Session 17 Overview

RAMOS, Agent of the Order of Libertorius
ARESY, A humble healer from the South (Ysera Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer)
~5am, 24th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 12)
Marshlands, Eastern Outskirts of Greater Nibellion

Forced to make a diversion north into the Royalist county of Greater Nibellion, Ramos and his fellow Libertorius brothers and sisters direct the wagon east across treacherous marshlands for many miles until they are finally back on the road to Ascentium.

"Behold the Path of Amnesty...this long, dangerous road leads us to our home. Remember, Ramos, we're no longer in the realm of Kings...their oppression cannot reach us this far into the wild...nor can their protection."
- Brother Duncan, Libertorius Field Agent.

They travel for the rest of the day, into the night. Where they eventually dismount the wagon half-way along the road, to let the horses rest and feed. As this happens, Ramos, Professor Glyph and his apprentice; Aresy, inspect their surroundings. Isolated and vulnerable, they are surrounded by vast plains of grassland, littered with rocks and pebbles. On the side of the  ancient path, they see numerous headstones, the writing on which has been lost to time and erosion. Human bones also litter the roadsides, much to the discontent of the party. After further inspection of the human remains, Aresy, determines the cause of death. They had been mauled by some sort of creature...savagely. Moments later, Ramos (with his keen dark-vision) notices something moving out in the dark of the wilderness. He readies a longsword, and rallies his brothers to arms. A arrow thuds into the wagon next to him, narrowly missing his head, and a pack of Gnolls charge at the travelers from out of the darkness. Ramos, and his brothers; Duncan, Boris, and Halstein, fight well against the mangy tribal beasts. Aresy tries her best to help without giving Ramos cause for suspicion (she forsakes her signature dagger and Signifer magic.). Petrified, Professor Glyph scurries away from the fight, but not before he casts an invisibility spell on himself. After several of their pack are slain, the Gnolls begin to retreat - but something a whole lot worse appears from the darkness. The lumbering, bestial creature strides forward, it howls at Ramos and the others, who rally into a defensive wall formation. As it gets closer, they can see that it is a Gnoll - albeit larger then the rest, more muscular and infinitely more ferocious. After a long and bloody fight, they eventually surround it and slay it, but not before Aresy (who is really Ysera) revealed her familiar dagger, in order to strike a powerful spell at the creature - inflicting a vast amount of damage. The group recovered from the battle, and the Gnolls were repelled...many of them had sustained critical wounds, including one of the Libertorius brothers; Halstein, who had been incapacitated.

Gnoll
Hunched and feral, this furred, hyena-headed humanoid stands slightly taller than the average human.

Earlier that day, in High-Haven...

NEFARION Furyborn, Hell-Knight Commander of the Cabal of Vigilum
SELTYIEL Garrott,  a Maniacal, heavily Mutated Tiefling Alchemist
CYNTHIA of Ostenheim, a Vampire Curse-Weaver in Hell-Knight Custody
HEL, the White Necromancer and Apprentice of Nefarion
~8am, 24th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 12)
High-Haven Castle, City of High-Haven

They awake from a second night's stay in the Royalist-Claimed City of High-Haven. The victorious Commander Nefarion walks out into the main plaza outside of the castle and notices a disturbing event taking place. Two of his Hell-Knight comrades (Lieutenant Salvo, and Knight Azov) are with a young girl. She's holding a dagger and is swinging it wildly at them. She's young and feeble however, and they are easily able to avoid her clumsy swings. They mock her for her pathetic attempts to cause them harm.

GIRL: "My father...my brother...my uncle...they're all dead because of you!"
LT. SALVO: "And all of them had it coming...they served a traitor, and they paid the price."
GIRL: "No they didn't, the Lord was a good man. He wanted to protect his people"
LT. SALVO: "He didn't do a very good job then, did he?"
Nefarion comes over to investigate and Lt. Salvo acknowledges him. The commander questions the girl and learns that she is called Sasha, he tries to reason with her and deflate the situation, but she seems determined to inflict vengeance on the Hell-Knights for their murdering of her family members. She tries again in vain to harm them with the dagger and instead resorts to hitting her fists against Lt. Salvo's side. He pushes her away as if she were a mere inconvenience, and then looks to Nefarion.

"The punishment for assaulting a Hell-Knight officer is death."
*Salvo draws a dagger of his own*
"Will you see the law fulfilled?"

Nefarion tries to dissuade Salvo from an approach that would lead to the girl's death, and Salvo obliges, letting her go. He expresses (quite openly) his opinions on Nefarion's leadership qualities, and makes a judgment on his loyalty to the Cabal and the Hell-Knight Laws. Nefarion shrugs this off, and tries to catch up to the young Sasha, with the intention to take her under his protection. He is unsuccessful in his pursuit, and despite his promises, she seems determined to be rid of him (and all of the Hell-Knights responsible). Defeated, he returns to Hel, Cynthia, and Seltyiel, and they leave the City, and make for the Hell-Knight Private Dock, where a ship awaited them. In it's heyday it was called the Port of the Sworn Swords; and was a grand dock used by the Hell-Knights of Elmunred. When Nefarion and the others arrive, they find that this so-called 'port' is not as glorious as it's name may suggest. All that stands is a thin stretch of quay along the coast, and not a lot else. The only boat that's moored up here is of the humble fishing variety - And it's discovered shortly afterwards that even these hick fishermen aren't meant to be here. Nefarion and the others wait for nearly an hour until an ominous black sail can be seen on the horizon. The fishermen flee the dock in their boat as the angular dromond makes it's way to the dock. As it comes into closer view, Nefarion and Hel recognize it to be a craft of corsair origin, the likes of which they had seen before during the Battle of the West-Harbour. They are not met with peril however, and are instead greeted by these swarthy, unsavory corsairs (the majority of whom are fetchlings and tieflings). It is brought to light that the corsairs were in fact contracted by the Arch Lictor to transport them across the bay...Nefarion thought it an ill-omen, but he didn't have much choice in the matter. Aboard this 'pirate ship', the party didn't feel entirely safe - especially Cynthia and Hel, who have been surveyed by many lecherous eyes. When Nefarion overhears two corsairs plotting to slit his throat and rape his female accomplices, he confronts them, and assures them that a terrible death will find them should they decide to act on these schemes.

Hell-Knight Royal Decree - Sacking of High-Haven

Session 16 Overview

RAMOS, Agent of the Order of Libertorius
~12pm, 22nd of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 10)
The East Road, Outskirts of High-Haven

After successfully exfiltrating High-Haven, Ramos travels along the East Road via wagon. He is joined by Wolfgang, Professor Glyph, and 4 other agents of the Order - unbeknownst to Ramos, at this point in time, one of the four agents is none other than Ysera Furyborn, a former Hell-Knight in his company who has removed her Signifer mask and taken the alias; 'Aresy', and adopted a different accent to maintain her identity. It seems Glyph has taken on a new apprentice, for the first time in a very long time. The wagon proceeds east into the night, towards the Libertorius' headquarters of Ascentium. A three day journey.

NEFARION Furyborn, Hell-Knight Commander of the Cabal of Vigilum
SELTYIEL Garrott,  a Maniacal, heavily Mutated Tiefling Alchemist
CYNTHIA of Ostenheim, a Vampire Curse-Weaver in Hell-Knight Custody
HEL, the White Necromancer and Apprentice of Nefarion
~12pm, 22nd of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 10)
High-Haven Castle, City of High-Haven

Devastated by the unprovoked attack on the city, Seltyiel distanced himself from Nefarion, who had orchestrated the siege on High-Haven, and had led the Hell-Knights to a swift and brutal victory. Many innocents lay dead in the streets, and Seltyiel assisted the citizens in clearing them, he does this for as long as it takes, which continues into the night. Back at the castle, Nefarion - who had slumped himself languidly on the Lord's Throne, set out with his apprentice Hel, to arrange for the dead to be cleansed. They went out into the plaza where the bodies were being stacked onto pyres, and Hel proceeded to cleanse and sanctify the bodies of the dead, before they were cremated by the Hell-Knights. Nefarion would not let Mack's body be sanctified however, and furiously, he strung up the corpse of the lieutenant, displaying it in front of the castle. All were reminded the fate of traitors, and Nefarion despised Mack for his betrayal by joining the rebel Order of Libertorius. Seltyiel flies up to the highest spire above High-Haven castle and hangs by his feet from one of the banners before settling down for some sleep. The exploits of the battle had clearly taken their toll on him, he just wanted to escape, find a place to be alone, and at five hundred feet above ground, he accomplished that. On the way back to the castle, the blind necromancer apprentice; Hel, is accosted by one of the Hell-Knight soldiers, who makes advances on her, but he scurries off when Nefarion catches up to them. In the castle, Nefarion finds himself the biggest room with a lovely queen sized bed, and settles down for the night. Cynthia briefly searches the servant's quarters of the castle in order to satiate her vampiric urges, but she finds no victims tonight. Hel also finds a suitable bed to sleep on for the night, she is led to it by her ghostly sister, Mel. They sleep long and well, but in the morning, their legs and thighs ache tremendously on account of the long horseride and fight the previous day. Nefarion leaves Lord Emmon's bedroom, and questions his Hell-Knight officers for word from Bastion Zenith. One guard explains to him that a wax-sealed message had arrived this morning for him via raven. The message inside had been personally written by the Arch Lictor himself, it read:

"You performed well, Nefarion. Both the Queen and myself are impressed with your efficiency in capturing High-Haven. I have seen to it that your rewards have been brought to you. They await you in the Castle Throne-room. I trust that you remember the arrangements I made for your next mission. A boat will arrive at our private dock, bound for the Port of Zeiduch, across the bay. From here, you must make your way to Dunfarg, and enter into this 'tournament'. If you are successful, and this bigoted cult leader reveals himself to you, infiltrate their order...find out as much as you can, and when you're finished, uproot them for the criminals they are. If your Vampire prisoner survived the siege, she may yet be of use. Take her with you. Use her in any manner you see fit, she's encountered these cultists before."
- Jean-Matisse Emmerich, Arch Lictor of the Cabal of Vigilum, and Governor of Bastion Zenith.

