Campaign: Facets

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

A.J. put a crossbow bolt into the thing as Alexios hit it with a bolt made of lightning. It mostly shrugged off the second, but A.J.’s quarrel got its attention. By then, Henrietta had started down the ladder to the fo’csle cabins, as Aurelia dashed through the doorway aft to the main deck.

The archaeologist got a glimpse of the creature just as Alexios blew the mist away, and the delighted expert in American Indian mythology and folklore immediately identified it as a “dajoji,” a powerful predator of storms and warfare from tales told by the former members of the Iroquois Confederacy.

Still, she had a job to do, so Henrietta dropped down to the passageway and began to pound on doors. Beatrice finally woke up when Grunt jumped on her, but Henrietta had to go into Frank’s room and dump him out of his hammock to get him to move.

However, Claudia got up and moving pretty quickly, and took a moment to sling the binding matrix containing “Wilson” the air elemental, before she emerged from her cabin. Amanda, however, got moving pretty quickly and dashed out the aft doorway right after Aurelia, followed by Fergus, and by mutual agreement he want to starboard and she went to port.

By then, Millie had managed to fall on her face on the tilted, crowded deck, but Apophis continued aft and made his way up the ice-sheet with little effort. Steven also clambered up on top of the stern-deck bulkhead and took an Air Jet blast, also, but managed to hang on and get across the railing.

Down below, Doc Bascher emerged from below-decks, where she’d been helping Alexios tend the wounded, and moved immediately to help the captain as the two nunnupi, in magpie form, fluttered around in excited interest.

A.J. put another bolt into the creature, and Aurelia got in a good shot also. Now noticeably wounded, and seeing the burly Steven approach, the dajoji decided to exercise a bit of discretion, and jumped over the stern.

It spread its wings and rolled hard right, to scream across the surface of the ocean in magically-enhanced flight. It stayed well below the level of the main deck. It roared up the port side, well below the cannon hatches.

Up on deck, Amanda saw the beast flying in her direction, almost panicked, successfully pulled her revolver with a fast draw, and took a wild shot without aiming. The bullet slapped the creature between the roots of its wings, the badly wounded monster died instantly and tumbled into the sea as the crew shouted in exultation.

The sailors quickly winched the body out of the water for the mages to examine, as Bohannan checked on the two crew-members attacked. She found them both quite dead, and the crew buried them at sea, the next day.

After that, the rest of the journey to the Elder Isles proceeded with little disturbance, as the Airgead Spraeala soon returned to patrolled shipping lanes.

The ship arrived at the port of Avallon a few weeks later, and docked in mid-evening. The group decided to spend the night aboard, without objection from any of the ship’s officers or crew, and rose early the next day.

They made their way to the river docks and soon booked passage on a boat up the River Scarp to Maule, and reached Athelstane’s estate by early afternoon.

There, they saw a number of the servants busy with painting and other work, and as they got closer they noted the workers seemed to be patching bullet-holes and scorch marks.

However, Athelstane greeted them cheerfully enough, and told them he’d had some rather rude visitors who seemed quite interested in their whereabouts.

Alarmed, the group asked if everything was okay, and Athelstane informed him that his staff had slaughtered all but one of the attackers with no lasting injuries to themselves, and had deliberately allowed one injured thug to escape.

A bit flabbergasted, the group asked him to explain how he managed that, and Athelstane invited them inside for a late lunch. As the servants brought some apple chicken salad, sliced cheese and bread baked that morning, Athelstane explained that his presence on an island in the Pearl Bright Ocean offered some unique opportunities.

Since this inner realm had no moon, for instance, those in Sir Isaac Newton’s world who struggled with lycanthropy could relocate to his lands, and never suffer the monthly changes. This gave them the opportunity to learn to control the affliction to such an extent that they really only ever transformed if under tremendous stress – such as being badly injured.

When the thugs had attacked his estates several night past, several had rather expertly taken out his sentries.

Unfortunately, they had used standard steel weapons, instead of silver, and the terrible pain from the wounds had triggered the transformations. The screams of the dying attackers, and the shouts of their alarmed colleagues had woken the rest of the staff who, one way or another, made short work of the assailants.

They did leave one of them alive, though, Athelstane said, who had been only moderately mauled. After about 30 days, the man became a bomb with a lit fuse. Should he suffer an injury or lose his increasingly uncontrollable temper, he would transform and begin to kill everyone around him.

Given the normal company kept by these assassins, Athelstane concluded, the results should be most satisfactory – and completely untraceable to him or his guests, given the likelihood of unfortunate collateral damage.

Aghast at this sudden reminder of the nature of the Cabal lodges and the mages who comprised them, the group began to discuss how best to quickly procure the other elementals they needed to purchase and equip their new airship, so as to depart as soon as possible.

With that, the session ended.

##

No funny quotes, this time. People stuck mainly to business, and the session mostly consisted of the combat.

[dcarson]

Your PCs can not complain about collateral damage. They've done a lot more with less reasonable motives.

[SionEwig]

I don't think they were complaining, more just taken aback.

How good of a roll did Amanda manage for that shot? Good thought on the shadowcat, I remember Wormy fondly. Good work on the players part, but the lack of funny comments is disappointing. ;-)

[tshiggins]

Originally Posted by SionEwig

I don't think they were complaining, more just taken aback.

How good of a roll did Amanda manage for that shot? Good thought on the shadowcat, I remember Wormy fondly. Good work on the players part, but the lack of funny comments is disappointing. ;-)

Mostly, they'd perceived Athelstane as a likeable country squire -- which is sort of true, but only "sort of." At his core, Athelstane is a mage of the Cabal, and the ruthless, pragmatic use of power and subterfuge runs in his blood.

He guards the bridgehead of the Hidden College of Thoth-Hermes in the Pearl Bright Ocean, and does so with careful skill and effective use of assets. Once lycanthropy breaks out in Scornswall, he knows the authorities will work with the guilds of mages in Avallon proper, to burn out that particular infection.

Additionally, they'll likely never learn the origin of the disease, since it came as a consequence of an attempted capital crime. The retribution of the Cabal is a gift that keeps on giving -- and that reminded the group why they really don't like a lot of these people.

