Broken Frontiers

Broken Frontiers is Vennt's first canonical campaign, using the Canonical Setting as its base. This page describes the story so far. See also Characters and Factions.

## Season 1: The Prologue

### Newcomers and New Beginnings

*Our story begins in the city of Garamond, a bustling hub of modern urban civilization. Trains chug to and from their stations as zeppelins fly overhead. Steam rises up from the auto-mobiles chugging along the main road while the muffled beats of brassy instruments escape a nearby bar. From a tall iron building, a robed, hooded figure emerges, pistol and dagger hidden at its side, slinking away quietly into the back alleys of the city.*

*Stars glimmer overhead, far above the city, but their light doesn’t reach the ground right now. As midnight approaches, the city’s Lux Wards flicker on, emitting a dim red glow around the entire town, keeping it safe for one more day from the creeping darkness that eclipses the world at night.*

*Within the pale red of the city, within the tall iron building, within a room lit by a bronze chandelier, several people meet to discuss plans for adventure. You are among them. Your mind races back to how you got here.*

The year is 2256 CR. A few new recruits to the Three Rivers Guild meet their boss, Lia Coppercoff. She sends them to Kyron's ranch outside Garamond for training. Kyron teaches the new recruits the basics of fighting and adventuring. Among these recruits are Jo Bro and his friend Ned Dark, a novice adventurer with a passion for cooking. After returning from training, the new recruits are sent into the sewers of Garamond to find a bracelet lost by Lady Quel'von. It is here that Ned Dark first develops his fear of rats.

While in the sewers, the recruits meet a man named Geoffrey Loutermilch, a grumpy hermit who practices necromancy beyond the eyes of the law. Ned strikes a trade with Geoffrey and receives an introductory book on necromancy.

The recruits discover that the bracelet of Lady Quel'von is now held by the king of rats, King Ervin of the Drizgog Ratfolk. After a brief adventure, and the slaying of the rat king, the team returns with the bracelet of Lady Quel'von and Ned's newfound fear of the revenge of the Ratfolk.

After returning from their mission, the recruits are sent on two more missions. First to Mount Zaelon to repair a transmission tower, then to the Tributaries to investigate unusual tremors. This mission does not help Ned's rat fear. During this mission, the party encounters a bronze shrine to Urglik, the Divine Beast, which comes to life when they displease the shrine. Several recruits die, including Jo bro, but a mortified Ned Dark manages to escape.

### The Veterans at Zhada

Meanwhile, more experienced recruits are sent to Zhada, given this instruction by Lia:

*"In the past few years, a terrorist group was formed of orcs, gnomes, and dwarves. They called themselves the Pioneers, and led a fanatical campaign which has since been called the Greenblood Assault. These terrorists mutated orc blood to be carcinogenic, then used this liquid as a biochemical weapon. They poisoned the water supplies of several cities across the empire. These Drowned Cities remain toxic wastelands explored by only the bravest scavengers, and only when absolutely needed. We still haven’t caught the Pioneers. We don’t even know what their goal is here. Their attacks seem chaotic and random.”*

*“But, all this is merely introducing your task. You’re headed to the forested hills, 100 miles southeast of here, to the city Zhada. We need you to recover an artifact we believe to be lost somewhere in the city. The rod you’re looking for was imbued by Archmage Lunafex to possess a powerful destructive force, which could be quite useful in the right hands, and incredibly dangerous in the wrong hands. Even if the rod was destroyed, its crystal focus should remain intact. There may still bands of mercenaries and scavengers roving Zhada looking for it, and we need you to find it before they do. Of course, you’re more talented than most scavengers, so we have the utmost faith in you.”*

*“Zhada was attacked only three years ago. It was one of the most recent tragedies of the Assault..."*

Among these adventurers are Nekelos Konn and Uskov Ainen. During their time in the Drowned City, the adventurers meet a scavenging teenager named Aberdeen and an old dying man named Al Bishop, who they eventually manage to bring back to medical care in Garamond. Aberdeen, on the other hand, runs off.

### Shield of Six

Four years after these initial adventures, a group of Three Rivers Guild adventurers are sent on their first mission of the year 2260 CR, including Ivan "January" Fairfield, Bang L. Konn (younger brother to Nekelos Konn), and Uskov Ainen. Deep in the underground Tributaries, the group discovers Pyerchik, the city of the stone frogs known as the Uranae. During their adventures in the Tributaries, they also meet Hrhett, one of the Djekya-Chovett, though he says that the surface walkers can call them the "Rikin", which means "wise friends." While exploring a swamp near Pyerchik, the group is given the blessing of a guardian tree spirit named Yervant.