In the throne-room, Nefarion finds an ebon-bark chest, and inside were the rewards mentioned in the letter. The chest contained several leather pouches, each possessing a name tag, and each holding a share of gold. Seltyiel's name was not among the others, however he did not care one ounce - in his eyes, it was blood money, and he wanted nothing to do it. Nefarion asks for his new armour, but the Hell-Knight explains to him that the blacksmith has not completed his mithral set yet, but he did manage to send a set of basic Commander's armour, which offer's greater protection than his current loaned Armiger set, which in comparison was rusty and basic.

RAMOS, Agent of the Order of Libertorius
ARESY, A humble healer from the South (Ysera Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer)
~7am, 23rd of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 11)
The East Road, Outskirts of High-Haven

Ramos, Wolfgang and Professor Glyph continue their journey east to Ascentium. In the morning, they pass Bastion Zenith; the last headquarters of the Hell-Knight Cabal of Vigilum. The Libertorius brother, Duncan, directs a mocking spiel towards it from the wagon as they pass.

"Behold the mighty fortress of the Hell-Knight Order...hah!..what an eyesore!...an ugly old ruin. Their order is old and weak, too long has that tower stood there, pompous and arrogant. A crooked symbol of fear and oppression."

The young and humble farm girl; 'Aresy', stifles her feelings on this remark, instead focusing on her esoteric goals at hand. She has found a way into the heart of a great enemy order via this strange old fool; Tobias Glyph. There's no knowing what she will do once she infiltrates the fortress of Ascentium. Her goals and motives are shrouded to all...and she has been long separated from her brother; Nefarion. Even Ramos has been deceived by Ysera's alias, for he had never seen her without her Signifer mask, and did not recognize this new accent she had adopted. Ramos doesn't think much of the peculiar halfling professor; Tobias Glyph, he spends some time asking him questions about his research, prying into his motivations and his purposes with the Order of Libertorius. Glyph then spots one of the rings that Ramos had acquired from Matheus' office back in High-Haven. He analyses it, and identifies it as magical Ring of Protection +1 (unbeknownst to all of them, this was Hel's ring, that had been lifted from her many nights previously, which then suggests that Matheus had been the thief responsible)
As the day passes to night, the heavens open on this summer evening, and the wagon continues undeterred along the road separating the realm of Arcadeus and Von Heltzer. The farthest expanse of the kingdom's borders lay ahead, once they had crossed it, they were out of this war-spoiled and oppressive land, and into the wild, where the fortress of free-men awaited them. It was not to be that easy however, for something hindered their advance. Duncan calls Ramos to the front of the wagon, where he can see the flickering light of fires in the dark distance ahead. They continue cautiously, but along the road, they start to see bodies...soldiers clad in armour - some with red tunics, and some with black capes. The wagon had stumbled across a battlefield, although the battle itself had ended not long ago. The flames came from wooden pyres, built to illuminate the open stretch of land where the battle had occured, a number of surviving soldiers were stood around these pyres, some were dragging the dead into rows, and others tended to their wounded. Presumbaly, these deschevelled men were the victors. As the wagon comes into their line of sight, a soldier stands out into the middle of the road and raises his hand. He identifies himself as a soldier of the High Queen's army. Of the royalist House; Arcadeus. He goes on to explain that they had battled the renegade forces of House Von Heltzer here, and successfully defended the crossing from their advance. He asks Duncan and Ramos whether they can spare any food, water, and medical supplies - and it seems that their civilian uniforms have saved them from a potentially deadly encounter. When the Arcadeus soldier pries them for details of their destination and wagon's shipment, Ramos explains that they are heading north to a forest. And Duncan reinforces this bluff by naming an appropriate settlement. They go on to explain that they hold no cargo as such, instead they are a travelling troupe of hunters-in-training. Satisfied with this, the Arcadeus guard thanks them for their assistance, and asks for them to continue on their way north, across the border into Arcadeus territory. Although a relief, they are waylaid many hours, and are forced to cut across treachorous fenland for many miles out of their way in order to get back on track.

Session 15 Overview

RAMOS, Agent of the Order of Libertorius
~8pm, 22nd of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 10)
Captain Vissaeus' House, City of High-Haven

After dispatching the High-Haven Captain of the Towns-guard...Ramos (along with Wolfgang and Mack) head off in search of the Hell-Knight Fugitive; Matheus. On their way to the castle, they pass through the central plaza (where Lord Emmon Hyegarl and Sij's dead bodies had been laid out on stone plinths), this time however, it seems that Sij's body is missing, and a puzzled guard looks around the empty plinth in confusion. He questions Ramos and the others when they pass but they haven't a clue either. Ramos then convinces the puzzled guard to escort them to the castle where they have urgent business with Matheus, who has been assigned residence within on account of his new position of power within High-Haven's running. As they approach the stately castle (High-Haven's capital building, and former residence of the late Lord Emmon.) Ramos can make out two distinct, tall towers standing at either side of the building, each one ascending five hundred feet vertically. To his surpise, the front gate of the castle is wide open, with only two guards stationed in the area. But more surprisingly, he can see a man with a fine purple doublet, seemingly searching for something. On closer inspection, the man is identified as Matheus. He notices the party, but seems too preoccupied with his search to give them any longer than a disdainful glance. In truth, he seems quite distressed. And shouts out across the plaza. He calls out the name 'Severine' several times, she seems to have run away. In his hand he has a strip of emerald green silk. Ramos changes the subject by requesting a private audience with Matheus to discuss some things. Matheus obliges him and does not think much of it (Ramos is still disguised as Qith; the town's Eel Vendor.)

When the four of them are in Matheus' office within the castle, Mack closes the door behind them, and Ramos starts to interrogate Matheus. Wolfgang stands close to Matheus intimidatingly, ready to cause pain, at Ramos' command. Ramos questions Matheus on how he came to riches when he had arrived at the city in rags. Matheus pleas that his actions and intentions were honorable, and that the methods in his acquisition of power and riches were honest, but Ramos doesn't believe him. He instructs Wolfgang to cut off Matheus' little finger, and he does so immediately. Matheus' muffled shriek can be heard behind Wolfgang's hand. Matheus gives in, and tells them that he may have stolen gold and riches from the city's townfolk. When Ramos mentions his own gold and provisions (which had been stolen from previously him when they left in the hollowed-out log by the Windmill east of town), Matheus indicates that he may have been the one responsible, and so Ramos then asks him where the gold was? Matheus strolled to the corner of the room, and opened a large ornate chest, and the contents of which were gold, jewellery, crystals, and other valuables. Pleased with the veritable treasure-trove they had found, Ramos then instructed Wolfgang to bind Matheus up, but when he lunged forward to grapple the old man, Matheus wriggled out violently...he had a blood-tipped dagger in his hand, and Wolfgang dropped to one knee, cursing in pain. Matheus backs away quickly, Mack comes forward from the door to help, he swings hard with the ceremonial mace, but Matheus performs an impressive back flip to avoid the hit. He darts out of his office, and out of the castle, and across the street, pursued by Mack and Wolfgang. Ramos takes a moment to collect the gold and valuables from the chest, before following the others.

Outside, Matheus sprints towards the nearest building, and like a panther, he leaps onto the wall, climbing up it with amazing speed and power. He waits at the top of the house, looking down on his three pursuers with arrogant contempt. Mack pursues him, climbing up a ladder, and Wolfgang and Ramos follow him at ground level. Just as Mack reaches the top of the ladder, Matheus sprints off along the rooftops of a row of houses. The chase lasts for a few minutes, and Matheus it seems can easily outrun them, at a couple of intervals, he even waits for them to catch up to him, before running away again. They continue to chase him until he leaps across a street from one building to another (an impossible jump for an ordinary human) closely behind him, Mack attempts the same jump, but he fails, and falls 30 feet head-first onto solid stone. He is killed instantly on the impact, and Wolfgang and Ramos witness the horror first hand. Matheus looks down from above, and let's out a grin before sprinting off again. Defeated in their attempts to catch Matheus, the sound of a war horn fills the night air. Shortly afterwards, you can see a number of guardsmen sprinting by, adorning helmets and readying weapons as they do so. In the distance they are running, you can hear the echoes of panicked voices, and you can see the flickering light of torches. As two guards pass by, you can hear one of them speaking in a kind of desperate tone. "They're attacking! By the gods, they're attacking!" he says. Wolfgang urges Ramos to leave Mack's body, and insists that they need to leave the city at once. Ramos agrees, and the two of them head towards the northern gate, it takes them a few minutes until the gate is in sight, a bizarre and crooked tower stands, further east along the City wall. Alongside the gate, they can make out a Horse-Drawn Caravan, setting up to depart, a cloaked individual is seen shaking hands with a Townsguard, and the Northern gate opens shortly afterwards. As Ramos and Wolfgang approach the caravan, the cloaked figure adresses them, recognising both of them as fellow Brothers of the Order of Libertorius. Relieved, the duo climb aboard the caravan and settle in for the ride out of town. Moments later, three more cloaked men appear, they are escorting a rather peculiar little man towards the caravan. The escorted man is a halfling, wearing a white coat, and goggles around his neck...strangely he's only wearing one sock, and no shoes. His bearded face darts around in a most erratic and unusual manner. His voice is high pitched when he asks you if you will be joining him on the voyage. When everyone is on board, the caravan spurs off and out of the City, towards the Order's Headquarters, Ascentium (Ramos' home)



