Forgotten Suns: Log - Mining the Sun

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Thirteen Lives Bridge

8th day of Ascending Wood, RY 769
Outside Watch Valley 23 Mar 2005

By daybreak, the circle reaches the mountains. As they climb the winding road, they see a cloud of dust on the valley road, obviously a large number of horsemen moving swiftly toward Watch Valley. Guen investigates to discover a large group of 35 dragon-blooded, with about 40 mortal soldiers.

As the mass descended on the town, they slammed into the shield generated by the new solar manse. While doing no damage, it stopped the terrestrials, but not their mortal soldiers. After eavesdropping enough to hear the head of the column say "there is the new spire, just like he said", Guen returned to the circle, where they vacillated between two theories about why the Wyld Hunt might be there. They reasoned that either the commotion caused by the eristrufa impersonating a solar led them to the Lap and the eristrufa somehow gave them a trail to follow or that someone from the town of Watch Valley witnessed the rebirth of the solar manse and made their way to the Lap to inform authorities.

Either way, the circle elected to continue, though Gutts pined for his "Welcome to Guttstopia" sign and portraits. Eventually, they hit upon the idea of concealing their trail, which Regret can do quite well.

9th day of Ascending Wood, RY 769
Southern mountain range 23 Mar 2005

After an uneventful night, the circle put more distance between themselves and the Wyld Hunt, reaching Thirteen Lives Bridge just after dusk. Waiting for them, were a cadre of deathnights:

After a few insults are exchanged, Vision states that if Regret be handed over to her, the rest of the circle will be unharmed. Regret suggests they take the deal. Unswayed, everyone else attacks, with Stag opening the conflict by turning all of the zombies to dust. Most of the circle stayed in their wagon, charging the horses across the bridge with the thought to sweep any in their way off.

A rousing fight follows, with Gutts being seriously hurt early by an armor-ignoring arrow from the concealed Vexes. Cruxis, about to be thrown off the bridge by Periwinkle, grabs her and jumps off. Figuring Periwinkle would grab hold of part of the bridge to save herself, Cruxis planned on grabbing her, but a shot from Regret's spear knocked her unconscious in mid air, leaving Cruixis to use her as a springboard to leap to a handhold. As she fell, she regained consciousness, possible through the efforts of Gumela. An instant before hitting the rocks, her body transformed to blood, splattering messily all over the rocks.

Needing to call upon peripheral essence, Stag dropped his identity, causing the entire group to forget his actions from that point on. Stag put the essence to good use, killing Callous Disregard. Through the melee, Gumela cursed most of the group one at a time, usually decreasing their Dexterity. Guen also got nailed with a charm that cut his healing rate to one-tenth normal.

Thirteen Lives Bridge 30 Mar 2005

As the melee continued, Guen took to the air to try to find Vexes, who was dealing some serious damage with his bow. Though he took a while to find and reach, he directed his fire mostly as Guen. Once the circle made its way to the other end of the bridge, Gumela spewed out threads, killing the half of the horses pulling the wagon and injuring the rest. Vision had cast a frost barrier that prevented visibility and ranged weapons from reaching her and Gumela. After knocking out Unfortunate Interdiction (and killing him while unconscious), about half the circle penetrated the barrier and dispatched Gumela. Vision, however, had escaped through a rift she had cut to the underworld. Vexes managed to elude Guen long enough to join her, with the circle reaching the rift just in time to see it close.

After the fight, the circle noticed that the splash of blood and gore on the rocks that had been Periwinkle was gone, and the deathnight nowhere to be found. The dead horses were tossed after her into the chasm. All of the blood on the bridge concerned the circle, fearing they might be tracked somehow. While not all of the circle completely understood the logic of this, Guen tracked down a deer and, as a cat, savaged it on the bridge. The resulting mess and carcass seemed to satisfy people, and they moved up the road, finding the horses used by the deathnights. After tossing the saddles, bits and bridles into the ravine and harnessing the horses to their wagon, the circle moved deeper into the mountains.

