Session 34: The Earthshaker Wakes

We played yesterday after a month long break due to scheduling conflicts. In the last session the players tried to stop Amaan, undead monster and former Emperor of the Giants, from getting hold of the Void Star, a weapon of mass destruction created by the Ancients. Now they must try and stop him before he can use the device which was created to destroy the Primordials.

Scene 1: The Return

First however there is the small matter of Artemis whose head was separated from his body at the end of the session. As Azhanti and Morn flee to the safety of the Library Artemis wakes in the ash covered plains of the Underworld. Plains of jagged obsidian shards surround him and the sky above swells the colour of old bruises. However, he is the God Slayer and Master of the Hunt, bound to the World Tree whose roots reach into every part of the Cosmos. Slowly he begins his journey back to the land of the living passing the frozen and tormented souls of the damned trapped forever in this dismal place.

Back in the land of the living Azhanti and Morn return to a message from Finnest, their dwarven ally, astrologer and warlock. He predicts that they will shortly move against Amaan. Finnest tells them that Amaan cannot be killed, the giants of the past were only able to imprison him. They then ordered the dwarven astrologers to conceal all knowledge of him from the world which they did by moving a small moon to block his star. The only records of how he was imprisoned are hidden in the archives which Finnest intends to search. He asks the group to move quickly lest he fall under the mental influence of the Emperor along with the rest of his race.

Scene 2: Who are you again?

With Artemis returned the group make their plans. They decide to adopt the direct approach. They have access to the gate keys for every linked portal in the world and employ them to penetrate Amaans citadel. Overpowering the guards with ease they find themselves at the base of his capital in the heart of the southern mountains.

They start off employing stealth, moving quietly through the lower levels which comprise slave quarters and prison cells. The area is heavily patrolled by beast-men, the twisted results of Amaan’s attempts to create life. There they also find Ryllandarus, the first shapechanger and one of Amaans hated foes. They decide to create some confusion and swiftly slay the shapeshifters guards and release many of the dwarven prisoners, those who refused to submit to the Emperors command. The Rebellion has begun!

Scene 3: The Lifebringer Speaks!

The next stop is the middle city, a sprawl of living quarters, food production and most importantly the forges and foundries. Here Amaan has his dwarven subjects forging terrible new weapons of death and war, all watched over by demonic overseers. Amaan controls the dwarves through his connection to the Imperial Throne but the Hammer of Maran Gor is also a symbol of rulership for them and Morn carries that.

The group decide to put the Hammer to use and try to throw off Amaans yoke and free more of the dwarves. Sneaking into place Artemis sets up the distraction, sending masses of chains and vats of molten metal crashing from the ceiling. Azhanti tries to bend the bound elementals of the forge to attack the overseers but instead enrages them and they break their bonds and begin to destroy everything in their path. Morn takes up his position at the heart of the forge where rivers of molten metal flow together.

He plunges the hammer deep into the very substance of the dwarves being (dwarves being cast out of one of three metals, Iron, Silver or Gold) and channels the hammers power. Molten metal flows over the channels and sweeps towards the dwarves in the forge, infusing their bodies with a fragment of his power. They cast off their chains and, eyes glowing blue, charge their captors. In the throne room above Amaan roars in fury and sends his undead forces against those who dare to defy him.

The combined demonic and undead forces begin to overwhelm the dwarves when Morn steps forward once more. “Arise” he commands and the metals of the forge flow around the fallen dwarves, are absorbed by them and they rise up again to throw back the enemy into disarray. Leaving the dwarves to battle the group quickly head further up the mountain.

Scene 4: The Children of Fate

In the upper levels they reach the Eerie, a tall wide shaft with many balconies leading from it. Here lair the Furies, angelic beings attracted to those with powerful destinies. They were the first of the children of the Primoridals but were cast aside as they could not bear children. Amaan rescued them and they in turn have served them. The group decide on the direct approach, to impress on them that their destiny is the stronger.

The Furies are utterly unconvinced, they have accomplished great things it is true but much of what they have done has simply fuelled Amaans likely victory. They do learn that Amaan serves the forces of Oblivion, the powers of the Void beyond the circles of Law and Chaos, and that all of the world might yet be sucked into the Void.

Scene 5: Captured! Or not...

Undeterred they make their way to the highest level of the citadel where Amaan keeps his throne room. Unfortunately for them a series of blunders and missteps leaves them captured by his forces, trapped in a necrotic web and brought before him in chains.

They trade insults for a while. Amaan taunts them with his, to him, inevitable victory, a victory only they have made possible. The group released him from imprisonment, they have slain Primordials, the very pillars of creation and they put out the sun allowing his undead army to expand massively. He has also now activated the Void Star and soon it will burrow into the earth and slay his mother Maran Gor and with her death throes the continent of Arkhosia will also be destroyed. With their help he has tipped the balance of the world in favour of Oblivion and now, with the opening of the Well of Udur, it will slide into nothingness ripping a tear in the fabric of the Universe itself.

The group are having none of it. With a snarl Azhanti shatters their bonds and Morn calls upon the spirits of the fallen champions of humanity. The sound of chains breaking rings in the room and a host of ghostly warriors flows into existence surrounding the throne and holding Amaans forces at bay. He has been cut off from most of his allies, there is only him, a pair of fire burned angels, a Pit Fiend general, a swarm of dread wraiths and a company of Abyssal Ghouls.

It should have been enough. It should but it was not. Morn moves swiftly to pin down the Pit Fiend while Amaan tries to pin down the group. He draws the fragmented spirits of his tormented victims from the onyx floor but they can find no purchase on the souls of our heroes. Azhanti bolsters the group and blocks one of the angels while Artemis unleashes hell on earth. The God Slayer lives up to his name and ghouls and wraiths fall before him like leaves before the storm (oh Hail of Arrows how I hate thee!). The angels prove similarly vulnerable to both Artemis and Azhanti and soon Amaan stands alone.

The nine members of the dwarven leadership caste stand watch around the throne, bound here by Amaans will when one throws off his mask. It is Finnest who calls to Morn that he must use the Hammer to bind Amaan in the throne. Amaan, seeing the possibility of eternal imprisonment seeks escape and his spirit tries to flee its body but the flaming arrows of Ashura’s bow drive him back while Azhanti incants and Morn hammers him into place. As Amaan is taken Morn invokes the Hammers power once more and the earth rises up to engulf his undead and demonic forces.

As silence descends Azhanti becomes aware of panicked voices calling his name. His people cry out in fear and alarm, the Void Star has begun to tear apart Arkhosia!

Scene 6: The Earthsaker Wakes

Drawing on the power of the Library the group quickly transport themselves to the plains of central Arkhosia where a vast pit has been dug into the ground. Azhanti summons local dragons to carry them down into the depths where they find a huge cavern. Within stands Maran Gor, the earth titan. She dominates the caves her body composed of living rock but she is surrounded by the Void Star, its crystalline form carving chunks from her and primordial blood flows freely into the ground.

She watches them come for her, the God Killers who have slain her brothers. What will they do? The group have committed themselves to removing the Primordials from their world but they have seen what happens when they die. The death of Ashura put out the sun. Maran Gor has turned away from the world leaving it to the younger races but she is saddened by their choices. She berates them for their actions which have brought the world to the brink of extinction. If they want to prevent the slide into oblivion then they must close the Well of Udur and restore the balance between the living and the undead.

Ultimately the group decide to stop the Void Star. The risk of further deterioration should another Primodial die is too great. As Maran Gor slips once more into her slumber the group are faced with a new task, to oppose the Lords of Entropy lest all of their destines come to a sudden end.

*cut scene*

In the Halls of the Grey King, deep within the Underworld, the spirit of the Wizard Paldemar bends over an ancient scrying device. Within the orb he watches Artemis Antarion trudge across the Plains of Remorse and begins to plan. If his most hated enemies ever return to the Underworld then he will be ready for them.

*cut scene*

In the City of Kings a dozen golden barges rise above the skyline. Reptos, Warlord of the World, moves his armies to confront his greatest foe. Soon he will face Ouroborous, the Ebon Dragon of Endings and decide once and for all which power will dominate at the end of time, Law or Chaos. His vision for a perfect unchanging world is clear in his mind, he will let nothing stand in his way now.

*cut scene*

In the deepest caves of the dwarven mountains, in the most unused and least travelled tunnels, a small group of dwarves meets in secret to carve a statue. It is their new God, one who has saved them from enslavement, torture and death. They know that their actions are utterly heretical and that if found they will be cast out, forced to endure the curse of flesh but their hearts are sure. In the light from their glowing blue eyes they carve the image of their new deity into living rock, Morn, the Bringer of Life.

