Campaign: Facets

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

While largely a ranged combatant who specialized in sneaky acquisition of valuables, Aurelia had achieved some proficiency with close combat. So, when Satvari slammed her to the mat within two seconds, the suddenness of it took Aurelia slightly by surprise.

The surprise soon waned as it kept happening, and at one point Aurelia noted that Satvari appeared to hesitate after Aurelia had, “tapped out.” They called it quits for the day, after that, but decided the “work-outs” would become a regular thing.

After a couple of weeks, they invited Steven to join them, as one of the group’s main close-combat specialists. Satvari didn’t do quite as well against the brawny Marine as she’d done against Aurelia, but nonetheless gave as good (or better) than she got, consistently.

It was after one such particularly strenuous bout, when the two women were cleaning up, that a troubled Satvari asked if Aurelia knew how she’d acquired such skills. Remembering that the meghdoot had received life-long training in infiltration and interrogation, Aurelia stuck to the truth as much as she absolutely could, and noted that while she could only guess at the answer the question, the group had noted signs of combat proficiency at the time they’d “rescued” the Lankan woman.

Her physique resembled that of a gymnast or a dancer, Aurelia pointed out, and Satvari was stronger than she appeared. Doc Bascher had noted the presence of leathery callouses on the outside edges of Satvari’s hands and feet.

In addition, Aurelia noted Satvari had the “circle” callous of a practiced sword wielder, around the thumbs and forefingers of both hands, and her body had a number of scars from old wounds, albeit well-healed. All of that, plus the fact that they’d found her alone in a dangerous jungle, told them that Satvari was, at the very least, quite capable of taking care of herself.

Satvari listened quietly to Aurelia as they finished cleaning up the workout area, and then bade the older woman a good afternoon and went back to her quarters to clean up. After that, she wondered into Ten Forward to hydrate and get some food – only to find Twirls Thrice watching her with curious interest.

As she’d been repeatedly advised, Satvari greeted the nunnupi politely, but made no effort to initiate conversation. As such, she found herself a bit flabbergasted when Twirls Thrice casually asked her how she liked her time on the airship, so far.

Satvari replied that she liked it well enough, and that everyone seemed both kind and helpful. She enjoyed working on the airship also, Satvari said, and appreciated the extra time most people made for her, even though she knew they other things to do.

Twirls Thrice seemed to listen with interest, so Satvari decided to take a bit of a chance. She asked if the nunnupi had been around when the group had found her in the jungle.

With an impish grin, Twirls Thrice said she hadn’t been there when they’d found Satvari, but had seen them bring her aboard the Lady McShane. And, of course, Twirls Thrice said, she and Hops About knew about her loss of memory – a problem they might be able to help her with, as a “favor.”

At that, the strands of glossy black hair on the back of Satvari’s neck stood straight up. During the time since she awoke, Satvari had learned about the price that accompanied favors done by faeries, and she was fairly certain she wanted nothing to do with that.

Nonetheless, the young Lankan woman did find herself drawn the possibility that the fae -- renowned for their command of powerful magicks and the ability to bring out hidden talents – might help her get back her memories.

The next day, she casually mentioned the conversation with Aurelia, and asked if she thought the nunnupi might actually be able to help. With studied casualness, Aurelia acknowledge the possibility, but reminded Satvari of the heavy price the entire crew of the airship had to pay, now, because of the last favor they’d accepted.

Under the circumstances, Aurelia said, it might be best to let Doc Bascher continue to try to treat her, and save any such faerie favors as a last resort – if ever done, at all.

Satvari seemed to accept the wisdom of that response and moved on to a discussion about the airship, a change of topic Aurelia found most gratifying. However, alarmed by the whole incident, Aurelia reported the incident to the rest of the crew.

Quite alarmed, the group decided to have Henrietta check Satvari’s aura to see if the mischievous nunnupi had fiddled with anything in Satvari’s mind or soul. So, Henrietta prepped the spell and, later in the day, had a chance to use it when she “ran into” Satvari in Ten Forward.

Fortunately, the only indication of anything unusual was the strong enchantment they’d used on the young woman, and that remained firmly intact. Still, the notion that the nunnupi might be able to unravel the spell, and could prove willing to do so for their own reasons, had to be taken into consideration, now, as the group hadn’t really considered it, before.

After that, the trip proceeded well enough for nearly two weeks. The pilots had long-since sighted the Ice Wall, which rose so vast in front of them that, for a brief instant of surreal disorientation, both A.J and Steven felt as if the nose of the {i]Lady McShane[/i] had suddenly pointed straight down at a vast glacier that stretched out of sight in all directions.

