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(no subject)

	They describe it as a very sharp stomach pain, a flash of vertigo, and then it's all over.
	NAVIGATION

1. ARRIVAL

No matter where you are or what you're doing, the picture is exactly the same for all of you. One minute, your world is as it always is, and the next, the sky begins to turn an obsidian black. It doesn't make sense, you've never seen anything like it before, and suddenly, whatever you're doing doesn't matter any longer. You feel something at the pit of your stomach, a sense of wrongness at all of this. Whatever this darkness is... definitely isn't native to your homeworld, and as you look upward, there's a pervasive stain that begins to melt the landscape all around you. Long tendrils of tar-like arms stretch down, ready to devour an entire universe- and sure enough, this beast, this monster... it's large enough to do exactly that. It pervades everything, everywhere, everywhen.

And it sees you.

It sees you with millions of eyes in the darkness, all staring down at you - you specifically. Where the limbs of the Hunger have touched down on terra firma, monstrous aberrations spill out like the oil of black ink had hit a saturation point too heavy for the Hunger to keep itself together. But in the darkness, a small beacon of light appears next to you. A hand outstretches itself towards you, and a stern, but worried voice speaks directly to you- or your mind, it's impossible to tell.

"Would you hurry this up, please? Your world no longer stands a chance. Come with me, we are the last bastions of hope for all universes everywhere. And we're going to need you."

You take her hand, and everything around you fades to nothingness. There's a bright light, warm and resilient, a feeling of brief, momentary safety as you feel it touch your cheek and envelop itself around you.

And then, a violent thud.

You, and 49 other people have just been deposited onto a Base hidden deep into the second moon of this world. And as soft as the grass in the Quad could be (seriously, it's the softest), it's definitely not made to break your fall. In her office, Madame Director smiles to herself triumphantly. She's done it. She's really pulled it off. And then, as if expending the last stores of her energy, collapses in front of the throne. She might've overdone it a little.

But as you look around to your new environs, you see people you may know, but, more likely, you're met with the confused stare of a lot of other strangers. Try as you might to remember the Hunger or what it looked like, the image is just a static in your brain, as if the signal has gone out on an old television set. The only thing that remains is an extreme sense of dread. You remember a hand reaching out to you, and you remember taking it. What... just happened?

Meanwhile, a short man with a mustache stands on the edge of a fountain in the middle of the Quad. He has a megaphone in his hands.

"Alright! Welcome, everyone, to the [SCHCCHHHH] of [TCHHSCHHHSCH] Oh, that probably didn't sound like much to you. Don't panic, no worries, it'll make sense in a few moments. Please form a single file line heading to the dome to the east!"

2. THE VOIDFISH

To expedite this process a little bit, the guards at the Bureau of Balance will take groups of 5 down to the chamber of the Voidfish. In the easternmost geodesic dome, a spire rises out of the bubble that protects a small elevator shaft. The grounds around the entrance of the elevator are well maintained, if not a little barren- just a small field of heather and wildflowers dot the landscape and not much else. Two guards (one dragonborn and one half-orc) stand at the entrance and nod in affirmation to the one approaching. The dragonborn has a bit of a hard time keeping a straight face, as his lips curl up into a smile. This is the Director's hope, everything she's been working to achieve. It's hard to not have faith in the new recruits.

As your guard presses his bracer up to the paneling next to the door, the elevator is summoned to the ground floor. It's definitely built for 3, maybe 4, to be in there comfortably, but 5... is a little bit of a stretch. Time to accidentally make a friend.

You can ask the guard any question you'd like to, but unfortunately, any real piece of information will come up sounding like static. They're not unsympathetic to it, they know why you're hearing the static, but to explain that would just cause a whole headache more of static to occur in stereo.

"Maybe it's best if you save your questions for the end of the tour."

And as the elevator opens up to a rather grand looking hall, banners of the Bureau of Balance adorn both sides of smooth metal walls. Another set of guards stand and wait at the entrance of the only door in the entire passageway. They salute you 5, and you notice that they're wearing the same bracers that the other guards upstairs were wearing. Everyone seems to have one. Total fashion statement.

Entering out into the chamber of the Voidfish, you see a massive tank in front of you. It's the only thing of significance in the room- as it stretches an almost impossible height upwards. Looking directly at the water, you notice it's rather murky- a black ink seems to occlude the direct view of its contents. For what it's worth, your entrance here is met with the sound of someone playing the violin- and it's one of the most beautiful arrangements you've ever heard. He looks sad, for a moment, as the music ends, and he pulls at a drawer just at the metallic base of the tank. He solemnly enters a few scrolls into its basin as the tank begins to light up, like lightning behind dark clouds.

And suddenly, you forget what that song sounded like.

"Yeah, man, like... don't think too hard about it, it's like that every time. I'm guessing you're here to be inoculated? Just a heads up, you might want to, like, seriously, hold your nose while you drink it down. It tastes wicked gross, man.

Anyway, I'm supposed to tell you that you have a choice. If you drink the black stuff, you'll be able to hear through the, uh... Huh, how do I describe it? Through the [TSHCSCHTSHCHSC] sound. You guys like, hear that? Anyway, it's all about knowledge or something. I don't know, I'm just here to, like, feed the thing. We call it the [TSCHHSCHSCH], by the way.

So, like. You get a choice. You can drink it and understand stuff, or not drink it and then hear that crackling noise all day every day. If I were you, I'd drink it. But, hey man, I'm not like, your dad or anything."

