divided
Plot Developments
- Varlasun sent the intended messages, and the Saviors' plan has been set in motion (see last summary).
- Varlasun and the kobolds acted as decoys while the party forewent rest and instead pursued the Chernobogians through the understory.
- Narra's attempt to psionically augment the vision of the party trackers backfired so near the Tesseract, and instead she was stricken with an ability to see visions of the past as they played out in particular spots she passed. She witnessed a time of happiness and peace between a Chenussean father and his children, saw Rogar training when he was no bigger than a kobold, and was lastly struck by a vision of Chenussean dryads from the Grand Temenos of Life being captured by Reedthagn, in the process surrendering one of the sacred urns containing the Mother's placental goo.
- When the Saviors finally caught up to the Chernobogians, they made quick work of them in an astounding display of power. In the wake of their victory, tempers rose and some of the uglier sides of the party members emerged, who was thirsty for blood, who was blindly preaching, who was erring toward gullible and foolish...
- Nalua took a coure, Blaen, aside to better learn of the Chernobogian agenda despite its apparent madness. She learned much, that the Green God was interested in uniting the Wyld into one fey host, a closed fist to swing against the real threat, Yith and the Voidborn menace. He did not care who wore what crown, but democratic unification was too slow given the impending doomsday, and perhaps impossible with such a fickle and varied collection of kings, queens and chieftains. He chose the quicker, more efficient role, that of conqueror and living god, and had nearly achieved total dominion after twenty years of war. However, Annwn's continued resistance inspired further insurrections and delayed Chernobog's ultimate goal, an act the coure found selfish. It compromised, in his belief, the entire world. Though Nalua addressed the idea that the Green God's means were brutal and wrong, which the coure could not entirely deny, he countered it did not matter when faced with annihilation, and that rightful claims would be honored once the threat had passed. It had to be this way, he believed, a notion which gave the priestess pause, and earned the coure his freedom (albeit through a misinterpreted murmur on the coure's part).
- During Arinew's questioning of the Chernobogians, it was revealed Gliadim was once a very wicked fey, and had been the one who tried to assassinate the prince those many years ago. He'd made amends with the city, with Hjokenstalf, but the news shocked the prince, Fonnig and Dewdrop (Ashenthe got a kick out of it, though). He ultimately left the party, agreeing to fulfill a distant duty where Arinew's eyes and the party's suspicions would not haunt him, by escorting the prisoners back to Eglantine. He was joined by a group of Verbeeg giants, who'd been trailing the prince since his departure (though they could not adequately match pace with the zephyrs).
- Before departing, though, there was a matter of honor to see to. Brantus and the centaurs had broken their oaths to protect Ashenthe, a matter which they took deadly seriousness in. They were shamed, and to live without honor was akin to death. Stoically, the centaurs marched with Rogar into the woods and were executed each in turn, calling into question the morality of honor.
- With business settled and an hour before sun up, the party made camp and took a much-needed rest while their distant forces mobilized.
Experience: 5000 xp (128,200 total)
Personal Resources
treasure: stag helm (level 15, Rogar), horn of blasting (level 17, Rogar), carnage bastard sword (level 18, Rogar), fey strike rapier x 3 (level 20), ring of fey travel x 3 (level 22), cold iron dagger (level 23), fey warrior's boots (level 24)
stag helm: Less of a helm, more of the naked skull of Brantus Stormbreaker, former centaur chieftain possessed of huge elk antlers.
horn of blasting: Among Brantus' possessions, this spiral horn is fashioned from the tusk of some nameless Wyld beast, something large.
carnage bastard sword: Brantus' weapon, a stone-bladed bastard sword that crackles with black and red energy when unsheathed. It has a fearsome weight to each swing.
fey strike rapiers: Wielded by the coures and Ashenthe both, these silvery blades are so sharp the air peels in wispy ribbons when swung. They shimmer with an unnatural polish and never dull, suggesting their ranged power within. Those looking into the reflection of the blade see only what they want to see.
rings of fey travel: Adorning the fingers of the coures and Ashenthe, these golden rings allow for the wearers to heighten their fey attributes. Non-fey who wear them take on some subtle faerie likeness, a slight pointing of the ears or angling of the cheeks, perhaps green eyes or unusually-colored highlights.
