Quartz 4

Session 38

22 min read

← Session 37 Session 39 →
  • CJ asks us all to roll a D20
    • Quén: 3
    • Cordelia: 6
    • Kaya: 15
    • Cal: NAT 20
  • Following the party’s conversation last session:
    • Cordelia gets a glass of wine and seeks out Ozwin
    • Quén conducts some experiments and seeks out Kade
    • Cal tinkers
    • Kaya calls her mom

Winding down for the night

  • Quén drops Silence
    • The moment the spell drops, Cal says “And that’s how I single-handedly sunk that ship”
    • Everyone’s like “ok but it was you and Cordelia?? 🤨”
  • We stress Vallen out so much with our bits that he goes to get a drink at the bar
  • Quén mentions that they saw the Blue Man on the Changeling ship, and that they didn’t see his body in the water
    • They also pull out the old picture they drew of him to illustrate their point

Catching up and recapping with Ozwin

  • Ozwin walks into the bar area - a few more people are in here now as well - and he approaches/sits with us
  • Quén asks Ozwin how the fight was for him
    • He comments on how he’s been in a few fights before, but he’s never seen a ship take on so much water so fast
  • Quén asks if Ozwin knows the Legend Lore spell
    • He does!
    • He also has the components for it (he has a whole-ass component pouch)
  • Ozwin doesn’t have any specific way to determine the weaknesses of a creature
  • CORDELIA AND OZWIN BANTER
  • We recap Ozwin
    • Quén spoke with the Father before the fight, at which point he requested Ihys in exchange for the pieces of the Shapes that he has
  • Ozwin:
    • Suggests that he and Cordelia should collaborate a little
    • Asks Cal to find some books (he promptly leaves)
  • Vallen returns with drinks, and he’s confused as to why we’re clueing in Ozwin now
    • Ozwin is smarter than us, and has a lot of experience with the arcane
  • Ozwin asks what our theories about why the Father wants Ihys
    • Quén mentions that Asmodeus was sealed in the ninth circle of hell because the gods blamed him for causing Ihys’s death
  • How is the Father watching us?
    • Most likely watching through Quén — but how?
    • He could be constantly casting Scrying on Quén, but that takes a significant amount of magical energy
      • Cordelia says that if she focuses extremely hard, she can search for traces of the Father’s magic on Quén
      • She also requests a list of names from everyone on the ship, which she can use to Detect Magic on everyone and search for potential traces of the Father’s magical signature (she likens it to exercising a muscle)
  • Cal bursts in with a bunch of books!
    • He has a bunch of maps and navigation books from the Captain’s quarters, and literally ALL of Cordelia’s fanfictions
    • He also pulls out a holy book, and notes that there’s a spell (Planar Binding) that could be used to bind a demon/devil to one’s service and compel them to tell the truth
  • Ozwin asks Quén to take notes while we work through things
    • We have access to Planar Binding, but there’s no way we’ll be able to successfully bind a god (i.e. Asmodeus)
    • Cordelia suggests that we manipulate the Father into trusting us, but Ozwin points out that doing so requires Quén forming a pact with him
      • Everyone is like “that’s a bad idea!!” and Quén snaps at Cordelia, reminding her that this is their life she’s playing with (and they will have no part in it)
      • Vallen suggests that we take things one step at a time, and to look for Ihys (or wait for us to stumble upon her during our journey, bcs that seems to be what things are shaping up to be)
  • We theorize that the Father was lying about having multiple pieces of the Pyramid
    • We’re (i.e. The Seekers) the only people who have a connection with the Shapes, and the Father doesn’t
    • He has at least one piece of the shapes, but he could be lying about the other one
    • Considering how the Changeling ships went in all different directions, the Father probably tasked them with seeking out the pieces of the Shapes (and they probably made decent progress in the past 2 months)
  • Vallen says that it’d be a good idea to keep on track and go to Braldurak
  • Quén asks for the spell components for Hallow
    • Ozwin has them!
    • They agree that we can make a safe space from Changelings that we can use to test on people we suspect to be Changelings (although it won’t work on True Changelings)
    • We have roughly 5 days until we arrive in Braldurak
  • Quén asks Ozwin to cast Legend Lore a few times before we arrive in Braldurak (since he’s roughly 15th level, and has access to two 5th-level spells per day)

Kaya messages her mother

  • Kaya messages her mother! And lets her know:
    • To keep an eye out for True Changelings that might look like us, specifically for:
      • Our signet rings (the details could be wrong)
      • Details that might be easily mistaken from a distance
    • We’re looking for catacombs (are there any in Langston?)
    • Cal said hi
  • Aratish responds, saying:
    • There are no catacombs in Langston, due to the water level. HOWEVER, there are catacombs in the south

Quén pulls Cordelia aside

Corinthia notes go here!

3-Day Timeskip

Quén’s Downtime

  • Casts Hallow on the captain’s quarters (Day 1)
    • Fey, elementals, fiends, celestials, and undead cannot willingly enter the area
    • There is a permanent Zone of Truth, but Quén doesn’t know if someone fails their save (WIS save against Quén’s save DC)
  • They go around the ship, helping and getting to know people as much as possible
    • CJ asks Izzie to come up with a few names of people on the ship
  • They cast Scrying on Ihys (Day 2)
    • They don’t see anything :(
  • They cast Legend Lore on Amadeus Wolfgang (Day 3)
    • They feel the wind pick up around them when they cast the spell, and a magical strain earworms itself into its head. They don’t actually hear anything, but they gain the following knowledge:
      • 10,000 years ago, Amadeus Wolfgang ruled Eldoria — not with an iron fist, but with an open hand
    • NVM THEY GET A VISION:
      • They see Amadeus — not as a living person, but as an animated stone statue. Next to him is a shadowy figure (the details of which they cannot make out). Between them, they hold the hands of a child. They cannot determine anything about the middle figure other than the fact that they are a child.
      • The mother/shadowy figure disappears, and a new figure appears — this one has horns.
        • They sense a contract being written
      • Once the contract was signed by Amadeus:
        • A crown appears on his head
        • THE CHILD IS ALSO FUCKING GONE!!!
      • The vision shifts: a war is raging in what Quén knows is Diamond (during the 800th year)
        • The whole country is ablaze, and the mountains are razed
      • The vision shifts again: Amadeus is alone. He picks up a mask and puts it on.
  • They speak to Kade (to be roleplayed later)

Cordelia’s Downtime

  • Gets the roster of the ship’s crew from Heywood
    • She goes around looking at everyone on the ship to familiarize herself with abnormal magical signals (specifically looking for traces of the Father’s magic)
    • By the end of the 3 days, she has “trained her magical muscle”

Kaya’s Downtime

  • Kaya’s started to dress all pirate-like!!
    • So have Vallen and Kade, apparently!

Cal’s Downtime

  • Cal pulls out the holy book that he brought to the party, and starts to read.
    • HE READS IT FOR 3 STRAIGHT DAYS 💀💀💀
    • BY THE TIME HE STUMBLES OUT OF HIS ROOM, HIS BEARD SEEMS TO HAVE GROWN FOR A MONTH AND HE’S COVERED IN SWEAT STAINS
  • The book just appeared in his pocket one day??? and he didn’t even question it 💀
  • There are shenanigans about wet t-shirt contests
    • Vallen’s also revealed to be a
  • The party learns that Cal’s been reading for THREE STRAIGHT DAYS
    • Cordelia is sympathetic, saying that it’s happened to her before
    • Quén tells him to take a bath, and while he does that they’ll get him some food and water
  • Cal interrupts Quén, saying that we don’t know what he can do yet. He tells us to “watch this”
    • He does some insane gesture, as if he’s trying to cast a spell. He claps, and Kaya sees a magic sigil glows below her. Golden chains appear wrap around her, locking her in place
    • Quén asks Cal if this is the spell he learned about in the book (NOT Planar Binding) — it is!
      • We realize that Cal can compel Kaya to do or say certain things
  • Cal asks Kaya if she thinks he’s handsome
    • She LAUGHS!!
      • When she tries to double over, her body is frozen in place (but her shoulders shake with laughter)
    • Cal keeps adding adjectives to his question, so Kaya is able to answer “no” as she thinks of all the men in her life (she’s also a lesbian)
  • Quén asks Cal to cast the spell on them
    • He gives it a shot!
    • As he re-casts the spell, Kaya’s chains shatter and Quén remains unharmed
      • NOTE: This is not Planar Binding, but a CJ special homebrew spell!! So it only works on devils and demons, not fey!
    • Kaya chases Cal down, and he sprints for his LIFE
      • It’s worth noting that Kaya goes a little slower than she normally would, for Cal’s sake 🥺 (I love friendship)
  • We manage to capture Cal and give him a bath!!

The final day of travel

Cordelia checks us for the Father’s magic

The Party

  • On the final day before we reach Braldurak, Cordelia compiles her research
  • Sitting at our table at the bar, we hear the Captain above cry out “Land ho!”
  • Quén asks if there’s anything we need to do before we arrive in Braldurak, because we’ll be facing a lot of warforged
    • Cordelia says that she summoned us all here so she can analyze us (specifically for abnormal magic signatures, looking for the Father’s)
  • Cordelia casts Detect Magic and looks at the party! She can see traces of the Weave, and how it wraps around each of us in our own unique arcane signatures
    • She can see traces of Cal’s pact with the Raven Queen/the Outsider
      • It doesn’t seem to originate from the core of his person — rather, it drapes around him
      • It’s mostly black with green/red bits (similar to a black fire with green/red sparks)
      • It looks almost like a white fire (with black outlines) in some spots
    • Kaya is surrounded by a multicolored swath of all the colors of the Clover Kingdom — although there are multiple colors, green is the most prominent one
    • Vallen’s magic doesn’t have a color, but it has a gravitational presence to it and a space-like look
    • Quén is surrounded by two types of magic
      • She sees their innate magic, as well as some celestial magic (tied to the fact that they are now a minor god)
    • Overall, she sees no abnormalities other than the ones we already know about
      • She also didn’t detect the Father’s magic on anyone else on the ship
      • Captain Seamus is fine, but she hasn’t had a chance to check Ozwin and Kade
  • We conclude that the Father is not currently watching them (through Quén)
    • Quén theorizes that the Father checks in every so often, but doesn’t watch them all the time
    • Vallen theorizes that the Father has agents that keep an eye on us from time to time

Ozwin

  • Vallen goes to fetch Ozwin, and sits him down at our table
  • Cordelia looks at Ozwin using Detect Magic, and sees:
    • A very uniform magic, with slight fluctuations at the edges — nothing out of the oridinary!

Kade

  • Quén summons Kade via sending stone

Lily helped take notes for this!! thank up pookie <3

  • Quén tells Kade they are worried about the forces we are facing
    • They want to know essentially that Kade will stick with us, and not go switch sides so to speak
    • Kade says “Does it matter? Because if I fuck up you can just kill me…”
  • Quén says he is impulsive, but reliable. However, he tends to work towards his own goals so what guarantees do we have that he wont fuck around?
    • He essentially says “Well there won’t be any tomfoolery” and can’t guarantee what he’ll do. Then he brings up JULIAN what a fucking ASSHOLE
    • CALLS JULIAN A TOOL??
  • Quén essentially tells him if someone pulls up offering him a deal or money or bitches to REJECT THEM!!
    • Kade says “I’ve betrayed my family before, but I realized the bad that came from that”
      • Quén is like ???, to which Kade responds that the family he was referring to was the Thieves’ Guild — he saw some shit that he didn’t agree with, and acted against it
  • Kaya says “This is a trial run. We can always merk his ass, he has useful skills.”
    • Vallen is being a sexy ass guard dog, not a dry seat in the house bae
  • Kade says that there isn’t much he can do in the moment to show us that we can trust him, but what he CAN do is this: he pulls out his gun, flipping it around so the handle is facing away from him and handing it to Cal
    • Cal immediately says that the gun is his now and tucks it into his shirt 💀
    • Quén questions what Kade will be able to do without his gun — especially considering that he’s not a magic user and his main specialty is “gun”
      • In response, Kade says that he can simply take a knife
      • Cal pretends to give him a dagger, taking one out and flipping it fancily (like an 8/10 on the cool scale). The moment Kade takes it and tucks it in his pocket, though, Cal uses his Pact Blade ability and summons it back to his hand 😭 STOP BULLYING THIS MAN!!!
        • In Lily’s words: “Cal takes his knife back he’s genuinely a fucking cuck”
      • Quén takes out their silver dagger and hands it to Kade instead
        • Kade’s like 🤨 and Quén’s like “yeah we fought vampires at some point”. Kade gives a pointed look at Vallen.
  • Quén calls for Vallen to come to their side of the table
    • Vallen gets up from his chair, completely silent. He hasn’t said a word the whole time (BIG guard dog energy… love this guy. my king my goat.)
    • Quén asks for Vallen’s original signet ring, and swaps it with the new one they had Durgen make for him MONTHS ago (with a new insignia on it)
    • They give Kade Vallen’s original ring, and tell him to keep it on him — it’ll help them to keep him safe
  • Quén gives him a ring (swaps the original ring Vallen had with the new one they had Durgen make MONTHS ago - with a new insignia on it - and gives Vallen’s original ring to Kade)
  • Kade has NO idea what we’re doing
    • We start explaining robots to king
    • Kaya asked how he got with the thieves guild, he lowkey just spawned in bruh..
      • He doesn’t explain how he joined the Thieves Guild, but after the whole deal with them he went to a place that he thought was safe — turns out that was the King’s Hand 💀 and that’s how he met Kaya’s mom LMAO
      • It basically was Aratish being like “who are you” and Kade being like “I’m Kade 👋😎”
  • Quén has main character syndrome..
    • Izzie Note: kinda true (sorry gang 😔) but I also have NO CLUE what this is referring to 💀
  • Sidenote, Cordelia has a fat ahh booty
    • This was discussed during Quén and Cordelia’s conversation earlier, during which Cordelia spoke about how she’s been eating a lot more and that weight is going straight to her lower back. idk what this has to do with the current conversation though 💀
  • Kade is chill with us now. We all seem to have a chill relationship with him now.
  • Quén pauses, then backs down. Admits they haven’t been the most friendly.
    • Kade doesn’t GAF
  • ONE MORE THING!!
  • Quén tells Kade: if we find the shapes DO NOT TOUCH UR HANDS WILL MELT BABE
    • It’s ok bcs he has gloves!! (lead-lined gloves, to be exact) (apparently he handles dangerous magic items on the reg?? ok king)
  • Land Hoe!
  • Vallen leans down to tell Quén he doesn’t like Kade, jealousy is so fucking sexy (⇐ Lily’s words, not mine)
    • Quén squeezes Vallen’s arm, and says that they don’t fully trust him either. But they trust Vallen to keep an eye on him and make sure no funny business goes on.
    • I LOVE FRIENDSHIPPPPP <333

Pulling up to Braldurak

  • In the distance, we see mountains
    • The mountains appear snowy and cold, but the land at lower altitudes are covered in greenery
    • It appears to be the latter half of summer, so it’s mainly snowy caps (rather than snowy mountains)
      • We remember: it’s the middle of summer right now, but when we left Eldoria it was in the middle of autumn
  • We’re CONFUSED about the fact that the seasons are different
    • Kade is like “yeah so u know how the world is round” and Quén is like WHAT
      • Kade explains that the world is round
    • Kade says that we can teach him about magic and he can teach us about science!!
      • We agree on weekly lessons
    • Kade explains that the main regions are: Braldurak, Langston, Umbravael, and Silvanour
      • At the very top of the globe is the northern hemisphere, and the south part is the southern hemisphere
      • When the seasons are warm in the southern hemisphere, then it’s cold in the northern hemisphere, and vice versa
    • Kade explains:
      • That telescopes exist, and that they’re used at night
      • The sun is a star (not a planet)
      • There are other planets
    • Quén messages Balthazar, asking if the sun is a place that we can travel to
      • “You can’t breathe when you pass the sky”
  • We speak with Captain Seamus
    • The waters get choppy near the island, so he will be sending smaller ships to dock
    • The additional Eldorians coming with us will set up camp as close to the mountains as possible
    • He hands Quén a flare gun, and tells them to use it if we run into trouble
  • Quén takes off their veil and puts it over Vallen, to ensure that the sun doesn’t hit his face
    • Looking at their face, Kaya sees a pattern of freckles that looks EXTREMELY familiar
    • Quén has Kaya’s freckles now :] 💕

Arriving on Braldurak’s Island

  • It is dead quiet.
  • Around us is mostly wilderness, but we see traces of other ships departing and landing
    • In the distance, we see a larger ship tilted over (as in a shipwreck)
  • Kaya asks Kade if anyone lives here
    • He tells her that this island specifically used to be a populated city, then some wars happened
    • People come here from time to time to collect extra ores (if needed) — there is mithril and adamantine here
      • Quén
  • As we talk, we hear laughter in the distance
    • We decide to sneak up to the noise and check it out!

Approaching the noise

  • Passing through pine trees, we approach a clearing. In which is a bonfire
  • Quén listens closely, trying to determine what the figures are saying
    • “That’s fucking hilarious!” “Yeah, and that happened YESTERDAY.” “And they were roommates?”
    • The voices sound inherently mechanical
  • We manage to convince Kade to speak to the warforged on our behalf (Cordelia specifically says that Quén might like him more)
    • Quén pats Kade’s shoulder and casts Guidance on him
    • As Kade approaches, the warforged pull out their weapons
  • Cal follows behind Kade, disguised as Caduceus Pope
    • The moment the warforged see him, they START SPRINTING AWAY
  • We briefly debate whether or not we should follow them
    • Quén is worried that the warforged will warn the other warforged, but Vallen counters and says that they will lead us to their hideout
  • Vallen sighs beleaguered and teleports us in front of the warforged, who stop as soon as they see Cal (disguised as Dr. Pope)
    • As soon as we teleport, Kaya summons pits on either side of the warforged to ensure that they don’t run

Speaking with the warforged

  • The warforged ask if we’re with the Father or Dr. Pope
    • NO!!!
  • WE DETERMINE:
    • The warforged all have blue eyes!
    • The warforged are not fans of Dr. Pope
    • FAFO is here and leading the warforged!
      • Quén messages him, saying that we’re on the island and would like to see him (and that Kaya still has the statue that he gave her) — his response is “I will be there soon”
  • The warforged are named:
    • Glaive (the main talker)
    • Chain
    • Hammer
    • Shield
  • Quén compliments their names, saying that they’re “very powerful”
    • Apparently the warforged chose their own names!

Meeting FAFO

  • A group of warforged approach us, led by FAFO! (who now has a purple eye)
    • The other warforged appear to cower behind FAFO, who is currently holding
  • We catch up a little with FAFO!
    • Apparently he was teleported away
    • When we killed OSIRIS, the warforged “became aware”
    • FAFO is in possession of pieces from BOTH the shapes
  • Quén asks FAFO if he’s willing to part with the pieces of the shapes that he’s in possession of
    • He answers their question with another question: are we willing to follow him? (the answer is yes)

Arriving in Parallax Reach

  • We approach a gate made of metal and wood, with lights sparking with purple electricity
    • FAFO knocks on the gate, which creaks open
  • As we enter the city, we see shops and rows and rows of hundreds of houses!
    • Further into the city, we see a large house that might arguably belong to a mayor or yarl. FAFO keeps walking towards it
    • As we walk, we pass by groups of warforged that wave at us! FAFO waves back :]
  • WHAT WE LEARN:
    • FAFO ended up in Umbravael, where people thought he was a magically animated suit of armor
    • For the first week or so after OSIRIS was defeated, the warforged were able to maintain a hivemind. During that time, they were able to agree to meet on this particular island (since a few warforged have already landed there).
  • FAFO coughs as we walk and talk — he apologizes for it
    • Cal determines that machines don’t cough. He doesn’t have lungs to cough with! He determines that it’s likely a habit of FAFO’s mind — muscle memory
  • Approaching the hall, we see a bunch of warforged bustling about. There’s a chair that’s slightly elevated
    • As FAFO approaches it, he sets down his walking stick and picks up a cane
    • He asks us to come with him, and he takes us to a side room (in which he sits down and sighs)
      • There is a chair, a bed, and a wall covered in tubes and such (filled with purple light) that appear to convene in one central spot
  • FAFO welcomes us to Parallax Reach, and says that the city is Axiomara (i.e. the “Land of Order and Balance”, in Latin)
  • We agree to swap questions!
    • Quén asks if the shapes are inside FAFO, since one of his eyes is now purple
      • FAFO goes and opens the metal furnace-like structure in the wall (from which )
      • They found the Orb several months ago, and the piece of the Pyramid just a week ago
      • FAFO reveals that he somehow underwent the Keeper’s Trial, and is both a Keeper and can handle the shapes without being injured
  • As we speak, there’s a muffled sound from Cal’s bag (the warforged head - the one from which we heard OSIRIS’s voice - laughs)
    • FAFO politely asks for the head, and after Cal hands it over, he crushes it in his hands (Cal is surprised and upset about this)
  • FAFO walks over to another furnace-like structure in the wall. As he opens it, we see OSIRIS’s head, cut vertically in half
    • FAFO reveals that he was the ORIGINAL OSIRIS that we met on the mountain, who was interested in biological lifeforms
      • In other words, FAFO was the prototype of OSIRIS
    • After meeting us, he reset his memory, after which we met him as FAFO-1
      • FAFO stands for “Fuck Around and Find Out”
    • The OSIRIS head mocks us, and in response Quén closes the safe door (FAFO locks it)
    • If OSIRIS dies, so does FAFO
  • Quén warns FAFO about Dr. Pope working with the False King (who he seems to know about??) and the fact that he seems to be allied with an extremely powerful sorceress (Siren)
    • FAFO muses concealing the entirety of Parallax Reach using his abilities as a Keeper. HOWEVER! Because he’s sending out signals to the other warforged who haven’t made it here yet, concealing the city will prevent them from reaching it
  • Dr. Pope is older than we realize
    • DR. POPE WAS THE ONE WHO TURNED VALLEN INTO A VAMPIRE
    • VALLEN IS BAFFLED!!
    • THE FATHER IS LIKELY INVOLVED WITH THIS
  • FAFO asks us if we plan on taking the Shapes
    • The party as a whole is on the fence — we request some time to talk and think it over
    • FAFO acquiesces, and departs to give us some privacy
  • Kade is BAFFLED by how crazy this shit is
    • Cordelia says this is maybe in the top 5 of the craziest things that happened to us
    • He says he needs time to process this
  • Vallen: “Is my wife even real?”

POST-SESSION STUFF

Quén spent some time on the ship thinking about what Changelings (specifically True Changelings) might be vulnerable/weak to (Izzie used his guaranteed Nat 20 from the egg hunt on this roll)

  • WHAT QUÉN LEARNS:
    • At some point, their mind warps and they hear a woman’s voice tell them that the ONLY weakness that Changelings AND True Changelings have is Axio Steel
    • Showing a disguised standard Changeling their true form (e.g. via a magical mirror that has Truesight) for a prolonged period of time will cause them to subconsciously shift into their true form
  • Quén learned all of this during the several-day travel downtime, but due to everything happening they’ve kept it to themself
← Session 37 Session 39 →

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