Act 1: Choices
Phase 0: Transitions
Phase 1: Choices- Phase 1.1: Prophecy
- Phase 1.2: War
Phase 2: Divisions
Phase 3: Quests- Phase 3.1: Tides
- Phase 3.2: Destiny
- Session 101: Aftermath
- Session 102: Traveling
- Session 103: Major City, Minor Village
- Session 104: Sights
- Session 105: Heat
- Session 106: Live and Die By the Desert's Rules
- Session 107: Stealing Hearts
- Session 108: Diggers
- Session 109: Desert Ruination Part I
- Session 110: Desert Ruination Part II
- Session 111: Desert Ruination Part III
- Session 112: Desert Ruination Part IV
- Session 113: Balanced in Blood
- Session 114: Big Trouble in Little Oas
- Session 115: Of Gods and Zealous Generals
- Session 116: Destiny Awaits
- Session 117: What Thieves Value
- Session 118: Different Directions
- Session 119: Old Friends
- Session 120: Movement Within Confinement
- Session 121: Waste Makes Haste
- Session 122: Objects of Power
- Session 123: Stoned
- Session 124: Set Sail For Adventure!
Phase 4: Darkness
Phase 5: Light- Phase 5.1: Searching
- Phase 5.1.2: Events
- Phase 5.2: Headway
- Phase 5.3: Truths
Phase 6: Changes
Phase 7: Hunts
Phase 8: Preparations
Phase 9: Prophecies
- Phase 9.1: Holy
- Phase 9.2: Night
- Phase 9.3: The First Trinity
Phase 10: Godwar
Phase 11: Others
Act 2: Consequences
Mini Series: Heart of Terra
Location: PAX / The Ruins
The crew onboard the PAX continues to mourn the death of Athena Zhenmei. The Older Erevis visits to see her daughter, now frozen on the brink of true death while Megumi sits, dwelling in front of Athena's resting place. She hands Megumi the data needed to recreate a body, something done for her in a now long gone future timeline. The Younger Erevis meanwhile sits with her children in the kitchen while Jennifer offers to cook. Jennifer feeds the girls fish and encourages them to cheer up and believe in Athena's revival. Her encouragement is disrupted when she gets a message to meet in London in a week's time, the signer a mysterious "WC". Jennifer contacts Cheryl to let her know about the situation.
Meanwhile on Tareh, Jean's group emerges from a ruins into a chilled forest. After Jean helps Gemane and Sony reach into Aschae's mind and break her out of her sorrows, they find that Lenneth has left Aschae a message, to head to Sinai. Nephilim leads Sia and Thomas out of the ruins and the group, reformed, with a Tal'Ka strangely missing, resolve to head out West towards Kalah, a supply point most take before heading North.
In the plains of Oas, the villagers recover and rest after their ordeal in the caverns. Jean contacts Zeal to tell her to come to their aid up north in the capital of Sinai, however, Zeal decides instead to stay in Oas and help them get started on rebuilding. This choice causes Rachael, Mercy, and Carly to decide to remain behind as well, leaving Kaelan, Valen and Seth to set out North on their own. However, before they are to part the group agrees to rest, and Yewn and Wynne, two new friends announce their intention to marry, starting off the building of Oas with a cheery occasion. Adding to the tumult, Kaelan proposes to Mercy and they agree to marry before they leave, setting a large day to follow, two weddings before the group departs.
Location: The Woods
Kaelan and Mercy are wed and the group celebrates, rejoicing in the evening. Rachael's depression becomes apparent to Valen and he attempts to talk her out of it, ending in a smile from Rachael. Sadye finds herself dragged off by Swift, and Zeal falls prey to the antics of Carly. After an evening of rest, the group readies for departure, the three mounting horses and waiting for Kaelan to give her long goodbye to her newly wed wife before they depart. The three head North, moving towards the sands which will provide a definite barrier to meeting their friends once more.
Traveling onward, Jean's group find themselves attacked by a massive bearoar. As Thomas valiantly is mauled by the beast, Sia summons a Golem out of the dirt and commands it to beat down the beast, allowing Gemane and Tal'Ka to beat it to pieces, Aschae finishes it off by roasting it finely. Provided a freshly cooked meal, the group settles down to form a camp.
Date: 2389.7.11
Team Jean arrives at Kalah and settle in at the local inn. Tal'Ka goes to check out the Hunter's guild and learns of a S-Class monster on the loose, and races out to meet the challenge. The others chase after him, and eventually must chase after Rose as she catches the scent of the monster and races for it. The combatants engage the monster, a constructed, metal horror. Between Nephilim's songs and strikes, Sia's Golem (now named Albert), Aschae's arsenal of spells, Rose's powerful attacks, Tal'Ka's claws and Gemane's power, the group starts to beat down the beast. However their fight is interrupted when a red haired man bearing a mysterious crest leaps in and decapitates the monster. He allows them to take the trophy and credit however, moving off. Sia wonders if the man isn't a descendant of McTreggor, a fabled monster Hunter of considerable prowess. They discuss monsters as they head back to town. Nephilim turns in the head to claim the glory and the rest move for a tavern to eat.
Traveling Northwards, the trio come across a village on the edge of disaster, death permeates the air and Kaelan, Seth and Valen learn the village is under constant village attack. They soon agree to help defend the village and Valen begins to formulate his strategy while Kaelan listens. They intend to hold the village during the next attack, then track down the monster lair to destroy it.
Session 103: Major City, Minor Village
Location: Inn
Jean's group finishes a night of resting and goes out to finish preparing to leave. While Thomas steps out to check on some things the rest of the group goes to see about hiring horses and finds something terrible... none of them know how to ride a horse! Brainstorming the decide to see about getting a cart together if Thomas can drive one and finish up their shopping in order to meet up with him. Sia and Jean also purchase a story book from a shop while they are out.
