Session 1 - Fight for Your Lives

Each character heard a loud crack and smelled a smell like a dry wind. You felt sick to your stomach as the world around you is peeled away like the skin of a banana. When your vision cleared you found yourself in a ruined city, standing in your underwear in the rubble of what was once a large stone building. Smoke and fire were everywhere. Your forearm stung badly. You had no time to adjust to your surroundings as a hulking bugbear thrust a spear into your hands and shouted, "fight for your lives!" There were other creatures who seemed to have been similarly transported looking confused. Behind them was a ragtag force of goblins and the bugbear. As you tried to orient yourselves, an army of elves dressed in fine leather armor advanced through the rubble to attack. Arrows flew overhead from behind you and in front of you. The elves bore banners of a sword adorned with a ram's skull. After bitter fighting, all the elves, the goblins, and the bugbear lay dead. The archers from both sides retreated. The only ones left were you and a tabaxi woman named Shiv. Each of you had a glowing tattoo on your forearm. It appeared that if you strayed farther than 100 ft. from each other, the glyph would begin to make you sick. The tattoo looks like a series of arrows pointing away from each other. You found yourselves in a vast city which stretches out arches away from you in all directions like a torus. Far above you in the sky you could see burning buildings and figures flying above the battle. From the top of a ruined building a voice called down saying, "I know what is happening to you, I can explain if you come with me." A small gnome named Zyndar with unruly white hair and fine but worn clothing approached and introduced himself. You followed him and he took you back to a domed building away from the battlefield. Inside, he told you that you were in the city of Sigil, in the Outlands (the true neutral plane of Concordant Opposition). You had been magically drafted by the Militias of Resistance to fight against a force calling themselves the Grand Army of Revolt that had invaded the city a few months ago. He said he could help you get home in return for your help defeating the Grand Army of Revolt.

Zyndar told you that he Army of Revolt in this part of the city was led by General Jynjur, a ruthless and merciless human woman. Jynjur had focused her attacks on three bridges which spanned a huge ravine and river. The battle you had been a part of was a failed attempt to form a bridgehead over one of these bridges. Zyndar said that in order to help you he needed to retrieve a powerful artifact from his rival Gnurfaris across the river. The artifact is an ancient book called the Black Atlas. He was hesitant to provide more information, but offered to get you whatever equipment he could. After resting and equipping yourselves, you set out.

You reached the bridge while it was still dark. There you met Xentax the leader of a militia of halflings. Seeing your tattoos, he agreed to show you to the best place to cross the river and to get you a boat. You crept silently down the ravine and crossed the river in the darkness. You climbed up the other side, avoiding some guards posted there, and headed off towards Gnufaris' home.