Arcanis: Gonnes, Sons, and Treasure Runs (COMPLETED)

[talien]

Songs: Conclusion

Vlad returned soon after from the field, completing his original mission of helping thwart the goblin attacks. Huddled at The Splintered Oak, they all partook of a sorely needed drink.

“So that’s what happened to my father…” Vlad shook his head in disbelief. “I had heard he’d been killed, but I thought it happened in the line of duty.”

“My father left us when I was very young.” Sebastian drained his mug and ordered a refill. “I never knew what happened to him. I didn’t even know I had an uncle.”

“Venzon Zasfar named Kuros as the immediate controller of all the wealth and holdings of his family,” said Beldin.

“What a shock,” added Kham.

“And what of Anulee?” asked Vlad.

“The entire ordeal has been incredibly trying for Anulee,” said Sebastian sardonically. “She has decided to leave town, not mentioning when or if she will return.”

“That’s probably for the best,” said Vlad. “What are we going to tell Ilmarė?”

“That justice was served.” Sebastian turned the pin Anulee had handed to him over in his hands. It had a motif of a gliding bird on it.

“Has it?” asked Beldin.

“Milandisian law isn’t perfect,” said Vlad. “But it’s all we have.”

Sebastian looked down into the contents of his mug. “Justice wears many masks,” he said. “Vengeance is but one of them.”

“I think I understand why Ilmarė is so ambivalent about Quintus now,” said Vlad. “If Anulee was willing to have someone killed to protect her secret, it must really be a terrible thing for elorii and humans to mingle.”

“Speaking of Ilmarė,” Kham slurped from his mug, “why was she meeting Anulee’s lover in an alley?”

They were silent for a moment.

“Well,” said Vlad suddenly. “I’ve been summoned to Treslau to report back to Duke Adolphos. Anyone want to come with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Sure.”

“Anything but here.”

And with that, they left town.

 

[talien]

Chapter 45: Unpaid Debts - Introduction

This is a Year Two Living Arcanis adventure, “Unpaid Debts” by Eric Wiener, set in the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://www.ninjarobotstudios.com)
• Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter) played by Joe Lalumia
• Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster

This adventure is very important in the big scheme of things, as it details the pursuit of a sword that could ignite a civil war. Unfortunately, the adventure is a bit haphazard; I’m leery of “dream sequence” battles (which seem to be a staple of Arcanis for some reason). Fortunately, we’ve already established some strange dream sequence combat before so it wasn’t too hard to introduce it again.

The identity of the bad guys and the force behind them are not revealed in this adventure at all, even to the Game Master, so I changed it around. This is the beginning of an invasion, the invasion that “stirred up the goblins” in the last adventure, and it harkens back to one of the first adventures. Unfortunately, the adventure involved Vlad, Quintus, and Ilmarė, so no one was around to really be horrified by the revelation.

Finally, this adventure features the return of a certain pivotal character. It was anticlimactic because the PCs weren’t all that interested in talking and mostly focused on the goal: getting the sword to its destination. This adds up to two battles, one of which is brutal and over quickly, the other which is a non-event.

Still, Beldin got a kick-ass axe, and that counts for something!

P.S. Sebastian got a new spell. Guess which one it is!

 

[talien]

Unpaid Debts: Prologue

Johan Bauer was a simple Moratavian farmer. His old well had dried up after an earthquake, so he took to digging a new one. He dug a hole deeper and deeper, and as he dug the morning became afternoon, shining overhead. Eventually, the sun moved past its zenith, leaving him with little light to continue.

Exhausted and covered in dirt, Johan leaned against the wall. He was a good ten feet below the surface. It would take awhile to reach the water table, but he knew it would happen eventually.

A small trail of pebbles skittered down one side of the well. Johan looked up. He had a terrible thought: if another earthquake hit, he would be buried alive.

Johan started to climb his way up the side of the well when he slipped. One hand clawed desperately for purchase at the top of the half-dug well when he lost his grip.

The farmer flailed helplessly as he fell, certain the well would be his tomb. The soft earth hesitated for only a moment after his impact before it gave way completely. He plunged into darkness and landed somewhere hard.

