Session 02
General Summary
Before questioning their captive the party decided they would search the immediate area and
confirm they were safe and would be undisturbed. Pushing aside a tapestry they found a further
chamber and here, battered to unconsciousness in a corner lay Charlie Kilkarin � the merchant
they had saved and escorted to the city back the day they had all met. Was he the person Nidrama
had said they would meet? Braken used a quick healing prayer and had him on his feet in
moments. Temporarily disoriented they let him come too and then quizzed him for his tale. It went
something like this:
20 years ago Embril Aloustinai and Alurad Sorizan, who was then known as Sir Mangarak, were
based in Albion, a land far to the north in colder climes. There Sir Mangarak rose to head the holy
order called the Knights of the Sun. The two of them used his position to try and facilitate the
opening of a portal to allow the Demon Prince to return to Rodinia. They were foiled by a group
of adventurers known as the Fellowship of Pelor, led by a paladin called Lady Fortuna Ludd.
Charlie had helped prompt and direct these adventurers in the guise of a man called Myrddin. Sir
Mangarak was banished from the Kingdom and fled to the nearby Theocracy of Hishan where he
took the name Alurad Sorizan, a local name, which he has kept ever since. Embril remained in
Albion and founded the temple of Rappan Athuk.
5 years later, Rappan Athuk had grown to a great size although it was still secret and none in the
Kingdom knew of its existence although rumours grew in the quiet land. Embril once again tried
to bring the Demon Prince back to the world and Myrddin once again opposed her. This time he
was more in the background, quietly manipulating people and events until a group of adventurers
called the Albioners rose and opposed Embril and her plans. The Albioners did enough to foil
Embril�s plans, although she was able to lure them to their deaths in the lands of Honshu.
At this stage Alurad and Embril moved all the way across the other side of the known world, to
the far off continent of Lucarcia and the island nation of Manabas. Here they searched out and
located the ruins of a lost city called Barakus that Embrill�s research had told her would be the
focal point of a rare Celestial Alignment which was coming up. This Celestial Alignment would
make the prison of Larin Karr, a lich general of the Demon Prince, very weak. Weak enough that
the right ritual performed in Barakus would release Larin Karr.
Myrddin followed the two evil cultists and taking the name Charlie Kilkarin he instantiated
himself in the city of Endhome. There he tried in vain to raise a force of adventurers to oppose the
two but he failed. However he was able to delay the two just long enough that the small window
of the Celestial Alignment passed and the prison of Larin Karr held. This interference meant that
for the first time Myrddin was directly revealed to the two cultists, so he faked his own death,
pretending to be killed by vampires.
Embril and Alurad then found out about a cult known as the Cagewrights, who were trying to
open a portal to Carceri with a view to letting lose a flood of demons into the world. Realising
such a portal would enable Larin Karr to escape his prison, Embril and Alurad travelled to
Mochica and the volcanic town of Cauldron where they joined the Cagewrights and bent their will
to helping open a portal to Carceri. Myrddin followed them, keeping the name Charlie Kilkarin,
and arrived in the city. This was his mistake as eventually Embril heard of him, recognised his
name, tracked him down and captured him. He was taken to the Fiery Sanctum and held prisoner.
This is where the party had found him.
Charlie was also able to tell the group that the Cagewrights had completed the Ritual of Planar
Junction and were now resting. The portal to Carceri was forming, using the volcanic eruption to
power itself. In order to stop the ritual the party had two options: They could simple destroy the
Tree of Shackled Souls. This would stop the portal opening but would cause the volcano to erupt
fully which would destroy the Fiery Sanctum and all in it and would obliterate Cauldron. Not a
great victory it was felt. The other option was to find a powerful magical item the Cagewrights
possessed. This was called the Dispersal Collar and was a magical belt which if wrapped around
the base of the Tree, would shut it down, relatively safely. This seemed like the best solution until
he told them that the Dispersal Collar had been handed to the safe keeping of a huge, ancient
pyroclastic dragon called Moltenwing, who apparently laired in the Sanctum somewhere and was
an ally of the Cagewrights.
Charlie was thanked and asked what he wanted to do. He said he was not powerful as the group
might know it. He was merely very knowledgeable. So he decided to stay put, hopefully safe
where he was. He was also able to tell the group that as far as he was aware not all the
Cagewrights were present in the Fiery Sanctum at the moment but that Dyr�ryd, the powerful
devil who led them, was.
Waking the minotaur captive they quizzed him on the layout of the Sanctum and were able to get a
rough idea what was where. They decided to try and find Moltenwing�s lair first and attempt to
take the Dispersal Collar off him. From what they could gather from the minotaur this meant
going south from their current position, so that was the path they took.
Presently they came to a door. Opening it revealed a room full of giant spider webs and dark
shapes could be seen scuttling in the webs. Deciding to push in and see if there were exists the
group entered the middle of the room. This was, of course, when the spiders leapt out at them,
trying to grab an easy meal. From this position the group could see there was but one exit from the
room, near where they came in, but at the far end was a skeleton covered in rusty mail but
clutching a shining, clearly enchanted shield. Pushing forward the group hacked and blasted their
way to the shield, bloodying all the spiders deeply as they went. The spiders, soon realising this
was no easy meal, backed away into their webs and hid. The party, not wanting unnecessary
combat, grabbed the shield and left the room.
They took a quick rest, patching up their spider bites, and then set off south again. The tunnel they
were following lead south and came to a door or continued south. Harley jammed the door shut
with a spare dagger and peeked south. The tunnel there was rough and unpaved and ahead he
could see a deep orange glow. He could also feel heat and smell brimstone. There was a lava
cavern ahead.
Moving carefully down the corridor they came to an immense chasm filled with a huge lake of
lava. Far off in the distance to the east a large ledge could be seen and behind that a huge black
tapestry. Beyond the tapestry the glint of gold was barely visible. A dragon�s horde? But where
was the dragon?
Small islands of magma rock split the lake and it would have been possible for a particularly
athletic person, such as Harley, to have leapt from island to island. But someone wearing plate
armour like Morgan would have had no chance. But times like this were why you have a wizard in
your group.
Camero took some residuum from his backpack and directed everyone to help him trace mystic
sigils on the floor of the ledge. Ten minutes of careful chanting later and black wisps of smoke
coalesced into the shapes of horses. The group mounted this phantom steeds at the behest of the
wizard and upon command the steeds leapt into the air, flying high over the lava lake and keeping
the adventurers away from the dangerous magma below. The group landed on the huge ledge
safely, spotting what was definitely a large pile of gold and glinting items beyond the tapestry. But
at that moment the question of where was the dragon was answered.
Bursting from the scorching lava lake, Moltenwing, ancient pyroclastic dragon of extreme power
and cunning sprang into the ledge behind the group as they landed their phantom steeds. The
dragon�s leap spewed molten lava all over the ledge, badly burning the companions and
destroying the magical steeds from under their seats. The magic of the ritual meant the group
landed safely on their feet, but there was now a gigantic fire breathing dragon in their midst�
Report Date
11 Apr 2024
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