The group also explores an ancient temple of the Ala'norai, which housed the spirit of King Vitmus the Survivor.

### Summary of Season 1

The prologue is where we meet many main characters, including Ned, Bang, and January, as well as introducing an important faction for the future, the Three Rivers Guild and the recruits that serve as its agents in the field.

## Season 2: Operation Cinnamon Hunt

**Mission Briefing**

*You walk into the meeting room, a large semi-circular space with a podium and several rows of chairs behind a few long oak tables. Standing at the front of the room is a young woman, either in her early twenties or perhaps even in her late teenage years. She has short, dark hair shaved on one side. Part of her hair is tinted green. She is wearing a well-worn blacksmith jumper - a pair of brown overalls that cut off above her knees - with tight black pants and a white shirt underneath. Her outfit is covered in patches and oil stains, starkly contrasting the bare meeting room. Even indoors, she wears a heavy pair of boots and thick gloves and sleeveless jacket, showing off incredibly muscular arms for a young girl of her size and age. Her skin is tanned with callouses and burn scars. At her waist is a large hammer and a rivet gun. Her face seems to wear a permanent frown, in addition to a streak of oil across her chin. Sitting loyally at her side is a huge Great Dane with marbled brown fur and a prosthetic leg. He looks like a good dog.*

*“Thanks for coming. I have a great mystery on my hands. A big great mystery. The Three Rivers Guild has been nice enough to help me, so they must think it’s a good one too. I don’t even know how I got caught up in this mess anyway, but, well, I started this so I plan on seeing it through.”*

*“Let me start over. My name is Wren. I live not too far from here, building things and getting by. This is my dog, Sin. And there’s this… well, it’s complicated. And I don’t even know if I can trust you yet. No, I mean, sorry, that came out wrong. It’s like, I don’t know you yet, and I also don’t know if you can even keep a secret even if I told you. It’s not you though. I didn’t believe it myself at first. Look, just, Lia gave me this mission dossier. If you can help me finish what I started, well, then, you’re competent at least. We’ll move forward from there.*

The year is now 2260 CR. Bang, January, Ned, and several other recruits are gathered for a mysterious mission by Wren, known only as Operation: Cinnamon Hunt.

### Runes at Ood's Landing

The operation takes the group to the shores of Ood's Landing, where they discover a statue made in the likeness of Ood's face, known as the Godshead. Nearby, they discover the Cave of Respite, where they find runic inscriptions. The party also recovered an Analog Acoustic Waveform Modulator from within the cave.

### Fanatics in Montshire

Due to sudden circumstances, the party travels to Montshire, overseen by Lord Cerulean. The small village houses the Academy of Unrestricted Magic. The party investigates the activities of the academy, ultimately shutting down the school and the fanatics who practice dark arts in secret there. Bartleby Finning was among the fanatics who died during this adventure. The group then defeats the demon Penemue and meets the villainous Dr. Veigar Ironwind.

### Siege at Dragonsage Shore

After the events at Montshire, one of the adventurers, Shen Alar, discovers that one of his old army buddies has critical information for him, but is being held in siege at Dragonsage Shore. So the party goes to Stonehill Fort, west of the Bone Wharf to rescue Devlan of the 33rd Eagle Platoon. Stonehill Fort is under siege by The Red Rose, a pirate airship run by cyborg pirate Captain Bronzebeard. The adventurers set flames to the Red Rose, but allow Captain Bronzebeard to live.

As they flee, Devlan falls to the ground bleeding, holding his hand against a bullet wound on the side of his chest. Suddenly, in a flash of light, a man appears next to him. The man looks around, as if confused, and then looks at the party. He seems to snap out of his confusion almost immediately and kneels down to Devlan. The two men begin glowing in a bright light, as the man holds a hand to Devlan’s wound. Looking at the man, he seems familiar. His face is very much like January’s, but he appears a bit taller and a bit older. His voice is deeper, too, as he looks at January and says one word. And then, in another flash of light, he and Devlan are both gone. January's mind races to process what just happened, and then he realized what the man said: “Run.”

### The Collapsing Tributaries Below Frostborough

The party fled back to the Three Rivers Guild, but it was not long before they were sent on another mission to the nearby town of Frostborough. The Tributaries under the town were collapsing. Bang L. Konn was additionally interested in this mission because he was looking for his brother Nekelos, who disappeared mysteriously in the four years since his last mission, and Bang discovered that he had been to a tinker's shop in Frostborough.