Session 33: Rise of the Machines

We played again tonight. The first section was a bit of a scene setting for the PC’s to cover some of the stuff which happened at the end of the last session. Azhanti spent time putting the Empire into order and unleashing the Dragons to give his people a fighting chance. Morn meanwhile headed home to stop the slave army of Reptos, neatly collapsing a mountain pass to protect them for a while. This also continued to cement his legend as a God to his people, something which annoys him no end.

When the message from the Belmondo the Artificer arrives the group decides to decamp post haste to the southern continent to recover the weapon of mass destruction.

Scene 1: They're digging in the wrong place!

Their arrival is not without incident. Ancient wards send them crashing into the side of a mountain but they quickly recover and head into the ruins of the City of the Ancient Race (essentially elves which are otherwise not present in the setting). They were a race which arose at the beginning of time and they built many mighty works, the vast city being but one of them. Somewhere within its ruins is the Void Star, a God built by that race to destroy the Primordials.

Belmondo greats them warmly, initially appearing to be a loyal mind controlled servant of the Empire. He tries to dissuade the PC’s from hanging around, stressing that the work goes slowly and that they surely have better things to do. They demur and Azhanti quickly discerns that Belmondo has slipped imperial control. As realisation dawns Belmondo strikes, animating several huge battle golems and a set of assassin droids.

The battle is fierce, the droids prove remarkably agile and keep trying to chase down Artemis but the Golems cannot manage to land a solid blow on Morn. Belmondo directs his golems ably but they are not enough. Artemis breaks free from his pursuers and lands a series of devastating blows on the magician. With his death passes the last of the Cabal magi of the City of Kings.

With the wizards death the Golem army ceases its excavation of the City. The group begin their own delving, eventually finding their way to the upper levels. There they find a map of the lower levels with several interesting sections marked on the map which the group decide to explore before heading to the central power core.

Scene 2: Dark Dungeons

The Resurrection Chamber is their first destination. Here they find hundreds of members of the ancient race lying in suspended animation, the system designed to wake them having failed. The group head off quickly when trying to remove the strange technology proves extremely difficult. They head to the Dawn Forge where their weapons were forged in ancient times. Trying to reactivate the forges to empower their weapons they instead flood the forge with chaos and are forced to flee. Their explorations lead them to the Star Drive where the secrets of creating flying cities which can travel between worlds are there for the taking. The group pass on and find themselves in the Navigation section. Here they unlock the hidden codes to the portal system, portals initially built by the ancients. Now they can control Gates across the world, changing, diverting, opening or closing them as required. They press on.

Time is running out as they are not the only ones here. Danku Sinesh, the doomed man and agent of the giant Emperor Amaan is also here looking for the weapon.

Scene 3: Throw him in the pit!

Breaking into the power chamber they find him already there with his dwarven allies. A gold dwarf astrologer works at a console trying to take control of the Void Star, a mass of crystal and dark radiance spinning within a huge pit. Sinesh lounges arrogantly against the railing. He and Morn trade insults and then the battle is on.

Their enemies strike quickly, Sinesh moves with lightning speed and in a flash Artemis is unconscious on the floor and bleeding out. Azhanti manages to drag him back from near death and tries to descend on the dwarves but is quickly intercepted. Morn pins down the doomed man but reaching the astrologer proves difficult in the face of his iron dwarf allies.

Artemis manages to recover and tries to teleport away from Sinesh. Unfortunately the crumbling wards send him off target and he reappears over the pit falling once again to his demise.

The Thunder Brothers block Azhanti’s approach while Morn remains pinned down with Sinesh. Artemis up again struggles to get into position and the group are running out of time. In desperation they look for alternative options and decide to target the power generators.

Unfortunately Artemis cannot help as Sinesh slips from Morns grasp and strikes him down. Standing over his unconscious form he separates his head from his body. As the dwarven ritual reaches its climax the group are saved by battlecat who destroys the last of the generators.

As their enemies fade away the Void Star loses power and the city begins to collapse. Amaan claims his prize but it’s a pyrrhic victory unless he can find a new power source to activate his weapon.

*cut scene*

In the Throne Room of Reptos, Tyrant of the World, his courtiers, princes and slaves cower in terror. The Tyrant rages at the closing of the portals. No longer can he use them to send his slave armies to every corner of the world. Now he sets his Taken to crafting new battle barges, huge floating platforms which will allow him to cross the oceans and spread his tyranny.

*cut scene*

In the southern province of the Empire of Arkhosia chaos giants rampage at will. Now finally the dragons have been unleashed and the two powers battle each other in a conflict which tears the earth apart.

*cut scene*

In the depths of the mountains, in the ancient capital of the Giants Amaan, newly installed Emperor slowly melts down the minions who failed him, returning them to the forges from which they were cast. Their screams echo through the ancient hallways while Danku Sinesh watches. Amaan regards the doomed man with a calculating eye. “I would have sealed you in a block of lead for all eternity for having failed me human but return to me the power source you spoke of and I shall forgive your incompetence...”

Session 32: Rise of a Dragon God Part 2

We played again this Sunday and the session built on the events of the last one. Azhanti has established himself as a power within the Empire and now he seeks to use that to fuel a power play against the Emperor himself.

Scene 1: Search your feelings!

Of course nothing can ever be quite that simple. First the capital city is currently under siege from the flying city ships of the Lokarnos. Second the Imperial Palace is perhaps the most heavily guarded place in the world, virtually impregnable (unfortunately for them the city around it isn’t and is in line to be flattened by the Lokarnos). Third Azhanti made a deal a while back with the High Priestess of Panath, Goddess of Serpents, Treachery and Deceit to make her his Queen. Azhanti decides to tackle the Panath issue head on. Panath has subverted the worship of a large section of one of the Dragonborn Clans and Azanti wants them back. He plans to unite the entire Dragonborn nation under his leadership so the group decamp to the City of the Serpent to hash things out.

Their entrance into the Temple is uncontested and Tamus is capable of providing no real opposition to them. Azhanti’s presence however does draw out Panath and the Queen of Serpents is drawn into her temple statue and speaks to them through a dozen insensate priests.The two exchange insults for a while. Azhanti demands that Panath give up her hold over the dragonborn and she refuses. She threatens to wipe out his nascent Cult and claims that she, and the Emperor, are clutch brothers. None of them are dragonborn, instead they were unborn true dragons pushed into dragonborn form when the Primordials stole the last of the dragon eggs to use to build the world. Azhanti is dubious but there is nothing to be done. Panath refuses the direct confrontation and the group must look elsewhere for a way past the defences of the Imperial Palace.

Scene 2: Take out the Lightning Shield!

That route is provided by the Lokarnos. Six huge city ships are taking up position to bombard the capital and some quick negotiations give the group access to one to ram into the Emperors lightning shield and force an entry. The daughters of Mael who lead the Lokarnos want the Emperor dead and plan on taking out much of the city and surrounding countryside as well so the group need to hurry if Azhanti is to save his city and his people.

Smashing their way into the Palace they force an entrance but are swiftly confronted by the Twin Star Sisters, demigoddesses in service to the Empire and the Emperors personal bodyguards. They wield powers of fire and ice, complementing each other and are backed up by the Praetorian Guard. Unfortunately they are unprepared for the onslaught and one sister falls quickly leaving the other vulnerable. She is swiftly dispatched.

As they fall Panath chooses that moment to attack. She strikes silently from the shadows and then tries to fade away. Unfortunately she cannot quite contend with Morns ability to demolish large areas of scenery and is quickly exposed. In open play she loses the advantage and cannot reclaim it. She is quickly dispatched and Azhanti takes her children as his own as Azhanti-Panath!

Scene 3: Once upon a time in Arkhosia

However, the groups entrance has triggered every alarm in the Palace, and time is now of the essence. As they rush through lush gardens and private courtyards their advance is halted by a figure stood framed against the moon. “Artemis Antarion, you and I have unfinished business.” It is Kallista, Artemis’s tiefling half sister and agent of the Emperor. Sending the others ahead Artemis stays to deal with his family issues.

Morn and Azhanti breach the inner palace and find themselves on the edge of a huge parade ground, the Emperors personal palace at its centre. As they rush across more of the Praetorian Guard begin swarming in. Hundreds of spear wielding warriors fill the courtyard and archers begin to covers the walls. Morn turns to face them, holding them off to allow Azhanti time to confront the Emperor.

Scene 4: Unfinished Business

Artemis faces his sister. The two have not seen each other for some time. She hates him for killing her father, the only parent she ever knew as Artemis rescued her mother from their estate not long after she was born. For his part his is unrepentant. Her father kidnapped and raped his mother and the tieflings have persecuted his people for hundreds of years. He deserved to die.

Kallista charges knives drawn. The battle is a fast and furious one, both possessed of unnatural levels of speed and strength. Kallista presses him again and again trying to close while Artemis dances away into the shadows trying to convince her that he only did what he had to do. She seems unwilling to listen so reluctantly he opens fire trying to wear her down. The two engage in a dance of death, leaping from rooftop to tree branch, each seeking advantage over the other but it is Artemis who strikes the telling blow.

