41st of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
With most of the household finally recovering from another batch of the "Talislanta Pox," this time a strain of flu that wrecked havoc on the adventurers otherworldly immune systems, a visit by a near-giddy Kannex surprised them all, especially since Rolf and Norm were already out and about, retrieving yet another random regent, ingredient, or knick-knack for their experiment.
"My friends," the Tanasian wizard motioned everyone closer, "I bring you... progress."
He chalked up the main floor of the brothel in strange patterns. He set up the magic purifiers they had obtained from Silvanus at certain points outside the drawings and placed carved hunks of amber crystalline in between them. There were candles, somatic components, and even audience participation as Kannex got everyone to chant.
Eventually, a small magical portal, no bigger than a human fist, formed in the middle of the room, about six inches off the group.
"My friends, I have tirelessly researched our predicament since you arrived in Talislanta, I have discovered secrets that have laid dormant since before the fall of the Archaens (which I know you guys have no clue who they were. Very powerful. Very long ago.). "
"Look through the portal, and you will see the lot where the Pleasure House stood in Hydincall."
Only one or two people could look at a time, but all were amazed that they could see old leather shop that stood beside the brothel.
"I can transport things between the worlds. Just not big things, for everyone's safety."
"My biggest delays in this process have been finding ways to get everyone home... safe. My last two teleports have been done in error, and luckily I survived. Intentionally recreating the ritual for your return, using the stable Heka levels of my world, requires... amplification and stabilization of what I can do. Rolf and Norm are already guaranteeing I have enough supplies to conduct it. I have two more items, and time is of the essence. "
"Deep within the Wilderlands of Zaran, there lies an ancient citadel that once belonged to Kroxous, a necromancer of the Archaen Age. His mortal form is long gone, but something still resides in there terrorizing man, beast-man, and even devils that wander the wasteland. If the stronghold is still protected then the Orb of Kroxous still resides within."
"The Orb is what you commoners would call a crystal ball, but from a dimension that even the Shaitan and Demons fear to mention. Get the orb, and I'll have a way of harnessing enough power to get you home."
Our heroes:
Ashe: Elven Ranger
Alexi: Sarista Rogue
Kane: Water-Controlling Mystic from the lands far east of Crosedes.
Babette: Street thief from Hydincall
Darius - NPC - Sarista Rogue, alternating between the alias "Yuri" and his real name. Interest of lust with Babette
Upon pledging her desire to retrieve the orb, Babette dropped another bombshell: She wasn't suffering from the effects of the Talislanta Pox. She was pregnant, and suffering morning sickness. Darius (or Yuri, depending on his whim) was the father.
42nd of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
Darius/Yuri could not be found anywhere on the property. Babette was upset, but still agreed to go on the mission.
43rd of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
Abn Qua was apparently running out of connections, or windships, as the one that arrived to take them, the Flying Erd, left a lot to be desired, both structurally and with its crew. However, it was quick and small enough to hide from whatever was terrorizing the stronghold.
1st of Ardan, N.A. 151 The Citadel of Kroxous, Wilderlands of Zaran
To celebrate the new year, the Flying Erd finally reached its destination, a large stone fortress that appeared to have fallen in on itself... The captain landed the ship, allowed our heroes to disembark with very specific instructions.
We will remain aloft over this very spot. We shall not move unless attacked. We will only land to pick you up if you return alone. Any threat, whether a Za raider or a spawn of Tarturus, and I will cut the ropes and come back when it is safe.
3rd of Ardan, N.A. 151 The Citadel of Kroxous, Wilderlands of Zaran
An excerpt from The Nexi of Parallel Worlds by Horotio the Halfblooded (1139 Georic Calendar):
Of the many cross-world forays that I have been able to document, the Assault on the Citadel of Kroxous is one that I have been woefully deficient in obtaining many specific facts. Four adventurers two male, one female, and a native of unclear gender from that world, pierced the undead defenses and entered the lower levels of the ancient dungeons. They encountered Kroxous, or what mystical element remained of him, and attempted to seize the Orb of Kroxous for their own needs.
