AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

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Fortesque
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AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by Fortesque » Fri May 18, 2018 4:52 am

SpiRitual Enlightenment
Time: 2018-05-18@23:59 GMT
GM: Fortesque (Whyr'wyndyl)
Circle: 4
Difficulty: Medium

Player Rewards:
Osahar: 2200 legend, 550 silver, 3 TIPs
Dubhan: 2200 legend, 550 silver, 3 TIPs
Durgin: 2200 legend, 550 silver, 3 TIPs
Nista: 2200 legend, 550 silver, 3 TIPs
Ursula: 2200 legend, 550 silver, 3 TIPs

Downtime Actions Available:
Dubhan: Downtime: Alchemy 7 (Rank 3, Per 7, Kit -3) : Booster Potion
Dubhan: Research 21 ( Rank 4, Per 7, Speed Read +6, Karma +4) If the 20sp Library Access Fee is covered, Research goes to 24.
Osahar: Mapmaking 8 (Rank 1, PER 7)
Nista: Alchemy 10 (Rank 3, Booster Potion, Kelia’s Antidote, Kelix's Poultice)
Durgin: Item History step 10 + karma
Researchers may spend 20/2 Silver for +3 Steps

Further Information:
Sevaughan's immoral behavior has been ended.
Parched has gathered some Karma back.
Sevaughan's tower hideout may have been abandoned with active traps.
Last edited by Fortesque on Sun May 20, 2018 8:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CodexDragon
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Re: AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by CodexDragon » Fri May 18, 2018 3:12 pm

Notes submitted by Osahar

Durgin, a dwarf Troubadour, put together a group of adepts to track down an elf Nethermancer, Sevaughan, who has been performing evil deeds. Besides myself and Durgin, we had Ursula, a dwarf Beastmaster, Nista, an elf Nethermancer, and Dubhan, a dwarf Wizard.

We did not know where this Sevaughan could be located, so we started trying to gather some information in the Grand Bazaar. We found out that he was from Kaer Avon, coincidentally where our Nethermancer, Nista, was from. Nista was familiar with this person's name from her tim in the Kaer, but that was all. The only information that seemed useful was that there was an elf Thief in Avon, Lowtaun, who is a dealer in secrets and might have the information we need.

Our travel to Kaer Avon was uneventful and we were granted admittance. We made our way to the Winds of Change Inn to find Lowtaun. He required us to play cards with him in order to get any information. Besides Lowtaun and our party at the table, there was also a man named Watson, and Archer and former associate of Sevaughan's. The card game went in our favor and we received some useful information. Two possible locations of interest were discussed, an old tower, which he no longer uses and is probably trapped, and a cave, where he might have cast some rituals.

We headed for the cave. Our first night was interrupted by some off sounds, like drums or something. Turns out there was some kind of bone spirit nearby. It was trapped in some circle, so it could not harm us, and we left it alone. The rest of the trip to the cave was uneventful. When we got there and entered, we were attacked by a number of those flying creatures that windlings like to tame and ride. Sevaughan was there too, but two arrows was enough to make him no longer a concern. After killing or driving off the rest of the creatures, Ursula heard a scream further within the cavern system. We rushed over there and saw some tall humanoid with spikes of earth coming out of him and a five dead bodies at his feet. The five bodies were reanimated as cadaver men and the big one disappeared after ominously saying that he had "gotten what he needed". Dubhan later told us that it was a horror; a wyrmskull. We killed the cadaver men, looted the area, and made our way back to Throal.

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etherial
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Re: AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by etherial » Fri May 18, 2018 6:04 pm

25 Mawag, 1423 T.H.

Dearest Mother and Father:

Fliver is occupied helping his fellow Windlings recover from their experience, but we could no longer wait to eliminate Sevaughan and we pressed on without him. In his stead, we recruited Pethrytholilanista, who is also an Elf Nethermancer from Kaer Avon, in the hopes that she would cancel out Sevaughan's area of expertise. We also recruited Osahar, a male Elf Archer, whose ability to track Sevaughan would ensure he could not escape again.

