# Aphonion Tales:  Adventures in the Spice Lands and the War in Hanal, a tween and teen D&D game (edited notes, posts Tuesdays, most recent 11/29/22)



## CPaladin (Mar 23, 2021)

The DM who runs the game from the Aphonion Tales story hour is now running games for two groups of kids.  I take notes for the groups, and later on I started playing a sort of party NPC with each of them as well.  This group is a group of teens and tweens.  I'm going to post the notes here as a storyhour of sorts--it's not fully written out, but it should let people follow the story of what's going on with their adventures.  All of these games are set in the same world, but they're set in different parts of the world, with only occasional overlaps in plot lines.  Because this is a children's game, the stories omit some of the more adult elements that come up in the main Aphonion Tales game.  The posts here will be every Tuesday.

Session 1 (3/28/20)

28 Skard, Year of the Wyvern
This was mostly an organizational session.

The city of Cese Mai is the principal city in an area known as the Spice Lands.  The Spice Lands are not politically unified, with a variety of petty city-states, independent noble holdings, and minor realms.  Shortly before this game began, a major war wracked the whole of the Spice Lands.  Cese Mai did not fall, but many of the smaller holdings did; every military force in the Spice Lands took substantial casualties; and much of the invading army disintegrated into banditry and raiding once it was defeated.  Our group began in Cese Mai, looking for adventure.  Noah is a half-orc barbarian, with damaged memories--he knows he was once part of a noble family, but can't remember anything about his family or even where his homeland is, knowing only that he had a mentor, the man with wolf eyes, and that the wizards who stole his memories had the mark of a raven on them.  Atla Rein and Iados Rein are half-brothers--one an aasimar cleric, the other a tiefling rogue.  Moonlit Snow is a rakasta druid, while Amber is a rakasta sorceress--many rakasta families live in the Spice Lands.  Finally, Elyn is a wood elf ranger with a ferret animal companion named Mitsuke.

Several criers announce opportunities for work.  There are merchant caravans in need of guards; the Church of Paranswarm, Lord of Orderly Darkness, wants brave investigators; and the Plar (lord) of Cese Mai needs adventurers to deal with banditry in the area surrounding the city.  The adventurers think fighting bandits sounds the most interesting, and they sign up.  They head out on patrol, looking for bands of bandits, and stop at a manor for the night.

Session 2 (4/5/20)

29 Skard

They stay the night at a manor house where there are some people who are glad to see the PCs and glad to host them for the night.  They’ve been increasingly worried about some of the folk poking around the borders.  It’s not a huge plantation—a couple acres of cinnamon trees, and a couple more of cinnamon that’s still growing.  The manor is not really fortified—it has some defensibility, but no serious fortifications.

Noah is suspicious, and starts organizing watches overnight.

Some of the residents fought in the war, but they’re mostly regretful about how the war went.

The first watch passes peacefully.  Second watch, they see lanterns or something similar quite a ways away.  They don’t come near enough to see distinctly—they don’t come into the real property, but stay around the boundaries.

Iados, on 3rd watch, sees some figures approaching into the property, and angling through the cinnamon tree orchard, as if to reach the back of the house.

Some of the PCs start sneaking out to meet them.

Noah bluffs them, pretending to also be a survivor of the army.
They identify themselves as remnants of the 4th Hanalian Regular Infantry division.
Noah bluffs back with a made up unit affiliation.

There are three of them, scouting for a larger group of 20.

Elyn demands that they surrender, and they begin retreating to camp, with Elyn’s ferret following them.

Amber uses disguise self to infiltrate them.  He claims to have been with the Seventh.  They talk about how the Seventh was hurt really hard by the dragon—who knew there would be a dragon down here?

There’s a very hard looking woman in charge.  Captain.  I think the Devry’s plantation is not worth trying.

The Captain identifies herself as being from the 3rd Hanalian.

Amber says she was with the 7th.

Ah, you were the group that ended up tangled up with the dragon.  Nobody had that in their order of battle.  Nobody!

There’s about 20 of them.

Did any of your magi survive?  Many, but some lost their lives when the dragon attacked.

Gather your gear.  We have some extra bedrolls if you need one.

Amber slips away.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Mar 30, 2021)

Session 2 (cont'd)

Elyn’s ferret also finds the camp. It’s a fairly standard military camp, in the lee of a hill to conceal it. It’s a fairly standard lay-out. There are some wounded in the camp, so it’s more like 25 total, but no clerics, so the wounded are just recovering with field dressings. They don’t look hungry. But they’re well armed, well disciplined, may not actually have turned bandit so much as trying to make it home.

Noah enters openly. “I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m from another group of bandits.”

“We’re not bandits. We just want to get back to Hanal.”

“Regardless. I am not here to offer you help murdering the Devry. I’m here to offer you a couple good horses and protection to get to the north.”

“I think we might reach an agreement. We want to go home. You want us to avoid attacking anyone. You represent the city, don’t you?”

“I suppose the secret is out.”

Elyn deliberately gets herself captured. She looks around the camp for treasure or money, but none of them have very much.

The camp isn’t fortified. They have a pretty good sentry system.

Amber returns, and “takes charge” of Elyn as a prisoner, but also asks where the armory is. She gets a nicely made, masterwork, steel and iron longsword.

Noah agrees to get horses from Cese Mai. They go back to the city, get a cart and four (not very good) horses, and bring them back. It takes 2 days for the round trip.

Atla heals the infected wounded soldiers. The Captain is now in his debt, and will remember this because she’s honor-bound. Captain Theona Bildar.
[End Session 2]


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## CPaladin (Apr 6, 2021)

Session 3 (4/19/20)

2 Tar-Skard

They travel northwest uneventfully for a day until they come upon a nutmeg plantation. The manor house appears to have been fired.

Noah hails the manor house and approaches. He trips over a body.

Elyn examines the body—he was a middle aged human, unarmed, shot in the back, and she can smell smoke.

Elyn fires into the brush, relying on her infravision to see the presumed raiders. She hits one with an arrow. She drops one. Three more orcs rise up and charge.

They kill two more, taking some wounds, and they take a prisoner. He resisted for a while, fearing his chieftain more than them, but finally surrendered. They implied that they were the lead element of a larger force.

“We not from this area. We came with the horde. When the great ones passed, we left.”

“Are you seeking to go to your homes, to the north?”

“No. Chief says there’s no going back. We must take territory here. To West, Seachen too strong. Beyond the great lake, the hand of the Archduchy can be seen. South, other territories.”

Noah lets him go, and he scampers off.

After he’s out of earshot, Noah suggests that Elyn track him.

Elyn sends Matsuki, her ferret, after him.

They loot the corpses. 2 sp, and a bottle of wine, 1 sp and 1 cp.

Noah burns the corpses.

They then camp in the ruined manor.

The night is completely peaceful.

The trees are fine, but the manor is burned and the outbuildings are basically wrecked.

Matsuki comes back the following night. Elyn gets an image of a large mostly cold camp—with hundreds-strong orcs in the camp. Might be overcounting, might be under. Approximately a day northwest.
[End Session 3]


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## CPaladin (Apr 13, 2021)

Session 4 (5/3/20)
3 Tar-Skard

They plan a complex three-part raid on the orc encampment.

They spend most of a day traveling to the orc encampment. They enter an area that has been completely ravaged. The farms are burnt out. Elyn insists on looting the burned out Hanalian campaign vehicles. She gets some decent quality weapons and a large supply of arrows—9 dozen.

They reach the area of the camp at dusk.

They wait for the morning.

4 Tar-Skard:

Elyn and Moonlit Snow approach the camp. There are probably between 3 and 5 hundred orcs. They have very limited campfires under an overhang. They have tents. They have sentries. They are clearly the remnants of a bigger tribe, but still substantial.

Elyn sends Matsuki back in, and it sneaks around, until she finds a large tent at the back of the camp. She climbs a tree, and peaks into the tent. There are bigger figures in there—three of them. They’re easily ten feet tall. They are armed, and obviously free to go where they want in the camp.

Matsuki searches for loot—some have purses, but there’s no obvious treasury. Some of the orcs do have crossbows.

Noah challenges their chieftain to fight. The shaman asked if he was a servant of Morgrath, and he said he was. So the shaman gave him a powder to eat. He did, and then started convulsing.

Atla and Iados Rein start trying to loot interesting things. They find a tent with fetishes outside it, and look inside. They find some red powder, that’s clearly poison for humans. There are also several potions of cure light wounds, and some unidentifiable green liquid. Atla takes them all.

Iados travels to the back of the camp and looks into the big tent. He tries to sneak up, but he trips and sprawls directly into the tent in front of three ten-foot tall creatures. He springs up and starts running like mad to try to get away.

Moonlit Snow sneaks over to where Noah is convulsing.

Iados tosses ball bearings behind him. All three of the large figures collapse in a heap. Iados keeps running and takes cover.

Elyn gathered herbs to try to heal Noah. She gets a natural 20 on her survival check.

Noah throws up violently after Elyn stuffs herbs in his mouth. He throws up everything and becomes conscious. He’s at a temporary -1d6 strength, and gets a 1. He’ll regain that in one night’s rest.

Elyn yells really loudly, but not that loudly, for eating the powder stuff.

He responds, “look, I did what I thought we had to.”

“You could have died. Next time I’m not helping you.”

[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Apr 20, 2021)

[Session 4 cont'd]
Moonlit Snow sees various hunting parties returning with deer. The three tall things are agitated and moving around the camp. She sees the shaman moving around the camp.

Atla examines the red powder. It’s definitely dried blood. It has an overwhelming aura of evil and death. It is heavily aligned to Morgrath. The shaman also definitely had more of that. Atla isn’t sure what the green liquid is.

They come up with a plan: run horses into the camp to distract everyone, and then try to kidnap the shaman while people are distracted.

They drive three horses into the camp. At the same time as the horses go in, Elyn and Iados sneak in from the other direction. The horses become orc dinner.

Elyn and Iados sneak up on the shaman’s tent right as he’s emerging to see what’s going on. They threaten him, and escort him out of the camp at arrow point and knife point. They lead him out of the camp.

The shaman says, “You live!” at Noah.

Noah responds. “I do. I am impressed. You have created a powerful toxin.”

“Any priest of the Lord of Death can do the same.”

“I suppose. But I want to say something. I see no reason you have to die. My companions have made it very clear that they are enthusiastic to kill you.”

“I see that. And that they also do not serve the Lord of Death.”

“This is my question for you. I am willing to help you leave this place. But in return, I want information.”

“We have little left that we can call our information. I’m willing to bargain with what information we have.”

“I have been told you allied yourself with larger forces.”

“We were mercenaries. We were paid by servants of the Lord of Cats to fight here.”

“Lord of Cats?”

“That is what he called himself.”

“The Abomination of Shurr?”

“Yes. He paid well.”

“What I would be interested in asking you—it seems you are determined to create a new foundation here.”

“Sadly, yes.”

“I assume this is because of a lack of ability to return home.”

“We lost too many spears. As long as we are gone, the other tribes will not disturb our women and children. If we return, and they see how weak we have become—they will kill us, and kill our children, and take our women. So we must stay here, and call our women and children to join us here.”

“Say you succeed here. What do you think will come of it, when Cese Mai, the Seachen, one of the greater powers discover it?”

“The Seachen will care nothing of it. While I command and the chief commands in matters of war, our shes command in all other matters. And Cese Mai… if we do not encroach on their plantations, why should they care?”

“What I am willing to offer is this. Establish yourself as your own small entity. We will make sure no harm comes to you because of the blood that flows in your veins and the God that you worship. If you do this… there are other ways to achieve glory in the ways of Morgrath than other raids. Stay here, grow your forces, but attack no other lands.”

“We did not in the north. We should not have taken this mercenary work. But the army was so large, who could imagine that it would be defeated.”

Noah offers to not tell Cese Mai as long as they promise to not raid the local plantations.

Elyn says that if she sees signs of violence from them, she will kill them all.

The chieftain agrees. He also mentions that they have three orogs with them, remnants of the larger army, but that there are other orogs around. Without someone controlling them, the orogs are wild and dangerous. They release him, and Matsuki follows him back. He basically repeated that they’ve reached an agreement with the local people.

So now there is a small orc nation forming in this area. And they’re far enough away, that they probably won’t interact significantly with Cese Mai.
[End Session 4]


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## CPaladin (Apr 27, 2021)

Session 5 (5/17/20)
6 Tar-Skard

They decide to head back to Cese Mai, returning along the way they came.

It should be fairly well cleared, but there are more bandits out there. The first day passes uneventfully, as does the night.

7 Tar-Skard
Also passes uneventfully at first. Later in the day, a small band of folks are heading along the road towards them.

They’re terrified refugees; they think that the PCs are bandits. And when the PCs describe themselves as mercenaries, they become even more afraid. But they manage to calm them, and head onwards.

By nightfall, they’re entering the gates of Cese Mai.

The guards check them in.

Iados investigates inns. The Exclusive Lamb is mentioned frequently, with a good curry; the Golden Butterfly is also mentioned. They are both off the palace square, near the Plar’s palace. The Golden Butterfly is extremely large. It has a uniformed guard at the front door. The Exclusive Lamb has a strong smell of curry—its restaurant is clearly better, which probably means the bar is as well, but the rooms look less elegant. They head over to the Exclusive Lamb, figuring food is more important than room quality.

They rent a large suite. They enjoy the lamb curry.

Noah: Who’s up for a game of Three Dragon Ante?
Elyn: I’d rather kill people, but it’ll do.

In the morning, Jebediah Cinnamontree pounds on their door, asks for help taking his land back. They ask how much, he says for the land back and the trees intact, he can scrape together 100 silver.

(They do some gambling, end up a little ahead.)

8 Tar Skard
Jebediah is waiting for them in the morning. He has a hand-drawn map. Go north, then take the third fork. That leads down to a group of small spice farms—not plantations, just small farms. “I tried to bargain with the bandits, offered them money, but they were too smart—they knew that it would not take long for the bark to be ready to sell, and that would be worth more.” They don’t bring Jebediah with them—he seems to have no useful skills.

They head north. Iados is scouting ahead, and he gets grabbed around the neck and pulled off backwards. Noah sees it, from some 150 feet away. A harsh voice whispers, “Be quiet! Nothing bad will happen to you much. Now hush—we want your companions to run up here.”

Elyn fires blind into the bushes, and manages to miss Iados and hit the other person holding him, who curses loudly. Iados tries to break free and fails badly.

The guy who grappled Iados tries to throw him to the ground. Iados is thrown to the ground. They shoot back at Elyn, doing 15 points of damage.

Noah charges one of the archers, raging and recklessly attacking. He gets a critical hit for 27 points of damage, cutting the archer in half. The man has twigs and leaves and branches tied to him all over.

Elyn runs off into the woods and spends her round finding healing herbs.

Iados stabs his assailant, injuring both himself and his opponent.

His opponent misses him.

Noah smashes the other archer really hard.

Iados tries to compel the survivor, who surrendered, into joining them. He agrees.
[End Session 5]

Some notes about gameworld consequences of the war:
50,000 dead in the war

Seachen lost 2 heavy field armies

Hanal lost 2 light field armies and most chivalry

43 major plantations; 26 wiped out; almost all minor plantations north of the city wiped out

The year before the war, 430.8 million silver of trade external from the Spice Lands; Canberry’s experts estimate that the entire Spicelands, including Seachen, will only do a third as much, with about a decade to regrow; and Seachen has totally closed their borders. Many of those spices are also used in preserving, and there will be shortages for years.


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## CPaladin (May 4, 2021)

[Housekeeping note:  I realized that I was posting notes at basically the same pace that they're being generated.  That seems less fun than catching up to the present state of the campaign, so I'm switching to posting a whole session each week.  That should let us catch up in a little over six months.]
Session 6 (6/7/20)

9 Tar-Skard
They are approaching Jebediah’s spice farm.

They begin by interrogating the bandit.

Elyn plays bad cop. “What are you doing here? Why did you decide to come here, tell me now or else?”

“Well, this area is a complete shambles, with lots of destroyed towns or villages, and there are some good pickings around here. So we wanted to get in on the pickings.”

Noah swoops in, offering some water in a mug.

“Look… there’s almost no order left for two weeks north of here, once you get out of Cese Mai. We weren’t always bandits, but once they burn your village what choice do you have?”

At Iados’s suggestion, Noah throws Iados into a tree to scout. Iados catches the branches, and hauls himself up. He can see a small stone farmhouse building. There are also a small group of men loading material in bags into a carriage. There’s a smaller wooden barn behind the house. The house is surrounded by a small orchard of cinnamon trees.

Iados drops some branches down into an arrow, pointing into the field. They estimate that there are 10 bandits around the house.

Noah decides to rush in and start raging.

Elyn also rushes the cart planning on taking cinnamon hostage.

Iados runs forward and tries to claim that this is their cinnamon.

Noah cleaves one of the bandits entirely in half. Some of the other thieves flee.

Moonlit Snow hits one with a poison spray. He falls back and collapses.

The leader runs over to Noah and inflicts wounds.

Noah threatens him in response, and whacks him with his axe. Iados also stabs him with a dagger. Elyn shoots him with an arrow.

The leader tries to inflict wounds again, but misses.

Noah smacks him again, dropping the leader.

One of them got away—the one that fled immediately got away. The other four are bleeding on the ground.

The priest is wearing ratty black robes over scale armor.

Iados goes back to the city and informs Jebidiah about their success.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group loots and buries the dead, and then camps for the night. Loot: 1 suit scale mail, 13 sp, 2 potions of cure light wounds

Moonlit Snow takes first watch and hears prowling out in the direction where they buried the bodies. There are some sort of dog things, with red eyes, low to the ground, trying to paw at the graves. There are four of them, with fox-like faces. They’re bigger than foxes, but smaller than a big dog, obviously wild.

The rest of the night basically passes uneventfully.

In the morning, the farmers return with Iados.

10 Tar-Skard
They get thanked, and paid 100 silver. They are invited to stop by anytime. They have successfully saved the spice farm. Eventually, there will be enough security in the area that they’ll keep the spice farm.

[End Session 6]


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## CPaladin (May 11, 2021)

Session 7 (6/21/20)
[The group's composition changed a little bit in this time period.  Aatla Rein, the cleric, left the group before this session.]

10 Tar-Skard
Noah tells the others that he was once a noble, but that he lost most of his memory—apparently this involved some wizards with raven tattoos, but they erased most of what else he would know about this.

Moonlit Snow gets a 19 on a Wisdom check.

Noah woke up in a forest, somewhere in Hanal. He wandered south for a long time before he met the rest of them.

Moonlit Snow knows of many orders in this third of the continent, but does not know of any orders south of the Archduchy of Canberry that uses a raven icon or heraldry. So any order like that would be from far to the north.

Noah suggests heading north to the Archduchy of Canberry—he “hears that the Archduke is a lovable doof.”

They discuss heading up along the path along the Great River to Canberry. He asks Jebediah if he’s interested in selling some of his cinnamon north to Canberry—they could travel north with a shipment of cinnamon and sell it in Canberry, then send him back the money. Jebediah is willing, but insists on getting everyone on board first.

Elyn suggests scamming Jebediah, and Iados and Noah threaten her and insist that they not.

They decide to take a cart, two cart horses, and a full load of cinnamon from Jebediah to Canberry along the Great River.

There is something of a cobbled road that follows the Great River. It will take more than a month of travel to reach Canberry. The road is either the remnant of some former civilization, or the investment of many years of work by the Spice Lands working together.

Noah is driving the cart. “You all behave back there, or I will turn this cart around…” J

The first day passes uneventfully. They see some commoners at a distance and a few wild animals, but they all keep their distance.

They’re on a public paved or semi-paved road along a major river. There is still obvious damage from the war, but less than in close to Cese Mai. They see no shelters or side roads leading into villages where they can stop for the night, so they need to camp on the road.

Elyn makes a nice nest for them overnight, using her survival skills effectively. Something big and snuffly comes near the camp in the middle of the night but doesn’t bother the camp, and moves on it. Might have been a large bear.

11 Tar-Skard
The morning passes uneventfully. In the afternoon, they get an encounter and roll a 19 on the table. Elyn spots something moving off in the bushes to the side of the trail. It’s about the size of a human, more or less, maybe a little smaller, roughly human-shape. It has patchy gray fur, a ratlike snout, horns growing from its head, and sores all over its body. It’s wearing some clothes and has very large eyes.

Elyn tells them that something has found them and they’re all dead now.

Noah moves forward and yells in Infernal, “What are you, and what rank do you have in this prime?”

It leaps back and hisses in broken Common. “I come looking.”

“Looking for what? Thing to take?”

“Sacred things.” He obviously thinks you don’t understand the word “sacred.”

“Sacred? How so? Like heaven or like hell?”

“Disease!”

“Sacred disease?”

“Sacred disease! Plague! Disease holy!”

“If you get the disease, won’t you die?”

“No. Priest of pestilence do not die—we only carry.”

“What god do you worship?”

“Horned rat!” He touches the horns on his head. “Gift from my master.”

“Disease weak here. Disease rare here. Pestilence stronger in home world. Want local disease. Make disease strong.”

“Why do you want a strong disease?”

“My clan is clan pestilence. If we have stronger disease, my clan will be more powerful. I am happy on your world. Good clean water, lots of grain, I am happy here. But I must find disease. My master commands it. You kill Skitz-skitz, or you let Skitz-skitz leave?”

“Why do you have to follow your boss? Why not just leave your boss?”

“I am clan member. How could I just walk away and leave clan Pestilence? How could that be?”

He backs away into the shadow of the woods. As soon as Noah suggested disobeying his master, he started backing away. Noah throws him some rations, and then he runs away.

Noah and Iados have to make a saving throw against the disease, but they both succeed easily.

They make camp for the night, and the night passes peacefully, with Elyn making a nest for them.
[End Session 7]


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## CPaladin (May 18, 2021)

Session 8 (7/5/20)
12 Tar-Skard

They continue following the road. They have two more days in the Spice Lands, and then they travel through open territory—a few minor more or less independent baronies and towns, and lots of wild land between.

The day passes uneventfully as they follow the cobbled road alongside the Great River.

During the night, there is movement in the woods near their camp, but nothing bothers them.

13 Tar-Skard

Early in the morning, they have an encounter. 19 on the die, followed by a 92 on the percentile dice.

Elyn is scouting ahead a bit, she’s about 30 feet ahead of the group. An enormous herd of elephants is blocking the road ahead. There are several calves playing in the river plains. There are also several large bulls guarding the herd, including one directly on the road in their path.

She tells the group and then goes ahead to check them out.

Noah gathers a bundle of vegetation, and offers it to the sentinel bull elephant.

They decide to go around, through the jungle. They load up the horses with cinnamon, and lead them through the jungle.

Meanwhile, Noah tries to convince the bull elephant that he means no harm. The elephant is clearly agitated, but hasn’t attacked. Noah asks the ancestral spirits what he should do. An ancestral spirit looks at him and says, “Just wait.”

The elephants continue to play in the water. After Noah sits down, the elder bull elephant sits down and watches him. After about 3 hours, the entire herd moves back into the jungle.

The big bull is the last one to leave, with a one-eyed glare at Noah.

They proceed onward, still bickering about how they handled it.

(Quarter day lost.)

The night passes peacefully, except for Elyn stealing Noah’s orkish dictionary so she can try to teach herself orkish.

14 Tar-Skard

The day passes peacefully, and they leave the Spice Lands.

The night passes.

15 Tar-Skard

Another day passes peacefully, in a very wild, uncontrolled section.

The night passes peacefully.

16 Tar-Skard

Day and night pass peacefully.

17 Tar-Skard

The jungle is getting less jungly, giving way to temperate plains.

That night, they have an encounter. 20 on the die. 68 on percentile dice, then 2 on a d2. Middle of the night, around 1 in the morning, while Noah is on watch, he hears some very deep humming and heavy footsteps. He calls out, “hello?”

“Did you hear that Margaret?”

“I did, Floyd. Sounds like a little person.”

“They can be dangerous. Let me get my club.”

Noah switches to Giantish. “We are little people, but we don’t want to hurt you.”

“Oh, they are little people, but they speak like us.”

A pair of rock giants make their way around the corner. They’re holding hands.

“Hello, little people. You say you don’t want to hurt us. How we know this?”

“We’re transporting spices.”

“Oh, you’re merchants?”

“Yes, we’re merchants.”

“Merchants usually okay. Soldiers not like giants, but merchants usually okay. We not hit you with club, you not shoot us with darts?”

“Yeah, that sounds fair. What are you up to?”

“This Margaret.” Digs one foot in earth. “Margaret is my… friend!”

Noah asks if they know any songs, and offers to beat a barrel with some hide on it as a drum. The giants happily sing along, keeping the whole camp awake, and they stay for a couple of hours.

“Watch out two days along.”

18 Tar-Skard

Things continue to get wilder and more dangerous.

Midway through the day, they have an encounter. 19 on the die. A pretty large herd of deer, probably 20-25 deer, are on the road. They’ll bound out of the way as the PCs approach.

The night passes uneventfully, although they hear some sounds that suggest the deer herd is under attack.

19 Tar-Skard

Absolutely nothing is near them in the morning as they continue along the path. Shortly after noon, they see a medium sized encampment of brightly colored tents, and a man on a donkey who rides out to greet them as they approach.

“You approach the camp of Sir Jeffrey. None may pass without a test of arms.”

“Against whom?”

“Good Sir Jeffrey contests all who pass along this way, on behalf of the Barony of Augurt.”

Noah gladly accepts the challenge, to three falls by the lance.

Noah speaks with Sir Jeffrey about his loss of memories, and the raven sigil on the wizards.

Sir Jeffrey tells him that he is an expert in heraldry as are all of his lineage, and that that is surely the sign of a Hanalian house, of the Green. A despicable folk, all of them—you’d best be careful. Noah thanks him for the information, and then with a courtly manner insists on the competition.

On the first pass, they both hit solidly, but both keep their seats in the saddle. On the second pass, Noah gets a critical, but they both stay seated. Sir Jeffrey wavers this time, but Noah does not. On the third pass they both hit solidly. They both stay on their horses.

“Well done, sir, well done.”

They both dismount and Sir Jeffrey starts unstrapping his armor.

“I will record you as Noah the Anonymous, since you do not know your lineage. If you seek your heritage, seek to the northwest, but be aware—there is great violence going on there.”

The rest of the day passes peacefully because Sir Jeffrey has been there for days.

That night has an encounter. They hear very loud hissing from out of the jungle. Noah and Elyn are on watch (they have the midnight to dawn watch). Out of the tree dart two enormous lizards—larger than their horses. They are not charging at the PCs, but they are charging at one of the horses. Noah jumps on and attempts to hug it in an attempt to stop it.

Elyn offers the other some rations, trying to distract it. It prefers the fresh prey and heads straight for the horse. Elyn stands out of the way, and the lizard leaps at the horse, sinking its teeth into the throat of the horse. Noah offers the dying horse to the lizard that he was wrestling. While they eat the horse and drag it off into the woods, Noah pets it. But it still leaves.

They now have one riding horse left and the two cart horses.

20 Tar-Skard

The next day, they have an encounter. A 19 on the die, rerolled to a 9.

They begin to see like this land is at least timbered, so they’re probably approaching some form of civilization. Iados notes out of the corner of his eyes a group of poorly dressed but armored humans watching from the side of the road. He notes that there’s also some very odd sort of contraption that looks like a bunch of logs behind a bunch of upright beams. If those beams gave way, the logs would roll down into the road very rapidly.

Iados jumps out of the tree where he was looking out, and he runs back and warns the group. They stop, and the watchers clearly know that they’ve been made. One of the bandits trots down into the middle of the road and proclaims, “passage is 3 silver.” They pay them. The bandits shrug, and let them move on.

That eventide, they arrive at a small, hardened town of several hundred people. It has a small inn, a handful of locally organized militia, and a ring of farms outside them.
[End Session 8]


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## CPaladin (May 25, 2021)

Session 9 (August 16, 2020)
They have arrived at the town of Sourdoughville.

There is no proper inn, but there is a bed-and-breakfast sort of place. Noah expresses an interest in a room.

They get two for 5 cp each. They also get warned that a big caravan got hit hard, three days north. Pretty big slaughter. They had a mage with them.

Noah says, “any mage is just a devil in disguise trying to steal your soul from you.”

The barkeep says “I don’t know anything about any devils. I’m a good follower of Glordiadel I am.”

Elyn and Noah quarrel, and Noah defuses the situation by walking away.

21 Tar-Skard

Their cart has been neatly drawn up in front of the inn. There horse was stabled for the night, without them arranging it.

The next day is close enough to the town that there’s no risk.

22 Tar-Skard

Day passes uneventfully, as does the night.

23 Tar-Skard

Uneventful day and night.

24 Tar-Skard

As they travel on, they begin to come across dead horses and ruined wagons. There are a string of dead horses, ruined carts for about a mile, and then a battle scene. There are then twenty-five men in uniforms all dead. But they all notice a strange thing: nothing was taken from the wagons. They were destroyed, not robbed.

Noah immediately starts fearing an ambush, while Elyn wants to loot the wagons.

Elyn starts firing her bow into the bushes, while Noah studies the uniforms, trying to figure out who they were—army, or organized tavern guards. Iados begins searching bodies and wagons, stealthily.

There’s no reaction to Elyn’s bowshots.

Noah studies the guards. They are not human. They have some sort of elven blood. Their mail is very fine quality, and the symbol on their uniforms is the House of Moriquendarim, from the Noldar elves. These clearly aren’t Noldar, but they might be part drow. Half-drow have no problem in the light, although they lack the magical powers of the full drow.

Iados finds 36 silver before Elyn joins him. The bodies are untouched, not even robbed of their coin purses. Iados finds another 38 silver. Elyn finds 39 more silver.

Meanwhile, Noah starts giving them a quick prayer and cremating the bodies.

Iados also notices a blast pattern near the center of the caravan—could have been a fireball with a large radius. or a negative energy burst. It was fairly sizable, and it singed some of the wood and the horse coats.

The group begins to move on, and they travel perhaps a mile past the battle. They begin to hear whispers in the wind. Ahead of them, off to the left, a female form dressed in leaves steps out of the trees.

“Greetings, spirit,” says Noah.

“Hail. You have come through the first of the fallen places. This was the last of them struck. The other two caravans were hit closer to the city. My sister dryad helped the only survivor back to the city.”

“Who did this?”

“It appeared to be of elven blood, but its spirit is lost to all feykind. As you come to the head of the river, there is a landing place, beyond which we do not go. All three of the caravans belonged to the same enclave, of the city of Enclaves. Zorplona-Moriquendarim.”

The dryad fades back into the trees. They continue along.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully.

During the night, a family of bears come trotting through the camp. They stop, look around for food, and start sniffing around after the cooked horse meat that Noah harvested. Noah approaches, and tosses three chunks, one to each bear. Elyn befriends the bears. They sit contentedly with them over the rest of the night, and then they trail along near them in the morning.

(1 family of bears are now friends with the group.)

25 Tar-Skard
Peaceful day.

That night, however, they roll an encounter. 15. Noah is on watch, and hears branches breaking off to his right. He grabs his great axe, and then a weighted net falls on him. He rages and roars.

Elyn and both adult bears wake up.

The net is reinforced with steel, so Noah realizes he can’t cut or tear it. So he tries to throw it off. He flings it off, and the hooks catch on him, inflicting 9 points of damage. The sleep poison does not take effect, however.

Emerging out of the brush are 4 uruks in what appears to be uniforms. They all miss.

Bear crushes one, other bear hurts one, Elyn shoots one, and Noah and Iados struggle against the net.

One of the uruks fires a steel bolt into Noah. Noah falls asleep.

The one that’s fighting a bear shoots the other one, but it makes its saving throw.

The one shot in the back spins around towards Elyn and shoots a bolt as well.

One of the uruks starts carrying Noah out of the clearing.

A bear mauls another one.

Finally, the bears finish off the uruks.

Elyn stabilizes the last of the uruks just before it bleeds out.

Noah groggily comes to eventually.

Iados notices that just beyond another line of trees, there are four horses, with the same symbol on them as the uruk did. It’s a runic form of the number 7. The horse are passive, and they can be mounted.

When the uruk comes to, Noah says, “I want answers.”

“Damnable bears.”

“What do you want with me and what are you trying to do?”

“A bounty has been offered to our lord for you.”

“What lord do you serve?”

“The lord of the Seventh Region. We had to strike before you left the Seventh Region. We have been following you for some time. We know only that the bounty came from the northlands, and was sizable for a mutt like you.”

“Return to your lord. And tell him that I am no easy prey.”

Noah then quietly tells Elyn to follow him.

Matsuki follows him. She indicates went south an hour, boarded flying thing, rose into the sky, horse, human thing, others, all.
[End Session 9]


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## CPaladin (Jun 1, 2021)

Session 10 (Sept. 13, 2020)
[There was a little change in the group's composition around this time.  Moonlit Snow left the group roughly around this time period; Ravokris, an elven wizard, joined in this session.  After this point, the group has basically been stable.]

26 Tar-Skard
They keep heading north; the bears keep accompanying them. They keep giving the bears some food, and the bears continue to accompany them.

Ravokreth joins up with them—he was traveling in the wilderness, and they’re traveling in the wilderness, and he seemed friendly.

