Session 183 - Heretics

General Summary

27^th to 28^th of Peonu (Second Month of Spring) 724TR

The story so far

The heroes have learned that the mad priest of Ilvir, Xantosa, is hellbent on collecting relics (body parts) of the Crab-Titan Obsidapor. What are his sinister plans? Is he intending to resurrect this ancient monster?

The party has learned the location of two more relics, a shield formed from Obsidapor's scales, held by the lord of Isos Manor and Obsidapor's Eye believed hidden in a barrow of a legendary warrior near Derula Manor.

This is the continuation of Session 181 - The Fallen.

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Location - Isos Manor in the Kingdom of Kanday.

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Part 1 - The Trial

The heroes arrive at Isos Manor to witness a large gathering; most of the local villagers are assembled on the beach before a series of large rocks. These rocks have holes bored through them threaded with sturdy chains and manacles.

Some trial is underway. Questioning the crowd, the visitors learn that four villages are accused of heresy and worshiping the evil god of fire and war, Agrik. This is a grievous crime in Kanday, and the guilty are usually enthusiastically executed.

Sir Guyon, by Artbreeder

Sagarus, by Artbreeder

The lord of Isos Manor, Sir Guyon Grasby, is holding court, and Serolan Sagarus, the high priest of the nearby Melot Abbey, is vigorously pressing for all the defendants to be executed or handed over to the church for justice. All the accused show signs of self-inflicted injuries on their backs. They are accused of scourging themselves to appease Agrik, the evil god of war. It is alleged that they believe that their pain and injuries will satisfy Agrik's blood lust and prevent plagues. Both the churches of Larani and Peoni consider this heretical.

The heroes, as independent agents, speak with Sir Guyon and offer to help. The knight is under considerable pressure from the priest to stamp out this heresy, although he doesn't want to see any of his peasants needlessly executed unless, of course, they are true worshipers of Agrik. Then they will be punished severely. The party is permitted to interrogate them, and Remy discretely casts a Charm Person on two of the most suspicious-looking prisoners, the stable master and the pig herder.

Saer, by Artbreeder

Sir Guyon Grasby's stable master, Saer Weda, is the most defiant of the quartet. He falls under Remy's charm; even so, he is evasive when questioned. The heroes notice guarded looks of loathing when he glances at the priest. Odin has dealt with his kind before and suspects he is guilty but has no clear evidence apart from the rather enthusiastic self-flagellation.

Wymarc, by Artbreeder

Wymarc, the pig herder, turns out to be a somewhat foolish sadist. He readily confesses to scourging himself, has just started the practice after encouragement from the stable master. Under the charm, he also reveals that he also whips his pigs for fun, liking to hear them squeal in pain. The party is appalled by this dirty peasant's depraved attitude and is tempted to see him executed on principle, but also believes he is just a weak-willed fool. Remy persuades him that less whipping will make the bacon tastier, so he agrees to be less cruel. The man is genuinely an easily manipulated halfwit.

Emy, by Artbreeder

Emy Bawfort, the wife of one of the local fishermen, soon confesses to having an affair with stable master Saer. He convinced her to scourge, but Abaddon notes the residue of a numbing salve applied to her back. She may not be a true believer.

Orton, by Artbreeder

Orton Armestronge, the hunter, also has flakes of the salve on his back. Again he does not appear to be a true believer but does not explain his conduct.

The party speculate stable master, Saer, is the primary instigator and likely an agrikian cultist. Sir Guyon demands more proof. So heroes investigate further, deciding to visit the manor's stables for hard evidence.

Part 2 - Chaos in the Stables

The stable houses half a dozen horses and a small kennel with Sir Guyon's four large hunting dogs. They receive warning growls from the hounds as they enter, and Remy spots a loose floorboard under one of the troughs. Odin's keen eyes also notice fine tattoos on the dogs, similar to branding he has seen on Copper Hook wardogs. Unfortunately, a stable hand working outside has been surreptitiously listening to the character's conversation. About to be outed as an Agrikak cultist, the stable hand grabs his axe and a hidden incendiary bomb, and prepares to attack.

As Odin unsuccessfully attempts to move the dogs out of the stable, a middle-aged man, with a mass of long hair and a bushy beard, appears at the stable's entrance holding an orange-colored ceramic jug in one hand and an axe in the other. He throws this bomb of sticky flammable liquid and screams out a command to the dogs. They immediately go berserk. The horses panic and bolt, and soon the stable is engulfed in chaos. The dogs agilely run between the horse legs, savagely attacking the heroes. Luckily Abaddon dexterously catches the potentially explosive missile before it sets the stables alight and then engages the axe-wielding man.

The heroes battle the mastiffs while dodging kicks and collisions with the horses. The hounds drag Odin to the ground, and the heroes have to scramble to save him from having his throat ripped out. Remy fights cautiously, avoiding using his magic so as not to injure the horses or set the hay-filled stables alight. Eventually, the dogs are subdued, the stable hand knocked out, and the horses pacified.

The loose floorboard does indeed hide some incriminating evidence. Inside a well-hidden compartment, they find an octagonal jar decorated with Agrikian symbols. Inside is a dark ceremonial powder that smells of brimstone.

