Chapter 1, Part I: Touched by Fate

Louie Dahlia

    Written by Sean

Hey there, Punk... I know you're probably pissed that I left the way I did but, you're gonna have to trust that it was with good reason. I thought I'd write to you so you know what's been happening with me since I left. [REDACTED]

I was mostly just wandering PC, I kept checking on everyone in Rat Haven and they're doing good, and they say they miss you a lot. I had drank a bit too much one night and decided to sleep it off on a rooftop like we used to and that's when shit got really strange. I had a dream... at least, I think it was a dream... I was on a boat, I think. People there weren't exactly people but they were shaped like people then, you'll never guess who I met. FUCKING HORSE GUY!!! He told me his name was Trent of Dead End, he was.... Interesting to say the least, spoke in riddles and poems like those people we always used to make fun of, said he was a poet or some shit and that he spoke to death itself, I don't fuckin' know but what was really strange was that it was actually the horse guy who's supposed to be dead, when he finally left he showed me the top of his head and there it was, a hoofprint clear as day, I talked to a fuckin' dead guy...

I woke up and that wasn't the end of the weird shit, I was in a cold, dark, and damp room that felt kinda like a jail cell but not quite. I wasn't alone, either there were others with me...

There was the Human kid Theodore Belmont, a frail little man, poor kid looked like a skeleton wrapped in skin, and he was so freaked out to be there.

Then, the elf... Morgan young, smells like she came from money, with the entitlement and attitude those kinds of fuckers always have. I know she means well but, gods does she annoy me.

The Boatswain... yes, that's what he calls himself, fuckin' hilarous. I swear, you'd love this guy he's a character in the best way. Never met a Triton before but, if they're anything like this guy, I wanna meet 'em all.

Finally, there's the Halfling Rix. Definitely interesting but really cagey, and absolutely hiding something.. I dunno if I should tell her PC is where secrets go to die. Real straight-shooter, though, you'd like her too.

We find out we woke up in the fuckin' Warden's Coliseum and we were entered into the fights? No fuckin' clue, I was ready to fight and move on but, Theo was freakin' the fuck out, and in fairness, it was really fuckin' odd, the whole thing. This minotaur fuckin' asshole, was hastlin' us for a group name like this was Battle of the Bards or some shit, we called ourselves "I Don't Know Where We Are" or something, I don't remember. Since it was our first fight, we were in the Tiny Baby Bracket cuz, this shit wasn't humiliatin' enough...

Our first fight was against "Bring your Daughter to Fight Day" it was that weird fucker Bad Dad Blake and that goblin chick. I was happy to beat the shit outta Blake, fuckin' asshole. We beat them, Theo nearly took the goblin's fuckin' head off with a shield he threw with magic! Shit was insane. I beat Blake's bitch ass and that felt nice. But, T-Boat (The Boatswain) got a bit too excited with some kinda mist spell and farted a buncha fog all over the place basically blinding us. I get what he was goin' for but, it coulda been better.

Next bout was against this absolute badass chick Just Jess, she was ready to take us all on by herself but, when the fight started, something totally fuckin' wild happened. A massive black spear or some shit slammed down into the battlefield that summoned this fuck-off big demon! I wish I coulda fucked that thing up but then, that fuckin' pretty boy Chancellor showed up... things get a little hazy after that, he did something big, I know that much but the next thing I knew, I was like... floating in total darkness.... Shoulda been scared, wasn't scary, though.. I felt.. Safe? I hear this voice coming from the void made me feel like.... Made me feel like the first time I heard you sing... no offense. Anyways, this voice told me "Lean to the shadows, follow where the light is shined away from" dunno why but, I'm willing to listen... Gods, I sound like a fuckin' freak don't I?

Woke up from that crazy trip and shit's going crazy, all the beasts that were being held as part of the event were on the loose and everyone was fighting to keep them all contained. We had just fought and we shoulda been spent but, we all strangely felt fuckin' great! By the time we got our bearings, we spotted Just Jess tangling with a fuckin' Owlbear on her own such a badass, the weirdos and I jumped in to help Jess cuz she was lookin' like shit. During that fight, I was on fuckin' fire, lemme tell ya, pasted that Owlbear with a real clean hit and I for some reason thought of that darkness and the voice that spoke to me, next thing I know a shadow like tendril came outta the fuckin' ground and whipped the Owlbear and blinded the poor bastard! So. Fuckin'. Cool. We made quick work of the Owlbear and by that time, the rest of the fighters had taken care of all the other beasties causing havoc in the arena.