The journey to Avonmore, Kaer Avon's foreign quarter has become routine to me now, and we made the trip in no time at all. We met with Lowtaun, the local power broker, who wanted our assistance in parting a business associate from his money. This business associate had previously worked with Sevaughan, and, properly endebted to us, Lowtaun believed he would help.

As you know, I was only ever barely able to pass in my comportment classes, and I had no experience in this particular card game, but my abilities to Distract and Deceive were honed in my days in the circus, and I had some word-fame to to rely on as well. My other compatriots tried various schemes to annoy, cheat, and bluff their way into Watson's money, all to varying but ultimately good enough, degrees of success.

Properly fleeced, Watson now agreed to assist us in revenging the Windlings, and to a lesser degree, avenging Watson. He explained that he was familiar with a ruined tower where Sevaughan sometimes conducted business as well as a cave that Sevaughan was likely to be using as a hideout. Lacking a proper Thief (Linus was still in jail), we opted to try our luck in the cave.

The general tenor of the land in Sevaughan's domain was subdued, and the night air echoed with the rattling of the Skeleton Spirits in his Nethermantic Circles. The cave itself was relatively easy to find, and though it had a swift and cold underground river winding through it, we found the way clear and the footing sound. A small flock of zoaks accompanied Sevaughan, who warned of dire consequences if we interrupted his schemes. Several of Osahar's arrows penetrated his chest and he died.

A scream reverberated through the cave and I leapt from my position on the bridge onto the shore upstream. I raced to discover the owner of this scream, but I was too late. A monstrous creature made of living worms and elemental earth stood towering over six corpses, laughing. The experience rattled me, and I sense it gained strength in my unease. As the rest of the party arrived to support, it raised the dead around it into an army, thanked me for my aid (unwillingly given), and vanished.

The newly risen Cadaver Men threated to surround and devour me, but Durgin risked life and limb to charge one while Zimbu and Damkina protected me from another and I clawed yet another. Nista used one of her Spells to crumble the injured Cadaver Men to death and we were able to defeat the monster's army. Sevaughan may be dead and the Cadaver Men returned to rest, but the monster itself remains at large.

Yours,

Ursula von Knuckebreaker, née Nusserman

PCs:
Dubhan Goronich, male Dwarf Wizard
Durgin Trotter, male Dwarf Troubadour
Osahar, male Elf Archer
Pethrytholilanista, female Elf Nethermancer
Ursula von Knucklebreaker, female Dwarf Beastmaster

NPCs:
Lowtaun, male Elf Power Broker
Watson, male Elf Archer
Sevaughan, male Elf Nethermancer
Damkina, a Bear
Zimbu, a Monkey

Parched, a Wormskull

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by BattleChad » Fri May 18, 2018 8:58 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Osahar and Ursula for their contributions.

Journal Rewards: 110 Legend Points and 137 Silver
Last edited by BattleChad on Fri May 18, 2018 11:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

ottdmk
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Re: AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by ottdmk » Fri May 18, 2018 9:14 pm

From the journals of Dubhan Goronich:

Perhaps the most frightening adventure I have been on yet.

Durgin & I reunited with Ursula, the Dwarven Beastmaster, to hunt down the slaver Sevaughan. On this task we were joined by Osahar the Archer and Nista. Nista is an Elven Nethermancer from Kaer Avon. Her presence was of great help on this. For one thing, it was useful to have a citizen of Kaer Avon with us when we returned there.

At Avon we consulted with Lowtaun, a Thief and owner of the Winds of Change Inn. He provided introduction to a former colleague of Sevaughan named Watson, and embroiled us in a game of chance that ultimately bullied Watson into helping us locate the Nethermancer.

Before I knew it we were back at the location the Ogre's note had given to seek Sevaughan. We were able to avoid the spirits bound to the area and were soon in the cave that Watson had described to us.

The fight with Sevaughan was brief. Sevaughan was upset that we were interrupting something, and attacked us along with a bone spirit and a small flock of zoaks. We were able to make quick work of them and Sevaughan himself was ended in spectacular fashion by Osahar's bow. We were not done however...

