Through Ultan's Door

The Consultation with Adriana Adriana’s apprentice Valtropis, a thin, balding man with a wry demeanor meets Sir Tresken at the door at the appointed time, and conducts him in. The room has gotten into better shape. A huge and arcane looking map of the stars painted on a massive piece of vellum has somehow been affixed to the ceiling. A tiered set of wooden shelves holds numerous herbs and odds and ends—the tiny skull of a minotaur sits next to a jade bell which is balanced on a jar filled with what look to be small pickled brains, etc. Warm light from shaded lamps fills the little space. Adriana is sitting in small cushioned chair before her enormous mirror with a doll in her lap, and there is now a chair large enough for you to sit in.  In her gravelly, matronly voice, she insinuates that she can surmise the source of your remarkable substances. She refers to the situation as “a game changer”, and tells you that collaboration will be to your mutual advantage. She believes the powder c...

Here's the promised map of Ultan's shop, with all the relevant dimensions. Note that the blown up drawing to the right of the space under the stairs uses a different scale than the drawing to the left of Ultan's shop. I included the sizes of all the doors, since it seemed relevant.

The outfits of the "brave explorers" Ulilimanu and his female companion, as well as his strange steed.

Session 3  Sir Tresken, paladin to the Chatelaine of Storms  Dozar, massive priest of MANA-YOOD SUSHAI Gil, sorcerer and seriously religious Ulimite Selwin, simpering linkboy (hireling) The session opened with Sir Tresken’s visit to Adriana, the eerie child witch, currently Sixth Apprentice to the Chatelaine of Storms. Sir Tresken hoped to identify the dream sludge and iridescent powder the party had brought through Ultan’s door, and to form a connection that would facilitate future services. Given her recent fall from grace, Adriana had relocated to apartments over the palace kitchen, where Sir Tresken found her. In her incongruously gravelly voice, Adriana questioned him about the origin of the goods, but Sir Tresken was unwilling to answer. However, she found the items sufficiently interesting that she was willing to look at them anyway. She told him to come back in a couple of days, and they would talk more.   Ready to pass through the door once again, the party convened on Ultan’s...

Campaign news 10/23 Today is the eve of The Feast of Saint Balix. Preparations for the graveside festivities tomorrow are underway now, with decorations depicting the tomb birth of the blessed twins festooning the hillside cemeteries, and shops overflowing with the almond sweets traditionally consumed. Vassimo Cox is still willing to pay for edible samples the same rate. The price will go down after today. A dark nest of heretics has been brought to light, thanks to the tireless efforts of the Scarlet Censors and their networks of informers. According to the censors, this group is guilty of affirming the propriety of taboos, denying the experimental hedonic destiny of mankind, and plotting the overthrow of the blessed Chatelaine. They were led by a Cultist of Man, named Telemar. They are currently being "questioned" in the Silent Halls beneath the Temple. A public trial is scheduled for the day after the feast.

The map of the guildless

The Guildless and their unsettling hounds

Session 2 Ilnar of the hill people  Sir Treskan, paladin of the Chatelaine of Storms  Dozar the Corpulent, cleric of the slumbering god MANA YOOD SUSHAI Bryce Randall, merchant priest of the spider god Nephtlys Apuleus the magician And two hirelines: a simpering youth named Selwin, and a brassy prostitute Magdelena Upon arriving at his shop, the party found Ultan’s attitude changed since their last visit. Prices had gone up to 15 gp a head, which Ultan justified in terms of the great cost of upkeep and the serious risk he has assumed by opening this door to the public. Having seen on past occasions that Ultan was perfectly willing to admit multiple persons in to the door at the same time, Sir Tresken naturally asked about whether other people had gone on in to the door, and perhaps were still inside at present. After forking over a very substantial bribe to loosen his tongue, Ultan told Ilnar that the door had been used twice since the party last visited. Two days prior a man wearing a...

Campaign Time We need to have an objective way to measure the time that passes between each session. Normally 1:1 would work fine. However, we're only playing every other week, and in the game time is of the essence. This is for several reasons, one of which is already clear: Ultan's door will only remain open (and accessible) for so long.  So I propose that we use a 3:1 real time to campaign time ratio instead, rounding fractions down. So if two weeks pass between session X and session Y, session Y will take place 4 days after session X. If three weeks pass, session Y will take place a full week later. And so on.  Four days works well as the default for now. It's just enough time to rest, heal, repair armor, make inquiries, purchase goods, go carousing, etc. If players ever wish to spend more down time, or less, between sessions for some unusual reasons, we can work it out.

Campaign News for the 10/9/15 session: The Feast of Saint Balix, Mother of the Entombed Twins, is fast approaching. During this pleasant holiday, Rastingdrung celebrates the pregnant saint's martyrdom by living entombment by picnicking in the city's hillside cemeteries. As is traditional, the Temple of Ulim sends performers to enliven the graveside repast. For those with richer tastes, the Temple also opens a portion of its catacombs for use as opium dens and pleasure chambers.  In preparation for this holiday, the importer of sausages and fine meats Bryce has contacted, Vassimo Cox, will pay a flat fee of 50 gp for each edible new specimen, with a further 5 gp per pound of meat delivered.  The consumers of court gossip are a twitter with satisfying reports of the humiliation of the Chatelaine's third apprentice, the eerie child witch Adriana. For the crime of having embarrassed the handsome (if obtuse) paramour of the Chatelaine, she has been demoted to sixth apprentice. D...

Originally shared by Ben L. events/c8jcg6arrqoecf8nms207fc2uuc?authkey=CNjeyvHdoYCjMA