The Rebellion Arc - Subscenario 01: Xein and John

In which two friends are offered and out, ignore it, and proceed deeper in. 

28th of Tenthmonth 9995 DK

Xein and Nakmander came to an agreement, Xein would do murder on the behalf of Nakmander, and in exchange, Nakmander would be more lenient in his control of Xein. Xein and John met Nakmander at The Jigging Jackass at the appointed time and discussed the agreement and the task at hand. Xein also inquired about some research Nakmander was doing in regards to a ledger of figures on his desk. Nakmander explained that he was studying the potential for sorcerous energy within the city, which the walls of the city supposedly absorbed and stored and he hoped he could someday harness to unleash upon the foes of the city.

Nakmander tasked Xein and John with finding a certain alchemy shop in the city and eliminating any Soulless or Fallen on the premises so he could freely access their laboratory where they were conducting experiments on fragments of the black walls of the city. John and Xein snuck into the shop and explored it, encountering and killing two Soulless, then advancing into the depths of the alchemy shop. In the basement of the shop they found a sorcerous laboratory and a Fallen. The Fallen was an unarmed, hand to hand combat expert and gave John and Xein a very difficult battle, but in the end they succeeded and destroyed the Fallen.  

After the death of the Fallen, Xein and John found what appeared to be some sort of devotional altar in the basement. On the altar they found burning incense and a stylized representation of The Bleak Tyrant, along with a collection of beads on a long bracelet. Curious, Xein investigated the bracelet and found that he could use his sorcerous knowledge to activate it, but only through sheer luck. When Xein activated the object, he suddenly found his mind in danger of being crushed by the attention of an ancient and unknowable intelligence that terrified him. Luckily, he dropped the object before the entity could turn its full attention to him and incinerate his mind.

John and Xein agreed that if they left the shop untended, someone might wander in and disturb the contents. Xein's knowledge of explosives told him that the alchemy shop was constructed quite sturdily and if they detonated some explosives on the first floor, the basement full of sorcerous experiments would be left more or less intact. Apparently, Xein and John detonated the shop, but had no memory of it. The explosive detonation of the sorcerous and alchemical contents of the shop put a blank spot in their memories, and they only came to as the blast was flinging them across the street. Once they recovered and guessed what had happened, they reported to Nakmander and then returned to the mansion. 

Edit After The Fact: This subscenario was also kind of about exploring Pathfinder and friendships between characters. During it, they also discovered that some Fallen apparently worship The Bleak Tyrant as some manner of deity. A discovery that isn't every really pursued or addressed in any way. I guess I should also explain that our friend John always plays human characters, or at least as close as he can come to human, and names them John. I'm not sure why. Jeremy once came up with a fun concept explaining that John the player wasn't playing John the character. He was actually playing John the character's steam rifle. In the continuity of the campaign, this subscenario takes place between the eighth and ninth scenarios and builds off of stuff Kethranmeer and D'alton discovered in their subscenario. 

The Rebellion Arc - Subscenario 00: D'alton and Kethranmeer

In which two brothers establish their brotherhood and buy their freedom at the cost of others'.

11th of Eighthmonth 9995 DK

D'alton discovers Kethranmeer sneaking about the mansion in the middle of the night. The two exchange words and D'alton accompanies Kethranmeer to The Jigging Jackass where Kethranmeer gives his cut of the group's money to Nakmander to purchase his freedom. Nakmander also convinces D'alton to take part in a ritual that will unlock the sorcerous potential in D'alton's thin Fell Human blood. D'alton also decided to take his share of the money and buy his freedom from Nakmander as well. Unfortunately, the use of this money left too little money in the group's coffers for the other members to buy their freedom. Kethranmeer was very agitated during the exchange, claiming that he had important duties to perform this evening. 

When the ritual was finished and D'alton unlocked his sorcerous potential, D'alton and Kethranmeer made their way to another district and spied upon an Fallen run alchemy shop. Kethranmeer explained that he sought to free his people from the sorcerous control of the Fallen. To do this, he needed to subdue the Soulless and implant a device created by A'lst within their chest. Kethranmeer tells D'alton that he has been tracking Soulless in the city and seeks to bring one into the fold that has been stationed at the alchemy shop to protect the Fallen.

D'alton and Kethranmeer hide outside the shop for a while, and D'alton's newly empowered blood reacts with a strong affinity to the shadows he hides in. The two gain entrance to the shop and find it empty. In the basement, they discover that the Fallen have been experimenting with the black rock of Hell's walls. They also discover that the Soulless they are looking for has left the building. The two attempt to track the Soulless, but neither of them are particularly skilled at tracking, but they manage to eventually find their quarry in an abandoned warehouse engaging in boxing fights with humanoids of flesh and bone, with betting being on how long a meatbag will last against the Soulless in a fight.

Kethranmeer challenged the Soulless to combat, and it agreed to join the rebellion if Kethranmeer could defeat it. After a tough battle, Kethranmeer and D'alton subdued the Soulless and dragged it back to the mansion. On the way, they stopped at The Jigging Jackass and mentioned to Nakmander that the Fallen were doing sorcerous experiments on the black walls of Hell. 

Edit After The Fact: This subscenario was kind an in game means of showing Kethranmeer's efforts to create the Rankethlek race and to also strengthen the bonds between Kethranmeer and D'alton. This subscenario is also how D'alton became a full blooded Fell Human instead of a Fell Human Descedant, and also allowed him to access the Shadowdancer prestige class. It was also an experiment with using the Pathfinder rules in Hekinoe, as we had not made the switch in systems quite yet. In the continuity it takes place between the seventh and eighth scenarios of The Rebellion Arc. Also, everyone was really pissed about Kethranmeer and D'alton taking their share of the money. Kethranmeer justified it by essentially telling the rest of the group to consider it back pay for taking all the hits everyone else was too weak to take. D'alton justified it by telling everyone, I'm a thief, what did you expect?

The Rebellion Arc - 13: Evasive Maneuvers

In which horses are forgetting, much to the chagrin of Rhetkhan Kannunn. 

5th of Fourthmonth, 9996 DK

The group rode north for a day and met with the pale, sickly creature called Callifay. Callifay inspects the coffin to ensure that the proper corpse is found within, once satisfied with the identity of the corpse, he and his escorts leave. Before doing so, they informed the group as to where they could meet Nakmander. 

6th of Fourthmonth, 9996 DK

The group reconvened with Nakmander and he informed them that now that they were truly in Kusseth territory, they were being hunted by more Brasscoats. Using sorcery, Nakmander and his sorcerers found ways to traverse the soil without leaving tracks. The group was ordered to take Nakmander's horses and mislead the trackers and eventually force a confrontation with them, leaving Nakmander free to reach his desired position in Kusseth. The group successfully misled the Brasscoats and fought them to the death. 

10th of Fourthmonth, 9996 DK

The group reconvened once more with Nakmander, settling down in a depression among some rocky hills a few miles south of Kusseth City. Nakmander made them welcome and explained that they would be cutting their way into a series of Dwenoren tunnels that would lead them to the place the ritual would take place. 

Edit After The Fact: The one liner for this scenario refers to the fact that during the fight of the scenario, I had planned on the firearms and lightning guns sending the horses the group was leading into a frenzy of fear and causing a significant hazard to everyone on the battlemat. I completely forgot this aspect of the encounter. Which was upsetting, but that's what you get when you try to run a scenario after working for twelve hours. Rhetkhan Kannunn is a joke Jeremy and I kind of came up with referring to me as a presence in my campaign world that periodically restructures background material as I adjust rules and add in new ones or change a piece of background information. Retcon is term for retroactive continuity, which means changing previously established facts and such in a fictional work. 

The Rebellion Arc - 12: Burn The Mother Down

In which the mother does not in fact burn down, a disguise is fashioned, and the merits of technology are irrefutably displayed via a lightning bolt to the face. 

The group spent 32 days traveling and returned to the city on 19th of Secondmonth. When the group returned to Hell, they met with Nakmander and were rewarded for their successful efforts among the Fremwightan. They also opted to report to Ko'serra, she was furious they had left for over two months without telling her. She gave them severance pay and fired them from her cabinet, and that was the last they ever saw of her. Once they reported to Nakmander, they had no real contact with him other than a few low key missions to drop something off or pick something up. 

4th of Fourthmonth, 9996 DK

At about nine in the evening, the group was hanging out in the Braun mansion and they heard the noises of rioting in the streets. When they investigated, they saw a mob down the street and a few nearby buildings on fire. Through various methods, they attempted to put out the fires and investigate the mob. The mob appeared to be a collection of excited drunken revelers celebrating the fact that Cenn the Reaver was dead. While they were dealing with the fires and the mob, messengers from Tesla's Boil ran up to them and told them that the bar was under attack. 

The group rushed to the Boil and engaged the looters in combat, relatively swiftly removing them from their bar. As they were finishing off the looters, another messenger came running up and told them that Nakmander desired their presence at The Jigging Jackass. When they arrived at the Jackass, they found the signs of battle and fire outside of the door, along with ten corpses. Upon entering the Jackass they found Nakmander entertaining the most elite of his cronies with the best food and drink in his establishment. There was also a coffin. 

