The Liberation of Tenh (updated April 24)

[(contact)]

There was a bleeding stone at the center of a bizarre nest of giants that the liberators cleaned out some time ago... any connection?

Cheers

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer?

A handwritten note from a being identified as “Festering” charges the Lamia with “converting and transforming all giant supplicants, willing or no” and “harvesting any dissenters”. The group concludes that “harvesting” is a metaphor for gathering body parts, as the grisly butchery C’min and Elijah witnessed seems to indicate. The note further instructs the Lamia to deliver any “harvested” giants to an excavation site, and bring them “before the Bleeding Stone”. The note gives directions for a caravan to follow a trail further North and East, into the heart of Tenh’s Northern mountain range.

The passage connects to the base of the excavation. A series of rough-cut concentric circles widen as they rise in height, and the chamber is exposed to the frigid, thin air. The group stands on the largest circle—a ledge some forty feet in width, running around a circumference of several hundred feet. In the center of the chamber, a support structure of posts, pillars and cross-beams is built into the ice and stone. Ropes and pulleys dangle from the construction, and three frost giants stand upon it, pulling up huge loads of stone and ice, or hacking into the mountain with pick-axes. Another giant supervises the work, hands on his hips. This supervisor is heavily tattooed, but the giant is too far away for the party to make the designs out.

At the center of the bowl-shaped tier excavation, a massive obelisk rises half-exposed. The obelisk is composed of a material so dark as to absorb the light, dimming the scene around it. The thing is covered with fine traceries that glow like pulsing phosphorescent veins along its length. When examined, the thing seems to shunt the viewer’s gaze off to one side, and directly looking at the obelisk causes the vibratory sensation to grow in strength. Elijah is sure for a moment that the traceries are not veins, but rivulets of blood, innocent blood—children’s blood, enough blood to . . . she averts her gaze before her morale degenerates any further.

Just at that moment, all of the giants in the room raise their heads in unison and stare directly at Elijah.

Elijah, meet the Bleeding Stone.

As the supervisor giant comes screaming into the party’s torch-light, the group notices that his tattoos are actually cut-marks—hundreds of them, covering his mostly naked body from head to toe. The cut-marks duplicate the twisted traceries of the Bleeding Stone, and appear to be self-inflicted. The giant bellows forward and literally runs over Thrommel before coming to a stop in the midst of the spellcasters. Where he stops, a thick, noxious mist rises from the ground, obscuring all sight, rising to the height of his chest.

Althea's correspondence relates entirely to the Bleeding Stone. According to her letters, the Bleeding Stone is one of seven great artifacts that predate and presage the birth of Iuz in the Flannaes, objects that are considered sentient (if entirely alien) and self-aware. The Seven Stones appeared in what was to become the land of Iuz, and prepared the tribes there for their eventual unification under his tyrannical rule. Shortly after his birth, they disappeared, and were assumed to be scattered to the far corners of the Flannaes. The Stones are apparently resistant to normal divinations, and their locations have only gradually been discovered by Iuzian search teams, operating under the direction of Cranzer of Riftcrag, a member of the Lesser Boneheart.

Althea mentions three other Stones that are in the possession of the Iuzian forces, and levels the threat that the last stone to be reclaimed will result in the death of the official in charge of its discovery. She hopes that this will spur Festering and the others on toward an ever-greater zeal in their service to the Old One.

Althea states in one letter that the Seven Stones are fractured parts of one great whole—an object of epic power that would “open lost gates” and “hasten the alliances for which we have worked since the Great War”.

 

[(contact)]

See, now I don't see a TPK coming. At least not for the Liberators. I think they've just been shown the tunnel under the fortress.

Sigh. Not our Liberators. I had given them an out, but as we'll see, they killed the sh-t out of it.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Short answer? Yes.

Long answer?

Thanks (contact).

That'll teach 'em to not chase down exactly what was going on with the bleeding stone - and with all those clues too! I guess they may have though other stuff was more important but they seem to have been forgetting the most basic lesson they learnt at the temple.

Take it one level at a time, clean out that entire level, and move on.

The world is a whole lot bigger than the dungeon, but they left some loose ends a-dangling that it seems they shouldn't

Great manouvre on your part though.

Cheers

 

[coyote6]

Sigh. Not our Liberators. I had given them an out, but as we'll see, they killed the sh-t out of it.

Oops. So, is this really The End?

And if so, does this . . .

that Shadow in the North

...mean there's going to be a sequel? Starting around midnight, maybe?

 

[Schmoe]

See, now I don't see a TPK coming. At least not for the Liberators. I think they've just been shown the tunnel under the fortress. All the other shiney, happy people are going to kill themselves charging the front gate, but the Liberators are going aroun' back.

Having read some of the ideas in the "thread of doom" (can't find the link right now), my money is on the TPK.

 

[CrusadeDave]

Expectations of Grandeur

Sigh. Not our Liberators. I had given them an out, but as we'll see, they killed the sh-t out of it.

And you expected strategy? From the party that ignored the emotes until after they were kidknapped, never investigated the Bleeding Stones, takes months off at a time to take breaks from crossing items off of the list, gained a massive enemy in Panshzek, facillitated the assasination of an innocent noble child, probably have gotten on "The Elder Conclave's" list, picked a fight with a nation-state that wasn't controlled by Iuz, actively initiated a coup in Stoink, picked a fight with the Boon Companions, has no real support in any major church structure, including the Holy Liberator's own faith.....

Strategy isn't their strong point. Now Tactics, there's something they excel at. I have total faith in their ability to wipe the floor with the baddies we created in the Dirty Rotten Thread. (contact) I posted some questions there today, btw....

Of course, three Wizards who can Wish, and a Cleric who can Miracle helps out a bit. Heydricus isn't a stiff, either, and no that's not just the rumors.

 

[skullsmurfer]

wow this stuff is fantastic. i love the characters and the violence. the whole rip on the Boon Companions is a plus, my brother has the books. Ha! Keep up the good work I will be watching for the next update.

 

[Joshua Randall]

I have to start being more careful about reading the LoT story immediately before my own game. Because last night, when my PCs went to meet with the mysterious stranger who was going to sell them crucial information, my initial thought was An empowered magic missile would certainly get his attention, especially coupled with a charge action plus feat of strength plus smite. Then I remembered that my PCs are not named Heydricus and Prisantha.

 

[(contact)]

And you expected strategy? From the party that ignored the emotes until after they were kidknapped, never investigated the Bleeding Stones, takes months off at a time to take breaks from crossing items off of the list, gained a massive enemy in Panshzek, facillitated the assasination of an innocent noble child, probably have gotten on "The Elder Conclave's" list, picked a fight with a nation-state that wasn't controlled by Iuz, actively initiated a coup in Stoink, picked a fight with the Boon Companions, has no real support in any major church structure, including the Holy Liberator's own faith.....

Um. Touche. What was I thinking?

 

[CrusadeDave]

Um. Touche. What was I thinking?

Sorry if I offended. My previous post was a bit... harsh. It was meant in the best intentions. Can't wait to hear more about the Liberators futile attempts to investigate your well crafted plots and wonderful deep DMing and instead leap headlong into close-combat free for alls with all of the nasties you've decided to punish them with for ignoring your hard work and eye for detail.

This story hour rules all.