As for the shot, it wasn't too bad. The cat was coming mostly right at her, and it was Size +1. The damage roll was the significant thing. That put it over -HT, and I rolled a 17 on its HT check to stay alive.

[tshiggins]

Payback time!

Characters Present

Dr. Henrietta "Indiana" Johnson -- A personable, age 29-and-holding Anthropologist who specializes in the pre-Columbian indigenous people of the American Desert Southwest. A Native of Apache Junction, AZ, "Indiana" is good with people and has been fascinated by American Indian religion and folklore since she was a child. Henrietta speaks Apache fluently, and not-so-secretly wishes archaeology could be more like Raiders of the Lost Ark and less like digging in a trench with a trowel and a toothbrush -- Played by Debbie S.

Dr. Arthur "A.J." Jamison -- a retired NASA scientist with a home in one of Moab's nicer canyon sub-developments, who volunteers for 4CSAR because he needs to do something to get out of the house. -- Played by Anten S.

Aurelia R. Lockrin -- A young woman with a shady past who teaches History at Grand County High School (Home of the Red Devils!), and volunteers for 4CSAR because she's a bit of an adrenalin junkie, and likes the companionship. -- played by Bennie Rae P. (Not available this time.)

Beatrice "B" Lawrence -- U.S. Army veteran who works for a local air charter service as a helicopter mechanic. A cynic about men, she is accompanied by "Grunt," the biggest, best-trained pit-bull anybody has ever seen (purchased as an ally, and a totally badass dog, even before it was possessed by what appears to be a benign “foo” spirit) -- played by Bernetta W.

Claudia Abigail Tavulari – A former member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, and an old friend of Arthur Jamison’s. The team has been helping Arthur research the portal physics, on the sly. – Played by Tisa T. (Not available this time.)

Stephen Mack, another member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, a former U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, and outdoors enthusiast. – Played by Ragan S.

Millicent “Millie” Brown – A member of the Columbine Lodge of Denver, and descendant of the Unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown. Currently an apprentice of the Invisible College of Thoth-Hermes, seconded out to the members of the Red Rocks Lodge. Owner of a large, well-trained Savannah Cat, named Apophis. – Played by Kaitlynn S.

Fergus O’Neil – A pirate and rascal who had the misfortune to cross the Red Rocks Lodge, and the worse judgement to try to rob them when they took passage on his ship across the Irish Sea in the late winter of 1712. However, against all common sense, the party (well, A.J….) decided to adopt him as a flunky after they saved his life from his own crew. -Played by Jeff T (Not available, this time.)

NPCs Present

Grunt: Beatrice's ally, a large pit-bull possessed by a protective "foo" spirit.

Amanda Gagnier: A professional airship crewmember and native of the Orbital Realm of Jupiter, hired as a guide as the Paradise neared the borders of territory controlled by the Nieuw Haarlem company.

b]Hops About[/b]: An enthusiastically lethal nunnupi, a 6-inch tall fairy girl with black wings, pale skin and American Indian features. Currently dressed in the colors of the Unseelie Court, with a bow and knife, she frequently takes the form of a magpie four times the size of a normal bird and can go invisible.

Twirls Thrice: A laconic and lethal nunnupi with a dry sense of humor, also dressed in the cool colors of the Unseelie Court. Apparently the sister of Hops About, she bears similar weapons that can inflict elf-stroke, also appears as a large magpie, and can go invisible.

Dr. Belody "Doc" Bascher -- a local veterinarian for both large and small animals, who frequently fixates on her job and uses 4CSAR as her primary social outlet.

Frank Moses -- A former Marine who quit his job as a trooper with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP). Moses formerly volunteered with 4CSAR and has an interest in Doc Bascher.

##

The Red Rocks Lodge members got a restless night’s sleep at Athelstane’s estate, surrounded by werewolves, as it were. The next morning, the group took an early breakfast, and over tea and scones, A.J. said he’d given some thought to the situation in Avallon.

Given that they still needed to make one more trip out to the gateway to get a couple more air elementals (and perhaps even a fourth, since a second source of power might make good sense on a voyage as long as the one they planned…), they needed to ensure their base of operations would remain secure. Even though Athelstane had taken care of himself most effectively, and even sent what would prove to be a remarkably unpleasant response, A.J. thought the members of the Red Rocks Lodge should deliver a rather more personal response.

With that in mind, the group nipped back through the Gate of Thoth back to 1712 Angevin England, and spent a few days at the townhome there, with its sacred spaces, reworking their spells into a variety of combat suites.

Upon their return to the Elder Isles, the group rested for a day, and then took an early evening riverboat from Maule down the Scarp and then up the the Murmeil Estuary to Avallon, arriving well after darkness had closed the land-side gates for the evening.

The group broke up into pairs and trios so as to escape notice, and worked their way through the back streets to do that very thing, and egressed just before the gate closed. Interestingly, although they kept a sharp eye open for watchers, for the first time in many visits they spotted none.

At about 3 a.m., they rendezvoused in northern Avallon’s Sanctia District, just inside the walls opposite Scornswall, and not far from the Skullduggery Tavern, as the crow flew. A.J. led them into a dark alley that dead-ended on the northern wall, and then had Frank cast a Gate spell.

A.J. stepped through, followed by Beatrice, Henrietta, Steven, Millie, Aurelia and the rest of the group. They found themselves in the parlor room of the tavern, where A.J. and doggy-Steve had held their “friendly” meeting with the man who wanted to know about the breech-loaders.

Steven immediately moved to cover the window and Beatrice went to the door into the main tavern room and listened at the door as A.J. and Aurelia positioned themselves to cover.

As the group of nearly a dozen Red Rocks Lodge mages emerged from the gate, several of them, including A.J. and Beatrice, heard a few voices in the other room.

As Beatrice listened, one of the voices said he thought he had heard something and, amid jeers and ribbing from the others, the former helicopter mechanic heard bootsteps approaching.

Rather than wait to be discovered, Beatrice pushed the door open, charged forward and cut the man in half with a single shot from her 12-gauge shotgun. She continued past the bloody body toward the three shocked men seated at the bar on the north end of the room, followed closely by Grunt, Steven, Millie and Apophis.

