Biosh 2nd
entering the fey home
-
Experience: 3500 each (76,680 total )
entering Eglantine, 4200
successful audience with Hjokenstalf, 2800
RP bonus, 2800
+ successful marriage proposal, 1400
Treasure: - cloak of resistance +4 (Raina, stolen by dryads in the pear grove), magic tattoo (Auro, pending a good meal)
New NPCs
Voluptas: The giant fey moth and guardian of the gates of Eglantine. She was ordered by Hjokenstalf to close the doors for the first time in the city's history, but Arinew was able to convince her to open them again with Lorfelad's added support.
The Sisters Three: Three playful water weirds, bubbling elementals capable of passing from one pool to another throughout the city- and perhaps pools even farther. They informed the Kiri's of their genasi siblings and the one called the Storm-Maker.
The Storm-Maker: The unknown entity whom genasi suspect purposefully caused the 'perfect storms' which created them. They hunt for him/her in hopes of learning the meaning of life.
Grove Dryads: Dryad tenders of the Eglantine pear groves, who were promised ribbons by Kiri-Raina. When the watersoul could not produce them, they attacked and stole her colorful cloak.
Brownie Bullies: As Kiri-Raina went crying along the moat, she ran through a crowd of fey, some of which- tiny, pot-bellied and pointy-eared creatures half again the size of dwarves- chased after, echoing her laments and cries for help cruelly.
Hjokenstalf: Steward of Eglantine, son of Yggdrasil, a treant with twenty-six arms and thirteen legs, twenty feet tall and made of smooth, rich, entwined woods. He was convinced of Arinew's lineage on Lorfelad's word alone, but explained the true test would be in convincing and inspiring his unruly people, frivolous green fey who prefer celebration and song to the grim and growing threat of the Autumn Court. He promised to help however he could. Tyvis also sensed a tension between he and The World Tree.
Nidhogg Nagar (mentioned): An ancient evil from the God War lurking beneath the roots of the Elder Tree, known to some as Malice Striker, others The Great Gnaw. Its recent activity threatens Eglantine and the survival of the Summer Court. None who have seen this creature have lived, making preparations for its destruction difficult.
Tezian Priestess (unnamed): A pale, elfen sidhe priestess of the goddess of nature, one of the clergy of the courtyards at the Summer Palace. She promised a guide into the Feydark and suggested a local inn, The Primrose, with a skilled somnomancer.
The Somnomancer (mentioned): The most skilled somnomancer in Eglantine, a gnome that can tailor dreams for those willing to pay. He's a resident of The Primrose Inn.
Snurt: A well-dressed, pig-headed phooka and skilled tattoo artist willing to mark Auro for a home-cooked meal.
Fox-headed Phooka (unnamed): A tall, pale, fox-headed phooka and friend of Snurt.
Gnomish Ruffian (unnamed): A muscular gnome with a handlebar mustache, associate of Snurt.
Developing NPCs
Dewdrop: The nixie princess accepted Arinew's marriage proposal!
The Queen of Fallen Leaves: Hjokenstalf informed Arinew that she is his aunt, sister of the late Queen of Summer Song, a traitor to her own people who killed Meliai at the behest of the Green God.
Ser Gliadim Starkenblum: Hjokenstalf revealed Gliadim is the son of the Queen of Fallen Leaves! His whereabouts are currently unknown, though the treant vouched for his loyalty.
Durward Fonnig Fignose: The well-meaning gnome was reinstated as one of the durward guard thanks to Arinew.
New Hooks
Siblings of the Storm (Raina, Auro): The water weirds revealed that you are NOT the only genasi in the worlds! You have sisters and brothers who passed through Eglantine in their search for the Storm-Maker, some of different elements from other perfect storms. None seem to be much older than you, either. Find them. Learn from them.
Storm-Maker (Raina, Auro): The genasi believe one entity is responsible for all the perfect storms. They search for him/her, hoping to discover the meaning of their lives. Take up the quest. Find your father/mother and learn the purpose of your existence.
The Great Gnaw (Saviors): To gain Eglantine's confidence and save the Elder Tree, the party must delve into the Feydark and slay a monstrous enemy of Creation, Nidhogg Nagar. Bring back its head.
Cloak Thieves (Raina): The grove dryads stole your cloak! Get it back!
Next Session
95a: The party makes its final preparations before delving into the Feydark to confront Nidhogg Nagar, the ancient hunger which now threatens the life of the Elder Tree and with it the Summer Court.
Friday, December 24, 2010
92b: A City of Lost Souls
Patarm 2nd
challenging the Asmodeans
-
Experience: 2800 each (80,206 total)
erinyes battle, 2800
on the citadela's doorstep, 5600
Treasure: flamedrinker shield (level 16 uncommon, looking like a blackened iron face twisted and evil), helm of swift punishment (level 18 uncommon, with flame-like horns and a furnace cage for a mask), plate armor +3 (bronze with red flame designs), market purchases (Renato)
Coin: 2300 gp, 800 sp, 1400 cp
Loot: unholy pentagram of Asmodeus x 2 (Renato and Megaera)
New NPCs
Half-Imp (unnamed): The ashen-skinned girl keeping books in the Ivory Towers.
Incubus (unnamed): The handsome, black-haired incubus working behind the desk at the Ivory Towers.
Tiefling Thug (unnamed): The black, yellow-eyed tiefling with the bat wings folded upon his head who trailed Renato. The assassin placed a scary note in his pocket, one that would likely prevent future tailing... should they know of the Ordo at all.
The Gatekeeper (dead): An old, hulking devil with flayed faces about his waist, who took on Diana looking for another pretty visage and ended up destroyed by the powers of the Void.
Hell Knight (unnamed, dead): The Asmodean knight at the manor gates devoted to the Lord of the Nine and bent on seeing Megaera, faithful to Hecate, fall. He was the one who ended up stuck on her sword, however.
Next Session
93b: The Dark Three continue through the Baron's citadel, intent on freeing him from the Asmodeans and mustering forces enough to break the cultist's control of Hecate's temple. And it appears they have an unseen ally in the endeavor...
challenging the Asmodeans
-
Experience: 2800 each (80,206 total)
erinyes battle, 2800
on the citadela's doorstep, 5600
Treasure: flamedrinker shield (level 16 uncommon, looking like a blackened iron face twisted and evil), helm of swift punishment (level 18 uncommon, with flame-like horns and a furnace cage for a mask), plate armor +3 (bronze with red flame designs), market purchases (Renato)
Coin: 2300 gp, 800 sp, 1400 cp
Loot: unholy pentagram of Asmodeus x 2 (Renato and Megaera)
New NPCs
Half-Imp (unnamed): The ashen-skinned girl keeping books in the Ivory Towers.
Incubus (unnamed): The handsome, black-haired incubus working behind the desk at the Ivory Towers.
Tiefling Thug (unnamed): The black, yellow-eyed tiefling with the bat wings folded upon his head who trailed Renato. The assassin placed a scary note in his pocket, one that would likely prevent future tailing... should they know of the Ordo at all.
The Gatekeeper (dead): An old, hulking devil with flayed faces about his waist, who took on Diana looking for another pretty visage and ended up destroyed by the powers of the Void.
Hell Knight (unnamed, dead): The Asmodean knight at the manor gates devoted to the Lord of the Nine and bent on seeing Megaera, faithful to Hecate, fall. He was the one who ended up stuck on her sword, however.
Next Session
93b: The Dark Three continue through the Baron's citadel, intent on freeing him from the Asmodeans and mustering forces enough to break the cultist's control of Hecate's temple. And it appears they have an unseen ally in the endeavor...
Monday, December 13, 2010
93a: 'neath the Wolf Moon
Biosh 1st
summoning the stalker
-
Experience: 1167 xp ( 73,180 total)
summoning the stalker, 4200
RP bonus, 2800
Treasure: Gicha's Winter Shawl (Raina), Gicha's Old Sweeper (Raina)
Coin: n/a
Loot: n/a
New NPCs
Verbeeg Chieftain (unnamed): A fourteen-foot tall forest giant with greenish skin and long, brown braids, tattooed in lupine patterns, leader of the moon-wolf clan, worshiper of Kharrush the Stalker. He followed Narra's singing back to camp and implored the party to continue their song and summon forth the Wolf Moon. He formed an alliance with Arinew, promising the support of his and other Verbeeg tribes.
Kharrush the Stalker: Primal spirit of the hunt, wolves and moons, Nature's ultimate predator manifesting as a massive set of ghostly wolf jaws and a full, white moon. He stalks between stars hunting Yith (aberrations) and protecting Creation from the dangers of alien technology and psionics. His chosen are the Archwardens, all of which are now dead, their regalia stolen. He charged the group with retrieving the Wild's shield and standing for more than just one world or one people, rather all Creation.
Lorfelad: One of the rare and sacred unicorns, purest white, with braided mane and tail, black barding and a silvery face plate, alicorn of dazzling gold (which blinds non-virgins). He speaks through thoughts and emotions and possesses miraculous powers of speed and healing. He was a great friend to Arinew's mother before her demise.
Developing NPCs
Ser Gliadim Starkenblum: The sidhe knight was revealed by Lorfelad to be none other than Arinew's cousin, on his mother's side, the son of the bard's aunt. He was somewhat reluctant to get into details about it, but it hardly mattered once Arinew realized he had a blood relative still living.
New Hooks
Shield of the Archwarden: Kharrush charged the group with recovering the shield of his Wild protector, inspiring Arinew, Kiri-Auro and Rogar to take the challenge personally... perhaps to see who is the most deserving?
Developing Hooks
The Doomsday Countdown: The Devourer approaches, intent on swallowing all Creation, and Its brood, the Yith (aberrations), are paving the way, having already infiltrated the worlds across space and time using their fell technologies and subverting psionics. Kharrush fears their meddling has drawn too much attention away from the stars, forced the worlds to squabble and war with one another instead of preparing for the last war, one the gods and spirits will not be able to fight, in which Creation's champions must do battle with the Voidborn. Such evidence can be found throughout the party's histories, whether with the emperor and his abuse of Anubian technology, the warforged's prophecy in Spelltower, the conflicts on every plane, the subversion of the New Gods' faiths, the systematic removal of Nature's champions, even Narra's very existence! Truly all the party's goals, the defeat of tyrants and false gods, the restoration of the new faiths and natural guardians, the unification or redefining of splintered factions, serves the need for a unified front against total annihilation.
Next Session
94a: The party reaches the blossoming paradise of Eglantine, last bastion of the Summer Court. Amidst the frivolity and vivaciousness of green fey, the bustle of vast markets and otherworldly wonders, Arinew must somehow gain the confidence of Steward Hjokenstalf and the fealty of his people. His father's sword must be retrieved. The Queen of Fallen Leaves and her armies must be stopped. Alliances must be upheld. And what of Chernobog's crimes against the goddess of nature, Tez, to say nothing of the Imperial Gulag's impending arrival?
summoning the stalker
-
Experience: 1167 xp ( 73,180 total)
summoning the stalker, 4200
RP bonus, 2800
Treasure: Gicha's Winter Shawl (Raina), Gicha's Old Sweeper (Raina)
Gicha’s Winter Shawl
This wild woolen shawl, spun of winter colors, guards its wearer from cold and wracks others.
Level: 18
Price: 85,000 gp
Item Slot: Head
Property: You gain Resist 10 cold.
Power (Daily) Cold: Immediate Reaction. You can use this power when an enemy within 5 squares of you makes a melee or a ranged attack against you. That enemy is immobilized (save ends).
-
Gicha's Old Sweeper
The gnarly broom is made of rough blackwood and marsh reeds, the unassuming guise of a powerful means of travel.
Level: 14
Price: 21,000 gp
Wondrous Item
Property: You know the Plane Shift ritual and may cast it as if you had the Ritual Caster feat.
Power (Weekly): Standard. You can cast the ritual Plane Shift without paying its component cost and with a casting time of one standard action. The broom is considered the vehicle, and whoever is touching it part of the ritual. An Arcana check is still required.
Coin: n/a
Loot: n/a
New NPCs
Verbeeg Chieftain (unnamed): A fourteen-foot tall forest giant with greenish skin and long, brown braids, tattooed in lupine patterns, leader of the moon-wolf clan, worshiper of Kharrush the Stalker. He followed Narra's singing back to camp and implored the party to continue their song and summon forth the Wolf Moon. He formed an alliance with Arinew, promising the support of his and other Verbeeg tribes.
Kharrush the Stalker: Primal spirit of the hunt, wolves and moons, Nature's ultimate predator manifesting as a massive set of ghostly wolf jaws and a full, white moon. He stalks between stars hunting Yith (aberrations) and protecting Creation from the dangers of alien technology and psionics. His chosen are the Archwardens, all of which are now dead, their regalia stolen. He charged the group with retrieving the Wild's shield and standing for more than just one world or one people, rather all Creation.
Lorfelad: One of the rare and sacred unicorns, purest white, with braided mane and tail, black barding and a silvery face plate, alicorn of dazzling gold (which blinds non-virgins). He speaks through thoughts and emotions and possesses miraculous powers of speed and healing. He was a great friend to Arinew's mother before her demise.
Developing NPCs
Ser Gliadim Starkenblum: The sidhe knight was revealed by Lorfelad to be none other than Arinew's cousin, on his mother's side, the son of the bard's aunt. He was somewhat reluctant to get into details about it, but it hardly mattered once Arinew realized he had a blood relative still living.
New Hooks
Shield of the Archwarden: Kharrush charged the group with recovering the shield of his Wild protector, inspiring Arinew, Kiri-Auro and Rogar to take the challenge personally... perhaps to see who is the most deserving?
Developing Hooks
The Doomsday Countdown: The Devourer approaches, intent on swallowing all Creation, and Its brood, the Yith (aberrations), are paving the way, having already infiltrated the worlds across space and time using their fell technologies and subverting psionics. Kharrush fears their meddling has drawn too much attention away from the stars, forced the worlds to squabble and war with one another instead of preparing for the last war, one the gods and spirits will not be able to fight, in which Creation's champions must do battle with the Voidborn. Such evidence can be found throughout the party's histories, whether with the emperor and his abuse of Anubian technology, the warforged's prophecy in Spelltower, the conflicts on every plane, the subversion of the New Gods' faiths, the systematic removal of Nature's champions, even Narra's very existence! Truly all the party's goals, the defeat of tyrants and false gods, the restoration of the new faiths and natural guardians, the unification or redefining of splintered factions, serves the need for a unified front against total annihilation.
Next Session
94a: The party reaches the blossoming paradise of Eglantine, last bastion of the Summer Court. Amidst the frivolity and vivaciousness of green fey, the bustle of vast markets and otherworldly wonders, Arinew must somehow gain the confidence of Steward Hjokenstalf and the fealty of his people. His father's sword must be retrieved. The Queen of Fallen Leaves and her armies must be stopped. Alliances must be upheld. And what of Chernobog's crimes against the goddess of nature, Tez, to say nothing of the Imperial Gulag's impending arrival?
Sunday, December 12, 2010
91b: Ribcage
Patarm 1st
entering purgatory
-
Experience: 1000 xp (77, 406 total)
The Malbolgian, 1600
RP Bonus, 1400
Treasure: n/a
Coin: -30gp (Renato, rooms)
Loot: Osyluth skull (Megaera), Osyluth stinger (Megaera)
New NPCs
Nibbler: Tiefling pickpocket of Ribcage with toothy spurts across his head and joints; stole Diana's dagger and some pocket change, but returned them and took a bribe from Megaera to uncover Mara's location.
Old Slinker (unnamed): An old human whose escaped the Furnace by hiding out in Ribcage, one of many 'Slinkers' hiding from the hellhounds intent on dragging them kicking and screaming to their proper torment. Boldy drank at the bar without fear given Asmodeus' Decree, which prevents any fiend whose entered the city from leaving.
The Malbolgian (dead): An obese bone devil from the Fourth Ring, Malbolge, hiding out from Asmodeus' cultists at The Black and Gold. He picked a fight with the party over a pack of smokes, one he didn't win.
The Avernian (unnamed): A golden devil-woman of exquisite body but over-sized, cumbersome head, native to the First Ring, Avernus, hiding out from Asmodeus' cultists at The Black and Gold. She informed the party that the Asmodeans were capturing fiends and killing half-bloods in attempts to usurp Hecate's church in the city.
The Baron (mentioned): The tiefling ruler of Ribcage, he's been placed under house arrest at Citadella de Barone by the Asmodeans, paralyzing the city's blackguards and ensuring the senate takes no actions against the religious coup.
Calypso Garadin: A nightshade-colored tiefling with long, curling copper horns, of marked beauty, she is a mid-level noblewoman of the influential Garadin merchant family and rival of the Baron. Her great uncles maintained a centuries-long feud with the Baron, but have very recently been swayed by the Asmodeans enough to place a devastating embargo on Ribcage, one that is now starving the populace. She has no real love for the people in their own right, but she sees no benefit in creating a city of emaciated corpses- not after all the work spanning generations, the subtle and delicate political maneuvering and coy deceptions she's so much more fond of. She enlisted the party's aid in assassinating the Asmodean leadership at The Temple of Darkest Secrets in hopes of restoring the status quo (a move that would allow her to gain much power, perhaps even leadership of the family).
Asmodeus (mentioned): Little is known of the Lord of the Nine, beyond the fact he lurks in Gehenna (the Helldark, to say the Underdark of Hell), a nexus of fiery caverns haunted by things even devils fear and which surrounds the Black Sun Nessus, the core of Hell where-in Hecate slumbers. For years it was thought this mysterious being was Hecate's protector, but very recently he has garnered a following and begun usurping Hecate's worship, overtaking her temples and assuming her worshipers, converting her very devils to his whim.
Regret: An erinyes of Megaera's flock guarding the Ivory Towers at behest of the Asmodean cult. She was once a devote follower of Hecate, but claims to have been shown the great lie- that Hecate is not real- and seen the truth behind things, that Asmodeus is the one and only lord of Hell.
