A tribute to the Book of Worlds

This work of art is made by Incognito, a.k.a. Velimir Tito, a.k.a. Torje, one of the players in the Pius Chronicles. His blog is here.

Hero: Toadface

AARGH, feel the might of my fist, puny human!! 

Storyteller's note: This is the third of the hero-biographies from the Pius Chronicles. It is written by Bjørnar, this character's player.

Toadface is something of an enigma and little is known about his life before he joined the adventures of the Pius Cabal.


What is known is that he was raised by his grandmother, both living alone in a cabin located somewhere in what is called The Wild. His mother died giving birth to him, and his father is unknown. The only things he inherited from his parents was his grim-looking face and his considerable bulk, though there is a possibility that the magical artifact called Thunderer's Gauntlet once belonged to his father.

A job that needed doing

The Pius had reached the highest reaches of the troposphere. Above was only the darkness of the Void. Below and to her aft, arching north and westwards, lay the unnatural storm-front that blocked the approach to Cora. From this perspective it looked like a fat, black snake on the dark waters of the Straits of Ahriman. Somewhere down there, beneath the waves, the demon of the cauldron was fighting the Kraken. Hidden beneath the tumultuous clouds were also the combined fleets of the Hannumen and the Wolf Lords, as well as the Armada of Forlorn Hope – that would be a great battle. None of these things concerned Commander Spearhawk.

Chapter: The End of an Era

Cast: Aegir of the Enæidùn, Mandan Bansl, Gryff Galan, Percival O'Conner, Velimir Tito, Yolander van Zaar, and Toadface. Many NPC's also played a part.

The following takes place between 6 and 21 Undecium, YE 1022.

After the Pius Cabal returned from the Void, having killed Dr. Mörbius, they came to realize that unless the schemes of the Queen of Stars were stopped, all they had done would be for naught. No amount of lesser victories would stem the tide. Evil would triumph, and the fate of mankind would be sealed. But how do you go up against an ancient goddess?

"Noen fortjener en god død."

The Chronicle has been closed.

Hero: Yolander van Zaar

“I am Yolander van Zaar - and you have no place in the future!”

[The picture is painted in modern Wezellian fashion, sometime during the spring of YE 1022 when the cabal returned from the Dark Continent and set out to gather the Convocation.]


Storyteller's note: I tried this last night, but due to some formatting issues, I had to delete that post. Now that has been dealt with, and here it is. The bio is written by Håvard.

Hero: Gryff Galan

This is a PC-biography for Gryff Galan, and is written by said PC's player. I have only formatted the text so as to fit the blog. It should have been posted a while ago, but it fell through the cracks... For that I am sorry. But here it is, updated as of 15 May, 2011.

Chapter: Nemesis No More

Cast: Bansl, Galan, Tito and Toadface. Also, as NPC's: Aegir, Dr. Mörbius, Droctors Misterio and Toombs, Commander Spearhawk and Master Ludenius.

The following takes place between 28 Decanum and 3 Undecium, YE 1022.

Locked in a trance, in combat with the evil master-mind, Galan and Toadface makes a stand, all the while, Tito's soul, given over to his spirit-totem, stalks the labyrinth – the tide turns, van Zaar disappears again, and the survivors have to carry the lifeless bodies of two of the cabal to safety.

Chapter: Dr. Mörbius, I presume...

Cast: Aegir of the Enæidùn, Gryff Galan, Velimir Tito, Yolander van Zaar, and Toadface. Guest starring: Deep Thought.

The following takes place on 28 Decanum, YE 1022.

Having reached the position of the OUT mother-ship, EXODUS I, the heroes decide to play fair: one by one, they enter the labyrinth designed to bewilder, weaken, and kill them – Bansl has already gone missing, soon others will too; meanwhile, van Zaar reappears with new visions of imminent doom.

NPC: Rupertus Ludenius

This is an edited re-post from 4 December 2010. The conspiering events from yesterday have decided to keep conspiering, hence the chapter's further delay. This post has been edited to reflect the NPC's adventures since becoming part of the Pius Cabal; a paragraph has been added at the bottom of the bio, as have some new links, and a new picture, further, his stats have been adjusted.

