Ashe C2 Episode 22 - Castaliogne Manor
Previously On...
After defeating the dreaded Gingerbread Dragon to impress the Eyes of the Basilisk you were rewarded with information. The masked figures told you of your foe known as Ionn Castaliogne and his true name Lord Vedemire Darkhorse. A figure from history over 3000 years old who pledged himself to the Dark One. He now works behind the scenes under his alias to worm his way into House politics and hunt for the seals that trap the dark one in his dread domain.The masked man brought out one of the seals found in Ulirre. The white stone covered in sigils was now broken. Whether the seals are weakening or being actively destroyed by the Dark One's minions is still a mystery. You learned that there are 13 seals on the dark one's prison, where these seals are is a mystery. You also learned that the Lord Vedemire and the other Fallen are working to destroy these seals allowing the Dark One to once again walk Tanaheim.
With your test over the Eyes of the Basilisk gifted you a Hunter's Den that is part of the underground compound that exists beneath Rinvallon Castle. A butler attends to your needs and the wounds suffered in your test were healed. A good night's sleep and some excellent food and drink brought you back to health. Mausim asked for a map of the underground tunnel system that exists under Westinox and began to piece together ways of moving through the city undetected.
From there you traveled through the tunnels into the back room of the Lodestone Inn. You met with Kirana Castaliogne the last remaining heir of that house. She confirmed that indeed her family was deceased and that Lord Vedemire killed her father just a year ago and usurped the family manor. He now owns the manor house and is in the city at this very moment.
Kirana offered to draw a map of the manor and said it would be completed by morning. Then a sending came in from Thurlis Stem who was watching Incenzo's work shop so that the gnome artificer could finish dismantling the arcane focus. The message cut off ominously and you all rushed to the shop to find Incenzo dead and Thurlis seriously wounded. Lord Vedemire had reacquired his prize.
With the stakes now raised you all pored over the map of the manor house and began to plan a daring operation to break into the manor, recover the focus and kill Vedemire. Realizing the enormity of this task you discussed using your connections in the city to help.
Kirana offered to obtain documents proving that Lord Vedemire was indeed not a Castaliogne, freeing you up from consequences by any city law. The Eyes of the Basilisk offered to pay off any guards or staff that work at the manor. You also have friendly relations with the Red Wulves Fighters Guild, the Maldrith Moth thieves guild, and the Daughters of light, an organization of clerics and priest who worship Vellenox.
On top of all this Finnix was contacted by his Goblin friend that his target was spotted in the city of Warshaw. The goblin will arrive there in three days.
Plot points/Scenes
The Silver Lion Den
In the Silver Lion Den underneath Rinvallon Castle you all stand around an antique rectangular wooden table. The Black stone fireplace glows with a rosy fire and the smell of cedar and cherrywood fills the air. The butler places drinks in front of everyone and small cakes that were baked within the last hour. Thurlis Stem lies on a high backed green sofa deeply sleeping, his wounds are dressed but he will be in no shape to fight for the next few weeks.
Outside the snow has stopped and sun shines on the white streets of Westinox. The temperature is still a chill 20 degrees and the city above goes about it's normal routine.
On the table in front of you is the map of Castaligone manor, the map of the underground tunnels of Westinox, and a basic map of the city.
Other plot points
Mausim - Having strange dreams of being in a war several thousand years ago. A former sailor and merchant from Copenhaus who was training to ride griffons with the Aerial Corps. His Griffon went rogue and flew him across the continent, finally bucking Mausim off over the Ashen Forest. He was rescued by Crashe and Wes several weeks ago.
Wes - A Ranger of the Ashen forest raised by Jaron Dartmoor in the small town of Ashe. Lately he has drawn the eyes of several dangerous creatures residing in the ashen forest. Most of which seem to be his association with a winged unicorn who had escaped from the Fae Realm. The Kormirra Sisters and a strange elven man seem to think that Wes has a connection to this realm and the events.
Crashe - An elven warrior who has left his home in the Fletching to follow the way of Ista Imli. His elven parents abandoned him in a forest and he was taken in by a gnome couple. Recently he has been having strange dreams of an ancient elven city and a dark entity. Now a voice in his head has begun rambling and speaking to him with an old accented version of elvish.
Finnix - A Vedalkan bounty hunter from the world of Eberron. He is here to hunt down the warforged known as Cog. He is working with a Goblin man as his contact here in Tanaheim to find out where Cog is. Recently he has been confronted by a rival bounty hunter named Exatron Saul, sent by the same guild to create a sense of competition.
A bat out of the blue
As the team walks the city, have Wes roll some perception checks. He notices a small blue bat zipping through the snowy sky.
Kormirra Thela has sent some Dire Ice bats and their smaller familiars, Ice bats to find Wes. He is invisible to their senses and their bondings due to his medallion. She sends these bats just to deliver a message.
