Sleepy Mountain

Lights Above Sleepy Mountain at PrinceCon 47: Adventure Island, with GM Dennis!

Lights Above Sleepy Mountain is a love letter to the cozy worldbuilding of Studio Ghibli. Amid the charm, utopia takes work. It is a tale imbued with my hopes and dreams for environmentalism and community. Sleepy Mountain stayed in Avalon, performing its ceremony, because of community. People become small heroes by simple everyday acts such as checking in on their friends, and big standout acts such as fighting evils and serving as leaders.

Adventurers in my series started by reopening a dilapidated Crystal Observatory, then performed a wellness check, light breaking-and-entering, and some detective work on the nature of the wizard in We're Off to See the Wizard. We returned to Sleepy Mountain to repair the Clock of the Long Now, designed to mark deep time. They helped Tzipora retrieve her heirloom sword and fight against pollution monsters, then found a robotic druid to fight invasive worms and learn from ancestors past. In the end my players brought the traditionalists and progressives together to successfully perform the region's convergence ceremony in It Takes a Village, because that's what it takes to raise a child, Tzipora, who is many ways is an avatar for myself. I would like to thank my players for helping give her a wonderful upbringing.

I will also give a callout to Joshua of Big Roc Kandy's Mountain, because my mountain and Kandy had a wonderful bonding moment. In addition, along with Clara of Steamridge, we explored labor rights, and I hope our regions became closer after the convergence.

I am exhausted but immensely gratified to have had my energetic players through my marathon of a scenario.

Run 1: Inner Observatory (Crystal Observatory)

Dramatis personae: Aahz, by Ron Seidel Chesshire, by Tim DeCapio Chuckles the Clown, by Timothy Sullivan Dodson Weathers, by Michael Brokes Mongo, by Kelly West Willow Shiftyshadow, by Gael Lambert

The party was instructed to take a look at the observatory high up on Sleepy Mountain, since The Wizard found this place very important. The heroes got off the tram when it had to stop because of the dislocated rails, saying goodbye to the friendly driver, who mentioned that nobody had been this way in ages and ages but an eager dragonborn traveler a couple days ago.

What a fight was in store for them! Sneaking by the roc that had built its nest at the top, the heroes wrestled with a gaggle of malfunctioning maintenance constructs, figured out the puzzling stairs, then climbed up with their tabaxi claws (Chesshire and Willow) to rescue Theo the influencer.

Above however was an encounter with ghosts, ghosts of doubt and the literal ghost of the mournful caretaker, Oshiro. For the observatory was not only a place to watch the stars but also a place to assess the spirit of the land, and various fears and doubts came to life as dangerous spirits: fear of seeing magic and comedy replaced by downtrodden mundane masses (Chesshire, Chuckles, Dodson), losing companions and being imprisoned (Mongo, Willow, Aahz), failure to take care of the observatory (Oshiro), and general worries from Sleepy Mountain (fears of Avalon's disintegration and the death of tradition). Only through some spiritual inspiration, such as Willow's meditation, Chesshire's claiming of the caretaker's responsibilities, Mongo's explanation to Oshiro that he was dead, and Chuckles's refusal to let the pessimism win, were they able to defeat the spirits.

In the following quiet the heroes were able to find records of the celestial alignment, its importance to boosting the spell bubble cast over the island, the weak spots in the bubble precipitating calamity, and a note that the wizard was to have come, and yet is missing.

Run 2: We're Off to See the Wizard!

Dramatis personae: Aahz, by Ron Seidel Averet Ironshade, by Alan Zitomer Certainty, by Greyson Sapio Dagu, by Frank Jaskot Myria Syntosi, by Matthew Cooperberg Phynian Silverbeard, by George McBride

After hesitating outside the wizard's tower in Crystalheart City, Dagu finally charged right in and found... quiet. A few wards triggered, but no great response came, only a low-power construct. As they explored, the adventurers encountered a set of tower guardians on the first floor, guardians that drew energy from the crystalline pillar at the core of the tower to delivery assuredly powerful strikes. After tearing some holes in the guardian portrait, a thorn in Certainty's side, and physically blocking the crystal statue from its power source, they were able to progress into the rest of the tower.

The adventurers went down into the basement, where they encountered a flooded storage area belonging to two decidedly different people. After dealing with a loose water elemental, they investigated or looted a number of clues or items, only to be found by curmudgeonly Sleepy Mountain Intelligence agent Baron Azela, here on his own mission.

