Chasing the Sunset & invasion plans

The Fellowship is healthy and well-rested after taking some time to recover. They even repaired their boat, the outrigger Miranda. They head downriver towards the Hidden Library, following the map that Buckle has been drawing on his travels. They sail east, downriver, and see the two volcanoes on the south side of the river. When they disembark, they find a rope discarded on the ground. It’s woven out of vines. One heavy central rope, and loops of smaller rope coming off the sides. The main rope is long enough to reach across the river. Stella examines the rope.

Stella Look Closely (+despair, damaged Sense) 10+ ask 3 questions

• What do my senses tell me?
  • Recent heavy rains in the area have caused rampant plant growth, as well as swelling the Mighty River. Pollen creates a misty haze, and the Mighty River is deeper than usual. The vine rope could be used to tie many people together in a line, so they all go in the same direction.  A Dwarf walks towards the Hidden Library. The pack on his back is a rigid trunk, higher than his head. A small birdcage sits on top of the backpack.
• What is hidden or out of place?
  • It’s not hidden as much as it is hard to see. The birdcage contains a messenger bird, with a little backpack to carry tiny scrolls.
• What is the Dwarf doing? What will he do next?
  • The Dwarf is a friendly fellow. He hails the Fellowship and explains his goal.

Linus he/him Dwarf scribe

Linus: Hello! I’m trying to make contact. There’s supposed to be a library around here.

Buckle: You’re going to the library too? You want to come with us?

Linus: Yes, that will make my journey much easier.

Rose accompanies Stella, Ugg accompanies Buckle, and the rest of the Companions stay at the boat. Elektra flies around and Ichabod follows, learning from the more experienced bird.

Stella Speak Softly 6- ask 3 questions, 1 unhelpful answer, 1 false answer

• What should I be wary of when dealing with Linus?
  • Linus seems to be a very open person. There are no bad vibes.
• What does Linus want & how can we help him get it?
  • He shows Stella a scroll
  • Linus: It’s the weirdest thing. We got a scroll announcing that a library south of the Mighty River in a volcano was now open. It was looking to share knowledge with the scholars at Templeton. So I’m here to make contact. Maybe our scribes can copy some of their texts and vice versa.
  • Buckle: Stella, didn’t you teleport into Templeton one time?
  • Stella: We don’t talk about that!
• What can Linus tell us about the library?
  • Linus: It’s a mystery to me. We didn’t know about any library out here.

They walk up to the rim of the volcano, then down the spiral staircase carved into the side fo the caldera. The library’s protective shell has a nice, large, smooth entrance now. Visitors no longer need to wiggle through a crack. Linus is excited and runs ahead. As he approaches the entrance, the Ghost Librarian appears to welcome him. She’s a sheet ghost with glasses that float in front of her eye holes. Linus is very startled! His messenger bird panics and Linus must calm it.

Buckle: Hello, Librarian. We have some things for you like we said we would. Here are some fire-proof suits.

Buckle gives 2 fire-proof suits to the Ghost Librarian and wears the third. Ghost Librarian is happy to receive them and they float out of Buckle’s hands and over to the librarian’s desk.

Ghost Librarian: Thank you. I see you have your own fire-proof suit. Since you’re safe, you may explore the stacks, or if you’re looking for particular things, I can pull some books for you.

Ghost LIbrarian: So you got my message? What city are you from?

Linus: Templeton. This is not what I expected. We’ll need to block out some time to see how our libraries can collaborate.  Has this been here long?

Librarian: Oh yes, hundreds of years. We just reopened, so our books are quite out of date. We’re eager to update them. How’s your Dragon, Dalt?

Linus: There hasn’t been a Dragon in Templeton for a hundred years!

The two scholars go into a meeting room to continue their conversation. Stella and Buckle look around for other patrons and notice one of O’Later’s agents! She’s reading a book and hasn’t noticed them.

• Agent, she/her Human Vampire
  • Death From Above: Agents can climb along walls and ceilings as quickly as they can run, and as silently as a ghost. When an Agent drops down on an enemy from above, they can either kidnap them or deal damage to them as a Hard Cut, their choice.
  • Patience: The Agent is Secret until they make a Cut. When they escape or hide, they become Secret again until they make a Cut.

