Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Game Notes, Session 20

Gameplay begins as the party arrives at the Morningstar Abbey. They are greeted upon their arrival by two monks they remember from their time at the Abbey, and the party is taken to Art, who is the new Abbott, after appealing to the Church in Larst. The party learns that Brother Jarrod disappeared about 4 weeks prior, and a new Blacksmith has taken his place at the Abbey. A discussion about the children born during the last Year of the Ram cycle ensues, and the boys discover through Art that the two (previously unaccounted for) children from the year were also brought to the Abbey by Teris and the gang, but they were kidnapped. Their names are Graxx and Delphin (both boys), and Delphin in particular is interesting because he is the son of another Year of the Ram child, one born four cycles ago (making him 200 years old at the time of Delphin’s birth; 218 currently). Both of these children are human. Delphin’s father is a man named Harvas Raeth. The party then learns that the younger girl who lived at the Abbey has developed the gift of prophecy, though she has reverted to a child-like state as a result, and the brothers keep her in the tower of the Abbey for her own safety.
The party goes up to the tower to see her, when she immediately opens her mouth, and in a deep voice, gives the following prophetic message:

“At the moment of the ceremony of the Harvest, the stars will begin to fall. Seek ye the location at the base of Mt. ---“

This is where she stops. Art mentions that this is only the 3rd prophecy she has given, and the party resolves to study the mountains of the Twilight Lands in order to glean the location. They also request to hear the other prophecies. They are:

“The brother who walks in darkness gathers his council among him and goes there unto Larst.” – Spoken to Art

This is taken by the party as a means of explaining where Jarrod has gone to. Getting to Larst becomes a priority. The other one:

And those who grew up as brothers and maintained brothers among them true of necessity shall walk the path of darkness, yet only three shall exit on the other side.” – Spoken to Brother Steve Perry

The party reluctantly comes to the conclusion that this means that at least one of them (it is not certain if Chris Tennison is subject to this prophecy) will die before all is said and done. With nothing more for it but to accept that the prophecy was foretold, Guy decides he’s sick of prophecies, and the party at large agrees with him. They bed down for the night at the Abbey, and head forth the next day for Compassgate.

When they arrive in Compassgate three days later, they come to the gate, and find the guards drastically understaffed in the city. The guard who greets them at the gate asks them if they are there to celebrate Yule. After staring intently at the guard for 10 minutes, the boys decide that there is no hidden meaning in this nameless guard’s statement, and ask him why they are so understaffed. The guard explains that Marshall Drooley has given most of the city leave to celebrate the season, which is winding to a close.

The party, pretty irritated with Drooley by this point, heads into town and goes straight for the Town Hall. When they enter the hall, Guy tells the clerk that they have an appointment with Drooley, but she does not believe him. Floyd begins to sing in an attempt to distract her, but his singing triggers the arrival of a tiny man in a bubble who sings a song from Mitchell about Floyd, and how Floyd’s songwriting skills pale in comparison to his. After completing the song, the tiny man states that the terms of his geas are complete, and he disappears. This leads Floyd to the conclusion that Mitchell’s geas ordered the man to first, write a song trouncing Floyd and pretend that Mitchell had written it himself, and second, to perform it for Floyd the next time he attempted to sing.

Anyway, this provides the distraction the party needs, and they head for a meeting room, where Guy rashly and impulsively strikes Drooley, killing him. Panic ensues through the building, and Guy heads for Drooley’s office, finding what loosely amounts to evidence – correspondence between Drooley and Doogal that, while appearing legal and coincidental, more or less leaves the city defenseless. As a crowd forms outside, an image of Gruth appears, which recognizes the party, and quickly pins the murder of Drooley on them, calling the boys his “assassins,” and announcing his invasion of the city. Floyd takes the evidence and does his damndest to sway the assembled public to the side of the party, rallying them to allow the boys to fight for the city. Many in the crowd are swayed.

Meanwhile, Virgil, Guy, Chris Tennison, and Brixmore head for the gate, where they see an oncoming army of the usual Doogal suspects – kobolds, giants, lizarmen, dwarves, and the like. Then, a guard spots an army cresting the hill, and recognizes them as Doogal’s forces – revealing Doogal’s master plan to “save” the city from his own monster army. Realizing this is an orchestrated event, the party leads a band of citizenry out to fight alongside Doogal’s forces, surprising the monster army and Doogal’s force. Naturally, the victory is for Compassgate, and the party further endears themselves to the city being percieved as their leaders. The boys spot Doogal, and discover that he is a halfling. Doogal heads for the gates of the city, so Floyd takes a potion of Expeditious Retreat and heads for the gate. Guy, Chris Tennison, Brixmore, and Liam follow, while Virgil stays behind to implement “Operation: Horsethief.”

Doogal finds himself greeted at the gate by Floyd who introduces himself as the acting Marshall of Compassgate, and Doogal recognizes the party’s names, though they have never met. It becomes clear to Floyd when listening to Doogal that he has bard abilities. He disavows any knowledge of Gruth and the like, and maintains his intent upon reaching the city. Upon his arrival in town square, Doogal begins to give a speech intended to bring the city under his sway, but Floyd gets into Doogal’s rythmn, and makes him look like a fool. The citizenry, thoroughly unimpressed by Doogal, disregard him, until he decides to take Town Hall by force, heading inside and locking the door. The party tries to fight their way through.

Meanwhile, Virgil has approached some of Doogal’s men, and tried to ingratiate himself to them, but he is met with resistance on all fronts. He notices their insignia, which is a jewel that lights up, and when it does, Doogal’s forces head for the city. Virgil Expeditious Retreats himself into town, and finds the party, led by Chris Tennnison, trying to break down the door of Town Hall. Floyd uses his boots to get inside, and opens the door, and the party dispatches the guards downstairs and head up. Virgil and Chris are the first to find Doogal, but Doogal dominates Virgil, taking him out f the fight. The rest of the party gets up to the meeting room where the fight is happening, and Floyd, Guy, and Chris Tennison fight Doogal while Liam tries to subdue Virgil and Brix attempts to hold off the guards at the door. The party defeats Doogal just as he escapes through a magic hole in the floor, and then Floyd teleports out of the room to follow him with Brixmore following soon after while Liam, Guy, and Chris Tennison fight the guards.

Virgil’s domination lifts, and he joins Floyd and Brix, who go downstairs to find Doogal gone (but for a blood spot on the floor where he should have landed) and Floyd and Brix engaged in fighting an elf assassin with crazy poisoned daggers. Guy, Liam, and Chris Tennison dispatch the guards and head downstairs, where they help to finish off the assassin, but are forced out of the town hall by an overwhelming number of guards. Outside, they find the town is being sacked by more of Doogal’s forces, both monstrous and human. The party finds horses and escapes Compassgate, heading south for Longview, with the intent to head east to Larst. Though disappointed that they were unable to save Compassgate, they take solace in the fact that Doogal has been thoroughly outed to the world as a villian of the first degree. At this point, Liam parts ways with the party, but tells them he will see them again.


End of Session XX

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