Valen, Kaelan and Seth, along with their Oasian friends defend the village as planned against a monster invasion. As they struggle to battle the monsters, the surprisingly clever beasts take out the lights leaving the group to battle in chaos. Tides turn swiftly when Kaelan activates Anima T, scaring the monsters away from the village with a roar. Seth takes off after the monsters to stay on their trail as Valen attempts to tie up a deertard to make into his friend later, Kaelan then take him in hand with Anima T and the two head after Seth.
Jean's group meets back up in the inn and to their dismay they find that Thomas cannot drive a cart. However, a hired carriage is suggested and in the end, the group packs up and hires the carriage with Nephilim's money. Having to take two carts due to the size of the group, they split up and ride off.
Valen's team winds up at a cave, the beasts retreating inside. The three follow and fail to notice the trap until it's too late. Rocks block the way back out and beasts attack them in the dark. All three suffering wounds as beasts pounce. As Kaelan and Valen fight to free themselves, Seth lights the enemy atop him on fire, giving them all light. Seth battles the creature off him as Kaelan and Valen take on new enemies. After Seth lights the room up more with another burning Tigroar, the monsters retreat, and after a moment, they see a wave of water flooding in to drown them in the trapped cavern. Kaelan throws Anima T to Valen and activates it, and all goes black for them.
Jean's group stops to camp and relax, Sia having to play coy to keep the drivers from reacting in fear when Kaji escapes her. They settle down around the fires to talk and spend some quiet time together.
Kaelan, Valen and Seth awaken outside the cave, Anima T having burst the cavern and thrown them out before dismissing. After they double check to make sure the monsters can't get free of the cavern, they head back to the village in order to receive their praise and rewards for a job well done, well, mostly done. They part ways with the village and head North again.
Location: Tal's Group - Plains
Valen's group arrives at the city of Accona and after Seth shifts to Sadye, and Valen and Kaelan take on the guise of Oasian guardians, the group passes through the gates unhindered, however they note their faces are once again found on wanted posters. The party of five discuss preparing for desert travel and once Kaelan has a shopping list, Valen moves to sell the horses meant for plains travel. After a bad attempt at negotiations by Kaelan, the group settles on the gold they get and move on to find an inn. Wynne begins to try and teach Valen a little social tact, he however races away from the group to chase a pickpocket. Yewn heads after him and the two begin to get lost in the city, discovering a Thieves Guild.
Kaelan finishes up the shopping while Valen epically stalks the city for his missing gold, once they group meets back up, they get the gold they need for a Device, an object that will warn them of danger in the sands and, as an added bonus for the version they seek, also tell them of any ore deposits in the sand. While Valen heads to the seedier areas of the city to seek out the contraband item, Kaelan goes with Wynne to see the Gypsies about travel. When they arrive however, they ask for a Talisman and Kaelan finds herself unable to give them anything appropriate. Realizing she might have some connection, somehow that will help them, she roots about for an answer she just can't put to tongue. The Gypsies leave them and Kaelan heads back to report her failure.
It's then she's told that a connection to Nephilim would have sufficed, and Kaelan realizes she's blonde. They end up settling on getting desert horses to travel on, the upside being that on horseback they will more likely find ore detected by their device. They settle down to rest and wait for morning to get the horses and travel, Valen and Seth to a room, and Kaelan joining the other girls.
Jean's group arrives at the desert sands as well, Nephilim using her talisman of a coin cut on both sides, they are warmly greeted by the Gypsies waiting there. They choose to hire a Desert Serpent, a creature capable of safely traveling the wastes quickly. Settling down to camp the night with the Gypsies, they party and drink, enjoying themselves.
Location: Accona
Kaelan's group purchases a team of five horses to journey out over the sands on. After getting past the guards, the five set out across the sands. On their way they encounter a settlement around a watering hole, which they choose to avoid. After a while they come across their first patch of poisoned desert, the device warning them. As they discuss a way around the obstruction, they are attacked by a giant worm and Valen valiantly distracts it away from the group as they move. He is then eaten by the beast.
Jean's group boards the Desert Serpent and are treated to a very fast ride across the sands. The stop at one point to observe a desert worm making it's way by, the gypsies preferring to keep out of it's way. After it passes they move on, with little incident, save Tal'Ka learning Earth Magic, they arrive at Sinai. As they prepare to rest, Thomas heads into the city with Tal'Ka to look into ruins groups headed to the West of the city, as Jean feels a pull out there. The others follow Nephilim.
Session 106: Live and Die By the Desert's Rules
Location: Sinai
After a night of partying and drinking in the camp, as Nephilim chose to go there first, her group enters Sinai. As they discuss things and have a good time still, giddy from the festivities, they join in some dancing on the streets, during which Rose goes missing. They track her down to find her outside a tavern. A cat purse starts sneaking out of the inn, a small child it would seem, and Nephilim accosts her thinking the pickpocket has taken something of theirs. After a dramatic chase on rooftops, the girl winds up going down to the street where those, like Sia and Jean who cannot perform free running, are already waiting. The girl is tackled and accosted by Nephilim, after some interrogation they find the girl is in fact one of Zeal's Orphans.
She tells them of a new orphanage founded after the Templars stepped in, and the team has the girl lead them on. As they move, they run into a group of nobles. Seeing them attempting to rape a couple girls, Angel takes over and the group disables the bodyguards and kills them along with their noble. Some think this is too much, but the Angel expresses no mercy towards rapists.
Traveling on they find the orphanage in question, bring run by the vampire and elven girls that they rescued at the Church Base. They tell them that after they lost touch with Lenneth, she took them all here to be safe, and left the message that if she did not return soon, to assume she was now an enemy. The group resolves to wait for Lenneth there, staying the night and resting.
