In A Wicked Age Writeup, Session 3: Schemin' and Blasphemin'

Previously, in a Wicked Age...

...an order of magician-monks who punish blasphemers...
...a demon-god of blood and vengeance, forgotten since antiquity, recently awakened...
...a summoner of illusions and diversions, mild and of good humor, but gullible...
...a prodigy-mage, still a maid, drunk with occult power...

Starring:

Wizzie, a healer and magician of some skill. Twenty years older and wiser since last we saw her, Wizzie is a member of the Order of Monk's Peak, dedicated to the responsible and ethical practice of magic. The recent awakening of an ancient demon-god has driven a wedge between her and the leader of the Order.

George O'Hallohan, a necromancer, demon-speaker, and general ne'er-do-well. Rumors concerning a source of fel power have drawn him to Monk's Peak in the trusty guise of an amateur historian. Though it has been near two decades since last we saw him, George has seemingly only aged a mere handful of years.

The Grand Illusio, conjurer of illusions and mystical diversions. A recent arrival to the foothill village of Tenderstone, Illusio has heard these rumors of evil in the mountains, and he's determined to prevent its escape into the wider world...

At the edge of the Known World, where the mountain's stony peaks rise to pierce the clouds stands the Father of Mountains, Monk's Peak. Rising to an unimaginable height, the crag has been hollowed out by an order of mages to serve as a place of study for the mystical and arcane...and a prison to the more dangerous aspects of that realm of study.

Recently something has gone terribly wrong. Rumors concerning the awakening of an ancient demon-god has made its way to Tenderstone at the foot of the mountain, and its people, so accustomed to peace, have grown uneasy. With the recent arrival of two strangers, it seems these rumors may hold some larger amount of truth.

George O'Hallohan and the Grand Illusio meet in Tenderstone and make their way up the mountainside. After several hours of hiking and discussion concerning the nature and practice of magical techniques, they arrive at the carved entrance to Monk's Peak just as the Order is having a bit of a tiff concerning their practices and leadership.

The argument focuses on the leader of the Order, a mage of substantial power known as Mistren Mastercaster, and the newest inductee to the Order, a prodigy of middle age but monstrous power, Wizzie. Mastercaster blames the escaped demon on her arrival, as her power signature was felt all across the Outer Lands and attempts to convince the other mages to expel her from their mountain.

Wizzie isn't having it, though. With a few choice words she brings her substantial expertise and experience to bear and embarrasses Mastercaster in front of the rest of the Order. With the argument put on ice, Mastercaster retreats to the Archive to study as the others go about their work.

Wizzie, however, notices the new arrivals and confronts them. She notices one looks familiar...this "historian" is very similar to a necromancer she met nearly two decades ago, just before the fateful showdown at Quaylude's Tower in the Outer Lands. We flash back to just after the first session, to the moments immediately after the theft of Quaylude's amulet...

Wizzie exits Quaylude's Tower, a little worse for the wear but primarily only injured in her pride. The man she thought was a historian is there, at the rear of a mass of walking dead risen from the ruins of the village. Despite her best attempts, Wizzie's power ultimately proves unable to prevent the spurned necromancer from setting his risen corpses against the ill-prepared members of the caravan, and she watches, helpless, as they are slaughtered to a man and risen to swell O'Hallohan's ranks.

Illusio sees the dawning recognition on Wizzie's face and attempts to distract her by disguising George as a woman and an illusory puppy. Wizzie, driven by unresolved rage, dispels the magic and calls George out for being a monster. After some harsh words which almost devolve to harsh actions, the three come to an uneasy peace when they agree to work towards sealing the demon first and foremost. They make their way to the Archives to see what they can discover.

You see, the most critical part of demon-speaking is knowledge of the demon's name. Without that information, it's like trying to fit a cage around the breeze. Fortunately, Monk's Peak also happens to serve as a repository of arcane knowledge, which includes various nefarious books containing information from the Fel Realms.

Wizzie leads the three to the Archives, a massive cavern lined from floor-to-unseen-ceiling with scroll racks and bookshelves, the whole of all information and knowledge in the Known World. The three split up:

Wizzie, familiar with the Archives and well-versed in this sort of thing, goes to the section containing fel knowledge and soon learns the full name of the demon: Biel Koz'biel, which translates to "Maker and Unmaker." She replaces the book and goes to check on the progress of her two companions.

