MMC Summary: Session 31 - "Thank You For Being Mine"

Present Party: Keviks, Lupan, Nana, and Wren

Setting: The small island town of Aincour, Midtia.

Our party finally made it to the island town of Aincour. Before they left the ship, however, they made sure to leave the Admiral with their list of suspicious persons, and they received some advice from Rome.

Rome told them that if they really wanted to know what the Midtian Riot Guard knew about Erdia, that they should seek out "Oli Pembrooke." He lived in town, and he was Rome's boss. If they tell him that Rome sent them, he would tell them what he knew, at the very least.

Their people of interest were:

- The tabaxi child known as "Seven" who Rome had been following for the past few years, and been suspecting him of espionage.

- The two kids who had been seen with him.

- Lieutenant Lysander Soriena, for the fact that the notes being passed by the cabin boys seemed to be going to him.

- The ship's head mage, believing that he may have been spying on the party while onboard.

Lt. Lysander Soriena of the
Midtian Navy
Wood Elf, age 102 (physical
age 18)
(Art by @Sonnet_Form
on Twitter)

The detainment of Soriena, the party quickly realized, would be an awkward situation, given that they were meant to stay at his family's home during their Selection quest in the town.

Lupan, however, was not very concerned about that. Ever since they'd docked, there had been something - something like silver bells - ringing in the back of his mind. He was eager to explore, and Wren, Castilian, and Prince Fang were willing to accompany him.

On the way, further into town, Wren's eye caught an interesting place that was nearly like a bakery. However, its best-selling item actually appeared to be its coffee. She and Fang took a detour inside while Lupan continued forward.

From one of the patrons, she'd learned that this was the place to be for debates, discussions, and nearly anything about anything. "One of Aincour's favorite past-times is talking," he told her. He even pointed her in the direction of the central plaza, where a public debate would be starting soon. Flight of the Blue Jay - a tabaxi son of a noble from Aincour that the party had met briefly in Lanti - was one of the participants.

"What's the topic?" Wren asked.

"Whether or not the Midtian monarchy should be abolished."

Crown Prince Steel "Fang"
of the Mountain
Tabaxi, age 18
(Custom Art by
@WtfdoIdraw on Twitter)

Wren cast a brief glance at Fang, who simply covered the royal signet ring on his right hand. They didn't stay much longer, but when they left, Wren made sure Fang was okay.

"I'm alright," he assured her. "It's... jarring to hear someone say that to my face. I know that... Jay's family specifically has actually written a lot of essays on the abolishment of the monarchy. It's one of the biggest reasons they're not so well-liked in higher circles. But Midtia has free speech to an extent, and what the Flight family writes isn't a call to violence or inciting violence anywhere so it's not against the law."

The two of them considered heading to the plaza to watch the debate.

~~~~~

Lupan, though, had beaten them there. There was a central fountain in this plaza with a stage in front of it, and benches placed so people could watch. On the stage was a large chalk board easel with a list of event dates and times written on it. To the side of the stage, a large crowd had gathered to watch some kind of musical street performance.

The bells in his mind were louder now. Lupan scanned the plaza until his eyes finally settled on a large purple tent, the entrance tucked into an alley of some kind. The bells stopped. He took a few tentative steps towards it. Close enough to peer inside, he could see people walking inside it, dressed in fine clothing. He entered, and began to peruse, despite looking incredibly out of place. The banner hanging across the tent read: "Cazzar's Exotic Art & Artifacts."

As he moved through, he started to notice things that he recognized: totems and spears that almost certainly came from his tribe. His people wouldn't have given them up so easily. Then... he found something else. It was written on animal skin, in Sylvan. And, admittedly, if someone didn't know Sylvan or how the language was structured... this might have looked like art. But it wasn't. It was a note:

Family,

If you’re reading this, it means I’ve returned to our home of Alfheim or I have joined the heroes of Valhalla. I watch all of you now, from a place far better but also far more lonely because I have none of you with me.

I hope I will have none of you with me for a very long time. War may be our greatest tradition, but I think it is also our greatest tragedy. It takes husbands, fathers, and sons from their wives, mothers, and daughters. Thinking about it now, no man should ever want to sit and write something like this to those that he loves. I see why many men don’t; it’s painful. It’s very painful to sit and know that your life might end in blood, and not in the arms of those you love. Honorable for it to end in blood, perhaps, but I know I would much rather die holding the three of you.

My darling wife, I will miss your voice and the way it told our children the stories of the wind and trees. I will miss the way you sing, but even from where I am, I will try to hear it. I will miss your wisdom, the same wisdom I have seen in the eyes of our son. I will miss your compassion, and the calm that washed over me when we spoke. Our children are grown now, but tell them all you can about me. Let them learn to love your voice as I have. They already adore your stories.

My sweetest daughter, my little sprout, you have all the grace of your mother and all the spirit of your father at that age, I swear it. What a beautiful woman you will become, a stronger shaman than even your mother with a deeper connection to our home and fey friends than anyone I’ve seen. I’m sorry if I was never around enough. I’m sorry if you ever found me too stern. I’m sorry our tribe separates men and women as they do sometimes, because it means I have a duty to your brother more than I have to you. I never thought that was very fair. Know that despite the fact that I’m gone, my spirit will be one of many that guides you to greatness. I’m sure that if you listen closely to those spirits, you’ll hear my voice among them. I’ll be the one chanting louder than all the rest.

My beloved son, I’ve saved you until last because I fear your reaction when you read this. You are so very strong, but you wear your heart on your sleeve and you’ve inherited my terrible temper. Worse, I fear that you may never read this because perhaps I will have gotten my wish and died in the arms of someone I loved as he lay dying too. My worst fear is that you will never read this because I will be one of the many fathers of our tribe who has outlived his son, and I will have to write this all over again. War is, indeed, our greatest tragedy. My biggest regret with you is that I never expressed how proud of you I truly am. I have told you when I have been proud of you, but I often find that I want to say more than that and I don’t know how. I could only watch you as you grew. You approached the world with all of my bravery, and all of your mother’s heart. I hope you never lose that. I never want to see you lose that.

My family, you were everything I could have ever wanted.

Thank you for making every moment of my life - a life filled with bloodshed and violence - worth living. 

Thank you for being the peace that I needed.

Thank you for being mine.

It wasn't signed. It wasn't dated. Lupan's tribe was largely based in oral traditions; writing was not common. There were no names mentioned... but Lupan knew who had written it. Lupan had never seen his father's handwriting, but he knew his father's voice too well not to hear it in these words. A small tag had been added to the item. It read: "20,000 GP." It was locked behind a glass case.

Melinda Becker
Half Elf, Former Copper
Dragon God
(Art by lavellanlove on
Tumblr)

Lupan sank to his knees, and cried, wondering how in the world this could have gotten here. He stayed there, drawing some attention. One person approached him, and sat beside him, wearing a dress unlike any he'd seen at home or in Midtia.

She introduced herself as Melinda, and she comforted him as best as she could. She claimed to have been here for the music outside, but decided to peek in here and noticed him. She knew him, and when Lupan explained to her what was going on, she told him, "I think someone outside might be able to help you."

"I'm two seconds away from breaking apart this case."

"And you'll get the guards called on you. Trust me. She'll help."

The two of them went out to the concert, which had caught Wren and Fang's attention as well, once they'd moved on from the coffee shop. All of them quickly realized that this was no ordinary concert. A tiefling girl was performing, and dancing with her was Quest Carron, the party's copper dragon demigod.

Celanwe
Wood Elf, Former Copper
Dragon God
(Art by Merwild on Tumblr)

They were also formally introduced to someone Nana had met through the Divination spell: Celanwe - the copper dragon before Quest. All of the former copper dragons had gathered here because Quest was performing, and by performing, he'd be able to figure out where he was meant to go to transcend.

Wren and Fang were filled in on the situation with Lupan, and determined to help him get back what was rightfully his.

