Session 01
General Summary
The day after their meeting with Sir Harken, the group left Littlebrook to begin the long trek north
on their dangerous but important mission.
What was supposed to be a quiet rest in Waymeet en route to Mount Macarack almost turned into
an incident. While the others visited their various friends and relatives, Ethulwulf and Colby
visited the inn for a couple of quiet drinks. While there they couldn't fail to notice a couple of
suspicious-looking ruffians studying all who entered the inn. Tallasin the barkeep had a quiet
word while serving drinks and mentioned that the strangers had been asking after Colby and
making enquiries. Colby immediately thought of Lord Pricius. After finishing their drinks,
Ethelwulf and Colby left, though soon spotted the strangers coming out after them. By doubling
back to the inn, then leaving out the back door, they shook them off and headed to see Athelstan,
an old friend of Ethelwulf's father. Meanwhile the strangers snooped around the village and
questioned people in the inn. Luckily the locals were a close-lipped bunch and didn't take kindly
to strangers asking questions. Zandrill visited the inn and, wondering where his friends had got to,
followed his nose and found them at Athelstan's. They explained about the strangers asking after
Colby and arranged to meet at dawn the next day by a copse to the north of the village.
An early start saw the Albioners avoid any confrontation with the strangers and they headed off
north. Colby was worried and did his best to disguise himself. Who knows what Lord Pricius
might have paid those men to do?
Fortunately there had been no more people asking about Colby and the journey had been quiet.
After a night in Thistedelve the group arrived at Castle Fortuna the next day. Ermenred took the
opportunity to speak to Lady Fortuna, specifically asking about dragons. She told him of a route to
the Dragons Perch Mountain which might be reached via ancient stairs leading from an abandoned
Dwarf hold. The dwarfs at Khazagrim would be the ones to ask about this. She also mentioned that
recent Lizardfolk activity near The Black Swamp was apparently due to a Lizardfolk prophecy they
believed would be fulfilled imminently? She was informed of the Albioners' interactions with
Lizardfolk in Honshu, in case that was relevant.
The Albioners left Castle Fortuna and headed north into the mountains. After spending a night in
the village of Poisson, the group officially left the borders of Albion. Their path passed by the
scene of a fight - dead gnolls lay scattered on the floor, crushed by mighty blows. As the date was
Midsummers Eve, the group built a large bonfire, ignoring the dangers of drawing attention to
themselves, as it was more important to adhere to their annual traditions. Unfortunately the large
ogre attracted by the fire was not respectful of tradition and ambushed them that night. However it
was soon killed. A horde of silver coins was recovered from its person, puzzlingly marked as
minted in The Domain of Hawkmoon, which nobody had heard of before.
The Albioners were high up in the mountains now. Mid-morning, as they followed their narrow
track round a bend, with a steep cliff up on one side and a dizzying drop on the other, they heard
sounds of combat. As they moved to investigate they discovered bugbears and dwarfs locked in
combat. Readying their weapons and shouting battle cries they rushed in to fight the bugbears and
assist the dwarfs. Vastly outnumbered the bugbears were soon defeated. The dwarfs were grateful
for the aid. They said the bugbears had been lying in ambush for them outside a tunnel into the
mountainside. Their leader did something secretive and a cunning stone door slid shut soon
leaving no trace of any way in at all. The dwarfs were en route to the Pelor's Day celebrations at
Mount Macarack Abbey. Although the overland journey would take at least the rest of the day, the dwarfs
claimed one of their secret tunnels could get them to Macarack in an hour - specifically in time for
a fighting contest at noon. As a very special favour for having helped fight the bugbears, they
agreed to take the Albioners through the tunnels, though insisted on the humans being blindfolded,
without weapons and the spellcasters gagged as they couldn't take any chances.
The claims were true and soon the Albioners found themselves at Macarack much more speedily
than expected, though with no idea how they'd got there. They met with Dame Rosette and Abbot Morgain and, after explaining about working for Sir Harken, arranged some accomodation.
Zandrill went and paid homage to the Tree of Life. He was surprised as it spoke to him and told
him it was his destiny to lead a band of heroes against the oldest enemy of Albion - the Lord of Death - and that the fate of the kingdom would be decided in the coming year. This sounded
ominous. On a lighter note, Ethulwulf and Heremod entered into the martial tournament. Heremod
was unfortunate to be paired against Dame Rosette in the first round and was knocked out.
Ethulwulf defeated one of the Dwarf warriors before losing to the Dwarf leader, the eventual
champion. The rest of the day was spent in celebration of Midsummer, Pelor's most holy day.
After the fun of the midsummer revelry, the group got down to some serious work in the library at
Mount Macarack. In the many tomes they found much ancient lore, historical facts and useful
information. Mostly they researched the Valley of Shrines and indeed unearthed much that was
forgotten on the subject. They also learned about making armour out of dragonhide, rumours of
Callindrill and Titus plus details of The Domain of Hawkmoon, human lands found beyond The Gap.
In ages past, two vast temples to Thyr and Muir were erected in Casden. The priestly followers of
these noble gods erected smaller duplicates of the twin temples in a small, secluded valley to the
north of the town, adjacent to a lake of crystalline clarity. This valley became known as the Valley
of Shrines. In the nearby hills they also carved burial halls to house their fallen heroes and
worshipers. For years the worship of Thyr and Muir thrived, producing heroes and paladins of
legend, some of whom are entombed in the burial halls.
