Episode 4, Part 1: Journeys of the Mistress of the Blue

As promised by the Sage's Guild, the characters are well rewarded for the things they find, and there are a few minor items they are allowed to keep from the Temple. With a few strings pulled, Halmaro the Red is making a serious bid to fund both the Temple venture and will be putting the town to work. New offers for jobs for the team is available... :)

The rescued villagers are incredibly thankful and decide to settle and work in Wayhaven. Rumors of how the Sun Lord helped the adventurers are floating around, and Beorn Fletcher and his religion start to experience quite a bit of popularity. It helps (Not) that Sandy has been seen by one or two of the villagers.

During the year that they are resting, helping, and learning more about themselves, they are also contacted by Mark Hall, the Jedi who pointed them in the direction of Lantara. Since they've found out about who they are, he offers to help them with the next step and gives them a special Skyship called "The Mistress of the Blue" with a friend of his, Captain Titania. He packs them off to Gambit Isle.

Gambit Isle is a bit of an enigma wrapped in a mystery. A little over a dozen years ago, it rose from the Blue with an intact Kroyu research facility. Mark Hall and his Team of stalwarts overcame the numerous challenges on the Isle and befriended a trapped man who was, at one time, also tortured there, a Kroyu Tech-mage named Gambit.

Someone else had made it to the aisle a little before them: Captain Aurelius, a vicious mercenary who had somehow made the jump from Earth. Mark Hall, Debreu and crew dealt with Captain Aurelius and locked him away and turned Gambit Isle into a research and training facility in light of the coming war with the Dragons... Oh, you don't know about that yet? Let me clue you in.

Dragons are said to be either offspring of the gods of Old (the Kana) or actually Kana themselves. They were spawned by during the War of Heaven to defeat the Consulate. They were defeated by Torian Starwielder who took the Starsong into the heart of the Sea of Fire, defeating several of the Great Dragons and forcing the rest to yield to him, becoming the Dragon King. Most of the dragons moved to Sevenheim, a cluster of 7 islands which fell into the Blue during the 7 Days of Endless Light. The sleeping dragons descended into their strange "grave".

Rescuing Gambit, Mark Hall, Debreu, and team find out that at least some of the dragons are alive and have been patiently plotting a way to return to the 7 Skies. Gambit Isle is proof and prototype, and it won't be long before the isles of Sevenheim rise with their none-too-happy passengers.

While visiting the island, the Team takes on a dragon. They win the confrontation, forcing the dragon to leave, though hindsight indicates that the confrontation was much too easy, and no one on the island seems surprised when they tell what happened. Hmm...

To Barathi

After leaving Gambit Isle, it's noted that a cloaked (invisible) Barathi ship is following them. Dee, with his typical brand of diplomacy, manages to damage the ship. Technically, there's no law from following someone, even while cloaked, so things get sorta twisty. The ship's captain settles for an IOU of favor to call in at a later time. The characters then decide that it's time to change course and head to Barathi...

Through the Mists

While on their way to Barathi, the characters are travelling through The Mists. There is a heavy presence of ghosts hanging around the ship and the crew becomes rather edgy. Their dreams become rather vivid, somewhat outlandish. One night, Titania is found to have suddenly grown to 12 feet tall, putting a hole in the ship. In order to get help, the ship changes direction and heads for the Cloud City and the Oracle.

Saving The Rowyn

Suddenly, Alex is jolted awake with a sudden desire to lay in a new course. The ship draws close to the new location and finds an incredible battle taking place - 10 miles out they realize that powerful mystical weapons are being used. At half a mile out, they are able to see the battle taking place - The Rowyn is under assault by a ship of strange design. Alex discovers they are using Psion Ballistae, weaponized devices used by the A'Tari to enhance the range and scope of their own abilities, a system that would be very effective against ships. The team hatches a plan to redirect one of the bolts using a dimensional gateway created by Alex - using Dee as a target/"bait"; the alien ship explodes. They gather what debris and refuse they can and help the survivors. The last survivor turns the Ships Log over to Titania, charging her to get it to Mark Hall.

At Ashcroft

The characters continue their journey; Titania informs them that the best chance to get hold of Mark Hall is to stop at the village of Ashcroft, on a minor island of the same name 4 days away from Barathi. Ashcroft is a food source (mostly trigo) for Barathi - and is also home to the First House of the Jedi. They meet with Mark Hall who receives the ships logs from Titania and helps them to understand what happened during the battle.

