Corrupted Geass

433WeCoGe

As the final test closed with a triumphant chorus the Voiron’s chosen score sealed their position in first place. The Party had been surrounded by more than one mishap where the team directly competing against them had their chances ripped away from them until it was just Voiron’s warriors and the party that was chosen by the Ember games themselves.

But as they watched the magic symbols converge on the wall opposite where the nobles sat and above the entrance to the Ember Vault something was odd. The final two scores that were being tallied showed that Voiron’s Chosen was in first place with a near perfect score of fifty six out of sixty. They were just mere moments from being declared winners of the games. But the respectable score for the visiting adventure party started to change.

Slowly as if in time of the beating of soaring dragon the numbers trickled upwards. Fourty, fourty one, fourty two and so the numbers continued. It paused as it caused the party to be equal to the Voiron’s champions before it continued changed to a glaring sixty. A perfect score. The arena was quiet for a moment as everyone took a collective breath before the leader board changed revealing that the Ember Games Chosen had indeed won, chosen by the Geass itself to enter the vault.

The fury, joy and confusion exploded all at once as the upset caused bags of gold to now be changing hands in ways that were not expected. Nobles erupted with fury as their chances were dashed and a call to overrule the geass was put forth. However, the geass moved onwards with its agenda and three burning diamonds appeared as motes of energy above the heads of each of the party members.

A magically enhanced voice boomed outwards as the speaker called order. “The Geass has appeared to overturn the rules and decide on its own. While we try and understand what has happened here we know what now must be done. Each dawn a mote of Ember will disappear from the heads of the Ember Games Chosen and upon the third mote disappearing it will seal the vault once more. However, Voiron’s Chosen were winning before the geass took matters into its own hands, figuratively speaking.” he paused.

“The council over these games has declared that both the Voirons Chosen and the Ember Games Chosen will enter and that both groups will be given a chance to fulfil their own and their lords, or mysterious benefactors, wishes. We wish our Anointed the very best in the dark of the Ember Vault and while we unpick the mess that the Geass has created this time we will trust in the process and make do with the best we have.”

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The Thren Plant

432WeThPl

“It’s not much further. You will see the Thren soon.” the elf called Thren; a namesake of the plant she had explained when asked, called back. The party had been walking for the better part of a day and into dusk and they were searching for a place to set up camp. Thren often disappeared nearly into thin air before appearing again to guide them deeper into the woods.

The party had once or twice marvelled at how stealthily she moved, leaving not a single trace of her passing, taking nothing and weaving through the woods like they were an extension of her being. She had led them to water, fruits and berries and even stopped them from encountering a pack of monsters from selecting the party as the target of their hunt.

But as the sun set Thren had looked for a small clearing and with the parties help had selected space for them to set up camps. She shied away from the flame as the fire was lit and instead chose to climb into the branches of a tall nearby tree. “There are many things that stalk the woods at night and the smell of food, the light of the fire and the heat from it will attract things that you wish you hadn’t. Do as you wish but I want to see the Thren in the morning.” she had called down as she unslung her bow and her form all but disappeared into the trees.

She was right of course, the night was filled with creatures appearing at the edge of the firelight, a few arrows darting from a nearby tree saw the creatures fleeing into the night, limping, crawling of stampeding away. Dawn saw that where ever blood was spilt from these brief encounters small sprouts of plants were pushing through the dirt. “The forest feeds on itself, the balance is maintained and we can continue on in peace” Thren would comment when ever another sprout was found.

The parties supplies had also suffered and so they relied on Threns’ knowledge of the forest and its paths to find food that morning, but it was a limited affair of bitter berries that left their tongue numb and small seeds that did nothing to sustain those with larger appetites.

After a few hours Thren gestured forwards, “The Thren are through there, in the grove amongst the dark trees. I will be there shortly but there is something I must prepare for.” she announced as she took out a small blade and knelt nearby. As the party entered the edges of the grove the few shafts of direct sunlight revealed a low grassy clearing with several large plants near by. A heart-shaped leaf stood out near the light shaft which matched the description Tyreal provided them.

As they moved towards the leaf something bright white caught the suns beam next to the leaf. A human skull. Looking around the clearing several more bleached white skeletons were scattered amongst the grass and near each of them another tall plant grew near by. Looking back towards Tyren the elf was gone but it wasn’t long until an arrow was fired at the adventurers. A figure stepped out of the woods, Tyrens form was now made from bark, moss and vines and her skin had a mushroom-like texture.

