Session 350 - Justice

General Summary

The Story So Far

The King is dead. Long live the King.

King Minigath Elendsa, who had ruled the Kingdom of Kaldor well for thirty-three years, has been assassinated. His nephew, Sir Conwan Elendsa, has been crowned King, but the former King's bastard son, Sir Maldan Harabor, has contested this and made his own claim.

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While the kingdom is embroiled in a civil war, the mysterious Esoterical Order of Lothrim has struck, and armies of orcs, many thousands strong, have invaded the fractured realm.

Meanwhile, the heroes have seized Baseta Keep from the cowardly Sir Crya Dezella and held it against a determined attack by an orc army. They now plan to hunt down Sir Crya's older brother, Sir Kathel Dezella, a treacherous villain.

This is the continuation of Session 348 - Inferno.

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Location - Baseta Keep in the Kingdom of Kaldor.

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3^rd Agrazhar (Summer) 727TR

Part 1 – Following The Traitor

Sir Kathel, art by Artbreeder

The heroes have saved the life of the Earl of Kiban from a nefarious scheme to engulf his castle in flames. The ringleader of the assassination plot was Sir Kathel Dezellar. The team is on his trail, following Sir Kathel through the wooded hills east of Kiban. En route, they encounter two huge ugly humanoids, giants, but they and their wolf pets are easily dispatched.

Dame Afaewynn, art by Artbreeder

Valeria’s divination magic reveals a disturbing fact; Sir Kathel is headed towards Ovendel Manor, the home of Rycon’s fiancé, Dame Afaewynn Barthy. The evil knight paid an assassin to murder Afaewynn's late husband, and she wants payback. At Rycon’s insistence, Valeria warns Afaewynn by using a Sending spell. She responds that she is on patrol and will meet with the party on the road outside her manor.

After meeting as planned, Rycon and Afawynn catch up. Meanwhile, Valeria, looking through the eyes of her bird companion, sees that the traitor knight and a companion have made a camp in a small thicket among the manor’s fields, with a good view over the fief. Unfortunately, the villains spot the bird, losing the element of surprise.

Part 2 – Justice

The party, joined by Afaewynn, approaches the thicket and spots a camp. Sir Kathel and an ugly bald man are ready for them. Standing next to the man are two enormous, vicious-looking giant rats.

The heroes attack, and Valeria keeps her distance by casting a Fly spell, which allows her to hover on the tree line. She blasts the enemy with a Spirit Song, and Dryueh stifles their combat prowess with Slow and Crushing Despair spells.

Hired Killer Hankin, art by Paizo

Then, with complete surprise, a familiar figure emerges from behind a tree, Hankin, the hired killer. Hankin, the assassin hired by Sir Kathel to arrange the "accident" that killed Afaewynn’s husband, was being blackmailed into helping the heroes. He has changed sides again, and to top off his betrayal, he expertly throws the enchanted returning dagger (which is poisoned with a mind-affecting drug) the heroes gave him as a reward for helping them (refer Session 346 - Mog the Torturer). He hits and wounds Valeria. Fortunately, she withstands the mind-dulling poison, and then the bald man shoots an arrow, pinning her against the top of a tree. Valeria is badly injured and restrained.

To make matters worse, another man appears from concealment and approaches Rycon and Afaewynn. As he walks, his form wavers, changes, and suddenly looks identical to Afaewynn. A doppelganger.

Valeria is in grave danger, and Hankin, eyeing an easy kill, is not far away. Hence, she Dimensions Doors behind a stand of trees and commands her animal companions, a Shadow Hound and a Hawk, to attack. They kill one of the giant rats, but the rodent’s toxic bites weaken both animals. Rycon injures the doppelganger and then, with a mighty blow, knocks Sir Kathel to the ground. As the treacherous knight, who is a skilled warrior albeit with his reactions dulled by the Slow spell, attempts to stand, Afaewynn strikes him with a superbly timed strike to a spot not covered by his chainmail, slicing deep into his neck, killing him. The sword she used to kill Sir Kathal was named Justice, a gift from Rycon.

Afaewynn has achieved retribution for the murder of her late husband.

Quickly, the tide of battle shifts, and the remaining giant rat, the bald man, and the doppelganger are slain. Only Hankin remains, and the unrepentant turncoat assassin will not surrender, but he is considering escaping. Valeria’s Prismatic Wall puts a stop to that mischief, and he is cut down. As he dies, a magical artifact held by Dryueh extracts his memories.

Part 3 – Aftermath

The heroes learn much from Hankin's memories. After fleeing Setrew Keep (last session), Sir Kathel found him and organized a meeting with the wizard ruling Olokand Castle for the Order of Lothrim. Hankin told this District Commander everything he knew about the heroes; their anonymity had been lost.

Sir Kathel planned to kill Dame Afaewynn and replace her with a doppelganger in a few weeks when she joined King Conwan’s army. The doppelganger's mission, whether spying or assassinating, is unknown.

Rycon and Afaewynn spend the remainder of the month together at Ovendel Manor, then enter the King's army camped near Castle Minarsas. His Highness recently repelled and defeated an invading orcish horde at great cost. Unfortunately, there are many more orcish armies, and many of the kingdom's keeps and castles have fallen. Despite this victory, Kaldor is losing the war.

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Dame Afaewynn Barthy.

Player Characters

Valeria - Human - L16 Shadow Sorcerer

Background - Magical Experiment.

Archetype - Beastmaster.

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Rycon - Human - L16 Fighter

Background - Rebel Knight.

Archetypes - Liberator Champion/Dual Weapon Warrior/Swashbuckler.

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Dryueh - 1/2 Elf - L16 Thief Rogue

Background - Scout.

Archetypes - Vigilante/Medic/Shadowdancer/Wizard.

Next Session

Session 352 - Underwater Gateway.

Campaign

Legacy of the Foulspawner

Protagonists

Rycon

Dryueh

Valeria

Report Date

20 May 2024

Related Characters

• Dame Afaewynn Barthy

Esoterical Order of Lothrim

A secret society of wizards bent on creating a mage-ruled empire on the isle of Harn. They are led by a skilled mage claiming to be the daughter of Lothrim the Foulspawner and control numerous powerful orc nations.