Johan dusted himself off. He was still alive, if badly bruised. He waited for his eyes to adjust to what little light shone from above. Something was sitting, watching him from the darkness.

“Hello?”

Johan crept cautiously forward. He could barely make out a legionnaire’s armor and headdress. It was a style he’d never seen before. The farmer recoiled when he realized what he was looking at.

It was a corpse. The corpse grasped a golden sword that showed no hint of decay, despite the decomposed state of its owner. It could have been there for millennia.

On impulse, Johan took up the sword. He could probably sell it for a pretty penny to make up for the cost of the well he could no longer dig.

A glorious light filled the cavern. A heavenly chorus sang all around Johan. The sound was accompanied by the appearance of a handsome warrior in golden armor, a style that matched the corpse at his feet.

Johan fell back in terror.

“I am Gilgaaran val’Assante,” said the apparition. “For eternity I have awaited one to fulfill my duty and deliver this, the seventh blade of Dar val’Assante to the master of the val’Tensen. You shall perform this deed so that I may forever rest in the next life at the hand of my lord, Illiir. Rise and accept your duty.”

Johan rose. “I will do as you ask.”

 

[talien]

Unpaid Debts: Part 1 – The Truth is a Three-Edged Sword

The rumblings of war again stirred the young men of Moratavia to action as Menisis val’Tensen, Defender of the Coryani Empire, roused his legions to battle.

“As if war between Ssethregore and Altheria wasn’t enough, or Canceri and the Nierites, now Milandir and Coryan are going at it?” Kham rubbed his forehead.

“It seems that Duke Adolphos’ declaration that Precision, the ancient blade of power, was delivered to him as the rightful master of all val’Tensen has raised the Coryani General’s ire,” said Sebastian.

The Duke’s palace occupied the highest elevation in the city and looked out upon both the city itself and the plain that made up the body of Northern Maravia. Upon arriving at the gates, they were shown to a grand ballroom with balconies that afforded a full view of the impressive vista.

“How long are they going to make us wait here?” Sebastian said in irritation.

“Well,” said Beldin, stuffing a pastry in his mouth, “at least they’re feeding us.”

There was no shortage of comfortable seating. Kham flopped into a chair and ordered a bottle of fine wine. The servants moved quickly to do his bidding.

Grand double doors swung open and a procession of personages entered the room. Standing at their center was a young man, not more than thirty-one years of age, dressed in a richly appointed and embroidered leather tunic.

“Dressing a little warm today aren’t we?” Sebastian muttered out of the side of his mouth to Beldin.

Despite the warm weather, the man’s tunic was thickly lined with ermine. He wore fur-lined winter gloves as well, but did not seem discomforted in the least.

“I thank you for coming at my request,” said Duke Adolphos. “Your reputations speak well of you. All me to introduce these here.” He nodded to his left. “On my left is the Lady Teodora val’Borda. To my right is Vlad Martell. We would ask of you a small task for the benefit of my house.”

“What can we do for you?” asked Beldin.

“Something that belongs to the val’Tensen—all val’Tensen, regardless of nation—has been lost. I want it recovered.”

“What was stolen?” asked Sebastian.

“We do not know if it was stolen, but it is an ancient blade, forged thousands of years ago as a gift to my ancestor from the val’Assante. It was lost until recently, when a loyal Milandisian freeman recovered it.”

Kham asked the obvious. “If you recovered it, what do you need us for?”

“There was a bargain made with my cousin to the south. As a result, the blade was to be entrusted to an impartial body. The Arch-Prelate of Tralia provided an escort drawn from his finest guards to deliver it, but they never arrived.”

“Why choose us?” asked Sebastian. “Why not Vlad?”

“You have no stake in this matter,” said Adolphos. “I cannot afford to have one of my countrymen slandered by bias.”

Vlad looked distinctly uncomfortable. He stepped forward. “The blade was lost somewhere during the journey between here and the Citadel of Storms, three days into the Paerthians. The honor guard, numbering ten knights, was on horseback when they disappeared. They were last seen in the mountain hamlet of Grunlau, the last village on the way to the Citadel.”