During their investigation of these Tributaries, they find the shop they're looking for, the Steam and Sunder, collapsed into the underground. A ghostly machine named Jaz (the necromaton) greets them and offers tinkertech weapons. She gives Bang more clues as to the disappearance of his brother.

*Nekelos had come to my shop with his sword in a very beat-up way. The molten core was leaking and the blade itself was dull and nicked. He said something about using it to finish some spider business, and oh boy he must have been going to work! Anyway, I was working on fixing it up when another man came into the shop. He was a man of great size and stature, quite impressive to look at. He was an Imperial Knight, dressed head to toe in the silvery metal armor I’ve only ever seen a few times in my life. Just from the glow of the man as he walked through that door, he radiated the honor and glory of the empire. Boy, he sure was dreamy… Anyway, I overheard the two of them talking while I fixed Nekelos’s sword. The Knight seemed very interested in Nekelos and asked.. Or, more like begged him of something. Apparently, this Imperial Knight needed to go visit his family, but he couldn’t abandon his post, so he needed Nekelos to take his place while he went to see his family out West, and that the Knight would return when he was done. Nekelos said that he had a keen understanding of the importance of family, and agreed to take the Knight’s place. And then, .. well then I finished repairing his sword, and the two of them went on their way. His name was Gawain. Gawain Atreyu.*

Continuing through the Tributaries, the party comes across an entire jungle underneath the surface of the world. The party is swarmed by mosquitos and hornets, attacked by clockwork raptors, and confused by a gateway shrine of Urglik which only thirsty creatures can pass through. They also meet P. Eliot Byron, a poetic serpent, who interests the poet adventurer Kyle Kilbey. Finally, they find the cause of the jungle: a malfunctioning device which was creating an artificial atmosphere. After defeating a Plethamura, they reclaim the device. Later, it is discovered that the device, an Ersatz Nimbus-Atmospheric Generator, was made by "The Creator," a person of interest to Wren.

As they make their escape, the party finds Dr. Veigar Ironwind gathering arcane energy from a wall of runes. Bang's automaton companion, Junko, steps forward to attack him with Bang's augmented shotgun-hammer , Heat Death. But Heat Death explodes, spewing molten lava and killing Veigar Ironwind. The explosion breaks a load-bearing wall, causing the Tributaries to collapse further. Simo and Bang decide to stay behind to make sure the collapse doesn't cause further calamity. As they make their escape, the ceiling collapses on Bang, crushing both of his legs.

### Summary of Season 2

Season 2 introduces the main plot: Wren's mysterious mission. Dr. Veigar Ironwind and Captain Bronzebeard make their first appearances this season. The party also briefly meets Devlan and finds out more about Bang's brother Nekelos. Between missions, Bang, with Wren's help, crafts a couple of strange devices for Wren.

## Season 3: A Stitch in Time

The events of Season 3 are a flashback to several years before the present.

### Team Stitch

A group of adventures: Vestris Lamora, Rai Rikuto, Saskia Amberwood, Bartleby "Bart" Finning, and Leo explore Zhada to put a stop to the Pioneers. They meet Glenn Zenwort (who was found dead by suicide in the present day) and a young Aberdeen. In a church, they meet Wraog Shamar, an old orcish Pioneer in a wheelchair.

Returning from Zhada, one of the guild higher-ups named Q'omo asks them to go into the sewers of Zhada to make sure the pollution doesn't spread to other cities. There, the group runs into Aberdeen again, and Bart finds clues from his benefactor, V.

The adventure takes them to Andure River, where they speak with a divine voice. It is here that Saskia and the others make a critical choice:

>
> *The mages will guide the heroes. They will find the answers in the center. But first, they must learn determination.*
>
>

All around them, the Tributaries erupt with restlessness. Aberdeen returns again, helping the party flee to a Pioneer camp. The Pioneers are planning to visit the Empress in the Capital. Here they meet Prakep, commander of the Pioneers, and Dog, an orc child with a heart for adventure.

At the Capital court, Saskia speaks for the Pioneers, looking for a way to settle the matter justly. Knight Lucy speaks also for justice, but against the Pioneers. A fight breaks out and the party looks for escape from the bloodshed.

During the chaos, Bart and Vestris meet Arcanist Yominick. Yominick implores Bart to give up his love of alchemy in pursuit of magic. Bart agrees, which ultimately leads to his death at Montshire. Vestris learns more about his goal of becoming an archmage. Ultimately, Vestris teams up with his noble house rival, Aethelred the Ambitious of House Amaram, to kill the archmage Yominick, granting Vestris archmage status.

Saskia finds a chapel where Prakep and Knight Lucy are locked in a duel. Only Saskia knows the outcome of this battle, but it is said that afterward, she ascended to become a Paladin of Ood.

