Session #22: Its better to be late than not arrive at all...

:) 

{Game clock resumes at 11:01am 03/02/3200}

Thingerlun has wandered over to see what all the fuss is about and finds Bob, Dwight and Pat running around the Guild Sub-station and bickering with each other about how best to put out the fire, and they all turn to Thingerlun and ask if he has any spells or incantations that might work.  Everyone is perfectly willing to ignore the fact that a dragon helped them on the general theory that if you ignore something long enough it will go away.  Eventually Pat asks if the dragon is coming back and do they need to hide.

Thingerlun, beaming proudly and pustulently; “He’s with me.  And no… I don’t have anything that might help, though if I remember correctly clerics can summon water.”

Pat, frustrated; “By the time they get here the fire will already be into the buildings!  I wish there was something I could do…” at which point the faerie that has been following her ever since she ran out and hugged that tree above the mines pops flutteringly into sight just above them all.

The tiny little blond pixie looks at Pat sternly; “Well fine!  But I do you a favor, you have to do one for us!” as she finishes her sentence a dozen more pixies and their male companions the peskies pop into view and start invoking their will upon the flames.  In a matter of seconds the fire is snuffed out as these air spirits create little vacuums that starve the fire and then all but the first one leave.  The pixie flits through the air towards Pat; as the pixie is tapping Pat on the forehead she says, “Now it’s your turn…” and they both pop out of existence.

There is a stunned silence for a few moments while Bob, Thingerlun and Dwight try to process what just happened in the last few seconds.  In the end, they say nothing as they head back to the road and the train that is waiting there for them.  They see that the cleric of Thormyr has been brought to one of the two luxury suites available in the passenger car and that Hearn has converted it as best she can into a clinic for the refugees and everyone else.  Bob, Dwight, and Thingerlun arrive just in time to hear Hearn tell Archie and Ffwylldyr; “The cleric’s legs will have to be amputated and he will need round the clock care if he is to live… he has been too long without healing and he has developed the Rotting Sickness.” She turns to Dwight, “Hurry! We must prepare and Milo is unable to assist me.  I need you to use that flaming sword of yours; it’ll cauterize the wounds quite well.”

Before anyone else can do anything, the cleric of Thormyr gasps out a faint plea, “… the scroll… must… read.” He passes out again.

There are quizzical glances all around the room.  Hearn pipes up with; “Hey! Where’s Pat?!”

Bob informs her of Pat’s abduction by faeries and Hearn replies; “Should we go after her?” She looks at Thingerlun, you could summon them up or something right?!”

Thingerlun looks at her; “Nope.”

Hearn, “There must be something we can do… maybe they took her back to Silverton or something… Hey Milo might be able to divine her location!”

Dwight speaks calmly to Hearn; “You need to heal this cleric or the curse we carry might spread even wider.  Focus on what we can change.”

Hearn, moving about mechanically to get the patient prepared, “Yes, but…”

Bob, exasperatedly;  “Look, she’s gone! OK!  If they are going to bring her back they will and there’s nothing we can do about it.” He turns and heads of to the wreckage to look for the scroll that the cleric had mentioned.  He finds the way in without difficulty by following Pat’s tracks in reverse, and after a minute or two of searching he finds it under a twisted gear the size of a serving platter.  He examines it as he strolls back to the passenger car.  He notices the Imperial crest at the top and the seal at the bottom and sees that they are authentic he starts to read but his eyes stop at the words “… all able bodied citizens are hereby called to serve the Empire in this time of war…”

Bob; “Crap!  I’ve been drafted!”  In a huff he heads back up to the lounge/ galley on the third floor to show everyone who isn’t involved in the surgery.  A fair few of the refugees that still have a few coins to rub together are swapping the little wealth they have on the Daenkelder’s supply of Battle Brew.  For while supplies might be low, this stone hard mercenary had found a keg and hauled it on board and was making a mint off of the small cups he offered.  Folks were glad of the small comfort it brought: as the cleric’s screams could be heard throughout the quiet plateau.

Ffwylldyr snatches the missive out of Bob’s hands; “Let me see that!”  He scans through it then clears his voice: “To all Imperial Citizens. The Scourge have broken the treaty of Ashaven and are marching southward along their entire front.  Longdale and Ashaven have both fallen to the Scourge, even now the towns and villages along the shores of the Blueblade and White Tip Lakes and the Verden Forest is in flames!  All imperial citizens are to report to their nearest deployment center.”  His voice trails off in shock and a general hubbub ensues as the characters and NPC’s realize the radical shift in paradigm.  At one point someone pipes up with, “Does your world have the equivalent of Canada? Probably not...”

Storyteller, “Actually you could always head north to the kingdom of Morrain, but is there any where you can go that will allow you to escape the end of the world?”

Archie walks into the room lounge laughing, “the looks on our faces are priceless… the passengers, the bard, and Thingerlun are the only ones who’ll have to go off to fight.  The rest of you are road marshals and subject to Guild Law… you can’t be drafted.”  Giggles some more as he starts tinkering with some greasy bits of clockwork. 

Ffwylldyr, “I’m afraid not my friend…” and he quotes from the missive again, “… By order of the Imperial Court, the Plenary Defense Clause has been invoked, effective from the 1^st of March, 3200.  All...”

Archie is off the stool and grabbing the missive from the Bard’s hands faster than anyone thought he could possible move, his eyes angrily scanning the document. “PODERON’S BALLS!!!   They actually did it…” he was shaking now, but from anger or fear no one could tell and he stood there reading and re-reading the scroll looking for a way out.  Ffwylldyr says to everyone in the room, “The Engineer’s Guild hasn’t gone to war since the second Demon War; when Ghorrene the Black Eagle landed is forces on the south eastern shores of Crieste back in 2894.”

By this point heroes and refugees are both scrambling to remember everything they can about the Scourge, Ffwylldyr clears his throat and in a voice that commands attention he says, “AHA! Now this is something I can help with… I’m a Bard you know, I’ve studied up on these things.  ‘The Scourge’ is the general term for the tribes of orcs, ogres, and giants that traditionally roam the wild lands of the northwestern portion of the Midar-Luminar Steppes where it runs into the flanks of the Ul-Dominor Mountains and the Daenkelder that live there.  For uncounted centuries the orcs were content to build their numbers until they would raid south and east… their numbers would dwindle and the orc would retreat again for a few years.  In 3185 everything changed.  They raided east at the end of that summer and advanced as an organized force against the unprepared Grand Duchy of Leherty, also known as ‘Old Kothia’.  For all the wonders and splendorous achievements in art and civilization, they were ill prepared, poorly led, and it wasn’t long before the great capital of Araloges was overrun and its libraries set to the torch while the green bloods gathered slaves and treasure.  But the orcs didn’t go home… they overwintered in the shattered province and continued their eastern campaign only to be thwarted by the arcane might of the Barony of Koranth.  Undaunted, the Scourge then began their relentless march southward into the heart of the Empire.  With the Provinces striking out independently, they couldn’t call upon Imperial forces for aid and the Provinces of Thire and the Theocracy of the Lance were hard pressed to keep the Scourge from advancing.  The Scourge has proven to be the greatest threat to Humanity since the war of Divine Right.

