Campaign Chronicles

Day Five of the Odinsleep (Nearly 2 am, 5 hours until sunrise) “I recall the philosophies of the sage, Zeno, but what you describe is wholly different. With what you can remember of this being, it there anything one might do to gain even the briefest of advantages? And how might I reach this plane. Is it like the others in how it might be accessed?” Hárbarðr shakes his head. “Sometimes the best thing you can do is nothing. A creature of this magnitude would lay waste to you and all of your companions in short order were you to try bearding it in its lair. It is a Prince of Time and it would be surrounded by a retinue of creatures much like itself. Time is an unbeatable enemy. Summoning it MAY give you a slim chance of surviving long enough to bind it but even then, the possibility of you or your allies being aged either to death or into preconception would remain.” Saga adds, “My Father is correct. You must decide if the power of this bracer is worth the risk you would be plac...

12 Feb 1371 (1828 Grimmlands calendar) Chronosaj pulls a short, fat pistol from his belt. He shoves a canister into the open end, pulls back on his striker and takes aim at the oncoming swarm. He squeezes the trigger and the pin snaps forward, piercing the firing pin to send the canister rocketing out of the open end of the gun. The canister hits the floor and explodes with a meaty “WHOOMP!” that sprays fire in all directions. Scores of spiders are incinerated and even more are taken out when Knives unleashes another burst of fiery breath. Over the screaming of burning spiders and roar of the flames, two voices call out from somewhere above. A man screams “Hello!? Is there anyone there?” And a woman that cries, “Thank God! Quickly, hurry and get us out of here!” Chronosaj: 86% health Knives: 84% health, 1 fire breaths remaining

16 Tsou 2621 Shou Calendar Hansuke slows, crouching in the shadows and peers down the hill. He sees three men approaching. They are dressed in wildly dissimilar attire, one in the clothing of a well-to do merchant, the second in simple monk robes, and the third in O-Yori Armor with an antlered helmet worn atop his head. Unless this land does not observe a caste system like in his homeland, then it is likely that these three men are adventurers of some sort. The Hengeyokai monk doesn’t pause for even a moment. He steps out of the shadows and onto the mountain trail, revealing himself to the three men. They instantly stop, the armored samurai’s hand flies to the hilt of his katana while the monk assumes a fighting stance. Only the merchant remains reactionless, assessing the appearance of the unknown traveler. Hansuke calls out to the group, “I am Hansuke Yamamoto. I come from Heibeisu, Heigen Ryo Kokoro in the Empire of Rokugan. I mean you no harm! The gods have sent me here for r...

18th day of the Month of Conflict, 126th Year of Factol Haskar’s Administration/Month of Sunsebb 573 CY calendar “Very well, when do we start?” Jamaros replies. Doresain smiles, his sharpened teeth glinting red in the low-light. “You are eager! That is a sign that bodes well for your future. Depart straightaway. Your lieutenants know the way to the portal that while take you to my chosen land. Your personal guards wait for you at the gate.” Jamaros turned to follow the two surviving Risen , the ghouls who had killed him so Doresain could bring him back from the dead to serve as his general. Resentment burned deep in the undead barbarian’s still, cold heart and dark thoughts lurked in the back of his mind. He hadn’t lied to the Ghoul King. He had no desire to sit upon on a throne and he did want to rejoin his companions once he had become strong enough but he would exact his vengeance. The two Risen lead Jamaros along a darkened path between crumbling mausoleums and beneath moss d...

12 Feb 1371 (1828 Grimmlands calendar) After a quick conference, Knives and Chronosaj decide to see what is going on above. They begin making their way across the large open chamber toward the stairs. The ex-mayor of Hamelin sweeps his blade up and down I front of him, patting unseen strands of webbing in the dark while the gunslinger does the same with his fiery scimitar. The residents of the webs react instantly to the destruction of their homes and begin to drop en masse from the ceiling and start pouring out of cracks in the floor and walls where crumbling mortar has left gaps over the years. In moments, the floor is alive with a carpet of spiders that scuttle toward the adventurers, venom glistening on their fangs. The swarm expands, growing to cover the entire floor and walls of the circular room. Gossamer filaments of silk trail in the wake of each individual until streams of white overlay the shiny black and brown carapaces. The clicking of thousands of tiny feet and c...

