Session 8 - The Claws of the Lioness, The Demon Waters, Part 4

Dramatis Personae:

• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Elven Spellsword - Braem the Burning, Arcanist-Guardian and Flametongue - Played by Ben
• The Mystic - Ali Abbas the Immaculate - Played by Paul
• The Dwarven Vaultguard - Dwadnur of Beasthold, Sentry and Goblin-Slayer - Played by Nathaniel
• The Cleric of St. Faruin - Kumbar of Aesta-Suvash, Catechist and Undead Slayer - Played by Jonathan
• The Mage - Timlaras "Tim" of Aesta-Suvash, Thaumaturge and Necromancer - Played by Scott
• The Henchman and Fighter - Džim of Aesta-Suvash, Warrior - Played by Scott
• The Henchman and Thief - Arana of Aesta-Suvash, Hood - Played by Scott
• The Mage - Mixebram "Mix" of Aesta-Suvash, Arcanist and Magical Scholar - Played by George

When last we left our heroes... The survivors of the first foray into the sunken temple returned to Aesta-Suvash, laden with treasure and bearing the wounds of their encounters with the strange abominations they met beneath the earth. They had three main things they wanted to accomplish while in town:

• To go to the temple of St. Faruin and make the brotherhood there aware of the evil lurking outside the city's walls.
• To meet with Timlaras the Mage, the employer of the Order of the Dead God, update him on their progress and tell him of the problems they had encountered within the temple.
• To return to The Sign of the Eagle and find out whether or not they had managed to heal the magical waters running beneath it by shutting down the old pump.

The most wounded members of the party proceeded to the Abbey of St. Faruin, a small and spartan order of vampire-hunters and undead-slayers. After making use of the order's divine healing magics (for a small but reasonable donation, of course) they spoke with the Prior, Shegar, who listened to their tale with interest. Ultimately, he decided to send a member of the brotherhood (Kumbar, played by Jonathan G) whose "stake was as-yet unbloodied" with the party to investigate the temple.

In the meantime, Ali Abbas went to the Porphyry Oubliette, the headquarters of the Brotherhood of the Dragon's Heart, the mage's guild authorized by the Emperor himself to control the study of the arcane arts within the Exarchate. There, Ali Abbas met with his employer, a powerful and self-important mage by the name of Timlaras. Timlaras (played by Scott) listened to the mystic's account, revealing that in fact a certain conjunction of astrological signs had indicated that the Veil Between Worlds was thinning and that as a result, the wards that had once hidden and protected the ancient temple would have ceased to function. He speculated that something from the "Nether Regions" of the cosmos must have also made its way up into the temple. At this point their conversation was interrupted by the slightly bumbling (but, as it turns out, very astute) Mixebram "Mix," Timlaras' research assistant. After introducing his assistant to Ali Abbas, Timlaras declared that "if you want something done right, you should do it yourself," and declared his intention to return with Ali Abbas and the others to the sunken temple. 

Ali Abbas also inquired about acquiring a spell book for Braem the Burning. Timalaras was able to provide one (after a bit of hard bargaining), a tome bound in the skin of a Lizardfolk Shaman, already containing the spell Charm Person.

The party met up at the Sign of the Eagle, where they examined the waters flowing beneath the inn and found them an inch or two lower, but still cursed. Ranset, the owner of the inn, was extremely happy with the party: it turns out that during the previous night (when the players were still in the dungeon, fighting the Gombie Zoblins), someone had killed Halbrand -- the owner of The Blacksmith's Revenge, the competing inn across the street -- in his sleep. Alsuna took it upon herself to investigate his death more, learning that there were a variety of theories about the cause of his death (that he was stabbed by a lover, for Halbrand was known to have wandering eyes and hands; that the party hired by Ranset had done it). However, as Alsuna learned, Halbrand had been found stabbed, but his wounds were totally bloodless -- and in fact, all of the blood had been drained from his body. Speculating that some kind of vampire might have been involved, Alsuna accidentally started that rumor, which did have the benefit of more or less covering the party's tracks.

After a day spent in town and with arrangements (including some of the party members donating much of their hard-earned treasure to the local temples and to benefit the poor in the city), the companions set out for the temple again. Arriving at its entrance without incident, they used Timlaras' Ring of Tixelzintran the All-Seeing [a Ring of X-Ray Vision] to examine the entrance, finding it unguarded. They also noticed that the pipe on the south side of the temple was now dry, and Timlaras could see that it led deeper into the temple, and that it could possibly be used as a way to enter the dungeon. The party ultimately decided to use the front door again, and as they entered the vestibule again, Mix noticed the bas reliefs and mosaics and was able to interpret them using his knowledge of astrology and astronomy: This temple -- or at least its lower parts -- was divided into four inter-cardinal quadrants (NW, NE, SE, SW), each of which were intended to flood and drain in turn. 

Deciding this was useful information, the party pressed on, this time heading east. In the next chamber they found another smaller room full of rich mosaics; most likely this room was intended to be a reception chamber for important guests long ago when the temple had been functioning. There was a collapsed doorway to the north, and another door to the east. Ignoring the east door, Timlaras used his ring again to peer through the collapsed northern door, revealing that it led to a stairway that went deeper into the temple. At the bottom of the stairway, Timlaras could just make out another large pumping machine (much like the one the party had previously disabled on the West side of the dungeon) as well as shadowy forms moving. The party decided to begin clearing the entrance. While they were doing so, the door behind them (the east door) quietly opened, and half a dozen Morlocks slipped in and attempted to take the party by surprise. 

