Through A Mirror Darkly

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Summary

Adventure: McDonald nee McAllister On Plane
GM: Jacqui
Session: Autumn 817
Night: Tuesdays
Location: Smiths
Level: Medium-High

Party:

• Rowan
• Phaeton
• Pierre the Halfling
• Veor
• Bear,Tiny, and a set of the Pottery twins.

Employer:

Mission:
Do some stuff in Caledonia.

Pay:
5,000sp
Some craftsmen work.
Salvage

Diary

Initial Brief

Brian McAllister from Caledonia. His sister got married to a McDonald but her last few letters said her new husband was getting stranger and more paranoid. Then the letters stopped coming. Guild party required to investigate.

Chapter One

It was nearly two years since I was on adventure but Rowan and I decided to check out one announced by Brian McAllister from Caledonia. His sister got married to a MacDonald, but a short time later, her letters said that her husband was getting increasingly strange and more paranoid. Then the letters stopped coming. He decided that discretion was the better tactic so came down here to employ us as independents rather than risk a clan dispute. Well .... that was his reasoning and he was sticking to it.

As well as Rowan and myself, Pierre the halfling chef and a rather large Nordic woman, whom I later found out was Veor the Ice mage. Seemed he/she had come into contact with a curse or something. Brian explained his problem and we speculated for a while about what was happening. Brian had come down from Caledonia by ship with trade goods so we had a couple of days preparation. I spent the rest of day down in Slippery Rock to get a dozen restoratives as well as any amulets people wanted. I had a Amulet of Diamonds on my list.

The next day was spent organising supplies and doing research. Rowan selected Bear, Tiny and the Pottery Twins for Team Golem before we met the ship. The plan was to sail out before dawn.

The trip would take us nine days, mainly because the crew were skilled and the Captain was a water mage. I tried a couple of astrology readings in order to get a clue on what was going on. What I got back was the following:

Smoke and Shadows Worries plague Nightmare and Dream Plague worries A row broken, Keep Safe. A promise unfulfilled.

About halfway into the trip we ran into a storm. It looked rather odd, and out of place, as if it had been summoned. We were then attacked by two air elementals. Veor created some sort of shield that kept the elementals at bay and they were banging at that while we were shooting at them. I couldn’t see through the storm but Veor and Pierre could and found out that there was an Air Mage flying out there. We took down the elementals and the Air Mage took injuries as well before flying off. The captain then increased the ship’s speed to get us as far away as possible although we were sure that the pirate would be going after easier pickings.

Chapter Two

The next day, we went past Port Artz and left a message with the harbour master to warn them about the pirate.

Two days later, on the 12th, we finally reached the Bay of Pennygale on the south coast of Caledonia. Since the bay was shallow and muddy a smaller boat came out to collect us and the cargo to be delivered. While we travelled in, we debated on what could be put on the overhanging cliffs, ranging from lookouts, to defensive ballistae and signalling towers.

Brian took us to his manor by wagon. We met his wife, Mary, their children and Harold the servant.

Veor wanted to set up some wards around the manor to block anyone with magical abilities and wanted all the local mages to be there so they can be selectively excluded. Unfortunately, the local druid didn’t turn up until late and bounced against the ward circle. Meanwhile, I took the liberty of requesting an amulet of amethyst from the local witch.

Dinner that night was a rather delicious venison stew. Breakfast the next morning was oat porridge with fresh milk followed by sausages, bacon and eggs. We then left, heading up towards McDonald country and the town of Colds Norton. On the way, we delivered messages from place to place, which, as Veor commented, would be raising eyebrows and causing gossip as why, obviously powerful mages would be travelling by wagon and delivering messages, which was what we were actually doing.

Certainly, at our first stop, Castle Thrieves, being the seat of Clan Douglas, we were getting some rather odd reactions, especially when Veor used an iceberg to float ourselves and the barge across the loch towards the castle. We also had to reassure the guards none of us were allied with either the Old Woman of Winter, or someone called ‘The Banshee’. After being stared at by the local Namer, while we were staring back at him, we were put up in a bunkroom for the night and fed beef stew. Personally I thought the venison was better.

