A Dark Delirium – Recapping After a Long Break

Overview

Since we have not had a successful game in months, started and had to stop several sessions, we have had some trouble retaining what did and did not happen. This recap attempts to reset the story and align our understanding of what has occurred.

Recap

Having failed to rescue Hamish from the captivity of the Steady Hand previously, the Heroes of the White Eye had discovered that he was being held by Xarrombus. The erstwhile guardian of the Senhadrim vault at Newport, and now covert leader of the Steady Hand, required Hamish to continue producing Dark Delirium, an illicit substance which helped Xarrombus sleep. The heroes learned this when Vydia, a gifted diviner, was attempting to locate Hamish and was confronted by an ominous eye which identified itself as Xarrombus.

James nobly sacrificed the well-being of his liver and his nightly rest in order to find out where the Steady Hand were hiding Hamish and how to get there. Hamish was held at the headquarters of the night master, deep in the ancient waterways. The heroes made their way there and along the way found that members of the Steady Hand, together with the strange aberrant lords, had been ambushed by a large group of skaven. Among the dead was one of the red custodians, a group of fanatics who belonged to the monastic order of St. Catherine. It was unclear why the skaven and the members were in conflict, nor was it clear why the custodian was among them.

Eventually the heroes found the entrance to the headquarters and managed to infiltrate. The space turned out to closely resemble the Carceratum, which helped the heroes stealth around while invisible. They found different members of the guild going about their business and it allowed the heroes to eavesdrop on a conversation which seemed to be between mercenaries and members of the guild who were plotting to attack a caravan travelling from Beauclair to Kingsport. The heroes also found Hamish, together in a room with the night master.

Eavesdropping on the night master revealed that he was going to take Hamish to Xarrombus and that he was not pleased with the presence of the aberrant lords. Luca, panicked by the prospect of losing the chance to liberate Hamish, rushed in and attempted to translocate himself and his friend to the surface. This startled the night master and also revealed that aberrant lords had been hidden in the head quarters. Luca’s attempt to escape failed and instead he translocated to the entrance of the headquarters, only to find that skaven were zeroing in on their location. On top of that, Luca found that Hamish was still unresponsive; conscious, but not responding to or seemingly registering anything around him.

A fight ensued between the heroes and the guild members of the Steady Hand, as well as with the aberrant lords, during which the heroes discovered that Brandomiir was being held captive by the guild, and that another custodian was also being held captive. The custodian had been implanted with a strange slug, just as the heroes stumbled upon him and an aberrant lord implanting the thing into the man’s eye.

Brandomiir had taken custody of Hamish while the heroes took care of the last resistance. All the aberrant lords were dead and some of the guild members were, too. Some of the guild members had either escaped or had locked themselves away from the violence. Luca had lost consciousness, only for Quentin to revive him again, letting him know that the Raven Queen refused to let him pass. Stubbornly, Luca had lost consciousness again only moments later, and the heroes had to use one of their precious healing flasks to revive him again.

Wounded and tired, the heroes still find themselves in the headquarters of the night master while their passage out is quickly being cut off by a surge of skaven.

Tottiford Reservoir

Yesterday I went for a walk along the Tottiford Reservoir, which is about 20 minutes away from Exeter. It was a grey day, but practically wind still. It was lightly wooded all around the lake. It was also nearly empty of people. During our one hour walk, we only saw four people (and about eight dogs.) And besides that, it was completely calm and quiet. The only thing you could hear were birds and the crunching of your own footsteps.

Running Away With the Circus

This weekend Joasia and I went to London in order to stuff our faces with food (Exeter is a bit of a wasteland) and to see Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios show, which has just recently premiered in Europe. I had seen one of their shows in Amsterdam once, but the venue was significantly smaller than the Royal Albert Hall this weekend, which made a big difference in the grandeur of the show they could put on.

The show was spectacular, with amazing set designs and incredible performances. All of it was woven together in such a way that you were given lots of things to feast your eyes on in between the main performances. So while the sets were being changed in preparation for the next act, there were several smaller acts to entertain you and to drive the over-arching story forward.

One of the acts made me think. It certainly was not the most impressive act, but it reminded me of something that happened at least fifteen years ago. My father, who was still alive then had seen that a travelling circus had pitched their tent not far from where I lived. He said he wanted to go, and offered to take my sister, my brother and myself. It turned out to be an old-fashioned circus, with old-fashioned acts, which, when you compare them to Cirque du Soleil, were a little stale. I remember I enjoyed the show because there was something romantic about the simplicity of the performances. My sister, on the other hand, did not appreciate it, and was actively hating the whole experience. She thought it was a waste of her time and I remember finding it difficult to respect her in that moment.

Fortunately for me, my sister has changed quite a bit since then and I have a lot better understanding of where she’s coming from. I also think that she would be able to enjoy a old-timey circus show like the one we saw fifteen years ago. And if not, then I think she might just enjoy a Cirque du Soleil one.

Excuses voor het slavernijverleden

Het Nederlandse kabinet heeft besloten om excuses aan te bieden voor het slavernijverleden en een fonds op te zetten voor de bevordering van de bewustwording van dit verleden. Goede zet, denk ik. Je ziet onmiddelijk bepaalde gelederen krampachtig dezelfde argumenten van ‘t stal halen; je kunt geen excuses aanbieden voor iets waar je zelf niet voor verantwoordelijk bent.

Onzin, natuurlijk kan dat wel. Je kunt namelijk spijt hebben voor iets wat een ander is aangedaan waar je zelf geen hand in had. “Het spijt me dat dit je is overkomen,” heeft iedereen met een ons aan sympathie wel eens gezegd tegen een ander. En zelfs als je geen spijt hebt kun je geexcuseerd worden voor het slavernijverleden als je daar vandaag de dag nog de baten van ondervindt in welvaart.