Session 255 - History Lessons

General Summary

23^th to 25^th of Larane (Second month of Summer) 725TR

The story so far

The heroes have rescued lepers from Molok Island, a heinous disease-breeding facility operated by the Order of the Lord of Chaos.
Now they plan to investigate the ruins of an observatory in the mysterious Tesien Moor. Jolanta's rival, the renegade wizard Richemanus Hyrdeman has shown interest in this building.

This is the continuation of Session 247 - An Eclectic Collection of Books and Session 254 - Rescuing the Lepers.

Location - Castle Selvos in the Kingdom of Kanday.

Part 1 - History Lessons

The heroes, and a dozen lepers, arrive at Port Selvos by ship. The local priests of Peoni, after thanking the heroes for saving the diseased, offer support and escort the sick to one of the Kingdom's leper colonies for care.

Acheron sweet-talks some of the castle's guards and gains an opportunity to interview Earl Grolis Chahryn. Sir Grolis wrote the famous book The History of Ezar's War refers to the Tesien Moor and various bandit groups based there during that conflict.

The elderly war hero has a sharp mind and is a fount of knowledge. He also seems intrigued by Acheron, who hails from the Kingdom of Rethem and discreetly learns much about the current state of this evil realm from him.

Acheron learns that;

During Ezar's War bandits operated out of the Tesien ruins. Many were deserters from both sides of the conflict.
The old ruins in Tesien Moor, especially Workol's Observatory, have supernatural properties.
Occasionally, strange monsters and foreign travelers arrived, presumably from the ruins.
The ghost of the executed astrologer Workol can often be seen haunting the moor.
The Fenland Stalker is an ancient legend of a humanoid predator believed to haunt the moor and responsible for solo travelers' disappearances. The Earl is convinced it is a troll and has seen records of it being killed many times over the centuries. He speculates it is the same creature either healing its injuries or being recreated by the god Ilvir.

Meanwhile, asking around the township, the Avon learns that three men arrived by ship a few days ago. One closely meets the description of Jolanta's nemesis Richemanus Hyrdeman. They purchased travel goods and diamond dust from a jeweler before heading off into the Tesien Moor.

Location - The mysterious site of Tesien in the Kingdom of Kanday.

Part 2 - The Fenland Stalker

The heroes make it to the Tesien ruins without incident. It is located in a dismal swamp and includes a small cottage and dozens of ruined buildings. The most prominent ruin is the three-story observatory and a building out on a small lake with a small boat moored. What they find in the cottage is disturbing, a dead body of an old man, his limbs sliced off. Jolanta identifies this as the result of a dangerous spell, Steelwind Strike. The man has been dead for several days.

Acheron finds the tracks of three men leaving the cottage, but they disappear into the bog towards the observatory ruins. Using Locate Object, Jolanta detects diamond dust in the same direction. The party decides to approach these ruins stealthfully. Avon spots a well-concealed tunnel entrance as they move through a small copse of trees. The party explores, finding it opens into one of the minor ruins scattered throughout the site. This leads to the surface. However, after a careful search, the investigators discover a trapdoor concealed by debris.

Cloaked with Invisibility, Avon sneaks down and enters a chamber made of black Pseudostone. This must be an Earthmaster Site. Concealed nearby is a sinister-looking lurking humanoid figure, a Troll. Luckily it has not detected Avon but is carefully observing the party. The creature's eyes glow, and Blaine, who has the weakest will of the party due to decades of alcohol abuse, feels his mind start to cloud over. The troll attempts to take control. However, Jolanata's loyal bodyguard is made of sterner stuff and resists the charm. Acheron acts fast and tries to reason with the creature. He tells it that the party is of no threat and are travelers who will leave him alone. The Ivashu considers its options and withdraws into a series of dark, damp tunnels.

Part 3 - Workol's Observatory

As the characters approach the ruined observatory, the mud begins to churn and come to life, and elemental-like forces attack. Blaine and Acheron are enveloped in sticky muck and are entrapped. Meanwhile, a plant-like creature seems to leech away the character's magic while swarms of real leeches envelope the heroes. The strange oddities are eventually beaten back. This area has strong magical properties. The party proceeds up a series of steps and enters the intriguing building.

The ceiling of the middle level was designed to rotate. It is a representation of the night sky, with stars made of semi-precious gems and crystal constellations outlined by silver wire. Jolanta is disappointed to find this is the source of the diamond dust she detected. Unfortunately, many of the gems have been looted. Avon scouts upstairs, finding a sizeable broken, cobweb-covered glass dome inhabited by enormous spiders. The group decides discretion is the better part of valor and avoids them.

The party finds a library in reasonable shape, but they explore the level below before investigating. Jolanta finds several secret doors, but before they can be examined, the occupants of these chambers attack. Dangerous-looking fairy creatures with tiny arrows that inflict various charms on their victims. The Aridni also have some sorcerous abilities and cause considerable frustration to the heroes. However, most are killed, and the rest flee.

To be continued.