Session 183 - Heretics

General Summary

27^th to 28^th of Peonu (Second Month of Spring) 724TR

The story so far

The heroes have learned that the mad priest of Ilvir, Xantosa, is hellbent on collecting relics (body parts) of the Crab-Titan Obsidapor. What are his sinister plans? Is he intending to resurrect this ancient monster?

The party has learned the location of two more relics, a shield formed from Obsidapor's scales, held by the lord of Isos Manor and Obsidapor's Eye believed hidden in a barrow of a legendary warrior near Derula Manor.

This is the continuation of Session 181 - The Fallen.

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Location - Isos Manor in the Kingdom of Kanday.

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Part 1 - The Trial

The heroes arrive at Isos Manor to witness a large gathering; most of the local villagers are assembled on the beach before a series of large rocks. These rocks have holes bored through them threaded with sturdy chains and manacles.

Some trial is underway. Questioning the crowd, the visitors learn that four villages are accused of heresy and worshiping the evil god of fire and war, Agrik. This is a grievous crime in Kanday, and the guilty are usually enthusiastically executed.

The lord of Isos Manor, Sir Guyon Grasby, is holding court, and Serolan Sagarus, the high priest of the nearby Melot Abbey, is vigorously pressing for all the defendants to be executed or handed over to the church for justice. All the accused show signs of self-inflicted injuries on their backs. They are accused of scourging themselves to appease Agrik, the evil god of war. It is alleged that they believe that their pain and injuries will satisfy Agrik's blood lust and prevent plagues. Both the churches of Larani and Peoni consider this heretical.

The heroes, as independent agents, speak with Sir Guyon and offer to help. The knight is under considerable pressure from the priest to stamp out this heresy, although he doesn't want to see any of his peasants needlessly executed unless, of course, they are true worshipers of Agrik. Then they will be punished severely. The party is permitted to interrogate them, and Remy discretely casts a Charm Person on two of the most suspicious-looking prisoners, the stable master and the pig herder.

Sir Guyon Grasby's stable master, Saer Weda, is the most defiant of the quartet. He falls under Remy's charm; even so, he is evasive when questioned. The heroes notice guarded looks of loathing when he glances at the priest. Odin has dealt with his kind before and suspects he is guilty but has no clear evidence apart from the rather enthusiastic self-flagellation.

Wymarc, the pig herder, turns out to be a somewhat foolish sadist. He readily confesses to scourging himself, has just started the practice after encouragement from the stable master. Under the charm, he also reveals that he also whips his pigs for fun, liking to hear them squeal in pain. The party is appalled by this dirty peasant's depraved attitude and is tempted to see him executed on principle, but also believes he is just a weak-willed fool. Remy persuades him that less whipping will make the bacon tastier, so he agrees to be less cruel. The man is genuinely an easily manipulated halfwit.

Emy Bawfort, the wife of one of the local fishermen, soon confesses to having an affair with stable master Saer. He convinced her to scourge, but Abaddon notes the residue of a numbing salve applied to her back. She may not be a true believer.

Orton Armestronge, the hunter, also has flakes of the salve on his back. Again he does not appear to be a true believer but does not explain his conduct.

The party speculate stable master, Saer, is the primary instigator and likely an agrikian cultist. Sir Guyon demands more proof. So heroes investigate further, deciding to visit the manor's stables for hard evidence.

Part 2 - Chaos in the Stables

The stable houses half a dozen horses and a small kennel with Sir Guyon's four large hunting dogs. They receive warning growls from the hounds as they enter, and Remy spots a loose floorboard under one of the troughs. Odin's keen eyes also notice fine tattoos on the dogs, similar to branding he has seen on Copper Hook wardogs. Unfortunately, a stable hand working outside has been surreptitiously listening to the character's conversation. About to be outed as an Agrikak cultist, the stable hand grabs his axe and a hidden incendiary bomb, and prepares to attack.

As Odin unsuccessfully attempts to move the dogs out of the stable, a middle-aged man, with a mass of long hair and a bushy beard, appears at the stable's entrance holding an orange-colored ceramic jug in one hand and an axe in the other. He throws this bomb of sticky flammable liquid and screams out a command to the dogs. They immediately go berserk. The horses panic and bolt, and soon the stable is engulfed in chaos. The dogs agilely run between the horse legs, savagely attacking the heroes. Luckily Abaddon dexterously catches the potentially explosive missile before it sets the stables alight and then engages the axe-wielding man.

The heroes battle the mastiffs while dodging kicks and collisions with the horses. The hounds drag Odin to the ground, and the heroes have to scramble to save him from having his throat ripped out. Remy fights cautiously, avoiding using his magic so as not to injure the horses or set the hay-filled stables alight. Eventually, the dogs are subdued, the stable hand knocked out, and the horses pacified.

The loose floorboard does indeed hide some incriminating evidence. Inside a well-hidden compartment, they find an octagonal jar decorated with Agrikian symbols. Inside is a dark ceremonial powder that smells of brimstone.