CHRONICLE: PIN FEATHERS
Starting Characters: Arabus (Asaui); Earl (Atreus); Alanna (Ulrich); Ben (Asil); Corey (Krespar); Rocky (Danoir), Lucas (Skevf)
Date @ Start Common Year 10-14-9168
MEANWHILE… Mary returns from her trip to Umbak (before Dalcia places her ward upon the villa); she needs to sneak back. Her and Feather hatch a plan…
Bittermaw had retreated to the holy chamber of the Ur-Ducateon – for reasons the group was about to find out. He sat and waited, all his allies defeated and alone. His ritual paused, he waited in the chamber where he knew his powers would work and those of his enemies would be at a disadvantage without spell casters having the Ducateon Ring. He did not move and made no real threatening moves – perhaps discourse was an option, but Ulrich was having none of it. Though it seemed inevitable – the group and the familiar slowly surrounded him in the middle of the chamber, back up against the center column. Bittermaw used spells defensively and forced the entire group into melee range. Despite his ritual-weakened state, he was a power to behold. Astonishingly, he was capable of managing multiple spell concentrations at once – his power was truly terrifying. Domination, miasma, a black pall, disease and poison were his weapons and he let loose without reservation. The ritual he was in must have drained his undead fortitude, for he did not use his ghoulish powers to become a hulking terror as expected.
The destruction of Bittermaw consumed Asaui and all his possessions that were not mystical in nature. He gave himself up to Anubis, finally passing from the cursed state of undeath into the realms of the afterlife. In relinquishing his hold over death, he became pure energy, fueling a mystical spell that struck Bittermaw unexpectedly. The undeath of his state must have masked his intentions from Bittermaw, because he stepped into the spell full force and sprayed him with acid, for which he had no protection against. This alone provided the impetus for the lower powered Pin Feathers to overcome. Danoir had been sent in search of the book, out of combat early on. Three others dropped unconscious and near death’s door with Atreus’s sacred flame finally doing enough damage after the massive pummeling he took from the others in an intense exchange.
Danoir found the chamber of the ritual the wight talked about. In his interaction with the spirit of blood in the cauldron, he banished it (Atreus was not happy!) using a metal rod of some foul, evil war standard that was once the Lich Lords. He collected everything of value – Bittermaw’s war standard, writing kit, books, scrolls (which would later be discovered to be evil blood magic suitable only for the undead), spellbook and the book supposedly of Rastillions Diabolique (RD). The RD book was cold to the touch, though did not radiate any malice or evil that Danoir could tell. Grabbing it, in his head, he briefly heard sounds he could not make out – perhaps it was out loud, it was hard to tell; This was the only impact handling the book had – pretty anticlimactic. He left the podium, magic circle, candles and bowl of congealed blood, as well as the torture rack and its implements of flaying and dissection. On his way returning to the group, he encountered the wight guardian and returned the book to him. It was a violent bracing, but Danoir willingly handed the ancient tome over – never trying to get out of the bargain of its stasis to avoid fighting for Bittermaw. He said he would reunite with his other Risen comrades to return the book to its place of safekeeping (you assume they escaped to the surface and trekked back to wherever it was they came from – not sure where that was exactly) forever keeping the RD book from the living. Danoir returns to the group, unable to hide anything in the large water-proof bags (that were already there) that he packed all Bittermaw’s stuff in. He reports on all he saw.
The character’s decided to stop, not leave the chamber, recover and heal for a prolonged rest. A general sound (sounds?) was heard in the distance, as the death of Bittermaw seemed to have some effect on things. Perhaps the undead army had left, perhaps things had been reset somehow from his control. After a few days of warming, it literally rains in the main cavern, and water runs everywhere. All of it drains into the water paths currently flowing or goes into unseen drains. At times, it even seems to flow uphill, such is the strangeness of the construction. Krespar spends an entire day sending his thoughts through the earth, seeking out his bonded companion. He receives a vision wherein his dog is guarding the anchor capstan of the Sea Slug, letting none of the sailors near it. It had only been a couple days, and the crew seemed to be in good spirits at least, respecting the bond and the animal’s belief that Krespar was still alive. The group decides to tap into one of the three mana-caves and use the fungus and clean water to rest for a week. It looks like there is enough in the one cave to last the group a couple weeks – no one is sure how fast it grows.
