Session 368 - The Corrupted Temple
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 claim.
While the kingdom is embroiled in a civil war, the mysterious Esoterical Order of Lothrim has struck. Armies of orcs, many thousands strong, have invaded the fractured realm.
This is the continuation of Session 366 - A Journey Through the Shadows.
Location - The occupied City of Tashal in the New Empire of Lothrim.
5th Ilvin (Winter) 727TR
The heroes sneak into the occupied City of Tashal, now renamed Ekall-Anuz by the Order of Lothrim. The city is under martial law, and many of the city's most notable leaders have been taken hostage to ensure the compliance of the locals. These luminaries include representatives of various merchant and noble houses, the Peonian Bishop of Kaldor, Queen-Mistress Silena Ekiar of the Temple of Halea and the Kelapyn Seer Yrech Sturil of the Temple of Ilvir. A series of summary executions and the presence of foulspawn (orcs) have created a tense and paranoid environment undermining the Order of Lothrim's half-hearted efforts to appear as business as usual.
Dryueh continues to use his cover as a respectable physician caring for the city's rich and putting on a collaborator persona, offering services to the new leadership at discount rates. Underneath his surgery is his well-concealed safehouse, where the heroes plot and plan the destruction of the evil Magocracy.
Part 1 – The Painters
The first action of the resistance is to look for ways to undermine the enemy leadership with minimal reprisals.
One of the city's leaders, Otto Mallor, a brutal thug in charge of ensuring the merchants and crafters toe the line, seems an easy target. The heroes organize an elaborate deception, making it appear to the city folk and his superiors he is taking bribes. He remains in power, but his reputation is ruined. During the operation, Dryueh meets with a pair of painters. These collaborators paint frescoes in the buildings of the new regime and portraits of the leadership. These seem valuable, and Dryueh quickly becomes close friends.
Part 2 – A Lost Priestess
Dryueh and Rycon track her down and find she stays with a weaver's family. After they reveal themselves, Kylem of Lytan recognizes Rycon and is greatly relieved that they aren't members of the secret police.
Kylem was the assistant of the temple's Surona (Master of Archives) and escaped out a window while the temple's guards were cut down when the city fell. She has been living with distant kin (the family of weavers) but would prefer a safe place to avoid putting them at risk. As she has medical training, Dryueh gets her to start and help with his surgery.
However, she has compelling information. As the city was falling, many of the temple relics were hidden in a secret library on the third floor of the temple. This hidden stash also contains many heretical books and records dating back to the time of Lothrim. It appears the enemy has not discovered it yet. Can the heroes sneak in and save the priceless relics and books?
Part 3 – A Stealth Mission
The temple is currently occupied by worshipers belonging to the church of Agrik, who have converted to meet the needs of the evil god of fire and war. At night, the party attempts to break through the temple's kitchen. They sneak over the temple walls, finding a guard and several cooks heating leftovers. The cooks are knocked out, and the guard is silently killed. The party makes their way down to the panty in the cellar, executing a drunken orc oaf guard and silently making their way up a spiral stairwell to the third floor.
On his way, Rycon is enraged. He views the famous statue of Larani. It has been defiled, and before it, dug into the floor, is an octagonal pit burning with unholy fire. Several priests of Agrik are involved in some evil ceremonies. Noting the face of the high priest, he continues moving up the stairs. Maybe one day he will have revenge.
Several guards and acolytes are on the third floor, overlooking the ceremony from the temple's choir loft. Valeria magically contacts her bird companion, creating a racket in a nearby window, distracting them, and allowing the heroes to sneak into the library.
Part 4 – The Library
Four priests are contemptuously sorting through the library's holy books, looking for valuable items or items to burn in the temple fire pit. The heroes attack, and by some miracle, any efforts to escape or shout a warning fail. The surprised priests are quickly dispatched. This gives the heroes time to find the secret compartment and take the most valuable of its contents. Valeria Disintegrates a hole in the wall, and the heroes escape over the roof and into the city.
Part 5 – Aftermath
Unfortunately, the heroes later learn that the Agrikians found the secret room but found little of value, and the unlucky cooks were sacrificed to the temple's fire pit. The heroes also learn that the temple's high priest, Deni Trochi, was captured and held in the inquiry room in the cellar. The heroes were so close to finding him. Despite torture, he did not give away any of the temple's secrets, and once the secret room was discovered, he was taken to Castle Elend for further questioning.
To be continued.NPC Interactions
Kylem of Lytan - Priestess of Larani.
Player Characters
Valeria - Human - L18 Shadow Sorcerer
Background - Magical Experiment.
Archetype - Beastmaster/Wizard.
Rycon - Human - L18 Fighter
Background - Rebel Knight.
Archetypes - Liberator Champion/Dual Weapon Warrior/Swashbuckler.
Dryueh - 1/2 Elf - L18 Thief Rogue
Background - Scout.
Archetypes - Vigilante/Medic/Shadowdancer/Wizard.
Next Session
Rycon
Dryueh
Valeria
Esoterical Order of Lothrim
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