Session Information

Session Date: 17th Oct 2025
Saga: 6th Saga - Urban Legends
Attendance: Sam Gallon,Rowan Hales,Tom Brothers,Caleb Hamlet

Session Summary

The session began with the party recovering in Blackwall after their disastrous encounter with Scorch Dustblood. Halfbie, ever sardonic, lamented their failed money-making scheme while Viktor abruptly vanished through a thunder door, clearly agitated. When he returned moments later, he drew the group to the balcony to witness a radiant, blinding barrier now enclosing the entire city. Halfbie deduced it was divine in nature, a radiant wall crafted by Seraphina to contain a malignant presence. Drache confirmed the existence of such a presence, recalling the harpies’ warning from his walk, and so the party resolved to investigate. Before long, Viktor revealed the horrifying truth that his cloak—a prison for one of Vaelrith’s heralds—had begun to fuse with his body, the imprisoned spirit now slowly becoming its warden.

Their search led them to Seraphina’s temple, where they found the once-holy hall transformed into a field hospital tended by harpies. Kneeling before the altar and offering prayers of healing and mercy, the party were transported to a divine plane: an archipelago of floating isles basked in radiant light. There, within a marble cathedral, they stood before Seraphina herself. The goddess, serene yet detached, acknowledged the death of her follower and agreed to call off her harpies, though her dialogue revealed the limits of her compassion. When Viktor confessed his sins—the murder of her herald while under possession—Seraphina deemed it not wholly evil, more a tragic act beyond his control. Halfbie’s attempts to draw empathy from the goddess turned philosophical, leading to a strange and profound discussion about divine purpose, subconscious existence, and the weight of roles the gods must play.

Leaving Seraphina’s realm, the party crossed back over the ancient bridge. During the journey, Viktor and Mordecai shared an intimate and sobering conversation about guilt, divinity, and the temptation of power. Mordecai confessed to feeling like a coward for refusing Seifer’s help in their past battle, while Viktor reassured him that mortality, not divinity, was a strength in itself. Back in Blackwall, the group decided to abandon plans to attack the Golden Fleet, instead turning their eyes toward reclaiming funds from Fort Moldan. As they drifted to sleep, however, peace eluded them. Halfbie began muttering in their sleep—reciting a haunting monologue about livestock and slaughter, a grim parable that left Mordecai, Viktor, and Drache shaken and sleepless.

Full Session Notes

The party awoke on some makeshift beds in the council rooms, with Steve Ulan and Keith Horrigan, alongside some attendants, watching over them with concerned looks plastered over their faces. Halfbie was the first to sit up. Nursing their wounds, they corrected their dyed fring, covering their left eye. They mumbled about how life wasn't worth it and how everything was terrible, clearly annoyed that their money-making scheme didn't work as intended.

Drache tried to comfort his party mate to no avail, as it just made Halfie rant about how it would have been fine if someone hadn't decided to antagonise Scorch Dustblood. The two were interrupted as a loud crackle of thunder could be heard from Viktor's bed as he opened a thunder door and teleported away.

Halfbie rubbed their eyes before handing off most of the remaining gold to Keith, instructing him to drop it off in the OFC's vault for safekeeping. Tentatively stretching, Halfbie conceded, "Well, at least there isn't some form of evil presence within the city so we can actually use this time to relax and heal properly"

Drache and Mordecai shared a worried glance before the dragonborn explained, "While I was on my walk, I found out there was actually a dark presence in the city. It was what I was returning to tell everyone before we got mixed up in your money-making scheme." Halfbie let our dreyer sigh before Drache continued, "I found a group of Harpies who told me about the presence, it was so strange as they were all standing around a dead Harpie. One thing led to naother, and now we have a week to figure this out"

"That's not a long time..." Halfbie said to themselves, "These weren't just like big birds? People don't really see harpies anymore. I thought they went extinct."

"See, I thought the same," Drache replied, "...Er, and then they'll like spoke to me."

Halfbie asked if they were given any clues, but Drache explained they would route out the presence and nothing more. Halfbie then enquired about the Harpie more. Drache explained that while Halfbie was investigating the Ancient Dwarven Tomb, a giant vulture appeared and attacked some Harpies while the party were fighting off the revolution.

