*** Session 09 - Session Notes ***

There's no nice way to say it - the circumstances around this session were kind of fucked up for a few reasons, some personal and some related to the game.

You may recall last time the Mulroney player wasn't happy about the joke from the Deadly Snow player. Well, that got worse. I found out he was still pissed about Friday's game that following Monday, to the point where he started reading way too much into it and thought it was a calculated personal attack. Then, after I sent my game notes out, the Deadly Snow player reached out to the Mulroney player (they've been friends longer than I've known either of them) about what happened, and it apparently escalated into a back and forth argument over email with thousands of words exchanged. By the time I got involved, both were ready to quit and I had to do what I do at work and break out the old conflict resolution guidelines and offered to facilitate them having an in-person discussion. Which we planned for the start of the next session - hence, this session started an hour normal later than usual (I had the other guys come late). I wasn't thrilled about it (there's a reason I get paid to deal with that at work), but I wanted to help / prevent the game from falling apart.

But the real kicker was just after I got them both agree to a mediated discussion, I received some very bad personal news. I won't go into the specifics, but it basically meant knowing something really bad was going to happen the Saturday morning after the game and I spent all week distracted by that. Oh, and my Friday morning wasn't helped by being stuck in a half-day offsite management meeting where I was also driven half-crazy by work-related nonsense.

By Friday evening, I was pretty much dreading the coming Saturday and decided to numb myself a bit with some whiskey. I may have gone a little overboard and was at least half drunk by the time anyone arrived, but somehow still managed to get the players talking and back on decent terms and ran the session (which ended up going off pretty well). So, hopefully all's well that end's well with the game (the personal stuff still sucks and left me a bit out of sorts last week as well, but I'm to the point now where I'm able to get back focused on things and looking forward to the upcoming game on Friday).

Other notes about the session:
* I keep forgetting Mulroney shouldn't be able to cast spells when he's engaged in close combat. That's fairly important so I'll have to try and keep a better eye on that.

* The part about Mankind Revealed being poorly written, philosophical drivel comes from the original Shadowrun source material.

* I liked they thought to authenticate the document themselves; I did have another sub-plot lined out in case they didn't think of it.

* Morlock's amulet wasn't named or described in the session. In the notes, I named / described it after the necklace worn by the character in the movie Poltergeist III.

* Schlomo's Discount Bank is a further play on the Mordecai idea, combined with the character Schlomo from my D&D 4th edition campaign. The joke was that Schlomo's bank would clearly be even more disreputable than Mordecai's.

* Clearly the Lehman Brothers bank is a joke on the real life investment company. I used a very similar joke in the Al-Qadim campaign.

* I was making up as many fees on the fly as I could when Deadly Snow was withdrawing her money just to see how outrageous I could get before the player got annoyed. To his credit, he rolled with the punch nicely.

* Althea once again is rattling off lyrics from Greatful Dead songs (this time from Ramble On Rose). Again, I'm not really a fan (I'm more of a contemporary hard rock guy ala the Octane channel on Sirius XM; I was just at the Hollywood Undead concert this last Friday night) but the Mulroney player is so I just look up lyrics online ahead of time so I can slip them in.

* Tickles being indignant with the Lehman brothers about the robbery was hilarious. He really got into the righteous indignation aspect when talking to them.

* The Black Vault was designed simply because I didn't want the PCs spending more than a couple of rounds there. It is clearly meant to be a smash and grab job.

* I had eight or so magic items (all mostly themed on Warhammer 40K Eldar aspect warrior equipment) sitting around; the PCs managed to get six of them.

* They escaped, but they won't all be going back to the same location (I have lots planned on that for next session). As for the obvious, the elves will be coming after them but not right away...

*** Session 10 - Cast of Characters ***

Yukiko Amagi (aka The Deadly Snow): A ten-year-old aberrant human girl; a major psychic trained as a secret assassin. She considers Tickles to be her father after he raised her as an orphan.

The Great Mulroney: A miscreant changeling witch who believes he is human and masquerades as a prestidigitator. He sold his soul to the devil prince Glebecar and has a devil familiar named Shoes.

Nardig: A miscreant hobgoblin mercenary exiled from his family for his evil deeds. He can control his tendencies for short periods of time to work with small groups, but will steal from them and turn on them with the slightest provocation.

*** Session 10 - Scene 1 (of ***

After falling through the portal, everything goes black. When the Great Mulroney and the Deadly Snow wake up, they find themselves on rough ground. To their shock, they find themselves outdoors, with the sun shining on them. It has been quite some time since Mulroney has seen true daylight, and Deadly Snow has never seen it before. It takes them both some time to get used to.

Deadly Snow examines the area. They seem to be in some kind of mountain valley, surrounded by heavily-forested mountains. Looking around, she spots a path nearby but little else except for rocks and trees. She looks for tracks of people, but does not discover any.

While Deadly Snow is marveling at the beauty of the surface world, Mulroney is growing increasingly anxious. Their companions are not with them, and he can't even feel the presence of Shoes. His missing familiar is very troubling to the witch, as if a piece of his own soul is missing.

Mulroney is also ill at ease as he detects something else odd. Wherever they are, the ambient magic energy in the area is clearly stronger than he is used to. Studying it for a minute, he can sense the "scent" of the magic is different. He believes they are not on their home plane of existence but off in another dimension.

The witch informs Deadly Snow something is wrong. He explains based on what he can sense, they appear to be on another world. Deadly Snow asks if he can find the way to go that could lead them back, but the witch becomes very distracted about his lost cat.

Deadly Snow believes standing around won't do much good so she begins walking, saying something about hoping to find shelter soon as she is not familiar with how to survive outdoors. She then heads down the path, with Mulroney absently-minded following along.

It doesn't take long before Deadly Snow feels strange... like she's being watched. She looks around at the trees surrounding the path, but doesn't see anyone.

Mulroney sees her looking around and asks if she saw his cat. She shakes her head no. He asks what she is looking for but she signals for him to be quiet.

While the assassin continues to scan the tree line, Mulroney becomes convinced whatever she thinks she saw it must have been Shoes. He sprints over to the nearest rock pile to investigate. Deadly Snow decides to make a run for it, heading down the path.

*** Session 10 - Scene 2 (of ***

As Mulroney hunts for his cat, he gradually becomes aware of people starting to surround him. Looking up, he sees they are human but they look different than he is used to. They wear strange clothes and carry strange-looking spears, and their skin and facial features look very different than the humans he is used to. At the same time, he has a vague recollection in the back of his mind that he has seen men like this before, as if in a long-forgotten dream, but can't summon the memory in his mind.

Mulroney asks the man closest to him if they've seen his cat. The man responds, but in a strange language Mulroney can't understand. The men continue to talk and point with their spears.

The witch ignores them and goes back to looking for his cat. One of the men tugs at his robes, pointing down the path and motioning as if he wants Mulroney to head in the same direction that Deadly Snow went. Mulroney decides this must mean the men are telling him where his cat is, so he follows their instructions.

