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resources:adventure:the_river_and_the_sea [2018/11/04 21:11]
sallyo
resources:adventure:the_river_and_the_sea [2020/01/07 22:21] (current)
sallyo
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   * [[user:​nicl:​pc:​sowe_nayoung|Sowe Nayoung]]   * [[user:​nicl:​pc:​sowe_nayoung|Sowe Nayoung]]
-  * Quinn Marshton+  * [[user:​pjcherry:​pc:​quinn_marshston|Quinn Marshston]]
   * [[user:​iain:​pc:​zosime_dracona|Zosime Dracona]]   * [[user:​iain:​pc:​zosime_dracona|Zosime Dracona]]
   * [[user:​am:​pc:​iri_voronaya|Iri Voronaya]]   * [[user:​am:​pc:​iri_voronaya|Iri Voronaya]]
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 ====Chasing Leads==== ====Chasing Leads====
  
-A group of investigators - Commissioner Zosime Draconis, Aspirant Iri Voronaya of the Order of the Rod, Aspirant Doublethink Stingelhelm of the Order of the Shroud, the conflict weaver Florian Dorian Delorian of Rom, and a couple of forest touched by the names of Sowe Nayoung and Quinn Marshton ​- assemble at the law offices of Egmont, Egmont and Eg. There, the Argyris family lawyer, Limula Egmont, explains the situation to them: Spiridon Argyris became afflicted with a severe mystery illness a week ago; his doctors are doing all they can to keep him alive, but his prognosis is not good, especially in light of the fact that the cause of his affliction remains unknown. Owing to the sudden onset of Spiridon'​s affliction, the family suspects foul play. Egmont emphasises that the investigators have been called in for the sole purpose of identifying the culprit and the means of poisoning; they are under no circumstances to interfere with the patient'​s care. Their first point of call should be Spiridon'​s home, where most of the family are assembled.+A group of investigators - Commissioner Zosime Draconis, Aspirant Iri Voronaya of the Order of the Rod, Aspirant Doublethink Stingelhelm of the Order of the Shroud, the conflict weaver Florian Dorian Delorian of Rom, and a couple of forest touched by the names of Sowe Nayoung and Quinn Marshston ​- assemble at the law offices of Egmont, Egmont and Eg. There, the Argyris family lawyer, Limula Egmont, explains the situation to them: Spiridon Argyris became afflicted with a severe mystery illness a week ago; his doctors are doing all they can to keep him alive, but his prognosis is not good, especially in light of the fact that the cause of his affliction remains unknown. Owing to the sudden onset of Spiridon'​s affliction, the family suspects foul play. Egmont emphasises that the investigators have been called in for the sole purpose of identifying the culprit and the means of poisoning; they are under no circumstances to interfere with the patient'​s care. Their first point of call should be Spiridon'​s home, where most of the family are assembled.
  
