Session 2 - "Decisions..." Report
General Summary
- Kythos awoke to find himself sharing a room with a lanky young man dressed in cheap fabric, who identified himself as Pylaios, a disciple of Heliod from the independent Polis of Deyda Harbour. Pylaios later left "The Conglom" on a pilgrimage to Mount Kure in the Katachthon mountain range.
- Kythos ate a delicious breakfast alongside Hixus and two companions he had met the night before - Philosta and Xercos. They were dressed in the style of Neolantin citizens, and Xercos displayed some magical abilities (changing the taste of his drink), as well as having a faintly glowing blue-ish tint to their blood vessels. They explained that they had travelled from Neolantin to Akros in search of an Oracle. Given that Queen Cymede is still missing, they spoke to Khea the sage, however she was not "a true oracle", and directed them instead to "The Flamespeakers" of Mt. Kakamala, which is their next destination. Philosta and Xercos were happy to accept the help of Kythos and Hixus in getting to Kakamala, and agreed to meet them on the road to the mountain. Philosta and Xercos also appear to have a penchant for young men, and had offered Kythos (and later another resident at "The Conglom") to enter their marital bed.
- Kythos met the Minotaur bartender at "The Conglom" - a being who identifies as Gnassa, and is peculiar in that she has filed down her horns.
- Whilst travelling to speak with Khea, Kythos and Hixus came across a crowd gathered around a group of "Sand Dancers" preparing for the ritual celebrations to Keranos that accompany the coming of the year's first storm.
- After a long time queuing, Kythos and Hixus eventually got to see Khea, The Sage. Khea is a dark-skinned woman with burned-out eyes, dressed in the styles of Setessa. She warned them of the dangers posed by the gods, and advised them that the "Orestes" referenced within the poem on the golden mask was a famous champion of Phenax from long ago. Legend tells that within "The Court of Orestes" lies something known as "Phenax's Silence". She also advised that she knew Varyas in life, and that he was a writer whose last work ("The Satyr with Half and Horn", or something like that) was terrible, and she criticised the work openly. Varyas was very friendly with a group of actors known as "The Band of Five", who operate out of The Temple of Triumph's theatre complex. Khea reiterated her warning about the gods, and asked Kythos not to contact her again, due to their attention on him.
- Kythos then stood in line outside the Northern Gate of The Kollophon for many hours, waiting to speak with the attendant Oromai, so as to get entrance to the city proper. During his wait, he witnessed the parade-like entry of Paristhenes, a Champion of Iroas. When Kythos finally spoke with the Oromai, they doubted he was a champion of Iroas, and told him to prove it by doing something legendary, and having his legends speak for themselves - they joked that maybe he could un-block the Khystonos
- Kythos and Hixus left for The Court of Orestes, which had been supposedly uncovered by the low-level of the Khystonos. On the first day, they encountered the legendary Pool of Lys, after being led there by an omen from Pharika. Unfortunately, the waters appeared to be poisoned, and Kythos was almost drowned by its attendant "seers" - Akhno, Hakno and Jhamp. After a tense battle, they killed the three harpies, and Hixus discovered that they were once humans, and had been cursed to Harpy-dom by Keranos, who was displeased by their attempts to impress him with their magical powers. Before leaving, they collected a sample of the pool's poisoned waters for Prokopios' studies. Later in their travels, Kythos and Hixus encountered an old Minotaur by the name of King Antigonos. He explained that his vast kingdom to the East of the Oraniad Mountains had been lost to him because he chose his son as heir, despite him not being physically imposing and aggressive (like Mogis asked). As a result, his son was killed and Antigonos cursed to roam the lands seeking a worthy successor... whom, by foretelling, would fit perfectly into an amphora. Kythos was too small to fit in, and so Antigonos started to fill the spaces with sand. Kythos broke out, breaking the amphora in the process, and together he and Hixus killed Antigonos. He clearly appeared to have lost his mind, and was referring to the amphora as if it were his son.
Rewards Granted
Kythos and Hixus levelled up
Missions/Quests Completed
"A Deadly Message" completed, which was followed-up by "The Court of Orestes"
Comments