Session 144 - Forever Young

General Summary

2^nd Kelen (Third Month of Spring) 723TR
The story so far

The heroes have had several months of rest; however, all too soon the Rethemi Civil War will again erupt into violence.

But first, an old foe is lurking nearby, and she wants revenge.

The continuation of Session 112 - Conflicts Hidden From View.

Location - Earldom of Ithiko in the Kingdom of Rethem.

Part 1 - The Valkyries

Athena has spent the last three months as Constable of Ithiko ruling harshly but fairly. When time is available, she spends it training with her fellow Sisterhood of the Crimson Dancer warriors. However, she focuses on developing a circle of Sisters loyal to her, the so-called Valkyries. These loyalists will be useful if the current Grandmistress of the Order sees Athena as a threat and decides to eliminate her or in any future bid for power Athena may have.

Meanwhile, Quazzy works on growing her Cult of the Twisted Elf; unfortunately, her mental state continues to deteriorate. She is becoming more unstable.

Part 2 - A Missing Friend

Kalin, art by Paizo

Rojen Rowdarn, the deputy bailiff of Fardeth Manor, visits Athena. He explains that his superior, Kalin, the Bailiff of Fardeth, has recently gone missing under mysterious circumstances. Kalin is also a close friend of Athena and Yureb.

Yesterday Fardeth had visitors, an attractive Priestess of Halea accompanied by five acolytes and a foreign knight. Kalin, who enjoys spending time with beautiful women, entertains them for the evening with a hastily prepared banquet. That morning Kalin and the priestesses were not to be found. Shockingly the manors cook, a middle-aged woman, was found concealed in a cupboard, a shriveled corpse, dead from old age.

The heroes spring into action and investigate Fardeth Manor. Quazzy examines the unnaturally aged corpse then uses Speak with Dead. The residue spirit of the dead woman describes the senior Halean Priestess, called Rosamund, found her early in the morning when preparing food for the day. The Priestess looked years older than the night before. That was the last thing the dead cook remembers as everything went black.

Senior Prestess Danisa by Artbreeder

From the manor servants, they learn that the Senior Priestess Rosamund claimed to be from the Halean temple at the City of Golotha, and they were looking for a woman matching Athena description and a man called Boris. Boris is one of Yureb's aliases.

The Knight, who acted as a guard to the Senior Priestess, was named Sir Geric Kain. Athena has heard that name before but can't quite place it; however, Quazzy, who has an excellent memory, when lucid, does. The heroes met the Kaldorian knight over a year ago when they attended a Halean religious ceremony and embarrassed Senior Priestess Danisa Chatil after she was involved in a murderous plot to steal Potions of Longevity.

Refer Session 070 - Temple Hijinks.

The servant's overhead discussions mentioning the Grasp. This cursed location is located in a particularly dismal part of Ithiko's eastern swamps and is known to be occasionally visited by Morgathic Priests. The Grasp is a series of 10ft tall Basalt pillars shaped like fingers extending from the muck. Common folk from nearby villages say ghouls and worse haunt it. It is best avoided.

Part 3 - Vile Plants

The heroes make their way through the swamp towards the Grasp. It is hard going and messy. Suddenly, some small flowers spray acidic spores on the heroes, and large masses of vines release jets of poisonous thorns. These noxious plants envelop the heroes, and only Yureb's quick thinking saves the entrapped Quazzy. The malicious plants are eventually hacked to pieces, and no far away, the heroes spot the Grasp. Kalin is there, and so are the priestesses and the knight all standing on the raised wooden platform near the large basalt monoliths.

Part 4 - Forever Young

Danisa Young, art by Artbreeder

Yureb views events at the Grasp from a distance in fine detail, using his Green Eye of Turembor. The head priestess looks like a much younger version of Senior Priestess Danisa Chatil, without the dyed black hair to conceal her graying hair. She leans over a dying man and can be seen draining his life force while Kalin, the knight, and the other young priestess passively watch on. The rituals of this ceremony are more Morgathic nature, which involves chaos and death, than Halean, which is based around art, pleasure, and money.

Yureb sneaks up while Quazzy approaches shrouded in darkness. Yureb climbs up the side of one of the Grasp's basalt fingers and magically creates a series of flashing colors entrapping the Knight and three of the priestess in a Hypnotic Pattern. Athena and Lucinda Dimension Door in and attack the now young-looking Senior Priestess Danisa. She proves a very dangerous opponent, much more powerful than when the party first met her. With an evil incarnation, she ages Athena to near death. Although Athena will recover from this curse within a day, she is critically weakened. To compound this, she hits Athena with her whip, causing a nasty bleeding injury, then invokes a spell that causes Athena's and Quazzy's blood to boil.

At the same time, six pale undead emerge from the depths of the swamp. Yureb has to deal with two ghouls while the rest attack the heroes on the sacrificial platform. Kalin appears under a charm and attacks Lucinda. Eventually, the undead on the platform are dispatched, and Athena strikes down one of the acolytes. The heroes attempt to kill the evasive Danisa. Quazzy is disappointed to learn that Danisa can easily see through her magical darkness, which suggests that she may be undead. Eventually, Athena scores some balefire enhanced strikes with her great-sword Retribution severely injuring the Priestess. She magically escapes but comes into view of Yureb, who finishes her off with an expertly placed sneak attack from his bow. The shocked Senior Priestess Danisa suddenly ages back to her "real" age then immediately turns to dust. She is definitely an Amorvin (a free-willed undead).

Part 5 - The Charm is Over

With Danisa disintegrating, the remaining Halean acolytes, Kalin, and the knight come to their senses. They have been under the influence of some powerful compulsion or charm.

Athena immediately moves to the acolyte she had cut down and envelopes the body with the holy flame of Agrik. The Revivify is successful, and the acolyte's heart begins beating again. Athena easily convinces this acolyte that she is better than devoting her efforts to a god that rewards effort, strength, and power. She converts the young woman to the cause of Agrik, creating a new recruit, and ally in her church. As for Sir Geric, the Kaldorian Knight, Athena, as repayment for freeing him from the charm, demands that he do her a favor in the future. Sir Geric agrees, provided it does not break any of his codes of honor.

The heroes learn that Senior Priestess Danisa was assigned to the temple in Golotha directly after her disgraceful conduct in the Temple of Halea in the City of Tashal. She was not popular and has recently met with the Primate of the Church of Morgath, the Gurim. Since then, she used some form of compulsion on some of the temple acolytes and her lover, the Knight Sir Geric. Somehow once she learned of the identity of the band of heroes who destroyed her life back in Kaldor and she has been plotting revenge.

The heroes deduce that she must have sold her soul to Morgath for eternal youth. They are aware that as an Amorvin, Danisa's body will reform in a sanctum sometime very soon. The heroes will not let Danisa get away with this, and they plan to visit her in Golotha and inform the Queen-Mistress of that city's Temple of Halea of Danisa's betrayal.

To be continued.