Oh poop I forgot to ask if folks were gonna be busy with family or not this Wednesday. Um, well if you are let me know and if you’re not then please hop on in the Google Hangout because we’re doing this!
Choose Pash’s Artefact!
- The Crystal: All PCs can survive damage that reduces them to -20 HP. They will not die until their HP reaches -21.
- The Mascot: The Ryuujin can accompany the travelers in their shapechanged form.
0 voters
Vote vote vote.
And a Reminder:
- A Lord in Dacafe has heard Koal is an excellent trader and would love for him to unite their families and marry his daughter. In exchange he will help Koal rebuild his city and probably give Koal some diplomatic clout as well.
- The Nimhish youth, Ark, and his grandmother have been imprisioned by Grand Duchess Cecile Oslam in the Flamewrought Duchy, he has begged Alice for help. He knows of no one else to turn to.
- Annabelle, the Flamewrought Dropout who the party met earlier is under a severe case of mistaken identity. She doesn’t believe Deneb is willfully a witch. She thinks she’s been hexed and she’s out trying to break the hex and return Deneb to her proper nature.
- Ryyan’s mother wants him to return home soon with a fiance or pick a spouse from suitors of any gender back at home as soon as possible.
[details=To the Baroness Janice Pendel]Dearest Mother,
I received your letter just as we were completing our exploration of a rather interesting cave system. While you have requested that I return to Pendel at once, I must decline at this time, as the discoveries we have made together are most grave.
While on the outskirts of the Sentinels’ territory, we found a cave system that turned out to have been inhabited years ago (at least a decade past, by my estimates). What was amazing was that this cave had been populated by an unknown race of people, which I have taken to calling the Nimhish. They are rodent-like in appearance, and have their own system of writing and self-governance. We estimated this cave to house around three hundred individuals, but we found it abandoned, and uncovered the reason why once we plumbed its depths.
There was magical traces in the cave system that could only have been left by a spell most heinous, one which removed all of the air within, which forced the Nimhish people to flee, leaving behind all of their belongings and food stores. The perpetrators then raided the vault and covered their tracks in order to make it seem like this settlement had been abandoned for much longer than it actually was.
Mother, as you are well aware of, such powerful and devastating magic is prohibited by every nation we know of. There are very few individuals capable of casting it, and I feel that the most likely offenders come from the Exalted Theocracy of Etru. This wanton attack on a completely unknown (and potentially peaceful) civilization cannot go without being addressed. The Nimhish people, from what little evidence we could find, have most likely fled into the realms of the Flamewrought Vigil.
With your blessing, I wish to call for a meeting between the nations of this world, located in the Flamewrought Vigil. I am certain that Grand Duchess Oslam will be open to discourse, once we have informed her of the situation. I will be writing to her as well, and, after stopping by a nomadic settlement for trade and resupply, will be heading to the Flamewrought Vigil.
Give my love to Katarina and Beatrice, and I hope to see you at the meeting,
Ryyan Pendel[/details]
[details=To the Grand Duchess Cecile Oslam]Dear Aunt Oslam,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I have made a most startling discovery while out journeying with my companions, and I must contact you for reasons I will make clear. We discovered a cave that had once been inhabited by an unheard of race of peoples…
…And this is not the only instance where we have seen the Nimhish, nor the only incident between them and members of the Theocracy of Etru. Prior to exploring the cave, we witnessed a fight between two Nimhish individuals and four ETE members, trespassing on Pendel lands. The two Nimhish fled before we could speak to them, and I have reason to believe at least one of them is now imprisoned within your territories. If they have committed some crime against you, I would hear of it, as I feel these people have been unjustly treated in the past, and wish to negotiate for fair treatment and equal recognition, as a fellow civilized race in this world.
