Posts From a Long Winded Gamer

Sunreach 6th-Play resumes-Light rain at night, pleasant weather, gentle breeze
Immersion, Dripping sound

Scene #19 (Positive Alteration):
Having recovered from our injuries, Halgrimm, Njora and I head back down to the docks and hire Istvar’s boat to take us back to the vault for the third time. After exchanging coins for our passage, I am distracted by the sound of each coin, falling slowly into the man’s purse, clink, clink, clink. He smiles at me, and somehow, I am unnerved for reasons I do not understand. Then I feel Njora’s hand on my shoulder, and she whispers in my ear, “Today, we triumph”.

I smile at her as Halgrimm settles in on the boat near Istvar’s son. “So, Istvar, have you ferried anyone else over there since you retrieved us?”

Q: Has another group gone over since then? EXCEPTIONAL NO
He shakes his head, “No. Most warriors have gone north, and those who remain are cowards at heart. Plus, there are the bells.”

Q: Do the bells still sound? YES Q: Constant? YES E: Ambiguous Significance: the Blocking of Trials
I strain my ears, and hear the sound of the bells carrying softly across the water. “Are they continuous?” Istvar nods, but as we are about to push off, one of the king’s men approaches us.

“You aren’t heading to the sea cave are you? His majesty has ordered none may approach,” the office commands.

Hjalgrimm bristles at his pronouncement, but Njora speaks up “We serve Kaedra, the King’s own sister. It is her command that sends us.”

Q: Does the guard stand down? YES
“The god touched witch?” He shifts nervously, “Carry on” He backs away as Istvar chuckles and pushes off from the dock.

A few minutes later, we enter the cave, and we can hear the bells sounding from deep within. “What are they?” Hjalgrimm scowls as the three of us disembark. Njora carries her lantern while Hjalgrimm and I are arrayed for battle.

“The lords of the dead, no doubt,” I reply, tersely as I lead the way into the gloom.

-Encounter check-Yes!- Wow! Right off the bat!-Wretched Dead, rolled 1 showed up-Q: armed? YES

As we move forward, I see a lone figure standing up ahead of us, a man with a spear. Then I realize that his short gaunt figure is clad in ancient rags, and his skin has fallen away. The eerie green glow in his eyes flares up as it shambles towards me.

I plant my feet firmly and wait for it to close as I take aim with my axe, then throw! The axe flies past as the figure suddenly jerks our to of the way.

It rushes at me, but I step back out of reach of its spear as it charges. Then Halgrimm lets his axe fly, and it splits the thing’s skull. The light flashed from its eyes and it crumples to the ground.

Halgrimm and I retrieve our axes and press forward. “Friendly place,” I mutter.

We press forward, and soon arrive at where Halgrimm was wounded by the demon. The skeletal remains of our other foes litter the ground, but there is no sign of the thing that nearly took his leg off. Halgrimm scowls, “We killed it, right? Where’s the corpse?” I shake my head, and Njora starts looking around.

“Officer’s quarters,” she announces entering a side room. I am soon at her side, inspecting the ancient beds and old trunks at their feet. We recover some coins and some sort of captain’s badge. Hjalgrimm takes it and fixes it to his cloak. He also finds a bag filled with mail links that could be used to repair damaged armor. In a nearby room, Njora finds two skeleton’s shackled to a wall. One has a silver bracelet upon its wrist, which she takes, fascinated by the ornate design, and on a nearby desk, she finds a blood stained piece of parchment, “Notes,” she mutters, examining the strange writing. She carefully folds it and puts it in her pack.

There are various implements of torture, ancient shields, old weapons, things warped or rusted from age. Useful but not particularly worth taking with us.

-Immersion-Enemy and I fistbump!-
Scene #20:
As we press onward, the sound of the bells grows louder, and we come to a great hallway, where there are several side passages to the left and one to the right, plus some ancient water fonts as well. We see nothing moving up ahead.

As we press onward, Hjalgrimm jumps onto the platform where the first water font stands

Q: Is there water within? EXCEPTIONAL NO

“Dry as a bone,” he comments, looking down. He looks at the font that once spilled water into the basin, “spiderwebs. Nothing has flowed here, perhaps in centuries.”

-Religion-Pass 5-
Looking into the first side passage, Njora suggests, “A purification room,” she gestures towards the large pool and the large vases surrounding it. “In the Aurelian Sanctified Church, before one enters the temple, one must wash away all dirt, and leave behind one’s worldly garment, anoint oneself with oils in accordance with ones station before entering the presence of the gods. This must be part of a temple.”

-Religion pass 8-
I follow her inside, “But who was worshipped here?” I ask.

She smiles, “The Fallen Gods, those born of the first flame, and whose names are mostly forgotten. But also, those we know, Haleon and Eldros were honored even then. But what they were called then, I cannot say.” She shrugs as she stands at the edge of the bathing pool.

Q: Is there water within it? EXCEPTIONAL NO
Her smile fades as she looks down into the empty pool. Hjalgrimm jokes, “You weren’t thinking of taking a bath were you?”