Marching order:
Noah up front
Elyn
Cart with Ravokreth
Iados Rein

That night, there’s an encounter. Very heavy footsteps approach. Thump-thump-thump.

Noah calls out in Giant. “Who goes there?”

“Me Thog!” [I think "Thog" and "Daisy" are the same giants as Floyd and Margaret from a couple sessions ago, but the names were forgetten.]

“Thog! I’m Noah. I saw you on a date.”

“Yeah… yeah… I remember.” Thog seems sad.

“Fly-y thing came. Shot Daisy. Came this way. I’ve been following ever since. Put Daisy back at parents. Had to pull giant arrow out. Me find them. They rude to me—I be rude to them.”

Noah tells them about the uruks.

“No urk came down. Just big spear. You think they came here?”

“A couple days ago.”

Thog meets the bears, and pets them. “Bears good. Bears guard lair.”

Thog tells them about 7th Region. They don’t take many slaves now, but they take captives. They’re now out of the 7th Region—this Region 6.

“They attack you?”

“They mostly were going after me.”

“Who your enemy? They charge more than I can count to capture.”

Noah hastily draws out the raven taking flight. “They’re the northern house people.”

“Hanal? Never go to Hanal. Hanal very dangerous,” says the 14 foot tall giant.

“Okay. Be careful. Not want to lose small friends. I find ship. I hit—not care if Region 7!”

27 Tar-Skard
Day and night pass peacefully.

28 Tar-Skard
They have not gone far when they come across the second of the ruined caravan. Equally smashed, many dead guards. There is horse meat, but it’s getting to be inedible. Same type of uniforms on the guards.

The PCs search the caravan for food. This one has had its cargo taken. But they do find some hard tack, fresh water, a barrel of pickled sardines.

Noah succeeds in grabbing a fish, only to topple into the Great River. He cannot swim and is floundering badly. Elyn points out the problem to the bears, and the bear swims out, grabs Noah by the scruff of the neck and carries him to the shore.

Noah trades lessons in strangling for lessons in fishing from Elyn.

Ravkoreth casts a shocking grasp at the river in an effort to fish. All sorts of rainbows spiral through the water, and 12 fish float to the top. He snares the dead fish out of the water, brings them over, and lays out the fish between Elyn and Noah.

29 Tar-Skard
Peaceful.

30 Tar-Skard
Another day passes peacefully. Towards the end of the day, they find the remains of the third caravan. This caravan has been torn apart most completely. And this time, there are corpses that are not guards. Also, it was clearly a running battle for at least a mile.

Ravkoreth fishes again, with Shocking Grasp. Little mini-lightning bolts expand out, each hit a fish, and then carry them back. There are six fish.

31 Tar-Skard
They hear rapid, heavy footsteps approaching.

“Hi. You stop here. Trolls.” Thog points back the way he came. “Okay. Thog stay here. Thog good guy. Thog help you if trolls come near. Bears good, trolls bad.”

They wait a while. No trolls come. But they hear sounds up ahead some ways. After a bit of time, Thog goes back to scout. “Trolls killed several deer. Trolls go back to cave. You go now. Thog go back to Daisy. Thog not catch flying thing.”

The group hurries on while the trolls are at their cave.

1 Zar (Midsummer day)
There is a considerable cacophony to their right, away from the river. The bears come in and walk closer to them. There are dozens of voices arguing; they’re not speaking Common or Elven. Noah and Ravkoreth go to scout, trying to be a little stealthy.

There are 30 goblins in a clearing, squabbling like mad. Periodically, the chieftain (they think) waves a piece of paper. Then the rest of the goblins shout and squabble even more.

Noah suggests that they cast some light to project a shadow, and yells, “Goblins, it is I, the Great Goblin!”

Noah proceeds to tell the goblins that they must unite and all yell together. He tells them they must yell at the sun to make it go away because then good things will happen.

Whimsey’s laughter is heard in Ravkoreth’s ear, and the shadow becomes much larger and much more goblin-like. Whimsey seems to favor Noah greatly, and is reshaping him to look like the Great Goblin. They’re all looking at Noah, but they’re looking above him. After a moment, the shaman slowly falls to his knees and responds in broken Common. “The sun? The sun, Great Goblin?”

“Yes, you see I have seen a future where the sun attacks the goblins.”

“So we yell at the sun?” (Another interjects “It always burns us!”)

“But in the future it may incinerate all of you. But if you yell at it enough, each time it will disappear. So you must yell at the sun.”

“Then we should abandon this and ignore it.” The shaman shakes the paper.

“Show it to me so I can decide.”

The shaman gives it to another goblin, kicks him forward. Noah takes the paper. The paper says in three different languages, of which he reads one (Common), “By command of Great Lord _____, of Region 7 of the Argoni.” It offers a great reward and has a pretty accurate woodcut of Noah. It says that he accidentally escaped from a noble who would like him back, and the Seventh Region has been commissioned to capture him.

“It was brought to us by one of the flying ships. They’re dropping these off as they fly along this route, saying that there is a reward, and they must not reach the North. They are dropping it everywhere that there might be ones who would serve it. But we will yell at the sun instead.”

The goblin voices are raised in unison: cursing the sun.

2 Zar
Day passes uneventfully.

At night, they see a voller floating overhead. It’s moving steadily south, along the path.

3 Zar
Day passes peacefully.

4 Zar
The cart is bracketed by three black iron javelins. Floating above the caravan, wings pinioned out, is a large and very elderly harpy.

There is a chemical smoke coming out of the ground where the javelins hit.

“Surrender your valuables or die!”

Noah starts berating her. She says that her javelins are poisoned with deadly scorpion poison.

“Besides it’s not as bad as taking on 30 drowan guards. And those all got taken out by that monstrous one and its servants that teleported in.”

Noah intimidates her into flying off.

5 Zar
Passes peacefully.
[End Session 10]


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## CPaladin (Jun 8, 2021)

Session 11 (October 11, 2020)
6 Zar
Marching order:
Noah with bears
Ravroketh on cart
Elyn in rear

Peaceful.

7 Zar
Day passes peacefully.

At night, while they are in their camouflaged camp, a harsh scratchy voice addresses Elyn on watch. “Excuse me, have you happened to pass a large contingent of escaped goblins?”

“We didn’t realize they were escaped.”

“Master has sent me to fetch them back. Master has use for them.” The creature is about ten foot tall, with chicken legs, some feathers, and clawed hands. “So… where were they? You said they saw them.”

“About 5 days south, along the river.”

“They ran away from the master. I need to fetch them back—I can’t run away from the master, as he has my ring. By now, they will have appointed their own chief.”

Noah asks Elyn about the tracks in the morning. He’s concerned about the tracks. But they don’t follow up much. (They avoided conflict with a vrock, which would have been dicey.)

8 Zar

Day passes peacefully.

9 Zar
They follow the path, and abruptly, the path starts to be paved, with a little slant so the water will run off. Just beyond the headwaters of the river, there is a stockaded fortification with troops, in house colors—probably of the local duke.

Noah proposes hucking Metsuke into the fortification. Elyn nixes this idea, but sends her ferret to look at the colors and shields for heraldry and to see what sort of armor the leader has (to try to figure out how important they are).

A small group of three horsemen come galloping out from the fortification. Their leader has arms, with a sheaf of corn and a pizzled hog rampant on his shield.

Noah hails them, says that they are mercenary guards protecting a shipment of spice.

“I am the squire of Volkin, and I serve the Earl of Bountiful. It is his lands that you are entering. What merchant do you represent?”

“Jebediah Cinnamontree. We have 600 pounds of cinnamon bark and 400 pounds of powdered cinnamon.”

The guards look through the cinnamon.

“Have you had issues with smuggling?”

“With improper produce. My earl wishes to… do you have any salt with you?”

“No, we ran out. Why?”

He doesn’t answer. They dip a talisman in the spices, and then say that they’re welcome to pass and enter Canberry. Ravokris identifies the talisman as a talisman of poison detection.

Noah continues to question the squire, who says that everything is fine, while appearing a little nervous, especially about the coming of winter.

Noah nicks himself with a silver knife and then passes it to the squire. The squire nicks himself and hands back the knife.

They continue along the paved road. This area is well patrolled, and there are no risks.

Noah asks Ravokris if he can tell anything about the squire from his blood, as well as asking if he can tell anything about Noah from his blood.

Ravokris claims that a small mouse appearing with a thumbs up indicated that he was indeed a wererat, and that they both are wererats.

They travel further into Bountiful. By the time it gets to be late afternoon, they have passed several small farm villages, mostly corn and hog farms. They see a few wagons and carriages, and occasional patrols of troops.

The small road merges into a larger road, also paved; there are sign posts with mileage indicators.

During the night, a small form appears to Ravokris. “What should we do with this? Should we make him a wererat? Or perhaps it would be more funny if we made him a weremouse?”

“Sure!”

“Oh, we will have so much fun with him.”

(Ravokris gets 1 dot of favor of Whimsey.)

They stop at a roadside inn.

14 Zar
They arrive at Canberry City—an enormous walled metropolis of some million people.

Noah starts declaiming about having arrived from the Spice Lands, bringing salvation from bland food, after he arrives at a marketplace.

About the third time he repeats the word “salvation,” a priest of Glordiadel in white robes with a gold sun disk hurries up, accompanied by two guards who are likely paladins.

“Have you registered with the Archduke’s merchant council?”

“Yes!” says Noah.

“Your writ, please?”

Noah starts trying to improvise a writ.

“Are you trying to forge a document in front of us?”

The priest blows his whistle.

The rest of the group scatters.

Noah gets arrested.

The priest thinks that he was committing heresy.

They agree to march Noah to the merchant council, where he can apply for a temporary license.

Elyn says, “I knew this would happen! Walled cities are cursed. Nothing good happens in a walled city.”

Noah is marched to a marble building in the high city.

“What’s your name?”

“Noah.”

“What’s the name of your business?”

“Cinnamontree Cinnamon—Good Since the Last Time We Got Raided.”

“A very long name, but very well.” Scritch scritch scritch.

They have a conversation in which Noah keeps digging, suggesting that there might be no good reason the Archduke should rule. After a moment, the priest asks that his blood get tested, and they cut his hand.

Noah then starts trying to convert everyone to Whimsey.

Noah gets charged 5 sp for a merchant’s license. He starts trying to offer a bribe, and the priest gestures for him to to be gagged.

Meanwhile, back at the cart, while the others are nearby… They take the cart to a different part of the city. Elyn gets a merchant’s license, a recommendation for a stall with good traffic, and sets up in stall 36. They start selling cinnamon.

Back at Noah: he’s gagged but not fully arrested. He sits down and consults the ancestors. They advise him to stop talking and to behave like a merchant. Noah complies, and the situation gradually improves.

They sell 4 pounds for 130 silver, out of a purse that does not seem large enough to hold 130 silver, to a well dressed gentlelady from the upper city. Noah puts aside 78 silver for their employer, and 52 for them.

Over the next 6 days, they sell about half of the cinnamon, getting about 7500 sp; they send 60% back to Jebidiah.

Next session begins on the night of Zar 20.
[End session 11]


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## CPaladin (Jun 15, 2021)

Session 12 (October 25, 2020)
Night of Zar 20
During the day, Noah tries to identify whether he can find some customers who are nobles, but he doesn’t see it.

As the darkness gathers, Noah can hear intermittent distant giggling. As the evening deepens, Noah begins to feel a growing urge for cheese. Iados, who is who he was talking to, sees Noah changing… but it’s not horrible. His ears are getting bigger, and rounder, and his skin is taking on a greyish tint, and he’s wiggling his nose. Noah demands cheese from Iados. (Iados, draws a dagger.) He then slaps Noah, and says “snap out of it.” Noah is demanding cheese above all else. A little sparkly cloud of dust falls on him from the ceiling, and a giant eye winks at Iados.

Noah is a bipedal, human-sized mouse at this point.

Iados rushes down to the common room, throws some coins on a table and gets a hunk of cheese fresh cut from the wheel behind the counter.

Iados sprints in, and throws the cheese at Noah. Noah immediately chows down, and expresses rapture at the experience of eating the cheese.

Ravokris hears giggling and a voice saying, “well done.”

In the midst of eating the cheese, Noah finishes his transformation and becomes a large mouse, which runs out of the room squeaking as he goes.

Iados tells Ravokris and Elyn that Noah has turned into a mouse. Elyn’s response: “Ugh. Not again.”

Deep in the inn, they hear a couple of shrieks.

Noah races into the kitchen. (Iados is racing after him.) The cook, likely the wife of the innkeep, and a young woman with her shriek as he enters. The inn staff are panicking, while also worrying that people will hear about the mouse.

Iados tries to smooth the situation over, explaining what happened and handing some silver to the innkeep to pay for any food that gets eaten.

The innkeep ushers Iados and the rest into the kitchen (hoping they can deal with the mouse).

There are crumbs all over the place as Noah goes to town on the food. He continues squeaking and munching, and has no thoughts for anything else.

Iados smacks him with the flat of his rapier, but Noah ignores both that and the rolling pin blows from the innkeep’s wife.

Elyn offers to give him his dictionary back if he comes back to the room. Noah-the-mouse lunges at Metsuki, trying to eat the ferret as well as the other random food.

Ravokris just watches with a wry grin on his face.

The innkeep slips in and hands Elyn a canister.

“What is it?”

“The hottest spices I have.”

Elyn starts spraying like mad, and Noah tries to squeeze through tiny gaps, eating like mad.

The spiced food tastes terrible, so the mouse starts spitting the food out. Noah is exceedingly thirsty, so he looks for water—bursting into a barrel, expecting water, and causing an eruption of flour instead.

He bursts into another barrel, but this one has sugar. He just starts chowing down on the sugar.

Iados notices scores of normal mice entering the room from every direction, and gather around Noah. He responds by dragging Noah out of the kitchen, and back up to the private room.

When the Violet Moon finally sets, Noah is lying in ripped clothes, with extreme vague and incoherent memories of a party, fire, great food, and bizarreness.

Nobody tells him what actually happened.

(They have all attracted the attention of Whimsey at this point.)
(Noah is now a weremouse.)

Zar 21
Noah strikes up a conversation with a young man with a military bearing—Henry Overfifer, and asks if he knows anyone of who would know something of heraldry. Henry is little more than a child, but has a strong military bearing nonetheless, and he leads Noah back to his house to introduce him to his mother’s bodyguard, Dame Brenda.

As they walk, Noah tells him the story of the strange symbol.

“So… you were deprived of your birthright.”

“I suppose, and even of knowing what my birthright might be.”

“Yes, I can see that. I hope that Dame Brenda can help you.”

He leads Noah into a large manor house, in the heart of the city—not the palace, but nearby, and through a series of offices. Henry leads Noah into a small office off the main room.

“Dame Brenda Blackash, this young merchant has a question of heraldry for you.”

“I don’t expect anyone will attack the Lady Mayor today, so yes lad, how can I help you?”

Noah shows the symbol to Dame Brenda, and tells her that he is told that it was of a House of the Green of Hanal.

“This is the symbol of one of the Houses of the Flights—one of the houses involved in maintaining or operating the voller fleets.”

“Which one, however… that would be harder to figure out. If you were kidnapped from Hanal, that suggests that your family was at one time in high favor of Queen-Empress Thyastis. There are certain Strom names that are mixed blood.”

“Strom names?”

“Titles are different in Hanal. Covs are the equivalents of dukes or grand dukes. The Vads are equivalent to dukes or strong earls. And Stroms are the equivalent of barons, or perhaps counts. Is this a symbol you have seen, or just one that you remember?”

“Mostly one I remember.”

“It is likely then, that this symbol means you belonged to one of the houses of the capital of Hanal. And that your family had enemies. You would need to travel to the capital of Hanal to find out for certain.”

Noah thanks her and rejoins the rest of the group. He tells them of what he has found, and that Hanal is known as a danger zone.

They sell the rest of the cinnamon by the 1st of O-Zar, just after the fall solstice…. And a full Violet Moon.

O-Zar 1 evening.
Noah is baking a (not very good) cinnamon cake, and suddenly starts craving cheese.

Elyn says, hey, there’s lots of cheese in your room in the inn. She leads him into the room, and slams the door behind him.

There was cheese in the room, which Noah starts eating immediately. Noah starts celebrating-- the party from last night must be resuming! And his speech gradually faded into excited squeaks.

They lock the door and wedge it closed. Noah keeps trying to force his way through gaps that are much too small.

Noah notices a window and tries to escape through it. Meanwhile, Iados disguises himself as a cheese, and lures Noah as bait. Noah charges after the cheese.

Iados runs away, traveling as fast as he can. But Noah starts raging, and starts to gain on Iados. Ravokris chases after Noah. An illusion of a cat covers Ravokris, courtesy of Whimsey. The cat chases the mouse, the mouse chases the cheese, and Whimsey says “You chose them well!”

Iados leads Noah out of the city through the gates. The guards at the gate shoot crossbow bolts at Noah, one of which bounces off him but looks like it should have hit. Meanwhile, a veritable horde of mice is now chasing after the cat chasing the mouse chasing the running cheese.

By morning, they are miles into farmland, the whole cavalcade still running along, until Noah wakes up as himself, totally exhausted, lying in a cornfield.

The mice disperse in all directions.
[End session 12]


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## CPaladin (Jun 22, 2021)

Session 13 (November 8, 2020)
[This session begins with a PC being rather improvisational and things getting a little weird as a result.]

O-Zar 2
Noah proposes doing a Morgrothian ritual to try to find his mentor.

The rest of the group is nonplussed.

A group of farmers have gathered and are watching them having a bizarre discussion.

While Elyn tries to gouge out Noah’s eye, a group of horsemen, dressed in white and led by a priest, gallops up.

“Stop in the name of the Archduke! Stand!”

Everyone except Noah runs into the cornfield leaving Noah alone in the field.

“What is going on here?”

“I was trying to remove my eye with the help of the woman running into the cornfield as part of a Morgrothian ritual to try to locate someone.”

“Why would you mention the name of the Lord of Death?”

“Mostly, because it’s his kind of ritual? Would you call it a Glordiadelian ritual just because you started using it?”

“We would not use a Sytryan ritual, or a Paranswarmian ritual, or a Morgrothian ritual for any purpose.”

“But I need to locate my friend who I have lost?”

“Why do you not consult a psion, instead?”

(A discussion of what psions are ensues.)

They move into the city to meet up with the psion tower. “Let me get a Master farsensor. If you have a clear image, it should be fairly easy.”

“So, you’re looking for this friend—no, mentor—hold a clear image in your mind and tell me something about him.”

Noah describes his mentor, the Wolf-eyed Man.

“He is in a stone cell, in a tower, in the capital of Hanal. The surrounds tell me that he is not in the imperial prison, but the prison of one of the great houses. As he is unarmed, he is not a guard. There are others with him—a woman of middle age, striking features, but badly injured, perhaps tortured. And a young lass, no more than 6 or 7 years of age.”

“Are there any banners nearby?”

“Let me see what I can find… “ He begins to breathe deeply and focuses some more. “It is the manor of the Vadess Zena Zitrian, also a crozier, a pirate-knight if you would, a privateer. She is a distant cousin of the Queen-Empress.”

Noah asks the paladin. “Do you know any way that the journey to Hanal might be made safe?”

“The simplest way would be to take service with a caravan heading through the City of Gates, and thence to the City of Enclaves. From Enclaves, you could purchase passage in a trade voller to Hanal.” He directs them to the hiring hall for mercenaries.
* * *
“We have a caravan of 40 wagons heading north to Enclaves. 10 sp a day for work as guards.”

The group agrees. They fill out the complement of guards, and the wagons are fully laden. As soon as the sun rises, they’ll depart.

“We don’t really expect trouble. We’re not going far enough east, where we’ve heard there’s trouble. But we’ll be taking the main road to the City of Gates. Should be straight-forward.”

(Noah buys a masterwork cheese knife for 150 sp, so he’s prepared to defend himself from living cheese.)

O-Zar 3
They head off to the north.

After a while, all of the wagons are crowded off to the side of the road. Meanwhile, some singing and chanting—strange singing, can be heard. The drovers stuff their ears, and offer balls of wool to the PCs to stuff their ears with. There is a strange three-sided person spinning at the front, and fanatical religious people following, singing and famished. The procession is clearly religious, clearly not Glordiadelian, and it passes in peace.

The journey will take a total of 9 days.

As they travel, they can see mountains looming ever larger as they approach.

Eventually, on O-Zar 12, they reach a pass in the mountains, and a City completely occupies the pass, with walls closing off the pass entirely. They resupply, and leave within hours to the north.

As evening sets on O-Zar 13, Noah pulls out a cheese knife. “I can smell you, cheese!” He realizes that he only has the desire for cheese when the Violet Moon is full. He’s gradually transforming, and running around with the cheese knife, trying to hunt the cheese monster. Multiple people are sort of staring at him, thinking that he’s drunk.

As he’s transforming, Noah rushes into the forest nearby. Everyone follows. Noah, in part-person, part-mouse form, squeaking like mad as if he thought he was talking, climbs up a tree and starts eating nuts like mad, horrifying the poor squirrel whose tree it was. He wipes out the poor squirrel’s supply of nuts, and moves on, looking for more nuts.

Ravokris levitates him and just keeps him floating in the air so he can’t do any harm.

While he’s levitating, a bear wanders up. “Oh, I remember when I was first one of us. Say, does he belong to a sept? Nah, I guess not. If you need a little help, my cabin’s down this way. Twenty years later you have pretty good control.”

As Noah scrabbles in the air, a group of tiny fey begin dancing and playing tiny bagpipes. One of them cries, “no rest until dawn!” And they dance until dawn, and the spell’s duration is extended until dawn.

Noah derangedly concludes that he is the were-cheese, and has been all along. He then kills the cheese costume, while it’s floating on an invisible servant.

The senior guard organizes them, and they begin travelling further.

The first 3 days north of the city have no other disruptions.

[End Session 13]


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## CPaladin (Jul 6, 2021)

[Back from vacation and resuming normal posting schedule]
Session 14 (November 22, 2020)

O-Zar 16
The caravan continues north towards Enclaves, three days north of the City of Gates.

Noah is ranting unintelligibly about cheese.

Noah bets Elyn 50 silver that he won’t eat any cheese in the next two weeks.

In a quite forested area along the road, a group of heavily armored men on dark horses are riding around a woman dressed in black robes with skulls on her robes.

They pull to the side of the road to let the caravan pass. “Do you have any dead with you that need tending?”

Noah criticizes their sartorial choices, saying that there are too many skulls on her robes.

After some conversation, they realize that she’s a priestess of the dead, taking care of the dead, in service to Morgroth in his role as Lord of the Dead. Noah apologizes in Orkish, and she replies, “I accept your apology, but if you have no dead, we have no truck with you.”

Three extremely peaceful days pass.

O-Zar 19
They reach a crossroads, with an extraordinarily tiny thorp. There’s an inn, a tiny temple of Glordiadel, and not much else. The caravanmaster buys out the whole inn and offers rooms for anyone who wants them.

Noah slips off and goes to the tiny temple of Glordiadel. He asks the priest: “I think I might be a lycanthrope. I’m not certain, but I figured you’re more likely to know than anybody.”

“By all means, come up to the altar. The simplest test would be to try to cut yourself with something other than cold iron or silver.” He hands him a slender long pin.

Noah tries to poke himself. It does not go.

“There’s a rainbow sparkle, so I’m not sure you’re a normal lycanthrope.”

“Oh, I think it might involve… oh, I’m not supposed to mention her name in your temples.”

“Ah. Yes, we thank you to not mention her name here. I could give you a potion to suppress normal lycanthropy, but I can do nothing for lycanthropy associated with her. Not even the elves can do much about her attention.”

Noah stalks back to the inn and yells at the rest of the party for not telling him. He challenges Iados to a drinking competition and Elyn to a duel. The drinking proceeds apace, and Noah and Iados end up very soused.

Noah consults with his ancestor spirits about fighting elven rangers. “Don’t do it. It’s a bad idea. Don’t do it.” (His ancestors have experience with very specific elven rangers.)

Iados starts distracting Noah and friends by sleight-of-handing a coin around—but the coin actually teleports. A framed drawing of Iados magically appears. Iados picks it up, looks at it, folds it into a paper airplane, and throws it away… and it just flies away, going going going.

Iados interrupts Noah and Elyn. “I think something might be up. And don’t fight—it’s dumb.”

Eventually, the caravan rolls along.

O-Zar 25
The Violet Moon is full. The caravanmaster, with Noah’s cooperation, chains him up. There is some betting on what he’ll become—some betting on rat, some betting on wolf, etc. When he becomes a large mouse, the house wins, and the caravanmaster collects everyone’s money. The caravanmaster feeds him some cheese, which makes him really excited.

The caravanmaster gives Noah 31 silver—his share of the bets. “You’re a mouse, lad. Not a rat at all. And your singing voice is to kill for.”

O-Zar 27
They see a puce and teal flag. They are now three days from Enclaves. They travel safely within its outskirts.

O-Zar 30
The outer wall of Enclaves is higher, thicker, and encompasses a larger area that Canberry City. There are heavily armed and armored guards on the wall, and a few flying ships patrolling above the wall.

They head to the South Water gate, after a pretty cursory inspection by the guard captain. They pass into the City of Enclaves.

The City of Enclaves sits on the eastern fork of the River Coldrush. It is composed of 64 different enclaves, each a semi-autonomous area with its own ruler.

The caravanmaster pays them off for their service—270 sp each. There are a bunch of docks. Various grifters try to get them to buy services.
[End Session 14]


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## CPaladin (Jul 13, 2021)

Session 15 (December 6, 2020)

O-Zar 31
They decide to take a voller to Hanal, if they can find one that will book them passage.

They are immediately told that there are 4 Enclaves with voller towers: Glittertowers, Sparkledome, Northern Aurelian, or Zorplona Moriquendarim. They decide to go to Sparkledome, and they pay a small amount for a barge ride. The voller tower can’t be missed. There’s a tall tower rising above the enclave.

At the base of the tower, there’s a glass area with a number of desks set up, each with a different logo on the front and someone behind them. One is obviously of the Noldar, based on its runes, one with a flying whale, one with the word “Transport,” and one with a coat of arms. They head to the whale one. “Welcome to a Whale of a Trip.”

Noah says he’s looking for passage to Hanal. They have a cargo ship leaving the next evening, with additional room for passengers. It’s going to the capital, of course, and charges 40 sp per person.

They agree.

The voller line will allow them to spend the night on board if they like.

The voller is very striking. It’s huge, it has a side paddle that doesn’t look like it could do anything. It also has strange weapons mounted on the foredeck. They’re shown to their cabins, which are scaled for gnomes, although they do fit. The crew are all gnomes.

Noah tries to contact his ancestors.

Their advice: “Trust no one who swears to the Green until you find your family.”

They load the ship overnight, with strange wheeled things rolling up and dumping things on board.

The next day, they fly off. The ship is disconcerting, with things happening for no apparent reason and neither rhyme nor reason. The crew posts watches in crows’ nests.

They pass north and west of the Crystal Cities after about 4 days of flight. On the night of the first day north and west of the Crystal Cities. Even though it’s night, the lookouts cannot help but noticing that they’re being paralleled by an enormous brass dragon—age category 11 of 12. It’s looking at the ship with an interested expression.

“Looks like someone threw all their cogs and gears together to make something new. Hello, little creatures!”

They greet it.

“I prefer my tiny little friends to stay alive. Do you know what your flying into?”

“Hanal?”

“I guess it’s still Hanal. It’s a wonder of all of the gods you haven’t been attacked yet.”

“What’s your name?”

“Zymantis the Powerful. And who are you?”

Iados says, “I’m McPerfectus the Amazing.” A little silliness ensues.

Noah asks, “Have you been watching over this area for a while?”

“Yes, I’ve been watching their civilization collapse.”

“Have you seen any rookery groups? The ones that have the big flying eagles?”

“Nothing is safe from the Queen-Empress forces now, and they have always been secondary in this area, but I have seen them.”

“Have you seen any flying this banner recently?”

“Yes, both ships and skyships. You’re coming into a war lad—a civil war. There’s nothing civil about it, though. I’m trying to move my people out of the way, but do you know how hard it is to move little people with children?”

They tell some jokes, which the dragon loves.

“You must be careful, lads. I’m trying to move my people to the edges of the Crystal City. If you happen to pass through the southern mountains, you’re welcome to join my refugees.”

The remaining days pass. They arrive at the capital of Hanal on 9 Ghast.

As they sweep in over the capital city, there’s a dour air over the whole place. As they tie up, a group of heavily armed men approach. “Who do you stand with?”

“We’re merchants! And these are passengers?”

“Who do you declare for? Do you declare for or against the Queen?”

“Uhhhh… for?”

“Good! You can live.”

Elyn mutters how this is the sort of thing that happens in walled cities. It’s how walled cities work.

Noah asks, “Do you know of Vadess Zena Zitrian?”

“Of course. Are you hers?”

“Sort of? Could we get an audience with her?”

“She waits on the Queen most days, but you might be able to get a meeting with her seneschal at her manor. He can contact her if it is of sufficient urgency.”

There are troops everywhere in the streets of the city. Noah has a vague feeling that his uncle may have been a general in the legions—may still be a general in the legions, but he cannot remember his name. They get directions to Vadess Zena Zitrian’s manor.

Many vollers fly above the city, most flying unrelieved Green banners, though some show Green banners with a crest upon them.

This city is large—not in the way of Enclaves, but it’s a large city. And they make their way into the royal quarter, and see both the normal troops of the Legions, and others wearing noble crests. They also pass various blasted manor houses, some of which have a strange rune placed on them.

At the manor house, Noah says that he wishes to speak to the Vadess’s son, and that a friend of his might be wrongfully imprisoned here.

The Vadess’s son comes to the gate. “I am the na-Vad. I know you! You look like hell! What happened to you? And why are you asking after my mother as if you were some stranger?”

“I lost my memories. I don’t know you. I was memory wiped at some point.”

“That must have been when your house was taken. I completely understand. Come in, come in. Oh, this is difficult.”

He leads them up into a sitting room trimmed entirely in green. Something about it seems vaguely familiar, but Noah can’t put his finger on it. He thinks he’s been there before.

A servant brings them flutes of wine and passable pastries, although not up to the standard but for the war.

“So you have no memories?”

“Vague memories, and then being moved, and then waking up in a forest.”

“They must have lost you. When your family house was taken, and your mother kidnapped, you were kidnapped as well. It was widely believed that they had killed you, because they never tried to ransom you, only your mother. Your father paid the ransom. But they’re entrenched at your family manor now, they have not dared to return to the capital. You’re the son of a strom.

“There is no safe way for you to reach your family lands now. When the Queen-Empress has crushed the enemies and restored order, it would be easy. But now… you would have to be able to sneak through 350 miles of territory, much of it hostile.”

“Could I get a sending or something, let them know that I’m alive?”

“We could approach the Temple of Paranswarm and see what they can do.” He pauses. “You know that the whole country is on a war footing? There are rebels on the west, but Inquisition troops have also landed in the East. They seem to be getting some cover from both the Noldar and Eldar men-of-war, separately. We are forced to assume they may also be hostile, though why we cannot understand. And as you know, the Queen-Empress’s younger sister Anastasia has gained the alliance of the rebel Covs, Vads, and even some Stroms. She has fled the Empire, travelled far to the south of even the Barrier Mountains, where she has established a government in exile. It is not that you do not expect sisters to have some rivalry, but tearing an empire apart over it is still much.”

“While I was in the wild, I met a man who had weird eyes. Out of pity or something greater, he helped keep me alive. A seer found his location, and it seems he has been locked up here. If he has committed a crime, I will not stand by him. But if it is a misunderstanding, I would wish to clear that up.”

“I know the one of which you speak. He has sworn to the Red. While the Queen-Empress wishes all of those put to death, we have kept him and a companion here as they seem right enough. We cannot let him go, but I can take you to see him in the morning. The Red and the Green dwelt together for hundreds of years, though the Red rarely declared openly. Our hope is that when all of this is resolved, the Queen-Empress will see fit to pardon those who swore to the Red but killed no one, like that one.”
[End session 15]


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## CPaladin (Jul 20, 2021)

Session 16 (December 20, 2020)
10 Ghast
They all awaken and have a war breakfast with the Na-Vad. There’s no sign that there will be a shortage of food, but the noble houses are being careful anyway because there’s a war on.

They rise early, travel to the Church of Paranswarm, observe the last ritual of the night. The Na-Vad speaks to the priest.

“You have survived a serious attempt at an assassination, then?”

“I guess that’s right.”

“Well, there have been so many assassinations of late, and kidnappings—among the nobles, among the youth--, and then the chivalry departing suddenly. I understand you want to make a sending to your family.”

“Yes.”

“Prepare it and I will send it.” The priest turns to the rest of them. “I see no holy symbols of Paranswarm among you. Be careful throughout the city. And be even more careful if you enter Inquisition held territory. You flew in?”

Noah presents the sending text: “This is Noah, I have survived the kidnapping. Currently in the capital with the na-Vad Zitrian, Attempting to better understand the civil warfare. Hopefully soon enough reunion can occur. Was found in the Spice Lands.”

The priest goes to attend his business; he will make the sending in the evening.

