Dark Heart of the Night 1473.01 to 1473.03

• The Treonol Autocracy
• The Helegu Khanate broke into different hosts
• Roaring host
• We've got to take 'the girl' to the Bruja
• We go through a stone grove, there's eviscerated bodies everywhere.
• We meet an old guy, question him a bit, he tells us his daughter has moved away (my notes are vague here, something happens, Ruben is unhappy with the guy, something else happens ...) and he goes off. We find out later (?) this is a chap called the Crag, a potentially nasty piece of work, and he is probably very responsible for Ophion's sudden onset illness - it's a curse cast on something of Ophion's the Crag stole from him - maybe a coin?
• We meet some treanol on our travels, they're not pleasant. Atalla isn't pleasant back, Kunoh defends, fighting breaks out briefly.
• Treonol guy we hold for questioning is antagonistic towards Ruben because "the dwarves abandoned them"
• We find out Grand Merchant Colphon of Jyrgal has been entrusted by the Treonol Autocrat with building the fortifications.
• They have watchtowers and linked highways, because they're afraid of the Erensari tribes
• No one's seen the Helegu around for months, they don't seem to be any threat, this guy doesn't think anyone's worried about invasions, but rather that they're shoring up defenses to go and cause war over the sea
• This guy tells us they were patrolling for werewolves
• Someone mentions Enteriath; Maybellina says that's another witch queen (Nb: Sili was the first witch queen we heard of)
• Lots of ruins
• Symbol found in the ruins
• We head to the work site, with Atalla acting as trader, others as bodyguards (?). Ruben disguises himself as not-a-dwarf since dwarves are not welcomed here. Kunoh shadows Ruben to help keep him safe
• We come across evidence of worshipers of Bardi, demigod of sacrifice - not a popular fellow in Faerun for many centuries
• Argos was the last civilisation that actively worshiped Bardi, 500 or so years ago
• Bhaal, god of murder, sort of tied in together
• The Shrine of Bardi - no animal tracks, symbol of the Blood Moon of the Alpha Werewolf, recent blood, sacrifice from past few days
• The Master Cometar in the town of Habbek was attended on by Alata (Atala’s disguise of a wealthy merchant) and personal retinue
• The others met with the Bruja - the little girl was taken to the Feywild by the Emerald Hag and a potion given the next day for Ophion to take in the Stone Grove which hold the images of the 13 demigods who serve Bhaal
• People tracks, no animal tracks
• the Blood Moon of the Alpha Werewolf ??
• Atalla gets pampered
• Onai (presented as Atalla's companion) gets a bath
• Maybellina and Ophion collect info among the fancy people
• Ephut Ki collects info among the workers
• Kunoh and Ruben talk some but mostly stay in the lodgings trying to avoid suspicion (as Rubens spell will wear off during the night).
• Heian is around somewhere, probably also bathing.
• We find werewolves started attacking people about a month ago after the Jyacks started being crucified by the Treanol.
• We hear something about the Dark Heart of the Night
• Werewolves are Treanol - but they're not the ones that did the ritual.
• We move on. There's a fight, middle watch, werewolves! We fight, kill them, Kunoh grabs the head of one as he decapitates it, it's a young boy.
• Leave camp. Keep following tracks
• zombie bits
• giant footsteps - stone giants?
• keep following tracks, temperature drops as we ascend
• overgrown building foundations, rubble
• as we look back down over the way we came, we're looking down over an old city
• Ephut Ki notices some shamblers
• We keep heading up, track ends near spring, footprints split, one set continuing up, one heading into forest.
• We continue up, canopy gets thicker, rock outcroppings
• Shuffling noises above and ahead. We hide.
• 18 zombies, mixture of unusual types. One zombie has the werewolf symbol engraved into his forehead, seems clever, also has a tall skinny hat and a rattlestick. Shaman? He knows we're here.
• Fight.
• Zombie master is white, a northerner, not local. Marked with symbol of Bardi
• clothing and fetishes, faerun origin
• Loot: 100 gold pieces (party pool), potion frost giant strength (Kunoh), rattlestick (Maybellina), top hat (Ruben)
• rattlestick is hollowed bone with zombie symbols all over. After spending time with it, Maybellina realises it is a necromancer's stick - heals and buffs undead
• Maybellina and Ephut Ki realise this zombie master would've been a mercenary with free will and Ephut Ki also knows the juggernaut would've chosen to give up his life to become this.
• Zombies are mostly Treonol, probably slaves
• We continue on, coming across an area with lots of dead animals. Ephut Ki and Ruben investigate, it gives them an uncomfortable sensation, like they are becoming ill
• rattlestick begins vibrating
• the area goes weird to Ephut Ki and Ruben, statues seem to change and stare at Ephut Ki, ignoring Ruben. Ephut Ki and Ruben leave the area
• Maybellina gives Ephut Ki the rattlestick who takes it into the area.
• Statues move, their shadows break away from them, Ephut Ki feels their animosity, Ephut Ki heads to edge of area, one of the shadows solidifies and heads towards him, Ephut Ki casts a spell on it, it doesn't work, the shadow lunges but goes right through him
• Ephut Ki gives Maybellina back the stick, Maybellina believes the shadows are in the Shadowfell.
• Maybellina and Ephut Ki go back in. They feel like the statues are turning towards them but they see nothing. They do however both feel something say "Later". Ephut Ki moves further in, and works out we wouldn't want to be here at night.
• We continue on
• Ruben thinks these ruins are Carkade, at least 6000 years old.
• We come across a grove with 13 big stones, we believe this is the spot we've been told we need to be in to heal Ophion's curse
• Ruben moves in, we all hear a heartbeat noise, somethings floating in the centre, an ovoid space, emanating darkness, throbbing, clearly the source of the heartbeat.
• Stones have names of demigods that serve Bhaal on them, confirming this is where we need to be for Ophion
• Kunoh hears a voice in his head. It offers him greater strength, toughness, and promises he will be a great warlord. Kunoh is fooled.
• Kunoh changes, covered in shadows, eyes like a serpent, he turns to Ephut Ki
• Fight.
• After a bit of a scuffle, Kunoh is successfully disarmed by Heian, Maybellina throws Kunoh's axe over the cliff, Kunoh is successfully held and then restrained.
• the Crag turns up and demands "unhold my servant"
• Ruben refuses
• Werewolves turn up, the Crag attacks, fight.
• The Crag cries out "enough!", orders Kunoh to stop trying to kill Ephut Ki, tells us to leave. Ephut Ki asks about Ophion, the Crag throws him some coins (obviously what he had stolen from Ophion to cast the curse on him), says to give it a day and Ophion will be cured, points us to other ruins where we can rest safely if we leave immediately.
• We move on, make camp. Everyone is shaken, Kunoh is not interacting much, but he is obviously no longer under the Crag's influence.

the Crag

Also the Crag

Game dates: 

• October 2016
• November 2016