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)

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.

83b: Reunion

Talsil 18th - 19th
A new Dark Lord and the reunification of the Barovian factions

Even as Diana forbade Renato from opening an assassin's coven in Barovia, the young vampire gave his Tome leave to see to the cathedral's reconstruction, or rather the chapter house's reconstruction, as Renato wanted nothing to do with Tenebrous worship and sullying good killing with religion. The hunched, pallid nosferatu, calling Renato 'Lord' and generally ignoring Diana's authority, wiggled his extremely-long fingers with glee and floated off to the ruins, intent on creating undead laborers from the corpses in the rubble.

Renato hefted the spent witch over his shoulder and The Dark Three, their reputable knight in tow, set out into the dark pine forest. Diana could not place where exactly in Barovia they were, despite having toured the country several months ago, and certainly Isabella was no good for input, so they 'felt' their way through, Renato noticing after a time markings on certain trees, a path which led to a fork. The markings on two entwined trees were Tir'bukan symbols, part of the alphabet they'd lifted from the dead civilization back in Vadenja. One read 'Life' and the other 'Death'.

After a moment, Renato headed death, the others reluctantly following. They were on the trail marked by hired killers. Death just seemed... right, and besides, knowing their luck, choosing life would lead to something horrible. As it turned out, Death's Road guided them safely through the woods within the hour. They found themselves, then, at the base of the sheer cliff walls which circumscribed the assassins' vale. Trying to spy the best place to climb, Renato discovered hidden steps carved into the rock, ascending a very narrow and vertical path to a plateau a hundred feet up, then again another two hundred feet to a cave mouth.

The vampires had little trouble negotiating the steps, but poor Dame Samira was very careful about things. Diana decided to match her pace even as Renato went on ahead, in the process learning a little more about the woman. She'd once been a dancer, perhaps evident in the way she carried herself, but later in life joined the military. Diana thought it a strange twist of fate, which insulted the woman, who was not born in a castle and did not have the money to see her dream realized. Her hometown of Immol was as often besieged as Barovia Village and so she heeded the call for warriors of light. Diana apologized to her budding friend, wondering if she could somehow make it up to her by asking what it was she desired most. After all, she was daughter of the countess, and could likely provide anything but what Samira quietly confessed next: to be a wife and a young mother.

A little more prying revealed Samira was in love with the burgomeister of Immol, Petre, something Diana certainly COULD help with. Though the knight had met Petre several times, she'd never had the chance to engage him without the backdrop of zombie plague, werewolf invasion or some other night terror. Diana decided to host a celebration which he'd be invited to, but Samira, though grateful, thought it excessive and unwise to collect all Barovian leaders in one place during such dangerous times. Ultimately, Diana promised to travel with Samira back to Immol once her business in Saspien was concluded, giving her reason to meet with the burgomeister more privately, though she'd have to do the rest. The sorceress was gracious enough not to make mention of the thirty year difference in their ages.

Once on the stone flat, the vale stretched before them, a ring of high mountains encompassing a thick, brooding pine forest. A small clearing in the center of the woods revealed the speck of cathedral ruins. Renato stood smiling a moment before continuing up, foregoing the idea of waking Isabella to prepare the ritual back to Castle Ravenloft until after they were properly sheltered.

Again the vampires reached the top well before the Barovian knight, surprised to find the cave was not a natural one, rather the opening of a wide causeway of worked stone. The architecture seemed strangely Tir'bukan, luring Renato in a little deeper. The low ceiling was supported by stone columns carved in the likenesses of ugly, stacked heads, and chiseled upon the walls were all sorts of miniature reliefs, showing assassins poisoning goblets, sniping from rooftops, strangling with chord, stretching into darkness with no suggestion of ending. Perhaps it was the way the wind cut against the pillars, but something like flutes played faintly in the air, like the flutes the Tirbukan pygmies played.

Diana helped Samira the rest of the way up and quickly roused Isabella. She had enough outdoors for one night, and certainly wasn't going to waste hours or days traveling. The shadow witch woke to the looming, stone heads and low ceiling, flashes of mother's coffin wracking her with claustrophobia, and she needed a minute and many assurances to come around. Still befuddled from all the trauma back at the cathedral, but just as eager to leave this place, she very slowly began work on a ritual back to the castle.

With time to spare, Renato couldn't help but move deeper, despite the girls' warnings. He spent several minutes exploring the straight causeway, finding the basic architecture uniform, though each grimacing head and relief unique. The further he went, the more his fear fell to curiosity, somehow knowing this place was not dangerous to him.

Isabella made the usual motions, drawing circles with the red chalk and evoking hellfire, but the flames were decidedly red and rolled with the viscosity of blood. The faint flutes grew in tempo and volume, as if she were conjuring something more than a portal. Still she persisted, invoking Hecate and nearly finishing the ritual, bloody flames reaching upward and inches from entwining to form a portal. She called for Renato, uncertain how long she could stall.

And the call echoed faintly down the causeway. Renato nearly turned back, but out of the corner of his eye discovered blood gutters in strange patterns across the floor, sometimes even riding up on the walls to outline particular assassinations. The Vadenjan step pyramids possessed such gutters, suggesting a sacrificial altar somewhere ahead. He pressed on with a jog.

Isabella was forced to complete the ritual, and the red, dripping fire strands formed bars and arches and became a wide, open gate. Already beads of sweat formed over the witch's brow, as she pitted her will and magic against the natural tendency of the universe to right her spacial fold. The girls called out again for the impetuous assassin, but there was no answer. At Isabella's urging, Samira and Diana eventually passed through, and Isabella held the portal open but a few more moments before surrendering to the strain, leaving her alone in the eerie, unfamiliar tunnel, and Diana and Samira alone in the eerie, unfamiliar crypts...


The Ravenloft Crypts were pitch black, leaving Samira frightened and blind. Diana whispered her assurances and took the girl by the wrist, leading her through the entirely alien part of the castle. The heiress had never gone this deep before and recognized none of the corpse shelves or rowed sarcophagi, and had difficulty navigating the maze of vaulted cloisters and locked, iron gates. She even considered they were, in fact, in some attic or tower top, especially when she discovered a passage down: an archway flanked by apple tree caryatids whose intricately-carved blossoms and leaves had either crumbled to dust or been smothered in spider gossamer. An orange-gold light shone from below the oppressively narrow staircase, but because of the way it spiraled there was little clue as to why. Still convinced it would lead somewhere preferable, the two descended, Samira offering to go first just in case now that she could see again.

Sight was a luxury Samira did not enjoy long, as the further down they went, the brighter the light, until it all but blinded both women. And the light, for all its strength, offered no warmth. Rather, it grew colder and colder. Diana was beginning to doubt her initial assessment, and admittedly Samira was reluctant to continue, at which point the sorceress recalled she'd maps of the castle! Renato had offered them to her during their rest in the woods, or perhaps she'd pilfered them, or maybe there were duplicates she herself discovered in the Tome's ample roller desk, but in any case she plopped down on the steps and shuffled through folios and various scroll tubes until at last she identified where they were heading, marked with a single word: Tatyana.

Little alarm bells rang in Diana's head and she took Samira back up the way they'd came. Over the course of the next hour, they managed their way out of the damnable, dark, dank and dreary catacombs, narrowly avoiding the Brides and something unidentifiable beyond wet, ragged breaths and heavy scraping.

Emerging in a well-furnished hall, they managed a few feet before Gerald floated up wondering how the ladies had managed to escape his welcome. While Samira stammered the words 'guh-guh-ghost', Diana sent him to Thedra so she might dispense summons to Barovia's leaders, never mind how early it was... [Given the Barovian summer, I'd say you left Thedra's lab for the Temple of the Night at dusk, around 7pm on Talsil 18th. Your work in the Temple was at the least another hour. Then the extended rest in the woods took another 6 hours, followed by another hour-and-a-half through the woods and to the cave and ten minutes for the ritual. After about an hour-and-ten-minutes in the catacombs, you'd finally emerge in the hall with Gerald at about 6:50am on Talsil 19th]...

Then she took Samira to see her mother, remarking along the way that a contingent of Ravens could be stationed at the castle, something of an outreach program to show the villagers and doubters that not all vampires were out to destroy them. Samira thought the idea had merit, though when she noticed the bold, overbearing portrait of Count Strahd hung imperiously over the main foyer, she suggested perhaps removing the image of their five-hundred-year-tormentor beforehand...


Renato delved nearly three miles into the mountain before coming upon his suspicion, an altar of sorts, to say a wall some ten feet high and twenty feet wide dominated by a massive, protruding stone skull settled in an inclined pool crusted with dry blood, the depression which spawned the blood gutters like a lake might rivers and streams. The skull was surrounded by stone reliefs of miniature, piled corpses, hundreds, thousands, like mountains behind and beside it. It's great jaws were just parted enough to form a slit between teeth wide enough to insert, say, a blade. Upon the forehead of the skull in Tir'bukan hieroglyphs read 'Let the bloodiest blade be my key'.

