Mediums and Messages

Eyes Unclouded - Session 13 & 14

James Frothingham Hunnewell. Plate from The Historical Monuments of France. 1898.

These are the records of a lightly modified game of Cairn 2e that I am playing with an in-person group. I've expanded Eyes Unclouded, a now out of print collection of Studio Ghibli themed 5e adventures, into a more open-ended sandbox. You can find our last session here. I never got a chance to post about our last session, so enjoy this double-sized episode!

Two Paths Diverged

In these two sessions, the party consisted of:

The party reconvened after searching the spider's cottage. Madrigal, still in her bear form, sniffed at the two obvious paths. One lead to the smell of smoking ruin, the other to something that smelled like moss and BO. She climbed a tree to get more information. From up there, the left path seemed to wend towards something smoking in the distance and the right towards a huge menhir that rose above the tree line. In the far distance, she could make out a hot air balloon, tethered far away.

She couldn't communicate with the rest of the party in bear form, but she just set out down the path of her choice - to the right. That seemed the closest to where the roots had indicated Ismene might be found.

The path was little more than a desire line between a half-filled gully and a tangle of creepers and pines. As they walked, they saw more and more dead foliage, withered and brown. Occasionally, a replica of a dead tree jutted from its own remains.

Flame and Sir Persius studied the magic shortsword they had found. With the help of Flame's encyclopedia of common enchantments, they identified it as Twice Piercing Ember and that on a hit it would surround the foe in false fire making it harder for them to hide or dodge.

Ambrose had been reading the book on Eirnos and Alfiann that he had stolen from the Cat King's library. He realized that the matter of whether the two were married wasn't as ambiguous as others had thought - the text always used the same phrase "gave their hearts to one another." The party discussed whether this was a rite for some kind of binding pact. Ambrose expressed a desire to give his heart to the Cat King.

The Deer

Madrigal led the way, so she heard the sound of many approaching hooves and dove for cover. The rest of the party followed suit, except for Sir Percius who mounted Sir Horsius and waited steadfastly for whatever might come. He raised a hand to hail.

From down the path came two dozen terrified deer, scrambling and dodging around each other as they fled past. Sir Percius tried to play the hand raise off as adjusting the plumes on his helmet. Folks thought about emerging, but thought better of it - better to lie in wait for whatever had scared the deer.

They didn't have to wait long. The creature came loping down the path in slow pursuit - a haggard deer that shambled down the path, half-dead. It dripped black ichor as it walked. Nearby plants seemed to wither and die at its passing. It exuded a noxious stink.

The party debated a variety of strategies, but eventually decided to snare it. Ambrose picked a place and Flame produced the rope of mending the party had "liberated" from the curio merchant a week ago. Nanaki, nimblest of the party, rigged the trap and the deer wandered right into it.

They fastened the deer to a nearby tree where it had some water to drink. It seemed unaffected, simply sitting down on the spot. The rope constantly withered under its baleful aura, but the enchantment held and it stayed roped. Nanaki, deftly, bottled some of the black ichor for later inspection.

The Cairn

The party decided to press on. Maybe Ismene would know how to help the deer?

A few hours later they found themselves approaching another clearing. This one was dominated by a single colossal menhir. It in turn was surrounded by a low stone fort, seemingly constructed from smaller stones (only 10 or 20 feet across). The stones look like they had recently been pulled from the ground. Each had a ring of wet soil around its base and as they walked they passed round holes where they might have been planted.

The party neared an archway that looked like it went into the interior. From the far side of the wall, they heard a deep chuckle, then a familiar voice. Ophiane the Evoker said "remember, wait for them to come under the arch, then pull the stone!" The low voice responded "They don't sound like the other ones" but Ophiane insisted.

"That's not very nice, Ophiane" Flame said matter-of-factly. The low voice expressed some concern at that too.

Nanaki cast Silent Image to conjure a low framerate image of the party walking under the arch. As they did, a huge gnarled hand pulled out a load bearing stone and the whole arch collapsed in a heap. Nanaki turned the illusion into fireworks and streamers.

With the arch clear a huge head poked out, a troll like the one the party had met back at the Halfway Inn. He introduced himself as Orlock and, after trading some barbs with Ophiane, the party clambered inside.

This was the a troll hill fort - open to the sky but sub-divided into rooms with walls that arched overhead to provide shelter from the elements. The party asked to see Ismene and Orlock led them into an interior chamber.

Meeting Ismene

Ismene was wearing a wizard's robe styled with a practical apron and thick gloves that dangled from clips on her sleeves. Her hat was pointed, but beekeeper netting hung from the brim.

Ismene was brisk and to the point. She thanked the party for bringing her medical supplies and asked them what their business was in the region. They explained they were here to investigate the source of the danger to the Blue Woods. She and the party quickly began to compare notes:

The party discussed next steps. Sir Percius floated heading back to the Cat King's court, then investigating the believed epicenter in the Woods Inverted. Others suggested simply pressing on through the marsh and braving whatever hazards they encountered along the way.

