Arcana High Campaign Journal

[Libertad]

Arcana High Campaign Journal

Although I played Play-by-Post games on and off, today I had the first live game in nearly a year on Roll20.  It was none other than the Arcana High idea in that other thread.  Even better news, it's not going to be a one-shot!  To that end, and to the encouragement of my fellow players, I decided to pen a campaign journal detailing the plot of today's session for the reading pleasure of others and to help our memories of the important stuff that just happened for next week.

In the nation of Aleria there is a prosperous center of learning for the magical arts.  Founded centuries ago by a conclave of famed archmages unsatisfied with the traditional methods of individual apprenticeship of arcane training.  Using mundane universities as inspiration, they founded the first magic school, Highstone Academy.  Recruiting eager students from far and wide, the town of Brancean built around their foundations into the most prosperous city in the nation.  But dark forces move unseen to claim the great potential of the school's lore and the city's majesty.  During this eventful school year a gifted few students will demonstrate great courage and fall into the heroic legacy of the defenders of old.  By day they are normal students at a prestigious magic academy.  At night they steal out into the city wearing masked garb to fight evil!

Centuries passed, and the end of summer signals a new school year.  Young mages from all walks of life venture by foot, by horseback or griffonback, or even by teleportation to Brancean.


A large crowd of fresh-faced teenagers venture down the busy Brancean streets.  Many walk alongside friends and family members, while others appear to have made the journey alone.  Citizens of the fair city wave to them, wishing all the prospective apprentices a joyful new year at the mage’s academy.  Even from this distance the tall gates of Highstone can be seen at the end of the road, forged out of decorative stone in the shape of massive feathery wings.  Out of all the potential applicants the world over, they number among the few deemed worthy enough to attend the famous Highstone Academy, preeminent academy for the magical arts!

Among them are our heroes:

Gunter von Kleist, (played by Ketaro) a skilled arcane duelist from a privileged and ruthless family who earned him a spot at Highstone with both raw talent and the backing of the von Kleist name.  Possessing a knack for magic even in his early years added to his arrogance and more than a bit of resentment among the less naturally talented stuents.

Xeno, (played by Lordxeno06) a poor orphan whose veins course with sorcerous potential.  Knowing a life of conflict and gang wars, it was with might and confidence that he carved a place of respect among allies and enemies alike.  His magical talents awakened at a disastrous time, and he realized that he was a threat to his friends if he did not seek out proper training.

Ritti Dragoncutter, (played by Raineh Daze) a dwarf hailing from a deep underground kingdom.  A cleric of the sun deity, her people never seen the surface world and instead commemorated her as a righteous goddess of fire and combat.  Fresh out from her traditional homes, Ritti is a fish out of water in due to her lack of surface world customs and gender.*

We decided to go with the Discworld standard of dwarves: a dwarf is a dwarf, where gender is meaningless except for the purposes of procreation.  As most non-dwarves are unfamiliar with this, they constantly refer to her as male for her beard, which is a vital component of all dwarves.

Syrasi Tumblebarrow, (played by Syrasi) a gnome belonging to a long line of master illusionists.  It was with great honor that she earned admission to Highstone Academy.  However, despite her outgoing persona she holds a dark secret: fascination with the discipline of necromancy, a forbidden magic in gnomish culture.  She hopes to learn more about this taboo subject at Highstone.


Being from more privileged families, Syrasi and Gunter had their own escorts while walking down the Wizard Road leading up to Highstone.  Xeno and Ritti came alone.

After accepting their admission slips and leading the several hundred newcomers into the Academy proper, the crowd mingled and took in the sights of Highstone's expansive front courtyard.  Comprised of students from all races and nations, the pupils were very diverse in comparison to the rest of Aleria proper.  Humans only made up about half of them, whereas elsewhere they'd be an overwhelming majority.  It wasn't long before they were were all escorted to the auditorium for the opening ceremony, where Headmaster Irfan gave a speech celebrating the strong community bonds of Highstone which allowed so many to become celebrated mages the world over.

Coincidentally, the PCs were all assigned the same room at the dorms.  Consisting of little more than 4 beds and a study table, Ritti, Syrasi, and Xeno introduced themselves while Gunter toured the rest of the dorm.  Their meeting was shortly interrupted by a pinkish-white blur of fur which dove under their nearest bed.  This was Giza the talking rabbit familiar who belonged to the elven wizard Naileas, who was eager to make new friends with the first years.  After she said goodbye and Giza instructed them to clean the floors under their beds ("it's quite dusty down there!"), the four students finished unpacking their belongings.


Their first class (mandatory for all First Years) is Cantrips & Orisons, taught by Professor Entrip still clad in his stained alchemist's smock from last class.  "Don't worry about the smell of ozone, I reduced the levels of volatile substances in the air to safe levels now."  Much of the class was spent teaching the fundamental building blocks of magic and asking Xeno to demonstrate a spell.  Due to his sorcerous bloodline he did not have much control over his powers, although he did demonstrate his ability to grow demonic claws.  Professor Entrip identified his magical potential as sorcery, most likely from extraplanar heritage, something which went over his head and that of most of the class.  Gunter was called up next to demonstrate a spell of his own, summoning disturbing illusions around his form to make himself look like a demented fey creature, causing the front row of students to pull their chairs back in fright.  Professor Entrip, on the other hand, saw this spell dozens of times before and was unfazed by the visions.

Coinciding with the first day of school was the return of Saliar's Comet.  Visible only once every hundred years, rumors spread throughout the school that the comet radiates powerful magic which can be detected even from the land.  Eager to witness this once-in-a-lifetime event (thrice for dwarves), Gunter, Syrasi, Ritti, and Xeno joined several other mages on the dorm's rooftop to watch the comet.  It was a beautiful white streak of light in the sky...which was falling, closer and closer to earth.  Worried over this incoming object, the minutes felt like an eternity as it dipped below the horizon with a bright flash of light to land on a hill right outside Brancean.  After Xeno calmed the panicking students down (thanks in part to the leadership qualities he learned from his old gang), the four of them decided to sneak out and investigate the fallen comet for themselves.


Following the trail of hewn earth to the crash site, the party discovered a luminescent humanoid being lying within the cracked comet.  Getting up, he looked towards the PCs speaking in the Celestial language (none of which they understood).  Syrasi waved hi to him.

"There is not much time," the entity said in Common.  "Is this the Material Plane?  Is the surrounding area the site of Allathra's legacy?"

They were only able to answer his first question.  The emergence of the Knights of Aleria rushing over to the hill caused the otherworldly being to run away, its form phasing through the trees like a ghost.



I will continue the rest of today's session in the next post, for this one's getting quite long.

To Be Continued...

[Garryl]

Libertad writing about things? Always a pleasure to read.

[Raineh Daze]

Libertad wouldn't let me carry the entire comet back with us. : (

[Lordxeno06]

Nice presentation~! @Raineh the comet was over a thousand pounds of solid PLOTinium, but I'm certain that a part of each of us still longs for its' earthen texture and craggy features. *swoon*

[Libertad]

Libertad writing about things? Always a pleasure to read.

Thank you for the compliment.

Libertad wouldn't let me carry the entire comet back with us. : (

It was probably a thousand pounds at the very least and would probably be highly noticeable once you brought it back to your dorm.

I forgot to mention that the PCs decided to take some of the comet's shards back with them.

Anyway, on with the journal!

The Day After

Tomorrow morning the comet falling was the talk of the school.  During a class about clerical magic and granted powers, Professor Silverhollow decided to talk about the comet once the subject was broached.  "There are many things we're afraid of and do not understand, like what may be beyond the stars.  In that dark void many fear the worst, that such shadows hold monstrous evil.  But many times we worry about what might be rather than what is.  Even in the vast cosmos there are places of light and good.  We do not know exactly what the comet holds, but rest assured that our expert mages and the Knights of Aleria are investigating the crash site."

After class Syrasi and friends were venturing along a grassy pathway between Highstone's large buildings.  Perched on one of the trees was a silver bird.  "The comet, what do you know of it?" it asked in the Common tongue.

"Who are you?  Why are you asking?"

The bird did not respond, only repeating its question again.  One of the PCs mentioned that they visited the comet, after which it flew away.

Apparently the bird did not belong to anyone (at least nobody who would admit it).  When asked around, teachers and faculty said that "it was probably some shy student sending out there familiar to gather information."


Eventually the day grew old to make way for the youth of night.  While in their dorm room a disturbance could be heard outside.  Xeno, waking up from a pillow-shredded bed due to accidental activation of his claws, heard the sounds of Abyssal creatures shouting.  Along with the screams of students.

"There are monsters!  Help!"

"The comet's stones should be in one of the rooms," one of the creatures said in Abyssal.

"Shall we kill their owners?"

"No, unless they get in the way or are too annoying."

The group thought to barricade the door at first, but upon hearing the demons' goals of stealing the stones and potentially killing other students, they chose to act.  Ricci broke off one of the chair legs and enchanted it with a spell.  Gunter broke one off as well, and Xeno charged out into the hallway.

There were two short, squat demons in the hallway, one of them breathing out a thick green belch filling the opposite end and preventing anyone from coming down that end.



