Dark Age of Eracost Session 16

 

Party

• Baron Fingol Innes, Navgarine Keeper of the Stars 4

• Kilosz the Cataphract, Fighter 3

• Iazhir, Dragonman 2

• Ranenno, Forester-Bard 1

• Saporobir Caan, Explorer 3

• Bartosz, Fighter 2

• Ileisan, Navgarine Warrior 2

• Arananno, Navgarine Battlemage 1

• Ransolnan, Navgarine Battlemage 1

• Karmrakir, Tratkean Thief 3

• Koreltos, Thief 2

• Nalin, Assassin 1

• The Chosen One, 0-level man teenager

Recap

Sept 16, 427

Last week the party had signed up to buy a magic item from the Nimonuin Trade Guild, with no intention of paying. Now, the day of the meeting had come, but the guild had already tried to assassinate Karmrakir, and we knew they were very suspicious of us.

After much discussion, the party decided to gather outside the guild hideout in the early morning, send a scout forward, and be ready to attack in force. Since Karmrakir was still incapacitated after his magical healing, Koreltos was chosen to pick the lock on the front door. Unfortunately, he broke his pick and jammed the lock. So we went on to plan B.

Fingol’s squad now took point. Iazhir, the hulking dragonman, forced the door with a crowbar, and charged inside with Kilosz and the armored war-bear following close behind. They found the place abandoned and cleared of valuables, with the shopkeeper and his assistant lying dead. A note had been left. Something along the lines of "Dear Keepers from Heaven's Lance Academy, we know what you're doing. Don't come after us further or we'll kill you."

Having been outmaneuvered, we contented ourselves with leaving a small reply pointing out that they have our identity wrong.

The PCs held a quick discussion, and it was decided that the company should leave Siaro and pursue the Amalgam. Better to ignore the Guild for now, while they are on high alert against us. We’ll wait for an opening to pursue them later. We immediately left and travelled to Ierocain’s academy in the forest.

On the way we encountered what appeared to be a brigand force. They greeted us politely and made no move to attack, perhaps noting that our company was fairly large and well equipped. We also noted some copper deposits which had largely been depleted - apparently by magic. The metals looked to have been ripped out from within.

At the academy, not much seemed to have changed. We made our way back to the room where Karm had fallen into the pit trap, and searched there, finding a potion and a few small gems.

We approached the room where Karm had spotted wraiths. This room was off the central chamber, so we set up a navgarine firing line and had Koreltos throw the door open. The wraiths were still there, and were surprised! A barrage of navgarine lightning and dragonman fire sorted them out before they could react.

Strategic Overview

Experience

Reserve xp: 346

Fingol Keeper 4         11503 / 14560

Kilosz Fighter 3         5340 / 8000

Tavenna         Keeper 3         4140 / 7280

Iazhir Dragonman 2 2608 / 5120

Ranenno         Forester-Bard 1 48 / ??

Domain

Vigilant Keep

Barony of 1 6-mile hex

Population: 56 families

Stronghold value: 60,000gp

Mercenary garrison (282gp / month):

• 10 light infantry

• 14 heavy infantry

• 6 bowmen

Notes:

• Keep contains an alchemy lab worth 4100gp

Expeditionary Force

Fingol, Iazhir and Ranenno on riding mules

Renenno’s Wolf

Armored War Bear

Kilosz on Medium Warhorse with backup War Mule

Animal handler with 2 hunting dogs, 5 war dogs

Baggage train of 7 draft donkeys

Mercenary squad of 3 crossbowmen

Dark Age of Eracost Session 15

 Party

• Baron Fingol Innes, Navgarine Keeper of the Stars 4

• Kilosz the Cataphract, Fighter 3

• Iazhir, Dragonman 2

• Ranenno, Forester-Bard 1

• Karmrakir, Tratkean Thief 3

• Koreltos, Thief 2

• The Chosen One, 0-level man teenager

Recap

Sept 9, 427

The next order of business in Siaro was to meet the three Navgarines the party had encountered in what we now presume to be Ierocain’s Academy. This meeting took place in a Songhouse - the traditional public house of the Navgarines.