When Nakmander addressed the group, he told them that Cenn was dead and that the time was at hand  for the rebellion to strike a blow at Kusseth itself. For now their part was simple, they merely needed to escort the coffin out of the city and masquerade as Nakmander himself so as to keep Kusseth wardens and Brasscoats from waylaying the true Nakmander. They would also need to deliver the coffin to a creature called Callifay. Augmented by Derf's sorcery, the ruse worked and the group soon found themselves in mortal combat with a group of Kusseth's Brasscoats and their lightning guns. The battle was difficult and hard fought, but the group succeeded and escaped Hell.

Edit After The Fact: The last few scenarios of the campaign become very stripped down in content. This was due to me becoming an EMT-B and working a new schedule that forced me into working opposite weekends of everyone else in the group. I would typically leave work at six or seven in the evening (I forget what shift I was working then) after getting up at like three or four in the morning, working twelve hours and hopefully getting out on time, and then go directly to Jeremy's to run the scenario. We'd finish whenever we finished and the next day I would work at nine in the morning on a shift that was encouraged to complete ten calls (mostly transfers) in less than twelve hours. Which is hard. The final few scenarios naturally suffered because of this, which frustrated me, but there was no real way for us to game other than that. 

The Rebellion Arc - 11: Further Descension

In which Okwighta are curt and Fell Humans do not act in a militaristic fashion.

17th of Firstmonth 9996 DK

The group received a messenger night fowl from Nakmander that ordered them north into The Fell Peaks to meet up with some Glenwighta. When the players arrived at some Glenwighta ruins they were approached by some Fremwightan Conwighta and after some dick measuring, their escorts agree to escort them beneath the earth without blindfolds. After much travel, they were escorted across a suspension bridge across a chasm that was set up so that it could be detonated, and entered into a massive stalactite and found a Fremwightan city. There were escorted very briskly and curtly to a meeting with an Okwighta known only as Konaleknostas' subcommander. The subcommander asked them what their battle honors were and when he heard tales of sufficient bloodletting and murder he told them that there were Fell Human soldiers in the area that were in danger of discovering the free city and the Fremwightan could not fight them, or they would know the city was there. It was necessary for outsiders to kill most of them and allow others to return to their base so they could bring stories of non-Glenwighta warriors back to their commanders. They were also notified that there might be ruins and treasures from the ancient empire of the Glenwighta, and their condition was to be preserved at all costs.

The group was given a guide that escorted them through the passages of the earth and discovered a strange portion of Swiss cheese like tunnels. The guide said that something called a cave wight was in the area and that they should be wary. The cave wight ambushed them, but they were able to defeat it with relative ease thanks to a spell from Derf that paralyzed the monster. The group continued on and discovered another chasm. In the chasm floated a collection islands with soldiers on them, the largest island bore some ancient ruins of strange metals. Ringing the chasm were a series of oval shaped sorcerous portals that used sorcery to hold the islands aloft. The sorcerous ovals were crafted of glassy black stone and had humanoidish bones within them, these bones were somewhat strange in design and looked as if they came from a humanoid roughly twelve feet in height. 

The group discovered how to sever the connection from the floating islands and their oval and were able to dispose of the majority of the Fell Humans that vastly outnumbered them, leaving only what they considered the leader and his cronies to contest with. Derf  dealt with them with a black tentacles spell that kept them mired in black tentacles for the majority of the battle. While engaging in combat, the group noticed that their enemies did not act in a militaristic fashion and were doing a lot of running around and screaming in addition to not acting in a militaristic fashion. The ruins were left untouched during the battle, despite Xein almost stealing some weaponry forged of a strange black stone-like material he had never seen before. 

When the group returned to the Fremwightan enclave, they were thanked curtly by the subcommander. Xein was rewarded with teeth of strange black stone-like material for his chainsword, Kethranmeer received a hammer of the same dark material, John received plates of dark material that reinforced his gun, Derf received a suit of armor studded with bits of glassy black stone that seemed to stabilize his spells, and D'alton received a fancy three barreled pistol. After they were rewarded, the group was shoved out of the city back onto the surface and ordered to return to Hell post haste. 

Edit After The Fact: It should be noted that at this time, I was still using single shot black powder firearms in The Known World. I have since retconned it that revolvers and multiple shot rifles and shotguns are common in this time period, but at the time Pathfinder had not unveiled revolvers and such built with their rules in mind. It should also be noted that this is the scenario I refer to when I say the group killed a bunch of Fell Human teenagers. The group of Fell Humans that The Robust Five killed were essentially a bunch of young twenty-somethings out partying in the wilderness of The Fell Peaks.

The Rebellion Arc - 10: Convoooyyy!

In which a pixelated game is referenced and a mechanical bludgeoning device is fashioned.

7th of Twelfthmonth, 9995 DK

The group is called once more to The Jigging Jackass at Nakmander's request. this visit reveals that things at the Jackass have returned to normal and Nakmander appears to be fully in control of everything. No reavers are in evidence. Nakmander thanks the group for taking Menkelthel so skillfully, and informs them that he has yet another task involving reavers for them. The reavers must be safely transported south to a depot where they will be held until Cenn can claim them. There is one final cart of them waiting two days ride to the west, it will be the group's task to take them south to The Beast Lands and deposit them safely. A wagon and cover have been provided, but the group should be wary, there have been attacks on previous caravans. The group uses their connections with the rebellion to quietly exit the city. 

9th of Twelfthmonth, 9995 DK

The group arrives at the traveler's roost and sees what appears to be a wagon and two horses dressed up in the livery of Kusseth's wardens. Further inspection reveals a bunch of malnourished reavers in the wagon, along with plenty of bodily fluids, lots of repair supplies, and leather dusters done up in the insignia of the wardens. D'alton began impersonating a warden for unknown reasons, and succeeded, the reavers demanded their freedom. D'alton did not grant it and continued hemming and hawing while Xein and John fashioned a lever operated bludgeoning device that could strike all the reavers in the wagon simultaneously and then knocked them all unconsciousness. 

10th of Twelfthmonth, 9995 DK - 12th of Firstmonth, 9996 DK

The group spends this period of time travelling more or less south to their destination in The Beast Lands. During the travel time there were a few broken wheels on the wagon, a snake attacked a horse, and John contracted dysentery but was able to recover thanks to Xein's ministrations. At the tail end of their journey, the group came under assault by a group of bard pistoliers. The group was able to fight them off and continue to their destination.

13th of Firstmonth, 9996 DK

The group reached a stone and dirt fortress in The Beast Lands and discovered the aftermath of a battle with a massive ursine from the depths of the forest. They were ushered into the fortress and found it to be a foul, smelly place, with no comforts. The reavers were stacked in cages like cords of wood, screaming and defecating everywhere trying to assault their captors with their bodily fluids. The group made a space for themselves and set to killing time until Nakmander called for them.

14th, 15th, and 16th of Firstmonth, 9996 DK

The group bummed around the crude fortress found at the northern border of The Beast Lands waiting for Nakmander to call for them.

The Rebellion Arc - 09: Kidnapping

In which the effects of chemistry, poison, and anatomy are utilized to unreave a reaver. 

1st of Twelfthmonth, 9995 DK

The group has been working as muscle for Nakmander since their exploits beneath the earth. They have been making a name for themselves in the rebellion as some of the harder hard cases working for Nakmander and typically guard money transfers and break down doors looking for collections or to root out Kusseth loyalist elements in the population. Once more, they find themselves called to The Jigging Jackass. They find Nakmander and his warriors dressed for battle. Nakmander is brief with them, saying only that things are afoot that require his direct intervention, and their task is just as important. They will be capturing a reaver. Alive.

Nakmander tells the group that he has brokered a deal of some kind with Cenn the Reaver and is allowed to remove reavers from Hell, through non-violent means. Cenn has told Nakmander, the death or injury of a reaver will result in the death of Hell. The group is instructed to find and subdue a reaver by the name of Menkelthel, a reaver that enjoys living in Hell and has a reputation as a formidable warrior and sorcerer. They are instructed to be careful and to remove him from the city in one piece, and to make it look as if he just up and left, rather than as if he was subdued and taken against his will. 

The group made their way to Menkelthel's tower fortress, investigated it and discerned that he was the only reaver in residence. They then began recon on the district itself, noting that there were no reavers in evidence, even going so far as to question citizens and get confirmation that the reavers have been growing fewer and fewer over the past week or so. Using cunning, the group was able to find an alchemist willing to deal in poisons and were able to gain entrance to the fortress via stealth, primarily through Derf's spells and D'alton's shadow powers, and affect Menkelthel with a paralytic poison. Despite Xein's bumbling and tampering with the chemical, the reaver fell to the poison and they were able to make off with him safely, despite almost forgetting his sword. 

