Introduction
On 30 June the party that went to explore the mountains and the disposition of the cult of Berzerkers that went that way, returned from their trip. They brought their captured cultists to the Temple of Ares in Sojenka, and turned them over for questioning by the clergy there.
On 2 July a letter came to Kastav for Brother Luke:
Brother Luke, servant of Ares,
We wish to thank you for bringing these heretics to us.
After thorough questioning it has been determined that they believe they have freed a demigod from its captivity, and this creature will lead them to a great source of power they can use to dominate the lands of Kordun and beyond.
From the description of this creature, we believe it to be a demon, imprisoned a thousand years ago in an oubliette that has been lost to the mists of time. How they discovered it, we do not know. It is of no importance now, as the creature is free.
To our relief the creature has dominated the Berzerker cultists and they are building an unhallowed shrine, allegedly to allow it to access a mythical "Ark of Fear" they believe will empower their priests with the sorcerous knowledge of an ancient necromancer.
We believe this Ark of Fear is naught but a myth and the demon is preparing to sacrifice all of these heretics to return to its own demonic realm.
Our auguries and divination of the will of Ares is quite clear, the demon will destroy itself and its misguided followers. If there was to be any great release of power it would have happened already, during the Grand Conjunction.
The nadir of the conjunction is on the 19th of July, when Luna is new. If you wish to investigate further, this would be the time to do so.
The senior council has decided that no further action is warranted at this time.
Blessings, etc
Senior
Downtime
Ronald (Dreenoi MU 1) will be training until 15 July
Castile is supervising the garrison at Ghost Town (and wil continue to do so, as his Player is unable to attend this session)
Party
2 PCs
Sikandar, Berzerker Fighter 4
Zippen, Halfling Fighter 1
Sgt + 10 Heavy Cav*
2 Sgt + 20 Horse Archers
Sgt + 10 Lt Inf
Sgt + 10 Sapper*
3 Pigeons
20 Donkeys + 10 Carts (loaded with supplies, rations, and construction equipment)
The Adventure Begins
The group left Sojenka early on 4 July, heading for Samichi. It has been raining since 30 June, so the secondary road from Opatiza to Samichi was muddy and slowed travel.
At Samichi they met with their merchant contact Raimi, and made a list of supplies they would need for the following week’s supply run (Raimi travels with supplies for the Ghost Town garrison on Mondays).
The rain slowed down their cross-country travel as well, so they camped about three miles from Ghost Town, on a low hill. Guards and pickets were set out. No encounters overnight.
They reached the ruins of Ghost Town by mid-morning, in continued rain. The wagons were unloaded and surveying of the site for a palisade was begun. The new stone building being built over the shaft down into the dungeon beneath the ruined tower was nearing completion.
One of the primary benefits of the 1:1 Timekeeping practice is that construction projects like this, or other crafting activities, take a predictable amount of time. Due to this, the party made the decision to recruit and equip the full garrison for the dungeon and deliver them to the site in time for the completion of this project.
The party then assigned two groups of men at arms to join them in making a sweep through the previously explored sections of the dungeon. Their goal for this adventure was to completely clear and secure the first level for use as a headquarters.
The players make very good use of the time between sessions. They communicate with each other on a private discord channel where they make plans, exchange ideas, do their shopping and prepare for the upcoming session. This way, when we “sit down at the table”, they are ready to begin and some serious activity can take place.
They returned to the gallows room and retrieved the body of the hanged man. This body was taken to the surface and given a respectful burial in the new graveyard.
The party has found two entrances to what they believe to be the second (or lower) level of the dungeon. These “doorways” are portals filled with purple flames. The flames obscure what is beyond. To secure these entrances they have brought sappers and construction workers to build frames for metal doors that can be locked and barred from the inside. Four men at arms and 5 sappers were stationed just beyond the first flame portal and began their work.
The party moved to the second flame portal and posted up as guards themselves, in order for the second group of sappers to begin their work installing another door here.
Undead in the Dungeon
A door further down this second level hallway, one that the group has not yet explored beyond, opened and a half-dozen skeletons armed with rusty hand weapons staggered out! The battle with the skeletons was brief and harmless to the party members.
They stayed for just over an hour as the door and frame were installed.
While this was happening, a ghoul emerged from yet another unexplored door, this time near the first portal being guarded only by men at arms. Surprised, one of the men at arms was viciously attacked and killed by the ghoul. The screams of the guards terrified the sappers, who fled back through the flame portal and slammed shut the secret door, leaving the men at arms to their fate.
In moments a second infantryman had been attacked. While not killed outright, he did fail his save and fell to the ground paralyzed. The remaining guard who was not surprised attacked the ghoul but did little damage.
