Glorantha 2nd Age Campaign::Season 3 - Pavis Rises
Timeline - what happened before you got there.
It's mid-morning and the river barge arrives at the majestic walls of Pavis. Cormalin, Jotisan and Griffith have been travelling for 4 weeks all in all: by boat, caravan and barge. Now for the first time the see the walls of Pavis, one of the wonders of the world. They seem to go on forever, perfectly formed, perfectly seamless. They have heard that no enemy can break these walls, can pass over them or under them. Looking at them for the first time they can see why. More mundanely, the barge docks and each member of the group is asked for permits. The PCs naturally don't have any yet so are quizzed by the guards. It's a baking hot day but no-one's inclined to cause problems. There is some interest in Cormalin's cat, there aren't a lot of cats in Prax and the guards enjoy joking about it chasing big rats. Once that is out of the way, the PCs weapons and armour are temporarily impounded and receipts are issued. The PCs are told to present themselves at Stewards Hall to gain permits to carry weapons or to pay to store them. Jotisan does keep his sling pouch hidden in this packs and the guards don't check it thoroughly. With that other, they walk the wide, clean streets of Pavis for the first time, marvelling at the size of the place, the mass of people of all different species, the splendour of the 12-headed dragon atop the temple to Pavis and only just avoiding losing half of their wealth to a pick-pocket.
Next stop, Stewards Hall. They fill in the paperwork. Explain that they are currently just travellers and are told that they must store all weapons and armour that they will not be carrying. If they elect to become citizens by applying to rent a room then they can store their belongings in their own rooms. Once done, they head off to "Storm Town" to find folks like themselves. First though they get caught up in a band of plainly dressed singers and dancers. Clearly wyrmfriends, they wend their way past Stewards Hall in a complex dance. Cormalin catches the eye of a young woman and finds himself following along, trying to copy the dance steps but failing. His attempts are not helped by an impatient grab from Jotisan. The guards dismiss the group as "Mazers" while another jokes that they are the "Confused." As part of clearly a well-worked routine, the third guard calls them the "mazed and confused" too much laughter. Jotisan manages to discover that the group are part of a new religious cult centred around the mystic Labygyron.
The excitement over they try to make their way through the thronging crowds to Storm Town. At one point Cormalin's Cat (hereonin known as "cat") smells the presence of another alynx. It's been a while since cat has smelled anything quite so exciting. Meanwhile, back among the two-legged heroes, Jotisan looks for the most traditional looking Orlanthi he can find and discovers an Uroxi (judging by the horned helmet with a red ribbon tied on it) sleeping off lunch. Jotisan asks about the best place for a bunch of visitors from the old country and Brixx thinks for a while, decides it hurts and recommends Trades Rest.
At Trades Rest they get a room for a week, find a loose floorboard under which they can hide their finances and head on downstairs. The landlady, Ezmay, gives them their first drink on the house and as evening passes into night they tell of the many great deeds they performed in Maralis's rebelliom, become known as heroes of the rebellion and are bought many drinks. Cormalin tries to seduce a red head and fails so she drags him off anyway. Cat heads out for the night for a date. In return they hear stories of the disappearing cradle in 908 and the arrival of the mystic Labygyron and his new cult of the "Configured."
It's morning and the sun is way too bright after a night of ales. They meet with Gedz the Gnarled, the highest ranking Humakti sword at temple. Gedz has heard nothing of a Humakti wearing just one boot. He's about to dismiss them when Jotisan reveals their letters of mark and explains that he has been sent to try to find allies who can muster Pavis on the side of the besiegers of Zistorwal. They are pushing at an open door, he fought there independently last summer. Warns them that Pavis guards in neutrality zealously but does give them an introduction to Arrias Windsword.
In the meantime, they head for the citadel to enquire about whether Larad or Maralis are known missing persons or known to have recently died. The small, chubby clerk finds no records so they head back to Storm Town for a meeting with Arrias.
Arrias Windsword. Strong jaw. Blue piercing eyes. Brave beyond fault but not the brightest. He's interested to hear their tales, word has come to him of outlanders from Heortland who took part in the overthrow of the EWF there. Has has heard nothing of Larad or Maralis and he would have expected to have known if two such characters had arrived. He also feels that Zistorwal is an abomination but not sure that Pavis would break its neutrality. However, if God Learners were trying to infiltrate Pavis's myths then that would be another thing.
The day then has been something of a wash out but it ends with more drinking and story-telling and any day that ends that way has to be worth something.
