Session 239 - The Gods of the Pagaelin
General Summary
10th to 13th Peonu (Second month of Spring) 725TR
The story so far
Four years ago, Acheron and Avon spied on the infamous mercenary group, the Company of Dead Men. They foiled the evil organization's plans to recover a cursed artifact and destroyed their operations in a long-abandoned gold, silver, and gem mine.
The Dead Men have the means to track the heroes, using the drop of blood in their possession. The party plans to travel to the magical Kingdom of Melderyn and consult with its wizards. They should be able to help with some form of non-detection magic.
The party intends to travel along the Salt Route to Trobridge Inn and then through the Kingdoms of Kaldor and Chybisa. From there, they plan to take a magical shortcut to Melderyn via the mysterious Earthmaster Site of Telumar.
This is the continuation of Session 238 - Ambush and Session 178 - The Bounty.
Location - Trobridge Inn on the border of the Kingdom of Kaldor.
Part 1 - Old Friends in Need
The first leg of the journey to Trobridge Inn is trouble free. The western half of the Salt Route has been remarkably peaceful since Marshal Kronas Elernin brutally crushed the recent Tulwyn barbarian uprising.
At Trobridge, most of the party stay at the fortified Inn; however, Blaine decides to spend the night drinking at the Severed Hand Tavern, outside the Inn's walls. This is his preferred establishment, and besides, the ale is cheaper. At nightfall, he encounters an old "friend," Pallas the occasional bandit and caravan guard. Pallas is in a bad way, bleeding and limping. Spotting Blaine, he immediately asks for help, calling on an old debt.
Pallas and his friends Ned, Dwain, and Stinker were acting as guards for the Thardic jewellery merchant Yacof Kepit retuning from business in the Kingdoms of Chybisa and Kaldor. They were attacked by Pagaelin in a bloody ambush. Dwain had his throat slit, but merchant Yacof, Ned, and Stinker were knocked out by the treacherous barbarian's poisons and dragged away. Pallas thinks they are going to be sacrificed to some dark god.
The following day, the party agreed to help. Almost two years ago, Pallas and his friends saved Jolanta's life when bounty hunters captured her after a case of mistaken identity. The hunters thought Jolanta was the renegade raven witch called Quazzy. Acheron believes that the Pagealin worship some mysterious god called the Walker on the Heath, which appears uncannily similar to the evil god of murder God Naveh. If that is the case, the day for sacrifice will be at least 19 days away. So the heroes should have time.
Location - Setha Heath, North of Trobridge Inn.
Part 2 - Ambush in the Bog
Pallas lead the party to the ambush site, two days down the Salt Route. From there, Acheron skilfully follows the trail into the dangerous Setha Heath. They travel through the dreary cold heathland, interspersed with dismal marshland and peat bogs.
Waiting for them, a pack of Pagealin barbarians spot them and plan a cunning ambush. Acheron notices a quicksand trap and the ten dirty barbarian warriors hiding in the smelly mud and insect-infested water pools. The Pagealin fight dirty with low blows and poisoned weapons, but their ambush fails and is quickly dealt with. Eight smelly barbarians are killed, and two flee. Rather than run them down, the heroes decide on a more cunning plan.
Part 3 - The Walker and the Dragon
Acheron uses his Mask of Many Faces to take on the form of the Walker on the Heath, a menacing shadowy cloaked figure and evil god of the Pagealin. The two remaining wounded barbarians cower in fear. Although the party needs to use magic to communicate, they convince the savages that the Walker is not pleased by their actions and demands to know what has happened to the merchant and the guards.
Their response shocks the heroes. Svart Tann has awoken from his slumber, and they plan to appease him with the merchant and his guards. During her years of study, Jolanta knows of this Svart Tann, a.k.a the legendary and infamous Black-green Dragon, Blackfang. As is his custom, the Dragon is expected to appear at sundown for his meal. The sacrifice will take in a marsh only a few miles away.
The characters are rightfully concerned about dealing with an ancient legendary and very evil dragon (DM's Note: The players have many traumatic memories of this Dragon from previous campaigns). They consider their options. But first, they let the two Pagaelin captives return to their village after extracting their sincere promise to treat any female tribespeople with respect and never speak of this encounter.
NPC Interactions
Pallas the caravan guard and former bandit.
Two Pagaelin Warriors.
Challenges Overcome
10 x Pagaelin Warriors.
Rewards
Avon collects some Pagealin Poisons.
Created Content
Nothing this Week.
Related Reports
Player Character Status
Acheron- Human - Level 6 Devotion Paladin, Level 4 Hexblade, and Level 4 Divine Soul.
Jolanta - Human- Level 14 Evoker.
Avon- Half-Elf - Level 14 Thief.
Avon
Jolanta
Acheron
NPC Companions
Moneypenny
Avon's able assistant
Blaine
Jolanta's loyal and often drunk bodyguard.
Legend of Blackfang
The Pagaelin Barbarians know this legendary dragon as Svart Tann. They bow and scrape and have many tales of them sacrificing their most beautiful women and doing his bidding when he wakes every few decades.
The malicious black-green flying fiend ordered a Pagaelin tribe to raid a nearby Peoni Abbey in the Kingdom of Chybisa, and take all their treasures for him. Once done, Svart Tann demanded they hand over all the silver and gold collected, but one of the warriors called Zyngant foolishly kept a magical silver neckless. Svart Tann expelled his hateful black breath, and the whole tribe was turned to bone as punishment; however the cunning thief escaped. Ever since when he wakes from his long sleep, Svart Tann is said to make his displeasure known to the first Pagaelin he meets.
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