Figuring that crew had things well in hand, A.J. and Henrietta moved to the south wall of the parlor room, as Frank and Doc Bascher moved to cover the window to the alley outside, and Aurelia moved to cover the kitchen door in the main room.

The three footpads gracefully leapt over the bar. Two turned at bay, with rapiers drawn, while the third dove for an alarm cord hanging from the ceiling, behind the bar. One man got cut down immediately, but the other two started to put up a fight.

In the other room, Henrietta and A.J. knew from the dimensions of the outside walls of the building that at least one room lay behind the south wall. Henrietta cast a “Glass Wall” spell, and found herself looking into a closet beneath a set of stairs going upward, with the door to the closet opposite.

A pleased A.J. promptly cast, “Create Door” and he and Henrietta walked into the closet. They then listened at the door to the other room and, hearing nothing opened it to see a large, well-appointed office with a large desk and conference table, nice rugs on the floor, polished wooden bookshelves, and elegant paintings.

Back in the pub’s main room, Steven had picked up a rapier and threw into the chest of the thug who had pulled the alarm cord, Beatrice traded thrusts and ripostes, and Millie and Apophis sliced and clawed the guy on the left until he went down. After that, they rolled up the other two, and Beatrice shackled the one battered the least.

By then, Frank saw a younger thug appear in the alley outside the smoked-glass window, apparently drawn by the sound of Beatrice’s shotgun blast, a few moments previously. The former Utah State Trooper drew a bead on the guy with his modern replica Brown Bess musket, while Doc Bascher soft-stepped over to the doorway into the pub and covered the front entrance.

(continued...)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

Back in the office, Henrietta decided not to rush in and, instead, cast Mage Sight and took a look around from the closet doorway. Immediately, the large, hardwood desk on the opposite side of the room lit up as magical.

Seeing nothing between her and the desk, Henrietta cautiously stepped out into the room, followed by an equally careful A.J., and scanned left and right. She saw the stairway to the second floor landed to the right, and the base of it a patch of floor also glowed with magic.

At that point, A.J. and Henrietta stopped for a moment and listened, and A.J. thought he heard a sound from the top of the stairs. Henrietta used her mental link with the rest of the group to call Steven and Aurelia to the room, as A.J. vaulted the bannister to get on the steps without touching the magical part of the floor.

Aurelia followed A.J. over the bannister and up the stairs. Henrietta stayed behind to direct traffic around the magic spot on the floor as the two shooters – A.J. with his crossbow and Aurelia with her longbow, crept up the stairs.

Once the reached the landing at the top of the stairs, A.J. his ear to the door and, despite their efforts to be quiet, heard people in the other room. Noting that the door was locked, he had Aurelia quietly pick it, and then stand ready to open it up.

At his nod, Aurelia flung the door open as he aimed his crossbow through it – to see one man lighting a flask filled with naphtha as a second stood ready with a drawn rapier.

A.J. snap-shotted the would-be grenadier in the face, he dropped the flask and then extinguished the flame with his body as he fell on it. A.J. stepped back to reload his crossbow and Aurelia fast-drew an arrow and shot the second man before he could close.

Once the two men were dead, A.J. and Aurelia moved into what looked like a sitting room at the top of the stairs. An exit to a hallway lay in the northwest corner of the north wall, cater-corner from the entry, and the two moved to look down that direction.

Down below, Steven and Millie arrived in the office and, careful of Henrietta’s warning, tried to avoid the magic spot, also. Apophis effortlessly jumped up the staircase through the bannister, while Millie started to scramble up and over them as Steven decided to swing around the bottom.

As he started to move, the former Marine aviator’s foot slipped he fell to the floor, and he and Millie promptly fell unconscious as the spell went off.

Henrietta decided to not take the time to try to wake them, but instead scrambled over the bannister, herself, to back up A.J. and Aurelia. As she reached the top of the stairs, A.J. and Aurelia started up the next flight, having seen no one in the hallway, or at the stairs on the other end.

As A.J. started up the stairs, he noticed it emerged directly into a room on the third floor, and climbed cautiously. As he poked his eyes above the level of the floor, an arrow came flying at him; a Reverse Missile spell triggered; and one of three defenders grunted as his own arrow hit him in the chest.

AT that point, A.J. decided he’d had enough, and drew his dagger. This immediately triggered about a half-dozen spells in Body Control and Protection & Warning, and the former NASA engineer became faster, stronger, quicker, tougher and harder to hit.

He popped back up, again, and threw the bronze dagger, which triggered the Winged Knife, and the first man got hit, again, but didn’t go down. Henrietta also poked the end of her staff above the edge of the floor and let loose with a Cone of Cold.

At that point, the three defenders realized they faced a competent mage (or, at least, the agent of one) and took off running down the hallway toward a ladder that led to the attic.

A.J. shot one with his crossbow as Henrietta and Aurelia dashed past him. Henrietta, magically boosted also, caught up with one man about halfway down the hall and nailed him with her staff.

As the man stumbled and went down, Aurelia dashed past, vaulted the unconscious body of A.J.’s victim, and shot the third man off the ladder to the attic.

Down below, a perplexed Frank had decided he wanted to know what so fascinated the guy in the alley, so he shot the man through the window and then clambered outside, as Doc Bascher followed him and Beatrice popped out the main entrance door.

Once the made it to the alley, they looked up and saw that at least a half-dozen heavy planks had been dropped from the roof of the building that held the Skullduggery Tavern, across the alley and to the tenement on the other side. It appeared that most of the tenants of the upper floors of the thieves guild establishment were trying to disappear into the warrens of the other large building.

Frank and Doc Bascher, the first to emerge, shot a couple of the fleeing figures on the impromptu walkways. Doc Bascher’s screamed and fell to the pavement with a wet thud, but Frank’s managed to dive across to the other building.

After that, walkways cleared and the group heard shouts from above, followed by the light of flickering flames from several spots.

Alarmed, the three went on overwatch, and waited for someone to show themselves. That happened a couple of second later, when a figure with a flickering wick on a big bottle of naphtha appeared on the edge of the roof across the alley.

As he got ready to throw, Beatrice’s Explosive Lightning Bolt took him in the chest, detonated the incendiary, and lashed several other targets she couldn’t see.

