Cloudex

Fabula Ultima - The Romance of Ys - Session 5

Romance of Ys Logo Rhiannon's player made a logo for our game!

Kaloo-kalay! We put a bow on our first adventure and it only took us four-and-a-bit-more sessions. That absolutely doesn't make me nervous at all after running the numbers on how long it takes to reach Fabula Ultima's level cap. But I'll get to that later. I have a session report to share!

Episode 1, "Seaside Panic! The Spirits Are In Gems?" Session 05

Cast

Melusine Mop-Up

The game opens on the party milling around the odd sitting-room they fought Squire Blevin in. Mindful of my warning that I don't have a lot of prep for the session, the group decides to poke-at remaining mysteries before returning to Caer Ys with two Nova Sinfonia prisoners. They solve the door puzzle that previously stumped them on their first try, search and ddo not find additional hidden rooms, and venture down the long corridor attached to the small Melusine complex. The hall lets out into a forest grove within site of the city.

In the dirt outside the hall the party spot Blevin's footprints chasing after wagon wheel tracks. They make note of the direction the tracks head toward, collect their prisoners, and return to The Jousting Fish in Caer Ys, sending word for Sir Cai and Lady Brawnen as they do.

We finally finish!

The party report to Cai and Branwen, making special note of the cart tracks. Cai leaves the group two sacks of zenit, then heads-off to organize scouts to follow the cart. Branwen remains behind and makes an offer - remain on call to help with the crystal mystery and the Crown will provide a townhouse in the city to use. Hemlocke, ever mindful of having a half-dozen fairy wards under their protection, accepts the bargain so his companions have a safe place to rest. Seren is much more cautious, and after careful, polite discussion confirming that she will not be held as a political prisoner1, accepts the offer. The rest of the group follows after.

We then cut away to watch a cutscene, rewinding the clock to the party finishing their combat with Blevin. The camera focuses on the hand mirror the group found, then moves through it to the paired mirror, showing a young woman previously identified as Lady Bloduedd watching while riding a cart alongside a red knight, both heading to a Cymru castle flying onion-themed heraldry.

And that's it! Adventure complete, so of course that means...

Next Time On “The Romance of Ys: Crystals in Cymru”

The camera opens on a dwarven man in his middle years sitting in a dreamlike study as Aurelia enters through a door.

There is a cut to the gates of Caer Ys, where the party is leaving the city, prepared for a trip.

There is another cut and we’re watching Seren stand before a large, weathered rock. A wizened man’s voice declares “Green Eyed Child of Albion, seek the Secret Steeding!” as the teaser cuts one last time to the title card: “The Stone’s Voice Speaks! Seek the Secret Steeding.”

Episode 2, "The Stone’s Voice Speaks! Seek the Secret Steeding." Session 05

Cast

Breakfast in Greenhome

We kick-off the next adventure with the party resting in their new townhouse, Greenhome. Hemlocke sends one of her fairy wards - Hawthorne - out to collect ingredients and experiments with their Gourmet cookbook.2 Mio and Rhiannon train, giving fiction to explain how Rhiannon took Counterstrike when she leveled. During the sparring, Mio asks how someone so fit seems so new to fighting, which Rhiannon takes as an opportunity to explain her situation as a Ghost Bride trapped in the body of her living spouse, whose own soul has gone missing. Mio vows to help find the missing soul.

Aurelia finishes her tinkering and finalizes a way to discharge captive spirits trapped in the gems the party have collected. The group brings-out a Shackled Brownie and swiftly beat it down. Seren performs a Sending, releasing the twice-dead Brownie's spirit back to the Stream of Souls, expending a great amount of MP in the process. As she collects herself, she explains the effort it takes to perform a Sending and resolves to research a way to alleviate the burden. Her first step - send Lady Branwen a letter to see if she can help.

Seren ducks back downstairs and corners Hemlocke in the kitchen. The two have a tense moment as Hemlocke reveals he knows Seren visited the Seelie Court right before Nova Sinfonia raided it and captured its inhabitants. Near breaking down, Seren explains she was there to try and warn Titania and the Court of the invasion. Hemlocke's player requests they have an opposed check, which Seren wins, at which point Hemlocke accepts that Seren is well intentioned and pivots to treating her as proper nobility.

The group have breakfast and perform camp activities. Mio takes Thistle the fairy hound to the beach and plays fetch while chatting with him. Seren struggles to eat a double-portion of breakfast provided by Hemlocke. Aurelia and Hemlocke collect IP and ingredients, Seren teaches Mio a spell, and Rhiannon does some combat training.

About the Town

Mio and Hemlocke visit The Leaky Johnson, where the proprietress Joan asks them to help take Matty the smuggler-turned-dishwasher about the town on errands tomorrow. Joan's son Dickie is traveling tomorrow to bail-out his boyfriend a few miles over and she needs to spend her whole morning preparing for the bar opening. Mio relates the party's adventures, asking "Joan, ever been inside of a snake?", only for Joan to nod in commiseration, having been eaten by a giant eel once.

Seren checks her hand mirror again, and the glass reveals it's matched pair now is in a castle bedroom. A note positioned in-front of the mirror requests Seren use the mirror again at midnight, alone.