An event of this magnitude requires attention from all nations of the world, and so, in the name of the Barony of Pendel, I request that a meeting between delegates from all major powers be held in your lands within a month. I trust that your agents will provide safe travel and security for all delegations through your lands. I look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
Ryyan Pendel [/details]
3 Likes
First Letter: To Family
Dear Mother, Father, Sister, and Brother,
I have good news. I’ve come into enough money to start rebuilding our village. The total is 1200 gold. I will send more as the dragons provide.
I’ve been traveling with a group of three. They all seem nice enough, but I don’t feel completely comfortable around them yet. I think this will change soon, whether I like it or not.
I might be returning to you soon. Lord Ahn-So wants me to marry in to his family. Right now, one of my companions plans to bring him to us. If that does not happen, I will have to go to him. If I do, I will be sure to stop by.
At any rate, I am missing all of you.
Love,
Koal
Second Letter: To Lord Ahn-So
To the honorable Lord Ahn-So,
I have received your letter, and I would love to discuss the matter further. However, I do not know how things will proceed at this time. I hope that I will be able to meet with you soon. I will probably be attending an event in the Duchy of Flamewrought soon. If you are invited, and I suspect you will be, please look for me there.
Please give my regards to your lovely daughter, Oh-Kae, as well as her sister Ahl-Rite and their brother Eh-Good-Nuff.
Your humble servant,
Koal
3 Likes
We were kidding about those names but now they’re canon, fuck!
Remember, Ryyan will probably let you borrow his quill for your letters. Though these seem fine.
Last night’s session was a night of bad rolls, meaning crossing a river was a daunting task, Deneb had a spider-producing broomstick, and I was almost murdered by a vampiric cloak. Good times.
A Letter to the prison warden of the Flamewrought Vigil
Dear Warden Trek,
It’s come to my attention that you are holding a few rat people, (hereby to be referred to as Nimhish. Don’t ask, I didn’t come up with the name.) I’ve never visited the Flamewrought Vigil before, so I am unsure of the visitation rules. I would like to speak with a Mr. Ark. We are a few days away from the Flamewrought Vigil, so if there’s anything else I need for an appointment I will ask upon arrival.
Regards,
Alice Northwoods
(P.S. There’s a letter to Ark on the back of this one, so don’t read it because it’s not for you.)
Warden Trek don’t read this.
.
.
.
Ark
Hello. Hang in there, buddy. We’ll get things sorted out as soon as we’re able. Also, I’ll make sure to bring soup. If Trek doesn’t take all of it, I’ll make sure you and your grandmother get some.
A letter to Alice's father, Frederick Northwoods
Dear Dad,
From the time I’m writing this, it’s been about nine days since I left Obsidian. I’ve had some cooking practice, but I’ve been focused so much on traveling that I’ve had little free time to experiment outside of mealtimes. The good news is, though, that I found a really cool pot! It can instantly boil water on command. And it’s cast iron! I don’t have the tools to clean it properly, but I’ve made sure to get the dust off of it so I think it’ll be fine. Tell mom I’m doing fine, and that I’m sorry I didn’t write her her own letter. The courier has enough to do as is.
With Love,
Alice
(P.S. Tell me if you happen to hear anything about the ETE, ETE mages especially. We’ve got a slight mystery on our hands, so any information would be helpful.)
Session 3 Journal (Still the 9th of Forta)
Continuing past the river was… a process. On the other side, though, was an entire cavern filled with eggs! We determined that they’re salamander eggs, and that we probably shouldn’t wake their guardian. That being said, I nabbed one before we left. It won’t hatch without a source of steam, so we’re good to make an omelet out of it.
We found a dead end just a little ways farther, but one which was filled with two types of mushrooms; one of which glowed, and one of which emanates a ringing sound when planted. Naturally, I took a mix of both. Oh, and we also determined that Koal’s compass has two modes: one of which acts like a normal compass, and the other which points towards the closest source of danger. As it turns out, it’s on the latter mode, and the switch is broken. I’ll have to fix it up when we have better access to parts.
