Session 118 - Shroud of Pain
General Summary
11th Halane to 30th of Savor (Third Month of Autumn) 722TRThe story so far
The Heroes have delivered the Silver Swords to the Abbey of St Andrada. They are now waiting for details for their next mission.
The continuation of Session 117 - The Salvage.
Location - Abbey of St Andrada, in the Hamlet of Kostim.
Part 1 - Blessing and a New Mission.
Acheron spends several days in intense training, honing his martial arts skills. Then in a solemn ceremony, his Silver Sword Nemesis is placed in the Earthmaster Artifact, the Casket of Transference. The Casket's contents are transported to an identical casket in Areshomes in the Kingdom of Trierzon, where the Larani Pontiff consecrates it.
Decades ago Church of Peoni created a burial shroud with magic so potent it could return the dead to life. However, this artifact was stolen and desecrated by the forces of Agrik and Morgath. Priests of Agrik cut the Shroud into eight pieces, and Morgath corrupted the magic, ensuring that it would only restore a small fraction of the person's soul to the dead body. Priests of Agrik now perform evil rituals using Upprisa Shrouds to create a unique variety of Undead, the Shroud Ghouls.
Brother Ilbert has learned through his contacts that an Embassy from the Agrikan Pontiff is investigating the various churches of Agrik on Hârn for heresy. The Priestesses of the Order of the Eight Demons, in the City of Coranan, believing that this delegation would claim their Upprisa Shroud for themselves, have secretly relocated to an out of the way location, the small Abbey of Boreth in the Themeson District. Brother Ilbert would like the Shroud returned to the Church and asked Acheron to recover it. In Boreth Village is Brother Gilbertus, a Maermalite Priest who would be able to provide more information.
Brother Ilbert provides the Heroes with Holy Water and Holy Symbols of Peoni Iconography. The Shroud Ghouls are vulnerable to Holy water, and the Peonian Holy Symbols should hold the Shroud Ghouls at bay.
The Heroes plan to travel North, first to the City of Coaranan, then on to Themeson District and Boreth Village.
Location - City of Coranan, in the Thardic Republic.
Part 2 - Business Details.
While passing through the City of Coranan, Avon attends to his business interests. He checks on his trade goods from Senator Cyzo Udirel. He then investigates markets for his mushroom fertilizer for grapes vines. When investigating the specialty salt market the Dwarven embalmers use, he learns the primary mine owner is Senator Zanek Musbern. Avon knows him well after putting him in contact with an Assassin the previous year. He will look into this further after helping Acheron recover the Upprisa Shroud.
Part 3 - Street Preacher
Acheron decides to investigate further and takes on another appearance, this time of an intimidating-looking warrior called William. He approaches the Preacher and demands to know who this leader would be. His performance is compelling, and the Preacher says Marshal Kronas, the crowd is not surprised and mostly in agreement. Continuing the deception, William joins the Sungai Gaufroi for a drink, noting his guards are two members of the Mercenary Company of Dead Men. Over the night, the Priest is impressed by William's sinister and intimidating demeanor, thinking him a potential asset. He suggests someone of his caliber would have a leading role in a new order, and he should consider joining the Company of Dead Men. Over drinks, Acheron teases out considerable information from this talkative Priest.
- The Company of Dead Men leadership has a very close association with the Church of Morgath. Sungai Gaufroi implies that they are immortal and may bestow that gift on Acheron if he proves to be worthy.
- The Church of Morgath supports Marshal Kronas as he is the most likely person to be able to claim absolute control. The Marshal is not a young man. His son and heir would be easy to control.
- Sungai Gaufroi also let's slip that the Church was planning to give the Marshal a magical weapon to help him in his conquests. However, things went wrong.
He also suggests that William meet with the High Priest of his temple. William declines and says that he will consider the Priests offer and they will meet again.
Location - Boreth Abbey in Themeson District in the Thardic Republic.
Part 4 - The Evil Abbey
The Heroes arrive at Boreth and note that the fields and their workers are being worked to exhaustion.
