Chapter 5: A Bloody Trail North

Delempar 29th - Nola (May) 1st
[7 days total in campaign]

Vivianna, Maia, and Aleksi, managed to purge Toril Kostus of his hideous affliction by carrying through the half-finished hex. They ended up with an incapacitated councilman and the shamans' jumbled spirits-made-flesh in the form of a huge canine paragon, what the Izoldan dubbed a curse-dog. Though incredibly imposing, he seemed to lack the mindless ferocity implied when fused with Kostus. After sniffing the party, the curse-dog adopted Aleksi as his bipedal companion. The druid dubbed him Valerik, "Brave" in the Izoldan tongue.

Maia disappeared into the night, seeking a hero-worshiping seamstress named Sella to care for Toril in the coming days. The wolf-girl hoped Sella wasn't still the jealous type, having the completely wrong impression of Maia's relationship with the councilman (professional, honest). Unfortunately, stealing about at such a late hour during times of invaded capitals and massing gnolls drew the attention of the night watch. The lead watchman was a stubborn, but thorough, sort, the kind a town wanted leading a patrol, but he made it impossible for Maia to shake him, even when she name-dropped the notable councilman. Sella, for her part, backed Maia, proving her concern for Kostus outweighed her pettiness, but in the end a watchman was sent ahead to the councilman's house, and the rest of the troop followed soon after.

Meantime, Vivianna was handling two late-night callers. The first claimed to be sent by town hall, a young clerk from the mayor's office with a belly of worry over Toril's absence at the emergency meeting. Viv sent him off with little trouble, but when a nightwatchman appeared next her dealings left him highly suspicious and poised to call the whole town upon them. The Dawn Knight openly suggested the man was an assassin, but Theros and Aleksi suspected such unlikeliness had more to do with Vivianna trying to save face after botching the ordeal. As the rest of the guard arrived, Maia and Sella in tow, Aleksi made an executive decision and opened the door before things escalated any further. He received quite a scathing look from the Dawn Knight, against which he proved impervious.

The party filed out one at a time, Valerik causing the guardsmen to startle, but Donatella and her dear, decrepit hubby Leonarto scared them into drawing swords. And he'd such a convincing disguise, too! Sella pressed inside, screaming upon seeing Kostus so weak. It was quite clear the party was headed to jail, that is until Maia gave the speech of her life, one pulled from the Anita book if ever there was one. At the same time chastizing the guard for harassing those doing good, while glorifying their intentions, the wolf-girl seemed to turn inevitability on its heels. The guards left, worried at news of gnolls and the confirmation Avencia Dare was more-than-likely in danger (if not dead already).

The party had a relatively quiet remainder of the night, what scant hours of dark were left. A summoned Doctor Job and the seamstress Sella cared for Kostus, while everyone else enjoyed much-needed shuteye. The group even slept in. Donatella made a fabulous breakfast around ten, thanks mostly to Leonarto's coaching, and news and thoughts were shared. Aleksi spent most of his time acclimating Valerik to the Hut, then chatting with Sella (noticing she was not comfortable or sympathetic to demihumans or witches).

Two more escaped senators had arrived, so the doctor told, and Benjim was giving the mayor and the eradicator hell for dragging their feet sending aid east. Since there was no official declaration to supply The Midnight Rider, it was decided they would follow the map Kostus had drawn and see if they couldn't locate Avencia Dare, or at least find the root of the gnoll trouble. There was certainly a very convenient coincidence between Belarion's invasion and the gnolls massing- something to keep Godswon occupied during Edmark's hour of need.

Boarding the Dancing Hut, Aleksi and Valerik, Vivianna, Donatella and Leonarto, Maia, and Theros made their way through the farmsteads outlying Godswon, headed northwest to the last-known location of the fiery folk hero. Taking a dusty road called the Nag's Trail, the Hut passed more and more remote tracts until, on the border of the true wilderness, they came upon a gruesome massacre. Farmers and their families had been gutted and savaged, as if by things worse than animals, things with fell purpose. The sight struck home for several in the group, and none could bear to look on the scene long without acting. There wasn't very much to bury, but there was a trail, a trail the heavy sky threatened to wash away if they weren't quick. Vivianna muttered a soft prayer and Theros took the lead, employing his considerable tracking skills in the pursuit of the soulless dogs that did this.

