Council of Thieves, Part 5: Mother of Flies - Session 35: Dusk Market Ambush

Dramatis Personae

Alfaren “Alfred” Eredel – Elf transmuter

Alizander Carmelizzia - Human (Varisian) sorcerer

Boecca – Half-orc inquisitor of Erastil

Carlos Santiago - Half-orc (Alkenstarian) evoker

Lam – Human barbarian (not counted for xp purposes)

Slavé/Jancen – Tiefling (in guise as a human) rogue/assassin

Sunday, 19 Calistril, to Moonday, 18 Pharast, 4709 A.R.

The Returners get back to some semblance of normal life for a time following the defeat of Liebdaga the Twin. Carlos and Alfred get busy working on various crafting and magical research projects. Carlos in particular begins the laborious task of crafting a clay golem, using his recently acquired clay golem manual to good effect.

Slavé continues his work with the Order of the Scourge Hellknights, and suggests to Pontia the possibility of an alliance with the Returners, whose motives thus far have coincided rather nicely with the goals of the Scourge. Pontia agrees, and the two groups set up a meeting, where they discuss mutual interests in Westcrown. Pontia presses her need to ally with a powerful group that can increase the profile of the Order of the Scourge with the Wiscrani, and impress upon the populace the difference between their order and that of the Rack. The Returners, meanwhile, agree with the notion of having an ally in the Hellknights, a powerful organization throughout Cheliax, and see the benefit of the seemingly more moderate Order of the Scourge over the Order of the Rack.

Alizander slowly comes to terms with the horrors he experienced while in his coma, during which time he felt as if he was imprisoned in Hell for well over a year, and forced to commit all manner of terrible things against the tortured souls of fellow Varisians. He finds some solace in caring for his young daughter.

Tavo celebrates his annual church’s holiday, the Day of Bones, on the 5^th of Pharast.

Boecca undertakes a quest to atone for his sins with Joraviah in the Nessian Spiral. With the aid of the vulpinal Jezeletrix, he seeks out a priest of Erastil in the hills north of the Hagwood, a wizened old hermit called Odren Hurst. Hurst welcomes the half-orc and his unlikely companion (disguised as a human woman) into his humble home, and agrees to assist Boecca in his atonement. Hurst anoints the half-orc with various pungent herbs and chants a long, droning atonement prayer. When the ritual has been completed, Hurst explains to Boecca and Jezeletrix that something has disrupted the balance within the Hagwood – that a large force of hill giants, ogres, and men from the city has intruded upon the domain of the Mother of Flies, the ancient hag and last remaining of three sisters, turning the tide within the old woods towards chaos and destruction. As part of his atonement, Hurst asks Boecca to assist in removing the incursion in the Hagwood and restoring the Mother of Flies as its rightful master.

A new arrival to Westcrown, a man from Egorian who calls himself Lam, asks Nagiphax the cyclops-kin about the Returners at the Beer Golem tavern. Nagiphax introduces Lam to Alizander, and the Varisian sorcerer invites the burly Lam to meet the other Returners.

Toilday, 19 Pharast, 4709 A.R.

The party receives a note from Arvanxi’s former majordomo, Crosael Rasdovain, asking them to meet her at the Dusk Market in the Parego Dospera in the late afternoon. The group meets with Crosael, who explains that she believes an old contact, a pesh merchant named Goren One-Ear, has critical information about the Drovenge siblings’ plan for Westcrown. She leads the group towards Goren’s shop in an alley behind the Dusk Market. The Returners are ambushed there by a group of Council thieves led by an assassin and ogrekin barbarian. Luckily, the Returners manage to thwart the attack and defeat the ambushers. They are too late for the pesh merchant Goren One-Ear, however. The Returners find him pinned to the back wall of his shop, his lower jaw removed and on morbid display on the sales-counter.

Treasure

· Reward from the Mhartis Family

o +2 Mithral trident

Experience Awards

· Thieves – 4800 xp

· Kruthe the Hammer (ogrekin) – 3200 xp

· Maglin, Council hushman – 6400 xp

· Total – 14,400 xp

· Per PC (5) – 2,880 xp

Current XP Total per PC

· Carlos, Slavé – 80,235 xp

· Alfred – 77,680 xp

· Boecca – 77,460 xp

· Tavo – 73,590 xp

· Alizander – 72,250 xp

· Total Current Fame Points – 20

The Infernal Syndrome - Session 34: Cleanup

Dramatis Personae

Alfaren “Alfred” Eredel – Elf transmuter

Boecca – Half-orc inquisitor of Erastil

Carlos Santiago - Half-orc (Alkenstarian) evoker

Slavé/Jancen – Tiefling (in guise as a human) rogue/assassin

Tavo Dechirent - Human cleric of Pharasma

Fireday, 17 Calistril, 4709 A.R.

