Book 2; Chapter 11

## **11 / 1 / 2020**

Beaten and battered by the battle with the Sunbreaker deep within the Ashguard Garrison, Noname Incorporated returned to Irritrad's Candle to find the Martinet Ludinus Da'Leth and Master Aegil Ikithon awaiting their arrival. Claiming to Irritrad that the party "knew too much about their operation", the two assembly members attacked. Irritrad fought alongside the party, trying to find a way out. Ludinus began wielding this black lightning, which leeched away magic and Aegil placed a powerful enchantment over Kutham, Cirrus, and Sandra, turning them against the party.

Bepis, in a desperate attempt, called out to his previous master, and although such pleas fell on the deaf ears of Uk'otoa, this prayer did not escape the Wanderer's ear. The Wanderer appeared and delivered a much needed Mass Heal, after which he was promptly beaten to a pulp by Kutham. Cirrus wheeled on Ruelle with a shotgun to his head, claiming she'd pull the trigger if anyone continued to fight.

Grimrick, Rahtanax, Phos, Irritrad, and Oglee surrendered, and Bepis was incapacitated by one of Aegil's spells. Ruelle attempted to cast a spell, but he wasn't fast enough, finding Cirrus nearly killing him outright. Once the entire party was subdued, they were chained and knocked unconscious.

Oglee awoke to being carried away by Fredryck in the night. One by one, (Grimrick, Bepis, Rahtanax, Phos, and Ruelle) awoke in a small room, bound to each other, and with no gear or items. They were able to break free from each other, but not from their antimagic bracers. Hearing voices approaching, the remaining members of Noname Incorporated prepared for battle.

### **Featured Characters**

#### **Noname Incorporated**

* Bepis Seacaster
* Phos'phophilite
* Cirrus Stratus
* Kutham Ren'Thrael
* Grimrick
* Rahtanax
* Ruelle Faldicer
* Sandra Faldicer

#### **Returning**

* Oglee
* Ludinus Da'Leth
* Irritrad Krynn
* Aegil Ikithon
* Andrew Fen Shaldore
* The Wanderer
* Fredryck

### **Locations**

#### **Troms Empire**

* Troms
	+ Irritrad's Candle
* Ashguard Garrison
* Cirrus' Skyship (unknowingly)

## **11 / 8 / 2020**

The door opened to two figures with ornate maze-like tattoos running up their arms. The two initially fell for the ambush set by the party, but quickly recovered and fought back. The tattoos on their arms began to glow and when they punched someone, there was a surge of arcane energy that damaged and sent the target flying, however, they were able to kill one of the two (with badass chain whips), the second being able to escape.

Bepis Seacaster discovered three small glass beads on the body, and Phos found that they removed the antimagic bracers. With Phos, Ruelle, and Rahtanax being able to cast again, the group searched the floor, finding nothing but empty bedrooms and ladders leading up. There was a large arcane/dunamantic contraption on this floor, along with a number of bedrooms and a kitchen. After brutally murdering a woman who was alseep in one of the rooms, it was discovered that Noname Incorporated was airborne in a skyship. Some shenanigans with Rahtanax and the escape pods ensued.

Continuing upwards, the party arrived on the main deck. Sitting in a chair, downing a shot of whiskey, and arms red with the inscriptions of new, maze-like tattoos, was Kutham. The battle again this newly empowered Kutham was hard and bloody. The party, realizing they couldn't win, fell back to the escape pods. After a few tense moments of loading everyone in, Bepis was able to activate the escape pod and jettisoned himself and the rest of the party off the airship, away from Kutham. Bepis, then realizing actually how high up they were (and having a fear of the open sky), let loose a torrent of goliath bile. Upon impact, healing was had and night was falling. Between this and with Ruelle nearly completely transitioned into his winter form, the cold was just beginning to settle.

