Witchful Thinking

Overview

Witchful Thinking is a Wehnimer's Landing-based storyline run by GM Kenstrom. It started on June 29, 2019 and features the Landing's conflicts against its long-time enemy, the witch Raznel.

Spotlight NPCs

• Casiphia - A companion of Thadston's, a new militia member, and once romantically involved with Disean.
• Disean - Thadston's son and a former member of the Blameless, under control of the witch Raznel.
• Pylasar - Landing Councilman, former Grand Magister at the Hall of Mages, and seemingly able to travel through time. Having unknowingly aided Raznel to become what she is, he now regards her as an enemy.
• Raznel - The witch herself, formerly known as Naimorai Kestrel before an incident with the Landing trapped her centuries in the past. With knowledge of the future, she's manipulated history to her own ends.
• Thadston Andrews - Landing Councilman and one marshal of the militia, pursuing the witch on a mission of revenge and the rescue of his son Disean.
• Thrayzar - The other marshal of the militia, a trained killer who was cursed into the body of an orc after an attempted mission to assassinate Raznel decades ago. He seeks to end her for good.

Supporting NPCs

[At any point some of these characters might step up more and be moved into Spotlight NPCs.]

• Alendrial DeArchon - Landing Councilwoman with past ties to the Brotherhood of Rooks.
• Cayde - A trader dealing in bleakstone, a new material discovered at the Bleaklands.
• Larsya Caulfield - A mischievous, pirate-loving little girl and daughter of the Baron of Bourth. Jastevian visions of the future of a destroyed Landing reveal her older self as a survivor.
• Mother - The current leader of the Rooks, who says that the violent ways of past leaders Rysus and Drangell are over.
• Quinshon - A Tehir nicknamed the Dissembler, formerly from the Hall of Mages. He's the blood father of Naimorai, though she hadn't known it until shortly before she was trapped in the past. His current motives and whereabouts are unknown, though he's been briefly spotted in the Bleaklands.
• Saraphene - Thadston's deceased ex-wife, with whom he had Disean. Slain by Raznel.

Tie-Ins to Past NPCs

• Chaston Griffin - Now deceased, but led the Blameless in a crusade in 5116. Raznel manipulated him into activating a blood marble obelisk that destroyed Talador, turning it into the current Bleaklands.

Synopses

[Note: These are highly abbreviated summaries of events largely intended as refreshers or teasers. For more details and (in most cases) full logs, please click each one.]

6/29/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-06-29_-_Once_More_Unto_the_Bleak|Once More Unto the Bleak]]

Marshal Thadston leads an observation mission into the Bleaklands, where things turn deadly. The number of oily black trees and ripples into the shadow realm have increased, and [[::Turamzzyrian Empire|Imperial]] soldiers and scholars are found at one of the Tears of Koar in a temporal anomaly. Adventurers collect dozens of bleakstones, but see a glimpse of the past Raznel in 5116--and she too sees them, warning them not to return or she'll kill Thadston's son Disean, who she has under her control. The group withdraws for the time, but Thadston swears he'll come back.

7/2/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-02_-_A_Problem_Pyles_Up|A Problem Pyles Up]]

Councilman Pylasar gets mentally lost in time, again, as he rambles on Raznel's past instructing at the Arcanum. Eventually he remembers when he is and requests help sorting out puzzle pieces of his memories that have been moved around. Leafiara and [[::Ysharra_Nagorn|Ysharra]] suggest the Ithzir hybrid Rodnay as an option.

7/6/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-06_-_Double_Orc_Nothing|Double Orc Nothing]]

Marshal Thrayzar volunteers himself for mental spelunking in advance of Pylasar, emphasizing the need for practice since the [[::Wehnimer's Landing|Landing]] might only have one chance to get the purple mage's memories correct. Rodnay brings the crowd to Melgorehn's Reach, where he's inside a cocoon and apologizes that he's too busy feeding to help, but says their efforts will work if done right--though he warns of difficult choices ahead. With a new plan needed, [[::Xorus_Kul'shin|Xorus]] proposes using elemental temporal magic instead of mentalism.