A scream sent Ursula on the hunt with the rest of us close behind. We discovered a Horrow, a Wormskull to be precise. It had been part of a dark ritual and the fiend soon raised the dead around it as cadavermen. It appeared to be altered, somehow... I believe the ritual was to empower it. Informing us that it had taken all it needed, it vanished (thank goodness.) After a brief skirmish we were able to lay the cadavermen to rest. (Thanks in large part to Nista, who has powerful anti-undead magics.)

The presence of the Horror fills me with unease. I shall probably spend a good amount of time using my Astral Sight to examine my pattern, wondering if the Horror has marked me for further attention...

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by BattleChad » Fri May 18, 2018 11:05 pm

The Great Library of Throal thanks Dubhan for his contributions.

Journal Rewards: 110 Legend Points and 137 Silver

Slimcreeper
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Re: AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by Slimcreeper » Sun May 20, 2018 12:11 am

Durgin Trotter,
in the company of Dubhan (dwarf wizard), Ursula (dwarf beastmaster), Osahar (elf archer), and Pethrytholilanista (elf Nethermancer)

Finally, some satisfaction regarding Sevaughan, though I fear we may have been late in intervening. Our first stop was kaer Avon, to speak with Lowtaun, an elf and a sort of thief of secrets. We engaged in a card game, which went marvelously, in that we didn't lose too much money and we did succeed in convincing Lowtaun to help us. Watson, another elf and allegedly an Archer, joined us. My game was a bit off in reading the room and music selection, so I played the part of a vital young adventurer, bursting with bravado. Nista, by constrast, was cool and menacing as only a Nethermancer can be. Osahar menaced Watson. Lowtaun revealed that Watson had traveled with Sevaughan. Through a combination of bold cardplay and carefully managed intimidation, we left the table with an agreement from Watson to lead us to our foe.

We were told of two options, the Nethermancer's tower and a cave being used fro ritual magic. As it came out that the mage had probably vacated the tower, which was probably full of traps, we went straight to the cave. There we found Sevaughan with a number of pet zoaks. I was accustomed to windlings racing them around the halls of Throal. It took me off guard to find them coming for my throat. Nevertheless, Fortalice and I rushed ahead onto a sort of stone bridge. I flung a spear at our foe, but he dodged at the last second. Duhban boosted our melee to a deadly degree. In fact, I felt some of myself fade away and lost myself in the rage. Ursula's friends, a monkey Named Zimbu and a bear named Damkina, fell on the creatures with a vengeance. Osahar, with a typical Archer's eye for the main target, dropped Sevaughan with a couple of arrows, but not before he summoned a boney spirit to attack me. Without the mage to direct them, the spirit and creatures fell quickly. Fortalice and Ursula made a good account of themselves.

A cry drew our party deeper into the cave, were a truly terrifying sight was revealed to us. A horror that resembled an animate corpse writhing with maggots, nearly composed of maggots, raised 5 cadavermen to attack. I immediately charged - never have I responded so quickly in combat! only to find Ursula already in the midst of them. I struck the same cadaverman, but was flung from Fortalice's back by the impact. We fell to on the cadavermen, and accounted our business well. All the time keeping an eye on the horror. It did not directly attack us, only sending fear into Ursula's animals. It simply leered at us, and I swear I felt a dry airless wind pulling at us, drawing our very souls to it. After a few rounds it simple said that it had what it needed of us and disappeared. I am very concerned about what that portends.

I learned later that it was a Wormskull Named Parched, and it became apparent that Sevaughan had implemented a ritual using the elemental earth he had gathered from the ogre to augment the horror's natural armor. I fear this legend will feature terror before the customary happy ending is revealed.

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BattleChad
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Re: AAR: SpiRitual Enlightenment

Post by BattleChad » Mon May 21, 2018 5:20 am

The Great Library of Throal thanks Durgin for his contributions.

Journal Rewards: 110 Legend Points and 137 Silver

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