Western Remnants

Heading west you move through a grass field just outside the expedition camp walls. After a short walk down the well worn road you reach the beginning of the mashes and soon the swamp itself. Ahead you see a guard tower. A couple of guards lounge at the base with another couple up in the lookout.

The guards warn you that though there is a road and it is much safer than before the swamp is still a dangerous place. They point out the waters and thick vegetation hide a variety of local wildlife. These threats range from large alligators, swarms of fish that will strip you to the bones in seconds, poisonous snakes, and the ever-present flies.

The two guards wave you on through as you continue west. The road continues on the far side of the second tower, which is taller and of sturdier construction with four guards, however the road dwindles to a simple track just wide enough for a single horse cart. As you travel you see a variety of plant and animal life. Snakes, insects, frogs, lizards, water rats, squirrels, and an occasional larger beast you have learned are referred to as "Dinosaurs". These large beasts are often hunted for meat by many of the intelligent species that moved into the area causing most of them to have learned to not wander too close to the road. Turning north then west you continue on following the path till the far end of the swamp is in sight.

Beyond the swamp are high grasses with clumps of trees and a few hills. The lush grass must be a common grazing area as your spot a few dinosaur herds. The main trail heads west but you soon find a side trail heading SW through some trees.

Date&Time(Alpha): 19@9:15
Looking over the map you secured from the clerk you ascertain you are at the western edge of the swamp just west of the Manor Ruins (4)
on the dotted trail just above the camera iconLooking out over the west you see knee to waist high grass with clumps of bushes and trees spotting the area. Low rolling hills add to the difficulty of seeing very far. The hills seem to be somewhat dryer and tend to be more overgrown. Throughout it all the number and variety of the dinosaurs increases. So far the herds have been small, ranging from 6 to 12. However you can see dozens in some of the larger herds further out over the hilly grasslands.

The hers you spot havve several varieties of donosaur. The largest are beasts larger than some buildings with lang neck that are grazing on tree tops. North by the river are some cattle sized beasts wading and swimming as well as some bird like versions of the beasts. Others if varying sizes graze further to the west and south.

Taking a closer look at the map you figure if you want to go to the library (B) you need to head SW. Straight to the west you can see one of the "Remnants", the residential one (A), that looks to be a walled off area of buildings. The SW path has a bit more recent traffic you presume that the expedition does send their researchers there occasionally. But if you want to stick to the trails and reach the other remnants you should head west past the Residential.

However the presence of the nearby herds indicates that these groups are either fast enough to avoid the beasts or large enough to discourage them. Herbivores have been known to be dangerous if not handled properly. As you watch the dinosaurs you are comforted that most you see seem to be grazing though you do note that the fliers look to be fishing in the river. The question is, if these are are herbivores, where are the carnivores that prey on them?

Where are you going?

A couple of the largere fliers circle the area but most stay over the river. Based on ARc's experience he estimates that some of the fliers have larger wings than he does though most are his size or smaller The most common fliers have total wingspans about a wide aas one or Arc's wings (5-6')

Judging a short flight of limite altitude to be safe enough Arc launches up into the sky before circling abouve the others for a short moment. Scanning the grassy area Arc confirms that the open areas are dominated by the larger dinosaurs but there are smaller ones near the tree cover and river. Some of these definitely have the look and behavior of hunters. Fortunatley you have yet to catch the attention of any predators.

Making your way west across the grassy countryside with ocasional clusters of trees, low hills, and crumbled remains of structures long fallen to ruin. The trail has obviously been used by carts, wagons, and much foot traffic from the base. Likely the researchers come this way with some of the guards when exploring the ruins and remnants. The dinosaur herds prove to react much as other beasts would. The herds of larger beasts barely reacting at all with those of maller size shifting nervously if you get too close.

You soon loose sight of the swamp behind the hills and trees as you follow the trail. However the walls of your first remnant grow bigger as you near them. The walls are about 30' tall and there are 2 sets of wide doors closed on the western side of the square. The walls are of simple solid stone and the doors are heavy timbrs bound with metal and are in good condition. As you get closer you see a faint shimmer in teh air over the walls much like heat waves in the dessert.