Kallista staggers, her eyes cloud and she pauses. As she does Artemis spots a small green serpent, invisible until now, wrapped around her throat. Kallista hesitates and it sinks its fangs into her neck and she shudders, turning to try and kill him again. As she charges Artemis leaps over her, twisting in mid air to slip the snake from around her neck and crushing it beneath his boot. Kallista collapses, looking up at him her eyes are filled with sadness, regret and a haunted look she may never lose. She throws herself into his arms, free at last from the Emperors influence. In the distance bells begin to ring.

Scene 5: Hold the Line

Morn stands before the entrance to the Palace, an entire battalion of troops before him. As one they charge, desperate to protect the Emperor and Morn charges back. There is a bone crunching impact and dozens of warriors are hurled away from the terrible hammer blows. They fall back and regroup. Shields are locked, spears levelled and as one the phalanx moves forward. Dozens of warriors pile onto Morn seeking to drag him down through sheer weight of numbers. Beneath the pile a dim blue glow can be seen as, with a roar, Morn hurls them off him scattering their formation.

Any normal force faced with such an enemy would have broken and ran by now but these are no mere mortal soldiers. They are the Emperors elite, his personal guards and they have faced more than one enraged demigod in their time. They circle Morn and, spears extended, seek to trap him within a cordon of steel. He is having none of it and with a series of hammer blows he shatters the battalion. As they scatter a trumpet blows and the archers take position. A flight of arrows fills the night sky but Morn remains undiminished, shield raised he weathers the storm. As they crash to the ground all around him bells begin to ring.

Scene 6: Your arrogance is your weakness

Azhanti enters the throne room, a huge columned hall filled with elegant silk hangings displaying the banners of every nation brought under the Emperor’s dominion. At the far end is the ruby throne, the seat of power carved from a single huge gemstone. Sat in it is the shrunken figure of Khitai, Emperor of Arkhosia. He looks terrible and he cradles a crystal orb in his arms. The two exchange words briefly, the Emperor asserts that Azhanti has compromised his soul, he has been tricked by Amaan, the last ruler of the Giants (and an undead one at that who the group freed). He offers him the Orb of Draconus, a dragonborn artefact which records the lives of every dragonborn who has ever lived through each of their incarnations (dragonborn reincarnate as adults from their original egg, there are no dragonborn children).

There can be only one outcome of this confrontation. Azhanti seeks the position of Emperor, Khitai will not relinquish it to someone who may be a pawn of Amaan. Azhanti issues a formal challenge and it is accepted. The Palace bells begin to ring, summoning the Court to witness the battle.

Azhanti has a little time to reflect on his upcoming battle and he uses it to explore the Orb. He discovers some of the secrets of Panath and then turns its attention to himself. In it he sees Amaan send his furies to influence his dreams, showing him what he wanted to see and driving him towards this point. Amaan seeks vengeance against the dragons and their children who usurped the rule of the giants and the splintering of the Empire is merely his first step. As Azhanti delves deeper into the Orb he finds his mind being drawn away, it shows him the Empire on the brink of collapse, it shows the forces arrayed against them as vast and unstoppable and in the background is the mocking laughter of Amaan. These are the images he has shown Khitai which have left him paralysed with indecision and doubt, left the Empire vulnerable and so close to complete collapse.

Scene 7: Fight!

The Court has gathered at the place of challenge. The chancellor calls for order and the challenger Azhanti is brought forward. Beyond the precincts of the Palace the Lokarnos city ships can be seen. They have begun their bombardment and soon there won’t be anything left to save. Both challenger and challenged may choose to fight alone or with their clutch brothers. Azhanti chooses Morn and Artemis. Khitai chooses to fight alone, unable or unwilling to show weakness. It will prove to be a mistake. The Emperor strikes first, he is fast, dangerous and resilient and Azhanit quickly finds himself in trouble. However, Morn proves himself the more capable defender keeping the Emperor pinned down but not before Azhanti is driven to his knees. However, he is not the Avatar of Storm for nothing, lightning flares searing Khitai as he surges back to the attack.

Outnumbered Khitai finds himself pressed. He tries time and again to disengage from Morn to reach his target but cannot. All the while Artemis and Azhanti unleash terrible punishment on him. Khitai looks like he will fall when something within him snaps. His eyes fill with flame and he seems to come to life. He casts off the pall which has fallen over him and rises to his full height. His wings unfurl and fire kindles all through the arena. The Emperor enraged unleashes his full fury on Morn who staggers but does not fall. Morns resilience has become legendary and not even an enraged Dragon Emperor can daunt him now. Khitai, first and last Son of Vulcan and Emperor of Arkhosia falls and for his arrogance Azhanti imprisons his soul in the very statue Khitai had prepared to trap the soul of Venemus. As one the Court kneels, “All hail Azhanti, God Emperor of Arkhosia.”

In the distance much of the capital and the surrounding countryside is smoking rubble and the Lokarnos bombardment continues. Azhanti ascends into the sky and as he does so he calls on Fulmenus, the Blue Dragon to aid him. He moves to confront the Lokarnos City Ships and the seven daughters of Mael. They are an arrogant bunch, more so now given they are united for the first time in a thousand years. They seem inclined to continue to seek their revenge until Azhanti reminds them of just what he and his allies have accomplished. They decide that the death of Khitai and demolishing of his capital is enough to sate their vengeance and the ships begin to slowly move away.

Calling on the power of Fulemnus Azhanti sends a burst of lightning throughout the City, deep into the earth and the caves below where the Imperial Dragon Host sleeps. As one the dream dragons awake and their riders rush to prepare. Their Emperor has finally called upon them.

*cut scene*

Sometime later a Minister brings Azhanti a message received while Khitai was still Emperor. It is from the Wizard Belmondo, an old enemy and member of the Cabal and now an Imperial Agent. “My Lord, we have discovered it, the City of the Ancients. I have sent you the co-ordinates but I am convinced that the weapon must be buried somewhere beneath the ruins. Soon you will have access to the Void Star, the death of worlds, and none of your enemies will be able to stand against you!”

*cut scene*

Deep beneath the earth lies the Well of Life. It is an ancient place, sacred once to the children of Ashura. It was corrupted by the Entropic Lord Shraal who was killed by the group some time ago. Now the Giant Emperor Amaan has come to take possession of it. He has filled it with the blood of a thousand angels and performed blasphemous rites carved onto the hides of bound demons in his service. Now his ritual comes to fruition as he closes the Well. The tide of life giving energy falters, stops and finally reverses.

On long forgotten battlefields armies of skeletons rise to march on Empires long since fallen to dust; from mass graves hordes of zombies emerge to feed on terror and flesh and in ancient necopoli and mausoleums mummies and spectres seek to usurp their descendants. However, perhaps most horrific of all, unborn life the world over dies and mothers to be are slain by their own undead offspring, cannibalistic ghouls devouring them from within.

*cut scene*

With the rise of the undead menace the remaining human Kingdoms flock to the banner of Reptos and his slave army swells. Now he begins to exert his power and the long dormant portals of his Empire flare back into life. In the deserts of the south his armies lay siege to the Shrouded Oasis, seeking to find its hidden gateways. In the mountains of the North the people of Frosthome retreat to their sacred mountain in the face of his advance. Reptos demands dominion over all of humanity.

However, the bulk of his forces move directly against the Wyrm Ouroborous. Chaos is the enemy of Order and Reptos seeks to make himself the one true Lord of Order, the ultimate and eternal Tyrant.

Session 31: Rise of a Dragon God Part 1

Scene 1: Old Friends

Having dealt with Ashura the group now turn to deal with Khitai, the Dragonborn Emperor of Arkhosia. They have clashed with his forces in the past, disabling his fleet as it attacked the City of Kings, escaping or killing his assassins on several occasions and ramming one of his skyships. In that time Azhanti has grown in influence within the Empire. He has formed an alliance with the Cult of Panath, assumed the mantle of the Avatar of the Storm and caused deep divisions within the Church of Vulcan. Now he prepares to make his final move but first he must show that he is willing to protect the Empire.

First on the agenda are the lost legion, a force of Imperial Sardukar abandoned in the North when the alliance with the Lokarnos collapsed. They have been captured by the forces of Reptos and he prepares to crucify them all. The group make a stealthy entrance into the City of Sarind. Only a little moonlight lights their way and in the air above the Taken patrol the city. Artemis leads them through the ancient and crumbling sewers and they quickly reach the slave pens where the Dragonborn wait for their execution. The night air is filled with their death dirge.

