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--- gameplay:session_log [2026/01/06 19:27] – anwill
+++ gameplay:session_log [2026/03/01 22:56] (current) – anwill
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 === IX. An orb, a doll, and a twisted purpose ===
-The following morning, after a swift council, the party resolved to deliver the Orb to the designated warehouse, the one indicated by the head of Cantanagia, and rid themselves of the accursed thing with haste. Sticking to the most crowded paths, and sensing the presence of hidden, shadowy watchers along the rooftops, they arrived unscathed at the delivery point. Here, Will casually patted his leather satchel and felt a chilling lightness, the horror rapidly setting in. Checking the contents of his travelling bag was a nightly ritual, one that Ribby and Roar had diverted him from the night before with the promises of relaxing massages and joints lubrication. But the greater shock lay within his breastplate compartment. The pouch containing the Orb was open, and the Orb itself was fused to his very body, partially sunken into his plating and impossible to remove. Next to it, the item he now frantically searched for lay—a small, simple thing of thread and wool: a [[npc:doll|]], which he clutched to quickly hide away.
+The following morning, after a swift council, the party resolved to deliver the Orb to the designated warehouse, the one indicated by the head of Cantanagia, and rid themselves of the accursed thing with haste. Sticking to the most crowded paths, and sensing the presence of hidden, shadowy watchers along the rooftops, they arrived unscathed at the delivery point. Here, Will casually patted his leather satchel and felt a chilling lightness, the horror rapidly setting in. Checking the contents of his travelling bag was a nightly ritual, one that Ribby and Roar had diverted him from the night before with the promises of relaxing massages and joints lubrication. But the greater shock lay within his breastplate compartment. The pouch containing the Orb was open, and the Orb itself was fused to his very body, partially sunken into his plating and impossible to remove. Next to it, the item he now frantically searched for lay—a small, simple thing of thread and wool: a [[npc:doll|doll]], which he clutched to quickly hide away.
 As his companions circled him, confused as to why their normally calm friend was now visibly agitated, they realized their troublesome mission had become more complicated with a new and dark twist. Yet, there was no time for discussion; they stood before the warehouse doors. The small Ribbet attempted to scout the building, but a voice from within had already noted their presence, inquiring as to their purpose.
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 === XV. The Secret of Rudiana ===
-Reunited within the dim, ale-scented safety of the tavern's back-alley, the party resumed the interrogation. Though the gaps in Will’s memory remained vast as a canyon, they pried a few pieces of truth from the woman’s silence. She spoke of him as a Sentinel of Zamak, a relic birthed in the distant great city of Rudiana.
+Reunited within the dim, ale-scented safety of the tavern's back-alley, the party resumed the interrogation. Though the gaps in Will’s memory remained vast as a canyon, they pried a few pieces of truth from the woman’s silence. She spoke of him as a Sentinel of Zamak, a relic birthed in the distant great city of [[geography:settlement:rudiana|]].
-Under the grim threat of a snapped neck, a bargain was struck. The woman-Captain [[npc:Eleanor Marghissa|]], affiliated with the Shadows of Spefur—offered them safe passage out of Kalzendil, a city that now seemed to crave their blood, or gears, at every corner. Her vessel would carry them closer to the borders of Rudiana. Before the pact was sealed, she spoke of their true foes: a circle of cultists, dark and demonic one could say, who sought to capture the Clank to fuel their own ambitions of power.
+Under the grim threat of a snapped neck, a bargain was struck. The woman, Captain [[npc:Eleanor Marghissa|]], revealed her affiliation with the [[organisation:faction:shadows_of_spefur|]] and agreed to provide safe passage out of Kalzendil, a city that now seemed to crave their blood, or gears, at every corner. Her vessel would carry them closer to the borders of Rudiana. Before the pact was sealed, she spoke of their true foes: a circle of [[organisation:faction:cultists]], dark and demonic one could say, who sought to capture the Clank to fuel their own ambitions of power.
 === XVI. The Eve of Departure ===
 With the promise to sail at the dawning of the next day, the company dispersed into the quiet of the evening. The threat had retreated, leaving a hollow peace. The heroes turned to the quiet of introspection, some even literally, while others sharpened their skills or gathered information needed for the road ahead. Feeling the weight of their new purpose and strengthened in their newly forged bond, they prepared. As the light of Kalzendil faded, so did the scene upon a fellowship ready to face the long and shadowed journey ahead.
+++++
+++++ Session 4 |
+| Locations           | [[geography:settlement:kalzendil|]], [[geography:settlement:rudiana|]] |
+| Notable encounters  | [[npc:Olin Keeves|]]  |
+=== XVII. The Merchant’s Maiden ===
+The scene reopens as the sun rises upon the fellowship boarding the Merchant’s Maiden, the vessel of Captain Eleanor Marghissa. For several days, the ship cuts a steady wake toward the northern docks, the closest harbor to Rudiana and the ancestral home of the clank. Amidst the rhythmic creaking of timber and the snap of canvas, the heroes sought to pass the hours of their transit.