Remorse: An erinyes of Megaera's flock guarding the Ivory Towers at behest of the Asmodean cult. She was once a devote follower of Hecate, but claims to have been shown the great lie- that Hecate is not real- and seen the truth behind things, that Asmodeus is the one and only lord of Hell.
Returning NPCs
Mara D'Amoria: The infamous and out-of-favor succubus witch, first thought to be seeking passage back to the Fourth Ring, may in fact be working against Asmodeus' cabal, one last task to prove her devotion and power to the sleeping goddess in search of an exarch.
New Hooks
Cabal of Asmodeus: The once-minor House Flamen has brought the word of Asmodeus to Ribcage, having orchestrated the religious-political coup of the entire city, manipulating the elders of House Garadin into a crazed embargo, usurping the Temple of Darkest Secrets as a home base and slaying all the half-blood clergy, placing the Baron under house arrest and stealing away fiends to be converted, not to mention casting a dire curse, Asmodeus' Decree, which prevents all fiends who have entered the city from leaving. Calypso explained the key to restoring order is in the death of the Flamen heretics, potentially with the help of a freed Baron.
Next Session
92b: The party must defeat two erinyes converts, then perhaps indulge a bit in the Ivory Towers before hunting down and killing the Asmodeus leadership- maybe free the Ribcagian Baron for his added support. And of course there is Mara, mixed up somewhere in this religious-political knot.
entering purgatory
-
Experience: 1000 xp (77, 406 total)
The Malbolgian, 1600
RP Bonus, 1400
Treasure: n/a
Coin: -30gp (Renato, rooms)
Loot: Osyluth skull (Megaera), Osyluth stinger (Megaera)
New NPCs
Nibbler: Tiefling pickpocket of Ribcage with toothy spurts across his head and joints; stole Diana's dagger and some pocket change, but returned them and took a bribe from Megaera to uncover Mara's location.
Old Slinker (unnamed): An old human whose escaped the Furnace by hiding out in Ribcage, one of many 'Slinkers' hiding from the hellhounds intent on dragging them kicking and screaming to their proper torment. Boldy drank at the bar without fear given Asmodeus' Decree, which prevents any fiend whose entered the city from leaving.
The Malbolgian (dead): An obese bone devil from the Fourth Ring, Malbolge, hiding out from Asmodeus' cultists at The Black and Gold. He picked a fight with the party over a pack of smokes, one he didn't win.
The Avernian (unnamed): A golden devil-woman of exquisite body but over-sized, cumbersome head, native to the First Ring, Avernus, hiding out from Asmodeus' cultists at The Black and Gold. She informed the party that the Asmodeans were capturing fiends and killing half-bloods in attempts to usurp Hecate's church in the city.
The Baron (mentioned): The tiefling ruler of Ribcage, he's been placed under house arrest at Citadella de Barone by the Asmodeans, paralyzing the city's blackguards and ensuring the senate takes no actions against the religious coup.
Calypso Garadin: A nightshade-colored tiefling with long, curling copper horns, of marked beauty, she is a mid-level noblewoman of the influential Garadin merchant family and rival of the Baron. Her great uncles maintained a centuries-long feud with the Baron, but have very recently been swayed by the Asmodeans enough to place a devastating embargo on Ribcage, one that is now starving the populace. She has no real love for the people in their own right, but she sees no benefit in creating a city of emaciated corpses- not after all the work spanning generations, the subtle and delicate political maneuvering and coy deceptions she's so much more fond of. She enlisted the party's aid in assassinating the Asmodean leadership at The Temple of Darkest Secrets in hopes of restoring the status quo (a move that would allow her to gain much power, perhaps even leadership of the family).
Asmodeus (mentioned): Little is known of the Lord of the Nine, beyond the fact he lurks in Gehenna (the Helldark, to say the Underdark of Hell), a nexus of fiery caverns haunted by things even devils fear and which surrounds the Black Sun Nessus, the core of Hell where-in Hecate slumbers. For years it was thought this mysterious being was Hecate's protector, but very recently he has garnered a following and begun usurping Hecate's worship, overtaking her temples and assuming her worshipers, converting her very devils to his whim.
Regret: An erinyes of Megaera's flock guarding the Ivory Towers at behest of the Asmodean cult. She was once a devote follower of Hecate, but claims to have been shown the great lie- that Hecate is not real- and seen the truth behind things, that Asmodeus is the one and only lord of Hell.
Remorse: An erinyes of Megaera's flock guarding the Ivory Towers at behest of the Asmodean cult. She was once a devote follower of Hecate, but claims to have been shown the great lie- that Hecate is not real- and seen the truth behind things, that Asmodeus is the one and only lord of Hell.
Returning NPCs
Mara D'Amoria: The infamous and out-of-favor succubus witch, first thought to be seeking passage back to the Fourth Ring, may in fact be working against Asmodeus' cabal, one last task to prove her devotion and power to the sleeping goddess in search of an exarch.
New Hooks
Cabal of Asmodeus: The once-minor House Flamen has brought the word of Asmodeus to Ribcage, having orchestrated the religious-political coup of the entire city, manipulating the elders of House Garadin into a crazed embargo, usurping the Temple of Darkest Secrets as a home base and slaying all the half-blood clergy, placing the Baron under house arrest and stealing away fiends to be converted, not to mention casting a dire curse, Asmodeus' Decree, which prevents all fiends who have entered the city from leaving. Calypso explained the key to restoring order is in the death of the Flamen heretics, potentially with the help of a freed Baron.
Next Session
92b: The party must defeat two erinyes converts, then perhaps indulge a bit in the Ivory Towers before hunting down and killing the Asmodeus leadership- maybe free the Ribcagian Baron for his added support. And of course there is Mara, mixed up somewhere in this religious-political knot.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
92a: Pruning
Raleth 30th
victory at the shrine
-
Experience: 2017 xp (72,013 total)
Shrine Battle, 9300
RP Bonus, 2800
Treasure: Serpent's Kiss Bow (vermillion and emeralds like a two-headed snake, level 18), Cloak of Resistance (rainbow colors, level 17: Kiri-Raina), Tattoo of the Wolverine (level 17: Tyvis)
Coin: 10,000 gp in gold, silver and copper; 2,000 gp minor gems (ruby, emerald, jacinth)
Loot: medicine bag (components enough for 1 free ritual) x 3, hag's wart (consumable, +4 to Arcana checks for rituals, 2000gp each) x 3, owlbear feathers (and other parts)
New NPCs
Hjokenstalf (mentioned): The treant steward of Eglantine, part of a rare and ancient race that once covered all the primeval world.
Gicha Gwyillion: The witch of the cold marshes, somewhere far-flung from Annwn and in the realm of the Winter Court. She proved surprisingly courteous and took kindly to Raina's innocence. Appeared a motherly-looking human woman, but possessed of ogreish feet.
Developing NPCs
Ser Gliadim Starkenblum: The handsome, moon-haired sidhe is in fact a faerie knight of the second petal, sworn protector of the Elder Trees and resident of Eglantine.
Next Session
93a: The party must find Raina and make their way to Eglantine.
victory at the shrine
-
Experience: 2017 xp (72,013 total)
Shrine Battle, 9300
RP Bonus, 2800
Treasure: Serpent's Kiss Bow (vermillion and emeralds like a two-headed snake, level 18), Cloak of Resistance (rainbow colors, level 17: Kiri-Raina), Tattoo of the Wolverine (level 17: Tyvis)
Coin: 10,000 gp in gold, silver and copper; 2,000 gp minor gems (ruby, emerald, jacinth)
Loot: medicine bag (components enough for 1 free ritual) x 3, hag's wart (consumable, +4 to Arcana checks for rituals, 2000gp each) x 3, owlbear feathers (and other parts)
New NPCs
Hjokenstalf (mentioned): The treant steward of Eglantine, part of a rare and ancient race that once covered all the primeval world.
Gicha Gwyillion: The witch of the cold marshes, somewhere far-flung from Annwn and in the realm of the Winter Court. She proved surprisingly courteous and took kindly to Raina's innocence. Appeared a motherly-looking human woman, but possessed of ogreish feet.
Developing NPCs
Ser Gliadim Starkenblum: The handsome, moon-haired sidhe is in fact a faerie knight of the second petal, sworn protector of the Elder Trees and resident of Eglantine.
Next Session
93a: The party must find Raina and make their way to Eglantine.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
90b: Vengeance for Lust
Talsil 30th
-
Experience: 1667 xp (76,406 total)
An Appeal to the Succubi Queen, 3600
RP Bonus 1400
New PC
Megaera, erinyes soldier in Malcanthet's employ and the party's escort into Ribcage.
New NPCs
Malcanthet (manifestation): Queen of the Succubi, she manifested through Belesana by inverting the vampiric beauty, breaking her legs at the knees to form an 'M' and twistingher head 180 degrees, having nearly strangled her to death with her long, red curls. Malcanthet made a deal with Renato and Diana, providing Mara's location and agreeing to resurrect Isabella (free from Mara's control) in exchange for Mara's strange, soul-stealing bauble. It's quite obvious there is no love lost between Malcanthet and Mara, and in fact the queen implied she was partially responsible for Mara's banishment from Hell some millennium prior.
Returning NPCs
Belesana: The precentor of Lust, having tasted the pleasures of Isabella, felt compelled to retrieve the girl from her self-inflicted damnation by calling forth her lady and owner Malcanthet for Renato and Diana. She also provided the bony portal to the Outlands nearest Hell. Despite her gruesome usage, her loyalty is forever Malcanthet's.
New Quests
Her Precious Bauble: Recover Mara's clear gem, the soul repository for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of souls- Isabella's included. Use it as the bargaining chip to hold Malcanthet to her deal of freeing Izzy from the chains of soul bondage.
Next Session
91b: The party enters Ribcage, intent on rooting Mara from her hiding place and taking from her the bauble which contains Isabella's soul. And if they foil whatever she's up to in the gate town, all the better.
-
Experience: 1667 xp (76,406 total)
An Appeal to the Succubi Queen, 3600
RP Bonus 1400
New PC
Megaera, erinyes soldier in Malcanthet's employ and the party's escort into Ribcage.
New NPCs
Malcanthet (manifestation): Queen of the Succubi, she manifested through Belesana by inverting the vampiric beauty, breaking her legs at the knees to form an 'M' and twistingher head 180 degrees, having nearly strangled her to death with her long, red curls. Malcanthet made a deal with Renato and Diana, providing Mara's location and agreeing to resurrect Isabella (free from Mara's control) in exchange for Mara's strange, soul-stealing bauble. It's quite obvious there is no love lost between Malcanthet and Mara, and in fact the queen implied she was partially responsible for Mara's banishment from Hell some millennium prior.
Returning NPCs
Belesana: The precentor of Lust, having tasted the pleasures of Isabella, felt compelled to retrieve the girl from her self-inflicted damnation by calling forth her lady and owner Malcanthet for Renato and Diana. She also provided the bony portal to the Outlands nearest Hell. Despite her gruesome usage, her loyalty is forever Malcanthet's.
New Quests
Her Precious Bauble: Recover Mara's clear gem, the soul repository for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of souls- Isabella's included. Use it as the bargaining chip to hold Malcanthet to her deal of freeing Izzy from the chains of soul bondage.
Next Session
91b: The party enters Ribcage, intent on rooting Mara from her hiding place and taking from her the bauble which contains Isabella's soul. And if they foil whatever she's up to in the gate town, all the better.
Friday, November 19, 2010
91a: Where is Your God Now?
Raleth 30th
the second and third gates
-
Experience: 1,833xp (69,996 total; LEVEL UP 16!)
Second Gate battle, 8600
RP Bonus, 2400
Magic: longsword +1 x 10 (360gp each), hide armor +1 x 10 (360gp each)
Coin: 812 gp, 240sp, 1200cp (Nors and Alliance mints)
Loot: thistle sword (equivalent to a sharp sewing needle), pair of faerie wings (1000gp, consumable, +2 to Nature checks for rituals), holy symbol of Chernobog x 10 (each a tangled fusion of thorns, horns, teeth, feathers, dander, claws, bones and thistles collected in a medicine bag)
New Companions
Durward Fonnig Fignose: A forest gnome with dark brown hair dusted gray at the temples and tanned skin reminiscent of bark, he stands no more than four feet tall, in silvery plate with a similarly silvery tree emblazoned on the chest, marked with black-green leaves. He is a durward of Eglantine, charged with helping protect the city gates, but was lured away by taunting Brittleblossoms and kidnapped by the gnarlhags. He was used as bait to lure Gliadim out, the cult's sacrifice of choice. He was thankful for all the group's help and willing aligned with them, despite Rogar's presence and Arinew claiming to be the son of The Queen of Summer's Song. He wields a spear expertly, given a colorful flair with Kiri-Raina's ribbons.
Ezark Thagnbrood (pending more knowledge): Ezark Thagnbrood is plated in coppery scales edged green with verdigris, shorter and thinner than Rogar, with a stout, curved snout and bright amber eyes. His ropey head-tails reach down to his waist, pulled back, braided and set with the vertebrae of fallen enemies. He wears war-torn leather armor riddled with thorns and brambles after so many fey fights. A curious symbol has been scarred deep into his left cheek and inlaid with copper (no doubt an excruciating procedure), reminiscent of a dragon’s head. In his left palm, a bronze symbol has been melted and fused, also a vaguely draconic image.
New NPCs
The Briar Witch: Pale, briar-and-dead-leaf-covered nymph looking like an angular, black-eyed elf with long, wet, midnight hair, she led a Chernobogian congregation in what would have been the ritualistic sacrifice of Fonnig Fignose. Able to teleport between trees and change her shape, she managed to flee from the party, along with an unnamed Brittleblossom.
Gliadim (pending more knowledge): A pale, handsome summer sidhe dressed in black plate etched with the same silver tree emblem as Fonnig's breastplate. Arinew saved him from suffocating beneath the fallen Chernobog statue. He'd set out to free his friend Fonnig from the gnarlhags, but ended up captured himself, the cultists' original target all along.
Next Session
92a: Faced with the curse-wielding Eiath Gwyllion, coupled with a stone golem and two trained owlbears, the party looks to defeat the last of the shrine's inhabitants with the aid of Fonnig and the freed Ezark.
the second and third gates
-
Experience: 1,833xp (69,996 total; LEVEL UP 16!)
Second Gate battle, 8600
RP Bonus, 2400
Magic: longsword +1 x 10 (360gp each), hide armor +1 x 10 (360gp each)
Coin: 812 gp, 240sp, 1200cp (Nors and Alliance mints)
Loot: thistle sword (equivalent to a sharp sewing needle), pair of faerie wings (1000gp, consumable, +2 to Nature checks for rituals), holy symbol of Chernobog x 10 (each a tangled fusion of thorns, horns, teeth, feathers, dander, claws, bones and thistles collected in a medicine bag)
New Companions
Durward Fonnig Fignose: A forest gnome with dark brown hair dusted gray at the temples and tanned skin reminiscent of bark, he stands no more than four feet tall, in silvery plate with a similarly silvery tree emblazoned on the chest, marked with black-green leaves. He is a durward of Eglantine, charged with helping protect the city gates, but was lured away by taunting Brittleblossoms and kidnapped by the gnarlhags. He was used as bait to lure Gliadim out, the cult's sacrifice of choice. He was thankful for all the group's help and willing aligned with them, despite Rogar's presence and Arinew claiming to be the son of The Queen of Summer's Song. He wields a spear expertly, given a colorful flair with Kiri-Raina's ribbons.
Ezark Thagnbrood (pending more knowledge): Ezark Thagnbrood is plated in coppery scales edged green with verdigris, shorter and thinner than Rogar, with a stout, curved snout and bright amber eyes. His ropey head-tails reach down to his waist, pulled back, braided and set with the vertebrae of fallen enemies. He wears war-torn leather armor riddled with thorns and brambles after so many fey fights. A curious symbol has been scarred deep into his left cheek and inlaid with copper (no doubt an excruciating procedure), reminiscent of a dragon’s head. In his left palm, a bronze symbol has been melted and fused, also a vaguely draconic image.
New NPCs
The Briar Witch: Pale, briar-and-dead-leaf-covered nymph looking like an angular, black-eyed elf with long, wet, midnight hair, she led a Chernobogian congregation in what would have been the ritualistic sacrifice of Fonnig Fignose. Able to teleport between trees and change her shape, she managed to flee from the party, along with an unnamed Brittleblossom.
Gliadim (pending more knowledge): A pale, handsome summer sidhe dressed in black plate etched with the same silver tree emblem as Fonnig's breastplate. Arinew saved him from suffocating beneath the fallen Chernobog statue. He'd set out to free his friend Fonnig from the gnarlhags, but ended up captured himself, the cultists' original target all along.
Next Session
92a: Faced with the curse-wielding Eiath Gwyllion, coupled with a stone golem and two trained owlbears, the party looks to defeat the last of the shrine's inhabitants with the aid of Fonnig and the freed Ezark.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
89b: And Then There Were Two
Talsil 29th
one soul lost
-
Experience: 3,133 xp (74,739 total)
Zulthanza battle, 8000 xp
RP Bonus, 1400
Magic: Ring of Brotherhood, Lhekrina's Shadow Warlock Drowmesh Armor +3, Shadowdance Drowmesh Armor +3 x 2, Elixir of Dragonbreath (level 15, poison) x 2
Coin: 700pp, 8000gp, 400sp (Nors, Saspish, Alliance and Vadenjad mints), Violet Garnet x 4 (500gp each), Black Opal (1000gp)
Loot: Adult Purple Dragon Scales (enough to create 2 suits of scale or plate, alternately enough to use with the Enchant Item ritual to add the Snakeskin armor quality to 1 suit of +4 armor or better; takes on a dusky, purple scale pattern), marble bust of Baron Kasimir Bertrum with bronze plate and secret compartment under the chin (1500gp), a small, crocodile-skin diary with silk pages that magically transcribe whatever is whispered or spoken to them- words invisible to all but the speaker (2500gp), badge and official papers of an Imperial Dragoon by the name of Zultha Nansa, Three-foot-tall Tir'bukan gargoyle of red stone depicting a winged snake devouring the sun, with rubies for eyes and hammered gold for the sun disc (2500gp), Incestuous love letters writ on gold-leaf parchment sent by the purple dragon Marzonn promising his undying love and their eventual reunion. Each letter is bound in purple ribbon about the crushed body of the nightingale which delivered it, a collection of twenty or so dead birds, Spotted Toadstool Venom x 4
PC Death
Isabella Il'spana, ravaged by the psychotic, living fumes of a deep dragon's breath until her body swelled and her head exploded.
