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resources:adventure:dragon_gate_of_valydd

Dragon Gate of Valydd

Initial Brief

Samuel Skye takes on a mission to secure military help from Valydd in order to win the war with the Serradic Empire.

PCs

  • Jimmy Hoskins
  • Eric Luckner
  • Vannessa
  • Samuel Skye
  • Ragnar Thane
  • Carl Terrec

Debrief

Linear #1

Before the party head off, Samuel spends a large portion of his budget preparing food, water, and outfitting the ship with weapons and other defenses in order to ease the journey over to Valydd.

After an initial run-in with the Serradics currently occupying Thys, the party are heading out towards Valydd. Over the course of the journey, the wayfinders struggle to keep the boat on course, each time they lose sense of the consensus Vanessa pulls through a lost place as a beacon for future sailors. Due to the strain of travelling deep into the flux, pulling through the second lost place proves to be too much, and Vanessa is forced to stabilise the old-fashioned way (although empowering the effect with a use of a miracle).

By the time the party reach the edge of the Valydd consensus, pockets of consensus have been created over the Acryn-Valydd sea route, the middle one being a verdant island with a natural port (and the first having a flux island which has been made permanent with make history).

As the party reach Valydd, a pulse of energy near the shore causes a powerful wave to flood outwards, risking the capsize of the boat. Jimmy acts quickly, using a rare piece of alchemy to take control of the consensus, moving the wave safely around the boat before rising it back up and speeding the boat to shore. In concern about his actions, the party move to debilitate him while Eric attempt to protect the boat from its fall using his miracle.

Freeform #1

The party meet some of the gods of Vallydd, the city’s mortal governors,some heros, a priest, a historian, and the Strossbourg Ambassador. Over the night, a plan is formed to remove the Strossbourg Dragon Gate from its owners.

Linear #2

As the city is attacked by Strossbourg, the party head towards the temple of a god they wish to speak with, doing their best to avoid getting involved in the conflict as best they can. After a brief chat with Tomek, a god of wisdom, the party head out to uncover some secrets of the Dragon Gates. After a run-in with Lomek (Tomek’s brother and a dark god of secrets), the party are sent to kill Lomek’s daughter, who has somehow survived to adulthood. The party find her (and her defender Aghi of the High Cliffs) and discover the reason Lomek wishes her dead, an ancient oath requiring him to truthfully answer questions asked by his children. With a new plan in hand, the party head back with Elvira to confront Lomek. They manage to discover that the secrets of the Dragon Gates remain in Junnes -the capital of the old empire- where the disciples of the creators studied the Dragon Gate. They also discover that an Ascendant God can kill another god. They also discover that Carl Terrec is capable of killing a god, though this is done through a practical experiment rather than asking questions of Lomek. Using the power he has acquired, Carl pushes Elvira onto the path of godhood, becoming Elvira the Kinslayer.

Linear #3

Heading towards where they believe this continent’s Junnes lies, the party encounter a Strossbourg patrol. The party hand themselves in, agreeing to speak with one of the Council of Arch Mages. Their initial discussion does not go well, but it is agreed that the party should stay in the nearby village until an Arch Mage who is already in the area can come and speak with them. He proposes a deal, he believes inside Junnes is the secret to moving a Dragon Gate and that if the party can retrieve it then Strossbourg will help them aquire Valydd’s Dragon Gate for Acryn.

The party are taken to Junnes, an ancient and massive mountain fortress, which has been magically protected somehow (and which Vanessa and Eric identify as being very similar to a Lost Space). After pushing through gargoyles, a magical tempest, and various ancient traps. The party eventually find the secret hidden at the heart of the city. A broken dragon gate which has been used to create some sort of Fracturing Artefact.

Freeform #2

The party meet with a number of representatives in Strossbourg, to plan exactly what can be done to take the Valydd gate. Due to Samuel’s spilling and Carl’s consumption of the Dragon-Gate moving artefact, it is no longer possible to use the artefact to move the Dragon Gate. Instead Carl will need to consume the power inside himself in order to move it.

Over the course of the night a basic plan is reached: Vanessa, Eric, and Samuel will attempt to infiltrate Valydd in order to speak to a Death-God. An hour later, the Strossbourg forces will come through the gate and hold off the Valydd forces while Carl and the party shift the gate.