'Shard', cold iron dagger: Arinew knows the bite of this weapon well, once Gliadim's longsword that broke in his back as a boy, refashioned a dagger Ashenthe undoubtedly planned to plant a second time. It's an ugly blade, black iron that radiates a chill and sends a shiver whenever its hilt is clasped. If spun or tossed, Shard will always point to a fey. Its enchantment cannot be transferred.
fey warrior's boots: Rarest of the lot, the Queen of Autumn herself crafted these boots for her favored daughter from the leatherleaves of a Tirnan cronaug tree, hemmed in golden, crimson, white and black hair plucked from four noble nymphs, imbued with their speed and elusiveness.
coin: 35,700 gp: 204 pp, 292 gp, 70 sp, 100 cp + 3 rubies (5000 gp each)
New NPCs
Chieftain Brantus Stormbreaker (dead): The stoic centaur barely managed to swing his sword in the swift defeat of the Chernobogians. For his failure to uphold his oaths to Ashenthe and the Autumn Court, he and his centaurs laid their lives at the feet of their vanquishers, bereft their honor. In their tradition, living without honor was akin to death, and despite protests, Rogar mercifully granted them oblivion (or coldheartedly executed them, depending how you view it).
Fidlstyx 'Spike': The gremlin of Ashenthe's party, possessed of illusions and mind-bending magics, was ultimately spared for his many pleas and the mercy of Kiri-Raina. He's since been dubbed Spike, acting as a familiar or simply a pet, and happy to be alive. But can the Saviors trust him?
Coure Blaen of Autumn: One of Ashenthe's consorts and a skilled fencer, he was taken aside by Nalua as she tried to make sense of the Chernobogian madness. His conviction regarding unification and the impending Yick was enough to inspire pause in the high priestess, and she released him. He should have returned to camp, but apparently returned to Orlaith instead.
autumn nymphs, stormbreaker centaurs, coure of mischief and strife, verbeeg...
Returning NPCs
Adaj'iil Varlasun Thagnbrood: The ritualist, envigorated by one of Arinew's spells, was able to provide decoy shadows to help mask the Savior's hunt.
Kriznob and Deshkyr | Yat and Simra: The kobold drakeriders flew as decoys to help mask the Savior's hunt.
Princess Ashenthe of Autumn: The proud sidhe was defeated through a relentless bombardment, and ultimately spared by her cousin, despite urges otherwise. He might even have freed her, but the others intervened. She criticized the Saviors for perpetuating a hopeless and time-consuming war, calling it selfish. She was sent south to Eglantine as a prisoner, escorted by her brother and a cadre of Verbeeg.
Sir Gliadim of Summer: The dashing knight confessed his past, bloodstained and traitorous, and his efforts to repent. Though the prince ultimately forgave him, as Hjokenstalf had done when he knighted him, Gliadim took his leave of the Saviors and the mission, agreeing to instead escort his sister and the autumn prisoners back to Eglantine.
Fonnig, Featherwing, Dewdrop...
Lore
- One of Narra's visions of the past showed dryads captured by the gargantuan Reedthagn. One hugged a jar of red clay shaped like a pregnant figure and banded in precious metals. It's a sure bet the dragon is in possession of at least one of four sacred urns containing the Mother's last essences, the placental goo.
- Nalua revealed a very sordid past directly linked to the fall of the Summer Court. It was her father, with the best of intentions, who led the Queen of Fallen leaves and a small 'delegation' into the Summer Palace. He was betrayed, the Summer Queen killed, and the entire kingdom set on a course for ruin. He died sniveling, having been urged into his folly by a young, naive daughter...
- Gliadim was part of that delegation, an accomplice in the Summer Queen's murder, and the failed assassin who made an attempt on Arinew's life as a child. He'd lingered in captured Orlaith for several years, when disillusion and eventually guilt struck him. He returned to the summer remnant, earned the trust of Hjokenstalf, and was eventually knighted as a protector of the last summer bastion, Eglantine.
Next Session
114a: The party sees how good Varlasun and Ezark are at keeping their words, and with any luck the summit is reached at last.
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