Adventure Summaries

Summary:

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Session 1 -  Introductions: Cubed

Session 2-3 - The Eternal Boundary: Part 1 and 2

Session 4 - A Short Climb up the Infinite Stairs

Session 5 - A Simple Deed: Well Rewarded!

Session 6 - Yule Log Tidings

Introductions Cubed:

Planes Visited: "Acheron," Sigil Our intrepid adventurers meet for the first time, and having been accepted into membership with the Finder's Society, enter into a Sensorium experience. In this memory-recreation, they experience a simulation of the battlefields of Acheron, wherein they fight for their lives against bladelings, minotaurs, and tana'rukk moments before another Acheron Cube smashes into their own.

Here they meet The Professor and Sir Edwin Indignous. 

The Eternal Boundary: 

Planes Visited: Sigil, The Plane of Fire
Source Material: "The Eternal Boundary, module."  Our heroes find themselves embroiled in a mystery: Within the Hive, bubbers, barmies, and Clueless are going missing. The chant is someone is lurking around attacking from the shadows, offing the poor sods.

Even more barmy, the bodies are found without a mark on them, and are carted off to the Mortuary, business-as-usual.

But as the heroes continue their investigations, they discover the secret truth: These berks are coming back from the dead with all knew identities. Each one claims to have had a "holy" experience that transformed them.

During their adventures, they come into conflict with a half-elf calling himself the Shadowknave; not to mention the normal bouts of madness that go on daily in the Hive.

Ultimately the heroes learn that a Dustman named Torrana is in league with this Shadowknave, accepting these barmies and bubbers into the Mortuary and sending them on their way.

The heroes eventually sneak into the Mortuary, posing as mourners. Through their investigations, they find that Torrana is sending these poor sods into one of the standard cremation pits that leads to the Plane of Fire, but lo and behold, they're actually being sent to an old Efreet fortress within the Plane!

The heroes bravely enter the fortress and bluff their way through, posing as mercenaries. They learn the villains are taking the bubbers and barmies, deceiving them with flashy magic and posing as deities, telling them to return to Sigil and infiltrate the Factions.

Here they learn some basher known as the Green Marvent is behind the whole scheme. The heroes blow their cover when they demand an audience with the Marvent himself, not realizing that the Marvent never shows himself and operates only with scrying devices.

This leads to a deadly conflict on the castle grounds, overlooking the Plane of Fire. Ultimately the PCs succeed, and sabotage a gemstone that powers a protective field shielding the keep from the deadly heat of the Plane of Fire.

A Short Climb up the Infinite Stairs:

Planes Visited: Sigil, the Outlands, Ysgard, The Infinite Staircase
Source Material: "Tales from the Infinite Staircase" 

Our heroic Cutters are sent on a simple mission by Voss Raskvald: contact the Planewalker's Sect. The Planewalkers are a loose knit guild of planar adventurers who have a semi-permanent basecamp on the Infinite Staircase. In particular Voss wishes the PCs to contact a wizard named Oriam, in hopes the Planewalkers and the Finder's Society can come to an information sharing agreement.

They will need to travel to Ysgard and enter the Gate of the Moon to find the Staircase.

Our heroes travel to the Outlands and onto the Gatetown of Glorium. Bartley Cubbins briefly interacts with a tribe of bariaur, but is somewhat distressed to learn that the bariaur he once called friend has been gone for some fifty-years. Where has the time flown?

After securing passage to Ysgard in Glorium, they arrive at the Gate of the Moons, the palace of the moon goddess Selune. They win favor with the guardian Lillendi by offering them a poem crafted by Sensates.

They enter into the Staircase and soon find the Planewalker's basecamp. After speaking with the minotaur Hav'run Thain, our brave Bashers learn that their would-be contact, Oriam, has gone missing in an region of the Staircase called the Area of Blue Mushrooms. 

Our heroes travel up the stairs to investigate. They encounter several other doorways that lead to (apparently), a forgotten cellar in The Abyss, the Feydark, and a mysterious realm filled with squid-like imagery. No'na refuses to venture into the Feydark and Kyrda is mortified of the other doorway. Quickly they move on.

Soon they discover that the Area of Blue Mushrooms has been assaulted by something extremely powerful, entire sections of the staircase have been damaged or torn apart. While investigating, they are attacked by Phase Spiders. 

After dealing with the spiders and moving past the web, they encounter a deadly warrior who assaults them along with a dozen Manes. The warrior claims to be the "chosen of Gerrzog. After defeating these beings, they search the warrior and discover Ysgardian crafted weapons and armor, and a strange cube that can be made to grow to larger size.

