Session 3: "The First King of Redstone" Report

General Summary

A nightmare woke Emory early in the morning. In the dream, he was a knight who betrayed his liege - and then the headless king stabbed him in the back.
Illianna gathered what allies she could that morning (Rain, Mella, and Emory). They passed through the gardens of hillside, whose residents were suspicious and watchful. One such watchful resident, the sorcerer Velleska, followed them to the barrows mentioned by Johnny Goblin-Fingers. Velleska had been watching cultists come and go from one of the tombs and, being somewhat certain the heroes weren't cultists themselves, led them to the tomb of Khal Ankur. Infernal script was carved over the shattered remnants of the tomb's doors and robed statues with skeletal hands flanked the entrance.
The first chamber was the tomb of a guardian: the nameless knight from Emory's dream and the first bearer of his sword, Vigil. It had been plundered long ago, but signs of recent excavation were against the back wall where a hole in the wall led deeper into the tomb. The ghost of the knight appeared to the heroes, told them of the danger within, and gave them his blessing.
Through the hole was a mess of blood and gore. A cultist had been killed - the cry of a terrible beast rang through the labyrinthine halls unfolding before them. They wandered for some time, marking the intersections of the winding passages. They could hear the beast on their heels and when it seemed like it was closing in they saw light and movement ahead. They threw subtlety to the wind and charged forth into the crowd of cultists.
A gruesome (and fiery) battle with fanatics and the high priest left the heroes exhausted and bloody. Some cultists escaped from the burial chamber through a passage into a natural cavern. While they nursed their wounds, Emory and Mella studied the scrawling rants and diagrams in the high priest's tome. The cult had been using the ward that bound Khal Ankur to hide the spirits of their victims - numbered in the thousands. According to the tome, the bloodshed and mayhem of the murders was reward enough for their demonic master, who gave them the power to alter memories and thwart divination. One notable cultist was not among the dead - the murderer. Described in the text was a 'man with many faces' who called himself Nasir. The high-priest regarded him with fear and loathing. What he knew of Nasir was scrawled in cryptic Abyssal verse,
Come he, from the coils of the mother
to feast on the flesh of my brothers
And come he, from the coils of the mother
to revel in thorn and song
The heroes turned their attention to Khal Ankur's resting place. Within the high priest's tome was a ritual to unbind the spirits of the dead and open the way to the conqueror's sarcophagus and ill-gotten treasure. Mella used her own blood in the spell; painting it over the entrance to Khal Ankur's chamber. A howling storm of spirits burst forth from the unnatural darkness and cold. The adventurers fought with the ancient king's lieutenants while Emory did battle with Khal Ankur himself who loathed the familiar pain of Vigil's magic. On the brink of death, Emory struck down the vile king once and for all.
Piles of gold, arms, armor, art, and jewels glittered in Vigil's luminescence.
Epilogue The natural cavern led into the sewers below the city. The familiar chamber of the cult's victims hummed with the chanting of monks who'd come to identify and commune with the dead. Eira and some of her guards were among them - so were the escaped cultists, their hoods pulled back to reveal the young, vibrant faces of influential nobles.

Rewards Granted

3500gp worth of coins, art, and jewels (700gp per player)
Sentinel Shield, Ring of Protection, Periapt of Wound Closure, Wand of Magic Detection, Staff of Healing, Mithral Armor, Vicious Longbow, Periapt of Proof against Poison, Gloves of Thievery, Potion of Climbing, Dust of Disappearance, Bracers of Defense, Wand of Magic Missiles.
Quest Items
High Priest's Tome - details of demonic rituals, murders, and the murderer. Also contains necromancy/abjuration/divination wizard spells up to 2nd lvl. Written in Abyssal.

Character(s) interacted with

An ancient knight's ghost
Khal Ankur

Campaign

Precipice

Protagonists

Report Date

31 Dec 2019

Primary Location

Redstone