Encounters and Events

Session 183 map, by Attacus

Campaign

Games of the Gods

Protagonists

Remy

Abaddon

Odin

Report Date

17 Oct 2021

Secondary Location

Loza Hamlet

Clan Grasby

Holders of Isos Manor

Clan Grasby, by Attacus

The Scourges of Agrik

In 704TR, a deadly plague struck the Sarkum region, killing many young and elderly. Doomsayers declared that Agrik, the “Breeder of Plague,” was scourging them for their defiance during Ezar's War a decade before.

Many desperate people scourged themselves to appease Agrik’s lust for blood and convince the baleful god to relent from afflicting the land. The plague burnt itself out quickly and did not spread. Taking it as a sign that the dark god was appeased, many continued the practice of scourging despite strong condemnation by the churches of Larani and Peoni.

Part 3 - Justice

The stable master and the stable hand are defiant. With their guilt revealed, the stable master insults the goddess Larani, Sir Guyon, and Odin hoping to provoke single combat. He fails. Sir Guyon is personally aggrieved by Agrik worshiping cultists within his household and is not forgiving. The two men are condemned to death by the methods his ancestors have used for hundreds of years. They will be chained to the rocks on the beach and drown during high tide becoming food for crabs and fish. Odin and Abaddon take a particular interest in ensuring that the sentence is successfully carried out by camping on the beach overnight.

The other miscreants need to be dealt with as well. They are more gullible dupes than cultists, and Sir Guyon would prefer not to see them executed, but he needs to appease the fanatical priest. He decides that they will, as punishment, receive an "X" branded on their cheek as an example to others, and warned if they continue such sinful activity, they will be handed over to the clergy.

Serolan Sagarus is satisfied with the day's inquisition and thanks the heroes for their efforts. He wishes them well on their quest to fight evil and suggests Odin attend services at Melot Abby when he has time.

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The party is then permitted to examine Sir Guyon's ancestral shield, supposedly crafted from Obsidapor's scales. It is ancient, constructed of a hard bone-like shell, and naturally shaped like an old-style kite shield. It glows with faint enchantment and conjuration magic, and the heroes judge it would be nearly impervious when used in combat. They also discover that the mad priest Xantosa visited recently demanding to see the lord but disappeared when turned away from the manor house. Nevertheless, the party warns Sir Guyon of the threat posed by this zealot.

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Location - Derula Manor in the Kingdom of Kanday.

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Part 4 - The Missing Shepard

The next day the heroes make the short trip to Derula Manor. Maybe here they will find Obsidapor's Eye. Unfortunately, there are no signs of any barrows, only plenty of rolling hills used as pasture for sheep.

According to the villagers, Xantosa has visited. The mad priest angrily stalked about in the hills but did not appear to find anything. The characters decide to investigate themselves but are warned that the local sheepherder, a young man named Murie, had mysteriously disappeared a week ago. His dog and sheep were found wandering around, and a thorough search showed no clue as to his whereabouts. After questioning the sheepdog and predictably receiving only a waged tail and barks, the party investigates the hills.

They start searching, checking out high elevations, and wandering around looking for clues to either the missing barrow mounds or the lost sheepherder. Abaddon spots something unusual, a small sinkhole, well-concealed by a patch of long grass and weeds, just wide enough for a human to fall through. The heroes attach a rope and descend.

Part 5 - Mind Lasher

The characters find themselves in a natural cavern and waterway several feet deep. Following the flow down, they find a corpse floating in the water, the missing shepherd. Alas, his body is in a poor state; however, Abaddon's examination shows something disturbing. The boy has broken legs but did not die from the fall; bite marks are the likely cause of death.

Cautiously the heroes made make the way upstream but fail to spot something lurking in the water. Suddenly Abaddon and Odin start developing intense headaches. They are under some form of psychic attack. And whatever is causing it is hiding in the water and the cave's narrow passageways. The pain in Odin's skull gets far worse, his vision starts to fade, but he barely notices movement in the water. The characters approach and see an 8-foot long, horned, serpentine creature in the water. It is rare Ivashu, Baethyr, or the Mind Lasher, which incapacitates their prey with Mental Bolts. Abaddon and Odin are attacked again. Abaddon resists the psychic attack; however, Odin's pain intensifies. The creature also takes bites Remy, but he blocks the strikes with a Shield Spell.

Abaddon closes and delivers a series of well-timed strikes on the creature, so it decides to make its escape retreating through the narrow underwater passages. Remy will have none of this, not wanting to deal with this monster again, and dives in after it. Underwater and wedged in the tight passage, he spots the dark form of the creature moving through the twisting underwater tunnels. It considers attacking the vulnerable wizard, but before that, Remy thrusts his hands and projects his magic forward. Card-like planes of force (Magic Missile) slice through the badly wounded creature, instantly killing it.

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Sir Guyon Grasby - Lord of Isos.

Serolan Sagarus - High Priest of Melot Abbey.

Saer Weda - Stable Master.

Emy Bawfort - Fishwife.

Orton Armestronge - Hunter

Wymarc - Pigherder

Various peasants.

Challenges Overcome

Found 2 x Agrikian Cultists.

4 x Wardogs and 1 x Veteran.

1 x Baethyr - the Mind Lasher.

Rewards

Serolan Sagarus rewards the characters with Potions of Bless and Holy Water.

Sir Guyon Grasby owes the heroes.

A Baethyr horn.

Created Content

Baethyr - the Mind Lasher.

Related Reports

Agrik.

Player Character Status

Odin - Human - Level 4 Gloom Stalker.

Abaddon - Elf - Level 4 Open-hand Monk.

Remy - Half-Elf - Level 4 Bladesinger.