However, by the autumn of 3198 the advance of the Scourge had slowed to a crawl, no one knows why, but it is thought that the territory held by the Scourge was simply too large for them to control.  Whatever the reason, Tarkhan Khurzog; Master of the Scourge, was brought to the bargaining table and the Treaty of Ashaven was signed in the summer of 3199.  It set the straight line between Hali in the west and Helsuk in the east as the new border with the Scourgelands… conceding all occupied territories to the green horde.”

Dwight had joined them near the beginning of Ffwylldyr’s recital, having fulfilled his duties in the clinic, and he says, “Well, I guess we’re going to war.”

Thingerlun, “That’s fine and all, but there is the matter of this curse we are traveling under that is more important at the moment.” The lounge goes silent.  He continues, “How long until the cleric is well enough to perform the necessary rituals?” 

At this point several of the refugees start to fidget and ask questions like “What curse?” and other problematic questions.  During the course of the explanation it is determined that the heroes aren’t the only ones suffering under this affliction.  This information comes to their attention via the two main reactions to the revelation of the curse… many of the refugees swarm the heroes and demand a cure… several others jump out the windows and doors turning into hybrid rat-humans and run for their freedom.

They decide to wait on the plateau until the cleric is well enough to perform the ritual and after two days with little to do but discuss how they are going to cast a ritual large enough to help this many people, as only 4-5 of them ran off into the hills.  Milo and Hearn are managing to feed everyone with the Food of the Gods ritual, but even their greatest efforts wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone, but the Gods are merciful and everyone is gifted with a handful of granola mix and dried fruit.  Hearn notices that there are some rather lavish accommodations available on the luxury level, and that maybe the shower or steam room could be made to deliver the holy water as efficiently as possible to larger groups.  Which in turn led to the general discussion of the boiling point of holy water, whether the deity mattered, and would boiling it nullify its ‘holy-ness’?

Hearn eventually recovers from the horror of realizing that she left all the other folks behind and infected with this awful curse.  She redoubles her efforts to cure the folks that she can save, realizing that if the world dies… everyone dies.”

Thingerlun spends the time getting to know his new and best of friends, Sythrixis.  It turns out that he is only 42 years old and rather young for a dragon to be off on his own, but he sought out Aristemis as a Patron in order to help him gain the most from his draconic casting abilities.  She commanded him as sign of his loyalty to her that he should answer Thingerlun’s call for a Familiar.  To Thingerlun he says, “Our Lady of battles calls us to war my Arcane Brother, IT SHALL BE GLORIUS!!!”

And in the tiny portion of Thingerlun’s mind that was all his own, he thought “Oh great, A Gun-ho lizard…”

During this time the Heroes of Silverton meet one of the passengers that had here-to-fore gone unnoticed.  She is about 7ft tall and dressed in a black travel worn oiled-cloth coat and a wide, stiff brimmed hat of a circular cut. There was a veil of gauzy black silk attached on either side of her head, just above the ears in the fashion of the people of the Southern Province.   The drape of fabric hides all but her green eyes.  She has no obvious weapons beyond the longsword at her waist or the short bow and quiver on her backpack.  She moves with an unnatural grace.  The first time they interact with her is when they find her reading the missive and checking to see if it is a forgery. 

Bob is in the lounge and the rest of the party are off setting up the bath-works on the floor above them; “And you are?”

Tall Dark Stranger; “Lex Anne” and she continues to examine the document. 

Bob: “I haven’t noticed you around here,” pauses for a moment, “quite a trick.”

Lex just shrugs.  “I was in Silverton when everything happened, but I managed to hide in the hinterlands above the valley.  When you folks said you were heading east I tagged along, as I was heading in that direction before the snows fell.” 

Bob; starting to get frustrated, “And you were traveling because…?”

Lex; “I work for an import company in Kassantia.”

Bob sighs, “Doing…?”

Lex, looking at him now; “I’m in acquisitions.”

Bob, understanding blossoming through him; “AHA!  Southern Ditch Diggers contingent!”

Lex; "I’m an Imperial citizen like the rest of you, that’s why I’m so interested in this.” She throws the page to the counter.  “I guess I’m traveling with you folks for a bit longer than I thought.”  And she wanders off to think about things.

Later that evening {03/04/3200} the Cleric of Thormyr speaks to everyone from his bed via the intercom and tells them the story of what happened here on the plateau.

“The major reconnections for the road had been made and the paving work was in progress while the secondary functions were being laid out.  That is when the Giants attacked; it took us completely by surprise… and we were seriously under staffed for a long trip into the mountains.  No reinforcements came in answer to our messages and every day the danger of being attacked grew heavier upon us.  I set watches as for out from the encampment as I dared, but it was for nothing.  I still don’t know how they managed to sneak up on us, but one minute I’m mitigating yet another dispute between department heads and the next we are fighting for our lives from the onslaught of boulders and debris falling from the sky.

In the scramble for cover, we lost two of the engines over the side of the cliff as the giants pressed their attack using their clubs as levers.  There must have been at least 2 dozen of them and while they were attacking the cars and engines they could reach, the rest of us managed to man the defenses of the rest of the vehicles.  It was a standoff for about a day and a half, when suddenly the stones on top of the hill exploded with such titanic force as I could never have imagined before.  It took off half the top of the hill with it, but the force and the debris killed the giants and sent yet another of the engines to the savannah below.  It also crushed the engine I was in as it was rolling and tumbling towards the edge of the cliff, which is when my legs were crushed.  I hadn’t the strength to do more than bandage the few survivors in the wreck and cast the sanctuary spell, hoping Thormyr would see to the rest.  The zombies were hammering upon the wreck for… I don’t know for how long actually…”

{As to the ability of dispensing holy water through the pipe works, I left that up to a luck check against a DC of 15… Milo got a 19. } So the clerics set about sanctifying the various pipes and fittings with the proper runes and sealing them with the proper rituals.  It still takes them two days to get everyone through the process while the Cleric of Thormyr performed the cleansing ritual over and over again.  The process didn’t finish without at least one death threat.  Bob didn’t want to go through the ritual and wanted to be a were-rat.  He even went to extraordinary lengths to avoid being noticed when the groups were being shuffled into the water works, but eventually Milo threatened him, “You get in that shower or I’m going to have to kill you.  Nothing personal, but you are cursed… and you need to keep spreading it and killing people to get the most out of it and I simply can’t have that.”

They have to resort to grabbing Bob and forcing him into the shower; but eventually everyone is cured, whether they wanted it or not. And they must start planning what to do next.  Dwight finds Archie looking after some equipment on the exterior bridge, of the engine.  “Hey Archie, where do we go to find one of these deployment centers the scroll spoke of?”

Archie wiping grease from his hands with an equally greasy cloth; “Well lad, the road only goes in two directions at the moment.  Where we’ve been, and where we’re going, and that’s down into the lowlands.  Imperial missive or not, I only have the authority to travel between Silverton and Vaquaria.  And I’ve usually reported in by now and gone on vacation!”  He throws the cloth into the tool box that Hank is carrying as they move on to the next project of tending to the shutters on the passenger car to make sure they are all functional, undamaged and secured shut.

Dwight and some of the others are helping out with this and other preparations as the conversation continues.  Archie goes on; “Frankly I never though this line was a good idea, the lowlands between here and Vaquaria are extremely dangerous.”

Dwight: “Why?”

Archie looks at him; “They don’t call those the Demon Plaines for giggles boy!”

Dwight; “But there is a regular service through here, or at least there was.  It can’t be that bad can it?”

