RAMOS Eldnacht, Agent of the Order of Libertorius
ARESY, A humble healer from the South (Ysera Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer)
EXALIS Grimdark, a Fetchling Inquisitor
~5pm, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 16)
Outside the 'Sanctuary', Bottom of Aegis Lake, the Western Reach
Ramos gathered as much speed as he could and charged at the facility's window. He made contact with the window and was repelled off it. The glass was way too thick for him to break, and the fact that he was underwater made gathering the right amount of speed and strength impossible. Interestingly, there was no response from the facility or the inhabitants they had seen, and so cautiously the three of them followed the huge stainless steel walls around until they could find a way inside. It wasn't long before they came across a hatch door with a porthole window looking inside. Ramos opened the hatch by loosening the valve wheel. and they found themselves in a small chamber. In this chamber, they could see another identical hatch with another porthole. They closed the first hatch door behind them, sealing them inside, and then they noticed a face peering at them from the porthole of the second hatch. From the looks of it, he was human. Male, with dark hair with a sort of samurai topknot. He seemed quite muscular, and was wearing a grey vest, soaked with sweat. He did not seem the least bit angry or antagonistic at these three intruders, instead he looked on at them with amusement and curiosity. He seemed to pull a lever, and momentarily afterwards, the water began to drain from the small air-tight chamber that Ramos, Aresy, and Exalis were in. When she was able to do so, Aresy dismissed the water-breathing spell she had cast on them all, and they breathed in air again for the first time in many hours (although it was not as pure as the air from the surface.). When all the water was drained, the man behind the glass spoke to them using an electronic communication device. Although he spoke from behind the thick glass, his voice carried through this device into the chamber.
"It's been a while since I've seen new faces. Welcome to the Sanctuary"
The second hatch door now began to open, and the three new visitors tried their best to remain calm and collected. With the hatch door fully open, the the trio now looked upon a sort of corridor. It's walls made from steel, and lined with pipes, and metallic devices of an unknown origin. A couple of diving suits are also hung up on hangers. The middle aged man they had spoken with is unarmed, and for the most part seems normal...with the exception of his legs. They seem to be mechanical. He seems unperturbed by this fact, and when Ramos asks him what happened to his legs, he tells them that they were replaced with these 'bionic augmentations'. He had willingly elected to have his legs replaced with these, and his reasons were because they were more useful. They amplified his running capability, and therefore, he was able to work to greater effect. Ramos notices that on the sides of his head, there seem to be a pair of metallic implants. Straight away, things seemed to be very strange down here, when questioned about the 'Sanctuary' and it's purpose, he mentioned that a 'Great Scourge' effected the land above the lake, and that down here, underwater they were safe from it. The Sanctuary is a secret place where a small community live, under the protection of an individual called 'The Machine Lord'. The price for their safety and accommodation however was not without it's price. But it was apparent that gold was not the currency the Machine Lord sought. Only those who could contribute to the preservation and running of the facility were allowed to stay, and the inhabitants were offered 'upgrades' to help them perform their jobs more efficiently. When they asked him about how he came to the Sanctuary, his memory seemed to fail him. He remembered very little of his 'Old Life' (which was how he referred to it), and his strongest memory revealed that he had worked as a messenger of sorts...a courier. His last assignment led him to First Harvest, with the objective of bringing the Garrott's a pouch of gold under the behest of a strange man, who had contracted him in High-Haven. The mention of the strange man, along with the surname sparked off memories of Ramos and Aresy's. Was it Seltyiel who had sent this man to First Harvest? His surname was Garrott after all.
Their conversation was cut short from the arrival of a rather disconcerting mechanical being. Attached and mounted on a rail on the left wall of the corridor approached the top half of a bionic body. The 'head' of this machine seems to be covered in some sort of flexible rubber or plastic, giving it the impression of a human face. A calm, feminine face. The rest of the torso and body however remain very much mechanical. A strangely reassuring voice emits from the 'mouth' of this unusual rail-mounted automaton.
"Miles, It seems you've made some friends"
Did that machine just talk? Stranger still, did it recognize and interact with someone? Did it remember his name? The trio try there best to remain calm, and start to interact back with this Artificial Intelligence. 'She' introduces herself as 'C.E.L.I:A', the Automaton created for Communication, Empathy, Learning, and Intelligence.
"On behalf of the Machine Lord, Welcome to the Sanctuary. We were not expecting visitors, so it might take up to sixteen hours to ready residence chambers for you. I'm sorry for the inconvenience."
- C.E.L.I:A
The man with the bionic legs (who had been called 'Miles' by C.E.L.I:A), said that he would be happy to let them stay in his quarters until their own were ready. The trio accepted Miles' offer, it seemed like their best option in this instance. The three of them followed Miles along the corridor to his chambers, along the way they passed many other residence chambers, and from the brief look that they got of the interiors, they seemed well fitted, although with minimal layout. All of them had a sort of dining area adjacent to the kitchen, as well as beds that could be folded into the walls. The inhabitants themselves all seemed quite comfortable, either eating, relaxing or using exercise equipment. Without much delay, they found themselves in Miles' chambers, which in comparison to the other chambers they had seen, seemed pretty much identical. With the exception, Miles had more exercise equipment in his. He had a sort of 'running-machine', that he would use to power the electrical components of his room. Miles' apartment was cosy to say the least, although there was enough space in the kitchen/dining area for the four of them to sit and chat. When Ramos questioned him further about the facility, Miles explained to them that it was divided into three 'Levels'. They were currently in Level 1, which included residences, amenities, as well as something called the 'Leisure Dome'. Level 2 was an occupational level, where the inhabitants would go to work. And Level 3 was the highest access level where the Machine Lord resided. Miles himself had never seen this enigmatic ruler of the Sanctuary, and claimed that most of the other residents hadn't either.
Monday, 13 April 2015
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Malefic Faction Unlocked
An cult of murderers, psychopaths, and necromancers headed by Oscar Bourgis. Formed around five years ago, the cult became quite prolific and their influence spread across the region of Val Némor. They were responsible for many sinister acts, including terrorism, murder, and maiming/mutilation of important political figures. Their methods involved stealth, deception, and disguise, which made them difficult to trace. It's newly initiated members were known as Acolytes, and Bourgis was known as 'The Unholy One' and also the 'Dark Master; Osamorté'. It's headquarters were based in the city of Dunfarg, and encompassed many subterranean chambers beneath the city. It's center was the under-croft of the old Church of Pharasma, and from there, it connected to many dungeons, crypts, and cellars to all corners of the city - the scale of their subterranean networks also heavily contributed to their secrecy and capabilities. A sizable percentage of the Afflicted cultists hail from undead ancestry - the majority being either vampiric or dhampiric. As a result of their frequent practice of necromancy, they have many legions of undead thralls within their dungeons. Their members wear dark green cloaks and dedicated members are given enchanted tattoos on the back of their necks of the Malefic Heptagon.
KNOWN MEMBERS:
Oscar Bourgis / Osamorté the Unholy† - The Dark Master of the Afflicted Ones.
Fayde† - An Assassin sent to kill Prince Rhed Arcadeus.
Xenastasia - Necromancer who infiltrated the ranks of the Hell-Knight Cabal.
Ulandra Oeskiel† - A tiefling Malefactor, and member of the elite Afflicted Trinity.
Markon Arcureo† - A human War Master, and member of the elite Afflicted Trinity.
Zephaistyan the 'Coffin-Fang'† - A vishkanya necromancer, and member of the elite Afflicted Trinity.
Meyce of Ostenheim - An Afflicted warrior who was also a Knight.
Xzavier† - A torturer and interrogator who had previously worked for the Hell-Knight Cabal.
Severine† (Unconfirmed) - A young girl who had previously been a Hell-Knight fugitive.
ARTIFACTS:
The Skull of Envy - The skull of Cort Vel Drune (a distinguished knight whom Oscar squired for). It became imbued with great power through Oscar's intense envy and hate of his master. A Malefic Artifact, it shone with a golden radiance, and could be used to launch powerful beams of energy through the eye sockets.
Friday, 3 April 2015
Session 22: Group 1 Overview
'GLORFINDEL', a Travelling Healer (Seltyiel)
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
ARCTURUS the Dragon-Slayer, Descendant of Arcthane
~11pm, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 16)
'The Well', The Undercroft, Dunfarg, Southern Val Nemor
Through the dark and damp of the dungeons they press on, venturing deeper into this underground complex. Their chances of survival had improved somewhat following the unshackling of Arcturus the Dragon-Slayer (whom they had found locked away in one of the many cells down in the crypts.) Mélanie Van Scherade; the Hellknight Solo Agent was also bound to them for the time being. Together they were a beacon of life and hope, in the grim, zombie infested depths.
With only one way to go, the party progressed further into the dungeon until they found a medium sized chamber with a well in it's center. Upon entering the chamber, they realized quickly that they were not alone. Ahead of them, guarding the entrance to the next room stood three cloaked figures. One with a feminine stance and body shape, the second was hunched and spoke with a serpentine male voice, the third was also male, and was tall and well-built. They address the party expectantly with sinister and mocking voices.
Ulandra: "Five of you came to this place, and yet only four of you stand before us now. It seems that Nefarion expired before he could claim his glory...how tragic."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zephaistyan 'Coffin-Fang': "Expiration is not an issue, Ulandra. We have his corpse do we not? I'll make sure he reaches his full potential."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Markon: "Your talk is boring me. I'm going to kill them now."
And following their spiel, the three of them rushed the party members before they could all enter the room. Combat followed, and the parties battled with each other ferociously. The brute, Markon charged Arcturus, wailing on him with a glowing tetsubo. A glint of plate mail flashed as he reared up the giant club he was wielding, and a bald tattooed face looked down on the Dragon-Slayer with vicious contempt. The cloaked female; Ulandra, drew a wicked curved blade made from a crystalline material, and she hacked away at Hel and Cynthia. Two horns stuck out of her crimson forehead as her hood revealed her face - she was a Tiefling. The third hunched one stood back away from the fighting, seeming to cast curses, hexes, and necromancy to aid his teammates. A skeleton with ebony bones and glowing red eyes detached itself from one of the stone walls. It drew two short-swords and charged at the party. The battle was long and arduous, but eventually the party was able to use their advantage of numbers to overwhelm the trio. They dispatched the tiefling; Ulandra, the brute; Markon, and the Black Skeleton. The serpentine necromancer; Zephaistyan, fled for his life, however he didn't get far, and was cut down before he could escape the room.
The party rested up for a moment, regaining their strength and preparing themselves to continue on. They took some of the weapons from the dead cloaked individuals, and other useful supplies that they had. Seltyiel recovered a grimoire from the necromancer bound in black leather - the front cover looked to be fashioned from a human face. In all his endeavors however, he could not clearly read the archaic contents of it...perhaps it was for the best. Arcturus took some time to inspect the strangely positioned well in the centre of the room, lowering a bucket to collect some of the 'water' at the bottom. What he drew to the surface was another matter entirely. The bucket came up with a foul-smelling, green ichor, but (using his Paladin abilities), Arcturus was able to purify the liquid so that it was once again clear, and drinkable holy water. Before they prepared to leave into the next chamber, their ears were met with the faint sounds of screams, whimpering, and hysterical laughter. The door to this room was fashioned from a huge block of stone. Stretched across it was a leather canvas, and behind it, human hands, feet, and legs could be seen, seemingly sealed behind the canvas, inside the door. A central human skull protruded in the middle, staring out towards the party. Cautiously they crept through the stone door, and inside, they saw a roaring furnace, and next to it, a person was shackled to a stone table. A figure in an apron is hunched over the victim with sharp implements in hand. He laughs to himself as he tortures the helpless man - slicing and peeling off bits of the person's still-living flesh. Watching the whole process, sits a small, cloaked figure at the end of the stone table. Arcturus leads everyone in quietly, as the torturer hasn't noticed them yet, as he gets closer, he can hear the deranged man talking to the smaller, cloaked figure.
"What joy! what endless joy! To think I'd been wasting my life with the Hell-Knights. This is truly art, my child! A never-ending canvas of flesh and paint. With this new gift...we can create the most magnificent of human masterpieces!"
Unbeknownst to the current party members, the torturer had previously worked for the Hell-Knights. Nefarion and the monk; Sij, had encountered him before he went AWOL, and back then, he was known as Xzavier. Arcturus had no qualms in executing this torturer where he stood. Using his Dragon Lance, he ran the spear all the way through Xzavier's back, killing him instantly. The smaller cloaked figure recoils in panic, and flees out of the room before the others have time to stop her. When the others catch up to the Dragon-Slayer, they are horrified to recognize the victim shackled to the stone table. It was none other than their previous comrade; Nefarion...well....most of him anyway. This creature of a man bawled and wailed in anguish...a tragic, and terrible form...he'd had his eyes, teeth, and genitalia removed...as well as most of his skin. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was obvious to all of them what needed to be done. No words were spoken between them, and Arcturus was the one to finally silence Nefarion. With sorrow in their hearts, they continue on, exiting the torture chamber and passing through another corridor with more locked prison cells. Both dead and undead inhabit the cells, and adjacent to the corridor's end lies a sort of storeroom. There are shelves, stocked with human body parts. Hands, feet, legs, organs. The smell is unbearable. The party notice that some of the body parts resemble those of a samsaran (having a blue, translucent tinge to them), they predict that these belonged to their former compatriot monk; Sij - although they were in no hurry to find out for definite. Among the severed limbs and viscera, there was a barrel containing weapons (presumably those belonging to the victims). Enduring the stench of the rotting flesh, Seltyiel rummaged through it with the hope of finding something useful or valuable. Most of it was junk, but he happened upon a musket - which seemed to be in moderately good condition.