Phos was able to spot the secondary escape pod jettison from the airship and plummet into the forest that they had. After roughly 30 minutes, Phos and Ruelle snuck up on the secondary crash site. There they found a burning crater with the pod at its center, and a small creature investigating it. This small creature was Scrape Talon, a little kenku man who lives in this wood (who is also not a huge fan of fey). The party befriended this kenku and they learned he had a fair sense of magic himself. They unlocked the pod, retrieved a number of glass beads, freeing Bepis and Grimrick of their bracers.

Scrape then led all to his own small abode within the forest. Bepis, being far too large for the cottage, constructed his own make-shift dwelling, the rest of the group taking a moment to calm their nerves. Ruelle left to commune with the spirits of the wood (said spirits has a *flawless* Scottish accent). Scrape left to hunt and Bepis left to find a bear (only god knows why). With that, the night closed, and the broken remnants of Noname Incorporated are left to await the morning.

### **Featured Characters**

#### **Noname Incorporated**

* Bepis Seacaster
* Phos'phophilite
* Grimrick
* Rahtanax
* Ruelle Faldicer

#### **Mentioned**

* Cirrus Stratus
* Bepsi
* Sandra Faldicer
* Irritrad Krynn

### **Locations**

* Cirrus' Skyship
* Scrape's Encampment

## **11/15/2020**

Retcon: *Before going to sleep, the party discussed a future plan of action. Ruelle revealed that larger game lies to the south of Scrape's encampment and that there was water to the north and to the south (information gathered from the fey of the wood). Scrape asked Ruelle to ask the fey if they knew anything about the ruins in the area. Ruelle returned to the forest to further commune. He learned that a "city of stone" was to the north, an "alternate ruin" was to the west, and a "circle of stones" was to the southwest.*

*Bepis and Ruelle then journeyed to the top of one of the many large trees to look at the stars. They were able to determine that they were at some latitude north of Troms and some longitude west of Troms. They also learned that it they were within the first week of winter.*

As the party went to sleep, Bepis received a dream from his former master, Uk'otoa. The dream consisted of Bepis confronting the massive, singular eye once again. After being stabbed by Melissa Vargo, Bepis began to drown, and was eaten by the Great Leviathan. Ruelle awoke to the sight of Bepis seizing and salt water gushing out of his mouth and nose. Ruelle did his best to drag him out of the small hut to the others, but then decided immediate action must be taken. He stabbed Bepis in the chest to allow the salt water to escape and oxygen to enter.

Bepis woke to this, and was able to be saved, but he did not gain the benefits of his long rest. The morning then began. A breakfast of meat and potatoes was had. Bepis and Rahtanax flew on Snowball's pegasus form for three hours to scout the west. They encountered a large swath of land that was suspended, in chunks, in the air. The two of them investigated the pool of water below the floating islands, and found that Bepis could no longer breath underwater. They then flew another hour to the west until they circled back. They did not find the ruins that were supposedly to the west.

Phos and Grimrick spent their time hunting the small game in the area around Scrape's Encampment. Once they returned, the two of them and Scrape skinned the carcasses and prepared the meat for cooking and smoking. Ruelle spent his time searching for medicinal herbs and possible potion brewing components.

Around dusk, they all reconvened for dinner. Grimrick wandered off into the forest to try to talk to the fey. He sat and meditated with an acorn, and then he saw a number of faerie wisps fleeing something. A massive corrupted bear then attacked Grimrick. Nobody but Scrape heard this, so he snuck off as well. He arrived to see Grimrick scaling a huge tree, being pursued by this huge bear. Scrape then delivered a powerful spell and reduced the wear to skin and bones.

While Grimrick was in the huge trees, he realized that they have massive acorns hanging from their branches. He successfully communed with the fey of the wood with one of these massive acorns as an offering. He learned that the fey of the forest fear the "city of stone" to the north, claiming it to be the root of the corruption of the forest.

