Six players were present:
- Waat –
Male, ??? - Gerald di Caela –
Male, Half-Ogre - Vylairnys "Nyssa" –
Half-Elf (Kagonesti) - Lillianna –
Forest Gnome - Bas-Ohn Koraf "Kor" –
Male, Minotaur (player couldn’t make it, played by committee) - Artemis Dodger –
Male, Hal-Elf??? Or Something else??? - Thodar –
Hill Dwarf
Editor’s note: This session was run by Jeremy (Usually playing the PC To'Mas). Jumping to the other side of the screen, I will be playing Artemis Dodger.
The entire City of Sanction has fallen before the Blue Dragon Army. A group of the older orphans have been captured and forced into slave labor beneath the Temple of the Heart. After a hard day’s labor, The Orphans discovered a secret room and armed themselves with weapons and armor (see Invasion of theBlue Dragon Army).
The voice replies: “For the Faithful, I am Salvation. Are you Faithful?”
Thodar has heard of Reorx before, and remembering that his parents worshiped him, responds: “I am Faithful - what do you need of me?”
“Be my path to return to this world.”
Thodar began to sweat and queries: “If I will be your vessel, will I still be able to control myself?”
“I will not take from you your free will. I only need your belief in me. You will go forth as my herald and tell the world.”
Thodar closes his eyes and proclaims: “I will do this, in your name.”
Returning to their cell, The Orphans hide their new found loot in the chamber behind the illusionary wall. Lilliana then reads the letter that she had found:
Winter has set in, somehow seeming much colder than in years past. Food shortages have spread across the land, and the wealthy horde what they can, while the poor suffer. The Knights of Solomnia have turned inwards, tending to themselves and their people, forsaking all others.
I know not what to do. I have begun moving all of the artifacts from the temple into a hidden room beneath. The hope is that they will be safe from the angry and hungry mobs that roam outside. Better that these powerful objects be hidden from the world, then land in the hands of individuals and groups who will use them to subjugate and brutalize others.
Safeguarding the objects is important, but not more so then the people of this temple. I cannot help but fear for the rest of my flock. Already two of my apprentices were beaten within an inch of their lives as they went out of the temple to locate food and supplies. Without these supplies we will starve or freeze to death soon. Even at the base of the volcano, the chill of winter at night is unbearable. We are running out of fuel and food. We plan to leave Sanction this night, to find sustenance elsewhere.
If you find this letter, you can look to the south, near the Abanasinian Peninsula, as we hear the food there is plentiful and the population small. May the Gods of Light shine on you always, and you find shelter in these dark times.
Servant of Kiri-Jolith Thadeus Majere
“Reorx, why can I no longer scribe scrolls?” Thodar pleads to his god silently.
“You can either worship me, or you can worship one of the Gods of Magic…to whom are you faithful?"
“I understand…I shall follow you.” Thodar responds.
Watt steps in and tries to rationalize how difficult it is to work in these conditions and ways to improve them, in his best Rainman monotone voice. Vuldak is outraged, screaming over Watt, she begins to berate The Orphans and threatens to have them all punished for failing to meet their workload. A distraught Waat has finally had enough and unleashes a wave of acid from the cantrips he learned from the scrolls. Combat ensues, and Vuldak turns invisible in order to assess the situation. The Orphans, led by Waat, begin casting spells in the general direction where Vuldak was last seen. With a lucky shot, Waat hits her with more power than she had ever imagined possible. As a stunned Vuldak dissolves into a green slurry, Lillianna cries in horror and hides behind Nyssa.
Suddenly, just as Gerald had heard previously, a voice from the shadows vocalizes into his head. Several pairs of glowing red eyes toward the ceiling of the cavern call to him, placing emotions, feelings, and images in his head. Artemis demands to know who is there. The voices claim that they are here to help and that those who enslaved them are evil. Artemis is wary and asks that they show themselves. The figures begin to slink off into the darkness, but out of the corner of his eye, Artemis spots an ape-like figure with bat-like wings before it vanishes.
He suddenly begins transforming into Vuldak, though he doesn’t know why or how it is happening. Waat panics, shouting thought the door to the confused Goblin that they are still working, and she will bring them to the mess hall when they are done. Despite the difference in her voice, his physical appearance is sufficient to allay any concerns. Having brought themselves a moment’s respite, The Orphans plan their next move.
Before they are able, however, alarm bells begin sounding down the halls. Waat is working to calm his nerves and is able to slowly turn back into himself, with the exception of one arm. A single Goblin guard runs down the hall, and counts the orphans through the bars. Finding that they are all present and accounted for, he runs off again looking for the enemy that had killed Vuldak.
Caught in the passageway, The Orphans are waylaid by three Goblins who suddenly begin to attack Thodar. In order to battle the Goblins in the tight corridor, Gerald breaks open the doors to the warehouse sending Yeldon, the quartermaster, to flee to the far corner.