Adeptus Rupertus Themian Ludenius bani Flambeu began his career when he was chosen for apprenticeship at age fourteen. Born a Citizen, the first son of a northern farmer and his wife, he was brought before a Master at the annual Folkemoot, and there found worthy of being taken into the Order. Normally only children under the age of twelve, or those who have allready Awakened, are chosen at the Folkemoot, but the Master saw something in the sullen boy. And so Rupertus was enrolled in House Flambeu, one of the two recognized Houses of the Order.



While he proved to be hard working and focused, Rupertus's Awakening came late, and only at age thirty four did he finally get his Apprentice-robes. His teachers predicted a dull career for the gloomy young man, as most Hermetics his age now wore the robes of a Student of the Arts. They would undoubtedly have been proven right, had it not been for the patronage of Master Vermis Ludenius, of House Bonisagus. At this time, Vermis had only recently delivered his Masterpiece, and he chose the dark-eyed northerner as his first Apprentice. While it is not uncommon for a Master to take on an Apprentice from a different House than his own, this still caused some stir at the time. Some claim that the true reason for this was that Master Ludenius was not nearly a good enough magus to get the pick of the litter.


Master Vermis Ludenius was at this time assigned to the Mercantile Tribunal, and after that to the Chamber of Treasury, and over the course of the following twenty years, Rupertus studied hard under several of the Order's best teachers. It is said that one of his teachers once told Vermis that teaching the Arts to Rupertus was like explaining Etherial physics to a Presbyterian. Nevertheless, thanks to his own doggedness, and, some say, his Master's deep pockets, Rupertus finally won his Adeptus-robes in YE 1019.


The first year of his first mandatory two-year Adeptus praxis he served as Adeptus Secundus on the Aegathon under then Adeptus, now Master of the Fleet, Octavian Arbalestus. The second year he served as Adeptus Cataphractor for Master Severus Septimus in the northern borderlands. He received good evaluations after both these tours, and once he was released back to his Master, both his own and his Master's reputation had been vindicated.


By now the Great War had begun, and Master Vermis Ludenius had been appointed Burgmaster of Göteshafen. Rupertus became his Master's secretary and accountant, as well as serving as the Tower's Chair in the Town Council. At age fifty seven, he doesn't look a day older than thirty five. This is typical of the Hermetics, and the secret of their longevity is a well kept secret.

When the good ship Pius visited Göteshafen in late Ovtavium, YE 1022, Master Ludenius struck a bargain with the Pius Cabal. As part of this deal, Rupertus was sent to serve as a liaison between the Order and the cabal. The Hermetic Adeptus quickly found his place, as a vital part of the ship's command staff, working very closely with Commander Spearhawk, the non-Enlightened first-mate of the Pius. The two men has managed to replicate several master-pieces, using the ship, her crew, and often as not vast quantities of Mana. He has also widened his fields of research to include natural philosophy, aerostatics, Enlightened Science, theology, and goethic science.

Chapter: Into the Darkness

Disclaimer: Due to a lengthy bout of rampant procrastination, combined with the afore-mentioned blockage and vactaioning, the details of this chapter is more than a little vague in my memory. Therefore I ask that you pardon any mistakes and omissions, and if you happened to be there you should pipe in. Note that certain liberties have been taken due to who will be playing in the next chapter.

The following takes place between 20 Decanum and 28 Decanum, YE 1022.

Having successfully cleared out the catacombs of Zalburg, the cabal, now without the steady urgings of Master van Zaar, decided that it was time for them to take a stab at the heart (brain might actually be more accurate) of the Ordo Ultima Thule: the good ship Pius is taken into the Void, where Bansl, now a Disciple of the Abyss, steers her deep into the eternal darkness.

Chapter: Preparations

Cast: King Aegir of the Gypsies, Masters Bansl, Galan, Tito, and van Zaar, and Toadface of the Great Woods. Also, as NPCs: Queen Ylvana of the Terema, Mistress Severa Septimus, Master Octavian Arbalestus.


The following takes place between 23 Novium and 28 Novium, YE 1022.


