Night 1 (Late August): Six companions meet at a Tavern in the coastal city of Monsoth, and discover that our paths lay in the same direction: the monastery of Tawesek in the mountains. Some choose to sleep in the inn, others exit the city via the main gate in the dyke (all avoid the sacred grove), and
Day 1,2,3: …meet up on the road outside in the morning. As we travel, we experience minor tremors, and fight a band of highway robbers. We spend a night in the robber’s cave, only to be trapped inside by an avalanche during an earthquake. There is fire, tiny flames lit near the rear of the cave that were quickly snuffed out, and darkness, and flashing lights, like an explosion. And a long, arduous dig to escape. We put Broggy to good use during the dig. As a reward, we allow him to carry a trunk to the monastery.
Day 4: Continuing on, we arrive in Kel - the town at the base of the Mountain, and below Tawesek. Krambler tells us that the town is not for the worshippers of Mons. He also remarks that The Abbot, named Bryok is “obtuse but honest.” We stay in Krambler’s family’s barn.
While walking about town, the adventurers recognize a guard named Den. They also visit a shop in town and meet its elderly purveyor Dama. As they leave, she says, “Happy to help.”
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Other random Dama notes that don’t make sense*
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Goal, but the friend named Musk has a different idea
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Flames? No darkness
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“There are old powers. Musk dares things.”
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Morranan’s husband is Musk’s brother
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Mons is a joke
Den arrives at the inn and agrees to meet us in the morning and to be our guide up the mountain called Mt Agiocochook.
The adventurers reach the monastery. There’s a palpable level of anxiety at the temple, but there doesn’t seem to be any damage from earthquakes.
The Abbot sits in a chair at the room’s western edge. He wears simple robes of simple colors with flashes of red and brown and some greens. He looks old but not ancient (not as old as Dama.) Strong, but stressed and tired.
He tells us that Tewdler built the items in the chest we’ve been carrying. Of the black stream, he says it is an ancient problem, but one for which a “resolution is imminent.”
During our conversation with Bryok, he pulls aside some members of the party separately, Silas and Balthazar. During one conversation, Bryok sends away a weasel sneaking in the corners. The weasel leaves as if understanding.
Back with the group, he tells us “a choice needs to be made” and asks for our help. After yesterday’s quake, someone came to the temple and reported seeing a town had appeared. It hadn’t existed three days ago. Bryok says “it’s time for me to leave” to see this town and that Musk has a crudely drawn map. He mentions that an infant girl, one of the artisans’ daughters has gone missing (this having happened while we were in Kel.) There’s also mention of a stolen spear.
Cricket went snooping around the grounds in the middle of the night, hoping to find some answers or insight into the residents of this temple. Abbot Bryok surprised Cricket during this time, and they had a conversation. The Abbot thought Cricket could make something of himself, if he made the right choices, that the Abbot “sees something” in Cricket. Abbot also requested that Cricket made sure that word of the upcoming expedition gets back to Tawesek. Cricket had the feeling that the Abbot had unnaturally keen senses and abilities - folks don’t usually get the drop on Cricket when he’s being stealthy in the dark. Cricket was also frustrated with the riddles and vagueness of the Abbot’s responses.
Before the adventurers depart the temple, the party hikes to the peak. It’s a nice view. Cricket felt a strong connection to the natural world while taking in the vast landscape.
Day 5,6,7: The band sets out with the Abbot. Along the way, they experiment with the nature of the black stream. We do have to cross the river, but we’re able to navigate the boats so that The Black Water is not at the surface in those places.
He, along with additions by Krambler, regales us with a tale of a god king.
As they continue traveling they come across another stream that Bryok says did not exist before. They arrive at the town encircled in high walls. There are four gates, one in each cardinal direction. The one westward is facing us. The town is surrounded by huge fields with no people to be seen. In the clearing, the stream looks normal, about 20 feet across. Guards walk along the walls of the town. Bryok enters the west gate. One group went north, one went south, and both ended up at the same gate, which Bryok had apparently walked through.
They enter the town without conflict but are required to relinquish their weapons. We tried to hide some, but were unsuccessful. It is the most developed town any of the adventurers have ever seen. Once inside, they notice that beyond the gates, the adventurers see different landscapes that don’t look like mountains as they would expect. Balthazar mentions that the stonework in town reminds him of similar craft he has seen in the Old World. We speak to the gardeners. Of the Abbot they say, “He has returned,” but don’t seem to know anything about a monastery. They call him “The Foundling.”