The trail was winding and difficult, backtracking and sometimes leading nowhere, but Theros managed to follow to the edges of a gloomy wetland by the coming of dark. They located the highest point and plopped the Hut down. It wasn't long after when the Brotherhood showed up...

A mixture of able hunters and trappers native to the region, coupled with angry townsfolk, all of them masked in the crude burlap as was the fashion of the Brotherhood to protect their identities, surrounded and attacked. The death of the Henrys and Allans (farmer families) had not gone unnoticed, and the unusual group were the perfect outlets of their rage and disgust. The Brotherhood was quick work, in truth, no match for the magics and might of the party, especially when Donatella summoned up the skeletons of the dead to harry their old companions and drag them to the Gate, but the trickling of laughter from the shadows of the hills made it plain, at least to Aleksi, that these gnolls were clever. They had led the angry group to the party.



Vivianna felt way as a claw raked her back, the gnolls masked in shadow magic and using hit-and-run tactics during the mopping of the Brotherhood to take on the capable party. For a time it worked, until the druid and the necromancer whittled the men down to nothing, and Vivianna with her moonbow managed to reveal the lot of gnolls: dark gray hyena-men and their bitch of a chieftainess. She charged Theros, a hulking, six-teated fury, swinging a fence post wrapped in razor wire linked to rusty, jagged scraps from old battlefields. She bore a darkpaw pendant, its intense drumming causing the gnolls (and Maia, Valerik, and Theros) to grimace.

Theros fought two snipers and the chieftainess for a time, a pillar of feral might, but when it seemed the she-gnoll had him dead to rights, Maia surged and caught the blow mid-swing. Back to back, cat and wolf fended off the gnolls, including a wiry team of gnollish juveniles crazy to protect their mother. And through careful teamwork, they managed to down them all.

Aleksi, meanwhile, slew a shadow gnoll advancing on Vivianna, and the Dawn Knight, her vengeance unsatisfied, turned her sights to the storm-gray gnoll shaman with the grisly fetish of leathery eyes watching from the opposite hillock. Unleashing the remainder of her elements, she slew the creature outright without even the sound of a yelp or howl. However, as the battle finished, unseen claws dragged him back into the darkness. Aleksi and Valerik pursued to a point, but following further in the night promised ambushes, unseen sinkholes, and most likely death. He did recover the fetish, which he kept for further study.

Vivianna rifled through the corpses of gnolls and Brotherhood, retrieving the darkpaw pendant and covering it to alleviate the thrumming. Aleksi led the efforts to bury the men, once angry, hateful, but ultimately misguided. He did not afford the gnolls such graces.

They spent the rest of the night on doubled watch, spotting the shadows of gnolls more than once. At one point near dawn, the group was forced to fight an angry blaze on the Hut's roof caused by incendiary jars launched from the darkness. They killed a few more gnollish juveniles in the process, however they made it to morning.

And then it began to rain in the sodden meadows...

Notable NPCs

Valerik the Curse-Dog

Sella Dorston

Luther Pendrost (lead watchman)

Doctor Job McAllister

Dead farmers on Nag's Trail 

Brotherhood hunters and followers

Darkpaw Gnolls, including snipers, ambushers, wiry get, a hulking bitch-chieftain, and a fetish-hugging shaman (dragged off into the night)

Spoils

Fetish of Stolen Visions (Aleksi), looking like a thin, onyx doll with a messy tangle of hooked cords for hair. Each hook skewers a pale, leathery eyeball (though they vary in freshness, see below):  +2 spell attacks and damage; those struck by a spell using this fetish must make a moderate save (11+) or be stricken blind until your next turn. If you crit with a spell using this fetish, the target is blinded permanently. Quirk: In order to sustain the fell magic of this fetish, you must replenish the eyes on its eight hooks after each battle.

Darkpaw Pendant (Vivianna)- see Chapter 4 treasure

Gnoll Flail (unclaimed, +3 melee attack and damage): These flails are surprisingly effective weapons despite their crude construction. Unless you’ve played with one since you were a cub, however, you won’t be able to use it correctly. While using this weapon, you can’t make opportunity attacks. Quirk: Growls when angry.