All of the written materials/journals of Bittermaws are ciphered – even the titles (though they do seem organized). Given that the spellbook is something that would not affect or help the party (and since they have no wizard who uses spells from books), it remains untested (and is written in a different cipher). it’s also magical and might have wards on it – the journals were unmagical, just encrypted. So, the spellbook will wait. Atreus calls upon Thoth to help him decipher the personal logs of Bittermaw from the ritual. It is noted as a bizarre stream of consciousness format with meaningless notes and glimpses of the anger and hunger buried in his undead mind. It is slow and painful at times, but Atreus completes a Gladnorian translation of the first half – the journals of the ritual – using the remaining ink and quills in the writing kit (it takes double the normal amount due to the lack of cohesion and constant digressions in the stream of consciousness style). The main cavern is canvased slowly in pairs to ensure no undead are left, and the long corridor to the surface has a rotating watch as well the whole time.
Ulrich’s Declaration of Loyalty: Ulrich basically says that if you cannot abide by passing your activity off through him first, or acting against the best interests of the group’s safety, that you will be thrown out! Ulrich will not be associated with or protect such a person!
After the long rest, the group then decides to spend a couple days explore the area of the ritual and main cavern, verifies all of Danoirs information, slowly and safely confirms there is no danger from the ritual items and loudly rolls the cauldron and standard rod back to the holy chamber – leaving the rest of the unfinished ritual elements untouched. The passage back to the Blue Wall is filled with glacial ice, no longer allowing access to it. Each day, the seal on the raised path must be activated to keep the area warm enough to rest comfortably. Krepar reaches out again, to his bonded companion with his last strained use of his bond with the land before he must rest. The vision he gets is one of a tired animal. A worried animal, though now the dog is barking and waking the crew with his happiness at the connection. Seeing out of the animal’s eyes, the boat is socked in fog. The crew is unhappy. No one goes near the dog that guards the anchor, and the smell of rot from a bad swamp tide is strong. Over time, the men try to shoot down a large bird for food, and haul up eels and fish from the brackish waters. One of the crew eventually throws scraps to the dog. Krespar tastes the horrible flesh as the dog eats it, providing sustenance but no enjoyment. The sun seems to hang behind the fog in the sky, which looks sick. The group decides to push the limits and complete the rest.
Using his powers binding him to the land again after the long rest replenishes him, Krepar reaches out and connects to his companion. The ship almost feels like its rotting under the feet of the crew. There is sickness and lethargy. Something definitely happened though, for there is a blazing symbol of House Malor on the anchor capstan. Describing it to Atreus, he says it is likely a ward to let them know when the boat pulls up anchor. There is fresh food, though the pall of sickness prevails and half the crew seem close to being unable to pull through their tasks without being ill. There is a lot of muttering and cursing. The suffering is not something that was planned, and something seems to be focussed on making the crew suffer – Dwindor Witch, Elancil, or now, perhaps, some other unknown. Krespar’s fascination with the ancient place and its importance causes him to seek out the tunnel back to the wall, to try and commune with the living wall and the spirits of the Frost Giants. Even with help from the group using the giant’s ax, the tunnel is frozen shut with glacial ice and cannot be cut through. The roughly hacked passage led to a chamber that gave access to one of the “veins” of the wall itself, but it is now filled with impenetrable hard ice. A few experiments are done with Danoir, who is covered in Ducateon hair now and unrecognizable. The three earth rings cannot seem to do anything.
Atreus discovers some of the monocle properties and decides the group should stay an extra day to attune it. While waiting for this, Danoir explores the tunnel in the crystal garden and is attacked by an earth elemental, getting badly mauled in the process. The corridor did even out before he got far, and he heard the sound of running water faintly right before he was attacked. The elemental came right out of the wall, surprising him. It followed him only a few paces after smashing him, then Danoir lost track as he fled. The crystal garden had a few glows of red light flickering and dying as Danior came back up and faded quickly as he left – his steps echoing like giants in his ears but having no sound once he left the garden.
