Tales from the Breach - an overview of our TTB story

[osoi]

In the interest to get more said about TTB I thought it would be nice to record our groups tales. As I am Fatemastering I may be a little behind where we are at session wise to make sure I dont accidentaly spill extra plot points for my group. Here is where our story begins:

 

We started off with a character generation session which our group has always found to be great fun, we have four PC characters in the party

- A pioneer who at face value genuinely looks to be wanting to help the Guild expand its frontier

- A Tribeswoman who follows December and is a close combat spellcasting tank

- A 3 Kingdoms manservant who isnt very talkative but is quite useful with his hands

- In what can only be described as a Mortuary assistant who has experimented with limb grafts on himself, rather dimwitted but strong

 

We ended up with a very close range oriented group who chose the paths of Pioneer, Dabbler, Guard and Drudge to begin with.

 

Here is the opening premise for the group:

 

The Guild are having to expand their controlled terrritory in the city of Malifaux, its always dangerous. This particular area of the quarantine zone has been plagued by problems and attemptes to survey it have led to several guild deaths, rather than continuing he trend of death and abduction a mid level beurocrat had the great idea to enlist help from the populace instead to secure the area. conscripts, those who have practiced illegal magic and others who have a debt to the guild have been given the oppurtunity to enlist in securing the areas of importance. Its a lot cheaper than hiring professionals after all.

Obviously this option holds great appeal with certain residents, although chances of surviving the experience and collecting on the guild's promises arent exactly the greatest.

The party has been determined arbitarily by the guild grouping 'volunteers' in the order they enlist. You are sharing basic quarters on the outskirts of the quarantine zone before being shipped out"

What I would like everyone to do is think about how their character got into this situation.

You may end up with a guild escort in the party just to keep an eye on things after one earlier group went rogue and tried to carve out a area for themselves, they didnt survive long though.

 

So with the scene set it was decided the pioneer volunteered for this outing with his own free will (for reasons not yet revealed), The Tribeswoman and Drudge ar etrying to escape harsher penalities and work off their debt while the 3 Kingdoms character was enlisted by his master.

 

The party spent the night in simple lodgings like a dorm area all together with the only one really interested in talking being our Igor/drudge character. After a reasonable nights rest and a hearty 'last supper' breakfats the group were met at the dispatch area by a Death Marshal chaperone.

 

After moving through the QZ for a few hours without major incident (beyond seeing creepy hadows and hearing some odd noises) the party were nearing their first staging point an abandoned old saloon. Getting to the saloon wasnt easy and they had to steel themselves against a lot of 'lesser' undead including some Rotten Belles who had the pioneer convinced they were damsels in distress, a Hanged whose whispers couldnt unsettle the 3K manservant dispite its best efforts.

 

The encounter culminated in appearnace of an apparition not dissimilar to Bete Noir who disemboweled teh Death Marshal chaperone before being summarily dispatched herself. The party were shaken but they looted the marshal's body for his coat, pistol an dmost importantly his hat. They made it to the saloon where they are deciding on how to proceed...

 

So that leads us to our next session which we are playing tomorrow night so I should have something up for Act 2 of the first arc in the next few days

[TranquilitiesEnd]

This is great, cant wait to see what happens next!

[Kadeton]

Act 2 took a surprising twist that totally changed the direction of the campaign.

[osoi]

I hope to able to update it all tomorrow, just been completely snowed under with work since we played act 2. Glad people are liking reading about it so far.

[osoi]

Okay its been a bit longer than I hoped but now having completed the first act and set the real story in motion I think its worthwhile to update our adventures.

 

We rejoin the party as they spend the night in a derelict saloon that has good vantage to keep an eye on any unwanted vistors and is relatively defensible if needed.

 

The players have all fleshed themselves out a little further and while there is a little ocnversation between some members it is not free flowing yet from here on I am likely to just use the character names

 

William Boyd - The pioneer

Mishka - The december tribeswoman

Dai - The man mountain 10T guard who doesnt speak much english

Luthor - The ignorant mortuary assistant

 

Luthor seemed relatively at ease with his situation and was most upset about there not being any other undead dogs for him to play with. Dai and William alternated taking guard while Mishka was reserved and a bit suspicious of her companions.

 

Come the new day the party heard noises of somthing coming close that did not sound like shambling undead they have so far encountered the party were on alert, the first thing they saw was a dog, rather large and was definately not undead and looked as if it had an owner as it had a collar, Luthor was excited! Shortly after a humanoid figure appeared and while the party was on guard they were soon relieved when he identified himself as a Guild Pathfinder named Jonas Freidrich and the dog that Luthor had taken to and Wiliam saw already as a well trained hound was his companion Sky. Jonas was dishevelled even more so than pathfinders usually are and was relieved when talking to the party that they were friendly to guild interests.

