Session 14

Last session left off after the group defeated Encarthis and then retrieved the scroll of ascension from Ariel's statue. Which they now believe to be an artifact with DCs from 28 to 50.

The group first returned to the war room in City hall to hear how things were going. The groups of cultists attempting to start fires were all contained quickly. Only one group remained holed up in a tower but surrounded and the people delivering explosive packages had been dealt with by druidic air bombing with create water in bird form. The druids were summoned by the homeless who were given bells to ring in the case of anyone suspiciously appearing. (Party had warned them of portals and the the homeless network Reginar had set up to watch the Cult seemed like a good way to inconspicuously watch for invaders porting into the city. It appears that only one or two were able to portal because after a good shellacking no more portals were used though the individual did escape. There was also a Lothian Deathship which did leave the area and head towards the open sea after the attack failed to gain ground some druids were tailing the ship.

There was also a bit of an issue with Hirgenzogsk the gigantic dragon turtle out in the bay. It was a huge sea turtle which was awakened by the druids but it had enough dragon blood that it awakened as a full dragon turtle. This was proving problematic as dragon turtles are very territorial and it had apparently adopted the harbor as "His" and was foiling rescue attempts for the sailors in the water. It was also very intellegent yet capricious.

Making waves

Seldion, Ariel, and Karsa went to investigate. The turtle proved intelligent By the time the party got to the docks it had taught itself Lothian and was walking on water. (each foot in a different boat and carefully walking on surface until distracted by Karsa laughing and saying that was awesome. In short the dragon turtle was childish, brilliant inquisitive, but had no real experience to temper it boisterous nature. Seldion and Karsa were instantly fascinated by this bad combination and convinced it to give the group rides around the harbor. But it turns out that a dragon turtle can lunge fast enough to throw people off its back. Seldion kept his balance but Karsa and Ariel were thrown off. Karsa kept hold of a rope at least and was dragged along after the dragon turtle on a great tour of the bay. The turtle was inquisitive, said it could breath fire (It had swallowed the shiny metal thing the party launched earlier that night) And decided it wanted to be a wizard like Seldion. In fact it designated Seldion its familiar and teacher and instructed him to come back tomorrow with books to teach it. They then rescued a number of drowning sailors from the harbor and then when teh turtle started diving for food asked to be taken to shore.

The turtle (now proclaiming itself to be "Hergen" the pirate/wizard at some coaching from party members) brought Karsa and Seldion back to the docks at high speed turning at the last moment to throw up a huge plume of water and launching them into the air when he body checked the tide wall. Both Seldion and Karsa turned multiple flips in teh air before sticking their landings on a second floor balcony across the road from the water. A few drenched onlookers were impressed by the high level characters hi-jinks. (because who else rides dragon turtles?)

Meanwhile Qimae and Arcas are learning that somewhere in the ritual where they killed Bai Shing they formed some sort of familiar bond. When close to one another they see through each others eyes (awareness) and there is a lot more leakage in thoughts. Qimae can now manifest/de-manifest more quickly and Arcas has some more skills than before (such as now being able to wield the Master's sword)

Karsa's regret

The next morning Ariel and Seldion have a bit of a fight over the notes on the Island where the cultists headed to conduct the ritual. Ariel wants to read some of the books and doesn't want the only copy to be down at the docks where it might get soaked. Her offer to get it transcribed finally convinces him to part with it.

Before she can read much though Shel drops by and asks Ariel to watch Halfie and Faeona while she goes to have a private conversation with Karsa. She and Karsa have a bit of an argument over her being left to deal with his mistakes and he is told to take the kids out for a day while she replenishes her larder and cleans up the mess the kids made of her place.

So Karsa comes downstairs to find Ariel telling scary stories to the kids who seem to be rather enjoying it. He then says that he "used to know their brother" which Shel covers up with "before he went away on his mission, right?" Karsa is then left to try and entertain two preteens for an entire day. An act he attempts mainly by out enduring them through superior constitution.

Meanwhile Ariel now freed of the kids goes to the library and asks some questions after scanning the book. She learns that the Razmir expedition is going down the coast past Lothia, then coming back up the Archipelago of the Isles through the shortest part of the Eye of Ebendego (Permanent negative energy storm that surrounds the Island to which the party is travelling). There is a much shorter route which involves going through deep waters and a bit more of the storm. But some research indicates while that would shave about a month off of the party's travel time it also is a part of the ocean known to be populated by aquatic races hostile to surface dwellers as well as having rumors of Gigantic sea creatures.

Arcas spend the entire day in the library transcribing spells after finding that he and Qimae can now share spells. Seldion teaches Hergen to read, as well as how to cast prestidigitation which he picks up quickly. Karsa spends the day crafting a dragon riding harness as well as a boat tow attachments He fins himself making various adjustments because the "feel" right. When he reveals teh completed work to the party Seldion finds that the work is actually magical. The sigils placed by Karsa are infact dwarf runes which will prevent breakage, protect from the elements and allow it to be taken of or put on simply by a single individual. There are tales of dwarven smiths able to make magical gear but Karsa should not be able to do so.

