Balmy Weather

One Shot Open Table Play Report

Mythic Bastionland

The Fanged Knight

The Leaf Knight

The Leaf-Clad Guard

Myths

The Sun

Prologue - Mt. Arduus - 009.006

The previous session ended as the Company emerged from a winding tunnel in the side of Mt. Arduus. I suggested this session start here and all agreed.

The Company was still set on returning the Seer (who still wishes to not be seen or heard) to her Sanctum so I asked the players how the Seer would communicate directions (something more than "go south east"). It was decided that the Leaf Knight placed parchment, ink and a quill on the ground. And while there is little mythic about written notes on parchment, we gotta get this session to take off, so this solution sufficed.

Silent Summit 009.007

The Company crossed the jagged terrain in sweltering heat and were glad to reach the Sanctum where they could rest.

The place had been vacated a while ago and this brought up several questions, the reasons weren't exactly forthcoming, so instead of banging their heads the Company opted to leave and let the Seer move back in.

Upon rounding the corner they found a note scribbled in the sand (if only the Leaf Knight had given her extra sheets of parchment!) that read "where are Jorris and Mildred? I need them!". The book states the Seer leaves cryptic symbols which I generally struggle to come up with in the session, and when a message should be so straightforward I find obscuring the meaning is often frustrating.

At some point the Leaf-Clad Guard met Trevor the Ferret and they quickly became best friends.

Meredith's Cabin - 008.007

The Company met up with Meredith for some of her eternal stew and possibly some intel on Jorris and Mildred.

Meredith cared little for them, said they were strange folk, but wasn't surprised they had left the sanctum when the Seer was taken. She was pretty sure they had been taken to the Pale Keep by some other Leaf-Clad Guard.

The Sun 1 - 008.008

The Company travelled through a gentle forest where the ground was blanketed in brilliant yellow flowers.

That evening the Company witnessed a Sun that never fully set, a sliver ever-peeping over the horizon.

The Leaf Knight collected a few flowers.

The Pale Keep - 007.009

The Company was welcomed to the Keep, where they washed up for dinner. Around dinner time it struck the Company that the sky was still awash with sunset colours as the sun was still peaking over the horizon.

They briefly spoke to the Steward about Jorris and Mildred, but there was really little reason why a Steward would know of these two people, so they continued their intel gathering operation by entering the kitchen and chatting to some of the younger hands. One had seen two strangers seeking passage at the docks.

Down at the docks (it's really just two piers and a warehouse) they spoke to Andrew the dock master who had indeed seen the two travellers. They had gone by Julius and Molly, but Andrew can tell when folks are trying to pull a fast one on him!

Anyway lo and behold! a vessel was leaving in the morning heading to the same location Jorris and Mildred had travelled to!

Windswept Spire - 004.006

The Company disembarked to a surprisingly precipitous desert region. They quickly met Callum, the hamlet elder, who cursed the rain for ruining the normally idyllic weather.

Callum was keen to brag about this retirement hamlet he was running as well as his struggling pigeon business, but the conversation soon turned to Jorris and Mildred. Callum was somewhat suspicious, but seeing as all were guests in his home he figured no harm would come to Jorris, who was promptly summoned and arrived as swiftly as you would expect of a rather elderly gentleman.

Jorris tried to steer the conversation away from the Seer, he still missed her so. He thought it a cruel joke the Company was playing on him, a harsh mockery to satiate their sadist tendencies. But the Company persisted and he was shaken to his senses. He fetched Mildred who was immediately greeted by Trevor the Ferret. Trevor was a great help in convincing the elderly couple that the Company were not mocking sadists who spoke of things they obviously knew little of, but were indeed sincere. At that point they were figuratively jumping to return home.

The Pale Keep - 007.009

After another voyage all arrived at the Pale Keep and left for the Sanctum (009.007).

The Sun 2 - 008.008

Passing once again through a gentle forest blanketed with yellow flowers the Company now came upon two vagabonds who had collected baskets full of produce from the land and were hoping to trade for copious amounts of alcohol at the Pale Keep. The book indicates they flee from Knights, but I ran it as them being suspicious and uncooperative.

