January 26, 2025

Tree 1, 5043

(9:00 am)

MORNING ROUTINES DONE DAILY (in lieu of Heroes Feast):

[Note that most of these are only effective because various stats-buffing magical items are not working in HaNH, or else working at diminished levels.]

Beari casts Bull’s Strength on Ben: STR 14 -> 18 for +4

Beari casts Bull’s Strength on Zora: STR 20 -> 24 for +7

Beari casts Cat’s Grace on Zora: DEX 14 -> 18 for +4

Ben casts Endurance on Beari: CON 14 -> 18 for +4

Ben casts Endurance on himself: CON 14 -> 18 for +4

Ben casts Fox’s Cunning on Arden: INT 18 -> 22 for +6

Ben casts Fox’s Cunning on Beari: INT: 20 -> 24 for +7

Ben casts Owl’s Wisdom on himself: WIS 24 -> 28 for +9

Duncan has taken the ex-prisoners and started the walk back to Haxfort.

We spend the day resting up and planning.

Tree 2, 5043

Walking, overnighting.

(We’re going to skip the descriptions of overnighting pockets.)

Tree 3, 5043

Walking, overnighting.

Tree 4, 5043

Three days later you do find a branch in the Road.

VALANTHE: The Road is like an upside-down “Y”: our branch coming in from the right, the other branch coming in from the left, and both combining to go onward.

From what Duncan told you, you know to stay to the right as the branch enters from the left.

Arden tries to mark the intersection. Dagger strokes into the road “heal” immediately. Sprinkled chalk dust vanishes – absorbed?

Arden reminds everyone that if we come back this way, we need to stay left.

Less than an hour later:

VALANTHE: There’s another of those silver and white curtains. What did Duncan say the name of this town is?

We go in with weapons and spells ready.

The landing is about 30’x30’. There doesn’t seem to be any active watch over arrivals, but you see a modest number of men with shields and weapons. There is a large inn not too far from the landing. And a road through woods extensive enough that you cannot tell what else is in this pocket. But presumably it is fairly large sized, and has a goodly population.

Politely, we put up our weapons before leaving the landing.

The inn keeper, Harald, tells you that rooms are two silvers a night, meals are one silver each, and ale is a half-silver. There is no general store as part of this inn, so presumably there is a more substantial one in the town or village.

Directions? Ask for assistance at the city hall.

Report on Haxfort and Beune? Someone at city hall will help you.

Yes, there are other inns in the city.

We decide to scope out the other inns before deciding where to stay.

The road from the landing goes about half a mile through the woods before opening up into cultivated fields and a large stream / small river. We can see that the Waste edges are quite far away. The town has a fair number of larger buildings as well as single family structures; the town hall is easily picked out from its gilded roof.

There’s a receptionist behind a desk in the foyer of the town hall. He looks at youall expectantly. We ask about where to report bandits, invasions; where to ask for maps.

“Lord Chain is the proper person to talk to about bandits and incursions. Up the stairs twice to the third floor, turn left, first room on the right. He’ll also be able to help you with directions, or know who to send you to for that.”

In Lord Chain’s office there is a desk with a couple of chairs in front of it. The side wall has hooks holding an overcoat, a shield, and an ancients weapon. Lord Chain is sitting behind his desk, holding a sheaf of papers in one hand and making notes with the other.

Conversations.

“Right. I’ll make sure trade with Haxford resumes, and send a bevy to help Beune.

“As for directions to Dun Add. Just a second…” He takes a blank sheet of paper and draws on it for a few minutes. Hands it over, “Here. Those are most of the branches and towns between here and Dun Add. it is not to scale. I’ve probably forgotten some minor branches, and I’m not including every village. But between Marielles and Dun Add there is usually an occupied pocket of Here at every days’ march.” see map

We ask about local conditions, where Ben could help with healing, a blacksmith shop, other sources of interest. They are not of interest to him, he refers all those local questions to the receptionist.

“Now, if there’s nothing else, I’ll go start organizing a relief expedition.”

The receptionist points us to local stores and services; recommends an inn.

Arden buys five new daggers.

Beari and Ben go to the healing place and provide what help they can. There doesn’t seem to be any sickness (?ever?); mostly industrial accidents. Ben’s help is appreciated.

We all meet back up at the inn we’ve chosen. Various people take baths. Ben announces that he and Zora are not taking a bath – instead they are experiencing a joint religious baptismal with warm water and soap.

We have dinner and offer drinks at the bar. Ask other travelers about bandits, lizardmen; are told that those mostly happen on the side branches. Dun Add sends out Champions when there are issues; there are no standard patrols from the capital.