 

During their conversation Jonas revealed he was part of a Guild expedition looking at securing the same area the party had been tasked to do. Details that Jonas provided were sketchy beyond he and Sky being the only survivors and he was aprhensive about going back saying there were unnatural things at the site and on the way. He eventually relented as the party wanted to pursue their end and he said that he would show them the way but did not want to go except in clear daylight. When questioned why he said the sights he saw were unnerving enough during the day let alone contemplating them at night, he whispered things of animated shadows that stalked men to which Luthor exclaimed 'well wouldnt going at night be better then since shodows only happen in light?' Jonas was adamant that the dark was even worse.

 

The party waited until first light the next day to head out.

 

The party ventured for a few hours with no major incident until the landscape changed with more ruins of old Malifaux an dincreasingly ornate structures and narrower pathways. Jonas guided the group through a more open easier area where the party discovered shadows that were cast by no man but instead meandered across the area with a mind of their own. Sky became acutely alert and Jonas attempted to navigate a way avoiding the shadows. Luthor took his lead as did William. Miska was intrigued and skirted sepearte to the rest of the party and came close to the shadows a few times before Dai attempted to punch a shadow at which point he was transported to another shadow and momentarily frozen in time.

 

At this point the shadows seemed to become aware of the group's prescence and started aproaching them more aggressively, Mishka lashed out a shadow for her only to feel the cold embrace of nothing. The party managed to navigate the moving obstical course and exited the area to continue their progress albeit with a little more respect of Jonas' warnings.

 

Eventually the party reached their goal with still some daylight left, what they encountered was a set of large ruins of a building from old Malifaux, although largely destroyed and in ruin its footing were large and intact. The party spied some figues who appeared to be in guild uniform on and around the ruins along with more of these animated shadows.

 

William decided to carry out recon and skirt the edges while Jonas was aprhensive about returning to this place, Luthor dragged him along assuring him it would be ok. Mishka took to a flank in approach while Dai approached head on and started punching at shadows again ...

It was discovered that the individuals in the guild uniforms wer in fact reanimated guild soldiers and William dispatched several along with Mishka freezing some and Luthor making a heroic climb to fell one and have it impaling itself as it fell to its demise. Dai's punching shadows had a similar impact as before however as he materialised in his new locations small malevolent creatures of shadow appeared near him which snapped Jonas from his fear and into rage as he sought to slay these creatures. In addition to creatures appearing from the shoadows some of them seemed to move with purpose towards each other growing in turn into a larger single animated shadow.

 

Dai's headstrong approach meant he reached the center of the ruins before the other caught up to him where he saw a font filled with a water like substance that generated its own half light. As he reached the font the large shadow coalesed into a large creature with four arms and tentacles on its face and struck at Dai knocking his helmet off his and making hime blink from existence. Jonas' blood lust turned to sorrow as the new creature sipwed at Sky and she too vanished, he too followed shortly thereafter along with Luthor and Mishka, this being was a whirlwind of oblivion. William was not ware of what had happened to his comrades as he contnued dispatching undead around the perimeter until large shadow loomed over him and cut him down as if he never existed either.

 

The party all found themselves in a strange barren landscape with a moonless and starless sky but landscape itself was illuminated as if by moolight, they were disoriented and slightly scattered but all relatively close to one another around what appeared to be a font similar to what Dai discovered in the ruins. A shared vision came to them all of a cave with tree by its mouth and a hangman's noose swinging gentley from one its branches. Jonas was a wreck mumbling gibberish with Sky near her master trying to comfort him. Luthor found he experienced an awakening of sorts as his grafted limbs resonated deeper with him and a connection to dead things may have been formed.

 

So ends Act 2

[osoi]

Act 3

 

Wi the group trying to find its bearings they looked towards the members that were naturally suited to try and navigate this (even more) foreign land. Before he broke down completely Jonas said that he remembered this place and remembered the cave and it was one of the last things he remembers before he was back in the quarantine zone and came acros the party. William tried to tease more information from him but by now he was an incoherant and babbling mess and was clearly distressing Sky.

 

As William and Mishka were suited to navigating the wilds they started surveying the surrounds. There was a breeze that was constantly blowing from one direction that carried whispers of impending doom, the landscape was barren minus some rocky outcrops and what seemed like a river about 7 meters wide flowing nearby. Discussions raged for what could have been hours or just moments as to what th ebest course of action would be. William checked to see if the luminous rock could make markings and it could as he scratched a mark on a larger outcrop, Mishka filled her canteen with the liquid from the font and took sip. Mishka's body convulsed and jerked as she swallowed the liquid and an expanded vision of this place and the cave filled her mind. She was only mildly disorientated from drinking from the font and told the others of her vision showing a stream near the cave.

