Session 01

### Player Characters

Deitrick, Lilly Thisslebane, Alexander Morozova, Deuteronomy, Electra, Amanita, Balthazar

## 1226: The Battle of West Wind Pass

We begin, as all good stories do, in a flashback.

The year was 1226 – two years before the end of the Great Strife – and our party found themselves deep in the Dustbowl, in a location known as West Wind Pass. A unified force from the Arid Frontier and the Shadowfen, an alliance of cats, ravens, and toads, had camped in the pass, led by the heroes Alexander Morozova, Lilly Thisslebane, Deitrick of the Court of Fire, and Growltiger Shimbleshanks. The force was tasked with chasing down Commander Yishra, a satyr and druid known as the Horn of the High West Wind. Their sources suggested that Yishra was in possession of the Horn of Castigation, an object of legend to the satyrs.

In a tent, our heroes met to discuss their plan with the commander of the troops, Farnac Ironclaw. Faced with an assault of Swarm forces from the west, the group surveyed a map of the region. After some deliberation, in which Alexander advised against any attempts to outrun the Swarm due to the speed of their forces, they decided to station troops in the pass itself, with a force of archers on the surrounding cliffs. Then, all that was left to do was wait.

After some time waiting in the pass, the first Satyr Hoofers appeared on the horizon, and the battle began. Faced with the oncoming horde of Satyr Hoofers, Great Rams, and Flaming Skulls, the heroes took their positions. Deitrick summoned an Azer to fight by his side, Lilly rallied her troops, and Growltiger cast a *beacon of hope* to instil hope and vitality in his forces. Alexander, seemingly uninterested in the fight, shook his head and remarked that they “might as well have stayed in the Shadowfen”.

While a barrage of arrows took down some of the incoming forces, the group spotted a singular figure running ahead of the Swarm and moving with extraordinary speed. To their horror, as the figure approached, she grew in size and began to tower over the battlefield. The Azer rushed forwards. The toad forces entered a blood rage. And Lilly and the raven archers concentrated their fire on the figure, who they recognised as Yishra. But it was Alexander who seemed to cause the most significant impact, filling Yishra's head with seeds of doubt and paranoia. Then, Lilly took aim and, with a javelin, smote Yishra with divine thunder, sending the large satyr crashing onto the battlefield.

While the battle seemed to be turning in their favour, with feline knights charging down their foes and Alexander melting his foes with acid, their luck was soon to change. Yishra drew the horn that had granted her her namesake and blew. The sound of the horn reverberated across the battlefield. Alexander, Lilly, Deitrick, and Growltiger quaked with fear, and many of the Shadowfen and Frontier forces began to flee in terror.

The next moments were a blur; as soldiers attempted to shake off their fear, Growltiger cast *tongues* and began to hurl abuse at his fleeing forces, and Deitrick unleashed a beam of psychic energy at Yishra. Alexander would land the killing blow, however. Teleporting in range of Yishra, he said, “You should not have done that”. Then, reaching out a hand and casting a *blight* spell on the satyr, he reduced her to an acidified pulp. The Horn of Castigation fell from her hand, and Alexander caught it mid-air.

Seizing the turning tides, Lilly rallied her troops, who attacked the skeletal archers; Alexander commanded his toads to let the cats take the lead, Detrick disappeared, and the remaining cat calvary all but obliterated the remaining Satyr Hoofers to the north.

Amidst this chaos, Alexander watched the sky darken for a moment as a torrent of flaming arrows sped towards him, blotting out the sun. Then, skewered by this barrage of arrows, Alexander fell. But Lilly, charged with protecting Alexander, rushed to his side and yelled, “Not on my watch”. Unloading all of her divine healing on the unconscious sorcerer, she brought him back from the brink.

Growltiger hurled radiant bolts at the remaining satyrs, Alexander melted those foes around him, and Deitrick, in a final show of arcane prowess, teleported himself across the battlefield and above the remaining skeletal archers, intent on summoning a devil into their midst. But with their leader dead and most of their forces defeated, the remaining Swarm began to flee. Deitrick refused to let the Flaming Skulls escape, and summoning a lightning bolt, he struck down the remaining archers.

Exhausted from the battle, Lilly struck her greatsword in the earth and took a moment to rest. Meanwhile, Growltiger and Alexander seized the opportunity to speak. Affirming the alliance between the Shadowfen and the Arid Frontier, Alexander assured the cleric that the Shimbleshanks would be welcome in Morozova Manor if they ever needed aid.

Thus ended the Battle of West Wind Pass.

## Circa 1248

### The Ethereal Basin

More than twenty years later, sometime around 1248, a council of elder Shimbleshanks convened in the palace of the Ethereal Basin to the south of the Arid Frontier. Deuteronomy, a distinguished older cat, consulted a scroll and a newly arrived letter, muttering with discontent. On his throne, King Gior Spiritclaw, a thin and slightly dishevelled-looking Leonin, looked on nervously. Deuteronomy then addressed the elders, hinting at the contents of the letter and remarking that they had “mere months before *it* w[ould] happen again”. While the details of the situation remained vague, the council decided on a course of action: they would send their kittens, Bombalurina, Electra, Gus, and Rumpleteazer, to seek out allies in the north under the supervision of Rum Tum Tugger.

A few hours later, Electra, an almost hairless cat clothed in an immaculate cloak of pure silver, robes with designer patches of silver and gold, and carrying a large silver tote bag, joined her siblings in the throne room. Despite being told to meet at the throne room at three o'clock in the afternoon, Electra arrived "fashionably late," entering at a quarter past three.