After the dust settled, we're talkin' to the damn Chancellor, you can probably imagine how much I wanted to jump outta my own skin talkin' to that fucker... He wants to reward our service tomorrow and as much as I wanna run, the rest of the group accepted the offer so, I'm stuck playing tour guide cuz none of the weirdos are locals. We went to the festival and it was a lot bigger this year for some reason... wish I coulda been there with you.

Morgan Wildflow-Duskgazer

    Written by Sara

Dear Journal,

The Warden's Day.

The biiiigggg fucking Day of the FUCKING Warden. I HATE The Warden, I hate Warden's Day. Every day around here is Warden's Day, anyways. Lame.

I did it! I finally did it! Snuck on to the first enticing ship I saw, I FINALLY did it!

Headed to freedom, headed to ANYWHERE really.. but eventually Adventure hopefully.

Freedom!

Freeing myself, ironically on The Warden's Day – leaving this fake ass place and off to the horizon, the open seas! It would be great if my first stop was Platinum City.

But ya know what, after a little while in the bottom of a ship... keeping quiet... I'm kind of hungry now. I didn't really think about this one all the way, did I? I guess not. No big deal, as long as I'm not noticed! I'll just jump off at the next stop. Until then, I will just trance and save my energy...

Did I fall asleep? This ship is massive, should I be up here? No one seems to care that I'm up here. Are those all people? I squint. I can't tell.

This ship is so massive there are gardens! Tons of flowers, many I've never even seen before, and blooming trees. There is an endless sea of stars underneath us now?! Wait, is that how boats work??

A beautiful woman in gorgeous flowing clothes comes up to me. It can't be! Storm of the Sands, oh my. She's famous! Is this a famous person's ship?? But that is her stage name, what's her real name? She has "50 mothers" ... good gods, could you imagine. YUCK. One is certainly enough!

She speaks to me, "Are we sisters?" Sheesh, that would be an upgrade! I really don't need any more sisters, that's for sure! Lame.

Then, I remember... She's dead. Something about someone with a knife and she asked them "What are ya gonna do, stab me?" And indeed, she was stabbed. But gosh, what an adventure!! AND what a lady!

Storm of the Sands tells me this ship is The Moonlight Carnival, and it is headed to Platinum City (PC)?! What luck! Is this how boats work??! Is this all in my head? Am I just dreaming all this on that stinky ship basement?

And then, as I turn around, people start to come into view... LOTS of people! But then.. like a rush! I'm somewhere else?

WE are somewhere else. We are in a cold, stone room. This is the opposite of that beautiful and extravagant ship.

There are 5 of us and 5 little bags in front of us. I love little things, how cute!

My new roommates appear to currently be:

Theodore

Rix (the FAMOUS quilter?!)

THE Boatswain

Louis

Boatswain is the first to grab his bag, I do too. He is obviously a sailor. He probably has TONS of stories of adventure!

Theo seems to be a LAME wizard, ugh can't escape them.

Rix is apparently NOT a famous quilter and does NOT have a sense of humor much right now.

Louis is from PC! How lucky! This is wonderful to have a local to help us figure out what's what.

A large bull-like guy, in appearance and demeanor, comes in... keeps telling us about a fight we signed up for... I do NOT remember this. There is a big fight at the Warden's Coliseum for Warden's Day. I mean... FINALLY some real fun!

We came up with the team's name "I don't know where we are!"

As a first-time team name, it is hilarious... but if we are going to do this full-time, we really need to get better at this.

The Chancellor of the City is here! (Typhon Darling) He welcomes us. Wow, cool. Warden's Day crap yada yada yada... He calls us little babies. Rude, but OK.

Fight one! There is a big guy in front of us, apparently he is famous around here. Bad Dad Blake. There is a little girl with him, weird. "Bring Your Daughter to Fight Day" is their name. Not a great parenting move, but who am I to judge.

We ROCK the fight. Theo kills a child. We win fight one!

We are taken to a locker-room type of place. Louis tells us about these large moving statues or moving armor type things with one huge eye. They are called Sentinels.

We get some rest and 50g!

Louis informs us that Theo DIDN'T actually kill a child. It was another adventurer dressed up as a child. Weird.

Fight two is against a PC fighter Just Jess.

The fight starts, going well.. we would have won! But then a big-ass spear comes crashing into the arena! And it is on fire? And now a GIANT 800 foot demon thing appears... AND RUNS AT ME?!! That's it, I am dead. NO! I just started the adventure!