Mordecai stated that having the Peron most connected to Vulktures would be helpful, but they teleported away. At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and Halfbie happily invited them in, quickly clearing their throat and solemnly inviting them in. Viktor entered them slightly in panic, beckoning everyone to join him outside as something had happened.

The party quickly rushed to the balcony; however, before they even got through the corridor, they could see an abnormal amount of light flooding through the windows. Getting to the ledge, they tried their best to look out but were only greeted with pain as if they were trying to look at the sun at noon. Before them was a magnificent barrier made from light that encompassed the whole Blackwall. All of the party reacted differently to the barrier: Drache seemed to be fine, just struggling with the bright light Korrigan and Mordecai felt a slight burning sensation Halfbie felt a strange pit in their stomach as if they were nervous

Halfbie held out their hand to analyse the magic of the barrier and confirmed their suspicions. This was pure and powerful radiant magic, most likely from Serephina, and it was probably set up to make sure the veil presence didn't escape. Dreache quickly looked down into the town to check if the people of Black Wall were okay. Luckily, they were fine, and after so many strange occurrences, they seemed borderline unfazed.

Halfbie began devising a plan to talk to some townsfolk to get a few more clues about the evil presence. They quickly packed their things and excitedly left to question people. Drache tried to say that the party already knew who the evil presence was, but was quickly shut down by a panicked Viktor. He, Mordecai, and Drache stayed back from Halfbie. Drache questioned the officer, who replied with an awkward simile that he hadn't done anything "...Directly"

A statement they both admitted didn't fill any of them with confidence. While this conversation was happening, Halfbie muttered to themselves, "I wonder how Vaelrith is doing," completely unrelated to the others' conversation.

Much to Viktor's objections, Drache marched over to Halfbie. Still, before he could tell Halfbie everything, Viktor brought up Vaelrith, saying that the god wished them well. Halfbie replied, "Oh, that's funny. I was thinking about them. " There was a brief pause before Halfbie's eyes widened with alarm. WAIT! How do you know this?!!"

Viktor calmly explained that during their fight, he actually died, but was rejected from The Still Lands. In the process, the god destroyed part of his cloak, and Viktor showed them the shredded fabric as evidence. He explained that the cloak acted more as a prison for the soul of a reaper, a herald of Vaelrith. "Occasionally, the soul leaks through, but it has never been as bad as it was the other day, as you saw." Viktor explained, "I suspect it is because Vaelrith has returned"

He then pulled down his collar and showed the party how whatever was left of the cloak was slowly fusing to his body. He explained that he assumed the prisoner would probably become the warden if this continued. Drache offered to try to cut it away, revealing a blade with frightening speed and nonchalance. Mordecai jumped in, stating that this was more than a physical ailment and that something more powerful would be needed to solve it.

The party decided it would be best to investigate closer to the barrier. They left and walked around to the closest edge of the black tower. Without hesitation, Halfbie and Drache, almost in unison, reached out to grab the barrier. Halfbie got slight burns, while Drache had no such reaction. The barrier was pliable and felt like increasingly thick rubber or honey. Drache even managed to walk a little into the barrier, but gave up when it took him more than a minute to struggle to 2 passes forward.

Halfbie concluded that it was made out of pure magic and was over 5 meters thick. There would be no easy way to break it. They then cut themselves off as they asked Viktor to channel some necrotic energy into the barrier.

The two opposing magics collided but could not fully connect. It was as if two polarised magnets were held to each other, the forces repelled from each other. The necrotic energy soon dispersed, and the baier stood unaffected. Seeing there wasn't much for them to do, Drache suggested that it might be good to go to the temple of Seraphina and see if they could learn anything new.

Like many places dedicated to the gods, the temple lay untouched from previous conflicts in the city. The only thing that had changed was that there were now two Harpies positioned on either side of the door, with swords hanging at their hips, made from metals not none to any of them.

The guard did nothing when the party approached, and they were allowed to walk straight in. Inside, many beds had been set up for various patients in what used to be a regular hall. Many of the patients were various beggars, thieves, and shady-looking individuals. The party even recognises a few as part of the revolution, but did not return Halfbie's friendly wave.