After scanning for traps, he stepped into the pool and fit Slask Seven-Cuts' kukri into the slot. Immediately, his head whipped back and he flew into a state of murderer's ecstasy, watching play before him every death caused by the blade, feeling the weight of the swings and stabs, the resistance of throats and flesh, the warm spray of vitae and the spasms of the prey. Seven-hundred-and-twenty-three killings flooded his mind and, unbeknownst to him, filled the pool, the blood rising to his mid-chest and snaking out through the blood gutters.

As he moaned and laughed, Isabella, who had followed after the assassin, came upon the scene and cried out in horror. She moved to the edge of the pool, watching as blood ran through the gutters and traced patterns, but she dared not disturb him for what consequences might come with interrupting whatever was happening. The smell of all that warm blood made her swoon as she watched to its completion.

Renato suddenly knew things he'd no right to know, the history of Assassin's Vale remembered by the seven Dark Lords who came before, each entombed somewhere in the valley. He knew the land as if he'd lived there all his life, moreover felt the land, was one with the land. He could envision every last beast and bird, every tree and peak, every curl of mist. When he finally pulled away with the kukri, he stood lucid and invigorated, Dark Lord of Assassin's Vale.

Dripping red, he emerged from the pool and tried to comfort and reassure the frightened Isabella that he was more alive, more powerful and sure than he'd ever been in his life, that he was one with the domain, but Isabella did not understand. It was she who was tied to the Barovian fanes. Barovia couldn't possibly be under his control! His peculiar manner spurred her into creating a second portal, this time without the bloody fire or flutes. They managed their way into the catacombs, tracing Diana and Samira's steps...


The countess occupied the darkened throne room, gray stonework and black marble and deep, crimson banners, with a long table surrounded by blackwood chairs before an elevated dais. Sitting the noble seat in a casual, black, almost Vistani, outfit complete with gauzy bandanna, Countess Angelique appeared deep in thought. She snapped awake when Diana entered, though, relieved at her daughter's safe return and curious as to their guest.

Conversation started light enough, and Diana mentioned her idea of changing guard to her mother, who rather liked the notion of free Ravens as opposed to the expensive bogatyri. Since Ravenloft no longer received the exorbitant tribute it once did under Strahd's rule, the von Zarovich fortune was now finite. When topic turned to Isabella, however, again Angelique lost her temper, but this time for quite another reason than the girl's doing, rather out of rage for Queen Victoria once learning of her hand in Isabella's loss of innocence. Angelique rued how Victoria had only ever used her brother for his resources and saw even her own child as a commodity to be bartered. Diana quietly advised Samira stay back as the countess seethed, eyes burning red, the marble arms of her throne crumbling in her vice grip. With another curse upon Victoria, the open flames throughout the castle blew out at once.

Renato warily lowered his stance as Angelique's fury blew through the castle, Isabella shy to follow. When the assassin headed off to find Diana and the countess, the witch resigned to wait on the steps beneath the painted gaze of her grandfather. The assassin found them before long and together the four decided it best to call assembly immediately and present their evidence. A rather grand procession moved out of the castle, Countess Angelique von Zarovich followed by her heiress Lady Diana Savrano von Zarovich, Dark Lord Renato Ruiz of the Vale, Dame Samira von Immol and lastly, out of immediate sight, Princess Isabella Il'spana. They traveled on horseback down the Old Svalich Road, relieved to find no lurking shade or wolf pack, even as the Sunsword slowly lightened the sky...


Isabella veered off the main road and into the fields outside Barovia Village, finding a secluded spot beneath the fading moon in which to pray for guidance. She had never felt so lost and alone, so betrayed, her only small comfort the gentle and stupid beast whose mane she stroked absently. Emotions boiled and churned within her, love of Mara now mixed with doubt, a need to please her mother mixed with the need for retribution. Anger peeled away from her, further stoking her internal chaos, and the two argued to exhaustion amidst the green, summer corn...


The grand procession crossed Ignac's Bridge and passed under the skeleton of the Raven's fortress with purpose, inspiring a mixed reaction from the early-risen populace (farmers, vendors, builders out to beat the daytime heat), some bowing, most gaping, a few even hiding or making signs of the phoenix. Renato made sure his look lingered on those cowards, while Diana struggled to keep her horse in check. After long, the beast threw her off, snapped at her, then rode off down the lane. That's when she noticed the other horses keeping their distance, panicking if she got too close.

They found a collection of Ravens assembling for a change in the watch, all of whom bowed before the countess as knights are wont to do in the presence of nobility. Angelique was decided pleased and bit them fetch The Lady Raven, who was roused out of bed, greeting them a few minutes later in a simple tunic and breaches, hair a mess, her sword belt tilted on her waist. She was relieved at her friends' safe return, but the lightness of her being was weighted quickly once Samira confirmed her fears of a connection between the Children, the Ordo and Darakaan.

Ashlyn went to retrieve the final member of the Barovian Council, Burgomeister Ireena, in the chapel giving confession and only a short walk through the winding cobblestones of the village main street. The path was decidedly pitched upward toward a green, risen knoll whereupon the Chapel of Kalinda sat. Nothing as elaborate as the Temple of the Night, it held a certain honesty and history in the brightening shafts of holy light, old stones, worn woods, a tall steeple, surrounded by hilly churchyard. After Ashlyn entered the building, Diana and Renato decided to follow, but just as they reached the break in the low stone wall surrounding the sanctified ground, the two halted. Some nameless dread prevented them from taking even one more step upon the christened soil, another side effect of the Old Curse, one of many the pair rued openly. Even the countess seemed perturbed by the growing morning light, dismounted and converting her bandanna into a shielding shawl.

Ashlyn emerged with Ireena in tow several minutes later, the burgomeister looking a vision as always, always carrying herself with grace and dressing precisely, this time in a short, brown riding jacket, complete with vest and silky blouse, matched with a riding skirt and tall boots. Her hair was pinned high and back, revealed her perturbed look plainly. She greeted them cordially, but no doubt Ashlyn had shared the gist of last night's endeavors.

The Lady Raven ushered everyone inside the vacated townhouse where once the Lightbringers convened, into a bare common room save a small apple wood table, a few chairs and a cold hearth. The countess was afforded the honor of sitting at the head, Ireena and Ashlyn taking position on either side of her. Samira said her peace, and Diana held her agenda until after the rulers of Barovia had been given opportunity to consider the local happenings.

Ashlyn grimly conceded there were few option besides a military action against the Children if they were indeed ordering hits and affiliated with Darakaan. The countess agreed, somehow sounding casual, and yet obvious in her eagerness to rid the domain of the Kalindian order once and for all. Ireena couldn't possibly condone such an attack, siting her belief that the Children were simply following the command of their superior, Templar Zarephath, and were again being duped. Had not Ashlyn suffered a similar ruse, accidentally carrying out the will of Mara via the orders of Sir Konrad? Ashlyn admitted as much, several meetings held in the very room they all sat in, and that it was a hasty decision to make open war with fellow Kalindians when the true problem was their leader. The countess felt that left but one option, to let Renato 'do his work', which brought a smile to the young man's shadowed face, but which left Ireena cold.

Not all the Children were unreasonable zealots. Given their proof, Ireena suggested calling a meeting of leadership and making their case before his peers. Ashlyn was not so convinced, even with clear logs and Darakaani coins, as the deva was loved by his followers and held a charismatic power in his voice that few could resist. Diana spoke up, then, wondering if they'd be more apt to listen if they were jarred out of their blind devotion, say perhaps if the Sunsword went missing. The countess smiled, Ireena nearly fell out of her seat, and it soon became apparent Ashlyn was the tiebreaker. The sorceress went on to assure her friends it would only be for a day, just enough to stir the pot, allow them to review the facts as they were, not as Zarephath might paint them. After some thought, The Lady Raven agreed, and a tentative plan was formed, much to Ireena's dismay.

The Dark Three would infiltrate the Temple of the Wheel unseen, steal the Sunsword and escape equally unnoticed, after which a meeting would be called between parties and the truth laid bare. However there was the matter of the Old Curse to contend with, and vampires' inability to cross onto sanctified ground...

Perhaps using the signets or a Sending, they could lure Zarephath into a false meeting with the assassins, in reality a trap to catch the deva red-handed during an exchange. Not only would the Barovian Council be present, but as many Children of Light as they could convince, eliminating the risk of being caught and losing all credibility in an attempt to steal the Kalindian relic and proving beyond even fanatics' doubt the truth of Zarephath's nature.


Experience: 1533 xp each (59,673 total)
Dark Lord Risen, 2400
Factions Reunited, 1200
RP Bonus, 1000

Coin: -320 gp (Izzy: Linked Portal x 2, Sending)

Boon: Dark Lordship (Renato)

Dark Lordship of Assassin's Vale
You, who hold the bloodiest blade, have claimed lordship of Assassin's Vale. With each new death you deliver, you further solidify your rule.

Level: 18
Price: 85,000 gp
Dark Lordship

Property: You are master of the domain and control the weather, the seasons, the birds and beasts, even the topography, which you may alter as you see fit. So long as your domain endures, so shall you, in effect providing endless longevity.

Property: You can identify other Dark Lords with an Insight check, and they you.

Power: Daily. Standard action. You and up to eight allies travel back to Assassin's Vale with a rising plume of thick, soupy mist, materializing anywhere you like within the domain. These allies must have physical contact with you.