The bard takes five cups and draws liquid from a spigot connected directly to the basin of the large tank. Stormy, muddy looking ichor is drawn into them, one by one. He offers each of you a sip.

Drink it (he wasn't kidding about what it tasted like), and you're inoculated to the wisdom of the Voidfish. You try to remember the melody this bard had played a few moments ago and the notes all come back to you. You think back to when the mustached man with a megaphone had greeted you. Hearing through the static, you clearly understand the invitation. "Welcome to the Bureau of Balance."

Yet you still can't remember the Hunger or what it had done to your world. And as you look back to the tank in front of you, the water has become clear. There's a jellyfish, as tall as a building, floating within. You look into the body of the creature and you can almost make out a beautiful, tiny universe floating within it.

3. TEST OF INITIATION

A. THE DIRECTOR'S GREETING

The Director will finally make herself known to her Reclaimers in person on the morning after everyone has settled in. If you're in your room, it'll appear on a holographic television set inlaid into the wall, with a selection required to "accept" or "decline". Those of you who hit the decline response will find the image on the wall constantly ringing every 5 minutes to the soft, musical styling of Vivaldi's Spring as performed on a recorder. And if you're at the Quad, you'll be able to catch the good Director speaking in person on a raised dais. All other areas of Moon Base will broadcast the message, so there's really not much of a chance to miss it.

The Director stands, looking tired and worn after the past few days. Hair kept short, she stands a proud figure with perfect posture, using a staff to help her keep balance. Her voice is filled with wisdom and gravitas, filled with a wealth of experiences apparent in every tonal shift of diction she employs. She's a strict woman, but empathetic. This is a troubling message that she has to share with you all.

"Welcome, one, and all, to the Bureau of Balance. I... understand that it has been a rather trying and difficult time for all. In such a short period of time, you've left your homes, your worlds, everything and everyone you know and love, behind. My deepest sympathy goes out to each and every one of you. I know that it is not... of extreme significance to offer my condolences to you, as there is nothing I can say or do to ease the ache in your heart... but I sincerely wish that I had the powers and capabilities within me to have done much, much more than I have. The event that you have experienced before coming to the Bureau is simply known, throughout any and all universes, as the Day of Reckoning.

What we stand for here at the Bureau is a path of research. Of understanding. Knowledge. But most importantly, protection. Not much is known about how, or why, the Day of Reckoning occurs, but it is our job, our calling - our very purpose - to come together and rise up against it so that its willful path of destruction does not wipe out the light of existence from all worlds everywhere.

And this is why I have done what I can do to bring you here. Within each of you resides a warrior's heart, an orator's wit, a scientist's mind, a magician's ability to change the world as we know it - for the better. And it is because of you that we will win this war.

Our first task, then, is to ensure the safety of this world as we plan to take this battle onward and outward. Those of who you are new to the Bureau of Balance will sign on as Reclaimers, tasked with finding and obtaining 7 Grand Relics that have been lost to the sands of time within this world. It is imperative that you are able to resist the call of the relics, as their use is strictly forbidden by all members of the Bureau. Their reclamation and subsequent destruction is the first step to ensuring the stage for the final war to come.

Thus, in order to grant you complete access to the Bureau and ensure that you are ready for this massive undertaking, we have designed the Arena to administer the Test of Initiation. In pairs, you will work as a team to make your way through the trial. You may choose your partner, or allow our system to randomly generate one for you, but everyone must participate in one, and exactly one, test. When you enter your name into the system, an appointed time slot of one hour will be locked for you and your teammate.

Upon completion, you will be given your Bureau Bracer, an item whose purpose is to signal that you are acting under the agency of the Bureau of Balance. It provides access to a network of information, allows you free transport to and from our Moon Base, and preserves your body in the event that you should become incapacitated during a field mission.

Good luck to you all. I have the highest expectations that all of you will pass with flying colors."

From the Quad, the Director will leave the grounds and head back to her office. As she is still recovering from the massive expenditure of magic that it took to bring you here, it's rather difficult for her to entertain questions or comments. Some well-needed rest is in order.

But for you, the Test of Initiation is about to begin.

[ooc: please refer to this OOC post for more information on how the test will work! remember, you are free shape the test landscape however you see fit.]

4. AROUND THE MOONBASE

At some point either before or after the Test of Initiation, there's always a nice, warm bed waiting for you back at the apartment complex. Coming home, you'll notice a pamphlet waiting for you on your bed. The cover features a simple amazing head shot of Garfield the Deals Warlock, with 90's style Microsoft Word clipart text (complete with embossing and an overly redundant use of shadowing) that boasts "So, you're a _____!" (where ____ is filled in with your path). In it will provide all the information your character would need to know to understand an introductory comprehension to your path, as well as the path actions that are available to them. Smack dab in the middle of the brochure is a two-page wide advertisement for "Fantasy Costco: Where All Your Dreams Come True." The back panel of the pamphlet urges those who are interested in learning more to sign up for classes at the Moon Base's Academy.

A. GET IN WE'RE GOING SHOPPING

Not everyone was lucky enough to be pulled in with a weapon or other means of protecting themselves at the ready. That's why, each arriving Bureau member will find a small bag of coins next to their Welcome Pamphlet in their rooms.

It's time to go check out some wares.

There are a variety of different shops offering their wares around the town on the Moon Base, but if you're more of the one-stop, get-in-and-get-out sort of shopper, you're going to want to check out FANTASY COSTCO, operated by Garfield, the Deals Warlock.

