Session 242 - Ship of death

General Summary

29^th to 30^th Peonu (Second month of Spring) 725TR

The story so far

The heroes have arrived at the wizard's Kingdom of Melderyn and seek a means to block their enemies from tracking them.

This is the continuation of Session 241 - Ancient Secrets.

Location - City of Cherafir in the Kingdom of Melderyn.

Part 1 - White Hand Headquarters

Jolanta leads the party through the Telumar Godstone to the Cherafir Chantry of the Guild of Arcane Lore. She and the party meet with various arcane luminaries.

Ceredig Yerwold, art by Artbreeder

First, she updates the head of the Order of the White Hand, Viran (Grandmaster) Ceredig Yerwold. When learning that Jolanta's friends Acheron and Avon are being tracked by blood magic, he is happy to commit the guild resources to help. Jolanta suggests changing the nature of the character's blood. He has an expert who can do precisely that, Arrilion the Lexigrapher.

Arrilion, art by Attacus

Senior Agent Arrilion is an elven wizard specializing in life magic who has been with the White Hand since its founding over 1,000 years ago. Intrigued at changing the properties of a person's blood, he immediately starts researching a magical means to do this.

However, the party soon learns that they have been invited to dine with the heir to the throne, the Crown Prince of Melderyn, Prince Jevas Toron, and his wife, Princess Eriel Milaka.

Part 2 - The Dinner Party

Prince Jevas, art by Artbreeder

Prince Jevas Toron warmly greets his old friends Acheron and Avon. They first met when the Prince was staying as a guest in the court of the King of Azadmere (the Dwarven kingdom). They were having a pleasant evening until Acheron accidentally lets slip he was from the Kingdom of Rethem. This does not go down well with Princess Eriel Milaka.

Princess Eriel, art by Artbreeder

Princes Eriel hails from Rethem's sworn enemy, the Kingdom Kanday, her brother is the King, and she bears a grudge. A former ruler of Rethem sent a Sisterhood of the Crimson Dancer assassin to kill her aunt, Queen Eriel. She was spectacularly successful.

Fortunately, Prince Jevas, Avon, and Acheron are able to placate her. They also learn that a couple of years ago, her spy network identified a Crimson Dancer knight clandestinely in the kingdom, and she sent an inquisition squad after the villain. This resulted in a blood bath, with the knight escaping unharmed (refer to Session 103 - The Massacre at St. Bergains).

The prince uses this meeting to, unofficially, inform the party that the Council of Eleven believes that dark forces associated with the Church of Morgath plan to place Marshal Kronas Elernin as supreme ruler of the Thardic Republic. This will likely occur during the Senate's next meeting this Winter. They expect the Marshal make good on this threats and launch an attack on the Kingdom of Kanday, possibly in alliance with the Kingdom of Rethem. To maintain peace, the Prince "suggests" the heroes find a way to intervene.

The party also learns that the Church of Morgath plans to corrupt Marshal Koronas with some demonic forces. The prince notes that the heroes have previously been responsible for thwarting several such schemes but must be on their guard for other attempts.

Part 3 - An Unwelcome Visitor

Prince Jevas also ask for the party's assistance. Recently, The Morski, a vessel from the distant Azeryani Empire, docked at the alienage, the city's walled port for foreign ships.

It stayed three days to resupply and was watched closely. Only crew disembarked; however, brown-robed Priests were spotted on board. Priests of the evil god of death, Morgath. When the Morski departed, dead fish and rats were found in the water where the ship was moored.

Strangely, the Morski traveled west and mysteriously abruptly stopped despite tides. No one can be seen on deck. The ship seems to disappear at night but appears entrapped in a menacing haze during the day.

This seems a mission appropriate for Acheron, a member of the Argent Order, who swore to combat the forces of evil and undeath.

Part 4 - Ghost ship

The next day, the party board a small vessel, the White Crab, supplied by the Prince, and travel to the mysterious ghost ship.

En route, twin sea serpents assault the White Crab. These kill one crew member but are destroyed by the heroes who crew the ship's ballistae.

The Morski appears deserted, although Acheron senses that it is surrounded by a field of evil, the Shadow of Bukrai. The party boards and investigates. It is deathly quiet although some characters believe they can hear the sounds of wolves from the hull below.

Inside the upper cabins, they find dead crew members, who twitch and animate and are soon joined by spectral forms that look like wraiths of Morgathic Priests surrounding the heroes. Jolanta unleashes her most destructive disintegration magic. With a burst of white energy, the undead monstrosities are devastated, as is much of the ship and what it contains. The animated corpses of the crew and priests are turned to dust, and the wraith-like forms are weakened and quickly finished off by Acheron's somewhat muted divine smites.

From deep in the hull, a pack of ghostly wolves emerges, terrifying and weakening Moneypenny. They are dispatched using vital magical resources, and heroes have a few moments of rest. Even so, they hear chanting below. Someone is using magic.

To be continued.