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Entry tags:
Dawn of Magic
Last Tuesday, we had Bonnie ("Leif"), Marc ("Mushamee"), Mike ("Rufus"), and Stéphane ("Vinz"). Martin ("Kaeso") was at his company's Christmas party.
Time: Pre-dawn, Odin 19, 1002 Imperial Reckoning.
Place: Indu, Indistan.
Last Event: Fleeing a collapsing storehouse after trashing the "curse engine" within.
The heroes retreat from the disintegrating storehouse, bathed in tangible supernatural energies from the exploding curse engine. The only obvious, immediate effect is a new spurt of growth for the vestigial horns that Rufus acquired in Hell. Rufus' helmet no longer fits him all that well . . .
The group heads back to the Shahim's palace, where they report on the night's events. The Shahim is thankful, and promises to commit troops to the upcoming confrontation with Black Adolph. However, he warns that he must settle the political turmoil caused by the death and resurrection of the crown prince, the magical enslavement of some of his soldiers, and several assassination attempts. His lords won't commit forces until they're certain that the crown is once again strong and in control.
Mushamee feels that there is little time for such maneuvering, and so asks the Shahim for an immediate concession: Would he at least be willing to permit the Imperial legions stuck at Maghlar to travel through Indistan, to Indu, and across the gate to Tenosia, instead of having to march overland to Tenosia, which would take 10 times as long? The Shahim agrees.
With that, the adventurers return to Tenosia while discussing the next ally to summon to the world's cause. Hippolyte warns that her oracular insight puts Black Adolph's arrival in the area of Tenosia at Odin 34, so some haste is needed if forces are to be rallied in time to face him. The grand army already consists of the troops stationed in Tenosia – Hippolyte's Amazons, plus the legions of Ashnog Potnag and Julianov Czesko – and of the Empire's legions stationed around Roma, as well as contributions from the Asok of Kali, the Shahim of Indistan, and the ogre chieftains of the North. Negotiations with King Hathig, Kerim Khan, and Spirit Anaconda remain unconcluded, and Mushamee feels it would be wise to speak with Hathig first.
However, everyone is tired and bruised. Before journeying through the portal to Toshtanag, it's time to rest for a bit. Leif heals up Vinz and Mushamee, and then everyone (but Kaeso, of course) gets a meal and some sleep.
It's around noon when the group reassembles. They take care of a few matters of business first: Mushamee dispatches a messenger through the portal to Roma to inform Nicolai and Vasili of the Shahim's support for moving troops through Indistan. Rufus leaves his helmet with Hippolyte's armorers to be adapted to his horns. Vinz fetches Loclá to come along in a diplomatic role. Everybody washes up and dons clean, formal garments suited to a diplomatic mission.
Shortly thereafter, Leif, Loclá, Mushamee, Rufus, and Vinz step through the gate to Toshtanag. They head directly to Hathig's castle. At the gates, however, the guards turn them away by name! The men seem to be behaving very strangely, speaking of "peace" and "Master." Rufus senses a strange divine energy affecting them – not the work of Starfish-Men. When asked directly about "Master," the soldiers simply suggest that the group visit the plaza.
On arriving at the edge of the plaza, the travelers see priests apparently blessing citizens. Rufus recognizes the rituals and vestments as being those of an ancient Kotanese god of peace – a force that in myth turned out to be a demon lord conjured by Kotan's enemies, selling "peace" in the form of sapping the will to bear arms and oppose the nation's foes. To Rufus' special vision, these priests appear to be invested with real power . . . and as the group watches, they see a soldier who refuses to convert being blasted with divine fire "to purge his violent nature."
The heroes hastily retreat, and are almost immediately called to from an alleyway. Approaching cautiously, they find Petr! The vampire claims to have been scouting ahead of the group, and informs them that the unusual events here in Toshtanag are very recent – in fact, barely a day has passed since the first priests showed up – so fortunately, the cult probably hasn't spread all that far yet. Petr can't explain how or why this is happening, but his pet theory is that the gods are trying to keep humanity from unifying and challenging them. Given Petr's curse, of course, it isn't entirely clear that this is a rational theory.
Regardless, it's evident that the cult must be kept from spreading beyond Toshtanag's city walls. There's still time, as it seems that the divinity behind it has yet to enslave the entire city: There are clearly thieves preying on pacifistic cultists and soldiers being burned for refusing to convert. Rufus attempts to learn more by rescuing a convert from thieves and using the moment to read the man's thoughts, but he encounters only a blinding divine barrier to his abilities.