The na-Vad Zitrian continues to mention how troubled he is as they go to meet with the prisoners. He cannot free the prisoners, but he can allow Noah to meet with him. He doesn’t understand why the chivalry have departed in the time of the Empire’s greatest need, the Inquisition has landed 25,000 troops even though Hanal has always been a loyal Paranswarmian country.

The na-Vad leads them all into the depths of the manor, into the modest dungeons underneath. There are cells for a dozen prisoners here, including one occupied by the wolf-eyed man and the woman. “Ten minutes, no more. This will be reported to my mother any way, and I do not wish it to be too long.” The guards withdraw with the na-Vad.

“I am surprised to see you again, but pleased to see you in control of yourself and with companions.”

“Things have been weird. We started off as mercenaries, dealing with remnants of the Hanalian army. Trying to help them return here.”

“So, they were defeated in the south?”

“Good.”

“Why do you ally with the Red? It seems the main thing driving everything apart is that conflict—the House of Red and the House of Green?”

“That was the traditional divide. But the two largest covates that have defied the enchantment are of the Red.”

“Defied the enchantment?”

“I know that you cannot retain this, but I know that the woman who sits on the throne is not Thyastis’s daughter. Thyastis’s daughter is in exile, and the Queen-Empress is an imposter. I can only hold that in my mind at some times, and I know you may think me mad.”

“Is there any chance that this will end without one group destroying the other? I’d prefer if this could end with some sort of uneasy peace? And if she isn’t who she claims that she is, who is Princess Anastasia?”

“Nature tells me—you know my connection to nature—that she is not a natural creature that sits on the throne. And Anastasia is a natural creature. There is no connection between the two.”

“There is not much I can do for you.”

“There is nothing you can do for me. The Vadess intends to turn me over to the Inquisition, assuming that eventually the Inquisition will side with the Queen-Empress.”

“What does the Inquisition want?”

“I assume the same thing I do, to stop the imposter, but I do not know for sure. You could try to speak with them. They are encamped east of here.”

“And what of your companion?”

“I am Amelia, I was Thyastis’s Archamaga. I do not have his vision—it is as if I vaguely remember the new Empress when she was in court, a quiet girl. She has no use for Thyastis’s people. She drove us away from court, I came to my old friend, and we were arrested.”

They leave the dungeon and the na-Vad tells them that they are welcome to remain here as long as they like, and their rooms will be kept open for them.

Noah says that he’s thinking of going to speak with the Inquisition, to find out what they know and why. The na-Vad encourages him, and asks Noah to tell him if he finds out anything.

They decide to wait until the evening, when they can get the results of the sending, and then head east to the Inquisition.

Within an hour, Noah cannot remember that the Queen-Empress is an imposter. (Elyn writes down in Elvish that the Queen-Empress is an imposter.) By the end of the second hour, everyone has forgotten.

They go to the temple that evening. “I reached your parents’ priest and he spoke with them and they responded:  'Thank the gods. Do not attempt to reach us. Bandits, rebels, and monsters between you and us. Remember: you are the na-Strom. Stay safe. Love, Mother and Dad.'”

They spend the night at the Vadess’s manor.

11 Ghast
They set out towards the Inquisition army—east and slightly south. The area is so heavily militarized, that other than getting stopped a couple of times and checked, they can make it through the day without any difficulty.

12 Ghast
Towards evening of the second day, they come across a burned thorp—burned to the ground.

Elyn says, “Looting anybody?”

“Normally I just don’t participate in looting sessions, but this is not…” says Noah.

Elyn is stopped by the fact that in the midst of the destroyed houses—they were destroyed from above, and there’s an odd rune burned into the ground in the middle of the village. Elyn recognizes the rune as elven. She calls for Ravokris to come over, and he approaches cautiously.

Ravokris recognizes that rune. It stands for “Forbidden!”

Elyn and Ravokris insist that Noah investigate first. Ravokris can feel a strange pulse of magic-maybe divine—coming out of the rune. Ravokris casts detect magic. Immediately, an about foot tall etheric figure appears—an elven figure in the outfit of an officer from Singing Leaves. It appears and begins to speak clearly in ringing tones, “Abomination has been committed in this place and has been scourged by order of the Queen of Singing Leaves. This area is forbidden until time has passed for clerics to cleanse this area.”

They all rapidly withdraw from the village.

This is particularly weird, because there is almost nobody of elven blood in Hanal. They felt the need to bombard it from the air. As they leave, Elyn says, “If the elven people burnt it, it probably deserved it.” At the same time, she’s troubled.

Noah looks through the village, looking for corpses. A first pulse of energy passes over Noah, and then the second propels him out of the village and there’s a loud announcement in elven, “Forbidden!”

At that point, Elyn and Ravokris decide to come in, wondering if it’s only elves that can approach. An unseen force picks Elyn up and carries her out. A voice whispers, “Forbidden.” As Ravokris approaches, he hears a voice say, “Are you certain?” He says “yes,” and the energy pulses cease to affect him.

As he approaches, he sees that the blast center is some sort of strange altar, the strangest he’s ever seen. It is not Morgrothian, but is extraplanar. There’s conjuration magic here, mostly broken but not entirely. Ravokris touches it with his hand and begins casting Identify. He can feel horrible energies passing over him as he touches it. When he finishes casting the spell, a vista opens in front of him—an entirely featureless gray plane, with no life at all, and a hunger clawing at him. He then hears a woman’s voice, breathless. “Restore me, bring me into your plane, I will bring you up to levels of power unheard of.” He can feel the evil pouring out. “Restore my places of power. I am She of the Bone. Restore my places of power. I will make you my consort. Come to me, serve me.” He senses a strange force strengthening his will, and rainbows appear in front of him. He thinks his Goddess is protecting him. He cannot withdraw his hand however. “Serve me!”

Ravokris says “no.” He is thrown 190 feet back and everyone else is knocked back and to the ground. Ravokris lands well in a roll and is not struck dead but does take 24 points of blunt damage, leaving him barely conscious.

Noah tries to rush the symbol, but it continues to push him out.

Ravokris takes a short rest and mostly heals up.

They send the party animals to try to disrupt the rune so they can get to the smashed altar. A crab, a dire ferret, and a mouse approach.

Meanwhile, Iados is watching all of this. As Ravokris is thrown screaming through the air, Iados makes a spot check and fails miserably. He’s taken completely by surprise as all of a sudden two knives come over his shoulder missing terribly. Iados disengages and runs forward. As he turns around, he sees a crazed looking human, in ragged clothes, emaciated with hunger, with two daggers out.

Iados drew his rapier, missed, and then got stabbed. The poison on the dagger causes him to collapse.

Ravokris sees this happen and shouts, “Knife guy!”

The knife guy starts dragging Iados into the woods.

Noah rages and charges. He swings his axe at the enemy’s leg, trying to avoid Iados with his axe. He snakes the axe around, hitting the peasant for 16 points of damage. The villager stabs back at Noah, who barely makes his save against the poison.

Ravokris sends a firebolt sailing past the villager.

Elyn shoots the villager with her bow. She does 12 points of damage, dropping the villager.

Noah leaps forward and tries to save the villager, but he’s already dead. And then Noah yells at the corpse, “you were our best lead.”

Elyn makes sure they don’t abandon Iados.

Noah drags both the corpse and Iados back towards the group. He then hurls the corpse towards the altar. The body dissolves into mist which is sucked into the altar.

Ravokris’s familiar, a crab, is able to approach and starts scraping the edge of the rune. They remove the elven rune that’s blocking the village. It takes about 40 minutes.
[End session 16]


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## CPaladin (Jul 27, 2021)

Session 17 (January 3, 2021)

12 Ghast (cont’d)
They discuss options: ignore it; tell the Hanalian government; charge the altar with an axe; investigate the area further; or tell the Inquisition. Over Elyn’s strenuous objections, they decide to have Noah charge the altar with his axe.

Noah rages, then charges the altar. He gets a 19 on a Wisdom save: a misty figure of an elf appears and says, “no, no, no, no…” but he rushes through it anyway and reaches the altar. He gets a 1 on his attack roll, and his axe twists from his hand and flies into the woods. He’s standing, unarmed in front of the altar, and there’s a mist surrounding him. He gets a 15 on a Constitution save, and he stops moving entirely.

Noah can feel something rummaging around in his brain. “Hmmm. What can I do with this if I take it over. It’s very limited.

“I can kill lots of people.

“Unfortunately, you’re incapable of travelling to Canberry and destroying the artifact that they intend to use against me. Are you capable of conquering this plane of existence? No, let me see…

“I could raise a dread horde, and conquer a 100 cities…”

Elyn rushes forward. She approaches Noah, and then she makes her Constitution save as she escapes the mist. Elyn grabs Noah and tries to drag him away.

As she drags him out of the mist, he starts to move again and there is a hideous howl coming out of the altar and they are hurled through the air. They take 17 points of damage each as they land.

Noah finds that his mind has come back to itself.

Noah recovers his axe. He notices that there are some more figures moving around out beyond the area. It looks to be another emaciated figure like the one that tried to kidnap Iados. Noah calls out, “Hello there. If you tell me everything you know about this cult, maybe you can leave with both your legs.”

The emaciated figure, with one hand that looks more like a tree branch than a hand, charges him. He claws at Noah with his bizarre looking hand. He does 6 points of damage, and Noah needs to make a Con check, but comfortably passes as a wave of hunger and weakness passes over him.

“You serious, buddy?” says Noah, who can now see that his teeth are sharper than human normal. Noah grabs him by the throat. “So then. Maybe I pegged you wrong as being part of a crazy cult. I’m now probably going to take off one of your fingers as part of this…”

A little voice says from nearby: “They don’t speak anymore, the few that survive.”

“Do they understand anything?”

“Fear, hunger, a desire to destroy.” A less than a foot tall figure in brown and green comes out.

“Are you a fey?”

“I am! You recognize me? Whimsey be praised.”

“You follow Whimsey?”

“Many of the fey do.”

“We tried to destroy the altar.”

“Oh, stay away from that thing. It will kill you or possess you. Most of the humans in the village died when the Light of Eiru bombarded the village from above. Eventually, he’ll grow roots into your hand if you keep holding him.”

Noah chops the prisoner to death—he reverts to normal humanity as he dies, and seems to look at him with thanks as he dies.

“My tribe is all but dead. This cult is everywhere, everywhere. I can’t quite figure out what happened with the Queen-Empress—I think I should know, but I can’t put my mind on it.”

Noah signals the rest of the group over.

Iados and the faerie begin having a pillow fight of sorts.

The faerie then summons a feather cannon by casting a spell—it’s more of a mortar than a cannon. Ravokris lights the fuse on the mortar, and a huge shower of brightly colored feathers come down on all of them.

They hear a sound in the distance—Rooor, rooor, like horns. The fey says, “We must move, we must move. They’re coming! There are eight more coming, that’s too many. I can cover our tracks, but we must move quickly.”

They escape, with the fey casting Pass without Trace.

“What were those?”

“Those were the villagers that survived outside the village. They were already hunting. And now some of them have become war beasts.”

They head eastwards, with the fey riding in Ravokris’s pack.

They’re in their standard marching order, Noah, Ravokris, Iados, and Elyn. They pass near another farming village, but it seems to still be a regular village, with no altar to evil gods or the like.

They move through the woods for the rest of the day before camping for the night.

The night passes peacefully.

13 Ghast
Day passes uneventfully.

14 Ghast
They hear the tramping of feet and the jingling of harnesses. A large body of troops—more than 100—in green surcoats over plate breastplates, walks nearby.

“Who do you swear allegiance to?”

“The Green, the Green.”

“And?”

“And the Queen-Empress.”

“Excellent, excellent. Be careful. If you seek to reach Bratveld, it is behind lines controlled by the Inquisition. The Strom of Bratveld is fallen—he was taken by the Inquisition, with insufficient troops, and treated as a heretic.”

Noah’s family knew the Strom of Bratveld. They were social acquaintances of his family.

“If you are civilians, they will let you in, but do not show weapons to Inquisition troops. They have gone mad, utterly mad. We do not know why they are here. But we are patrolling against further advances. If they advance, the general has substantial forces to repulse them, and we have a special weapon. I am sorry, young sir, if any members of your family fell.”

“If the Inquisition forces are numerous enough, wouldn’t that mean that you would face too much danger. Perhaps we could work on behalf of the general to find out what the Inquisition is doing.”

“You offer to spy for us? We accept your offer, may the Great God of Darkness protect you. Here, take this token.” He hands Noah a small chip of green crystal. “It will allow you to send us a 25 word message.”

They march on. About a mile past the Hanalian lines, several men dressed head to toe in black step out of the trees—literally.

“In the name of the Holy Inquisition of Paranswarm and on behalf of the Inquisitor General, what is your purpose here?”

“We are here to meet with the Inquisitor General on a diplomatic mission. We’re interested in understanding what the Inquisition is about. We hope we can defuse fears about that.”

All of them but one step back into trees. “I will escort you to the Inquisitor General’s encampment.”

He leads the way.

There are various flags above the encampment—unrelieved black, and black with lightning bolts on it. After a bit, an adjunct comes back. “The Inquisitor General will see you. I suggest your companions remain here and be fed by the servants unless one of them has particular information of value.”

Noah is taken to a pavilion, in which there are maps laid out on tables with various markers on them. A person, clearly at least a knight, is looking at the map. Noah can see various stromates listed, including his family’s.

“I am Noah, I am the na-Strom of Arundall. Many years ago I was kidnapped, and I had much of my memory wiped. I have returned to find the country in such dire straits.”

“In war, you mean.”

“In war, indeed. The people are scared of the Inquisition. As much as they know, it is that enough of them are no longer faithful, or that there is some fault of the faction that the Inquisition opposes. I desire to know the truth of this situation, because I think that if handled poorly, this could be more than just an internal war, but if handled well could be ended quickly and victoriously.”

“My good young lord, there is no question of the faith of the overwhelming majority of the people of Hanal. But I have been assured by the Protector and Defender of the Faith, that much of the chivalry here and the Queen-Empress are heretical, and that some have formed an alliance with something so abominable that it has no name in our annals.”

Noah describes the burnt out village.

“There are two men-of-war—one of Singing Leaves, and one of the House of Aufaulgautharim, that are circling and bombarding the heriticus of the worst nature.”

“But if your mission opposes the Queen-Empress, then why have you not allied with one of the factions?”

“We are trying to reach the Cov of Bormark. But we can’t concentrate our army—they have a pound and a half of bonedust, which they obtained from another heretical group in another land. So we need to keep our forces dispersed, and we have not been able to link up with Bormark yet. It is a very difficult thing. We can allow the elven strikes, because we cannot stop them, and that is understood. But open support from the forces of Light would turn some of the faithful of Paranswarm against us.”

“I have heard from an ally, close to nature, that there is some sort of enchantment involving the Queen-Empress.”

“I must admit, I cannot hold onto what you just said. But the Protector of the Faith has instructed us, and we must obey. And the hereticus… I do not even understand the evil that they are.”

“But to the uncorrupted villages, this seems like a plot to join one of the factions. From the other perspective, if the Inquisition backs anyone faction, it risks a faith schism.”

“I cannot deny the accuracy of your words. However, I can tell you that we have been instructed that additional troops are reluctantly being committed by the Holy See, and we have licensed diabolists preparing to summon squads of bearded devils.”

“Is there any way myself and my allies can serve in your pursuit of serving Paranswarm, by identifying the true state of faith of the Queen-Empress and some of her nobility?”

“I am a military commander. We have not found anything that can shake the faith of the people in the Queen-Empress’s camp. It is noteworthy that both of the major covs who have turned against her were not in the country at the time of the succession. You might try to join your family and ask them to not take up arms against us. Any who take up arms against the Inquisition… must be dealt with firmly.

“Between the two, they destroyed 13 villages that built these altars. You must not approach any of the blasted areas.”

“What worries me,” says Noah, “is how quickly that has spread.”

“We believe that there is some sort of influence being spread and we find it impossible to insert agents.”

Noah meets up with the rest of the group. “This might seem crazy… but I think we need to get Glordiadel and his faith involved in this. Surely if Paranswarm’s Holy See were capable of understanding some form of offness with the Queen-Empress, then the high officials of Glordiadel would surely be able to detect it as well. Now, I understand that the risk involved in this is massive. Glordiadel is a god of compassion, but not necessarily of action.”
[End Session 17]


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## CPaladin (Aug 3, 2021)

Session 18 (Jan. 17, 2021)
[I began playing Sister Agnes, a sort of semi-PC, semi-NPC cleric to support the party, in this session]

15 Ghast
Noah is from the Stromnate of Arundall, about 8 days journey away.

Sister Agnes, a heavily armored nun of the Order of the Weeping Woman, asks if she can travel with them. Her convent was overrun, and then she joined up with the Inquisition, but she finds an Inquisition camp disquieting and would prefer to travel to closer to her family’s lands.

The first two days of travel are behind Inquisition lines. Things seem close to normal, although under Inquisition control. The villages carry on like normal, going about their farming. After they cross out of Inquisition controlled areas, they see people looking more furtive.

17 Ghast
The villages controlled by the Queen-Empress have been significantly depopulated of men of prime fighting age—whether they have been conscripted or slain, who can tell.

That evening, Noah ties himself to a tree. Sr. Agnes prays for him, asking her lady to cry for his state.

Noah is trying to gain control over himself as he changes. Elyn is trying to hinder him, as is Ravokris. Iados tries to help, as does Sr. Agnes. Noah spends some time maintaining control, but it slips away after a couple hours and he rampages some. (Next time he gets a +2 to his save.)

Early in the night, while Elyn is on watch by the fire, under a full blue moon and full violet moon, a shadow passes across the faces of both moons. Ravokris is deeply asleep, but sits bolt upright and leaps to his feet. The veins on his head are bulging out. He starts running around in circles, staring at the sky and futilely making gestures at the sky, before he comes to his senses. Elyn clams that the shadow must be a dragon, but without even attempting to identify it.

18 Ghast
Peaceful day and peaceful night.

19 Ghast
Peaceful day, but as they pass through more of these lands, they see villages that are badly mistreated. Ahead, they see a walled estate in the valley, with manned walls. The banners show a sprig of purple grapes on a green background.

Noah hails them. “I’m looking for the Stromate of Arundall.”

“Three days further north. This is Pallennvalley. We still stand!”

They travel on.

In the early hours of the morning, there are ten or twelve flashes of purple light in the direction that they’re traveling.

20 Ghast
Peaceful day, peaceful night.

21 Ghast
Peaceful day, peaceful night.

22 Ghast
After a day’s travel they arrive at the outskirts of the Stromnate of Arundall.

A troop of guards with an eagle rampant on their banner greet them. “Na-Strom? Your parents had hoped that you would not make the journey here. We remain unbothered by both sides, but that’s surely just a matter of time.”

“Yes, but I had to investigate the Inquisition and then come here.”

The patrol continues, but they send the houndmaster to lead the group back to the castle. They arrive at the castle shortly, after a trip with a laconic houndmaster.

As they arrive at the castle, Noah feels the grip on his mind easing a little. He remembers the castle a little, with a few memories of things he did in the castle. It’s a medium-sized motte and bailey, with a lot more people under arms than Noah is used to, and many of them militia raised in levies recently.

“Your parents. This way.”

As he sees his parents, Noah can’t remember all that he should, but he remembers having a good relationship with them and has a flood of strong feelings. They are bent over a map with the captain of their men-at-arms. His mother looks up. “You came, in spite the danger.”

“Yes. I ….”

“I’m glad you came. These are your boon companions?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad you all came. We have been safe so far, but the Queen-Empress has asked permission—in a way that is not a true request—to station a voller squadron here.”

“You cannot say no, but if you do, you’re making the Stromnate a target.”

“And going against Mother Church itself. I’ve been around a long time, but I never expected to have to choose between my country and my faith.”

“It’s certainly not something any would wish.”

“We hope the fighting won’t make it this far north, or that it will be stymied by Pallenvalley, which has more men under arms than we do.”

The captain is sent out.

“They attempted to replace you. They sent something that looked like you, but it was not you, as the bishop’s enchantment showed. We think this has something to do with the cult, but we do not know how. Certainly, the Queen-Empress does not follow the cult…”

“When I was taken, I remember seeing three with raven tattoos.”

“The Guild. Strange. It’s not their ordinary dealings.”

They welcome all the guests.

A feast is served—albeit a bit sparse, because of the fear that a siege may be coming.

“What can we tell you that will help you, son?”

“How have things in Hanal gotten so bad?”

“There were hints of this for years. When the first cultists were eliminated by the prior Inquisitor General, we were not sure that they were not simply people who had become ill-favored. And then some of our people were found celebrating strange rites. We heard reports from our neighbors of similar things. Thyastis tried to do what any good monarch would do. And now her daughter is caught up in it, and will not allow the Inquisition through to purge the cult. But she would not, and now we have this.

“Unfortunately, your younger brother is trapped at the Academy. He is safe, so far, though I do not know he will remain so. So far, both sides have avoided attacking the Academy. We will not ask you to travel through this war-torn mess to try to bring him here—and he might not be safer here. Do you know why the Inquisition is so insistent? Is it just the cultists?”

“It is the cultists, but I think there is something more. It is a strange time.”

“Perhaps your group could go into the northern portion of the Stromnate. That’s where we located cultists before. If we can ascertain that there are no heretics in our lands, we may be able to get the Inquisition to turn aside.”

Sister Agnes warns them that the forces of the Queen-Empress have engaged in some atrocities, including attacking a convent of the Weeping Woman, ostensibly for refusing to allow them to occupy it for strategic purposes but actually because the Abbess was sheltering some of the little people.

23 Ghast
They travel north on horseback to the north of the Stromnate. There are corpses here, blasted from above—in about the same place where the flashes of purple light struck. They were villagers, but they were blasted from the air by energy weapons. They had strange weapons, and disturbing scarification that was self-inflicted.

Noah suggests searching the bodies—“don’t steal anything, but look it over.”

Some of them are normal people, but with scarification. A couple of them, however, are translucent, and one of them has a blue glowing fire in its heart. Those last ones were blasted by the energy weapons. Some of the scarification matches symbols they saw on the foul altar.

There is some sense of good at the edge of the periphery of Sr. Agnes’s sense, when she detects evil and good. Not too far outside that area, she finds a small girl, about three years old, clutching a church icon. She is quite deceased, although not hit. She had her throat slit when the attack occurred.

They bury her and take the icon.
[End session 18]


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## CPaladin (Aug 24, 2021)

Session 19 (January 31, 2021)
23 Ghast (cont’d):
The icon is clearly an icon of a minor saint, and it contains a relic of the saint. Sister Agnes cannot identify which saint.

Noah proposes a plan: making himself bait to draw out the cultists, take some prisoners, and then investigate from them. There are only 4 villages in the northern part of the Stromnate, all fairly isolated.

Noah consults with some of his ancestor spirits. “I apologize for disturbing your wandering through the spiritual realms. I need to understand what has afflicted this land to best aid it. Do you know which of these villages were our people’s?”

“The two furthest north are where our people were driven by the end.”

“Do you know if either is currently afflicted with the corruption of the cult that we faced?”

“The ancient abomination has afflicted one of the villages of the humans and one of the villages of our people.”

“The Abomination of Shurr?”

“No, much older than that thing. This is an ancient abomination.”

She indicates which two villages on the map: the human village Windermere, and the orcan village Urmkirkey. Draycott and Ironhaven are the uninfected villages.

Noah remembers, vaguely, that the northlands trade for food, and produce iron ingots which are sold south to the government’s need for iron.

24 Ghast
They arrive at Windermere at the end of the day. Windermere is a small village; it has a squat stone tower, and a gate and stockade, though the tower does not appear to be occupied.

The gate guard recognizes the na-Strom, and immediately abandons his post to lead them to the headman’s home—a largish log cabin. There is a Paranswarmian chapel that appears as abandoned as the tower—though not obviously desecrated.

The headman ushers them in. The headman and his presumed wife are middle aged and welcome them in to sit by the fire.

Noah tells them that he has a fragment of a foul altar.

“Oh my lord, if you have a piece of a vile altar, you must seek out a hierarch of the Church to deal with it. You want nothing to do with the cult, my lord—there has been much trouble here in the north.”

The circuit priest happened upon a dire bear that mauled him. That happened in the spring, and they sent two requests for a new circuit priest, but none has come, which has made the cult worse. Sister Agnes notes that this means that either the messengers have been waylaid on the road, the replacement circuit priest has also been murdered, or the Bishop of Zandiker (a city beyond the Stromnate) has been corrupted. Zandiker is a fairly major city, the capital of a Vadnate not far along. It is near the stromnate, and right close to where the lines of the Inquisition are, so it’s unclear what its present situation is.

Noah passes through the village talking to other people in the same way—dangling the bait.

The chapel is not despoiled, but clearly has not been used in months. There is still host in the tabernacle, still sanctified, but untouched. Sister Agnes seeks out the poorest of the village, giving them a silver piece each and crying for them. Elyn pesters her along the way.

Ravokris’s fey friend says, “This place is awful. No life. No joy. What can we do? Should we create a whimsical effect or wait until we’re attacked later tonight?”

“Let’s create a whimsical effect.”

“And I remember, we cannot say we are Whimseyites. Let’s give them confections filled with laughter and joy, to amuse the children.”

The fey invokes Whimsey mightily while doing this.

There is a flurry of trumpets, and some colorful lights. And wherever they go, the children find that they have confections with them, and when they eat them, they experience the fey magic.

Noah heads to an iron pit, with Iados tagging along irritating him. The rest of the group is in eyesight, but not near. Noah is blithely talking to the miners, but Iados sees the mine foreman working Noah around to turn his back to the altar that they assaulted, which is hidden in a pile of tailings. The mine foreman is walking him to another pit to show him the tunnels. A couple of miners following them are putting down their tools and putting their hands near weapons in their belts. As they’re about to push Noah into a pit, Iados charges in, rapier and dagger in hand, and shouts a warning. As Iados approaches, one of the miners charges Noah and tries to push him into the pit. Iados runs him through with his rapier, doing 17 points of damage. He dresses up his other dagger as a cheese.

Noah rages, and says, “Take the foreman alive! We need him to question. The other two, you give working class people a bad name.” He cleaves into the other armed mine worker, hitting him twice for a total of 30 hp, cutting him in twain.

Ravokris blasts the other mine worker with Aganazar’s Scorcher, crisping him up and killing him. His body literally is burning and hanging off Iados’s rapier. Then, inexplicably, his dead body turns to glass.

Noah says, “Surrender now, and we can talk later.”

The foreman tosses a mottled pebble into the pit. “Unseen one who walks among us, help me now to strike down the na-Strom!”

Almost immediately, a humanoid form with a blue flame burning in its breast fades in. He strikes Noah for 13 points of damage, although Noah uses his rage power to reduce it to 5. There is also blue fire dancing on Noah’s flesh, but it doesn’t seem to be burning him—it almost seems to be making him cold.

Iados rams his rapier into the blue-flame heart, doing 12 hp damage. Blue flame runs up the rapier, rushing off the blade of his rapier and up his arm, making him feel cold.

Elyn shoots the blue-flame figure with her bow. Her first shot does 9 damage, but her second goes wide.

Sister Agnes casts Hold Person on the foreman, but he saves successfully.

Noah strikes the blue-flame figure, getting a critical hit and doing 24 damage. The head of his axe now also has blue flame on it. He strikes again, doing another 15 damage. The creature collapses, but the blue flame heart continues to burn. As it collapses, it says, “Fly, fool!” to his human servant.

Ravokris sends an unseen servant to try to trip the foreman. The foreman tries to flee, but tumbles down face-first and rolls straight into the pit. There is a ragged round of applause from the other miners.

The other miners are very pleased, and tell Noah that he must destroy the altar, which they show the location of in the tailings. “They cover it with this so that when the crystal ships fly past so they can’t see it.”

Noah says, “of course, lead!” He then takes a big chop at the altar.

“He’s been feeding sacrifices to it and empowering it—we were too scared of him to do anything.”

Noah hacks the altar apart, and brings the pieces to the headman. “We will take it to the bishop.”

Sister Agnes casts a magic circle, binding the blue flame within it and pulling it off her companions.
[End Session 19]


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## CPaladin (Aug 31, 2021)

Session 20 (February 14, 2021)

25 Ghast

The group plans to cast a speak with dead, and begins planning questions.  Sister Agnes casts the spell.

Noah begins. “Walter! What is the cult’s relationship to the Bishop of Zendiker?”

“The Bishop is old and half blind. We have no relationship to the Bishop, but his privy secretary is ours.”

“If there are other nearby centers of cult activity, what are their names and locations?”

He names the other known village of corruption, Urmkirkey.

“How did your foreman first learn of this?”

“A man brought a stone of blue flame, and Gunther swore to it. Then things began to happen, and we gained power. And it brought forth power.”

“What was the creature you summoned during the battle?”

“It was the same one that came to speak with us. It came often into the pit, and it sometimes sucked the life from a lamb in the hills.”

“Why did you and your compatriots wish to kill the na-Strom?”

“Had we been able to kill him, the one you slew with the Blue Flame would have been able to absorb his memories. Given his parents’ ties to the rebels, it would have allowed us to infiltrate them.”

Noah boggled a little at this revelation.

The group heads on to the village of Urmkirkey.

They travel along, and there are conifers, though no deciduous trees this far north and this high in the mountains. As they travel, they realize that they’re being paralleled by wolves and humanoid figures. That band keeps watching them, but does not close. The elves can see well enough to realize that those are orcs, and full breed at that, but they are not closing. After a half hour, the smallest orc—maybe a goblin—hops on the largest wolf and rides away.

Noah yells, “Greetings!”

At that, a banner comes up, a very crude representation of the downward pointing arrow of Paranswarm. “Greetings!”

“We are here investigating rumors of a cult nearby.”

“They are not rumors. Truth. There are too few of you. Do not enter the village. They will kill you.”

“Have they fully activated their altar?”

“Yes! And they are many. There are too few of you. Even with our warriors, they would kill you all. The village is lost.”

“They must be hiding the altar somehow.”

“Lead. They keep it in the mine shaft and use lead to protect it.”

Noah says that they may take news to the Bishop of Zendiker, who is not corrupted but whose privy secretary is, or that they may inform the crystal vollers.

“We know you. That is why we followed you. You are a grandson of the tribe.”

“Oh, I knew my father was…”

“He was of this very band, though it has shrunk since he left us. Others have also left the band for mates and cubs. One more thing. When the village fell, and the last of the ones who held out fled or died, they turned three werebears. We do not know where they are, but they turned them.”

With that, the group turns back towards Noah’s family’s castle. As they travel, they notice a large shape shadowing them—clearly a large bear, following them. Noah gets out his silvered axe, and hands Iados his silver cheese knife.

The bear charges Noah and misses. Noah hacks at it with his silver axe, doing 23 damage on two attacks. Elyn shoots it with her bow, doing a small amount of damage even with an unenchanted arrow.

The werebear hits Noah with both claws and then rakes him with its rear claws. Noah takes 49 hit points of damage but stays up.

Ravokris hits it with an Aganazzar’s Scorcher, burning it.

Iados sneak attacks it, doing 15 total damage.

Noah gets a critical hit, killing the bear. It then changes back into a somewhat ragged looking older half-orc male. It’s wearing an odd belt made of untanned bear hide. The body has a lingering sense of evil, but the belt does not. The body has ritual scarification, particularly on its lower back.
[End Session 20]


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## CPaladin (Sep 7, 2021)

Session 21 (February 28, 2021)
26 Ghast

Noah asks Sister Agnes to cast speak with dead on the werebear.

“What do you know of the people involved with the Blue Flame?”

His eyes spring open and he sits up. “They walk among us. They give us plenty and gifts for our service.”

“What is the purpose of your belt of bear hide?”

“I am a skinwalker. It allows me to take the shape of a bear.”

“What is the cult’s relationship to the Queen-Empress?”

“Both serve the same master.”

“Who is the master who this cult serves, who has agents among all peoples?”

“The eldritch walk again among us. We serve the eldritch that they may return and consume the world.”

Noah sputters about the madness of serving a master that wants to consume the world, then asks, “What does the cult plan to do in the near future?”

“Stop the invasion until the ascension of the One.”

Noah asserts that the group should travel directly to the camp of the Inquisitor General, to give this information to them, but they all agree that stopping in at the family castle makes sense, since it is en route.

The group is shown in to meet with Noah’s mother.

Noah begins, “We need to talk.”

“Welcome back. Of course.”

Noah asks the servants to leave.

“Firstly, I know that you and my father have leanings towards supporting the Inquisition over the Queen-Empress if they invade. I respect and support that, as the faith of the people is more important than their allegiance to the Queen-Empress.”

“I agree—we certainly favor the Inquisition over the Queen-Empress’s forces.”

Noah explains about the fallen village, and about having routed out the cult in Windermere.

“We spoke with dead with one of the cultists, and it turns out that the Queen-Empress is working in cooperation with the cult. Also, they seek to slow the invasion of the Inquisition to allow for the ascension of one called the One.”

“An ascension? That usually means a mortal ascending into the immortal realm. I’m no theologian, but I think that at this point that would require a massive sacrifice.”

Noah says that he plans to go to meet with the Inquisitor General.