Due to some quick teamwork, the party managed to recover from their surprise, and Mix cast Sleep on the Morlocks, allowing the rest of the party to easily dispatch the cave-dwellers. After they finished clearing the rubble on the north wall, the companions proceeded down the stairwell into the chamber -- only to have six ghouls drop from the ceiling!

The companions managed to act quickly, with Braem killing one of the Ghouls with an arrow to the throat before Kumbar raised his holy symbol and, uttering a prayer to St. Faruin, used Turn (Away) Undead. Four of the Ghouls fled, howling, while the remaining Ghoul was quickly slain when Timlaras used the Branch of Demar Norei [a wand of Fireballs], causing an enormous lotus of flame to bloom, enveloping the Ghoul and destroying it (and also cooking a bunch of garlic that Mix had thrown at the ghoul, to no effect). The companions found two small ancient coffers in the room containing coins and gems, and a strange holy symbol: a large coin on a chain, slowly weeping blood. Mix examined it carefully before tucking it away with the other treasure he was helping to carry in his pack.

And that is where we left them: weighed down slightly with treasure, the room smelling of ozone and roasting garlic, and the slight hum of the pump array working in the background...

Monsters killed:

• 6 Morlocks
• 2 Ghouls

Monsters routed:

• 4 Ghouls

Treasure Recovered:

• 5,024 Silver Coins (502 GP)
• 1 Bloodstone gem (50 GP)
• 3 Tiger Eye Gems (75 GP total)
• 1 Strange Holy Symbol in the shape of a Bloody Coin (400 GP)
• 1 Wrought Brass Trinket (120 GP)

Session 7 - The Claws of the Lioness, The Demon Waters, Part 3

Dramatis Personae:

• The Thief - Randar the Keen of Ina-Zhunawl, Footpad and Lockbreaker - Played by Nathaniel
• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Paladin of St. Gogar - Gogar of Eda, Bulwark and Temple Guard - Played by PJ
• The Barbarian - Adelmar of Adalsted, Hunter and Sea-Rover - Played by Jonathan G
• The Dwarven Craftpriest - Moriana of Beasthold, Dwarven Craft-catechist and Reliquary Guardian - Played by Andrea
• The Elven Spellsword - Braem the Burning, Arcanist-Guardian and Flametongue - Played by Ben
• The Elven Nightblade - Mellorondil, Arcanist-Avenger and Silent Slayer - Played by Scott
• The Mage - Tuvalt the Clumsy of Vlam-Kuzang, Arcanist and Warmage - Played by Chris
• The Mystic - Ali Abbas the Immaculate - Played by Paul
• The Dwarven Vaultguard - ??? - Played by Jonathan R

When last we left our heroes... Their resources somewhat depleted, and one of their party (Braem the Burning) naked, injured, and needing rest, the party debated about where to go next, eventually electing to move back towards another room closer to the entrance of the temple and there, to spike the doors and attempt to rest for the night.

It was during the second watch of the night that they heard a pronounced, rhythmic thumping on the west door. One of their previously overlooked hirelings (a dwarven vaultguard played by Jonathan R, who was visiting for the evening) decided to beat on the door back ,to see if it would have any effect. It seemed to result in the intensity and frequency of the thumps on the other side. There was a brief scramble to seal the door further before it burst open, collapsing due to dry rot to the weight on the other side of it. 

As it turns out, the source of the thumps was a large group of goblins -- but something had been done to them, so that in behavior they were more like zombies than goblins. The party christened them "gombie zoblins" and soon found themselves engaged in the fight of their life in the small chamber.

Randar the thief went down first, in almost the very first round. Gogar the Paladin, and Adelmar the Barbarian fought valiantly, but also fell in battle with the hoard. It was only thanks to the coordination of Mellorondil and Braem, the party's two elves, that they were not completely overwhelmed: Mellorondil doused a large section of the floor between himself and the zombie hoard in lamp oil, and then, as the zombies crossed it, Braem set it and the zombies ablaze with a flare of arcane power [Burning Hands], killing four of the mutated goblins.

Alas, all of this was not enough to save his companion Mellorondil, who fell during the next round, the fourth one of our heroes cut down by the goblins. Eventually, the party managed to mop up what was left of the strange creatures. They checked the bodies of their companions--all had been slain, but Mellorondil lived long enough to bequeath his gear and equipment to the still-naked Braem--before examining the corpses of the "gombie zoblins," finding them a fusion of goblins and some kind of rotting swamp matter, something reminiscent of the evil demi-dryad the party had fought back in The Sign of the Eagle. In the aftermath of the battle, the companions took some time to bury their fallen party members in a corner of the room.

Down four party members and in bad need of a safe place to rest, the companions decided to now risk the journey back to town. Under cover of darkness, they headed back to Aesta-Suvash, avoiding an encounter with a pair of hobgoblins along the way thanks to Braem's sharp eyesight. As the hobgoblins passed, Braem overheard this exchange:

"I tell you, Klarg, I don't like the looks of this thing. How do we know these Deep Ones can be trusted?"

"What does it matter as long as we're paid? Stop complaining and hurry up!"