New NPCs
Erasmus 'Pietro' Ruiz: To Diana a close friend of her mother's who helped spirit her out of the city, to Renato his blacklisted uncle, he's a portly, older vampire with wide lips and a frog's right eye. Unusually well-informed, enough to confront Urlas and find Diana though she'd only been in the city for two days, he warned about being so obvious. He'd a tale to tell, of lust, jealousy and the Strangeheart, revealing that Diana's mother and Renato's father once had an affair. He was close with his brother and seems to care for his nephew's well being. Though affiliated with the Cult of the Phoenix, he made no mention of them during the meeting at the bistro, even when asked.
Lady Giovanna Savrano (mentioned, dead): Diana's dead mother, a minor noble in the vast nobility of House Il'spana who was given the Strangeheart as a gift by her lover, Lord Ruiz. She managed to pass on the belt to Diana with the help of her friend Pietro before being murdered by the assassin Dust.
Lord Savrano (mentioned): Diana's father, a minor noble whose on the meteoric rise in city politics, having worked his way up in House Il'spana over the year and some months since Diana's departure. He's involved in banking and funds for the rich house and has been working under the direct supervision of Sire Puzinello himself! Diana and Pietro strongly suspect he was the one who put the hit out on Lady Savrano, and likely managed to pin it on Lord Ruiz and his son.
Lord Giovanni Ruiz (mentioned): Renato's father, once a commanding lord of House Ruiz, destined to one day be called Sire, he was ensnared in the murder of an Il'spanian noblewoman (Lady Savrano) and all hopes of ascension were dashed. That woman was also his lover, whom he'd doted on for years, and the reason he forsook his assassin's vows to protect instead of kill her that fateful night. He failed to defend her, however, from the expert Dust and cadre of lesser killers, whereupon the murder was pinned on him, and his son. He now wallows in the greatest of the Ordo's temples, where The Shadow Cabinet convenes, suffering 'The Ninety-Nine Cuts' as slow, torturous punishment for his refusal to carry out his mission.
Returning NPCs
Maarth: After the battle with Zulthanza, Maarth reappeared, having watched the whole thing and judging Renato a worthy assassin, both for his prowess in killing and his ability to maintain a fair and impartial stance, not overly driven by a hatred for life or an addiction to murder. He gave Renato The Librarian's Key he used to lock the drow's Shadow Door. He assured Renato that not all the Ordo were 'depraved cultists' and that if he looked hard enough he might find those loyal to the Ordo and not to Tenebrous. Maarth told them the back way out and slipped into the shadows, a new ally.
Malvern Moritan: Waiting for the group to return to the safe house, he was angered and confused over the state of his sister. He talked it over with Renato, admitting he hated existence and the gods, and that if killing himself wouldn't likely take him closer to them he'd have done it years ago. Renato managed to assure him he'd do everything in his power to take care of them both, and when he showed his own emotions after the loss of Isabella, Malvern made a thoughtful pass at the assassin, promising to always be there for him, however he needed. What's more, his loyalty was rewarded only a few minutes later when Diana managed to ease Regina to sleep. He hugged the sorceress, grateful beyond words, bringing a little bit of light to an otherwise horrid day.
Regina Moritan: Touched after all she'd suffered during the chaos fusion and Oborl Scratch's wormy kiss, she'd been unable to sleep, simply laid on the bed, eyes wide, remarking strangely on this or that. Malvern was beside himself, but, after Diana showed her the stars and Kalinda via a telepathic link, the girl fell into a deep sleep. Somehow they knew she'd be all right.
Urlas Chavosk: The hapless accomplice in all these secret dealings, having brought Pietro along on his date with Diana, fetching all sorts of food and drink, and doing his best to understand the sorceress's very complicated life. Despite enough baggage to drive off Prince Charming, he remains loyal to Diana and interested in pursuing things further. He is handsome and well-endowed, after all, and his penniless family might be overlooked should he continue to prove worthy.
Marzonn: He knows what you did...
Developing Hooks
Unfettered (combining Mara's Reckoning and Slave): Track down the succubus witch Mara wherever she might be holed up and make her forfeit Isabella's soul, by whatever means necessary.
The Great Vampiric Conspiracy (combining A Murdered Mother, Revenge of the Son, The Coup, Mommy Dearest, The Secrets of the Strangeheart, The Dark Religion and Hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix): Plots within plots, the events in Saspien tell of murder, revenge, lust, a cosmic gem and two secret orders. Decipher how they all connect. Uncover 'The Great Vampiric Conspiracy'!
Next Session
90b: Renato and Diana must delay their business in Saspien to track down the infamous succubus Mara, owner of Izzy's damned soul.
one soul lost
-
Experience: 3,133 xp (74,739 total)
Zulthanza battle, 8000 xp
RP Bonus, 1400
Magic: Ring of Brotherhood, Lhekrina's Shadow Warlock Drowmesh Armor +3, Shadowdance Drowmesh Armor +3 x 2, Elixir of Dragonbreath (level 15, poison) x 2
Coin: 700pp, 8000gp, 400sp (Nors, Saspish, Alliance and Vadenjad mints), Violet Garnet x 4 (500gp each), Black Opal (1000gp)
Loot: Adult Purple Dragon Scales (enough to create 2 suits of scale or plate, alternately enough to use with the Enchant Item ritual to add the Snakeskin armor quality to 1 suit of +4 armor or better; takes on a dusky, purple scale pattern), marble bust of Baron Kasimir Bertrum with bronze plate and secret compartment under the chin (1500gp), a small, crocodile-skin diary with silk pages that magically transcribe whatever is whispered or spoken to them- words invisible to all but the speaker (2500gp), badge and official papers of an Imperial Dragoon by the name of Zultha Nansa, Three-foot-tall Tir'bukan gargoyle of red stone depicting a winged snake devouring the sun, with rubies for eyes and hammered gold for the sun disc (2500gp), Incestuous love letters writ on gold-leaf parchment sent by the purple dragon Marzonn promising his undying love and their eventual reunion. Each letter is bound in purple ribbon about the crushed body of the nightingale which delivered it, a collection of twenty or so dead birds, Spotted Toadstool Venom x 4
PC Death
Isabella Il'spana, ravaged by the psychotic, living fumes of a deep dragon's breath until her body swelled and her head exploded.
New NPCs
Erasmus 'Pietro' Ruiz: To Diana a close friend of her mother's who helped spirit her out of the city, to Renato his blacklisted uncle, he's a portly, older vampire with wide lips and a frog's right eye. Unusually well-informed, enough to confront Urlas and find Diana though she'd only been in the city for two days, he warned about being so obvious. He'd a tale to tell, of lust, jealousy and the Strangeheart, revealing that Diana's mother and Renato's father once had an affair. He was close with his brother and seems to care for his nephew's well being. Though affiliated with the Cult of the Phoenix, he made no mention of them during the meeting at the bistro, even when asked.
Lady Giovanna Savrano (mentioned, dead): Diana's dead mother, a minor noble in the vast nobility of House Il'spana who was given the Strangeheart as a gift by her lover, Lord Ruiz. She managed to pass on the belt to Diana with the help of her friend Pietro before being murdered by the assassin Dust.
Lord Savrano (mentioned): Diana's father, a minor noble whose on the meteoric rise in city politics, having worked his way up in House Il'spana over the year and some months since Diana's departure. He's involved in banking and funds for the rich house and has been working under the direct supervision of Sire Puzinello himself! Diana and Pietro strongly suspect he was the one who put the hit out on Lady Savrano, and likely managed to pin it on Lord Ruiz and his son.
Lord Giovanni Ruiz (mentioned): Renato's father, once a commanding lord of House Ruiz, destined to one day be called Sire, he was ensnared in the murder of an Il'spanian noblewoman (Lady Savrano) and all hopes of ascension were dashed. That woman was also his lover, whom he'd doted on for years, and the reason he forsook his assassin's vows to protect instead of kill her that fateful night. He failed to defend her, however, from the expert Dust and cadre of lesser killers, whereupon the murder was pinned on him, and his son. He now wallows in the greatest of the Ordo's temples, where The Shadow Cabinet convenes, suffering 'The Ninety-Nine Cuts' as slow, torturous punishment for his refusal to carry out his mission.
Returning NPCs
Maarth: After the battle with Zulthanza, Maarth reappeared, having watched the whole thing and judging Renato a worthy assassin, both for his prowess in killing and his ability to maintain a fair and impartial stance, not overly driven by a hatred for life or an addiction to murder. He gave Renato The Librarian's Key he used to lock the drow's Shadow Door. He assured Renato that not all the Ordo were 'depraved cultists' and that if he looked hard enough he might find those loyal to the Ordo and not to Tenebrous. Maarth told them the back way out and slipped into the shadows, a new ally.
Malvern Moritan: Waiting for the group to return to the safe house, he was angered and confused over the state of his sister. He talked it over with Renato, admitting he hated existence and the gods, and that if killing himself wouldn't likely take him closer to them he'd have done it years ago. Renato managed to assure him he'd do everything in his power to take care of them both, and when he showed his own emotions after the loss of Isabella, Malvern made a thoughtful pass at the assassin, promising to always be there for him, however he needed. What's more, his loyalty was rewarded only a few minutes later when Diana managed to ease Regina to sleep. He hugged the sorceress, grateful beyond words, bringing a little bit of light to an otherwise horrid day.
Regina Moritan: Touched after all she'd suffered during the chaos fusion and Oborl Scratch's wormy kiss, she'd been unable to sleep, simply laid on the bed, eyes wide, remarking strangely on this or that. Malvern was beside himself, but, after Diana showed her the stars and Kalinda via a telepathic link, the girl fell into a deep sleep. Somehow they knew she'd be all right.
Urlas Chavosk: The hapless accomplice in all these secret dealings, having brought Pietro along on his date with Diana, fetching all sorts of food and drink, and doing his best to understand the sorceress's very complicated life. Despite enough baggage to drive off Prince Charming, he remains loyal to Diana and interested in pursuing things further. He is handsome and well-endowed, after all, and his penniless family might be overlooked should he continue to prove worthy.
Marzonn: He knows what you did...
Developing Hooks
Unfettered (combining Mara's Reckoning and Slave): Track down the succubus witch Mara wherever she might be holed up and make her forfeit Isabella's soul, by whatever means necessary.
The Great Vampiric Conspiracy (combining A Murdered Mother, Revenge of the Son, The Coup, Mommy Dearest, The Secrets of the Strangeheart, The Dark Religion and Hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix): Plots within plots, the events in Saspien tell of murder, revenge, lust, a cosmic gem and two secret orders. Decipher how they all connect. Uncover 'The Great Vampiric Conspiracy'!
Next Session
90b: Renato and Diana must delay their business in Saspien to track down the infamous succubus Mara, owner of Izzy's damned soul.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
90a: Fecund
Raleth 30th
swiftly to the shrine
-
Experience: 1833 xp (68,163 total)
First Gate battle, 8000
A Benevolent Prince, 600
RP Bonus, 2400
Magic: Iron Armbands of Power (level 16) x 2, Verdant Staff (level 17)
Coin: 393 gp, 61 sp, 90 cp
Loot: fox fur pendant inlaid in gold (1200gp), bronze rod set with an egg-sized moonstone (5000gp), finely-crafted leather headband adorned with beads and a falcon feather (1gp), a holly laurel in permanent bloom (120gp), two thistle swords (equivalent to sharp sewing needles), set of faerie wings x 2 (+2 to Nature checks for rituals, consumable, 1000gp per set), pair of centaur testicles x 2 (black market cure for erectile dysfunction, consumable, 2000gp per pair).
New Mounts
Hippocamp (singular hippocampus): On particularly powerful calls of Arinew's steed ritual, hippocamp answer, water horses with dolphin skin, sleek and streaked with greens, blues and silvers. They've fin crests and porpoise tails, and instead of hooves constantly bubbling whitewater. Gentle in nature, regal in appearance, they move faster than most creatures on Othyr or in the Wild.
New NPCs
Razilynn: A proud and angry faerie of the Brittleblossom Clique and member of the Court of Autumn, she was questioned by Arinew and then set free, likely to the detriment of the group.
Eiath Gwyllion (mentioned): The Gnarlhags; Three sisters who share mind, knowledge and sentence, custodians of the new shrine and worshipers of Chernobog.
Next Session
91a: The Saviors storm the second gate in their efforts to free Rogar's brother and learn more of the green faith and the Court of Autumn.
swiftly to the shrine
-
Experience: 1833 xp (68,163 total)
First Gate battle, 8000
A Benevolent Prince, 600
RP Bonus, 2400
Magic: Iron Armbands of Power (level 16) x 2, Verdant Staff (level 17)
Coin: 393 gp, 61 sp, 90 cp
Loot: fox fur pendant inlaid in gold (1200gp), bronze rod set with an egg-sized moonstone (5000gp), finely-crafted leather headband adorned with beads and a falcon feather (1gp), a holly laurel in permanent bloom (120gp), two thistle swords (equivalent to sharp sewing needles), set of faerie wings x 2 (+2 to Nature checks for rituals, consumable, 1000gp per set), pair of centaur testicles x 2 (black market cure for erectile dysfunction, consumable, 2000gp per pair).
New Mounts
Hippocamp (singular hippocampus): On particularly powerful calls of Arinew's steed ritual, hippocamp answer, water horses with dolphin skin, sleek and streaked with greens, blues and silvers. They've fin crests and porpoise tails, and instead of hooves constantly bubbling whitewater. Gentle in nature, regal in appearance, they move faster than most creatures on Othyr or in the Wild.
New NPCs
Razilynn: A proud and angry faerie of the Brittleblossom Clique and member of the Court of Autumn, she was questioned by Arinew and then set free, likely to the detriment of the group.
Eiath Gwyllion (mentioned): The Gnarlhags; Three sisters who share mind, knowledge and sentence, custodians of the new shrine and worshipers of Chernobog.
Next Session
91a: The Saviors storm the second gate in their efforts to free Rogar's brother and learn more of the green faith and the Court of Autumn.
Friday, November 12, 2010
88b: The Lives You End May be Your Own
Talsil 28th
the deep path to demise
-
Experience: 3100 xp each (71,606 total; LEVEL UP 16!)
Ambush Battle, 6300
A Reasonable, Young Vampire (Maarth negotiation), 600
Gregtchen Battle, 1200
RP Bonus, 1200
Coin: 17pp, gp, sp, cp and 1 emerald (1000gp)
Magic: +3 holy symbol of Tenebrous, +4 Pact Hammer
Loot: drow priestess's severed head (Izzy)
New NPCs
Drow Priestess of Tenebrous (unnamed, dead): Resident priestess of Tenebrous in the fallen library, a drow who adamantly believed in his divinity and possessed an array of killing powers which she attributed to him. She was taken as a prisoner for a time, but after all Isabella's promises and anticipation of her torture and execution, Diana saw it merciful to kill her during a battle under the guise of accidental.
Gregtchen (dead): A slimy, green hag lurking in the mineral pools beneath the fallen library. She took great joy in terrifying Isabella and nearly drowned Renato.
Demise: One of the most skilled assassins in the entire Ordo, considered the very best drow killer, and their defacto leader. Many suspect she is a Lord of the Night, a member of The Shadow Cabinet, though it's yet to be confirmed. She's dressed in painful and revealing bondage, leathers, piercings, six-inch-heels, with flowing, red hair and unusually black eyes. She offered Renato a chance to give up his revenge and join them, then sicked Zulthanza on the party while she attended to more pressing matters with the envoy of spiders.
Envoy of Spiders: Once a lovely dark elf with chunks missing from her jaw and shoulder, bite marks its seems, wrapped in gossamer web. She represents a 'new player' in the Ordo's transformation from neutral order to dark religion.
Tenebrous (implied): Taras, the last surviving shadow dragon. At the end of The Demon War, he was aged from a wyrmling to an ancient wyrm in the fabled 'Pyramid of Time' by Shalraza herself. He had been the familiar of the dragon sorcerer Nailo, a late ally of the Saviors, but turned on them for his and his god Kultuss' greater glory. He was defeated and sent fleeing back into the shadows by King Matthias, who always felt the fight unfinished. There were frost giant parties that hunted for the shadow wyrm, and a great reward set for information on his whereabouts, but Taras was not found- or heard from- until nearly two years ago when his brood Zulthanza and Marzonn were discovered aiding the since-defunct Hand of Doom. It seems he has entered some agreement with the Ordo Templi Nox, posing as their dark god in their evolution from neutral assassins to dark religion.
Returning NPCs
Zulthanza: A matured purple dragon, daughter of Tenebrous, aiding the Ordo's religion which worships her father. She was last seen by Isabella in The Screaming Caves, still little more than a wyrmling. Somehow Zulthanza has aged hundreds of years to maturity in only a year and some months.
New Hooks
Spiders Envoy: Who or what does this envoy of spiders represent? In what capacity is this 'new player' as Demise put it involved with the transmogrification of the Ordo into a dark religion?
Developing Hooks
The Dark Religion (was Lost Souls): The outer god of the Ordo, Tenebrous, has been revealed as the shadow wyrm Taras, one of the most powerful ancient dragons left in Creation. In collaboration with The Shadow Cabinet, Taras has begun garnering souls and worship, empowering the assassin order with devoted followers and expanded influence across the worlds. As Demise explained, where once the Ordo was limited to fear and contracts by kings, high priests and planar lords, they now command a death cult of myriad dark followers. It is their intention to use this burgeoning religion to eventually achieve dominion over all.