After the naming ceremony of Gryff's daughter, the heroes start planning their assault on the Redlands, first by discussing the situation with their allies, then they undertake a complex ritual so as to scry the city of Zalburg; the whole thing is delayed by heated negotiations over the new members's status within the cabal.

Chapter: Generations

Cast: Mandan Bansl, Gryff Galan, Velimir Tito, Yolander van Zaar, and Toadface. Also, as NPCs, in order of appearance: Mr.Godfree, Master Septimus Arachnidus, Queen Ylvana, and Mistress Severa.


The following takes place between 8 Novium and 23 Novium, YE 1022.


Following their pilgrimage to the Temple of the Sacrifice, the cabal runs into an old acquaintance, before paying a visit to their friend in the North, thereafter Galan follows his doctor's advice; the captain's child is born, and Velimir goes hunting -- all while van Zaar works hard to keep time flowing.

Chapter: Monkey-wrench!

The seventh chapter of The Black Spear

The following takes place on 7 Novium, YE 1022


Cast: Aegir of the Enidùn, Mandan Bansl, Gryff Galan, Velimir Tito, Yolander van Zaar, and Toadface. Also, as NPCs, in order of appearance: Theurge Galeantis of the Draccian army on Cora, Mahdi Abu Aden of the Enlightened Viziers, The Purple Robed Man, Master Octavian Arbalestus of Battlefleet Hermetica.


Having left King Radan the Great of Draccia, the heroes find their plans thwarted by the Court of Star's untimely attack on Cora, and the Pius Fleet escapes before the Kraken drags it into the Deep; a meeting turns sour, van Zaar seeks the wisdom of the Prophet -- and meets a man in a tower -- before they again turn to Octavian for his advice.

Chapter: Anchorhead

The sixth chapter of The Black Spear

Cast: Aegir of the Enæidùn, Mandan Bansl, Gryff Galan, Velimir Tito, and Yolander van Zaar. Also, as NPCs: His Majesty, King Radan of Draccia, Lord Ares, Huntsmaster to the King, Princess Sara, sister to the King, and Grand Master Martellus of the Knights of St. Invictus. Also, on board the Pius, Adeptus Ludenius and Commander Spearhawk.


The following takes place between 1 and 7 Novium, YE 1022.


Returning from the moon, the heroes debate the ramifications of their discoveries, sails south towards friendly ports and old enemies; Theurge Tito is reminded of his loyalties, Aegir initiates a romance -- and is presented with an ultimatum -- Bansl reveals his latest masterpiece, and the cabal is given command of an army.

Chapter: The Battle of the Tower of Man

The Third chapter of The Dark Spear

'

Cast: Aegir of the Enæidún, Mandan Bansl, Gryff Galan, Velimir Tito Toadface, and Yolander van Zaar. Also, as NPCs: Master Octavian Arbalestus, Onkel Smit, Admiral Colomb, Brigadier General Bothwell, First Mate Hawkins, a.k.a. Commander Spearhawk, and Adeptus Rupertus Ludenius.


The following takes place between 28 and 29 Octavum, YE 1022.


After a night of much needed debauchery in Göteshafen, the Pius Cabal sets sail again, and discover that the dastardly Thulists have established a base in the ruins of the University of Man. Toadface and Tito takes a bath in a river and decides that what they need is a mire. A hastily laid plan is made complicated and Bombmaster Bansl's craft becomes the target of criticism.

Chapter: Stormfront

This chapter picked up a day after where the last chapter left off. The cast is the same, though Bansl's player came a little after we began, and Tito's a little after that.

The following takes place between 23 Septium 1022 YE, and 14 Octavum 1022 YE.

After their victory at Geminon Field the cabal had a telepathic conference with Master Octavian of the Ordo Hermetica and Aktor Smit of the Wezellian Syndicate. The strategic picture was discussed, and some information exchanged. After this meeting, Master Galan decided to commune with their man in the Argonauts, Commander Colomb. To the surprise of the masters, Colomb was somewhere above the Enlightened Skythian Empire in a balloon-ship, seeking for the Pius Cabal, carrying a summoning from the King of Pendrell.