They also make sure that the Strom knows of Urnkirkey’s corruption; she says that she might be able to raise a large enough militia to retake the village.

They mount up and begin riding hard for the Inquisition lines.

They see fire a few times off in the distance, but they have no difficulties whatsoever reaching the Inquisition on the evening of the 29th of Ghast.

Noah turns over the fragments of the altar. A priest in a different outfit that they haven’t seen before appears almost out of nowhere and asks them to place the pieces into a lead coffer. Sister Agnes identifies the priest as a monk of Haggaratha, who specialize in learning about the old enemies of the church.

They quickly enter the presence of the Inquisitor General.

“Firstly the cult is trying to stall the Inquisition invasion of Hanal to prepare for the ascension of someone they call the One. They’re working on behalf of something they call the eldritch. And perhaps most disturbingly, the Queen-Empress is working with them.”

The Inquisitor General shows where he has many written notes saying “The Queen-Empress is part of the enemy.” Even with his training, he finds it hard to remember, and the common troops cannot at all.

“We face a particular problem with a frontal assault. Even with the support of the faithful nobles… most people are unaware of this, and we would prefer it to stay that way. The reason we have not attempted any further intrusion, despite being badly outnumbered, is that we have managed to trace several years’ output of bone dust, several ounces. It was either purchased or seized from the Enclave until recently known as Zorplona-Argoni. If we concentrated our forces, they will use the bone dust. Whichever force makes it close to the capital first—us or the Cov of Snannerkaz, who is chief among the rebels—will have it used on them anyway.”

“With all due respect, if we just let them get away with it…”

“We cannot let them get away with it.”

“But that could buy them the time we need.”

“What we need is a brave group, with some experience working behind their lines, that are willing to enter the citadel of the Queen-Empress and neutralize the bone dust. I have tried, and my agents’ heads are now displayed on the walls of the citadel.”

The group discusses this, and while nervous, accepts the mission.

Sister Agnes also tells the Inquisitor General about the corruption of the Bishop of Zendiker’s privy secretary. He says that that’s behind enemy lines, but he may be able to arrange an accident for the privy secretary.

The Inquisitor General calls for the Master, who is in all black robes that do not look clerical. The Inquisitor General asks him to provide them with a communication token. He takes a psionic reading of the na-Strom. “May I have another volunteer? The Society of the Hands of Hell does not like taking psionic readings without volunteers.”

Noah suggests Elyn is perhaps the most likely to survive, but there are no volunteers.

“Is there a known way to neutralize bone dust?”

“An enormous quantity of water. A small lake, say, to neutralize two ounces, and that lake would not be suitable for life for some time. You must not even touch a grain of bone dust with your bare skin—it would suck all the water out of your body, causing even your bones to crumble away.”

The citadel is about 700 miles away, so about 17 days’ ride.

Noah asks the Inquisitor-General if he can have some information that is true, but not helpful, that they could use the token from the Queen-Empress’s army to make themselves seem useful.

“I can think of something that they will learn soon enough. Tell them that the voller being flown by the Moriquendarim with an Aufaulgatharim officer is a man-of-war, and that the man-of-war has a contingent of drow marines onboard—perhaps planning on doing more than simply bombarding, though in fact they are there to repel boarders.”

They head off.

After a day of travel, they make their way into imperial held territory.

That evening, the Violet Moon is full. For the first third of the night, while in mouse form, Noah is resisting the cheese.

Wild field mice by the dozens are gathering and watching the cheese. Noah turns his back to the cheese, and the field mice charge in.

Noah runs off with the cheese, fleeing the field mice and losing control. Sister Agnes follows him. He stops as he charges into a perfect circle of mushrooms in a clearing. Out of the corner of Noah’s eyes, he sees little tiny elves surrounding him.

In the morning, Noah finds himself exhausted, laying in a circle in a forest.

They mount up and head on.

Two days later, Elyn notices something towering over the nearby trees. It’s the right color, but it doesn’t have leaves, and it’s moving. A very long, long limb spikes down on Noah. It does 13 damage and starts picking him up.

Elyn identifies it as a giant praying mantis, the largest giant mantis she’s ever seen. She then shoots it with her bow, doing 10 damage.

Iados’s rapier bounces off, but Ravokris burns it with a burning hands spell.

Noah rages and starts hacking at it with his axe.

The mantis bites Noah.

Sister Agnes summons a spiritual cat-of-nine-tails which misses.

Elyn shoots it again with her bow, while Iados misses again.

Then Ravokris casts an Agganazar’s Scorcher, which transforms into a tiny attacking fire elemental. The fire elemental attacks it twice, hitting each time. The insect collapses limply to the ground.

Noah tries to harvest the gland that makes its shell. He fails, but does harvest plenty of meat.
[End session 21]


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## CPaladin (Sep 14, 2021)

Session 22 (March 14, 2021)
3 Ta-Ghast

Noah shares his plan to retrieve the bone dust. It is, suffice to say, half-baked.

Much zaniness ensues involving a talking cheese, that may or may not be faked by Ravokris as a prank.

While this is going on, a flock of stirges sneak up and attack. The group fights them off with some difficulty and then Elyn realizes that they were likely attracted by the giant mantis corpse.

The group rides fast, travelling roughly 60 miles per day.

After they ride for several hours, another group of stirges approach from behind. This fight is short and messy (for the stirges).

By the end of the day, yet another wave of stirges attacks. The group slaughters the stirges.

[End session 22;  the exasperating series of stirge encounters was the result of bizarrely repetitive random encounter rolls, where the same or essentially the same percentile result was rolled multiple times in a row.  The GM and I speculated that, in the emergent plot sort of way that random encounter rolls can produce, this suggested that either they were traveling directly through a major infestation or that the cultists are directing stirges for nefarious purposes.  Because the session was basically wall to wall combat, the notes are pretty short.]


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## CPaladin (Sep 21, 2021)

Session 23 (April 11, 2021)

4 Ta-Ghast
Uneventful travel

5 Ta-Ghast
Uneventful travel

6 Ta-Ghast
In the afternoon, Noah starts to sense that something feels wrong. He warns the group, and Sister Agnes casts detect evil, detecting nothing. Noah uses his connection to the spirits and senses something right (to the east) and ahead.

Noah and Elyn try to bluff something, trying to scare off whoever is coming. Sister Agnes fades off to the right, seeking to draw attacks. Agnes detects evil, and sees a group approaching. She shouts, “Ware! Evil-doers!” Then they hear a bullroar from the right, a group of men, dressed in ragged clothes and with flanged weapons, charge and shout “For the Ram!”

Elyn shoots the leader with her bow twice.

Noah shouts, “What do you want?”

They respond, “The Ram demands blood in sacrifice!”

Ravokris hits the leader with a flame bolt, dropping him.

Iados runs out and impales one on his rapier, dropping him, while Sister Agnes holds another one.

Elyn shoots the one that’s held, getting a critical hit and doing a total of 20 damage.

Ravokris hits one of them with a flame bolt.

One of them charges Noah, missing entirely, one charges Ravokris, and one charges Sister Agnes. None of them hit.

Noah rages and attacks. His first blow does a mighty 12 damage, and his second attack largely cleaves through him with a critical hit.

Sister Agnes calls out, “O Lady, Weep for those whose soul’s my companions are sending on.” She then holds out her shield and focuses on blocking the enemy’s attacks.

Iados attempts to fling a body at the other enemies, but he does not throw it very far.

Suddenly, rushing down the road and breaking through the brush from farther along the road, two over-sized black goats, putrid black smoke coming from their maws, charge. They are about 4 feet at the shoulder, 7 feet long.

Noah says, “Oh, you’re so cute! They must have been holding you hostage!”

Sister Agnes says, “They are probably demons in goat form.”

Noah says, “Why would demons take on goat form?”

The goat replies, “Because we serve the Lord of Goats!”

Elyn says, “Man, show some respect! Those are demons!”

“Thank you!” says the lead goat. “We’re not very major demons, but we are Mehrim!”

The goat-demons charge Noah, and batter him repeatedly, with two butts and two hooves.

“Where were you raised, you rowdy goats?”

“The 342nd level of the Abyss.”

Elyn shoots the most wounded of the cultists, pinning him down and all but finishing him off.

One of the cultists charges Elyn and misses completely, encanting; the other misses entirely.

Noah runs off and attacks the cultists, much to the amazement of the goat demons, dealing 10 damage and 13 damage.

Sister Agnes casts spiritual weapon, and channels divinity at the goats. One of them flees; the other gets hit by the holy scourge for 8 damage.

Iados drops another cultist, killing him outright. Elyn shoots the goat demon that has not fled.

Noah finishes off the last cultist. He then banters with the goat demon for a while, before finally realizing that it’s a creature of the Abyss, and strikes it, killing it. Abruptly, as it falls to the ground, it changes form to look like a slimy oily satyr shaped demon. It then fades away.

(The other goat demon never returns.)

7 Ta-Ghast
Uneventful travel.

8 Ta-Ghast
Uneventful travel.

As they approach nightfall, they can see a fortified village ahead of them, and can smell woodsmoke. A fortified manor, with a flag, sits on a hill nearby. A rider on a mule comes out, and offers us the hospitality of the village of Gdoinye, which has several inns. The gates are kept closed except when someone arrives.

The group is led to the nicest inn in the village, the Black Horse Inn.

Sister Agnes goes to the infirmary, where they are told there were wounded from the north.

She heals some wounded soldiers, who were wounded fighting against a cult—the same cult that we fought in the northlands; they had a priest with them, and they defeated the enemies, but the priest died. That was the lord’s chaplain, who was of the Order of Saint Vincent the Venerable—they get additional special skills, in exchange for certain special vows of poverty, chastity, not wearing armor. They mention that the Strom of the local village is a good man, but also admit that they think that the Strom’s lady is a cultist. The parish priest confirms that he worries about that, but has never been able to confirm anything, and the Inquisition is not able to function here. She is definitely a maga.
[End session 23]


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## CPaladin (Sep 28, 2021)

Session 24 (April 25, 2021)

9 Ta-Ghast
In the morning, Noah suggests that they not get diverted from the main mission of destroying the bone dust, because that will weaken the cultists more than trying to ferret out a small group of cultists here. The rest of the group agrees, and they leave promptly in the morning while heading in towards the capital.

The day and night pass in peace.

10 Ta-Ghast
The villages are becoming more common and more densely located at this point. Most of them seem largely abandoned, however, and some of them have considerable signs of damage.

The path they are following begins to rhythmically shake. They’re fairly sure this is a large group of horses.

Men in green uniforms break cover as forward scouts.

Elyn shouts, “Hail the Queen-Empress!”

Whole regiments of troops start to walk by, all infantry, but with very large numbers of support wagons.

Noah tells them that he is coming to the citadel to strengthen Arundale’s connections to supporting the Queen-Empress. They look up Arundale in a record, and then tell him that he should continue on, and will surely receive a military position of honor.

As the army marches past, they identify it as three field armies, plus auxiliaries and support—so some 15,000 soldiers, and the rest.

They don’t quite make the next village, because of the delay in waiting for the army to pass, so they camp in the field.

11 Ta-Ghast
They reach a crossroads, where they turn onto a more major road, flagged with heavy stones. Along this road, the villages are all intact. After a short journey, they enter a fortified town that is preparing for something. They are boarding up shops; priests are spreading incense. At the edge of the town, a mendicant monk offers them talismans to protect against the Lesser Festival of Mists, dominated by “She Who Must Not Be Named,” lest they succumb to madness.

The group continues on, and the farms they pass—though some are ravaged—are being closed up frantically. The sky is clear, so the moons will rise visibly.

As nightfall approaches, the group camps. As traditional, Noah gets tied up while he works to control his transformation. Noah’s transformation happens, but he seems shinier and larger. As the violet light washes over the land, a group of giant mushrooms spring up, in a trail leading away from the group, with singing at the far end. Various other lycanthropes gather around their camp, singing and chanting to the violet moon—werebears, weresquirrels, a werechipmunk, and the like. (Ravokris receives the blessing of Whimsey, and gets 2 bonus points of Intelligence until the next full violet moon.)

12 Ta-Ghast
As they continue on, they see various farmers opening up their farms.

They begin to see earthwork fortifications here and there, with various odd structures protruding out of them.

Their travel is uneventful. There are now even more abandoned farmsteads, even some abandoned thorps. They also notice that there is less voller cover than they had seen further out.

13 Ta-Ghast
There are some fortifications with power-bows and ballistae aimed at the sky.

They see small units of mounted troops, one of which hails them. He again checks the same list of houses, confirming that Arundale is marked as loyal, and then checks a separate list of individual nobles from the loyal house who have been placed on a kill-on-sight list.

They pass several fortifications, again mostly aimed at the sky. They also pass one that has been entirely blasted out from the sky. A large group of troops are working to clear it, in heavy not quite armor. An officer tells them to stay clear of the blast site, because of lingering radiance.

14 Ta-Ghast
That evening, they can see the lights of the capital ahead.

15 Ta-Ghast
They head into the city, planning on reaching out to na-Vad Fellin Zitrian (known to friends as Fell), Noah’s friend who they met when last in the city. They approach the Vad Zitrian manor house, which has been heavily fortified since last they saw it. The guards are now dressed in field armor, not just colors.

“Ah, na-Strom.” The guards recognize him.

“I would much desire to speak with Fellin.”

“He is in the palace, now—he has been pressed into military service, though his mother hoped he might not. Please, come in. You will receive the hospitality of the house.”

“I hope to join him in service to the Queen-Empress.”

“You will have to wait for him or his mother to return from the palace, but I’m sure she would be glad to have you accompany him. You must all stay indoors at night. Three of the blood-driven hounds have escaped, surely because of the elven bombardment or possibly traitors.”

“What are the blood-driven hounds?”

“The blood-driven hounds—undead that drink blood—were traditionally released into the streets during the Blood Fete each year. A few of the ne’er-do-wells were killed, but no one of consequence, and it was considered part of the offering. They were then restored to their imprisonments. Now three of them are loose in the city and hunting its residents.”

Noah spends some time training with the guards. Meanwhile, a servant signals to Iados in thieves’ cant, asking if he is the courier.

He signals back uncertainty. She stops signaling, and stands waiting at the door.

Elyn notices that the plant life in the formal garden of the manor is dying. It’s not obvious, but it looks like something is sucking the life energy out of the plants day-by-day. It’s being maintained, but it looks like it is dying nonetheless.

Sister Agnes asks if they have the proscription list. They do, and provide it to her. She checks, and finds that her name is not on it. But she recognizes some names—there are entire houses that are proscribed, plus various individuals, though not anyone from Noah’s house. There are also some surprising absences from the list, especially in the House of Magdag.

After nightfall, the na-Vad and Vadess return. The na-Vad meets with them in private. He mentions that he offered to lead troops personally to hunt the blood-driven hounds and was refused; he is very concerned.

Noah tells him that they spoke with dead with some cultists, and they said that they and the Queen-Empress serve the same entity. The na-Vad screems, his eyes roll back and he collapses, apparently having a fit. Sister Agnes casts protection from evil on him, which seems to help. Noah keeps trying to reason with him. Ravokris can see magical energy expelled from him after the protection from evil. As Noah continues to talk with the na-Vad and mentions bone dust and ascension, the energy begins to coalesce, and Ravokris thinks it will materialize. He points and says that a demon is materializing.

Elyn also begins treating the na-Vad, and manages to stabilize him. Iados can see it materializing, and prepares to stab it with his rapier. As it materializes and the word “consume” is heard through the room, Iados stabs it, but misses with both attacks. Noah rages, and hits it with his axe twice. It has damage resistance, but Noah still hurts it. Elyn attacks with her sickle, hitting it twice for minor damage after the resistance. Ravokris blasts it with a fire bolt.

The demon reaches two tendrils out to hit Noah, and both hit, while the word “consume” rings out again. Noah loses 3 points of Con and 13 hit points.

Sister Agnes does not recognize the demon at all. It looks like a huge heap of ichorous dirty fluid suspended in a membrane -- but there is an odd sense that you watch different human features swim up and then vanish.

Noah switches to his silver axe and cleaves it apart.

A guard rushes in, having heard the scream. We send him to fetch the chaplain.

The na-Vad regains consciousness, and he can remember what he was told and thinks it’s true.

The chaplain warns us not to tell anyone but the Vadess about the demon. He thinks that the na-Vad can tell the Vadess, but says he should do so gently. From the na-Vad, she will hear it. He says she is also worried about things, as the chaos of the court has increased.
[End session 24]


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## CPaladin (Oct 5, 2021)

Session 25 (May 9, 2021)

16 Ta-Ghast
Noah talks with Iados about the servant who contacted him. He convinces Iados to contact the servant again, and try to infiltrate what Noah assumes is a group of cultists trying to set up an altar in the manor. Metsuki shadows Iados, in case he needs help suddenly. (Elyn is okay with this as long as Metsuki isn’t at risk.)

Iados finds the servant again and pulls at her sleeve. “Wait, wait, I’m the courier. I had to pretend not to be while I was around the na-Vad.”

In thieves’ cant, “What message do you bring? The na-Vad is harmless—he does not know the cant.”

“Thank you. I need to be on my way.”

Iados goes back to the group, gets coached, and returns.

“Sorry about that. I needed to use the privy. Our superiors want me to inspect the secret place, to make sure it’s ready.”

She leads him into the 4th basement behind the wine cellar. There is a safe room here, with supplies laid in, hidden behind the cellar. “We can take in two or three, and keep them safe.”

Iados tells the rest of the group about it. Sister Agnes suggests that this seems like it might be a safe house for escaping slaves. The group thinks that’s likely.

The na-Vad comes to them in his uniform. He tells them that he must go do his duties in the palace. Noah volunteers to go with him and present himself for military service, as a “loyal” vassal of the Queen-Empress.

The building is magnificent. Everything is done in black stone, with green accents.

The guards pass him right by, clearly recognizing the na-Vad. He strides up to a man in a very complex uniform, bows almost all the way to the ground. “Kov. This is my friend. He is the na-Strom of Arundale. He has with him companions, and they want to volunteer for service.”

The Kov, an elderly man, asks what Noah’s military experience is.

Noah says that he did some work as a mercenary in the Spice Lands—not as part of the Hanalian force there, but doing various other work.

The Kov then checks the proscription list. “You’re clean, and your family is listed among the loyal. I wish you had more experience in a structured environment. But if you’re willing to work courier duty, we would welcome your service. Bring your companions back.”

He leaves, and the na-Vad observes, “That went better than it might.”

“Not as close to our target as we might hope.”

“But it gets you within the palace,” he whispers.

Noah returns and gathers up the rest of the group. Sister Agnes, concerned that a member of the OWW would stick out, puts on a green silk sash with her family’s arms on it, deliberately crossing it directly over her holy symbol. She states that she will suggest that her family placed her as a healer in the service of the na-Vad and the na-Strom for political reasons.

They then go back.

Noah is absolutely sure that he has met the Kov before and knows him.

We have another conversation with the Kov. He seems clearly loyal to both the Queen-Empress and Paranswarm; he expresses his belief that the Inquisitor-General is corrupt. Sister Agnes pretends to be a very venial healer, in the OWW for advancement and advantage and trying to build ties to other noble houses. The Kov says that she should get to know his granddaughter—they have much in common.

The group reports to a Basher (a Hanalian general). “You’ve been assigned to our unit?”

“Yes,” says Noah.

“We have a message that needs to be delivered to the north voller tower. I have sensitive instructions for the commander of the tower, that I would like to see delivered alive. The city is no longer safe.” He hands Noah a heavily ornate letter, with lead seals. “There has been interference with the usual method we use to send messages to the voller tower. Tell the commander that I instructed you to wait for a response. He needs to bring those vollers online. The next time that thing passes over, they must be ready.”

The group starts to leave, and then Noah speaks to the Basher’s assistant, and tells him that the group has skills in securing special alchemical items. They bluff a story about a family connection to senior imperial alchemists. The assistant believes them, and gives them a writ.

They present it to the Master of the Armory, and tell him that they were sent by the Basher to get the bone dust. He asks if they have a talisman. They say they do not. He says that the person who sent them is no friend of theirs then. There are no human guards behind the black steel gates, but though he is no diabolist, the Master of the Armory knows there are adequate guards. The bone dust is in a casket all the way in the back, next to the clingfire.

The group leaves the Armory and discusses what to do. They could return to the Basher to try to get a talisman, perhaps by subterfuge or theft. Another option would be to go to the tower, deliver the message, and then talk to the Vadess later.

The group decides to bluff the Basher, but to talk to the na-Vad first to see if he can get more information about the Basher. “Rough, tough, commonborn, devout, not a fan of the aristocracy, loyal to the Empire more than the Empress. Not very personable, but very determined. Had an unsavory career before the military, not sure what it was.”

They describe the need to get the talisman.

“I know the talismans you speak of. I’ve seen them. He has one. I would not try to trick him out of it. Only the most trusted imperial servants have them. My mother might be able to get one. I don’t know that trying to get the Basher’s would be wise. He would have to trust you more to put it into your possession.”

The group decides to head to the north voller tower to build up more credibility. They travel to the tower without difficulties.

An officer greets them. “Ah, na-Strom. Here to see the commandant?”

“Yes.”

The officer clearly recognizes Noah. He asks after Noah’s family.

They deliver the message to the commandant. “He doesn’t understand that we’re doing the best we can to be ready.” He breaks the seal with a strange almost crystal letter opener. The lead discolors immediately. He looks at it. “Eight days? Eight days? I guess it must be done within eight days if I want to keep my head. I wonder why eight days though. Thank you for crossing the city to deliver this. I wish we could deal with the blood-driven hounds. At least the full force isn’t loose. Tell them that the work will be done in eight days. They want a grand voller finished within eight days. They think it could stand up to an elven armada. Foolishness. But they won’t listen. Never before have the elves attacked us. I do not understand. But they bombarded two sites within the city… I do not understand it. But I must get it done, or be out of here in six! And, they’re talking about coming here for a ceremony.” He writes out a response.

They make their way back to the imperial palace.

Noah reports back to the Basher. He describes his doubts about them finishing within eight days. He also says that they are missing some of the people conscripted from useful work, and that they’re trying, but they’re badly overworked.

The Basher is impressed, and asks him to attend a Grand Strategy Council tomorrow with him, as part of the Basher’s staff.
[End session 25]


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## CPaladin (Oct 12, 2021)

Session 26 (May 23, 2021)

16 Ta-Ghast (evening)
The na-Vad takes the group to see his mother, the Vadess. She looks up with interest from the couch where she is seated. She looks exhausted.

Noah explains about the cult investigations in his family’s lands, and the corruption of the Bishop of Zendiker’s privy secretary.

Ravokris suddenly starts seeing increasing swirls of energy around the Vadess. Only he can see it, but he interrupts to mention seeing swirls of energy.

Sister Agnes immediately casts Protection from Evil, which expels the swirls of energy from the Vadess. The energy, now fully visible, leaps to the lady in waiting in the room, who shrieks and begins transforming.

Noah calls to the guards to summon blessed weapons and to seal the manor against the threat to the Vadess.

Sister Agnes interposes herself between the Vadess and the former lady in waiting.

The Vadess is speaking to her lady-in-waiting in great concern. “Kathandra? Kathandra?”

After organizing the guards, Noah rages and charges the lady-in-waiting monster.

Ravokris attacks with a fire bolt, and gets a 25 to hit, striking the lady-in-waiting and doing 7 points of fire damage.

Noah charges and smacks at the monster with the silvered axe, which is getting pretty dulled by now. Noah strikes and hits for 15 damage; his next strike misses, despite hitting AC 22. The last of the silvering is knocked off in the process.

Iados rushes in with his rapier, and hands his silver cheese knife to Noah, who he expects to be able to use it better. He does a sneak attack successfully, for 20 damage total (although he does a little bit less damage than he would have expected—it must have resistance to non-silver weapons).

Elyn joins with Sr. Agnes in trying to physically block any route for the monster to the Vadess.

Two guards rush in and fire their crossbows. One shoots himself in the foot, the other misses wildly.

Elyn casts Hunter’s Mark, and then shoots the monster, barely hitting with a 24, and does 10 damage (reduced to 5).

A guard bounces a crossbow off the back of her head.

Sr. Agnes splashes some holy water on the creature, doing 9 points of damage.

Ravokris hits the creature with another firebolt, doing 5 damage.

Noah misses on his first blow, then does 16 damage on the second with a critical hit with the silver cheese knife.

The creature breathes out a horrible cloud of green gas. Sister Agnes is drained of 4 points of Con, Iados is drained of 6 points of Con, Ravokris loses 1, and a guard loses 5 but is still up.

Iados misses, but Elyn shoots the creature again, for another 11.

The na-Vad hits the creature with his dress sword, which is alas not silver, and does a tiny amount of damage.

Sr. Agnes misses with holy water.

Finally, Ravokris hits it with a fire bolt.

The creature collapses, and the demonform sloughs off it, leaving the lady-in-waiting’s body with all its wounds.

The Vadess and Sr. Agnes both mourn the dead lady-in-waiting.

The group explains what they understand to be going on.

The Vadess says, that explains certain things. The lack of response to the blood-driven in the streets in particular—it would not hurt the war effort.

Sr. Agnes casts Revivify on the lady-in-waiting, who is restored to life.

The Vadess sends Kathandra to rest and recover. She then orders the room sealed so she may speak in private to her son’s friends.

Noah explains that they were sent by the Inquisition to secure the imperial bone dust supply to prevent it from being used against the Inquisition.

The Vadess points out that the creature fought without any sign of intelligence. The group notes that they do not recognize the demons the cult has, nor its altars—it seems to be unlike normal demons, and greatly unlike devils.

Noah asks the Vadess if she could secure a talisman.

“I had presumed I was being trusted because I served Thyastis. Now I think I was being trusted because I was blind. She must have known that duty would overrule all else for me.” She turns to Ravokris. “Magister, do you believe that the Queen-Empress will be able to tell that I am no longer blind?”

Ravokris says, “The Queen-Empress would likely be able to tell that you are no longer loyal. She could see the absence of the energy upon you.”

“We will hope that she does not check often. I will approach a friend of mine and try to obtain the talisman that you seek, on the claim that I wish to check the security personally. It will take a few days, and I will try to avoid notice for that long. But if they do realize, and take me prisoner, you must do nothing to attempt to save me. You must find an alternate plan to get the weapons out, and find a different place to stay so you remain safe.”

17 Ta-Ghast
The Basher takes the entire group to the strategic council—a couple of dozen generals and the like, a couple admirals, and several other people, plus their various attendants. There is an enormous 3-D map of Hanal, with little figures that represent each units. The Basher notes that he is bringing some of his aides to season them for when they may be senior officers someday.

What is striking is how many Hanalian units there are, and how few of them are horsed.

Noah makes some suggestions about redeploying some troops to work on gathering resources to make more vollers and to defend the direction towards Enclaves.

The generals discuss the role that the Inquisition’s planning in Enclaves holds. The senior generals then argue about the viability of attempting to take Enclaves directly, as has been discussed for a long time.

Noah continues making suggestions, and rolls an 18 on a Persuasion check.

The discussion rapidly becomes very technical militarily. Noah comes to the realization that he has convinced them to take an action. They talked themselves in to bombarding the City of Enclaves. "We cannot cut their lines with a surface fleet, but we have a substantial air navy. When we deploy 100 vollers to bombard the city and their fields…"

It will take the vollers 10 days to attack Enclaves.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully, running errands.

18 Ta-Ghast

They deliver messages for the day.

The Vadess presents a jeweled case to them in the evening. “You will need a mission that takes you back to that area. Otherwise the human guards will give you trouble. And I must now quietly support the Princess Anastasia—I now know why she is in exile.”
[End Session 26]


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## CPaladin (Oct 19, 2021)

Session 27 (June 6, 2021)

Evening of 18 Ta-Ghast
Fell, the na-Vad, says that there are more Blooddriven in the streets—perhaps as many as 6.

Noah details an elaborate plan, but then considers asking Fell to get them an excuse to get more weapons from the armory.

Sr. Agnes raises the question of whether the group should try to steal the clingfire as well as the bone dust. She also suggests that the Vadess’s house vollers might be a good way to flee.

“My lord Na-Vad, would your mother and servants be willing to flee at the same time? I fear that your family would be implicated.” Asks Sr. Agnes.

“Though I know that the Princess Anastasia has set up a court in exile in Canberry, my mother has served the imperial court for her whole life. I think she will likely try to buy us time to escape.”

Abruptly, they hear a clash of arms without the manor. Noah looks out of his room and sees guards rushing towards the doors of the manor. “Blooddriven?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“We must assist.”

The group rushes towards the front doors of the manor.

Three blooddriven are tearing through the group of house guards in the gardens outside the manor. There are 10 guards along the front.

The three blooddriven are large, looking like crosses between huge dogs and something somewhat humanoid. Their fangs are extremely elongated and they glow a sickly grey.

The guards are fighting loyally, but their swords do not appear to be doing any appreciable damage.

Noah moves out behind the guards, then rages and rushes at the blooddriven. “You are such bad dogs!” He hits it with his axe, and does some damage, but much less than he would have expected to.

Sr. Agnes casts a beacon of hope.

Ravokris burns one with a firebolt.

Elyn casts hunter’s mark and shoots one successfully—she does a slight amount of damage with a shot she would have expected to hit hard.

Ravokris blasts another with a firebolt. Fire does seem to do full damage, though he guesses other forms of energy might not.

Iados rushes forward and stabs at one with a silver knife, taking advantage of a flanking position to sneak attack. He does 24 points of damage. It still seems to do reduced damage, but much more than most of their attacks.

Sr. Agnes yells at a servant to fetch any large pieces of silver or ideally silver knives they can, and then casts mass healing word healing 6 of the guards.

The guards attack largely ineffectually.

One of the blooddriven pounces on one of the guards, sinking its fangs into his neck. Some of its wounds close, and the guard staggers and collapses.

Noah calls for a torch, and then starts bashing the blooddriven with his torch, burning it badly.

Ravokris blasts the one that healed itself, but does not kill it. Elyn barely manages to finish it off.

Ezra moves over to the one Noah is fighting, and attacks it, striking it for an enormous amount of damage with his silver cheeseknife.

Rushing down the corridor to the door comes the house chaplain, now in full armor and carrying a banner of Paranswarm, the Vadess in armor, and some additional guards. The priest plants the banner and says a word of power, driving them back.

A distant horn sounds, and the remaining two turn to flee. Before it can leave, Noah tackles down the one he was fighting and finishes it off.

Sister Agnes turns to the priest. “Father, do you know how to destroy these utterly?”

“Yes. Fortunately, these were young ones. They must be burned entirely or they will come back.”

The household brings oil, and then the priest performs a quick ritual and burns the bodies. The priest also burns the dead guard’s body.

Noah suggests that the horn suggests that someone within the city manipulating the blooddriven.

They seal the manor until the morning.

The group discusses; they think it’s clear that it has reduced damage resistance against silver, and may have no resistance to mithril. Noah also is sure that these were humans changed into monsters, not canine in basis.

The Vadess tells the group that the commander of her vollers has been commanded to obey her son and to take onboard any that he commands taken on board. She intends to distract the royal presence as best as she can, to maximize the plans chance of success. She asks the group to give her regards and respect to the Princess Anastasia when and if the group meets her.

The group also gets a pure silver greatsword (and thus mostly a great club) from the Vadess that the family had for ritual purposes.
[End Session 27]


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## CPaladin (Oct 26, 2021)

Session 28 (June 13, 2021)

19 Ta-Ghast
Noah recaps the plan.

He then gets a horn and tries to play the call they heard last night. However, because he has never played a horn before, he can’t really produce a good note.

The next several days pass uneventfully, running routine errands as things are getting worse.

24 Ta-Ghast
They finally get an order to go to the armory.

They are told to deliver the orders to the person in charge of the armory, and then to accompany the items retrieved from the armory. The orders have been getting more focused as the days go by, and they get a heavily sheathed set of orders with the Basher’s seal on it.

The armory is more heavily guarded now in general, though there is also now coming and going. The same person is still on duty, and he recognizes the group as they approach. They make some small talk, and the armorer then breaks the seals and reads the letter. “The orders directly order you to accompany the delivery team. I will have the delivery made ready for departure. You will accompany the delivery team to the vollers, and stay with them until the Basher at the vollers takes charge of them.”

A lieutenant morosely leads them to the secure chamber. “Got a lot more security now. But I knew they would move them soon.” He opens the door, and moves in. The devils have retreated. The morose lieutenant sends people to get several boxes, including the clingfire, but not the bonewater dust.

Noah and Sr. Agnes are haughty towards the lieutenant, and he then makes no question when Iados heads to get the bonewater dust.

Two devils approach Iados, asking him his business and whether he bears a seal. He shows the emblem, and they allow him to pass.

The lieutenant and his 8 guards are carrying five caskets. They form up tightly around the caskets, with long spears to defend them.

Noah tells them that they have an urgent message to bring to the Zitrian vollers. The lieutenant sighs, but he acquiesces. The group approaches the voller tower for the Zitrian vollers. Because the group has orders to stay with the delivery at all times, they prevail on the lieutenant to go up into the Zitrian vollers with them.

Noah finds Fell and accompanies him to the captain. He then orders the ship to depart immediately, and for house marines to take custody of the delivery group.

