22 Dec 2019 23:28
Setting
Late in Fire Season, as Ethrava returns to her Clan to live a dull life again, accompanied by Saronil, who ransomed her, and Varaema, her Praxian Guide.
Plot taken from Journey of the Heroes episode 2, episode 3 and episode 5 - significant NPCs are the same, although there is no overarching 'go Westfaring, young man'.
Brief Flashback
Saronil had a run-in with a Duck who declared he was running a Customs Post for the new Prince, Kallyr. Saronil happily paid 5 Clacks to help defend the Kingdom, despite being a bit puzzled by the fact there was only one person at the roadblock.
IC Play
As the group were riding down towards Wilmskirk, or in Ethrava's case attempting to control her Sun Elk on the way to Wilmskirk, they were caught up by a Duck on foot, who noticed Saronil and ordered him to follow, saying he should bring his friends, as they might be needed. All he would say was that there was a problem with the Undead in Whitewall. It was not until they had reached the city that the Duck even stopped to introduce himself; his name was D'Val the Sword, and he was travelling to Wilmskirk because there had been a call for a Humakti Hero. His Temple had sent him. As a Duck with absolutely nothing to prove, when he bought them all drinks it was pints all round, including for him.
Ethrava had heard of D'Val, and talked about his tales - he was eight feet tall with eyes of fire, she said. D'Val corrected her, first about his height and second about the number of eyes he had. D'Val did not know much about what he was going to be facing.
That evening being Wildday, D'Val took Saronil to a private room for worship. The Duck's Rune Magic failed him, but Saronil stepped in to Sanctify the place, and then D'Val led him through the night's worship. During that time, Saronil noticed the sword he was using was iron. D'Val was not just a Duck, but a Rune Lord.
In the morning, Varaema had to worship, but it was deemed a White Lady would be safe when travelling overnight, and D'Val told her to do that. The others travelled to Whitewall over the course of the next day, and found a shanty town around an empty, destroyed hill fort. D'Val bought them rooms at the only 'inn' in town, a tiny place that sold food, drink, and floor space. Saronil and Ethrava did some evening rounds to talk to guards, finding out that there were shambling undead beyond the gates up into the White City itself, and booking a conversation with the local Orlanthi, Gostin. Unbeknownst to them, D'Val was Divining on what they would face, and found out that there were servants of Delecti about. He spent part of the night searching for vampires, and slept the rest. In the morning, he sent the pair off to speak to Gostin, and had another nap. Varaema arrived in the 'city', having not asked at Wilmskirk about what was known about the situation in Whitewall.
Gostin and his bard had also heard of D'Val the Sword, although they were rather disappointed when Ethrava told them how he was 4'7" with a single metaphorical eye of fire. Saronil changed the subject. Gostin offered to raise the militia, but, as Ethrava noticed, he did not use the word 'fyrd', which indicated he did not have the right to call men up under him. Nevertheless he said he could get twenty men in to fight. The numbers in the hill fort were estimated around 50 undead.
Varaema arrived reported to the guards and then the inn to find out where people were, and then to the makeshift Temple of Chalana Arroy where she met and impressed the High Healer, Jaldis. Jaldis was able to tell her that the inner city probably held 30-50 undead.
Ethrava and Saronil checked with the guards again, and called for ladders once they were sure the zombies could not climb. Saronil spotted that, incredibly, some of the bodies were wearing Lismeldan wave-pattern cloth, a marker of the Tribe from West of Colymar lands. They seemed to have been dead for under a year, although Saronil was not sure if that was the magic of undeath keeping them. When they checked later, D'Val indicated that was possible. He also told Saronil to take command. On the way around the city, they noticed the near-drought conditions. There was a river nearby but there had been no rains for a while. Ethrava checked in with the local Ernaldan Initiate (no Priestess here) and was told it had been at least six weeks since rain.
The next day, the militia mustered around dawn. Saronil failed to impress them, but D'Val suddenly turned into a shouty sergeant-major sort, and terrified them into believing in their new leader.1 Saronil lead the group up through the gates, but found that he was losing control as the zombies hit his front line. D'Val asked him for permission to command, which he gave, as zombies were all up in the everything.
With Ethrava in the back row with Varaema, most of the group got up the hill unscathed.2 However, Saronil's arm was broken by a zombie and he was about to be killed by another when it flew to pieces as D'Val used Turn Undead.3 In the final charge, Ethrava was badly hit in the head and then trampled by D'Val running over her to get zombies, while the other two were also injured.4 Saronil healed himself enough to look around for his charges, and found that Ethrava was dying near to him, so he saved her. Varaema tried to fix Ethrava's head wound with first aid and made it worse5, and one of the militia had to use magic. They traipsed up to where D'Val was finding out, much to his displeasure, that he hated being hoisted shoulder-high by the victorious men he had just led.
At the top of the hill, all slightly worse for wear, they found that only four buildings still stood in the centre, although there were no undead things here. The buildings were temples to Humakt, Chalana Arroy, Ernalda, and Orlanth. Saronil detected the undead near them, and found that three - Orlanth's, Ernalda's, and Humakt's had undead in. Up close the temples had all been defaced. Those of Orlanth and Chalana Arroy were thatched, and the thatch was in bad condition on Chalana Arroy's Temple.
While he was planning how to deal with the Temple of Humakt, Saronil realised that the thatch on the Temple of Orlanth was on fire6, and ordered the men to form up outside it. A beautiful-looking woman emerged, and looked D'Val in his remaining eye. The Duck froze7,but Saronil ordered his men to charge, and led them, and the woman turned into smoke and fled. They were unable to work out where she had gone, but when D'Val started being able to move again8, he looked pointedly at the smoke of the burning thatch.