A.J. and Steven kept the Ice Wall off the port-side, far enough away that it only remained just visible through the sometimes icy mists, but yet close enough to use as a navigation aid. The Ice Wall didn’t run exactly parallel, and the sky-high cliffs sometimes extended out in their direction enough they wanted to adjust course, slightly, from time to time.

On one of his watches, Steven noted a movement out of the corner of his left eye and, glancing over quickly, was startled to see a creature out of an ancient painting (or modern anime film) gliding along beside the gondola, just on the other side of the glass.

The kirin dragon-horse acknowledged Steven with a quirk of a feathery eyebrow, and the former Marine Corps pilot heard a greeting, inside his head. In English.

Steven returned the greeting with some surprise, and he and the kirin exchanged pleasantries for a moment. The dragon-horse complimented him on the quality and strength of the airship, for which Steven thanked him, and then the kirin got around to the purpose of his presence.

Given the top quality of the airship, and the knowledge needed to create such a wonder, the kirin asked the reason why Steven had chosen to fly so close to the boundary between the Pearl Bright Ocean and the Iconic Realm of Briah – given that most mortals needed an invitation to visit from someone in the Iconic Realm – or, at the very least, used one of the standard gateways.

Steven hastily informed the dragon-horse that nobody aboard the airship had any intention of trespassing; they just thought to try to skirt past the Great Maelstrom near the wall, rather than risk whatever might be lurking in the mists of Yetzirah on the other edge of the storm.

The kirin responded that Steve’s answer seemed reasonable enough, and spent a few more minutes chatting with him about the airship – where they’d built it, how far they’d traveled, what adventures they’d had, and how they’d captured the air elementals that powered it. Steven decided, based on the reputation of the kirin as honorable beings – plus the notes in the library about the power they wielded – to stick with honesty as the best policy in dealing with this one, and answered the questions truthfully.

Steven’s frank acknowledgement that he came from a technologically-advanced dimension of Assiah, the Material Plane, also intrigued the kirin, who asked about life, there. All in all, the conversation proved quite pleasant, as Steve reported to the rest of the group, later.

Apparently, word of the pleasant and interesting visitor got around, a bit, because a few days later, an Asian dragon – all flowing scales and fluttering feathers – rose up from below outside the gondola window, and greeted Steven.

Once his heart stopped pounding and he was sure he wouldn’t pass out, Steven returned the greeting politely, and then spent much of the next hour chit-chatting with the dragon. By then, the rest of the group had noticed the presence of the vast creature (they couldn’t really miss it…) and had wandered down to the command deck to make its acquaintance.

The kilin dragon wound up flying alongside for more than three hours, before it said it had some other, “responsibilities,” and kited off toward the wall, quickly disappearing into the night.

The next morning, far ahead, the group saw the roiling clouds of the Great Maelstrom, and realized they’d probably been flying through the angle between it and the Ice Wall for at least a few days.

With that, the session ended.

##

(continued...)

[tshiggins]

Funny Quotes
(Not too many, this time. The group engaged in some pretty serious role-playing, and they had only the one short combat.)

(The group discusses whether to spend much time on proto-Honshu, and perhaps visit any of the Japanese.)
Aurelia: Our journey has been on a super holdup for a hot minute. Plus, we don’t really want to deal with another sexist, racist culture!

(The first attempt to wake up Satvari does not go well.)
Aurelia: Could someone who sucks less, do it?

(The group returns from the initiation trip to the Astral Plane of Yetzirah.)
Amon (trying to humor his way past the blinding headache): What does a mage have for breakfast? Whatever he can conjure up! Ow! My head hurts!
Steven: Amon responds to that experience with a dad joke?

(The group checks Satvari’s aura, after she talks to the nunnupi.)
GM: You see the presence of a powerful enchantment.
Aurelia (Eyes grow wide in shock, but then breathes out a sigh of relief.): Oh! That’s us! Our spell.
Henrietta: My heart jumped there for a second, too.
A.J.: You two are hilarious. I knew what it was, immediately.

(The kirin stops by for a friendly chat.)
Steven: I’m not gonna lie to it! It’s talking inside my head!

##

[mburr0003]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

(The kirin stops by for a friendly chat.)
Steven: I’m not gonna lie to it! It’s talking inside my head!

Wiser words have never been spoken.

[tshiggins]

We’ve got our next session coming up, so it’s time to get this write-up done. Lots of traveling, this time, and one really scary encounter.

We also had a new guest player, this time around, so Anten and I wrote up Satvari, the amnesiac meghdoot, to introduce him to GURPS.

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. (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.