Meanwhile, Leo watches the war from the window. Dog is there, and the two discuss the meaning of adventuring. They leave to wander the realm together, away from the harshness of war.

Rai is locked away in a prison but escapes, stealing an airship.

### Team Lilo

Meanwhile, Alyss Welsh, Henry "Thunder", Maiden Heaven, and Mirabel "Maxie" Azerin have their own adventure.

They encounter the last member of the Andur Tribe, Svrifneblin, who tells them of the wicked Prince Elrich, who was born in Cretersile. Though he claimed to have saved the people of Farenth from a giant Midnight Shade serpent, helped the fishermen of Porthcrawl, and married Mah Lin in Pineguard, he was actually an evil man who had been sealed away in an urn by the Ru'ulya. His corruption continued to seep out, however, manifesting in the form of The Crack In The World.

Of the party that set out, none remain to tell the tale.

### The Origins of January

This short story flashback told the origin story of Ivan "January" Fairfield and his escape from Garrick Bellevue, leader of the Crossroads. Among the adventuring party was Professor Ein Hundertacht.

### Summary of Season 3

Season 3 tells the tales of another set of characters and expands on the Pioneers plotline. This is where the Heroes' Prophecy is first created by Saskia and her companions.

## Season 4: Kindred Spirits

### Quinntroduction and The First Winter

A "meta-mission" involving Shen Alar, Rally Faire All, Ned Dark, Quinn, and Imogen Lynn occurs at this time at the guild. Quinn then joins The First Winter for some time.

### Capital Punishment

Bang L. Konn, January, Kyle Kilbey, Ned Dark, Kelta, and Cassiopeia Cain go to the Capital looking for information on Nekelos or Gawain Atreyu. Three executions will be taking place for Guy Hawkes, Wraog Shamar, and Xanathos the Necrotinker, Lord of the Gundead.

After the mission, a blind seer gives the party a message:

*You will find this hero lost where six by three circles intersect.*

### Team Bonding

Due to arguments within the team, the guild assigns them to a bonding exercise. Afterward, they all receive team jackets.

### The Wrescue

Wren runs away and is followed to Potenshire.

### The Missing Piece

Bang, Cass, Ned, and Shen board a prison train to get information from Myrtle Fisher. There, they meet the elven cowboy Ralph Malone, the quarterling Zoos Syslfoos, the gentleman gibbon cyborg Dr. Phineas Homer Pennington, the jackamule Nathan Clint Midgely, the pretty orc Dek Gelek, and Ramie the rat cook. Myrtle is discovered to be a poet sorcerer. An arcane explosion sends the party blasting through the side of the train and petrifies Shen. The party then carries the stone Shen to the nearest town. Cass, one of the three minds of Cassiopeia Cain, dies here.

During the events that follow leading to Shen's un-petrifying, the party meets Mary-Martha Corbett and helps her slay a three-headed snake. During the fight, Bang's face is torn asunder, grievously scarring him.

### The City in the Skies

Ralph Malone takes the party northeast in his airship.

*You can barely taste the fresh, salty air up here where the air is chilly and thin. Then, on the horizon above the clouds, you see it: a hundred different airships all linked together, hovering in the air. From small vessels that could barely hold three people to massive three-deck ships with six-hundred man crews, every ship is bound together by rope ladders and wooden planks tied to the railings. In this place, every crew and captain, every ship and sail, are bound together to make one enormous airship city.*

*“Take it in, boys.” Ralph says. “You’re looking at the City in the Skies.”*

*Ralph slows down and docks his airship next to a fat dirigible. In only a few minutes, he’s tying his rails to the dirigible and some of the crew is helping him dock in. The dirigible’s dock connects to a huge cruising zeppelin, which itself flanks a wide galley ship with huge flat propellers exhaling steam to keep it afloat.*

Lia comes with them. The goal of this adventure is to recruit new adventurers to explore the Potenshire Tributaries. It is discovered later that Captain Bronzebeard now runs this pirate utopia.

There, the party meets Henrich Harper, "Grly" Samantha Madissonne, Buck Chuckles, Stan Rogers, Oliver Jay West, Olska Icehorn, Eggi Bonebrewer, Gloreatrude Onyxchin, and the dwarven brothers Bubba, Hubba, and Karl.

Many songs were sang and much joy was had. At the end of the day, friendships were made. Also, they fought and killed a blue dragon.

Oliver Jay West is brought back to his home in Violetwind.