Artemis makes quick work of the locks and Azhanti implores his people to seek hope, a new saviour has come (him obviously) and they have a chance to redeem themselves. A portal is swiftly opened to the Library but as the evacuation begins they are discovered, the golden clad Herald of Reptos appears to deny them their escape. Artemis is startled to discover that it is his mother, Taken by Reptos and now his slave but he doesn’t allow sentiment to stand in his way. The group attacks, Morn crashing into the Herald but her claim that “no weapon may harm her” proves to be true and he finds himself stunned by his own blow.

With a brief look of regret the Herald does the only thing she can and summons her master. Reptos emerges from the shadows and draws a blade from thin air. “You recognise this I think, I took it from a hag of your acquaintance.” It is Soulstealer, the weapon wielded by Zirithian the Vampire which can kill even Immortals. Reptos strikes and his blows deal terrible wounds to Morn who staggers in the face of the onslaught. The Dragonborn continue to flee and the group only have to hold him off for a little while for them to escape. Artemis even hurls himself bodily at the Warlord, dragging him to the ground but he finds himself flung away. Morn is struck down but as he does so his tattoos flare and his strength returns. As the last of the Dragonborn flees through the Portal the group run, Reptos will have to wait for another time. Once they are safe Azhanti promptly anoints a number of the rescued warriors as Paladins in his service.

Scene 2: The First Gate

With a large force of Dragonborn warriors the group decide to tackle the second problem, the siege of the Nightwyrm fortress by an army of vampires and cannibalistic ghouls. Their arrival comes at a fortuitous moment, the many tiered citadel is under attack yet again and the group moves quickly to help defend the walls.

What they find is a vision of horror, hundreds of thousands of ghouls assault the citadel, vast necromantic war machines move up behind them and flowing through the army are hundreds of swirling spectral vampires. The air reeks with the stench of death and decay and both Morn and Azhanti can feel the fear emanating from both human and Dragonborn refugees.

Azhanti takes the lead descending to the wall with his newly inaugurated Paladins and on mass they Turn Undead. Thousands of ghouls explode at their arrival and the host is thrown back. Artemis takes the opportunity to lead a sortie against the enemy but they recover quickly and push back. The postern gate is taken and the wall threatens to fall. Morn tries to block the entrance by toppling an enormous statue across the breach but in his clumsiness only widens it. The defenders are forced to fall back and all looks lost. As the army routs across the connecting bridges the doors to two large buildings swing open and hundreds of terrified, sickly or old slaves pour out into the courtyard. The ghouls, sensing an easy meal descend on them buying the troops time to reach the next level and destroy the bridges. Only two more levels remain.

The group are not pleased. Although feeding the slaves to the ghouls saved those still able to fight it strikes against something deep within each of them. Various underlings are punched in the face until Morn manages to speak to the General who ordered the plan. He is unapologetic, his duty is to hold the citadel and protect the millions who live in the eastern province and besides they were slaves provided to them by the humans. Azhanti orders him not to repeat the tactic while Morn and Artemis head off to confront the person responsible. They find him living in a luxuriously appointed palace, filled with slaves and functionaries with incense and perfumes to hide the stench from outside. Morn is unimpressed with the minor prince who has found himself de facto ruler of the mass of humanity here. Words are exchanged following which Morn throws him off a wall to be eaten by ghouls.

Meanwhile Azhanti has paid a visit to the Temple of Vulcan. There he finds one of his High Priestesses. She has taken in many of the sick and the wounded and her initiates tend to their wounds while she prepares a ritual to dedicate the entirety of the summit of the Citadel to Vulcan and thereby sanctify the ground against the undead. The two clash, each testing the others faith but neither are moved.

Scene 3: The Second Gate

Alarm bells ring, the next wall is under attack. Out of the smoke and fire a monstrous creature can be seen emerging. If some mad wizard were to conjure an earth elemental from a graveyard then this might be the result. Its body is a mixture of earth, rock, bones and gravestones, its fingers are huge slabs of stone which dig into the walls as it hauls itself up. What’s worse are the dozens of chains attached to its massive body, chains the ghouls are using to scale the walls.

The group hurry to confront the abomination. If they cannot kill it quickly then the walls will be overcome but it is amazingly resilient and many ghouls also swarm into the battle. Azhanti is pulled down and falls but as he does so lightning surges all around him. He rises into the air and all across the wall ghouls are reduced to ash. Despite the creatures resilience it cannot stand up to our heroes and as it crashes to the earth below they stand proud on the walls, power flaring all around them as they challenge the armies leader, the Lich Lord Dust, to meet them face to face.

He declines.

Our group have a plan. The city is sealed from teleportation effects by Dusts necromantic siege engines. If they can destroy them and open a portal to the Shrouded Oasis then they can bring real sunlight into the battle if only for a little while. The Vampires would be destroyed, the army dismayed and perhaps Lord Dust exposed.

Scene 4: The Third Gate

Azhanti chooses to call upon the Dragons, four more favours he has from them and so he calls upon Incendus, the Fire Dragon. The city shakes and from the mountains behind them a vast shape emerges. Its wings blot out the sky as the mile long Dragon God descends upon the host. A gout of flame engulfs the entire rear section of the invading army obliterating its war machines in the blink of an eye. As it does so the group open the Gate, sunlight pours through bathing the city in its purifying presence. Hundreds of Vampires explode into dust and the ghouls recoil in horror. Only one spot remains unaffected, a bubble of darkness too deep for any light to penetrate.

Lord Dust is exposed and the group strike. Azhanti transforms himself into a dragon and descends carrying Morn and Artemis into the heart of darkness. There the group once again fight the ancient Lich. The battle is a strange affair, vampires and ghouls flow around the battlefield while Dust proves to be extremely tricky to pin down. However, his evasiveness cannot last forever and as his minions fall to claw and hammer and bow his finds himself outnumbered and outgunned. He calls for parley and Morn crushes his skull with his mace and jumps up and down on his bones.

As Dust falls Azhanti receives a sending, something terrible is happening at the temple of Vulcan, he must come at once. He quickly takes to the air, the battle still rages below, even bereft of their leader the vast army of ghouls presents a serious threat. Morn and Artemis take to the walls and implore the Dragonborn to believe, in both themselves and Azhanti. Azhanti lands on the upper level and shifts to his humanoid form, the Temple is dark and nothing stirs.

As he enters the smell of blood is fresh in the air. In the main sanctum the bodies of the refugees lie, their blood pooling on the floor. The High Priestess stands at the altar, tears running down her scaled cheeks. “What have you done” he asks. “You have left me no choice. You are an abomination, a power hungry and self aggrandising fool. You will destroy us all. If you succeed here then your name will resound throughout the Empire. I cannot allow that. I have opened a gateway to the army below. The ghouls will pour through this place and slaughter our troops from behind. This battle will be the single greatest failure in the history of the Empire and the blame for that will fall on you. With this stain on your soul you will not be able to challenge the Emperor.”

Azhanti’s axe flies from his hand burying itself in her chest as the ritual completes and the pool of blood shimmers and changes. The portal has opened and the ghoul army scents fresh blood. Weaponless, Azhanti steps into the Gate to face the onrushing ghouls. Lightning flares all around him incinerating the first wave. As he drinks in the power creating the gate storm winds blow all around him driving back the second wave. Finally with an eruption of divine power the final wave is shattered and the Gate collapses. With its fading energy Azhanti once again announces his presence to his people. All across the Empire in the Temples of Vulcan the statues of the old God explode leaving behind a new symbol, the crossed lightning bolts of Azhanti, Avatar of the Storm. The God Emperor is coming and he wants everyone to know it.

The matter of the ghoul army still remains to be dealt with. Azhanti once again calls on the Dragon Gods, this time on Acerbus, the Green Dragon. The ground beyond the Citadel begins to heave and buckle and acid boils up out of the depths. As the enormous dragon emerges from the ground the ghouls try to flee but none escape, all are dissolved. As he emerges from the Temple Azhanti brings with him a cleansing storm to wash away the blood, the bodies and the fear. Behind him a tall slender Dragonborn with shining green scales watches him leave. “Soon my brother, very soon.”

*cut scene*

Outriders from the army of Reptos scour the plains and the deserts of the south at the command of their master. In the skies above the Taken search for any sign of the Pashtun people. Their great stone mesas are broken into but they are empty. In his Palace Reptos rages at a people who have escaped him. The Pashtun have fled into the Shrouded Oasis to escape his dominion.

*cut scene*

In the onetime Temple of Sopias the Princess Menandore of Dream plays host to Danku Sinesh, the doomed man. “You have what I require woman, now give me the Key or I will take it from you.” She stands, imperious and confidant in her strength, “It is not for you or any mortal to possess.” He smiles drawing a long thin blade and advancing on her, “Foolish woman,I have not been mortal for a very long time...”

