Howl of Oblivion: The Blazing Omen [Parts 1 & 2]

** Howl of Oblivion Campaign Page **

Part I

A few days after their last adventure, the party relaxes in Yecha.  In the evening however, their rest is inhibited by an unsettling feeling.  That ill-ease eventually develops into full blown nightmares...familiar nightmares to the spellcasters in the party.

The nightmares once again rob spellcasters of their ability to cast spells, but the effect is also pronounced on the entire populace of Yecha.  The city is strangely subdued, and the outright loss of magic is more than concerning.  Meanwhile, the party pores over it's treasures...

Here's a spellbook.  It's a book, but it also has spells.  Actual spells.

Fasha is expectantly waiting a caravan in the morning, citing 'business partners'.  It is in later in the morning as the characters are performing whatever tasks they had set about that the players are approached by several red-garbed men and the Khan's Guard. They are summoned to the House of Lyzandhan...post-haste.

There, they are made to wait and then brought before Ekbiya-Baklun Lyzandhan, the High Priestess Obertorop and Da'shikir the Unwilling (Yecha's priestess of Istus), as well as several red-garbed Jasidans and other temple folk.  All were clear about one thing - something momentous is happening. All the clerics feel the strong presence of their gods.

The Blazing Omen has them ALL concerned.  The priestess Da'shikir has divined that this omen bodes ill for all the people of the Oerth.  All spellcasters have seen the omen in their dreams again, but what that means is that the servants of evil gods will most likely be activated as well.

A greater council must be convened, and someone with the requisite lore must be found to interpret the omen more specifically.  Gesherem of Geshtai could be instrumental in finding other clerics, if he himself does not understand it the omen.  In return for their aid in finding Gesherem and / or information on the omen, the House of Lyzandhan offers the gratitude of the khan, temples and city.  The party agrees to search for this man and return him to Yecha.

As the party prepares to leave, a caravan of Mouqol arrives in the city, and Fasha is keen to meet with them.  Turns out, not only are these acquiantances of Fasha, but they have come to authenticate some of the artifacts the party has managed to acquire.  The party meets Dhamikan Han, servant of Mouqol, as they hand out alms to the city's poor.  The priest and his traveling guards just returned from Ekbir.

He brings his greetings to Fasha Daouda'shi, and kith and kin.  The caravan has brought grains and metalware from Ekbir, and as they offload in the market the party is given introductions.  Lots of folk flock to the wagon-shrine to Mouqol. Dhamikan and his party are kind to the beggars, with coin, bread and even fabrics.  The priest wanted to meet the lucky adventurers who found the jewels of A'ta Sevaya.

Dhamikan's take on the Blazing Omen - something is coming. Coming HERE.

The party departs and makes for the shrine of Geshtai to the south.  The players wander into the shrine near dusk, and they immediately hear shouting and a strange noise that reminds them of ... gnolls.  Sure enough, they are shortly attacked by men and what appear to be trained hyenas.

Engaging with this unprovoked foe, the party advances along the stream and sees a man with a stick fending off several attackers ahead.

However, the party meets with resistance when they try to force their way through the press of gnolls to help the man.  They are held up for several rounds by a smaller squad of gnolls, while the man with a stick fends off those surrounding him fairly well.  The gnolls prove to be challenging opponents.

The battle goes fairly poorly...and a few of the adventurers are momentarily struck down.  The man with a stick proved to be Gesherem himelf, though he also was nearly killed.  The healers use what magic they can, but with the omen last night, the party has no spells.

Part II

The party rests at the shrine with Gesherem, and the next day their magic returns as normal.

Gesherem explains that he himself sought more insight to the omen.  To this end he means to seek out Sul Dhan Ared, a druid of a sect known as the Tree-Tenders.  This circle tends to a massive tree called the Tree of 100 Fruits.  Sul Dhan Ared is wise in the ways of the stars, and Gesherem hopes to collect his divinations.

On the way to the Sacred Grove, the party encounters the aftermath of a battle.  They count several corpses, both gnoll and man (and hyena) and Gesherem means to burn all the corpses before they befoul the stream.  On closer inspection, the men are worshippers of Erythnul.  