Archie; “Yah the trains ran regular, but they did it by being well armed, and as I said I’m usually on vacation by the time the demons and demon blooded push too far into the mountains.  Most of them prefer the heat of the jungle lowlands and savannahs between here and Kassantia ever since the demonic armies of the Black Eagle were defeated in 2899.  Now we are late in the season, I haven’t reported the road clear for the season yet and all we have are a few inexperienced road marshals and a gaggle of terrified refugees to defend the train.  And unless y’all have a cash of magic weapons for everybody we’re in serious trouble.”

Dwight; “So what’s the plan then, communication is out so we can’t wait for help.”

Archie finishing the last of the shutters; “We do the only thing we can.  We head downhill and I will engage the steam drive and both of the clockwork motors at the last moment hoping to boost our speed to levels that will deter any unwanted demonic attentions.  The rest of you will either strap yourselves down to your seats or to the roof with the rest of the road marshals in case our speed is insufficient to save us.  The real trick will be to do this hauling so many cars.”

Hearn asks, “But what is the road like between here and Vaquaria, how far is the trip?”

Archie; “Oh, well, with the road in a functional state it is less than a day’s travel without the snow mileage wise, but it normally takes about a day and a half of steady hauling because we have to go down onto the valley floor, across, then up the other side of the valley, which has a lower elevation.  Then down again for the few miles until we reach the city limits.”

They left the relative safety of the plateau in the early hours of the morning on the 6^th of March so as to have plenty of time to cross the valley floor before nightfall.  Archie had stressed that this was very important when they were complaining about how early he was rousing the marshals.  It was a cold spring morning at 6000ft.  After a few hours of traveling ever downward, they began to experience the heat and humidity of the lowlands and all but Milo are uncomfortable and even Thingerlun doesn’t mind riding out on the roof because of the cooling airflow.  As they approached the last grade downward onto the valley floor, Archie activates the intercom; “OK! Places everyone, secure all cargo nets!”  They decide that with the possibility of demons, they should have Hearn operate the magical ballista since she is allowed to attack supernatural creatures, freeing Milo attack any demons that might make it onto the train with his enchanted mace.  Bob and some of the refugees defend the roof of the coal car along with Ffwylldyr, Lex Anne, and the daenkelder to defend the passenger car.  The daenkelder and Lex both dip their arrows in holy water hoping that this will fortify their ammunition against demons.

Archie then waited for them to confirm their locations and when all was secure he takes them over the last crest and down into the valley below.  A few minutes later after they reached the roads maximum speed Archie giggles to himself; “I always wanted to try this…” He fastens his goggles tight and pushes all three throttles to full power while disengaging from the road system to keep it from trying to slow their decent.  The drive wheels of the engine actually damaged the surface of the road slightly with the force of the acceleration.

***

Life can be scary.  Life strapped to the top of a wooden cart, all be it an impressive one, at 25 miles an hour is terrifyingly dangerous… all falls from the train are now lethal.  Everything seems to be going well and Archie is managing to keep them from crashing; if only just barely.  Sythrixis, who’s been following them for a while now, is enjoying the fact that for once he doesn’t have to keep circling back for the rest of them, but at noon he informs Thingerlun that there is a flock of something up ahead.  By this time the train is well out onto the plains and traveling upon the elevated roadway, but they are slowing now and are only at about 16 miles an hour; isolated copses of jungle occasionally pass behind them like green puddles... still lethal if they fall.

Thingerlun, who is riding upon the top of the engine with a safety line tied to his waist and one of the hooks on the side of the roof normally used to secure cargo, informs everyone within ear shot and they pass the word along as he queries Sythrixis for more details.

Sythrixis; “They are the size of a Veltoni and are humanoid, but with bat like wings.  We’re down wind and I smell sulfur.  They occasionally fly up out of the trees to get a good look in our direction and then drop back down into the trees.”

But as everyone was trying to figure out what these things are, Sythrixis reports via Thingerlun that there are at least a dozen that have darted up into the sky and are gaining altitude, but they are still out of range.  Everyone is waiting for the attack when the monkey demons swoop down out of the sky, using momentum to easily overtake the caravan.  The attack is focused upon the engine and Milo is the first to act and invokes the power of Ormazd to banish one of the demons from coming within 60ft of the train. 

Thingerlun and Hearn pool their knowledge and are able to discover that these particular demons are vulnerable to water, and Hearn then casts Bless on all of the water-skins of the people nearest to her and then steps back to man the ballista.  Lex and Bob both miss their attack, as does the Daenkelder with his clockwork spike launchers.  The monkey demons attack by grabbing and flinging their own fecal waste at the train and anyone they can reach.  They fail to hit anyone on the first round, but they are dismayed to see that where it hits the train it begins to slowly dissolve the deck.  The Sword of Conviction realizes that there are demons to be fought and tries to force Dwight into charging forward towards the two demons that have landed upon the rear of the engine, but Dwight proves the stronger of the two.  However, as he moves forward to get into a better position to defend the wizard and the clerics Dwight stumbles and falls over the edge of the deck, but catches himself at the last moment.  Thingerlun manages to pop 3 of the demons on his first volley of magic missiles due to the fact that these demons were remarkably frail {I rolled poorly for their Hp} and the breath weapon from the dragon proves ineffective at damaging the demons, but it impedes their ability to fly and they are quickly left behind.

During all of this, Hank had been crawling out onto the front of the engine with a wrench and had started to loosen the fittings on something.  Milo attempts to banish another demon, but the demon is unaffected.  Hearn fires the ballista but misses her target.  Lex wings one of the demons with an arrow, the holy water appears to be very effective in that it allowed the arrow to strike the demon rather than pass through harmlessly.  The daenkelder misses his attack on the monkey demon that has moved into melee striking distance.  Bob moves forward to try and climb up from the coal car to the top of the engine to try and flank the demons that had landed there.  This time the monkeys have better aim, Bob, Lex, are hid by acidic poo and Thingerlun gets hit in the face, {nat 20 on the attack roll; but player turns and says; “will it get rid of the pustules?”  Storyteller; “Roll your luck against a DC of 16…” player rolls a nat 20…  “Yes, but it still leaves Thingerlun scared.”  Player; “That’s OK, chicks dig scares.”}

Dwight is hanging their on the side of the engine and says to the sword; “I don’t suppose there is anything you can do to help here?”

Sword, indignantly; “OH! NOW you want my help… Maybe I should just let you fall!”

Dwight: “But then you’d be lost again.”

Sword; “I doubt it… not with these sapphires, not with my craftsmanship, no.  I’d be found and on my way again in short order.”

Dwight; “Um, but you’re a holy relic of a God who protects people…”

Sword; “Fine.  Be that way.  I’ve done what I can now the rest is up to you, so get us up there into the fight!”

Dwight; “I don’t notice anything different.”

Sword; “No, I don’t suppose you would, would you.”

But to the demon monkeys that were taking aim at Dwight, he simply disappears from their view and their attacks miss him and start to dissolve holes in the side of the engine.  Thingerlun let’s loose with another spray of magic missiles and takes out two more and seriously wounds two others.  Hank pulls out a large metal cone that has a flexible pipe attached to the narrow end of the cone and starts looking for a target.  Ffwylldyr swings his sword at the demon that has managed to land upon the passenger car.

