Session 4-11
1629, Sea Season, Death Week, Fireday
Dramatis Personae
PCs
Berra
Irillo
Lenta
Maalira (absent, but present in spirit)
Mellia
Varanis
NPCs
Do Not Ask (aka Don’t Ask)
Only two Humakti guards left now
An Earth Elemental
A giant flaming undead troll
Some skellingtons
A handful of spirits
Events
The group climbed to the top of the hill known as Don’t Ask, where there was a megalith, a limestone carving that might have been the head of something, if one squinted. In front of it was a dip that might once have held a pool, but definitely did not now.
Berra was drifting in when Varanis boldly stepped up and offered the stone her magic; the others wisely stayed behind. Berra knocked on the stone and shouted for its attention – a spirit, probably female, soft around the edges and maybe robed, formed nearby, and glared at her, but nodded coldly to Varanis and Mellia. Berra stepped back, looking sort of innocent. Varanis talked to it with Berra occasionally adding questions as they occurred to her – they either offended the spirit, or it was grumpy already.
Mellia offered the spirit healing, when it mentioned sleeping and nightmares. Lenta noted one sister was already awake, although that was another thing that did not seem to make a positive impression. It talked about Darkness, and Irillo asked about the origins of the Darkness; it said the trolls brought Darkness, which might or might not have been the same thing; she would not give answers – the group would have to work it out. It seemed that she was fed up with demands being made of her, and talk without help.
Varanis started poking around in the bottom of the dip while the others looked around. Lenta stripped off her tunic, already a borrowed one, and began to paint herself green. While the group was running low on food and particularly water, there was no way she would have left her sacred makeup behind.
Varanis found a bone while digging, which led to the discovery of more bone. Mellia identified it as trollish. With the help of the Earth Elemental that Lenta summoned, they excavated the remains, only to have the troll become animated and attack them. He was a giant, screaming, and burning troll who woke additional trollkin skeletons to fight alongside him. Berra used Turn Undead magic, causing the troll to flee. Varanis blasted it with a thunderbolt as it ran. Although Lenta was wounded, the party made short work of the skeletons and meanwhile the spirit hovered in front of the burning troll, which was more afraid of her even than Death, and turned back towards the group. They had to kill every part of it, but finally smashed the big troll into bits. Irillo took extra care in smashing all the skulls to ensure they stayed dead. After some thought, Mellia called Berra over to deal with the burning troll’s bound spirits, which the Humakti began to lay to rest.
Pleased with the outcome (no one had ever cared to discover and deal with her troubles before), Do Not Ask offered to protect the party through the night and rewarded them all with new magic.1Detect Shape-Shifter: Detects the existence of shape-shifters, as per Detect Life. Gives direction and distance from the caster, lighting each with a brief glow. A shape-shifter will be detected if its current size is greater than 2, or its current POW is greater than 17. It is stopped by 1 or more meters of stone, metal, or earth.
Water began to flow once more, helped in part by the Earth Elemental, but mostly by the power of the Lady, the Sixth Sentinel. Overnight the sacred sprint was rebuilt, and in the morning the statue of Don’t Ask was restored to that of a woman who might be stern but was probably kindly.
Session Quotes
“Most of us pass Climb. Including Mellia.” – Berra
“Most of us.” – Berra
“Lenta has trouble with trousers… they slow her down.” – Lenta
“Lenta is responsible for herself, or something like that.” – GM? Varanis?
“I thought Lenta was just irresponsible.” – Berra?
“HEY, ARE YOU IN THERE?” – Berra shows respect to an ancient spirit
“Why’ve you got nightmares?” – Berra
no answer – Don’t Ask
“Would you like healing, Sentinel of the land?” – Mellia
“Why should I trust you?” – Sister
Berra points to the Truth Rune on her cheek.
