Session 51 - Hauntings and Rituals
General Summary
From Kleeck's journal.
Our stopover in Rome was brief but fruitful.
We returned to the Market of Antiquities, our pockets full of the wealth we had obtained from the dragon hoards we recently plundered. I used much of my newfound coin to purchase the Caduceus of Mercury, whose healing powers I imagined would be useful in our endeavors. Bandua broke with his habit of thrift to obtain the Mantle of Juno, to ward him from harmful spells, and Laura bought a magical quiver from which the arrows seemed to spring to her bow, ready to be launched. We also undertook a brief task, investigating a 'haunted' villa in exchange for a pair of enchanted boots that would aid Tertia in stealthy endeavors. There was indeed a ghost there - the spirit of a long-dead matron seeking the release of her children from a magical mirror buried under the tiles. It sounds like the stuff of folktales, but I can attest to the fact that the children, trapped in stasis for almost a century, were very real and very frightened when we freed them from their magical imprisonment. We did as best we could to provide them with succor and solace, and united them with what living family we could find. As we left them in the hands of their relatives, I vowed to check up on them if I were to ever return to Rome. If I were to return...the question of what would transpire when we reached Kathend Irthos and invoked the Ritus Religati loomed large in my mind. With enemy forces circling the Empire and sacking Roman cities seemingly at will, it was only a matter of time before they would turn inwards towards the capital itself. I would have despaired of the fate of the Empire, but I truly believed that the Gods themselves had put the tools and means into our hands to defeat Maagog and turn the tide in this war. Before we left Rome, we made one last attempt to unravel the mystery of the mysterious blindfolded woman depicted in the hidden statues. We tried to visit with Riardan Flavius Netyove, Master Teacher of the College of Erudition, with the intention of 'laying our cards on the table' and seeing if he would do the same but found that he had been called to the front to serve in the war effort. Undaunted, I reached out to speak with him using divine magic, but though I think I was able to persuade him that we shared a common cause, he was unable or unwilling to provide any new information to us. Our business in Rome concluded, we departed with little fanfare and much haste for the Serpent's Teeth mountains. The eight days on the road to Port Draconis were uneventful, and we travelled largely in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. We barely stopped to rest and resupply before we were back on the road again, heading for the foothills of the Serpent's Teeth, and then up the mountains themselves. Having made the trek once already, we made good time and avoided hazards that could hinder our progress. Sooner than I had thought, we found ourselves high in the mountains, at the plateau where the city of Kathend Irthos once stood. As Tertia, Laura, and Hassan carefully went over the wording of the Ritus Religati, I took some time to make offerings and prayers to Apollo. I reflected on all places we had travelled to over the past few months: from the top of the Eyrie to the depths of the sea caves outside of Turris, from the bustling metropolis of Rome to the ruined remains of Lugdunum, across the Sundered Sea to the lighthouse at Rakota, and even beyond this plane of existence to the strange and haunting astral sea. In that time, we had seen wonders and horrors as well: parlayed with pirates, witnessed the gruesome effect of the Slaadi proliferation methods, mounted a fiery and near-fatal assault on a hidden Kuo-Toa temple, bargained with one dragon and then battled two more. Throughout all of it, I had felt Apollo guiding me on this path. I asked him for one last time to guide me, to give me a sign that I was on the right course. Once again, he answered my prayers. As I watched in wonder, a majestic feast materialized on the plateau before me. All manner of foods were arrayed on the ground; warm breads, fine roasted meats of all varieties, stewed vegetables and fresh fruits of all sorts, and jugs of fine wine and cool frothy ale. There were even Aarakocra delicacies, and exotic dishes that I didn’t recognize but that Hassan assured me were the best that Aegptian cuisine had to offer. On the cusp of what could be our last adventure, we sat down together for a truly blessed meal, and the simple pleasure of each other's company. Some time passed, maybe an hour, where we were able to take sustenance and be renewed by Apollo's gift. Eventually, with the meal concluded and our spirits lifted, we turned back to the crater where the ancient draconic city once stood. Tertia, ever the soldier, took the lead, walking towards the crater and uttering the invocation: "Kathend Irthos, Olim Milo Verthica Okarthel!" We watched in amazement as a portal of swirling mystic energy immediately appeared before us. We exchanged glances of fear and apprehension - but also of excitement and hope. This was our chance to finally strike directly at Maagog, and maybe change the course of the war. Weapons at the ready, we slowly walked through the arcane gate made manifest by the ritual...
Our stopover in Rome was brief but fruitful.