Next Session
89b: The Dark Three face their most difficult foe yet, the sleek, shadowy deep dragon Zulthanza, over fifty feet long and fifteen feet tall, armored in dusky, purple scales, warded by serpentine tail, promising the sting of a thousand needle-like teeth, the rip of hooked, angular wings and blasts of swirling, hallucinogenic breath.
the deep path to demise
-
Experience: 3100 xp each (71,606 total; LEVEL UP 16!)
Ambush Battle, 6300
A Reasonable, Young Vampire (Maarth negotiation), 600
Gregtchen Battle, 1200
RP Bonus, 1200
Coin: 17pp, gp, sp, cp and 1 emerald (1000gp)
Magic: +3 holy symbol of Tenebrous, +4 Pact Hammer
Loot: drow priestess's severed head (Izzy)
New NPCs
Drow Priestess of Tenebrous (unnamed, dead): Resident priestess of Tenebrous in the fallen library, a drow who adamantly believed in his divinity and possessed an array of killing powers which she attributed to him. She was taken as a prisoner for a time, but after all Isabella's promises and anticipation of her torture and execution, Diana saw it merciful to kill her during a battle under the guise of accidental.
Gregtchen (dead): A slimy, green hag lurking in the mineral pools beneath the fallen library. She took great joy in terrifying Isabella and nearly drowned Renato.
Demise: One of the most skilled assassins in the entire Ordo, considered the very best drow killer, and their defacto leader. Many suspect she is a Lord of the Night, a member of The Shadow Cabinet, though it's yet to be confirmed. She's dressed in painful and revealing bondage, leathers, piercings, six-inch-heels, with flowing, red hair and unusually black eyes. She offered Renato a chance to give up his revenge and join them, then sicked Zulthanza on the party while she attended to more pressing matters with the envoy of spiders.
Envoy of Spiders: Once a lovely dark elf with chunks missing from her jaw and shoulder, bite marks its seems, wrapped in gossamer web. She represents a 'new player' in the Ordo's transformation from neutral order to dark religion.
Tenebrous (implied): Taras, the last surviving shadow dragon. At the end of The Demon War, he was aged from a wyrmling to an ancient wyrm in the fabled 'Pyramid of Time' by Shalraza herself. He had been the familiar of the dragon sorcerer Nailo, a late ally of the Saviors, but turned on them for his and his god Kultuss' greater glory. He was defeated and sent fleeing back into the shadows by King Matthias, who always felt the fight unfinished. There were frost giant parties that hunted for the shadow wyrm, and a great reward set for information on his whereabouts, but Taras was not found- or heard from- until nearly two years ago when his brood Zulthanza and Marzonn were discovered aiding the since-defunct Hand of Doom. It seems he has entered some agreement with the Ordo Templi Nox, posing as their dark god in their evolution from neutral assassins to dark religion.
Returning NPCs
Zulthanza: A matured purple dragon, daughter of Tenebrous, aiding the Ordo's religion which worships her father. She was last seen by Isabella in The Screaming Caves, still little more than a wyrmling. Somehow Zulthanza has aged hundreds of years to maturity in only a year and some months.
New Hooks
Spiders Envoy: Who or what does this envoy of spiders represent? In what capacity is this 'new player' as Demise put it involved with the transmogrification of the Ordo into a dark religion?
Developing Hooks
The Dark Religion (was Lost Souls): The outer god of the Ordo, Tenebrous, has been revealed as the shadow wyrm Taras, one of the most powerful ancient dragons left in Creation. In collaboration with The Shadow Cabinet, Taras has begun garnering souls and worship, empowering the assassin order with devoted followers and expanded influence across the worlds. As Demise explained, where once the Ordo was limited to fear and contracts by kings, high priests and planar lords, they now command a death cult of myriad dark followers. It is their intention to use this burgeoning religion to eventually achieve dominion over all.
Next Session
89b: The Dark Three face their most difficult foe yet, the sleek, shadowy deep dragon Zulthanza, over fifty feet long and fifteen feet tall, armored in dusky, purple scales, warded by serpentine tail, promising the sting of a thousand needle-like teeth, the rip of hooked, angular wings and blasts of swirling, hallucinogenic breath.
Friday, November 5, 2010
89a: Beautiful and Deadly
Raleth 29th
crossing into Annwn
-
Experience: 1200 each (66,330 total)
Sweeping 'cross the Plain skill challenge, 4800
Narra's Song, 600
Treating with the Little Lord, 600
RP Bonus, 1200
Loot: pink diamond (5000gp, Narra)
New PCs
Kiri-Auro
Kiri-Raina
Rogar
New NPCs
Lord Stinpolk Figgius: A lesser elemental noble of the Court of Autumn, invisible and comprised of cold winds. He rules from the chin of King's Mountain to the western walls of Eglantine. 23rd cousin to the Queen of Fallen Leaves, he fears her greatly. He answered a few questions for Rogar and Arinew before being set free, for good or ill remains to be seen...
Queen of Fallen Leaves (mentioned): Fey matriarch of the Court of Autumn, a feared sidhe whose outlawed song and holds the blade Solstice in her possession. Those who besmirch her suffer swift visitation by the Honor Guard.
Autumnal Honor Guard: Those who insult or challenge the Queen of Fallen Leaves within her domain are descended upon by her Honor Guard, fey knights who make quick work of those with rebellion on their tongue and insurrection in their hearts. They come on with tremendous speed, uninhibited by tree or mountain. While the party never saw them, they are distinct riders, not centaurs, more magically imbued and very likely more powerful.
New Hooks
Birthright (Arinew): Make contact with the last of the Summer Court in Eglantine, prove your lineage, reclaim the sword of your father: Solstice, and rally the scattered fey forces in opposition to the dominion of the Autumn Court and The Green God.
The Last Archdruid (Tyvis): Heed Yggdrassil's warnings and make an enemy of those loyal to The Green God. The time approaches when you must act as champion of the Primal Spirits against the four-fold might of their fallen son.
Bonds of Blood (Rogar): The Wild War has raged for most of your life, and now, finally, it is drawing to a close. Find your surviving brothers and sisters, save them from the lies and the tyranny of both your father and The Green God- or punish them for the errors of their ways.
Origin (Narra): Huron's orb tracks the approach of the Anubian ship, what Tyvis calls the Imperial Gulag, what you recognize as Facility Beta. There men and women are brainwashed and reprogrammed, maybe even distilled, by advanced technology operated by the leading Nors scientist-torturers and hypnotists, hellborn surgeons and devious red dragons. Its vast logs and memory banks are certain to contain record of your birth and the location of whatever other facilities may be out there, perhaps the identity of your true parents- if you have parents, or the grim confirmation you are simply a free-thinking puppet, designed and grown from a dish.
Next Session
90a: The unlikely party continues on their way to Eglantine, last bastion of the Summer Court, poised to rescue Rogar's brother from Chernobog's newest shrine along the way.
crossing into Annwn
-
Experience: 1200 each (66,330 total)
Sweeping 'cross the Plain skill challenge, 4800
Narra's Song, 600
Treating with the Little Lord, 600
RP Bonus, 1200
Loot: pink diamond (5000gp, Narra)
New PCs
Kiri-Auro
Kiri-Raina
Rogar
New NPCs
Lord Stinpolk Figgius: A lesser elemental noble of the Court of Autumn, invisible and comprised of cold winds. He rules from the chin of King's Mountain to the western walls of Eglantine. 23rd cousin to the Queen of Fallen Leaves, he fears her greatly. He answered a few questions for Rogar and Arinew before being set free, for good or ill remains to be seen...
Queen of Fallen Leaves (mentioned): Fey matriarch of the Court of Autumn, a feared sidhe whose outlawed song and holds the blade Solstice in her possession. Those who besmirch her suffer swift visitation by the Honor Guard.
Autumnal Honor Guard: Those who insult or challenge the Queen of Fallen Leaves within her domain are descended upon by her Honor Guard, fey knights who make quick work of those with rebellion on their tongue and insurrection in their hearts. They come on with tremendous speed, uninhibited by tree or mountain. While the party never saw them, they are distinct riders, not centaurs, more magically imbued and very likely more powerful.
New Hooks
Birthright (Arinew): Make contact with the last of the Summer Court in Eglantine, prove your lineage, reclaim the sword of your father: Solstice, and rally the scattered fey forces in opposition to the dominion of the Autumn Court and The Green God.
The Last Archdruid (Tyvis): Heed Yggdrassil's warnings and make an enemy of those loyal to The Green God. The time approaches when you must act as champion of the Primal Spirits against the four-fold might of their fallen son.
Bonds of Blood (Rogar): The Wild War has raged for most of your life, and now, finally, it is drawing to a close. Find your surviving brothers and sisters, save them from the lies and the tyranny of both your father and The Green God- or punish them for the errors of their ways.
Origin (Narra): Huron's orb tracks the approach of the Anubian ship, what Tyvis calls the Imperial Gulag, what you recognize as Facility Beta. There men and women are brainwashed and reprogrammed, maybe even distilled, by advanced technology operated by the leading Nors scientist-torturers and hypnotists, hellborn surgeons and devious red dragons. Its vast logs and memory banks are certain to contain record of your birth and the location of whatever other facilities may be out there, perhaps the identity of your true parents- if you have parents, or the grim confirmation you are simply a free-thinking puppet, designed and grown from a dish.
Next Session
90a: The unlikely party continues on their way to Eglantine, last bastion of the Summer Court, poised to rescue Rogar's brother from Chernobog's newest shrine along the way.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
87b: Dark Elves and Darker Prophecies
Talsil 28th
the stars foretold
-
Experience: 2500 xp each (68,506 total)
Treating with Alistar, 600
Spider at the Door, 2000
The Main Repository Battle, 2250
The Summoning Chamber Battle, 2400
+ treating with Oborl Scratch
Game Over Surprise Attack, 250
Magic: Kamesti's Crossbow +4 (Renato), Desert Rose Potion (Renato), 'Adjure' Ritual (Izzy)
Coin: pending collection of the drow's pot
Current Companions
+ Orso Mallus
+ Ladybear
- Regina Moritan (went crazy after being fused with a drow, dug out by bear claws and blades, then brought back to reality by a powerful demon's wormy-tongued kiss)
New NPCs
Alistar Huma: Mad prophet of the Nebul Jihad, The Nine Stars of Chaos, he is the last scion of House Huma, a menacing, bestial starlock that haunts Saspien's Ruins. He predicts the end of all worlds in nine years in a prophecy relating to Kalinda and The Devourer. Details were found in riddles and sing-song, other times in eerie deadpan, but Diana showed no fear and learned a crucial portent that somehow includes her (see Star Child hook).
Oborl Scratch: A powerful demon on the level of Vrock, his abyssal aura produced vermin and affliction in all those near him: coughing up maggots, picking lice beds in the scalp, sneezing out grub, tugging tapeworms from anus. He appeared elephantine, gray, muscular, with two massive, curled horns used to impale a summoner and a face perpetually shadowed so only blazing eyes and a wide grin were visible, glowing even. Renato managed to convince the chaotic being to kill the drow binders and not the group. The demon, ever the gentleman, restored Regina to her senses free of charge (though its questionable whether or not that was the best move given her fragile state).
New Hooks
Star Child: Alistar spoke a startling prophecy congruent with all the knowledge gleaned in Spelltower and from the warforged regarding a Void Invasion and The Devourer from beyond the stars. The end of all worlds is swiftly on its way and the one hope for Creation involves the child born of virgin bride. The mad starlock kissed Diana's forehead and she knew, deep down, she was a part of it.
His sing-song was as follows: "When cosmic darkness does descend, and all the worlds come to their end, a child born of virgin bride will reignite the starry tide and call her sister back from doom and take her place as rightful moon."
Next Session
88b: The Dark Three and their enduring companions continue to battle through the Fallen Library, killing as they go, and hoping none in the sunken halls and adjoining caverns are up to the challenge.
the stars foretold
-
Experience: 2500 xp each (68,506 total)
Treating with Alistar, 600
Spider at the Door, 2000
The Main Repository Battle, 2250
The Summoning Chamber Battle, 2400
+ treating with Oborl Scratch
Game Over Surprise Attack, 250
Magic: Kamesti's Crossbow +4 (Renato), Desert Rose Potion (Renato), 'Adjure' Ritual (Izzy)
Coin: pending collection of the drow's pot
Current Companions
+ Orso Mallus
+ Ladybear
- Regina Moritan (went crazy after being fused with a drow, dug out by bear claws and blades, then brought back to reality by a powerful demon's wormy-tongued kiss)
New NPCs
Alistar Huma: Mad prophet of the Nebul Jihad, The Nine Stars of Chaos, he is the last scion of House Huma, a menacing, bestial starlock that haunts Saspien's Ruins. He predicts the end of all worlds in nine years in a prophecy relating to Kalinda and The Devourer. Details were found in riddles and sing-song, other times in eerie deadpan, but Diana showed no fear and learned a crucial portent that somehow includes her (see Star Child hook).
Oborl Scratch: A powerful demon on the level of Vrock, his abyssal aura produced vermin and affliction in all those near him: coughing up maggots, picking lice beds in the scalp, sneezing out grub, tugging tapeworms from anus. He appeared elephantine, gray, muscular, with two massive, curled horns used to impale a summoner and a face perpetually shadowed so only blazing eyes and a wide grin were visible, glowing even. Renato managed to convince the chaotic being to kill the drow binders and not the group. The demon, ever the gentleman, restored Regina to her senses free of charge (though its questionable whether or not that was the best move given her fragile state).
New Hooks
Star Child: Alistar spoke a startling prophecy congruent with all the knowledge gleaned in Spelltower and from the warforged regarding a Void Invasion and The Devourer from beyond the stars. The end of all worlds is swiftly on its way and the one hope for Creation involves the child born of virgin bride. The mad starlock kissed Diana's forehead and she knew, deep down, she was a part of it.
His sing-song was as follows: "When cosmic darkness does descend, and all the worlds come to their end, a child born of virgin bride will reignite the starry tide and call her sister back from doom and take her place as rightful moon."
Next Session
88b: The Dark Three and their enduring companions continue to battle through the Fallen Library, killing as they go, and hoping none in the sunken halls and adjoining caverns are up to the challenge.
Monday, October 25, 2010
86b: Sinful
Talsil 27th
o fruitful sin...
(placeholder)
Epilogue
A night at the opera.
Experience: 1400 xp each (66,006 total)
Conquering the Circus of Shadows, 3000
RP Bonus, 1200
Magic: Deep Pocket Cloak +4, Fragrance of Authority x 3, The Harlequin's Key (key to the Shadow Door of the Circus of Shadows)
Coin: 16 pp, 8000 gp, 1200 sp and 1 fire opal (1000 gp)
Loot: limited control of the Circus of Shadows (Renato), use of Harnok's Suite 'The Red Light Room' (Renato)
New NPCs
Sabine A'mour: Lovely vampire with flaxen hair and a thin frame, a slave whose soul is owned by the royal succubus Shami-Amourae. Sabine often frequents the Chapel of Lust, where she met Isabella. Like the slave-princess, she wears a mark of servitude, hers in the form of a ball and chain, small enough to carry but heavy enough to remind her always of her true mistress.
Archduke Pequid (mentioned): The Lord of Lust, archfiend ruler of The Fifth Ring of Hell. He is a terrifying creature, hulking and bearded, cloven of hoof, and partial to women's clothing: great ball gowns or sultry laces depending on the occasion. At one moment he might be fanciful, almost frivolous, but the next filled with unimaginable rage and quick to dole out the sickest of punishments. A rosy marble idol of his likeness stands in the Chapel of Lust, part of the greater Cathedral of Hecate in Saspien.
Shami-Amourae (mentioned): The royal succubus sister to their queen Malcanthet, a very powerful and very alluring devil who at one time warred for the coveted title. She even went so far as to align with demons during The Dark War, but was defeated and sentenced to the Well of Darkness. In recent years she has made amends with her sister, helping Malcanthet solidify her power in The Fifth Ring as Archduke Pequid's most cherished adviser and lover.
Lysander Rheghas: A tall, broad vampire gladiator of marked beauty painted with streaks of gold and in nothing more than a loincloth, collar and muzzle. His soul belongs to Archduke Pequid, a reality he's long ago come to terms with, accepting hopelessness and taking pride in his being chosen. He chided Izzy for seeking a glimmer of hope and insinuated Mara was out of favor with The Fifth Ring. He also forced the slave-princess down on him, exerting power as slave of Pequid over a slave of lowly Mara.
Belesana Doveel: The pale, redheaded precentor of the Chapel of Lust, a vampire of fluid movements and ample curves partial to flowing, ephemeral robes. She tends the Pequid idol and leads the lustite congregations in song and orgy. She took notice of Isabella's beauty and thought to test her arts as anguiness. The girl passed, earning herself a good word with High Priestess Widofa Lorein and a place of honor among the congregation.
Urlas Chavosk: A young, swarthy and soft-spoken nobleman of a minor family of House al'Zareef. He was once favored to marry Diana several years ago, the girl only remembering him for rumor of his large... natural asset. His family has since gone bankrupt. His sister, mother and he now live in the Ziggurat itself, in the windowless chambers of his skilled father's summoning cloister.
Regina Moritan: The youngest of the Streetwives (14), and one of the youngest Ordo members, it's even more unusual she is a human on the dangerous streets of the Circus of Shadows. Yet she must have some skill as an assassin, skill unseen due to a clever administration of paralyzing poison by Renato. She fearfully called him master in order to safe her own life, but truly pledged her loyalty after Renato helped rescue her older brother from the depraved clutches of Ringmaster Harnok Shir-narn.
Malvern Moritan: Regina's older brother (17), a thin, pretty human boy and favored of the wretched tiefling Harnok Shir-narn for all manner of unspeakable sexual acts in his dungeon suite 'The Red Light Room'. He demanded the act of killing Harnok be his, despite assurances by Regina he was no killer. Three years of rape and torture changes people, and Malvern derived immense retribution from the mutilation of the greasy, jaundice half-devil. He even pried the small, curled brass horns from the monster's head to wear on his own, Renato having earned another loyal assassin. Malvern currently delivers Renato's will to the Circus of Shadow, pretending his orders come from an indisposed Harnok. The ruse will not last forever.
