FOG Prologue: Fourth Journey

A train moves towards the city of Indigo as the final pieces fall into place. Selyf is a student from the distant town of Nest travelling towards the city for the first time. The roads to Indigo, however, can be just as dangerous as the city itself.

## Characters

### Major Appearances

* Selyf
* Bedel
* Orobas

### Minor Appearances

* Dodge
* Hyle

## Summary

### Extended Summary

The session opens as a train passes through a heavily forested area of Windrose. Selyf enters the train car, shortly after finishing an early meal. His first time being away from his home town, he takes a seat by the window to wait out the train ride. After a while, someone else wanders into the train car-- Dodge. He wanders past, but takes notice of Selyf and dips back into the car he came from. After a few moments, he returns with a book similar to the one Selyf held, asking if he'd left it behind. Selyf thanks him, but declines.

They begin to chat for a bit. Dodge takes notice that he isn't from around the area, and hearing that Selyf had never been to the city before, begins to bond over how he was relatively new as well. Dodge explains that, as a member of the Last Resort, it was his job to check in for trouble on the train and wanted to check in on him. Assured that everything was going smoothly, Dodge takes his leave. Not too long after, however, two more figures enter the car.
They stop by every bench, talking to everyone along the way, and Selyf instantly feels his anxiety spike again. He overhears their speaking, taking note of things to see in the the city. He intently buries himself in his book. Reaching Selyf, the duo asks Selyf how he would rate the city, he nervously responds that he'd never been, and the figures seem absolutely (and overbearingly) charmed, and ask him why he was around. Selyf responds that he was heading to indigo for academic purposes, and the two continue to fawn. Selyf tries his best.

Questions about his academics quelled, the two begin to ask about his home town, quaintly called Nest. The two puzzle a bit, having never heard of the little town. They continue to press questions, and Selyf begins to shrink under the pressure before Dodge comes to intervene, and conveniently distracts them from continuing to harass him. The two drift along to the next car for more surveys, and Selyf immediately relaxes. Dodge, seeing the problem has left for the moment, advises that he hides somewhere before they came back as they promised.

Agreeing to this, Selyf begins to scoot off to the back of the train, mentioning that he was getting off at the station before indigo because he couldn't afford a full trip. Hearing this, Dodge advises that he not walk through the night, as people tend to get lost-- or worse. Creatures tend to roam around after dusk, and it was Dodge's old task to take care of them. He hands Selyf a map of places to stay the night, and quickly motions for him to go before the two figures returned.
Entering the car behind him, he notices that this car is much more fancy than the first. He nervously wanders through, hoping he hadn't stumbled into the first class car. He wanders by a very dark room, and glancing in, a strange sense of danger suddenly spikes up as someone seems to peer back at him. Getting a sudden surge of common sense, he quickly scampers away, deciding not to deal with whoever the figure was. Probably for the better. With this, he settles into the cargo car, pulling out his pack and looking at his small belongings-- a doll in his likeness, a handmade journal, and a beautifully feathered quill. Mementos from home. Settling down, he waits out the rest of the journey.

Departing at Sunflower Station, he pulls out his map and begins to press forward. As he exits, he notices a slightly garish tent and a figure exits, seemingly preparing for a trip. He overhears him worrying about something, searching for small rocks in the grass. Selyf nervously asks if he was all right, and the figure, Glamier nervously says that he was looking for crystals he'd lost and asks for help.

The two begin to search through the grass... and have absolutely terrible luck. After a frankly obscene amount of time, Selyf finds the crystal deep within a sunflower patch, presumably tossed by a passing child. Everything settled, Selyf realizes that he'd spent an entire hour at the station, he begins charting his course. Glamier offers to help carry some of his luggage for a ways as they were heading in a similar direction.

As the two continue on, they pass by an old woman with her wagon stuck in a ditch. She was waiting for assistance, but it seemed as though she'd been waiting for quite some time. Looking at the situation, Selyf notices that the hole didn't seem to be dug or eroded, but rather a mortar wound. Unable to truly help, Glamier offers to stay with the woman until help arrives. As a parting gift to Selyf, he hands him the crystal they had spent so long searching for. After a quick goodbye, Selyf splits off.
Continuing on, the energy seems to shift and quiet as time continues, he arrives at a small town, the name "Yellow" scratched into the dirt. Nobody lives there anymore, but the weight of its history was still present. A large crater was gouged into the ground-- a remnant from the One-Week War. The air seemed to shift, and Selyf was suddenly acutely aware of the buzz of memories and feelings surrounding the town-- and in the blink of an eye, it fades. Shaking off the sensation, Selyf continues along his path and through the crater, a bit curious of what was within it.

