Monday, August 11, 2025

Dark Age of Eracost Session 18

 

Party

  • Baron Fingol Innes, Navgarine Keeper of the Stars 4

    • Kilosz the Cataphract, Fighter 3

    • Tavenna, Navgarine Keeper of the Stars 3

    • Iazhir, Dragonman 2

    • Ranenno, Forester-Bard 1

  • Saporobir Caan, Explorer 4

    • Bartosz, Fighter 2

    • Ileisan, Navgarine Warrior 2

    • Arananno, Navgarine Battlemage 1

    • Ransolnan, Navgarine Battlemage 1

  • Karmrakir, Tratkean Thief 3

    • Nalin, Assassin 1

    • Gregosz The Chosen One, 0-level man teenager

Recap

Sept 18, 427


After the mixed results of our previous expedition to Iarocain’s Academy, we decided to spend a week in Siaro to allow Karm to recover from his tampering with mortality roll, and to hire a new thief to replace the late Koreltos.


Word was received from our recent comrade and fellow oligarch Ambrogino that he would renounce his noble title and follow the path of an ascetic (his player is actually entering a carthusian monastery and can’t play in the campaign anymore).


In the meantime, Fingol sent a letter with his mercenaries to Tavenna, summoning her to join them, and bring some of the spearmen from Vigilant Keep. The party had been noticeably struggling with a lack of healing and missing out on lots of profit from monster parts without her.


During the week, Karm managed to hire a 1st level thief named Soreltos - the brother of the thief who had been killed on the last expedition. He also attempted to hire a Navgarine Commander-Priest, but failed to convince him.


Fingol visited the Heaven’s Lance academy and spoke to Oneswir about what they’d seen. The ring of stone at the base of the vortex of chaotic power was a total mystery, but the sigil of the raven looking downward was a known Keeper symbol, indicating a secret.


Sept 24


Party left for another delve into Ierocain’s Academy. On the way we found a dead rattlesnake in the woods. Karm extracted a dose of poison, and Saporobir picked up the trail of a group of beastmen moving away from the scene in the direction of the academy. We decided to follow.

Before catching up to the beastmen we ran into a nest of giant weasels, and harvested them for components without trouble.


Late in the day, we were suddenly attacked by a mob of bugbears. The beastmen had detected us and turned on us, catching the party by surprise. Thankfully, the party’s formation is very solid against a frontal attack. Several of the dogs and mercenaries were wounded along with the bear and spider, but the only death was a single spearman.

The party’s counterattack was fierce. Navgarine lightning and dragonman fire blasted through the bugbear ranks, and in moments the majority of them lay dead.


A few stragglers fled, but were cut down by Kilosz charging after them. Two laid down arms and were tied up. The party figured that their value as beastman slaves outweighed the value of their magical components and kept them alive (for now).


Sept 26


After a day of rest, the party entered the dungeon.


We set the new thief to work, disarming the trap which had killed his brother. Surely he wouldn’t also nope he died too.


At this point the party had a bit of a brainstorm, since Karm didn’t want to be the next thief cut in half. Finally we realized that since this was the bottom floor, Fingol could use Earth’s Excrescence. The troublesome door and its attached trap trigger were exploded with extreme prejudice.


No enemies were found inside, nor in the room marked STUDY when we broke that door open. But we did find a few very valuable gems, and a bunch of notes and maps which we tragically did not study sufficiently. Finally we found a single electrum coin, which seemed to be a key meant for the indent in the stone ring. So of course, being cautious men but expecting glorious results, we handed the coin to Ileisan and he reached out to place the coin in the ring… and was disintegrated.


This led to a whole bunch of ideas and experimentation whose only result was both of our bugbear prisoners being disintegrated as well. Finally, we read the notes.


"Any man who takes this coin to the seal shall perish into dust, but any man who has neither murder of innocent nor theft nor heresy in his soul and has been blessed or bears an item of venerable power shall not perish"


RIP, Ileisan.


The notes also revealed that the ring was containing five horrific super-specters. So honestly, they may have done us a favor by disintegrating our guy instead of opening the seal.


Sept 27


Returned to Siaro without further stupidity.

Strategic Overview

Experience

Reserve xp: 346

Fingol Keeper 4 14412 / 14560

Kilosz Fighter 3 6795 / 8000

Tavenna Keeper 3 5242 / 7280

Iazhir Dragonman 2 4063 / 5120

Ranenno Forester-Bard 1 1503 / ??

Domain

Vigilant Keep

Barony of 1 6-mile hex

Population: 56 families

Stronghold value: 60,000gp

Mercenary garrison (210gp / month):

  • 10 light infantry

  • 8 heavy infantry

  • 6 bowmen


Notes:

  • Keep contains an alchemy lab worth 4100gp

Expeditionary Force

Fingol, Tavenna, 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 5 spearmen, 3 crossbowmen


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