Harnok Shir-narn (dead): The greasy, jaundice tiefling master of the Circus of Shadows, a pimp and drug lord who ran Ordo operations despite not being a member. Perhaps it was due to the weight of his lineage: son of Archduke Pequid, Lord of the Fifth. He kept Malvern Moritan as a pet and plaything for three years, and thanks to Renato was ultimately slain by the boy. He promised revenge against both of them, as he was sent back to Hell (and presumably his father).
New Hooks
Closing Doors (Renato): Shut the seven Shadow Doors linking Saspien to the Saspish Temple of the Night and cut off the Shadow Cabinet from its most cherished location on Othyr. But do it quietly, and quickly, or face some of the Ordo Templi Nox's most famed assassins and perhaps even a Lord of the Night.
Hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix (Diana): Investigations go slowly, but surely, in the hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix, but it is no small thing to uncover a secret order that has escaped detection by Saspish authorities and the Houses. Find those with cause to lash out against city and church, dig deep, seek Kalindian signs, and garner the notice of Pietro.
Courting the Hecateans (Isabella): The Saspish Church of Delights would be a powerful ally in all your endeavors, and certainly those of your mistress. Already you have learned so much, of Shami-Amourae, Queen Malcanthet, and of the Archduke Pequid, and found similar Hecateans whose souls were held by various devils. But the Chapel of Lust is one of seven sinful sects, and in command of them all the High Priestess Widofa Lorein. Strange she was not mentioned as having been visited by the Maidenmother Crone. Just where does Ferannifer fit into the hierarchy?
Next Session
87b: Diana continues her search for the Cult of the Phoenix and awaits her bait-date with Urlas Chavosk. Isabella seeks to garner the aid of the Church of Hecate in efforts to prevent her father's coup, starting with the alluring lustite Belesana. Renato continues his secret war with the Ordo Templi Nox, closing the Shadow Doors which link the capital to the Saspish Temple of the Night.
o fruitful sin...
(placeholder)
Epilogue
A night at the opera.
Experience: 1400 xp each (66,006 total)
Conquering the Circus of Shadows, 3000
RP Bonus, 1200
Magic: Deep Pocket Cloak +4, Fragrance of Authority x 3, The Harlequin's Key (key to the Shadow Door of the Circus of Shadows)
Coin: 16 pp, 8000 gp, 1200 sp and 1 fire opal (1000 gp)
Loot: limited control of the Circus of Shadows (Renato), use of Harnok's Suite 'The Red Light Room' (Renato)
New NPCs
Sabine A'mour: Lovely vampire with flaxen hair and a thin frame, a slave whose soul is owned by the royal succubus Shami-Amourae. Sabine often frequents the Chapel of Lust, where she met Isabella. Like the slave-princess, she wears a mark of servitude, hers in the form of a ball and chain, small enough to carry but heavy enough to remind her always of her true mistress.
Archduke Pequid (mentioned): The Lord of Lust, archfiend ruler of The Fifth Ring of Hell. He is a terrifying creature, hulking and bearded, cloven of hoof, and partial to women's clothing: great ball gowns or sultry laces depending on the occasion. At one moment he might be fanciful, almost frivolous, but the next filled with unimaginable rage and quick to dole out the sickest of punishments. A rosy marble idol of his likeness stands in the Chapel of Lust, part of the greater Cathedral of Hecate in Saspien.
Shami-Amourae (mentioned): The royal succubus sister to their queen Malcanthet, a very powerful and very alluring devil who at one time warred for the coveted title. She even went so far as to align with demons during The Dark War, but was defeated and sentenced to the Well of Darkness. In recent years she has made amends with her sister, helping Malcanthet solidify her power in The Fifth Ring as Archduke Pequid's most cherished adviser and lover.
Lysander Rheghas: A tall, broad vampire gladiator of marked beauty painted with streaks of gold and in nothing more than a loincloth, collar and muzzle. His soul belongs to Archduke Pequid, a reality he's long ago come to terms with, accepting hopelessness and taking pride in his being chosen. He chided Izzy for seeking a glimmer of hope and insinuated Mara was out of favor with The Fifth Ring. He also forced the slave-princess down on him, exerting power as slave of Pequid over a slave of lowly Mara.
Belesana Doveel: The pale, redheaded precentor of the Chapel of Lust, a vampire of fluid movements and ample curves partial to flowing, ephemeral robes. She tends the Pequid idol and leads the lustite congregations in song and orgy. She took notice of Isabella's beauty and thought to test her arts as anguiness. The girl passed, earning herself a good word with High Priestess Widofa Lorein and a place of honor among the congregation.
Urlas Chavosk: A young, swarthy and soft-spoken nobleman of a minor family of House al'Zareef. He was once favored to marry Diana several years ago, the girl only remembering him for rumor of his large... natural asset. His family has since gone bankrupt. His sister, mother and he now live in the Ziggurat itself, in the windowless chambers of his skilled father's summoning cloister.
Regina Moritan: The youngest of the Streetwives (14), and one of the youngest Ordo members, it's even more unusual she is a human on the dangerous streets of the Circus of Shadows. Yet she must have some skill as an assassin, skill unseen due to a clever administration of paralyzing poison by Renato. She fearfully called him master in order to safe her own life, but truly pledged her loyalty after Renato helped rescue her older brother from the depraved clutches of Ringmaster Harnok Shir-narn.
Malvern Moritan: Regina's older brother (17), a thin, pretty human boy and favored of the wretched tiefling Harnok Shir-narn for all manner of unspeakable sexual acts in his dungeon suite 'The Red Light Room'. He demanded the act of killing Harnok be his, despite assurances by Regina he was no killer. Three years of rape and torture changes people, and Malvern derived immense retribution from the mutilation of the greasy, jaundice half-devil. He even pried the small, curled brass horns from the monster's head to wear on his own, Renato having earned another loyal assassin. Malvern currently delivers Renato's will to the Circus of Shadow, pretending his orders come from an indisposed Harnok. The ruse will not last forever.
Harnok Shir-narn (dead): The greasy, jaundice tiefling master of the Circus of Shadows, a pimp and drug lord who ran Ordo operations despite not being a member. Perhaps it was due to the weight of his lineage: son of Archduke Pequid, Lord of the Fifth. He kept Malvern Moritan as a pet and plaything for three years, and thanks to Renato was ultimately slain by the boy. He promised revenge against both of them, as he was sent back to Hell (and presumably his father).
New Hooks
Closing Doors (Renato): Shut the seven Shadow Doors linking Saspien to the Saspish Temple of the Night and cut off the Shadow Cabinet from its most cherished location on Othyr. But do it quietly, and quickly, or face some of the Ordo Templi Nox's most famed assassins and perhaps even a Lord of the Night.
Hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix (Diana): Investigations go slowly, but surely, in the hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix, but it is no small thing to uncover a secret order that has escaped detection by Saspish authorities and the Houses. Find those with cause to lash out against city and church, dig deep, seek Kalindian signs, and garner the notice of Pietro.
Courting the Hecateans (Isabella): The Saspish Church of Delights would be a powerful ally in all your endeavors, and certainly those of your mistress. Already you have learned so much, of Shami-Amourae, Queen Malcanthet, and of the Archduke Pequid, and found similar Hecateans whose souls were held by various devils. But the Chapel of Lust is one of seven sinful sects, and in command of them all the High Priestess Widofa Lorein. Strange she was not mentioned as having been visited by the Maidenmother Crone. Just where does Ferannifer fit into the hierarchy?
Next Session
87b: Diana continues her search for the Cult of the Phoenix and awaits her bait-date with Urlas Chavosk. Isabella seeks to garner the aid of the Church of Hecate in efforts to prevent her father's coup, starting with the alluring lustite Belesana. Renato continues his secret war with the Ordo Templi Nox, closing the Shadow Doors which link the capital to the Saspish Temple of the Night.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Story Thus Far
Piecing it all together...
I think the best way to proceed with this whole campaign metaplot is to explain the Nors story thus far. Consider it a combination of Kaylan's knowledge since session 6 or so, the orb, the logbooks, the diary and everything else gleaned or throttled out of the surviving Nors doctors and priests.
Is what's outlined below an overly complex plot? Absolutely. Welcome to my games! That said, my goal here is to be more transparent and share an understanding of how exactly all these sessions add up from 1 to 89 (in so far as the Nors plot). Mystery has its place, but at this point I prefer everyone be on the same page. I think everyone will be able to appreciate the sessions and what their characters are doing more if they grasp why they're doing it and how it could affect the world.
So what does it all mean? How is this plot in any way manageable for someone looking to take down the emperor, liberate the empire and end the war ravaging Othyr? It starts with Endymion's power structure of course...
My hope is that after reading this you all will have a better understanding of what's been going on in this Nors storyline and maybe see how things fit together in ways you didn't see before. The future is still yours and whatever you like to make of it. The outcome certainly isn't set. And there are plenty more revelations and ways things fit together that are yet to come, so don't take this as any sort of spoiler! This is just the essential information to continue forward, what I feel you all have earned.
If you have further questions, feel free to ask me.
I think the best way to proceed with this whole campaign metaplot is to explain the Nors story thus far. Consider it a combination of Kaylan's knowledge since session 6 or so, the orb, the logbooks, the diary and everything else gleaned or throttled out of the surviving Nors doctors and priests.
Is what's outlined below an overly complex plot? Absolutely. Welcome to my games! That said, my goal here is to be more transparent and share an understanding of how exactly all these sessions add up from 1 to 89 (in so far as the Nors plot). Mystery has its place, but at this point I prefer everyone be on the same page. I think everyone will be able to appreciate the sessions and what their characters are doing more if they grasp why they're doing it and how it could affect the world.
At the onset of the campaign, Deloth DeWitt and his infernal carnival scoured Othyr at the behest of his archfiend father Belizeez, Lord of Glut, hunting for unique and powerful individuals to distill. Belizeez had entered into a partnership with Emperor Endymion Norson (partially the reason he was able to become emperor), and the combined resources of The Fourth Ring and the Holy Nors Empire began unlocking the secrets of ancient and crash-landed Anubian ships. Among the technology they reactivated was The Godengine and the motherboard which powered the Sodden Hold Distillery (see magic items in 88a summary).
Long did DeWitt and his network collect these specimens for distillation and consumption, but most precious of all were those with direct relations to the New Gods, specifically siblings and parents (the old and new Saviors). The emperor postulated that within them were small amounts of residual divinity which could be distilled and, if gathered in adequate amounts, used to form an ambrosia elixir that would bestow godhood. Of course, Endymion kept such a notion to himself...
Two years passed, DeWitt and Crematia failed to acquire the Saviors in any of their forms, but did manage to kidnap all sorts of other unusual specimens from across the worlds. Those with ties to the New Gods were quietly put into the emperor's share of the elixirs (a lot of King Matthias' bastards among them) without the archduke ever taking issue.
When High Priestess Finduilas, who mothered Kalinda and possessed maybe the most residual divinity of anyone on the continent, was captured by DeWitt after the wedding ceremony, the emperor thought her too valuable to be left in the hands of infernal agents. Belizeez had a history with the woman, who was part of the group which exiled him from Othyr twenty years ago, and there was little chance Endymion would be able to pry her away from the archduke's vengeful clutches. Endymion sent military forces to intercept DeWitt on his way to Edmark, the same military dispatch the party saw moving through Bleachbone. DeWitt and Crematia barely escaped with their lives, and the emperor replaced both of them with identical puppets.
Puppets are, in a manner of speaking, clones without consciousnesses and perfect for Endymion to inhabit, not to be confused with corpses, which the emperor can possess but which decay before long. Some are grown from 'genetic' material of existing persons, which the emperor kills and replaces (or tries to in the case of the surviving DeWitt and Crematia), others are 'designed' like Huron, never having been a real person at all. These puppets form a support network across the empire and, perhaps, in other nations, helping to ensure Endymion remains in power. He can pull the strings of many at a time, but each adds a little more strain.
Still with me?
So the puppets DeWitt 2 and Crematia 2 returned to Edmark, the Godengine now under his control due to the exact genetic match of the DeWitt puppet. Endymion was able to reprogram the machine through DeWitt 2, which fed everything it saw and sensed to him, which is why his imperial override had it so adamantly chase Narra.
The Blue Angel is immensely important the Endymion for reasons still only guessed at, but given the information found in the logbooks, orb and diary, it may just be that the soft-spoken Norswoman is in fact one of Endymion's puppets, seventh in a series, that somehow gained self-awareness.
Beyond his infernal connections and puppet supporters, Endymion also has 'facilities' which are Anubian ships. There are two known facilities: alpha and beta. Alpha is Narra's birthplace and most likely the puppet factory. Beta is where dissidents and the unwitting are brainwashed and reprogrammed to become Sons and Daughters of Nor, what Tyvis fears is better known to the public as The Imperial Gulag: where his father was sent. Beta was the first facility discovered by Endymion himself (The Sons of Nor movement was pivotal in raising him into power).
And lastly in his power structure, Endymion has actual free-thinking supporters across the empire, largely in the Church of Nor, but also in the Nors Inquisition. Yathnoc and The Imperial Dragoons also support him (the elder red as powerful an ally as Belizeez). He is also championed by The Consortiums and the various city armies and navies (though it's unclear where Edmark now lies in that scheme).
So what does it all mean? How is this plot in any way manageable for someone looking to take down the emperor, liberate the empire and end the war ravaging Othyr? It starts with Endymion's power structure of course...
Endymion's Power Structure
(in no particular order of importance)
(in no particular order of importance)
- The Fourth Ring (infernal ally in Archduke Belizeez, devils, tieflings and duergar)
- Puppet Supporters (key imperial leaders keeping Heartland and other conquered nations in check)
- Anubian Technology (Facility Alpha and Beta, Godengine, distillery...)
- Sons and Daughters of Nor (hopeless loyalists throughout empire)
- Free-Thinking Supporters (devote loyalists throughout empire, centered around Church and Nor faith)
- He's an insanely powerful psychic
My hope is that after reading this you all will have a better understanding of what's been going on in this Nors storyline and maybe see how things fit together in ways you didn't see before. The future is still yours and whatever you like to make of it. The outcome certainly isn't set. And there are plenty more revelations and ways things fit together that are yet to come, so don't take this as any sort of spoiler! This is just the essential information to continue forward, what I feel you all have earned.
If you have further questions, feel free to ask me.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
88a: Sodden Hold (PART V)
Talsil 18th - Raleth 28th
the grueling conclusion and three insightful months
placeholder
Epilogue
The prisoners in the laboratory cells were freed and provided safe passage to Etheria (via Kaylan's linked portal) and the distillery device was destroyed.
In the wreckage, the party discovered a greasy, black domino with strange patterns that looked to have been the heart of the device. Kaylan identified it as Anubian technology, belonging to those creepy, jackal-headed aliens that built the Tesseract and confronted a past roster of Saviors during the events in ancient Spelltower. Those who hadn't yet encountered the foreboding beings considered themselves lucky after the prophet's description.
Kaylan couldn't wait any longer, though, and opened a portal to Heaven. She reunited with Gens' soul and the two returned to Othyr. However having been in the presence of such perfect bliss and happiness, they forgot all their mortal troubles and guilt. They made a new life together along the banks of the Edema south of Edmark, oblivious and content until the rest of the party found them over two months later...
During that time, Anita recuperated from the traumatic experience of being the emperor's thrall. Though she made a full recovery, something was different. She could sense things she couldn't before, a touch of psionics left over from Endymion's invasion.
Narra spent weeks reassembling Huron's shattered orb, and the rest of the party poured over the diary and logbooks taken from the hold. Together they told a worrisome tale of Endymion's discovery of a crashed Anubian ship decades ago, and how its technology allowed him to brainwash and reprogram men and women into his fanatical supporters: The Sons and Daughters of Nor. Tyvis realized that this ship was in fact The Imperial Gulag. Along with the support of the enterprising Archfiend Belizeez and the red elder dragon Yathnoc, more Anubian ships and technology were discovered and harnessed for their mutual gains. Endymion developed into a fearsome psychic from all his handling of these devices and, in secret, began distilling the divine essences from siblings and parents of the New Gods enough to eventually ascend himself...
When the Saviors were at last reunited, Kaylan and Anita set off into the empire to form the Resistance, the prophet seeking to liberate her elven brethren, the Scarlet Blade intent on forming an alliance with Tasha and her Redbeards. Armed with the hold's puppet diary, they'd know exactly who to hit and where in order to weaken the emperor's grip on the Heartland.
Meanwhile, Tyvis, Narra and Gens embarked for the Wild. Using Huron's orb as a psionic locater, Narra has been able to plot the gulag's course through the fey realm. It happens to be passing through Gens' ancestral birthright of Silverwood ere long. The Archdruid traveled back to the wooded slopes of his homeland in order to commune with Yggdrassil the World Tree, gaining ritual passage, and together with his friends crossed into the Wild realm of Annwn near the end of Raleth (first month of summer).
Experience: 3000 xp each (65,130 total)
Distillery Battle, 9400
Rescuing the Prisoners, 1200
RP Bonus, 1200
Epilogue, 3200
Magic: Anubian Motherboard, Elven Essence, Vestments of the Grand Inquisitor
Coin: 35pp, 4300gp, 900sp, 1289cp [Nors mint]
Loot: puppet diary, distillery logbook, Huron's shattered orb, Gens' gear, wrackspawn surgical tools, rusted shears, surgical mallet, rusted bonesaw
PC Deaths
Gens, digested in the stomach of a gluttonous fiend...
New NPCs
Emperor Endymion Norson (The Overmind): The supreme ruler of the Holy Nors Emperor is without doubt the most powerful psychic on Othyr, able to manipulate multiple puppets across the continent and conjure forth terrible telekinetic force. He harnessed ancient Anubian technology and forged infernal and draconic partnerships to rise to his position, and continues to utilize artifacts in efforts to distill himself an ambrosia elixir.
