Middle Plains Campaign Session 25

 Andrzej

• Olivier Dufresne, Venturer 2 (replacing the retired character Charr)

Brooke

• Swanhild of Eldeskhur, Barbarian 2
• Hilda Zorig, Barbarian 1

Matt

• Huzn Erste, Dwarven Fury 3
• Denis, Crusader of Phanriel 3

Mike

• Snak, Barbarian 1
• Gerrit, Fighter 1

Panem 14, 1181 EC, about 3:30 pm

The Body Builders had just returned from the ruined temple beneath the Truber Forest, lugging a huge bronze bell. In the relative peace of the forest, Denis read the bell’s inscription: “The Song of Mityara,” and explained to the party that Mityara was the Empyrean goddess of community and civic virtue. This temple then logically must have belonged to the era when the First Auran Empire had extended across the Middle Plains, over 17 centuries ago.

The party’s attention then turned to planning their next destination, given the approach of the Witch Moon, five days away. Huzn favored returning to Priorsford immediately, in case of another attack on the town by Riele and Adan. Swanhild argued for staying with Ehsan and continuing to delve the temple immediately after the Witch Moon. Eventually they decided to seek shelter with Ehsan for the moment and postpone the decision.

Olivier asked the old Wizard for his hospitality, and he agreed to give them a hayloft until the Witch Moon, but no longer.

Panem 15

The next day, after further debate, Swanhild was convinced to return to Priorsford with the promise of another expedition into the forest soon. After a failed attempt to sell the bell and to acquire a horse, the party set out.

The two days' journey back to Priorsford were uneventful aside from a small moment of excitement caused by a screaming goat.

(Out of character note: upon returning to Priorsford, the party members other than Olivier received a large amount of treasure XP, but didn’t know why. Astute readers may notice a treasure that the party has completely forgotten about!

Another note while I’m in out-of-character mode. This campaign uses a rule taken from Rick Stump’s AD&D campaign to modify ACKS II’s experience rules. Experience for valuable treasures such as magic items and giant bronze bells is scored immediately upon returning to civilization, not upon sale of the goods. Magic item XP is half the base value.)

Panem 17

Huzn and Olivier set about selling the bronze bell. The brothers at the priory were interested in its historic significance, but would pay little. However, Oliviere managed to find a buyer: Horst Winkler, a merchant interested in trade with the Eastern (Aeonic) Auran Empire.

Oliviere also managed to establish friendly relations with the religious scholars of the priory, and with Sascha Waltz, the head of the local House of the Eyeless, sharing with them his interest in arcane artifacts.

Swanhild spent the day thoroughly searching her father’s old room at the Bent Wheel Inn, but the effort proved fruitless.

Snak and Gerrit returned to their fishermen militia and resumed their training regimen.

The party planned out downtime for the next few days and looked forward to the Witch Moon.

Treasure: Nothing new (treasure from the past two sessions was brought home)

Enemies defeated: None

XP: 11000 for the party aside from Olivier, 500 for the full party.

1268 for Henchmen

2535 for PCs aside from Olivier

91 for Olivier

Current XP totals:

Huzn: 10096/9800 (advances to level 4)

Swanhild: 6326/4500 (advances to level 3)

Snak: 3356/2250 (advances to level 2)

Olivier: 2977/3000 (level 2)

Denis: 4948/6000 (level 3)

Meinard: 3020/4000 (level 2)

Gerrit: 1646/2000 (level 1)

Gustav: 150/2500 (level 1)

Hilda: 1472/2000 (level 1)

Middle Plains Campaign Session 24

Andrzej

• Olivier Dufresne, Venturer 2 (replacing the retired character Charr)

Brooke

• Swanhild of Eldeskhur, Barbarian 2
• Hilda Zorig, Barbarian 1

Matt

• Huzn Erste, Dwarven Fury 3
• Denis, Crusader of Phanriel 3

Mike

• Snak, Barbarian 1
• Gerrit, Fighter 1

Panem (August) 14, 1181 EC, about 2 pm

Play resumed with Swanhild and Snak with their henchmen at table with Ehsan the Wizard. They pressed him for further information, and offered some of their own stories about the Black Knight in return.

Ehsan confirmed that the knight was likely his old friend Adan Rosul, based on their description. Adan had used a set of black plate armor with a closed helm, and his cursed sword had the ability to burst into flames. Ehsan also offered them an additional piece of information - when Adan visited Ehsan’s compound, he always left through a mysterious stair in the woods. Ehsan guessed that he used a branch of the underground river to travel back to Priorsford.

When Swanhild and Snak began making plans to check out the staircase, Ehsan introduced them to a guide - Olivier Dufresne, an escaped Teppish slave. The diminutive man didn’t look like much, but he promised to show them the way.

With this they said goodbye to Ehsan, met up with Huzn and Denis who had stayed outside, and followed Olivier into the woods. As promised, in little more than an hour they came to a small clearing with the remnant of ruined walls and a spiral stairway running down into the earth. Huzn determined that it was of human construction, old, but not nearly as ancient as the Etheri statue.

About 100 ft. down the stair ended in an arched doorway into what appeared to be a large flagstone courtyard. A fountain stood in the center and the flagstones angled downward away from them. The courtyard was flooded about 10 feet ahead.

As Snak ducked through the doorway, he spotted a group of lizardmen skulking behind the fountain. After an exchange of javelins and arrows, The lizardmen charged the party, but the barbarians held their ground and cut them down.

Crossing the flooded court, they came to the facade of a church. In the Narthex they found two statues, a male and a female, both beheaded and defaced.

In the northern tower they found a huge bronze bell inscribed with Classical Auran writing, but they didn’t read it immediately. Instead Huzn tried to detach and lower it, but tragically botched the attempt, dropping the bell, breaking the wooden loft floor and sending the bell 50 ft down with a resounding crash.

This crash drew another gang of lizardmen who stormed into the narthex lead by a burly lizardman champion. Wisely, Swanhild, Hilda and Denis had prepared themselves at the doors, and the lizardmen were again dispatched without losses.

The party peered through the doors and saw that the nave of the church was split in half, with the underground river running through the middle of it. About 90 feet away, across the river, a slim, white-robed, hooded figure stood at a black altar with 4 strangely thin humanoid figures. More lizardmen also lurked about in the temple sanctuary. Olivier identified the humanoids as Flay Fiends, which he had seen during his time as a slave in the Blackhand Dominion.

With Snak and Gerrit wounded and Denis out of healing, the party decided to back off, but not without their hard-earned bell! With the prodigious muscles of Snak and Huzn they laboriously hauled it back up the stairs to the surface.

Treasure (not returned): A 400 lb bronze bell, inscribed with the name “The Song of Mityara” (badly dented)

Enemies defeated: 9 lizardmen, 1 lizardman champion

XP: 380

95 per PC

48 per henchman

Current XP totals:

Huzn: 7561/12400 (level 3)

Swanhild: 3791/5200 (level 2)

Snak: 821/2600 (level 1)

Olivier: 2886/3000 (level 2)

Denis: 3680/6000 (level 3)

Meinard: 3020/4000 (level 2)

Gerrit: 378/2000 (level 1)

Gustav: 150/2500 (level 1)

Hilda: 204/2000 (level 1)