The heroes quickly answered this summoning, and appeared before King Rowar II. The king begged the masters to help him*. The problem was that over the last weeks, people had been disappearing from villages on Pendrell's southern coast. Whole villages were found empty, with food, live-stock, and valuables left behind. Up til now, some two thousand had vanished. As for witnesses, only four had been found - all seeming like empty bodies without a soul, none could provide any information on the matter.

As the cabal had other plans, they decided to put together an amalgam of six magicians, picked from all the traditions of the Arcane Congress. To lead this amalgam, they asked the Syndicate to appoint the seventh man, the one to lead the six. This group were then sent to look into the Pendrellian problem.

Once the First Amalgam had set out, the masters returned to the Pius who had been anchored on Cora. Here they presented three hundred revolving Bansl-rifles to the Knights of St. Invictus, and in discourse discovered that the fortifications on the island consumed a large quantity of mana each week. More in fact than the Knights' hallow could provide. This was something the wizards of the Pius decided they had to remedy.** After having performed the proper auguries, the ritual was completed to great success. In fact, the hallow now produced a surplus. The Knights were so pleased and impressed that they knighted the magicians, and threw a procession, with the necessary speeches and masses attached.

Bansl, the Master of Matter, became so inspired that he created a statue of the cabal to be placed in the city of Borgen.

Having wrapped up their business on Cora for the time being, the Pius now set out to find the Land of the elves beyond the Horizon. Plotting the course after the primestaff they had acquired from Mr. Godfree, the ship teleported to the easternmost point of the Waymar Islands. Here they saw why no ship had come from the Western Isles for the last seven months.

They came up to a forest-clad island as the morning sun arose behind them. The ocean had a sickly sheen, and there was a foul smell on the air. One of the seamen fished a dead sea-bird out of the water, covered in a black, sticky substance. On the horizon, the magicians could make out burning metal towers, rising out of the sea.

As the captain was about to plot a new course, Bansl's ravens warned that metal birds were coming over the island. As the ship blinked out of its location, the heroes could see these flying machines. Three of them, in formation, were coming over the green hills of the island. At the next location, the westernmost point of the Isles, things were much the same - with the difference of more activity. Towers were burning on the horizon, and six of the flying machines could be seen, in addition to a type of metal barrels with short towers pointing towards the sky. These were floating on the surface, and on the top of each there was a blinking light.

Despite the cloaking of the ship, they were quickly spotted from above, and the flying machines swooped down. Better prepared this time, the Pius went to full battle-stations. Then it teleported away, to the Land of the elves.

Following the primestaff led the heroes to the mouth of a great river with primordial, temperate forests on each shore. The sail inland took days and days, and the crew had to get in the boats and tow the ship until they got inside the tidal zone. After this, it was slow, peaceful days while the primestaff led them through the network of tributaries and steadily inland. One of the things that really bothered van Saar at this point was that he couldn't find the name of the Land of the elves; the great men of the Last War did too good a job of erasing the elves from the history of man for that.

At long last, the Pius rounded a bend in the river, and came upon a river pool, behind which a city carved out of the living rock reached for the heavens. A white pier stuck out of the forest on the far side, and on this pier a tall, slender silken-clad figure stood waiting.Though the figure had human-like features, it was most certainly not of the human race. This was Alyssia, the elven ambassador on the Waymar Islands, the same elf the cabal had spoken to earlier.

The visit with the elves did not go as the cabal had anticipated. Alyssia wouldn't let them into the city, and she kept repeating that in the final hour, the elves would buy the humans time. When the mages argued that this was the final hour, the elf didn't agree, and repeated the promise. At length, the heroes had to accept that the First of the Younger Races wouldn't take the field at this moment. In frustration, they then demanded to be allowed to talk to another elf, and to be shown the might of the elven race. The first was denied, and after days of persistence, the elves gave the cabal a parade.

Over the forest, flying vessels looking like great butterflies fashioned out of living wood, passed by. On the ground, thousands of beautiful, dangerous-looking, armoured warriors filed by. Finally realizing that the elves would not give them more, the cabal boarded the Pius and set a course back to the world of man.

*This I admit was a deliberate red herring, which the guys resolved elegantly.

