Session 49 - Heads Will Roll

General Summary

23 Erastus (July), 4725 Having fled the cursed city of Tymon aboard the merchant ship Sandfly, the Ruinlords found themselves recovering from recent losses as they sailed down the Sellen River. Captain Joseph Lorune, grateful for Vaz'non and Cal's intervention that saved his life, revealed his intention to sell his prized Iron Golem power armor (once the construct known as Piko) in Salisgrad - a desperate measure to keep his crew paid and his ship afloat after a costly tournament defeat that he had naturally assumed he was going to win. The following morning, the party was tending to their wounds. Alfie's restoration magic healed most of the party's afflictions from their encounters with the Acolyte of Kyuss and the army of wights. However, Tike still bore the scars of damage yet to be healed. As darkness descended and the Sandfly approached a massive stone bridge, what seemed like a routine passage turned into an ambush. Two Ebon Triad cultists emerged from the shadows, raining necrotic bolts upon the party from their vantage point. The situation grew dire with the appearance of a familiar foe - Arnyx, the bearded devil now bearing the burned symbol of the Ebon Triad on his chest, demanding the head of the Ebon Triad High Council member, Voragon Drakon, which the heroes had in their possession. The combat escalated further when a Seer, a disturbing figure with skin writing from worms crawling beneath it, joined the assault with unusual - and devastating - psychic attacks. The party fought back with everything they had in a fierce battle, with Cal's explosive fireballs turning the tide against the cultists (those visible as well as those hidden). Potato demonstrated impressive agility by scaling the riverbank and throttling a third cultist member who had tried to escape, while Declan's Rheumy Refrain weakened their devilish opponent. Though Arnyx managed to wound Alfie grievously before his defeat, the party emerged victorious with Oathgar's deft blade and Tike's crushing fists. Almost thankful that his charge had ended, the devil crumbled to ash upon his demise. The following morning's investigation of the Seer's corpse revealed disturbing connections to the Ebon Triad, leaving the heroes with more questions than answers as they continued their journey toward Salisgrad...

Rewards Granted

XP

Each character earned 5,760 XP for this session.
Current total: 86,460/105,000 XP.

Character(s) interacted with

Captain Joseph Lorune: Revealed plans to sell Piko in Salisgrad for 30- 50k gold to pay the crew and pay off the lease for the Sandfly in Korvosa. He also offered the party a job as ship security, perhaps as his security to complete his checklist of heroic deeds.
Arnyx: The brand of the Ebon Triad on his chest seemed to depower him, hinting that the Triad was punishing him for failed past attempts to kill the Ruinlords. Oathgar gutted him, while Tike broke his neck with a punishing hook that spun the devil's head completely around.
Mystery Crewman: Vaz'non was approached early in the evening by a crewman who said he had someone who wanted to speak with Vaz. Their communication was in draconic. Vaz took that meeting just before the ambush.

Notes

Alfie attempted the Speak with Dead spell twice:

Voragon Drakon's skull was able to resist the compulsion.
The Seer's corpse revealed some interesting clues. The Seer had an Ebon Triad tattoo that was burned over from the inside, turning it into a skull. The spell revealed the names of the other two members of the High Council: Lucius Blackthorn, who was in possession of the Sceptre of Infernal Dominion, and Erisa Shadowveil, who had the Veil of Silent Shadows.

Campaign

Age of Worms

Protagonists