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Other unattributed quotes:*
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The “Sun King” - assuming to arrive shortly
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“Ravens are a powerful magic.”
We proceed to the fountain at the center of town and find The Abbott in the fountain. The water coming off the fountain seems to take the shape of birds as it falls. The townspeople say that Mons is a king in hiding and that the siblings are waiting to arrive (?)
The Abbot walks into the fountain and dies suddenly. Before the party can act, a throng of townspeople descend on the fountain and guards take Bryok’s body to a temple. The party follows and discovers that his body is under heavy guard. We retrieve our weapons, and attack two guards who try to prevent us from re-entering the town.
At the fountain, we are confronted by 10 armed guardsmen and the Red Blade. They fight.
Balthazar notes that he recognizes their sigil and/or fighting style of reputable soldiers.
We beseech the guard to allow us to tend to Storr. A couple of us go up to him. Balthazar heals him slightly. A soldier steps forward and says, “The Sun King is about to arrive. You must leave with the Arthyden! You will leave now!” The soldiers advance, pushing us toward the exit.
We pass two dead guards that have bronze daggers and bronze spears, both wearing armor. Cricket takes a dagger, Storr grabs a spear. The soldiers see this and start advancing quicker.
We leave through the gate. We attempt to talk to the two guards at the gate but they ignore us. We continue across the plain. As a group, we agree to continue on until nightfall and make camp. Silas uses a healing potion on Storr. We find a clearing by a waterfall and make a fire in a grove of trees.
Storr tells us that he and Balthazar have seen a place like this before.The soldiers there attacked, Storr’s family was massacred with weapons that look like the Red Blade’s sword. He wants answers about this Red Blade and what happened to the abbott.
The group questions Silas about his transformation. Silas tells the group that it has always been a part of his life and he’s still learning to harness and control its power. He had never heard the term that the guards had called him.
Cricket and Balthazar take first watch. They think they spy something up on a ledge by the waterfall. They sneak through the darkness and up the rock formations on either side of the waterfall. They spy a humanoid. One of them emerges from the brush and makes herself known to Cricket. She is one of the gardeners that we encountered in town. They have been following us since we left. She reveals a seedling tree wrapped in burlap and offers it to Cricket. “This is a sacred tree from the grove. Does your party need healing?” She seems annoyed at our fire and how brazen we are about “sneaky” around. Her name is Mag. She joins us around the fire and administers some herbs to Storr. Silas and Storr awaken and Silas does not recognize this species of tree.
She says it’s a gift for the monastery.
Across the river, the trail seems to be trashed and overrun with recent foot traffic. Entering the town, we see that Kel has been overrun with refugees. Many fires and makeshift shelters have been propped up. We seek out Dama and ask her what has happened. She tells us Monsoth has been swallowed up by the ocean and people had started arriving three or four days after the earthquake.
She invites us in to crash and we can talk in the morning. We discuss the sapling with Dama in the morning. These plants are called Derwen, special plants. We tell her of the events in the mysterious town, including the utterance of Arthyden, which means “bear born.” We show her the bronze dagger and spear, and she finds it surprising that they are made of bronze instead of iron, a stronger metal. Sapling is “the tree of our lady”, Mabnoss. These trees are the ones where Mabnoss would sleep and rejuvenate in their groves. Ravens are the symbol of Mabnoss.
Does the abbott follow the ways of Mabnoss? “He was wise and understanding of the ways of the world.” She sells us some potions of healing (1 each.)
We hike up to the monastery and decide to continue up to the peak and plant the sapling. The peak is cloudy and the weather is less than ideal.
Silas and Cricket hunker down at the peak to oversee the sapling’s planting. Krambler decides to seek out the sheer face of the mountain. Storr and Balthazar have a head start on the descent.
Stor and Balthazar arrive at the bottom of the mountain first.
Silas, Krambler and Cricket go to speak with Tewdler (he’s in charge now). Cricket asks about the Sun King, he has not heard of him. He tells us of the Ice Beard and the Honey Woman. He’s a wanderer and she lives in their cottage by a waterfall. They keep bees. Honey woman is attached to.
Is there a circular lake anywhere in the mountains?
- Story Lake Eye of the Night far to the northern end of this range. Follow these mountains until they run into the sea. Perfectly circular, with a grass island. a few months travel. Sailing maybe a couple of weeks. No well maintained roads
He has not seen Musk since the earthquake. Does he have a map?
