Reedthagn the Green

Remember Yathnoc?

(human form)

104a: The Legend of Solstice

Biosh 9th
the dragon lord waits

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Experience: 2600 xp (102,600 total)

Personal Resources
coin: -18,000 gp (some combination of party members, alternatively could be taken from Arinew's worldly resources)

Returning NPCs
Hjokenstalf: Witness to the scrying ritual and Reedthagn's ire. He was saved two or three times by various force movements and teleportations, and expressed uncharacteristic emotion when saving Raina and tending to the wounded prince. Currently researching Reedthagn and the Tesseract in hopes of finding an advantage.

Reedthagn the Green: Immensely cruel, and equally cunning, possessed of an arcane aptitude that boggled the Savior's minds, Reedthagn spun a scrying ritual into a deadly attack. Holed in the hypercube set upon Highmist, he rests upon heaped treasures, among them the legendary blade Solstice, the only real chance at giving Arinew's fledgling court the strength to succeed on the field.

Plot Developments

• Solstice's physical description, powers and most importantly location have been discerned thanks largely to Narra's efforts. Unfortunately, that location is the Tesseract, in the vast hoard of the elder green Reedthagn.
• The Kiris have uncovered all sorts of theories as to who or what is the Storm Maker.
• Arinew has discovered the history behind the harps and an unexpected usefulness toward his diplomatic ends.
• Reedthagn was able to hijack the scrying ritual, then alter its magic to unleash a deadly mist in the throne room. Arinew and Auro were gravely injured in the process.
  

Next Session
105a: The location of the sword is at last known, but the elder dragon knows you are coming. It will take all the savvy and resources of the Saviors to rise victorious over this elder and implacable foe.

101b: Set Mind to Purpose

Patarm 11th
agendas taking shape...

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Experience: 2000 xp (108,208 total)

Personal Resources
loot: the metallic 'egg' (Renato, kept in his spare cloak)

Returning NPCs
Velenzo Vega: The effeminate Ruiz cousin, son of Olivianna, was revealed to be the one who hired Pilifus Flestus to kill Renato, spurred by the noblest intentions. Passed his adversarial exterior (he really did NOT get on with Isabella), the beautiful young man was obviously in love with Renato. Vega wanted the assassin's death and eternal soul sent to the afterlife before he'd the chance to run off and be captured by the Ordo. Vega was convinced (are rightly so) that Renato would be subjected to the same torture as his father, the Ninety Nine Cuts, his body, mind and eternal soul ultimately destroyed. He urged Renny to abandon his rescue of a man already beyond saving and flee the city before the final phase of the Ordo's takeover commenced. The Ordo had humored Renato before, studied him, but not wasted valuable resources on his pursuit, yet now that he was in the city, and privy to their ultimate ends, he'd truly become their number one threat, along with his lover and half-sister (and now Vega himself). In the end, Renato spared the young man, having developed something of a like for him after all this, and Vega shared the true origins and purpose of the Ordo on Othyr: conquest and empire.

Plot Developments

• Without Queen Victoria's meddling, the six enemy factions, some related, some opposed, make their final moves toward end game.
• The Ordo Templi Nox are really the Tir'bukan Houses and their garnered Othyrian allies, namely remnants of the Hand of Doom and Tenebrian cults, initially set on conquering Saspien and restoring empire through subterfuge and infiltration. However, with continental war and Outer Gods in the mix, time tables have been shortened as the secret society initiates plans far more sudden and sinister.
• Marquess Olivianna Ruiz-Lorein is a part of the Ordo's power grab, already commanding the second largest Saspish city of Tepest, a vital port and landing for all Tir'bukan forces. Her aspirations no doubt reach toward becoming Dante's next queen, and then sole ruler of Saspien.
• Diana is a Ruiz, daughter of Lord Gianni Ruiz and Lady Giovanna Savrano, and the assassin's true half-sister.
• The Cultu Solis has reason to believe Tenebrous aligned with Chrysaor Abhorrent in some way, furthering Its doomsday agenda through the Great Vampire Conspiracy.
  