 

• Stella Speak Softly 10+ ask 3 questions
  • What can they tell us about Artifacts of Power?
    • She finds a report on the attack that caused the library to seal itself away. A Dark Lord tried to seize the library, because it contains information about creatures of darkness. Knowledge is power, so the library itself is an Artifact of Power.
  • What should I be wary of when dealing with Artifacts of Power?
    • The Story of the Beacon is a folktale. There was an Artifact of Power called The Beacon. Once it was discovered, many people tried to claim it and its power of light. Thaddeus sought the Beacon for many years. When he finally achieved his life’s goal and held the Beacon in his hands, he stared into its light and blinded himself! The moral is that powerful things are dangerous, even to the people that wield them.

GM note: I forgot about Stella’s third question and inflected a consequence from the 6- when talking to Linus

Agent Death From Above: when an Agent drops down, she may damage or kidnap her victim

Stella goes back and forth in the stacks picking out books and one time she goes in and doesn’t come back out!  Buckle doesn’t notice immediately. He’s looking for a map. He finds a wide cabinet with large flat drawers that hold maps without folding or rolling them. He picks up a map of the continent. It’s at least 100 years out of date, but it’s more complete than his hand-drawn map. He interrupts the meeting between Linus and Ghost Librarian to ask how he could get a copy.

Buckle: Hey, Linus. You seem like you’re good with a pen. Could you make me a copy of one of these atlases?

Buckle Talk Sense (+sense, plan) 10+

Linus agrees, but it’s a laborious process that will take a while.

Buckle wants to learn about the Deathlands, the fields of hungry ghosts north of Vieport. The Agent has Stella held in a corner. The tall Agent crouches behind Stella, one hand over her mouth, and the other hand wrapped around her and holding a knife. Stella can tell this Agent is a Vampire because her hands are icy cold.  Stella can’t yell or use her arms. Buckle wanders through the stacks and Stella sees him down the aisle. She considers knocking the bookshelf onto her captor, but they’re quite heavy. She uses Wizardry to push several books off the top shelf so they fall on the Agent’s head.

Stella Wizardry: touch, push, or pull somewhere you can see

Stella Keep Them Busy: 10+ their attention is all on you

The books startle the Agent and Stella is able to grapple her, so neither is really in control. Buckle notices the commotion and ducks into the next aisle and sneaks toward the Agent while out of sight.

Buckle Get Away 6-

Buckle flattens himself on the far side of the bookcase, but the impact tips the bookcase over! It’s falling on Stella and the Agent.

Buckle Overcome 6-

Buckle grabs at the bookcase but can’t stop it from falling on the Agent.

Stella Lived In A Shoe: change size

Stella shrinks to the size of an apple, so the bookcase hits the Agent first. Stella’s plan doesn’t quite work because the agent is knocked flat on top of her.

Agent damages Patience

Stella damages Grace

The Bonds That Break Us: If you harm an ally, erase a Bond with them

Buckle erases a bond with Stella

Buckle starts digging through the pile of books. Ghost LIbrarian hears the commotion and starts moving from the other side of the library. The Agent pushes herself up to her hands and knees and feels around under herself for her knife. Her hand might also land on Stella, who is quite grabbable at this size. Stella puts a book over her head like a turtle’s shell and tries to sneak away.

Stella Get Away (despair, damaged stat) 6-

The Agent grabs Stella and tries to get out of the rubble and escape. The Librarian is almost there.

Librarian: No fighting in the library!

Buckle sees the Agent getting up and smacks her with his tail.

Buckle Keep Them Busy 6-

Buckle’s tail hits the hand that’s holding Stella, but the Agent keeps her grip.

Stella damages a stat

The Bonds That Break Us: If you harm an ally, erase a Bond with them

Buckle erases a bond with Stella

Stella: Oh! Why!

The Librarian arrives, her sheets waving in a wind no one else can feel. She uses her poltergeist powers to lift all the fallen books, and the combatants also feel themselves being lifted a little.

Librarian: I’ve had trouble with you before. I thought you turned over a new leaf.

Buckle: We keep getting attacked! It’s not our fault! This person attacked my friend!

Stella: I am actively being kidnapped!

Librarian: I demand that you all leave!