Krespar gatherings his thoughts and stands before the dripping ice that fills the rough mined passage leading to the wall and strips. He sits in the cold rivulet of glacial melt as it runs over the warm stone of the ancient Ducateon stone platform. He settles in, listening to his heartbeat, seeking out the pulse of life he can match to the blue vein of the living wall beyond. Everything else fades but the pulse. His senses reach out, seeking consciousness along the thread of life that pulses 40 or so meters beyond. While there is no sentience of the frost giant he seeks, there is an entity listening to his whispers – the wall itself. His brain fills with thoughts. With each pulse, a new image fills his brain. Minutes go by, the slow pulse filling his thoughts with images that, strung together, tell a story. If the group deactivates the sigil, cold will reclaim the area. It will slowly fill with glacial ice, pushed in by the wall itself. Visions show it creeping in, slowly filling every inch, in some cases breaking, cracking, and shattering elements, but preserving the overall structure, forever sealing it once the walls ice meets the ice of the surface above. After an hour, Krespar rouses and explains what he saw.
Atreus is going to try to get him to attempt to extract some live crystals, as a way to relieve some of his frustration with Danior over the blood spirit. Despite multiple attempts, no method is found to extract a crystal that maintains its property.
After 10 days and Danoir coming back beat up, the group decides to make one final attempt to explore. They first explore the far side of the cavern, where the water flows to. The fungus caves have some crystal activated filtration system and produce steam and cold water. There are soil beds and some sections carved so that literally the minerals from stone can supplement the fungus growth. Krepar determines the first cave, where they have been feeding from, was initially restarted with the remains of dead bodies – he decides not to tell the others. One of the four caves has poisoned fungus, only a few doses, but he will return to harvest them right before they leave. That cave is broken, and in it they find a crystal loose from its seat but still working. It will later be determined it can keep a 50 gallon barrel of water purified (you have to scrape scum off the top where it floats to) by keeping the crystal in it. The other caves have only a couple days of residual fungus and no soil. The party load up on food for the journey home – at least a week’s worth for 10 people just in case.
After reviewing their previous conversations, Krespar is given the Ring of Strend and associated items – Danoir has amassed other powerful items. The final fate of the three Earth’s Gift rings will be decided later based on who best can use them.
There is a fight where an earth elemental drops from the ceiling. Hits three at once. Punishment done is bad, but it is defeated.
Then they explore the Hall of Ancestry. In the entryway are the signs of another epic battle. Presumably between the Ur-Ducateon and their foes – same as the tunnel that leads to the surface. Krespar is fascinated with the stone melting effects, and on a precise examination of one hand print, finds a finger nail embedded in it that makes him throw up when he touches it. They ruin Danoir’s thieves’ tools getting it out. It decomposes organic material and radiates evil. Asil and Atreus determine that it is nonother than a fingernail from a Lich Lord. The Ur-Ducateon and Lich Lords battled here thousands of years ago. It leads to a “day in the life of” viewing room where each scene can be heard by focusing on it. Many scenes have implements that they discover can be taken out of the wall, and make the viewer tactile sense the scene they focus on. [Its like virtual reality.] One thing they notice is that none of the Ducateon depicted have a caste torc – very strange indeed. They take a dozen of these objects. They proceed down the passage framed by these two viewing rooms – they surmise that it was a way for the inhabitants to get the feel of home.
The passage goes on and splits – one goes up (Sons Passage) and the other down (Daughters Passage). Going up, the passage has a massive crack that splits it 1.5 meters. Its winding and flows organically. At the chasm, its cold and the pleasant acoustics end and return to normal. It is very ominous, they choose to go no further. The one down is at a perfect 30 degrees slope down, and the walls, ceiling and floor are perfectly smooth. The passage comes to another war scene, the tunnel is collapsed – all the blocks and debris have unnaturally sharp edges. Atreus sends a lighted coin from 20m away and as it gets within 5m of the debris a shadowed clawed hand reaches out and snuffs it, grinding it into dust. Skevf is sent to get close. He gets to within 10m and in the absolute silence of a 10 minute peering into the rubble, he hears a distant and almost inaudible groan and the sound of grinding. There is a sense of evil ahead of him, like the feeling of being near the found fingernail of the Lich Lord. It seems like one of them may be trapped, forever being ground into dust. There is a long standing rumor that there was once one more Lich Lord, and that they vanished long ago. The party decides that their investigations are going to end – it is too dangerous.
There is much debate on how to organize all items and return. It is decided that both eyes will be broken and the place collapsed – per the dying giant’s wishes. Krepar sends his soul searching for his bounded hound and estimates when, from his point of view, high noon will occur.
