Tweening
What is 'tweening?
Tweening is a term used in animation. Between "key frames" of an action, 'tweening is performed to provide smooth motion. The use of 'tweening, in the RP sense, is to provide a place of record so that GM and PCs may recall where things were left off from session to session.
May 1, 2010
The heroes picked up where they left off, pursuing the surviving member of a pair of would be assassins. Chasing the bowman down a steep, forested hillside, they meet Siassa Jean-Aubry, a "dilettante" that was studying the many distractions available on the Silent Isle.
They briefly interrogate Ricartz De Castel, the emaciated, and exhausted, slave of the Dark Elves, Druchii, present on the island. He begged mercy, saying he was under great duress to kill interlopers on the island.
After a couple of encounters with Chaos Hounds and Druchii patrols, the party made haste back to the shore and rowed out to the Flying Cloud, awaiting the party offshore.
Back on the coast of Bretonnia, the party found Bordeleaux in chaos. Boats overloaded with refugees crowded the harbor and desperate citizens jumped into the harbor.
Recalling the underwater sea caves of the boneyard, the party had the Captain of the Flying Cloud sail to the Boneyard, though at a safe anchor. Rowing though the jutting rock and rough surf, the heroes climbed the rock that once held the galleon, now barely recognizable having been burned to the hull.
Taking the secret, if wet, tunnels beneath Bordeleaux, the party was able to navigate through the deserted, if din filled streets and alleys to the Castle.
April
We did not meet in April, per say, though planned it, only able to meet May 1. We hope to make up for the missed month with two sessions in May.
March
Date?
February 15, 2010
Session notes?
January 18, 2010
After leaving the storeroom of Inn of the Golden Dome the heros witnessed a massive fireball streak across the sky, what sky could be viewed through the crowded buildings of Bordeleaux. The streets already packed with panicking peasants and minor nobles and merchants. The Inn, abandoned by the fire brigades in the panic, quickly is consumed by fire. The sky glows with other fires in Bordeleaux.
The party, with Eldril and Erlaen, work their way back to Castle Bordeleaux on the hill. The way parted by Eldril's presence, peasants falling to her side prostrate seeking mercy or salvation from the terror that streaked across the sky.
In the castle, looking over the Great Ocean, the "fireball," quickly described by Erlaen as a fallen star, can be seen to have fallen beyond the horizon, an orange, yellow, red, and purple glow silhouetting a rising column of smoke and ash. Below in the city of Bordeleaux, panic setting in across the all quarters. News quickly reaches the party that the Sea Elves have abandoned their quarter and taken to the ocean, port unknown.
Joans Mendy and Erdril retire to the First Grail Chapel. The party is enlisted to retrieve the Duke Alberic from the Great Manann Temple in the harbour.
Meanwhile, in Turris Vigilans, Martin Aulenbach, preist of Sigmar, meets with a priest of Verena to find out more about three pages of a journal conspicuously placed in the binding of a Verenan priest's account of an exorcism. Before more information could be learned, the Verenan priest was called to the lighthouse where the watchful eyes of the cult witnessed the falling star in the south. The star and the chaos surrounding it influenced events in the River Grismerie. A dracoleech appeared in the warehouse quarter. Town guards and longshoremen rendered by the gaping , teeth-filled maw of the dracoleech. Martin summoned the blessings of Sigmar, instilling bravery in the mettle of two guards, but not before the destruction of a warehouse claimed two guards that were less brave. Martin dealt the killing blow, following the deep cut of a town guard.
After acquiring a horse from a peasant for all the coins on him, 1 schilling and 6 pennies (more money the street peasant might see in a life time), Martin took leave of Turris Vigilans for Bordeleaux.
Rescuing the Duke from the Manann temple went well, but not before the tidal waves from the fallen star heavily damaged the moorings of the Great Manann temple. The tidal waves destroyed the harbour of Bordeleaux and forced the Duke's clipper ship into a river port in the fiefdom of Knight Gumy.
The party reunited in Bordeleaux, they find the Duke leading restoration efforts in the city, his knights mustering men and peasants in efforts of recovery, at the point of a sword or lance if necessary. Knight Mendy dispatched by the Damsel to the Forest of Chalons to retrieve Duke Alberic's son, Feremund, Bordeleaux's own Questing Knight. Erlaen works with the sparse notes of the Druchii and Martin's own cryptic pages to learn what may be afoot.
The party prepares sail for The Silent Isle to learn of the fallen star.
December 5, 2009
Druchii Archeology
The heroes are present in this scene, observing and acting with the NPCs. The environment is recreated here based on the observations of the players as the session wrapped up beneath Bordeleaux.
