Too much talking without purpose, it seemed difficult to find reasons to talk/engage and it led to some interesting and long encounters that didnt need to be that way
Players heard all about how Vlad led his peseant mob into Astrasan unopposed and was only now met in battle by the full might of the Caliphate as the Sultana tried to scare them into a peaceful surrender. She suceeded and the peasants were surrendering right up until the House Samani disobeyed her orders and attacked, killing hundreds before she could get them to stop, taking the rest and Vlad Pelor captive. Now that was what really happened, however the story that is spreading across Europa is that the Sultana ordered their execution after they had already surrendered and slew them all without mercy, capturing only Vlad as her prisoner. As such, many people in many nations are wanting to go to war against the Astrasan "threat"
The players gave Altin the location of his family and watched helplessly as the Templars who just slew the cultists and Eioua, moved to march on Astrasan to uncover the truth and likely join the fight against the Caliphate. Bernard is being taken in by the Sisters of the Sacred Sun for treatment at their monastery in Natinal in the meantime. If you want an inspiration you must draw a happy little sun.
They moved into the rest of Rommaco, a truly beautiful country, but right as they left the forest a dishevled Viridius appeared from the mist and trees, tempting them back inside to fight, Kaden charged in, the black mark reappearing on his hand as he and the party slew the dragon as it shifted out of its humanoid form, finally turning back into an animal after so long of not touching the Shard of Niogdrassil. Kaden and Squire then chopped him up, gave bits to Raime and others, and sold the rest in Milorance
They arrived at a beautiful city, Milorance , only to find its beauty being marred by the construction of a large wall. This wall is being built by none other than the legendary hero Ajax, a demigod Earth Genasi who wrestled with Beor himself during the Devastation before being slain. Ynbris brought him back to "protect his hometown" as he says and he is doing exactly that, apparently getting permission from the Consular Isla to construct the wall despite the protests of the citizens and other heroes such as Longinus of House of Subarra . Remulus of the same house was curious and asked for Adamah's position on the matter, urging her to run for a position in the senate in the upcoming elections and to start collecting votes now by voicing her opinions on the wall. Adamah expertly dodged the question, announced her canidacy and vowed to speak with her aunt the Consular directly to resolve the issue so that everyone is happy all in one speech, truly the makings of a great politician. It worked so well that the demigod Ajax publically endorsed her.
The players went into the city and saw Natinal ships at the docks, upon closer examination they saw Constantine of the House of Leiruit preaching to the gathered Rommacoan mercenaries there, encouraging them to sign up to join him on the ships and travel to Astrasan for fame, glory, wealth and revenge for the massacre that recently took place. He was being aided by Black Hand agents planted in the crowd that were further riling things up but these agents were told to go home by Raime, and they did. Constantine had his wife Gabriela and Franscia with him on the boat as well as a collection of a dozen cultists of Martius who seemed at peace and rather non-violent despite being surrounded by non-humans.
Khasari was able to speak with the Natinal halfling captain who explained that once he heard the news he came as fast as he could, hoping to test his mettle against the Astrasan fleet as his family suffered greatly during their occupation of his home. He said how the Natinal inquisition was planning on sending a vast fleet of ships on a crusade against the Caliphate and didnt say what McGuckett was doing. He agreed to stall his ships and wait until the main Natinal fleet showed up in a couple weeks instead, thus grounding Constantine as well until he could find some other boat to take him and his mercs to war.
The party then met Massimo De Feo, a suitor seeking Adamah's hand in marriage, his attempts at courtship were foiled time and again by the squire though he continued to annoy her during her stay in the Leiruit house, in this house Kaden found the young cultist boy he had spared during the Red Reunion and the boy tried to get talking to Kaden with no avail, it seems Constantine purchased the prisoner from Garrick as Garrick didnt care.
The party then set off the next day, after enjoying a peaceful and wonderful party thrown by the city to celebrate the return of their son, Ajax, they continued on to the Carpathian mountains and arrived at the mountain pass gates with a storm on their backs. The guards stationed there were all slain and no evidence of their attackers were found, the party decided to press on, hoping to get through the mountains and at the Chateua where the Kaiser and Consular were meeting in an exchange of gifts and land between Saxony and Rommaco (a deal in which Subren of the house of Pride said he would be in attendance as he plans to protect the event from cultists and attempt to marry the Consular and the Kaiser together to merge the nations)
They didnt get very far, not used to the mountains and such exertion in their walking they got a little ways in before the storm hit, thankfully they were able to hunker down... but as the night dragged on ghostly appiritions began to appear, finally fully showing themselves during Kaden's watch. Kaden came out to converse and they greeted him as a "soldier of the Northern Army" asking him how the war was going and if the Northern Army had come to help them in their fight for freedom against the elves. It soon became obvious these were the souls of soldiers of Rommaco who were lying in wait inside mountain tunnels to ambush an elven army but somehow the elves learned of them and collapsed the mountains atop them, sealing them away forever, their spirits haunting this trail.
With the soldiers was a bubbling, black, wispy spirit called an "Allip" who spoke in only gibberish, though Raime could understand him, what it asked is unknown but once it saw Raime it freaked out and started screeching about something, the soldiers pulled back and emerged minutes later with a full army. Thousands of soldiers in military uniforms with rifles and two Allips hovering next to their general now surround the party, waiting to converse as the storm continues to rage around them.