Kham opened his mouth, but Adolphos cut him off with a gesture.

“Vlad has made it clear to me that you are mercenaries. Beyond the gratitude of the val’Tensen family throughout Onara, I am prepared to offer each of you seven hundred and fifty crowns. A tidy sum indeed.”

Kham closed his mouth. “We’ll find your sword,” was all he said.

 

[talien]

Unpaid Debts: Part 2 – Hello Darkness My Old Friend

After a hard day’s travel, they came to the sleepy hamlet of Grunlau. The way house there offered the last shelter and comfort for weary travelers before the arduous ascent into the high smoking peaks of the volcanic Paerthians.

When they arrived, it was near nightfall. They found lodging at a grungy but serviceable inn.

Kham awoke to a horrific scream. He sat upright and looked around.

He was on a hillock overlooking the town. Poplars of olive and fig trees surrounded him. Creatures from twisted imaginations flew through the air. The terrain formed and reshaped itself, flowing like water, while streams of water twisted and loop through the air itself, flowing upwards then back down again.

Sebastian and Beldin sat up out of the mist nearby.

“Where are we?” asked Sebastian uncertainly.

“The Dreamheart,” he muttered. “Again.”

“Again?” Sebastian looked around. “I’ve never been here before.”

“I have,” said Beldin. “Only this time no ritual put us here.”

“So that’s really you then?” Kham looked up at Beldin uncertainly. He huge, muscular, handsome, and virile. His eyes blazed with silvery fire and his skin was golden. He was a god among men, an ancient titan of old, before the curse of Illiir brought the dwarves low.

“Would I look like this if it weren’t?” asked Beldin.

“Good point, I always think of you as short and hairy.”

Sebastian looked down at his hands. “How do I look?”

Kham stared at him for a long moment. “Like a human.”

Sebastian felt behind him for his wings and tail. They were gone.

Kham faced them. “Okay, be honest with me: do I look like a ghoul?”

They shook their heads.

“That’s good to know.” Kham was visibly relieved. “I guess I really did kick the ghoul juice for good.”

Creatures appeared beyond the hillock. They were encased in burnished bronze, with arms edged with sharp razors and the rest of its body covered in spines of different shapes and sizes. Most striking of all was their complete lack of facial features: no eyes, nose, or mouth. Three held strange tubes with bulbous sacs dangling from them. Three wielded double-bladed weapons, their heads fanning out like a mockery of a centurion’s crest. The leader rode an eerily featureless horse and carried an axe with a strange bluish-black blade.

“I don’t suppose those are friendly,” Sebastian said morosely.

“They’re called k’n-yan. They’re the original inhabitants of Carcosa.” Kham cut off further questions with a shake of his head. “Don’t ask me how I know that. I just do.”

Beldin concentrated. His axe and armor shimmered into existence. “So that means they’re not friendly.”

The air around them was peppered with shots from the strange tubes the things carried.

Sebastian pointed and groping yellow tentacles sprang up out of the darkness, entwining the bronze creatures.

“Where did you learn that?” asked Kham in surprise.

“I…I don’t know,” said Sebastian. He stared down at his hands.

“My turn.”

Kham concentrated and a beam of energy sliced from his forehead into the k’n-yan leader, who blocked it with a slice of its hand.

“Well that wasn’t quite what I had in mind.”

The k’n-yan leader extended one palm in their direction, unleashing a cone of ice and sleet. When Beldin looked back, Kham and Sebastian were frozen solid.

“No!” shouted Beldin. “I will not allow you to harm them, even here…” the dwarf paused as he realized the power he wielded in the dreamscape. “And I don’t have to ...”

Beams of energy splashed against Beldin as he hunched over. His body shuddered as it grew larger and larger. When Beldin drew himself up to his full height, he was over sixty feet tall.

He was once again the titan of old, before the weight of the curse. Released of his tiny, twisted form, he roared a challenge. With great sweeps of his axe, he cleared the battlefield, smashing the little bronze figures like matchsticks. The leader was engulfed in the shadow of Beldin’s upraised foot before it came down, flattening horse and rider alike…

Kham awoke in a pool of his own sweat. He looked over at the bedrolls in the room. Sebastian and Beldin were also awake, blinking in uncertainty.