Guest NPCs

Amon Kosey – Another native of Aegyptus and a fellow member of the Children of Khemet, he appears as an unremarkable man, but has a hidden talent for deception who can, nonetheless, turn on the charm when needed. With an average face, an average height, and a lack of distinguishing features, he blends in with any crowd and has wandered into just about anywhere, uninvited and frequently unnoticed. -- Played by Pete T.

Satvari Karuna – A once (and perhaps future) skilled Lankan assassin whose memory has been wiped of her brainwashed upbrining, ostensibly so she has the chance to make an ethical, informed choice about who she wishes to be. – Played by Will K.

NPCs Present

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

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 laconically lethal nunnupi with a dry sense of humor, also dressed in the cool colors of the Unseelie Court. 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.

Claudia Abigail “Cat” 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.

##

A.J. and Steven set up watches of eight hours on, four hours off, four hours on, eight hours off, in an effort to stay fresh for the duration of the passage. They hoped to make it through the narrow gap between the Maelstrom and the Ice Wall.

Steven called the group together, briefly, before they entered the edge of the Great Maelstrom, to make sure everybody was ready for what was coming, and they had a clear understanding of responsibilities.

Henrietta and Millie had led the group had successfully researched a couple of spells A.J. had formulated, that would help them with the trip ahead. A large weather shield – big enough to cover the entire airship – would keep the air still inside and would remain centered on the Lady McShane.

(They’d also researched a force shield that would keep any attacker from boarding, if they triggered the spell, in time, and Steven and A.J. had prepped it.)

Once they’d gotten themselves situated, they pointed the nose of the Lady McShane at the slot and the propellors blurred as they pushed the throttles forward.

As soon as the wind-gusts from the Maelstrom began to buffet the airship, Steven triggered the giant Weather Dome spell, and the air in the immediate vicinity of the Lady McShane grew still.

A.J. and Steven steered a course that let them catch glimpses of the Icewall with reasonable frequency, but kept them well away from the vast barrier. They also took advantage of the Pearl Bright Ocean’s unnaturally high atmosphere and rose to about 150 miles, so they had no chance of ever even seeing the vast whirlpool, below.

Once they’d established a heading that seemed to work reasonably well, A.J. left Steven in command of the helm, and the group began regular watch schedules.

Inside the airship envelope, Aurelia and Satvari roamed around and kept an eye on things, even though the Weather Dome seemed to work as A.J. had intended. The two women spent more time getting to know one another, and Satvari explored her acrobatic skills.

For his part, Amon decided to trust the weather dome enough to take his watches up in the center fighting cage, on top of the airship, so he was the first to spot the horror descending upon them, two days into the passage.

At first, Amon wasn’t sure what he was seeing. A section of clouds appeared to swirl in a different pattern than the rest blowing past the weather dome at hurricane speed.

Then, he realized the pattern of clouds actually resembled a whirlwind topped on it side, with the maw gaining on them from the back, unimpeded by the gale-force winds.

Amon immediately sounded the alarm, and shouted a description of what he was seeing. Steven, then on pilot duty, immediately fire-walled the throttles and sounded the general alert.

The rest of the group scrambled for action stations, Beatrice and Grunt down in the gondola at the arbalests; A.J. rushing to assist with the helm; Millie up top to help Amon;Henrietta in, “Ten Forward” to see if they were about to fly into something, and Aurelia and Satvari to the aft fighting position, between the elevators and the rudders.

About the time A.J. reached the helm and took up his position with Steve, Amon had told them the vast maw continued to gain. After a quick discussion, the two pilots decided to go into a dive to try to outrun the threat – or, at least keep it from gaining while they figured out what to do.

That seemed to work, as Amon reported it seemed unable to gain, at least for the present. However, Steven and A.J. knew they needed an actual solution and hoped Millie and Henrietta might recognize the creature from their studies, and figure out what to do.

Soon enough, Millie and Henrietta made it up to the top of the airship so they could get a look at the creature, or being or whatever it was.

It took a moment, but quickly enough the two scholars recognized it as a legendary horror called an “Etherwhorl.” Millie said whatever it swallowed vanished and seldom reappeared, but when it did so, the prey was located at a vast distance – and sometimes even in a different reality.

Realizing they might lose all the progress they’d made toward the Sea of Fate, and wind up lost in time and space, the group struggled to come up with a plan, as A.J. and Steven fought to keep the Lady McShane ahead of the vast creature.

In the meantime, Aurelia reached the aft fighting position, but the creature was so vast it took her several moments to recognize the etherwhorl as something other than just another part of the vast swirling hurricane around them. Once she finally recognized the creature, Aurelia fired a few explosive arrows in its general direction but, as she expected, they did nothing.