After thanking us for the rescue, the men informed us that their secret patron had an interest in Ierocain, who had “created many evils in his quest for immortality.” Of his location they had no certain information, though they thought he was probably not still in his academy, and had heard rumors from the province of Silicesuil. Fingol theorized that their patron was Namo, but was unable to confirm.

The mysterious navgarines were looking for a creation of Ierocain - a creature called The Amalgam with the horrible ability to draw a soul from the Void and resurrect itself upon being slain. They claimed to be able to pay handsomely for the creature if it were captured. To contact them in the future, we were given a small messenger magpie, which Fingol gave into the care of Ranenno.

In the afternoon Fingol and Karm decided to look into the Nimonuin Trade Guild and the magic items they had allegedly stolen.

Koreltos introduced us to a fence working out of a fancy antique shop. Karm introduced himself as looking to buy black market magic items. When they were hesitant to talk, Fingol and Karm threatened to make them talk, breaking a few valuable antiques to drive the point home. Backed up by the hulking cataphract and dragonman, this threat was effective, and we were reluctantly given a hearing. The guild’s rep more or less confirmed that they have the items from the Heaven’s Lance Academy, and they are available for sale. We agreed to buy one of the items and set a meeting time in one week.

Karm took rooms in an inn near the guild front, and for the next week kept a watch on the building.

Sept 13

Night

In the dead of night a man opened the door and crept into Karmrakir’s room. He silently slipped in, and was immediately caught in a giant spider web??

Yes, unbeknownst to anyone, including the rest of the party, Karm had obtained a trained giant spider. The hunter was now the hunted. Karm send his bird to alert Fingol, and began to interrogate the assassin. With a hideous spider hovering over him, the man broke and admitted to being sent by the guild to eliminate Karm. Karm began to tell him about his follower - how the boy was really the chosen one of the Grand Marshall. When Fingol arrived this preaching took on a new dimension. Navgarines possess a very effective illusion technique, though it requires physical touch. With this, Fingol gave the man visions of the Chosen One, with the boy surrounded in heavenly radiance.

In the end, Karmrakir convinced Nalin the Assassin to become his henchman and turn on the guild. We staged the room as best we could without any convenient bodies, and left. We put Karm and his teenage “chosen one” into hiding.

Despite those efforts, the guild’s payment was not made to Nalin’s dead drop, so we must assume they know the assassination failed.

Sept 16

We end the session on the morning of the meeting so that more PCs could be present at the looming confrontation with the guild.

Strategic Overview

Experience

Reserve xp: 346

Fingol Keeper 4         11408 / 14560

Kilosz Fighter 3         5292 / 8000

Tavenna         Keeper 3         4140 / 7280

Iazhir Dragonman 2 2560 / 5120

Ranenno         Forester-Bard 1 0 / ??

Domain

Vigilant Keep

Barony of 1 6-mile hex

Population: 56 families

Stronghold value: 60,000gp

Mercenary garrison (282gp / month):

• 10 light infantry

• 14 heavy infantry

• 6 bowmen

Notes:

• Keep contains an alchemy lab worth 4100gp

Expeditionary Force

Fingol, Iazhir and Ranenno on riding mules

Renenno’s Wolf

Armored War Bear

Kilosz on Medium Warhorse with backup War Mule

Animal handler with 2 hunting dogs, 5 war dogs

Baggage train of 7 draft donkeys

Mercenary squad of 3 crossbowmen

Dark Age of Eracost Session 14

 

Session 14

Party

• Baron Fingol Innes, Navgarine Keeper of the Stars 4

• Kilosz the Cataphract, Fighter 3

• Saporobir Caan, Explorer 3

• Bartosz, Fighter 2

• Karmrakir, Tratkean Thief 3

Recap

August 31, 427

Morning

After pulling Karm from the spiked pit and healing him up, the party decided to back out of the basement. This was agreeable enough to the three navgarine agents we had found, and we made it out without trouble.

Rather than return to the border town of Leverenso, we decided to head deeper into Navgarin and go to the major city of Siaro. There we hoped to find a better market for the expensive jewelry we carried.