NEFARION Furyborn, Hell-Knight Commander of the Cabal of Vigilum
SELTYIEL Garrott,  a Maniacal, heavily Mutated Tiefling Alchemist
CYNTHIA of Ostenheim, a Vampire Curse-Weaver in Hell-Knight Custody
HEL, the White Necromancer and Apprentice of Nefarion
~9pm, 22nd of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 10)
Western Gates, City of High-Haven

Under the Arch Lictor's orders. Nefarion, Seltyiel, Cynthia and Hel gallop towards High Haven with a small regiment of Cabal Knights and Signifers on Ethereal-Horseback. They have come to take the city, root out rebel forces within and claim it in the name of the Royalists. As they approach the city, in the distance, they can see that the gates have been shut, and the High-Haven towns-guard have mustered a defense force. (albeit an unprepared and disorganized one, and it seems they are without the aid of their guard captain; Vissaeus) After an awkwardly brief parley, Nefarion learns this information from them, realizing that he and his own troupe have been given a distinct advantage. They advance closer to the gate, and the High-Haven Towns-guard release a volley of arrows at them. The two Signifers with them cast a fireball spell, combining their powers together to make one collossal and deadly inferno, which they launch at the iron portcullis of the City Gate. Hell-Knights with Tower shields protect them from arrows while this is happening, and the gates begin to melt under the intense heat of the blaze, some of the fire spills through the gaps in the gate, it seems to flow into the courtyard within, immolating and burning Towns-guard behind the gates. The Hell-Knights form a tortoise formation, and advance through the gap in the gates which had melted away. They pour into the city and slay the ram-shackled guards within. Nefarion leads the charge, aided by Lt. Gabriel Salvo, Cynthia and Hel. Seltyiel takes flight and heads straight for the castle

Gabriel Salvo
Hell-Knight Lieutenant

(opting out of the initial fight). The mustered Towns-guard prove little challenge for the party and the Hell-Knights, and the City's defensive formation is quickly broken. Following this, the Hell-Knights tear around the city, burning and ransacking buildings, executing guards and townsfolk alike. Nefarion orders them further into the city, to take the castle. Hel at this point, had succumb to her pyrophobia, and fled the city. Her ghostly sister; Mel, arrives to comfort her, but it doesn't seem to help much, for they both fear the flames. In a moment of ingenuity and madness, Hel casts a blinding spell on herself, so that she may advance into the city, past the flames, without fear....and vision. She makes slow progress, but her plan seems to work. 

By this point, Seltyiel had arrived at the Castle to find two guards at the front door. Still in flight, he decides to smash through a window on one of the higher floors, to better infiltrate the castle. When he comes crashing through a window into a hallway, his coffin lands flat on the carpet and he lies atop it in a most dramatic fashion. There is one plump guard in the hallway with him, except this guard has obviously decided to plunder the Lord's castle, rather than defend it. Seltyiel shrieks at him intimidatingly and demands to know where the castle's treasury is. The guard drops his haul of ornate vases and gold jewellery, and bolts the way he came. Seltyiel follows him momentarily for more answers, but the guard seems too cowardly and out-of-breath to be of any help. He heads down to the throne room, expecting to meet resistance within, but to his surprise, when he opens the doors, there is only one person inside. Sprawled on the throne, is a servant, who is enjoying a delusion of grandeur, when Seltyiel warns him of the encroaching army. The servant seems unperturbed, instead relishing in his self-appointed position as 'king of the castle', when Seltyiel explains that Hell-Knights are behind the attack, he curses immediately, and sprints out of the throne room, passing Seltyiel. Seltyiel takes a moment to explore the throneroom and the two adjoining back rooms (one being an office, and one being the treasury). He takes all of the gold he finds, as well as some valuable books before searching for more treasures in the castle's dungeon.

It's at about this time that Nefarion, Cynthia, and the Hell-Knights reach the castle, they search the rooms of the castle for resistance or survivors. Nefarion orders his men to locate a girl in a green dress, and ensure that no harm comes to her. Unbeknownst to the Knights, this little girl was Severine, a former prisoner of the Hell-Knight Bastion. Nefarion was counting on them not recognising her should they find her. They return a moment later, unsuccessful in their search attempts. They did however find Seltyiel rooting through a chest in the castle's dungeon and prison block, and so he returned with them to meet an unimpressed Nefarion. Shortly afterwards, they venture outside of the castle to gather the Hell-Knight survivors at the plaza, and muster any nearby citizens of the City for questioning. Nefarion seems hell-bent on finding Severine, but the citizens insist that they haven't seen her for a while, and that she was always with Matheus; who had been in charge of the City's Reformation (following the Von Heltzer siege). When Nefarion asks them if they have seen Matheus, they respond with equal uncertainty. One of the citizens mentions that he saw a person running across the rooftops, and he thought that this was unusual and noteworthy. Frustrated, Nefarion dismisses the citizens, ordering them to start clearing up rubble, and dead bodies. Moments later he sees a familiar body being dragged by, many of his bones visibly shattered and mangled. On closer inspection, Nefarion identifies the dead man as a previous member of his own company; Mack! Distraught, he orders Hel to 'speak' to the body of Mack using her Necromancy, to learn the details of his death. She performs this unholy ritual, and asks three questions to him.

HEL: "How did you die?"
MACK: "I was falling...it all happened so fast."
░░░░░░░░
HEL: "Who did this to you?"
MACK: "I was chasing someone....Matheus...he was so fast."
░░░░
HEL: "Who else was there with you?"
MACK: "Ramos...he was going to initiate me into his Order. The Order of Libertorius"
░

And so that was it, Nefarion vowed to find both Matheus and Ramos, to bring them both to justice for the death of Mack, and the disappearance of his beloved Severine. He sent word to the Bastion, to inform the Arch Lictor of their success in taking the City. Before he returned to the castle, something caught his eye. In the plaza, there had been two bodies, laid out on stone slabs in memorial (Lord Emmon Hyegarl, and Sij; the Samsaran Monk), only one remained, and it was the blue-skinned pacifist monk that was gone without a trace. Although Nefarion had noticed this, in light of the carnage that had just befell the City, it didn't seem all that strange to him.


YSERA Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer of the Cabal of Vigilum
~8.30pm, 22nd of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 10)
Foyer, Glyph's Tower, City of High-Haven

Moments before the attack took place on the city. Ysera continues to root through the books in the foyer of Glyph's Tower after successfully gaining access. She puts a few books aside that she deems in some way useful, before venturing upstairs, as she ascends, she hears hurried footsteps stomping franticly from the chamber above. The dusty chandelier on the foyer ceiling swings and judders, and then there is silence again. At the top of the spiralling staircase, she finds a large wooden door, which she knocks on, calling out the Professor's name. When she finds no answer, she opens it to see a pitch-black room.

She lights a torch and begins to search the room. But before she can make out anything, she sees a creature clumsily striding towards her from the darkness...although not human, it seems to have been made to look like one, except it's body has been stitched together by swatches of sack cloth and rough linens (much like a scarecrow, or a mannequin). The horrible creature extends it's stumped arms out and a set of crude iron claws exists where the hands should have been. It makes no noise from it's purposeless mouth, and it's stitched face seems to gesture a scream of hatred. Startled, she backs away and out of the room, she casts a Dispel Magic spell in order to halt this creature, which works...for a moment. Panicked, she flees down the stairs and out of the tower completely, where the creature follows her all the way to the front door, and no further. It stares at her as she waits outside of the tower. Ysera plucks up the courage to sprint past it, realizing that the creature is much slower than her. It slices her with it's crude iron claw as she rips past it, and she runs upstairs into the dark room once again, where she seals the door behind her. A moment later, she can hear a sickening scraping noise as the creature tries in vain to enter the room. She looks around for furniture to help reinforce the door, and finds an old armoire. She attempts to push it, but something moves inside it. To her horror, an iron claw bursts through the door of the armoire, and it seems she is now facing two of these monstrosities. While she has time, Ysera tries desperately to escape, drawing the curtains of the room, and pulling down wooden planks that have barred the only window. The creature eventually manages to burst out of the armoire, and slumps towards her with claws extended. She backs away towards a desk, where she knocks some books to the floor.