All of a sudden, the Chancellor appears and saves me! Tells us to cover our ears.

There's magic going into him, lots of it. It's being taken from the sky? No, that is the magic people can't do themselves in the city! He is stealing magic?? Is he all-powerful?

I pass out again... I think?

But this time, no room... no fancy ship, no stars, no beautiful famous woman smiling at me... just darkness. Just a void.

But my sextant fills me with that glow again... that purpose. It gets intense. More intense than it has before.

I'm moving. Moving toward something... and then, someone tells me to wake up?

It is a male AND female voice, it is firm but soft, "There is more in you than you know. You have been chosen by me..."

What? Who? Chosen? Do I know this voice? And then... it is WE and we pass through this gate, I think.

No, now we are in the Coliseum again. The creature is dead; the Chancellor killed a Demon?! What has happened to Just Jess? Are we still fighting?

We have cool new powers??!!

We kill an Owlbear after the Chancellor asks us to... it is chaos a little isn't it? What is happening??

An elf, tall and in armor, comes up to us. Drez Kraven, head of the Platinum Guard. Thanks us for our help. The Chancellor wants to reward us. Are we heroes now? Is that how easy it has been this WHOLE TIME?

We are given a place to stay as well as these Festival Coins, 10 each, to spend at the last two days of the festival.

Rix and Louis are suspicious of everything. It's good to have the pessimistic ones questioning everything.

Rix convinces the big minotaur dude to give us our "signed" copy of these "fight forms" and WHOA... that's MY signature. What? When?

Louis tells us this festival seems bigger than usual.

*Intent is what is important when it comes to lying here**

Also, Louis tells me that the meat on a stick with some really yummy dippy sauce is the BEST thing to try here. He is like an amazing tour guide so far.

We just have to get it, I buy a round for all of us! We earned it. And gosh he wasn't lying... it is AMAZING.

I guess this Warden's Day shit is the same everywhere... I guess everyone likes an excuse to party! As long as I don't have to listen to all the high-falutin bullshit that goes with it at Sunkenstar, I'm happy.

Louis wants to head to a bar... he doesn't like this crap either? Cool!

But we get distracted, a Hedge Maze.

It's fun, and frustrating! We win these Festival Tickets. But then lose some, and win some, and some of us lose A LOT of them. I won a bunch! I share some with Boatswain, because I feel bad he lost all of his.

We also have tons of fun after it, at these carnival games. There are tons of cool things to do, and Trivia we all do together! It was a blast! And I felt like a kid again.

Items I bought with my 21 tickets:

Cloak of Billowing

Lock of Trickery

Orb of Direction

Breathing Bubble

2 Beads of Nourishment

2 Beads of Refreshment

Rix

   Written by MC

Theo settles in his tent in a forest outside Brimhold, the orc-heavy capital of Hatarcha. He hopes to travel while discovering new sources of magic and advanced spells. Perhaps one day, he will grow into a wizard even his family can be proud of.

Rix falls into a restless sleep reading a biography of Nemona the Bastion-- the only entertainment she's been given in her jail cell while the elders of Azphaleia decide what to do with her.

Morgan is hungry and restless, hidden in between casks and crates in the hold of a ship. But she dreams of the adventures she might stumble on in a (not lame) place like Platinum City.

Boatie retires to a rented bunk on a ship in Porto Sacura. His sleep is fitful; every muscle can feel that this is not his beloved Queen Dowager.

Louie passes out in a drunken stupor on the roof of stranger's home. If he's lucky, the clinking of empty bottles won't attract the attention of any passing Sentinels.

The five adventures awake on a great cruise ship, The Moonlight Carnival, sailing through a mysterious, celestial sea. They are approached by different figures from history, all claiming to feel an unexplained kinship.

Rix is surprised to see the very person whose biography she was reading in the moments before she slept: Nemona the Bastion, who pseudonymously wrote accounts of the persecuted tribes of the Tarzur desert, only to be murdered by one of her own people.

Boatie is called upon by the infamous Winston Frost, a winged humanoid whose life was immortalized in a well known sea shanty. As was his tragic death-- killed by giant wasps, searching their nest for honey that did not exist.

Louie's astral visitor is known to him as well: Trent of Dead End, a tattooed Goliath who was trampled by a horse after surviving a fall down a set of stairs.

Theo sees facets of himself in the traveler who approaches: Henry the Drifter, whose father was so bad, it was added to his name as an epithet. From him, Theo learns that every spirit on this ship tried to do good in the world while they were alive. In a surprising turn, Henry died peacefully in his sleep.