New Hooks
Cutting the Strings (Anita, Kaylan): Armed with the puppet diary and Anita's new-found psionic senses, the Prophet of Kalinda and the Scarlet Blade form the Resistance, garnering support from various smaller factions and compromising the emperor's power structure one puppet at a time.
Next Session (Law of the Wild):
89a: Three months have passed since the events at the bottom of the hold. Anita and Kaylan have set off to form the Resistance. Tyvis, Gens and Narra have a different goal, finding and dismantling the Imperial Gulag- and Kalinda willing save Tyvis's father. Their road will take them into the Wild, through the Silverwood and Gens' ancestral birthright. What sort of welcome will the long lost prince receive is only one of many mysteries pulling at the group. Narra is poised to uncover even more about her origin with access to an actual facility, but does she really want to know the truth?
the grueling conclusion and three insightful months
placeholder
Epilogue
The prisoners in the laboratory cells were freed and provided safe passage to Etheria (via Kaylan's linked portal) and the distillery device was destroyed.
In the wreckage, the party discovered a greasy, black domino with strange patterns that looked to have been the heart of the device. Kaylan identified it as Anubian technology, belonging to those creepy, jackal-headed aliens that built the Tesseract and confronted a past roster of Saviors during the events in ancient Spelltower. Those who hadn't yet encountered the foreboding beings considered themselves lucky after the prophet's description.
Kaylan couldn't wait any longer, though, and opened a portal to Heaven. She reunited with Gens' soul and the two returned to Othyr. However having been in the presence of such perfect bliss and happiness, they forgot all their mortal troubles and guilt. They made a new life together along the banks of the Edema south of Edmark, oblivious and content until the rest of the party found them over two months later...
During that time, Anita recuperated from the traumatic experience of being the emperor's thrall. Though she made a full recovery, something was different. She could sense things she couldn't before, a touch of psionics left over from Endymion's invasion.
Narra spent weeks reassembling Huron's shattered orb, and the rest of the party poured over the diary and logbooks taken from the hold. Together they told a worrisome tale of Endymion's discovery of a crashed Anubian ship decades ago, and how its technology allowed him to brainwash and reprogram men and women into his fanatical supporters: The Sons and Daughters of Nor. Tyvis realized that this ship was in fact The Imperial Gulag. Along with the support of the enterprising Archfiend Belizeez and the red elder dragon Yathnoc, more Anubian ships and technology were discovered and harnessed for their mutual gains. Endymion developed into a fearsome psychic from all his handling of these devices and, in secret, began distilling the divine essences from siblings and parents of the New Gods enough to eventually ascend himself...
When the Saviors were at last reunited, Kaylan and Anita set off into the empire to form the Resistance, the prophet seeking to liberate her elven brethren, the Scarlet Blade intent on forming an alliance with Tasha and her Redbeards. Armed with the hold's puppet diary, they'd know exactly who to hit and where in order to weaken the emperor's grip on the Heartland.
Meanwhile, Tyvis, Narra and Gens embarked for the Wild. Using Huron's orb as a psionic locater, Narra has been able to plot the gulag's course through the fey realm. It happens to be passing through Gens' ancestral birthright of Silverwood ere long. The Archdruid traveled back to the wooded slopes of his homeland in order to commune with Yggdrassil the World Tree, gaining ritual passage, and together with his friends crossed into the Wild realm of Annwn near the end of Raleth (first month of summer).
Experience: 3000 xp each (65,130 total)
Distillery Battle, 9400
Rescuing the Prisoners, 1200
RP Bonus, 1200
Epilogue, 3200
Magic: Anubian Motherboard, Elven Essence, Vestments of the Grand Inquisitor
Anubian Motherboard
This glossy, black and slightly greasy domino was found in the heart of the distillery, the 'motherboard' essential in draining and which required a maze-worth of circuits to function. After intense study, Kaylan identified it as Anubian in origin, crafted by the jackal-headed, time shifting, technologically-advanced aliens encountered during the Time Storm and who built the Tesseract. But why did the Nors have possession of this?Level: 15
Price: 25,000 gp
Implement (universal)
Enhancement: +3 attack rolls and damage rolls
Critical: +3d6 damageProperty: The motherboard could be used to create another distillery, but would require a technological knowledge beyond any of you.
Power (Daily): Immediate Reaction. Trigger: An ally within your line of sight hits with an attack. Effect: You roll a d20. If your roll is higher than the d20 roll of the triggering ally’s attack, that attack scores a critical hit. If your roll is lower than the d20 roll of the triggering ally’s attack, you take a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of your next turn.
Elven Essence
Five Gloriandeline souls were drained out of existence, the concentration combined into this shimmering, golden liquid. Such a horrid way to create something so powerful and wondrous...
Level: 20
Price: -
Consumable
Property: Roll a 1d6 for one of the following permanent mutations:
1. Gain 'elven accuracy' as a daily power.
2. Gain a base speed of 7.
3. Gain Wild Step.
4. Gain +2 to either Dexterity, Intelligence or Wisdom.
5. Gain +2 to Nature and Perception, and proficiency with short and longbows.
6. Your race becomes Elf (Gloriandeline).
Vestments of the Grand Inquisitor
Charcoal, crimson and deep sepia vestments are tailored of gold-embroidered damask and full-grain leather with a slight patina. Complete with cassock, ratchet, sash and hooded coat, this exquisite garb befits a Norsman of the highest echelon.
Level: 18
Price: 85,000 gp
Armor: Leather
Enhancement: +4 AC
Property: You gain resist 10 psychic.
Property: You gain a +2 item bonus to saving throws against charm, fear, and psychic effects.
Coin: 35pp, 4300gp, 900sp, 1289cp [Nors mint]
Loot: puppet diary, distillery logbook, Huron's shattered orb, Gens' gear, wrackspawn surgical tools, rusted shears, surgical mallet, rusted bonesaw
PC Deaths
Gens, digested in the stomach of a gluttonous fiend...
New NPCs
Emperor Endymion Norson (The Overmind): The supreme ruler of the Holy Nors Emperor is without doubt the most powerful psychic on Othyr, able to manipulate multiple puppets across the continent and conjure forth terrible telekinetic force. He harnessed ancient Anubian technology and forged infernal and draconic partnerships to rise to his position, and continues to utilize artifacts in efforts to distill himself an ambrosia elixir.
New Hooks
Cutting the Strings (Anita, Kaylan): Armed with the puppet diary and Anita's new-found psionic senses, the Prophet of Kalinda and the Scarlet Blade form the Resistance, garnering support from various smaller factions and compromising the emperor's power structure one puppet at a time.
Next Session (Law of the Wild):
89a: Three months have passed since the events at the bottom of the hold. Anita and Kaylan have set off to form the Resistance. Tyvis, Gens and Narra have a different goal, finding and dismantling the Imperial Gulag- and Kalinda willing save Tyvis's father. Their road will take them into the Wild, through the Silverwood and Gens' ancestral birthright. What sort of welcome will the long lost prince receive is only one of many mysteries pulling at the group. Narra is poised to uncover even more about her origin with access to an actual facility, but does she really want to know the truth?
Friday, October 15, 2010
85b: The Roads to Saspien
Talsil 24th - 26th
three roads to Saspien
Isabella's Road
Renato's Road
Diana's Road
Experience: 2200 xp each (64,606 total)
Infiltrating Castle Saspien (Isabella), 1200
Addressing the Court of the Night (Isabella), 600
Escaping Castle Saspien (Renato), 3600
Making Amends (Diana), 600
Matchmaking (Diana), 600
Coin: - 25gp (Isabella, Object Reading)
Loot: Three of Wands card (Diana): It is well known that you should take a journey, with the greater the distance proving the greater rewards.
New Companions
Mina Morris: Reserved dhampir mage and associate of the Ravens, she was Diana's 'footsteps' during her extended stay in Barovia. She had a difficult childhood and a macabre flair to her dress, but proved a stalwart, if witty, companion to the Heiress Apparent.
Orso Mallus: Renato's childhood 'friend' and the object of his incessant bullying. Never the less, the rather simple beastmaster proved loyal to Renato upon their reunion and willing to help him clear his name. As with many of the Mallus, he has taken a beastwife in Ladybear, the 300 pound black bear. He himself is a big, bald boy around 6'3" and 260 pounds.
Ladybear: Orso's beastwife, a 300 pound black bear that serves as his sexual partner and guardian.
New NPCs
Marquess Olivianna Ruiz-Lorein: Sovereign of the vampiric port of Tepest, she married one of the last remaining Loreins with any claim to power. He's enjoying an extended holiday on Tir'buk and Olivianna rules in his stead, controlling the landing point for the Tir'bukan houses (earning her the hatred of Loreins everywhere). She has recently fled to Saspien and the protection of Castle Saspien while the war rages along the vampiric coast and within the Sea of Embers, her daughter acting as her remote hand. Izzy discovered her designs to supplant Queen Victoria and suggested already having had the pleasure of the king. It is in her best interests to keep Dante in power, though she is far from trustworthy. Very far...
King Dante Il'spana I: The King of the Night, he is lord of the vampiric empire both on Othyr and Tir'buk. His rule has always been challenged, largely because of his half-blooded nature, but also because of his soft, even sentimental, stances toward the kine/bestiame/non-vampires. He banned the consumption of humanoid blood and strengthened ties with the outside world, joining Saspien with the Northern Alliance. Though a new era of acceptance has risen in regard to vampires in the northern world, many perceive these gains a negative, especially during a war with the Holy Nors Empire in which Saspien is facing the brunt of initial conflicts. Coupled with the fact Dante is aging much faster than a full-blood vampire, his wife openly ridicules him, his daughter marred his reputation by shamefully killing herself (or so the public believes), rivals disregard him daily in court, and he proves unable to properly defend the Saspish Vale from recent Nors incursions, most believe (perhaps himself included) that his days as ruler are numbered. Izzy, through ritual, did uncover evidence that he loves her and misses her still, something entirely opposite her soul-selling mother. He may be involved in some sort of affair with the marquess.
General Janisar al'Zareef: One of three generals of the vampiric armies, Janiser is of the summoner's house, though prides himself a capable dervish instead of his family's customary mages. His armies are gathered in the Saspish Vale, as opposed to the armies massed in Tir'buk and those in Saspien itself. He currently fights a losing battle on the valley front, trying to retake or at least hold the hills outside Lastlight, where Nors by the thousands are landing from imperial Tolerna, Liscar and Dalmera, and uniting with vampire hunters of the Order of Saint Gormite. He seems young to be a general, and rather dashing with swarthy skin and long black hair, though he wears a perpetual worried look, for there is much to worry about. He appears more loyal to the king than to his sire Kalfar, or at least he observes Dante as the highest authority in court, something many others do not.
High Priestess Widofa Lorein: The decrepit high priestess of Hecate in Saspien, one of the few remaining Loreins with any real power to their name. She was not always so, an ancient vampire baroness of a long-dissolved barony many thousands of years old who had removed herself from the political scene, but, with the rising of Hecate she, like many in her house, leaped at the chance of new-found power through the infernal faith. She oversees the Seven Sects of Sin within the goddess's main Saspish cathedral. Thus far, the Queen of Hell regards her as worthy and she holds many strong ties with the fiendish elements in the city.
High Priest Sufrat Il'spana: The spectral high priest of Gabriel in Saspien, he is a dread wraith looming seven feet tall and heaped in ghostly rags, with a tremendous scythe, black crown and blazing, red eyes. He was once a vampire of considerable power slain in the Demon War by Shalraza herself, only to rise again with the coming of Gabriel to serve as shepherd to the reborn vampires. He claims to have a direct connection with the King of Death, valuing his position even more than his house affiliation. That said, he's a staunch supporter of the king and all other Il'spana in office.
Sire Kalfar al'Zareef: The wealthy, eloquent and well-connected sire of House al'Zareef, an accomplished summoner and rival of the royal family. He challenges the monarchy openly at court and carries a large following among the city's envoys and officials. It is no secret he covets the crown, but plays the game so well none have managed to impede his progress toward that end. Dresses in the finest silks and opulent jewelry, and has a devilish appearance with his waxed beard and angled face.
Valenzo Vega: Renato's stunningly handsome and effeminate cousin of similar age, known for his depraved lusts and spotted wandering The Carnival of Monsters. He is the son of the marquess.
Dust: The Saspish Temple of the Night's most famed killer, she is one of only three assassins to have ever have been afforded erasure from the Book of Life, a ritual which removes her name and presence from all history. Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, only those she's marked for death are able to hear her voice. Renato spotted her for a brief moment on a rooftop before she vanished, though it's unclear whether or not she had been staring at him. Renato suspects she may very well have been the assassin who killed Lady Savrano, the same assassin who his father attempted to fend off.
Returning NPCs
Dame Samira von Immol
Burgomeister Ireena Kolyana
Maggie Magthere
Madame Eva
Burgomeister Petre Teodorous
New Hooks
The Coup (Isabella): On the night of Lady Savrano's murder, Renato heard the noblewoman reveal a conspiracy to kill the royal family. Two years later, the political climate is ripe for deposing King Dante. The list of potential usurpers is a long one, headed by Sire Kalfar al'Zareef, but definites are few and far between. Prevent the murder of your father and, perhaps, your mother. Preserve the rule of your immediate family and your eventual birthright.
Sins of the Mother (Isabella): Vrock revealed the terrible truth that your mother was the one who sold your soul to Mara for a single dread secret. What was that secret worth your innocence and immortality? How will you punish her for such a transgression again her own blood?
Revenge of the Son (Renato): Lord Ruiz is most likely being held within the bowels of the Saspish Temple of the Night, where the infamous Shadow Cabinet convenes, suffering the Ninety-Nine Cuts until he at last goes mad and his very soul dies. Both his name and yours have been tarnished in a grand cover up, pinning Lady Savrano's murder as a fit of bloodlust committed by father and son. Few have even heard of the Ordo Templi Nox, despite every district in the city possessing a Shadow Door to their temple, and your actions against the Barovian temple have upped you to number one on their hit list. You must avoid the pursuit of some of Othyr's most skilled killers long enough to enact your revenge on the Shadow Cabinet, free your father, and maybe even assume control of the organization for yourself... if such feats are even possible.
Lastlight: The Nors have landed, establishing a vital foothold in the Saspish Vale, a landing point for hundreds of ships and thousands of troops from Tolerna, Liscar and Dalmera. Combined with vampire hunters native to the valley, they prove a formidable and growing force that even now drives back General Janisar's forces nearly to the city walls. Within the month Saspien will be under siege unless something can be done.
Completed Quests
Matchmaker: Diana fulfilled her promise to Dame Samira by properly introducing her to Burgomeister Petre Teodorous. Things looks promising.
Next Session
Isabella, hidden in the civic wing of Castle Saspien, struggles with whether or not to contact her father or confront her mother. Renato, Orso and Ladybear infiltrate one of the older and smaller Ordo bases for answers. Diana passes into Saspien via the wardrobe and attempts to find her friends and avoid notice wandering through Ravenloft's sister palace.
three roads to Saspien
Isabella's Road
Renato's Road
Diana's Road
Experience: 2200 xp each (64,606 total)
Infiltrating Castle Saspien (Isabella), 1200
Addressing the Court of the Night (Isabella), 600
Escaping Castle Saspien (Renato), 3600
Making Amends (Diana), 600
Matchmaking (Diana), 600
Coin: - 25gp (Isabella, Object Reading)
Loot: Three of Wands card (Diana): It is well known that you should take a journey, with the greater the distance proving the greater rewards.
New Companions
Mina Morris: Reserved dhampir mage and associate of the Ravens, she was Diana's 'footsteps' during her extended stay in Barovia. She had a difficult childhood and a macabre flair to her dress, but proved a stalwart, if witty, companion to the Heiress Apparent.
Orso Mallus: Renato's childhood 'friend' and the object of his incessant bullying. Never the less, the rather simple beastmaster proved loyal to Renato upon their reunion and willing to help him clear his name. As with many of the Mallus, he has taken a beastwife in Ladybear, the 300 pound black bear. He himself is a big, bald boy around 6'3" and 260 pounds.
Ladybear: Orso's beastwife, a 300 pound black bear that serves as his sexual partner and guardian.
New NPCs
Marquess Olivianna Ruiz-Lorein: Sovereign of the vampiric port of Tepest, she married one of the last remaining Loreins with any claim to power. He's enjoying an extended holiday on Tir'buk and Olivianna rules in his stead, controlling the landing point for the Tir'bukan houses (earning her the hatred of Loreins everywhere). She has recently fled to Saspien and the protection of Castle Saspien while the war rages along the vampiric coast and within the Sea of Embers, her daughter acting as her remote hand. Izzy discovered her designs to supplant Queen Victoria and suggested already having had the pleasure of the king. It is in her best interests to keep Dante in power, though she is far from trustworthy. Very far...
King Dante Il'spana I: The King of the Night, he is lord of the vampiric empire both on Othyr and Tir'buk. His rule has always been challenged, largely because of his half-blooded nature, but also because of his soft, even sentimental, stances toward the kine/bestiame/non-vampires. He banned the consumption of humanoid blood and strengthened ties with the outside world, joining Saspien with the Northern Alliance. Though a new era of acceptance has risen in regard to vampires in the northern world, many perceive these gains a negative, especially during a war with the Holy Nors Empire in which Saspien is facing the brunt of initial conflicts. Coupled with the fact Dante is aging much faster than a full-blood vampire, his wife openly ridicules him, his daughter marred his reputation by shamefully killing herself (or so the public believes), rivals disregard him daily in court, and he proves unable to properly defend the Saspish Vale from recent Nors incursions, most believe (perhaps himself included) that his days as ruler are numbered. Izzy, through ritual, did uncover evidence that he loves her and misses her still, something entirely opposite her soul-selling mother. He may be involved in some sort of affair with the marquess.