Weakness: You possess a symbiotic relationship with the Vale. Its destruction is your destruction, its plagues, sieges and natural disasters are your afflictions. The ancient skull set at the end of Death's Road is your skull, your fane, which binds the land to you. Should it be threatened or assailed, you will know inherently. Should another, more-worthy assassin plunge his blade between the fane's teeth, you will know death.

Weakness: You cannot stand to be away from the domain for too long. Your body begins to fade after a number of days equal to your Constitution score. You become weakened and insubstantial and must succeed daily Endurance checks to remain where you are, or else magically teleport back to the fane. There you must rest, submerged in the blood pool for the number of days you were away. If you remain estranged from the Vale for twice your Constitution score, you die and rise as some nasty form of spectral undead.

New NPCs
Burgomeister Petre Teodorus (mentioned): The burgomeister of Immol, a strong, fifty-something year old Barovian dedicated to the people and the object of Samira's affections.

New Hooks
Dark Lord (Renato): You are one with the secluded Assassin's Vale, it's undisputed master. You control its weather, its beasts, its very topography. You know all its secrets. With the title comes a terrible power and considerable untapped potential... and perhaps a few strings.

Next Session
84b: The Dark Three prepare their political one-two punch, embarking on a mission to steal the Sunsword out from under the Children's guard to weaken their morale and jar their sensibilities, then produce the evidence to condemn Templar Zarephath.

84a: Sodden Hold (PART I)

Talsil 18th
The Evils of the Empire

The party stormed the old lighthouse, besting the ‘fishermen’ and grueling it out with the infamous (and overrated) Inquisitor Videl, a regiment of conscripted Edmarkians, and most troublesome of all a fiercely trained quartet of Noran Regulars within a rundown cargo hold.

During the battle, Videl suggested having met Narra before at some training facility (perhaps the notorious Facility Alpha the godengine chattered about), though the girl had no memory of her redheaded antagonist.

Fighting was brutal, but with the enemy strewn over shattered crates and bloodied floor, the party split, half exploring the southern side of the house and stumbling upon a cowardly Edmarkian watchman. He wanted no part of the horrific experiments taking place beneath the lighthouse, in a laboratory he stumbled upon quite accidentally and wished to Nor he hadn’t.

As he began to tell what he saw, the same ominous psychic presence felt during the hideout battle resurfaced, trying to scramble the man’s brains, but Narra’s shielding, Kaylan’s healing and Gen’s common sense to remove him from the building and into the river saved his life.

He’d a dark tale to tell, of a machine that drained people of their essence, concentrated and bottled it, and left them withered as mummies. He’d seen devils in the deep halls, truly from Hell, and the Grand Inquisitor proved able to torture victims without laying a finger upon them. The circusmaster DeWitt had just returned, as well, tending the last poor souls locked in the laboratory cells: elves, northerners (including a pregnant barbarian), and two strange, crystalline folk whose skin lanced with lightning.

Leaving the exasperated man someplace face, the party was resolved more than ever to descend into the laboratory and end the crimes against life. There was, however, a silver lining in all the gloom and horror, Osenth’s discovered stash, which yielded magic items and much coin. Narra had claimed Videl’s curious sword, too, made of the curious metal orium and perfect for channeling her psychic power.

Feeling as prepared as they’d ever be for the next chamber, Tyvis sniffing out dogs and a lone man, they burst on the scene, only for Gens to be swarmed by gnashing jaws and dampening auras of a pack of magehounds! The fight turned even grimmer when the masochistic inquisitor plunged an orium tuning fork into the base of Anita’s neck and made her swallow a bullet!

Party members are shredded, dragged and dominated, and though the inquisitor is on his back with Tyvis and Anita baring down on him, his expression couldn’t be any more vacant. The battle has not turned yet, as not one of the vicious, gray-brown canines is even bloodied...

Experience: 1990 xp each (55,330 total)
Encounter A: Fishermen, 500
Encounter B: Watchmen, Marksmen, Noran Regulars, Inquisitor Videl, 6250
Defending the Weak Minded, 3200

Magic: +1 plate armor x 4, +1 tower shield x 4, +2 longsword x 4, Videl's Orium Longsword + 3, leather armor +3, Ornament of Alertness +4, Staff of Insightful Detection +4

Coin: 93 pp, 13,801 gp, 177 sp, 30 cp, white diamond x 2 (5000 gp each), blood orange jacinth (5000 gp)

Loot: 5 pistols (full resale value as crossbows), deeds to 4 inns spread across the empire: The Goose and Plum (outside Provia), Farrow's Folly (in Brevvy), The Gray Griffyn (outside Noran), The Coalhouse (in Rubina)

New NPCs
Inquisitor Videl (dead): The apprentice of Bloody Bluch, a Lord Inquisitor of the northern Heartland and enemy of Tyvis's family, she was famed for her cruelty and sword mastery. She implied knowing Narra in her youth at some sort of school or facility, though Narra herself had no recollection. Highly overrated, despite her psionic powers, Gens and Anita took her down.

Afflicted Watchman (unnamed): An Edmarkian watchman who learned too much about the facility he was assigned to guard. The vast, psychic entity beneath the lighthouse attempted to silence him before he could divulge anything, but Narra, Gens and Kaylan managed to spirit him out and keep him alive. Gens deposited him somewhere safe where he'd be cared for.

Inquisitor Kenner: The bearded, bare-chested inquisitor with scars of self mutilation across his back, chest and arms, he possessed absolute control over the magehounds. He proved a twisted individual, dominating Anita and making her swallow a bullet, and showed not even the slightest hint of remorse or fear or rage, even when pinned under Tyvis. Wields an orium tuning fork, which he uses to usurp minds.

Next Session
85a: The party continues a desperate battle against a pack of magehounds and their depraved, psychic trainer in efforts to reach the laboratory and free its captives below.

82b: Temple of the Night (PART 2)

Talsil 19
Acquiring one too many secrets...



Experience: 3266 xp each (58,140 total, LEVEL UP 15!)
Presbytery Encounter B (Vampire Assassins), 1400
+ keeping Samira alive

Presbytery Encounter C (Ancient Vampires, Dreadful Penny), 4600
+keeping Samira alive

Commons Battle (Slask, Human Assassins, Breathstealer, Tome), 3800
+ keeping Samira alive

Magic: Slask's Cherished Ring, Rituals: Seance (Book of Rituals, 8), Corpse Gate (14), Summon Demon (16)

Slask’s Cherished Ring
You and your words are more alluring when you wear this simple loop of burnished gold.
Level: 14

Price: 21,000 gp

Item Slot: Ring


Property: Gain a +2 item bonus to Diplomacy checks.

Property: This ring has the ability to key into the nearest Shadow Door, teleporting the wearer to the nearest Temple of the Night.

Power (Daily • Charm): Standard Action. Make an attack: Ranged 10; Charisma vs. Will; on a hit, the target moves its speed toward you.

If you’ve reached at least one milestone today, the target must spend one move action on each of its turns to move closer to you (save ends).

Séance
Holding hands with your companions in a circle you call upon the long dead spirit of the only man who knew the information you require to divulge his dark secrets.

Level: 8
Category: Divination
Time: 10 minutes
Duration: 10 minutes
Component Cost: 500 gp
Market Price: 680 gp
Key Skill: Arcana or Religion (which the DM rolls in secret)

You contact the dead spirit of an intelligent creature whose name is known to you, to ask questions and receive answers. At the DM’s option the spirit may manifest as an apparition or simply communicate with the ritualists mentally. The spirit knows only what it knew in life and what it has experienced in the afterlife, though most spirits refuse to talk about the latter. Your familiarity with the target and the result of your Arcana or Religion check determines the number of questions the spirit will answer.

This ritual requires at least one assistant to aid the caster. Everyone participating in the ritual must join hands in a circle. Should this circle be broken at any point during the ritual, either by force or by one of the members breaking physical contact or leaving the circle, the ritual immediately ends.

Specific Spirit is...

An immediate family member, +6 to skill roll

Your ancestor, +4 to skill roll

A friend, +2 to skill roll

An acquaintance, +0 to skill roll

Your enemy, -2 to skill roll

A complete stranger, -4 to skill roll

Arcana or Religion Check Result...

A natural 1, 0 or lower
A hostile incorporeal undead manifests and attacks the caster

1-9
An impostor spirit answers 1 question falsely

10-19
The named spirit answers 1 question

20-29
The named spirit answers 2 questions

30-39
The named spirit answers 3 questions

A natural 20, 40 or higher
The named spirit answers 4 questions

At the DM’s option, specific spirits may be impossible to contact, or may provide answers that are cryptic, incomplete or misleading. The DM may also choose to run the questioning of the spirit as a skill challenge using Diplomacy as the main skill.