Meanwhile, a bit further down the path, Deadly Snow notices black vapor in the air on the trail in front of her. She watches as it begins to take a humanoid form – a skeletal body with horrific facial features. She is momentarily overcome by terror from seeing the creature.

Before she can act, it approaches her and breathes on her with a breath filled with pestilence. Young and in good health, the girl manages to resist the deadly plague.

Acting quickly, Deadly Snow attempts to hack at the creature with her axe but the blade goes through it effortlessly. The creature appears to laugh at her pathetic attempts.

The creature then attempts to possess Deadly Snow. She manages to fight him off, though doesn't think to activate her mind block. Instead, she attempts a telekinetic kick but finds that is no more effective than her axe.

After shrugging off another possession attempt, the assassin knows she is in trouble. She can't seem to harm the creature and doesn't think she can outrun it. Trying a different tactic, she attempts to speak to it – asking why it is attempting to block her path.

The creature speaks back in a language she does not understand. But it points at the wings and armor she is carrying that she took from the Black Vault.

Guessing the creature wants some kind of tribute, she hands the wings to it. It accepts the gift graciously, saying something else she can't understand. It and the wings then transform back into black vapors and disappear into the air.

Just as the creature disappears, Deadly Snow hears Mulroney approaching up the path. She sees he is being followed by a large group of strange-looking men with spears.

*** Session 10 - Scene 3 (of ***

Deadly Snow can tell the men don't appear to be threatening Mulroney. She asks who they are, but Mulroney says only that the men said his cat was this way. The girl says she didn't see the cat, but did encounter some kind of skeletal guardian.

She tells Mulroney they need to find a way out of where they are. As they talk, one of the men approaches and points further down the path. He speaks again, and Mulroney decides Shoes must still be further down the path.

Since Mulroney starts walking down the path, Deadly Snow decides to follow. After an hour of walking, they eventually come upon a walled village.

The men with them speak at the gate and get the village to open it. Inside is a small collection of homes and other buildings made of stone and mud. It is also full of more humans of similar appearance to the men with them.

Mulroney and Deadly Snow are guided by the men towards one of the larger stone buildings. It has a large arched doorway with several arched windows, and a curved roof with various ornate sculptures incorporated into its design.

As they head inside, they are greeted by a short, thin man. He has white hair with a long white beard and appears to be very old.

The man comes over to try to talk to them. Mulroney, enraged he still hasn't found his cat, attempts to tackle the man while yelling to ask where his cat is. The man easily steps aside, sending Mulroney to the ground. He laughs while stroking his long white beard.

Deadly Snow notices the man then begins what looks like an attempt to cast a spell. Acting quickly, she activates a mind block.

When the spell finishes, the man speaks in a language they can understand. He tells the travelers not to worry, for he was only casting a spell so he could speak to them in their language.

The man asks where they came from. Mulroney demands to know where his cat is. The man says he knows little of cats there, though some of the mountain folk claim they make a fine soup.

Deadly Snow tells the man they come from the Baalgor Wastelands. The man says he has not heard of such a place, saying it is very interesting.

He then asks their names. Deadly Snow gives the names of herself and the Great Mulroney. The man asks Mulroney what makes him so great, but Mulroney only threatens him again about his cat.

The man says again he is afraid he does not have the cat. He explains he is the shaman of the village, and gives his name as Chen Hsu.

Chen asks more about the wastelands and where they are located. Deadly Snow says they came here through a magic portal, which Chen refers to as "one of the rifts". He says they must be confused then.

The little man goes on to explain they have found themselves in the mountains of Mount Qian, in the Hanbing Province. He also says he is afraid to tell them it is the lands of the Second Hell of the Yama Kings.

Deadly Snow says that doesn't sound very good. Chen Hsu says it is not, for the Yama Kings rule the lands with their dark magic. He says their area is controlled by Chu Chiang, the 2nd Yama King who rules from the Iron City of Harbin. He says out here in the mountains they are reasonably safe.

Yukiko says that is not too unlike their homeland where they are under the rule of the evil giants. Chen finds that very interesting.

Deadly Snow then asks about the "skeletal guardian" she encountered along the path. As she explains what she saw, the shaman says it was a Shen Mo demon. He says such a demon often waylays travelers to demand magical goods, or simply poisons them with disease.

When Deadly Snow says the creature got an offering from her, Chen is surprised she would so freely give up a magical item. She says it was that or her life. He says she was fortunate to be carrying such an item.

Chen Hsu notices she is carrying another magical item with her, the armor. He asks to inspect it. Looking it over, he identifies it as the "Armor of the Exarch" – a magical heavy plate armor that wears as lightly as leather.

When he mentions Deadly Snow herself could even wear it, she asks for help wearing it. He notes to actually fit her they'd need to have an armorer size it down for her (and because it is magical armor, an alchemist would be needed to assist as well). Chen suggests perhaps she has a taller friend who can use it.

Mulroney's greed kicks in at the suggestion. He asks if he can wear it. Chen says he can sense some power within Mulroney, suggesting he may be able to wear the armor but as a practitioner of magic it may still interfere with his abilities so it would be unwise to wear it.

Chen Hsu also says he senses a "dark stain" on Mulroney's soul. He asks if he has been touched by the Yama Kings. Mulroney says no one has touched him, but Deadly Snow agrees the man is "a little touched". The wizened old man says perhaps it is something else.

The old man then notes Mulroney has a couple of items with him that also appear to have a magical aura. Chen identifies the helm as the "Helm of the Striking Scorpion" and explains how it can be used to channel magical energy into an energy bolt spell. Mulroney is less than thrilled, as he can already cast that spell.

For the torch, the shaman identifies it as the "Torch of the Flaming Dragon" and says it can be lit by magical energy as needed. He also indicates it can be used to cast a fire bolt spell; again, Mulroney is disappointed to learn the item does something he already knows how to do.

The witch initially considers letting Deadly Snow wear the helm. But after thinking on it a minute, Mulroney realizes the items may be useful after all – for although he can cast the spells, the magical items can do it more quickly allowing him to fire off more spells in a shorter amount of time.

Tired of the talk about magical items, Mulroney turns to the most important matter at hand – how he can find his cat. Chen Hsu says the cat may not be in this world, and he may need to travel back through the rifts to his home dimension to find it.

Mulroney asks how he can get back. Chen Hsu says he does not know, but knows of one who might. He tells them they will need to go see a powerful sorcerer named Zhang Tong who lives at the Makluan Temple in the Valley of the Dragon, a location not too far from the village.

When the witch asks how they get there, the old man helpfully offers to draw them a map. As he sketches it out, Deadly Snow asks if it is a safe passage and if they can get anyone to accompany them.

Chen explains the villagers are very wary of the sorcerer's power and will go nowhere near the temple. They will need to journey the half day on their own.

