The Unfinished Lab (Date 2/1/11)

Euwyn felt eyes on him before he opened his own, and the gaze which greeted his upon waking, was penetrating and icy blue. “Can I help you?” he asked Winter. The girl jumped – twitched more, really. Every move she made was quick and sharp, even the involuntary ones. She looked as if she was about to bolt at the question, but then found some store of courage and stayed to ask the Prince her questions. Her new powers disturbed her, but more than that, she worried about how others perceived her now, and asked if the Prince experienced similar stigma now that he was “different”. They chatted for about an hour as they waited for the others to wake and prepare for the day’s exploration, and Euwyn did his best to reassure the young woman that she had nothing to fear from her abilities. He added that he would do what he could to help her develop them. She let slip that he was far less monstrous than she had been taught to expect by her family in the outlands.

Euwyn folded space and jumped beyond the barrier. On the other side the interceding field was easily removed at the push of a button. Two dwarves and one Tian were held in stasis within tubes. The dwarves were listed as “subjects” while the Tien man was identified as an “anomaly”. Each was listed as the “source” for an emotion (anger, jealousy & zeal). This was merely a curiosity until the party was overwhelmed with anger while searching the attached offices. The source was a red puddle of semi-sentient ooze. Until it was destroyed, they were overcome with feelings of anger and engaged in fierce, ongoing shouting match. They decided to leave the remaining two vials untouched.

They battled an excavator which nearly liquefied Mjelde’s lungs, before Hedge’s blade managed to break it. They found some extracted ore and a few magic-seeming objects that possessed wondrous powers, but did not register on Euwyn’s ability to detect “magic”. Before returning upstairs, Hedge tried to extract one of the dwarves from its case. The body of the dwarf was eventually freed, but with it came a foul-smelling liquid which chased his compatriots to the surface. The tunnels were filled with a small fortune in various mineral ores (silver, gold and adamantine). They were guarded by another blob of sentient liquid. This one was highly combustible, but the party was wise enough not to ignite it, destroying it with blades, instead.

Bear Hunting (2/1/10)

In many ways, it was unreal. Just days before, Euwyn had been walking in the rolling hills north of Black Lake, and now he and his companions were high in the mountains traversing a snowy pass under the ever-present weight of a freezing wind. Well, a wind that should be freezing. Fact was, the prince felt completely comfortable. They all did. What a difference magic made in the world! Ilyana’s transformation powers had lifted them to these great heights, and Marty had called down the power of Strom to shield them from the elements. It was all so amazing!

When Winter and Ilyana found a mutilated, half-frozen mountain goat buried in a snow drift, it had been odd. Winter believed it had been killed by some great beast, though the tracks Ilyana found were almost too big to be any known animal. Rather than let the monster terrorize the area, the order of the hunt was given.

They tracked the beast to its lair, and met and fought a great bear with white fur and bizarre crystalline growth jutting from its skin. Though it’s blows were powerful, one beast was no match for their team.

After the bear fell, they ventured deeper into the cave which quickly passed from natural cavern to roughly worked passageway. The tunnel led to a mine - a dwarven mine. The main room looked to have been the site of ancient pitched battle where dwarf fought against dwarf and not a life was spared, but the party had little time to wonder at the cause before the bodies animated and attacked. Their numbers proved troublesome for a time, but in the end teamwork and magic won the day, with the power of Strom playing a vital role. It seemed Mjelde was blessed with a gift even Marty did not possess – she could channel the flowing life energy of Strom to destroy the servants of unlife.

Inside the storage-house/barracks, the party found the payroll and a magic device with a programmable alarm system. Ilyana spotted a secret shaft hidden behind a failing ward of illusion. At the bottom of the shaft was what looked like a laboratory of the Ancients, with dwarves preserved in suspension. Not just dwarves, but also a human, but one with features more like Hedge than Euwyn. After some debate, it was determined the party would rest and on the morrow, use Euwyn’s magic to bypass the magic barrier which protected the lab.

Hot Spring / Overlook (Date 2/1/8)

The ordeal in the Cage put fire to their heels, and the party fled back toward civilization. Either they eluded all pursuit, or – as was widely speculated – none was forthcoming. Once they felt they were clear, they put some questions to their new recruit, Barsai. His knowledge was minimal, seeming to think the war with the empire was a recent event and not a historical one. The working theory became that he had only minimal self-awareness. The hope is that it will grow as he continues to interact with the party. His management was given over to Hedge. Winter was treated similarly. Marty and Prince Euwyn offered to continue her training and to explore her strange condition. She accepted. Zimudar’s arm was buried in the city. Reincarnating him was deemed too expensive.

Back in Malwan, it was found that the kingdom’s recent expansion had stalled and exhausted its coffers. After meeting with Relania and the team, it was decided that exploration should be their mandate since open resistance was getting them nowhere. Continuing with their theory about improving people’s abilities through contact with the Euwyn and Marty, the party brought Mjelde and Winter with them to explore the hills north of Black Lake.

First night out they encountered a giant, or possibly a group of giants, but they avoided them rather than fight. In the next hex, they found a beautiful, natural hot spring. Hedge showed them how to properly enjoy it. Marty tried to spy on the girls, but was thwarted by well-placed clouds of steam and Ilyana’s all-seeing eyes. Euwyn spotted a family of rare, black swans, which Ilyana and Winter were able to quiet long enough to gather some feathers needed to complete Narlock’s magic fan fragment.

Finally, they reached the mountains. A sheer wall of rock rose up before them. With minimal climbing gear and mountaineering experience, the party opted for a magical approach. Ilyana took the form of a giant bird and lifted them high into the range. There, they found a scenic overlook from which they could see the Sky Tower. They were reminded of a vision from nearly a year ago, a strange sense of deja vu. A rough, but navigable pass cut away from the overlook leading deeper into the mountains.

New Year Battle Royal (Date 2/1/1)

The blow fell and Euwyn swam for a while in darkness. It was peaceful and calm, with no pressures or responsibilities. He thought he might float forever not knowing where the darkness ended and his body began, but suddenly, all at once, he wasn’t alone. There was another there in the void with him. “Happy New Year little prince,” it whispered, though it’s voice was like thunder in the void. “Is this it? Really? I would have thought you would be much further along by now. So sad... It looks like you’ll scarcely be able to mount a defense on my arrival. Well, you still have two years left. Try not to waste them.”

Euwyn awoke to confusion in his head and chaos in the world around him. Rough hands carried his limp body with ease as he was lugged like cargo toward the vast cage at the center of town. There his captor identified himself as Ensi Hablum, ruler of the Clan of the Cage. He chastised the Prince for invading his lands and said he would pay the price for not staying behind his walls. Hablum’s viewing box was raised into the air on massive ropes as his consort, Yarla crushed the prince in a vice-like embrace.

The Cage was a massive arena and the throngs mobbed the sides making a wall of flesh wherever the slats left vacant. Euwyn noted that many of the masses, including the Ensi, wore tattered remnants of imperial garb and armor, but there was little time for wonder as the gates below were thrown open and his friends were thrust into battle. Marty and Hedge were forced to scramble for their weapons along with a pair of local barbarians. They fought for survival against a trio of monsters. While they battled in arena, Ilyana attacked in the form of a giant mastodon. She threw volcanos, sleet and lightning before cracking the cage with a mighty charge. Hedge and Marty fought their way free and rescued the Prince, also, managing to save a barbarian named, Barsai. His companion, Zimudar, was not so lucky, but Marty snagged his severed arm on the way out in case Ilyana might be able reincarnate him. Together they fled back to civilization.