Adventure Summaries Sessions 69 to 79

Session 69
(23/09/04)

Ead/Jonyn
Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos
Yara

Brenna's adventurers help the surviving temple priests tend to the injured and prepare the dead for cremation. Nur Rahayu sends a message to Tikiri's family to alert them to his death, and in compensation they send oil and fragrant wood to the temple for use in the cremation of the dead. Brenna's adventurers travel with Nur Rahayu, her retinue, and Tikiri's corpse to the city near Tikiri's family's estate, where his family ransom back his body and all his belongings save his cloak, which they give to Marcus at his request as part of the ransom. Tikiri's family have already prepared a pyre, and cremate Tikiri's body straightaway so that his soul returns to the Cycle of Arda. The bat-winged kattar woman was living with Tikiri at his town-house, but is no longer there. Unwilling to pursue the matter any further, Brenna's adventurers return to The Faithful Lady, which is nearing the port of Cerrignola. Disembarking at the port, Brenna's adventurers return to Merin and deliver the gilded thigh-bone of Saint Isolda of Rhosdann to Lady Brenna. She sends the relic to the Monastery of Lorinne as a gift, which is not displeased to have denied the Monastery of Amalfi possession of one of the two relics of Saint Isolda. Marcus complains to the Dean of the Faculty of History about Mendy's suggestion that he should have obtained permission to leave during University term, and the Dean reaffirms the pre-existing agreement that Marcus is able to come and go as he wishes. Eadric returns from Vestad, where among other things he has obtained a magic cube that can generate barriers of force. News reaches Teran that the new pontiff of Selentium, Paola III, has preached a new crusade to liberate Ibrahim from the Caliphate of Zhenir, and that Terence Dorion, Count of Legnano and husband of Queen Almida Fultofaude of Kevland, has pledged to go crusading. The royal court is divided when Princess Rowena, the middle child of King Hugh VI of Teran, also pledges to go crusading, as Elmet is still under threat from Goblin warbands from Krarth. Jonyn doesn't wish to go crusading, and is supported in his resolve by his intelligent axe, Sir Harold, which has "woken up" and can now talk. Sir Harold doesn't get along with some of Brenna's adventurers, as it insists on calling Taliriana "the Elf" and Marcus "the Occultist". Early in summer, Lady Brenna sends her adventurers to Emphidor to find the isolated ruined village of Friezford, famous for an altar sacred to Iosirandos, a minor Emphidian god of war and oaths. Brenna's adventurers are accompanied by Yara and by Ganymede, who is returning home to visit his aging parents and make arrangements regarding the family farmstead. They travel together by ship to Mursinos, where Marcus finds Selentine maps from the 10th century AUC that indicate the location of Friezford. After buying horses, they travel north together until Ganymede splits off from the group to go northwest towards Hudristania and they continue northeast towards the heavy forests of eastern Emphidor and Molasaria. Although Marcus keeps a hopeful eye out for werewolves, the local monsters seem to be trying to avoid the attention of the well-armed group almost as much as the local peasants are. Brenna's adventurers enter the heavy forests shortly after the new year begins, and approach the probable location of Friezford. When they camp less than a day's travel away from their destination, a very large elk charges through their camp. The elk is being pursued by a pack of very large wolves and two ghostly werewolf berserkers, who abandon the chase and foolishly attack the adventurers instead. The attackers are quickly destroyed, and the wolf corpses moved a little away from the campsite. Taliriana opens a space in a tree so that they can sleep the night without further interruption, but only Marcus and Yara enter the space: Oulis sleeps up a tree, while Eadric, Jonyn, Talos and Adar sleep in the camp as before. Late Spring 1397 AUC to Summer 1398 AUC

Session 70
(30/09/04)