At the small Inn, they quickly find Brother Gilbertus tending to the injuries of the field workers. He is more than happy to help to explain that the Eight Demons are overworking the estate to squeeze every resource they can before they have to return it to the previous owners under the terms of the Treaty of Themeson. The Temple is small with two guards and another two plus a knight in the Villa on the nearby hill. There are two priestesses who stay in Villa and several acolytes. The Heroes have met one of them before, the Priestess Sephira.
Part 5 - Temple of Pain
The after sundown Heroes play drunk and catch the two Order of the Cohorts of Gashang guards by surprise, quickly killing them. Despite the heavy rain, the Priestess in the temple is alerted. Bursting in, they see a fire pit in the center, surrounded by all manner of torture equipment and shelves of holy books. Each corner of the building is a statue of Agrik's Demonic sons, and a trap door is located near the far wall. The Priestess is wreathed in Balefire, but she is soon killed, but not before she pulls a cord, which sounds the Gong on the Roof. The whole settlement is alerted.
Sabretooth used his frost breath to put out the fire pit and then decides to smash one of the eight Statues of Agrik's Sons. As its head falls off, eight diminutive Vii Demons materialize in response to this blasphemy and attack. However, the seasoned Heroes quickly dispatch these weak creatures.
While Acheron and Sabertooth block the temple entrance with statues, bookcases, and torture equipment, Avon finds a fire jet trap on the trapdoor and quickly disables it. Unfortunately, he cannot pick the lock, so Sabretooth smashes another one of the statues through it. Sneaking down, Avon triggers a spear trap, which he then neutralizes. This opens into a chamber guarded by undead, Shroud Ghouls. They vomit putrid bile onto Sabretooth and Acheron, sickening them. Acheron forcefully presents the Holy Symbol, which drives them back allowing Avon and Sabretooth to dispatch these disgusting creatures.
To be continued...
NPC Interactions
Father Chavoshka - Head of the Argent Order.
Brother Ilbert - Priest of Peoni and member of the Shield of Belsirasin.
Brother Gilbertus -Priest of Peoni and member of the Maermalites.
Challenges Overcome
Defeated 2 Cohorts of Gashang Guards.
Defeated 1 Eight Demons Priestess.
Disabled various Mechanical Traps.
Easily defeated 8 Vii Demons.
Destroyed 3 Shroud Ghouls.
Related Reports
Order of the Cohorts of Gashang.
Player Character Status
Acheron - Human - Level 6 Paladin and Level 3 Warlock Disciple of Mendiz - gained Paladin Level.
Sabretooth - Unique Humanoid appearing Ivashu - Level 5 Ivashu Lord Barbarian and Level 3 Monk.
Avon - Half-Elf - Level 9 Thief - gained Thief Level.
Avon
Acheron
Sabretooth
NPC Companions
Chameleo
Sabretooth's Ivashu Companion.
The Argent Order
Order of the Lord of Chaos
The Company of Dead Men
Order of the Eight Demons
Order of the Cohorts of Gashang
Casket of Transference
Appearance: A plain Silver box 6 ft long and 1 ft high and wide. It only weighs 5 lbs.
Attunement: Psionics or Charisma check DC 13 to Attune or see below.
Properties: This item is paired with an identical artifact. On activation, a compartment will open. Any items placed within will be transported to the paired artifact within 1d6 hours.
Charges: 1d100.
Part 1 is a fantastic intro the shroud and the ghouls they create, super imaginative, I am so impressed.
Part 3 is very interesting, I like it!
Parts 4 and 5 are interesting. I especially like that the PCs are now in a hard place. Having killed a priestess who has raised the alarm you have the PCs in a pickle. I am looking fowards to seeing them wriggle out of this dilemma. >|-}
I would like to claim credit for the Should Ghoul, but it was a brilliant article in the Harn Pottage 2. There will be a reception waiting for the PCs, and if they stay down too long, there will be reinforcements.
Well it makes no change in my opinion of your brilliance!