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augurs-lore · 7 years ago

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The Veragem Plateau: Beta 7 Playtest, Sessions #3-5

These sessions span the course of two days and one night, during which the adventure party visits the site of the standing stones where they make an amazing and mysterious discovery. The party later finds their way to an impromptu community contest at the Rubble House, after which the absent Dignitary Rokra and the badly inebriated Kahlashtul inspire the group to organize their own visit to the Scholars Corps to investigate the fated Ghatial monument, and explore the scholarly chambers more deeply. After days of planning, and of keeping their distance from the local tensions, the party begins to piece together a part of their mystery when they notice smoke rising in the far part of town. The session culminates as they find their way to the source of the smoke and discover a frightening scene.

The following players characters, attending our third, fourth, and fifth sessions, comprised the adventure party:

Cheyle the Sand Rat, the kahlnissá manipulator, played by Evan

Cutelion the “Lion,” the human warrior, played by Ryan

Ik-seke’cha, the human watcher, played by Jaime

Trevillkist, the human crafter, played by Terri

Joining the adventurers were the Ertaeh twins, Ceinneach and Ceridwyn, both now committed to uncovering this mystery. Kahlashtul, hungover from the previous night’s festivities, also decided to accompany the group to the site of the stones.

The Fourth Rehan of Dance of Etia

The group greeted the morning at the Rubble House with excitement--all except the Dignitary, who perhaps had a bit too much norsib the night before. After gathering around a morning meal, the party set out toward Valley Rd. for what turned out to be a pleasant journey. Arriving at the stones without much trouble, the adventurers could see there were already tourists and travelers marveling over the site, vendors selling trinkets to visitors, and a handful of Peacekeepers casually watching the day’s patrons investigate the main grounds that featured the largest stones. In this main area also stood the rubble from the recent earthquakes, which had toppled one of the stones to reveal an elaborately carved symbol much like the one Dignitary Rokra had described on the Ghatial. Even though the main attraction of the standing stones was the altar site near the rubble of the earthquakes, the adventurers became interested in the stones that stretched out into the further grasses of the area, and so they split up to search beyond the main tourist area.

The standing stones stretch out for hundreds of yards beyond the main entry site to the attraction. In the field beyond the rubble, the grasses have grown knee-high and the site slopes downward placing many of the stones further down and out of sight from the Peacekeepers and tourists above. Each of the party members set out to discover something from the stones. Cheyle happened to find a piece of rubble with a symbol carved into its side. Ceinneach and Ceridwyn investigated some of the tall stones in the western part of the site. The warrior Cutelion walked among the stones for a time, and then became interested in moving closer to the Peacekeepers near the entrance to listen in on conversations. Meanwhile, Trevillkist and Kahlashtul stumbled through the central grasses looking for clues. Kahlashtul was little help, and at one point found his way to a standing stone to relieve himself in a crass display. Trevillkist was not amused. Realizing he was in no shape to explore, and that he was bored with looking at the stones with which he was already very familiar, Kahlashtul decided to head back up to town.

Ik-seke’cha made a surprising discovery: the stones in the outer part of the site were organized in an intricate spiral pattern. The watcher made her way from one stone to the next, realizing the pattern spiraled around as if depicting a coiled twine. Even the sunlight reflected the intricacy of the spiral design, casting shadows inward toward the entrance as if each stone was angled properly to allow shadows to play a role in the organization. She continued to follow the spiral’s pattern to a distant central stone, a tall and formidable-looking stone. Surprisingly, the standing stone felt warm to the touch, far warmer than it should feel simply from standing in the sunlight. Fascinated by the stone, she remained with it for nearly an hour, looking for any clues she might find.

Closer to the entrance, Lion found a position in the grasses where she could eavesdrop on the Peacekeepers who were working security in the main entrance of the site. Luckily, despite her typically noisy plate armor, she managed to keep quiet and hear a bit of conversation. The pair were discussing Joyler Tain, the skilled fighter and captain of the viceroy’s guard. The conversation seemed benign, so after a time, Lion pulled back from her position and reunited with the remainder of the party at the top of the hill.

