Session 05
General Summary
Exploration continued within the passages beneath the hermitage. A mineral vein bulging from
one wall of a chamber emitted a foul reek of sulphur. Ermenred's eyes opened wide in delight as
he spotted something very rare and special within the lands of Albion - books. Before he got
chance to examine them, a creature dashed from hiding across the end of the chamber and
disappeared down a passageway. From what those who glimpsed it saw, plus the unique stench,
identified it as a troglodyte. From where the troglodyte ran, an inhuman voice announced
"Desecration!" and there was a sudden bright flash followed by screaming. There then began
chanting in the name of The Demon Prince. The Albioners looked at one another in fear - what foul
den had they stumbled upon. With steely resolve they composed themselves and edged down the
passageway. The tunnel ended in a round chamber. A large bugbear stood before an altar
dedicated to Pelor. It was obviously shaking its hand in pain and a hammer lay on the floor in
front of it.
Ethulwulf bravely charged in and soon found himself engaged in melee as the troglodyte emerged
from the shadows. With but a single blow of his mighty axe he chopped down his foe. Meanwhile,
his companions moved to attack the bugbear. But he surprised them by gulping down a magic
potion and turning invisible. The Albioners stood steadfastly across the entranceway to prevent
their enemy from escaping. When he realised he could not get away he launched an assault,
breaking the spell and becoming visible once more. He was soon surrounded but proved extremely
difficult to hit, perhaps he'd used demon magic to enhance his armour. Eventually however
superior numbers wore down the bugbear and he finally succumbed. The bugbear had a note upon
his person:
"Edfang, when you have finished this simple task, join us at the Valley of Shrines. The work there awaits our attention. M."Presuming the bugbear was Edfang, who was M? Ermenred sensed a holy aura from the hammer. Symbols upon it suggested it was dedicated to Pelor so perhaps the blinding light and screaming had come from the wounds it had inflicted when the bugbear tried to wield it. Scratching their heads and recalling their history lessons revealed a few facts about the Valley of Shrines. It's a very holy place but which has lapsed into insignificance in recent times. It holds shrines to saints of Pelor, 2 of the 3 siblings, legendary founders of The Knights of the Sun: Muir and Thyr, demigods of Justice and Truth. Sadly the last high priest had died many years ago and nobody had filled his shoes and the shrines were now largely forgotten. The Valley had also once acted as a burial ground for The Knights of the Sun. It was supposed to lie somewhere in The Jagged Peaks. Having now explored all the passageways, a more thorough search was carried out. Of the books previously spotted by Ermenred, one described heraldry while the other was much more exciting - a grimoire of magic which would require months of work to understand. Along with the books were a collection of papers. Among these were financial accounts of The Knights of the Sun in the name of Sir Calmet. There was also a blasphemous "Hymn to the Demon Prince". Finally there were some letters and notes (in what appeared to be Sir Calmet's writing), of which the most interesting read:
"Sir Mangarak is correct. We must turn to more powerful entities and use them for our purpose. Pelor is too distant, too remote to hear us and provide for our needs. Other forces are more real, more immediate. The powers Sir Mangarak has shown me have already made my mind up and now I travel with him to his hidden temple to learn more. There he will reveal his full plan to me. I am eager to learn and grow in this power."Thus it seemed that Sir Calmet had indeed made it as far as the hermitage. However he hadn't undertaken any of the work he was supposed to. It seemed he had fallen under the sway of Sir Mangarak - an infamous figure of evil, exiled from Albion during the Chaos Wars. Perhaps Sir Mangarak was the M mentioned in Edfang's note? This was all shocking and depressing news - if a Knight of the Sun such as Sir Calmet could be tempted by the evil Demon Prince, who could be trusted? The group vowed to return to Littlebrook as soon as possible to tell Sir Harkon. But first they needed to rest and recover from the injuries Edfang had inflicted. Zandrill also pointed out that the next day was the Vernal Equinox and he wished to perform a lengthy ceremony. Having safely packed up all their evidence and findings, the Albioners set out for home soil, glad to be leaving the dangerous Barren Scrubs behind. Thankfully they managed the whole journey back to Littlebrook without incident. Upon arrival they headed straight for the Chapterhouse to request an audience with Sir Harkon. He tried to speak to them in the Great Hall while dinner was served but they insisted on speaking to him in private, for which he was grateful once he'd heard their report. Sir Harkon was given the letters, notes and financial accounts. He was also given the "Hymn to the Demon Prince", for research or destruction as he saw fit. When shown the magic hammer which had harmed the bugbear, he identified it as a holy relic, the Hammer of St Winifred. This too was handed over, Sir Harkon even suggested that the Cardinal might grant a reward for the recovery of such an item. Finally, Ermenred kept the books for research but agreed to give them to the library at Mount Macarack when convenient. Sir Harkon seemed dismayed and troubled at the bad news he'd received but he cordially thanked the group for their help. He said the matter would now be handled by The Knights of the Sun but he would contact them if they could provide any further services. He also requested their utmost discretion on the matter. Ermenred then went to visit his master, Sir Arundel, at the palace. He was offered a king's ransom, 400 platinum, for the magic book, but it was decided the book was more valuable than money. Later, heralds from Sir Harkon and also the Cardinal arrived bearing reward money for all the hard work. After resting a day in Littlebrook, the group headed north to Waymeet, with many options of what to do next. They had a quiet journey and soon found themselves back in their home town. They'd heard news a couple of weeks ago about a noble's missing daughter. In Waymeet they now heard she was still missing. Asking for further details revealed that the noble in question was Lord Pricius, who lived in the thorpe of Melinas which lay in western Albion on the edge of the elven lands. His daughter was named Melinas, the thorpe named after her. This seemed like a good quest to take on, to earn both cash and prestige. Zandrill also received word that he should soon make the long journey to Druid Home in Honshu to be fully indoctrinated into his order. After resupplying, the group headed out towards Melinas first thing the following morning. They made good time as they travelled upstream along the river bank and had a quiet journey. As the group neared their destination, the thorpe of Melinus, they sensed something odd about the place. Could it be the ... two headed giant?!
Report Date
10 Apr 2024
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