We doubled back… past the river… and took the other passage in the fork. We found a passage surrounded by spider webs, and sure enough there were very large spiders waiting for us on the floor below. There were a considerable number of spiders, so we decided the best strategy would be to flee down a passage that we could close behind us. Deneb also managed to curse her broom to emit tiny spiders. Every time she swung her broom.
One path led us to a shrine dedicated to the Seasonal Dragons. It would seem we’re all at least fairly faithful; Ryyan gave literal blood money, (ie a coin with a dash of his own blood,) Koal gave a bracelet, and Deneb offered some her magic. Alas, all I had was a sprig of lavender, which smelled nice, but doesn’t quite match my usual offerings, (you’ll have to forgive me for not giving up any omelet components, I had the perfect idea for them in mind.)
We soon came across the living quarters, which of course were completely empty. Or at least they should have been; while the proper owners had certainly been missing for some time, strange ghostly beings had settled in. Deneb attempted to investigate the throne room, only to find the door to it was a fake. It was actually a Cloaker, a weird spirit that poses as doors and cloaks to lull victims into a trap. Seeing Deneb in danger, I leapt into action. Very badly. I managed to pin Deneb to the floor alongside
the Cloaker, keeping her in danger and putting me into a bad spot as well. Before I knew it, that thing latched on to me and started sucking my blood. Admittedly, I don’t really remember much of what happened after that. My attempt to slash back was… pathetic. Thankfully, Koal had my back and pushed the thing away, giving Ryyan a chance to finish it off. In my haze I noticed a coathanger covered in cloaks, (and I later confirmed that it was not a terrible fever dream,) buuuuuut we left after I was very nearly murdered by a flying jacket. Deneb healed me up, and we were on our way.
We came upon the final chamber, and we were able to piece together what had happened after our investigation of the vault. Someone had drained the oxygen from this place, forcing the resident Nimhish to flee as quickly as they could. With the area’s inhabitants gone, they were free to rob all they could from the vault. And they did, save a single mimic. The mimic was nothing; we got the bright idea to just gang up on it and stab it before it could sprout legs. I almost felt sorry for the guy, but that’s what you get for not being ready for battle until after someone interacts with you, trickery or violence regardless.
In the mimic’s remains we found the treasure we were seeking, (and some mimic steaks.) I got this really cool cast iron pot that can boil water on command, Ryyan got a quill with limitless ink, (handy,) that’s also semi-sentient and can detect errors, Koal got a dousing rod that can detect imminent weather, and Deneb got a nifty eye that can see through walls. After we divided up our treasure, that little bird that was following us revealed herself to be a dragon, and that her name is Caper. Although she was quite curious as to the quality of our adventure, (4 stars, would recommend, though maybe with fewer vampire jackets next time,) she also informed us that the culprits were from the ETE, though she referred to them as “Dragon Cultists” initially.
Before Caper could get excited over the next adventure she was planning, we were visited by quite the odd bird. His name is Pash, and he’s… obsessed with our relationships. He and Caper brought us out of the dungeon, just in time for us to be greeted by a courier. She gave us all letters, and mine was… quite the surprise. It was from Ark, the young Nimhish we saved yesterday. It took me a moment before I remembered where I’d heard his name. He’s been jailed by Grand Duchess Cecile Oslam of the Flamewrought Duchy. I want to help an acquaintance, but if the Duchess locked him up for more than just a kneejerk mistrust of the Nimhish, this could be complicated. But since Ryyan is handling official matters perhaps I could pen a letter to someone else. It would likely be better for my anxiety.
Chopped up the mimic steak and made little sandwiches for everyone. They tasted good of course, but as always the grease they leave behind is just… not right. I shudder every time I have to clean it off the pan.
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[details=Letter to Annebelle]Dear Annebelle,
Oh my gawd don’t burn down my Gran’s house! Stop chasing her! I’m not hexed! I’ve always been a witch there’s nothing wrong with being a witch why do you think being a witch is bad?
Please, stop bothering Gran she’s old and cranky and she will definitely put a curse on you if you keep chasing her! Seriously!!
