Session 345 - A Peaceful Graveyard
General Summary
27th of Saraju (Spring) 727TR
The Story So Far
Cassius, the rugged bounty hunter, Salvador, a wandering priest of Ilvir, and Kara, a half-snow-elf magus, and Princess Berda of the dwarven Kingdom of Azadmere, have journeyed to the City of Jarehm, the Kingdom of Jarenmark.
This is the continuation of Session 343 - The Icewind Reavers.
Location - The City of Jarehm in the Kingdom of Jarenmark.
Part 1 – A Church In Need
The good priestesses at the Church of Peoni have exorcized the evil from Princess Berda’s Orb of Midgaard. However, they do have a problem. Berda volunteers the party to help.
The church owns a plot of land, a small grainfield used as a cemetery. This old site was used by pagan worshippers in the distant past. The caretaker has reported that the ground has been disturbed, bones of the dead dug up and chewed on, and he has been driven off by floating skulls. This is sanctified ground; undead, such as animated skeletons or ghouls, should not be able to enter. The church asks for the heroes to investigate.
Location - Peonian Cemetery 5 leagues east of the City of Jarehm.
Part 2 – Floating Skulls
The cemetery is a vibrant wheat field with occasional small wooden or stone markers to indicate that someone has been buried. Broken and chewed-on human remains are scattered about. Investigating further, the characters note that disturbances in the ground imply that whatever has been disturbing the graves is subterranean, moving under the earth.
Then, suddenly, their investigations come to an abrupt end, and three floating skulls emerge from the open graves. At first glance, they look like oversized, deformed skulls, but on closer inspection, they are too round and have black tendrils quivering underneath them. They are not skulls, Cassius observes, but some strange form of off-white-colored floating fungus. The vaguely skull-shaped fungal balls float ominously toward the party.
The floating fungal balloons are quite deadly; the heroes must dodge their poisonous tendrils, which turn flesh to a buttery consistency. When destroyed, the skull balls explode into a dangerous spore cloud. Salvador suspects that if anyone gets infected and dies, their skull will be devoured by the strange fungi, turning into one of these atrocities. The three creatures are dealt with, but the battle is taxing.
The heroes spot human footprints leading to a small mound of overturned earth. But they do not have a moment to rest or investigate as the ground trembles.
Part 3 – The Mole
The heroes get to high ground, climbing on trees or large rocks. Suddenly, a bizarre-smelly creature bursts out of the ground, a giant, blind, hairless mole-like creature with metal claws and teeth. The Túmii, or Blind Stone Hog, savages the party and puts up quite a fight, but it is eventually destroyed. As the heroes catch their breaths, Cassius examines the suspicious mound of earth he found earlier. Digging around, he finds something hidden, a large flat stone with a rune inscribed on it. Kara examines it and is sure it is some form of arcane rune that calls or attacks a specific type of creature. She is sure that drew the Blind Stone Hog to the graveyard.
Searching the gravesite, they find two more similar rune-inscribed stones. One clearly has a style with a skull, and another is a symbol to describe Ivashi. While camping that night, two huge centipede-like creatures disturb the party's rest. The Cromulloch are Ivashu, insect-like predators created by the god Ilvir. Fortunately, Salvatore, a priest of Ilvir, manages to convince them in a tongue (Ivashi) they seem to understand to hunt elsewhere.
Part 4 - The Runecaster
The party smashes the runestones and waits several days to see what happens. Just as they were planning to give up, four men arrive, three nasty-looking thugs and the remaining an Ivinian Runecaster. Runecasters are wizards who create magical effects from runes. They attack and very nearly kill Cassius and his bear companions. They fight dirty, and the Runecaster throws inscribed stones that explode, creating poisonous clouds that burn flesh and lungs or burst into a shower of sparks. After they are killed and looted, the heroes follow their tracks back to their origin.
Part 5 - The Witch
About a mile and a half away, they spot a small hut in the distance; the tracks lead directly there. As the party approaches, a small pack of huge wolves suddenly emerges from the woods and blocks their way. They attack and savage the heroes, dragging some to the ground and mauling them before they are driven off.
The hut has animal skulls hanging from the roof and herbs drying on a rack. An attractive woman emerges in white snow bear furs. Jessiritte the Hailstorm is cold and unfriendly but grudgingly enters into a conversation. The heroes learn the graveyard is built on her ancestral holy lands, although that was several generations ago when it was lost, and she is unclear on how this came about. Given that the priestesses of Peoni are usually reasonable and fair, the heroes think they can resolve this issue peacefully. There may be options within the kingdom's legal system. Unfortunately, after showing the witch evidence that the Runecaster has been killed, Cassius accidentally misquotes local laws, angering the woman. This unintentional error appears as a bald-faced lie. Believing she is being deceived, she angrily unleashes her impressive magical talents as her elemental minions hiding underground attack.
Jessiritte is a dangerous spellcaster and blasts the heroes with Lightning Bolts and Cones of Cold. The three armed cylindrical earth elementals emerge from the ground and cause much distraction. The Xorns prevent the heroes from focusing on the witch. They are eventually destroyed, and the sorceress is cut down, but the heroes are barely standing after being electrocuted and suffering mild frostbite.
The party returns to Jarehm. The Prestessess of Peoni are horrified that so much unnecessary death has occurred. They would have happily agreed to a peaceful accommodation with the prior claimants to the land if they had known.
To be continued.NPC Interactions
Various Priestesses of the goddess Peoni.
Related Reports
Cromulloch - the Umber Lurker.
Player Characters
Cassius - Human - Level 10 Ranger - Background Bounty Hunter - Archetypes Fighter/Beastmaster.
Kara - Half-snow elf - Level 10 Magus - Background Prisoner - Archetype Fighter.
Salvador - Human - Level 10 Cloistered Cleric of Ilvir (Change) - Background Artist - Archetypes Eldritch Researcher/Druid/Bard.
NPC Character Status
Berda - Dwarf - Level 10 Fighter - Background Noble - Archetype Sentinel.
Next Session
TBA.
Kara
Cassius
Salvador
Berda
The runaway princess and daughter of the King of Azadmere.
Berda is an inquisitive and idealistic young woman skilled with the waraxe.
Túmii - Blind Stone Hog
Túmii, more commonly known as the Blind Stone Hog, are semi-intelligent burrowers and scavengers. Although the Túmii eat only carrion, they occasionally hunt but do not immediately eat their prey. They bury the dead underground until it has suitably decomposed before feasting.
The monsters are fearsome beasts weighing nearly a ton, protected by a rugged, resilient hide, and equipped with stone-hard claws and teeth.
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