With panicked shouts, the thugs that had made it to the roof of the other building began disappeared down the roof-hatches. The ones who hadn’t ran to the edges of the roof not facing the alley, and began to try to scramble down the three stories by using drain pipes and window-sills and finger and toe holds in the old brick and stonework.

In all, the group wound up capturing six, in addition to the one Beatrice had trussed up in the bar. Of those, two turned out to be mid-level captains in the organization. By then, Beatrice’s lack of subtlety had alerted the wall guards and lanterns started to appear over there.

The group woke up everybody and then decided to hold off until next time to interrogate the prisoners, and so the session ended.

Funny Quotes

A.J.: We took a dog in, last time. That was a better choice than Steve.
Beatrice: Steve’s a little crazy.
A.J.: The dog was definitely better-behaved.

Steve: Do we want to hang spells for stealth, or do we not care if we wake anyone, accidentally?
Beatrice: Oh, it’s not gonna be “accidentally.”

Henrietta: I’m playing Elsa!

[tshiggins]

We held our latest session of Facets a couple of weeks ago, but between work – which has suddenly gotten busier – and remodeling work on my new house, I’ve not had time to do this write-up.

Fortunately, I had some use-or-lose vacation time, so I’m able to knock this one out before the rapidly-approaching next session.

Characters Present

Dr. Henrietta "Indiana" Johnson -- A personable, age 29-and-holding Anthropologist who specializes in the pre-Columbian indigenous people of the American Desert Southwest. A Native of Apache Junction, AZ, "Indiana" is good with people and has been fascinated by American Indian religion and folklore since she was a child. Henrietta speaks Apache fluently, and not-so-secretly wishes archaeology could be more like Raiders of the Lost Ark and less like digging in a trench with a trowel and a toothbrush -- Played by Debbie S.

Dr. Arthur "A.J." Jamison -- a retired NASA scientist with a home in one of Moab's nicer canyon sub-developments, who volunteers for 4CSAR because he needs to do something to get out of the house. -- Played by Anten S.

Aurelia R. Lockrin -- A young woman with a shady past who teaches History at Grand County High School (Home of the Red Devils!), and volunteers for 4CSAR because she's a bit of an adrenalin junkie, and likes the companionship. -- played by Bennie Rae P.

Beatrice "B" Lawrence -- U.S. Army veteran who works for a local air charter service as a helicopter mechanic. A cynic about men, she is accompanied by "Grunt," the biggest, best-trained pit-bull anybody has ever seen (purchased as an ally, and a totally badass dog, even before it was possessed by what appears to be a benign “foo” spirit) -- played by Bernetta W.

Claudia Abigail Tavulari – A former member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, and an old friend of Arthur Jamison’s. The team has been helping Arthur research the portal physics, on the sly. – Played by Tisa T. (Not available this time.)

Stephen Mack, another member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, a former U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, and outdoors enthusiast. – Played by Ragan S. (Not available this time.)

Millicent “Millie” Brown – A member of the Columbine Lodge of Denver, and descendant of the Unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown. Currently an apprentice of the Invisible College of Thoth-Hermes, seconded out to the members of the Red Rocks Lodge. Owner of a large, well-trained Savannah Cat, named Apophis. – Played by Kaitlynn S. (Not available this time.)

Fergus O’Neil – A pirate and rascal who had the misfortune to cross the Red Rocks Lodge, and the worse judgement to try to rob them when they took passage on his ship across the Irish Sea in the late winter of 1712. However, against all common sense, the party (well, A.J….) decided to adopt him as a flunky after they saved his life from his own crew. -Played by Jeff T (Not available, this time.)

NPCs Present

Grunt: Beatrice's ally, a large pit-bull possessed by a protective "foo" spirit.

Amanda Gagnier: A professional airship crewmember and native of the Orbital Realm of Jupiter, hired as a guide as the Paradise neared the borders of territory controlled by the Nieuw Haarlem company.

b]Hops About[/b]: An enthusiastically lethal nunnupi, a 6-inch tall fairy girl with black wings, pale skin and American Indian features. Currently dressed in the colors of the Unseelie Court, with a bow and knife, she frequently takes the form of a magpie four times the size of a normal bird and can go invisible.

Twirls Thrice: A laconic and lethal nunnupi with a dry sense of humor, also dressed in the cool colors of the Unseelie Court. Apparently the sister of Hops About, she bears similar weapons that can inflict elf-stroke, also appears as a large magpie, and can go invisible.

Dr. Belody "Doc" Bascher -- a local veterinarian for both large and small animals, who frequently fixates on her job and uses 4CSAR as her primary social outlet.

Frank Moses -- A former Marine who quit his job as a trooper with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP). Moses formerly volunteered with 4CSAR and has an interest in Doc Bascher.

##

As the session began, Erik “Bumper” Bloyd was having one of the worst days of a life filled with abuse and violence.

Generally, the “Bumper,” which rhymed with “thumper,” which was what he usually did to the heads of those who needed involuntary insertions of common sense, authored said violence and abuse.

However, the sudden appearance of nine-person hardcore hit-team had convincingly demonstrated a magically-enhanced capacity for mayhem the likes of which few had ever seen.

The blood they’d left soaked into the rag rugs of the Scornswall flop, combined with the unexpected disappearance of an entire cutter crew a few weeks before, meant the “Avallon Charitable Aid Society,” had somehow found itself with what disconcertingly felt like a face full of mill-driven saw-blade.

Not that Bumper had much immediate interest in contemplation of unfortunate choices made by upper management. A bunch of mages with the aforementioned talent for mayhem and armed with some serious hardware had his elbows and wrists lashed together behind his back. (Where had the nasty b***h with a dog the size of a pony learned that trick?!)

Now, said female dog-lover had him, along with another half-dozen similarly trussed associate members, frog-marching toward a glowing hole summoned by an unhittable madman with a crossbow the size of a ballista strapped to his back.

Since when did ivory-tower, tea-sipping sorcerers start fielding elite throat-cutters? Especially teams of them that included an old broad his mother’s age wiping somebody’s brains off a six-foot staff; a hooded archer with a bow that smelled of sorcery; a teenage cutie with a disturbingly large cat that kept stopping to lick blood from its paws; and several other hitters who wouldn’t have drawn a second look on the street, and wasn’t that a whole ‘nother sort of worrisome?

