Samuel, Alice, and Rylos get together for breakfast around five weeks after their arrival in Novgorod. Alice brings up the question...what now? Where do we go, what can we do? Samuel immediately begins to ask about Sofia. Should she come as well? He doesn't think it's likely, but brings up the topic. Alice asks, "Do you really want her to go on OUR adventures?" After several moments of thought, Samuel responds "Well...yes and no...I'd like her to go, but she would probably end up in danger and never make it back." Alice: "I was thinking she would probably end up dead." The conversation continues along these lines, with Samuel being swayed against bringing Sofia with him.
Samuel: "Should we look for her dad?"
Alice: "We should have a little time before hell comes looking for us."
Rylos: "You cursed us, we're doomed."
They decide before they leave, they should investigate Sofia's dad's disappearance. Samuel goes to talk to her while Alice heads to train the militia more. (Hand-to-Hand today.)
Samuel investigates and discovers where Sofia's dad was last. He, Rylos, and Alice all go to investigate. Sofia appears and asks Samuel to go to her dad's old cabin. Once there, she talks to him for a while on the porch, and then takes him inside. A few moments later Alice receives a psychic message from Samuel that it will be a while, and she and Rylos go back to investigate.
Inside, she gives Samuel a drink of wine, which he reluctantly drinks. He immediately gets woozy and is led to the bed, stripped, and she starts having her way with him. He can't move, and cannot use any of his powers. She starts changing in to an old, wrinkled witch. She talks to him after she is done with him. He still cannot communicate, but she is proficient in reading his mind.
She captured Sofia's father, and used him for eight months until he was a husk. She has done this before. She says Samuel will last a long time. Then, she decides it's time to use him again. While she is, Alice and Rylos return and see what she actually is.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Between Sessions 27 & 28: Life in Novgorod
SW of Sovietski by 175 miles is a small kingdom named Novgorod, occasionally besieged by the Warlords or travelling bandits. However, for the most part it is left alone, as it is so far away from everything. The kingdom is fully clear to the SW (where our heroes entered from), but is surrounded in many directions by a haunted forest. To the east roughly 35 miles is the largest Warlord area.
The “king” of this kingdom, Dmitri Petronovich Kozlov, is a happy ruler who is jovial, happy, and well-loved. His kingdom has around 500 people in it. He works to keep these people safe, and more and more are joining his kingdom. One of his top advisors is Sofia Nikolovich Ivanov, who has developed a special relationship with Samuel. He father, Nikolai Olehovich Ivanov was Dmitri’s key advisor until he disappeared 3 years previously. Dmitri’s father began to build the kingdom, which started as a tent city. He was good, and drew people to him. Eventually, a wall was built around the tent city, and houses were build. Dmitri’s father was a good ruler, and worked along with his people to build the city. He made sure their places were built before his.
The home of the king is just slightly larger than that of the other citizens. Many of the people live in dormitory or apartment styled living, with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities. Some have houses. There is a town square, where during the few warmer months the stores move themselves to becoming outdoor shops, but they are mostly indoor.
The town has a decent militia, and as so far been able to defend itself, though it often has to do repairs.
When Samuel, Alice, and Rylos arrived, the town was recovering from an attack two weeks before. Samuel won the people over, and got them invited to the king’s place for dinner. With his relationship starting with Sofia, he convinced Alice and Rylos to stay. Alice agreed, under thoughts that they needed to be strategic and come up with a plan for how to return home. Rylos started spending almost all of his time drunk.
Five weeks have passed since that point. Samuel and Sofia have spent a large amount of time together. Alice has become one of Dmitri’s closest advisors. She has majorly strengthened the defense of Novgorod and has spent a good amount of her time training the militia.
Rylos, however, has had the biggest journey. Rylos spent the first two week drunk, as he felt his life mission was not being fulfilled. Then one day he was outside the kingdom walls one day and discovered a shipment of supplies from a friendly kingdom being hijacked as it was being delivered. Rylos intervened and saved those making the delivery, and was given a heroes reception. He was praised, and saw that the people here needed saved as well. He began to do everything from saving animals and helping people when needed to stopping roving attackers before they could get near the kingdom. In three weeks since the hijacking, Rylos has become a hero to the people of Novgorod. He has any woman or food her wants for free, and is the first called on to help with any problems.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Session 27: Now You See Them...
Samuel and Alice are picked up at the town in her gunship. "That could have went better...but at least you saved the town. So...Kingsdale, my house, Garhaven...where do you wanna go?" She asks.
They decide on Kingsdale, and go in search of a place to spend the money that is burning a hole in their pocket from the money they made after the battle of Scherbatsky. They decide to go searching for a vehicle. They stop at the first possible place and decided to buy what they find. They go shopping, get the car the next day, and decide to head back to Garhaven.