Except the Orb appeared to be powering an adjacent gate. As the party got closer, something large and not within the comprehension of mortal man pulled the orb into the gate. The sight of the being drove two in the party completely mad. It is documented that the elf known only as Ashe reached through the portal and fought off the entity just enough to bring to orb back to their current dimension. This heroic effort, and peer into the void beyond, caused his hair to immediately turn white, and possibly a part of his mind, if not his soul, was torn from him.
There is positively nothing mentioned, in written or oral histories, of what happened after the Orb was obtained, although there are later stories of the individuals, so it can be assumed that at least some survived.
There is also nothing listed in any journal or lexicon within the libraries of man that discusses this event. I can only rely on the recollection in oral history form that has not been hindered by the years past or the sanity lost from such an event. I give credence to those words as a researchers despite my obvious bias towards the source. The woman in the expedition, Babette of Hydincall, was my Grandmother. She never spoke anymore than what I put down on these pages, but I'm quite certain in my heart and in my mind, that I do not wish to know more....
DM Notes: This is one of those sessions that has been lost to time. I remember a small contingent of players, some Cthulhu-esque creature beyond a magical gate, and Ashe's hair turning white while saving someone/recovering something going through the portal. The saddest part has been that my original notes were long lost, so all I had were the scant memories of the players, and my hazy recollection of a non-TSR module with a hooded figure holding an axe.
More than three months after receiving the Journal and starting the process to post it onto the blog, a random Google search brought up a different obscure cover of a module I would be using later in the campaign (approximately episode #35 right now). A little more searching I found the true cover I was misremembering:
The Harbinger of Darkness by Underworld Games
There's very few mentions of the module, and the minimum price I've found for a copy is $65, so I won't be snagging one up to flesh out the details.
NEXT #24 - Into the Tombs
With most of the household finally recovering from another batch of the "Talislanta Pox," this time a strain of flu that wrecked havoc on the adventurers otherworldly immune systems, a visit by a near-giddy Kannex surprised them all, especially since Rolf and Norm were already out and about, retrieving yet another random regent, ingredient, or knick-knack for their experiment.
"My friends," the Tanasian wizard motioned everyone closer, "I bring you... progress."
He chalked up the main floor of the brothel in strange patterns. He set up the magic purifiers they had obtained from Silvanus at certain points outside the drawings and placed carved hunks of amber crystalline in between them. There were candles, somatic components, and even audience participation as Kannex got everyone to chant.
Eventually, a small magical portal, no bigger than a human fist, formed in the middle of the room, about six inches off the group.
"My friends, I have tirelessly researched our predicament since you arrived in Talislanta, I have discovered secrets that have laid dormant since before the fall of the Archaens (which I know you guys have no clue who they were. Very powerful. Very long ago.). "
"Look through the portal, and you will see the lot where the Pleasure House stood in Hydincall."
Only one or two people could look at a time, but all were amazed that they could see old leather shop that stood beside the brothel.
"I can transport things between the worlds. Just not big things, for everyone's safety."
"My biggest delays in this process have been finding ways to get everyone home... safe. My last two teleports have been done in error, and luckily I survived. Intentionally recreating the ritual for your return, using the stable Heka levels of my world, requires... amplification and stabilization of what I can do. Rolf and Norm are already guaranteeing I have enough supplies to conduct it. I have two more items, and time is of the essence. "
"Deep within the Wilderlands of Zaran, there lies an ancient citadel that once belonged to Kroxous, a necromancer of the Archaen Age. His mortal form is long gone, but something still resides in there terrorizing man, beast-man, and even devils that wander the wasteland. If the stronghold is still protected then the Orb of Kroxous still resides within."
