Session 360 - Montesa's Sword
General Summary
The Story So Far
Ash - An expert in the occult and a skilled monster hunter. Ash uses his talents and budding alchemical expertise to battle the things people fear most for a price.
Ryobi - A monk of the embattled Order of the Warriors of Mameka. Ryobi is given an important mission; retrieve the holy blades containing the souls of his brother knights, which were lost in the recent Rethemi civil war.
They are joined by Vinzent, a bard with a morbid demeanor and a haunted past.
This is the continuation of Session 357 - A Cursed Well.
Location - The City of Golotha in the Kingdom of Rethem.
20th Agrazhar (Summer) 727TR
Part 1 - The Branded Priest
The Church of the Glory of Ilvir is managed by the Order of Pia-Gardith, a sect dedicated to studying and showing the world the glory of the god Ilvir through his creations, the monstrous Ivashu. Its clergy combines hunters, scientists, scholars, and clerics. Controversial, they also supply Ivashu to the gladiatorial Pamesani Games. Surprisingly, one of the priests has requested a meeting with Ryobi, not Ash, the experienced monster hunter.
“I was camping with a Delerni Kubora hunting party, and they told the story of Bowskii, their warchief. After the great battle a few years ago, he claimed one of your swords from the battlefield.” He points at Ryobie’s Sykaif blade. Ryobi's Order will go to any lengths to recover lost swords, as the souls of weapons wielders are bound to them. Oglum continues. “Bowskii became sick in the head, becoming unpleasant and losing all his friends and supporters. Surprising everyone, he left the tribe and was last seen at an old ruined keep near the southern border of the Delerni Kubora tribal lands, haunted by the demons of Agrik. “
Ryobi thanks Oglum for the information and asks what he wants for this information. The cleric only responds to trust and friendship. He may need the party’s help in the future, capturing a particularly dangerous monster.
Part 2 - Hunters
Following Oglum's directions, the heroes enter the forest. Their search is interrupted by a roar, and a huge, angry brown bear rushes them. The heroes kill it, and they have food for a few days.
The next day, Ryobi spots movement in the trees; the party hides as three Kuboran warriors pass nearby. These tribesmen usually murder trespassers on their lands, especially the warriors of Rycon's Order of Warrior Monks. The Warriors of Mameka have crusaded against the Kubora for decades. Unfortunately, Vinzent makes a sound and draws their attention. The heroes have to kill these men and hide their bodies.
Part 3 – A Ruined Keep
The party spots the ruined keep, which appears deserted despite a distinct smell of brimstone, an odor often associated with Agrikian demons and rituals. As the heroes approach, they hear growls, and suddenly, two huge, fiendish dogs appear, Hell Hounds. They attack immediately, scorching the heroes with their flaming breath, but are soon dispatched.
The party climbs into the Keep, pushing through the wreckage. They hear sound above Bopwskii. The insane Kuboran has arrived, and he is wielding a mamakan holy sword. The warrior is gaunt but muscled, has pale, sickly skin, and has large black rings around his bloodshot eyes. He jumps down and, ignoring the more martial Ash and Ryobi, runs and attacks Vinzent with reckless abandon. Vinzent is nearly killed, badly bleeding, but he manages to slip away.
The madman then strikes again, this time nearly killing Ryobi; he is a fast, strong, brutal fighter who is seemingly resistant to pain. While fighting, he appears distracted, shouting abuse in a random direction. Then, as the heroes become exhausted and concerned, the madman starts cleaving at the air. This moment of insanity allows Ryobi and Ash to find an opening and kill the brute.
Suddenly, Robie spots something. A faint outline of a female warrior appears, glimmering in the light where the barbarian is attacking. This is the phantom of Montesa, one of the few female knights of Ryobi’s Order and the former wielder of this sword. The spirit of Montesa, bound to the sword, was driving the barbarian blade thief mad.
Part 4 – Another Soul is Freed
NPC Interactions
Sir Klyrdes Bisidril - the Harnic Apalankh.
Brother Oglum, the Equani - Priest of Ilvir.
Related Articles
Church of the Glory of Ilvir - minor update.
Kubora Barbarians - updated.
Order of the Warriors of Mameka and Order of Mamaka, Master of Steel.
Mamekan Blades, Alchemical Weapons and Martial Arts.
Player Characters
Ryobi - Human - L2 Monk
Background - Temple Guard.
Archetypes - Barbarian.
Ash - Human - L2 Thaumaturge
Background - Weaponcrafter.
Archetypes - Alchemist.
NPC Companion
Vinzent - Human - L2 Bard
Background - Cursed.
Archetypes - Blessed.
Next Session
Ryobi
Ash
Order of the Warriors of Mameka
NPC Companion
Vinzent
He is a skilled minstrel who is infamous for his depressing performances.
Attacus, I hope you are well. Was just recommending your site on Lythia.com. I then saw PC name Ryobi, cracked me up, so will there be PC named DeWalt, Triton, Bosch, Makita? LOL :D Stay well.
Hi Mr. Gunn, it's great to hear from you. Happy 4th of July. Yes, there was much amusement when the player chose that name. All of the jokes you would have expected were made. Thank you, I shall check out Lythia.