Eventually, the group resolves to penetrate Hathig's castle and determine the king's status. Leaving the others hidden in an alleyway, Vinz uses his remarkable cloak to sneak up to the fortress, and then magic to scale the walls. He soon gains entry to the chambers of Kromm, Hathig's alchemist. Kromm seems very twitchy – the result of too many Elixirs of Wakefulness – but otherwise himself. He quickly briefs Vinz on recent events:
† On learning that magic was active in the world, Hathig concluded that many myths might be realities. He therefore ordered his men to unearth certain legendary items of power supposedly buried in the castle's catacombs.
† Hathig was eventually presented with an ornate box inscribed with runes which suggested that only a king could open it – which indeed appeared to be the case.
† Kromm saw these runes and realized that they said more – notably, that the box was hidden because it should be destroyed but could not be!
† Hathig opened the box and was immediately ensnared by a divine curse, which projected its might through the ruler's body and started his troops and city converting and disarming.
† Kromm exercised common sense and barricaded himself in his chambers before he was seen.
† While hiding, Kromm researched the runes in his books and learned that they were associated with the "demon lord of surrender to conquest," who commonly poses as a god of peace.
Kromm begs Vinz to fetch his allies and deal with this situation. He gives Vinz some Elixirs of Wakefulness and promises to use "magic rope" to help Vinz and friends up to his chambers. Vinz agrees to try, and leaves via the window to fetch his companions.
By the time Vinz reaches the others, it's dark. He relates what Kromm told him. Loclá leaves immediately to warn Hippolyte of the cult, so that its priests will be unable to cross into Tenosia and spread their insidious message worldwide. Then Leif, Mushamee, Rufus, and Vinz sneak up to the castle walls.
Kromm is true to his word. He uses a strange, alchemically treated rope to help the party quickly up to his quarters high above. On the way up, the infiltrators notice an unconscious guard who has been struck in the head by a huge tome, no doubt dropped by Kromm. Rufus sees that the book is cursed but grabs it anyway, in order to hide the evidence. For his trouble, he receives badly blistered hands.
At the top of the climb, Kromm helps the heroes inside. He collects the cursed book from Rufus – with "Alchemist's Gloves" – and heals Rufus' hands with Balm of Vhantari. Kromm also issues more Elixirs of Wakefulness (which, on seeing Kromm's state, few are inclined to use). He then informs the group that he can send them directly to the crypts via the chimney of his furnace, which connects to that of the crematorium many levels below.
Kromm opens a panel in the chimney and the others climb down. Rufus goes first, then Mushamee, Vinz, and Leif. They leap out at the bottom, surprise and knock out a single crypt attendant, and secure the room. Peering through the door out, Rufus sees two more men walking around, who soon end up nabbed as well. Rufus uses his powers to lay hands on the three unconscious morticians and pry thoughts from them, and learns that Hathig is still down here in the crypts . . . along with his bodyguards. They are just around the corner, in a chapel for funeral rituals.
Vinz draws his cloak around himself and scouts ahead invisibly. He sees no fewer than 17 heavily armed guardsmen hanging around the entry to the chapel. They seem less on guard than bored, but they're in the way nevertheless. After nipping back to consult with his allies, Vinz agrees to try a powerful sleep spell. This works, and all but one of the soldiers collapses, asleep. Vinz knocks out the last fellow the hard way, thereby securing the corridor.
The others move up and join Vinz. Rufus uses his remarkable sight to peer through the chapel door, where he sees Hathig standing, alone, bathed in the glow of a sickly light from within an ornate chest. He tells the others, and discussion ensues. It's clear to all that any force that can enslave a king and his army isn't to be trifled with – it can bend the will of men, and while the heroes are strong-willed sorts, they have no guarantee of invulnerability. The plan is thus to go in by pairs: Mushamee and Rufus (the two fastest runners), followed by Leif and Vinz. Given Rufus' bad luck at times, Vinz casts a will-strengthening spell on him.
Without further ado, Vinz hides in the shadows, Leif bashes the door open, and Mushamee and Rufus charge in. However, Mushamee is stopped by a divine command a few paces into the room! Rufus, aided by Vinz's magic, manages to fight through the compulsion and reach the ornate box. He slams the lid shut and hurls himself atop it to keep it that way. It bucks and rattles, but doesn't come open. Leif immediately charges in to help – but he, too, is stopped by the chest's curse!