Tobias Glyph
Scholar and Professor

She goes to hide under it, and finds a bearded little face looking back up at her. The infamous Scholar and Professor; Tobias Glyph. He crawls out mischievously and orders his creation to cease its attack. The creature immediately stops where it is, and Ysera lets out a sigh of relief. Glyph seems quite naive and nonchalant about the whole terrifying ordeal, insisting that what his creation did was rude, and no way to treat a guest. Glyph starts lighting the braziers in the room, and Ysera can see clearly that this room is a study. In the light she can make out the bearded half-ling Professor. Adorned in goggles and a white coat. Instead of an apology or formal greeting, he instead expresses interest in Ysera's Signifer mask, and asks to inspect it. She obliges him, and when she removes her mask, he takes note on her remarkable beauty....questioning why she would hide such a face behind a crude and featureless mask. She asks about his research, and claims to be a great fan of his. He seems humbled by this, and finds that her intentions are most unlike anyone's before her.

"The Seven....the Malefic Seven....they've been here all along you know...among us....waiting....watching....with the Eye....who knows how long?"

He goes on to say that he is expecting some other guests to arrive shortly. Moments later, a knock can be heard on the door of the study, voices shortly follow, calling out his name. Glyph seems excited that the new guests' have 'returned' for him.

Qith's Eels: Don't Forget to Stop By!

"Come and try the eels, boy! We have plenty to choose from...all shapes and sizes!
Come and get your eels! You'll find none better than Qith's!"
- Qith Anguil, Traveling Eel Merchant and Purveryor of Eel-Based Ephemera.

NPC Update: Arch Lictor Jean-Matisse Emmerich, and Severine

Session 14 Overview

Having set off from High-Haven to the Hell-Knight bastion. Ysera remembers that she has unfinished business in High Haven regarding Tobias Glyph and his studies on the dark symbol, and so she turns her horse around and canters back the way they came. Nefarion and the others proceed on to the bastion without her, making full use of the Phantom Steeds that she summons for them prior to her departure. When they arrive at the Bastion, they are met by three Hell-Knights, one of whom is a peculiar Fetchling armed with a deadly looking blade (the fetchling is the Bastion's resident inquisitor, a cunning and dangerous man by the name of Parvane...and the nickname; 'The Bloodhound') The other two inform Nefarion that the Arch Lictor has requested an audience with him. As this is happening however, the fetchling examines the party suspiciously, sniffing the air around each one of them in an almost bestial manner. He finds it interesting that there are three of them missing. Referring to the Samsaran monk; Sij (who was slain in High Haven), Signifer Ysera (who returned to High Haven alone) and a third person...who he refers to as 'the little one'. This comes as an unexpected shock to Nefarion, as he thought he had smuggled the little Hell-Knight prisoner girl; Severine, out without detection (she was invisible at the time also). The other guards don't cotton on to the link, and interestingly, the fetchling doesn't highlight this fact further. As Nefarion is directed to the Arch Lictor's chambers in the Hall of Blades, Parvane skulks behind him, eying him all the way. As they proceed down a dark corridor. The sinister fetchling continues to talk, playing dumb, and teasing Nefarion with his 'speculations'.

"It's very difficult to leave this Bastion...the walls you see are so very tall and the gates are seldom opened without good cause. So I wonder...just how did that little human girl escape?...I suppose she just wriggled out of those chains and sprouted some wings and vanished into thin air...no, but that's just preposterous. I think I have a far more...believable idea of what happened, I think the Arch Lictor would love to hear. Don't you think so?"

Nefarion ignores the allegations, and continues into the Hall of Blades, closing the door behind him. At the end of the long, grand chamber, sits Emmerich; the Arch Lictor himself. He sits alone, slumped amongst paperwork and other tedious duties that require his attention. Nefarion seems nervous. Does the Arch Lictor know what he did? He let's Emmerich speak for a while, but there is no mention of missing prisoners. Nefarion reports his discoveries during his time in High Haven, he tells Emmerich that the traitor; Lord Emmon, is dead, and that the other escaped prisoner; Matheus the monk, had settled in the city. He also went on to mention the 'Cult' that had contacted him during his stay at the Spearhead Tavern, and about the Tournament in Val Nemor.The Arch Lictor was impressed with Nefarion's work, and revealed the next mission that he had lined up for Nefarion. It involved travelling deep into Val Nemor (the realm of House Villeroy; who were powerful enemies of the crown, whose leader was the Queen's very uncle; Lord-Meister Hermann.) The Arch Lictor had arranged for a Fetchling Corsair sea-faring vessel to take them to Val Nemor. It was scheduled to collect them from a private dock in two days time. In the meantime, the City of High Haven was ripe for the taking, so The Arch Lictor sent word to muster a regiment of Hell-Knights and Signifers to take the City. The meeting was swiftly concluded, but before Nefarion could leave, Emmerich asked him whether he knew anything about the missing prisoner girl; Severine. Nefarion quickly responded, explaining he had seen her in Matheus' company last, but did not know if she was still with him. As Nefarion left the chamber, he saw Parvane leaning on the wall casually, scraping a long fingernail along the jagged curved short-sword in his other hand. The fetchling smiled wryly at him, before entering the Arch Lictor's quarters shortly afterwards. Nefarion continued about his business, hoping that calm ignorance would be enough to keep his crimes undiscovered. Hel had used the opportunity of free time to look around the Bastion's library, performing some research on undead, magical, and shadow creatures, in an attempt to uncover more information about the pale and horrifying creature that had taken her to that room in the Spearhead Tavern. She spent a great deal of time going through the dusty old books but yielded very little on the creature in question (She did however see a picture in the book of shadow creatures that vaguely resembled it, but there was no useful information about it). Cynthia attempted to leave the Bastion, but an intimidating guard prevented her. Seltyiel made use of the Bastion's mage quarter, purchasing a scroll and an amulet. He later went to the blacksmiths' to sell the Ornate Longsword he had acquired from the Von Heltzer Field-Commander; Hoyt, Blacksmith Dayne bought it off him for a thousand gold, and seemed pretty happy about the exchange. Nefarion also visited the Blacksmiths' to inquire about an upgrade to his Armour; (specifically Mithral plating.), Dayne agreed to do it, but said that it would take him at least a full day to complete it. Nefarion agreed, and Dayne loaned him a set of basic Hell-Knight Armiger Half-Plate to tide him by in the meantime. When the party eventually regrouped at the courtyard, Emmerich was inspecting the regiment of Hell-Knights and Signifers that had been mustered. (only 10 men!) He appoints Nefarion as the Regiment's Commander, and instructs him to strike High-Haven immediately. Cynthia , Hel, and Seltyiel go with them, and they all mount ethereal steeds, and spill out of the Bastion in a chaotic formation.

A few hours before this, Ysera arrives back at High-Haven and is authorized entrance by Vissaeus; Captain of the Townsguard. She asks him for information on the Scholar; Tobias Glyph, (who she learned had lived in this very city.) and Vissaeus seems surprised, he goes on to say that Glyph locked himself away in his tower about six months ago, he stressed that Glyph was most insane, and that Ysera would not yield any valuable information from him. Undeterred, Ysera wanted to see Glyph, and when Vissaeus would not take her to his tower, she unbuttoned her blouse seductively to coerce him. (Which worked.) He escorts her to Glyph's Tower...a remarkable structure...tall, and veering and twisting in awkward directions. Ysera imagined that structurally the tower was not secure and that it seemed to defy gravity, yet still...the tower stood. The large...and rather strange looking door wouldn't open and no sound resonated when she tugged on the doorbell, (even though clearly she could see it was not broken.) When she called out Glyph's name, requesting an audience, the door 'spoke' back to her in the Elven tongue.

"Only the Eye can see what lies within."

It didn't take Ysera long to figure it out, and she drew the 'heptagon' with the central eye onto the palms of her hands, and placed them on the door handle. She succeeded and the door opened. Strangely, the inner hall was quiet, and the scholar was nowhere in sight. The place is ram-shackled...books, furniture, and other miscellanea have been thrown onto the floor, and some things have been stacked in strange columns, seemingly defying gravity. Ysera takes some time to study some of the old books in this room, to see if she can find out more information, or spot some sort of code, to her misfortune however, the contents of the books hold nothing for her. Instead, she scans through pages of random ramblings and scribbles...nonsensical gibberish. Regardless, she decides to continue reading...into the night if she has to.

Also in High Haven (at the Spearhead Tavern), Ramos and his cohort; Wolfgang, set about initiating the lost and disillusioned Mack into their Order. Mack reluctantly proceeds, and Wolfgang hands him a ceremonial mace (with the end stylized like a clenched gauntlet-ed fist) before reciting the words of Initiation.

"We are the emancipated few...Brothers and Sisters of the Sanctum...Defenders of the Truth and the Realm without Kings and Queens. Go now, brother. Prove thyself to our patron; Libertorius."