Looking through, he finds a shard of metal-- the casing of some sort of bomb. As an archaeologist, he takes out some supplies and secures it, carrying it with him for study later. The sun begins to set, Selyf passes by a statue of some sort of creature, a forlorn energy so densely shrouding it that he quickly passes it by, heading into the Indigo city limits proper.

Looking across the black lilies dotted across the landscape, he notices a strange stone statue covered in moss. A single flower grows in its open palm. He acknowledges it pleasantly, but then notices another. And then another. And another-- but this one seemed to have company. Hyle futzes around with one of the statues, tossing it aside as she digs at its base shockingly quickly. Selyf begins to check if the statue is damaged from a distance, trying to keep quiet, but immediately steps on a branch and startles her (and also himself.) After a moment of nervous chatter, Hyle explains that she was searching for "cursed artifacts" and proudly presents a (probably cursed) cube. Selyf approaches to investigate as Hyle holds it out, and the two begin to poke around with it.

Their curiosity for Cube sated, they begin to chat pleasantly, and Hyle explains that "you just have to feel out" searching for artifacts. Selyf understands. She begins to rattle off about her findings as he listens intently, before he quickly realizes they may be graverobbing with a panic. Hyle says they probably weren't. Probably. Because people up ahead were also digging, she thought it'd be fine if she did as well. Selyf goes through every stage of grief in a few moments, and she continues to dig up things "to give to Arche's shop." However, Hyle quickly realizes she was going to be late for a delivery and dashes off, leaving Selyf alone again. Bond Up.

Having an internal debate with himself, Selyf pokes around in the hole she dug around in, finding a strange cube. Coming to a conclusion, he writes down as much as he can about it, taking it with him and deciding to put it back should he discover it's important. That settled, he presses on, finding a strangely large amount of people swarming about, moving dirt and other objects. They were all dressed in mining gear, and they seemed to have multiple paper talismans hanging from their gear. One in particular seemed to be covered head to toe in them, and they point Selyf to the outpost.

As he approaches, he runs into an incredibly ostentatious man stepping into the clearing, locking eyes with him. The man quickly begets a large grin, dipping into a bow and greeting himself as Bedel Ilmen. Selyf introduces himself as well, asking about a place to stay. Bedel explains he was using it for his team, and Selyf notices he seemed to relax as if he was putting on a show, expecting someone else. Before the two split off, one of the miners approaches, exclaiming they'd found something big. Selyf has another internal debate, heavily curious, and one of the miners offers to let him come with them. Relieved he did not have to ask, he quickly agrees and follows them.

As they go, Selyf notices the miners seem intent on placing tags on things-- pieces of paper with the word "Orobas" written on it. They all seemed to be swarmed around a deep hole, uncovering something rather large. Off to the side, one of the miners seemed to be praying to some sort of large structure. Selyf quickly begins to take notes. As he sketches the structure, his journal seems to shake. He notes this with an amount of confusion, but is quickly greeted by Bedel, surprised he came along. He invites Selyf forward, bored of the reactions of the other miners.

Sensing Selyf's growing excitement, Bedel offers to let him come closer, stepping into the hole almost as if descending an invisible staircase. Selyf looks on with wonder, having never met a mage before, following the other to the bottom of the hole. Bedel explains that his family all shared magic, but also a pact as well. A pact with a being of meteorites and minerals-- one that lets him excavate with astounding ease. Selyf glitters, his love of archaeology shining through as he watches with wonder. Bedel, loving the new attention and similar-minded company, puffs up, and offers to let Selyf take the first look through the box they'd unearthed.

Excitedly accepting, Selyf steps forward, investigating. It didn't seem to be made of any sort of stone he'd seen before, blue-tinted bands running through it, almost as if carved from a slab. Bedel looks on, noting that it seemed to be made of cobalt, skystone. He seems to smile to an empty space next to him, but turns his attention back to the box. Within is an intricate, gorgeous unstrung bow. Selyf is dazzled. Bedel seems intrigued, explaining it was made from a material called "sky iron," a material coming from a place far above them in the sky that tends to rarely fall to the earth below. Not magic. As he concludes this, Selyf notices the area immediately relaxes, the miners dropping from almost prepared positions as Bedel lets him pick up the bow.

Investigating it further, the bow seemed to be intricately carved, the face of an owl engraved onto it. Bedel begins rattling off about its history with "Noctua of Xiphos," and Selyf quickly begins taking notes as they take the bow from the excavation site. Bedel allows Selyf to keep the bow for the time being, but they intend to donate it to a museum at a later date.

