Session 011: The Sacrifice
General Summary
Date: Pythion 15th
Preparing for the trial that lies ahead, the various members of the group separate and take a few moments of reflection since joining forces a few weeks ago. Afterward, they reconvene and decide to track down Gaius to tell him that they will take Princess Anora's place upon the Rock of Estor, offering up themselves for the upcoming sacrifice. He accepts gladly and asks the heroes to take an Oath of their intent so that they are bound to it. Gaius then takes the next few hours to prepare for the change of plans and the group heads to the palace to inform the Princess and King Pythor of what has happened.
At the palace, they are greeted with open arms by the god-king and a thousand thanks to accompany them. The princess admits her gratitude but is still sorrowful that they are placed in this position instead of her. Kyrah gives her most motherly pep talk that she can muster, and the group becomes acquainted with Stesanor, Princess Anora's betrothed. The heroes head back to the The Dragon's Tooth to prepare for the procession.
Near dusk, a half-dozen Order of Sydon soldiers come to collect the group and lead them through the city to the Rock. They are chained by the leg and left, presumably, till death or sunrise, whichever comes first. On the western side sits a large group of Centaurs. The same that has been monitoring the city, and possibly acting as a secondary source of confirmation that the sacrifice did in fact take place. On the eastern side, there stands a dozen or so of Sydonite guards, captains, and Gaius himself, accompanied by his dragon, Argyn; in addition, a large group of locals has gathered to witness the sacrifice as well. And so, the heroes wait. For hours, nothing transpires. The groups on either side of the Rock become increasingly uneasy until one of the Harpies circling overhead, flies down to converse with Gaius. He sends her northward.
Sometime later, the Harpy returns and Gaius is clearly not happy with what he was told. He storms off atop his dragon mount and is gone for quite some time. The rest of the night is largely uneventful, and eventually, the sun dawns on the next morning, the Heroes having survived the night.
Date: Pythion 16th
Gaius commends the party, saying that Fate must have been on their side, and releases them from their chains before leaving once again, this time to the south-east. A great party ensues at the palace as Pythor invites the group back for a celebration. During this, he bestows his hammer upon Hybris, explaining that his fighting days are behind him at this point. The group partakes in the revelry before taking to the streets of the city and enjoying what the Wine Festival has to offer. They fill themselves with food, drink, and merriments as they each visit a number of the stalls and booths that have been set up as entertainment. Acacius finds quite the challenge at a booth designed to mock Pythor above a dunking pool, Hybris loses a little pride as they're ineffective at the local test of strength, Ianthe claims a sizeable bounty from a song-off with a local satyr, and Dorianna destroys the competition in a breath-holding competition by the river.
Around mid-day, the party heads to the local amphitheater to catch one of the plays that are being performed there. The play tells of Pythor's wife, Hexia, and how he had many affairs during their time together. As a result, she has turned to kidnapping and murdering any love of Pythor's, denying him any sort of happiness. After the play, the king is nowhere to be seen but is easily followed by a trail of wine he has left leading to one of the stage buildings. Inside, the group tries to console him and learn of his plight, which he takes in a different direction and tries to win the hand of two of the Chosen, offering to make them his wife and Queen of Estoria. He's shot down.
As the group, is heading back to the palace to question Anora about her mother, Acacius notices a snake-haired person duck into Volkan's forge. He and Hybris go to investigate as the rest of the group remains outside to drink some more. Inside the shop, the two are met with the scene of a Medusa woman frantically accusing Volkan of cursing her bloodline, similar to what Acacius did the first time he met the god. She begs the man to cure her and tries to warn Acacius of the severity of their situation before she is overcome with a wracking pain and doubles over. Before them, she transforms into the bottom half of her body becoming that of a giant snake tail, and lashes out at Volkan. A quick but deadly battle ensues between the four combatants, briefly joined by their female compatriots. Both the snake-woman and the god suffer many injuries before it is Acacius that finishes off the woman as she lies on the ground, pleading for an end to her suffering.