*cut scene*

At The Wall in the far south of the Empire of Arkhosia the Twin Star Sisters, Dragonborn demigoddesses stand ready to face the warriors of chaos. In the distance giant figures emerge from the surf mounted on great sea beasts. Long spears rest easy in their hands and lightning flickers all around them. As they close the Sisters receive a call, the Avatar of Storm challenges the Empire itself and their master needs them. With regret they rise into the sky and fly quickly northwards. Behind them the Chaos Giants sweep across those who defend the Wall sending it crumbling into the sea below. Ouroborous has landed his first forces on Arkhosian soil, how fitting it is that they are the self same giants who set out to destroy him when he crashed to the world so long ago.

Session 30: Days End Part 2

Nearly two years ago at the start of the game Morn’s player wrote a piece of background material about The Unfettered God. At that time Morn was a Paladin of the Unfettered God. In time he would learn that his God was a fraud, slay his High Priestess (twice), lose his Paladin status, become a fighter and eventually drive his hammer through the skull of the duplicitous Chaos Lord.

The story which Morn wrote was about two divine lovers, forever separated from each other by the scheming of the Unfettered God, in truth a Lord of Chaos seeking to break various divine compacts. This session saw the resolution of a thousand year old wrong as well as the beginning of the Age of Darkness when the Sun itself would go out.

Scene 1: To Kill a God

Our session opens with Artemis sat looking over the desert. Behind him their forces have amassed ready to march across the blasted salt plains, to brave the deadly illusions of Ashura and to assault the Shrouded Oasis itself. Artemis sits contemplating how one might kill a Primordial and even if he should do it at all.

As he sits Udun, the elderly wrinkled shaman joins him. The two talk about what is to come and the different options. Udun explains that the Primoridals are creatures of more than just flesh, their bodies can be destroyed but their spirits remain and will in time return. Reptos slew both Vulcan and Ashura and, unable to destroy their spirits instead he trapped them in the Plaza of Dead Gods. This however required the sacrifice of hundreds of his Magi to create the binding spells, a resource our heroes don’t really have access to.

Udun sets out his options. Ashura has fallen into the void and become a creature of entropy. Destroy him and he will in time return. Destroy his link to this world, the World Tree at the heart of the Oasis, and he will be cast into the void forever, never to return but the Oasis will be lost, its heart destroyed. Lastly they might cure Ashura, place the artefacts which the group plundered from his Tomb into their proper places in the Oasis and Ashura will be restored. Artemis is left to brood and think over their options. No-one truly knows what might happen when a Primordial dies and Artemis has plans for the Oasis in the future. As he ponders he catches sight of a figure, clothed in white silks flitting across the dunes.

Intrigued he gives chase. The woman sees him and flees but he has the speed of a gazelle and the senses of a hunting cat. A few well placed arrows bring her up short and she turns, fear in her eyes. This is no mortal woman but a goddess, the Hidden Moon. She trembles under his hard gaze and explains that she has been separated from her husband, the Burning Sun, who has fallen to his father’s corruption. She came to camp hoping to gain Artemis’s aid but his reputation as the God Killer frightened her away. She asks for his help, defeat her husband and purify him of his corruption and she will help bring them to the Oasis through Ashura’s traps. Artemis agrees but only on one condition, if he succeeds then she and her husband must withdraw from the world and take no part in its end game. Reluctantly she agrees and gives him an arrow crafted from moonlight which will drive the entropy from her husband.

Scene 2: Desert of Desolation

The forces of our heroes gather. In the centre march the Stone Dwarves, those who have accepted the curse of flesh together with their battle golems. Supporting them comes Finnest, the Silver Caste dwarven astrologer and his cadre of magicians. On the flanks ride the Pashtun cavalry and the Dragonborn of the High Lightning Clan and above fly the witches and shamans of the Pashtun. Surrounding all of them are the forces of the Elemental Court, freed from the influence of their father Ashura.

Morn ranges through the army making preparations while Azhanti takes to the air to scout ahead helping to avoid various ambushes. As they press closer to the Oasis the sand and salt rises up in great walls to block their path but it cannot prevail against Azhanti, Lord of Storms. As they enter the ancient ruins which ring the Oasis Artemis slips through the rubble assassinating the leaders of the forces waiting in ambush while Azhanti navigates the deadly traps and ancient slumbering curses which fill the ruins.

As they press forward the sky goes dark, waves of entropy flow from the Oasis blotting out the sun. The forces gathered waver and cry out and Hidden Moon turns her face from the horror. Stepping forward Morn takes her arm and brings her a revelation. The Unfettered God is a lie, his bargains nothing more than trickery and deception and, most importantly, he is also very very dead having been killed by Morn himself. Beyond the gate to the Oasis lies her husband who she has not seen in a thousand years. The Unfettered Gods bargain does not bind her and all that they need is for her to open the Gate. Emboldened by her speech she turns to face the Oasis, spreading her arms wide moonlight fills her and beams of pale light strike into the heart of the Oasis. As she rises into the sky the Moon appears full and bright and burns away the entropic energy covering the land leaving the way to the Oasis free.

Except for one obstacle, the Burning Sun has returned from the Void and now, instead of a creature of blinding light he has become part of the void, light, energy, heat and life are all sucked into him. The forces of the Kireshi range out behind him but this battle is between the God and those demigods who would challenge him. The ancient ruins ring with the clash of steel but our heroes are in no mood to dally. The Burning Sun is swiftly overwhelmed and his heart is pierced with the arrow of moonlight. Freed from his corruption he rises into the sky and finally the Sun and Moon are reunited together.

In the background Finnest the dwarven astrologer begins making furious notes on how this conjunction might best be used.

Scene 3: The Oasis

Our heroes enter the Oasis and now at last the time of decision has come for Artemis. He chooses not to try and restore Ashura, the Primordials have had their chance and it is time for the world to be rid of them. He will kill Ashura and the World Tree but seek to preserve the Oasis as his own realm. (The PC’s scored a complete victory on the skill challenge to reach the Oasis, that is all successes and no fails. I have allowed those sorts of successes to permit them to change established campaign facts or establish new ones. In this case Artemis asked for the chance to save the Oasis which I was happy to agree).

First however is the small matter of reaching Ashura. The Oasis is actually its own small world separate from the one our heroes know. It is a small fragment of a previous reality which was preserved by Ashura as a home for his people. Tall mountains ring a long wide valley filled with thick jungle while in the centre rises a mountainous crag on which stands the ancient groves and the World Tree, the first tree to have life breathed into it. Those jungles however are thick with enemy forces committed to defending their God, no matter how corrupted he might be.

Artemis chooses the first mode of attack. He calls upon the Spirits of the Desert to sweep aside the Kireshi forces and open the way to the mountain. They surge forward but as they do so Ashura appears ready to subjugate his unruly children once more, a move which might doom our heroes before they even begin. At this point the dwarf Finnest acts. He has completed his calculations, predicted the moment of Ashuras appearance and prepared for it. As Ahura emerges from the mountain the skies clear and the Sun and Moon appear in perfect alignment. Overcome by their radiance Ashura flees back into the grove to take no more part in the battle. (Getting to the mountain was a skill challenge. Artemis managed to roll a 1 on getting the spirits involved, a move which would have lost them as his allies. However, I had given some of the allies the PC’s have some mechanical benefits. In particular the dwarven astrologers gave the PC’s a reroll which came up as a 20 which we count as a critical giving 2 successes and driving Ashura out of this battle).

Taking the opportunity provided our heroes pour forward. The Dragonborn and Pashtun work together drawing out the enemy into a series of traps while Morn reinforces the dwarven battle golems and takes pot shots at the Kireshi aerial cavalry with huge blacks of masonry. In the skies above the jungle Artemis flies with the Pashtun witches and their wyvern riders duelling with the First, leader of the Kireshi warrior caste. The two lock into a deadly embrace high above the jungle. Their mounts clawing at each other they plummet towards the ground with Artemis managing to pull up just in time. The First survives slowly clambering from shattered body of his mount when Isaac Antarion, clan chief of Clan Antarion emerges from the shadows and slits his throat. With their forces in disarray and their leader dead the Kireshi break and the route to the mountain and Ashura himself lies open. (This was another complete success, damn their good dice rolls which they used later on to connect the various different realm fragments together).

Scene 4: The Greater Darkness

Our heroes make their way unimpeded up the mountain to the once sacred groves and ancient stone circle which sat at the top. What they find is a mass of corruption, decay and rot. Strange fungus grows over toppled ancient stones. The earth has turned black and rotten and the World Tree itself is bloated, its bark split and its branches hung with creepers and vines. Most worrying however is the huge figure of Ashura who towers over them, filled with power and ready to break bones and tear flesh.

