Rapid streams and steady waters

Session 70: welcome to the end

a tense moment arised as the group used Rhiannon's telepathic skills to converse with the Trio and managed to truly piss them off as they went through their belongings to find a solution for their stony predicament and that of their own furry companion. The reason why they were unhappy with this, turned out to be because they had already made sure they would be unstoned as they had invited "some friends" to the party! However, they had presumably not really thought this through, as when Fonkin and percy would arrive, they seemingly were not at all pleased with the trios actions and made them leave this Lair without even so much as a peep of resistance! A magic catcher, a magical crystal ball designed to open upon the right power and origin of magic upon it, now lay before them, blocking them from entering the next level of this mountain complex. a thorough investigation and some trial and error would prove the required spell would be a powered up Divination spell and would open a cavernous, seemingly endless black hole, that turned out to be a portal to another space entirely. A massive, circular, solid marble and gold veined room with unending pillars, carved with dancing runes, beneath a cloudy sky that seemed to be absorbing the thousands of souls that were drifting in this awe-inspiring, clearly divine chamber. It is within this space that they would find the Sentinel of thought! Floating 10 feet of the air in the middle of the chamber, legs crossed, hands firmly and stoically planted onto its knees, eyes closed yet all-seeing, was this polished, white marbled, massive, perfect humanoid shape where the internal workings of the being would be visible at the joints and the back of the head, with this immaculate system of gears and cogs, with steam stabilizing its systems to perfection. A Perfect sight to behold...a Little Too perfect...   Turns out insulting a god-created or even god-like creature would prove to be a bad call, as Ellenion decided to find out the hard way. Trapping himself and his halfling friend in the mind of this being, who would quite literally crush their minds after being verbally harassed, even escaping to another dimension would be futile as it simply dragged him straight back to the chamber. During this, its mind would be rather occupied, which would allow Thalamusses keen senses to detect there was trickery afoot, as he would notice an illusion placed upon the Sentinel, ordering Rhiannon to dispel it. when the illusion dropped, the severity of the situation would truly hit our group like a ton of bricks. the pristine and perfect Sentinel would appear to be partially destroyed and crumbling as would the rest of the room and the souls occupying the room would prove to be much less peaceful and calm, but rather restless and simply lost. As a mind flayer had told them before, they would seem to really be too late, since one of its companions appeared to be lodged firmly into the sentinel's mind and was using its awe-inspiring power for its own gain. Attempting to mess with our groups mind and hearts, he would only anger them, which proved to be a deadly mistake. as the Mind flayer was taken down, the Sentinel would still be unstable and rather dangerous however as it would relay its scrambled memories and thoughts, overwhelming our group but then....silence....deafening and ominous silence......."Restart!" BOOOOOM!.......a flash of light.....followed by immense heat that would scorch the aBANDoned to a husk....as the darkness and silence would once again set in..... The End.....or a Restart?

Session 69: Behold the Beholder!

Making their way through the Dream market, picking up the few things still left to salvage, the tremors were increasing and even caused the ceiling to start collapsing onto our group. Dodging the falling rocks and ALMOST perfectly staying on their feet, the band made it to the exit, just in time for it to collapse behind them!   Now unwillingly committed to going forward, another ominous winding hallway, followed by a staircase down awaited. on the way down, the pieces of the puzzle suddenly fell into place for Thalamus...out of place stone rubble turned out to be petrified guards, the deep rumbling grunts, the vibrant, colourful light flashes...they would be facing a Beholder!   Proven right, there would however be one last surprise, as the Beholder was actively occupied by the familiar Trio! True to there word, they would meet them at the Sentinel's Lair and apparently they had arrived a bit earlier and were clearly part of the war, as they were all battered and exhausted.   Facing the beholder, the group held there own and dealt a solid amount of offence, but were nearly overwhelmed by the sheer number attacks and tactics of this ancient and mythical creature. most of the group down to the last straw, the Trio petrified and unable to assist, Ellenion in the same predicament and Thalamus Charmed, Rhiannon would once again, step in with the clutch polymorph, turning the mighty beholder into a measly Snail.   1 Hour of respite in an ominous, dim lighted room, surrounded by petrified and shattered guards, on their last breath, 4 stone compatriots and a murderous snail, waiting for revenge...clock is ticking!

Session 68: Deep into the Hold

Finding a bunch of scematics, the party decided to take time out of there busy, busy schedule to see if any of these might be useful in the days to come. After their new, private master craftsman created a necrotic resistant, joy-stealing cloak for them, they moved on, persuaded by tremors that have seemed to start rumbling the mountain, for some unknown reason. A long and dark tunnel, lighted by electric jolts coming off a bunch of snapped cables draped across the hallway, led them to a recently destroyed "Dream Market" where they found a pristine skeleton, wearing an untouched, finely crafted purple robe that felt out of place in this bloody and grotesque scene around it. When attempting to pry the parchment out of its hand, the skeleton reformed and revealed a dark-skinned braided black-haired human man who called himself Derrick. An intense interrogation later, the group discovered Derrick lived in a place he called "The Sword Coast" and deduced this place does not belong to Corumant, if even this realm... As the conversation quickly changed to the acute predicament and situation both derrick and the party are currently in, specifically the fact an elder brain might me involved, the jovial and confused man suddenly became very interested in our group signing the parchment, which he claimed bound his life to the signer, meaning if they died he would also die, yet it allowed him to leave this body, and hopefully this realm, once more, finding a new signer there so they would no longer be close to or bound to the party and in fact the entire planet of Corumant. predictably sceptical, the aBANDoned pressed him on this and as Ellenion spotted and pointed out he wasn't simply holding back information but seemed to be much more magically adept than he was letting on, the mood changed once more...this time a more serious and even threatening, leaving them with the words "This could have all been so easy", before the body would once more collapse upon the chair, shedding its skin and meat like a dog shedding its fur, leaving behind the familiar pristine skeleton. while discussing the events that just unfolded, some claiming AFO involvement while utters simply baffled by the whole ordeal, another sound would draw their attention. an auction stand in the middle of the market was still hosting a food bidding, as the traumatic events of the past few hours appeared to be so haunting and filled with wild magic, the souls of the merchants were trapped in this forever-auction. unaware of the consequences of messing with the auction and the unsettling development of the auctioneer apparently starting to auction off our party's thoughts, feeling and emotions, Nefi attempted to threaten the auctioneer, which proved to be a dangerous manoeuvre, as the spirits around them now started to attack Ellenion and Nefi. Getting to safety and out of the murderous memory, what will be our groups next course of action?

Session 66 - 67: Entering the Lair.

as the entrance into the mountain is now free, the band first encountered some mauled guards. After an investigation, 1 was mauled and slashed open, while the other seemed have first been entered through its mouth and exited through its chest. Continuing there path into the cave, they found a large cavernous room with a large ethereal loom that seemed to be creating a network of all souls on the True Isles. Clearly, the loom was tampered with by dwarves technology, perhaps allowing the Greymutters to work their Soul Realignment trade, yet the device proved to be destroyed, which would explain the spectral incursions our group had encountered. Moving on once more, even more sectrets would unfold, as they would find a small city underneath the mountain, named The Reverie's Hold. A warm welcome seemed unlikely, as upon entering the city, they would find a battle lost in time, proving to be an illusion after disturbing it and the entire entrance to the city turning out to be destroyed in a brutal war. Next up, after an exhausting climb and some disturbing visions, were the Pulseforges. Rather untouched, compared to the completely ravaged palisades, a malfunctioning yet highly valuable stone construct appeared to be creating some very high value items of legend, and was accompanied by a room of tinkering, jewelcrafting and blacksmithing heaven as it seemed to be filled to the brim with materials and patterns...which our band is set to delve right into at this exact second...

Session 65: Stairway to mystery

guarded by a kneeling monk, the road seemed to lead to a stairway, carved into the mountain, spiralling into the mists. deciding to tend to the unmoving and eerily monk, the man seemed to have no face and warned them of meeting the same fate, before crumbling into dust and leaving behind a small, stone object. Sadly, the interaction proved to trigger the shapes in the encroaching mist, revealing themselves to be humanoid shapes, yet seemingly blurred out of existence or off this plane. Moving in an unnatural and very fast way and even multiplying along the way, the group decided to make a run for it onto the stairway, taking the stone with them, which they would sadly lose moments later, as the battle upon the stairs would make them lose focus, as the mist surrounding them appeared to simply evaporate anything enveloped by it to nothing.   Making it to the top safely, minus Clue, the party was met with the entrance to the Domain of the Sentinel of Thought. Entering a cathedral-like building, with walls of solid, black Obisdian, with gold veins running through it, they saw a gooey-black portal and a large golden circle in the middle of this vast, empty room. Testing the black goo proved to be extremely unfortunate for Ellenion as he went in face first and the substance seemed to eat the features of his face straight off, reminiscent of the faceless monk met before. 1 teammate blinded and mute, the group tried the cirlce instead which appeared to be the way forward as it seemed to test their memory and deemed them worthy, tearing them apart transporting them through the golden blood of the surrounding mountain and recreating them on the other side of the portal!   What more surprises will this Lair hold?