Money: 7620 gp and 50 pp (5000 gp) of Darakaani mint
Loot: Books on local religions, local politics, local geography, even a few biographies on pertinent Barovian figures including Strahd [revealing that he murdered his brother Sergei and drove his sister-in-law Tatyana to kill herself], House Indirovich [revealing Ireena is adopted], Mara Amoria [revealing she is a fallen angel, the sister to the deceased Kaern and daughter of the archangel Ezariel], and Clan Belmont [vampire and monster slayers, beginning with Simon Belmont who defeated a revived Rathven the Hunger nearly a thousand years ago with the holy whip Slayer, delivered unto him by the archangel Ezariel]; Collection maps and schematics for Castle Ravenloft, The Temple of the Wheel, Kolyana Manor, Barovia Village, as well as the villages of Berez, Kierstovich, Vallaki, Lechnitz and Immol and their respective burgomeisters’ manors; several disguises including peasant rags, a Raven Knight hauberk, Kalindian robes, a Children of Light hauberk, and a nobleman's outfit of the highest quality; 3 vials of Death Blade poison.

New NPCs
Dreadful Penny (dead): A blue-skinned winter wight encountered in the Barovian Temple of the Night.

Slask Seven-Cuts (dead): A named drow assassin of the Ordo encountered in the Barovian Temple of the Night with a ring similar to Rylasir's, a Shadow Door key.

Vrock (unnamed): A powerful vulture demon freed from the Barovian Temple of the Night who, at first, proved cordial, despite his presence tarnishing and aging everything around it. He and Isabella played questions, during which he divulged the connection between The Children, The Ordo and Darakaan, as well as the nature of Ebb's Cauldron, and in turn seemed very interested in Mara's dealings. He incidentally divulged that Queen Victoria Il'spana had sold Isabella's soul to Mara for some dread secret, one the demon greatly desired to know, though he never found out as his aura collapsed the temple. He escaped to a realm unknown.

The Tome of Barovia: A hideous and all-together monstrous vampire of the old blood, nosferatu, undead and unaffected by The Great Change which destroyed all non-human vampires of the Old World and left the survivors of the Othyrian and Tir'bukan houses mortal (though as long-lived as elves). He translated the cipher of the chapter book, providing proof against The Children, The Ordo and Darakaan. Renato gave him a chance to live, by joining him in a new Ordo of his making, which the old creature agreed to when faced with an alternative of death.

New Hooks
Brick by Brick (Renato): The first of the Ordo chapters has fallen by your wrath, and more lie before you, stepping stones until you reach the very first temple wherein dwells The Shadow Cabinet. The whole of the assassins' order will be undone, on this you swear, but what then? Pick up the pieces and rebuild the Ordo Templi Nox with you as its absolute master.

Mommy Dearest (Isabella): Vrock revealed your mother sold your immortal soul, condemned you to eternal torment and servitude beneath Mara's heel, for a single secret! Can it be true? Was all that transpired truly of your own making, or some sick plot of dark events leading to your intended fall. If so, what do you do about it?

Next Session
83b: The Dark Three return to Barovia Village with the proof they need to mobilize the drifted factions into one, unified response against The Children, The Ordo and Darakaan. But what then? Help them take down the corrupt half-angel Zarephath, or eliminate the entire Kalindian order for safe measure? Or leave the work to the rulers of the realm, content in knowing you were the force which reunited them and set them on the right path? Decisions, decisions...

83a: To the Lighthouse

Talsil 18

Fresh from a battle that was still running rampant throughout the city of Edmark, the group rested inside a cave they found nearby the river. Kaylan returned from the Wright family with her adopted daughter, whom was looking very happy from the few days she spent feeling normal. The prophet laid her daughter besides the High Priestess to sleep, and the pair seemed to glow in a faint golden light.

It was not long before an odd thing happened, a bat got caught in Kaylan's red tresses, but that wasn't the odd part: It was carrying a letter for Kaylan. Naturally everyone was in agreement that a carrier bat was a touch strange, even Anita who had freshly returned from escorting Osenth to his new life and escape. Kaylan read the letter and discovered it was from an old friend: Diana. But the letter's contents were not so joyful.

It read that Christina's uncle wishes to take Tina and raise her, this was mostly perplexing to Diana since he was a vampire hunter, but wrote that it was her duty to uphold the Barovian laws and requested Kaylan to return the child. This request was met with differencing opinions, all agreed that Tina's Uncle had the right to take her back, but the life of a vampire hunter hardly sounded like a safe life to send Tina into, it was agreed that at the very least the man should be spoken too and reasoned with that Christina wanted to become a priestess of Kalinda, and it would be safer there for her.

The letter also stated that Giers, Kaylan's former flame and the High Priestess' son, was showing very agressive signs in Barovia with his Children of Light, possibly having very dark ties and alliances with a certain Lich there as well. Kaylan now had to not only tell her adopted daughter her uncle wanted her to live with him in Barovia, but also had to tell the woman she considered a mother just what her son was up to lately.

Narra went over to the remains of the God Engine and picked it's brain for magic... quite literally. By the time the blue angel was done her work, she had gained many rituals the machine no doubt used to track it's various quarries. She also made a horrible mess of the thing, liquifying it when all was sad and done. Narra being covered in brain matter and blood, dove into the water, much to her annoyance. Lucky Anita was on hand to loan her some clothes, if they were a bit small on her.

Everyone went to sleep afterwards, and the morning came, giving the chance to see the three women of Kalinda: Finduilas, Kaylan, and Christina all perform their morning prayor whilst Gens stood to the side and sang the hymns of Kalinda. Kaylan picked this as the time to speak to Christina about her uncle, the prophet was choked up when she told her, and asked her young daughter if she wanted to meet him. Christina did, but she didn't want to go alone, so they resolved to go together when Kaylan returned to Etheria.

Kaylan asked Christina to play her flute for Gens, the girl happily did, saying that the Wrights said her talents were "Brilliant", making her uncle smile with happiness to see such a budding musical talent grow. She played beautifully, and this was enough to call forth Gens and Narra's newest pupil, Dewdrop, to the shore and danced around the girl.

Tyvis had been making a simple breakfast when the peace and quiet of the cave was disrupted with the giggles and joy of Dewdrop and Tina's dance as they spun around Narra and asked her to sing for them. The Nors woman chuckled and obliged their request, humming at first then going into a song. Dewdrop and Tina both pulled her into their dance and even Gens came into the cave to play his violin, and compliments Narra's amazing voice in his traditional fey manner.

The combination of the Norswoman's singing and the Changeling's magical accompaniment, danced by a daughter of the river, seems to alter the cove somehow. The water takes on a slight mist, sparkles blue-green, the algae on the rocks blooms small, pink flowers and the moss lowers into strange veils over the cave. Perfume of ripe, tropic fruits lifts in the air.

The music caused lights to come from the shore, surrounding Dewdrop, Narra, and Gens, but all came to an end when Dewdrop pulled Tyvis into the dance. The unfortunate and clumsy druid stumbled into the fire and caused the dance and song to end, Gens grabbing his blood brother to haul him into the river while the druid swore in his pain, prompting Kaylan to end her conversation with Finduilas to rush to his aid, and to scold both he and Tina for swearing.

Kaylan had been discussing with Findulias about Giers, what had been going on with him for a good while. Most of the talk was about his issues with Isabella, her attack of him, if it was self-defense on her part or his part and everything. Findulias wanted to talk to Giers personally, Kaylan wished to talk to him in her place, but Fin insisted upon it. The High Priestess stated that the vampires of Saspien and Queen Victoria's dark pacts were necessary to maintain the unity to keep the empire at bay, but it may be getting to the time where the Alliance can no longer turn a blind eye to Saspien's evils even with the Empire going to war with the North.

With Tyvis' time in the fire dealt with, Finculias set to work on the portal to return her and Tina home, not before teaching Kaylan and Gens the ritual should they ever wish to return. Gens pleaded with the woman that gave him a home to allow him time to retrieve the other captives they had rescued from DeWitt's hold, she allowed it and Gens retrieved Tyvis to go brave the city together.

They manuevered the warzones and returned to the Guild Hall to find of all the sleeping captives only five, counting Ceress and Dynan, remained, the rest had awoken and headed off on their own, threatening Dynan in the process.

Those who have stayed, however, number the dumpling-like halfling girl with the tight, black bobbed hair; the twenty-something half-feladrin eerily reminiscent of Thamior in demeanor but for a slightly more human softness; and the strawberry blond girl around eighteen or so, with pouting lips and cleavage that may even exceed Narra! Then of course Ceress as a fourth and Dynan a fifth, who remained at the hall to guard the sleepers and the oracle.

The strawberry blond girl was eager to nearly cling to Tyvis in thanks, which made the druid feel akward and run off after the rude halfling girl who had run off without even knowing where they were going. Humorously in Tyvis' rush to get away, he ignored Jasan, the half-feladrin, who was trying to introduce himself. The group left to return to the cave after that.

Back at the caves Kaylan had said her good byes to her daughter and Findulias, even handing over her stash of weed to the High Priestess for the use of when they were reunited again. To spare Kaylan more tears, the high priestess picked Tina up and leapt through the portal with her, just before the halfling and the others returned.

Kaylan looked at Jasan when he arrived oddly, and learned that the man was her husband's nephew, and informed him that she was pregnant with his uncle's child. He was absolutely happy by this news, but was confused when Kaylan insisted he only tell the Queen of this news.