During the work of dragging bodies and building a large fire, a few of the adventurers saw the glint of metal in a nearby tree.  Upon investigating, they find it is a dead birdman in a tree. He was wounded gravely, and must have flown to the tree to die. His weapons are bloody and his spear has fallen to the bottom of the tree.  They collect a razor-sharp bone spear and a shining scimitar from the corpse before speculating as to how birdmen would tend their dead.

When the party arrives at the Tree of 100 Fruit, Gesherem explains that the druids are paranoid and insular.  The sacred grove where the massive, mystical tree they tend sprouts upwards of 100 kinds of fruit, and it is their work to tend to it.  A stream waterfall feeds the center of the grove where the tree grows.

They are greeted with unease at first, but once Gesherem makes himself known, the druids guide them around the bend into their sacred grove where Sul Dhan Ared is leading a prayer in Ancient Baklunish.  The party is all given gourds, and silently bid to join the druid's procession.  As the lead druid casts various spells, the party joins in the ritual, gathering water from the clear-flowing stream and sitting in the circle.  As one, the assembled group drinks...though Anverth is sure there is some enchantment upon it.

The drink affects the assembly by altering perception.  Now, a comet-like haze can be seen in the sky...and it horrifyingly resembles a massive eye.  The great eye seems to loom and leer at each individual, and it is under this monstrous gaze the druids begin to speak of the omen and it's meaning.

Sul Dhan Ared and the other druids recognize Gesherem, and welcome him and his folk (the party). They bid everyone welcome to the sacred grove, and know there is much to speak of.  The druids are obviously aware of the Omen -  but they seem to greatly fear what is coming. They feel a fell gaze upon them - and after drinking from the Pool of the Tree of 100 Fruits the party understands why.

Everyone can all feel the eye 'looking' at them. At all times.

What is revealed during the nights' oratory is that no one very far from Yecha experienced the dream. The druids believe this means the omen is meant to affect something near the city.  The druids are NOT certain where it's from or what it means, but are certain it heralds only great evil. 

The party asks Gesherem and Sul Dhan Ared to accompany them back to Yecha to attend the priests' council. Sul Dhan Ared is reluctant, but understands the need.  However, there is a problem that needs his attention first.  Alarmingly, there is a war-camp of Erythnul not far from the Sacred Grove that is growing in power.  It is known the Slaughtergod's minions also experienced the omen. Gnolls and barbarian dervishes have harried their sides for days.  This lines up with the party's encountering of servants of Erythnul across the countryside.

Sul Dhan Ared sent word to the Guardians of Al'akbar to ask for aid against these cultists, but they are not expected for perhaps weeks, if at all.  If the War-Camp is dealt with, Sul Dhan Ared can travel with Gesherem to Yecha.  The druids know the location of the War-Camp, and the party agrees to deal with it to expedite a return to Yecha.

"Nerull" is just another way to say "Tharoth".

As the party approaches the camp, night has fallen.  The camp's fires can be seen through the trees, and intermittent yelling can be heard all around.  The cultists around the fire chant the name "Cho Bet-Serati!" and the party can make out an armored figure among the firelight.  Gnolls and an ogre are also seen.  The party hears gnoll yips from the south, and decide to investigate.  They stealthily head south, avoiding the camp.

Very sneaky...

They see gnolls near a small bridge over a stream, shouting challenges into the wood.  Soon, they begin to see shadowy figures closing in on the camp and hide among the bushes and trees.  The figures close in on the war-camp...some coming within scant feet of Khaine, invisible in the shadowed hedges.

Soon, the figures emerge from the treeline and challenge the gnolls.  Insults are hurled at this "Cho Bet-Serati" and the gnolls engage the newcomers on the bridge.  The cultists at the camp are oblivious to all this, and neither do the newcomers notice the party.  The party encourages those at the camp to investigate by killing one of them with an arrow...

Entangle has a fairly large area of effect.

It seems that this is a rival darkling cult, this one devoted to Tharoth the Reaper.  They form battle lines and prepare to engage one another, though the gnolls on the bridge seem to have the advantage over the men.  Once they are all squared up, Walkul uses an entangle on the whole area, trapping all but a few of them.  An oil of burning is applied then, and all the remaining cultists are picked off by the party as they attack from the north.

The remaining Tharoth cultists south of the stream flee into the night, and the party investigates the camp.