The three of them leave the room, to pay the guard captain (Vissaeus) a visit. Mack senses that he may be using the mace sooner than he thought, and seems quietly distressed and uncertain about the mission that lies ahead. What has he gotten himself into? The three of them question the Half-Orc bartender for the whereabouts of Vissaeus, and the bartender points them in the direction of his house. They wait until sunset, and approach the modest house of the guard captain, before they knock on the door, Ramos alters his appearance to resemble a human (namely an existing human; Qith, the purveyor of Eel-based ephemera). A young, pretty half-elf woman answers the door (Vissaeus' wife; Ophelia) and reluctantly she lets them in, and then Ramos overpowers her, binding her hands and placing a gag around her mouth. He instructs Mack to shut the door, and Wolfgang to search upstairs for other members of Vissaeus' family. He returns a moment later with a small boy on his shoulder, (Vissaeus' son presumably.) With the household secure, they set up a trap for Vissaeus when he returns, extinguishing the lights and holding blades against his wife and son. He returns from work shortly afterwards, and quickly realizes something's wrong. As he steps into his house, he notices a trembling Mack in the corner of his eye, and narrowly avoids a mace to the head. The lights go on, and Vissaeus freezes in position, he sees Ramos holding his wife by the jaw...a dagger pressed against her neck. On the other side of the room he sees Wolfgang with his Bastard Sword's tip against his son's shoulder. Both of their helpless and mumbled cries can be heard. Vissaeus begs for them to let his family go, but Ramos wants answers. He accuses Vissaeus of being corrupt, and demands to know the location of his prized Glaive. When Vissaeus insists that he doesn't know where it is, Ramos rips the dagger across Ophelia's throat. (He screams in horror as his wife's blood sprays out onto the floor and onto his face. Ramos yells to Wolfgang, instructing him to kill Vissaeus, but Wolfgang misinterprets this, instead killing Vissaeus' son, forcing the length of the bastard sword's blade into the boy's chest through the neck. Vissaeus looks on in horror and anguish, and is finally put to an end by Mack, who embeds the mace into the back of the guard captain's skull. It stays lodged as his body slumps into the ever-expanding pool of his wife's blood.

NPC Update: Lt. Mack, Wolfgang, Matheus of Olynne

Active Quests Log

Current Active Quests: 5

1. ) PARTY QUEST (MAIN): 'Snake in the Shadows'
RECEIVED BY: Queen Karyn Arcadeus
RECEIVED WHERE: Rhuen (Palace of Embers)
OBJECTIVE: Infiltrate Val Nemor, Locate and Assassinate the Queen's Uncle; Lord-Meister Hermann of the Renegade House Villeroy.
REWARD: 5,000 exp each. 5,000 GP each.
TIPS: Val Nemor is swarming with enemy soldiers and Automatons. You will have to consider more subtle means of infiltration.

2.) YSERA QUEST: 'One Book Short of a Library'
RECEIVED BY: "Ancient Symbols: A Compendium" by Tobias Glyph, Scholar of High-Haven
RECEIVED WHERE: Bastion Zenith (Library)
OBJECTIVE: Towards the end of the book of symbols, you discovered the same symbol seen on the neck of the assassin. At this stage in the book, it seems that the author has become quite obsessive and incoherant in his words and his writing quality has greatly deteriorated to the point of hastily etched scribblings. He talks about the 'Heptagon' when referring to the symbol, and insists that the central eye is 'always watching', 'looking for something'.
1.) Not a lot is known of the author; Tobias Glyph, only that he was infamously soft in the head, and lived as a Scholar in the City of High-Haven

3.) SIJ/NEFARION QUEST: 'Blood Rituals'
RECEIVED BY: The Faceless Deity
RECEIVED WHERE: Bastion Zenith (The Black Chapel)
OBJECTIVE: Wait 2 Days for something to happen....In the Spearhead Tavern in High-Haven, Nefarion gets visited by three sinister cloaked individuals, despite his initial worry, it seems that they only want to talk to him. The ringleader goes on to talk about her 'Dark Master', she divulges that he seeks great power, and is eager to meet with Nefarion and his companions, as they have 'piqued his interests'. She says that if Nefarion meets this Dark Master, and decides to offer his faith and service, he will be rewarded with great riches...more gold than he could ever spend, and great power, the likes of which the world has never seen. The Master has a sanctuary in Val Nemor, deep within Villeroy territory, meaning that Nefarion could operate within that region with great ease. He could even get close to the Queen's treachorous uncle; Lord-Meister Villeroy (Refer to Quest: 'Snake in the Shadows'). He could even slit his throat...end the war, once and for all. But only, if he joined this dark and shrouded order. Furthermore, she told Nefarion, that he had already encountered two of her associates; Xenastasia, the Bastion's resident Necromancer and a fellow Hell-Knight. And also, the Assassin that abducted Prince Rhed (and mortally wounded him) was also a former member, and yet neither of the three cloaked figures seemed remotely perturbed by his demise at Nefarion's hand. She concluded the encounter, by saying that if Nefarion was interested in meeting the Master, that all he had to do was enter a Knightly Tournament in Val Nemor, and 'impress him'...supposedly he would be watching. The Tourney starts in a week, so Nefarion has plenty of time to make his decision.
REWARD: ??? (Great Riches and Power)

4.) CYNTHIA QUEST: 'Avenge the Fallen'
RECEIVED BY: Cynthia Back-story
RECEIVED WHERE: Ostenheim
OBJECTIVE: Avenge the deaths of your fellow Vampires by killing the hunters responsible.
REWARD: ???
TIPS: Ostenheim is deep within Val Nemor. The region is swarming with Villeroy soldiers and Automatons. You will have to consider more subtle means of infiltration.

5.) RAMOS QUEST: 'Claw of the Griffin'
RECEIVED BY: Ramos Back-story
RECEIVED WHERE: Ascentium; the Mountain Fort
OBJECTIVE: Infiltrate the ranks of The Von Heltzer Vanguard, and Dispatch the Paladin Lieutenant; Heidi of Helm Valdur. Work in conjunction with Wolfgang to disable both Royalist and Renegade forces in the Nibellion/Meridiangard Border. Return to Ascentium on completion of the objectives.
REWARD: ???

Session 13 Overview

With the party more or less reunited, the majority of them decide to rest up at the local inn; The Spearhead Tavern, as they are all exhausted from the long night. The White Necromancer; Hel is yet to return, and her share of the reward gold goes to Nefarion; her Hell-Knight Master. He vows to keep a large portion of it for himself. Unbeknownst to the other PCs, Hel is still incapacitated on the beach, she awakes briefly as she is moved, and picked up by someone or something. But she then falls back asleep. Ramos, along with Mack and Seltyiel are the first to reach the Spearhead Tavern, and acquire rooms for the night. Secretly, Ramos is here to meet one of his associates, a fellow brother of the Order of Libertorius (sworn enemies of the crown, radicals, freethinkers, and believers of true democracy). He speaks the secret pass-phrase and gains entrance to the room:

Q: "The eagle flies in search of prey..."
A: "North. North is the way". (Whichever direction the Royal Capital is from current location)

The man is none other than the assassin; Wolfgang (Lord Emmon/Sij's murderer, who had worked undercover within House Von Heltzer.) Wolfgang seems to be quite distrusting and paranoid towards Ramos, and is eager to leave the city as soon as possible. He is dismayed further when Ramos informs him of the forlorn Mack, and his intention to initiate him into the Order. Ramos also expresses interest to stay in High-Haven until he retrieves his stolen gold. Wolfgang reluctantly agrees to wait, but vows to stay in the room until it is safe enough to leave. Cynthia, followed closely by the Hell-Knights; Nefarion and Ysera are next to arrive at the Spearhead. They have a sombre drink of red wine as Seltyiel weeps hysterically in the background. But the mood is swiftly interrupted following a violent and messy vomiting episode for Seltyiel, who had drank a dodgy cocktail.

Hel awakens, and she finds herself lying down on a comfortable bed in a minimalist room with wooden walls, and nothing but a faint flickering candle to light it. Perplexed, she gets out of bed, and attempts to exit the room through the door, but she finds it locked, and the one window is well reinforced with wooden planks. She bangs on the door, screaming hysterically but no-one hears her cries for help. She attempts to destroy the door using her magic and abilities but a wall of energy blocks her. As she scans the room for magic, alarmingly...evil energy surrounds her, trapping her within this room. She uses Spectral Hand to allow her to pass her hand through the wall, where she conveys a message of help to anyone on the other side. It's not long before a young woman tries to free her, but she has no luck with the door either. The commotion is heard by Ramos and Wolfgang, as astoundingly, it seems to be happening in the same tavern that they are in. Ramos goes out to investigate, seeing the young woman attempting to open the door. He offers his help, and heads downstairs to acquire a key. The Half-Orc bartender (begrudgingly wiping up vomit at this point) refuses to lend the key to Ramos, insisting that the occupier of the room didn't want to be disturbed. When Ramos questioned him further, the bartender revealed that the occupant was a tall and skinny man, although he never saw his face. The gold he was being paid was too good so he didn't question it further. The man had reportedly rented that room for the last six months, and hadn't stirred since. Ramos threatened to harm the bartender if he did not procure a key, and the bartender drew a dagger, and threatened to call the guards, but alas Ramos saw through the Half-Orc's bluff, and managed to win him over. The bartender went to look for the key (or even a spare), but none were to be found. The Hell-Knights had overheard this conversation and decided to help Ramos investigate this problem. They returned upstairs to the locked room, and Nefarion shattered it with his Great Axe. Ysera dispelled the magical barrier. When they entered the room, to their surprise, they saw Hel lying on the bed, whimpering claiming that there was a monster under her bed. Nefarion attempted to move Hel, but he could not, and on further magical scanning, sensed that she was positively tainted. Undeterred, Ramos crouched down, and lifted up the bedskirt, and under the bed was Hel, her eyes full of terror, she whimpered to him, "there's someone on my bed". When the looked back onto the bed, the 'Other Hel' was nowhere to be seen. Shortly afterwards the candle extinguished itself and the room fell into complete darkness. They used a Light Spell to illuminate the room, and heard a strange twitching noise coming from above. When they looked up, they saw a gangly, withered humanoid clinging to the ceiling. It looked down on them with it's wide black eyes and shrieked horrifyingly, sending them all flying across the room, it then materialized into black mist and burst out of the barricaded window and into the night. Hel seems unharmed (physically anyway) and they all decide to try and sleep through the rest of the night. In the night, Seltyiel becomes bored, and decides to wander around the High-Haven castle, he manages to sneak inside successfully but is shortly discovered by a guard. Seltyiel flies up to the ceiling, jingling chains, and pretends to be a ghost. The gullible guard is convinced and cowers. It's not long before another (more sensible) guard approaches, he sees through the obvious hoax and asks Seltyiel politely to leave, and he does so with childish discontent.