Down by the central stone of her discovered spiral, Ik-seke’cha was greeted by a gruff-looking warrior who introduced herself as “Echo,” from Reviak City. Echo was interested in how much Ik-seke’cha was interested in this particular stone. The two struck up a conversation, and Echo seemed a nice sort, despite her rugged appearance. Looking up toward the sunlight hillside, Echo and Ik-seke’cha saw the rest of the adventure party heading their way. Echo took the opportunity to say thanks to Ik-seke’cha for the conversation, and then continued down the hill. When the rest of the adventurers joined with the watcher, Echo was out of sight. The group reconvened and shared what little information they had learned after the day’s exploration of the standing stones site. Lion also seemed curious about Echo, and it seemed as if she knew the warrior. Lion cautioned Ik-seke’cha that Echo may seem nice, but she is not to be trusted.

The most peculiar aspect of this stone was that it felt warm to the touch for Ik-seke’cha, but when Lion touched the stone, it felt quite cool. Each of the members of the party, now curious, began touching the stone. Some felt the stone as warm, while other felt it as cool. Seeming almost perturbed by this mystery, Ik-seke’cha renewed her investigation of the ground surrounding the stone. She thought this temperature difference might be coming from below, so she began to poke and stomp on the ground. That is when she discovered a large marker stone buried at the base of the stone. The party spent an hour digging away the grass and soil to reveal a large, round, heavy marker stone unlike anything they had ever seen. The composition of the stone seemed to be the same material that Dignitary Rokra had described was present on the Ghatial.

The marker stone in the earth also felt warm or cool to the touch, depending on who was touching it. The unique symbols on the marker stone were etched in a bone-white inlay, and arranged in a circular pattern around a central point. The central point was slightly depressed into the surface of the stone. Around the circumference of the stone, above each of the eight symbols, there was also another depression, much like a hole or an inlet that did not completely make its way through the entirety of the stone. The stone itself was about five feet in diameter. Ik-seke’cha realized this had been buried in this far part of the site for quite a while, and that it was a lucky find. Ceinneach took some etchings of each of the marker stone symbols, and the group decided to rebury the marker stone and put the grass back as much as they could until they could learn more about the symbols and return with a better idea of how to proceed. It was approaching nightfall, so with the marker stone reburied, they headed toward the entrance to return to the town in the Plateau above.

Most of the tourists had cleared out of the standing stones by now, but there was one character studying the symbols in the rubble who stood out to the group. A stoic woman with short hair and scarification on her face and head was making notes in a small booklet as she studied the symbols on the base of the stone. The party attempted to engage her in conversation, only to discover she had an unnecessarily strict code of etiquette, and she clearly seemed to think the adventure party was ill-suited to occupy the same company as herself. The group did learn her name was Speaker Naro-tak, but they soon took their leave when it looked like she was not interested in entertaining their conversation.

The adventurers returned to Veragem by nightfall, discussing what they had discovered along the road home. They decided once again to patron the Rubble House, where Rokra was still spending her time. There they found Kahlashtul eating a sizable portion of food, while the Celdiyvor Drand began serving norsib for the evening. What began as a well-intentioned conversation over the meaning of the symbols quickly turned into a norsib contest between Lion and Kahlashtul, one that encouraged patrons and adventurers to start betting, and Celdiyvor offered a house purse to the winner, placing double odds against Lion, who was clearly smaller than the Djenndan. The whole Rubble House was in on the action, and as the contestants began drinking their norsib cup for cup, the crowd grew louder. Sounds of shouting and laughter could be heard throughout the neighborhood. By the sixth cup of norsib, Lion lost sight of where she was, and simply began to drink whenever Kahlashtul did. It would not be until the following morning that she became aware she had won the contest when Kahlasthul spilled his norsib, along with his earlier dinner, all over the floor in a growling display.

Lion celebrated her contest victory in a norsib haze, dancing outside in a campfire as onlookers clapped and musicians played. Gold changed hands for all betting parties, and the night was full of raucous laughter. Meanwhile, the adventurers collected their earnings and discussed local events with a truly old man named Zadrik’aal. At 302 years old, Zadrik’aal has seen it all in Veragem, and was witness to the first entry of Thelean rule after the discovery of the Ghatial. He shared tales of the early days of fighting between the Enthaadians and the Ohm’Veshi, and the way that Mirtheen the First came and forced stability in the town, claiming the Ghatial and the standing stones as a gift for all in the Empire. According to Zadrik’aal, it was Mirtheen who first had created the magical narrative of the stones all those years ago, which has built Veragem’s economy around tourism despite the locals own ties to their land. The group also met Norg the Tracker, and his falcon Yud-Bud, who took a liking to Cheyle. In the norsib-happy evening, Norg offered Yud-Bud to Cheyle, since he has plenty of other falcons he had trained back home on Highland Road. Cheyle agreed to accept Yud-Bud as a pet.