The wind roars, spinning around the column of the resonance chamber. The sound drowns out everything as it begins to lift and shift everything. The giant’s axe swirls around, flying through the air as the second eye is split. The walls blur as the thunder crashes. Cracks appear in your vision – you cannot tell if it is the walls or just the image in your mind. Nothing makes sense as you feel your balance torn from you and you cannot determine which was is up. The spinning makes you sick and you lowse all bearings. Some of you scream, some are tight lipped. Light and dark flicker and change. There is a great moaning in the distance, a deep and hoarse rattling that causes your bones to vibrate. It is dark for some time, then light. You are battered by each other and the goods you have. You get the feeling you are above the clouds, but your vision and hearing are engulfed by chaos and your senses are ruined. You dont know how long it takes, but you finally feel like you are falling, and the world crashes all around you.
The cauldron and all are whisked up and transported on a 24 hour journey (12 total days will have passed). When the cycle deposits them, the cauldron and all holding it slam like a cannonball into the ship where the deck meets the side. Ulrich and Danoir cannot hold on. Danoir is dropped through the rigging, tearing him open and landing him in a bloody pile at the base of the mast. Were it not for the Earth’s Gift rings and the vitality they provide, he would have been dead in his wounded state. Ulrich is dumped in the swamp, he almost dies but manages to barely stay treading water in his stunned state while holding one of the duffle bags. After everyone is unentangled and the crew brought up to date, the group settles in to rest. Ulrich orders the main anchor cut to not trigger the capstan glyph, the smaller backup anchor will hold. They circle their original destination – Dormu’s peak, while they debate. After much debate, they set off for home to heal and deal with the items and knowledge. The crew is unhappy, they expect a share of the treasure! Mutiny is talked about. The Ring of Strend is used and a message sent to Feather to prepare for them to return with a full wagon needed to meet them on the dock. The fingernail is put in the cauldron – it cannot be stored in an organic container, it just rots it. The next night, the blood in the cauldron is turned into 20 half strength blood covered zombies by the fingernail – the group fends them off with minimal damage. On the return trip, they see sunken ships and ghostly figures, the tides almost wreck them as they heel in a rogue current with the weight of the giant cauldron as they enter into Sabin Bay. Tacking up the river, the naval garrison sends a fire arrow up.
The Soul Scourge Presses Low Key Wasting: Disease outbreaks occur in many major cities, Torrelsons Ford again. The worst was the cholera before – its mostly gone with the help of the White Sisters. This is subtle and minor, not an epidemic, but small pockets and constant. The belief is that it is related to the Soul Scourge. About 10% of the population is, in effect, unable to work and provide for themselves at any given time in the large cities across all of the Steel Realms.
The Death of Bittermaw Triggers Events: Anubis sends his priest, Lector Lubosa from the temple in Maewin to alert Feather that there are ‘iced souls in the House of the Dead’. Her charges are causing a large disruption in the House of the Dead and there are going to be great disruptions. The Lich lords have ignited the corrupted anima that feeds The Fields of the Dead and are making a bigger host! They are seeking something perhaps.
Pin Feathers Considered a Failure: Senior Magister Answar of House Malor receives a warning from the Panopticon of House Malor – the north is tilting and soon the balance will shift. It is connected to the fulcrum in Crestwold and Dunstrand – there is a tipping point that moved there. In their mind, that can only mean the failed experiment of the Pin Feathers. It is decided that it is time to disband them and move on with the treaty between Umbak, Dunstrand, and Gwinn. Dalcia Grath Malor goes to arrest Feather.
Feather Ambushed: Feather is being attacked by Malor’s Apprentice Irma Volington (who had gone missing – seemingly abandoned the Baron and left his family to be attacked) on the road from the Villa. Feather is gravely wounded, and Dalcia saves her. Irma was killed in the exchange. This was unseen, it casts doubt on the nature of the warning from the Panopticon.