Since the temple is a half-day away through the mountains, and it is questionable they will reach it by nightfall, Deadly Snow wants to wait until dawn to head out. Mulroney has other ideas and heads straight for the gate out of town. The young assassin sighs and reluctantly follows.

*** Session 10 - Scene 4 (of ***

The trip through the mountains is quiet and peaceful, and as the sun falls below the peaks of the mountains and the shadows fall across the path they come upon the mountain at the end of the trail.

There appears to be a large castle of some kind built into the side of the mountain. It is surrounded by a fifty-foot high wall, with thirty-foot high doors.

Mulroney goes up to the doors and knocks. The gate appears to open on its own. Inside is a lush courtyard lit by magical sunlight. A stone path leads up to the main castle entrance.

On either side of the path stand legions of clay-like statues of warriors, ominously looking like guards with their spears. Far in the back on one side is a thirty-foot tall metal statue of some kind; it looks vaguely humanoid but appears nothing like either Mulroney or Deadly Snow have seen before.

Mulroney heads up the path, with Deadly Snow following behind and giving him some distance. The young assassin has her battle axe ready for trouble as he approaches the door to the castle and knocks.

The castle door is opened by an unassuming man wearing robes. He appears to be the same strange ethnicity as the men from the village. Unlike them, he appears to be able to speak the same language as they do.

The man greets Mulroney and gives his name as Loc Do. Mulroney responds in kind, saying he is looking for his cat. Loc Do says there are no cats there.

Mulroney then says he is looking for a portal back to his world. Loc starts to tell him to leave when a voice calls to him from back in the castle in the language Mulroney can't understand.

Loc Do turns back to Mulroney and tells him the "honorable Emperor Zhang Tong" has graciously agreed to see them. Mulroney beckons for Deadly Snow to follow him inside as Loc leads the way.

The servant leads the two into the main hall of the castle, where they find a raised dais at the end. Loc Do will only allow them to get so close before telling them to stop.

On the dais is a tall throne. Sitting in the throne is a very tall man with long black hair and a long beard. Like everyone else they have encountered, he appears to be of the same strange ethnic background. The man wears long robes made of yellow and black, and has a tall hat on.

The man Mulroney presumes to be Zhang Tong does not look at them immediately. Mulroney notices the man's arms are made of green scales with claw-like hands, as if he were part dragon. Zhang is holding a strange black orb that he is looking into with a strong gaze.

He turns slowly to face Mulroney only. Saying "greetings, brother" he tells Mulroney they should speak on their own and tells Mulroney to have his servant (indicating Deadly Snow without looking at her) go with his own. Loc Do leads the girl out so the men can talk.

Once they are alone, Zhang Tong looks over Mulroney carefully with an almost confused expression. He mysteriously says, "I thought I would recognize you, but I do not." He asks Mulroney the reason for his new form.

Mulroney doesn't pay any attention to what Zhang is saying and insists he needs to find his cat. He says he needs Zhang's help to find a portal back to his world so he can find the cat, which is of vital importance.

Zhang asks Mulroney if he wants him to send him to his world or the world he came from. Mulroney is confused, for as far as he knows they are one in the same. Mulroney starts to understand the man has mistaken him for someone else, and tries to say as little as possible.

The gambit appears to work, for Zhang continues by asking Mulroney if he's located his "old friend" yet. Since Mulroney has no idea what he's talking about, he asks which one. He starts to say Deadly Snow is his only friend there, but Zhang cuts him off. The sorcerer says he is not talking about Mulroney's servant but rather their mutual friend, who is located at (some place called) the Pyramid of Shadows.

Mulroney indicates he has not. Zhang Tong explains he has been communicating with that person, along with two others he names as "Paldemar" and "Nigel". He tells Mulroney the plan is proceeding forward.

The witch asks Zhang Tong what the (unnamed) man had to say. Zhang says things are moving forward, and soon it will be time to raise their dark lord. Mulroney suggests he could speak with the man, but Zhang suggests it would be best for Mulroney to speak with him in person at the pyramid once he goes back. After all, Zhang explains, he hasn't seen Mulroney in some time.

Still unsure what is going on, Mulroney tries to agree along but against his better reasoning asks again about the cat as he is obsessed with finding Shoes. Zhang says he does not understand the importance of the cat, but Mulroney insists "everything" revolves around finding him as it has great power.

Zhang seems placated at the answer. He says if the cat is that important then he's sure "Bragosani" (apparently the name of the man he's been talking about at the pyramid) will find him once he finds the cat.

Changing topics, Zhang asks Mulroney what he thinks of the castle. Mulroney says it is very nice. Zhang laughs, saying it was once a stronghold of Prester John himself. The sorcerer says he enjoys the irony that they will use such a place to raise John's enemy. Mulroney agrees it is a great plan.

Zhang says he'd better get on with getting Mulroney back to his world as there is much to do. He also says something about "the old wizards will not stop us this time" (apparently referring to some enemies of his group of conspirators and their plans).

Drawing a magic circle on the ground, Zhang says he will send Mulroney back. He asks if he needs the servant to go as well, as he could find a use for her here. Mulroney insists he needs the girl to come as well as she's a key part of his activities.

Loc Do brings Deadly Snow back and has her move into the circle. She asks Zhang Tong if he is sending them into a deeper level of hell.

Zhang Tong looks to Mulroney, asking if his servant is daring to speak to him. Mulroney insists the girl was speaking to him, not the sorcerer.

Once they get inside, he begins the incantation. The last thing Mulroney hears is Zhang wishing him farewell, saying "Until we meet again Arlo", which he assumes is the name of the person Zhang believes he is. And with that, they disappear into a white light.

*** Session 10 - Scene 5 (of ***

Nardig coughs as his lungs are filling with dust and sand. Picking himself up off the ground, he sees he is outside but lying on a rocky plateau out in a harsh desert. As the wind blows, he has a tough time spotting anything with the dirt and sand in the air.

So unused to seeing sunlight, Nardig manages to blind himself trying to look around. He trips and falls, tumbling down a sandy hill and landing on a rough ground of earth.

As he gets his sight back, he finds himself surrounded by horses. On the horses are some sort of human warriors, though they appear to be of a strange ethnicity he is not familiar with.

The men speak to each other in a strange language. One then attempts to speak to Nardig, but he shakes his head as he doesn't understand.

Two of the men get off their horses and Nardig tries to speak to them. They don't appear to speak his language but do make a move to grab him. Hopelessly outnumbered, Nardig doesn't resist as they tie him up and throw him on the back of one of the horses.

The men head off into the desert with Nardig. After several hours, he sees they appear to be taking him towards a large tower.

As they get closer, he can see the tower better. It appears to be built into the side of a mountain, and carved to look like a large serpent is encircling the peak. Near the top is the head of the "snake" with a large open mouth, while the door to the tower is down near the tail.

The men roughly dump him in front of the doors then ride off. Nardig attempts to use his escape artist talents to free himself, but the bonds are too tight to slip.