As you head out into the city the snow begins to fall again. First a few oversized flakes of lake effect then a steady fall of light fluffy snow. Visibility drops as you walk the streets and the snow begins to stick to the two feet that was already on the ground. Wes make a perception check, DC 12. You see a small winged creature dart through the snow expertly. Something about it marks it as odd. Roll a Nature check. DC 12. You notice that it is not moving like a bird, but a bat. It's motion is quick up and down movements and it's body is a dark blue color. Nothing about this creature is normal. You know that bats do not venture out into cold snowy weather, this is odd.
As you approach your destination, Wes you feel a sensation of being watched from above. Dark shapes drop quickly from the sky, everyone make a dexterity saving throw[ DC 14]! [DM Note: If anyone fails this they then start the first round grappled and must make a contested strength roll against the Dire Bat's Str.]
Out of the bodies of the ice bats a small figure forms out of blue ice. A beautiful woman with a strange leafy looking head dress and a curvy figure looks around, her eyes finally settling on Wes. "Ah there you are you naughty boy! I have not been able to find you! Are you playing hard to get?"
In the Silver Lion Den underneath Rinvallon Castle you all stand around an antique rectangular wooden table. The Black stone fireplace glows with a rosy fire and the smell of cedar and cherrywood fills the air. The butler places drinks in front of everyone and small cakes that were baked within the last hour. Thurlis Stem lies on a high backed green sofa deeply sleeping, his wounds are dressed but he will be in no shape to fight for the next few weeks.
Outside the snow has stopped and sun shines on the white streets of Westinox. The temperature is still a chill 20 degrees and the city above goes about it's normal routine.
On the table in front of you is the map of Castaligone manor, the map of the underground tunnels of Westinox, and a basic map of the city.
Other plot points
Mausim - Having strange dreams of being in a war several thousand years ago. A former sailor and merchant from Copenhaus who was training to ride griffons with the Aerial Corps. His Griffon went rogue and flew him across the continent, finally bucking Mausim off over the Ashen Forest. He was rescued by Crashe and Wes several weeks ago.
Wes - A Ranger of the Ashen forest raised by Jaron Dartmoor in the small town of Ashe. Lately he has drawn the eyes of several dangerous creatures residing in the ashen forest. Most of which seem to be his association with a winged unicorn who had escaped from the Fae Realm. The Kormirra Sisters and a strange elven man seem to think that Wes has a connection to this realm and the events.
Crashe - An elven warrior who has left his home in the Fletching to follow the way of Ista Imli. His elven parents abandoned him in a forest and he was taken in by a gnome couple. Recently he has been having strange dreams of an ancient elven city and a dark entity. Now a voice in his head has begun rambling and speaking to him with an old accented version of elvish.
Finnix - A Vedalkan bounty hunter from the world of Eberron. He is here to hunt down the warforged known as Cog. He is working with a Goblin man as his contact here in Tanaheim to find out where Cog is. Recently he has been confronted by a rival bounty hunter named Exatron Saul, sent by the same guild to create a sense of competition.
A bat out of the blue
As the team walks the city, have Wes roll some perception checks. He notices a small blue bat zipping through the snowy sky.
Kormirra Thela has sent some Dire Ice bats and their smaller familiars, Ice bats to find Wes. He is invisible to their senses and their bondings due to his medallion. She sends these bats just to deliver a message.
As you head out into the city the snow begins to fall again. First a few oversized flakes of lake effect then a steady fall of light fluffy snow. Visibility drops as you walk the streets and the snow begins to stick to the two feet that was already on the ground. Wes make a perception check, DC 12. You see a small winged creature dart through the snow expertly. Something about it marks it as odd. Roll a Nature check. DC 12. You notice that it is not moving like a bird, but a bat. It's motion is quick up and down movements and it's body is a dark blue color. Nothing about this creature is normal. You know that bats do not venture out into cold snowy weather, this is odd.
As you approach your destination, Wes you feel a sensation of being watched from above. Dark shapes drop quickly from the sky, everyone make a dexterity saving throw[ DC 14]! [DM Note: If anyone fails this they then start the first round grappled and must make a contested strength roll against the Dire Bat's Str.]
Out of the bodies of the ice bats a small figure forms out of blue ice. A beautiful woman with a strange leafy looking head dress and a curvy figure looks around, her eyes finally settling on Wes. "Ah there you are you naughty boy! I have not been able to find you! Are you playing hard to get?"
Structure
Exposition
Mausim Dream 04 -
You walk amongst a battlefield strewn with thousands of bodies. The sky overhead is dark with midday clouds. A light rain falls all around you and you pull your cloak tighter to ward off the chill. Your cloak is ripped and torn and darker in some areas. Is it wet or is that blood? As you walk you feel the clamminess of your undergarments as if you have just sweated for hours.
