Fairy Rescue: Game 4

General Summary

The Party befriended the Alette the Pixie and agreed to help her rescue fairies that were enslaved by the Order of the Necromantia. The Party snuck into the basement and dungeons of the Order's burned Abbey through a secret staircase, fought undead zombies, rescued the fairies, slew the necromancer clerics and their guards, befriended the mage Odium Moulim from Northern Fultar, and captured the half-elf mercenary Bayleaf and a number of Order's guards. The session ended with the Party victorious and in complete control of the Abbey basement and dungeon.

Entering the Abbey Ruins

Alette the Pixie became a quick ally who provided invaluable information on how to enter the Abbey ruins through a secret backdoor that would allow them to surprise the Order rather than through the main entrance, which is the door to the basement in the burned Abbey. The Abbey was once a large and impressive building, which was destroyed in a great battle between the fairies and the Order. Travelers visiting the Abbey had stolen the Earth Shaker, a great lute called Tar Eneemena in the Druidic tongue (which is described in Tar Eneemena: Preface to Game 1 Back Up). During the battle, one of the visiting travelers began playing the lute, which engendered a destructive force causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions damaging most of the Isle and destroying the Abbey. The back entrance was down an ancient spiral staircase descending into the earth. In the niches were smashed statutes of gods from the Fultonian Religion.

Room of Zombies

This was a bare, 50' by 50' room with two ranks of undead. The Party made quick work of them.

Odium the Mage

A secret door lead to the room of Odium the Mage. His room contains small statutes and figurines of dogs, horses, monks, footmen, knights on horseback, gnomes, and pilgrims. All of these statutes are from 1' to 3' tall. There are also two other life sized statutes on the north wall. One is robed skeleton holding a large scythe, and the other is a medusa. The statutes are badly made of glazed clay, with the exception that the life sized ones are stone and stand on large square bases. The Party is told that they were used as scarecrows in the garden; however, the island's birds were soon no longer frightened by them and began roosting on the figures, so they were removed to the cellars. Bits of old bird's nests can be found in the medusa's snaky hair and between the skeleton's ribs. On the floor in front of the statutes is a pallet of several blankets, and Odium reading his book. Odium is a nondescript bald middle aged man with beady eyes from Fultar. He explained that he was visiting the Abbey on business when the fairies and Order engaged in their great battle. He sided with the humans, and survived the great destruction. He says he is no coward, and gave a good account of himself during the battle, but survived by mere chance. He ran through the burning building to save his spell book and other valuables. As the flames mounted, Odium was forced to retreat to the cellars with his rescued goods. Odium explained that has business elsewhere and is desperate to leave the Isle and return home to Northern Fultar. The Party strikes a deal with Odium, who makes them sign a written contract and agree to make a token payment to him. At least so far, Odium has upheld his part of the bargain.

Necromancer Experiments and Torture Chamber

This room included cages with three dead forest gnomes, one barely alive dryad, and ten pixies, half of which are missing their wings. The walls have skinned pixies and their wings. The tables have dissection tools, alchemists equipment, colorful beakers and liquids, candles and other objects of evil. One table has a series of books:

Making Friends: A History of Necromancy
Book of the Necromantia
Human Anatomy
Darkness: Creating, Dispelling and Exploiting It
How to Kill Fairies
Hecate’s Encylodeia of Herbal Components
Undead: How to Dead Them

There are a number of statutes of Hecate, which were taken from the niches in the outdoor staircase, the only one of the Fultonian gods honored by the Order.

Pixies in happier times.

Meditation Room

This room has been cleared of all debris and is currently used by necromancers in prayer. Three walls are heavily curtained with draperies of thick black velvet, and the east wall is decorated with a horrible mural depicting a red dragon devouring sheep. Near the west wall is a stone table on which a large iron brazier burns. The table has been scrubbed and scoured, but it has many odd discolorations and scorch marks. A half-melted statue and two badly damaged candlesticks sit beside the brazier. This was a meditation and study room before the abbey burned. The clerics still perform what few rites and ceremonies they can, given the circumstances. The furnishings were salvaged from the rubble. The Abbey residents do not tamper with the curtains, seeing them as sacred objects. The Party quickly murdered the devout clerics that were in peaceful prayer. The Party feels no remorse in their righteous purge of this religious minority.

Ozymandias's Quarters

This room is full of kegs, bags, and boxes. There is a rough cot in one corner and a great deal of clutter everywhere. Except for the cot, this appears to be nothing more than a disorganized storage room. The room serves as Ozymandias's bedroom, office, and storeroom.

Necromancers's Quarters

Several large bookcases lean against the walls in this cold room, and a high chair and a scribe's desk sit to the right of the door. The bookcases are loaded with books and scrolls. Four bedrolls are stacked neatly in the comer. The four Necromancers make this room their home. A single cultist is here most of the time, scribing a scroll. Overly cautious, the disciples dare not heat the room for fear of setting their precious books and scrolls alight. The bedrolls are made of scratchy blankets and appear to hold nothing of interest or value.

