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The Middle World Campaign |
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Set in a world loosely
based on Western Asia, Arabia and Northern Africa of 600BCE, this
campaign has been running since 2020. The world is not merely one
of mortails, but of spirits and the progeny of the two. |
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Latest episode |
Write up 20th March 2025 - The Mask of Xhi-Hun |
The half-immortal, Liang Joong, has persuaded the group to head to the sunken island kingdom of Charata, there to seek artefacts related to his Divine Mother, in particular a mask. The search will take them underwater, down stairs under the last remaining remnant of the kingdom, protected only by Liang Joong's arcane crafts. Our cast
Absent
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This session is the last for a while. I am about to have an operation on an arm, and I don't know how capable of writing, mapping and running an online RPG session I will be, so I am taking a break. As I wanted the campaign to be at a natural stopping point, this adventure was condensed. It is a pre-written adventure, adapted for my purposes (and the other events in the world)., but it could have taken two or three sessions, had I done everything with it that it was possible to do. The group got a chance to rest as the ship sailed south-east to the small island that was once a hill on the island kingdom of Charata, drowned by divine curse, before heading down the steps at the base of a ruined tower, protected by Liang Joong's magic from the icy water into which they descended, able to move and breathe, down a spiral staircase, into the depths of the hill, emerging into a long, tunnel, clad with slimy, luminescent weed. The path ahead was straight, and the group got into a fighting order, Smersh and Utana to the fore, Fetnah in the middle, and they proceeded, coming to a ruined gate, now no more than a few pieces of tarnished meta and waterlogged, rotten wood.
The magic spin armlets of Loong Jiang allowed them to breathe, and move almost as if on land, though their movements were slightly hampered, as the magic of Liang Joong was not as subtle and powerful as that of the Keteaorum. How hampered they were was soon put to the test, as a group of young, Keteaorum, armed with claw-like weapons or short spears, attacked. None used magic and, although they caused grievous hurt to two of the group, Farshad slew one handily, and Utana and José Juan wounded another two, Liang Joong defended himself and Smersh handily protected Fetnah. Fetnah, herself, prepared and invoked a banishing spell, which the headstrong Ketaorum could not resist and so, for a time, they were banished. The group pushed onto a mound from which rose a spire, as blue as lapis lazuli, That, Liang Joong said, was the Summer Lodge of a noble of Charata, and their destination. They found themselves in a closed in chamber, a communal area of some kind, judging by the ruined couches, tables and boxes here. Searching revealed the ruins of a box with silver serving dishes in it, and an ivory tablet with an unknown script engraved in it, the symbols picked out in what looks like corroded copper, but a bright blue rather than blue-green. The searching also uncovered four doorways, three normal exits, just obscured by weed, but one is a movable panel with the same ruins of a fresco that covered that wall. The panel doorway was uncovered, revealing a shrine to Xhi-Hun, Liang-Joong's mother. The statue bore a mask that Liang-Joong took, around were rather soft and saggy tables upon which are bronze censors, lamps and plates related to offerings, these also Liang-Joong claimed. After a search of the room, finding the rotten remains of chests and digging through the slimy contents, Liang Joong separated out some of the contents as for himself, choosing copper devotional coins and a jade plaque. The rest of the goods were claimed by the rest of the group. A heavily waxed bowcase, with embroidered symbols that look similar to the unknown script seen elsewhere, a gold amulet, a gold and silver gameboard for a baclgammon like game, some gold coins of an unknown design, inscribed silver plates (like pages of a book but in siver), a silver bracelet with semi-precious stones, some silver coins of an unknown design and a gold bracelet. Time was short, soon the Ketaorum would return, possibly with allies, so the group decided to head back, though first checking the blue spire. This also proved to be copper, seemingly corroded as a bright blue rather than blue-green, but the group left it alone and headed back to the surface. Back on the ship, the spell of breathing dispelled and the group dried and given warmed, spiced wine, the ship sailed back to the town of Spah. There was a surprise for Smersh and Utana. Before they left the town, there were more Haraxan Navy ships and soldiers arriving, and now the reason becomes clear. Smersh, whilst still a landowner, as been relieved of his role as magistrate, along with Utana, and instead a new civilian appointee, Fravasari, has been installed. A military governor, Khaysharush, has taken command, to examine the defences in this area against the Zhuezhi. And there we left it, but not without loose ends. Do these new treasures have any virtues? What do the writings mean? Farshad recognises them as similar to writings from the southern lands of Spices, but he cannot read it, however, the group has a box and salvaged goods for Roya, and they know he has some experience of those lands, should they ask him. Until next time, whenever that might be. |
Writeup 12th Dec 2024 -I've changed the deal, pray I have changed it further |