You know from overheard conversations at the cantina and tavern that no one from the expedition stays out at the Remnants overnight. Typically they will make a day of it with several researchers and guards around with a squad of scouts that patrol the area. This really in the morning you are here before any other teams but may see some later in the day.

The Remnants are said to be odd as they only show normal wear and tear for being abandoned. The rest of the city however was thoroughly destroyed and aggressively overtake by plants and animals giving the service of having been destroyed centuries ago. No one knows why but the Remnants were protected and seen cut off summit from informed going into or out of them.

The doors open easily enough and the latch seems to have been repaired recently. Swinging the doors in you see crumbling building and paved streets. Though a few small plants struggle to grow in the area, mostly in what looks to be planned gardens or planter boxes, there are no sounds and it feels oddly empty on the far side of the doorway.

Barley reaches out then quickly pulls back as good sense touch something he is already familiar with. A Border. Normally Borders are massive and found between land of the Mortal Realm. However this is clearly restricted to the Remnant.

As you discuss the situation you note that the tracks from wagons and feet on the road lead into the city remnant.

You tentatively step across the boundary and into the remnant. As you do you all suffer waves of vertigo and a mild headache. Roll a save test

Those who have crossed a border or been subject to a Border Storm recognize the feeling and push through. Physically the barrier poses no limit to any of you but many who cross a Border, especially for the first time, find them very uncomfortable. Players can determine themselves if it their character has encountered a border before as long as their background or history would have included extensive travel

As you regain your senses and stabilize yourselves you look around. The interior of the remnant is much as you saw from outside but you fell something is subtlety wrong but you can't put your finger on what.

The streets are wide but you can tell the area is not laid out for large amounts of traffic as they turn or split often. Along the sides of the road are round patches of dirt with dead plants, trees, and a smattering of weeds and small scrub brush. The buildings are mostly single story structures with shallow roofs. A few look to have had second stories in the past but the upper levels are crumbling much more severely. Doors and window covers are tattered and falling off or gone completely.

Glancing inside one of the building you see it is mostly clear with a smattering of cracked bricks, dust, and others signs of neglect though it looks as if some areas have been cleared of rubble. Though lacking furniture the building bring to mind a residential neighborhood. Some of the scattered ruble looks to have ben shifted or piled together to clear out other areas..

Looking through the tumbled down ruin you can see that the center of the area is an open plaza with a couple large stone pavilions in it.

Blornvid, Kaaric, Barley, and Vaun all recover after just a moment but the rest have a vague feeling of pressure and disorientation. Those who have been through Borders before feel a growing sense of "strength and resistance" to the effects of the border. Arc recalls that those merchants who travel far and often have to cross Borders have said that after a while they are no longer bothered by them other than when they are actually transitioning. This has lead to bandits often using Borders as an ambush spot and taking advantage of the disorientation and animals chaotic reactions. A quick test reveals that the symptoms can be lessened but not removed by any of you healing abilities.

Moving on you wander deeper into the residential remnant. Signs of excavation and temporary habitation can be found scattered around. Signs of a small fire, likely for cooking mid day meals, a few stools and a table set up in one of the buildings with an intact roof, and miscellaneous pieces of small equipment like paper or scraps of rope. You get to the plaza and look around. Tracks indicate the entire area has been gone over, at least cursorily. One of the pavilions houses a dry cistern with a small fountain and the other to the north looks to have a well. to the south is a larger structure that is not in as bad of a state as the rest of the buildings in the area.

You have walked to the middle of the plaza as you chat. This area has been thoroughly cleaned and even swept up. A few rough tables and tarps set up as sun shade or to keep of rain have been left standing in the area.

Continuing on you find another exit where Arc predicted it to be and step back through the border.

No save needed at this time as it has no impact but I may ask for ST at other border crossings

The path on this side of the Remnant shows much less use and heads west. There are more trees the further west you look but you still make out the next Remnant in the distance.

