20th Dravago, 999 YK
- They make the decision to leave the Pinnacles Sublime, they've got what they need for now.
- Naze would like to find out more about the wolves, and why they could speak, but doesn't think they'll find anything.
- Bhaltair does go and collect some of the ash and soil from the upper end of the Forest Constant, where the forest fire rages. They plan to use it as fertilizer.
- Bhaltair wilts a bit from collecting the soil, as the temperature was hotter than they'd ever experienced (at about 45ºC).
- Runmae picks up some snow and presses it into her face. She's missed snow.
- They collect some of the snow in bottles, as extra water.
- Bhaltair suggests making sure it is safe first?
- Bhaltair doesn't find anything unsafe about the water, but thinks it's got high mineral content.
- With everything else done, they leave the Pinnacles to return to Kastar Dar.
- They marvel that the Remorhaz materials are still hot? It died over 12 hours ago.
- First priority, take the materials to the workshop and get their reward from Taazran Sharket.
- Taazran immediately drops everything to see what they brought her, and they just start unloading all of the stuff they collected.
- As agreed, she teaches Bhaltair and Runmae how to craft using monster parts.
- She'll need a day to make the Remorhaz Armor, so they'll need to stay in Kastar Dar.
- Warren goes and finds an empty area to just exist on his own for a bit. Not in an edgy way he just wants some space.
- Naze just spends time talking to Zaphkiel and his snake, Zekko.
- Runmae watches Taazran and Tezkori.
- Valaari considers speaking to the Kastar about Krisek Yor, but isn't sure. They want to foster an alliance between the Maruk and the Krisek, but they don't really know the Kastar that well.
- Bhaltair is in favour of it, we're all Ghaash'kala after all. Also, they don't know of any Glitterdrift entrances near Maruk Dar.
- They're unsure, so they decide not to say anything to Kastar about it. They can always come back later, and once they've said something, they can't take it back.
21st Dravago, 999 YK
- They go and collect the Remorhaz Armor from Taazran, and they debate who will use it.
- After some discussion, they decide Valaari will get more benefit from it.
- They also take a look through Taazran and Tezkori's inventories, to see if there's any other gear they could use.
- They trade most of their "contribution points" to acquire an Arachnid Harness for Warren, and a Fulminating Spear for Valaari.
- Given that Valaari is getting the spear, they decide to give Runmae the Remorhaz Armor.
- They spend some time redistributing equipment, as Valaari won't need their javelins anymore.
- Naze sits quietly because he can't benefit from any of this equipment. Maybe the Vaanka will have staves?
- They refill their supplies and then head out, beginning their 12-day journey to Vaanka Dar
- After looking at the route, Naze comments that they need like a tunnel or something to make it easier to get between the holds. Warren asks if he's working for the enemy.
- The Kastar escort the group back to the surface, avoiding traps, and then leave them to it.
- Their first day of travel is a nice, peaceful, non-eventful walk through the hellish landscape of the Labyrinth.
22nd Dravago, 999 YK
- After a few days, they hear some arguing in Diabolic. Naze wants to investigate, but the rest of the group wants to just avoid it. They have a mission!
- Naze puts his feet down and is like, "this could be really important infomation!"
- Valaari picks him up and slings him over their shoulder, and they start walking away.
- The problem they have is that the only way they have to understand the (likely) demons is Naze, and they don't trust him with demons.
- Runmae is almost swayed by Naze's passion.
- Valaari clarifies that sending Naze is out of the question, but they could send Warren to take a look at what's going on.
- Naze is like "okay how about you gag me to make sure I can't talk to them?"
- Bhaltair can use magic to make Warren understand the demons. Naze is like "why would you do that though!?"
- They decide not to investigate the arguing, and move on, much to Naze's protests. Warren had already activated his spider harness and then is disappointed.
- They move on.
- Naze makes it very clear that he thinks this is a mistake.
23rd Dravago, 999 YK
- During the night, Runmae gets up, scootches past Valaari (in their bedroll) and then goes to relieve Valaari, who is on watch.
- Uhhhh. One of the players asks if they just had a stroke?
- Runmae speaks to Valaari, "are you aware that you're asleep right now?"
- No?
- Valaari tells Runmae to take over the watch and they'll check it out.
- Valaari finds themselves in their bedroll. Huh.
- They wake everyone else up, discretely, and asks them what they see in Valaari's bedroll.
- Valaai tells them all to stand up and then approaches themselves.
- Naze casts Detect Magic, and detects magic within the range.
- Bhaltair and Warren scan their environment for anything else. There are no doubles of anyone else, and they can't see any obvious source of the double. The double hasn't reacted to any of this.
- They spend some time putting all of their armour on, expecting this may result in a fight.