** This red herring, however, was completely of their own manufacture.

Storyteller's note: At long last the group made it to the elven lands, and I cheated them of the dog-and-pony show they wanted. For that have to say, "I'm sorry, guys." Then again, having given the Elven Problem a lot of thought lately, I had reasons for making that decision. This is patently not the Final Hour. While it looks grim, the world is not ending right now. Granted, the apocalypse is seemingly on track, but as the elf-chick said, there is still hope. At least I still think so.

If the elves had been brought on to the scene now, what or who would then come to aid man when the final hour finally rolled around? Besides, that was their promise all along.

There are also details I have omitted in this post, but these are matters that deserve devoted posts so as not to lose the information in the text. These topics include: The Waymar Islands, Cora, and some more vague stuff about elves ;) I aim to get that up before next session.

Thanks for a good session.

[Picture source: unkown]

The last chapter

In the previous chapter, not written, the Pius Cabal built a temple to Arkon outside Rederhafen. The reason was that by so doing, the Older God could work a miracle; the Host of Man, encircled on the Dark Continent, marched home through Arkon's Gate.


This chapter started with Banzel's Masterpiece. It involved building a grand machine, combining the ship's Navichron and the Dragonheart. The new contraption, Banzel's Apparatus, would then allow the Cabal to teleport the Pius, with all her crew.


As Banzel, Galan and van Zaar were hacking out the spesifics of the Masterpiece, Drake and the Prince went to visit the Host. Drake had decided that he needed a seal-breaker (some artifact designed to break metaphysical seals), and that the Draccian Wolf Lords of the Host would possess such an item.


Thus he came before Lord Vargas, the leader of the Wolf Lords, presenting his request, which was promptly denied. Lord Vargas quoted the previous handywork of the Worlock, and said that he did not deem it wise to aid in furthering that craft.


The Prince asked for Grey Knights to serve as weapons-masters in the martial college he was planning to build on his newly gazetted land. He had more luck than his compannion.


Afterwards the prince went to the newly constructed temple, Arkonshov, and found it quite busy.


Not only the Pendrellians of the Host, who knew the god as St Marcus, and had seen his might when the Gateposts were erected on Cora, but countless others as well, had come to worship. The Prince spent the remainder of the day at the temple, speaking to the masses about the divinity of man, and the futility of worship. He was treated like a saint come amongst mortals.


Drake, sickened by the spectacle, and feeling insulted by Lord Vargas, left the Host and walked back to the city. On his way there, he came to a bridge, and there he found a steady trickle of rats coming the other way. He snatched one up and spoke with it. At first the rat seemed reluctant, but after being duly threatened it revealed that all the rats were leaving Rederhafen due to something dark coming up from below. So adviced, the Warlock hurried back to the ship and informed the Cabal.


Van Zaar, the Adeptus of Time, looked into the future and saw pestilence, fire and death. He also saw demons walking the streets, and at the root of it all, he saw the Kraken, leaving the port three nights earlier. And then the Cabal despared. It took them a while to disbelieve the whole thing, and in the meantime Banzel completed his work; Banzel's Apparatus was finished, and Mandan Banzel could style himself Master of the Arcana of Matter.


Only when the Prince returned, well after dark, did the Cabal spring into action. First Drake went to the site where the temple of Gilgul, Gulathing, was under construction. He called for the Lord of Justice, and he appeared. After having heard the plea, Gilgul warned him of the cost of releasing the Hosts of Nightmare on Rederhafen, and the Cabal saw the wisdom in that, and turned to other sollutions.


They decided to go after Armand, and the Prince sent his men to warn the Marshal of the Host about the danger.


Galan scryed for the Kraken, and found her in the Straits of Ahriman, sailing a storm, in plain view with her flag flying. The Cabal took the Pius out to sea, and using Banzel's Apparatus, teleported right behind the Black Ship.


The Prince charged the aft-deck of the immense ship, wielding the sword Deicide, and attacked Armand. As this happened, the Kraken let her anchors drop and unfurled her sails, thus capsizing the ship. On the deck, Armand called forth shadowy tentacles and grappled the Enæïd, while throwing himself overboard. As the Kraken sank, her crew threw grappling hooks over at the Pius, hoping to drag her under with them.