The plan for the day is to head to Griffin Gate to the market outside the walls. There are two big gathering spots outside the walls. The 'respectable' one is outside Wyvern gate on the main road into Pavis. This sells all sorts of goods and services for traders who can't or won't pay for trading permits and for those who would rather catch people before they enter the city. The market outside Griffin Gate is entirely different. It is watched over with poorly controlled outrage by the Sun Dome Templars and specialises in the buying and selling of produce which, on a good day, is barely legal in Pavis. At the Wyvern gate market you might get fleeced. At Griffin Gate you might get gutted. On the way, Jotisan encounters the first Orlanthi who disapproves of the rebellion.
At Griffin Gate market, Cormalin and Jotisan eeet with "Mr Door" a Morocanth procurer. He agrees in a round-about way to find the one-booted Humakti but needs a down payment of 400 silvers. Judging by the way he responds, Jotisan is pretty sure that Mr Door knows or knows of Larad. Jotisan also enquires about red-headed women answering to Maralis's description but even with the discount for two, there's no way he can afford it. Cormalin recognises the ground and walls around here from his visions. He tries to talk to some of the slaves but the overseers make it impossible. Cat agrees to check around the place after nightfall in exchange for fish. Cormalin turns down the chance to rent a herdman cow for the hour.
On way back through the city they are accosted by a small, less-than-fragrant figure who introduces herself as Mecheesa. She is a ratcatcher and devotee of Yinkin rat catcher. Her cat and Cormalin's cat seem to have been making the beast with two backs. She is hoping that maybe heroes can help her find her missing sister. Originally Jotisan asks for money but then says they'll help.
Morning and cat turns up. No scent of Larad or Maralis. Cormalin and Jotisan are agonising over whether they can trust Mr Door but get interrupted by a messenger from Gedz. A man fitting their description may have worked as a bodyguard for a trader called Addi who can be found in South Market square.
Off to visit Addi. A cheerful soul. Turns out that last year a bodyguard called Doral worked for him for a while. During a confrontation with some bison riders, Doral kicked off one of his boots but later said it was just an accident. An odd and quirky thing. The further description of the man, including the dent in his head, fits Larad. Addi then reveals that Doral and his pregnant wife were to come with him back to Ralios, partly as bodyguard and partly taking shares in the caravan. Doral disappeared though and Addi has had to delay his trip back until next year while he gains more financing.
And here we leave it. Can our heroes trust Mr Door? Will they help find Mecheesa's sister? How can they persuade Pavis to take up arms against The Clanking City? What did happen to Larad and Maralis and can Larad really be a dad? Some or none of these questions will be answered next time in Pavis Rises, the search for Larad.
Jotisan and Cormalin ascertain from Addi that "Doral" appeared to live in Dragon Town but that Addi hasn't seen since before Sacred Time. Meanwhile Griffith has been spending the last couple of days reading through scrolls at the temple and records at Steward's Hall. Once he gets the name "Doral" though he is able to find a reference to "Doral" and "Elise" who moved out of a building in Dragon Town where they were sharing with someone called "Penchension" in the second half of sea season. (It's a common practice in Pavis to split the 5 seasons into two months each, usually referred to as "early" and "late" so two months equal one season.)
Meanwhile All four of the party meet up later in the day to find out more about Cormalin's rat catching friends. They accompany him to the "Rat Trap" a dirty hovel in Little Nochet where three of the rat catchers can be found: Mecheesa who appears to be the leader, Masty and Meefoola. The place is wall to wall rats and slap bang in the middle of one of the few poor districts of Pavis. The wide, white paved streets feel a whole world away. After much discussion of rats, they discover that a "simple-minded" rat-catcher (Muverry) disappeared over Sacred Time. What made the disappearance odder was that she started painting on the walls before she disappeared. So the party go to look at the scrawled etchings and markings. Most of it consists of swirly shapes that are oddly disturbing to the eyes but there also some figures: a woman with her head on fire, a man with one leg missing and a dragon with a sword stuck through it. There is also a section that has been scrawled out. Griffith settles down to copy the work after his experiment with a torch made from rat oil fails (mostly because the aforesaid rat hadn't actually been compressed into sort of oil yet). While doing so, his eagle sharp eyes and mind like a steel trap enables him (with the aid of a 01) to make out part of what is under the scrawling. The rest of the party are surprised to hear him chuckling and rubbing his beard. It's a giant rat...