Like the name implies, you can find pretty much anything jammed along the aisles here, though the large majority of it is in bulk. Does anyone really need a 20-pack of toothpaste? Yes, obviously! But you'll also find a few weapons and shields for sale in, mercifully, one-unit packs.

You've been provided with enough funds to purchase either an beginner-level weapon and shield, or one slightly better quality weapon. Or, you could blow all your coin on toothpaste. Garfield won't judge you or your ridiculously minty breath.

B. SOUP'S ON

Let's be real, it's been a stressful day already, and now that the taste of whatever the Voidfish is stewing in has finally worn off, you might find yourself a little peckish. Luckily, the café is open 24/7.

Your chef for the rest of your time here is an oversized pair of robotic arms attached to the ceiling near the counter. Technically, he's the Culinary Operating Official Kitchenmate, or COOK for short — but judging by the murmurs of more experienced members passing through, he's better known as Bender.

Bender's got a pretty wide repertoire, but thanks to a programming error the base's techs haven't been able to fix, his menu tends to be a little ... monotonous. This week's menu? Soup. Soups of a wide variety of flavors, soups catered to whatever dietary needs you might have, soups of pretty decent quality, but at the end of the day, you're still getting some sort of ingredient in some sort of broth plopped onto a bowl.

Next week, it's sandwiches.

As the days pass, you're probably getting a little sick of soup. Luckily, though, there's a tablet on the counter where you can input food requests. Unluckily? That tablet also happens to be the reason Bender has a programming error in the first place.

Feel free to roll for a new menu item, but be forewarned: a failure may result in altering Bender's programming permanently. Or, you may just flood the entire cafe in ramen. Or both.

C. SUPER ROOMMATE FRIENDSHIP COMBO

If you haven't really had a chance to get to know your roommate already, the Director is more than happy to provide an opportunity!

Should you and your roommate be one of the more (un?)fortunate ones, the next time you both are in your quarters, you'll find the door to the exit impassably locked. Curious.

There's a screen attached to the door that may or may not have been there before, too. Your instructions are laid out clearly, and in HD, even:

THIS DOOR WILL NOT OPEN UNTIL YOU MAKE EACH OTHER LAUGH.

Yes, for those who are now trapped in their quarters, this is a mandatory team-building exercise. Hope your roommate's not a master of the poker face.

D. THE MOON IS YOUR SPACE OYSTER (WILDCARD)

There are plenty of other locations around the Moon Base that you can explore at your own discretion. Feel free to refer to the Settings page for more ideas on what shenanigans you can get into.

(no subject)

	I'd bring an umbrella and a good pair of waders if I were you.
	NAVIGATION

WELCOME TO PHLAN

Click on the map for a full view

BACKGROUND.

The port city of Phlan, located just north of the Moonsea region, is not an idyllic landscape, filled with images of swashbuckling sailors and brimming commerce. It's a place that's been razed and rebuilt so many times that even the people of this rough and tumble town seem to embody a particular nonchalance to the chaos that exists within it. Entire streets of the city remain either unfinished or abandoned. Farms on the outskirts of town lend prayer to the Goddess of harvest and bounty, and yet, year after year they struggle to make ends meet. The main road leading into town, called the Iron Route, splits a the path just at the city's gates. To your left, a quiet and somber collection of headstones litter the grounds of the Valingen Graveyeard. They remind all who venture into this city from the main road of one simple thing. Those who are born and raised here rarely make it out.

The Director has sent her Reclaimers here, and as the glass bubbles are shot from the Moon Base, they land with thuds against the lining of the Quivering Forest. There's rumors that there's a powerful item hidden deep, somewhere within the confines of towns dotting the landscape of the Moonsea region. Your purpose is simple. Ingratiate yourselves as travelers, offer aid where it's needed, and keep an ear out on the ground for any whispers that might give lead to the location of a Grand Relic.

1. THE WELCOMERS

You've spent a few hours in Phlan, already, and have probably seen the entirety of its less than stellar nightlife; it doesn't take incredibly long to walk from one end to the other. There's only one tavern in the entirety of the place, and asking any locals where the best food or ale around is will either get you a cold shoulder or a heartily responded "The Laughing Goblin, of course!"

The Laughing Goblin is run by a staff of two; a boisterous human woman who everybody calls Bonnie (although no one actually knows if that's her name or a callback to the sailors who frequent the town during stints in the Moonsea), and a rather voluptuous man named Mar (who tends the kitchen but has a serious soft spot for cats or juicy gossip). You can almost hear the raucous shouts of vulgarities from just outside the doors of the bar. Even tonight's musical guests, a trio of halfling bards who calls themselves the Dandy Warhalls, don't seem to be outpacing the chatter and heated conversations going on within.

Opening the doors and making your way into the room gives you more a sense of what Phlan is really about than any other moment you've spent wandering the streets and being a really unfortunate tourist who decided on the worst vacation spot this side of the Sword Mountains. This place is alive. And in some ways, it's a good welcome to the world of Faerun, as you'll be spending quite a lot of time within these sorts of establishments, attempting to make your way through the inner workings of a possibly unfamiliar world.

A. WHAT THE BAR KNOWS.

○ Bonnie is running herself to death trying to keep up with the orders. She can't seem to pour ale quick enough to keep the patron's glasses filled to the brim. She knows that this is a dangerous crowd, but she's tough as nails. A skirmish begins breaking out between two humans at the far end of the bar, disagreeing on the roles of the local law enforcement and how helpful they've been to their beloved town. Bonnie flares up almost immediately.