Syrasi cast a blinding ray at the first dretch, which only landed one blow on Xeno before being cut down by the sorcerer's superior claws.  A helpful student recognizing the demons for what they were tossed out a chest full of vials of holy water to help the PCs, although they did not need his assistance as Ricci charged forth and knocked the dretch out in one blow.

Syrasi could tell that some spell effect was present on the demons beforehand which weakened them before they arrived at the dorms.

Seconds later one of the teachers ran up to survey the situation and check to see if anybody was hurt.  Fortunately the only entities killed were the dretches, thanks to the PCs taking swift action.


It was hard to go back to sleep that night.  From then on until tomorrow the school was on lockdown, and the PCs along with one of the students were summoned to Professor Silverhollow's office.  She listened to their stories and consoled them, but took the PCs into her offices together.



Commending them on their bravery, the teacher decided to tell them the truth.  Centuries ago the mages who founded Highstone built the academy using some old ruins of Allathra, Goddess of Law and Civilization, as a bad.  The lore and resources contained within were invaluable for its construction, but the vast expanse of catacombs held many powerful wards housing dangerous creatures and magic, demons being one of them.  Apparently some of the wards grew weak, for no magic is truly permanent (long-duration spells need to be recast once every few decades or centuries to remain stable), or maybe someone deliberately sabotaged the wards.  The elf gave the four a set of items gifted to her by an old friend; they were a pendent (Ritt), a mask (Gunter), a gauntlet (Xeno), and a coin (Syrasi) which radiated unknown magic.

"They will help protect you, should the need arise."


On a more positive note, the PCs met with Nalieas and Giza who were more than eager to show them around campus and the city of Brancean proper.  They visited the school's magnificent temple of Allathra and overheard an argument between the Headmaster and High Priestess over ownership and protection of the land, went out to the docks and ordered a round of drinks (Ricci had a water to alcohol spell, known as "Enhance Water" by dwarf spellcasters, but she was eager to sample some real beer) at a dive bar whose owners didn't care about the customer's ages, and even saw griffonbound cargo delivered from across the sky and into Brancean proper!

The good times were not to last, however, as the sight of smoke off in the distance indicated a fire.  The inferno originated at a series of tenements in Ballensville, a poor neighborhood made up of immigrants and "undesirable elements."  The bucket brigade and city watch stopped at the border, unwilling to act unless the fire spread further.  "The Alerian Crown does not want the 'wrong sort of people' learning magic, so he banned residents from attending to Highstone even though we have people all over the world," Naileas said.  "A lot of us are unhappy with the arrangement, but risking the ire of the government isn't an option we can afford yet, or so some of the teachers tell us."

The PCs ventured forth into the district to see if anybody was in danger.  A group of people were panicking outside the two-story tenement, calling out to the people trapped inside.

"You...you're Highstone mages, I recognize those robes!" and old man exclaimed.  "Please, use your magic to put out the flames if you can!"

One of the other citizens was less trusting of their arrival.  "Bah, since when's the last time you lot ever stuck your neck out for us?  Why now?"

"I'm aware of the past conflicts," the elderly man continued, "but surely you recognize the worth of life even among the dregs!  There are good people trapped in that building."

The blazing building looked intimidating, but the items given to them by Professor Silverhollow vibrated upon their persons.  Without an easy explanation, the mages felt...comfortable, that they could handle this.  They intuitively knew to activate the items.

Transformation Music Theme.

A rapidly spinning rainbow wheel hovered above Syrasi as a skull mask grew over her face (minus the gun).

A square block of immaculate metal crashed into Ricci.  Smashing out of it came a dwarf clad head to toe in fine armor equaling that of her people's master smiths.

Xeno adopted a dark leather jacket and red gloves, filling him with newfound power.

Gunter slipped his mask over himself, a bright light covering him as he adopted a stylish uniform and a masterfully crafted elven blade manifested in his hand.

It turns out that these were no mere items of protection!  Granted powers of magical anonymity and protection from the armor of legendary heroes of old, the four relics were tailored to the strengths of each wielder.  Xeno's blades grew more powerful, Gunter had a weapon, Ricci could manifest a massive shield to protect innocents against massive attacks, and Syrasi could overcharge her own magical spells (a +2 effective caster level 1/day).  Valiantly charging forth, the new heroes ducked and dodged around the burning embers filling up rooms and hallways.  Ricci manifested water over the flames where she could, and Gunter used Prestidigitation to smother the intensity of flames.  By the time they rescued the fourth person on the 1st floor the entire eastern end of the building was given over to fire.

Upon reaching the second floor the PCs rescued a commoner trapped behind a floor and rapidly advancing fires, and another on the opposite end of a hole in the floor opening down to death below.  Xeno did not have enough confidence to make the leap, so he leaped over the flames on the side of the room, grabbed the person and jumped back over.  They could not go back downstairs, as the fire reached the stairwell; their only option was to break the glass of the window and jump out two stories.  They called for the people outside to catch them, and the entire second floor fell in on itself as the last of them jumped out.

Only one commoner was unconscious, but Ricci tended to them with her healing magic.

"I recognize that armor!" one of the residents said in shock.  "You're the Secret Swords!"

Everyone but Xeno was worried at what this might mean; they had new garb on and were not recognized as the students of old.

Preparing for the worst, instead the crowd cheered.  "I knew that they'd be back!  I knew that someone in this land's looking out for us!"

Grateful for their thanks, the PCs left and changed back to their original forms once out of reach of prying eyes.  Xeno (as all Alerian natives know and grew up on) explained that the Secret Swords are famous figures from the centuries of Aleria's past.  Back then the realm was divided into sets of feuding noble houses greedy for each other's territory and land.  The commoners suffered the depredations of war.  A small group of people, tired of the nobility's selfish tyranny, donned masks and overthrew the lords and ladies, distributing their hoarded wealth and resources to benefit the common folk.  Nobody knew the truth behind the masks, and so their exploits went down in legend if not the people behind the masks.  Most disturbingly of all, Syrasi had enough time to examine the fires to determine that they were made by summoned entities, meaning that this was no mere accident but deliberate arson.

Naileas and a group of fellow students came rushing to meet the PCs, asking if they were alright.

"We were.  There was a burning building but we-a group of masked people went inside and rescued everyone," Xeno said.

"Yeah, and if you should ever meet them you should reward them for their heroism- ow!" Gunter got an elbow shoved in his ribs.

It was an odd thing, then, to go back to school right after saving people from certain death and being hailed as heroes.  Nobody knew what they had done, only the memory of Professor Silverhollow's words of receiving those items from an old friend.

By the time they got back to their dorm room for the night, there was a message carved into the table:

I saw what you did at the burning house.  I am the entity from the comet.  Come with me at the Hall of Champions, we have important things to discuss.

Unhappy that their recently-fixed table was damaged yet again, Ricci suggested that they follow up on the message...but first, a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast tomorrow!

The Meeting with Quasar Knight

The Hall of Champions, located right outside Highstone's walls, could easily be mistaken for a church were its purpose not evident.  Statues, books, and other monuments to the acts of valor to Aleria's greatest figures were collected inside and granted entry to the public.  Syrasi recognized the sculpture of the gold dragon Dorethal who overthrew the Church of Asmodeus, and the mage Andiqua whose magic diverted floodwaters away from outlying villages.  The Hall was strangely empty but for one person: standing in front of the portraits of the Secret Swords was the shining entity from the comet, this time clad in a bright blue plate armor and helmet.

“I’m glad that you came here,” he said.  “I have been looking for those worthy enough to take up the mantle of valor.”


When asked his identity, the entity explained that he was born millions of years ago in a quasar (a realm of pure luminescence leagues beyond the stars), and sent at the behest of his masters to this corner of the Material Plane to thwart an as-yet unfulfilled disaster.  His name could not be fathomed by creatures of this world, so he introduced himself as Quasar Knight, an identity he adopted in line with the ideals of this culture's honorable warriors.

The PCs opted to nickname him Quasar.

He went into detail of the relics they held, how they belonged to the original Secret Swords and would not activate for anyone until that soul demonstrated sufficient courage and honor, like what the PCs did to save the people from the burning building.  When asked what to do, Quasar Knight advised them to continue their lives as normal students and to keep the relics close at hand at all times in case they need them most.  He told them that they had allies in him and Professor Silverhollow.  Unfortunately he does not know much about how the demons escaped; they were definitely searching for him once they detected the comet come crashing down, and traced the stones to the PCs.

After answering all the PCs' questions, Quasar Knight burst into thousands of tiny motes of light which scattered to the winds.  It was at this point the first gaming session ended.

[Gamer-man]

Nice campaign journal, looking forwards to the future updates.
Just curious, are any of the players going to do a CO Diary?

[Libertad]

As far as I know, I'm the only one doing a journal.

Anyway, this is the journal for the second gaming session (last week's Sunday).  I know I've been slow with this, but we've been doing all-text.  The advantages of this is that all conversation is archived.

Another (Semi)Normal Day

Syrasi Tumblebarrow finds that her current course of Life & Death Magic is not up to her teaching satisfaction.  Necromancy has only been delved into briefly, yet nothing in the way of actual spell formula or demonstrations.  Further inquiries reveal that this school of magic is taught, but the more powerful and iconic spells are restricted only to students who pass the proper ethics courses and demonstrate remarkable self-control.  As a result, texts regarding such spells can only be accessed within the library's Restricted Section.

