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Non-narrative Reference Links

Artificer-Forager deck (Constructed at beginning of campaign)
Deck as Amand has progressed in the campaign (Note, this is current to my latest progress in the campaign, not necessarily the Day you are reading. In other words if you are reading Day 6 but I’ve played to Day 22, you will see the deck from Day 22.)
Campaign Log

1. Day 3
2. Day 4
3. Breaking the 4th Wall

Day 3

Another beautiful sunrise greeted me as I unfurled myself from my Ranger’s tent. The standard issue tents were extraordinarily lightweight and comfortable, but they wasted no space. They were a climate-controlled bag made of a translucent naturally occurring polymer and fine strands of carbon fiber. When the occupant lay down inside the bioelectricity of the human body conducted through the material, giving it structure and resilience. It wouldn’t hold up to a falling tree or atrox attack but it effortlessly turned aside even strong wind and rain.

Outside the tent I found a basket of baked goods with an attached note. “Thank you for the treats.” Someone had delivered me breakfast! Which was a bit strange, once I thought about it. Not only had they found me, but they’d hiked through the night and opted not to stay to share the meal. Was there a tracker hidden on my gear somewhere? Or in my inexperience had I left a trail anyone could follow?

Regardless of how the biscuits arrived, they tasted good and while eating I considered my goals for the day. I was still a bit euphoric from my brush with the mulcher and travels with Nal the day before. But the experience had been a sobering brush with the realities of the trail and the work of a Ranger and I wanted to take this opportunity in Spire to improve my gear and take counsel with the local Elder. I filled my Infusion Canteen at a nearby stream and prepared a tonic to help me focus.

Spire was incredible, made even more so because I hadn’t visited for several years. The city was largely unchanged in the general but every detail seemed new and fresh. I got lost in a labyrinth of stunning gardens, cooling ponds and waterways, and low-lying homes and workshops. I delighted in browsing the market to see the wares produced by some of the finest artisans in the Valley and purchased a few trinkets and gifts he thought to send back home to my sister and brother who had never been to the “metropolis” of the Valley. And there at the center of it all was the Spire. It rose like a sundial from the plains and indeed some villagers treated it as exactly that, charting the progress of the day by when the shadow reached certain points of the city.

The gravity of the Spire was irresistible. Even though I did not mean to, as I wound my way through the walkways and streets I drew closer and closer to it, like a satellite with a failed orbit. All my past and future revolutions through the Valley revolved around this singular object and the singular mystery it represented. Who were the Estians? What was their true legacy and how should the current inhabitants of the Valley be carried forward? Of course much ink and many words had been spent during Ranger training discussing all this but I felt no closer to a true understanding than the day he began. And now in the looming shadow, as if it pierced the sun and sky, what little understanding he did possess disappeared like an irix into the sky.

I actually stumbled into the stairs to the Arcology Threshold, tripped, and righted myself with a blush of embarrassment. I had to laugh at myself: donning the cloak of a Ranger and wandering around like a child. A young woman introduced herself as Krishtu and explained to me what Silaro was researching deep in the Arcology below. I made a mental note to come back and connect with Silaro to learn more, but pressed on to find the Carbon Forge and Elder Mora.

At the Carbon Forge I traded a Camoweave Cloak for a Pocketed Belt Pouch. The functionality of the belt pouch pleased my tinkering soul. What use were my gadgets and tech if I couldn’t access them? Investing in the organization of my gear would free up mental space and actual space for me to focus on the challenges of the trail. Case in point, I couldn’t find any of my other gear to trade so he left the Forge to find the Elder.

I found her sitting just outside the Forge staring up at the sky with a deep look of concern on her face. I followed her gaze and seeing nothing asked her what was troubling her. She explained how Umbra had been terrorizing the residents of Spire for some time and asked if I might help deal with the enormous irix. Half the day was already gone, so I demurred, but promised to return as soon as I could. The megapredators of the valley offered me a unique research opportunity.