Session 64: The Road to the Sentinel

Quikcly deciding what to do now, guided by the enhanced eyes of their bounty hunter, the group decides to leave there cart and horses where they left them and move on without them, as the road ahead seemed misty and rocky at best. some new developments: thalamus appeared to have some difficulties recalling the spells he had spend his entire life developing and perfecting. Elenion seemed to be unable to rely on his sharp nose and keen sense of hearing and Rhiannon simply felt...uninspired...   Entering the mountains, a dense and seemingly magical mist enveloped the road. quickly named "the mist of forgetting" our band seemed to forget names of old colleagues and friends, the name of their very recent travelling companion and in the case of Rhiannon and Thalamus, even some of their spells! trying to get out of the mist as soon as possible, the group quite literally stumbled onto a monk, by the side of the road, who appeared to have not only forgotten his name, but simply his entire existence, before simply disappearing... And they would meet him again....and again...blasting them with visions of his life before. Finally making it out of the mist, they would reach a massive, empty and soundless plateau of white bedrock.   walking for several miles, The aBANDoned would discover they were being followed, yet unable to see by who or what, they chose to ignore the closing in footsteps. reaching the end of the plateau, the mist now closing in around them, and now where else to go, with a cliff to the left, the mountain to the right and the footsteps behind, the enhanced eyes once more gave them a heads up of what comes next. kneeling and hooded, a humanoid shape awaits them, standing in front of a stairway carved into the mountain. a way out...or rather...further up!

Session 61 - 63: Unravelling the mysteries of The Watcher's Seat

Religious blessings manifested in Statues, a passage through a large broken organ, an abomination made up of the rotting remains of bygone monks, a heartbroken hag with a lair full of sad stories and heartfelt mysteries, and a tower of terror. this monastery has it all!   After clearing the first floor of the tower, where the walls itself appeared to hold the memories of a bygone age, and making their way through the next floor, where both gravity and their own reflections seemed hostile, they reached the 3rd floor, where they were met with 3 doors. the first was overcome by Nefi, where a vast darkness seemed filled with paper notes, clearly attempting to confuse her about truth, desire and her own secrets. the second door appeared to be a group effort as the room appeared to be empty, if not for a massive, strangely familiar cracked mirror, that quickly filled with alternate versions of our group and forced them to somehow choose or at least prefer one of them. sadly, their companion, Sylara, appeared to not get that option and later proved to be stuck in de mirror realm. As the last door attempted to rather unsuccessfully confuse them, it led to the top of the tower, where they found a weirdly amused mind flayer who appeared very unimpressed by its imminent demise. leaving them with a last warning and an explanation as to why they were not hunted by the surrounding death as this whole maze appeared to be a stall, as they were now simply too late and evil would have already won...clearly proving to be boring and not very useful, thalamus made sure the thing lost its capability to communicate, but not before its last provocation was uttered..."See you soon..."   Finally being able to leave monastery again, where willthe road lead next?

Session 60: Continuing the Puzzle

Finishing off the exploration of the Hag's lair, by either activating, destroying or simply lifting the remaining items and making it a problem for tomorrow, the group is now also in possession of an ethereal cat alarm, an unknown ruby necklace, simply tossed into the nether of Thalamus' pockets and collapsed the entire Lair, just to destroy a cracked hand mirror.   Deciding to test their limits and follow their sense of exploration, the Band went on to see around a few corners. On the positive spectrum, they found another room of interest, with a door leading out on the other side and a set of 5 statues in an ominous circle, holding, left to right, a Book, a skull, outstretched open hands with nothing in them, a sword and an item similar to a small box. On the negative side, the room appeared to be inhabited by some very hungry, undead monks who seemed eager to bite there faces off. easy enough to dispatch, however there bites had an extra sting to them, as the wounds they created appeared to be unable to close or be healed.   Sylara, noticeably absent from the fight, returned with more good news as she had found one of the keys, bringing the total of Keys found up to 4! Locating it at, what appeared to be, a massive bird's nest was slightly alarming, yet that would be an issue for another time, as the group now decided to fall back and regroup before exploring anything else.   Returning to the organ room, our makeshift tomb raiders turned in for the night, reflecting on the nature of undead and receiving another divine blessing their rest came to a close as their new "Pawtrol" warned them of something entering the room. checking out the intrusion, an excited Sylara returns to the group, informing them of the return of the creature responsible for the massive nest that used to hold the 4th key.

Session 59: The Hag's Lair

Spending the better part of an hour getting into and navigating the green hags lair, much has been discovered.   A moss covered, makeshift bedroom in an old storage room, the space proved to hold a lot of mysteries. A deranged monk missing a heart, later found in a nearby jar, an age-old wedding gown with a ruby-adorned bone crown and a journey telling the tale of lovers, a magic couldron and a whole list of magical tinkerings and items. still unsure about everything around them, more mystery awaits.

Session 58: The Garden The Hag and the secret Passage

As the group found themselves in the midst of a magical garden tended to by a powerful Green Hag, they would be forced to defend themselves, However this hag would not not simply lie down and grant passage.   In an ingenious attempt at retribution, our very own local sheriff/priestess of the Raven queen was fed up with the disappearing and brutally slashing of this witch, and decided to torch the whole thing to the ground. luckily, after teleporting the witch in the midst of the fire and disappearing into a pocket dimension himself, Thalamus, the last remaining member, still stuck in the garden, also made it out alive, however his robot companion would prove to be less lucky.   taking another hour to regroup and searching the remains of the hag and her lair, the group found another key for the organ and what appeared to be a key to a hidden door. deciding to open it up, the aBANDoned now wait to see what is behind door number 1.

Session 57: The Watcher's Seat

As the group moved on from Highmount, they quickly reached The Watcher's Seat.   as the monastery appeared to be abandoned, it turned out to also be somewhat haunted. fighting through a series of creatures in various degrees of undead, they found a large organ, which appeared to be missing some keys. adding keys would appear to release a sound which, for now, appeared to not do much.   moving on, the group found an overgrown garden. taking a few brave steps within it however, would prove a grave mistake on ellenions part, as he would quikcly be enveloped and now attacked.

Session 56: murder mystery and a dire vison

With an actual murder case on there hands, it would appear this, now fully reformed, new incarnation of The aBANDoned are more on the good side of the law, rather than on the run from it. however, we all have our inner demons. in an attempt to dodge an unpleasant conversation, Ellenion opened up a new and furry one, by showing his first memory of transforming into a wherewolf and killing his first victim. An inevitable Q&A later, he also revealed he could see the cape, however sightly modified, as it appears to be for all of them.   Returning to the current murder at hand, a great investigation would commence. starting with Ellenion finding an easy to miss blood trail from the desk to the wardrobe, indicating there indeed was a connection between the two that is now firmly placed within the same window of time, followed by Thalamus, showing a neat trick of his own, by cutting of his hand and turning it into an avatar of himself in the shape of a spider. clearing the magic field on the floor and investigating the crawlspace underneath the house, they found a wooden box, containing the diary of a crazed and rambling old man, claiming he could also see a cloak, after reading his sons diary, which told him to kill his son and his new friends. choosing to disobey the man payed the ultimate price. a suicide after all.   Continuing there investigation in the morgue, the group met Sally, the local physician, willing to perform a speak with dead on the old man and see if they could learn more, which would prove to merely further the mystery of the symbol, since the dead man had no knowledge of it, meaning it was carved after his death. The evidence file would also prove to be no further help, however Rhiannon had a plausible explanation: would it be possible for the cloaks to physically manifest events such as these? as it had in the past created things out of thin air, and even cast spells...   Deciding to let the case simmer for a while in the hands of the actual law enforcement, the group moved on...after settling the small matter of 1500 gold, to be payed by ellenion for his breach of contract with the inn sadly.   Back on the road, Ellenion would prove to be holding one more ace up his sleeve as he simply misspoke and triggered weeks of PTSD within our rather unstable group. Having to explain, he would show to be speaking to his ancestor Elloise, whom he could even summon, however to great annoyance and miscomfort of the patron.   During the night, yet another mystery would be solved as Sylara received the much anticipated Vision. good news, she would not be forced to kill our band. bad news, more troubles would await. after reaching The Watcher's Rest, and old monastery in servitude of the god Helm, the vision Sylara received would prove to be true, as it would seem the dead now roam these hallowed halls.   Stuck in-between a rock and a dead place, the group are fighting for there lives as they are being besieged by the living dead. What will happen next?

Session 55: Revival and intrigue

After gathering their thoughts on what the hell just happened and why, the group realised first order of business should be to bring back Thamby and perhaps Seva. Enlisting the help of a cleric of Lathander, the group awaited the lights judgement of their compatriot in trepidation. not in the clear yet, another judgement was still imminent...Ellenion, who either tried to free or murder their friend, was still a high priority topic. as Thalamus and Nefi discussed a possible recruitment in servitude for the inevitable fights to come, Rhiannon went for a more direct approach. He would either fix her son or there'd be hell to pay! Either way, Ellenion was coming with them. The light of Lathander had worked its magic, although in mysterious ways. reviving the body would prove to be easy enough, yet the soul of Thamby, and the presence of Seva, would appear to have been unwilling or untraceable. Rhiannon insisted on letting Thamby's father know of the passing of his son, however this would turn out to be impossible, as the father too had seemed to have died the night before...not content with the generic explanation of an old man passing, or even later his suicide, the band went investigating, greatly helped by the insider information of Agent Thalamus. Turns out they were right. for a mere suicide would never involve carving an afo-symbol on the back of a wardrobe, with what would appear to be the very pen that was found lodged in your eyes, without a blood trail....whoever, or whatever did this....why? and how is it all connected?