As far as the companions could tell, the hobgoblins were headed towards the temple they had just left.

Limping back into town with many of their companions fallen, the party planned to check in with their employers (Ranset at the Sign of the Eagle; the mage from the Brotherhood of the Dragon's Heart [the local Mage's Guild] who had hired the Order of the Old God), alert the local temple of St. Gogar to the danger presented by the infested temple just a few hours outside of the city, and rest and re-supply before heading back out beyond the city's walls.

Monsters Killed:

• 8 Gombie Zoblins

Player Characters Killed:

• The Thief - Randar the Keen of Ina-Zhunawl, Footpad and Lockbreaker - Played by Nathaniel
• The Paladin of St. Gogar - Gogar of Eda, Bulwark and Temple Guard - Played by PJ
• The Barbarian - Adelmar of Adalsted, Hunter and Sea-Rover - Played by Jonathan G
• The Elven Nightblade - Mellorondil, Arcanist-Avenger and Silent Slayer - Played by Scott

Treasure Recovered:

• 60 Silver Pieces (6 GP)

Notes: Scott B has decided to bring in his Advanced character (a Mage at level 5) as his replacement character. This character is the mage who hired the Order of the Dead God. Both PJ and Jonathan G are bringing in clerics of St. Gogar, who the party will meet in the next session when Alsuna the Paladin goes to the temple to alert them to the danger posed by the cursed temple outside the city.

Session 6 - Claws of the Lioness, The Demon Waters, Pt 2

Dramatis personae: 

• The Thief - Randar the Keen of Ina-Zhunawl, Footpad and Lockbreaker - Played by Nathaniel
• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Paladin of St. Gogar - Gogar of Eda, Bulwark and Temple Guard - Played by PJ
• The Barbarian - Adelmar of Adalsted, Hunter and Sea-Rover - Played by Jonathan
• The Dwarven Craftpriest - Moriana of Beasthold, Dwarven Craft-catechist and Reliquary Guardian - Played by Andrea
• The Elven Spellsword - Braem the Burning, Arcanist-Guardian and Flametongue - Played by Ben
• The Elven Nightblade - Mellorondil, Arcanist-Avenger and Silent Slayer - Played by Scott
• The Mage - Tuvalt the Clumsy of Vlam-Kuzang, Arcanist and Warmage - Played by Chris
• The Mystic - Ali Abbas the Immaculate - Played by Paul

In the aftermath of the brief battle with the Gelatinous Cube, the heroes took a moment to gather up their new treasure and study the mosaics and bas reliefs on the walls and ceiling of the antechamber. The mosaics seemed to depict major constellations corresponding to the NE, SE, SW, and NW quadrants of the sky, each with various phases of the moon depicted corresponding to high and low tides: Full and New moons corresponding to high tides, and half moons corresponding to low tides. Beneath them were a series of mosaics depicting Sudhvi, the old Saftash god of the sea, standing at the base of an inverted ziggurat (like a cistern), his hand raised in blessing over the waters as they rose and fell around him. More than that, though, the companions were not able to determine, since none of them possessed the knowledge of lore that would have explained what was being communicated by the images.

It was at this point that the companions were interrupted by another adventuring party entering from the door to the east -- a well-armed and provisioned party known as The Order of the Dead God, led by Ali-Abbas (a mystic from lands far to the east) and his three companions, a pair of elves and an ex-imperial squad mage. After a brief moment of tension -- in which Randar offered the new party a bottle of the chaos-tainted wine which he had swiped from the cellar without anyone noticing during the previous session -- the two parties decided to work together. The bottle of chaos-tainted wine, meanwhile, was broken by Gogar -- probably a good call, all things considered. There was also an argument over a potion (which Mellorondil, who has some knowledge of Alchemy, identified as a Potion of Giant Strength [N.B. -- It wasn't, he actually got this wrong, it was a potion of Levitation]) which Randar had been holding, and which Mellorondil wanted to give to one of the paladins. Alsuna solved the problem by pouring the potion out. "If you can't stop fighting, nobody can have it."

This rather large party set off westward through the temple, moving as cautiously as they could but still managing to run into some trouble along the way -- including a boulder trap that battered the whole party pretty badly, and a small nest of giant ferrets. Fighting their way through the ferrets with ease, the companions gleaned some coins and other minor treasures before moving into the next room, only to find something else entirely.

In this chamber of the temple, apparently some kind of a dining room, a rich table of food was laid out, and the meal presided over by an ancient priestess and served by spectral beings emerging from the walls to refill cups, produce new platters of mouth-watering food, and wait upon the needs of the guests. The party, however, was deeply suspicious of this food and of their mysterious host, and refused to sit and eat (although she encouraged them to do so multiple times). The paladins determined that there was nothing evil about the priestess or her food -- in fact, it all had a faint aura of Law about it -- but even so, they were suspicious. Speaking with the priestess, they realized that she and the whole meal were displaced out of time, as she spoke as though the Alsudhvian Empire (that of the Wave-Emperors) was still at its height. 

The delicious smell finally became too much for Randar to bear. He snatched up a leg of mutton, meaning only to inspect it, before biting deeply into it. As the juices ran down his chin, he felt whole, his bruises and other wounds from the rock trap healed. Additionally, he felt something else about him was different, and has gained the following ability:

• Your shadow becomes a living being. It is a henchman fully under your control. It begins with your same stats and abilities and thereafter advances at a rate of experience equal to half of your own. It can take damage from magical attacks and normal weapons. If it ever dies, your character will cast no shadow until your shadow returns again at the next dawn.

