Session 03 - The Songs of the Great Maynardus Aenimus
General Summary
(The player for Ina Brighthelm's character was absent today for a hunting trip. Thus, Ina was technically present for everything that was not a combat scenario.)
We started off with the player-characters traveling from Roanberg Castle in the Kingdom of Eos to the Kingdom of Othune. Situated in a caravan of horses and a heavy duty wagon, the player group was accompanied by a retinue of Balduvian warriors led by a pair of Chosen Warriors. As well, the sole Arcanum Mage working for the Baroness in Roanberg territory has accompanied the group -- her name is Erinna of Abenton. The actual travel between Roanberg and the "Gates" of Othune are without issue, and it takes less than a week, despite the weather.
For most, the so-called "Gates" of Othune are the only realistic entrance to the realm from the south and east. The lands of Othune are ancient, the topsoil is shallow, and the bedrock is solid and descends for hundreds of feet. There are hundreds of rivers and streams, and many of them are permanently dry -- these "gates" are an example of that. The path of this ancient riverbed is wide enough to comfortably fit two or three wagons abreast and has a length of roughly two miles. Its height from the bottom of the riverbed up the sheer stone banks can be anywhere from eight to eighteen feet high. It is this fact that makes the "Gates" of Othune a serious experience of defense in depth for anyone attacking from the south and east. Invading armies would have a very hard time assailing the approaches to the gates, let along traversing the difficult and craggy clifftops without controlling the walkways constructed by the Othunite military to make entirely the length one large kill-zone. The simplest and quickest way to travel in numbers or burdened with cargo would be to follow the ancient riverbed, and the Othunites have exploited that fact in creating that much-feared defense in depth.
Not long after travelers exit the gates, they come across a colossal statue standing across the highway. A gift constructed for the King of Othune during the rise of the Dwarven Emperor, the status depicts a classical Torchbearer in various layers of stone, armoured in actual full chain harness, raising an everburning torch in the direction of the northwestern wildlands and calling the southeast to arms. Around that statue there has been established a vast grand caravan stop, a semi-permanent town of merchants, travelers, itinerant pilgrims, and a rotating host of Othunite guardians. Most travelers stop here for the night as the capital city of Ellarüne is just far enough to make pushing onward rarely worth it. Sometimes, the trade queue at the capital city of Ellarüne is quite full, and when this is case, the Othunite Guard establish a staging ground here at the statue. This is often a source of ire for many traders and merchants, but it is tolerated due to the sheer opportunity of trading with one of the most productive places in the Free Realms.
Othune's capital city, Ellarüne is actually the second one to bear the name. Old Ellarüne was built during the years that followed the ascension of Urza the Orange and stands nearly pristine to this day. Unfortunately, this and several other cities in the region stand nigh-pristine, but empty of living inhabitants due to the vile curses of the Worm King and his minions during the dark age that predate his ascension. Old Ellarune (Ellarüne duré in high elven) stands half a day's travel to the north of the current capital: its lights still shine, its golden domes still gleam, and its banners still fly. It is a relic of a grander, high elven past, a tragic reminder of what happens to those who would stand against the will and the might of the Worm King. And despite the centuries, despite the great achievements of their half-elven successors, these lessons permeate the air, the waters and especially the grounds of the region. The people of Othune respect the cursed decrees of the far past and largely steer clear of the remnants of what came before.
Unlike many cities in the Free Realms, Ellarüne is completely surrounded by tall and deep fortifications. Rather than allow the surging populations to spill over onto the defensive lands between the walls and the beginning of craggy bocage territory, the leaders of Othune have invested in building their city skyward. Vast apartment blocks built of stone and brick and wood stand nearly as tall as many of the grand Cathedrals of the Divine King in the Lakelands and Free Realms. These block-like buildings are interspersed with decently appointed squares for trade and commerce, as well as several gardens and greenspaces for conducting the rituals of the Old Faith. The city is well-ordered and centered on three main points of interest: the Citadel, the Arsenal, and the Trading Dome. The first being the seat of the King of Othune, Malcador the Brazen Hawk; the second being the site of the great foundries, manufactories, and master artisans who produce world-famous magical equipment; and the third another gift from the Dwarven Emperor, a vast dome able to host a grand bazaar free from the rains, sleet and snows that so-perturbed many a dwarven merchant.
Before the players are able to even enter the city-proper, the guardians at the gate's tollhouse immediately recognize the presence of the King's brother, then a Prince, and now King of Okar -- Rylanor. The group immediately notes the dour expressions on the faces of the city guard, and then they see the reason: a billowing column of black and grey smoke rising from somewhere within the city. Once the players are clear of the tollhouse, a Sergeant of the Guard informs Rylanor that the Sunsworn Abbey, a temple-monastery devoted to Hatha the Veiled Sun, has been attacked. Rylanor puts aside his own reasons for return, and immediately heads to the site.
