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.

Session 6 Overview

With the Hell-Knights members of the party being given some time off duty, the party decide that it's time to depart from the Bastion to follow up on other party side-quests. They leave southwest towards High-Haven, to deliver Sij's sealed letter Lord Emmon Hyegarl (Lady Katherine's brother). They manage to smuggle the young prisoner girl; Severine, out of the Bastion by turning her invisible.

Along the journey to the coastal city of High-Haven, the party encounters an escaped prisoner from the Bastion they just came from. After some questioning, they learn that this emaciated middle-aged man is a friend of Severine's. Matheus claims his crimes were tithe evasion, and he also boasts skills in lock picking (which was how he escaped the Bastion). He also mentioned that before he was incarcerated, he was a Monk.

Red: Party Location     Amber: Current Destination 

High-Haven
A port city located on the southern coastline. It overlooks the great Celmarune Ocean. High-Haven is the seat of power of House Hyegarl (sworn to Arcadeus Royalists). It is a remarkably beautiful city, distinct for the golden-brown stone used in many of the buildings within the cities walls. There are two central spires which ascend nearly five hundred feet high, which can be seen for many miles around. Beneath the spires, lies a stately palace, and residence for Lord Emmon Hyegarl; the eldest brother of Lady Katherine Arcadeus.

Upon entering the city, the party are infomed of an impending curfew, and later discover (when they meat Lord Emmon) that the city is threatened by a huge Von Heltzer siege army. The party first decide to purchase some proper clothing for Severine and Matheus and find the nearest clothier. Nefarian purchases a nice emerald colored silk dress for Severine for 5 gold and Matheus obtains a Plain brown leather doublet and matching trousers for 2 gold. Seltyiel sells some potions at the local Arcanist. Lord Emmon greets them in the central palace. A wispy, stick of a man, yet sincere and calm. Until recently, Lord Emmon was loyal to the Royal Family; Arcadeus, however tough times have seem him question the alliance, and he seriously contemplates withdrawing his support and siding with the Von Heltzers; who have been very generous in their diplomatic terms. Also in Lord Emmon's company is Von Helzter's Ambassador Wolfgang; a tall, black haired man in full-plate Armour and black cape. He presents the terms of his masters to Lord Emmon; Join with the Von Heltzers, of face annihilation. Lord Emmon thanks and rewards Sij for delivering his sister's letter to him, even if the answer was not what he had hoped. He divulges some information on the woman that Sij was seeking, and claimed that Eleanore is still alive (even though it was over a hundred years ago when Sij knew her), he also went on to say that she was somehow affiliated with the very enemy that marches on his walls, but didn't know how exactly.

After a lengthy discussion on the topic of the siege, the Party manage to persuade Lord Emmon to fight the Von Heltzers, and agree to help him achieve this. They discover that the Von Heltzer siege army looms intimidatingly to the southeast, with it's war camps up a few miles of the city's walls. Emmon insists that facing that army directly is suicide, and other more subtle techniques must be employed. The party decide that the best way to deal with the Von Heltzer army was to sneak into their camps (in disguise) and dispatch the commander(s). This would at least buy Emmon some time to call for further aid in the inevitable siege. Hel and Cynthia muster up some Von Heltzer disguises, and create fantastic replicas of the Von Heltzer plate mail. They adorn their sets, and loosely bind Nefarion and Seltyiel's hands, and make them out to be prisoners of war. They use this rouse to set up an ambush for a patrolling Von Heltzer scouting party, which they pull off without too much hassle. The dead Von Heltzer scouts are stripped of their unspoiled armor, which are used towards further disguises. Sij, Severine and Matheus remain with Lord Emmon at High-Haven during the foray.


Prior to this, Nefarion and the others decide to confront some of Lord Emmon's prisoners; turncoats and deserters from House Hyegarl's town guard and militia. He singles out the ringleader (Mack; who was a former Hyegarl commander) and manages to persuade him to help defend his city from the Von Heltzer army, his comrades soon follow in suit.