Heading back to the cabins, Bedel begins explaining their patron spirit, Orobas. Their tags were meant to keep her from bothering others, as she was "a bit of a prankster." He explains that he was more of an occultist, and that the bow they had found were meant to drive back the supernatural, incomprehensible. He notes he was rather surprised to meet someone with the same penchant for archaeology as he was, and offers to help with any information Selyf may need of the occult that the university did not have.

As the conversation continues, Selyf quickly remembers the wagon from his trip over and brings it up. Bedel seemed a bit surprised the Last Resort hadn't taken care of it, but sends some of the miners to help either way. The Last Resort hadn't been very present lately, and the closest remaining chapter was staffed by a single person in Indigo. Waving the topic aside, Bedel notes that he'd kept some tomes in the cabin Selyf was staying in, and offered to let him take any that he was interested in. He had duplicates. Selyf thanks him profusely, pleasantly surprised at how well his visit was going so far-- and he hadn't even reached Indigo yet.

Bedel smiles as Selyf continues on, but seems to pause as his gaze drifts slightly, but nothing seemed to be there. Humming, Bedel says that their patron had grown interested in Selyf, and that if he would like to join a pact, he would be readily welcomed into the Ilmen family. As he spoke, a small amount of venom peeked through his voice, and Selyf thinks for a moment. Bedel leans in and says that, unless he is willing to make a vast change to his life very quickly, it was unwise to deal with supernatural beings. He subtly speaks under his breath, mentioning these pacts are usually made of foolishness or obligation. They were not easy to break. But he sits back, a bit of exhaustion and concern slipping through his demeanor, sliding him a book of talismans. Just in case.

Selyf politely declines the invitation for a pact, and the foliage around them seems to shake-- but it quickly fades. Bedel seems relieved, explaining that, though she was rather displeased, she couldn't do anything without a contract. A flash of a shadow passes behind him, but quickly dissipates in the blink of an eye. Heading off, Bedel notes that he should not head out at night, offering to station guards around to keep him safe. Selyf accepts the offer, and Bedel wishes him a good night.

With the rest of the night to himself, Selyf begins to poke around the cabin, winding down after a full day. Noting the talisman writing station on the table, he decides to poke through the books to see if he could find any information on the name "Orobas." It was a bit of a small name, a creature called a "Legent," an abbreviated term for beings of the supernatural. Orobas was a creature that chased comets, born from the form of a meteorite. The talismans scattered about served to ward off and contain it. Why then, was the family bound to this creature trying to ward it off? Putting the pieces together, Selyf realizes that Bedel must've felt as though he'd made a deal with the devil, this precaution present so that their patron does not do something terrible. Selyf decides to push the topic aside for a moment, but remains a bit curious.

The night sets in as he continues searching through the various books, unable to find any more information on Orobas. He takes notes in his journal as he goes, but as he messes with another book, his quill begins to pick itself up and begin writing all on its own. Selyf freezes, watching it intently. As he does, it drops quickly... but continues on as he remains still. In loopy lettering, it writes out: Don't Panic. Selyf subtly panics. It begins to write again: Can you open the door?

Selyf looks between the door and the paper then, unmoving, nods. The pen taps idly for a moment, then asks to be let in. Selyf asks who should be let in, and the journal's pages flip to the sketch of the statue from the excavation site. It begins to write out a name, starting with "A," but quickly scribbling itself out again, writes out: "Orobas." Selyf recognizes the form of the statue from a book, sloped form almost akin to the arc of a meteorite. It seemed to call out gently. Cautiously, Selyf asks why it cant let itself in. The pen taps thoughtfully, then more quickly jots out: Tag on the door.

Taking in a breath, he explains that he'd been warned against her, and would need a pretty good case to listen to her. The pen repeats: Don't Panic. Then, after a pause, explains that there was something outside she could protect him against. Suspicious, Selyf asks if the "something" was her. In tiny text, the pen responds: You don't. Selyf thinks back to the many horror novels he'd read, reading the situation as a sort of "tentative benevolence." Taking a deep breath, he quietly approaches the door, pressing an ear to it to listen. There was a gentle thud coming from outside-- but not from the door, but rather all around the cabin. It was almost as if something-- multiple somethings-- were trying to be as quiet as possible. Looking through the crack of the door, the clearing outside seemed... off. He couldn't quite put a finger on it. Taking a deep breath... He opens the door.