The altar was not attended to as many Harpies tended to the various people in the hall. Drache approached and decided to kneel and pray to Serephina. He tried to think of what he might like and concluded that she would appreciate any healing. He extended his hand and released a pulse of healing. Mordecai and Viktor followed suit. Halfbie kneeled and decided to fill their head with only memories of Halfbie being merciful and forgiving.

All of their offerings were accepted, so they were no longer in a beautiful building when they opened their eyes. Instead, they found themselves lying on their backs, staring at an expansive blue sky filled with fluffy clouds. 1000s of Harpies could be seen flying around, tending to various duties.

Sitting up, they found themselves on a luscious green floating island surrounded by similar islands. In the middle was a much larger island with a large ceramic made of polished marble and gold. From their island was an ancient-looking bridge that looked as if it hadn't been used in millions of years.

After pondering whether they should trust the bridge, Drache caught the attention of the Harpie and commanded it to help them cross. The harpie extended its hand and, with a single arm, helped the whole party cross to the other side. None of the party dared to approach the large wooded door in front of them. Halfbie nudged at Drache's side until he caved and slowly knocked at the door. It swung open with heft.

The inside of the cathedral was even more stunning than the outside. The pillars stretched to the roof, which seemed lit by waves of golden light. A lady in a white robe and clad in golden locks stood in the middle of the great hall. She looked identical to the various paintings made of her. Harpies sounded her as she gave them all orders.

The party silently waited towards the back until she beckoned them over. She spoke gently, but her tone made her sound bored. She greeted them and asked what they wanted.

"We have a bit of a situation at the moment, and we were looking for some guidance, some help, " said Drache.

Seraphine nodded for him to continue, "We're currently in a place called Blackwall, are you aware of what is happening there at the moment?"

Someone killed one of my followers," she replied bluntly.

Drache explained that they had been told to find and destroy whatever had killed one of her followers. However, they weren't sure what they were looking for and wanted some help, as none could leave. Drache was also worried that if their situation continued, then people would start dying due to a lack of food or hygiene.

"Interesting. So you came to me to help you?"

"Kind of, yes. he has a lot of things happening that we need to tend to, and we don't want more people to die." pleaded Drache

"I have no say over what they do," she replied bluntly. Was your friend the Korrigan controlled by Lorwyn? Do you think Chronovorus ordered the twist to stop hunting you? I am unable and unwilling to control millions of Harpies."

She paused momentarily before saying, "Suppose I should be compassionate. This is my role to play."

Halfbie stepped closer and asked if they wanted to talk about it. Seraphine was initially very confused, demanding that the boy clarify what they were talking about. halfbie shot Mordecai a look before saying, 'Sometinmes talking about it can help' Halfbie then asked who gave them their role to play. Seraphine simply stated, 'The Universe'

Mordecai asked, " What would happen if you just didn't play your role?"

"No one would be able to heal,, she stated, "it would also affect everyone I care for"

"Playing devils advocate," Halfbie said, "When Vaelrith died, people were still able to die"

"Vaelrith died?" Seraphine's voice shares a slight bit of interest

"Yeah, it probably wasn't that long for you, but he's back now so no need to worry. it was proablly only a few 1000 years"

"As you can imagine, the god of life-giving and the god of death don't have many things in common." After a moment, she said, "I suppose I can call off my Harpies if you would like"

They all nodded and thanked her for helping them. Halfbnie then subtly nudged Viktor to talk. He felt strange as he had spent most of his life hating the gods, but he liked Seraphina.

He stepped forward and asked what she thought of bad methods being used to accomplish good things. She pondered for a moment before saying she was conflicted but felt that it was fine as long as the evil wasn't horrific and didn't outweigh the good done. He then asked if the harpies would think the same, and she agreed they probably would.

He then stepped forward and revealed that he is one such person who uses evil methods to help people. " I try to help people, stop them on the brink of death, and bring them back. To do that, I used magic, which is most unorthodox."

"That doesn't sound particularly evil to me."

"I also have a herald of Vaelrith imprisoned in my cloak."

"Again. Not particularly evil."

"I think I got possessed by the cloak and the clock killed your herald"

"Slightly more evil..."