Arden asks lots of questions, but there are almost no answers.

This place is a collection site for ancients’ relics from The Waste. Arden chats with a prospector who shows him a relic he found: it looks like scarred, pitted metal about half the size of a button. He tells Arden about Makers using this as a guideline and “growing” it back to its original full form and function. Talks about how prospecting in The Waste works.

Tree 5, 5043

When you go out on the Road again, Val and Beari think it is wider than it was before the junction.

We leave Mariellis toward the capital. It will be a two day trip to Holheim. We stop in Solerne <the inn is full; we camp>. We talk to pilgrims about their god.

Tree 6, 5043

Halfway between Solerne and Holheim you encounter another party going the opposite direction. A rather large party. A dressed-up dandy with a fancy dog is leading the group, followed by four fighters, each with their own dog, then a carriage chair with eight men carrying it and an obviously high-society lady riding. Another eight men follow the carriage chair, then four more fighters and dogs. The group is so large that you cannot yet see the end of it when the dandy reaches you. “Make way!” yells the dandy. “Make way for the Lady Catherine, on pilgrimage!” He looks at us like he expects us to crowd to the right so they can go by. We do, but are ready to protest any attempt to crowd us into The Waste.

Holheim’s inn has a lot more space. We find that the villages charge about half what the towns do for food and lodging. Ben offers healing for anyone who needs it. Asking for information about conditions further up The Road returns an “It’s just The Road, innit?” type of response.

Tree 7, 5043

Shortly after we leave Holheim, there is a branch of the Road leading off to the left. We go past it. Later that day,

Valanthe is guiding Beari around a very sharp turn in the Road, which is restricting her viewing to just a few feet. Suddenly, around the curve, a strange pair of figures come into view, only five feet away from Beari. Because of the curve, nobody else can see them. Because they are not aware of the curve, they don’t know why Beari has stopped.

What Beari sees is a Beast, [[like the one that chased them out of the Not Here pocket]], except that the eyes and grey splotches are frozen in place, and it somehow looks terrified. Next to it is what can best be described as a shadow: a caricature of the human form in a blackness that seems impossibly tall and thin and has two arms with extremely long fingers touching the Beast. “Pass on, human,” the shadow says to Beari. “Leave me to eat, and take pleasure in there being one fewer enemy to your sort in the universe.” But even while it says this, it is reaching one impossibly long arm towards her.

Round 0:

Beari shouts a warning, backs up, and casts Magic Missile at the Shade. It dies – seems to dissolve into a puddle on The Road, and then disappears.

XP: 105

The Beast’s grey patches and eyes have begun moving again. In Beari’s head she hears, “I have no fight with you, if you so will it. Thank you for my succor. Please accept this as a token of my appreciation.” He seems to drop something onto the Road, and then steps off into the Waste and is gone. What he left behind is an oval, metallic, about six inches in the longest direction and maybe half an inch thick. The bas relief surface looks, more than anything else, like an octopus.

Beari relates what happened to everyone else. Zora entertains everyone with her Memory Card information about Shades. There is some reluctance to touch the oval, but eventually it is picked up and examined. Beari calls it an Octo-disk and puts it in her habersack.

That night’s stay is in Dewbranch. We find some authorities to tell about the encounter.

Tree 8, 5043

The next day, about eight hours in, Valanthe sees a shimmering curtain on the right.

VALANTHE: Up ahead on the right, there’s a shimmering curtain like for marking where landings are. But this one isn’t silver and white, it is all rainbow colors.

We ready weapons and step in. When we step through onto the landing, which is about 40’x40’, it is to be greeted with another scene of chaos. Near the landing all seems quiet, but the further away one looks, the more the land is in violent motion. Mountains are sinking down into valleys; rivers are pouring up in waterrises which go nowhere; trees are constantly changing from one species to another.

Suddenly there are eight Beasts standing around the edges of the landing. We, except Zora, hear in our heads, “You should not be here. Why are you here?” And then, as if we are overhearing a conversation not intended for we, “What should we do with them?”

We leave. Make a note that Rainbow = BAD.

VALANTHE: I think I am beginning to understand the Road, now.

Ten hours later we find a curtain for a small village where we overnight.

Tree 9, 5043

Shortly after we start out:

VALANTHE: There is a short-cut here – that sorta dark gap in the border to our left – which could cut several days travel off of our trip. But I’m concerned about how anyone else besides you can be guided through it. It should be only a couple of steps in the Waste, so if we line each person up it ought to be safe. What do you think?