On seeing this situation, Vinz pauses to strengthen his own will with magic. While he assesses the situation and prepares his spell, the dazed Hathig draws his dagger and starts trying to stab Rufus to death. Meanwhile, Leif and Mushamee feel a strange anger toward Rufus, and hear voices telling them to kill. They draw weapons and move toward Rufus as well.
Fortunately for Rufus, Vinz is now ready to move. He rushes in, resists the divine command, and lunges for Hathig. He strikes Hathig on the head with the flat of his sword, causing the king to collapse. Instantly, Leif and Mushamee recover, and Rufus feels the strange vibrations of the accursed box stop.
Leif hastens to the fallen Hathig and heals the lump on his head. Rufus sees that Hathig is no longer cursed. He scans the guards in the hallway outside and sees that they are still affected – clearly, the secondary effects caused by the priestly "conversions" aren't the same as the primary influence of the sinister chest itself.
The heroes wrap up the ornate box in a tapestry and use one of Kromm's potions to revive Hathig. Hathig is only briefly confused, and soon comes to understand the situation. He thanks his rescuers, and requests that they destroy the evil chest. Of course, the ornate box cannot be destroyed, or so Kromm said. Rufus volunteers to go fetch Kromm while the others remain with Hathig and the cursed container.
Upstairs, Rufus encounters three guards who've broken into Kromm's barricaded quarters. Their cries of "We love you!" and "Peace, brother!" are incongruous with their actions, which consist mostly of beating Kromm to death. Rufus explodes into the room and quickly defeats the guards. He then helps Kromm up and explains the situation.
Meanwhile, in the crypts, Leif summons Granddad and asks him how one would go about destroying an indestructible divine vessel. Granddad suggests that it takes a god to defeat one, and recommends asking a divine entity to do the honors. Leif figures that Kerim Khan would count, and conjures him from the Realm of Air. The Khan appears forthwith and agrees to do a fellow king – Hathig – a favor. With a simple gesture, he commands the box scattered to the Four Winds. In an instant, it vanishes from sight, blown to dust.
In Kromm's tower, Rufus senses these events, and realizes that the ordeal has truly ended. He summons the others, and Leif heals the beaten Kromm. Meanwhile, Hathig sees to getting his castle, army, and city back in order.
Time: Pre-dawn, Odin 19, 1002 Imperial Reckoning.
Place: Indu, Indistan.
Last Event: Fleeing a collapsing storehouse after trashing the "curse engine" within.
The heroes retreat from the disintegrating storehouse, bathed in tangible supernatural energies from the exploding curse engine. The only obvious, immediate effect is a new spurt of growth for the vestigial horns that Rufus acquired in Hell. Rufus' helmet no longer fits him all that well . . .
The group heads back to the Shahim's palace, where they report on the night's events. The Shahim is thankful, and promises to commit troops to the upcoming confrontation with Black Adolph. However, he warns that he must settle the political turmoil caused by the death and resurrection of the crown prince, the magical enslavement of some of his soldiers, and several assassination attempts. His lords won't commit forces until they're certain that the crown is once again strong and in control.
Mushamee feels that there is little time for such maneuvering, and so asks the Shahim for an immediate concession: Would he at least be willing to permit the Imperial legions stuck at Maghlar to travel through Indistan, to Indu, and across the gate to Tenosia, instead of having to march overland to Tenosia, which would take 10 times as long? The Shahim agrees.
With that, the adventurers return to Tenosia while discussing the next ally to summon to the world's cause. Hippolyte warns that her oracular insight puts Black Adolph's arrival in the area of Tenosia at Odin 34, so some haste is needed if forces are to be rallied in time to face him. The grand army already consists of the troops stationed in Tenosia – Hippolyte's Amazons, plus the legions of Ashnog Potnag and Julianov Czesko – and of the Empire's legions stationed around Roma, as well as contributions from the Asok of Kali, the Shahim of Indistan, and the ogre chieftains of the North. Negotiations with King Hathig, Kerim Khan, and Spirit Anaconda remain unconcluded, and Mushamee feels it would be wise to speak with Hathig first.
However, everyone is tired and bruised. Before journeying through the portal to Toshtanag, it's time to rest for a bit. Leif heals up Vinz and Mushamee, and then everyone (but Kaeso, of course) gets a meal and some sleep.