Location: Lenn Orphanage
Leaving the orphanage to see about meeting up with Thomas, the group, rejoined by Tal'ka, Gemane, and Aschae move out. They meet Thomas at the front gates, as he finishes discussing something with some men. Informing them he's found some leads on Digger groups, they head out to the gypsies to collect the things they left behind. Nephilim makes her payment to the gypsies and some of the gypsies men hit on Nephilim, Jean and Sia when she expresses interest in being a Gypsie.
Kaelan's group runs into a Sand Worm once more, however, this one keels over dead, revealing Valen inside, having slain the worm. The group expresses joy at their friend not being worm food as they help him recover and figure out travel minus one horse. The beast, who was carrying a treasure chest, yields it's bounty to the ever treasure obsessed Yewn. Inside they find some statues, a ruby necklace and a book. Yewn takes the necklace and Kaelan suggest to bring the book to Thomas. The book, as Valen and Kaelan discover, seems to be about sexual positions, spawning conversation about some of the characters orientations, and scolding at Seth for being himself.
On the way back, Nephilim scolds and teases the poor girl they captured the night before, trying to teach her a lesson. This somehow results in the girl getting naked, stealing Nephilim's gold, and running off towards the gates. The group avoids suspicion by claiming the girl is Nephilim's crazy kid and they charge after her. After catching up and recovering the goods, they begin to head back to the orphanage when a thief attempts to take the gold. Nephilim takes down the thief, named Leruste, and the group finds themselves surrounded by Guild thieves intending a little back alley justice.
Just as all seems to be not going well, the leader of the Thieves Guild, Ruun, steps forward and recognizes Nephilim, orders a stand down. After identifying the Angel, Ruun shows she has no interest in turning her in. She takes the group to a Thief Safe House, where they can rest and relax, and get to know Ruun better, as well as this mysterious Leruste.
Location: Sinai Capital; Thieves Guild
Jean's group awakens after a restful night and is sitting around a table getting things in order. Thomas looks over some ruins schematics, which Sia takes interest in. Ruun discusses what they are to do next and offers them shelter in the various safe houses, asking them to stay low so that her city is not in danger of godly presence. The group agrees and Thomas makes a hasty exit, acting very irritable as of late.
Kaelan's group heads along, having to decide between two evils, two hours out of the way to reach water or remain on course for water in 5 hours, risking dehydration. They agree to play it safe and head off course, when a sandstorm hits. Seeing shelter in the horizon, they race towards the structure in an effort to save their own lives. Getting in with Seth and Kaelan's mounts, they all make it in before the sandstorm hits, but the wagon is knocked over. They wait out the storm in the darkness of a ruins.
As Jean's group moves out to join a Digger caravan, Leruste runs into his ex, Ial. After she approaches the group, Ial recognizes the Angel and shows that she wants to turn her in. This leaves Leruste the choice of helping her or Jean, and he decides to stop Ial. The two brawl, and just as it looks like Leruste will have to face an entire gang of cronies, Ial and her cronies collapse. Angel, having knocked them out, goes with Runn and Leruste to figure out what to do with them. On Leruste's word, Angel decides to spare them for now and leave Ial locked up. The group then heads for the caravans again.
Kaelan's group looks about the ruins and discovers some water, which Yewn gulps down, gives most of the rest to Wynne, and as Valen declines, Kaelan finishes off, leaving Seth with none. The storm stops and Kaelan has them dig a small hole out so they can get out of the ruins sans horses. Once out, Kaelan uses Anima T to dig up the dead horses bodies and the cart, which they recover most of the belongings from, and Seth carves up the horses for their water, meat, and importantly to him, their fresh blood. Kaelan finishes digging things out and they mount the surviving two horses to the cart. Now having only the cart to travel on, they continue forward, hoping for a break soon.
Session 109: Desert Ruination Part I
Location: Digger Carriages
Jean's group arrives at the dig site and moves to make camp, setting up tents and getting to know the people around them a little. Unfortunately that means realizing they're surrounded by men who haven't seen women in ages, save a few they have working under them. Nephilim takes a girl under her wing, Tranquility the Maid, and hires her on for a better price then the Diggers can offer. This royally pisses off one of the more vocal diggers and after arguing with Nephilim, gets told off and starts to make plans.
In the desert, the group must choose to press on into the night or wait for morning before approaching the city of Sinai. At the insistence of Valen, they choose to rest for a short time and press on, low on food and water and with the feelings of danger on the rise, they are eager to hurry onward.
Team Jean delves into the ruins and explores untapped depths. They go in deep and find a hard to open doorway, as Thomas begins to work on it, Jean senses Nephilim in danger. The elven maiden having gotten separated while she looked about for loot, Nephilim finds herself at the mercy of the Digger and his cronies. Sia, Tal'Ka, and Leruste hurry to her rescue with Jean, killing most of the cronies in the process while Nephilim turns the man's torture around on him, castrating the man for his interest. Jean arrives just in time to witness this and reverts to the Angel in shock.
The group travels deeper inside to find a vault. Protected by ancient beams, the party gets past the first set due to the skills of Nephilim and Leruste, and in the following vault room, Angel goes in on her own seeing that the beams will not attack her personally for some reason. As she grabs her crystal, unlocking Ice Magic for the party, alarms ring, and the vault begins to close. The group rushes in to join her inside the vault. Once inside they find a new room, filled with glowing monitors and a map of Tareh with points outlined on the map, which Thomas and Sia quickly memorize before they shut themselves off. The Angel orders the room destroyed, lest the Gods find it. Sia uses Anima D to tear open the room and crush everything inside, then takes the group up the revealed pathway in the ceiling to a treasure room. Here they find special energy weapons and various artifacts.
In Sinai, Aschae and Gemane lay witness to Gods descending into the city. Angelus and Harbinger have arrived with Lenneth in their keeping. Aschae sends the Angel warning, they must get back, and in a hurry.
Session 110: Desert Ruination Part II
Location: Kalon's Group; Sinai Ruins
Jean's group makes their way out of the ruins and hurries to leave, they mimic sleep for a little while to wave away suspicion and then sneak out of the camp. Nephilim takes her new maid, Tranquility with her. The team moves out into the desert, having to dispatch a curious digger as they leave. Sia once again summons Anima D.