GM: However, scrolls containing such spells are all in the so-called "Forbidden Section,"
officially behind a door reading "Restricted Access."
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Gosh, it would be a shame if I happened to become blinded by illusion magic and happen past that door...
Ritti Dragonslayer: Good. They should be kept as far away from proper people as possible.
Gunter von Kliest: Restricted isn't a 'not allowed' after all.

Xeno: Syrasi, you're not thinking of breaking in are you?
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Of course not, Xeno. It's forbidden,
Gunter von Kliest: I don't see the words "Forbidden"

Xeno looks at Gunter suspisciously

NARRATOR: The Restricted Section holds spells of advanced levels of power, ones which can inflict mass destruction or damage, capable of altering life. You know, things that in a civilized society would not be taught to every Tom, Dick, and Harry who can cast a cantrip.

Ritti Dragonslayer frowns disapprovingly at Syrasi and Gunter. VERY disapprovingly.

Syrasi finds the forms required to gain access and hands them to the librarian.  Approval would come only after a few months.  She is unsatisfied with the result, but doesn't trying breaking into the place...for now.



Later on during the lunch period Nalieas meets up with the gang again.  Accompanying her is a halfling girl, Brecotti.  They were concerned about the fire down in Ballensville, so they were coordinating with Professor Vernadsky to go beyond the Highstone Walls and find ways to help people with their magic.  Xeno is intrigued and asks if there's any way he can help.

In the meantime, Brecotti notices something on her mind regarding Ritti.

Brecotti: "Anyway, Ritti, I had been meaning to ask you something..."
Libertad (GM): Brecotti's eyes partially avert when about to ask, a hint of awkwardness on her face.
Brecotti: "I notice that your student uniform is for women. But you're a man. Ummmm, I'm sorry if I'm committing a faux pas, but it was on my mind!"

Syrasi Tumblebarrow is mortified

Xeno is confused

Ritti Dragonslayer: I'm nae man. I dinnae see why ye could think tha'.
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Brecotti, you can't just ask someone why theyre wearing what theyre wearing!
Brecotti: "I'm sorry, I don't really know much about dwarves."

Gunter von Kliest chuckles off to the side.

Brecotti: "I...I'm not the best at this. If I offended anyone, I'm sorry."
Xeno: Wait there's... Huh? Oy shut it pretty boy~! I'm completely unfamilliar with non human customs... I just thought that was normal

Ritti Dragonslayer is baffled by all this.

Gunter von Kliest: Of course you did, Xeno, of course you would, heh.
Libertad (GM): Brecotti looks downward.
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: You seriously didn't know Ritti was a girl?
Ritti Dragonslayer: I hae the uniform an' everything!
Brecotti: "No..."
Xeno: Ugh...
Naileas: "Please forgive Brecotti. She doesn't speak out of ill intent."
Libertad (GM): A passing student overhears the conversation. He snickers in Ritti's direction.
Gunter von Kliest: You can hardly blame them, Ritti. I don't know if you've noticed but none of the other girls around here are as...
Xeno: Well as far as I'm concerned Ritti is RItti. He- er, SHE can crack skulls either way.
Snickering: Student "I didn't know dudes can flaunt the dress code now." In referrence to Ritti.
Libertad (GM): At this moment, Brecotti turns to the student. Fists balled up.

Brecotti marches angrily to the snickering student, demanding that he be more respectful.  Syrasi casts a Ghost Sound spell to mimic the sound of a wet fart from the offending student's nether regions, causing everyone's attention to now be on him.

"That was a cheap trick!" he shouts.  Perceptive enough to realize it was cast by the gnome, he begins casting a spell.  "Have some of this!"

Naileas jumps back in fright as Giza shrieks.

Xeno steps between the two and pushes him back.  The bullying student backs off, claiming that he wasn't serious before he runs away.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief as the crisis is averted, and Brecotti apologizes to Ritti.  If anything, the dwarf is perturbed that people above-ground voluntarily go without facial hair.

"So there's nae beard-eatin beast up here? Ye just have nae beards?"

Gunter thinks that the whole bit of previous confusion to be amusing, angering the others.

Xeno: Why do you want to stick with us Gunter?

Gunter von Kliest waves off Xeno's question with disinterest.

Xeno: Well fine, if you're going to be like that then let me ask you another question.

Syrasi Tumblebarrow takes Brecotti's hand
Xeno: Why did you bother to help those people in the fire?
If you really don't care?

Gunter von Kliest: Call me opportunistic.

Xeno scoffs and scowls at Gunter
Xeno: I don't believe that, there's good in you. you just don't know it yet

Gunter von Kliest: Yes, yes, we all await the day all the evil ones turn into butterflies.

Gunter von Kliest scoffs at Xeno

Xeno: If I gotta knock some sense into you I will. But for now we've gotta take care of other stuff.
Like class.

Amateur Adventurers

The next class everyone was taking, even Syrasi (who Professor Silverhollow apparently signed her up for).  It was designed for those mages seeking to become professional dungeon-delvers later on in life.  The classroom was different from the others, full of crates and boxes with a doorway at the end.  Their teacher was Professor Shadershin, a drow man with an eyepatch.  He impressed upon them the importance and danger of such an occupation; "every unexplored cavern is a potential war zone, with no room for error."

Their first assignment took place in a section of the underground ruins of Allathra's temple below Highstone.  Producing a set of four blue bracelets before a door, he explained that their test was to get through the mock-up dungeon obstacle course.  They will fight illusory monsters and be scryed on by him to measure their progress.  The bracelets are designed to make the illusions appear and feel real to them, as well as allow him to scry upon them with no complications.  After giving them standard adventuring gear, he opened the door.  Before they left, he let on to one thing:

"I've been informed by Professor Silverhollow about you. These dungeons are a safe way to test out your abilities. I won't judge or tell if you choose to make full use of your powers, whether be natural magic or an external source. And yes Ritti, there will be equipment provided to you."

Everyone but Gunter chose to activate their Secret Swords relics, and made their way through the dungeon.  They managed to find some treasure in the first room, and Syrasi narrowly avoided combat with dire rats by using her Speak With Animals Spell-like Ability.  They also found some jewelry, a worn book titled An Abridged History of the Elvish Peoples in a trash dump, and killed a cannibal ghoul.  Syrasi's knowledge of the undead helped the more melee-oriented PCs kill it, and Ritti smashed it repeatedly to bits with her Earth Breaker hammer even after it was clearly down for the count.

After narrowly dodging some nasty traps (including a written note which said in its letter that it would explode in 3 seconds by the time the reader got that far), they came to the last room.  A cobra made of metal guarded a teleportation circle.  Congratulating them on making it that far, it said that they must defeat it in order to teleport out and pass the test.

It was a tough battle.  It managed to poison Xeno and the first thing in the dungeon to damage him.  Conversely, only Ritti's attacks managed to deal any real damage.  The dwarf was the one to deal the killing blow, smashing it to pieces.  Syrasi tearfully gathered up the remains, not seeing the point in the violent fight in the first place.

Professor Shadershin was waiting as they materialized back in the room full of crates.  he let them know they all passed with flying colors.  Syrasi showed him the remains of the snake, and he said that "Melvin should be repaired and back in working order in no time."

Due to the taxing nature of such a class, Amateur Adventurers would be held next week, but the students were more than welcome to go on trial runs in between.



And that's the end of Session 2.  I should have a journal entry for 3 up soon.

Libertad's Notes: It was at this point in time I decided to go for a Slow Experience Progression, waffling back and forth.  Going to Level 2 right now would feel just too quick.

As you can tell, I put in the ruins of Allathra to give a sort of "world below" feel to Brancean.  Part of it would house Shadershin's obstacle course and adventurer's arsenal (which the Secret Swords would use as a training area/base of sorts), various rooms for the school, and forlorn reaches of the temple dungeon behind the magical wards.  There's also an entire Undercity beneath Brancean, but our group has yet to explore it.

[Libertad]

Session 3: Breaking Into the Forbidden Library

It's sort of an open secret that there's a hidden passageway leading into the restricted section of Highstone's Library, and Brecotti's one of the knowledgeable parties.  She's willing to show Syrasi how to get there if she gets to come along.  The gnome agrees, for she hopes to find some books to help her Life & Death Magic class, and talks Xeno into coming with her if he's not doing anything important today.  He agrees, and Ritti reluctantly goes along, if only to ensure that her friends don't endanger themselves because such knowledge is kept locked away for a reason.

The Restricted Section was vast yet empty.  There were but a few light sources, the majority of the halls shrouded in darkness.  The book's subjects are unorthodox and rarely of a mundane nature. "Aris Blackheart's Guide to the Lower Planes," "A Treatise on Eugenics and Bloodline Magic," and "The Verge of the Derro Savants" are but a few titles on display.

Brecotti: We always thought that this kind of stuff was for advanced learners, but the mandatory ethics courses lead me to believe that the subjects deal with potentially dangerous spell formula. I don't recognize derro savants, but I know more than enough about the lower planes and eugenicist sorcerers that previous practitioners did a lot of harm. You don't think that some folk in Highstone might be delving into unethical stuff?

