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Vaelorys Vault

Session 17 Prep

Set Expectations

Section titled “Set Expectations”

Set the expectations for the session and communicate any above table information FIRST before starting the session…

  • We’ll replay the end of last session a little to refresh everyone a bit more naturally - cos last session ended a bit chaotically
  • Happy birthday Emily!!! Happy Tableversary!
  • Haven’t had time to do birthday validations - I think it should work but need to make sure I don’t end up carelessly forcing retcons later.
  • This session will probably contain a lot of RP moments and lore drops - as well as kick-off a “downtime arc” where y’all will get some time to control your actions over multiple days without having to RP every single detail.
    • The exact number of in-game days of downtime will depend on how engaged everyone is - so if you want to maximise your downtime; it’s time to get creative and think of things to do.
    • There are character story beats available to most of you as well - if you’re not sure how to go about a task, ask above table and we’ll work out what gets you on that path the best.
    • There is an optional main quest that can be offered to you all for resources and clout at the end of the downtime section.
  • We might not get through all the downtime today - if not we’ll continue that next session

Recap & Re-Familiarize

Section titled “Recap & Re-Familiarize”

Recap the previous session events with brevity, then reintroduce them to the world. MUSIC

Last we left off… you each made your way deeper into what you now presume is the Monarch Of Madness’ research lab - or something adjacent to that. You overcame illusions and uncovered some loose research notes of Alexander Tryst as well as a note that resisted comprehension.

You continued on and found a truly gigantic chamber with a large Arcane contraption in the centre of the room, as well an extensive tunnel system on the other side of the lower walls. Inside the room you found the last of the missing bar staff - Brannan - unconscious in a holding cell built into the walls of the chamber. Graxious and Jin explored the tunnels whilst the rest of you tried to rescue Brannan and investigate for any clues in the room. Brannan warned you against picking the lock - out of fear of alerting the Monarch Of Madness.

Graxious and Jin followed one of the tunnels - much more crudely made than the others - for a fair distance before catching the echoes of heavy footsteps approaching them. They retreated carefully to warn the rest of your troupe of the presumed incoming threat. A few minutes later - a man who looked like an older yet more muscular version of Alexander Tryst entered the room - before blinking inside the contraption in the middle of room.

Despite your best attempts to hide - you were eventually discovered by the man who welcomed you to his lair and introduced you to Dresk Haol - a malformed Drow face fused into the flesh of his abdomen. Alexander Tryst then revealed his trump card and forcibly separated himself and Dresk Haol using an artifact in his left hand.

What ensued was both a fight against a hulking Drow monstrosity seemingly designed to counter some of your troupe’s biggest strengths, and a race against time as Alexander Tryst seemed intent on finishing production of “The Core” written about in his logs.

You each worked together, playing to your strengths and readjusting your strategy when something didn’t work as planned - as Aurevald landed a killing blow on Dresk Haol, and Jin managed to damage/destroy two of the large pipes that had been feeding the contraption with unknown Alchemical materials. The fight seemed to be on your side.

A moment passed and Alexander Tryst proclaimed his victory. He revealed a Magical artifact that pained you each to look at - with unstable geometry and confusing patterns - before calling it time that he ended your troupe. He pulled forth unnaturally powerful magic to group the majority of you in front of him.

Whilst the rest of you were focused on Alexander Tryst - Somnus had noticed the lingering corpse of Dresk Haol grow larger and more unstable with each passing moment. They made the heroic decision to carry it high above the balcony to prevent any harm to the rest of The Fated Eight - at the cost of their own safety. Accepting their fate, they fell unconscious as a violent Arcane explosion overloaded their body - leading them to plummet towards the ground.

The next few moments passed as a blur - with Alexander Tryst’s enhanced Cone Of Cold backfiring on him as a familiar mage in red robes blinked in the space in front of your troupe. Aurevald capitalized on the spell backfiring and charged forwards at Alexander Tryst - wrecking him with Slaver’s Bane whilst Lady noticed Alexander Tryst’s wrist decay, releasing the object in his hand. She made a split second call and lunged for the object referred to as “The Core” - as she noticed a dark blur in the corner of her eye beat her by fractions of a second, before blinking to the other side of The Crucible.