Session 54: ungodly complications while playing God

Meeting up with Ellenion, the group was informed of his plans of giving Seva, the incorporeal hivemind inside of Thamby's body, his own carnal body. A plan that seemed a bit out of reach, yet strangely enticing to Seva and the entire group, including little Thamby.   as the group agreed to his proposal, Ellenion told them to come back in a few hours, which the group used to browse the local soul market and restock their tools, equipment and utilities.   Returning to their friendly neighbourhood alchemist, Ellenion started the ritual. as it became increasingly obvious this would be the first time he tried this, and his previous confidence might have been unjustified, the ritual began to take a dark turn. a protective barrier missing the mark, a transmutation proving to be ineffective and a magical extraction from an extremely potent and seemingly protected artifact later, it would appear the Hivemind appeared no longer present, and its host no longer breathing, nor showing any other vital signs...   As the dust literally settles in the transformed hotel room, what will happen next?

Session 53: You are not alone.

As the night came to a close and the conversation with Ellenion, Ambrose's uncle, was still fresh in their minds, the group split up. Rhiannon, still reeling by the events of last night, was joined by Seva in their room, where they shared stories and memories through the Memory visualiser. After this, Rhiannon decided to inform her son of the death of his father, which was no fun conversation. as Nefi and Thalamus decided to hit the town! Making their way through the Celestial Heights, the duo passed the Temple of the Raven Queen which appeared to be visited by a special guest. Sylara, a raven haired, pale skinned, roguish woman who says she is a follower of The Raven Queen. she claims to receive visions, in exchange of her memories apparently, which seem to guide her to beings the raven queen would deem either worthy of her help, or required to be dealt with. As of right now, she seemed to be her happy self, as the deciding vision seems to be slightly delayed. Returning to their friends in the Inn, followed with their new friend, getting acquainted would be slightly short lived, as an old friend of Seva returned to inform them of both grave and joyful news. Nora and her wife Amara informed them that for the first real time in a long time, it would seem the aBANDoned are no longer alone. however, they also told them what it is they are actually up against: an elder brain. a mistake created by the gods in the infant stages of Corumant, who has been plotting since the dawn of time. sadly, they also mentioned the Magician's Veil, which seems to have been overtaken by a wizard centuries ago, who has been using its souls in a simulation of some sorts, trying to find a solution for The Elder Brain. His current alignment and of those who follow him, however, remains uncertain.   Closing the night, Thalamus and "Thamby" Decided to settle a small dispute as to the nature of what "Thamby" actually is and if the MCD would be interested in ending its existance or not, however they decided on keeping their enemies closer than their friends.

Session 52: another one bites the dust

After Disposing of the army of undead descending onto our group, the group dealt with another loss. The seemingly immortal Ambrose has played his final swansong as he appeared to be less resilient than previously expected.   Grief stricken, the band decided to call upon the only being they knew who would be able to reach them here, namely Marux. Marux quickly took the body to destinations unknown as the group tried to continue there mission to the best of their abilities, by simply continueing on the road to Highmount.   As they spent the night in what appeared to be an old town torn apart by a war unknown, they would meet a new companion however and for once, this one appeared to be looking for them! Agent Thalamus of the Mind Crime Department had been sent to them by his superiors, following the incident in the monastery. willingly or otherwise he had joined the ranks of the aBANDoned. This came with a set of perks however as this new traveller appeared to have a portable memory visualiser which would allow the group acces to their memories! The next morning the 3 strangers reappeard with grim news...the orphanage was weird, but they hadnt found anything of use, the church had once more dissapeared and the marux to whom they had given their lost compatriot, appeared to be a fraud.   Back in highmount the group reported to Verrick who informed them of a location or construct named The Sentinel Of Thoughts, that strangely had gone missing...a fact the strangers had also informed them of. New task: Find the Sentinel, starting with the location where it was last seen.   Turning in for the night at the expense of the Highmount counsil, the group returned to the familiar Inn on top of the Celestial heights, where an unexpected guest was hired as entertainment for the evening. Ellenion of house Lacramosa would enter the plot in an untimely manner, following the death of his nephew just a day before. drinking the night away reminiscing about their lost family member, either blood or bond the group sent the night at the bar with Ellenion. But Allas, as time marched on and the morning awaited its return, even this night had to end. turning in for the night after one last notable interaction between Ellenion and seva, or as he and thalamus would call him, "Thamby", the group now awaits what surprises the morning brings!

Session 51: undead landing party

After revisiting The Cobbled Pass, discussing the fears and desires they confronted the night before, and briefly meeting up with Sarla, the group took to the road again. Sadly, this would once more prove to be problematic, as the group would be warned and blessed by the raven queen, before being attacked by roaming undead! To arms!

Session 50: Welcome to the Dream

Surviving a very physical illusion, with the help of some work colleagues, the group finally opens up about AFO and the Orphanage to the Trio that snapped them out of it. As they plan to meet up at the Sentinel of Thoughts, the Trio left to visit the orphanage as out team once more continued their travels to highmount to meet with chancellor Verek. making there way over to the Cobbled Pass, Nefi tried to find her Angel of Love in the Inn, with no result, as the group rented another room and planned on a quiet night and a long rest, they were interrupted by a very intrigued and interested dream visitor who appeared to ask the same questions to all, with different results for each of them. the most altering being Ambrose, who once more chose defiance and received punishment for it, as his hands are now fully undead and his life force was diminished.   Having just finished their long rest the group gets ready to make it through another sunny but increasingly cold day.

Session 49: A trippy Trip

After connecting with and discussing the Echo of the First Mind, Seva collapsed, which later appeared to be a banishing spell and Neffi started seeing the cape. Discussing the possibility of mind flayers at the orphanage and the political implications of Mind Flayer Thralls in powerful houses and organisations across the Isles and leaving the beehive in the back of there collective minds for the moment, the group once more took to the road, with a new monkey friend.   Sadly, this day would not turn out to be a simple one. a series of illusions led the group astray, essentially nearly murdering each other, luckily stopped by the 3 strangers checking up on our band.

Session 47-48: Minds collide after a spiritual Roadtrip

Leaving Highmount the group made their way to the Cobbled pass, where they spent the night at a local inn named the Wayfairer's Repose, ran by erinn, the retired adventurer, bought a mystery box of magic items from a very disgruntled shop keep with a knack for sarcasm, Rhiannon caused a local general goods store named The Steady Heart, ran by Dorna Ironfoot and her husband, to close down with just 1 cookie and neffi banged a priestess named Sarla! Back on the road the gang met a pack of Mist Foxes and arrived at the First Mind Monastery.   a group of mindflayers that seemed to have the monastery under their control, perhaps gathering information or something more sinister, were quickly dispatched by our group. luckily, the congregation of monks seemed unharmed as far as the eye could tell and nothing seemed out of the ordinary, however somewhat covered in mindflayer goo. a quick conversation later, the aBANDoned were warmly invited to stay the night, however after continuing the talks, they appeared to be more familiar with AFO than anyone for a long time. enlisting their help, they were taken to what later proved to be a chamber called the Echo of the First Mind. Entering the room, their minds are flooded with Visions.   Vision 1 - The Magical Corruption of Life: "Visions flood your senses, a rock, floating in space, cold, barren and grey. Suddenly, a vibrant eruption of life. You see the raw, chaotic magic of creation, weaving through the fabric of existence, mutating the bare rock into flora and fauna, forms both wondrous and grotesque. The landscape itself is alive, pulsating with an arcane heartbeat that resonates with your own." Vision 2 - The First Spark of Consciousness: "The scene shifts to a primal drama: a primate, infused with a nascent spark of awareness, shields its offspring from a predator. This moment of protectiveness, of clear intention, marks the dawn of consciousness. Around them, the world is a tapestry of life, vibrant and ever-changing, under the gaze of celestial beings." Vision 3 - Birth of the First Races: "amidst the chaos of untamed and fearfull life , deities emerge, bestowing gifts upon creatures with familiar, yet distinctively different features. the Bimathid. Each touch imbues them with purpose, a fragment of divine essence. Elves, Dwarves, Humans, and Orcs take their first breaths, standing as beacons of hope among the burgeoning life. Their eyes gleam with the promise of destiny yet unwritten." Vision 4 - The Heartbeat of Dominion: "Darkness envelops you, a suffocating void. you blink a few times and forget wether your eyes are closed or open. Then, a heartbeat—you realise it is the same heartbeat you heard in the beginning of the visions that never left, and although you loft track of it consiously, you now realise, as only sound seems to be the only sense that still serves any purpose, subconsiuosly, it never left your mind -- a menacing cadence that grows louder, a crimson hue engulfing your vision. you see it... a Hea- no, not a hart....a Brain? its pulsing, binding the will of countless minds. Its desire for unity morphs into domination, a shadow spreading across the cosmos." Vision 5 - The Fractured Echo: "Suddenly, the narrative fractures, hijacked by an urgent message. You see a circular room, much like the room you are currently in, with a massive, almost humanoid-like stone statue, in what appears to be a meditative state. as your view closes in on the visage of it, the vision behind the creature shows a tapestry of armies at war, kingdoms falling and being rebuild from the ashes, the assassination of kings and the birth of babies, returning later in the visions proving to be profets or heroes, all shifting and blending into view as the face of the creature slowly fills the view. as the background is engulfed in darkness, the creature slowly opens its dark and unnaturally crimson eyes, as a name fills your mind... The Sentinel of Thoughts...as the crimson hue and unnerving hardbeat returns in the background."   A difficult conversation and a Seva poking the hornet's nest later, they learned the sentinel is vital to the authorities at power, however it seems to no longer be functioning. After they were instructed to visit Varek once more, they made their way back to their rooms, which they are now firmly instructed to leave in the morning, where they planned out the next day of their journey.

