Session 067 - Scarecrows in the Fields
General Summary
Late Summer to Autumn 721TR
The story so far
The Kingdom of Rethem is rocked by Civil War. The Earl of Tormau has rebelled against the Crown and raised a large army. The Heroes have made many enemies and ended up fighting on the side of Rebels.
Athena, a Crimson Dancer Knight, has been made Constable of the recently captured Barony of Winen. She needs to organize the finances and security of her domain as well as supply troops to the ongoing war effort.
Meanwhile, Quazzy has had revelations from the long past. During the events of the Battle of Sorrows, her Warlock Patron Desridaen has lost a valuable item and he wants it back.
Downtime Activities
Over the late Summer and Autumn months, the Heroes undertake a range of activities. These include.
Location - Barony of Winen, Northwest Rethem.
Reorganizing the Barony of Winen (Athena)
Next, she speaks with the Grandmistress of the Sisterhood of the Crimson Dancer operating out of the nearby Castle Ithius. She secures an additional 5 troops to boost the Castle's defenses. These may prove useful if the Bloody Gauntlet does not prove reliable.
She assigns Bailiffs to the Baronies outlying Manors. Bailiffs include her old friend Kalin, her Squire Dame Lucia, and two Crimson Dancer Soldiers she had personally trained Helle and Vibeke.
Quazzy secures the contract of the Wardens of Corthir. The Wardens form 5 man garrisons for each of the Baronies scattered Manors.
Finally, Yureb using his criminal contacts acquires guards for the nearby Lead Mine.
Corruption at the Lead Mine (Yureb)
Master Miner Remont Hogg apologizes for this error and agrees to pay restitution. He attempts to bribe Yureb discreetly but fails.
Quazzy
Athena
Yureb
NPC Companion
Band of the Bloody Gauntlet
Wardens of Corthir
Location - City of Coranan, Thardic Republic.
History Studies (Quazzy)
Quazzy returns to the City of Coranan to research more information on the infamous Battle of Sorrows.
Desridaen, art by EmirothMonths ago, Quazzy's Warlock Patron Desridaen shared his memories and knowledge from the long past, at least from his perspective. These include the following key events from the epic battle.
Last Chance for Peace - Late Autumn 683BT
The Lythian Invaders mass on a field 30,0000 strong; over half the army are the battle-hardened Solori Elite Holy Warriors. This coalition of Tribes is lead by Tharvdar the Fox, a charismatic and battle-hardened warchief. Worse scouts indicated reinforcements, maybe 20,000 were only a few days away. Against them is the Elven Army led by King Dealdra 6,000 strong, made up of around 4,000 Elves, 1,500 Jarinese allies, and 500 Dwarves.
King Daelda is urged to attack immediately by his advisors but decides to send three envoys to offer generous peace terms to the invaders, granting them large tracts of land and limited self-rule. The envoys are murdered, and heads paraded on pikes. The morning of the next day King Dealdra attacks.
The Battle of Sorrows - The Next day
The battle lines clash, and the Elves and their allies fight valiantly, but the vast numbers of the invaders take their toll. The Elven line begins to buckle, however, King Dealdra had planned for this. He personally leads his Calvary around the enemies right flank. This force 250 strong includes Knights, Griffin Riders, Giant Eagles, and a few other magical creatures staggers the enemy, and their lines begin to waver.
Then a tremendous magical explosion and a sphere of darkness surrounds King Dealdra. He and many of his elite cavalry are knocked to the ground. From a black mist Shadow Elves, emerge and attack. The King struck down, suffering a mortal wound, and many senior Elves were slain. All appears lost. Only the heroic actions of the heroes like Gwydriel, who later went on to form the Morsindari, and Galaeron the Green were able to turn back the tide of the Shadow Elves. But in the Chaos, without the leadership of King Dealdra, the Lythian Invaders rallied and attacked in mass. All appeared lost.
Then from the left flank, Dwarven reinforcements, 1,000 strong from the City of Kiraz arrived on the battlefield. The exhausted invading army collapsed and was routed. The last of the Shadow Elves were eventually destroyed; however, Gwydriel and Galaeron the Green were not able to save the King. The victorious Elven army held the field, but at what cost? Their King and two out of three of their numbers were either dead or casualties.
Retribution - Two days Later
A few days later, Tharvdar the Fox holds a war council in his camp. Tharvdar had rallied many of the survivors of the battle who had been joined by almost 15,000 late-arriving reinforcements. He realizes he may yet have victory, he still massively outnumbers the leaderless and demoralized Elven Army.
