Session 1-4 Notes

Session One - Lorekeeper Expedition - 10/22/2005

5th Age, 500th Year, Season of Seroren, 60th Day

The group is formed in the city of Thyrc under the leadership of AEolric, the official guild representative. Members of group includes Ilk (Human Scout), Astria (Elven Cleric), Jade (Elven Cleric), Magnus (Human Cleric of Ilmater), and myself - Hokusai (Human Monk of Ilmater)

Hokusai's orders from the guild are simple. Protect the Lorekeeper representative and follow his orders when appropriate. When in doubt seek the advice of Mangus and follow his lead.

Hokusai knows that the "Lorekeepers seek to avoid confrontation with other powers." And this concerns him because it limits their ability to do good.

The party will be traveling by boat to Oskarlin where they will receive details for their expedition. The ship will be stopping at Black Rock Prison to drop off some supplies.

The big news of the day is that the Centura destroyed House Hilford's Manor in Thyrc.

AEolric is always writing and he has a raven for a pet, sometimes you see it, sometimes you don't.

Fog in the morning, 40-70 degrees

The captain of the ship drinks too much. The first night of travel the ship is attacked by a Sea Monster.

AEolric learned of another Lorekeeper that went up to the Prison at Black Rock. He asks if Hokusai thinks they should go to the Prison to discover what the other Lorekeeper was investigating. Hokusai tells him that would not be wise. AEolric decides we will go anyway.

Moonfall is in 3 days. The party will stay on Black Rock for 2 days.

There has been a prison here for 500 years. Mining Guild runs the prison. Anyone can send the "guilty" here. The party sees a prison guard throws a prisoner off of a cliff after a failed escape attempt. Everyone knows the consequences for trying to escape. Hokusai is very concerned about this place. He even discovers that there seems to be a list of prisoners who should not be killed.

The other Lorekeeper had questioned, and it seems killed doing so, prisoners about something. The other group went deep into the prison mines so AEolric orders us to do the same the next morning. Two members of the other group did not leave the island of Black Rock.

In the depths we are attacked by a creature. After killing the creature the group discovers it's food supply: 2 guards with different symbols on straps, 3 prisoners two with numbers 42176, 38742. All are dead.

Magnus put himself in jeopardy by attacking the creature in melee combat. Hokusai asks him to be more careful. He must not be harmed.

Hokusai is the only member of the party who was injured in the fight – praise be to Ilmater.

Session 2 (11/12/05)

Ilmater must be pleased with Hokusai because after the battle, with the monster in the caverns below the Prison, Hokusai’s abilities seem to have increased.

Magnus and the Lorekeeper seems distracted. Magnus no doubt is concerned with the loss of his connection to Ilmater and the Lorekeeper is busy writing in his book.

After Magnus says a few words for the dead the party continues.

Ilk takes the lead. Hokusai gives him 10' and follows behind, the rest follow at safe distance behind Hokusai.

Ilk seems to be a man ready to fight - Hokusai fears at times that Ilk is looking for a fight.

The party is attacked by more creatures. Hokusai gets close to them because of his fighting style, others are using ranged weapons. There is something about these creatures that concerns him. They seem insect or spider like BUT they also have hair. Is there some kind of human connection here?

These are savage creatures and the party fights for their own survival. Magnus and Hokusai must survive to get word about this place back to the church.

Magnus and the Lorekeeper have kept a safe distance during an encounter with several creatures but they are later attacked by a second wave that came in from behind them. Hokusai leaves the battle in the front, taking damage as he moves away, to protect Magnus and the Lorekeeper but he arrives too late and both Magnus and the Lorekeeper are injured. Praise be to Ilmater that they will survive.

Once the party has defeated the creatures they set out to return to the surface.

However the Lorekeeper has instructed Ilk to keep his eyes open and Ilk indeed finds a fissure leading to a cavern. The cavern glows with a moss growing on the stalactites. At the back of the cavern is a Door of some kind. There seems to be no way of opening it, this is good since Hokusai had no interest in opening it. Hokusai did do a painting to show the Lorekeeper since he was in no condition to crawl through the fissure to get to the cavern.

The party exits the caverns. Magnus, the Lorekeeper, and Hokusai go to, and stay in, the infirmary. The wounded are given some kind of elixir there that cures some of our wounds. The others spend some time with the Captain in charge of this place.

Hokusai spends some time in meditation. When Hokusai meditates it is common for him to paint some Sumi-e pictures. These are paintings that keep the spirit of his subjects but do not strive to be realistic representations. They feel right but when compared to the actual subject look wrong. Part of the paintings would be words and symbols that help increase the understanding of the subject.

Hokusai has done the following paintings that will be turned over to the Lorekeeper: The Creature, Map of passages, Door in the cavern. Hokusai never keeps the paintings he does - he instead turns them over to someone else who might enjoy them. In this case the Lorekeeper - often they are given to poor children.