“The Thren need to feed and need a place for their spores to burrow into. You will feed the Thren for weeks and we are tired of waiting.” she said as several more figures lurched into the clearing.

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The Stained Cup

431WeStCu

As Alistare got back to the barracks he unstrapped the pauldrons that they wore when on patrol and went to the mess hall. Passing one of the cells he could see one of the officers asking some questions of an elf that had been caught last night trying to sneak into the barracks, likely also after the Stained Cup, he thought to himself as he went to go grab a drink and some food.

The hall was nearly empty apart from some of the members of his patrol as they ate and spoked in hushed tones. There had a been a series of attempted break-ins and robberies as word got out that they had taken custody of the Stained Cup. Alistare had been informed by the high cleric of Tyr that the artefact was magical in nature and that they would be sending over member of their order to collect it to be destroyed, if possible, or stored away where it wont see the light of day again.

Frankly Alistare could not wait until it was taken and buried somewhere deep. From what he had heard it had the power to enslave an entire city to be under the control over its owner. He shuddered at the thought of one of the crime bosses in the city, these Kings and Queens of the slums, who would have the power, influence and man-power to overthrow the nobility.

“Alistare, there you are,” a voice said from his left. Turning he was greeted by the bright eyes of Sylvana, one of the other captains. “The church sent over their priest and they picked up the package that you had organised.” she smiled as she sat next to him and clanked his cup against hers.

Alistare sighed with relief. “Praise Tyr. It’s been nothing but trouble since it got here. Glad to see the last of it.” he raised his cup and finished it off. After the news that his little problem was gone he could relax a bit more. After he was done he went to the front of the guard barracks where he saw the high cleric standing there with one of his clergy.

“Welcome Brother Pyrius. I bet you are pleased to have the package in your custody.” Alistare asked smiling.

“I will be Captain. Myself and Brother Mikale are here to retrieve it…” Pyrius replied with a smile.

“Retrieve it. I was told it was picked up this morning.” Alistare replied, his brain whirring. As he watched the face of the priest his heart dropped into his stomach. “If you did not recover it earlier today then.. who did…” he asked more to himself as he watched the high cleric quickly converse with the other member of his order before they both left in haste. It looked like Alistare had some questions to ask and a cup to find.

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Desmodus at Dawn

430WeDeDa

As the first rays of dawn struck through the curtails Katiana looked up from the paperwork on the small desk she had in her room and sighed. As she reached over and snuffed the candles she was using to read the reports of what they had found out about the musicians during the day. She stretched her back causing a few pops to echo out as she moved towards the window to view Desmodus at Dawn.

After a moment to get her eyes to adjust to the light before she gazed upon the tapestry of rooftops. The reds, browns, greens and greys of the tiles and wood. The flags of the city whipped about in the breeze and the sounds of the city coming alive rose to greet her. However as she looked across the city that she had spent most of her life in she noticed something concerning.

Grabbing her jacket she moved towards the door, hauling on her boots as she hopped out of the door. Moving through the city quickly head towards the merchants quarter. As she neared the quarter the first cries of alarm could be heard. A group of guards were hurrying in that district and she rushed to join them. “Katiana, there has been another incident.” one of the guards said as they saw her, another captain from another part of the city watch.

“I didn’t see the tower of Selune so I had to come investigate.” she replied.

“The tower collapsed onto the Mullberry Inn.” the captain answered her question. Katiana followed along and started to help where she could. It wasn’t until she reached the site of the fallen tower that she began to understand. The Inn was ruined with splintered timber littering the road. As she stepped around the material she found her foot passing through the material as if it had been feasted on by insects.

The stone of the tower was much the same as the inn. Half of it was frail and brittle and although the building was destroyed the loss of human life seemed to be minimal. “Well the music stopped and slowly we felt the building rumbling. We ran out to the streets, all of us, in time to see the temple collapse onto the inn. I don’t think the group of bards that were playing made it out though.” one of the people on the streets murmured as she recounted the night before.

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Midfern Vault

429WeMiVa

At last the door was revealed. A beam of sunlight from a broken part of the roof revealed the rubble, plants and growth that has set into the rune covered door. The journey to the central Vault door had been dangerous one with several traps; mundane and magical, having been built into the locking mechanism of several rooms which had seen them lose some of the less experienced would be adventurers who had heard the call to fame.

