Editing 03/03/2024 -- Operation Summer Strole

* Date: 5 Chy-sa 715AR. Starring Thomas (commander), Charon (marshal), Andreas (quartermaster), Talisman (spykeeper), Bloom (lorekeeper), Storm (no role).
* We start with Storm walking around the camp, Zetian approaching him. 
** [Storm (Keenan): 6’, in white half-plate armor, trimmed and designed in cranberry red, armor isn’t reflective of any allegiance, seems to be personal creativity, the one thing that stands out on his helmet is a t-visor, underneath left side from eye to the bottom past the chin is a long red stripe, on his back is a longsword and two hand crossbows holstered to his side, a battle skirt wrapped around his legs.]
* Zetian approaches him and says “Salutations, Moonman.” He says he needs a boat today, and free, if possible – he tells Storm to ask around and see if someone has one lying around. Storm asks where he wants it, and says on the Primordial Ring, and starts to walk away. Storm clarifies that he wants it by today, and asks if anywhere on the Primordial Ring. Zetian says within the camp, and says he’ll be taking a trip on it, so it shouldn’t sink. It doesn’t need to float, just not sink.
** They go back and forth on definitions of “not sinking”, and if the boat needs to be able to fly (it doesn’t).
* Storm goes around asking people if they have a boat, eventually gets to Thomas, who says he doesn’t personally, but the Brigade has a boat, which he takes Storm to. He asks why Storm wants it, and Storm says Zetian’s going on a trip. When Storm asks, Thomas says the boat hasn’t sunk yet, and they’d like it not to sink in the future.
* Thomas suggests people go along with Zetian, if he’ll have it – Storm asks if he needs it, and Thomas says we’ve lost a few Archfey, and he’d rather not lose another. Storm agrees, so Thomas gathers the rest of the group, and we go to find Zetian. We see the Archfey in a traveling cloak with an oversized backpack. “Ah, salutations, everybody. Moonman, did you get my boat?”
* Storm says yes, and Zetian says they’ll be off on a strole then, and Storm says that after some discussion, “some would find it beneficial to have some sort of a guard to accompany you. (Sir.)”. Zetian says it doesn’t intend to run into any trouble, and Storm points out that it’s still a major figurehead and target. Zetian relents, and says he’ll make sure the boat is seaworthy, and then we’ll be off.
* Andreas goes to the Maiden’s tent for healing, and Bloom tags along, asking to talk to him. Andreas doesn’t look at him, but agrees to talk, and Bloom says he doesn’t remember the encounter with Rav, but was told by Charon that he made Andreas’s insides his outsides rather violently, and apologizes for that, saying he didn’t want to hurt anyone; just stop Rav. Andreas affirms that he was missing his stomach for a good few hours, and says he’ll forgive Bloom on one condition. He asks who Ilia is.
* Bloom says he’s still been trying to figure that out, but he thinks that was his son– or maybe (the real) Bloom’s son. Andreas says to let him know if there’s anything he can do, and that he’s not good at the mental stuff, but he can make a good forcefield. Bloom says he’ll let him know if he needs a forcefield, and heads out (after being healed).
* Thomas goes to the Rat Races. Big Cheddar is still in the lead. Charon and Talis go to Lucky Eight’s.
* The spymaster doesn’t upgrade anything, but rolls for provisions, and gains +1 emerald +2 intel. 
* The commander spends 1 intel, to ask how dangerous the mission is. We’re told 10. The spymaster asks what a good item to bring would be, and we’re told any items are good items. The quartermaster decides to bring binoculars, 6 whistlers, 1 grey oil, and 1 emerald.
* Engagement is rolled [2, 6, 5, 6]. Charon is flying above the helm, and helps us avoid some aboleth. Zetian is walking around the boat, and seems very happy with themself. They ask Andreas if he’s ever been on a strole, and he says he hasn’t ever had the chance to see one in-person. He asks who we’re meeting, and Zetian says he doesn’t know. He’s hoping for blasphemy, but he can take traitors, too. Either way, it should be exciting. They have a good feeling in their bones about this, and add that they have 5 more bones than Andreas.
** Andreas asks if all Archfey have more bones than humans, and Zetian says they can if they want to. He added more in his left hand.
* Ahead, we see a risen forest. The bottoms of the trees are still below water, and it seems almost like a mangrove swamp. Zetian commands us to bring the boat to a halt, and they jump out into the water, smiling and tightening their backpack straps. Now comes either the easy bit, or the hard bit. We have to find an upside-down waterfall. They’ll give all of us a chance to perk our eyes open and explore the landscape, see if we can find it.