The 14 person crew of the Rowyn were led by 3 Jedi who had been trailing the strangely designed vessel for awhile. They are not sure how they were detected, but they were suddenly fired upon by the alien vessel. They were taking precisely targeted shots designed to cripple and play with them when The Blue came to their rescue. 7 of the crew - including all 3 Jedi - survive the battle, but their physical and psychic wounds were severe enough that they had to be placed in medical comas and worked on by healers. The reports indicate that the Rowyn could have, perhaps should have, been taken out quickly. It seems that the alien ship was using the Rowyn to test the power of the Psion Ballistae. When the alien ship was heavily damaged by their own bolt, it triggered a self destruct mechanism which finished the ship thoroughly.

This is crucial and disturbing information which Mark Hall takes to the Council of Regents.

Mark Hall informs the team that the Oracle is looking forward to meeting them all, and they head off to meet her at Cloud City, a growing fortress-island which apparently moves! 

An Info Opportunity: The A'Tari

The Arhomai A'Tari

The Arhomai Atari - the First Walkers of Shadow/Chosen People - are descended from Enoch and were selected by Elohim for great purpose in The Scheme of Things. They eventually settled Lantara in the Second Age.

On Earth, the Arhomai A'Tari would be known as Atlanteans.

Above all things, the Arhomai A'Tari were travelers and builders who had a tremendous respect for the Universe and its Creator. Their desire was always to leave things “better” than when they found it, but only after they had come to understand it. Moreso, they are called to maintain order, to police the universe and keep things in check so that normal (mundane) humans can live their lives slightly more carefree.

All of the player characters are of A'Tari blood but many generations have passed… (Obviously I am intentionally not giving a whole heap of information about the A'Tari at this point because more information will unfold as we go along. That’s a continuing arc woven into the adventures. Just who were these Atari and why were they given such an important place in the universe?)

Katan Pur

All 'Tari go through a rite of passage called Katan Pur, or Fire of Purging/Truth. This time of testing reveals two things: 1) their ability and potential and 2) their nature/alignment.

Those of the A'Tari that pass the Katan Pur and are found to be of noble bent emerge as Arhomai A'Tari: beings of incredible power, who eventually become Champions of Light.

The others who survive the Katan Pur but fail the moral testing become Koldun Ata: the "Unfettered Ones" (as they call themselves), who often believe they have been freed to wield great power and to set humanity and other intelligent life free from servitude to anything save themselves. Moral failure is almost always because one chooses not to follow their pre-ordained path. All of the Koldun Ata wield great power and have the potential to become or are Arch-Koldun.

A few of the Koldun Ata see it as their goal to destroy the Arhomai A'Tari believing that they would enslave others to the Divine Order of Things, and slavery is wrong!

Though the actual rite of Katan Pur died with the waning of Atari civilization, it is said that the Call of the Pur happens spontaneously to individuals or small groups in times of great crisis to the world and humanity. Also, some fringe peoples (especially the Blue Men and Rock Men) and minor nations/islands have held on to the rite or younger cultures have developed similar rite of passage/initiations, but without understanding the fullness of their actions.

Once the team checks their status in The Subsystem it shows that each is listed as being Katan Pur Ata, or "Elect Ones undergoing Katan Pur".

A'Tari/Atlantean Technology

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke.

The Dome of Heaven is apparently infused with some weird property which finds its origin in The Blue. These particles are called Psion Particles by the A'Tari, who were taught how to manipulate this stuff by Enoch and other servants of Elohim. They, in turn, learned how to create Artifacts which had the capacity to use the Psion particle/energy field - which is also known as Manna - in a programmed fashion. Anyone who has the ability can manipulate the Psion field. Very few have the potential that the Arhomai A'Tari have, who use it with incredible effect.

The Arhomai A'Tari created two important Meta-Artifacts: the City of Atlantis and The Oracle. Atlantis is currently nowhere to be found and the characters have just contacted a node of The Oracle, which has informed them of the information which you are reading. The particular portion of the Oracle is of the Lantara substation, and thanks to a glitch in the system, was disconnected from the entirety of the Oracle, which is apparently some sort of world spanning Network.

All Atlantean Artifacts draw their power from the Flux points (or the 7 Gates, of which only 4 are active at the beginning of this Chapter) and their guidance from The Oracle OR a wielder who is Keyed to the Item. Though these items are capable of performing some minor tasks drawing, from the lesser ambiance of Manna, their full potential can only be realized at the Gates or when the system is fully active...