Hoping for help, he reaches over and kicks at the door and yells to see if he can get anyone's attention. Eventually, it opens to reveal a goblin. The goblin speaks in the same language as Nardig, though appears to be using an odd dialect with a strange accent.

The goblin seems surprised by the bound Nardig and asks him who he is. Nardig gives his name, and the goblin asks how he got there.

Nardig briefly explains he came through a portal and arrived in this world. He says he wants to get back to where he came from.

The goblin tells Nardig that lucky for him, the master always needs new servants. The goblin then begins taking all of Nardig's possessions and putting them into his own bag. He remarks on all the items "falling" into his bag and suggests Nardig be more careful with his things.

Nardig asks the goblin to untie him but he ignores him. After the goblin is done stealing things, he calls in a different language and a couple of human and orc guards appear. They untie Nardig and haul him up the stairs, leaving him nothing but a loincloth as the goblin explains he will like the master, who the goblin describes as a very generous person.

The goblin eventually gives his name as Snarg, and explains he is a valued servant of the master. He then explains to Nardig that he will also be a valued servant of the master, only his duty will be to work in the mines.

After ascending a few flights of stairs, Nardig comes face to face with a very tall, dark-skinned humanoid wearing a variety of jewelry. Nardig recognizes him from the cave below Beartooth but plays ignorant as Snarg refers to the djinn as Jalil.

Snarg explains to Jalil how they have a new slave to work the mines. As the two talk, Nardig catches that the majority of the slaves being kept here were freed some time back by a group of humans (referred to as the "wicked Al-Badassi clan) leading to delays.

Nardig tries to delay them by saying he was on a quest for magical items in another dimension and asks them to send him back or come with him to get the items, but Jalil jokes he can dig for some magical items in the mines. To motivate him, Jalil makes sure one of the slave masters whips Nardig well.

*** Session 10 - Scene 6 (of 10) ***

Hours that feel like days pass as Nardig toils in the mines with the other slaves. Eventually they are allowed a break to go rest for the night. They are all thrown together in a large room inside the tower.

Nardig looks around at his fellow slaves – most appear to be humans (of the same odd ethnicity as the horse riders), but he also sees goblins, dwarves, hobgoblins, and elves among the others. He carefully observes them until he figures out who looks to be the leader of the slaves then approaches that man discreetly.

The leader of the slaves is an elf who gives his name as Naveed, speaking in the same variant of Gobbley that Snarg did. Naveed explains he was captured by the Blood Riders, and after explaining who they are Nardig realizes those were the same men who grabbed him. In Naveed's case, his village of Zayir was attacked by the Blood Riders hired by Alknar.

The hobgoblin explains how he came to this world via a magical portal, and asks Naveed if he knows anything about that. Naveed does not, though knows Jalil has powerful magic and can travel between worlds. He also says the master of the tower (who he calls "he whose name we cannot speak") is also a powerful sorcerer.

Nardig asks about other powerful sorcerers in the area. Naveed explains this tower was once the domain of such a sorcerer, a powerful but evil man named Salazar the Maleficent. Naveed notes Salazar was said to be killed in another dimension as well by the brother of a rival of his, many years ago.

The hobgoblin continues to talk with Naveed, discovering he has been there many months. The slave explains his village was raided after the tower's original workforce of slaves was freed by a great hero named M'balz Al-Badassi. However, M'balz was said to have died while on a quest in the north, in a forgotten dungeon under the city of Hiyal, so will not be able to save them this time and there is no one else around who would dare take on the new overlord of the tower, the dreaded Alknar (whose name he will only say in a whisper).

Undeterred, Nardig inquires if Naveed has any escape plans underway. The elf says they have been slowly digging a narrow tunnel out of this chamber and into an adjoining one; it would not allow someone to completely escape the tower, but would give them a chance (though would be very dangerous). Nardig being rather small and slender offers to try it, saying it is better than staying there.

Naveed shows Nardig over to the small tunnel in the wall they have carefully obscured from the guards. He wishes Nardig that the Fates be with him, and asks him to come back and free them all should he get free.

*** Session 10 - Scene 7 (of ***

After crawling on his hands and knees for a while, Nardig eventually emerges in the back of an old cistern no longer in use, in the back of an old kitchen area in the tower. He doesn't see anyone around in the dark room with his darkvision.

Nardig makes his way carefully over to the door, opening it slowly. He sees a room beyond that is the room he passed through on the way to the slave chamber. He sees a couple of guards standing near the door to the slave room.

The hobgoblin attempts to sneak over to the other door leading out of the chamber, but manages to get spotted by the guards. They yell at him and begin chasing after him.

Nardig moves out of the way just in time as one of them tries to tackle him. He then opens the door at the end of the room and runs down the hall, narrowly avoiding being grabbed by the other guard on his way out.

As he heads down the hall, one of the guards throws a spear at the warrior, grazing his arm. Despite the wound, he continues on, quickly making his way towards a stairway. When he reaches it, he heads down the stairs.

Nardig can hear the guards coming after him as the stairs lead down to another hallway on the next level down. He's moving fast and doesn't recall exactly how he came in to the tower, so he runs at random, heading down a side hall to his right.

Gaining distance, the hobgoblin looks for a place to hide but the hallway is too sparse and narrow. Eventually the hall ends in a door. He manages to get inside before the guards catch up to him. But as he goes to close the door, one of the guards catches up enough to block the way.

Nardig looks around, seeing he has ran into a large dining hall. It has a long table surrounded by chairs on it. He climbs up the table and runs along the table as the two guards enter.

One of the guards climbs up the table after him while the other runs along the side, hoping to cut him off. As he runs, he sees there is no other way out of the room and little in it he could use as a weapon, for the only other thing he sees is a brazier at the end of the room with some charred skeletal remains of a humanoid in it.

Nardig maneuvers around and jumps off the opposite side of the table, getting back around the guards. He heads back out the door and down the hallway to look for another route.

Heading down a different passageway, he comes to a dead end after a few twists and turns. At the end is a statue of a large, fanged creature – apparently some dark demon or god once worshipped here. He tries to hide behind the statue, but it isn't quite big enough.

When the guards arrive, Nardig looks for a way to get around them but there isn't quite enough room. He body blocks one of the men into the wall, giving him just enough room to squeeze by. The other guard tries to grab him but he manages to just slip out of the way.

Continuing to run, Nardig heads back to the stairs and back up to the level he was on before. Like the other level, there are various side halls so Nardig picks one at random to move down.

Luckily for Nardig, he just steps over a trapped section of the hallway. The orcs following behind him aren't so lucky – in their haste to catch him they forget about the trap. It activates, spraying one of them with acid and killing him instantly. The remaining orc continues to pursue.

Nardig manages to make some distance, though, and gets well outside of the orc's sight. After heading down another side passage, he comes to a large archway with skeletons hanging to either side. He heads inside, finding a large room furnished with many fine rugs and pillows, and oddly sand coating the floor.