Many adventurer's favorite part of the job is the "Take Their Stuff" Phase.

Into the Woods

** Mythic World of Urd Campaign Page **

Before this session, we were all shocked to learn of the passing of a fellow adventurer.  The loss of a fellow player definitely leaves a hole at the table, and we'll all miss their voice and contributions - but I'll let those who knew him best speak.  The following is from GameDoc's session notes in our private social media.  You can also listen to the session recap here on the Arcane Alienist Podcast.

A few of you already know that we lost one of our own this week. Eric passed away early Thursday morning. He has played with Dan and I for around 15 years. He was a good player and a good friend. We will miss him. We considered not playing tonight, but then decided to go ahead and get together, share some memories, and play in his honor. We also decided his character, Gormer the Cleric, will live on as an NPC the party can call on for help when needed.

Into the Woods

The party awakens form their campsite in the Canopies to find a peregrine falcon perched on a nearby post. It screeched at them and taps its talons until approached. Attached to one leg is a message tube and a bundle of three small glass vials. The message is for Celestina.

“This is my familiar. She will return to the castle once she has delivered this message. Bring me three vials of goblin blood and you will be admitted to my tower. — Olivier”

With that, they gather their things and set out for the foresters’ camp. At the entryway to the Canopies they are created by Jessup, who asks about their destination and purpose. It’s clear he wants to join them again, but is too nervous to ask. Khaine agrees to hire him to help tend the pack animals and perhaps help out as an archer in the occasional fight if needed. Jessup agrees and the party gains its first retainer.

Not long after entering the forest, the party encounters a giant, 12-foot long tuatara lizard. They are able to react first and attack. The beast proves deadlier than anticipated and everyone but Celestine and Roderick wind up with wounds. Harald and Urgash are wounded to the point of collapse, requiring that both clerics expend their healing spells for the day. Dolly lands several solid blows with her axe and the tuatara is driven off The party limps back to the Canopies to recover. Harland swears eternal enmity against giant lizards.

Having taken an interest in the wizard’s familiar, Roderick inquires at the castle about any means of learning falconry. He is informed that he might be able to get some tips form the castellan or another of his retinue since they are nobles. 

Celestina returns to the wizard’s tower, hoping to at least learn why Olivier wants goblin blood, but having only empty vials, she is again denied entrance. However she does at least get to talk briefly with the wizard’s apprentice, Natan, who guesses that the blood might be a useful component in some sort of spell or magical procedure.

After resting for two days, the party sets out again and is able to make it to the foresters camp. There they discover a group of goblins - led by a hobgoblin- forcing captured foresters to burn charcoal. The party spreads out and ambushes the goblins from three different directions. Celestina notes that Jessup practically disappears when he hits the shadows of the trees - clearly there’s more to their new retainer than he lets on.

The goblins exchange arrow fire with the party as they begin closing in. Harald tries to hit the hobgoblin, but missed each time. Urgash makes it to the edge of the encampment and the hobgoblin charges forward to engage him in single combat. His bluster is soon gone after one sword blow from Urgash. Harald is incensed that his chosen target chose to engage with another warrior.

Celestina takes an arrow that nearly kills her outright, but manages to get in range to cast a spell. A second goblin arrow narrowly misses her and she is able to cast her sleep spell, dropping all the goblins and the hobgoblin. The rest of the party perform coup-de-gras on the sleeping enemies and Celestina collects three vials of blood.

The rescued foresters explain that they were kidnapped in a nighttime raid by the goblins and taken to a cave somewhere to the northeast. They were then brought back to the camp daily to make charcoal and cart it back to the caves. They were blindfolded in their walk to and from the caves so they can provide no specific to to its distance or location. The party escorts them safely to the canopies to be reunited with the other foresters.

After tending to their wounds and resting, the party returns to the wizard’s tower and is admitted. Natan is surprised to see others besides Celestina but is unable to stop the rest of the group from bargain in once the door is open. They group finds themselves in the foyer of the tower.

An older man in robes descends the stairs and introduces himself as Olivier. He is somewhat perturbed to see an entire party of adventures present, but let’s it slide. He takes the vials and explains that he wants to understand the troll magic that makes goblins keep goring and changing over their lifespan. He hopes the blood will help in his research. Retrieving the blood was also a test of sorts for Celestina. She seems worthy and he agrees to teach a new spell when she is ready to learn one. Furthermore, is she continues to prover herslef he will proved a letter of recommendation for membership to his own arcane lodge. 