Preparing for the trial that lies ahead, the various members of the group separate and take a few moments of reflection since joining forces a few weeks ago. Afterward, they reconvene and decide to track down Gaius to tell him that they will take Princess Anora's place upon the Rock of Estor, offering up themselves for the upcoming sacrifice. He accepts gladly and asks the heroes to take an Oath of their intent so that they are bound to it. Gaius then takes the next few hours to prepare for the change of plans and the group heads to the palace to inform the Princess and King Pythor of what has happened.
At the palace, they are greeted with open arms by the god-king and a thousand thanks to accompany them. The princess admits her gratitude but is still sorrowful that they are placed in this position instead of her. Kyrah gives her most motherly pep talk that she can muster, and the group becomes acquainted with Stesanor, Princess Anora's betrothed. The heroes head back to the The Dragon's Tooth to prepare for the procession.
Near dusk, a half-dozen Order of Sydon soldiers come to collect the group and lead them through the city to the Rock. They are chained by the leg and left, presumably, till death or sunrise, whichever comes first. On the western side sits a large group of Centaurs. The same that has been monitoring the city, and possibly acting as a secondary source of confirmation that the sacrifice did in fact take place. On the eastern side, there stands a dozen or so of Sydonite guards, captains, and Gaius himself, accompanied by his dragon, Argyn; in addition, a large group of locals has gathered to witness the sacrifice as well. And so, the heroes wait. For hours, nothing transpires. The groups on either side of the Rock become increasingly uneasy until one of the Harpies circling overhead, flies down to converse with Gaius. He sends her northward.
Sometime later, the Harpy returns and Gaius is clearly not happy with what he was told. He storms off atop his dragon mount and is gone for quite some time. The rest of the night is largely uneventful, and eventually, the sun dawns on the next morning, the Heroes having survived the night.
Date: Pythion 16th
Gaius commends the party, saying that Fate must have been on their side, and releases them from their chains before leaving once again, this time to the south-east. A great party ensues at the palace as Pythor invites the group back for a celebration. During this, he bestows his hammer upon Hybris, explaining that his fighting days are behind him at this point. The group partakes in the revelry before taking to the streets of the city and enjoying what the Wine Festival has to offer. They fill themselves with food, drink, and merriments as they each visit a number of the stalls and booths that have been set up as entertainment. Acacius finds quite the challenge at a booth designed to mock Pythor above a dunking pool, Hybris loses a little pride as they're ineffective at the local test of strength, Ianthe claims a sizeable bounty from a song-off with a local satyr, and Dorianna destroys the competition in a breath-holding competition by the river.
Around mid-day, the party heads to the local amphitheater to catch one of the plays that are being performed there. The play tells of Pythor's wife, Hexia, and how he had many affairs during their time together. As a result, she has turned to kidnapping and murdering any love of Pythor's, denying him any sort of happiness. After the play, the king is nowhere to be seen but is easily followed by a trail of wine he has left leading to one of the stage buildings. Inside, the group tries to console him and learn of his plight, which he takes in a different direction and tries to win the hand of two of the Chosen, offering to make them his wife and Queen of Estoria. He's shot down.
As the group, is heading back to the palace to question Anora about her mother, Acacius notices a snake-haired person duck into Volkan's forge. He and Hybris go to investigate as the rest of the group remains outside to drink some more. Inside the shop, the two are met with the scene of a Medusa woman frantically accusing Volkan of cursing her bloodline, similar to what Acacius did the first time he met the god. She begs the man to cure her and tries to warn Acacius of the severity of their situation before she is overcome with a wracking pain and doubles over. Before them, she transforms into the bottom half of her body becoming that of a giant snake tail, and lashes out at Volkan. A quick but deadly battle ensues between the four combatants, briefly joined by their female compatriots. Both the snake-woman and the god suffer many injuries before it is Acacius that finishes off the woman as she lies on the ground, pleading for an end to her suffering.
Rewards Granted
Hammer of Pythor
Missions/Quests Completed
The King's Daughter
Report Date
07 Mar 2023
Primary Location
Related Plots
The curse of the medusa is rare, except in stories, where the curse is unfailingly depicted as a tragic affliction. Lately, I have begun to suspect that the stories have it wrong. How many medusae truly regret their cures, I wonder? How many do you suppose sought out such a fate, owing to the immense power that it affords them?
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