 On their way, our heroes run into a group of drunkards who are entertaining a variety of paranoid and rather Erroneous conspiracy theories. Speculating that they’ll all be murdered in their beds by foreign agents, the drunkards acquire an air of nihilistic bravura, proposing vigilante justice against anyone who looks suspicious... such as the adventuring party, for example. A scuffle ensues, but our heroes quickly emerge triumphant, releasing their defeated foes into the care of the city guard before heading to Spiridon'​s home. On their way, our heroes run into a group of drunkards who are entertaining a variety of paranoid and rather Erroneous conspiracy theories. Speculating that they’ll all be murdered in their beds by foreign agents, the drunkards acquire an air of nihilistic bravura, proposing vigilante justice against anyone who looks suspicious... such as the adventuring party, for example. A scuffle ensues, but our heroes quickly emerge triumphant, releasing their defeated foes into the care of the city guard before heading to Spiridon'​s home.
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 ====The Lighthouse==== ====The Lighthouse====
 +
 +Erosion! The party falls for some time before landing unexpectedly softly. As their eyes adjust to the darkness, they see a flat plane spreading out all around them and skeletal figures lying in the mud nearby. They stagger to their feet... and so do the Erosion denizens. Congratulating the party on their good fortune in coming to see them, the skeletons offer sympathy for the burden of the flesh they’re laboring under, and offer to help liberate them from such shackles. They don't take no for an answer.
 +
 +Our heroes, however, are rather attached to their flesh, and fight with a ferocity borne of desperation,​ performing a percussive lullaby to return the bleached bones to their benthic slumber. And then, indifferent to any such poetic rendering of the situation, they start walking.
 +
 +Passing across the plain, the party comes to the ruins of an ancient city, somewhat reminiscent of Rastaban. It stretches out across the plain, which turns out to be a shelf overhanging a deep abyss below. Part of the city is built under this overhang, suspended like a chandelier over the void. They see a lighthouse tower, an inverted one, upside down on the underside of the overhang, its tip lost in the darkness below.
 +
 +It is possible that this city was circular once, prior to whatever event caused it to curl itself under the overhang like a Daliesque clock. While most of its structures have crumbled, its walls persist - seven concentric rings of walls that divide the inner districts from the outer ones, giving the whole city an onion-like morphology.
 +
 +Reaching the first of these walls, they come to a gate - closed - with a stone grotesque perched atop it. It soon becomes apparent that this grotesque can speak... but it only seems interested in remembering the words of the first quatrain of a song it heard long ago, from the mouth of a minstrel passing through the city towards the tower at its centre. Using their intuition along with fragments of verse whispered by giant spider crabs that assail them on the way, our heroes manage to reconstruct the quatrain... and the grotesque smiles as the gate it guards crumbles to dust before them.
 +
 +They run deeper into the city, pursued by crabs, and come across a second gate with a second grotesque, which has forgotten the second quatrain of the same song - and for a second time, they complete the verse to cause the whole structure to crumble. This continues for five more gates, after which they have successfully reconstructed the entire song (transcribed at the bottom of this page) and reached the tower at the centre of the city, the great inverted lighthouse that hangs like a stalactite above the abyss below.
 +
 +Clambering over debris and lowering themselves through a hatch that would surely have had no reason to exist back before the lighthouse turned upside-down,​ they find themselves inside an elevator whose mechnanism is - quite inexplicably - fully functional. Pulling a lever, they feel the elevator begin its descent, lowering them - and the rotating light of the lighthouse - into the abyss. As they plunge ever deeper, indistinct but horrifying forms slide past them in the darkness. The creatures shrink from the light; Quinn Marshston, who manages to stay within the rotating beam, survives the descent largely unscathed... but one by one, her companions succumb to the darkness.
 +
 +At last, the elevator comes to a halt with a clank. The beam is now projected onto the wall of the cliff behind them, casting Quinn'​s shadow across the rocks, greatly magnified.
 +
 +Once they’ve reached the extremity of their descent, the beam will be projected onto the wall of the cliff behind them, casting their shadows widely across the rocks. And - far away, out in the infinite darkness - something truly gargantuan is moving. Sagirah'​s words from earlier seem to tremble across the vastness: //the greater denizens of deep Erosion rarely even notice creatures as small as humans// - but Quinn'​s projected shadow is seemingly large enough to attract the attention of this leviathan.
 +
 +But Quinn Marshston is not left to face the monster alone - at her feet, her fellow investigators lie unconscious. Quinn revives them. Florian, Iri, Zosime and Sowe feel colder and tireder than ever before; Quinn Alders, meanwhile, has heard a voice in her sleep.
 +
 +The deep denizen that is now drawn to the light truly is enormous (although it does, once given the chance, tell them that it avoids venturing too much deeper for fear of the much larger monsters that dwell below). It is far, far too vast for our heroes to perceive its full expanse, and it seems to grow fractally - from out of the gloom, a massive snake-like neck extends towards them, covered in eyes like proverbial dinner plates, and with a mouth full of needle-like teeth. From this mouth, more snake-like necks protrude, with more glassy eyes and huge mouths, from which... you get the idea.
 +
 +//​Lakhesis//​.
 +
 +Lakhesis is //​interested//​ in its small visitors. Why have they shown themselves within its domain?
 +
 +Plucking up the courage to ask the monster about Spiridon Argyris, they see his image appear in Lakhesis’s eyes. Lakhesis explains that its vision is keen enough to detect the thread of his life, as well as the threads of Erosion that connect to it... although Lakhesis doesn’t feel that there is a meaningful distinction between the stream of a person’s existence and the tributaries of Erosion that feed into it - for Lakhesis, life //is// the experience of dying. However, Lakhesis does express... //​surprise//​ when it notices a certain thread, and confirms that, no, that’s not //fair//. Someone is //​cheating//​.
 +
 +Observing Lakhesis'​s annoyance at this, our heroes quickly strike a deal with the creature: Lakhesis will use its death-sight to help guide them to the villain who is messing with Spiridon'​s stream of existence. It provides them with an extrusion of itself - only a fraction of its total being - that can manifest in Rastaban (it extends one of its smaller necks - still the size of a small whale - towards them). This head, it explains, will accompany them as something akin to a familiar. Once away from Erosion, they won’t be able to see anything of it but one of its eyes, which will indicate the way forwards. Together with Zosime'​s bloodhound snout, they ought now to be able to track Vollux down.
 +
 +No sooner have they concluded their negotiations than they feel the now familiar pull of a ritual acting upon them, tearing them away from Erosion and back once more to Rastaban.
  