Olivier tells the party he will relay their deeds to the castellan. He also tells the party that if they discover artifacts or magic items in their endeavors he would be happy to inspect them and potentially trade or barter for anything of interest. Roderick presents the horn he retrieved from the demonic serpent in the Old One’s lair. Olivier inspects it and tells him it might be ground down for uses in any number of spells but it could also be fashioned into an item that can detect the presence of Chaos. He returns the horn and offers to do some research on the matter and if he can find anything useful, he will call on Roderick to discuss what type of bargain they can make.

The party decides that their next move is to try and locate the goblin caves. Harald wants a chance to challenge a hobgoblin in combat and kill as many tuataras as he can find along the way.

"...and Harald did vow revenge upon the beasts of the forests, far and wide."

The Edge of Wild Space

An introductory campaign for Star Wars: Armada.

Increased Anti-Imperial Activity in the Outer Rim

All along the outskirts of the Empire, unrest has begun to boil over.  Some worlds openly defy Imperial edict and rule, and are subjugated once again through force of arms.  However, sympathy for the Alliance to Restore the Republic has grown a great deal in the recent cycles.  The amount of equipment and support the Rebellion has garnered has surprised Imperial authorities when they began to suspect the extent of the rebel fleet scattered (for now) across the galaxy.

Imperial Sector Fleet Naugrelas was created to combat this threat.  Consisting of only a few small destroyers and their accompanying support craft, many captains in Naugrelas saw battle against the Alliance fleets on the other side of the galaxy.  The fleet's new commander's directive is to chase suspected rebel ships in the Outer Rim Naugrelas sector, and has already been alerted to the Alliance 'navy' in the area.  The Sector Fleet has already chased one such small fleet as it gathered ships across the Outer Rim, before finally losing them in Wild Space.

Wild Space is the frontier of the settled galaxy.  There is little law, outside of what power the Empire can project.  Sector Fleet Naugrelas is one such projection of that power.  The Fleet's admiral has already dispatched assault carriers and patrol craft to Kajj and is consolidating power at an orbital dock at Dekora.  Now, the fleet sets about searching the settlements and planets at the edge of Wild Space near the Unknown Regions for the rebel fleet they know is nearby.

The problem for Sector Fleet Naugrelas now becomes space itself.

The Unknown Regions are a dangerous area for starships, in the best of circumstances.  Light years of desolate, uncharted expanses stretch betwixt the stellar phenomena the area is known for.  Explorer teams have for thousands of years slowly plodded from one zone to another, methodically charting courses in, through and around stellar nebulae, black holes, and even stranger phenomena not seen elsewhere in the galaxy.

Pirate Star-Map belonging to so-called "Neo-Privateers".

The Birthwell is one such area.

Sector Fleet Naugrelas suspects the area is being utilized by pirate and rebel factions to stage attacks against Imperial trade or military goods.  The uncertain routes, along with the untrustworthiness of the phenomena, contribute to the hesitancy of the Imperial military to exert much force here.  Recently this has begun to change however, as Imperial patrols have now followed pirates INTO the nebulae surrounding area and identified nav points.  

In addition, overt rebel activity has increased near Yem'da, on the edge of the nebular vortex.  It seems fleet-level action is inevitable, and the Empire has sent several Victory-class destroyers to root out the pirates and engage any rebels they may find.  The threat of the black holes and nebular storms is great, but the glory to be won is greater.

Campaign Rules

The Edge of Wild Space is an introductory campaign for Star Wars: Armada.  The campaign will simply be a team league consisting of nine standard games.  The linear structure here will allow all players the chance to focus on the standard game and the rules for a while.  During the course of this event, players will discover their favorite ships and develop their own fleet tactics.

In this campaign, there are two factions:  Imperial Sector Fleet Naugrelas and Alliance Battlegroup Tarquinas.  Players who insist on calling themselves "scum", "neo-privateers" or "pirates" will be considered rebel alliance for purposes of this campaign and have access to all rebel assets. At the end of the campaign, the team with the highest win rate is declared the winner, and the ongoing narrative will use the statistics from the campaign to adjust the setting for the next wave of campaigns.