They soon thereafter encounter Shavanistra, a barmy wizard who claims to have been the lover of Oriam. it doesn't take the heroes long to realize she's completely addle-cove. It seems she attempted to summon the Glabrezu to impress Oriam and everything went awry.  

They climb up further, and find enormous damage and wreckage, and powerful tanar'ri (A Glabrezu) who has carved himself a throne. After Shavanistra foolishly tries to banish the tanar'ri (and dies in the process), the PCs retreat to contemplate their options.

First Kyrda, destroys the gate leading to the strange squid-realm using the cube.

Then they decide to bait the Tanar'ri and use the cube to try to smash his makeshift throne area (which is inherently unstable). Barring that, they will try to lure him into the Abyss doorway.

The heroes succeed in causing the Tanar'ri's throne area collapse under the weight of the cube, and down tumbles Gerrzog.

They discover Oriam soon-thereafter, who had been using invisibility magic to stay hidden from the tanar'ri. He is grateful for the PCs' timely rescue and agrees to help them.

A Simple Deed, Well Rewarded!

Planes Visited: The Infinite Stair Case, the World Serpent Inn, The Abyss, Sigil, the Outlands, the Beastlands, Mechanus, the Feywild, the Gray Waste, Carceri.
Source Material: "excerpts from Tales from the Outer Planes, module." 

Such a simple quest! The PCs, while visiting the Planewalkers on the Infinite Staircase, encounter an addle-coved jester who goes by the name Merriam Wileysmile. This Wileysmile seems to trigger a memory in Bartley, and Bartely recalls that Merriam saved his life while in the Astral from a terrible Astral Storm.

Merriam now begs Bartley for help, but he promises it will be a "Simple Deed, and Well Rewarded!"

First they travel from the Staircase to the World Serpent Inn, and there enjoy the relaxing atmosphere, strange food and beverages, and even a "time fly" that plays with temporal expectations. This is where Merriam explains that a dancing contest in Bytopia went all wrong, and now he has been geased by the infamous Red Shroud. The heroes reluctantly agree to help.

"Well, at least it's not like we're going to the Abyss!" - No'na

From here the PCs enter into the top lair of the Abyss, and the former Gatetown of Broken Reach. They enter the court of Red Shroud who has little patience for them (and a bit of psychic damage for No'na). She told them that she desired a black dog with a green tongue like flame for breeding purposes with her own hounds. She says that assuredly for such "resourceful adventurers" as our heroes, it should be a "simple deed."

The heroes returned then to the Infinite Staircase via the portal they found from the last adventure in the abandoned Cellar. From there they returned to Sigil (save for Wileysmile, who claimed he had problems with the "Ladies"). After conferring with their mentors and doing a little research, they realized the answer could only be a Hound of the Hunt, of the Wild Hunt.

They entered the realm of Tir na nOg and began to search for the Wild Hunt. They found it and ran with the Hunt, eventually chasing down a Devourer, Wights, and Vorr Hounds (aka, Shadow Hounds). After a fierce battle, they emerged victorious and the Master of the Hunt (evidently speaking through his four-horned, giant stag) gave them audience.

After some parley, the heroes agreed to do a task for the Master of the Hunt: A being known as Raven had tricked him out of his Spear. He asked them to get it back. Surely, a simple deed.

The Master of the Hunt opened a portal to the Beastlands from a standing circle of stones (using a raven feather as a Gate Key). There the heroes soon encountered a giant tree, covered in shiny-bits. A very large raven questioned them about their purpose here, and soon thereafter they were carried to the top of the tree where they met Raven, the Animal Lord of Ravens and Crows.

Raven explained he didn't steal the spear, merely wagered with the Master of the Hunt. But he now states he is bored with it, so he will give it to the PCs after they perform a "simple deed" for him. He says that he covets the Princess Asteria an Archfey of the Gloaming Court. A year ago, her consort abandoned her, and she is now seeking new suitors. To gain her favor, he wants to give her a gift, a glowing, star-shaped crystal from the Plane of Mechaus.

He uses the Spear to tear open a gate to Mechanus, and tells them to hurry. They enter Mechanus and find the crystal (along with many others) suspended in strange machinery, but realize simply taking it will probably alarm the modrons. Filth uses ooze abilities to "dirty up" the crystal, and when Modrons arrive to replace it, the PCs bargain for the old one. Narrowly, the PCs are able to argue their cause for "efficiency", and the Modrons give them the "defective" crystal.

