Dramatis Personae
Alfaren “Alfred” Eredel – Elf transmuter
Alizander Carmelizzia - Human (Varisian) sorcerer
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
Wealday, 20 Pharast, 4709 A.R.
Alizander leads the assault from the air, using the wand of quench to douse the bonfire burning near the leader’s camp, before heading quickly to the north towards the next closest fire. The large bearded man, who was conferring with a group of three tall, pale-skinned rag-shrouded folk, is momentarily surprised by the sudden dousing. He soon gains his composure and orders his men into action. The thieves and dark folk in the leader’s camp begin scanning the trees for signs of attack, and the Returners are only too happy to bring it to them. Dog’s Tongue is the first to issue forth, charging from the dark forest into the clearing, screaming obscenities as he slashes at a duo of dark creepers with his heavy scythe. The Returners make their moves in turn – Boecca firing his crossbow from the tree-cover; Slavé making his way to the east side of the leader’s camp under cover of the forest; Alfred and Carlos laying down spell artillery from the air; and Tavo issuing from the forest as if to take on the entire force of Council thieves by himself.
The dark creepers and dark stalkers seek to control the battlefield by shrouding it under a cover of magical darkness that they seem to be able to see through without hindrance. Tavo manages to dispel the blackness using the Morrowfall on several occasions, blinding the light-sensitive dark creepers and stalkers as a beneficial side effect. The bearded, axe-wielding leader attempts to circle around the battlefield, avoiding the magical darkness, Alfred’s choking cloudkill, and Carlos’ deadly wall of acid, in an effort to come up behind the attacking Returners. His efforts are, alas, futile, and the huge man, someone Slavé recognizes as a former member of the dottari, falls under the relentless efforts of the Returners.
In time, the group of dark creepers, dark stalkers, and Council thieves fall to the Returners. Alizander continues to douse bonfires throughout the besiegers’ camp, sowing discord and confusion and he makes his way around the massive trunk of the Maggot Tree. With each bonfire that goes out, strange birds and insect swarms issue form the tree to attack the besieging force. The other Returners deal with another group of Council thieves, ogres, warhounds and a hill giant before the Mother of Flies finally shows herself, issuing from the shrouded canopy of the Maggot Tree in a cloud of swarming wasps, flies, and worse.
With the Mother’s presence, the siege finally breaks, and the remaining thieves, ogres and hill giants flee the battlefield. The Mother of Flies approaches the Returners, dismissing the black clouds of insects as she gets closer. She is a hideous crone indeed. Her face is a grey mass of wrinkles, warts, and scars beneath a mop of coarse, bark-like hair. Her eyes are dark and sagging, but lack any indication of colouration – they’re flat black orbs. She leans heavily on a large gnarled staff and wears filthy rags and dozens of bone and stone fetishes. Perhaps worst of all is the layer of maggots and crawling flies that cover her. With every step, the flies take flight, only to land on her body again when she comes to a rest. The Mother of Flies cackles in unrestrained delight as she observes the Returners.
“My sweeties, yes what a gorgeous delicious bunch of darlings you are. So kind of you to help an old spinster; what would I have done without you, my lovelies? So pretty you are, covered in sweat and blood. Oh dear we shall have to wash you. Oh goodness, my flies seem to like you; don’t mind them.”
The Mother of Flies grandmotherly attitude continues for several minutes; the chaos of the surrounding clearing – Council thieves dying, strange birds and insects devouring their half-living remains, the Maggot Tree seeming to swell with life as the smoke clears – seems to exist in a different place somehow. The Returners are drawn in by the hideous crone’s incongruous nature. As they listen to the Mother of Flies, she begins to relate the story of her dealings with the Drovenge family. She tells the story of Sidonai Drovenge, the son of the patriarch of the family, Vassindio, came to her and her sisters (there were once three – the Mother, the Sister, and the Daughter of Flies) in 4686 AR, seeking an infernal heir. The Flies were only too happy to oblige, and procured a coin from the archdevil Mammon’s own treasury, instructing Sidonai to swallow it before bedding his wife. Little did Sidonai know that by accepting the gift, he was cuckolding himself – the coin in fact held the possessing spirit of Mammon himself, and the heir would not be Sidonai’s but Mammon’s own son, begat upon the world through a mortal coupling. When Sidonai’s son was born a fiendish freak 9 months later, Sidonai’s father Vassindio flew into a terrific rage. He ordered the deaths of all involved – midwives and house staff alike (the mother escaped this fate by dying herself from complications in birthing the infernal heir). While Vassindio tempered his rage when it came to his son (exiling Sidonai rather than executing him), and in the end could not bring it upon himself to destroy his fiendish grandson, whom he named Ecarrdian, the Flies did not escape his wrath.
Of the three hags, only the Mother of Flies was away when Vassindio’s forces stormed the Hagwood with a deadly combination of fire, assassins, and charmed giants and fey. The Mother learned of Vassindio’s rage and, nursing her own grudge against the Drovenges for the deaths of her sister and daughter, relocated deeper into the Hagwood and began the process of creating a new Maggot Tree. To gird herself against further Drovenge vengeance, she sought and found an unlikely ally among the dark fey of the Court of Ether hidden within the upper reaches of the Darklands. Her alliance secured, she set out on the slow process of slowly learning about her foe – Vassindio Drovenge, de facto leader of the Council of Thieves – and the many secrets of his criminal order.