Morgan is asked by the well-dressed Storm of the Sands if they are long lost sisters, but Morgan's got more than enough sisters already. Morgan does learn a valuable lesson from the specter: don't goad someone with a knife by asking, "What're you gonna do? Stab me?" They may in fact do so.

These adventurers, strangers to each other, all awake in a room, waiting their turn to enter the Tiny Baby bracket of a tournament at the Colosseum in Platinum City. Despite all of them insisting they do not know why, they are here, in some cases hundreds or thousands of miles from where they fell asleep.

And thus, team "I Don't Know Why I'm Here" is born. They beat their first opponents, Bad Dad Blake and his "daughter," so soundly that it's almost mean.

They will never know if they would have won the next battle, against the solitary "Just Jess," because the fight is interrupted by the surprise entrance of a massive, fiendish monster. Chancellor Typhon Darling himself glides down from his box in the stands and defeats the monster with the help of a surge of arcane energy from the great magical bubble surrounding the city.

All five members of "I Don't Know Why I'm Here" are briefly knocked out. In a black void, there is a gate, and through the gate, a profound yearning. Each sees the object that sparked that yearning in their past: Rix sees her bell; Morgan, her sextant; Theo, the tiny porcelain dancer; Louie, his playing card; Boatie, his snake earring.

They awake with new powers, but also new responsibilities that have yet to come to light. Refreshed by their moment of divine communion, they help defeat a rampaging owlbear with their competitor-turned-ally Just Jess. This earns the gratitude of some very powerful people: the aforementioned Chancellor Typhon Darling, as well as Drez Kraven, the imposing elf in command of the Platinum Guard. They are offered a place to sleep for the night as thanks.

But why go to sleep? There's a world-renowned festival raging right outside! What better activity for mysterious new friends than meat on a stick (thanks, Morgan), a hedge maze, carnival games, and prizes? After a night of revelry: the Platinum Citadel. Perhaps now they can get some actual rest.

Theodore

    Written by Justin

8th of Blooming, Year 999, Era of the Warden and the day is drawing to a close

Only a week past winter

I am outside Brimhold, 200 some days since my encounter with the dancer (I stopped at the Arcadamy on my way there, decided it wasn't for me right now)

Rix is in a jail cell in Azphaleia

Morgan is on a boat heading to Platinum City. She knows that this week marks Warden's day. Sunkenstar has very traditional Warden's Day festivities and Platinum City has a more Disneyland vibe to its festivities

The Boatswain was on a ship hunting pirates but his captain betrayed and joined the pirates. Was marooned on a desert island. Got out of there, looking for his beloved ship, the Queen Dowager. Currently in Porto Sacura. Lively nightlife here. Bunking on the ship he sailed in on

Louis is sleeping on a rooftop in Platinum City after a very long night of drinking

As we close our eyes and drift to sleep, feel a gentle breeze, we open our eyes to find ourselves on a ship sailing an indigo sea. We are hit by that same yearning feeling I had the night of the tiny dancer.

Hard to make out the faces of the passengers on the boat. Harder we try to focus the harder they are to see

On the deck of some kind of ship. It is larger than anything we've ever seen, even those of us who have ship familiarity

100s of people in the same area as us, under a big dome of glass, many stories tall

Rix is approached by Nymona the Bastion. One of her books was actually the one she was given in jail to read. Nymona's people were victims of genocide and Nymona was responsible for getting justice for her people. Rix also remembers how Nymona died (killed by one of her own people for sharing information that they believed she shouldn't have shared)

Nymona reveals Rix is on The Moonlight Carnival, an Astral ship, and she is in the Dream Suite

T Boats sees a man with large, white feathered wings (Aasimar). The Boatswain calls himself that because that's what he does. Winston Frost is the Aasimar's name. The Boatswain knows a sea shanty about Winston Frost, who lost his honey in his quest to make celestial mead. Winston was killed by a Giant Wasp

Louis notices a face as well. The tallest gentleman on the deck, a tattooed Goliath. Asks if Louis is dreaming or him. The gentleman likes his ears, Trent of Dead end is his name. The one thing Louis remembers is how he died, fell down a set of stairs, totally fine, got up and was immediately trampled by a horse that absolutely should not have been there.