Session 46: A murder, a nap and the cursed items

After Dispatching their old, and seemingly possessed buddy, Ip, the group found a token, sending them to the First Mind Monastery, with Chancellor Verrick's blessing. Making their way over to the portal room, the aBANDoned found the city on high alert however, as a battalion of guards were send through portals, defending a The Closing Bluffs from the forces of The Southern Strait. Leaving the army to deal with that, the group moved on to a deserved nights rest, After extensively testing Seva's new cursed shield, some food, some sleep, getting into it about Ambrose's cursed weapon and losing him to it!

Session 45: old acquaintances.

As the group decided on what to do next, mainly what to do with jorg and how you kill him, they made there way over to the library to find the book Seva was looking for. Even he was surprised when they actually did, only it wasn't the form in which they were expecting it. Finding an old librarian, familiar to some and a nemisis to one, turned out to be the father of the original thamby and the book Seva was looking for turned out to be a journal of some sorts belonging to thamby, yet journaled till the day before tamby met the group, even tho he had left this city 2 years prior. After a short conversation with what appears to be the father of one of our members, they decided on continuing on their original plan and gain the trust of the locals. making their way to the royal halls and talking with chancelor verid, yet one more surprise would follow...as a captive of the guard asked for the aBandoned specifically! following the chancelor into an interogation room, Ip would first seem to be very happy to see his old buddy and prepared to make some new friends, however due to their distrust, our group would lure out the real reason behind his appearance....violence!

Session 44: temples and revelations

After a memory fueled evening, the group had a good night's rest and a glorious breakfast before exploring the district! Passing by meditating monks and buildings with portals and constellations for walls, the first stop was the temple of selüne, where they met an elderly monk willing to provide all the information he possessed, however none of it seemed of any use to our group. Next stop, the one Ambrose was dreading the most, the temple of Helm. although closed and unable to provided any much needed answers, the temple was surrounded by townfolk and pilgrims who quickly took a liking to a cleric of Helm in their midst, especially when his personal travel chef started handing out food and the magical minstrel started playing herroic music! The Trip took a dark turn however, as a side alley proved to be housing the temples of the more sinister and harrowing gods. Turns out Highmount seems to be really hedging their bets when it comes to the gods! Starting with myrkul the aBANDoned quickly realised one does not simply walk into the temples of the betrayer gods, as they seem a lot less inviting than the pantheon. As they walked in, the foggy room seemed to be filled with a peculiar gas as all of them felt as if the weight of the temple itself collapsed upon their forms. Ambrose took the brunt of it as he immediately started throwing up and felt his lifeforce leaving his body. deciding on splitting up, as more temples were left to be explored but Ambrose was barely able to walk, Ambrose and Rhiannon went back to the room, still payed for till later tonight, and the other two continued the exploration of the district. Per request, seva and Nefi visited the temple of the mother of ravens next. as Nefi felt more at home than she had felt in quite a while, Seva immediatly heard a deafening raven's caw, busting his eardrums as he entered an empty, moonlit room that seemed to simply house a conspiracy of ravens. For Nefi however, she entered a very different room. For her, the ravens appeared to be ghostly apparitions in the image of the Ravenqueen, as she herself hovered above an obsidian altar in the middle of the circular room, appearing to be controlling a weird purple weave and strands of magic. As they discussed the recent events, pinning down the conversation they apparently never had in the woods, a very annoyed and furious mother of ravens seemed to briefly lose her control on the work her apparitions were doing as one of the strands shifted to a sickly green shade and revealed an undead being trying to break through into the realm of the living once more, only to quickly be dragged back by a matron who had regained her composure. Bestowing her vengeance with a gift of her faith, Nefi now seems to be even more attuned and blessed by her queen. The last temple to be graced with the presence of our new devotees, was the house of Lathander. As one of the light elementals turned into one of the monks through the gift of gold, Seva seemed to be losing his patience as he scared the monk into kindly showing them the door by mentally slapping the man in the face with a story that seemed to be impossible to believe, however simply their lived experience of the last few weeks...A tasty amount of information was precured tho, as the cloak seemed to be unable to enter this temple, however seemed fine entering the betrayer god's temples   Making it back to the room, Ambrose and Rhiannon were once again met by a familiar face. seemingly, Jorg was in the middle of leaving a little surprise for our band, as he appeared to have killed and kept fenara in a state of undead, to use her as a sinister version of a projector and use her memory of him torturing and leaving a message for the group through the Memory Visualiser, providing them with an image of a murdered Ip, a barely alive but clearly tortured Fainn and a face to face clear representation of Jorg, now fully lost to the darkness.   As they all rejoined in the room, what will be the next stop in the exploration of highmount?

Session 43: A Blast from the Past

When visiting the room they rented for the night, the group took their time exploring all this luxury suite had to offer. From a buffet that cured all their ailments and weariness, to a private spa that made them feel light and refreshed to apparently the complementary hookers and masseuses included in the room, this abode seemed to be the stuff of dreams. It would however prove to be more than just dreams...realities from the past seemed to also be included among the facilities, as the room would prove to also come with its very own Memory Visualiser. memories, even partially forgotten could be played as if you were back, right inside of them. The usual suspects would pass through the ringer, as entities like the matron of ravens and the encounter with Helm would be scrutinised and picked apart, but a few recent event would also be subject to investigation, as the stranger who bears a great resemblance to Ambrose, would also be dran into the spotlight.   As the day drew to a close and all were settled in for the evening, what will tommorow bring? or will the night hold more surprises and adventures?

Session 42: The continent of souls

after leaving the tower and shaking the cobwebs out of seva's head, the party started choosing their next path. the nearby portal or the looming city. A quick talk with the raven queen and a thamby-takeover later, they decided on: Highmount! On the way there, Thamby made his new presence felt as he messed with sevas head, changed his speech and even harmed him at some point! as he continued this throughout the night, his friends also were met with some mindfuckery, as they were haunted by the surrounding souls on the continent and were even met with some familiar faces in their dreams and visions.   The Next morning, the group were awoken by the bells of the nearby city and passed a massive crystal, appearing to have an effect on the visions and by proxy the souls.   Nearing the city, what will the day bring?

Session 39-41: Strangers in the camp! comrades in a foreign land!

After dealing with the freehold encampment and getting the however long polymorphed civilians back to town, with the aid of Rhiannon's son, who was none to pleased she still associated herself with this band of misfits, one of which tried to steal her sending stone, the aBANDoned were taking a well deserved breather and were making their plans of where to go next.   Unexpectedly however, they were visited in the night by a group of strangers, one of which looking fairly familiar to some, although the red hair does tend to stick out in a crowd, and were set on a path to locate, perhaps free and return Fainn's soul, as she appearently has some unknown familiarity with these people. They also appeared to know the 2 gnomes they met a few weeks ago, flying around in an airship. how are they all connected? and why are they here? Something or...someone also seems to be controlling these strangers, as far as that seems possible, as they seemed to be doing something...."unauthorized" by being here and talking with our group. Yet more unsolved mysteries for another day perhaps.   Eager to help there lost friend, the band decided to follow their instructions and followed the dragonborn to a land, famous by name, but fairly unknown to them. the continent of The Azure Ridge! There they would travel to Highmount and gain the favour of the Greymutters, the royal family of the Dwarves, and try and get Fainn's soul back!   Their journey started in a small and simple town however, named The Range's Fork. a place of foreign trade, outside of imperial control but with a strange set of earthquakes accompanying day-to-day live. deemed BORING by Ambrose however the group sold their stuff bought anything magical the town had to over got out of there as fast as physically possible! fuck that place!   First stop on the road to Highmount monastery: The western Sight! the first imperial watchtower and a border control for everyone leaving or entering the inner sanctum of Highmount Society. facing their own personal virtues, the group solved some riddles (or tried to), healed their loved ones, fought a bear and answered the tough questions in live, all in the theatre of the mind however, and were later judged and deemed worthy of entering these sacred lands, albeit with some penance. deciding enough is enough the group once again found a safe space to park their newly acquired Cart and decided to rest for the full days journey ahead, to the Highmount Monestary!

Session 38: The Freehold encampment

After scouting the area and the encampment the aBANDoned decided to infiltrate the camp by sending in Ambrose and Rhiannon as weary travellers on their way to The Chained Hights. A short conversation with a few close calls later the duo didn't seem to know a lot more than before besides their names, but did manage to purchase a few rations of their own farm bred meats.   Deciding to talk their way to the bounty, the group returned later that night, trying to convince the rebels of faking their departure and letting them take credit for the reward. However, this would proof unfruitful as they weren't planning on leaving anytime soon, especially not under threat of violence.   A fight commenced as they were rushed by one of the half orcs and fired upon by magical projectiles. so far our band has dealt their fair share of damage, however one of their own has been battered and has fallen unconscious.

Session 37: Traveling wizards, Folding tents and meddling gods. what's the hardest to deal with?