Mellorondil, the Elven Nightblade, had taken advantage of the long conversation to move silently behind the priestess. Still convinced that something nefarious was afoot, he attempted to kill her -- only for the whole vision (including all of the food, the lamps, the furniture -- everything) to vanish. In its place, they found the room was now mostly barren, save for an odd machine in one corner -- a strange contraption of gears, pumps, and valves. Unsure of what the machine did, the Paladins came to the conclusion that they should turn it off, so they spent some time jamming it up with several of Alsuna's metal spikes while the elves noticed a secret door, concealed beneath a facade of stone in the east wall. 

Opening it, Mellorondil led the party down a narrow flight of stairs into a long corridor -- triggering a poison dart trap which his elven reflexes allowed him to barely avoid -- and finally into a small chamber with two doorways. After attempting the south door -- a heavy iron-banded door like a "blast door" -- and being unable to pick its lock, the companions spent a significant amount of time hacking it to bits with their axes and maces before being able to enter the next chamber, which appeared to be some sort of ritual space with a low stone altar about 3 feet high. To the east and the west were doors with metal grating at their base, and from this Braem concluded that this was a ritual chamber, and possibly the source of the dungeon's corruption. 

They were unable to open the west door (it was swollen shut with age and time), but the eastern door proved easier to open. Braem stepped through it -- and found himself in another ritual chamber, with another one of the heavy blast doors opposite him to the East, with faded bas reliefs on either side of the walls. As he turned to look at one of them, it transformed into a grey ooze. The Grey Ooze took both surprise and initiative, enveloping Braem and immediately eroding his clothes, armor, weapons, and treasure, and dealing 14 damage to the elf -- dropping him immediately to 0 HP. Acting quickly, the other companions managed to drag Braem out of the room before Ali-Abba shut the door on the chamber and said, "Well."

As the Ooze seemed not to be interested in pursuing (no doubt satisfied with its "meal") the companions treated Braem's wounds. They were able to stabilize him in time, and although he is naked and hideously scarred, he awoke at 1 HP. He will need 1 day's bed rest (in a safe location), as well as magical healing, before he will be able to get back on his feet.

Monsters killed:

• 5 Giant Ferrets

Treasure recovered:

• 2,000 silver coins (2 stone, 200 GP)
• 4 pouches of Saffron (3/6 stone, 60 GP)
• 1 chunk of quartz (10 GP)
• 8 silver-tipped arrows (40 GP); 4 of these were on Braem's person and were destroyed by the ooze, leaving only 4 (20 GP value) in Mellorondil's keeping.

Notes:

• The companions have now spent 3 hours in the temple. They will need to rest for the night soon or begin to face penalties to their throws.

Session 5 - Claws of the Lioness, The Demon Waters, Pt 1

This session marked the beginning of a twice-monthly Monday night game which will form the core play group for Under the Shadow of the Winter Queen, the open-world multi-group campaign set in the Exarchate of Alsudhvi. 

Our dramatis personae for the night:

• The Thief - Randar the Keen of Ina-Zhunawl, Footpad and Lockbreaker - Played by Nathaniel
• The Paladin of St. Faruin - Alsuna of Vlamesht, Bulwark and Vanguard - Played by Sophia
• The Paladin of St. Gogar - Gogar of Eda, Bulwark and Temple Guard - Played by PJ
• The Barbarian - Adelmar of Adalsted, Hunter and Sea-Rover - Played by Jonathan
• The Dwarven Craftpriest - Moriana of Beasthold, Dwarven Craft-catechist and Reliquary Guardian - Played by Andrea

This adventure begins on the Third Day of the First Month (September) of the 251st year of the Vikarian Empire.

When last we left our heroes...

Brought together from disparate corners of the Duchy of Alsudhvi, our party of Ratcatchers met literally in the common room of the Guildhouse of the Claws of the Lioness, about five minutes before their swearing-in ceremony. Low on gold and/or hungry for adventure, these five individuals have joined themselves to The Claws of the Lioness, a Free Company which is "duly licensed by the will of his grace, Duke Uvias, to operate within the Duchy of Aesta-Suvash." With a grunt, Quartermaster Bamavar directed them to a board on which were posted a number of bounties and other jobs which sworn members of the Company (which now included the five of them) could undertake for payment:

After a bit of debate, the companions decided to head just up the road to The Sign of the Eagle, a once-prosperous inn there in Aesta-Suvash, since the problem looked easy enough to solve. Once they arrived and began questioning the innkeeper, Ranset, they quickly realized that something was amiss. The inn was in shambles, plagued not so much by poisonings as by a series of strange tragedies and mishaps (of an arcane or supernatural sort) befalling the inn's various patrons. Ranset suspected that Halbrand, the barbarian owner of the inn across the street (The Blacksmith's Revenge) had been poisoning his food (and Randar, the Thief, was all for murdering Halbrand and seeing if that solved anything) but upon investigation, this theory just wasn't adding up. Finally, Moriana the Dwarf narrowed down the various strange occurrences to a single unifying strand: all of the patrons who had disappeared or died in this way had ordered The Eagle's Claw, the house wine Ranset himself produced using the same blessed waters from an underground stream which his father and his father before him had used. The prosperity of The Sign of the Eagle had always been tied to this especially delicious and potent wine. 

