Session 305 - A Bloody Vendetta
General Summary
2nd to 6th of Agrazhar (Third Month of Summer) 726TRThe Story So Far
The rugged bounty hunter Cassius and his sidekick Salvador, the wandering priest of Ilvir, have decided to help Berda, a young dwarven woman from a wealthy family, on a quest to find a husband in the faraway dwarven Kingdom of Kuzjera.
The travelers are close to their objective, currently traveling through the Kingdom of Ibanvaal, and with their friend Logi Dagen.
This is the continuation of Session 298 - The Shrine of Usnarl.
Location - Near Elgenhus Thran in the Kingdom of Ibanvaal.
Part 1 – Raid
The heroes, escorted by their friend Logi Dagen, continue their long journey. One evening, they accept the hospitality at the long house of Skavi Elgen, a well-regarded Skald and Runemaster, and his beautiful new wife, Hilda.
The characters spend an enjoyable night listening to their gracious host's tales of the mighty exploits of the god Sarajin and his conquest of the northlands when the longhouse is attacked. Frenzied armed men burst through the doors, axes in hand, trying to slaughter everyone in sight. They are led by a holy man, a priest of Sarajin, with tattoos of crossed lightning bolts on his forehead. "Muglans," their host curses, "You attack us like cowards." There appears to be some history between their host and these invaders.
The combat is fierce; several of Skavi's household are cut down before they can grab their weapons. The invading priest notices Salvador and recognizes him as a priest of Ilvir, then in disgust, utters a prayer and bolts of Lightning strike Salvador from above. Only his magical healing saves him from a shocking death. Cassius, Logi, and Berda come to their host's aid and the tide of battle swings. The skilled heroes batter back the invaders, and Cassius eventually delivers an arrow through the priest's heart. All the invaders are killed except a pair of twin brothers, who manage to flee.
Part 2 - A New Bounty
The cost of victory is high; three of Skavi's housecarls are dead, and all are his kin. The seething Skald wants vengeance and hires Cassius to extract some. He wants to pay the Muglan family back, life for life. The Muglans are a clerical clan who hold a small fortified settlement of Muglanhold. Cassius, Salvador, Logi, and one of the longhouse survivors, the Housecarl Bjorn, are to kill a senior member of the Muglan clan and the twin brothers who escaped. Cassius is happy with the work but refuses to kill women or children.
The would-be assassins rest up and, under Bjorn's directions, lead the heroes to the Muglan clanhold, about a day's travel way. They pass an enemy lookout post high up a rocky hill, and two men are on guard and attack with bows. The heroes charge forward, narrowly avoiding plummeting into a well-concealed pit trap. The two men put up a superb fight, nearly killing the vengeance seekers before one of them is struck down by Logi. The badly wounded Cassius seeks to cover behind some trees, forcing the last Muglan to descend from the cover provided by the hill. Cassius kills him with two well-placed lunges with his flaming short sword, Molten Fury, and the corpse catches alight, burning to a charred mess. The ranger tosses the dead into the pit trap, concealing them.
Part 3 - Muglanhold
Examining the sentry post, Cassius determines that the sentries were provisioned to stay the night; a change of guard is not expected until morning. Reconnaissance reveals that Muglanhold is not far away, a settlement consisting of four longhouses surrounded by a wooden palisade. It has a small temple and a cage holding a captive large bear. The party rests for the evening and will attack a few hours before dawn.
Part 4 - A Moment of Bad Luck
While Salvador, Logi, and Bjorn conceal themselves in the woods, Cassius sneaks over the palisade and makes his way to the cage unobserved. He then spends an hour befriending the bear, using his natural empathy. With trust established, he creeps up on the cage door and skillfully picks the lock. But at the last instance, a guard hears a click from the lockpick on metal and investigates spotting Cassius. Before Cassius can silence him, the alarm is raised.
With the bear released, Cassius attempts to escape, killing two surprised Muglan warriors and the bear savages two more. But he finds himself surrounded and trapped, and more warriors emerge from the dwellings. Logi and Bjorn make it over the walls to assist, and Salvador opens the gate, allowing the bear to escape. Unfortuately the invaders are not so lucky. The enemy has numbers and a hometown advantage. The heroes kill six more of the enemy, but Logi is speared and bleeds to death, while Bjorn and Cassius are knocked out and captured. Fortunately, Salvador escapes to the woods, evading pursuit.
Part 5 - Escape
The battered and disarmed Cassius and Bjorn are shackled in the bear cages, and the Muglans ponder how best to execute them. Whatever it is, it will be painful, possibly the infamous blood eagle torture ceremony. The next night, Salvador sneaks up on the encampment again and supplies improvised lockpicks to Cassius over the wall via the Telekinetic Hand spell. Unnoticed, Cassius picks the locks of his Bjorn's and shackles. They then attempt a getaway, cutting down one guard on the way. Unfortunately, Bjorn's skull is shattered by a sentry while Cassius vaults the walls and escapes.
Part 6 - Vengeance
Back at Skavi's homestead, their host is furious. He calls on more of his kin to put an end to this vendetta once and for all. Cassius, Salvador and Berda join in. A day later, one final raid of Muglanhold begins, and it is a brutal affair. Initially, things go badly; the Muglans also have reinforcement and hold the walls, firing down arrows on the invaders, killing several before the sturdy wooden gate is hacked open. Then the heroes, Skavi and his remaining men, burst in, and after a bloody melee, with no quarter given, the last of the Muglans, including their remaining priest of Sarajin, are massacred. Mulganhold is put to the torch with any Thralls offered service in Skavi's household or told to run.
Skavi is satisfied with the outcome; his hated rivals are dead, and there is little chance of further retribution. He rewards the heroes well, using his mastery of the runes to boost the enchantment of their weapons. Over the following month, Cassius trains hard with Skavi's housecarls, perfecting his skill with the sword. Eventually, Skavi offers the heroes escorts to the borders of the Dwarven Kingdom of Kuzjera.
To be continued.NPC Interactions
Logi Dagen - Kingdom of Ibanvaal Hunter.
Skald and runemaster Skavi Elgen and his wife Hilda.
Bojorn Elgen - Housecarl.
Challenges Overcome
Innumerous Ivinian warriors and rogues.
Two priests of Sarajin.
Rewards
Nothing this week.
Created Content
Nothing this week.
Related Reports
Nothing this week.
Player Characters
The characters gained a level.
Cassius - Human Bounty Hunter - L5 Ranger - Retrains archetype from Archer to Fighter.
Salvador - Human Artist - L5 Cloistered Cleric of Ilvir (Change) - Eldritch Researcher.
NPC Character Status
Berda - Dwarf Noble - L5 Fighter - Sentinel.
Next Session
Berda
The inquisitive and idealistic daughter of a wealthy Dwarf.
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