Faction Unlocked

INFO:
An organization that traces it’s origins to the time of the Great Emperors. It’s exact date of foundation is uncertain, but it is likely to have been in the late Fourth Era (around one thousand five hundred years ago). In it’s day, it was an expansive organization bound to the ruling Emperor, exacting law and order, keeping the peace and pacifying threats. They were sworn protectors of the Emperor, acting as bodyguards, although they were regularly assigned missions and expeditions outside of the imperial realm. (usually of clandestine nature) The organization was known as the Cabal of Vigilum (or simply ‘the Cabal’. It’s members and operatives were called Knights of Vigilum, as well as Hands of the Emperor. They also had many colloquial names; Law Knights, Justiciars, and Sworn Swords, to name a few. The Cabal quickly gained infamy as a result of their decidedly ruthless methods of exacting the Emperor’s laws. They hold the highest jurisdiction with regards to the law, even superseding the authority of regular law enforcements assigned to the realm - The Cabal are second only to the Emperor, and the feudal lords that collectively govern the realm. They have a sworn duty and permission to punish lawbreakers without remorse, and can do so without consequence so long as they are operating within the boundaries of the realm - In short, they are the ultimate Law Enforcement Society assigned to Elmunred. Undoubtedly, this freedom and obligation led to corruption within the Cabal, with many of it’s historical members abusing their authority, committing heinous acts in the name of justice. As a result of this, the Cabal has been decreased exponentially in size and influence. And in the present day, the Cabal is a mere shadow of it’s former glory and power. As the Era of the Great Emperors has come to an end, the Cabal now serves the ruling monarchs of Elmunred. Currently in active duty, there are only a few hundred carefully-selected individuals assigned to the Cabal’s ranks. Aside from the Law Enforcement duties, agents of the Cabal are also obligated to hunt down forces of darkness, as well as demons. From their association with these entities, many agents are often referred to as Knights of Hell - or Hell-Knights. The moniker has become very popular in recent times. Currently In Elmunred, the headquarters of the Cabal is in Bastion Zenith, within the royal county of Greater Nibellion.

Session 5 Overview

Red: Party Location     Amber: Current Destination

Bastion Zenith Amenities:
Cabal Armory: Arms and Armour (Blacksmith Dayne, Armigers in Training)
Cabal Mage's Quarter: Arcana and Spellcrafting (Signifer Ashlotte, Paralictor Merryck)
Cabal Infirmary: Medical Assistance (Signifer Xenastasia: Also a dabbler in Necromancy)
Cabal Library: Full of Old books and Magical tomes.
Cabal Black Chapel: A Chapel to an unknown Faceless Deity, Empty and Neglected
Cabal Interrogation Chamber: Information extraction and Prisoner punishment (Torturer Xzavier)
Cabal Prisoner Block: Prisoner holding cells for lawbreakers and criminals.
The Hall of Blades: The Bastion's War Room and Diplomatic Nerve-Centre.
Arch Lictor's Quarters: Arch Lictor Emmerich's personal quarters and office.

The Arch Lictor explains to Nefarion and Ysera that there are no current missions for them at present, and they are free to enjoy some well deserved R&R until further notice. After the meeting with the Arch-Lictor is adjourned, the party disbands briefly to explore the Bastion. There seems to be talk going round about a fight and a makeshift arena is being prepared in the central courtyard, and Hell-Knights are gathering to watch. Nefarion decides that he will require speed in his duel against Heinrich, and in preparation trades one of his acquired magical weapons (a +2 Unholy dagger) with Signifer Ashlotte for a +2 Furyborn Longsword, and spends additional funds on a Mithril Tower Shield.