"ENOUGH OF THAT OVER THERE. ONE MORE PUNCH AND I'M CUTTING YOU OFF FOR A WEEK, NIFF."

Whoever Niff is, he snaps to immediately and sheepishly scratches the back of his head. You can almost swear you hear a defeated "Yes, ma'am," before Bonnie's attention is drawn elsewhere. She could use a hand, if you're particularly good behind a bar, and won't object to the assistance, even if she's leery at first. She just doesn't trust a whole lot of people.

Get to know her a little bit, and she'll even complain about how the lighthouse's lens going out last week has made everyone in town anxious as trade seems to have come to a hault.

○ Reizem, Mof, and Jimbob, the trio performing in the back of the room on instruments and trying to invent the concept of rock and roll, are not exactly being welcomed with the type of applaud that they'd like. They'll take a break midway through the set list, and are more than happy to talk to some refined guests of higher culture. Jimbob, who's currently sporting a number of upper cartilage piercings, is happy to talk about how this place is the literal worst. Not just any "worst." The literal worst. He's also a little bit drunk.

○ Mar, the only cook and also, the only waiter in the tavern, will be happy to stop at your table and fill you in on "The Happs" in town, much to Bonnie's absolute dismay. A loud voice, even among the patrons that are currently three sheets to the wind, he'll disperse a few gems with the promise that if you know anything, you'll return the favor:

○ The local police, named the Black Fist, have been up in arms over the last few days about a shipment that was supposed to arrive at HQ. No one would bat an eyelash at that, since trade seems to have completely stopped once the lighthouse has gone out, but Mar's friends with a few low ranking guards who play bridge with him on the weekends. Yeah, he plays bridge. They got "real quiet" when he mentioned the missing shipment, covering it up with something about their training supplies getting cut short. Seems fishy, even for a place that reeks of fish pretty constantly.

○ The lighthouse over at Sokol Keep has gone out. "First time since I've been alive, that's happened," actually. He'll explain that one of the few rich families of Phlan (old money, he clears his throat with a sound of detestation in his voice) controls the lighthouse. The Black Fist have been sent over there to investigate but no one knows what the hell is happening.

○ Be careful of the Welcomers, a group of bandits who run around trying to steal anything they can get their hands on. "You'll notice you came across one of 'em on a'count of them missin' a gods forsaken ear."

B. EVERY D&D ADVENTURE BEGINS WITH "YOU MEET AT A TAVERN, AND..."

And it's a good time to meet your fellow Reclaimers, as well. Some of you might have been paired up during the Test of Initiation into the Bureau of Balance, or maybe you dropped into an apartment room to meet a flatmate you never knew you had (or maybe wanted), but there hasn't been a whole stint of time available to you to really get to know each other. Take a seat, grab some ale, complain about the music. The meal of the day, as it has been every day for the last 2 decades, is cabbage soup. It's kind of delicious.

You're going to need to figure out lodging for the night as well. The Laughing Goblin has some rooms, but it's definitely not enough to fit all of the Reclaimers in the upstairs apartments. Lucky for you, your handy-dandy Bureau Issued Adventuring Supplies (BIAS, for short) has a sleeping sack and a tent. Maybe it's time to rough it for the night.

C. LIKE TWO SHIPS PASSING IN THE NIGHT

On your way out though, should you decide to cut it short and head elsewhere, you should probably stick to the main roads within town. A little ways away from the docks district, and you can swear you hear a woman crying. Following the source of the sound leads you into a back alley, and just as you approach, you and your companion find yourself cut off on both ends of the street as the woman stands up, sardonic smile twisting around her lips.

"Welcome to Phlan."

And wouldn't you know it? She's missing an ear.

Let's roll some initiative.

2. AROUND TOWN

Your first night in Phlan either went amazingly smooth, filled with nothing but a pleasant experience of pure country bumpkin culture at its finest, or knocking out some thugs in a dark alleyway who were attracted to you by the value of your silver armlet. Either way, don't be discouraged, because it's day time in Phlan, and time to set out to see what this place is like in the light of day.

A. THE MARKET

There are various stalls open for trade and business. Several of them seem to be closed up; without fresh fish and meat traded in from the nearby cities, access to certain goods are nearly impossible for any of the residents of Phlan. It's cabbage soup all the way down, it seems. Either way, there's a bit of a crowd coming and going from the center square. It's a great place to meet any number of people, Reclaimers or not.

B. WHERE'S MY WRIT?

Attempt to enter any of the stores that sell weaponry or armor, and the first thing you're going to be asked here is if you've obtained the proper license from the Black Fist in order to purchase weaponry. See, there's a bit of a pay-to-play scheme going on here in Phlan. The merchants are offered protection by the local (mafioso) police in exchange for a highly lucrative bribe system, requiring anyone who wants to purchase anything sharp or potentially stabby to head over to the Black Fist HQ to pick up a "writ." And wouldn't you know it? The old man sitting at the receptionist desk of the Black Fist mansion has a mountain high pile of paperwork to go through. But he supposes he might look the other way if you happen to grease his palms a little bit. Anyone who can distract the earnest, hard working, underpaid administrator to check that stack of paperwork will notice that there's nothing written on any of the sheets below the top one, which is basically just a diary entry from the man to make it look like official paperwork.

While accepting your bribe, he bemoans how hard it is to make it by in Phlan these days.