Ruelle, with the raw materials of collected stones and lumber, casted the *Fabricate* spell. He magically rebuilt Scape's house to be larger and the ceiling to be taller so Bepis could actually exist within the house. Grimrick began to cut more of the giant acorns down so they could be fabricated into rain reservoirs. While he was up in the canopy, he heard a series of pops and explosions. He jumped to the top of the tree he was in and saw a series of multicolored flashes exploded across the sky. This streak impacted the forest nearby and Grimrick went to investigate.

Upon investigating the area, Grimrick discovered a smoking and unconscious Therin, apparently revived from the dead. Grimrick brought Therin back to Scrape's Encampment where Rahtanax threatened him at sword point, demanding to know if he was under some form of arcane control like Kutham was. After being questioned while under the effects of a *Zone of Truth* spell, the group was satisfied with Therin's allegiances. Recent events were discussed with Therin, including Therin's resurrection by Barbosa, their return to the Material Plane, and their split second run-in with Kutham on the deck of a snowy skyship.

### **Featured Characters**

#### **Noname Incorporated**

* Bepis Seacaster
* Ruelle Faldicer
* Phos'phophilite
* Rahtanax
* Grimrick
* Therin Dun
* Scrape Talon

#### **Returning**

* Uk'otoa
* Melissa Vargo
* The Wanderer (voice)
* Kutham Ren'Thrael (Therin only)

#### **Mentioned**

* Sandra Faldicer
* Aegil Ikithon
* Ludinus Da'Leth
* Barbosa
* Cirrus Stratus

### **Locations**

* Scrape's Encampment
* Cirrus' Skyship (Therin only)

## **11/22/2020**

There was no session on Sunday, November 22nd, 2020 due to lack of expected attendance.

## **11/29/2020**

Noname Incorporated fell into slumber. Taking shifts in their rest, Bepis did not have a vision of his former master. In the night, Bepis wandered off into the forest after leaving a note telling the group to move ahead without him. When the morning came, the party assembled and began the journey north. Scrape casted *Fly* on himself, Phos and Ruelle. Rahtanax conjured a large steed on which he and Therin rode.

After about two hours of travel northward, the party came across a single, smaller tree that had a strange grey and purple bark that seemed to secrete a foul oily substance. The leaves were black and dead, and although the tree appeared to be dead, it still had a mockery of life within. Carrying on even further, the group began to come across a few more of these trees and a light dusting of snow.

Nearing sundown (roughly 5 o'clock), the party had stopped to further investigate one of these trees when Scrape licked the oily substance. He began to feel a strange tingling sensation as he became quite intoxicated. While in this state, he also began to hear an odd resonant hum. Shortly after, the party was attacked by a large creature with insectoid wings and nine holes bored into its head where a face would be.

The party quickly attacked it, but the rhythmic hum of the wings seemed to entrance Ruelle and Therin. Rahtanax began to wrestle the creature when scores of smaller, crawling abominations came bursting out of the ground and attacking everyone. The larger creature was disposed of soon after a second large horrid creature descended from the trees. Ruelle was brought to his knees by Rahtanax, who then slew the secondary large entity.

After taking a moment to regroup and recuperate, the party began to investigate the bodies of these creatures. Therin took samples of the oily substance that both the trees and these creatures secreted. Grimrick then recalled some information about these creatures that he learned from Garafred. They are called Core Spawn, horrible and ancient creatures that burrowed their way up from the core of Blaedura, they function as some form of hive mind and are thought to be an invasive species from the Far Realm.

### **Featured Characters**

#### **Noname Incorporated**

* Bepis Seacaster (only in the beginning of the session)
* Grimrick
* Phos'phophilite
* Therin Dun
* Rahtanax
* Ruelle Faldicer
* Scrape Talon

#### **Mentioned**

* Garafred
* Noname

## **12/6/2020**

Noname Incorporated carried further northward. They made camp for the night, Scrape, Therin and Grimrick took the first watch. Ultimately nothing having been noticed, Scrape went to sleep and Grimrick woke Rahtanax for his watch. When Rahtanax awoke, he saw a large and dark creature looming over Therin, nobody else noticing this creature (the group later dubs this creature Freddie). It simply observed, invisible to all but Therin and Rahtanax. When the party woke up the following day, Ruelle was able to speak to it in sylvan.

