Introduction
PCs:
Funeral
Barber
Scribbles
3/5
Messer
Boris
Charlos
Braun
After resting for a day they return to the abandoned temple to make sure that everything has been cleared out, in a final sweep. Funeral has been given a Scroll of Sanctification by the Keepers of the Keys (Temple of Hades) to cleanse the shrine after it is cleared.
There is another metal bar-style door in the south wall of the ritual chamber, it guards a stairwell down, another barred door at the bottom. They decide to go back out the front way and follow the unopposed corridor.
They go back and search a room they skipped last time, and find a large supply of valuable incense cones, six golden worship bowls and a beautiful tapestry. In a locked wardrobe are two smelly wax candles, of a sickly yellow color. Both are about four inches thick and 12 inches tall. They have an engraving or carving of some sort on the bottom, but Three-Fifths keeps that info to himself.
In the next chamber, at the bottom of the stairs, they find a former sleeping chamber, with hacked and chopped wooden paneling on the walls. There are two piles of ash and two more shortswords, no longer aflame.
They are able to disarm a trap and find it guards a prison cell, with two dead humanoid figures spooning. One is a human woman with unusual features, and the other is a large, tall figure with a practically skeletal face. This second creature is not human, as its legs bend “backward”, like a bird, or a horse.
Mystified, Funeral gives a sanctus blessing and anoints the bodies. Boris then beheads the “Outsider”-"-looking creature, suspecting it may be a demon or vampire of some sort. The head and the rest of the body are tossed over the cliff into the ocean, while the woman is buried outside.
While the rest of the party handles the “burial Detail”, Funeral performs the Sanctification ritual from the scroll, cleansing the temple and re-dedicating it to Hades.
One the 26th the party returns to Sojenka, and gives a report to the Keeper. He pays them a 1000 GP reward and thanks them for their service. Unfortunately, they have no knowledge of the “nosferatu” creature found in the cells below the shrine.
27 May 1023 Downtime
~ Scribbles studies the candles at the Academy, using the Library.
DM NOTE: I created the Academies as a ready-made Faction for any player that wished to join. There are definitely benefits to membership, including access to training, using the library freely for research, and a unique list of spells (each Academy has access to about 60-75% of the Blueholme spell lists, not all of them have the same spells, and each academy has its own unique spells from other sources like the 1e PHB, the Book of Elder Magic, and the Black Libram of Nartarus). Unfortunately, the Players do not avail themselves of this resource as often as they could. In addition, there is a Fortune Teller’s Guild, which no one has been utilizing!
~ Funeral shares the logbook and map they found in the shrine. The Keeper is not aware of its meaning, but a member of the clergy is a former sailor. He is able to give some information:
Funeral Downtime
has a convo with the Keepers about the map and the cave
The Senior does not really know what to make of the map, other than it obviously shows a cave of some sort. But he does know that Brother Rigoberd is a former sailing man, and summons him to help with the log book. Brother Rigoberd is able to explain the lodestone headings and how they give directions - you can follow the course of the ship.
He fetches a sea-chart and the course follows the shore from the west toward the mouth of Paradise Bay. He shows them going ashore at The Moaning Caverns, 15 miles along the coast on the edge of the Great Salt Marsh (he points at a spot almost due south of the end of the Serpentine). He says there is a famous pillar of stone there, riddled with caves that are home to many sea birds. When the wind blows, it goes through these caverns and tunnels, making a haunting, moaning sound.
He believes the Dagonites of the area would likely know more about it, as they are fond of sea-bird eggs.
Given that the cave is not down on the shore below the temple, we still have that footpath to investigate. But I get the feeling we want a full complement for that.
The missing Noble woman looks like a high reward for relatively low risk. I think we should chase that rumor.
Boris takes the enchanted swords to the Council of Ancients for study and identification:
Lore from Council of Ancients re: enchanted swords
Karakala: Berzerker demi-god of fire magic.
Grants power and spells in return for human sacrifice.
The ultimate goal of the sorcerer-priests of Karakala is to transform into a fire elemental themselves and become immortal.
A sorcerer-priest of Karakala is believed to have the power to breathe fire, and this flame can ignite a human being, burning them to death! Humans killed in this way are transformed into Burned Men, near-mindless servants without will or reason. They are rumored to carry enchanted blades that burn with unholy fire, powered by the destruction of their own soul.
As Berzerkers yourselves you thought that Karakala was a legend, or a story to scare small children.
XP LOG 25 May
Funeral - 1
Barber - 1
Scribbles - 1
3/5 - 1
Messer - 1
Boris - 1
Charlos - 1
Braun - 1
Liquid Treasure
1000 GP Paid for completing Quest on Chapel
2,500 CP (25 GP)
2,000 SP (200 GP)
Loot
5 x Sm Golden Bowl - 30 GP ea
Lg Golden Bowl - 50 GP
Tapestry - 100 XP
2x Golden Candlesticks - 70 GP ea
2x wax candles - 100 XP ea
Black Ram's Horn Shofar - 200 XP
Pots of Incense Cones (11 pcs) - 5 GP ea
Crate of Incense Cones (1600 pcs) - 5 GP ea
Alexander's Grimoire - 5000 XP
Enchanted Shortswords - 500 XP ea
Total XP = 17,620
2,202 XP each
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