House Malor Reassessment: Dalcia does not arrest Feather, though secures her in the baron’s keep forbidding her to leave temporarily. She hastily teleports to see her master and to sojourn to the holy place of Ezrilus for her order and to see her younger brother Ifan Grath-Malor. He receives a vision, and persuades Magister Answar there is a clouding hand in all this. The Magister agrees, and House Malor updates the Duke with a warning that other forces are attempting to influence the outcomes of Dunstrand beyond the ones they are aware of and that there are too many unknowns for a good decision to be made in Crestwold; The house and duke must watch and wait. Something has turned Apprentice Irma Vollington against the order – the knowledge of who and why that is, is now the primary goal of Dalcia, and Feather is ordered to help her using the Pin Feathers or any other resources. Dalcia will be living at the villa, and construction will be continued to transform it into a small keep for now.
The docks are quiet as you return. Subdued would be an overstatement. There is no evidence of Feather or carts. It is eerie and makes you VERY nervous. No one helps you dock. The navy men silently pull the boat up onto the sandbar, very worried. A group of a half dozen soldiers meets you as you climb up from the sandbar – A Lt. indicates you should follow them. The sailors grumble about pay.
You are silently escorted to the keep – the streets are emptied. Through the courtyard, also empty, into the great hall and up the stairs to the higher level. You get closer to a room, but can hear shouting from down the hall. A pair of heavily armed guards open and shut the doors behind you. The voices go silent as you enter. You are not offered any refreshments. Feather is leg bound to a heavy couch, she looks beaten and her arm is in a sling though she wears her typical attire. She looks angry and worn out. Next to her, standing, is Tal Bekam of Torrelson’s Ford (the local curio shop owner and House Malor representative) with a hand on her shoulder. Dalcia Grath-Malor (of House Malor – who tried to stop you from leaving) is standing out of her obvious seat and glowering at some official who is sitting at the head of the long hall table – where the Baron would normally sit. A pair of scribes is continuing to write in silence. The Baron’s herald is standing, looking down, visibly tense and struggling not to say something. A few others sit at the table or stand, officials of some sort or another. Initially standing with her back to you is an elderly woman in simple garb, unadorned. When she turns away from the warm fire to the official sitting at the head of the table wearing the chain of House Malor… “And now we have the ‘honored’ guests of the evening…” Looking at all of you, she continues “It remains to be seen if they end up guests of the dungeons in Crestwold, Dunstrand or Oerdney.” At that, multiple voices start shouting, you can hear accusations, implications, explanations and accusations firing in all directions.
Everyone is demanding details of the events you participated in, in the north. How did you get there? The boat was scouted somehow and you were gone. Your presence could not be sensed. Who is hiding you? What powers are you colluding with to keep you from the eyes of the authorities (various)? Why would you do this? How could you do this? You should be executed. You should be thrown in the deepest dungeon and left to rot. Thousands are dead across the north. A glacier tumbled in the Ilbarsi mountains. Sudden melts everywhere, flooding all over north of the Beyne River. The ruins of Altair stirred and a wave of spiritus swept out in all directions bringing fear and suffering everywhere.
The group Explains the Journey: Highlighting only the major elements, the group explains where they went, their encounter with the giants, why they got transported (to the best of their understanding), the battle with the undead, Bittermaw and his intent to take down the wall for personal power, the dangerous book and its guardians, and that the Wight told them Bittermaw was keeping his actions hidden. The cavern was some proto-Ducateon complex of great interest historically, with as of yet unknown information and a lack of understanding on their part but that it collapsed and is sealed away. There is likely a Lich Lord buried there being constantly ground to dust in unending agony.
Mistress Karie of the Dohar-Jaideen: “Such a reckless group outside the control of World Watchers and authorities should never have been allowed a chance at something like this – Civil authorities failed. House Malor failed, the Duke, blinded by his desire to possibly succeed against Gwinn should have captured and imprisoned Mary and never let the miscreants back into Dunstrand.