The 'Creature' in Hel's Room.

As they sleep deep into the night, Nefarion suddenly awakes, after he thought he heard a voice mumbling from outside of his room. He attempts to wake his 'sister', but has no luck. He decides to exit the room, in order to trace this source of noise. The corridor is pitch black and from it's end he can hear the playful giggle of a young woman echoing towards him. Cautiously, he walks down the corridor towards the source of this strange and harrowing laughter before he hears the voice again, this time, she speaks into his ear. "The smell of death is on you, Murderer.".

Nefarion turns to look and he see a woman, shrouded with a green cloak. As she walks into the moonlight, he can partially see her face. A young, confident face, with two small horns on her forehead. Her amber and scarlet alien eyes meet his (their intention shrouded) and her red lips smile at him indulgently. Following this, two more cloaked figures come into view, and Nefarion seems surrounded. Both of these figures are male, the taller and muscular one seems to be human, and the other speaks in a strange, serpentine dialect of common. And so it would seem that Nefarion's forewarned "Two Days" had finally run out. Whoever he had contacted during that blood ritual at the Bastion's Black Chapel, had answered him. The horned female continues to speak to Nefarion, and goes on to talk about her 'Dark Master', she divulges that he seeks great power, and is eager to meet with Nefarion and his companions, as they have 'piqued his interests'. Nefarion feels as if he has little choice in the matter, but decides to listen regardless. She says that if Nefarion meets this Dark Master, and decides to offer his faith and service, he will be rewarded with great riches...more gold than he could ever spend, and great power, the likes of which the world has never seen. The Master has a sanctuary in Val Nemor, deep within Villeroy territory, meaning that Nefarion could operate within that region with great ease. He could even get close to the Queen's treachorous uncle; Lord-Meister Villeroy (who with his Automatons, had been responsible for Nefarion and the Royalists' defeat at the Battle of the West-Harbour). He could even slit his throat...end the war, once and for all. But only, if he joined this dark and shrouded order. Furthermore, she told Nefarion, that he had already encountered two of her associates; Xenastasia, the Bastion's resident Necromancer and a fellow Hell-Knight. And also, the Assassin that abducted Prince Rhed (and mortally wounded him) was also a former member, and yet neither of the three cloaked figures seemed remotely perturbed by his demise at Nefarion's hand. She concluded the encounter, by saying that if Nefarion was interested in meeting the Master, that all he had to do was enter a Knightly Tournament in Val Nemor, and 'impress him'...supposedly he would be watching. The Tourney starts in a week, so Nefarion has plenty of time to make his decision. Nefarion returns to his room and falls back asleep, when he awakes the next morning, he's not sure if it had even happened. Could it have been a dream?

The 'mark'...

They all rise early, promptly leaving the Spearhead Tavern. Nefarion, Ysera, and Hel agree to head out of the city towards the Bastion to report their accomplishments and findings to the Arch Lictor. Seltyiel (who is need of the Bastion's magical and alchemical amenities) decides to go with them, and Cynthia reluctantly follows them, as she is still technically a prisoner of the Hell-Knight Order. They arrive at the City Gates, but are disallowed exit by the guards, who have tightened up security following the murder of their Lord. After some tense discussion, the Townsguard Captain; Vissaeus appears, and he grants them access out of the city (because he knew them to be the ones responsible for saving the City, and repelling the Von Heltzer siege army.)

Ramos stays in town with no intention to follow the other PCs. He searches around town for clues about his missing money, and encounters a tradesman; Qith (a self-proclaimed 'Purveyor of Eel-based Ephemera'), who directs him to a man who is new to town, and who has recently acquired a great deal of wealth; a man known as Matheus. Ramos takes this information to the Captain of the High-Haven Townsguard; Vissaeus (who he discovered had helped elevate Matheus to his current state of influence and wealth). But after Vissaeus finds out that Ramos is an outsider to High-Haven, he becomes very suspicious and intimidating towards him. He even questions him regarding his motives and business within High-Haven, but Ramos manages to deceive the captain, and find out some information of his own. The Captain tells him that Matheus has an office in the City Castle, where he conducts his affairs in the reformation of High-Haven and assassination aftermath. He keeps Ramos' prized Glaive as 'insurance' until he returns. It doesn't take long for Ramos to locate Matheus in the Castle, and he is granted a private meeting in his office. After a heated discussion, it becomes clear that Matheus' is not playing Ramos' game, and is not admitting to any of Ramos' strong accusations. Ramos finally threatens Matheus by kicking the door shut, and Matheus calls the guards to take Ramos out of the premises.

Current Party Formation

(Group 1)
Location: En-Route to Bastion Zenith
Active Quests: 'Snake in the Shadows', 'Blood Rituals', 'One Book Short of a Library', 'Avenge the Fallen'
Members:
Cmdr. Nefarion Furyborn
Sgnf. Ysera Furyborn

Seltyiel Garrott

Hel the Necromancer (Mel; Ghost Sister)

Cynthia the Malefactor

(Group 2)

Location: City of High-Haven

Active Quests: 'Claw of the Griffin'

Members:

Ramos of the Order

Wolfgang of the Order (NPC)
Lt. Mack (NPC)

Session 12 Overview

The party is divided, scattered in all directions away from the village. After a couple hours of running, they learn that the Von Heltzer invasion force is withdrawing from the region, back to their lands (following the deaths of their commanders). Unfortunately for the party members, the Von Heltzer force is heading straight through the village, between them and the safety of High-Haven. Nefarion and Ysera flee south into a forest, and decide to rest until the army has passed. Seltyiel and Cynthia flee east into Von Heltzer controlled territories, and eventually double-back west along a mountain path. Hiding in the mountains as the invasion force passes by. They get a close call after a Von Heltzer scout passes by them and a further one mounted on a Griffin swoops over them. But after a few hours of hiding, they remain undetected, and pass the army successfully. Hel (without the company of her ghost; Mel) wanders south to the coastline, she manages to patch up some of her wounds, and in the distance she can see the two distinct spires of High-Haven. She walks along the beach towards the Port City but falls into a deep sleep not long into her journey. Mel (who had been back at the Windmill) searches desperately for her living sister, and manages to detect her, she flies south over the passing Von Heltzer army towards her sister. Ramos heads west back to the Windmill, to locate his hidden stash of items, to his horror, almost 3,000 of his gold is missing, the trail of coins lead towards High-Haven. He suits up, and decides to follow the trail, and along the way he sees a limping Mack in the distance, heading straight for High-Haven. After an awkward meeting (Ramos, having considered taking Mack's life), Ramos decides to help Mack, patching up some of his wounds, and takes him off of the path. The pair of them notice a cloud of dust in the distance, in addition to the sounds of thousands of boots marching on the ground. The Von Heltzer army...it was heading straight for them. Ramos drags Mack as far as he can along a hidden forest route but it seems that the army has caught up with them. Ramos hides Mack in a hollowed out tree stump, and he himself climbs up a tree. The Von Heltzer army passes through the forest, and after twenty minutes or so, the army seems to have gone, when Ramos jumps down from the tree, Mack begins to climb out of the stump. It's at this point a crouching figure sits up from behind the stump Mack had been in. The figure (identified as a Von Heltzer scout) had dropped trow and was currently ejecting his bowls. Ramos went over quietly and attempted to coup-de-grace him, but failed. The scout threw himself to the side, and drew his sword from it's scabbard (with trousers still around his ankles), and the two of them clashed in melee. After a brief fight, the scout made a run for it (having sustained a number of deadly stab wounds from Ramos' glaive). He screamed bloody murder as he ran towards the tail end of the Von Heltzer army, who had left him there. Fortunately for Ramos, the scout tripped over a log as he ran, destroying his knee and pulverizing his lower leg. He lay there screaming, and Ramos stabbed him multiple times until the screams stopped. A Von Heltzer Knight had heard the commotion in the distance and had charged Ramos, but Ramos made a run for it shortly after. The Knight in his heavy Armour and already exhausted state, did not pursue Ramos for long, and allowed them to get away.

It takes them a long time to get back to High-Haven, but astoundingly all of the PCs made it in one piece (With the exception of Hel, who is still passed out asleep on a southern coastal beach.) After they all return, they are met by Captain Visseus of the High-Haven Townsguard. He explains to them that in their absence, Lord Emmon has been murdered along with their companion; Sij, the Samsaran Pacifist Monk. He was dismayed to have to tell the PCs the news, but assured them that their sacrifices had not been in vain. The Von Heltzer army had withdrawn from the region, licking their wounds. They had saved High-Haven were rewarded 2,000 gold each, and 1,000 bonus experience each for their endeavors. Matheus and Severine (the Hell-Knight fugitives that the PCs saved) also greeted the party. Severine smiled warmly at Nefarion and Ysera, and she is still wearing her green dress - albeit a bit muddied since they you saw it. Matheus had his hand placed on Severine's shoulder affectionately. He seemed well washed, and adorned in finer clothing. Weaing a purple velvet doublet and positively jingling with jewellery.