The groups sneak back to Sinai, Jean's group trades off using Anima D to quickly cover the sands in the dark of night. Trading spots and giving most of the team a chance at piloting the ancient device. Arriving back, they make their way into the city to meet up with Aschae's smaller group. Leruste breaks off from the group to go speak with Ial.
Kaelan's group races over the night sands in the cart. As they travel, monsters strike, Wynne getting grabbed, the team fights off desert Tigroars to save her, leaving Seth to fight a group of desert Scorpions on the cart. Overcoming the beasts, they converge together to find Wynne safe, having used a quick replacement with some meat to keep her captor from eating her. They reload onto the cart and head to Sinai. Getting through the guards, they arrive in the city and find themselves led away from danger by thieves. They climb to the rooftops in time to meet the rest of their friends. The group reunited, with the exception of Zeal's small detachment, the team has little time to rest.
As Kaelan jerks in fright at the idea of Harbinger, her old tormentor appearing in Sinai, the eyeless god speaks up and there's a flash of light, leaving them all in the darkness of unconsciousness.
Session 111: Desert Ruination Part III
Location: Church HQ
The team slowly recovers, finding themselves buried in stonework. The strong pushing aside rubble, the team is able to pull themselves out, but during the confusion, Harbinger grabs the Angel. Angelus joins the scene and holds off the group as Harbinger retreats with her, leaving the party with only one choice, to follow Harbinger and strike out at the Church stronghold. The group flees from a mass of Templars via the rooftops and a quick fight. Once they settle in an alleyway, taken there in a cart driven by Thomas, the group rallies themselves and comes up with a plan.
Sia, Kaelan and Nephilim driving the Animas, D, T, and E respectively, strike out at the fortress. Anima D strikes through the walls, providing the others an entrance into the Church. The Animas then wreck havoc, fighting off Templars and Templar Mages, until Harbinger arrives. Together the three battle it out, beating Harbinger back, until he places himself in front of a building full of innocent people. Feeling he's trumped the group, he begins to charge an attack. The three realize they can't attack, but that doesn't stop them from reaching in and crushing Harbinger on a more personal level. As they close in, Nephilim shoves Sia's Anima in front of her and Harbinger strikes, able to take them both out thanks to that change in placement. The Anima Gauntlets hit the ground and Harbinger takes them, he tries to summon E and finds that the Anima refuses to cooperate with him. He flees, leaving the three to escape. Kaelan uses T to get them to safety and the three slip into the underground.
Thomas' party breaks into the church, having to battle through heavily armored Templars. Gemane orders Seth into some of the armor and they use the poor man as a battering ram. They fight through a group of these before they feel their marks beginning to drain. The group rushes to get up to higher floors, making a hole through one and heading to a secret stair. As they make their way through, Leruste, having reached the Church with Kaelan's help, dodges his way past a group of Templars and races into the Church, following the chaos, he finds the group as they head to the secret stair. They fight their way past the stair guard. Seth exits his armor after being used as a battering ram once again to knock the guards over, and they head up to the final area.
Kaelan's group arrives in a safe house to rest, and begin to feel the drain. As Kaelan panics and wants to run to help Jean, Nephilim reminds her that they are too far and too weak to be any use. As they agree on that, Harbinger shows up, now with Parita as a hostage. Ial with them, reveals she managed to get free and sold them out to the gods. Harbinger holds the girl hostage, demanding the three surrender. As they kneel down to surrender, Ruun shows up and stabs the man holding Parita, freeing the girl. Harbinger turns to strike down Ruun, and Ial, in a sudden change of heart, flings her knives at the god. Harbinger kills Ial with a precautionary explosive on her back, but the dagger throw allows Kaelan to get through Harbinger's defenses and strikes him, as Nephilim stabs him with her new energy spear. The mortally wounded god flees, Nephilim chasing after her.
The group arrives at their goal, finding Angelus standing with a girl similar to Jean in looks. They look on as Lenneth stands over a screaming Jean, a dagger stabbed into the girl, slowly moving it to her heart.
Session 112: Desert Ruination Part IV
Location: Church HQ
The team looks on as Lenneth stabs into Jean more and more, Jean trying to summon her armor and powers, but unable due to her bindings. Angelus calls the groups attention to the other occupants of the room. Five Elite Templar-Guardians stand waiting for them. Large and imposing, wearing armor with no visible weak spots and wielding powerful weapons, these protectors of Archbishops close in on the group. Seth, trying to delay Lenneth, shoots her in the arm holding the dagger, this strangely doesn't stop her at all. Seth's second shot strikes Jean's bindings, freeing her as Aschae and Angelus begin to tangle.
Gemane and Rose work to destroy the armor on two of the combatants while Tal'Ka holds one off, Thomas working on another, Valen and Leruste dancing with the fifth. Seth begins to try and snipe when weaknesses erupt. Angelus and the Angel take the battle elsewhere, leaving Lenneth to handle a Templar while Tal'Ka winds up with a weakened Templar, whom Seth begins shooting. Having to weaken and destroy the armor of each one, the group eventually kills all five Elite templars. USing the herbs they have, they treat Rose, Lenneth, and Gemane, as well as Leruste's badly damaged leg. Valen races after Jean, to find himself face to face with the strange girl, who is possibly Angelus' daughter.
The girl, (whom we will call Naej for now), begins to take out the stairs around Valen when Seth arrives. The two begin to make their way up with Leruste and Tal'Ka make their way in after them, soon joined by Aschae. Aschae leads them in a rushed chase up the stairs and onto a walkway on the roof, where Angelus and Naej battle the Angel. At their interruption, Angelus attempts to collapse the roof on them, Aschae making her way magically across to him while Seth helps the others get across the crumbling floor. Valen and Tal'Ka step into the fight with Naej while Leruste and Seth find themselves combating Angelus when Aschae falls. The group, weakened from Jean draining them all in desperation, finds a second wind when Jean is knocked out of battle mode.