Chapter 4: Approaching Midnight

Delempar 28th-29th


Maia diffused a growing riot (or three, angry bumpkins yelling outside Councilman Toril's fence). They criticized the famed swordman for not following local icon, Avencia Dare, into the plains a week ago. With no sign of her, and all kinds of rumors circulating around the capital, Godswonians are beginning to panic.

After a reluctant councilman let her in, she discovered he was afflicted by a horrible curse. He'd killed the gnoll shaman who'd placed it upon him while following Avencia Dare into the plains, for she suspected the packs had repopulated in the decade of peace and again wished to destroy Godswon. That was a week ago, during which time Toril hid.

After hearing the grave news out of Edmark, he urged Maia to light the old beacon on the high banks north of town and alert The Midnight Rider. Man or something more,




Notable NPCs
Young Master Flagg, a young bricklayer distraught over the fate of his fiance Annabelle in the capital

The Old Laborer (unnamed), an old bricklayer concerned with the goings on in Edmark

One-Arm Bill, veteran of the gnoll skirmishes during Godswon's founding (with one arm and the ugly scars to prove it); barkeep of The Elephant Room

Sweet Lips, One-Arm Bill's slightly over the hill, plain, whorish sister

Farmer Applecurly, halfling landowner in the business of growing and selling... you guess it, apples!

Baldy, a bumpkin angry at Councilman Toril for his perceived inaction in the face of the gnoll crisis, which very few believe a real crisis at all; He was the only one in town who heard the drumming of the Darkpaw Pendant, suggesting he is more than human

Councilman Toril Kostus, an acquaintence of Maia afflicted by a terrible curse by a slain gnoll shaman, one that has left him a hideous half-man beast; instructed that messages be delivered and the town secured before his own wellbeing, though the party endeavors to cure him after midnight

The Midnight Rider, a tall, dark, ominous figure on horseback who arrived at the beacon at mightnight precisely to receive an official message; He supposedly can reach any destination within a night, and was instructed to spread word of Belarion's ruse and the moves on the capital

Darkpaw Gnolls, including a war chief, rangers, and a warrior (one escaped), who were in possession of a magic item shaped like a paw made of some ancient, primal wood; the pendant seems to call to those with beast blood like a deep drum or thrumming heartbeat

Treasure (Aleksi)
Darkpaw Pendant- +2 to saves when you have 25 hp or under. In addition, you recognize those with the blood of beasts no matter their disguises (and, indeed, the pulse of the item can be overwhelming to them when exposed). By virtue of carrying this item you are Marked by The Howler-in-the-Winds, some sort of obscure, primordial spirit or demon associated with the gnolls of the region. Quirk: You grow patches of course, feral hair in unusual places...

Chapter 3: On the Road to Godswon

Delempar 26 - 28

On the road to Godswon, the party spent its time getting to better know one another. Senator Lambert shared a strained theory involving Princess Jubilee with Aleksi on the porch, betraying an unwillingness or inability to properly accept the worst-case realities facing Avencia. Aleksi's noncommittal replies only served to further worry the delegate, though both finally agreed their lack of information was hardly constructive and they should share a good drink instead.

Senator Katrina proved a faithful daughter of means, a pleasant hostess who thanked Maia and Vivianna for their efforts with a little wine and refreshment. During their talks of Avencia's future and the future protection of the free Congress, and especially after Lambert and Aleksi arrived, the topic of folk hero Avencia Dare came into the conversation. Katrina named her trouble, but Lambert admired her tenacity for freedom (and mentioned she and Benjim were quite close). There was also some concern about the Dawn Knights Vivianna had contacted, given the town's history with them, but she assured the young wolf that both parties were far too civilized for a repeat of last time.

All the while, Benjim and Donatella were questioning the corpse of Selm Ekkian through use of the latter's necromancy. Benjim resigned himself to approach the grisly work as a scientist, but couldn't discredit the results it bore: vital information on the Belarion zeppelins and a rumor that an airship refueling station might have been built in Thrakkis to ease further incursions. Donatella learned a secret passcode used by the elves which might get them through the ship doors, at least.