OPTIONAL BOSS FIGHT: Black Sentinel Heinrich
Towards the end of the evening, the ominous seven feet of Sentinel Heinrich strides into the Bastion, the portcullis closing with a metallic crunch behind him. The crowd is roaring in excitement and anticipation, they have waited far too long for a good fight to the death.
The fight starts well for Heinrich, who deals a number of deadly blows to Nefarion, but Nefarion prevails long enough for some outside intervention. All of a sudden, the arena is coated in a thick fog, leaving both combatants vision impaired. The Arch-Lictor has also arrived to watch the duel, and in response to the magical fog, he demands to know who had caused this. Who had interfered in this honorable fight to the death? Hel is later identified as the perpetrator (or rather, Hel's ghost companion; Mel.) The Arch-Lictor orders her to retract her ghost's involvement but Hel claims she is unable to control her companion. He orders Nefarion's own sister; Ysera to dispel the fog cloud, but after numerous attempts, she fails to exact her master's request. With the two opponents stalking each-other in the fog, Heinrich seems lost, his situation exacerbated by his greathelm; which offered limited vision without the fog. Nefarion manages to take advantage of the situation, and performs a number of deadly flanking attacks on the Black Sentinel, eventually performing a decapitating coup de grace. Eventually the fog is dispelled by three combined Signifers working together and just as everyone can see the battle again, the beheaded Heinrich crashes onto the floor with Nefarion sheaving his longsword. The crowd's cheers silence in disbelief, and then then the sound of clapping can be heard from the Arch-Lictor. The crowd then respond in kind, and Nefarion is hailed as the champion of the fight. The Arch Lictor congratulates Nefarion in his efforts, but also pulls both Hel and Ysera aside, expressing that he will be dealing with them both later for their failures.

Ysera is given a formal warning for her failure to dispel the fog, and the Arch-Lictor gives her a  callous reminder of where her loyalties lie. The Hell-Knights always come first, even before Family. As punishment for her lack of control, the Arch-Lictor places a hand on Hel's face, and precedes to burn a hand-print. When Nefarion went over to the Infirmary to get patched up, he spoke with Signifer Xenastasia, who he learned was a practicer of Necromancy. He offered the head of the assassin they had stopped from killing the Prince, to see if she could reanimate it. The head came back to life, and Nefarion (along with Sij at this point) had only a few minutes to collect what information they needed. After a surreal and demoralizing conversation, they learned that the assassin was sent by his Dark Master (a man, he claims was not of his world), he also divulged that his master lived underground near the City of Ostenheim.

 Prior to this, Sij had been in the Black Chapel of the Bastion, trying to communicate with the statue of a deity he presumed to be Zero, the God of Death. He returned to the Chapel with Nefarion and they placed the assassin's head on the altar. Sij offered his own blood to the statue and he managed to provoke a reaction (albeit a weak one). They both decided that more blood was needed, and so they decided to go to the Cabal's Interrogation Chamber. They meet the Bastion's resident 'Interrogator'; Xzavier, who appeared to be quite deranged and sadistic toward the prisoners he kept. When they asked him for some blood, he said that there was plenty to acquire from the prisoner in the corner; a young, whimpering girl of six. Sij and Nefarion refused to harm the girl and tried to convince Xzavier to use a different prisoner instead, he eventually agrees, but not before he stabs the girl in the arm with a rusty key, and squeezes fresh blood from the wound into a bowl. After some convincing, they manage to liberate the little girl at his mercy (They later identify her as Severine; whose crime was stealing gold from a nobleman.) and throw him Ayres; a feral human female whose crimes were for serial accounts of rape. They leave the Interrogation chamber with a bowl of blood.
Cynthia the Vampire also visits this room, and gorges on a Half-Orc Rapist Prisoner.