Cricket and B go up and retrieve the sapling and plant it at Tewdler’s wife’s grave.
During the first watch of the night, we’re attacked. Cricket recognizes the foes as the group that he escaped from, the “Monsoth Mafia”. We defeat them (one escaped), and we leave one alive for questioning. In the destruction of Monsoth, one of them saw Cricket and followed.
In the morning, Cricket notices that the sapling looks about 30 years old.
Silas and B talk to Ktewlder (in his 40s), he has a feeling that everyone he has lost (wife, infant daughter is missing, brother is Musk) has to do with the black stream. He’s reeling and trying to figure out what’s going on. He would like us to stay and protect the monastery. His daughter disappeared the night after the earthquake. We arrived the next morning. Musk has always been “playing with fire”, Abbot always said that Musk was in touch with greater and deeper things, and we all have to suffer the consequences. Musk is his younger brother, and doesn’t consider himself close to him.
Possible threads:
- Tewlder’s missing daughter
- Finding Musk
- Going up to the summit
- Finding Krambler’s path.???
- Heading to Monsoth?
- Following our “dreams”
Notes from 11/17/22
Mannix is encased in the tree. Krambler retrieves the helmet from the smith, who is stunned with fear and awe at the hammer and its work. The helmet is placed on Mannix’ head and he emerges from the tree, wearing part of the roots themselves and he is a Paladin of the Third Level, and has taken the Oath of the Ancients.
Tewdler comes to us and asks us to come to the summit to see the dawn break. He says he understands we have our own goals and knows that we cannot stay and protect them. He offers each of us to take an item.
With the spyglass, we can see the lake off to the west. Some steep coves and deep valleys. Can also see where the river valley is coming down into the lake. Can spot the islands a bit, potentially see some movement. Through the spyglass, you see black peaks way out past the lake.
We decide to go west to see the lake. We hike a couple miles to the south west but still in the range. Same elevation as Tewasek. At Krambler’s lake, there’s a rock out in the middle. No sight of the birds Silas had sensed from the peak. B and Kramb jump in and see inconclusive evidence of the black water.
Krambler leads us down under tree line and through the range toward the lake. We come across two men and a dog. Look like some of the folks from Trenewydh. They say they’ve been looking for us for days. They have a bronze sword and dagger, the other a spear like Stor.
We fight them and defeat them (they have some strange reaction to our weapons), including the dog. We leave the larger of the two alive for questioning. His name is Cassick. They had followed us out the west gate from the town and they were looking for some place to confront us. He’s young, 18, and in it for glory. He wants to be the new Red Blade. We send him away after forcing him to drop his weapons.
The fallen fellow has leather armor with bronze reinforcement, bronze spear, pocket change, basic camping gear. Mannix scoops up the armor.
Balthazar tells his backstory.
Rundown from GM: Ktewdler’s wife was pregnant and gave birth to this child. A few days after the birth, the earthquake that trapped us in the cave occurred. During the earthquake, the newborn went missing in the aftermath of the earthquake. Ktewdler’s wife (we didn’t ask, anyone we talked to didn’t use her name), weak from giving birth, was killed in the collapse of their house. Ktewdler’s brother Musk went missing during the earthquake. The child survived the quake but disappeared that night. The Abbot then got news from a scout that the town had appeared. We arrived at Kel at the end of the next day. The child went missing the night we stayed in Kel. We met the Abbot the next morning and left with the Abbott the day after that. The Abbot showed affection for Ktewdler’s wife (my child, my daughter) but not necessarily blood related, a daughter in spirit (Dama told us this).
When we “asked” him about the black stream and his daughter, Ktewdler had a dream that the path to his daughter followed the black stream. He wouldn’t tell us details as to why.
No one said the child’s name out loud, and we also didn’t ask.
Folks at the monastery aren’t aware of any sort of prophecy, although the Abbott was behaving like he was trying to fulfill one.
Balthazar reads us Weyland .
Silas observes the chess pieces.
We drop back and head a couple miles up the stream to check out the beech valley that Silas felt. We come to a clearing with a spring just to the west. To the east and west there are hills. There is a ring of large beech trees. Fairly dense with an opening in the middle where there is a pile of stones. The surroundings look perfectly natural. The spring water reminds you of the water near the temple and the mysterious town.
The earth shakes and as it does, the stone pile shrugs itself and stands up to reveal a giant stone turtle. Shakes itself off and sits down like a sphinx.