~~~~~

Nana, over the course of their journey on the sea, had managed to procure and slightly modify a firearm. Admiral Cromdor had been very hesitant about letting her have one. Midtian law required that any firearm holders were required to have a license, and getting a license required training. Luckily, the naval base in Aincour did have a program. Nana and Keviks, both very interested, went to the base. A former adventurer - one Peyton DiAngelo - was their private teacher, for a little extra coin. They'd likely find themselves proficient in firearms by the end of the week.

Myren
Human, First Copper
Dragon God
(Art by slugette on Tumblr)

They went off to go and find the others in the plaza, where they were also made aware of the shenanigans that the spirits of the copper dragons were up to. Myren, the first copper dragon god, also made an appearance.

Between these three former gods, they learned that the tiefling girl was who Melinda had been referring to. She had knowledge and skills that the party may find helpful in performing an art heist. They enjoyed the music and kept Lupan from exploding with impatience and a need to get the note back immediately.

Dragon Lancer: Quest Carron
Tiefling, College of Satire Bard
Copper Dragon Demigod
(Art by @guttertongue
on Twitter)

When the performance was over, the former dragons disappeared. The party also needed to talk to Quest about what had occurred in Kystad, regarding the death of Riot Guard Captain Eli Hawks. The tiefling girl offered to get everyone coffee while they talked. Quest opened a portal into his hoard while she was gone, and gave the party a status report:

- Captain Hawks had been acting strangely around Axel (the silver dragon demigod, who was sent to protect the royal family), especially now that Axel was getting comfortable around the palace, posing as the young princes' substitute teacher while Nana was away.

- One day, Axel was alone in a hallway with the captain. He could have sworn that the two of them were going to fight when one of the windows was broken in by what Axel assumed to be an aasimar. He appeared human, but had large, black avian wings. He grabbed Hawks, flew back out, and then the window was unbroken. As though nothing had happened. None of the guards nearby had heard anything either.

- Axel contacted Quest, who left Lanti immediately, and went to Kystad to help look for Captain Hawks and discover what happened to him. They searched everywhere - his office, his home, and even some secret areas in the palace and in the city that they knew were there from their days as Dragon Lancers. They could not find him.

- Then, suddenly he turned up again... in pieces, in his office. They reported their findings to the king.

- They were also made aware of the fact that Spymaster Ego was on his way back to Kystad from wherever he was for Hawks's funeral. He would be there from the 4th to the 6th, which was 2 days from now.

Nana sent a brief message to Hugo, asking if this was his doing. He claimed he had an associate fitting the description given, and the party assumed this was part of Hugo's prior agreement. He was finally attempting to take care of Eli and Ego - the two biggest known threats to the crown in the capital city - as he'd promised. Although, it was concerning to know that he had what appeared to be an Angel of Death (essentially) on his side.

Radiance
Tiefling Trickery Cleric of
the Copper Dragon God
(Art by June Jenssen on
ArtStation)

They left Quest's hoard, and went back into the street, where they met Radiance, the tiefling performer. She was also a cleric from the kingdom of Medego, and her god was Myren, the Copper Dragon. Suddenly, things made far more sense. She was aware that Quest was at least related to her god in some way, but that was all.

When they told her of the situation, and were informed that she could help them, she was more than willing to assist in a heist. It was Wren's idea to pose as a curator of fine art, and offer something in trade. Nana suggested some fine clothing; she had a spell and the necessary tools to make something like that. Radiance knew that the value of certain sarees (a women's clothing item from her country, far to the south) could be very high. She described something a royal concubine might wear, and Nana was able to make it. Lupan and Keviks would come along with Wren as bodyguards to help sell the charade of her being an important art collector. They retrieved some better clothing for themselves as well.

Wren, Lupan, and Keviks entered the tent again, and perused a bit before they were approached by a portly tiefling gentleman, who had a pompous air about him. They showed him the saree, and offered it in exchange for Lupan's note. With some lucky deception checks, Wren was able to procure it without nearly any trouble.

When they were outside again, away from the tent, Lupan looked at it again and held it close to his chest. Radiance asked to see it for just a moment, and cast what seemed to be a form of Mending. The corners of the note were less torn. The skin itself wasn't as wrinkled, and the writing was bolder and easier to read. He looked at the party, teary-eyed, and unable to say much other than: "Thank you..."