The whole squadron begins leaving, but orders come from the main imperial flagship and order other vollers to cut them off.

Noah gets a speaking trumpet, and tries to intimidate the imperial vollers to leave them be for fear of the mighty weapons they carry. The imperial response is to open fire with siege weapons, though they do not hit.

The captain asks if there is a mage among them, and they indicate Ravokris. He then asks Ravokris to sit in the throne by the voller’s power boxes to speed up the ship. Ravokris does so, and the ship speeds up and begins pulling away from the escorts. The escorts begin to form a screen to protect them from the imperial vollers. He can also dimly see out of the voller all around him.

Sr. Agnes tells the group that the “devils” guarding the armory were demons taking on forms to look like devils. She also tells the lieutenant this, trying to convince him to switch sides, and Noah does as well.

She heals Ravokris as the helm drains first his magic, and then begins to suck out his very life. They keep healing him until the captain says that they are safe, after they have gained some 8 or 9 hours of advantage, despite having travelled for only about one hour.

The captain reports that his seal has gone dark—the Vaddess is dead, and Fell is now the Vad.

Noah dumps the bonewater dust into the ocean. It causes a swirling maelstrom, with occasional implosions under the water. He then dumps the clingfire, which begins to boil the ocean below.

They open the other caskets carefully. All the others are a green powder packed together until they form cylinders. It does not detect as evil—none of the caskets did, even the horrifying bonewater dust and clingfire.

Ravokris thinks that they are concentrated corruption.

Noah announces that they should throw the cylinders into the sea as well, but Sr. Agnes suggests that they should figure out what it is before they do something with it. Noah agrees, and they put them back away.

Noah thinks towards the SHH psion with the Inquisition. <<Bonewater dust and clingfire destroyed. Have recovered strange cylinders of green powder. The imperial vollers are distracted and disorganized. Strike now, while they are weak.>>

He gets back an affirmative feeling psionically.

The captain tells the Vad that they must continue on as there will still be pursuit. He orders them to fly over the Inquisition held territory, and then on to Princess Anastasia.

Noah asks if the Vad’s priest is onboard. He is. Noah asks if he can send a sending to his family and a sending to the Inquisition, and is told yes. He begins preparing the sendings.

He sends to the Inquisition: Weapons neutralized primarily, strange green dust with weapons, what should be done? Blood driven active likely supported by empress. Going to Anastasia, willing to aid.

The response is: Blessings on you. Be careful of green dust, sounds like a shadow weapon. Odd. Anastasia's success required for Hanal survival. Your service there is holy.

He then sends to his parents: We survived, Major weapons neutralized, queen empress is mad, Blood driven are active, we must seek Anastasia's aid, Possible rendezvous at Mt. _________.

He receives back: We will be there. Your brother reached us via smugglers 2 days ago. He will be with us. Your father agrees. We love you and friends.

25 Ta-Ghast
Ravokris casts identify on the green powder, after Sr. Agnes casts protection from evil on him.

“It’s a containment field that carries a condensed form of a disease from the Shadowland. Also, I think I have been infected.”

Sr. Agnes immediately casts remove curse and lesser restoration.

“These should not drop and explode. It would be bad. Many people would die,” he says.

They travel 790 miles to pick up Noah’s family, then 4420 miles to Princess Anastasia’s court in exile. That will be 3 and a little days to pick up Noah’s family, and then another 17 and change to get to the court in exile, so they will get there in 21 days—on the 14th of Chund.
[End session 28.  There was a summer hiatus after this session, which also wrapped up the plot arc they had been on for several sessions, notwithstanding the somewhat anticlimactic resolution.  Posting will continue without interruption.]


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## CPaladin (Nov 2, 2021)

Session 29 (August 23, 2021)

28 Ta-Ghast
Noah agonizes about leaving Hanal behind—he’s deeply concerned about what the Blooddriven are doing in the capital. But recognizing the danger, the group proceeds onwards on the voller.

Uneventful day, uneventful night.

31 Ta-Ghast
A shout comes down from the crow’s nest during the day. “Boulder ahoy!”

They look in the direction the observer pointed, and they see a large, roughly round rock, being carried by something mostly transparent that seems to be enjoying carrying it.

“Hello?” says Noah.

“Ah! Mortals on a flying ship. Do you want a boulder?”

“What are you?”

“I am an air elemental, carrying my arch-nemesis, an earth elemental. I’m not quite sure what to do with him, but I have the advantage now.”

“Put me down!” cries a muffled voice.

They sail onwards after a brief conversation.

4 Chund
Another air elemental flies past. “Did you happen to see my cousin?”

“Yes, he was carrying an earth elemental.”

“I have to deliver instructions to him. He can’t just run off and play with his friends when there’s real matters of importance to deal with.”

5 Chund
They pass a raven flapping along with a leather hood on and a message scroll tied to its legs. Elyn considers shooting it, but since they don’t know whose it is or how to retrieve the message if they do, they let it go.’

9 Chund
Several djinn are floating along, seeming to have an argument about the glowing object they are carrying with them.

“Are you arguing about something?”

“The meaning of this omen. We cast it, and got a brilliant sun, two storm clouds, and a hungry griffin. But we don’t know how to interpret it.”

Noah tries to offer an explanation, and they resume arguing.

10 Chund
That night, in addition to the normal lights in the night sky and clouds and such, there is a cloud ahead that glows a slightly green glow.

Noah speculates to Ravokris that it might be fey. Ravokris says that it is not fey, but he does not know what it is. It is whispering to him, saying “You are going the wrong way. Turn aside. Depart.” He doesn’t like how it makes him feel.

Ravokris casts Detect Magic and finds powerful magic..

Noah makes a Wisdom save, and gets a critical success. He finds himself suddenly gasping. He warns the rest of the group.

Sister Agnes casts Detect Holy and Unholy, and detects unholiness.

Noah tries to change himself into a weremouse voluntarily.

The watch falls from the crow’s nest to the deck with a thump, He is blue-ish and not breathing.

Ravokris calls out to the cloud dramatically in Draconic, “In exchange for safe passage through this place, I offer the sacrifice of this weremouse.”

Iados slides to the deck and does not seem to be breathing. He is conscious, but can’t make himself breathe. He croaks out, “I think I’m suffocating. Help me!”

Elyn begins blowing new air into Iados’s lungs.

The cloud suddenly shifts into a humanoid form, moves at incredible speed, and rushes towards the ship. Sister Agnes is sure that it is a demonic entity, but not one that she would expect. It is associated with the Queen of Chaos, even though she has been imprisoned for years.

“A weremouse. How rare. How valuable.”

“My body is pretty much like any other humanoid.”

“Yes. It is your soul I want, as I was promised.”

Sr. Agnes casts Protection from Evil on Noah.

“I am happy to discuss terms, but…” Noah says.

“No! No deals with demons!” shouts Sister Agnes.

“Normally I’m all in favor of deals with devils,” says Elyn, “but we don’t know what type of devil this is.”

“I am no devil! I am a loyal demon in service to the Queen of Chaos and her ally, the Lord of the Ram.”

Noah swings a silver greatsword straight through it. It simply passes through.

“What will you offer in your place?” it asks him.

“Information! We know much of the activities of the cult of the altars of bone.”

It cocks its head.

“You will have to offer more than information that the Queen of Chaos already has.”

“I offer you weapons of mass destruction.”

“Weapons of mass destruction, made on the mortal realm, freely offered? I accept.”

“Buyer to collect, bastard.”

“That is fine. It is freely offered.” With a clap, the demon disappears, releasing everyone from the inability to breathe. The lookout, however, is quite dead—if not already dead, the fall finished him.

Sister Agnes suggests that Noah immediately contact the Inquisition, to warn them that the demon is coming. He does so. She also lectures them against dealing with demons.

12 Chund
They pass an enormous unkindness of ravens—some 4000—circling something on the ground.

14 Chund
They arrive in Canberry City and make their way to the embassy. The Vad arranges for a proper Paranswarmian funeral (overseen by the embassy’s clergy) for the lookout who fell to his death while unconscious.

Princess Anastasia welcomes them to her court.

They quickly meet with the Princess’s priest, who is with the Inqusition.

He asks for a report of the situation in the north.

Na-Strom Noah provides an account.

The Princess interrupts. “She has released the Blooddriven into the street?”

“Yes, and more. They are fed and permitted free run in the City.”

“And they appear to be directed and called by horns.”

“I sought to convince my mother to destroy them and to dispense with their role in the Festival of Blood. There are 300 of them—or were. They were never permitted to reproduce beyond that number. But only two were ever released in the Blood Rage—I take it more than two are now free?”

“We can verify that. We put paid to more than two, and others escaped.”

They also explain that there are possessing spirits used to keep nobles loyal.

They also discuss the cults, and their plan to prepare for an ascension. Noah speculates that they might be using the Blooddriven and perhaps other means to kill people to use the power of their deaths for the ascension.

The Princess gives each one a silver token of favor. She confirms the Vad’s lands in his possession and commiserates with the loss of his mother, who she knew well.

She informs them that the Archduke has made a townhouse available for their use. The Princess states that she should consult with the Archmage, the Duke of Snatterkaz, and the Church, but that more use will need to be made of them if they are willing.

Sr. Agnes also asks the priest to take their confessions and perform appropriate sacraments.
[End session 29]


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## CPaladin (Nov 9, 2021)

Session 30 (September 5, 2021)

15 Chund
Noah attends court. There is a fair amount of coming and going, mostly of representatives of other countries who are concerned about the possible fate of Hanal.

Noah addresses the Princess and tells her that they had previously been doing mercenary work in the Spice Lands, where there were many stragglers of the Hanalian army there and also the orkish group that they made peace with. He suggests that it might be feasible to recruit them from the banner of the false Queen-Empress to her service.

“How strong was your sense of the hold that the Queen-Empress had on their officers?”

“They seemed loyal to her, but long-since eclipsed by loyalty to their troops, and many of the officers did not survive the battle.”

“So your sense is that these are free agents?”

“Primarily so. They may have some inclinations towards their own survival, but they are primarily free agents, trying to understand what’s next for them.”

The Princess calls out. “General?”

An armored figure approaches. “Your majesty. We could attempt to recover these troops, but if they have truly become mercenaries… we may be better off hiring Vultures. As much as I do not trust their steadiness, they are closer.”

“I do not want to leave any of my people abandoned in a foreign land.”

“Of course, your majesty. Young man—how many of them do you estimate survived? We know that four field armies of chivalry and two field armies of heavy infantry were in the army, but that they lost the battle.”

Noah weighs this, thinking about the fact that that represents some 30,000 regular troops plus auxiliaries. “I would wager that some 9000 survive, primarily from the heavy infantry. The chivalry took heavy casualties.”

“But you perceive no command and control structure in place?”

“It seems that they survive as a squad here, a company there. While they add up to 9000 in total, they are not a single united army.”

“It would take time to organize them, your majesty. I suggest that we send 100 people under your colors, by voller if our hosts will provide it, under your colors and perhaps those of the Kov of Snatterkaz. It will take time, but between loyalty and offer of payment, we might be able to gather some.”

Noah adds, “The last of our work as mercenaries was bringing spices north from the Spice Lands, from which we made a small fortune. I think that bringing the troops north with a large caravan of spices could make a good deal of money to support the cause.”

The group departs to their townhouse without a clear decision having been made.

* * *

Noah talks about the nightmares he has about people dying to the Blooddriven.

Iados raises the concern that some of the stragglers may be evil.

Noah turns to Ravokris. “You know elf stuff… wait, I don’t mean something like that. Do you think people here from the elves would be able to tell the high elves of the vollers in Hanal about the cultists shielding their altars with lead, so we could let them know about how they’re summoning creatures without the elves being able to find out about it?”

“One of the vollers I saw is from Singing Leaves. They have an embassy here in Canberry City.”

“Time to get our game face on. We need to get ready to go talk to the elves at the embassy without them thinking that we’re cultists when we talk about it.”

Noah drags Ravokris along to the Singing Leaves embassy.

Sr. Agnes heads to the lower city to engage in acts of charity and healing.

Iados heads out into the upper city and engages in shenanigans. He recruits someone to help him gin up a gambling game.

* * *

They approach the embassy of Singing Leaves and address the guards.

“Hail and welcome.”

“We’re here on behalf of the Hanalian Embassy.” Noah shows his token. “We have some things to tell you about the things you’re doing in Hanal.”

“Let me call for the House Captain.” After an elf in a starched clothing approaches, he continues, “these persons would wish to speak to the Ambassador.”

“Ah, do come in. And your names are?” The elf clearly is focused on Ravokris.

They introduce themselves, with Noah introducing himself as the bodyguard to Ravokris.

“Let me see if there’s a spot on the Ambassador’s schedule.”

The embassy is very elegant, with music being performed within. After a little while, he announces them to the Ambassador, who is in a courtyard with trees. The Ambassador is at a nine-foot tall crystal harp, and Ravokris believes him to be a Sea Elf.

“Cousin. What brings you to us?”

“We have information to bring you about the high elven vollers that have been active in Hanal. Firstly, we know about your mission fighting the cultists there. It goes deeper than you can imagine. The Queen-Empress serves the same master. It goes all the way to the top. Second, you know how you’ve been detecting evil altars and striking them from the skies? They’ve been hiding them under sheets of lead, so you can’t find them. You need to do something about that. Also, they’re planning an ascension.” Noah keeps babbling on, interspersing helpful things and random comments. He mentions both the removal of the bonewater dust and clingfire from the enemy.

The Ambassador addresses Ravokris psionically, and after verifying their bona fides, continues.

“We have a man-of-war and a schooner bombarding those cults. Also, our accursed cousins of the Kinslaying have an armada as well. We are well aware of who the cultists serve.”

Eventually, Noah greatly offends them by mentioning Morgrath.

“We do not say the name of the Enemy, nor the name of the enemy you struggle against.”

“We just say that we struggle against the false Queen-Empress of Hanal.”

“The Queen-Empress of Hanal serves the most ancient of evils. But I would not say their names, nor those of the lesser evils like the Betrayer. But I will not say the names of the Pariah Deities.”

“Do you know their names?”

“We know both their use names, and their given names. But I will not say them, because I do not wish to give them power. But I will tell you what their use names are, and tell you what we know of their plans, if your master gives his permission.”

He consults with Ravokris.

“There are three of them. They are that which directs this disaster in the North, they are that which directed the war in the Spice Lands, they are that which directed the attempt to invade an entire country that contains an ancient gate. They are called She of the Bones, who leads them; her companion is called the One Beside. And the third of their number, who we think may possibly be in the process of betraying them, is called the One Other. They have destroyed six planes on their way here, before we stymied them in the First Age.”

At that point, Noah wanders off. The Ambassador commiserates with Ravokris about the difficulties of dealing with Noah.

* * *

Iados distributes some coins as largesse is the lower city.

The Guild contacts him with hand signals. “Who are you, and why are you here?”

“Who are you?”

“I represent the Guild.”

“Prove it.”

“Come with me then to the under ways and I’ll prove it.”

Iados throws him a silver coin and dismisses him, and he heads away.

* * *

When Iados discusses this, Noah suggests that forging ties with the Guild could be useful to the court in exile.

The group discusses some more, and then decides to head to the Spice Lands to gather up the rest of the army that fought there.

The Princess Anastasia arranges a fairly quick voller trip to the Spice Lands, and then they will be on foot in the Spice Lands.
[End session 30]


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## CPaladin (Nov 16, 2021)

Session 31 (September 19, 2021)
16 Chund

Noah gives the rest of the group armor with Hanalian symbology on it, and encourages them to wear it while representing Princess Anastasia.

The rest of the group largely agrees.

Noah also suggests using magic of Whimsey to disrupt their enemies.

The flight to Cese Mai is about 4100 miles, so it will take roughly 20 days. The Vad is accompanying them, taking his military voller.

Noah asks Ravokris whether he would be willing to use the helm again to make it speed up and Ravokris says that he is, but only as a last resort.

2 Tar-Chund
After 18 days of uneventful travel, while they are in the Spice Lands approaching Cese Mai, the lookout gives a strange cry (probably in the battle speech of the Vad’s house). The captain looks off the port side with a spyglass. He orders the voller to increase speed and for the crew to ready the ballistae.

They see a strange ship the like of which they have never seen. It has a strange bag of air floating above its deck, and the crew are humanoid ratpeople.

The Vad’s priest identifies it as a plague ship.

Noah suggests to Ravokris that this might be an emergency, and Ravokris grudgingly agrees. The captain says that at the current rate they are closing, it will take them 20 minutes to reach range of the disease globes.

When the skaven are almost within range, they come within view of one of the few vollers still in the air over the Spice Lands. That voller is an ordinary human-styled voller, but it is crewed by rakasta.

Noah asks, “Do you think that if we mirrored the rakasta voller’s broadside we could take it down?”

The captain replies, “We don’t even know how they fly—they have no black boxes to make them fly.”

The Vad’s priest speculates that puncturing the bag above it might help.

Two globes of disease burst on the deck, clearing both crews of the rear ballistae and killing two crewmembers.

The captain of the rakasta ship is obviously a paladin of Glordiadel, dressed in fancy clothes that are brilliantly white and trimmed in gold. They ram the rat ship. After some combat and some rat people are carried back, a robed rakasta throws a fire ball at the bag above the skaven. An enormous calamitous explosion erupts, and the flaming rat person ship plunges to the ground.

The rakasta ship is largely on fire, though still flying well.

“We must help that ship!” says Noah, and the vad agrees.

The rakasta captain reports that this is the third of those ships that they have downed in recent days, and that they will gratefully accept aid. The vad’s voller climbs up above them, and dumps drinking water on the burning ship, greatly aiding them in their firefighting.

They accompany the group’s voller back to Cese Mai.

4 Tar-Chund
As they travel, they note that many of the plantations have been reclaimed by the wilderness in the six months since they were last here. Cese Mai, however, seems to be rebuilding and repairing. The city also has several new mercenary groups augmenting its guard—recruited from some of the Hanalian remnants.

They return to the same inn that they stayed at before, where the innkeep is happy to see them.

Noah gives the innkeep a small bag of silver in thanks.

The innkeep reports that there is discussion of a permanent alliance with the South Kingdoms. Indeed, it is only since that has begun to be discussed the skaven have started attacking them. Some people fear that the skaven are preparing for an actual invasion. Even the bishop has started to become concerned. He suggests the group pay a courtesy call to the bishop, which they agree to.

They also note the presence of a person in the uniform of a lieutenant of the Hanalian infantry, eating with a local woman. Noah approaches him, and says that he represents the Queen-Empress-in-exile’s court and suggests that he and his allies rejoin the Hanalian cause to retake their homeland.

“I have taken service with the city, and though I remember fondly my homeland, I still do not understand why I was invading here in the first place—there is a fog about the whole thing. There is an encampment with perhaps a full legion; they have a ‘general’ commanding them, though I am sure he was no more than a captain before they were captured. They have since been given their liberty—you might talk to their leader. As for me… we are to be married in six months. I do not intend to return.”

Randall the Purified is both the archbishop of Glordiadel and the regent for young Henry, the titular ruler. Randall is new as archbishop; there was a different archbishop six months ago. It’s slightly awkward that he is both archbishop and a member of the royal household, but since he will not remain as regent, it’s accepted.

5 Tar-Chund
About half a day’s ride out from the city, the group approaches an encampment. There are fields being worked outside the encampment. There are also people keeping watch.

Noah greets them, tells them that he is Hanalian, of the same blood and history as them, and that with their aid they can retake their homeland, and that his plan could make them all rich.

They say that they must speak to the general, but that they can show him to them. (Noah gives them each 5 silver as largesse.) They travel across hoed fields where new plants are growing.

“They let us out of the prison eventually, and you gotta eat. Can’t blame them for holding us for a while—we killed a lot of their civilians. I don’t know why.”

They find the general, who is also doing work in the fields.

He recognizes Noah’s heraldry.

Noah tells him that Hanal’s higher-ups have degenerated into an even greater evil and depravity, and that he has entered the service of the Princess Anastasia’s court in exile. He also tells the general that the Queen-Empress has entered alliance with the most vile and evil cult.

The general is surprised to hear that the Princess Anastasia lives. “We had been told, when we were marched through the strange light, that she had been murdered by assassins…”

“She still lives. We believe that her enemies wanted her thought dead.” They show the general the tokens of the Princess.

Noah describes the group’s success as mercenaries escorting spices north. He suggests that they could make a deal with the remaining plantations, and carry the spice north to support the retaking of Hanal.

“We were sent here to capture an artifact. You know—there are at least a few other groups. I will happily join you. I was not meant to be a farmer. That is not something my family did in Hanal City. I will follow you, but we are only 1000 men. You will need more than that.”

“We also know of a group of orcs that I hope that we can bring in.”

“There are several other groups of a few hundred each, with their own officers, that we could not bring in. Some have turned bandits. Others simply remain separate.”

Noah talks about bringing them in. He also talks about uniting them with the Inquisition army and support from other allies, and mentions that they have destroyed the most dangerous of the false Queen-Empress’s weapons.

The general is very interested.

Suddenly, two tiny darts strike Noah and Ravokris. They each need to make poison saves, which Noah makes easily (taking 13 points of damage) and Ravokris fails, collapsing unconscious but only taking 9 points of damage.

Iados and Elyn see that one of the farmers nearby who was just hoeing, is slipping the blow gun back into the handle of his hoe.

Elyn tries to treat Ravokris, and Sister Agnes casts Lesser Restoration to heal the poison. Noah is stomping around the fields trying to find the assassin but ineffectually.

Sister Agnes says, “I will heal Ravokris. You must find the assassin before he strikes again.”

Elyn whispers, “It’s that man over there, pretending to be a farmer.”

“I suggest you head in his general direction as if you don’t know where he is, and then take him alive.”

Elyn follows the plan and grabs him suddenly.

He is taken by surprise by the grapple, but calls out “For the Queen-Empress and the Bones!” and spits at her, with teeth flying out of his mouth as he does, probably the verbal component of a spell. Elyn dodges her face out of the way.

Noah searches for a second assassin—two darts, two assassins, he reasons.

Iados shoots the grappled assassin with him, hitting him for 16 points of damage.

Sister Agnes detects poison and disease, and detects disease and poison. She sees another one with disease and poison in his hoe moving stealthily towards the general. She interposes herself and denounces the assassin. Noah rushes him, grabs him, and throws him to the ground.

Noah starts threatening him as he holds him down. The assassin repeats the same words and spits at him, but Noah makes his save easily.

Noah keeps punching the one he has captured in the face. He seems remarkably durable, though—his face seems to bend around Noah’s fist.

Elyn also notes that the one that Iados shot, which Sister Agnes stabilized, is slowly losing his form.

“How much does the Queen-Empress know?”

“She knows that we failed; she knows that you are here, for we have seen you.”

The general’s medic attends to Ravokris and murmurs, “Those are imperial intelligence, sure as I’m alive.”

Sister Agnes sees that there is clear, glistening ichor from the wound. “I think they’re doppelgangers.”

Noah tries to get them to switch sides. They agree. He suggests that they could be useful for the Princess Anastasia’s intelligence apparatus and asks Sister Agnes if she can put them in a zone of truth. She agrees to do so the following day.

Sister Agnes removes poison and disease from both Ravokris and Noah, and points out that they may be obligated to turn them over to the Archbishop.
[End session 31]


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## CPaladin (Nov 23, 2021)

Session 32 (October 3, 2021)

6 Tar-Chund
They plan for the interrogation of the doppelgangers. Noah will be good cop, Elyn bad, and Iados will pretend to be a secret infiltrator serving the Queen-Empress.

Sr. Agnes casts zone of truth. They both fail.

“What are your names, you two?”

“Corporal Fredrick. He’s Lonzo.”

“How long have you worked for the Queen-Empress?”

“Her advisor spoke to us before we traveled south with the advisor, and he gave us instructions.”

“Were you doppelgangers before you left Hanal?”

“No, the priest of the Pale Bone gave us a silver liquid to drink. It hurt tremendously and changed us… You don’t want to ever drink that liquid. We were to maintain loyalty to the Queen-Empress.”

“Were you telling the truth when you offered to switch sides?”

“Yes. We have no love for the Queen-Empress after what she did to us. But who wants a doppelganger?”

“What can you tell us about the advisor? What did he look like?”

“Very pale—ivory white, you might say. And he looked like what the stories say that elves look like—I’ve never met an elf, mind you.”

Ravokris tells the rest that the Noldar—the first elves to switch to Morgrath—and their chief servants, the twilight elves and the shadow elves would match that description. The advisor now clearly serves only the Goddess of the Pale Bone.

They don’t know who any of the other doppelgangers were, but they did see 14 vials. Their vials were smashed after they drank the potions, so they wouldn’t know if there were vials before that. The group presumes that there must be at least 14, possibly more doppelgangers.

“Do you have any loyalty to the Goddess of the Pale Bone?”

“No, we hate her for making the potion we drank, but we are compelled to serve. Any of her greater servants can force us to obey them, and we would have no choice.”

“Did you report to anyone? Any leader in the field?”

“We used to—there was a lieutenant in the command group—but not since the great battle. The soldiers we met were tougher than we expected.”

“Where is the command group now?”

“All dead.”

“What was the army’s objective?”

“There was an artifact in Seachen we were to capture. We never reached it though—we couldn’t break through.”

“Are there any doppelgangers like you infiltrated into the Princess Anastasia’s council?”

“No.”

“I think we can trust them.”

“You shouldn’t trust us! We can be compelled to obey any of the Goddess of Pale Bone’s greater servants!”

* * *
They spend a while discussing what to do next.

They decide to send Iados out with Mitsuki and Ravokris’s familiar crab as a scouting group, trying to find the orc community they met the last time they were in the Spice Lands, while the rest of the group travels along more slowly with a supply wagon.

Shortly after Iados heads off, several people notice that there is something shimmery in the forest, making the whole forest seem a little shiny.

Iados speculates that this is about fairies, talking to Ravokris’s crab.

Once the rest of the group points out the shininess, Sr. Agnes casts detect good and evil, and senses a diffuse holiness in the woods about them, but concentrated on the path ahead of them.

Ravokris advocates going to the Sunken Lands, because a whispering voice told him this in his ear.

They follow the path, which slowly turns over the course of several days, during which they encounter nothing dangerous. They come to the banks of a great river, but the path continues directly over it, sparkling all the way. Noah hacks at a tree to try to make a bridge of sorts. A voice starts criticizing him as soon as he starts cutting, and tells him to take the magic bridge instead. “I know her pretty well, being a brownie and all.”

After some discussion, they cross the magic bridge. As the last of them finish crossing the river, the sparkles behind them disappear.

They proceed onwards. After night falls, a large table drops out of the sky, and a variety of dishes drop onto the table without spilling a drop.

Noah says, “Well, this is very nice. Thanks Whimsey! Or whoever the patron of this is. Compliments to the chef, that’s what I mean.”

Sister Agnes heads to the far side of the road, eats cold rations, and reads scriptures of the Weeping Woman. After Noah notices, he stops eating and comes across and joins her.

After another 12 days of travel, with a table of food dropping each evening, they come to the edge of the Sunken Lands.

18 Tar-Chund
They have a tremendous vista on a canyon hundreds of miles wide and long. A long stone staircase switches back and forth down into the canyon. The staircase is cut stone, but ancient. The group follows it down. The deep, jungly forest below has different trees from anywhere else. They are palms and tropical fruit trees, heavy with fruit. When they reach the bottom, the path continues, but the sparkles are gone.

Noah knocks on several trees, calling out to any fairies or spirits within, but gets no response. Iados cuts open a fruit, and takes a nibble, finding that it tastes very good. It seems larger and more pure than any they have seen before. Elyn noted two separate pairs of hooves that have moved away very rapidly. They look like they ran, but since they are clearly separate pairs on opposite sides of the path, they must be two bipedal, hooved creatures.

There are birds and a small number of other animals in the forest, and there are signs of fruit that has been eaten by the animals. Iados leaves a small cut of food on the ground and a small lizard comes forward and eats it.

As they proceed along the trail, a humanoid figure with goat legs, covered in splotches of paint and carrying a staff with a multicolored spray of flowers at the top steps out of the woods into the trail.

“Hello!” says Noah.

“Hail!” says the satyr.

“Why did the great Whimsey lead us here?”

The satyr nods deeply at Whimsey’s name. “You look for lost ones?”

“Lost ones?”

“Lost people. In armor. Deep in jungle, in sleeping cloths.” The satyr continues to answer, in broken Common.

“Is there anything dangerous in the forest?”

“Yes. Green. Dangerous. Big like me.” He makes a gesture with many fingers.

“Oh, like skitter-skitter web.”

“Yes.”

“What is your name?” asks Noah.

The satyr jumps back, looking afraid and horrified.

“No, not your true name. What can I call you?”

“Witchdoctor.”

Iados asks. “If you don’t mind, could you give us an explanation of the forest and its people?”

“Ah. History! Many many turns ago, rock, big rock, sunken lands. Then: trees grow, brush grows, life comes, we follow, cousins follow, cousins follow. Then, many fear. Because of. Others fear because of,” gestures spiders. “We ask our Lady for protection.”

“What happened to the rock?”

“Other end of Sunken Lands. We make offerings of fruit and flowers to make it never move again.”

After some discussion, they figure out that “cousins” means centaurs.

“Do you know who cut the stairs? They do not seem like either satyr work or centaur work.”

“Short ones! Fur on faces. Very strong.”

“Dwarves?”

He nods. “They come. They want rock that made place. Say very valuable. Lady talk to them. Lady talk to their holy one. She tell him they should leave. Their holy one tell them. They very mad, but they go.”

They also tell us that the spiders came 500 years ago, crawling down the wall without stairs. If they get too numerous, they would drink all their blood. But they don’t want to try to kill them all because they are part of nature.

Noah asks, “What happen if Big Lady not keep you safe?”

“We die.”

“Why would you die? Why would you not live like the others of your kind?”

“Others? There others?”

“Yes. And there is a great kingdom of your cousins.”

He is clearly surprised.

Noah worries that the big rock might be part of the Goddess of Pale Bone’s plans. He asks to be shown to big rock after they see the Hanalian refugees. The witchdoctor says that the Big Lady won’t mind if they see the rock—as long as they don’t try to take it.
[End session 32]


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## CPaladin (Nov 30, 2021)

Session 33 (October 17, 2021)

19 Tar-Chund
As they head to the Hanalian refugee encampment, Noah asks the satyr leading them who is in charge, so they might be able to set up embassies. The satyr is confused by the whole concept and says that they don’t need to talk with anyone. Noah also suggests that they could get involved in fights up in the lands above.

Eventually, they reach some armored men guarding the path. The group approaches, with Noah and Iados in the lead.

“Halt!”

“Greetings. We mean you no harm and bring you good news.”

“Oh?”

“There’s fruit!” interjects Iados.

“The true Queen-Empress is willing to recruit you all, and lead you out of this valley to reclaim Hanal.”

“The Queen-Empress sent us here!”

Noah keeps trying to recruit them, but they think he’s trying to turn them against the Queen-Empress.

Sister Agnes interjects, arguing that a Queen-Empress condemned by the Holy Inquisition for demonism can’t be the Queen-Empress. They seem confused and suggest that they talk to the colonel.

The encampment is well-ordered and consists of several hundred troops. Noah estimates that it’s the remnants of a single field army, though obviously mostly

The colonel is an older man, with a favor in green on his breast. He mentions that they are trapped by mists—whenever they try to leave, they enter mists, which turn them around and lead them back to the encampment. He assumes that it must be a magic effect, but their magi are all dead and their priest can’t dispel it.

Noah tells him that they serve the Princess Anastasia, and that they think they could lead the army out. They begin telling him about the civil war, and the Holy Inquisition’s siding against the Queen-Empress for her demonism. The colonel calls for his priest, who is haggard and overworked.

“If we are to accept this… then we must be loyal to the rightful heir, though I find it hard to even think that.”

“The usurper has powerful magic to control the mind, as well as assassins among the army units to maintain their loyalty.”

“What do you propose then?”

Noah explains his plan.

The colonel is agreeable, but they keep being turned back by the mists—both when they attempt to climb the stairs and when they attempt to send scouts up the cliffs.

Sr. Agnes suggests that the mists may not impede them if they are trying to leave to follow the Princess Anastasia.

They agree, and when they try to leave this time, the mists do not block them, but then form behind the army to shepherd them out.

Whimsey plays around with them: Noah grows a prehensile tail. Iados begins sprouting bat wings. Sr. Agnes responds by putting on a spiked bracelet, twisting it against her wrist, and praying quietly to the Weeping Woman while engaged in some mild mortification.

Elyn notices some compound eyes up ahead. They keep going, and then the spider charges them.

Elyn shoots it with her bow as it charges, hitting it for 5 damage. Iados gets knocked forward by the spider onto a trap on the road, and he plunges down a chute.

Ravokris burns it with a fire bolt. Sr. Agnes casts beacon of hope. Noah bounces his blade off its chiton with the first attack, and then hits with the second. The solifugid bites Noah.

Ravokris burns it with a scorcher, and Noah stabs it repeatedly. Sr. Agnes heals Noah for 12, and then the solifugid hits Noah twice, one critically. Noah takes 43 points of damage.