He speaks with Silas (knocks Storr to the side). He allows me to take the staff and asks if it is time to join the battle. He initiates battle, and says “Let’s see what you’re made of”.
At one point, Mannix attacks and the turtle laughs and says “WHAT ARE YOU??” Cricket attacks with the bronze dagger and sits.
“I have no name,” he says after the battle. “You can call me what you wish.” He asks what brings this group together.
He says, “Among you I see:
Arthyden - Trenewydh name for Silas
One who shares my bones -Balthazar
One who is marked by the raven queen - Cricket and Mannix:
Questions for the turtle
He says he has waited long for his awakening. He knows little of the staff lodged in his mouth. He doesn’t consider the black stream important. There was a time when entities like him were waiting to be part of “The Next Choice.” When asked about the bronze dagger, he says “The flame you carry is an old flame.” When asked about mountain forges, he says he has heard of men meddling in natural forces. He says the lady of the ??? is known to “us”. “Go to where your destiny takes you. We will meet again if that is where the fates lead us.” He can’t give us a ride.
He is definitely judging us. We don’t get the sense that he understands exactly what is going on, but he has decided whatever has brought us to him, he doesn’t feel like we need to be destroyed. We’re not a danger to his interests.
More answers:
- The raven queen is a newcomer but one he shows grudging respect to. She is mightier from a much newer tradition that he is not sure is going to last.**
The pulling of the staff is what awoke him. He was jarred awake.
Bones: You have been made from many pieces, Mollothek. Your bones and mine are the same.
What are you? I’m a turtle of stone.
Arthyden: The bear is also a newcomer and yet far older than the woman of the raven wing and yet there are those that carry on the tradition of the bear even though it was banished long ago. Who banished the bear? The bear’s children. No one knows who the father of the bear is. There are many mysteries in the world whose strings are not known.
Do you know The God King (Mons)? No.
He has heard of a battle that trapped someone in the mountain.
Cricket’s idea: The stone turtles made the mountain to trap the king.
He declines to join us, and implies that its time for him to sleep again.
What was the previous choice? That was eons ago and there are only stories about it and he can’t remember.
He pulls off a single scale and hands it to Krambler. He looks at Silas and says, “Use the Beechstaff well.” He looks to Mannix, “ Look where you point that thing.” To Cricket: “be careful where they take you”
Silas communes. There are many paths out of this clearing. I see two main paths. One heads south along the stream back the way we came, another heads to the NW. It does not seem traveling one could lead you back to the other. Not sure if this clearing should be here. It’s anchored to something, it exists in a framework that is connected to things, not on its own, but at the same time, it feels tenuous. The connection between the two “planes” is tenuous. One heads in the direction of the quest we decided on, the other leads elsewhere. We agree that we need to pursue the missing child.
Chess game comes down to white bishop and a black knight. Black knight ends up in an outpost surrounded by other pieces, but manages to escape and play the crucial role of the checkmake. He “forks” him.
Balthazar reads Foamflower.
Silas spoons with the beechstaff - overnight sees the staff as a presence piece. Mannix would like to understand the hourglass - this is a good way to define the time of things…. Its a delineator. Something can happen in this amount of time. I ask it a question, the question will be decided or not.
Birds off in the direction of the lake. The river flows down that way.
Liana the ranger, who was teaching Cricket the ways of the ranger. “Not only did I not expect to see you here, I didn’t expect to hear you so loud. I thought I taught you better.”
“We didn’t want to catch an arrow in the eye.”
“That’s fair. But there are calmer ways.”
“My friends… some of them are boisterous.”
“What are you doing here?”
He tells her of our search for the black water.
A small ship sailed in ten days ago and approached the bay at night. It seemed odd, so we followed them up the river. They’ve been speaking of the black water and the source of the black water. There have been arguments about an individual being a traitor or not. She doesn’t know who this person might be.
“Have you heard the name Balthazar?” No she hasn’t.
”Why are you tracking these people?”
“They strike me as being suspect, not above board.To be traveling only at night, to be hiding progress, seems to me to be very odd. When ships come out of the east, they always stop in Monsoth and trade. They’ve been secretive, and so worth following. The people on the ship, what I’ve been able to catch, it seems like it is worth knowing what they’re up to.”
“It seems our paths are converging. We’re headed in the same direction.”