It's around noon when the group reassembles. They take care of a few matters of business first: Mushamee dispatches a messenger through the portal to Roma to inform Nicolai and Vasili of the Shahim's support for moving troops through Indistan. Rufus leaves his helmet with Hippolyte's armorers to be adapted to his horns. Vinz fetches Loclá to come along in a diplomatic role. Everybody washes up and dons clean, formal garments suited to a diplomatic mission.
Shortly thereafter, Leif, Loclá, Mushamee, Rufus, and Vinz step through the gate to Toshtanag. They head directly to Hathig's castle. At the gates, however, the guards turn them away by name! The men seem to be behaving very strangely, speaking of "peace" and "Master." Rufus senses a strange divine energy affecting them – not the work of Starfish-Men. When asked directly about "Master," the soldiers simply suggest that the group visit the plaza.
On arriving at the edge of the plaza, the travelers see priests apparently blessing citizens. Rufus recognizes the rituals and vestments as being those of an ancient Kotanese god of peace – a force that in myth turned out to be a demon lord conjured by Kotan's enemies, selling "peace" in the form of sapping the will to bear arms and oppose the nation's foes. To Rufus' special vision, these priests appear to be invested with real power . . . and as the group watches, they see a soldier who refuses to convert being blasted with divine fire "to purge his violent nature."
The heroes hastily retreat, and are almost immediately called to from an alleyway. Approaching cautiously, they find Petr! The vampire claims to have been scouting ahead of the group, and informs them that the unusual events here in Toshtanag are very recent – in fact, barely a day has passed since the first priests showed up – so fortunately, the cult probably hasn't spread all that far yet. Petr can't explain how or why this is happening, but his pet theory is that the gods are trying to keep humanity from unifying and challenging them. Given Petr's curse, of course, it isn't entirely clear that this is a rational theory.
Regardless, it's evident that the cult must be kept from spreading beyond Toshtanag's city walls. There's still time, as it seems that the divinity behind it has yet to enslave the entire city: There are clearly thieves preying on pacifistic cultists and soldiers being burned for refusing to convert. Rufus attempts to learn more by rescuing a convert from thieves and using the moment to read the man's thoughts, but he encounters only a blinding divine barrier to his abilities.
Eventually, the group resolves to penetrate Hathig's castle and determine the king's status. Leaving the others hidden in an alleyway, Vinz uses his remarkable cloak to sneak up to the fortress, and then magic to scale the walls. He soon gains entry to the chambers of Kromm, Hathig's alchemist. Kromm seems very twitchy – the result of too many Elixirs of Wakefulness – but otherwise himself. He quickly briefs Vinz on recent events:
† On learning that magic was active in the world, Hathig concluded that many myths might be realities. He therefore ordered his men to unearth certain legendary items of power supposedly buried in the castle's catacombs.
† Hathig was eventually presented with an ornate box inscribed with runes which suggested that only a king could open it – which indeed appeared to be the case.
† Kromm saw these runes and realized that they said more – notably, that the box was hidden because it should be destroyed but could not be!
† Hathig opened the box and was immediately ensnared by a divine curse, which projected its might through the ruler's body and started his troops and city converting and disarming.
† Kromm exercised common sense and barricaded himself in his chambers before he was seen.
† While hiding, Kromm researched the runes in his books and learned that they were associated with the "demon lord of surrender to conquest," who commonly poses as a god of peace.
Kromm begs Vinz to fetch his allies and deal with this situation. He gives Vinz some Elixirs of Wakefulness and promises to use "magic rope" to help Vinz and friends up to his chambers. Vinz agrees to try, and leaves via the window to fetch his companions.
By the time Vinz reaches the others, it's dark. He relates what Kromm told him. Loclá leaves immediately to warn Hippolyte of the cult, so that its priests will be unable to cross into Tenosia and spread their insidious message worldwide. Then Leif, Mushamee, Rufus, and Vinz sneak up to the castle walls.
Kromm is true to his word. He uses a strange, alchemically treated rope to help the party quickly up to his quarters high above. On the way up, the infiltrators notice an unconscious guard who has been struck in the head by a huge tome, no doubt dropped by Kromm. Rufus sees that the book is cursed but grabs it anyway, in order to hide the evidence. For his trouble, he receives badly blistered hands.