Ritti Someone always is. There's a reason for it to be restricted.

Xeno: Huh, as far as I know people will always look for the good stuff first.

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Well the people who come here have taken ethics courses, so I'm sure they learned how to use it properly

Xeno: Hey though, we're gonna need that good stuff though if we wanna fight demons and such! That's ethical enough right?

Brecotti: "Hey everyone, I found a study area. We can use this as a base for any books we find to take back here."

Xeno: by the way Brecotti, I'm having trouble with that spell so mind if I mooch off of your light?

While looking through the stacks of books, the sound of something dropping could be heard off in the distance.  Off in the distance was a vaguely humanoid figure moving between the bookcases.  The group tries to hide and Syrasi uses Prestidigitation to cause some books to fly off the shelves as a distraction, but Xeno's clumsy cause the entity to look over in their direction.  As it comes closer it's apparent that the creature is but an inky pool of blackness, whispering in a foreign tongue understood by no one.  Ritti noticed that the places the creature stepped left not even traces of dust, suggesting that it might be an incorporeal entity.

Brecotti screamed, and the creature suddenly winked out of existence.  After some time, Brecotti and PCs fail to notice it anywhere else.

"We can read them later," Brecotti says about the books being collected by Syrasi, "once we make sure the place is safe. Maybe that entity was a guardian, or teacher. If so, the worst we can worry about is detention."

Syrasi suggests that Ritti use Detect Magic to see if any tomes are brimming with spells.  They find a single book in the shelves to the north.  The book was full of enchanted pictures, depicting figures in motion alongside the text on the opposite page describing events.  The story told of the Battle of 10,000 Devils and how the Gold Dragon Dorethal saved everyone from diabolic tyranny.

Ritti Dragonslayer: Oh, a book about a non-terrible dragon.
Xeno: How ya feel about that ritti?
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: There are lots of great nice dragons! I knew one named Vaeryx, once.

As they talked about dragons, the ground beneath Ritti's feet lit up, drawing out in golden text the phrase "Not all dragons" but then stopped.

"Now it's definite," Brecotti said.  "Somebody else is in here. What do they want with us?"

As Brecotti turned the corner, she bumped into a human male. Jumping back and ready to cast a spell, she noticed that it was Gunter.

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: hi, Gunter! Looking for extra books for your class, too?
Brecotti: "What are you doing here?! That was a bad scare, making us thing that there were ghosts around!"
Gunter von Kliest: What? No. Rather, looking into those languages Q & the demons spoke...
Xeno: Eh? Any luck on that?
Xeno: I don't know abyssal, but I think I understood those demons from before
Brecotti: "Now that we know for sure you were pranking us, we can return to our research in peace."

Libertad's Notes: Ketaro told us that he might be late for this gaming session and not to mind him, so we started without him and would incorporate him into the plot later on.  When he first joined the live Roll20 session I decided that his PC was in the Forbidden Library as well for reasons he could come up with.

Ritti Dragonslayer: Gunter! Do you know any illusion magic?
Gunter von Kliest: "Pranking? Tch, I have more important things to do than play childish games."
Xeno: Wait, if you weren't the asshat doing that, then who was?
Brecotti: "Don't play dumb! We saw that shadow illusion earlier!"

Xeno goes on guard
Brecotti: "And that message about dragons!"
Gunter von Kliest: "Illusions? Isn't it your gnome that is the master on that front?"
Ritti Dragonslayer: Someone else is here.

Syrasi Tumblebarrow motions for everyone to be QUIET
Ritti Dragonslayer: I suggest leaving.
Xeno: This is getting sketchy, stay close everyone

Just then, a strange laughter is heard throughout the library.

"Ha ha ha! Looks like we have another batch of students sticking their noses where they don't belong. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you.  Now, I don't know why you're hear, but if you give me a good enough explanation, then perhaps I'll help you find what you want."

"Clearly you're all being taken as fools," Gunter said with a sigh.

The secret passage was now barred by a solid wall.  Xeno barred his claws, ready for a fight.  Syrasi was in a nervous sweat.  Brecotti was panicking.  Gunter von Kliest clearly lacking interest in either side of this situation, just starts flipping through one of the books he'd been carrying.

Ritti Dragonslayer: I'm here to prevent this gnome from starting down a path better left alone.
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: (in a loudish voice) Well, I needed extra sources for my paper for Life and Death Magic
Xeno: I'm here because I have nothing better to do and I don't want my friends getting hurt by wierdos who hide in the shadows!
StrangeVoice: "Homework? If you really needed the help, the teachers would have provided you with all you need. It's their duty, after all. Your friends are quite remarkable, sticking up for you.  Tell you what, show me your academic acumen, and I'll won't report you to detention." "

A flutter of wings flies by, clearly a dragon of some sort.

"STAND AND FIGHT, REPTILE!" Ritti called out.

Covered in red scales and only one-and-a-half feet in length, everyone but Gunther identified it as a pseudodragon.  "Good afternoon, my name is Narstilan," the dragon said.  "I'm the caretaker of the Forbidden Section of the library."

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Hi Narstilan, nice to meet you!

Ritti Dragonslayer sulks it's not a full dragon.
Xeno: Well crud, I guess this means we're caught huh?
Gunter von Kliest: Caught by what? A rat?

Xeno sighs and sheathes claws., posture relaxed

Narstilan warns Syrasi that necromancy is a very dangerous field, so he must test her skill and bravery.  Out of nowhere he summons two skeletons out of the ether, and commands her to control them.  Staring at the party with blank eyes they begin advancing, and Ritti's barely holding back from turning them.

"Clock's ticking," Narstilan said. "If you don't act soon they'll attack!"

Fortunately for Syrasi, she recalled a neat trick in one of the books (Use Magic Device) to keep them at bay.  She successfully cast the spell Halt Undead, stopping them in their tracks.

"Good good, you now asserted yourself as a significant threat," Narstilan said.  "The zombies now think that you're a cleric, so they won't try to eat you."
The pseudodragon then clapped his claws together. "Second order of task, you must study your books and return to me on the morrow during your next free time. You want to learn, so I'll be your teacher.  But know this. As your tutor, I'll know each and every spell I teach you. So if you ever happen to go down the path of evil, I'll be more than happy to share all your shortcomings and weak spots to all of Highstone. Think of it as a moral incentive to stay on the straight and narrow."

Syrasi was beaming with excitement as Xeno slapped her on the back. "NICE WORK kiddo!"

"Of course, Narstilan! I wouldn't dream of using these magics for evil!"

In the meantime, Ritti was attempting to smash one of the zombies apart with her Ironbeard spell.  The zombie angrily swatted back at her, injuring its hand in the process.


Libertad's Notes: This isn't the end of the third session, which entails with the Secret Swords going back to Ballensville and helping the refugee community with a monstrous infestation, and the start of a rivalry between Gunter and a foreign princess at Duel Class.  I'll post up the entries later.

[Libertad]

Session 3: Memories of Ballensville

Libertad's Notes: At the beginning of the session, I presented four adventure hooks for the party to follow.  The Forbidden Library was Hook 1, Hook 2 was hearing about word of the masked figures spreading in Ballensville and the burned tenement being used as a memorial, Hook 3 was Professor Silverhollow wishing to speak with them, and Hook 4 (suggested by Xeno) was to take a potato chip, AND EAT IT!  Hook 5 was the Highstone Dueling Class and a potential rival for Gunter.  The PCs journeyed to Ballensville, then attended Dueling Class.

The burned tenement now had an impromptu memorial/shrine set in front of it.  Flowers with notes attached to them were arranged in rows in front of it.  The old man from earlier (who asked the PCs to help use their magic to save the people in the burning building) was there, watching the attendants with a smile on his face.

"Ah, there you are. I didn't see you last time, but I'm thankful that we were all able to chip in and help. Don't you see, those masked saviors from earlier inspired something. People are eager to see them again, so they go where they last where, leaving good wishes and notes.  Perhaps if you want them to come again, you should write a convincing arguments and leave it here. Word spread fast, even outside Ballensville, so they definitely would know."

Xeno and Ritti played up the act, regretting that they "could have done more."  Xeno asked him the significance of the building.

Xeno: What was this building? before it was toasted that is?
Anything special?

The old man starts the sad tale of the people of Tabiach.

"It was a residential building. When the people of Tabiach moved away during the war, a lot of us went to Aleria. We were not greeted warmly, so the crown set us up outside the cities proper. We were denied work except for manual labor, and citizens looked for any excuse to drive us out. We had to make do scraping whatever came our way, so our homes were crowded tenements."

Xeno clenches his fist, knowing all too well about this sort of thing.
Old Man: "Alerians and Tabiachans had land disputes back before Aleria was aunified country. Lots of folk complained about ancestral homes, stories passed down on both sides of the rightful heirs."

Syrasi Tumblebarrow is confused why the humans don't have full welfare systems like gnomish society.

Ritti Dragonslayer is annoyed on principle. Partially because it's such a waste of people compared to her home. Partially because she is a good cleric.