Taking it back to Raven, he then opens a portal to the Feywild, namely the Gloaming Courts and the Palace of Princess Asteria. There the PCs are left to mingle with a large fey party while the Raven, now morphed into "Tom Hiddleston", attempts to woo the Princess. Here Filth meets a Water Genasi named Undina and soggy sparks fly; Kyrda learns about the "Sylva" (quote, "We're new!"), and Barltey, flexing at a male centaur, soon engages him in *ahem*... "a race" (giving new definitions to race-relations!).

Meanwhile No'na, striking out with the party-goers, ends up talking with a "Shae", or a "Shadow-Fey" spy named Virinia. She explains there is more to the Princess and her lost lover, but she will not discuss it here.

Kyrda "reminds" the Raven to give them the Spear, and with the Spear in hand, they attempt to open a portal... bringing them to the Outlands and Tir Na nOg (so that they can return the weapon to the Master of the Hunt).

Virinia steps through with them, and here she explains that the Princess' lover was a Shadow-Fey named Glanion, and their relationship kept the tenuous peace between the Shadow Court and the Gloaming Court. Because this relationship was controversial, Virinia explains that meddlers from the Summer Courts caused Glanion to believe Asteria was unfaithful. After he left, he was coaxed to Gloomwrought by none other than the Raven, who tricked him into crossing the Harmonium. 

Now Glanion is in the Vault, a prison run by both Harmonium and Mercykillers inside the plane of Carceri.

After sending Virinia back, they confront the Jester and he comes clean about being a Proxy for the god Olidamarra, the Laughing God. He tells them he is familiar with the Vault and shows them a floorplan.

Kyda tests the power of the Spear by opening a small portal, and believes she can open a portal to Carceri. Merriam warns her that Carceri is treacherous, and such an act might be dangerous, but he knows another way there, through the Gray Waste.

Reluctantly, they travel to the Gray Waste and the Lodestones of Misery - perhaps the source for all of the Gloom of the "Three Glooms". Before the obelisks drive them all barmy, Merriam cuts his hand and splashes it on the 1000 foot high stones. Red runes flash up and down their length, and a red portal appears...

The portal takes them to an overlook that heads toward The Vault. Here they decide a direct portal to the ward where Glanion is being held. This is a tricky task, but all of the party spends some of their Belief to make it a certainty.

They rescue Glanion, bring him back to the Feywild (Kyrda is beginning to get addicted to the Spear now!), and the Princess and her former lover are reunited. Glanion accuses Raven of his treachery, who flees. The Princess tells them she will reward them with a favor, should they call again, and gives them each a Star-Gem.

They take the Spear back to the Master and the Jester takes the Hound to Red Shroud. Our heroes return to Sigil.

Back at Sigil, they find a note from Raven, telling them he wishes no ill will, and enclosed is a very rare black gem... which is terribly mysterious.

Yule Log Tidings

A month has passed. In this time Kyrda trained with Thelinagra in the Lower Ward, a githzerai master of the Karach. With her aid, Kyrda discovers newfound abilities to control chaos.

Bartley receives a mysterious letter from an old associate, a former crewmate in the Astral Sea, wondering if he is still interested in sailing, and if so, he mentions "Tobart", a "fancy dapper" looking for a first mate and crew.

Filth, now going by the monniker the Lord of Ooze (Loo?), receives a letter from Undina. She claims her father will be sending a caravan to Sigil and she hopes to join to visit him.

No'na learns of some Sigil gossip and engages in various Sensate parties. He ends up with new tattoos as of a result.

Kyrda is then summoned by Keldor, a Factor in the Godsmen. Keldor explains:  “The Yule Log of Ysgard is a fascinating tradition. For 7 days, during the time of their Winter Solstice, they will burn a great log each night, and drink mead and sing praises of their exploits and to their gods. We believe their may be interesting magical properties in these Yule Logs, and would like samples for study here. Retrieve 3 of these logs from three different sources. Obviously, these logs cannot be burned to ashes or they are useless to us. So if you accept this mission, we will provide you a bag of holding.”

After accepting this quest, Kyrda meets with her assembled party at the Society of Gate Finders. Voss Raskvald is a native Ysgardian, so they ask him about the custom:

“Oh yes, the Yule Log. Fine tradition, though I think it is just an excuse for drinking and bragging if you ask me! Be prepared to make bargains and trades, the burning of the log has religious significance so there is risk of offending the gods.

- Warns about:
    - Petitioners (coming back to life, keep fighting. Fortuntaely, Yule Time makes many of them more passive. Hard to tell between actual humans and petitioners, and many humans want to die heroically anyway).
    - The Cold (Cold this time of year, will need winter protection)
    - The Jotun (or giants) sometimes make incursions

The Professor knows of a Portal to the Yggdrassil burg of Crux.