At the top of the climb, Kromm helps the heroes inside. He collects the cursed book from Rufus – with "Alchemist's Gloves" – and heals Rufus' hands with Balm of Vhantari. Kromm also issues more Elixirs of Wakefulness (which, on seeing Kromm's state, few are inclined to use). He then informs the group that he can send them directly to the crypts via the chimney of his furnace, which connects to that of the crematorium many levels below.
Kromm opens a panel in the chimney and the others climb down. Rufus goes first, then Mushamee, Vinz, and Leif. They leap out at the bottom, surprise and knock out a single crypt attendant, and secure the room. Peering through the door out, Rufus sees two more men walking around, who soon end up nabbed as well. Rufus uses his powers to lay hands on the three unconscious morticians and pry thoughts from them, and learns that Hathig is still down here in the crypts . . . along with his bodyguards. They are just around the corner, in a chapel for funeral rituals.
Vinz draws his cloak around himself and scouts ahead invisibly. He sees no fewer than 17 heavily armed guardsmen hanging around the entry to the chapel. They seem less on guard than bored, but they're in the way nevertheless. After nipping back to consult with his allies, Vinz agrees to try a powerful sleep spell. This works, and all but one of the soldiers collapses, asleep. Vinz knocks out the last fellow the hard way, thereby securing the corridor.
The others move up and join Vinz. Rufus uses his remarkable sight to peer through the chapel door, where he sees Hathig standing, alone, bathed in the glow of a sickly light from within an ornate chest. He tells the others, and discussion ensues. It's clear to all that any force that can enslave a king and his army isn't to be trifled with – it can bend the will of men, and while the heroes are strong-willed sorts, they have no guarantee of invulnerability. The plan is thus to go in by pairs: Mushamee and Rufus (the two fastest runners), followed by Leif and Vinz. Given Rufus' bad luck at times, Vinz casts a will-strengthening spell on him.
Without further ado, Vinz hides in the shadows, Leif bashes the door open, and Mushamee and Rufus charge in. However, Mushamee is stopped by a divine command a few paces into the room! Rufus, aided by Vinz's magic, manages to fight through the compulsion and reach the ornate box. He slams the lid shut and hurls himself atop it to keep it that way. It bucks and rattles, but doesn't come open. Leif immediately charges in to help – but he, too, is stopped by the chest's curse!
On seeing this situation, Vinz pauses to strengthen his own will with magic. While he assesses the situation and prepares his spell, the dazed Hathig draws his dagger and starts trying to stab Rufus to death. Meanwhile, Leif and Mushamee feel a strange anger toward Rufus, and hear voices telling them to kill. They draw weapons and move toward Rufus as well.
Fortunately for Rufus, Vinz is now ready to move. He rushes in, resists the divine command, and lunges for Hathig. He strikes Hathig on the head with the flat of his sword, causing the king to collapse. Instantly, Leif and Mushamee recover, and Rufus feels the strange vibrations of the accursed box stop.
Leif hastens to the fallen Hathig and heals the lump on his head. Rufus sees that Hathig is no longer cursed. He scans the guards in the hallway outside and sees that they are still affected – clearly, the secondary effects caused by the priestly "conversions" aren't the same as the primary influence of the sinister chest itself.
The heroes wrap up the ornate box in a tapestry and use one of Kromm's potions to revive Hathig. Hathig is only briefly confused, and soon comes to understand the situation. He thanks his rescuers, and requests that they destroy the evil chest. Of course, the ornate box cannot be destroyed, or so Kromm said. Rufus volunteers to go fetch Kromm while the others remain with Hathig and the cursed container.
Upstairs, Rufus encounters three guards who've broken into Kromm's barricaded quarters. Their cries of "We love you!" and "Peace, brother!" are incongruous with their actions, which consist mostly of beating Kromm to death. Rufus explodes into the room and quickly defeats the guards. He then helps Kromm up and explains the situation.
Meanwhile, in the crypts, Leif summons Granddad and asks him how one would go about destroying an indestructible divine vessel. Granddad suggests that it takes a god to defeat one, and recommends asking a divine entity to do the honors. Leif figures that Kerim Khan would count, and conjures him from the Realm of Air. The Khan appears forthwith and agrees to do a fellow king – Hathig – a favor. With a simple gesture, he commands the box scattered to the Four Winds. In an instant, it vanishes from sight, blown to dust.
In Kromm's tower, Rufus senses these events, and realizes that the ordeal has truly ended. He summons the others, and Leif heals the beaten Kromm. Meanwhile, Hathig sees to getting his castle, army, and city back in order.