Next Session
102b: The Dark Three enter the corrupt churches of Saspien, looking for their means of influence and infiltration of the other factions, and serving the will of Hecate and Kalinda, as well as furthering the Gilda's efforts against Tenebrous.

103a: Glorious Return

Biosh 5th
raising of a prince

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Experience: 2000 xp [100,000 total]

Worldly Resources
The Summer Palace and all the resources there-in, a living stronghold and extensive gardens shared with the sisters of Tez and the treant sage Hjokenstalf, belongs to the prince. The vaults hold 600,000 gp and the city is capable of fielding 14,000 fey troops at the given time.

coin: 600,000 gp
troops: 14,000 fey (a combination of green fey and awakened beasts)

Personal Resources
Eglantian purchases...

New PC
Nalua: A prickly, but repentant, high priestess of the Tezian sisters dedicated to helping the prince restore the court's former glory.

Returning NPCs
Coura: Given a choice, the recovering half-a-dryad decided to remain with Auro until her legs grew back.

Hjokenstalf: Busied communing with the more powerful fey of Eglantine to ensure the prince's smooth acceptance, he spared time enough to offer Narra a way into his library- by allowing her to catalog a newly acquired collection from the deserts east.

Next Session
104a: Arinew is prince and Eglantine stands united. But is it enough? The second phase of the quest to restore balance to the courts and expel the foreign influence of the Green God takes the Saviors to a very dangerous place...

100b: Night and Day

Patarm 10th
new powers rising...

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Experience: 1333 xp (106,208 total)
Easing Tensions, 2000
RP Bonus, 2000

Worldly Resources
The Cultu Solis has given Diana the Saspish Observatory as an initial base for her re-purposed order, complete with telescopic observing dome, library, personal chateau and living quarters for 100 initial members. The Tribunal has also seen fit to dedicate 500,000 gp to the cause, kept in a hidden vault for purposes of fortifying, living expenses, renovation and expansion. Alistar Huma will act as resident castellan-astrologer, aided by Erasmus Ruiz as often as he can spare time.

coin: 500,000 gp

Personal Resources
n/a

New NPCs
Celunduil the Gold (formerly the Golden Woman): The golden elder dragon, she is an ancient and compassionate being that as long cooperated with the races of Othyr toward the betterment of all- counting herself a Kalindian and member of the Tribunal. Sister to Reedthagn the Green and Yathnoc the Red, she is comparable in scope and power. Mentioned at least one dregoi daughter.

Zerthimon (formerly Lord in the Light): The most mysterious of the Tribunes, represented as a wizened male voice hidden in white light. He has an intimate knowledge of the Hearts, which thus far he's kept to himself. Celunduil is convinced he'll inform the Tribunal when the time is right, lest he wouldn't have mentioned anything at all or made himself known to the Solis.

Pilifus Flestus (dead): A grotesque and over-rated assassin from the Ordo waiting within the king's private chambers. He made himself known to Isabella and Renato, looking to kill the latter. Despite his magnetic wires, he fell very far from the mark, and welcomed death once defeated. Once he was Ruiz, before the 'Dir got a hold of him, looking to turn him- like so many others- into their fabled Living Weapon. They, too, fell well short the mark.

Returning NPCs
Queen Victoria Il'spana: Having reconciled with Isabella, she'd just time enough to describe her suspected conspiracies before being taken away in manacles by order of the king, thanks largely to the information provided by Olivianna that Isabella was alive.

King Dante Il'spana: The king of the night, undermined at every turn by his rivals and the city's rogue elements, put down his foot with the secrets his wife insisted on keeping, chief among them that his daughter was still alive. No amount of pleading could stop him from locking Victoria in the Devil's Tower. He promised Isabella a fair hearing of all sides the story, but insisted on keeping the marquess in close confidence.

Marquess Olivianna Ruiz-Lorein: The snake whispering sweet nothings and clever manipulations into Dante's ear, she's proven herself a formidable political player, using the information of Isabella's survival to remove Victoria and launch herself into a position of pseudo-queen. Though her larger objectives are unknown, she's toted a black widow, one who now commands the forces Tepest, the most vital port in the Saspish Kingdom and the landing point for all Tir'bukan ships.

