Session log

Previous Books

1, The Stolen Lands

In which our heroes set forth from Restov to explore the Greenbelt and defeat the bandit known as the Stag Lord. Covered Calistril (February) to Sarenith (June) 4719.

2, Rivers Run Red

In which our heroes establish a barony, and defend it against Hargulka and his troll army. Covered Erastus (July) 4719 to Lamashan (October) 4720.

3, The Varnhold Vanishing

In which the heroes defeat an ancient lich awoken by the neighbouring barony of Varnhold. Covered Neth (November) 4720 - Lamashan (October) 4721.

4, Blood for Blood

In which the heroes overcome the might of the Tiger Lords and the 'reborn' warlord Armag. Covered Neth 4721 to Rova 4722.

5. War of the River Kings

In which the Brevoyan civil war finally ends, and the heroes see off an invasion from Pitax. Covered Lamashan 4722 to Erastus 4723.

Session 52, 2nd to 5th of Arodus 4723, The First Pebbles Fall

2nd of Arodus The heroes teleport to Fort Drelev, and meet with Istandra. She shows one of the whirlpools via a telescope from her tower, and they commandeer a boat. That day, they sail far into the murky swamp of Lake Hooktongue, and reach the whirlpool Istandra pointed out. It's massive, and reaches all the way to the lake floor. Those attuned to the First World (everyone present except Voldea) can feel the fey energies infusing the area. Flying up into the sky, they can see other whirlpools off towards the northeast. That night, they make camp on a large island.

3rd of Arodus They carry on across the lake, and reach the largest whirlpool in the lake. Like the other whirlpools, black swans fly overhead, but unlike the other pools, there are three large bird-shaped water elementals, who are dancing a spiralling dance around the whirlpool. Marcus speaks with them, and they explain that they're linking the worlds together, and invite him to join in their dance. He refuses, and the heroes decide to attack the elementals, not liking the idea of them covering Lake Hooktongue in more whirlpools. The elementals are easily defeated; when the last one is slain, the whirlpool vanishes and the black swans all die. One falls into the water next to the heroes, and its body disintegrates, leaving a single feather floating on the lake surface. Before they leave, Voldea speaks with the divine spirits of the area - and find that they are servitors of Ragadahn, one of the Eldest. They don't give much information beyond their mere presence, which is very unusual for the Material Plane.

They make their way back to solid land, and travel to visit the d'ziriak of the Shadow Plane. They warn their insectile trading partners about what's happening, and that their lands may be affected, given the odd links between Nyrissa and Count Ranalc. The d'ziriak (who gave Marcus the shadow blade a wedding present) reveal that they were led to do so by a wandering priest of Count Ranalc...

4th of Arodus The heroes travel to the broken stone circle (now repaired and sealed), to see if there's anything unusual happening there. Both Briar and the swan's feather react to the area; Briar feels like it's about to start to start its journey home. Tamlane looks into the past of the stones used to make the circle. They were taken from a previous structure, and used to create the stone circle to keep 'the demoness' (presumably Nyrissa) out. They decide against using Irovetti's ritual here, which can force a portal to reveal the other places it connects to.

Next, they head into the Narlmarches to investigate the strange mushroom patch Jubilost reported. It's unchanged from his report. When Fraxinus speaks with the large fungi, they again talk about links and bonds growing, and say that things will begin soon. They also mention another linkage, though confirm it's not nearby. As she's nearby, they pay a call on Tiressia. She confirms that Briar is Nyrissa's heart, and made to kill the dryad queen. She also confirms that the true name of a being like Nyrissa holds some form of powerful sway over her - but can't explain how or why.

5th of Arodus Since the appearance of the whirlpools, the barony's scouts and rangers have been scouring the lands looking for strange occurrences. Around midmorning, they receive word that an unseasonal cold spell has arrived near the mountains to the east. Once again, they set off immediately, to yet another one of the sealed portals. This one is intact, but covered in deep snow despite it being mid summer. Tamlane scouts the area, and easily determines that the heart of the strange cold weather comes from the south-east, deeper into the mountains. Fraxinus gives everyone a warming draught, and they head off, easily able to cope with the perilously cold weather and treacherous snow. Late that day (with the sun setting strangely early), they arrive at the heart of the snowstorm - where a massive tombstone rises above the frozen wasteland.

Session 53, 5th to 7th of Arodus 4723, Nightmares Averted

5th of Arodus As the heroes approach the vast tombstone, they find it's guarded by Nyrissa's huntsmaster and his chosen hunters. A battle ensues on the icy plains, and the heroes are victorious. The tombstone doesn't survive much longer as they divine that it's the source of the growing aura of cold, and work together to topple it. After the tombstone shatters, it leaves behind a single shard of ice, similar in feel to the feather left by the dying swan after the whirlpool vanished. As the cold begins to wane, Briar starts to speak to Marcus, confirming much that they already know about the sword and it's relationship to Nyrissa.