The Oracle monitors and maintains things. Potentially EVERYTHING. But something… happened… to the Oracle about 1000 years ago, and she became slightly…. erratic. Shortly after that, Atlantis faded from the life of The Dome of Heaven, her inhabitants now hardly more than a myth. The A'Tari, though active in the world of men, are only whispered memories...

Chapter 2 Begins (GMs Notes)

As I re-post and edit the parts of this story, it's astonishing that this covered 13 months of real time at an average of maybe 2 sessions per month, maybe a little less. The players had learned the basics of using the S7S (Swashbucklers of the 7 Skies) system and were feeling (and filling) out our campaign environment. 

Of course, the short amount of writing contained in these articles do nothing for the sheer amount of roleplaying that was done. A lot of details were cut (I'd draw from my memories, and sometimes I wouldn't post for a few days), and it's amazing that 1 evening of climactic play can be boiled down to 3 paragraphs, but that's the way it is in stories!

The players decided to build a base in Wayhaven with the patronage and assistance of Halmaro the Red, and (predictably) the little village started growing overnight. During this time the characters learned quite a bit about their heritage and their destiny. 

It was time for a Major Character rebuild, where the players could essentially melt down the characters they currently had and work with the points available, with sweeping mods - as long as it still carried some element cohesion. A new addition is the beginning of burgeoning Super Powers. I was determined to make this campaign as expansive as possible and was realizing some things I could do better and different. 

It was time for a New Chapter to begin in the character's lives.

Episode 3, Part 5: Enter the Temple; Hello Dragon!

The team the temple. Even with Alex's seeming bad luck, they are able to enter into an area they simply call the Control Zone, a location "somewhere" in or near the temple site (a pocket Nexus?) which allows them to see what is going on in the main temple area. Using the Control Zone's abilities, they deactivate some of the defenses of the Well Room where 7 Koldun who control the area are holed up.

They overwhelm the 5 koldun on duty quickly by surprise, and then the 2 bigguns come in. Though the team attacks valiantly, the two Master Koldun's defenses are significant. The battling goes back and forth, starting to look grim. Dee switches tactics and decides to use his Dragon power to destroy the Matrix floating over the center of the Well... and the team escapes with their lives due to a desperation teleport via Alex. When they return to the outside of the manor, they all immediately fall unconscious due to the incredible drain of power they all expended.

The crystal was the channel for the power which was being used to create and control the Curse Slaves/gnolls, so a number of the people (about 20) have been freed. The ones who were completely transformed have either escaped or were herded together to see if something can be done to undo their transformation. Eventually Noah will be able to assist in breaking the curse.

This is their first time meeting with Azapuuf, who, having been crossed, is now their mortal enemy...

Episode 3, Part 4: Remix!

Before Asharra returned, someone by the name of El Kabong showed up at the village. He claims that he is a protector of the weak and the wronged. He speaks to the group (minus Noah, who was carried away by Sandy while he recovered from 'Shroom dust), and it's agreed he can help. Apparently he's been briefed a little by someone and he takes off to one of the attacked villages in search of some key.

Really Bad Stuff?

After Asharra returns, they search the manor basement and discover a secret entrance to the Temple complex. They also come across a very powerful being sitting in an extradimensional space (or pocket Nexus) who is watching the main temple entrance, previously sealed and warded by Asharra and Noah.

He gives off an extremely powerful aura - Champion of Light (more powerful than a Master of Renown) and explains he’s been watching the characters and this temple entrance for awhile. He bears the symbol of the shrine and entity which Fletcher Beorn is a priest. He explains that there is tremendous evil awaiting the party and the decisions they make will have an incredible impact on whether the evil that is in this temple is allowed to escape into the world.

Suddenly, Alex catches a fantastic headache and senses his awareness snapping in two as he sees Dee running, then bouncing down into the secret entrance of the Temple - when he arrives, he is greeted with almost certain death. He’s caught off guard by a group of gnolls - but they aren’t caught off guard by him. In fact, his rather noisy decent gave them time to prepare, and they light him up like a Christmas tree. And he goes down. Hard.

The team rushes down after him and a bitter but brief fight takes place. They barely revive him and they eventually continue their mission. Unfortunately their very noisy entrance plus the time it takes to revive Dee has not only alerted those of the Temple, but has given them time to prepare - and the fighting is very bitter and challenging after that.