* Charon tries to look through the binoculars, but can’t see anything through the mist. Andreas tries to listen [phys check, 3 successes] and hears the roar of what might be water to the northwest. Charon suggests we be stealthy, and we have a mini skill challenge [comprised entirely of physical stealth checks], which we pass. The noise grows louder, and we think we’re reading the right way. At one point, Zetian stops and raises a hand, then grabs Storm and hisses for us to get down. He dives into the roots of the trees, and we follow suit.
* For a moment, we don’t hear anything, then 3 figures appear silently out of the gloom. On the far left, we see a tall knight-like creature with golden, organic carapace-like armor, smelling of carrion and rotting meat. Bloom sees the missing left hand, and identify them as Gold Hook, one of Amis’s Infamous. To the far right is a woman in a dark cloak, stitches criss-crossing her exposed flesh, her hands in surgical gloves. Around her neck is a beautiful amethyst gemstone that she checks occasionally, seeming to monitor it. A few times, she frowns and looks upward. Talis recognizes her as Marie Karhowl.
** “My lord, they are close.”
* In the middle is a twisted being with a body that flickers like fire, the orange hue of flesh shocking against the dull grey of the world. They speak, and their vocal chords sound like they’re grinding against rusted steel. “Find them.” We recognize him as Amis the Warper, one of the Blossomed. They stand among the trees, which grow and mutate around him. We’re 80-90ft away, and the Impure begin to search for us.
* Zetian looks to us and frowns, saying this isn’t good, and they probably sense the scroll. We ask if he brought the scroll, and he says yes, but that he hadn’t thought they’d be able to detect it. He doesn’t know how we were found, but he wishes he had his powers. We make a plan to distract the Impure; Talis and Charon use illusions (Talis using sound, Charon making lights), and Andreas throws 2 whistlers.
** 2 successes (spirit, benefit ii) for Talisman, 7 successes for Charon (spirit, benefit ii), 4 successes for Andreas (physical).
* The Impure go to investigate the noise. They aren’t out of the area, but we’ve bought time, and enter a skill challenge. Zetian still wants to go to the waterfall, so we try to go there. We decide to move through the deeper water, and Charon uses an illusion to hide the water under denser roots. Talisman uses a light rune to refract the water with runes, so we can swim through without appearing visible underneath. Thomas moves through the deeper water, and gets 4 successes (physical, benefit i).
* At this point, the Impure realize they’ve been distracted. Bloom makes an attempt to lead us further away, and gets 3 successes (physical, detriment ii). We successfully make it to raised ground, and have the new goal to make distance. Any attempt to distract them will draw them closer to us.
* Since we’re in shallower water, Talis uses the sound rune to create a sphere of silence around our feet. He gets 4 successes (spirit). Storm tries to find a path through the trees, but gets 0 successes – the trees are warping and moving around us, actively fighting us. Thomas tries to carefully move the trees out of our way without making too much noise, remembering how he had to be careful moving the bridge through Lavatera’s house. With 6 successes (physical, benefit ii) he’s able to successfully push the waterlogged trees back as they crowd us, and pull them back into place after.
* We exit the skill challenge, and hear now the roar of the waterfall, giving us a noise shield. Zetian tells us well done, and says it’s time to strole. Charon asks if he means going for a walk, and he says no, s-t-r-o-l-e. A diplomatic mission. Andreas explains that it’s a sacred meeting between Archfey, where the Archfey leave their powers behind for the meeting. To break a rule of the strole is one of the worst sins on the Primordial Ring. When asked about how he knows about it, he says the guards talked about it from time to time – they’re not a secret.
** Charon asks where everyone is from – only Thomas is also from the Primordial Ring, but he was on a farm, and didn’t do politics. Talis says he’s from Gellau (sic?). Bloom says the real Bloom lived on the Primordial Ring for a time, but wasn’t from there, and he himself certainly isn’t.
* We pass through a bubble, and the trees seem relatively normal through it, strangely. We see a geyser of water extending 200-300ft up in the air, disappearing into the mist. It exists a massive cave, and seems to act as a drainage system. As we approach, the water begins to part, revealing a passageway down into the cave.
* Zetian says it seems like we’re accepted, and tells us to be on our best behavior, and to look our best. It also says pens and quills are sacred, and not to mess with them. They also like names – Zetian says to say them, but say them truly. If you have something fake, like Jarbajob or Greg, don’t say that.
