Act I, Session 6

Settings

Starting Setting

Ext. The Untrodden Spires, Central Vranic Empire, The Great Continent, Prime Material, Kurra - Afternoon (several hours after the start of last session)

Ending Setting

Ext. The Yard, The Fringe, Throne, Vranic Empire, The Great Continent, The Prime Material, Kurra - Evening (about two days elapsed)

Other Setting

• Ext. A Campsite, North of the Spires - Sunset to Sunrise of the first day of the session
• Ext. The Great Forest, Central Vranic Empire - Afternoon, Day Two of the session.
• Int. Block E, The Fringe - Late Afternoon and Evening of the Second Day

Characters

Block E - Team 1

• Abeni/Ekundayo Laramar (codename: “McFriendley”)
  
• Lottie (codename: Henrietta/Spider One)
  
• Molar/Squawk (codename: Bork)
  
• Persephone (codename: Artie)
  
• Rattigan (codename: Rodento)
  

Prison Staff

• Walt
• Dump
• The Quartermaster
• The three guards detailed to Block E by Walt
• Thema (The Block F Jailer)
• Celeste

The Caravaners

• Karos
  
• Rex
  

Block E - Team 2

• Ginger
• Lan and Lannary
• Grayson

Other Characters

Thulene/Akarathulene

Queen Theomene of the Great Forest

Quests

All: Survive the Fringe
All: Find a way out (either buying their freedom or escape)
All: Find more information about the Raven Man
All: Escort whatever the caravan is transporting to Throne
All: Regain Dump’s confidence in Team 1
Molar: Get ready for the raid on the Fringe in six weeks

Rewards

• All: Level 5
  
• All: 450 Prisoner Points
  
• Molar: A sentient jeweled frog named Thomas
• Molar: One vial of Gorgon blood
• Molar: Two vials of Hobgoblin blood
• Molar: Shortsword of Cold.
• Rattigan: +1 Quarterstaff became a +1 Sling-staff
• Rattigan: 5 small wooden items
• Rattigan: Amulet of Druid Craft.
• Rattigan: Burning Spyglass.
• Abeni: Three potent poisons and four painful poisons
• Abeni: Padded Undershirt of the Prodigy.
• Abeni: Gaming Dice of Trickery.

  Super TL;DR   TL;DR

Ext. The Untrodden Spires, Central Vranic Empire, The Great Continent, Prime Material, Kurra - Afternoon (several hours after the start of last session)

Team 1 escorted the caravan north out of the Spires by the onset of the evening. Lottie impressed Karos with how fast she navigated them through the many twists and turns of the spires. Walt was already planning their route through the fields to the Grand Forest to complete their handoff of the caravan to the Elves. Lottie begged Walt to know if they were there yet but he replied it would probably be another full day of travel before the handoff.   After a few more hours of travel, Karos pulled the waggon to the side of the road to rest for the night.  

Ext. Team 1’s Campsite, North of the Spires - Evening

  The members of the caravan went about their routines to settle in for the evening. Every so often a groundhog or marmot passed through the camp and into Rattigan’s tent. Every so often, Rattigan walked the perimeter of the camp, sniffing for any signs of Hobgoblins or the like. Off to the side of the camp, Molar inspected the bag she previously snatched from the cargo hold to find a frog made of gemstones and a scroll that said ‘please take care of Thomas.’ Abeni carefully prepared the last of their thick, dark red poisons and waited for a time when they could put their plan into motion.  