After carting the reaver in a cart through Hell, they brought him to The Jigging Jackass and found it to be very odd. The main room was full of rebels pretending to be merry and feigning loudness. It was quickly revealed that the lower levels of the Jackass were full of angry, bleeding, screaming reavers and the noise above was made to cover the noise of the reavers. A canny guess showed that Nakmander was feeling a bit overwhelmed holding a few dozen reavers in his basement and quickly told the group to drop their reaver and leave him to sort through the mess. 

The Rebellion Arc - 08: Descent Into the Depths

In which Derf recalls a past life as Derf, Kethranmeer shames the group with his untrained stealth, and the results of poor pet care are experienced.

1st of Ninthmonth, 9995 DK

The group receives a visitor to the mansion in the early morning, the visitor said that he was a member of the Guild of Commerce and was here to collect he 300 marks in back taxes the group owed for starting a business in the area. He also said that the 150 mark late fee had been waved due to their place in Ko'serra's cabinet. The group paid the fee. Soon after, they received another visitor, this one calling them to The Jigging Jackass to meet with Nakmander. During travel, Kethranmeer was observed to be a little rusty and louder and clunkier than normal. 

Nakmander informs the group that they are capable, but not directly loyal to the rebellion, so they are expendable. He tells them that he has allies that seek entrance into the city, but they must do so in secret. To achieve this, Nakmander directs the group to the catacombs beneath the city, where hopefully they will find a sorcerous device capable of allowing his allies entrance into the city. If they do not succeed, they are not to worry, he has other means to achieve this goal.

The group heads into the deep, dark places of Hell, below the sewers into crude caverns of glassy black stone. They proceed further and further, encountering sorcerous traps and machinery that drain their vitality, finally coming to what looks like a fairly mundane boulevard complete with lighting and benches of glassy black stone. They proceed down this street and find a huge chamber with four obelisks of glassy back stone. In this chamber, bound by red lightning in the center of the obelisks, is a dragon. The beast has been mutated by sorcery and driven completely insane, its eyes looking sickly and its hide covered in cancerous black protrusions. 

The group investigates the obelisks and realizes that they have the ability to turn off the red lightning and open a portal where the dragon thrashes. Being warriors, they free the dragon and begin attempting to slay it. John is horribly scarred by the thing's acidic spit, but in the end, the group hacks the dragon apart and fires up the teleportation device. A yellow oval of light opens and out steps several Solwighta and Conwighta. Once they have ensured the safety on this side of the portal, a small Okwighta comes through and introduces himself as Konaleknostas. He congratulates the players and sends them back to Nakmander. 

Nakmander is quite pleased with the group's exploits and rather impressed with their actions in defeating the dragon. He also informs them that in the ancient days of Meroteth, his forefathers attempted to domesticate young dragons to ride them into battle. Once they grew too big to be ridden, they were put into the catacombs to prevent them from endangering the citizenry of Meroteth. 

Edit After The Fact: This is the first scenario in The Rebellion Arc that we use the Pathfinder system instead of 4th Edition. Additionally, Fred's wife decides prior to this session that she no longer wants to participate in our campaign. It is also at this point that Kethranmeer begins to disappear when not doing missions with the group and starts creating his sons by building them out of wolf-iron and springsteel pieces of himself and replacing them with scraps of iron and steel. 

The Rebellion Arc - 07: Of Course That Wasn't The End of It

In which an election is rigged and a formerly fat individual is deposed after being mostly ignored.

1st of  Sixthmonth 9995 DK

At some point, for no reason anyone in the group could discern, D'alton removed his pants and began walking the halls of the mansion without pants. Following this display of nudity, the group was called by messenger to The Jigging Jackass to meet with Nakmander.  Upon arrival at the Jackass, Nakmander greeted them warmly and asked them about themselves and what they've been up to and what they've seen in their time. No one was terribly forthcoming with information and Nakmander quickly turned to business. Because the group stole so much money from Nakmander, and because he was paying them a weekly wage, he needed to find a way to make their district profitable. His orders were to find a way to depose the current Governmental Liaison of the area, Phinaeusel the Formerly Fat Vyanth, and institute someone else that they could control and use to siphon money back to the rebellion. 

2nd of Sixmonth 9995 DK

The group began doing research in the area, finding out how Phinaeusel had stayed in power so long, despite keeping the area fairly run down with few amenities. As a means of seeking additional income, and as the fruition of a personal dream, Xein used some of their stolen money to finance the construction of a bar slightly south of the Braun mansion and named it Tesla's Boil. They spent the rest of the day getting information on the district and coming up with, and discarding, plans for how to proceed. 

3rd of Sixmonth 9995 DK

The group receives a messenger from Nakmander and are called to The Jigging Jackass. Once there, they fill Nakmander in on their plans and wonder if he has any suggestions as to who might be put into power as the Governmental Liaison. Nakmander says that they've been using Ko'serra Lem'kals as a means of leverage against Gahz'zarra, which is why he so readily informed Nakmander of the group's heist, and she was an official in Kusseth's government here in Hell and using her might be the best solution. It would bring her closer to the rebellion and potentially offer more leverage against Gahz'zarra, who in turn could be used as leverage against her if she was too strong willed to be controlled through advisers. The group agreed that she would be a good choice, and returned to the mansion to further refine their plans. 

4th of Sixthmonth 9995 DK

The group started out the day by meeting with Ko'serra, she and D'alton shared a somewhat awkward moment as they recalled their past romantic relationship in their youth. Once introductions were made, the group outlined a plan for replacing the current Governmental Liaison with her in the hopes that it would reinvigorate the area and bring it back to its once glorious past. The plan involved spending a lot of money doing good works in her name. She agreed that this was a good plan and offered the group five thousand additional marks to do works in her name. 

After their meeting with Ko'serra, the group hired a construction company to excavate three of the four walls surrounding the district to allow more access to the district so as to attract more passers by and the potential coin they might possess. Following that, they contracted an electrical company to restore electricity to the district. Not wanting to wait, they hired another construction company to build a soup kitchen and flophouse for the homeless and starving of the area. After a busy day of meetings and contracts, they returned to the mansion and sat down to discuss Ko'serra and a possible campaign slogan, coming up with "Ko'serra, A Better Place For A Better Future." That done, they began cleaning up the mansion, which was in pretty rough shape after years of sitting empty. 

5th of Sixthmonth 9995 DK

The group spends most of the day doing home repairs and restocking the mansion with fancy furnishings, when they reached the end of their expertise, they contracted professionals to finish the job.

6th of Sixthmonth 9995 DK

The electric company restored power to the district.

24th of Sixthmonth 9995 DK

Construction crews finished the new tunnels.

30th of Sixthmonth 9995 DK

Construction crews completed the soup kitchen and flophouse.

1st of Seventhmonth 9995 DK

Tesla's Boil opens for business. 

20th of Seventhmonth 9995 DK

In an effort to harm Phinaeusel's effort, John and Derf go out into the night and attempt to waylay some bag men bribing people to vote in Phinaeusel's name. They succeed.

1st of Eighthmonth 9995 DK

The night of the election is at hand, the vote comes in and Ko'serra has won the election. Phinaeusel is officially deposed. Now that Ko'serra is in power, Nakmander and the group come up with the ploy to seed her cabinet with loyal rebels so that they can funnel money from the area's coffers back to the rebellion. The group also laments the fact the Reginald E.C. Walthuler's expedition to the east has probably left by now. 

Edit After The Fact: I believe that Jeff stopped showing up to sessions after the previous scenario. His Sereth rifleman kind of fades into obscurity after this. 

The Rebellion Arc - 06: The Heist

In which a bank is robbed and a conveyance's location is questioned. 

19th - 20th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

Travel south.

21st of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The group arrived at Hell, and seeing that the gate was guarded by wardens and reavers, attempted to get through without being logged, being more or less successful in this endeavor. Though Gidaeon and Kethranmeer were logged. D'alton quickly took charge of the situation and led the group to an old watering hole of his called The Pissing Pony in the 2nd district of Hell. By strange happenstance, he encountered an old friend form his days in the Vanbur'yen Boys youth gang named Gahz'zarra. Gahz'zarra told D'alton things hadn't been great here in Hell and that he'd taken to working for the rebellion as a means of work. Once they exchanged remember whens, D'alton left The Pissing Pony and showed the group to his rowe'dhauss. Once there, he began explaining that he had been sent to prison for botching a robbery on a bank that catered to less than legitimate and morally upright businesses. D'alton attempted, and succeeded, to convince the group that they should try and pull of this heist as a means of sticking it to the government that had wronged them all. 

The group resupplied and restocked from what D'alton had in his rowe'dhauss and determined that the first act of business was to case the bank. The group did so by D'alton and Manwathiel scurrying through the ventilation ducts of Hell to gain entrance into the bank and then having someone ride by the place in the night. After finding everything more or less as it should be, the group decided to go forward with the plans. 

22nd of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

In the morning, the group sought out a leatherworker so that they could procure enough bags to transport their ill gotten gains. During the night, the group sought out the night warden of the district to figure out his patrol route. During the day, D'alton sought out a chemist to confirm the condition of his specially made chemicals that were designed to penetrate the vault's special defenses.