Then, Ambrose had an idea. What if they stole the Ducal Guard's hot air balloon? Or manufactured one of their own? Balloons were a hot new invention from the Capital, but the real issue was fueling a fire inside them. Flame, the fire elemental, could handle that easily.

The party considered the weather and asked Ismene about wind patterns in the area. It seemed like it would rain overnight, but thanks to a strange swirling windstorm off the coast of Wealdstone around a rocky outcropping known as Skull or Turtle Rock, the wind consistently blew strongly to the north and west. This would take a balloon roughly in the correct direction.

Nanaki figured they could build at least a prototype - a glorified paper lantern with a bucket to hold Flame and a sail to pilot the craft. They could at least do some initial scouting with it.

That Night

Overnight, the rain came down as predicted. Everyone huddled under the rocky arches and found themselves less miserable than the night before in the woods at large. Ismene prepared a basic meal of beans and rice.

Ambrose tried to patch things up with Ophiane, apologizing on behalf of the party and inquiring about her magic and her fitness routine. Ophiane explained that you could make anything out of the raw energy of her craft, but it was easier if you knew it well. That was why she used her hands so often - she knew them implicitly and had mastered the art of mapping her proprioception to their conjured duplicates.

Someone (Nanaki) asked if Ophiane could make a pair of wings and she said maybe, but she'd need very detailed schematics and she would have to control them.

As the party cooed over her powers, Ophiane decided to show off a little bit. With a snap, she conjured a hand of blue energy and hefted one of the smaller menhir from nearby. She pantomimed hucking it in the air with her right, sending the stone sailing into the air. Then with her left, she extended to fingers and a piercing line of light instantly obliterated the rock. The party sounded suitably impressed and she seemed much happier to keep their company.

Flame struck up a conversation with another one of the trolls - Orlina. The fire spirit asked if they knew Orrim, the troll from the Halfway Inn. The delighted troll said yes, that was one of their clan. He likely was on his way here or was still safe and comfy in his new home.

The troll explained that they had an ancient cultural tradition. Whenever great danger arose, they gathered at this spot and made a hill fort. Angry spirits? Tidal wave? Meteors? Come to this spot and build the fort.

The party gathered and asked if the trolls knew anything about Eirnos and Alfiann. Orlina said it was very sad. Eirnos had been kind to the trolls and let them settle in the swamps just outside his grove. They had mourned when Alfiann had died of old age and Eirnos had died of heartbreak not long after.

Madrigal transformed back into a halfling again, exhausted.

The Flight

The party's forecast was correct. The next morning was clear and windy.

Nanaki had busied themselves and fabricated the proto-balloon from sheets and spare scrap. Madrigal contributed a small cookpot to service as the cockpit. The party fastened all their ropes together (about 75 feet) and tied it off.

Flame hopped into the pot and the makeshift aircraft took off, immediately grabbed by the stiff breeze. As the fire spirit sailed up over the tree tops they could make out the surrounding countryside in great detail:

Flame barely had any time to take these details in as the line holding the aircraft began to unfasten. Thinking quickly, the fire spirit dove onto the rope, burning down it back to the ground as the sail sprang loose behind. The party cheered as Flame made it back to the surface unharmed.

Back with the Deer

(Session 14 begins here.)

While the rest of the party had gone ahead, September had stayed behind with the ailing deer to try to cure it with her magic. They cast Dispel Magic on it, but seemingly without effect. In fact, whatever ailment was causing the deer to emit black ichor that killed the land around it was already anti-magical in nature.

When that failed, September cast Speak with Animals in order to converse with the deer. They introduced themselves as Kavi. A quick interview revealed that there were many animals afflicted with the illness, but the deer new little about where it had come from. They said they were fleeing from wolves that had threatened them to the west.

Soon, September decided to catch up with the rest of the group.

The Road Ahead

From the stony hillfort of the trolls, the party planned their next moves. The epicenter of whatever was affecting the Blue Woods was clearly to their west. The question was more which of two paths to take:

  1. The party could press west through the swamplands to march directly to the center. This route was said to be quite dangerous.
  2. The party could return to the Woods Inverted and travel to the equivalent location of epicenter there. The question then was where they could find the nearest portal to the other side.

To inquire about this last question, the party reached out to Anais, conjurer of the Verdurous Court. September cast Speak with Plants to send a message with their exact location, then the party wrote a message with a series of questions: Could Anais teleport them back? If not, where was the closest entrance to the Woods Inverted? Had Whimwick responded to the party's letter? They set the letter down at a predetermined location and waited.

After about 20 minutes it disappeared with a fwip. Twenty minutes later, another fwip and a scroll case reappeared at the same location traveling staggeringly fast and flying straight up into there. The party took cover as it clattered down again.