There is no time for banter and they surge to the attack. They have prepared for this battle and have carefully hoarded their strength. Ashura however is not alone and out of the earth crawl skeletal Kireshi archers and from the stones emerge corrupted Kireshi druids wielding soul fire. Ashura strikes without mercy, his very presence leaves our heroes vulnerable to corrupting forces present in the glade but Morn weathers the blows inflicted by the God long enough to allow Artemis to do what he does best. He moves with a fluidity no human should possess and with an accuracy which defies description. Arrows fly over and over again slamming into Ashura with deadly precision. Slowly, ever so slowly, the titan falls. The Oasis falls silent, the sounds of battle fade away as all eyes turn to the mountain, can that be it?

The sound of laughter fills the glade, “Did you think it would be so easy?” At the far end of the glade the World Tree shudders and heaves as the Spirit of Ashura moves within it. “I am eternal, I have looked into the Void and it has filled me. You cannot destroy me.” The roots of the ancient tree run through the entire mountain and now they rise up grasping and clinging, pinning our heroes down and draining their very life essence. Morn manages, somehow, to get the monstrosity into his reach and lock it down and once again Artemis strikes. The Bow of Ashura possesses the power of the sun and as he unleashes its power his arrows burst into flame and explode on contact. Each hits with bone jarring force but the explosions also manage to engulf Morn in flame and he looks like he might go down if not for the handy assistance of Azhanti.

The World Tree falls, its trunk split apart, its corrupted bark burned to ash but still it is not over. His spirit now forced from its host Ashura rises once more, a tall slender ghost of black flames armed with a soul destroying blade of night. Morn charges and the weapon flicks out seeking to end his life but it is no use. The spirit of Ashura is destroyed, banished for all time back into the void to be consumed.

Silence engulfs the Oasis and then a great wind begins to blows. The Spirits of the Desert, children of Ashura, arrive to mourn the passing of their father. They kneel around the spot on which he died and let forth a great mourning wail. The earth buckles and from it his body returns, cleansed of the corruption which afflicted him. The spirits raise him up and wind him in funeral sheets. “We take our father now to be buried. Before we go we give you this gift” A sapling bursts from the husk of the old World Tree and swiftly begins to grow. Its roots run quickly through the Oasis purging the corruption of the Void but they go even further, working their way through the roots of the multiverse itself. The new World Tree connects all of the fragments of previous realities, opening paths and gates between them.

“The time of the elder races is fading away and with us must come our children.” Out in the Oasis the Kireshi begin to fade away helping to undo the corruption of the Oasis. “Our last act is to fulfil the promise our Father made to the first Great Huntsman. We gift to you the Oasis, let it be a safe haven for your people, a place free from the great game of the immortals. No divine being, whether God, Demon or Lord of Chaos may enter its gateway between now and the end of all existence”. With that they fade away, never to be seen again. (It’s worth noting that this includes both Morn, as a demigod, and Ashura as an Avatar of Storm).

Epilogue

No-one knows what happens when a Primordial dies. The Primordial’s are the fundamental building blocks of the world, the Lords of Law and without them it is possible the world itself would cease to exist. How can a world live without a Sun to warm it, without a Lord of Life to quicken the spirit of living beings. With the death of Sopias people have begun to stop dreaming. With the final death of Ashura light itself goes out of the world.

As Ashura falls outside of the Oasis the repercussions begin to be felt. The Burning Sun, God of the Dawn embraces his love, the Hidden Moon and the two circle one another in a meeting long since postponed. But with the death of Ashura his children fade away and Hidden Moon is left with nothing but tears for her lost love, left to wander the skies alone and bound by her promise to Artemis to not interfere.

Worse is yet to come. The Sun God is dead and as dawn approaches he makes no appearance in the Eastern sky. Only the stars and the Moon remain to give light to the World. The Age of Darkness has begun and the world has entered its last days before the end of time itself.

*cut scene*

In the southern mountain the dwarven astrologer Finnest leads his people back to their hold. When he arrives he finds the gates sundered, his people dead or gone and the home forges shattered. The forces of Amaan have broken the outer defences and driven into the heart of dwarven territory. Amaan once again sits on the Throne of Kings as Giant Emperor and Finnest is left with a hard choice. Remain here and fall under the domination of the Emperor or leave his home forever and accept the Curse of Flesh and the loss of his immortality.

*cut scene*

In the City of Sarind the human and Dragonborn defenders prepare to withstand another assault from the forces of Reptos. When Dawn fails to come their courage falters and the forces of Reptos, enslaved to his will and fearless of the dark, charge. The City quickly falls and the Dragonborn legions are captured. Their fate is yet unknown but it is unlikely to be a kindly one.

*cut scene*

In the Nightwyrm Fortress, the last bastion protecting the rich eastern provinces, the warriors standing the ramparts wait anxiously for the dawn. Below them surges the army of vampires and ghouls raised by Lord Dust. When the dawn fails to come a great cry of despair goes out. Now the exhausted defenders must stand their ground with no respite in sight. They cannot hold out for long.

*cut scene*

On the southern coast of Arkhosia stands The Wall, a defence against the attacks of Ouroborous’s spawn seeking single combat against the champions of the world. Many heroes have been chained to the Wall but now two more arrive out of a night sky that will never lift. The Twin Star Sisters, Dragonborn demigods, daughters of battle and personal bodyguards of the Emperor come to the aid of the beleaguered heroes. Out in the distance the seas churn and boil as powerful Warriors of Chaos emerge to test themselves once again. If The Wall falls then they will be free to range across the southern provinces bringing death and destruction to the people.

*cut scene*

In the Forbidden City, Heart of the Palace of the Emperor of Arkhosia, in the Capital city of the Empire itself Khitai, Dragonborn Emperor sits brooding in his chambers. He watches the advance of the Lokarnos fleet, the City Ships come together for the first time in a dozen generations. He knows they come to destroy him and his people for his betrayal of their trust. His advisors have called for him to unleash the dragons but he has dismissed them. As their ships approach ancient engines hum into life and slowly the vast city ships rise into the air. Soon they will surround the capital and begin their bombardment.

Silently the Emperor watches, doing nothing.

Session 29: Days End

We played again last Sunday and the group decided to deal with the issue of Ashura. Ashura is a Primordial, a Lord of Law and one of the Creators of the World. He was killed millennia ago by the recently returned Warlord Reptos. Unfortunately for him it is not normally possible to kill a Primordial. Its body might be destroyed but its spirit lives on. Reptos sacrificed hundreds of his Magi to imprison the spirit of Ashura in the Plaza of Dead Gods.

Thousands of years later our heroes disturbed those bindings in their first ever adventure. His spirit freed, Ashura fled to the Shrouded Oasis where his children, the Kireshi, worked to resurrect him. Unfortunately they lacked the artefacts which held his soul together (the PC’s having made off with them) and the resurrection went wrong. Ashura returned but now as a creature of the void, determined to suck all life out of creation.

However, before dealing with this little wrinkle the group take the opportunity to quiz the Library. They learn a great many things; the origin story of humanity; the reason the Beast pursues them across realities; the status of the Primordials; the nature of places such as the Shrouded Oasis; the nature of the True Dragons; the source of the weapons they wield; the weakness of Reptos as a proto Primordial and the existence of a weapon of mass destruction capable of permanently destroying a Primordial amongst other things. Before the can quiz it further however fate intervenes.

Scene 1: Help me Obi Wan

The images the Library is showing them shimmer and change. They are receiving a sending from the witch Sybelle, a member of Artemis’s clan who he has had little time for in the past. “We are under attack, Ashura moves against us, I am sending you the pattern for our location, help us Artemis, you are our only hope.”

The group acts quickly and the Library is able to dispatch them to the portal location provided. They find themselves in a large cavern in one of the great mountain strongholds of the Pashtun desert people. An explosion rocks the structure and rubble rains down from above. Sybelle is there and explains that Ashura has raised his new Empire and dispatched his child, the Black Sun and the hosts of Kireshi corrupted by his return against them. He plans to sweep across the continent and exterminate all life. The group immediately move to help hold off the attackers while the people flee through the underground tunnels to the Citadel, the strongest of the mountain fortresses.

Azhanti takes to the air leading a wing of Wyvern riders against the elemental spirits enslaved by Ashura. He draws them away from the battle giving the defenders precious time and from his vantage point he can see the oncoming death. Ashura has raised a vast wall of sand which stretches hundreds of feet in the air and crosses from horizon to horizon. The spirits of the desert have been aroused and the wall is death for any enemy of Ashura to attempt to cross. It is also moving towards them. Azhanti tries to gather aid against them calling on the local spirits but they reject his advances, he once worked with them but spurned them some time ago and they have not forgotten.

Morn meanwhile takes his place at the forefront of the battle. He leaps down onto the narrow span of rock leading to the main gates and shatters it with his Hammer, sending Kireshi soldiers crashing to their deaths. Artemis moves through the battle directing their archers and unleashing various traps set up by his people to protect their homes.