Burrowing himself under the pillows, Nardig hides from his pursuer. The gambit appears to work, as he sees the orc peer into the room but then leave and go down another passageway.

Once he's sure he's safe, Nardig uncovers himself and looks around the room more. He notices a large, locked chest. Unfortunately, he has no way to open the chest so he decides to leave.

Wandering around the tower some more, he heads back towards the area where the prisoners were. Moving carefully, he manages to get close enough to pick up some sounds from the guards near the room; apparently reinforcements have arrived. He hears them discussing the slave who escaped (referring to himself).

Unable to get any closer without the guards hearing him, Nardig heads over to the stairs and decides to try heading up one level this time. As he ascends, he hears a discussion going on above though he can't quite make out what they are talking about and he doesn't want to risk getting up any closer.

Eventually the voices get closer. He heads back down the stairs and to the lower level he was before. After wandering around, he eventually comes to another door.

Nardig listens at the door and doesn't hear anything so he heads inside. He instantly smells a sulfurous scent inside. The room contains a table but is mostly an open, dome-shaped room with various geometric patterns written on the walls. There is also a circle of some type in the middle of the floor.

The hobgoblin looks around for anything to use as a weapon or any other exits from the room but finds nothing. He is about to leave when he hears someone getting ready to open the door. Thinking quickly, he ducks under the nearby table to hide himself.

When the door opens, he sees Snarg and Jalil enter. Jalil is telling Snarg once he gets in the circle, he will activate the magic. The djinn explains that once the goblin is transported to the other world, he is to meet up with someone named Akarios. Nardig recognizes the name as the wheelwright who was talking with Jalil under Beartooth and realizes Snarg is the goblin they were talking about; the portal Jalil is activating will lead him back home.

Nardig bides his time until the last second, emerging just as the portal activates to throw himself into it. Snarg gets a change to stick Nardig with his dagger (or rather, Nardig's own dagger) before Jalil finishes the spell. He and Snarg then disappear into the white light.

*** Session 10 - Scene 8 (of ***

The Great Mulroney, the Deadly Snow, Nardig, and Snarg all emerge from their dimensional portals at the exact same time in the cavern under Beartooth. The chamber is still lit with magical torchlight.

Mulroney gets himself off the ground and looks around for Shoes, but doesn't see him. Deadly Snow sees the goblin and rushes at him, attacking with her axe. He parries with his dagger, telling the little girl she shouldn't attack him (referring to himself in third person).

The witch then attempts to levitate the goblin into the air, but he resists the spell. Nardig attempts to grab at Snarg's dagger but isn't able to wrestle it away from him.

Snarg, outnumbered, tries to run away. Deadly Snow drops her axe and quickly takes out her grappling hook, entangling the goblin. The goblin howls out, begging not to be killed.

Continuing to plead his case, Snarg offers to be Mulroney's servant. He explains he has been the servant of powerful magic-users before, offering the name of Sa'lid Dra'lah.

Mulroney says he's heard the name before, recognizing it as the man who is said to have the ebony blade. Nardig says Snarg is there to meet Akarios, which Deadly Snow offers may be a long wait. Mulroney helpfully notes they are friends of Akarios so Snarg can talk freely with them.

Snarg offers an apology to Nardig for stabbing him, saying he should have said he was a friend before. Nardig makes the droll remark that it slipped his mind when he was stripped naked and forced into slavery. At that, he grabs Nardig's sack and begins taking back his possessions along with a small amount of gold Snarg was carrying (suggesting Snarg pay them for not killing him).

While Snarg talks on about the masters he's served and his hatred of elves, Mulroney uses magic to heal Nardig. He manages to get the hobgoblin looking less rough, though it takes the majority of his power.

The witch then asks Snarg about where his cat is. Snarg is confused, saying he doesn't recall a cat falling into his bag. Mulroney, in a blind rage, starts choking the goblin. Snarg pleads for his life, asking his new master why he is doing this. Mulroney demands he tell him where his cat is.

Deadly Snow eventually stops the choking. Snarg asks why Mulroney is so angry about a cat. Deadly Snow says she doesn't know, but suggests he find it quickly. Snarg says his specialty is hauling things, not finding animals. He also says the tendency for things to fall into his pockets while he travels can be very profitable.

Although Snarg doesn't seem to know much more about Sa'lid's current status than they do (for Mulroney already knows is said to be in Black Eagle), Mulroney figures the goblin may still be of some use since he knows the man. He decides to keep the goblin alive, for now...

*** Session 10 - Session Notes ***

This session went OK, but not as well as I would have liked. I had planned quite a lot of material for the session, intending to include a lot of crossover material with past campaigns by having the PCs show up in different dimensions. That part worked OK, but there were some problems.

First, the Mulroney player deciding his character would simply go completely insane and carrying on about his cat like a child was not very helpful in having a productive game. It was his choice to do that, but I feel it made that part of the session a lot more rushed than it needed to be, and the tone of it didn't match the intrigue vibe I was trying to go for so I didn't care for it. Then there's the problem that the Nardig player isn't very good on his own - the write-up is much more streamlined than the actual game was, where he meandered around a bit and wasn't sure what to do until I gave strong hints. We also had the problem the session started late because the Deadly Snow player showed up quite late, and then the Tickles player who was supposed to show up late didn't show up at all which meant that whole section got dropped and we decided to end early because we didn't want to get too far without him.

I'm also concerned with Snarg showing up that the PCs will once again abandon all the current plotlines to go chasing off after Sa'lid. This is a constant problem I have as a GM - any amount of foreshadowing or subplots whatsoever are either ignored completely or chased after while abandoning whatever the PCs are currently doing. It is very difficult to bring stuff up for later or to add color without it potentially derailing things.

But despite all that the session was fun overall and the campaign is still moving forward so that's good. And it was certainly an improvement over the last couple of sessions.

Other notes about the session:
* Mulroney and Deadly Snow clearly traveled to China in Rifts Earth. I probably should have had them emerge at a ley line nexus, but didn't think of that until I'd already described the area.

* Mulroney somewhat recognizes the Chinese warriors because his soul is based on Father Mulroney, who visited Chinatown all the time in Lakefront City during my original Cthulhubusters campaign.

* The question of how to handle dimensional travel and languages is a challenging one because you want to be authentic but some method of communication has to be possible to move the story along. I handled it slightly different between the two stories based on what made the most sense. The villagers in China speak Chinese, so Deadly Snow and Mulroney can't understand them without magic. Zhang Tong and Loc Do also speak Chinese, but since they are involved in a multidimensional conspiracy, I figured they would also speak a language Deadly Snow and Mulroney can understand. Similarly, the humans in Al-Qadim speak a human language specific to that world, but I decided to make the Gobbley language a bit more universal.

* The Shen Mo demon was specifically chosen because I wanted to introduce a choice - do the PCs give up a magic item or do they fight. In this case, it ended up less of a choice because Deadly Snow alone lacked a way to damage the creature.