Milo moves forward to try and kill one of the two that landed, but fumbles and hits Hearn instead and does significant damage.  Hearn casts Bolt from Above but fails.  Lex swings at the monkey demon that has landed on the roof of the passenger car, but misses.  Bob fails to strike the demon he was aiming for, and the mercenary daenkelder fumbles bad enough to hurt himself.  The Monkeys miss everyone except Bob and Thingerlun with their last volley, and one of the two demons on the engine fumbles its attack on Bob and falls in between the cars to be crushed under the train.  Bob plays it off like he meant to do that all along…

Dwight pulls himself up to the roof and moves to attack the nearest demon, not realizing that he is invisible to everyone… he still manages to miss even with all of those bonuses. {Rolled a 3 on the attack} Sythrixis zooms passed the train and tries to tail swipe a demon as he passes and misses.  Hank manages to catch 2 demons with the spray from the steam-belcher that he is holding and they dissolve.   The rest of the demons in the air fall away behind them and all that remain are the three that managed to land.  Ffwylldyr charges at the demon but nearest to him, misses, and nearly falls over the side.

Milo moves to engage the last monkey demon on the engine's roof; but is unwilling to charge, so Thingerlun kills it with an arcane bolt before Milo can get there.  Lex hits the demon on the passenger car with a well-placed shot as it was charging to grab Ffwylldyr and drag him away.  This gives Milo a chance to call down the power of Ormazd with a Bolt from Above which leaves nothing but a puff of ash and an after image of a streak of sunlight where the demon was.

It is a long and tense night, but they are lucky enough not to encounter anything as they creep the rest of the way to Vaquaria.  They are stopped about 2 miles outside of town at a very busy, but makeshift camp just after dawn on Saturday morning, the 7^th of March.  There is a sense of relief as there train is billeted and they rest while they are waiting for orders.

{Game clock Suspended at Dawn on the 7^th of March, 3200}

Session #21: Full Circle

{Well, according to the status bar there are readers out there... so I'd like to apologize for the delay in posting.  It's been hectic around here trying to get Critters, Creatures, & Denizens to the printer and I had to reconstruct the events from memory, so the dialog might be off a bit, but the majority is correct.  Fortunately I have good records from session #22 and will be posing that as soon as I have it written down.  :) }

*****

{Game clock resumes a few moments later on the 1^st of March, 3200}

The train is slowed long enough for Bob to get back on board, and it isn’t long after they get going again that they realize the Bountiful Bento Box has turned to ash…  The adventurers realize that all of the rations that their characters had with them, had been with them through the entire mine ordeal… none of them were keen to see if they were still edible and these rations are thrown out.  They also discover just how far the adulation of the refugee goes: because many of the townsfolk that are traveling with them are not willing to share the meager rations they managed to buy off the Veltoni caravan.  It is a long, restless night for the heroes of Silverton.

The next day they ask the ranger to go hunting, and she scoffs at them: “Do you realize what’s involved in trying to feed this many people?  I can do it, but it means we have to stop the train for at least half a day and everyone else needs to forage near the road so while I go out hunting.”

Dwight; “How long would it take?”

Pat, somewhat shocked that they are considering the possibility; “Well, this time of year everything out there is hungry… this mean that the game animals are out in large numbers trying to find what little forage there is to be had.  It also means that there will be a lot of predators out there as well… I say at least 2 hours, but it could take all day.”

Milo, resigned; “Well we may as well get started on that, the sun rises soon and as I understand it this is a good time for hunting… yes?”

Pat; “Ya, I’ll go tell Archie we need to stop.  You guys go see if there are any of the passengers who know how to hunt.”

Ten minutes later Pat and one of the passengers, who it turns out is actually a hunter by trade, set out in opposite directions hoping to maximize their chances.  The rest forage around the road and head out as far as they dare.  Lady luck is with them and it only takes about 5 hours to gather in what they need.  The hunter comes back with a young buck and Pat brings in a few rabbits, the refugees gather a fair bit of winter dried fruit and Dwight actually brings in a couple more rabbits.  The hunter and the refugees get to work on the skinning and making the most of their provisions… it is decided that they will have stews in order to make it all last longer.  The rest of the day passes uneventfully.

Mid-morning on the next day they are lounging about when they notice that the train is slowing… the strange brass box on the wall jars them to attention, Archie’s voice coming through in scratchy tones; “Road Martials to the front of the train.” They are surprised, but they make their way to the control platform at the front of the engine by which time the engine and wagons have stopped. Archie continues his voice hardly any less scratchy than on the intercom; “I need to send you out scouting ahead.” And he is pointing to a thick column of dark smoke rising from somewhere to the east, and in the direction they are headed.

Bob; “How far up the road is it?”

Archie: “I’d say it’s within 5 miles and that puts it right about where Grenvec should be… and that’s what worries me.  There’s nowhere to turn around until we get to the plateau and the last thing we want is another ambush.”

Milo; “That could take a while… Are you sure you want to let the train stay still for the time it would take us to get there and back?”

Archie; “Well, you still have the wireless I gave you right?  An’ don’t worry; I picked up something in Silverton that I doubt anyone there is going to miss.  Besides, I plan on keeping the train creeping forward at about 1mph.  Follow me.”  And he deploys the ramp that lets them onto the ground from the control platform.  He gets onto his little kart and they follow him around to the side of the fuel car.  There is a set of double doors about 2/3 of the way down the right side of the car and Archie taps a button; the rear most of the two doors opens up to reveal a fairly large storage area.  He climbs in and presses another button and a small crane arm deploys from the area over the door.  Hank, Dwight, and Milo help him maneuver a rather large, bulky crate shaped object out the door and onto the ground.  Archie closes things up and then turns to them; “Stand back a bit.” Then he presses a button on the crate and hurriedly moves back about 15ft. 

It starts to rumble ominously and several panels begin to slide and move about strangely.  A few minutes later it has unfolded itself into a 15ft wide by 20ft long wagon.  It has a driver’s seat in front of the wheel at the center of the front platform of the wagon which is about 8ft off the ground; it has two wheels in the front, but the rear axle has two wheels on each side of the car.  There are fancy brass posts holding a steel chain railing that runs all the way around the entire car that also divides off a 10ft long by 15ft wide cargo area in the back.  The entire wagon-car has no roof, but the central area behind the driving platform is deep enough to shelter any of the three people that can sit on the bench there.  The driver, the steering column, and the ‘drive-train’ on the front axle are protected by a field of force projected out in front of the wagon, but that it only protects the driver from the forward arc.  Archie claps his hands and rubs them vigorously together; “So, who gets the crash course on how not to crash…” points at Thingerlun, who had tagged along, “NOT you…” he then turns to the rest, “but you’ll want the most agile among you to sit behind the wheel.”

Bob surreptitiously steps behind everyone and attempts to be ‘unseen’; and in the end, they elect Milo… since he’s their reliable light source anyway.  It takes about a half hour to review the controls and for Milo to get the hang of the steering… which is much like a ship at sea: meaning that several turns of the wheel are required for even a mild turn of the wagon.  It is a good thing that this cart doesn’t travel that fast. At the end of the lesson Archie tells Milo that; “The road can only apply 4ft/second of acceleration or deceleration to the vehicle and there is a maximum speed of 12ft/second {120ft/round}; but if the wind-screen is turned off,” points to a red button; “…the cart can apply another 2ft per second to both acceleration and deceleration and the max speed bumps up to 18ft/second {180/round}.  This model of cart steers like a cow and was made for quiet city driving by poncey gits looking to flaunt their wealth.”