The Agent complies immediately and walks towards the door. Stella, still small and still in the Agent’s hand, draws her Halfling Longsword and pokes the Agent’s hand.

Stella Keep Them Busy: 10+

Stella Lived In A Shoe: return to normal size

Stella Sting Like A Bee: steal a scroll case

Buckle: My friend and I are just trying to do research and people keep attacking us in the library. Please don’t make us go outside with this person because they will try to kidnap us. We don’t want to cause any trouble. Trouble keeps happening to us. Can’t you protect you patrons in the library?

Buckle Talk Sense (+Wisdom, appeal to desires) 6-

The Librarian is especially disappointed in Buckle because he seemed like he was trying to make up for his previous trouble-making, but no! It’s the same old thing. She empowers her telekinesis and carries Buckle, Stella, and the Agent to the library entrance. Stella and Buckle don’t resist. They don’t want to make more trouble for the library. The group passes Linus on the way out.

Linus: Wait, I’m not finished…

The Librarian sets them down on the bright white uncluttered shell of the library. This Agent can’t use her stealth and ambush tactics here, so she flees right up the caldera wall.

Agent Death From Above: Agents can climb along walls and ceilings as quickly as they can run, and as silently as a ghost

Buckle is mad and blasts the Agent with lightning!

Buckle spends 1 use of Medallion of Cleft Sky

Buckle Finish Them (+Sense, knock out) 7-9 damage 1 stat

Agent damages Death From Above

Agent TAKEN OUT

The Agent falls back down unconscious. Buckle drags her away, grumbling. Back at the Miranda, Buckle ties the Agent up with the big rope he found. She looks like she should be tied to railroad tracks. The Agent regains consciousness surrounded by a Platyperson, several Halflings, a Goblin, a Phoenix, and a Hapry Eagle, all staring down at her. She looks at the Phoenix.

Agent: I guess we can’t recover the egg.

Buckle. You’re going to come back to the library with me. You’re going to take full responsibility, and I’m going to get access to the library!

The Agent is in no position to refuse. She tries to get up, but can’t without use of her arms.

Buckle: It’s OK. We’ll go in the morning. For now, we’ll have some food.

Stella Fill Your Belly: spend 1 Snack to heal 1 stat

In the evening, Linus’ messenger hawk flies to the Miranda and delivers a message.

Linus: I hope you didn’t go too far. I am still working on your map. I hope to be able to deliver it to you.

Buckle writes a reply and the messenger hawk flies back towards the Hidden Library.

Buckle: Thank you so much. We’re back at the river on our ship.

Buckle Speak Softly 6- ask 3 questions, 1 false answer, 1 unhelpful answer

• What do they want? How can we help them get it?
  • Capturing any of the Fellowship would give the Agent glory, because the Fellowship has embarrassed O’Later and Port Fennrick. So if you could just turn yourselves in…
• What are they doing (in the library)? What will they do next?
  • Looking at old almanacs from pre-Moon times to see if seasons and weathers have changed.
• What can you tell us about O’Later’s plans?
  • O’Later needs a victory to impress his boss, so he wants to take over the library.

As the Fellowship prepares to sleep overnight, Buckle tells Stella his plan. He’ll suggest that the librarian make a new Taboo spell to eject anyone fighting in the library. Stella amends that to “anyone starting a fight”. He’ll get the librarian to talk to him by telling her about the evil plot against her library. That’s the truth! Stella was prepared to tell a grotesque lie, but she doesn’t have to.

The next morning, Stella brings Silk to drag the Agent to the library,but the Agent is gone! She chewed through the rope with her fangs overnight.  Buckle talks to his birds.

Buckle: Do you want to teach Ichabod how to do some predation? Hunt down a rodent? Remember that person we had tied up? Go find ’em!

Elektra damages Get Carried Away

The birds fly up and up to search the area, and the Fellowship returns to the library. The Librarian meets them at the door.

Librarian: You are not welcome here!

Buckle: Librarian, I’m going to level with you. That Agent of O’Later that attacked us in the library is part of an evil scheme by Port Fennrick to take over the library. We’re here to help you…

Librarian: That little fishing village? What are they going to do? Threaten me with their little spears?

Stella: Not so little anymore!

