Council of Thieves, Part 6: The Twice-Damned Prince - Session 44: Courting the Hellknights

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

Starday, 30 Pharast, 4709 A.R.

After a thorough investigation of Walcourt, Slavé and Alfred decide that razing the Council stronghold is the only prudent action, and proceed to burn the guildhouse to the ground. Outside it is approaching early evening, and as the Returners get their bearings they realize that Walcourt is not the only structure on fire in Westcrown. Across the Adivian River they see several plumes of smoke rising into the darkening sky from the city’s mainland. Alfred flies above the city to get a better look, but the view is mostly obscured by cloud and approaching darkness.

Alfred, Carlos, Boecca, Tavo, and Alizander use magic to travel swiftly to the Shrine of Aroden, the Returners’ safehouse. Slavé, meanwhile, uses his newly-acquired boots of teleportation to teleport to the Hellknight Order of the Scourge barracks in the Rego Cader.

At the Returners’ safehouse the group meets Janiven and Arael. Janiven tells the group that the situation in Westcrown deteriorated considerably in the hours that they were investigating Walcourt, with several gangs of Council thugs attacking citizens in the streets and setting fire to buildings. Despite the mounting chaos, Janiven and Arael believe the attacks may be indicative of the Drovenges’ desperation in the face of the Returners’ ongoing foils – forced to put their final endgame into action prematurely. In addition, rumours suggest that the Queen Abrogail II in Egorian has taken notice of the turmoil in Westcrown, and has ordered General Vourne to travel to Westcrown and establish order, by whatever means necessary. The Returners have the attention of many Wiscrani already; solidifying the citizenry’s support now is of utmost importance. Janiven suggests contacting the Mhartis family, whom the Returners’ have already aided in the past. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that many of the art objects the group retrieved from Walcourt’s treasury belong to the Mhartis family. She indicates that the surviving Mhartis’s are currently residing in a wing of the Ciucci family vira, not far from the ruined estate of Aberian Arvanxi.

Slavé arrives to find the Order of the Scourge headquarters in ruins. He finds a number of dead Hellknights in the ruins, along with several remains of undead attackers. Pontia Runario, leader of the Scourge Hellknights in Westcrown, is found barely alive in the catacombs beneath the old Church of Erastil. Slavé revives Pontia with a draught of healing potion. She describes an attack by a force of undead; the Scourge Hellknights were taken by surprise and cut down. Pontia escaped into the underground lair. She describes the leader of the attack as a skeleton-like undead with a strange fetal creature residing in its empty ribcage, called by name as Irimeian by several of the morhg attackers.

Pontia admits defeat and suggests the Order of the Scourge is finished, for the time being, in Westcrown. She admits that regaining control of the city now will be difficult without assistance from the other powers in the city – the Order of the Rack and the dottari. She suggests speaking to the Paralictor at Taranik House and trying to somehow enlist the aid of the Order of the Rack. Of the dottari she admits to knowing very little, except to suggest speaking to the chief dottari, Iltus Mhartis.

Slavé decides to head to Taranik House immediately, with Pontia by his side. Arriving at the bunker-like Order of the Rack headquarters late in the evening, Pontia convinces the hesitant guards to let them inside, where the two meet with Paralictor Gonville Chard, a hard looking man in imposing armour who looks like he hasn’t removed it in days. Slavé extols the virtues of the Returners as a force for order in Westcrown; amazingly, the Paralictor is inclined to agree, éand bids Slavé come back in the morning with the rest of the Returners.

Tavo, meanwhile, uses the recently-acquired carpet of flying to head towards the shrine to Pharasma established in the Massacre House in the Rego Crua. There he finds Jano, a member of his flock, who describes an attack similar to that experienced by the Order of the Scourge – groups of undead, morhgs, zombies, and so on – who assaulted the shrine and overwhelmed the few clergy in the building. Most of the flock managed to escape, but Tavo does find the body of one in the structure. A quick examination indicates that the cleric was drained of blood upon his death, corroborating Jano’s description of the attackers being led by a blond, red-cloaked vampire.

Tavo returns to the Returners’ safehouse with the terrible news, arriving soon after Slavé. As Slavé and Tavo relate their stories, the Returners decide there is little time to waste in countering the Council’s attacks and discovering if there is a connection between the Council and the undead attacks in the Rego Crua. When Slavé mentions contacting the dottari leader, Janiven relates that Iltus Mhartis was recently found dead, presumably assassinated. She believes his body is currently being held by the Mhartis family. The group decides to head to Taranik House in the morning, followed by a visit to the Mhartis and Ciucci families in an effort to secure the aid of the noble families.

Sunday, 1 Gozran, 4709 A.R.