(TRIVIA: The people of Ysgard knew of Nine Realms connected to their plane via Yggdrassil. These were: Asgard, within Ysgard itself (sometimes called Gladsheim, the home of the Aesir, or the gods of this realm); Vanaheim (home of the Vanir), also part of Ysgard; Alfheim (Home of the Light Elves), also in Ysgard; Midgard (The Prime, on the Forgotten Realms a branch touches Ruathym, north of Moonshae); Jotunheim (The 6th layer of Carceri); Muspelheim, land of the fire giants (in the Plane of Magma); Nifleheim (A layer of the Grey Waste); Svartalfheim, land of the Dark Elves (within Arvandor of Arborea); and Nidavellir, land of the gnomes and dwarves (Shurrock in Bytopia)).  


The party then does some shopping, grabbing winter gear and a few magic items to ward off the cold.

When they return, they meet Adara, a Godsmen bard who is hoping to learn more about Ysgard and its traditions. She joins up with the party. She has a map of a region of Ysgard that has 3 different communities living close together.

The heroes then take a portal to Crux, a small burg that acts almost like a "Gatetown" to the World Ash. After making a child's day by bribing him with a gold coin, he takes the party to meet with a Ratatosk guide (a native squirrel-creature). The Ratatosk takes them to a portal to the region on Adara's map. (FOOD!)

SHKEEPAN!
Once in Ysgard, the heroes brace themselves against the cold and make their way to the nearest settlement. They encounter Fensir (aka Goliaths), who are wary at first, but are won over by the party demonstrating a will to eat, drink, and be merry. No'na manages to out-wrestle a Fensir, much to their joy! 

The Goliaths agree to give the party their Yule Log if they would be willing to deal with a strange bear in their hunting grounds. This bear has inflicted bizarre wounds to the hunters who have tried to dislodge it. No'na teaches them how to make a potion that will help.

They then track down the bear, which proves to be a powerful Dire Bear. However, as they begin to wound it, the bear transforms into a CHAOS BEAST! The party manages to overpower it, and they mine useful components and residuum from its remains.

The party has won their first Yule Log! SHKEEPAN!


The next community they encounter are the bariuar. Again the bariaur are wary, but more subdued than the Fensir. They are willing to hear the party's request out thanks to Bartley, but they claim "he has the stink of man-cities" about him.

Eventually, the bariaur agree to grant them their Yule Log if the party simply cuts down a new one for them. They also tell the party about winter wolves that have invaded through the Jotun's Maw a portal that leads to Jotunheim, the land of the frost giants.


The party enacts a plan, using an Animal Friendship ritual and fire-traps to frighten the wolves back through the portal to Jotunheim. The Jotun's Maw appears to be a huge screaming mouth, built from the stone. The party tries to blockade the maw, but they later learn the maw protects itself and their barricades were blown away.

They earn their second Yule Log! SHKEEPAN!

Their third encounter is the Mead Hall of Dagmalstad, where a group of humans dwell. The party brings them ale and mead they brought from Sigil and instantly wins their affection. They meet Gunbjorn, their spiritual advisor, and Vandrad Tale-Teller, their chief. 

Vandrad tells them the tale of one of his ancestors, Rognvald, the Giant-Slayer and his battle against Mok-Turoknin, a Frost Giant chieftan. Armred with a magic runesword, Thorgrim, Rognvald invaded Jotunheim and battled Mok-Turoknin in epic Viking saga fashion. Mok-Turoknin was defeated, but Rognvald fell against the remaining giants. Afterward, the giants cursed the keep and abandoned it. The Ysgardians cannot enter, due to runic wards, but they hope the party will make a heroic journey and return their sword.

The PCs make their way to Jotunheim, which is frigidly cold, but Kyrda uses an Endure Elements ritual to keep them going. Even with that, exposure to the elements will eventually win out.

They manage to breach the doorway and explore the keep, looting what little treasures remain behind.

A Remorhaz bursts through the castle and attacks the PCs, but they manage to defeat it. They also encounter a White Pudding, but Filth talks it down with some Ooze Diplomacy

Eventually they find Mok-Turoknin's tomb, and eight Ysgardian skeletons tied to a wall. The corpse of Mok-Turoknin awaits the PCs, but the heroes manage to find Thorgrim amidst a pile of discarded weapons, and avoid the trap of awakening the Frost Giant's angry ghost.

The PCs flee out of the castle, and back through the portal to Ysgard. They are welcomed back as heroes by the Ysgardians.

Kyrda realizes that while the logs themselves weren't inherently magical, it was the belief that was poured into them that made them special.