Common Area

This combination dining hall and gambling den reeks of greasy, soured food. The main feature of the room is a makeshift table made of burned planks supported at either end by upended barrels. Beneath the table are several small kegs that serve as chairs. Scraps of food are strewn across the table and on the floor nearby. Weary-looking humans look up, startled, as you appear. This is the dining and recreation area for the survivors. The guards and clerics have a standing argument over who should keep the area clean. As a result, no one is willing to clean the place. A fight ensues, and the party kills Ogmund the strong, but capture Bayleaf, the half-elf and two guards. Ogmund is a huge, stupid, mean-spirited fighter. During the battle with the fairies, a blow knocked him unconscious. He was left for dead and later dragged to safety by clerics retreating to the cellars. He is embarrassed that he did not die in the battle and did not make that mistake twice. Ogmund believes he should oversee the defense of the island and resents Bayleaf's presence. Bayleaf is a male half-elf mercenary who works for the highest bidder. He was hired by the Abbey as a training instructor for the guards. The Party negotiated with him, and it was clear that Bayleaf would readily be bought off for money and safe passage off the island. The Party negotiated with him offering him his life if he surrendered, and he gave up.

Kitchen

A large cauldron filled with smoldering charcoal burns in the center of the room. Assorted cookware and seasonings rest on the floor and on shelves. There is also an ornate scroll tube on the shelf. The room is fairly clean, but the air is humid and greasy. A large tub of dirty water stands in the corner, surrounded by dirty dishes. The cauldron was originally used in the abbey laundry, but the survivors rescued it from the ruins and now use it for cooking. Meals prepared here consist of boiled vegetables and fried meat.

Next Steps

Abbey and Isle

There are three remaining rooms that the Party has not entered in the top floor, including Ogmund's quarters, Bayleaf's quarters, and the guards's barracks. The party has also not searched Ozymandius's quarters or the Necromancers's quarters because you wanted to move quickly to gain the initiative and surprise the enemy. Your plan worked. The party also has not explored the majority of the Isle, most of which appears to have been damages or destroyed.

Bondar and Buntar

Once the party completes its rescue of the fairies and leaves the Isle, the plan is to complete the trip down the Kozar River to Bondar and Buntar. The party has one contact and another name in Bondar that it found in a book taken from the half-orc Gwenu.

Book from Gwenus' hut

The Gwenus' hut included four books, one of which was about poisons, and herbs with three names and locations: The town of Saltmarsh with the names Rocco Vergal and Adia Long, the town of Immersea with the name Crispin Jared, the village of Orlane and the name Zakarias Ormond, and the town of Buntar with the name Gravon Pitt. The name Cripin Jared has a skull written next to it while the other names have drawings of paired torches next to each name. The paired torches are a symbol of the Order's favorite deity, Hecate. Therefore, the party has the name of someone from Buntar, Gravon Pitt, who appears to be a worshipper or ally to the Order.

Rhodri Fawr

Before leaving Sinann, the Druids provided the party with the name Rhodri Fawr, an old warrior who lives in the Celtic town of Buntar, which is one of the twin cities of Bondar and Buntar. Rhodri Fawr used his well earned wealth gained from fighting the people of Henarria to invest in a merchant company. He now owns and operates this company that trades south all the way to the Fultonian town of Immersea. Rhodri is not the most trustworthy of men, which is evidenced by the fact that he uses Fultonian coins (ancient Druid law proscribes the use of coins and requires that most commercial transactions be based on barter. In modern times Celtic kings and queens of Galletica have been able to buy indulgences that allow them mint their own coin for certain transactions. However, no Celt is supposed to use the coins minted by foreign nations like Fular, Bevil and the Gildam Confederacy). Rhodri is also not the most intelligent. This is evidenced by the fact that he has learned to read and write Fultonian, which is a sign of a weak mind. A man should be able to remember everything important and not have to write anything down. However, Rhodri owes the Druids for an unmentioned boon they provided him years ago, is a follower of the god of merchants Ohgma, and the Druids expect that he will provide assistance to the party to help get them safely from Bondar to Orlane, or at least Northern Fultar.

After Buntar and Bondar

(This information was also provided in Gwenus' Crannog and Down the Kozar River: Game 2.) Here are the details for the overall trip: It is about 150 miles from Glan Elin to Bondar. The party stopped the first night in Caernarfon, the second night in Ponciau, and the plan was to arrive in Bondar at the end of the third day. Next, there is an about around a 160 mile trip from Bondar to a small Celtic town of Harmarthen in the tribal territory of the Venebones. This trip can be taken via the South Kozar River. The Party will then travel about 200 miles overland starting with a 70 mile tri to the Celtic village of Olbat, and another 50 miles to the Celtic village of Mawatt, both of which are in the land of the Celtic tribe of Albae. Finally, there is a 75 mile trip to Immersea, in the Empire of Fultar, and one of the main towns of Northern Fultar. From Immersea, the party can travel down the Tesser River Valley. As explained in Tar Eneemena: Preface to Game 1, Monell is expected to return to the village Hommlett to report back to the Druid Ashstaff of the village of Hommlett of the good news regarding the oracle's direction that the people of Hommlett should not molest Temple of Elemental Evil. The Party has also learned the names of individuals related to the kidnapping of the gnomes in the town of Immersea, and the villages of Orlane and Saltmarsh.