The droning sound of ritualistic chanting echoes louder and louder as the party progress towards the next stone door. The stone door is slightly ajar, which enables Arcturus to glance inside slightly. The chamber is the largest they've seen so far. The ceiling is much higher, and for the first time, they can see moonlight coming down from a chute leading higher into the ceiling. Tapestries made from human skin line the walls - each of the painted scenes on them are of a disturbing, undead nature. At the far end of the room, Arcturus can see an altar to an unknown deity, and in front of it sits a sort of 'throne', seemingly made out of bones. The naive young boy he once knew as Os had now taken the form of a sickening, menacing ghoul. With glowing green eyes, and crooked grin, he stretched his long, pointed fingers into the air in appreciation of his followers chants. It's at this point, Arcturus notices several more hooded individuals with their attention fixated on their Dark Master. The chamber would've been pitch black were it not for the hundreds of candles near the altar. The brightest source of light however emanated from something placed on the altar. Like an orb of energy and radiance, the Human Skull sat there. It seemed to be made of a golden material although there was something very peculiar, and unsettling about it's aura...it was most unlike anything they had seen before. The small cloaked figure (who'd evaded the party in the previous room) was peeking our from behind the 'Throne of Bones'.
"Cast aside...shunned by society. And why? Because we are different from them, that's why! They
don't see it, but we have great strength on our side. We are the Afflicted Ones. Like spiders in the
dark, we weave chaos, engulfing all who are too blind to see...and we remain unseen through our great cunning and wits...beneath their very feet. But don't despair, my loyal acolytes....the time is near...we will surface from the dark below, and take what is rightfully ours from those who have wrongfully damned us. In life or death, they will all kneel before Osamorté!! They will all suffer before the end!!!"
- Osamorté the Unholy, Dark Master of the Afflicted Ones, and Malefic Envy.
Osamorté then addresses the uninvited Arcturus - he had been aware of his presence the whole time. But it's not with fear or dread that he speaks to him, quite the contrary in fact, for it seems Osamorté had been waiting for this confrontation, and he appeared to relish in it, knowing that they had made it this far. He finished with a smirk and the promise of death, before setting his acolytes on the party. The fight commenced, and the two forces collided in the center of the chamber. After a long and taxing struggle with the acolytes, Osamorté grabbed the golden skull and aimed the face towards the party, launching two synchronous beams of energy at them. Using on-the-spot improvised alchemy, Seltyiel sends forth a swarm of killer bees, and they cover the Dark Master stinging him all over. Seeing his followers numbers thinning, he eventually came in closer to action, and proceeded to cast curses, and absorb the life force of Arcturus - strangling it out of him with his razor sharp fingers. He did this several times, and endured multiple hits from the party members in the process, but eventually he was outmatched, and buckled under their combined strength and determination. The killing blow came from Arcturus, who pushed the entire length of the Dragon Lance through his corrupted flesh. With the other hand he grabbed Osamorté's face, and watched the light leave his eyes. As he dies, the rest of his body detaches itself, leaving the head in Arcturus' hand. His body starts to disintegrate in a cloud of red vapor, and before long his bones and flesh have turned into ash. The golden skull rolls away from his ashes undamaged...it's sits there expectantly, shining brighter than ever - the Skull of Envy.
Seeing that their master has died, the remaining Afflicted acolytes surrender, and many of them seem to show fear and regret for the first time. During the battle, one of the acolytes had been launched across the room by the Dragon Slayer, and his impact had shattered the statue of the deity. The rubble had fallen onto the small cloaked figure that had been hiding behind the Throne of Bones. He could see that the figure was pinned by the rubble, but hadn't been killed. When Arcturus went up to them, he saw the pale, blood-spattered face of a young girl beneath the hood. She cried and begged for Arcturus and the others to help. At this stage, Hel, Seltyiel and Cynthia recognized her face. The little girl was Severine - whom they had helped escape the Hell-Knight Bastion a few days previously. Arcturus resorted to using his Paladin healing abilities. He didn't know what he had done until it was too late. When he touched her with the Lay on Hands spell, she screamed in agony, and burst into flames before finally perishing. Unbeknownst to them all, she had been corrupted with undeath by Osamorté. For all positive healing magic's benefits to living things...against an undead creature, it has the exact opposite effect.
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
ARCTURUS the Dragon-Slayer, Descendant of Arcthane
~11pm, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 16)
'The Well', The Undercroft, Dunfarg, Southern Val Nemor
Through the dark and damp of the dungeons they press on, venturing deeper into this underground complex. Their chances of survival had improved somewhat following the unshackling of Arcturus the Dragon-Slayer (whom they had found locked away in one of the many cells down in the crypts.) Mélanie Van Scherade; the Hellknight Solo Agent was also bound to them for the time being. Together they were a beacon of life and hope, in the grim, zombie infested depths.
With only one way to go, the party progressed further into the dungeon until they found a medium sized chamber with a well in it's center. Upon entering the chamber, they realized quickly that they were not alone. Ahead of them, guarding the entrance to the next room stood three cloaked figures. One with a feminine stance and body shape, the second was hunched and spoke with a serpentine male voice, the third was also male, and was tall and well-built. They address the party expectantly with sinister and mocking voices.
Ulandra: "Five of you came to this place, and yet only four of you stand before us now. It seems that Nefarion expired before he could claim his glory...how tragic."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zephaistyan 'Coffin-Fang': "Expiration is not an issue, Ulandra. We have his corpse do we not? I'll make sure he reaches his full potential."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Markon: "Your talk is boring me. I'm going to kill them now."
And following their spiel, the three of them rushed the party members before they could all enter the room. Combat followed, and the parties battled with each other ferociously. The brute, Markon charged Arcturus, wailing on him with a glowing tetsubo. A glint of plate mail flashed as he reared up the giant club he was wielding, and a bald tattooed face looked down on the Dragon-Slayer with vicious contempt. The cloaked female; Ulandra, drew a wicked curved blade made from a crystalline material, and she hacked away at Hel and Cynthia. Two horns stuck out of her crimson forehead as her hood revealed her face - she was a Tiefling. The third hunched one stood back away from the fighting, seeming to cast curses, hexes, and necromancy to aid his teammates. A skeleton with ebony bones and glowing red eyes detached itself from one of the stone walls. It drew two short-swords and charged at the party. The battle was long and arduous, but eventually the party was able to use their advantage of numbers to overwhelm the trio. They dispatched the tiefling; Ulandra, the brute; Markon, and the Black Skeleton. The serpentine necromancer; Zephaistyan, fled for his life, however he didn't get far, and was cut down before he could escape the room.
The party rested up for a moment, regaining their strength and preparing themselves to continue on. They took some of the weapons from the dead cloaked individuals, and other useful supplies that they had. Seltyiel recovered a grimoire from the necromancer bound in black leather - the front cover looked to be fashioned from a human face. In all his endeavors however, he could not clearly read the archaic contents of it...perhaps it was for the best. Arcturus took some time to inspect the strangely positioned well in the centre of the room, lowering a bucket to collect some of the 'water' at the bottom. What he drew to the surface was another matter entirely. The bucket came up with a foul-smelling, green ichor, but (using his Paladin abilities), Arcturus was able to purify the liquid so that it was once again clear, and drinkable holy water. Before they prepared to leave into the next chamber, their ears were met with the faint sounds of screams, whimpering, and hysterical laughter. The door to this room was fashioned from a huge block of stone. Stretched across it was a leather canvas, and behind it, human hands, feet, and legs could be seen, seemingly sealed behind the canvas, inside the door. A central human skull protruded in the middle, staring out towards the party. Cautiously they crept through the stone door, and inside, they saw a roaring furnace, and next to it, a person was shackled to a stone table. A figure in an apron is hunched over the victim with sharp implements in hand. He laughs to himself as he tortures the helpless man - slicing and peeling off bits of the person's still-living flesh. Watching the whole process, sits a small, cloaked figure at the end of the stone table. Arcturus leads everyone in quietly, as the torturer hasn't noticed them yet, as he gets closer, he can hear the deranged man talking to the smaller, cloaked figure.
"What joy! what endless joy! To think I'd been wasting my life with the Hell-Knights. This is truly art, my child! A never-ending canvas of flesh and paint. With this new gift...we can create the most magnificent of human masterpieces!"
Unbeknownst to the current party members, the torturer had previously worked for the Hell-Knights. Nefarion and the monk; Sij, had encountered him before he went AWOL, and back then, he was known as Xzavier. Arcturus had no qualms in executing this torturer where he stood. Using his Dragon Lance, he ran the spear all the way through Xzavier's back, killing him instantly. The smaller cloaked figure recoils in panic, and flees out of the room before the others have time to stop her. When the others catch up to the Dragon-Slayer, they are horrified to recognize the victim shackled to the stone table. It was none other than their previous comrade; Nefarion...well....most of him anyway. This creature of a man bawled and wailed in anguish...a tragic, and terrible form...he'd had his eyes, teeth, and genitalia removed...as well as most of his skin. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was obvious to all of them what needed to be done. No words were spoken between them, and Arcturus was the one to finally silence Nefarion. With sorrow in their hearts, they continue on, exiting the torture chamber and passing through another corridor with more locked prison cells. Both dead and undead inhabit the cells, and adjacent to the corridor's end lies a sort of storeroom. There are shelves, stocked with human body parts. Hands, feet, legs, organs. The smell is unbearable. The party notice that some of the body parts resemble those of a samsaran (having a blue, translucent tinge to them), they predict that these belonged to their former compatriot monk; Sij - although they were in no hurry to find out for definite. Among the severed limbs and viscera, there was a barrel containing weapons (presumably those belonging to the victims). Enduring the stench of the rotting flesh, Seltyiel rummaged through it with the hope of finding something useful or valuable. Most of it was junk, but he happened upon a musket - which seemed to be in moderately good condition.
The droning sound of ritualistic chanting echoes louder and louder as the party progress towards the next stone door. The stone door is slightly ajar, which enables Arcturus to glance inside slightly. The chamber is the largest they've seen so far. The ceiling is much higher, and for the first time, they can see moonlight coming down from a chute leading higher into the ceiling. Tapestries made from human skin line the walls - each of the painted scenes on them are of a disturbing, undead nature. At the far end of the room, Arcturus can see an altar to an unknown deity, and in front of it sits a sort of 'throne', seemingly made out of bones. The naive young boy he once knew as Os had now taken the form of a sickening, menacing ghoul. With glowing green eyes, and crooked grin, he stretched his long, pointed fingers into the air in appreciation of his followers chants. It's at this point, Arcturus notices several more hooded individuals with their attention fixated on their Dark Master. The chamber would've been pitch black were it not for the hundreds of candles near the altar. The brightest source of light however emanated from something placed on the altar. Like an orb of energy and radiance, the Human Skull sat there. It seemed to be made of a golden material although there was something very peculiar, and unsettling about it's aura...it was most unlike anything they had seen before. The small cloaked figure (who'd evaded the party in the previous room) was peeking our from behind the 'Throne of Bones'.
"Cast aside...shunned by society. And why? Because we are different from them, that's why! They
 |
| Osamorté with the Skull of Envy |
- Osamorté the Unholy, Dark Master of the Afflicted Ones, and Malefic Envy.
Osamorté then addresses the uninvited Arcturus - he had been aware of his presence the whole time. But it's not with fear or dread that he speaks to him, quite the contrary in fact, for it seems Osamorté had been waiting for this confrontation, and he appeared to relish in it, knowing that they had made it this far. He finished with a smirk and the promise of death, before setting his acolytes on the party. The fight commenced, and the two forces collided in the center of the chamber. After a long and taxing struggle with the acolytes, Osamorté grabbed the golden skull and aimed the face towards the party, launching two synchronous beams of energy at them. Using on-the-spot improvised alchemy, Seltyiel sends forth a swarm of killer bees, and they cover the Dark Master stinging him all over. Seeing his followers numbers thinning, he eventually came in closer to action, and proceeded to cast curses, and absorb the life force of Arcturus - strangling it out of him with his razor sharp fingers. He did this several times, and endured multiple hits from the party members in the process, but eventually he was outmatched, and buckled under their combined strength and determination. The killing blow came from Arcturus, who pushed the entire length of the Dragon Lance through his corrupted flesh. With the other hand he grabbed Osamorté's face, and watched the light leave his eyes. As he dies, the rest of his body detaches itself, leaving the head in Arcturus' hand. His body starts to disintegrate in a cloud of red vapor, and before long his bones and flesh have turned into ash. The golden skull rolls away from his ashes undamaged...it's sits there expectantly, shining brighter than ever - the Skull of Envy.
Seeing that their master has died, the remaining Afflicted acolytes surrender, and many of them seem to show fear and regret for the first time. During the battle, one of the acolytes had been launched across the room by the Dragon Slayer, and his impact had shattered the statue of the deity. The rubble had fallen onto the small cloaked figure that had been hiding behind the Throne of Bones. He could see that the figure was pinned by the rubble, but hadn't been killed. When Arcturus went up to them, he saw the pale, blood-spattered face of a young girl beneath the hood. She cried and begged for Arcturus and the others to help. At this stage, Hel, Seltyiel and Cynthia recognized her face. The little girl was Severine - whom they had helped escape the Hell-Knight Bastion a few days previously. Arcturus resorted to using his Paladin healing abilities. He didn't know what he had done until it was too late. When he touched her with the Lay on Hands spell, she screamed in agony, and burst into flames before finally perishing. Unbeknownst to them all, she had been corrupted with undeath by Osamorté. For all positive healing magic's benefits to living things...against an undead creature, it has the exact opposite effect.