At Taranik House, the Returners are introduced to Paralictor Gonville Chard. Although ethically opposed to the Returners methods, Chard expresses a grudging respect for the groups’ tenacity and uncanny ability to unearth and oppose the criminal element within Westcrown. Paralictor Chard seems positive to the prospect of an alliance between the Hellknights of the Order of the Rack and the Returners, but first insists on taking the group aside and speaking to them privately, implying that if the Hellknights throw their support behind the Returners, it is only reasonable that they help him with his own problem. Chard says that the Order of the Rack has recently experienced a schism within its ranks, a rift he suspects was engineered by the Council of Thieves.

The recent assassination of the dottari leader Iltus Mhartis has the appearance of being Hellknight work. Chard does not believe this was the case, but is unable to prove it yet. When the accusations rose, Citadel Rivad (the main Rack citadel located outside of Westcrown), shut its gates by order of Lictor Richemar Alamansor, who immediately began an inquisition of those Hellknights sealed within the citadel to ensure that all within remained loyal and trustworthy. Paralictor Chard knows it is only a matter of time before Alamansor orders Hellknights in the field back to Citadel Rivad for their own reckonings. This is what precipitated the recent schism within Taranik House. Cut off from support and supplies from Citadel Rivad, Taranik House quickly succumbed to infighting and bickering, all inspired by one Ara Verennie, a powerful signifier (a Hellknight spellcaster). According to Chard, Signifier Verennie proposed an alliance with the Council of Thieves, believing they would be successful in their powerplay to take over the city. Paralictor Chard saw this proposed alliance as treachery to Citadel Rivad and the Hellknight code, and declared Signifier Verennie a traitor. A brief but violent fight broke out in the grand hall of Taranik House as a result, and while Verennie and a dozen of her loyal followers (including Aritil Sevarn, Taranik’s respected armoury commander) escaped, the event left Chard and his loyalists understaffed and shaken. Chard says that the schism is not common knowledge in the city yet, and it would be best to remain so. He wants to capture the traitorous Signifier Verennie and bring her and her followers to justice before word spreads, and asks the Returners to help him in this task in return for his Order’s support.

The Returners agree to be on the lookout for Signifier Verennie. Paralictor Chard takes the group on a tour of the facility in the meantime, introducing them to a curious goblin woman named Jinkoo in Taranik House’s cellar level. Jinkoo guards the sewer entrance to Taranik House and fancies herself a Hellknight, a novelty most of the Order’s members are willing to tolerate. As the group tours the cellars and prison, Slavé is shocked to see the tiefling Crosael held within one of the cells. Chard explains that she is being held on charges of treason against the city for her presumed role in the destruction of Aberian Arvanxi’s estate and attempt to set free the pit fiend trapped beneath it. Slavé and the other Returners manage to convince Chard that she did not have a role in releasing the archdevil Liebdaga. In a rare act of ignoring proper legal proceedings, Chard agrees to expediate Crosael’s processing and set the tiefling free once her history and details have been recorded. Slavé manages to speak with Crosael for a moment. The tiefling seems relieved to see Slavé, and tells him that she has discovered very little about Chammady’s or Ecarrdian’s whereabouts in the last couple of weeks. She does indicate that she may have information on several of the Council’s old hideouts, and tells Slavé that she will be in touch if she is released from Taranik House.

The group leaves Taranik House at this point, making their way through several blocks towards Ciucci Vira, current residence of the Ciucci and Mhartis families. After speaking with Paralictor Chard, several of the Returners believe it may be worth attempting to resurrect Iltus Mhartis as a way of securing the aid of the dottari and the noble family at the same time. Upon arriving at the vira, the group knocks on the entrance of the north wing (the wing currently housing the Mhartis family). The knock is answered by a Mhartis guard, who suggests the family is too busy grieving for Iltus and desires no visitors. The Returners insist, and are eventually shown inside. They are ushered into an office to the left of the entrance hall. The attitude of the guards inside the entrance hall seems tense, and puts the Returners on guard. Alfred notices an odd hole in the ceiling of the office, and at the same time Slavé hears the telltale sound of a key being inserted into the office door. Before they can be locked in the room, Slavé charges the door, slamming it open and knocking the guard behind it to the floor. The other guards within the entrance hall draw their weapons and shout an alarm down the hallway.