And that’s where we’ll pick up from… - you are all standing; or in Somnus’ case laying, somewhere within the central part of this chamber.

The current day is Kynmark, the 15th of Vaelorn, 920 PD. You are unsure what time of night it is but you have been traversing through the various rooms of this lair for over 12 hours at this point.

QUICK QUESTION TIME BEFORE WE GET SETTLED INTO

Immediate Event

Section titled “Immediate Event”

The immediate action for the Party to deal with. PLAY REQUIEM ARENA

Caesar Plight!

Section titled “Caesar Plight!”

It is possible to stop Caesar Plight from escaping but it is very hard due to the plot warping nature of it. He has 2x Abyssal Resistances to succeed any saving throws - using either will reveal his covered eye is a pitch black void with purple energy sparking around it

CON = 14 (+2)
STR = 14 (+2)
DEX = 22 (+6)
INT = 19 (+4)
WIS = 15 (+2)
CHA = 17 (+3)

Caesar Plight stands stands with his hands primed to click - harkening back to when he vanished after stabbing Lady in the back. Ask Lady her reaction upon seeing this man

  • Upon realizing/learning who this is, she’ll feel a numb sensation in her lower back for a moment.

Stopping him will take a lot of creativity - let them be wild to see if they can stop him.

Thelnyron

Section titled “Thelnyron”

Thel will not actively do anything but position himself between the party and Caesar Plight in a protective manner.

After the Dust settles

Section titled “After the Dust settles”
  • Thel will ask “is he dead yet?” about Alexander Tryst
  • “This proved to be quite messy didn’t it… I hope Davison Theros is ok”
  • If much is left of Alexander Tryst’s head - Thel will offer a scroll of undead speech to allow anyone to cast Speak With Dead (he’ll hold his hand to an amulet on his neck and Forge a scroll.)

Explanation

Caesar Plight

  • “I’ve encountered Caesar Plight before - he’s been a thorn in my side for a while now.”
  • “He plunders top talent from poor families who The Arcane Will could nurture into fantastic mages, turning them into blackmailed thugs instead - what a waste.”
  • “It is rare I encounter somebody who makes a mage of my stature feel powerless. He has some pact with an Abyssal entity that shields him from a lot of traditional counter magic. Davison Theros is the only mage I know who can track him.”

Davison Theros

  • “Davison is a my exalt within The Arcane Will - the youngest in 3 generations. He’s a brilliant young man and he has a special gift that makes him adept in arcane mobility”
  • “I’ve dubbed him a ‘Blink Mage’ but he’s not fond of that term haha”
  • “Davison will probably contact me shortly with a general idea of what direction Caesar Plight has taken off in. He’s still learning to manage his stamina so it’s hard to expect the boy to keep up with a mastermind like Plight.”

The Room

  • “It is odd to be here after so many years… Oh sorry - I should explain. This is where Alexander Tryst conducted his experiments many years ago - before he was expelled. We all believed he perished when he started a fire trying to escape. The factory fire and subsequent explosions laid the groundwork for Roan losing military access to and development within The Ratways.”
  • “He must’ve spent years restoring this place - most of this room was caving in as we fled through the tunnels before teleporting out. I guess that’s where he got those muscles from chuckles”
  • “If I recall correctly - this chamber was referred to as The Crucible Of Fate. It’s believed to be a Mage’s study from The Arcanic Age…”

Next Steps

  • “You lot all look exhausted - you’ve done the city a great service; and seemingly saved an innocent civilian (points to Brannan in the cage that is now open.)”
  • “Pop by my study at Veiled Visage University - it’s in the North West tower - after some rest and recovery. We can talk more there and I’m sure a reward is due.”

Plots Points/Paths Forward

Section titled “Plots Points/Paths Forward”

Details about various plot threads that can be explored this session - with a subheading for each one.