Illusio, believing the name of the demon would be difficult to research, grabs ahold of a book from one of the forbidden shelves and is immediately swept away as the thing starts flying up, up, and up. The Archive, you see, is semi-sentient, as most collections of arcane knowledge are, and is guarded by a swarm of Flying Books (Unique [The Archive], Maneuvering) which act to prevent the discovery of its knowledge. So, Illusio finds himself three-hundred feet up, flying with great speed towards the back of the cavern. Once the book reaches Disposals, Illusio begins the three-hour walk back to the entrance of the Archives.

George hangs around a bit, doesn't do a whole bunch of research, and eventually gets a part of the demon's name from Wizzie: Koz'biel.

As Illusio moves towards the entrance he loses his patience and attempts to force the Archive to divulge its secrets. His threats against the books soon raises the Archive's anger and he's assaulted by a swarm of Flying Books. Driven to desperation, Illusio conjures the image of a massive book fire, and they back off...though an Introductory Volume to Demon-Speaking reveals a part of the demon's name: Biel.

As the trio convenes, George realizes he doesn't know if the demon's name is Biel, Koz'biel, or Biel Koz'Biel. Without the full name he knows he cannot safely try to bind the demon to his will. With Wizzie proving unwilling to grant him the knowledge he seeks, George loses his patience and reanimates the dead remnants of the Archive's pests to attack Illusio. The conjurer is set upon by a swam of undead rats, roaches, and a mountain's horde of vermin remains. Driven to panic by his fear of bugs, Illusio reveals the full name of the demon, and George puts his pests to rest.

The demon realizes that these practitioners have learned its name and uses its Demonic Influence (Broad, Action/Maneuvering) to trick Wizzie into killing George for his crimes in the past. She resists, but the display is enough to drive the already-unnerved Illusio to action.

The conjurer decides there's no time like the presence and attempts to seal the demon inside one of the forbidden books. Unfortunately, he doesn't possess the demon's full name, and his cage of books bursts into flames as the demon overcomes his magic. The commotion and flame spurs the Archive to shuffle them away to the entrance, and the doors slam shut behind them.

Biel Koz'biel, having just taken his freedom, isn't ready to take on such driven, knowledgeable casters. The spirit flees down the mountain tunnels, seeking an exit or a way to the deeper places of the world, where it can dwell and plot without interference. The three magicians take off in pursuit, so close to resealing this great evil.

Wizzie and Illusio, at the front of the pack, get caught in a cave-in caused by the demon's influence and are knocked out in the first round of rolls. George uses his magic to avoid the stones and herds the demon up and out to a mountainside altar, which radiates power. It is there, in the midst of a great snowstorm on the side of the mountain, where George O'Hallohan speaks the demon's full name and binds Biel Koz'biel to his will.

Wizzie and Illusio awake to a silent mountain holdfast. As she leaves, she passes the ruins of the Order, the wreckage of the mage's rooms and quarters, and the sealed-shut entrance to the Archives. Illusio follows and, after seeing the smoking ruins of what once was Tenderstone, decides this kind of thing is way above his paygrade and leaves before the demon and its master learns of his survival...

To be continued...

We Owe...
Drahn Skrallguard
Wizzie
George O'Hallohan
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown
Drahn Skrallguard
Twinkles the Brown
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown
The Grand Illusio


GM'S NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
This was the smallest session so far, with three players, two of which were returning. The chosen Oracle was God-Kings of War, which generated a much heavier focus on magicians than I had first expected, but it made sense with who came back. The session still lasted nearly as long as the first, which had six players, though there was a lot more in-character roleplaying and less quick-cuts between scenes.

Additionally, the Oracle wasn't quite so straight-forward as the previous two sessions. I think this partially came from all three characters coming together as magicians, which doesn't quite set up the conflict which In a Wicked Age thrives upon. I feel a bit of this comes from my own in-progress practice at setting up good conflicting scenes; IAWA does seem to do best when the GM drives a relentless pace, with actual transitions that are more than "you walk to the place."

Early into the session I noticed this was a minor issue, as the players didn't have much reason to be at each other's throats. Wizzie's arguments with Mastercaster showed that IAWA isn't really built for civil discussion, so in the future I'll probably have NPCs push for duels or just start off as backstabbers who attack at opportune times. It was interesting to simulate magical duels with Forms rolls, as it gave the players some chances to set how magic actually works. It just took a little bit of practice, as it's a different sort of conflict than "I swing my sword at his neck."\

The Owe List didn't see many additions this time, partially because most of the rolls were made with the highest Forms available. Wizzie's player in particular stuck almost entirely with her d12 and d10 forms, which meant she didn't go back on. Only Illusio, making an altruistic move towards the end, got his name on the list. This marks the second character (alongside Twinkles the Brown) by that player to have a spot on the list, so we'll see what happens when either of them comes back.