Lupan had found what The Summer Queen has asked him to: something he'd know when he saw, and that rightfully belonged to him.

~~~~~

ART LINKS:

https://twitter.com/Sonnet_form/status/1074747966949224448

https://twitter.com/wtfdoidraw

https://lavellanlove.tumblr.com/image/171542079156

https://merwild.tumblr.com/

https://slugette.tumblr.com/post/142286067190/edmond-trevelyan-a-kinda-sketchy-portrait-that

https://twitter.com/guttertongue/status/1045505333265924097

https://junejenssen.artstation.com/projects/KaLZoy

WSS Summary: World 11, Grinding Gears - Session 6

Present Party: Aria, Claudia, Emori, and Steve

Setting: The world is comprised of several floating islands, surrounded entirely by open sky, with no visible land below. The party spends this session briefly in the pirate-lead capital of Parofell - Port Aimore - before traversing the treacherous skyway of Avernus: the Dragons' Skies. They end the session in Kaetor, at Fort Dreadnought.

Captain Emma Thompson
Pirate Lord of Parofell,
Witchdoctor
(Art by @WTH153 on
Twitter)

After the party's wild night of trying and ultimately failing to catch a strange, illusive creature, they were invited by Captain Thompson to interrogate Phule: the Kaetorian Armada jester-creature the party had captured. Claudia was the only one who opted not to go. She was still reeling from the events from last night, still piecing together as much information as possible.

The other three members of the party returned to Captain Thompson's house and followed her further in and downstairs, where she had something of a dungeon set up. Phule was being kept in one of the cells, left cackling to himself mindlessly.

Phule
Elite Member of the
Kaetorian Armada
(Art from Kingisle's
"Pirate101")

Phule was an odd creature with two personalities, represented by the split mask over his face. When one of them wanted to speak, the head turned, presenting the profile of whichever mask chose to speak at the moment. The smiling white mask was pleasant and playful, while the scowling black mask was rude and condescending.

Phule wanted to make a deal. He knew how to infiltrate the royal palace in the capital of Kaetor quietly. He was willing to help the captains, so there would not have to be a full-fledged assault on the city - something the pirates would certainly lose.

Thompson explained, "We have enough people to take Fort Dreadnought, outside the stormgate once we leave Avernus. But... the royal palace will be crawling with soldiers."

Phule agreed. When asked what he gained from helping them, he explained, "I was Kane's first creation. And I am imperfect. He strives for perfection. If he has his way, and takes over all the skyways, there will be no place for me in his world. I have nothing to lose from helping you. The only thing that I ask is that if you win, you simply let me go."

Kane was the admiral of the Armada. He was Thompson's main target, and according to Phule, the creator of all of the other Armada.

The party was skeptical about letting him come along. Emori said, "If you come with us, you'd better not pull something where you switch sides again once we get there and screw us over."

"Why would I? Think about it. If I do that, and Kane wins, then I will die because I am not perfect. If I do that, and you win, then I will die because you will kill me for my betrayal. There's no winning there. The only way for me to win now is to help you, and then to be set free. And that is the only way I'll help you."

The party decided that Phule could be useful. Even they had struggled in a fight against him; it wouldn't hurt to have him on their side. Steve offered to take him on his ship when they travelled to Kaetor.

Phule cackled merrily at the idea of this alliance.

~~~~~

Shortly after, the members of this fleet gathered together to discuss how they would be travelling. The party aided in creating a formation for their ships as they went into Avernus. They had anticipated using Captain Taylor's and Emori's invisibility tricks to make the Armada believe that there were less ships than there actually were. That would be especially useful with Taylor's ship, The Avon Vale, because of its large crew size. Alcott and Rines both had ships that were major powerhouses, slower, and with larger crews. They acted as a rear guard. The smaller ships led the charge and acted as scouts.

The Gryphon Riders, led by Confidence Milton, were also present to offer some advice. Their group had been through Avernus before, and knew what to expect. Ideally, they were meant to avoid any of the native dragons if at all possible, especially since many were very large. Moving quickly and quietly would be the key. Luckily, they didn't have far to go to get to the stormgate that would lead them to the Obrira Skyway, and then to Kaetor.

With this plan in place, they set sail. Getting through the stormgate, now that they had the cyclostones, was easy. Although, travelling through a giant funnel cloud was less than ideal and rather nauseating. On the other side, they found a red sky, dotted with several outcroppings of large, jagged rocks. The fleet sailed as quietly as they could. Between Emori, Captain Black, and Aria's first mate, Gigi, they were also able to psychically link all of the captains to one another, as well as Confidence.

Even though this journey was meant to be short and simple, they found a roadblock almost immediately: a colossal red dragon - larger than most of their ships - fast asleep not far away on an outcrop of rocks. They attempted to sneak past.

Aria and Steve were the ones to notice it: that same creature from last night. That black ball with the green light in the center had returned, and was whizzing past them, over to another floating rock outcrop. There, they could see that it met with another creature. It was black, and vaguely humanoid with two legs, six arms, segmented wings connected with some kind of green flesh-like tissue, and glowing green eyes. The creature did not appear to have skin, but instead had some kind of exoskeleton that was certainly not natural, but rather crafted. When it leapt from the outcrop, its back also appeared to have jets that propelled it forward.

Captain Mina Alcott
Tiefling Pirate Lord
of Parofell, Privateer
(Art by Kiikiibee on Tumblr)

It flew, without hesitation, directly into Captain Alcott's ship - one of the more armored vessels in the fleet. It ripped a hole directly through to the other side of the hull, and her ship began to sink further below the clouds.

The noise woke the red dragon, and it roared fiercely. However, Claudia acted very quickly, and cast Banishment on the dragon. With a failed saving throw, the dragon was gone. Now, all they had to deal with was this new, mysterious creature...

And now it was flying directly towards Confidence Milton.