Iados at the bottom of the chute is surrounded by animal bones. But he also sees 4 glowing spheres off to the side. Elyn comes down to join him, and identifies those as eggs. She also concludes that they’re close to hatching.

They finally kill the spider. Noah tries to cut out its venom glands, and successfully recovers one.

Elyn and Iados light the area below on fire, burning up the eggs.
[End session 33]


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## CPaladin (Dec 7, 2021)

Session 34 (November 14, 2021)

20 Tar-Chund (Lammes)
The group discusses the fact that it would take approximately two months (55 days) to travel across the Sunken Lands to reach the rock that carved out the Sunken Lands.

Noah makes some oblique invocations of Whimsey asking that they be carried by giant eagles. Ravokris and Elyn both hear a strange voice in their ear, asking if they were willing. Elyn immediately responds that she always is, and Ravokris just says “yes” definitively. Immediately after, there is a sprinkling of rainbow dust over both Ravokris and Elyn, and they fall to the ground and start elongating. Giant, long limbs sprout from them, and they become weird creatures like centipedes with giant limbs. Elyn dashes, and finds that she moves at twice the speed of a horse.

Sr. Agnes rides on Elyn, as does Iados. Noah mounts Ravokris. But then, as Elyn expresses discomfort with the idea, they transform back into their normal forms.

Finally, they head up the stone staircase out of the Sunken Lands.

They expect a trip of about 8 days to make it to the orkish tribe they had previous contact with.

The group heads in the right direction for part of a day when Elyn hears heavy tromping. She recognizes it as the giants that they met much farther north. Finally, a group of 5 giants crest over the pass—the two that they recognize, plus three littler ones.

“Oh! We know little people.”

They have a friendly conversation with the giants. Noah asks if they might want to join their war in Hanal. The two older giants express some interest, but say they need to talk to their parents first.

Several days pass as they travel.

25 Tar-Chund
As they walk along, a shadow falls over them of an enormous chariot being drawn by 4 griffins.

“You there!” someone calls down.

“Have you seen a group of giant children traveling through here?”

“In fact we did!”

“Which way did they go?”

“Before we tell you that, who wants to know?” asks Iados.

“Naleander the Witch.”

Noah points. A small bag of silver drops to the ground.

“Pray that you did not lie to us.”

“Before you go, did you know that the Queen-Empress is a demon-worshipper?”

“Yes, it’s obvious. But it is pointless. She is uncontrolled. She will not be tolerated. You must be disciplined, and control your urges.”

The rest of the day passes peacefully.

26 Tar-Chund
Aware that they may have betrayed their friends (but without intending to), Sister Agnes casts sending as soon as she has it prepared: “Naleander the Witch is after you, knows position, Has chariot, upset. If you did something to upset, make up for her, powerful. Or flee.”

They receive the message back: “Uh-oh - thank you, we's keep going fast and change direction. Not giving back cat, she was mean to it. We run.” (They get a bonus 50 xp for warning their friends.)

Several days later, they reach the edge of the ork tribe.

28 Tar-Chund
Noah asks to speak to the chief. The buildings are more substantial, there are more people, and there are rudimentary fields and many pigs.

“Ah! You return! You were right. The humans do not mind us taking this land and being here and farming, as long as we do not raid.”

“I have a proposal for you. As it turns out, the Queen-Empress is a demon cultist.”

“Demons not good. Not good.”

“True. So we’re trying to reform the legions here to retake Hanal for the Princess Anastasia. You could return to your old homes. Also, there is much money to be had as we move spices up to Canberry.”

“Clever disguise. Some farmers pay us to protect them from bandits, because so many bandits. We not bandits any more. I give 6 regiments.” That’s 600 orks.

Noah says that they will begin the trip back in 40 days, to give them time to gather up more stragglers.

Sr. Agnes suggests that they could send around companies of soldiers to bring in the rest of the stragglers, now that they have something of an army.

“Yes. We do this. But… there strom 4 days northeast. He is arrogant, not treat with us. And he has adjunct—adjunct have strange eyes.”

He calls for the shaman. “Avoid adjunct. Avoid. Much more powerful than me. I could feel it.”

“I still want to reach the strom.” Noah says.

“Strom powerful.”

“Do we know the strom’s name?”

“Strom Amrapt. Lyan of Paranswarm, powerful warrior.”

“Does the adjunct know the downward arrow?”

“No. Magus. He had a priest as well, but priest died in battle despite not being at the front.”

Sister Agnes explains the importance of not seeming associated with chaos—a Lyan of Paranswarm is neither good nor evil, but utterly dedicated to law.

Noah decides that he needs to cut off his own tail, to avoid being perceived as a creature of chaos. He does so, and Sister Agnes heals him and reassures him. The tail crawls away, with the bloody injury at the end of it stopping bleeding.

It’s now clearly independent of Noah, and becomes something of a pet for Ravokris.

Severed Hand -- HD: 7 HPS: 35 AC; 14 St. 6 Int: 15 WI: 15 Dex: 15 Con 10 Char??? Friendly, enhances any spell you cast while wielding the hand and tail like a wand by +1 level / +1 competency bonus, etc. It CAN be healed separately.

They head over towards the Strom’s area. The four days of travel are uneventful.

At the end of the 1st of Raz, they arrive at an encampment. It is extremely well-disciplined, with sentries who have crisp, pressed uniforms, tents in regular rows, and a larger tent in the center. They are flying banners of Hanal, of Paranswarm, and of a specific noble. Iados notes that there are pit traps placed to the east, south, and north of the encampment, although strangely not to the west, which is the direction they’re approaching from.
[End session 34]


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## CPaladin (Dec 14, 2021)

Session 35 (November 28, 2021)

2 Raz
Noah talks to Ravokris about renouncing Whimsey. Sr. Agnes gives him some advice on ending his apostasy, hopefully in a way that is not fatal. Sr. Agnes suggests confessing to a Paranswarmian priest, but choosing the priest very carefully—and perhaps having her sound the priest out about it first.

Iados guides the group through the southern approach, bypassing the pits as they go. About 40 feet away, a voice calls out, “Halt!” Uniformed soldiers at the gate are clearly observing them carefully.

“Greetings!”

“Who approaches the encampment of Strom Amrapt?”

“I am Na-Strom Noah of Allendale. I come as a representative of the Princess Anastasia.”

“The traitor?”

“There are complicated matters that must be discussed in private with the Strom.”

“You are of the blood. Will you give us your parole that you mean no violence?”

“I will.” Noah whispers to the rest. “No violence, understand? But still investigate the adjunct.”

Noah and Sr. Agnes are led in to see the Strom. The others are admitted within the outer perimeter, but not permitted within the inner perimeter.

The Strom greets Noah, who remembers him vaguely from childhood. The Strom knows Noah’s father well and knows Noah from childhood. Noah says that there are private matters to discuss with the Strom, and he negligently dismisses the junior officers when Noah asks. He says that he’s working hard to figure out a way out of their current situation, and Noah says that’s part of what he wanted to talk about.

Sr. Agnes asks for permission to call a blessing of the Weeping Woman to protect against chaos, and the Strom readily agrees. He mentions how glad he has to be with a cleric of any sort, since his died in the battle—after being with him for decades. (Sr. Agnes offers a prayer for his memory.) She casts a magic circle, warding against fiends.

Meanwhile, Iados, Elyn, and Ravokris are walking around the encampment, talking to soldiers. Iados asks if there is a mage here, and is told that the Queen-Empress’s adjunct to the Strom is the only mage among them. They attribute much of their survival to the adjunct’s magic, though more to the Strom’s acumen in command.

The adjunct has taken a small squad to the north to see if there’s a way past the trolls to the north that are cutting off their further progress north. The soldiers expect the adjunct to return within a few hours.

Meanwhile, Noah is explaining to the Strom about the chaos cult devoted to the Pariah. He then says that the Queen-Empress is in league with the cult, and may be the source of the corruption or may be a doppelganger placed on the throne. There’s a surge of red light at the magic circle, nearly overwhelming Sr. Agnes. The Strom spins and reinforces it with his circle of law, hedging out the force. He sends some soldiers to check on the north side of the tent, and they report a black shadowy form over a stone with a blue flame in it. Noah starts shouting orders to not touch it, because it can possess people. The Strom charges it, sword drawn, and quickly dispatches the shadowy form, but the blue flame still glows in a stone on the ground. Sister Agnes asks for things inimical to a creature like that—holy water and a blessed holy symbol of the Lord of Orderly Darkness. She then casts banishment, and the blue flame winks out.

Iados, Ravokris, and Elyn travel north to a rude encampment of a group of trolls, taking about two hours to get there. The trolls are huge rock trolls, ranging from 13 feet up. A figure in mage’s robes is, in Giantish, exhorting the trolls to attack the encampment. The trolls are becoming worked up at the mage’s words, beginning to talk about taking blood and flesh from these invaders in their lands. Ravokris can understand this and translates it to the rest of the group. One littler troll is bothered by this, but he’s being overridden by the chief. Iados is positive that the mage is the adjunct. Iados grabs the group and seeks to hurry them back to warn the camp.

The Strom says that it might have been able to possess him if it had come upon him unaware, or while sleeping, but it could not when he was ready and prepared. They explain that’s why they created the magic circle. Noah also suggests that this may raise questions about the loyalty of the adjunct, since he is the representative of the Queen-Empress. The Strom agrees that that is a concern. They assure him that there must be a cultist or cultists within the camp, because they have only seen those demon stones in the possession of cultists.

Iados, Ravokris, and Elyn hurry back into the camp, warning that the rock trolls are coming and that the adjunct convinced them to attack. The Strom realizes that the adjunct must have sensed that the demon was dispatched and then sought to have the trolls attack. He orders the light powerbows repositioned to defend the north approach.

Noah and Sr. Agnes head north as a picket of sorts. Sr. Agnes intends to attempt to dispel a suggestion if that’s causing the trolls to come in, while the rest of the group prepares for an assault.

As the enormous rock trolls begin approaching, Noah calls out to them to stop, in Giantish. The small one in the back stops, but the others keep going.

Noah offers that they may abandon the camp within three nightfalls, and that draws the interest of one of them with bones in jewelry, who begins almost negotiating.

At this point, the biggest one and some of the others enter range and Sr. Agnes casts dispel magic on them, while Noah explains what she is doing. Sr. Agnes feels a surge of magic as she casts the spell at 4th level. Almost all of them stop and seem confused, but the largest one and one other keep coming. Noah and the chieftain charge at each other.

Iados scatters ballbearings in front of the other one who’s charging, and stops that one, but the chieftain ignores it completely and seems to be in a rage. Noah slashes it twice, doing substantial damage.

Sr. Agnes casts Remove Curse on the chieftain hoping that it will help.

The chieftain hits Noah twice with its axe and bites him, dealing heaps of damage, though reduced by Noah’s rage.

Elyn shoots the chieftain with her long bow, missing once and hitting once for 11.

Noah misses once, then gets a critical hit, dealing 34 hp of damage in one blow.

Iados moves out of the danger zone and then looks around, trying to find the adjunct. He doesn’t see him in the open and heads into the trees to search for him there. He sees no sign of him, and is pretty sure he isn’t here—unless he’s using an invisibility spell.

Ravokris casts Agannazar’s Scorcher at 3rd level at the chieftain. The chieftain rolls a 1 on the save and takes 24 hp of fire damage.

Sr. Agnes heals Noah for 17 hps of damage.

The chieftain hits Noah for a total of 26 hps of damage, after the substantial reduction for resistance.

Elyn shoots the chieftain again twice, doing 22 hp and bloodying it.

Noah smacks him twice more, doing 34 hp of additional damage.

Iados is in the trees when a crow speaks to him. “He flew north! He flew north!” The crow has an odd rainbow sheen to its feathers.

He thanks the crow, which responds, “Welcome you are. Peck his eyes out!”

The troll chieftain finally falls. Sr. Agnes promptly casts Spare the Dying on it.

Iados tells the rest of the group about what he heard.

They speak with the shaman, who is willing to lead the rest back if the army is heading north anyway. Sr. Agnes points out that she thinks the magus cast a spell to control them, and that if they want to get revenge, they could come north with us. The shaman is interested in this, and asks for three days to heal the chieftain up and to try to talk sense into the chieftain. The trolls then drag the chieftain back.

At this point, the Strom’s army is happy to join up with the new army and march north with them.
[End session 35]


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## CPaladin (Dec 14, 2021)

At this point, we're almost caught up.  There's only one additional session that's happened that hasn't yet been posted.  I'm curious if any of the readers of this thread have a preference on whether I continue posting entire sessions in one post, or split them up to continue posting once per week.  I'm leaning towards splitting them up to keep the posting schedule more or less regular, but I'd be happy to defer to strong preferences.


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## CPaladin (Jan 4, 2022)

Session 36 (December 12, 2021)

3 Ras
Several days pass peacefully in the Strom’s camp.

5 Ras
Iados wakes up and his wings feel stronger. Noah tries to caution him about the risk of flying and drawing the attention of things that might try to eat him. Later, when he’s alone, Iados tests his wings and finds he can now fly, for about 14 minutes at a time. He can fly at a speed of 40’, 30’ if he were wearing heavy armor.

The group travels over to where the trolls are. The shaman is still haranguing the chieftain. When he finally seems ready, he stands up, stomps his feet, and informs his people that they are heading north with the Hanalians. It takes them all of 15 minutes to strike their camp.

The shaman is named Wanjin; the chieftain Packe.

* * *

The next month is largely occupied with organizing the army, putting together a spice caravan, and so forth.

Noah seeks out the Vad’s priest and seeks absolution. He says that when the group was first in the Spicelands, he was more foolish than he is now, and had a dalliance with “the Goddess who shall not be named.”

“You had a dalliance with her??!!”

“No, no! A religious dalliance.”

“Ah, I see. She’s not unknown for that sort of thing.”

“As part of this, I contracted a form of lycanthropy—I am a weremouse.”

“Well, they’re usually harmless, except to food. They’re rare. I did know a were-dachsund once…”

“I’d like to remove this condition, as well as formally converting back to Paranswarm.”

“Ah, you want to renew your faith in the Darkness. That we can certainly do. So… your faith in Lord Paranswarm can be strong, but … have you been a lycanthrope for more than two weeks?”

“Yes, the only priest we met immediately was a minor one who could not help.”

“For more than a month?”

“Yes.”

“Then I fear that you are a faithful weremouse in service of Paranswarm. We can work to help you control that better, though.”

* * *

Over the first week, a handful of stragglers drift into the camp, including a tinker, who modifies Iados’s armor to allow his wings to fit properly.

The second week is also peaceful, with some woodsfolk coming in to sell them turkeys. More small groups trickle in, though they’re starting to peter out. So do a variety of sutters—maybe not originally attached to the Hanalian army, but seeing opportunity, they decided to take it.

In the third week, the Strom calls them in to the command tent. “Our scouts report a substantial force marching from the north. We don’t know their allegiance.”

Noah suggests that Iados fly forward to investigate.

Iados finds a large company of cat-people, with some riding tigers. One of them comes forward, wearing the Downward Arrow of Paranswarm. Iados says that he is with a large spice caravan.

They have him approach a Dowager Plar of the Spicelands to address through a curtain. “My husband was Plar of the Twelfth Plantation of Cese Mai. I went north with my cubs to Canberry to stay safe, and my husband died defending the plantation. I gather that some of the plantation remains intact. Do you have room in your caravan for more spice, and the forces to defend it?”

“We do.”

“I will have my steward arrange matters for you.”

They arrange to escort their spices north. Noah also suggests that some of the Dowager Plar’s forces might be interested in joining them in their ultimate goal to unite with the Inquisition to rout out the demon followers in Hanal. The captain says that the Dowager Plar will likely send additional troops with them; she was shaken by the loss of her husband, but all the more so by the loss of her eldest cub.

Three days later, the steward arrives to negotiate the spice consignment. “The Plaress wishes to give to you five wagons of spice. The rest were fire-bombed, and the manor house… well, we are rebuilding a place to stay within the ruins. We would offer you a third of their sale price, and pay for 250 of the mercenaries that came south with us to return with you, along with 20 of the blood who are among the finest scouts, though not mighty warriors.”

Noah negotiates up to three-eighths, with a promise extracted to use the scouts only in their roles, not in open combat.

(Noah also gives him 100 silver to help with the rebuilding.)

Three days later, five carts, each with its own driver and an armed crossbowman, 250 mercenaries, and 20 very lightly built catfolk, hardly larger than hobbits. The scouts place themselves under Iados’s command.

They also make a trip in to Cese Mai to buy as much spice as they can, and they fill up a wagon with spices (50 pounds cinnamon, 2 pounds cloves, 500 pounds rosemary, 20 pounds of pepper, 200 pounds mustard grains). Noah also makes a visit to Jebediah, the spice plantation owner they worked with before. He is happy to send another partial wagonload, and also to coordinate with his neighbors (75 pounds of cinnamon, 500 pints of lemon juice, 200 lbs of oranges, 85 pounds of thyme. 40 ampoules of orange wine).

By the first of the month, they’re ready to march north. The orks and goblins joined them, the trolls arrive with two ogres and two war elephants with multiple tusks.

The journey to Canberry City will take approximately 210 days.
[End session 36.  We're now up-to-date, and will post new sessions as they happen, splitting them in half to keep a roughly weekly posting rate.]


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## CPaladin (Jan 11, 2022)

Session 37 (January 9, 2022)

1 Ke-Ras
The army/spice caravan begins its long march north.

Encounters rolled by ten-day-long week.

Nonetheless, they had no encounters on the entire trip north. On the 14th of Vaen, the caravan arrives in Canberry City. They have marched through the winter and into the early spring, spending most of the deepest winter marching in the subtropical areas of the Spice Lands. They are now heading into the campaign season, when armies can move and fight more effectively even in the north.

There is a bustle going on in the City. There appears to be a large contingent of the Ecumenical Council present. The Inquisitor General of Northern Drucien is there representing Paranswarm, many Glor’diadelian clergy, etc. Much to Ravokris and Elyn’s disappointment, there is no representative of Whimsey. There is an emaciated man wearing a red amulet, who is given a wide berth, so might be associated with Whimsey—Ravokris thinks he might be associated with the Mad God.

Noah meets with the Inquisitor General and reports. The Inquisitor General tells him that there will be a push shortly, with some support from other Paranswarmian nations and in conjunction with the plans of the Archduke of Canberry’s cabinet. He also informs them that in the time they have been abroad, the Archduke of Canberry has begun styling himself as Emperor of Southern Drucien.

Noah declares 3 rules for the war council to come: 1. No blurting out. 2. Show respect. 3. If you have a crazier idea than normal, run it by Noah or Sr. Agnes first.

Iados decides to fly patrols over the war council. Meanwhile, Elyn and Ravokris say that they’ll be ready to attack as soon as they’re told to do so.  Who or what they expect to need to attack at the war council remains unclear.

A crystal voller settles in from above, and a number of figures descend on flitters. One is the Princess Curinirim, and another is the Proconsul of the Enclave of Zorplona-Moriquendarim, representing the Noldar and the other elves of Morgroth.

There are representatives of two groups of elves that are kept carefully separated, because the delegation of Eldar from the Forest of Singing Leaves and the Noldar might descend into the blood madness if they spoke directly at all—and even a third group from the Crystal Cities that can, marginally, talk to either of the other two groups.

The Empress of Hanal, as she is now being styled, greets na-Strom Noah and thanks him for his efforts.

She exchanges pleasantries with the Emperor of Southern Drucien.

She tells the war council that the capital of Hanal has been fully slaughtered, offered as a sacrifice to the eldritch. They will likely need to establish a new capital. Also, while two of the Eldritch are expected to be excluded altogether by an artifact, the third—the One Other—is now entirely within these planes, in the guise of Arthranax. He came in by stealth at the same time Gunnora, Sytry, and their followers arrived. But the followers of the other two of the Eldritch continue to plot and struggle. Taking Hanal back will cut off the snake at the head.

First, they discuss the current state of the war in Hanal.  The troops of the Inquisition are bogged down in the East; they hold the east of Hanal, but they cannot advance. The death flight of the High Lady from Aufaulgautharim destroyed about two field armies of the enemy. The Archbarony of Ecsilias struck at a weak kovate in the south, and has retaken it.

The Inquisitor General says, “We can gate your force forward, with a war voller of the Noldar on the left flank and of the Eldar on the right flank. They must of course never meet, because while their lords can control themselves in the presence of each other as long as they do not interact, the bloodmadness could easily take their followers and drive them into disastrous conflict if they even approached each other. The Archbarony of Ecsilias will commit an additional field army—another 5,000 troops to augment your 2,000, with the guarantee of safety of the Archbarony itself from Canberry. We can also provide some chivalry—400 Lyans of Paranswarm and 450 Knights of Valor from our comrades in the Light.”
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Jan 18, 2022)

[Session 37, cont'd]
“When we kill the false Empress, many of the troops will rally to our flag,” says Noah.

“But in order to accomplish this, we must deal with the former Proconsul of Zorplona-Moriquendarim, now fallen entirely to corruption. We have sent no fewer than 4 specialized assassination teams against him since he became immobile beneath the city. Only one even reached his throne room, and it too failed. To defeat him, you must now enter into the city. The elven vollers can bombard the energy barrier until it falls, though even their bombardment will not keep it down for long.”

“Then we must find a way to take down the barrier permanently.”

“Indeed, na-Strom. You must move in quickly, with your officers and such of your troops as you can. You must then take down at least 2 of the 5 towers that support the energy dome around the city.”

Noah discusses the need to cleanse Hanal post-conquest, but also to avoid killing as many people as possible. The Noldar provides them with scrolls that will enable clerics to detect Eldritch, as a variation of detect good and evil.

Dame Brionna, the Captain of the Archducal Guard, offers to equip the army with 10 groups of her special investigation teams. They agree to augment those with coercers from the SHH to increase their capabilities to interrogate.

Noah also makes a pitch for Hanal to renounce serfdom after the reconquest. There is some discussion of this, but no firm decisions made.

“There are 300 blooddriven within the city, some of considerable age. There are also some soldiers of the false queen-empress, and likely some raucous cultists. Those would make for appropriate targets.” The war council discusses the blooddriven—corrupted entities that drink blood, combining many of the worst features of both vampires and werewolves. The Empress Anastasia says that she never approved of the controlled releases of the blooddriven, but her mother stuck to tradition. Now, she fears they were always agents of the Eldritch. The blooddriven are made from humans, and grow more powerful and cunning as they age. The oldest blooddriven are powerful foes.

One of the Noldar comments that they, once, encountered a blooddriven that had once been a stone giant. It was extraordinarily difficult to defeat, but they were able to do so by bombarding it from the air.

The Armies of Hanal were huge, with the Iron Legions of Hanal feared throughout the North. They likely would have expanded across the entire north if not for the Crystal Cities.

“The larger island southwest of the Hanalian mainland is now almost entirely under the Kov of Snannurkaz. The Kov of Bormark has taken his city and the city of Ulrich into rebellion against the usurper. Also, Ecsilias has taken the city of Meziya on the coast. We could gate you in to either Meziya or Snannurkaz’s holdings.”

They consult a map. The Emperor of Southern Drucien suggests that they enter in near Meziya, so they do not need to cross the substantial channel, and then cut northwest to Dwarf Mountain, where they will be able to resupply from the Underdark and as necessary rest and recuperate, before pushing westward to the capital. Noah endorses the plan, after consulting with the dwarves to make sure they can have adequate supplies there.  The dwarves, who had not said anything up to this point, promise that if the army reaches Dwarf Mountain, it will have all the supplies that it might need.

After the war council, Noah expresses his rage at the fact that they were unable to save the capital city, with just about everyone there dead.

After gating to Meziya, they will have about 350 miles’ march to Dwarf Mountain, and then another 350 miles’ march from there to Hanal City.
[End session 37]


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## CPaladin (Jan 26, 2022)

Session 38 (January 23, 2022)

15 Vaen
The group discusses some astrological portents, and whether to go now or delay. They agree to go now.

They march through a gate, with the entire army. They arrive in a city that has seen some destruction in recent days, but is in fairly good shape. A unit of Ecsilias troops waits to greet them as they come through. A one-eyed commander says, “Welcome to the hopefully free city of Meziya. You’re planning on heading on directly?”

“Yes, we are.”

“The area around here should be clear. You may encounter some difficulties around the western edge of Bormark’s area. We have also heard reports that she has unleashed some of the blooddriven beyond the city. There are disturbing reports from some of the villages near the capital.”

“We understand that one of your field armies will join us?”

“Yes, they are formed up on the north road. I thought there was no need to bring them into the city to march them back out.”

There is a quick discussion about the chain of command. They all agree that the Strom of Amrapt will serve as the overall commander, with the rank of field army. Na-Strom Noah receives the rank of general and command of the army from the southlands, with the rest of the party (except Sr. Agnes) as staff colonels effectively. Noah also takes direct command of the orkish group, with Iados commanding the scouts (including about 25 additional scouts) and Ravokris commanding the small group of magi supporting the army. Elyn takes a role leading the rangers trying to find any natural warnings.

They march forth, expecting to travel about 25 to 30 days to reach Dwarf Mountain, 350 miles on.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Feb 1, 2022)

[Session 38, cont'd]

They march north for about half a day, when one of the scouts stops reporting in. Iados, a few orks, and Noah head out to investigate. As they approach, they see a statue, in a crouch, that looks exactly like the scout. They begin to hear beautiful singing, not in common, but entrancing. At about the same time, they need to make saving throws—Iados and one of the orks begin turning to stone. They see a beautiful winged woman, singing, descending to one of the lower branches of the tree she’s in. They have no doubt that it is her singing that is petrifying people.

Noah kneels. “Oh great lady! What have we done to offend you?”

“My Lady commands that we do what we can to slow the advance of your army. But if you were to join the service of the Queen of Chaos, you would be most welcome.” Noah begins to conclude that she is some form of demon.

“Come down and show that you are here, and we’ll go to talk to our commander about your offer.”

“I fear that I must come down, as there is nothing more that the Queen of Chaos wishes than your lives. Your army will fall into chaos without you to lead them.” She swoops down and sinks her fangs into Noah’s throat, critting but for pathetically low damage (13).

Noah says, “New plan—I will present your head to the Strom of Amrapt as a gift!” He begins raging, and then orders the other orks to fetch reinforcements from the main group while he attacks her with his silver greatsword. He misses once, then smacks her for 13 damage—it’s not as effective as he hoped, but it does do some damage.

She hits with one claw (would be 6, but 3 because of rage), and sucks blood for another point of damage. He begins to feel stiffness spreading from her bite.

Noah hits her twice, for 17 and 14.

She claws him twice, doing another 5 damage total and sucking one more point of damage.

Noah hits with his first swing for 14, then gets a critical hit for 25 damage.

Meanwhile, the orks run back into camp and say to Ravokris, “Boss chief fighting demon thing! Stones! Stones everywhere!”

Ravokris and Elyn head out to assist Noah, while muttering about whether he’s getting himself killed.

Sr. Agnes runs over to the nearest group of paladins or lyans she can find, and yells “Demon spotted! That way!”

The demon continues to claw Noah, doing another 6 with her claws and draining 7 points of blood. He needs to make another saving throw, which he succeeds at, resisting the petrification.

He hits her again, and she is looking increasingly wounded.

She claws him again, and drains some more blood. He needs to save again, at a higher DC, but succeeds.

He gets another crit in the last round before help arrives—he can hear them crashing through the brush. He does 26 more damage, and she is barely hanging on.

She claws him again, and then sucks a little more blood. People rush into the clearing. Elyn believes that she is a demon/harpy cross-breed. Elyn shoots the demon, hitting her easily, she does 10 damage. The arrow sinks into her, but doesn’t do any damage. Ravokris runs up and casts burning hands. She fails, partly because she’s unwilling to release her bite on Noah. As the fire courses over her, she suddenly sags, hanging from its fangs. Noah spends some time chopping at the dead body, and hacks off the head as a present for the Strom.

Iados is still a statue, with a very surprised look on his face, as is the ork and the scout. Ravokris believes that the most effective way to restore them would be stone-to-flesh.

Noah gives the head to one of the lyans. “For study, and as a simple of the inevitability of the defeat of chaos at the hands of order.”

The three stoned people get carried back to the army. One of the ranking priests, a bishop without portfolio, casts the greater restoration—one today on Iados, the others tomorrow.

“Strom Amrapt, she said she was sent by the Queen of Chaos to stop the army.”

“Eminence?” asks the Strom.

“Yes, we know that our enemy counts among her allies both the Lord of the Ram and the Queen of Chaos. The Queen of Chaos remains imprisoned in the Abyss, but she clearly has some followers, and like this one, they tend to be clever.”

Noah then heads over to the representatives of the SHH, hoping to contact the Wolf-Eyed Man to begin a spirit quest to learn more about their enemies. The master of the contingent copies the image from his mind, and then three of them, all with the exact same color stripe on their robes, reach out for him.

“He has not been made blooddriven, but we fear that he has not survived. We find no trace of the living mind. We are sorry, na-Strom.”

Sr. Agnes cautions Noah and Iados about the dangers of exposing themselves to personal danger now that they are among the ranking officers of the army. Noah is pretty dismissive of the risk, focusing on the idea that without him being there, the demon would likely have killed many more soldiers.
[End Session 38]


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## CPaladin (Feb 8, 2022)

Session 39 (February 6, 2022)

16 Vaen
They still have 24-29 days of travel to reach Dwarf Mountain.

While they’re in camp in the morning, Noah and Elyn approach the ork shaman to discuss the idea of a spirit quest. The shaman tells them that contacting spirits of nature is easy, but that they are affected by what’s going on. The nature spirits may be hostile and dangerous. For contacting the dead, there are dances they can do, but the spirits of the dead will not have changed.

That evening, the shaman throws some very odiferous things into the fire, begins dancing, and asks Noah to picture the spirit he wants to contact. Noah pictures the Wolf-Eyed Man. The herbs and mushrooms change the colors of the fire, and then a familiar face forms in the flames.

“I can hold this for three minutes.”

“Greetings!”

They eyes in the fire focus on him.

“I am glad to be reunited with you, but I need aid in mastering more of my rage and my skills as a barbarian. Is there someone else who could mentor us?”

“The land is being destroyed. Within the City, no spirit could reach you that you would want to see. Where you are and as you approach the dwarven city—when you are no more than 3 or 4 days away—you can contact the spirits of earth and trees. As you travel on towards the City—I know where you are going—there will be no spirits that can help you. Perform the ritual of earth when you are near the dwarven city, in the evening.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry I was not there for you when you needed me.”

“When she became a creature such as she did, the fate of people like me was sealed. You must redeem your people.”

The shaman is exhausted. “It was an honor. It is hard to reach them. The corruption is spreading.”

“We will cut it off at the source.”

Later that night, during the first watch, the chief scout on the left side sends back one of the other scouts leading a snake-like thing with a human head back to the command group. The Strom identifies it as a naga. “A naga! I wonder what she wants.”

“You must stop. You must wait.”

“Why would that be?”

“An army will cross your path heading towards the border. If you continue on, you will meet it. Two field armies.”

“Would you say that they are of the Houses of Green?”

“They are of the Green, and they have demons with them. I am a creature of law.”

Noah says, “We respect you, but we will still need a zone of truth. This is not a matter of lack of trust, but we have faced lies before.” He also dispatches Elyn and Iados with some of the rakasta scouts to confirm the enemy army and mark its location.

The zone of truth confirms the information.

The Strom asks the naga to show where it is on the map, and where they’re heading. They are trying to bypass the rebel army and reinforce the border.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Feb 15, 2022)

[Session 39, cont'd]
Noah suggests that they adjust their own course so they don’t need to stop entirely but can still bypass the enemy army without a battle.

Meanwhile, Iados and Elyn scout forward, accompanied by 5 of the rakasta scouts.

A demonic screener for the army sees Iados. But it assumes, because of Iados’s wings, that he is one of them. The demon says that they’re supposed to make a push against the Inquisition troops, but that they’re being delayed by the woods that they’re moving through, and asks if Iados has seen anything. Iados says that he hasn’t. He then pops up in front of them, and can see that they’re cutting the trees and making a corduroy road of them. In the back of the army, they have a large number of siege engines—mostly heavy power bows—being dragged along by mules.

Iados and Elyn send Metsuki back with a written message describing what they’ve seen. Noah then says that they need to send a sending to the Inquisitor General to warn them: “Two field armies approaching you, equipped with powerbows and some demons. Intended to stop push, use caution when fighting. Currently 20 miles northwest of Meziya.”

They look at a map, and Noah suggests that they angle around behind the enemy army’s path, and incidentally attack and destroy any supply train they can find. They also pass on the information to the Eldar war voller, suggesting that it fly a route across the tail of the enemy army and bombard the powerbows with their energy lances as they cross them. (Sister Agnes also spends some time scourging herself and weeping for any casualties the bombardment may cause.)

They easily capture the supply train. The officer of the group tells them that he believes that the Queen-Empress is possessed, but that they have to fight anyway, because their families are held as hostages. Prisoners: Captain Lucius Everheart -- (non-noble) 40 standard Iron Legion troops. Captain Everheart Ftr. 5/Expert 2. All surrendered. There’s both an above ground holding area in the capital, and a second holding facility underground, where there’s also some horror.

