CoS Session 9: Finding Astrid
General Summary
13/3/873
- Party arrives back in Gameria
- The town’s even more crowded with refugees, prices are skyrocketing
- But there’s a third fall festival going on!
- One of Fallworth’s officers tells party to meet with him next morning
- Catriona crafts some healing potions with her medicine skill
- Roland gathers looks for news and sells old armor
- Turns out Gen Boua’s coup was a success
- She overthrew the nation's Chief Engineer to establish a military dictatorship
- Now she's purging the nation of magic-users and spellcasters
- There are even rumors of war between Avicenna and Gameth
- Aldo buys a new longsword
- The next day the party meets with Fallowrth
- Roland gives him minutes from Court meeting, Aldo gives him old shrimp
- Fallworth gives them 300GP for the mission, fills them in on dire situation in Gameth
- Boua’s navy is starting mandatory inspections of Gameth ships for spellcasters
- King Nestor refuses to do anything, focuses on festivals
- Behind locked doors, Fallworth suggests overthrowing Nestor
- Princess Astrid is alive in Hakon, acts as the nation's High Priestess for the Temple of Erivo
- Fallworth’s been speaking w/ back channels to have her installed as Queen
- He'll pay 750GP to each team member for helping, but first the party must meet with Hakonian agents that night
- So the party visits a tavern on Gameria's 3rd Level
- Aldo gets drunk, recites poem in honor of Gen. Boua
- Roland et al convince him to not tell Boua about coup attempt
- Aldo gets kicked out of tavern, gets wasted on festival mead
- He becomes known as Fish Man, wakes up hungover downriver
- Meanwhile Roland and Catriona meet with Hakonian agents Kells and Vandakar
- Astrid is willing to take throne, but she must consolidate her political support in Hakon first
- There’s a council vote being held at Temple of Erivo
- The party has to help ensure the vote goes off without a hitch
- Some council members are holdouts, like Prince Refn and his adviser Argus
- Roland is worried that Argus on the council is Argus from the Court
- Kells and Vandakar argue he’s a fixture of Hakonian politics
- Roland and Catriona agree to come, but they have reservations
- Preparing for the journey, Aldo sleeps off wicked hangover, showers to get rid of fish smell
- Roland pimps out wagon ride
- Finds wagon craftswoman named Heyer, trained under Azmi
- Purchases better wheels, suspension and harpoon gun for wagon
- They leave in a few days through Northern Pass
- Journey to the Temple of Erivo
- It’s in the center of Liat, Astrid is conducting purifying ceremony
- Statue’s blessing will purge central Gameth of the Court's influence
- Along the way the party runs into more refugees and burned-out towns
- A storm breaks out in an abandoned village, a demon with lightning powers attacks
- The demon zaps them with a couple of lighting bolts
- A fight breaks out, but kind words help shift tide of battle
- It turns out the demon is actually a man who ran into Arthur the Undying and got lightning powers
- He returned to village to show off powers, but he scared townspeople away
- Aldo hugs him, and though he takes lightning damage he pacifies Zeus
- The villager puts on lightning show, asks party to make Arthur take powers away
- The party arrives at Temple of Erivo
- Located in a verdant valley, a massive winged statue towers over a small village
- The place is full of refugees, Hakonian forces have set up makeshift fortifications
- Aldo asks Kells for romantic advice, and she tries to provide sincere suggestions
- Roland asks around about Arthur, a refugee says he saw him enter Argus’ tent
- Kells and Vandakar introduce the party to High Priestess/Princess Astrid
- Hakonian radicals kidnapped her as child, but they were executed
- Hakon's leadership decided to put her in care of Temple, learning spells and statecraft
- She has watched her father Nestor let Gameth fall into neglect and ruin
- Somebody needs to protect the magic and spellcasters of Liat
- She’ll agree to lead Gameth, but only after council vote
- During the Council Meeting, Prince Refn says Hakon should continue isolationist policy
- Country is stable and prosperous, shouldn’t meddle in neighbor’s affairs
- Astrid argues that council can’t ignore rising threats of Court and Boua
- Hakon must take more active role in Liat to save lives and magic relics
- Roland and Catriona vouch for urgency of situation, Argus disagrees
- Council adjourns for Astrid’s purification ceremony
- Argus has battle of words with Roland
- Just then, an explosion at entrance of Temple
- Arthur’s attacked refugee camp w/ horde of abominations
- Argus taunts the party one last time, morphs into lich and attacks Erivo statue
- Boss Fight: Arthur, Winged Abomination and Horsebear Abomination
- Abominations do some more damage to statue
- Kells and Vandakar organize temple guard to fight the horde
- Astrid joins in fight, fires off some decent attacks, kills Winged Abomination
- Catriona casts wind wall, takes a while to figure out logistics
- Roland charges down temple steps to have one-on-one match with Arthur
- Some of Roland’s spells accidentally hit nearby camps
- But he does a lot of damage, knocks Arthur up the steps
- Aldo kills horsebear abomination, Arthur and Argus flee
- The statue’s still standing
- Astrid performs purification ceremony, the region feels improved
- Council elects her to lead by unanimous vote
- Roland compensates refugee injured by rogue shots
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