Elder Mora was gracious enough to listen while I shared some of my recent experiences. What had bothered me most about my travels with Nal was the myopic approach I took towards exploration and my wastefulness of my best gear attachments. The Elder shared some strategies for better scouting the path ahead and some inventive approaches to recycling my gear.

I couldn’t stay in Spire the whole day but I satisfied my nagging curiosity in the Arcology and returned, descended, and found Silaro. Silaro’s research was predictably fascinating and I resolved to find out more immediately, agreeing to meet me in Fractured Wall the following day.

It was evening when I left Spire for the Philosopher’s Garden. The murky twilight made the patterned trees in the Garden even more eerie. Perhaps the trees held some secret insight I could apply to my research. Yet another mystery of the valley I resolved to untangle later. Would there be time?

I camped on the way to Fractured Wall and reorganized my gear a bit. I packed the Gauzeblades Kordo had given me at Lone Tree Station. I also resolved to put into practice the understanding that Nal demonstrated. Perhaps her spiritspeaking held the key to unraveling the mysteries of the valley, not my technological tinkering. Perhaps there was room for both.

Day 4

It was barely light before I found myself picking my way through the Megadam at the Fractured Wall. What an astounding feat of engineering. Those technological titans, the Estians, left footprints no society could ever hope to fill.

I extricated myself from the dam and stood in front of who over but Kal Iver. Again. Would I ever be rid of Kal? Kal informed of catastrophic flooding around White Sky lake and asked me to help the villagers overcome the flood waters. The weather had taken a turn for the worse seemingly suddenly, and this helped explain it. I agreed to do what I could, but I resented the request. Just as I was about to dive into Estian technology with Silaro I had to go help dry out a few towns. I felt a bit embarrassed by mypride and condescension.

I decided to do both. Surely I could explore the Fractured Wall, reconnoiter with Silaro, then head off to White Sky. Great idea… probably.

The Fractured Wall proved more difficult to navigate than expected. A Green Guardian, yet another feat of Estian engineering that send my head spinning, emerged from the forest and slowed my progress to a crawl. Was it a biomeld or something else entirely? But exploring it was too hazardous and the best I could do was avoid and view from afar.

Despite my talk with Elder Mora the day before I was no better at scouting the path ahead than before and it took forever to find Silaro stratching around the ruins of the ancient dam. In the meantime, I ran across the Caustic Mulcher again and without his coating of plant gunk I steered a wide berth. The Mulcher vacuumed up Wolhounds and deer seemingly indiscriminately which did not seem in keeping with Nal’s hypothesis that it only culled the weak or sick from the forest. I observed it for several hours before it passed through the trees and into the next valley.

The archaeologist wanted to travel to White Sky to investigate the ancient flood when the dam broke. What luck as White Sky was one village affected by the recent floods! It seemed that I could do two things at once after all. With Silaro in tow I sped around Mt. Nim and charged into White Sky in the late afternoon.

That was when my luck ran out. Silaro told me the current flooding made it impossible to collect the samples I needed and that the waters would have to recede first. I was dejected and ashamed of my choice to put my own research ambitions over the well-being of Valley residents. I tried to help with the flood waters but it was simply too late and too dark to make any progress.

I was exhausted when I collapsed under the eaves of a house beyond the reach of the flood. Too exhausted to do anything but shake off my wet clothes, crawl into my tent, and promise to myself to keep my ambition in check.

Breaking the 4th Wall

I’ll keep these sections brief, but I want to make a spot for any thoughts or observations I have that are a bit awkward to try to include in the story.

• With all my gear out, this is a very effective build. The camoweave cloak is such a powerful card for pushing through difficult tests or traverses at the end of the day and avoiding fatigue. It also saves from Ambushes. Awesome!
• I haven’t quite gotten the hang of the infusion canteens and how to select the type of energy. I don’t always know the energy type of tests on cards, so I have to guess more based on the common tests I expect to perform that day.
• I had my Darter and Spores equipped again but didn’t use it. I felt reluctant for some reason or unsure how to make that a strategic element. Also narratively I felt like Amand had other priorities.