Aersalus E-Team: Season 1, Session 1 – The Dead Fox Parlor

Dramatis Personae

Previously . . .

After leaving the Dead Fox Parlor the night before the PCs are told to meet at the gi’able (a kind of stable and “hub” for caravans to make final checks and get ready for their journey).

The Gi’able

Arsham, Doren, Rileah, and Talijet
Outland Gi’able
Spiritday, Zhven 8th, 2,981 Fourth Reckoning, 5th hour of the Sun
Al-Kahmara, Northeastern Atterallus

The PC meet at the gi;able where the caravan would be departing to check in and make last minute preparations. The plan is to travel with the caravan to Al-Wazari, a city with an oasis near the Sand Sea, and then travel to Kajj the City of Books. The caravan seemed to be mainly medical supplies but also some gems with a good chance of kani crystals. The entire caravan crew consisted of about 20 individuals including the party, animal handlers, guards and a song shaper. The main mounts available were large domesticated lizards called “szith.”

Doren goes straight to business, speaking with the caravan master, Aziz. They discuss logistics, routes, and potential dangers. The journey should be safe, but there was some risk of snakes, ghouls, and a few other unlikely monsters. Doren manages to point out a safer, yet seemingly longer route, that would actually save time with some minor adjustments.

Rileah becomes confused looking for her normal means of locomotion: an equine. Complaining about their lack of any, one of the szith comes up to her and licks her face. Her son, “Twerp” is utterly entracned by the friendly, dog-like creatures and plays with it. He even names the one he’s playing with “Mr. Stamp” (aka “Stampy”) for it’s rather large feet and tendency to trot like a horse. Eventually, Rileah just gives in and let’s him play with the lizard. Tailijet (owing to her own reptilian nature) is almost instantly swamped by immature szith who accompany their parents everywhere.

Ashram quickly takes charge of security and adjusts the watch schedule and rotations as he has worked with some of the guards before and knows how to best utilize their aptitudes. Talijet after climbing out of a pile of happy scaly lizard babies double checks all the supplies and survival-related gear. She finds a few missing things and Aziz orders them to be acquired.

Rileah notices that Aziz has hired a Student of the Hidden Oasis (A magical school specializing in wood- and watershaping in a climate that likes neither of those sorts of magic). After assessing the other songshaper, she decides that the other is “middling at best.”

Dolen and Aziz decide the best time to set off will be later on that night. So everyone dissipates and met back there later.

The Road to Al-Wazari

Arsham, Doren, Rileah, and Talijet
Outland Gi’able/The Open Desert
Spiritday, Zhven 8th, 2,981 Fourth Reckoning, 7th hour of the Moon
Al-Kahmara, Northeastern Atterallus

After everyone arrives, Rileah has brought her son Twerp with her and Bor vehemently objects to him being there as he has not taken the oathbinding like everyone else. Before Rileah and Bor can get into it, Al-Baitan tells them both it’s not a problem. The mysterious purple eyed woman (Aaro iul Ranta) removes an ancient looking device that appears to ba cross between an astrolabe, a clock, and an orrery.

The first night was relatively uneventful. Talijet forages some bugs and lizards along the way. The caravan circles the wagons as the sun rises, and the group rests during the heat of the day ready to journey as soon as the sun sets again. On the second night, Rileah calls upon her magic singing a harmony invoking the power of the Note of Fire to protect herself from the elements. Channeling some sort of power or perhaps just crafting the perfect melody for the moment the magic takes hold of all in the area shielding them from the elements as well. Arsham is so moved by the perfectly cast spell that he decides to offer up a prayer to the Old God Keytos, the Guardian of the Song.

Aftermath

After more traveling, one of the caravan’s outriders rushes back signaling some sort of distress. He quickly tells Aziz that there is a camp that was not supposed to be there. Furthermore, it had a large jiama and multiple fires but seems entirely empty. Arsham goes to investigate since he is a scout and knows what to look for in traps both man-made or otherwise while on the sands. He gets close enough to see the encampment’s scene, but also finds no actual evidence of occupation. It’s literally like there were never an occupants and the jaima set it’s up, the fires built themselves, etc. Using his “crow vision” he tries to see if it illusion. It is not. It appears to be both part of the spirit world and the physical one in some kind of state of interstitiality. It is clearly of supernatural origin, but he’s not sure of what sort. Heading back to the caravan he recruits Rileah to come take a look. She sings a quick song of knowing, allowing her to determine it as clearly related to some spirit.

After Action Report (GM)

We got a bit late on this one but the players had a ton of fun and the GM was being stupid (again) and having to recall some details he’d misremembered. The players seemed especially fond of a bit of exposition/infodumping about the szith as well as how ghouls could be made. There were lots of questions here and there and I reinforced the one principal that has been guiding my hand since this campaigns inception: There is time. There is no need to rush. Let’s just enjoy as we go. Once things are established we can run right the hell into it. But for right now? Let’s get our feet out and get steady.

I really enjoyed some of the interactio0ns between the players this session as everyone began to get accustomed to one another.

Other Notes

None.

Soundtrack

“A Horse With No Name (Cover)” by Michelle Branch

Aersalus E-Team: Season 1, Session 3 – The Lady of a Thousand Eyes