 ====The Constant Companion==== ====The Constant Companion====
 +
 +Aided by the Eye of Lakhesis, the party finds their way down through the cellar of an inn not far from Vollux’s house, through a disguised hatch leading to a hidden second basement, and from there into a network of tunnels beneath Rom. This section of passages is clearly of artificial origin - our heroes walk through stone arches and down flights of steps until, ah! - they find the way ahead flooded... with ichor-polluted water! All is not lost, however - someone has helpfully provided a bell on a pole, not far from the water’s edge.
 +
 +They ring the bell. For a moment, all is still, but then a dark shape comes gliding towards them across the surface of the water. As it draws near, it is revealed to be a huge black swan - heavily mutated with the apparent aim of converting it into a living swan boat, flat-backed and passive. Wicked hooks have been driven into its back, anchor-points for ropes that have presumably been provided so that passengers can secure themselves to the creature during the journey -
 +
 +- which begins gently enough, but soon accelerates into a desperate rapids-ride through the flooded tunnels. Florian takes the prow, concentrating on beating the swan about the head and neck to steer it safely between stone columns and under low arches; the others do their best to fight back swarms of ichor-mutated rats that are now gamefully leaping aboard the boat. The rats are persistent, and it is no easy feat to defend Florian and occasionally rescue one another from the dark waters, all while ducking under each arch they pass. At last, much the worse for wear, they traverse a large underground lake, finally fetching up on the far shore. Ahead, through another ancient archway, they see a light flickering.
 +
 +Our heroes head towards the light, which turns out to be shining from a single lantern at the centre of a large chamber. On one side of the room, crates and papers have been haphazardly thrown by someone clearly unacquainted with the most basic principles of housekeeping. Most of the floor is covered in arcane symbols - and there, standing at the far side of the room and wearing an expression of intense concentration,​ is -
 +
 +- eww. Councellor Apprentice Vollux looks like death warmed up in an acid bath; his body has been //​horribly//​ ravaged by Erosion. Confronted by our intrepid investigators,​ he admits that he is indeed responsible for manipulating the flow of Spiridon Argyris’s stream of life... but wait - this isn’t what it looks like! He spent weeks in Argyris’s company, during which the two of them grew closer. They, well, they fell in love. Spiridon'​s passion for his work was one of the things that had drawn Vollux to him - but it was also the cause of friction between them. Spiridon had focussed on the project to the exclusion of all else, including his health; Vollux had told him to take better care of himself - they'd had rows over it. So when, in the middle of a planning meeting, Vollux saw Argyris succumb to a heart attack and felt the boundless sea of Erosion open up in that room, ready to claim the stream of his beloved'​s life, he acted on impulse.
 +
 +As Magister Audata’s apprentice, Vollux explains, he has some experience in Erosion Binding, an art that is little-known in Rastaban. He was able to harness this power in that moment - Spiridon should have died, but //no// - Vollux is holding back the sea, redirecting the waves of Erosion onto himself. If anything should disrupt the ritual, Spiridon will die in an instant - but Vollux may be able to save Spiridon at the cost of his own life, if those present will only assist him....
 +
 +At this point, fed by the high concentration of Erosion in the chamber, the extrusion of Lakhesis that the party has been carrying with them - previously only visible as a single eye - is now able to manifest. Lakhesis accuses Vollux of extreme folly: you can’t hold back the sea, and this love he feels for Spiridon is misdirected - he is only causing him to suffer by cutting him off from Erosion. He's not keeping him alive; he's //denying// him life, which is the experience of dying. The river and the sea are the same.
 +
 +Lakhesis advances upon Vollux, mouth gaping wide, provoking the party to make a decision. Will they stand in the way of Erosion as it comes to claim its own? After some deliberation (Quinn Alders has particular reason to feel conflicted),​ our heroes resolve to stand between Vollux and Lakhesis. The Erosion denizen is relatively weak here - the extrusion it has been able to project is only a tiny part of the whole - but still it puts up a vicious fight, extending its maw to feed upon the lives of its foes for strength. Still, our heroes are determined, and at last - after a long and bloody fight - the monster retreats, hissing a single word at its tormentors: "//​EMNITY//"​....
 +
  