Saturday, 14 March 2015
Session 20: Group 2 Overview
RAMOS Eldnacht, Agent of the Order of Libertorius
ARESY, A humble healer from the South (Ysera Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer)
~1pm, 27th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 15)
Lake Aegis, Near First Harvest, the Western Reach
Gasping and panicking at the loss of his foot, Duncan crawls backwards away from the lake water. There was something beneath the surface, and it had chopped his right foot clean off. Ramos hit Duncan on the back of the head to stop his uncontrollable shrieking, knocking him out cold. Also somewhat panicked by the 'thing' in the water, Aresy and Ramos set about devising a means to fight back against this unseen foe. Aresy charged up a powerful shock spell and aimed it at the lake water, electrocuting everything within it. The lake surface smoldered and bubbled, and Aresy continued to channel this powerful magic against the lake's surface until she couldn't stand any more. With the water being such a good conductor, whatever lurked beneath the surface was sure to have been electrocuted. Content (and somewhat shaken) they recover Duncan's incapacitated body, and retreat back to First Harvest in order to cater to his wounds. They arrive back at the safety of the village and haul Duncan onto the dining table of the elderly woman's house. Straight away, Aresy tends to Duncan's wounds, casting Infernal Healing on his stump. She stops the bleeding and the wound begins to heal over at an astonishing rate. They rest up for a moment, and check up on the old elven woman (who is still in her living comatose state). Duncan seems stabilized, so Ramos and Aresy venture out to explore the village for more information regarding the lake. The inhabitants must have left some clues as to what was out there - their footsteps do seem to lead out to the lake after all. Ramos begins searching the 'Town hall' for clues. Although not known for sure, this building seemed to act as a mutual meeting place for the townsfolk. It was the biggest building, and inside was a large round table, and a study at the rear. In the study, he found many books and journals, and as he poured through them he found little that gave him any substantial clues. It seemed this room too had been ransacked, however there was something that had been left untouched. A locked desk drawer. Noticing this, Ramos picks the lock and inside he finds a diary - a diary belonging to Tirandell Garrott. He rifles through the pages...Financial Figures...Crop yieldings...Village rumors and hearsay - most of it uninteresting. He searches for a pattern in the content of the journal. It seems that as he reads more of the journal, less and less is written each day. Tirandell frequently writes about the lake, and reports events that have taken place there. They seem innocent enough at first. "Little Jonny lost his fishing rod a few months back"...etc But then the events seem to get more severe. "Through years of meticulous control of the lake's freshwater fish and frog populations...It seems now that in spite of our restraint, the levels of both have decreased considerably...we are now taking special precautions to help control fishing and frogging in the lake so as not to empty the lake completely.". The last few entries in the journal are brief and vague. The last coherent entry dates back a few weeks ago, it reads: "We need to go...We need to go now.". A worrying prospect in Ramos' eyes, considering the last trace of the villagers were the footprints leading into the lake. Meanwhile, Aresy checks out the village's cemetery and is surprised to see a number of empty graves with memorial cruciforms. The majority of them state that the bodies were not recovered - the cause of this seems unclear, although one headstone reads "My beloved wife; Eladrin Garrott, she rests in the water now.". Ramos reconvenes with Aresy and Duncan at the old woman's shack, and informs them of his findings. They come to an understanding that the source of the issues in the region are originating from that lake...the 'Root of Chaos' as Glyph's prophecy puts it...perhaps they stem from under the depths.
For the duration of this tranquil summer's evening, They head out in search of food. Ramos tries his luck hunting in the nearby copse, and Aresy forages for ingredients in another. Both of their endeavors come up yielding little in the way of food. Ramos had caught a languid, emaciated gopher but decided against eating it for fear it was diseased. Aresy uncovered some wilting wild garlic, and as she plucked it, she unearthed an ants nest (the ants of which were similarly languid and sickly looking). They returned to First Harvest disheartened and with bellies rumbling. Using the stove in the old woman's house, Aresy prepared a broth of garlic, water and beef jerky. It was unpleasant, but it was food. Duncan rouses following the smell of cooked food. He seems much better thanks to Aresy's treatment of his wound, and also enjoys a bowl of broth with them.While they are eating however, Ramos hears a rustling coming from outside the shack. He darts over to the far window and slips outside in order to flank the source. Aresy places herself on the wall next to the front door, and Duncan sits defiantly on the table, with his hand on the hilt of his temple sword. The footsteps creep closer to the door, and then the door opens slowly with a creak. At this stage, Ramos leaps from the side with glaive in hand. And Aresy stands to face the cloaked figure at their door. The individual holds his hands up in surrender, and tries to reason with his captors. He seems to be a fetchling (like Ramos) although his skin is an ashen white where Ramos' is a charcoal grey. Strapped on his back sits a heavy crossbow. Ramos and Aresy question him cautiously for some time. He introduces himself as Exalis Grimdark; a traveling Inquisitor. He assures the pair of them that he means no harm, and that a vision he had received from his deity had sent him to First Harvest. From what Ramos and Aresy can tell, he seems to be telling the truth. The lightning storm that Aresy had created when she shocked the lake had also drawn him. Exalis claims that his deity is a master of the Air elements, and the lightning storm was also a factor which lured him to this desolate region.
As night fell on First Harvest, Aresy set up a bed for herself within the old lady's house. Ramos set himself up for the first watch. He was distrusting of Exalis, and wary of the lurker in the lake. What if it was amphibious? He couldn't take the chance, and made sure nothing would slip them by during the night. Exalis was understanding in Ramos' lack of trust, and he himself felt inclined to distrust Ramos back. He went into a separate shack of his own, barricading the windows and doors with furniture inside. Throughout the night, Ramos found it unusually difficult to stay awake and keep his vigil but he prevailed. Duncan on the second watch however was not so successful, and he fell asleep after only two hours. In the morning, they all woke, and found that they were alive and well. Peeved at Duncan for his insolence, Ramos kicked his rocking chair over (with Duncan still on it), and threatened that worse would follow if Duncan ever let him down again. Duncan apologized, but insisted that he as well found it very hard to stay awake. Perhaps a minor enchantment had been prevalent throughout the night. But if so, who or what was responsible? In any case, the three of them didn't want to spend any more time in this eery, empty part of the world, and knew that they would have to finally confront this malevolence that dwells in the lake. The inquisitor; Grimdark, also wakes from his night's slumber. He was compelled to go with the others to the lake - he felt that he was meant to go there, his deity had led him here to do something. Ramos, and Aresy permitted his accompaniment for the time being. It may prove useful in a combat scenario. Duncan would remain at the old lady's house in First Harvest when they went out to the lake again. He wished them all the luck in the world.
Using a kayak that Aresy found in the village, the group anxiously placed it on the lake's surface, and one by one they boarded it. They paddled out into the open body of water for many worrying minutes until they reached the center of the lake. The 'corpse' that had been floating out here had been disintegrated - following Aresy's shock spell the previous day - and only bits of it were left...floating on the surface. They were hoping that the lake lurker had also met a similar fate when they submerged into the waters. Aresy was able to cast a spell that allowed the three of them to breathe underwater for a number of hours, and so this made the situation infinitely easier for them. They submerged into the murky depths of the lake, they pulled themselves lower underwater using a makeshift rope, which they had anchored to the lake's bottom. Underwater, they seemed to descend for many meters - hundreds even - before they reached the lake bed. A dense, slimy forest of kelp and reeds lay before them.
Warily and silently they passed through this tangled, slippery jungle. Some parts of it were so dense that Ramos had to chop his way through using his glaive. They continued on for some time until Ramos spotted something floating above. A long rubber cable hung down from above them but the water was too dark and murky for him to see where it was attached to. The cable seemed to be moving as if being pulled along the lake bottom. Ramos got himself close enough so that he could climb up the cable itself. He sliced into it using his dagger and the cable seemed to leak a greeny-black ichor. Aresy and Grimdark also followed him up the length of the cable and they all scaled it for some time until a large, dark shape could be seen at it's end.
It became apparent as he scaled higher that the cable was connected to a huge underwater creature of some sort. He was surprised that the creature had not tried to shake them off at this point. It seemed very docile, and on further inspection, it seemed very weak. As if it was dying. Many of it's scales were charred and blistering - no doubt a result of the shock spell, and it seemed to groan in pain. Many parts of it's body had been augmented. Reinforced with metallic embellishments. On the ends of it's tentacles were metal graspers. Who or what had done this to this creature?
The creature seemed to communicate with them telepathically. It spoke of it's great pain and suffering. It spoke of an individual who had been responsible for it's mechanized enhancements. And spoke of the 'Sanctuary' - the creature was afraid of this place. Its finally asked to be killed for it was dying slowly already and had lived a terrible life of pain at the hands of this sinister new foe. Out of sympathy, and mercy, the three of them climbed onto the creatures back, and stabbed and sliced it with their blades until it finally died. The creature cascaded to the lake bottom and the three party members climbed back down the cable they had come from. With no real lead on where to head now, Ramos led them along the rest of the cable. To see where it ended. Trailing along the lake bed, the cable led through many forests and fields of kelp and reeds until it led to the edge of a shallow overlook. In the 'valley' beneath them stood this glimmering structure, built onto the very rock itself. This underwater 'facility' was like nothing they'd ever seen before. It's metal, riveted walls were made from this polished metal and there were great, thick windows built into it's side. Astonished, Ramos, Aresy and Grimdark progressed towards this structure. Could this be the 'sanctuary'?, and if so, should they themselves be afraid? They progressed closer still to the windowed walls of the facility until two spotlights shone down on them. In the nearest window they could make out a rather ordinary humanoid brushing his teeth. He seemed to spot them from his window. His actions slowed in astonishment, and he beckoned to another person in his vicinity. An elven woman came rushing in and stood next to him, she too began to peer out of the window, to gawp at Ramos and the others. What was this place? Could these people be the missing villagers?
ARESY, A humble healer from the South (Ysera Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer)
~1pm, 27th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 15)
Lake Aegis, Near First Harvest, the Western Reach
Gasping and panicking at the loss of his foot, Duncan crawls backwards away from the lake water. There was something beneath the surface, and it had chopped his right foot clean off. Ramos hit Duncan on the back of the head to stop his uncontrollable shrieking, knocking him out cold. Also somewhat panicked by the 'thing' in the water, Aresy and Ramos set about devising a means to fight back against this unseen foe. Aresy charged up a powerful shock spell and aimed it at the lake water, electrocuting everything within it. The lake surface smoldered and bubbled, and Aresy continued to channel this powerful magic against the lake's surface until she couldn't stand any more. With the water being such a good conductor, whatever lurked beneath the surface was sure to have been electrocuted. Content (and somewhat shaken) they recover Duncan's incapacitated body, and retreat back to First Harvest in order to cater to his wounds. They arrive back at the safety of the village and haul Duncan onto the dining table of the elderly woman's house. Straight away, Aresy tends to Duncan's wounds, casting Infernal Healing on his stump. She stops the bleeding and the wound begins to heal over at an astonishing rate. They rest up for a moment, and check up on the old elven woman (who is still in her living comatose state). Duncan seems stabilized, so Ramos and Aresy venture out to explore the village for more information regarding the lake. The inhabitants must have left some clues as to what was out there - their footsteps do seem to lead out to the lake after all. Ramos begins searching the 'Town hall' for clues. Although not known for sure, this building seemed to act as a mutual meeting place for the townsfolk. It was the biggest building, and inside was a large round table, and a study at the rear. In the study, he found many books and journals, and as he poured through them he found little that gave him any substantial clues. It seemed this room too had been ransacked, however there was something that had been left untouched. A locked desk drawer. Noticing this, Ramos picks the lock and inside he finds a diary - a diary belonging to Tirandell Garrott. He rifles through the pages...Financial Figures...Crop yieldings...Village rumors and hearsay - most of it uninteresting. He searches for a pattern in the content of the journal. It seems that as he reads more of the journal, less and less is written each day. Tirandell frequently writes about the lake, and reports events that have taken place there. They seem innocent enough at first. "Little Jonny lost his fishing rod a few months back"...etc But then the events seem to get more severe. "Through years of meticulous control of the lake's freshwater fish and frog populations...It seems now that in spite of our restraint, the levels of both have decreased considerably...we are now taking special precautions to help control fishing and frogging in the lake so as not to empty the lake completely.". The last few entries in the journal are brief and vague. The last coherent entry dates back a few weeks ago, it reads: "We need to go...We need to go now.". A worrying prospect in Ramos' eyes, considering the last trace of the villagers were the footprints leading into the lake. Meanwhile, Aresy checks out the village's cemetery and is surprised to see a number of empty graves with memorial cruciforms. The majority of them state that the bodies were not recovered - the cause of this seems unclear, although one headstone reads "My beloved wife; Eladrin Garrott, she rests in the water now.". Ramos reconvenes with Aresy and Duncan at the old woman's shack, and informs them of his findings. They come to an understanding that the source of the issues in the region are originating from that lake...the 'Root of Chaos' as Glyph's prophecy puts it...perhaps they stem from under the depths.