Ext. Team 1’s Campsite, North of the Spires - Around Midnight

  Around midnight, Walt ended his shift and Molar took over the watch. Nothing happened externally but Abeni took advantage of the other’s rest and Molar’s willingness to undermine the Empire to launch their plan. Abeni recruited Rattigan and Molar to help break into the chest of vials that they had previously seen.   Molar tried to pick the lock but failed twice. Rattigan was able to get into the chest by delicately pushing out the wooden pin from its wooden hinges then lift the back of the chest up. Rattigan had to hold the very heavy wooden lid the whole time that Abeni went about their work.   Abeni knew that if they removed any of the vials, an alarm would sound so they tried to add their poison while the tubes remained in place. On their first attempt, they used a wooden stick to mix the poison into the Gorgon blood. When the stick petrified, Abeni got some of the blood on their fingers which petrified their left middle and ring fingers. They quickly cast Lesser Resteration on their fingers which stopped the spread but did not return their fingers to their normal state.   While they worked, Molar made a deft sleight of hand to swap one of the vials of Gorgon blood with a vial filled with water. She held in her hand Gorgon Blood iteration 1535, batch 41. It didn’t set off any of the alarms and she quickly stashed it on her person.   Abeni had an easier time poisoning the second vial of Gorgon blood and didn’t get any of it on themselves. However, when the arrow that they used to stir the solution petrified and met their petrified fingers, they instantly felt a presence in their head. They could sense a pair of eyes staring at them and then a voice that said that it ‘had been so long’ and that it ‘wanted to help everyone.’ But then the voice dissipated with no ability to contact it and no signs of a corporeal presence.   With two of the three dark blood vials now poisoned and Molar in possession of one of the iterations of Gorgon blood, the three agreed it was a good time to put things back as they were. They did so without raising any of the alarms or suspicion from Walt. By that time, the sun began to crest over the horizon which meant that Abeni suffered a point of exhaustion while Rattigan didn’t get a full rest but slept enough not to be exhausted.   Abeni went back to their tent to appear as if they had slept through the night. They did their best to examine their two petrified fingers. They realized that the blood that they touched must have been stronger than normal, more potent than anything they had come into contact before.  

Ext. Team 1’s Campsite, North of the Spires - Dawn (the next day)

  Dump made breakfast for the camp to start off the next morning. Molar observed that he didn’t eat from the food that he prepared but instead munched on a piece of toast with Vegemite. The caravaners went about their normal morning routines and by early-mid morning started out on the road once more.  

Ext. The Road to the Great Forest, South of the Great Forest - Later

  As the terrain became more hilly and wooded, the entire caravan heard the roar of a Cyclops which burst onto the road behind the waggon followed by a Bearded Devil and an Umberhulk. Karros whipped the horses into a sprint as their pursuers followed closely behind. A sort of running battle between the Caravaners and the Hobgoblins (via their bestial soldiers) ensued at break-neck pace along the road.   In the ensuing battle, Molar struck the Cyclops with an arrow laced with one dose of the Potion of Stupidity; the Cyclops immediately got confused, attacked and killed the Beareded Devil as it ran along side the carriage. On the Cyclops’ first turn, it slammed into the carriage with its great club, seemingly beheading Molar in the process. The caravaners watched in horror as Molar’s Kinku head bounded down the road behind the carriage while her body ostensively hung limply from the side of the carriage. Those who could see Molar saw that the head was part of a costume and that an ashen Elf with one red and one blue eye emerged from the hole where Molar’s ‘head’ once was.   The force of the club’s impact also threw Persephone and Rattigan from the top of the waggon; luckily for them, Dump’s constructs caught them and ran along side the carriage so that they were not left behind.   During the battle the female Hobgoblin whom Molar suspected was their leader, flew on a floating disk along side the carriage directing their forces. The battle went back and forth for a bit, with Percy suffering serious wounds from the Umberhulk and the Hobgoblin. Molar shot an arrow with an improvised explosive attached to it at the Hobgoblin which detonated right in her face. After the blast, it seemed as if the Hobgoblin was gone but the other creatures still pursued the carriage.   Percy tried to cast Chaos Bolt on the Cyclops but her magic malfunctioned and cast Lightning Bolt on it instead. It struck true, in the center of the Cyclops’ chest killing it with one powerful clap of lightning. The Cyclops fell on the Umberhulk which removed it from the battle as well.   With the last remaining enemy now dead, Karros slowed the waggon to a stop further down the road to assess the damage. Abeni made the rounds mending minor injuries and casting Healing Hands on those with more severe ones. Rattigan and Lottie helped Rex and Kerros mend the damage enough to get the waggon rolling once more.   The group also got to take in the true form of Molar for the first time since they came to the fringe. She said that the whole time they had been at the fringe they wore a suit. Lottie was completely unconvinced that this was the actual Molar and continued to believe the real Molar was dead for quite some time.   Before they left, Percy felt ill so she wandered off of the roadway and into the nearby trees with Abeni following behind at a respectable distance to ensure her safety. Percy immediately saw the Hobgoblin woman from before and yelled out to the rest of Team 1. Team 1 quickly cornered the Hobgoblin matron. She said that she only wanted to get back what belonged to the Blood Mother and nothing more. The Blood Mother is a powerful vampire and the patron of the Hobgoblin’s clan. She said the blood was the Blood Mother’s property and wanted it back. When the Hobgoblin threatened to pursue them to the ends of the world if they did not give it back, Molar rushed forward and slit the Hobgoblin’s throat. The Hobgoblin’s dying words were “she’ll come for you.”   Now suspicious of everybody and everything, Lottie tried to remove the mask she believed the Hobgoblin wore. After pulling on the Hobgoblin’s face a few times, its head lulled backward and showered Lottie with blood from the gaping neck wound. Molar took a few vials of the Hobgoblin’s blood but did not give a reason when asked by her friends. Walt took the Hobgoblin’s body with them so that Nurse Maddie could examine it for abnormalities or signs of vampirism back at the Fringe.   With the carriage fixed up and all business seemingly attended to, the caravan limped northward to their final destination.  

