Session 34 Report

General Summary

Titta Morco and Mogi Delvin returned to the vampire’s house at the same time as Sinjin Fairchild and Pyzar Zim returned with the city guard. They entered the house and the guard witnessed the gruesome seen inside. At the pit, one of the guards turned back to seek reinforcements from clerics of Trinity Hall. Titta and the others led the rest of the guard to the coffin room and showed them the remains of Lovren. When the clerics arrived, they confirmed he was a vampire spawn, a weaker version of a vampire. They destroyed the skeletons in the pit and disposed of the remains of the undead. The body of the vampire spawn was taken to Trinity Hall where it would be destroyed in the morning sun. The guards took the bodies of the identifiable victims, including that of Ella and Jule Neeks. The next morning, Haymin’s Heroes visited Trinity Hall to witness the clerics expose Lovren’s staked cadaver to the sun. The corpse burst into flames quickly and was burnt to ash in seconds. Haymin’s Heroes went to the Alehouse later that day for some drinks in Ella’s and Jule’s honor. They met the day staff there, including the owner, Corden Santari. They were all distraught over Jule’s passing and appreciated what the adventurer’s had done for her and her daughter. Corden offered to pay for the funeral and helped make arrangements for it alongside Titta and the others. Later that afternoon, the party had a meeting with Lady Dyora Albyn. They informed her of the previous night’s events and showed her the notes they had found. After a brief discussion, Lady Dyora offered Haymin’s Heroes 5,000 crowns for the ashes of XV. She warned them that this could be a difficult undertaking and she understood that this could take some time. This vampire seemed well hidden, and it might prove difficult to locate. But she wanted to learn more about this new potential enemy and just how far his reach extended into Rowadin. As the rest of the party rested in the evening, Auren Sylynn, in disguise, set out on his own to learn some information. His target was the city’s underworld, particularly the Black Glove Society. After an evening’s work, he had met with a man who offered him work. Auren was to meet him the next night at Badger’s Tavern. On May 29, 498 AV, Titta went to Trinity Hall to research undead. Selia Roselyn Maxwell, Ladigo Farthon, Pyzar, and Auren accompanied her. In talking to one of the clerics, they learned the name Xanthus Vasile. He was believed to be a vampire of some ill repute, and the child of Bram Invictus, who most consider to be one of the oldest and perhaps the most powerful vampire in all of Embril. It was said that Bram Invictus lived in “the space between the mists.” Xanthus Vasile has served him for some time and has been known to operate in this area of the Great Forest. Speculation places his lair somewhere between the Lake Kingdoms and Oathendale. That evening, Auren went to his meeting at Badger’s Tavern. He returned to Heroes for Hire well after midnight and found Titta and the others still awake. They questioned him and some of his answers seemed evasive. He admitted to finding the thieves’ guild and becoming a member. He met with the leader, a man named Jaylon Blalock. He had also encountered Draven Kreeg, the rogue they had met when delivering the package to Atlan Vostello. The next day Arnell Devons came to see Haymin’s Heroes. They discussed their recent success, including the defeat of the vampire spawn. The Vigil of the Weather Eye was taking notice and he was there to gage the possibility of them joining this group. They agreed to work together in the future so the Vigil could watch them in action and assess them. On May 31, 498 AV, Haymin’s Heroes attended Ella and Jule’s funeral. A ceremony was held at Trinity Hall followed by a procession to the city cemetery. Afterwards, a reception was held at the Alehouse. Following the reception, Captain Holcott approached the party. He informed them that a spellcaster, likely the person named Sarothane that was mentioned the letter they found on Lovren’s desk, came to the vampire spawn’s house. The city guard was watching the house, hoping to catch someone they could question, and when this spellcaster saw them, he immediately teleported away. On June 3, 498 AV, a disheveled looking man came to Heroes for Hire. His clothing was dirty and stained with a red that looked like blood after an attempted washing. He shook and looked in general distress. His name was Aedwine Humfrith. He asked to hire the party to take him back to Luthia. He explained how on the night of May 30, 498 AV, his father, Lord Wilver Humfrith snuck out of their home close to midnight. Aedwine happened to see this and followed after his father. Lord Wilver went to an alley near the docks and when Aedwine followed him into the alley, he blacked out. Two days later, Aedwine awoke inside a crate aboard a ship named the Silver Swan. The back of his head ached terribly and he found a lump there. He was in this disheveled and unkempt state, his clothing stained with red. The sailors pulled him out of the crate and accused him of being a filthy stowaway. They found an empty vial in Aedwine’s pocket and accused him of being a reverie junky, threatening to throw him overboard. He managed to calm them down, and when they reached Rowadin they let him off unceremoniously. Aedwine then looked for help, finding Heroes for Hire where he hoped to employ their services. He offered 500 crowns, plus any daily expenses, to take him home. He did not have any money on him now, only his gold signet ring with his family crest on it, but he offered it as collateral. He promised to pay them when in Luthia. Haymin’s Heroes agreed to help him and offered him lunch and a bath. Then Titta and Pyzar went to buy supplies for their journey. Shortly after their return, three men came knocking on the door. They were bounty hunters in search of Aedwine Humfrith. They asked if Haymin’s Heroes had seen him and showed them a wanted poster stating the young man was wanted for the murder of his father. It offered 100 crowns reward for his capture. Ultimately, Titta told the bounty hunters they had not seen this person and sent them away. The bounty hunters told where they would be staying in case they spotted the man. They believed this man would be desperate and seeking help, so they surmised he might have come to the adventurer’s guild seeking assistance. Upon hearing of his father’s murder, Aedwine became even more distraught than he already was. He swore that he would never have harmed his father. The party believed him as Selia had cast Detect Thoughts earlier and read the young man’s mind while he explained his story. There was nothing of a murder in his surface thoughts and his thoughts matched his story completely without any hint of deceit. Aedwine then offered to double their fee if Haymin’s Heroes would help him clear his name. They promised they would do so and planned to set out the next morning. The rest of the day, they discussed the situation. Aedwine explained to them how his sister had died of a reverie overdose last year. Since then his father became obsessed with combating the reverie problem in Luthia. He used his resources to try to stamp out the drug in the city, going after dealers, and then their sources. His father had made great progress, and likely many enemies. Among these were the Razors, the prominent criminal gang in Luthia. Lord Wilver had recently had a breakthrough in the reverie situation, possibly discovering the powers behind it all. His secret jaunt in the middle of the night was possibly related to this. Aedwine also remembered seeing a face in a window at the end of the alley just before he blacked out. This face appeared to have an eyepatch over the right eye. The last thing Aedwine remembered was seeing this person put a hand up to the glass just before he blacked out. They remained inside the guild house the rest of the evening, thinking that the bounty hunters may be watching them. And they kept Aedwine inside as well, and curtained or shuttered any windows that might reveal him.

Campaign

The Heart of Embril

Protagonists