Returning to the party with Theros, awakened from a cat nap in the attic, Donatella and Benjim shared their information and plans were drawn to A. Write and release a declaration to the Avencian people with regards to the suspicious nature of Edmark's invasion B. Protect the delegates during that time C. Pursue solving the crisis by helping solve the parties responsible and their intentions, all the while preserving the republic as the war intensifies...

On the outskirts of Godswon, a large town near the shore surrounded by farms and sparse woods, the Dancing Hut was intercepted by riders on patrol. A halfling of the native Order of the Firebrands, on seeing the famous Benjim, escorted the group into town.

While Benjim, Lambert, and Katrina headed into town hall for an emergency meeting of Godswon's leadership, Maia slipped off to find one Councilman Toril Kostus, and the rest of the party headed for the suggested tavern known as The Elephant Room...

Notable NPCs
Avencia Dare (mentioned) is a folk hero and purported immortal Chosen of Aventine, the first baby born in free Avencia who grew into a passionate activist and capable fighter. She is devoted to the spirit of the nation, but doesn't always follow the will of Congress, making her a polarizing and chaotic element in national politics. She makes her home in Godswon.

Emblem Rannik Proudmarch of the Firebrands was met on horseback in the greens, golds, and crimsons of his order, leading a patrol of town guard, militiamen, and conscripts. He was terribly serious for a halfling and escorted the group quite business-like into town.

Councilman Toril Kostus (mentioned) is a local hero for his victory over The Dawn Knights after the foreign order refused to relinquish control of town in the wake of demonic activity. Toril won in a first-blood duel against the knight-commander to settle things and earned himself a beloved status ever since. He went on to become a town councilman, though has not yet won the bid for mayor because of a vocal, hard-lined segment of voters with more militant views.

Mayor Abernathy Teak of Godswon (mentioned)
Eradicator Benedict Hollowin of the Firebrands (mentioned)

Treasure (Donatella)
Rare Tome x 3 (Change a spell miss into a hit, or a spell hit into a critical hit; the magic of the tome is then expended)

Working on internet situation for Tuesday

Hey guys,

I closed on my house Thursday and have been moving in these last few days. I'm calling Comcast as soon as possible Monday, but I'm not sure internet will be available by Tuesday night. I'm hopeful, but if not I'll see if I can work running the game at my parents' house. Pretty sure one way or the other we play, but letting you all know the situation as of now.

- Rob

7/8/14 Session Canceled

We'll resume 7/15/14

Chapter 2: The Spirit Endures

Delempar 24th - 26th

Previously...

Theros returned to the caravan he'd been traveling with to collect his belongings and gather information. Yaral saw something strange in the water, but other than that little new information was learned. The tabari conferred Norslandian caravels started firing from the harbor, and then all Hell broke loose as several forces invaded. The caravan elder, Nen, rued the humans' craving for war and ultimately gave Theros a magic ring as he left to find his new allies. Tabari were survivors, she assured him. Kinn was the only one not to say goodbye, still offended over some perceived slight during a hunt...

Meanwhile, Aleksi and Benjim had a thoughtful conversation on the party's next move while overlooking the contested capital. Despite the fall of Edmark transpiring below, Benjim was resolute. A city did not constitute a nation, and a nation did not constitute an idea. The Spirit of Avencia would endure, so long as those who believed it endured. They examined a crude map of the republic scrawled in the dirt, eventually picking Godswon as a place to reconvene what was left of the free Congress and summon forth General Warrish and the continental army.

On that note, Aleksi had his doubts Belarion would push any deeper into Avencia. It would be a complete strategic blunder, forcing Belarion to defend against two countries on two fronts. Congress had likely been their aim all along. Control Congress, and with a little misinformation control Avencia. And to the general public and the world stage, it still appeared as if Norsland invaded. Maia had all but confirmed otherwise, noting elves crewing the caravels. If Benjim and the other free delegates couldn't assemble and set forth a declaration against elven interference, Avencia could be falsely drawn into the war within days. The fires of purpose lit, they loaded up and went to collect the others.