“So it really was just a…” Sebastian began. Then he stopped to focus on the something in the center of the room.

It was a bluish-black blade, the same axe that the bronze creature had wielded in their collective nightmare.

 

[talien]

Unpaid Debts: Part 3 – A Gruesome Fate Awaits the Wicked

Kham climbed above the town into the groves and poplar that covered the hillock.

“Yep, just what I was afraid of,” he said.

Sebastian looked around. “It matches the dream exactly.”

“I think a rift to Carcosa opened.” Kham surveyed his surroundings. “And I think my connection to that place brought us into the Dreamheart.”

Beldin pointed beyond the hillock. “There’s a campsite on the reverse slope here.”

They came across a dire scene. The campsite was sprayed with gore from brutally dismembered corpses.

Kham frowned. “Six bedrolls, but only five corpses.”

“Here’s the owner of the sixth,” said Beldin. A hulking man, of obvious infernal taint, was curled up in a fetal position, crying like a frightened child.

Sebastian crouched down to speak with the dark-kin. “What happened here?”

“They are coming,” the dark-kin whispered. “They are coming for me. I’m as good as dead! The bronze demons will find me…”

“Bronze demons,” said Kham. “Like in our dreams.”

Sebastian straightened up. “Bijoux described similar beings that overran her home world.”

“What would they want with Precision?” asked Beldin.

“It’s in the Unspeakable One’s best interests to start a war between Milandir and Coryan,” said Kham. “Just like how he tried to use Fleshripper against me. Speaking of which…” he nodded at Beldin’s new waraxe. “Be careful with that thing. Power like that comes with a price.”

Beldin snorted. “Don’t worry about me. I can handle Windcutter.”

Sebastian peered sideways at Beldin. “Since when does your axe have a name?”

“I don’t know.” Beldin took a few experimental swings with it. ”But that’s its name: Windcutter.”

“Like I said,” muttered Kham. “Be careful.”

 

[talien]

Unpaid Debts: Part 4 – The Citadel of Storms

As they climbed ever higher into the mountain, they passed many scenic and impressive natural formations. The road passed by precipitous drops and crevasses. Eventually, they reached a bend in the road that abutted a great gorge that rent the earth.

Sebastian studied the ground. “The tracks seem to have disappeared here.” He stood up, exasperated. “I’m sorry, I’m not an expert tracker.”

“We’re on the right path,” said Beldin. “We might have better luck at the Citadel of Storms.”

The Citadel of Storms stood in an unlikely position for such an august fortification. Though unassailable due to its position in the heights of the Paerthian Peaks, its strategic value was of dubious merit. Towering into the sky, the fortress commanded the only path to it. Archery, artillery, spell casting platforms and sluices for boiling substances were certain to imperil an attacking army.

They were welcomed as representatives of the Duke of Moratavia and escorted into an inner chamber. A handful of Blades of Hurrian, four in all, met them there.

“What have you found on the path?” asked the eldest and obvious authority, Divelo Norvitecus. “Is Precision in your care?”

“Not yet,” said Sebastian. “We found some tracks but lost them near the gorge.”

“Interesting. When the Arch-Prelate’s guard was overdue, we sent Claduius here to seek out signs of their passage. He was a scout in the legions before he joined us here.”

“Great.” Kham addressed Claudius. “You’re coming with us.”

“It is done. Tomorrow, Claudius will go with you to see if he can find the trail of those who took Precision. But for tonight, let us dine tighter. I apologize that the meals here are not as extravagant as you may be accustomed in the homes of princes and generals, but we fare well nonetheless.”

True to his word, they were provided with a hearty if simple fare in the keep’s great hall. Monks surrounded them, asking them news of the outside world.

Kham peered at one of the monks. “I know you…”

It was Oderic val’Tensen, the disgraced former Vicar of the Knights of Saint Lambertus. “I was blinded from Hurrian’s will by my hatred of all things Nerothian and Cancer.” He avoided looking at Sebastian. “Hopefully, I will not be deaf when I am tested again.”

“Hopefully,” added Beldin, “our enemies will not be silent.”

 

[talien]

Unpaid Debts: Part 5 – What, You Didn’t See This Coming?

“The track resumes here,” said Claudius Cressius-Tensen. “It goes into the gorge.”

They slowly and carefully climbed their way down to the bottom of the gorge. Suddenly, Claudius shouted. “I found it!” He scooped something covered in mud out of the dried riverbed.

“Put that down!” shouted a familiar booming voice. “Drop the sword and step away from it!”

Kham closed his eyes and slowly turned around. “I know that voice…”

“I, Quintus Aurelius Ignatius of the Legion of the Triumphant Rays of the Invisible Sun, hereby claim Precision in the name of the Emperor!”

Quintus stood in the sunlight, resplendent in his lorica segmentata and scutum. A banner flapped from his longspear.

“Coryani legionnaires!” shouted Sebastian.

The rest of Quintus’ contubernium joined him on the ridge: Hervius Flavinius Tranio, the legionnaire sorcerer with hair that fanned out behind like a centurion’s helmet; Oppius Camelius Rusticus, the best scout in the legions; Tertius Caprenius Augustalis, the horn blower responsible for drawing the attention of the men and issuing the audible commands of the officers; and four other milites gregarious, the foot soldiers who were vital to the contubernium.

On the other side of the ridge, something else sparkled in the sunlight, but it was not the glint of metal. Burnished bronze, faceless beings made their way down the slopes, similar to the nightmarish creatures with the exception of the leader. He was a dreadful thing, with one arm tapering in a wicked scimitar-like blade, the other covered in strange overlapping scales so that it function as a shield of sorts. The k’n-yan warlord’s body was easily as elaborate as Quintus’, and its form gave the impression that it had been grown rather than sculpted.

Sebastian didn’t hesitate. He pointed at the k’n-yan and clenched his fist. “Atrum pampinea!”

A forest of squirming yellow tentacles sprung up beneath the k’n-yan, grasping them and whipping them about.

Claudius looked between the two forces. Then he turned to run.

“Hey!” shouted Kham. “Get back here!”

Temporarily preoccupied, Quintus’ pointed at Claudius. “I said HOLD!”

Claudius froze in place.

A fusillade from the k’n-yan peppered the legionnaires, forcing them to hide behind their shields.

Then the k’n-yan warlord was upon them. Beldin blocked the thing’s blade-arm with Windcutter, deflecting it just in time.

Sebastian raised a hand to cast a spell, but the k’n-yan pointed at him first. A beam of yellow energy struck him. The dark-kin fell to his knees.

Kham yanked Precision out of the scabbard in Claudius’ hands...and was immediately engulfed in flames.

“Yaaah!” shrieked Kham.

The legionnaires hurled spears at the k’n-yan, who responded with sparkling yellow beams. Both sides slowly advanced down the ridge.

Kham shoved Precision back in its scabbard, still in Claudius’ frozen grip. The flames went out.

“Skiz!” Kham wrenched the scabbard out of Claudius’ hands. He took off at a sprint through the riverbed, unhindered by the muck.

The rat popped out of Kham’s satchel. “Yeah boss?”

More rays and spears arced back and forth across the ridge. Beldin backed away as Quintus charged the k’n-yan warlord.

“You know that collar I gave you?”

“The one that smells like angry dog?” Kham had taken the collar from Raze’s corpse, Aglamar’s hell hound pet. “I’m wearing it right now.”

Beldin picked up Sebastian. The beams had weakened the sorcerer so much that he could barely lift his head.

“That’s great, Skiz.” Kham kept running. Some of the legionnaires had turned their attention to him, as did the k’n-yan. Beams and spears struck in the muck to either side of him. “Give it to me.”

“But—“

“No buts, Skiz! Now!”

The talking rat wriggled out of the collar by pushing on its with his forepaws. Kham reached down and grabbed it.

It expanded to fit a human-sized neck. He put it in.

A furrow of muck spewed up behind Kham as he accelerated far beyond normal human speeds. He blurred in place for a moment. Then Kham, Skiz, and Precision were long gone.

 

[talien]

Unpaid Debts: Conclusion

The monks were still bowing in gratitude when Beldin arrived with a limping Sebastian.

Seated at the far end of the table in the great hall, Divelos smiled. “The Arch-Prelate of Tralia sends his utmost thanks. Because of your heroic actions, we have forestalled the outbreak of total war by entrusting Precision to the Order of the Blade.” He indicated his fellow monks. “The sword will be safe here in the Citadel of Storms.”

“Heroic actions?” Beldin shook his head in disbelief. “You left us there!”

Kham shrugged. “I knew Quintus wouldn’t hurt you guys. You could easily handle the k’n-yan. You even had a practice run in the Dreamheart.”

“That’s not the point,” growled Sebastian. “We could have been killed.”

“But you weren’t.” Kham handed each of them a bag of gold crowns, the reward from Duke Adolphos. “More importantly, did you tell Quintus about Ilmarė?”

Sebastian nodded. “He did not take the news well. But I think he didn’t dare say much, given that he was with his legion. After what happened in Postrava, I can’t blame him.”

Divelos cleared his throat. “And what of Claudius?”

Sebastian and Beldin exchanged looks. “He did not survive the battle.” In truth, Quintus had executed the man on the spot, partially in frustration for Kham getting away with the blade. But they weren’t about to tell Divelos that.

“That is unfortunate. Before you go, there is something you should know. We believe that a rift south of here precipitated the arrival of the k’n-yan. It’s a place called Nug’s Farm. From what Kham tells us, their appearance is grim news indeed.”

Sebastian nodded. “We will stop by there on our way to Coryan.”

“The owner of the farm is one Hillary Carbo. She may be able to—“

Kham froze. “Who?”

“Hillary Carbo. Do you know her?”

Sebastian suddenly leaned forward in his table to stare at Kham. “As in the wife of Livius Carbo?”

Kham reached for a drink. “As in the author of the King in Yellow.”

 

[talien]

Chapter 46: Nug’s Farm - Introduction

This is a Call of Cthulhu adventure from Tatters of the King, “Nug’s Farm” by Time Wiseman, set in the Arcanis setting. You can read more about Arcanis at Onara Online. Please note: This adventure contains spoilers!

Our cast of characters includes:

• Dungeon Master: Michael Tresca (http://michael.tresca.net)
• Kham Val’Abebi (val rogue/psychic warrior) played by Jeremy Ortiz (http://www.ninjarobotstudios.com)
• Beldin Soulforge (dwarf fighter/dwarven defender) played by Joe Lalumia
• Sebastian Arnyal (dark-kin sorcerer) played by George Webster

I love Call of Cthulhu adventures. Although they’re often short on logic or set up, the climactic moments are unparalleled. You just don’t get that kind of tension and excitement in most D&D games (although the Freeport series comes close). Nug’s Farm is by far the best part of the entire adventure series.

What really made the adventure fun was the purchase of a Dark Young miniature. Jeremy modified the Dark Young so its tentacles faced forwards instead of up, making it look far more menacing. He also made it a disgusting pink and purple, “anime-style” as he likes to call it, so it really was hideous looking.

As scripted, the satyrs, Atkinson, and Gresty are not meant to be fought directly. They merely summon the Dark Young, Hillary turns it, and it kills the bad guys. But this is D&D, so of course there had to be an opportunity to mix it up. Converting the Dark Young’s statistics from D20 Call of Cthulhu ensured that the thing was nigh unstoppable. Between its multiple tentacle attacks, damage reduction, immunities, and strength drain, it threatened to destroy the whole party…thus making Hillary’s ritual even more exciting.

All three characters played a pivotal part in this adventure, be it Beldin acting as a whipping post for the Dark Young, Sebastian killing off the other cultists, or Kham saving the day by NOT getting caught by the Dark Young’s tentacles and finishing the ritual. This was definitely one of the highlights of our marathon post-Thanksgiving session.