Narlock’s Secret Lab (Date 2/2/20)

In a strange formation at the bottom of the lake, the party found a metal door mounted in the wall. Beneath it, a pile of bones rested in silent warning. A powerful ward guarded the door, but Marty wove magical energies – not all that unlike the ones he would have called forth in Strom’s name – that shielded them from the electric burst long enough to bypass the barrier. Beyond the door, was a small room with a single button, but once the button was pressed, the water was expelled from the chamber and the inner wall opened to reveal a corridor. This hall was guarded by mechanical men and robotic dogs with steel jaws. They presented a powerful defense until struck with arcane magic, at which point they stepped forward to scan Euwyn’s body before standing aside.

The laboratory was amazing. It contained, the nearly completed, crab-like submersible. All they needed was some way to get it to the water. But more than that, were several volumes written by Narlock detailing his thoughts on magic, his personal life, and something he called “The Blight.” Ilyana was drawn to a strange blob of foulness contained in a glass aquarium. The “wrongness” of it offended her on a deeply powerful level, but as she was about to share her warnings with the group, one of Narlock’s ancient traps triggered a Rube Goldberg series of unlikely misfortunes resulting in the cage being shattered. The beast released, nearly killed Ilyana by sucking all the moisture from her flesh before it was chased off by the party. Was this the blight which Narlock warned would destroy the world?!

They quickly gathered as much of the chamber’s wealth as they could carry and teleported to the surface.

And, by the way, Drova’s Pregnant…. (Date 2/2/19)

The best plans of the chosen minds of Strom were better in theory than in practice. It sounded so easy. Just go in, pretend to be each other, make excuses to family and loved ones that important work required them to be sequestered for a time, and adjourn to the tower to find a solution. But mimicking someone - even someone you’ve known in your earliest memories - was no easy feat and particularly difficult to fool that person’s closest people. Marty had an easier time of it, but Euwyn’s sensitive nature made it hard for him. He stumbled over his lies unable to come up with a reasonable explanation as to why he would not sleep with his fiancé, moving from sickness to mysterious things that had happened on the trail to wanting to marry her. It was an awkward mess which left Lumi feeling confused and alone.

And it all came at a very stressful time for the kingdom. Money was tight, but General Justice’s speech had stirred in the people a patriotic fervor that was almost disturbing. The people now bowed to the prince in the streets. They had set fire to the Ismort estate. In fact, any who spoke ill of Malwan or its monarchy were viewed with suspicion and contempt. Relania pointed out to Euwyn(Marty) that this had been great for her family and, despite her concerns for the fascist rhetoric, probably good for Malwan - at the moment. She advised going along for the time being. The council took their report and suggested absorbing the lumber consortium to buck up the economy. Marty and Euwyn agreed to set up the initial contacts once they were caught up with the business of their offices.

In the meantime, Edgar had devised a theory about where Narlock’s underwater apparatus might lay. Choosing their magics with care, the party dove into the stygian abyss.

Oh, and by the way, Drova is pregnant…

Freaky Friday (Date 2/2/17)

The cyclone howled like a banshee as its powerful winds ripped down the walls, buildings and towers of Malwan. Ilyana screamed, but her tiny voice could not rise above the thundering storm any more than it could reach the struggling pair. Heedless of the destruction around them, Euwyn and Marty continued their fight, hands locked at each other’s throats, as they hurled petty insults to be swallowed by the wind. All at once, she realized that the dream was senseless and – still more important – just a dream, and not HER dream. This nightmare was coming from somewhere outside herself. She woke to find a dark, fey beast atop her, its weight crushing the air from her lungs as it drank her blood. Her screams woke the party woke around her, and together they chased the beast off, only to wake anew as soon as the creature fled. All seemed safe, until they realized that Marty and Euwyn had switched bodies!

After some debate, they determined that they still had to go back to Malwan to tend to their duties while they searched for some solution to their predicament. When Euwyn reached Strom, and asked, “Who has the power to fix this?” The answer returned seemed to indicate that the switch was actually Strom’s doing. Recalling her dream, Ilyana theorized that Strom wanted the pair to put aside their differences and work together for the very survival of Malwan!

Their first test at passing for each other came at the Viecelli Mining camp. Twidi, the girl whose heroics had helped the party free the camp from trolls a few months back, flirted with Marty in the Prince’s body while Euwyn felt the joy of using his new-found powers of healing.

At the city gate, Kenny Ismort, swore his sword and his loyalty to the Prince’s side and cause, renouncing his own family and titles.

Lydek the Dragon (Date 2/2/13)

In the morning, the party was able to use magic to converse with Gabril. Even so aided, her vocabulary was minimal and conversation were curt and to the point. They discovered that her people were being preyed upon by the yeti, as she called them, as an offering to the “sky god”. The party marshalled their forces and followed Gabril into the mountains. She led the party by ways to an overlook where they observed a yeti village centered around a towering, ancient stone structure, standing thirty feet high with steps leading up to a sacrificial post stained with blood. As the party waited, the sky god appeared. She was a giant, white dragon. During the fight, they learned the dragon was named Lydek and that she was shocked to find the wizards so far from Malwan. She fled before she could be killed. The party told the yeti it was hands off on the humans going forward, reclaimed Gabril’s stolen people and journeyed to the next hex.

Gabril the Savage (Date 2/2/9)

After brief debate, it was decided that the party should not squander the opportunity they had been given. It would have taken them weeks to hike this high into the mountains, and while it would take weeks for them to hike back down, they would be remiss if they did not at least explore while they went. Using Ilyana as an eye in the sky, they plotted the safest routes for their inexperienced climbing skills, and confirmed that the bulk of these icy peaks were barren of visible life. It wasn’t until the fourth day, as they began their descent towards Malwan, that they encountered another living thing.

A woman in rough furs, wielding a massive hunk of wood as a club, battled a snake of freezing blue energy. After a timely rescue, the party determined that she wasn’t completely human. Her features were rough and pronounced, with over-sized teeth jutting out of her jaw in a random fashion. She cowered like an animal and spoke in sharp grunts and gestures. Unable to communicate, they chose to follow her, refusing to be deterred by her brave shows and hurled rocks. When she took off running, Euwyn followed in flight. The woman stared in wonder, then ran harder, then admitted defeat and fell back to her previous brisk stride.

The party followed her to a collection of caves filled with of humans like her. It was under attack by large hairy humanoids. The savage woman rushed forward to defend her home and kin, and would have been quickly overwhelmed if not for the intervention of the party. Still unable to speak to these primitive humans, the two groups settled in to a wary détente.

Meanwhile, back in Malwan, General Justice gave a stirring speech rallying the people by informing them of the dangers present in the world, but assuring them that his past heroics in defense of the kingdom made him the right man to keep them safe.