Seeking further insight into the elven involvement, Vivianna, Maia, and Donatella assembled a nearby hilltop to perform a ritual of clairvoyance. The power of the three was more than any single woman expected and created an aura that could be felt and even seen on high. The hill became a beacon which drew Aleksi's scolding for its obviousness firstly, then a wing of one-man flying machines known as ornithopters. Truly the wonders of the artificing Empress Bela never ceased...

They fired using pedal-powered crossbows, swooping in and out among the gathering party. Theros managed to scale a tree in only a few bounds, leap from a high bough, and tackle one of the ornithopterists. While he crashed the unfortunate, Vivianna's magic turned one on the other. Aleksi conjured a bolt of lightning so sudden and forceful it killed the woman pilot before she even hit the ground. Delegates Benjim, Karina, and Lambert cheered from within the safety of the hut, but celebration was short-lived as yet another wing of ornithopters approached.

As an undead dire boar and a druidic storm-in-an-acorn provided interference for the second wave (courtesy of Donatella and Aleksi), the Dancing Hut with Viv's wagon in tow raced down the hillsides for the western shore. Deceivingly large, the journey across the island took several hours into night. During that time, Aleksi and Maia, with Theros as go-for, prepared a considerable ritual harnessing the wolf-girl's Ray of Frost spell. The idea was to create an iceberg large enough to sit the hut and wagon, then use a collection of bed sheets as a sail which the tabari, strongest among them, could steer from the roof.

Vivianna and Donatella spent the meanwhile interrogating Theros's downed pilot, Selm Ekkian, though for all the tools at their disposal he was rather compliant, if impassioned. Even specialized Belarion soldiers like the ornithopterists believed themselves in the right and had no knowledge of the elves or Belarion's possible deception. Secondly, Selm had been dispatched from one of two zeppelins hovering in artificial cloud banks over the Edema river, suggesting Belarion had been poised for such an invasion (or anticipating an attack). There was also the timing. Selm mentioned receiving orders to descend on the city just -before- the caravels fired, so that the ornithopters arrived in the same moment as the attack. Selm imagined the information came from some skilled Belarion agent in the nick of time, but it could have just as easily been a coordinated strike. A plan of this scope required time, precision, and strong leader like Princess Jubilee, perhaps, or that elven commander with the silvery lattice. The hows or whys aside, the most damning piece of evidence against Belarion lied in the simple fact the elves joined and were cooperating with their forces in the city.

It should be noted, the Norslandian caravels themselves showed signs of battle and wear, and had been repaired, suggesting these elves might have claimed them in a prior battle. It was still something of a mystery how they just appeared in the harbor without warning.

Maia made a startling transformation into something born of the deepest fey winters, channeling the Winter Court to unleash the ritual alongside Aleksi. The iceberg formed beautifully and, with Theros at the 'helm', the Dancing Hut, wagon, and crew made their way across the Valent River. Under the cover of darkness, without a ship in sight (who would approach the capital in such a state), they nearly made it to the opposite shore. Unfortunately, Yaral's words were heeded only after something rammed them from below, accidentally misfiring Vivianna's pistol and blowing Selm's brains out.

Then it surfaced, a giant, mechanical apparatus like an iron fish. Inside, two Belarion sailors controlled the device with a series of pedals and levers. Aiming torpedoes toward the iceberg, threatening to blow them up or sink them (it was understood the hut could not swim), Maia reacted. A Fireball spell flew from her claws, but in such a state it became an ice-ball, breached the hull, and froze it solid. Water flooded the interior and sank the apparatus like a gravestone.

On the Avencian mainland around dawn, the hut plopped down on the relatively secluded shore to rest. The party did likewise, although Theros gave Vivianna grief over Selm's senseless death. Godswon was another day or two, then the great task of saving the republic.

Notable NPCs
Nen, Iben and Abesos, Kinn, Yaral, and Libra
Unnamed Male Elf with the Silvery Lattice
Ornithopterist Selm Ekkian (dead)

Battle 1
Opposing the Ornithopters


Battle 2
Against the Apparatus


Treasure (Theros, gift from Nen)
Skin of Your Teeth (recharge 6+): When an enemy attacks you while wearing this ring, subtract 1 from the natural attack roll after seeing it.
Quirk: Regularly finds copper pieces and other minor valuables on the ground.