Confidence Milton
Tiefling, former Transmigrator
(Art made by me, using
Heroforge)

The other captains further back took care of collecting Captain Alcott and her crew from their sinking vessel while the party attempted to defend Confidence. However, their efforts were largely in vain. As Steve and Aria attacked this creature, it responded by freezing them in space. It slammed into the gryphon that Confidence was riding, and with a sickening crunch, the gryphon fell from the sky. The creature had hold of Confidence now... and then they were gone. Steve managed to catch the gryphon's body before it was lost forever to the open and endless skies, but something was strange about it.

The gryphon's saddle bags - the ones carried by the Gryphon Riders that kept their wares - were gone. This looked like an untamed, very dead (after being tackled and then hitting the deck of a ship) gryphon.

Ned, Steve's first mate, seemed very confused. He pointed out that the two Gryphon Riders were still there. Where did this one come from? Why had it just fallen from the sky?

Ned appeared to have no recollection of anything regarding Confidence Milton.

~~~~~

The siege of Fort Dreadnought, despite the intrusion of the dragon, went very well. The pirates still outnumbered the Armada in the fort itself. The fight didn't last all that long, and the pirates were victorious. None of the Armada seemed to have escaped either.

The pirates' map of Kaetor
Locations are unlabeled because they are unknown
(Map made by me, using Heroforge)

Settling in for the night, eating the gryphon that Steve had caught for them all, the pirates rejoiced in their victory.

The party, however, remained confused about the events that occurred in Avernus. Emori was particularly distraught. This was, as she viewed it, the third time that she'd lost Confidence and the second time in a row.

To their surprise, the party was visited shortly afterward by The Moderator. They ushered the party aboard one of their ships to talk.

"A recent anomaly had come to my attention that brought me here," they explained. "I thought it was a bug. I'd been following it, but then it suddenly disappeared. And there was little to no trace of it after that. It's gone, and it's not hiding. Transmigrators tend to attract or cause bugs. I wondered if you saw anything."

The party explained to Mod what had happened, and Mod needed to ask some clarifying questions.

"This person that the creature took... You said just now that you'd met him before in other worlds. Is this the same person you brought up to me on your second mission? That you said you'd seen in the first?"

They confirmed that it was. The last time they'd brought up Confidence to Mod, they had dismissed it as impossible. "His coding was natural to the world," they'd said. But now Mod really seemed to ponder something.

Claudia explained further, "We've been told several things by several of your coworkers. We've been told he's evil and not to be trusted but... someone else - the red one - seems to think he's the most important person ever."

Mod took in this information, and concluded, "I cannot say for sure what it is that I sensed here. It couldn't have been a bug; bugs don't just go away, and what you've described doesn't sound like a bug. Let me discuss this further with my other coworkers." They moved to leave, but then added, "If this is important to you, I'll keep you updated on what I find."

The party agreed that they would like that, and Mod disappeared, leaving them still with unanswered questions.

~~~~~

ART LINKS:

https://twitter.com/WTH153/status/975388174955376640

https://www.pirate101.com/free_game/newsletter/june2015

https://kiikiibee.tumblr.com/post/175200008557/commission-of-marquiskilljoy-s-tiefling-dragon

~~~~~

Credit to @ijaymendell inspiring this awesome campaign!

Campaign Concept: All In The Cards

 What Are We Making?

I wrote a tweet the other day about how a crazy idea came to me, and I thought to myself, "but wait... that's actually amazing." Well... here we are, I guess!

Over the past month or so, I've actually been learning to read tarot cards, and that's where this idea stems from. I was shuffling my deck of cards last night when this idea for a larger campaign hit me. I decided that I wanted to make a game where tarot cards played a large part, specifically the 22 cards in the major arcana deck. Each of these cards has a person, object, or creature on it and each card has a meaning.

The 22 Major Arcana Cards
Smith-Waite Tarot Deck

Game Masters wishing to run a game like this should definitely do their research on tarot beforehand, or already know the basics of reading tarot. I'm using my personal deck of tarot cards, which is the Smith-Waite deck, and The Ultimate Guide to Tarot Card Meanings by Brigit Esselmont as my basis for this concept. I'm also only using the major arcana cards, but Game Masters may choose to find ways to fit in the minor arcana cards as well.

The Setting & Basic Lore

I can see this game taking one of two settings: within the world of the tarot cards themselves, or in a world that just happens to have personified beings for all of the people, creatures, or objects within the cards.

Let's take the first setting: the world of the tarot cards themselves. In this scenario, we take the pictures of the cards very literally. Those people there are going to be the people that the characters meet. Additionally, they are literally in a deck of tarot cards, so someone has to have put them there. You're going to need a very powerful NPC - good or evil - who has done so. I like this setting for the comedic potential because... the players can just... talk to the Moon. Or the Sun. It's different, and I like that about it a lot; it's not something you see in D&D often.

In the second scenario, you can homebrew your own fantasy world or play in one that's pre-established, as long as there are people, objects, or beings that can fit into the roles of the cards. This gives the Game Master more freedom when it comes to character art and description. In fact, I personally like this setting more, just because of the potential of getting commissioned art of NPCs as tarot cards. That is a super fun idea.

A Game Master can also choose to use the tarot cards as a basis for character personalities, when it comes to the cards they represent. For example, in the Smith-Waite deck, the Justice card represents justice (of course), fairness, truth, and law. So the NPC representing Justice (the card) would act in that way. The Chariot card represents control, success, action, and determination. So, the Chariot NPC might be a literal charioteer, who always seems in control of his actions and determined to win.

Minor Arcana Cards, Ace - 10
All four suits
Smith-Waite Tarot Deck

If you want to use the minor arcana cards, there are ways to do that too. In simplest explanation, the minor arcana cards operate almost like playing cards: four suits, running ace to 10, and then there are four "face cards" (page, knight, queen, and king.) The suits are typically cups, pentacles, swords, and wands (rather than hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs.) Here are my personal recommendations:

- You can make four smaller kingdoms around this "empire" ruled by the Empress and Emperor that have kings and queens of their own that the party will have to go through, in order to complete the plot (which we'll get to in a moment.)

- You can use the suits - cups, pentacles, swords, and wands - as four magic items. This works especially well with four players; tailor each of the items to one of them.

- You can make finding them into something of a side quest. Sure, the major arcana is the main focus, but if they collect all of a certain suit, they get a reward or something. By "all of a certain suit" I mean that they would need 59 cups, pentacles, swords, and wands to complete the deck. That's a wand for each number on the card (ace has 1, 2 has 2, 3 has 3, etc.), and then 1 for the page, knight, queen, and king of that suit. This would be a long one, but good if you want a really long-form campaign.

The Plot

So, in my mind, all of this starts with a powerful spellcasting NPC. This can be an adventure patron, or a BBEG. Doesn't matter. 

The first setting works really well with the BBEG idea. He would already have a tarot deck, and the players are trapped inside it. To get out, they need something from each of the major arcana cards. It could be a riddle, piece of a poem, or even another card of some kind. They get those things, and they're able to leave the realm of the cards. They fight the mage who trapped them as their final boss.

In the second setting, this NPC does not have tarot cards, but he's trying to make them: "a deck of cards that can see into the future and determine fate" or something along those lines. To do that, he needs... pieces of certain types of people that the party will have to locate. Game Masters can determine what exactly these "pieces" are, if their use is benevolent or malevolent, etc. Again, these NPCs that are going into the cards embody the meanings of the major arcana cards. At the end, the players receive some kind of great reward from a friendly NPC, or they have to fight the guy whose deck they made. Do they know it better than him, because they were the ones who actually met the people inside it? Are the people in the deck happy to be there? All of that is totally up to the GM.

The thing that I love about this idea is the diversity of the NPCs and how you might play them, just because of what reading tarot is like. You can put your own twists on the meanings of the cards, especially if the cards have double meanings for whatever reason, or if you interpret the cards differently. A huge part of reading tarot, as I've learned, is trusting your intuition and determining what the cards mean to you as well. The imagery on the card is just as important as the description given by the meaning, and that opens up a whole possibility for commissioned art, if that's something you can afford as a GM.

This is the type of concept that could be done by two GMs in a very different way, and that's part of the reason why I love it so much.

WSS Summary: World 11, Grinding Gears - Session 5

Present Party: Aria, Claudia, Emori, and Steve

Setting: The world is comprised of several floating islands, surrounded entirely by open sky, with no visible land below. The party finds themselves in the pirate-governed country of Parofell, in the Varovayn Skyway. They spent the majority of their time in Port Aimore.

Phule
Elite Member of the
Kaetorian Armada
(Art from Kingsisle's
"Pirate101")

After kidnapping Phule, a mysterious jester figure of the Kaetorian Armada, and collecting the cyclostones, the party decided to go on their way from the abbey. Two of the crew that they'd brought with them, Gigi and Scar, had already seen and spoken to the nuns of the abbey. They were, luckily, unharmed and very glad to have the Armada out of their abbey. The whole time as they went from the abbey back to town where they'd left their ships, Phule quietly cackled to himself.

They decided it would be best to split up the cyclostones, each taking two or three of the ten. Their sailing trip back to Port Aimore was uneventful, save for a short ship race between all four of them. Emori had originally shown no interest, but participated in secret, using an ability that her ship had to make itself invisible. In the end, she won the race home with Aria, Steve, and finally Claudia coming back in order.

Captain Emma Thompson
Pirate Lord of Parofell,
Witchdoctor
(Art by @WTH153
on Twitter)

At Captain Thompson's house, they were greeted by the sight of the five other captains playing cards. When they came in, the captains cheered and invited them all to play. During the game, the party bet their cyclostones, to show that they'd gotten them. The other captains laughed joyously, and Captain Taylor looked at the four of them with great pride.

Emori and Steve's first mate, Ned, were the last two remaining at the table by the end. Ultimately though, Emori won, and she distributed the cyclostones to everyone else.

Captain James Taylor
Pirate Lord of Parofell,
Swashbuckler
(Art from "Legend of the
Cryptids")

"Well, I'd say that this... calls for a party," Taylor declared, and he stood up from his seat. "I'll go book the Leviathin's Tail. Anyone else coming along, help me get things ready?"

Aria eagerly volunteered, as did Captains Alcott and Rines. The party's first mates tagged along as well.

Thompson, meanwhile, took a moment to look at Phule. He recognized her, and spoke again for the first time since the abbey, switching between masks and voices. The white mask's voice was playful, while the black one was far more rude. Nothing about the mask moved as he spoke.

"I can help you, you know!" the white mask insisted.

Thompson, for the time being, ignored him. "I have a place we can lock him up, and then we'll talk to him a bit more another time."

Phule was removed from the room, still cackling away.

Then, Thompson looked at Steve and Claudia. "Let's get your little project up and running now, yeah?"

The two of them heartily agreed, and Thompson led them through a secret door and into what looked like some kind of stone altar, surrounded by vines on the walls and herbs. Talismans hung from the ceiling, and there was a strong smell of incense. On the altar sat the inert Armada Marine that they'd taken. Beside him was the sapphire they'd bought from Confidence Milton, and the starlane they were given appeared to be in it now; the gem was sparkling.

"All you have to do is put it into his head," Thompson told them.

Claudia and Steve did it together, pushing it in, and then closing the mask. The body whirred and jerked as it came to life again, and then slowly, it sat up. The mask of the Armada Marines had no facial expression. The creature itself had no eyes. It looked around slowly, and then asked monotonously, "Where am I? Who are you?"

Kaetorian Armada Marines
(Art from Kingsisle's "Pirate101")

They called their new friend "George" and now that he was disconnected from the crystal, he seemed to be able to think apart from the other Armada, though he was very confused. The two of them explained who they were, and where they were as best as they could. Captain Thompson had some extra clothes they could use to dress him. It would be wise to disguise him as much as possible, considering that if any pirate saw an Armada Marine walking the streets, they'd likely attempt to destroy it immediately.

~~~~~

Merciless Marcus Black
Fannai, Pirate Lord
of Parofell, Gunslinger
(Art by Wochun Choi on
Art Station)

Emori stayed in the main room, with Captain Black. She wanted to take him up on meditation lessons, if he had the time.