Hunters & Prey

10th day of Ascending Wood, RY 769 through 16th day of Ascending Wood, RY 769
Southern mountains ?? Apr 2005

Led only by Regret's notion of where the mine was, the next week of winding through the mountains passed uneventfully, though most of the circle still suffered under the effects of Gumela's curses the majority of the time. The magic waned around the time they hit an elevated, airid plane, cooking in the sun.

On the 14th, the gossamer armor the circle took from the fair folk in Watch Valley began to degrade.

17th day of Ascending Wood, RY 769
Southern mountains ?? Apr 2005

Toward the end of the day, the circle came upon a destroyed campsite littered with dozens of corpses. Feeding on them were abacasteri, metallic lions with molten gold for blood. After dispatching a few and driving the rest away, the circle discovered that the camp was the remains of a dragon-blooded hunting party.

While some of the dead were terrestrials, most were slaves. According to a diary kept by one of the hunters, they were searching for furnace rhinos, anxious to gain the mineral wealth that comes if you manage to bring one down. Based on the tracks at the site, it appeared that a single one of these beasts slaughtered everyone in the camp.

Guen followed the tracks until the light failed.

18th day of Ascending Wood, RY 769
Southern mountains ?? Apr 2005

At dawn, after the rest of the group had healed a bit more and Varden fixed the hunting party's wagon, Guen resumed the search, quickly locating a unique moonsilver furnace rhino referred to by the hunters as Mutoxis. Not content to let the beast be (and wanting its moonsilver horn), the circle engaged the beast and, after a serious pummeling, brought it down.

After loading it onto he wagon appropriated from the hunters (built for that exact purpose), the circle moved from the high, arid plain to even higher mountains. As Regret led the circle into a narrow path leading up a twin peaked mountain, Guen noticed that the path had all the markings of a lunar's territory.

Guen called out, as appropriate for entering another lunar's land, and a deep, hawk-like cry answered. Fairly soon, two hawkmen appeared, armed with spears. After some brief questions, they asked the circle to follow them, leading them up the mountain.

At the top of the more northerly of the twin peaks, a small village welcomed the circle, lead by a huge hawkman with moonsilver feathers. Kardak is large even for a deadly beastman. Standing nine meters in human form (twelve as the hawkman), he accepted the gift of the rhino's moonsilver horn in exchange for his hospitality. Though initially refusing to allow Regret to stay, Kardak consented after Regret presented him with a finger wearing a moonsilver ring. Regret claimed he cut the finger from a dragon-blooded man. Kardak clearly recognized the ring, but spoke no more of it.

[Kill rhino. Discovered lunar camp. Scouts sent to Watch Valley]

Empire Mine

19th day of Ascendng Wood, RY 769
Lunar camp 9?? Jun 2005

[Fight with lunar. Discover mine.]

Dense Effulgence Root

Reconnoiter mine. Party seen approaching, so site on alert. Two monks in a Cloudwalking Ingot.

20th day of Ascendng Wood, RY 769 to 21st day of Ascendng Wood, RY 769
Dense Effulgence Root 23 Jun 2005

Search party captured and killed. Leads to idea of psychological warfare.

Guen inside manse, tries to attune. When attempt completed (though failed) several dragon-blooded scramble to get to the manse. Also find cold place where his bat sonar worked strangely (sometimes walls were there, sometimes not).

22nd day of Ascendng Wood, RY 769
Dense Effulgence Root 1 Jul 2005

Early morning attack. Regret as guard. Guen back in manse. Stag using automation.

[Fight w/ dragon-blodded]

Dense Effulgence Root 7 Jul 2005

[More fight w/ dragon-blodded]

Dense Effulgence Root 2 Aug 2005

[Finish fight w/ dragon-blodded]


Dense Effulgence Root 9 Aug 2005

[Dividing loot. Interrogation of bowman. Planning. Cruxis suggests splitting up.]

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