C. THE TELLER OF MISFORTUNES

Along one of the side streets, you'll notice that there's a dimly lit shop with a stuffed kraken looking beast dangling from the window. The smell of burnt safe wafts under the main entrance, and you can make out a row of various gemstones and crystals lined up perfectly within the shop itself. For a small fee of 10 silver pieces, you can go in there and meet Filistrom Stromdoodle, a gnomish woman who'll be happy to read your fortune.

No matter how bright your prospects may be, she'll alert you that there's some impending doom in your life to come. She's seen a dark figure in your past, an ex-lover, an obsessed stalker. It's never good news with Filistrom. Ever the lover of theatrics and flare, she'll put on quite the show, and offer to cleanse your spirit of dark influences. Although the ritual does work (you're bathed in sage for a solid 5 minutes straight), she charges a hefty 5 gold pieces for it.

Refuse, however, and she will absolutely cast a hidden Bestow Curse on you.

And your luck from there only gets worse.

3. MISSING CARGO

You've heard that the Black Fist have been fretting about lately over a shipment of goods that they were expecting recently. Remembering the Director's advice here- keeping an ear to the ground, not starting trouble, etc- you may get the hunch that getting to the bottom of the missing cargo might prove to get you some information about what exactly was in that crate that the higher ups in the police were getting so on edge about.

There's a few options in front of you to begin your search.

○ Look around the docks. There's a container yard that holds crates waiting to be shipped to and from the city of Phlan. With the lighthouse out, they can't be loaded onto ships and sent across the Moonsea. The waters are just too dangerous to go without a guiding light. You see a number of crates with city seal of Neverwinter on them. Little weird, since anyone that's spent time getting to know Faerun at the library back on the Moon Base knows that Neverwinter is on the other side of the continent. Searching inside any one of the crates (don't get caught!) you'll mostly find grain and agricultural wares meant for trade along the sea route. But one crate in particular has a subtle acrimonious smell to it. Open it up inside and you'll see it's filled to the brim with statues of Tyr. Tyr is a very well respected and beloved God within Faerun, denoting justice and law. Smash open any of these idols and you'll notice enchanted ink dust. Weird. The shipping label points to an appointed spot outside of town.

○ The location that the label directs you towards is a farm just northeast of town. It's seen better days, for sure- but the one thing that stands out is the remains of a recently burnt down barn. The family who owns the farm tells you that there was an accident a few days ago when the kids were playing Hide and Go Boo by candlelight. The children don't say anything about this.

○ Taking a look at the barn itself, you notice there's a similar smell in the air that's reminiscent of the enchanted ink you found within the crate back at the container yard.

○ The family simply doesn't have anything else to say on the matter when questioned. They're still reeling from the loss of their 2 prized family cows, who have won them the Phlan County Fair Blue Ribbon 3 years running. "Best cream on the Moonsea... such a sad loss for us. We'll miss Ben and Jerry so much." The woman of the house will point out the 3 blue ribbons hanging on the wall. It's the only decoration they have in this place.

4. THE BROKEN LIGHTOUSE

Figuring out that the lighthouse being out is a huge source of financial ruin for the town, you eventually make your way over the Sokol Manor. The administrative head of the house sits at her desk, one Leela Sokol, pure white hair tidied neat with a combover part and bright red lipstick on. She taps her fingers on the desk, looking bored and disinterested in your offer for help, but the second you mention that you're not affiliated at all with the local law enforcement, the very edges of her lips perk upward.

"Oh, I do love some adventurers just gallivanting about upon our private property." Thinking it over, she rolls her eyes upward to the ceiling, but she guesses this will just have to do. Those of you from Earth may notice two things: she's wearing a bright red pair of heels and happens to look incredibly similar to Meryl Streep. Anyone who mentions that to her will be met with a confused stare and a request for clarification, mentioning that the Streep family over in Melvaunt, a neighboring town on the Moonsea, has no ties to House Sokol.

Whoosh.

She relates to you that the lighthouse has been tended to by her beloved nephew, Philip, for the last decade and although she wears the fiercest poker face you've ever seen in your life, you get the sense that she has no idea what's going on over at the Keep. Communication has come to a halt both to and from Thorn Island, just off the coast of the city, ever since the only ferryman in town passed away 2 weeks ago. The lighthouse and the keep are the only things of note on the island that she's aware of. Black Fist Captain Grim and a team of 6 Black Fist guards are typically stationed there, but attempts at talking to the Black Fist over at their HQ have been fruitless. The excuse seems to be the same; most of the force is out either taking care of a recent surge of bandit activity by the town's local gang, the Welcomers, or are otherwise concerned with finding some missing cargo that never showed up a little while back. She'll allow you to head over there and find out what's going on, provided you don't go and talk to anyone in the Black Fist. House Sokol has a reputation to keep up, after all, and tarnishing that by showing distrust in the militia of the city doesn't bode well for her or her family.

"Oh, and should you get there in one piece, please do remember not to steal anything.

I'll know."

Time to get a group of fellow Reclaimers together to find out just what went down over on Thorn Island.

A. ARRIVAL AT SOKOL KEEP

The keep is on Thorn Island, surrounded by water on all directions. It's a rough swim, as the Moonsea isn't exactly a calm body of water. Maybe you can scope out a row boat to help you get there. Either way, coming upon the shore of the massive mansion will be rather quiet and uneventful. There are no butlers to greet you. No Black Fist standing watch at the gate. Maybe Philip was just that reclusive, or maybe there's another reason that this place feels abandoned.

