Session 2: Through Mire and Flame
As chronicled by Dorian Frostquill, Bard of the Wandering Quill
General Summary
When last we left our brave fugitives, they had torn the chains of Wurgar asunder, a flame lit in the depths of tyranny’s blackest heart. And yet, dear reader, escape is not freedom—not yet. The road to liberation winds through shadow and swamp, through treachery and tangled loyalties. So draw close, for I shall recount to you the next chapter in the tale of Adeline, Brazen, Rhazh’Korr, and Silas—a chapter carved in blood, salt, and prophecy.
The Swamp Beckons
Beneath the whispering earth, the rebels reconvened with the enigmatic Husis the Wise, whose words were as heavy as the air they breathed: “We cannot stay here. They will find us—so we must disappear before they do.” The Kril’s map, marked with glowing blue ink, revealed their route: west, through the cursed morass of the Bleeding Mire.
Brazen, son of the Banewood, knew the swamp’s hunger. Adeline, always the pragmatist, suggested they abandon the weak—the women, the children, the sick. But Silas, ever the paladin, stood firm in defiance. Their burden was shared by all. In the end, it was Barry—unsung and draped in Goodberries—who made the impossible march possible.
Their attempt at stealth failed. Blades were drawn. Blood was spilled. And yet, somehow, the caravan pushed through the iron teeth of Wurgar and stumbled into the mire.
The Bleeding Mire
The swamp swallowed them whole.
Gnarled trees clawed at the sky. Vapours hissed from fetid pools. The very air seemed to chew at the flesh. Rhazh’Korr and Silas became unlikely saviours, rescuing both a hapless escapee and their precious food supply from the hungry quicksands.
But the swamp had teeth.
One night, Rhazh’Korr was taken by a Cordycep Mind Taker, its tendrils writhing like madness incarnate. His friends, weary yet unwavering, brought the beast low and freed him from its fungal grasp. The weeks trudged on, their journey marked by rain and rot, until—on the fourth week—a Disciples patrol found them. Steel clashed with fervour, and the swamp drank deeply again.
Red Hollow's Whispering Shadows
By the sixth week, the mire belched forth the village of Red Hollow, perched precariously upon stilts like a drowning man clinging to a dream. The villagers spoke of bloodless corpses, of monsters that came with the mist. Silas felt a chill not borne of weather—a sinister thread pulled at his soul.
In the Crooked Flask Tavern, Adeline attempted to win hearts through drink. She earned bruises instead. And then—chaos. A youth named Kellen, headfirst through the door and into Brazen’s patience, spoke of a monster.
The party charged to the market, where a Mire Lurker had emerged from the depths. Victory was theirs... but Kellen perished in its maw.
Later, in the flickering gloom, Adeline befriended a trader named Zyna, earning swampstrider boots and a venomous dagger. Her silver tongue found further secrets in the tavern’s darkest corner—whispers that led to the Forgotten Pier, where a red-eyed smuggler crew was caught unloading crates of dread purpose.
A short battle ended with discovery: a letter addressed to the Crimson Lady.
Salt and Fire: The Jannah's Wrath
Beyond the mire lay the Salted Wastes, a desert of shimmering crystals and bone-dry air. But rest was denied. From beneath the salted crust, two Jannah —crystalline horrors with spellbound wrath—burst forth. The battle was brutal. The adventurers bled, broken and scorched, teetering on the edge of oblivion...
...until the drums began.
From the horizon thundered salvation—Princess Ker’ubo of Dragsa, astride a royal palanquin borne by desert-born warriors. With her came steel, water, and resolve. The Jannah fled. The survivors were lifted from death’s edge.
Ker’ubo, dark-eyed and commanding, listened to their tale with growing concern. Husis soon joined her, his voice quiet but firm. Together, they unveiled the next steps in the war against Chaos.
The Rising Flame of Rebellion
Allies must be sought: in Dum Ramil, where desert blades watch Wurgar’s flank; in the Banewood, where the Yv’anda and centaurs dwell in wary seclusion; among the pirates of Turtle Island, whose loyalties drift with the tide.
Ker’ubo offered them her skyship. Husis gave them a carved stone to unlock hidden paths. And both placed their faith in this fractured band of rebels—four souls marked by fate and fire.
With the Disciples preparing for conquest, and Queen Anara awaiting proof of allegiance, the time had come. The war has not yet begun, but the pieces are falling into place.
Reputation Earned
The party’s reputation has risen to 9, bolstered by their success in saving the refugees.
"Some tales begin with heroes triumphant and thrones reclaimed. Others begin with hunger, mud, and monsters. But all that matters, dear reader, is that they began at all."
Rhazh'Korr
Adeline Hawthorn
Silas Brattenward
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