They’re a large group, 7 or 8. Not moving very fast. They’re unfamiliar with the terrain. Her suggestion is to go back up to the north bay of the lake. We should scout that.
We go with Liana. Mannix sees pack horses, lots of stuff. There’s a female leader. She wears a hood. Something about her makes him think she has horns.
We listen. They talk about the black water and the source. They don’t mention the Sun King, but do mention a “he” with reverence who sent them, it was important to him that they find the source. The leader seems to know more; she is feared and revered by the group.
Cricket and Silas chess. Black bishop (cricket) makes it out in front. Black knight is left hanging. Black bishop goes in for the kill.
The group we’re tracking aren’t worried about being tracked and so are rather boisterous in their camp. Our watch passes without event.
There’s about 8 of them. They appear to be soldiers, but only as far as they are equipped. It seems they have been sent out on a mission.
While on watch, B heard voices: “He’s nearby.” “Can you warn her?” B didn’t recognise the voices. Not sure if they were voices in the surroundings or in his head; they felt real. No one else heard them. B’s take is that these voices are coming from across the sea and they know that he is close to the party we’re tracking. “Can you warn her?” is possibly that group trying to figure out if they can communicate with the leader.
We fight.
B says “Mali, call off your troops!”
“Once you surrender!” she says
We defeat them, leaving one henchman alive as well as the leader. We bind the both of them near the fire. We revive the leader Mali to consciousness. B tells us that Mali was one of his “handlers” (read: torturers) in the old world. She was especially cruel. She does have horns, which not all of the other handlers did. B is shocked to see her here; he thought he had escaped them.
We question her. She says they have come to complete the mission that B had refused. She calls him a traitor.
B: “How can I be a traitor if I never agreed to this mission?”
M: “You never saw the glory. You were never committed to the immortal life.”
B asks about the Sun King. If you were better at this, you would have seen the glory of his return.
S tells us that the Sun King is no one to admired. Whatever torture I endured, it must have been worse for her.
“You just didn’t appreciate the gifts that he gave you (B). You just have this woman (Liana) do your dirty work.”
Storr demands respect for Liana. Mally spits at Storr. Storr almost loses it; B holds her back.
B: “is the Sun King going to be taken out by a stray arrow?”
Mali starts sobbing in frustration. B asks that we keep her with us and under watch; give her a few days to realize her situation and give us information.
We question the other survivor. He looks to Mali, so we pull him away. He says his name is Jowan. He’s from the old world, a small town not far from the coast in the old world. We sailed across the ocean. He was hired on as a mercenary to search out the source of the stream. He’s only heard that there was a traitor whom they might run into who was sent out to do this task and was not following orders. Of the Sun King, he doesn’t know anything. “I’m just a soldier. I was told to complete a task. I’ve heard of this person but I’ve never meant them. We’re all mercenaries as far as I know. Iwas told to mind my own business.
He seems like he’s being truthful. Has only heard that the black water leads to something powerful, some weapon, if they found the source, then they will get the Sun King something he can use.
Storr pulls out the bronze sword, asks him to touch it, he does, without any effect.
More information on Mali: She was especially cruel toward B, went out of her way. Someone else was more neutral who B didn’t know if he could trust.
Lilianna wants to know rorm us what we’re doing. These are the first two humans with horns that she’s ever seen. She’s heard legends of half man half beast. We tell her. She looks to Cricket and explains what she’s been through. This is beyond her range; never been this far from the coast.
Circular groves?
L: “Besides the one in the center of Monsoth? I’ve heard of them in legend but not come across one in this world. In Monsoth, the beech tree was in the northwest of the circle.”
Tell her the tale of the tortoise.
L: This feels strangely ancient, like the forces of the earth.
She heard ravens off to the southwest.
Lake is due south west of us, which is where Silas sensed the black water. We also saw unidentified birds from the peak around the lake’s islands.
Our current location is 100 yards up from the stream to the lake shore.
Storr can tell that the bronze sword has an “active dislike” of any iron that comes near it (the dagger). Rambler senses that his bronze spear is fearful of the hammer.
Storr’s setup feels better to her. Still doesn’t feel 100% committed to her yet. There’s some residual resentment. Rambler feels like this weapon is promising.
Krambler takes his hammer to Silas’ bronze dagger. (WIS 7, DEX 13) He doesn’t do any damage. He gets a feel for how the hammer works. Nothing shocking except that he’s impressed by the workmanship of the dagger.