Dwight; “Will it travel off of the road?”

Archie; “Yes, but the wind-screen must be turned off and the cart’s maximum acceleration and deceleration is 2ft/second {20ft/ round} with a maximum speed of 6ft/ second {60ft/round}, and may the God’s protect you...  And one last thing,” hiking his thumb over his shoulder at Thingerlun, “he has to ride in the back as cargo.  You’ll be heading into an area full of Guild Engineers; I don’t want to get in trouble for not enforcing Guild law.”  Archie turns to face Thingerlun, “And YOU don’t want to be arrested buy the Guild… trust me on this one.”

A few minutes of practicing later, the Heroes of Silverton: Dwight, Milo, Pat, Thingerlun, Bob, and Ffwylldyr are pulling away out in front of the train.  About 15 minutes later they are cresting the last hill before dropping down onto the plateau that formerly housed the town of Grenvec.  The night of fire that started all of this madness has left nothing but a scared hill and black ash where the town used to be.  Now they notice that the standing stones where they had escaped the flames are in a crumbled state all over the plateau.  It is obvious even from this distance that they were thrown apart by some sort of violent explosion from inside the stones.  Of the Guild Engineering & Construction team there is little left but twisted wreckage scattered around the plateau.  Their attention is drawn to an arrhythmic pounding noise and they see that near the edge of the plateau they can see that there are large brutish forms with clubs hammering on the wreckage of one of the mighty Guild engines. 

With further examination (and moving a bit closer) they can see that about a mile from their location there are what appear to be several undead giants hammering away at the wreckage. Milo says; “Those appear to be zombies, and they wouldn’t be that focused on their attack if there weren’t someone alive in that wreck.”

Pat, “We should probably go help them.”

Dwight, sighs and shakes his head; “You’re probably right, but how… I count at least 4 of them and if what Milo says is true then they are undead giants of some kind.”

Milo, with a fair degree of zeal in his eyes; “I say we take this thing,” pats the steering wheel, “and plow right into them!”

There is a stunned silence for a few moments, then Ffwylldyr says; “Um, you heard Archie say this thing is just a rich guy’s fancy ride, right?  No armor, no roof; it would be suicide.”

Thingerlun; “we could split up and move at them from both sides of that hill, I’ll go around to the left the rest of you go around to the right.”

Milo; “All by yourself?” 

Thingerlun; “I’ll be fine.  I do most of the damage around here anyway, and maybe it’ll draw some of them off so the rest of you can help whoever is in the wreckage.”

They head out as quietly as they can; fortunately the hill where the megaliths once stood screens their approach for most of the way.  For some reason Dwight is chosen to stay with the cart, and Ffwylldyr stays with Dwight; he has become fascinated by Dwight and the grandeur of this man’s destiny.

Thingerlun the pustulent casts force manipulation and a disc forms, he steps onto it and heads out, taking the widdershins path down to the ash covered plateau; Milo, Pat and Bob take the docil path after a few minutes to give Thingerlun a chance to set up the distraction.  The wreckage is still about a quarter mile off with no cover, so Milo, Bob, and Pat take a measured approach hoping to get as close as they can before they are discovered.  Once Thingerlun is on his own and picks up a fair bit of speed as he heads down the hill and is out onto the plateau and a bit closer to the zombie stone giants than the rest of the party.  On the way down he starts to formulate the nature of the distraction he wants.  He decides to try the new undead summoning spell he knows in an attempt to usurp control of some of a few of the zombies.  He fails… and they notice the wash of magic compulsion break upon what little is left of their awareness: 4 of them turn and charge at the wizard. 

So, not what he had in mind, but he figures ‘zombies charging?  I’ll have time to pick them off before they get here…’  He was partially correct, but they are fast zombies so they have an initiative score… more importantly for the moment, however, is the fact that they have a sprinting speed as well.  Given that he’d been closing the distance I ruled that he had three rounds before they were in melee range.  Thingerlun’s magic missile spell yielded a few low powered missiles that failed to drop even one; then his spell failed entirely.  He could do nothing but stare at them until they were upon him, but on the way over to the fight the zombies had strung out in a line. 

Meanwhile… on the other side of the hill…

Bob and Pat close the distance quicker because they are less hindered, and Pat is a ranger on her home turf: literally.  Even though she has some of the best weapons against giant (live or dead) she figures the people in the wreckage need to be protected so she does a quick search and finds a way inside, Bob moves out to where he can see what is making the clanging sound on the other side of the wreckage and finds 3 more undead stone giants, but these were adults when they died and are rather larger than the 4 immature giants that are attacking Thingerlun.  Fortunately they are standard zombies and are slow and shambling, which gives Milo the time he needs to get close enough to try and turn the unholy filth.  One is affected and shambles off towards the edge of the plateau; which is quite close at this point.

On top of the Hill by the cart…

Dwight sees that there are seven zombies and that Thingerlun is seriously out matched regardless of his self-confidence, he turns to Ffwylldyr; “We’d better head down there and see if we can save him.” and he starts to run down the hill in that direction.

Ffwylldyr; “Wouldn’t the cart be faster?!”

Dwight; “I haven’t really got a clue how that thing works and we’d probably just kill ourselves.”  They head out as fast as they can and are shortly within extreme longbow range and Dwight decides that it is time for some really fancy shooting. 

{In our game outdoor ranges are multiplied by three.  So he’s using a d16 & a d5: in our games we house ruled that deed dice are not reduced for simplicity during melee and for 2handed fighting.  The sprinting zombies have AC 14, but modified to 16.  Player declares that he is aiming for one of the knee caps of the second giant.  I rule that this is a 4 or better on the deed die.} 

Dwight licks his thumb and checks the wind, then aims his bow in a direction that seems guaranteed to fail… but the arrow streaks out and is caught by the wind and corrected back to strike true. {Rolls 15, and a 5…} The second giant tumbles and trips; taking out the third one as well, but the fourth jumps over the pile-up and lands on the other side.

Inside the twisted gear-scrap…

…that was once a grand Engine of the Guild, Pat finds about a dozen wounded gnomes who have had their wounds tended.  In the center of the little cave of twisted metal is a tragic sight.  The Cleric of Thormyr who had charged them first with malicious misconduct leading to the deaths of the citizens of Grenvec and who later exonerated them and asked if they would investigate the goings on at Silverton lay half propped up on a girder; his face composed not in agony but with the sublime calm of someone deep in communion with the divine.  Pat sees that there are squiggle and circles and powders laced out around him; she can’t read, but she recognizes them as the same signs that Hearn had used to create the sanctuary when they were in the Gannu Family Mine.  But what draws her attention is the fact that his body is a mass of compressed flesh and broken bones from the waist down.  Still she can feel the power of his faith holding the wreckage together; and she decides to set herself as guardian of the portal that leads into the interior of the wreck.

Meanwhile… Thingerlun is beginning to panic…

He hasn’t noticed the zombie pile-up and in desperation (he has no other combat spells) he tries the Summon undead spell again, but fails outright, yet not badly enough for a mishap.  The lead zombie has better aim this time, but rolls poorly on the damage.  Even so, Thingerlun is still nearly reduced to mush.  {Something like 2-4 hp left, I wasn’t keeping track.}

Dwight tries the same trick again on the forward of the two standing zombies, but this time he misses completely and he and Ffwylldyr spend the rest of the round covering more ground.

