The Troll Philosopher

Alloi (Helo), and Be welcome again.

This is the first update, from about nine adventure sessions of play. They'll be all here, going through this First Chapter until the end of the First Chapter, and I'll introduce new factors necessary to understand the Second Chapter. It runned during two months of Play. Some Players were off, for work and life reasons. So, I decided to tell the Story from the viewpoint of the Players present.

New Characters

Spike, warknight (construct), wizard
Adria, ichi (race from the Source plane), psionic

(The Troll Philosopher)

Spike, after being created at the Forge, studied to be a wizard. Wizards are rare amongst the warknights. So, after his training, he decided to walk the World of Toj, and then he became a wanderer.

He's walking now at a very beautiful realm, one of the most in the world.

It is called Priatel.

He decides to take a walk, but there's a woman in cloack who's following him. No problem, 'cause she's a wanderer too.

Adria is on the world to save her own race.

At the moment she saw this wanderer, covered with a cloack as she, no wonder she decided to investigate. And now, wanderers stoped at a clean place, and she was asked to go to gather wood with this strange.

They walk together to a side forest, and stoped when they saw the creature.

An imense mantis (louva-deus), was on the place they went to gather wood, starring them. It was saddled (selado). Soon, his master came. A two-times imense Troll.

- Helo (said the Troll). They're not food, Greet (said him to the mantis). I'm here to get water. Do you want a drink?

They said nothing.

- Well, you're invited, if you want.

So, they went with the Troll, to eat and drink. Soon, the silent Mantis came with a dead cow, took the meat off with amazing destructive dexterity and went off to the cliff to eat the bones.

(Pause)

Hadesh, now a masterless wizard, is now waiting for Torian's (Daytel) cousin to came back with an answer.

He asked him to be his master.

This Daytel's cousin's specialist in Void, so he's somewhat mentally disturbed. That's perfectly normal, with someone who wonder Void magic, because Void is one of the most dangerous element ever. His name is Rude. Rudyn Drazci, the Void elementalist.

Hadesh sees Rude coming on the road from the lake southeast Torian's small castle.

- Come with me. (said Rude).

Four hours later, they came to a passage. A passage to a valley. Rude stopped, waiting.

- What? (asked Hadesh).
- We're waiting for permission.

Hadesh decided not to ask. Soon, a fire incendiates at the side of the valley, and Rude started to walk. He followed.

- Food, and drink, my friend (said the Troll, when Rude came). Come on, with your friend, too.

Rude stopped, but went to seat at a side. Hadesh wans't so much confortable, but the five meters high Troll started to introduce everyone.

Adria, Spike, but not Rude.

They talked for most than an hour, so, but no one was being so friendly. Then, the Troll started a game. Who guess right someone's enigma, would have a garanteed answer, somehow, from the one who made the enigma.

Then, one hour later, they knew more about each other.

Adria sensed danger.

- Something is coming. (said she).

Silence.

- It's a big snake, coming alongside that direction (right), but I can't say more than that. (said Adria).
- It's a Basilisk (said Hadesh).

Hadesh started to prepare, in doubt about he being able to transform here.

- Do a barrier, mage (said the Troll to Rude), and this is too much for you to confront. I'll ask you all to think strongly on your holy Gods. (Pause) Do it.

Everyone started to focus their Gods into their minds.

- Gods! Listen to your people. They're not ready to confront this Beast. I ask you wise, to interfere. (said the Troll).

They all listened to snakelanguage black magic. More than thirty, at the same time. Soon, the basilisk was gone, but maybe about thirty shadows appeared, from where it was, getting high to attack.

Hadesh prepared to fly, and went outside the barrier.

The shadows attacked.

Adria transofrmed into a Flying Hunter, a creature from the plane of Source, and attacked with her bow. Her attackes were lightnings.

The shadows attacked the barrier, but Hadesh now decided to go outside. He knew Rude woudn't hold for long the barrier. It all happened quickly, all that attacks and counterattacks, but on the last attack, Hadesh got off the way and the shadows decided to attack him, not the barrier.

Adria killed the last one.

Grey ended the barrier, and they're all together, safe and sound.

Hadesh turned back to normal.

- They were after me. (said Hadesh to Rude).

The Troll asked everyone to be calm, and so he started to speak to Rude.

- I understand why you asked me to teach him, Rude. He's fast, but power is nothing without control, is it that? (asked the Troll to Rude).
- You're the only one, Troll Philosopher (answered Rude).
- Ok. (He turned to Hadesh) I'll teach you. (to the others) Please, wait here.

The Troll came back from the Cave with a book.

- You'll read this, through the next weeks, and come back when you'd done that. Do you understand, Hadesh?
- I'll do it (was the answer).

Then, Rude had invited Adria and Spike to his Mansion, so everyone say goodbye to the Troll, who starred to the valley, in a very deep expression of concern.

Hadesh went back to Torian's Caslte, while Adria and Spike went to Rudyn's Mansion.

(Pause)

Spike passed the night studying old books about the Wastes (the barbarian lands and goblin territories).

At dawn, he noticed Rudyn was attacked.

(Pause)

Hadesh started to study his new book, at the Torian Castle's dungeon.

He remember the last wrong Spell he made here, and don't want to make a mistake again. At that time, even a strange effect occurred. A small spark came from the same place the Spell hadn't work. Of course, he has put the spark on a bottle.

Late that night, suddenly, a man was in front of Hadesh, looking at him, and Hadesh stopped, ready to do anything.

- I'm here to tell you something (said the man).
- What?

The man starred Hadesh.