We returned to the Market of Antiquities, our pockets full of the wealth we had obtained from the dragon hoards we recently plundered. I used much of my newfound coin to purchase the Caduceus of Mercury, whose healing powers I imagined would be useful in our endeavors. Bandua broke with his habit of thrift to obtain the Mantle of Juno, to ward him from harmful spells, and Laura bought a magical quiver from which the arrows seemed to spring to her bow, ready to be launched. We also undertook a brief task, investigating a 'haunted' villa in exchange for a pair of enchanted boots that would aid Tertia in stealthy endeavors. There was indeed a ghost there - the spirit of a long-dead matron seeking the release of her children from a magical mirror buried under the tiles. It sounds like the stuff of folktales, but I can attest to the fact that the children, trapped in stasis for almost a century, were very real and very frightened when we freed them from their magical imprisonment. We did as best we could to provide them with succor and solace, and united them with what living family we could find. As we left them in the hands of their relatives, I vowed to check up on them if I were to ever return to Rome. If I were to return...the question of what would transpire when we reached Kathend Irthos and invoked the Ritus Religati loomed large in my mind. With enemy forces circling the Empire and sacking Roman cities seemingly at will, it was only a matter of time before they would turn inwards towards the capital itself. I would have despaired of the fate of the Empire, but I truly believed that the Gods themselves had put the tools and means into our hands to defeat Maagog and turn the tide in this war. Before we left Rome, we made one last attempt to unravel the mystery of the mysterious blindfolded woman depicted in the hidden statues. We tried to visit with Riardan Flavius Netyove, Master Teacher of the College of Erudition, with the intention of 'laying our cards on the table' and seeing if he would do the same but found that he had been called to the front to serve in the war effort. Undaunted, I reached out to speak with him using divine magic, but though I think I was able to persuade him that we shared a common cause, he was unable or unwilling to provide any new information to us. Our business in Rome concluded, we departed with little fanfare and much haste for the Serpent's Teeth mountains. The eight days on the road to Port Draconis were uneventful, and we travelled largely in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. We barely stopped to rest and resupply before we were back on the road again, heading for the foothills of the Serpent's Teeth, and then up the mountains themselves. Having made the trek once already, we made good time and avoided hazards that could hinder our progress. Sooner than I had thought, we found ourselves high in the mountains, at the plateau where the city of Kathend Irthos once stood. As Tertia, Laura, and Hassan carefully went over the wording of the Ritus Religati, I took some time to make offerings and prayers to Apollo. I reflected on all places we had travelled to over the past few months: from the top of the Eyrie to the depths of the sea caves outside of Turris, from the bustling metropolis of Rome to the ruined remains of Lugdunum, across the Sundered Sea to the lighthouse at Rakota, and even beyond this plane of existence to the strange and haunting astral sea. In that time, we had seen wonders and horrors as well: parlayed with pirates, witnessed the gruesome effect of the Slaadi proliferation methods, mounted a fiery and near-fatal assault on a hidden Kuo-Toa temple, bargained with one dragon and then battled two more. Throughout all of it, I had felt Apollo guiding me on this path. I asked him for one last time to guide me, to give me a sign that I was on the right course. Once again, he answered my prayers. As I watched in wonder, a majestic feast materialized on the plateau before me. All manner of foods were arrayed on the ground; warm breads, fine roasted meats of all varieties, stewed vegetables and fresh fruits of all sorts, and jugs of fine wine and cool frothy ale. There were even Aarakocra delicacies, and exotic dishes that I didn’t recognize but that Hassan assured me were the best that Aegptian cuisine had to offer. On the cusp of what could be our last adventure, we sat down together for a truly blessed meal, and the simple pleasure of each other's company. Some time passed, maybe an hour, where we were able to take sustenance and be renewed by Apollo's gift. Eventually, with the meal concluded and our spirits lifted, we turned back to the crater where the ancient draconic city once stood. Tertia, ever the soldier, took the lead, walking towards the crater and uttering the invocation: "Kathend Irthos, Olim Milo Verthica Okarthel!" We watched in amazement as a portal of swirling mystic energy immediately appeared before us. We exchanged glances of fear and apprehension - but also of excitement and hope. This was our chance to finally strike directly at Maagog, and maybe change the course of the war. Weapons at the ready, we slowly walked through the arcane gate made manifest by the ritual...
Rewards Granted
5,000 Experience Points
Missions/Quests Completed
- Major Milestone - "Save the Children"
- Campaign Milestone - Find a way inside Kathend Irthos
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