New Dawn Session 6

[subplotkudzu]

In which our problems come to an end.
Session 6: The Glittering Shore

 

The explorers spent several days heading southeast via the highlands, which were slowly becoming more lightly forested hills rather than the denuded mountains around their Kaer. They had stopped seeing the poisonous pod-trees some time ago, so this landscape had either avoided or recovered from their ravishing sap. The trip is uncomfortable, as while Voi travels with them he doesn’t engage any of them in any way – offering no advice, taking no actions – leaving Hadassah and Razor as the de facto leaders of the expedition.

Eventually they reach the coastline, and Kadreeka, driven by her T’skrang heritage, strips and dives into the water. The water is warm and salty (Hadassah confirms via experiment that ocean water is not potable), and the Beastmaster quickly spears some fish for dinner. She also finds clusters of floating seaweed that act as a sort of mobile reef – small fish use it as protection, while mollusks cling to the weeds individually and in small colonies. She has to stop for a bit to rescue Dex and Silver, both of whom tried to swim with little success – in part because the shore has minimal beach and a sharp, cliff like drop into the water.

While beach exploration reveals several large, glittering rocks on the shore that appear to be reverse geodes (hollow rocks that are mica on the outside and smooth brown stone on the interior) with modest-sized holes punched through them (and home to colonies of bugs with sharp, hooked carapaces strong enough to penetrate boot soles) Kadreeka finds still living versions of these beasts: water-straining crabs that cling to the cliffs and form earthen shells. While the crabs have large, hooked claws and occasionally slice up small fish they are otherwise docile. Dex tries to convince Kadreeka to tame and ride one. Silver, on the other hand, gets a forgefire started, quickly learning that the broken shells can be heated and forged into light, nearly invisible crystal weapons. She makes a dagger for Voi, who takes it sans comment once the tide forces everyone off the beach.

They spend a quiet night in the woods, watching some crabs come up into the shallows and having their camp infested with the hook-shelled bugs (only dangerous if you step on them). The next morning they see a black smudge on the horizon that indicates a new storm coming through – time to find shelter. Maps are consulted, Voi ignores queries from Razor and Hadassah and ultimately the group heads east, through the lowlands, trusting they can reach the next hill line before the rains hit[1].

The ground is marshy, obviously victim of the occasional storm tides: the trees have broad, exposed root structures, sometimes with air pockets under them where small things can be seen scurrying around under their sheltering embrace. Travel is slower than they expected with the sucking mud and occasional stumbles. Things take a turn for the worse when the ground under Dex explodes with a sulfurous belch, drop-ping the enormous troll onto his backside in a pit that almost immediately collapses over him. There is a mad scramble of ropes and staves and Kadreeka lying flat and shoving her hands into the mud to grasp the troll's horns to keep track of their companion. Matters become worse when the creature under Dex (which had created the bubble as part of a trap) begins excreting digestive juices onto the trolls legs and feet. He is mercifully pulled free before the acid can fully eat through his armored leggings, and escapes with minimal damage to his flesh. During this crisis, Voiloidion provides minimal assistance.

Seeing that their path through the swamps might be more difficult than they thought, Hadassah and Razor (after being rebuffed by Voi when they asked for his input) initiate a more careful pattern of prodding the ground ahead of them, costing them time as the storm gets closer. To their great fortune they eventually find the remnants of a road under the mud - one that leads northwest to southeast, perpendicular to their planned route. Once on the road they can see a ridge to the northeast that might give them cover, and opt to stick to the road and make for that. The group ponders the question of the road's origin, since the swamp must post-date the scourge's changes to the environment, and thus the road likely does as well. Who built it? And where does it lead?

The latter is answered when the ridge is revealed as a stone wall cutting across the valley, visible from this angle mostly as a long sloping hill due to the mud build up from the storm surges. This also explains, somewhat, how the storm surge markings visible on the beach haven't translated into the swampland running deeper into the island - someone built this wall to prevent just such an occurrence. The scale of the construction boggles the imagination, as it is easily 15 yards wide, once they are atop it, and remarkably straight. The far edge abuts a wide, growing forest that has overrun a veritable pyramid of wooden buildings, all using the stone stormbreak as their 4th wall. Razor, enchanted by Hadassah to have the leaping power of a locust, is the first to the top, Voi (the more skilled choice) having opted to take no action. After his quick reconnaissance the others follow.

With the storm bearing down on them they make a quick magical and visual scan of the structures: Hadassah spots some areas with magical wards, and Razor's book-learning of horticulture suggests that the overgrown is at most 50 years old. The wood frames will still hold their weight, and they take shelter in a few stories down and a few rooms in, one that might have once been a residence with a fireplace. After making sure that the flue draws Silver gets a fire started, discovering the hypocausts running under the floor to spread the heat across the structure. By this point the whole group suspects this is a product of legendary Dwarven engineering, but they still have not found signs of habitation.

Dex, Kadreeka, Silver and Razor head back up to the roof to watch the storm come in and have the initial rains clean their clothes while Hadassah updates the maps and memoirs in her book memory and Voi sits silently in the corner. As the rains begin to sweep in and the majesty of the storm approaches, the quarter on the roof are joined by dozens of large birds, with thousands of smaller ones fleeing their nests for the safer woodland behind the wall. The larger birds, standing some 5 feet tall with thick necks and large, sharp beaks remind them slightly of hook-billed screeches, but also bring to mind the holes punched through the glitter-crabs carapaces. Kadreeka approaches one, reaching out with her spirit to feel the fowl's natures. Her first question "what do you eat" is met with "EVERYTHING" just as one bops closer to Dex.

"Run!" shouts the T'skrang over the growing winds, and the quartet break for the edge and the relative safety of the narrow-doored rooms below. 'Dreeka is able to dominate one of the birds and set it to scare its fellows. Dex is bloodied by another, but manages to also push it into the growing horde, flummoxing them long enough for everyone to get away.

Huddled near the fire inside the mysterious, post-scourge construction, our heroes listen to the storm rage overhead and contemplate their next move. This is where we ended the session, and ended this chapter of the campaign.

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[1] For those wondering, the island is based on a real world location – Hispanola – just as the original Earthdawn setting takes places in and around the Volga river.

Comments

[kriz1818.livejournal.com]

I'd had a nagging concern that we didn't try hard enough to re-integrate Voi into the game, but this summary makes it seem more like that was not the problem. Thanks!

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

Glad to be of service. I'll have more commentary tomorrow.