say what it is until I'm not listening, so I leave the room while he talks to the rest of the party. Later he lets slip that it is 'despair'
  • If Bridget dies his actual children will die. They are the ones buried in the sarcophagi, where you get chased by the undead on the 'paths'.
  • There is a prophesy that says "Amber will burn". This is from the naga that is kidnapped by the Wise Owl, the mongoose can talk to her. She is captive below the geysers in an area protected from scrying that keeps evil at bay: walk through the tunnel with the river flowing through, get to tomb, if wearing necro protection wreaths, step into any large darkness and you will appear in the geyserlands. She is Bridget but people call her wisdom.
  • Why can't he remember us resurrecting Bridget?
Something else he can't say to me, but he said to Erszabet while I wasn't listening, but he's confused. He thinks that parts of the ritual that are done, don't really happen till it all happens, then it all falls together
  • He thinks I should visit the Fastness Hobbits, and Mordrin should visit the Fastness dwarfs
  • Bellow is my breath. (How than that be, he was here before?)
  • Why did Rosemary Katherine disrupt the thing with the staves?
Because I hadn't stolen the despair at that stage.
  • A woman in Sanctuary might have some memories for us (this is clearly Rosemary Katherine, but he didn't know that she is a shriver.

The giant is going to collect up what elements he can for us, while we do other stuff. They can be carried in wooden bowls lined with copper tree leaves.

We spend the night at Candlestone Farm.

  • the Elvish necros have been seen in the Fastness (surprising as they were killed two times in the same month which should have finished them off, the harpies must have let them be resurrected), and seven thugs, hobbit woman, human woman, necro group.
  • Katherine has been returned for the doppleganger, who was working with the Necros

Fruit 3

Portal back to the guild. Time to burn Amber in Amber with some Amber (to save her from the prophecy.) She is reluctant, seems she'd rather die than do this in a controlled environment. Fireproofing will last 9 hours.

Mr Toadswart says that the catgirls are going to be trouble. One broke her leg, so they went to the healers, where they tried to kill Lizette.

Guild security give me a bloody rag containing Lizette's bleeding heart. Apparently it is for me,something to do with some alignment of stars. It is "the bleeding heart of a virgin", some protection for me because now I have a bleeding heart and it doesn't have to happen again. It is known that when I get my heart cut out I won't die.

Talking to Kitty and Purr

We go and interrogate Kitty and Purr, who are now amnesiaced (by damnum minatum after they stole Lizette's heart) parrots. We use a wicca counter to get the memories back of one.

  • Who told them to steal Lizette's heart?
the nice woman who works with the old men at the new temple. She's a shaper and a shriver. (that would be Rosemary Katherine).
  • She has a memory that is not hers
Under a big white tree in a grass area, 'she' buried a small silver box. The hands in the memory are female, with two warts on the hand, middle-aged to old, probably human. (none of us have warts). The tree is like a silver birch, but white. There are some trees like that in the catpeople's grass area.
  • Who do you love, apart from each other?
They killed each other so the person with 'the voice' who makes people fall in love with them won't be able to kill them (Angela). They can steal it, and stop it working.
  • They have low MR as if they were casters, though they don't seem to be.
  • They think they volunteered.

We set off to Seagate and call Clem at the river. She turns up. Things are good at the Fastness. The beavers have returned the water focus. She surfs us at 90 knots to Amber. We forgot the fireproofing, so Keisha will portal Amber back.

When we arrive, kids throw turnips in the river for Clem. Clem casts Waters of Healing on them, five bites per turnip.

The kids are looking for Michaelines as the innkeeper told them to.

They've been hanging thatch dolls on the house to protect from spirits.

We go to our house. Keisha and Amber portal back to the guild for the fireproofing.

It's high mana here now, just in our house, this is new.

Everyone in town come to the inn, except the smelly old hermit fisherman, to listen to Mordrin telling stories..

We talk to the innkeeper.

  • They are looking for the a Michaeline, because they never saw him last year (maybe he wasn't here, I stop the speculation as I don't want the harpies to know that he wasn't, if that is the case).
  • Harpies have stolen all the beer, if fact everything but the turnips, so they're living on turnips and exotic imports.
  • We have mushroom and myrrh breakfasts, which improve sense of smell, bowels and make you see colours more vividly.
  • The hermit has been here about two months. He came from Gugnirs Hope when his house burned down. Strange tower with hotel, some tree Red Tree, something to do with that, bitten by shark while collecting berries.
  • The inn has cow, very old centaur or goat milk.
  • Tree felling to the south
  • Trouuble with bandits to the west
  • More traffic on the road.
  • 25 sasquatches lived at our house 5 months ago for a week with Scab and dug out a long drop.
  • The inn has a wind-up music machine from Seagate.

