Players: Isabelle, Gerhardt, Silas, Lowen
Silas has had a door to Nexus installed on his ship. He informs [Gerhardt of Nexus and asks him to accompany everyone back to there to check the place out. This will require him undergoing the Trials (see last session).
Gerhardt in the trial of memory relives his experience that was the doppelgänger as him as well as his own memories, and all the experiences he had with the unmakers. He is shaken by this experience but tries to not to show this.
We use Aubri to use Nexus to find where Corwin is. he is in the ways of Sawall. We reach Merlin and he's all in on freeing his dad.
We encounter a guaridan named Cryptwich and have to promise we intend no harm.
We take a lantern and note that one is taken. Merlin says it is probably his mother, Dara. We need to avoid her.
He takes us on a route through an abandoned section, and encounter some Hellhounds. We dispatch two but the last has pups. It is named "Shadowclaw" and swears fealty to Isabelle.
We find Corwin on a torture table, manacled to it with spikes through his forearm and lower legs. Gerhardt and Isabelle dispatch a tormentor demon that is perched on him and we are able to release the manacles and make off with him, leaving an illusion in his place.
We had seen they were collecting his blood. Lots of it. We need to not leave them with this blood or they could do horrible things to him. We find the room where the blood is being kept in containers. We wait for a guard to leave, then Isabelle sets off a burn of the blood to destroy it. There is a massive explosion.
We make our way to Gerhardt's shadow for surgery to heal Corwin, and then inform Diedre (who is bent on revenge, Merlin says he is okay as long as Diedre doesn't kill Dara) and Aubri who Corwin hasn't seen since she was a baby.
Corwin demands to know how this happened. We tell him the winter court of Fae did this, hired by Eric.
Krisp.ai Summary
Key Points
- The group located Corwin, who was being held captive by House Sowal in the depths of Chaos.
- They used Aubrey's blood to track Corwin's location and enlisted Merlin's help to navigate the Ways of Sowal.
- They found Corwin being tortured by a tormentor demon and rescued him, destroying containers holding his collected blood.
- Deirdre was informed about Corwin's rescue and the group's suspicion that Dara was behind his capture.
- Aubrey met her father Corwin for the first time after his rescue.
- Corwin agreed to accept Silas's formal protection at his place to recover from his injuries.
- The group discussed the possibility of Corwin seeking revenge against Eric, who is close to becoming the Emperor of Chaos.
- Isabelle made an arrangement with the hellhound Shadow Clau and her pups to serve and protect her in exchange for sanctuary.
Outline
Gerhardt's Trials at Nexus
- Gerhardt underwent trials at Nexus to gain access to the facility, starting with the trial of memory.
- The trial of memory revealed Gerhardt's experiences as a captive of the Endmakers, where they were trapped in a pod while a doppelganger lived their life.
- This ordeal nearly drove Gerhardt to insanity, but they slowly regained hope as their doppelganger learned and grew.
- The trial also uncovered fleeting connections to what their doppelganger became after separating from them, including a fixation on Jericho as a worthy opponent.
- The trial of potential involved a psychic deconstruction that was mentally stressful but revealed significant capabilities within Gerhardt.
- The trial of action presented an ethical dilemma involving the Dimmerlaik Queen, where Gerhardt chose to allow a shadow bomb to detonate rather than disable it, potentially accelerating the end of all things but refusing to hand over the technology to the enemy.
Mission to Rescue Corwin
- The group, including Silas, Gerhardt, Isabelle, Lowen, and Merlin, embarked on a mission to rescue Corwin from the depths of House Sowal in Chaos.
- They used a magical device to locate Corwin and navigated through the Ways of Chaos with Merlin's guidance.
- The team encountered and defeated hellhounds using silver weapons and psychic attacks.
- They found Corwin being tortured on a stone table, with his blood being collected in buckets.
- A psychic tormentor demon was attached to Corwin, which Isabelle and another team member managed to destroy.
- The group carefully removed Corwin from his restraints and created an illusion to cover their escape.
Destruction of Collected Blood
- The team discovered a vast warehouse containing numerous large containers filled with Corwin's collected blood.
- Isabelle used her fire abilities to destroy the blood, causing a massive explosion.
- This action was taken to prevent the blood from being used for nefarious purposes, as Amberite blood can be powerful in the wrong hands.
- The explosion created a significant disturbance in the Ways, but the team managed to escape without directly harming anyone sworn to House Sowal.
Escape and Aftermath
- The group successfully escaped from the Ways of Sowal, navigating past the guardian Cripwitch through clever wordplay and stealth.
- They used the Undershadow to reach safety and transported Corwin to Airland for medical treatment.
- Corwin was sedated during the escape and initial recovery to prevent any violent outbursts.
- Upon waking, Corwin was introduced to their daughter Aubrey, whom they had never met before.
- The rescue mission revealed potential involvement of Dara (Merlin's mother) in Corwin's capture and torture, leading to tensions between Merlin and Deirdre regarding potential retaliation.
Encounter with Shadowclaw
- During the mission, Isabelle encountered a hellhound mother (Shadowclaw) with three puppies.
- She offered the hellhound family sanctuary in her shadow in exchange for their fealty.
- This arrangement provides Isabelle with potentially powerful guardians for her realm, though she was warned to be cautious and specific about the terms of their service.
Political Developments
- The rescue mission and subsequent discussions revealed several important political developments.
- Eric has returned and is close to becoming the Emperor of Chaos.
- Oberon has also returned, and most accept him as genuine.
- The Fall of Avalon involved the Winter Court of Faerie, hired by an unknown party (possibly Eric).
- Tensions still exist between Corwin and Eric, despite attempts to settle old grievances.
- The session ended with Corwin resting in Airland under Silas's protection, with many questions still unanswered about the current state of affairs in Amber and Chaos.