Session 62
The Arrival of the King and the Watchmaker (5–10 mins)
The air tightens, and the door opens—not with fanfare, but with silence.
Two men enter: one in royal crimson and black, his crown worn with weight; the other in long robes of pale blue and grey, with eyes like distant storms.
The King Velandor. And the man once known only as the Watchmaker.
Opening Dialogue:
King:
“Welcome back, how was your quest to Abnoba?"
(Let the players speak—respond to questions or give updates. The King listens, but he's deeply uneasy.)
3. Dialogue: The Alliance & The Threat (15–20 mins)
You return to Danu not a moment too soon. The city creaks beneath the weight of something it cannot see. Rifts. Dreams repeating themselves. Children born with memories of other lives.”
(He gestures to the Watchmaker.)
“And now, this man—who once sought to end my bloodline—sits across from me not in chains, but in counsel.”
Pause. His eyes lock with the players. This is a test.
“Tell me… would you have me trust him?”
[Let players respond here.]
They might defend or condemn the Watchmaker, ask questions, or remain cautious. Encourage roleplay.
🎭 Watchmaker's Turn: Explaining Himself
The Watchmaker (quiet, tired—not defensive):
“I was wrong. Not about the child. Not about the deviation. But about the path forward.”
“I believed the timeline could be corrected. Resequenced. That all deviations—large or small—were weeds to be cut down.”
(Looks to the King briefly.)
“But the roots run too deep. We no longer walk the path we were meant to. There is no returning.”
Player Interruption Opportunity:
Ask: “Then why are you here? Why seek alliance now?”
The Watchmaker (grim):
“Because something has noticed us.”
“Whatever lies beyond our multiverse has seen this broken thread of a world… and it’s reaching in. Through the cracks. Through the rifts.”
King Alric (bitter, cutting):
“And how convenient that this only begins after you fail to cut the thread you so feared—my daughter.”
“Are we to believe these… monsters… are not of your making? Or perhaps just another contingency from the clockwork tomb you called a future?”
🎭 Players React Again
At this point, the players may begin choosing sides, asking for proof, demanding accountability, or suggesting action.
Possible directions:
- A player might try to get the King and Watchmaker to focus.
- They may ask what the threat actually is.
- They may accuse one or both of lying.
🕯️ Tension Builds: The Fracturing World
The Watchmaker (ignoring the insult, voice soft but urgent):
“In the past week alone, six villages have reported ‘missing days’. People caught in loops. Others who vanish only to return claiming they died elsewhere.”
“I traced the leylines around the child’s birth. What once pulsed with stability now trembles. The weave of time has thinned. The rifts are growing not just in number—but in intelligence.”
King Alric (coldly):
“You speak of threads and frays, Watchmaker. I speak of flesh and blood. Tell me plainly—what is it you want?”
The Watchmaker (leans forward, expression tight):
“I want to stop what’s coming.”
“And I cannot do that alone.”
🎯 Critical Choice/Player Engagement
At this moment, the King turns his gaze fully to the party.
King Alric:
“Then perhaps I’ve lost all reason. Or perhaps I’m the only one left with it.”
(He gestures to the players.)
“You’ve seen what the world is becoming. You’ve walked in lands cursed by ruin and twisted fate. So speak now. Do you trust this man’s council? Or should I see to his execution myself?”
4. Player Interactions (10–15 mins)
Encourage players to:
- Question the alliance.
- Offer insights from their travels.
- Express doubt, support, or warnings about the Watchmaker.
- Demand answers about the King's trust in a former enemy.
Let them roll Insight (DC 14) to reveal:
- The Watchmaker is deeply shaken—this is not just theory anymore.
- The King sees this alliance as his only option—not a choice, a necessity.
5. Mid-Session Event: Reality Fractures (20+ mins)
While a player speaks or tension peaks:
Everything stills. The torchlight shifts blue.
One of the windows—once showing a distant sunset—now shows nothing. No sky. No stars. Just void.
Runes appear on the wall flash bright white, then shatter like glass—leaving spiderweb cracks in the marble.
The temperature drops.
From the center of the room, the stone begins to bleed light—not golden or silver, but a colour your mind refuses to name.
And then… it arrives.
👾 The Creature Emerges
Description:
Something steps—or slides—into the chamber.
Its form is tall and narrow, like a humanoid stretched too far. Its skin ripples like heat mirage.
You see no eyes—only deep hollows.
In its presence, you remember things that never happened… and forget things you once knew.
Special Effect (as it appears):
- Each player must make a Wisdom save (DC 15) or forget something temporarily—an ally’s name, a spell, a detail from their last quest.
- Magic near it becomes unstable—casting may require Arcana checks or backlash.
🛠️ Encounter Options:
- Combat Encounter
- Creature is partially phased out; physical damage reduced unless magical.
- Time-distorting effects (e.g., it reverts a player’s position or HP by 1 round).
- The Watchmaker attempts to “anchor” the area; players can assist with Arcana or insight-based actions.
- Skill Challenge / Crisis Management
- Players try to close the rift while fending off psychic or magical backlash.
- A sequence of Arcana, Insight, Constitution, and Religion checks (DCs vary).
- Success = banish or delay the creature. Failure = creature escapes deeper into Danu.
💬 Sample NPC Reactions
The Watchmaker (after the rift opens):
“No… not a deviation. This doesn’t belong to the pattern. It was never meant to exist.”
The King (drawing his sword, though it’s futile):
“By the gods… what have we invited into our world?”
🧠 Aftermath
After the creature is gone:
- The room is scarred. Runes broken. Walls cracked.
- Magic feels thin… like the weave is fraying.
- The King and Watchmaker look to the party. For answers. For direction. Perhaps even for blame.
Final Line:
The Watchmaker, exhausted:
“The past is dead. The future is bleeding. And whatever that was… it’s not alone.”
🎁 Rewards / Outcomes
- Magic-imbued relic from the broken chamber.
- The King's personal trust (or suspicion).
- The Watchmaker may offer a Rift Beacon—a device to warn them if another tear appears nearby.
- Lead to next location: a village where time has stopped entirely—or a ruin that exists in two states at once.