Ead/Jonyn
Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos
Yara

The next morning, Brenna's adventurers trudge through the drizzle to the ruined village of Friezford. Friezford appears abandoned, except for a well-maintained assembly hall a little away from the main village square, which is dominated by the ruined temple to Iosirandos and a collapsed bridge across the shallow river. The adventurers spot a red-haired elf watching them and doing his best not be noticed in a ruined building, and accost him. The elf-man introduces himself as Theopheles, a local from the nearby "Hidden Dell", and explains that he keeps an eye on the village during the local for the local ghosts, who are friendly (with the exception of some ghostly werewolves, who prey on the ghostly villagers) and don't realise they're dead. With only a little encouragement from Marcus, Theopheles tells the adventurers about the history of Friezford and the temple of Iosirandos. From him, they learn that Friezford was destroyed by werewolf raiders after being devastated by a plague, and that the last priest of Iosirandos, Phalloides, was buried in the graveyard near the temple. Theopheles also explains that the ghosts maintain the assembly hall so well because it was where they died when the raiders attacked, and that the ghosts host regular dances there that are attended by the elves of the Hidden Dell. Brenna's adventurers enter the hall with Theopheles, but leave when they are told to go by four burly ghosts. They go to the ruined temple, and quickly find where part of the floor has collapsed, revealing a badly damaged stone staircase down to chamber below the ground floor which is partially blocked off by fallen rubble. Brenna's adventurers meet an aged ghost who absent-mindedly introduces himself as Hoson and asks for their help tidying up the chamber. They start to carry rubble outside: Theopheles helps at first, but slips away when no-one is looking. Brenna's adventurers clear the rubble away, revealing a corridor with arches at regular intervals in both walls. Each arch leads to a chamber containing the cremated or embalmed remains of a priest and one or more religious artefacts, presumably stored here when not in use during pagan ceremonies, and more than one chamber contains an altar. The corridor and the chambers are decorated with late Selentine friezes, frescos, and mosaics, all depicting pagan myths and figures. The last occupied chamber contains a ghostly bearded man wearing a golden breastplate. Unlike the other ghosts, this man knows that he is dead: the ghost explains that he is the spirit of Phalloides, last of the priests of Iosirandos, who cannot rest until he has carried out the sacred rituals that would free the other ghosts and release them to the Cycle of Arda. When asked why he hasn't done this already, Phalloides explains that he needs the temple register, which is buried with his body in a modest grave in the graveyard and which he cannot touch. He also explains that the elves of the Hidden Dell aren't the same elves who lived there during his lifetime, and trapped him here in an invisible barrier of force that his magic cannot overcome. Fortunately for him, Taliriana's magic does. Talos takes the form of an earth elemental to enter Phalloides' grave and bring back the register, which Taliriana gives to Phalloides by blinking between the physical world and the world of spirits and passing him the register while she's ghostly. Grateful for their help, Phalloides takes them back into the crypts and points out the altar of Iosirandos, which Brenna's adventurers quickly assess while Phalloides frees Hoson's soul, which dissipates with a moan in a column of light. Particularly impressed with Marcus, who he considers a fellow pagan, Phalloides grants Marcus his golden armour, golden shield, and helmet of many gems, all of which were buried with his body. Brenna's adventurers accompany Phalloides to the assembly hall, where Phalloides frees each soul one by one. As they leave, some of the ghosts ask the adventurers to tend to their houses, crops, and in one case, their horses. By the time Phalloides has freed all the other ghosts, night has fallen. Phalloides says his goodbyes, warning the adventurers that the ghosts of the werewolves who killed the villagers will probably come for vengeance on them before they also return to the Cycle, then writes his name and the details of his death into the register, and then dissipates in a column of light. The register also dissipates, leaving the adventurers alone in the darkened hall. They are not alone for long, however, as half a dozen ghostly werewolves, accompanied by the same number of ghostly large wolves, set upon them. The ghosts are defeated, though not without some difficulty, as the ghostly wolves reduce Adar to a quivering heap while Talos first blinds himself with a burst of burning light, then blinds Jonyn with a second burst of light. Afterwards, Talos receives little sympathy and some criticism of his choice of battle magics. Unwilling to sleep in the hall where several dozen villagers were buried in a mass grave, Brenna's adventurers leave the hall to spend the night at a half-ruined farmstead. During the night, they are attacked by a warband of six armed elves led by a sorcerer. Her magics transform Marcus into a stone statue, but don't protect her from Jonyn's axe, which cuts her in half with two blows. Brenna's adventurers leave one warrior alive and kill the other five. When questioned, the warrior tells them they can't stay in the village, which belongs to the elves of the Hidden Dell. However, he willingly agrees that they can stay in the village for four days, and hastens away to take the terms of their bargain to the other elves in the Hidden Dell. Summer 1398 AUC

Session 71
(14/10/04)