23rd of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

During the day, the group set out to procure the services of a steam wagon so that they could make a swift getaway from their heist.

24th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

Under the cover of night, D'alton and Kethranmeer went out among the youth gangs of the city. Their intent was to foment strife among the youth gangs so as to make a distraction while the group pulled off the heist. D'alton was able to pay the Harr'yson Crew to attack the Line Runners and then was able to convince the Accountants that the Harr'yson Crew was seeking to take out their rivals in a play for power and that they would be coming for the Accountants next. 

25th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

John and Derf were logged while handling contract issues with the steam wagon rental company. 

26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The group laid low in the rowe'dhauss readying themselves for the night of the heist. John and Xein spent some time improving their weapons, Derf mentally readied himself, while D'alton practiced his second story skills.

30th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The group successfully gained entrance to the bank, despite the bank being vastly different from their eight year old schematics and some protections being new or improved (including a newly installed ventilation system designed to gas any infiltrators). When they penetrated the vault itself, they discovered that the safety boxes the bank held often had mementos that appeared to be of a sentimental nature. Toys, photos, old jewelry of minimal value, along with what appeared to be six reaver armbands, the armbands were interpreted as trophies of kills and killing reavers was a no no in Hell.

D'alton immediately realized that they were stealing from the rebellion, rather than the mob. Already in the middle of it, the group agreed to go through with it and began loading up their leather sacks and looking for the steam wagon. The wagon was late and its location was questioned, luckily it arrived before anything untoward could happen and the group swiftly made way to the rowe'dhauss with their loot in tow. While driving, they realized they had a tail, despite being on foot, that tail was following them via the rooftops to their rowe'dhauss. Xein felt that it was patently ridiculous that an individual on foot could keep up with a steam wagon, nonetheless, it continued following them and powered through the might of his disbelief.

Manwathiel leapt from the wagon and began firing upon the tail, with little effect, and the wagon had to swing back around to pick her up. Eventually the group just rode to their rowe'dhauss and hunkered down. D'alton's alarm systems revealed that Fell Humans, not wardens, were canvasing the sewers searching for something, but had not found them. Not wanting to be backed too far against a wall, the group secured their take and made their presence known, while keeping the rowe'dhauss' location secret. They met with Fell Humans and explained that they had robbed the bank and had no remorse for the act, then demanded that they be taken to the leader of the rebellion.

Not wanting to deal with the group definitively, the rebels brought them directly to The Jigging Jackass into the meat locker basement to meet with Nakmander, Last Knight of Meroteth and leader of the rebels. He stated that he very much wanted the money back. The players stated that they had no intention of returning it. There was much yelling and dick measuring and finally, the group decided to leverage the armbands against Nakmander. They believed that the armbands were proof that the rebels had killed reavers, and even if they weren't, Cenn the Reaver might take it as such and decide to level Hell as he had sworn to do. Nakmander very quietly said that they now worked for him and could consider the money they stole an advance in wages. He also advised them that they should be very careful how hard they push him and keep a close watch on those armbands. 

More or less intact, the group left The Jigging Jackass, and not wanting to lead the rebels back to the rowe'dhauss and their money, they made their way to the 170th district of Hell and went to 742 Evar'grehn Terr'hace, the location of the now derelict Braun family mansion.

The Rebellion Arc - 05: One the Road Again

In which a ghost town and the meteoric curiosities associated with it are discovered.

16th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The day was spent travelling south while suffering through a persistent, but refreshing, rainstorm. The group once more took their rest in a traveler's roost and John and Xein began their antics for the evening. John successfully loaded his steam rifle with most of Xein's gear and fired it up into the night air. Xein spent most of his watch picking through the surrounding scrub grass collecting his equipment. 

17th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

Upon waking, the group continued following the highway south and reached the outskirts of Tolon a few hours after noon. As they rode closer to the city they discovered the potato fields surrounding the city empty of workers and looking as if they hadn't been tended to in some time. Based on this information, the group elected to approach the city cautiously. They grew more cautious when they found the piggery untended as well and discovered that someone had been disposing of body parts and clothing by feeding the pigs with it, D'alton was extremely unnerved by the situation. Once the group entered the town proper, they found it completely deserted and most of the buildings boarded up or sealed from the inside as if to prevent someone from entering. The group investigated the mayorial residence and warden's office in an attempt to locate dispatches or missives that might indicate what had happened to the town, but there was nothing. The warden's office looked like someone had taken him by force, but everywhere else in the area looked as if people had simply disappeared or fled in the midst of whatever they had been doing at the time. 

Being rather stumped, the group decided to loot the local, and conveniently labeled, general store so that they could resupply and get the Hell out of the ghost town (although no tumbleweeds were in evidence). They found the establishment sealed in some sorcerous manner that they could not force open. As they were doing so they heard yelling nearby and found a Fell Human woman of the city running towards them quite frantically. She explained that her name was Eliza and that the city had been raided by infiltrators from the Fell Peaks and that the citizens still living had taken refuge in secret mine tunnels and sealed up the general store and other affluent establishments to keep the infiltrators from having the run of the place. She also mentioned that she was being chased, this seemed to be true because six infiltrators suddenly leapt from the top of the general store and ambushed the group, albeit poorly and ineffectively (one infiltrator broke an ankle when he fell off the roof). 

Once her "pursuers" were dealt with, Eliza agreed that it was probably a good idea for the group to get out of Tolon and that she would happily head back to the mine and find out the ritual chant to unlock the general store for the group as payment for "saving" her life. Eliza told them to take cover in the partially sealed Red Pheasant inn across the street and she would return the following day. After stabling their horses, Spineplate allowed everyone to climb on top of his shoulders so they could reach the second story window and enter the tavern through it after John blew out the boards with his steam rifle. 

Inside the tavern the group discovered some empty rooms, personal belongings, and the smell of decomposition. On the first floor they found dead men that looked like some sort of explosion or sorcerous discharge had burned them to death, one appeared to be one of Walthuler's postmen with a satchel full of burnt missives. The group looted the place, did a bit of fortifying and settled in for the evening. During the first watch the group was roused by the sounds of their horses dying, and Kethranmeer banging a part of himself against himself. Everyone leapt into motion and exited the tavern to protect their faithful steeds, Manwathiel literally jumped out of a window and over the roof of the stable to save her pony. Infiltrators were once more dispatched successfully, but only Manwatheil's pony was saved. The group returned to the Red Pheasant and attempted to rest for the rest of the evening.

18th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The following morning, the group was greeted by Eliza at the now open front door of the Red Pheasant, she then let them into the general store where they resupplied and she essentially told them to get going while the going was good. Kethranmeer disagreed, citing the fact that their horses were dead and the infiltrators had made it personal by attempting to kill them twice and strand them in Tolon. He hungered for vengeance. 

The group left Eliza in the city and journeyed to the quarry to see what was going on there and if they might be able to extract some vengeance from any Fell Peaks commandos hanging out there. They did find an encampment of Fell Humans once they reached the quarry at nightfall, but found that there was some manner of sorcery in place the dulled sounds and blurred vision. As they entered the quarry they also noticed a meteor shower in the sky. Once the group crossed through the barrier they found sorcerers engaging in some manner of ritual over an asteroid or meteor or whatever you might call it, it was discovered by the group that sympathetic sorcery was being used on the meteor to affect another similar type of rock somewhere. They also found soldiers executing the citizens of Tolon with grenades and shotguns while they scrambled to escape the pit that would be their tomb. It was soon discovered that Eliza was directing the sorcerous activities and that she had worn a dress because her lower limbs were a mass of tentacles that sprouted bony growths, D'alton also noticed that she wore a black iron bracelet that glowed green intermittently. Kethranmeer became enraged when he saw one of the soldiers drop a grenade into the pit and turn a collection of citizens to pink mist, he charged across the field of battle, his spikes springing out of his body, and slammed into the soldier. The soldier fell into the pit and his allies immediately ganged up on Kethranmeer while everyone else just kind of hung back. Kethranmeer was resilient though and survived his four attackers while the sorcerers and eventually Eliza were dispatched. After the ritual was halted the group saw the falling stars they had noticed earlier come crashing down to the east, very close to Tolon. 

It was at this time that a warden of Tolon climbed out of the pit and approached the group, Xein greeted him happily and he was logged, as was D'alton, everyone else had the good sense to avoid that. Before fleeing the quarry everyone, except Manwathiel, grabbed a horse from the collection of ones the Fell Humans had been using, then they rode like bats out of Hell heading back towards Tolon. Tolon was in fine shape, but as they returned to the highway and continued more or less south they discovered a massive smoking crater in the road and felt the presence of sorcery. There was enough sorcery left clinging to the stones for the group to discover that they had been affected by sympathetic magic, just as the ritual rock in the quarry had been. 

Edit After The Fact: It is at this point in the campaign that we lose Josh as a player and he joins the Navy. Josh's Fell Human engages in seafaring as well and goes on to become a member of Haven's pirate fleets and swiftly rises to power and because the leader of the Orcunraytrel expedition somewhere around thirteen or fourteen years later.