Burning Amber

We build a bonfire in the back yard and surround it with a wall of thorns. We put Amber in the pile and sprinkle on amber dust, then ignite flammables. It burns with an unusually hot blue flame which DAs as Gaze of Furfur. Amber flies out.

I call my unicorn, who says that I should send a whispering wind off at once for my own safety so I do. He flies off.

We try to portal to Sanctuary, then set off on foot westward. We pass a tanning town on the coast. We camp for the night. We can see a 30ft tower on an outcropping 600ft tall.

There is a field of flowers, and daffodils being dried.

There is a fishing village past the tower with an inn. Half the party don't want to camp, we have no tarp or firewood. It starts to rain. We decide to head to town.

The town is called Blackrock. The inn has 2 rooms and a common room. THe chef is a hobbit and rk6 or 7. The innkeeper is Duncan.

  • The tower is in ruins, some wizard used to live there, or maybe one of the prince's men from Sanctuary a long time ago.
  • Staying in the fields is a bad idea, there is a creature that steals items of mana. Four years ago a villain came looking for it, Beast Rabban who was driven out of the Seagate Assassins Guild (sic).
  • The graveyard on the point was started by sailors.
  • "No wreckers round here".
  • There are 3 dwarves in the other room, off a ship made of "hardest rock".

Fruit 4

Next morning there is a red sunrise and crows. Something died last night. Bedivere wants to read tea leaves. It will be a good day today.

There is a dwarven ship offshore. It is a black paddleship made of metal powered by an elemental. The dwarves are from the Dwarven Alliance, going to the Superstition Mountains. They are Hoar Dwarves from the far north like Mordrin.

The hobbit chef is a mindmage.

Keisha sets up a runeportal.

People are building clay pigeons from melted sand and something from the daffodils, to sell in Sanctuary.

Mordriin goes out to see the ship and her relations. The boat is a submaarine crawler. The captain gives her a crossbow and quarrels, then they fire her ashore with a catapult.

There are lots of fancy fish oils for sale.

The innkeeper offers us nails, spikes and sticks to take to the graveyard. The nature of the magic is" keeps spirits away".

The Graveyard

The Graveyard

The graveyard is at the bottom of a cliff. There are six wrecked ships and many graves of various kinds, a ruined lighthouse. The newest ship has probably been there about 20 years. There are 65 cairns. The pattern of the cairns leads to a big important one in the middle. At the northern side are new burials in the Sea-of-Grass style.

Amber ferries us down the cliff on her broom. There is a howling wind and the ground is covered in crunchy snail shells. There are a lot of spirits around. One group of them are hauling up a large crucifix.

We notice huge wave breaks, the water in the air leaves an outline of needlework lace, a net 120' x 60', for a few seconds as the water is on it.

There are a lot of spirits around. One group of them are hauling up a large crucifix. Erzsabet can see them. They DA as ghosts. The thing they are carrying is probably a mast. DA effect of touch: none. We stay out of their way as they walk through where we are and off round the end.

We start to move to the centr and spot movement, two wights and two night gaunts. While we consider negotiation, they attack, becoming corporeal in sunshine!. We waste them in pulse two (especially Amber). An oar and sceptre are vapourised. The air seems to burn round them, it looks like the salt is flammable.

While we are doing restoratives for the draining, a falling star spell lands in the middle of the party. Then a blackfire - we spot another night gaunt. A couple of spectral warriors rush over to get Amber, but only she can see them, even with witchsight so they must be phantasm. Some of the magic is coming from the lighthouse.

We realise that there is something odd about the mana here. The large net begins heading towards us. A bunch of constructs of snails shells and bone pop up. Creatures come up out of the sea where the net came from, with a human slave and something fey. Others come out of the cairns, including an earth elemental and soome wights.

The net lands on us, it is water magic and causes -5AG. We eventually take the field, the seas creatures retreat, the shelly skellies sink back.

We have time to heal up.

Erzsabet can see two spirits, one noble, one a wizard, that are paying attention to us, unlike the others who could not see us. She can't hear them, but the noble appears to be telling the wizard what happened. They are about 35ft from us near the central mound. GTN wizard: bound spirit, noble: ghost.

We go closer, Bedivere can just hear them. Keisha casts "Speak with Spirits". Bedivere says that they are discussing who we are, they think adventurere. Erzsabet signs greetings. They go inside, gesturing to Erzsabet and Amber to follow. The tunnel is 3'x2'. Bedivere goes first, then we follow, leaving Mordrin on watch. The material culture inside is newer than that outside.