Lion’s norsib haze became sickness in the middle of the night, and she slept through half of the morning. But when she emerged, Ik-seke’cha had thoughtfully brewed a chicory root drink designed to help ease the warrior’s hangover. Over breakfast, the adventurers discussed plans to visit the Scholars Corps, bringing what they knew of the marker stone symbols along with them. No one saw Dignitary Rokra that morning; perhaps she had participated in the festivities too much herself. Leaving her and Kahlasthul at the Rubble House, the remaining six adventurers set out toward the viceroy’s compound on the hill above.

The western part of Veragem town is held by the area’s Thelean population, a more privileged and well-kept part of the settlement, one where the citizens clearly have more resources than in the rest of the town proper. By the time they made their way through the northern part of the district, the day was already well under way as locals busied about the street doing work or running errands. A seasoned-looking fighter caught the adventurer’s attention. He was leaning against a wall, watching people go about their work. He watched the adventurers as they walked past on their way to the Scholars Corps.

Within minutes they had arrived at the large, newly constructed building that Rokra had seen the day before. Elder Merth was outside the entrance, greeting patrons and welcoming them into the main foyer where the Ghatial is on display. The party wanted to spend some time in the main area, and after touching the Ghatial to confirm its similarity to the marker stone, they began to investigate the grounds more carefully. They saw the Thelean reliefs on the walls outside the main foyer, all of which depict the story of Mirtheen’s arrival in a fantastical way. Much of what the adventurers had heard from Zadrik’aal the night before was here etched into the walls, though its retelling deeply romanticized the Thelean arrival. Elder Merth was drawn away to the entrance when a man named Lazab-Lazab arrived. At his side was the seasoned fighter the adventurers had noticed people watching in the streets earlier as they traveled. Lazab-Lazab pulled Elder Merth aside and the two spoke in hushed tones, with apprehension on their face. Cheyle and Ik-seke’cha took the opportunity to break away from the main group and discuss the Thelean arrival with some of the other scholars in the wing.

The scholars pointed at the symbolism near the ceiling, old Creonic script that none of the adventurers could read. The scholars translated loosely, admitting that the words made little sense, and in some cases they were just sounding out the Creonic script. Still, they managed to cobble together, “The true path, the way, the veshi-tak, against path, against the way-tak, tak-death.” The scholars apologized for not having more information to go with, but hoped that the loose translation would help. They noted that these scripts were in an ancient Creonic language whose meanings have mostly been lost at present, but they preserved them here in this new building out of historical remembrance. According to the scholar, these scripts had been carved into the foundation stones of the original building that was on this site, which had crumbled apart in the recent earthquakes. It was a mystery, as well as a coincidence that one of the scripts vaguely resembled one of the symbols on the marker stone. The adventurers still had a mystery on their hands. As this conversation unfolded, Ceinneach was preoccupied studying the Ghatial in greater detail, taking notes almost as if he was modeling his search after having watched Speaker Naro-tak the previous evening.

Meanwhile, Lion decided to speak with the seasoned warrior while Elder Merth and Lazab-Lazab were occupied. The warrior introduced himself as Grillpeth Mellek, a footsoldier with a brilliant Creonic accent working among the viceroy’s compound. The two struck up a coversation, warrior-to-warrior, regarding the local political and social tensions between the Ohm-Veshi and the Enthaadians. Grillpeth revealed that the Theleans are beginning to mobilize, that the threat of the Ohm’Veshi is growing greater than they had anticipated, and that the viceroy herself is hoping to make an example of aggressors. The adventurers remembered that the Theleans who were found killed along northern road just a couple of days ago were killed with Ohm’Veshi weapons. Grillpeth seemed to think that something ominous was going to happen, and that the tensions are close to spilling over. The two closed their conversation with a mutual appreciation, and Grillpeth offered Lion quarter to train at his barracks in Driftfall North.

The adventure party regrouped outside and noticed in the distant northern part of town below the compound a trail of dark smoke rising into the sky. They thought for a moment that it might be prudent to get the Enthaadians for backup, but ultimately decided they wanted to investigate without wasting too much time finding River Reineka or the other members of the order. They hurried down the road and within twenty minutes they could see down a block the source of the smoke: a house was burning in a raging fire, and a crowd of Ohm’Veshi were gathered in the thoroughfare around a group of Peacekeepers accompanied by four members of the viceroy’s guard. Two of the Peacekeepers were holding torches near the burning house; clearly they had started the fire. The remaining guard and Peacekeepers were interrogating an Ohm’Veshi, beating him and demanding he tell them who was responsible. The crowd were shouting at the group to stop, that they knew nothing. This was accompanied by the screams of a woman who was pointing at the house; her cries of anguish were over her children who were apparently still trapped inside the burning house.

Ik-seke’cha rushed toward the house as soon as the party arrived on the scene. She donned a thick cloak and rushed through the entrance darting past a blaze of flames. The fire seemed not to effect Ik-seke’cha inside the cloak, though it was clearly still hot. The Peacekeepers and guard were preoccupied with the crowd, but they still noticed Ik-seke’cha rush in. Suddenly the entrance collapsed, trapping Ik-seke’cha inside. Lion rushed to the entrance to try to hack away at the debris, but its heat was barely tolerable. Trevillkist rushed around the back of the house to see if there was another way in or out. He found a rear exit, and began shouting for Ik-seke’cha. While inside, Ik-seke’cha found two young children huddled underneath a desk. She grabbed them and ran toward the sound of Trevillkist’s voice, nearly being engulfed by an explosion in the process, leaving her cloak in flames. If she did not have on her cloak, the explosion would have killed her. She rushed out to Trevillkist, who helped her with the children, and then she threw her cloak on the ground where it continued to burn. Smoke was stinging their lungs, but they managed to get the children out of the house and bring them to her mother. The young boy was dead, but the young girl was still breathing.

By now the Peacekeepers were demanding the adventurers explain their actions. The members of the crowd were still shouting at the soldiers, demanding they cease their search. But three Peacekeepers had gone into a neighboring house and had begun to ransack and destroy it. The adventurers were outnumbered by the guard and Peacekeepers, and so they felt frozen in place, unsure how to proceed. They simply continued to watch as the Peacekeepers abused their power. The Peacekeepers forced two people out of the house; a robed woman with a diagonal tattoo across her face, and a red-haired man with a scarring on his head similar to what the group had seen on Speaker Naro-tak. The two people were forced into the center of the thoroughfare and placed on their knees as the head guard began to interrogate them. Trevillkist stepped forward, calling out the injustice, but a guard struck him in the face, bloodying his nose and then forced him to the ground right along side the other two Ohm’Veshi. Trevillkist nervously objected and assured the guards that he knew nothing.

Demanding answers, the head guard brutally attacked the red-haired man, knocking him bleeding to the ground. The whole crowd hurled insults at the soldiers, as the head guard moved to the woman with the tattooed face. He grabbed her by the hair and again demanded to know who killed the Theleans. It occurred to the adventure party in this moment that this aggression might have been triggered by the events they were involved in just two days prior.

Suddenly, the tattoo-faced woman looked up and noticed something or someone in the crowd that emboldened her. She defiantly stared at the soldier holding her by the hair and orated in a commanding voice, stunning the soldiers and captivating the crowd. She had almost reached the apex of her point when an explosion erupted at the feet of the torch-holding Peacekeepers who had burned the house. Flames burst in an explosive cloud, causing the crowd to scream. The tattoo-faced woman laughed and said, “my sister finally arrived.” Two guards rushed to the head guard, one of them shouting “protect Joyler, get them to safety!” They fled the scene as the Peacekeepers took up a defensive position.

The battle that ensued was quick and decisive. Amid screams and frightened gasps, three Ohm’Veshi emerged from the crowd. The first to attack was a formidable sorcerer who the adventurers would later learn is Sister Kastii-tak, the sister to the orator with the tattooed face. Kastii-tak was using explosive magic to target soldiers and create a heightened state of chaos in the thoroughfare. Soon there were nearly as many flames about the block as there were in the house burning close by. With Kastii-tak came two other Ohm’Veshi, an archer who Cheyle recognized as wearing the kahlnissá markings of a “finder,” and a giant of a protector named Listequia, who wielded a massive hammer. As they attacked the Peacekeepers on one side, the adventurers came to their aid, and soon the whole street was bloody, violent scene. The adventurers were victorious, but in the process witnessed shocking displays of brutal magic from Kastii-tak that marked her as someone the adventurers would never want to cross. When the battle had come to an end, Kastii-tak called over Finder Braes and Protector Listequia, asking them to send word to someone called the “Harbinger.”

A red-haired herbalist emerged from hiding after the battle to tend to the red-haired man who was injured. The adventurers learned this was Ronak Midjaari, and that the injured man was her brother Relsek. The two were immigrants from Schelk who had become adopted in the ways of the Ohm’Veshi. As the adventurers tended to their wounds and those others wounded in the area, the tattoo-faced woman, who introduced herself as Sister Vortrei-tak, said that the Harbinger would want to meet these people. Lion took the opportunity to loot the Peacekeepers and look for any additional clues that might be of aid to their cause. It became clear, however, that Sister Kastii-tak was not suggesting the party meet the Harbinger, she was insisting. In the next session, the adventurers will work to discover how to navigate this new territory as they find their way toward the inner-circle of the Ohm’Veshi, while also being branded aggressors by Joyler Tain and the viceroy’s guard. And what of the Enthaadians? A reckoning is coming, and the adventurers hope they will be on the right side of things, all while uncovering the mystery of that marker stone.

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augurs-lore · 7 years ago

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Speaker Naro-tak

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augurs-lore · 7 years ago

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Inspiration for the Standing Stones of Veragem in Creona.

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augurs-lore · 7 years ago

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The Veragem Plateau: Beta 7 Playtest, Session #2

Our second session was a great blend of character dialogue and development, coupled with meeting a handful of the local NPCs and uncovering a bit more of the intrigue surrounding the Ghatial, a large monument on display in the Veragem Scholar’s Corps under the study of a man named Elder Merth. It was good to see the adventurers get to explore a bit more of Veragem and their own stories in the town while they made their own sense of the violence they encountered in the street earlier in the day.

The following players characters attended our second session:

Cheyle the Sand Rat, the kahlnissá manipulator, played by Evan

Cutelion the “Lion,” the human warrior, played by Ryan

Dignitary Rokra dan Valadagal, the Djenndan orator, played by Sam

Ik-seke’cha, the human enchanter, played by Jaime

Trevillkist, the human crafter, played by Terri

Tryndmarr, owner and proprietor of Salt Winds Tavern had received Hestor’s cart and then directed the adventurers to Aanbi the Healer’s House in the Enthaadian part of town, south of the Tavern. Without wasting time, the group hurried to find the healer, and soon Aanbi received the adventurers and quickly brought them inside, helping them carry the badly injured Guardian Dilaeve toward a large table at the center of her room where she then began her work. Her assistant Revelin dutifully attended to her needs for tools and bandages as they removed the Guardian’s charred, makeshift armor and proceeded to expose the wound on her chest. The magic had done a horrific amount of damage, and so Aanbi gathered a strange, brown salve and began to apply it to the wound. It smelled of rotoka and coltsfoot, which intrigued Ik-seke’cha.

The group watched Aanbi work for a time, until she looked up and suggested that there was little they could do for Dilaeve here. She suggested they take care of any other business in town and she would send word for them when any news of Dilaeve’s condition could be shared. The adventure party decided then to split up. Most went to the market while Ik-seke’cha stayed at the Healer’s, but all went their separate ways to explore Veragem on their own. Before they left, Ik-seke’cha gave Lion the spell components they had recovered from the earlier fight in the street, so she could sell them to a curio trader.

It was a busy day in the market, and quite a sight to behold as the adventurers spread out in the bustling atmosphere. Trevillkist immediately went toward the fruit stands in the southern part of the market, where he found several large-sized Creonan horned fruit. He purchased five and took a healthy bite from one of the fruit, the juice dribbling into his whispy, golden beard.

Meanwhile, Cutelion made her way toward the north part of the market. She approached a trader who offered in a hushed tone a small price for the components, claiming they had been exposed to the air for too long. Lion decided to seek business elsewhere, and discovered an interesting merchant by the name Jemp. Jemp was very curt, in an unaware, detached way that was slightly endearing. The two made a deal over the components, after which Jemp abruptly noted that if they were done they should leave.

Dignitary Rokra scanned the crowd at the center of the market. There was a diminutive aislun trader who others were granting a good deal of space, seemingly out of respect. He was traveling with a tall human, who also appeared not to be terribly local, and who seemed to be in his employ. Wanting to keep a low profile, Rokra decided she would instead approach a Djenndan she noticed standing above the crowd in the west of the market, a warrior wearing the traditional armor of the Nadjahani.

It may have seemed odd to Rokra that a Nadjahani was here in the Rise, but she was familiar with the history. Long ago, the Nadjahani were the cohort of nomadic Djenndan that emigrated east during the first age of the Rendalen wall scourge. The Nadjahani historically were subjugated by the well organized Volaani Kelvik'arr, networks of viantu clans who carved out an early existence for their kind during the rise of Thelean influence. The Nadjahani gradually grew into a kind of symbiotic relationship among the Kelvik'arr, though still an oppressive one--the Kelvik'arr used the Nadjahani as laborers, soldiers, and even mounts during battle, giving their ranks strange alchemical substances that emboldened and empowered them. Several centuries after the Kelvik’arr disbanded throughout Thelean society, the strained history of the Nadjahani still leaves an impact on Djenndan in New Voland and Wendajii, and Rokra could remember hearing these tales even in Valadagal.

Approaching the impressively tall Djenndan, the two exchanged banter over the Rokra’s diminutive height. The large Djenndani introduced himself as Kahlashtul-Handak, or "Kahlash" for short. The giant’s tone changed when he learned that Rokra’s title was that of “Dignitary,” a professional title that clearly carries some weight in the warrior’s imagination. The two discussed that Kahlash has been in The Rise for many years, working as an enforcer and a guide around Driftfall North. After they discussed the market and the tense conditions in Veragem between the Ohm’Veshi and the Enthaadians, they decided that they should hike over to the Thelean district to witness the Ghatial--the apparent cause of the strife--which Rokra had never seen before.

As they departed the market, Cheyle was near the south end taking in the sights. A local, a young woman selling dried herbs, seemed especially fascinated that Cheyle was in the market. Clearly travelers come and go through the plateau, but it was as if this local had never seen a kahlnissá before, and she kept trying to catch Cheyle’s eye. What garnered her attention more, however, was a passing falconer wearing a hood. The large, majestic falcon perched on his shoulder stared directly at Cheyle, then leaving its perch hovered in the air as if communicating to the kahlnissá some secret, unspoken language of connection. The exchange was noticable, but the falconer had already moved farther into the market and whistled to bring back his charge. The falcon darted its head toward the sound of the whistle, looked one last time at Cheyle, and then cast itself further into the air to rejoin its companion.

The young woman selling herbs noticed Cheyle’s interaction, and saw the kahlnissá approaching, and so she stepped forward and introduced herself as Abeleen Difin of Mint Point. She said that she and her family run the lake house down at Mint Point along the Vera river. The Difin family has been in Veragem for generations, and although Abeleen did not look like a local, she clearly had the demeanor and accent of a citizen of the Rise. Cheyle discussed the tensions between the Ohm’Veshi and the Enthaadians with Abeleen, who revealed that she was angry that the Enthaadians had become so militant. She expressed disdain with the Order of Enthaad, even blamed them for raids along the river and for harassing her family in Mint Point. She also seemed extremely sympathetic to the Ohm’Veshi, and clearly wanted to encourage Cheyle to keep away from the Enthaadians. Abeleen invited Cheyle to come down to the lake house some time, and the two parted ways.

Back at Aanbi’s Ik-seke’cha learned a bit more about the Reineka family and the Enthaadian plight. It became clear that River Reineka--who the adventurers had witnessed executing that Ohm’Veshi during the street fight--was Aanbi’s brother. Aanbi spoke eloquently about the Enthaadians and their persecution, and of their oppression under Thelean law. She stated that as a healer she wanted no part in the violence, but she understood why the Enthaadians had to fight the Ohm’Veshi to maintain legitimacy throughout the Rise. Aanbi mentioned that she would be willing to put in a good word with River, but that if the adventurers wanted to learn more about the situation that happened in the street, they needed to speak with Moon, her and River’s older sister.

The day pressed on, and over in the market Lion met up with Trevillkist again where the two discussed finding a local forge where they might try to upgrade Lion’s axe. The weapon had sentimental value for Lion, but its age and common construction stood out especially to the warrior during the fight earlier that day. She knew that she wanted something more reliable if she were to find herself in the fight again. Trevillikst offered his services as a smith, and they found a local Enthaadian forge run by a large Djenndani named Djel-idi. She introduced herself as the primary arms supplier of the Order of Enthaad, and proceeded to dress down Lion’s gear and axe. With a bit of convincing, Djel-idi let Trevillkist use her forge to take a look at the axe. It became clear with a bit of stress testing that the only way a viable upgrade would be possible and affordable would be if Trevillkist could melt down the axe and use the alloy to forge a new blade. Lion was not ready to part with her axe just yet, so she decided to work with it a bit longer. But the two adventurers found a connection over arms and armor, and Djel-idi seemed to take a liking to both of them. She offered them a forge should they want to use one while they were in town.

