Alison Campaign Log #9

Weaver’s Moon 19 -20

Shimmer and the Temple

We arrived in Shimmer on WM 19 and took care of business. We were unable to find the person we are looking for (Velm Ame), and the next morning head up to the Temple of Kitha. There is an open vestibule, with an area that is curtained off. A brazier is lit, it is somewhat chilly and the wind is cool, but does breeze through.

A young woman comes out to greet us, she is simply dressed with a woolen cloak and light-weight robe. Bri greets her and tells her we are travelers, questors for knowledge. Kristin Bree was the one who founded and dedicated this temple. Her name is Lia and she offers to show us around, pointing out in the vestibule a depiction of Mammon summoning Kitha out of the eastern sky. The ceiling mural was completed by workmen commissioned by Kristin Bree shortly after she was made warden here. There is a large amount of art that conforms to the general teachings of the Church.

We go down a short flight of stairs into a larger room that seems to have been built into the mountain, and into an area that appears to be a view of the night sky, but the stars appear larger/closer than they should, as though we are looking through a lens of some sort. She says this is an area where offerings to Kitha are often made.

After much dancing about the subject, we finally discern that the HPS, Marna Honeywine, is sympathetic to our cause. We get much info regarding the encryption means used by the Wardens and one of their translation devices. She agrees to set up a meeting with the real Warden.

Point expenditure:

• Ali’s birthday is T’sarbold Moon 25 – owes GM 2 pts (holding off until the actual birthday, but noting now)
• Gullibility – 5 pts (now resist on 15 or less)
• Guilt Complex – 5 pts (buys off)
• Sleepwalking – 8 pts (now resist on 15 or less)
• Artist – 1 pt (now skill 10)
• Cooking – 2 pt (now skill 12
• Sex Appeal – 1 pt (now skill 11)
• Throwing – 1 pt (now skill 13)
• 20 points, leaves 4 unspent.

Weaver’s Moon 21 -T’sarvold Moon 13

Still in shimmer/Temple

There is a note waiting for us at the front desk when we get up, it is an invitation to tour the apiary. Brenna, Moe and Marya go to the temple instead, the rest of us take the tour.

We see someone walking around the outside of a cottage, looking at things. It’s the Warden, whom we manage to startle. We engage in much discussion, and learn some things we did not know, confirm some we suspected and provided information she did not already have.

Cynthia leaves for a while and pokes beehives, Ali does acrobatics in the trees and has both a spectacular success and an amazing failure that results in no harm whatsoever to her.

Bri goes back to the Temple to read documents. He tells us the original Guardians arrived in the Salt Marshes, they knew Thomas Lorn who directed them here, Bree’s diary begins before the arrival. Fallon, Dale, Regeria and The Hidden One were here before the other four showed up and went ahead on to the Island.

Kirsten Bree, Mogan, Cambden and Korei were together, and a base camp in the Salt Marsh was setup.

Who are:

• the Eldree
• the Avani (and the Avani’s second) -could be Korei’s people as her language is Avanian, she may
• be the Second
• the Elorn -“that smug, tone deaf, cocky runt” (or is this describing the Hidden One?)
• Theo -referenced in Bree’s Diary)
• The Keth (Sea Goblins -Korei’s 1st letter)
• Ibree (Korei’s letters to Riva)
• The Guide (Korei’s letters to Riva)
• Thomas Glorn “The Healer” Spoke G’lran (Ancient Chaldrean) -was responsible for sending the
• Guardians/Wardens here from ?Alsar?
• Where is Alsar -place where the Guardians came from.

WM 22

Ali has another dream:

Ali is huddling on what appears to be the corner of a cobbled street. It is sleeting. There is a stone wall against her back. She can hear the snort of a horse nearby. She thinks it is in the next block over. There is a scurrying across the street, mostly rats she guesses, but there is the distinctive sound of larger creatures of the two legged variety as well.

The sound of heavy footsteps approach the corner where Ali is huddled. They are measured and deliberate, much as the steps of the town guard. Ali goes utterly still. She pulls the night in around her, slitting her eyes in the grey gloom. The darker grey of the posies in the pot on the window sill across the street totally absorbs her attention and she lets herself sink into the stones at her back.

A corner of her mind tracks the measured footfalls as they round the corner and pass within a foot of Ali’s knees. They continue on down the street and onto the next block, and then fade into the darkness of the night. Her awareness returns slowly. She pauses, readjusting to the sounds around her, then stands slowly and moves silently around the corner.