Ead/Jonyn
Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos

Brenna's adventurers stay in Friezford for three days. During that time, they check the farms and houses partially maintained by the ghosts, finding plenty of food, drink, and other supplies. They also find a herd of jet-black horses with fangs and clawed hooves, which Jonyn kills in spite of Oulis' objections. Marcus (with Yara's help) notes the details of the temple, makes sketches of friezes and mosaics, and selects which artefacts are of sufficient value to take back to Merin. At Marcus' request, Talos gathers up Phalloides' belongings from his grave. Brenna's adventurers leave and journey back towards Mursinos. Along the way, Marcus and Oulis lay a trap for a particularly vicious werewolf on behalf of a village, luring the monster out and killing it. Ganymede rejoins them at Mursinos, having driven off a werewolf pack that was threatening his parents' village and having agreed with the terms of his parents' will. The group returns to Teran by ship, arriving late in summer. Lady Brenna is very pleased with the condition of the altar of Iosirandos, giving it a prominent place in her museum. Marcus returns to his University teaching, and spends some of his time lecturing in linguistics. Yara begins to tutor students in the Faculty of Rhetoric, particularly in Qemor and Old Emphidian. Oulis decides to start teaching his fighting techniques ("the Way of the Curious Little Brother"), and Marcus helps him find close-lipped students at the University and a disused hall in the chambers beneath the University where he can hold classes in secret. Taliriana goes into seclusion in her cottage at Manderley Hall, working a great magic that takes six weeks to accomplish, then returns to social life with the others. Two weeks later, a letter arrives by courier from Derrin Goslaren. It is in response to the message she sent using magic, asking about the Lost City of Nem. When prompted, Taliriana explains that she used a lot of the genie's incense to try and learn who the Black Robed Man is, and all she got for six weeks of concentration was, "The Master of Shadows sought The Blood Royal to awaken the Dreaming God. Beneath the ice He sleeps still, in the Lost City of Nem." She sent a message to Derrin because he's a geographer, and to her mind most likely to know where a Lost City would be. Derrin's letter identifies the Lost City of Nem as being somewhere in the Mountains of Brack, east of Dirkholme, and contains what Derrin remembers of a part of his Legion's history where a captain named Drajan led an expeditionary force to find the Lost City last in the 9th century AUC. The expedition didn't end well, as nobody returned alive, but Derrin was able to sketch the start of the force's journey east from Dirkholme. The letter also contains a postscript that Sabarinah is pregnant with their first child. From Lady Brenna's investigations two years earlier, the adventurers know that the Master of Shadows was a powerful sorcerer working behind the scenes with Steward Kilnred to conceal the fact that King Dirk had been dead for several years and was actually an animated corpse. While they don't know why the Master of Shadows wanted Tasha's royal blood, Lady Brenna agrees with her adventurers that it important to learn more about the Master, and sends them to Dirkholme to find the Lost City of Nem. Yara elects not to go with them, as it sounds more dangerous than their usual journeys. At Marcus' preference, Brenna's adventurers avoid The Faithful Lady and take passage on another ship. At Dirkholme, they spend some time in the inn's alehouse learning the gossip about the Master of Shadows, the conspiracy to conceal King Dirk's death, and the four brave adventurers who went to the Lost City of Nem (much to Marcus' disappointment) and defeated the forces of darkness assembled there. They also learn that the Master of Shadows is considered by some to be a Prince Fengil, who left the town two centuries ago and entered the Mountains in search of power, never to return. After some discussion, the adventurers go to the Royal Court to review the official Chronicle and, if necessary, to obtain a privilege to kill the prince without committing treason against the crown. Marcus is pleased to read in the official Chronicle that the adventurers who went to the Lost City didn't provide a map, and regains the joy of discovery. Having obtained a royal privilege to kill Prince Fengil should it be needed, Brenna's adventurers begin to follow in the footsteps of Drajan's legionaries, to the elf-forests at the feet of the Mountains of Brack. Following the hidden trail-markers made by the elves, the adventurers make their way into the forest. They find a strange tower that everyone except Talos and Adar enters. The tower shrinks as they climb the stairs to the chamber at the top, which contains a great sword embedded in a stone. Talos overcomes the tower's enchantment, and everyone is normal-sized when the leave the tower. Marcus and Oulis decide to return to the chamber and take the sword, which Marcus pulls free without resistance and stores in his backpack. This time, both Marcus and Oulis are less than half a foot tall when they emerge, until they are restored to their normal sizes by magic. When checked, however, the sword remains the size of a paperknife. Later that day, they pass a murky pond choked with human skeletons, which rise armed with shortswords when they approach. The skeletons cannot withstand Jonyn's faith, and some dive beneath the surface of the pond while others disintegrate into dust. Marcus dredges the pond for artefacts, but Eadric and Jonyn are keen to press on, despite his protestations. Late in the day, they approach a low mound, and are attacked by a revenant wielding an icy halberd and wearing archaic ring mail and helmet. The revenant almost kills Jonyn with three fierce blows, and Talos again shows poor judgement by blinding Marcus and Adar with a beam of burning light that the revenant dodges. After the revenant turns into green mist and dissipates, Talos is called on to justify himself. He is fiercely criticised when he explains that he thought people would do a better job of dodging the beam of light. In the end, Talos promises never again to harm an ally with an ill-placed spell, except for Oulis, who is confident that Talos cannot overcome his ki and thus doesn't object. Taliriana offers Eadric odds of 5 to 1 that Talos will harm another ally with a spell before they leave the Lost City of Nem, and Eadric stakes her 10 pounds. Brenna's adventurers dig up the mound, finding the remains of the revenant they fought buried there. They turn the body over, drive a wooden stake through it, and bury it again. As night has fallen, Taliriana opens a space within a tree, everyone spends the night there. Summer to Late Autumn 1398 AUC

Session 72
(21/10/04)