Q: Is she embarassed? NO
She shakes her head, “Perhaps. One does not seek to offend the gods when they expect reverence.”

Hjalgrimm scoffs, “If the gods were here, why are demons lurking in the shadows?”

Q: Oil all gone? EXCEPTIONAL YES
I examine the oil vats, dry as well.

The next side passage opens in to a room with rows and racks of ancient garments sized for people about a foot shorter than us, but a little broader in the shoulder, similar to the frames of the undead we’ve met here so far. “Ceremonial robes,” Njora states. She points to towards the empty racks and shelves opposite, “One’s normal clothing is placed there, and new robes are worn into the temple.”

“So you get naked here, walk next door and take a bath, then come back here and put on a robe? Seems reasonable,” Hjalgrimm laughs.

Q: Is Njora amused? YES Q: Are any robes in usable condition? NO
Njora grins even as I elbow him with a warning to be respectful, “It does seem strange,” she admits, “but they might view our worship as strange as well.”

Threadbare and moth eaten, or simply brittle with age, there is nothing among the ancient, oddly cut robes to make them worth taking with us.

Then we come to the intersection, a passage north, and one to the south. Njora points north, where the great hallway is lined with pillars and a mosaics carved into the wall, “The altar and shrine will be that way.” She looks south, “I’m not sure about that direction.”

Q: Do the bells sound from the north? YES
“Well, we need to silence these bells,” I remark and start walking up the ramp towards the shrine.

Njora shakes her head uncertainly, “Perhaps, but maybe not.”

Hjalgrimm scoffs and follows me up.

As we draw closer, we can barely hear our own footsteps, much less talk over the sound. Njora’s lantern reveals ancient reliefs along the wall, carved imagery of the dawn of creation and the war between the gods and demons, depictions of elves, dwarves and dragons from the age before man.

Q: Are the braziers lit? EXCEPTIONAL YES Q: Is it a green glow? EXCEPTIONAL YES
And what was a strange green glow from the top of the ramp, becomes a blaze of emerald light as we step into a great temple.

-Immersion, sticky feeling on skin-
Scene #21 (Positive Alteration):
We step into the emerald glow of the ancient temply. Ahead, a great statue stands of a dwarven warrior with hammer upraised. On the far walls stand two other statues, holding great bells that ring ceaselessly. Great braziers lit with a green flame shine forth where ancient worshippers once offered forgotten prayers. Suddenly, the light engulfs Njora, her eyes roll back, and she begins speaking in a strange tongue.

Q: Does she collapse to the ground? NO Q: Does she respond? NO Q: Do the bells fall silent? EXCEPTIONAL NO
As Njora stands there, speaking, I drop my axe and grab her arm, “Snap out of it!”

Hjalgrimm looks around nervously, “The bells? Silence the bells?” But the bells clang more loudly, and at a faster pace as strange words fall from Njora’s lips.

“Watch the hallway!” I common Hjallgrim as I release Njora and reclaim my axe. I look around warily and then rush towards one of the bell ringers.

Q: Am I wracked with pain? YES -Willpower pass 5-
I push forward, though my ears start to bleed and I become unable to hear anything other than the bells.

I raise my axe, and remember Kaedra’s words, “discern when to restrain yourselves”. I drop my axe and shield, and prostrate myself before the bell ringer.

Three fold prophecy:
Njora will seek and discover hidden knowledge, finding the truth where it is unexpected.
Ivarn, the path forward is marked by pain, but it must be endured in spite of the obstacles.
Both of you will be tempted towards violence when that is not the answer, and you must discern when to restrain yourselves.

Q: Does the bell fall silent? YES Q: Does Njora continue chanting? YES
The bells fall silent, and I turn around, and see Njora standing, bathed in a green glow, chanting in a strange tongue that I cannot hear, but her lips move as a green light seems to emanate from her as well.

I shoulder my shield and belt my axe then walk towards her, “Njora! Njora, listen to me!” I plead.

-No Encounter-
“Be still!” I look from her to the great statue of the dwarf with the raised hammer.

Q: Is it Eldros? NO Q: Haleon? NO Q: Veyra? NO

Hjalgrimm paces back and forth, “Stop her!” he demands, “She’s under a curse!”

I look from the statue of the ancient god to young acolyte, and then back again.

Q: Do I see where to place the slates? YES E: Ambiguous Significance: the Release of a Disruption
I see upon the altar, six slots about the size of the stone slates we have found. I pull Njora’s pack from her, she does not notice.

Q: Does this release her? NO Q: amplify the exchange? NO Q: Reduce it? YES E: Resolution of ‘The Black Moon appeared over Dhezmarran’: the Killing of the Military

I then place each of the four slates we have found upon the altar, and Njora’s voice begins to fade as her chanting grows less urgent as each slate finds its place.

“We need to find the other two!” I urge Hjalgrimm. He objects that we cannot leave her here unprotected, but I warn that we cannot remove her without risking her harm.

We head out of the temple, leaving her behind.