Before the snow vanishes, they see tracks leading south - frost giant tracks. The heroes carry on to follow their prey, but not for long. At nightfall, they receive word that a strange image was briefly seen at the Broken Stone Circle, of a great gateway flanked by two statues. Deciding that their army can probably cope with half-a-dozen giants, they head to the circle to investigate. They decide to enact Irovetti's ritual to force the circle to reveal other places it leads to

6th of Arodus That morning, the heroes receive word that the folk of Thornmouth were all afflicted with terrible nightmares. Leaving Fraxinus and Tamlane to conduct the ritual, Mourgrym, Marcus and Voldea travel to the capital to investigate. Dolgrin tells them that everyone in the city suffered from terrible nightmares, all of which featured a great black bird in the background. At least one person's nightmare manifested outside of their dreams, causing some damage to the city.

The heroes resolve to sleep that night in Thornmouth to see if they can face down the nightmare and protect their people. Fraxinus and Tamlane complete their ritual successfully, and the Broken Stone Circle takes the form of a great iron gateway. The gate is sealed, but the trophies from the first two blooms (the swan feather and icy shard) are imbued with some of the scent of Thousandbreaths and can perhaps be used to open the gate.

That night, they all sleep in Thornmouth. All of them suffer from nightmares: Marcus is unable to save those he loves, Mourgrym sees the barony engulfed in fire, and Voldea dreams she is a slaver still, selling her allies. Tamlane dreams that he is falling endlessly, and Fraxinus once again watches his wife die. All of them fight back against the nightmare, turning their wrath against the vast black bird. Tamlane's familiar Min helps him to see the true nature of the dream, and the heroes successfully drive off the black bird. As it flees, it leaves a feather behind, which collapses into a pile of dream dust.

7th of Arodus The heroes step forth, and travel back to the Broken Stone Circle. Using the power of the three trophies and Briar, they are able to temporarily open the gateway - and step forth into Nyrissa's realm of Thousandbreaths...

Session 54, 7th of Arodus 4723, Into Thousandbreaths

The heroes enter Thousandbreaths, and see a path stretching off into the forest in front of them. Several fey are nearby, but they flee when the heroes approach - except for a curious faerie dragon named Zandivar. Zandivar is curious about the Material Plane and the heroes, and asks to travel with them - he's concerned that Nyrissa may take offense at his speaking to the heroes at all. They agree, though Marcus doesn't trust the hapless-seeming faerie dragon.

After a few hours, the path leads to a large clearing which is dominated by a large lake. There's a whirlpool at the centre of the lake, and black swans fly overhead. As they walk around the edge of the lake, several of the trees come alive and atteempt to thwart their passage. The heroes are victorious, but as the last treant is felled, the world seems to shake and rumble around them.

Some investigation and thought (plus input from Briar and Zandivar) leads Tamlane to realise what's going on. Thousandbreaths is metaphysically very close to the Greenbelt and their barony. and Nyrissa has drawn the two realms closer. She's linking the glades of Thousandbreaths to the Material Plane in an attempt to steal or absorb their lands. However, this has also drawn Thousandbreaths away from the First World. Thousandbreath's integrity rests upon the glades, and their guardians - when the guardians are defeated, Thousandbreaths becomes destablised. If enough of the guardians are defeated, Thousandbreaths will crash into the Material Plane. This will greatly weaken Nyrissa, but the consequences for their barony are unclear.

Consulting Zuldigger's Map, the heroes decide to defeat the Nightmare Rook, lest it harrass them as they approach Nyrissa's stronghold. They head down the path to the Frozen Graveyard, and confront Kargrstaad and his two pet ice linnorms. Once again, the heroes are victorious - and as Kargstaad falls, reality ripples once again...

Session 55, 7th of Arodus 4723, The Nightmare Spire

The heroes recover Kargstaad's vast horde of treasure and head onwards. As they march through the forest, the power of the Nightmare Rook strikes out at them, and the heroes are afflicted by terrible nightmares. Marcus's aeon stone helps to both protect him and drive off the assault, and they manage to drive off the phantasmal assault - though Mourgrym, Fraxinus and Tamlane are all deeply shaken by the attack.

The next glade is a mile across, and the barren hilly ground is dominated by a mile-high spire of rock. The Nightmare Rook rests atop the spire, but doesn't appear to have spotted them. Eschewing stealth, they march forwards and set up their Instant Fortress. The rook and its offspring launch themselves to attack the heroes. As they swoop in, Fraxinus and Tamlane rain down death and destruction - and one of Tamlane's spells blinds the rook. Its children call out the heroes location towards it, and battle is soon joined. The four birds prove to be fearsome opponents, and the Nightmare Rook calls upon its terrifying powers to strike fear into the heart of the heroes. They flee, scattering to all directions or cowering within the fortress. The rook takes the opportunity to fall back to its roost, and as the heroes recover themselves, they see if flying northwards, towards Nyrissa's stronghold.