This is when van Zaar cast a mighty spell, undoing all events and offering the Cabal one more try.


Following the same strategy, only now focusing on destroying the anchors, and controlling the Gauntlet, the Cabal attacked the Kraken. This time the Prince managed to gravely wound the captain of the Black Ship, and as he threw himself overboard, the Prince jumped after, driving the sword through the heart of Armand.


As the dark mariner died, all the power bound in his flesh discharged with eldritch lightning and bursts of fire that blew in the side of the Kraken. Thus Captain Armand died.

The last two chapters

Storyteller's note: Due to time, computer-SNAFU, and the actions of the last two chapters, I will combine these. Most of the last these were spent in in-character discussions, something that, while it is most interesting when it happens, doesn't necessarily make for a great narrative.



Lying off the coast of Corillia, the Company was faced with a difficult decision, that of where to go, and what to do. After some consideration, three alternatives had been defined, Wezell, Waymar, and Kithay. The pros and cons of each were thoroughly examined, and in the end, Wezell was chosen.


The main problem here was that they would have to sail through waters heavily patrolled by the Pendrellian navy, but here Galan had a solution. He created a magical displacement of the Pius' visual presence, in effect making the ship invisible, while simultaneously creating a red herring any would-be pursuers could follow.


Thus it was that the good ship Pius and her crew arrived in Zaarbrügge, van Zaar's hometown. To expand on the subterfuge the name of the ship was painted over, and the Saviour anchored in port. Further, new names were invented for both Galan and Banzel. Van Zaar, being an old spy, drew upon one of his old aliases, while Aegir limited his cover to a hooded cloak.


They were received with open arms by Jolander's mother, and her brother, Jaap, the head of the house, and one of the Onkels, was summoned. The following days were used to refit the ship, relax, and do various preparations for future adventures. Jolander spent most of his time at home with his mother, drinking fortified wine and telling her all about his life and the state of the world as he sees it. She listened attentively, though most of it was lost on her, while sewing, until her son fell asleep. Then she'd see him carried to bed by two of the servants.


When Onkel Jaap van Zaar arrived three days after the Company came to Wezell; they had a proper sit-down. The fate of Argos, and that of Man, was what was discussed. Jolander believed that in a matter of weeks, the Old One, the giant sea-monster that almost sank the Pius, would attack Eria. This would, he insisted, cause panic, disaster, and the destruction of the Worlds of Man.


The Host of Man was another item of concern. The Elendrine Prophecies say that, "[Caracalla] will defeat the Host." Jaap here raised the question of how to avoid this, and this on turn lead to the Company volunteering to kill him.


Several other issues were also discussed, but as the hour had grown late, the men agreed to continue the talks at the next day's breaking of the fast.


Storyteller's note: Here the chapter ends, and another begins. Jolander's player was not present.


That night, after Jolander had been tucked in, Galan sat in the library, studying, when a servant announced a visitor for him. This proved to be a certain Commander Sir Jasper Colomb, of His Majesty's Royal Guild of Argonauts.


He was at first interested in Galan's role in the Scutino Incident and in the recent murder of captain Ardyke. Galan swore that neither himself, nor any of his companions, had anything to do with the former (being an Adeptus of Mind, he has reorganised his memories of the incident somewhat). By now, Tradesmaster Drake and Prince Aegir had joined the two, while Banzel monitored the exchange from the roof where he'd been watching the stars.


On the matter of the killing of Ardyke, Galan claimed that he had given strict orders not to harm him, and that none of his companions had been involved. In fact, he went as far as to give his word on it.


The visitor then went in to tell of an imminent war between Wezell and Pendrell. This would probably start in Corllia, he said. He then claimed that the Pendrellian king had been isolated and that all power in Pendrell now lay with the Parliament and the Ministerium. The true nature of his visit, he said, was to enlist the help of the Company. The nature of the help was somewhat delicate, and the status of the gentlemen was ideally suited; he asked that they kill a certain Dr Ebeneezer Murdoch.