But those that remained stood ready and tested, the final hurdle in front of them

Marcell stood with Carben talking to the other hired help nearby, ready as always, as she read the runes from a distance. She was certain this was the door as no other door had been so heavily protected which made her giddy with excitement. This had to be it, where the elves of the Midfern keep had kept their knowledge of ancient magic and had stored it. There was no other explanation in her mind why it would be guarded as so – unless it was for gold and other wealth.

“I don’t like this.” Carben said next to her as he came back to stand closer by her side. “They are good people, mostly, and they seem to believe that the murals we found earlier in the ruins talk about this door. That the great evil that they defeated was sealed back here.” Carben said in a rushed whisper.

“Don’t be a fool. The elves only put that there to stop people from taking the secrets of their spells and their gold. From what I’ve read the ‘Great Darkness’ was a roving band of orcs that they killed out and then they took that as a sign to seal their strongest weapons, and greatest riches away. The story of the great evil is a myth, a legend that was created to stop people from doing what we are going to. Get our hands on the most powerful magic we have seen and get rich in doing so.” Marcell retorted as she stormed off toward the door. She had come this far that turning back now was simply being foolish.

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Beneath the Cut Stone

428WeBeCuSt

As the party followed the worn trail deeper into the caverns below the quarry they followed the path of disturbed dust. Eventually the passage began to get colder and the walls of the passage began to look as if a thin layer of disturbed rime had set in.

However the cavern wall gave way to the first of dozens of hunched shapes. Coming out of the wall was the humanoid sized statue of a skeletal man. hunched over he was shorter and the facial structure was more pronounced in stone than it would have been in life. An expression of pain mixed with joy gripped its face as it looked further into the cavern.

Dozens more quickly followed with their expressions changing as quickly as the layer of frost and cold under the parties feet. The skeletal-like appearance blended in with the stone to make these statues look closer to life like than one would dare think. Each of them stared outwardly down the hallway as a light, a cold glow radiated down the passage and tinged the sides of the figures in a blue hue.

Each figure looked expertly carved and the disturbed rime and dust led the a party past each of the faces as they moved deeper into what appeared to be a more worn and methodically chiselled part of the cavern.

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Kilderken Hunters Camp

427WeKiHuCa

As the party moved through the woods the sun began to dwindle and the tracks that they had been following for the better half of the day were showing signs of tiring. Earlier in the forest there were signs of something dark. Runes, fetishes and parts of dead animals were impaled upon trees and there was a feeling of desecration where ever the party stepped. That had finished when they had found the tracks of their quarry.

Several booted feet lead bare feet deeper into the woods, further east and where they walked the runes, fetishes and even gruesome displays of dark magic had been removed or cleansed. For some time now as they followed the footsteps the forest started to feel cleaner with more promise and the abundance of life was becoming clearer. But as dusk descended upon them the signs of their targets slowing also encroached.

As night fell a camp fire could be seen between the trees. A small creek ran through some trees and into a clearing where two small tents had been erected in a hurry. One was more worn and appeared larger as if meant for more than just providing shelter for the night where as the other looked more typical, more military. Despite this the several men and women they could see around the camp gave them pause as none of them appeared cruel or malicious.

Several were knelt in prayer whilst the others burnt incense and sprinkled something around the camp as if warding from spirits. The party crept closer and began to overhear parts of conversation. “Be careful young Jarred. Don’t listen nor look at those witches as they will charm your senses and enslave you. I don’t want to have to do to you what we did to Armen.” one of the more armoured people called out, an older man.

“Yes Carn, I will ensure that they are fed and leave them be.” the younger boy, Jarred, responded as he entered the larger camp. The sounds of whimpering and softer voices came from the tent before Jarred returned. “I have re-placed the sacred wards as well. No evil shall become of this camp tonight.” he announced to the approval of the camps inhabitants.

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The Wooded Lake

426WeWoLa

As Borfook pushed through the final bushes, still consulting his map he came across what he appeared to have been searching for. The journey around the lake had not been easy as the wilds had really crept into what was once a land maintained by the human settlement. However with the party present they had made good time and the encounters didn’t set them back more than an hour.

After a moment scouring the waters edge Borfook froze wobbled for a moment before jumping with elation. “I knew it, There it is!” he exclaimed as he rushed forward towards the waters edge. Following his rushed gait through the brush and to the waters edge a large pedestal stood out of the water.