The door instantly snaps open, a gust of wind brushing by as Selyf is dragged outside and onto the ground, dazed. Despite his darkvision, the darkness pressing in as a shadowy figure towers over him, peering intently at him before pointing towards the cabin. As he looks, he notices what was wrong: all of the stone figures throughout the area had gone missing, and were now piled atop the cabin. The shadowy figure seemed to protect him, but the statues began to approach. Selyf begins backpedaling, and quickly notices the shadow almost seemed to be assisting him along, clinging to his back. The statues didn't seem outwardly intelligent, but one thing was clear: they were after him.

Analyzing the situation, Selyf makes a decision. All of his belongings, the precious gifts from his home, were all inside the cabin. And he didn't want to leave without them. In a burst of courage, he steps forward, the shadow almost assisting him forth, and he dashes through their formation. As he gathers his things quickly, he notices the pen writing in the journal again, its previous complex font pushed aside for a more simple: Got your back :)

Everything in order, Selyf looks back outside, the statues almost forming a wall around the cabin. As he tries to figure out his next steps, the shadow begins writing again: Allow me. And they apologize, taking a finger and poking a finger to his forehead, a chill spilling over his body-- and a memory emerges.

Back in his home town, he remembers wandering priests would come by with stories and books of all kinds. They'd often give books to Selyf, and those moments were ones that he particularly looked forward to. One moment in particular stuck out, just before a blizzard, going off to read with someone. But their face almost seemed to blur, the memory of who they were evading him.

And as he comes back to, he was outside again, the statues all stopped completely. Something not of his companion's doing-- rather, something different about himself that had changed, something locked behind that memory that did... something. As the two pass through the now-unmoving masses, the shadow turns back and gives him an inscrutable look. Selyf blinks, confused. They cross their arms, seemingly upset about something. Making sure the statues were truly unmoving, he moves a distance away to take out his journal again, as the pen writes: WHAT.

The two go back and forth, Selyf confused at what happened, and the figure ALSO confused as to what happened. They were not the one who stopped the statues, and seemed quite miffed that he didn't seem to know what he did. After a moment of confused frustration, they roll their eyes, writing out: It's Fine. Selyf knows it is not fine. Looking intently at him, the figure asks what he is. Selyf retorts that it was an ironic remark coming from them. Unable to come up with a suitable response, it simply writes: Fine.

As they speak, however, another voice enters the scene as Bedel rushes in, shouting, "Orobas, you will NOT have him!" Immediately, the figure, Orobas, shrinks back as the man approaches, surveying the scene. Selyf assures him that he was all right, and that Orobas had actually helped him out. Looking out at the statues, Bedel mentions that they, the Galatea, had not moved in a very long time, but quickly apologizes for startling him. They begin to step off, and Bedel exhaustedly says that Selyf had gained the attention of "a troublesome one." He notes that he had never seen Orobas so shaken up before, and she evidently thinks that Selyf was the most scary thing in Indigo. Selyf blinks, confused, but Bedel explains its, unfortunately, a compliment. Selyf is no less confused.

Muttering to himself that the Ilmen family may have a vested interest in the owl after all, Bedel gets an idea. In an act to "punish" his familiar, Bedel retrieves the bow from the excavation and hands it to Selyf-- to keep, this time. He says that it is an apology, but also a countermeasure against Orobas. Iron was something that she could not handle, and the bow was made from it. Orobas seems thoroughly miffed. A bit torn, Selyf asks if Bedel could tell her he appreciated the help. With a sigh, he obliges, turning off with another muttered comment. As he goes, another scratching begins in his journal: Contract? Selyf makes eye contact and slowly closes the book.

Bedel steps ooff a bit, saying he'd escort them to Indigo to make sure nothing *untoward* happened to them. He makes direct eye contact with Orobas. She seemed delighted in bothering him. And the group heads off.

The scene cuts to another train, a far more fancy one than the one Selyf rode-- carrying passengers from Lancea. A figure walks into the scene, adjusting their scarf and mask as their phone begins to ring. Sighing as they see the name, they answer, and are immediately accosted by a loud voice on the other end rudely asking where they were. The figure explains they were on their way to Indigo, and immediately the voice begins berating them for leaving so fast. They go back and forth, mentioning they'd brought "experimental shit from the labs" with them. Weapons, supposedly. The voice pulls back a bit, the irritation still ever-present, filling them in on what happened after they'd left. They continue yammering off about protocols and code names, supposedly on some sort of mission.

The voice explains things were "pretty fucked" in Indigo, and advises them to be cautious due to the precarious circumstances of the city. As a final note, it tells the figure "not to make friends this time." Stopping dead in their tracks, the figure growls an affirmative, then quickly hangs up. A bit shaken, they head to the back of the train, reveling in the quiet.

And looking at the sky, they accept the reality of what is likely their final mission.

End of Session.