On the road again, our band discusses Emmet's past, name his gun "The Nevermore" in honour of an old bard named Edgar...something, and come across a traveling wizard/Merchant, named Markus, with some very large and powerful animal companions. After buying, and hilariously not selling, a lot of items and provisions, the group went outside to test out there new toys!...so Ambrose died, was resurrected and thoroughly questioned instantly! After revealing he now has command of a magical raven instead of a hound, things got weird however as both Ambrose and Emmet were conversing with the matron, but the info they received seemed to contradict each other. trying to make sense of this, seva and Rhiannon invoked magical assistance, only to discover the cape seemed to have a new trick, as it blocked their magical spells.   The gods were not yet done for the day however as Ambrose was instructed to head for the Azure Range in search for a new mystery, or the answers to them. Discussed among the group, they decided to take out the day's frustrations and shenanigans out on a group of unknowing bandits in the freehold encampment and figure out what to do later!

Session 35-36: a Heated winter's night

as the water excursions were getting a bit to dangerous the group once again sought refuge and guidance in the library where even Ambrose had questions he wanted answered, however quickly offset by a pantsing at the docks just to keep the balance at a status quo. after learning more about the elements, spells and their own history the group enjoyed what appears to be the last warm, safe night's rest for a while as they set off onto the cold snowy roads of the summit lagoon in search of an encampment called the freehold as a bounty proves to make it a rewarding trip. however some among our band may have a more diplomatic plan. unfortunately a snowstorm folied their plans of a quick run-by as the path proved to dangerous to travel and the group was forced to make camp at a nearby crevasse in one of the plateaus. finding an easy nights rest would prove impossible however as a strange shape would haunt them throughout the early hours of night. however, in a weird turn of events, this time the group seemed more blessed than cursed. a strange and familiar note proved to be all the protection they needed as a MASSIVE black dragon, almost unnaturally accurate, found the aBANDoned and attacked them! unable to harm a single hair on either of their heard however it took off again, angrily and clearly surprised.   the next day's sunshine greets the group once more as their path, now cleared, lies in front of them. what will today bring....

Session 34: when life gives you boats....find underwater caves kill some inhabitants and just leave?

having recently found a hidden cave underwater, close to a statue with ruby eyes, where nothing worth noting ever happened, the team decided to explore! entering proved easy enough, although not without its hiccups. making it past the mouth of the cave and down its long and winding hallways, the group discovered a species of fungi that made this cave their home and seemed to be sentient! at least enough to speak, react to light and not overly fond of being licked.   deciding to take the fungi route, over the ammonia smell, the aBANDoned found themselves in a large circular room, hundreds of empty large, wooden crates, dimly lit and a hole in the middle of the floor and a similar one in the roof. looking into them, they discovered there must by magic afoot, as the both holes gave a clear view of hundreds of feet of beautiful, clear ocean. inspecting the one in the floor however revealed an unsettling image. Turns out, Seva's pull was directed at a portal, later confirmed by julien to be unknown by the magistrate, held open by a familiar purple root covering its edges and spreading from the seafloor while being sustained by at least a dozen water elementals. taking their time planning their next move, the group experimented what might be of influence to the portal or the water elementals. as an effort was made to test specific substances, the purple drugs purchased earlier was added to the water. perhaps unrelated, however seva swears he saw a flicker of magic, although he claims to see these types of things after licking a sentient mushroom, the portal started acting up and spewed forth a few dozen more elementals who all quickly dispersed and seemed driven by a goal, or a plan. not liking their odds, the group decided now would be a bad time to act and left the room after finding a wall mount brace the seemed to posses some magic properties and that could function as a ring. they also discovered a fungal relief covering a stone altar that, after closer inspection, seemed to be a map of The True Isles with gems placed in specific places. a blue gem, mounted over the location of this very cave, a red one close to The ruby Mount, a Brown one near The southern strait and finally a white pearl next to The Azure Ridge. pretty gems with a clear purpose....Ambrose says "hold my Ale" Ever the thorough pack and Ambrose's pockets lined with gems, on the way out a quick detour leads our group down the other, Ammonia filed hallway where they discover, this is no mere hallway. investigating the walls and support structure of this path they quickly realise to be inside the body of an enormous creature. snake-like in shape and form, this creature must have died a while ago though somehow seemingly well preserved. the creature must have also been amphibious, as both sea and land creatures, including humanoids, lined the massive carnivorous stomach. making their way to the maw of this awe inspiring creature with teeth larger than themselves, a route to the portal has become clear as this long route has led them directly to the seafloor itself. ending the "what-not-to-do excursion the group made their way safely back to the boat where Armen was still waiting for them as promised. a quick distort value seems to be enough to fool him however and both a trip back and a cheap pay-out were secured. Back on land, a few more issues appeared seeing as the group had previously magically influenced the only gem salesman in town, Mathilda's inn was the only place they had procured to sleep at and the party currently had no more of a clue what to do next than at sunrise. Solution? call in favours that weren't owed, find a thieves guild that doesn't exist and booze....lots and lots of booze. finding a place to crash with the librarian, Marky, they had recently met at Mathilda's bar was an easy fix. finding the thieves guild proved to be a harder nut to crack however, as trying to get robbed so you can rob the robber and forcing him to give up the location of a place that may or may not exist turned out to be a fruitless... ish... endeavour. The booze on the other hand was easy enough to find! keeping your secrets like the father of your child or your ACTUAL true appearance and the highly deceptive and race of shapeshifters you belong to however proved impossible!   weighted by the spoils of a successful adventure, another cold winter's night, huddled up by the fireplace, covered by a blanket of brief respite, momentary kinship and a sense of belonging has come to a close...what will the morrow bring?

Session 33: stuck between a cave and a wet place.

after dispatching the sea creatures protecting their homes the group had unwillingly disrupted, they found a statue with 2 ruby eyes which they dislodged and took with them. Nothing else happened....no-one tried to kill each other and definitely no-one talked to a god... Following the directions of their humanoid compass however The aBANDoned found themselves led into a seemingly quiet cave, cut off by a wall of water. taking a breather from the early fight and having some food, the cave seemed to be less abandoned than previously expected as the entrance hall quickly filled up with Merfolk and a Marrow carrying crates filled with a purple root...a red flag to some... after eviscerating these creatures, the group are now ready and headed for whatever lies within this cave that is willingly or unwillingly playing host to this strange pull that keeps on plaguing seva's mind.

Session 32: Finally! lets investigate the sea!

after finding there way out of Mathilda's inn and chasing down a group of what appears to be an organised group who were aware of things our group wasn't, The aBANDoned finally decided to pick up on their earlier plan after hitting a dead end on investigating this strange new group and decided on making their way to the sea and investigate the strange pull that is tugging to the back of sevas mind...like an itch he can't quite scratch. after renting a boat and Rhiannon getting scolded by her son on their plan and the definition of what or...who... "their" entails, the party took a dive and very quickly decided to touch stuff they weren't supposed to...and getting into a fight....good luck seafarers!

Session 31: The investigation

after waking up to an ominously quiet inn the group were questioned by what looked like some investigating guards. after each giving their recollections of the previous night....be it truthful or not....the group convened...and found the whole ordeal kind of weird and off-putting....deciding this would no longer stand the group made their way back downstairs to confront the townsguard...however...when reaching the bar once more the group of investigators had left...the bar was completely emptied out...only Mathilda remained...lifeless and bled out. That is when our group discovered a hatch leading to a basement...finding more fresh and bloodied bodies,...leading further into the basement they discovered that this clublike basement was also emptied out and a door leading out of it was still open with torches lit within the long winding corridor....seems ominous...probably a bad place to go...however the sound of someone or something barging through the front door upstairs who probably by now has noticed a corpse and an empty bar would make a group of misfits do stupider things than walking down a hall...

Session 30: Don't take drugs kids...

as the evening came to a close, the aBANDoned were ready for their underwater adventures. gillyweed in hand, packed and prepared, the group had just one more night of piece and quiet ahead of them. the ideal time for a good long nap, ready for what tomorrow may bring! Sadly however, Ambrose disagreed.   all hyped up by the drugs he just bought hours before and longing for his coveted and precious highs he had missed for so so long now...he just couldn't help himself! taking a bump in the toilets of mathilda's pub, things quickly spiralled out of hand as only a few minutes later Ambrose could only think of one way out of the situation, finding himself in the toilets with a dead and bloodied 150lbs corpse he couldn't flush....*looks ominously and worried at Leander*....run face first into the wall and play dead in his victims blood. however, this plan seemed to be working for a solid minute, fooling mathilda and later Seva and Emmet as they entered the bloodied room worried their buddy had suffered an attack by an unknown assailant. Something all to familiar these last few days. Yet as his plans seemed to be working , there was only one more problem...Ambrose was still high as a kite! even more worrying is, that unknowingly, he had snorted another bump of the plant that first got him in contact with the being known as AFO and yet again, this would have consequences that he had not foreseen...after the hallucinations had gotten to the point of self harm and even loss of consciousness, his team members also started to connect the dots and after returning him to his presence, Ambrose made a fatal error...proclaiming jorg did it, he had never lied his whole life and he had never seen the corpse sitting on the toilet. This, would turn out to be the straw that broke the camel's back as Emmet did all he could to bring back the innocent man on the toilet, and was given the choice to save a life for a life. this sparked a debate, however after consideration, both Seva and Emmet deemed his life unworthy of saving, compared to the innocent life he had taken moments earlier. However...the story of Ambrose still had more chapters to play out...as the team were recanting their memories of their fallen partner, to the joy of some and dismay of others, the pale one-man orchestra joined them at the bar for a drink, unharmed and well rested.   As the team tried to figure out what happend, and for some, figure out what this means for the group and themselves, Ambrose himself came upon a conversation with a very different barkeep then he had gotten accustomed to...kind but firm Mathilda, herself very confused and shocked by recent events, revealed something her passion did not allow her to hide any longer.   Another eventful and strange evening came to a close as the group retired to their steads in pairs. tensions were built and relieved, albeit in very different ways. Rhiannon seemingly unable to hold back any feelings towards Ambrose any longer, resulting in the discovery of Ambrose's acidic, black blood presumably picked up in his period of death and Resurrection. One room over, Emmet had confided in Seva that he had learned of the dark secrets held by their current innkeeper, through the use of his newly disclosed shape shifting abilities and had convinced Seva of joining him in the execution of Mathilda.   Morning comes for us all, and is eagerly awaited by those with adventure and prosperity in their hearts...However, the ongoing investigation in the downstairs bar might have other plans in store for our misfits. Was Mathilda a lone zealot like jorg, or are there more out there? What lies beneath the waves of The Summit lagoon? Is Ambrose lucky, blessed or possessed? But most importantly, will the first rays of sunshine hit them as free people?

