I thought since we posted info on the Final Fantasy game, that we also should post the Changeling Game. I'm interested in hearing what happens in the story after I leave.

(by azure-knight) Episode 1- We all awoke in a strange labaoratory. We learned that we were being tested on to learn about changelings and the person doing the experiments wanted to stop or protect himself from the spellplaque that was about to occur. We were in different bodies (DM gave us different characters to play for the night) and we fought our way out to freedom. Some of the other prisoners we were freeing, we asked to stay behind while we fought our way out. However, the room with spiders was difficult and as we fled through the room, some went back to the other prisoners. We don't know what happened (but are learning as the game progresses) to them. We escaped and later woke up as ourselves, as if in a dream. My sorcerer found the experience very frightening (ties in to 1 of his fears) but also interesting as he is just learning to be a sorcerr, and was in the body of a wizard and was able to cast a fireball.

(by DM)Episode 2– JUMPING DOWN HOLE. PC’s go to to Waterdeep. Despite the size of Waterdeep, the only changelings you have seen are each other. Strange, as this is a perfect haven for changelings to meld into the diverse culture. The PC’s meet in a tavern called the ‘Yawning Portal’. In the tavern they find the thief from episode 1 petrified in mid change reaching for something. The PC’s head down into the Shadowdown looking for answers. The PC’s trace their step backwards. They found a secret room, avoided an alarm, fought guardians left behind long ago, found papers that said the person that wanted to see the ‘shape shifters’ was from a group call ‘The confluence’. Outside the guard room where they left the escapees, they found must have been a large blast with metallic bits in embedded in the surroundings. A group of opportunistic bandits attacked the party hoping catch a group of adventures worn down and fat with treasures. One of the members escaped.

(by DM) Episode 3– PCs decide to take the bandits to the town guards but not before the Psion has some fun at their expense. On the way out of the Shadowdown the party is attacked by a mad vampire Duergar. Thereafter they make it back to the surface and spend the night at the Yawning Portal. The next day while traveling through town, the party is stopped by Badons ex-girlfriend Gwendolyn. There is a touching reunion. She tells Badon that he has a chance to get back at Veldon. This information leads to an attack on a ship to free it from impression by Veldons hirelings.

Episode 4 (by azure-knight) After talking to the ship owner to coordinate transport, we head to the inn to rest for the night. In the morning the paladin has a package. It is a helm he ordered (guess they get ebay here in Waterdeep...). He learns it is from an old friend. As we walk through town, 2 young guys steal it from him and we give chase. The chase eventually leads to the sewers where the cleric alone heads in, and is jumped by a group of thugs. The rest of the group shows up, 1 or 2 people at a time and we take a beating but eventually win. We get the helmet back but a dark figure on a flying creature leaves a few words for us then departs.

(by DM) Episode 5 – FORGING THE FUTURE The group meets with a pair of representative from the Confluence. They had heard the group was injuring about them and wanted to know why. Through the discussion a dialog was established and an exchange of information took place. The group learned about the history of the Confluence and an ex-member of the Confluence named Crucible (see story below), which is a danger to all shape shifters. They also learned about a changeling in a nearby town how was in danger. The towns people had captured him and blamed him for some acts that had actually being performed by a pack of werewolf’s that had recently moved into the area. The group solved this issue in normal fashion.

Episode 6 After rescuing the falsely accused changeling, he offered the group a piece of sculpture as reward, and talked about an artist who lived in town. Finn, who is interested in artists and artwork wanted to go meet her, but the group discovered that the woman had not been seen for several days. Investigating her house, they discovered that she had been magically trapped inside a painting (the psion was able to communicate with her). The party waited to see who would come back to collect the painting and had a brief scuffle with some human and halfling ruffians, whom they easily defeated. The rogues told the party that they were supposed to report back to a dragon several days journey away.

Episode 7 The party disguised themselves as the ruffians from the artists house, and set out to meet the dragon. There was a brief scuffle with some ogres along the way and the mysterious veserab rider was spotted in the sky. Eventually the party encountered some of the dragon's kobold minions and, after a brief attempt to bluff the dragon, a fight ensued. The dragon was eventually defeated, and led the party back to its lair.

Episode 8 After speaking with the dragon, it became clear that it had a number of artists working together in its lair, and was not treating them unkindly. The party agreed to let the woman stay there, if she wished, and moved on to investigate some troubling news from Dox's home town. His mentor told the party to search the sewer system in order to find the body of doppelganger, a piece of evidence which would help clear the name of Dox's father.