### Finale, Part 1: Cold-Blooded

Still in Ralph's airship, the party drops Bang, January, and Shen off to handle other business. Cassiopeia, Kyle, and Ned continue flying over the Astriadic sea to the northwest corner of Polod for an urgent mission from guild headquarters:

*A powerful tinkertech device has just been stolen from a research lab in Newinter. The guild didn’t say what our connection with the lab is, but if they’re declaring this mission urgent, we’re either working with the lab or they’re paying us a lot of money to do this job well. The primary suspect is a thief named Alrun Kaalinpaa who is wanted for multiple charges of murder and espionage. Alrun has been marked for death by the government. Your mission is to find and assassinate the target and retrieve the device.*

In their investigation of the town of Gremyichth, they find Filiocht, the Wordsmith's Guild and Prasog Perfetto, the nearby bakery where Ramie now works. Ned and Ramie engage in a cooking contest, and Ned wins in the final round.

At the Hot Mug coffee shop, they speak with Qiantu, whose keys were stolen, but they seem to be unrelated to the theft. At Port Iardien, they meet a shifty-looking human with a fire-red beard named Maximilian, captain of the small coastal ship Beach Time, but he also seems unrelated. The group investigates Alrun's home, but is not there. They are ambushed by assassins and flee. At Gremychth Gate, they meet the female mercenary Pnanni Wiundiaelr, who has a complicated relationship with Alrun.

Eventually, they find Alrun at the Sky Tower and kill him.

A mysterious figure wearing a burqa (named Taru, though the party never discovers this) asks for passage to Wolfshead Island to save their dying father. The party questions the mysterious figure, resorting to violence, but the figure escapes.

The stolen Stabilized Chronos Reactor is never found. It is presumed to have been taken by Taru.

### Finale, Part 2: Atreyu

Meanwhile, Bang, January, and Shen explore the collapsed Atreyu residence near Serwick in Greymill. They discover the unconscious Gawain "Gavin" Atreyu and explore his home. They meet the youngest surviving Atreyu, Oliver ("Ollie") and learn about the death of their sister Alice. The third brother, Edgar, is nowhere to be found. A man and a woman are discovered below the first floor, frozen in time. January touches this couple and is sent back in time to Dragonsage Shore, closing the time loop where he saves Devlan. Devlan returns to this present moment, but is now also frozen in time. Gawain and Oliver are brought back to the guild headquarters.

### Summary of Season 4

In Season 4, we see the introduction of Quinn, Imogen and her girlfriend Rally, and Cassiopeia Cain. The plotlines of Wren and the Atreyus are furthered, and several recurring NPCs return.

## Season 5: The Grate Beyond

### Pfordin's Beach

Guild chaplain Imogen Lynn and her girlfriend Rally Faire All set off on a spiritual journey accompanied by Elend Taneil, Saaiitoo Shinii, and Detective Lanky Wanders. During this adventure, Saaiitoo dies. In the center of Pfordin's temple, the group finds three leather cases in red, blue, and yellow. Inside each case is a poem on one side and a device strapped to the case on the other. The front of each device shows a clock.

### E'Shara

With Felaern's help as a translator, January and the rest of the group venture into the elven jungles of Selmorow. They rescue Imogen's uncle Boyd from a temple of the Oradh Dath and reclaim the Clockwork Steam Compressor from the infamous "creator." January finds his mom, Favlena, and discovers that Felaern is his half-sister.

## Season 6: Goodbye Normal

### The Kraken and the Second Temple of the Aorad Dath

The party heads to Newinter in search of a second temple. They meet cyborg and adventure enthusiast Archer Vole who lends them a submarine to explore the underwater temple. While exploring, they are attacked by a kraken, and survive by turning back time using some time in a bottle given to them by Zarathustra Atreyu. This ordeal is traumatic for Imogen, however, and she later goes to live with extended family rather than continue adventuring.

### Escape From The Grate

The party, upon returning from the second temple of the Aorad Dath aboard *The Venntinaire*, are stopped by a paramilitary organization calling itself *The Black.* Claiming to follow no gods, no kings, and enforce the natural order, the party's compliance is quickly bought when it's revealed that they've managed to capture Lia and Felaern. Bringing the party to their massive space-prisonship, *The Grate Beyond*, the party is locked up, and not told why. During this time, Bang's refusal to be a good, quiet, prisoner earns him a month in solitary confinement.

Eventually, the party manages to break out. Cain gains the confidence of one of the guards, then murders her. January and Kyle recall that they're capable of teleporting, and do so through the bars. Bang builds himself magic, bends the bars of his cell, and steals a guard's uniform. Quinn, who was isolated from the rest of the group, due to a clerical error, escapes through the vents in her room. The party, then separated, run throughout the ship, lying, stealing, disguising, and killing their way into causing as much chaos as possible.