After all that excitement they promise to do what they can (not an awful lot) and head off to Dragon Town to find the building in which Doral and Elise stayed with Penchension. En route they encounter a warrior dragonewt for whom Right Action consists of standing still in an odd pose. This is the closest they've ever been to a dragonewt without it trying to kill them. Close up it is awfully big... They also notice that it is allowed to carry a klanth - albeit with a red ribbon around it. Griffith tries small talk but is ignored until they all walk away, at which point the dragonewt turns its head to watch them leave, tasting the air with its tongue. They also encounter the great bronze statue to a dragon for the first time and see a another group of the Configured dance by. It is Griffith's turn to be intrigued by them though he takes a purely academic interest. They do notice however that a city guard patrol is keeping a close eye on the group.
And so to Penchension's pad. He or she is out so they wile away the hours in the nearest tavern with Cat tasked to keep an eye out for anyone returning. Cat settles down for a snooze. The rest settle down to some drinking. The bar is not exactly friendly and through his drunken haze, Job becomes convinced that one group of locals in particular is paying a lot of attention to them. As Cat wanders back in, the fab four pick their way unsteadily out of the bar, only Griffith showing any sane of being sober.
Safe to say that Penchension is not what they were expecting. A big, shambling figure with a bulbous nose and huge jug ears, looking vaguely like Tommy Cooper. Possibly the friendliness man in Pavis he invites them in and soon they are all exchanging bad puns and funny stories and drinking copious amounts of wine. They all find it hard to stay focused on the task in hand and Penchension seems to take almost nothing seriously. Eventually though he asks them for the truth and they explain why they're looking for Doral and that they know both his and Maralis's real names. At this point Penchension explains that Maralis is an old friend of his from Dragon Pass and she came to Pavis seeking sanctuary. Apparently she thought Delecti was after her and she was aware that Delecti and Pavis were rivals or enemies. She hoped the city walls might protect them. She was also pregnant. A few weeks later they began to think they were being followed by a small figure. Larad ambushed it. They didn't tell Penchension what happened but after that Maralis started to become obsessed with some secret. There were arguments; apparently Larad wanted to head west to Ralios. Maralis ended up going to Madame Richelow, a wyrmfriend fortune teller but this only seemed to cause more problems and one day Larad came back having clearly been in a difficult fight. The night before Sacred Time, she and Larad went out and never returned. They didn't take any travelling gear (he has kept their belongings stowed) but clearly took their weapons. So that's what Penchension knows. He invites them to see his show at the Magestarium and Job and Cormalin decide to stay out drinking with him.
Cormalin and Job are eventually escorted home and fined by a city guard patrol. Not feeling too clever but they're off to find Madame Richelow except first the law comes knocking. The commander of the guard wants to see them. He's a weary looking rumbled man called Zero. He has been hearing about these heroes of the rebellion and wants to see what their intentions are. Griffith attempts to reassure him and tells him that they are here looking for a missing friend. Zero tells them to talk to the day clerk and tell him that Zero sent them with warning to behave themselves. So they go to see Zomble. He does clerking because he's small and asthmatic so wouldn't do as well in the guards as his 5 brothers. He takes their details and promises to look into the case.
With this detour out of the way the head off to Madame Richelow. She, it seems, lives on Temple Hill with her old granny and 30 cats. She is a popular and, by all accounts, influential fortune teller so they end up sitting in the anteroom for a long time. Eventually she gives each of them (except for Jotisan naturally) a reading. It turns out that each of them draw the Ouroborous card and the City (upside down). This is hard to interpret but it generally bodes badly. Job, as the last in, asks about Elise and Doral. After a brief prompting she remembers Elise. The Ouroborous card was prominent in her reading too. She said that her fate was entangled with a weaver who has yet to weave the pattern which will entangle her.
Daylight is fading so they go their separate ways. Griffith heads to The Magestarium to see Penchension's show. Job decides to hit the bars down by Riverside to see what he can learn and Cormalin & Jotisan decide to check out these "sewers" they have heard about.
Job heads off to Riverside but on the way encounters another group of Configured. There's ruckus when a nearby woman accuses them of "stealing her daughter." Job is intrigued by this and tries to talk with one of her friends who are steering her away. Job's open, honest expression makes him seem trustworthy and she explains that her friend's daughter joined the Configured. Mother and daughter never got on well and this just caused more arguments. One day she went out to a meeting and never came back. Puzzling over the meaning of it all, Job follows the dancers and finds himself increasingly intrigued by the intricacy of their movements. Before he knows it, time has passed and they have come to a small building. The leader of the dance invites all three of the newcomers in to learn more but Job decides this is not for him, makes his excuses and leaves through Dragon Town for the taverns of Riverside.