What the PCs find is a vast sinkhole in the ground that descends dozens of feet without a sign of the great temple to righteous warfare and divine vengeance. It becomes evident that the sinkhole is shrouded by magical darkness, and despite that, the group immediately investigates. Using application of the feather fall spell, the PCs land on the cracked dome of the central structure of the Sunsworn Abbey. Once they descend below the shroud, it becomes evident that the interior of the abbey is not affected by the magical darkness that seems to permeate the exterior of the entire structure.
Inside, they find the signs of a great invasion of twisted creatures and heavily armed and armoured men. It becomes clear that this is an attack of the Order of the Ebon hand against the Sisters of Silence. Primarily half-elven and human, these women are devoted to the grim goddess Hatha, who are known to be those who stand against practitioners of dark magics and servants of vile masters who exist outside Creation. The Order of the Ebon hand seem to have orchestrated a magical sundering of the land beneath their Abbey, and took advantage of the confusion to launch an overwhelming attack against them. Dozens of thrulls and a fair number of Ebon Hand warriors have systematically slaughtered or captured these warrior-nuns.
By the sounds of things, the PCs hear two distinct sounds from each of the abbey's wings. In the east, they hear the din of battle. In the west, they hear what sounds like torture. The PCs choose to investigate the battle sounds in the east first.
En route, they see evidence of a fighting retreat. Boots and sandles of the women-warriors of Hatha fighting a losing battle and stepping backwards down the hallway, and a much-larger number of twisted, clawed feet and an equal number of heavy booted warriors trailing. With them, appears to be someone with a lighter step and a leash full of basal thrulls whose blood is used so-casually to empower whatever dark magic she wields. They come to the site of the battle, and find a handful of Sisters of Silence fighting against half a dozen black knights, twice as many thrulls, and a priestess standing well behind. The Sisters fight silently, those who remain in full battle harness, they fight wounded with shields and spears. Their enemies wear the black plate made from the carcasses of the thrulls they command, they wield spiked shields and massive cleaver-like battleaxes. The players are able to save three of the five remaining battle-nuns, their leader verifying the PCs' theory of what had occurred.
They travel with haste across the abbey to the western wing and find the lifeless, bloody corpse of the High Abbess -- she was seemingly butchered, her skin and musculature removed leaving behind only her bones and offal. Stricken, but incensed, the PCs and the surviving Sisters descend further and find a great barred door. Pushing it open activates a mechanism high above in scaffolding that obscures what is happening. The PCs hear heavy sacks of sand and debris hit the wooden planking above, dozens of them in a ring around the scaffolding that fills this round atrium. Unable to ascend via stairs, they move to the center of the atrium and climb a great statue of one of Hatha's Champions. Once they do, they see that the mechanism loosed a series of dozens of counterweights that were attached by ropes and cords to the necks of dozens of the abbey's inhabitants. They were now lifted by their necks, hanged in a trap to distract any pursuers. The PCs do what they can to cut these people down, but by any measure, far too many die by the rope.
The PCs discover an alternate route downwards and into the sewers, then the catacombs, then the vast underdark; but they resolve to aid the survivors in returning to the surface and the relative safety of daylight. The guardians above are now out in force, the first of their number have started to descend into the ruins of the abbey. They are shaken, many believe that this has created a Black Pit, what scholars refer to as a bridge from below -- a direct and unnatural link between the Underworld and Creation. The inhabitants of the city have been conducting sacrifice and prayer to seek protection from the Pantheon, and it's likely that this heightened sense of vigilance will continue far into the future.
Escorted directly to the Citadel, Rylanor is greeted at the main gate by his stern-faced brother. He is flanked by his Royal Secretary, his Clerk of Numbers, and a guest: a Grand Master of the Arcanum by the name of Garamon of Farhaven. The King of Othune stands silently, only nodding and placing his hand on the shoulder of his brother, the King of Okar, and bids them enter.
Rewards Granted
| 2700 | Rylanor | Brigid | Aodin | Kelvaren | Other Notes |
| Rylanor | XX | 1000 | 900 | 800 | -- |
| Brigid | 800 | XX | 900 | 1000 | -- |
| Aodin | 850 | 850 | XX | 1000 | -- |
| Kelvaren | 1100 | 800 | 800 | XX | -- |
| 2750 | 2650 | 2600 | 2800 |
Character(s) interacted with
Ophelia, Silent Sister of the Order of the Veiled Sun
One of the three remaining battle-sisters of the Order, Ophelia is now the de facto High Abbess after the murder of the previous one. Formerly quiet and reserved, she has now undergone the necessary rituals and oaths to free her of her vow of silence and humility to take on the mantle of leadership. She leads a vastly diminished Sisterhood, with mostly neophytes and young initiates under her guidance. She has agreed to move their number into the Citadel under the temporary care of the King, but her mind has turned to the vast underdark and the need to discover the plots of this Order of the Ebon Hand.
Report Date
14 Oct 2021
Comments