What’s this? There wasn’t supposed to be a session this week. Well, turns out we were able to play after all, and a good thing, because this was an interesting one. In more ways than one. Let’s dive straight in.
We began the session with the party in their airship, getting through the final few days of their journey to the Floating Mountains without incident. As they arrived, they found themselves sailing among towering peaks, slowly drifting through the air, occasionally knocking into one another or slamming against the ground, flattening the earth below. Bravely pushing forward, Brakken nimbly piloted their craft through this dangerous environment, unclear of any specific direction required until he heard the sound of a… horse?
Bursting through the clouds, the party saw six chariots pulled by winged horses, each manned by a pair of bronze-armoured warriors. They circled the airship for a bit before one of the charioteers, an unarmoured man with golden hair and golden tattoos, leapt from his vehicle and dropped onto the deck with an impressive three-point landing. And then, graciously, he welcomed the party with the revelation that they had been expected for some time.
When the party expressed that they had no idea what they were doing there, this gentleman, who later introduced himself as Ox, got a little confused, and insisted he take them straight to the Council (whoever they were) since it “wasn’t really his place to explain”. Bidding the party follow, he leapt off the airship and impressively landed back on his chariot, and proceeded to lead a passage through the mountains.
The journey quickly brought the party into view of a small city, carved into the side of one of the mountains. Built of stone, it seem to be centred on a large temple or palace that was stylistically similar to the Temple of Dragons. There was also a dock, which the airship came to rest beside.
Upon disembarking, Ox accidentally mentioned something about trials and their possible fatality, before insisting that the party see the Council to learn the specifics. The party followed him to the palace/temple, where he suggested that they be polite before showing them in. Inside, the party found themselves in a large, round room, with fifteen thrones upon which stat fifteen disparate individuals.
The Council of Fifteen.
The Council explained that, to get the shard they had come here to find, the party must undertake three trials, to test their mind, body, and soul. The first trial, it turned out, Brakken and Monk had inadvertently passed (it was implied that it had something to do with Poppy’s death) and so it was up to Mortimer to face it alone. He was called forward and asked whether he was going to promise to assist the others on their quest to save the world. He was a little overwhelmed, but the implication of never leaving this place alive was enough to convince him to say yes. He was subsequently branded on the chest with Brakken and Monk’s pins, and told that the mark would hold him to his promise until the quest was completed or he had fallen, and he would suffer greatly should he go against his oath.
And with that, the first trial was complete, and the party prepared themselves to face the second. However, what they were not prepared for was for the ground to suddenly disappear below their feet and for them all to fall into a dark, dank chamber. Uninjured by the fall, they now found themselves facing a great beast with many snake-like heads and one massive, gaping maw.
The fight was fast, and brutal. The beast gave as good as it got, but was quickly brought down. As it fell, the party found themselves back in the council chamber, with the heavy wounds they had sustained completely gone. And thus, they had faced the second trial.
But then they were warned that the final trial was the hardest, as it required sacrifice, never an easy thing. A brazier appeared before the party, and no further instruction was given. It was up to them to decide what to do.
Brakken was the first to act. With no little hesitation, he dropped his hammer (which was incredibly powerful, and as such, made him incredibly powerful) into the flames. As he did, they flared silver, and he was told that he had passed the trial.
Mortimer was next, dropping the thing he valued most, the writ that proved his guild as legitimate. Again silver. Again the trial passed.
That left Monk. As a being that was unconcerned by material things, Monk found this trial most difficult. In the end, he approached the fire, drew a dagger, and severed his own left hand. One of the Fifteen waved their own hand and healed his wound to keep him from bleeding to death as the flames turned silver for the final time, and in consequence, the party received the second shard.
Thus, the party had completed the trials of the Council of Fifteen.
Mortimer was pissed. He had suddenly been forced to join a quest to save the world, on pain of death, he had been branded, and he had given up his most prized possession in the whole world. So he stormed off, back to the ship, to build a bomb. Luckily, he didn’t have anything that was actually an explosive, because his natural 1 would have seen it go off. In light of this failure, he decided to then build a bigger one.
Meanwhile, Monk was dealing with the whole missing-a-hand-now thing, and Brakken had a visitor in the form of one of the Council of Fifteen, a big man whose skin was covered in bronze. This man, Purphoros, offered to craft him a new weapon to replace his lost hammer, and also asked if the party wanted a crew for the airship. Both requests were taken up on, and the party was informed that they would be required to remain for one week, until the weapon was ready.
The following morning, Purphoros showed up with a dozen bronze automatons to serve as a crew. He then took Brakken to his forge, and over the course of the week, had his help in forging a very special greataxe. Meanwhile, Monk trained to get used to fighting with one hand while also learning a little about poisons and antivenom from a local order of monks, while Mortimer thoroughly studied him with the intention of eventually building him a new hand. And, as the week ended, so too did the session.
So, an interesting one indeed. The party has a new crew and the next shard, and all it cost was their most prized possessions. But what should be even more interesting is when the party reach their next destination, as it will be the first time we go somewhere specifically related to a party member’s backstory. Be sure to tune in for that.