Noah suggests that after they bring down the towers, they may want to try to liberate the above ground prison.

Noah asks the prisoners to describe where the prison facilities are to a cartographer with their army.

17 Vaen passes peacefully.

On the 18th of Vaen, the day passes peacefully, but then at night scouts hear movement through the trees around the forest. They then hear a baby cry.

The sentries call out, “Who goes there?”

A voice calls out “No one?”

Noah calls out, “If you’re civilian, none of you have anything to fear.”

A group of several hundred refugees, led by an injured priest of Paranswarm, comes out of the woods.

“The blooddriven are outside the city. They attacked our town. We were not in this war before that.”

Noah gives them a pouch of 100 silver. He also recruits a handful of civilians to join the support force for their army. The rest they send on to Meziya.

Sr. Agnes sorts out the refugees who need healing and also checks them all for Eldritch taint. None have taint, but some of the ones who have claw wounds have a type of poison in them.
[End session 39]


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## CPaladin (Feb 22, 2022)

Session 40 (February 20, 2022)

19 Vaen
Noah sets some codenames for the plan, along with a dummy plan with a much more obviously significant name, as an effort at simple counter-intelligence.

The march over the day is peaceful. That evening, there is a Greater Festival of Mists, Ruby and Sapphire. Nothing bothers them, but they do see some lights off in the distance.

20 Vaen
Peaceful march and night, though there is another Ruby and Sapphire Greater Festival of Mists that night.

21 Vaen
In the morning, they see smoke in the distance to the northwest, roughly in the direction they’re traveling, perhaps related to the lights they saw two nights ago. Most of the farmsteads they have passed up to this point are abandoned. Iados takes a small group of rakasta scouts and heads forward to check out what the smoke is from.

After traveling through some wilderness for a while—about 45 minutes-- they come upon a stockaded village. It looks like much of the stuff within the stockade has been burned, and some of the logs in the stockade are scorched and charred. Iados has his scouts wait outside and flies up to get a better view. Iados hears a distant buzzing, and he sees two of what look to be giant flies are in the stockade. Iados also sees a half-dozen or so tieflings of some sort, with clear demonic parts, lightly armed and armored, standing around a group of captured villagers, who they are holding as prisoners. The two flies are flying back and forth as if looking for something. Iados realizes that those are cambions—half-demons with male demonic parents. The flies, he concludes, are chasme, which are fly demons. The village militia appears to be dead, defeated in battle. The two chasme appear increasingly agitated as they fail to find what they’re looking for. Sometimes, after searching through a building and failing to find anything, they light the building on fire with a spell. They do seem to have noticed Iados, but they show no signs of caring, presumably assuming that he is also demonic.

Iados heads down to the scouts and dispatches one back to the army to tell them about what he saw, and asking for them to come quickly and not to bring many people with them.

Iados stays hidden and keeps observing some more.

The scout reports to Noah, “I’m supposed to tell you that the conditions are bad. There are demons on the loose. They’ve wreaked havoc. Come fast, but don’t bring many people.”

Noah quickly organizes a flying column of lyans and the rest of the party, and they ride towards the village as hard and as fast as they can, limited by the rough terrain. He tells them that they want prisoners to interrogate.

Iados flies over to the cambions.

One of them greets him. “Hail, cousin.”

“Is there really a need for so many hostages?”

“The chasme wanted them out of the way, and the wizard told us not to kill them if we could avoid it. So we killed the ones who fought, and then let the others live. The chasme haven’t found what he sent us to look for, though. They haven’t thought to question the prisoners. Do you think we should suggest it? I’m enjoying the chasme driving themselves crazy.”

While they’re talking, they start to hear the hoofbeats approaching. One of the cambions gets upset. “It’s one of the armies! The chasme will make us fight them, and then teleport away!”

Iados says, “Don’t worry about it. They’re some of my colleagues.”

The group thunders in. Noah calls out, “Attention! Any of you who are willing to surrender will have a less painful transit to the Abyss.”

Iados tries to maintain his front, calling to Noah, “Why are you so angry?”

“You’re summoned, right?”

“We are.”

“Then you’ll return to the Abyss at the end of the duration, right?”

“No! Now that the Red Moon is over, we’re stuck here until the wizard releases us, and he headed on on his flying chariot.”

“Then we’ll kill the wizard and release you.”

Two of the cambions surrender; the other 4 charge.


Iados fades over to the cambions who surrendered, gives them some fruit, pats them on the back, and returns to combat.

Ravokris casts burning hands, burning one for 4 and another for 9.

Noah rushes up to one of them, rages, says, “just remember, you chose this,” and begins hacking at them with his cold iron axe, hitting twice, once with a crit, doing 12 damage with the first blow and 32 with the second.

Elyn shoots the most wounded one, doing 12 damage.

Sr. Agnes casts hold person on the unwounded one, holding him.

The lyans then gallop through and hack the fighting cambions to pieces. Sister Agnes tries to save any that she can, but fails miserably—the lyans left nothing to save.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Mar 1, 2022)

[Session 40, cont'd]
Noah begins interrogating them about the wizard. They tell him that he told them he was heading towards the capital city of Hanal before flying off towards the capital. “But he wants this bag that someone stole from him. He sent the chasme to look for it. He said that he followed it all the way to Hanal.”

Noah draws a picture of the person that he saw in a flying chariot before. “Did the wizard look like this?”

“Yes! That’s the one! Said some giants took the bag.”

One of the cambions agrees to switch sides. Sister Agnes works on convincing him to become a devotee of the Weeping Woman, with some success, while bringing over a priest to Endarken him.

“Did the wizard have any other minions besides the chasme and you?”

“Oh yeah. That thing pulling the chariot. It’s a giant wind elemental. Fun thing will be when he catches up to the chasmes… they failed him, and ran away.”

Noah executes cleanly the cambion who refused to convert.

Two of the younger prisoners join the civilians supporting the army. The others say that they will head to join the refugees in Meziya.

One of them hesistently says, “I served in details years ago in the Legions near the capital. I don’t know the Undercity, but I know where there’s an entrance.”

“Is this entrance within the city or beyond the city?”

“Outside the city. It was sometimes guarded.”

Noah sends him to the cartographers.

“Do any of you know anything about this bag that they were searching for?”

“Oh yeah! It’s straight under the altar.” He points to the temple of Paranswarm. “I’m afraid they killed the priest.”

Noah searches under the altar and finds a velvet bag, apparently empty, that weighs several pounds. Noah puts on some heavy gloves, and reaches in—and his arm goes in up to his shoulder. An orange cat emerges from the bag, looking around wildly. They have let the cat out of the bag.

The cat is very unusually intelligent, apparently able to understand human speech. It has no desire to go back to its old owner, which put it in the bag.

Elyn casts speak with animals. “Hello!”

“Hello! Who are you? Not a cat.”

“How has your day been going?”

“Stuck in bag for many days.”

“Who put you in the bag?”

“My ‘owner.’ Owner strong word. My… mistress better word.”

“She put you back in a bag?”

“Yes, I’m a dual-purpose familiar. She only takes me out when she wants to use me.”

When asked what a dual-purpose familiar is, it turns from a house cat to a sabre-toothed tiger. “I can only do that for a few hours a day.”

The cat tells them that the witch was already aligned with the Queen-Empress.

When Sister Agnes says that the witch told them that the Queen-Empress was foolish, the cat asks, “Why would you believe anything that a demon-summoning witch told you?”

They release the cat. It promises Ravokris 3 favors in the future.

Iados takes the bag of life holding, but they also put it inside a lead coffer in case the witch can detect it.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully.

In the evening, a group of bandits is near the army, but they have no willingness to tangle with an army.
[End session 40]


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## CPaladin (Mar 8, 2022)

Session 41 (March 6, 2022)

22 Vaen
Noah asks Ravokris whether there’s any way to send a message forward to the future worlds that the Pariah Gods might attack next, in case they fail to stop them here. Despite his expertise in arcana, Ravokris has no idea (rolled a 1 on the check). Noah wants to research this, so that if they fail, the next world has a better chance, even though they hope to win.

A day of march passes uneventfully.

23 Vaen
The day passes easily. That night, an ork guard wakes the command group.

“Narzugon approaches and wants to enter the camp.”

Sr. Agnes explains that narzugons are petty devil nobility, approximately of a rank with mariliths and below the rank of pit fiends. They are typically diabolic military officers. She describes them as similar in rank to pallans or perhaps low stroms in the nobility of Hanal.

The party heads over, though Elyn stays back in case this is a demon appearing perfidiously. The ork chieftain is speaking to a more than 7 foot tall, pitch black creature, with a long hooked polearm, and two chain covered fiends behind it.

“Greetings great narzugon. What business do you have with us?”

“We were the remains of a strike force bound by the sorcerers that serve the Kov of Bormark. We were driven from the battlefield when the army we were with disintegrated, but we are still bound to fight against the enemy. We thought we would offer our services to your force.”

“You said you were summoned. Would you expect to be freed upon the sorcerer’s death?”

“No, he was smarter than that. We are bound until we are discarnated or the enemy is dispatched. I only have two of my bone devil squad left, yet we must fight on.”

“Are you among the devils that are loyal to Lord Paranswarm?”

“Of course.”

The group discusses. The strom points out that this means that the Kov of Bormark's archmagus is dead—he keeps his devils close, and would not permit them to range if he still lived.

They agree to have the devils accompany the army, though they extract a promise that the devils will not seek to make deals with members of the army or otherwise lead them to Hell.

24 Vaen
Passes peacefully.

25 Vaen
Small, quiet celebration of Noah’s birthday.

26 Vaen
Late that day, Iados notices that there’s a hideous smell. There wasn’t before, but now something awful is in the air. One of the scouts lets out a yip from off to the right somewhere. Iados heads over, and the scout says, “Sir, that tree tried to grab me. Some sort of tentacle. But now it looks just like normal branches once I dodged.”

After a little while the irregulars behind the scouts start bellowing as gray tentacles lash out from among the trees. Some of them begin to be pulled into the ground. Elyn casts Hunter’s Mark and shoots one of the tentacles, hitting easily for 14 damage. When her arrow slams in, the tree shimmers and is replaced with a stubby, stalagmite like creature with a mouth and a collection of tentacles. She then runs back to tell Noah about this.

As the army attacks them, they get hacked to pieces, though they killed some of the irregulars (and one scout, who died without making a sound) first. After some thought that they might be ropers, Sister Agnes realizes that they are likely demons instead. The devils confirm they are yochlol, and that while they should be servants of Lolth, these were summoned and bound to this plane—presumably as a trap to slow the army down. They speculate that the large army that they passed may be trying to catch this army.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Mar 15, 2022)

[Session 41, cont'd]

27 Vaen
Ravokris notices that there is a dimensional weakness ahead of them. They call a stop, and then Noah flings a rock further. A stream of a thick reddish liquid begins pouring out of it. Noah begins to reach out to it, but Sister Agnes stops him in time. He then puts a stick in, which comes back out much shorter. They gather some “death juice” in a bucket. [The “death juice” is ochre jelly.] They then use detect magic to find an area around the dimensional weakness, and find a whole line of these weaknesses. Ravokris believes that they will fade in 10 to 12 hours. They also splash some death juice on a beetle which dissolves.

They extract some more of the death juice to carry with them, and otherwise make their way past the marked areas of weakness, losing about an hour and a quarter but continuing their march.

Late at night, the ground shakes, and a distant smell of burnt metal and grass reaches their noses.

28 Vaen
In the morning, they can see that north and slightly east, at a considerable distance, there are pillars of smoke rising to the sky. Iados sends a small group of scouts to investigate, and the army presses on.

The day’s march goes uneventfully. The scouts return at the end of the day and tells them that volcanoes are erupting.

29 Vaen
Passes uneventfully.

30 Vaen
The day passes uneventfully. That night, both the Silver and Violet Moons are full.

That night, Noah has a dream. A beautiful mouse lady appears to him in his dream, and touches his head. He now has control of his transformations under non-emergency circumstances, able to change voluntarily and to resist changing.

31 Vaen
A bedraggled looking farmer makes his way into the camp in the evening. “Thought you should know. The Queen-Empress’s army is moving at an angle, trying to cut you off. Don’t know what’s going on, but I thought you should know. At the speed they’re going, they’ll catch you in about two days. I don’t really understand this war, but seeing as you have the likes of them with you,” he says with a nod towards Iados, “you must have Lord Paranswarm’s blessing.”

The strom suggests that they send a devil to scout the enemy army from the air. He also suggests that they might make a hard march towards Dwarf Mountain, to try to outrace the enemy. They decide to begin a forced march in the morning.
[End session 41]


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## CPaladin (Mar 23, 2022)

Session 42 (March 20, 2022)

1 Tar-Vaen
Noah imposes a set of procedures with passcodes and identity markers to prevent infiltration of the army.

They also begin a forced march.

3 Tar-Vaen
During the day, as they continue a forced march, several wounded people from their pickets and scouts come in for healing, muttering that they were attacked by a single undead. He was quite potent, and active during the day, but they destroyed it. It looks kinda like a zombie, but it doesn’t stink like a zombie. The wounds are unusually cold, and take extra warmth to warm, but they do warm up. The army presses forward, but Sister Agnes keeps an eye on them to make sure there are no further problems.

7 Tar-Vaen
That evening, eight gargoyles examine the army. They decide that attacking would be disastrous, so they leave the army alone.

9 Tar-Vaen
At the end of the day’s march, they arrive at an incredibly fortified gate into the mountains. The dwarves clearly expect them, and hurry them in. The entire army fits in the reception area. There are then small passages leading off from it, deeper into the mountain, with murder holes along the city.

Noah asks an officer to take him to the leader of the city, and they promise to take him to the governor. The dwarves are also happy to discuss the importance of the defenses in dissuading the Iron Legions who might want to take their wealth.

“Lord Governor. I have here Noah, na-Strom of Arendale.”

“Greetings.”

“Greetings to you as well. We are here as the primary coalition military force for the attack on the capital.”

“We have never allowed such a force in before. If you were not observed entering—and we believe you were not, though we have less means of detecting scrying than others—they may not know where you vanished.  We will provide guides so you can travel through the Underdark to the mouth closest to Hanal City.”

They discuss planning on resting for four days of rest and recuperation, while the army takes leave and recovers from the forced march, before heading onwards through the tunnels underground with guides.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Mar 29, 2022)

[Session 42, cont'd]
10 Tar-Vaen
Noah and Elyn prepare for their spirit quest during the stop.

The ordinary spirits—bears, wolves, etc., do not seem to be approaching them. And then a large moss-covered shape rises in front of them.

“Greetings, spirit.”

“Greetings. One day, you will return to the womb, but it is not yet. What do you wish assistance with?”

“We hope that we might assist you.”

“In ridding the lands of the abomination that dwells within its midst?”

“Yes.”

It nods a giant mossy head. “You must take extreme care. You have brought an army with you, and though the abomination has wasted much of its army, yet it remains much stronger than what you have brought. You must fuse stealth, care, and caution.”

“We can work with that. Is there concrete aid you can give?”

“Few of my people there are who have not been returned to the land by the enemy. I can give you much information, though of what value it is to you, I am not sure.”

“We’ll take information.”

“You know that there are two great forces within the city. There is the Queen-Empress, whose blood runs in horrible colors, and there is the Lord Quinliart, or what was the Lord Quinliart at one time. She rules the city. She has released the whole of the blood-driven, and they age—with each year of age they gain power, until they cease. He rules beneath the city. He has taken the ancient tunnels, the ancient undercity, and he has begun to fuse. Both of them take the energy of the living. Both of them seek to betray the other and the outer powers they deal with so that they can end up on top. You can use that. Though their forces appear to be one, they plot against each other as they seek power. Now, I am of the earth and of the trees. Ask what you will, and I will answer.”

“How can we better attain skill in working with the powers of nature?” asks Noah.

“What’s the meaning of the universe?” asks Elyn.

“I cannot answer that. I can tell you the meaning of nature.”

“Tell me that then.”

“To grow, to live, to take joy, and to produce. We are not complicated.”

“What should I do with my life?”

“What makes you happy?”

“I don’t know. Existing?”

“Then exist! Be joyful!”

It turns to Noah. “You have concerns?”

“I am concerned that we may not make it.”

“Is that not true of everything?”

“Yes, but if we fail, everything may die.”

“Yes. You are not the only that has trod our surface to struggle against them.”

“That is fair,” says Noah. “This is a strange question. Do you know of any powerful artifacts or items of magic that are now on the surface?”

“Deep in the South there are some, but I know of the one that is near here but below the surface. You must not underestimate the one who once dwelt in that cavern.”

“Is it a dragon?”

“They were not a dragon. There are things in that cavern that are used by the great enemy beneath. He has chosen this place, and one item in particular. If you could obtain it or destroy it, it would slow him greatly.”

“So, should we go to this cavern?”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

“Can you give us someone who knows the way?”

“I can give you a spirit that knows the way. When you enter the cavern, you must have a distraction in place, and you must have a plan to escape with the item. That will weaken and slow him.”

“Thank you for your counsel.” Noah turns to Elyn. “We’re going on a dungeon crawl!”

“Oh, no,” she replies.

The spirit is slowly fading and is replaced by a mobile sapling with eyes. It introduces itself as Twig.

“We’re trying to do an important and good thing.”

“Yes, you’re trying to get the resonator.”

“Is that what it’s called?”

“Yes. It’s a very important thing. It was made by the ancient elves. And he’s sort of an ancient elf, but he needs the resonator to complete his fusion. When he completes the fusion, we won’t exist at all, even as shadows.”

“Has this ancient elven device been corrupted by things that aren’t from this world?”

“It’s not really corrupt. But it magnifies the energy he’s stolen from living beings—if he gets it to work, it will increase the energy he gets three fold, which will allow him to fully fuse with the land. He’s having trouble getting it to work, because he made himself bound to a specific place, and it’s not very near. That and he’s trying to open up a gate to bring through a prince, but the lady above doesn’t want to open up a gate. She wants to become a god. That’s why they’re plotting against each other—I’ve been watching it.”

(Twig turns out to be a baby ent.)

“They don’t have enough life energy. Someone’s cutting off the feeders, thank the God. They were trying to draw on the life energy of living beings, especially any with elven or fae blood. Or if they captured one of us, that would be dreadful. And then they’re corrupting the land, which will cause all of us to fall, if they succeed.”

“The resonator harnesses that energy?”

“Well, it increases its return three times.”

“So any mage powerful enough to use it could use the resonator and the gathered life energy to do crazy stuff.”

“Psion.”

“It would have to be a psion?”

“Yes.”

They prepare a pot with soil for Twig to travel in as he’s carried along, because that seems easier than having him walk.

The group discusses how they might turn the two enemies against each other. They contemplate stealing the resonator and leaving evidence suggesting that it was agents of the Queen-Empress, while perhaps suggesting that she was stealing more of the life energy.

Noah then leads the army in vast consumption of alcohol. A dwarf beats him soundly in a drinking contest, but it makes him friends once he wakes up again.

The dwarven food is ludicrously heavy, but it’s nourishing.

Iados starts developing various mixed drinks by combining his strange fruits with alcohol. Ravokris starts recording various drink recipes.

They spend an enormous amount of time working on different drink recipes.

The group will resume moving on 14 Tar-Vaen.
[End session 42]


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## CPaladin (Apr 5, 2022)

Session 43 (April 3, 2022)

14 Tar-Vaen
Noah gathers the war council to speak with them and with Twig. He raises the fact that the enemy is divided between two factions—the underground one trying to bring through a prince, and the false queen-empress trying to become a god. Noah proposes that the vollers bombard the cavern where the resonator is, while the group attacks the resonator. He then realizes that this might involve a collapse on them.

They ask about the cavern where the resonator is.

“The cavern is large, but the entrances are small. You have to travel through tunnels to get in. Once you get in, it’s big.” Twig draws a map of the cavern—there is a mouth to the cavern in the southeast, with barrack rooms on either side of a narrow tunnel. The tunnel is blocked by about 20 feet of stone, but it might be passable. Just before the blocked tunnel, the main passageway from the dwarven lands passes along the shore of an underground sea, before turning north towards an ancient fortification—which the dwarves identify as where they believe Lord Quinliart is. The resonator itself is located in a substantial subcavern, perhaps 100 feet across, set off in a bulge in the northern part of the main cavern. There is a clear exit to the cavern in the northwest. Shortly after leaving the cavern, that tunnel splits in two, with one branch leading to the Palace of Blood—where the usurper Queen-Empress reigns—and the other leading to an unknown area, about which Twig can sense nothing. The cavern is within a few miles, at most, from the capital.

They then identify a plan for the diversion: they’ll use a dwarven force with a dwarven drilling machine to draw attention away from where they will enter.

It will take the drilling rig and the whole army about 25 days to get there (325 miles). They plan on sending a small group forward—Noah, Ravokris, Elyn, Sr. Agnes, and Iados, along with some powerful lyans and paladins, and the rakasta scouts, plus Twig and some dwarven wayfinders. They will outpace the army, and scout the target resonator cavern before the main force arrives. The hope is to find an entrance to the tunnel in the northwest, so that the drilling apparatus could provide a diversion in the southeast while a small strikeforce grabbed the resonator and withdrew, initially towards the Palace of Blood (hopefully throwing suspicion on the Queen-Empress’s forces) and then actually escaping through the unknown tunnel. It will take the small group about 15 days to get there.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Apr 12, 2022)

[Session 43, cont'd]

28 Tar-Vaen
The advance party pulls within one day of the capital, leaving the part of the Near Underdark controlled by the dwarves. They have the scouts—a mix of the rakasta and the dwarven wayfinders—in the lead, fanned out basically at just maintaining visual contact. The then have Noah and Elyn at the front of the main body, followed by lyans, followed by Ravokris, Twig, and Sr. Agnes, followed by the paladins as a rear guard. They decide to continue at basically full speed, hoping that traveling quickly will get them through the enemy controlled territory safely.

They make it approximately 3 miles in, then there’s a thump as something drops down from the ceiling. A brief scream and a snarl follows. One of the rakasta is killed, while a figure retreats ahead of them, with some rakasta throwing javelins ineffectually after it. Noah chucks a silver hand axe at it. He hits it hard in the leg, though it doesn’t bite in quite as much as it should have—but the rakasta javelins bounce off entirely. They believe it is a blooddriven, though it did not seem verbal. It dashes out of sight.

Noah smells the blood on the axe, and it smells more wrong than the blood of the undead to him. He thinks he would recognize it if he smells it again.

About a mile later, another figure drops from the ceiling, though it’s not as effective in its attack. The scouts were poking at the ceilings with javelins and staves, but this creature was too far up, in a tall atrium whose ceiling they could not reach. Noah charges forward, raging, as the other rakasta start poking at it ineffectively with their javelins.

Noah hits it twice with a silver battleaxe, doing some damage but less than he would have normally. Elyn does just a tiny bit of damage with a normal arrow. Ravokris hits it with a bolt of fire, burning it. Sr. Agnes attempts to hold person on the blooddriven, but this one is sufficiently mature to not count as a humanoid. [The PCs don’t know, but this blooddriven is one of the 20 year 10 blooddriven—the most powerful and most individualized, as they approach the end of their lifespan.]

It claws Noah, and breathes a vile breath at the people around it. One of the rakasta appears to be literally melting. Noah orders the other rakasta to fall back.

Sister Agnes presents the icon of the minor saint of Paranswarm and casts Banishment. The creature has a surprised look on its face as it disappears, with a small pop indicating that it’s not native to this plane. She holds the spell for the full minute, and it is banished permanently. The icon’s face is slightly melted. She confirms that the creature was clearly eldritch in origin, not diabolical, but does not know where its home plane was.

The “melted” rakasta is beyond the ability of anyone to heal. Shortly ahead, the tunnel branches with several side chambers. The group decides to rest in a side chamber, to mourn the dead, recuperate, and take advantage of the potable water in one of the chambers, before moving on.
[End session 43.  We'll have a gap in posting for a couple weeks because we're not playing again until May 1.]


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## CPaladin (Jul 19, 2022)

Session 44 (June 19, 2022)

28 Tar-Vaen—early afternoon, about 16 miles out from the cavern

They continue onwards towards the capital. The next 11 miles are uneventful. As the corridor starts to widen out. Ahead, they can see a dullish red-and-mauve light—quite offputting. They discuss what to do.

Noah suggests that they send Iados forward to bluff being one of them and to scout out the situation ahead. Iados heads ahead, with the stealthiest of the rakasta scouts keeping him barely in sight as back-up.

As Iados moves into the area where the reddish-mauve light touches him and pulsates on him, he sees a single creature, seemingly made of various bones, sitting holding a huge axe made of an odd dull metal, sitting at the very tip of the wall in front of him—where the passageway forks left and right. The creature is large, about 10 or so feet tall, and the light is emanating from him.

Iados tries to casually walk past it to the left, as if he belongs here. As Iados moves forward, he feels a heaviness, as if everything in him is being drawn downward toward his feet. His boots got "squishy." The creature looks at him, and the bones of its face rearranged in what seemed like a confused expression - though there was no skin, so Iados wasn’t sure. Iados feels weaker. All the squishiness in his boots has now moved to the toe end.

As he slips past the creature, he approaches a large pile of rocks that block the passageway, almost like an avalanche fell. They’re roughly stacked, with some gaps in between them, but not enough for him to pass through. But he can see over the top of them, where there’s a small gap near the ceiling. He could wriggle through, although a more heavily armored or larger person might not be able to. As he looks through, he can see a yellowish light ahead, and some figures moving around. There are two different groups moving around beyond the wall—a group wearing imperial green that he is pretty sure are members of the Queen-Empress's guard, and another group dressed in white ivory, carrying bone staves, and wearing bone masks over their faces. Iados has never seen that group before, unlike the imperial guard. At this point, he decides to report back to the rest of the group and makes his way back through the sickly reddish-mauve light. By the time he makes it back to the rest of the group, he feels much weaker.

As soon as Iados gives his report, Sister Agnes begins examining him, starting by removing his boots to look at his feet. His boots are filled with blood, which pours out as they are removed. Looking at his pale face and trembling body, Sister Agnes concludes that he was bled severely, although he did not seem to realize it as it was happening. She casts both cure spells and lesser restorations on him, healing the wound damage, and ameliorating but not fully curing the Strength and Constitution loss he suffered.

Sister Agnes suggests that this sounds like a bone golem of some sort—she never studied them in detail, but some of the other students who she trained with did. Even so, she has never heard of this specific type or of powers like the reddish light that bleeds and weakens.

Also, they are certain that if it hurt a hero like Iados this badly, regular scouts or soldiers—even dwarven ones—would surely die. Since the aura covered the entire passageway, this presents quite a challenge. They discuss possible ways to bypass it or dispel it. Eventually, they realize that the effect began to hurt Iados when he was directly illuminated by the golem, so they wonder if a darkness magic could stop it.

Sister Agnes does not have a darkness spell prepared, but of course the lyans of Paranswarm do. They cast darkness on a convenient rock, blocking all light from reaching an area of fifteen feet around the rock. Sister Agnes takes the rock and moves forward, keeping a hand on the right hand wall at all times, to carefully move into the reddish light. She feels no ill effects, although she does feel like something is at first pushing back against her and then later pushing her onwards, and so proceeds until she estimates that she has passed roughly 50 feet beyond the intersection. She then puts down the rock, carefully placing it at a corner between the wall and the floor so she will be able to find it again, and walks forward out of the darkness. The area beyond the darkness appears to be ordinary tunnel—rough-hewn rock with no carvings or decorations. But instead of the dome of darkness she would have expected to see looking back, she sees what looks like a wall of darkness holding back streamers of the reddish light that peak through around the edges. Sister Agnes removes her boots and some of her armor to examine herself, to make sure she has no injuries. She has not been bled, but she does have some light bruising—nothing serious, but likely the result of the force she felt pushing against her as she approached and then pushing behind her as she left the area. She then returns, picks up the token, and uses it to pass back to where the rest of the group waits. She reports that, since creatures of chaos are particularly susceptible to the power of Paranswarm’s darkness, magical darkness is sufficient to hedge out the evil of the golem’s light.

They discuss, and conclude that this may not be sufficient to move the whole army with the digging machines through, simply because of the number of soldiers and amount of equipment relative to the amount of magical darkness they can create. But they have 10 days to figure that out, and this is sufficient to move the entire scouting party across.

As they move the scouting force past, they feel a powerful, pulsing magical energy, though they are not harmed by it, and they hear heavy footsteps. Iados flies up to the top of the magical darkness to look over, and sees that the golem is pacing the area—not entering the darkness, but almost pacing back and forth between invisible lines that it cannot pass. It also gathers in all of the light it has been emitting into a bright sphere in the center of its chest, which it then blasts out through the darkness.

The rest of the group has finished getting clear by this point, and sees the blast of light emerge from the darkness without being harmed by it. Iados notices, however, that the bats and vermin in the area with the golem are now entirely dead, desiccated and decayed.

One of the dwarven wayfinders gives a low whistle. “That blast aged the stone itself. A few more of those, and the whole ceiling might come down.”

They carefully get the whole group through, and then withdraw the darkness, since they don’t (at least currently) want the golem to cause a collapse, which they figure would happen if they left it hemmed in by darkness.

They then proceed down the passageway, looking for a way to loop around to the far side of the cavern. They find that the passage opens out onto a large underground body of water. The rock of the passageway gives way to a sandy beach, and then the area opens up to a wide area, with the far side too far to see by torchlight, and some glistening stalactites hanging down from the ceiling.

One of the dwarven wayfinders decides to scout ahead by swimming, doffing his armor and tying up his beard before diving in, a knife between his teeth. After a while he returns and reports that he found another beach to the north about half a mile, but opening westward. There were boats on that beach, with guards—perhaps 35 humans, some dressed in imperial green and some dressed in bones, plus about 5 drow. The drow were clearly in command, and they had insignia that he did not recognize—although close enough to what he had seen before that he could identify them as cadet house drow, not Lolthian drow, though what rank or status he could not be sure. The odd thing was that they had defaced the badge that would show what house they were from.

Iados and Elyn looked around to see if there were signs that the boats ever came here. There is no mooring equipment or pier, but they do find marks in the sand where the prows of boats have been pulled up in the past.

[End Session 44]


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## CPaladin (Sep 20, 2022)

Session 45 (Sept. 18, 2022)

28 Tar-Vaen (evening)
Noah suggests that Iados could fly over to the other beach and talk to them. Ravokris endorses this idea, and Iados unfurls his wings and begins to fly over.

As he flies over, he sees a small group of humanoid snakes or serpents poling a barge along. The barge is under water. They have arms, they look almost human, but he can see their scales and their eyes seem to glisten. They are clearly angling toward the beach from which Iados came. At first he thought they were wading, but then he realized they were poling a partially submerged platform. It is clearly a bundled net, laid over top of what looks like a large woven basket that would hold, perhaps, 200 pounds of things and is empty. It appears to be woven of toughened fibers, perhaps from some underdark plant. They appear to be merchants of some sort. He returns to the group and reports this.

Shortly later, they come in sight. A leader calls out, “Friend or foe?” in passable surface common. Noah calls out “Friend!” and they come over to the beach.

Ravokris is sure that they are yuan-ti, but they don’t seem to be dangerous like most yuan-ti. The big one looks carefully at all of them. He then points in the direction Iados was headed, and says “Danger.”

“What danger?” says Ravokris.

“Ancient eaters. Eat,” and he taps his chest and passes his head over his head a couple of times. “Come first father’s time. Now, more. Much, much more.” Meanwhile, his yuan-ti are dragging out fish, and dumping them in a basket. “Much time, empty.”

“Do you know of the bad light to the south?”

“Yes. New. Kill.” He looks confused. “You pass light?”

“Our god is powerful and protected us. His Daughter, the Weeping Woman, weeps for all, even such as you.”

The yuan-ti leader seems confused by the second sentence, but nods respectfully.

Noah tries to pay him to make a map, but he doesn’t know how to use parchment, quill, and ink, and it’s unclear whether he understands the idea of money. After a little more stilted conversation, they realize that the yuan-ti are subsistence fishers, not merchants. Noah then starts drawing a map in the sand, and the leader realizes what Noah means. He points out a few features the group doesn’t know about--another tunnel that goes east, somewhat north of where they are, and their village—north of the “Eaters” at the other beach. They also show the body of water extending indefinitely to the north. After some discussion, they say that there is also a secret tunnel past the Eaters, and offer to bring the group across on their barge.

The group agrees to spend the night at their village, and then proceed onwards via the secret tunnel.

As they talk, they seem terrified of, and extremely respectful, to Ravokris and Elyn—apparently they recognize and defer to elves. Noah suspects that they had Drowan protectors and lords, before the “Eaters” came and killed their lords.

The yuan-ti begin ferrying the group across, while Elyn and Noah do spear-fishing and Ravokris uses shocking grasp to electrocute batches of fish. Noah and Elyn each get about 10 fish, while Ravokris cooks about 44 fish.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Oct 4, 2022)

[Session 45, cont'd]
When they make it to the village, of about 150 people, the leader brings Ravokris and Elyn to a very elderly member of the yuan-ti people, with old healed battle injuries, and an elaborate staff with shells and decorations on it. He says, “You return.” to the elves, in pidgin elven.