Buckle: How much information to you have about Vampires? Do you know they build weapons of mass destruction? Vampires have taken over Port Fennrick. We have a suggestion. You have magical protection. Make it so that anyone who starts a fight leaves the library immediately.

Buckle Talks Sense (+Sense, explain plan) 7-9 owe a favor

Librarian: We sealed the library to prevent a dark lord from using our knowledge for evil. We just re-opened and contacted other libraries, and now another dark lord is trying to take over? Was re-opening a mistake?

Buckle: What do you need to stay open? We’ll help with that.

Librarian: Last time, the library was defended by magicians to make a shell, and warriors to keep the army away. We have more warning this way. Last time we didn’t start casting the spell until the army was on the mountain. Warriors are a last resort. We’d prefer not to do any of that again.

Stella: Do we know any magicians?

Buckle: Samantha!

Linus: I know a few magicians in Templeton.

Linus has finished copying the 100-year-old atlas, which he delivers to Buckle.

GM note: I assigned myself some homework to do before next session. My fellow players reminded me that we do this for fun and to have a good time. I shouldn’t overwork myself. It’s nice that my players are looking out for me.

The Fellowship decides to accompany Linus back to Templeton, and try to recruit those magicians. He wants to stay one more day to discuss matters with the Librarian. The Fellowship doesn’t mind waiting.

Stella examines the scroll case she stole from the Agent. It’s locked with a keyhole. Stella unlocks it with O’Later’s Skeleton Key, which she stole from O’Later himself!

GM note: A wonderful surprise! That happened 12 months ago and I completely forgot that Stella had O’Later’s key. No item could be more suited to unlocking a scroll case carried by his Agent.

The scroll explains the agent’s mission: Scout out the library and find weak points in preparation for O’Later’s invasion. The invasion will come on the next new moon. Stella shows the scroll to Buckle.

Buckle: See? Proof!

The Librarian is convinced, and is relieved that there’s some time to prepare before the invasion.

GM note: Fellowship doesn’t have strict timekeeping, so we scheduled an IRL date of November 2023 for the invasion.

Elektra returns with the Agent. Elektra is a very big eagle, but humans are quite heavy. Elektra half-drags, half-carries the Agent. When they go over the rim of the volcano, Elektra flaps backwards the whole way, but the Agent still has a heavy landing.  As they are descending, Stella whispers to Buckle and the Librarian.

Stella: Don’t mention that we know about the invasion!

Buckle: Well, buddy? Explain yourself to the librarian!

The Agent is injured and surrounded by enemies. Even her escape attempt didn’t work. So she doesn’t really have a choice.

Agent: I’m sorry for starting a fight in the library. It wasn’t their fault.

Librarian: It’s good to tell the truth. The truth is important. But we can’t have fighting in the library, so you’re not allowed in the library.

The Librarian will allow the Fellowship access to the library when they bring some concrete aid against the invasion.

Buckle: Do either of you have any fang-proof rope?

Librarian: I haven’t heard of such a thing. Is this a recent innovation?

Linus: We use some heavy cables in the mines, but I don’t know that they’ve been tested against fangs specifically. That’s an unusual use case.

The Fellowship returns to the Miranda and waits for Linus to be done with his business at the Hidden Library. They will set out for Templeton together next time.

END OF SESSION MOVE

• Did we thoroughly explore a new location?
  • YES, the Raging Rapids
• Did anyone find what they were seeking?
  • YES, Buckle’s nesting instinct is fulfilled by hatching Ichabod
• Did we discover something new about the world or its peoples?
  • YES, O’Later’s invasion, the reason for the last battle at the library

Three Boons.

1. Heal. Elektra’s Get Carried Away. Stella’s stat + Animal Trait
2. Heal. Stella’s Animal Trait
3. Restore gear. Buckle restores Medallion of Cleft Sky

GM note: Leveling up isn’t so appealing now, because the players are so powerful, and are almost out of advancements.

GM note: The Fellowship’s goal is to keep a library open to the public. We notice that this game seems to lead to socialism. Indeed, class solidarity and unions came up just last month. It’s in the mechanics. This is a game about meeting different people and helping them. Money isn’t important. It’s a big contrast from D&D, where the long-term mechanic is killing people and taking their stuff to amass personal wealth and power to avoid the constant threat of death.