"The Orb is what you commoners would call a crystal ball, but from a dimension that even the Shaitan and Demons fear to mention. Get the orb, and I'll have a way of harnessing enough power to get you home."
Our heroes:
Ashe: Elven Ranger
Alexi: Sarista Rogue
Kane: Water-Controlling Mystic from the lands far east of Crosedes.
Babette: Street thief from Hydincall
Darius - NPC - Sarista Rogue, alternating between the alias "Yuri" and his real name. Interest of lust with Babette
Upon pledging her desire to retrieve the orb, Babette dropped another bombshell: She wasn't suffering from the effects of the Talislanta Pox. She was pregnant, and suffering morning sickness. Darius (or Yuri, depending on his whim) was the father.
42nd of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
Darius/Yuri could not be found anywhere on the property. Babette was upset, but still agreed to go on the mission.
43rd of Zar, N.A. 150 The Pleasure House of Duane Alberhold, Cymril
Abn Qua was apparently running out of connections, or windships, as the one that arrived to take them, the Flying Erd, left a lot to be desired, both structurally and with its crew. However, it was quick and small enough to hide from whatever was terrorizing the stronghold.
1st of Ardan, N.A. 151 The Citadel of Kroxous, Wilderlands of Zaran
To celebrate the new year, the Flying Erd finally reached its destination, a large stone fortress that appeared to have fallen in on itself... The captain landed the ship, allowed our heroes to disembark with very specific instructions.
We will remain aloft over this very spot. We shall not move unless attacked. We will only land to pick you up if you return alone. Any threat, whether a Za raider or a spawn of Tarturus, and I will cut the ropes and come back when it is safe.
3rd of Ardan, N.A. 151 The Citadel of Kroxous, Wilderlands of Zaran
An excerpt from The Nexi of Parallel Worlds by Horotio the Halfblooded (1139 Georic Calendar):
Of the many cross-world forays that I have been able to document, the Assault on the Citadel of Kroxous is one that I have been woefully deficient in obtaining many specific facts. Four adventurers two male, one female, and a native of unclear gender from that world, pierced the undead defenses and entered the lower levels of the ancient dungeons. They encountered Kroxous, or what mystical element remained of him, and attempted to seize the Orb of Kroxous for their own needs.
Except the Orb appeared to be powering an adjacent gate. As the party got closer, something large and not within the comprehension of mortal man pulled the orb into the gate. The sight of the being drove two in the party completely mad. It is documented that the elf known only as Ashe reached through the portal and fought off the entity just enough to bring to orb back to their current dimension. This heroic effort, and peer into the void beyond, caused his hair to immediately turn white, and possibly a part of his mind, if not his soul, was torn from him.
There is positively nothing mentioned, in written or oral histories, of what happened after the Orb was obtained, although there are later stories of the individuals, so it can be assumed that at least some survived.
There is also nothing listed in any journal or lexicon within the libraries of man that discusses this event. I can only rely on the recollection in oral history form that has not been hindered by the years past or the sanity lost from such an event. I give credence to those words as a researchers despite my obvious bias towards the source. The woman in the expedition, Babette of Hydincall, was my Grandmother. She never spoke anymore than what I put down on these pages, but I'm quite certain in my heart and in my mind, that I do not wish to know more....
DM Notes: This is one of those sessions that has been lost to time. I remember a small contingent of players, some Cthulhu-esque creature beyond a magical gate, and Ashe's hair turning white while saving someone/recovering something going through the portal. The saddest part has been that my original notes were long lost, so all I had were the scant memories of the players, and my hazy recollection of a non-TSR module with a hooded figure holding an axe.
More than three months after receiving the Journal and starting the process to post it onto the blog, a random Google search brought up a different obscure cover of a module I would be using later in the campaign (approximately episode #35 right now). A little more searching I found the true cover I was misremembering:
The Harbinger of Darkness by Underworld Games
NEXT #24 - Into the Tombs
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