As they head back towards the 'Haven, they come across a man in the middle of the road surrounded by four dead boys. A SAMAS soon lands beside him. The Coalition begins to threaten him, and in a flourish the man brandishes a wand and starts tapping the Dead Boys. They each disappear in order. The SAMAS shoots his railgun at them, and he waves the wand again. The rounds disappear. He lurches forward and taps the SAMAS, who also disappears. The party hears three more SAMAS approaching, and speed up and have him jump in. As he is a concussion grenade goes off behind him, knocking him into the vehicle. His wand hits Alice, and she vanishes immediately. Samuel asks where she was sent, and he said he has no clue.
The SAMAS begin to attack, and Samuel asks to be sent to the same place. He taps Samuel with the wand, and Samuel vanishes. Rylos grabbed the man and took off trying to save him...but the man's arm swung down and touched Rylos, who also disappeared. As for the man they were attempting to save? We don't know know what his fate is, and probably never will.
Alice and Samuel appear close to each other in a strange land. Alice is attempting to get her bearings, but nothing seems to make sense. Soon after, Rylos appears in his SAMAS. They soon find the Coalition soldiers that were sent here, and stumble upon a farm. They quickly figure out they are far from home, as the farmer runs from them, screaming in a language they don't understand. The Coalition is convinced to go their own way, as Rylose, Alice, and Samuel head north. They make it to a very small town, where again everyone is speaking a foreign language. Alice casts tongues, and is able to secure housing for them for the night. Alice is taken with one guy (who unsuccessfully tries to seduce her) while Samuel and Rylos stay in a barn. The next day they are given directions to the largest "town" in the area, and head there.
They arrive in Novgorod, where they are immediately drawn in. Samuel is brought up by someone as a street performer, and performs various Trixter spells (balloon animals, bubble gum magic, etc.) to entertain and win over the people. They are taken by Sofia to a banquet at the king's home. Alice and Samuel go, with Rylos showing up later drunk after an evening in the bar. They are all taken to their rooms, where Samuel and Sofia have a memorable night together. They decide to stay for a couple of weeks, while they plot their next move.
They decide on Kingsdale, and go in search of a place to spend the money that is burning a hole in their pocket from the money they made after the battle of Scherbatsky. They decide to go searching for a vehicle. They stop at the first possible place and decided to buy what they find. They go shopping, get the car the next day, and decide to head back to Garhaven.
As they head back towards the 'Haven, they come across a man in the middle of the road surrounded by four dead boys. A SAMAS soon lands beside him. The Coalition begins to threaten him, and in a flourish the man brandishes a wand and starts tapping the Dead Boys. They each disappear in order. The SAMAS shoots his railgun at them, and he waves the wand again. The rounds disappear. He lurches forward and taps the SAMAS, who also disappears. The party hears three more SAMAS approaching, and speed up and have him jump in. As he is a concussion grenade goes off behind him, knocking him into the vehicle. His wand hits Alice, and she vanishes immediately. Samuel asks where she was sent, and he said he has no clue.
The SAMAS begin to attack, and Samuel asks to be sent to the same place. He taps Samuel with the wand, and Samuel vanishes. Rylos grabbed the man and took off trying to save him...but the man's arm swung down and touched Rylos, who also disappeared. As for the man they were attempting to save? We don't know know what his fate is, and probably never will.
Alice and Samuel appear close to each other in a strange land. Alice is attempting to get her bearings, but nothing seems to make sense. Soon after, Rylos appears in his SAMAS. They soon find the Coalition soldiers that were sent here, and stumble upon a farm. They quickly figure out they are far from home, as the farmer runs from them, screaming in a language they don't understand. The Coalition is convinced to go their own way, as Rylose, Alice, and Samuel head north. They make it to a very small town, where again everyone is speaking a foreign language. Alice casts tongues, and is able to secure housing for them for the night. Alice is taken with one guy (who unsuccessfully tries to seduce her) while Samuel and Rylos stay in a barn. The next day they are given directions to the largest "town" in the area, and head there.
They arrive in Novgorod, where they are immediately drawn in. Samuel is brought up by someone as a street performer, and performs various Trixter spells (balloon animals, bubble gum magic, etc.) to entertain and win over the people. They are taken by Sofia to a banquet at the king's home. Alice and Samuel go, with Rylos showing up later drunk after an evening in the bar. They are all taken to their rooms, where Samuel and Sofia have a memorable night together. They decide to stay for a couple of weeks, while they plot their next move.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Session 17: The Journey to and arrival at Purgatory
(This is my notes for the journey as Alice and Samuel journeyed to purgatory, as far as format.)