General Janisar al'Zareef: One of three generals of the vampiric armies, Janiser is of the summoner's house, though prides himself a capable dervish instead of his family's customary mages. His armies are gathered in the Saspish Vale, as opposed to the armies massed in Tir'buk and those in Saspien itself. He currently fights a losing battle on the valley front, trying to retake or at least hold the hills outside Lastlight, where Nors by the thousands are landing from imperial Tolerna, Liscar and Dalmera, and uniting with vampire hunters of the Order of Saint Gormite. He seems young to be a general, and rather dashing with swarthy skin and long black hair, though he wears a perpetual worried look, for there is much to worry about. He appears more loyal to the king than to his sire Kalfar, or at least he observes Dante as the highest authority in court, something many others do not.
High Priestess Widofa Lorein: The decrepit high priestess of Hecate in Saspien, one of the few remaining Loreins with any real power to their name. She was not always so, an ancient vampire baroness of a long-dissolved barony many thousands of years old who had removed herself from the political scene, but, with the rising of Hecate she, like many in her house, leaped at the chance of new-found power through the infernal faith. She oversees the Seven Sects of Sin within the goddess's main Saspish cathedral. Thus far, the Queen of Hell regards her as worthy and she holds many strong ties with the fiendish elements in the city.
High Priest Sufrat Il'spana: The spectral high priest of Gabriel in Saspien, he is a dread wraith looming seven feet tall and heaped in ghostly rags, with a tremendous scythe, black crown and blazing, red eyes. He was once a vampire of considerable power slain in the Demon War by Shalraza herself, only to rise again with the coming of Gabriel to serve as shepherd to the reborn vampires. He claims to have a direct connection with the King of Death, valuing his position even more than his house affiliation. That said, he's a staunch supporter of the king and all other Il'spana in office.
Sire Kalfar al'Zareef: The wealthy, eloquent and well-connected sire of House al'Zareef, an accomplished summoner and rival of the royal family. He challenges the monarchy openly at court and carries a large following among the city's envoys and officials. It is no secret he covets the crown, but plays the game so well none have managed to impede his progress toward that end. Dresses in the finest silks and opulent jewelry, and has a devilish appearance with his waxed beard and angled face.
Valenzo Vega: Renato's stunningly handsome and effeminate cousin of similar age, known for his depraved lusts and spotted wandering The Carnival of Monsters. He is the son of the marquess.
Dust: The Saspish Temple of the Night's most famed killer, she is one of only three assassins to have ever have been afforded erasure from the Book of Life, a ritual which removes her name and presence from all history. Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, only those she's marked for death are able to hear her voice. Renato spotted her for a brief moment on a rooftop before she vanished, though it's unclear whether or not she had been staring at him. Renato suspects she may very well have been the assassin who killed Lady Savrano, the same assassin who his father attempted to fend off.
Returning NPCs
Dame Samira von Immol
Burgomeister Ireena Kolyana
Maggie Magthere
Madame Eva
Burgomeister Petre Teodorous
New Hooks
The Coup (Isabella): On the night of Lady Savrano's murder, Renato heard the noblewoman reveal a conspiracy to kill the royal family. Two years later, the political climate is ripe for deposing King Dante. The list of potential usurpers is a long one, headed by Sire Kalfar al'Zareef, but definites are few and far between. Prevent the murder of your father and, perhaps, your mother. Preserve the rule of your immediate family and your eventual birthright.
Sins of the Mother (Isabella): Vrock revealed the terrible truth that your mother was the one who sold your soul to Mara for a single dread secret. What was that secret worth your innocence and immortality? How will you punish her for such a transgression again her own blood?
Revenge of the Son (Renato): Lord Ruiz is most likely being held within the bowels of the Saspish Temple of the Night, where the infamous Shadow Cabinet convenes, suffering the Ninety-Nine Cuts until he at last goes mad and his very soul dies. Both his name and yours have been tarnished in a grand cover up, pinning Lady Savrano's murder as a fit of bloodlust committed by father and son. Few have even heard of the Ordo Templi Nox, despite every district in the city possessing a Shadow Door to their temple, and your actions against the Barovian temple have upped you to number one on their hit list. You must avoid the pursuit of some of Othyr's most skilled killers long enough to enact your revenge on the Shadow Cabinet, free your father, and maybe even assume control of the organization for yourself... if such feats are even possible.
Lastlight: The Nors have landed, establishing a vital foothold in the Saspish Vale, a landing point for hundreds of ships and thousands of troops from Tolerna, Liscar and Dalmera. Combined with vampire hunters native to the valley, they prove a formidable and growing force that even now drives back General Janisar's forces nearly to the city walls. Within the month Saspien will be under siege unless something can be done.
Completed Quests
Matchmaker: Diana fulfilled her promise to Dame Samira by properly introducing her to Burgomeister Petre Teodorous. Things looks promising.
Next Session
Isabella, hidden in the civic wing of Castle Saspien, struggles with whether or not to contact her father or confront her mother. Renato, Orso and Ladybear infiltrate one of the older and smaller Ordo bases for answers. Diana passes into Saspien via the wardrobe and attempts to find her friends and avoid notice wandering through Ravenloft's sister palace.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
87a: Sodden Hold (PART IV)
Talsil 18th
the final battle begins
-
Experience: 1320 xp each (62,130 total)
Deprivation Chamber, 1800
Deactivating the Flooded Circuits, 3600
RP Bonus, 1200
New NPCs
Morgshu the Vile: The Malbolgean, a twelve foot mountain of pinkish, boil-ridden flesh whose massive, malformed head sits embedded in the center of his body. He reeks of putrid gases, dribbles and vomits acid, and can swallow men whole! Worse, on six legs and possessed of supernatural strength, there is little stopping this heap from crossing chambers in a single charge. His devils and he are part of the Distillery somehow, perhaps operators or engineers, and are aligned with the Grand Inquisitor.
Next Session
88a: The Saviors try to overcome the festering evil at the bottom of the hold, a slew of monstrous devils, depraved doctors and priests, the diabolical Distillery and the Grand Inquisitor himself. And where is DeWitt?
the final battle begins
-
Experience: 1320 xp each (62,130 total)
Deprivation Chamber, 1800
Deactivating the Flooded Circuits, 3600
RP Bonus, 1200
New NPCs
Morgshu the Vile: The Malbolgean, a twelve foot mountain of pinkish, boil-ridden flesh whose massive, malformed head sits embedded in the center of his body. He reeks of putrid gases, dribbles and vomits acid, and can swallow men whole! Worse, on six legs and possessed of supernatural strength, there is little stopping this heap from crossing chambers in a single charge. His devils and he are part of the Distillery somehow, perhaps operators or engineers, and are aligned with the Grand Inquisitor.
Next Session
88a: The Saviors try to overcome the festering evil at the bottom of the hold, a slew of monstrous devils, depraved doctors and priests, the diabolical Distillery and the Grand Inquisitor himself. And where is DeWitt?
Friday, October 8, 2010
84b: Fallen
Talsil 19th - 23rd
making safe Barovia
(placeholder)
Experience: 2733 xp each (62,406 total)
Barovia United, 4000
+ retaining Ashlyn's support
+ retaining Angelique's support
+ gaining the Children's support
- losing Ireena's support
The Fall of Zarephath, 3600
+ bloodless victory
Curing the Old Curse, 600
New NPCs
Brother Longeas: Once an unreasonable elven Child of Light, the exposure of Zarephath's evil softened and humbled his demeanor. He named Isabella redeemed in the eyes of the Children of Light and promised to speak on Barovia's behalf to his brothers and sisters. An Etherian ally.
Returning NPCs
Sister Gertruda: Once the priestess of the Barovian chapel of Kalinda, she heeded the call of the Children of Light and made the journey to the top of the Balinoks to help guard the Sunsword. However the village girl retained her reasonable and understanding nature, helping bring about the fall of Zarephath by providing proper witnesses. She's poised to take the reins of the Barovian Children in the wake of Zarephath's fall, and agreed on reaching a compromise regarding Etherian presence at the temple.
Completed Quests
The Old Curse: Without Zarephath to stoke the Sunsword's flame, the Old Curse fades and vampires no longer fear the artificial day.
Proof: Sufficient proof of their templar's treachery was laid before the Children, hidden in the woods during Renato and Isabella's exposing farce. Zarephath has been tarnished by his own deeds and destructive devotion, and subsequently cast into Hell.
Suffer the Children: The grateful Children, even staunch naysayers, have seen the light of reason and now work together with Barovian leaders on a compromise. Sister Gertruda now looks to head the Barovian sect of the Children in whatever form they may end up in.
Next Session (Saspish Nights)
85b: The party infiltrates the grim, sprawling capital of Saspien, where each of them is wanted by one faction or another, intent on foiling a suspected coup of the vampiric royal house, destroying the Ordo Templi Nox, and uncovering who was responsible for Lady Giovanna Savrano's murder. Lofty goals, even for The Dark Three, in a city that devours the strong and weak with impunity. Politics, magic, muscle and faith must be exerted in ways the vampires could never have imagined in order to survive the coming months.
making safe Barovia
(placeholder)
Experience: 2733 xp each (62,406 total)
Barovia United, 4000
+ retaining Ashlyn's support
+ retaining Angelique's support
+ gaining the Children's support
- losing Ireena's support
The Fall of Zarephath, 3600
+ bloodless victory
Curing the Old Curse, 600
New NPCs
Brother Longeas: Once an unreasonable elven Child of Light, the exposure of Zarephath's evil softened and humbled his demeanor. He named Isabella redeemed in the eyes of the Children of Light and promised to speak on Barovia's behalf to his brothers and sisters. An Etherian ally.
Returning NPCs
Sister Gertruda: Once the priestess of the Barovian chapel of Kalinda, she heeded the call of the Children of Light and made the journey to the top of the Balinoks to help guard the Sunsword. However the village girl retained her reasonable and understanding nature, helping bring about the fall of Zarephath by providing proper witnesses. She's poised to take the reins of the Barovian Children in the wake of Zarephath's fall, and agreed on reaching a compromise regarding Etherian presence at the temple.
Completed Quests
The Old Curse: Without Zarephath to stoke the Sunsword's flame, the Old Curse fades and vampires no longer fear the artificial day.
Proof: Sufficient proof of their templar's treachery was laid before the Children, hidden in the woods during Renato and Isabella's exposing farce. Zarephath has been tarnished by his own deeds and destructive devotion, and subsequently cast into Hell.
Suffer the Children: The grateful Children, even staunch naysayers, have seen the light of reason and now work together with Barovian leaders on a compromise. Sister Gertruda now looks to head the Barovian sect of the Children in whatever form they may end up in.
Next Session (Saspish Nights)
85b: The party infiltrates the grim, sprawling capital of Saspien, where each of them is wanted by one faction or another, intent on foiling a suspected coup of the vampiric royal house, destroying the Ordo Templi Nox, and uncovering who was responsible for Lady Giovanna Savrano's murder. Lofty goals, even for The Dark Three, in a city that devours the strong and weak with impunity. Politics, magic, muscle and faith must be exerted in ways the vampires could never have imagined in order to survive the coming months.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
86a: Sodden Hold (PART III)
Talsil 18th
into the laboratory
Previously...
The next generation of Saviors plunged into Sodden Hold Laboratory, negotiating an unexpectedly devious drainage system before confronting the imperial guards: Sons and Daughters of Nor.
During a battle, the party found these zealots deeply troubled and rather suicidal in the defense of the empire’s holdings. Narra determined their brains had been tampered with, irrevocably reprogrammed to love the empire and its emperor.
Worse, some recognized these Sons and Daughters of Nor had at one time been opponents of Emperor Endymion’s rule. Was this the fate of all those who resisted, brainwashing and induction into the emperor’s crazed loyalists? Given how pivotal the movement was to Endymion’s rise, could it be he orchestrated the political unrest twenty years prior which eventually led to his crowning as sovereign? How?
More answers, and in turn more questions, were revealed when the party tracked down the despicable Doctor Hemmler, the laboratory’s presiding Nors ‘scientist’ and heartless torturer. Despite the psychic entity’s insistence on killing him for what he knew, Narra managed to fend off the crushing psionics long enough for the rest of the party to glean some crucial pieces of information...
For one, the psychic entity bearing down on them was Grand Inquisitor Huron himself, proven a terrible psychic who could animate lifeless material and summon forth tremendous telekinetic force.
Secondly, the distillery was an eldritch machine which drained the essence, soul and potential from a subject and concentrated it into a tincture. They’d been performing all manner of tests on the rabble in the cells (elves, northerners, choice unique creatures) and shipping their effusions to Noran, presumably at the emperor’s behest. Rumor had it Endymion was searching for very specific essences to combine into some mysterious elixir. Those who suffered distillation were erased from existence, left only dead husks.
Finally, the Sons and Daughters of Nor had been reeducated at Facility Beta, in a process that could not be reversed. Before Hemmler could reveal the location of this second facility, apparently separate from Facility Alpha where Narra had been trained, the Blue Angel's shield at last gave way and he was crushed, liquefied in truth.
The party pressed on, discovering a sensory deprivation chamber lined with psionic-amplifying glass... blue glass, like the oracle's warning prophecy to Gens. Avoid the blue glass, she had said. Instead Tyvis, Anita and he became trapped inside, even as boiling water from a chandelier-like pipe fixture on the ceiling started to spurt. Tyvis used glacial winds to freeze the nozzles, but it soon became a constant struggle to keep them properly stopped.
As Anita began to hyperventilate, unable to open the secret door they’d recognized across the octagonal span, the one the Grand Inquisitor must have taken to escape the chamber, Gens summoned forth his jade behemoth Fafnir from a figurine not unlike Neverba. The ancient lizard raged against its confinements at Gens’ urgings and blasted an exit with his maul-like tail.
Yet even as the party reunited in a rain of debris, Huron intervened, summoning forth vaguely humanoid shapes in the warm waters of the deprivation chamber, intent on prolonging the Archdruid’s stay...
Experience: 2640 each (60,810 total)
The Big Flush, 6000
Encounter E: Children of the Empire, 3600
Epically Defending Doctor Hemmler, 1200
Epically Escaping the Deprivation Chamber, 1200
RP bonus, 1200
Magic: n/a
Coin: n/a
Loot: n/a
New NPCs
Tarson Belicost (dead): A former Nors orator and outspoken opponent of the emperor who disappeared ten years ago, only to appear again in the hold, reprogrammed as a die-hard imperial loyal unto death to the government he once despised. In his last moments of life, he remembered who he was.
Melisana Belicost: Sister of Tarson and the financial backer of his speaking tours, once a prosperous business woman. Her merchant company went under eight years ago and she disappeared, appearing alongside her brother as another fanatic.
Bethany's Mother: A Norswoman whose mind has been so tampered with she equates the empire with her daughter Bethany, misplaced love and devotion which seems to have driven her mad.
Doctor Hemmler (dead): The prociding doctor of Sodden Hold, a sick and cowardly bastard, who knew much of the secrets of distillation and the facilities. The group managed to draw precious information from him before Tyvis ripped out his throat and Huron flattened him.
New Hooks
Facility Beta: Hemmler spoke of a second Nors facility, Beta, where people's thought patterns were irrevocably reprogrammed to love the empire and the emperor. It seems these poor souls were then released into the world as Sons and Daughters of Nor. Could there be a connection between Beta and the Imperial Gulag?
Essence: Hemmler revealed the distillation process crushed the subject's very soul, potential, and life force, liquefying it at a cost of their existence. It was then bottled and sent to Noran, presumably at the emperor's request. The essence contained power, he said, though the emperor was looking for a very particular kind of essence from very rare individuals to create a mysterious elixir. Who are these rare individuals? What does this elixir do?
Next Session
87a: The final confrontation looms between the despicable Grand Inquisitor Huron, DeWitt and whatever devils, psionic constructs and imperial troops might be with them, not least of all The Malbolgean. But first, saving Tyvis.
into the laboratory
Previously...
The next generation of Saviors plunged into Sodden Hold Laboratory, negotiating an unexpectedly devious drainage system before confronting the imperial guards: Sons and Daughters of Nor.
During a battle, the party found these zealots deeply troubled and rather suicidal in the defense of the empire’s holdings. Narra determined their brains had been tampered with, irrevocably reprogrammed to love the empire and its emperor.
Worse, some recognized these Sons and Daughters of Nor had at one time been opponents of Emperor Endymion’s rule. Was this the fate of all those who resisted, brainwashing and induction into the emperor’s crazed loyalists? Given how pivotal the movement was to Endymion’s rise, could it be he orchestrated the political unrest twenty years prior which eventually led to his crowning as sovereign? How?
More answers, and in turn more questions, were revealed when the party tracked down the despicable Doctor Hemmler, the laboratory’s presiding Nors ‘scientist’ and heartless torturer. Despite the psychic entity’s insistence on killing him for what he knew, Narra managed to fend off the crushing psionics long enough for the rest of the party to glean some crucial pieces of information...
For one, the psychic entity bearing down on them was Grand Inquisitor Huron himself, proven a terrible psychic who could animate lifeless material and summon forth tremendous telekinetic force.
Secondly, the distillery was an eldritch machine which drained the essence, soul and potential from a subject and concentrated it into a tincture. They’d been performing all manner of tests on the rabble in the cells (elves, northerners, choice unique creatures) and shipping their effusions to Noran, presumably at the emperor’s behest. Rumor had it Endymion was searching for very specific essences to combine into some mysterious elixir. Those who suffered distillation were erased from existence, left only dead husks.
Finally, the Sons and Daughters of Nor had been reeducated at Facility Beta, in a process that could not be reversed. Before Hemmler could reveal the location of this second facility, apparently separate from Facility Alpha where Narra had been trained, the Blue Angel's shield at last gave way and he was crushed, liquefied in truth.
The party pressed on, discovering a sensory deprivation chamber lined with psionic-amplifying glass... blue glass, like the oracle's warning prophecy to Gens. Avoid the blue glass, she had said. Instead Tyvis, Anita and he became trapped inside, even as boiling water from a chandelier-like pipe fixture on the ceiling started to spurt. Tyvis used glacial winds to freeze the nozzles, but it soon became a constant struggle to keep them properly stopped.
As Anita began to hyperventilate, unable to open the secret door they’d recognized across the octagonal span, the one the Grand Inquisitor must have taken to escape the chamber, Gens summoned forth his jade behemoth Fafnir from a figurine not unlike Neverba. The ancient lizard raged against its confinements at Gens’ urgings and blasted an exit with his maul-like tail.