After healing the worst of their wounds, they decide to attack the spire itself, hoping to draw the rook back to the battlefield. Mourgrym turns the First Blade into a greataxe and starts cleaving the adamantine weapon through the spire's base. The spire soon falls, unable to withstand his continued attacks. The noise is colossal - and as the dust cloud clears, the heroes see the Nightmare Rook flying back towards them, driving to rage by their assault on its home. This time the battle is conclusive, and the heroes are able to defeat the Nightmare Rook and its children.

Session 56, 7th - 8th of Arodus 4723, Realms Collide

7th Arodus The heroes teleported back to the whirling lake, and rested for the night within their Instant Fortress. Between them, Tamlane and Fraxinus were able to remove the majority of the curses from the Nightmare Rook.

8th Arodus The next morning they carried on exploring Thousandbreaths. The path next took them to a walled garden which housed an impressive collection of mushrooms - as well as hordes of mandragora. Not wanting to tussle with the blood-drinking plants, they retreated to a safe distance as Tamlane unleashed a Storm of Vengeance upon the garden. The majority of the mandragora were slain, and those that remained proved little trouble for the heroes. When they finally entered the garden itself, they realised that this glade felt more akin to the Material Plane, and less strange that the rest of Thousandbreaths. They summised that it was directly attacking their barony, and that a unknown of mandragora were presumably loose in the forest.

Sticking to their mission, the heroes carried on. The path next took them to another lake, this one dominated by a tall waterfall. Next to the lake was an old throne, and a pair of shackles before it. The lake was home to a nymph, who showed them what had happened here long ago. They saw a bold and arrogant Nyrissa declare herself one on the Eldest, only to fall before their wrath. The Lantern King himself sat in the throne to pass judgement upon her - and issue the curse that drove her to destroy so many kingdoms in the Stolen Lands. The nymph told them that Nyrissa's heart could only be returned to her in the place it was taken from her, and also told them how to use the dryad's name against her. She also warned them not to trust the faerie dragon Zandivar - not that they needed much persuasion!

Once more, they pushed forth. The next clearing was home to a vast collection of statues, all the product of the medusa Ranildra. Ranildra seemed affable enough, but only valued living beings in terms of their worthiness as statues. Ranildra felt that Nyrissa had slighted her, and revelead much about the dryad's plans and allies as she complained to the heroes. She did offer to side with them against Nyrissa - but the heroes decided to refuse her offer, not wanting to leave the souls imprisoned in her garden there forever. They defeated her, and used her blood to return a small number of statues to life, resolving to return for the rest at a later date. Ranildra's fall rippled out throughout the realm, tipping Thousandbreaths into a collision path with the Material Plane.

This glade was also home to a vast tower, which allowed them clear sight over the whole of Thousandbreaths. Looking towards the House at the Edge of Time, they saw three versions of the house overlaid - one in spring, one in summer, and one in winter. The heroes marched upon the House at the Edge of Time. En route, an old foe ambushed them - the black dragon Ithuliak! The dragon's eyes were changed, and flowers now bloomed in the great beast's eyesockets.

Session 57, 8th - 9th of Arodus 4723, The House at the Edge of Time

8th Arodus As Ithuliak swooped overhead, water elementals leapt from the dragon's back to fight alongside the great dragon. A fierce battle was fought, but the heroes were once again victorious. Battered by the fight, they rested for the night on the pathway.

9th Arodus As the heroes approached Nyrissa's home, the path split into three, each branch leading to a different version of the house. After some thought, they decided to head to the springtime house. The house was open and welcoming, with many visitors and guests already in place, and enjoying the luxury of the house and its marvellous gardens. They were welcomed by the fey, who were busy preparing for a great feast. One of the nymphs recognised them from outside Armag's Tomb and the cave of Lamashtu, and ushered them quickly to meet the lady of the house. Nyrissa graciously met her new guests, and welcomed them warmly. As they spoke, Nyrissa spoke of her plans to challenge the Eldest so that she could get them to rescind Count Ranalc's exile from the First World. Unlike the vision the nymph in the lake had shown them, this Nyrissa was warm and open-hearted, and her motivation wasn't power itself but instead the ability to reunite her and her love.

The heroes decided to tell the truth, and explained that they were from her future, and that a dread path awaited her. Nyrissa listened, and realised that she was an echo, a moment in time captured like a painting. She offered to help the heroes, however she could. In discussion with Nyrissa, the heroes realised that much of what the lake-nymph had told them was a lie - there was no reason that Nyrissa-of-the-future couldn't be reunited with her heart anywhere. Nyrissa also told them than Zandivar was a follower of the Lantern King. She confirmed that she had a pet jabberwock, and told them some of the beast's strengths and weaknesses. They gave her a gem from Karstaag's horde, and asked her to build into the renovations she was undertaking to her house, as a way of seeing if the flow of time could go from this place into 'their' present.