Experience

· Story Award (securing the aid of the Hellknights): 9600 xp

· Total: 9600 xp

· Per PC (4): 2400 xp

· Fame points (returning 75,000 gp worth of treasure from Walcourt): 5 (total Fame Score: 32)

Fame/Popularity

· Fame Check bonus: +32

· Fame Points Spent (to broadcast Hellknight alliance): 5

· Fame Points Remaining: 27

· Popularity Points (securing the aid of the Hellknights): 3

· Total Popularity Points: 3

Current XP Total per PC

· Slavé: 138,169 xp

· Carlos: 135,769 xp

· Alfred: 135,614 xp

· Boecca: 135,594 xp

· Tavo: 131,524 xp

· Alizander: 127,784 xp

The Bastards of Erebus - Session 2: Escape from the Sewers

Dramatis Personae

Alizander - Human (Varisian) sorcerer
Carlos Santiago - Half-orc (Alkenstarian) wizard
Croso Galen - Human fighter
Nagiphax - Cyclops-kin rogue
Orem "The Ser" Galt - Human (Chelish/Kellid) fighter (formerly in the service of Iomedae)
Slavé - Tiefling (appears human) rogue
Tavo - Human cleric of Pharasma
Vaeden Corleone - Human rogue

Sunday, 8 Rova, 4708 A.R.

The party continues through the sewers of Westcrown, following the faded path illuminated by the marks left by Janiven and Arael and moving in a generally southwest direction, according to Alizander’s wayfinder. A few hundred feet down the maze of passageways, the party enters a large junction with a number of tunnels and sewage channels running into it. Several members hear the telltale skittering legs of torbles before eight of the gelatinous, vermin-like creatures come into view. Nagiphax gives a fearsome shout and waves her arms at the torbles, stunning them into quivering uncertainty. Four of them scuttle away, while the other four are joined by more torbles from behind and merge into a rolling swarm of acidic ooze bugs. Meanwhile, three undead skeletons rise from the sewage and attack with rusty scimitars. A battle ensues, the skeletons mindlessly swinging their swords, the torble swarm rolling over everything in its path. Vaeden and Alesandre are overrun by the swarm and tumble into the sewage channel while trying to remove the biting, acidic creatures. Tavo commands one of the skeletons to attack the other undead, and Orem and Corso attack the uncontrolled skeletons. Carlos attempts to slow the swarm with a force missile, while Slavé and Janiven protect Morosino and manage to burn the torbles with a well-placed oil lantern and thrown torch. Alesandre, once out of the sewage, makes a desperate manoeuvre by jumping into the torbles and casting a shocking grasp spell, jolting the swarm and ending its attack.

The party quickly moves on, and Tavo sends the commanded skeleton to draw out any enemies ahead of the group. The party avoids an encounter with a mysterious creature in a side passage, something Vaeden believes might be something called a gibbering mouther from the faint muttering sounds echoing down the passage. Finally, the group arrives at the exit indicated by Janiven’s and Arael’s mark, and manage to escape the sewer. The party moves quickly down the alley, which grows dark as dusk turns to night, and enters an old temple to Aroden that appears to be abandoned. Slavé, however, takes his leave and heads back to the dottari guardpost in the Adventurers’ Quarter, staying to the lit streets in order to avoid the ever-present shadow beasts that stalk the streets of Westcrown.

Back at the dottari guardpost in the Adventurers’ Quarter, Slavé finds his contact in the Order of Scourge, Pontia Runario, and learns from her that Arael, the half-elf cleric of Iomedae, was captured by the dottari earlier that afternoon. The dottari have agreed to transfer Arael to the custody of the Hellknight Order of the Rack, who plan to move Arael in an armoured wagon from Westcrown to Citadel Ravid the following day. Pontia indicates that it is well-known that there are groups of bandits operating in greater numbers within and outside of Westcrown, and that she feels the criminal element within the city is becoming more brazen. Perhaps by infiltrating a group like the one led by Janiven and Arael, Slavé will be able to get closer to and be able to expose the more dangerous and organized criminals operating in the city. She tasks Slavé with continuing his investigation into Janiven’s and Arael’s organization, and then takes her leave.

Meanwhile, within the temple to Aroden (which has clearly been in use for some time, despite its decrepit exterior) is a group of people that Janiven introduces as the Children of Westcrown. At least, she explains, that is one of the names they have been calling themselves. Several of the members are familiar to the party from the Adventurers’ Quarter. The party talks to the Children of Westcrown for a time, most of whom are inexperienced citizens of Westcrown who seek to make changes for the better in the city. Arael’s capture by the dottari is discussed, and the party agrees to assist in rescuing him from the dottari. Meanwhile, the party becomes quite involved in the discussion of bringing about change in Westcrown and doing something about the tyranny of the House of Thrune and the local government. A new name is chosen for the group – The Returners – and the members agree to identify themselves with a white armband featuring a stylized ‘R’ in red.

Experience Awards

• Torbles (4): 200 xp
• Torble swarm: 600 xp
• Skeletons (3): 420 xp
• Story Awards (escaping the sewers): 1500 xp
• Total: 2720 xp
• Per PC: 340 xp