Local Area Map: High-Haven and the Eastern Road

Session 11 Overview

Upon entrance into the chapel, the disguised party (Hel, Cynthia, Seltyiel and Mack) witness the third and final Von Heltzer commander; Heidi, the Paladin-Lieutenant - Fully armored, and sporting a heavy mace. As they enter, she becomes immediately suspicious and proceeds to walk towards them intimidatingly, assisted by two of her most loyal paladin knights. Unexpectedly however, after taking three steps towards them, a large explosion engulfs her, knocking her guards away from her. At this point, Seltyiel becomes visible, backing away cautiously from the blast. As the smoke settles, a large spatter of blood and bits of Armour exists where Heidi had once stood, and at that point, it was clear to everyone what had happened. Seltyiel had detonated a bomb right next to the Paladin-Lieutenant, injuring himself and the other guards around the blast area. At this point, the Paladin guards readied their weapons and began to attack Seltyiel and the other Party members whom they had been initially suspicious of. After a brief battle with the remaining paladins, it was clear to Cynthia, Mack, and Hel (who had taken substantial wounds from the fight) that they were outmatched, even Seltyiel in his mutagen-enraged state struggled to fend off the Lieutenant's guards. And the party eventually fled the chapel. As they left the building, they could see the Paladin regiments returning to the chapel in the distance, and in their panic, they scattered, separating from each other. Seltyiel and Cynthia proceeding east (into Von Heltzer controlled territories). Hel flees south towards the coast. Mack heads west, back towards High-Haven. The 'distraction' party fled a while before, also separating. The Hell-Knight siblings retreat south into a forest and Ramos heads west, back to the windmill, in an effort to recover his stashed belongings.

Session 10 Overview

Ysera ties the Von Heltzer Paladin; Cedric to a stake in the ground and both the Hell-Knights interrogate him for details about Heidi and here exact whereabouts. When his replies don't satisfy them, he is burnt alive. The group are then led away from the mill towards the village, via a secret forest path known by Ramos, the newly acquired prisoner-spy. He reluctantly assists the party, as it seems he has little choice in the matter, and is frustrated when he is disallowed his hidden personal belongings (which he had stashed nearby). Hel fainted in response to the fiery coup-de-grace but the party did not notice until fifteen minutes into their hike. Eventually they realize, and return for her, but when they arrive back at the mill, they witness that her unconscious body is being looted by a cloaked figure. The figure is spooked instantly, and bolts into the forest, he has taken all of Hel's gold (500gp) as well as her Ring of Protection. Hel is roused afterwards and they continue where they left off. The party sneak past a number of Von Heltzer patrols along the way until finally they can see the ransacked village, from a natural overlook half-a-mile away.

The village is of no strategical value, the Von Heltzer army had simply marched their way through
when they came for High-Haven, it's denizens were unlucky enough to be in the way. Many of the buildings have been destroyed and there are large pyres placed around the settlement. The banners of House Von Heltzer stand proud and triumphant, the golden griffin sigil swaying in the wind and smoke. The party devise a plan and split into two groups, one as a distraction party (designed to draw the majority of the Von Heltzer forces away from the Chapel - where Heidi is said to reside), and the other an infiltration party, to sneak deep into the village and confront the Paladin Lieutenant. The distraction party (Ramos, Ysera, Nefarion) head for a barn on the outskirts of the village, in the hope to detonate it's explosive contents. A perfect distraction one might say.The infiltration party (Hel, Cynthia, Seltyiel and Mack) carefully navigate their way through the village until they can see the Chapel from an adjacent alleyway. A great pyre sits in the plaza outside of the Chapel, and at closer inspection, human corpses can be seen within it. Countless men, women, and children have been butchered, and their bodies left to burn and rot. The Chapel stands tall and undamaged, and it's surrounding streets are swarming with Paladin regiments. The distraction party break the lock off the barn, but to their horror find no explosives inside, further investigation suggests that the explosives had been moved out of the village since Ramos had been here last. Realizing that the distraction would not happen as planned, Ramos took it upon himself to make his way towards a patrolling regiment of Paladins, and alert them to 'insurgent activity' in the village. He led them into the barn, where Ysera and Nefarion had planted a trap. When only a handful of Paladins went inside, news spread quickly up the ranks that there were in fact no 'insurgents' to be seen. In panic, Ramos slammed the barn door shut and the Paladins (still outside) became confused and agitated. In desperation, Ramos attempted to trick them all, by suggesting that the 'insurgents' were within the Paladins own ranks. This caused some of the Paladins to become suspicious of each other, but for the most part, Ramos had failed. Realizing this, he made a run for it, but not before he received a few stab and slash wounds from their swords. Paranoia had spread throughout the Paladin ranks however, and a civil conflict had erupted within their numbers. Enough of a distraction for Ramos to break away and bolt it down the street. Nefarion and Ysera had also made a dash, after witnessing this turn-of-events at a safer distance.


Back at the infiltration party, the distraction that Ramos had improvised had seemed to pay off. Enough of the Von Heltzer forces had cleared the area to give the party an opportunity to get inside the chapel and confront Heidi. Within the Chapel, a large space has been cleared, and three caped armored figures stood before the chapel's shrine. Each wearing the Paladin plate mail and capes. Despite being clad in the same armor as the other two, the central figure was without a helmet, and possessed an unmistakably feminine stance. Her exposed head revealed short hair, and tanned skin. Before she sees here new guests, she let's out a roar and swings a heavy mace at the shrine's stone deity. Smashing it into pieces. Seltyiel drinks a potion of invisibility prior to his entrance, so for the mostpart, the party is disguised as Von Heltzers.

Session 9 Overview

A few miles behind the main enemy camp lies a ransacked village. The light of fire illuminates it in the darkness, and the smell of smoke is pungent in the twilight air. A primitive, cobbled road leads vaguely in it's direction. trampled wheat fields surround it on both sides. The party venture forth confidently, all of them disguised with the exception of Seltyiel, who has also expended his use of his wings (for that day). As they continue down the path they notice the ruins of an old windmill ahead. Most of the top section/roof as well as the vane is destroyed.

As they get closer, they can see the faint light of a campfire coming from within the ruined mill. They advance with caution but shortly after, they hear the sound of a warning bell. It appears that they have been spotted, and that their disguises have not worked this time. The party fans out, charging towards the mill and they are met by four Paladins; elite knights of House Von Heltzer. They manage to overwhelm and dispatch the first two without too much trouble, but the third and fourth seem to be fighting eachother. After further intrigue, it appears that one of the two remaining Paladins is in fact a spy, and now that his cover has been compromised, he has taken it upon himself to escape the encroaching threat. He and the other Paladin are both surrounded, and taken by the party as prisoners. The Fetchling glaive-wielder; 'Ramos' (the undercover spy) denies his connection to the Von Heltzers, and divulges of his mission to kill the very same commander that the PCs have been tracking. An self-proclaimed agent of free will and true democracy, he vows to kill Heidi for the good of Elmunred and of his Order; the infamous Order of Libertorius. (Sworn enemies of the crown, and the Hell-Knights of the Cabal) At this stage, it seems that Ramos' life will be spared, as he has valuable information on the precise whereabouts of Heidi, and he has the same objective and motivation as the PCs. Find the Paladin-Lieutenant, and bring her down, put an end the Von Heltzer's invasion once and for all.

Player Character Death Report: Sij

"What monsters we've become...
Truly we are beyond atonement" - Sij

Name: Sij
Race/Class: Samsaran Monk (Empty Hand)
Player: Vince
Level: 6 (Required 9,900exp for Level 7)
Date of Death: ~11pm, 19th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE 
Cause of Death: Killed in Action. Killing blow came from the slash of a +3 Bastard Sword possessed by the Assassin; Wolfgang of House Von Heltzer.
Location: Main Hall of Lord Emmon Hyegarl's Manor, City of High-Haven, Greater Nibellion.
Total Sessions: 8 (1-8)
Total In-Game Days: 5 (Days 2-7)

Back-story/Bio:
A pacifist Samsaran Monk who pilgrimages from city to city. He has made pilgrimages for many years, and recently has been searching for someone very special to him -  a woman who saved him from a fire decades ago - An honorable and dedicated individual, he also completes courier and delivery runs as well to make extra coin on his ventures. Although on the outside he seems like a gentle, kind and virtuous person, Sij has a dark side lying dormant within him, the powers of which he can scarcely control.

Quests Completed: 2
1.) Unique Side Quest: 'Royal Messenger'
                                     Deliver the Queen's Message to Lady Katherine Arcadeus.
2.) Unique Side Quest: 'Bearer of Bad News'
                                     Deliver Lady Katherine's Message to Lord Emmon Hyegarl.

