Deep Cuts: The Cutting Edge Technique

Io has received a letter from one of her admirers, Marcus, inviting her to come to back to the Cutting Edge sword school. What big display of affect do you think he has in store for her, only time can tell.

*Part of the The Cutting Edge Technique story arc*

## Adventurers Attending

* Io Aerkeryrm
* Tas
* Creed
* Niún Pendragon

## Mission Notes

As IO completed her nightly trance, dreams of events past at the Cutting Edge Sword School filled her mind, recycling over and over again her interactions with Markus. Becoming increasingly fraught and amplified by rage and angst Markus became increasingly more violent and determined in his 'retribution'. Coming to her senses in the cold light of morning IO had a strong feeling that something outside herself was attempting to manipulate her mind.

Arriving at the guild IO found a letter waiting for her. Upon opening it, discovering what appeared to be a letter from the school, but very much in Markus's hand, inviting her, or more accurately challenging her to return to the school for more competitive combat. Looking around the guild for companions to share her journey and to offer distraction to what she assumed to be the invitation of a 'date' she found Tas, Creed and Nuin willing to accompany her.

After teleporting to Cheyenne, the group rented horse and cart and travelled along the road east out towards the sword school, finding a strange set of figures on the path that bore a more than passing resemblance to the party. As IO stepped within range, she was scanned by the doppelganger automaton and combat immediately ensued.

As IO1 went head to head with IO2 and Tower1 with Tower 2, Asco2 was the first to fall, exploding as they did. As the party fought back and forth IO1 went down as the automaton doppelgangers fought hard until they were destroyed releasing explosions in their demise. Some post combat investigation discovered some makers marks in the debris of AB, which after putting 2and2 together brought up the name of the infamous artificer Arcturius Brain.

Confused about the connection if any between the school and the artificer the party travelled forth to the school. Greeted without fanfare by Laeg Magol, he was surprised to see the guilds attendance, but invited them to train so long as they didn't interrupt ongoing lessons until they were complete.

With Regrenaath outside maintaining the training equipment, the party beseeched him to provide more mental/psionics based training. With Regrenaath leading a set of meditations, both emptying and guided as well as a set of visualisations each party member went through their individual journey. Tas familiar with the training here settled in quickly and followed procedures faultlessly before discovering that it would appear she lacks the innate qualities of intelligence-based mind exercises, despite an aptitude for magic. IO despite familiarity struggled somewhat to focus, battle hardened, but distracted with thoughts of Robot IOs and Markus she struggled to relax and by extension apply herself well, though did show potential from ongoing training. Creed, while not one for meditative arts, nor familiar with the training here, struggled to begin with, but as ever attempted to exert his will on the proceedings finding some success, if not through the means being taught in this exercise. Finally, Nuin with some disregard and even disdain for the process here struggled mostly with willing rather than the performance, rattled by the combat and lack of warm welcome, failed to commit to the exercises until the very end where a door of opportunity opened to the epiphany that maybe there are skills available here that could be learned if only, she was willing.

With training and classes over, IO sought out Markus who after some awkward conversation led everyone to the courtyard where Markus was to face IO in combat. With the fairly emotionless and rigid students seeming a little more off than usual and Markus in an unusually heightened state.

As the combat commenced and continued Markus was increasingly reckless, erratic and finally rage filled, in stark contrast to the schools usually high technique focus, discipline and emotionless style of sword fighting. Finally, as his eyes went black it became clear that things were not right here and a number of fellow students looked to have highlighted their own unusual behaviour.

As real rather than staged combat began, Markus seemed intent on fighting IO, while some students circled to add to the conflict, Regrenaath stepped in to protect a number of other students who seemed very mildly shocked and surprised by what was happening. As IO began to kneel at the feet of her new master Markus, the others were acutely aware that this situation had taken a turn for the worse and seeing the students aligned with Markus begin casting spells for which the notoriously anti magic school was thoroughly against, began casting their own field spells of silence and sickening radiance to combat their foes (very effectively).

As Markus was finally downed, a semi spectral form of a large one eyed worm like form exited Markus's body before approaching and entering Creed. Meanwhile the other Markus aligned students fell and spectral forms of many eyed scorpions appeared to leave their bodies. As, the combat reached its peak, IO regained her senses and Creed himself was downed, leaving all spectral forms in the open. At this point a large black smoky spectral cloud began rolling over the mountains, before turning into the head of a snake and swooping down upon the school, swallowing all those in sight.

As the spectral smoke cleared, all spectral monsters were gone, leaving 5 unconscious students on the floor. As those present looked around, Markus's body had also disappeared.

With the ordeal over and a number of innocent students healed, Laeg began to express his apologies before explaining the events to IO. Laeg set to explaining that Kalashtar younglings often had no idea of their heritage but were adept at picking up sword training though always vulnerable to the influence of the dreaming dark. The school had intended to protect these kalashtar in the hopes that in future they could with the help of discipline and mind training lead lives outside the school, hence why the school had opened its doors to the public and more specifically the guild. Unfortunately, those proclivities and Markus's nature and experiences seemed to have led to the kind of infiltration they had hoped to prevent. Saddened by proceedings Laeg returned to his duties in the school.

As the party set to depart Regrenaath, returned to thank the party for their help, giving IO a training manual to continue her mind training and a small green training ball to Creed.

## Loot

* Standard Session Xp & Gold
* Beginner Psionic Training Manual This book describes psionic exercises and meditations. If you spend 1 hour between long rests studying the book's contents and performing its rigorous exercises, forgoing any other mechanical benefit such as a short rest, you can use the following ability without expending a spell slot. Once you use this ability in this way, you can't use this ability in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also use this ability by expending spell slots, the distance you can move items and creatures is increased by 10ft for every level of spell above 1st.
Psionic Ability Telekinetic Movement. You can move an object or a creature with your mind. As an action, you target one loose object that is medium or smaller or one willing creature, other than yourself. If you can see the target and it is within 15 feet of you, you can move it up to 10 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Alternatively, if it is a tiny object, you can move it to or from your hand. Either way, you can move the target horizontally, vertically, or both.

## Rumours

Why is Arcturius Brain building war robots and targeting members of the guild?

With the school and its student's presence well known, how long will it be before the Dreaming Dark seeks to raise its head again?