Over the night several other things happen:

  • Ragnar Thane is offered the opportunity to become a Primal.
  • Vanessa spends much of the night talking about the Wayfinder potential of the Southern Isles.
  • Others talk to the mages of Strossbourg, learning about their studies into the creation of an artificial afterlife.
  • Many of the Strossbourg residents are thoroughly disturbed by stories of Acryn’s escalating mage problem.

Linear #4

Vanessa, Eric, and Samuel head into Valydd ahead of the invasion, attempting to reach a temple of a Death God. Unfortunately they run into Aghi, who is somewhat doubtful of their story and sends some soldiers to check out their story (that they have come through gate in Junnes). Unfortunately Carl (who is waiting on the other side of the gate) is unable to stop them before they return through to Valydd to raise the warning. Aghi takes the party into custody and Erik is forced to bring them in front of Atheyta in an attempt to escape.

An hour later the rest of the party come through, accompanied by the Strossbourg forces. Erik, Vanessa, and Samuel reappear. The re-unified party then push through the Valydd forces and head to the prison, reacquiring their possessions and freeing a number of prisoners (at least one of which then aids their push through the Valydd lines). They then begin the ritual to move the gate. Near the end of the ritual Aghi of the High Cliffs manages to force her way through the Strossbourg lines, but is defeated by the party. Carl reaches the climax of the ritual, both Eric and Vanessa apply their miracles to help ensure his soul is carried safely through to his clone in Acryn, and a flash of light blind everyone as they are thrown into some other reality.

The party find themselves within Triskelion, one of the dragons. However, they are not the only ones, and they are attacked by agents of Carleon. They also manage (briefly) to talk with Triskellion and are able to glean information about the nature of the Dragon Gates from her. Carleon’s influence upon Eric also manifests, causing him to attempt to kill Carl and although the party stop him. Jimmy quickly cuts off Eric’s hand (and the symbol which had been carved upon it) while Ragnar destroys it with a Thunderbolt, although a darkness remains which seems to taint the area around them. From this taint, rents open and they agents of Carleon, Mudra, and Tuireann swarm through. Eventually the party are overwhelmed and Ragnar uses his newfound knowledge to end the transit early, forcing the Dragon Gate (and the party) into the world wherever they are.

Aftermath

The party find themselves in Acryn’s bay, the Dragon gate now ensconced between the docks and the bay proper. Only a few buildings have been destroyed making way for it. They are quickly scooped up and taken for debriefing. In the immediate fallout Jimmy seems to have made himself invaluable to Strossbourg diplomatic efforts and when a convenient council position opens up (days after their return) he quickly manages to get the support together necessary to fill it. He also manages to ensure that the secret of operating the gate is kept mostly secret, with only a small number of trusted mages being set up on a rotation to ensure that anyone with Council permission can pass through the gate.

Shortly there after an official Acryn embassy is set up on Strossbourg (and a Strossbourg Embassy in Acryn). Unofficially, a waystone of Aetheyta is set up in the basement of the Acryn Embassy.

Strossbourg officials note that there does appear to be some issues involved with the moving of the Gate, as it will no longer open for as long as it use to, essentially limiting the number of people who can travel as the gate stays open for only 45 seconds and will then not re-open for an hour. Mages can for the most part find no reason for this behaviour, although both Vanessa and Ragnar will discover that the Gates simply do not “want” armies to be able to make use of them.

Effects

Vanessa
  • Within the consensus may use 1x Ranged HEAL ZERO per encounter. No longer has any fear about the fate of colleagues who have been downed.

Access to the Dragon Portal Insight epic tree.

Ragnar Thane
  • Access to the Primal epic tree, and the Magically-Induced quirk (meaning he must consume a mana-crystal before every adventure in order to have access to his Primal skills and 1 mana crystal to have access to his 4 Gaze of the Gods per adventure).
  • Access to the Dragon Portal Insight epic tree.
  • Access to the Lost Rite Epic Tree (Rite of Manipulation)
Eric Luckner
  • Geas to Atheyta: Ensure a waystone is enshrined in both Valydd and Strossbourg. (Mechanical effect to come)
Jimmy Hoskins
  • Gains the Counciller quirk.
resources/adventure/dragon_gate_of_valydd.txt · Last modified: 2017/03/30 20:33 by toml