Near the cyrstaline lake stand the two ancient temples to Thyr and Muir. The shrine to Muir sits to
the west of the shrine to Thyr. Both shrines face towards the center of the lake. Each shrine shares
the same layout-a stone slab foundation with a large central room, ringed by mighty pillars
supporting a gently sloping inverted V-shaped stone roof.
The Valley of the Shrines is verdant green, dotted with birch and pine. The foothills of the Jagged
Peaks in this region are rough, with sharp exposed rock. The mountains themselves are rougher
still, making travel difficult. It rains frequently and water is plentiful in the area surrounding the
Valley. In the colder months, snow caps the tips of The Jagged Peaks. The nearby forest at the
northwest end of the Valley has long been known as the Forest of the Faithful, since it contains the
Burial Halls of Thyr and Muir. The Ancient Path winds its way from the floor of the vale north of
Casden through the foothills up to the Valley of the Shrines. At points the path is steep and
consists of stone stairs cut into the side of the hills. This path was made to facilitate pilgrims or
groups of worshipers from Casden reaching the shrines. It is now rarely traveled and the beginning
of the path from the vale below is difficult to find. Two weathered white marble obelisks that
mark the start of the path. Even today, a feeling of calm blankets those who travel the ancient path
to the Valley of the Shrines, as if Thyr and Muir yet watch over those who would travel to their
holy place. At the end of the path-at the entrance to the Valley of the Shrines-is another pair of
weathered obelisks of white marble.
The main level of the ancient burial halls of Thyr and Muir is the uppermost level. It contains the
minor crypts and the old worship rooms once used by visiting clerics to pay respects to the dead. It
was also once used as a viewing area for final rites on bodies being interred in the lower
catacombs. The most significant feature on this level is the Font of the Ancients-a fountain of holy
water.
In 1257 CY two brothers and a sister formed the Order of The Knights of the Sun after receiving
visions from Pelor himself. They were Thyr, Arttenach and Muir. Thyr and Muir went on to
become demigods worshipped by those inside the Knighthood - especially Muir who is the Order's
patron saint. Arrtenach fell into the dark side and became a worshipper of The Demon Prince. Thyr
is the god of wise and just rule. He is normally depicted as a wizened king seated on a great throne
holding a rod of kingship in one hand and a chalice of peace in the other hand. His principles are
Justice, Order and Peace. He represents proper and traditional rule and as such was once
worshiped (at least with lip service) by all human royalty. He is the embodiment of the
enlightened human caste system where each person fairly has their place in a lawfully ordered
society aimed at the good of all people. His priests wear white robes trimmed with silver, purple
or gold, the colors of kingship. His symbol is a silver cross on a white field. The noble eagle and
lion are his sacred creatures. Muir is the sister of Thyr. Where he represents Law and Peace, she
represents the martial valor necessary to make that peace a reality. As such, she is the goddess of
the knights. She is often depicted as a darktressed maiden warrior in shining plate with an upraised
(often bloodstained) sword. She is noble and single-minded of purpose. The tenets of her worship
include Honor, Truth and Courage. A great order of knights, known as the Justicars, are sworn to
her service. She expects self-sacrifice, humility and charity as well as unswerving loyalty. Her
standards are extreme and she quickly turns her back on any who fail to live up to them. Her
symbol is a blood-red uplifted sword on a white background, symbolizing her endless fight against
evil. The falcon is her sacred animal. She is the tireless foe of all evil creatures and undead,
demons and devils in particular are her sworn enemy.
Over time the worship of Thyr and Muir-both demanding deities-waned in favor of the more
general god, Pelor. Unable to maintain the complex in the Valley of Shrines, the priests of
Thyr and Muir sealed the northern shrines in the valley and returned their worship to the temples in Casden. Abandoned, the burial halls still remained sacred places, and small groups of pilgrims
continued to make treks to the sealed temples to pay respect to their fallen predecessors and to
peer into the crystalline lake. As the years passed and the worship of Thyr and Muir declined, the
shrines in the northern valley increasingly fell to disuse and ruin. Only a handful of devoted
priests, led by the high priest Abysthor, were left to continue the elaborate rituals of their gods.
Despite Abysthor's devotion, his temple and the worship of his gods waned. In his final years,
Abysthor spent many hours in commune with his deity. Declaring he had received a great vision,
he traveled alone-aged and infirm-to the Valley of Shrines, claiming he would return soon and
that the glory of Thyr and Muir would be restored. The high priest Abysthor traveled alone-aged
and infirm-to the Valley of the Shrines, but never returned. Some said he had gone there to die and
had done so alone because no other priest could cast the spells necessary to consecrate him
properly. Many groups of priests followed after him, though none could brave the corruption that
had infested the burial halls since they had been abandoned. Abysthor's failed quest was taken as a
sign of final decline. No more paladins were ordained to Muir, the once-shining lady of virtue; no
more priests entered the worship of Thyr, the once-great god of justice. It has been some twenty
years since Abysthor disappeared.
Report Date
10 Apr 2024
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