An Overview of Recent Events #2

The last Gather began not quite as unexpectedly as the prior, but it certainly had its

share of surprises! When the heroes arrived, the town was the same and yet...not.Paths had

shifted, buildings weren’t quite where they had been, and the land seemed to move at the edge of one’s vision. The Bonekeeper arrived and provided an explanation: Fortune’s Bend is not stable.

Memory Stones

He went on to explain that the Faustinos’ had once again wreaked havoc upon the Cairn,

destroying some memory stones and stealing another, resulting in the destabilizing of

Fortune’s Bend. For those unfamiliar, memory stones are a way for memories to be stored and

later accessed by those who are not Remembrancers. The town quickly set out to recover the

stolen memory stone; part of the town fought against constructs created by the Faustinos,

while others trapped and questioned them. Together, heroes recovered the stolen memory

stone and learned of a stolen key, hidden so well that it was surely lost to history...

Upon the town returning to the Cairn, the Bonekeeper informed us–on behalf of the

Lady of Moths–of the Pact with Death. The town needed a spokesperson who would serve as a

funnel for questions regarding the Pact. Daimyo Cicero Stargone volunteered and was

confirmed for the role.

Anchoring the Town

The Lorekeeper visited the town next and brought fair tidings: the town could be

stabilized by being anchored to a memory stone from a previous iteration of the town’s

history. The Lorekeeper presented four options and encouraged the choice to be made as a

town, as each memory stone would provide guidance on different matters.The choices were as

follows:

• Hekatesh, to gift strength, and the knowledge to attain it

• Serakko, to possess the wisdom to prevent hubris and willful negligence

• Avrillus, to guide keen eyes and identify enemies within

• Fortune’s Bend, to grant understanding of grief, challenge, victory, and conviction

The Lorekeeper also suggested considering a new name for this version of the town to

be known by.

Cora’s Visit

Cora shared with gathered heroes that she had a lead on the location of a memory stone.

She led a group to a mausoleum where a memory stone was acquired and later, with the aid of ritualist Jon Erik Vitalli of the Ebony Eye, helped access a memory of battle at Avrillus.This

memory centered on a group known to heroes as the Tabula Rasa. To the people of Avrillus,

they were known as the Eternal Fleet, and they had befriended, manipulated, and then turned

on the town.

The Unlit Halls

The next day, Holmon came at the behest of Pru to guide heroes to multiple locations where pieces of the key had been hidden by the Faustinos.All of the pieces were recovered and later assembled, bringing hope of a way to unlock the Unlit Halls. The Knave of Clovers led the majority of the town into a battle to reclaim the door, then snuck a small group into the Unlit Halls through a hidden entrance. This was covered in poisonous webs and monitored by an angry spirit created by the Faustinos to be the Keeper. Both groups were successful in their defense of Pru and her Halls. Later that evening, the Unlit Halls was once again open for beings to visit and make deals under Pru’s watchful gaze.

The Oracle Gate

On the final day of the Gather, ritualist JonErikVitalli returned and led the town through a ritual to connect to a previous version of the town. The gathered heroes were able to summon their strength and pull the Oracle Gate from that version to the current one. The combined hopes and intentions for the town powered the ritual while the town split; half of the town fought echoes of battles from previous iterations of the town, and the others worked with JonErik to secure the Oracle Gate. The ritual was a success, although it is still unknown if this ritual also managed to remove the Faustinos’ ability to manipulate the Gate (see the decoded Faustino documents for more on this).

Chamomile Foraging:

Heroes learned that the herb can be used to create a throat coat potion to “cure silence by poison.”

The Enkindler:

Pallus of the Enkindler Convocation arrived to help the town establish a shrine to the Genosori. She found a nearby relic that the group could recover to get things started.

Captain Cheevers & The Mud Puppy:

Captain Cheevers invited heroes to go (magic) fishing in the Sea of Fortune! The fish dredged up from the depths had swallowed more than their fair share of goodies. Drakar,

components, and magical effects (both good and ill) awaited the intrepid fishermen.

Kindaria Deeps 101:

Trinket from Kindaria came to town to invite heroes to plunge the depths of the Kindaria Deeps. He offered to arrange trips into the ever-changing tunnels in exchange for 10% of

loot found. Those who accompanied him participated in a variety of introductory activities, including training with combat constructs, solving puzzles, and rappelling into chasms

looking for components.

The Foam Follower:

Captain Fillian of the Foam Follower recruited heroes to sail into the storms on open ocean and brave the storm’s elementals to learn about a suspicious ship skulking through the

waters. After combat, the crew found that it was called the Hollow Flight and flew Merrigor’s flag. Nothing is known about why the crew–likely revenants–were out there.

The Broken Lattice:

The Lattice that connects the town to other parts of the world had been broken, and present heroes of the town had to determine who would be able to use the gate in the future.

It was decided that humans and living beings, as well as beings who had never lived, were permitted to use it. However, beings that once lived and are now dead (e.g., undead) are not

permitted.

While this does prevent Vargoth from traveling through the Lattice, the implications of this decision are already being felt. A field Marshall from Merrigor was unable to bring his

Revenants with him through the gate, as all undead–including friendly undead–are now prohibited from this form of travel.

Blue MoonRitual:

Two Spyndelmerens arrived in town to conduct a ceremony for the Blue Moon festival. Heroes of Fortunes Bend (and almost all members of the FortuneTeller staff) attended a

ritual, which honored a historical coven of witches that defended their village from a dark curse. The ritual entailed holding hands in a circle while attendees placed flowers in the

middle and spoke of the commonalities they shared with the others attending. Just as the ceremony was concluding, a horrible voice rang out: “BY MY VOICE.. UNIFY BY CURSE.”

One of the guests was actually a witch! She cackled as guests stood in shock and left before questions could be asked.The effects of the curse have yet to rear their ugly heads,

but additional details will be provided when available. To any reading who was afflicted by this curse, we say... UNITY!

Lord Graves’ Soiree:

The Foxfall Mercenaries and town heroes attended the ball of Lord Graves to infiltrate his manor and look for the lyrics and tune to unlock the music box in which he trapped the

voice of the bardess Millicent Hurst.The heroes charmed the guests and host, distracting Lord Graves from the rest of the adventurers and their investigations.

Performances were conducted by several talented heroes, including vocal performances by Issy and Lady Jade, an instrumental performance by Rose, and a dramatic comedy

performance by Martin,Poppy, and Euclid.

Heroes left without incident or discovery. Stay tuned for a performance of the retrieved song!

Brought to you by The Fortune Teller Staff

(Recap of Aug 2023 Event)