Mordrin spots a ship with red sails moving north to west.

The noble walks through a tablet on the wall, then returns. We converse (well Erzsabet and Keisha do). They're speaking Folksprach, they want to know who we work for, that's Me and "myself in this instance". The noble addresses the Wizard as Malcor, and says he should go and get his skull. The noble says we should remove the plaque and follow. The 4' hole leads to a 5' corridor. Down to a large room, probably below sea level, well appointed, mosaic floor, (a map of the old Western Kingdom), gems in the ceiling.

Erzsabet tells them about us. Runes of truth can vaguely see them.

  • He is surpised that 200 years have passed.
  • He says that the crystal is unbreakable.
  • The noble says told you so, it would break and the servants killed him.
  • The noble is Mentolin.
  • To fix it, take Malcor there and he will tell us.
  • Girwyllan does not have blood children, but then who are in the sarcophagi. Close servants?. Angela, Bridget, constructs. Jasmine & Fury twins - family members.
  • Katherine the great, the most noble of the children, can be in two laces at once. Her child is Elizabeth.
  • Mentolin is uncomfortable with the line of questioning.
  • Malcor died `690
  • An elf will have to carry the skull, if we take him to the Lands of the Dead.
  • The girl with the sea creatures is a siren for elves.
  • We need to revover the parts of the crystal, including the cat people's crystal, and the great luck potions.
  • Derwin is the "Dark Lord", leader of the necroes.
  • He's frightened of Angela; she killed him. (Malcor or Derwin?)
  • Rebecca wasn't given the crystal, then it turned up.
  • Swithen stole the crystal, then died in the Roughlands.
  • Clementine the Nixie was, originally called Clementine, not just after we named her. She saw Girwyllan mortally wounded by Faldo & Gross so she killed Girwyllan as the poison would have destroyed his soul. Faldo & Gross broke the crystal by doing the assassination, and became controlled by it at the same time. The servants were then freewilled and killed Malcor. He was not resurrected because he was near Amber, outside of the Fastness. Clementine got Katherine the Rune Mage to bind his spirit to his skull and Susan, the human in Sanctuary to remove the meories, then he was buried in t he family graveyard.
  • The name of the family is not soken of. It is written in the Winter Palace.
  • Susan had her memories removed too.
  • Susan is Girwyllan's older sister. Derwin is his older brother, a bastard. Susan was driven away when Derwin was acknowlegded inherited?
  • Are the stones the staves - yes
  • Susan removed some of Girwyllan's memories too.
  • Malcor wants to be taken straight to the Lands of the Dead. The harpies will probably try to stop us. He will need the staff.
  • The five sarcophagi can be raised into the standing stones for the Land of the Dead.
  • If the necromancers gain control they can enter the Land of the Dead and summon extremely strong undead, also necro items used in the creation of the Land of the Dead could be recovered.
  • He gives/lends us a pir of boots of closing, 2 suits of aromur, a mask, a ring, 2 shields. We leave a bag, a belt and a pair of boots.

We runeportal to Amber.

We pick up the crystal amulets for getting into the Lands of the Dead, from the basement, do soome divinations. We sleep. At 3 o'clock nothing happens.

Fruit 5

Lizette backfires purification -13MA, so Keisha protals her back to the guild for a curse removal.

The Spider Trap

I notice something out front, a wind or airy shape circling. It looks like a whispering wind. It speaks to me in dwarvish. I say it back to Mordrin to translate. "They've attacked us in the north of the plains. We need your help." We think it must be the Superstition Mountain dwarves. So we change back to the plan to go to the Superstition Mountains.

We portal back to the guild and get wings, portal to Regar's Keep for buffs froom Braegon. We fly toward the Superstition Mountains. The elves find Mordrin hard to concentrate on.

We see smoke from the River Running area. There are six sets of tracks, 3 heading that way. Ten miles out we see an ambush site 5 miles from the trees and land to check out the tracks. There is a smouldering large dead trapdoor spider.

Lizette disappears under the ground. Combat ensues. I'm am dragged under. Mordin gets one, it is about 1ft across with very long legs. The party get us out and kill the spiders.

There were six Rockfist dwarves and 3 humans attacked by spiders and something landing heavily "Frost the Ogre", so the attackers were the Elven brothers.

We go back to guild, as this was obviuosly a trap for us. We find on me and Lizette necro items to damage virginity and curses left by spiders. Removes items and curses.