Ext. Near a Large Arboreal Archway, The Great Forest - Afternoon (about four hours later)

  Some time later, the caravan came to a large archway over the road made from living trees. Just beyond the archway dozens of Elves seemingly awaited their arrival. At their forefront was a striking Elven woman with a pair of antlers growing out of her head. The woman was also very pregnant with what she said later was another set of twins.   Walt addressed the woman as Queen Theomene and announced that they had the cargo which she was to secure. She asked why the carriage was so damaged and Walt conveyed the great effort that went into delivering its contents.   Queen Theomene asked of her children, Lannasil and Lannary, who were held captive in the Fringe. Walt said that they were fine and under his care. Abeni telepathically asked the Queen if she had anything which needed to be passed on to them; the Queen responded aloud to tell her children that another pair of twins would be joining them soon. Abeni telepathically asked the Queen if the blood was for them and the Queen again answered aloud that they have no need for such frivolities.   Molar conveyed that Lannery was beginning to have menses and and asked if the Queen had any words to help her daughter. The Queen said that she had no words but asked Molar to deliver her about a pound of sheep’s wool to help with her needs.   Percy asked if she could stay with the Queen in this land but the Queen said no. The Queen called Percy an ‘outworlder’ and said that she smelled of another world. Percy asked if the Queen knew how to get off of this plane but the Queen knew not how. When Percy asked if the Queen knew of Akarathulene, the Queen became angry or possibly scared of Percy. The Queen said that Akarathulene was not welcome back here unless she brought salvation for this world with her.   The Queen then addressed Abeni. She said they smelled of ‘the Blue’ and warned them about the dangers of it speaking to them.   The Queen then walked over to Walt. She said that his father was a fool and he was just as much so. She knew that his wife was missing and implied he should be out looking for her. The words seemed to be pointed and the situation between them tense before Dump interrupted.   Dump asked the Queen if they were ready for the hand-off; she said her people were ready and waiting. So Rex and Karros bade Team 1 farewell and safe travels on the road ahead. The two then drove the waggon onward escorted by the contingent of twenty Elves led by the Queen.  