Just then, one of the inn's few customers (an out-of-towner who had, yes, ordered the wine) began to cough violently, keeling over as a strange creature -- a small, rotting, bipedal tree, covered in slime, with glowing red eyes -- crawled out of the dead man's mouth. The party immediately attacked the creature, Moriana knocking it across the common room with a blow from her Morning Star before Randar pinned it to the wall with a bolt from his crossbow, killing it. 

Randar wrapped the creature in a towel and put it in his pack in case they wanted to examine it later, and the party decided they'd better head down to the basement to have a look at the wine cellar, and this "blessed" stream that ran through it.

Down in the cellar, the water looked clear and clean enough, but to the vision of the Paladins (both of whom have Detect Evil as an at-will ability) it glowed with the obvious corruption of Chaos. Since the underground stream ran right under the city, the companions decided to go back upstairs (to buy torches and other equipment) and then follow the channel of the stream to see where it led. 

When they emerged from the long, dark tunnel, they found themselves in marshlands a mile or two north of the city. The corruption of Chaos seemed to be even stronger here, and the Paladins led the party forward to its source, which (after a few hours) turned out to be an ancient temple rising up out of the marshlands. Although none of the companions recognized the temple (or when it was built, or by whom), it was obviously very old. They took some time to reconnoiter around the structure and found that its exterior was about 350 x 175 or so feet. It had two entrances -- one, on the southern side (the direction from which the party had approached) was a great rotted door, some fifteen feet up, accessible by a crumbling stone stairway. The other entrance was on the north side, and at once time had matched, but the doorway had collapsed and the stairway had long side crumbled away under moss and lichen. Additionally, there were four 10' wide drainage pipes, one on each side of the rectangular temple, which alternated spewing forth polluted waters into the marsh about once an hour.

After deliberating, the party decided to try the front door. Climbing the stair, they pushed through the rotted wood into a large chamber, covered in ancient bas reliefs and mosaics. Before they could study these (and see what clues they might hold to the rest of the temple), Randar (the Thief) noticed what appeared to be a spray of coins and gems hovering in the air just a few feet in front of him. 

He stepped forward to grab them -- and was immediately attacked by a gelatinous cube! He managed to leap nimbly aside (making his Surprise roll) and the rest of the party fanned out to attack. Randar it the cube with a crossbow bolt, and Adelmar the Barbarian managed to sheer off a chunk of it with his axe before being enveloped by the strange abomination. Alsuna tried attacking it with her torch, and Moriana got her morning star stuck in it. Randar managed to hit it with another bolt from his crossbow before Alsuna, switching to her warhammer, finished it off with an upswing that sent pieces of goo splattering across the bas reliefs in the backdrop. 

As it disintegrated, Adelmar fell out, gasping for air, and the floor of the temple rang with the clatter of coins and gems. The companions scooped these up, before turning to the mosaics and bas reliefs to study them...

Monsters killed:

• Demi-dryad
• Gelatinous Cube

Treasure recovered:

• Citrine Gem (50 GP)
• Tourmaline Gem (100 GP)
• Topaz Gem (500 GP)
• 1000 Electrum Coins (500 GP, 1 Stone)
• Vial of rare perfume (150 GP)
• An unidentified Potion (now in Randar's keeping)

Notes: Evening is fast-approaching. The PC's will need to rest for the night in 2 Turns.

Session 4 - Tales of the Blade-daughters, Howe of Heroes Pt 2

This is the second session of a 1-on-1 mini-campaign within the larger Exarchate of Alsudhvi campaign, and features the adventure of the Blade-Daughter Miza, a Level 5 Bladedancer played by Sophia. This adventure also features Miza's two henchmen: her sister Tavala (Level 3 Bladedancer) and her friend and the party's guide, Rama (Level 2 Explorer).

When last we left our heroes... Surrounded and ambushed by a group of panthers just a few miles outside of Aesta-Suvash, the three adventurers closed ranks. Tavala murmured a prayer to Myimsta, casting Protection from Evil in a circle around the group while Rama readied her bow and Miza cast Charm Animal, first one the largest of the panthers, and then (the following round) on the one nearest it. Having reduced the ranks of the enemies to four, the companions were still not prepared for how vicious and tough these man-eating panthers would be.

Tavala was dropped to 0 HP, but revived almost immediately via a Cure Light Wounds cast by Miza. Rama was overwhelmed as she hastily fired arrows at the charging great cats, dropping to 0 HP as well. Miza was able to revive her, but the party was quickly running out of magic and doing very little to grind down the vicious beasts. The two charmed panthers fighting in defense of Miza (whom she named Raja and Midnight) did something to stem the tide, but Midnight was soon slain by her former den mates. 

Just as all seemed lost, a voice boomed around them, invoking an arcane formula as four ghostly warriors appeared, attacking the panthers. The party, it seemed, had been joined by a travelling mage. He summoned spectral warriors from the afterlife and even (through a bit of forbidden necromantic magic) raised the fallen Midnight to fight again alongside the companions. And even this was nearly not enough, as the vicious panthers tore through the spectral warriors easily. In the end, though, the mage's magic and the Bladedancers' grit was enough to outlast the panthers, and the final one fled before being hunted down by the two panthers under the party's magical control.