7/9/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-09_-_Repeat_Offenders|Repeat Offenders]]

Scarab and moulis infestations run amok, building to an assault by undead, magic-immune Blameless. Disean, over thoughts, reiterates that Raznel warned them and says it'll get worse if the Landing doesn't back down.

7/13/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-13_-_Statues_and_Suspects_and_Serpents|Statues and Suspects and Serpents]]

Escorted by black-armored soldiers, a man named Cayde seeks trade opportunities and kicks them off by delivering a bleakstone statue of Mayor Lylia outside Moot Hall, showing papers with the approval of Councilwoman Alendrial DeArchon to Captain Stormyrain. However, fishermen soon report pulling up rotting fish--capping off a week of no catches--and, as adventurers investigate, undead sea serpents, snakes, and vipers attack. Hapenlok tries to destroy the statue, but Raznel's control over him puts a stop to that.

7/16/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-16_-_Bear_Down,_Fire_in_the_Hole|Bear Down, Fire in the Hole]]

Thrayzar says he's ready to do the experiment on the 19th, so Xorus explains the details of harnessing the Reach's temporal flux while Magister [[::Raelee_Svala|Raelee]] adds some refinements to the plan. A scarab-covered goblin says Raznel isn't pleased that they keep planning despite warnings, acting as herald to an attack by pus-covered bears and animated Rook corpses setting off explosive orbs.

7/18/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-18_-_Not_Disean_Eye_to_Eye|Not Disean Eye to Eye]]

The future Stormyrain reaches back to the seer Balley with a cryptic message to "kill them all." Balley's night goes from strange to worse as Disean, now appearing like an animated corpse, kills her off and imbeds a scarab in her, just as Raznel had done to Mayor Lylia weeks earlier. Town defenders repel a surprise attack from the Blameless, but amidst the chaos, the [[::Brotherhood of Rooks|Rook]] leader Mother confronts a farmer who's been gouging his prices as his healthy crop didn't suffer a plague now affecting other farmers.

7/19/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-19_-_Unwind_the_Curtains|Unwind the Curtains]]

Thrayzar works with Xorus' experiment to delve into his mind, using the magic of the Reach. From working with Drangell in attacking Raznel to an incident with the Ivory Thorns, from hiding Mirayam from Grishom Stone with the help of Seomanthe and Greganth to planning with Mayor Walkar against Elithain Cross, from being abducted by Praxopius to the slaughter of his tribe, decades of memories come to life before adventurers' eyes--sometimes literally! Though Thrayzar seems shaken by the final memory, the possibility of a success with Pylasar is confirmed.

7/22/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-22_-_Good_Moaning_Militia|Good Moaning Militia]]

Zombies of Landing militia members rise and attack, largely converging on the barracks. While the Rooks guard Shanty Town, Marshal Thadston and Casiphia aid other town defenders in the north, both on the streets and later with long-range shots from above. The day is won, but Hapenlok reports seeing Thadston leave the ballista tower--and nobody else can find him.

7/24/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-24_-_Saraphene_Siren_Song|Saraphene Siren Song]]

Blight strikes again and Marshal Thadston orders Casiphia to have new recruits investigate. Captains Stormyrain and Shinann report recent news, and Thadston seeks Raelee's help acquiring a glass coffin. The situation with the rotting fish sparks a fight at the docks, but before the militia or town guard can intervene, serpents attack. Throughout the battle, Raznel, using the voice of Thadston's wife Saraphene, tempts him to come join her; however, Casiphia gives Thadston a drink that puts him to sleep, saying it's a system they have in place.

7/26/19 - [[::Witchful_Thinking_-_5119-07-26_-_Seeing_Time_and_Emotion|Seeing Time and Emotion]]

A journey through Pylasar's memories reveals his devotion to Rachel--and her manipulation of him. Though the Dissembler Quinshon attempts to block some of the most sensitive memories, adventurers battle physical manifestations of the blocks and, along the way, uncover secrets about Pylasar's wife and daughter, his time with the Arcanum and the Hall of Mages, Falvicar's father, the witch's dark studies, the history of the Talon of Toullaire, and the apparent source of Raznel's immortality: the paragon.