The Campaign Builder's Guild

[note]A bazillion years ago I posted a game system on the Wiki called Echoes. That has evolved substantially since then, and now we're playtesting the new version for eventual publication. I figured I'd log it here, as a place players can read and anyone here can comment on if interested.[/note]

[ooc=The Players]
All the PCs are recently Ascended Highborn, the heads of their respective noble houses.

Rizalyn Dahita (Eric) - Vaiyan silk merchant/enchantress. In Jiangjin seeking to expand their trade franchise.
Qijian (Greg) - Loinese monk and member of the Order of Mysdoein, investigating murders linked to the Dariszun
Kai Shek of World Tree (Dan) - Nuryan monk from a destroyed monastery, seeking retribution
Karishma (Juhi) - Nuryan business owner seeking good marriages for herself and her sister
Xia (April) - Loinese merchant running a tea import business
Cryth Chang (Amy) - Loinese sorceress
Jian (Billy) - Man seeking vengeance against his father's murderer
Yao Weijin (Nick) - Ninja seeking to restore his family name
[/ooc]

[ic=Episode 1]
Each PC received an invitation to an Ascension party hosted in their collective honor by Shiergi Hanzo, a Okiyaman noble from a wealthy house.

Quote from: LetterYou are cordially invited to an Ascension banquet hosted by Lord Shigeri Hanzo, to be held three nights from tonight, at his palace on the banks of the Myolos. This banquet is held to honor the newest heads of Houses in our glorious Empire.

All PCs agreed to attend the party, and there were introduced to each other, as well as the lord. Also in attendance were Jan Zhan, a friend of several PCs and holder of a famous library, Tuadi Vae, a patron of music and her sister, Minister Zwyntan, and the famous Dustaer Kumakai, head of one of the highest Houses in the Empire.

Several PCs took the opportunity to show off their grace on the dance floor, especially Karishma, and after a few drinks, Jian.
At this point, Shigeri gave everyone the chance to introduce themselves and make a speech.

Successful Rally Results:
Rizalyn - 2 successes
Qijian - 1 success
Xia - 1 success

This process was interrupted by a scream from a back room. Several PCs rushed to investigate and found a mysterious mist called the Haze drifting out from a rift to the Echo (called a Convergence). Some braved the room and ventured in, finding a dead man there, and a ghost. They were drawn into the Echo--the spirit world--as though the floor sank beneath them. The ghost engaged the PCs, but they were unable to harm it. It killed Lezaer Ahdin before venturing deeper into the Echo. Almost immediately, they heard cackling, and engaged a demon, an imp that nearly killed them all before Cryth finished it with ice magic.

The PCs returned to the real world, but found Convergence remained. Tuadi Vae shouted her sister Leisha was missing, at which point Qijian used his powers of psychometry to examine the body--Leisha's retainer, Hu. He witnessed a man talking to Leisha knife the retainer, then run off with her. The murder created the Convergence.

On investigation, they learned the man was named Matsu.

[/ic]

[ic=Episode 2: The Missing Girl]
The PCs began a deep investigation to track the missing girl, leaving the Convergence for the moment. They tracked Matsu, learning he was an Okiyaman working for the Yakuza, of Mashu Clan.

Rizalyn got more information on Matsu from the ninja Azka, who seemed to hold a grudge against the Yakuza.

Through Yao's efforts, they tracked Matsu to the basement of the Silver Lotus Teahouse in the Hospitality District.
[/ic]

[ic=Episode 2 Continued]
Yao was called away on urgent business, leaving the heroes to rethink their strategy. Instead, Kai Shek and Rizalyn went into the teahouse, with Kai Shek using his illusions to disguise himself. Meanwhile, Karishma and Xia went in and convinced the owner they wanted to partner Xia's tea business with the teahouse. They inspected the kitchen but weren't allowed in the basement--the private opium den they believed the girls were held in.

While Rizalyn created a disturbance, Kai Shek tried to sneak below, but was caught. He acted drunk and was escorted out. The heroes left, and instead Kai Shek used his illusions to disguise himself as a yakuza man he saw inside. He approached the man guarding the basement entrance by the docks and fooled him, then scoped the place out, finding many yakuza in the den. He claimed there was a disturbance upstairs, drawing several thugs away, and then sent the guard inside.

The heroes charged in and dropped many thugs with magic in a surprise attack. Matsu attempted to escape up the stairs, but returned with reinforcements. However, Cryth's magic froze many of them in ice. The heroes captured Matsu and Rizalyn charmed him to follow her out. They found the missing girl and three other teenage prisoners. They returned Leisha to her sister, who had Matsu executed. First though, the heroes interrogated the prisoner and learned there were other dens, some in the under city called the Depths.

The PCs began to plan to close the Convergence.
[/ic]

[ic=Episode 3.1]
Before Rizalyn could head to Shigeri's manor, Azka showed up wounded on her doorstop. Rizalyn's little brother fawned over the girl, while Rizalyn herself tended Azka's wounds. Azka said she'd been looking into the Yakuza that had murdered her family, and they had caught her. She knew Rizalyn had been on the wrong side of the Yakuza before and begged for help. Azka's sister Ayame was taken.

Rizalyn enlisted aid from Karishma, Jian, and Yao, while the others headed into the Echo. They began an investigation which led to the Elephant Tusk Teahouse. The teahouse, run by Satya Yadev, had suffered extortion from the Yinhai Clan--the same clan that took Ayame--when Satya failed to pay back money she owed them. Rizalyn promised to help Satya in the future, and in exchange, Satya gave her some information about the Yinhai.

It didn't take long for the Clan to hear about Rizalyn's investigation, and some Yakuza thugs jumped the PCs. They killed their attackers and captured one, who admitted Ayame was sold to the nobleman Raum Patal. The group snuck down to the nobleman's manor and Yao went to investigate how many guards there were. Meanwhile, Karishma and Rizalyn encountered a mermaid seeking a husband. At first the mermaid was helpful, but when Karishma refused to find her a husband she stormed off under the river. Yao returned, and the PCs attempted to sneak inside. They were discovered by the guards and fought their way up to the girl. Raum himself awakened and fought them, and the PCs killed him.

They escaped with Ayame into the night in the chaos.

[/ic]

[ic=Episode 3.2 Via Nick]
The party entered the Echo through the convergence, proceeded to the castle/ compound where the convergence had taken place in the real world. They fought some Imps and then 1 ghost. Greg had a vision via psychotomtry (sp is bad I know).  Saw a Bloodmage sacrificing a young girl but was unable to identify either. The party then closed the convergence by lighting all of the torches in the torture room where they had encountered the ghost.
[/ic]