There are 5 main structures on Thorn Island- the Sokol keep itself, the lighthouse, an eastern tower, a western tower, and the barracks, used to house the guards that come and go from the mainland during their stay here. The stone mansion itself has two floors, and up until recently, looks like it was incredibly well maintained. Funny, since you didn't see any attendants on the island to greet you. Not a speck of dust, anywhere.

The banquet hall looks filled as if an eveningmeal was being served just a few hours ago. Unfortunately, whoever was served this delicious looking feast didn't have time to finish it. It looks like it's been sitting out for days, and the smell of rotting meat is more than just a little pervasive to your senses.

B. LOOKING AROUND

After searching long enough on this abandoned island, you start to notice a few things that don't quite add up. First of all, Philip's room has a number of books on the occult hidden neatly among the academic literature peppered about in his personal library. Although nothing seems to indicate a struggle has occurred anywhere, investigating the ground around the barracks on the outskirts of the manor indicates freshly upturned dirt that looks like it was recently tilled over to cover something up. Perhaps someone was dragged, but it's really hard to figure out who, or what, could've done that.

Your examination of the lighthouse itself shows a crystal at the top of the structure encased in glass that's been warded off and reinforced through magical means. There's no indication that someone had come here to snuff out the light or steal the lens from which the lighthouse operates. It just simply... won't glow.

Ransacking the eastern tower reveals a place that doesn't look like it's been touched in ages, aside from a chair that's been moved, uncovering a trail of clean floor in the midst of dust literally everywhere. The dust seems to be everywhere, and spending a particularly long amount of time in here makes your lungs hurt and your eyes water. You do, however, find a small Holy Symbol, a rosary of beads with a small coin on it, the image of a Faerunian god etched into the metal. You're starting to get the sense that this island has been dealing with some below-board stuff lately. Cults, religious symbols.

And did you just hear that chair begin to creak? Why do those empty bookshelves up against the wall look like they're vibrating?

Time to get the hell out of dodge on this one.

Investigating the western tower, however, reveals a bare floor that's been broken into via a pickax. Move some of the earth away and you'll find a hatch.

Wouldn't you know it? It's unlocked.

C. THE CATACOMBS

If you didn't get the chills from the seemingly haunted eastern tower, dropping down through the hatch reveals a damp, dark passageway after a drop of roughly 10 feet below. The catacombs smell damp, have a particularly unsettling feeling about them, and touching the walls reveals an ungodly amount of mud that never seems to quite settle. Prestidigitation that off, if you will.

Going deeper, you realize that you're descending below sea level. Eventually you hit a snag- in the form of a whirlpool that seems to block your way through to the other side. It moves concentrically, and trying to cross it without a plan will end up getting you sucked right into it. At the bottom? You're tossed around like a gnome being fired out of a canon, and hitting the bottom of that pool of water reveals sharpened bones. Most likely human in nature. Better move fast, you can almost feel something reaching out to touch you.

Provided you don't drown to a group of skeletons sitting at the basin of the whirlpool, you'll come to a wide open room with an altar towards the back of the cave structure, emanating a sickly violet light. On a raised platform, the body of Leela's beloved nephew, Philip, lies sacrificed. There's a trail of blood that leads from the dais to the pool of water surrounding this statue. Looking closer, you notice that the statue itself depicts something with the body of a woman and 6 slithery heads of a snake, crested with jade jewels for eyes.

A hollow laughter fills out from the room as a figure moves forward from the statue.

Where the hell did that come from?

"Stay for dinner, we've got the early bird special prepared, just for you."

Of course, it's Captain Grim. Did you ever think that a dude named Grim wouldn't be evil? He's sacrificed the poor boy and is now currently possessed by some unrepentant six headed snake beast. His tongue slides out of his mouth, licking his bottom lip. Yep, that's more snake than human too.

Make sure you kill this guy.

C. THE AFTERMATH

Killing, or otherwise subduing Captain Grim (what's your alignment, again?) is enough to make the lighthouse mysteriously come back to life. Whatever desecration was going on in the catacombs below seems to be lifted. Too bad you can't be treated like heroes upon your return to Phlan proper. Leela has made absolutely sure to spread a rumor at the Laughing Goblin about how efficient the Black Fist were at resolving the issue on Thorn Island.

Oh well, you weren't doing this for fame and accolades, right?

5. CALL TO ARMS (DEXTROUS): THE SCROLL THIEF

The Bureau of Balance has done pretty much everything they could have for this small port town on the Moonsea. The lighthouse has been restored so commerce once again begins to breathe life into the docks district. Sailors have changed their tune from anxious boredom and nights at the Laughing Goblin to the simple blessing that returning to work provides. That is, to say, they've (mostly) sobered up and got back on the straight and narrow for the time being.

But it doesn't end here, not quite yet.

There's the sound of a parade of footsteps emanating out from the direction of the Black Fist headquarters. The entire guard has begun to give chase, and the city is quickly mobilized to a state of apprehension that you haven't seen at all during your stay here.

Wherever you are, you're stopped nearly dead in your tracks as a man, not much older than 20, knocks you or one of your party members over on a beeline straight to the ships. You see, tucked neatly under his arm, an ornate looking piece of parchment paper that's been rolled up tightly.

The man smiles at you, apologizing, just as a battalion of Black Fist agents begin to approach off from the distance.

The youngster who has just collided with you turns his head to look upon this scene groans.

"Typical lugheads. Just what I was expecting out of this shit hole."

And he takes off for the docks. He needs to get out of Phlan, and quick.