Krambler takes the hammer to Storr’s iron dagger this time. (WIS 22, DEX 16)
Suddenly everyone else is enveloped in darkness. Mail lunges for B’s pack. She grabs the vial of black water she saw B pondering last night and she drinks it. The darkness swarms around her and resolidifies around a different looking Mali. 12 to 15 feet tall. We fight . We win,
B can’t explain his “hellish rebuke-ish” reaction, He called out for help in that moment and something answered.
She dies.
We send Jowan away with one dagger and two days of supplies.
Lone island to the far south, K feels like the spyglass has an unnatural zoom. He can see this far island, less rocky, spruce and fir forest. More inviting and open. Weather is not great, partly cloudy, no big storm fronts.
We decide to head out to the islands.
She looks to Silas and says, “River system north along the coast.”
Lianna is departing. She will bring the horses to the monastery, and tell them what you’ve seen - Mali and such. Cricket directs her to investigate the Turtle Place, but requests she not discuss what we saw, or what she sees there, with the monastery. Lianna understands.
Silas communes and feels some powerful darkness to the south. A swirling darkness on that shrouded island, feel some things that are old. Not menacing, but they’re not protective. Not an evil darkness, not like Mali, but don’t feel like it’s there to help.
Krambler wants to try and get to higher ground and look. B goes to the beach to contemplate. K joins him. They experiment with the abbots water and the turtle shell and B’s horn. The Abbot’s water seems to “shine” up the shell, to rejuvenate some of it’s natural color…Krambler gives the scale/shell another look after the second application of water, and with his “stonecunning” he notices there seem to be some iron traces, veins if you will, as if the scale is actually made of stone…
Just before sunrise, Storr notices a very brief green flash, then the edge of the sun rises above the horizon.
K tinkers with his hammer and creates a +1 dagger.
B says the bronze weapons felt like they burned the darkness, there was fire.
Krambler felt like the bronze was feeling tied down by the iron…
Balthazar reads us: Mons and the God of Death
We take the boats south to the southern island. The group slowly reaches the summit. There is a clearing, surrounded by trees of the same ilk as the one we planted in Tawasek. There is an unnatural darkness, and there seem to be a LOT of birds in the trees. A large raven sits in the clearing, and Cricket approaches and feeds him a goodberry. The raven enjoys it. Cricket can communicate with the raven. He confirms that they recognize each other, perhaps he’s seen Cricket in his dreams, as Cricket has seen the raven.
The raven says that this is the Grove of Derwen.
There are flowers, of a color we’ve never seen. Raven says they are a symbol of the lady. Balthazar collects a decent supply of samples of the flowers.
Is the lady someone we should trust? No. But don’t NOT trust her too.
The island is a dipole. The south is bright day light. North is in darkness. The southwest like the abbott. The middle is something ancient.
Krambler dives into the spring and finds a tunnel that seems to go on beyonds our ability to explore at the moment.
Something is clearly leaking into our world from another.
Koweth is the name of the raven.
The party decides to follow the path along the stream where south is east and up is north.
Mannix looked into the small pond located at the center of the clearing to stare at his reflection. This area where we are was similar if not identical to the area that he was in during his dreams. As he looked into the water his reflection made him feel a sense that he was on the right path and what he was doing was right.
We walked down south to see what was going on in that point of the island.
We approach another spring. Three women are there. They make really uncomfortable eye contact - as if they don’t break eye contact. A crone, a child (age 10ish), and a 30 year old ish. All female.
They all appear different to each of us.
Mannix runs and does a cannonball into the well. Storr and Krambler try to help. Everyone survives, despite their best efforts.
The crone refers to Mabnoss as a child, and to the little girl as Storm. Her name is Stone. The middle aged woman is named Sea (which we take as a reference to like a curse saying).
Three people emerged from the well armed with the intention to take something from the 7-Faced Man (and we would do well to stop them).
Questions for next week:
Who are the women?
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What’s their purpose?
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Answer - Sea says: “purpose is an invention of your kind”**
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They were watching the well**
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Question Balth. “Do you always watch the well?”**
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Answer - Youngest we’ve been here long enough that time means nothing…**
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Question Balth. “What would you ask of us?”**
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Answer - “we have little curiosity beyond watching the world go by”**
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Do they know who we are?
- Answer - Stone says: “No.”**
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Why do they take on different forms for each of us?