The Rebellion Arc - 04: Kusseth City

In which a theft, a reunion, and a fireworks festival occur in the largest city in The Known World.

5th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The group entered Kusseth City and Xein immediately made every reasonable attempt possible to get rid of the presence of his time in the clink, even going so far as to get fresh clothes, see a doctor, and waste large amounts of marks on reasonably good quality food. Kethranmeer expressed a desire to see his maker, but had no idea where he lived. The group needed to resupply and Kethranmeer led them around the city to various establishments while also heading in the general direction of a friend, and warden, named Traith Harris. 

Before tracking down Traith the group attempted to find a bank of some kind in the hopes that they could cash the bank notes that they found in the brigand fortress. They found and were logged by bounty hunters at KGoB Branch 76345 and set up accounts in the bank and were paid for their bank notes. After leaving the bank the group did more shopping, John and Xein had the good fortune to stumble upon a mechanics shop and were able to peruse some high tech equipment, John finally purchasing an early model steam rifle and using the mecahnist's facilities to craft some homemade explosive rounds. 

With their shopping done, the group made their way to the 37th district of Kusseth City and Kethranmeer, in his frustration, assaulted the door of a station house. With no response from the station, Kethranmeer led the group east to the 39th district and made a scene in front of an apartment building and finally roused Traith from his home. As Traith, a sickly looking human of probably sixty years of age, began speaking with his old friend a series of gunshots rang out nearby. Traith, irritated by the prospect of work in his off time deputized the group and sent them to investigate after memorizing their citizenry numbers. The group discovered that a trio of karthak had assaulted two junior wardens and were in the process of eating them, the group intervened, killed the canines, and reported back to Traith. Traith used a telegraph and notified A'lst that the group was en route and then sent them on their way.

On their way to the 295th district the group ran into a group of bards and everyone remained fairly civil while the bards extorted marks from the group. After that it was a quick walk to A'lst's warehouse, which was fairly robust in nature and filled with a delightful amount of electrical equipment. A'lst paid everyone a ridiculous sum for escorting his friend home and even gifted Xein with a motorized battery that would run his fancy new sword electrically, rather than kinetically. A'lst expressed a desire to catch up with Kethranmeer and make some repairs on his friend's fairly abused body and the group was open to this, agreeing to return in one week's time to pick up their friend. Kethranmeer said goodbye to the group, D'Alton in particular, and they left. 

On their way to an inn called the Waltzing Warhorse the group heard a young girl crying down an alley and moved to investigate. Gidaeon's immense insight into the behavior and attitudes of humans made him suspicious of the girl's false sounding sniffles. Derf, without any sort of investigation, began throwing rocks at her while Manwathiel scaled the side of a building and discovered a dozen members of a youth gang perched above the cul-de-sac waiting for the unwary to "help" their lure. Manwathiel returned to her companions and everyone agreed that they girl deserved to be raped and that they were going to leave. 

Prior to entering the Waltzing Warhorse, the group encountered a somewhat smug looking soldier in the grey of Kusseth's infantry and were handed a message from their friend and ally Reginald E.C. Walthuler that detailed an account of his travels in the Whurent mountains. Upon entering the inn itself the group was accosted by a slightly bumbling (and malformed) thief. The theft of coin was discovered before the brigand could get away and the group chased him up a flight of stairs and murdered him hardcore, rather than dragging him to a warden or reporting him to one. Following that, the group was charged a ridiculous fee for rooms for the next five days to compensate the owner of the Waltzing Warhorse for damages done to the premises. The group spent the next four days holed up in their rooms together doing nothing. 

14th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

Kussethian Independence Day. Kethranmeer observed the holiday with A'lst, everyone else stayed holed up in their rooms at the Waltzing Warhorse, which is unfortunate because Kusseth puts on a pretty good fireworks show. 

15th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

Group returned to A'lst's warehouse and Kethranmeer, now new and improved and all shined up, rejoined them. After they left the premises of the Waltzing Warhorse, the owner of the inn lodged a complaint with a local warden and charges of murder and destruction of a business' property were added to the data associated with the citizenry numbers of the group (but not Kethranmeer, because he wasn't there). While wandering the city the group encountered Senior Warden Traith Harris and he told them that he was unaware of their involvement with the Beltan prison break and when he reported their presence in his reports an alert was wired to him by the analytical engines of Kusseth's lawmen and he was tasked with bringing them in. He mentioned that bards play nicer when Jack was out and about and that they were friends of Kethranmeer, so he was inclined to give them a head start to escape the city and his jurisdiction. Everyone procured horses and they left Kusseth City. As they were leaving Kusseth, D'alton stole two horses so that everyone had a horse to ride south, except Kethranmeer. The group rode south with no particular direction in mind, but they followed the highway that led directly to Tolon and crossed the River Nantul. In the evening they took their rest at a traveler's roost and waited for Kethranmeer to catch up. Xein and John attempted to one up each other in terms of pranks, but they were both too perceptive to be tricked by the other one's antics. John took the first watch and heard a rumble of thunder to the east. 

Edit After The Fact: I've mentioned logging numbers and such previous to this breakdown of a scenario. For those of you not aware, Kusseth tattoos a ten digit alpha numeric identification number on each of its legal citizens. This code is used to track the actions of most citizens. Most wards in a Kussethian city have only a few routes to enter or exit, so most citizens are logged in their travels around a city by guards and wardens and such. The code has rules and guidelines in my notes somewhere, but basically uses the citizen's race and social class and background and such to identify them and track their movements. The usefulness of this means of tracking is somewhat debatable, but keeping track of all the numbers and storing data on analytical engines creates jobs in the bureaucracy of Kusseth's Wards of Government. I try not to think about Kusseth's government and economy too much, it leads to stroking out.

The Rebellion Arc - 03: To Kusseth City We Go

In which underground curiosities are discovered and brigands are lit afire and buried alive.

2nd of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The group woke up and exited the Cavorting Colt and approached the Kemmel foundry. The group met with an Elduman official from the Kemmel foundry and agreed to seek out an ore transport that has possibly suffered road troubles somewhere between Kusseth City and Kemmel, the group was paid 300 marks to investigate and was promised double that when the foundry received confirmation of the wagon's condition and location. The Group stated that they had intended to travel to Kusseth anyways. Over the course of the day the group encountered no wagons, but found a traveler's roost around nightfall. In the roost, they encountered a warrior named Nakmander, last knight of Meroteth who was disgusted at the half-breedness of Xein and D'Alton, he instructed them to seek Meroteth if they had any pride or desire to learn of their true heritage. Nakmander also gave them a decidedly fell bracelet of black iron that glowed green intermittently.

3rd of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The night passed peacefully, except for John throwing a few bullets in the fire to wake up Xein. The group arose early in the day, setting out for travel almost immediately. Around noon they heard a cannon being fired off up ahead and saw an indistinct shape on the side of the road up ahead. The wagon turns out to be the wagon they're looking for. The group joins the mine representative Ensel, and the four brothers of the house of Ethel and defend the wagon from an onslaught of Dwenoren that had marooned the wagon with tunnels and explosives. After the battle they are paid and the wagon heads off to Ensel, the group find its way to a traveler's roost and sleeps overnight. Xein creates a clever system of pulleys and ropes that leaves John hanging from the ceiling during the night. It is unpleasant. Kethranmeer stands guard. 

4th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

After another day of travel, the group reaches a traveler's roost after dusk. After a brief discussion they agreed that based on the ability of them all to see pretty well in that dark they decided they should rest for the next twenty-four hours and begin their travels anew at night to avoid the draining heat of the day. They discover that the roost they have taken refuge in is in much better shape than the previous two they stayed at. While moving around and arranging his gear Derf trips over a disengaged tripwire and smacks his face against the stone floor, discovering that part of the floor is actually a wooden board with fake bricks glued to it that conceals a secret shaft cut into the earth. In an attempt to overcome his claustrophobia, Kethranmeer follows the group below. Further investigation reveals that there is a Dwenoren sized complex hidden beneath the roost, somewhat excavated to allow for taller folks to enter it with slight discomfort. The group finds a mix of extremely sturdy Dwenoren construction and shoddily done layman work within the complex, they also find traps and tripwires, many of which are disengaged and no danger. While investigating a mess hall they come across a patrol of Uncout brigands that appeared to be guarding the place, the guards were extremely surprised to find the group in their home and blood was shed. The group finds the end of the hole and finds a loot closet, only managing to open it when Xein cuts it open with his torch, setting off an explosive fire trap in the confines of the small tunnel. As they leave the area and pass an open door they hear the sounds of voices expressing concern about what the Hell happened down here and who killed the guys who were left to guard the place. The group successfully sneaks past the first group of brigands, but immediately finds another in front of them. Xein and Manwathiel jury rig a trap from the remains of the one they set off and some matches and pitch to slow down anyone who follows them, then Derf runs out into the mob of bandits in front of them foaming at the mouth and bellowing like a moose or something. The rest of the group sidles into the room while the bandits are distracted and gets the jump on them. The sounds of battle draw the attention of the first group of bandits, but as they move to investigate they detonate the trap set for them by Xein and Manwathiel. When the battle finishes, Derf and Kethranmeer hold the door closed against the pounding of the brigands behind it and Xein welds it shut. The group safely exits the secret dungeon beneath the roost, but once again they hear voices nearby. They decide to wander outside and face their foes and engage in their most epic battle yet, Kethranmeer and D'Alton very nearly meeting their ends at the hands of their foes. Once they vanquish them they find a key to the loot closet they were forced to cut open earlier. With no more bodies in need of bloodletting before them, the group heaves the bodies down the shaft and closes it up. They continue their twenty-four hour rest period.

