Death's reflection in the mirror of fear

Summary

GM: Stephen
Season: Autumn 821 wk
Night: Wednesday
Location: New Windsor
Level: Low-Med

Party

• Amira Human E&E - Jono
• Mavric Dwarven Thespian (Wicca) (Playwright) - Lisa
• Sol Elven Solar Celestial Fighter (Party Leader) - Nick
• Eydis Dwarven Mind Mage - Kelsie
• Minerva Human Solar Celestial Blast Mage (Military Scientist) - Jacqui

Employer & Mission

Maethedir, Lore Wielder of the Oscillating Chapter of the Vermillion Archive engages you to:

1. enter the Mirror World and acclimatise yourselves sufficiently to be adequate to the tasks.
2. investigate the disappearance of Dewriel, Field Investigator of the Oscillating Chapter of the Vermillion Archive.
3. recover any findings of Dewriel and return them to Maethedir.
4. report on your experiences to the best of your ability.
5. minimise the embarrassment and shame reflected on the royal archives and thus her majesty.

Fiscal Arrangements and Recompense

Your transport, admittance to the archives, interaction with the artefact with all due licences, fees and assurances will be covered by the Vermillion Order.

On the adequate completion of your tasks each survivor shall be gifted a powerful magical item from the Archives.

40 whole guineas each for your time and any incidental expenses.

Scribe Notes

Key things to note about our mission:

1. We won't be in our own bodies.
2. Our own bodies will be cared for.
3. None of our stuff will go with us, including Minerva's eagle companion.
4. Elves think other races are not very bright.
5. Amira is my fan girl. This is very exciting.

We are going on a flying boat to Alfheim, then into the library, then through the artefact. When we get to the other side which is the Freia, the essence of us (rather than the Hroua which is the physical), there will be constructed vessels for us which may or may not have clothes and our intrinsic abilities. We know that we will have to learn how to work these new vessels and it may take a while before we are at full capacity.

We're just discussing stuff when a Guild security person instructs us to go deal with an undead incursion about 12 miles west of the Guild. He equips us with a healing potion and restorative each, advises us to stay clear of the tree and we're off.

Are you, are you, coming to the Undead Tree

There are some villagers barricaded in a barn. Undead (zombies and skeletons) are coming out of the tree and from the ground underneath. Minerva blasts a pile of them with her multiple bolts of light. Eydis puts on her shroud of attracting undead and attracts a spectral figure rather too well!! Sol saves villagers and they declare him their Elf Lord. Amira sneaks up and whacks the spectre. It disappears into the ground, taking the incorporeal Eydis with it. We get swarmed by undead who want to eat our brains (presumably for the scripts).

Minerva is assaulted by a skeleton made up of small skeletons of animals. They try and worm their way into and under her armour but are repelled by the light. She struggles, but can't significantly damage them. Amira and I throw off the shackles of our captors - we actually do throw our captors - and valiantly defeat our opponents.

Sol and the spectral figure charge towards each other, light blade and dark blade raised. There is a titanic clash and the spectre disappears. Sol prepares to fuck the tree up with his magic sword, but we remind him to keep it clean as this is a family show. The tree begins to split in two and a couple more blows topple it. It rots away revealing the cavern.

Under the Undead Tree

The spectre takes Eydis under the tree where there is a coffin and the colours are all funny. Honestly, you couldn't make this stuff up!!! The coffin has a lid. It is made of stone with runes on the top. Eydis is still incorporeal but her hands don't pass through into the coffin. She decides to try and float up through the ground. Instead she is sucked into the tree and moved up. She can't free herself and is beginning to be absorbed into the tree. Luckily the light shows her the way out and she manages to force her way out. She reports on the glowing lights in the walls, the coffin with the runes on the lid and the cavern.

Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be, If they met at midnight in the hanging tree

The tree started to look sick the previous day. We fail to determine whether there were any mysterious visitors, sounds, lights etc in the previous nights. We potion up. Under the ground it is rotten and dank. The coffin is now cracked and we can see the body underneath. Very old, maybe hundreds of years. Humanoid - not human or elf, a little bigger. GTN: greater hobbit, probably male. Minerva breaks out her Rosetta stone from her travelling cabin and translates the runes. The runes are bindings on a greater undead over 2,000 year ago. he was bound and then the blessed tree was planted to stop disturbance. The protections should last for millennia, which they did. The local hobbits squat in the cabin but Minerva boots them out.

We enjoy a lovely cup of tea and scones, and entertain the locals with fine music, stilt walking and dancing before flying back to the Guild. We go to claim our payment and are given tax free status for a season plus 237 SP. We then try and claim healing potions as part payment. The healers do not let Amira leave with a tray of potions, despite convincing tales of the bursar requisitioning them.

The Journey Begins

We are greeted the next morning by a troupe of battle hardened elves who march us out. Hovering just above the riverbank is a large ship with sails and a gangplank. We meet an elf with half a clear crystal face who asks us to step into the front cabin and stay out of the way at all times. Our employer is nearby, ready to take our questions. We go very high. There are other flying things but we try not to look too closely. Beds are very quiet and comfortable.

'Questions' Have the crystal faced guards gone through the mirror world and has this caused the effect? No, this is from other battles and encounters.

We come into land. There are a lot of buildings built within the trees. We are taken in to the buildings and papers are shown. We descend below ground, about 50'. Lots of checks and papers and licences. A room with upright half coffins - sized for someone to go in. You lie down and lean back and they will lead us to the mirror. There is a perfect mirror on the wall - 6 foot by 3 foot. Mithril, decorated with priceless gems. We must focus on the abilities we wish to retain while we are there - this gains us 30 ranks (1 per day of the transition). We will have ranks in estoc for duelling. Bodies are as follows:

Short blonde hair (Sol) Shoulder-length dark hair (Amira) Blonde (Minerva) Brown (Eydis) Dark (Mavric)

Calendar

Autumn 821wk: Fruit (4)
	Moonday		Duesday		W'ansday		Th'rsday		Frysday		Reapsday		Sunday
	Lugnasad		1	Guild Meeting	2		3		4		5		6
	7		8		9		10		11		12		13
	14		15		16		17		18		19		20
	21		22		23		24		25		26		27
	28		29		30		1		2		3		4
Autumn 821wk: Harvest (5)
	5		6		7		8		9		10		11
	12		13		14		15	Equinox	16		17		18
	19	Harvest Moon ..	20		21		22		23		24		25
	26		27		28		29		30		1		2
Autumn 821wk: Vintage (6)
	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