Session 25-29: The seafair Rise

On the road their next destination, The Abandoned once again ran into some...Issues. a days travel from The Seafair Rise, a calm and white night turned into horror and reflection, as the powerless Seva once again was blessed with powers beyond his own doing. sadly however these powers came at a cost...unwilling to pay it, both he, his compatriots, as the entire group of travelers were punished by whoever granted them in the first place, turning the new and awe inspiring powers into the opposite effects, killing everyone but fainn in the process. She would see her own hardships from another source unknown. Fleetingly traveling through the ethereal plane, as she had done many times before, she encountered something...she had never witnessed or heard from before. creatures seemingly made of ethereal, black goo...humanoid in shape yet bent and stretched in unnatural places with dripping jaws unhinged and opening to unnatural and terrifying sizes with rows of razor-sharp teeth seemingly feeding on the souls of those who had died after their debacle with the god Helm, who seemingly seemed unable to pass into the beyond. as she tried to engage and interact with these creatures, she was struck down with an almost poisonous, cursed plague. luckily, Fainn proved to be watched by her own granter of wonder and protection. after returning to consciousness, she pleated to her deity and saved the lives of her friends, allowing them to return to the land of the living a few hours later. However their return was not celebrated...as they returned to an almost...empty and broken Fainn, in the process of digging 34 graves for their traveling group, who sadly did not make it through the night. A god can do many things...but as it turns out...even they have limits...although perhaps self imposed...   finally making it to The Seafair Rise, yet another thread seemed to have been pulled as the 2-way connection with Rhiannon and her son also proved to be acting up. seemingly, he seemed to either not respond...break the connection in weird situations...or just forgetting about entire conversations all together. however the one piece of information that seems to be consistant...is that she should stay away from the people she is currently traveling with.   while entering the city, a bit of good, yet also disturbing, news literally appeared, and disappeared, out of thin air, as a stranger showed up and gave them a note, warning them as they appeared to be watched...which, later proved to be true... Jorg made his return, telling them AFO wants them...and in particular...Fainn seemed to be specifically of interest. This however, turned out to be a very simple piece of math for a tired, broken, beaten down and discouraged Fainn. as she offered herself in return for a bit of respite and rest for her constantly changing, yet intimately bonded crew, she was quickly and greedily accepted and taken right from underneath the aBANDoned's noses.   Although happy to be near a Hearth and warm bed again, finally able to asses and cool down after the tedious and dangerous road, the next day, the group mourned the loss of one of their original band members and often their logical compass, and tried to research all they had endured and seen in the local library, however, trying to shake the horrific images still seared into their memory, they soon did what they do best... find something to kill or hunt and buy new shinys! on a hunt for a tabaxi who still owed mathilda, the local inkeep, a lot of gold the group met another bounty hunter named Emmet who also turned out to be collecting the same paycheck, yet somehow....didn't do it for the money? honestly where do they keep finding these people? however their interests and goals seemed to align so they decided to stick together for now and see where the road takes them. as he follows the matron of ravens, the road is sure to have its own bumps, hills and... the occasional valleys down the deepest pits of the earth and whatever lies beneath...   And who could forget about sweet and little thamby...innocent, goodhearted, holier than thaw, little thamby...possesed by the interstellar, chaotic, emotionless yet completly unknown and unchallenged hive-mind known only as...SEVA. after being powerless, all mighty and powerless again, they were going through their own little issues. luckily it appears they were granted another hand by a deity from an unexpected angle...Fainn's old deity and Ambrose's one sided love interest, Selune. However this gift would take on strange forms of its own as it tried to interact, enhance and sometimes neutralise the influences of the hive mind and granted seva strange elemental powers, perception beyond his vision and senses and much more they are currently trying to grasp its potential. All he knows for sure....is there is a portal nearby...at it somehow feels familiar. lets see where all this gets us shall we?

Session 24: Another day in paradise....with a murder.

as the group moved on from a nice night of calm and respite, the day ahead would prove to be as chaotic as ever. after destroying the last of their AFO-bracelets and finding out they seemed to be branded on the very places where they previously wore those bracelets, they moved on and decided to ignore it for now....with the appropriate fear and disgust. the trek proved to be a quite one, however they would find a murdered traveller, surrounded by its loved ones and potential suspects, although a quick investigation would seem to not link any of them to the killing. bunking down once more with a few groups of unfamiliar travellers and the family of the corpse, the aBANDoned have made it yet another day closer to their destination and will soon make it to the Seafair Rise. what will they encounter on the coming roads, where to go after that? and maybe more importantly....is their a killer amongst them?

Session 23: the road ahead

As the group managed to make it out of the church, although losing 1 member in a rather unexpected way and another in a rather volatile one, Ambrose and Fainn barely found some respite in the, now semi-destroyed, snow covered town of The Wheel's Spoke, in the most Ambrose way possible. making their way over to the tavern the group met a halfling bard, with a true passion for cooking and a son currently residing in one of the most prestigious libraries in all of The True Isles. after a short chat they also unwillingly unleashed their old crewmember on an unexpecting cleric of Helm who happend to cross their paths infront of the fireplace. After a quick regroup, the storm subsided my morning's light and the more and more aptly named aBANDoned, were now witnessing last night's carnage in its full glory. the town was destroyed and had even attracted some doomsday zealots, which seemed to be drawing the citizens away from this now seemingly gods forsaken town which but a day ago was strongly devoted to the missing god Helm.   Leaving town and following the caravan of civilians, the group prepared to face their horrors once more as the citizens were unknowingly following the road which would pass the church of the previous night. However, upon reaching the chuch, it appeared to have vanished, only to be replaced by a memorial stone for the missing God, with a peaceful bench next to it.   making it to the first stop of this long trek, they caravan reached a small inn where before bunking down in a tent, as would so many others, a feast was prepared by Rhiannon which fed both the party and a large group of the caravan. going to bed however, surprisingly, seva noticed their new companion was once again wearing a very familiar piece of juwelry around her ankle, whereas she had previously taken it off.....strange...

Session 22: lets kill a god

after investigating the orphan further and getting booted by what appears to be a sentiel housekeeping illusion, the party found themselves back at the church after a blizzard hit the land. braving their fears they went deeper into the church and found a god stringed to chains, clearly beaten and battered. after doing everything they can to save him, ambrose took charge, prefering their lives of the god's and shot him in the head, only to find a dead and bloodied snuggles. what now?

Session 21: The Wheel's spoke....but Dunya didn't

After finally arriving at the Wheel's Spoke, the band had a day of shopping and browsing, shortly interrupted by Seva and Ambrose robbing some gang members and Ambrose fainting and meeting AFO again. although a troubled night, the gang started the new day by having a hearthy breakfast, mindreading an entire bar and setting off to Jorg's orphanage. Making a quick pitstop at a quiet and abandoned church but quickly moving on, the aBANDoned arrived at the orphanage and spoke to the keeper of the establishment, Dunya, who gave them a short tour of the building, accepted their donations and answered all of their questions......a shame she didn't seem to answer them truthfully, however she seemed sweet and friendly.....almost idyllic. why would dunya lie, how come everyone knows about this place, but seem to only praise it....and most importantly....where is Jorg?

session 20: what's said on an airship.....stays on the airship

after meeting 2 gnomes named percy and fonkin, the group quickly realised they knew a great deal more than they did. spending their trip mostly recovering from last nights ordeals and getting up to speed with the gnomes about what seems to be going on in the world around them, the group is soon to arrive at The Summit Lagoon.   will they find jorg, who are these gnomes really and what will the new continent bring?

Session 19: Killing a boat, in the middle of the ocean

After seeing Marie laserbolting her husband and having a short conversation with their antagonist, the aBANDoned were forced to fight the very vessel they were standing on. after a painful fight, that saw Nora going down, the group realised they were now floating in the middle of the ocean, with little more than a self-made raft.   after a gruelling day of swimming and being unsure of making it to The Southern Strait, the party were surprised and saved by a floating balloon with a basket, that seemed to be holding a gnome, who, strangely enough, seemed to know who they were.   who is this gnome, why is he here....and why?

