Session 361 - Lost Books
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 360 - The Sword of Montesa.
Location - City of Golotha in the Kingdom of Rethem.
29th Agrazhar (Summer) 727TR
Part 1 – The Guild of Arcane Lore
The Golotha’s Guild of Magic is in a walled compound outside the city walls. The Viran Sir Adelrin Lanegrun is happy to meet with Ash. Sir Adelrin explains that the guild has no specialist weapon enchanters. However, the magical property he wants is fairly straightforward, and most guild members could do it if they have time. However, Sir Adelrin tells them that Sir Wilfrod is away studying whales, Master Gorvinder's interests are more involved in preserving the dead, and Mistress Amalya is otherwise busy, as the heroes discussion is interrupted by a muffled scream of pain from the basement.
Sir Adelrin may be willing to help, but he, of course, needs payment. As the self-proclaimed foremost scholar of the Corani Empire, the wizard wants to expand his ever-growing library and has recently hired a contractor to bring him some ancient books. The books have gone missing en route, and if they were recovered, he would be happy to apply his skills and enchant one of Ash’s star knives.
Unfortunately, there is a snag. The books were acquired (i.e., stolen) from a library in the City of Coranan, and the brothers Tibabel and Wynon of Appleby, thieves' guild members, were paid well to organize the acquisition. However, they refuse to supply the goods or return the upfront payment. Sir Adelrin is concerned that if he makes too much trouble with the guild, he may end up with his throat slit and floating in the canals. Ash agreed to help.
Part 2 - At The Thieves Guild
The thuggish brothers tell Ash that the job was going well; a cousin in Coranan had acquired the merchandise in question, which was given to Ilomy the Pedler to transport by riverboat to Phira Keep. The peddler Ilomy arrived and was last seen taking some back paths to avoid tolls and prying eyes. He disappeared. The Appleby brothers are willing to give the heroes a cut of the job’s payment if they can recover the missing goods.
Part 3 – Eye Eaters
The heroes make their way to Phira and are ambushed by a pack of a dozen ferocious chicken-sized, eye-eating Vlasta, the Eater of Eyes. Their brittle bones are easily shattered. One good strike, and they die, but there are so many. Vinzent and Ash are both left bleeding with lacerations to the face and are lucky to escape without a serious eye injury.
Part 4 – The Armoured Brute
The party enters the well-organized Phira Barony and locates likely hunters’ trails, which Ilomy the Pedler would have used to avoid the tolls around Techen Castle. They are lucky and find the peddler's wagon remains near a wrecked old Corani Empire-era tower. The tower conceals something; the party can hear grunting, and some beast is inside. Sneaking up, Ash peers through a hole in the wall and spots a huge yellow eye looking back at him. He quickly tries to poke it, but the beast moves back too fast.
The party prepares for a fight as a huge bear-sized monstrosity with a sharp beak, armored plating, and sharp antlers. An Arthynnod or Horned Bruin, a rare type of Ivashu known for its foul temper and murderous rages. The horror screeches a blood-curdling roar and charges forward, nearly impaling Ryobi in its horns. The heroes are in for the battle of their lives, and only Vinzent’s magical healing keeps them in the fight. Ash is caught in the beast's grip and gnawed on viciously, but he uses every trick in his repertoire to escape. The beast’s thick armor-like hide is hard to penetrate, but an accumulation of shallow cuts and bruising eventually yields results. Then Ryobi spots a weak point and, enraged, drives his sword through it into the creature’s heart, instantly killing it.
To be continued.NPC Interactions
Sir Adelrin Lanegrun - Guildmaster.
Erlyn of Zarainsen - Thieves Guild.
Created Content
Guildhall of Arcane Lore - Hall of Ancient Knowledge.
Related Reports
Player Characters
Ryobi - Human - L3 Monk
Background - Temple Guard.
Archetypes - Barbarian.
Ash - Human - L3 Thaumaturge
Background - Weaponcrafter.
Archetypes - Alchemist.
NPC Companion
Vinzent - Human - L3 Bard
Background - Cursed.
Archetypes - Blessed.
Next Session
NPC Companion
Vinzent
He is a skilled minstrel who is infamous for his depressing performances.
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