5th of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The group awakes after nightfall and continues on their travels. Before they get out of eyesight of the roost, a dirigible comes swinging low out of the sky towards them, trailing a rope and steam. Out of the cloud of steam belching from the airship a man swings down off of the rope, he bears a heavy satchel and states that he's an agent of Walthuler and hands D'Alton a rolled up scroll from that gentleman of the same name. D'Alton reads an account of Walthuler's travels in Whurent and the group continues on towards Kusseth City, eventually reaching the outskirts of the shanty town around it. They discover that there is construction on the walls and wardens are making patrols through the shanty town, which indicates that new wards will be built for the first time in two hundred years. They ignore the vendors, bums, and pickpockets and approach the gate. They're only forced to wait for a half an hour, and get to see an unlicensed Fell Human try to enter the city. After being logged by the guards they enter the mighty bastion of law and corruption that is Kusseth City. 

Edit After The Fact: It is at this point that we gain Fred and his wife as players.

The Rebellion Arc - 02: Kemmel and Mesl

In which heads are successfully (more or less) laid low.

16th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Everyone gets in a meal and a bath. Hector (Aiden Vaux, perhaps that sounds familiar) and Gidaeon free Danny, the bard working in the Cavorting Colt. The bard shorts them twenty marks when he pays them for services rendered and sometime in the night he kills three individuals, one with poison.

17th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

D'Alton offers his services to Warden Orton, who hires him and any friends he may or may not have to track the bard down and bring him to justice. Orton also logs D'Alton in his logbook. Kethranmeer (being an honorary bard) mentions in his halting fashion that bards must work consistently to tithe back to the colleges and that Mesl is the closest place he could be working. 

18th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Travel to Mesl.

19th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

The group arrives in Mesl and are logged by the guards at the gate. The guards take note that the group seeks friends in Natl, which has been abandoned for about thirty years since the Dwenoren sank it into the earth with tunnels and explosives.  The bard was successfully subdued and chained to Kethranmeer. After dealing with the bard, the group encountered a "professional" adventurer by the name of Reginald E.C. (Ellicott Chatham) Walthuler who promised to make them aware of anything interesting he encountered in his travels, they were intrigued and scraped together what cash they had to help finance him. 

20th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Travel to Kemmel.

21st of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

The group brought the bard to Warden Orton, who promptly obliterated the bard's head with a scattergun. He then proceeded to demand the payment the bard earned from Tomlin at the Cavorting Colt. The group claimed the bard had no money when they found him, even though he had paid Gidaeon and Hector when they freed him. Orton took the ten marks the bard had earned out of the reward for bringing him to justice. The group grumbled about it but accepted the payment, D'Alton took a finder's fee out of the reward for getting the job in the first place. The group then proceeded to bring a Vyanth by the name of Renaultlel to justice for reneging on a loan. Xein gave a few coins to a bum, who was then given the bum's rush by Hector. Hector then gave a drunk that attacked a whore in the outhouse the bum's rush. He inadvertently touched male genitalia while doing this. A poor dumb sod by the name of Takil was divested of coin to pay up a bar tab as well. Hector bought a reportedly homosexual puppy. 

22nd of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Travel to Mesl.

23rd of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

The group arrived in Mesl again and was again logged by the guards at the gate. They met a friendly Vyanth who ran the establishment known as Hey Look! Stuff! And were somewhat put off by the proprietor's friendliness. They discovered that soldiers were exhorting a local Gunderson and Sons representative and notified Warden Cassius of this. The warden then proceeded to unleash murderous fury upon the soldiers of the barracks with his shotgun. Severed heads were placed outside of the Gunderson & Sons shop to indicate that it would be stupid for other soldiers to try extorting money from one of Kusseth's biggest suppliers of firearms and firearm paraphernalia. The group then made its way to Commander Kothos' office and were able to see firsthand the wonders of modern technology when his clerk used a telegraph. Kothos suggested they join the military or join Cenn the Reaver, the group declined both suggestions but were interested in work. Kothos told them of a group of deserters that had deserted and needed to be brought back into the fold, he said soldiers were worth more alive than as examples to other cowards. The group was led to the deserters, managed to convince them that Kothos knew where they were and could end them if he liked, even if they were deserters they were being given a chance to come back alive and in possession of all their appendages. The deserters were young, tired, very green, and almost out of food and supplies. They caved and came back to Mesl with the group. When they arrived Kothos and a mob of veterans were waiting for them and pounded the piss and shit out of them, then dragged them off to the conscript camp. Kothos told the group that he had some paperwork to take care of, but they should get a hold of him in an hour and he would have another job for them. They left for the Kemmel mine. 

24th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Travel to the mine.

25th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

The group arrived while a patrol was entering the mine and so they were luckily able to enter immediately. To the surprise of the soldiers guarding the mine, the group went about their business in a brisk very business-like fashion and didn't dillydally or get in the way. They found their way to the foreman of the mine and he put them to work shifting broken down ore carts around, they met with some success and were paid for their services. Once they recovered from that labor he put them to work patrolling. 

26th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Day one of the patrol.

27th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Day two of the patrol.

28th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

On their third day of the patrol they found something amiss in the spot they normally took their lunch in. They discovered a Dwenoren hidey hole and entered it, managing to convince Kethranmeer to enter an enclosed space for the first time in the time they'd known him. They discovered some Dwenoren and some explosives in the bolthole, but feeling outgunned and not wanting the stumpies to blow their tunnels, they left the hole and reported the events to the foreman, who immediately mobilized mine soldiers to investigate the hole. With the foreman having no more work for them, they left the mine and headed to Mesl. 

29th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Travel to Mesl.

30th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Once again the group arrived at Mesl and were logged at the gate. Kothos was slightly perturbed that they took more than half a week to get back to him, rather than an hour as he had asked, but he still offered them the work, albeit with a reduced reward. They were told to investigate a known Whurent/Kusseth bolthole in the mountains. They did so and entered the tunnels hidden in the cave. In the cave they found a fortified outpost of Dwenoren. They entered, making no attempts whatsoever at stealth, and proceeded to kill anything less than 5' 1" tall. They were only able to penetrate the outpost fully because of a malfunctioning gate mechanism, which Kethranmeer was able to force open with his superior strength. They then proceeded to kill the Dwenoren officers and a welder who was trying to weld a door shut. With the hole cleaned out, they returned to Kothos and were paid after notifying him of the odd door situation.

1st of Fourthmonth, 9995 DK

The group got up and got ready to head for Kusseth when a messenger from Kothos approached them. They were paid 100 marks a piece and notified via letter that the door they found led right into Whurent and their quick action and bloody skillset allowed Kothos and some of his soldiers to enter the door and secure an outpost further into Whurent than even the Great Trench.  Kothos told them to return in three months time when the situation was under control down there if they want some more work. After that they were approached by a representative from the foundry and were told that an ore caravan has gone missing somewhere along the route to Kusseth and that foul play is suspected, they were told that they will receive 300 marks for looking into the issue and double that upon its safe return if they choose to attempt to locate the wagon in their travels. The group opts to wait till the following day to travel.

The Rebellion Arc - 01: Beltan

In which imprisonment ensues and later comes to an abbreviated end.

14th of Thirdmonth, 9987 DK

The group is imprisoned in the Beltan prison camp for a variety of offenses.

14th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

A plot masterminded by Smiling Jack and various other notables of the Beltan alumni allows them to escape. They head north with Kethranmeer (at this time known as Spineplate or Beast) in tow to Kemmel hoping to lie low and remain off the radar of the wardens and soldiers searching the area for escapees.

16th of Thirdmonth, 9995 DK

Arrive after nightfall on the outskirts of Kemmel. 

Edit After The Fact: This scenario was primarily just an introduction to 4th Edition and Dungeons and Dragons in general for some members of the group. Not much happened. Mostly it was just exploring skill use and combat and utilizing the power system. It was also about choosing an NPC to hang around with. 

Psychogenic Fugue Arc 05: Coming To The Land of Ice And Snow (Where The Harsh Wind Blows)

29th of Fourthmonth, 10006 DK

The group left Steeltown in their Organization loaned zeppelin.

9th of Sixthmonth, 10006 DK

During their flight, The Robust Five discovered a southern continent with zeppelins anchored in a northern cove and saw them flying Nakmander's flag of Meroteth. The group noted the coordinates of the continent in the hopes of investigating it at some later time. 