The strawberry blond girl, Melinda was her name, informed the party that if they are ever in Veluvia they should stop at the Soldier's Trench for the best rooms and all the ale and stew they could want. Anita had some light banter with the woman before she and Jasan left through the portal, leaving just Ceress and Dynan to go, the portal held open by Kaylan's will alone.

Gens apologized to Ceress that he wasn't able to escort her home personally as he had promised, on the backs of unicorns with the trip filled with music and joy. She said it was fine, it was good enough to be rescued by a dashing prince after all!

Dynan was given a farewell from Kaylan that he was surprised about, but she hoped that one day he could think of her as a friend... prompting Dynan to kiss her on the lips and inform her that he already did! But this may have sparked something that nor he or anyone else expected.

"That little..." A smile slowly forms over Ceress's face. "Come on, prince, lets show them a real one." She suddenly leaps into his arms!

Naturally Gens complied, and did so in his usual fashion...

And the sun breaks the cloud cover for just a brief instance, its golden beams shining from Heaven onto the two as Gens sweeps her into a low dip, cupping her head just so, laying the most invigorating and passionate kiss upon the oracle he's ever mustered, so thrilling and steamy and suddenly romantic it leaves every woman in the vicinity absently clinging to their men, perhaps even pining, or at the very least swooning! It's almost in slow motion, a flutter, warmth, and then, after a good thirty seconds, lips part. Ceress, panting some, blinks wildly. "I'm staying."

Gens was touched, but had dealt with this sort of response before and told Ceress that he couldn't let her be in danger, and all that he had to offer her right now was going into danger. He promised her he would visit when he had time, and she left with Dynan...

Gens ran into the cold water of the river to sit for a few minutes afterwards.

Now that everyone was safe it was time to go to business, they had to deal with DeWitt and the Inquisitor at the lighthouse in the lab. Narra wasn't sure what to expect, worried very visably about going into battle again after she had been hurt by the God Engine. She wanted to know why the machine had focused so intently on her, and the party was able to convince her to come along.

Plans were thrown aside for the moment as Anita dashed off to go swim to the Lighthouse, if they were to trap and scout the place up it was best to do it right away, so the group followed along through the water to get there.

Dewdrop teased the party, especially Kaylan, about large crocodiles in the river, but that didn't deter anyone, and they were soon near the lighthouse, where many fishermen were casting rods out from the pier. One man particularly ragged looking with a rag around his left eye and a long, scraggly gray beard. He only has one arm, perhaps a veteran, which forces him to use his teeth for a rather unique fly fishing technique.

Tyvis pointed out that only the ragged looking man was really fishing, the rest being guards in disguise. The man spotted him, and flagged them under the pier, where he expressed his confusion that they were trying to get into the lighthouse. He thought they were just kids on a dare, despite protests otherwise, it was Tyvis who managed to convince him of their worth and he left the pier to avoid the battle to come.

Tyvis swam off to scout for another entrance, but turned up with nothing, leaving but one way inside... through the guards...

~From the Codex of the Legacy Wars (Gens)


Experience: 820 xp each (53,340 total)
Ushering the Sleepers, 2500
RP Bonus, 1600

New NPCs
Laurella Vandorn: Short-tempered halfling rescued from The Devil's Due, who spent most her time with the group sleeping. She took the high priestess's portal to Etheria and safety.

Melinda Melone: A touchy-feely barmaid (she had melons like thiiiis) kidnapped from Veluvia and rescued from The Devil's Due. She welcomed the party to free drinks at The Soldier's Trench Tavern should they ever find themselves as far north as Atha. She took the high priestess's portal to Etheria and safety.

Jasan Serenor: Thamior's nephew, son of Princess Ilari Serenor, famed feladrin hero who aided in the defeat of the crazed White Elder Khebozelluth about twenty-five years ago. His father is Buliwyf, another hero who rose to become The Barbarian King of the Roam. Tall, handsome, with long, platinum hair, he's more built than a pureblood fel and possesses softer features. Plans to deliver word of Thamior's heir to his grandmother in Ivristel, having taken the high priestess's portal north.

Old Stieg: The one-eyed, one-armed Nors veteran turned fisherman who urged the party turn around instead of enter the guarded lighthouse. He assumed them nothing more than teenagers on a dare, but Tyvis managed to convince him otherwise.

Next Session
84a: The party assaults the Inquisition laboratory beneath the old lighthouse, determined to save the last of the kidnapped and get some answers.

81b: Temple of the Night (PART I)

Talsil 19
Infiltrating the Barovi Templi Nox

Hours had passed since the argument and the light of the Sunsword slowly grew from the aperture set in the Temple of the Wheel, a perfect facsimile of dawn spilling over the peaks and into the pine-choked valley. Already the glare bothered Diana's eyes, inspiring Gerald to hurriedly close the curtains. She couldn't help but sigh as darkness washed over her, wondering then if that made her a bad Kalindian.

"We'll strike after our rest, then?" Renato asked beside her, one with the shadows and all but invisible.

"I think that would be best." She hadn't startled and didn't bother turning, staring now at the sliver of brilliance lighting the narrow part of the crimson drapes. "No point trying in daylight."

They remained there in silence awhile, until Diana decided to burst it with a freshly-sharpened pin. "How is Izzy coming along? Are we going with her or a reputable witness?"

The assassin stepped out of the darkness and into material form, even then mostly hidden under a black cloak and hood. "I think we will need both." Making a point to look her in the eyes, then, "Perhaps the healing process between the two parties can begin..."

He trailed off, lowering his hood and running a hand through his hair. "Isabella is on the edge. She will come off on one side or the other."

Diana remained casual as she spun and sat lady-like on a divan, though something in the way she chewed her lip betrayed her worries. "Healing process. Who can we get who won't be upset by the sight of Izzy?"

"You know more about these people than I do. Does Remy know of her?" Renato offered.

She frowned. "Ireena's boyfriend? I'm going to guess she mentioned it to him."

Gerald closed the rest of the curtains throughout the expansive sitting room and bowed quickly before floating out, something the assassin still wasn't quite used to. Spectral blue servants hovering here and there, bowing and curtsying, lunch at one o'clock sharp. It'd been a long time since he was served by anyone. The honed formality and aged opulence of this castle was bittersweet, he thought, running a gloved hand across a fine oak ledge. Huh, missed a spot...

"Ashlyn?"

Diana didn't immediately respond, staring at a large mirror turned backward against the wall. The Old Curse had penetrated even this place.

Renato persisted. "You said these are your friends. Perhaps you could convince them to simply deal with it for the good of your country."

"Like I can convince my other good friend Isabella not to consort with pure evil?" Her tone was sharper than she intended, and she softly followed, "Ashlyn might be the best bet, though."

"You are hard on yourself." The assassin fell lazily into a love seat, throwing a leg over one of its cushioned arms. "Send Ashlyn word if you can. If not we will try to visit her." He fished under his folds. "I have the ring, and you said someone here could figure out how to extend its range? They should take care of that while we rest."

Diana chuckled a bit at that, a hint of appreciation in its sweet sound. "Look at this place. It's a disaster. Everything I've worked for gone. Gone in three weeks."

How did this place manage before she came? Oh right, ancient vampire tyrant...

"I'll arrange another bat message for Ashlyn." She ever so gently ran a finger from her chin to the base of her throat, pondering, "That should set the right tone."

"My life of eighteen years was disrupted with a single night," Renato replied flatly, having none of this. "Time is not a fair friend." Still, there was a little comedy to be found even in the worst of times, even as he smirked. "At least none of it's dull, eh?"

"I wouldn't mind a little dullness right about now." She snatched a pillow within reach and hugged it. "Still, I appreciate the kind thoughts."

Renato scratched his head, leaning closer. "There are no hard feelings between us, even when things get hectic." He took the ring and lifted it, looking through it and at Diana as though it were a keyhole. "You'll take care of all the set up and I'll ensure that we all remain safe while in the belly of the beast." He paused. "Though this is a minor base. Perhaps it's more like the kidney of the beast."

The beauty of her face soured with so many frown lines and Diana stuck out her tongue. "Ewww. I'm not sure I want to be in any of the beast's body parts."

Renato grinned, handing the ring over.

"I'll see to it," she said.

"Get away from me!" The page cried, borrowing fire from the hearth with a quick sweep of her arm and sending it as a wave over the three.

It hissed and crackled against Renato's leathers, but he hardly felt it so consumed with revenge.


Experience: 2016 each (54,874 total)
Temple Guardians Encounter, 3400
+ for remaining undetected
+ for keeping Samira alive

Stairwell Encounter, 1100
+ for remaining undetected
+ for keeping Samira alive

Presbytery Encounter A (Lady Ebb, Drow Page), 1550
+ for keeping Samira alive

Magic: soul shard x 5 (Renato), Malcanthe Sutra (Renato), +2 darkforce blade x 5 (Renato)

Malcanthe Sutra: Penned by the reigning Queen of the Succubi, Malcanthet, this legendary tome represents centuries upon centuries worth of study in the sexual arts, truly a prize worthy of placing upon Tenebrous's altar of secrets and knowledge. Poured into its pages are the passions of its author and more than a little of her lusts and appetites.