What do you do?

blurb code by photosynthesis

Closed to Bardulf

[The last thing that Bardulf sees before he's taken is the foray of fight that's occurring to secure his safety. There's a penchant for a certain level of certained victory that Frulam has, and watching as they take her offer, she smiles wickedly to herself. There's never been a day in her life where she's been any different- from her younger days at Candlekeep as a yearning scholar, up until the day the great Wyrmspeaker proposed to her a type of life that she couldn't put down. To have power. To wield power. To bring destruction upon those who wished for balance. Frulam has only ever been this way; ruthless, demanding, all consuming. Her avarice had known no bounds and had only grown once she donned the purple robes.

And anyone with eyes could see the way that Langdedrosa Cyanwrath looks at her. A broodling... a possible lover. His loyalty to her is beyond the level of visceral that a half dragon ought, but it's her tenacity, her hatred that burns a bright and glorious path down the way for those to follow behind her. Frulam, of course, knows this, but cares little for her companions. For her, it's all business. There's no room for love in this twisted heart of hers, one that has seen too much and tasted the waters of Tiamat's eternal glory. She's too far gone, too broken to care about anyone that could try to reach her already dead heart. Maybe, maybe there was a time and a place for that in the past, but now? She only hungers to see those who wish to do good in the world suffer. She had learned the hard, cruel way- those that you open your heart to, those that are too pure and just in the world, are cut down by unworthy hands.

Unworthy hands like Bardulf's, and as he's crucified in position like the halfling was just a night ago, her look is cold and distant. Nothing can pierce her heart, not again.]

Tell me, Champion of Greenest.

Tell me your story.

the mystery of jourgand

EVENT TIMELINE

The goal is to get to the castle and take Chronos' Lens

The truth is, a powerful monster lays dormant in a sacred altar located in the woods. The townspeople have to kill and consume flesh in order to keep the island from being decimated and turned into undead creatures at the will of the giant beast. Every month, during the full moon, a captain, who has been frozen in time for 60 years, has the ability to cut a hole into time and send out the Audacity, his doomed, cursed pirate ship, to collect more fresh meat for the village to sacrifice. The only thing he cares about is his daughter, an anomaly in time that shouldn't exist, whose very presence is that cause of events occurring in town. He knows that if he doesn't give into the monster's sick desires, that she, and all the villagers, will die. His crew has been turned into undead pirates who work for the beast, under his command. For centuries, the island has existed, but only until 60 years ago did time begin to reset every full moon so that Reeve could capture more humans to cook and eat. Recently, the events of the Adventure Time Adventurers setting foot onto this island mark the beginning of the end of a terrible, terrible cycle.

2pm
-Meet Chant in the caves
-Verik poisons the water/food. He's been doing this for weeks, trying to get the villagers sick enough. He believes that the time skips are centrally around one of the villagers in town and if he can figure out who, he can escape. He's the only one in town who senses something is wrong with the flow of time, as he's not actually from the island itself. Today, he's put a sleeping poison in the food and water. The animals in town have been getting sicker and sicker as of late, and the people who eat from the poisoned dead meat that Warsh is creating seem to become more fatigued.
-Raiders are protecting the castle from 2-8pm. If anyone nears it, they are ambushed and die

3pm
-Group arrives at the town
-Hags are always there. If anything happens to the fire, the town crashes into the sea and everyone dies. Time resets.
-Verik not at the ruined hovel
-At the inn, a pissed off merchant (Nero) is awaiting someone
-Successful conversation with anyone inquiring about the town will note that a strange girl often spends time at the nearby cliff, overlooking the world below (Elisande). Elisande is eager to get off the island. Unbeknownst to the party, she is the child of the pirate lord who was, until recently, frozen in time in the castle. her existence is actually a time anomaly that is upsetting the flow on Jourgand. She was frozen for nearly 60 years before awakening. Her presence is the cause of the raiders, who believe if they kill the girl then they can get off the island. They are really the ghosts of the pirates whose souls are trapped on the island and were cannibalized by the town when their leader- Reeve, went off to claim the relic. She frequents the abandoned hovel often and considers it her home.

4pm
-Warsh is outside the smokehouse. Inside the smokehouse is a captain's log of Reeve ul Testainne, the pirate lord who is trapped as a skeleton in the castle, and is controlling the flow of time accidentally. Warsh notes that the food's tasted off lately, and can't figure out if it's one of his seasonings or the quality of meat has declined.
-Aelwin is working on a potion that will cause memory erasure. He's used water from the nearby stream which has tainted and poisoned it, causing it to eventually become unstable and explode later at 7pm
-Verik is now at the ruined hovel. He is insane. If anyone is suspicious of him, he will run to the woods and disappear until 10pm. He witnesses a raider camp outside town.
-At the inn, Nero and Morgan are having a fight over a shady business deal that Morgan has deceived Nero with. Morgan sold Nero a tainted (human) meat. It's established that he owns the barn in town and provides the meat that Warsh has been cooking. This is a hook to investigate the nearby barn, which has a secret tunnel leading to a cave that spits out near the raider camp
-Elisande returns home. If the adventurers have provoked her unstable existence, any mention of her father will push time forward an hour

5pm
-Strange resonance from the castle pushes time forward an hour, no matter where anyone is. This is actually caused by Elisande at her home, thinking about her father

6pm
-At this time, if any characters drank or ate, they pass out and time skips to 11pm (or they die by the events of 7pm's conclusion)
-Nero, for instigating a fight, is held at the community center in a slammer. If questioned, he'll tell the characters not to trust Warsh, that something is going on in the smokehouse, as the meat he bought from Morgan was tainted and cooked there.