Anathema Archive

The party inspect the Scroll of Tar Baphon. It is very powerful. Qimae can not read it at all. It appears blank to her but everyone else that looks at it sees something different. Seldion learns how to make Lich Phylacteries self propagating and destruction resistant. Tar Baphon did this to prevent his destruction. If any part of his phylactery survives it will reproduce until enough exists to work and then he will reincarnate within the first living body brought into its presence within 3 days. It is quite elegant. Ariel read population census of major historical cities many are X-ed out as being non-sufficient. Arcas and Karsa both get blinding headaches and arcas even forgets a spell when he tries to read the book. Ariel however recognizing legend of the Anathema Archive tries to look up the history of Loth (something she considers a safe topic) and she gets some of his real history including the scroll that brought him back. But when she gets to the part about the scroll sparks shoot out of her eyes and she collapses to the floor having lost most of her spells as the book tried and failed to make room in her head for the spell in the book.

While she is out Seldion turns to the group and says that he is supsicious of her. he has seens to many things recently about her background that makes him feel she is hiding something. She is somehow related to the gods or angels and who is she serving in this venture? He wants the party to confront her when she awakens to find out the truth of her background. When she finally stirs Karsa asks "So what the heck are you Ariel?"

Questioning of Ariel

It comes out that Ariel is an angel. Most angels have fallen or dwindeled to nothing but by not using her powers much and through finding Kassen she was able to keep herself together. She is not mortal though she is killable. She has existed for an incredibly long time. She is far diminished from what she once was though she was never as powerful as Noriel but unlike him she never was close to god and thus didn't take the fall in quite the same way and that is one of the reasons Nory was so interested in her.

Nory, aka Noriel, aka Norgorber used to be a much more powerful angel and she is worried that he is playing the group. She worries how he was so intent on getting the scroll into their hands and seems to want them to take it to the ritual. HE plans in layers upon layer so it is completely like him to have organized the cult, organized them as opposition to the cult, and arranged yet other things (like the previous attempt at ascension having recognized his hand in the Anathema archive that Tar Baphon had used) Basically she knows he knows that she knows this and figures that he has planned it all out but at the same time the archive seems key so even knowing it she is frustrated and feels powerless as there is no what the group can throw it away either.

The group stares at one another a bit and then something clicks in Seldion's head and he realizes that the links of the chain or "Kassen's Boon" might have in fact become part of the pathogenic phylactery he was reading about. In that case getting the party to go at all could be his real goal - to revive Tar Baphon. There is then much discussion. Seldion theorizes that if the key was in fact part of the Phylactery (which is likely as the key can open the Gates (not the capitol G) then the chains would have been in contact and from what he read anything in close proximity for a long enough period becomes an extension of the phylactery and will seek to make its way back to the other pieces. This explains some of the powers exhibited recently (Qimae and Arcas forming an impossible bond, Ariel gaining in power despite no worship, Karsa making magic items he should never been able to make without powerful magic help. Only Seldion hasn't had any odd changes in his abilities. (So Seldion says)

The group mulls on this for a while. Seldion asks Ariel what her feeling on the gods are. She says it is not her right to decide. Angels were designed to act not to decide and most of the fallen are those that have forgotten this. She has no issue with gods existing her worry is that the last attempt to ascend failed badly enough to sink a kingdom and rupture three planes. Another attempt could destroy everything entirely as the powergap has worsened in the last few hundred years. The party tries to decide what they should do. On one hand they will be doing exactly what Nory wanted, but on the other not doing anything is to leave the cultists unopposed and Seldions mother has carried a piece of the phylactery for over a hundred years if anyone is going to succumb it would be her, she was willing to abandon her son and start a cult to get back into Xin-Grafar.

Decisions are made

The party discusses all the different interests trying to push or pull them and it creates a decision paralysis where any move is going to be exactly what one or more player wanted from the group. Finally Karsa stomps his foot and says "Damn it, I say we do it. Even if we destroy the world, at least it will be a wild ride." But Seldion retorts, "I happen to like the world. Its where I keep my stuff." Qimae says "I really hoped my grandson would have kids before I died" but Arcas responds "Just say the word and I will get busy with Zizhen, I am not the one you have to convince grandma". Ariel says nothing but observes. Just as she has done for eons.

The group decides it needs a small boat and a captain that is borderline suicidal. Karsa brings up the pirate captian Blackhardt Mabon who is currently ship-less, and had a chip on his shoulder about carving out a legend for himself. Besides Seldion says Hergen woudl like to meet a rel pirate, he even asked Seldion to make him an eyepatch.

Reginar drops by to tell the group that there is going to be a ceremony tomorrow to honor them. There is talk of some arrangement to leave the temple in their name letting Shel run a school for the outlying territories there. This way the kids from Ravenmoor can come and learn real skills in a city. Halfie and Faeona can study there. It gives Shel help watching the kids since others will be paid to help running the academy. And the city will foot the bill as it is cheaper that running schools in all the outlying communities.

With that decided Karsa takes Arcas to get completely drunk. Qimae goes off to take care of family business and the party has secured arrangements to leave in a day and a half.