He agreed, and the two of them went to his ship, where they were able to meditate together. In this world kalashtar like Emori were referred to as "Fannai" and she'd learned that not very many people liked them. In fact, they feared them and because of that, Fannai were often persecuted, oppressed, or even enslaved. That was why Black was such a passionate abolitionist, and why he brutally murdered enslavers of Fannai.

They were able to see the spirits that were in each other's minds. Black's was huge, strong, bright blue, and had one eye in the center of its face. Emori's was a singular eye with wings. There was also a second spirit with Emori that manifested itself as four near-flame-like specks. They were orange, but blue at the bottom, and they flickered strangely. She realized, by the voice, that this was the representation of Confidence Milton: these four little pieces. He even seemed a bit embarrassed at presenting himself in this way.

It was interesting, and Black insisted that simply, if she just kept at it, her power would grow.

~~~~~

The Leviathin's Tail, as it turns out, is an excellent place for pirate party. Aria helped the other captains and pirates get everything ready, and joined them in some pre-party drinking. The rest of the group arrived shortly after. Captain Thompson was the last of the nine captains to arrive, and she brought Confidence Milton with her. He and two other Griffon Riders would be guiding the fleet through the treacherous skyway of Avernus and through to the other side to get them to Obrira.

Claudia noticed a very odd creature on the wall of the bar. It was fully black, and had a green light in the middle of it. It was similar in size and shape to a softball. The light was focused on something. She followed the "gaze" and noticed... it led right to where Confidence was sitting, beside Emori. Claudia snuck up on it, and managed to take it down from the wall. She messaged for Steve to come over to her, and showed it to him, as ice cold energy emitted from it, damaging Claudia slightly. Despite being held, it didn't stop looking at Confidence except upon the initial grab.

They brought it to Emori, and when the bartender saw it, and Claudia asked him for a bucket to hold it, he refused. The bartender claimed that it was a bat, and wanted it out of his bar. With the power of Suggestion, Claudia convinced him to get a bucket instead. Emori took the creature and attempted to set it free and talk with it by using Speak With Animals. There was no response, and Claudia and Steve were determined not to let it leave. They worked together to take it from her again.

Aria had caught sight of this scene now, and to add to the mix, she created a Major Image of several of these creatures, raining down from the ceiling. The action frightened many of the drunken pirates and sailors in the bar, who couldn't tell if they were real or not. The party ended very quickly as the bar near completely cleared out.

The requested bucket was delivered, and Claudia tied the creature up in her shirt before throwing it into the bucket and sitting on it. After that, they smelt fabric burning, and watched as the creature lasered its way out of the bucket and zipped away. Claudia chased after it, but lost it after some time.

They all went to Claudia's ship to discuss what that thing was. It wasn't anything like they'd seen in this world so far, but that didn't mean it didn't belong there. It shared similar colors with the System Hacker - black and green - but Hacker wasn't offering any explanations to the party when they called to ask.

Captain Mina Alcott
Tiefling, Pirate Lord of
Parofell, Privateer
(Art by Kiikiibee on
Tumblr) 

Captain Alcott found the party afterwards, to check on them. Claudia desperately wanted to find that thing, whatever it was, and Alcott offered them some clarity on a few things:

- According to Alcott, the creature she saw the party fighting over was a bat. And by that, she meant a literal bat: a rodent with large ears and wings.

- She saw the image produced by the illusion for what it was: black balls with green lights, raining down from the ceiling.

- She had never seen a creature like the one produced in that image.

- Then, apparently, nobody else had noticed the fact that a bat was just... sitting on the wall of the tavern, not even that high up. Despite the fact that many pirates were drunk, surely one of them would have noticed.

It seemed that there was a new mystery afoot, leaving the party wondering: what was that, and was Hacker lying when it said that it couldn't lie?

~~~~~

ART LINKS:

https://www.pirate101.com/free_game/newsletter/june2015

https://twitter.com/WTH153/status/975388174955376640

https://legendofthecryptids.fandom.com/wiki/(Steady_On)_Flying_Prince_Brasse

https://www.pirate101.com/free_game/general_concept_art

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/QWEd

https://kiikiibee.tumblr.com/post/175200008557/commission-of-marquiskilljoy-s-tiefling-dragon

~~~~~

Credit to @ijaymendell inspiring this awesome campaign!

MMC Summary: Session 30 - The Prince of the Sea

Present Party: Keviks, Lupan, Nana, and Wren.

Setting: The Xandan Sea, aboard the Midtian Navy's flagship: Idredia. The party is on their way to the island town of Aincour.

With Admiral Cromdor's assurance that the shifty tabaxi cabin boy was new to being directly under his command, the party grew more anxious. The admiral quickly produced the boy's file. His name was Seven Mice in the Wall - or more succinctly: Seven. He was ten years old. The party knew, because of Keviks and his backstory, that Erdia frequently made use of child soldiers. They also worried he wasn't a child at all; the look that Keviks described wasn't childlike.

Cromdor suggested that the party find another cabin boy - a special case, he called him, who the admiral fully trusted. His name was Rome, and he's an elf. He knew everything that was going on with those boys. Nana, Lupan, and Wren went to look for him. Keviks, Castilian, and Fang decided that they would keep eyes on the kids and note passing, just to see if anything changed.

Rome
Archfey Warlock of Lady
Sunshine, member of the
Midtian Riot Guard
(Art by Skunkyfly on
DeviantArt)

They found Rome tucked away in the corner of a lower deck, untangling rope, and recognized him immediately. When they were boarding the ship, one of the cabin boys had bumped into Fang and apologized, and this was that cabin boy. He looked to be around twelve or thirteen years old. He knew all of their names as well, right away.

When the party implied that he was in charge of the cabin boys, Rome insisted he wasn't. He just... knew a lot of things. In order to tell them what he knew, Rome had to explain why he was on the ship to begin with. Rome was in the navy, but he's also "an adventurer" and one with a mutual friend of the party's: Alaion, the former Erdian soldier turned spy for the Selection Party. They had reason to assume then that he, much like Alaion had been, was a member of the Midtian Riot Guard - a secretive order of adventurers that operated to keep Midtia safe. Rome even claimed to have trained Alaion. Right now, he was working for someone named "Pembrooke," who lived in Aincour and was also an "adventurer."

Rome had joined the navy two years ago, at the behest of Pembrooke, who was afraid that Erdian spies were infiltrating the kingdom. He'd been suspecting this for nearly a decade. Rome had actually been trailing Seven as a potential spy for the two years he'd been in the navy. Then, Alaion came to him and asked him to protect the party. Luckily, both Seven and the Selection Party were on the same ship. The admiral knew of Rome's identity, but not his mission; he was not allowed to ask.

When he was made aware of the notes, Rome sent a small ball of golden light with butterfly wings to inspect the children's things. If there were notes stashed anywhere, it would be with them. He also admitted that bumping into Fang had not been a ruse. He put a protection charm on him, and asked that the party not tell the prince. Now that they knew who he was, he didn't need more people knowing. He was a spy, after all. His job worked better when people didn't know that he was present.

Nana asked him, "Are you aware of another ship circling Jarna and Aincour that's flying the Erdian colors?"

Rome blanched and then sighed, putting his head in his hands. "Nope... That's... That is very not good. Especially considering that Saspar hates Erdia. They wouldn't just let an Erdian ship circle their capital city."

That was definitely very concerning.

Rome also mentioned to Lupan, "By the way, I just wanted to let you know, your sister says hello, and she loves you."

Lupan was shocked. "How do you know my sister?"

Rome offered for Lupan to sit across from him as he explained, "Your tribe has a very strong connection with the fey. So do I. I have my boss, Pembrooke, but I also have... another boss. And it is her job to bring people joy. She noticed that... your sister was grieving for you recently. She was upset, so my lady brought us together in the Dream Realm so I could help her. I do this a lot, it's very normal for me. I knew who you were at the time, but I... didn't say anything because it's not really my place to do that."

"Is she doing well?" Lupan asked. "And what about my mother?"

"Well, she seemed to be doing better after I spoke to her. And I don't really know about your mother. We didn't talk about her; we talked about you. Or more... she talked and I listened." He smiled. "Your sister is also in a unique position. She's being contacted by many creatures as she grows in power."

"Creatures?"

"Yes. Like my lady. They all want her."

"For what purpose?"

"The same purpose my lady has me for," Rome declared. "I'm a warlock. And they want her to be one too. She grows stronger and stronger every day." Rome extended his hands to Lupan. "Here."

When Lupan took Rome's hands, he watched them glow with golden light. Rome blinked, and his eyes too began to glow. Lupan felt a warm pressure over his shoulders and on his back, as if someone was leaning on him. There was even the feeling of a chin on his shoulder. There was no one there, but a deep part of Lupan knew that it was her. He cried, sitting there in the hold of this ship with his friends behind him. Rome moved so he sat beside Lupan, still holding his hands but now also leaning against him.

After several minutes, the pressure and warmth faded, and Lupan looked at Rome. "Thank you..."

"Of course. My lady brings joy, and so must I."

Lupan nodded, and as they were leaving, he called back to Rome, knowingly, "Tell Lady Sunshine I said thank you as well."

Rome beamed at Lupan. "I will."

~~~~~

Keviks kept a watchful eye on Seven, and noticed that he spoke with two younger children: a half-orc boy and a triton girl. After that, he passed another note, and then nothing else. Keviks had the idea that Seven knew he was being watched.

Royal Custodian Castilian
Nana's Eidolon
(Art by Danila Kalinin on
Art Station)

Nana's eidolon Castilian watched the note passing on the upper deck, and noticed that the notes always went through two people consistantly: a human boy, somewhere in his teens, and a half-elven girl who couldn't be older than nine or ten.

Lastly, Fang reported watching one of the kids carrying the notes, and he saw them give it to Lysander Soriena - the lieutenant in charge of the party. He'd also helped the party kill the yugoloths in the sea just outside of Lanti. Up to this point, they'd considered Lysander an ally. His older sister was even in the Selection.

As the party came back together to report their findings and talk about their next moves, Nana cast Detect Magic, to ensure they weren't being watched. As it turns out, they were. She could sense divination magic in the room, behind the admiral. She asked everyone to leave the office, and found that it was following them, specifically Prince Fang. She sent a quick Message to Wren, who used Dispel Magic, and the effect disappeared. Once it was gone, they discussed who on the ship might be able to do that - scry on them. They discussed the possibility of it not being anyone here at all, but as it turns out, the Master Shipmage had access to spells of a similar power. The admiral was willing to launch an investigation into his loyalty as well, in all this. He also said that it would be best to wait and do anything until the Prince of the Sea arrived on board and they rescued the naval ship that had been sunk.

Fang asked, "Why are you so insistent on waiting for him, this Prince?"

"Your Highness, he is the prince of the sea." Admiral Cromdor gestured out to the water surrounding them from the upper deck, and that realization dawned on the party. "He is very powerful. Nothing would dare attack this ship while he's on it - not creature, not pirate, not sailor."

They also discussed the potential of a different destination, either before or after Aincour. An Erdian ship circling their mortal enemy of Saspar's capital city was definitely a great concern. Not to mention, Saspar had the potential for being good allies, and they had access to a lot of information on magic and constructs. Aincour might also hold other traitors that those on the ship could talk to, but if they were detained before they hit land, then it is no longer a problem.