As he plots, his camp is raided. Gwydriel and Galaeron the Green lead an elite force of Elves, assassinating Tharvdar, and his captains. The invader's unity is lost, their coalition disintegrates, and the tribes scattered.
Desridaen was part of the cavalry charge and was knocked unconscious, then dragged away by the retreating invaders, tortured and brainwashed by their Skull-masked Priests. During the confusion, he lost his cherished Silver Flute and was found by a retreating Solori Warrior.
Desridaen tells Quazzy he wants his Silver Flute back. She is to find it for him. He wants to make great music again.
A minor chief of the Solori Barbarians who survived the Battle of Sorrows has acquired a valuable Silver Flute. Interestingly the strange Solorai custom of making music when entering another home seems to have started from this time.
They find a legend of the famous first-century Bard Kisolon from Melderyn, who is said to have tricked a Solori Chief out of a supposedly Magical Silver Flute.
Kisolon's grandson was the famous Mearkis, the Sorcerer, adviser, and right hand of King Shobald I, who founded the Kingdom of Chybisa. He was a skilled musician and said to have a Flute that made profoundly moving but sad music. Mearkis died in 180TR and was interned in Shobalds Tower, presumably with his personal belongings. Quazzy and Valmera are unable to locate precisely where Shobalds Tower is, but it likely within the Kingdom of Chybisa.
With this knowledge, Quazzy rejoins the party in Rethem, planning a winter expedition to the Kingdom of Chybisa to investigate.
Before she leaves, Quazzy records all of the ancient lore she has learned in a Book (anonymously). She donates this book to Valmera's Temple on the condition it is stored in the restricted section of the archive. and the names of whoever reads it are recorded.
Location - Kuba Manor, Barony of Winen, Northwest Rethem.
Scarecrows
Mid-Autumn Athena leads the Heroes in an inspection of the Barony of Winen Holdings, observing the end of season Harvest. At the Manor of Kuba, the peasants haven't started harvesting. Athena questions the Reve Godefry and learns that Night People visited a few days ago and put on cursed the village. A Scarecrow has come to life and haunts the fields. Understandably, the villages are concerned and unwilling to enter the fields.
Athena approaches the Scarecrow. It is an evil-looking monster that malevolently stares back. Sensing a powerful fiendish nature, Athena prepares to attack. But the Scarecrow with the surprising speed acts first, with its gaze causing severe mental anguish. The Scarecrow is a very formidable opponent, quickly disabling both Yureb and Lucia, severely injuring Athena. Suddenly tiny Mandrakes appear from the crops and let out a blood-curdling screech stunning Quazzy. Athena fights on considering hit and run tactics. Quazzy, with her ears still ringing, casts a powerful magic spell banishing the Fiendish Monster back to its home plane of existence. The slow-moving Mandrakes are quickly, but noisily, dispatched.
The villagers burn all the other ordinary Scarecrows in their fields and begin harvesting the crops. The Party finds the tracks of the Night People Wagon, and to their surprise, it seems to have disappeared, as did the goods the villages brought from them. Athena recalls a story of a village near where she grew up of a sinister Night Person wagon who cursed a villager, then mysteriously disappeared. The villager went on a murder spree, and many say he was possessed.
The heroes recall that they may well have encountered the aftermath of a visit from this sinister Phantom Wagon before. Refer Session 21 - Loose Ends.
NPC Interactions
Herment Bencson - Captain of the Band of the Bloody Gauntlet.
Master Miner Remont Hogg - Head of the Rylosin Lead Mine.
Valmera - Priestess of the Order the Hyn-Aelori.
Village Reve Godefry.
Challenges Overcome
Recruited Mercenaries to Garrison Castle Winen and other holdings.
Gained additional support from the Sisterhood of the Crimson Dancer.
Discovered Corruption at the Rylosin Mine.
Defeated 1 Fiendish Scarecrow and 3 Mandrakes.
Rewards
Athena completes her Horse riding training.
Created Content
Related Reports
Earl Denyl Lynnaeus - The Earl of Tormau.
Barony of Winen - Updated.
Wardens of Corthir - Updated.
Battle of Sorrows - Updated.
Players Character Status
Athena the Banshee - Level 13 Paladin of Vengeance.
Yureb - Level 13 Arcane Trickster.
Quazzy - Level 5 Necromancer and Level 8 Warlock Disciple of Desridaen.
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