Zora, Ben, and Arden get into the Portable Hole, which Beari carries. Valenthe guides Beari through the shortcut – which to Beari, through Val’s eyes, looks from The Road like a tiny break, barely a foot wide, in the border of The Road. And once off The Road, The Waste is pressing on Beari from all sides. However, Val is able to give Beari orientation directions to keep her walking on the path Val can sense. All in all, it is only six steps before Beari is back on a Road again. And lets everyone out of the Portable Hole.

VALANTHE: We should turn right. This side branch will rejoin the main Road in a few hundred yards. We can turn left there. And the landing for Carvahal will be less than an hour away.

When we reach the junction, Val and Beari can see that, while the branch we are coming in on is about the same width as we’re used to, the main trunk is now almost twice as wide.

Carvahal is a larger Here, from what we can initially see of it, perhaps a little bigger than Marielles was. Finding an inn is no problem. 3 silvers per person includes dinner and breakfast. There are city baths, segregated male and female, further in towards the center of the municipality, for a silver each. Nobody seems very interested in us, beyond accepting our money.

Tree 10, 5043

Leave Carvahal.

Tree 13, 5043

It takes three more days to reach Dun Add. There is now almost constant traffic on the Road, usually guided by dogs, but sometimes by other animals. The increased width is very useful, both for the times of two-way traffic, and also for when we catch up with a slower moving group and want to pass them.

When we step through onto the landing at Dun Add, we find it is a couple of acres in size, and fenced around. There is a queue of people lined up to talk with an official at a desk, and then pass through a gate. Inside the fence are a number of stalls selling liquor, food, clothing, all of whose proprietors are shouting out their wares in competing voices; the combined noise is rather unpleasant. There are also a number of groups picnicking on the grass, or sitting at tables and chairs, and apparently treating the arrivals as entertainment.

Further away, we can see that this is a huge Here.

From the landing the ground slopes down to a belt of trees. On the other side of the trees it continues decreasing in height to the left, until it gets to a rather wide river. There are rafts on it being pole-driven into a dock for unloading; and further out there is a two-masted ship sailing against the current. Across the river – which appears to be too wide for any bridge to have been built here – are farmlands raising crops, cattle, and sheep. There are no signs of horses, and any plowing is being done behind oxen teams.

To the right, after the trees, the ground rises again, so that we cannot see very far in that direction. But what we can see tops off onto a flat, acers-large, grassy field. In various parts of the field we can see pairs of fighters dueling – or perhaps practicing their fighting skills. Other fighters are leaning on posts, or standing, and seem to be commenting on the fighting skills of those actively engaged.

Directly ahead, after you get through the trees, is a slight rise to the capital city of Dun Add. Lots of stores in the center of downtown, with residences tapering off to the left, parallel to the river, and behind / beyond the town center. Residences closer to the center of town appear grander, while those further away are probably single family homes; those beyond the center look more like apartments or barracks.

To the right of the city center is the castle. It looks rather haphazard, as if parts of it were added at different times. Much of it is outside of any protective structure – thick walls, arrow-slot windows, crenulations, and the like, that adorn the middle of the castle. To the left, on ground level, are doors that would have been appropriate for a stable back on Plynck, big enough to allow several horses in or out simultaneously. But from there, and the floors above, come mostly the sounds of dogs.

The center, the actual castle part, has grand doors which are propped open and have standing guards outside them.

The right part of the castle looks like a wing that was added on to the original, four stories high and several dozen yards long. From this angle it is difficult to tell, but it appears that there are wings off of that wing, running away from the front of the castle.

As we get closer to the desk and gate, we can see that there are actually two officials. One seated at the desk, who seems very efficient when left to himself. The other, in gaudy-colored clothes, is an obsequious toady or snotty snob depending on who is in front of him. Snooty man doesn’t like our story, threatens to deny us permission to enter; seems to be wanting a bribe.

But, “Nonsense, Herbert,” another voice interrupts. An older man from one of the tables has come over. “These people are looking for information, and dispersing information is one of our most important activities. If you are so concerned about their being disruptive to Dun Add, I’ll escort them and take personal responsibility for them.”

Herbert turns slightly pale upon seeing who has joined the group. “Oh-oh-of course, your L-lordship, if that’s what you want.” And, “move along please.” The seated official winks at you.

As we are now walking towards the gate, the stranger says, “I did not catch your names. Mine is Marvin Dreamer. I have a suite in the castle where youall can stay while you are visiting.”

We give him our names.

“The little bit I heard, it sounds like you are on a quest. I did not hear for what, but I can assure you that our archivist, Madam Hinst, is extremely skilled at locating obscure pieces of knowledge in our library, so if there is any chance that we have the information you are searching for, I am sure she will find it.”