Crown Prince Steel "Fang"
of the Mountain
Tabaxi, age 18
(CUSTOM ART by
@WtfdoIdraw on Twitter)

Fang made the final decision: "Right now, I think we should go to Aincour. When we get to the sinking ship, we'll be closer to there anyway. Once we get on land, if everyone who we have suspicions of is detained, then we can consider ourselves safer there than here. When it comes to leaving again... we'll discuss that later. If we want to go to Jarna afterwards, I'm all for it. If the admiral says it's best to wait for the Prince of the Sea... then we wait."

~~~~~

In the meantime, the party kept a close eye on the crew. 

Wren had a brief conversation with the tabaxi captain of the marines on board, who didn't have much to do. They were there for protection of the ship. The captain had sailed with the admiral before. Wren inquired as to why his men seemed less enthusiastic than the sailors were about her performances.

The captain simply said, "Better that they're not distracted. We're the ship's fighting force, after all. If they're off listening to music, then they're not paying attention. No offense to you or your talent of course, milady."

Lt. Lysander Soriena of the
Midtian Navy
Wood Elf, age 102, physical
age 18
(Art by @Sonnet_Form on
Twitter)

Nana kept an eye on Lysander and even snuck Mond, her raven familiar, into his room one night. Inside was a bed with a drawer underneath and a small desk and chair. An attempt to open the drawer under the desk didn't work very well. From what little part of it Mond could open, Nana could see extra clothes and shoes inside. On the desk were several letters, mostly unfinished, to family and friends. There was one, tucked behind the others that was addressed to him, and smelled of roses.

Mond was able to hide under the desk without being noticed by Lysander when he returned. Lysander spent most of the time writing. He seemed to finish several letters, and then when he did, he sighed deeply. There was the sound of crumpling paper, and one letter was thrown across the room. After that, he climbed into bed.

Once he was solidly asleep, Mond pushed the letter under the door to Nana. It was the rose-scented letter she'd seen before. It was from a woman who seemed to miss Lysander very much. Her name was Roseanne. Other than that though, there wasn't much else to see.

~~~~~

The next evening, Idredia found the ship it was looking for: a navy ship that was still up above the water, but only by magic. Otherwise, it was completely inoperable. Around fifteen sailors were rescued, and they'd only been kept alive at this point due to the kindness of the merfolk. The sea around this area was glowing a bright pink color.

Levistoren, the Prince of
the Sea
Merfolk Archfey
(Art by loopsinthesky on
Tumblr)

The pink glow coalesced into one glowing spot on the port side of the ship. From this spot, a merman leapt into the air. He had pale skin, a slender body, and his tail had four fins near the top of the torso. The tail was also glowing, as well as the tips of his curly brown hair. While in the air, the fins on his tail seemed to move up to his back, and they turned into fairy wings. He lowered himself to the deck gracefully, legs replaced his tail, and magic wove a bright pink, glowing gown on his body.

Behind him leapt another figure, much larger. This merman was toned and muscular. He carried two scimitars, one in each hand. His tail was long, black, and pointed at the end. His hair was short and black, and his face was incredibly stern. When he landed on the deck, his tail also changed to legs, and magic wove him a black garment around his waist.

Kyla, the mermaid who'd been guiding the ship to this location, approached the Prince of the Sea, and he placed his arm around her. He began to make his way to the admiral, but stopped when he noticed Lupan. Lupan had dropped to one knee, out of respect.

The Prince beckoned Lupan to look at him, and when Lupan did, he noticed that the Prince's eyes, too, glowed a beautiful pink. He seemed amused, and delighted by Lupan's gesture. He continued on his way, and the party followed. The admiral took the Prince's report of what happened: pirates. Not any of the local pirate - Leo Bluffs, a.k.a. Captain Damned's - people though. The Prince assured the Admiral that this ship's passage, from this point forward, would be peaceful.

Fang was also introduced to the Prince of the Sea. No one dealt in names when it came to merfolk and fey creatures, so the Prince of the Sea granted Fang the title of "Prince of the Lion Ships," given that the Midtian flag was that of a roaring lion. In greeting, the Prince kissed Fang's hand.

"Lachlan"
The Prince of the Sea's
silent bodyguard
(Art by KKKKITTI on
DeviantArt)

Kyla left the ship, while the Prince and his mysterious guard stayed behind. Wren sang the mermaid shanty she'd learned from Kyla to him, and he was quite impressed. Lupan and Nana spent some time inquiring about merfolk in general, and about some things in the area. They learned the "name" of the Prince's bodyguard: Lachlan, and that Lachlan couldn't speak, at least outside of telepathy.

The Prince of the Sea had known Lupan for a very long time, or about him at least. He knew what he was meant to do, which surprised Lupan. Apparently news travelled fast in Alfheim, but the Prince corrected him.

"It's not that news travels fast. It's that time is either slower or faster. The first time I heard of you was two hundred years ago. And the last was mere hours before."

Lupan felt as though it would be useless to try and comprehend how fey time rules worked.

Nana also asked about the extent of the Prince's power. "Can you see everything that goes on in your sea?"

"No, my power is more... raw. I could destroy cities in my sea, or bordering it, if I wanted to."

The party was suddenly more aware of why no one tried to sink a ship with the Prince on it.

Nana asked about the ship they'd heard about, and the X they'd seen on the map, in the sea.

"The X you speak of is one of our cities."

"And how does one get there?"

"Do you breathe?" he asked, looking at her metal form.

"No."

He smirked. "Then jump."

In terms of his opinions on the ship, he had very little. The merfolk were always cautious about new ships in the water. When the flag of the Erdian navy was described to him, and knowing that this new ship had that flag on board, it didn't change his opinion. In no uncertain terms, the Prince claimed that his people didn't work with the Erdian navy at all.

Additionally, the Prince granted them a benefit, if they were so worried about sailing this sea with this ship around: "If you find that you need help, my people are friends of the Lion Ships. And I like you. I'd hate to see you die."

He walked to Lupan, since he had the strongest connection to fey and Alfheim in the party, and told him, "While you are in my waters, you may speak my name once and I will come to aid you." He leaned in, and whispered, "Levistoren."

He pulled away, kissing Lupan's cheek as he did. The party now had a powerful oceanic ally.

~~~~~

ART LINKS

https://www.deviantart.com/skunkyfly/art/The-rising-sun-740985654

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/lxnKoV

https://twitter.com/wtfdoidraw

https://twitter.com/Sonnet_form/status/1074747966949224448

http://www.wysp.ws/locks/

https://www.deviantart.com/kkkkiti/art/Merman-478236627