Session 374 - The City Burns

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.

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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 372 - Council of the Wise.

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Location - The City of Tashal in the Kingdom of Kaldor.

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Art by Columbia Games, amended by Attacus

The city burns.

The good City of Tashal has been liberated from the tyranny of the New Empire of Lothrim. Fires break out all over the city. Several city blocks are engulfed, as are many of the townhouses of the Empire’s short-lived leadership or collaborators. Before order can be established, hundreds of collaborators or Empire soldiers are summarily executed.

The next day, armed bands of town folk hunt the streets for wrongdoers, haphazardly man the city walls, and form mobs outside the few enemy holdouts. One such holdout is the Temple of Agrik.

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16^th Morgat (Winter) 727TR

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Part 1 – The Temple of the Fire God

Highpriest Deni, art by Artbreeder

The heroes have rescued Serolan Deni Trochi, the former high priest of Larani, from the dungeons in Castle Elend. The priest, although badly maimed by torture, is fired up with righteous fury. He asks Rycon to save his temple, which is currently occupied by the church of Agrik. The cities' surviving Agrikian worshipers have sought refuge behind the sturdy temple walls, but nearby burning buildings and fire-wielding angry mobs risk setting the temple alight. It would be much easier to restore this famous temple than to rebuild it.

Quickly, Valeria uses magical disguises on herself, Rycon, and Blaine, making them appear as non-descript Agrik adherents. Dryueh needs no disguises; he has a reputation as a collaborator and is happy to keep this façade up. The party sneaks over the walls and joins the crowd seeking refuge. The party goes to the temple's rear, to the passage leading to the cellar. Blaine's efforts at pretending to be an Agrik worshiper are embarrassingly bad, and the heroes must make excuses to get him out of sight as fast as they can.

Part 2 – Skeletons in the Celler

Dryueh picks the lock into the cellar, and the heroes hear movement. Someone is in the ossuary. A priest of Morgath is happily desecrating the dead and, using the Shadow of Bukrai, animates several skeletal guards. The heroes catch him by surprise. After a brief skirmish, Dryueh butchers him, and his minions are destroyed. Once they confirm that the cellar is empty of enemies, the heroes sneak up to the temple’s ceremony area.

Part 3 – Desecration

The temple has also been defiled. The former famous grand statue of the goddess Larani has been crudely disfigured, and an octagonal fire pit burns before it. Half a dozen fire priests and a similar number of guards are involved in heated discussions. They are concerned about the angry mobs outside and debating what to do.

Rycon sneaks behind a nearby curtain, and Dryueh moves to the other side of the chamber and mutters an incantation. A blast of darkness envelopes the priests, and some of their eyes go black. They are now blind for the rest of their lives. The heroes charge in, and although the evil priests and warriors put up a fiery defense, they are cut down mercilessly.

However, the fire priests have one more surprise. Four blackened skeletons emerge from the ceremonial fire pit. The former sacrificial victims burst into flames and screamed in pain, searing the exposed skin of the heroes. The skeletons are quite a handful, much more dangerous than the confused priests. Their smoldering touch sets clothing alight, and they throw balls of balefire that burn flesh and spirit. Eventually, the angry dead are put to rest, and the unholy fire pit is extinguished.

The church of Larani reclaims the temple, and the remaining Agrikian worshipers are ironically put to the flame. A worthy death for worshipers of the evil god of war and fire.

To be continued.

NPC Interactions

Serolan Deni Troch.

Player Characters

Valeria - Human - L19 Shadow Sorcerer

Background - Magical Experiment.

Archetype - Beastmaster/Wizard.

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Rycon - Human - L19 Fighter

Background - Rebel Knight.

Archetypes - Liberator Champion/Dual Weapon Warrior/Swashbuckler.

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Dryueh - 1/2 Elf - L19 Thief Rogue

Background - Scout.

Archetypes - Vigilante/Medic/Shadowdancer/Wizard.

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NPC Companion

Blaine - Human - L19 Fighter

Background - Bodyguard.

Archetypes - None gets in the way of drinking.

Next Session

Session 375 - Empire's End.

Campaign

Legacy of the Foulspawner - Campain Complete

Protagonists

Rycon

Dryueh

Valeria

Report Date

04 Sep 2024

NPC Companion

Blaine

A capable fighter, bodyguard, and occasional tavern owner. He likes to kill orcs and drink alcohol.

Blaine, art by Artur Sadlos

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.