After being tensely exchanging a few theories about what happened to the Wizard, such as the Crystalheart city conspiracy, everybody went upstairs. The bedrooms furnished conclusive evidence that the old Wizard had a young apprentice by the name of Callion Alveg, who Baron noted as an cold missing persons case. They also found bags packed for a grand tour of the island.

Finally, after defeating a fey spirit of the seasons and sending it back to the Feywild, particularly aided by Myria's twilight ward, the heroes were able properly investigate the study, where they found notes about the celestial alignment every 254 years and a spell cast to protect the island of Avalon within a bubble of magic.

Run 3: Clock of the Long Now

Dramatis personae: Arathorn Ervaris, by Will Torpey Hibschman Choom, by Johann Hibschman Enlimatias Polemou, by Christo Yessios Mavry Nixta, by Yianni Yessios nox, by Eddie Lyman

Buried in the mountain below the observatory lies a long-forgotten clock. Oldies who worked in the observatory remember a slow, steady tick-tock. Now that they've returned to work, they can hear it reverberating through the mountain. And they insist that it's definitely going tock-tick now. You can feel it. It's wrong.

After a charming time in Cloudeye town, our heroes went to explore the clock. Forcing their way into the lower tunnel entrance, they encountered a number of traps set by an unknown miscreant, who turned out to be a mad kobold, come unstuck in time ever since they interfered with the mechanisms of the clock. After climbing a long spiral staircase, harassed the entire way by the kobold and their backwards-time clone, they wound the clock, earning them a reprieve from the mischief.

But the clock was not yet working, especially with a time dragon having taken up residence in the clock's chambers above. After making a careful plan, with Arathorn (high elven rogue) to sneak into position, aided by Choom (loxodon cleric) using a Silence spell, with Enklimatias (half-elf warlock) casting Fly on Mavry (tabaxi barbarian), who would carry nox (treeling druid), the heroes were able to pin down the small dragon. Only temporarily though, as it escaped nox's spiderweb and Mavry's grasp. A running battle ensued, but the heroes prevailed, ducking, dodging, and scrambling for clear shots on the slippery monster.

Finally, the adventurers were able to reset the clock, a product of some 700 years past, when egomaniac industrialists built the clock as a monument to establish their legacy, a gift now received ambivalently by a very different society that too must ponder the long future ahead.

Run 4: Tzipora and the Crystal Sword

Dramatis personae: Dain, by Greg Arzoomanian Mongo, by Kelly West Quintorius, by Dominic Charczun Rhonda Lightbringer, by Katerina Kanevche Slick, by Elissa Hoeger Yondoc Strongkeg, by Jan Skowranek

After spending some time in Cloudeye town amidst a rising temperature of social disquiet, such as food lines, protests against the glacial pace of government action, and negotiations to install crystal amplifiers around the Mountain to supplement or replace the bubble, the adventurers encountered a definite problem: Tzipora Azela is missing.

They couldn't find Tzipora in town but were directed to the highlands, where she was known to ramble. After a brief run-in with a polluted water elemental, they found the young elf sulking outside, having lost her father's sword in an attempt to fight junk monsters in an abandoned mine and garbage dump. They took up her task, but were attacked by Wakened Mountain rebels, among whom was a Moise, a (perhaps ex-) friend of Tzipora's, much to her dismay.

The party, licking its wounds, limped into town, where they received free (disposable) equipment from Mani Eboshi of Arbor Freight Tool Company in exchange for advertising. Re-equipped and healed, they headed back out and dealt with the trash monsters in the old mine.

By the time everybody got back to town, Tzipora's mother was waiting and rather upset. Tzipora was bruised, her sword missing its hilt, but the adventurers backed her up, with Yondoc delivering some rambling fatherly life lessons about doing the right thing.

Run 5: Automatic Druid

Dramatis personae: Audrey Greene, by Jenna Mullin Durisdarun Trollhand, by Ryan LoRusso Flick Warble, by Liam Wang Greoffr Pelendor, by Lilia Burtonpatel Hederon, by Andrew Oliver

Following up on a hint that investigating Sleepy Mountain's volcanic awakening might be a good idea, the party, led by its two druids, one of them (Flick) from Sleepy Mountain, went to find Otto, the Ancient Shaman and caretaker of the highlands.