Ead/Jonyn
Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos

It begins to snow overnight. Brenna's adventurers travel on the next day, and arrive at a small village in mid-afternoon. The village is made up of two rings of houses around a well, one row facing the well, the other facing the forest, and all the villagers appear to be part-elven. The adventurers are met by the village elder, a woman named Gofrin, who welcomes them to the village of Eoforwic and invites them to stay at her hall. Gofrin is quite talkative, and needs little prompting to talk about a wide range of interesing topics in exchange for news about the outside world. Gofrin tells the adventurers about the well of Mimeir, god of wisdom, at the centre of the village; gives her grandfather's eyewitness account of when the Prince, Fengil, visited their village and followed the path of the Bronze Chests into the cave that leads to the frozen Lake Nimmur and the Lost City of Nem; of the time the Bronze Chests camped at the village before their Captain, Drajan, led them all along the path to their deaths; of the statue of the god Balor in the cave, and how the god of dreams shows the way when the moon is in the ascendancy; of the ancient times, when the black ships came from Yggdras in the east, beached in the Field of Maran, and the Elf-Lord Durindar struck Balor down in battle and left him sleeping "until the end of this age" in his frozen tomb; and of Balor's terrible beauty, and how a single look could kill even the strongest. She also tells them about the four adventurers who came to their village two years ago, also looking for a way to the Lost City, and how they chose to fly over the Mountains rather than take the path of the Bronze Chests. The next morning, Gofrin and her two oldest children, Kettig and Eninse, take Brenna's adventurers through the forest to the mouth of the cave, a half-day's walk away. Brenna's adventurers bid them farewell and enter the cave, which is filled with the skeletons of legionaries. They are attacked by a creatures that resembles Golgon, the guardian of Karvala's tower, and find it much easier to defeat than Golgon was a year and a half ago. Brenna's adventurers take the path of the Bronze Chests, a series of long flights of rough-hewn steps up and into the mountain. The only living creature they encounter along the way is an immense white snake, which Talos talks with in the language of snakes and agrees to let them pass in peace if they do so quietly and let it sleep. After a few hours of walking, Brenna's adventurers reach the far end of the path, a large hall that opens onto the ledge high on the mountain overlooking a valley containing a frozen lake. Beneath the dark ice they can see stone buildings; at the far end of the valley, the uppermost parts of a very tall building protrude above the surface of the lake. Brenna's adventurers stop overnight, sleeping in a space Taliriana opens in the rock and ice of the hall. Late Autumn 1398 AUC

Session 73
(04/11/04)

Ead/Jonyn
Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos

The next morning, Taliriana teleports Brenna's adventurers to the far end of the valley, saving a half-day's climb down the mountain and a half-day's trek around the lake's edge. On inspection, the very tall building is a stepped temple of black stone that sits on stepped terraces and once towered high above the frozen city of Nem. The summit of the building is surrounded by a colonnade of thick pillars around the outside of the temple. The building inside the colonnade is actually a maze or corridors, but following the left-hand wall takes Brenna's adventurers into the central chamber. The central chamber is dominated by four freestanding statues, all taller than Jonyn, surrounding a square pool of black and unfrozen water. The chamber is also guarded by six polar bears, who attack the adventurers without hesitation. Three of the bears use magic in the ensuing battle, summoning additional bears to the chamber to attack the adventurers, transforming Oulis into an agile and very angry bear cub, and healing the other bears, and killing Adar. In the end, Brenna's adventurers kill five of the bears and force the sixth to flee using magic. Talos immediately begins the ritual to restore Adar to life in a new wolf's body, leaving Taliriana to heal the others and restore Oulis to his true form. When the ritual is complete, Adar returns as a white wolf, and is noticably more friendly and playful than in his previous two incarnations. Investigation of the four statues and the pool of black water determines that the pool is a magical conduit to somewhere else. As there is no other way into the temple, Brenna's adventurers decide after some discussion to chance the conduit. Stepping into the pool transports them onto a stone platform in another chamber containing a pool of black water. This chamber contains an arch leading to a walkway overlooking a long hall, filled with mist. At the far end of the hall is a distant throne, easily fifty feet high, that gleams bronze-and-gold. Confident that they have found the temple of Balor, the Sleeping God, Brenna's adventurers explore the other chambers off the walkway before crossing the mist-filled hall. The hall contains many bones, but they do not animate when the adventurers pass. They easily find the door on the wall beneath the legs of the throne, and pass under the throne into the depths of the temple. Continuing their search, Brenna's adventurers find little that hasn't already been disturbed, presumably by the Holy Hooded Warriors. They do find a shortsword made of jet-black metal that attempts to control Marcus until Jonyn snaps the blade in two with Sir Harold. Believing that the evil spirit has been destroyed, as the spirit in Ulfgar's ring was when it was broken, Marcus takes the fragments with him. They find the corpse of a hideous demon sprawled on a flight of steps leading down, struck down by a powerful blow to the back, presumably as it fled the Holy Hooded Warriors. They also find a ramp leading upwards, which ends in a lead door sealed with black wax that contains warding sigils. Something behind the door pushes fetid air under the door and into the corridor, and when something pulls air out of the corridor Brenna's adventurers are disturbed to see the doors fade slightly. Behind the doors they can see the outline of an immense, horned head, 30 feet high, closed eyelids burning with a red light - the head of Balor. Unwilling to tamper with such an immense creature, they retreat. On the main level of the temple, they find a similar lead door. Unlike the door above, the wax seals have been broken, and the doors are held closed only by a gold rope wound about the handles. Approaching the doors is impossible for Taliriana and difficult for the others, and Taliriana is unwilling even to look at the doors for too long. On inspection, Jonyn can see a rosary and cross wound about the gold rope. Tired by a day of exertions, Brenna's adventurers decide to rest overnight before looking beyond the second set of door. On Eadric's advice they descend the steps to the demon's lair, as it has only one exit and is thus easier to guard. They rest the night deep in a space Taliriana opens in the earth next to the lair. The next morning, they climb the stairs and return to the doors closed by the gold rope and rosary. Taliriana is unable to approach the doors until Jonyn cuts through the rope and the rosary, breaking the holy wards. The room beyond contains the enormous torso of Balor, from neck to belly, with the lower portions encased in ice. Some arcane symbols carved into the ice have been broken and defaced, and a spear of black wood and metal lies abandoned on the floor. When studied, Taliriana and Marcus can see a name inscribed in magic runes on the spear: "Fengil". Late Autumn 1398 AUC