Kaelan, Sia and Tranquility go searching for Nephilim and find her after a large bang. Taking her back to the safe house, they discover she's killed Harbinger and gotten her revenge. The wait for the others, Ruun's body having vanished along with the thieves that died in the struggle, a problem when Parita comes looking for Ruun. She blames the Angel on Ruun's death, giving Kaelan a death look when Kaelan tries to apologize for it and calm the girl down.
As Angelus begins to see Naej losing, he calls out for something to strike the roof. Gemane goes over the side and Jean leaps after her, the others rush off the roof, Tal'Ka left behind fighting Naej. After struggling and pulling, the group makes it a safe distance before a brilliant light destroys the building and much around it. In the smoke, Aschae finds Jean's body, and Valen finds Rose. Beaten down, and the Angel apparently dead, the group retreats underground to lick their wounds and grieve. Sia curls up with Jean's body, reading to her, grieving in her own strange way over the death of her mistress as the others discuss their next move. It may be possible to get Jean back, but they will have to make a deal with Yeger.
They will have to deal with Death himself.
Session 113: Balanced in Blood
Location: Thief Guild.
The group heads out of the underground safehouse into the depths below the city of Sinai. As a group they move out into the darkness. Kaelan, Nephilim and Valen, along with Tranquility head off towards the center of the city while the rest of the group, lead by Lenneth, make their way through a series of tunnels and ruins to the golden access of a Temple.
Using Leruste's lockpicking skills, the team navigates through the door and into a fine temple, depicting the tales and legends of the God of Death, Yeger. After summoning him, they group finds themselves facing a shadow clad figure, who weezes and breathes out in a haggard tone, his face hidden in a mask of darkness. They come to find Yeger has little interest in direct interference, and informs them, after some conversation, that he cannot bring Jean back.
He cannot, because she is not dead. Her soul is in another body, in the body of one who shared a special bond with her. The group, all having lost their marks, safely rule themselves out as that vessel. They begin then to strike other bargains. Determining the value of a life, they make exchanges of years, Parita, the young elf, strikes a bargain for the life of Ruun. In return for her life, she gives Yeger thirty 'cycles' of her own. Leruste and Sia both ask about their loved ones, Ial and Mia respectively, and both decide not to make an exchange, Leruste finding it not right, Sia accepting that her sister paved her own way into death.
They return to the underground lair, Ruun returned to them, and a mission to get underway. Seth, having put the pieces together, informs them of his guess that Rachael is the vessel. This means they must travel to Oas, and to do that, they need to go after the trio searching for a Light Stone.
Those three, with their brave maid in tow, navigate a series of difficult ruins at the end of which they find a scar in the rock, a hole into darkness. Nephilim drops down into the dark and luckily finds a soft cushion below, Valen and Kaelan attempts a more sane, and safe rope climb down and there they find a Light Stone, covered in rocks. They begin to shift the pile.
Session 114: Big Trouble in Little Oas
Location: Thief Guild
Kaelan and Valen finish unearthing the stone as Nephilim lounges. When they're done, Neph attempts to use the stone, only to find it's blocking her attempts. She considers the possibilities and goes through alone after forcing it to work for her. She appears in the depths of water, and shocked, remains frozen just long enough to run out of air...
They wait, and Nephilim doesn't come back, after assuming something is preventing her, they begin to make their way back out. Meanwhile at the hideout, the group gets ready to go and heads out to track down the others, using Seth's demonic nose and a bit of luck. They follow the trail till they get lost, Seth picking up two traces of Valen's scent. Thankfully the screams of the ever brave Tranquility lead them to the three making their way out.
They all head down the hole and after some experimenting, they find Parita can operate the device. She sends Valen and Leruste through, and they discover themselves in deep water. Valen and Leruste slightly less shocked, swim, Valen having to help Leruste, and when he spots a floating body, attempts to retrieve it. They run out of air before reaching the surface...
The others wait, and after getting no response, study the device and one of them manages to activate it. Gemane getting control, creates a double of herself as a backup and heads through the stone to see what the matter is. She arrives on the other side in time to save the two brave scouts, unfortunately, too late to save Nephilim, who lays dead. She heads back to get the others, and they come up with a plan. Valen and Leruste rush out of the caves and head for Oas to find Rachael before it's too late.
The others, while waiting for Seth to get Thomas and Jean, formulate a plan to have the swimmers guide the others with ropes. Gemane is perplexed to find that her double has seperated from her entirely, becoming a second Gemane. As they ready to go, the wall nearby them bursts open and Angelus arrives with a brainwashed Tal'Ka. The group has a quick battle where they lure Tal'Ka onto the platform and vanish, leaving Angelus in rage. They come out in the water, where the water destroys the device controlling Tal'Ka. They surface and head for Oas.
At Oas they learn that Zeal was struck by a poison arrow and taken by a Templar General. The group readies to follow, Valen having gone ahead before sundown. Kaelan is reunited with Mercy, Carly decides to step down from her duties as Mini-Chief to follow after her hot momma, and the team takes a brief rest as horses are prepared for them.
Session 115: Of Gods and Zealous Generals
Location: Oasian Grasslands
Valen rides in the darkness, accosted by hungry tigroars in the dark. As he battles them for ownership over the fallen body of Nephilim, Rachael finds him in the night. Valen starts a fire and Rachael uses powerful magical arts to bring Nephilim back from the dead. The three aren't reunited happily for long however, as Templars close about them in the dead of night. Surrounded by enemies who are led by a God-General, they have little choice but to surrender.