* The magic item Deadly Snow gave up was the "Wings of the Swooping Hawk". Like the other magic items, it is inspired by the Warhammer 40K Eldar aspect warrior equipment.

* Chen Hsu, Loc Do, and Zhang Tong (along with the Makluan Temple and the Valley of the Dragon) are all heavily inspired by some of my favorite Iron Man stories from the comics in the 90's surrounding the Mandarin (and not the abomination that was the film version of a cool comic character reduced to a lame joke).

* Zhang Tong was originally a very small, off-screen character in my Rifts North Chicago campaign. He's part of the conspiracy surrounding the Lord of the Deep.

* I also had Chen Hsu act a bit like the stereotypical Kung Fu movie master (though I was specifically envisioning the master from the Kill Bill flashbacks).

* Much like the character in the comics, Chen Hsu is not a good guy, he's a bad guy pretending not to be. He purposely leads the PCs to Zhang Tong because he is in league with them. The PCs may have discovered that if they had tried to investigate more.

* The joke about the cat soup is a play on the old-time stereotype about Chinese food.

* I tried to pick the best hell of the Yama Kings for the story I wanted to tell, coming up with the domain of Chu Chiang. I never intended to actually have Chiang be part of the story, that information is there to add color.

* It was funny seeing the Mulroney player get disappointed the magic items he picked up duplicated spells he already knew (I planned the items long before his character was created), but I reminded him he could use the magical items as a physical action so they still had a use for him.

* The clay-like warriors are meant to evoke the famous terracotta warriors from ancient China. In this case, they are deadly automatons who would have attacked if necessary.

* The giant metal thing was a very large robot, which the PCs wouldn't understand. It was based on Ultimo from the Iron Man comics.

* The black orb has a name and history behind it (again, based on the Iron Man comics) but it didn't come up in the game. It's what I use to explain how Zhang Tong communicates with his fellow conspirators across dimensions.

* The "I thought I would recognize you..." line is taken straight from the (underappreciated) film, The Devil's Advocate. In the film the meaning of the line isn't clear until much later in the story, which is sort-of what I'm using it for here.

* Zhang Tong believes Mulroney to be Arlo - the doppleganger who was killed(?) in my D&D 4e Shadows Over Fallcrest campaign. Similarly, Bragosani was also thrown through a portal at the end of that campaign, and the two were in league with each other as part of the Cult of Tharizdun. In this campaign, they appear to be working with Zhang Tong.

* Why does Zhang believe Mulroney is Arlo? Well, more on that later. Let's just say Mulroney isn't 100% Father Mulroney and leave it at that.

* The Pyramid of Shadows was a location in a D&D 4e module. I'm repurposing it for my campaign as a location in the Palladium world.

* Paldemar was also in the D&D 4e campaign - one of the conspirators at the Well of Demons.

* Nigel was a dragon member of the cult of the Lord of the Deep under Avaj Eroc during the Rifts campaign. Like Zhang Tong, he was more of an off-screen character.

* Zhang Tong's castle is "one of" Prester John's castles, as his main castle where he fought against the Lord of the Deep was in Africa. The detail is added here more for flavor than anything.

* The "dark lord" Zhang is referring to may or may not be the Lord of the Deep, but that's what I'm implying.

* The "old wizards" referenced by Zhang are also from the Rifts campaign, and will be entering the story soon enough.

* Nardig clearly arrives in the Al-Qadim world from that campaign. Pretty much everyone - the Blood Riders, Alknar, Jalil, and Snarg - are taken from that campaign as are Salazar's tower and the village of Zayir. Salazar himself was part of the D&D 4e campaign along with Sa'lid Dra'lah. Naveed is a new character.

* The references back to M'balz Al-Badassi are referring to the PCs and their adventures during that campaign.

* Alknar is a yak-man, though that still hasn't been revealed to the PCs per se. Every time the game gets anywhere near him, the PCs always seem to leave before meeting him. He wasn't originally envisioned as such a big bad, but now I'm kind of rolling with it (hence, Naveed having an almost Voldemort-like aversion to even saying his name).

* I used the same maps for the tower as during my D&D Al-Qadim campaign, but I looked at my maps wrong during the big chase scene with Nardig so his route doesn't really make a lot of sense compared to how I originally planned the tower.

* Side note - I have the hardest time making a chase scene seem interesting without just being a series of rolls.

* The room with all the pillows was Jalil's quarters. The chest was full of more jewelry.

* I had to give all three PC groups a way to get back to their home world when I first planned out the detours, so I decided one of them would be about Snarg being transported back to meet Akarios since I'd already set that up (Zhang was introduced to add mystery about Mulroney and add exposition, while Tickles' adventure will be a bit more action-oriented).

* The four of them emerging from their portals at the same place at the same time is twofold - one is rule of humor. The other is that both were sent back by members of the conspiracy, and the Beartooth cavern was the location of the circle Jalil had been using.

* I'm glad they haven't killed Snarg yet. I feel I can still get more mileage out of that character.

* Shoes isn't there because he is off with Tickles. Their adventures should be revealed next session.

*** Session 11 - Cast of Characters ***

Yukiko Amagi (aka The Deadly Snow): A ten-year-old aberrant human girl; a major psychic trained as a secret assassin. She considers Tickles to be her father after he raised her as an orphan.

The Great Mulroney: A miscreant changeling witch who believes he is human and masquerades as a prestidigitator. He sold his soul to the devil prince Glebecar and has a devil familiar named Shoes.

Tickles: An anarchist coyle thief and minor psychic. He raised Yukiko from a little orphan girl into the assassin she is today so she could earn them money as a hardened killer.

Nardig: A miscreant hobgoblin mercenary exiled from his family for his evil deeds. He can control his tendencies for short periods of time to work with small groups, but will steal from them and turn on them with the slightest provocation.

*** Session 11 - Scene 1 (of ***

Tickles finds himself with Shoes, standing on some kind of circular, metal platform. He appears to be in a room made of metal, surrounded by what look like metal towers. He can't quite make out the ceiling of the room, as it appears to be brightly lit by some sort of magic light.

A strange-sounding voice calls out, telling Tickles to wait for a "visitor inspector" to be ready, whatever that is. Tickles responds to the unseen source of the voice that he will wait.

His patience is tried as no one shows up for quite some time. It feels like hours pass before he hears the voice again. As a metal door on one of the towers opens into a dark passage beyond, the voice tells Tickles to please proceed to the "visitor station".

Tickles walks through the door, with Shoes slowly sauntering behind him. He finds himself in a larger room with another door at the end of it. The door he passed through closes behind him as soon as Shoes enters.

Once they are in the room, it illuminates with a similar magic light as the previous room. Inside is a small squad of large humanoids of a race Tickles doesn't recognize. They are all seven to nine feet tall, with barrel-shaped chests, thick limbs, and round heads. They have a strange grayish-purple skin that appears like hardened stone. Their mouths are little more than thin slits, they have no noses, and their eyes are solid black beads.