Eventually, the group hit on an idea. Given that the creature seemed to have a mind, that meant the sort of mind control magicks they’d used when trapping the air elementals for the binding matrices might work with this thing, also. Fortunately, the group had realized that air elementals might inhabit the Maelstrom, so Beatrice had prepared a suite of the control spells.

With something resembling a plan, the group called down to Beatrice, and told her to join them in the aft fighting cage, and the former aircraft mechanic did so, as quickly as she could. After a moment to gawk in astonishment at the vast swirling maw behind them, Beatrice said she could give idea a try – but she had to get a lot closer to the target.

(continued...)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

During the hunts for the air elementals, Beatrice explained, they’d created a platform up in the sky near the portals to the Elemental Plane of Air, put up the smaller weather domes, and let the air elementals come to their prepared position. However, that didn’t seem practical under the current situation, she said, so that meant they had to let the etherwhorl get close enough to the [i]Lady Mc[Shane /i] that she could try to take control of whatever mind it had.

Once they stopped panicking, the rest of the group realized the plan had to happen as Beatrice described. So, A.J. and Steven slowly pulled the airship out of the dive, took a deep breath, and notched the throttle back.

Sure enough, the etherwhorl began to steadily gain, to the point the outer edge of the huge aperture began to engulf the back of the Weather Dome around the ship. Millie looked deep inside the aperture and, at a distance – past the whirling clouds inside – she saw a vast sphere, pearlescent and polished, suspended in a sea of gray mist that she recognized as the astral plane of Yetzirah.

At that point, the creature had gotten close enough that Beatrice tried to take control.

The first attempt failed, so Henrietta and Millie stepped in to weaken its will and then Henrietta tried up a straight Mind Control. That combination worked, and the beast slowed to a halt.

At that point, they ordered the etherwhorl to head off in another direction, while the Lady McShane made haste to increase the distance, so as to make it as difficult as possible for the creature to find them again, once the spell wore off an hour later.

That seemed to work, as the first hour passed, and then another, and another, with no sign of the etherwhorl. Eventually, the crew relaxed and resumed their normal duty rotations. Several days later, they emerged from the whirling winds of the great Maelstrom, and saw the constellation of Leo in the sky, above and ahead of them.

The group breathed a collective sigh of relief as the airship left the blasting winds behind. A.J. and Steve decided to put some distance between them and the Maelstrom, but just barely keep it in view off the starboard side.

They knew they needed to cross to the far edge of this part of the Pearl Bright Ocean, where the Sea of Fate emerged from Faerie, but weren’t sure of its exact location in the endless sea. They hoped to be able to spot the Reflection of the Moon, the only “landmark” they knew of, as the Sea of Fate supposedly lay past it.

So, they increased the altitude of the airship to about 150 miles and flew out into the Pearl Bright Ocean below the constellation of Leo for several weeks. During that time, Satvari spent a fair amount of time learning what skills she had, and trying to find out anything she could about what the rest of the group mght know.

Eventually, Amon intervened, and worked to convince the amnesiac young woman to focus instead on making the best of her current situation, and working to create a better future for herself. After all, he said, even if her memory returned some day, the choices she made, between now and then, would still matter.

Eventually, Satvari seemed to accept the apparent wisdom of Amon’s advice, and focused on her life aboard the airship. She began to act as Aurelia’s apprentice, and spent her watches in the envelope with the former high school art history teacher.

So, they wiled away the first few weeks, until one evening, on Steve’s watch, he saw a pale silver glow off in the distance, well away from the Maelstrom. Since that was the first sign of anything other than endless waves, the former USMC pilot turned the nose of the airship in that direction. Once A.J. came on watch, at dawn, Steven reported what he’d seen and the two pilots surmised the glow might come from the Reflection of the Moon, which was supposed to lie in the seas below Leo.

The airship flew high above the endless sea for the rest of the day, and as the portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire above this stretch of ocean closed, the glow ahead became more apparent. The maintained their heading for the rest of the night, and by morning the silvery glow unmistakably lay below them, in the ocean ahead.

At that point, the began to drop in altitude, until they flew a few thousand feet above the waves. Far ahead, the glow grew ever brighter, and then they began to see peaks emerge from the distant haze.

As the got closer, the rest of the group gathered in Ten Forward and looked at the glow ahead and soon, they noted the glow came from a shallow part of the sea covered in silvery sand. Soon, everyone but Amon (who had only read about it in the occult library where he spent his time learning magery) recognized the features of the Moon, in the sea below.

