Episode 43: Old World Blues

General Summary

Clocks

Recap

Springtide 1 to Springtide 15, 3033: Year of Liberation

The Flamebringers started with more downtime, for a total of 14 days (10 this session), as the Sunstrider and Moonbreaker traversed the waters over the Southern Sea to reach the Circle of Depths.

Tyra continued to work on their armor, Valan on his smithing proficiency, Pharos remained in solemn prayer to the Monarch for guidance, and Charles performed a kata with Stormdancer that harmonized with the Call itself.

A new member joined the party, Flemming, sent by Nicodemus Anduriel, Emperor of Fulminaria, with the following message:

To the Lords Flamebringer,

Legend of your exploits has reached my ears from abroad, and long have I been wanting to make the acquaintance of the Flamebringers. Unfortunately, do to the attempt on my life following Emperor Aurelius’ assassination, I have been indisposed for the better part of the year, and for too long I have gone without a proper audience of such rising individuals in this time of great change. I would seek to rectify that.

This messenger is here to extend a formal invitation to my palace on Greenbloom the 25th to enjoy an evening of feasting, celebration, story and song. My messenger is also a soldier of renown from my army, selected from among some of my most decorated officers, and has standing orders to accompany you on the road to Ignix, however that road may wind.

My messenger is equipped with a sending crystal to record your response to my invitation. May we meet upon Greenbloom’s warm winds.

Yours in eminence,

Emperor Nicodemus Anduriel

— This letter was accompanied by the imperial seal of Fulminaria

After a series of tests, which neither Pharos nor, more recently, Aengus were put through, the party welcomed Flemming into their midst, and accepted the emperor's invitation.

The God of Farsight

After 14 days of continuous prayer, the Monarch saw fit to bestow upon Pharos a vision. Light filled his room as Pharos' mind was carried away on the winds, following golden threads of fate that lead him over the Red Mountains, over Aurelia, Fulminaria, and to the Southern Wilds. As the eagle flies, Pharos came to the volcanic capital of the Southern Wilds, Charonvein, home of the goliaths. The vision narrowed in, past workers fortifying the streets, past families helping shore up their homes, past merchants packing up their stalls, to a group of goliaths standing at the mouth of a temple, looking to prepare to enter. The vision focused in on the leader of that group and the black ice pick hung on his belt. A familiar goliath: Iravek Goatstriker.

Iravek Goatstriker is in possession of Wroth, Raiment of the Rider.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

When the Sunstrider and Moonbreaker arrived at the coordinates designated by the Atlas of Kings, the party made the plunge into the Southern Sea. After fighting a megalodon, they proceeded until the pressures of the ocean became to much for them and they were forced to retreat. In the Hollow Mountain, they approached the port authority, who are known to have a fleet of machines designed to work underwater and incredible depths to perform installation and maintenance of hydraulics beneath the mountain.

The spindly old gnome running the desk that morning was interested in renting the machines, called an apparatus of the crab, to the party, but the party was insistent on purchasing the vehicles. So insistent, they bought three and ganged up on the poor, defenseless bureaucrat to pressure him into giving them, the Flamebringers and heroes of the city, a fourth one for free. Though the "we saved the city" coupon is fading in the minds of the Hollow Mountain's citizens with new threats on the rise and curfewed lockdowns in effect, the gnome agreed to give them one for free.

They used the new equipment to dive past the natural crush depth of the oceans, plumbing into the darkness, lights off. They passed countless creatures, seen and unseen, and even encountered an elder tempest in the distance, crackling with blue bioluminescence. There are things in the oceans man was never meant to see.

Upon reaching the bottom, aside from a brief hang up that landed Valan and Aisha's pod upside down, resulting in a little kiss, the group made it to what appeared to be an underwater town. Later, Tyra and Pharos would explore the town, finding that the architecture is gnomish, reminiscent of some styles on the surface, but fundamentally different in such a way they believed this may be an Old World ruin, sunk to the bottom of the see floor following the Fracture. Tyra grabbed a three pieces of adamant as well as what looked to be the town marker, written in a language unfamiliar to them.