30th of Seventhmonth, 10006 DK

The group arrived in The Bottom of the World and discovered Traith Harris waiting for them. Traith explained that several years ago, lots of Fell Humans began disappearing from Kusseth, one among them was his grandmother. He investigated his missing grandmother and discovered that Kusseth was selling its Fell Human population off to Nakmander. Traith wouldn't let matters lie and ended up getting sold to Nakmander as well. He discovered that Nakmander was cutting apart Soulless and attempting to graft their mechanical parts onto the Fell Humans sold to him in hoped of making an incredibly durable and destructive military force to use to defend Meroteth. Traith explained that A'lst discovered this and fought Nakmander and claimed the Fell Soulless and did what he could to ease their suffering and sort of adopted them into his workforce. Traith explained that little could be done for himself, as he was more metal than flesh, and what little flesh he had left was sick and mostly dead. He did not elaborate on the fate of his grandmother. Traith lead the group to A'lst's compound and watched with disinterest as they fought a snow giant that attacked from beneath the ice. After the battle the group confronted Traith on the fact that he had stood by and watched and he stated that D'alton and Xein were unreliable and it was his job to protect A'lst and his interests and he needed to know what the group was capable of if they decided to screw things up down here they way they had up north with Nakmander. 

When the group arrived at A'lst's compound, they discovered a large bunker similar to his warehouse back in Kusseth and filled with a large contigent of Rankethlek, Soulless, and Fell Soulless. They found A'lst in the center of this level of the compound on a raised platform, next to the platform talking to A'lst was a huge Soulless that stood roughly fifteen feet or more tall and had very beast-like qualities to its construction and was etched in sorcerous runes. They later learned that this was the legendary Omne-4. The group approached and A'lst greeted them and bent to the task of confirming whether or not Kethralzahn had been tampered with, while Omne-4 blatantly threatened D'alton. When A'lst finished he had determined Kethralzahn was in fact Kethralzahn and that Omne-4 was angry for the sake of anger and said that he knew D'alton and Xein were not responsible for the death of Kethranmeer. 

Omne-4 spoke with the group for a short time about some of their strange memories. He agreed that taking flesh and blood from the group would enable a powerful sorcery to exert an unimaginably powerful sorcerous hold on their actions and very thoughts. Based on some of their vague memories, he agreed that it was entirely possible that Nakmander had at one point had them under some sort of enchantment. At Xein's prodding, he also agreed that those same pieces of flesh could be used to create clones of the group, though that would not explain their memory loss, as when one clone in a series dies, the memories and actions of the previous enter into the next, though the unreliable nature of sorcery could explain the memory lapse. Xein asked Omne-4 if he could determine if they had been tampered with sorcerously and Omne-4 cast a potent divination on the group. He determined that they were who they thought they were and that they were currently not under any sort of hidden sorcerous control. He urged D'alton and Xein to inspect the interior of eachother's lower lips. The two did saw and say a marking of "1x2" on their lips as a sort of tattoo of some kind. No one had any knowledge of the significance of the mark. 

The group was invited to work with A'lst while they were in The Bottom of the World, or they could rest and relax in his compound until he could arrange their transportation back to The Known World. The group agreed that they would like to work with A'lst and asked what research he was engaged in here. A'lst explained that he desired to find a power source of some kind for Steeltown that would give their new nation an advantage against the older and more established nations of The Known World. He described huge black pyramids that lurked beneath the ice of The Bottom of the World and were guarded by black skinned cyclops. His eventual goal was to open up and investigate a pyramid because he believed that a power source of some kind was entombed within them. His first task for the group was to accompany a train that was carrying supplies to A'lst's camp at the base of a pyramid and defeat a cyclops that would waylay it. A'lst explained that the cyclops were intelligent and always blocked such trains, but no one could convince them to step out of the way. 

The group rode the train as directed and met a Vyanth warrior with no mouth. Further interaction with him showed that he had a fanged mouth on the side of his neck and they later learned his name was Aluenarelel, a warrior of Vyanthnem that served A'lst here in The Bottom of the World. As expected, the group encountered a cyclops on the way to the encampment. The cyclops stated he would not move until the White One ordered him to do so. The cyclops spoke an unknown language, but was able to convey its words in the minds of the group. The group engaged it in further conversation and discovered that the White One was the Conteog on Hekinoe and that the pyramids were traps for the Vacusu. They also learned that the Conteog were one of the creators and that the Conteog was somewhere on this world. Aluenarelel was very bored by the conversation and made several gestures to the effect of "can we hurry this up?" and eventually the group just attacked the cyclops. When the cyclops fell, Aluenarelel used a grenade given to him by the train's conductor to destroy the corpse. Aluenarelel stated that the flesh of the cyclops was poisonous. The group searched the remains and found a strange bronze amulet with bizarre depictions of a scorpion, a bat, a bird, and a lizard. Aluenarelel stated that it was a token of the cyclops' gods or some such. With nothing much left to do, they continued their train ride and arrived at a fortified encampment at the base of a black pyramid. 

Psychogenic Fugue Arc 04: Leaving On A Jet Zeppelin

8th of Fourthmonth, 10006 DK

The group started the day in an apartment they had rented to stay in during the night. They were roused from early morning rituals by a knocking at their door. A Rankethlek known as Kethralneer and an Elduman named Galven Jharrak were at their door. Kethralneer introduced himself as the king's aid and advisor, and Kethralzahn was able to confirm this by showing deference to Kethralneer. Kethralneer explained that Mokethneer is rash and abrupt, and had not given thought to how the group would venture to The Bottom of the World to confirm Kethralzahn's nature. Kathralneer took an interest in the matter and was able to arrange transport via zeppelin through Galven Jharrak. Galven Jharrak introduced himself as a member of the Organization, a group run by Savage Doc Managan. To earn the right to use the zeppelin the two individuals explained that the group would need to first help capture traitors within Steeltown's walls and then agree to meet with Savage Doc Managan some time in the future. Galven stressed that it was not a promise to perform an unknown service at a later date, merely a promise to meet with Managan and speak with him. The group agreed that this would all be agreeable.

Kethralneer and Galven lead the group to their zeppelin while Kethralneer explained that the freedom of self determination allowed by the First Five to all Rankethlek and Soulless that joined them was a noble goal, but made it difficult to ensure loyalty. Some Soulless that wished to join the Rankethlek elected to abstain from receiving the lightning heart that converted them from Soulless to Rankethlek, though they did take on the faceless metal face that is so iconic to the race and their fallen father, Kethranmeer. This freedom of choice made it at times easy for the Fallen to install sleeper cells within the walls. The First Five and their agents had found such a cell of Soulless in the city and requested that the Robust Five destroy it in as payment for arranging transport to The Bottom of the World. They were told the location of the barracks, and an estimate on the number of Soulless involved in it and instructed to destroy them, save for one, which would be disabled and brought to the First Five to be interrogated in the hopes of finding other such cells, or at least understanding the motives of the Fallen. The group agreed that this was reasonable, it was also mentioned that Galven Jharrak would accompany them. 

Once their equipment had been dropped off the group journeyed to the barracks and spent some time observing it. The noted the patrols in the area and the ebb and flow of traffic and then made to assault it. Krieg was hesitant, as it was broad daylight out and there was a large amount of traffic in the streets outside the barracks and the group frequently engaged in the use of firearms and explosives, which might draw undue attention, especially considering that Xein and D'alton were not terribly well liked in the city and bystanders watching them assault Soulless living in the city might look bad and get them all killed by an angry mob of metal warriors. The group agreed that this was a reasonable point and Kethralzahn and Galven staked out the barracks while the rest of the group went sight seeing around the city and purchased cold weather supplies for their impending journey to The Bottom of the World. 

When night fell and the city streets thinned of traffic, the group performed a two pronged assault on the barracks, half storming the front door and half dropping down into the main room from the roof. The Soulless were surprised and immediately realized they had been compromised and began bellowing in battle about the glory of The Bleak Tyrant and bringing death to the rebels of Steeltown. The group assaulted them, and were somewhat surprised when in addition to attacking them with weapons, the Soulless also seemed to be casting spells with no incantations or hand gestures. Several times during battle, Xein unleashed his explosives on the Soulless and found that after the detonations, the Soulless appeared to be on fire, as if containing something combustible. When there was but one Soulless left, Kethralzahn engaged him in a contest of grappling with their mighty metal thews and succeeded in holding the Soulless helpless with the aid of other members of the group while Xein used his technical expertise to paralyze the limbs of the Soulless. Further investigation revealed that beneath the metal exterior of the Soulless was the twisted corpse body of a Fallen. The Fallen ignored their attempts at communication and the group brought it to Kethralneer, and the Rankethlek was very disturbed by this method of infilitration. 

Instead of leaving for The Bottom of the World, Krieg asked that they go to the Necropolis, as Kethralzahn had promised they would, and the group agreed that that would be ok.