It did not bode well for business.

**

The Redrocks Lodge members moved the captives through A.J.’s portal as quickly as possible, so as to clear the area of the assault before the patrol rapidly assembling atop the nearby city wall could move on them.

It opened to a side-trail off the road that disappeared into the thick forest northeast of town the group had passed by on their first trip to town, before they started to book riverboat passages. The road, itself, skirted the trackless swamp between the forest and the River Scarp that wound its way into the estuary of the Murmeil from it’s headwaters up near Athelstane’s estate, outside of Maule.

As such, the group didn’t feel they needed worry unduly about rude interruptions from inquisitive travelers, given that the portal high in the skies above this part of the Pearl Bright Ocean would remain shrouded for hours, yet.

A couple of quick rounds of magically-enhanced interrogation soon revealed that the prisoners questions considered Bumper a superior in the thieves guild hierarchy, and the group led him back into the woods after securing the ankles of the other prisoners.

Once there, Henrietta unlimbered some spells from the Path of Naôth (Communication & Empathy) and settled in for an informative discussion.

She soon learned the thieves and assassins guild in Avallon had a sizeable crew of dues-paying members, but a relatively flat hierarchy. About a dozen or so mid-level “captains” rode herd on (currently) about three dozen street-level earners, and reported to three superiors, each of whom controlled a territory in different parts of town.

Aidan, “the Idler,” controlled the extensive market-places on the west end of town, just inside the walls from the road that led to Wainwright Aeroship Works. The group hadn’t spend much time over there, at all.

Claude, “the Claw” controlled the goods and services brought by – and sought by – sailors down the docks on the south end of town, where the waters of the estuary rolled slowly past.

Finally, “Cracker” Burk controlled the territory inside the Teal Gate on the north end of town, as well as the neighborhoods in an arc around the inside of the walls that stretched to the east.

Those three reported to someone called, “The Shan,” whom nobody had ever seen, but who ruled the guild with an iron gauntlet and kept the boundaries between the territories well-defined and properly respected. The Shan reportedly controlled the territory outside the walls, directly, and took a cut of the action from the three territories, inside.

After a quick palaver, the group decided they didn’t really need to know who this “Shan” might be; they just needed a meeting with anybody who could call off efforts to interfere with their activities.

With that in mind, the group told “Bumper” Bloyd they’d let him go, but to carry a message to the superiors in the guild. The group wanted a meeting so as to come to an accommodation during the brief time they intended to remain in Avallon, so they wouldn’t have to keep killing people who couldn’t mind their own business.

Bloyd (not surprisingly) agreed to carry the message, so the group told him to head down the road toward Avallon. He asked them to loosen his bonds, they laughed at the very notion, and the capo started to trudge down the dirt track toward the road.

A.J. cast another gateway that took them away from the area, and they appeared in a back alley inside the wall of Avallon. They hung around until dawn, and hopped a riverboat back to Maule, and spent a a few days relaxing with Athelstane, bouncing over to their townhouse in 1712 London, and exchanging messages with Capt. Bohannon about their next trip to capture air elementals.

(continued...)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

While there, Athelstane told them recent events had ruffled some feathers in both of the mages’ guild, and even had drawn some attention from concerned clergy – and that’s not attention any mage ever wanted. The guilds had launched some discrete inquiries about the events of the previous evening in an effort to identify the mages responsible, Athelstane said, and either bring them to heel (if fellow members) or ask some pointed questions (if not).

The group asked about the potential for problems from that direction, and Athelstane replied that, if they kept a low profile thereafter, and got on their way within a couple of months, the whole thing would likely blow over. However, if they continued to use flashy, powerful magics in or near the city, the guilds would likely rouse themselves enough to take official notice.

That would create some serious issues – especially since the existence of Cabal lodges, Athelstane’s affiliation with one of them, and the presence of a portal in his stone outbuilding that connected to a dimension in Assiah, was not something he ever wanted any of them to discover.

The group took note of the concern and said that, if all went well, they should be able to conduct the remainder of their business in Avallon quietly, and depart the city for at least a very long time, within a couple of months.

After two days, the group reloaded themselves with combat, healing and movement spells, hopped a riverboat and wound up in Avallon just before noon. They didn’t bother to try to hide their identities and shlepped around the markets and looked at the prices for air elemental binding matrices and other airship gear.

Sure enough, within a few hours, a lovely and well-dressed young woman walked up to A.J., introduced herself as, “Anna,” greeted him as a long-lost friend, and put her hand through his elbow. She said he and his group had been invited to lunch at noon the next day, at the Savory Rose, located in the Opulent Bazaar, over on the west end of town near some extensive docks.

The rest of the group watched in amusement as A.J., without missing a beat, told the young woman he looked forward to the luncheon. Anna expressed delight at the acceptance, bid the group a cheery, “See you tomorrow!” and joined several much less pleasant-looking chaps who promptly disappeared into the crowd.

Given that the “Charitable Association,” had chosen to make non-violent contact, the group decided things were looking up, and they retired to an inn in the Dreodae District, near the Kabouter Market for techne, alchemical substances and automata of all sorts.

The group spent an enjoyable evening and hung around the inn the next morning until time to leave. They didn’t think the guild masters would try anything before the meeting (and they were packing serious combat spells, if that proved to not be the case), so they did the best they could to relax.

The next day, Beatrice, A.J., Steven, Millie, Fergus, and Doc Basher donned disguises with Aurelia’s help, and then headed toward the Opulent Bazaar before mid-morning, after leaving the inn at different times and via different exits. Amanda and Claudia had left earlier in the day to continue work at the Wainwright Aeroship Works, and wouldn’t be a part of the day’s events.

About an hour later, Frank, Henrietta and Aurelia, dressed rather better than usual, began to walk west through town. They wanted to maintain maximum flexibility so they didn’t hire a hackney or a punt, and instead relied on Shank’s mare.

They arrived at the Opulent Bazaar a bit before noon, and found themselves amidst a chaotic cacophony of commerce. The market – partly open-air and partly enclosed, stretched along several hundred yards of the west bank of the wide, deep branch of the U’utham River.

While a number of sizeable wooden docks stretched out into the wide river, much of the docklands consisted of stone wharfs lined with metal cleats. Smaller merchant vessels tied up to them, directly, lowered gangplanks and used barrows and dollies to wheel out goods raised from the holds.