Tickles also notices they are all wearing some type of armor and carrying strange-looking weapons that look like a long metal club but held like a crossbow. Intimidated by the creatures, the coyle tries to make it clear he isn't there to hurt anyone.

One of the humanoids attempts to speak to Tickles, but he can't understand whatever language the man is speaking. Tickles tries talking back in Gobbley. The creature then takes out a small tube-shaped object and holds it up to Tickles' neck. The coyle feels a sharp pinch from the device, and calls out "What the fuck?!"

The man then speaks in a language Tickles can understand, telling him not to be alarmed. He goes on to tell Tickles that he's injected him with a "nanomachine" that will allow him to communicate. Tickles has no idea what that means, but is glad that he can talk with them now.

After the man gives his name as Inspector Tassadar, Tickles greets him and gives his own name.

Tassadar tells Tickles to hold on a moment. Tickles asks if he is going to inject him with something else, but the man tells him to stay still. Tassadar produces a small, glowing piece of metal from his armor and waves it around Tickles.

Talking aloud as he reads something on the piece of metal, Tassadar tells Tickles he appears to be a coyle. He also says based on Tickles' "dimensional signature" he appears to be from the "Palladium world".

Tickles has no idea what that means. He asks if that is not the same as this world. Tassadar ignores the question and begins asking some of his own.

Tassadar asks a series of bewildering questions to Tickles, none of which make any sense to the thief. Where is his "Center identification card"? Is he a member of the "Consortium of Civilized Worlds", the "Transgalactic Empire", or the "United Worlds of Warlock"?

Tickles tells him he's asking a lot of questions and if he could have a glass of water. Tassadar again ignores the inquiry and asks if Tickles is now or has ever been associated with the "Wolfen Supremacy" movement. Tickles says no, since he doesn't know who that is. He also remarks to himself that he probably won't be getting that water either.

Tassadar tells Tickles to prepare his equipment for inspection. He stands back while the men look through all his equipment. Tickles asks if one of them can tell him where he is since he didn't expect to be there.

One of the other men is looking at the amulet he brought back from the Black Vault. He identifies it as magical, but not dangerous.

According to the creature, Tickles has no prohibited items but he is warned that any unacceptable use of his weapons will be met with swift justice. Tickles asks if there is a list of rules he can read.

Tickles also wants to know where he is. Tassadar explains he is in Center. Tickles finds that less than illuminating, and asks where Center is. Tassadar, talking down to him, slowly says Center is at the center of the multiverse. Tickles notes he didn't expect to find himself here.

The thief then asks how he can get back where he came from, and how he can leave the center of the multiverse. Tassadar says he can leave through the right "dimensional gateway", assuming he has the right number of "credits" (which Tickles wonders if is related to his note of credit from the bank).

Tassadar also says he could have some trouble without an official ID. He then tells Tickles to hold on as they need to scan his domestic animal, indicating Shoes.

Tickles says Shoes is just a cat, but then stops himself as he recalls he isn't sure it really is a cat. He asks Tassadar if the creature is a cat or not.

Tassadar doesn't respond but whispers quietly with his men. He then turns back to Tickles and tells him they'll need to be put into "isolation". Tickles is not thrilled he's going to be locked up with the cat.

The inspector goes on to explain that Shoes is an unauthorized creature there and cannot be let into the city. He says they'll need to go through "enhanced customs inspection". Tickles asks how long that would take, and offers he could just put Shoes in a sack and carry him around. Tassadar tells Tickles to follow the officers to the "enhanced discussion area".

*** Session 11 - Scene 2 (of ***

Tickles discovers the enhanced discussion area is just a euphemism for "jail cell", as he is stripped of his items and clothing and placed in a very small metal closet with Shoes.

Turning to the cat, Tickles tells him he's really done it this time. The cat hisses at him. He apologizes, saying he was just kidding and it isn't really the cat's fault. The cat continues to growl at Tickles, and ignores the coyle's attempts to talk to him.

The cell itself is very sparse with no furniture and no items in it except for a bucket. Tickles looks distastefully at the bucket, knowing the situation will get a lot more distasteful as time goes on.

With little to do but wait, Tickles spends the next several days or more in his cell, with little way to know the passage of time except for the occasional bowl of "intergalactic gruel" they feed him through the small slot in the bottom of the door.

He also attempts to pass the time by talking to Shoes and sees if he can get the cat to talk back or even walk in a circle for him to show he understands. Shoes does not respond to him, but there is a period where the cat meows for three straight hours, nearly driving Tickles insane. He's disappointed they are unable to bond during their "adventure" together.

One day, the guard comes up to the door and tells Tickles he has a visitor. He is instructed to move to the back wall while the door is opened, though Tickles sardonically remarks they haven't given him much of a cell to back up in.

Tickles complies, and the door opens. An older human in strange clothes enters. The man greets Tickles by name. Tickles asks him for his name, which he gives as "Matheson".

Matheson tells Tickles he is in a bit of trouble, which the thief says he already figured out. Tickles asks what is going on and Matheson asks how much he knows of his situation. The exasperated Tickles responds, "Nothing!"

Attempting to explain, Matheson tells Tickles he is in the city of Center on the planet known as Phase World, which is said to be in a dimension in the center of the multiverse. Tickles is marginally able to follow along, and notes he was already told some of this; that, and that he has a forbidden cat.

Tickles says he doesn't want any trouble, and says they can just send him back to his own world. Matheson says that would be the normal procedure with unauthorized visitors, however him being there with a deevil makes things more complicated. Tickles realizes he is referring to Shoes, meaning the cat is really a transformed devil.

Matheson asks if Tickles is aware of the war between the demons and the deevils. Tickles says he is not. The human tells him the war has recently had a lot of activity in the area with the battles of the demon fleets. He also says the demons have several agents in Center among the prometheans (apparently talking about the race of creatures that Tassadar belonged to).

Continuing his explanation, Matheson says it is likely Tickles will end up a slave laborer and Shoes killed. Tickles doesn't like the sound of either of those things.

Matheson tells Tickles it is lucky day. Tickles isn't so sure, noting he hasn't been very lucky so far. The man then says he has a deal for the thief.

Tickles isn't surprised at all, and asks if the deal could involve him getting his clothes back. Matheson says that is no problem.

Matheson explains he works for a small company known as Naruni Enterprises and that his boss, a man named Corbin Decker, has a certain amount of influence with the prometheans. The man speculates that influenced could be used to free Tickles from his confinement and perhaps even get him back to his own world. Of course, they'd need a small favor first.

Tickles is amenable to the idea of a favor if he can take the cat as well; he knows Mulroney is very tied to the creature and doesn't want to risk returning without him. Matheson assures him Decker has no problem with the deevils.

Matheson explains that the favor is to help the company get something. As independent proprietors of "defense equipment", they have heard about a new ship that has entered this dimension through a portal in space that is carrying an advanced weapon they wish to acquire. He refers to it as an "intelligent, thermostellar bomb".