The ghoul quickly dispatched a third guard with paralysis and tore the fourth guard apart.
The sappers beyond the door above heard none of this, while another group of guards waited helplessly in the chamber behind them. They sent a runner to inform the party, who returned quickly, after seeing to the installation of the second door.
Sikandar and Zippen passed through the flame portal and descended the stairs to the scene of the attack. All four of the bodies were gone, but a massive blood streak on the floor indicated where they had been dragged. Around the corner they saw an open door, where three ghouls were feasting upon the remains of two dead men at arms. There was a fierce battle, with holy water and strength of arm versus the claws and teeth of the undead. Two more infantrymen were killed in defeating the ghouls. Their bodies were taken to the surface for *Blessing* and burial, while the party did a quick recon of the room. The walls were paneled in cedar, and one of the panels had been pushed aside a secret door! Zippen took a quick glance, saw a low, narrow passage leading into darkness, and decided to end their forward momentum. They retreated back to the hallway. Sikandar spiked this door shut and kept watch as the sappers completed their work. For an hour or so there were no more interruptions.
The Vault
After securing the passage the entire detail returned to the surface and unloaded a considerable stash of coin and loot from previous adventures. (In a move unprecedented in any campaign I have ever run, the party actually returned to the dungeon with loot they had taken, in order to use the dungeon itself as their treasure vault!)
It took a couple of hours to effect this transfer. Afterward they decided to investigate another ruined building in the village, where they had seen some skeletons and an old safe, still locked. They had dropped a barricade over this hole, then later a metal trapdoor.
The trapdoor was opened and the hole was observed. Five skeletons lay on the floor, and two more recent bodies kneeled in front of the safe, slumped over. The smell of sulfur was very strong.
A grapple and some rope were brought, so that the bodies near the safe could be pulled out to ascertain what had killed them. When the first body started getting dragged, it animated and began to struggle against the hook. It pulled the hook from its side and began climbing up the pile of rubble from the basement to the surface.
Hireling crossbowmen filled it with quarrels!
It fell to the ground, dead again. The hook was used on the second leaning corpse, which was also quickly dispatched by the crossbowmen. Both bodies lay on the floor of the basement, emitting clouds of yellow vapor, and the sulfur smell became unbearable.
The group retreated to a “safe” distance and a lit torch was tossed down into the basement.
A mighty explosion sent green flames 30 feet into the air, and the blast made everyone’s ears ring. The explosion had the desired effect, and the noxious gasses were expelled from the basement. The crew descended into the basement and investigated the safe. It was a large, very heavy, stone box with a bronze door and an elaborate lock.
The decision was made to wrap the safe in many coils of rope and get the donkeys over here to drag this thing out of the confines of the basement, which held who knows what additional dangers.
Zippen was able to defeat the lock and the bronze door opened, revealing a jumble of parchments and loose gold coins. The parchments were written in Old Jacinth, which __ could read. They were deeds and descriptions of the parcels of land in the village, signed by a “Lord Neurem”.
One of the deeds had an attachment showing a rough sketch of the village, one circled property, and a brief description of the time and materials needed to create a burial vault for the Morgenstrum family, under their home.
At this point in the session the party had completed their goals of securing the first level of the dungeon and investigating this basement. There was still an hour or so left in session time! The party had carefully planned this expedition in the week since the last session, so they were prepared for moving quickly, overcoming obstacles and reacting to surprises. They achieved this admirably!
Due to the extra time, they decided to return to the second level to the room where they had defeated the three ghouls, and see what lay beyond, through the open secret door.
The Bedroom Scene
Sinadar went first into the low, narrow tunnel beyond the secret door. It, too was lined and roofed in cedar panels. At the end, another cedar panel was open, in a darkened space. Soft blue light was visible to the left and right. Reaching the end of teh passage, Sikandar saw a large cloth wall hanging obscuring the room beyond. The blue light was coming from the edges of this tapestry, as though the room were gently illuminated.
Skandar and two heavy infantry rushed into the room, slashing through the cloth hanging and running straight into the waiting claws of two more ghouls!
Sikandar had been clawed by a ghoul previously today, and passed his save, so he was able to take another attack from this ghoul and not succumb to the paralyzing effect. The infantryman next to him was not so lucky, he was struck and paralyzed. In the following round of combat more heavy infantry rushed into the room, surrounded the two ghouls, and dispatched them without any more casualties.
Looking around the room they found it to be a double bedchamber, with a dining table and many pieces of once-fine furniture that had decayed and rotted. One canopy bed held two skeletons, under a thick layer of dust, lying next to each other in an embrace. One skeleton was smaller than the other, as though of a child.
The dining table was decorated with various clay centerpieces and four tarnished silver candlesticks. Sikandar scooped these up, while Zippen headed for the open jewelry box he spotted on a vanity table.