To the Lands of the Dead

Malcor advises us to take the catgirls with us.

Divination reveals that Lizette handled a cursed item a couple of days before the guild meeting. She "doesn't" remember giving it, something blue, to a family member to get checked out. Erzsabet detects a wicca curse of bones under the house on the family. See erzsabets prophecy about blue smoke.

Get parrots. Remove amnesia. Remove skinchange. Buy them beer. They really don't want to tell us what they are going to do next.

Braegon can take us to the gates via the paths. The elves must be blindfolded or permanently blinded by a vision of elvish history. We blindfold Lizette too.

We go to Candlestone farm, get buffs, including trollskins.

A necromancer comes up, asks whether we know of the Late Count Grendel because he has something for us.

A woman gives us ragweed and wax, of use to us in our travels (it's for making wax to put in our ears.

We restart leaving, walk blindfold elves, walk, come out near some ruined buildings, ghostly elf stuff, long path, small cave, large tree, ruined stones near thick forest, entrance to graveyard.

ESP shows several animal minds through the bushes, to the west dormant hungry minds, 3 other minds, to south 2 minds hunting.

We realise that we don't have enough crystal amulets so we leave the catgirls behind. They are going to send a message to the turtles, something naughty.

Malcor says that the heart will save each of me and Lizette once.

We cross the river. There is a rubble wall with an iron grill. The six headed undead hydra appears to be observing the front gate, motionless. We figure it is not activated. Four minds, one of them aware of us are detected by the ESP. We spot a ferocious puff of smoke and concentration of air neaar the cliff. We can probably avoid the hydra but the minds and the smoke are in the way.

We sneak along the outside of the fence to the cliff. One mind is an earth elemental coming closer underground. We go through the gate (no aura). I tell the air elemental to do nothing. It stops. We outflank the eath elemental. I give the air elemental the 20 word instruction.

The fire and water elementals seem to be combined as a steam bubble. Erzsabet paralyses the water but fire resists and comes after us (oops, it turns out that water had been instructed to hold onto fire by Clementine). It burns me to 0FT &0EN but everyone else resists for none. We run through the doors. Lizette heals my endurance.

Standing with us now is a young wizard - Malcor. Malcorr wants to survey the place. He leads us. There are twelve large 80ft high statues 100ft away of dwarves. It's dark because we are in a building. We go up a spiral staricase to a large room with something covered with black cloth. It's a crystal, but it is not part of that crystal. It keeps the doors focussed and the perimeter intaact against necro magic and the real Lands of the Dead.

We go across to the other wing. The are a bunch of partly shapechanged creature statues (they are not real). The next room is empty with a hole in the floor (where THE crystal was).

Talking to Malcor

We should travel in to see Girwyllan. First we ask some questions

  • About Girwyllan's father: Romantic and a thief, cursed, mission to steal something from an agent of a power who appears as a hart. This would be Furfur and Angela's Voice. Then Furfur cursed him with his voice to be obeyed. He probably didn't know this at the time. He married Rebecca and lived and eventually died of the cure (by Lady Cleme)
  • The family name?
  • The family's badness set iin because the goodness had left.
  • Why did Derwin inherit: something Sith had said which had to be obeyed.
  • The necros want the crystal and 3 sarcophagi to make greater undead and cure undead.
  • The minds iin the constructs: one shattered mind, insane to begin with. Erzsabet want to know the souls name so she can name summon him so that the constructs have no minds but we don't get the name. The mind was broken at Sith's revenge (not the same Sith)
  • Once the Standing Stones are fixed, resurrecting into the standing stones will cure all ailments. The dwarves could make a new one or we could retrieve the staff/stone.
  • If we fix it and the harpies have control, they will have control of all.
  • The fish keeps the land in balance with the rest of Alusia.
To do:
* Collect the elements
* Fix the standing stones
* Get lots of luck and a weeks food
* When the enemy is weak, repair the crystal
* Protect it for a week
  • The family name? He's still not answering but eventuall Ebon (military) Rose (longlived)
  • Malcor is immune to the voice as he has a heart of stone.
  • Malcor has missing memories
  • Susan has a birthmark. She is Rosemary Katherine, she stole the staff - maybe not, maybe the Naga Suzanna.

Ways out

  • front door
  • standing stones
  • Lizette & Clementine reborn in a far off land
  • spot necro summoning out
  • being dead in saarcophagi
  • fairylands

We go leave Malcor with his skull and go to see Girwyllan.