Finally, this is the third session and we've yet to see a returning Particular Strength with a change to it. One of the options for returning characters is to increase the Potency of a PS so it gains extra bonuses, but each time a character has returned thus far, they've chosen to redistribute their Forms instead. I think a part of this comes from how IAWA does character damage, as the rulebook says the only way to heal damage to Forms is to redistribute them on return. If this comes up in the fourth session, I'll probably just have the Forms auto-heal, as each session so far has been separated from the others by at least 20 years.

So far IAWA has done a very good job fostering character-investment in the world, much how FATE does with the setting creation sub-session. One difference though is that IAWA handles new players far better than FATE, and implements details in a better, smoother way.

In A Wicked Age Writeup, Session 2: Aggressive Negotiations

Previously, in a Wicked Age...

...the solemnization of treaty between two neighboring principalities, negotiated in the face of brutality and assassination, doomed...

...a baby's birth, heralded by prophets, written of in antique books, forseen by the wise...

...a troupe of musicians for hire, one of whom is a burglar and a cutpurse...

...the celebration of a day sacred to the city's chief cult...

Starring:

Drahn Skrallguard, in this year serving as Captain of the Bloodied Empire. Quite a bit younger than when we last saw him, this Drahn trades in his stench for authority and his stoop for stature. He's most recently visited the City for these historic negotiations...though his main goal is victory for the Bloodied Empire.

Astrid Morningstar, a Moral Paragon charged with protecting Mother Kurig and her holy baby. Her pale complexion stands out against the tanned citizens of the City on the Salt Flats, and her hair is tied up in a manner universally declared, "severe."

Twinkles "the Brown," drummer for the (in)famous traveling band, the Ragamuffins. As the "bad boy" of the group, Twinkles enjoyed his fame, despite the fact that it imposed significant difficulties on his abilities to Blend In. When he hears word of a magical baby born in the City on the Salt Flats, he becomes convinced that this particular skin-and-bone may possess the ability to ring a note so powerful, it would bring the strongest man to his knees.

Zanzibar, leader of the City's cult exalting Dav Quaylad. A man of singular ambition, Zanzibar leads the Cult of Ladar Dav Saints in bettering the City...with some returns, of course. The holiest of days has arrived, and Zanzibar's ears have heard whispers of a baby born among circumstances matching several prophesies...

There's a lot going on in the City on the Salt Flats.

The long and devastating war between the Bloodied Empire (the Bloods), and the Crippled King's forces (The Cripps) has come to an uneasy pause. Leaders from the two nations intend to host treaty negotiations in a neutral location, and no other place better fit than the Salt Flat City.

Coincidentally enough, the night of the negotiations also happens to be the festival of the City's chief religion. The central plaza is filled to bursting with a crowd listening to Zanzibar's sermon. The cult leader notices the mother and her guard, Astrid, and singles the group out in an attempt to get the baby onto the stage.

Drahn sees his chance and takes the stage, distracting the man long enough for Astrid, the mother, and another to leave, unseen. Drahn confronts the priest, who offers him a Favor to just...let him go, which he does.

Meanwhile, Twinkles "the Brown" is waiting for the right moment. He's gotten so close to the baby, and when Drahn storms the stage it's too close to divine to ignore. Keeping his eyes on the prize, Twinkles follows Astrid and company through the crowd...

Until the bodyguard cuts through a butcher shop. A devout vegetarian, Twinkles is knocked out by a side of beef.

Astrid leads Mother Kurig to a nunnery, aware that the safest place for a women is often among women. Kurig has heard whispers about a holy baby, but surely they couldn't mean her child. So what if the birth had taken place during a significant moment?

Twinkles wakes up and takes a minute to think about his life. The Ragamuffins were famous all across the world at one point (at least as much of the world as was known). As the drummer he was always seeking better beats, deeper rhythms, more powerful sounds. And for what? Maybe he needed to seek a meaningful purpose...

