Our heroes, the De Facto Explorers, have decided to embark on an epic quest to reach Lathar's long-lost father, Harkonn. After side-quests, distractions, and backtracking, the group has made it past Fair-Town and KIA Academy, and they've just encountered a large blue luminescent phenomena and met a cryptic glass like translucent being, the Third Reflection of the Ninth Crossing.
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Lathar Bracken: A pure-strain human from River Bend. He's got the muscle, the face, and a mount for most encounters. Lathar's trusty beast of burden, No Name, travels wherever he does. Looking for trouble in all the right places. The two-time champion of the Fair-Town Queen's Joust. Recently married to the now-pregnant Thunnelda Haycock. He had recently received a letter from his long-lost father, and has convinced the others to accompany him to the Wildlands.
Sneaky Pete: A mutated weasel scout. Pete's telepathy and night vision take a backseat when he whips out his electrical powers. Apparently addicted to his newly uncovered yellow powder found at "The Pool House"
Sonny Helianthus: an over 10' tall sentient sunflower artifact examiner with four arms, and trusted Restorationist ties. Knowledgeable, but not a good one with device repairs or upgrades. Sonny may have recently detonated an atomic device in the petrified woods... although no one else knows.
Slitheran Wurmtail (aka Squiggles): a mutated earthworm scout, in impromptu power armor, looking for trouble in all the wrong places, and finding it often. He has been subject to genetic testing and developed super-human strength, a more human body, and a thick coat of shaggy white hair. Recently attacked and kidnapped then left for dead by an unknown group, looking for revenge. Also pregnant for the third time, and due to deliver badly out of season
Poppy and Speedy: Two of Squiggles' offspring from his first... litter(?) They're now teenagers in worm years, old enough to grab diminutive muskets and help their Manchi and his friends on this epic quest.
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When the Third Reflection of Ninth Crossing exited the blue aura and walked past Sneaky Pete and towards the hills and woods away from the river.
The rest of the Explorers emerged out of the aura... Sonny seemed dead-set to follow the being into the foothills. The others had concerned, specifically that they had left supplies and equipment in the dome inside the blue aura, as they ran for their lives.
Sonny scurried up the hill towards the Third Reflection...
"Wait"
The Third Reflection stopped at the crest of the hill for just a moment and spoke quietly and directly towards the sunflower.
"Someone is missing a decision."
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| The Third Reflection of the Ninth Crossing |
The being began walking at a agonizing slow-motion stride. It was enough for Sonny to walk closer up to it and asked a direct question.
"Who is the he that you mentioned to me before?"
"Please, don't make me say his name. Names anchor... Sonny."
Sonny came back down the hill, "Pete, you stay here. If it takes off faster, follow it."
Speedy stayed with Pete to watch the slowly moving entity. Pete stayed on high alert, keeping the same distance and snail-like pace of the glass-being, searching for traps and ambushes along every inch (and it had time)...
The rest crossed the blue barrier and fetched the equipment they left inside the dome. No-Name had no desire to enter the phenomenon, so it took a number of trips to lug everything and pack most of it properly. By the time they were packed up and followed the faint trail where The Third Reflection wandered off to, followed by Pete. They found Pete with a full furry face covered in the yellow powder he was addicted to.
Once the Third Reflection realized everyone was following them, they resumed a more reasonable walking pace.
They walked through the wooded foothills through the early morning hours. Thankfully the Third Reflection always took a reasonable path through the untamed wilds, avoiding significant drops and impassable undergrowth. It was still not easy-going.
Pete's drug-addled paranoia was fueled even further a mile or three from the river.
Birds started singing again.
Then Pete saw the five figures atop a nearby hill. They all wielded spears, and wore loincloths and other other clothing made out of plants. They didn't appear to be fully human, but Sonny was the first to realize they were entirely green.
Sonny: They're green.... Greetings!
Pete: Are they plants.
Sonny: I don't think so....
Hello...
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| Two of the Five Green Men |
The largest of the Green Man was staring at the Third Reflection, who was still walking past them.
Why hello stranger....
The Third Reflection kept walking, but turned its head to acknowledged the Green Man
"It wasn't angry at first..."
Well... someone chose silence instead of correction... and that is why we are here...
It's no surprise that the Explorers were completely confused.
The Third Reflection stopped.
"I would like to be forgiven, even if it's not my fault"
The large Green Man motioned with arm, to a direction outside the purview of the Explorers...
You can sit by the fire... but not too close
And with that, the green being spoke directly at Sonny....
It doesn't belong here.
"Agreed!"
We will have it disappear
"Sounds violent?"
No...
"Do you know what it is?"
No, but it staying here will certainly create more violence
.
"What are you going to do?"
We are going to send it home.
"How?"
Very.... Very.... Carefully.
"Does it want to go home?"
I think it does....
The Third Reflection emerged from over the hill, recognizing the conversation was entirely about them.
Sonny: "Hey Third Reflection, do you want to go home?"
"I want to stay where I can be remembered without being needed."
"We'll remember you, Third. You can go home."
And for the first time, the being actually smiled.
"Third Reflection, theses guys are going to help you."
"I'm not afraid of thinning."
"We're going to mosey away, are you going to be okay."
"Yes"
The Third Reflection raised its hand up in the air, as they originally greeted Sonny.
The rest of you need to return to the blue world, let us handle the green. That blue is unnatural, the green is predictable, the reason for your four arms, the weasels nervousness, the human's sorrow, and the worm's scanning above as well as below...
"You're not going to hurt him, right?"
I don't think we could if we tried.
Go back to the river... Rest. I do not know where you're going, but you will need all the rest you can.
The Explorers turned, ready to backtrack their path towards the river. They could hear Third Reflection from the other side of the hill.
"The ground remembers me..."
The decided to turn to the river early, but they did notice that the blue aura fading away as the sun began to rise.
Exhausted, they found a safe spot downriver. Squiggles, for the first time, dug a shallow burrow and curled up beside his children.
Pete set up a bed among the tree branches.
Lathar and No-Name laid down further from the river, leaning up against each other, falling asleep to a single word in his head...
"Downstream"
Even Sonny, who doesn't sleep, promised guard duty, but ended up in a trance.
All of them dreamed of a large sneak of weasels, surrounded by trees, but a large concrete wall further away....
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| A peculiar shared dream |
GM Notes: I did not have any clue what to do with the Third Reflection, but the group actually rolled for a random encounter, and late night Gren seemed to put an end to this plot line for now. I also forgot that part of the group encountered Gren when travelling in the foothills beyond Riverbend.
Next: #131 -
