Crown - Session 1 - 7/17/18

The heroes of this tale are a newly forged squad of SEEDs; Allem Cardswell the fresh faced graduate, Fenex Oress the ninja, Errofether Klendraal the sage, and Pendrik Gryphon the ancient knight.

Our story picks up with the foundation being laid; King Rolind's hand has been forced by his court to reclaim Invera, also called the Legacy City. His penchant for diplomacy in all matters has resulted in settling for a compromise with the peoples that now reside there; his son, Prince Wardel, will assume a position within their government but aside from that the structure of power will not shift. Knowing that the Kingdom of Rovera's military might is all but absolute, the peoples of Invera agree. The prince is elated as he has been working on this deal for months now.

Ward, a large retinue of Crownguard, and several SEED squads are dispatched caravan style to the city of Invera. However, along the way the caravan is waylaid by a strange assailant; a man wearing strange armor foreign to Rovera and Invera. He wields two strange daggers that have spike like protrusions along their length. The Crownguard stance in defense of the prince. It is but an illusion, however, with a brief motion from the assassin the Crownguard turn their blades against Wardel, the SEEDs, and the remaining Crownguard.

The assassin engages the prince but it is over in an instant - Wardel summons his blade but the assassin's blade finds its mark before anything else can be done. However, the prince's body glows bright blue and explodes! Four orbs of pure mana lift high into the sky before surging towards the city of Invera. Meanwhile, the remaining non-turncoat Crownguard and SEEDs fight against the traitors. However, the assassin uses an amulet to steal away their mana. Knowing defeat is at hand the valiant warriors flee, finding a hatch that leads into an sewer/water treatment facility.

The assassin releases the drained mana in a huge blast that destroys the battlefield and caves in the hatch. Pendrik and Ero, separated from their squad, find themselves trapped in this facility. Before them lies a canal with platforms flanking it - this place seems to be in working order, the ambient magitek lighting system and water treatment operations are all proceeding normally. The two discuss the merits of trying to reenter the fray but Ero quickly notes that the battle is well lost and the prince - whatever is left of him anyways - is in Invera now. Ero checks a nearby map that is worn but not useless. With knowledge in hand the two venture forth.

The duo, on their way to the west, come upon a passage to the north marked with mystery; the ambient lights seem to be flickering and one of the filters is plugged up. Pendrik gets closer and leverages his suits dark vision to get a better look at the filter; turns out there is a lumpy shape of some kind. The two get closer to find that it is an insectoid body. Ero attempts to cut it free with a slice of wind magic - his attempt dislodges it but the body is hurled down stream once the filter begins to work again. Pendrik lunges for the body but his mailed hands dig right through the shell and pierce something within, squeezing out a line of acid that hits his helmet and damages his visor. Ero tries to stop the body from going too far by erecting a wind wall. His efforts stop it but only temporarily as his hasty barrier threatens to fall apart. Pendrik leaps into the waters to go after the body. The punishing course of the water hurls him forward but he stops himself on the wind wall with no harm done. He takes careful hold of the corpse and prepares to jet out with his hover greaves. Ero, seeing his partner struggle, attempt to guide him upwards with his wind magic. Unfortunately, his power heaves Pendrik in the wrong direction. Pendrik manages to spring off the crumbling wind wall and into the air.

However, a dark presence has been alerted to the duo and all their thrashing about. Several tendrils coil around Ero's ankle.