Meanwhile, for the first time this evening, Griffith is at the Magestarium having daggers thrown at him by a blindfolded Kralorelan with an incredibly stereotyped Kralorelan accent while an evil midget in an evil midget face mask glares evilly at him. Admittedly he has volunteered for this. It all started earlier this evening after he paid his Silver to attend Paragon's smorgasbord of the spectacular. There was a dog-headed girl who sang like an angel, psychic twins, Penchension the clown, juggling and jokes. The highlight, however, was a performance by Cheng Wi'en. Performing to the half-empty hall with his silent midget as a sidekick, he explains that everything they see tonight is done without magic. He has midget reveal a stone and claims that it will stop all magic, inviting a volunteer to test out the truth of this claim. Griffith volunteers and casts Second Sight. Sure enough, not only can he see no magic in the area but can not see anything from Second Sight in the stage area at all. Intrigued he calls on Lankhor Mhy to Dismiss Magic, causing gasps from the crowd - after all divine spells are not normally used so freely - but again to no effect.
Having made his point, Cheng Wi'en proceeds to several illusions. He gets a volunteer to step into a cabinet and then sticks swords into it. Does a mind-reading trick with cards and finally hypnotises another volunteer and levitates her. As his last act he gets a volunteer for the throwing knives trick. He catches Griffith's eye and invites him back. The first dagger goes horribly wide to everyone's amusement. The next few strike true, missing Griffith by as close to nothing as nothing can be while still being something. Then the midget hands him a throwing axe. Cheng Wi'en is shocked but explains that he must finish the act or else a backlash will endanger them all. He makes a couple of tentative, aborted swings then suddenly shouts, Jumps and spins then throws all in one movement. The axe buries itself between Griffith's suddenly weak legs...
Afterwards Griffith goes back stage to talk with Cheng. As he removes make up he talks humbly in a far less Kralorelan accent about his long journey and acquiring the midget, "Mr Sin," in a wager. He grows curter and possibly more suspicious when Griffith starts mentioning a missing friend, soon dismissing Griffith. As Griffith leaves, he notices that he hasn't seen Mr Sin during any part of this conversation.
Cormalin and Jotisan in the meantime are hunting for a way into these "sewers", possibly in a quest to find a giant rat. It takes them some time to find an entrance large enough to get down and, once down, they start to regret it. The tunnels are mostly dry (it hasn't rained in weeks) and stinking. Undaunted they press on. True adventurers know that the answers to most things lie underground. Still it's quite confusing down there with tunnels twisting and turning until suddenly it opens up....
Cut to Griffith walking back through Dragon Town gradually becoming aware that he's being followed. He looks over his shoulder a couple of times but sees nothing and hurries on. He doesn't know the area and realises that he's in more of a darkened alleyway. Then he sees a flash of metal and for the second time this evening he is having daggers thrown at him.
Cut to Job, a little the worse for wear hearing a cry of distress. Setting his strong jaw and cracking his knuckles he moves to see if he can help only to realise that all is not as it seems.
Cut to Jotisan and Cormalin and the cat. The cat's spine is arching in fear as a drawn out howl echoes through the tunnels and then something is coming...
It starts with Griffith. He recognises the evil, I tell you it's evil, midget which is now half-way up a wall. There's a glint of bronze and a dagger's thrown. Griffith tries to evade but the throw is inhumanely fast and powerful. Staggering him as it slices deep across his unarmoured back. Desperately he runs, the midget pulls out another dagger and throws again. This time it misses, just. Griffith is almost out of danger until a third dagger cuts deep into a hamstring, bringing him down. Desperately he calls out for help.
Meanwhile Job goes running down the alley to save the victim. He barrels into the attacker, grabbing him around the stomach and pinning him to the floor. The victim of the mugging scuttles sideways. Job however is surprised to discover a third person grabbing him from behind, trying to lift him off the ground and break his hold on thug #1. Job squirms and breaks free but is surprised again when the victim turns out to be SheThug. She picks up a piece of wood and tells him to surrender. Job however is having none of it. She attempts to smash him over the head with the lump of wood but slips and the wood breaks against a wall as Job ducks. Thug the first comes back but Job knocks him down again, ducking underneath another wild swing. Then Thug #2 lunges at Job who must have grabbed him by the arm and swung him around, giving him a dead arm in the process. Seeing that this is not going well, the SheThug draws a knife. There's a brief pause and Job calculates that this is his one chance. Suddenly he becomes the goddam Batman. He kicks the knife out of her hand then spins and elbows her in the stomach, winding her. As the guy with the dead arm complains bitterly he continues his spin and breaks his knee with another kick. He goes down again. Thug #1 loses interest in the fight and scarpers. She thug also decides to leg it. For a second Job considers trying to stop her but decides against it and moves over to the grounded thug menacingly.