The pitch black darkness belies the size of the underground salt water lake. The water is angry. It laps the pebbly scree that would be a beach above. Somewhere out on the water a dark skinned Druchii floats, by the look of the puddle filled prints and cuts in the gravel, in a small boat.
The tunnels are serviceable, if crudely carved. Two feet taller than Martin in most places and stinking of troglodyte sweat, the tunnels are big. Sparsely beamed, the threat that the sedimentary rock would collapse looms. More beams would require more wood. More wood would go noticed in Bordeleaux above.
The hike back to the black sphere is uphill then along a long arc to a sharp angle, then straight 80 yards to the excavated fane. The yellow glow of braziers burning along the perfectly circular walls of the fane, lighting the last 50 yards to an arch cut in the circumference. The original, and builder's intended entrance, is directly left of the tunnel to the lake. It is plugged with the sedimentary rock that are the walls of the tunnels.
The fane is 20 yards in diameter. Centered in the fane is the black sphere. The walls surrounding the sphere are covered in color faded glyphs. Deep cuts randomly scar the surface where the profane laborers cut out the rock and unexpectedly reached the wall.
The floor is level and those responsible for the excavation appear to have took care to sweep it. Gravel fills the same deep scars in the pitted stone of the floor from pick axe work.
The sphere rests on a dozen slabs of stone ripped from the floor and shimmed under it. Whatever dias that held the sphere is rotted or destroyed by the excavating troglodytes. A umbilical of sedimentary rock still ties the sphere to the crudely arching ceiling above. The surface of the sphere is flawless. No dust even rests on the satin finish.
A work table is set on one wall nearest the other tunnel exit, again a pitch hole in the circular wall of the fane. The glyphs interrupted across the opening.
Joans Mendy studies the glyphs. Touching them.
Erlaen Shadowstar stands at the table studying papers left by the Druchii. Two Men-at-Arms stand in the tunnel leading back to the storeroom of the Inn of the Golden Dome. The Damsel of the Lady, Eldril, paces around the sphere. Soft, glowing glyphs seem to appear on the surface, is the sphere excited by her blest aura?
There is some commotion in the tunnel back to the surface. Two Men-at-Arms have joined the others. Joans abandons his curiosity to join them. He quickly frowns at the news being told. The respectfully begs the attention of Eldril but not before the acrid smell of smoke is caught on the air.
Erlaen speaks, "Fires have been started in buildings around the Inn. The Duke has called on the peasantry to form water brigades, but it will be dangerous to remain below."
Erlaen gathers the papers from the worktable and a silver clasp bearing a cryptic icon of elvish influence. A finely crafted mail coif of Ithilmar, a metal rarely seen by elf, more rarely by human, and never by a dwarf, eyes.
Climbing to the storeroom, the smoke is visible in the air. Yet the stench of troglodyte is gone, making it, oddly, easier to breathe.
There seems to be a restrained panic by the men-at-arms in the storeroom. One approaches Joans, nearly on his knees in the presence of the Damsel. A rising din of screams is on the air. Two Men-at-Arms abandon the room in fear at the unison of the pitch of horror, as if all of Bordeleaux is screaming. And a new sound begins to drown out the screaming. Like standing in the center of a stampede of elk, or horses at full, but thunderous, gallop. Or riding a bolt of lightening across the sky, having its thunder on your ear.
Eldril stands looking at ceiling, seemingly through the roof, to the east. Her face void of expression. Erlaen does the same.
April 8, 2009
The party travels the River Grismerie on a noble's barge with a page of Joans Mendy and papers explaining their status as "diplomatic envoys" from the Empire (and not peasants!). The page is a translator.
The trip to Turris Vigilant, is expected to take two weeks, where they will travel by land from the swamp ports to Bordeleaux. Ravendil's mysterious brother has promised that they will be greeted by agents in the port city.
November 22, 2008
The session closed with the Skalfkragella, Dwarven priestess of Valaya telling Lugwig and Thuramir that she had secured two pack mules and that the expedition to the lost upper deep at Groz Zorn would leave in the morning.
With a number of taverns closed and the quality of all ale in Helmgart in question, Ravendil and Thuramir retired to the coaching inn where the caravan teamsters would be lodging. Martin would retire to the Sigmar temple and Ludwig the garrison barracks.
Dawn will have the party meeting "'ella" at the guarded switch back exit that will take the party high into the mountains overlooking Helmgart, past lookout posts, and into copses of fir trees, lumber camps and Groz Zorn.