Next day we were given a pot of porridge before heading off towards Laketown, and yes, we were carrying mail from the castle to Laketown. There, we arrived at the Cock and Sparrow Inn where we had chicken stew and listened to the piper in the corner telling stories of the ‘Auld Country’. I didn’t get to hear many as Rowan started complaining of a headache when the piper started playing so I took her upstairs to bed. We did find out though, that the last courier to Colds Norton had been mysteriously turned back.

Headed off the next morning, again with a new set of messages heading for the small village of Coatbridge.

Mil Sci

Daily Pattern

• Sleep/Camp 10 Hours (Warding with runes & elemental warding active during this time)
• Travel 8 Hours
• Meals 3 Hours (+6 FT + any En bonus per meal)
• Rituals 3 Hours

Travel Magics

Rowan: Instilling flight

• Total speed: 46 mph
• Duration: 420 mins = 7 hrs
• Ft cost per duration: 2 per object.
• Effective travel distance: 310-320 miles

Caster & spell

• Total speed:
• Duration:
• Ft cost per duration:
• Effective travel distance:

Watch Order

• Phaeton - 7h sleep
• Rowan - 2h nap, 5h sleep
• Veor - 5h sleep, 2h nap
• Pierre - 7h sleep

Marching Order

• Buster & Buck
• ?
• ?
• ?
• Bear

Buffs

Buffs listed in the table don't need to be detailed, other buffs not on the table must be mentioned at the time they are cast.
Y means always on, N/- means never on, 'Sit.' means when the party has time for buffs before a fight.
Weapon Spells which weapon/s it is going on normally should be noted also.

General notes.

Super Duration Buffs

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	Ro	Ph	Pi	Ve	B1	B2	Ti	Be
Durability (Ro)	13	+3Ft +1En to armour	8 days	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Greater heart rune (Ph + Ve)	11	Heal 11 En on En damage	12 days	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Disguise Illusion (Pi)	15	Similar to human form but different look	Week+	Y	Y	Y/Y	Y/Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Name	Rank	Effect	Duration	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Long Duration Buffs

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	Ro	Ph	Pi	Ve	B1	B2	Ti	Be
Rune Shield (Ve)	11	+16% def, +2 Ft & En aura protection	12h	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Willow healing (Ph)	8	10 pulses of 3 En / pulse	16h	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N
Ablative protection? (Ro)	10	110 ablative before armour/resistance	11 hrs	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
Resist cold (Ve)	20	-6 cold damage	21h	Y	Y	Y	Tal	Imm	Imm	Imm	Y
Witchsight (Ph)	12	Bestows witchsight	6.5	Tal	Y	Tal	Tal	Sit	Sit	Att	Att
Ice traversal (Ve)	20	+7 Tmr on ice	7h	Y	Y	Y	Y	Tal	Tal	Tal	Y

Short Duration Buffs

Magic	Rk	Effects	Dur	Ro	Ph	Pi	Ve	Yi	Ya	Ti	Be
Name	Rank	Effect	Duration	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Name	Rank	Effect	Duration	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Name	Rank	Effect	Duration	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Name	Rank	Effect	Duration	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Name	Rank	Effect	Duration	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Name	Rank	Effect	Duration	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Map

Calendar

Autumn
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	Lugnasad
Fruit (4)
			1	Guild Meeting	2		3		4	Left Seagate around dawn;	5		6
	7	Attacked by air mage;	8		9		10		11		12	Arrived Pennyghael;	13
	14	Threave castle;	15	Dalrymple;	16	Coastsbridge;	17		18		19		20
	21		22		23		24		25		26		27
	28		29		30
Harvest (5)
							1		2		3		4
	5		6		7		8		9		10		11
	12		13		14		15	Equinox	16		17	Seagate Autumn Fair	18	Seagate Autumn Fair
	19	Harvest Moon	20		21		22		23		24		25
	26		27		28		29	Michaelmas	30
Vintage(6)
											1		2
	3		4		5		6		7		8		9
	10		11		12		13		14		15		16
	17	Blood Moon	18		19		20		21		22		23
	24		25		26		27		28		29		30	Beerfest