 ===== Debrief ===== ===== Debrief =====
 +
 +  * Lakhesis defeated, our investigators finally get a chance to quiz Vollux;
 +  * Zosime and Iri discover that an ex-Commissioner friend of Vollux made the swan... but Vollux won't reveal their identity, insisting that he promised to keep it a secret;
 +  * Vollux reiterates the choice on the table: they can interfere with his work and cause the death of their employer, or they can help him to save Spiridon at the cost of his own life;
 +  * Against Vollux'​s better judgement, Florian and Quinn Alders decide to try for a 'third way', hoping to save both of them:
 +    * Quinn Alders destabilises the tunnels to power the binding ritual;
 +    * They gain a sense of the strand of Erosion connecting Spiridon and Vollux - it's like a writhing snake, or a river that keeps changing its course incredibly fast;
 +    * Florian enters a berserker state to destroy one end of the stream, while his comrades cut the other end;
 +    * They are able to detect the Erosion stream lashing out in all directions as it runs dry;
 +    * Vollux falls exhausted, and there'​s an ominous rumble from overhead - but it seems like the ritual has worked....
 +  * The swan hisses urgently, as the tunnels Quinn Alders destabilised begin to collapse around them;
 +  * They take the getaway swan, carrying an unconscious Vollux with them.
 +
 +  * Back at the Argyris estate, Spiridon is sitting up and seems much better;
 +  * He and Egmont are hugely impressed with the investigators;​
 +  * Silas is pissed, while Coralia seems relieved;
 +  * Iri gives everyone Rod paladin feedback forms to fill in.
 +
 +  * Zosime takes the swan to the Commission;
 +  * She is unfazed to discover her father in a hot tub with another high-ranking commissioner;​
 +  * Master Commissioner Draconis is delighted with the "​bloody big duck", using it to accessorise the hot tub;
 +  * Vollux, who continues to refuse to reveal the identity of his rogue ichorwerker friend, gets Taken Away.
 +
 +  * The Forest Touched get a debrief and (in Sowe's case) a talking to from Averick;
 +  * Sowe is warned and the arm tagged. She is asked to report back if anything changes with it;
 +  * Quinn Marshton is thanked for preventing things from going too badly wrong;
 +  * Averick suggests that she speak with Marius and Heston, and to Jeremiah Stinglehelm and King Crescentius,​ about '​cures'​ for Forest touched.
 +
 +  * Doublethink goes on a date with Blimkins the butler;
 +  * It goes well;
 +  * Blimkins momentarily pings as a Shroud Paladin, just so that Doublethink can notice.
 +
 +  * Later, our heroes hear some troubling news. At about the time that the ritual went off, over forty people - most of them sick or elderly - died, including Zara, a much respected dowager of House Rom. 
  
 ===== Consequences ===== ===== Consequences =====
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   * Gains the 'Crab Claw' mutation. This claw can exert considerable pressure on a small area, snipping through chains or fingers   * Gains the 'Crab Claw' mutation. This claw can exert considerable pressure on a small area, snipping through chains or fingers
  
-====Quinn ​Marshton====+====Quinn ​Marshston====
  
   * Gains 3 Favour   * Gains 3 Favour
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 >It bears his name forever more. >It bears his name forever more.
  
-{{tag>"​the river and the sea" adventure}}+{{tag>"​the river and the sea" adventure ​sowe_nayoung quinn_marshston zosime_dracona iri_voronaya doublethink_stingelhelm quinn_alders erosion lakhesis}}
resources/adventure/the_river_and_the_sea.1541365869.txt.gz · Last modified: 2018/11/04 21:11 by sallyo