Session 414 - The Shaman Defiance
General Summary
28th of Agrazhar (Summer) 728TR
The story so far
A group of heroes battle the evils haunting the beleaguered Kingdom of Kanday.
Sir Odin, a former Erkan of the Order of the Checkered Shield, has been raised to knighthood.
Remy, a former master thief and active gambler, has won and lost fortunes.
Abaddon has traveled the wilderness, perfecting his impressive martial skills.
Edelina, a scholarly priestess of the god of Knowledge Save K’Nor, joins them on their adventures.
This is the continuation of Session 413 – Strange Events.
The heroes believe a coven of witches is causing curses, chaos, and despair in the nearby villages and among the neighboring Gozdya barbarians. They decide to follow the trail of a Gozdya hunting party, who are tracking their village shaman, believed to be consulting with the spirits on the peak of Mordaven Hill.
Part 1 – Caustic Wolves
As the heroes race up Mordaven Hill, they hear the howls of wolves. Four Gozdya barbarians, most of whose eyes are glazed over by a white film, are being attacked by a pack of huge wolves, and two tribesmen lie dead with vicious, mucus-covered wounds. The wolves ooze slime from their matted fur, and green froth drops from the razor-sharp jaws. The heroes leap to the blinded barbarians' defence and eventually smite the deranged wolves, which dissolve in a pool of slime once killed.
Edeline uses the holy healing magic of Save K'nor to restore the warrior’s sight, and they agree to allow the heroes to accompany them on the mission to consult with their shaman.
Part 2 – The Emissary
At the peak of Mordaven Hill is a bizarre sight; the heroes spot the badly injured Gozdya Shaman Gista protected by a semi-transparent magical field. Stalking around the defensive barrier is a revolting demonic creature, a well-dressed humanoid with a fly’s head and wings. Edelina recognizes this as a Coloxus, a demon summoned by diabolical entities to act as an emissary. She also believes these fly demons bizarrely have a strange phobia; they are repelled by dirt and grime.
The Coloxus spots the heroes approaching and greets them in a warm but slimy manner. He explained he has not been able to talk sense into the shaman. “The man is irrational”. Abaddon approaches the shaman and uses this familiar (a fungal growth) to discreetly create a telepathic link.
Shaman Gista is not disturbed by this strange telepathic conversation and takes it in his stride. He explains that his village was visited by a trio of priestesses of the goddess Peoni from Duseda Abbey. They aggressively preached peace, love, and good farming practices. When the village vigorously rejected her sanctimonious sermon, the high priestess declared that the good goddess would punish them, and some of their village crops were suddenly blighted. Many of the hot-headed tribesmen wanted retribution and were planning to raid the Duseda Abbey, intent on massacring any peasant or priestess they found.
Shaman Gista advised restraint, not wanting to provoke a war with the tribes' much more powerful and civilized neighbors, at least until he had a chance to consult with the spirits. On the hill, the spirits informed him that a great evil had moved into the land: three sisters of destruction and deception. The priestesses of Peoni at Duseda Abbey were not responsible.
Part 3 - A Little Dirt
As the Fly Demon talks, Odin notices it's all too human body language; it seems tense, looking or waiting for something in the nearby bushes. Odin grabs a sod of dirt and throws it at the fly, but he deftly steps aside to avoid being covered in mud. He does not take the insult well, and the demon attacks.
Its proboscis attaches to Odin’s face, and the brave knight feels his will begin to sap and his mind begins to cloud over. Then, the demon's wings begin to buzz quickly, creating a mind-numbing drone. Remy and Abaddon leap into the melee, assailing the demon, and their strikes hit true; the demon is staggered and concerned. Almost dead, it telepathically orders his allies to attack, but they are to far away, and the demon is destroyed.
As the demon's corpse disintegrates into vile purple dust, the heroes spot movement in the bushes. A little too late for the demon, thorny vines unfurl and attack. The Assassin Vines would normally be a great threat; however, Remy conjures spinning waves of cards that cut deep into the plants, shredding them, and Abaddon skillfully tangles them up when they attempt to wrap their tendrils around him. The malicious plants are quickly destroyed.
To be continued.
NPC Interactions
Gozdya Shaman Gista and some of his tribesmen.
Created Content
Nothing this week.
Player Characters
Odin - Human - L11 Ranger
Background - Martial Disciple.
Archetype - Shadowdancer, Investigator, and Fighter.
Abaddon - Elf - L11 Monk
Background - Martial Disciple.
Archetypes - Druid and Familiar Master.
Remy - Human - L11 Aerokineticist (with Metal second gate)
Background - Acrobat.
Archetypes - Acrobat and Thief.
NPC Companion
Edelina - Human - L11 Holy Sage Sorcerer
Background - Astrologer.
Archetypes - Psychic and Time Mage.
Next Session
Session 414
NPC Companion
Edelina of Sprunstone
Edelina, a scholarly priestess of the Church of Save K'Nor, wanders the world looking for subjects to research. She has studied psionics, religions and astrology. Her current research topic is the monstrous Ivashu in all their strange forms.
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