However it is not enough. The armies of the Kireshi vastly outnumber them and they are pushed further and further back into the mountain until an avalanche of sand is unleashed against the invaders burying them in the tunnels. Azhanti follows up from behind sending howling winds ripping through the invaders. His armies beaten back the Black Sun takes to the field personally. The ground blackens and crumbles at his approach and the sand melts into glass and shatters.

The Pashtun flee into the tunnels while our heroes wait the coming of a God. As he enters the chamber where they wait the air begins to scorch. The ground breaks open and the burning skeletons of ancient Pashtun pull themselves out of the sand while in the background a huge salamander noble armed with a mighty bow slithers into view.

The Black Sun charges Morn, the impact sends shockwaves through the room and flames erupt all around them. Morn staggers almost overcome by the first charge, only just saved by the strength that runs through his Hammer. Artemis seeks distance but struggles to get out of range of the burning aura and Azhanti’s healing powers are put to the test. The Salamander is quickly dispatched and the skeletons prove to be little hindrance even as they arise again and again. The Black Sun however is another matter. Highly resistant to damage his very presence causes flesh to burn however our heroes are mortals no longer.

They withstand his assault and counterattack. Morn drives him back out of the room and Artemis moves into position. Time seems to slow to a crawl as he draws back the bow and lets arrow after arrow fly, each striking some vulnerable spot and delivering terrible wounds. Overcome the Black Sun slumps, defeated. Standing over him Artemis delivers a final message, “Tell Ashura that I am coming for him” as he ends his life.

Scene 2: You can't choose your family

Their commander defeated the Kirteshi host withdraws behind the great Wall and the group makes its way to the Citadel, the Pashtun fortress where the five great clans have gathered. They quickly learn that not all is well. The people are not united; the Clan Chiefs argue and squabble amongst each other; the young warriors have lost respect for their leaders; the Elders have retreated into the deep caverns for reasons they refuse to disclose; Sybelle is condemned to death for breaking the Clan Chiefs edict not to contact him and his sister is here advocating for an alliance with the Arkhosian Empire.

Leaving Artemis to solve his local problems Azhanti and Morn set off to pursue their own agendas. Morn returns briefly to the City of Kings. Arriving late at night he finds it a hive of activity, the slave army is rebuilding the City and the skies are patrolled by the Taken, Reptos’s flying carpet riding Magi. Morn however has other matters of concern, he has come here to right a very old wrong. He heads towards one of the Cabals towers, one time home of Althea who the group assassinated early on in their career. In that tower they once found an Angel captured by Cabal sorcery. Fearing trickery they left it where it was but now Morn returns to release it, shattering the chains with his Hammer. As it flies into the night sky it gives thanks for its release although what the consequences of this act might be few can say.

Meanwhile Azhanti spends his time with a small group of Kireshi refugees who have been given sanctuary in the Citadel. Not all Kireshi have fallen under Ashura’s influence and many who have resisted him have come here to aid their human allies. They have not been treated well and many among the Pashtun call for them to be expelled or killed as the enemy.

Azhanti moves among them healing their afflictions and bringing them word of a new hope, a new future which he is creating in their lifetime. They flock to hear him speak, a divine Avatar walking among them. After several days of teaching and working he invests some of them as his first non Dragonborn clerics. It seems that the Church of Azhanti will be an all encompassing faith.

While this is going on Artemis spends his time talking to the Clan Leaders. His own clan supports him but the others are reticent. Some favour alliance with the Dragonborn, others just want revenge for the harm they have suffered. He clashes briefly with his sister Kallista but can’t seem to bring himself to simply impose his will on his people. He can see the logic of an alliance with the Dragonborn, his people are threatened on one side by Ashura and the other by Reptos. The only allies they have are him and his friends and several of the Clan Chiefs seem to think they cannot rely on him which annoys him no end. He does however decide to save Sybelle, simply removing her from her cell and informing the Clan Chiefs that she is under his protection.

Scene 3: the Water of Life

Before he can meet the Chiefs in Council however he is called for by the Elders. It is time for the Tournament of the Great Hunt to be concluded. Three challengers have been chosen, Artemis who slew Sopias; Kubolta of the Hashashin, the assassin who slew Shraal the Lord of Entropy and Captain Strom who Artemis killed in the belly of the Kraken but who has returned from death itself.

Artemis is lead into the darkness where the Elders wait for him. Sitting at the head of their circle is the shaman Udun who they met long ago and who pointed them towards the dwarves. He face is familiar and it’s almost as if he has always been in his life somewhere. The challenge he sets is simple, the Hunters must find the last remaining Spirit of Water which took refuge from the Taken in the deepest caverns when Ashura was slain by Reptos. They must return with that spirit and thereby restore the Court of the Spirits of the Desert to equilibrium. Only one of them may return.

The three set off in different directions. It quickly becomes apparent that the tunnels twist and turn on each other in confusing ways but Artemis is prepared for this. He begins to sniff out the scent of water in the air but as he heads further down Kubolta strikes. The two clash and the assassin is left to bleed out on the bare rocks. The tunnels lead to a huge cavern with a narrow bridge across. Below lies a lake of magma and lurking within is the body of an enormous Dragon, hundreds of yards long. A True Dragon, kin to those who created the Dragonborn. He manages to make his way across without disturbing the creature.

Reaching the other side he finds himself trapped in an ancient maze but such obstacles are far beyond him now. He navigates it with ease but finds Strom waiting for him. The Captain remembers their previous encounter and seeks to delay him so that he can win the race but it is not to be. Coming back from death it seems is a onetime thing for him and he will not see the light of day again.

The maze ends at a door forged from silver and covered in intricate runes. A few deft adjustments and the probing of some tools flicks it open with barely a moment’s thought and he finds himself in a vast lightless cavern. Before him is a lake of perfectly still dark water and in the centre sits a pedestal above which floats an orb of water. He slips quietly into the cool dark lake and, making barely a ripple, manages to cross the expanse without troubling the denizens which lurk in its depths. Placing his hand on the orb he finds himself suddenly transported elsewhere.

He is flying above a lush verdant forest. It is night and thick clouds obscure the stars. Four dark figures mounted on flying carpets pursue a watery spirit across the sky as it makes for the looming mountain. Artemis realises he has travelled into the past. Not far away Reptos battles with Ashura waiting for midnight when he will be at his weakest while here the Taken seek to destroy the spirit of water on which the Kirteshi’s forest home depends. He moves quickly to intercept them, arrows flying out of the darkness. First one then two of the Magi tumble from the sky but the others are rapidly closing. If they reach the spirit before it can seek the safety of the mountain then it will be destroyed and the Desert Court will be permanently unbalanced. The third Magi falls to Artemis but the fourth seems much more adept in the air. A black clawed hand reaches out to grasp the creature and put an end to its kind once and for all when Artemis blows him out of the sky. With a brief look back of thanks the spirit dives into the mountain there to wait and heal and grow over the course of millennia.

Artemis wakes up as if from a sudden dream. He is back in the cave but it is filled with sound and light and movement. The Spirits of the Desert are whole once again and, complete, they have thrown off the influence of their corrupted father. In the skies above the Citadel a miracle begins to grow, something which has not happened in the desert for a very long time. Rain clouds boil up out of the mountain and spread southwards across the desert. The parched land is soaked and bursts into life and as the rains reach the wall of sand it collapses. Cheers are heard all through the Citadel as the Pashtun people have reason to hope for the first time in a long while.

Scene 4: Why wont you just die!

Artemis heads quickly to the Council of Clan Chiefs. As he arrives Kallista is there trying to salvage something for her master the Emperor but he cuts her off listing all of the alliances the group has forged. Those combined with his new status of Master of the Hunt ensures the Chiefs fall into line. Kallista makes a break for it recognising that the group is unlikely to respect her personal privacy. Morn tries to stun her with the Hammer but she dances away only to be caught by the backswing. As she hurtles across the floor Artemis snatches the bracelet from her wrist which would have allowed her to teleport away but she is not without resources. She dives out of a window plunging down the face of the mountain but Azhanti follows her. Unfortunately unused to his new wings she slips from his claws and disappears into the night to return later to seek her revenge.

The celebrations go on long into the night and out in the desert Ashura broods. He withdraws his armies into the Shrouded Oasis and spins powerful illusions around it to conceal it from his enemies. His child, the Black Sun, is returned from the Void and set to guard those few paths which remain through his deadly illusions. In the Citadel our heroes are left to think how one kills a Primordial. Sopias died at their hands but he was chained, weakened and perhaps even sought death, Ashura will be a very different prospect.

*cut scene*

In the City of Sarind on the southern coast of the continent of Frigia trumpets begin to blare. Soldiers rush to man the walls as the slave army of Sopias emerges from the many open portals in the fields surrounding the City. The herald appears once more clothed in gold demanding their surrender. She is answered by a hail of arrows which are reduced to cinders before they even come close.