For the duration of this tranquil summer's evening, They head out in search of food. Ramos tries his luck hunting in the nearby copse, and Aresy forages for ingredients in another. Both of their endeavors come up yielding little in the way of food. Ramos had caught a languid, emaciated gopher but decided against eating it for fear it was diseased. Aresy uncovered some wilting wild garlic, and as she plucked it, she unearthed an ants nest (the ants of which were similarly languid and sickly looking). They returned to First Harvest disheartened and with bellies rumbling. Using the stove in the old woman's house, Aresy prepared a broth of garlic, water and beef jerky. It was unpleasant, but it was food. Duncan rouses following the smell of cooked food. He seems much better thanks to Aresy's treatment of his wound, and also enjoys a bowl of broth with them.While they are eating however, Ramos hears a rustling coming from outside the shack. He darts over to the far window and slips outside in order to flank the source. Aresy places herself on the wall next to the front door, and Duncan sits defiantly on the table, with his hand on the hilt of his temple sword. The footsteps creep closer to the door, and then the door opens slowly with a creak. At this stage, Ramos leaps from the side with glaive in hand. And Aresy stands to face the cloaked figure at their door. The individual holds his hands up in surrender, and tries to reason with his captors. He seems to be a fetchling (like Ramos) although his skin is an ashen white where Ramos' is a charcoal grey. Strapped on his back sits a heavy crossbow. Ramos and Aresy question him cautiously for some time. He introduces himself as Exalis Grimdark; a traveling Inquisitor. He assures the pair of them that he means no harm, and that a vision he had received from his deity had sent him to First Harvest. From what Ramos and Aresy can tell, he seems to be telling the truth. The lightning storm that Aresy had created when she shocked the lake had also drawn him. Exalis claims that his deity is a master of the Air elements, and the lightning storm was also a factor which lured him to this desolate region.
Using a kayak that Aresy found in the village, the group anxiously placed it on the lake's surface, and one by one they boarded it. They paddled out into the open body of water for many worrying minutes until they reached the center of the lake. The 'corpse' that had been floating out here had been disintegrated - following Aresy's shock spell the previous day - and only bits of it were left...floating on the surface. They were hoping that the lake lurker had also met a similar fate when they submerged into the waters. Aresy was able to cast a spell that allowed the three of them to breathe underwater for a number of hours, and so this made the situation infinitely easier for them. They submerged into the murky depths of the lake, they pulled themselves lower underwater using a makeshift rope, which they had anchored to the lake's bottom. Underwater, they seemed to descend for many meters - hundreds even - before they reached the lake bed. A dense, slimy forest of kelp and reeds lay before them.
 |
| The Kelp Forests of Aegis Lake bed. |
 |
| The "Lake-Keeper" Aboleth |
The creature seemed to communicate with them telepathically. It spoke of it's great pain and suffering. It spoke of an individual who had been responsible for it's mechanized enhancements. And spoke of the 'Sanctuary' - the creature was afraid of this place. Its finally asked to be killed for it was dying slowly already and had lived a terrible life of pain at the hands of this sinister new foe. Out of sympathy, and mercy, the three of them climbed onto the creatures back, and stabbed and sliced it with their blades until it finally died. The creature cascaded to the lake bottom and the three party members climbed back down the cable they had come from. With no real lead on where to head now, Ramos led them along the rest of the cable. To see where it ended. Trailing along the lake bed, the cable led through many forests and fields of kelp and reeds until it led to the edge of a shallow overlook. In the 'valley' beneath them stood this glimmering structure, built onto the very rock itself. This underwater 'facility' was like nothing they'd ever seen before. It's metal, riveted walls were made from this polished metal and there were great, thick windows built into it's side. Astonished, Ramos, Aresy and Grimdark progressed towards this structure. Could this be the 'sanctuary'?, and if so, should they themselves be afraid? They progressed closer still to the windowed walls of the facility until two spotlights shone down on them. In the nearest window they could make out a rather ordinary humanoid brushing his teeth. He seemed to spot them from his window. His actions slowed in astonishment, and he beckoned to another person in his vicinity. An elven woman came rushing in and stood next to him, she too began to peer out of the window, to gawp at Ramos and the others. What was this place? Could these people be the missing villagers?
Monday, 9 March 2015
Factions Unlocked
A company of guns-for-hire and sell-swords headed by a man named Mister Quinn. They are somewhat infamous in their trade, and unlike other professional mercenary companies, they don't always adhere to the laws instated by the Royalist government. As a result, they seldom operate in the royalist county of Greater Nibellion. Mister Quinn often leans towards other anti-authoritarian or rebel causes such as the Kahzhang Exiles (during the rule of High-King John Arcadeus) and more recently, the Order of Libertorius. His disdain for the Royalists has greatly tarnished his reputation, and there are many that think him anarchistic, ruthless and unscrupulous - however this is far from the truth. Mister Quinn is a man who prides himself on his morals, and he persistently looks to maintain peace, justice, and prosperity wherever and whenever possible. In recent months, he has saddled up with the Order of Libertorius, believing that their cause is more admirable than most - more so than the Royalist cause that's for sure. If he can profit from it as well? Whose to say he shouldn't?
House Bosnager are a noble family based in Val Némor, their seat is the city of Dunfarg, which sits near the centre of the county, just south of a mountain. They are vassals of House Villeroy, pledging an oath of fealty, reinforced by Lady Carmine Bosnager’s marriage with Lord Maddox Villeroy - currently they are the most loyal and beneficent of House Villeroy’s allegiances. Their sigil is a golden eagle on a navy blue and maroon field - separated in the middle per pale. Their current head is Lord Aksel Bosnager.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Session 21: Group 1 Overview
'GLORFINDEL', a Travelling Healer (Seltyiel)
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
~7pm, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 16)
Tourney Grounds, Dunfarg Outskirts, Southern Val Nemor
Nefarion was dead. And with his death came interesting feelings from each of the three remaining party members. They seemed strangely nonchalant about the whole situation, relieved even. Seltyiel had never agreed with Nefarion's ways nor those of his Hell-Knight Order, and he shed no tears for his fallen comrade. His own apprentice; Hel, felt similarly. On multiple occasions, he had been a terrible master to her so she couldn't help feeling like justice was served. Cynthia too had been his captive since the Civil War erupted, she felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders. Mélanie had also found her way back to the party - having been searching for traces of the Dark Master during the Tournament. She seemed quietly poignant, and she stroked Nefarion's cheek tenderly. When the party regrouped beside Nefarion's corpse. Os looked up at them with teary eyes. Looking to them for guidance. Hel knelt down beside her master's corpse and had an epiphany. Although she did not make her movements clear to the others, she intended to resurrect his corpse with her White Necromancy. He would not be anything more than a husk. Nefarion's body, but not his mind or soul. He would be her servant...her apprentice. She went off in search of a wooden cart to carry his body with until the time was right for her ritual to take place. In the meantime, Os clung to Seltyiel - who was the new Champion of the Melee - Although he was peculiar to his own eyes, the man was a hero. A distinguished knight who had fought bravely and gallantly. He begged Seltyiel to accept him as his new squire but Seltyiel refused. Os persevered for some time after but the hero seemed resolute. As a sort of compromise, he accepted Os' kind offer of hosting them all for supper at his father's house.
"My father would be honored to have you stay at ours this evening. I bet he's preparing supper right now as we speak. He makes a cracking eel stew! You'll see!"
- Oscar 'Os' Bourgis
With sunset on the way, they five of them made there way into the historical city of Dunfarg. The local folk and mudlarks of the slum district paid no great attention to the cart with Nefarion's body on it. It wasn't an unusual thing, seeing a dead body or two from time to time - in this part of the city anyway. They arrive at Os' house - a modest, wooden building held together just enough so that it didn't collapse. He leads them inside into the foyer, and then down some stone stairs into a dining area. A crude wooden table with several chairs awaits the famished party members as they take their seats. The smell of cooking meat wafts in from the adjacent kitchen, and Os goes in to check on how his father is doing with the food preparations. Moments later he escorts a frail old man on a wheelchair into the dining room. On closer inspection, he seems very sick. His skin is a grey-green colour and his mouth is hanging open as he sits there in his unresponsive state.
"You must forgive father, he's getting old you see, his hearing and sight is not what it used to be."
- Oscar 'Os' Bourgis
As Os leaves to bring in the stew-pot. The party start to feel uneasy and begin to inspect his 'father' from a distance. He reeks of feces and decay. Os returns with a large steaming pot and places it on the table. As the steam settles, they peer into the pot and make out human body parts amidst the watery elements of the stew - bones, fingers, shredded bits of skin and muscle. They start to panic. But before they are able to leave their seats, Os yanks down a nearby lever and the whole floor lowers suddenly beneath them. Thirty feet down they plummet, into a dark, damp dungeon. A series of grated iron bars seals them in from the top opening, and Os looks down on them all with contempt. As the party gather themselves, a strange, sinister voice speaks down to them. It's as if someone or something much darker is speaking through the young squire.
OS: "It's marvelous isn't it? You didn't even think it would be me did you? How could it be me? I'm just a boy. A naive, clumsy and foolish boy. You all looked down on me.
Your dead friend, Nefarion. I gave him my unquestioning loyalty as his squire free of charge...and for what? to be his second choice? To be his squire's squire?!
And you, Seltyiel. I wasn't even worthy enough to be your first choice!
But now...it seems that I'm the one looking down on you.
Not through the eyes of 'Oscar the Squire' though...no...he'll never be anything...but as Osamorté, the Dark Master, I can be...so much more."
His eyes burn an unnatural green, and his sickening smile becomes crooked and exaggerated. His long fingers point at you accusingly, and his words hold both conviction and malice.
OSAMORTÉ: "For your foolish ignorance I should skin you all alive...I really should...but it would be a shame to waste you...you are after all...so...talented.
But at present, you haven't reached your full potential. No, no, not at all. I think I'll 'improve' you...NO!...I'll 'transform' you. You will all be my champions - my acolytes - you will serve me as your Dark Master, obeying my every whim.
And for my kindness and generosity, you only need to do one thing for me in return."
"I need you to Die."
From below, Seltyiel throws bombs at Os in defiance. They explode, but he seems to shrug it off. He shakes off the gunpowder residue from his shoulders as if it was snow drops. The damage he sustained didn't seem to affect him physically, it especially didn't antagonize him. The party try numerous attempts to escape through the top. Hel sends her ghostly sister; Mel to fly up and attack Os but when she stands before him. He holds out his pale hand and stops her dead in her tracks. She recoils violently and is banished back into the dungeon. He starts to laugh maniacally as if enjoying the whole scenario, the laughter turns into a spluttering cough. Green vapor and spores spill out of his mouth as he hacks and wheezes, and they float down into the dungeon onto the party members below. Seltyiel, and Hel manage to cover their mouths in time, however Cynthia and Mélanie unintentionally breathe it in. Escaping the way they came in seemed hopeless, they would have to find an alternative exit in this dark, cold dungeon - if one even existed. Os seems quite confident, and sits on a chair, slurping at the human soup he'd cooked for everyone. He watches down on the party with a playful delight - as if looking down on pet rats in a maze.
They begin to tap the walls, listening for any hollow spots. While this is happening, Hel performs another White Necromancy spell which allows her to travel in her ghost's form. As if swapping spirits with her ghostly sister; Mel. Being ethereal, she is able to pass through the dungeon walls and travel up to the surface. She finds herself in the slums of Dunfarg once again, and attempts to lure some guards to Os' house to lend aid to her captured comrades. She drifts from the slums into the busy market district - alarming and frightening most of the citizens she comes across. The guards seem more alerted by the present of a ghost in their city. They dismiss her pleas for helps, and instead try in vain to capture her. She shakes off their pursuit and drifts towards the Cathedral. Inside she encounters numerous priests praying. She startles them, but unlike the guards, they seek to help her 'find the afterlife', and fearing being exorcised, she attempts to lead them out of the Cathedral and all the way to Os' house in the slums district. The two monks that follow her (one is called Bartholomeu) seem determined to liberate this lost spirit, citing incantations and prayers as they struggle to keep up to her. She leads them directly to the house and then disappears down into the floor beneath them to rejoin her comrades in the underground dungeon. The priests look curious. The first one heads back to the Cathedral, but the other; Bartholomeu, ventures inside Os' house armed with only his holy book and prayers.
Meanwhile back in the dungeon, Seltyiel discovers that one of the stone bricks he hits seems to press further into the wall - as if not cemented in properly. He calls the others over to him, and he manages to push more of them out so that a small gap in the wall is visible. The other side however is completely dark, and so Seltyiel fashions a torch, using a broken chair leg and (unconcious) Hel's sleeve as a rag. He illuminates the room and hands the torch to Mélanie to hold. Hel has not yet awoken from her enchantment, so everyone hoists her up onto Seltyiel's shoulders. They proceed cautiously into the next chamber, and as the torchlight shines on the glistening grey stone, they can make out a long corridor. They continue along it for some time, crossing empty prison cells along it's length, Eventually they encounter a cell with a prisoner inside. However as they try to communicate, the creature inside throws itself at the bars and ravenously tries to attack them. Safely behind the bars, Seltyiel and Cynthia make short work of this undead foe, and they continue down the corridor. They pass many other similar cells - some with and without undead occupants. One cell however seems to contain a different sort of individual. Someone living. The man is covered from head-to-toe in this golden/brass colored plate-mail and the intricate, engraved 'face' on the helmet is stylized like a lion's. He's locked inside, and the party gather around the entrance, shining the torch at him. They spend some time questioning this individual and he seems to respond well enough. He addresses himself as Arcturus (Descendant of Arcthane) from Distant Laurian. He claims to have been locked inside the cell for months although he can't recall how long exactly. For the most-part he seems calm, collected and trustworthy, and so they break open the lock, and free him from the cell. Arcturus stands to his feet with the aid of his dragon-slayer spear and continues to follow the party as they progress deeper underground...