Carrying onwards, just after sundown, Scrape and Grimrick noticed a faint glow from the forest to the group's left. They went to investigate first, the rest of the party left to catch up. The pair found a series of stone statues covered in pieces of moss and blooms of fungus. The seven figures stood in a loose circle, their hands nearly touching. Upon the rest of the group's arrival, Rahtanax tried to force some of the statues to touch (to no avail). Phos and Ruelle began to identify the types of flora on and around the statues. Then, Therin noticed a small stone tile in the center of the figures. He ducked under the nearly linked arms of the figures to stand in the center of the circle.

The statues' open eyes and mouths began to glow this dim blue light, and Therin heard a voice in his mind. They said to him "You stand before us, the Circle of Seven, to offer us your gift for a price. Now, ask your question." So Therin asked his question. He asked what is the evil in these woods. He then received a vision from these entities. His mind flew northward through snow dappled trees and large open swaths of snow covered fields towards a large series of blackened forest. All the trees here were corrupted like the ones the group have found previously. Within this dark forest were a number of stone buildings hugging the bases of trees. Stone buildings held in the bows of massive trees strung together by catwalks and spire-like towers peaking upwards toward the strange purple canopy above. This is the ruined city of Molaesmyr. In the heart of this city was a monolithic spire; a tree growing up, around, and through an overgrown and ruined tower. Diving under this central tower, a cavernous space below held a ziggurat of dark brick. Atop the plateau of the temple was an arborous mass within a pool of water; a tangled mess of corrupted roots and vines that gently pulsed, almost like a heartbeat. Within this mass were two items, one shining like a miniature star, and the other a shadowy smear in reality.

Upon being thrust out of this vision, Therin fell to his knees. Rahtanax helped him up and out of the circle. After explaining what happened and further inspection on Phos' and Scrape's part, it was revealed that Therin had aged nearly 40 years. Somewhat confused about what just happened and with some suspicions confirmed, Noname Incorporated continued north. They settled for the night under a large outcropping of rock. There was an encounter with a strange bat-like creature that tried to steal Phos, but Ruelle was able to strike the final hit on it. Therin look the skull of the cloaker, which bore an unsettling resemblance to a humanoid skull.

### **Featured Characters**

#### **Noname Incorporated**

* Ruelle Faldicer
* Grimrick
* Therin Dun
* Phos'phophilite
* Scrape Talon
* Rahtanax

## **12/13/2020**

After some short discussion with Freddie, Noname Incorporated continued their trek north. It had snowed the previous night and the farther north they traveled, the colder and colder it got. Around noon, Scrape heard far off noise. It sounded like a cacophony of small cries accompanied by a singular, much louder wail. Without notifying anyone else, Scrape disappeared and went ahead to investigate. He found a small clearing that held a ghastly sight. It was a shifting mass of crows and black feathers, hundreds if not thousands of birds swarmed and attacked a single creature within. Determined to find out what was going on, Scrape *polymorphed* into a crow and flew into the swarm. He then dropped *polymorph* and cast *destructive wave*, excluding the victim of this onslaught.

The swarm of crows was annihilated, revealing the thin, bloody, and mutilated creature they were attacking. Not recognizing the fact that this creature was an illithid, Scrape tried to reassure the creature as he called the rest of the party forward. The party caught up and upon realizing the nature of the creature Scrape saved, they took an obviously defensive stance, scanning the area for other illithids. However, through some translation by Therin, it was revealed that this individual had some extent of long term memory loss. Showing sympathy and seeing a possible alliance with this entity, Ruelle was given the green light to heal him. Although Ruelle is a very accomplished healer, he was not able to restore this creature's tentacle (one of the four), which was lost in the crow attack. This entity introduced itself as Arbuykos.

