Session 107 - Rituals, Rivals, Revenge and the Return Home
General Summary
1st to 30th Savor (Third Month of Autumn) 722TR
The story so far
Quazzy is a survivor of a mystery cult. She has just confronted one of the cult leaders, the mysterious Golden Skull Masked Man, a.k.a Sir Jirex Mallaber. Surprisingly he seems willing to talk and come to an arrangement.
However, Quazzy's companion, Athena, the Crimson Dancer Paladin, has just killed all his guards and looks ready to attack.
The continuation of Session 106 - Storming the Peaceful Townhouse.
Location - City of Tashal in the Kingdom of Kaldor.
Part 1 - Will The Truce Hold?
The rest of the night goes smoothly. Sir Jirex entertains the Heroes with a fine meal during which Quazzy attempts to learn as much about the Raven Woman as she can. Although he does not divulge her location or any weaknesses, she is told that the Raven Woman has been creating Clones of herself. New young bodies, for her soul, to inhabit when she grows too old. Quazzy is one of these, and he believes a new one has recently been created, living as a child in a Melderyni Village. However, he has no details of exactly where she may be.
When the Heroes leave the Townhouse, Sir Jirex asks Yureb to contact the local Thieves Guild so that his guard's bodies be discreetly removed. Yureb takes this opportunity to pick his pockets, collecting a small fortune, including an expensive gem and gold crowns worth almost 2,000sp.
Quazzy successfully seduces Sir Jirex, which was not a particularly challenging task. They spend the night together, something designed to antagonize the Raven Woman further. He asks one final favor of Quazzy, could she alter the memory of his cook. He wants her to forget all the death and destruction from earlier.
Part 2- The Barsai Point
Quazzy takes the Party to Orgael Wood, just north of the city, and uses the Barasi Points (or Holy Grove) to travel to a similar Grove located in the Kingdom of Rethem. At their destination, three giant six-legged Monster Frogs are lurking nearby. Their croaks are horrifying loud and burst the Heroes eardrums. Eventually, the Bukavacs are dispatched.
Yureb leads the Heroes past the enemy lines, and Athena returns to Castle Ithiko.
Location - Castle of Ithiko in the Kingdom of Rethem.
Part 3 - Checking Up On Old friends
At Castle Ithiko, Athena resumes her duties as Constable and spends weeks catching up on domain management. Arlette decides to become an Acolyte in the Temple of Agrik, Order of Kukshin, and leaves the party.
Athena also spends some time Scrying on her enemies. What are they up to?
The Raven Woman - Athena sees her using the disguise of a much younger woman walking the streets of a city. She recognizes one of the buildings she is passing. It is the Pamesani Arena in the City of Coranan. She immediately suspects the Raven Woman may have been plotting with her old enemies at the nearby Eight Demon's Temple. A Scry performed days later shows her in a library in some possibly enchanted forest.
Baron Rarval Hamlen - The last survivor of the Hamlen Clan, responsible for planning the murder of Athena's family, is alive and well in some Castle. No other information is gained.
Sir Scarow - The Cohorts of Gashang Knight Commander is in a tent likely on the campaign. No further information is gained.
Location - City of Coranan in the Thardic Republic.
Part 4 - Heroes Return To Coranan
The Party briefly return to Yureb's home City of Coranan. On the way, they are ambushed by two strange bug faces monsters, ugly humanoid creatures whose hide strangely adapts to resist any magical or weapon attacks when struck. However, these Skinwalkers prove no threat to the Heroes who efficiently dispatch these monstrosities. They wanted to kill Grenix, one of Yureb's aliases (refer Session 99 - To Rob A King).
Quazzy checks up on her property and is shocked to find that it has been ransacked. Her elderly housekeeper Gertrude has been brutally murdered. The Ravens feeding on the dead body and watching the house are quickly killed. Believing that the Raven Woman is following up with her threat to kill anyone friendly or associated with the Heroes, the Party decides on a change of plans. They discreetly warn all their close friends in the city to be on guard.
Wilcock chooses to stay at the Guild of Arcane Lore to continue his magical studies. He performs one final psychic reading for Quazzy on the Raven Woman. She is located in a library in some enchanted forest, which may be in another world. He notes that she is preparing another identity, one as a wizard of the Mind Magic School. He cannot get a reading on the Raven Woman's new young clone.