- Valaari speaks loudly to try and wake their double. They then threaten them, telling them to stop using their image!
- Valaari pokes it with their new spear, and it is solid and moves appropriately, but doesn't otherwise react.
- Naze notices that it is not breathing. He tries to cast Message on it, but the spell fails.
- Bhaltair tries to identify magic on it, and doesn't identify the effect (if any) on it, but it is a perfect replica of Valaari, even down to scars. It even has the same scars.
- Naze tries to identify it, and it makes him very uncomfortable. Runmae is sure it's not a changeling or doppelganger.
- Valaari uses their esoteric lore to determine that it's not an effect being cast by someone else, or even something.
- Warren searches the double, and it's only wearing what Valaari went to bed in. It has nothing else, but it is also missing Valaari's prosthetic leg. Interesting.
- Bhaltair uses their planar senses to investigate if this is a planar effect. Valaari theorises that it could be related to Dolurrh, Mabar, or the Ossuary of Splinters. Two of those are likely dangerous, so Valaari suggests that they leave and find somewhere else to sleep.
- Warren says "but we need to get your bedroll back?"
- Bhaltair doesn't think so, Valaari doesn't want to touch the corpse to get their bedroll back.
- Why Valaari though?
- After they leave, Naze gives Valaari a check over to make sure nothing has affected them.
- Valaari postulates that they lost their leg to necrotic energy, but they don't know what attacked them.
- They decide to just push through and travel, to get as far away from the effect as possible.
- Bhaltair keeps their awareness open as they travel, and later in the day experiences the same effect. As they feel it, Valaari leaves an afterimage behind, which they watch get violently impaled by something invisible, leaving behind a new fresh corpse.
- Bhaltair watches this, and then calls out "Valaari, you just died".
- Bhaltair asks Valaari if they know of any planes that impact futures or alternate timelines. Valaari is only aware of Xoriat having anything to do with time or the future.
- Huh
- Valaari checks their stuff, and sees that there is a single crack in their Mirror Implement. How does Valaari's mirror work? They aren't really sure where it gets the power to duplicate them from. Could it be bleeding alternate Valaari's into the world?
- Valaari doesn't know how their mirror works, they belief it is Kalok Shash that empowers it.
- Bhaltair performs a psychometric reading on the mirror, and detects fear.
- Valaari doesn't remember the mirror having a crack in it before. Bhaltair suggests putting some tape over it.
- Bhaltair then does an object reading on the mirror, to see if they can see when it broke.
- Bhaltair sees a vision, from Valaari's perspective, of a group of hideous demons ambushing the party and killing them all. The mirror cracked when Valaari hit the ground. When the vision ends, Bhaltair's vision returns and they see they're in the same location that the ambush happened.
- They ready their weapons, Bhaltair shouting about an ambush, but nothing happens. After a while, they begin moving, but they're all uneasy. Valaari periodically examines the mirror.
- Bhaltair asks Warren to measure the length of the crack (with his cartography tools), just in case it gets bigger later.
- Bhaltair continues to keep their awareness open to planar influence, but they continue travelling.
- Several hours later, mid afternoon, Bhaltair feels the planar influence end. The mirror is still cracked.
- Bhaltair does another object reading on the mirror. They experience the mirror lying on the ground for seemingly hours, and then sees one of the demons that killed them pick it up, stare at their reflection for several seconds, and then smash the mirror.
- Based on the description of the demons, Valaari thinks that the demons were Abrikandilu's, or "wrecker demons". They despise beauty, and will destroy anything they deem to be attractive. The only thing they hate more than beauty is their own face, and they will go out of their way to destroy mirrors.
- Runmae jokes that Warren should've been left alone then.
- Valaari thinks this all feels very personal?
- Valaari asks Warren to note down the area of the planar effect.
- They then ask if Runmae has a way to fix the mirror? They're worried about the crack. Bhaltair asks Valaari to try and make a duplicate of themself.
- Valaari does so, and the image is flawed, as if a crack runs through the middle of it and offsets half of the image. Huh.
- They need Runmae to repair the mirror. She does her best, removing the broken part and reshaping the frame to make a smaller mirror that isn't broken.
- Alas, her best is a critical fail, and she ends up shattering the glass of the mirror.
- Valaari doesn't trust the broken mirror to be used for their power, they don't want to risk fracturing themselves if they use it. They'll need to find someone to fix it or get a new mirror.
- They reverantly gather up the pieces of their mirror and wrap it, and carefully place it in their bag.
- Runmae suggests that she can polish part of her old breastplate, to make a makeshift mirror until Valaari can get a new one or fix their old one. This will take a while (hundreds of hours, apparently). They can take it in shifts to polish it.
- Valaari comments that at least they shouldn't get any more weird apparitions.