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Answer - Stone says: “Are you sure you’re seeing different people?”**
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Storr - “Yes we are.”**
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K - “are you people at different times?”**
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A - “the way you see us means nothing to us - it has more to do with you.”**
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They want us to deal with these armed people - why?
- A - all facing Balthazar “You would know something about making from the bones of old things”**
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What can they tell us about the earthquakes, the disappearance of the child? What do they know of the black water? How is this all related?
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A: (black water) “It’s the trapped one leaking out. One of the young ones in a recent battle.”**
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A: re: Earthquakes - Stone: “There are many things that affect the body. These are just recent tremors.”**
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A: re: Child “Children go missing all the time._**
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If we deal with these armed people will they give us real answers and not riddles?
Who is the 7-Faced Man?
There was a tunnel under the spring up the hill, too. We should ask the raven if anyone came out of that spring.
We follow the three south along the trail, breaking away from the stream that goes west.
One of the three we captured is named Aled.
We were sent on a mission to collect something from the man with 7 faces. We’re not sure what it is. We just need to get to him and they said to take a part of him with us.
Who are they?
The commanders from the council.
What council?
He’s been sent by the Sun king. He’s one of several groups sent to find something from the man with 7 faces. They’ve been searching for a long time for a way to reach him. They found this pool and came out of it, asked the women and they pointed him in that direction. They were told that the man visits the women’s well frequently
He doesn’t know what the council will do.
Have you met Mons?
No.
How do you stay in touch with the people that sent you.
We don’t. We’ve been searching for over a year.
What do you know about the 7 faced man?
Just that he is ancient and that he has different aspects, he is multitudinous.
What made you think you could take something from someone like that?
Just what I was told to do.
Taking a bone from this fellow may do the trick.
B: See my horns?
I’ve seen people who look like you before.
Mali means nothing to him.
We kill this poor man and follow the trail south. We climb up the hill and come to a clearing and find a farm. We’re hailed by the farmer.
Farmer is tall with long blonde hair. Has two ram’s horns. He’s in a good chipper mood, a hearty fellow. His name is Mogg.
B: I like your horns
Mogg: I’ve always had mine. I didn’t have a mother. Morianoth is my wife.
We’re now on the south of the island, outside of the darkness. We suspect that we’re in a different sort of dimension.
B: what is the night like here?
Mogg: It gets nice and dusky and I curl up in my bed and then it’s light again! I don’t get any visitors!.
It is not harvest time; high summer. He calls it Mogg’s Farm.
S: Can you help find the 7 faced man?
Mogg: I’ve heard of stone turtles, but never seen one. Not sure if I can help the seven faced man. I’d love to let you rest. He’s recently discovered fermentation.
Mogg: I’ve met the three ladies, very strange. They always seem like they have something going on, some other plan.
The woman in the north is his wife. She’s not one for domesticated life.
He brings out his cask and with goat horn glasses.
We suspect the Farmer’s wife is Mabnoss.
Mogg: Ruins to the west? An old man lives down that way. Only ever seen glimpses. I wave, they disappear.
Mogg never makes it off the island. His wife travels the wider the world.
We head back to the well because we spot tracks. The women tell us the two others from the other party returned back into the well and that way is shut. Mogg the farmer is but a child. His wife is also a child. His wife has many names, one could be Mabnoss. The women look the same to us. They call the old man down the river “the foundling “
We head down the stream and find a hut. It is autumn, looks much more natural.
We look into the hut. Rambler identifies that it could be the abbot’s space. Pool of water in the middle. Minimally furnished. Looks like it’s been empty for a few weeks, as if it were tidied up and he left.
On the table there’s some books, writing. Paging through, it seems like he’s making observations about Mogg. He’s making reference to a lack of darkness in him. Leaves off with an entry that the time of change approaches. For whoever finds this will undoubtedly be faced with choices of how to move forward because the time has come.
On the nearby beach, an iron ring pounded into a rock that a boat could have been attached to. No evidence of a boat having recently launched.
Rambler tries to fashion something for Storr. He shapes the bronze spearhead back to a knife. It’s close, and not broken. Still sharp and pointy. With her smith’s tools, she fashioned a reasonable hilt from a derwin tree branch to the blade.
Silas and Cricket chess. Silas plays black. A lot of forks. We found ourselves in places where there are multiple ways to go. Cricket wins and we leave it on the table.
For the next phase in Osgog:
- Where do we go next? Should we find the Abbot?
- How do we traverse the water from the beach?
- In the morning, are the chess pieces where we left them?