Somnus

Section titled “Somnus”
  • Somnus will awake after being healed - sore and overstimulated but alive.
  • First their hearing comes back, then smell and sense of touch, then taste. But their vision remains black.
  • It is a tragedy that as it stands Somnus can’t even see that the string on their arm has turned completely white once again - after however long of being stained blood red.
  • Ask Aaron what Somnus would subconsciously care more about - where they originally came from, or roughly when they were born? The Maiden makes note…

SUBPLT - The Missing Bar Staff

Section titled “SUBPLT - The Missing Bar Staff”
  • Reward
    • Hand Mirror of Temporal Sight - once a year an individual that uses the mirror is able to see an event in their past or a possible future that is relevant to them.
    • Permanent access to the library of Veiled Visage University and access to one of Davison Theros’s lectures every month.
    • Check back next week - Thel will discuss a more fitting reward with Hellum Finsk later.
    • Just as they go to leave - they’ll be given invitations to the High Quarterfest ball happening at the end of the month - hosted by the Beck Family at their legacy estate. They must dress nicely & weapons will be confiscated for the duration of the event.

Downtime

Section titled “Downtime”
  • Time is yours, the more effectively you use it - the more time I’m happy to give you all. So long as the table is vibing - I see no reason to stop
  • If you have loose story threads within Roan or your own stories - now is a great time to investigate or follow up on those.

Hand Mirror Of Temporal Sight

Section titled “Hand Mirror Of Temporal Sight”

Once a year an individual that uses the mirror is able to see an event in their past or a possible future that is relevant to them.

  • SHAI will see people praying with tears in their eyes whilst the sky is alight with various colours. There are other people laying on the floor - some of them are dead asleep and the others are just dead; confirmed by the ornate blades in their hands reserved for this very event.
  • Lady will see a wooden hut nearby a clearing. There’s a cave and three people standing outside the hut around a fire. An older man with two children. It vaguely reminds her of home - but she knows she’s never been here before.
  • Aurevald will see dark skinned Goliaths tending to a Withered tree in the middle of the desert, before seeing them flee West out of fear. The vision then slowly fades showing the skin of these Goliaths change from dark to grey - like his own.
  • Jin will see a familiar masked man wearing black and grey robes break into a forge and steal a blade left on the anvil. The sky is cloudy as heavy rain and thunder fill the background.
  • Graxious will see a man in a cave - twirling a revolver around his finger with a sick grin on his face - a singular purple glow can be seen from one of his eyes.
  • Morgyn will find themselves standing amongst a wide and deep room full of glass tubes filled with liquid - containing ghostly white Humanoid creatures. A noise appears from behind them and one of them has broken from it’s tube and begins to approach Morgyn. The vision ends with them staring face to face with themselves.
  • Axton will see Baxter and Stockman assault Maya Stoneheart with a detailed and complex brass wrench. He realizes that he’s watching this lying on the ground - his head is thumping in pain because Vito Moretti has his boot pushing into his temple.

CHRPLT - The Elixir Of Life

Section titled “CHRPLT - The Elixir Of Life”
  • Morgyn wants to be a cleric of The Maiden - Somnus wants to teach her.
  • Visit The Cloaked Cathedral and speak with Talis Sickle - who is ill at the moment but coping. She prepares a herbal remedy whilst speaking with Morgyn about the burgeoning faith.
  • SOMNUS KNOWS TALIS SOMEWHAT WELL BUT THE NAME ARCHMAIDEN ALWAYS MAKES THEM SHIVER - REMINDING THEM OF A NAME THEY NEVER WANTED TO HEAR AGAIN
  • A Handmaiden Ushana will offer to walk Morgyn through some scripture and this is her first time to pray to the maiden
    • Somnus can optionally add to this prayer.
  • Talk about rituals like the blood dripping down a spike from the ceiling. That’s reserved for a first communions only.
  • The rooms are either tiny and claustrophobic, filled with carcases and corpses, or very dirty
  • 3 days of scripture study will allow Morgyn to make religion checks (adv if Somnus stays as well)
  • DC15 and they’ll be ready to commune with the maiden.
    • “Welcome my child… You stand before me to declare your worship - is that correct? {pause} Speak your peace.”
    • “Interesting… I sense you may seek false elixirs that purport to stay my domain - what say you to that?”
    • “My young Sophia… Are you ready; in earnest, to accept death? Not just for yourself - but for all in life.”
    • “Do you mean that wholeheartedly? I have my reasons to be carefully of treachery and deception.”