Date&Time(Alpha): 19@9:45
You make you way west, avoiding the small and large herds as both the size and number in each herd varies, and soon get to a point where you can see the next Remnant better. From the outside it looks much the same as the other save the shimmering distortion over this one is much stronger. Then you spot a group of people, as this distance you can not tell what type, approach and enter from the north. Getting closer you spot a small group of goblins at each of the eastern doors that look to be lounging around in the time honoured traditions of guards doing as little as possible. One of the goblins points in your direction and the other quickly form up and stare at you.

The three goblins stand at the gate, still several hunted feet away, watching you

The goblins look at you as you stand glancing back and forth somewhat awkwardly.
You are now about 30 away from them

The goblins do not really seem worried about attack and preparing to attack you. However they do stand to block you way. And their confidence with near equal numbers suggests they have reinforcements nearby.

As you talk you see another group leaving from the northern gate. They appear to be hobgoblins heading north to the river.

There is a rough track around the town, possibly from patrols or others like you who wish to continue on the paths to other Remnants without entering this one. You can tell from the traffic already seen that this Remnant is unusually active by multiple factions that you know are hostile with each other.

The goblins and arrived first, quickly followed by the hobgoblins who were working with the goblins at the time. The Kobolds arrived around the same time as the goblins and have been in conflicts with them and to hobgoblins since. The hobgoblins soon began focusing their efforts around the Remnants and Tower Orbs and the goblins were dispatches on menial tasks and scouting. Shortly thereafter the goblins broke off from the hobgoblin control and fractured into multiple tribes. Some goblins left, others arrived. Then the orcs arrived and took control of the castle. Recently there have also been sightings of larger creatures moving with the small reptilian kobolds but no one has gotten close enough to identify them yet.

As you chat you see a group of kobolds and larger scaled figures approach the gate on the east wall to the south of you.

The other figures with the kobolds are walking upright with weapons and equipment but at this distance you are not sure witch of the reptilian people they may be

How do you proceede? Do you ...
Wait till the kobolds pass or intercep them? Want to just head south/clockwise around the city or back out of sight before doing so? etc . . .?

Mostly grass from 1 to 3 feet tall with occasional shrub and sparse clusters of trees. A grassy savannah

The goblins watch you with mild interest

You move onto the path around the Remnant by at a leasurly pace so the kobold arrive and pass through the ES gate before you reach it. From that point you can tell it continues around the Remnant wall and there is a path from that side as well. You see a group in the distance heading south on the path.

As you near the goblins at this gate react in a similar manor to those of the EN gate save that even more goblins come out at your approach.

There is a Border distortion over all of the Remnant.

As Arc gains altitude he sees no one atop the wall. The wall does have a walkway down it's middle and slightly raised and covered structures at the corners, but no one is anywhere on the wall. Scanning the immediate area around the team shows no hidden threats as the dinosaurs look to Give the buildings and the southern path a wide space.

Getting a bit higher and closer, careful of the border which is noticeable but not clearly so when looked at from above, Arc scans the interior. The first thing he notices is that the interior of the Remnant looks to shift and change as if shadows from clouds drift across it. As the "shadows" cross over the interior the building shift from looking grand and new to nearly complexly ruined. Equally surprising is the fact he can not see any creatures inside despite seeing the guards from above. Your flight seems to have caught the attention of some of the goblin guards who taunt and encourage you to "Just fly in" with shouts and gestures.

Borders: Created by or during the Shattering divide the lands like crack on a sheet of thick ice. These are theorized to be cracks in the Mortal realm where extraplanar influences leak into the mortal world. At the beginning they were much easier to detect but also much more dangerous. Many who entered never came back. Over the last 50 years since the Shattering they have been examined and appear to be sealing themselves and are not as easily noticed. Some are nearly indetectable and not noticed until crossed while other are clearly marked by sudden transitions in terrain or weather.

Crossing Borders subjects you to the forces of the other Realms but allows passage to other lands, but not always the same destination. You can leave form A , arrive at B, then recrossed and arrive at C. Many of these changes in destination seemed fixed and predictable and often formed a cycle. Scholars equate this to the lands now acting like pieces of wood floating in the sea of the planes. The Mortal Realm did not fully shatter so that the pieces still bump into each other but and they float the pieces touching shift positions.

