Session Notes for 2005-05-06

The group discusses how to proceed. There is an agreement that we should seek out another elemental node. Perhaps the fountain is the node of water? We'll try to activate the sepheroth that will restore our view of reality and weaken Albunea.

We head back down. This time it's only about one and a half times around the tower before we arrive on the second floor.

Outside the fog seems a bit thinner. Glancing at the clock tower, it no longer seems to have the unnatural draw. It's just a big clock.

Jack produces some weapons he acquired somewhere. He has some daggers and javelins. Bah, little elfy weapons. I need something big.

We head clockwise around the pool toward the fountain we saw before. We pass the museum. It's dark.

Mad dog says he sees a carriage approaching, but none of the rest of us do. Later he sees some figures skulking in an alley. We don't see those either. Maybe Mad dog is crazy.

We arrive at the fountain. It's pretty big, maybe forty feet across. Anna starts taking off her boots. Why bother? I hope in. I poke around, but I don't find anything. Well, I find some copper. I guess that's useful.

Anna hops in and wanders around. When she's near the fountain center she says she's close. Apparently the bag of tiles twitches occasionally. I lift Anna up to the top. The bag still only twitches every few seconds.

Mad dog's dog growls at something west. Off to the west, near the bridge, is the hedgehog. It watches us.

We decide to try the big pool. We head down near the docks. The hedgehog continues to watch. Mad dog waves to it and it waves back. Weird hedgehog.

-28 Buying skills

The docks are supported with pylons and floats. As we approach the sway a little, as though a wave passed by. Maybe someone is splashing around on the other side. I step onto the docks.

Two small misty white, humanoid, winged creatures descends. Instead of legs it has a whirlwind of dust and mist. One of the whirlwinds engulfs me in a cone of dust and grit. It stings and cuts at me. The other strikes me, bruising me a bit. Argh! Two more of the things wait above. They all grab at me, trying to drag me into the water, but I'm much too strong and easily pull away.

Mad dog summons a ball of flame in his hand. He throws little gouts of flame at the air things. They don't seem to like the fire. I chop at one with my axe; my blows don't do much damage. I begin to fall back. The damage we've done is already healing. The two we've injured fall far back. Cowardly air things. The other two fall a little back and spray me with dust and grit. The dust cuts into my flesh. Mad dog continues to throw flame at them. Jack points at them and faint blue lines strike the air beasts. One falls toward the water and suddenly disappears.

Given the opportunity, I run for it. The two nearby air things shoot up into the sky and disappear into the mist.

The group approaches the water again. Anna says the bag is slightly moving again. At Mad dog's insistence, I follow him onto the pier. A thick snake of muddy water lashes out and grabs Mad dog. Mad dog touches his still flaming hand to the water tentacle. There is a sizzling sound. The tentacle tries to drag Mad dog into the water, but Mad dog clings to the dock. Jack blast the tentacle with his blue ray. The middle dissolves and the two halves sink into the dock, leaving a muddy mark.

Anna steps onto the dock. The tiles are slightly vibrating, but not enough. I tell Anna to go further onto the docks, but she resists. I try to take the pouch, but she pulls it away. What is her problem? We retreat back onto land. Anna lets Mad dog pull out one of the tiles from the pouch. Armed with the tile Mad dog and I step onto the docks again.

I quickly head out to the farthest point on the docks. The tile vibrates in my hand. Mad dog follows more slowly. I head to the end of the docks. It's still only slightly buzzing. At Mad dog's suggestion I stick my hand into the water. The tiles buzzes quickly, then dissolves in my hand. Good, I think. I feel slightly refreshed and a bit less drunk.

20 Activating the sepheroth Yesod

I try to stand up and tell the rest of the party, but I can't move! Mad dog pulls me back and I fall onto the dock. Three murky-water snakes lash out at me, battering me and wrapping around me.

Jack and Mad dog use their magic attacks on the tentacles. Then the tentacles drag me into the water. Crap. Jack fires his blue ray into the water.

-4 reroll save.

I'm dragged deeper into the pool. Mad dog turns into an octopus and chases after the snakes and I. The octopus grapples the snakes and drags the mass of us to the surface. Jack shoots the muddy water tentacles with rays while the Mad dog octopus wrestles them.

A water front pushes by, something else is approaching. Mad dog releases the water worms and they flee. Suddenly a dark cloaked watery figure slams into Mad dog repeatedly. Mad dog drops me on the dock. When the fight goes badly, he flees back to the dock, picks me up, and retreats.

5 The creatures in the pool

The cloaked figure doesn't surface. It seems like it's over. A few moment later I regain control over my body. The octopus peeks into the water, then turns back into Mad dog.

We head back toward the fountain. As we pass the boathouse we discover that there are a number of people hanging around. The place seems more busy than it did before. Were we deluded and didn't see these people before?

We head toward the inn. A couple sitting near the fountain points at us, stands, and heads away to the east.

As we head west it becomes more populous. We stop near the boathouse and Mad dog heals us.

After discussing possibly trying to move further from the pool, we decide to head to the Flaming Bell.

On the side near the canal the second story of the inn has an open balcony on top of the first floor's roof. In the front is an alcove. There are iron fenced gardens to either side. The garden on the right has a gate and a door that leads inside. In the middle steps lead up to a door. The top of the door has frosted glass revealing flickering light inside. Immediately to the right of the door is a sconce holding a large flame. Hanging below is a large brass bell. Clear glass, barred windows look out onto the gardens.

Anna holds the bag near the sconce, but it doesn't buzz.

Sen notices someone look at us and head off to the north. In the fog Sen sees the person speak with someone in a hat similar to Sen's. The person is pointing roughly toward us. We decide to quickly move on. Mad dog suggests we try inns or taverns south of the fountain.