9th of Fourthmonth, 10006 DK

The group, aside from Galvan,  walked to The Necropolis, Krieg was tense during travel and Xein noticed this and asked why. Krieg explained that he was concerned about the aberrant creatures native to The Fallen Empire of Man, specifically the argut. 

18th of Fourthmonth, 10006 DK

The group arrived at the Necropolis, Kethralzahn elected to remain outside the city and hide behind a tree. However, a flock of night fowls decided he was too shiny to ignore. The rest of the group accompanied Krieg to The Great Library. Once inside, Krieg showed his library card and journeyed to the section of the library on the genealogies of The Old Empire, asking to be left alone while he engaged in research of such a personal nature. The rest of the group decided to wander aimlessley. The group puttered around the library for a moment, finding great difficulty navigating the decimal based system of organization. Xein could not locate any how to books on how to create the Fallen's main advantage in warfare: the Soulless. When the group approached the information desk a Fallen spoke to them about the library for a bit and the procedures of using their materials, then a small gemstone began glowing in their presence and the Fallen explained that the room they had rented had been left as they left it and if they wished, he could escort them there to continue their research. The group went along with this and followed the Fallen to a study. 

The group found the room to be a room they had rented some time ago. In it, they found several items of interest, including a satchel and many books. Most of the books were related to sorcerous research, specifically how to increase the potency of sorcery while maintaining its stability and resisting sorcerous mental control. In addition to some papers by a Vyanth named Belgerelel, there was also a journal by a Vyanth sorcerer whose name rune was a sort of triangle shape with a lot of philosophical discussion on the power of sorcery and maintaining control of it, along with some research he had done regarding a foreign land called Fregulenelesel, which translate into Land of Death Air to the west and a sorcerous artifact left there long ago by the Immortals. No one knew of such a place or who or what they Immortals might be. There was also a map of The Known World with a southeast section of Vyanthnem circled. 

The papers on resisting sorcerous mental control had a few bits and pieces about an ancient clan of Solwighta that threw off the mental shackles of the Fell Humans, the Vyanth being naturally resistant to sorcery, and the fact that the fighting schools of The Old and New Empires incorporate discipline training that leads to strong minds, and finally that psychics often possess extremely resilient minds. It was also noted that the best protection from sorcerous mental control was stronger sorcery. 

In a satchel beneath the table, the group found several tattered pieces of paper with pictures and writing in a shaky hand on them. One stated that "He is in our heads." another was a crude picture of their iconic weapons, the word "Gaz", and a crescent shape with a sword in it with arrows pointing from each of the drawings to the others. Another was a picture of the naming rune of a Vyanth sorcerer, a sort of triangle shape. The final piece of paper was a crude drawing of Nakmander and Derf, with a plus sign between them. 

When the group left their former study room after much discussion they realized that Krieg was nowhere in the library. They tracked down his gear, but could not find anything other than a small bloodstain. Concerned, they immediately investigated this issue and hired a sorcerer in the city to cast a divination. The discovered that in the six hours they had been in the library Krieg had been beaten, stripped of his weapons and armor, and hogtied in a basement beneath a business in Meroteth. Xein was adamant that they go rescue him immediately, D'alton stated that he didn't care, Krieg wasn't his bosom buddy, and Kethralzahn stated that the mission to see A'lst was far more important, his kind and eldest brother had given him an order to present himself to his grandfather and he would not be swayed from this mission. It was also agreed that transporting across the face of The Known World indiciated a use of extremely potent sorceries, and whoever did so might be beyond the power of the group to defeat. Grumbling, Xein conceded that there was nothing they could do and they set out to return to Steeltown.

28th of Fourthmonth, 10006 DK

The group returned to Steeltown.

Psychogenic Fugue Arc - 03: Job of the Week

14th of Thirdmonth, 10006 DK

The rest of the group hastily signed the contract with the Eastern Bardic College, then they went and turned it in and met with their handler. Their handler eyeballed them a bit and offered them four jobs: an assassination of a politician that was working against the colleges, the removal of a youth gang that had taken to robbery, murder, and become a general blight upon Meroteth. The other jobs were collecting a few rents for the college, and also working over a blacksmith that had reneged on a contract with the college in an attempt to convince him that he should pay the money owed. 

The group split up to cover the majority of the collections, meeting up in the early afternoon for the final collection, which was from a fighting school. The master of the fighting school, a Vyanth, was reluctant to pay unannounced ruffians that appeared from nowhere demanding his money, but the group was able to convince him after producing their list of accounts and work order from the Eastern Bardic College. After that, they returned to their handler and accepted the extortion job. 

They found the smith's shop easily enough, and recognized it as the area where they had worked ten years ago to kidnap one of Cenn's reavers. Kethralzahn took the lead by informing the angry looking smith that he had reneged on a contract and the group subdued him, and then destroyed his forge. Krieg took one of the smith's masterwork weapons off of the wall to be sold by the college as a partial payment on the smith's loan, though he did admit that he was concerned about destroying the smith's means of production. With the other jobs looking unappealing to the group, they decided to retire to the rowe'dhauss and relax while awaiting their letters.

15th of Thirdmonth, 10006 DK - 18th of Thirdmonth, 10006 DK

The days were spent hanging out in the rowe'dhauss, experiencing lost memories, and other fairly mundane things. Once again, Krieg's resemblance to Nakmander was brought up, and once again, Krieg denied ever having heard such a thing, and once again, the issue was dropped with no resolution. On the morning of the eighteenth, letters arrived at their night fowl P.O. box. Xein received his later from John Johnson, but seemed to think that John had been compromised in some way. Kethralzahn received his letter and without word grabbed the group's map of The Known World and began walking east. D'alton ran after him and asked where he was going and they discussed D'alton following him and Kethralzahn agreed that that might be ok, and he would wait while D'alton did things like sleep and eat. Then everyone else started following and Krieg asked what the Hell was going on and no one would tell him. Eventually he figured out that they were walking to Steeltown. Krieg thought that was stupid as they would have to cross a desert and climb mountains (or go around them) and they had no supplies or climbing gear. He said perhaps they should fly, but the group had no money, just a bunch of guns and weaponry. Krieg asked Kethralzahn if he would wait a half hour if he could provide means of transport far quicker than walking and the Rankethlek agreed. When Krieg returned he had several pounds of marks with him and explained that he would finance this flight, but they would stop at the Necropolis and visit The Great Library of the Necropolis after they visited Steeltown and Kethralzahn said that would be ok and they began their flight.

19th of Thirdmonth, 10006 DK - 6th of Fourthmonth, 10006 DK

The flight to Steeltown took many days and The Robust Five were awed by the majestic mountains and deserts and open skies of The Known World.

7th of Fourthmonth, 10006 DK

The group arrived in Steeltown around midday. Xein immediately approached the guards standing on the zeppelin dock and explained that he was friends with A'lst about ten years ago and needed to see him. The guards began to visibly go on the offensive, their hands gripping weapons. Kethralzahn intervened by explaining that he was bringing them to the first five of the Rankethlek and that they would not be allowed to wander the city. Kethralzan led them to the Hall Of Remembrance and Meeting and met with the first five alone. Mokethneer was leery of him, despite Carenkere using his knowledge and secret arts to determine that Kethralzahn was still a Rankethlek through and through and bore a lightning heart just as the first five did. Mokethneer could not accept this, coupled with Kethralzahn's story of memory loss. Mokethneer decided that the only creature knowledgeable enough to judge the nature of Kethralzahn was A'lst. Then he called for the friend and brother of his dead father. 

D'alton and Xein entered the chamber and Mokethneer began yelling at them immediately, he bellowed like thunder that they were never supposed to come here, were ordered to never tread within this halls. Xein then explained what was going on with them and that he wanted to use sorcery and A'lst to ressurect Kethranmeer. Mokethneer got louder and angrier and sort of metallicly sputtered in rage at Xein's words, finally silencing him and his heresy and telling him to gaze upon what he and D'alton and Nakmander had wrought. Then he unveiled a statue of Kethranmeer, the statue was Kethranmeer as he had fallen, every molten wound and bit of rust and shattered metal was perfectly preserved, but D'alton was not fooled and Xein's craftsman's eye knew it to be a reproduction as well. D'alton was shaken to his very core, so much that he fell to his knees and spoke that he knew he was not welcome here, but felt he owed it to his fallen brother come here and see what he had built. Mokethneer was not moved by D'alton's words, but he was no urged to greater rage. Mokethneer told them to leave this place, to leave his sight, he told them they should accompany Kethralzahn to the bottom of the world and find A'lst and tell him of Xein's twisted desire to bring back Kethranmeer with sorcery. If A'lst allowed them to live, they should work with him and aid him to perhaps serve as penance for the death of Kethranmeer. Xein thought it was preposterous that A'lst would kill them. Then Mokethneer really did kick them out. Krieg, ever cryptic, asked if he could speak privately with Mokethneer about Nakmander Zauber'konig and the Rankethlek's goals of destroying him, Mokethneer acquiesced and everyone else left. After a short time, Krieg rejoined the group and they rented a room for the night in Steeltown.