The adventurers found Otto meticulously sifting the dirt, steadfastly removing invasive worms from the soil, worms that had been come from the rest of Avalon since Sleepy Mountain's accession some 700 years ago. They helped him, until the mother of all invasive worms—a purple worm!—came to attack. The great beast swallowed a couple of their number, but after pinning it down and, in the case of Hederon, wild shaping into a giant rhinoceros to go back inside and rescue Greoffr, the party systematically dismantled the worm with blade and fire.

In the calm that followed was much speculation on the history of the island and the Wizard. They asked Otto about Sleepy Mountain's past, and he spoke about the damage wrought by industry in the Age of Fire, before Sleepy Mountain joined Avalon, and how the mountain became unlivable and nearly everyone died before Avalon saved them. Otto bemoaned the current mining activities, noting that magical pacification wards to calm down the mountain, irritated by industrial activity, would disappear with the magic-preserving bubble.

Around this point, photonics engineer Lin Zhi came by to check in on Otto, who was revealed to be a construct. A hill on the mountain turned out to be an ancient ruin, which the party explored for the shameful products of an ingenious and destructive age.

Run 6: It Takes a Village

Dramatis personae: Fargrim Oakstone, by Kit Foster Flick Warble, by Liam Wang Tabasco, by Carter Gold

... and the Big Roc Kandy's Mountain (Match Maker) party:

Baja, by Grant MacWilliam Certainty, by Greyson Sapio Dagu, by Frank Jaskot Springsteen, by Kobi Kaplan Thalia, by Zachary Johnson

Sent to Sleepy Mountain, the party encounters a malignant conflict in the consensus-based assembly, gridlock between the traditional environmentalists and the techno-optimists. After some rushed attempts at forcibly brokering a deal by charming leaders of both sides (Fargrim being an enchantment wizard, and Flick using charm person), the group was invited up the mountain to see the sacred spring that the traditionalists wished to protect from development.

This presentation took an odd turn when firework signals from Big Roc Kandy's Mountain were sighted, and it turned out that the Sleepy Mountain's spirit was not just sick but also lonely. Flick, as a druid, was able to wild shape into a lava elemental and speak directly, with Fargrim and Tabasco helping the Mountain respond via smoke signal to the love messages (lava letters) sent from Kandy. Both parties of adventurers helped the two flame spirits kindle their relationship. Kandy molted and left behind an egg for her cycle of rebirth, while the mountain was left much happier and ready to continue with the convergence ritual.

With the Big Roc Kandy's Mountain group now helping, the adventurers were able to shut down an experimental magic bubble machine, clearing the way for it to be installed at the sacred ley line sites around the mountain.

Just as peace was to prevail, Wakened Mountain paramilitary troops attacked, hoping to subvert the democratic process and install their leader as a dictator. This came at perfectly bad timing—for the rebels—as the party had just come back to Assembly Hall to oversee the final accord to perform the convergence ceremony. The authoritarians and wannabe dictator were roundly defeated, and amid the mess, everyone had one last cup of tea to celebrate the peace on Sleepy Mountain

From Josh

My players' fire elemental Iggi has drafted this poem for Nemurerur-yama to communicate geologically:

My Dearest Kandy,

The flames dance higher just thinking of you. You, who are the cool breeze that tempers my inferno, the calming rain that nourishes my embers. You are an anomaly, a delightful contradiction in this world I inhabit.

My existence is a constant roar, a relentless inferno. I burn with the fury of a thousand suns, my heart a forge where molten emotions bubble and writhe. Yet, when I am with you, a strange peace settles over me. It's not the extinguishing kind, mind you, but a warmth that burns slow and steady, fueled by a love as fierce and eternal as my own flames.

You are the gentle touch that soothes the char, the whispered word that calms the inferno. You see the flicker of vulnerability beneath the roaring flames, the longing for connection that dances in my embers. You ignite a fire within me that burns brighter than any I have ever known, a fire fueled by passion, tenderness, and a yearning for your touch.

When your laughter reaches my ears, it's a sweet melody that dances on the smoke, a symphony more beautiful than the crackling of a consuming blaze. Your eyes, like pools of molten gold, hold a depth that mesmerizes me. In your presence, I don't just burn, I truly live.

This existence may be one of perpetual heat, but with you, my love, I dream of a future where our flames intertwine, creating a conflagration that burns brighter than anything the world has ever seen. A love that consumes all shadows and illuminates our path with an everlasting glow.

Until we meet again, my love, know that a part of me burns for you, a beacon in the fiery world I call home.

With a heart of molten adoration,

Your Nemurerur-yama

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