By this time you have passed through trees and are walking up to the castle, angling towards the right wing. Suddenly one of the many people around, a fighter by his garb, stops and stares at the group.

“You, missy,” he yells, “get out of those weapons! It is an affront to the ancients and to our city for a woman to be strutting around wearing them! You will either divest yourself of them, or else meet me on the dueling field. I challenge you, as is my right.”

“Platt,” says your companion, “these are my guests, and by extension guests of Zim, whom I am taking them to meet. Perhaps you could save your misogynistic views for some other people?”

“Dreamer, I don’t care who you are. That,” pointing at Zora, “is a perversion. And I know my rights.”

Dreamer says, quietly, to all of you: “I only see four choices here. Zora, you could go along with his whim and not carry arms while in the city; you could meet him in a dual, the winner of which would determine whether this absurd social stigma is strengthened or weakened, and definitively how it applies to you; youall could immediately leave Dun Add; or you could take him on as a group – resulting in the entirety of the city’s fighting force descending upon you, which I doubt any group of only four people could survive. Personally, I would hate for youall to leave or die; and I am also somewhat aggravated at the idea of Platt getting his way. What do you want to do?”

Zora decides that she wants to kick his ass.

“Dual it is, then,” says Dreamer. Then, to Platt, “No, we will not hold it immediately, you oaf, we will give Lady Zora a good night’s rest beforehand. And no, she will not discard her arms, before and unless you prove that she must. We will meet you on the dueling grounds tomorrow at nine of the morning. Now get out of my way,” and he raises his left hand with his fingers bent in a strange configuration. Platt gulps and scurries off.

“I am so sorry about that. Being one of Zim’s Champions does not turn a man into a paragon of virtue, or even a thoughtful supporter of good. Fortunately, there are not very many as extreme as Platt.”

When Arden asks about the hand jesture, “Oh, that. Merest bluff. The rank and file think I am a magician, know that I raised Zim and trained Falco, and apply many more powers to me than I actually have. The stupidest, which certainly includes Platt, are also the most superstitious and given to believe that I can cast magic at them. Which, of course, nobody can do.”

As youall enter the castle wing, Dreamer grabs a page and instructs him, “Go to Zim and tell him I need an appointment with him, as soon as possible, but definitely before dinner. Find out what time and where, and come to my suite to tell me.”

“Your suite, sir?” the page says nervously.

Dreamer puts his hand briefly on the page’s forehead and says, “there, now nothing will bother you. Go.” And the page rushes off.

“More superstition,” Dreamer tosses off, and leads youall up three flights of stairs.

Down a short hall to the right there is a set of armor displayed next to a door – except that the open helmet has a woodpecker’s head instead of a human one. “Who passes?” it challenges them. “Shut up until tomorrow,” Dreamer replies and opens the door. “If I let it challenge the page, we’ll never find out when to meet Zim,” he explains while ushering them inside.

There are wonderous things here. The windows, which ought to be looking out across their path from the landing, instead show different scenes in each one. One is a winterscape with snow falling; one a storm-wracked sea cliff; one of tall mountains with clouds blowing across them; one of a prairie with the grasses blowing. All of them are moving – not static pictures.

Inside the room, the lighting is coming from half a dozen thin, 4” diameter floor to ceiling columns which have light spiraling up and down them. There are tables with projects half-finished on them. Wall hangings with a high weirdness factor. And several doors.

“Please,” he says, “those two rooms—” adjacent doors to their left “—are yours. Just shove anything on the beds or chairs onto the floor. And please come back here when you’re ready; I’d very much like to talk with you before our invitation arrives. Oh, and it will include dinner, eventually. By the way, it is socially unacceptable to wear any armor to a formal dinner, or to bring any weapon larger than a knife. I hope that will be acceptable to you; and please know that anything you leave in this suite will be absolutely safe while we are gone.”

When everyone is back in the room: “Please, tell me about this quest of yours. I might be able to help Madam Hinst narrow down her searches. Plus, I am quite curious.”

“We’d be glad to,” says Arden. “But first, can you tell us anything about these Ancients artifacts, and what a Maker does? We have nothing like that where we come from.”

Dreamer says that the easiest way to explain would be to demonstrate. Everyone gathers around one of his work benches. He goes into a trance, and we can see that material is disappearing from bowls placed around the bench, while the something in the center is getting larger in definite steps. Out of the trance, Dreamer explains that any piece of an Ancients artifact has a built-in guideline to how it should be when complete; and using that guideline he can place particles of various elements and ores into proper alignments. From his examining of the relic, he thinks it could be one of a pair of devices which allow talking across vast distances. (Arden asks if they could be used between different pockets. Dreamer, with approval in his voice, says that would need to be something to try out, if he ever finds a relic for a second device.)