Down in the sewer, Jotisan and Cormalin have found the giant or, to be more precise, it has found then. With a terrifying cry it lunges at Jotisan and grabs him with a claw. Fortunately for them (and cat who had fluffed up to twice normal size) it may have been a scaberous, nauseating rat the size of a cow but it was also relatively incompetent. As Cormalin tried to push it off Jotisan and cat tried to rake it with its claws, Jotisan was able to struggle free, albeit with a serious wound to the arm. Cormalin meanwhile focused on bashing at its head. Jotisan was able to heal himself and waded back into the fight with a torch. Cormalin took the chance to cast Ironhand and then Jotisan tried Demoralising it. There was an odd magical effect and the rat started to look like it wanted to back off. As it turned, Cormalin slammed into its hind end, staggering it with the force of his attack while Jotisan managed to stick a torch in its snout, leading to the rank smell of burning rat nostril hair. Seeing his chance Jotisan pressed the attack, slamming the rat's head into the wall repeatedly until it stopped moving.
Brushing themselves down, they persuaded a deeply reluctantly cat to try and track the rat's scent back. They discovered that it appeared to have a territory centred on two exits in Dragon Town. They also found a storm drain tunnel (too small for a normal person) with a very odd smell and a fragment of woman's clothing. Realising that their work here was done, they took one of the exits into Dragon Town and came up close by where Griffith was telling the city guards about the evil, it's evil I tell you, midget. Jotisan gathered him up and they went off to bathe, meeting up later with Job.
There was message at Trade's Rest saying Mr Door had information for them but they have other leads to follow. Griffith goes to the Citadel to register a complaint about being nearly murdered by evil midget stereotypes. The clerk (Zimbul) agresd to look into it. The rest head back to the rat catchers but don't learn anything new.
So, Griffith and Job head off to Dragon Mount to see if they can join in with the Godsday services. It is a strange and unsettling experience. As they follow the other interested newcomers they find their faith tested and their certainties challenged. Labygyron himself comes to lead the services and everywhere they look they see mandalas, twisting networks of spirals. Griffith finds himself wondering about the relationship between change and stasis, Job mediates on the calm at the centre of the storm. As they join in the chants they feel inspired and concerned in equal measure. The service ends with a feel of mild euphoria and Job feeling somewhat weakened, as if he had just cast common magic. They return to find Jotisan looking even grumpier than normal...
So Griffith at this point persuades the party to come back to the Magestarium. Cormalin finds a barmaid to bring with and off they go to watch the show. Griffith manages to persuade Job to volunteer for the knife throwing act. It follows the same procedure as last time only when Job sits down he discovers he's bleeding from a graze. Shortly after he heads outside to see the damage and starts feeling very woozy. The show ends and Griffith tries to get back stage again. Cormalin is more interested in the barmaid so heads off. The remaining three get to see Cheng Wi'en. Griffith explains that Job was nicked by the axe. Wi'en is surprised and calls out for Mr Sin to bring the axe. There's no response. Eventually he suggests that they follow him down into the basement. Job has a moment of lucidity so the three follow him into the deep, dark, abandoned, soundproof basement looking for the evil midget with the poisoned axe. There's a sound, a flash of bronze and Griffith is falling back, dying, with a dagger impaled in his eye. Job looks around to see Wi'en stepping away and starting to cast a sorcerous incantation. Jotisan tries to make out the shape of the midget, succeeds and blasts it with his strongest Lightning Bolt. The spell however seems to sink into the anti-magic stone the midget is carrying. Caught off-guard by this, Jotisan doesn't react quickly enough. Another knife thrown with inhuman speed and power sinks into his thigh, cutting an artery and sending him into instant shock. Job tries to reach for Wi'en but he's now covered in some sort of glimmering sheathe. He hears Jotisan calling out to the Storm then a mighty wind almost lifts the Magestarium off its foundations. It's all a haze now to them all but they were plucked from certain death and carried through the air to the Orlanth Temple.
So now they are spending a few days under the care of the healers. Griffith will take longer as his eye needs to grow back though he will always have a vicious looking scar down the left side of his face. Jotisan feels the weakening of his pact and all must face up to the consequences of their actions. The healing will cost them 400 silvers in total but the intangible costs of yesterday's events may run far deeper.
Involved: Jotisan, Cormalin, Yellard, Rudrecht, Ravage, "Not Important."
Not involved: Griffith (eye regrowing); Job (recovering from poisoning).
Unchus Sariedo hires them to find a gem in the ruins of Robcradle Island. They find it and various other nick-nacks in a God Learner complex. By nick-nacks I mean things like a column containing a spirit called Gobchanko who claims to be able to destroy Pavis if set free. Harried by ghouls they escape through a crack in the wall only to discover a cave complex that is home to some (fortuitously) absent ogres. The caves emerge into the south cliffs and they make their way back to the boat.
In which the PCs venture outside the city walls on an errand for Mr Door; get ambushed by bandits; eat, drink and make merry with the Bison Riders and then wonder what exactly it is they have done. Cormalin's cat is not around for the return.
In which Cormalin is accused of murder; Muverry returns; the world's sweariest granny is encountered; Larad is found and his memory jogged.
Cormalin finds his cat. It has been catnapped by the rat catchers. Cormalin blithely walks into an ambush. It appears that the Muverry's paintings show Cormalin killing her. Cormalin tries to explain that this is just a work of fiction. They don't believe him until Muverry walks in through the door. It takes some toing and froing but it begins to sound as if she had been held prisoner in dungeons beneath the Magestarium. It also appears to be the case that she has been killed judging by the vicious wound across her throat.
Granny Koo and Larad...
A consultation with Gedz the Gnarled who explains the political situation of Pavis.
A journey to Arrowsmith Citadel to determine the progress of Muverry's healing leads to the discovery that Labygyron appears to have taken an interest.
A discourse with dwarves about the merits of GANNT charts and urban regeneration leads to the discovery that Muverry's wall is missing.
Drinks with Argrand the Sharp reveal that there are Orlanthi traditionalists who wish to lead an uprising in Pavis.
An excursion to Dragon Mount ends with an audience with Labygyron himself who offers to heal Larad.
Cormalin heads to the library to see how Griffith's research is going and whether Lankor Mhy magic can restore Muverry. The results are mixed.
Jotisan and Job head to Mr Door to hear about the potential discovery of Maralis. Following his directions merely leads them into a fatal ambush.
Cormalin hears from Not Important that one of the Esrolian matriarchs seems to have put a bounty on the PCs. Moving quickly he rounds up Griffith and two of the Alakorings - Kerrif and Rolly. They make it to a bandit hide-out just in time to rescue Jotisan and Job though are counter attacked by two Morokanth as well. Heading back into Pavis they sell off the loot they looted from the bandits and scrape together enough money to provide a substantial donation to Granny Koo's Imarja Orphans Fund through the mediation of Aunty Freya. In the light of this, Koo hands over Larad now that she can see his memory is being jogged by his friends. All in the name of cooperation and harmony.
So at last, the lads are back together though there is still no sign of Maralis or Larad's child.
Larad consults with Gedz about just how much trouble he is in with his deity. Meanwhile Not Important offers the characters a chance at an immediate repayment of their debt. A friend of a friend, a weaver named Astrid, has been kidnapped and her most precious belongings stolen. Not Important has discovered that Astrid is being held in the Imarja temple by Granny Koo. So they can repay the debt and tweak Granny Koo's nose at the same time. Admittedly this will require raiding a major temple. On the plus side, Larad knows some of the layout.
After much consideration they decide to go for a daring daylight ride while Granny does one of her parades. They are pretty sure she will have consecrated the temple so there's no way to get in there without alerting her, so get in while she's away. Planning nearly goes awry when Cormalin who is loitering outside the temple watching the worshippers come and go in order to find a woman who could be seduced. Two zeros later he is being accused of stalking and gets arrested by the city guard. No charges are bought but Jeritha is not best pleased. Meanwhile Jotisan sends his Mostali PA to get sewer plans. The map doesn't really help so the final plan is for Agrand's gang to cause a ruckus in the outer courtyard and then Cormalin to break the consecration first seeing as he's already known. As soon as the shouting and screaming starts the rest will break into what are thought to be Granny's quarters.
The plan sort of works. Agrand's gang and Cormalin create a diversion and Cormalin quickly finds Jeritha in order to apologise. As the guards rush in several directions the characters move in and take the place by surprise. Moving as fast as possible they break down several doors. Larad and Job try to hold the remaining guards as they begin to realise where the true threat lies. Larad gets trapped behind the goddess shrine; trying to dead-arm a guard she slips under his grip and kicks a rack of candles over, one of them temporarily blinding him. Job using Thunder's Voice starts calling for Astrid while Cormalin is trying to deal with a psychopathic guard with a hatred for me; requiring much ducking out of the way of hurled chakrams.
Jotisan realises that their time is short and they aren't making much progress. Calling on all his strength he summons the Sylph. It heeds his call with alacrity and blows some stout wooden doors down. An acolyte meanwhile throws several befuddles to no effect then armours herself with Imarja's shield. Fortunately Astrid and her rugs are found. Hardly pausing, the sylph picks up Astrid, the rugs and Larad. Job and Jotisan run with the sylph blowing out of there. Cormalin however has been befuddled and is left behind...