Bosses Defeated: 0

Total Exp Gained: 2,100exp
+100 (Assassin Encounter)
+500 (Quest Completed: 'Royal Messenger' )
+150 (Poacher Encounter)
+250 (Communicated with the Faceless Deity)
+750 (Quest Completed: 'Bearer of Bad News')
+250 (Helped the young girl; Severine escape Bastion Zenith)
+100 (Met Matheus of Olynne)
  
Total GP Gained: 1,250gp (none of it accepted)
+500 (Offered as Payment from Lady Katherine)
+750 (Offered as Payment from Lord Emmon)

Sin Points: 4 (2nd Lowest of the PCs at the time)
+2 ??? (Tainted after performing a Blood Ritual to the Faceless Deity)
+1 Wrath (Has inflicted severe brutality one one occasion - Poacher Encounter)
+1 Pride (Opted to not participate in the counter-attack against the Von Heltzer siege army.)

Virtue Points: 8 (Highest of all PCs at the time)
+2 Charity (Frequently denies any form of monetary payment as he is taking a Vow of Poverty.)
+1 Patience (Is a Pacifist, and has shown self-control and remorse when appropriate.)
+2 Diligence (Remained completely focused on both of his Delivery Runs.)
+3 Kindness (Sacrificed himself to protect Lord Emmon from Wolfgang.)

Session 8 Overview

With the Ordnance Marshal defeated in a relatively quiet and unseen manner. The party use this opportunity to sabotage the enemy camp, eventually agreeing to rig the camp's ordnance depot to blow. They manage to do this undetected, and get within a safe distance before igniting the fuse with a newly acquired Flask of Alchemist's Fire (acquired from Old Adelbern). The cargo of black powder barrels and artillery shells detonate shortly afterwards, causing a massive explosion, dealing a devastating amount of damage. The enemy's cannons are destroyed and a great chunk of the Von Heltzer forces in the camp are wiped out in the blast. Nefarion is separated from the group, and before leaving the camp to the east, he picks off a few burning stragglers. And later when outside of the camp (in the dark fields surrounding) he confronts another Von Heltzer Knight who is unnamed and lost. After a desperate hand-to-hand fight, the Knight is defeated, and finished off brutally. Shortly afterwards, Nefarion locates the rest of the party where they prepare for their next infiltration.

Back at High-Haven in the Main Hall, Sij and Lord Emmon are met by a frantic guard. "My Lord, We're under attack!" he says "Von Heltzer soldiers have infiltrated our walls!"
When everyone leaves except Emmon, two guards, and Sij. A cloaked figure in black steps in from one of the side rooms brandishing a bastard sword. Before they can even react, the figure cuts down one of Emmon's guards before advancing on the second. As he moves, the cloak reveals a flash of shining plate armour beneath. The other guard goes to draw his sword, but is impaled through the heart before his blade even leaves the scabbard. The figure turns on Sij "Get out of my way, runt." speaks a mocking, familiar voice, as he advances. The man lowers his hood and Sij can see that it is Ambassador Wolfgang; who it seems is an undercover assassin. After a brief, desperate fight, Sij and Lord Emmon are overwhelmed by the assailant and in turn, both of them are murdered.

Unaware of the events transpired, the others party members at the Von Heltzer camp eventually regroup before setting out to infiltrate the main enemy camp, hoping to find the Field Commander's tent. They realize that this time, bringing in the 'captured prisoners' again would draw too much attention, so instead they procure a makeshift disguise for Nefarion and Ysera by plating their existing Hell-Knight Armour and fatigues with a Von Heltzer set. Seltyiel (who physically couldn't wear the armour due to his bodily mutations decides to act as air support for the mission, and flies above them, out of sight from enemies. With all party members disguised, they successfully infiltrate the main enemy camp, and manage to get a squire to lead them to the Field Commander's tent. Along the way they are met by a Von Heltzer Paladin, who questions the party's desire to see the Field Commander. Nefarion lies by saying that he and his cohorts are survivors of the 'attack' on the Artillery Camp, he goes on to say that demons were the culprits. When the Paladin asks to check the group for 'Demonic tainting', Nefarion is apprehensive, but before the Paladin gets a chance, Hel manages to bluff him that she had already cleansed the party. They continue without further delay until they reach the large, elaborate tent which could only be the Field Commander's. They learn that the Field Commander is in the tent, and the grunts and noises within suggest he is currently 'entertaining'. What seems strange however is the otherworldy noises coming from the other voice within the tent. A powerful aura is emanating from within and the Commander seems transfixed and engrossed in his primal acts of passion. He has neglected to investigate the destruction of the Artillery camp, and even refuses to speak to his own men, even after they inform him of the valuable information that the (Disguised) Party Members have to tell. After continued persuasion and persistance from the Party members, the Commander's guards give way, and eventually they manage to gain access into the tent, and what they see inside is interesting to say the least.

SIDE QUEST PSEUDO BOSS FIGHT: Field Commander Hoyt
On entering the commander's tent, it seems that a ghostly feminine figure,comprised of whirling particles of reds and purples is straddling Commander Hoyt and the two of them are engaging in sensual and otherworldly coitus.
The Female Phantom speaks to the Commander "You will know ultimate pleasure, my lord. Pleasure like you've never experienced in this world."
"Please...I must have more. I must have you for the rest of my days"Hoyt responds
"You know what you have to do. I'll be waiting for you on the night of your victory. Conquer the city....and then I will be yours forever"
"I will do it. By all the gods, I will fuck that city into the ground."

As the Party members encounter him with weapons ready, the female ghostly form evaporates into the air and floats up and out of the tent, leaving the naked and exposed Commander Hoyt to a irrevocable and gruesome demise. He's first pinned to the bed via his lower abdomen by Cynthia's rapier, Nefarion hacks off one of his legs with his greataxe, Hel unintentionally pulverizes his genitalia with a flail, and her ghost; Mel, strangles him. Seltyiel is the one to finish the Commander however as he crashes down into the tent from above, perked up on his various potions, he savagely crushes the Commander's head with his monstrous jaws.

Session 7 Overview

Nefarion, Hel, Seltyiel and Cynthia return to the city after successfully ambushing the Von Heltzer scout patrol. With haste, Lord Emmon has the acquired Von Heltzer armour repaired so that it can be used as disguises. Shortly after, Ysera (who had remained at the Bastion researching) enters the City and is reuinted with the party once again. In her research into the old tomes and grimoires of the Bastion's Library, she uncovered more information on the symbol that they had seen on the Assassin's neck. 'Ancient Symbols: A Compendium', was the name of the book she had found, and it's author was none other than Professor Tobias Glyph, a Wizard and Scholar of High-Haven, who famously went insane after his research on the symbol.

A total of three sets of Von Heltzer Knight Armour are available plus two improvised sets made by Cynthia. The prisoner ringleader; Mack, offers his service to Nefarion prior to them departing again. He divulges to Nefarion that he was a Lieutenant in the High-Haven Townsguard prior to his incarceration. He's seen his share of combat, and is no stranger to stealth either. Nefarion accepts Mack into the party for the coming mission. In the end, Hel, Cynthia, and Mack use the Von Heltzer disguises and Ysera, Nefarion and Seltyiel remain in their clothing, instead pretending to be 'Demon Cultist POWs'.

While the night is still dark, they venture out from the safety of the City walls to infiltrate the Von Heltzer siege camp. They discover that there are in fact a total of three Von Heltzer commanders, and decide to tackle the commander of the Mountain Artillery camp.

SIDE QUEST BOSS FIGHT: Old Adelbern, the Ordnance Marshal
With their disguises and 'captured' prisoners, they manage to trick the guards into letting them into the camp, and they help escort the prisoners to the Ordnance Marshal. Nefarion, Hel, and Ysera are thrown into an iron prison cell in the POW holding tent. Before the Marshal arrives, Nefarion uses his fearful presence to frighten the guards into quivering wrecks, so that the Marshal is confused and off-guard when he arrived. When he examines the prisoners for himself, the cell door swings open and he is pulled in with them. Weapons are drawn, and the party members (both prisoners and disguised guards) butcher him in the cell. The finishing blow coming from Cynthia, who impales him through his flank with her rapier.

Factions Unlocked

INFO:
House Hyegarl are a noble family based in Greater Nibellion, their seat is the Port City of High-Haven, which overlooks the Gulf of Arcthane and the Celmarune Ocean. They swear fealty to the Royal House Arcadeus, which was nurtured from Katherine Hyegarl’s marriage with John Arcadeus, who was the High King of Elmunred prior to Max (his younger brother). Their sigil is a sea-serpent with two warriors either side of it in battle.

INFO:
The Von Heltzers are a proud and noble family, valuing their knightly codes and doctrines. Collectively, they control a region called Meridiangard, which borders the territories of the Royal House; Arcadeus, and the Great Celmarune ocean. They are a family born from war, many of whom are reputedly fierce warriors, stoic and cold-hearted, they live their lives around their Knightly ways, believing in honour, valour and a solid defense and offense, boasting many leagues of heavily-armoured champions. As such with their honourable morals, they largely dismissed black-powder weapons, instead preferring physical strength and sharp steel. They once shared a thriving trade economy with House Arcadeus from the marriage of Sasha Von Heltzer with the late King Max Arcadeus, however they have since had cultural disagreements with them. They were also somewhat angered to learn of King Max’s infertility, and were frustrated that he could not keep the Von Heltzer family secure for the future. This bond was ultimately severed when King Max died. So when House Villeroy declared war on House Arcadeus, House Von Heltzer also prepared for war, except they decided not to ally with either one side. With their discontent towards House Arcadeus, they possess yet stronger discontent for House Villeroy, and would not allow them to seize control of the realm.