Session 74
(11/11/04)

Ead/Jonyn
Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos

Brenna's adventurers realise they cannot kill Balor in his sleep without running the risk of waking him up, that the Holy Hooded Warriors must have reached the same conclusion, and set a holy ward upon the door that the undead Fengil couldn't breach ... but that they did. They decide that the first priority is to find someone holy enough to restore the ward on the door. Marcus reluctantly suggests his father could do it, and Brenna's adventurers split into two groups. Eadric, Jonyn and Oulis remain behind to guard the chamber containing Balor's body, while Marcus, Taliriana, Talos and Adar take Fengil's spear and return to Manderley Hall so Taliriana can search for Father Redgrave using her magic mirror. After two false starts and several hours of effort, she locates him in the Pontifical Library at Selentium. In the meantime, the others are attacked by two red-skinned men with short black beards and small horns protruding through their temples. The horned men appear out of nowhere, wielding wickedly-curved swords and daggers that are coated in a thick viscous poison, but find it difficult to harm the guards and leave as suddenly as they came. Taliriana teleports the others to a street outside the Pontifical Library, as the Library is build on consecrated ground, and Marcus goes inside to meet his father. Father Redgrave says he's pleased to see Marcus, but seems disappointed in him when the problem is explained and lectures Marcus about the poor choices he's been making. Still, the situation is sufficiently dire that Father Redgrave agrees to let Taliriana use the "Dark Arts" to take him to the "Dark Temple" so that he can mend the holy ward. On arrival, Father Redgrave quickly mends the gold rope and the rosary, restoring the holy ward and sealing the chamber against Fengil once again. Brenna's adventurers return to Manderley Hall with Father Redgrave. Of all of Marcus' friends, the only one his father seems to like is Jonyn. At Manderley Hall, Marcus and his father leave for Marcus' house in Merin so that he can return his father's diary, while Taliriana prepares to start using Fengil's spear as a focus for her magic so that she can track him down. Late Autumn 1398 AUC

Session 75
(25/11/04)

Jonyn/Mar
Oulis/Talir
Yara

Session 76
(02/12/04)

Ead/Jonyn
Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos
Yara

Meanwhile, in Vestad, Eadric, Talos and Adar have been following the trail of disappearances and withered corpses left by the undead Tasha. The trail leads east from the Tomb of Harseth the Neverlost, and culminates at the abandoned tower near Brindinford, where Eadric was turned to stone by a snake-haired woman three years earlier. At the tower, Eadric is bewitched by a beautiful fey woman, and Talos uses magic to flee with Adar through an oak tree, transporting them to an oak tree in the grounds at Manderley Hall. Lady Brenna's friend, Andolyn Mohan, uses magic to contact the rest of the adventurers on the morning after the night of the three contests. They send their apologies to the Lady and Lord and promise to return that day, then return to Manderley Hall using Taliriana's magic. After Talos explains what has happened to them, they make immediate plans to go to the tower and rescue Eadric. Taliriana transports all of them to Brindinford except for Yara, who remains behind at Manderley Hall. Brenna's adventurers waste no time in leaving Brindinford for the tower, which is guarded by a half-dozen well-armed and armoured male elves, plus Eadric. The elves fight bravely, but are no match for the adventurers, while Eadric shoots at his comrades without compunction until the magic enchantments affecting his mind and his vision are removed. Having freed Eadric and subdued the six elves, Oulis argues that the elves should be questioned immediately about what's inside the tower, but concedes to the rest of the group's preference to question them later, after exploring the cellars of the tower for the fey woman. In the cellars, they find signs that the woman has fled in haste through the secret tunnel they found the last time they were here. They also find a stone sarcophagus, weighed down with stones. When Jonyn removes the stones and lifts the lid, a woman's rotting corpse sits up, hissing and reaching for him. Eadric shoots her four times in the head, breaking the arcane power that animates her decrepit flesh. On examination, it seems likely that this was Tasha's original body, reduced to a soulless monster following her ressurection by Lord Karvala two years earlier. The trail of the living woman leads to another oak tree. Talos tries without success to take them through the oak tree and follow her trail, but there is no longer a living tree at the other end of her journey, and his magic fails. It seems the woman was so determined to escape that she destroyed the other oak tree with lightning or fire. With no other immediate way to follow her, Brenna's adventurers return to the tower, where they strip the six elves of their armour and weapons, leaving them naked and bound. Marcus uses a magic scroll so that he can listen to the thoughts of the one they wake to question. The elf man doesn't seem intimidated by their threats, but proves willing to bargain information for his freedom, the freedom of his comrades, and their armour. They learn that the elves are from Sperrin, that they served the fey woman freely, in exchange for her favours (and his thoughts reveal to Marcus more than he wishes to know about how those favours were shared), and that the woman was keeping the soulless vampire captive for reasons known only to her. Satisfied with their answers, Brenna's adventurers let them dress. Before they leave, Marcus offers to return the sword to any of them who will name the woman, and one of them takes him up on his offer. In exchange for his sword, he gives her name as Melina. The six elves leave for Sperrin, while Brenna's adventurers return to Manderley Hall. Mid Winter 1398 AUC