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
~7pm, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 16)
Tourney Grounds, Dunfarg Outskirts, Southern Val Nemor
Nefarion was dead. And with his death came interesting feelings from each of the three remaining party members. They seemed strangely nonchalant about the whole situation, relieved even. Seltyiel had never agreed with Nefarion's ways nor those of his Hell-Knight Order, and he shed no tears for his fallen comrade. His own apprentice; Hel, felt similarly. On multiple occasions, he had been a terrible master to her so she couldn't help feeling like justice was served. Cynthia too had been his captive since the Civil War erupted, she felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders. Mélanie had also found her way back to the party - having been searching for traces of the Dark Master during the Tournament. She seemed quietly poignant, and she stroked Nefarion's cheek tenderly. When the party regrouped beside Nefarion's corpse. Os looked up at them with teary eyes. Looking to them for guidance. Hel knelt down beside her master's corpse and had an epiphany. Although she did not make her movements clear to the others, she intended to resurrect his corpse with her White Necromancy. He would not be anything more than a husk. Nefarion's body, but not his mind or soul. He would be her servant...her apprentice. She went off in search of a wooden cart to carry his body with until the time was right for her ritual to take place. In the meantime, Os clung to Seltyiel - who was the new Champion of the Melee - Although he was peculiar to his own eyes, the man was a hero. A distinguished knight who had fought bravely and gallantly. He begged Seltyiel to accept him as his new squire but Seltyiel refused. Os persevered for some time after but the hero seemed resolute. As a sort of compromise, he accepted Os' kind offer of hosting them all for supper at his father's house.
"My father would be honored to have you stay at ours this evening. I bet he's preparing supper right now as we speak. He makes a cracking eel stew! You'll see!"
- Oscar 'Os' Bourgis
With sunset on the way, they five of them made there way into the historical city of Dunfarg. The local folk and mudlarks of the slum district paid no great attention to the cart with Nefarion's body on it. It wasn't an unusual thing, seeing a dead body or two from time to time - in this part of the city anyway. They arrive at Os' house - a modest, wooden building held together just enough so that it didn't collapse. He leads them inside into the foyer, and then down some stone stairs into a dining area. A crude wooden table with several chairs awaits the famished party members as they take their seats. The smell of cooking meat wafts in from the adjacent kitchen, and Os goes in to check on how his father is doing with the food preparations. Moments later he escorts a frail old man on a wheelchair into the dining room. On closer inspection, he seems very sick. His skin is a grey-green colour and his mouth is hanging open as he sits there in his unresponsive state.
"You must forgive father, he's getting old you see, his hearing and sight is not what it used to be."
- Oscar 'Os' Bourgis
As Os leaves to bring in the stew-pot. The party start to feel uneasy and begin to inspect his 'father' from a distance. He reeks of feces and decay. Os returns with a large steaming pot and places it on the table. As the steam settles, they peer into the pot and make out human body parts amidst the watery elements of the stew - bones, fingers, shredded bits of skin and muscle. They start to panic. But before they are able to leave their seats, Os yanks down a nearby lever and the whole floor lowers suddenly beneath them. Thirty feet down they plummet, into a dark, damp dungeon. A series of grated iron bars seals them in from the top opening, and Os looks down on them all with contempt. As the party gather themselves, a strange, sinister voice speaks down to them. It's as if someone or something much darker is speaking through the young squire.
OS: "It's marvelous isn't it? You didn't even think it would be me did you? How could it be me? I'm just a boy. A naive, clumsy and foolish boy. You all looked down on me.
Your dead friend, Nefarion. I gave him my unquestioning loyalty as his squire free of charge...and for what? to be his second choice? To be his squire's squire?!
And you, Seltyiel. I wasn't even worthy enough to be your first choice!
But now...it seems that I'm the one looking down on you.
Not through the eyes of 'Oscar the Squire' though...no...he'll never be anything...but as Osamorté, the Dark Master, I can be...so much more."
His eyes burn an unnatural green, and his sickening smile becomes crooked and exaggerated. His long fingers point at you accusingly, and his words hold both conviction and malice.
OSAMORTÉ: "For your foolish ignorance I should skin you all alive...I really should...but it would be a shame to waste you...you are after all...so...talented.
But at present, you haven't reached your full potential. No, no, not at all. I think I'll 'improve' you...NO!...I'll 'transform' you. You will all be my champions - my acolytes - you will serve me as your Dark Master, obeying my every whim.
And for my kindness and generosity, you only need to do one thing for me in return."
"I need you to Die."
From below, Seltyiel throws bombs at Os in defiance. They explode, but he seems to shrug it off. He shakes off the gunpowder residue from his shoulders as if it was snow drops. The damage he sustained didn't seem to affect him physically, it especially didn't antagonize him. The party try numerous attempts to escape through the top. Hel sends her ghostly sister; Mel to fly up and attack Os but when she stands before him. He holds out his pale hand and stops her dead in her tracks. She recoils violently and is banished back into the dungeon. He starts to laugh maniacally as if enjoying the whole scenario, the laughter turns into a spluttering cough. Green vapor and spores spill out of his mouth as he hacks and wheezes, and they float down into the dungeon onto the party members below. Seltyiel, and Hel manage to cover their mouths in time, however Cynthia and Mélanie unintentionally breathe it in. Escaping the way they came in seemed hopeless, they would have to find an alternative exit in this dark, cold dungeon - if one even existed. Os seems quite confident, and sits on a chair, slurping at the human soup he'd cooked for everyone. He watches down on the party with a playful delight - as if looking down on pet rats in a maze.
They begin to tap the walls, listening for any hollow spots. While this is happening, Hel performs another White Necromancy spell which allows her to travel in her ghost's form. As if swapping spirits with her ghostly sister; Mel. Being ethereal, she is able to pass through the dungeon walls and travel up to the surface. She finds herself in the slums of Dunfarg once again, and attempts to lure some guards to Os' house to lend aid to her captured comrades. She drifts from the slums into the busy market district - alarming and frightening most of the citizens she comes across. The guards seem more alerted by the present of a ghost in their city. They dismiss her pleas for helps, and instead try in vain to capture her. She shakes off their pursuit and drifts towards the Cathedral. Inside she encounters numerous priests praying. She startles them, but unlike the guards, they seek to help her 'find the afterlife', and fearing being exorcised, she attempts to lead them out of the Cathedral and all the way to Os' house in the slums district. The two monks that follow her (one is called Bartholomeu) seem determined to liberate this lost spirit, citing incantations and prayers as they struggle to keep up to her. She leads them directly to the house and then disappears down into the floor beneath them to rejoin her comrades in the underground dungeon. The priests look curious. The first one heads back to the Cathedral, but the other; Bartholomeu, ventures inside Os' house armed with only his holy book and prayers.
 |
| Dunfarg Catacombs and Undercroft |
Friday, 6 March 2015
Session 19: Group 2 Overview
RAMOS Eldnacht, Agent of the Order of Libertorius
ARESY, A humble healer from the South (Ysera Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer)
~11am, 26th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 14)
Courtyard, Ascentium; the Mountain Fort
After a morning filled with secret meetings and prophecies of the apocalypse, Ramos and Aresy make their way into the courtyard where they encounter a heavily armed, peculiar gentleman. He seems inquisitive, and wields multiple revolvers as well as a musketoon carbine (with what looks like a large brass silencer at the end of it's barrel). Gracing his weathered, bearded face sits a wide-brim cattleman's hat. The gentleman introduces himself as Mister Quinn.
"Well now, it seems we have arrived at a most fortuitous time. Wouldn't you agree?"
- Mister Quinn (to Ramos)
He tears the bounties off the board, claiming them for his own. He reveals his occupation as being a professional 'hired gun'/ freelance mercenary. A man who drifts from city to city with his gang, collecting bounties, and hunting criminals and fugitives. Unlike others in his profession, Mister Quinn has saddled up with the Order of Libertorius, and as such he does not interfere with their movements (which in the eyes of the Royalists are deemed rebellious and anti-authoritarian). He sympathizes with the cause, deeming it more honorable than most. He extends a friendly welcome to Ramos, and offers out his business card to him, but Ramos refuses it. He doesn't seem perturbed by this, instead he keeps his offer of service open to any time that Ramos should require it - for a price of course. He introduces his 'gang'. Two warrior women in tight leather armour - as attractive as they are deadly.
Cé, the 'Wasp'
Tallest of the two with long shining ebony hair. Although she is remarkably attractive, her eyes seem very cold and emotionless. Her two-handed katana has had the handguard removed, and the blade is forged of a gold-coloured steel.
QUINN: "Cé doesn't talk much. That's not to say she doesn't express herself though...that's what the dai-katana's for...she's somewhat of an artist."
Ren, the 'Hornet'
A young, fair faced girl with rosy cheeks. Long flowing hair the colour of vanilla flowers, and wielding a pair of wakizashis... the blades of which are forged of black steel.
QUINN: "Now Little Ren here may seem innocent enough...and at first greeting, she's as sweet as a lemon cake in summer, but don't let that fool you... she's a total psychopath. She'll peel your skin off with those blades of hers and she'll giggle all the while she's doing it."
Since Ramos has refused his services today, he hands Ramos a small marble-sized ball as well as a perplexing riddle. The 'marble' is a sort of translucent green colour, and Quinn says that should Ramos ever need him, he will need to keep that marble safe until the time comes.
"What's a caterpillar to do after he's eaten the Last Leaf on the tree?"
.................
"Keep his head down, recover his strength...wait until his wings grow. And then he flies far and wide, seeing places he never dreamed he'd see."
- Mister Quinn
With his mind set on the task ahead, Ramos looks to his Lord-Commander to guide him. John explains to both Ramos and Aresy that they will be stealing a Royal Airship from the Espire Airfield, and as transport to the airfield, he has readied Griffins for flight. Duncan accompanies them through the complex of tunnels and corridors leading into the very mountain itself. They pass living quarters, storerooms, larders and before the end of the corridor, they pass a huge reinforced door - with multiple locks keeping it firmly sealed shut. Even Ramos does not know what lies behind it.
"You'd better give that one a wide birth" (Referring to what lies behind the door)
"It has a tendency to smash itself against the door...."
- Lord-Commander John Geist
They progress all the way through to the end of the corridor where they finally reach a grated door, and behind it lies the Griffin Pen. Ramos saddles up on Silver, and Duncan saddles up on his own Griffin; Lucky. John readies his own Griffin, the largest and most powerful of the lot - Atlas. The saddle easily carries John's weight along with Aresy's. Before they depart, Aresy is met by Professor Glyph. Who seems somewhat dismayed that his apprentice / servant is leaving so soon. He realizes however that her mission is imperative, and he gives her his blessing and well wishes. He does stress to her that her Ancient Abyssal needs improvement, and that she should religiously study the Simplified Malefic Tongue Journal that he gave her the day before. The 'hangar' doors are lifted, and the three Griffins disembark southwest over the wildlands of Ylaskir. To Aresy's surprise, the Griffins depart from an opening in the side of the mountain itself, soaring out several hundred feet above ground level. The frightening experience quickly becomes awe-inspiring as she can see the beautiful landscape for miles around.
The flight to Espire takes the best part of the day, and the party passes over the wilderness as well as the Hell-Knight Bastion Zenith. They continue above a large mountain range until they can spot the township of Espire on the horizon. They land and leave the Griffins outside an adjacent forest and traverse the rest of the distance on foot. With the cover of night at their advantage, they proceed around the town and across a great landfill. John goes on to elaborate. It's a dumping ground for the rich citizens of Falcos Prime; on the Floating Isle. They note how much of the 'scrap' in this heap is perfectly suitable for use, and it becomes evident to Ramos and Aresy that the citizens of Falcos Prime live lives of luxury and have an abundance of material wealth and resources - so luxurious in fact, that they can afford to waste perfectly decent furniture and other items. They eventually reach the airfield and discover that it has been used primarily by the Royalists. Since the creation of airships, zeppelins and other vehicles with flight capability, the airfield has hosted many of these wonderful machines. However after the eruption of the Civil War, the dominant class of airship in Espire's hangars has been that of the military variety. The airfield is expansive and sectioned off on all sides by ten foot barbed-wire fencing. Within it, they spot a small scout-class Arcadeus Airship ripe for the taking. They climb over the fence without too much hassle and hide behind some cargo crates. The airship it seems is being loaded and there is minimal military presence. The party decides that the best way to tackle the ground crew is to distract them with one of Ramos' pipe bombs. Ramos throws one and explodes one of the Arcadeus sentries accidentally. It buys them enough time to sneak into the airship unnoticed, and even the hulking Arcadeus Phoenix-Knight is deceived by the distraction. Ramos and Aresy discreetly dispatch two Arcadeus soldiers within the airship's cargo hold and John scouts on deeper into the airship, incapacitating all resistance he finds along his way - using his akimbo engraved silver tonfas. Duncan follows in his brother's wake, putting sacks over the heads of all the writhing, unconscious guards, and binding their hands with rope. Eventually the airship is secured, and John holds the pilot and the cabin crew hostage. He orders them to disembark immediately, and they comply. To the horror of the Arcadeus ground crew and the Phoenix-Knight, they witness their airship taking off without them, but are unable to prevent the party from succeeding.