Unlike the larger docks located further east, the wharf off the Opulent Bazaar didn’t use any cranes, so the ships crawled with crews who either passed cargo to stevedores, who then carried them to various places in the marketplace proper, or (in many cases) the sailors piled goods on the wharf and ship officers sold them to customers, directly.

Inside the marketplace, a widely varied selection of stalls and stores sold any number of goods of all types from just about anywhere ships in this part of the Pearl Bright Ocean visited regularly. The merchants and customers included any number of half-faerie halflings, scaly tritons with heads enclosed in bubbling, water-filled glass domes; merfolk with pearls and other goods sitting on the lower wharfs and docks; attractive, dark-eyed and fair-skinned people they recognized as selkies in human form wandering hither and yon; dwarfs and gnomes puttering along in small vehicles or leading clanking automata laden with goods; and scads of university students in long gowns and mortar-board hats canted far back on their heads.
Within a few moments, however, Henrietta and Aurelia noted that some rather less-pleasant individuals who didn’t seem to be enjoying themselves nearly so much had formed a loose net around them. Sure enough, within a few moments, Anna appeared out of the crowd and greeted the trio with a cheerful, “Good morning!”

She steered the group toward the sound end of the bazaar, chattering amiably all the while and pointing out various shops and attractions. Playing along, Henrietta asked about the presence of the students.

Anna replied that the Royal Dhrun University, attended by the scions of some of the empire’s finest families, lay nearby. The Opulent Bazaar was considered a safe haven for the students, she added, and many of the children of noble families spent time between classes, there.

As Henrietta. Frank and Aurelia moved south along the outer edge of the market, they approached a huge, high-walled, old stone structure skirted with bright pavilions. Their escort identified it as the Ceantálaí Auction Hall, which anchored the southern end of the Opulent Bazaar and dealt with valuable artworks and other exotica retrieved from the far reaches of the Pearl Bright Ocean.

She noted the center section of the marketplace specialized in exotic spices, herbs, aromatics and perfumes, while the much more plebian northern end handled livestock – including exotic animals of all sorts. However, the Ceantálaí Auction Hall served as the oldest structure in the market, and had existed so long its solid stone walls had become festooned with any number of shops and taverns that extended out from them.

She steered them toward a section of such structures and, soon enough, they saw a sign that depicted a red rose growing out of a salt-cellar. The escort took them inside and greeted a somewhat stressed maître’d by name, (“Donal! It’s so wonderful to see you!”) as the group took a quick glance around.

They immediately noted Beatrice, Steven and A.J. seated at the bar, chatting (more or less) amiably with a hulking bartender. The rest of the group – Doc Basher, Millie and Fergus – remained outside in the busy market, swapping cool appraisals with several cloaked “shoppers” not buying anything, either.

The chipper Anna pretended to not notice the barflies and asked Henrietta, Aurelia and Frank to follow her toward the back. As they did so, a well-dressed lady of middle years sharply scolded one of the waiters for poor service, and asked about the absence of regular employee.

Glancing around, Aurelia noted the trio at the bar not only chatting with the big bartender who had scarred forearms, but also eyeing the rest of the staff. A second look revealed to Aurelia the team of waiters seemed to consist of strong, wiry individuals doing mediocre work (at best) and trying to maintain superficial politeness toward the well-heeled patrons.

Soon enough, the escort led her, Frank and Henrietta to the door of a private parlor, where two large waiters stood expectantly. At a nod from Anna, one opened the door and ushered them through, and the two men followed them in and closed the door.

The escort remained outside, and she joined Donal at the maitre’d desk. Anna made small talk with the nervous man, complimented the customers, and pointedly did not look over at the bar.

Inside the parlor, the group saw a private room richly paneled with dark wood, and brightly-colored, finely-woven rugs on the floors. The room had no windows but did have a skylight, while whale-oil lanterns brightened the darker corners and gave the room only a faint fishy smell to indicate the top quality of the fuel.

Two men dressed as prosperous merchants waited on the other side of one of the large, polished wooden tables, decked with silverware and fine crystal. They stood up as the trio entered, and greeted the group politely,

The two men introduced themselves as Aidan and Burk, and invited the trio to join them. As the five settled around the table, Burk nodded to one of the waiters, who brought over a basket of bread and a stoneware pot of butter.

The man asked Henrietta if they’d willingly break bread with their hosts and, detecting the hint of a meaningful ritual, the anthropologist agreed. Burk pulled a loaf out of the basket, and broke it into several pieces which he and Aidan buttered and sprinkled with a bit of salt.

They then passed chunks of bread to their guests and bit into their own, as they eyed the group calmly. Henrietta and Aurelia promptly took bites of their bread, as well, followed a beat later by Frank.

(continued...)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

As soon as they’d done so, Aidan gestured at one of the “waiters,” who had relaxed infinitesimally at the breaking of the bread, and he brought over a straw-bottle of wine and presented it to the man for approval.

Aidan gave it a nod and informed the group that the wine was a good vintage of one of his favorites, and said he thought they might enjoy it. The waiter did a middling-fair job of uncorking it and pouring everyone about half a goblet, as Burk recommended the pork loin luncheon.

The group put in their orders and chatted amiably about things they’d enjoyed about the town, politely deflected any inquiries about the nature of their businesses, and learned that Aidan and Burk already knew they’d returned following a successful trip to capture an air elemental.

The luncheon plates piled with steaming food that smelled delightful arrived quite quickly, and the conversation continued amiably enough. Aidan and Burk asked them how long they planned to visit Avallon, and Aurelia replied that, while they’d like to stay longer, they should be able to conclude their business within eight weeks, or so, and then wouldn’t return for quite some time.

However, Aurelia noted, that goal relied on their ability to complete planning and logistics for an extended voyage, with little difficulty or irritating interruptions for reasons that had nothing to do with their business in town.
Aidan and Burk each took a sip of wine and, after a brief pause, noted they considered themselves facilitators as much as anything, and asked if they might be of service?

Henrietta replied the group didn’t need anything in the way of active assistance, but merely wished to complete necessary tasks with few distractions so they could depart sooner, rather than later.

