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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Loonook" data-source="post: 179922" data-attributes="member: 1861">In Ostaria, the power lies in two central groups: the Legion of Guilds and the Ostarian Empire.  The Empire's power is only as strong as the loyalty of its people; the coffers of the Empire have been emptied by civil war and lavish expenditures.  The Legion of Guilds, however, holds the power of the worker and the wealth of the empire in its hands.  One must truly make both sides work with each other to bring about any kind of temporary peace; and that is where our heroes come in.During their stay in the capital of Ostarnauch, the heroes brought about a treaty committing the emperor to 10 000 horseman and a small amount of equipment.  It came down to the Legion of the Guilds, and a meeting was arranged by those who wished to bring about peace.The Legion set our heroes to a task that seemed absurd: the Legion, having assisted a nation of creatures known as the Taln in clearing out a large cave complex below the mountains near the capital, needed the Taln to pay their debt in full.  The debt was seemingly small in the eyes of the guild, but in Ostaria, principle and honor are two key factors in all matters public and private.The Legion brought into service two soldiers (who would be left in the Taln Warrens for insubordination), and a skilled warrior named Njal.  Njal, a master of the guantlet-blade style of the Ostarian Rose, is a master of tactics and worldly manners.  Njal was to be the contact between the Taln and the Primes, allowing negotiations to go through smoothly with the supposedly xenophobic Taln.Upon entering the cavern complex, the party noted the utter smoothness of the walls.  Njal explained the fact that some of the caves were made by ancient Poin rulers as storehouses.  On the descent into the caverns, the party found a set of bones that had been formed into a set of chimes.  Their eerie creaking unnerved the party, and Njal identified them as a Hui Dal contraption.  After touching the chimes, Locke was assaulted while smoke filled the small tunnel.  Creatures with sapphire-glowing eyes launched into a frenzy, leaving Locke at death's door.   The group dispatched one of the pair of chain-wielding beasts, and the other started to speak in tongues as it retreated far into the distance.  Hydwen rushed ahead, and fell through a cleverly-concealed pitfall.  His mount was almost killed, breaking three of its legs and hurling its rider into a pit.  Hydwen was luckily not badly injured, as a thick layer of moss broke his fall.  The rest rushed forward to find the second vile beast clinging to the wall.  One of the guards flung a bag of flaming powder at the creature, as the other attempted an attack.  Umger threw his axe at the creature, only to watch it plummet down the chasm.  After several attacks with bows and thrown weapons (including a rock thrown by the weakened Locke), the beast disappated into a blue smoke.  A rope was lowered to Hydwen, but due to his mount's condition the party was forced to climb down.  The Paladin then returned up when Umger had done all that he could, and the party encountered a man wearing a loose-fitting gray cloak and a holy symbol of a door with a silver eye drawn upon it.  This man explained he was a gatekeeper, and gave his name as T'ysch.  Njal commented that, for being a Neschval, T'ysch had no right to worship any Poin deity.  This was met with questioning looks and a long argument: the Party understood that the Neschval are dishonored Poin who are accepted as inferior to any other Poin.  Prejudiced comments led to a hand-to-hand battle between the priest and the fighter, which the fighter lost.  Dishonored by the 'Slave', the fighter had thought himself unworthy of his title, and told the Primes of the plight of a dishonored Poin warrior.  Such a warrior is cast from his house, and hunted to the ends of the earth by his fellow warriors.  The Ostarian Rose is notorious for such tactics, and thus Njal began to fear for his life.The Primes met with an elder of the Temple (known as the Temple of the Ancient Gate) of their encounter with demonic creatures above.  The Elder explained that these creatures, which he referred to as Spawn, are products of a pact between a creature of G'esh and a Dormi. These pacts, if broken by the mortal, allow the Dormi to take the body of the creature... a very valuable tool.  The party saw a Spawn who kept its contract, a female Gatekeeper who had traded her eyes for the ability of postcognition.The Elder gave the party a staff that, if the Taln could not pay their debt, would be suitable for a prize to the Legion.  The Party travelled onward after almost a week of rest, until they came to the Walls of the Taln Warrens.  The plight of the Taln people was explained in great detail to the party; the lack of adequate food and water, and constant attacks by Primes who wanted to steal what meager supplies they had.  The Party agreed to pay the debt of the Taln for them, and rode onto the capital.  On their way they found a portable altar to the 4 Poinish Deities known as the Auton, and one of their horses was lost in an accident far away from any healing ability. The Party returned to the Legion with the staff, and the trade was deemed acceptable.  Njal decided to stay with the party as a valuable asset, but reminded the party that the Legion was not to be trusted: its powers were varied and large, and could be dangerous if they ever turned against the party.Session 2: Closed</blockquote>

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