Eventually, Quinn and Bang end up confronting the leader of The Black, Commander Aurelia Patience Brattle. She finally shares a list of the party's crimes, a list that Bang and Quinn can't entirely discount, either. Brattle reveals that The Black's mission is to protect the status quo of the "frozen river worlds," a term used to refer, seemingly, to planets where time does not progress. Amnis is currently the only confirmed "frozen river world," but one may assume that Ivlit and Ewox An also qualify. Nevertheless, a battle begins--one that swiftly turns sour, as the exhausted Bang and inoffensive Quinn begin to get beaten down, being outnumbered and outgunned. When all seems most dire, a powerful black energy--a Devouring Curse--erupts from Quinn, slaying every single member of the Black in the room.

The escape attempts continue, as the two parties eventually meet up, and find Lia, as well as a gnome conspiracy theorist they had previously been imprisoned with called Orser Dorzu Manmorn Algimdavmop. It turns out many members of the Black were former prisoners who had gone through "re-education," a process that seemed to be more akin to brainwashing. The party also re-united with Mary-Em, whose split pupils seemed to have somehow protected her from the brainwashing effects. She informs the party that things in the ship "tend to return to normal," explaining to Bang why he saw, alive and well, a person he was all but certain he'd killed. The party eventually manages to get down to the hangar where the Venntinaire is, and through the usage of a stolen Booster Jet and Air Net, they manage to escape from The Grate and fly to Ivlit, which was nearby.

### Life on Ivlit

The party's descent into Ivlit was not a graceful one. Being attacked by a large chimera while on the way down, the Venntinaire ended up pretty much totaled. After making friends with some Dwarves that were living outside of the city, for the reason that they couldn't contribute in the typical fashion to Ivlit's work-centric society, the party was guided down into Yatsyo Ei Embera, or Ember's Egg, an underground city of heat and metal. The party paid for a short-term lease on a warehouse to use as a temporary base of operations, while other members of the party sought out work, and others learned more about their new temporary home.

Cain found work at a mechanic's shop, but was fired shortly for theft. Upon attempting to murder her boss, she accidentally poisoned two of her co-workers, causing her former boss to send a hitman squad after her, leaving her in a terrible (but alive) state. Bang found work at an automatoneering firm, one that he was very fond of, but had to eventually leave, in violation of his contract. Quinn, in the meantime, found work as a miner with a group of ostracized Dwarves known as Bigguns.

On the academic side of things, January took it upon himself to teach Felaern magic. The strange magical glow that permeated Ivlit made magic a very visual thing for Fae--perhaps making it easier to teach, if less reliable. Shen and Kyle decided to learn some of the native language, and the latter's talent with words was noticed by someone who invited him to an event hosted by a group known as the Gifted and Talented Club.

Kyle invited the rest of the party to this event. Unfortunately, the celebration was somewhat ruined by certain extremist members who wanted to eliminate the "ungifted" members of the party. Luckily, they failed, and their machinations were stopped in a fight that nearly pushed the team's teamwork to the breaking point. The G&TC members were allowed to leave with their lives, but not their stuff--the party judged that they might have some chance at redemption.

The party shortly got their affairs in order, said goodbye to Orser, and severed any other connections they had tying them to their new temporary home. After hiring a group of tinkers to help them repair the Venntinaire, up on the danger-ridden surface of the Ivlit, the party finally managed to leave the planet, and began the long 99-day-long journey back to Amnis.

### Aeth'ir's Past

After returning to Garamond, and putting their feet up as they recovered from their Venntinaire-induced cabin fever, the party eventually remembered they had a long-standing appointment with Zarathustra, in Potenshire. Making their way there, the party were alarmed to learn that Zarathustra Atreyu seemingly didn't even notice how late the party was. They were even more alarmed to learn that Zarathustra had a theory that it wasn't Gawain who was temporally displaced--rather, it was the party. He suggested they may have been repeating the same week over and over, for years now.

In order to provide confirmation, or deconfirmation, as to these theories, Zarathustra recommended the party visit his father 70 years in the past. Sending the party back, they only had two hours to make contact with the late Aeth'ir Atreyu, and discuss what affects them. He had passing familiarity with The Black, providing context as to their prior mission, and the theory was floated that, if the party *is* in some sort of time loop, it may be so that the party could "prepare" for something. Though what the party is preparing for remains unclear.