Imperial Sector Fleet Naugrelas will attempt to identify and engage hostiles at the rim of the Birthwell, particularly Yem'da and the nav-points from there to Kajj.

Alliance Battlegroup Tarquinas is to deter Imperial interdictions at all points of ingress to the Birthwell space, particularly the secret routes to Teyyaun.

Ongoing and Results

The Anomalies of Yem'da

The Lonely Planet of Yem'da

Alone in the darkness of space at the edge of the Birthwell's farthest nebula is the dimly-lit planet called Yem'da.  Alarmingly close to a black hole, the world spins in the light of a tiny red dwarf among thousands of smaller planetoids.  Largely unsettled since anyone can remember, there are many good reasons that Yem'da has remained a desolate and unpopulated place.

Yem'da possesses a thick atmosphere, and is actually inhabitable - but a continuous and thick sulfurous compound continually emits from many areas on the surface.  In addition, there is little plant life on the barren surface.  The very minimal oxygen level is maintained by continuous chemical reactions in the high atmosphere, which can damage ships on entry and exit - to say nothing of the dangers in orbit.  The wildlife of Yem'da is equally distempered as the surface itself, mainly consisting of rock-like reptilians and insectoid animals - some examples of which are large and quite dangerous.

The surface of Yem'da is regularly pelted with impacts from the various bits of space debris in the small system.  Much of this debris is collected in the rings, but atmospheric flares of tiny objects entering the atmosphere can be seen in the sky almost constantly.  Despite all these dangers, Yem'da has provided a safe haven to those seeking respite from the Empire.  Yet this remote and desolate world possesses its own secrets...

Taxicor, the Solemn Moon

The rings of Yem'da are filled with micrometeors, and the system itself has moon-size planetoids swirling all around.  No less than sixteen small planetoids and moon-sized asteroids have found themselves seized by Yem'da's gravity, but one moon is large enough to be called a small planet.  This is Taxicor, called the Solemn Moon by the neo-privateers who have long used it as a safe haven and nav-point.

Located just beyond the rings of Yem'da, some of the smaller planetoids in the system actually orbit Taxicor.  The moon maintains a thin, wet atmosphere - though oxygen-breathers are advised to have supplemental survival gear.  All along the surface, liquid water falls in a light drizzle constantly.  Shallow seas appear and shift over the face of the moon, changing with the season.

For half it's rotational cycle, Taxicor is on the far side of Yem'da.  For this time, the seas of Taxicor freeze and the shadow of its parent world bathes the moon in darkness.  It is lit only by the light of the many satellites and the reflecting rings of Yem'da.  When it comes back into the light of the red dwarf, it is warmed enough that the water melts and the small creatures that call Taxicor home rise to the surface.  

Haven of the Neo-Privateers

Orbital points around Yem'da have long been used as rendezvous zones for the neo-privateer guilds.  Shipping contraband is a risky business once you enter a controlled trade zone, no matter whether the authority in that zone calls itself the Galactic Empire or the Galactic Republic.  Yem'da was one of the first (or last) spots around the Birthwell that staging of cargo could be performed with multiple associated ships.  This was most useful for dispersing imports or congregating exports, but also a neutral zone where disputes could be settled and any evidence thrown into the black hole.

As such, Yem'da had relatively more traffic than other entry points to the Birthwell.  However, now it is being threatened by Imperial cordons, and most neo-privateers believe this is because the Rebel Alliance has led the nexu to the portal, so to speak.  There are dozens of hidden caches on both Yem'da and Taxicor...caches that the neo-privateers will not countenance losing.

Rebel Interests

Yem'da is the southern entry point to the Birthwell, and the one furthest from Imperial space.  Along with the northern point at Narrow Gap, this entry point around the black holes at Yem'da represent the only practical way a fleet could navigate the space around the Birthwell. Controlling these nav-points are vital to the efforts being conducted on Teyyaun, and as such the continued operation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic in this part of the galaxy.

Battlegroup Tarquinas must maintain the security of the Yem'da nav-point.  To that end, the Alliance has designated multiple 'safe' points in the darkness around the system for the fleet to use.  The interactions between these fleets and the spacefaring neo-privateers has been mixed.  For every space-casino that floats by, a hostile flotilla of small privateer craft strafes the safe points.  These are dangerous, but considered a bit of an annoyance by those who understand the real enemy is coming to bear...