Right about then, A.J. and Steven noted movement in the air ahead of them, and slowed the engines. Soon, they saw flying toward them about six aircraft, with blurred wings.

As the strange craft approached, the two pilots recognized them as ornithopters, with thin dragon-fly wings whirring so fast they were barely visible in the evening sky.

The ornithopters swooped in rapidly, far faster than the Lady McShane could hope to evade them, but they took no hostile action as four lined up to flank on either side, and two flew ahead in a clear indication they should follow.

The Red Rocks Lodge crew, plus associates, took their usual positions for general quarters, as A.J. and Steven did as instructed. Within an hour, or so, they flew past he outer rim of the reflection of the moon, and realized the peaks ahead matched the highlands of the Moon of their world, emerging from the Pearl Bright Ocean as tall, improbably slender islands of white stone and sand.

The ornithopters guided them toward a large island not far ahead, and they quickly noted a city perched on the steep sides of an inlet that resembled a fjord. Tall, slender trees with thick canopies of dark blue-green leaves grew on most flat places, in patches of pale earth, and the people had cut terraced farm fields from the cliffs above the city.

As they drew near, Amon noted the white stone buildings resembled the Greek structures with which he was familiar, but rather than the flat architrave (“chief beam”) atop the slender columns, the structures featured beautifully formed arches.

Henrietta, Millie, Aurelia and Beatrice recognized the architectural style immediately and, as they began to approach a large shelf ahead and the flags and symbols came into view, it only confirmed their suspicions.

Rising from plazas ahead, they saw columns bearing the unmistakable eagles, atop the fasces and axes of ancient Rome. Moreover, as they flew toward the landing, Steven and A.J. pulled out their binoculars and saw a group of several hundred soldiers standing in disciplined ranks.

The troops bore weapons that, while unfamiliar in detail, had been designed by people who found similar solutions to the challenges faced by anyone who sought to design capable firearms. The rifles bore the bolt actions that indicated the presence of magazines loaded with cartridge ammunition.

One of their major advantages had just disappeared, on this side of the Great Maelstrom.

With that, the session ended.

##

Funny Quotes

(Satvari tries to engage A.J. in conversation about what he knew of her past, but he rapidly takes his leave.)
Satvari (a bit flabbergasted): He was quite rude to me.
Aurelia: Oh, he’s just like that.

(The maw of the roughly conical Etherwhorl comes toward them, and Steven turns to run as A.J. remembers some classic science fiction.)
A.J.: Aren’t we supposed to fly down through the middle of it, and explode the ship?

(The group discusses using the same tactic with the Etherwhorl as they used with the air elementals.)
Satvari: Sooo, we have air elemental slaves?!
GM: “Slave” is such a harsh word…..

(Aurelia suddenly realizes what’s chasing the airship.)
Aurelia: I have Haste! Can I cast Haste on the airship?! Can I caste Haste on the engines?! This is not my, “I’m joking” face!
Pete (OOC): I want to have a Cecil B. DeMille/Charleton Heston cut-scene. “Begone, foul beast!”

(Steven tries to assure everyone that the plan to deal with the etherwhorl will probably work.)
Aurelia: Are you seriously given us a pep-talk?!
Satvari: I feel inspired.

(The spells render the etherwhorl harmless and the Lady McShane successfully flees.)
Satvari: Your pep-talk worked!

(Amon works conscientiously in the library to increase his magical knowledge.)
Henrietta: You read, I nap.

Aurelia: Steve’s calling meetings now? Well, aren’t we fancy!

##

[tshiggins]

Headed into another session this weekend, and Beatrice’s player will make it for the first time in quite a few sessions.
So, time to get the last one written up so she can get up to speed.

Quite a few of the other players also had scheduling conflicts, so it was a small group, this time.

I also had fun with this one, as I’d put some time into the new alt-Roman society, and the group seemed game to learn a little bit about it. Guest player Will K. also got to test-drive GURPS combat.

This session picked up immediately where the last one left off.

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. (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)

Guest NPCs

Amon Kosey – Another native of Aegyptus and a fellow member of the Children of Khemet, he appears as an unremarkable man, but has a hidden talent for deception who can, nonetheless, turn on the charm when needed. With an average face, an average height, and a lack of distinguishing features, he blends in with any crowd and has wandered into just about anywhere, uninvited and frequently unnoticed. -- Played by Pete T.

Satvari Karuna – A once (and perhaps future) skilled Lankan assassin whose memory has been wiped of her brainwashed upbrining, ostensibly so she has the chance to make an ethical, informed choice about who she wishes to be. – Played by Will K.