Session 18: How to survive a boat: lesson 2

As the group tagged along on Selune's Trail, the boat owned by Tommen and Marie, a few things went haywire very fast.   Turns out, Seva is a glove, worn by a human, who so happens to be a dragonborn named Drazzak, who seems to have a very unhealthy attachment to the thing currently occupying its mind and body.....oh and he's also related to ambrose....somehow.... all this was gathered from seva touching the bracelet of jorg which seemingly seemed to not really affect the others, only now it almost burned nora's entire arm to a crisp...only to be unaware of holding it later that night when praying.   speaking of praying... due to the intervention of selune in reply to Fainn's prayers....Fainn figured out the boat seemed to be alive.....out of the frying pan and into the fire...   Why does this always happen to us....

Session 17: How to find a boat: Lesson 1

After Ambrose returned to his senses, yet still decided to take some of the ashes that destroyed him the night before, the group decided to head back into town and find themselves a boat, hoping to sail it to the Summit Lagoon and find jorg, or at least his orphanage.   making their way back to town, Nora gave it another crack at Seva's scrambled brain, which the others were fast to join in on. This time, while drawing out his presumed daughter, a beautiful white-haired, blue-skinned, female Vedalken, Fainn recognised the creature and suddenly realised he met her in the same place he met the red-haired mystery woman.... Her dreams.   Back at the town and a charmed guard later, the group unsuccessfully tried to find a Thieves guild due to the destruction the town had endured. they checked up on the family they saved the night before, in hopes of both finding them happy and well and maybe find a solution to their boat problem, only to find they had left the house completely empty. the only thing remaining was a mystery feline which Ambrose dealt with expertly after revealing the creature's devilish eyes and ill intent! surely the creature was behind the disappearance of the family.... but only time will tell.   A quick stop at the library revealed a few of the symbolic stories The aBANDoned had been writing these last few weeks, as the phoenix, a symbol of rebirth, The Kraken, a connection between The Deep Beyond and the living realms and the purple roots that kept rearing its ugly and confusing head, a root often used in psychedelics and sleeping medicine by the Violet Magistrate, all were explained.   The group then finally made their way to the fishing part of town and secured a trip on a boat named Selune's Trail, headed for Marril, the town led by one of The Island Counsil members, Marrek merriwinkle.   You're on a boat.....where will the winds take you?

Session 16: A hard fought respite

After finding a place to lay their heads and clear their weary minds, the group quickly realised they picked the wrong spot. As the night's watch seemed to be occupied with the wrong things, fainn found herself wrapped and smothered by the vines of a plant -like creature that later proved to invoke some sort of mental episodes in all that it touched, effecting Ambrose the most after already having a very troubled day. after resolving their troubles and calming Ambrose down with the help of a deity, the group finished their rest and planned their still uncertain next move. It seems for now, a boat might be involved.

Session 15: A home on fire

After investigating the room with reggie's still warm corpse and running after the culprit, the group found themselves with a written warning and a town starting to rebel.   getting out wasnt easy however, as it proved difficult to get fainn to leave the townsfolk to their fate. after saving a family and returning their child to them, the abandoned set out to steal reggies ship and leave the isle, only to find the wreckage in flames and ambrose contemplating to join it at the bottom of the ocean.   finally making it off the beach, after having a brief encounter with reggies ghost, and into the nearby jungle our band now finds itself alone, with a flaming city on the horizon and no means of getting of the island. what to do next?

Session 14: The Hearth of the Typhoon Isles

After waking up and Seva poking the cloak for a little while, the party convinced Ambrose to apologise to Nathaniel for stabbing him the day before. In the afternoon the crew of the ship had a final meal before porting at the hearthstead harbor where they met the 2 other members of the island council, Merrek and Torral. Things turned strange rather fast however, as Nathaniel was ordered to follow the 3 members into parliament where they would discuss the events on Sundany. The aBANDoned, being who they are however, were not willing to wait and see what the results of this meeting would be. during a wonderfully distracting performance of Ambrose on the town's square, Fainn suddenly and completely accidentally remembered she too had a familiar which she could use to spy on the meeting. Sadly, the meeting did not go well for our newest member, as it turns out, he was bought specifically as a bargaining ship between house greymutter and the council in order to avoid war. after the meeting, the now arrested nathaniel was escorted to prison and the rest of the gang were summoned at Reggie's estate where they were allowed a few answers before being forcefully asked to function as his bodyguards tonight. As Their watch began, ambrose seemed to be confronted by some traumatic memories or hardships, as nathaniel appeared to have made it out of prison all on his in a rather timely fashion. However, yet another problem would rear its....strangely, rather pleasant.....face as the group would discover they had failed in their duties, as their boss and his guards lay dead with their throats slit while a not unfamiliar red haired halfling was escaping through the window.   who is this, now rather familiar woman? what just happend? and where to go from here?

Session 13: Strength in numbers

As another dawn breaks through the clouds, the day brings more surprises. recalling yesterdays activities, questions arise when The aBANDoned realise their memories are just way too similar. Luckily another convict, named Nathaniel, came up with some answers rather than questions for the first time in a long time. after getting cut and almost jumped, the brave soul still explained to our band of convicts that the fight on board went down a lot different than they remembered and offered his services in aiding the group in recollecting their memories and plans. Unexpectedly however, our newest member seemed to also have a history with Jorg and his orphanage, only his memories seem to be much different than theirs....he recalls a kind hearted and sweet man. although his bracelet was adorned with a mark which seems to be the exact same mark as the one on fainn's back. Seva went off and remembered the past of the world and everyone on it again, only to forget 10 seconds later....and later that night Fainn tried to contact selune, only this time....it feels like it actually worked. returning his memory of the past day in a dream sequence. however, Fainn and Selune seemed to not be the only ones there....   one more day to solid land. but will this be an improvement or will shit truly hit the fan?

Journals

• Session 13 Nefertiri

Session 12: a lost soul, a bad plan and a faded memory

As the boat was playing host to a dead captain of The Voyager, the group staged a fight so fainn could investigate the strange behavior of his cloak companion further. as ambroses fight progressed on the deck, fainn and nora went to the top deck, in an attempt to figure out the dealings with the body. sadly, all our compatriots were hit by a swinging hook and all woke up a few hours later.....all with the same memory. as the body was given a sea burial, the cloak rejoined the group, but suddenly took an intrest in seva, attempting to envelop him, showing the party that seva seemed to be protected from this weird new development.   one more day on this hellish vessel to go....what will happen next?

Journals

• Session 12 Nefertiri

Session 11: Murder always breeds opportunity

waking up yet another day in sundany, the group realises 2 of their compatriots have been kidnapped by their nemesis, Jorg, who left them a very curious and weird riddle. "The voice calls, the master beckons. whatever would he want with them, do you recon?   in your heads he now resides, sides to choose, you must deside.   follow the voice, your choice is wise, hail these words or meet your inevitable demise." As this gets added to the long, long list of mysteries and potential problems, The Abandoned are not allowed much time, figuring out what this new riddle means, as they would soon learn Reginald, the leader of Sundany, had cut off his wife's head after receiving a vision, he said had shown her to be a traitor, which had the fun side effect of removing the mark on our group's arms. following this, Reggie declared he would be moving for Hearthstead and speak with The Council regarding the vision and future plans.   Although they were already planning on moving towards Hearthstead, the group was forced to travel with Reggie and be their bodyguards, along with all the other people in the rehabilitation program. On the boat, the group talked about their pasts and future plans, and discovered....seva seemed to know stuff he was not supposed to know according to his own account...and would very quickly forget these facts thereafter. Yet again, the mysteries were not yet all revealed for this journey. As the second day of the journey started, the ship would come across a shipwreck that turned out to be part of the Sundany fleet that was send to The Magician's Veil and had been reporting a steady and successful exploration of the Veil.....as recent as this morning. a captain was taken from the wreckage however, the poor man seemingly did not survive the shipwreck. who is this man and what was the ship doing so far off the coast of The Veil? What is going on with Reggie and what was in his vision? And what will happen next?

Session 10: When one door closes...

As jorg made his exit, Snuggles soon followed, going off trying to find his buddy and hug or slap some sense into him. devastated by the loss of their buddies, The group, soon to be called "aBANDoned", focused on the task at hand....getting their scaly traveling companion back to Sundany and updating Reginald on the events at the beach.   As per usual however, they were distracted by the first sound they encountered....weirdly however, the sound was that of an older human coughing and chocking on some mushrooms. After meeting the fellow, named Seva, the group decided, after some pushing from Fainn, driven by empathy and compassion, to take him in, maybe attempting to fill in the void left by their past travellers.   Finally making it to town late at night, the group barged into the longhouse, waking up Reginald and handing over the captive. Mentioning the fact the merfolk were transporting some sort of root however, did not seem to ring any bells. planning on a night cap before bed, the group made their way over to the inn. However, their early night in was interrupted by an unexpected performance by a new arrival to town. Ambrose, a magically performing, traveling musician who seemed to also be one of the bought convicts who was drawn by the groups adventuring look and quickly applied to join in an attempt to reduce his boredom to a level where he is no longer willing to slit his wrists.   taking in another stray, replenishing their numbers back to the status quo, the group had a few drinks and turned in, getting ready for their planned travel to Hearthstead come morning.