As the airship is flown throughout the night, the party make use of the sleeping quarters within the airship, taking shifts watching their Royalist prisoners. The airship proceeds west across the bay and over the cities of Brandinweld and Kentonborough. It cuts right across the D'Arcy region called the Verdant County to the furthest western expanse. In the morning, the barren stretch of flat-lands known as the 'Western Reach' can be seen on the horizon. Ramos, Aresy and Duncan gather at the bridge to meet John. They are served a platter of poached eggs for breakfast by an Arcadeus chef called Alfonso - the eggs were well cooked and thankfully NOT poisoned. The chef seemed grateful to Aresy, who had repaired his broken arm with her healing magic. Without too much interrogation, he also professed some Royalist military strategies, and revealed the true owner of the airship: House Arcadeus' very own Knight-Commander; Alton Marx. They set the airship to land a moderate distance from the settlement of First Harvest, and planned to travel the rest of the journey on foot. This small, unspectacular village was the only beacon of civilization in this empty void of land called the Western Reach. It seemed like the best place to start looking for clues of the evil that was corrupting the land. They might also find the Libertorius scout; Octavyan (whom they had lost contact with some time ago) John announced to the other three that he would be going no further, explaining the them that he would stay with the airship, to refuel, and keep the prisoners under control. Ramos, Aresy and Duncan would continue the rest of the journey without him.
Thinking back to the secret meeting they'd had in Ascentium about the Malefic Seven. It was revealed that in recent years, the Reach had become a "wasteland of emptiness, devoid of most life.", and when the party set food on the sparse, wilting grassland, it seemed that the region matched the description perfectly. For the duration they traveled across the countryside towards First Harvest, they did not see or hear any wildlife - except for one emaciated deer which seemed frail and languid as if in a dreamlike state. There was a noticeable absence of natural sounds and lifeforms within this region, it seemed eerily quiet, and even the grass and trees seemed lank and wispy - as if carrying the weight of an enchantment or spell. But what could do this to the trees and plants on an otherwise temperate summer's day? Someone...or something had to be behind it. The settlement of First Harvest was no surprise. Completely abandoned, as if everyone had packed up and left. The small village comprised of several wooden shacks, and each one seemed ransacked and untidy. Only one denizen remained. An elderly elven woman sat on a rocking chair outside of her house. She did not seem to notice Ramos, Aresy and Duncan. Nor did she seem to do anything. She was in a sort of comatose state. The lights were on, but no-one was home. Aresy asked Duncan to carry her inside the shack and onto the bed and after further examination, she was deceptively heavy, and they still could not rouse any sort of response from her. While this was happening, Ramos investigated the village for tracks of it's former inhabitants, he found them leading out of the village west towards the nearby lake. The tracks ended at the lakeside, and Ramos for all his efforts, could not recover them. He eventually led the others to the lake where they could make their own assessments. When they looked out over the large still lake they could make out something floating on the surface. While Ramos and Aresy were planning how to get out to it, Duncan stripped off his cloak and brigandine and tied a length of rope around his waist, he then proceeded to wade out into the water and eventually swam out towards it. When he reached the floating object. The others waited anxiously as he inspecting the object. He seemed to pause for a moment and then let out a shriek of horror. Ramos and Aresy looked on hopelessly as something pulled him under the surface. They reeled him in frantically using the rope he had tied himself to and managed to successfully drag him out of the water. Duncan was was missing. Whatever it was that grabbed him, it had taken his right foot clean off.
ARESY, A humble healer from the South (Ysera Furyborn, Hell-Knight Signifer)
~11am, 26th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 14)
Courtyard, Ascentium; the Mountain Fort
After a morning filled with secret meetings and prophecies of the apocalypse, Ramos and Aresy make their way into the courtyard where they encounter a heavily armed, peculiar gentleman. He seems inquisitive, and wields multiple revolvers as well as a musketoon carbine (with what looks like a large brass silencer at the end of it's barrel). Gracing his weathered, bearded face sits a wide-brim cattleman's hat. The gentleman introduces himself as Mister Quinn.
"Well now, it seems we have arrived at a most fortuitous time. Wouldn't you agree?"
- Mister Quinn (to Ramos)
He tears the bounties off the board, claiming them for his own. He reveals his occupation as being a professional 'hired gun'/ freelance mercenary. A man who drifts from city to city with his gang, collecting bounties, and hunting criminals and fugitives. Unlike others in his profession, Mister Quinn has saddled up with the Order of Libertorius, and as such he does not interfere with their movements (which in the eyes of the Royalists are deemed rebellious and anti-authoritarian). He sympathizes with the cause, deeming it more honorable than most. He extends a friendly welcome to Ramos, and offers out his business card to him, but Ramos refuses it. He doesn't seem perturbed by this, instead he keeps his offer of service open to any time that Ramos should require it - for a price of course. He introduces his 'gang'. Two warrior women in tight leather armour - as attractive as they are deadly.
Cé, the 'Wasp'
Tallest of the two with long shining ebony hair. Although she is remarkably attractive, her eyes seem very cold and emotionless. Her two-handed katana has had the handguard removed, and the blade is forged of a gold-coloured steel.
QUINN: "Cé doesn't talk much. That's not to say she doesn't express herself though...that's what the dai-katana's for...she's somewhat of an artist."
Ren, the 'Hornet'
A young, fair faced girl with rosy cheeks. Long flowing hair the colour of vanilla flowers, and wielding a pair of wakizashis... the blades of which are forged of black steel.
QUINN: "Now Little Ren here may seem innocent enough...and at first greeting, she's as sweet as a lemon cake in summer, but don't let that fool you... she's a total psychopath. She'll peel your skin off with those blades of hers and she'll giggle all the while she's doing it."
Since Ramos has refused his services today, he hands Ramos a small marble-sized ball as well as a perplexing riddle. The 'marble' is a sort of translucent green colour, and Quinn says that should Ramos ever need him, he will need to keep that marble safe until the time comes.
"What's a caterpillar to do after he's eaten the Last Leaf on the tree?"
.................
"Keep his head down, recover his strength...wait until his wings grow. And then he flies far and wide, seeing places he never dreamed he'd see."
- Mister Quinn
With his mind set on the task ahead, Ramos looks to his Lord-Commander to guide him. John explains to both Ramos and Aresy that they will be stealing a Royal Airship from the Espire Airfield, and as transport to the airfield, he has readied Griffins for flight. Duncan accompanies them through the complex of tunnels and corridors leading into the very mountain itself. They pass living quarters, storerooms, larders and before the end of the corridor, they pass a huge reinforced door - with multiple locks keeping it firmly sealed shut. Even Ramos does not know what lies behind it.
"You'd better give that one a wide birth" (Referring to what lies behind the door)
"It has a tendency to smash itself against the door...."
- Lord-Commander John Geist
They progress all the way through to the end of the corridor where they finally reach a grated door, and behind it lies the Griffin Pen. Ramos saddles up on Silver, and Duncan saddles up on his own Griffin; Lucky. John readies his own Griffin, the largest and most powerful of the lot - Atlas. The saddle easily carries John's weight along with Aresy's. Before they depart, Aresy is met by Professor Glyph. Who seems somewhat dismayed that his apprentice / servant is leaving so soon. He realizes however that her mission is imperative, and he gives her his blessing and well wishes. He does stress to her that her Ancient Abyssal needs improvement, and that she should religiously study the Simplified Malefic Tongue Journal that he gave her the day before. The 'hangar' doors are lifted, and the three Griffins disembark southwest over the wildlands of Ylaskir. To Aresy's surprise, the Griffins depart from an opening in the side of the mountain itself, soaring out several hundred feet above ground level. The frightening experience quickly becomes awe-inspiring as she can see the beautiful landscape for miles around.
The flight to Espire takes the best part of the day, and the party passes over the wilderness as well as the Hell-Knight Bastion Zenith. They continue above a large mountain range until they can spot the township of Espire on the horizon. They land and leave the Griffins outside an adjacent forest and traverse the rest of the distance on foot. With the cover of night at their advantage, they proceed around the town and across a great landfill. John goes on to elaborate. It's a dumping ground for the rich citizens of Falcos Prime; on the Floating Isle. They note how much of the 'scrap' in this heap is perfectly suitable for use, and it becomes evident to Ramos and Aresy that the citizens of Falcos Prime live lives of luxury and have an abundance of material wealth and resources - so luxurious in fact, that they can afford to waste perfectly decent furniture and other items. They eventually reach the airfield and discover that it has been used primarily by the Royalists. Since the creation of airships, zeppelins and other vehicles with flight capability, the airfield has hosted many of these wonderful machines. However after the eruption of the Civil War, the dominant class of airship in Espire's hangars has been that of the military variety. The airfield is expansive and sectioned off on all sides by ten foot barbed-wire fencing. Within it, they spot a small scout-class Arcadeus Airship ripe for the taking. They climb over the fence without too much hassle and hide behind some cargo crates. The airship it seems is being loaded and there is minimal military presence. The party decides that the best way to tackle the ground crew is to distract them with one of Ramos' pipe bombs. Ramos throws one and explodes one of the Arcadeus sentries accidentally. It buys them enough time to sneak into the airship unnoticed, and even the hulking Arcadeus Phoenix-Knight is deceived by the distraction. Ramos and Aresy discreetly dispatch two Arcadeus soldiers within the airship's cargo hold and John scouts on deeper into the airship, incapacitating all resistance he finds along his way - using his akimbo engraved silver tonfas. Duncan follows in his brother's wake, putting sacks over the heads of all the writhing, unconscious guards, and binding their hands with rope. Eventually the airship is secured, and John holds the pilot and the cabin crew hostage. He orders them to disembark immediately, and they comply. To the horror of the Arcadeus ground crew and the Phoenix-Knight, they witness their airship taking off without them, but are unable to prevent the party from succeeding.
 |
| Arcadeus Scout Class PH-01 Airship (Prototype) |
Thinking back to the secret meeting they'd had in Ascentium about the Malefic Seven. It was revealed that in recent years, the Reach had become a "wasteland of emptiness, devoid of most life.", and when the party set food on the sparse, wilting grassland, it seemed that the region matched the description perfectly. For the duration they traveled across the countryside towards First Harvest, they did not see or hear any wildlife - except for one emaciated deer which seemed frail and languid as if in a dreamlike state. There was a noticeable absence of natural sounds and lifeforms within this region, it seemed eerily quiet, and even the grass and trees seemed lank and wispy - as if carrying the weight of an enchantment or spell. But what could do this to the trees and plants on an otherwise temperate summer's day? Someone...or something had to be behind it. The settlement of First Harvest was no surprise. Completely abandoned, as if everyone had packed up and left. The small village comprised of several wooden shacks, and each one seemed ransacked and untidy. Only one denizen remained. An elderly elven woman sat on a rocking chair outside of her house. She did not seem to notice Ramos, Aresy and Duncan. Nor did she seem to do anything. She was in a sort of comatose state. The lights were on, but no-one was home. Aresy asked Duncan to carry her inside the shack and onto the bed and after further examination, she was deceptively heavy, and they still could not rouse any sort of response from her. While this was happening, Ramos investigated the village for tracks of it's former inhabitants, he found them leading out of the village west towards the nearby lake. The tracks ended at the lakeside, and Ramos for all his efforts, could not recover them. He eventually led the others to the lake where they could make their own assessments. When they looked out over the large still lake they could make out something floating on the surface. While Ramos and Aresy were planning how to get out to it, Duncan stripped off his cloak and brigandine and tied a length of rope around his waist, he then proceeded to wade out into the water and eventually swam out towards it. When he reached the floating object. The others waited anxiously as he inspecting the object. He seemed to pause for a moment and then let out a shriek of horror. Ramos and Aresy looked on hopelessly as something pulled him under the surface. They reeled him in frantically using the rope he had tied himself to and managed to successfully drag him out of the water. Duncan was was missing. Whatever it was that grabbed him, it had taken his right foot clean off.
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Player Character Death Report: Nefarion Furyborn
 |
| "Where is your king now?" - Nefarion |
Race/Class: Human Fighter / Hell-Knight Commander
Player: Mike
Level: 7 (Required 10,345 for Level 8)
Date of Death: ~12pm, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE
Cause of Death: Bleeding Out. Sliced multiple times by Ykarion the Jester. Brought down following a laceration to his Achilles' heel.
Location: Melee Free-For-All Arena, Dunfarg Tourney Grounds, Val Némor
Total Sessions: 20 (1-20)
Total In-Game Days: 16 (Days 1-16)
Back-story/Bio:
A decorated and battle-hardened human Hell-Knight Commander who (along with his adopted sister; Ysera) served as a personal bodyguards to the Crimson Prince; Rhed Arcadeus during the Civil War of 1486 RE. His most important assignment yet, he fought alongside the Prince and the Royalist forces during the Battle of the West-Harbour, and continued to successfully protect the Prince even after the defeat they sustained at the hands of the Renegades and their War Automatons. Among his Hell-Knight comrades he is known as the ‘Executioner’, and his sister; Ysera, is called the ‘Judge’. They are infamous in their own order as being a deadly duo, feared by criminals and lawbreakers all over the realm.
Quests Completed: 4
1.) Main Quest: 'Returning the Phoenix to the Nest'
Successfully escorted the wounded Prince Rhed safely back to Rhuen.
2.) Optional Side Quest: 'The Black Sentinel'
Defeated Black Sentinel Heinrich in single combat.