This fact was exploited by travelers and merchants who had access to magical aid to cross safely and reliably. Fortunately the Borders have calmed greatly so magic is not needed to cross them safely. However it is still used to ensure arrival and departure points are fixed. Crossing a "Wild Border" is considered foolish and risky. The effects of the recent Border Storms are examples of what might happen if you cross a Border at an unregulated point.

Yeah, I'm with you. I can't grasp the concept. The city I lived in didn't have boarders or whatever they are.

Ealdwig tries to grasp the concept. Scratching his head, didn't we just walk through two of these boarder things? I didn't like it but other than feeling a little ill, nothing else happened. This one is different? You think we'll get sent somewhere we don't want to go?

Thinking about it some more, if we went one at a time would we still get to the same place or will we all be separated?

What is the point of them? Why would you want to risk it?

Though you are not well versed in the mechanics of the Borders you do know that the expedition members have been using the Library and residential remanent without concern for several weeks now. Entrance and exit by the gates seems to be standard and other than the nausea there are no difficulties. As the goblins are also focusing on the gates it seems reasonable that the gates are fixed crossing points but over the wall . . . . That seems much more perilous to cross though not impossible.

Borders are almost equally detectable to all senses. Most people notice the visual distortions first but there is also a faint audible hum, and strange scents detectable at range. There is also a tingling sensation and task of sour electricity as you cross the border. Border thickness vary from a single foot to yards or possibly longer. Telepaths and those sensitive to magic can also detect Borders but no better than others with more common senses. The Borders at the Remnant gates are very quick, about 1/2 to 1 foot wide. Arc is unsure where the border is atop the walls but it may be possible to climb them though the view would essentially be the same as what he has already observed.

Ealdwig says bye, good luck. to Barley.

After quick farewells Barley hours to catch up with Vaun and the rest of you turn south.

The trail enters thick trees and your visibility drops from hundreds of feet to dozens of less. Making your way through the thick trees. The path runs it's way through them and you come to the far side of the trees to see another walled Remnant. Again they're are two sets of gates to a side. Both the mother's gates are slightly open and the haze of the Border can be seen over the walls.
Date&Time(Alpha): 19@10:45

There are no guards. The discomfort from crossing Boarders will decrease with each crossing. Usually...

You are closest to the NE gates and other than noting that there are many tracks in and our of the Remnant see no signs of the other factions. Moving to the gate and string through you quickly recovery after only a brief moment.

There are no enemies nearby but you hear sounds of battle to the south. The buildings around you are in various states of ruin. Unlike the residential remnant this has rubble and trash stem everywhere. Signs of recent occupation, fire pits, discarded food, and other refuse mix ancient with recent.

The Barrier is easier to notice from the inside and you notice no flyers as you glance up and out. As soon as you rise over the crumbled second stories to scan the area to the south Arc spots guards on walls that partition a large section firing on a squad in surrounding buildings.

At this distance Arc can not fully identify the two sides. One of the guards atop the compound turns to fire a wild shot at Arc letting him know approaching would have an increased risk. Dropping back down after a scan of the area he relays to the others what he saw. The compound is well guarded and the surrounding forces are mostly harassing them with probing attacks.

Arc launches into the air and gets as close to the Barrier as possible but is still only able to get a bit over 50 feet over the ground from where you launch though it seems to go higher towards the middle. The Border follows the walls and then forms a low dome over the interior of the Remnant such that Arc is unable to soar to great heights to avoid all attacks. Fortunately it is high enough to avoid most missiles.

Arc flaps towards the compound and sees several groups on the way. He spots a group of kobolds and lizardmen and another of orcs. Both are harassing groups of armored figures. This is where the sounds of battle are coming from. The compound to the south is guarded by more of the armored figures and some in robes. However he can not determine who is within the armor and is shot at a couple of times, both by heavy bows and magics as well.

Arc is hit by a lucky arrow, 1 damage, and his high arial maneuvers obviously got the attention of everyone below and he is certain that his flight is tracked ans he flies back out of range of the archers.