7pm
-Explosion at Aelwin's house if the characters haven't figured out how to fix Aelwin's potion. The explosion destroys everything (time resets- this should be the first loop that they correct)

8pm
-Raiders capture Feryn as he tries to explore the castle
-Aelwin is located at the smokehouse if the party members succeed in preventing the potion from exploding. He will try to prevent the party from going, but won't physically stop them.
-Warsh retires to the inn for drink. If he's suspicious of the adventurers, he intentionally goes to the fire and douses water on it. Time resets.

10pm
-Verik comes into town and warns them that the raiders are coming (People think he's insane)

11pm
-Raiders attack the village
-Depending on how things go, if Elisande dies, time resets.
-If Elisande is not in the village, the raiders destroy the town. When the fire goes out, the floating island crashes into the sea. Time resets.

LOOP THREADS:
- Verik poisons the water. Causes blackout from 6pm to 11pm.
- Aelwin creates a memory potion from poisoned water. It explodes and causes GAME OVER at 7pm.
- Raiders camp at the castle from 2pm to 8pm. Attack town and cause GAME OVER at 11pm.

PLOT POINTS:
- Elisande controls time and upsetting her causes time to accelerate. Killing her causes GAME OVER.
- The fire at the center of town keeps the island afloat and putting it out causes GAME OVER.
- Warsh at smokehouse he advises against going in since its dangerous- entering is a DC20 con save that, if failed the character passes out and suffocates. A mask can be acquired from Aelwin's house. It requires notice by DC 10 Invest/Perception check. A successful steal (DC10 sleight of hand) or a successful persuasion check (DC15) or deception (warsh needs it, etc- DC 15) can win the masks. That will allow people to enter and do what they want.
- warsh and aelwin are the only ones in the know about the cannibalism
- The town are cannibals- Aelwin is an accomplished alchemist, working on a potion to help people forget they're eating humans. He's been commanded by Warsh to do so after ???????SOMETHING HAPPENED PRIOR????????. he also provides dank ass meat seasoning.

HOOKS AND SHORTCUTS:
- Warsh at smokehouse contains Elisande's father's journal. NEEDS HOOK
- Barn contains secret tunnel to castle for early raider confrontation. HOOK: Nero and Morgan's argument, Verik witnessing raiders.
- POISON HOOK: Sick barn animals, talk of sickness in town? Maybe paranoia about a plague? Bonus creep: talk of "poisoned meat" that could refer to animals or people.
- JOURNAL HOOK: Elisande, rumors that Warsh is guarding a secret?
- PENDANT HOOK: If the group trades the pendant to the hags, they'll give a Real Fortune to them

INDEPENDENT HOOKS:
- Talk of plague -> Poison OR Secret tunnel
- Verik's raving -> Raiders OR vague hints at other things (cannibalism? magic fire? time loop?)
- Other rumors/hag hints - > Warsh keeping secrets, amnesia potion, Elisande

POSSIBLE CHAINS:
- Hear argument, discover tunnel, confront raiders early, dead end at castle. GAME OVER from potion explosion.
- Investigate dead end, find Elisande, learn about father, upset her and accelerate time. GAME OVER from potion explosion.
- Investigate father, find journal at smokehouse. GAME OVER from potion explosion.
- How does the party find out about the potion? Get frustrated and camp out until they figure out the source of explosion?
- Interrupt potion. Confront raiders early through tunnel. Get through dead end. ?????
so right now we need a reason for the party to investigate poisoning and prevent the explosion AND a reason to investigate the smokehouse more thoroughly
- If Elisande becomes aware that she's the reason all the bad stuff is happening directly, she will try to do whats best for the town and attempt to jump off the island. Time resets.

WHAT THE BARTENDER KNOWS
- There are rumors about a strange scent coming from the smokehouse at night
- Some people say that Verik isn't even from this island. He's mad though, nobody listens to him
- There's been a sickness that's swept town recently. Some people have locked their doors and don't let anyone in. In all his years in Jourgand, there's never been anything that's affected the town this badly
- There's a girl who sits on the cliff at the edge of town. Rumor has it, she's an avenging wraith, and that if you say her name three times in front of a mirror, she'll appear and strangle you to death. They burned down her house a few years ago to try and kill her, but nothing seems to work to get rid of her.
- Some weird cultist that lives in a cave on the outskirts of town. She's a little loose in the head and isn't friendly with anyone in town.
- Rumor has it the hags are old sea witches. Occasionally they'll give a real prophecy if you trade 'em something real good. Witches love things that represent the dead. Maybe you can sacrifice the girl in that damn fire they keep watch over day in and day out (laughs)
- Warsh? He comes in every night around 8pm to grab a drink. Don't know much about 'em.
- Rumor has it the old castle is haunted as shit. Anyone that comes near it goes as crazy as good ol' Verik.
- HE WILL TRADE MORE JUICY SECRETS WITH THE PARTY IF THEY OFFER SOMETHING OF VALUE TO HIM INFORMATION-WISE

THE CASTLE
-Even if the adventurers figure out how to get here, the doors are magically sealed. Requires Elisande's pendant to open
-Reeve is frozen in stasis, holding the lens

THE FORBIDDEN ALTAR
-Contains the wendigo. Has lich properties.

THE LOST WOODS PUZZLE
-Go right, left, right, left, straight, left----

Right: Leads you to the castle
Left: Leads you the entrance of town