Session 77
(16/12/04)

Jonyn/Mar
Oulis/Talir
Talos/Yara

As the sun sets at Manderley Hall, Brenna's adventurers discuss how to proceed once they have returned to Skipton Castle. They decide to leave Fengil's spear behind with Eadric, so that Fengil can't try and claim it off them, and plan to report on finding and killing Tasha in the hope that Fengil will lose his temper with them. They return to Skipton Castle, arriving in the middle of the day, and wait in their linen chest for dinner. At dinner, their plan almost backfires against them, as Fengil claims that they are kinslayers and demands justice from Lady Frupy. Fortunately, Eadric is not with them, and Lord Snurre smooths over the situation, arguing that as no-one present is a kinslayer no-one should be held accountable as one. After dinner, Lord Snurre invites the adventurers to the withdrawing room, behind the great hall. Marcus is impressed with his working model of the sun, planets, and moons, but has little time to examine it. Lord Snurre talks with them for some time about why they have come to his wife's castle to make trouble with their other guest, Prince Fengil. The adventurers give their reasons, but Lord Snurre discusses each one and shows that it would not be supported by any assembly they formed in the great hall to judge their claim. Talos explains that he is oath-bound to stop Fengil because he freed Tasha, but when questioned establishes that his oath was to capture or destroy Tasha, which has now been done. Marcus and Jonyn explain that Fengil is a danger to innocent people, as people died when he travelled through their lands because he didn't control Tasha, but Lord Snurre explains that they must have evidence, both that Tasha was killing people and that Tasha was not acting of her own volition. He also explains that, as a prince, Fengil's oath is worth more than all theirs put together, so if there is no other evidence their word could not be held sufficient to determine Fengil's guilt. Oulis explains that he is travelling with the others and defeating Fengil would bring him glory, and Lord Snurre warns him that seeking glory can lead to destructive feuds that bring no glory to either party. Having heard their explanations and found them wanting, Lord Snurre suggests that they should give serious thought to negotiating a mutually acceptable compromise, and indicates his willingness to act as mediator should they decide to take this route. In passing, he mentions that Fengil is travelling with them so that he can be introduced to the courts of Kars, and that he came without the gifts expected of long-term guests. Brenna's adventurers promise to consider his advice, and return to their linen chest for the night. There, they talk again about how to proceed, and settle on writing to Fengil and offering to fetch his spear for him in exchange for the opportunity to fight him, in the hopes that Fengil will either accept their offer and fight them or follow them to the warded chamber at Nem and ambush them. They have a servant send the message to Fengil that night. In the morning, a servant brings Fengil's written response, where he challenges them to bring his spear to him, and then they can talk about exhanges and bargains. Following another discussion, Brenna's adventurers decide how to proceed. They visit Eadric briefly and return to Skipton Castle with Fengil's spear, leaving Eadric behind again. Marcus then offers Fengil's spear as a gift to Lady Frupy, as Fengil wasn't able to offer it to her when he first arrived, "as a guest should". Lady Frupy seems pleased with "the dart", as she calls it, and with Marcus' sly words and flattery. That evening, Fengil sees his spear among those on display on the far wall of the great hall. When he asks the adventurers why they didn't give it to him, they reply that they gave it to a more worthy person, their host. Fengil seems to find the loss of his spear (and perhaps also the loss of an opportunity to pass the holy wards) very aggravating, and decides not to stay for dinner. Marcus taunts him as he leaves, calling him an angry little black stormcloud, which most of the giants in the hall find amusing. That night, after retiring to the linen chest, a servant brings them a letter from Fengil advising that he will be "taking a walk" outside the outer wall of the castle an hour before dawn, and that should they also be taking a walk they may perchance meet and have an opportunity to "talk". Pleased to have finally provoked Fengil into confronting them, Brenna's adventurers prepare for battle, leaving only Yara behind. They arrive early, but not as early as Fengil, who is waiting for them floating in the air. They talk for a little while, as Fengil is curious to know who they are and why they are pursuing him with such tenacity. Fengil begins to talk about his great plans, and how they aren't the first people to interfere with them, and Jonyn tells Taliriana to help him fly using magic. Fengil seems unprepared for the sudden assault, and barely has time to teleport some distance away and start to use his arcane magics before Talos catches him in a burst of intense light. When the light fades, Fengil is nowhere to be seen. Jonyn and Marcus are convinced that Fengil has teleported to safety while their eyes were dazzled, and don't believe Talos' claim that the light has destroyed Fengil until Taliriana confirms it. She does so by using magic to establish the most famous people to have died on the cloud "field" outside Skipton Castle, and Prince Fengil is one of them. Assured of their success, Brenna's adventurer return to Skipton Castle shortly before dawn, where they have breakfast before announcing their intention to leave and return home. The Lord and Lady bid them farewell, though Marcus is put out that Lady Frupy gives them only one massive gold armband, instead of a gold armband each. Back in Teran, Jonyn decides that God needs him in the south, where the goblins of Krarth are still threatening the kingdoms of Elmet and Murrell. He leaves Lady Brenna's employ, and leaves Teran for Elmet after a final dinner at Marcus' home. Mid Winter to Late Winter 1398 AUC

Session 78
(06/01/05)