"Yes, now you know why we're here", interjected Drache.

"So why do you have this cloak?" she asked.

"Because that is how I connect to the still lands and bring souls back. I usually reserve my magic for times when people. We should not have died. I should not be the judge, but at least I can heal." stated Viktor.

There was a long pause before Halfbie spoke up, "Sooooo, do you have any hobbies?"

"Not really, I'm kind of busy makiung suire people can heal"

"How does that work? Do you have to like manage something?"

" I just kind of you know... exist. You're asking lots of questions that don't make much sense."

"Yeah that's kinda Halfbie's thing", stated Mordecai.

"What do you do?" asked Seraphina

"I like to learn... and use magic. im often exploring mostly the Abmer realms." explained Halfbie.

"You do more right?" she asked.

"I make a really good chicken noodle soup"

"No, you're doing even more than that. You're breathing, right?"

"Yeah, I guess. I've got a few million bacteria in my intestines that are, you know, digesting food. My heart pumps blood aorund my body and neurons send signals in my brain"

"Do you think about this? Do you actively have to do something to control this?"

"No, this happens all subconsciously", Halfbie said, a little confused.

"How strange, I have nothing to do with it; it just happens. I just stay here. And you have your bacteria, and you're weird Body things, and you just stay wherever you stay," she said

"I can move around," she clarified, " I just like standing here. There's a nice breeze."

Halfbie is tired of explaining that she would find more enjoyment in the things she is intrinsically good at if she stopped seeing them as a job she is tasked with. She does not understand, explaining that even if she wasn't told, she likes it and would do it. If she didn't, she would still do it as she is said to do.

After some back and forth and getting nowhere, she asked if they had any more strange questions. Viktor asked if he was responsible for the death of the Harpie. Seraphina wasn't sure, but would guess that he was, as his body did it. Mordecai tried to explain that, surely, if people aren't in control of their bodies like during a possession, they cannot be held accountable for those actions. She did not understand, stating that she had never experienced this, so she could not discuss the subject.

Halfbie began to panic internally as the conversation became increasingly severe and stressful. Their gaze shifted to a thousand-yard stare as the other tried to describe what it was like to be possessed to no avail. Halfbie was broken out of their state when Mordecai pleaded for them to help them explain.

Halfbie looked at Seraphina and asked her to close her eyes, which she did. He then told her to take one step to the left when she opened her eyes. She then said, "That's not right. I've always been here. I don't know what that would be like. "

Halfbie smiled and said that confusion is what it is like to possess. Now that I understand what they were all talking about, Seraphina said he would probably not be held accountable for this. Still, it isn't her place to judge him.

Viktor had one last question: Would she be able to help him with something before showing him where his cloak had fused to his skin? She was unable to help as this was outside her domain. They all thanked her for her time and left.

They assumed that the best way to leave was the way they came, so they made their way over to the bridge to return to their island. The bridge looked worse for wear, and they were unsure if it would support all of their weights. Halbfie explained they could cast fly on up to 2 other people and used innie Minnie miny mo to decide who would be the one to not get the spell's effects. Viktor was chosen, and he began his way to the bridge. Halfbie and Drache began to fly off as they began to have fun. Halfbie, accustomed to flying, already started doing tricks and flips in the area and attempted to teach Drache how to do it. They even managed to convince some harpies to join in on the fun.

Mordecai floated alongside Viktor as they crossed the bridge. They walked/ floated in silence before Mordecai spoke up. "You have the power of a herald attached to you."

"Yes", he said simply.

"But not necessarily you?"

Viktor nodded his head in confirmation, "Think of it more like a key"

"And if that key offered the entire door, would you take it?"

"The key would not offer me the entire disk; it would open it without my asking it to." Viktor replied grimly

"Then if the Key asked you to open the door, what would you do?"

"I would simply throw away the key"

Mordecai fell very quiet. His voice was muted and filled with emotion and guilt when they spoke again. "I haven't told the others yet... I didn't want them to know and I don't know how they're going to react"

"would you like ot elaborate...?"

When we were fighting at the Blackwall, and you died?" Viktor nodded. In my head, I had Seifer telling me to let it in, and I can't help but wonder if I had, no one would have died. I could have helped, and I didn't. " There was a pause before they continued. "I feel like a coward, and I don't know if I've done the right thing."