“That is Garthunk’s handiwork you can tell from the ay the chisel was used left handed and horizontally. This has got to be mechanism that was mentioned in the books!” he called as he looked for a way to reach the pedestal without having to touch the water. With a running jump he landed on the edge of the pedestal and searched the stone thoroughly. After a few minutes he scratched away some lichen and blew the dust and plant into the water below.

“Now it’s said that before anyone is allowed to enter the guardian will try and stop us and take the key so no one can have it. But that’s what you are here for to stop the guardian from getting the key. Besides, its been centuries, the guardian is likely dead by now.” he said confidently as he inserted the amber key deeper into the pedestal. The click that followed seemed to reverberate across the waters surface and as the ripples continued deeper into the lake the area became silent.

Heartbeats past before a vibrating rumble came from the ground. Suddenly birds flew up from the trees around the lake, an unknown creature on the other side of the lake bellowed out a warning call which was echoed by several more deeper in the woods. A pillar of stone broke the surface of the lake as a series of ruins materialised from the depths of the lake. A series of large stepping stones started to appear from the pedestal where Borfook stood watching with delight. The steps appeared, still slick with lake-scum and water as they created a bridge to the building that was not sitting just at the lakes surface a few hundred feet away.

“I give you the Amber vault” he said dramatically as he pointed to the building that appeared.

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The Hardest Twist

425WeHaTw

As the party walked into the courtyard they spotted dozens of guards watching them from the sides of the cluttered space. The information they had gained from their own investigation as well as from the seer had lead them here as the source of evil in the land. As if by some unspoken order the guards drew their weapons and slowly advanced on the party.

“You’re not welcome here, what do you wish with the Lady in Violet?” one of the guards spoke. He was the leader or at least walked like he was in command of the men around him. “We are aware of your kind. You think you can push around those with the birth right to rule? Those who dare to shake the dirt from the roots and watch a new plant grow?” the guard nodded, agreeing to the man as they encircled the party.

“Perhaps we can’t let you leave. You reek of violence. Size them! The Gemmed fist will discern their intent!”

The party is generally the hero of the story; those who seek to do right for and by everyone and so when something smells fishy its not frequent that their intuition is wrong. However, there are cases where they are not the biggest player in the room and having them realise this to late is one of the hardest twists that I am yet to masterfully pull off.

You don’t want to deceive the players where something is not right, but you also don’t want them to see through the plot hooks, the smoke and mirrors so that the surprise is ruined for them. After all a there are countless enemies that would be cunning enough to manipulate adventurers, typical heroes, to do their evil bidding.

The challenge is this balance, deception without malicious intent and the ways that you can mask, guide and steer the party in the direction that you need them to go in. Most of the players I have had are experienced enough that they can sense or see through the smoke and mirrors that I have in place for the parties enjoyment of the session. However, as I focus on how I can up my game plan in the future it’s not an impossible task.

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Corltarlen’s Plan

424WeCoPl

As the party rushed up the hill the wind changed direction and the flaming creatures that had been attacking them constantly suddenly seemed to give up in blocking their passage. The dark chanting changed pace from the mountain ahead of them as it gained in urgency and power. Lightning flashed overhead as the booming voice continued as flashes of fire and lightning roared on the peak of the mountain – the source of the arcane spell.

As they raced over the rocks, bushes and branches the elemental creatures around them started to dim, vibrate before extinguishing. The air became a flurry of embers that rose and travelled towards a vortex that was forming at the peak of the mountain. As the chanting rose so did the number of elementals that disintegrated into embers to join the vortex and in their path the trees, bushes and shrubs caught on fire casting everything in a orange glow.

It dawned on the party as soon as they saw the cause of the magic, a wizard surrounded by flames as motes of elemental magic poured into an effigy which had taken humanoid shape. Half burning wood and half flames the elemental towered over the man who was bathed in fire.

“You are too late now, my ritual is complete and I am the most powerful mage alive!” he howled, his eyes burning with rage and magic. “Corltarlen, deal with them and feast on their magic as per your bargain.” the mage commanded, but the elemental form just sneered.

“For a smart man, Tolkar, you do not understand the cost of power. I will do as you wish to sate my hunger but it will only last me so long now that I have taken this form.” he said as he gazed hungrily across at the mage.

“Yes, yes. More magic items and more magic essence from practitioners of the arcane. I know.” Tolkar replied as he missed the intent of the creature that was once bound to his will.

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