Its cover is soft as maiden's flesh, peach-colored with minute hairs that bristle and shiver with the proper touch. The binding is a tougher, brown leather studded in gold awfully suggestive of nipples. Each page is slick with oil and smells of an irresistible perfume.

This book may be used as a +4 magic tome implement, but it must be held.

Property: Anyone who spends an extended rest studying this tome receives a +10 to Charisma checks regarding sexual performance and a +5 bonus to Bluff checks involving seduction. These benefits only last so long as the tome is in his or her possession.

Property: Anyone who spends two extended rests studying this tome receives +2 to power attacks with the charm keyword. This benefit only lasts so long as the tome is in his or her possession.

Power (Daily): Immediate Reaction. When you hit with a power that slows, immobilizes, restrains, dazes, or stuns as an ongoing condition, upgrade the effect in the order given by one. In the case of upgrading stun, the target is instead knocked unconscious until the end of your next turn.
Prerequisite: Must have studied the tome for at least three extended rests.

Bane: You quickly develop an insatiable sexual appetite. If your needs are not fulfilled by the end of your next extended rest, you suffer a -1 to all rolls and defenses. This penalty is cumulative for each period between extended rests without sex. If you claim a virgin in this pursuit, all previous penalties are erased and you receive an additional action point.

Bane: You may not relinquish the tome until you have satisfied its sexual need or it is accepted as a gift by a willing and knowledgeable party.


Darkforce Blade
The blade of this longsword flickers in and out of sight, stemming from a cold, black hilt.
Level: 6

Price: 1,800 gp

Weapon: Longsword

Enhancement: +2 attack rolls and damage rolls

Critical: +2d6 damage

Property: All damage dealt by this blade is force damage.

Coin: 120 gp
Loot: Ornate gold box of licorice incense (2,500 gp), bolt of platinum-embroidered black satin enough for six medium outfits (2,500 gp), essence of lavender and orange perfume x 4 (250 gp each), signet ring of the Barovi Templi Nox x 2, iron rod, candle x 4, matchbox, quill x 2 (all Renato)

New NPCs
Dame Samira von Immol: Young, unorthodox knight of the Ravens out of the village of Immol who favors leathers and katars instead of plate, shield and sword. She's known Ashlyn all her life and acts as her eyes and ears in regards to the mission in the temple. Blond and athletic, she's not exactly a beauty.

Lady Ebb (dead): Vampiress wizard who served the Ordo for years as an independent arcanist, aiding in rituals and other spells of transportation and location. Imperious and proud, she died badly...

New Organization
Cult of Tenebrous: A cult born in the Underdark counting drow and now vampires among its supplicants. Dedicated to the 'god' of darkness and secrets, his symbol is a six-fingered hand and his idols are nine-foot-tall men of stunning beauty with six fingers on each hand and crowns of horns sprouting from their brows. His followers rule the drow city of Kauth, the very city those dark elves of the Caverns were driven out of after their failure in Provia with the Hand of Doom. Those who surrender to his power lose their souls, as Renato has found.

New Hook
Lost Souls: Who is Tenebrous? Why has this Barovian chapter of the Ordo turned to him? They've never been an organization involving religion and, in fact, prided themselves on their spiritual neutrality in the days when Renato was a member. Has all the Ordo fallen under Tenebrous's sway? And what of their missing souls?

Next Session
82b: The party continues their assault on the temple, facing off against increasingly deadly assassins and macabre guardians in their search for The Tome of Barovia.

82a: Triumphant

Talsil 17 - 18
Being heroes

Previously...

The party joined the local guilds in an assault on The Sly Flourish, Anita’s well-timed bomb the signal for an all-out street war against the united gangs under the command of crime lord Osenth ‘The Duke’ Shydeln and Crematia, associates of the diabolical Deloth DeWitt.

Artisans clashed with ruffians by the hundreds, choking the piers and dockside with shouting, screaming, dying Edmarkians.

Fighting their way onto the boat and into the lower holds, the party hoped to uncover the high priestess or one of their intended targets, but instead found a damaged squid-spider machine of tremendous proportions, a reconstructed engine from the God War which had bested even the Savior Finduilas.

Its priority appeared to be ‘strong essences’ and ‘unique genetic material’, marking such in the group, but when it analyzed Narra it really went berserk, bending all its efforts against her...

“Identifying... Narra of Generation 2... Facility Alpha. IMPERIAL OVERRIDE! PRIORITY TARGET! PRIORITY TARGET! PRIORITY TARGET!”

The massive collection of steel plates and tentacles, prongs, feelers and gears, bulbous red eyes and hissing, steaming and oil-sputtering joints leaped for Narra!

Tyvis activated the Worldwalkers given him by Ygdrassil and pulled Kaylan out of the machine's reach in a flourish of vines, even as Narra drew the creature away, retreating out of the cargo hold and down a side hall. Tentacles lashed and ripped at her skirts, but she threw herself against the flimsy wood and scrambled over snapping planks to keep from being snared.

The machine was not so easily deterred, ripping up flooring and crashing through walls, breaching the very hull in efforts to cut the Norswoman off. She skidded to a halt as the menacing head with all its whirring, chattering parts exploded into view. Its lamp-like eyes flickered blue then white, emitting shrieking beams that left Narra disoriented and paralyzed in a thick casing of ice.

"Status: Acquiring target..."

Water blasted inward from the breach, pouring into the lower holds, threatening to fill the entire ship and sink it before long. Kaylan feared the high priestess could be down there, helpless, drowning, but no one was readily free to investigate as the flailing tentacles killed the last surviving thug and ripped Anita into their coils. Tyvis moved to help, but another punched through the wall in a spray of splinters and tore him back into the cargo hold. Gens tried to dodge a third tentacle, but it wrapped around his leg and slammed him hard into the ceiling.

Kaylan clenched the phoenix around her neck, healing Narra's wounds in a pulse of golden light, then summoning a much harsher sunspot on top of two of the tentacles, melting away they outer casings to reveal naked gears and pistons. The bard and rogue slipped free, a little tanner than before.

Wild Annie rolled as she fell, removing her guns and firing on the nearest tentacle. She managed to sever its 'spine' with a rapid barrage, but was yanked back into the air for her efforts. The appendage shuddered then fell still.

Tyvis furrowed his brow, still wrapped in a tentacle all his own, but instead aimed for the head of the monstrosity, launching a skewer of sharpened oak in efforts to expunge the engine from the ship. Instead the wood was chewed up by the gnashing nest of tentacles and machinery, a small victory for artificial life which left the Archdruid a tad demoralized.

He shifted into the form of a water snake and slipped free, flopping onto the slick and shattered deck. That's when he spotted them in the flooding lower hold, glimpses between worming tentacles, Crematia throttling a Norsman. Someone was slumped over her shoulder, a woman with wings, the high priestess!

Narra shattered the ice encasing her with an angry thought and focused her fury into a quivering blast that sent loose debris flying against the walls as it shot for the engine. However the machine's steely hide dispersed the force harmlessly.

"Target displays advanced psionic abilities. Transmitting battle data."

Advanced psionic abilities indeed, the farm girl gathered the errant kinetic energy of a vessel being torn to pieces and hurled it with a grated cry. The resulting collision peeled the plating off the machine's head, revealing gears and wheels that ground momentarily to a halt. Cranial hoses burst and oily blood splattered everywhere before its pieces finally resumed functions, albeit more shakily. The massive squid fell backward, groping wildly for purchase after the sudden force, ripping more of the hull away in the process. River water surged doubly inside the lowest holds and Narra disappeared...

Doubly panicked, Kaylan shouted above the roaring water to check the bottom of the boat, though Tyvis assured her there was no need. Crematia had Finduilas, he was certain, spurring the impulsive bard to take a running leap off the edge of gaping hole the machine left in its wake and down into said underbelly with a splash. He perhaps forgot to consider the raging currents whilst the compartment flooded, but managed to keep his head above water and even gain ground toward a set of double doors standing between him and the high priestess. The water was crowded with face-down corpses of thugs not quite so good of swimmers.

Inspired to save her mentor, Kaylan took a running leap after him, and by the will of the goddess managed to best the current. Anita, not to be outdone, viciously cut a looming tentacle in half with a sweep of her blade and dove in too. If there were three things that Artigan girls did well, they were climb onto rooftops, pick prison locks, and swim.

No sooner did that thin, silky, white blouse of hers get wet, the already leaning boat fell completely onto its side. Everyone went flying into walls hard, cargo came loose and crashed open everywhere, river began flooding two decks instead of one and all was whitewater and chaos. Most of the lanterns in the compartments went out and it was nearly impossible to hear over the rush, creating a dim, deafening and extremely deadly scenario.

Anita could barely manage a gasp before she was ripped under and nearly into the black void of the river. She somehow managed to grab onto the edge of the breach, barely keeping herself from being sucked under the boat as it rolled.

Gens called for Tyvis and his water serpent, spurring the Archdruid to slither his fastest and plunge into the swirling chaos. Reverting to human form, he kicked and thrashed and burst open the doors into the engine room. Three more tentacles dangled from above, helping support the rest of the machine chasing an elusive Narra. Beyond them a panicked Norsman clung to a broken beam for dear life and Crematia pressed against the ceiling, hovering with the high priestess in her arms. She barely appeared human in her aggitated state, blazing red eyes, crimson bat wings, patches of blood-colored skin and a face twisted into something chiropteran.