Valan's pod closed in on the stone circle at the center of town, built upon a hill and splitting the front yard of what looked to be the mayors manor. After a brief encounter with some crab people, Valan and Aisha were wrapped inside a dome of vines that drained away the water, allowing them to exit the pod. Valan held Respite aloft, and was drawn to the central three standing stones, which only reached around waist height. The others stood over three times his height, and wrote out The Six Sequential Prophecies in such a way that they can be read over and over and over again; almost similar to the art on the vase Valan still has in his bag of holding from when the Flamebringers stole the auction items from the Black Sun network in Arcanus, depicting the cyclical cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Then, guided by familiar rising star icons, Valan planted Respite in the center of the stone circles beneath the apex of the dome and was pulled into a vision.

Welcome to the Jungle

Valan stood atop a cliff overlooking a roaring ocean. Behind him, palm trees grew, eventually giving way to thicker, denser forests of redwood and gnarled oak. A figure sat atop a log at the edge of the cliff, watching the sun set in the distance. They are made of vines and leaves, twisting around each other to form a small humanoid form.

Valan bowed, laying Respite before him, but the being in front of him assured him that They are far too old to waste time with such formalities. Valan asked if They knew what he was there for, and They did. While the gods are not entirely omniscient, They can see anywhere They focus Their attention. The Wanderer had seen the Flamebringers' conversation with Legerdemain, where he said that some of the gods wish death. The Wanderer said that while They don't quite wish death, They know that trapping Dusk, the Apostate of the Dark, was applying a bandage to a hemorrhaging wound; it was only ever a temporary fix. Perhaps the Flamebringers will be able to subdue one of the Apostates with the powers they gain from Their death. From death comes life; thus is the circle.

But the Wanderer warned Valan, They are a force of nature, and every beast will fight when cornered. They will not simply roll over and die. As they said this, they swelled to the horizon, the incoming waves, the rolling clouds, the wind shaking the trees radiating with Their voice and warning.

And then the sun set.

Valan found himself back beneath the dome in the Circle of Depths, surrounded by the other apparatuses of the crab and all his companions, who had found that the dome is a permeable barrier, meant only too keep out water. A pathway had opened beneath their feet, pushed through the ocean floor by thick, sinuous roots, the light of Sylva shining through the other end of the tunnel, the World Tree at its center.

Before they entered the Harmonic Sphere of the Wanderer, the Flamebringers took a moment to cast comprehend languages on the town's sign.

Lillyview.

Out of Character

To raucous shouts of "I knew it!" and "Oh my god!" and "No way!" amidst looks of shock and awe, the gang began to discuss the implications of Lillyview resting at the bottom of an Andalian ocean, marked by the Fracture. First of which being that they can finally put a pin in the Wanderer's true identity: Khazmus. What followed was an intense discussion on which gods fit in where. Sandesh broadened the scope of the search with the thought that it might include characters from other campaigns as well.

After a summary of the other campaigns came a grand reveal I have personally been waiting a long time for: discussing the creator of the gun, Daniel thought it was Salius; I corrected him to Alvardo, at which point people began eyeing Alvardo for the Bedlamite. This gave me the opportunity I have been waiting literal years for. From the DM Binder, I produced an image pulled from the conspiracy map that decorated Shane and Daniel's first apartment (the pre-car incident apartment). It was the profile for everyone's favorite boy wizard.

Alvado Jules.

Alvardo Jules, inventor of the gun, who, while in one campaign died, in another clung to life within a magic jar that piloted a robotic body. One of the most intricate, beautiful warforged ever created. An ivory and gold warforged that has been traveling with the Flamebringers for well over a year now.

After some discussion, this was the list that we came to of potential identities for the gods:

• Monarch. Cracraes
• Archivist. Enphine
• Muse. Ophelia
• Tribunal. Judge: Terra, Gray Lady: Vickie, Reaper: Mia
• Stranger. Demarcus
• Wanderer. Khazmus
• Devil. Pernelis
• Rider. The Noctura Family. Death: Josephine, Pestilence: Marlo, War: Delarin
• Bedlamite. Mind: Jules, Heart: Unknown

As it was getting late, a couple subjects were tabled until the next lore discussion:

• The Six Sequential Prophecies
• The Apostates

Missions/Quests Completed

Explore the Raiments connection to the Stone Circles: The presence of the correct Raiment awakens the circles, illuminating hidden features that can open a gateway to the matching god's Harmonic Sphere

Find the Rider's Raiment: You did it! Congratulations, you now have a running list of where you theorize all the Divine Armaments are

Notes