Ritti Dragonslayer Partially because she's always grumpy
Old_Man: "So to see Tabiach folk coming in, Alerian nobles panicked. Laws were passed, and well...you can see for yourself how this all happened."
"The city watch did not step in, leaving us to police our own. We were on our own. But even then, we had heard of the Secret Swords. People, despite being Alerians, had no love for the noble tyrants and want to end the wars. So imagine living here, seeing your homes burn, and nobody comes to help. Until just now, people believed faded into ancient memory. Imagine what that feels like."
Libertad (GM): The old man stands silent for a moment.

Syrasi Tumblebarrow tears up
Xeno: Old man, this injustice will not stand. The secret swords will fight and claw and scrape against any who would dare opress the weak!

Ritti Dragonslayer disagrees on his assessment of 'ancient'.

Ritti Dragonslayer also gives Xeno an angry look.

Xeno thrusts his finger into the air, fully caught up in speech.

Xeno: I believe in the swords, and I believe in what they stand for, they'll find whoever did this and take them down!
Ritti Dragonslayer: It could just be an accidental fire, with the crowding.
Xeno: Remember that they're fighting for you!
Ritti Dragonslayer: Similar things can happen down in the mines.

Gunter von Kleist sighs in annoyance.

Old_Man: "I do not know who you are, but I can tell that even in Highstone there are those who care for us. Should the Secret Swords ever come around, make sure that they read the notes left for them. And leave some as well. It's high time we looked to sources other than the crown for protection.  I saw them use magic. I wouldn't be surprised if they had ties to that academy up on the hill."
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: We will definitely look into it for you!

Xeno becomes aware of his outburst
Xeno: Erm, yeah, gotcha old guy
Old Man: "I don't know how you lot operate, but I figure that word spreads fast among the cloistered and learned."

Xeno rubs head

Xeno his own, not old mans

that would be weird

As the notes are clearly for the Secret Swords, the party heads back to the tavern to plan things and then returns in their relics' disguises.  People of Ballensville looked out from their homes, ecstatic that they came back.  Cheers and applause follow, along with grateful friends and family of the saved folk thanking them for their courage.

The Secret Swords are able to look through the notes without interference, and Ritti sorts them by importance and urgency.

“I’d like it if my family could get a new set of clothes.”

“We need to raise money for a proper hospice. If the Secret Swords came along to 42 Winding Way or gave their blessings, their public support would be invaluable!”

“Help, there’s a bunch of weird monsters in a condemned building nearby! People have been getting sick around the area, and it might be connected to the creatures!”

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Oh god i hope i will have time to do all these things AND study for my now-7 classes

As the third note jumped out the most, the Secret Swords knew that they had their first official assignment and head back off to the dungeon obstacle course to stack back up on equipment.

Professor Shadershin was waiting for them when they got back.

Ritti Dragonslayer wonders if he's stalking us.

Syrasi Tumblebarrow hopes he's stalking me (Syrasi's smitten with the Professor)

"Ah, I see that someone out there needs your help. Don't worry, the stock of my Arsenal is at your service. Here are my recommendations."

5 Potions of Cure Light Wounds.
500 feet of rope and 5 grappling hooks.
Your choice of a masterwork weapon.
5 flasks of acid or alchemist's fire.

Each.

 A Manual of Common Monsters (+5 on Knowledge checks)

Shadershin gives Syrasi a reinforced backpack once it becomes apparent that the equipment's beyond her carrying capacity. (+50 lbs.)

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: oooh... thank you, Professor Shadershin~
Shadershin smiles. "Don't mention it."
"Now, I'd recommend using the slope which exits out into the forest. It's uninhabited and unconnected to the rest of the temple. A good way for entries and exits when off doing good work."

Ritti Dragonslayer: Must I rely on this... talisman's protection? I am fully versed in wearing true armour.

Xeno transforms before heading off, as do the rest of them.

The Secret Swords came to a run-down house near the shore, relatively isolated from the urban sprawl of Brancean.  Only Syrasi saw a pair of blue creatures with yellow glowing eyes lurking near the house.

Xeno: What do your gnome eyes see Syrasi?

Syrasi called them out and identified the two as akata, creatures hailing from unknown reaches. They are deaf and can spread disease via their tentacle manes.

The akata moved with a feline-like swiftness, and one of them tried to bite Ritti but failed to pierce her heavy armor.

Ritti notices that they approach silently, and that no air exhales from their mouths as they bite you.
They are deaf, they do not even breathe.
But they are very much alive.

Gunter prepared a Touch of Gracelessness and drew his sword.  Xeno did the same, except imbuing his fists with Shocking Grasp.  Syrasi used Blinding Ray on one of the beasts successfully, and Ritti used her earth breaker hammer to deal a solid blow against the beast.

The non-blind akata tried to hit Xeno with its tentacles, but the sorcerer side-stepped its attacks.  The blind and injured one fled at full speed, which Gunter charged after and hit.

Syrasi blinded the fleeing akata with a ray as the other one recovered from it.  Xeno successfully hit the now-blind one with both claws (abyssal bloodline) and delivered a surge of electricity through its body.  It still lived, but now both akata were nearly dead.

Ritti dealt the killing blow to one of the monsters as Gunter did the same to the last one standing.

The house smelled of rotting flesh, its previous occupants of a man and woman shredded to bits in the bedroom and living room.  Ritti recognized that the wounds on the bodies were home to some kind of parasites, and that burning the bodies might be best.  As a priestess, she suggests a proper funeral ceremony for the dead people.  Gunter surveys the surrounding wilderness, and theorizes that the akatas came from outside of town.  Inspecting the bucket of the outside well also revealed more of the parasites in the water supply, and that they do not react well to salt or alcohol (earlier Knowledge and Heal checks helped).  Ritti suggests pouring a bunch of salt down the well to kill as many as possible, and Xeno says that they must warn others about this.  Gunter says that they need to find out if the well's connected to any other major water supplies as well.

Armed with this new information, the Secret Swords (sans Ritti and Xeno, who remain behind preparing the funeral pyre) go back to the old man (superhero disguises) to warn him of what occurred.  Listening intently, it did not take any convincing on their part for him to mobilize the residents:

Old Man: "People, get all the salt you can get your hands on! Spread word throughout the city not to use the well at the end of town! And get the priests and priestesses of Allathra out here to cure anyone who might be sick near the area!"

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: You have excellent leaderhip, sir. The community is lucky to have you.

Old Man: "I suppose I should introduce myself right now. My name is Garret Wilsilver. I don't know what you did or how you did it, but know that we are all in your gratitude."

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Miss Mortus, at your service, sir.  The Secret Swords will always be ready to come to your community's assistance.

Wilsilver: "Until then, you know what to do." He gestures to all the other notes at the burnt building. "I hope you don't mind if a lot of them are...rather minor, but only concern yourselves with the greatest and most dire."

Syrasi Tumblebarrow: We will do all that we can, sir!

Libertad's Notes: It was at this point I shown them Wilsilver's picture.  Here are their reactions:

Ritti Dragonslayer: BEARD.
Xeno: This guy is definitely trustworthy
Ritti Dragonslayer: RITTI HAS FOUND SOMEONE TO ADMIRE.
Libertad (GM): Hooray!
Ritti Dragonslayer: Even though her beard is more magnificent.
Kyle: woo
Syrasi Tumblebarrow: Can't blame the humans for trying

There's one more short encounter (the Dueling Class) that I had in Session 3, but this post's getting quite long, so I'll continue it later.

[Libertad]

Session 3: Dueling Class

The Dueling Class is not home to just people taking the course, but spectators as well. It's a favored class and place for Highstone pupils to prove themselves and settle disputes, as well as the opportunity to show off their moves.

The class' chambers was otherwise empty save for a row of weapons hanging upon the wall.  Glass-like tiles patterned the floor.  The entire class arrived, but the teacher was nowhere in sight.  Syrasi was busy reading her necromancy books as Ritti pondered if preparing Water-to-Booze and Beard-to-Iron is really the best use of her time.

"Eh heh heh, welcome to the Highstone Dueling Course!"

A voice emanated from the north wall.

"Yes here. No, I'm not invisible. Closer, a little to your left! There! You're right on me!"

One of the swords on the wall shakes.

"My name is Nalpurchet," the sword said.  "A finely honed blade fashioned in the forges of the Dwarven monarchs!  I am your teacher for this class. Duelists, assemble on the south wall. Everyone else, take to the stands on the west and east wings!"

Ritti looked upon the sword in awe of its fine craftsmanship.

Nalpurchet went over the basics of combat, then called forth Gunter and another student to the center of the room.

"Hello, Gunter. I am Areta. I should have you know that I fought under the greatest celestial scions of my homeland. I won't be an easy match."

Gunter snorted in response at the woman's arrogance.

Ritti Dragonslayer snorts at the arrogance.

Gunter von Kleist scoffs at the girl's arrogance.

Xeno smirks, a perfect opponent for Gunter's personality

Areta was quick, but Gunter managed to dodge out of her way just in time.

 "Good, but I didn't get to use my spells yet. Show me what you got!"