Aurelia's Dream

We skip to the evening, where Aurelia decides to skip whatever Seren has going on to get some rest. As she does, she's contacted through a dream by her handler, the dwarf spymaster Caius. Aurelia updates Caius on their adventure, shocking him with news that Nova Sinfonia is using crystals to smuggle spirits past the Phantom Redoubt that surrounded Cymru upon the death of its former king a season past. He is further shocked when Aurelia reveals the princess of Nova Sinfonia is traveling with her, a seeming impossibility since Caius has reports from only a few days ago that the princess is ensconced in Nova Sinfonia's capital, Castle Gore.

Caius charges Aurelia to solve the crystal problem and to make contact with a Lecandan research team investigating the Phantom Redoubt. Caius' dream magic cannot reach them, so it is up to Aurelia to collect the report. He then provides her with a contact in the city - Gaynor Mattox, proprietress of the pawnshop Gay Abandonment - who can provide sporadic supplies.

Seren's Friend

Come midnight, Seren ensconces herself in a room in Greenhome while Hemlocke, Rhiannon, and Mio all wait outside the door, listening in in-case there is a trap. After a moment the room on the other side of the mirror lights-up, revealing a familiar face to Seren and to the players - Seren's handmaiden Vesper, who appeared in cutscenes under the false name Lady Bloduedd. Vesper springs into talking before realizing the mirror only relays visuals. She performs a ritual off-screen and establishes audio contact with Seren. Vesper then proceeds to warmly gossip with Seren, putting the run-away princess off-guard.

Over the course of a pleasant conversation Seren learns that her brother, Virgilius, is now impersonating her at the orders of their parents; that Virgilius had gems grafted to his backside; and that Vesper is on a mission for Nova Sinfonia. Among the chatter, Vesper takes a moment to ask Seren if she thinks that young, strong man (Rhiannon) she spotted during the group's fight with Blevin would be a good match for Vesper's sister Aurora, who is still mourning her slain knightly boyfriend. Seren does not think so, but agrees to notify Vesper if she meets anyone.

The two part with Vesper beseeching Seren to keep the mirror - she needs to return it to Aurora. Vesper ends the audio connection but leaves the two mirrors visually linked.

Seren knocks the trio listening on the other side of the door down when she leaves the room, but brings them up to speed on everything except for the gossip about Rhiannon. Pointedly, she explains that while she thinks they can trust Vesper, that trust only extends so far as it remains novel and interesting to Vesper to not inform on the party to Seren's parents. The young woman craves novelty and will commit the highest of crimes to not be bored.

Armor - Kestrel Coat

A New Coat

Running up against the session's time limit, we quickly wrap-up with Aurelia visiting Gay Abandonment, where she's handed a new, armored red Kestrel Coat. Aurelia spots a gunbrella in the shop and puts money down on it so Gaynor will hold it till Hemlocke can swing by and buy it.

The party gains 5 XP and levels again!3

Referee Thoughts

The session was fun! The group play off each other well and are starting to take baby steps towards setting goals for their characters. I had a couple prompts prepared - Aurelia meeting Caius and Seren meeting Vesper - but the rest came from the players.

I think Vesper ended-up the highlight of the session. Seren's whiplash to wondering who is on the other side of the mirror to meeting a friend to gossiping to remembering that Vesper will commit any sin to chase excitement made for a great time.

Learning that the pawnshop is named Gay Abandonment got audible laughs, so my pun-game is on-point.

So what about the nervous I alluded to at the start of this post? Well, in time between sessions I got curious how quickly I should expect players to level. I mocked-up some numbers, made some informed assumptions about how many Fabula and Ultima Points get spent over about five sessions and came to the conclusion it takes about 50 to 63 sessions for a party to hit level 50. I ran this math past some Discord mutuals and against my players and it seems spot-on.

We play every other week, so 50 or 60 sessions is a two-year campaign. An absolutely reasonable amount of time to play a game. I do not plan around reasonable amounts of time. I have five acts outlined for the game, and if I abbreviate the final act that leaves me with only about 14 sessions per act. We're five sessions in and only just started the second adventure.

I discussed it with the group and they don't seem too worried. We plan to take the game at our own pace and if we hit level cap with more story to tell we will come-up with a solution together. Nevertheless, I am going to make every effort to pick-up the pace.

Greater Ysbridia Map

The rest of the time between sessions was spent cleaning-up our setting map and outlining a theory of how to handle travel encounters. I'll try to write-up the later - this session recap's running very long as it is. I also settled on a mini-game for Matty the smuggler. I need to outline the particulars, but I am pulling on immrams and plan to deploy her on a series of voyages into a fairyland sea. She'll bring back treasure to trade to the players as well as brief tales of what she encountered. The party can provide advice to overcome a challenge and nudge her character growth along the way.

My final bits of homework are to mock-up a microdungeon and stat-out 25 different enemies for overland travel. It seems a lot - and it is - but I don't need to get to them all before our next game.

  1. Lady Branwen makes clear she would hold Seren in the Castle, but was overruled.↩

  2. Hawthorne makes sure to lick several of the ingredients along the way.↩

  3. Between sessions Mio's player flagged that I should have awarded an extra 5 XP for all the Ultima Points Squire Blevin spent. That combined with this session's award was enough to level.↩

#fabula ultima #the romance of ys #ttrpg