Erasmus 'Pietro' Ruiz: Revealed to be Diana's uncle on her father's side, her true father's side that is, Erasmus has pledged to aid her however he can, to avenge the death of Giovanna Savrano, and see his brother freed.

Alistar Huma: The mad astrologer is recently proven a key component of the Cultu Solis and the Saspish Observatory, now Diana's home base. His knowledge and skills will no doubt be vital to the continued success of the order.

Next Session
101b: So begins the unraveling of the six conspiracies for the crown, soul and fate of Saspien. The vampiric empire, the Northern Alliance, and all of free Othyr rests on your degrees of success...

102a: The Highest Calling

Biosh 4th
so that others may live...

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Experience: 6,820 xp (98,000 total; LEVEL UP 18)
Onslaught encounter, Rejuvenation skill challenge, Nidhogg Nagar quest complete, Lost Party quest complete, RP Bonus

Personal Resources
treasure: Queen Meliai's Ensemble, gifted to her dear friend Melbirran (the Glasir Norn) for five hundred years of honored duty: Fey Flute (level 18 uncommon, orchid-like and shaped of Glasir's own splinters), Canaith Mandolin (level 17 uncommon, shaped from Glasir's own splinters), Drum of Panic (level 13 uncommon, stretched hides over bone fragments, tribal carvings inked in blood), Vistani Violin (level 12 uncommon, rich red wood polished many times over edged in gold)

... and the Seed of War (level 15 uncommon, a dark acorn fallen beside the gray acorn, summoning forth an ironbark likeness of the Archdruid to fight)

coin: 22pp, 192 gp, 73 sp, 70 cp + 2 green jacinth gems (5000 gp each)

loot: You find four large harps, each at least half as tall as an average man and beautifully designed...

The first has been made from a gorgeously carved green stone and bursts with detail. Gold strings run down from the upper arch of the harp, and worked into the surface of the instrument are images and designs of spring. The most prominent is a whimsical elfin sidhe maiden with short, spiky hair and a playful expression. [Spring Harp, green marble with gold strings; 7,500 gp]

The second harp has been formed from a dark, almost rose-colored, golden metal which gleams brightly. This instrument has intricate detail and design as do the others, save that this one is carved with icons of summer and fire. It has bronze strings, and the image of a beautiful flame-haired sidhe embossed upon it. She has a wickedly-amused expression and her eyes seem to follow you everywhere. [Summer Harp, gold with bronze strings; 7,500 gp]

The third instrument has been carved with a master sculptor’s eye for detail and is made from a dark, brownish-red stone. This instrument has a somber look to it and seems much more under stated, both in design and creation. The strings have a copper color to them as they run down from the upper arch. This harp has the image of a woman carved upon it, rather stern and unforgiving with a mass of leaf-strewn curly hair. [Autumn Harp, marble with copper strings; 7,500 gp]

The last harp is made from a silvery white material. The strings are silver and tiny icicles of crystal hang down from the edges. Carved into the surface of the instrument is the image of a sidhe with a cold, callous expression and a flow of long white hair. [Winter Harp, mithral with silver strings; 7,500 gp]

... and the Tyvisir acorn (Narra)

Afflictions
all diseases and damage cured

New NPCs
Broodmother (dead): The revolting Voidborn entity 'Mommy' possessed powerful psionics and polluted not only mind but vision, a bloated, gray giantess of teats, jaws and eyestalks. She was mother to a writhing mass of deformed Yith brood, crosses between maggots and children, dragging slimy, umbilical tails, mewling for the party to join them in their mother's rotting, flabby folds. Rogar, Auro, Narra and Raina managed to stave off her advances long enough for Tyvis and Arinew to complete their rejuvenating ritual. In the resulting explosion of sacred, life-giving force, she was utterly erased. No one mourned her passing.