The others embark out into the dark of night to follow Valen on horseback. The much larger group has little issue with the monsters, who prefer easier prey, until one takes a lunge at Parita. Saved by Gemane and the valiant Leruste, they travel on, hurrying when they catch sight of the smoke from fires started when Valen used Templar Lightning to defeat the monsters. Using Water Magic, Aschae and Sia defeat the flames to see the Templars in the distance. The group decides to attempt to grab the others and make a break for it, using the Animas to gain footing against this new God-General.
Valen, Rachael and Nephilim soon discover the God-General has an apprentice in training, Zeal, under the influence of a magical helmet. When three Anima rise up in the night and attack, the Templars are ready, powerful magic assaulting the three. Leruste finds himself assaulted in Anima E by Zeal as Sia breaks out of the magical attack, Kaelan's T however isn't strong enough and collapses, leaving the girl to retrieve the gauntlet in the dark. Fighting breaks out as the others meet the charge of the Templars and the God-General. Thomas faces the General head-on while the others duke it out with targets. Gemclo takes a horse and gathers up the three in trouble. Lenneth, who has rapidly started to show signs of aging and stigma, tackles Zeal off Leruste and the Anima E gauntlet, Sia, in panic, throws a fist down at the too, too late realizing what Lenneth has done, putting them both out and injuring Lenneth further.
Sadye watches in horror as Swift, who decided to join them in taking back Zeal, is killed by a Templar, stabbed through the heart. Sia's mech finally gives way and she falls, having to dig her gaunlet free of a pile of corpses. As she does the God General turns his eyes on her, she calls forth her Golem, Albert to slow him down, and after a moment of confusion in missing her getaway horse, manages to join Tal'ka and Gemclo on horseback to flee. Having what they came for, the group scatters into the dark, running to find safety away from the Templars.
Laying both Rachael and Angel together, the Angel's soul finds it's way back into her body, at great pain to Rachael. The group treats the wounded and has quiet repast in which they lick their wounds, resting for a short time before agreeing to head north, into the dark and away from the Templars, back to Sinai under the Angel's orders.
Location: Sinai Grasslands (Also known as the Oasian Grasslands)
The group heads northwards, the Angel tells them they have something important to do in Sinai, that when they reach there, they will be asked a difficult question, and they will have to decide upon which of two groups to remain in, one to follow the Angel, one will not. She states that even Demons like Seth will have to accept marks if they follow her from that point on, but gives them no further detail. As they travel, she drops the subject and the group spends time talking and getting caught up with one another.
They arrive in Accona with no problems, the guards seem to no longer be looking for followers of the Angel. However, as they are in a hurry, the group does their shopping quickly, gathering food and supplies that they need and getting in a hot meal together before approaching the Gypsies. Kaelan apologizes to the men she failed to impress before, now interested as she travels with the famous Nephilim, who charms them all onto a lizardback ride. After feasting and dancing, the group gets on for a ride, heading to Sinai.
As they travel the sands they continue to discuss things, some baring their souls to their friends or just making light conversation. Some brood, some enjoy themselves, the team having a rare calm moment with which to think in. Sia discusses both the Animas and her friendship with the Angel, with Angel, while Aschae and Lenneth talk about themselves and their future. The Lizard gets them there in record time compared to when Kaelan, Seth and Valen travelled across those same sands.
The Gypsies get the group into the city under the guise of Gypsies going to get food and goods, they divert to a safehouse of the Theives Guild and settle down to rest. The Angel decides to delay one more evening before discussing the troubling matter she has held for days.
In the morning, decisions will be made, a future will be chosen.
Session 117: What Thieves Value
Location: Thief Guild
Morning comes and Zeal is missing, only stabbed sheets and bloodied remains in her wake. The group is troubled, but before going to look for her they sit to hear what the Angel has to tell them. She has a simple plan, splitting the group up to reduce numbers and make them harder to find. She decides to send a group up North to the Wastes to find one of her Gems as she takes another group out to begin research into their enemies, the gods.
Zeal returns and explains the blood and mess were all a series of silly accidents, and eventually, due to her inability to choose, the Angel elects her to lead the group going North. Kaelan, Mercy, Thomas, Tal'Ka, Rose, and Gemclo all decide to follow her, those listed with marks have them removes, so Zeal can be used as a contact beacon with the Angel.
The Angel then marks all those that remain travelling with her, even Seth. The two groups gear up and prepare to leave, they take Gypsie sand lizards in two different directions. The Angel's group reaches Aconna and purchase horses to ride south to Oas.
Zeal's group, after facing many challenges and mosnters, arrives at Kalah. Zeal's group encounters Wynne and Yewn once more, who have taken over the town with a merchant's iron fist, offering them a place to rest for the night, for a reasonable fee. Jean's group arrives in Oas and they settle down for the night to rest and party with the natives.
Session 118: Different Directions
Location: Oas
The Angel's group rouses from an evening of partying and begins to get ready to leave again, on a steady course for the Port City of Nagev. Zeal's group also rises and gets ready to go, a check with the Hunter's Guild having turned up no leads on ruin activity, but knowledge of another S-Class monster on the loose. They mount up and head out of the city, Wynne and Yewn joining them, hoping to strike it rich again and increase their empire.
Two days later, the Angel's group arrives at the port city and making their way in, find the estate of Lady Nicci. Between Aschae and Sadye, they make contact with Nicci and are invited in. Angel sets Sia to the task of building them all a ship. The group settles in and some go out, Jean let out of her shell, accompanies Sia to a Mason Store, where she finds her family connections still strong, strong enough to get a derelict ship and a shipyard to fix it in. Leruste and Sadye go pickpocketing, Sadye distracting a rich noble, she's dragged away to an alley, where the noble learns to not rape a demon.
Zeal's group is treking towards the ruins the team previously found with a Light Stone when they are accosted by the S-Class Monster they hoped to avoid. In a death defying chase, meeting a strange monk along the way, the team barely escapes with their lives, Kaelan forgetting the Anima and Zeal failing to fire a vital arrow shot. Once inside the cavern, the team rests and licks their wounds.