"Mordecai, I have lived my entire life being sure of my principles. This is all I can ever do. And you have met me at a time when my own world has been turned upside down." He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. However, the one thing I do know for sure is that you are mortal, and you should be proud of that. You do not need divinity, you do not need other people's power - except the help of your friends. I have lost many, many friends over the years. So it brings me great joy to see a god who does seem to care about us mortals. However, like the gods, the heralds are unpredictable. Seifer is just the same."

"She isn't talking to me at the moment, I'm assuming it's because I fucked the entire sisutation up"

"Well, like my cloak, she has no dominion here, so that makes this place the only time we can talk with some level of privacy. Dealing with the gods is always tricky. I used to know someone who thought they solved our problems. I have seen them driven mad with that thought, and I would hate to see anyone else go down the same path."

"Thank you", said Mordecai simply

"I am a doctor after all," Viktor said with a rare smile as he ruffled Mordecai's hair.

"I don't know how she will be when we get back. I don't know why; I have a horrible feeling in my stomach, and something bad will happen. Said Mordecai weekly,

"We'll deal with it. You are not alone in this, and your friends will not judge you, as long as you stay true to yourself"

"Yep, thank you..."

"Now, if you don't mind, I would like to travel with you more. I will be heading towards the desert as well. and it will be nice to help all of you with your problems"

Mordecai awadly mentioned that they had been writing a song about the deeds and morals of Drache. They explained that at one point they had tried to hold those same morals, but could not do so, and Viktor asked if Mordecai would play it to him sometime, as it would be lovely to hear. By this point, they had crossed the bridge and had reached the spot they arrived in. Viktor slowly got down and lay on the grass with Mordecai following soon after him.

After a few minutes, Halfbie and Drache noticed they had reached their destination and joined them on the grass. When they opened their eyes again, they walked on some of the beds in the temple, as if moved for comfort.

They quickly returned to the Black Tower, where they got into bed and began to drift off. Along the way, they had decided that the Golden Fleet would be too difficult for them to take on. However, if they went to Fort Moldan to get their money back, they could stand a chance, as they could fund the army that Robert Thornwood was creating.

Soon, they were all fast asleep. That was until Mordecai and Viktor, known light sleepers, awoke to the sound of Halfbie murmuring in their sleep. Listening in, they were horrified by the contents of their speech, awaking Drache to listen as well. Halfbie muttered the following in a voice laced with dread:

They call me livestock. They called my forefathers and their forefathers all livestock, all meat. The farmers take care of us, feeding us, protecting us, and harvesting our skin for their clothes. It’s a simple life in what the farmers call their "underground sanctuary." My mother once told me tales of something called "the sky," where endless light stretched far beyond anything I could ever see or imagine. All I knew was the pen, which was 31 steps wide and 27 steps tall.

Today, they took my uncle, just as they had taken my father some feedings ago. According to my mother, everyone was taken. Everyone would be rounded up by the farmers and brought outside to see the sky. I cannot wait to see the sky; the farmers seem to think it is a good thing, as they always celebrate my kin's departure with a delicious-smelling meal.

One day, I awoke to heavy bangs and shouts from behind the great wooden doors leading to the sky. Many who lived in the underground sanctuary began to panic, run, and hide as the doors to the sky were boarded up and guarded by men with shiny objects attached to wooden poles. The air grew tense, and only the men dared to approach that door, not even to catch a glimpse of the sky.

Before the last feeding, my mother was taken. She bleated with joy as they led her away, but fell silent when they took her further from the door. The atmosphere was heavy with dread as the feedings became less frequent. The sanctuary's inhabitants grew thinner and thinner as food supplies dwindled. Eventually, I was the only one left, and soon it would be my turn to be taken away. They led me through a street filled with people crying in pain, their stomachs empty and their beds occupied only by memories. I was taken into a room where the floors were red, and my older brothers and sisters hung from the walls.

That was when I realised there was no sky. I wanted to mourn, but I soon realised that dead bodies do not cry. I now hung as nothing more than meat, rotting in a sanctuary that had been forgotten to time.