In short, no, Anais couldn't easily teleport them back to the Verdurous Court. He suggested either returning to the Court on foot and using their portal or pressing on to the Ruins of Mel-Aqat, due west and located on the far side of the epicenter. At either location they should be able to use a pre-existing portal to switch to the Woods Inverted.

After some back and forth, the party was eventually swayed when Ismene, the Court alchemist who was tending to the local trolls shared that they were preparing to make their own expedition to the epicenter. The party agreed to join, then depending on what they found, press on to the ruins beyond.

The Swamp

The four trolls of the Orr Clan spent the morning dismantling the fort. They took it apart one menhir at a time and set the stones back in their rightful holes in the ground. In the meantime, the party restocked their provisions from Ismene and the trolls' supplies.

They set out around midday. Ismene, Ophiane, Flame, and September rode on the front troll. Sir Percius, Ambrose, and Nanaki were carried in the middle of the group. Madrigal brought up the rear with Orrina. Sir Horsius, not wanting to be carried or to stay by himself, headed back to the Verdurous Court.

As the trolls walked, the ground rapidly grew treacherous. Solid soil turned into sucking mud and the way was constantly blocked by piles of dead foliage. Black ichor like they had seen on Kavi now dripped from the canopy and pooled on the ground. Only the occasional tree, clearly a clone of a nearby wreck, remained.

As they walked, the party noticed creatures that fled their path - milky white salamanders the size of people that swam through the muck and seemed to be steering clear. September flew away from the group to try to make contact with Speak with Animals, but they seemed to be stupefied - resistant to the corruption, but not totally.

The "Salamanders"

A few hours into their trek, the party spotted a group of these salamanders perched on a raised outcropping. Unlike the others they appeared to be conversing, huddled together. September flew forward to say hello, but was surprised when one turned to reveal a human face peaking out from under a salamander hood. The human brandished a crossbow and told the squirrel to back off.

As the rest of the party approached on trollback, they conferred. Someone noticed a hint of powder blue uniform under the salamander skins and Madrigal flagged them as members of the Ducal Guard. They decided to send Ambrose and Sir Percius ahead (the only humans in the party).

Sir Percius introduced himself and demanded to know what the guards were doing here. The lead guard interrupted him, asking the knight if he happened to have traveled by the Halfway Inn in the past few days. Ambrose convincingly persuaded the guards they had never heard of the place (since Ambrose himself hadn't), and that was enough to ease the guard's suspicions for the moment. Therin relayed that a knight, a sentient fire, a ghost, and a halfling had robbed two stage coaches, making off with a horse, some number of magic items, and a chest full of silver trade bars. There was a reward posted for their arrest or for information leading to their capture.

Perhaps not wanting to stick around, Ambrose and Sir Percius pressed Therin to let them pass, but the guard said he had strict orders from Captain Rorin Gilnith to prevent anyone from heading west of this point. They asked why, but he said it was a military matter and he couldn't say more.

Ambrose pulled a sapphire from his pocket and offered it to Therin as a bribe. The guard's eyes lit up and he agreed to let them pass, signaling for his company of hidden scouts to stand down.

The Clearing

The party passed into regions that were utterly stripped of life. They passed the clear signs of battle. Ducal Guards facedown in the muck and the remains of dead animals drifted by. They passed small patrols of salamander-pelted scouts that let them by without incident.

As they approached their destination, they started to find crystal clear pools of water, untouched by the swamp or the ichor. Then, they could make out a landmark ahead that Flame had seen from the sky - a huge stone tombstone, some twenty feet high. In front of it was slumped the corpse of a colossal elk, overgrown with vines that seemed to merge confusingly with its many-pointed antlers.

Hovering above all of that was a pulsating ball of bark that emitted a faint green light.

Then, they heard the clash of steel, the sound of a cannon, and a howl. Someone was fighting nearby.

GM Notes

Whoops! I wrote preliminary notes towards a session report for Session 13, but never actually cobbled them together into a post. As Pascal once wrote, "I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time," so here is 3000+ words, covering both sessions.

My recollections of Session 13 are a little faint, but it feels like we are deep in the type of game Cairn handles well at this point. The players are traversing a fantastical forest filled with monsters, talking animals, and pointcrawl-y decisions about what path to take next.

It does feel a bit like the map I made in prep for the campaign often has three routes arriving at any given node. That's fine, but it means the party often chooses between only two routes going forward. It would be nice to mix that up a little bit with 1 or 3.

At the beginning of Session 14, we had a conversation about what we wanted to do with this game now that school is coming back into session. We could have a denouement or a season-ending cliffhanger here or just press on as usual. We eventually decided to keep playing, perhaps every other week. It's nice that folks are engaged enough with the setting that they want to continue.

By my estimation, we have meaningfully interacted with about three of the plotlines from the campaign's source material, Eyes Unclouded. That leaves another nine sprinkled across the map we already have, basically untouched, so that's more than enough to work with. More than I would ever have prepped myself if I was working from scratch.

#Cairn #Eyes Unclouded #session reports