- When you consider yourself ready to be all you can be, you look for me. I'll know you're ready.
- Who're you?
- Ah. You don't need to know my name. Just this.

The man started to hold his left hand, and to take off the flesh from the bones, and when he let his flesh free it came back to the hand. Hadesh also noticed that the man's right hand was made of Vala, the planar substance, with many magical qualities.

- We have an enemy in common. (said him).

The man vanished the same way he appeared, with no teleport.

(Pause)

Torian, Báech, Christal and Flausin were taking breakfast, when the buttler came with the news. Rude was attacked. They went after Hadesh, at the dungeons.

Getting there, Hadesh was there, and the man was gone.

- Hurry. We need to go and help Rude (said Torian).
- The Lich was here.
- Who?
- The Lich who lost the hand to your Ring, Torian. He was here, now.
- What did he want?
- To say that when I was ready, I was to look after him.
- Huh, we think about that later. We need to help Rude now. (said Torian).

Hadesh decided not to say he wounded the area of the dungeon, with a spell he doesn't know how it works yet.

They went.

(At Rudyn's Mansion)

All Priatels went there, and they decided to send messages to all their allies, Torian included.

Torian sent back to his Castle, and Adria came too.

(At Torian's Castle)

Torian send a stress call to Realms of Ayaname, to the Druid Empire and to the Dwarf Empire, because his Ruledom was attacked.
Ayanima immediately sent an answer.

Torian sent also a magic message to Tack Primus, calling him to his Ruledom. Tack was not able to go through magic teleportation, and started to question why.

(At the same time)

A woman appeared at the teleport room, and Torian was there to welcome her, from the Realms of Ayanima.

She stopped at the teleport and started to talk with Torian.

- What is the problem? (asked the woman).
- My Ruledom was attacked two times. Once by a Basilisk, yesterday, other today by unknown forces.
- What's your name? (asked her).
- Torian Priatel'sa Drazci. And yours?
- Ayasta. I know your family. You're servants of Naraleiva, the Coper Dragon. (said she).
- Yes.
- Ok. I am Ayasta Rei, descendant of Ayanima, but you can't tell it to anyone, or you'll loose my confidence, and any help I can provide.
- I agree. Will you help us?
- Yes.
- There's someone trying to teleport here. Just step from the teleport room, please.

She did it, and Tack appeared there.

(The Meeting)

Tack Primus saw the effect of teleport, and came to Torian's house.

- I'm here. What's happening? (he asked).
- My Ruledom was attacked. Tow times. Rudyn is in some kind of coma, in a mind labyrinth. Ah, yes. This is Ayasta. She'll help us.
- Helo. (he greeted).

They went to the dining room, and met everyone there.

They talked a lot, about what to do, and soon Ayasta was invited to know about everything. Ayasta immediately recognized the princess, Lena Báech, but as everyone was calling her by the name of Christal, it would not help to say anything.

Ayasta summoned a spirit, and the last Duke who died only 15 years before appeared.

- Find everything you can about the Ambar Rings of Power. (asked Ayasta). So, come back to tell me.

He bowed, and was gone. Everyone was impressed, because they knew the Duke's spirit, from paintings in many halls at many castles into Royal Tachiza empire.

They all speak about the Saint called Balder. Ayasta summoned him, too.

- Who attacked him? (asked Ayasta, pointing Hadesh).
- I don't want to know his name. (said Tack).
- Ok. I'll tell only to who wants to know. The Lich is called Ebus, but it wasn't him who attacked. It was Abbramantus, the elite demon.
- Thank you. (said Ayasta).
- I'll have to go, now. So, I meet you at the Temple of Ivory. (said the Saint).

Torian went to his library, and asked to his Tome how to confront a Basilisk, and the answer was with Draka divine magic.

One of the butlers asked Ayasta not to teleport inside the Castle.

- Where are the other Rings? (asked Tack) I was talking about this all the time. Now, you see?
- Ask his Ring where it was hidden. (said Ayasta's Ring to her).
- You (said Ayasta to Torian). You have one of the Rings. (it was not exactly a question).
- How do you know? (asked Torian).
- My Ring said you have one of the Rings of Ambar.
- You have one? (said everyone).

Hadesh explained the visit by the Liych, Adria helped to explain the Basilisk attack, they all talked about the Stole Dreams, and Ayasta decided to help. For her, Senhor dos Sonhos is a neutral Entity. If he decided to do something, it must be to bring balance to the World. They all decided to call the Dreammaker. Soon, they were all starting to prepare to go to the Temple of Ivory.

The Crow came, calling them to the Dream plane.

(At the Temple of Ivory)

They're all talking to the Dreammaker, when another guest came. She was a small girl, walking exactly in lines, with a channel haircut and black hair.

- Yes, Order. What can the Dream make for you? (asked the Dreammaker).
- Give me the Child. (ordered her).

She looked to Hadesh, while asking this.

They all looked to him, until he understood. She wanted a small "spark" that came out of one of his wrong magic attempts, at Daytel's dungeon.

He handed the flask to the girl.

She walked out of the Temple without any more talk, walking on a totally ordered way.

- You'll have to choose, this time. (said the Dreammaker). You know already that only mortal's choices make the difference. There are three Urns to recover, but you'll only have time to recover one of them.

After some talk, and considerations, they choose to save the Raja Tweet's descendant, a girl who will be a future Raja. So, the far east girl who has no powers yet, and the bastard son of a monoteist cardeal would be not saved.

(End of Session)

Some considerations necessary

Who is the enemy in common, that the Liych was talking about?