A quieter, combat-free travel-and-downtime session. In the crypt's aftermath the clerics could not regrow Venris's lost hand, so he latches onto a wild idea: get an "auto-mail" prosthetic — a robot arm — in Absalom. The party squeezes ~500 gold (city auto-mail runs ~2,000) and a letter of introduction out of Manhems, who points them at Kaixyan, the catfolk head librarian of the Anathenium archives, who holds the dangerous "Thresholds of Truth" spellbook they've been chasing. They ride to Absalom with the carriage-runner Alauria Galantine, passing the fire-damaged, shut-down flume and hearing a full-moon werewolf howl on the road. Venris suffers nightmares from his lingering void-rot. In Absalom they split up: Cid/Abbas reconnects with his old church friend Hans for a guide to the archives, while Venris and Veve work a dive bar for prosthetic leads (the craftsman Morheim, the Clockwork Caravans, and the creepy Clockwork Cathedral cult).
The party is gathering the artifacts of the origin heroes (the Rosgar, who defeated Velkorra) to break a magical barrier deep in the vault, on the advice of Otari's ghost. They have Otari's key (Venris), the Rose Argenti sword (Cid, contested by the Rajani family), and Asefna's cloak. They still need a spellbook they believe can be traced through Absalom. Last session Venris touched the rot and lost his hand, and the party fought through the McLani crypt.
| 00:00:04 | Pregame and player-led recap of the crypt The table opens with a loose, player-driven recap (mostly Speaker A and Speaker B) of where the campaign stands. The party is hunting the artifacts of the original heroes (the Rosgar/origin heroes who defeated Velkorra) to break a magical barrier deep in the vault, on the advice of Otari's ghost. Pieces gathered so far: Otari's key (given to Venris), the Rose Argenti sword (given to Cid by the mayor, tied up with the Rajani family wanting it back), and Asefna's cloak. Still missing: a spellbook they believe they can trace via Absalom. They recap that Venris lost his (left) hand to the rot last session. Players openly admit they barely remember the details and joke about rewatching 30 episodes of stream. [S33 · 00:01:06 · turn 0008 · scene 001] |
| 00:05:36 | Aftermath at the church: no regrowing the hand Back in scene, the party finishes recovering Asefna's cloak (the GM withholds its abilities until they learn to use it). NPC allies Vany/Bandy, Manhems, the champion and the clerics clean up the crypt. The town grows fearful: 'she' (the corruption tied to Gunfor/Go Clara) is back and getting stronger, attacks on the town will worsen, and the leaders want to barricade and push toward the Gauntlight keep via the Thresholds of Truth. Venris is taken to the church to heal, but no cleric is powerful enough to regenerate his arm; he is left with a nub. A young priest mentions that in Absalom one can get 'automatic mail' (auto-mail) prosthetics / a 'robot arm.' Venris becomes obsessed with the idea. [S33 · 00:08:36 · turn 0059 · scene 002] |
| 00:14:17 | Planning the trip to Absalom The party resolves to travel to Absalom both for Venris's prosthetic and to chase the missing spellbook. They spend the night in Otari (Cid/Abbas at Manhems's guest room, Venris back at the Brook Snook/Crook Snook tavern with his drinking buddies). The party agrees to ask the town for money in the morning. Veve notes she 'learned' three spells from the spirit within her last session but currently cannot access/use any of them. Asefna's cloak is handed to the GM-side for review; the GM is undecided and reluctant to give an item he can't take back. [S33 · 00:19:51 · turn 0129 · scene 003] |
| 00:30:24 | Shaking down the town for gold and a letter of introduction Next morning Venris lobbies Manhems for funds toward the auto-mail (city prices ~2,000 gold; the lumber company can only cover ~500 gold, given as up-front credit/cash 'from the company' for the town's defense). Manhems warns the auto-mail and luxury goods are an Absalom specialty. Crucially, he gives the party a sealed letter of introduction to Kaixyan, a catfolk wizard and head librarian of the Anathenium archives near the West Gate, who holds the dangerous 'Thresholds of Truth' book in a private collection; the letter should at least get them in the door. He name-drops the Grand Bazaar and the Clockwork Caravan (clockwork automaton wagons that sell curios/inventions) as leads for the prosthetic, and directs them to Alauria Galantine for carriage transport. [S33 · 00:37:20 · turn 0251 · scene 004] |