Sij and Nefarion return to the Chapel, and offer the bowl of blood. It seems to work, and the head of the assassin (which was placed on the altar) begins to seemingly sink inside the stone. In response, a deep exhale of a sinister voice resounded speaking "Rakh'Shaal". They take this information to Signifer Ashlotte, and she translates it as an ancient dialect of Abyssal, meaning 'Two Days'. When she asked Sij where he head it, Sij explained that is was Zero, the God of Death, responding to their offering. Ashlotte seems bewildered, and claims that statue is of a faceless figure, and not of Zero. She states that there is a theory that the chapel is thousands of years old, older than the bastion itself, which was built around it, and it's masonry was made to mimic the black polished stone of the chapel. She doesn't understand why Sij and Nefarion see the Deity differently to her.

Session 4 Overview

The Prince is alive, although seems quite feeble and disturbed. He has been rendered unable to talk due to his neck injury, but he arranges a farewell in appreciation of the party. His aide thanks the party on his behalf and hopes that they will meet again soon. The party reconvene at the city gates and meet up once again with Melanie and her Vampire prisoner; Cynthia. They depart southeast through a mountain path towards Bastion Zenith; the Last Hell-Knight outpost in Elmunred.

Along the way they are drawn by the smoke of a campfire, and after further investigation, they encounter three suspicious individuals hurriedly packing up their campsite. At first they claim to be hunters, but eventually after some intimidation and interrogation confess they are Poachers. After the poachers attempt to flee. Hell-Knight siblings Nefarion and Ysera stop two of them in their tracks, cutting off the leg of one and extracting the tongue of the other. Sij; the Monk, chases the third into the forest and finally catches up to him. He tries to reason with the poacher, but the poacher is too desperate, and refuses to listen to any reason. After Sij is stabbed with a dagger, he sees red, and transforms into an uncontrollable state of rage. He takes the dagger off of the poacher and stabs him violently to death, and in that moment, all of his pacifist vows were broken. Nefarion and Seltyiel eventually find Sij weeping and shaking over the dead poacher, Nefarion loots the corpse, taking a little gold and the coneys that had been poached. Seltyiel extracts the man's gallbladder. Sij laments on how far they have all descended, and concludes that they are all monsters of men.

After a brief rest, the party continue on to the Bastion, and discover it is in quite a state of disrepair. The two Black Sentinel guardsmen welcome Nefarion and Ysera, but question the other party members in their company, after some tense, fighting words are exchanged between Nefarion and Black Sentinel Heinrich (the larger of the two guards). Nefarion's honor and manhood is insulted by Heinrich, and a duel (to the death) is set for later that evening. The party meet the Arch-Lictor; Emmerich (A crimson haired muscular man, of Suli descent). He seems unimpressed at the Hell-Knights for their efforts in protecting the Prince, but nevertheless gives them their payment. Later on, the Arch-Lictor summons Melanie and her prisoner; Cynthia, for questioning. He pries into Cynthia's dark past, asking her about the fate of the Hunter that killed her coven. When Cynthia insisted that she had killed the hunter (along with all of his family), the Arch Lictor seemed surprised and doubtful, and stated to her that this was not so, for the hunter was still alive.

Factions Unlocked

INFO:
One of the oldest houses in Elmunred, Arcadeus kings and queens have ruled over the realm for the last seven hundred years. They are direct blood-descendents of the Great Emperors that had once unified the whole realm. House Arcadeus was widely considered by all to be the most noblest and powerful of all the families that inhabited the region. In their prime, they governed most of Elmunred and even had control of territories further east into Ylaskir. In recent years however, House Arcadeus has become a shadow of its former self, it has ceased to be an Empire and much of it’s territories have been lost as a result of Civil War and uprising between other major Houses on Elmunred.

INFO:
The D’Arcys of the Verdant are fabled for their great wealth and elegance. They are a proud and educated family, valuing intellect and tact over brute force. However this is not to say that they weak militarily - quite the contrary in fact, for House D’Arcy have a grand army of elite warriors to defend them when words have not been enough. They also heavily implement the use of magic and the arcane in self-defense more so than the other factions. They have recently forged a strong relationship and alliance with the royal family Arcadeus through Marcel D’Arcy’s marriage with Karyn Arcadeus, and they stand loyally with them even as the current Civil War besets them.