+Theodor, finding the horizon clear of immediate pursuit from his vantage point in the crow’s nest, descended to the lower decks. There, amidst the raucous laughter of the crew, he sought the camaraderie of the glass and the die, winning the favor of the sailors through games of chance and shared spirits. Ribby, ever curious of the natural world, scoured the ship’s nooks, discovering a peculiar compass-plant that unfailingly bowed its leaves toward the North; satisfied with his finding, he took to the water for a refreshing dip. Roar and Mirelle sought some conversation from the captain herself. Their inquiry into the ship’s dubious history yielded more shadows than light. Captain Eleanor spoke of a crew bound by years of shared trials, yet her voice carried the weight of a final voyage on this ship. Due to the complications at the Kalzendil warehouse and the failure of her original mission, she revealed that the Merchant’s Maiden must be scuttled or sold upon landfall. To protect her crew, they would have to vanish and begin anew. While listening to her discourse and watching the crew execute swiftly any order issue by the captain, a suspicious materialised in our heroes mind that the events in Kalzendil could have gone very, very differently, if the captain had so wanted. Meanwhile, reflecting on the journey ahead and the events of the past days, Will dedicated his strength to the ship’s labor, moving heavy crates with the tireless patience of a mountain.
+=== XVIII. The Man Who Wasn't There ===
+As the party gathered under the deck to deliberate their path to Rudiana, a chill not born of the river air settled over them. They noticed a figure standing but a few paces away. A man who seemed to flicker in the peripheral of their minds. He was familiar, seen a dozen times throughout the voyage, yet the memory of him slipped through their thoughts like water through a sieve. He swiftly introduced himself as [[npc:Olin Keeves|]], a man of cheerful countenance and innocuous aura, but yet he exuded a hidden potency that the party was well aware to not contest. He referred himself as a harvester of secrets, aided by an eerie capacity to go unnoticed. Without being asked, he unveiled the fruits of his background check on the fellowship carried out for the captain, revealing knowledge that even they had not yet grasped. "Are you the sentinel of Zamak?" he playfully inquired to Will, his smile thin and knowing. "You are forged of an ore that laughs at the constraints of the physical world." He spoke of Zamak ore as a malleable substance capable of channeling the very magic of the soul. It could be used to enchant and upgrade an equipment, raise the fallen from their graves, or, as he hinted with a lingering gaze toward Mirelle, touch the essence of a living spirit. He revealed that the Zamak clan once held ties to two great families: one in Kalzendil, long since extinguished, and another in Iaras, recently butchered. His eyes rested heavily upon Theodor during this final revelation with a silent sympathy. With a promise that their paths would cross again, he vanished back into the anonymity of the ship and from their minds.
+=== XIX. The Mark of the Ancestors ===
+The remainder of the voyage passed in a pensive silence. Upon reaching the port, the party thanked the captain for the safe travel. However, at this departure her mood shifted from the one they got accustomed to in the past few days. With a cryptic message she wished them to be careful in their journey ahead, as the very fate of the world could depend on it. Shortly after, having secured passage with a caravan, the heroes journeyed until the horizon was dominated by the jagged peaks of the [[geography:ogunan_summit|]]. Finally, they stood before one of the entrance gates of the great city of Rudiana. Here, the sight was a tapestry of all the peoples of Aestilon: merchants, adventurers, and travellers of every race crowded the thoroughfare. Our strangely assembled party finally found the anonymity they craved. As they approached the guard's post, a curious phenomenon manifested: glowing emblems appeared above some of the heads of those passing through the gates. Swiftly inquiring with a passers-by, Mirelle gathered that the symbols were representing the clan affiliations within the city.
+To the surprise of none, while passing through the gate a radiant symbol ignited above Will’s head. The mark of the Zamak clan. But a gasp and confusion went up from the fellowship as a nearly identical sigil flared into life above Ribby. Will turned to his small companion, his voice heavy with inquiry, but Ribby’s confusion was as genuine as the clank’s. The small hero knew nothing of such ties. With another question to add to the vast list they already possessed, the fellowship crossed the threshold and in doing so, they were welcomed by the breathtaking sight of Rudiana. Before them now stood Aestilon’s greatest forge, with its glowing open terraces filled with the bustling life of the world greatest crafters. The scene starts to fade as the heroes gaze upon this titanic convergence of ancient stone, tempered metal, and the eternal roar of the seething magma coming from the depths of the mountain.
 ++++

Aestilon

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