| 00:51:14 | The road to Absalom by carriage The party hires the burly carriage-runner Alauria/Olaria Galantine (a delivery woman who recently lost a courier) and rides for Absalom — roughly a day by horse versus three on foot. On the way out they pass a section of the Otari flume that was damaged and set on fire (a dozen logs spilled and crashed; the flume has been dammed and shut down for now), with Manhems directing the cleanup; Venris offers help and is waved off. On the road Alauria gossips: the 'Shadow of Thornwall' menace last seen northwest of the island, a red-haired tiefling 'Sinemi/alpha hunter,' and her own assistant who took a detour off this very road and was found turned to stone. The roads grow dangerous at night. [S33 · 01:00:55 · turn 0443 · scene 005] |
| 01:19:18 | The werewolf howl and the Windfisher Inn Deeper into the night the party hears (DC 25 perception) the howl of a werewolf under a full moon, which the GM ties back to a werewolf the party once fought in the vault. They press on and reach the outskirts of Absalom — its massive besieged wall in the distance — and stop for the night at the Windfisher Inn, a tavern with huge windmills that turn even on a still, windless night thanks to a magical contraption. Venris and Cid share a room; Veve takes her own; the 'giga'/master room atop the windmill stays magically cool while downstairs bakes. [S33 · 01:20:35 · turn 0598 · scene 006] |
| 01:26:59 | Venris's nightmares: the Pull of the Void In the night Venris suffers vivid nightmares (the lingering rot/empty-death effect from last session). Cid is woken as Venris thrashes in a cold sweat; half-asleep, Venris reaches a stub for a dagger and tries to put it to Cid's throat before calming. A second, lucid nightmare follows: Venris runs through the vault as the walls close in and a consuming void presses everything inward like a squeezed beach ball before he wakes. Cid fetches Veve; recall-knowledge checks on the phenomenon turn up nothing concrete (the table knows nothing about this 'void/fultism'). They resolve to ask about it in the morning. Veve also has an anxious, restless night. [S33 · 01:29:00 · turn 0664 · scene 007] |
| 01:43:01 | Into Absalom: the gates, the Harnlands, and splitting up In the morning the carriage-runner explains she can go no further; the party walks into Absalom proper. They pass the Harnlands — battlefield outskirts littered with the dead and ruined ballistae of past sieges — and the besieged West Gate, then split up. Cid/Abbas heads for the Anathenium library via an old church contact, recalling (society) a contact named Hans, a clergyman at the House of Seven Faces, a Desna cathedral in the flood-prone 'Puddles' slum; he passes Statue Street (a grim landmark where overcrowded prisons once released nonviolent criminals into a closed street, the dead becoming 'decorations'). Mention is made that the campaign is set ~2.5 years after Age of Ashes ends. [S33 · 01:53:04 · turn 0851 · scene 008] |
| 02:05:47 | Cid reunites with Hans and gets a guide to the archives At the House of Seven Faces, Cid/Abbas finds his old friend Hans, a clergyman buried in work. Hans hugs him (knowing Cid hates it), and after Cid downplays the situation around the dangerous book, Hans assigns a junior cleric to escort him to the Anathenium archives. Hans drops a hook by asking whether Cid has heard what 'Alyra' has been up to the past few years, and invites him back later for a story. [S33 · 02:08:02 · turn 0962 · scene 009] |
| 02:12:36 | Venris and Veve hit a dive bar for prosthetic leads Venris and Veve go looking for the seediest watering hole to gather info (sense motive confirms the pricey city beer is just normal pricing, not a scam). The barkeep gives leads on the auto-mail: a craftsman named Morheim with a Bazaar shop focused on prosthetics and assistive tools (mostly wood, maybe some magical prosthetics), and the famous Clockwork Caravans (hard to track down; come to the same spots weekly). He warns against the Clockwork Cathedral zealots in the Wise Quarter — transhumanist cultists who believe machines bring salvation: 'you go in for an arm and walk away with three.' Veve can earn income performing at the bar for the night. [S33 · 02:21:40 · turn 1073 · scene 010] |
| 02:27:01 | Session wind-down and out-of-game banter The GM calls the session there, info-gathering wrapped. He jokes through alternate 'endings' (Venris becoming a Robo God, Cid wandering off and getting lost forever). Out-of-game banter follows about one player having quit doing magic tricks ten years ago (2015), tabletop being the new hobby, and arranging a future Commander/Magic spell table game with Danny and Manny. [S33 · 02:27:00 · turn 1115 · scene 011] |