Ext. The Great Forest, Central Vranic Empire - About Five Minutes Later

  The carriage only made it about a few minutes into the Queen’s realm when Rattigan, who was asleep in the carriage during the handoff, burst from the back of the moving waggon. The Queen’s guard mistook the shabby Human for an aggressor and held their spears quickly to his throat.   Luckily, before they teleported back to the Fringe, Abeni noticed that Rattigan was not with them. Walt ran in the direction of the Elves followed closely behind by Team 1. Lottie outran Walt and caught up with the waggon just as the Elves held their spears to Rattigan’s throat. Walt cleared up any confusion and took Rattigan back with him to the realm’s gate and bade the caravan continue onward.   Now with the team accounted for, Dump created a portal back to the Fringe’s armory. Molar tried to memorize the runes that Dump used but only got about half of them before the portal opened. Before they went through Dump delivered his verdict on the efficacy of Team 1: a B-. Dump said that he enjoyed working with them and also that he would ask if several (Lottie in particular) of the team wanted to transfer to Block A to be under his supervision until their eventual release. Although a nice gesture, Lottie chose to stay under Walt’s care in Block E. With that, Dump ushered all of Team 1 plus Walt through the portal and back to the Fringe  

Int. The Armory, The Fringe - Continuous

  Team 1 found themselves instantly back in the familiar equipping room of the Fringe’s armory. They also felt the familiar click of the second light of their collars turning on and removing all traces of their magical powers. When Persephone’s turned on, Clip vanished mid-sentence.   Dump rewarded the Team with 450 Prisoner Points and said he would deliver his report to the Warden soon. According to the Quartermaster, by the time Team 1 returned to the Fringe, several new changes were under way. Walt and Dump had to go to a meeting with Marg to go over the changes while Team 1 was escorted back to Block E.  

Int. Block E, The Fringe - Shortly Later

  Team 1 returned to great enthusiasm from Team 2. Abeni gifted Ginger a quarter pound of tobacco leaves from their supply. Molar gave Lannary her feminine products and the pound of wool her mother asked to deliver.   When they were away, the Warden proclaimed that there would be a new block, Block F, that would function as solitary confinement. There was also to be a prison summit with all of the block wardens, Marguyle and a representative of the Emperor in a few days time.  

Int. Block E, The Fringe - Sometime Later

  After the commotion of Team 1’s return died down, life in the Block returned to what passed as normal. Walt returned to brief the block after his meeting. He told the block of the updates to the prison that he knew.   As he spoke, a Dwarven woman with purple hair, dressed in a warden’s uniform came into the block. Walt said that her name was Temma and she was the daughter of his former governess. She seemed mostly normal but when she left, Walt said that she was a cruel woman who was abused by her mother and took that abuse out on others. With that Walt left to get the evening meal together.

Int. Block E, The Fringe - Later

  Walt returned with a hearty meal for his block. He even brought a box of the odds and ends left over from cutting chocolate. The Block enjoyed the meal and being back with their friends in Team 2.   After the meal, Molar said that she had to talk to Walt. Walt said that the chocolate made Molar feel sick and took her out to the yard to recover.  

Ext. The Yard, The Fringe - Continuous

  Molar asked Walt if he could pass along the teleporter sigils so the Revolutionaries could use them to enter the Fringe from the inside. They also talked about a plan to drug the guard’s water with Molar’s remaining Potions of Stupidity.   After some more plotting, Walt thanked Molar for the information then dropped the illusion. ‘Walt’ was actually Celeste using a very powerful illusion spell to disguise herself. She knew that she had leverage over Molar and threatened to expose her if she did not cooperate.   Molar reacted by uncorking the vial of Gorgon blood they had then threw it in Celeste’s face. The blood worked quickly and began to fully petrify Celest. That was until Celeste said ‘Transfiguration, Form 2’ and revealed her true self: an Astral Elf.. She said that she needs Molar to get information about the Undercroft and she will let Molar’s little breakout happen; if she does not cooperate she will expose the plan to the other wardens. That is where the session ended for the night.