BOOM! Four figures side-step into the room. Some of the room Half the figures in the room begin incantations and a flurry of wards and protections fall into place – it appears like armageddon has come. Feather pushes her chair backwards and struggles to free herself while some of the party assemble around her. The four figures form a square and each entwines their chain with the others. A great shout causes mortar to crack. “ENOUGH”. The Chains of the North Have Come. These seekers are NOT TO BE TOUCHED. The room stops, as if encased in ice, a coldness hangs in the air. You hear a faint pulse, like that of the Blue Wall. It was not their intent to do what they did. Your complacency allowed a lapse in your defenses. The north would have been attacked anyway in time, the undead were not “resting” but lulling you. We of the Blue Wall never sleep. The sisterhood came to imprison these folk, knowing full well of who they killed but instead of praising tried to silence that which they could not control. The Sisterhood has ‘seen’ an incomplete picture but it involves House Malor and their agents in Crestwold. We are the Chain Masters, and our chain now protects them – you will cease and desist. The High King once again did not come to the aid of the north, but Gwinn did. When the frozen forest shook, and the waters flowed down Ox-Birch Cut to the sea, who took up arms against the undead prowl packs that had been hiding for years? Gwinn and the pine-tribes. Nothing of the High King’s north of Blood River! There will be no more discussion. These are free to go. What they have done is more than generations of heroes have done. They owe no allegiances any longer – their duty is discharged! We will all watch them. We are all invested in what happens here. No one will control them, they will be free to make their choices – this is the Freelander way! With a flash, the four turn inwards and step into oneness, and vanish with the loud sound of a chain swiftly being drawn over a capstan.
Skevf will later tell the party about the Chains of the North, and that ALL four were present – psychic, sorcerer, priest, and magus. Unheard of, epic.
There is silence… Mistress Karie of the sisterhood inhales deeply. “There will be a reckoning, make no mistake, the will of the sisterhood is not to be denied without severe ramifications. Her hand shakes as it balls into a fist in your direction. She turns to Senior Magister Answar of House Malor “Your order has failed to maintain control. There will be consequences.” She brings her arm down in a flourish and vanishes. The silence is palpable. The magister motions to Dalcia and casts a shroud of silence over them as they converse with their backs to you. Nobody moves for moments, then the magister ends the conversation and his spell, looking at Dalcia and nodding he casts a spell and vanishes himself. Everyone holding their breath finally lets it out. Dalcia, Tal, and Feather talk in whispered tones with their backs to you while the Duke’s men convene in the hallway, out of earshot and protected by guards. The scribes keep writing.
The Duke’s herald and his officers re-enter and announce that they are leaving for the capital of Bar-Innis immediately and leave without fanfare. Feather and Tal leave right behind them – Feather with pursed lips and a grim look. With her hands somewhat obscured, she makes the sign for “home” and “3 days” (though not to anyone directly) as she nods to Dalcia walking past her to the door. The Baron’s herald has retreated to the fireplace (trying to have everyone ignore him) and just watches as the room slowly empties. Dalcia motions for you. “Well, that was interesting. I’m not sure what the next move is here for you, but I don’t know who to trust any more. I’ll be as up front with you as I can. I’ve been ordered to travel to The Saelish, to talk to the elders there about you all and learn more about the intentions of the Elders directly from them. I will be gone for a couple weeks… I suggest you return to your ship, unload, and do… i dont know. Whatever you want i guess.” You ask if she wants to travel together, and hesitantly she agrees. She says to meet at the ferry crossing in 12 hours and leaves. After a long moment of silence, the Baron’s Herald says he is finished and the business of everyone is done – to please leave. The scribes reluctantly pack up after a long silence and leave.
After everyone leaves, its just you and the Baron’s herald. He slowly walks up to you. “I have a message from Feather I was to give you, if she was unable. I dont know what it means. ‘The past has returned, the head is returning to the body’. He nods, and walks out (not waiting for a reply), leaving you alone.
How much do we -individually and as a group- trust Feather right now? Is she the only person in the confab that we still have any level of positive rapport with? You are expected to give an overview, but no one had a chance to directly interrogate you – that was going to be the next step after throwing you in the dungeons
Feather was beat the fuck up, and had a permanent wound (arm) when you saw her last. She honored your “free agent” status and left without trying to hook you into anything. She even foresaw something bad and had the Baron’s Herald deliver a message so you could be seen as not having contacted her.
There was food laid out on the table, fresh and high quality, theres plenty of leftovers and you cant resist the smell after everyone’s left and you are talking (after shutting the door for privacy). You eat and drink and nothing bad happens to you while you are having your conversation! Atreus takes some of the unopened wine bottles and puts them in his bag (gauche, but hey – no one is watching). Atreus looks to see if the scribes or anyone else left notes behind. Not only did they not leave anything behind, they took ink, writing boards, quills, napkins, and seat pads they touched. As if they feared anyone scrying them with anything they touched.