"Crematia! You foul creature!" Kaylan shouts, fighting her way into the engine room with an accusing finger raised.

Her response is an impossibly deep and disturbing grunt that resounds across the chamber despite the carnage, echoing in the hollows of your minds, "Kaylan. I should have known."

"RIP HER FUCKING FACE OFF!" Tyvis screams, throwing up his green-glowing staff.

"And all her eloquent friends. How wonderful!" She snarls as Curck falls onto her back, ripping at the spines sprouting from the back of her neck.

The trio crash into the churl and disappear.

Narra teleported topside, only to witness the godengine's damaged visage surface through another deck like it were merely carefully-laid toothpicks. Before she could send another mind bolt, so many feelers leaped from the machine's jaws and caught each of her limbs with the careful firmness of chopsticks catching flies. They slowly drew her inside its widening mouth, which formed cage bars.

"You will find that I am not so easily captured..." Narra spat, teleporting back below, only for the engine to give follow, in the process obliterating the entire starboard side of the riverboat and almost instantly flooding the bottom holds.

Just as Anita managed her way back inside, the rush of flood water flung Kaylan to the bottom and nearly out of the boat. She threw out her arms and grasped a sturdy edge of hull, legs kicking out into the dark, swallowing emptiness of the river. And she wasn't the only one, as Tyvis watched Crematia and Finduilas slip right out of the breach and into the Edema. In another impetuous move, the bard gave chase, allowing himself to slide right out of the ship. With a little luck and determination, he managed to break free of the lethal rip current that nearly sucked him under the rolling ship.

He reached the surface with a gasp and a sputter, spotting Crematia darting through the water using her wings like a manta ray might, the high priestess in her clutches. He whistled over Neverba, the jade serpent slithering quickly under the bard and bearing him to within arm's reach of the fleeing devil. In a powerful arcane utterance, Finduilas was swept up into his arms and Crematia sent plummeting down into the deeps. Howling with joy, he turned Neverba around, just as bubbles and steam began to rise from the surrounding waters. Red, molten chains lashed from below, quickly wrapping the snake and the priestess. Gens refused to let go, dragged below with the pair. Thus began a desperate tug of war between Crematia in her true form, a beastly bat fiend nearly ten feet tall, and the relentless changeling.

Tyvis let the currents take him, going after Gens, and after beating the deadly suction surfaced to find no one in immediate sight. Kaylan and Anita though to join him, but the snaking tentacles entangled them both, holding them under as the last bit of air fled the compartments. The two fought to hold their breaths, but slowly the tentacles squeezed it out of them mouthful by torturous mouthful...

On the other end of the godengine, Narra lashed out with a last, hurried psionic blast, but the relentless machine with its stabbing feelers consumed her at last, trapping her in its caged mouth and ripping away from the boat entirely. It was, perhaps, what saved the girls below, both tentacles unfurling and slipping upward with the rest of the mechanical monstrosity. Kaylan and Anita quickly made for the surface, the latter giving a last look at the drowning Norsman she knew to be Osenth Shydeln and, with a moment's pause, offered her hand and took him with her. Curck popped up last of all, certainly not designed for swimming.

Slithering quickly through the waters via hundreds of propulsion devices, the godengine might have escaped then if not for Tyvis's opportunistic attack, shifting into wolf form and yanking out a vital coolant hose. Green fluids spilled into the river as the entire engine jerked and whined, barely managing forward. That wasn't all that polluted the waters, the godengine bleeding black oils from numerous wounds.

But still, even with Anita safe, Narra is still in trouble, and Gens and the High Priestess are still missing. He growls, half at the machine, and half at himself. "I should have known one man couldn't protect everyone. How is someone like me supposed to protect the whole Heartland? How?"

The oil filling the water flows downstream quickly. It leaves Tyvis' fur stained black, but just as rapidly leaving him surrounded by fresher water. The river can protect itself better than he ever could.

The river...

You idiot, Tyvis. You're not supposed to protect the Heartland. You're supposed to help the Heartland protect itself.

As the machine and the ship looms above them all, as everything goes to shit around them, Tyvis focuses his eyes on the river, still flowing despite all the chaos.

"Sashelas!" he howls. "Deep One! Old Man River! These machines, these abominations of nature, threaten not just the serenity and purity of your waters, but the lives of your children!"

"I am Tyvis Waylan, Archdruid of the Heartland, and I call upon your aid! To help not just us, but yourself. To fight not just our enemies, but yours. Help us destroy this abomination, save your ally, and bring peace and safety back to this river again."

"Please, Deep Sashelas. For the Heartland."

The Edema halted its flow with a violent jerk of waves, then reversed, leaving the party desperate to tread the disturbed water. Worse, the river sunk into itself, forming a great vortex which tossed and turned piers and scattered debris of the bombed vessel. The hulking godengine frantically scanned the waters, even as a massive geyser exploded skyward. A colossal grey-green octopus surfaced with so much whitewater and fury, Deep Sashelas, the primal ancient over a hundred feet high, lifted by tentacles gargantuan enough to flatten city blocks, screeching with a beak capable of snapping the ravaged riverboat in two.

Easily the superior of the godengine, even the machine's most fearsome eye beams could not penetrate the ancient's thick hide. The group, and both armies with them, could only gape at the titanic summons as it wrapped the machine in its coils and squeezed.

The ancient's appearance was exactly the godsend Gens needed, still struggling with the devil woman and her multitude of searing chains for control of the priestess. One look at Deep Sashelas and every chain loosened and peeled away as Crematia retreated in full, defeated again. Gens shouted after her in triumph, hugging Finduilas near, and urged the weary Neverba toward the buckling godengine.

Its exoskeleton fractured under the pressure of the titan's grip, gears and feelers snapping every which way, allowing Narra her chance to escape. She leaped into the water and to freedom. The engine sparked and spurted oily blood, calculating a lost cause, and initiated a "sel... dest..." sequence as it was torn in half and cast into the water.

Deep Sashelas turned its single, crystalline eye upon Tyvis, but the Archdruid had very little time to thank the spirit before a concussive series of explosions from the detonating godengine shocked the river into a violent surge, creating a crashing rapids that tore the party away. The ancient screeched and reverted to river water, raining back down into the Edema even as the explosions continued, blasting huge sections of dock and street, even consuming nearby warehouses. What remained of the armies fled screaming.

A critically wounded Neverba used her last reserves to round up the swept party and deposit them in a small, sheltering cove far downriver, near the head of the island. In the distance, fires raged and before long the horns and bells of the fire brigades rose in the red-orange night. Tyvis was exceedingly thankful for all the serpent had done for them and granted her a deserved rest in figurine form.

As everyone crawled onto the muddy shore, Osenth alive and in shambles over the loss of his empire, the party noticed the high priestess slumped, pale and breathless. Kaylan swooped to her aid, seeming to glow near her mentor, administering healing auras and good, old-fashioned resuscitation until at last she came around. Student and teacher, adopted daughter and surrogate mother, were reunited in a warm embrace.

Narra lit a fire and everyone warmed themselves around it, though the woman herself wandered off a bit to ponder the heavy implications of the night's chaos. Tyvis looked out over the water, lost in his own thoughts. Gens checked the status of his instruments, finding them thankfully intact, if a little waterlogged. Anita consoled the former boss of bosses, amused by her current power over him, but quickly began to feel sorry for the guy and looked for a way to spare him. After all, she wasn't a cold-blooded killer, just a thief, and a damned good markswoman.

Kaylan and Finduilas spoke awhile of Gens' daring and Giers' efforts to mount a rescue back in Etheria, of her appointment to prophet and the honor and hardship that came with it. Kaylan asked her mentor to take Christina under her wing, so to speak, explaining she had her own path to follow, one a child could not join her on. The high priestess understood and agreed, wishing her dear one well, even as the prophet, lost in thoughts of what she'd do next, stood up and went to retrieve her ward without so much as a goodbye.

As the Archdruid stared over the waters, half-expecting something mystical to happen, it did, in the form of an emerging nixie. Stunning to behold, three feet of lithe and sumptuous blue scales, webbed appendages, elegant and shimmering wings, flowing green hair framing an angular and enchanting face: she was the pinnacle of fey. Her name was far too long to pronounce, but she settled on Dewdrop, a daughter of Deep Sashelas come to offer thanks for waking the titan after a century of sleep and to discuss payment for his intervention. However before she could get into the nitty gritty, Gens began to play his violin, drawing the nixie's gaze and captivating her all in one sweetly-played moment. She circled the bard, mesmerized by his skill, and more so by the sweet accompaniment of Narra's clarion voice, pure as deep springs. Dewdrop was compelled by her very nature to dance, performing a graceful and alluring ballet over water and air.

When at last Gens, mesmerized himself by the flowing movements of the fey (to say nothing of Tyvis), ended his tune, Dewdrop insisted on abandoning the prior payment and instead sought apprenticeship under Gens and Narra so that she might learn the secrets of their music. Tyvis gave his blessing, somehow feeling he dodged a bullet, despite Narra's uncertainty what she could really teach the nixie.