Can we talk about this? I think we’re going to Flamewrought next so maybe you can come there and like, explain to me? I don’t understand.
Love,
Deneb[/details]
[details=Letter to Gran]Dear Gran,
Oh my gawd Gran don’t curse Annebelle too bad I don’t think she understands anything! I think she thinks that you forced me to be a witch with a hex? She’s not making any sense at all. No one forced me to do anything, especially you!
Actually, like, a lot of people I’ve met so far seem to think me being a witch is bad or something? I don’t understand at all Gran, why do they think it’s bad? 
Love,
Deneb[/details]
3 Likes
First, LOL a unanimous vote to keep Pash as far away from the party as possible. Amazing. 
And I love all these letters so as a final parting gift I am breaking the rules and awarding all four of you 900 gold (as if you had each completed the Tale of the Traveler’s Journey Benediction) additionally, Ryyan and Deneb need to add 600 more gold for their letters last week.
Next, I want to at least try to have a loose plan for a campaign set up for next Wednesday so I need to know where you’re all going. I know you’re heading to the Nomads first to trade your goods with them but then where are you heading next? Directly to the Flamewrought Duchy? Then check on Deneb’s Gran, then to Koal’s town? Give me kind of a loose idea so I can have some maps made and stuff.
Finally, a minor retcon because I forgot something in my excitement! I know you all fled the throne room really fast but in the throne room one of you (I’m gonna say Deneb) found the broken piece of the compass. With the piece Alice should be able to repair it at a much reduced cost.
In closing, here’s a picture of one of Pash’s Relationship Charts for your amusement:
(GM’s Note: Beyond friendship, nothing Pash thinks is happening is remotely canon.)
Well, if everything is going down in the Flamewrought Vigil, I think it makes sense to head there next. However, a stopover someplace along the way to go shopping would be ideal. At the very least, Ryyan is going to have the look the part of a proper diplomat.
(somewhere, in the distance, Pash is yelling about makeovers)
There’s probably a town between the Nomad encampment and the Flamewrought Vigil, possibly somewhere in Sunset territory. And if we get the Annabelle stuff cleared up in Flamewrought then we can probably do ___swept right after that instead.
I think the plan is to go Nomad Encampment -> Duchy -> Deneb’s Grandma -> ____swept.
Gran will be fine. Probably? I don’t think anything could like, actually put her in actual danger.
I may be slightly late starting today because my spouse can’t not plan things on Wednesdays. I very frankly told him he could plan any kind of bullshit on literally any other day but Wednesday but he just can’t not.
I’ll do my best, we are still having game today. Hang out and chat until I get there okay? Maybe closer to 9 than 8 unfortunately. But I’m gonna try my best to be on time.
Ryyan's Journal - Session 4
From the journal of Ryyan Pendel, Third Heir to the Pendel Barony.
This day has not gone as expected. After we finished exploring the Nihmish warren and setting out for the Nomad encampment, I thought things were going so well. Sure, the insects were out in larger numbers than we had anticipated, but the kind nomads gave us ointment that helped ease the pain. And I felt so sure and confident the day after that, as we shopped for appropriate attire for the diplomatic summit I had requested.
And then it all started falling apart when we entered Flamewrought lands proper.
I was SO certain presenting evidence of my birthright would allow us entry. How could I have forgotten the bureaucratic nightmare that is my Aunt’s domain! I barely remembered the existence of the ‘Family Visitation and Emergencies’ loophole, but by the Dragons, THAT turned out to bring more trouble than before!
I must hold on, as the Grand Duchess will hopefully receive my letter soon, as I am certain she will host the negotiations about the Nihmish after doing so. I must have courage, as I know every delegate that answers the summons will bring whatever eligible suitors along with them. What little I have heard of the Flamewrought matchmaking system is confusing at best, terrifying at worst. I…Dear Dragons, how many suitors will that be…?