Partying with Girwyllan

The doors open automatically. They give off air when I am near. Lots of people at the marketplace all stop and look at us in surprise. We carry on up the stairs which are stone with water pouring down, burning embers and cascading mist. We enter the palace. We are expected. There is a spinning stone with 3 sarcophagi, jade or sapphire.

  • I am missing some instructions in a bottle that the shriver gave me when I was dead.
  • He says that we should give Clem back her memories that Swithan has.
  • He doesn't remember us being here last time when we cured his wife. It seems that until it is completed properly it hasn't happened.
  • Has Amber found the broom in Amber? It is bronzy silverish, protected, the guardian of the village has it.
  • Erzsabet is important.
  • Lizette is here to protect us by name and heart - I can't be charmed or heartbroken. Lizette can't be wooed by men.
  • Keisha has the cat-girls protection

He says we need to have a meal and clothes, and armour for Modrin. I says that we are in a hurry and need to go, but to no avail.

Braegon told Girwyllan about Amber the witch. Girwyllan seems to have designs on Amber. We all have baths. Girwyllan offers Mordrin a set of two interchangeable suits of armour. We wear silly clothes, mine is white for air, but too long. They bring me floating slippers to keep me up far enough.

So we stay for a party, against my advice. I don't let Amber dance, and she has to obey me, but when Girwyllan asks me to dance I have to. Eventually Girwyllan tells me that I have to let her dance. I am tempted to tell her that she has to dance with everyone, but I refrain. Some children bring me a platter, which will fill with fruit.

Girwyllan says that there is probably no one name for all the constructs. He knows some names. One of use is Derwin's lieutenant. His base is in the sewers of Sanctuary. He has several crystals of luck. He will attempt to steal the corpses who will be on the spinning stone. (The corpses will be Girwyllan, Bridget and an ally) He gives Lizette a small crystal which, when swallowed, will allow her to see elves in the vicinity, including the three brothers.

Five sarcophagi were built by the dwarves, one of whom was the original ninja sent by the Erehlein.

The trap was to allow them to steal our stuff from Amber.

Elemental Earth is buried in elvish ruins of horror below the dead area. Sith (who is not the same as the one of the Barrens of Sith) nameless and two necro brothers are the earth power.

Elemental Fire is in Sanctuary. Matthew the Healer is the Power of Fire.

We get some buffs on, including vapour breathing, feather fall and get some gutbusters.

You can use crushed gems sprinkled on yourself to summon the fairies to your aid, once per year.

Leaving at Last

Girwyllan breaths on us and we leave toward the gate.

A King's Rapier hobbit comes towards us from the gate. His name is Duncan (not the necro by that name). None sent him, he wants to help. He has spoken to the Wise Owl, who told him we were here.

Through the gate is misty darkness with leaves on the ground. There are six minds still inside, slumbering. I become a bear. Five feet into the mist ESP picks up a large communal mind all around and seven patiently waiting individuals in front and to the left.

We see an 8' high fae face - the south wind has brought the mist to look after us. We should head towards the goblin tree cliffs, not wake the dwarves. One is not like the others. Bellow sent him, the west wind to the graveyard and the elementals to the lake. There are strong magical winds near Amber but he doesn't know who is controlling them.

We portal to the Amber house.

Fruit 8

It is now 1.15am on the 8th of fruit. I told them we didn't have time to party!

We all quaff gutbusters. In the room are orcs, goblins and a rocky creature. We end up in a big pile. They have bear slaying poison. We clear out the room. ESP gives the whole village plus 35 above and 17 downstairs. There is an ogre in the hallway. They are busting in through the walls. We fight until I boss the air creatures (who are a higher proportion than would be expected) and the titan turns up an teleports us out, along with a skeleton carrying our treasure.

We appear on a high plateau among snow inlayed with silver and protection runes, more than 300 miles from the fastness. Erzsabet tells the titan the story. He says that the dwarven seers will go blind if we see all three of the necros. They sent him to our house. Clem will be summoned into a vast storm. If we rescue her the storm will be vastly enhanced, bad for something.

We ask how he can help. He suggests:

  • Could travel to far north, can we travel, frozen bodies, ice basilisk, staff to turn creatures to stone.
  • He could turn some of us to living stone so that we can't be corrupted.

Midday on the 13th contact him in the standing stones.

The bronze skeletons were working for a woman with glass covered eyes who was working for the three brothers.

We teleport back to outside Amber once the town is empty of the baddies. All the townspeople are in the manor. We go up and heal the injured, restore the dead, especially those that will be undead at dawn (15). I "whisper" to Braegon to come and help out with the resurrections as there are too many.

A wind starts whistling round me.