3.) Optional Side Quest: 'Protecting Haven'
Repelled the Von Heltzer Threat at High-Haven
4.) Optional Side Quest: 'The Hounds of Hell'
Captured High-Haven from the Rebel House Hyegarl
Bosses Defeated: 3
1.) Black Sentinel Heinrich (The Black Sentinel)
2.) Old Adelbern (Protecting Haven)
3.) Field-Commander Hoyt (Protecting Haven)
Total Exp Gained: 17,655exp
+1,366 (The Battle of the West-Harbour)
+250 (Highwaymen Encounter)
+100 (Assassin Encounter)
+150 (Won Duel: Ser Percival at the Dueling Academy)
+1,125 (Quest Completed: 'Returning the Phoenix to the Nest')
+150 (Poacher Encounter)
+5,500 (Quest Completed: 'The Black Sentinel' - Defeated Boss: Heinrich)
+250 (Communicated with the Faceless Deity)
+250 (Helped the young girl; Severine escape Bastion Zenith)
+100 (Met Matheus of Olynne)
+500 (Convinced the Prisoners of High-Haven to help fight)
+383 (Von Heltzer Patrol Ambush)
+530 (Defeated Boss: Old Adelbern)
+600 (Destroyed the Artillery Depot)
+185 (Hand-to-Hand combat with Von Heltzer Private Samson)
+250 (Defeated Field Commander Hoyt)
+616 (Windmill encounter)
+1,000 (Quest Completed: 'Protecting Haven')
+200 (Saving Hel / Witnessing the 'Creature')
+750 (Towns-Guard battle in High-Haven Siege)
+1,500 (Quest Completed: 'The Hounds of Hell')
+150 (Spared the little girl; Sasha's life)
+250 (Made it into Val Nemor undetected using an alias)
+500 (Signed up for the Tourney)
+1,000 (Defeated Figaro the 'Half-Knight')
Total GP Gained: 6,000gp
+750 (QC: Returning the Phoenix to the Nest)
+1,000 (Commander Hoyt's Chest)
+2,000 (QC: Protecting Haven)
+1,500 (QC: Protecting Haven: Hel's Share)
+750 (QC: The Hounds of Hell)
Sin Points: 15 (Highest of all PC's at the time)
+2 Envy (From drinking corrupted Assassin's Blood)
+1 Envy (Tainted when assisting Sij in the Blood Ritual)
+1 Greed (From taking both daggers on the Assassin's corpse)
+2 Greed (From taking Hel's share of her mission reward gold)
+1 Lust (Tainted by the Passion Phantasm in the Commander's Tent)
+1 Wrath (Unnecessary Cruelty to others: Old Man in Kentonborough)
+1 Wrath (Unnecessary Cruelty to others: Poachers)
+1 Wrath (Unnecessary Cruelty to others: Pvt. Samson / Paladin Cedric, Von Heltzers)
+1 Wrath (Unnecessary Cruelty to others: Mack)
+1 Pride (Acted in defense of his pride: Black Sentinel Heinrich)
+1 Pride (He didn't thank Hel for her assistance and loyalty in the duel)
+1 Pride (Wears the heads of his enemies as trophies)
+1 Pride (After the sacking of High-Haven, he claimed Lord Emmon's bedroom)
Virtue Points: 11 (Second Highest of all PC's at the time)
+1 Kindness (Showed Kindness to Severine and helped her escape the Bastion)
+1 Kindness (Decided to help Lord Emmon rather than turn him in as a traitor)
+1 Kindness (In High-Haven, he ordered Hel to sanctify the bodies of the dead.)
+1 Kindness (He spared the life of the girl; Sasha, after she attacked Lt. Salvo)
+1 Charity (Clothed Matheus and Severine using his own gold)
+1 Patience (Endured the Corsairs without aggression or bloodshed)
+1 Humility (Embraced his own death with grace and tranquility)
+2 Diligence (Has shown diligence in protecting the Prince and bringing him home)
+2 Diligence (Has shown diligence in all of his Hell-Knight duties and missions)
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Session 20: Group 1 Overview
'NYGEL, of Farome', a Bodyguard for Hire (Nefarion)
'GLORFINDEL', a Travelling Healer (Seltyiel)
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
~11am, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 16)
Melee Free-For-All Arena, Tourney Grounds, Dunfarg, Val Némor
'GLORFINDEL', a Travelling Healer (Seltyiel)
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
~11am, 28th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 16)
Melee Free-For-All Arena, Tourney Grounds, Dunfarg, Val Némor
Melee Free-For-All Ground Rules
~~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No Arcane Abilities of the Second Circle or higher.
No Ranged or Thrown Weaponry of any sort.
Healing is restricted to one instance per participant.
~~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No Arcane Abilities of the Second Circle or higher.
No Ranged or Thrown Weaponry of any sort.
Healing is restricted to one instance per participant.
No mounts of any kind. Fighting beasts are also disallowed.
Participant may withdraw from the Free-For-All at any time, and must shout "Yield"
A Participant who has yielded must not be harmed further, and cannot take part any more.
A Participant who has yielded must not be harmed further, and cannot take part any more.
No cooperation or 'ganging up', no mutual benefits of any kind to be exchanged between participants.
~~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Champion's Reward; the sum of 10,000 Gold Pieces
Runner Up; the sum of 4,000 Gold Pieces
Runner Up; the sum of 4,000 Gold Pieces
~~~~~~~~~~~~o~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The thirty combatants take their places at the borders of the Free-For-All arena, Nefarion thinks to himself, this so-called 'arena' seems more like a pit...a great expanse of cracked dry mud, stained with blood and littered with shards of armor and weapons. He notices that only a handful of combatants stand between him and Seltyiel. The rules state clearly that he cannot cooperate with him, so he might as well steer clear of him until completely necessary. The Dark Master has vowed to watch him perform on the field, he needed to look good out there, spill a bit of blood. Do what he does best. For the good of the Hell-Knights. Unbeknownst to Nefarion however, Seltyiel would not refrain from fighting him. When the wooden palisades were raised, the combatants began to spill into the arena from all corners - a veritable medley of different races, armors, weapons and fighting techniques battled for the chance to win gold and glory. The bulk of the thirty combatants congealed into one large bloodbath in the center of the pit, and quickly their numbers were thinned. Many yielded before long, and those who didn't suffered terrible wounds, dismemberment, and some; death. Hel stood at the edge of the arena, and discretely cast a Life Bond spell on Nefarion and Seltyiel, so that she might share some of their pain inflicted (and they might be able to withstand more of the fighting) Nefarion cornered a halfling paladin of Ragathiel named Figaro and brought down his great axe upon him. He swung relentlessly at the little armored knight until Figaro collapsed. His squires rushed onto the arena to drag off his body, and Nefarion continued to his next target. Seltyiel drank his mutagen and beast-morphed into his terrible and destructive form. With ease, he sent an imposing muscular satyr down onto the ground. The barbaric creature known as Barryx the Bull dropped his hooked blades and was also dragged off by his squires. The main fray in the center of the arena waged on, more knights fell and more lost blood and limbs. Truly thinned were there numbers now, and a sinister looking combatant made his way towards Nefarion. He could hear the jingling of bells before he could see the horrific jester dancing towards him, armed with an evil-looking hand sickle. An unsettling, exaggerated smile crept across his blood-smeared face and Nefarion advanced to meet him cautiously. Through magical means, the Jester threw down a slippery liquid in an attempt to trip Nefarion, he could also vanish into thin air with great ease. Nefarion found himself at a true disadvantage, and could not predict when or where the jester would strike. Even with Hel's Life Bond spell sustaining him, the jester bled him time and time again. The battle raged on for some time, and victorious from the main fray emerged a hulking knight in brass colored armor. He advanced steadily towards Seltyiel with tower shield and flanged mace in tow. Seltyiel braced for impact as the heavy flanged mace came down upon him. He deflected, and returned a flurry of blows. For some time they both battled, exchanging powerful blows, and for a time it seemed that they were evenly matched. While this was happening, Hel had attracted some attention from the Tournament Guards, and they made their way towards her. Vycktor warned Hel of this, and attempted to waylay the guards in any way he could to buy her some time to get away. When Vycktor is backhanded by one of the guards, he flees the tourney grounds. Hel makes a run for it and the guards continue to chase her for some time. With the majority of the participants out (in one form or another), it seems that Nefarion and Seltyiel are among the last few left. The Knight of Brass continues to battle Seltyiel, and he defends himself well, occasionally landing a lethal hit on the knight, whittling him down slowly. Nefarion however is not faring so well, and the Jester has drawn blood one too many times. The effects of the Life Bond have worn off since Hel was chased off by the guards, and Nefarion seems without choice. He must yield, or he will die. He buys himself a moment to quickly glance into the audience stalls and around the edges of the arena, but he cannot see anyone that might be the cult leader. Despairingly, he fights on until the jester finally brings him down - slicing his Achilles' tendon with the sickle. Nefarion falls hard, dropping his great axe. The Jester kneels down beside him, and talks menacingly about life and death. Nefarion's rapidly losing a lot of blood, and yet he still does not yield. The Jester eggs on the cheering crowd, demanding an outcome. The general consensus vote to spare his life, and the Jester obliges, and dances away from Nefarion's body. Despite this mercy however, Nefarion's squire; Vycktor is nowhere to be seen, and the only person who runs to his aid is Os. He tries his best to save his master and stop the blood-loss. He wails out to the crowd in anguish, begging for help. With his life force leaving him by the gallon, Nefarion bleeds out on the dirt and not one of his comrades come to his aid. The Brass Knight uses Stone Soul to make himself grow both in size and strength, but not long after, he is stabbed in the back several times by the invisible Jester. The Brass Knight topples like a building onto the ground, shaking the very earth beneath him. The Jester leaves himself vulnerable and Seltyiel strikes him down after a brief tussle. "I yield, I yield" he screams. The cheering of the crowd comes to a climax, and Seltyiel looks around amazed to see that he is the last man standing in the arena. He's ushered up to the podium by the tourney herald, and is congratulated for his accomplishments. Another distinct looking man is also stood up at the podium with the herald and the other officials and noblemen. He's clad in expensive silver armor and adorned with a rich purple cape. His long hair - the same color as his armor - hangs from his weathered and disgruntled face. He personally extends out his (not-so) sincere congratulations to Seltyiel.
"Bravo. Good show. Congratulations on your victory and proving your valor, chivalry...etc etc, formalities and formalities...Damn it will someone just pay the man his gold and be done with it?! I've got a war to win."
Only after this conceited and contemptuous man had withdrawn himself, did Seltyiel learn who it was. He had just spoken to Lord-Meister Hermann; the head of the renegade House Villeroy - he was the treasonous uncle of the Queen, and the number one enemy of the Royalists.
"Bravo. Good show. Congratulations on your victory and proving your valor, chivalry...etc etc, formalities and formalities...Damn it will someone just pay the man his gold and be done with it?! I've got a war to win."
Only after this conceited and contemptuous man had withdrawn himself, did Seltyiel learn who it was. He had just spoken to Lord-Meister Hermann; the head of the renegade House Villeroy - he was the treasonous uncle of the Queen, and the number one enemy of the Royalists.
Saturday, 21 February 2015
Session 19: Group 1 Overview
'NYGEL, of Farome', a Bodyguard for Hire (Nefarion)
'GLORFINDEL', a Travelling Healer (Seltyiel)
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
~10pm, 25th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 13)
Outskirts of Schuteberk, Southern Val Nemor
With their new aliases and occupations into full effect, the party are transported from Port Zeiduch to Dunfarg. The Hell-Knight element of the party are paired up with fellow agent; Mélanie - under the alias; Astrid, a shipwright's daughter - who has been working undercover in Val Némor for the last few days, in order to track this sinister cult leader. By the carriage of a traveling quack doctor named 'Umberto', the party stops briefly outside the regional Capital City of Schuteberk. Known locally as the 'City of Ghosts', Schuteberk seems to live up to this macabre moniker - at least from the outside anyway. It's city walls stand tall and jagged, comprised of a glossy stone as black as pitch. The numerous towers behind the walls are narrow, with pointed spires. What lies behind the walls remains unclear to the passing party members, however a flickering green light seems to be emanating from the city's interiors - the light is similar to that from braziers and pyres, except the fire is a sickly, and venomous colour. The party stop here for as little time as possible - for Schuteberk is the seat of the Renegade House Villeroy; who are the greatest enemies of the Royalists. While they are resting up, and while the charlatan tends to the horses, the great black city gates open to release a contingent of Villeroy soldiers armed with curved spears and swords. With them, several lumbering automatons appear, heavily armored and wielding integral arm-blades and cannons. The contingent heads east, and the party wait patiently and nervously until they are well out of the way. Before they leave, they pick up a cloaked hitchhiker whose also bound for Dunfarg, and carry on with their journey north. Along the way, they learn that the man they picked up is hoping to make some gold at the tournament. His name is Vycktor, and he seems to be a rogue of sorts. As the party are also heading to the tournament, he seems keen to stick with them for the time being, and the group consent.