As the battle ended and wounds were seen to, the mage introduced himself as Kemog, a "humble scholar" who was travelling East along the road. Since his route seemed to be taking him in the same direction as the rest of the party, Miza invited him to travel with them since there is "safety in numbers." 

Their numbers grown to four (five if you count Raja, who is still magically charmed by Miza), the companions continued eastward, following the road towards Bal-Bawet. They made it another two-and-a-half days before Rama, more vigilant this time, called a halt to their march and crept forward. There, crossing the road in front of them, were two giant monitor lizards with pronounced dorsal fins. These creatures, dangerous predators who are often taken as mounts by Lizardfolk and other beastmen, turned in the direction of the party. They had been spotted once again.

Monsters Killed: 

• 5 Panthers

Monsters Charmed: 

• 1 Panther

Session 3 - Tales of the Blade-Daughters: Howe of Heroes, Pt 1

This adventure begins on Tuesday, 26/12 of the Current Year.

This is the first session of a 1-on-1 mini-campaign within the larger Exarchate of Alsudhvi campaign, and features the adventure of the Blade-Daughter Miza, a Level 5 Bladedancer played by Sophia. This adventure also features Miza's two henchmen: her sister Tavala (Level 3 Bladedancer) and her friend and the party's guide, Rama (Level 2 Explorer).

When last we left our heroes...

Our adventure begins in the City of Aesta-Suvash. In addition to being the ducal seat and the main hub of trade in the region, it is also home to one of the four remaining temples to Myimsta, the old Saftash god of war. Although the cult of the Eight has died out pretty much everywhere but a few rural villages, the cult of Myimsta has held on thanks primarily due to his priestesses, the Blade-Daughters of Myimsta, an order of warrior-monastic women who become his daughters and who are wedded to the sword. The Blade-Daughters have held on long after the death of their old religion thanks in large part to their usefulness, as their status as outsiders to the newer Ramosian hierarchy means that they make trustworthy guards for dukes, princes, nobles, and even emperors. But times are not what they used to be. With the situation here in the borderlands rapidly deteriorating since the last Beastman War, gone are the days when the Blade-Daughters of Aesta-Suvash guarded the chambers of the emperors. Now, they are considered trustworthy--but affordable--caravan guards, and their great temple has largely fallen into disrepair. 

But the high priestess of the temple, the Blade Mistress Ashpisha, has plans to restore her order's fallen glory -- and they involve Miza, a twenty-three year old Blade-Daughter who, along with her sister Tavala, was "married to the sword" at a young age (and for a proper bride-price) by a poor family who had too many daughters to go around. Miza is very orthodox in her outlook, well-behaved, and skilled with song and blade. Her sister, on the other hand, has an unusual interest in the healing arts -- and in men -- for one married to the blade. 

The adventure began in mid-morning, when Miza was practicing her sword forms in the temple's overgrown courtyard. She was approached by Blade Mistress Ashpisha, in the company of a younger acolyte, the Blade Sister Hetelvar. The Blade Mistress invited Miza to join her and Hetelvar in her quarters, where they had important and secret business which they must discuss. There, Miza was treated to wine and rich bread -- both unusual luxuries for an austere ascetic such as herself -- and then the Blade Mistress began to tell her tale.

She spoke of how the fortunes of the Blade-Daughters had fallen over the course of the last couple of centuries, until they were reduced to mere mercenary work in order to survive. All of this, though, could be remedied. Sister Hetelvar, she explained, had recently been assigned to escort a caravan headed east from Aesta-Suvash to Ina-Vlamun, when they were attacked by a company of orcs on the road. The orcs were driven off or slain, but not before their leader tried to bargain for his wretched life with a piece of information.

"It seems," said Sister Hetelvar, picking up the narrative, her eyes burning with fury, "that the wretch saw my headdress" -- here she motioned to the headdress which all of the Blade-Daughters wore -- "and recognized it, because he had seen one like it before. He described one to me, far grander and more valuable, and said he would tell me its location if I would let him live."

"The headdress he described," said the Blade Mistress, "can only be that of the Mistress of All Blades, Thlagra the Red-handed." Thlagra the Red-handed was the greatest hero of the order, and had died in battle with the Winter Queen in the waning days of the Alsudhvian Empire. All Blade-Daughters know her name, for her image adorns many of their temples and living quarters. "Either he is lying, in which case he has more information than any man now living, or he has really seen it." 

As Sister Hetelvar went on to describe, the orc had seen the headdress in a barrow somewhere east of the old ruined fortress of Bel-Bawet. More than that he would not say, except that it had been guarded by "terrible monsters" -- which was most likely why he had not taken it himself. Sister Hetelvar had of course, freed him, by freeing his head from his body.

"What you may not know," said the Blade Mistress, "is that there was indeed a great battle near Bel-Bawet during the War of the Winter Queen. The body of Thlagra the Red-handed was never recovered, but what if it is she who is buried in this barrow? Thlagra had six magical items, relics of great power. If we were to recover even one of them, it would bring prosperity to our order. If we were to recover all six, the glory of the Blade Daughters would be restored forever."

[The six relics of Thlagra are her Headdress, her Necklace, her Armbands, her Earrings, and her two blades, the Two Fangs of the Viper. Of these, it is said that the Necklace was the most powerful.]

