Episode 85: The Scorched Scorpions

Previously...

While waiting for their meetings with both House Lehavor and House Revanon promised by Sir Reginald and Dean Sarrey of Riversend, respectively, three of the Wayfinders- Lix, Reylan, and Vasya- decided to take on at least one of the urgent matters that needed Sir Reginald's attention. As such, they ended up searching for a missing scout that was rumored to have ventured in with his company into the dead lands of Darthin. While getting rid of curses and traveling along the path set before them, they encountered very intelligent undead

General Summary

After receiving payment for having taken on the mission, as there was no way to turn down the reward since Penny would have considered it disrespectful, the Wayfinders spent the next couple of days around the city. Nearly a week after their arrival, the group awoke to find that there were more than twenty soldiers awaiting them at their tavern. As Sir Reginald led them out, he explained, "One does not make a plea without conveying the proper gravitas of the situation."
Along the way, the elderly knight formally briefed most of the party as to who the members of the current family were and outlined a very brief history of House Lehavor. Besides repeating that the house founders were tieflings, he assured the party that out of all the houses of the Court, they would be the ones most eager to help with the Wayfinders's plight, especially as it revolved around outsiders.
Upon their arrival, the group found themselves escorted to an audience chamber and met the family a few short minutes later. Though Lord Vheynar and his daughter, Vellana, insisted that their family friend relax, Sir Reginald remained formal and pled the case for the Wayfinders, vouching for their cause. After recounting part of their tale and their reasons for aiding the Unified Realm, the party found themselves trying to relay as much information as they knew, easily convincing Lord Vheynar for aid while the Lady Sindra asserted that time and further discussion was needed.
With a meeting for a liaison secured, Vasya wished to bring up a more discreet question to the nobles. However, Terra noticed that there was an additional presence in the hall... an armed person had a crossbow pointed at them. Alerted to this, Vasya respectfully asked them to call off their hidden guard.

"What hidden guard?"

Realizing too late that it had been an assassin, Vasya and Terra sprung into action as the clanging of metal and the clicking of gears echoed loudly in the hall. Swiftly and with deadly focus, the assassins fell upon the Lehavor family forcing the adventurers to divide their attention between fighting off the assassins and keeping the noble house alive. At one point, Silence had fallen on the group and many of the spellcasters were forced to distance themselves in order to help. However, a quick Heat Metal from Lix broke the assassin mage's concentration.
In the brutal fight that followed, each member of House Lehavor was felled at one point, and both Lord and Lady Lehavor were killed before being revivified by Lix and Reylan, respectively. Eventually, and through sheer force, the defenders killed the mage and destroyed the clockwork assassins though the latter exploding upon death, injuring everyone nearby.
A quick investigation afterward brought back memories to Reylan and she revealed that the assassins were members of the infamous Scorpion Clan of the Southern Sands, a guild that carried out assignments to the death, killing indiscriminately and without mercy. The clan was notorious for using clockwork constructs which housed the corrupted souls of failed initiates.
Eventually, once the cleric of House Lehavor, an older woman by the name of Besihme, used the spell Speak with Dead, everyone learned that the assassins were sent by the Lord of the Scorpion Clan himself, and that there was actually an open contract out on the Houses of Arnaís, Revanon, and Lehavor-- which Reylan inadvertently revealed were acknowledged as the leaders of the state.
Unwilling to leave after that revelation for fear of further attacks, the Wayfinders and Sir Reginald remained on the manor grounds investigating along with the House guards until they were invited to dinner. In a rather awkward moment of dodged questions about their pasts, the Wayfinders revealed what they could about themselves explaining their aloofness as a safety precaution for the family.
In order to lighten the mood, Lord Vheynar recounted tales of when he was a bard in the city of Ohrleyís eventually revealing how he ended up "accidentally doing his duty to his country" by joining the Ember Vanguard that went off to the dead lands of Elasandrie to fight back the waves of Rasa. Intrigued and listening, the party learned that there were Rasa tribes of the lands- whose people he referred to as the Rasads- that were actually a good and decent people trying to live their lives. The tribesmen had rebelled against the queen that sought invasion and often helped the Ember Vanguard on numerous raids in their efforts to free captured peoples from the prisons and labor camps.
At the end of the meal, Lady Sindra revealed that not only had she warned the other houses, she had made her decision: for both saving her family and uncovering a great threat to the Court, she had called for an emergency assembly of all seven houses to take place the day after next in order to see how Vellaria could assist the people of the Unified Realm.
After setting their own security measures as well as taking precautions against illusions, eventually the Wayfinders managed to get some well-earned, uninterrupted rest in the manor. Reconvening at breakfast the next morning, Lord Vheynar hinted that perhaps the Wayfinders wanted compensation in exchange for their actions. However, they all settled for non-monetary rewards such as visitation rights for use of the library (Reylan), x (Vasya), x (Gideon), x (Lix), and x (Plum). As the party's plans to meet House Revanon were known, Sir Reginald once more counseled the group with a brief overview of the noble house before stating that they should travel soon if they were to reach their appointment in time.

Report Date

09 Oct 2021

House Lehavor

Lady Sindra Lehavor

by Mara Jaena

Lord Vheynar Lehavor

Vellana Lehavor

Ascheran Lehavor

Trivia

Both Lady Sindra and Vallana are revealed to be spellcasters and while fending off the assassins, Lady Sindra's appearance while casting changes her eyes wholly to be pure black, for Vallana, her eyes wholly turn a bright blue. On the otherhand, both Lehavor men are swordsmen with Ascheran bravely standing up to

When the Lady Sindra Lehavor is Revivified by Reylan, the vision of a fair woman in white could be seen extending a hand toward the lady with light before she breathes once more. The vision turns to the others with a faint look of acknowledgment before fading away.

In regard to Korbal, Lady Lehavor was neither offended nor anxious about Vasya bringing up such a deity, and while she had nothing more to offer other than the rumors known from the Book of Korbal, she did tell Vasya of a temple in the Dragon's Spine where an order worshipped the fiendish deity.

Session Stats