Session 265 - Deeper Plots
General Summary
27th to the 30th of Azura (First Month of Autumn) 725TR
The story so far
The forces of evil have attempted to destroy the soul of Marshal Kronas Elernin and replace it with a shadowy demonic entity. This scheme was undermined when the Marshal, wearing a psionic artifact, subconsciously ethereal traveled. His soul is now trapped on the ethereal plane. With the aid of the Church of Peoni's Ethereal Travel Rituals, the Heroes have embarked on a rescue mission. They have fought through various demonic entities and found him in a location corresponding to the real world's Republic's Senate Hall.
As Avon rushes to offer aid, a figure materializes with hateful dead eyes focusing on Avon. This is the ghost of Senator Harlen Orde, the man only a week ago, Avon poisoned, scapegoated, and destroyed. The man who died on the Senate floor where Avon now stands. His ghost wants revenge.
This is the continuation of Session 264 - Political Maneuvers.
Location - The Ethereal Plane concordant with the City of Coranan.
Part 1 – Ghostly Antics
Avon evades most of the Senator's attacks; although horrific, the ghost kept his skills with the blade he had when alive. However, Avon proves to be his match, and when Acheron arrives in support, and the ghostly warrior is dispatched, at least for the moment. The characters are aware that it will reform sometime in the future, and they plan to be far away by then.
Shortly after the party, spot a familiar magical glow, the gateway back to the real world.
Location - City of Coranan in the Thardic Republic.
Part 2- A Grateful Benefactor
The characters return to their bodies, and Matron Aggatha, a skilled priestess of Peoni, reunites the soul of Marshal Kronas with his. The dazed politician will take some days to recover from his ordeal but promises Avon that he will be rewarded for his bravery. They will speak later.
Part 3 – Gathering Information
Jolanta decides to use Locate Object on the off chance that she could find the Marshal's Ring of Mystic Wonder. This ring allowed him to ethereal travel and was stolen by would-be assassins. To her surprise, she finds it is located at one of the sinister Company of Dead Men barracks in a small township just out of the city walls. The Dead Men are a mercenary army employed by the Church of Morgath and are usually up to no good.
The heroes carefully observe it, and a cook travels daily to the markets for supplies. As the Heroes consider poisoning this food, they notice another soldier visiting several of the city's tailors. Acheron distracts the man while Avon steals some items in his large laundry bag. What they find is surprising, they are the low-quality copies of the uniform used by the Royal Army of House Kand, the ruling house of the Kingdom of Kanday.
Part 4 – Blood Bath in the Barracks
With their scouting complete, the Invisible intruders identify the entrance most frequently used and wait until it opens. Avon creates a distraction for the guards, and the party slips into the building, noting access to an underground cellar. They immediately make their way down.
In the basement, the party spots their old foe, the shape-changing Juanito, giving instructions to Dead Men soldiers on the finer points of the Aleathian accent. Jolanta's True Seeing reveals Juanito's actual form. He is a mimic, a rare form of Ivashu. Blaine's heavy armor makes a sound but does not alert Juanito, but when one of the guards abruptly leaves the cellar, he bumps into the invisible Jolanta and sounds the alarm.
Before anyone can respond, Avon moves like lightning and utters an evil curse, Favour of the Unspeakable, onto Juanito. The mimic suddenly becomes vulnerable to piercing damage, and Avon makes good use of this stabbing with his Rapier and delivers lethal Sneak Attacks. Before the surprised doppelganger can respond or even beg for mercy, he is skewered and slain, turning into a jelly-like blob of flesh.
Jolanta's Slow spell impedes the Dead Men's attacks, and all the enemies in the building are soon killed. The party then quickly investigates and finds that the mercenaries were planning to embark on a merchant's vessel in a few days and be dropped off at the village of Arone, just outside the City of Aleath in Kanday. They have instructions to join up with other units and travel inland in disguise. Their target is Kostim Hamlet and the Abbey of St Andrada, the home base of the Argent Order. That is the same Order Acheron belongs to.
After burning down the barracks to hide the evidence of their attack, the concerned Acheron, via carrier pigeon, sends a coded warning to Father Chavoshka, the head of his Order. The reply comes quickly; many brothers of his Order have gone silent. The Argent Order is under attack. Father Chavoshka fears the worse and directs Acheron to contact two nearby brother knights and warn them that they may be in danger.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
Challenges Overcome
1 x Elite Ghost.
1 x Elite Shadow Beast.
1 x Advanced Mimic and 16 x Dead Men Soldiers.
Rewards
Nothing this week.
Created Content
Nothing this week.
Related Reports
Senators of the Thardic Republic.
Player Character Status
Acheron - Human - L7 Devotion Paladin, L4 Hexblade, and L9 Divine Soul.
Jolanta - Human - L20 Evoker.
Avon - Half-Elf - L20 Thief.
Next Session
Avon
Jolanta
Acheron
NPC Companions
Moneypenny
Avon's able assistant
Blaine
Jolanta's loyal and often drunk bodyguard.
The Company of Dead Men
An evil mercenary company usually employed by the church of Morgath.
A secretive order of Larani worshiping knights and monks opposing the plots of the forces of evil.
Ring of Mystic Wonder
Properties: A wearer gains a randomly-generated psionics talent for as long as the ring is worn. A ring always grants the same psionic talent.
Once the ring has been consistently worn, it may confer the psionic talent permanently if the wearer makes a DC20 Charisma check. These checks can be made each time the wearer gains a level. Some rings are faulty and can cause madness or loss of psionic talents.
Charges: N/A.
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