Episode 9: After finding the body of the doppelganger, and researching a potential heir for the slain dwarven leader, the party made their case before the ruling council. Lefty was particularly eloquent and the current dwarf leader challenged the party to a trial by combat. The party was victorious and installed the new heir, with Dox's mentor as his advisor until he reached an appropriate age. The party then proceeded to the Dalelands, following up on leads related to the veserab rider, and eventually tracked him to his hideout. They killed him. Afterwards a strange creature (Berbalang) appeared at the scene. He was hired by the Veserab rider to extract memories from the PC’s after they were killed. The PC’s instead paid him to get the memories of their now defeated enemy to find out why he has been such a nuisance. The Berbalang ate some brains, took a nap and awoke fresh and full of stories to tell.This is where the DM released much of the unknown back story (perhaps on than the PC’s would have actually learned but what good is a story that goes untold):About Crucible (a steel dragon)

This begins before the spell plague.

His mate was killed by a Malaugrym. He wasn’t overly attached to her, but the idea that something was taken away from him was infuriating.He joined ‘The confluence’, group dedicated to the protection of Waterdeep which fought a secret war against the ‘Unseen’. The ‘Unseen’ was a group of dopplegangers and Malaugrym led by mind flayers that tried to infiltrate the Lords of Waterdeep. Inspiration for joining was spawned from revenge. His temper was befitting his steel dragon heritage. Unexpectedly however he gained control over his emotions from tutelage he received from the brethren of the confluence.Around this time one of the most powerful mage in Toril discovered that something ominous was about to happen to the weave of magic. This was later to be called the spell plague. Fearing the loss of his powers he started a huge series of experiments looking for a way to shield himself. Some of the master mages apprentices were assigned experiments to be performed, the subjects of which included foreign races such as changelings.The Confluence received word of the arrival of the new shape shifter race in Toril. Crucible was assigned to go investigate. He made his way into Halesters lab’s and found the changelings subdued for experimentation. To study the changelings he decided to take the form of a changeling so he could watch closely. He placed himself in with the test subjects and even endured the tortures of the experiments to keep his cover. One such trail resulted in the permanent semi-petrifaction of one of his arms. This he endured, but the fact was it ordeal became more of a self challenge to test his new mental, rather than a commitment to the mission. Pleased with his self progress he eventually decided move ahead with the study of the changelings. To do so he needed get them out of the subdued state. He hatched a plan. The incense used to keep the changeling catatonic didn’t have the same effect on him. So when the captors left the test chamber he switch the incents so the others would regain consciousness. Then he spurred their escape. He figured that living amongst them during these trails of survival in a new world he would be able to judge there character, to see if they were worthily of acceptance or just another shape shifting villainous race like the Doppelgangers and the Malaugrym. His plan worked well at first, as the changelings worked together to escape. A few of them led the way and took the lead. At one point they told him and rest of the changeling to stay in a cleared room where they could remain safe while they went ahead battled a room full of spiders blocking the path to freedom. He and the other waited and listened to the sounds of battle. Some of the spiders made way back to the ‘safe room’ so they barricaded themselves in until the heroes finished clearing the path. Over time however Crucible realized that he and the others had been sacrificed and left behind. That the ‘heroes’ weren’t returning. This race couldn’t be trusted! The embracement of being duped and betrayed was too much. Mentally and physically the barricades of restrain were broken. Finished with the experiment he dropped his disguise and with a blast of molten lead all that was in his way was vaporized. Gone were the restrictions, his path ahead was clear… however long it would take.When he reached the surface he found one of the changelings that had escaped. It was the female that was pregnant (played by Geoff). He was ready to rip her to shreds when a thought entered his mind. He would take her captive, and when the baby was born it was separated from the mother and raised to help him hunt down other changelings. He brain washed the child into believing that all shape shifter were evil and that the only way to atone was to help Crucible in his mission. Crucible managed to repeat this over a couple of generations of this blood line. There were a few disappointments which were easily dispatched. It was one of his best successes that the heroes had just slain and feed to the Berbalang. ‘Mr. Dark armor’ had been tracking down the descendants of those changelings that had abandoned Crucible may years before. He knew that after the ‘escaped’ fled they had stayed together for some time before hounding by Crucible made them splitting up and spread out over Western Faerun.It was the glamorous playboy’s life of Finn that left an easy to follow trail of angry woman abandoned by a lecherous shape shifter. He was sure if he watched long enough it would someday eventually lead him to the other changelings. His gamble had paid off. However when the new group of changelings discovered and removed the enchantment placed on the helm which allowed the Mr. Dark to track them he had to resort to other methods to relocate them. So he started trouble in Finns home area disguised as Finn, figuring that would attract them. It did attract them, but he was caught unprepared when the heroes attacked his base of operations.The Berbalang had some other information about what ‘Mr. Dark’ had been up to. He had taken on the persona of a Dark Father (a leader in the church of Shar) to infiltrate a group of Netherese. This group is building a Mythal on an Earthmote to control its movement and use it as a weapon to re-establish their power in Faerun. What they don’t know is that the Dark Father placed a gem in the core of the Mythal and has altered the rituals used in the creation the Mythal to have a deadly effect on all shapes shifters that came within a mile of the earthmote. The Netherese plan on moving the mote over every heavily populated area of Faerun.