Despite the apparent gravity of the situation, the king seemed distracted, flirting with a handmaiden on his throne. However, Rum Tum Tugger swiftly took control of the room and demanded the king leave the Shimbleshanks family to conduct their business. Once the king had left, Rum Tum Tugger spoke to the kittens and informed them that an opportunity to prove themselves had arisen. She told them that they would need to travel to the Shadowfen and win the allegiance of a handful of key local families. Bombalurina was to be sent to acquire the support of the Bloodbane family, Gus was sent to recruit the Karrow sisters, and Electra was to acquire the help of the elusive Morozova family.

Electra, however, was more interested in magically charming a palace guard, who appeared to soften for a moment before returning to their senses. She only engaged with the assignment to ask if there would be shopping. Sighing, Rum Tum Tugger informed Electra that her shopping expertise was the reason she was chosen to visit the Morozovas, a family well-regarded for their potion trade. With the discussion concluded, each kitten received resources for their journey: Rum Tum Tugger urged Electra to familiarise herself with the region's languages and handed her a book titled *Ockran for Dummies.*

Rum Tum Tugger also approached Deitrick and informed the tiefling that the family required his expertise in dealing with the Morozovas. She asked Deitrick to accompany Electra to the Morozova Estate and to "watch over her". With this business concluded, Rum Tum Tugger, the kittens, Deitrick, and a squad of guards left for the 100-day journey across the continent from the Arid Frontier to the heart of the Shadowfen.

Unfortunately for Deitrick, his journey was filled with incessant questions from Gus, who seemed intent on absorbing every piece of wizarding knowledge he could gather from the tiefling.

### Greensgood

Meanwhile, in Greensgood, the Sister known as Amanita was awoken in the middle of the night. A message from a *sending* spell rang in her mind, urging her to visit the Celium Sanctum in Greensgood. Responding immediately, Amanita donned the Sisterhood's ceremonial robes and left for the sanctum.

Accompanied by her ancient companion, Savos the Wise, an almost undead figure wreathed in fungus, Amanita found her way to Crookroot Mot, the Celium Sanctum in Greensgood. In the middle of this strange space lit with bioluminescent fungi and filled with a constant humming stood Mother Mellean. The Sporeseer was likely once an elf, but after years in the sanctum, little signs of her race or form remained, subsumed beneath fungal growths and strings of hyphae that extended from her body and connected with the massive fruiting body of a fungus behind her. As Amanita approached Mother Mellean, bowing in respect, the Sporeseer seemed to gaze, eyes glazed over, at things Amanita could not see.

Then, exiting this trance-like state, Mellean welcomed Amanita and extended her hand, inviting the Sister to join in a shared vision. Taking Mellean's hand, Amanita joined the Mother and traced the roots of the Network, following the flow of memories. Mellean guided her towards a section of the Network that seemed almost atrophied, only tangled and shrivelled remnants of the once thriving Network. Entreating Amanita to seek answers to this vision, Mellean ended the trance and urged Amanita to travel to Pinewatch and visit the Morozova family. When Amanita asked for further information, the Sporeseer told her of whispers in the memories that someone was trying to do something to the Network.

Then, without so much as a goodbye, Mellean returned to her trance-like state, leaving Amanita alone. Lingering for a moment, Amanita whispered, more to herself than the Sporeseer, "memories guide you". Then, after gathering the necessary information from some Sisters in Crookroot Mot, Amanita left for the city of Pinewatch.

### Morozova Manor

Finally, turning to the Morozova Manor itself, the tiny mouse known as Balthazar, apprentice to Alexander Morozova, was summoned by Alexander. Pointing to two letters - one from the Celial Sisterhood and one from Rum Tum Tugger – he asked Balthazar, “What do you think of these?”. Balthazar recalled some knowledge of the Sisterhood and began to adopt an excited tone, eagerly asking his Master whether the letters were asking to stay at the Manor. Alexander expressed that the letters were indeed asking for lodging at the Manor, and he requested Balthazar’s assistance, asking the mouse to help both groups with anything they might need.

## 26th of Duoary 1248

Having completed their journey from the Ethereal Basin, Electra, Deitrick, and the rest of the caravan arrived in Pinewatch. The head of the caravan's guard, a panther-like woman, approached Rum Tum Tugger and asked her what role the guard would be taking in the negotiations. As a test, Rum Tum Tugger turned to Electra and asked her to make the call. With an air of superiority and uninterestedness, Electra pulled a green and gold scarf from her tote, tied it around her neck in a pussybow, and remarked, "I think they should stay out of the way". Embarrassed, the guard captain made herself look smaller and left the clerics alone.

Sometime later that day, Electra and Deitrick arrived at Morozova Manor itself, where they were greeted by a lamppost-holding scarecrow who lighted the group's way. The pair quickly noticed the scarecrow's distaste for living things: they immediately blighted a single flower that had managed to grow in the barren and acidic soil of the estate.

Amanita, having been at the Manor for some time, had managed to acquaint herself with many of its unusual occupants, including Fobb, the family's roguish butler; Ellard Shadowfen, the head of the Manor's dozen security guards and a bastard son of Alexander's father; and Vanz Kan Danz, a strange figure seeking to hold a dance show at the Manor. Since arriving, Vanz had frequently asked questions of Amanita and listened to her stories of the Sisterhood. But despite often holding a notebook, he never seemed to write anything. As a result, Amanita sensed that something about the cat was "not quite right".

The session ends with the Sister, mouse, cat, and tiefling about to meet, each with their own goals and reasons for seeking out the Morozovas. *Where their paths may lead, who knows?*