groundrules | our story

OUR STORY

Arc-based summaries of our story played out over three years.

Previously...

ARC VII: HATTHEVAR

JANUARY: on the footsteps of undead creator Matthias, the party arrived in Hatthevar, former seat of mysticism, Oracles and wish granting, now turned into a citadel of ghosts. Hatthevar has been under siege from Rathakku, conqueror of Alem and warlord of the Brotherhood, and undead wind lord Anurr, unaffiliated with the coalition. Matthias, meanwhile, has been working the five local beacons and calling upon all of his power to try to bring in and revive spirits from various points in time and space — in a bid to summon and resurrect his long lost daughter, Cosette. At times, he senses her close, but she shortly disappears from the citadel. Desperate, he offered the party all of his power over the dead, in exchange for being reunited with his daughter.

Benedict, Emilia and Wrath defeated some of Anurr’s frost wyrms and Rathakku’s demonic scorpions and sand lurkers, preventing them from entering Hatthevar. Rathakku withdrew his forces, while Anurr continued to attack with his blizzards. Vanessa took over one of the beacons, guaranteeing the party an exit point. From the Hatthevar lagoon, Red recovered a substance from a cauldron typically used to eliminate memories. Along with supplying access to some of Matthias’ recollections, the liquid also enables the party to retain their memories of Akhuras upon departure. Five and Wen Kexing learned two possible locations suspected as Matthias’ hideouts.

Several party members also investigated the whereabouts and fate of the dis- and reappearing Cosette, whom Matthias described as a young blonde child. No such girl was seen wherever he sends the party. A puppet master, who worked at the bazaar when Matthias sensed Cosette was present there, says he was possessed to put on a play of a father-daughter quarrel, at the end of which the daughter ran off and was killed.

The party learned that Matthias, formerly a technological and magical scientist of Ellethia, extracted two presumably shameful or painful memories: one was of him giving permission for his team to create a fierce magical storm and recover a power source, endangering nearby ships. The second memory was of running into a young blonde woman who disdainfully said she had not admired him since she was a child.

At one point, a woman seen where Matthias felt his daughter present traded a memory in which she was on a ship in the middle of a large storm, arguing with Matthias. River suspects Cosette may not have been a child at the time of her death. If the woman is Cosette, she does not wish to return to her father.

FEBRUARY: The party pursued Matthias at the two lair locations unearthed by Five and Wen Kexing — aboard the haunted ship, the Headless Dancer, and in the Whispering House of the foremost Wish maker of Hatthevar. Aboard the Headless Dancer, the group found out that the vessel was once used by the Ellethian court of governance, which was attempting to reach a powerful artefact sunken offshore Ellethia before the institute of technology might achieve the same. Cosette was one of the representatives on board during this venture, when Matthias obliviously authorized the summoning of a deathly magical storm that was initially intended to scare away all other rivals for the artefact (later revealed to be dark water). She and her crewmates perished, Cosette told Benedict during a ghostly encounter, stressing she wanted nothing to do with her father. Wrathion meanwhile discovered a tool that the spirit of Cosette vengefully stole from her father — the knife with which he has been cutting off his limbs to make magical anchors, and one of the few instruments that can harm him.

In Hatthevar, wind master Anurr attempted to take advantage of Matthias' distraction and launched a last-resort attack, using his blizzards to corrupt several party members onto his side of the warfare. They did not open him the gates.

Faced with the dark truth of all that Matthias has done to his family, the spirits of Hatthevar and the world of the (un)dead at large — several party members lured him out with illusions and false appearances of Cosette, before Emilia dealt a final killing blow with the knife facilitated by Wrathion. With some inheriting the remains of Matthias' magic, several party members made a last use of the dark water's overwhelming power to isolate and seal Anurr in his human body, trapping him once more and preventing him from seeking to usurp what territories the Brotherhood once held.

Free of their dead, their curses, their nightmares, their wishes and long grief — the living of Akhuras may tend to their own and heal.

As the party, finally possessing strong and stable beacons, may choose to head home with or without their memories.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

ARC V: ALEM

S e i z e the day.

JANUARY: After crossing the desert, the party took fleeting control of sand worms to create underground channels and enter the mountainous underbelly of Holy citadel Alem — the last bastion against the hell mouth of Mount Attevar and victim to the year-long siege of undead lord Rathakku. Alem's new king Deimar has neglected his uncle Thyvault's counsel and wishes to reinforce the hell seals. His brother, Prince Haiva orchestrates regular civilian evacuations. As Deimar's price to access the local beacon, the party must help defend Alem, find new evacuation routes, treat with the predictably vicious Rathakku and the inexplicably hostile merchant caravans that prey on Alem in its time of need — ...and solve the mystery of a missing woman last seen in royal company, and the serial killing 'Reaper' who claims victims from the castle. All in a day's hard work.

FEBRUARY: Two towers succumbed, while a large refugee caravan escaped. Prince Haiva mysteriously recovereed, but suffers greatly while walking. He needs a mountain flower to heal... one found in the same waters roamed by the silhouette of a beautiful missing woman. The Reaper struck again, this time killing Vataz — Thyvault's son, cousin to the king — and the creature of the caves from where Bucky brought back mysterious scales. Kahl and Cassian Andor spread word that King Deimar may be looking to sell the group to Rathakku. After being abducted with Caitlyn and ineffectively plunged in cave water, Emilia joined Wrathion in learning it was likely Haiva who kept the missing woman company. Wrath temporarily helped seal hell, while Yelena learned that an accidental Alem discovery may have drawn Rathakku to attack. The Lord asked the party to sacrifice 10 people and Deimar, in exchange for his withdrawal, but received no action. A small contingent of the group took on the dragon Irenia — and unexpectedly anchored her undeath on Jon Snow.

A recuperating Haiva began to arrogantly assume control of Alem's retreating forces. Efforts refocused around abandoning the fortress through underground tunnels. In the depths of the netherworld, the demonic Motherless doubled down on breaching wards to seep Hell into Alem, forcing King Deimar, his paladins and several members of the party to head in and fight back. Several party members defeated the Motherless, successfully interrupting Hell's invasion. Caitlyn, Licyn, Wrathion and Emilia discovered Haiva secretly seduced and killed a siren for dark mirror shards that help mermaids gain legs while on ground and give men the ability to reshape and strengthen their body. Her sisters summoned an avenging jatharin — a demon that sought to kill men bearing Haiva's likeness, perpetuating the recent serial murders of Alem. Emilia and Wrath murdered Haiva, with Emilia and Wrathion later publicly telling the masses that the prince perished while nobly sacrificing himself to appease Hell, instead of his sister Cle-Florens — whom Yuri helped rescue.

A forlorn King Deimar returned from Hell, despite his initial death wishes, conceding to bring hope to his people in their new settlement near the monastery of Hassir... and the key to Alem's dwindling beacon for the Merchant's party. On the way to Hassir, Kamala had the group's first direct encounter with the White Wanderer linked to every event of undeath misfortune encountered so far — Matthias of Ellethia.