There are many armored figures, in squads of 8 to 20. The other forces looked to be in squads of 6 to 12.
Arc is quickly healed.

You can try and sneak closer but you are certain that Arcs reconnaissance allerted the other factions to a new player to the scene and they know the terrain while you have only the limited recollections of Arc. The buildings do have doors and other than guards on top of the interior wall of the compound Arc saw no one above ground level. You can try sneaking through building and/or the ruins (grey lines are crumbled walls/buildings), scaling a wall to scout from above, or circling outside to come in through another gate on the east or west sides as they may be closer to the compound..

The border atop the wall is not a clear and easily discerned and straight line. You could sit or stand at the edge of the Remnant exterior wall but walking would require extreme care to not touch the border.

Date&Time(Alpha): 19@11:00
You retreat from the contested remnant and are glad to not that your texting to crossing have grown considerably less violent. However all still have a loss of constant thought and scrambled senses for a moment.

You make your way west and spot a trail, little used, heading in the general direction of the last remnant, the library. Glad to be away from the fighting and anticipating what you might find in the library of this once great city you chat as you follow the path to the SE through fields and woods.

everyone roll 3 tests.

1 save test. 1 wilderness related, 1 Perception based

LOL

Kaarik. Lost in his anticipation fails to realize as the others look to each other and scan the area. Somehow you've gotten turned around and made a loop within the woods. The two most veteran members quickly spot the correct path, hidden under a veil of illusion, and hear faint giggling. Fey mischief is afoot!

The dancing leads the party with fey out of the woods and along the path through another field with some more dinosaurs. After several minutes of this you find yourselves in front of the library as the fey disperse, vanishing from sight.

The dancing leads the party with fey out of the woods and along the path through another field with some more dinosaurs. After several minutes of this you find yourselves in front of the library as the fey disperse, vanishing from sight.

As the sounds of the fey music fades and you look at the Remnant, which looks much as the others, you not that Skeeve and Blornvid continue to shuffle and tap. As hard as they try they can not sit still. I'm have the more the try to be still and quiet the worse the effects become. Attempts at silence results in then humming, whistling, and unfolding outbursts of if song. Inactivity results in tapping, thumping, and twirling.

Skeeve is familiar with fey antics and knows the spell will likely fade by sunset. Hopefully... Till then the best way to handle it is to just go with it as best they can.

You look and listen but not a single hint of fey can be found. Though some fey are cruel and twisted while others are kind and benevolent most simply are. What they are is true to their nature. As most fey live heavily in the now you recent interactions have likely slipped from their thoughts once they left you. The fey you danced with seemed to enjoy their time with you so it is unlikely Bornvid and Skeeve were affected with malicious intent. However they fey think differently so the results may not mean the same to you as they do to the fey. Which is why there are so many cautionary tales about dealing with Fey.

Date&Time(Alpha): 19@11:30
Having set out early you still have half a day to explore. As with the other remnants this one is walled though there are no gates closed to bar the way. Looking in you see a large structure that, though the barrier distorts what you see, looks to be in good condition.

Story continues in the Library

Citizens of Paphos

While I personally do not see the need for hast Phlan has asked me to assist you with your intent to restore some of the civic functions within Phaphos. Looking over the reports generated by the clerk, first hand accounts are much preferred. I recommend talking with either Dean, the apparently sapient golem in the swamp, or Commander Ferran Martinel, who controls the undead guards on the isle

Recovering a lost heritage

Thank you for listening to my request. I am from a family that fled Paphos during the Shattering. While we have continued to do well as merchants and scholars a family legacy was hidden in a secure vault in the family offices in the southern building of the merchant area. I was sent by my family to retrieve our lost legacy and Phlan has told me that you are to be trusted and some of the most knowledgeable about the area.

When Paphos was sundered the faithful servant sent to fetch it never returned. The complex is just south of the Plaza and west of the Library. Bring Me my families legacy and you will be well rewarded. You may keep any other wealth you find, and you should find sufficient. I have maps of the city from family records but most of the city is in ruins. However I understand the merchant district survived. Here is a map of the area