{Player; “Well, so much for Thingerlun… and he never got his familiar either…Damn.”

Storyteller; “Not necessarily…”}

On the next round Thingerlun dives under the force disc he’s created hoping that it might afford him some protection from the zombies that are starting to surround him.  It is then that Thingerlun’s mind is filled near to bursting with the clarion call; “TO BATTLE!!!”  Everyone else just hears a clarion roar of a furious dragon.  Thingerlun is on his back looking up just in time to see a small purple dragon pop into view as it belched out a cone of acid and then zooms off to the south and disappears from view below the rim of the plateau. 

{Thing’s player turns to one of the other players; the disc is a fixed barrier that can hold 300lbs… would it stop the attack?”  Who then turned to me and asked “How heavy is the club?”

Storyteller; “Well, it’s made from a tree that was recently pulled out of the ground… I’d say it’d be at least 80 to 100 pounds.” 

Engineer: “Nope… Sorry.”

Thingerlun’s player; “Well that’s it for Thingerlun…”

Storyteller; “Maybe not, the damage must’ve been reduced significantly in the process, so it’ll only be 1d10.”

Thingerlun’s player; “That still might kill me.”

Storyteller rolls a 1…; “Apparently the Gods still have a purpose for Thingerlun.”}

Thingerlun suddenly feels a massive rush of energy, similar to what he has experienced from Hearn’s healing rituals; but a hundred times more intensely as the dragon familiar shares his life force with Thingerlun.  The sound of youthful giggling fading in Thingerlun’s mind is followed by; “Hey Pus Monkey! Show a little effort!” {Thingerlun receives +68 bonus hit points for the dragon familiar.}

Thingerlun stands up and holds his staff out ready for combat.

Having seen the Dragon’s work, Dwight focuses on what is happening over by the wreckage and can make out that Milo is over-matched.  He heads off in that direction with the bard in tow.

Over by the edge of the plateau…

Bob has thrown his magic dagger a couple of times and keeps missing, because apparently he can’t hit a shuffling zombie stone giant.  Milo is only just now arriving on scene, having been slowed by platemail.  He tries to turn Unholy again, but fails to muster sufficient strength to overpower any of them.  The dragon pops up from below the ridge-line and hovers there while he uses his claws to shred one of the two remaining zombies.  Dwight manages to kneecap a second giant, it doesn’t fall, but it has to remain stationary.  Bob finally hits the remaining zombie with his dagger, but doesn’t really do that much damage. 

Milo grabs his mace and charges; landing a heavy blow to the putrid giant, but it is still standing.  Much to Milo’s dismay, for the giant critically succeeds on its attack against Milo, taking more than half of Milo’s hit points in one attack, and rendering him stunned by the chill specter of death seen in the soulless eyes of the long dead stone giant.  Milo succeeds at his fortitude save to not get knocked over the edge of the plateau, but is nearly catatonic for the next 30seconds.  Bob charges in screaming, and Dwight manages to hit it with another arrow, but this time just for damage; but the dagger and arrow are mostly useless, and now Bob is in range of the club.  It misses him, and then on the next round the zombie nearly kills Milo.

Thingerlun…

… with his new found vigor, has managed to scoff at the damage that the giant has inflicted, and with his own prodigious strength (and the magic in the quarterstaff that he wields) Thingerlun manages to turn the giant into nothing more than moldering meat in less than a minute.  He knows deep down that he should be dead by now, but the bond with his familiar has saved him.

Fortunately for Milo…

… the dragon pounces upon the last undead giant and shreds it with his claws, then growls melodically and turns invisible.  Bob turns to Milo and sees that he is praying quietly to himself and that some of Milo’s wounds seem to be healing, but when he is done with the prayer there are still several wounds visible.  Milo looks at Bob; “PAINNNNN! Where’s Hearn?!” And he flips his mace around so that he is using the heft as a walking stick and he starts to hobble back towards the wreckage.  Bob follows along behind hoping that the dead will stay that way.  Pat hears the cleric of Thormyr utter a very faint sigh, and then he collapses; she runs out to find the others and tell them who she found.  After they are all together, they have Dwight call up Archie to tell him what has occurred. 

Archie, somewhat panicked; “Yes, yes, that’s awful, but what about the FIRE!?  Tell me it isn’t the Guild Substation that’s on fire!”

Bob, Dwight, and Pat head out that way and are able to tell Archie that it’s the small copse of trees that passes for woods on this plateau that are burning but not the station… though it is threatened. 

Archie is upset now; “We’re at the top of the ridge now and heading down onto the plateau, if that substation goes out it’ll take months to repair!  Road Marshals, I charge you with putting out that fire as fast as possible.  Protect the station!”

{Game clock suspended at 11am 03/02/3200}

Session #20 "The circle closes... but is it a noose?"

{Game clock resumes at 10:01am, 03/21/3200}

After taking a personal inventory to discover everything that he has lost; Thingerlun decides to risk the find familiar spell and begins making preparations to cast the ritual while the others are finding other things to keep them busy.  Bob begins an inventory of the stuff left in the town looking for anything useful but doesn’t find anything worth taking and he’s already rich beyond his dreams; hearn continues to minister to the refugees and tend to the temple as well as burying the dead.  Milo cleans up after the vampire and then takes the remains of the clerics of Ormazd up to the ossuary for cremation.  At the crest of the western ridge, he and the folks who are helping him are given their first glimpse of the spectral moon, glaring at them from low on the southern horizon.  It is a red-ish purple-ish smear of evil glaring down at them from the heavens.  Like the moon and everything else that moves through the heavens, there is a slight trail of gossamer streamers behind it, but only for a short distance.  They all shudder at the ill omen and turn to the temple to see to the dead’s last rights, but Milo is denied access to the temple due to the wards placed around the perimeter.  After about a half an hour of meditation; Milo discovers that the ward blocking him is one that blocks the cursed from entering the ossuary.  After more meditation, he vaguely recalls the sound of music and a scene of an empty throne. 

Puzzled, they take the long trek back down to the valley to consult with Hearn… {who promptly rolls a nat 20 on her diagnosing roll}…

“Oh my!   You seem to have contracted lycanthropy… of the were-rat variety.  This isn’t the usual sort that is contracted via a bite or scratch.”  Begins checking the others, though she has to wait for Thingerlun to stop for his evening meal to check him out; but in the end she determines that Thingerlun and herself are OK, but the rest have 3 weeks to find a cleric of 5th level to cast the remove curse spell while washing them down with a tincture of wormwood and holy water.

She continues, “This seems to be from the effects of a bardic song of power that has twisted the fabric of your souls.  I hope we can find a cleric of sufficient strength in time to avert the curse, because if you succumb to the transformation and pass the curse on to someone else the affliction will become permanent.”

