A River Ran Up It - Storm Season 907

Things rarely go to plan. Aslander's initiation ceremony was interrupted by a Freshwater Elf who invoked the call to face chaos. He had found a way, he claimed, to cleanse the Syphon River of chaos with a bag of four waters. As good Orlanthi initiates, Aslander and company could not resist and, anyway. Keldo was already starting to charge. The interruption was interrupted, however, by a company of God Learners who stole the elf's waters, shot the presiding rune priest in the back and then broke the hero quest ritual in order to disappear.

The Rune Priest, Stolli Orvanshagor, told the party that they were in spiritual danger due to the energies released by the God Learner intervention and were still charged to face chaos. This quest had to become Aslander's initiation.

Our intrepid heroes set up the river with much dismay, watching as the water climbed its way, slickly up towards the Footprint. Larramiri in Illvolurum ("Larry") explained that he knew of a place reputed to hold a key to the great Water Temple which might enable him to get in. It was of course a tomb and after many collapsing floors, crushing walls, burning gorp and a rather disgusting broo, not to mention a cack-handed attempt by Ishkari the Drowner - head of the God Learner squad - to impersonate Larry, they returned with key.

Up river (or down river, it's hard to describe a river that runs backwards...) they went. The sounds which were somewhat like monkeys and parakeets and howlers were, it seemed, the sounds of the river itself. Not nice.

Anyway, they made it to the edge of the Footprint and found a way down into the broken temple. One fumbled athletics roll and lost Hero Point later they made it into the temple. The way was blocked by a scarily vicious avatar of Wachaza (though all they knew was that it had a trident and mercury armour) until Larry sacrificed himself for the greater good. (His favourite song is the Crying Guardian. More on that later).

Down a water slide they went, into a massive bowl of a room they emerged, river seed on a dias they found and then the God Learners blew down a section of wall.

Ishkari the Drowner, Reckworth the Seer, Bourguyser the Relentless and Jezat the thief faced off. Jezat ran away as is his wont in order to abandon his colleagues, Reckworth the Seer and his repeating crossbow caused pain, Ishkari started to smother Griffith - again - and Borguyser said "hit me some more. I like it." Much sword play, diving for river seeds explosions of magic later, and collapsings of temples later, our heroes made it out of a waterfall, Bourguyser and Reckworth lay dead and Ishkari ran away.

In the epilogue or heroes made it to the mouth of the river, the mouth that sucks in the water from the sea and planted the river seed. There was an immediate sense of some healing but its a river that has been befouled since before time so it will need patience and luck. Keldo threw in the bud that Larry gave him and wondered if it would grow back as Larry or another elf.

And so, to Karse, to sell God Learner artifacts and bribe the local Lhankor Mhy temple into giving Griffith his first degree ready for Sacred Time.

Flowers in Her Hair - Sea Season 907

As guests of the Izzalti clan in the northern Stormwalk Mountains our heroes are called upon for help when Jennfa Mollosdotta, the spring bride, is kidnapped by trolls. Our heroes track her down only to find the situation was more complex than they expected. Aslander was delighted to kill the Warrior Dragonewt "In Blood I Swim." All were delighted not to have to confront the great troll (no name, but its trollkin handlers called it "Ouch") which was last seen casually pulling a Wyrm's Friend Talon to pieces...