Miza was asked, along with her sister, to go in search of the barrow, face whatever monsters guarded it, and return with any relics they might find. She was also authorized to hire Rama the Outrider -- a scout and guide with whom Miza had worked before -- to act as their guide in the wilderness. The Blade Mistress considers Rama "not a bad sort, for one who uses so cowardly a weapon" -- the Blade-Daughters do not use bows, or any other ranged weapons.

Miza went to find her sister, who she found "reading" a hand-illustrated, prurient novel which someone had left in the infirmary. Actually, since Tavala is illiterate, she was mostly just looking at the pictures. Miza scolded her, filled her in on their new mission, and then headed off to find Rama while Tavala prepared her healing supplies. Miza headed down the street to the Tooth and Hound, where she found Rama (coarse, low-born, and -- when she's in town -- a party animal) still sleeping off the previous night's revelry. Waking her and paying her bar tab was a bit of work, but with the party together, they finally set off down the road.

They were scarcely six miles away from Aesta-Suvash, still in cultivated wheat fields and in sight of the city's villages and suburbs, when -- as Rama entertained and embarrassed Tavala with ribald tales and jokes -- they were startled by a sudden snarl. Six huge panthers, grey as shadows, emerged from the wheat fields on either side of them, taking the trio by surprise...

Session 2 - The Claws of the Lioness, Pt 1

Audio Version of Recap

This is the first session of the second prequel adventure for our big Exarchate of Alsudhvi campaign. I've been doing a number of these little prequel games as a good way of stress-testing my setting design and introducing my friends and future players to the OSR. Our dramatis personae for the night:

• The Bard -- Randar of Ghinta, Chronicler and Historian, played by Nathaniel
• The Cleric -- Sol of Bal-Bawet, Vicar and Mendicant, played by Daniel
• The Dwarven Fury -- Thalgear the Foul of Beasthold, Dwarven Vindicator and Foe-eater, played by Christian 
• The Barbarian - Ganzorig of the Steppe, Plunderer and Skirmisher, played by PJ
• Ganzorig also has a Level 3 Mage Henchman: The Mage - Dzana of Aesta-Suvash, Theurgist and Magical Scholar

This was "Adventurer Tier" play, meaning that everyone started with a character with 20,000 XP and a certain allotment of magical items (or at least a certain chance of having them allotted). What this means is that all of the PC's were level 4-5. The idea is that they've already had plenty of adventures of their own, they've proven themselves, and they've developed a reputation and maybe even gained a few allies along the way.

As recent inductees into the free company "The Claws of the Lioness," the companions were ordered to meet their employer, Shegar the Bold, at "The Sure-footed Goat", a roadside inn in the small sheep-herding village of Dakhad.

They arrived to find that their employer, Shegar, was nowhere to be found. However, his right hand/girl Friday Naevys the Exile (Elven Ranger) was there waiting for them, and explained that Shegar had been unavoidably detained elsewhere, and that she would be their handler on this particular contract.

As Naevys explains it, the contract is this: A wealthy but reclusive collector has commissioned the Claws of the Lioness to locate and infiltrate a crypt deep in the marshes of the Ettinwood. In this crypt there is what Naevys describes as basically a large Fabergé egg, for which their client is prepared to pay a large sum. The terms are this: Naevys will guide them through the woods to the crypt, and then the companions will go in and retrieve the egg. Naevys will be waiting outside the crypt the next morning with caravan guards and a means to transport the egg (and anything else the companions happen to find) back to town. Simple enough, right?

Randar jokes that hey, maybe it's a dragon egg, and the party will get to hatch it out and raise a dragon as a pet. Naevys was horrified by this suggestion, making a warding gesture, and that is how the companions learned what dragons are and how they work in this world: In Elven eschatology, the return of the Great Dragons would presage the death of magic, the final battle, and the end of the world.

Randar (who knew this even if Nathaniel didn't) apologized for his bad joke, and the players got on with the negotiations. In particular, some of the party were understandably suspicious about this job -- what was this artifact really, and for whom were they retrieving it? What if it was something powerful and their client was going to do something bad with it? Thalgear the Foul in particular didn't trust this elf and wanted some money up front as a token of good faith. This is where the whole deal almost fell apart -- Thalgear's CHA is 5 (that is not his modifier, that is his actual CHA score) and he rolled very poorly on the reaction table. The way this played out at the table was as Thalgear coming across as extremely uncouth, badly groomed, and smelling suspiciously of goblin jerky (of which he has a rather full pack). Randar managed to salvage the situation however, and Naevys offered two Blood Honey Tinctures (Potions of Healing) as an advance on their profits, with the understanding that they would pay her back out of their share of whatever other loot they found in the dungeon.

All of the companions were satisfied with this (once they found out that Potions of Healing in this setting cost 1,000 GP rather than the 50 GP they cost in 5e) and without any further adieu or preparations, set off on their way. With Naevys to guide them, they had no risk of getting lost, and managed not to run into any random encounters on their way to the crypt. When they arrived outside of it, however, they found that someone had beaten them to the punch: there was a warband of Lizardmen already there exploring the ruins. With the element of surprise, the Companions made short work of the Lizardman guards at the entrance before they could run back inside for more help. This first fight was the players' first taste of OSR combat and it went quickly, especially given this particular group of PC's is well-equipped to deal with melee situations. Being surprised, the Lizardmen also did not have the benefit of their huge shields, and this made them significantly to take down and kill.