Bob gets a funny look in his eye… {character is already thinking about letting himself become a were-rat… he wasn’t even dissuaded by the idea that to maintain ‘at will’ transformations he will need to pass the curse on to at least one other creature during the nights of the full moon.  I did point out that he’d have to surrender himself to the Rat Gods if he wants his equipment to stay with him while in rat form; and, he’d have to find a way to keep all of this secret from Hearn.  Still thinking about it…}

Aerin doesn’t seem to be anywhere around, and no one is particularly concerned, or even remembers that he was a part of their crew and now gone missing.  They agree that they need to wait until the ‘anti-silver curse’ potion is finished so that they can have their portion, but they decide to let the remaining townsfolk deal with clearing the mine.  When Pat returns for the evening meal, Hearn tells her that she too is cursed.  In the morning pat finds a bonanza of wormwood on her daily trek through the wilds of the the valley {another nat 20, this time on the search check} but they are still stuck without a cleric of sufficient level to cast the spell.  They return to their duties, and Milo grants a battlefield funeral for the clerics of Ormazd because he won’t be interred properly at the ossuary due to his affliction.

After discussing things with Archie they discover that while the main line is operational, most of the secondary functions like communication and such are still out.  This means that they won’t need to stop for fuel, only water.  As the word of their departure starts to get around; the refugees begin to think about leaving as well, but are split about the idea.  In the end, half decide to leave with ‘the Saviors of Silverton’.  With only one day left on brewing the cure for the silver curse, a large caravan of Veltoni enter the valley from the north with their characteristic fervor of trumpets and drums.  They begin to trade with the locals that are staying, so at least the refugees won’t starve.  On the last night the adventurers are gathered together for their evening meal when Zollanna walks up to their table within the Silver Tankard and with an imperious gaze she states the following:

“”Now that the day that Silver shows its true mettle, it is time for us to break our silence; now I may share that which was given only for us to know.  We are Veltoni, the ‘Banished ones’ of the Gadjarria who dwell deep in the southern deserts.  We are the cursed of the cursed… our entire race doomed to search all eternity for the key that was lost.  They believed that it would be found within the dry desert sands, but our race also has the gift of prophecy, and the scion of my ancestors believed otherwise.  We believe that the search should be widened to include all the world… for this we were cast out, deemed heretics and persecuted.  But we have been vindicated…”  and she points to Dwight. “You have two destinies, and you must choose wisely.”

She turns and gets a bundle from one of the folds of her skirt and places it upon the table in front of them.  “We would strike a bargain with thee,” she unwraps an ancient looking book, “This is the Tome of Al Hajduk the mad.”

Ffwylldyr falls out of his chair backwards in his haste to get away from the book; the elven scribe who had been consulting with them was equally surprise and his face cannot hide his astonishment, but otherwise he is more dignified in his retreat of about 6 inches.  Ffwylldyr cries out, “DON’T touch it, everyone who has ever tried to read it has gone completely mental!”  as he is getting up into his chair again.

Zollanna; “I see you know the work… You are correct everyone who has tried to read it has lost their minds, and we will give you the book,” she pushed it towards them a little.  “But we will trade you the secret of safely reading it… for the key you posses and you will all owe the veltoni a favor.”

Dwight; “I have several… you’ll have to be more specific…”

Zollanna glares at him and the steel in her gaze reminds him that she possesses the Evil Eye. “The one on your chest…”

Dwight; “You mean everyone will be bound by this?”

Zollanna; “Yes.”

Dwight; “What’s the favor?”

Zollanna; “That is unimportant.”

The party discusses it for a while, but eventually they agree to the bargain on the grounds that the sword and its quest align better to their over-arching goals to save the Gods of the Sun and Moon.  Zollanna tells Dwight to take off his shirt and while he is doing this she explains the secret of the tome; “It must be read by the light of the second, cursed moon of Aereth.  Only then will the meanings be made clear and the readers will be safe.”  After this she smacks Dwight on the back of the head and catches the key as it falls from his chest.  The gold and encrustation of gems falls away like cracked plaster to reveal a key of carved ebony that is covered in heirogliphics. “We have a bargain.” And she turns to walk away… “I’ll send word about the favor when the time comes.”

Dwight waits until she and her shadowy retinue have left and then says; “I hope we didn’t just hand over something evil to the wrong folks...”

Pat; “Too late now.”

They divide the rest of the time trying to identify the sword’s purposes and up on the ridge by the ossuary reading the tome of prophesy.  Milo, Ffwylldyr, and Adwyn the elven sage spend a couple of days in the rarified hieghts of the ossuary ridge using the reletivly unfiltered light of the Dread Moon to read the long forgotten words of Deqqem al-Hajduk.  They don’t have the time to ponder all of the tomes words, with much debate by the three of them, they deduce the following:

 *** 

(The blue text refers to that which the tome helps them to decipher)

In the time of madness, when Dread Moon and Silver burn the mind,

Then our brightest hope shall we find.

Reference to the tainted silver and the second moon of Áereth,

Reference the discovery of the ‘Eye of night’

The suns bright orb along winding course it runs,

Scrabbling through the muck until darkness comes.

This is a reference to the winding journey that the gem has taken through history,

Followed by a reference to the death of Thistle in the muck of the mines of Silverton.

Wilted rose in vile darkness the suns fruit shall bear,

To the ones who for the world still care.

Only then dream of hope, if we dare.

This is the reference to the ‘Eye of Night being handed over to the players,

The reference that tells them they have a chance to stop all of this from happening

If all is lost, and hope doth not the bright future make,

If the heroes fail…

The Great Enemy shall the Rod of Heaven take,

To slay the Great Lovers and the world unmake.

The great rod of the heavens will be remade by some misguided mortal fool and it will be stolen and taken up by the forces of Zhühn the Destroyer.

Love is lost and Void’s rage unbound;

The sun and moon shall be destroyed when Ormazd and Shul are slain as a result of this catastrophe.  The Destroyer will be unbound from its prison.

Darkness covers all, and tears abound,

When Daenthar’s beard is shorn.

The gears will turn ‘round,

This is the tricky part of the cryptogram… everything hinges on the definition of Daenthar’s Beard.  While Deaenthar is the Dwarf Father maker and God of the Dwarven race, but to the humans he is the Lord of elemental Earth and his beard is a reference to the vegetation of Áereth.  This is a reference to the fact that if they fail, there will come a time of darkness where only starlight will be available and all of the plants will die… there will be much suffereing.

As new hope is found,

When the Golden Child is reborn.

Even if all fail in their tasks, there is hope.  The lord Ormazd is known as the Phoenix Lord for a reason…  He will be reborn and the world will bloom again as long dormant seeds germinate, but the Moon Goddess will still be dead.  The fragments of the moon will continue to rain down…

-Al Hajduk the mad, -644DC

Daqqem al-Hajduk was a Cleric of Ormazd, lived in a remote (read as long lost) temple in the heat blasted mountains of the Lost-lands of the southern half of the continent.  It is said that during the great battle between Cadixtat & Telius this maddened monk wrote with such passion and frenzy that when there was no more ink to be had… he began using his own blood.  His frenzy was so profound that none dared to approach and in the end, the monk died from his self-inflicted wounds.  But his book of prophesies was completed.  There is only one copy, as any who have tried to duplicate its words have lost their sanity in the process.

After telling his story and giving them the prophecy, Thistle had said: “Bryllythaxsarym…” and then he died. 