With Liebdaga defeated and the immediate threat of devilish incursion into Westcrown mitigated, the Returners make their way back through the Nessian Spiral. The jets of steam, blasts of fire and incessant howling and hissing prevalent while the infernal duke Liebdaga the Twin – the Spiral’s engine – was alive have ceased, and the place radiates an uncomfortable, cloying silence. Zovarue the medusa rages at the party when they return to her library, as she finds herself still bound to the room, unable to leave as she had thought. She blames the Returners for keeping her imprisoned and attacks, lifting her veil and turning several of the party members to stone before they are able to act against her. With the help of the nearby kolyarut inevitable, Signatory Vaccha (and a promise to release the kolyarut inevitable from the binding effect keeping it in the Spiral), the still-mobile Returners manage to defeat the furious medusa.

Sunday, 19 Calistril, 4709 A.R.

The group takes time to recoup following the battle with Zovarue. Tavo attempts without success to free Signatory Vaccha from the Thrune binding spell, and vows to return with renewed vigour at a later date. Finally, the group exits the Nessian Spiral into the early morning hours of 19 Calistril. The city is dead quiet; the silence especially noticeable in the absence of the massive pillars of hellfire that raged only days before. A cool late-winter mist lingers in the air, seeping into the crevices and cracks in the rubble as if anticipating the coming daylight, clinging to the last vestiges of night.

As the group crosses the ruined courtyard of Aberian’s mansion, a charging shape springs out of the darkness with the speed of a wild animal. It smashes Carlos with a powerful swing of its arm before loping back into the dim mist, physically hurting the half-orc wizard and leeching his life-force. Several party members catch a glimpse of dimly-glowing orange eyes, an almost-naked, lean but tautly-muscled torso, and a feral, blood-soaked and fang-filled mouth. The Returners gather their wits quickly and mobilize against the creature and bring it down, overwhelming the slavering vampire creature with their greater numbers. Tavo makes the killing strike with the Morrowfall, burning the vampire with deadly sunlight and sending it into oblivion.

With the vampire dead, presumably the same one that had dominated the dottari lieutenant the group met at the barricade days ago, the party wastes little time examining the Mhartis gatehouse at the far end of the ruined courtyard. There they discover a small group of nearly-starved Mhartis guards, confused and disoriented as they come out of a reverie induced by the vampire’s mind-control. The guards tell them the story about how the vampire, which called itself Jerusen, terrorized the Mhartis house and killed or drove out most of the guards and servants. They tell the Returners that Jerusen referred to someone called the “Master of Shadows”, perhaps the elusive vampire Ilnerik Sivanshin, former chronicler to the Pathfinder Donatalus Bisby.

The Returners help the Mhartis guards out of the area and get them some help before finally going back to the Adventurers’ Quarter and their respective homes for some much-needed rest. Over the next several days, news of the Returners’ exploits in the Nessian Spiral and their efforts in defeating the hellish incursion into the city spread, and the group’s fame grows with it. Sascar Tilernos hosts the Returners in the Tilernos estate in the noble district, granting them a reward for her rescue and letters of writ permitting them entry into the Parego Regicona.

Still, not all is well in the city of Westcrown. Dottari and Hellknights of the Order of the Rack continue to clash and argue over jurisdiction. Shadows still stalk the night streets, joined now by the occasional errant devil that entered the city during the initial explosion at Aberian’s Folly.

Slavé is distressed to learn upon returning to the Order of the Scourge headquarters in the northern ruins – the Rego Cader – that Aberian Arvanxi escaped custody during a skirmish with a group of rogues too well-armed to be mere thugs. Pontia Runario, the local Scourge paralictor, tells Slavé of a sudden increase in resistance in the northern ruins that arose during the chaos after the explosion at the mayor’s manor. She describes guerilla soldiers armed with well-made weapons – rapiers and concealable hand crossbows – too expensive to belong to the average street-tough.

