Session 320 - The Doctor's Visitation

General Summary

Autumn 726TR

The Story So Far

The King is dead. King Minigath, after ruling well for thirty-three years, has died, and the power struggle as to who will succeed him has started. Meanwhile, in the background, the nefarious Esoterical Order of Lothrim is up to no good.

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Dryueh has been asked to investigate the disappearance of elves in the Kingdom of Kaldor. He has found that three old men were responsible, using a foul magical ritual to drain the elf’s life force to restore their youth. The trio consists of a Wizard, an Alchemist, and a Physician named Azelinus of Renwick.

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Meanwhile, Rycon has been asked to secure the Laranian Lirrath (primate) of Hârn help in getting an inconvenient oath removed.

This is the continuation of Session 319 - The Stones of Kanderi.

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Location - City of Thay in the Kingdom of Melderyn.

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15^th Savor 726

Part 1 - An Oath In The Way

The Laranian Lirrath (Primate) of Hârn Kerthede Talvail has returned to the Thay after a month of visiting various nobles and temples. Rycon secures a meeting the next day to discuss getting the oath Sir Conwan Elendsa tempestuously made in his youth to forfeit his right to the Kaldorian throne so that he could marry someone of another faith annulled.

After pleasantries, the Primate is well-disposed towards Rycon, but the knight senses that she is a little hesitant and somewhat noncommittal, possibly lacking confidence and easily swayed. Thinking of the best way to get a resolution, he cunningly asks the Primate, "Has this circumstance arisen before?". Intrigued, the Primate asks her subordinates to examine the history and legal records for a precedent. In 588TR, the Earldom of Harden was in a similar situation; however, after a series of tragedies and incompetent leadership, Sir Raarus Alaga's oath to his brother not to contest the clan leadership was revoked. The local bishop also approved this.

With this precedent, the Primate is easily persuaded. The Primate writes a strongly worded recommendation to Edine Kynn, the Archbishop of Kaldor, to approve the annulling of Sir Conwan's oath without any conditions. A copy will be sent to the archbishop immediately, and a duplicate given to Rycon. She sincerely hopes this will allow a peaceful power transfer to Sir Conwan. Rycon has his doubts, as much blood has already been shed.

Rycon also shows the Primate the draft Coat of Arms for Kaldor's new fighting order, The Knights of Redemption. She wholeheartedly approves.

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Location - City of Cherafir in the Kingdom of Melderyn.

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19^th Savor 726

Part 2 - The Council of Eleven

Next, the party takes a ship to the City of Cherafir and meets with the master weapon crafter Yebisi Netoshi. The characters are aware that he is a member of the Council of Eleven, the secretive organization that advises the King and, many say, runs the kingdom. Yebisi arranges a meeting to discuss recent events in the evening. In the meantime, he catches up with his old friend Rycon and discusses the forging of several new swords.

That night at the Boar and Spike Inn, frequented by many city watch members, Yebisi leads the heroes to a private chamber where three notable people wait. Rycon is surprised; King Chunel Toron is present, accompanied by an elderly woman, Lady Eilyn Dulye, Hosgril of Yshale (a jester or devil's advocate), and Arrilion the Lexigrapher, an elven wizard with striking violet eyes. All listen intensely to the party recounting recent events, the death of the King, and the suspicious, likely forged, Will that has sparked a succession crisis and civil war. They are particularly interested in what the heroes have learned about the plots of the mysterious Lady Gwadira.

The heroes discover that Lady Eilyn Dulye is the identical twin sister of the renegade mage Dyalne Dulye. Dyalne Dulye is none other than Lady Gwadira, also known as Lothrim's Daughter, among many different pseudonyms. Lady Eilyn suggests they need help to combat this evil and tells them that a member of the Guild of Arcane Lore (and likely a Order of the White Hand agent) was drowned when the Honey Badger shipwrecked off Seran Point last month. He had on his person a Rod of Negation, which may prove to be of use if it can be recovered.

Part 3 - The Mad Physician

Rycon asks the elf Arrilion if he knows anything about the missing elves in the Kingdom of Kaldor. He doesn't, but when Dryueh tells him that one of the conspirators responsible for the disappearance was a physician who has a liking for amputations, Arrilion is intrigued. He comments that a physician has recently arrived from Kaldor and has quickly acquired a reputation for removing body parts. He operates out of a small sea vessel called The Leech. Is this the same man?

At the Alienage (the city's walled foreign quarter), Dryueh makes excellent progress gathering information from the locals; the mysterious Physician is said to travel around coastal villages of the island of Melderyn offering his services. He is known to amputate limbs with alarming frequency; however, his patients have an excellent survival rate. The Leech is currently moored at the nearby fishing Village of Edan.

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Location - Edan Village in the Kingdom of Melderyn.

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Part 4 - The Brain Sponge

At Edan Village, the heroes come up with an elaborate plan. Valeria pretends to have abdominal pains and requests treatment. The Physician matching the description of Azelinus of Renwick provided by his victims in the City of Tashal (refer Session 304 - The Evil Physician) is more than happy to assist and directs his brutish mute associates to get her on board and into a small cabin. The melodramatic acting does not fool the cunning Physician. As soon as Valeria enters the cabin, he quickly draws a long, sharp blade and stabs her, causing a deep, painful, bleeding wound. His mute thugs attack.

The heroes battle an evil Physician who dodges about and stabs with enthusiasm, but he is eventually knocked out while attempting to flee, and his robust guards are dispatched. Now Dryueh has his moment to shine. Using the Brain Sponge he found in Lady Gwderia's lair (refer Session 317 - The Wardrobe Under The Well), he expertly opens the skull of the dying Physician, and his memories are transferred into the macabre magical artifact.

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Sifting through the memories, he learns the identities of the remaining elf-killing conspirators. The mysterious Wizard goes by the name Incabulos, and the Alchemist Hamauto. Azelinus's last memory of the trio together reveals that Incabous was planning to visit a priest in the Kingdom of Chybisa, and Hamauto was traveling to Nenda Keep, where he said he would procure exotic fungi for his elixirs from the nearby dwarven Kingdom of Azadmere.

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Laranian Lirrath (primate) of Hârn, Kerthede Talvail.

King Chunel Toron - King of Melderyn

The Wizard Eilyn Dulye.

Hosgril of Yshale, the devil's advocate.

Arrilion the Lexigrapher.

Order of the White Hand.

Challenges

Azelinus of Renwick and 2 x Flesh Golems.

Rewards

Nothing this week.

Created Content

Nothing this week.

Related Reports

The Forge of Eternity.

The Council of Eleven.

Order of the White Hand.

Player Characters

Valeria - Human - L10 Shadow Sorcerer

Background - Magical Experiment.

Archetype - Beastmaster.

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Rycon - Human - L10 Fighter

Background - Rebel Knight.

Archetypes - Liberator Champion/Dual Weapon Warrior.

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Dryueh - 1/2 Elf - L10 Thief Rogue

Background - Scout.

Archetypes - Vigilante/Medic/Shadowdancer/Wizard.

Next Session

Session 321 - Shipwreak .