There is some adventurer looking guy there with a spear through his heart. He is here because of "divine retribution and prophecy". He's the Michaeline with the broken heart, under a greater curse. Divination reveals he has a lesser pact to Michael, an avatar level curse by Michael - cant' be killed until after stabbed through the heart in Amber, he can resist demonic compels and charms, he has haunted dreams by Furfur. A blind dwarf in Ranke sent him here.

I "whisper" to the cat-girls to meet us here, the some of us sleep for six hours. I am now surrounded by annoying whistling winds, who say that they have been sent by a harpy to whistle at me.

The giant turns up with a large bowl of air. Hehas "earth" (the bowl). He has the latge gem in his back pack, that the cat-girls have stolen from the cat-people. He is lustier than usual, there have been voices in his ears for the last couple of days.

A divination on Lizette's stone - can see elves including the truth.

Keisha goes to loot the fallen enemies from the fight but there is no loot. There have been multiple falling stars and many buildings are destroyed.

We are told that if we beat copper leaves on a flat plate, a virgin stands on it and we put 3 pins in their back, a tear will turn to the myrhh. We get three drops and give one to the giant to clear his problem. I try to do it a second time and lose 1 permanent EN. We sleep here.

Fruit 9/12

We leave the giant to guard the items, and set off to see Katherine the witch.

Amber recognises a fabled witch's cauldron.

Katherine gave Swithan's stuff to Clem who the giant says is now missing.

It turns out that the purple leech story told to us by the doppelganger Katherine is mostly not true, except for the communication part.

She makes me some bear poison antidote.

Using a locating crystal ball, she checks for Clem. She is to the north west 150 miles, in a vast whirlpool with dark clouds above. The earth is exposed below and she is standing on the bottom. If we rescue her there will be a tsunami, sunken island below, mystical ship passing, if not she will be shredded and so will I, including our souls.

We get communication leeches for all of us and others that we want, except Lizette, whose stomach is too damaged from gutbusters.

It is somehow now the twelfth, some time has changed while we were in the lands of the dead.

A bag of bees from the green water goblins can be set on the harpies.

We portal to the guild, portal to Sanctuary, get wings and water breathing and fly out to sea.

We grab Clem and a huge tsunami starts.

We go back to warn the village. The titan is there to meet us.

I send the annoying winds to tell Bellow: "Come to Amber. Don't hurt anyone. Protect the village from the storm." The titan says that the winds are to hide the sound of a falling star.

Bellow arrives and says that he could summon Matt the Healer or I could. The ritual is: stand on a bed of fire, jump in the air (killing something helps, preferably fire aspected). Bellow does it, and it drains my fatigue and ability to control air. It turns out that Bellow can use me as a battery to do difficult stuff, it drains my control and fatigue and could kill me. This goes for the other creatures of air in the Fastness.

Matt the healer turns up. He thinks he's in trouble.

Bellow is interested in the fact that Erzsabet is a namer, because the harpies told him that he would slay an Elizabeth namer. He wants to kill everybody because he is close to me, because of the necromancers' Rod of Control. Erzsabet removes the control using E&E special. He no longer wants to kill us, even me.

Lizette needs to grovel to the titan for her former and general rudeness, but can't figure out how, so Erzsabet and Mordrin write her a speech.

Keisha and I go down to see the sylph that has turned up to see me. She asks if we have come to fix things, but she is curious. I ask her about bees and she sets off to get some.

Lizette does the speech, but not well. The titan and Lizette disappear to get the fire from the Sanctuary mages but come back without it, and denies that she did anything stupid.

We don't know but They arrive at a black tower on a green hill. To the south is Sanctuary, to the north a swamp. Lizette goes up the steps and knocks on the door, it opens, no one answers, she goes in. It is larger on the inside with stairs up and down and an open area. She calls out, there are clomping sounds. A man come down and says "what can I do for you. She asks for the fire and he tells her to go away and come back with a bowl for it, and her friends. Don't mention it to anyone else. She asks whether he can fix her bracer. Yes but it will cost. He leads her upstairs and says that they need drops of her blood and some of her hair which she leaves with him, along with the item. A woman in black armour comes down and says "is that you titan, get him out of here. They pop back

Outside Amber Erzsabet talks to the Michaeline who tells her about the angel/angela prophecy. He thinks his prophecy is not the village but Amber the witch, to save her. If Bellow calms the whole area the storm riders trying to get in will have an easy time of it.

