Session 269 - Dead Men's Secrets
General Summary
7th to 18th of Halane (Second Month of Autumn) 725TR
The story so far
The heroes plan to destroy the undead leadership of the Company of Dead Men by locating and sanctifying their crypts, thus preventing their foul corpses from rejuvenating.
But first, the Thardic Senate is voting on important resolutions which could change how the Thardic Republic is governed. Senator Avon plans to take part.
This is the continuation of Session 267 - The Icy Ambush.
Location - The City of Coranan in the Thardic Republic.
Part 1- Avon Chooses A Side
Senator Avon, the newest member of this illustrious body, immerses himself in politics. The leading contender for such a position is Marshal Kronas Elernin. The Marshal meets with Avon and rewards him generously for saving his life (refer to Session 265 - Deeper Plots). He promises greater rewards if Avon was to vote in his support.
Avon agrees and commits to fully backing the Marshal, using every bit of leverage he possesses. He convinces Senators who owe him a debt or who he can blackmail to vote for the war hero to be named Emperor. Unfortunately, the Senate is in a cautious mood, and despite his best efforts, the resolution fails.
The next vote is for the creation of a Dictator or Autarch to rule the Republic for a fixed three-year term. It is assumed that the Marshal will fill this role if it is created. Again, Avon votes yes, and so do those Senators influences. To everybody’s surprise, although this resolution is expected to pass, the Senate is wary of giving any one person that much power and votes conservative once again. The resolution fails only by a single vote, and the senate chamber is stunned by the outcome.
If Kronas is disappointed or angry, he hides it well. Speaking with Avon privately after the vote, he tells him his unwavering support has been noted and appreciated. The Marshall still has considerable influence, and he will strongly support Avon in a bid to become the Magistrate of a province in the new year. This will make Avon a fortune in "gifts."
Location - The City of Golotha in the Kingdom of Rethem.
Part 2 - The Dead Men Headquarters
The Party, and the Argent Order operatives Tiranas and Carrvil, continue their strategy to destroy the Company of Dead Men. They arrive by riverboat at the City of Golotha and begin investigating, first by looking for likely crypts. Unfortunately, this city, controlled by priests of the God of Death, Morgath, is full of them.
Jolanta gains access to the archives at the Library of Lost Merethos and learns that the building used by the Dead Men as a barracks and headquarters is fairly new, only built about 30 years ago. An old diary of a city resident notes that a sarcophagus was spotted being placed in the building during construction. Acheron suspects this is used by the Commander of the Dead Men, Captain Buraggar Harmoren, who reportedly left the city a week ago by ship.
Jolanta’s Arcane Eye scrutinizes the headquarters. The eye invisibly searches throughout the barracks unobserved; nothing unusual, only living soldiers going about their duties. However, a door on the second level can only be opened from the inside. There is a room that is blocked off. The eye travels outside, finds a gap in a barred window, and enters the mysterious room.
The sarcophagus can only be opened from the inside. This is not a problem; the Wicbeoch's Window refocuses inside the stone coffin allowing the Priest Carrvil to sanctify the resting places with holy water and silver holy symbols. Any undead which tries to reform inside this casket will be forever destroyed.
The chest has an insanely complex lock, but the skilled Avon quickly picks it. Inside is the Mercenary Company’s treasury, a small fortune in silver, gems, and a book, the Chronicles of the Dead Men. This old malevolent tome contains the names and signatures of all the members. Recruits sign in their name in their own blood when joining. Names date back over fifty years, with the character's old enemy, Quartermaster Mauger, one of the first on the list.
Part 3- Using the Enemy's Magic Against Them
The heroes devise a cunning plan to track down the Dead Men's crypts using this book. Previously, the Dead Men tracked the heroes using blood from their signatures, adding them to a tracking stone. In a previous confrontation, Avon stole this magical device from Quartermaster Mauger (refer to Session 237 - The Quartermaster). Avon scraps a piece of dried blood from Mauger’s signature, places it in a cavity in the stone and activates its magic. A black line appears, revealing the direction of the undead villain. He is not far away, in the nearby Laxley forest. That must be the location of the Dead Men crypts.
Location - Laxley forest in the Kingdom of Rethem.
Part 4 - The Ruins in Laxely Forest
The party travel to Laxley forest, noting the device directs them toward a massive ruin on a small hill overlooking the Thard River. Strange glowing moth-like creatures guard the approach, but they are quickly dealt with. The ruins were once an impressive manor built out of fine marble, but the years have not been kind. All that remains is little more than a rubble heap. A bizarre aberration acts as a guard. The Dread Examiner distorts reality and causes chaos before the heroes surround and destroy it.
Carrvil provides magical healing to the badly hurt heroes, and Avon finds a well-concealed trapdoor with a stairwell leading underground. Jolanta's divination spells also indicate that Silver Swords, stolen from dead Argent Order warriors, are located underground along with old enemies.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
Various Senators.
Various minor NPCs in Golotha.
Challenges Overcome
Avon gains the support of Marshal Kronas Elernin.
6 x Gravelight Moths.
1 x Dread Examiner.
Rewards
Considerable amount of income.
PCs find a stone Key.
PCs find the Cronicles of the Dead Men.
Created Content
Nothing this week.
Related Reports
Temple of Save-K'nor - Library of Lost Merethos.
Player Character Status
Acheron - Human - L7 Devotion Paladin, L4 Hexblade, and L9 Divine Soul.
Jolanta - Human - L20 Evoker.
Senator 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.
Tiranas
Argent Order Monk.
Carrvil
Argent Order Cleric.
The Argent Order
A secretive order of Larani worshiping knights and monks opposing the plots of the forces of evil.
The Company of Dead Men
An evil mercenary army used by the Church of Morgath.
Wicbeoch's Window
Appearance: A black-streaked patterned pseudostone with the dimensions of 15 x 11 x 0.5 inches.
Properties: This artifact can be used three times per day, creating a small gateway around 12 x 9 inches linking another location within 100ft and the Window. A user can manually move objects through the gateway.
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