And she enchanted her blade with a spell, and Gunter did the same.  Her sword crackles with an arcane energy. WIth a mighty swing of thunder, Gunter's blade taps her side to induce her to fall (Touch of Gracelessness).

"So much for that bravado, girl," Gunter said.

You're a first year. How did you learn to fight like that?"

"Because I spent my time gaining actual skill rather than just honing my bark."

"We had all sorts of lives before we came to Highstone," Nalpurchet advised.  "Don't assume that we came fresh into the world upon stepping foot in here.

"Okay, but this run's still not over yet!" Areta exclaimed.  "Here I come!"

Her brash charge was her downfall, leaving her wide open for attack.

"Enough!" Nalpurchet exclaimed.  "The duel is finished!"

Syrasi Tumblebarrow applauds

"In a real fight, Areta would be down for the count. Gunter is the winner!"

Xeno looks eagerly and clenches his fist

Gunter von Kleist smirks.

"Heh. Of course I am."

Areta shakes her head. "You took me by surprise, that's all.  Next time you won't be so lucky."

"That without even an ounce of magic, girl. Imagine if I had."

"I recognize your Touch of Gracelessness. Don't deny it."

She did not overtly show any anger, but people can tell in her voice that Gunter was grating on her.


Next, Xeno squared off against an orc student with a warhammer.  His weapon surged with magical energy, and it was clear that most taking the Dueling Class had some kind of martial training before coming to Highstone.  Xeno's claws temporarily fazed his opponent, but he was just too strong as a leg sweep counter attack knocked him down.

Ritti faced off against a tiefling and used her superior dwarven strength to knock her back.

All in all, the Dueling Club was a fun and popular excursion. Xeno's opponent was graceful and did not rub it in his face. Gunter, on the other hand, was awash in victory.

Areta approached Gunter afterwards.   "Gunter! During that duel I saw how you carried yourself. It is clear that you are no mere hedge mage! What family do you hail from?"

"Hmm? Heh, an heir to the mighty von Kleists I am. Far indeed from mere hedge mages."

"That explains a lot. I hail from the Naran family myself. We are descended from angels, carrying their legacy. I was wrong to underestimate you, but know this:
"When at my full strength, I am a terror to behold. I challenge you to a rematch!"

"It does indeed explain a lot. It explains how poorly you have a hold on what natural talent your family supposedly holds."

Those who succeeded on Knowledge Nobility check &Syrasi only) recognized that the Naran are royalty hailing from the southern country of Asregor. Many aasimar populate their holdings, making them the most powerful family by sheer respect in those lands.  It's not uncommon for them to be magically talented as well.

"Four days from now, Gunter!" Areta called out.  "High noon! Be ready!"

"I can enchant your weapon for the fight, if you like," Ritti suggested.

"Ritti, that would be cheating!" Syrasi said.

Xeno shrugged.  "Hmph, I call dibs on the winner!"

"The barkings of a dog," Gunter said.  "Wonderful to see how gracelessly you accept your failures. If I happen to be in the mood, maybe I'll toss the dog a treat and show up."


Libertad's Notes: At this point everyone rose to Level 2.  It was getting late, so I reduced the duels from full fights to opposed CMB and Spellcraft checks.

[Libertad]

Session 4: Trip to the Undercity

Libertad's Notes: It's been 2 weeks and I used voice chat for the initial part of this session, so I might not remember everything exact.  But I have enough to do a journal entry.

At this time the PCs decided to approach Professor Silverhollow and find out why she gave them the relics.  It was learned that she knew the creator of the relics centuries ago, and was gifted them once the original Secret Swords died.  For that time she would wait until worthy candidates arose.  It was a long time, but eventually she found them in the unlikeliest of peoples.  When she heard about how Xeno, Syrasi, Ritti, and Gunter fought off the dretch demons, she decided to test them by granting them the relics.  She did not know if they'd be truly worthy, but if they were, it would be in a time of great danger.  When the comet struck and they took fragments of it back, the demons marked them as targets; giving them the relics felt like the right thing to do.

"The relics don't activate solely for self-defense," she explained.  "When one is motivated by selfless altruism, to defend the defenseless at great risk, do the relics begin to awaken."

Memories of the fire in Ballensville came back, of how they all intuitively felt a benevolent force...informing them...of what to do, to release the relics' power.

"So wait professor, who else all knows who we really are?" Xeno asked.

"Aside from myself and Shadershin, there's that entity of light from the comet, who met with me yesterday.  Aside from us, there should be no other souls; the relics' magic is such that it wards all but the strongest of divinations."

"Other people seem unable to make the connection because of some magical effect. How is it that you are able to see past it?"

"It's also why when I first heard of masked people saving the people from the burning building, I knew it was you four.  It was also why I arranged to have you all assigned to Professor Shadershin's Amateur Adventurers; a prudent way to test all of your skills, even if adventuring is not your intended future career choice."

"So wait a second, Syrasi," Xeno interrupted.  "Didn't you say that the Akano... Ekado... the Ekans were from beyond the stars? like Quasar Knight?"

"Well, yeah, but they aren't from the SAME place."

Gunter von Kleist said not a work, instead choosing to stand around looking bishounen.

Xeno was deep in thought.  "Hmm...Not much really, but I dunno if it was mentioned yet about that fire...They were set by a summoned creature isnt fire like a demony thing?"

"Not necessarily," Professor Silverhollow said.  "Entities of flame also come from the Elemental Plane of Fire and countless other planes of existence.  There are ways to track down demons, but knowledge about them is largely regarded as a dark art and you won't gain much information simply asking around.  There is such a specialist in Brancean's Undercity, however.  He is a Vraysh, also known as the Dark Ones by other civilizations, who goes by the name of Sikhir. He belongs to a priest caste, and these learned few are aware of many ways to fight demons.  To that end they study much about the Lower Planes.  Requesting his help is vital, especially if demons might be behind some of Brancean's recent troubles."

Xeno scratches his head obviously confused, but shrugs and accepts it.

"Hmmm well I already finished my homework for the next two weeks so I should have time to investigate this," Syrasi mused.  "Any svirfneblin down there?"

Xeno looked at her.  "Snarfblawn..?"

"My deep gnomish cousins!"

"Ah, wait I think i know what your talking about.  My Undercommon's not too shabby."

"Oh we should be fine :3"

And with that, the Secret Swords were off to Brancean's Undercity, but not before stocking up in Professor Shadershin's Arsenal and buying an Earth Breaker hammer for Ritti while in the marketplace.


Libertad's Notes: I suggested using this track for the Undercity, but some of the players felt that it was too upbeat and cheery.

Brancean's Undercity was an entirely different world.  Vraysh, svirfniblin, goblins, drow, dwarves, chokers, and other ground-dwelling races lived in the series of interlinked towers spanning a massive cavern.  The most affluent lived near the top, while the working class and laborers laired below in various levels.  Each civilization had their own tower, and spiral streets and bridges looped inside and outside to serve as the main means of travel.  Down at the bottom level could be seen expansive farms of mushrooms, which were sold as the staple food in market stalls. The cavern was lit by a series of magical light spells, although large sections were swathed in darkness.  The traveling students bought a few, and those other than Ritti quickly learned that there were all kinds of fungi of varying tastes and prices.

The vraysh were by far the most numerous people around, and were clad head to toe in dark cloaks and veils.  A group of their guards stopped them along the way.

"Hold on, you don't want to go this way!" one of them said.  "Not with those lights on."

"Why is that?" Ritti asked.

"This is the neighborhood of us vraysh.  Unlike the others here we prefer our homes to be entirely in darkness.  Even small amounts of light can be blinding to us, so we ask that if you travel through here to sheathe your illumination.  You have a dwarf partner to act as your guide if need be."

"Fair enough," Xeno said as he dismissed his light spell.

"I think it's stupid to force people without darkvision to fumble about blindly," Ritti said.

"I think that we should be sensitive," Syrasi said.

Everyone lined arms as they asked for directions to Sikhir's house.  It turned out to be a temple, lined with runes and paintings of the Vraysh deities, all five of whom are believed to be the progenitors of each caste (dark creepers, dark stalkers, dark slayers, dark dancers, and dark callers).  This last bit of information was thanks to Syrasi getting a Natural 20 on her Knowledge Religion check.

Surprisingly there was a light source emanating inside, the front door bashed in.

"Sekir might be there, seeing as they have a priest status," Xeno said.
"A priest in a temple?" Ritti asked incredulously. "Really, now?

Xeno made a face at her.

"What next, bread in a bakery?" the dwarf continued.


Libertad's Notes: At this point I got an interrupted connection, and then Raineh's Internet crashed later.  When I got back in a few minutes later, Raineh Daze mentioned that my voice was choppy on her end, so we switched over to text chat.

Fearing the worst, they crept inside.  The light spell's source was a pebble near a broken chair.  Voices from the east could be heard:

"It should be here somewhere!" a voice belonging to a young woman says.

Ritti was almost ready to charge the eastern door, but Xeno held her back.

"There's no guarantee that his lore is written down," a heavier voice replied to the unknown woman (belonging to a giant, as Syrasi can judge).

Syrasi Tumblebarrow whispers, "careful everyone! theres a giant in there!"

Then came a muffling sound from the west.   "Please leave me be," the voice says. "I told you I have nothing you could want!"

