Spirit Storm Session Log: Epic Tale #6 – Crimson Tears – Session #13
Date At Start Of Game: 10/01/206
[Author’s Note: This is the log for the 13th session. Note that the order of the events in this record may not be in the exact order that they occurred during play.]
The Temple Of Shazartza
After defeating the Ant Kin warriors the PC proceed carefully. Cillian and Bilby take the lead exploring the various side chambers. In one they find a well and in the other they find a posh room that is covered in mold. After checking the side rooms they head down the ramp towards where they saw the Ant Kin “butcher”. In one of the side rooms the PC are shocked to discover many severed limbs and body parts. Alongside the bodies are casks filled with blood. Po gingerly examines the room and notices that all of the body parts are from children, women, and the elderly only. One of the bodies is the Deer Kin archer Miya. Horrified the PC proceed.
In the next area they find a row of cells that are currently empty but appear to be recently used. In one cell there is blood and a red stocking cap. Bilby remembers the red cap on the woman they saw at Raftport. At the end of the hallway is a room with some bunk beds and a table with a warm lantern. When Po enters the room he hears a voice. His spell does not detect any magic but he appears to be the only one that can hear the voice. The voice is walking around the room and orating about the “virtues” of the Dark Mistress! Eventually it starts talking about various torture techniques. Po carefully speaks out to the voice. To his surprise it responds! The voice is from someone named Balthazar who claim to be the once high priest of Shazartza. Wanting to gain his trust Po convinces Balthazar that he is an ally of the Dark Mistress. After convincing the spectral voice that he is an ally Balthazar tells Po that the Ant Kin are minions of the current high priestess. The current high priestess is a woman known as the Scarlet Scorpion. She has been the only other person that has been able to hear him speak in quite a while. Balthazar then tells Po that if he gives a certain greeting and response it will be “deemed acceptable” by accoltyes of the Shazartza. The greeting is, “I travel with a heavy right hand laden with a hammer.” The response is, “May you find the vengeance you seek.”
During this conversation Cillian finds a secret door on one side of the room. On the other side of the door he sees larger natural cavern. Immediately outside of the secret door is a small metal pot with oil and a wick. After watching for a few minutes he observes an Ant Kin warrior approach then listen at the secret door. Cillian tells the party to quiet. When the Ant Kin leaves the PC start to devise a plan. After several different plans are discussed the PC decide to wait for the guard to return then to grab him and rush out to get any others.
The guard approaches and right before he touches the secret door Cillian opens it and Bilby grabs the Ant Kin warrior. He pulls him into the room then shoves him into a nearby cell and locks the door. While this is happening another Ant Kin warrior armed with two crossbows dashes out of the natural cavern to alert others. Bilby heads out into the dark cavern after the Ant Kin warrior. The rest of the PC grab nearby lanterns and head out after them. Eventually Bilby catches up to the Ant Kin but only scratches him with a hit to his leg. The Ant Kin fires his crossbows. One bolt nearly goes through Bilby’s chest! Luckily the rest of the PC are right behind and take down the Ant Kin with some well placed strikes. Po heals Bilby during the combat using his powerful Spirit Magic.
The Temple Of Dark Lady
With that the PC head into the large natural cavern. They can see many footprints leading down the cavern but only Ant Kin tracks are returning. After almost a mile of trekking through the cavern it narrows to a man made tunnel hewn out of stone. Carefully Bilby and Cillian scout ahead. Bilby hears a distant sound of mechanical gears in the distance. The first room is round and is flanked by two stone effigies of Shazartza with a hammer in one hand and flame in the other. Cillian looks through the statues and finds that they are doors that slide to one side. After carefully searching them he finds that they are trapped if opened the wrong direction. When he listens at one door and is startled when the status speaks to him, “The Dark Mistress asks how you travel in her temple?” He answers with the greeting, “I travel with a heavy right hand laden with a hammer.” The status replies with, “May you find the vengeance you seek.” With that Cillian opens the door. Inside one room is a mushroom garden. In the other is a well with some glowing fungus.
Opposite the entrance the PC find 3 doors. Behind the left door the PC hear Ant Kin speaking. Behind the center they don’t hear anything. Behind the right they hear mechanical gears. They decide to carefully check the right door. Inside the room is a stockade for 3 prisoners and some whips. Down a set of stairs Cillian finds a larger natural cavern that bends to the left. At the bend he finds a cage with waeary prisoners. At the far end of the cavern Cillian find 5 Ant Kin warriors whipping a set of prisoners who are turning a large cog. One of the prisoners is a large Horse Kin. The gears appear to be some type of bellows that are feeding a pipe.
What is all of this for?!?
Date At End Of Game: 10/01/206
