Session 384 - The Emperor Saurach’s Prayer Book
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 what 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 382 - Cult Hunting.
Location - Barony of Bekar in the Kingdom of Rethem.
7th Morgat (Winter) 727TR
The heroes have discovered the location of Saurach's Prayer Book and a key to acquire it from Baron of Bekar, Sir Branal Orgatt. The treasure is on Meril Island, a small islet on the nearby Lake Meril.
Part 1 – The Umber Lurker
The heroes persuade a local fisherman to drop the heroes off on Meril Island. They are immediately attacked when they set foot on the wooded island.
An eight-foot-long insect-like semi-aquatic predator covered in chitinous armor with multifaceted eyes, large mandibles, and an array of flexible tentacles emerges from behind a rock. The Cromulloch or the Umber Lurker shuffles in, strikes with its venomous tentacles, then scampers away, climbing up nearby rocky outcrops outside the character's weapon range. Its hit-and-run tactics are frustrating, but our heroes eventually slice it to pieces.
Part 2 - Ruins
Meril Island is tiny, and the heroes quickly spot a tower, or more correctly, a snow-covered dilapidated ruin. Something moves out of the rubble, and a rust-covered metal orb floats toward the heroes. The orb darts in and out, keeping its distance from the heroes, and its magnetic pulses keep metal objects and weapons at a distance. Ash and Ryobi are disarmed, their steel weapons wrenched from their hands and flung far away. They are forced to destroy the guard with their wooden weaponry.
Investigating the ruin, they find a snow-covered, secure trapdoor. Carefully checking for traps, Ryobi notices symbols inscribed on the door, the symbol of the Order of Khamar a long-lost heretical sect of Agrik worshipers who have not been seen for centuries.
Suddenly, it all becomes clear.
Saurach was the 11th Emperor of the Corani Empire, famous for being a religious zealot and strongly promoting the worship of Agrik. Before his untimely assassination, he went as far as to declare all other religions illegal. He protected the Order of Khamar, which had been declared heretical by the pontiff, although, after his death, the Order was persecuted and disappeared from history. Ryobi recalls, during his monastic training with the Order of the Warriors of Mameka, hearing hushed rumors that their spiritual advisors, the Order of Mamaka, Master of Steel are descended from these heretics. If that was true and Saurach's Prayer Book was based on Khamar doctrine, then in the wrong hands, it could be used to link these Orders, which could be disastrous. This must be why the Order of Mamaka's bitter rivals the Order of the Pillar of Fire want the holy book.
The heroes open the trap door and descend the rickety ladder into the catacombs below.
Part 3 – The Weapons of Khamar
The first chamber contains crates containing rotting Order of Khamar holy robes and religious paraphernalia. This opens out to a damp catacomb with large batches of fungi.
Suddenly bursting from the mold, a black slime monstrosity slivers out, enveloping Ash. This horror excretes an acid that burns flesh and cloth but leaves metallic items unharmed. But this is the least of the hazards; flying in from side chambers animated weapons attack, and although rusty, these ancient swords seem to be controlled by highly skilled warriors and prove extremely dangerous. Ash destroys the back ooze, but he and Ryobi are soon covered in deep cuts from the rusty weapons. This is Vinzent's opportunity to shine, and from his brass magical flute, he weaves Fire Bolts, which melt the flying menaces.
Part 4 – The Long-Lost Priest
The side chambers are waterlogging, and much of the contents have been ruined. A series of slippery steps descend into a final chamber guarded by the hunched-over skeletal remains of a priest.
This chamber has an altar caved with Agrikian symbolism, covered with golden religious trinkets, and a decorated brass urn containing Emperor Saurach's ashes. To each side are alcoves filled with statues. The one on the left is ruined; the wall has collapsed, and what remains has fallen into a pit filled with slimy water. The statue on the right is of a regal, imposing man with a cruel face, probably of the emperor himself.
The heroes spot a ripple in the slime-filled pool. Moments later, the slime takes a vaguely humanoid form. First, a hand emerges, then a frightening head, followed by a body rising up and towering over the heroes. The slimy, almost demonic form is impaled with a sword. It is about to attack the intruders; however, Ryobi, believing this is the spirit of the dead priest nearby, attempts to reason with it. He says all the right things, praising Agrik, the Order of Khamar, and the great Emperor Saurach. He warns that the prayer book and Saurach’s ashes are in jeopardy and asks permission to take them to safety. The fiendish entity considers for a moment and then points out a well-concealed keyhole at the basis of the altar.
Ryobi finds a book in an oil skin in a secret compartment. The Emperor Saurach prayer book is finally in his hands. Ryobi’s reverence impresses the entity, and it gives him the sword that was impaling his body before draining back into a green puddle of slime.
The party scours the chambers, takes any treasures, including the emperor’s ashes, and prepares to exit the catacombs.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
An entity that may or may not be the spirit of a dead priest.
Created Content
Nothing this week.
Related Reports
Cromulloch - the Umber Lurker.
The Order of Mamaka, Master of Steel.
Player Characters
Ryobi - Human - L6 Monk
Background - Temple Guard.
Archetypes - Barbarian.
Ash - Human - L6 Thaumaturge
Background - Weaponcrafter.
Archetypes - Alchemist.
NPC Companion
Vinzent - Human - L6 Bard
Background - Cursed.
Archetypes - Blessed.
Next Session
NPC Companion
Vinzent
He is a skilled minstrel who is infamous for his depressing performances and bad luck.
Order of Khamar
A heretical Agrikian Clerical Order that disappeared over 200 years ago.
The Emperor Saurach
One of the most incompetent emperors of the Corani Empire. Saurach was a religious fanatic who was assassinated after seeking to ban all religions other than the Church of Agrik in 491TR.
"Who knew diplomacy was on option!"; said the murder-hobo. LOL, great session notes, interesting outcome. Looking forward to learning what is in the book.
Thanks, the character made a hard Diplomacy check and rolled a critical success on the Religion as well. So, we went with the diplomacy rather than fight. Yes, a future session will revolve around secrets in the book.