Zeal is so distraught over recent events that she begins to move towards suicide, heading out to face the monster alone. Thanks to her friends, Kaelan, Lilica and Mercy stepping in and talking to her, she backs down, going to rest.
Location: Nagev
Rising to a new day, Zeal's group exits the cavern to prepare moving on, Kaelan uses Anima T to scare off the monster. After the monster leaves they prepare to go, during the struggle to get T outside and battling the monster, Tanan discovered, due to nearly becoming monster food, the Gem inside the beast. Realizing they need to chase the fleeing monster now, they pack up and head off.
Jean's team gets settled down, and Nicci provides Sia with the work force and materials she needs to get the boat ready. Hiring on a crew to watch over the ship whenever the party doesn't need it, they come to find that the head of this new crew, and soon to be ruler of the financial empire that the crew will ultimately pay out, is none other then Faile. Faile and Azhren as it turns out, got into the boating industry and merchant work after parting company with the group. Lenneth announces she wants to hold a party, and the group continues to enjoy the short spell of peace they have.
Zeal's group meanwhile, finds the monster, dead and killed, the gem ripped out of the monster and a trophy taken. They decide to keep heading north, hoping the hunter who slew the monster headed that way. As they head along, a demon snatches Rose and runs off with her, the heroes persue and soon find themselves surrounded by Demons. As things look grim, the demons are suddenly attacked by soldiers, fending the last of them off, the group finds themselves surrounded once more, this time by humans.
A man named Ollic leads them, a childhood friend of Kaelan, to their luck. Seeing her, he calls the men stand down, and when they discover Lilica to be a 'fox demon', Kaelan weaves a story that they are working for the Church, and that Lilica is a tamed demon. Ollic seems to buy this story and offers to escort them North, seeing no way of rejecting him without suspicion, she accepts and lets him lead them on.
Session 120: Movement Within Confinement
Location: Near Thar
Lenneth holds her party for Jean's group. While Rachael tries to get Nephilim smashed and Lenneth tries to get Aschae to loosen up, Sia manages to actually get smashed. Sia coazes Anne out of Jean to enjoy the party a little, and Anne instead tries to control the drunk, bouncy teenager. The group continues to enjoy themselves, loosening up and relaxing to the booze and music.
Zeal's group arrives in Thar, where they are invited to meet with the Govenor in charge, who is eager to meet the Templars. Kaelan looks to Thomas to help with the story and he agrees to go as the others get settled in at an Inn. As they do, getting rested and ready, Mercy resupplies them and Kaelan goes out to find a smithy for her near broken sword, meeting Ollic again. As Ollic comes onto her, she informs him that she's spoken for, hoping to avoid a complicated incident, he tries to find out to whom and she directs him away from the subject. He leaves her be, eventually they all come back together, minus Thomas.
A maid arrives at the inn shortly to invite Sir Thomas' wife to dinner, and all her friends. Warily, the group accepts and heads out, while Kaelan sends Tanan to the Hunter's Guild to find out about their target. The group arrives to a splendid feast, and a terrible realization, they are found out, and cannot leave without dying. The govenor however, allows them to live on the condition that they help him destroy a nearby Empire Fort. Kaelan quickly pushes them to agree, sensing the danger of saying no.
The governor doesn't trust them however, and stipulates that they must leave one of their number behind in captivity to ensure cooperation. Zeal ingenuiously descides to leave Soma in the govenors care, fulfilling his condition. The group leaves, getting ready to go out and face the impossible task of fighting the invulnerable empire.
Session 121: Waste Makes Haste
Location: Nagev
Zeal's group is lead across the wastes, surroundd by 50 armed guards, led by Ollic, who's mood towards Kaelan has soured. As they move, the group begins to complain about needing rest, met with cruel and cold response by Ollic. Kaelan attempts to talk to him, managing to thaw the ice a little between them at the promise of a deeper discussion in private when they rest. When they do rest, taking shelter in a large cave, the men seem unruly, wanting to use Lilica and eyeing Zeal's group with a mixture of greed and wariness.
Kaelan, Zeal and Thomas huddle for discussion and together decide that escaping the men is less risky then facing the Empire, so they formulate a plan and ready the group to leave. Kaelan steps into position, just close enough to Ollac that his attention is gotten. She summons Anima T, intending to cave in the back of the cavern and trap the soldiers inside, Ollac, however, having started to head to her, is crushed by a falling rock. Kaelan guides T out of the cave, scattering the men on T, then leads the group out into the wastes, they ride wildly and randomly, making them hard to track, but also getting them lost. Kaelan dismisses T to reveal tears in her eyes, lost in sorrow for killing her old friend.
The group attempts to situate itself, and while Zeal works to get her focus and pinpoint the Gem, the group is ravaged by a pack of monsters. Fighting them off, and gaining a Snowfox baby and a Snowcat baby as well, the group finally finds direction and moves, only to face a vengeful white bearorar. Together the team dispatches the bearoar and moving on, they find a cavern to rest in for the evening.
Jean's group continues to work as the ship nears completion, Sia working on the final touches. Romance between Leruste and Rachael blossoms more, to the growing discontent of Valen. Parita and Seth, now choosing to pose as a small Azuha child, cause mayhem and play, while Lenneth and Aschae spend time together. Jean spends most of her time helping the needy in town, learning to be a maid, now disguised with red hair and special lenses which hide her true eye color, and raising the marks of those who come and ask for it.
Location: A tigroar cave
Sia stands proud, and tall as she can, as the group looks out on their new ship. Large enough to hold the full company of those who follow the Angel and then some. The group discusses their plans, they are to take the ship back towards Oas, to the waterside cavern, where once Nephilim drowned. Nephilim and Sia both correctly surmise the plan, to take the Light Stone from that place and install it in the ship, making Sia's ship a truely mobile base for the group to flee to at any time.