“Because I know what it’s like to have nightmares.” – Varanis
“Because I care about the land.” – Lenta
“Because I’m a healer.” – Mellia
taking notes – Irillo
“Earthtongue check?” – Berra
helpfuls – Berra
“Berra’s digging around where Varanis found the bone.” – Berra
“Hands filthy. ” – Berra
“Ladidadida…” Singing badly.” – Berra
“A First Aid check at half, please.” – GM
“27. Nyerner.” – Mellia
“Berra’s going back on duty a bit.” – Berra
“Because what’s the spirit doing?… AH GOD.” – Berra
“I feel like Fireblade may not be helpful here…” – Varanis
“Every time he screams it goes right into your brain, a bit like Rajar’s snoring.” – GM
“Orlanth’s aim is probably better than yours.” – Irillo
“I am going for the low-hanging fruit, and aiming for one of the skeletons.” – Irillo
“They haven’t even assembled yet and you’re picking on them. Maybe they just want to be friends!” – GM
“Yes, I call them skellingtons, it entertains me, and now it’s stuck.” – GM
“You all suck. I’m glad Rajar as GM gave you a hard time with the broo. I thought he was being mean with the broo but now I’m glad.” – GM
“Shall we just say all the skeletons are dead, or will you let someone else have a go?” – Varanis
“I am going to try to hit three times in this round. Because I can.” – Berra’s statement of intent
helpful – Berra
“Naff off, it’s hitting her!” – GM
“In good news, it’s 15 points of damage to your right leg, so Mellia will be able to stick that on for you.” – GM
“Yeah, his left arm just fell off. Now he’s pretty armless.” – GM
“… Mellia reaches Lenta before Berra gets to hit again.” – GM
“HAHAHAHAH.” – Berra
“So, by my reckonings, everyone has now done everything they want this turn.” – GM
“THANK YOU!” – Berra
“I made… a pass.” – Irillo
“Does Serzeen know about Irillo making that pass?” – Berra
“Death should be fast, smart, and sharp.” – Berra
“I manage 2/3.” – Berra
“In my original idea of this in my head it was ‘and the White Ladies will try to lay them to rest, and that’s what’ll trigger it…’ but no, you’re smashing them to pieces.” – GM
“AND STAY DOWN!” – Berra” – “Berra’s ritual for Prepare Corpse
“It can’t be screaming, but it is, for the record.” – GM
“Somehow, the thing is still screaming…” – Varanis
“It’s all got a bit pathetic and part of me’s going we should wrap this up, but no, you’re going to have to grind it out. Strike. Rank. One.” – GM
“It’s just ash and clinker!” – Berra
“You know that theory we were just talking about where the two arms would go slowed? They’re going in two different directions. One’s considerably slower than the other.” – GM
“Do you want to roll yours on 12?” – GM
“No, I want to roll mine on 8… It is a critical.” – Berra
looks – GM
“Right. Death’s gone, this is a time for Life. … Varanis, we found the water.” – Berra
“Oooh.” – Varanis
“No-one cared. No-one cared to rid me of that horror! You cared. Thank you.” – Sister
“Do you have pain or illness anywhere else?” – Mellia
headshake – Sister
“It’s sort of hard to diagnose spirits.” – Mellia
“We slept. If no-one cared, then why should we?” – Sister
“Now my Sisters and I will watch again.” – Sister
“Thank you, White Lady.” – Sister
“You’re very welcome.” – Mellia
“Oh, and you might not notice yet, but you’ll all know the magic of Detect Shape-shifter when you wake.” – GM
“I met a Vingan in an antique land,
Who said—“A pile of once encarved stones
Stand on the mountain. . . . Near a block-ed spring does stand,
And spirit haunted by a wight whose frown
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its vis’tors well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Do not Ask, Great God beyond the modern Gods
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” – Irillo is bad at poetry
- 1Detect Shape-Shifter: Detects the existence of shape-shifters, as per Detect Life. Gives direction and distance from the caster, lighting each with a brief glow. A shape-shifter will be detected if its current size is greater than 2, or its current POW is greater than 17. It is stopped by 1 or more meters of stone, metal, or earth.