While in the past, Quinn stole a gem-encrusted bangle from the Atreyus, and Shen discovered books of a very unwholesome bent in Aeth'ir's library. Bang found Daedalus' old workshop, and made some minor changes to the blueprints of a hyper-primitive version of Ath that existed in this time.

The party was delayed twice when they attempted to go back to the future--once by a Midday Shade, and once by a horse, subject of Kyle's poetic inspiration--but they managed to return to their own time, and see that Aeth'ir, 70 years in the past, suggested the party visit "Acadia." Whether that referred to something other than the street that Zarathustra's house is on remains to be seen...

### Summary of Season 6

Season 6 describes the party's adventures on a new planet, and forces them into a tougher, and more creative, fights than ever before. It also introduces The Black, a new, but major, antagonistic force in this world. And perhaps many others. Finally, season 6 is the season in which the Venntinaire becomes fully equipped for interstellar travel.

## Season 7: No More Secrets

### The Tournament

The Three Rivers Guild elected to host a tournament, inviting adventurers from all over the country to attend. Using the Dueling rules, teams and individuals competed to wow the crowd and win 100 proofs, watched over by two professional, if erratic, announcers, the sanguine Andy and the melancholic Barbara. The result of the tournament was a victory for the Three River Guild Recruits all around, netting them a hefty profit to go towards the funding of their further adventures. Additionally, a prophecy was learned of at the conclusion of the event that may come into play in the future.

### Hidden in the Rust

The party takes some odd jobs to work towards paying off the 200 proofs that the guild has asked them to bring in. The first of these jobs was a series of power outages affecting the commercial city of Rigvale. After talking with some local tinker guilds, and recruiting a very eager secretary called Vincent Cyrus Palmer as the first hired crewman aboard the Venntinaire, it became clear the source of the problem was a desolate tower in the middle of the desert called Tinker Tanner's Tower. This tower formerly belonged to the Spark and Hammer Company, which mysteriously went out of business almost overnight years ago. The cause quickly became clear--their dabbling in biocybernetics had made unwilling or unwitting monsters of both of them. They were disposed of shortly, and the party collected their modest reward of 20 proofs.

### Fallen Frostborough

Arriving in Frostborough, which was once again under assault by the elements of nature--though more literally, this time--the party helped turn the tide of the battle, commanding and marshalling the scattered guardsmen and adventurers into a cohesive defensive force. Investigating the cause of this recent surge in elemental activity, the party discovered that a mining/construction company contracted to repair Frostborough after the previous collapse of the tributaries was unearthing mass amounts of Arcanite, which caused these elementals to form. The elementals, being excellent power sources, were then incinerated, along with great quantities of coal. However, the plight of the elementals only caused more to be created in response, even faster. The party elected to stop this by informing the mayor of the construction company's irresponsible, or at the very least ignorant, conduct, and sought out alternative methods of energy storage, such as the recent "battery" invention of Nethon Ironspring. This mission's outcome has yet to occur...

### The Rogunrue

After stealing a mark from a fellow adventurer called Dworden Day, the party set out to kill a legendary creature called the Rogunrue that was hiding in the Wildgold Forests. During this time, it was revealed that Vulk Ainen had stowed away on the ship, and, in fact, had a personal interest in the Rogunrue's demise--his sickly condition from his youth had recurred, and Rogunrue saliva was said to be a panacea of great curative qualities. The party, spearheaded by Vulk, slew the Rogunrue after gathering a lot of information on it, and the saliva was obtained. However, Bang unknowingly contracted parasites from the Rogunrue *after* the battle was over.

## Season 8: Grit

### Burning Buildings and Terrible People

Taking place in 2251 CR, the party, composed of Norman Halsey, Arkades Hein, Rudy Two-Shoes, Fifi Flavell, Johnny Nelson, Avery Sharpe, Adrien Cheng. accompany Hennessey Whyt. The team was tasked with looking into E. Langston's Hardware, owned by Enoch Langston, in the Soot District, which had been burned down. Hired by Terry & Edwards Insurance Co., the team was tasked with looking into the insurance claim filed by Enoch Langston and finding out if it was truly an accident, or if something more insidious was at work. As they investigate, the team learns of various gangs that are involved in the matter, in particular the Blue Stockings Brigade, whose warehouse the team eventually raided in order to uncover some vital information on the case, but resulted in the death of Rudy Two-Shoes due to Ark's magical interference and the knife of Pandora Delphinium, the leader of the Blue Stockings Brigade.