There were originally four entryways into an old temple in or around the pre-rifts city of Cleveland. Only one still stands. The roads from your exit point from Dwoemer to that location are full of all manner of creation that would rather destroy you than talk to you. You will most likely be under continuous attacks for your journey to the gates…a journey that must be taken on foot. Part of the journey of discovery is the actual trip there. That means it must be taken in this manner. Cleveland is the home of a Hellmouth-an entry way into a dark dimension. You will want to avoid the Hellmouth and instead find the remaining gateway and enter. You will be transported to the temple. There you will have to work your way through the temple. The challenges inside are many, but the rewards can be great. You will gain in experience, riches, and will be in the employ (at your and their desire) of the Lords of Magic.
The gate you are given dumps you out near a small community known as Palestine.
The town of Palestine is rebuilt from the ruins of a Pre-Rifts town bearing the same name. It is a very small settlement holding barely a hundred people. There are many humanoid D-Bees and humans living together. The area the town is on is small- .2 Square Miles. It is a very tight-knit community. However, it is open to travelers, many of whom come through as representatives for the Three. You will find an opportunity to shop for food or very basic supplies if you wish, but there is very limited other items for purchase in this small village.
For the journey itself-The Three gave you a basic location. The citizens of Palestine are able to point you in the correct direction. You will basically be traveling over solid land (little to no water passages to worry about) in a northeastern direction. They again warn you that the journey will be dangerous, and that you should keep your guard up. The average friendly encounter on the journey (which takes an average of 2-4 days) is .34 per day. The average hostile encounter is 8.3 per day…and an encounter can be anywhere from one individual to a horde. Because of this you will need to practice constant vigilance on your travels.
The wilderness has really grown up in this area. The beginning of your journey will be through areas that feature plains and small hills. The weather, however, has turned much colder, and you will be battling the elements as well. To highlight this point, the first snowflakes of the season begin to fall shortly after you arrive at Palestine. They estimate that there will be 2 inches by morning…and it will not be letting up. The next week or so there could be snow, with the accumulation eventually being measured in feet as opposed to inches. If there is a time to begin the journey it is now, before the weather gets too bad.
The journey: roll up random encounters for every 3 hours of time at random.
0-15 Single minor malicious threat
15-19 No Encounter
20-35 Single major malicious threat
36-44 No encounter
45-70 Band/pack of 1d6 threats
71-85 Band/pack of 1d10 threats
86-89 No Encounter
90-95 Extreme Threat
96-100 Friendly encounter
15-19 No Encounter
20-35 Single major malicious threat
36-44 No encounter
45-70 Band/pack of 1d6 threats
71-85 Band/pack of 1d10 threats
86-89 No Encounter
90-95 Extreme Threat
96-100 Friendly encounter
Slowed by encounters (which are hard-to-impossible to avoid) the trip will take 5.5 days. At the average, this will be 20-25 encounters by the time they reach Cleveland/the gates. The gates are located on the ground where the Cleveland zoo once stood. The “gates” are an old stone arch that is slightly crumbling. Writing in runes on the gate changes as you draw closer and magically in a language you can read becomes “Gates to Purgatory.”
Upon entering the gate you find yourself falling through full impenetrable darkness. No sound reaches your ears-no light reaches your eyes. Your hair is blown behind you and your clothes flap in the wind as your journey continues down into what appears to be endless darkness. It is impossible to judge the speed of your descent, as there are no markers you can judge the falling against. You begin thinking about your life and the decisions you have made that have led you to this point. You seem to fall for so long in this silent darkness you lose track of how long you have been falling. Days? Weeks? Years? As you begin to give up any hope that you will ever escape, you see a pinpoint of light below you. As it rapidly grows in size, you realize you are falling at an extremely rapid pace directly at this area.
You are briefly blinded as you fall into the lighted area. As your eyes begin to adjust to the sudden light, you see you are high above the ground and still plummeting. Below you there is a large mountain range, and on the mountain directly beneath you there is a large red temple. The design of the temple seems to be a mix of various Asian, Latin American, and Egyptian designs. After a brief glimpse of the outside of the temple you find yourself suddenly standing in a octagonal courtyard with a different colored door on each side. The doors follow the color spectrum-Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. The final door is black. In the middle of the courtyard is an obelisk (about 20 feet high) with runes matching the ones you saw on the arch before you entered.
As you approach the obelisk, the writing again changes to where you can read it.
“Around your world eight doors do you’ll see
A choice of emotions shall await thee
Enter any at risk of your life
Each hold various forms of strife
Choose quickly what your fate shall hold
Be you fearful or brave and bold
However, your choice you must make quickly
Or the choice shall belong to me”
A choice of emotions shall await thee
Enter any at risk of your life
Each hold various forms of strife
Choose quickly what your fate shall hold
Be you fearful or brave and bold
However, your choice you must make quickly
Or the choice shall belong to me”
30 seconds after you read the description the obelisk rises in the air, spins a quarter turn, and drops one foot into the ground. Five seconds later it does so again. And again.
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