Ravokris says, “We’ve never been here before.”

The elder then leads them into the biggest hut, where there are two corpses on an altar, wrapped in fine silks and in black armor, both sucked dry of all moisture. They are clearly elves or drow, but it’s hard to tell which at this point. They have large fishing hooks in their hands. At the side of the two bodies, there are two beautiful books, bound in silver.

“You return.”

“Ah. They were your protectors?”

“Protectors, rulers. Life was good.”

He bows down before Elyn and Ravokris and carefully places their feet on his neck. “Serve you.”

Ravokris realizes that, while he’s not speaking it well, the old yuan-ti is speaking Light Elven, not Drow.

After what seems to be a carefully measured period of time, the shaman removes Ravokris and Elyn’s feet from his neck and stands, though bowing a little to be shorter than they are.

“Do you follow a god?” asks Sister Agnes.

“Eru!” replies the shaman distinctly.

The group is very surprised to hear that they follow the elven Creator, but assumes at first that that was the work of the dead elves—only to be even more surprised by the explanation.

“Long follow Eru. Then they come.” The shaman gestures at the dead elves. “Was shrine to Eru. Then way cut. Long, long time—many parents and children. Then they come. Then Eaters came. Then they fought Eaters.”

“Did they ever talk of Eru?”

“Yes, yes! Eru. When they come, others left. Not long, then Eaters came.”

“So, the way to the shrine to Eru was cut long before they arrived? Not by the Eaters, then.”

“Yes, by Eaters. Eaters come long, long ago. Cut way to shrine. Eaters go away. Long time. People suffer. Then Eru sends them. Life good. Children heal. Then Eaters return.”

The group carefully examines the bodies. They are wrapped in silk, but wearing armor that has been rent and torn by violence.

Noah recognizes the heraldry incised in mithril on the elves’ armor: the elven House of Menen, modified with the sign of the servant house of Nimroshannar, the Bearers of the Water Jewel. Ravokris explains that the House of Menen is one of the six houses of the Eldar—the greatest of the elves--and that the servant house is a gray elf house. They are very powerful—therefore, whatever killed them must be very powerful because even young gray elves are very powerful.

Sister Agnes suggests that they may have enchanted equipment. Ravokris detects magic as a ritual, while Sister Agnes detects holy and unholy. The male's sword detects as Holy, and something else that you can't quite lay a finger on. It's blade is finely honed and edged in a silver metal that you think is mithril -- and its hilt is set with a net of small crystal gems.

Ravokris examines two books. One is a spellbook, while the other has wards on it, but they are not triggered by Ravokris or Elyn touching it. The one with wards on it is clearly a journal, while the spellbook is a ninth level spellbook of an abjurer. Ravokris looks at the journal. It begins with “Haleth and his sister Melian.” Haleth means “Exalted One” and Melian means Precious Gift.

The two elves set out into the world, and they fell into an adventuring party, without really realizing it. The adventuring party traveled down the tunnel the group just left, and they came upon the village. The people were not in the best shape—they had many diseases and their children were often born twisted. But they worshipped Eru, and Haleth and Melian were moved and decided that they couldn’t abandon them. So they stayed, while the adventuring company moved on. Eventually, they received word that the rest of the adventuring company had died.

They started teaching the yuan-ti a little Elven. Then they tried to restore the shrine to Eru, but neither of them were a cleric. One of them, however, was a redactor, which allowed them to do a lot of healing among the people, and they taught them how to fish with nets instead of just with spears. They were actually quite proud of the people who continued to worship Eru, and they fell into the role.

They were young--very young by the standards of gray elves, little more than children. The more Ravokris reads, the more he realizes that they fell into the role of protectors, and when the people started worshiping them they didn't really notice, because they're from an extremely regimented part of Elven society and having the people that they were helping become extremely regimented didn't particularly shock them. There are a couple of discussions of the Eaters, and apparently Haleth was the mage, and he may have been a very low level paladin of Eru.

He was troubled by the force that was growing that apparently had caught these people off from their shrine, and he made the mistake of taking an investigating journey. He returned, and then the journal almost immediately thereafter stopped—they assume that the “Eaters” followed him back.

The group decides to take the sword and give it to Elyn—they figure a paladin of Eru would prefer that his sword be used against evil, and while she is not very religious, Elyn is nominally a follower of Eru (as most elves are). The sword is a +2 Holy sword. (It also has some psionic capabilities, but the crystals are discharged and our heroes may not even realize that’s what they’re for.) Ravokris takes a magic ring from Melian, which is a Ring of Armor +3, as well as a diadem of mithril set with crystals that glow with an inner fire—they can’t tell what that is, but hope it may be helpful. Ravokris also takes the spellbook, and after some discussion, the journal, because they worry that the yuan-ti might otherwise accidentally set off the wards at some point. When he decides to take it, fresh words appear on the first blank page: “This is the journal of Ravokris and Elyn...”

[End Session 45]


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## CPaladin (Oct 12, 2022)

Session 46 (October 2, 2022)

29 Tar-Vaen
In the morning, the yuan-ti load the group onto their submerged barges, and take them to a narrow tunnel near their village—a much smaller tunnel than they have been traveling through before. The yuan-ti, including their shaman, touch the edges of the clothes of the elves, as if to receive a blessing. One of the young yuan-ti takes the lead, saying “follow,” although with obvious trepidation.

Noah sends forward a few scouts to scout ahead—the tunnel is narrow enough that they are essentially single file. After a little while, a scout comes back and reports a three-way split. The yuan-ti wants to take the leftmost passage, and the group agrees.

They proceed onwards, and a scout comes racing back to Iados. [They rolled an encounter, and then rolled onto the “special subtotal.”]

One of the scouts reports to Iados, “There is a cyst that opens in the rock ahead and there are a group of female drow there. They are dancing in a frenzied manner about the chamber with glowing swords and daggers, screaming in one of the old tongues and casting sparkling dust about. We tried to pass through but they barred the way and spoke to us sternly. Fredrick has been drawn into the dance and now dances madly with the best dressed of the maidens.”

The drow have no obvious holy symbols, but are dressed in silks of many colors. The group is befuddled by this—they know of no drow that dress in many colors. Sister Agnes wonders if it might be Whimseyite drow, but she’s never heard of Whimseyite drow. Ravokris says that some drow have started following Whimsey and some of her avatars, and that that’s what he think the dancing represents. They decide to send Ravokris forward, along with a dwarf, who insists on playing the bagpipes. (Sister Agnes takes out her mortification bracelet and turns it around her wrist.)

When the drow see Ravokris, they call out delightedly, “Cousin!” and dance towards the opening of the cyst.

“Why are you here, cousin?”

“I am here to get Frederick back.”

“Oh, he’s yours? Have him.”

Frederick slumps against the wall, no longer dancing in his long dance.

“Is that your only purpose, cousin?”

“Yes.”

“Forgive our separation.” She kisses Ravokris on the cheek, while still gyrating.

“Let me get in there with my pipes!” says the dwarven wayfinder. “Maybe I can get them over to the wall, and you can slide across on the other.”

“Sure?” says Ravokris.

The dwarf begins playing a jig on his bagpipe and dances into the circle and begins dancing with them. The drow are delighted and welcome him to the dance, and he herds them into a corner. The rest of the group hurries past.

About 15 minutes later, the dwarf catches up, perspiring heavily and with a combed beard. “They combed my beard… still worth it to get us past them safely.”

As they proceed onwards, another scout comes back. The tunnel ahead is blocked by a number of drow - about 30, with 6 pack lizards-- they are in great consternation, we did not approach. A couple minutes later, the yuan-ti launches into an absolute speech in his own tongue, which no one understands.

They decide to send Noah, Iados, and some rakasta forward—hoping to avoid any difficulties that might happen if the drow saw Elyn, Ravokris, or even the dwarves. The rest of the group hangs back some distance.

The leading group sees that there is a whole force of the drow, all male. They are all wearing silks, though reinforced with silver wire. There are a small number also wearing armor, standing around the six pack beasts. One stands off to the side, holding a banner, while the two senior most—wearing more silver wire, talk.

“Hail.”

“Hail. We do not seek conflict.”

“Neither do we.”

“Let us parlay then. How did you pass the followers of the Dancing Maiden? We don’t expect problems in this area, but we are blocked ahead. The forces of the enemy are more active than they have been. They seem to be searching for something.”

“We played a song for them and they let us pass.”

“They are servants of the Dark Dancing Goddess, some minor goddess we know nothing of. We have a flautist among us—he’s a hobbyist, but it might be enough.”

“We wish to pass forward.”

“We can back up to the bend, but be warned—there is a blockade some three bird flights ahead, manned heavily. They just established it. They seem to expect an attack towards the accursed compound ahead of them that they have infested. If you are simply taking the tunnel towards our home, they might let you pass, if you bribe them.”

“We represent an interested party for an alliance with the drow.”

“Rebels, or cadet houses?”

“Rebels.”

He shudders. “Go then, and may you meet the fate you deserve.”  [The PCs could have realized that he was cadet house (i.e. Morgothian, not Lolthian) based on his clothing, or could have looked at the banner and seen what it indicated, but they didn't have enough experience with the drow to recognize the dress and didn't think to examine the banner.]

The group decides to wait until the main force is in position. They expect that to take about nine days, so they pull back into the cyst where the drow allowed the group to pass and make camp.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Oct 18, 2022)

[Session 46, cont'd]
1 Kas
A few days later, the scouts watching the corridor dart in. “A group of octopus heads approach. With them are small monkey beings with javelins. Oh, and they have a pack of dog-like things that also have octopus heads.”

“Oh, those are illithids,” says the dwarf.

“Does that mean they’ll try to eat our brains?”

“Depends. There are illithids that eat our brains, and illithid that don’t. There are illithid that reproduce in the normal way, and ones that lay eggs in corpses. Do they have gold on their tentacles?”

The scout has no idea, but ducks back out to check. He comes back after a couple of minutes and reports that yes, they have gold on their tentacles.

“Then they’re ‘vegetarians.’ We might be able to get intelligence from them.”

“Perhaps we can persuade them to join our army,” says Noah.

“You could try.”

First one of the monkey-creatures pokes its head around, then runs back. Somewhat later, two illithid approach. (The dwarf says that they are elders, based on their wrinkles.)

“Be careful. The accursed eaters of worlds have set up a blockade ahead.”

“That is our objective.”

“Ah. You are from the … Ecumenical Council. You do not know what the accursed eaters of worlds can do to a world. They forced us to travel here from our homeworld. And they twisted some of our kin until they could no longer be recognizable. We suggest ethereal travel—it let us pass them without difficulty.”

“Would you assist us, if you hate them as well?”

“Yes, we could do that.” She breathes on a crystal, which glows. “When you are ready, have the strongest of mind among you use this. It will bring eight of you to the ethereal for 20 minutes—should be plenty to get you past the barricade. Beware of our twisted cousins. The klaves were twisted even on our homeworld. Here, they consider making alliance with the eaters of worlds, despite what they did.”

3 Kas
They hear a clash of weapons in the distance.

“Uruks fleeing this way!”

Moments later, three bloodied, bleeding uruks stumble past their hiding place.

None of the garrison followed. However, when Sister Agnes realized that their wounds would not be survivable without aid, she emerged from the group’s hiding place. “The Weeping Woman cries for your wounds. May I treat them?”

The leader of the three nods curtly. It doesn’t look like he’s an actual officer, but the others defer to him.

Sister Agnes casts various healing spells on them, closing their wounds.

“There is a great bad ahead,” says the leader.

“We are aware.”

“We came from below, from the cadet city. We were in service to an important man who wanted to return to the city. When we came to the barricade, we expected to pay a toll, but they attacked us immediately. Well, they attacked our charge, and we defended our charge, for we have Law.” As he says the last bit, the uruk touches a small downward arrow on a chain around his neck, marking him as a follower of Paranswarm. “We could not abandon him, even if we were all slaughtered. But then they touched him, and he vanished, and we fled.”

“What was the nature of your charge?”

“We were to protect him, for so long as he lived, until he made it back to his people on the surface.”

“What type of being was he?”

The uruk points to Elyn.

“You said he disappeared when touched?” Elyn asks.

“Yes, one of their bone men touched him, and he disappeared.”

Noah comments, “I don’t think we’ve seen that.”

“This is very troubling. Did they cast a spell before they touched him?”

“Not that we saw, but the bones he wore glowed. He could have been still when he cast—we have seen our shamans do that.”

“It could be a banishment of some sort,” muses Sister Agnes.

“Or a disintegration,” says Noah, “though you’d expect to see dust afterwards.”

“I think if we’d disguised him, they would have let us pass. I think we failed our charge.”

“You may be right,” replies Sister Agnes. “One of our number is a noble of Paranswarm from the surface.” She gestures at Noah, and the uruks give perfunctory but honest and respectful nods. “If you would wish, you would be welcome to join our forces. We intend to harm those who set up that barricade.”

“They are many.”

“We have a plan.”

After a moment’s thought, he says, “We will join you.” He then turns to the other two and explains in their own language (which Noah can understand, although with occasional unfamiliar words and different accents from what he’s used to) that they will join this force that intends to fight the enemy they just fought, so they can get revenge for their lost brethren and their charge.

The uruks are 8th level fighters: 8d10+16 hp each. Their names are Zhor the Ruthless, Podagog, and Ronkros.

5 Kas
A yuan-ti slithers along the wall, moving as secretly as he can. “The way behind is cut. A group of us waited beyond the shadow, in case you needed assistance, lord and lady. A few hours ago, enemy came up main corridor. We fled back towards village. They triggered? Fired? They make golem do many things, quickly. The roof of the chamber beyond collapsed.”

“Back where the golem was?”

“Yes, where you were going to flee. One of them in robes, with bones and whisps of darkness, did something with the golem. We watched from the edge of the lake. It collapsed. It is loose. It could be cleared. But it will take many strong hands. Do you wish us to begin to shift the stones?”

The group discusses, and decides to send a sending to the army, telling them what to expect, and to clear the stones but not too deep (to not reach the golem, and to send a sending back when they make contact with the enemy).

8 Kas
Sister Agnes receives a sending. <<Rubble down. We are in combat. May Dain's hand guide our hammers.>>

She sends back, <<May Dain guide you. The Weeping Woman cries for you. We move.>>

They move forward as close as they can and then think at the stone. They are now in a misty, shadowy area, where they can see the Prime, but can’t interact with anything in the normal way. They pass beyond the barricade, which is indeed heavily guarded, but cannot see them as they glide past.

They see a trio of whispy, snake-like beings with human heads, which slither away from the group rapidly—apparently wanting no conflict with a large group.

They make their way past the defenses and then pass back into the Prime.

[End Session 46]


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## CPaladin (Oct 28, 2022)

Session 47 (October 16, 2022)

8 Kas (cont’d)
They dash into the cavern. As they round the corner, they can see the device—it looks kind of like a rack, set to stretch things, but there are gems set in it here and there, but there are some gems glowing sullenly here and there. There is a person strapped to it, and a tendril of visible energy heading off towards the Palace of Blood. There are three large undead amalgamations of flesh, two yuan-ti with strange body modifications and ritual scarification—definitely from a different group of yuan-ti, and a human in bone armor. The yuan-ti draw short curved blades and speak to the flesh golems, apparently ordering them forward.

Ravokris responds first, dashing forward and casting an Agganazor’s Scorcher at the yuan-ti, which saves and takes 6 damage. Noah shouts “For the Queen-Empress!” rages and charges the magus, while the bones in his armor seem to move under their own power to block his attacks and seek to grapple the axe. Noah shouts back, “It’s not living! Try to dispel it or something!”

Elyn moves forward, casts hunter’s mark, and then shoots her longbow at the magus, hitting it for 15 damage. Her first shot hits, and her second gets snatched out of the air by one of the moving bones.

The yuan-ti that Ravokris damaged slithers forward and strikes with his dagger at Ravokris, hitting easily, and inflicting 10 points of damage and poisoning the wound, though Ravokris saves. The larger of the yuan-ti does not move, but makes a series of crossing maneuvers with its hands and knives, and creates a wall of poison droplets between the group and the device.

The magus’s tongue is preternaturally long, forked, and lashes out at Noah, touching him and inflicting 11 points of damage, as well as forcing two Con saves. Noah resists both successfully.

The uruk rush at the yuan-ti fighting Ravokris, and hit it three times for 27 hp of damage. Sister Agnes drapes the green of her house around her shoulders, moves forward, and turns undead. One turns and shambles away. One is unaffected, moves in and grabs the resonator, and begins shuffling away. The third is nowhere to be seen.

7 round count; 5 round count.

Ravokris rushes forward, dodging the yuan-ti’s attack of opportunity, and Ravokris unleashes a 4th level Aganazzor’s scorcher at the fleeing undead thing, hitting it for 20 hp.

Noah continues hacking at the magus, missing once and hitting once for 17 hp. Elyn fires at the magus twice, missing both times. The yuan-ti continues to gesture and the mist of poison becomes thicker. The other hits one of the uruk for 4 damage and a saving throw that it makes.

The magus casts a lightning spell at Noah, and he dodges for half-damage, taking 14 hit points of damage.

The uruk hits the yuan-ti for 13 hit points of damage, with only one landing a blow.

Sister Agnes approaches the bone magus, judges that it’s possessed in some way, and casts banishment. There is a loud pop [indicating that it was extraplanar, although that’s usually a quiet pop], and the bone magus collapses, unconscious, with the bone armor still standing and moving.

The flesh golem thing moves through the rain of poison, and the figure on the rack gives a weak cry and probably dies.

6; 4.

Ravokris hits the yuan-ti casting the poison wall with a scorcher, doing 21 points of damage.

Noah rushes through the poison wall and swings his axe at the legs of the flesh amalgam, taking a mere 12 points of poison damage. He misses once, and hacks at it for 16 hp.

Elyn shoots the yuan-ti caster, hitting it for 20 points of damage and 18 points of damage on the two shots. The poison wall stays up, however.

The yuan-ti continues casting, and the barrier begins thickening further, obscuring sight and becoming persistent. The other attacks the uruk leader, missing twice.

The armor unleashes a swarm of small bone shards through the poison barrier, attacking Noah. Two clouds of shards hit him, with a third missing. He takes 10 points of damage and makes another poison save successfully.

The uruk finally cut down the yuan-ti they have been battling, killing it.

Sister Agnes casts a dispel magic at the poison wall, bringing it down.

The flesh amalgam keeps moving on, and Noah hacks it for another 15 damage.

5, 3

Ravokris moves forward and hits the amalgam with another scorcher, doing another 20 damage. Noah continues hacking at it, doing 19 and 16 damage in two hits, toppling the fleshy creature and causing the resonator to drop and skid a little along the floor.

Elyn shoots the other yuan-ti, doing 17 hp of damage.

The remaining yuan-ti rushes over to the resonator and tries to push it along the floor. The armor unleashes another blast of boneshards at Noah for 7 points of damage and a DC 13 poison save, which Noah makes.

The uruk rush over and hit the yuan-ti for 30 damage.

Sister Agnes casts dispel magic on the bone armor, rolling a natural 20 on the effect level, and it collapses to the ground.

4, 2, and 3

Ravokris scorches the remaining yuan-ti, albeit with a lower level spell slot, and does 9 damage after a successful save. Noah hacks at the yuan-ti, hitting and then hitting critically, inflicting 51 damage and slaying the yuan-ti.

The uruks lift up the resonator and begin carrying it out.

Sister Agnes examines the bones, which seem to have something incised in abyssal on them. It looks like the entire skeleton of a creature plus. Noah attacks the skull helmet.

Noah spends a while smashing the bones.

Sister Agnes dumps all of her holy water on it, doing 35 points of damage.

Elyn stabs at the bones with the holy sword. She hits them 5 times with 2 criticals. She does 80 points of damage.

Ravokris also bangs on the bones with his quarterstaff, doing 8 damage.

Sister Agnes drops a few scraps of imperial green uniforms as they move. She has just rounded the corner with the uruks, as the bone armor arises once more, though in tatters.

It releases another burst of shards at Noah, doing 8 damage to him. Noah slams it one last time, getting a critical hit and smashing it to pieces.

They all then run like mad around the corner. Somewhere back behind them at the far end of the cavern, they here a whining sound. Ravokris recognizes it as unmistakeably the sound of a gate opening. Taking a last glance behind them, Ravokris and Elyn, with their elven eyes, can see heavily armored figures moving out of the left hand barracks alcove, with a high degree of discipline. Noah can recognize them from the description as royal guards.
[End Session 47]


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## CPaladin (Nov 3, 2022)

Session 48 (October 30, 2022)

8 Kas (cont’d)
They continue hurrying along down the passageway, into the unknown. The passage turns clockwise as it cuts steeply down. Soon, they are passing beneath the chamber they were previously fighting in. Iados scouts ahead by a short distance, followed by Noah and the uruks with the resonator, followed by Ravokris and Sister Agnes. Elyn is bringing up the rear, and can see light behind them, likely chasing them—but the light is not closing rapidly.

They soon come upon a toll booth structure, staffed by 4 male drow and a priestess of Lolth who emerges from a small stone building as they approach. "Hail, travelers!"

"Hello," calls back Noah.

The priestess speaks. "You don't look like... what is that thing you're carrying?" She makes a couple of gestures, and she says, "that is an abomination."

They've all now stopped, and in the distance they hear marching at double time.

Elyn calls forward, "Can you help destroy it? We need to move. There are very, very powerful forces approaching."

"Hanalian troops would dare intrude into the Underdark?" asks the priestess haughtily.

The person who is obviously the male lieutenant gets a worried expression. "May I ask if you know how many of them there are?"

Noah replies, "A lot. Let's see... in a standard Hanalian field army, there are 5000, organized in legions of 1000 and companies of 100."

"Not the time for math," mutters Elyn.

"Could be 100 or 1000. But I'm not sure of the organization of the royal guards..."

The lieutenant grimaces, sure about what will soon happen. "Your reverence, may I suggest humbly that we permit these good folks to proceed on with this abomination and go their way, while we attempt to prepare a defense against this intrusion?"

"Good luck," says Noah. "We firmly believe in your noble cause of defending your homeland."

She reluctantly nods, he moves aside the toll barrier, and they hurry through as she starts to cast spells in preparation.

Just beyond the barricade, the tunnel splits three ways. The center descends even faster, while there are passages to left and right that seem roughly level. Since left would take them towards the lake and beneath areas they have already been to, they head to the right, hoping to find a way to the surface. Behind them, they hear the priestess’s voice call out, “Stop in the name of House Kilsik!” They then hear the sounds of violence behind them. A few rounds later, the legion continues on, unfortunately following our heroes.

After about a day of travel—miles and miles along the corridor—Sister Agnes is fatigued. The uruks, fortunately, are indefatigable. The enemy, however, is also falling behind. Elyn can no longer hear them, nor see any light from them.
[cont'd]


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## CPaladin (Nov 8, 2022)

[Session 48, cont'd]
The group enters into a huge cavern—several miles across—with the ruins of buildings. Abruptly, Iados, who has been scouting ahead, appears and reports. There are hundreds of buildings, most ruined; thousands of long-dead humanoid figures; a smattering of still living humanoids, but Iados thinks different from the long-dead humans; mushroom fields, once tended and now growing wild; and a large number of pig like things. Iados believes that the attack that destroyed this settlement came from behind them. There are no signs of skeletons from the attackers, which suggests that the victors took their dead with them. The field looks like it was abandoned two years ago.

Elyn can hear the pursuit behind them, though it is more distant and moving more slowly. The group decides to hide in the city, hoping that Sister Agnes can use a sending to the dwarves to find out where they should go. They decide to go deep into the city, heading straight ahead and then breaking to the left before finding a building to hole up in.

Iados splits off to the right, planning on leaving a false trail and then flying back. A small lizard person runs out in front of Iados and grovels. “Great lord! You return! We loyal. We wait for us. We tend the rothe.”

Iados says that he is not who they think he is. The lizard person does not seem to believe him, but defers to Iados’s wishes, telling him that they will continue to wait.

The rest of the group heads towards a tower to use as a hiding place. The tower is fairly defensible, though the door was battered in with a ram. There are more skeletons here-Ravokris is fairly sure they were drow, with black metal armor that is likely adamantium. There is an alchemical lab, not even disturbed, on the second floor. The third floor is a sumptuous living quarters, though with chains from the headboard of the bed—likely they kept slaves here. There is also a journal with a sigil that they have also seen on banners near the skeletons embossed in gold on its cover. The sigil is of the drow House Maerret, one of the Lolthian drow houses.

In the distance, they can see lights as the enemy search buildings in close to the entrance. After some time, they pitch a camp blocking the entrance to the cavern. Iados makes an overflight and sees some more details. The troops are obviously exhausted. There are now roughly 120 of them, and they are being led by a captain.

Iados also sees that some of the small lizard people are watching the Hanalians, and some large fungi are slowly closing in on them.

Noah suggests they need to push on, despite their exhaustion, to escape the pursuit.

Sister Agnes makes a Sending to the best dwarven wayfinder from their group. <<Have resonator. In ruined city of House Maerret due south of chamber. Need guidance where to go. Under pursuit.>>

She receives back: <<Didnvor: once great city. Drow. Ravaged as most were along Western passage by huge army headed to surface Spicelands. Best head right, surface sooner.>>

Sister Agnes removes her armor, retaining only the padded gambeson, and puts it on the resonator. She would not be able to maintain anything approximating a good pace if she continued with it.

Ravokris finds three potions in the alchemical lab. They also grab the journal.

Iados scouts aerially for the right-most exit, finding three exits. One goes more or less north or northeast, one east, and one roughly south.

Sister Agnes has two levels of fatigue; everyone else is roughly unfatigued, but will gain a level of fatigue in 6 hours more of travel without sleep.

They exit from the south passage, and will resume on the wee hours of 9 Kas.
[End Session 48]


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## CPaladin (Nov 29, 2022)

Session 49 (November 27, 2022)

9 Kas (just after midnight)
They proceed out of the ruined drowan city via the right-most, southernly passage. Iados is scouting about 100 feet ahead of the group. He notices that it is rapidly getting cold. He just keeps flying onwards, and notices that it's starting to get darker, even with his darkvision.

A voice whispers in his ear. "Almost my cousin." He has the feeling of the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Iados quickly looks around, as he hears "Interesting, interesting," in his other ear, but he can't see anything. "I do think I'll ride along."

He continues on--nothing seems to be happening, except the darkness is accompanying him.

A while later, Iados comes back to the group, accompanied by more darkness. As he does, he says that he came into a cavern with what appears to be another ruined drow settlement, though much smaller, with purple crystals in the ceiling providing light. Near the entrance is a burst barricade with hundreds of skeletons near it.

"It sounds like the enemy fought their way through here as well; perhaps we can keep going?" says Sister Agnes.

With no disagreement, they push forward rapidly and enter the cavern, with many dead bodies lying around the hastily erected barricades. Most of the bodies are human, but some are drowan.

About halfway through the cavern, Elyn hears a voice, likely amplified by magic, in undercommon: "Stand firm, in the name of House Aleval. Are you responsible for this?"

Elyn calls back, "No. This was the work of the Hanalian army."

"A human army dared? We are only now investigating the western passage, from which there has been silence."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," says Noah. "But you know how there was supposed to be a city back there? It's been ruined, and it's beginning to be occupied by Hanalian royal guards."

There's a flash, and about five feet ahead of them, a male drow fades into visibility. A moment later, two figures like drowan spider crossbreeds appear on either side of him. "I am Ilvaran. Second Boy of House Aleval in the City of Gualadur. You say that humans dare inhabit the cavern?"

"I'm sorry, but we stumbled upon here and don't mean any harm," says Iados.

"You are in flight. How many are the force behind you?"

"About 120."

After glancing at the drider to the side, which shakes its head no, the drow says, "We cannot defeat a force that size. We are only scouts. Continue along the main passage, and watch the left hand wall. After about three days travel, if you watch carefully, you will find a secret passage that will lead to the surface." They then disappear rapidly.

The group is approaching exhaustion, but they decide to press on for some hours more before resting. After another six hours of travel through what was at one time a major route, passing more skeletons here and there, including drow, lizards, occasional Hanalians, and one skeleton they cannot identify though it is humanoid, they find a side cave with some places to sleep and a source of water. They pitch a hasty camp, and Elyn does her best to conceal them. Sister Agnes falls directly to sleep, while the others take watches--the elves each watch half of the rest, while everyone else except Sister Agnes takes one 2 hour watch. The rest passes uneventfully, and they feel greatly recovered. At this point, everyone is fine except for Sister Agnes, who is still at one level of fatigue.

10 Kas approximately

They travel for about 24 hours, until they are all again reaching exhaustion. They pull in to another wayfarers' cave. By this point, they are passing broken down carts, the bones of horses, and other signs that whatever passed through was both a large group and just kept on going.

Another "night" passes peacefully.

11 Kas approximately

They press on, slowing down after another day's worth of travel so they can search for the secret passage on the left-hand wall. Elyn notices a group of stalactites that are capable of moving. She works them around, and opens a much smaller passage that heads up. They get inside and then make camp, and Ravokris spends some time figuring out how to jam the mechanism of the secret door. The mechanism feels similar to what an elf might use, though it's clearly not elven work--at least not his type of elves. He jams it, though not so well that it would resist a sustained assault.

In the middle of their rest, while Ravokris and Elyn are both up during the changeover, Elyn observes what looks like a bit of water running into the camp down the center of the passage. Elyn wakes everyone up, concerned about the water. The runnel of water has just run onto one of the resting uruk's feet. Ravokris notes that the "water" has a vaguely reddish tint.

The uruk howls, wakes, and leaps up, while the "water" is still on his foot and crawling up his leg.

Ravokris also notices a rivulet of water on the ceiling about to drip down towards him. He dodges to the side and shouts for everyone to beware the ceiling because "there's bad water up there!"

Elyn desperately tries to figure out what this is, figuring it's some relative of the jelly or ooze family, but unable to identify it. It does seem more intentional or intelligent that most oozes. She watches the uruk that is being climbed carefully.

Noah takes out a hand axe, and lobs it at the water on the ceiling, missing by a wide margin, and follows it with another, which sinks into the water, and then falls back to the earth, with no apparent effect.

Sister Agnes casts banishment, but with no effect (although it was a valid target--it just saved).

Ravokris blasts it with Agannazar's scorcher, scorching the one on the uruk. It fails to dodge, and he inflicts 26 hp of damage, evaporating some of it but it's still there.

The uruk whose leg is being climbed bellows in pain and hacks at it with his sword. The other uruks also start chopping at his leg. One hits, with the blade passing through the watery substance and into his flesh.

Abruptly, a mass of water, like a pool, comes rushing along the tendril of water on the floor and engulfs the uruk. After a moment, there is nothing but bones left, suspended in the jelly like substance. The other creature, however, recognizes that Ravokris has hurt the uruk and mentally lashes him and everyone else except Iados with a psionic blast. Noah saves, as does one uruk, and the rest all take 21 points of mental force damage and are knocked prone for 1d4 rounds.

Iados shoots one with his short bow, but he can't tell if it's doing any damage. Elyn begins crawling away, unable to figure out if she can harm these things.

Noah starts raging and says, "Hey gross slime monster, I'm making lots of noise and swinging this big axe at you." He tries to cut the one suspended from the ceiling off the ceiling. He hits solidly, and the blade sinks into its watery form; he rolls 12 damage, and some water actually flies away with the axe blade, though perhaps not as much as he would have hoped. His second blow hits even harder, dealing 17 damage.

Sister Agnes casts mass healing word, restoring 10 hp to all of her allies. She considers casting an offensive spell at the creatures to try to defeat them, but she isn't sure they aren't intelligent living creatures. Deciding that her oath to never harm a person, even to save her life or those of her friends, outweighs the risk that the creatures will kill them, she channels divine energy at it, hoping without expectation to turn it, but having no effect at all.

Ravokris throws another scorcher at the same target, dealing 24 damage. The uruk form that it had engulfed lets out an agonized bellow, despite already having broken down into bones.

One of the uruks keeps hacking at his former cousin, and then the other turns to Noah and says, "What now?"

"Maybe run?"

"Wounded?"

"Good point. Grab them, then let's go."

Sister Agnes calls out, "Na-Strom! It's more important that the resonator make it out than we do."

Noah gives commands for one of the uruks to carry Ravokris, while the other carries the resonator with him. Sister Agnes and Elyn remain lying on the ground.

Another psionic blast erupts up the corridor from the other one, though the resonator, two uruks, Noah, and Ravokris are out of range. Sister Agnes and Elyn are caught in the blast, and Sister Agnes and Elyn both take 30 points of damage. The other surges at Sister Agnes, and engulfs her.

Elyn is shouting, "Save yourselves! Run, and get the resonator out of here! I love you all! Save the world without me!"

Iados flees, scattering ball bearings behind him as he runs.

All of a sudden, Sister Agnes disintegrates within the entity. The other two keep pounding on Elyn as the others flee.

The survivors of the group run up the tunnel until they are exhausted. They have lost their cleric and their ranger, and they just keep running, terrified. At last, they exit into a snow-covered, ruined village. There are signs that it has been recently bombarded, but surviving villagers emerge from the ruins as they hit the surface.

[End Session 49]


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