Yet even as the party reunited in a rain of debris, Huron intervened, summoning forth vaguely humanoid shapes in the warm waters of the deprivation chamber, intent on prolonging the Archdruid’s stay...
Experience: 2640 each (60,810 total)
The Big Flush, 6000
Encounter E: Children of the Empire, 3600
Epically Defending Doctor Hemmler, 1200
Epically Escaping the Deprivation Chamber, 1200
RP bonus, 1200
Magic: n/a
Coin: n/a
Loot: n/a
New NPCs
Tarson Belicost (dead): A former Nors orator and outspoken opponent of the emperor who disappeared ten years ago, only to appear again in the hold, reprogrammed as a die-hard imperial loyal unto death to the government he once despised. In his last moments of life, he remembered who he was.
Melisana Belicost: Sister of Tarson and the financial backer of his speaking tours, once a prosperous business woman. Her merchant company went under eight years ago and she disappeared, appearing alongside her brother as another fanatic.
Bethany's Mother: A Norswoman whose mind has been so tampered with she equates the empire with her daughter Bethany, misplaced love and devotion which seems to have driven her mad.
Doctor Hemmler (dead): The prociding doctor of Sodden Hold, a sick and cowardly bastard, who knew much of the secrets of distillation and the facilities. The group managed to draw precious information from him before Tyvis ripped out his throat and Huron flattened him.
New Hooks
Facility Beta: Hemmler spoke of a second Nors facility, Beta, where people's thought patterns were irrevocably reprogrammed to love the empire and the emperor. It seems these poor souls were then released into the world as Sons and Daughters of Nor. Could there be a connection between Beta and the Imperial Gulag?
Essence: Hemmler revealed the distillation process crushed the subject's very soul, potential, and life force, liquefying it at a cost of their existence. It was then bottled and sent to Noran, presumably at the emperor's request. The essence contained power, he said, though the emperor was looking for a very particular kind of essence from very rare individuals to create a mysterious elixir. Who are these rare individuals? What does this elixir do?
Next Session
87a: The final confrontation looms between the despicable Grand Inquisitor Huron, DeWitt and whatever devils, psionic constructs and imperial troops might be with them, not least of all The Malbolgean. But first, saving Tyvis.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
85a: Sodden Hold (PART 2)
Talsil 18th
the many trials of the hold
Hunched, hungry magehounds ripped, bit and dragged, but the group managed to lure and scatter them in the struggle. A focused pack would have proven deadly to any one Savior (as the gnawed Gens could attest), but divided the dogs were manageable. Psychic blasts, searing light, well-aimed shots and deft stabs slew one of the beasts after long, provoking a slight twitch from the previously emotionless inquisitor.
The twitch became a grimace became a growl as the battle wore on, and after Kenner lost his tuning fork and two fingers, a bloody red light ignited within him. Narra recognized it as the psychic manifestation of his rage, which he apparently kept in check through a therapeutic relationship with the hounds. As he and the dogs succumbed to the Saviors' punishment, those mental shackles fell away, unleashing the furious radiance which illuminated his innards, quickly eroded his flesh, and spilled forth from every wound to sear the wounder. After Gens opened the Norsman's belly and Anita landed a monumental shot between his eyes, his earthly shell split and crumbled, revealing a hateful manifestation of red, fiery fury. Heat blasted throughout the kennel, the light intensified till it burned, and the psionic apparition exploded with a wild shout.
As the smoke and ash cleared, the party discovered the manifestation vanished, the dogs incinerated, and Gens burnt and motionless on the floor. They quickly moved to administer aid, but Gens' eyelids fluttered open. Thankfully he was alive, but was he himself? Hazel, yellowed and bloodshot eyes not his own rolled about in his sockets. An old man's voice grated up his throat, and he smiled. "You are doing very well. Very well indeed."
Narra shivered as the eyes lingered on her...
Kaylan prayed for aid and bathed her childhood friend and sometimes lover in Kalinda's holy light. The unclean presence was cast out of him with a shudder and exhalation. It seemed whenever someone lost consciousness, their body became a potential vessel for this psychic entity. In short: no sleeping.
The group was slow to recover in the wake of so much death. Anita's voice had been ruined by the shot and, while Kalinda's blessing had closed the wound, scar tissue shaped like a tropical bird-of-paradise bloomed across her throat. Tyvis blamed himself. Narra feared what truths might wait in the bottom of this laboratory, certain they'd reveal things about her, things she wasn't sure she wanted to remember. Gens had brushed with oblivion just then, never an easy thing to come to terms with, and Kaylan tended his wounds with soft light and salves, grimly certain her healing art would be put to the test before they were finished here.
Just then something flitted in the shadows, causing everyone to tense. It was only Dewdrop, if it can ever only be Dewdrop. The nixie princess looked dazzling, even dancing over gristle and bones. Noticing the gloom pervading the group, she continued her ballet. At first it was a macabre dance whilst she painted herself in ash and placed a dog's skull on her head, but quickly turned festive and upbeat as Gens played and Narra sung. Dewdrop inspired each party member to take the arms of their neighbors and dance, and despite the dangerous environs, fun and pleasantry was had.
The more they danced, the more things began to change. The filth and ruin of the kennel dissipated and whole sections of floor, wall and ceiling were replaced with a faerie ballroom: patches of mosaics mural, swaths of marble, chandeliers, even an insubstantial masquerade crowd. The women of the group found themselves in sequin dresses, with makeup and done-up hair. The men were in black tuxedos, hair slicked back. They laughed and spun and danced, actually lifting off the ground, abandoning gravity for frivolity, and continued their fun up the walls and on the ceiling. Gens treated his apprentice to a private dance, proving as skilled with his feet as with his hands. Tyvis and Anita danced off on their own, the Archdruid professing his love.
And Narra, not to be left out, was gently tapped on the shoulder and asked to dance. She turned to accept the invitation, only to have the bloated, fetid and juicy corpse puppet set against her during the revenge of the Dead Dogs fall into her. She screamed as it liquefied into a rancid stew, and suddenly everyone was falling. The party startled awake to find the kennel still in its dismal state, Dewdrop weeping softly in the blackened bones. She'd spun a faerie glamour to help lighten their moods, but it'd all been ruined by the invasive psychic entity. She shrunk down to the size of a butterfly and sequestered herself in Gens pack.
Though the nixie was too emotional to notice, her illusions had taken some of the edge off delving into this terrible place, and the party, renewed, ventured into the next chamber. Another large cargo hold, this one was flooded ankle-deep with river water and plank walkways had been laid, crisscrossing around a bend and presumably to the laboratory.
With the welcomed sight of an empty room, Anita had no problems moving forward and testing the walkway, almost laughing at what monster might be lurking next. She found out quickly enough, thrown into the air by the planks themselves, even as they tore up and rearranged into eight-foot hulks of wood, nets and rope.
Narra sensed the psychic entity at work, acting as puppetmaster and directing the sopping, muddy and reed-tangled guardians via powerful psionics. However investing so much into their being left him vulnerable, and with every landed blow the puppetmaster felt a backlash. So too the Saviors, for whenever they were crushed by mast-like arms, animated splinters, hooks, nails, and wriggling crab parts leaped off the hulks and bored beneath their flesh like ravenous worms.
Water sprayed and wood buckled wherever the constructs tread, forming shields to absorb bullets, teeth and sword swings, and preventing even the quickest in the party from utilizing their speed. The ground itself betraying them with every step, heaving and reassembling. When they did manage to pierce the constructs' dizzying defenses, they would tantrum, pummeling everyone around them and implanting their rusty, digging payloads. Under the puppetmaster's direction, they even managed to divide the party, Narra and Kaylan backed against one wall, and the others herded the opposite way.
It wasn't until Anita shattered the left arm of one of the constructs with an incredible shot that the party was able to regain control of the battle, Gens taking the opening to aid the girls south, in turn allowing Narra room to escape to a safer distance. Out of the range of those flailing arms, the party's artillery was able to call down proper punishment through telekenetics and conjured winds, Tyvis managing an especially concussive blast that send a construct sprawling through a wall and into pieces.
The surviving hulk would not go down easily, despite the compounded attacks against it, and ended up trading blow for blow with the changeling until Gens collapsed. It loomed over him, looking ready to stomp the life out of the pale prince, but Tyvis called upon his old friend Sinida one last time in a blaze of glorious fire. She shrieked and dived, lodging herself deep within the construct's chest, burning out its innards in a billowy plume and blackening boards. The monster roared, swinging wildly, stumbling every which way and allowing each party member, even Narra with her staff, to land a blow. Still it endured, but the appearance of the firebird and the urgency to protect Gens inspired a rare miracle from the prophet, empowering Sinida with Kalinda's light, causing her to grow into a full fledged phoenix, and with a flourish of flaming wings and piercing cry she utterly ruined the wooden animate.
Narra wasted no time, sweeping in to administer proper aid as Kaylan recovered from her massive expenditure of power, but before the Norswoman could so much as check his pulse his eyes flicked open, again the old man's. This time he sounded much less amused, but welcomed them all the same to the lower levels. The Saviors had proven themselves worthy additions to their collection, prime candidates for distillation.
As the old man laughed through Gens, the changeling began to spasm and cough up blood. His cheeks sunk and the already dark circles around his eyes deepened further. He was dying. Kaylan, hobbling forward, forcefully slapped a hand over his furrowed brow and again banished the entity, this time with a painful cry that rang across the chamber. Slowly the bard stirred...
Experience: 2840 xp each ( 58,170 total; LEVEL UP 15!)
Encounter C: magehounds, Inquisitor Kenner, 5500
Encounter D: driftwood constructs, 4400
RP Bonus, 4000
Magic: Kenner's Tuning Fork (Gens)
Coin: n/a
Loot: n/a
Next Session
86a: The party takes its first steps in the Sodden Hold laboratory, bracing for an eventual confrontation with the 'puppetmaster', devils, the Grand Inquisitor and perhaps even the circus master. Somewhere in the dank depths innocent victims are in need of saving, and an infernal 'distillation' machine in need of destroying.
the many trials of the hold
Hunched, hungry magehounds ripped, bit and dragged, but the group managed to lure and scatter them in the struggle. A focused pack would have proven deadly to any one Savior (as the gnawed Gens could attest), but divided the dogs were manageable. Psychic blasts, searing light, well-aimed shots and deft stabs slew one of the beasts after long, provoking a slight twitch from the previously emotionless inquisitor.
The twitch became a grimace became a growl as the battle wore on, and after Kenner lost his tuning fork and two fingers, a bloody red light ignited within him. Narra recognized it as the psychic manifestation of his rage, which he apparently kept in check through a therapeutic relationship with the hounds. As he and the dogs succumbed to the Saviors' punishment, those mental shackles fell away, unleashing the furious radiance which illuminated his innards, quickly eroded his flesh, and spilled forth from every wound to sear the wounder. After Gens opened the Norsman's belly and Anita landed a monumental shot between his eyes, his earthly shell split and crumbled, revealing a hateful manifestation of red, fiery fury. Heat blasted throughout the kennel, the light intensified till it burned, and the psionic apparition exploded with a wild shout.
As the smoke and ash cleared, the party discovered the manifestation vanished, the dogs incinerated, and Gens burnt and motionless on the floor. They quickly moved to administer aid, but Gens' eyelids fluttered open. Thankfully he was alive, but was he himself? Hazel, yellowed and bloodshot eyes not his own rolled about in his sockets. An old man's voice grated up his throat, and he smiled. "You are doing very well. Very well indeed."
Narra shivered as the eyes lingered on her...
Kaylan prayed for aid and bathed her childhood friend and sometimes lover in Kalinda's holy light. The unclean presence was cast out of him with a shudder and exhalation. It seemed whenever someone lost consciousness, their body became a potential vessel for this psychic entity. In short: no sleeping.
The group was slow to recover in the wake of so much death. Anita's voice had been ruined by the shot and, while Kalinda's blessing had closed the wound, scar tissue shaped like a tropical bird-of-paradise bloomed across her throat. Tyvis blamed himself. Narra feared what truths might wait in the bottom of this laboratory, certain they'd reveal things about her, things she wasn't sure she wanted to remember. Gens had brushed with oblivion just then, never an easy thing to come to terms with, and Kaylan tended his wounds with soft light and salves, grimly certain her healing art would be put to the test before they were finished here.
Just then something flitted in the shadows, causing everyone to tense. It was only Dewdrop, if it can ever only be Dewdrop. The nixie princess looked dazzling, even dancing over gristle and bones. Noticing the gloom pervading the group, she continued her ballet. At first it was a macabre dance whilst she painted herself in ash and placed a dog's skull on her head, but quickly turned festive and upbeat as Gens played and Narra sung. Dewdrop inspired each party member to take the arms of their neighbors and dance, and despite the dangerous environs, fun and pleasantry was had.
The more they danced, the more things began to change. The filth and ruin of the kennel dissipated and whole sections of floor, wall and ceiling were replaced with a faerie ballroom: patches of mosaics mural, swaths of marble, chandeliers, even an insubstantial masquerade crowd. The women of the group found themselves in sequin dresses, with makeup and done-up hair. The men were in black tuxedos, hair slicked back. They laughed and spun and danced, actually lifting off the ground, abandoning gravity for frivolity, and continued their fun up the walls and on the ceiling. Gens treated his apprentice to a private dance, proving as skilled with his feet as with his hands. Tyvis and Anita danced off on their own, the Archdruid professing his love.
And Narra, not to be left out, was gently tapped on the shoulder and asked to dance. She turned to accept the invitation, only to have the bloated, fetid and juicy corpse puppet set against her during the revenge of the Dead Dogs fall into her. She screamed as it liquefied into a rancid stew, and suddenly everyone was falling. The party startled awake to find the kennel still in its dismal state, Dewdrop weeping softly in the blackened bones. She'd spun a faerie glamour to help lighten their moods, but it'd all been ruined by the invasive psychic entity. She shrunk down to the size of a butterfly and sequestered herself in Gens pack.
Though the nixie was too emotional to notice, her illusions had taken some of the edge off delving into this terrible place, and the party, renewed, ventured into the next chamber. Another large cargo hold, this one was flooded ankle-deep with river water and plank walkways had been laid, crisscrossing around a bend and presumably to the laboratory.
With the welcomed sight of an empty room, Anita had no problems moving forward and testing the walkway, almost laughing at what monster might be lurking next. She found out quickly enough, thrown into the air by the planks themselves, even as they tore up and rearranged into eight-foot hulks of wood, nets and rope.
Narra sensed the psychic entity at work, acting as puppetmaster and directing the sopping, muddy and reed-tangled guardians via powerful psionics. However investing so much into their being left him vulnerable, and with every landed blow the puppetmaster felt a backlash. So too the Saviors, for whenever they were crushed by mast-like arms, animated splinters, hooks, nails, and wriggling crab parts leaped off the hulks and bored beneath their flesh like ravenous worms.
Water sprayed and wood buckled wherever the constructs tread, forming shields to absorb bullets, teeth and sword swings, and preventing even the quickest in the party from utilizing their speed. The ground itself betraying them with every step, heaving and reassembling. When they did manage to pierce the constructs' dizzying defenses, they would tantrum, pummeling everyone around them and implanting their rusty, digging payloads. Under the puppetmaster's direction, they even managed to divide the party, Narra and Kaylan backed against one wall, and the others herded the opposite way.
It wasn't until Anita shattered the left arm of one of the constructs with an incredible shot that the party was able to regain control of the battle, Gens taking the opening to aid the girls south, in turn allowing Narra room to escape to a safer distance. Out of the range of those flailing arms, the party's artillery was able to call down proper punishment through telekenetics and conjured winds, Tyvis managing an especially concussive blast that send a construct sprawling through a wall and into pieces.
The surviving hulk would not go down easily, despite the compounded attacks against it, and ended up trading blow for blow with the changeling until Gens collapsed. It loomed over him, looking ready to stomp the life out of the pale prince, but Tyvis called upon his old friend Sinida one last time in a blaze of glorious fire. She shrieked and dived, lodging herself deep within the construct's chest, burning out its innards in a billowy plume and blackening boards. The monster roared, swinging wildly, stumbling every which way and allowing each party member, even Narra with her staff, to land a blow. Still it endured, but the appearance of the firebird and the urgency to protect Gens inspired a rare miracle from the prophet, empowering Sinida with Kalinda's light, causing her to grow into a full fledged phoenix, and with a flourish of flaming wings and piercing cry she utterly ruined the wooden animate.
Narra wasted no time, sweeping in to administer proper aid as Kaylan recovered from her massive expenditure of power, but before the Norswoman could so much as check his pulse his eyes flicked open, again the old man's. This time he sounded much less amused, but welcomed them all the same to the lower levels. The Saviors had proven themselves worthy additions to their collection, prime candidates for distillation.
As the old man laughed through Gens, the changeling began to spasm and cough up blood. His cheeks sunk and the already dark circles around his eyes deepened further. He was dying. Kaylan, hobbling forward, forcefully slapped a hand over his furrowed brow and again banished the entity, this time with a painful cry that rang across the chamber. Slowly the bard stirred...
Experience: 2840 xp each ( 58,170 total; LEVEL UP 15!)
Encounter C: magehounds, Inquisitor Kenner, 5500
Encounter D: driftwood constructs, 4400
RP Bonus, 4000
Magic: Kenner's Tuning Fork (Gens)
Kenner's Tuning Fork
This orium tuning fork resonates the will of the holder as a barely-audible hum.
Level: 15
Price: 25,000
Special: Must be held
Wondrous Item
Property: Gain a +2 bonus to attacks with the charm keyword and those bestowing the dominated condition.
Coin: n/a
Loot: n/a
Next Session
86a: The party takes its first steps in the Sodden Hold laboratory, bracing for an eventual confrontation with the 'puppetmaster', devils, the Grand Inquisitor and perhaps even the circus master. Somewhere in the dank depths innocent victims are in need of saving, and an infernal 'distillation' machine in need of destroying.
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