As Lion and Trevillkist were hammering away within the fires of Djel-idi’s forge, Dignitary Rokra and her guide Kahlash arrived at the Scholar’s Corps within the Thelean district. It was clear immediately as they entered the neighborhood that Theleans had the most access to wealth and resources around the township. The juxtaposition between the Veragem Guest House and some of the buildings seen in these Thelean streets were eye-opening. The Scholar’s Corps, too, seemed like a pristine, brand new building featuring every luxury the Empire had to offer.

At the center of the lobby several people were gathered around the monument, but as Kahlash had promised, this was the far less busy tourist site in the township. Before them stood the Ghatial, a large, black obelisk-like monument bearing a bone-white symbol of a snake with a dragon’s head. The body of the creature was twisted into clever knots, and on its bone-white skin were etched symbols unlike any Thelean lettering known to the Dignitary. The Ghatial truly was a sight to behold, yet at the same time Rokra could not see why people would spend over a century fighting over this as their symbol. Kahlash could tell that Rokra was underwhelmed, and so introduced Elder Merth, the Thelean scholar who has spent decades studying the Ghatial. The Elder was in full tour-guide demeanor, yet Rokra found his theories about the Ghatial to be short-sighted and superstitious. As Merth continued his discussion of the Ghatial with other visitors, two travelers introduced themselves to the Dignitary. Their names were Ceridwyn and Ceinneach Ertaeh, adventurers from the far east city of Lirrus who were here in the Rise, like Rokra and the others, to see the standing stones. The Ertaeh siblings, Dignitary Rokra, and Kahlash bonded over the recent tensions between Ohm’Veshi and Enthaadians, and regarding the Ghatial and its connection to a recent discovery at the stones.

As the day was drawing close toward nightfall, Rokra sent word via courier to the rest of the party who witnessed the gruesome street scene earlier, asking them to meet at The Rubble House, Kahlash’s favorite establishment in the township. The courier was a young conscript in the Order of Anesh, and had a charismatic voice. He was happy to accept the Dignitary’s coin and run the errand of tracking down the other adventurers. One by one, he made contact with each from the party, directing them to the Thelean District. The group made their way there as the day drew to a close.

The Rubble House is a recently built establishment that stands in the aftermath of the earthquakes, at the foot of the viceroy’s compound on the hill above. The adventurers gathered inside around a large table and met Celdiyvor--a slow-talking, kind, and thoughtful tavern owner who keeps a healthy store of food, ale, and a type of local wine called norsib, a fig and honey concoction that has a high alcohol content. In fact, the whole establishment smelled strongly of fig and honey, and as Celdiyvor set out glasses of norsib for the group, each of the travelers found that her blend was especially delicious and complex. Celdiyvor built the Rubble House after the recent earthquake that leveled the hills in the western part of town. Not many people resettled those streets, but Celdiyvor used reclaimed materials from destroyed houses and warehouses, and built the structure to look as if it is emerging from a pile of rubble from the rock wall behind it. It turns out this was a smart plan, as The Rubble House is a very popular establishment.

The group met their new acquaintances and began to discuss what they had seen and explored throughout the day. Especially at the wide-eyed suggestions of Ceinneach, they planned to make their way to the Standing Stones the following morning to make the connections between the Ghatial and the Stones. The adventurers knew that they had traveled to Veragem to see these sacred and ancient stones, a storied site that few ever witness in the Empire. Yet here, it seemed as if the stones’ power and mystery lied in the tensions over who claimed the rights to explore them. And since Thelea positions itself as the local power, the group began to wonder if the viceroy’s circle was less interested in uncovering what mysteries lie at the feet of the stones, and more interested in keeping tensions quiet to keep travelers spending their money. As they drifted into a norsib haze, they imagined what they could learn at the stones the next day.