Remix

...and suddenly he wakes up, back at Wayhaven. All of the party does. When they look at each other, they know that it was more than just a dream: they all experienced it.

GMs note to players: One of Alex’s abilities manifested itself in an extraordinary way while in the pocket Nexus and the entire group was thrust into a time spanning scene where all saw what happened. Though it has cost Dee 3 Style Dice, the entire group has essentially started this day over. They will not find the pocket Nexus, but there is a shining Sun emblem hovering in front of the entrance to the Well. Noah and Asharra realize that it is a ward far more powerful than their own; their ward is no longer in place. They know that they ARE supposed to enter through the secret entrance and not through this door.

Alex: When we play again  you make make a Strategy roll at an additional +2, for a total of +6 total (based on the power of your Merhorse). 

Episode 3, Part 3: The Manor

The team finds a ruined Manor upon the hill above the temple. There, they defeat a number of gnolls which are apparently holed up in the cellar of the Manor which has been repaired and made livable (well, by gnoll standards). They hurd the creatures together into a small section of the manor and barricade the area.

It's agreed that the remaining creatures which are alive should be kept alive and tended to, within the team's limited abilities. It's then that they make a discovery that hadn't been seen before. Some of the "creatures" are very disheveled humans, looking like they're pumped up on mega-steroids! Noah and Asharra identify them as Curse Slaves, and both of them are not very happy at the discovery. Curse Slaves are mind controlled brutes which eventually become gnolls - legend says by eating humans. Those who haven't reached the point of being gnolls can be freed from the curse, but it would take time and research. The original Curse Pits were either created or (more likely) discovered by the Old Kroyu Mages and were outlawed by every reasonable government. It has been whispered that the Kroyu discovered the techniques from Kana devices, duplicated and then put their own twists upon them.

Checking out the remainder of the level, we come across a couple hundred silver worth of money, nothing to write home about. No special gear.

In the room/hall leading to the well (temple entrance shaft), there is a discomforting feel to the place, one would even say evil. Resting in this accursed place would be nightmarish.

Noah and Asharra take the time to place some MageLocks upon the doors to - hopefully - insure that no one will get in... or out. The final door before entering the gnoll level is most heavily Locked and barred.

The general consensus after all options is to head back to Wayhaven and dispatch Asharra to The City. She could fly there in 1/4 the time in which we originally made it (round trip of 2 days). During that time, the guys set up camp at Wayhaven and make a few sorties around the temple and village.

Dee can - and does - run swiftly, increasing the amount of area covered in the patrols. Noah talks with Fletcher and goes through his meager library and notes to see if he can glean any useful information. Alex and Sandstorm the dire wolf make a day's trip day to insure the "guests" are still comfortable while staying away from them (he can "see" at distances).

There are a couple of villages within a couple normal days ride of Wayhaven (the team is reasonably certain that it's safe to take the horses). They are both burned down husks, with signs of brief fights all over the place. There are a couple of cellars which contained some shreds of notes and information (from journal or scribblings on the wall). Nothing else of value. The village to the east looks like it was attacked most recently, maybe 1 week ago. Fletcher guessed that they might have been attacked, as visitors would usually make a circuit between the three villages once every week. There were a couple of devout folk that would come visit Fletcher at the shrine and he hadn’t seem them lately.

Asharra returns and tells them that she informed the Sage’s guild, who used their influence to contact Lord Erasmus, the city’s leader. He informs her that he would dispatch some soldiers and a couple of specialists to keep an eye on the gnolls and curse slaves, and the guild would send some help to figure out what’s going on. Picking up Alex’s special gear, she returns and informs the team that given the road conditions and the amount of time it will take to prepare, the earliest person can be expected here 2, perhaps 3 days after she returns; the main group of soldiers will take 4 or 5 days.

We don’t have long to get to the bottom of this before the Lord’s men arrives, and who knows how this thing will pan out - and we still haven’t gotten inside the temple yet.

Fletcher wants to know if he can see any of the creatures in holding. Avowing him to secrecy, she pulls him into a mind link and allows him to see them. Sadly, he's able to identify 5 of them as once living in Wayhaven and 2 as dwellers of the other two villages... and through the link, the group can feel the anguish in his soul and the true compassion he has for all of them. In grief beyond words, he breaks the mindlink, and he shuffles back to the shrine where he covers his head and laments for the valley, praying for the afflicted souls of those who were once his friends...