It's time to find Braegon and rebuff. Bellow does the flying spell as a talent on us and when we get to the swamp I tell the flying spell winds to wait here for us. We meet Braegon and get the buffs, then I get the spell winds to carry us again to Matt the Healers house. We go in and have tea on the lawn. He asks whether I have read for the book (the one half way up the staircase, in geyserland, that folds) lately (I haven't). We should see to Ambers ankles re nailing.

What we need to do:

  • Head south, get bowls, fill with elements.
  • Drop of blood and pine needles to make bowls.
    • Power of light is Jasmyn (remains of, faded)
    • Power of dark is Melissa, human now necro antilife, top of white tree?
    • Power of earth is unsettled, elemental
    • Diminish Melissa to wax Jasmyn
  • When we have all the elements, take to gate and use, bowls will manifest, put some on the gates and take some to the stones (to fix the association between t he sarcophagus and the stones
  • First fix the crystal so the servants will be fixed
  • Get crystals and luck and go to the Shadow Fortress/Buzzarad Rock, link the elements together
  • Put the crystal together, pour on liquid luck
  • Fix the stones after the crystal
  • Make the bowls, crystal, elements, stones
  • We should pick up the missing despair on the way past just in case
  • Make the bowls at the elemental area

If I grant wishes to my friends it will probably cost me too much!!

Matt the Healer gives us Dark and Light, a little Water, a bowl for Fire.

Earth is down the staircase. The titan takes Erzsabet and Mordrin goes down the earth hole. We watch with a crystal ball. There is a 73 foot cube hole. When the elemental sees the titan it disappears. Mordrin calls it back but it won't come out. She asks for a bowl of Earth and we pay by promising not to bring the titan back again. He is asking for his axe (which the dwarves have) but we don't offer it.

The titan can allow someone to reroll for someone else, they get bad luck later

We portal to the manor to get the crystal. While we have been gone the harpies talked to some people, they want to meet me and friends before fish day, I will know where, they have information for me re Derwin.

Non-chaste females can't safely touch the crystal.

We fly to Candlestone, Matt the Giant walks with the Crystal to Candlestone.

Feast Day

The sylph visits me at 3am with a vial of honey and a bag of bees. She won't tell me her name. The sting of the bees makes you immune to charm.

If you throw the heart at someone they will have a heart attack and die.

Erzsabet plans lots of stuff, buffs etc from other guild members.

Fruit 14

As this is the day of the fish, we are going to enter the frotress while the harapies aare at the lake.

Party at Candlestone

Erzsabet pretties herself up, Lizette is made unpretty. We meet at the standing stones. Matt the titan is there with stuff, including 32 potions of waters of strength and some miscellaneous other stuff. He gives us spoonfuls of stuff that will allow us to see Buzzard Rock at dusk as a memory.

Amber borrows some hypericum. We portal to the guild and send a message to Shiran to ask if he wants buffs. The two giants walk with the crystal.

When we get to the guild some human says that I am required at Narboral. A map is included. The library says go speak to Nendil. I use the crystal ball to see who wants me to go south and it shows 3 blind harpies, so we don't go.

Erzsabet looks at Derwin's lieutenant through Lizette's crystal ball.

Kitty and Purr turn up with a magical deerskull. If you we (up to seven people) cut our hands and drop blood into it, swirl it counter clockwise we will become death aspected close relatives, duration 3 months or until death. So we do the ritual, but now we are worried that we might be able to be controlled by the Power of Darkness.

Visit to Sanctuary

We portal to Sanctuary. It is raining heavily, the town is flooded, there is a harsh wind. Erzsabet has a vision of four large winged shapes flying in a storm, 2 crash (blind harpies)

Matt peruses our astrology reading, and comments that #3 refers to harpies and rain and a box under the tree.

We send the catgirls into the mage guild's tower to steal the fire, but the place is empty and trashed with putrid stuff sprayed around so it looks like necromancer work.

We walk into town and head for the shrivers, and maybe buy some gold nuggets on the way. There is lots of mud and debris in the streets. Half way there we meet a tall guy standing in the street, a Hellhound. He recognises Erzsabet and says that all is forgiven. He tells us that the Rat Cult have called in baddies to get us, and that there is an ambush at the gold nugget shop, so we avoid all these thing and get to the shrivers. They are expecting us. They have a bottle for Amber. Ithilmore walks in 26pb, but it's really Rosemary. She wants Keisha and the Michaeline to go upstairs with her, as they are men she wants to change their gender. Keisha says OK, the Michaeline says no.

I steal the fire from the necromancers - just like that! Well, under cover of the rain, I sneak into their camp, not touching the ground and hidden from air by Eddy. Spotted at last 10 feet from safety, I get a number of spec grevs from magical darts, but only one get through, and I escape.