The Returners are approached by citizens on the street daily – requesting assistance with annoying neighbours, money to help rescue a failing business, healing for a dying mother, help escaping the city of Westcrown. Some Wiscrani exhibit resentment towards the Returners, blaming them for the recent turmoil, wishing for a return to days when the ever-present dottari, Hellknights, and Asmodean priests kept order and routine, even if it was with an iron fist.

Treasure

· From Zovarue

o Wand of make whole (CL 10^th, 16 charges) (worth 2400 gp)

o +1 Mithral dagger (worth 1250 gp)

o Headband of alluring charisma +2 (worth 2000 gp)

o Amulet of natural armour +1 (worth 1000 gp)

· From Jerusen

o Masterwork hand crossbow (worth 200 gp)

o 10 +1 crossbow bolts (poisoned with medium spider venom) (worth 950 gp total)

o Amulet of natural armour +1 (worth 1000 gp)

o Cloak of resistance +1 (worth 500 gp)

o Ring of protection +1 (worth 1000 gp)

· From House Tilernos

o 5000 gp for the return of their daughter, Sascar Tilernos (see session 31)

o Letters of writ permitting entry into the Parego Regicona

Experience Awards

· Jerusen, feral vampire – 6400 xp

· Story Award (defeating Ilnerik Sivanshin’s thrall and putting a stop to his influence in the Aberian Folly ruins) – 4000 xp

· Story Award (saving the Mhartis guards and solving the mystery of the invasion into the Mhartis house) – 6000 xp

· Total – 16,400 xp

· Per PC (5) – 3,280 xp

· Fame Points (for defeating Liebdaga the Twin and ending the threat to the city) - 2

Current XP Total per PC

· Carlos, Slavé – 73,355 xp each

· Alfred – 74,800 xp

· Boecca – 74,580 xp

· Tavo – 73,590 xp

· Alizander – 56,935 xp

· Total Current Fame Points – 20

The Infernal Syndrome - Session 33: Liebdaga the Twin

Dramatis Personae

Alfaren “Alfred” Eredel – Elf transmuter

Boecca – Half-orc inquisitor of Erastil

Carlos Santiago - Half-orc (Alkenstarian) evoker

Slavé/Jancen – Tiefling (in guise as a human) rogue/assassin

Tavo Dechirent - Human cleric of Pharasma

Oathday, 16 Calistril, 4709 A.R.

After regrouping in the Hall of Hellscapes, the Returners move on with a still-comatose Alizander in tow. Soon after they leave the Hall the group is set upon by an unknown assailant – a silent, brawny half-orc wearing little more than a pair of short, loose-fitting breeches. The half-orc attacks without explanation, wielding no weapons but his hands and feet. The half-orc makes a brave show against the Returners, but woefully underestimated the might of the champions of Westcrown, and is summarily dispatched by the group. Boecca calls upon the divine help of Erastil to determine some details of the dead assailant, learning that his name was Zol, and that he worked as a professional assassin. The Returners deduce that he was likely sent by the Council of Thieves, likely the usurper group led by Eccardian and Chammady Drovenge, considering that several of the thieves guarding the ruins upstairs had escaped.

The group returns to the Gallery of Burning Lovers, where the fiery minotaur statue still guards the way beyond. Boecca steps into the room bearing the rune-etched iron ring, the rest of the Returners gathered near him. With the ring in their possession, the Returners are permitted through the door without resistance from the burning guardian. Through the door they find another stairway leading downward, spiraling out of sight. Following it, they pass through another iron doorway into a round chamber featuring a lone guardian standing beside a small ebony table, upon which rests a cracked crystal ball. The figure, a humanoid being of polished metal and complex clockwork gears, rises to its full seven-foot height, layers of dust falling from its green cloak as it stands at attention.

The clockwork being bows, introduces itself as Signatory Vaccha, and requests that the “carrier of the contract” present himself for inspection. Jancen does so, and Signatory Vaccha examines the contract retrieved from the Lord-Mayor. Satisfied, it nods and steps aside, permitting passage through the chamber. The party speaks with the being for a time, learning that in the chamber beyond the party will encounter a final guardian referred to as “the Librarian”, and that they might be able to negotiate safe passage without fighting the Librarian if they can both convince the Librarian that they are agents of the current mayor of Westcrown and display proof that they should be in the Nessian Spiral with knowledge of the dungeon and its workings.