Ritti Dragonslayer whispers: "West door."

"We need to check on him to see if he's ok!" Syrasi said as Xeno cautiously opened the west door.  Gunter readied to cast a spell in case the thieves came west.

Behind was a humanoid figure wrapped in colorful musty robes.

"Greetings," Ritti said in Undercommon.

"Are you Sekhir?" Xeno asked.

"Yes, yes I am," the figure answered.  "Be careful, there's a human and ogre thief in my library to the east. They'll surely attack you if they think you'll interfere."


"Did you hear something?"
"Must be that priest babbling again," the giant said.

"No, that's a different voice!"

A blonde human girl in her mid-teens, followed by a solidly-built ogre carrying a sword, swung open the door to come face to face with the party.

"Look out Frorsk, Sikhir's got some lackeys!" the girl shouted.

"Alright, just let me handle things," the ogre said nonchalantly as he hefted his blade.

Recognizing that the ogre was the greatest threat after he dealt a grievous blow to Syrasi, she responded with a Blinding Ray as Gunter shot a Daze spell at the girl (whose name is Diana, btw).  At this point Xeno chose to transform.

"I feel a strange power emanating from that one," Diana said.
"Which one?" Frorsk asks, eyes welled up in tears.

The battle was quite one-sided as Ritti and Xeno whittled at the ogre while Gunter and Syrasi kept Diana stun-locked from doing anything and targeting the ogre in the round thereafter.

"Yer a tough one, aren't ye, lad?" Ritti mocked the ogre after she knocked the wind out of him.  "Do ye really think this fight is worth it?"

"Discretion's the better part of valor, Diana," the ogre said as he attempted to retreat through the east door.  A swift blow from Xeno knocked him out.

"Frorsk, NOOOO!!!" Diana screamed.

"Ye friend will be fine if ye don't run away," Ritti said.

"I don't wanna fight unless I have a reason, explain yourselves so we can spare these needless casualties," Xeno said.

"Why should I trust you?" Diana asked at first. But upon hearing Ritti, she relented. "Alright, spare Frorsk and I. I submit."

Her knees touch the ground, her hands up.

Syrasi ran over to the ogre to make sure he was okay.  Ritti patched up his wounds before he bled out.

"We wait until the Belvraysh come," Sikhir said.  "They'll take them both into custody. Theft is not capital punishment down here, but they will be held for this blasphemy."

Diana looked over to Sikhir. "This could have all been averted if you relented what you know."

Gunter smirked.  "You mean you wouldn't have almost died if he'd complied? Hah..."

[Libertad]

Session 4, Continued

Unless anything else happens, a contingent of guards armed with wicked swords comes and binds the thieves to escort them away. They seem incensed, but Sikhir tells them to treat them humanely.  Xeno, realizing he was still in Secret Sword form, walked over to an empty room afterwards to change back.

"Are you all right now, Sikhir?" Syrasi asked.

"I assume that you came here for reasons other than my rescue. And yes, I'm fine now. I can prepare healing spells, but as to the state of my house, that will take some time."

"What were those thieves after?"

"They believed I held knowledge regarding Highstone. For what reason I do not know, for that school is not my area of expertise. I met with the Headmaster once, but no more than that."

"What is your area of expertise then?" Xeno asked.  "... I wonder."

"I am of the Sidvraysh, the caste responsible for the spiritual needs of my people. Most of our magic and lore is passed down orally, but we're not averse to collecting physical books.  As part of my training I commune with the pantheon and choose the names of born Vraysh in the community. If you're here for training, I'm afraid that you're not in luck. The Vraysh do not get many visitors, and converts must be a part of the community before they're accepted."

"Sorry," Syrasi apologized.  "We were just wondering if you could help us with something. We were witnesses to a fire that broke out on the surface and we were able to identify the flames as of extraplanar origin, do you know anything that could have caused it?"

"Yes, I heard of the Ballensville fire. I do not keep up to date with the surface world, but it appears that the folk up there have no small amount of hate towards them. Regarding extraplanar fires, the most common creatures capable of doing this are fire elementals. As entities of purest flame they have mastery over their natural element wherever they go. Summoning creatures is a risky art, and people rarely do so recklessly. Either the summoning went wrong, or it was a deliberate act of destruction."

Everyone but Ritti rolled high enough on their Spellcraft checks to know such spells are often short in duration, and the creatures do not go far from their summoners. Given Aleria's ban on Ballensville residents attending Highstone, it's likely that whoever cast it was not a resident.

Gunter approached Sikhir.  "What insight can you provide on....demons?"

The priest looked over to Gunter, his eyes narrowing. "I, like others of my kin, study demonology. But only so that we can better fight against them."

"Of course, we didn't mean to imply anything to the contrary," Syrasi said.

"They've simply become a reoccuring problem...recently," Gunter intoned.

"Even from below I could feel a malign aura emanate from the old temple of the Goddess of Law. A week ago we made some trouble as the horrors attempted to breach the Undercity, but the cannons lining the Kill Zone made short work of them."

"A pair of low ranking demons attacked us in Highstone as they were searching for something at night."

"Dretches, I presume?" he said of Syrasi's question. "Short, squat, ugly creatures with claws?"

Gunter nodded.

"I killed one with a table leg," Ritti said.

"Dretches rarely react rationally without the aid of a superior leader. Given Highstone's magical defenses such a pair would not make it that far without some elder demon gudiing their movements."

"They seemed weakened for some reason..."

"The dretches, you killed them? Did you see any other demons in the vicinity?"
"Welll...."

"No, profe-" Xeno caught himself.

"We did see a dark shadow in the Highstone library," Syrasi continued.

"Wasn't that the librarian?" Ritti asked.

Xeno realizes professor verdanski came up directly after, but shakes his head. Couldn't be.

"I thought this was separate?" Syrasi confirmed Ritti's question.

"I doubt that a demon, once released, would continue to lair within Highstone, in light of all its mages," Sikhir answered. "If it escaped, it would try to lay low elsewhere. There are many hiding spots in Brancean devoid of spellcasters who can divine extraplanar presence."

And then he walked over to the north room. "Hold on, I should have something to help you."  Andproduced a compass from one of the storage crates.

"A... Compass," Xeno said, sounding slightly underwhelmed. "I assume it tells more than where north is?

"This device is a demon-finder. It points in the direction of lower planes entities, provided they're not shielded with illusions."

"Oh, wow!" Syrasi exclaimed happily. "That would be incredibly helpful!

Xeno reached for the compass, but Ritti got it first.

"Doubtlessly the commander of the dretches knows what you all look like, so it would probably notice you first. But if you are clever enough and use this demon-finder, you should be able to get a quick window of opportunity to catch it."

"You all are capable sorts, seeing the short work you made of the thieves. But be wary of demons; they are pure evil and have no conscience. As long as they remain on the Material Plane, they will seek to cause misery."

"Thank you Sekhir," Xeno said.  "I doubt it needs to be said, but we weren't here."

"Are you saying that it is entirely impossible for a demon to ever be good?" Ritti asked.

Sikhir chuckled a little at this question.  "In such a wide world it's possible, but I never witnessed it. If anything such entities would either be on the run or crushed by their brethren."

Libertad's Notes: We took a break around then.  Also, the name "Vraysh" for the Dark Ones is of my own creation, as well as their larger culture.  It's actually part of the plans for my upcoming book, of making various popular Pathfinder monsters into 1 HD LA 0 races with expanded cultures beyond "love to live in dungeons and do bad shit."

[Libertad]

Session 4, Final Part

Now that the Secret Swords received the Demon-Finder from Sikhir, they returned to the surface world where it was now getting late in the day.  The group debated about the best way to use the item so that they don't trip off any demons (who are naturally telepathic and might be able to take their presence).  But the pangs of hunger struck Xeno and Gunter, who insisted on stopping by Highstone's cafeteria for the time being.

The meal did not go as expected, for the student who mocked Ritti's choice of clothing graced their table, with two cohorts (one male and one female) in tow.

 "I haven't forgotten about last time," he said
"Really? Cause I'm pretty sure we've forgotten about you," Gunter said.

"You might be all tough," the student said, "but this time I brought friends."

Xeno was in the middle of eating and looked at them, confused.  "Eh, who are you again?"

 "My name is Harold Tagrit!" he shouted. "Your gnome friend here embarrassed me greatly, and then you tried to scare me-"

But his conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Ritti's fist to his face.

"Shut up, yet great lump."

Harold's friends jumped back, unsure of what to do.

Syrasi maneuvered to de-escalate the situation, preparing a Hypnotism spell.

"Damn you all! That was cheap! Here it comes!"

Harold began casting a spell, but this time it was no harmless light spell but a magic missile!

Gunter gets up from the table, Syrasi shouts for them to "behold the power of the Tumblebarrow line!" and in the span of mere seconds several spells went off.  Syrasi's Hypnotism affected all of them as one of their Ray of Frosts hit and failed to effect Ritti thanks to her superior Spell Resistance.

the spell hits Ritti's smexy beard and cannot withstand the muscled fibers. it fizzles out in terror

Before anyone can do anything, the looming visage of Professor Vernadsky, flanked by three other teachers, towered over the group.