The Company cared little for them and soon continued.

The Sun 3 - Meredith's Cabin - 008.007

Despite the day growing late the sun now remained proud at high noon. I rolled on the myth table and got "travelling merchants" and "forest fire"... oh dear.

So Meredith's forest was ablaze and her home was blocked by a raging inferno. Who knew her eternal stew would be the undoing of her little slice of paradise. The Company had little desire to brave the fire, plus, if she was still at home there would be little to rescue.

Unwilling to rest in a burning hex, the Company rode on!

In the flurry of the burning hex I forgot I had rolled "travelling merchants", which I had intended to add into the session at some point..... oh well.

Silent Summit 009.007

All arrived at the Sanctum, weary from the long ride and dejected from seeing the destruction of the magnificent forest. But Jorris and Mildred felt immediately at home and were ecstatic to see the usual (cryptic) signs the the Seer.

The Company rested up and wished to inquire the Seer about the strange Sun. So I had Mildred give them a letter with a wax seal bearing an egg with a keyhole.

In the letter the Seer thanked them for all they had done, and that she was pleased to continue her plans of disappearing (surprisingly this statement got little response from the players). It also stated that the Sun must be dealt with at the peak in 009.004, it is to be granted what the land can spare or else chased back with bleats and barks.

The Sun 5 - 007.005 

Time was running out so we did an A-Team montage of the Company preparing for confrontation. The players decided that there was a Leaf-Clad Guard outpost at 007.005, where they got some rest, acquired a hound and a pack of goats (they took the "bleats and barks" more literally than I had intended), since the outpost kept some massive hogs they brought one of those along as well. Its saddlebags filled with UV-protective balms. I am always glad to get to a point in a session where the penny drops and the players start to use the freedom the game allows. 

During this prep the Sun burned ever brighter and hotter, the plants shrivelled and the land dried up.

The Sun 6 - 009.004

On the way to the peak the sky grew dark as the sun fell to the earth, leaving a burning trail behind it. The impact shook the entire realm.

The Company crested the mountain. The impact had pummelled the peak into a large crater and had blasted most of the forest to the ground, forming a tangled carpet of trees. The Sun, having taken the form of the Feaster was just beyond. An awesome glow leading the Company with ease.

The Company soon confronted the Feaster who has tearing the land and tossing leaf and rock alike into his ravenous mouth. He responded with a booming voice that shook the earth. There was a back and forth where the Company produced some produce, but it did not satiate the Feaster. Then they threatened to sic their animals on the Feaster who mocked them.

But then the animals were set upon the Feaster and his bluff disappeared. It made sense to me that being confronted by his fears in this way would trigger a fight-or-flight mode, but I had no idea how to make the flight interesting so he battered the animals. The dog went down hard and some of the goats (in the goat-warband) took a hit, but it did not deter them.

The animals were strategic fighters and did a great job of keeping the Feaster on the back foot. The Company mostly urged the Sun to cooperate, well, save for the Fanged knight who tried to taste the burning blood.

At one point there were 3 clear ways this could go. 

1. The Feaster dies, which would plunge the realm into darkness. If my players contemplated this, they surely never mentioned it.
2. The Fanged knight dies, at which point the Feaster gains a bargaining chip.
3. The Sun capitulates.

The Fanged knight got hit really hard, but the Company returned with a full on attack (and rolled crazy good). This forced the Sun to admit defeat and offer a truce. He would return to the sky and leave the land, despite his eternal hunger. The Company obviously accepted this and watched the Feaster bound towards the nearest peak that wasn't turned into a crater, and then rise into the sky.

Epilogue

The Company made a memorial to the goats and dog that died in the battle. A stone beacon, wrapped in vines and gold.

Final Thoughts

This report sat in my drafts for about a month, oops. So, sorry to any players to whom I promised a timely post.

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Mythic Bastionland