Burk noted that he completely understood the desire and knew of no reason why that should prove problematic. Pleased with the response, Aurelia decided to press, a bit, and ask if they knew any reason why anyone might wish to initiate any delays?

Aidan smoothly replied that, while he knew of no such individual, he felt it inadvisable to make any inquiries along lines that might result in unfortunate misunderstandings between his organization and any respected clients of long standing.

Aurelia agreed about the importance of the need to protect the interests of existing business partners, and added her group had no desire to interfere with any such relationships – so long as Masters Burk and Aidan struck a balance between the interests of old friends and new enterprises.

The two men agreed that such needs created unique challenges, from time to time, but felt they could manage a beneficial balance between old friends and new, in this particular instance.

Henrietta expressed her appreciation for any effort they could make along those lines, and the conversation turned to such important matters as weather (a real concern for a maritime economy), the cellar responsible for the excellent wine, and the potential for a nice crop of apples in the approaching harvest season.

The meeting drew to a close shortly thereafter, and everyone took their leave. Outside, A.J., Beatrice and Steve had noted a subtle shift in the demeanor of the wait staff after one of the parlor waiters had emerged to fetch more wine, and presumed the meeting inside had proceeded nicely.

As soon as the meeting participants emerged from the parlor, Aidan and Burk bid them a good day and departed from a side exit. Aurelia, Henrietta and Frank joined A.J., Beatrice and Steven at the front, where Anna gave them a cheerful farewell and Donal noticeably relaxed.

Outside, Doc Basher, Millie and Fergus had noted the slow disappearance of those they’d been watching and, when the rest of the group came outside, said they assumed the meeting went well.

Henrietta and Aurelia reported on the proceedings and the group concluded they’d likely have little difficulties with the “Charitable Association” directly, as long as they finished fitting out their airship and departed Avallon (more or less) on schedule.

With that, the group spent a couple of hours sampling the unexpected variety of delights at the Opulent Bazaar. A.J. wandered over to the nearby Royal Dhrun University, and noted that some of the names on the buildings (College of Mathematics, Magics and Metaphysics; College of Alchemy and Techne, among others) seemed to indicate intriguing curricula.

At one point, Henrietta quietly cast a spell to detect if anyone had them under observation, and to the surprise of utterly no one, the spell indicated someone did.

Late in the day, the group took a couple of punts back over to the Kabouter Market where Aurelia picked up some arrows she’d ordered and discussed the purchase of a bow with a small, rechargeable magickal engine that cast spells on the arrows.

They then stopped by the docks to talk to Capt. Morgance Bohannon about the upcoming voyage, and then took a late afternoon boat back up the River Scarp to Maule.

With that, the session ended.

##

Funny Quotes

(The group discusses how to intimidate the capo of a hardened bunch of throat-slitters.)
A.J.: I’ve got Henrietta with me, and she’s scary. I’ve got Grunt on the other side of me, and he’s scary, too.
Beatrice: And toothy!

A.J.: I could open up a gate to another dimension.
Beatrice: Oo! We could give them the Long Fall!
A.J.: We could do that.

Beatrice: Grunt’s teeth in somebody’s scrotum isn’t, “beating the s*** out of them.” Besides, I tried to hit one over the head to knock him out, and it didn’t work. It was very unsatisfying.

A.J. (to “Bumper” Bloyd): You will set up that meeting.
Bloyd: I’d be honored!
Aurelia (quite satisfied): You get to live, we get the meeting, and we’re no longer annoyed with you.

(The group discusses the likelihood that Bloyd follows through and takes their offer to his bosses.)
Aurelia: We’re not going to kill him. I think that’s incentive. Don’t we have a tracker spell? This is not a trustworthy group of human beings.
Beatrice: Neither are we.

(Athelstane informs the group they’d drawn the attention of the mages’ guilds.)
Aurelia: Goddammit, Bea!
Beatrice: I don’t live here! I don’t have to join the guild!

Beatrice: I didn’t kill them! The Molotov cocktails blew them up!
Aurelia: This is what is known as, “cognitive dissonance.”

Aurelia: Yay, go Team Sarcasm!

##

[tshiggins]

Well, my home remodeling project is in full swing, so I spend way too much time thinking about that, and demolishing my house, rather than doing these write-ups.

i have one still to write, now that this one is done, before our next session on May 1.

This time around, the group took a break from subtext-rich luncheon meetings and other forms of intrigue, and mostly stuck to violence. ��

Characters Present

Dr. Henrietta "Indiana" Johnson -- A personable, age 29-and-holding Anthropologist who specializes in the pre-Columbian indigenous people of the American Desert Southwest. A Native of Apache Junction, AZ, "Indiana" is good with people and has been fascinated by American Indian religion and folklore since she was a child. Henrietta speaks Apache fluently, and not-so-secretly wishes archaeology could be more like Raiders of the Lost Ark and less like digging in a trench with a trowel and a toothbrush -- Played by Debbie S.

Dr. Arthur "A.J." Jamison -- a retired NASA scientist with a home in one of Moab's nicer canyon sub-developments, who volunteers for 4CSAR because he needs to do something to get out of the house. -- Played by Anten S.

Aurelia R. Lockrin -- A young woman with a shady past who teaches History at Grand County High School (Home of the Red Devils!), and volunteers for 4CSAR because she's a bit of an adrenalin junkie, and likes the companionship. -- played by Bennie Rae P.

Beatrice "B" Lawrence -- U.S. Army veteran who works for a local air charter service as a helicopter mechanic. A cynic about men, she is accompanied by "Grunt," the biggest, best-trained pit-bull anybody has ever seen (purchased as an ally, and a totally badass dog, even before it was possessed by what appears to be a benign “foo” spirit) -- played by Bernetta W.

Claudia Abigail Tavulari – A former member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, and an old friend of Arthur Jamison’s. The team has been helping Arthur research the portal physics, on the sly. – Played by Tisa T. (Not available this time.)

Stephen Mack, another member of the NASA Quantum Physics Research Team, a former U.S. Marine Corps test pilot, and outdoors enthusiast. – Played by Ragan S. (Not available this time.)