There were now, to Saronil's senses, two undead in the Temple of Humakt. However, once he had formed up his men to go in, with him and D'Val at the front, he could sense no more. D'Val, Saronil and Ethrava went into the Temple of Humakt to find there was a rip in the air there, and they could see some sort of swamp through it. Varaema went to her own temple, and found a White Lady had been killed there, nailed to the ground. Ethrava's Temple had had the lower half filled in, desecrating that, too.
D'Val sent Saronil to fine Ethrava and tell her to keep quiet about the rip for a bit, but to send for Gostin, and get ready to go for help9. Varaema sent down the hill for Jaldis, and then started to prepare the dead body for a proper pyre and burial.10
Jaldis came up the hill with Gostin, and met Varaema. The young White Lady had just found a medallion that the body had been wearing, which Jaldis took and put on. D'Val arranged with Gostin for supplies to be made ready and sent with the group, and then sent them to Boldhome to explain the situation and ask for help. Jaldis noted to Varaema there was no need to ask the White Ladies there.
The journey, which was uneventful, took two days, first up to Wilmskirk and then a short day's ride up to Boldhome. Ethrava was riding on a borrowed bison rather than risk her Sun Elk misbehaving, but it turned out she could not make those work properly either11
In Boldhome, Ethrava made straight for the Earth Temple to make nice with Kalis, the High Priestess there, while Varaema went to the Temple of Chalana Arroy to help out. There, she was quickly spotted as having troubles in her mind and put into the area of the hospital that had women in childbirth, and bad wounds. This was also, not by coincidence, where an Initiate was singing the Comfort Song.
Saronil thought a bit about Lord Eril Humakti, and whether he should go straight to the Prince, or whether he should go via Eril. He decided his duty was to avoid telling the High Sword of Humakt about what was going on, but to do as D'Val had indicated and talk to Kallyr directly. He climbed up the thousand steps to the palace, and asked for an audience. When it was granted, Kallyr Starbrow saw him in a small room with a couple of attendants. She named herself over his stammers12, and also introduced her Chief Priest Tennebris and Lord Eril. Saronil explained the problem including the rift in the Humakti Temple. Kallyr looked at Eril, who admitted grudgingly that he did indeed know how to dedicate a Temple. She told Tennebris and Eril to deal with it, and Saronil was dismissed.
Saronil walked down the stairs with Eril13 and met Kalis14 and Ethrava15 coming up. Eril sent them up to the palace16 to find out what was going on. At the bottom of the stairs he informed Saronil that they would travel to Whitewall together.
The next day they set off for Whitewall as a group.17 and spent two days getting there. As they came in towards the city there was a decision to be made on whether to push on into darkness18 Eril was not in favour of doing so, but Ethrava pointed out to Tennebris that there were Initiates of Ernalda who might be in danger, and this was enough to hurry them on. At the top of Whitewall, Tennebris looked glumly at the remains of his Temple and then he and Kalis had a cheat-off for whose Temple would be rededicated first, resulting in Tennebris looking smug, and being given first go.
Eril went to examine the Temple of Humakt, where D'Val was still meditating where he had been left. There was a rather tense handover from the Duck, who then went straight to sleep, snoring in the corner. Eril sat down to guard the hole rift. Saronil guarded the temple itself. In the small hours, he heard Eril speak a word that meant Death, and for a brief moment he understood Separation from the soul.19 This also gave him an understanding of the High Sword's power.
In the morning, Orlanth's temple was rededicated, and then in turn, each of the adventurers were called on to help with theirs.20 Ethrava picked up a healthy respect for Kalis, and Varaema learned that Jaldis had a mind like a scalpel, and was capable of great concentration. Saronil found out that Eril was not only powerful, but that his power was wide-ranging and deep, as he had the most difficult task of all, being backed only by a Rune Lord and an Initiate, and with a magical construct trying to keep the place from rededication. After that, Eril left immediately, handing over the Temple to D'Val, who put Saronil in charge and crawled back to sleep.
Pretty much immediately, the rain began to fall. Tennebris got absolutely soaked in his roofless Temple, but Kalis kindly invited him into Ernalda's house to take advantage of her hospitality. There, he got to sleep on the floor. It was better than the storm.
Afterwards the group stayed in Whitewall for a short time. Ethrava lamented to Kalis about her problems with ransom, and Kalis offered to have the money sent, if Ethrava would move to Boldhome. Ethrava agreed to this enthusiastically. Meanwhile Saronil heard that D'Val was denying having been in command and saying that had been Saronil. He asked D'Val to stop lying about this, which the Duck took with a frozen moment Saronil did not notice, followed by a quiet explanation that he was not in fact lying. Saronil agreed this was the case, but said D'Val was pushing a narrative that did him too much credit. D'Val pointed out that Saronil needed to tell the truth to others, then, which was a thing that happened.
D'Val offered to fight Saronil for the challenge sword (See Episode 1) if Saronil wanted it to be guarded by the Temple. Saronil decided against this.
Outcomes
D'Val's legend has spread. He is, at least in Wilmskirk, no longer known as an 8' tall hero, but by his true height, 4'7". He is also celebrated there as a great Humakti hero.
Saronil picked up a D6 on his Death Rune and Fear (Eril).
End of Season happened, with some reputational gains for their fine work.