After that, we tell him about being cast out of their home world, and traveling through a series of other worlds trying to find their way home, with a portal and a key being our transport from one world to the next.

“I’ve certainly never heard of anything like this portal. But that’s why we have archivists. Now, as a continuing demonstration of my insatiable curiosity, might I examine some of your weapons and armor? They are totally unlike anything we have built up from the ancients, and I am utterly fascinated.”

Zora hands him her Greatsword; Ben his Shield; Arden his Ring of Protection.

Over each piece, he sets it in his lap, touches it with his fingertips, and appears to go into a trance for a couple of minutes. He does this for each piece. When he is finished, “Thank you. That was fascinating. As I suspected, I have never encountered anything like these before. There are things present beyond the mere essence of the metal – things that make each piece more – in some fashion – than it originally was. There is absolutely zero connection between these and the devices of the ancients that we find and fix. And no way that I can feel for improving on any of them. Thank you so much for sharing them with me – this is a memory I will treasure.”

“Can you tell me anything about how they were constructed? In a way that I would understand, that is.”

We try to explain Magic to him, with limited success. Finally Beari casts Levitation on him and moves him around the room. He is thrilled.

“Apparently I was incorrect in claiming that nobody can cast spells. Well, if anything you can do will enhance Lady Zora’s chances of taking Platt down, I personally have no objections. I’ll have Zim erect pavilions at either end of the dueling ground – that way your friends can cast spells without being seen, and without any complications that might incur.”

“Platt is quite rich, and will have the best sword and shield he can purchase from Falco and the weapon-making team. Certainly his shield will be new and ready to absorb the highest amount of damage. However, you may be at more of an advantage than Platt expects. Our fighting is frequently sword against sword, with one being used to parry the other’s blast and divert it harmlessly into the ground. Your sword, however, is only physical, and as such cannot be diverted. Until he learns that, he will waste time using our typical tactics against you. And after – well, if he ever does – figure it out, he will need to start using his shield much more heavily. Typically, our Champions try to preserved their shields, as those are what allow us to strike at shielded others. On the other hand, if he is using only his shield to defend himself, that leaves him free to use his sword blasts in a totally offensive manner. I suspect that you, Lady Zora, will need to accept some damage to yourself, and simply outlast him. I am sorry, but that does seem to me to be the best strategy.”

The page arrives, knocks on the door, and informs Dreamer that Zim will see them now, in his office. Then hurries away.

In Zim’s office, Dreamer explains the various situations: from outside Here and Not Here; searching for something called a “portal” to use to get home, and intent to involve Madam Hinst in the search. He then brings up the interference by Platt, and thus this dual tomorrow.

Zim is curious about all this and asks many questions. When he hears about Platt he becomes annoyed. Of course he will arrange for pavilions – what are your colors, Lady Zora? –

Beari answers “Blue and Silver”

-- and the entire court will attend. And Lady Jolene will have all of her ladies-in-waiting snub Platt for being so discourteous. Youall are invited to the banquet tonight, I’ll just rearrange a few seats. Father, will you attend for once? And Dreamer says “yes”.

Over dinner you meet many other people in the court. The primary ones are: Lady Jolene, who is courtesy embodied; Ralf the warlord, looking like he could defeat anyone in a fight; Falco the master Maker, and youall notice that Dreamer does not tell him about the otherworldly weapons youall brought; Hinst the archivist, who is intrigued and promises to put her staff to work on the search, once youall come by and help her define it.

And then you go back to Dreamer’s suite, and night passes.

Tree 14, 5043

(8:30 am)

There are two pavilions on the dueling ground, about 500 feet apart. The group casts many (unrecorded) buffing spells on Zora [that is, in addition to the standard morning buffs]; but on Dreamer’s advice do not cast any against Platt. One of the spells Ben casts is Shield Other, which will divert half of Zora’s damage to Ben. The sidelines are crammed with spectators.

(9:00 am)

Everyone leaves their respective pavilions: Platt and his supporters, Zora, our group, and Dreamer. Platt and Zora proceed to the middle of the dueling ground, where an official asks the traditional questions – are you both determined to continue? – then steps back, holds out a scarf, then drops it.

Round 1:

Zora hits Platt for 40 – totally absorbed by 25 to the shield.

Platt failed to parry.

Round 2: