Session 20 (February 14, 2021)
25 Ghast
The group plans to cast a speak with dead, and begins planning questions. Sister Agnes casts the spell.
Noah begins. “Walter! What is the cult’s relationship to the Bishop of Zendiker?”
“The Bishop is old and half blind. We have no relationship to the Bishop, but his privy secretary is ours.”
“If there are other nearby centers of cult activity, what are their names and locations?”
He names the other known village of corruption, Urmkirkey.
“How did your foreman first learn of this?”
“A man brought a stone of blue flame, and Gunther swore to it. Then things began to happen, and we gained power. And it brought forth power.”
“What was the creature you summoned during the battle?”
“It was the same one that came to speak with us. It came often into the pit, and it sometimes sucked the life from a lamb in the hills.”
“Why did you and your compatriots wish to kill the na-Strom?”
“Had we been able to kill him, the one you slew with the Blue Flame would have been able to absorb his memories. Given his parents’ ties to the rebels, it would have allowed us to infiltrate them.”
Noah boggled a little at this revelation.
The group heads on to the village of Urmkirkey.
They travel along, and there are conifers, though no deciduous trees this far north and this high in the mountains. As they travel, they realize that they’re being paralleled by wolves and humanoid figures. That band keeps watching them, but does not close. The elves can see well enough to realize that those are orcs, and full breed at that, but they are not closing. After a half hour, the smallest orc—maybe a goblin—hops on the largest wolf and rides away.
Noah yells, “Greetings!”
At that, a banner comes up, a very crude representation of the downward pointing arrow of Paranswarm. “Greetings!”
“We are here investigating rumors of a cult nearby.”
“They are not rumors. Truth. There are too few of you. Do not enter the village. They will kill you.”
“Have they fully activated their altar?”
“Yes! And they are many. There are too few of you. Even with our warriors, they would kill you all. The village is lost.”
“They must be hiding the altar somehow.”
“Lead. They keep it in the mine shaft and use lead to protect it.”
Noah says that they may take news to the Bishop of Zendiker, who is not corrupted but whose privy secretary is, or that they may inform the crystal vollers.
“We know you. That is why we followed you. You are a grandson of the tribe.”
“Oh, I knew my father was…”
“He was of this very band, though it has shrunk since he left us. Others have also left the band for mates and cubs. One more thing. When the village fell, and the last of the ones who held out fled or died, they turned three werebears. We do not know where they are, but they turned them.”
With that, the group turns back towards Noah’s family’s castle. As they travel, they notice a large shape shadowing them—clearly a large bear, following them. Noah gets out his silvered axe, and hands Iados his silver cheese knife.
The bear charges Noah and misses. Noah hacks at it with his silver axe, doing 23 damage on two attacks. Elyn shoots it with her bow, doing a small amount of damage even with an unenchanted arrow.
The werebear hits Noah with both claws and then rakes him with its rear claws. Noah takes 49 hit points of damage but stays up.
Ravokris hits it with an Aganazzar’s Scorcher, burning it.
Iados sneak attacks it, doing 15 total damage.
Noah gets a critical hit, killing the bear. It then changes back into a somewhat ragged looking older half-orc male. It’s wearing an odd belt made of untanned bear hide. The body has a lingering sense of evil, but the belt does not. The body has ritual scarification, particularly on its lower back.
[End Session 20]
25 Ghast
The group plans to cast a speak with dead, and begins planning questions. Sister Agnes casts the spell.
Noah begins. “Walter! What is the cult’s relationship to the Bishop of Zendiker?”
“The Bishop is old and half blind. We have no relationship to the Bishop, but his privy secretary is ours.”
“If there are other nearby centers of cult activity, what are their names and locations?”
He names the other known village of corruption, Urmkirkey.
“How did your foreman first learn of this?”
“A man brought a stone of blue flame, and Gunther swore to it. Then things began to happen, and we gained power. And it brought forth power.”
“What was the creature you summoned during the battle?”
“It was the same one that came to speak with us. It came often into the pit, and it sometimes sucked the life from a lamb in the hills.”
“Why did you and your compatriots wish to kill the na-Strom?”
“Had we been able to kill him, the one you slew with the Blue Flame would have been able to absorb his memories. Given his parents’ ties to the rebels, it would have allowed us to infiltrate them.”
Noah boggled a little at this revelation.
The group heads on to the village of Urmkirkey.
They travel along, and there are conifers, though no deciduous trees this far north and this high in the mountains. As they travel, they realize that they’re being paralleled by wolves and humanoid figures. That band keeps watching them, but does not close. The elves can see well enough to realize that those are orcs, and full breed at that, but they are not closing. After a half hour, the smallest orc—maybe a goblin—hops on the largest wolf and rides away.
Noah yells, “Greetings!”
At that, a banner comes up, a very crude representation of the downward pointing arrow of Paranswarm. “Greetings!”
“We are here investigating rumors of a cult nearby.”
“They are not rumors. Truth. There are too few of you. Do not enter the village. They will kill you.”
“Have they fully activated their altar?”
“Yes! And they are many. There are too few of you. Even with our warriors, they would kill you all. The village is lost.”
“They must be hiding the altar somehow.”
“Lead. They keep it in the mine shaft and use lead to protect it.”
Noah says that they may take news to the Bishop of Zendiker, who is not corrupted but whose privy secretary is, or that they may inform the crystal vollers.
“We know you. That is why we followed you. You are a grandson of the tribe.”
“Oh, I knew my father was…”
“He was of this very band, though it has shrunk since he left us. Others have also left the band for mates and cubs. One more thing. When the village fell, and the last of the ones who held out fled or died, they turned three werebears. We do not know where they are, but they turned them.”
With that, the group turns back towards Noah’s family’s castle. As they travel, they notice a large shape shadowing them—clearly a large bear, following them. Noah gets out his silvered axe, and hands Iados his silver cheese knife.
The bear charges Noah and misses. Noah hacks at it with his silver axe, doing 23 damage on two attacks. Elyn shoots it with her bow, doing a small amount of damage even with an unenchanted arrow.
The werebear hits Noah with both claws and then rakes him with its rear claws. Noah takes 49 hit points of damage but stays up.
Ravokris hits it with an Aganazzar’s Scorcher, burning it.
Iados sneak attacks it, doing 15 total damage.
Noah gets a critical hit, killing the bear. It then changes back into a somewhat ragged looking older half-orc male. It’s wearing an odd belt made of untanned bear hide. The body has a lingering sense of evil, but the belt does not. The body has ritual scarification, particularly on its lower back.
[End Session 20]