Session Date: 22 May 2026
Scribe: Stuart
Location: The Unnamed Tavern
Valecar Date: Ashfall 27th, 701 AC (Ascendant Cycle)
Session Table of Contents
Session 1 - Calling of Ascendants
Grand Vizier
The prologue laid out the feel of the campaign and the story that we are embarking on. It ended with the Grand Vizier Taezyth standing on his gold-inlaid balcony stating "I hope you are ready." The Grand Vizier, an elderly man nearing his final cycles on Valecar, breaks his facade and coughs uncontrollably as he waves someone on behind him, directing him down the stairs.
"My apologies...the crisp air of Goldwane approaches, does the toll of Ashfall's air have on this old man's lungs." As he clears his throat a few more times before continuing. "This here is Korin Hylor, Ascendant Attaché of the Grand Vizier’s Court - he will be your guide throughout the many activities and events scheduled for this cycle's Call of Ascendants. If there is anything you need, Korin will be sure to provide it - with haste. I must attend yet another boring council meeting, as is required of my duties...I leave you in his good hands - ascendants. May the Seven bless the very ground you walk upon...good luck." As the Grand Vizier turns and disappears beyond the balcony above.
He introduced himself as Korin Hylor and he made it known he had the agenda for the activities throughout the Call of Ascendants for which we must be a part of. He is tall but thin to the point of frailty, dressed in layered cream-and-gold robes that look expensive yet perpetually wrinkled. His dark brown hair is streaked prematurely gray and combed back with meticulous effort, though several loose strands constantly fall back into place across his face. He had a bit of a nervous look about him and he carried a large, leather bound book beneath his arm. He was our liaison and was inclined to provide our every need while the festivities ran their course.
We departed the grand hall and led to a stage where hundreds of thousands of faces stared - eagerly awaiting to see the 22nd Cycle Ascendents...us. We were presented, as a group, to the cheering people of Valecar on Goldwane 1st.
We were asked, nay...voltuntold, to "perform" for the masses in The Great Plaza and we did with some success and some failures. But all our endeavors met with applause from the mass of citizens there to see us off. There was a bit of doom and gloom about the place though. This is very much a city under stringent laws with heightened security because of the Call of Ascendants. As we each performed something that showcased our strengths, we were each branded with a scolding white-hot iron the mark of an Ascendant. We got to choose where we were branded...this part of the whole debacle was left out in our initial briefing.
After the Plaza, we met at a tavern called The Dented Helmet. We had a chance to chat and actually get to know each other. The general consensus was that we were NOT the kind of people chosen to "save the world" but rather more like "this year's sacrifice". That is to say, we do not trust our hosts.
Merric was able to glean a small bit of information from some street urchins but after his initial conversation they seemed to vanish and were not seen again for the duration of the festivities.
We met daily at The Dented Helmet to share information and discover if any of us had procured a benefactor or benefactors to help fund our journey. Bulger managed to secure us some horses and provisions to get us started. Plus, we each still had a small cache of supplies to get the trip rolling.
We had heard about a group known as Thornveil Reapersthat had begun preying on the Ascendants in the past few years. So we let it be known we were going to start with the Sunfall Expanse Monolith to the west when in truth we were planning on visiting the Crownwood Expanse Monolith first to see what we could learn from the only one that has been toppled.