Nidhogg Nagar (dead): The cancerous amalgam of tumors, bile, rotted woods, feelers, diseases and offal that had merged with Glasir, a vast aberration pervading Nastrond. In the final moments of Glasir's rebirth, the party saw Nidhogg's true nature, a minute cilia of the Elder Thing, the Absolute Doom of All, Chrysaor Abhorrent. Despite the overwhelming menace and the idea this victory was over the equivalent of an arm hair on the being older than gods, there was an undeniable sense of hope and righteousness in spitting in its elder eye.

Completed Quests
Nidhogg Nagar (major): Nastrond is no more, Glasir healed, and the black, rubbery remnant of Nidhogg's head claimed by the Prince of Silverwood as testament to the legendary events that occurred at the heart of the Silver Yew. This evidence, and the health of the tree, will see a prince finally accepted by his people, perhaps ready to fight for their well being and that of the wider Wild.

Lost Party (minor): Though battered, crippled and plagued with visions not soon to be forgotten, the four hapless fey who entered Nastrond with grand designs to defeat Nidhogg have been rescued.

Next Session
103a: It is a time of mourning and reflection, but also a time of action, as the Saviors return to Eglantine heroes. With the support of the eclectic green fey, supplies and services can be had, perhaps a moment's rest as well, in anticipation of war with Autumn.

99b: The Stars Align

Patarm 10th (night)
divine enlightenment and royal reconciliation

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Experience: 1866 xp (104,875 total)
Hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix complete, 2000
Mommy Dearest complete, 2000
RP bonus, 1600

New NPCs
The Golden Woman: The golden-skinned woman standing a little over five feet with elaborate fins and spines like a crested crown leading to perfectly straight platinum hair, otherwise dressed in billowing whites. She possesses impressive arcane power, enough to conjure forth images of Creation's dawn. A member of the Tribunal, though unspecified exactly who, she is soft-spoken, gentle and vaguely draconic. She imbued a portion of her power to Diana.

The Lord in the Light: The deep male voice channeled through a brilliant crystal, a member of the Tribunal unable to come in person for Diana's induction. He imbued a portion of her power to Diana.

The Lady in the Light: The woman's bell-like voice channeled through a brilliant crystal, a member of the Tribunal unable to come in person for Diana's induction. She imbued a portion of her power to Diana.

Returning NPCs
Alistar Huma: Revealed to be a Master of Ceremonies for the Cultu Solis, as well as an accomplished astronomer and astrologer, he rebuilt the Saspish Observatory to better read the future as told by the stars.

Erasmus Ruiz: Revealed to be a Master of Ceremonies for the Cultu Solis, he's a spymaster collecting pertinent information for the cult in Saspien and beyond, even Tir'buk.

High Priestess Finduilas Oranar: Revealed to be a member of the Tribunal, her devotion and ties to the Kalindian faith are simply astounding, both publicly and now extending to the secret order which defends Creation from the forces of the Void.

Queen Victoria Il'spana: Having grown reclusive and paranoid, overwhelmed by the plots tangling Saspien and larger Creation, a daughter finally worthy of her time has allowed her to regain perspective.

Completed Quests
Hunt for the Cult of the Phoenix: After baring the Star Child for so long, watching a friend die, fighting devils and fanatics in Ribcage, standing toe-to-toe with the Count, and still maintaining your morality and inner light, the Tribunal has deigned you worthy as Kalinda already has. You take your place among them as a leader charged with reorganizing the Solis into a force for balance and defense.

Mommy Dearest: After years as adversaries, mother and daughter see eye to eye and put aside differences to work together toward common goods: beginning with the preservation of Dante's rule and not limited to the survival of Creation. She's willing to share what she knows of the situation, the secrets of a Great Vampire Conspiracy.

Next Session
100b: There is much to do and Victoria can fill in the missing pieces. The Great Vampire Conspiracy revealed! Meanwhile, Diana becomes better acquainted with her fellow Tribunal members and sets out on her first task- concerning Saspien's survival.

Quests Map

It's finished (more or less)! I've managed to map and organize the majority of the running quests and plots, active and passive, going on in the game. Have a look see in the Quests Map at the bottom of the blog menu.

I hope this serves to clarify, inform and fuel new speculation.