NPCs Present

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

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 laconically lethal nunnupi with a dry sense of humor, also dressed in the cool colors of the Unseelie Court. 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.

Claudia Abigail “Cat” 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.

##

A.J. and Steve brought the Lady McShane down to within 30 feet of the ground, not far from the assembled legionnaires, and then Henrietta and Amon lowered themselves down using the lift. Once they’d touched down, the rest of the crew pulled the cage back up and Steve raised the ship up to 100 feet, to give it plenty of space should the wind gust.

As he did so, three officers began to approach and the duo took the opportunity to look them over, carefully. They didn’t recognize the uniforms as anything they’d seen, before (not surprisingly) but did notice some of the heraldry evoked stylized Roman insignia, with plenty of gold fringe and frill on the oldest of the three officers.

From above, A.J. also took a long look through his binoculars at the 200 or so troops assembled behind, and noted an inordinate number of young men no older than about 20, a large contingent of troops in their late 30s and 40s, but very few in the prime service age of the mid-20s to mid-30s. Many of the older men also bore scars that indicated they’d seen combat, as did the three approaching officers.

The older officer greeted them guardedly and Amon triggered the “Borrow Tongues” spell so he could follow along. For her part, Henrietta spoke Latin well enough to follow the words, although it sounded much more “Italian” than she expected and the vowel sounds threw her off for a few moments.

The commanding officer introduced himself as Philo Decimus Voturia, Legatus of the XDIII (43rd) Legion. The officers accompanying him, Centurions Remus Magnus Falerna and Titus Opsidius Galenus each commanded a company of the men behind, and the three of them very much wanted to know where Henrietta and Amon hailed from, and what brought them to Posidonius, the name of the city and the province.

The two frankly acknowledged they’d skirted along the “northern” edge of the Great Maelstrom, near the Icewall, and had subsequently flown nearly two months to reach this part of the sea. After a moment’s hesitation, Henrietta also disclosed they planned to fly to the Sea of Fate, off the coast of Faerie, and had stopped to see the Reflection of the Moon as they’d understood it was on the way and someone might provide some insight about the journey ahead.

They hadn’t really known what to expect in the area, Henrietta added, and said the presence of Romans had come as a surprise.

Voturia reacted with shock at Henrietta’s words, and asked whatever possessed the group to want to travel to the Sea of Fate, as no one who had done so in living memory had ever returned. As far as they knew, Voturia said, anyone who traveled, there, became either prey or playthings to the Fae.

Henrietta said they’d like to know more and had goods to trade for information, so Voturia invited them to his office and promised no harm would come to the airship or the crew, should they decide to land. Henrietta and Amon welcomed the news and passed the invitation along to A.J. and Steven via the communication spells they had triggered.

A.J. and Steven lowered the Lady McShane down, again, as the two centurions hurried back to their men. With a few shouted orders, the legionnaires trotted to the edges of the field, stood their rifles in neat pyramids, and then dashed back bearing four-foot iron stakes with large rings at the top able to take hawsers.

The airship dropped to within 30 feet of the ground again, and A.J. and Steve dropped the tie-downs. It soon became clear the legionnaires had never acted as ground-crews for an airship, before, but they pitched in gamely enough and managed to get stakes pounded in and airship moored with only minor injuries to a few of them.

Once secured, A.J. joined Amon and Henrietta below, and left the rest of the group behind to guard the airship. Voturia left Galenus, the older of the two centurions, in charge of the troops and he and Falerna led the trio toward the rectangular star fortress nearby they’d seen from above.

As they’d landed, the flight of ornithopters had landed nearby, and the lead pilot, Praetor Titus Opsidius Galenus joined them for the short walk back to the fortress, still dressed in his flight suit.

Upon reaching it, they observed that the inside had a layout similar to what they’d seen in history books about permanent Roman legion camps.
https://www.principialegionis.org/im...thill_copy.jpg

They walked through the streets inside the busy fortress and eventually reached the multi-story headquarters building. There, Henrietta noted something she’d not seen in long while. A number of women of various ages sat at desks or walked along the halls – clearly, there to work as something other than camp-followers.

The trio followed Voturia upstairs to his office suite and joined him in a conference room, where he called for refreshments. Once settled in, they had a fairly long conversation about the voyage of the Lady McShane. A.J. and Henrietta stuck to their old cover story about hailing from the colonial lands on the far side of the Atlantean Ocean, nearly a year’s travel beyond the Great Maelstrom.

For his part, Amon acknowledged he’d joined the crew sometime later, and told the Romans he’d come from Alexandria, on the Aegytian shore of this world’s Mediterranean.