Backtracking through the forest, we ran into a massive wolf-like creature (Lesser Barghest) which attacked on sight. Despite taking a big hit from Fingol’s lightning, it tore apart one war dog and wounded another. Kilosz finished the beast off before any more damage could be done. Karm took the head of the beast as a prize and loaded it on his cart.

Evening

We arrived in Siaro and spent some time exploring, appreciating the unique architecture combining the navgarine structures grown from massive trees, and nimonuin stone construction.

A young man appeared, running through the streets screaming that the Keepers are trying to kill him. As a keeper this interested Fingol quite a bit, and he questioned the man closely. He claimed that a keeper had shot lightning at him unprovoked in the street. He stuck to his story under questioning. Bystanders also seemed to be familiar with something going on with the Keepers, saying they were “out of control”.

Sept 1

The next day, Saporobir and Fingol visited the local keeper academy “Heaven’s Lance.” On the way, they spotted guards escorting a prisoner, and Fingol asked them some questions. The man was accused of thievery related to a group called the Nimonuin Trade Guild - an organized crime group. The guards shared the rumor that even the keepers had been robbed, and had lost magic items!

At the academy, we had a long conversation with a high-ranking keeper named Onesvwir. We learned that the keepers were familiar with the ruined academy we found in the woods - it was related to Ierocain, a former leader of Heaven’s Lance who had gone rogue, researching forbidden magic. He was considered a heretic for believing in something called the Apprentice’s Gambit. We learned that Ierocain had several apprentices, and that another high-ranking keeper named Namo had disappeared around the same time. Oneswvir also confirmed that Ierocain had been researching an idea called siphoning, where natural power is drained from living creatures. This technique is not strictly considered evil, but was banned due to political pressure from a sect called the Vizirites.

Asked about the out of control keeper controversy, Oneswvir called it slander based on fears that Ierocain was behind a recent increase in monster activity. The vizirites have been agitating, trying to force the local Commander-Priest to call in the Grand Vizier (ruler of Navgarin) to rule against the keepers.

Asked about the stolen magic items, he enumerated them: a mace +1, a ring of protection +3 and a prized staff of the mage! He blamed the Nimonuin Trade Guild for the thefts.

Sept 2-8

The party put out a call for henchmen, and made some very interesting hires.

Saporobir hired 3 new henchmen, bringing him to his cap:

• Two 1st-level Navgarine Battlemages who happen to be brothers: Arananno and Ransolnan

• ¾ spellcaster class similar to ACKS Elven Spellsword but toned down a bit

• 2nd level Navgarine Warrior Ileisan

• ¼ spellcaster + Fighter

Karmrakir hired a 2nd level thief, Koreltos.

Fingol hired 2 new henchmen, also bringing him to his hiring cap:

• 1st level Forester Bard Ranenno

• This is a unique navgarine class that mixes the concept of explorer and bard. It is also a ¼ navgarine caster

• 2nd level Dragonman Iazhir

• Dragonmen are a crazy class similar to 1e Thrassians. They are fighters with flight and a breath weapon. A very rare find since most dragonmen are chaotic, and even this one has pagan beliefs that clash with the party in various ways.

Back in Rantalin

Tavenna finished studying her new techniques and returned to Vigilant Keep.

With the investments in agriculture made, and the tales of the adventures of Fingol, Gregoire and Ambrogino spreading, 56 families settled on the newly cleared farmland.

Strategic Overview

Experience

Reserve xp: 346

Fingol Keeper 4         11408 / 14560

Kilosz Fighter 3         5292 / 8000

Tavenna         Keeper 3         4140 / 7280

Iazhir Dragonman 2 2560 / 5120

Ranenno         Forester-Bard 1 0 / ??

Domain

Vigilant Keep

Barony of 1 6-mile hex

Population: 56 families

Stronghold value: 60,000gp

Mercenary garrison (282gp / month):

• 10 light infantry

• 14 heavy infantry

• 6 bowmen

Notes:

• Keep contains an alchemy lab worth 4100gp

Expeditionary Force

Fingol, Iazhir and Ranenno on riding mules

Renenno’s Wolf

Armored War Bear

Kilosz on Medium Warhorse with backup War Mule

Animal handler with 2 hunting dogs, 5 war dogs

Baggage train of 7 draft donkeys

Mercenary squad of 3 crossbowmen