CHRPLT - The Treeseeker

Section titled “CHRPLT - The Treeseeker”

Ponderton

  • Roll 2d20 for travel quality
  • Pay the ferry or take the forest? Speak to Drahn???
  • Improv this - it should be a tear jerker…

HUSK FRUIT
If he consumes Husk Fruit - unlike the others who just get really woozy off of it and feel drunk for 1+ hours - his vision will go foggy and then he’ll faint.

He’ll hear a voice speak to him. He’ll realize that it is the same voice that spoke to him originally - telling him to “find the tree”.

“Finally - you have arrived; my saviour”

“Time is short - head the words of The Husk before my bindings repair themselves again…”

“I see you have met my… compatriots. I do understand your distrust of them - they have gotten restless in recent times. But they can go where I cannot so I must rely on them for the time being.”

“The Husk; like you, wishes to be free. I ask of you to use my power - and that of my compatriots; to achieve both of those goals.”

Rootkeeper Corana
Visiting the Roan Chapel to see the halfling woman will reveal the Druid from North finally arrived. She’ll introduce herself as Rootkeeper Corana - wearing natural elements on her clothes and standing tall at 6’6”.

The Elvish woman will confirm that the Amensic Halfling Woman is on the mend but needs lengthy treatment to undo the coma she’s been placed in. Eliminating the source would make the process much faster.

Wing it if Aurevald asks questions about Primordials - she’ll be secretive but not coy or confusing like Drahn

  • She knows Drahn - but they operate in different forests. Corana Leythe is from Blightbog.
  • Rootkeepers tend to natural environments and protect them from harm of all sorts. They have some other duties but they’re not for just anyone to know about.
  • They’ll mention that the Rootkeepers were formed to tend to the sites where the Primordial Titans were defeated and “sealed” during The Fracture - however their numbers are dwindling - there haven’t been Rootkeepers from the East in hundreds of years.

SPEAKING WITH PRIMORDIALS OR PATRON AFTER WILL TRY TO MAKE HIM DOUBT THE ROOTKEEPS

  • “They sound so righteous, don’t they. It’s easy to do so when you’re a liar. They bound us - deep underground and drain our powers for their own ceremonies. Look at Blightbog - there was a stage where it was a great oak forest - now look at it.”

CHRPLT - The Path Of The Demon

Section titled “CHRPLT - The Path Of The Demon”
  • If he pushes it - roll a D12 each day; on a 12 (decreasing by 1 each day) it’ll be a rainy day.
  • On a rainy day - visiting The Double-Edged Deal at night will have a mini scene where he sees The Masked Monk attempting to flee with the incomplete blade.
  • He’ll note “you’ve changed your stance again… I guess Master Hwan’s pathetic lessons were for naught.” before blinking away to the top of a nearby building as lightning flashes (blinding Jin)
  • DEX15 saving throw to avoid 2D6 poison damage and 1d6 piercing damage as two kunai are thrown at him.
  • “You either walk the path armed with a blade befitting of your blood - or you don’t walk the path at all. I will cut you down if the next time we meet - you are yet to choose correctly.” Lightning flash and he’s gone
  • Searching around the space (OR returning to The Double-Edged Deal whichever happens first) - Jin will receive two ornate emblems that have 竜 and 雷 on them respectively.
  • He will remember seeing Master Hwan used something like these to forge some of his finest blades from even the most crudely forged edge. He can tell that the purple one sis resonating with his presence more than the auburn one.
  • Wing the crafting of Watatsumi Details in CHRPLT - The Path Of The Demon
  • ASK HIM IF HE IMBUES HIS ESSENCE ONTO THE BLADE OF IF HE LETS THE BLADE REMAIN AS IS.