Mar/Oulis
Talir/Talos

When winter breaks and spring arrives, Princess Rowena of Teran and Terence Dorion, Count of Legnano, go crusading. At the same time, goblin raids through Menarland resume. With so much martial activity going on, Lady Brenna finds it impossible to recruit a suitable replacement for Jonyn. While she is doing so, Marcus attempts to visit Charasta in her secret lair in Opalar, but finds her lair deserted, save for a note intended for him. Some weeks after his return, Lady Brenna sends Marcus, Oulis, Taliriana and Talos to northern Kevland with a promissary note worth 100 Pounds and instructions to purchase a flask of holy oil, reputed to have healing properties, from the Mausoleum of the Saints Neoptolemus and Meleager. Her friend Duke Henry Rayner has not recovered fully from his illness, despite using all of the healing waters of Prusa she sent to him two years earlier. Marucs invites Yara to accompany them, but she isn't willing to travel with Oulis, who seems to value her only as someone who can be sold into slavery. As for Oulis, he seems displeased to be given such simple and unspectacular work, particularly because Taliriana cannot teleport them directly to the Mausoleum. Instead, she attempts to transport them to Asti, at the southern end of Lake Rhipe. Although her magic goes awry, it turns out to be to their advantage, as they end up in Legnano, at the northern end of Lake Rhipe. As they travel northwards along the Forest Road, they hear numerous stories about strange goings-on in the mountains and forests around Hyparasia, legendary home of the Emphidian gods. They also hear about the village of Trozen, who have instigated heavy tolls on anyone who wants to visit and see their winged statue of Hermas, one of the Emphidian gods, in the form of a snake. A day and a half away from the Mausoleum, the three men plus Adar continue on without Taliriana, who isn't comfortable approaching such a holy site and stays behind at the inn. They reach the Mausoleum during the middle of the next day, as the road splits in two and passes around it. At the Mausoleum, Marcus conducts Lady Brenna's business, obtaining a flask of the rare holy oil, which is collected up off the sweating bodies of the two saints. They return to the inn, arriving late on the third day after leaving Taliriana behind, and find her visibly unwell. She complains about not being able to sleep because she constantly has dreams of a "false" winged snake and of the "true" winged snake giving her directions that she can't remember when she wakes up. Brenna's adventurers decide that someone or something has chosen to "bless" Taliriana with these visions, and that the best way of investigating it is to go to the village of Trozen. The next day, they branch off from the Forest Road and begin travelling west towards Trozen. The first night after they leave the road, Taliriana's sleep isn't interrupted by the visions. After several days, they arrive at the village of Trozen. After paying the entry toll, they learn that the winged serpent statue has been moved from its hall in the village. Brenna's adventurers obtain directions to the hall (once a pagan shrine), and talk to the caretaker of the hall, who is clearly not himself. Taliriana's magic breaks the enchantment on him, and Heta proves very cooperative. From his terse explanations, it seems Hermas the Winged Serpent returned several weeks ago, the village priest left shortly afterwards for a meeting at Legnano, the village warden was killed by the suddenly restless dead in the cemetary, the new village warden, Lerrius, had the winged serpent statue removed from the village to a nearby abandoned temple where Hermas now lives for safekeeping, and new tolls have been introduced to raise revenue for some "civic project". Brenna's adventurers get directions to the abandoned temple, and leave the village straightaway. They find the temple without difficulty, guarded by two members of the village militia. The militia do not seem themselves, but do admit them to the temple, introducing them by name to the inhabitants, a dark-haired man with a short beard dressed in forest green and a large winged serpent. The man introduces himself as Lerrius, the village warden, and seems friendly enough. However, Taliriana identifies the winged serpent as the "false" serpent from her visions, the adventurers see monstrous winged gargoyles hiding in the shadows of the temple, and Marcus goes for Lerrius with his sand-weighted sock, starting a great fracas. The winged serpent is revealed to be a part-man, part-snake, who speaks with a Batubatani accent and seems to recognise Marcus and Taliriana. The snakeman calls out for an ally named the Behir to come to his aid, and an immense snake-like monster with many legs that breathes lightning enters from a chamber at the rear of the temple. The snakeman also breaks open a gem and summons forth a towering fire elemental. Also this is for naught, however, as Brenna's adventurers subdue Lerrius and the two militia, kill the snakeman, break the magic that summoned the fire elemental, kill the Behir, and kill five of the eight gargoyles (the other three fly outside and escape while the Behir is trying to eat Oulis). When the battle is done, Oulis is keen to question Lerrius, and breaks his fingers in preparation for interrogating him, much to the others' dismay. They hasten to search the remaining chambers of the temple, and quickly find the winged serpent statue and a stash of coins and goods. When Taliriana uses her magic to heal Lerrius so that he wakes up, the magic heals his fingers as well. Lerrius seems grateful to them for freeing him and the village from the tyranny of Puhrjan, but something about his demeanour makes him seem untrustworthy. They take Lerrius and the two militia, who have recovered their wits, back to Trozen, where the remainder of the militia have also recovered their wits following the snakeman's death. The villagers take a cart to the temple that afternoon and recover their statue and their belongings, including those of the village priest. That evening, the older villagers consider whether or not Lerrius was complicit in the snakeman's scheme, or, as Lerrius himself claims, was merely collaborating with Puhrjan to protect the other villagers from his wrath. The village elders are unable to reach consensus on his guilt, and decide instead to exile Lerrius from the village and give him into the custody of Brenna's adventurers. The adventurers begin to debate whether or not to take Lerrius to a court at Legnano or punish him in some other way, as they are generally convinced of his guilt, when Taliriana decides to turn him into a turtle and keep him as a pet. Marcus finds this very disturbing, though Oulis and Talos seem unphased by the turn of events. Taliriana's magic takes away Lerrius' human consciousness, leaving him a turtle in body and mind. With some encouragement from the villagers, Brenna's adventurers plus Taliriana's turtle teleport back to Manderley Hall that night. The next day, Eadric and Oulis leave for Vestad with the holy oil and all their posessions, as both intend to leave Lady Brenna's employ after delivering the package to Duke Rayner. Early Spring 1398 AUC

