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.