** Bloom is very pointedly looking away.
* We enter the passage, and find an interior cave lit by flowing globules of light. Within the passage is a person, and as the last person enters the cave, the geyser shuts behind us. We see that the person ahead of us is a woman, seemingly in her 50s or 60s, wearing a uniform. Talis recognizes this as the uniform of the Speakers, and sees that she specifically has the symbol of the Master Speaker. He immediately kneels.
** Charon takes her hat off, Andreas stands at attention, Storm takes off his helmet and stands straighter, and Thomas and Bloom bow (Thomas somewhat awkwardly).
* The woman says she recognizes some of these faces, and tells Zetian she assumed they’d be more feathered, being the Sovereign of Hawks. Zetian calls her Master Doaa, and says her name carries the weight of ten thousand ostriches. She tells us the Speakers are unamused by our carelessness, and that at one point, she’d thought the grimoire would be the most of our problems.
* She then looks down at Talis, recognizing him as one of her old church. She tells him to speak his name, and when he introduces himself as Initiate Talisman, she asks if he hasn’t been given a sect yet. He tells her not yet, and she asks why he’s here, and not on the Prime Ring. He tells her he thought he was being stationed to help the Brigade’s wounded, but was told later he was banished here. She asks if he knows what for, and he says “Not exactly, but I sense it’s something to do with… your kind of magic.” She asks what that would be, and he says the runes.
* She (rightfully) assumes the rest of us haven’t heard of her. We say no, but assume she must be very important – she says she was. She was Master of the Speakers, one of the leaders in the church of Corania, until they were removed from the church about 20 years ago. Dark forces drove them out. She asks if they still say she died, and Talis says yes.
* She asks how they say she died, and Talis doesn’t know – they never said, and didn’t allow questions about… [at this point, still kneeling, he just kind of gestured vaguely around]. She says she’s interested in what he has to say, but she and her people are leaving this world, so there’s nothing she can do to help him. Zetian says this is a great world, and she says it was, until this.
** “Even the high gods cannot penetrate the baleful magic here. That is why we leave. They’re not coming to help. None of them are. Even growing close to whatever that thing is would be enough to destroy them. I’m sure you know that, though, you have this contraption you use. It’s interesting. But now is the time for leaving. Would you like to come with us?”
* Charon asks where they’re going, and she says to the realm of dreams. They don’t believe the titans can be stopped, so they plan to entomb themselves here, sleep for ten thousand years, and if the Ring is still here, they’ll emerge into a rebuilt world. If the world is gone, then, well, there was truly nothing they could’ve done, anyway. Their number has also decreased since their time in the church, since some went away, some succumbed, and others were killed by the Brigade.
* Andreas asks her to hear us out, and she says she has a condition – because fey are notoriously slippery with their words, she wishes to hear from the soldiers. “Those of you do the dirty work.” Andreas says he’ll do everything within his power to convince her, and when she asks, says his name is Andreas Wolfgang.
** “Strong name. It was given… [she tastes the air] By your comrades in arms. Hmm, yes, it is a fitting name, a name you grew into. Fascinating, how names work.”
* Andreas says he’d be nothing without his comrades-in-arms, and she looks toward Charon, saying that one of his comrades is a grimoire. Charon says that’s correct, and Doaa asks if a god made it, based on the handiwork. Charon says it hopes not, but probably something similar in power. She guesses Aether Eater, and Charon says it doesn’t think so. It warns her she might be shocked, and Doaa says she’s sure she can handle it. Charon says the Banker made it.
** Doaa says “Holy fucking shit. Alright.” And visibly takes a step back. 
* Doaa asks what reason they have for aiding us. Andreas says very bad things have been happening on the Primordial Ring, but we in the Brigade are still committed to saving it, though we’ve been through absolute hell. We’re still fighting, and trying to keep people safe and healthy. Doaa says it’s not going well, and she fails to see how the situation is not vain and helpless.
* “As we make our way closer to Widowstone Keep, we have been taking out the lieutenants, the Infamous of the Blossomed, we’ve damaged their forces, we’ve been actively making progress, although… (‘no, no ''although''’). We are all comrades in arms, like I said. I am nothing without my comrades, and every person that joins us brings skills and brings comradeship that help us survive even in the darkest night, your skills would be invaluable.” 
* She asks if we know what the Speakers’ skills are – the skills that got them cast out from their church. She says she’d heard she could build the art of Ligiomancy, but she sees now that she was a fool then. She asks why she wouldn’t be a fool for entrusting her powers and abilities to our group. Andreas says we’re people, and we make mistakes. She points out we killed her Speakers, and he says he apologizes (“I offer no excuses, I make no amends, but I offer apologies to you and your people for the death we caused upon you:). He says if they join us, he’s sure we’d allow them to practice their Ligiomancy in peace, and our squads would even help them around camp or in gathering supplies if they needed.