Sikandar then looked to the other canopy bed, across the room. This bed was empty, though the dust upon it was disturbed, as though something or someone had been lying there and gotten up. Sticking out from under the bed was a pair of booted feet, the boots being those of the lost men at arms.
Sikandar called for guardian backup and moved toward the bed. This bed had definitely had someone laying on it recently, but they were not here any longer. He pulled on one of the boots and revealed the body of a dead infantryman. He looked under the bead and saw the other one. The second corpse was pulled out as well.
Both were dead. Both had a single claw-wound or bite from a ghoul on their body or leg, as well as a pair of large puncture marks on their neck. They looked as though they had been bitten by a large snake.
Zippen had come over to see what had happened to the men, and instantly recognized teh bite-marks as those of a vampire! Everyone in the group sprang to high alert and they quickly organized to exit the room. Zippen had grabbed a silver bracelet and doll from the skeleton of the child on the first bed, and did not stop for anything else. Everyone filed out as quickly and orderly as possible. They went through the antechamber with the dead ghouls, picked up their fallen comrades, and spiked the door shut behind them.
Zippen led the way through the new metal door, then the flaming portal, while Sikandar brought up the rear, securing the metal door behind him.
Passing through the purple flames into the sorcerer’s study, they slid the secret panel back into place and spiked it closed as well.
During the funeral for the fallen men at arms, Zippen looked into the jewelry box. There was a small insert for holding two rings and a necklace. These were empty. Beneath the insert was a space holding a small cloth bag and a golden anklet with three charms.
The bag held a dozen or so small, shiny, smooth, black stones that clung to each other in a mass.
The charms on the anklet were of a windmill, a castle, and an egg-shaped object sitting on a four-legged stand. Zippen knew he’d seen something like that before, but could not place it.
Siakndar recognized it as the Egg of the Earth Dragon, on the isle of Rizeka, near the ruin of Tonisborg castle.
The silver bracelet from the child skeleton was engraved with the word, “Anthea”.
The session ended with the entire group staying at Ghost Town and continuing to supervise the construction projects, now augmented by many more men.
The location of the alleged vampire is unknown and a cause for worry.
Downtime begins 6 July 1023.
Jul 8-16th
Want to put Kurosh onto Gumshoeing:
DM NOTE: The following is an edited discord thread about the questions the PC Kurosh was interested in finding answers to, the mechanics of how to do so, and the results.
State of the Light's End Deeds. He'll go to the Provincial Courthouse & look through the records to confirm any records of Light's End (3 days)
Rumourmongering: What do you know about the Sons of Mithra? (3 days)
Rumourmongering: Are there any bones of contention between the Stabala Elves & The Province? Reasons to be dissatisfied w/ the peace of Stormwing's Justice (3 days)
50 gp/day spent in records. 3 successes.
Swaggering. 2 success. 2 gambling convictions,
Stabala???
Want to put Kurosh onto Gumshoeing:
State of the Light's End Deeds. He'll go to the Provincial Courthouse & look through the records to confirm any records of Light's End (3 days)
This is in Sojenka. Any bribery involved? Roll d20 under INT as for Spying, with a -2 penalty to INT ( the records are pretty old), +1 bonus to INT for every 10 GP spent, up to a max of 19.
Light's End is recorded as an independent fief, granted charter by the Governer at the time. Their records are in their own custody.
Rumourmongering: What do you know about the Sons of Mithra? (3 days)
Use the Swaggering rules. Roll once for each day.
Rumors about SoM are that they are a new Merc company that has taken over the role of the defunct Red Wyverns as the local dirty-job crew. They have a camp near Kastav and have been more than fair to soldiers that have been casualties in the line of duty
Rumor mongering: Are there any bones of contention between the Stabala Elves and the Province? Reasons to be dissatisfied with the peace of Stormwing's Justice (3 days)
The people seem to be content to leave the Elves alone, They mostly stick to their town (Soboli) anyway.
DM NOTE: There is, in fact, a bone of contention between the Humans and Elves, it just isn’t common knowledge “on the street”. Those in military organizations may know of it, and those in mid- to upper-level government surely do. This will become a little more important soon!
**XP LOG 4 July 1023**
Sikandar - 1
Zippen - 1
**LOOT**
4x Silver Candlestick = 40 GP
Golden anklet with charms = 150 GP
Silver Bracelet (engraved with “Anthea”) = 20 GP
Silver Doll = 300 GP
*Liquid Treasure*
1,115 GP
*Combat*
Skeletons x 6 = 30 XP
Zombies x2 = 40 XP
Ghouls x5 = 125 XP
**Total XP = 1,820 XP**
910 XP each Sikandar, Zippen
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