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augurs-lore · 8 years ago

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The Veragem Plateau: Beta 7 Playtest Session #1

The session begins in the town of Veragem, some forty miles east of Sar du Plagg in Creona. The township is nestled atop a rocky plateau that overlooks a thicket of Joza forests. Veragem is Creona’s hidden treasure, a curiosity in the wilderness and an eclectic convergence of pre- and post-Thelean cultures. In recent years, Viceroy Isa–the Empire’s proxy and leader of the township–has noticed a resurgence of tensions between the Order of Enthaad and the Ohm’Veshi Cult, two Pre-Thelean religious groups that have continued to hold an unofficial claim over the sacred “Ghatial.” The Ghatial is a recently-uncovered monument found in the ruins among the standing stones just north of the town, and its presence in the hearts and minds of Veragem’s citizens reveals its importance for the coming days. Isa has appealed to Veragem’s good nature before to see through hardships and disagreements, but local superstitions fuel ancient local ties, both of which run far deeper throughout the plateau than the Empire’s claim of rule. And what of the Ghatial itself? A fragile peace and an unknown power rest at the edge of the plateau.

The following players characters attended our first session:

Cheyle the Sand Rat, the kahlnissá manipulator, played by @Evan

Cutelion the “Lion,” the human warrior, played by @dynamo

Dignitary Rokra dan Valadagal, the Djenndan orator, played by @sam.remp

Ik-seke’cha, the human enchanter, played by @saelbrin

Trevillikist, the human crafter, played by @Terri

The adventurers gathered as many travelers do in the Veragem Guest House, run by Dulaen Longtoe. Travelers come from all over Veragem to see the ancient standing stones north of the township. Rumor has it that the earthquakes revealed a strange symbol buried beneath one of the stones–the same symbol that is etched on the Ghatial monument. The morning as the adventurers gathered was a beautiful one. A local named Hestor the Cartwheeler came to the thoroughfare in front of the Guest House to unpack his cart in preparation for the day’s sales up at the stones. Hestor greeted Dulaen, and the two discussed the day’s predictions for tourists, and as adventurers introduced one another, a giant in elaborate armor and carrying a massive sword joined the morning ritual.

Guardian Dilaeve, the self-proclaimed “Protector of Veragem,” announced her regular rounds with the intent to escort Hestor north to Valley Road, and asked the adventurers if they would like to tag along. Studying the “Guardian’s” armor more closely, however, revealed it to be little more than a home made costume; her sword, as Lion inspected, a simple prop. For all Dilaeve’s posturing, it seemed as though she was a child, simple-minded or foolish. The locals acted as if they were used to Dilaeve’s shenanigans, and either ignored her or played along. The adventurers kindly did the latter.

The group continued along the northern road of the township, to plateau’s edge, where the buildings are less cloistered near the road and several fields separate two northern districts. As they rounded a corner, the adventurers came upon a battle. Several Theleans appeared to have been incapacitated, and in the center of the roadway, two Ohm’Veshi were engaged in a melee with two Enthaadians. Hestor the Cartwheeler saw the fray and immediately fled, leaving his cart. Guardian Dilaeve shouted and ran toward the fight though she were a real warrior. It proved a foolish move. One of the Ohm’Veshi turned toward Dilaeve and threw some kind of magical blast toward the giant, incapacitating her in one blow.

As the adventurers joined the fray, their actions turned the tide in favor of the Enthaadians. Lion’s axe took a bite out of the Ohm’Veshi who attacked Dilaeve. An Enthaadian named River Reineka defeated the remaining Ohm’Veshi in a brutal display. Dignitary Rokra dan Valadagal, in a critical moment of the battle, stood atop Hestor’s vendor cart and delivered a shouting speech that stalled all actions, and allowed enough time for the Enthaadians to halt their hostilities. The group noticed that Peacekeepers were on their way toward the fight, and so they vowed to keep an eye on the adventurers. Ik-seke’cha investigated those who fell in battle, discovering that the fallen Theleans died at the hands of the Ohm’Veshi, not the Order of Enthaad. Though there is still a mystery about why the battle took place, what was made clear was that the rising tensions between the Ohm’Veshi and the Enthaadians was more than a rumor.

Ik-seke’cha tended Guardian Dilaeve’s wounds, but it was clear that the giant fool needed a healer if she were to recover from the attack. The adventurers wheeled the giant back east on Hestor’s cart, and made it as far as the Salt Winds Tavern before they saw Hestor. Hestor brought out the owner and proprietor of Salt Winds, Tryndmarr, and communicated what the adventurers were looking for. Tryndmarr sent the group to meet a healer named Aanbi, Aanbi Reineka.

The Peacekeepers never noticed the adventurers, but it seems the Enthaadians are going to notice the adventurers in town from now on. In the next session, we’ll see where the adventurers head to next.

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