These are notes on the Adventure to find the Shard of Sakkard.
(from the notes of Ray)
The players still awake decided to stop dreaming and get moving (Clay, Ray, and Eric). After some deliberation, they invited Iustal as the one person they know with more outer plane knowledge and wanderlust than they have. The got a “map” through the nodes during an Owl session. After confering with Iustal, the map goes three planes deeper than he’s ever been, so of course he wouldn’t miss this opportuntity. Iustal then invited the priest of Yoichig because he would want to go to a plane where there is a large Diaboli city. He intended to remain in the city while the party continues travelling to other planes. The destination plane is called the Triumverate because it is ruled by three powers.
They go to Goblin Park, cast Survival, Cast Force Field around the node, then cast Gate. Green brackish water rushes out and slams everyone into the wall. The party passes into the plane known as “zero degree 1”. Iustal warns everyone to ignore the little biting things and swim for the surface. (Al takes a sample of the poisonous water in a vial for analysis). At the top, there is a wooden platform floating in a sea. There is a storm at the surface. Iustal indicates that the party must teleport to another platform, to exit through the next node. Al suggests that Iustal teleports, bringing a plant, and Carrock can take the rest with a Transport via Plants spell.
Iustal teleports too high but plays it cool. When the party arrives, they swim back down to the bottom of the ocean, open another gate to the next plane , Zero Degree 2, or “Mountain Peaks. In this plane the party arrives on a mountain tundra, and below are clouds. The mountain peaks are in two directions. In the other two, nothing but clouds. Efrim casts Travel and brings everyone through to the next plane, X Degree 3. The exit node for this plane is behind an enchanted waterfall, crimson in color. The entire waterfall is Impassed. Any traveller must get close, and then must walk or fly up the path, 400 feet up. There are guardians here. The first guardian is stands on a platform outside the waterfall. He does not detect as Immortal. He carries a halberd, wears a crested helm, and detects as 32 HD. Iustal warns the party to pay the 10k/person fee and make no fuss. Two of the guardians are exalted. One looks like a giant diaboli with huge horns. The other looks like a gargoyle with a perfectly human face. That’s the one that speaks to the party. Efrim ignores Iustal and tries to engage the guardian in banter about how one would become a guardian. It’s a little tense, but the guardian says something about how some have become … [can’t remember, highway guards, or something?] The diaboli one never says anything. We pay. Once past the guards we continue down an enormous cave about 2 miles under ground. The end is a HUGE cavern, going at least 1 mile in each direction, and supported by floor to ceiling stalagtite/mites. Iustal Travels the party to the next plane Kreberiseth (4). They gate into the middle of a forest, and fly out over a hill, over some ranchland where hairless “cattle” graze. They travel to “Shifspellis”, the city of the Diaboli. The party rests here in the fourth plane out and agree to spend one week before moving on.
We make our way through the city, which is filled with regular Diaboli “people”. They stare like we are some kind of aliens. We go to the “foreign visitors center”. Al sees and elf and goes out of his way to wave to him and talk like they are old friends seeing each other on the other side of the world. The elf is from Cluster, they make some small talke about the places they live, exchange clan symbols, and then part without asking too many questions, or even each other’s names.
Iustal requests to spend a week here to make contact with his old contacts. The party agrees as they would also like to do some exploring. The foreignor’s compound is 30% diaboli, 20% human, 20% giant, 15% elf, and 10% “other”. There is a big public kiosk room known as the message center. Iustal posts his note and Al secretly reads it with his Helm of Reading (it’s in the Diaboli language). “Ashgor, I am here for one week in room… ILF. And another one “Nashkith, I am here for one week….ILF”. Efrim posts a note about selling the Opulant Dagger. Carrock posts a note about looking for a girdle of giant strength. He later posts a note about looking for someone to teach him about exhalted creatures. Al follows up on a post looking for scrolls with Diaboli spells. They have one called Detect Untrustworthiness that he’s interested in.
In the market, Efrim and Al buy a scroll with a spell that is like magic missile but does 3d6+3 per missile, and it can create up to 5 missiles. We name the spell “Magic Javelins”. We go to the mages guild to do a meet and greet. To gain the trust of one of the mages, Efrim let’s a mage try out Blitz Blade on a created Giant Sloth. The dude seems impressed. He lets Efrim try out his prized magic item: Lens of Virtue. it measures the virtue of an individual against 5 categories. Each lens lights up, a brighter light means a stronger virtue. Prudence, Courage, benevolence, Trustworthiness, something like that. They aren’t willing to trade spells though.
Carrock meets with an elf answering his ad about exalted creatures. The dude is real curious about the ad, and eventually he tells carrock some of his stories. They cover: baccas, notions, proteans, etc. The elf is from the plane that some people associate with Ordana, the plane of wee folk, and night stalkers. We ask where he’s seen these exalted creatures, and he names some planes, gives us some directions we could follow. He’s also run into servitors and titans, including [name], the most respected titan in the sphere of energy. He’s also met archons. He is please to meet a fanaere, he knows something about their plight.
The group is split into two rooms. Al is rooming with Iustal and the priest. On day five a little golem brings a note for Iustal, and we go to meet his friends. They are diaboli. Ashgor, I believe, is Iustal’s friend, he’s a 32nd level cleric of Yoicheg. His companion is a 36th level paladin of the diaboli god. They eat and drink late in to the night. Al gets bored and excuses himself. The next day, Iustal introduces them to the whole party. We use the Rod of Communication to remove barriers, and as we gain each other’s trust, we invite them to come with us to the Triumverate (or they asked to go). “Unapeeshteem”, the paladin, tells us his story of the plane, and of their hero with the shard. He also tells a bit more about the triumverate:
Innva – Queen
Kirvas-san – King
Vimja – “balanced” monarch (hermaphrodite)