Getting Stuff from the Fastness

We portal back to the guild, rebuff and pick up Braegon to help with holding the fort. We get the stuff Erzsabet wanted from Kali, namely potions of dispel and namer counter investeds to dispel namer counters underfoot.

Next job is to get the despair from under the white tree. We fly to Candlestone Farm in the storm, then go through the paths from the top of the cliffs to where the tree is. We are expecting to be ambushed by the blind harpies.

In fact, from 1/4 mile away we spot four troll-sized humanoids standing around the tree, but our giants can't see anything around the tree. Michael can see that they are two troll shamans and two hill giants. Braegon goes underground to go to the tree and meets the Power of Earth underground. He wants his Earth back, then he will let Braegon go to the tree.

Braegon comes back to us and we explain what's going on, then he goes back to negotiate. We offer the axe. The elemental says that we can have the box, but that the smelly ones have what was inside. They are near the tree, it's a trap. They have runes over them. They are paying him, with Mordrin and Clementine's hands. Why does he want them? To trade. The necromancers shouldn't get them.

There are copper leaves under the tree. We attack from 110ft out. They have rune magic, namer spell barrier, barrier of wind, nightmares, giant spiders, hands of earth, bendy bolts of fire, E&E magic. We win. One shaman escapes, the one with the bottle is dead. The tree is dripping with white sap which is lighting stuff up. The area appears to be hit regularly and often by falling stars so we leave.

Braegon knows a ritual with green waters to allow us to share each others abilities.

We go to the Wise Owl. It takes two hours. What we want to know.

  • What aspects does darkness control?
  • How to change to air aspect
  • How to be immune to the "voice"
  • Best way to get to Buzzard Rock

I have asked this owl in the past, Mordrin has asked the other owl.

The owl tells us that we should ask about how to get rid of the dilemma of aspect. We do, and the answer is that we should change to air aspect by going to the top of the staircase with the book taking a bowl of pine needles and live.

Mordrin asks whether I am immune to the "voice", if not how can I be. He says that when we fix the crystal I will be. Angela is immune to me, not me to her.

We should ask about the best assistance. Amber does so.

  • Winning at giant chess is two edged.
  • Deafness won't help but blindness might.
  • Clementine should have followed the treasure map.

We go to the stairs etc. Everyone is now air aspected with no other aspect ie no light, dark or season etc.

We go for the Old greens Waters. After much walking and six hours spelunking we come to a large cavern with crystal and water. We get as much as we can (9 fills of the bowl, 11 gulps per bowl) and portal out.

Amber drinks the memories the shrivers gave her.

Fixing the Crystal and Holding the Fortress

We take the paths to where we can observe the fortress. (We take number 8 though faery). We make a travois to carry the crystal now that we are leaving the giants.

I instruct the party "Do not follow any instructions to harm any of us here."

There are a large number of creatures leaving, a veritable army. The mil sci takes note.

We decide to walk in using scryguards. Our bound air can't pass past 100' out. There is a moat and a lookout on the upper levels, 5 that we can see. Outside of goblin visibility range we cast unseen. Elemental links stop working as we walk in.

We spot 3 creatures gambling outside and smack them over.

Inside the front door we create giant pillars.

Inside there are chains hanging from the ceiling with dead creatures. We go past the giant chess game. The hooks are fishing for us.

There are chained fae in the swampy area. Erzsabet apologises to them, but them stuffs up by making another joke.

Other

My Instructions to the Air Elemental in 20 Words or Less

Cooperate with me. Do not attack me or my friends. Only perform acts of kindness towards me and my friends.

Standard Buffs

  • Runeshield (K) +25def, +5 armour, takes one spec grev
  • Willow Healing (K) once triggered, 3EN regen for 7 pulses
  • Smite (K)
  • Strength of Stone (B) +20 PS or EN

Misc

  • The Perfect Crystal, the Shape Crystal, the Control Crystal, the Eye of Navzra are all names for the same thing.
  • Where did we get the crystals to get past the air elemental last time (that Bedivere missed out on)? Where are they now?
  • Lysander knows that Girwyllan is not in any way a demon, so that would seem to rule out his father, Sith, being a demon.
  • Katherine the witch says she is Girwyllan's sister (but was that the doppleganger)
  • Rosemary Katherine is Navzra's sister-in-law
  • In the ruined Naga Cave on the cliff is a mosaic depicting five children. Are these Girwyllan and siblings, or Girwyllan's children with Bridget, which should not be possible as she is a vampire?

Loot

Loot list here