Having successfully rescued Astrid and her rugs they gradually come to the realisation that the only leverage they have to get Cormalin back is the rugs. So Astrid is given sanctuary at the Ernalda temple and, against her will, the rugs are traded back for Cormalin. First though the patterns on the rugs fill in some more of Larad's missing memories and also cause Griffith to go somewhat loopy with much muttering of movement and stasis, water and earth and so on. Jotisan's Mostali map of the sewers completes the puzzle. He realises that the rugs are showing a bit of a map of the Zola Fel river and that the sewer map is mysteriously blank underneath the north side of Dragon Town. Larad has half-remembered memories of this.
So it's time to hire a boat and head into a mysterious maze of underground canals. Creepy underground canals. Canals that glow and where occasionally the water tries to climb into the boat. And that's the least creepy bit. The tunnels appear to oscillate slowly. On the basis that Larad feels drawn to the left, the party boat their way left, left then left some more. At one point they find a side tunnel which doesn't seem to belong and which Larad remembers squeezing down. They tie the boat and try to make their way down it but are foiled by a dead end. So it's back into the boat, ignoring the small, damp handprint on the gunwale and heading left some more.
Eventually their leftwards progression brings them into a grotto. Mooring the boat they explore through the natural pillars, winding their way to the middle. As they do so, Larad starts to experience a dawning sense of memory and Cormalin realises that he has seen this place before. A flash of colour on the far wall turns out to be a painting on some sort of canvas that draws them all closer. It appears to be a view of Pavis from afar yet Pavis is in rubble and there is a wound or bloody red sphere in the sky. As they look they see figures in the painting and one of them appears to be Jotisan being slain by sorcery. By Rsadi. As they look some more they realise that some of the figures have moved slightly. At this point Larad passes out when he tries to cast magic and runs out of Magic Points. Alarmingly he starts to fade.
Realising this is probably not good, Job picks him up and the party head for the boat. Job starts fading as well and as they row as quickly as their unskilled arms permit they feel oddly disconnected and the passage seems oddly easy and when they pull out of the maze into the river, dragging the boat onto the bank they realise everything has changed. The heat is baking, the air dusty and harsh and as they pause to look around a baleful, red sphere glares down onto the ruins of Pavis. On the plus side, as Larad wakes up he notices that he has a foot again.
So there they are. It's hot, stultifying, there's a baleful sphere in the sky above them, Pavis in ruins all about them and some sort of broo, bison and rhino chaos hybrids about to attack them. Between them they have some clothes, two bucklers and a knife. Time to run. About 100m later, as they run for the nearest ruins, they realise this isn't going to work. Job can't stay on his feet, Jotisan and Larad are quickly tiring while the bison-broo gain on them and Cormalin has sprinted off like a scalded cat. Jotisan decides to take the air and grabs Larad. The broos continue to give chase and even a well-aimed skybolt doesn't deter them. However a patrol of 8 men in armour and crimson cloaks changes the dynamic. After a flurry of javelins the broo retreat and the adventurers find themselves being quizzed by some distinctly sceptical soldiers. The outcome is that they are taken into custody and dumped in a jail in Badside.
In jail they talk with an Orlanthi who is waiting to be crucified the next morning and begin to learn something of the world. A new force has arisen - The Lunar Empire - who worship the red moon in the sky and who have overthrown Orlanth. No one will talk about the God Learners. The EWF appears to have been destroyed by the dragons it worshipped (a sight once seen by Keldo in a vision). In the meantime Pavis has also fallen. The history is a little unclear but there seem to have been repeated invasions by nomads led by Jaldon Goldentooth then by trolls. What is left is now known as the Big Rubble. New Pavis was built by an Orlanthi exile from "Sartar" (which appears to be in old Dragon Pass) after the city was opened up during the "Dragonewts' Dream."
More worryingly, when the guards come to take the Orlanthi away one of them is wearing the same mask as Mr Sin.
At a trial the next morning the PCs are summarily executed. Only kidding. Instead they are seconded to a Lunar Rubble Patrol where they will serve their debt to society and maybe even come back alive. About two weeks into this they are detailed to explore the southern tip of Ogre Island and the old God Learner ruins to see if there is any way of finding a connection to the fast growing Cacodemon temple.
About 700 years too late they finally get to confront the ogres in the sea caves. After a difficult fight they manage to rout the surprised inhabitants and press through to the even more ruined ruins following Jotisan and Cormalin. Surveying the wreckage they are surprised to hear a voice from the past.