Moving on, the Returners next enter the library, a pleasantly warm chamber lined with bookshelves heavy with tomes, featuring tables laden with alchemical gear, crafting tools, and other laboratory devices. Standing at one of the tables is a feminine figure – presumably the Librarian – wearing salmon-coloured breeches and an intricately embroidered bodice. A mass of snakes writhes atop her head, and as she turns to face the party they note a black veil obscuring her face. The Returners speak with the Librarian for some time – she keeps her face veiled throughout – seeming to convince her that they are in the Nessian Spiral on the Lord-Mayor’s orders (by showing her the contract). Over time they discover that the Librarian, who calls herself Zovarue, has been bound to this room for as long as the Nessian Spiral has existed, acting as advisor and crafter of magical items to the first two mayors in residence. Zovarue seems eager to help the party on their quest against Liebdaga the Twin, believing that her binding will be destroyed with the complete shutdown of the Spiral. She explains that following the shutdown of the five cooling chambers above, there are two more steps necessary to stop the engine for good: the destruction of the physical structure of the infernal cage housing the engine, and finally the destruction or dismissal of the engine itself – the pit fiend Liebdaga the Twin.

Several party members stay and speak with Zovarue for a time. Jancen and Alfred discover (without her knowledge) that the medusa has her own secret designs on the rule of Westcrown, and catch a brief glimpse of her own personal list of laws and statutes. Finally, the party decides to head back to Signatory Vaccha’s chamber and rest for their final showdown with Liebdaga the Twin.

Fireday, 17 Calistril, 4709 A.R.

The party moves on, bolstered by their diplomatic encounters with the denizens of the Nessian Spiral. They encounter a series of locks blocking the entrance to the Infernal Engine chamber, and manage to bypass these by interpreting the password-inscriptions on each door. Finally, the party enters the Infernal Engine chamber.

A fifty-foot-high domed ceiling rises above the massive room, the air of which is blisteringly hot. An immense, fiery pentagram, inlaid in the floor with strange glowing gems and metals, reaches out to touch the walls. Suspended in the centre of the room by seven immense chains is a ten-foot-diameter adamantine cage. Crimson crystal ribs extend up from the walls to the ceiling above where they connect to pillars of what looks like crystallized blood that descend down to surround the centre of the room and the dangling cage therein. A discordant humming fills the air of the room, causing everything to vibrate and shake. Every few seconds, a blast of heat washes over the room as a wreath of fire washes over the cage and then slithers like fiery lightning up along the chains to be absorbed by the blood-red crystal ribs.

Within the adamantine cage is a large flickering form, a deep red pit fiend forced into a fetal position, whose body seems only partially physical – alternating between flesh and fire and smoke with rapid fluctuations. As the party enters the room, the cage shakes and rattles in place. An instant later, the cage lurches into life, sprouting three smaller chains with which it can smash and grab foes. The larger chains lashing it to the walls of the chamber extend and retract, allowing the cage to move as if of its own free will around the room. The battle against the cage and Liebdaga himself is long and treacherous. Boecca is nearly crushed by the massive chains whipping back and forth from the cage. Luckily, with the Talisman of the Twin in their possession, the Returners manage to cause Liebdaga such distress that when the cage is finally destroyed and the devil freed, it takes of the pit fiend’s willpower to act against the party. Finally, inevitably, the one-time duke of Avernus is put to the sword once and for all, and the Infernal Engine shutdown.

Treasure

· From Zol

o Potion of barkskin +4 (2) (worth 300 gp total)

o Belt of physical might +2 (Str/Con) (worth 5000 gp)

o Bracers of armour +1 (worth 500 gp)

o Ring of protection +2 (worth 4000 gp)

Experience Awards

· Zol, Council of Thieves’ assassin – 9600 xp

· Story Award (bypass the burning guardian) – 4800 xp

· Story Award (negotiate passage from Signatory Vaccha) – 19,200 xp

· Story Award (negotiate passage from Zovarue, medusa librarian) – 9600 xp

· Liebdaga’s Cage (Infernal Engine shutdown stage two) – 4800 xp

· Liebdaga the Twin (Infernal Engine shutdown stage three) – 19,200 xp

· Total – 67,200 xp

· Per PC (5) – 13,440 xp

Current XP Total per PC

· Carlos, Slavé – 74,055 xp each

· Alfred – 71,520 xp

· Boecca – 71,300 xp

· Tavo – 70,310 xp

· Alizander – 56,935 xp

· Total Current Fame Points – 18