Imperial Interdictions

Pirate activity has been documented in the sector for some time, and only now are Imperial resources being diverted to address this threat.  Imperial forces are eager to prove themselves, and some command staff have the suspicion that it is rebel activity, not merely pirates.  As of now, there is little intelligence on the matter.

However...

There have recently been probe reports of ship signatures in this normally uninhabited zone.  Reluctant to commit large starships due to the celestial phenomena surrounding the Birthwell, the Imperials are slowly mapping out hyperdrive routes.  There have even been a few interesting navigational plans retrieved from captured pirate ships.  As details like this are collected, it's only a matter of time before the Imperial Security Bureau will begin to see the larger picture.

For now, Yem'da is largely avoided as much as possible.  There is an exclusion zone around the black hole, as well.  Imperial commanders are not yet willing to enter into any fleet action in the zone until enough astronomical data can be collected to justify such movements.  Until then, Yem'da is held in a loose cordon - much to the chagrin of both neo-privateers and the Rebel Alliance.

An Overview of the Baklunish Pantheon

Inspirobot knows that the most important gods are the ones everyone else is worshipping.

Hello, dungeon friends!  Today, an overview and quick reference guide to the Baklunish pantheon for explorers in the West.  These are 'major' cults of note that are unique to the heritage of the western Flanaess. 

It should be noted that these are not the only cults that will show up, as other deities and cults from the Flanaess are shared throughout.  That said, it can be observed that the Baklunish do not readily take on foreign cults.  This probably stems from their cultural distinctions and how they view their own pantheon.

The Baklunish folk of the West are a separate people from the folk of the rest of the Flanaess.  They have many practices that might cause foreigners to balk.  Their society is ancient, and their culture has had many centuries to develop.

The universe to these people is a constant clashing of opposed forces.  In life, one can either ally themselves with such forces or seek peace and attempt to be totally apart from the world.  The world is one of dualities, and each has their conflict.  This is reflected even in their practice of magic, which is rooted in arcane principles and manipulation of fundamental forces.  The elements are seen as the domain of genies, and to seek allegiance with such is to seek conflict.

And so it goes that their gods tend to be impersonal, representing clashing forces.  They are more akin to ideas rather than personified characters.   These more powerful beings do have dedicated worshippers and temples, but they are not always so prevalent in people's lives.

Rather, the Prophets of the Baklunish people have a more direct role in day to day life.  These mortal champions each achieved a divine wisdom, and now provide and direct a path to divinity for others to follow.  The Prophets are powerful demigods and hero-deities, subservient to the more powerful gods but more prevalent in the culture of the West.

The Baklunish Deities

• Istus
• The primary and most powerful deity of the Baklunish West.
• Geshtai
• Daughter of Istus, Protector of Waters.  Represents conservation and fertility. Opposes Sevelkhar.
• Sevelkhar
• Son of Istus, Bringer of Waste.  Represents drought and loss.  Opposes Geshtai.
• Al-Zarad
• Alias of Boccob the Uncaring.  Represents understanding and planning.  Opposes Ralishaz.
• Ralishaz
• Master of Misfortune and Chaos.  Represents bad luck and all things F.U.B.A.R.  Opposes Al-Zarad.
• Al-Asran
• Alias of Pelor the Sun-Father.  Represents life and light.  Opposes Tharoth.
• Tharoth the Reaper
• Alias of the Death God Nerull.  Represents darkness and death.  Opposes Al-Asran.

The Baklunish Prophets

• Al'Akbar
• How to be the best lawful good cleric or paladin.
• The Cup and Talisman of Al'Akbar are powerful and famous artifacts.
• Azor'alq
• How to be the best lawful good warrior. 
• Dwells on the Prime Material Plane at the Pinnacles of Azor'alq.
• Daoud
• How to best maintain humility and also get with the understanding.
• Mouqol
• How to be the best merchant and trade the best goods.
• Xan Yae
• How to be the best rogue, ninja or psychic.
• Dwells in the ACTUAL Tower of Iron Will.
• Zuoken
• How to be the best kung-fu monk.
• Disappeared? (As of 505 C.Y. / 3165 hegira)