Dr Murdoch was to be found in a Corillian city right across the border, no more than a dozen miles from their current location. Sir Jasper provided maps of the city, Grasse, and the Palace of Reason, a fortress on a small island in the harbour, where Dr Murdoch resided. The doctor was the most prominent member of the Ministerium in Corillia, and he was the head of the duchy's Tribunal of Pure Thought. Gryff Galan accepted.


Once the Argonaut had left, and armed with the maps, Galan started scrying the location, something that proved to be somewhat difficult. There was a certain resonance about the location that directly opposed the magic. Nevertheless, the good captain managed not only to penetrate the fortress, but also the private quarters of Dr Murdoch. Having made it thus far, Galan was contemplating teleporting into the chambers and killing the sleeping man. As it happened, h contemplated long enough to allow his mark to wake up. Sitting up, he cried, "Witchcraft!" and Galan, sitting bent over the maps, was thrown backwards by a white blast, ending up sprawling on the floor. The map was destroyed, something Banzel (having entered somewhat ungraciously through the closed window a little earlier) fixed through magic.


After the failed assassination, the Company decided to call it a day, and to resume after breakfast.

The last chapter

Blockade Running/Ambush!

The last chapter ended with the Company waking up after the long nightmare in the middle of the day. This chapter started with them trying to figure out why they were sick. Besides, Banzel was in no shape to travel.

M'narcel, besides being the only one besides the Prince who wasn't afflicted, was also the only one with any medical insight (both arcane and academic). Also, he used to study the gentle art of poisoning before he was called to adventure. And so, after his preliminary examinations, he could reveal that poisoning was indeed the cause of the ailment.

Now, determining the poison after the fact is a most difficult task. So the good medicus went outside to summon a spirit, as is his way these days. After a couple if hours sitting in the sun he returned; a snake had told him, "poison from stolen stinger." A most straight forward answer, coming from a spirit.

The next step was fast, and it was determined that it was the ammunition Banzel had taken off the Hellghast that was causing it all. The radiation was causing their bodies to break down. The 21 brass-cased shells are now stored in a lead chest. The rest of the day was used to sit back and enjoy the shade -- the Pius Cabal decided to rest.

Before going to bed, Banzel, the one hardest afflicted, quaffed a waterskin of the Vìs he brought from the encounter with Blackstaff. On waking up the next morning, the heroes found that anything organic in a three yard radius around Banzel, clothes, blankets, boots, tent, grass, had decomposed. Banzel had discovered a cure for his desease, while simultaneously proving that gorging oneself on Mana can cause unexpected effects. Fit as a fiddle, Banzel started up the Automotor, and thus the Company started on the way home.

There had been some debate about what to do with the men left in the halfway fort. Van Zaar would rather he didn't have to see any of them until they were back on Pius, and suggested that they be given their marching orders through arcane means. Someone here made it a heated discussion when it was suggested that van Zaar's true motivation was his dislike for Lt. Lance. On the captain's orders, they followed the roads along the river. Through the liberated Muhwal, Free City of Man (full of the Host's followers and former slaves) to Fort Pius (so named by the Glencaellyn Rifles). Here the Prince did some packing, and with the Automotor loaded close to submission with the entire marine command, and the Pius Cabal rode off the theatre, flanked by the running Enæìd.

[Storyteller's note: It amuses me no end that sometimes the worst thing you can do to your players is to be nice.]

They find the stretch of coast where they hid the Pius, and within the hour M'narcel found the Shaderealm where they had anchored. They come in to the shallow river valley through the vegetation beneath the ruined aqueduct. They are hailed by the picket, and let through to the idyllic scene; the ship anchored in clear water, green trees, sailors working on the ship, carrying baskets aboard, or lounging in their free-watch.

The passenger they had asked to keep an eye on the ship had left a letter when he left five days ago, and all was in order. The crew seemed happy. And this freaked the captain out. There was some general paranoia at first, not at all helped by enthusiastic sailors or the fact that the captain couldn't see their thoughts. The majority settled when M'narcel declared that he could sense the ship's Awakened spirit.