Following the dream, she went in to Bri’s room and climbed in bed with him. There was some discomfort on Bri’s part over this and he tossed her out of bed. She apologises to him. She explains she had a dream again, and they go down to breakfast, where they are joined by Brenna and they discuss the dream. Cynthia and Marya come on down.

Various activities throughout the day: Ali practices acrobatics and archery.

WM 23

Velm comes by and joins us at our table. She gives us directions down to the southern coast area, there’s a road near the thicket, and down there on the Breevale side, we will meet up with Marlissa Lee who will be our guide into Greggor’s Crag. There is a significant drop in the temperature around 1 as we move further south. About 3 in the afternoon, we see a small boat in the water, and a woman leaning up against a tree; this is Marlissa. We make the crossing into Korillian’s Reach safely, requiring several crossings back and forth to move the entire party. The landscape is very rocky, twisted, stunted trees; sparse grasses. We go south but mostly west, and as we go west the drop off becomes more sheer (cliffs and lots and lots of rock).

Between 6:30 and 7 we arrive at a tiny village. There are two small huts that have obviously vacated in order to give us someplace to sleep as there are several inches of snow on the ground. Brenna, Ali and Bri go about preparing a meal. We divide up: Marya, Bri, Brenna and Moe in one hut, Ali, Cynthia, Davic and Marlissa in the other. We set watches, Marlissa snorts derisively about this.

WM 24

We breakfast, and hit the road again.

WM 25

We travel about 2 ½ weeks into T’sarvold Moon. At one point she stops us and shushes us, turning off the road again into a kind of depression off the side and huddles down. After about 20 minutes of this, we hear bridles jingling. About six Temple Guards pass us by walking their horses. During the day Cynthia has pestered Marlissa as to how she knew the Guards were coming so far in advance, and receives no response.

We eventually are led on a slight detour, back northwards. We go into a canyon, at one point we see a young child who scurries off, and eventually come to a small settlement. The horses get stabled and we are led to the sides of the cliff. Bri does an impromptu performance. We spend a more comfortable night than we have on the road (yes, Ali gets a bath).

This has the earmarks of a VERY temporary settlement. We get up and moving fairly early the next morning. We have been provided with hoof mufflers for the horses. We head mostly due south until we get to the road again. Marlissa tells Bri that we will be going in a roundabout way and entering the Crag from underneath (via the tunnels).

We travel another day and half or so, and are pulled into an abandoned barn type thing; there is a shifting of rocks and sound of machinery and a ramp opens up that we had not noticed before. We put on the horse mufflers and enter the ramp and go down. Marlissa activates the machinery again and closes the ramp. We go down a slight grade, there are rushes along the flooring to muffle sound. We are in some type of sewer, the water from the street comes down the sides of the walls and down the ramp. There is a small amount of light from outside and we can hear sounds from outside. We travel in this manner a couple of hours and Marlissa signals us to be very quiet, and about 20 minutes later we pass under what is most likely the city wall. We can hear snippets of conversation from the city guards, and travel another 20 minutes or so and come back up a similar ramp system in a warehouse type building. She suggests stabling the horses next door, and she takes us through some back alleys where we are set up with rooms, and we have arrived in Greggor’s Crag.

Bri comments that getting into the city was more elaborate than he anticipated, and expresses concern about getting out. Marlissa says that if she is not with us, someone else will be. Ali asks how will we know them. “The Warden will arrange for someone.” We have rooms, and service is adequate so long as we stay to ourselves and do not draw attention to ourselves.

There is a census station set up, there are more Temple Guards in the area over the past few years than normal, no one knows why. About 7 Marlissa comes back (after we have eaten); she gets a drink and exchanges greetings with some of the locals, smiling, being casual, and says that anytime we are ready we can meet (the Warden).

We take surface streets to our destination. The streets are well maintained cobblestone, the buildings are mainly stone and 2-3 stories. The streets are wide enough for cartage but not a lot of it; mainly pedestrians in this section, though we cross some larger avenues that would handle wagons easily. This is probably the largest city any of us have been in, it dwarfs Landing and Hillock both.

Marlissa leads us to a building, and pushes on part of the wall, which opens up into a large chamber, and the wall closes back. Ali asks if there is a lot of this in the area, Marlissa says “we’re sort of known for it”. Bri asks how well known this would be, and is told most of the locals probably are aware of it, but not the Guards, etc.

We are led into another room with a couple of other people, it has the appearance of a gentleman’s club than an office, there is food on the sideboard; a gentleman rises and comes over to greet us. He introduces himself as Joilee Kurn. He is a tall thin man, almost 6’4”, maybe 150 lbs if that. Bri explains we have been travelling and are interested in learning about Korrelian and Darzakian architecture.

3 pts