### Case Closed

After further exploration and investigation, and a large amount of deliberation amongst the group, the team was able to decipher that while the arson of Enoch's store wasn't an extremely well-orchestrated act of insurance fraud, it an act of inter-gang warfare as a driver for the Blue Stockings Brigade, Fenton Jennings, was found out to also be the driver of another gang, the Lucifers, and he had burned down Enoch's store to pin the whole ordeal on the Stockings. With a case closed, and Rudy gone, the party was able to turn in their quest successfully, though their rather insane and downright psychopathic antics resulted in Hennessey requesting a team re-assignment.

### A New Beginning

After news of a meteor landing in Cullfield, Hardell reaching the ears of the guild, the party was sent to investigate the farmhouse of Norval and Hannah Cardinal, which was overrun by the Black. After realizing they couldn't fight their way past everyone, the party snuck onto the Black ship to find their objective: two robotic, non-humanoid automata with Daedalus's mark. After entering the Black's ship, a bunch of traps triggered, splitting the party up. Arkades was hit by a long-term brainwashing beam that ended up slowly corrupting his mental state. Adrien and Johnny ended up ditching the rest of the crew, with Johnny losing a hand in the process.

After regrouping, the party found an intelligent AI core which needed to be transported to a different location. The AI, which is a detached cyborg head and the Black's lead engineer (who also had the voice and resistant attitude of the late Gilbert Gottfried) called a bunch of guards on the party, and Ginger sustained a mortal wound. Using the AI core, the part were able to unlock a door for them, in which they found the two automatons they were looking for. However, upon seeing them, Ark's brainwashing kicks in, a locked door and a summoned Shadow Demon being the end of the rest of the team. By the time the Black got down to the saferoom, the Demon had eviscerated everyone in the room, besides Ark, who was now a wholly loyal member of the Black.

## Season 9: Old Ties and Loose Threads

### A Newish Lead

Lamoran Tale Met with Vestris Lamora (they/them) at the mage's guild, sparking the parties interest in finding Rai Rikuto, whose last known location was abou the Starlit Zeppelin. The party, aboard the Ventinnaire, went to the Starlit Zeppelin following the yellow compass. Crew of The Grave Ghost aboard the Starlit Zeppelin: Captain - Rai Jin Rikuto. First Mate - Rena "Renée" Jin Rikuto. Upon meeting with the crew, a fight began, in which the Recruits eventually subdued the crew of the Grave Ghost, and were able to converse amicably, confirming some previously known information but overall not learning anything knew, as Rai seems they may have some aid they can provide later on, but not currently relevant. Of note, The Starlit Zeppelin had advanced navigational components but the party didn't catch what they were.

### A Holiday Special

After their meeting with the Crew of the Grave Ghost, the team eventually went to visit Olin, Naul, and Cafine for a Holiday Special, which detailed the story of the All-Colored Spirit, about a young girl named Oberdine who passed the three trials of the All-Colored Spirit and saw different colors. The team eventually went on an adventure to find this All-Colored spirit as detailed in the story, and after some trials and tribulations, the team found the spirit, who gave the team wishes. Olin wished Alcolor's Day would never end, Naul wished for hell for those Newinter bastards, and various members of the team wished for other boons or blessings.

### Revenge on the Westwind

Having realized that the town they were in was now trapped within a Groundhogs Day-class event within the local area, with Alcolor's Day happening on repeat, the team decides to go to West Wind, the largest port of Y'worden, in order to hunt down Police Chief Demoux, a sworn enemy of Shen, who was working with Garrick Bellevue, the leader of the Crossroads, and former mentor of January. After defeating the members of the Crossroads, the party talked with Garrick, with January showing his growth from his younger self, the team eventually uncovered enough information to implicate Chief Demoux. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Shen intended to make Demoux's leaving of office final, as a bullet to the head amongst an angry crowd saw to it that no one would suffer at the behest of Demoux any longer.

### Rift Quest™

Returning from West Wind, the team found that a great rift had opened up from the sea west of Evern coast through Otwales and Lorryash into Quel-Kiv; dozens of towns being ravaged, especially Wampaahassa, Lorryash, which was the site of an ancient Gris temple. Meanwhile, because Bang collapsed the Tributaries beneath Potenshire, a hole ripped in the surface and created a massive hole to the underground – Potenshire is now almost entirely lost and known as the Undershire, a cursed city of undead and monstrosities. Fighting their way through the monster infested city of Lorryash , the team was able to clear out the creatures besieging the city and eventually delved into the ancient temple of Gris nearby, alongside a newfound ally, Ivan, a paladin of Gris. Exploring the temple, the team found a lockbox in the library with a scroll yet-untranslated, as well as various others artifacts and items. On re-surfacing, the city wasn't sure what to do with the rift, party suggested defending the temple rather than collapsing everything