Since they have to wait for the tide, they couldn't sail in almost twelve hours. Banzel got right to work with his new Project, building an airship. He recruited the ship's carpenters and sailmakers as well, and utterly dominated the ships attention. The captain was in a foul mood, and decided he hadn't talked to Octavian in a while. Sadly this didn't work, as the captain's Arts do not cover the Sphere of Spirit, and since they're anchored up in a spirit realm he can't reach out.

As the night fell, it became obvious that Banzel needed more time. M'narcel had also gotten involved at this point. His previous experiments with wind spirits made him attempt to bind one to the airship. He climbed up to the crowsnest and launched a kite into the winds. It took a while before something took the lure. For two hours he battled with the windling before it got away, the kite falling broken to the deck.

The captain was somewhat put out by the situation. It got even worse when he found that he could not commune with anyone outside the shaderealm. When the weighing of the anchor was postponed to allow Banzel time to finish, Galan withdrew to brood in his quarters. Van Zaar kept walking around all night, slipping in and out of subjective time.

Come the day after, the Pius weighed anchor and left the shaderealm. Banzel still had some work to do on his great project and was still at it in his workshop.

On entering the graphite-grey waters of the Bay of Oden the crew could see the heavy, dark stormfront of the blockade.

A few hours after the ship entered the bad weather the aft lookout called sails. Captain Galan quickly ascertained that it was a Black Ship, one they hadn't encountered before, and that it was coming up fast on an intercept course. Not long after the first contact another ship was called, this time ahead. This was the Sepulchre. They had sailed into an ambush. The two Black Ships planned to catch the Pius between their broadsides and send her into the deep.

Thanks to the captain's hard sailing they managed to outsail the ship behind them, but the Sepulchre lying ahead was drawing relentlessly closer. On the decks of the enemy ships the men on the Pius could witness a horrible ritual taking place. Twelve young girls were brought up, then thrown overboard as the crews chanted, "Bait! Bait! Bait!" The Pius was also coming into range of the Sepulchre's guns by now.

Artist: Martin McKenna

Galan had taken the Hermetic pistol (taken off a defeated Proxima on the first voyage of the Pius) to the bow, and as he fired at the Sepulchre's captain, the rest of the Cabal sprung to action. From the captain's cabin Galan opened a portal to the aft castle of the Black Ship. Aegir and M'narcel charged through, and the Enæìd attacked the Sepulchre's captain, Radoslav. M'narcel's plan was to command the drowned men and take control of the Black Ship -- this didn't work as planned. The Prince and the dark mariner fought in a flurry of blows while the forlorn crew pushed the worlock towards the railing. Severly wounded, Aegir felled his foe, only to see the massive bow of the Sepulchre push through the waves. The Black Ship was diving. Galan back on the Pius felt his spell being severed, but managed to keep the portal open long enough for the Prince to drag M'narcel through.

Artist: Martin Vocet

On deck, Banzel became aware of something large moving in the dark water. Something had answered the summoning. The ship following them, now close enough that M'narcel could feel its name, Despair, was coming up on range, and around them great tentacles were flailing as the enormous seamonster maneuvered to attack. It was obvious to the heroes that hard sailing alone would not be enough to escape, so they turned to magic.

Using everything they knew, the magicians of the Pius Cabal managed to get some distance on both the monster and the Despair, but it would not be enough. And so, when the Sepulchre rose to the surface again, within range, things looked bleak.

They decided that the only way out of the trap was to make the Pius fly. The airship's balloon was rigged to lift the ship, everything, cannons, food, goods, even the Automotor, was thrown overboard. Great spells were cast, all the Mana the Cabal possessed were used to fuel the magic, prayers were uttered, and at last, with cannonballs zooming towards her, Pius took flight.

The chapter ended with the Pius sailing above the dark clouds of the blockade.

Storyteller's note: This was an interesting session. The lads are now starting to fully realize two things. First, that they are now right powerful magicians, second, that their enemies have noticed them.

They now have less than four days to locate and stop the plague ship Naglfār, their ship is unarmed, and they have provisions for one week on half rations.

The good men of the Pius Cabal are truly living in interesting times.



Oh, and make sure you click on the octopus-pic to get the full experience.