The voice from the past belongs to Griffith who appears to have been bound into Gobchanko's old column. He's a little vague about how and why exactly so no change there. Basically explains that he's not sure how long he's been there but that the slop and slime gang have the spider mask, Cormalin should wear the mask, Larad must give his sword to the "wicker lady," that whatever the strange alarm sound is he doesn't really know but that last time he heard it, the Dragonewts turned up. Jotisan starts digging at the base of the column with help from Cormalin (where the sound is coming from) and then various slimy broo attack. It's not pleasant but they are dispatched and the heroes find a container with Larad's sword, a stasis rune drawn on paper and another Mostali clock machine. Cormalin tears the rune just as Griffith starts to say "wait, I haven't explained everything yet..."
So, back to the boat. They encamp near the puzzle canal entrance and bury everything then return to report back. A couple of days later they are quizzed by a short, chubby Lunar officer who seems to be the first person to take their outlandish stories of being time travellers seriously.
A few days later and they have survived their stint in the rubble. They are let back onto the streets of Pavis with nothing but their clothes. Even their antique coinage has been appropriated as Rubble loot. Not sure where to go next they eventually track down Garrath Sharpsword, the man who spoke up for them at the trial. He sets them up with a meal and a room and asks them about their stories. Clearly not that sure but he's fascinated by the Puzzle Canal. Eventually he says that maybe they should talk with the most successful canal explorer still alive. Muvry.
There's a wtf moment and then they realise that yes, it did sound like Muverry. Apparently she's an old woman who has visited the canal several times. So they meet. She recognises Larad straight away but doesn't know the rest of them. Says that 40 years ago or so she went with Larad and Maralis to look at the painting. it was at the start of Sacred Time and they got caught in some type of magic. She woke up here and eventually found that she was a long time in the future. Once she realised what had happened she took up rubble running to get money to finance expeditions to the Puzzle Canal. Knowing Old Pavis intimately meant she could find secret ways around. She had long since learnt not to talk about this and had recently begun to wonder if her memories were just an illusion. Oddly though she feels strangely stretched.
They share some of this with Garrath. He immediately becomes interested. He will finance a sortie in strength to the puzzle canal to try to find the painting that tells the future and draw on their knowledge. What's more he'll organise it for Sacred Time when it seems that the canal becomes magically charged somehow. That is 10 weeks away so for now they are to lie low. He will arrange for equipment and also some magical training (namely Water Breath) and they'll make their way into the rubble in separate groups. Meeting up near the canal entrance on the first day of Sacred Time.
Garrath is as good as his word. During the 10 weeks they prepare themselves for the expedition and discover more of the history of Pavis. They also get frequently quizzed by Garrath who is particularly interested in their accounts of the EWF and saddened that they know nothing of giants. It soon becomes clear that Garrath has an agenda of his own and, like Arkat of old, is interested in using whatever weapon comes to hand to overthrow the Lunar Empire.
Sacred Time comes and they venture into the Rubble. The party stops to dig up their buried items. Larad recovers his sword and Cormalin takes the spider mask but they decide to leave the Mostali device where it is. After all, presumably when Griffith buried the item, which seems to have some ability to measure time, create paths between distance places and maybe even manipulated it, it was unlikely that there was a reason it might be useful.
Venturing into the canal is a strange and disorienting experience. Muverry is able to lead the party for a while but soon comes to the limits of her knowledge while various odd occurrences occur (as is their wont) oddly and the 2 boats almost get swamped by Kraken Weed. Everyone can hear a ghostly chanting which the PCs recognise as the Confounded. Eventually Cormalin puts on the spider mask to see what he can see. True enough it seems to give him a feeling of the best way to go but also it appears to show that the heroes and Muverry are 'wrong' in this time. After a while as well he realises that he can make see where the walls are permeable and directs the boats through the walls and into a ferociously, wraithly attack by the Confounded. Their claws cut deep but the party's weapons can't bite. Several manage to cast Bladesharp and Larad casts Truesword. With the magical enhancements they prevail though 3 of Garrath's men fall to their death.
Finally they reach the cavern of the painting. They approach it and all see the Red Moon challenged by a ghostly dragon. Speaking of which, all hear something large arriving. A presence in the maze is aware of them and manifesting. Cormalin looks through the mask and sees lines of force around the painting and the party and realises that Muverry is anchoring them here in the future. While she remains alive, the way back is closed. Taking an instant decision he plunges his spear into her chest, killing her. The rest look appalled but then the world begins to fade. Garrath and his men are abandoned in the future. Our heroes feel themselves hurtling back through time slap bang into Mr Sin...