Zanzibar meets Twinkles as he's attempting to sneak into the cult's temple. When the musician offers to join the LDS, Zanzibar recognizes the usefulness his fame would bring the religion. Not ashamed of taking advantage of a broken man, Zanzibar promotes Twinkles to the highest echelons of the organization, so long as he brings Zanzibar...the baby.

Of course! Such a coincidence could only be arranged by a higher power! Twinkles discerns the trail of the mother and makes his way to the nunnery. Drahn, with negotiations on hold, has resorted to seeking the musician in an attempt to expose him as the criminal he is.

They wind up at the nunnery at roughly the same time, where they meet Astrid. After she dispatches a nun to catch the city guard, Twinkles insults her. In response, she punches him in the mouth and Drahn knocks him out with a swift kick to the back of the head. He and Astrid exchange awkward hellos and explanations for their respective involvement with this famous drummer, and part ways.

While the others are involved in baby shenanigans, Zanzibar makes his move. Twelve elders of the LDS depart their temple in the night and deliver quick, surgical assassinations to the ranks of the Bloods, the Cripps, and the City leadership. With most of the citizenry drunk from the festival, the entire region breaks into chaos. Where it not for the Cult of Ladar Dav Saints, the Festival of Quaylad would have marked the end of the City.

Astrid becomes separated from Kurig and the baby during the chaos, and crosses paths with Twinkles. Experiencing something of a mental break, the musician overpowers the already-exhausted bodyguard and learns the location of the baby. Unfortunately, the crowds are such that, by the time he reaches the nunnery, the mother has already left...

Drahn makes his way back to the Bloods camp and convinces his soldiers to follow him to the real cause: Zanzibar and the LDS. The fighters storm the temple...only to be greeted and granted entry by the priest himself. Drahn enters and listens to the man's offer: a position in the priest's new government, in return for unfailing loyalty.

Well, Drahn thought...so long as he didn't question his position as second-in-command, he figured things were pretty fine.

Things for Twinkles "the Brown," though, were decidedly not fine.

First, his band had gotten the sick gig to play the LDS festival. Then, he'd caught wind of the magic baby, and thought, how hard would it be to steal a freakin' baby? Then, after his new religious awakening, he'd become convinced of the realness of it all, how it was all connected.

Then the gig had been interrupted. And the baby's bodyguard had outwitted him. Then, when everything had aligned, it wound up he'd wasted his time anyway.

Now he was back in the tavern where he'd beaten the information out of the bodyguard. He looked at himself in the mirror, thinking about all the time he'd wasted.

He could hardly remember what had originally convinced him of the baby's potential as a drum. All in the pursuit of some ultimate power.

The Brown Note, he'd called it. Named after himself, of course.

After himself...

Maybe that was it.

Maybe Twinkles "the Brown" was the real "Brown Note" all along...

It all made sense. He knew what he had to do.

Twinkles the Brown gouged out his rib and cracked the mirror. The impact rang out in a note so pure, it reverberated throughout Twinkles' being. He did more than hear the note. He did more than feel the note.

He became the note, for only the briefest of moments.

And then promptly shit his pants and passed out.

***

Astrid Morningstar comes to with a foul stench in her nose. Her last memory was of fists raining down on her face as a man shouted questions at her. Strange, to say the least. When she stands up, she sees the drummer for the world-famous bard troupe, the Ragamuffins, passed out on the floor, missing a rib and smelling like a latrine.

And with that, Astrid left the City on the Salt Flats, convinced it really wasn't such a great work environment after all...

...to be continued...

We Owe...

Drahn Skrallguard
Wizzie
George O'Hallohan
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown
Drahn Skrallguard
Twinkles the Brown
Astrid Morningstar
Twinkles the Brown

In A Wicked Age Writeup, Session 1: Towerfall

Previously, in a Wicked Age…

…a rough wolf-hunter, surly, filthy, and crude…

…a necromancer who steals the knowledge of the dying…

…a slow-moving caravan with many wagons and travelers…

…the soul of a dead wizard, seeking an advantageous rebirth…

Starring:

Quaylude “the Wise” a once-powerful wizard now deceased, his spirit has been trapped within a mystical green stone and hidden at the summit of his tower. Wishes to be resurrected so he can find the one who killed and imprisoned him. Holds a soft spot in his heart for ice cream.