Ryyan doesn’t even finish his journal entry that night, as he rocks back and forth on the bed, hyperventilating at the thought of all the people that are going to be vying for his affection in the coming days.
1 Like
I made a ballroom for next session. 
Also…
"Caper's Journal Entry 3 (AKA Session 3 Summary)
I didn’t expect this. How disastrous. Someone came in there and suffocated the Nimhish out and then looted the place, and the cloakers and mimic moved in too… To think they’d have such a difficult time with the river, I almost lost Alice, that would have been tragic! But she took that steam salamander egg, and they made it back okay. I got quite afraid when they started faring so poorly against the cloaker. But they handled the mimic with style and were rewarded.
Deneb got a wooden eye which enhances her perception and allows her to see through walls.
Koal got a dousing rod which makes him more resilient to terrain and warns him of oncoming weather.
Ryyan got a quill pen which improves his negotiation and never runs out of ink.
Alice got a cast iron pot which fills with water and boils water on command.
When I found this place, I did not know its history. Now that I do, I feel awful. I didn’t know what I was leading them to, but I couldn’t let them know that. Now, I leave them in Pash’s care.
Session 4 summary coming soon.
Please each email me 5 pogs of suitors or people you would like to see at the event. I already have accounted for:
1.) Baron Sedwick Arbor & his Consort.
2.) Lord Ahn-So and his daughter (Oh-Kae) and son (Eh-Good-Nuff) (So you could make pogs for his other kids)
3.) The ETE (Yes it’s Wyserias himself.)
4.) The Faeries. (But we could always have more Faeries.)
5.) Ryyan’s Mom and 6 of her handpicked suitors (the most anime of suitors, we could always have more)
6.) The Minor Lord of the Fisher Fiefdom.
7.) The “Leader” of the Sunset Sentinels, her wife, and their “bodyguard”.
8.) An Emissary from the Courier’s Collective.
9.) The Earls of Decent.
10.) Annabelle, Deneb’s Gran, and the Nimhish (If Applicable.)
I could use:
1.) More Suitors.
2.) Various NPCs of your choosing like the Desert Merchants or some of the Nomad’s Godparents.
5 pogs each if you can, believe it or not that won’t even be enough to fill the space but we can assume more people are there. Email them to me at AN EMAIL ADDRESS. If you are making a suitor and using http://rolladvantage.com/tokenstamp/ (which I strongly recommend) please use the color code B6399A for the border. Otherwise the default color or whatever color you want is fine.
Gosh I’m bossy.
(I made so many pogs! And we have a special VIP at the party, I hope you enjoy!)
Last session had us go from shopping for outfits to bureaucracy, and of course fashion was the most important part of the trip.
Whoops All Cosplay
Inadvertently went with a sliding scale of femme --> butch outfits, but I guess that’ll happen.
Session 4 Journal
After saying goodbye to Caper and moving on with the ever-present Pash, we immediately ran into a swarm of bugs. If that wasn’t an omen, I don’t know what is. Thankfully, we were greeted by Rowan and her Grandma (actual title) Tone, and they provided ointment. We did our business, I fixed the compass, and we settled down for bed.
10th of Forta, 1107
We made it to Wagyu in almost no time at all. Upon arrival, we immediately hopped over to the clothing store to prepare for our stay in Flamewrought. Poor as I was, I probably wouldn’t have been able to buy what I did had Ryyan not talked the price down so much. I’ve not dressed so fancy before, but I think I chose some cute outfits. After that, we decided to take it easy and rest for the night.
11th of Forta, 1107
Traveling to the Flamewrought Vigil was, unfortunately, far more dangerous. Given the climate, we were all singed on the way, and the checkpoint was a hassle. The Flamewrought Vigil is a place that’s heavy on bureaucracy, and honestly I underestimated just what that meant. Thanks to Ryyan’s political influence, we at least managed to skip a few lines. That being said, I can’t use the kitchen without filling out some paperwork so I guess I couldn’t get over every hurdle. Archie, (I think he’s a junior worker around here? He’s certainly not a guard or a lawyer,) offered to get a start on that, which was nice of him.