I am approached by Henry the Drifter. He is a Robin Hood type, and he does it because he is terrified of becoming his father Henri the Bad Dad. He sees a strength in me and says I will accomplish good things. He died peacefully in his sleep at home

Morgan is approached by a flamboyant woman. Storm of the Sands is her name. Clearly a bard. She says the ship is heading for the Warden's Festival in Platinum City. Morgan remembers a story about her, it was her stage name, grew up in a nunnery, poetry, songs, had her 50 mothers from the nunnery. She was stabbed in a robbery (in the NECK?)

Morgan sees our faces come into focus and hears a chime like a train pulling into the station

We all wake up in a small, damp, stone room, solid metal wall behind, opposite it is a single wooden door

There are 5 bags with each of our names on them

Morgan knows of a famous Rix who makes quilts

T Boats opens his bag

We all grab our stuff from our bags

Rix opens the door and there is a large creature with a bull-like face and sturdy hooves, two horns, one is broken, holding a clipboard

He asks if we're ready for our match at the Warden's Coliseum, claims we signed up for this

Our team name is "I don't know where we are"

The wall opens up and there are two individuals in the arena, one large and one small

An elf in a far up box stands and in an amplified voice: "Friends of Fynali, as most of you know I am CHancellor Typhon Darling, this is the 999th year since the Warden saved us from evil. We celebrate in Platinum City, the SAFEST city in the world.Announces the Tiny baby Bracket. "I don't know why I'm here" vs. "Bring your daughter to fight day"

The big guy is a famous Platinum City heel named Bad Dad Blake

Louis thumps his feet when he rages

I catapult a souvenir shield at the child

We win fight one, we then are brought to a large room where other groups seem to be

Large humanoid statues, vaguely humanoid in shape, armored except for a melon sized eye in the chest, flashes occasionally. No head. Louis recognizes these as Sentinels

Find a little locker room area to rest in

We get 50 gp and buy some stuff

Louis confirms the "child" was not

Fight 2 we're fighting a single combatant in plate armor. Platinum city's own "Just Jess"

We're doing okay but a big black fiery spear enters the arena as the crowd gasps, massive 20 foot demonic creature appears, it charges Morgan, but the Chancellor appears and tells us to cover our ears. He begins to channel a spell and the magic motes that went into the bubble above the city enter him and he casts a big ass spell

We black out, regain consciousness in a black void. No sound, no light, nothing, just the feeling of moving towards something. An unmoored gate before us, we have that yearning feeling again. Gets bigger as we get closer to the gate, beyond the gate is what we're yearning for

As we pass through the gate we have a vision of the object that started this feeling within us. The feeling is overwhelming, but as we let it wash over us we feel a change "It's time to wake up, you have to wake up, now, the world needs you" we wake up back on the ground of the arena

The creature lies dead from what the Chancellor did

We each have a lingering feeling as we awake

Rix: Spirit, "You were chosen and I know you will be perfect"

Morgan: Feminine and firm and masculine, "There is more in you than you know you have been chosen by me"

Theo: Strangely wizen voice, older and younger all at once, "Things are not as they seem and change is the only thing constant for you my boy"

Louis: Deep voice like the wind, howling in a tunnel, "Lean to the shadows, follow where the light is shined away from"

T Boats: Thin and gentle Voice, "Do not fear death, my child, you will be the one to keep your friends alive"

We have cool god powers now

We kill the owlbear at the Chancellor's request

Tall elf in ornate armor slowly walks straight towards us

He is Drez Kraven, head of the Platinum Guard, thanks us for our assistance

Chancellor wants to see us and give us a reward

That's tomorrow, we have a place to stay, we have 10 festival coins to spend at the last two days of the festival

Rix and Louis Insight this whole situation, whatever weird shit brought us here and the weird shit that happened mid fight cannot be a coincidence, but the officials in Platinum City do not seem to be involved

Rix convinces the minotaur to give us the form that we "signed" to get here, I place it in my pack

We head out to the festival

Louis notices this festival is bigger than past one he has seen

The meat on a stick with the sauce is the best cuisine here

Louis knows that intent is what matters about the lying situation in the city

It doesn't apply to things like acting and stage performances

Something about the magical motes going up to the barrier around the city powers the lying thing and what the Chancellor did

Morgan buys us meat on a stick

There's a small playing happening about the Warden's stuff

Louis begins leading us to the nearest bar but we get distracted by a hedge maze

We get some tickets in the maze, many of us lose them by losing double or nothing at the end, Morgan wins big and share tickets

We play a bunch of fun carnival games, and trivia

My ticket count: 25

9 on Book of Instant Copying

7 on Pole of Angling

3 on Ale Seed

6 on Rope of Mending

We head to the Platinum Citadel to find our rest