* Doaa tells him his words are filled with honey, and asks if he fully and sincerely makes this a promise. Andreas raises a hand, showing the other, and says he’ll ensure it personally.
* She asks us what Ligiomancy is. Andreas tries to figure out if he knows the root word, but with 1 success (mental), he doesn’t. Angel correctly gets a hero point for guessing that it’s “something to do with connection” (based on ligio & ligament). She says it’s the magic of connection, taking elements of one thing and transposing it onto another, such as taking a stone and switching its weight with the weight of a mountain. There are sympathetic links between objects and ideas, animals and people. They use the world to fuel their magic, but they also speak the melodies of the universe – they read it, understand it, and tie the music together in new ways.
** Doaa says Corania used this power to build great works, and that the Speakers raised up great cities like Gellau. She asks Talis if Gellau is still standing, and he says it is – he’s from there, as is someone else he knows. 
* She says their Ligiomancy is special, and she wanted to go beyond, and pull in new avenues of magic into our world. She figured out how to incorporate titanic magic into their Ligiomancy. She isn’t a true Listener, but knew someone who was, so with their help, she wove the fourth magic and created runes, copying them and pulling upon the old ways. While Titanic magic isn’t spoken of like high, low, or primordial magic, it’s just as real and powerful, working by reversing cause and effect in a principle they call negative inertia. Something happens before the thing that caused it to happen occurs – they burn power now, and pay the cost in the future, either over time or all in one amount. How this is done exactly is still fuzzy, and they have no natural teachers left. 
** She says if a person uses the light rune, they connect to a later on type of light, pulling on light they’ll experience in the future.
* She says some would say what they do is blasphemous, but it’s just another way of utilizing energy. When the Ovates accused them of this blasphemy, they recognized a pull of negative inertia coming from some of the Ovates – a dark creature had permeated their church, and spoken lies into the minds of the Ovates. Even Corania wasn’t on their side. They fled to the Primordial Ring, and were able to study titanic magic through its twin, primordial magic. 
** The same way high and low magic are twins, so are titanic and primordial magic. Primordial magic draws on the present, while titanic draws on the future.
* She asks if we’ll still have them, or if they’ll be slaughtered once again. Andreas hasn’t lowered his hand, and says he’d still make his oath. He doesn’t know where his magic comes from – many of us don’t know things about ourselves. When she asks what he means, he shows her his forcefields, and says they come from himself, rather than an outside force. He gets 2 successes (spirit, benefit ii). She says if the situation were different, maybe they could help, but they are still ants next to the power out there, and no one’s power is enough.
* Andreas says we can still save people, even if we can’t beat Althara. She asks how, and he says we’re going to Widowstone Keep. Zetian chimes at this point, saying we have a plan. We come here with open hearts and open arms, and the Speakers could help. Our Archfey Cordell has been turned cubic by the grimoire Doaa mentioned earlier, and he thinks their Ligiomancy could help. In exchange, we could get them to Widowstone.
* She says she feels bad for Zetian’s friend, but it’s not enough to sway her. We will not find our salvation at Widowstone – even if the legends are true, it’s not enough to– and Zetian cuts her off, saying they can use the Scroll of Meropis to open Alethrendil’s Sanctum and find Solandis. Doaa calls them mad, and they take out the Scroll, saying we have no other choice, no other hope. They say we’re offering them a chance to help, to do so much more, and that victory is within our grasp. With her help, they know we can do it. We were even able to slip past Amis, Marie, and the Golden Hook.
** Survival of the fittest. He prompts Thomas to flex, and Thomas is confused but complies.
* We say we’re not alone, either – we have the Maiden and Helmuth, even Lavatera (who apparently had been presumed missing).
** Angel adds that we’re like cockroaches, and she tells him his melody does read like that of a bug, but the bug might inherit the earth.
* Doaa agrees to help – she’ll leave twelve of her Speakers and put them to sleep, and the rest will come with us. She tells us to speak no more of the rest of our plans until we reach protective rings. She then heads deeper into the cave to make her preparations, and comes back with a few dozen Speakers in tow. It’s noted here that Talisman wouldn’t have risen until she told him he could, and she acknowledges him now, saying there’s much to teach him. She hereby inducts him into the Speakers.
** Talisman is stunned, and barely manages to stutter out some reverent thanks. He seems close to throwing up. She pats him on the back.
* We arrive safely back at camp, with the Speakers in tow. We decide not to move. We end the session, and gain +2 morale, +2 intel, +1 level.