Deneb and I went to visit Warden Trek. I expected more from him, but uh… no. His brother’s nice enough, but apparently Trek himself became frustrated with Fairies playing pranks on him when traveling to the region, and that’s why he hasn’t been the one to visit in years. Honestly? It was probably for the best. The man seems to be something of a letch, and the prison he runs is nothing short of disgusting. I don’t know why I was expecting something small and tidy, but I guess that’ll teach me to give the benefit of the doubt. Ark and his grandmother looked to be in bad shape, but they were holding on. They were acting like beasts in hopes of avoiding harsher punishments, and it seemed to work. We managed to convince the warden to allow them into our custody, since we’re traveling with a lord. Our own “punishment” supersedes theirs, so it looks like we may be in the clear for getting those two out.
After we finished our business in the prison, we met up with Ryyan and Koal, who were supposed to be having a meeting with the Duchess. Instead, it seems like they’ve all set up a dating event??? I blame Pash for this, but no matter what it looks like we’ll be doing more than diplomacy.
1 Like
Another letter to Gran
Dear Gran,
I went clothes shopping for the first time ever! I like my dress a lot but Ryyan said it wasn’t really appropriate for all the fancy stuff we’ll be doing soon. I googled “goth prom dress” found a really cute gown that was in all the colors I like! 
The shopkeeper said I should get these really dumb pointy shoes that I couldn’t walk in, but I think my boots are fine (but I did get some shoe polish so they’d look super nice). I also got a little black dress, which I guess is good for pretty much every situation? I like it because it has a heart in it! 
Everyone else got super cute clothes too. But they were expensive!!
We also went to a… prison and Gran it was just awful. I don’t ever want to go in a prison again, everyone was sad or miserable and all the prisoners looked like they were starving and abused. Everyone was like that dog we took from away that really bad hunter when I was a kid, the one we healed for a long time and even then always had that limp.
We found the Nimhish friends we met earlier and they were in such a sad state and they were pretending to be dumb animals so I had to do something! Alice and I managed to maybe get them released to us so we could get them away from that horrible place.
Gran I’ve seen a lot of new things since I left but this was the first thing that made me angry. Like, really really angry. I’m mad just thinking about it right now. I don’t like that people treat other people like this. It’s wrong and I hope I can do something about it, I want to use everything I learned from you to make things like this not happen.
Oh I didn’t mention before but we have a new dragon following us around, he’s blue and his name is Pash and I think he likes kissing a lot??? But not like him kissing, but like getting everyone else to kiss each other?? He’s super weird and I don’t really get it but I guess stories like that are something else the Seasonal Dragons like so… Gran have you ever kissed someone? Is that like a common thing people do? I don’t really know anything about that since it was only really ever us and the chickens in the forest, and chickens don’t have lips. No one who visited us ever offered to kiss me, anyway…
I only ask because apparently Ryyan’s aunt is trying to find a “suitor” for him and I guess she thinks the rest of us could be his suitor? I don’t really understand but Pash said kissing is involved… and a whole bunch of other things he rattled off when I asked him, things like trust and companionship and love and attraction and some other stuff. It was hard to follow and I don’t know what magnets have to do with it, but he said it’s pretty much the most important thing to him. I guess its a whole deal that’s like… more than just being friends? And like, I’ve only just made my first friends when I started this journey and I like them a lot so I guess its like that but different?
I’ll let you know if I figure it out. But anyway I guess we’re gonna be in some kind of contest to be Ryyan’s suitor and I’m gonna try my hardest because you’ve always told me anything worth doing is worth putting your whole heart into! I hope there’s like a magic contest, I will definitely win that!
Gran I hope you sorted out everything with the hut and I hope the chickens are OK. Alice looks like she wants to go to bed so I’m gonna put out the light and go to sleep now too.
Love,
Deneb
3 Likes