16 Feb 1371 The god in the horned helm walks over to a pedestal in the center of the chamber. He slides his sword into an opening in top of the miniature plinth and twists it sharply to the left. The domed ceiling begins to revolve, swiftly picking up speed until it is little more than a blur. Suddenly, a shaft of light erupts from the building, stretching out into the blackness of night. “The choice is yours.” “I accept.” Hansuke steps into the light and vanishes in the blink of an eye. When the light fades, the monk finds himself standing in a rune-inscribed circle blasted into the earth. He looks around, his eyes instantly adjusting to the dim light and realizes that he is standing somewhere in the mountains on a world far-removed from Asgard, far removed from his former companions. He takes a deep breath, tasting the cool, crisp air and exhales. A small cloud of fog forms in the cool air and is carried away on a light breeze. He looks around and sees the peaks and ridges of oth...

18th Day of the Month of Conflict, 126th Year of Factol Haskar's Administration The man grins, revealing razor sharp teeth, “Welcome, Jamaros.   I would like to thank you for accepting my invitation.”   The strength radiating off of this stranger is intense and, unwillingly, the undead barbarian slowly bends a knee to the demonic being seated in front of him.   “I have a job for you.” “Let me stand and look you in the face instead of making me kneel and I will be more than happy to hear you out.” Jamaros replied through gritted teeth.   Peals of laughter rang throughout the throne room and suddenly the pressure on the undead barbarian’s shoulders vanished, “Ah yes, forgive me. I sometimes forget the effect I have on those in my presence.   And while I would not disrespect the man I want to lead my army, I would advise you to watch your tone lest I retract the gift I have given you.”   The undead god waves his hand negligently, dismissing both...

12 Feb 1371 (1828 Grimmlands calendar) The two adventurers look up at the tower. Knives speaks first, “Well, we have two options. We can stay hungry, risk fighting off wolves and keep heading toward Jack’s castle or we can head for the tower in hopes of a hot meal and a bed. Since we destroyed the bridge, they probably won’t be looking for us at the tower but it is possible that those dog men ran to surrounding shelters and put everyone on the lookout for us. This time, I leave the choice to you, my friend.” “Considering we’ve put in some time on foot and we’re certainly no safer camping out in the open, I vote for the tower.” Chronosaj replies. “The tower it is.” The two thieves make their way forward through the darkness. The sounds of the forest become muted and die away as they approach the black-stone structure. Despite a steady breeze, there is no rustling of leaves and no swaying grasses. Everything in the clearing is unusually still. Knives raps with the k...

16 Feb 1371 (Day Five of the Odinsleep) “Hansuke.” The voice, heard clearly in his head, brought him instantly awake. He looked around the room for the source of the smooth baritone and saw that nearly all of his companions, save Kysek who was still reading from the tome of ones and zeroes, were fast asleep or deep in meditation. He nearly dismissed the voice as the imaginings of a dream, turned a circle after stretching his feline claws and tucked his tail around his body as he settled back in to resume napping when he heard it again. “Hansuke, follow the sound of my voice.” This time he knew that he was not dreaming and padded across the room on four silent paws. He slipped out the front door of Völundr’s home and into the street. He had no need to gather his belongings. They had changed shape with him and were absorbed into his body when he had assumed his feline form. He made his way down the thoroughfare, past homes and shops with their lights extinguished for the ni...

Day Five of the Odinsleep (Just after 1:30 am, 5 hours 30 minutes until sunrise) “Elemental Time?” Ra’ziir tries to recall anything from his time at the Academy in Evereska regarding Chronomancy but the existence of such a plane is still largely theoretical, even amongst elves. “I have some familiarity with the elements of Earth but my knowledge of the Elements of Time appears to be insufficient. Would you enlighten me?” the bladesinger asks in earnest. Saga takes a long pull from her mug and wipes her mouth on her sleeve, “Time is a mortal imagining. In and of itself, it does not exist except as a way to define movement - how far an object moves from one position to another and how quickly are the basis for this definition. But defining time without using terms like “how long” or “years ago” is next to impossible. Instead, we have theories and suppositions to support what our senses tell us. If time as you, as we, think of it is real and comes from an actual source, I ...