Before Dewdrop left to inform her father of the new arrangement, Gens revealed his true nature, which got a good, long laugh from the nixie, who then suspected Narra might be some nymph or siren. She assured the fey she was a hundred percent Nors, born and raised. However the high priestess was much more shocked than amused, prompting Gens to explain the strange journey that led to his discovering his true nature. In the end, the old bird hugged him and assured him there was nothing to explain, that she judged Gens on the merit of his actions. So long as he upheld Kalinda's tenants and treated Kaylan right, she had no beef. And, having had quite a long day, she folded her wings very hen-like and went to sleep.

Even after haunting music and dancing fey, Osenth was barely inspired to lift his head. Over and over he recounted his failure and his betrayal, Anita gently guiding him into the notion of a new life. Tyvis joined her, a little less coddling, and the Duke found himself with few options other than bartering for his well-being. He was willing to spill what he knew of DeWitt's operations, which was substantial, as well as the location of a personal stash of gold, magic and inn deeds. Before any of that, though, Tyvis wanted to know about the Imperial Gulag. As it so happened, Osenth knew a little something about that as well...

The Imperial Gulag was in actuality a plane-sailing ship that changed worlds every few months. Only the highest ranking officials in the empire had means to track it, high ranking as in, perhaps, the Grand Inquisitor scheduled to meet with DeWitt on the morrow. There was to be an exchange of unique prisoners, kidnapped to be made test subjects for something called 'The Distillery'. The Distillery was located in a secret Inquisition laboratory under the old lighthouse, incidentally also where Osenth's stash was hidden (under the stairs and behind a particularly large stone). While the party had spared the sleepers and the high priestess from such a fate, there were a few poor souls down there destined to die in the impending experiments. In fact, they were all DeWitt had left to offer his powerful benefactors, not only the Grand Inquisitor but also an infernal emissary from Malbolge, the fourth ring of Hell itself!

Satisfied with the information, and after a deadly warning by Tyvis, Anita escorted Osenth out of the city, and had a flash of religion as the two waded out into the river and for the streets. She was convinced he was being cleansed of his old life, spared the loss of his immortal soul for dealing with the likes of fiends and Noran. Osenth weakly agreed, the sting of losing all his power still too near.

Gens took Tyvis aside then, about alone as they'd ever be, and sheepishly admitted that the Norsman had become his best friend, more so his brother. He drew his blade, much to Tyvis's worry, cut open his hand and offered it in blood bond. The Archdruid opted for a more appropriate means of slicing his own palm, summoned thorns over his length of his staff, and together Changeling and Norsman shook, promising to see this and all other hardships through together.

And so sleep and watches were had by all, exhaustion heavy upon them after the night's harrowing ordeals. There was a pervading sense of triumph, though, given the high priestess snoring nearby, Osenth moving off defeated, DeWitt's docks burning in the background, and the bulk of the godengine's parts and riverboat's salvage spit unceremoniously onto shore. There were treasure chests mixed in there, too...

Experience: 3840 each (52,520 total)
Battle on the Sly, 8000
Finding Finduilas, 8000
Second Chance for Osenth, 2400
RP Bonus, 800

Magic: Eye of the Fiery Depths, Eye of Brutal Cacophony, Eye of Merciless Cold, Godengine Brain, Godengine Scrap

Eye of the Fiery Depths
This flickering red sphere of crystal and steel, about the size of a grapefruit, is hot to the touch.
Level: 12

Price: 13,000 gp

Implement (Power Augment)
Property: So long as you possess this item, you gain a +3 bonus to damage rolls with fire attacks.

Eye of Brutal Cacophony
This pale sphere of crystal and steel, about the size of a grapefruit, crackles with blue light and constantly trembles.
Level: 12

Price: 13,000 gp

Implement (Power Augment)


Property: So long as you possess this item, you gain a +3 bonus to damage rolls with thunder attacks.

Eye of Merciless Cold
This flickering white sphere of crystal and steel, about the size of a grapefruit, is cold to the touch.
Level: 12

Price: 13,000 gp

Implement (Power Augment)


Property: So long as you possess this item, you gain a +3 bonus to damage rolls with cold attacks.

Godengine Brain
The CPU of the ancient machine contains data on a number of magic rituals used in locating quarry. Several are potentially salvageable with proper Arcana checks (to be rolled next session). Success means the ritual is retrieved, failure that it is irrevocably lost.

Rituals include: Last Sight Vision (2), Object Reading (5), Inquisitive's Eye (8), Magic Map (9), History Revealed (11), View Location (14), Farsight (16), View Object (18) and Observe Creature (24).

Godengine Scrap
Price: 45,000 gp (15,000 per suit's worth)
Weight: 600 lb. (200 per suit's worth)
The salvaged exoskeleton of the godengine could be made into 3 suits of medium-sized armor by a skilled blacksmith, either chain, scale or plate. There seems to be latent magical qualities to the metal.

Boon: Kalinda's Blessing (Anita, Gens, Kaylan, Narra, Tyvis)

Kalinda’s Blessing
The undimmed light of Kalinda shines from individuals who champion her cause.
Level: 13

Price: 17,000 gp

Divine Boon


Property: If you deal damage to a target that has vulnerability to radiant damage, you deal extra damage equal to your Wisdom or Constitution modifier, whichever is higher.

Power (At-Will): Minor Action. You emit bright light in a 5-square radius. As a minor action, you can stop emitting light.

Power (Daily * Healing): Minor Action. An ally within 5 squares of you can spend a healing surge, regaining 1d6 additional hit points, and that ally gains a +2 item bonus to saving throws until the end of the encounter.

Coin: 10 chests of casino loot totaling 20,000 gp and 100 pp (50 coins = 1 lb.)

New Familiars
Dewdrop (Gens): Nixie daughter of Deep Sashelas and a lover of music and song. She is three feet tall, with shimmering dragonfly wings, lightly-scaled blue skin and deep green hair. She is lithe and fluid of gait, with a mystifying gaze, altogether stunning. Her apprenticeship under Gens and Narra is considered payment for her father's intervention during the battle on the Sly.

New NPCs
Deep Sashelas: Known by many names, including Old Man River, he is one of the Primal Spirits embodying water and rejuvenation, a healer and defender who makes the rivers, oceans, lakes, springs and falls his home. He manifested at Tyvis's call as a colossal octopus with a single aquamarine eye, many barbed tentacles and a beak large enough to snap a riverboat in two. His daughter, Dewdrop, now apprentices under Gens and Narra.

Osenth 'Newman' Shydeln: Once the Duke of Edmark, boss of bosses, his gangs have been decimated, his political ties severed and his fortune all but spent. Anita saved him from drowning, left for dead by Crematia, and he bartered for his life with all the information he knew about DeWitt's operations and the location of a small stash. Anita saw him out of town where he looks to make a new life... probably.

Grand Inquisitor Huron (mentioned): The infamous 'Man from Noran' with a vested interest in the 'uniques' acquired by DeWitt and the experiments beneath the old lighthouse. He is second only to Grand Exorcist Volker, Lord of the Inquisition. He awaits the sleepers and the high priestess, both parties DeWitt no longer has to give.

The Malbolgean (mentioned): DeWitt's infernal contact interested in the 'uniques' and the experiments involving 'The Distillery' beneath the old lighthouse. There's no doubt he's a devil of some power affiliated with The Fourth Ring of Hell, The Endless Feast, Plane of Gluttony.

Returning NPCs
Crematia Golgora: DeWitt's right hand woman, she's truly a devilish mix between a bat and a crimson giantess, riddled with black spines and wrapped in molten chains under her control. Three times now she's crossed Kaylan and one incarnation of the group or another, and each time has failed to retain her quarry (the original kidnapped royals, the sleepers, and now the high priestess). She goes now to DeWitt empty-handed, leaving the tiefling in a very precarious situation...

Deloth DeWitt (mentioned): To the public a wealthy and dashing Nors rake, his true identity is that of a blue-skinned tiefling who profits from the vices of imperials: casinos, cruises, brothels, even carnivals. Purportedly the son of Archduke Belizeez, Lord of Malbolge, he's been acquiring uniques over the passed year for the experiments involving distilling. His employers are now revealed to be the Grand Inquisitor and a Malbolgean. He returns to find his captives missing, his allies defeated, and his riverboat holdings destroyed.

New Hooks
The Distillery: Osenth mentioned other 'uniques' captured in a secret lab beneath the old lighthouse, intended to be used as subjects of 'The Distillery'. Indeed they're all DeWitt has left to offer his shadowy benefactors, one revealed to be the Grand Inquisitor and the other a fiendish representative of Malbolge, better known as The Fourth Ring. Save these poor souls from their fate and discover why so many 'unique genes' and 'strong essences' have been collected since the onset of the campaign.

Next Session
83a: The party sends Finduilas and Tina on their way, then infiltrates the secret Inquisition laboratory beneath the old lighthouse to rescue the last of the 'uniques' kidnapped by DeWitt and foil the gross distillation experiments.