The slave army surges forward but as they do so another horn is raised. All along the walls Arkhosian Sardukar step into position. The lost legion, trapped here when the alliance with the Lokarnos failed have joined forces with the Humans to oppose the Tyrant Reptos. Only time will tell if they can hold or if they will become a footnote in history.

*cut scene*

In the Western Province of the Arkhosian Empire lies the Nightwyrm Fortress. Once the home of a powerful dream dragon of lust and greed it has for many years served as protection for the main pass between the Empires eastern and western provinces. Now it is flooded with refugees escaping the horrors of the advancing army of Amaan, lead by the Lich Lord Dust. Black clouds have blotted out the sun for days, protecting his army of cannibalistic ghouls and vampires from the effects of the sun. They cannot hold out for long and each one that succumbs is yet another soldier raised to fight for the enemy. Anxiously Humans and Dragonborn alike look to the skies hoping to see the arrival of the Dragon Wings which might yet save them.

*cut scene*

In the Palace of Reptos, Warlord, Tyrant and would be Emperor of all the World an emaciated figure is dragged into the Throne room by two of the Taken. “We found him hiding amongst the refuse my Lord. His powers are gone with the death of his God, would you have us slay him?”

“No, I may yet find a use for him, it is a fitting end for Hu’maa, High Priest of Sopias, to join my Taken.”

Session 28: The Library of Ages

Scene 1: The Arrival

As our heroes plummet through the many dimensions of the multiverse a voice calls to them from the darkness reminding them of a promise made long ago and far away. The Master of the Library calls them to protect his creation, the repository of all knowledge, from the forces of Ouroborous, the Worm of Autumn.

Our heroes, now three in number, crash onto a smooth marble plinth. All around them high stained glass windows show shifting visions of different times and places while before them a tall metal humanoid creature regards them with curiosity. “I am the Curator, Keeper of the Library, my Master said that you would come.”

The group quickly determine the problem. An army of chaos has besieged the Library and its automated defence systems are failing. Three breaches have been forced into its defences and they must be sealed before the Curator can transport the Library to safety. The windows show the intruders. At the main gate a trio of Archon mercenaries rampage through the halls; in the Tower of Religion the earth elemental Lord Galrok and his minions undermine the foundations of the building and in the soaring chambers of the Observatory a Spawn of Acamar, the Corpse Star, searches for a way to the Core with its Dreadwraith allies.

Scene 2: Chaos

The group decide to tackle Galrok first and the Curator is able to transport them into the narrow corridors of the Religion stacks. Unfortunately for the group this very much is to the benefit of Galrock who immobilises several of them, sinking them into the earth, while he and his minions try to bring down Azhanti. As the battle rages the forces outside the Library continue their assault and the building shakes violently, at one point a huge crack opening in the floor separating most of the group from Galrok. Elemental shardlings try to swarm the group and more rise as he takes damage but they are unable to slow down our heroes. Azhanti sends lightning death spilling throughout the room and Morns Hammer shatters them with ease. Eventually, alone, unaided, the Elemental Lord falls.

The group makes hate to the Observatory. The Spawn of Acamar are terrible creatures, their very presence rots flesh and shatters bone and their claws leave wounds that refuse to heal. The Dreadwraiths possible exceptional stealth, strike without warning and leave the dead in their wake. Unfortunately for them they have not before confronted the rage of three demigods and they are destroyed before they can cause much trouble.

The forces of Chaos redouble their attacks on the library outside. Explosions rip through the building showering the group with rubble and flame but they make haste to confront the Archons. Realising that they are dealing with mercenaries they decide to try negotiation rather than violence. Morn takes the lead, stressing how easily they have already dispatched their comrades. The Archons are unimpressed, they are powerful nobles amongst their own kind and hard to sway, at least until the group play the “Slayers of Sopias” card. That gets their attention and a bargain is struck. The Archons swiftly change sides, offering their services in the coming war at the End of Time in exchange for riches and wealth.

As the negotiations conclude a siren begins to sounds. The voice of the Curator calls the group back to the Core. The Unfettered God, leader of the attacking army has reached the Library’s heart while the defenders have been distracted and is taking control of its defensive systems. The group turn and sprint towards the Core but not without obstacles.

Scene 3: the Unfettered God Revealed

First he tries to seal the Towers of the Library, leaving the group stranded far from the Core but Morn manages to hold them open long enough to get through. As they make their way across the narrow silver bridges between the towers of the Library an explosion shatters the bridge but Artemis swiftly bypasses it with some handy acrobatics. As they enter the Tower of Sorcery they are confronted by arcane powers gone wild, the presence of so much Chaos has set fire and lightning racing through the chamber. Azhanti steps forward and, as Avatar of the Stormlord, absorbs the energy running through the Tower. The path to the Core is open to them and they can see The Unfettered God stood beneath the ancient stone arch. He brings his power to bear upon them, he can bring release from bondage but he can also chain the will of the weak. Morn struggles under his influence, his mind rebelling at the thought of servitude once again and he casts off the mental influence. Thrown back the Unfettered God seals the doors to the Core so that he can complete his work without interference. Unfortunately he does not account for Artemis and a hail of arrows shatters the ancient bronze doors spewing fragments of molten metal across the room.

Morn is once more face to face with The Unfettered God and his mind drifts back to their first encounter. He could not have been more than 20 years old, a tattooed body slave of a Tiefling Princess. He had learned of a secret cult that could provide freedom for slaves and had followed them to their underground temple. Chained to an altar the face of the God appeared in the smoke and incense which surrounded him. It swore and oath, a bargain was struck between them and he was free.

Now that creature, which had so betrayed him, stood before him in the flesh. “Morn, it has been too long since last we met. It is good to see you again.” Morn is in no mood for pleasantries and charges, straight into a Wall of Force protecting the God and the control panel he is working on. “It saddens me that you would act so. After all, in a very real sense I am your father. If not for my help you would still be slave to a spoiled princess. If not for the hatred my betrayal put into your heart you would not have had the strength to bring yourself to the very brink of Ascension. We might have done great things together. I regret that it has to come to this.” With that he takes from his pocket a small metal cube covered with densely packed silver runes. Placing it on the control panel it begins to flash with a kaleidoscope of colours. “Now I must complete my task, my master requires the information contained in the Library and I cannot permit you to impede me”

The group move to attack but before they can do so two enormous golems emerge from the shadows. Composed of great masses of chains they charge into the midst of the group but prove annoyingly ineffective (they would have been more effective if I had remembered their auto damage aura more than once). However, they do delay things and as the battle continues the Unfettered God puts his mental abilities to work turning friend against friend. First Artemis and then Morn find themselves subject to his compulsions and things look like they may get out of hand. However, Morn is able to shatter the Wall of Force by drawing on the power of the Hammer and then it is open season. The Curator is also able to help, empowering the group with the Libraries defensive systems.

The Unfettered God quickly finds himself assailed and on the back foot but time is ticking away as the cube does its work. Artemis breaks off for a second to try and delay it while Azhanti and Morn corner the desperate Lord of Chaos. A blow from Morn drives him to one knee and he pleads for quarter. None is forthcoming so he does the only thing a Lord of Chaos can do when facing destruction, he runs away grabbing the partially filled cube en route. He almost makes it, reaching the doors to the central Core of the Library before Artemis pins him to it with a trio of magically enhanced arrows.

Defeated the Unfettered God twists in agony as Morn approaches. He grabs the back of his head and twists savagely bringing up the sharpened haft of his Hammer. “When your soul passes into the nether realms of Chaos tell the Beast this, we run no longer” and with that he drives the spike into his throat tearing off his head.

Silence descends on the Library broken only by the clicking and whirring of metal gears as the Curator rights himself. “The armies are retreating, the Library is secure, how may I serve you Masters?”

*cut scene*

In the remnants of an ancient palace, part of a civilisation long since gone, the people of the City of Sarind have made their homes. On the southern coast of Frigia, the northernmost continent, Sarind is the strongest of the coastal city states. Settled long ago by travellers from the south the city states lie far from the home of Morns people. Here the Pontiffs, Dukes, Prelates and Princes have gathered to discuss a grand alliance to meet the war they know is coming. As they argue amongst themselves the room is filled with golden light and a figure appears floating above them. Clothed all in golden mail, with a veil of golden chains the figure bears a staff of office embossed with the symbol of Reptos.

Weapons are drawn and several of those present charge the figure. Their bodies explode into flames as they touch her. “I am the Herald of Reptos, to harm me is death. You have been chosen by the Emperor of the World to serve in his cause. You will tithe one half of your people to my Master’s army. I will return in three days, you will comply or be destroyed!” and with that she fades away.