Tickles has no idea what that is, but it doesn't sound good. He asks what they want with that. Matheson says it is apparently used to collapse unstable planets, which means it could be valuable to sell to one of the various factions in this area given their current conflicts.

For his role, Tickles is needed to assist a crew of "runners" who Naruni has hired to acquire the weapon. Unfortunately, the ship the weapon is on (the USS Dark Star) is deep within an area of space with active fighting between the Transgalactic Empire and the demon fleets, called the "Belasco system".

Matheson summarizes that the runners for the job will need to get to the Belasco system, avoid any entanglements with the demons or Transgalactic Empire forces, and manage to get the weapon away from the crew currently in control of it then bring it back.

Tickles asks if he needs to know how to operate one of these ships. Matheson tells him not to worry. Tickles says he's a little worried.

Matheson explains he's already hired a competent crew, but they need another hand. There will be five of them on a converted light freighter. Tickles tries to understand what the mission involves – he eventually comes to understand that he is being hired to help the crew of a ship that can travel through space to go steal another ship that can travel through space.

Overwhelmed by the amount of crazy magic this dimension contains, Tickles tries to follow as Matheson hands him a small metallic card of some kind with an image of him on it (which he explains has been "loaded with credits" along with his "monorail pass") and is given the direction of the monorail station and the "spaceport" where he's to meet up with the crew of a ship called the Cartesian Doubt (which Tickles finds to be very encouraging-sounding).

Tickles wants some help ("help me to help you") by getting some healing and his armor repaired. Matheson says he's confident Tickles can procure the services of an "autodoc" at the spaceport. Tickles says he is not at all sure of that.

*** Session 11 - Scene 3 (of ***

After regaining his possessions and walking through the various hallways of the strange building he's in, Tickles eventually makes his way to an exterior area where the monorail platform is said to be. Using that odd card they gave him, he holds it up to some sort of magical post like he sees others do, and it turns green and allows him onto a long platform where various humanoid (and not so humanoid) creatures are waiting.

The bizarre, motley mix of creatures surrounding Tickles causes him to become quite unsettled. While he's used to interacting with a mix of different races back in the Undermound, this is an entirely different situation with dozens of odd-looking creatures. He also finds it very strange to be outdoors, seeing a brightly-lit sky for the first time in a great many years.

He tries to find a schedule for how he can get to the spaceport, but can't read any of the languages the signs are posted in. However, he does listen to a strange voice call out the various stops for the monorail – the Royal Wing, the Gold Estates, Warlock Row, Holo-Town, Manor Condominiums, Domed Quarter, Musical Lake, Manor Park, and the Entertainment District are all located on what is being called "Level 1 – The Manors". Access to the spaceport, or Skyline Spaceport as the voice calls it, is located at the fourth step.

Eventually a long, magical wagon made of metal zooms in next to the platform. Metal doors open all along the metal tube and the crowds begin filing in. Tickles manages to avoid being trampled and crams himself into one of the wagon chambers with what seems like over a hundred of his fellow travelers.

Tickles makes sure to keep Shoes on his shoulders to avoid losing him and takes the opportunity to pickpocket one of the men exiting the train. It appears to be some kind of small metal rod; he puts it in his sack to examine more later.

Once the doors close, the tube he's in jets along quickly across the city sky. It appears to move by some sort of magic, as if it is flying through the air. Looking around, he sees the city is made of strange-looking buildings with magical lights and images he can barely comprehend.

At the fourth stop, Tickles gets off. He finds something called an "elevator" that looks like a large, metal closet. When he gets inside with the other passengers, the closet rushes straight up, magically delivering him to the spaceport level.

The spaceport is a massive, vast yard of vehicles of all different sizes. Tickles speculates these must be the ships that can travel into the sky that Matheson was talking about.

Realizing he will never find the ship on his own, Tickles looks for someone who appears to be in charge. He notices a strange-looking humanoid who moves from ship to ship, tapping on a glowing glass rectangle he's carrying.

Tickles walks over and asks the man for help. He tells the creature he is looking for a ship called the Cartesian Doubt. He taps his glass object a few times and tells him it is located at row 5, berth 54. He points out the location of row 5 to Tickles so he can find his destination.

The thief heads over to the location the harbormaster (or whatever he was) indicated. He approaches the Cartesian Doubt and finds a human performing some repairs on the outer hull.

Tickles tells the man to excuse his interruption, but asks if he is a crewman on this ship. The human gives his name as Schlomo Rabinowitsch and explains he is the pilot.

The thief explains he's reporting to serve on the crew as part of their runner mission for Naruni. Just as Schlomo is about to respond, another human exits the ship – the captain, James "Wreck" Deckard. Wreck greets the coyle, who he assumes is the one Matheson sent him the comm about.

Wreck thinks carefully about the deal he struck with the Naruni. It's been nearly four years that he and Schlomo have been marooned in this dimension and this might finally give them enough credits to get back.

He thinks back to the situation that brought them here. They were pursuing the German spy, Adolph Mueller. Mueller was posing as an old French hermit named Gagan Hubert until his treachery was revealed and he killed two of Wreck's closest friends, Jean Danielou and Burton Steele, during a survey mission they were on at Beta Canum-4. They later discovered Mueller was involved in a plot to bring a 21st century warlord named Vladimir Putin, the "tiger prince" of the Russian Empire, out of cryostasis and launch a new war for galactic supremacy using an army of advanced cyborg soldiers.

Mueller was headed for 6 Canum Venaticorum, and Wreck's ship (commanded by Captain Mador Miller), the Xanthidae, was posing as a transport ship to 9 Canum Venaticorum as they tried to follow him. Unfortunately, a saboteur among their passengers caused an explosion, rerouting them to the Moneyspider research station on Snobol in the Venturi system, where the ByChem Corporation was mining Cys-Dieropadyne and Meta-Trilphidone in the upper atmosphere.

While there, they discovered the station's robots had malfunctioned and they lost contact with much of the crew on the Jetsom platform in the upper atmosphere of Snobol. Wreck and Schlomo took a shuttle down to mount a rescue, but an ion storm damaged the shuttle and they were suddenly pulled into a wormhole.

Since then, the two performed odd jobs until Wreck maneuvered himself into a position as captain. They have been saving their credits to try and locate a way back to their dimension ever since. He wonders if they'll ever see his friends – Jasper Jenkins, Parker Shaw, Samuel "Flash" Gordon, and Laurel Brien – again...

Wreck makes some small talk with Tickles. Schlomo laments Wreck has lost his trademark Texan accent during his years here on Center.

Tickles gets on the ship after Wreck explains they have an autodoc on board. The captain does try to say there are no cats allowed on his ship, but Tickles insists the cat is key to the mission being successful. After Tickles carries on about the value of the cat, Wreck ultimately agrees to let him onboard but says if there is a single problem with it he will shove it out the airlock. Tickles believes that is a fair deal.