Session 28: Where do we go...from here?

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.

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.