There is some debate among the Elf the bard and the elven sage concerning who or what this is in reference to… They suspect that this is a dragon’s name.  The book of prophesy says that Bryllythaxsarym  was a golden dragon in anient times.  This gargantuan creature of shining gold scales, awesome wingspan, and ferocious fangs and claws was a disciple of Ormazed and the last known creature granted the knowledge of al-Hajduk’s words.  Acting upon the knowledge laid down upon those pages the dragon orcistrated the repopulation of the northern half of the continent.  This dragon then acted as the anchient masters of the Khonsurian Empire had many eons ago; he shaped the destinies of thousands according to the wisdom of al-Hajduk for the one thin hope of success it could manifest.  Milo is haunted by its similarity of the dragon’s name to the name of the head of his order: Bryllyth Axsarym III, the Holy Flame Incarnate for the Church of Ormazd.

***

When they return to the lowlands, they turn to the new sword that Dwight has retrieved (he has told them who he suspects the sword belongs to based upon the carvings on the wall in the tomb and the knowledge the skeleton imparted to them back in the dungeon, but he has not revealed to them how he came by the knowledge of the sword’s location…  Until now, Dwight has refused to unwrap the sword, as he has figured out that keeping it wrapped up is the equivalent of putting a leather hood onto a falcon to calm it down.  Even still, Dwight is visited by the rather certain sence that the sword has a particular creature in mind, and that the sword will do anything to make sure that this vile creature dies. 

Dwight’s warrior training covered the basics of magic swords and the dangers of using one without knowing its goals and desires first; and he can feel the sword’s aura even while it is not in his hands.  He also notices that his other magic sword seems cowed in the new swords presence; this leads Dwight to beleave that this new sword is a truly powerful weapon.  Dwight unwraps the hilt to view and the bard confirms this by checking it out, “Yes, this is definitely the sword of Arden Brightheart.  I can see the sigils that correspond to his ownership, but it is much older than that.  Acording to the legends, this sword was last used at the end of the wars of Nimorian expantionism.  Lord Brightheart used it to secure the last defencable ford across the Arval river in a last desperate defense of Kothia.  Lord Brightheart slew the dark creature that led the Nimorian troops.  The sword is supposed to remain within the temple as proof against the creature’s return…”

The Sword; “AHA!  At last someone….” The rest is muffled as Dwight wraps it up again.

Ffwylldyr; “It probably knows more about itself than we do, perhapse we should listen to it?”

Dwight just shrugs and goes back to packing his bags for their departure.  In the morning they all report to the station where Archie has hitched up a fuel and baggage car as well as a passenger car for the reffugees that are leaving the valley.  Thingerlun comes along a few minutes later after the culmination of his spell… all the ingredients and the sigils chalked out on the ground burst into gold and purple flames.  Nothing arrived after the smoke and sparks, but he definitely knows that he succeeded… he can feel the distant touch of another mind.  All he can tell is that it can fly… {spell check modified up to a 20, but there is another bonus he isn’t aware of…}

Thingerlun; “With my luck, it’ll be the dung beetle…”

They each get 2 potions of ‘silver cure’ and climb aboard the engine, taking their various stations: Ffwylldyr in the passenger car with the townsfolk, Thingerlun is stationed on top by the spell cannon and reminded that guild law prohibits him from entering the inner workings of the Engine.  The rest of the party space themselves out along the top of the three cars and are aided by a few of the caravan guards that are among the refugees, and they discover that the Daenkelden (male dwarf) named Tavok the Weaponsmith whom they rescued has found his cash of equipment somewhere and he offers his services as caravan guard for a price.  They point out that he’ll get fed and he won’t get left behind… so he agrees to help them guard the caravan.   Tavok heads to the back of the last car and uses the integrated climbing harness in his armor to tie himself to the railing.  He then pulls out twin springbolters and starts to wind their clockwork mechanisms with a key that he keeps on a chain about his neck.

Archie has informed them that while the cars are now under the roads power, they are stuck at about 8mph with the passengers and the winding mountain road.  Still, they only need to stop for 30min out of each day to take on water; and that is only out of necessity for the passangers, minor steam gear, and cooking. The cars can be operated in shifts allowing them to make it to Grenvec in 3 days; he reminds them that this is still much faster than it took them to get to the valley of Silverton.  The last thing he tells them before they start off is: “Keep a sharp watch!  Springtime in the mountains isn’t for the timid, everything out there is hungry… and you’ll find that our maximum speed isn’t quite so impressive when something is trying to run us down.” 

The engine is as massive as it ever was, and is impressive even if the snow plow has been folded back into storage.  The second car is about half the height of the engine (15ft) and its interior space is divided into two large storage area’s; the larger is about 2/3 the size of the car and is half full of coal and the other is full of random equipment and spare parts.  There is a double door on one side of the car, but each compartment only has one side door for access as well as 1 or two roof hatches.  Like the engine and the passenger car, there are 2.5ft tall railings all the way around the top that create an area for bulk cargo, but it is empty for this trip.  The passenger car is 5ft taller than the fuel car and has several interior levels.  The bottom most level is for gear-works and baggage, the next level is for second class seating with several rows of four seats divided by a center isle.  The third deck is for the lounge and galley, while the fourth deck has luxury accomodations that has several rooms which are quite comfortable.  Third class seating is available on the top of the car where folks usually squat down amongst their luggage and hope for the best.  Archie keeps the luxury floor off limits, but everything else is available for use.  There is still no food other than the magic bento box.

 

***

Several hours later, after having climbed out of the Silver Vale, they were heading east through the mountains towards the place where their adventure first began.  The last rays of the sun warming them as the Phoenix Lord begins to drop below the mountains; the glare makes spotting the sillouettes of the stone giants hard to make out at first, but Bob gives them all a warning at the last moment.  Fortunately the first volley of 4 boulders flew wide of their marks, and one of the stone giants seemed to do himself harm on the throw.  The crew of the wagon-train manages to cause a bit of damage to the giants on their turn, but Thingerlun missed with the spell cannon and not everyone has a ranged weapon.  It is determined that Milo can operate the cannon, and for the next round Thingerlun will use his spells; but the giants have better aim on their next set of throws.  One of the boulders strikes the fuel and storage car squarely on the side panels, but the doors are on the opposite side and rmain intact.  The force of the impact lurched the mostly empty car sideways and causing the train to bend awkwardly and shudder violently enough to knock Pat over the side.  She tumbles safely to the ground; no one but Bob noticed, so he yelled something about it to the others and lept off the car after her.  The train keeps rolling without slowing. 

Several vollys later sees the defenders reduced by one as one of the refugees acting as caravan guard is carried off by a boulder and the group of stone giants (CCD build; 1 adult and 3 junior stone giants) are rather beaten up from the spell cannon on the engine, and a rather well done magic missile attack from Thingerlun.  The irony however, is that Pat was able to sprint back to safety the very next round and Bob decided that since he was already there… he may as well sneak up on the giants and cause some damage and confusion.  Bob managed to ghost his way up the hill and successfully sneak around behind the stone giants just in time to see all but their leader run away in fear of the superior firepower.   Bob’s successful back-stab managed to do damage to the giant’s tender bits… causing severe pain in the victim; unfortunately for Bob, this didn’t cause the giant to lose consciousness.  It did cause the creature to lose his action for the next round, and when he stood up to scream he became an easy target for Thingerlun.  Bob and Thingerlun both attacked in succession with Bob not aware of the magical volley; but it was Thingerlun who managed to deliver more than double the giant’s remaining hit points in damage from a volley of magic missiles in the form of sperkling arrows.  The giant simply vaporized… and Bob now thinks his dagger is much more dangerous than he previously estimated.

{Game clock suspended around sunset on the first of March, 3200}