Roll an intelligence check [DM Note: DC 14, On a success Mausim can realize the battle is one of the great human elven battles of the great war of SF 2 3245 in the Inorh region of the Elves. Clearly a battle of armies number near 7000 soldiers each.]
As you walk the field with your lieutenant behind you, you realize that whoever this commander is, he is assessing his losses on the field. All of a sudden you smell the air ionize, a metallic tint to that hits your nostrils. A light forms in the clouds above, a sickly bright green. A face materializes and forms a grin. Difficult to make out features, but you see something that sends a chill down your spine. A dead human woman in an archers uniform twitches. Her left arm shifts and plants the palm down in the mud. The head lifts in a jerky motion and the eyes glow with a green color that mimics the one in the sky. Then another soldier moves, followed by a dead elven soldier only 30 meters from your position. Another, then another, you draw your sword as the battlefield now comes alive once more. Roll initiative!
Crashe Dream 04 -
As you fall into the trance that refreshes your body and mind you go through the katas of Ista Imli. These phrases and thought images make up the strange religion or meditative state that has guided you along your journey. Halfway through your concentration jostles as something pushes on it. A voice in the back of your head speaks. An elven man says "Yes, I must meet with him. Show him in." A vision forms of an elaborate elven tent interior, A table is set up with maps and scrolls. Do you try to push it away or do you allow it to happen?
[DM Note: Crashe must roll a wisdom saving throw DC 13.]
The voice rages "No! This is war, the people must be defended! The humans have made this war!" Then a melancholy seeps in as he says "It's all over, the dark one will rule if we don't do something." The feelings of rage and sorrow sweep over you quickly giving you a nauseous feeling and disturbing your Ista Imli.
An elven warrior walks into the tent swiftly, The voice in the back of your head recognizes him. "General, it's Commander Calendias, he appears to be seriously wounded, come quick." As you walk out the tent you see the slumped over form of an armored elven man with dirty blonde hair. The center of his white tabard is stained red. He falls over as you approach. The dark sky above is overcast and a light rain falls upon you. As you rush forward to tend to the man a flash of green fills a section of the clouds.
You don't feel a pulse in Calendias. As you think of any orders to give Calendias' eyes open and glow with the same green light, his gloved hand in a swift motion grips your throat and squeezes!
You walk amongst a battlefield strewn with thousands of bodies. The sky overhead is dark with midday clouds. A light rain falls all around you and you pull your cloak tighter to ward off the chill. Your cloak is ripped and torn and darker in some areas. Is it wet or is that blood? As you walk you feel the clamminess of your undergarments as if you have just sweated for hours.
Roll an intelligence check [DM Note: DC 14, On a success Mausim can realize the battle is one of the great human elven battles of the great war of SF 2 3245 in the Inorh region of the Elves. Clearly a battle of armies number near 7000 soldiers each.]
As you walk the field with your lieutenant behind you, you realize that whoever this commander is, he is assessing his losses on the field. All of a sudden you smell the air ionize, a metallic tint to that hits your nostrils. A light forms in the clouds above, a sickly bright green. A face materializes and forms a grin. Difficult to make out features, but you see something that sends a chill down your spine. A dead human woman in an archers uniform twitches. Her left arm shifts and plants the palm down in the mud. The head lifts in a jerky motion and the eyes glow with a green color that mimics the one in the sky. Then another soldier moves, followed by a dead elven soldier only 30 meters from your position. Another, then another, you draw your sword as the battlefield now comes alive once more. Roll initiative!
Crashe Dream 04 -
As you fall into the trance that refreshes your body and mind you go through the katas of Ista Imli. These phrases and thought images make up the strange religion or meditative state that has guided you along your journey. Halfway through your concentration jostles as something pushes on it. A voice in the back of your head speaks. An elven man says "Yes, I must meet with him. Show him in." A vision forms of an elaborate elven tent interior, A table is set up with maps and scrolls. Do you try to push it away or do you allow it to happen?
[DM Note: Crashe must roll a wisdom saving throw DC 13.]
The voice rages "No! This is war, the people must be defended! The humans have made this war!" Then a melancholy seeps in as he says "It's all over, the dark one will rule if we don't do something." The feelings of rage and sorrow sweep over you quickly giving you a nauseous feeling and disturbing your Ista Imli.
An elven warrior walks into the tent swiftly, The voice in the back of your head recognizes him. "General, it's Commander Calendias, he appears to be seriously wounded, come quick." As you walk out the tent you see the slumped over form of an armored elven man with dirty blonde hair. The center of his white tabard is stained red. He falls over as you approach. The dark sky above is overcast and a light rain falls upon you. As you rush forward to tend to the man a flash of green fills a section of the clouds.
You don't feel a pulse in Calendias. As you think of any orders to give Calendias' eyes open and glow with the same green light, his gloved hand in a swift motion grips your throat and squeezes!
Plot type
Main Story
Related Characters
Related Organizations
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