Session 9: Hunter Hunted

As the group camped a mile west of the Merfolk encampment, planning on a long rest, unbeknownst to our band of convicts, the night would hold a great many mystery. As IP and Fenara were holding watch, the sounds coming from the camp changed. As if the merfolk were leaving. Waking up Nora, her and IP went to take a look and saw a very large band of merfolk cleaning up camp and returning to the sea. returning to the camp to tell the others what they discovered, the duo were followed by a scouting party who had kept quiet for most only to be revealed at the last second by a well executed Fairie Fire by Fenara. After dealing with the scouting party and holding 2 of them captive the group started interrogating the apparently common speaking Merfolk leader. However at some point during the interrogation 2 interesting things would happen: The merfolk seemed to recognize the previously unfamiliar mark Fainn currently wears on her back, being not to pleased about it being on her and Jorg would unwillingly reveal to have some ulterior motives even unbeknownst to snuggles. Using his ability to disappear and quickly make his exit, the group currently finds itself baffled by the series of events, clasping for answers and clarity. will daylight carry with it the much needed answers to their riddles? or will fate have even more questions and doubt in store?

Session 8: The heavens and The Deep

After dealing with the band of merfolk, the group planned their next course of action after talking to Reginald, deciding on visiting the nearby merfolk encampment and questioning them as to why Village got raided. However, fate and the will of a strange but powerful entity, would soon meddle with these plans. before departing, the group planned on taking a test for the day and leaving at evening's fall, spending the day in town, stocking up and prepping their trip. things went well, until Fainn decided on having a quick chat with Sêlune. entering what can only be described as a sort of religious trance, Fainn was visited by a being who offered her guidance....and later what seemed to be power, in exchange for Loyalty. unwavering, relentless loyalty. After first denying, resulting in suffocation to the point of losing consciousness and ending up branded, in a forest and later questioning, resulting in the burning of a limb fainn is now followed by a cloacked figure only she seems to notice and can interact with. what is this being? what does the cloak represent? and how does this all connect?

Session 7: The Way back

As the Group returned to Sundany and briefly past a traveling fight club, later named The Goblin fight club, they made their way back and were greeted with open arms. after learning about their week off and planning their free time, the town's bells rang, warning the town's folk and our group of convicts of a band of merfolk raiding the town. seems like holiday is cut short.

Session 6: The End of the beginning

As the group cleaned house in the shadowcloud encampment, starting with a few very hallucinogenic dreams and visions, they found what they were looking for and killed the previous owner, Markus. Collecting their required point for the week, but probably missing their deadline, the road back will be filled with fulfilment, uncertainty and doubt. as the lingering visions still way heavy on some of their hearts and minds, answering some questions but also, getting even more questions....what will the future hold for our band of ex convicts?

Session 5: How to flirt with a Reborn 101

As the party left The Shadowcloud Encampment, various plans were discussed on what to do next. Running out of any good plans, fast and pretty much landing on either a massacre or expecting the leader of a rebel organisation to simply hand back the trinket they had stolen from the very settlement they're working AGAINST, Fainn attempted a last-ditch effort to persuade the men inside of the camp, they had recently talked to, by flirting with them.   The plan started out rough but took a turn for the better when she decided to add some magic to the conversation and managed to charm the 2 guards. Sadly, unbeknownst to her however, these 2 had a higher-up. Trying to get all the information she needed, she accepted the invitation to add this man, Markus, to the talks, which would prove to be a critical error.   After waiting for Fainn for half an hour, tensions started to rise outside, as the group were getting very worried about their missing member. Deciding on knocking on the gate and see whats going on, it quickly became clear things were not alright. Immediately taking action the group stormed the encampment, getting inside and starting to clear the front gardens and getting into the building. a hard-fought battle ensued taking some casualties on both sides, however, the team got the upper hand and knocked down the doors of the building!   making quick work of the seemingly unprepared guards inside the main hall, and applying some very interesting interrogation techniques by Nora, blasting the the blue haired Halfling who had brought them food less than an hour ago with an edrich blast and pretty much evaporating the left half of its upper body, our band of ex convicts have now laid claim to the entrance of the building and have learned their lost teammate is upstairs, guarded by who knows how many guards are left in the encampment.   What will be their next course of action? what are the shadowcloud planning to do about this intrusion? and most importantly, how is Fainn doing?

Journals

• Session 5 Nora

Session 4: violence....or biscuits?

after dispatching the goblins and none turning into childeren after their demise, the group gathered up the spoils of battle and felt quite good about it....yet not so much their weekly timeframe. taking their time planning their next steps, the team decided that the one logic choice was to make their way to the stormcloud encampment. their reasoning however was twofold. seeing as the encampment seemed to be the only way, other than physical labor, to reach their target, it was the obvious choice. however, due to the passings of the previous days, they have become quite weary of their new hosts and seeing as the encampment seems to be Sundany's previous citizens and experiments....they might know a way to get these marks of their arm and have more information about their new hosts. making their way over to the encampment, plans of how to get into the camp started to form and were discussed among the pack. turns out, walking in seemed to be the best plan! making their aquaintance, the band were invited in by 2 humans who shared a resemblance with one of their own. Who are these rebels? how did they get rid of their seals? and why are they worth such a large reward to the sundanians?

Journals

• Session 4 Nora

Session 3: goblins and werebears

If first impressions are as important as they say, fainn should definately cross a name of her friendslist....if she would have gotten a name that is....her first contact with the strangely familiar halfling did not exactly go as planned, resulting in reginald running interference after fainn attempted to read the womans mind. As the group made their way through the forests of the typhoon islands, looking for goblins they encountered an enormous bear, which turned out to be a werebear Who, after killing it....or...him...reverted back to his human form. Upon returning to the Village the villages seemed unaware of any such activities in the surrounding forests, although some seemed to be lees truthfull than others. Concluding their investigation, the group returned to the last known site of the goblin infestation, although they seemed to have moved on. Luckily mr. Snuggles sense of smell largely outskills the stealthyness of a horde of goblins. Following the trail the goblins left behind, a small tree was deemed a perfect hiding spot for the small goblins, only to be rooted out by our very own shelock holmes, shaking the tree until the creature tumbled out of the tree like a ripe Apple on a warm sunny Day. Sadly however, this also alerted the rest of the horde, resulting in the group being surrounded.

Journals

• Session 3 Nora

Session 2: welcome to The Typhoon Isles

As the long boat ride from the clay cuffs to the typhoon Isles came to a close, the vessel was besieged by a group of merefolk, who were quickly dealt with by Reginald and his crew, who mentioned these "raids" were becoming a common affair. Once on the island and in possession of a few merefolk scales and some fish filets, the ex convicts were given 15min to explore the town and headed straight for the nearest bar where they met a few interesting characters. Afterwards they made their way to the longhouse, where they were explained what exactly is expected of them. 50 points a week, every week, for as long as deemed nessessary, doing community work and helping out the town. Although exact punishment for failure was loosely skipped, they were, however, branded with some sort of mark, which the group quickly realised came in 3 colors and, at the very least, had a burning sensation when any of them tried to lie. Later that day, At his request, the lady of the town attempted to use her powers to find out what exactly Mr snuggles was made of, resulting in a small explosion and what would appear to be some significant marking and scarring of the lady's hand and arm. Leaving the longhouse the group passed a long-haired, female, redhead halfling, well dressed and armed to the teeth, entering the longhouse. Thinking none of it, the group moved on but as fainn passed the individual, a strange familiarity passed over her, she hasn't felt in.... Well.... Ever.   Who is this stranger? What happened to the lady's arm and why? Will they achieve their weekly goal? And what actually happens if they don't?

Journals

• Session 2 Nora

Session 1: The Clay Cuffs...And how not to be there!

As new prisoners arrived on the gods forsaken island, named The Clay Cuffs, new and old inmates were drawn and whisked off to a place unknown for reasons just as curious. A group of inmates were sold off to the highest bidder, A dwarf named Reginald who says to be part of a community local to The Typhoon Island who are currently working on a program in which they buy slaves and prisoners and offer them a second chance in society, as a sort of social experiment. will the sold inmates manage to start anew? will the islands truly be a haven for people down on their luck? who is this Reginald? and while on the topic of who....who are all these inmates?

Journals

• We're ON A BOAT again on our way to Sundany Iefyr
• Session 1 Nora
• Session 2 Nefertiri

Prologue: The Fair Mistake

15th of Lathandos, Tiras 23 SL   As news finally manages to travel from beyond the unexplored lands of The Magician's Veil, The world has set it's sights on it. Tales of centuries old wizards and devouring lost souls may frighten most, but the brave and foolish dare to breach The Veil for the first time in ages. While adventurers and king's alike plan on the colonisation of these untapped, wealthy lands, life beyond The Veil maintains it's "iceberg" society. Strong and beautiful on the surface but dangerous, crumbling and burrowing deep.   As the descendants of The First Races rule these lands, some successful, some less, both mortal and elemental issues seem to erupt all over the world. Cults of dread and sorrow seem to be growing, new clans plan to rise to prominance and the land itself seems to be provoked by the very presence of the unleashed magical residue of the lifted Veil.   An adventuring ship named "The Exploring Paddler", on it's way to The Magician's Veil, recently got shipwrecked on the reef surrounding the mainland. a searching voyage by the Violet Hold, looking for any survivors, revealed no survivors on the wreckage, however it did allow the capture of the notorious pirate ship "The Floating Pecker"! some aboard the ship claimed to be surviors of the "Exploring Paddler", although they were unable to provide any proof of it. The captured pirates are arriving shortly on "The Clay Cuffs", The Hold's criminal labour islands. Here, the criminals will be sorted and processed for physical labour or soul realignment.   Land Ahoy!!