Dunfarg is an old city, with much culture, and ancient buildings. It is home to many aristocratic lords and scholars, and it also hosts the annual Tournamentum - a series of Knightly Games spanning three days. The big event attracts champions from all corners of the realm, promising fame, glory and riches. Over the three days, participants can sign up into Knightly games and bloodsports such as the melee, jousting, archery and more. The site for the tournament is so large, that it has to be placed outside of the city walls, and hundreds of brightly colored tents surround the many arenas and training grounds. When the party arrive at the tourney, they exit the charlatan's carriage and proceed into the camp to find the nearest tournament official. They eventually find one, a bald-headed man by the name of Riquard. He produces a long list and a feather quill, and unenthusiastically signs both Nefarion (Nygel) and Seltyiel (Glorfindel) into the Melee free-for-all. He explains to them that they both need to have squires if they are to participate. Seltyiel asks Hel (Eevee) if she would be his, and and Nefarion asks the newly acquired rogue; Vycktor to be his. Once the paperwork is completed, they are led by the official to the encampment. The camp is a den of activity - there are a great many knights, squires and tournament workers here, the majority of which are practicing and preparing for the games. When they reach the encampment, they are led to their assigned quarters. Two tents. Nefarion enters his own tent with Vycktor and is surprised to see it has not been cleaned since it's last occupant used it. The mattress on the simple bed is stained in sweat and blood and the stench is unbearable. On the table next to the bed sits an apothecary's kit, dirty bandages, empty vials and syringes. An apologetic voice speaks to the pair of them from outside the tent, and when they go to investigate, they see a young, enthusiastic man with a mess of black curly hair and a green doublet. He introduces himself as Os, a talented Squire in need of a master. He explains to them that the tent's previous occupant had been his last. The late Cort Vel Drune had been a distinguished knight and victor of many tourneys throughout Elmunred. He died from wounds sustained in the tournament preliminaries. Os seems despondent, but nevertheless, he seeks to assist Nefarion as his new squire. Nefarion already has Vycktor as his squire, but in sympathy for the boy's loss, he accepts him as a second squire. The bald official; Riquard overhears their conversation and steps in with a smirk on his face.
Riquard: "Don't believe a word he says. He's the worst squire in Val Némor. There's many a dead knight because of this one."
Os: "That's not true at all...well...there was...but that was only one.You can't blame me for that! The tourney is dangerous place."
Riquard: "Yes, Cort Vel Drune. A lance to his flank. Ruptured one of his kidneys they said. Nasty way to go."
Os: "He was one of the greatest...a true and chivalrous knight...he died in my arms, I couldn't stop his pain, nor could the clerics."
Riquard: "Oh aye. And what about that dwarven champion; Konrack Stonereaver?"
Os: "Seriously, Riquard? You know what happened! His helmet fell off and he got hit on the head with a club. But he didn't die! and that wasn't my fault!"
Riquard: "And before him...Sir James the Tall? Does he not count?"
Os: "He fell from his horse in the joust and was trampled on...but again, an accident. And he lived to fight another day."
Riquard: "It's just a shame his legs were pulverized by the horses' stamping hooves..."
Os: "Better his legs then his head!"
In response to this conversation, Nefarion became quite cautious. But he reconsidered himself, how could he blame the young and loyal squire for these terrible accidents? The tournaments are dangerous, and the Knights know the risks very well. A passionate and eager youth, Nefarion could not bare to cast him away. He himself was no stranger to warfare, and for what it was worth, he could take care of himself. (He could at least indulge Os with the honor, even if the boy would not prove useful in any way.)
While all this was happening, Mélanie (Astrid) distanced herself from the group, and began scouting the tourney grounds for clues that might lead to the whereabouts of the cult leader. The vampiress Cynthia (Kandi) was in search for her next meal. She had the advantage of being dressed as a courtesan, and so it didn't take her long to find a willing male to share the privacy of a tent together. A Viper-Guard sworn to House Villeroy accepted her 'invitation', and when the two of them were alone together in his tent. It became quite clear to Cynthia, that she would have to put on a 'convincing show' for it seemed the Viper-Guard enjoyed a visual performance before a physical one. On the bed she undressed slowly, and he stood there stroking his undulating spear (not a euphemism!) Eventually, he got in with her, and she hit him with her vampiric spell...but it failed. She was initially worried, but it unexpectedly he seemed to enjoy the sensation she had given him. Very much so in fact. His arousal heightened and he demanded more. Calmly, she tried again to subdue him until she was successful. She fed, and then she left the tent - taking her payment as she did so.
The party stayed in the camp for the duration of the three-day tourney. Mélanie was still unable to find any trace of the Dark Master that had led them here. The main events of the second day was the jousting and the archery, and on the morning of the third day began the Melee Free-For-All. In addition to Nefarion and Seltyiel, another twenty eight competitors had signed up for the melee - all of them with the hope of winning fame, glory, and of course the ten thousand gold cash prize. With the formalities, paperwork and waivers submitted, the combatants were gathered to this large 'pit' of an arena. Stands had been erected for the audience around the arena and a panel of judges and noblemen overlooked them. Hundreds of people, both spectators and participants had been gathered here on this glorious June morning. Nefarion , Seltyiel and the others readied up and took their positions on the borders of the arena. At midday; the Herald declared the Melee Free-For-All open. "Let the games begin!" he concluded and the crowd roared with excitement and thrill.
'GLORFINDEL', a Travelling Healer (Seltyiel)
'KANDI', a Traveling Courtesan (Cynthia)
'EEVEE', The Sorrowful Blind', a Traveling Monk (Hel)
~10pm, 25th of June, 5th Era 1486 RE (Day 13)
Outskirts of Schuteberk, Southern Val Nemor
With their new aliases and occupations into full effect, the party are transported from Port Zeiduch to Dunfarg. The Hell-Knight element of the party are paired up with fellow agent; Mélanie - under the alias; Astrid, a shipwright's daughter - who has been working undercover in Val Némor for the last few days, in order to track this sinister cult leader. By the carriage of a traveling quack doctor named 'Umberto', the party stops briefly outside the regional Capital City of Schuteberk. Known locally as the 'City of Ghosts', Schuteberk seems to live up to this macabre moniker - at least from the outside anyway. It's city walls stand tall and jagged, comprised of a glossy stone as black as pitch. The numerous towers behind the walls are narrow, with pointed spires. What lies behind the walls remains unclear to the passing party members, however a flickering green light seems to be emanating from the city's interiors - the light is similar to that from braziers and pyres, except the fire is a sickly, and venomous colour. The party stop here for as little time as possible - for Schuteberk is the seat of the Renegade House Villeroy; who are the greatest enemies of the Royalists. While they are resting up, and while the charlatan tends to the horses, the great black city gates open to release a contingent of Villeroy soldiers armed with curved spears and swords. With them, several lumbering automatons appear, heavily armored and wielding integral arm-blades and cannons. The contingent heads east, and the party wait patiently and nervously until they are well out of the way. Before they leave, they pick up a cloaked hitchhiker whose also bound for Dunfarg, and carry on with their journey north. Along the way, they learn that the man they picked up is hoping to make some gold at the tournament. His name is Vycktor, and he seems to be a rogue of sorts. As the party are also heading to the tournament, he seems keen to stick with them for the time being, and the group consent.
Dunfarg is an old city, with much culture, and ancient buildings. It is home to many aristocratic lords and scholars, and it also hosts the annual Tournamentum - a series of Knightly Games spanning three days. The big event attracts champions from all corners of the realm, promising fame, glory and riches. Over the three days, participants can sign up into Knightly games and bloodsports such as the melee, jousting, archery and more. The site for the tournament is so large, that it has to be placed outside of the city walls, and hundreds of brightly colored tents surround the many arenas and training grounds. When the party arrive at the tourney, they exit the charlatan's carriage and proceed into the camp to find the nearest tournament official. They eventually find one, a bald-headed man by the name of Riquard. He produces a long list and a feather quill, and unenthusiastically signs both Nefarion (Nygel) and Seltyiel (Glorfindel) into the Melee free-for-all. He explains to them that they both need to have squires if they are to participate. Seltyiel asks Hel (Eevee) if she would be his, and and Nefarion asks the newly acquired rogue; Vycktor to be his. Once the paperwork is completed, they are led by the official to the encampment. The camp is a den of activity - there are a great many knights, squires and tournament workers here, the majority of which are practicing and preparing for the games. When they reach the encampment, they are led to their assigned quarters. Two tents. Nefarion enters his own tent with Vycktor and is surprised to see it has not been cleaned since it's last occupant used it. The mattress on the simple bed is stained in sweat and blood and the stench is unbearable. On the table next to the bed sits an apothecary's kit, dirty bandages, empty vials and syringes. An apologetic voice speaks to the pair of them from outside the tent, and when they go to investigate, they see a young, enthusiastic man with a mess of black curly hair and a green doublet. He introduces himself as Os, a talented Squire in need of a master. He explains to them that the tent's previous occupant had been his last. The late Cort Vel Drune had been a distinguished knight and victor of many tourneys throughout Elmunred. He died from wounds sustained in the tournament preliminaries. Os seems despondent, but nevertheless, he seeks to assist Nefarion as his new squire. Nefarion already has Vycktor as his squire, but in sympathy for the boy's loss, he accepts him as a second squire. The bald official; Riquard overhears their conversation and steps in with a smirk on his face.
Riquard: "Don't believe a word he says. He's the worst squire in Val Némor. There's many a dead knight because of this one."
Os: "That's not true at all...well...there was...but that was only one.You can't blame me for that! The tourney is dangerous place."
Riquard: "Yes, Cort Vel Drune. A lance to his flank. Ruptured one of his kidneys they said. Nasty way to go."
Os: "He was one of the greatest...a true and chivalrous knight...he died in my arms, I couldn't stop his pain, nor could the clerics."
Riquard: "Oh aye. And what about that dwarven champion; Konrack Stonereaver?"
Os: "Seriously, Riquard? You know what happened! His helmet fell off and he got hit on the head with a club. But he didn't die! and that wasn't my fault!"
Riquard: "And before him...Sir James the Tall? Does he not count?"
Os: "He fell from his horse in the joust and was trampled on...but again, an accident. And he lived to fight another day."
Riquard: "It's just a shame his legs were pulverized by the horses' stamping hooves..."
Os: "Better his legs then his head!"
In response to this conversation, Nefarion became quite cautious. But he reconsidered himself, how could he blame the young and loyal squire for these terrible accidents? The tournaments are dangerous, and the Knights know the risks very well. A passionate and eager youth, Nefarion could not bare to cast him away. He himself was no stranger to warfare, and for what it was worth, he could take care of himself. (He could at least indulge Os with the honor, even if the boy would not prove useful in any way.)
While all this was happening, Mélanie (Astrid) distanced herself from the group, and began scouting the tourney grounds for clues that might lead to the whereabouts of the cult leader. The vampiress Cynthia (Kandi) was in search for her next meal. She had the advantage of being dressed as a courtesan, and so it didn't take her long to find a willing male to share the privacy of a tent together. A Viper-Guard sworn to House Villeroy accepted her 'invitation', and when the two of them were alone together in his tent. It became quite clear to Cynthia, that she would have to put on a 'convincing show' for it seemed the Viper-Guard enjoyed a visual performance before a physical one. On the bed she undressed slowly, and he stood there stroking his undulating spear (not a euphemism!) Eventually, he got in with her, and she hit him with her vampiric spell...but it failed. She was initially worried, but it unexpectedly he seemed to enjoy the sensation she had given him. Very much so in fact. His arousal heightened and he demanded more. Calmly, she tried again to subdue him until she was successful. She fed, and then she left the tent - taking her payment as she did so.
The party stayed in the camp for the duration of the three-day tourney. Mélanie was still unable to find any trace of the Dark Master that had led them here. The main events of the second day was the jousting and the archery, and on the morning of the third day began the Melee Free-For-All. In addition to Nefarion and Seltyiel, another twenty eight competitors had signed up for the melee - all of them with the hope of winning fame, glory, and of course the ten thousand gold cash prize. With the formalities, paperwork and waivers submitted, the combatants were gathered to this large 'pit' of an arena. Stands had been erected for the audience around the arena and a panel of judges and noblemen overlooked them. Hundreds of people, both spectators and participants had been gathered here on this glorious June morning. Nefarion , Seltyiel and the others readied up and took their positions on the borders of the arena. At midday; the Herald declared the Melee Free-For-All open. "Let the games begin!" he concluded and the crowd roared with excitement and thrill.
Sunday, 18 January 2015
Faction Unlocked
Its origins stem from an ancient order of Holy Knights committed to true democracy and philanthropy separate from the kings and queens of the time; the founder of which being Saint Libertorius. The concept was eventually lost, but it has since been revitalized in the form of the Order of Libertorius, which was founded seventy five years ago. The Order - or the Brotherhood as it is also known - is dedicated to upholding goodness and virtue, and smiting out evil that would threaten the realm. They remain a neutral entity from the Royal family Arcadeus and other political Houses, who collectively govern Elmunred. They have envisaged a world without the Royal Houses, a fresh start. A world where good people can live in peace and freedom, while not being oppressed by the laws and doctrines that are often forced onto them. The current leader of the Brotherhood is Johan Geist - who is the Fourteenth Lord-Commander to rule - and he resides in Ascentium; the Mountain-Fort. Many brilliant minds and warriors have travelled far and wide to be embraced into the Order and it’s ranks consist of a wide medley of individuals, from researchers, priests, soldiers to even simple labourers. All are eligible to join the Brotherhood, even ex-criminals are allowed, provided their crimes are not too severe, and they are willing to atone for them. The Order’s influence and doctrines have of course attracted the attention of the Royal House Arcadeus, who for a while set out on a campaign to pacify the Brotherhood, fortunately the campaign was retracted when the Civil War erupted and it did not succumb to any violence. Their sigil is a right-handed gauntlet held upward with an eye on it’s back, on a black and blue field. Their motto is “We are the Emancipated few. Brothers and Sisters of the Sanctum” They are de facto lords over the territories of Western Ylaskir.
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