Millicent “Millie” Brown – A member of the Columbine Lodge of Denver, and descendant of the Unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown. Currently an apprentice of the Invisible College of Thoth-Hermes, seconded out to the members of the Red Rocks Lodge. Owner of a large, well-trained Savannah Cat, named Apophis. – Played by Kaitlynn S. (Not available this time.)

Fergus O’Neil – A pirate and rascal who had the misfortune to cross the Red Rocks Lodge, and the worse judgement to try to rob them when they took passage on his ship across the Irish Sea in the late winter of 1712. However, against all common sense, the party (well, A.J….) decided to adopt him as a flunky after they saved his life from his own crew. -Played by Jeff T (Not available, this time.)

NPCs Present

Grunt: Beatrice's ally, a large pit-bull possessed by a protective "foo" spirit.

Amanda Gagnier: A professional airship crewmember and native of the Orbital Realm of Jupiter, hired as a guide as the Paradise neared the borders of territory controlled by the Nieuw Haarlem company.

Hops About: An enthusiastically lethal nunnupi, a 6-inch tall fairy girl with black wings, pale skin and American Indian features. Currently dressed in the colors of the Unseelie Court, with a bow and knife, she frequently takes the form of a magpie four times the size of a normal bird and can go invisible.

Twirls Thrice: A laconic and lethal nunnupi with a dry sense of humor, also dressed in the cool colors of the Unseelie Court. Apparently the sister of Hops About, she bears similar weapons that can inflict elf-stroke, also appears as a large magpie, and can go invisible.

Dr. Belody "Doc" Bascher -- a local veterinarian for both large and small animals, who frequently fixates on her job and uses 4CSAR as her primary social outlet.

Frank Moses -- A former Marine who quit his job as a trooper with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP). Moses formerly volunteered with 4CSAR and has an interest in Doc Bascher.

##

Upon their return to Maule, the group returned to 1712 London to prepare for the next voyage to capture air elementals. Soon enough, though, they stood at the foot of the gangplank up to the deck of the Airgead Spraeala, on a cool gray morning, in a steady rain.

Capt. Morgance Bohannan was busy with final preparations, so Dr. Axios welcomed everyone aboard and showed them to their regular cabins beneath the forecastle deck, and the group hurried to get their gear stowed, and get out of the rain and out of the way.

Soon enough, the ship got under way and made its way out of the Murmeil estuary and out into this world’s version of the Cantabrian Gulf, where the wind out of the southwest, across the island of Lyonesse, made it difficult for the Airgead Spraeala to make much headway. However, Bohannan had the crew raise the lateen sails and the ship spent the day tacking, while the members of the Red Rocks Lodge stayed in their cabins.

In the wee hours of the morning the next day, the wind shifted around to the northwest and the the ship began to make real time, but then Bohannan saw clouds start to pile up out to the see and she ordered the crew to reef the sails. The next two days consisted of howling winds and waves with flying foam, and the captain had the sailors drop a sea anchor to keep the bow pointed into the teeth of the gale.

That almost resulted in catastrophe on the fourth day when, without warning and within the space of a couple of hours, the winds shifted around to the southwest and blew almost as hard. However, the skills of Bohannan and her crew proved up to the task (barely) and they got the Airgead Spraeala, to come about in time, dropped the sea anchor again, and spent the next day staring down the mouth of that storm.

After that, the winds of the sulky sea, thwarted in their attempt to render the ship so much flotsam, and the crew and passengers so much fish food, stopped blowing entirely. Four the next three days, the ocean turned as still as glass, with only the occasional puff of wind to tease their hopes.

That did give the crew time to replace a couple of broken spars, repair the rigging and patch some sails, as the spent the next week slowly crawling south to the ocean west of Atlantis. After that, the wind picked up, albeit from the southwest, again, and Bohannan moved the ship closer to the African shore so as to try to take advantage of the breezes blowing to and from the land to their east.

After nearly two weeks, the ship finally luffed its way to the cape at the north end of the great African Gulf and, looking far to the east, the members of the Red Rocks lodge could spy the tiny cluster of cloud that marked the distant portal to the Elemental Plane of Air.

In the wee hours of the morning, the ship began to prepare to come to the easterly heading that would finally allow them to take advantage of the gentle southwest winds. Suddenly, the lookout in the fighting top of the foremast shouted to draw the attention of officers, crew and passengers to the shoreward port side.

Aurelia and Frank had drawn the watch for the Red Rocks lodge, and rushed to the railing along with the crew. They quickly spotted the glow of a large section of disturbed plankton at the surface of the water.

The glow was slowly moving toward them, which meant whatever did the disturbing was coming in their direction, and the azure area seemed quite large.

Bohannan ordered the crew to continue to raise the sails so as to make some headway (and possibly avoid whatever that was), but the calm winds scarcely moved the ship, at all. Meanwhile, Aurelia went in to wake up the rest of the team, just in case, as Frank remained on deck and unslung his replica Brown Bess.

Within about 30 minutes everybody had woken and made it out onto the deck -- just the crew began to relax a bit. The mass had gotten close enough to identify, and one of the bosuns told the passengers the ship would soon find itself amidst a swarm of surface crawling centipedes, called scolopendra.

The bugs moved in great swarms by skimming across the surface, eating plankton, the bosun explains. About the size of footballs and weighing about a pound each, the sailor said, the poisonous mandibles of the big bugs posed a hazard to swimmers.

However, he said scolopendra wouldn’t crawl up the tall sides of the ship -- although they might put a few scratches in the oaken hull as they tried to gnaw on it, a bit. Usually, the bosun continued, ships would just add a bit of sail and move out of the way of the swimming swarm, but the current lack of wind made that problematic, at the current juncture.

Still, he continued, they needed to keep an eye on the approaching mass, because lots of creatures liked to eat the scolopendra, and some of those those could cause difficulties.

Within a few moments, the passengers and crew aboard the Airgead Spraeala found themselves surrounded by a skittering mass, hundreds of yards wide, of huge green and blue centipedes. The darkness and the mass of bugs made it impossible to see below the surface of the water, but the crew kept a sharp eye, regardless.

Sure enough, within a few minutes, several members of the crew, and a couple of party members, half-heard/half-felt impacts to the ship’s hull, deep below. Grunt started to pace along the deck, nose to the teak, ears pricked up in interest.

(continued....)