Session 79
(13/01/05)

Gany/Mar
Talir/Talos
Yara

Duke Henry Rayner sends word back to Lady Brenna that Eadric and Oulis have arrived with the holy oil, which has been effective in treating his illness, and that they have travelled on together to Gokstad to meet Eadric's friend, Miles Bashere. Lady Brenna continues to have no success in recruiting new adventurers to her employ, and begins to plan to spend autumn visiting Duke Rayner in Vestad. Several weeks after returning from Kevland, Lady Brenna and her remaining adventurers are meeting at Manderley Hall when a youth delivers a message from "some woman" at the University to Marcus. The note reads, "Your servant has been taken to your home by monsters in the forms of men and women. You must hurry before they are done with her, if you wish to save her. Do not delay!" The handwriting looks to Marcus as though it is similar to Charasta's handwriting. Alarmed that Yara, who was tutoring today in the Faculty of Rhetoric, may be in danger, Marcus is all for riding back to Merin immediately. Instead, Taliriana teleports herself, Marcus, Ganymede, Talos and Adar to Marcus' bedroom. They can hear two conversations through the floor: one in Low Bacchile between a well-spoken man and Yara, and the other in Dakkandi about the quality of the pies in the pantry. The well-spoken man appears to have been asking Yara questions about Cinder, as he is confirming her account that Cinder is trapped in a magic tower on a distant island and didn't participate in the Presage of Forms. Brenna's adventurers begin to make their way downstairs quietly, but Adar steps on a loose floorboard that squeaks alarmingly. The element of surprise lost, the adventurers rush downstairs, where they confront four axe-wielding goblins, a greatsword-wielding tall mercanian woman with ivory scales, dragon wings, and a dragon's jaw, and a rapier-wielding slightly-built man in fashionable clothes. Yara is tied hand and foot to a chair, and was being questioned by the slightly-built man. In the battle that follows, Talos blinds the dragon-woman with a beam of light, Marcus knocks out one goblin with his sock of sand and frees Yara from her bindings, and Ganymede cuts his way through everything in his way, at the end pinning the dragon-woman to the floor with his greatsword. The slightly-built man's head transforms into that of a spider, and he tries unsuccessfully to trap Marcus with his web before fleeing into Yara's room, blocking the door, and using magic to escape. After the fighting is over, Yara explains that she was taken by surprise at the end of her tutorial and forced to let them into Marcus' home, and that they were trying to locate Cinder because only those of the Presage of Forms could spoil Halfdan's master plan. Marcus uses a magic scroll to read the surviving goblin's thoughts once they wake him up, and the goblin readily agrees to tell them what he knows in exchange for his armour, weapons, and safe passage to Krarth. He is part of a goblin warband lead by King Alraugh, who serves a powerful spirit named Halfdan that has possessed a young woman's body. Halfdan's other allies include a sea-dragon named Alorzulan, Alorzulan's children (some part-giant, some part-bear), a human woman, a female demon, a male vampire, a winged woman with bird's feet, and the spider-man. With their help, Alraugh's warband has captured Sarwin Castle in southwest Murrell. Halfdan has captured the castle because something big called The Thunder Below is trapped beneath it, something guarded by elemental forces of air and earth. They were sent to Merin to investigate Cinder and her friends because Halfdan has a prophecy that those who participated in the Presage of Forms can prevent him freeing The Thunder Below. Having learned all they can from the goblin, Taliriana and Ganymede teleport with him to Krarth. When they return, they claim the magic went awry and the goblin was killed during the journey. Marcus and Yara return to the University Library to try and learn more about The Thunder Below and Sarwin Castle, but find little of value apart from a map of the castle's location. In the meantime, Ganymede and Taliriana ferry the goblin and dragon-woman's corpses to Andolyn's volcano for disposal, and clean up most of the mess and damage at Marcus' house. Taliriana and Talos both search for Migos Fehr using magic, but without success. That evening, Brenna's adventurers decide that they have to investigate what's happening at Sarwin Castle. Yara insists on coming with them, as she doesn't believe she'll be any safer at Manderley Hall if Alorzulan comes looking to avenge his daughter. Marcus agrees, but insists that she wear the summoning bracelet they found in Tarleikos four years earlier. Early to Mid Spring 1398 AUC