Harold tried to run away but a spell rendered his feet frozen in place and he fell down.

"There is to be no fighting within the grounds of Highstone," Vernadsky said with an emotionless voice.

"Well, that escalated quickly," Xeno said.

Syrasi pleaded her case, that she was trying to calm them down, but Vernadsky told her that her actions escalated the situation.

"As for Harold, you are thereby forbidden from interacting with these four in any fahsion. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"All of you will spend your free hours in detention on the weekend. And don't try to avoid it, it will merely worsen your punishment."

"But... but..." pleaded Syrasi.

"The boys were just sitting here," Ritti said.  "They did nothing."

"I identified his spell as magic missile..." Syrasi explained.  "He was going to attack... I was merely responding to de-escalate the situation."

"Very well. Perhaps I was rushing to judgment. Ritti and Syrasi will meet with me later on the weekend. And if you think I'm being unfair, I calibrated the severity of discipline based upon your actions."

For a time, peace returned to the cafeteria, but Syrasi was in tears; she had never been punished by a figure in authority before.

It wasn't all bad; a student named Leris congratulated on showing them Harold a thing or too, and that the punishment wouldn't be so bad.  "If anything, he'll have you do boring chores for a few hours."

Xeno also consoled Syrasi by offering to accompany her during her disciplinary punishment ("RIGHT, GUNTAH?").  Gunter, however, said that he'd be preoccupied with his "date" with Areta in a few days.

Operation Hell-Tracker

The Secret Swords decided to meet with Quasar Knight and tell him of their progress and their new Demon-Finder.  Gunter, in related news, was meeting with Quasar Knight at the Hall of Heroes to learn the Celestial language as the rest of the party showed up.

"It is good to see you all again," Quasar Knight said. "I was just teaching Gunter the Celestial language."

"Gunter asking for help?" Xeno asked, shocked.

"What about us not being in a school don't you understand, Xeno?" Gunter replied.

Syrasi, who suggested using the Demon-Finder on Quasar Knight "just in case," pulled it out and did not get any noticeable action from the item.

"Ah, it looks like you have something interesting," the entity of light said.  "I've never seen such a device before."

His hands phased through the compass.

"I can feel a magical aura about this thing. Did you come here to ask me about this?  If so, I'm afraid that I do not know what it is."

Quasar Knight was enthusiastic once told about its function, and how much easier it will make searching for any escaped demons.

"Syrasi is right. You might be able to outsmart the dretches, but do not reveal your hand. Make them think you are but experienced investigators instead. I'd recommend scanning areas of the city covertly. Most demons are telepathic naturally, so a good demon-finder should have a longer range so that the seeker doesn't reveal themselves. I do not know the full function of this magic item, but I do have a potential plan of attack."

Quasar Knight conjures an illusionary image of Brancean. "Here is Highstone Academy, right by the southwest," he said. "Brancean is 4 miles across east to west, and the average demon's telepathy is 120 feet.  The numerous wards around Highstone, the Church of Allathra, are tailored against extraplanar entities, so we can eliminate these districts for potential hiding spots. Aside from the ruins of the Allathran temple, that leaves the districts of Ballensville, the East End, and Northern Cross as prime hiding spots."

The party was quite impressed at Quasar's illusory map.

"Due to your relics, it will be harder for the demons to detect you with divinations. But on the other hand, masked armored and caped groups going about the city will attract the attention of mortalkind, so it's a double-edged sword."

Unfortunately Quasar Knight could not accompany them on patrol, for he was still weak and would easily show up on divination spells.  Xeno suggested that the group stick to rooftop travel to avoid detection, and this became the primary method of travel for the Secret Swords when out on patrol.

Showdown at the Abandoned House

After a few hours of patrol in the dead of night and using the Demon-Finder from time to time, the group hit paydirt.  240 feet away, they could detect the presence of several demonic auras in a two-story abandoned house.  The building's windows were all boarded up and could not be seen through, and the only visible way was through the front door on the ground.

Ritti hefted her Earth Breaker as Xeno charged his claws with Shocking Grasp.

The atrium was featureless bare for a few paintings on the walls.  Apparently they were the house's previous inhabitants, a halfling family by the looks of it.

Behind one of the doorways could be heard the smashing of plates and an angry creature muttering in Abyssal.  "Goddamn Narcenska, forcing us to do guard duty. I'm fucking bored already! Killing rats and roaches is only so much fun! I want to move on up to sapient mortals!"

Syrasi Tumblebarrow whispered, "someone should go upstairs to intercept the other demon so it doesnt escape."

Gunter von Kleist nods at Ritti to intercept top floor.

As Ritti attempted to go up to righthand stairs, a dretch demon jumped out from a doorway and scratched viciously at her.  He failed to make a dent in her transformed armor.

"I got one of them! Intruders in the east!" it screeched.

Gunter was confronted with the dretch in the kitchen and slashed it, delivering a Daze spell through the strike.

Ritti retaliated with a solid blow from her hammer, dropping the dretch as it melted into a puddle of ooze.

Syrasi attempted to blind the kitchen dretch but failed, and as it swiped at her she jumped out of the way and sent him off balance.

Xeno falcon-punched the dretch into the wall, knocking the dretch out.

"Goddammit they found us!" a demon shouted from upstairs.  "Challa Bonesplitter! Covus Spellbreaker! Answer me!"

"I don't know who you lot are," the same demon said to the Secret Swords telepathically, "but you'll soon know the wrath of the Abyss!"

Ritti went up the right stairway, Gunter, Xeno, and Syrasi the left one, as they confronted two more dretches and Narcenska, a tiny bat-winged demon (Quasit) and the apparent leader of these escaped demons.

One of the dretches actually managed to pierce Ritti's armor, targeting the flesh underneath and dealing minor damage.

Xeno landed both claws on his dretch (the Dice Gods were looking favorably on this session), nearly killing it and leaving the demon bleeding profusely.  In response it belched out a Stinking Cloud which sent Xeno reeling and leaving Gunter and Syrasi in disgust.

"Didn't your mother teach you basic table manners?" Syrasi quipped.

Gunter moved in to finished Xeno's job by stabbing the dretch and causing it to explode in a puddle of goo.

"You might have killed off my minions, but I'll live to fight another day!" the quasit shouted as it flew down the tunnel and past Ritti.

What happened next was the most epic thing to have occurred this far in Arcana High.

Ritti swung her hammer into the air, its sharp end catching onto the demon and sent it colliding into the wall with a loud smash (Attack of Opportunity, Natural 20)...

Pulling her weapon away(confirmed critical hit)...
Ritti saw only the splattered remnants of gunk and viscera coating the earth breaker (41 damage).

The last remaining dretch, now scared out of its wits, surrendered.

Xeno grabbed Ritti before the dwarf could get medieval on its ass.  The dretch probably knew valuable information, so they decided to stay and interrogate it.

"Hi there, what is your name?" Syrasi asked.

"Vorious Darkwater. That is my name assigned to me."

Xeno discovered he was a good translator when it came to Abyssal.

"What were you doing here?"

"When we got free, Narcenska said that we needed to hide out. This mortal building was vacant and so we used it. We take orders from Narcenska, who you killed."

"What do you mean "got free?"

"Who did she work for?" Xeno asked.

"We were freed when the magic wards went down. We were trapped by the Bitch goddess Allathra for centuries. Somebody, a figure I could only hear with demonspeech, dispelled the ward. And then we ran way."

"How many of you are there? and what do you mean the words went down? how long ago?"

"Narcenska served the Demon Prince Demogorgon in the past, but she holds no allegiance to him anymore. Now she operates on her own."

"How many other demons were sealed with you?"

"I don't know. Generations of demons and other entities were trapped in the underground temple. We could only see as far as the walls of our own prison. There were seven of us, me included, that got free. Maybe others as well, I do not know. The wards went down several days ago. SHortly before the comet crashed. We saw it as we fled."

The dretch did not have much more useful information.  After being asked what it would do if they let it go, it lied and said that it would go out into the world and not bother anybody ever again.

"I call bullshit," Xeno said, seeing through its deception (the dretch was a terrible liar).  "Ritti, he's all yours."

"I'll kill you all!" the dretch shouted in anger before Ritti smashed him as well.

Syrasi pouted, silently imagining having an adorable demon servant.


Apparently the commotion in the building could be heard from outside, as a woman's voice pointed people towards the noises she heard.

"Don't worry ma'am, the Knights of Aleria are here to help!"

Looking through one of the boarded up windows, the Secret Swords saw five knights on horseback, torches in hand, approaching the building.

"Break one of the boarded up windows and lets just escape through the rooftops," Gunter suggested.

Xeno nodded.  "What gunter saidI vote we do that.  Ritti, care to do the honors?"

Ritti dived headfirst through the back window.

"I heard a crash!" one of the knights shouted.

Libertad's Notes: I chose to have them jump out the window without trouble or incident; it wouldn't be cool if superheroes clumsily fumbled and fell down prone!

Thanks to Syrasi's Silent Image, the was able to throw off the knights.  As they realized the illusion reached the second floor it was too late: they arrived just in time to see the forms of the Secret Swords escaping via the rooftops.