North Revealed Experience: The Fate of Asil

Steel Realms

CHRONICLE > The North Revealed is a Living World campaign set in The Northern Hearthlands of the [Fantasy] Steel Realms. The Heartland Spark has re-shaped the realm and new opportunity beckons the brave and bold to the north. Brought together by circumstance, bound by camaraderie, finding fortune in the conflict of the northlands…

North Revealed: The Fate of Asil – A Shared Experience of the ORIGINAL campaign characters of the North revealed campaign. STATUS: COMPLETED FOR PUBLISH.

‘The Foundlings’ refers to the original PCs brought out of the Dunstrand Rising campaign setting into the north setting of the new campaign by the PC Asil.

Asil’s Escape

This tale picks up after the foundlings were acquired along the riverbank as Asil is leaving the Barony of Creswold in Dunstrand, amidst the wreckage of the disastrous battle of the Once King that laid waste to its coast along Dwindor Swamp and the earldom of Bar-Innis.

The crew raises sail, not wanting to stick around the area through the night. Setting course due south at first, then cutting west to the sea you sail, going across the channel and following the Queens Coast of Umbak. Sailing through the night, neither umbakian or gwinnish make themselves clear. To the south lies the homeland of Gwinn and its dominance. North is the weakened Dunstrand, and the navy of the Merchant Cities. You turn northwest, and take a risk further off the coast.

West (out of Crestwold, Sabin Bay, and the Hoolip Coast) = NO ENCOUNTERS w/1 water elemental use; West (between Umbak and Tarmysia) = NO ENCOUNTERS; North (past Tarmysian Coast) = NO ENCOUNTERS; North (to the Merchant Cities of the north controlled region) = NO ENCOUNTER

Umbak pursues in the distance (you fly no flag), but cannot keep up with the sleek boat and water elemental power.

The journey up the coast reveals several vessels flying Gwinnish flags, but they seem to not want to make contact in the slightest are sail further out to sea.

As you go up the coast of Cabella, there are no Gwinnish ships, and not even North Merchant City combat ships – these seem to be taking advantage of the Gwinnish condition to chase them further out to sea. Smaller cargo ships and fishing ships are being left alone.

You make it to the city coast, Karolak. Karolak was once a major city of the Sea King empire, not it is the jewel of the Merchant Cities of the North. It is spectacular even from a distance. Massive, , part of it stands on cliffs that overlook the mouth of the Beyne River and Glassheart Bay – with its artificial breakwaters. The city technically spans both sides of the river. At any given time there are at least 25 galleons and even more smaller boats in the harbor. A northeast breeze blows up the river, pushing the shallow Beyne Brannacks shipping fleet up and down the river. Over the river runs the famous cargo lines, 200 feet in the air. Casting lines on the Prinze’s Quay, you await the junior harbormaster. A new boat, you need get registered for traffic and travel along the Prinze Coasts. Thankfully, you have a means of paying for it. None of the sailors want to leave as you decide to stay a couple nights, re-supply and decide your next step.
> Gained item: North Merchant Cities: Registration

This would also be a chance to change the name of the boat officially if you wanted to > “DIE-ENTE” = German for “The Duck.”

From here, you can choose to go further north – into the freelands, or go east up the mighty Beyne River, the “highway of the north” > East, up the river and see where it leads.

That sets the final destination for the new campaign.

CHECK x4 until you get to place the “The Gallants” has not been heard of. CHECK = The Riverfolk culture of The Beyne River is not welcoming. Eventually, the ship and crew make their way all the way to Lake Caolite, the massive inland lake in the north.

HERE: North Revealed: Foundlings on the Water

A Strange and Accidental Demise?

A decade and more of plying his way along the Beyne River was hard on Asil. The boat gained a reputation as a fair captain and daring crew – offset by the fact many were young and odd, truly a motley crew. They were welcome at almost any port on the lake. Asil had accumulated wealth and reputation. There were many items in the captains cabin that he had brought with him from Dunstrand or accumulated, and planned to use for his retirement.

Life on the boat reached a point where Asil was going to retire, and pass the craft on to “the foundlings”. They were to take the crew home after and decide what to do with their lives at that point. In the midst of trying to decide what his final port would be, a massive storm descended upon them, blowing them due east for days. It was an odd storm, a cold storm – probably one aided by the hoarwinds from the Lich Lords of the north down the Red March. They had become common, in fact that year was one of the lake’s “Long Winter” – unusually cold on the surface and ice even accumulated at the edges of the massive lake as the anger of the Lich Lords manifested. The elemental bound to the boat had always allowed it to break free, and even assist others caught in the sudden ice that could put holes in hulls like a grasping hand. The boat was drenched, the mast accumulated ice and snapped, and holes were made in the hull that required the elemental to work overtime to pump the water out. Asil, in his usual paternal and selfless way, arranged for the safety of the foundlings first.

In the last 6 months, all the foundling characters have returned to and spent time in service on “Die-Ente” (“The Duck”). Off and on over the years, they have left at various points for education and training, and to get experience on land with others. Knowing that Asil was set for retirement, they foundlings have been spending as much time with themselves and Asil as possible, enjoying their time on the open water of Lake Caolite.

In the end, Asil got the last of the foundlings in the longboat and was assisting the crew to get the 2 jollyboats into the water when a wave came from the north and capsized the entire boat. The foundlings have a hazy recognition of a giant hand that seemed to be part of the wave, a massive hand of water. Perhaps the angry druids of Pranin Moorswood far away had finally gotten tired of supporting the bound greater elemental. There was a lot of confusion and all of them were disoriented. The storm quit almost as fast as it came out, leaving the foundlings aground on the east shore of Lake Caolite with the few goods they could quickly carry as they abandoned the ship. All the treasury of that Asil had carried from The gallants was lost in the depths of Lake Caolite.

In their dreams as they remember, some of the foundlings could swear that a massive spectral ice covered hand pushed the boat beneath the waves, and that a chain wrapped about its wrist and pulled the hand up as it grasped for Asil.

Thus vanished Asil, his boat, and his crew… Word did get out on Lake Caolite that his ship was downed with all hands but that no one survived, no wreckage was found, and there were supposedly no witnesses. Nothing but rumors followed in its sinking in the major north and south ports on the lake.

Setup

Possible Outcomes: 1 epic and terrifying, 2 anonymous and quiet, 3 famous and crazy, 4 strange and accidental; each on limits what items from existing campaign can be brought into the new campaign… it is also the fate of the ships hold with leftover loot from The Gallants.
1 = ALL gathered treasury goods survive (boat and all)
2 = MOST gathered treasury goods survive (boat gone, duck survives)
3 = ROLL for each treasury item (boat and duck gone)
4 = 1 minor charm/item per PC can be taken (treasury gone)

Request to Ben: 100% for “i can either roll for the ending or you can pick” / DISCORD CHECK = 4 (by Ben)