That done, the companions established a marching order (Randar < Thalgear < Ganzorig < Dzana < Sol < Sol's dog henchman) and headed into the dungeon. Thanks to his knowledge of lore and history, Randar realized that this crypt was in fact a Ssanu (Serpentfolk) temple, one which had been built probably back during the Golden Age, when the Ssanu had began their endless war with the elves in the region. They listened at the first door beyond the entrance and, hearing nothing, kicked it open and barged in -- right into the middle of a melee between a trio of Lizardfolk and four or five Kobolds. Seeing Randar, the Kobolds immediately (on a very positive reaction roll) tried to recruit the companions to their side. After a long out-of-character debate, the companions decided to go along with this -- for now (Randar and Ganzorig saw the utility of having a faction in the dungeon on their side, at least until they learned what was going on; Sol and Thalgear wanted to destroy these servants of chaos while they had the chance). The companions entered melee with the Lizardmen and -- although this was a much stiffer fight -- were able to prevail after two or three rounds.

Some of the companions then start talking with the kobolds (the ones who can speak Kobold) while the others began searching the room for clues, hidden doors, etc. There are two doors -- one to the northeast and one to the southeast -- and it is clear that the southeast door leads to the part of the temple controlled by the kobolds. The kobolds enthusiastically invite the companions to come meet Grevdak, their great chieftain, who (as they assure them) is wealthy, powerful, and well-endowed.

While they are having this conversation, Sol examines the Northeast door and finds it has recently been rather crudely traced with some kind of arcane symbols. As Sol is apparently of the "there's only one way to know" school of exploration, he asks if the door seems locked. It does not. "All right," says Daniel, "can I just push it open?" At this point I walk over to the other players (who are still arguing about what to do about the kobolds) and interrupt them, kindly asking everyone within 10 feet of the door to make a save vs. Blast & Breath, as Sol triggers the warding glyphs on the door and the door explodes.

As it does so (and as the companions are still picking little bits of door out of their face and hands), the corridor on the other side is guarded by three Lizardmen: two pretty similar to the ones the companions have already fought and killed, but the third is a huge black lizardman with a brightly colored crest on his neck and head. The companions at first wrongly assumed that this was the "lizardman sorcerer" (whom the kobolds had told them was leading the Lizardman warband), but he turns out to have been a champion, and he immediately engaged the nearest enemy (Randar) in combat, as the others surged forward, attacking Sol.

This was our third (and final) combat of the evening and it was definitely the hardest. The narrow corridor meant that only two members of the party could engage in melee at any given time with the Lizardmen (none of the companions had weapons long enough to fight from the second rank) meaning that the Lizardmen were better able to bring their superior size to bear. After a few rounds of the Bard and the Cleric taking a pretty good beating, the companions managed to shuffle themselves a bit and draw the Lizardmen back into the vestibule of the temple, where the Barbarian and the Dwarven Fury could go to work.

This combat was also our first instance of player spellcasting in the session (and in the two sessions of the campaign thus far). Sol the Cleric cast Spiritual Weapon (which he never hit with, but which looked very cool and freaked the Lizardmen out) and also Cure Light Wounds (on himself for a whopping 2 HP healed). Dzana cast Shield on herself, increasing her AC as the Lizardmen were getting dangerously close.

Thalgear goes into a fury for the first time in the session. The fury (which the Dwarven Fury can do unlimited times per day) makes you immune to fear, increases all damage dealt by +2, and means you cannot withdraw from combat, make a fighting retreat, etc. (which as I explained to the group are totally valid tactics of OSR play).

However, Thalgear didn't start out this fight engaged in the combat at all. As soon as the door had exploded, the kobolds had run off into their section of the temple, and Thalgear had decided to spend the time searching the rest of the vestibule. Even when the fight started, he decided (since at the time he couldn't engage in melee) not to interrupt his search. So he's on his hands and knees tapping the floor looking for hollow stones... And the Lizardman Champion (who had now pushed into the vestibule) soccer kicked him in the ribs.

Now extremely enraged, Thalgear goes into a fury, hacks the Lizardman champion up real bad (who is then finished off by Sol's dog). The remaining Lizardmen succeed in their morale check with flying colors, though, and keep on fighting for a couple of more rounds. The dog is killed. Several members of the party are well below half HP at this point before Thalgear cuts the head off of one, cleaves, and insta-kills the second (uninjured) Lizardman.

[Also, I forget how insane Cleave is, especially when you have two characters who are both the equivalent of Level 4 fighters for purposes of HD progression. They can each cleave... four times a round, potentially? And Thalgear with his magical axe and his +2 damage from fury was dealing 1d8+5 damage per round. Which is more than enough to take out the average beastman who rolled kinda low on HP.]

At this point, it's quite late, and lots of people had to get up early this morning, so we called it there. We plan to finish the adventure in a few weeks when I return from my travels.

It was a lot of fun, and a very good group. Nathaniel is a natural, PJ is an old hand at this at this point. Daniel is a quiet but very thoughtful player. Christian has a lot of D&D under his belt, but he said this was the best party he'd ever rolled with in terms of people working together. Everyone liked the various OSR-isms of the system and the setting.

Monsters Killed:

• 1 Lizardman Champion
• 9 Lizardmen