Making Shortcuts, Taking Shortcuts
| Making Shortcuts, Taking Shortcuts | |
|---|---|
| Date | 1/19/26 |
| Storyteller | Slayzo |
| Tier | Any |
| Player Characters | Vara, Orion, Grist, Melfyra |
| Rewards | 250 exp, 80000 gp, Teleportation Circle knowledge, 2-way Teleportation Circle from Lancaster to The Old Country |
| Result | Circle Made |
| Author | Vara |
| Downtime | 8 |
Log
A caravan recently rolled into Onadbyr, having made the long journey from The Old Country. Lukarius brought a full load of supplies and a request for us to make an accurate Teleportation Circle. The problem was we needed it to be permanent, accurate, and to be two-ways, so we needed some people who really knew what they were doing. Luckily, we have people like that in spades.
As we gathered together we had some logistics to work out. My major concern was, if the site in the motherland was compromised, we would suddenly have an army of oni and daemons at our doorstep, so we had to pick a suitable location. Onadbyr was an immediate objection, due to the amount of civilians here. Desperate Hope was suggested, but while there are probably significantly more combatants there thanks to the Hellknights, most of them wouldn't be able to do much to the deluge - Onadbyr at least has a wide array of potent combatants. I pitched the idea to put it in Lancaster, since the city of the dead has been cleared and the evil at the palace was expunged a while ago. Melfyra initially objected to it, due to her efforts at restoring their local druid grove and other efforts to restore the region, but then came around to the idea. It was far enough away that it wouldn't be a direct threat to the city, but close enough that we could have a fairly quick response time in case of emergency on either side. We eventually settled on putting the circle in the Lancaster Hellknight training courtyard.
We then spent a short time divvying up our roles - it was decided with Grist as the main caster, Orion would assist there, and then Melfyra and I could use the migrate spell to quickly arrive at the site near the Wall, where I would assist with my knowledge of the region and being at the location. As we parted, there was another suggestion that Orion took advantage of while Melfyra and I spent a few days traveling. He set up some sort of alarm system using an old raggedy doll I had laying around, an elemental spirit that would alert him in case of emergencies or unauthorized entry in the area.
On the third day of travel, I sent the message to Grist that we would be ready to perform our task. The site in the Old Country was quite a spectacle, flourishing farmland in spite of the ceaseless drought. Melfyra could tell there was some kind of primal magics happening to maintain this, but it made me a bit nervous. But this is where they wanted it, and with everyone's help, we managed to create a perfect circle on our first attempt. Orion and Grist stepped through and Orion got to work setting up another spirit in the shed we used. I had another idea while we were traveling: if we could create some kind of long lasting illusion, we might be able to hide the circle in plain sight - if this so-called Man Slayer's army does raid this place, they very well may overlook the shed as nothing of import. Melfyra takes a day to head back to her workshop and returns with a wand that Grist eventually uses to create a permanent scene in this shed.
Meanwhile, as our magic people do their spells, I decided to observe the perimeter of the village. It really is like an oasis. As I scouted around, I spotted a gang of bandits doing good, honest lumber work. No one I recognized, so it seemed unlikely to me that they were another of Kuvera's pawns. Off in the distance was something large, a worrysome sight, but I couldn't quite get a good look at it. Luckily, Orion happened to have a spyglass, so I borrowed it and spied 3 bone ships, seemingly docked in the middle of another village. I reported my findings to my group, and then went around asking some of the locals. The guard captain was uneasy but was assured they weren't a threat. The local healer echoed the captain, but was certainly much more mistrustful. Seeing as she was a magical type, I made sure she knew who I was so that, in case of those guys becoming an emergency, she could Send me a message right away.
Meanwhile, Melfyra decided she wanted to go measure up whoever was in charge over there, on her own. Apparently, the ships were being led by a lich named Rotbeard, and he explained that he was there to assure the villagers that, should the worst come to pass, he would capture their souls in gems, instead of letting them be sucked away by the Rift. And in exchange, he would get free labor. It didn't even particularly strike me as though he was going to defend these people, just that if and when they eventually die, he'll decorate his ships with their souls instead of letting their souls go. He apparently offered to teach her the spell to do so, and while she was tempted, eventually we argued that the cost to do so, both for the victim and for the caster, was too high and not worth potentially hoping their gem lasts long enough to be sent to the River of Souls properly.
Orion finally got his sentinel together and I help Grist conjure some believable illusions for the shed, to disguise the circle. I still fear the village has made itself a prime target for raiding by the horseman of war's armies by producing food, but ideally this should protect the circle itself. With alarms in place on both sides, we return to Onadbyr. Lukarius produces the remaining supplies for us, in case we had managed to fail the circle, resulting in a nice windfall. With another illusion put over the creepy doll, we parted ways. Melfyra and Grist went off to consult with the Hellknight Lictors, to see if any would be keen to set up a garrison in the city of the dead, another layer of defense in case of disaster. Last I heard, Mutt was to set up her Order in the old citadel.