Wizzie, one-time apprentice to Quaylude who may have had a hand in his defeat. She joined a caravan moving through the Outer Lands in hopes it would pass by her erstwhile master’s tower…which it does. Skilled in healing magic, she yet seeks to prevent her late master’s rebirth…or to steal the power of resurrection for herself…

George O’Hallohan, necromancer from the distant Green Isle. Driven to raise the dead and learn their secrets, when rumors rise of a powerful spirit imprisoned in the Outer Lands, George poses as a historian and accompanies the caravan. Along the way, he discovers he harbors a particular distaste for the music of a certain bard…

Helfspar “the Magnificent,” a bard of some fame and staggering, endless confidence in his musical abilities. This drive to prove his skills has delivered him to the caravan, rumored to pass through the shadow of the dead wizard’s tower in the Outer Lands. Once encamped near the ruins of an ancient village, he finds himself entangled in the dead wizard’s web…

Darra, a secretive wanderer, pick-pocket, amateur magician, and general ne’er-do-well. Dressed as a man to keep herself hidden, she joined the caravan after hearing of a powerful amulet hidden atop a mystical tower along the caravan’s path. Recently stolen of her canine companion, Darra is drawn along by a need for vengeance, wealth, and blood.

Drahn Skrallguard, filthy wolf-hunter, wild-man, and legendary hunter. Long aware of the tower in the Outer Lands, it only begins to draw at his mind when he catches ear of the tale of the Red Moon Wolf, a legendary beast of particular magnificence. When he hears of a famous bard who may possess knowledge of the magic needed to tame this beast, he makes himself known to the caravan to see if he can’t twist the situation to his needs.

A caravan, seven days into a journey across Outer Lands, comes across the ruins of a village at the base of a legendary wizard's tower. As the wagon settles in for the night, Helfspar’s playing draws quite a crowd. After being confronted by a filthy wolf-hunter and drunken historian, the three discuss the legends surrounding the tower and its supposed inhabitants. Darra, confronted by a man wearing a familiar wolf pelt, decides it may be best to seek out additional help before making her presence known.

Wizzie, overhearing the trio, goes to the base of the structure with George in tow. The door, sealed with glowing runes, has grown weak in the years following its inscription and the pair easily break its wards. Followed unknowingly by Darra, the three enter the tower and are confronted with its strange Esoteric Architecture (Action, Unique). Overcome by the shifting staircases, redundant doorways, and twisting passages, the three are deposited at the foot of the tower with little to show for it besides bruised knees and bruised egos.

Helfspar and Drahn notice the change in light emanating from the tower and make their way to its base where they meet up with the three previous tomb raiders. After some harsh words and harsher promises are exchanged, George manages to convince Helfspar to make the next run into the structure. Driven by his Endless Confidence (For Myself, Consequential [For Myself]), Helfspar rushes the first staircase and is immediately incapacitated by a recursive pit trap, which causes him to fall constantly for about six hours before he’s plopped on the grass outside as the sun rises in the morning. Sorry, buddy.

Thinking the tower’s defenses weakened by the immediate attack, the seal is broken and the rest rush the tower to try and steal the wizard’s gem. Wizzie and George break from the other two and take their own path, which ends up with Wizzie getting caught in a number of traps. Realizing she’s still not up to the task of taking on her master (even as a spirit), she decides discretion is the better part of valor and waits outside.

George, for all his magical ability, is unable to pierce the tower’s illusions. He wanders for some time before discovering…the stone chamber. Not questioning the ease with which he’s bested the tower, George takes the amulet and makes his way to the graveyard at the ruins of the village outside, intent on capturing the wizard’s secrets once and for all. Of course, the false stone offers him no knowledge, but the graveyard's corpses are more than acceptable for George's immediate purpose...

Drahn and Darra stick together and, with their mutual histories of quick thinking, wilderness survival, and sleight of hand, make it to the tower’s summit. Drahn, accustomed to physical exertion in the wild, soon outpaces the cut-purse and reaches the chamber atop the tower. Unfortunately, his speed betrays him and he’s caught and turned away by a descending ceiling of spikes. Ultimately, Drahn finds his way to the base of the tower and retreats into the wilderness, swearing off wizards as fools.

The sudden activity and presence of fellow magic-users pulls the spirit of Quaylude from his slumber. Sensing the presence of one who can remove his stone prison from the tower, he forces the spirit of his father in the structure’s stones to stand down, and Darra finds her passage to the amulet unimpeded. Unaware of the spirit in the stone, Darra makes her way outside and leaves the caravan behind, intent on learning the secrets of the stone…

We Owe…
Drahn Skrallguard
Wizzie
George O’Halloran