Yet the Mother of Flies may have taken too long in plotting her revenge, for now things have changed in the Council of Thieves. Control has passed to the infernal heir, Ecarrdian, and his sister, Chammady. The Mother seethes with bitter anger towards both Vassindio and Ecarrdian – in many ways, he owes his very existence to her, after all! The Mother sees in the Returners her chance to visit vengeance upon the Drovenges, and relates her knowledge of the Council of Thieves secret guildhalls – one called Walcourt, in particular – and also says she has information that may drive a wedge between Ecarrdian and his strongest supporter – his sister Chammady.
The Mother tells the Returners that while the Council maintains numerous secret guildhalls throughout Westcrown, it is the one known as Walcourt that may house their greatest asset – control of the night. Walcourt is located at the eastern edge of the Rego Laina, in a former guild lodge once dedicated to the followers of the Founder Crucisal. Falling into ruin over the years since the god Aroden’s death, Walcourt was used briefly as an orphanage and then later as a flophouse – both secretly serving as fronts for the activities of the Council of Thieves and overseen by none other than Sidonai Drovenge. Most recently, she’s come to believe that Walcourt has been given over to serve as the lair of one of the Council’s most dangerous leaders – and one of the greatest allies of the Drovenge siblings – a mysterious figure known as the “Lord of Shadows.” According to the Mother’s research, this Lord of Shadows controls the movements and actions of the shadow beasts that plague Westcrown’s nights, and the fact that he’s been allied all this time with the Drovenges explains a lot as to how they and their treacherous allies could move about the city unseen and unmolested at night. An invasion of Walcourt could not only reveal much of the secrecy surrounding the Council of Thieves but also give the Returners the opportunity to lift the curse of shadows from Westcrown’s nights.
About the Drovenge siblings themselves, the Mother says that their greatest strength is their complete devotion to each other – between Chammady’s guile and Ecarrdian’s prowess in combat, the two are a formidable pair. Yet it may be possible to sow the seeds of anger between them.
Unbeknownst to Sidonai Drovenge, when he willingly swallowed the gold coin of Mammon gifted by the Flies, he entered into an infernal pact with the archdevil. The seal for that pact is Ecarrdian himself – the fruit of the pact’s execution. As a resul, Ecarrdian’s very existence is a link to his infernal pater familias, embodying his very traits of lust and greed. The infernal pact created a connection between Ecarrdian and his closest familial tie – not his father Sidonai, but his devoted sister, Chammady, the only family member to show him any love and affection during his painful childhood. Ecarrdian’s very existence is bonded with that of his sister. With each personal success and increase in power by Ecarrdian, Chammady’s soul has become entwined further and further with Mammon’s, such that if Ecarrdian truly comes to rule Westcrown, as seems to be his goal, Chammady’s soul will be eternally forfeit to the Infernal Court of Erebus, a plaything for Mammon’s every whim. Chammady’s loyalty to her brother is great, but the Mother of Flies suspects that not even her filial ties to her tiefling brother could overcome her desire to not succumb to such a fate – a fact that could very likely create an irreparable rift between the siblings.
“And then,” the Mother says, “things should get very interesting. We are, of course, speaking about a pact created in Hell, and as with all things originating in Hell, copies exist in triplicate. The pact between Ecarrdian and Mammon will exist in written form, signed and sealed.”
With that, the Mother of Flies bids the Returners farewell, promising them safe passage out of the Hagwood, but delivering a stern warning that they may not receive such a warm welcome if ever they return.
Treasure
· From the Council thieves and Stiglor
o Potions of cure moderate wounds (4) (worth 600 gp total)
o Coins and jewelry (worth 1600 gp)
o Breastplate +1 (worth 675 gp)
o +1 Cold iron battleaxes (2) (worth 4620 gp total)
o Masterwork composite longbow (+3 Str) (worth 350 gp)
o Cold iron arrows (20) (worth 1 gp total)
o Belt of mighty constitution +2 (worth 2000 gp)
o Key
o Papers and documents outlining Stiglor’s orders
· From Dark Creepers and Dark Stalkers
o Black smear poison (24 doses) (worth 4320 gp total, black market only)
o Masterwork short swords (4) (worth 620 gp total)
· From the Mother of Flies
o Potions of cure serious wounds (12) (worth 4500 gp total)
o Wand of restoration (14 charges) (worth 9940 gp)
o Wand of secret door detection (10 charges) (worth 75 gp)
o Scroll of resurrection (worth 6137 gp, 5 sp)
Experience Awards
· Council thieves (7) – 5,600 xp
· Dark creeper footpads (12) – 14,400 xp
· Dark stalker guildsmen (3) – 14,400 xp
· Stiglor – 6400 xp
· Warhounds (6) – 1200 xp
· Ogres (2) – 1600 xp
· Hill giant – 3200 xp
· Story award (breaking the siege) – 9600 xp
· Total – 56,400 xp
· Per PC (6) – 9,400 xp
· Fame Point (for breaking the siege and sending the Council army packing) - 1
Current XP Total per PC
· Carlos, Slavé – 90,835 xp
· Alfred – 88,280 xp
· Boecca – 88,260 xp
· Tavo – 84,190 xp
· Alizander – 82,850 xp
· Total Current Fame Points – 21
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