After another four hours of travel, the party was able to navigate their way around a pack of strange, skinless hounds that had tentacles with eyes on them. Once they successfully snuck past, it was another five or so hours before the group began to set up camp. At this point, Scrape and Phos heard something charging through the underbrush. Everyone prepared their attacks and spells, with Scrape and Grimrick darting ahead to scout. The two of them saw something large and moving with immense speed, and a moment later it flying out from between the trees. This thing barreled into Rahtanax, who used its momentum to slam it into the ground. He found that he was holding Bepis on the ground. All initially rejoiced at seeing Bepis, but then the party quickly realized that he was bleeding heavily from the side of his abdomen, and from his eyes, nose, and mouth. A number of other things could be heard crashing through the underbrush.

Bepis was being pursued by three creatures. Two of them were roughly medium sized with dark blue skin, four arms, and razor sharp teeth and claws. They had beady yellow eyes and their toothy smiles stretches much farther back than they should have. The third creature was a hulking and skinless, gorilla-like monster with six mismatched eyes across its face. The three seemed to be attacking in some organized manor. Engaging with these foes, Bepis was able to show off his new shimmering green cloak, which allows him to move faster and hover just off the ground.

Nearing the end of this battle, after Phos killed the hulk almost single-handedly, a resonant cracking sound could be hear from above. Bepis (with the use of *investiture of wind*) flew upwards to investigate. He saw a crack in the night sky where no stars, other than seven, could be seen. From this void one of its seven stars flashed and a streak of light crashed into the ground. All gathered to watch a robed entity stand in the smoking crater. Beneath the robes were masses of crawling and writhing insects, and it was adorned with a white stone mask and wielding a mysterious staff. After a short battle, in which Arbuykos revealed his ability to cast both *chain lightning* and *disintegrate*, Ruelle was once again able to score a final kill.

While most others found their way back to camp, Ruelle and Therin stayed behind to investigate this mage-type opponent's remains. After it was defeated, the insects that made it up began to disperse, leaving the robes, mask and staff. Ruelle picked up one of the fleeing insects and found it to be of a disturbingly similar type of caterpillar as the one he gave to Irritrad Krynn, per the pact with his mother. The staff (later *identified* by Arbuykos) was the Voyager Staff. The robes and the mask were not magical, but the robes did hold a simple symbol on them. Upon regrouping, the party began to bed down for the night.

### **Featured Characters**

#### **Noname Incorporated**

* Ruelle Faldicer
* Scrape Talon
* Bepis Seacaster
* Grimrick
* Rahtanax
* Phos'phophilite
* Therin Dun

#### **Mentioned**

* Irritrad Krynn
* Mabel Toebones

### **Locations**

* The Savalirwood
* Far Realm (presumed to have been seen)

## **12/19/2020**

Before the party found their way to rest, Scrape decided he was far too curious about this mysterious new blade that Bepis was wielding. He sat down with the rest of the party and began a strange ritual (a casting of the *legend lore* spell). Scrape held the Sword of Fathoms in his draconic hand, and then his vision was encompassed by darkness. Although he knew he was only sitting on the forest floor and holding a sword, it felt as though he was flying. He saw that he was soaring high above the clouds on great dragon wings, then he dove into the clouds and saw a sparkling nighttime ocean beneath him. He saw three points of bright blue-green light on the land masses far below, before his massive dragon body dove once more, now beneath the waves.

When he resurfaced, he saw a ship sailing in the distance. Upon it, he saw a man. A tall grey man with no hair and barnacle incrusted leather armor stood on the bow of the ship. His left eye a bright blue cat's eye, Bepis looked into the distant horizon.