Meanwhile, Yureb donates the fortune he stole from Sir Jirex to a good cause. He gives it to Matron Aggatha at the Temple of Peoni.
Location - Castle of Ithiko in the Kingdom of Rethem.
Part 5 - Divine Intervention
Returning to Ithiko, Athena desires to empower her Greatsword Retribution further. She decides to call on her God Agrik to "Create a fitting weapon to carry out vengeance and slay both hers and his foes." This ceremony is performed in Ithiko's Temple of Agrik, sacrificing the artifacts she looted from the temple of Larani (refer Session 103 - The Massacre at St. Bergains). Unfortunately, this dramatic Divine Intervention attempt receives no response.
While in the Temple, she notes the recently installed Khamar Copper Plates. These were recovered from a long-forgotten temple of the heretical Order of Khamar (refer Session 31 - Legacy of the Heretics) just over two years ago. One of the plates was damaged, its ritual invocations have been corroded. If restored, it may be able to create flaming weapons. The Order Khamar is long dead. However, the secretive Order of Mamaka, Master of Steel is believed to use a very similar type of divine magic. Athena begins scheming to acquire this knowledge so that the Copper Plate could be repaired.
The Heroes plan to disguise themselves as foreign envoys or war observers visiting the Bedenes Castle, primary bases of operations of the Order of the Warriors of Mameka and home to its famous Air Forge. There they hope to steal or copy any relevant magical lore.
The Earl approves the mission with the following conditions. The Akarata (Grandmaster) Horab Gerund of the Warriors of Mameka is old and ineffectual. He is not to be harmed as his apparent indecisiveness appears to be holding his potent military force back. However, the assassination of his assumed successor Meketa (High Commander) Halan Uelasen, would be appreciated. The Earl will supply the Heroes with a captured foreign vessel for their deception. He also knows of a nearby priest of Agrik, based in Athena's ancestral Manor of Avonel, who may have some useful information.
To be continued...NPC Interactions
Sir Jirex Mallaber - The Golden Skull Masked Man.
Earl Denyl Lynnaeus of Tormau.
Challenges
Negotiated a Truce with the Sir Jirex Mallaber.
Defeated 3 Bukavac (From Tomb of Beasts 2).
Defeated 2 Skinwalkers.
Created Content
Sir Jirex Mallaber - the Golden Skull Masked Man.
Related Reports
The Raven Woman - Updated.
Temple of Agrik - Bastion of the Dancing Flame - updated.
Order of the Warriors of Mameka.
Order of Mamaka, Master of Steel.
Players Character Status
Athena the Banshee - Level 17 Paladin of Vengeance.
Yureb - Level 17 Arcane Trickster.
Quazzy - Level 5 Necromancer and Level 12 Warlock Disciple of Desridaen.
Quazzy
Athena
Yureb
NPCs Companions
Dame Lucia Kalormar, Athena's Squire
Wilcock Suddicke, Wizard and Psionicist
Arlette Arie, Possible Recruit
Athena's Scrying Ritual
Athena as a Level 17 Vengeance Paladin now has access to the Scry Spell.
Her particular technique for scrying involves coating the blade of her Greatsword Retribution with Holy Oils (1,000sp Spell Focus) and setting it alight. She can now gaze through the flames onto the blade which acts as a scrying medium.
Order of Kukshin
Order of Khamar
Order of Mamaka, Master of Steel
Order of the Warriors of Mameka
Clone seems a bit modern, I think simulacra/simulacrum might be a better more fitting word. "Erase the memory of his cook. He wants her to forget all the death and destruction from earlier." Ooo, ooo, and make the cook forget GoldMember's favorite soup recipe. ]-{ muahaha. No links to the monsters, sad panda.
PS, It goes without saying this was another awesome write up!
In hindsight, you are definitely right, but I am now committed with clone. I have customized the spell but should have given it a more exotic name as well. Shame the player didn’t think of implanting something special in alter memory I guess everyone was surprised with avoiding another bloodbath they didn’t think that far ahead. I know I didn’t.