 

With that the party decided to follow the river upstream deducing it would lead to the cave in their visions. As they neared the rivers edge they saw once again things were not as they seemed as they saw glowing fish like creatures similar to the small shadow creatures they encoutered in the ruins of malifaux. Mishaka tried to blast them with her icy magic but nothing happened except frost appearing at the river's edge Luthor became enamoured with them and before anyone could stop him he placed his grafted hand into the river to try and catch one of these strange fish. It did not go well he missed his catch and he lost feeling in all parts of his arm that entered the river but still could move his hand normally. Upon Luthor pulling his hand from the river the 'water' started to flow in the opposite direction seeing all manner of strangeness the party decided to continue in the same direction for what seemed like simultaneously hours and seconds and all but Dai's fortitude was being sapped and Jonas was descending further into madness.

 

At one point of taking a rest and resurveying their surrounds several members spotted other figures that seemed devoid of colour and purpose on the other side of the river at the edge of their vision. Further walking along the rivers bank they came acros a nural bridge and decided not to cross. Eventually the party reached a point where the river split into a small stream and a wider river as the current is flowing backwards this dirgence caused some debate amongst the party about what direction to pursue, eventually Mishka decided to see if she could garner further clarity by taking a sip of the font liquid again. Her body convulsioned she had a fit for what semed to the other party members like minutes. Mishka did indeed have another vision but it took a very different shape to before and took a greater tol on her body.

 

In mishka's eyes existence seemd to blink in and out and everyone else stood still she pursued a thought and saw her body standing still. She decided to go back to natural bridge and cross the river only to see that everyone had lost their will and they themselves grey nomads. With a blink her vision renewed and she decided to leap into the river at its split with that she teleported to what looked like the cave mouth nearby with the distinctive tree nears its mouth. With another blnk Mishka returned to reality and despite not really feeling great asked her compatriots to trust her as she lept into the river and vanished in front of their eyes. William caught on quickly and had Luthor throw Sky into the river while Dai gripped Jonas tightly and entered with him. Tehy all appeared together close to the cave mouth.

 

Luthor saw the oppurtnity climb the tree and gather the hangmans rope, he climbed with skill belying his bulk but without proper sensation in one hand he could not untie it from the tree. Mishka sougt to help and threw her knife into his grafted arm and he cut the rope loose but his arm did not bleed and he still felt nothing.

 

The constant breeze that blew across this alien landscape eminated from the cave with whispers on the wind and the cave was dark unlike anything else in this realm. William threw a small rock into the cave and its glow was faintly seen so the party ventured in each with rope in hand and holding a glowing rock in the other. Theyu reached a point where the glow of the rocks illuminted no area in front of them and suddenly the beast that sent them to the void was in front of them in a decidely less agressive mood.

 

The Beast conversed with them and explained that his master was impressed that they still held a portion of their will and hadnt succumbed to this place like others before them. He explained that he can return them to Malifaux but a sacririce must be made and they must retrieve 7 keys to unlock his master from this place. There were negotiations between the beast and the party about why should they help and how could he keep them to retrive these keys once they were malifaux side, he explained that there exist agents of his master outside this prison that are looking for clues and whispers of the keys but as they has been touched by Obliteration the keys remain hidden to them. Eventually the party agreed to the terms and the beast lashed out at all but Jonas who remained as the sacrifice demanded and they returned to whence they came.

 

So ends Act 3

[osoi]

Epilogue and continuing the Adventure

 

The party foudn themselves deep in the quarantine zone not knowing how much time had passed while they were in the void. Their immediate thoughts turned to whether they return to the Guild encampment and advice them partially of what happened or do they live as fugitives even further on the fringes. Luthor was concerned that without the Guild he would nt have any direction of which William replied that he will give Luthor the direction he needs, he seemed content with that. Dai was extremely pragmaic in the change of allegiance in that Obliteration is now his new master so he still has a master to serve. William took Sky under his wing and has started to bond with the hound.

 

The party decided to go on the own and awit contact from one of Obliteration's agents, they decided to head south towards the Starlight Saloon.

 

Leaving the Quarantine Zone was a little tricky as every easy passage they encountered was either heavily fortified or had Guild guarding it. They settled for a blockade that just had a garrison of two. Mishka froze one of the guardsmen solid while Luthor bludgeoned the other to death, as Luthor saw his target lose all life he felt regret and stated he didnt mean to hit him that hard. As the party cleared the blockade the guardsman stood back to attention although not quite as straight or with the same keen glint in his eyes.

 

 

And that is where we leave the party for now.

[mjungledog]

This makes me want to find a game going on and play...awesome story!

[bowchikawowers]

It is a fun game !

I enjoyed reading your write up! Thanks for sharing.