February 2020

Circle of monks. 'Meat for the Machine'. Dancing. Thin ribbons of light. Necromancer on palanquin. Carried by zombies - taut skin, darkened. Gold finery.

Ribbons of light begin to form images as it stretches.

Huge elven trees. 50 metres acroos. Hundreds tall. Starting to fill the valley floor. An image of the past. The dance fuels the spell.

6000 years in the past. The Alin floating through the forest. Set upon by Wild Elves. The last of the Alin folds itself into two-dimensions.

Monks heading north.

VISION OF THE PAST - Green light falls from the sky and burns the top of the trees. Huge horn visible in the sky. The top of a staff appears and sweeps down. A fraction of the Horned God.

One of the zombies notices the party. Turns to Necromancer and gestures for silence. Necromancer slumps. Zombie is now an old black woman. (Mama Tet!) Walking stick. Heading toward a hilltop. Turns back "Ghost. Do not hide in the shadow. Approach." to Dwayne.

Party heads toward her. "There's three gaps (hidden by black time), three hedge-whores and three others". Waves cigar in the air, magic symbol appears.

• She wants the name of the 'three others'. Keeps talking about black time. "When he comes back, and he is..."
• "You'll have to excuse the sleeping Dread Children. The Starless Communion, whom I serve."
• "If you want to know where Hollowseens Hall is, and you do..." She takes an Inspiration and 5th and 6th spell slots for 2 long rests.

Mama Tet has the name (Ganymede. One of the male witches used to anchor the others. Slipped into time). Smiles. All can hear the roar of the Time Void. She walks into it.

Ophion appears. Six months into his future. Notices the dwarf resembles Rueben. Dwarf notices engineering of Armour of Televesin, starts to freak out. Party look for a place to rest.

• Essen learned from Mama-Tet
• 6000 years ago, Alin. Ruled 12 other worlds with the Kaarkade. Dolg Karta lost millions to keep the Alin trapped in other realms. Something happened to close the realms.
• Hollowseen Fortress. The home of the Star Warrior, the last of the Dolg Karta. Sunk into the groung and became The Red Fields.
• The surviving non-undead Alin made a deal with the Great Old One, Karsis Cachela. Servant of the Horned Gods.
• The Titans are coming.
• The Horned God is using the Alin to break free from his prison between the spaces.
• The Kaarkade abandoned the Alin.
• The Alin need to get back to this realm for 'something they left behind'.

• • • • NEXT DAY****

Horses approach. Not Helegu. Heavier horses. 12 Outriders from 'Meat for the Machine'. Following tracks, weaving toward the party.

Using druids as hunters in hawk-form. Almost detected Ophion.

Party escapes using 'Pass Without Trace'. Ophion noted Grundarks tattoo matches Ruebens.

Party heads into the deep forest. Noted totems demarking Terethiel Elven v. Helegu boundaries.

• Elves here butchered by the Helegu in the past. Isolated community. Suspicious.

Essen finds correct place to cross into the territory.

Old Elven woman appears, Surifael, garnts entrance to the forest.

• Dwayne 'will lead [us] against the opressors.'
• Ophion is called 'The Ruin of Tethis.' Grundark 'The Slayer'.

Onai appeared three months ago in a sacred grove. Nick and Onai run off together. Onai is the beacon for the owner of the Sapphire Crown.

Craw Wurms are threaded through the forest, co-existing.

Three elves, two women, one man. 'Are you here to look for the owner of the Sapphire Crown (worn by the last Eldar king of Atlantis). Entrusted to the Leodarn elves (family of Heian).

• 'Will you slay the Alin? There have been incursions recently.'
• The only Alin breeding reservoirs are on this world.

THE HISTORY OF THE MULTIVERSE IS EXPLAINED.

• 31 Eldar Gods. 13 from previous universe. 18 from the current.
• Radial Energy 'The Divine Spark'. Only 6 are awake. Need at least 7 to maintain reality.
• Alin tried to conquer this world. Resisted by the Kaarkade.
• The last Atlantis was destroyed by an allegience of the Old Ones. A large force of Titans. Uber-level spells, Apocalypse-class artifacts were used against the Titans.
• Tethis is a Titan. Ruled over the Janto. Physically destroyed. Connected to the Janto via dreams, possible conduit to Tethis' return.

The gnome notices three crystal shards, spinning behind the elvish delegation. Goes to steal a ring from one (Ring of Air Elemental Command). Ophion and Essen notice. O tries Tarsha's Hideous Laughter and fails. Essen 'trips' forward. Gnome uses distraction to steal ring. Ophion's tail creeps over the gnome's shoulder. One of O's sister's appears in the armour.

Party heads south toward Hollowseens Fortress. Essen casts 'Divination' asking "What are we supposed to find at the Fortress?"

• Six ruby bright specks of light moving in the dark, three on each side. Hear a flock of birds flying overhead, feathers dropping. A 'Day of the Dead' mask of green, filled with flowers.
• The three Witch Queens. Hollowseen Fortress is were the original ritual to steal Hecate's spark took place. Teresia linked herself to this place.

• • TWO WEEK LATER**

Arrive at the Red Fields, avoiding armies. At night, can see the undead.

As climbing the top, an army of ghostly warriors (AC 11. INI 11) rise from the ground to attack. Resistant to non-magical attacks. Immune to cold, necrotic and poison. Resistant acid, lightning, thunder, fire.

Grimbelnock (gnome) hits one for 33. Grundark starts glowing due to Ancestral Axe and attacks. Destroys previously wounded ghost. Dwayne attacks next, followed by Essen casting Sunbeam. Destroys 2 ghosts. Ophion destroys 1 with Firebolt.

Final ghost casts Horrifying Visage. All bar Essen fail. Grimbilnock kills it.

END SESSION