Zeal's group readies for the Wastes, Kaelan is knocked out of her depression over Ollic's death thanks to Tal'Ka's chidings and the concerns of the others. Rallying herself, she teaches them to properly bundle for the cold and the group heads out, following the pull of the Gem over the wastes.
The ship sets sail, the group watching as the port begins to leave them, when a red haired man leaps onto the ship and presents himself to Sia. Charles Leblake introduces himself as Sia's guardian protector, a contracted mercenary sent by her father to keep her safe. Aschae immediately tries to kill him, and Sia intervenes, wanting to spare him, but needing to be sure he can be trusted to travel with them. Knowing who will ultimately make the call, she asks Jean to let Anne out for her opinion, and Anne, of course, dismisses the man and tries to get rid of him.
However, Valen speaks up, finding the descision to be the wrong one, seeing that the Mercenary will follow them. Sia continues to voice her opinion that they should test him and while they do, Valen lets slip that Anne is the Angel. Charles does not seem zealous enough to betray them on learning this, and Nephilim, as Anne's friend, agrees with giving the man a chance. Anne allows it, finally, placing the man on her form of probation, that is, at the first instance of suspicion, she swears to end his life.
Stopping at a cavern, Zeal's group gets ready to rest of the evening when Rose wanders off to relieve herself, and cries out in shock. Zeal, Kaelan, Thomas, Tannan, Lilica and Tal'Ka rush to her aid, and find a tentacle monster deep in the cave, battling a red haired man, the hunter the sought. The monster slowly overpowers them with some sort of sleeping magic, and they all drift off, but not before Zeal can give herself a special herb. The group dreams of being residents of Oas. Kaelan, Zeal and Lilica are children while the others are elders or leaders, Tal'Ka a dog. As they speak, Zeal starts to come around form the hallucination, and hurts herself in the dream and brings herself back. The others slowly clue in, following her example and soon breaking out of the dream.
As a group, they fight the monster, and as a group, they overcome it. They come face to face with McTreggor, a decendant of the legendary Hunter. And they begin to explain why the need the gem he carries.
Location: Wastesa
The ship harbors at the Sea Cavern, and the group takes a boat out into the caves. Sia gets them in close as she can and then she, and Valen, use Anima's D and E respectively to submerge into the water and retrieve the Light Stone. Able to move underwater and not drown thanks to the Angel, bolstered with Aschae's power, they successfully collect the stone and set it down on the ship, making the thing a mobile base that the group can teleport to and from as needed.
Zeal's group arrives at one of the wandering villages in the wastes, thanks to guidance from McTreggor. They earn their passage into the town by offereing up their trade skills as services, and as it seems, the sacrifice of small tidbits from their supplies. Somehow, the gem the team just worked so hard to get is taken from them. Kaelan goes to Zeal for directions to it, and Zeal points the way south. Soma the Brave and Kaelan head down to the huts in the southern end of the village and find a little girl with the stone. Kaelan exchanges a piece of rare blue silk for the gem to get it back, and Soma returns with the gem victorious.
Both groups settle down to rest, the Angel a bit perturbed to find out that Zeal's team is now effectively stuck in the wastes with no where to go. She begins to make plans.
Session 124: Set Sail For Adventure!
Location: Ship Hope
The Hope begins to make it's heading as Angel reveals more of her plans. Using the Stone, Ruun, Seraphim, and others are brought from Sinai directly to the ship, loaded with supplies. Carly tries to sneak past Seth and fails, and Seth discovers Carly is fading due to a lack of blood from Zeal. The Angel calls for volunteers to take the Stone to one far North in the Wastes and meet up with the others. Valen, leading Nephilim, Leruste, Rachael, Ruun, Parita and Seth go through the stone, leaving Lenneth, Asche, Sia, Charles, and Jean behind to wait for them.
Zeal's group, recieving word from the Angel of the plan, bids the group head out of town and northward. They pack, Tanan finishing his tasks as a healer and their jobs complete. Kaelan asks McTreggor of his intents with the Angel, and he states he has no plan to harm Angel. Taking him at his word, the group moves north to meet the party who teleported to the stone, using their marks to find one another.
The rescue party finds themselves in the icy bite of a Northern Storm, striking out, the make their way south, only Seth, as an Ice Demon, having no issue with the cold and the snow. As they make their way south, they are attacked by a Behemoth. Valen activates Anima E to fight the monster while the others try to keep it busy. Nephilim has a moment of hesitation and winds up taken into the monster's jaws. Acting on Valen's orders, Parita and Seth had already begun to work on cracking the ice when Valen reverses his orders. Parita, not listening, and Seth, panicking due to the threat, collapse the ice anyway, sending the beast, and Nephilim, to the depths.
Trying to escape the collapsing ice monster, Leruste and Rachael are sucked in, Ruun vanishing in the confusion as well. Parita collapses from using her Deconstruction Magic, and Valen attempts to reprimand Seth, who is too spooked to argue. The two make their way down into the Ice Canyon and after a series of adventures, which change them both forever as men (or a dramatic icicle swing and slide), they arrive at the bottom. There they find Leruste awakening and the beast beginning to rouse. They find that the tooth which seemed to hold Nephilim in the beast's jaw is shattered, anda blood trail leading away, indicates Nephilim may have been taken somewhere, possibly by Ruun.
Valen and Leruste valiant battle the Ice Behemoth while Seth gets the girls to safety and snipes it's eyes out. They bring down the monster and flee into an ice passage, which takes them to the town of Agata, the last refuge for travellers in the wastes.
Back on the Hope, Jean and Sia spend quality time while Lenneth inspects her disconnected love. Charles asks Sia out on a fishing date, which, with some help from his new wingman, the Deckhand, Sia accepts.
Prime Minis RPed during Tareh sessions covering the dates of 2389.8.15 - 2389.8.15 have been gathered up here. Due to the fact Phase 4 was much shorter, I will try to place as many minis I can find below.