(Continued...)

[tshiggins]

(...continued)

That piqued the interest of both the legatus and the centurion, and Voturia and Falera questioned Amon closely about the history of his home. They seemed disconcerted to learn the Ptolomeys ruled his Aegyptus, and that Rome in this place was nothing more than a rather prosperous city-state in Italia.

At the same time, though, the Romans expressed considerable pleasure when they learned the Great Library not only still existed in this world, but held such a vast collection of literature of all sorts.

The conversation then turned to trade, and the Romans seemed interested in the goods available. They also proved quite skeptical of the wisdom of traveling to the Sea of Fate, noting that faeries periodically showed up on Posidonius (and elsewhere in the Reflection of the Moon) and frequently proved problematic.

Under the circumstances, the legatus said, it would be best if the crew of the Lady McShane traded all their goods in Posidonius, since otherwise it would likely wind up on the bottom of the Sea of Fate and no good to anyone.

The group said they’d take Voturia’s warning under advisement, and said they really needed to get back to the ship to check in (they really didn’t, since the communication spells worked just fine…). Voturia agreed that seemed wise, as he needed to meet with the territorial ruler, Consul Marcus Geminius Trenico, anyway.

Voturia said Falerna would act as the liaison with the group, and then departed for his meeting. The centurion offered to accompany the group back to the ship, but they asked for a quick tour of some of the marketplaces, first.

Falerna agreed readily enough, and the ornithopter pilot, Titus Obsidius Galenus, invited himself along, as well.

At that point, Satvari spoke through the communication spell and said she’d like to see the town, as she’d been cooped up on the airship for months. Amon said he’d come to get her, and took his leave from Falerna, Galenus, A.J. and Henrietta, saying he’d return in a bit.

Amon’s departure didn’t seem to concern the two Romans unduly, and the centurion proved willing enough to act as tour guide. He took the group to a large nearby piazza, busy with shoppers moving amongst a multitude of storefronts and kiosks offering a wide variety of goods.

As they wondered amongst the offerings, Henrietta noted something she found quite odd. A number of booths offered stacks of potatoes, as well as maize in both ears and grain kernels.

Curious, the archaeologist, who specialized in Pre-Columbian American Indian cultures of the Desert Southwest of North America, started to look more closely at some of the vegetable carts. Soon, she spotted varieties of squash and beans native to her home reality’s “New World,” traditionally grown in indigenous “Three Sisters” agriculture.

Without wishing to tip off the Romans of her interest, Henrietta casually asked where they got the produce, given the rugged nature of the nearby terrain. Falerna replied that “most of it” grew in the terraced field up the sides of the mountains, and that the conditions in this part of the Pearl Bright Ocean meant they could grow crops year-round.

The answer didn’t quite wash with Henrietta, and she continued to look around as if her attention had moved on to other things. Then, when A.J. had distracted them, for a moment, she triggered an “Aura” spell and barely concealed her surprise.

Just about every scarred veteran, as well as many of the older and more prosperous merchants – easily a hundred people or more in the crowded square – showed “faceting.”

They’d all passed through a portal to a different realm, and were thus capable of casting spells, although Henrietta saw no tell-tale “aertheric knots” to indicate “hung” spells.

Not quite sure what to think about that, Henrietta held her peace as the Romans took her and A.J. into a nearby “taberna” (drinking-place) for refreshments. Amon arrived back at the piazza a few minutes later witjlh Satvari at his side, and joined them there.

The petite, ebony-skinned exotic-looking woman stood out starkly in the crowded marketplace, and drew a lot of stares in the taberna, although no one imposed upon her.

Amon made introductions and by his reaction, the rugged veteran Falerna seemed quite taken by the graceful, dark-eyed Satvari who, of course, noticed immediately and began to flirt a bit, to see where this could go.

Eventually, the talk turned back to the long trip, and Satvari noted they’d been cooped up on the airship for months, and asked the Romans if they knew of a place where she could get some exercise.

Falerna noted that a gymnasium lay not far away, but noted it was frequented by men and boys and said she might not feel comfortable, there.

Unfazed, Satvari asked him to lead them there and Amon decided to accompany her. However, Henrietta and A.J. decided to return to the airship, and Galenus elected to escort them back.

After about a ten-minute walk, Falerna, Amon and Satvari arrived at sizeable building on the edge of town, near the beach, surrounded by a wide swath of white sand. People, all men and boys from their mid-teens to their senior years ran sprints, lifted weights, tumbled and engaged in all sorts of strenuous physical activity.