Nyrissa-of-the-past knew nothing of the wizard rumoured to serve Nyrissa-of-the-future, but she did suggest it could be linked to an artifact Count Ranalc had given her. She presented them with the Mirror of Souls, a powerful artifact gifted to her - but one she did not know how to use. All she knew was that the mirror could only be broken by a shard of itself. Tamlane scrutinised the mirror's past, and saw Nyrissa-of-the-future draw forth a ghostly image of King Irovetti. Nyrissa-of-the-future was flanked by the Wriggling Man, an animated swarm of worms that was also a powerful wizard. Looking further back. Tamlane saw Count Ranalc base the Mirror on an abyssal artifact which was truly capable of enslaving the souls of mortals. It seemed as those this First World version wasn't capable of such dark magic - and the heroes knew that Irovetti had been buried in accordance with Pharasma's rites.

As they finished their discussions, Nyrissa-of-the-past appeared to forget their conversation, and began talking about the feast and entertainment. Her handmaiden did remember what was said, and warned them against tarrying overlong - in case they were also caught up in the echo of time. Before they left, Marcus performed for the assembled fey, amazing them with his virtuoso performance.

Next, the heroes marched to the House in Winter. This version of the house was a tumbled down ruin, covered in snow and ice. The only living being was the Jabberwock, which dozing in the rubble. Next to the beast lay a great pile of debris, including a broken version of the Mirror of Souls. Marcus crept forth across the snowy ruins, floating just above the ground. He snuck up to the beast, carefully picked up a shard of the mirror, and made his way back - all without waking the Jabberwock! The heroes rapidly retreated, and started to make their way to the House in Summer.

Session 58, 9th of Arodus 4723, The End

Armed with the shard of the Mirror of Souls, the heroes marched upon the House in Summer.

The bridge towards this version of the house was guarded by the jabberwock, albeit a somewhat smaller version than last seen in winter. It attacked them, and was bolstered by the Wriggling Man, the strange verminous wizard who served Nyrissa. Once the heroes crossed the bridge, the battle was joined by the first of the ghosts drawn forth from the Mirror of Souls. They faced down many of the old foes again, Hargulka, Irovetti, Armag and the Stag Lord, as well as other figures unknown to them.

The battle raged, with both Mourgrym and Tamlane felled at different times. Eventually, they gained the upper hand and slew the jabberwock and forced the Wriggling Man from the field. Marcus sped ahead, and destroyed the Mirror.

As the Mirror shattered, the collapse of Thousandbreathes into the Material Plane was completed. The sky cleared, and the sun shone through the clouds as Nyrissa herself finally appeared. She was dazzled by the light of Sarenrae, and the heroes took their moment to plead with her for peace. Voldea spoke of her mission from Sarenrae, while Fraxinus explained that the prophecy she was bound by had no power in this age of Lost Omens. Tamlane spoke of peace and dialogue, and Marcus sang of how she could be reunited with her heart. Behind them all stood Mourgrym in his golden dragon form, a reminder of the power of good and mercy within the world.

As Marcus lay Briar upon the floor, Nyrissa stepped forth and took up the blade. She paused for a moment, and then struck - plunging the sword into her own heart! The powerful dryad died, though death is even less of a setback for her kind than the heroes.

The heroes returned to Thornmouth and spent much time putting their barony into order. Kargstaad's frost giants still raged in the east, while the Narlmarches were home to many mandragora and strange knurly briars. The waters of Candlemere were home to writhing mire worms, while Lake Hooktongue was once again home to the black swans. In time, these threats were dealt with and the damage to Greenhaven repaired.

About 9 months later, Marcus and Julia's daughter was born . The little girl had unusually bright green eyes...

Epilogue

Marcus ruled over Greenhaven until his death. He worked to build cooperation between the nations of the River Kingdoms, hoping that without Nyrissa's malign influence, lasting peace would be possible.

Fraxinus remained in Greenhaven as well, teaching and building his school of magic. He worked to rebuild Irovetti's clockwork soldiers, and left Greenhaven well equipped to defend itself without its heroes.

Voldea spent some time in Greenhaven, but more time abroad, spreading the word of Sarenrae and fighting against slavery whereever it could be found. In time, she acended to the heavens as one of the Dawnflower's angels.

Tamlane remained based in Greenhaven, but spent his life and time exploring the planes and strange corners of the universe.

Mourgrym's life was spent in Forgeheart, rebuilding the dwarven works there and making new wonders. Before he died, he left the barony, flying off into the sunset as a dragon.