The party spends the night in the prison infirmary and in the morning return to the ship.

On the ship the party is questioned about some type of mineral that they mine at the prison. The ship’s captain confiscated a bag of silver that Ilk had. Ilk said was some minerals that he mined below the prison. Hokusai could tell the captain had his doubts about this. No matter, the Captain had no right to claim any Ilk’s possessions. Hokusai is not sure he likes this captain.

The captain’s actions here later influenced Hokusai’s decision to escape this ship rather then stand and fight to the death with the crew. Hokusai’s mission is not here - and he must do everything he can to get to where he need to be.

Two days out another vessel attacks. Hokusai does not understand why the Captain of the ship did not try to negotiate with the captain of the Maritime Guild vessel that ultimately would be the victor here. The party escapes in the longboat with 3 members of the crew on board - including the ships lieutenant.

The party makes it to land about five days walk from their destination. Hokusai hopes they are now back on track for the intended mission.

Praise be to Ilmater.

Session 3 – Hokusai does not remember much from this session. If it di exist at all.

Session 4

Days pass and Hokusai has lost all track of time and direction.

Hokusai is bound to the service of the Lorekeeper Guild. Hokusai has always suspected that the Lorekeepers is an organization that serves as a front for spell casters who did not want to work in government or religious organizations. He has often questioned the so called “good” they do. This suspicion was initially solidified when Hokusai first met the “Lorekeeper Representative”. He had the look of an arcane spell caster with a book in his hand and animal familiar on his shoulder. But getting to know him Hokusai was now not so sure. AEolric uses the book to write and read information not spells and he seems to share no special connection with his pet raven. Certainly none that would help the group, like using a bird’s eye vantage point to help the party go in the right direction. And if he has any spell casting powers he has not used them to help the party in any way that Hokusai can remember. Still he has his surprises, in a recent fight against some stone trolls he proved more capable than he was back in the prison and on the ship. Were some of his abilities hampered in the prison like the clerics in the party?

Hokusai's other companions are…

Magnus. The good cleric of Ilmater.

Ilk. A capable fighter (Scout) and his skills both in battle and wilderness survival have kept the party going.

Jade. One of the two Clerics with elven blood. I am not sure why she has joined this expedition.

Astria. The second elven cleric is really an archer who has the ability to cast healing spells.

Hokusai wonders why these two Elven Clerics have joined this expedition. Is there something that the Elves as a race are concerned with? Hokusai suspects the Lorekeepers have an agenda that he does not know about, do the Elves have one as well? Hokusai knows the Church of Ilmater must have their own reasons for involving Magnus and Hokusai in this expedition.

Since the party came ashore they have tried to go through the mountains to reach a city. The Lorekeeper kept pulling out maps spouting the names of cities in every direction till Hokusai's mind went numb. No matter, his responsibility is to his church and now it seems to this Lorekeeper. Where they go is not his concern. But Hokusai needs to find a way to do something good with his life.

Since their sense of direction on land failed them, the party looks back to the water. A sail is fashioned for the boat. AEolric, the Lorekeeper representative, suddenly knew the location of a tusker that the party could use for food. After killing the tusker the party was attacked by a group of stone trolls. Ilk and Hokusai almost met Ilmater’s embrace but the Elven clerics kept them among the living.

Praise be to Ilmater.

In the lair of the stone trolls Ilk found a vast treasure. Hokusai secured a share to give to the poor – 10 gp, 8 sp, and a 250 gp gem.

The party is now in a small village. Since the order of Ilmater has no church here, and they will be here for a couple of days, Hokusai decided to approach the Church of Selune to see if they could find him some work worth doing. The Selunites welcomed Hokusai and invited him on a mission to help the poor in a neighboring community. Hokusai gave them a 10 gp donation for their work and accept their offer to let him stay in a small room at the temple. If, after experiencing their good deeds first hand, Hokusai discovers their work is deserving he will offer the Church of Selune the 250 gp gem so that they can continue their good work. Otherwise Hokusai will hold on to the gem till a suitable, deserving group can be found.

Hokusai hopes his connection with the Lorekeeper brings more funds for the poor. The Lorekeepers have stated that he must be forfeit all claims to just about all possessions or he does not fulfill the term of my contract. Not a problem since Hokusai claims no possession for himself but the others in the party should have cause for concern.

Magnus has stayed with Hokusai – the others went to spend, and pamper themselves. Hokusai looks forward to a break from the Lorekeeper, even if is just for a single day, to do some good.

Magnus and Hokusai will need to work on what information they want to send to the church regarding the conditions at the prison. Their plan that messages would be carried by sailors on the ship clearly is not going to happen now.