Amon and Satvari gazed around with interest at all the distressingly healthy exercise going on around them. Amon recalled that many of the cities in Aegyptus had similar places inherited from the Greeks, but Satvari (of course) could not remember ever seeing anything like it.

The trio entered the grounds of the gymnasium, where the strange attire of Amon (he’d adopted the swashbuckler attire of the rest of the group) and the unique appearance of Satvari really stood out.

The arrival of the airship hadn’t gone unnoticed so all the exercisers guessed the origin of the visitors fairly quickly, and the presence of the respected Falerna kept everybody at a polite distance. The trio soon found a fairly empty corner of the sandy area, and Satvari began a series of quite thorough stretches taught to her by Aurelia during the long voyage, and displayed considerable flexibility.

She then went into a series of slow tumbles to warm up, and then began to move more vigorously. A series of punches, low kicks and leg-sweep moves of obvious skill raised eyebrows and drew some murmured comments.

Falerna was one who found himself impressed and, interest piqued, asked Satvari if she’d like a friendly sparring match?

Satvari immediately agreed, and the centurion stripped down to his uniform pants and doffed his boots to stand barefoot in the sands. As he did so, Amon blinked at the number of scars on the man’s torso – some he identified as gunshot wounds, but one a large flower-shaped pattern behind his left shoulder that (when Amon described it later) Steven and Beatrice identified as a blast pattern.

For her part, Satvari sank down into a lotus position for a few moments, closed her eyes and commenced a brief breathing exercise. Then, she rose smoothly to her feet, her eyes two large, dark, still pools.

While she’d done so, Amon worked the crowd and started take bets, eventually locking down about 70 denarii in wagers.

Satvari calmly appraised the scars and burly musculature of the Roman veteran, and compared them to a few marks of cuts and stabs that adorned her own physique, noting they indicated a history of a different sort of violence than her own body displayed.

For his part, Falerna came in low and fast, going for a leg so he could a take-down. However, Satvari flowed away from the move and punched Falerna’s chest hard enough to get his attention.

The centurion went for Satvari’s leg again and the small dark woman punished his temerity with a punch as fast a cobra strike that took him high inside his left arm, and Falerna grunted in pain as the limb went numb and Satvari began to dance around him on the balls of her feet.

Taught respect, the battle-scarred Roman took a moment to watch the gliding steps of the tiny dancer and realized his decision to put her on the ground where his greater weight might give him an edge was probably the right one. However, because that hadn’t worked out so far, Falerna tried a couple of fast punches and a low kick to misdirect her attention, and identified and evaded some feints and attacks Satvari sent back at him.

Then, the centurion went for the leg again, and got his hands on it. Realizing she was about to get dumped, with the large man on top of her, Satvari slashed out with another fast punch to the inside of his elbow, and Falerna’s other arm went limp.

At that point, the centurion (wisely) realized he’d had enough and called it quits. A few of the teens started to catcall the centurion for letting a tiny little woman beat him, only to get their ears boxed and their heads locked by some of the older men who actually understood what they’d just witnessed.

Amon collected up their winnings and asked if the gymnasium had a place for refreshments. Learning that it did, he offered to buy a round for everybody as Satvari got dressed and helped the wincing Falerna don his tunic.

The group headed inside and spent a while chatting back and forth, as Amon learned more about the city. Falerna reassured Satvari that he’d visit a chirurgeon, and after a bit escorted the two of them back to the Lady McShane.

There, the group held a palaver about what they’d learned during the day, and discussed what they should do next.

With that, the session ended.

##

(Continued, dammit...)

[tshiggins]

Funny Quotes
(Not too many this time, as the session featured a fair amount of discovery and exposition.)

A.J.: Do we adopt a strong approach and wind up forced to leave, or do we do that “talking” thing?

(The telepathic chatter gets more busy and less relevant to the immediate events.)
Amon: Focus! Focus!

(Satvari defeats Falerna handily, in a sparring match.)
Falerna: My arms still don’t work well. Perhaps you’d like to massage them for me?
Satvari: No, that’s what you’d have gotten if you’d won.

##

[mburr0003]

Originally Posted by tshiggins

... the rectangular star fortress ...

... the inside was laid out similar to what they’d seen in history books about permanent Roman legion camps.
https://www.principialegionis.org/im...thill_copy.jpg

So it's basically the Fort Union National Monument (star fort) but with a Roman legion inside?

[tshiggins]

Exactly!

I need to fix some typos in that write-up, though.

EDIT: Done. Took me long enough.
We've got a pause, right now, while I take my first real vacation in almost six years.
I'd hoped to squeeze in a session last weekend, but it didn't work out. ��